China's manufacturing sector revs up with AI-empowered innovation Xinhua) 08:25, May 29, 2024 BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A revolution propelled by the advances in automation and artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing in the bustling heart of the country's manufacturing sector, and injecting new momentum into its sustainable growth. The once prevalent image of China's bustling assembly lines, filled with tireless workers laboring around the clock, is now gradually receding from China's industrial landscape. Over the past three years, China has been at the forefront of innovation, launching a series of smart manufacturing pilot initiatives. This has resulted in 421 national-level showcase factories, complemented by a network of more than 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and intelligent factories. The country's government work report this year unveiled an AI Plus initiative, a strategic move designed to propel the digital economy's expansion and spearhead the transformation and modernization of manufacturing sectors. HIGHER EFFICIENCY This photo taken on March 5, 2020 shows a worker at the manufacturing shop of LCFC (Hefei) Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) A sophisticated solution has emerged as a game-changer for Lenovo, the world's premier computer manufacturer, in tackling its complex order processing challenge with finesse. LCFC, Lenovo's flagship manufacturing hub in eastern Chinese city of Hefei, is a global powerhouse of personal computer production. The facility handles an impressive influx of over 8,000 new orders daily, a staggering majority of which are customized small orders of no more than 5 units, each with unique configurations. As the scale of production lines expands and the volume of daily order scheduling surges, the manual operations' efficiency and quality have hit a critical juncture. In 2021, Lenovo's AI engineers developed an algorithm that enabled the company to streamline its operations, ensuring a seamless and efficient approach to managing the intricacies of their order fulfillment challenges. "Our R&D team, leveraging the power of AI algorithms, analyzed five key categories encompassing 47 distinct factors, ranging from personnel and machinery to materials, processes, and the production environment," said Li Jincheng, LCFC's senior manager of production planning management. "By delving into vast datasets related to customer orders, component supplies and product planning, our team has meticulously explored two times ten to the nineteenth power unique sorting methods, an exhaustive approach pivotal in striking an optimal balance between delivery efficiency and production cost-effectiveness," said Li. Its entire production scheduling, previously demanding a dedicated team's six-hour daily commitment, has been dramatically streamlined to mere 1.5 minutes, according to Fan Wei, director of machine learning at Lenovo Research Institute's Artificial Intelligence Lab. "This transformation has led to a remarkable 16 percent surge in production efficiency," said Fan. "Therefore, the manufacturing output of personal computers has seen a substantial 23 percent boost, while the backlog of orders has been significantly reduced by 20 percent." In 2021, the intelligent system was shortlisted for the Franz Edelman Award, a prestigious honor in the field of global operations research and management science. This photo taken on May 22, 2024 shows a dark factory of Baosteel in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Gong Bing) Industries powered by AI have experienced an increase in total factor productivity, an indicator widely recognized as a defining characteristic of new quality productive forces. Song Tao, the general manager of Lenovo Group's Manufacturing Sector for Government and Enterprise Businesses, envisioned a future where AI technology drives and fosters a slew of emerging industries and innovative frontiers. BETTER QUALITY At a data center in Shanghai's North Bund, expansive screens pulse with live operational data from a staggering 700,000 textile machinery units nationwide in over 9,000 textile enterprises. Bolstered by AI's prowess, small and medium-sized textile firms have now hopped aboard the fast-moving train of intelligent manufacturing. The "miniature robots" integrated into weaving machines, which are developed by the startup Zhijing Technology, have made simultaneous weaving and quality inspection possible. Equipped with AI-empowered visual recognition, those machines can identify flaws on-the-fly during the weaving process and instantly trigger alarms, an innovative approach that ensures a "non-stop" inspection, significantly enhancing efficiency and quality control. "Now, with just a few taps on my phone, I can check the production data of each machine and remotely understand the factory's production status," said Gu Chang, owner of a medium-sized textile factory in southwest China's Sichuan Province. "Thanks to the deployment of those robots, our two workshops are now churning out an impressive 250,000 meters of fabric daily, with machine efficiency nearing 95 percent, a benchmark that is considered exceptionally high within our industry," said Gu. "In the past, weaving was heavily dependent on individual expertise, a process susceptible to mistakes," said Guan Ruifeng, vice president of Zhijing Technology. "The AI system has significantly streamlined operations and enhanced product consistency, cutting down the sampling time from the previous three to five days to 24 hours at the shortest," said Guan. "By concentrating on the digital transformation requirements of local traditional sectors and fostering the synergy between general artificial intelligence and emerging industries as well as the real economy, we can develop an array of holistic, diverse, and frequently utilized application solutions," said Zhao Chunjiang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. EMERGING INDUSTRY Micro-Intelligence is a "unicorn" enterprise based in Changzhou, a city that has risen to prominence as the nation's hub for the manufacturing of power batteries. The AI-powered quality inspection robots the company offered have amassed a database of over 100 million defect samples for products manufactured through one-time molding processes, assisting to address a range of post-assembly concerns for electric motor stators, including coil winding irregularities, poor assembly and deformation of critical parts. Smart robots operate at a workshop of Ronma Solar in Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) As labor costs rise, skilled "master craftsmen" proficient in quality inspection are growing increasingly scarce. Deploying the intelligent robots, more than 2,700 factories spanning 18 cities nationwide have been able to reduce quality inspection workforce by over 10,000 personnel. Also, such applications have bolstered the reliability of China's new energy vehicles and amplified their appeal and competitiveness on the global market stage. The core artificial intelligence industry in China achieved a remarkable scale of 578.7 billion yuan (about 80 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, supported by a thriving ecosystem of 4,482 enterprises, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. "Industrial digitalization represents a market worth a trillion yuan market, and it also relates to 10,000 smaller markets," said Huang Shi, a researcher from the Strategy and Industry Research Institute of China Mobile Research Institute. Huang acknowledged the complexity of the manufacturing sector, where scenarios are highly fragmented, making the exploration of exemplary AI applications a considerable challenge. "Despite those challenges in the short run, China's robust industrial base, expansive market size and diverse application scenarios confer a significant advantage in harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence," said Du Chuanzhong, director of the Industrial Economic Research Institute at Nankai University. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) China's State Council Information Office on Wednesday issued the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, revealing the country's deteriorating human rights situation with facts and figures. The report calls on the U.S. government to take concrete measures to tackle its human rights problems, and respond to the expectations of the American people and international concerns. The human rights situation in the United States continued to deteriorate in 2023, the report said, adding that human rights are becoming increasingly polarized in the country. "While a ruling minority holds political, economic, and social dominance, the majority of ordinary people are increasingly marginalized, with their basic rights and freedoms being disregarded," it said. Noting that civil and political rights have been reduced to mere talk in the United States, the report draws attention to worsening problems including gun violence, partisan fights, police brutality and the ineffective police enforcement accountability system, mass incarceration and forced labor, political polarization, election manipulation, and the declining government credibility. "The chronic disease of racism persists," the report said, highlighting that African Americans face serious racial discrimination and inequality in fields such as law enforcement and medical services. Asian Americans have experienced intensified discrimination, the rights of Native Americans have been constantly violated, and "racist ideology is spreading virulently in the United States and spilling across borders," it added. Growing economic and social inequality makes life extremely difficult for the poor, the report said, noting that the United States has been refusing to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Economic, social and cultural rights are stigmatized as "welfare cheese" in the United States, and the phenomenon of "in-work poverty" is widespread, with the gap between the rich and the poor further widening, it added. The United States has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and remains the only UN member state which has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it said, warning of the persistent violations of the rights of women and children in the country. Meanwhile, politicians have "forsaken the rights and welfare of immigrants," it said. Overseas, the United States has long pursued hegemonism, practiced unilateralism and power politics, and created humanitarian crises, it said. "In the United States, human rights is essentially a privilege enjoyed only by a few. The country's various human rights problems seriously threaten and hinder the healthy development of the world human rights cause," said the report. The report consists of Foreword; Civil and Political Rights Become Empty Talk; The Chronic Disease of Racism; Growing Economic and Social Inequality; Persistent Violations of the Rights of Women and Children; Heart-wrenching Struggles of Undocumented Migrants; and American Hegemony Creates Humanitarian Crises. France and Germany issued a joint statement on Tuesday, advocating for Ukraine's right to utilise their weaponry to target Russian bases, which they allege are launching attacks on Ukrainian soil, CNN reported. French President Emmanuel Macron, during a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, emphasised that weapons supplied to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, are authorised to target Russian bases. "Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia," Macron declared during his visit to Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg, Germany. "So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that we're going to have to protect these towns and basically everything we're seeing around Kharkiv at the moment, if we tell them you are not allowed to hit the point from which the missiles are fired?" "We think that we should allow them to neutralise the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked," Macron continued, as reported by CNN. However, Macron stressed the importance of not allowing strikes on non-military or civilian targets in Russia. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed Macron's sentiments, affirming that Ukraine has the right to defend itself within the parameters set by the countries that have provided the weapons and international law. "Ukraine has every possibility under international law for what it is doing. That has to be said explicitly," Scholz asserted. "I find it strange when some people argue that it should not be allowed to defend itself and take measures that are suitable for this." The Western stance on the usage of donated weapons by Ukraine has long been contentious, with concerns among Western leaders that such actions could escalate violence and potentially draw NATO into a broader conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently sought permission from his allies to extend the use of provided weapons to target Russian territory. The United States, Ukraine's largest arms supplier, has previously refrained from endorsing Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory due to concerns about escalation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at a possible shift in policy, indicating that the US would continue to adapt its support for Ukraine in response to changing conditions. "We're always listening. We're always learning, and we're always making determinations about what's necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself," Blinken stated. Despite this, Blinken reiterated that, at present, the US has not sanctioned Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory with US-provided weaponry. France has equipped Ukraine with SCALP cruise missiles, whose capabilities include a range of up to 155 kilometers (96 miles) and a 400-kilogram (881-pound) high-explosive penetration warhead. "The SCALP missiles have been provided to Ukraine with specific guidelines," Macron emphasised. "They are intended solely for targeting military installations from which attacks are launched into Ukrainian territory." In a similar vein, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron affirmed Ukraine's right to use the weaponry supplied to defend itself against Russian aggression. "In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view it is their decision about how to use these weapons, they are defending their country," Cameron remarked during a visit to Kyiv. "We don't discuss any caveats that we put on those things. But let's be absolutely clear: Russia has launched an attack into Ukraine, and Ukraine absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia." Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, contended that Ukraine's use of long-range weapons necessitates significant NATO support, which could potentially lead to a global conflict, according to CNN. "Long-range precision weapons cannot be used without space-based reconnaissance," Putin asserted during a state visit to Uzbekistan. "Final target selection or launch mission for Western systems need to be made by highly skilled specialists who rely on this reconnaissance data." "Officials from NATO countries, especially those based in Europe, should be fully aware of what is at stake," Putin cautioned. "They should keep in mind that theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into Russian territory." Despite the tensions, Ukraine received pledges of support from Belgium and Spain, with both countries agreeing to supply military equipment to Kyiv. Belgium committed to providing 30 F-16 fighter jets over the next four years, while Spain announced a $1.08 billion weapons deal for Ukraine. These agreements underscored a broader coalition of Western nations standing in solidarity with Ukraine against Russian aggression. Alongside Belgium and Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, and Canada have also signed security agreements, affirming their commitment to supporting Ukraine's defence efforts, CNN reported. (ANI) Howard Shock, an investigator with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, testifies in the exam of six of the so-called "fake electors". May 28, 2024. Screenshot. Six individuals facing felony charges for submitting false electoral votes for former President Donald Trump in 2020 were back in court Tuesday for a hearing to determine if a crime has occurred. In all, 15 people are charged with counts including election law forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery in a case brought by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Tuesdays preliminary exam proceedings focused on defendants William Choate, Clifford Frost, Mayra Rodriguez, Rose Rook, Marian Sheridan, and Kenneth Thompson. Three others, Stanley Grot, Timothy King, and Kent Vandwerwood, had their cases continued to later dates. Ingham County Judge Kristen Simmons of Lansings 54A District Court heard from prosecution witnesses Miriam Vincent, the senior staff attorney for the Office of the Federal Register, Dan Schwager, an attorney for the secretary of the U.S. Senate, and Howard Shock, a special agent investigator with the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Both Vincent and Schwager discussed how they came into contact with the document that prosecutors contend was a forgery signed by the defendants, and intended to usurp the lawful certificate of Michigans electoral votes from the 2020 election. Vincent confirmed her office received both the official ascertainment of Electoral College results from the State of Michigan as well as one that she said did not appear to come from an official source. We opened the envelope and took out the material and the initial enclosure said Electoral votes of the State of Michigan, so at that point the classification was not very difficult, she testified. The manilla envelope had the statement on it, but it came from a source that was not a state office. It did not have a paired certificate of ascertainment. Vincent was asked by defense attorneys on the specific sources election officials relied on to make the decision to begin cataloging material sent to them concerning the Electoral College vote, to which she somewhat struggled at first, but then clarified it was based on a variety of factors including news reports and social media, as well as email correspondence with Office of General Counsel. Schwager also testified he had received both an official and unofficial certificate of Michigans electoral votes. He said the U.S. Senate needed to receive what are called certificates of vote from every state and they needed to have certain things attached to them, most especially a certificate of ascertainment. We received a document that was purporting to be a certificate of vote signed by electors from somebody purporting to be the President of the Electoral College for the State of Michigan, Schwager testified. It did not have an accompanying certificate, and it was not signed or sealed or certified by the Secretary of State, and it didnt have a document signed or sealed or certified by the Governor. A legal back and forth then ensued as defense attorneys quizzed Schwager on what made him conclude the document in question was not an official one. It did not comport with the Certificate of Ascertainment (which) is also why I did not take it to be legitimate. It also made claims which I did not understand to be consistent with the official results of the State of Michigan. Attorney David Kallman, representing Hank Choate, questioned Schwager whether he could positively say the defendants saw the particular page of the document that contained the false statements before they signed a separate signature sheet, which could cast doubt on their intent to commit a felony. Do you have any information that Hank Choate submitted a counterfeit document in any way? asked Kallman. If you mean physically submitted, I have no idea who physically mailed the document. No, replied Schwager. And you have no information that Hank Choate ever saw that page prior to his signing of page four, is that correct? Kallman asked. The information that I have is that whoever signed that page signed it under a statement that says in witness whereof, were signing, and so that is a form of information that I would have, but I was not present and have not heard about Mr. Choate personally. So if somebody wants to sign here or if he signed it without actually being able to see anything, I wouldnt know, responded Schwager. Shock testified that the defendants were the same ones who allegedly met at the Michigan Republican Party headquarters on Dec. 14, 2020 and signed a number of documents as the duly elected and qualified Electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America from the State of Michigan, including a document submitting 16 electoral votes for former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. However, the lawfully designated electors met in the Capitol in Lansing that day, and cast their votes unanimously for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who won the state by more than 154,000 votes. Shock then discussed a video reportedly made that day of several of the defendants approaching the Capitol and trying to deliver documents purporting to be the official tally of electoral votes. Under cross examination, Shock admitted that he had not investigated the metadata of the video in question, but had simply downloaded it off of YouTube. So you dont know if that video is altered, modified, enhanced, edited, or prompted in any way, do you?, asked David Gilbert, representing Kenneth Thompson. So you have no idea what the veracity of that is. That could have been modified, as we see with artificial intelligence, now Im gonna put my face on you, correct? Im not saying that, sir. Im saying I dont know, replied Shock. While Gilbert objected to the videos admission as an exhibit, Judge Simmons said its authenticity could be contested at trial and allowed Shocks testimony to continue. The investigator then said follow-up interviews, including with a State Police lieutenant seen in the video, confirmed the details as to the date and location it was made. Several of the defense attorneys then objected to the phrase false slate of electors being used, saying it prejudiced their clients presumption of innocence. Simmons said it had no effect on her, but requested the prosecution try and use alternate slate whenever possible. However, she overruled defense requests that she make that an order. Im not going to make an order that she not refer to this as a false slate because the prosecution is believing or asserting that it was a false slate, and your defense is that it was not a false slate. Thats why were here. So, its not germane for me. Were not going to continue to disrupt the proceedings for that purpose, the judge said. Shock will return to the stand Wednesday when testimony resumes. Initially, 16 individuals were initially charged with allegedly submitting false electoral votes for Trump to the U.S. Senate and National Archives, but the charges against James Renner were dropped in October as part of a cooperation agreement with the AGs office. Simmons decided in January to split up the docket into two groups, with preliminary exams concluding in April for six others, including Michigan GOP National Committeewoman Kathleen Berden, former Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, Amy Facchinello, John Haggard, Mari-Ann Henry and Michele Lundgren.Each defendant faces eight counts including charges of forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, uttering and publishing, conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, election law forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery. The forgery-related charges each carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, while the election law charges carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Another 18 people were charged in Arizona in April as part of the fake electors plot, in which groups from seven states submitted false documents claiming Trump won the 2020 election. The post Exams begin for next group of people charged in fake electors scheme appeared first on Michigan Advance. Sandino Thompson is shown in front of the Foster Center, which will be turned into a hub for Black start-ups. Sandino Thompsons family history pre-dates Oklahoma as a state and territory. Family members have ties to multiple historically Black towns and the heart of Oklahoma Citys Black community. His mothers family moved to Oklahoma City after leaving the now-defunct all-Black town of Huttonville. Their part of the family tree called northeast Oklahoma its home starting during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. His fathers family included descendants who lived in another all-Black town, Clairview (near Boley). They started calling Oklahoma City home shortly after its founding with some living along NE 4 when it was in the heart of the citys Black community. That legacy was kept fresh with Thompson, whose parents Wayne and Melba continued the family mission of building community as both a business and civic mission. Both were taught by civil rights legend Clara Luper at Dunjee Elementary. The Thompsons took their son to Boley and other all-Black towns while Wayne Thompson worked with Black descendants of people enslaved by tribal members. Sandino Thompson is now making his own impact, including the development of the commercial shopping center at NE 23 and Rhode Island, building a solar power company in northeast Oklahoma City, and most recently, launching a $15 million investment fund targeting minority start-ups. It's a legacy thing, Thompson said. Building, doing things while also trying to improve our society is what I know. More: Community builder to oversee $15 million investment fund focused on minority start-ups Thompson recently visited with The Oklahoman about his efforts to improve minority areas of the city and challenges posed by the current political climate. Q: Who was the biggest influence in shaping you to be the man you are today? A: The most influential for me would be my mother, Melba Burkhalter Thompson. She grew up on a small farmstead with no running water and was taught by Nancy Davis who encouraged her to become the first person in her family to graduate from college at Oklahoma State University. I think her exposure to higher education prepared her to support and encourage my wide-ranging interests and curiosity as a child. We didnt have a lot when I was young, but what we had she used to open my eyes to the world. A decade before we ever heard about the internet, I was exposed not only to "renaissance men" like Leonardo DaVinci, Nikola Tesla and Benjamin Franklin but, just as importantly for me, Black polymaths like Benjamin Banneker, George Washington Carver, and locally Roscoe Dunjee. I could see myself in those stories and their commitment to activism and accomplishment made a big impression on me. Q: You have been described in various forums as either a community builder or community developer. What do these descriptions mean to you? A: It has always been difficult to describe what I do. There is a running joke among my friends and colleagues that you could ask four different people what I do for living and get four different answers. I have always resisted being put into a particular box or someone telling me I must walk a specific path. ... We are in what some people call the Third Industrial Revolution. With so much access to information and new insights, it seems incredibly limiting to just settle for being considered one thing or in one profession. More: This Oklahoman 'kicked open' doors for Black women in STEM: 'I was blazing the path for other people' I am less focused on professional titles and more focused on the why in the work that needs to be done. I chose the title Community Developer to describe myself because its a good way to explain to anyone my why. It allows me to set a clear intent and align with those who have similar objectives. Q: Not everyone chooses to pair up a bachelors degree in construction management engineering with a minor in political science. How purposeful was this choice and how has it guided your career? A: I didnt go to college to earn a specific degree as much as to get an education. I took classes that helped me understand the mechanics of the world and how I could effect change within it. That included everything from Astrophysics and Computer Programming to Geography and Economics. Sometimes the classes were related to my major and sometimes they weren't. I knew at some point though I would need to graduate with marketable enough skills that would allow me to build on the legacy of those who had invested a lot for me to get to college in the first place. I finally settled on Construction Management Engineering for the applied science skillset and Political Science for the policy context and understanding it provided. Q: You recently commented about the importance of engaging and exposing all parts of the community to the creation of diverse economic growth and wealth building opportunities, adding in so many ways diversity equals sustainability. What are your thoughts of the current political climate where diversity, equity and inclusion is under attack and being banned from college campuses? A: Every couple of decades, we seem to move from moderate to more extreme rhetoric when it comes to issues of acceptance and inclusion of people from different backgrounds, experiences or cultures. The hard work of reconciling persistent inequities and having an honest discourse that takes steps to bring people together can be exhausting. I think its human nature to want to know when something is finished and move on. The issue I see is that moving on has the result of leaving a lot of people behind. Today we likely have more growth in wealth inequality than racial inequality, but we didn't really address the impact of decades of racial inequality as much as we just started removing the systems that propped it up. The growing wealth inequality still disproportionately impacts those previously impacted by racial inequality. At some point, the left behind are going to have to be reckoned with. That shows up in all kinds of ways but tends to look like domestic terrorism, civil unrest, and the decline of stability. I have experienced those traumas up close and prefer the alternatives. We dont have to agree about how we got here, but from an economic standpoint there are some clear takeaways. Growth of entrepreneurship and business activity benefits substantially from diversity of thought, perspective, experience and approach. I think the phrase diversity, equity, and inclusion has been hijacked for political purposes that have little to do with the meaning of each of those words. Anyone who is serious about sustaining economic growth will be serious about supporting policies that dont exclude the underrepresented or decrease the diversity of our community to our detriment. Q: Your family has deep roots in Oklahoma City history and the days when their freedoms were curtailed by Jim Crow laws. How does this history shape your view of the state and the city? A: My family history in Oklahoma is consistent with many Black families its a story of participation and accomplishment alongside broken promises and disappointment. For most of Oklahoma City's existence, there have been structural barriers limiting opportunity that we have had to tear down. How much economic output was stifled by redlining or wasted on lawsuits to allow Black families to own homes north of 4th street? How much would wages have grown with equitable access to lending or education? It seems like we have learned from those lessons, and my view is that we are on the cusp of becoming a city that can finally fulfill its potential as a place of unrestricted opportunity for creators from various backgrounds looking to build the future right now. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sandino Thompson seeks to rebuild community for OKC's minorities The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case A former mayor and lawman of a small town in Turner County has been charged with three counts of murder, following the Monday night shootings of three people, according to a release from the South Dakota Attorney General's office. Jay Ostrem, 64, was booked Tuesday morning into the Minnehaha County Jail in connection with the Centerville shootings, which the release said occurred at about 10 p.m. Monday night. Court documents say that the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office dispatch center received a call at 9:44 p.m. from a man identifying himself as Zach Frankus, who reported a shooting at a residence in Centerville. Frankus said that his brother had been shot and killed by a man with a shotgun, adding that the shooter had returned to his home. Documents say that after some time, Frankus told the dispatcher that he had been shot, and eventually stopped speaking. Authorities responded to the scene, where a Game Fish and Parks officer saw Ostrem leaving the home identified at the scene of the shooting. Documents say Ostrem initially ignored commands to stop before laying down on the ground. The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case Documents say Ostrem was bleeding from his left hand and smelled of alcohol, and had a .380 handgun and an AR-style rifle in his possession, as well as spent shotgun shell casings and a spent rifle casing. Authorities found three men dead inside the home. Court documents identify them as Paul Frankus, 26, Zach Frankus, 21 and Timothy Richmond, 35. When authorities went to Ostrem's nearby home, documents say they contacted his wife, who said that on May 23 she and Paul Frankus had been drinking together when he forcibly kissed her and exposed his genitals to her. Ostrem's wife said she told Ostrem about the incident on the evening of May 27, which led to him "raging out of the house," documents state. She told officers that he did not say anything about where he was going, and that he didn't leave armed though she said he had weapons inside the home, and possibly in his vehicle. Outside of the details mentioned in the affidavit, the incident on May 23 has not been confirmed. Witnesses living nearby described a chaotic scene Monday night, with a significant law enforcement presence arriving to investigate. The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case Fred Holmberg said he was "perplexed" by the events, and said a shooting in the small town was unusual. Resident Mark Weets agreed. "Never in a million years would have ever guessed anything like this would happen," he said. Jay Ostrem has been arrested and charged with three counts of first degree murder, and law enforcement has secured the scene, Attorney General Marty Jackley stated in the release. There is no further threat to the public. The release said that the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will be leading the investigation, though agencies including the Centerville Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Beresford Police Department, Viborg Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriffs Department and Turner County Sheriffs Department are also involved. Centerville has less than 1,000 people, according to the 2020 Census. The town was named last month as the Community of the Year by the Governors Office of Economic Development. A view into town on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Centerville, South Dakota. Who is Jay Ostrem? With 20 years of law enforcement experience, Ostrem played a role in helping the city overcome state-level scrutiny when the city's police chief at the time faced an investigation for a crime not named publicly in 2006 by working for the city police department on weekends after a time when the town had little to no law enforcement, the archives show. That former police chief, Nolan Clark, later pleaded guilty to DUI in 2007 and Ostrem stopped taking those weekend shifts then. Ostrem, a Gillette, Wyoming transplant, was also a Turner County Sheriff's Office investigator in 2007 and a deputy in 2010, according to Argus Leader archives. He assisted in the 2010 trial of Ethan Johns, who was convicted of killing sheriff's deputy Chad Mechels and sentenced to life in prison. He was also at the center of a two-year legal battle for Centerville between 2010 and 2012, when the city's former police chief filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ostrem, who was the former mayor by that time. He was mayor in 2010, archives show. The two settled the lawsuit, but the former chief, Rachel Kopman, had alleged she was "repeatedly inundated with sexually inappropriate comments and remarks from Ostrem," during her tenure. Neither commented about the settlement at the time, Argus Leader archives show. His law enforcement certification expired in 2016, reported South Dakota Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom. Ostrem's initial appearance is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday. No attorney has been named yet for Ostrem as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Argus Leader visual journalist Samantha Laurey contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Former mayor Jay Ostrem charged with triple murder in Turner County MDH and Everest: Why are Indian spices under global scrutiny and whats going to happen next? Indias government spice board has launched factory inspections of two top companies, MDH and Everest, in the wake of foreign bans following accusations some products were tainted with pesticides (AFP/Getty) Two of the most popular Indian spice brands MDH and Everest are facing global scrutiny after Hong Kong, Singapore and Nepal suspended sales of their spice blends last month. After routine screening detected the presence of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide in some of the companies products, countries including the UK, Australia, the Maldives and the US are ramping up their testing of Indian spice products. The main blends allegedly found to be contaminated are MDHs Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Mixed Masala Powder and Mixed Masala Curry Powder, and Everests Fish Curry Masala. When did the India spice controversy start? On 5 April, Hong Kongs Centre for Food Safety suspended the sale of the four spice blends, saying they were contaminated with ethylene oxide, a toxic chemical used as a food stabiliser. Singapore soon followed suit and ordered a recall of the Everest mix, saying it was unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure. Prior to the pesticide contamination, according to one Indian Express report, nearly 31 per cent of products from the Indian spice maker MDH had been rejected by US customs authorities over the past six months. The outlet revealed that the refusal rate of MDH shipments has doubled from 15 per cent to 31 per cent since October last year due to salmonella contamination. Since the start of the current US federal fiscal year in October 2023, 11 shipments amounting to nearly one-third of all shipments from MDH containing products categorised as spices, flavours, and salts have been refused entry. Which countries are affected? Britains food watchdog announced earlier this month that it had implemented additional control measures on all spice imports from India making it the first country to increase scrutiny of all Indian spices following the allegations against the two brands. James Cooper, deputy director of food policy at the UKs Food Standards Agency (FSA), told Reuters that it has applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India which includes ethylene oxide. The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices, he added. New Zealands food safety regulator also announced that it is investigating possible contamination in spice products from MDH and Everest. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Reuters that it is aware of the reports and is gathering additional information about the situation. Similar scrutiny has been announced by food regulatory bodies in Bangladesh, Australia and the Maldives. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also said earlier this month that it was aware of the concerns around MDH and Everests products and continues to monitor the situation. Based on current information, we have no evidence to suggest that the issues raised affect products currently in the Canadian market, it said. How much is the Indian spice trade worth? India exports over 200 spices and value-added products to around 180 countries, generating $4bn (3.1bn) in revenue a year, according to the Spices Board of India, a government agency that oversees the sector. Domestically, the market is valued at $10bn, making India the worlds largest consumer of spices. MDH and Everest export their products to most of the world, including the US, Europe, southeast Asia, the Middle East and Australia. In response to the global scrutiny, the Spices Board has mandated product testing for exports and is reportedly collaborating with exporters to determine the source of contamination. According to The Hindu newspaper, international scrutiny has prompted calls for Indias Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) to conduct stringent quality checks on spices and curry powders sold in domestic markets as well. Why are these two brands iconic in India? Founded in 1919 in New Delhi, MDH, or Mahashian Di Hatti, is a family business known for its iconic image of an elderly man in a regal red turban on spice packets. Its founder, Dharampal Gulati, rose from humble beginnings, dropping out of school to help sell spices in Sialkot (now in Pakistan). Despite challenges after partition in 1947, Gulati restarted the business in Delhi. MDH now offers over 65 products and has a vast network of more than 400,000 retail dealers globally, with revenue reaching $260m in 2022-2023, according to FirstPost. Everest Food Products was established in 1967 with three products and began from a small spice shop in India. Today, it offers 52 products and operates in about 80 countries worldwide. With around 20 million households using its products daily and 3.7 billion packs sold annually, Everest has become a household name in India. The company reported net sales of $365m for the fiscal year 2022-23. What is ethylene oxide and why is it dangerous? According to the US governments National Cancer Institute, ethylene oxide is a flammable colourless gas with a sweet odour. It is used primarily to produce other chemicals, including antifreeze. In smaller amounts, ethylene oxide is used as a pesticide and a sterilising agent. The ability of ethylene oxide to damage DNA makes it an effective sterilising agent but also accounts for its cancer-causing activity. The website says that lymphoma and leukaemia are the cancers most frequently reported to be associated with occupational exposure to ethylene oxide. Stomach and breast cancers may also be associated with ethylene oxide exposure. How have the two Indian spice brands responded? In a statement, MDH has claimed that its products are safe for consumption. We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use ethylene oxide at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices, an MDH spokesperson was quoted as saying by Livemint last month after Hong Kong suspended the blends. Everest, which boasts of having Hindi film legend Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador, has also said its spices are safe. According to The Times of India, an Everest spokesperson said: Only one of 60 Everest products was held for examination. We assure our customers that our products are safe and of high quality, so there is no cause for concern. The Independent has reached out to MDH and Everest for comment. Will the wider screenings have reputational impact on India? India has been a spice exporter for centuries. But this image has been declining in the last few years, with the governments inadequate attention, the BBC quoted Narasimha Reddy Donthi, an independent researcher and environmental justice activist, as saying. We do not yet know at which stage the contamination is happening. Ethylene oxide is not used by farmers. It is most probably a post-harvest, post-processing residue. It is not only the negative attention. Repeated cases of excessive residues can have a long-term effect. In the past, mango exports to the US suffered for years due to pesticide residues. According to a report in The Hindu, the international scrutiny of these Indian spice brands has also stirred a demand for the FSSAI to ensure stringent quality checks on spices and curry powders sold in domestic markets. The incident isnt isolated. Controversies have engulfed protein drinks, fruit juices, health drinks and imported Nestle baby products, drawing attention to regulatory lapses and heightening health concerns, Simi TB, who works with CUTS International, a global advocacy group for consumer welfare, was quoted as saying. Consumers are increasingly questioning the safety and quality of trusted brands, and wonder what the food regulator in India is doing. What happens next? The Indian government says it has started taking action against Everest and MDH after the contamination allegations. Inspections have reportedly been conducted and corrective measures have been recommended. Food regulator FSSAI has not found any trace of ethylene oxide in samples of spice brands MDH and Everest. Earlier, Hong Kong's CFS had asked consumers not to buy MDH and Everest, citing the presence of ethylene oxide. pic.twitter.com/mtTrULyXzQ Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) May 25, 2024 We have also conducted three consultations with the industry, an anonymous senior official was quoted as saying by Livemint in a 20 May-dated report. The official said the industry is taking a serious approach to ensuring full compliance with the maximum permissible limit. These consultations have been crucial in aligning industry practices with international standards. A report on 21 May in the Financial Express said that initial testing by Indian officials found no evidence of ethylene oxide in MDH spices but that in the case of Everest, some of the samples (out of 12) were non-compliant. We have told them to take corrective actions and we are working with them to ensure that they are compliant, the unnamed official said. The Spices Board of India has also recently ordered that ethylene oxide testing be made mandatory for all spices destined for Hong Kong and Singapore. This move follows a similar mandate in 2022 when the government required ethylene oxide testing for spices exported to Europe. The Independent has reached out to the Spices Board of India for a comment. The Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has warned that recent quality concerns pose a significant threat to Indias spice exports. The agency warns that increasing regulatory actions across multiple countries could potentially endanger up to half of Indias spice exports. Additional reporting by agencies Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com. When the shooting began at the Kansas City Chiefs rally on Feb. 14, Missouri state Rep. Emily Weber rushed into a restroom in Union Station, seeking cover amid the chaos. Numerous lawmakers and politicians were at the rally that day when at least six people began shooting at each other, killing one bystander and injuring more than 20 others. Democrats and advocates for firearms restrictions called for action in the wake of the mass shooting a moment witnessed by thousands of people that shocked the region. Three and a half months later, the Missouri and Kansas legislatures, both controlled by GOP supermajorities, have ended their annual sessions without passing any significant limits on guns or additional safety requirements. I dont think Republicans did anything at all to address gun violence or mental health, Weber, a Kansas City Democrat, said. Missouri and Kansas have among the most relaxed gun laws in the nation. Both legislatures have steadily chipped away at restrictions to create a permissive atmosphere that has contributed to the proliferation of firearms in both states. Residents are allowed to carry concealed weapons without a permit, and in Missouri, a state law seeks to invalidate some federal gun restrictions. Both states have robust stand your ground provisions allowing for the use of guns in self-defense. Laws in both states also limit the power of local governments to enact their own firearms rules. Many Republican lawmakers have adopted a maximalist position on Second Amendment rights, with some arguing that guns are needed to fight back against a possible future tyrannical government. Guns are cast as a necessary tool of self-defense, not only at home but also in public. The aftermath of the Chiefs rally shooting demonstrates that not even a highly public mass shooting witnessed by a wide cross-section of residents and lawmakers of both states was enough to fundamentally alter the political dynamics of guns in Missouri and Kansas. Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican running for state secretary of state, said Missouri is most certainly doing enough to address gun violence. He described gun restrictions as only hampering individuals who follow the law. Im obviously a big proponent of the Second Amendment. And I think we need to make sure that we protect our Second Amendment rights, said Hoskins, who is facing a federal lawsuit for social media posts that falsely identified a man as the rally shooter. Again, you know, law-abiding citizens are always going to obey the law and criminals, no matter what new laws that you propose, are still going to break the law. The rally shooting posed perhaps the biggest test of support in recent years of both states permissive gun laws, especially in Missouri, where the shooting occurred. But in both states, firearms-related bills largely went nowhere, as Republican lawmakers tamped down on discussions of guns even as Democrats continued to speak about the shooting. Democrats offered proposals, as they have in past years, that would have established so-called red flag systems to allow courts to in some instances to order someone to temporarily surrender their firearms during a mental health crisis. They also offered measures to require guns to be stored in locked containers and restore permitting requirements for concealed weapons. After gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, fans took cover and other fled the area around Union Station. One person was killed by gunfire and twenty-two others were shot and wounded, some critically. One exception to this years general inaction on guns was Blairs Law, a long-sought measure that would outlaw celebratory gunfire within city limits. The legislation is named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane, who was killed by celebratory gunfire in Kansas City after the Fourth of July in 2011. The sweeping public safety package also increases penalties for people charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, raising it from a Class D felony to a Class C felony. It also increases penalties for injuring or killing law enforcement animals and adds penalties for people who encourage children to violate gun laws. Gov. Mike Parson has not yet signed or vetoed the bill. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, pointed to enhanced penalties for killing police dogs passed by Kansas lawmakers in response to a question about whether he was satisfied with the Legislatures actions related to firearms this year and if he was disappointed about anything that didnt pass. Passing this bill was near and dear to my heart after I learned of the minimal penalties for killing a police animal after the violent death of K-9 Officer Bane in Sedgwick County. We also strengthened the penalties for fentanyl distribution and prohibited the possession of fentanyl in the presence of children, Hawkins said in a statement. Equipping our law enforcement officers with the right tools to keep criminals off the streets was a top priority and I think we made some great strides this year that will help keep our communities safer. Bills to loosen rules didnt pass Even as Democrats were unsuccessful in advancing additional firearm regulations, Republican-backed legislation to further loosen restrictions on guns also didnt advance a possible concession to the political atmosphere following the shooting. A February 2023 poll by Saint Louis University and YouGov found 79% support for requiring background checks on gun purchases and 69% support for requiring mental health background checks on gun purchasers and 60% approval for red flag laws. The 2022 Kansas Speaks survey, conducted by Fort Hays State University, found more than 70% of respondents supported several gun-related policies, including red flag laws, limiting purchases to individuals 21 and older, and preventing gun sales to all individuals convicted of violent misdemeanors. Kansas lawmakers held a hearing on, but didnt pass, a state constitutional amendment that would have recognized the right to bear arms as a fundamental right, requiring any limits to clear a high legal bar. On the day after the rally shooting, the gun rights preservation act was introduced; a hearing was held but the bill died in committee. The one silver lining this year was that there wasnt a big push by the gun lobby on their bills, said Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat. In the Missouri House, Republicans scrapped two gun-related bills after the shooting. One would have allowed guns on public transit and inside churches and the other would have exempted firearms and ammunition from sales taxes. Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lees Summit Republican, said at the time that the bills had no path to becoming law this year and that it was not the appropriate time to bring them to the floor, even as he called them worthy of debate. Patterson said in a statement last week that the answer to gun violence isnt to limit the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. If we really want to see a decrease in violence the best thing to do is go after the criminals who are perpetrating the crimes and even using kids to commit crimes, Patterson said. Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, center. Let them decide Some Kansas City officials say state law constrains their ability to fight crime by severely limiting the power of municipalities to set their own rules on firearms. Missouri lawmakers for decades have given themselves nearly exclusive power to set rules on firearms (Kansas has a similar law). Missouri Democrats in the days after the shooting introduced a state constitutional amendment that would allow local governments to set their own rules. The amendment didnt advance. Let the municipalities decide what their city, what their area wants to do about some common sense gun laws. Let them decide, Weber said. Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, center, and fellow House Democrats push for legislation that would allow local governments to enact stricter gun regulations following the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally. Kansas Citys ordinances address some gun regulations, including banning the transfer of firearms and ammunition to minors. The proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed the city to expand those laws as it grapples with record numbers of homicides in recent years. Last year, 185 homicides were recorded in the city, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. Previously, 2020 was considered the citys deadliest year ever, with 182 killings. I will also note that this isnt just an issue in Kansas City, or St. Louis, or Springfield, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said of gun violence at a news conference last week. I saw a shooting the other day near the St. Charles, Missouri, Convention Center. There are enough issues in this state that I think our gun violence does merit the attention of the Legislature, Lucas said. Each year its a priority of the Kansas City City Council. Well continue to make it one until we can all see change. The Stars Nathan Pilling and Jenna Barackman contributed reporting Parts of Delaware County still without power and water COLCORD, Okla. Hundreds of Colcord residents are without water and power and town officials believe it may be days before utilities are restored. Storms kill 2 in northeast Oklahoma, 23 injured Mary Pipins, Delaware County Emergency Management duty officer for the area has worked 36 straight hours since Saturday nights storms ripped through Colcord. Colcord and its 750 residents are located in the southeast area of Delaware County near the Arkansas and Missouri state lines. It (storm) hit everything east of Colcord, Pipins said. Some houses were destroyed, she said. Utility companies have been out since daylight setting up poles, said David Beck, County Commissioner for the southern part of Delaware County. Beck has also been without power and water since Saturday nights storm. Two tornadoes occurred near Decatur, in Benton County, Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa. Decatur and Colcord are separated by 18 miles. Damage to the northwest part of Decatur was rated EF3, the weather agency reported. The weather center reported one tornado likely began in eastern Delaware County. Weather crews are in Colcord on Monday tracking the storms path and assessing wind damage before releasing the storms rating. One fatality was reported in a mobile home east of Rogers and near Beaver Lake. Estimated wind speeds were 80 to 95 mph, the weather agency reported. Two fatalities and four injuries were reported in Mayes County. Elsewhere, the National Weather Center reported a tornado developed northeast of Owasso in Rogers County, moved through Claremore, and then onto Mayes County. The Red Cross is set up at the Colcord Community Center where they are offering shelter and food. A donation center is set up at the Colcord Emergency Management building for water and other supplies. Colcord Schools have opened their gymnasium for residents to shower, Residents need to reach out to the Colcord Emergency Management for access to the gymnasium. Cherokee Nation is also encouraging residents who need assistance to call (918) 453- 5422. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Source: North Dakota News Cooperative, WPA Intelligence. (Graphic by Troy Becker/The Forum) Republican voters in the state have conservative Christian ideals they believe should be reflected in political decisions, but only up to a point, a new North Dakota Poll has found. Of voters surveyed, 73% fear that if the U.S. moves away from Christian foundations, the country will be in peril, according to the North Dakota News Cooperative poll, conducted May 20-22. The NDNC poll surveyed 500 eligible voters those likely to vote in the June 11 Republican primary to gauge which candidates they will support, but also to better understand how Christian views inform political ideals in the state and overall satisfaction with the party. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%. The poll found that 71% believe U.S. laws should be based on Christian values, and 61% believe being Christian is an important part of being truly American. Those numbers indicate that more conservative factions within the NDGOP could have an advantage in upcoming primary elections, as long as they dont veer too far right. More ultraconservative Christian ideas, sometimes termed Christian nationalism, drew a more mixed response. Prospective GOP voters are less likely to believe that God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society, with 42% agreeing with that sentiment, compared to 36% who disagreed. Another 54% believe the U.S. government should officially declare the country a Christian nation, while 30% disagree. Among candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives seat from North Dakota, former state representative Rick Becker appears to garner the most ultraconservative Christian voters as he led in all categories. A total of 83% of Becker voters believe U.S. laws should be based on Christian values, 63% think the country should be declared a Christian nation, 85% feel if the country moves away from Christian values, it will be in peril, and 65% of his voters tie Christianity with being truly American. Only 48% of Becker voters believe God has called Christians to exercise dominion over American society, but that led all other congressional candidates. Christian nationalism While there is no strict definition for the term Christian nationalism, it is often described as a melange of ideas that include some or all of the following: that the separation of church and state is not based on formal law, that the government should actively work to keep Christian identity intact through laws, that it should enact policies reflecting Christian ideals, and also supports the idea that God has a plan for the country based on those ideals. A 2023 study of the religious views of more than 22,000 adults nationwide found that roughly 30% of Americans either adhere to or sympathize with Christian nationalism ideas. That same study by the Public Religion Research Institute found North Dakota and Mississippi had the highest number of adherents or sympathizers in the country, with 50% of those surveyed falling into the two categories. While what it means to be Christian can cover a wide spectrum and denominations have varied beliefs and customs, the poll did not ask what faith within Christianity respondents considered themselves. Trevor Smith, chief research officer for WPA Intelligence, the Washington D.C.-based firm that conducted the poll for NDNC, said polls like this are meant to leave it up for respondents themselves to define what constitutes Christian values. According to Pew Research Center, 28% of adults in North Dakota are mainline Protestant, 26% Catholic and 22% evangelical Protestant, while another 20% consider themselves atheist or agnostic. A total of 64% consider themselves absolute believers in a Christian God. Kimberly Porter, a retired professor from the history department at the University of North Dakota, said churches in North Dakota tend to be relatively conservative, and that church attendance is high compared to other states, with concerns filtering out into the voting booth among the more vocal. I think a concern for a lot of people is, this isnt the world they grew up in, this isnt what they were promised, Porter said of fears some have of Christian ideals eroding on a national level that eventually get reflected in local political action. Party splits The NDNC poll also found Republicans in the state split on the direction of the party, with 45% believing it is headed in the right direction and 37% who feel it is not. Another 19% are undecided. The NDGOP has become much more factious in recent years, with some members veering more ultraconservative while others try to carve out a center-right coalition. With former President Donald Trump running again for the top office, most also claim support for Trump even if they are not outright Trumpian. A center-right group of Republicans led by former NDGOP Chair Perrie Schafer recently formed the LegeNDary Fund to support center-right candidates, while some center-right incumbents skipped district endorsing conventions and the state convention in early April. One of the more high-profile convention votes came when Jim Bartlett, former executive director of the North Dakota Homeschool Association who advocates putting the 10 Commandments in public schools, defeated incumbent Kirsten Baesler for the party endorsement for superintendent of public instruction by a 967 to 426 vote. In the race for governor, 49% of those likely voting for Rep. Kelly Amstrong believe the party is headed in the right direction, while 48% likely voting for Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller believe the party is going in the wrong direction. Among Republican candidates for North Dakotas U.S. House seat, Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak had the highest percentage of those who feel the party is going in the right direction with 51%. A large segment of potential voters for attorney and former Miss America Cara Mund feel the party is on the wrong track, with 73%. Among those polled, 39% self-identified as very conservative, 31% as somewhat conservative, and 23% as moderate Republicans. The Republican party has dominated state politics since 1995, holding all branches of state government since that time. The North Dakota News Cooperative is a nonprofit news organization providing reliable and independent reporting on issues and events that impact the lives of North Dakotans. The story is printed here with permission. For more information or to make a charitable contribution, visit newscoopnd.org. The post Poll finds NDGOP voters fear country losing Christian values appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. 'It's a remarkable discovery': Botanists find plant not seen in Vermont since 1916 A delicate annual herb and Vermont native is back from the presumed dead. Botanists with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department have discovered a population of false mermaid-weed along a stream in Addison County. The plant has not been seen in Vermont since 1916, and was believed to be extinct in the state. "We've been searching for this plant for years," said Grace Glynn, a Fish & Wildlife botanist in a press release. "We knew of two original sites where false mermaid-weed existed in the 1800s and early 1900s but is absent today. We think the species was lost from those sites perhaps due to development, invasive species or extreme flood events. So, we're thrilled to know that false mermaid-weed has persisted along a separate stream all this time." False mermaid-weed blooming along a stream bank in Addison County. A turtle technician accidently finds plant long thought to be extinct in Vermont Glynn said the population was found earlier this month by Molly Parren, a turtle technician at Vermont Fish & Wildlife. Parren was surveying wood turtle habitat in Addison County when she noticed a species of very rare wild garlic growing along the stream. "Molly sent me a photo of the wild garlic, and a small plant in the corner of the frame caught my eye," Glynn said. "I couldn't believe it, but there was the false mermaid-weed. I immediately called Molly and said, 'You won't believe what you just accidentally found!'" Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Botanist Grace Glynn inspects a dense growth of false mermaid-weed beneath a canopy of ostrich fern in a sandy floodplain. Glynn went to the site the next day and with the permission of the landowner, found hundreds of false mermaid-weed plants growing on a rich floodplain terrace. "We were able to show the landowners the plants and talk about the habitat that false mermaid-weed is relying on to persist at this site," Glynn said. "It speaks to the importance of good stewardship of private lands in Vermont. If the riparian buffer along this stream hadn't been kept intact, neither false mermaid-weed nor wild garlic would be here." False mermaid-weed likes banks of sluggish rivers False mermaid-weed has small greenish flowers, and is typically found in floodplain forests along sluggish rivers with nearly level stream beds. It's Vermont's only plant that is both a spring ephemeral and an annual. Spring ephemerals are the first plants to pop up in the spring and the first to flower, then disappear quickly. False mermaid-weed plants die after producing seeds by early June. In the winter, a new flush of seeds germinate under the snow, according to Fish & Wildlife. The newly rediscovered plant is rare in the region, listed as endangered in Connecticut and historically known from only one population in Massachusetts. A historical record of false mermaid-weed from the Pringle Herbarium at the University of Vermont, collected by Cyrus Pringle in 1879. "It's a remarkable discovery, comparable to the recent rediscovery of small whorled pogonia after a similar lapse of time," said Art Gilman, research botanist at the University of Vermont's Pringle Herbarium, in a news release. "It is especially interesting because the species is hardly known to any Vermont botanist it is unassuming and easily overlooked." Gilman added that false mermaid-weed is a member of a plant family that does not have any other representatives in the state. Vermont Fish & Wildlife plans to work with nearby landowners to look for more of the plants, which have already been documented on protected lands just downstream from the discovery site. "Ultimately, we want to know how we can help this species flourish in Vermont into the future," Glynn said. Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DanDambrosioVT. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Annual herb thought to be extinct in Vermont found in Addison County Like always, this coming Thursday, May 30, is expected to pass without fanfare. No public celebrations, no parades scheduled, no fireworks or drone shows. This, despite the fact one of the most momentous historical events as it pertains to the ground were standing on happened 176 years ago, on May 30, 1848, when the countries of Mexico and the United States ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In the treaty, which followed two years of war, Mexico ceded to America what is known as the Mexican Cession, an area that includes the states we now know as Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Nevada and parts of Wyoming. Some people count Texas, too, since in the treaty Mexico also agreed to absolve all future rights to that vast territory. How big a deal was it? At least as significant as the Louisiana Purchase, says Westminster College professor Jeff Nichols, referencing the 1804 acquisition from France that nearly doubled the size of the country. And arguably more significant, given the circumstances of today. Look at just California alone our most populous state and if it were its own country, it would be the fifth largest economy on earth. Nichols more fully appreciates the significance of the treaty because, A) he teaches history for a living, and B) he didnt grow up here, and as is often the case, he knows and prizes the local history more than the locals. Nichols, who grew up in Hudson Falls, New York, came to Utah in the 1990s courtesy of the U.S. Navy, which he was a member of and which gave him a choice of where to go to school to teach ROTC: the University of Arizona or the University of Utah. He chose Utah because cue the No. 1 answer he liked to ski. After he got his graduate degree in history from Utah, Westminster hired him and he moved to Mountain Green, the little Weber Canyon town with a commanding view of Snowbasin Resort, where Nichols is a longtime season pass holder. It was while working toward his masters degree that Nichols got fascinated by Utah history. My goodness, its pretty different and its so relatively recent and relatively well documented. Its kind of a wonderful thing, for a historian, he says. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is a case in point. When Latter-day Saint pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1847, the Mexican-American War was ongoing and the area still belonged to Mexico. America wouldnt take over until Mexico surrendered in early 1848 and the treaty was signed in the village of Guadalupe Hidalgo (which today is a Mexico City suburb). The Mexican-American War was never about who got to own the Great Salt Lake, of course, and no shots were fired during the war in the desolation that was then Utah. But history begs questions, and one of the questions Utahs history begs is did Brigham Young, when he led his religious crusade here, know what was about to happen with the land he was fleeing to? Did he expect to live in Mexico or the United States? Did he care? Its a great question, says Nichols, but one we dont know the answer to. I dont think anyone knows, really, what Brigham Young knew and what he was thinking. Did he think it through: Is it going to be easier to do this under a relatively weaker Mexican state than this expanding United States? Did he sit around with his high council and speculate, well, if this happens, well do that? We apparently dont have a record. We can only guess. Nichols doesnt think it was the first thing on the Latter-day Saint leaders mind. He was an eminently practical guy, his default setting was always a kind of autonomy. Its us, just us. Lets create our world, our kingdom, and well deal with outsiders when and if we have to. We do know what Brigham Young was thinking after the war ended. Wasting no time, he petitioned the U.S. Congress to approve a new state hed mapped out called Deseret. The boundaries entailed almost all of the newly acquired Mexican Cession. Dr. Jeff Nichols, Westminster College history professor, is photographed in his office in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 26, 2024. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News If hed prevailed, wed be living in the middle of 490,000 square miles today instead of Utahs present-day 85,000. But as Nichols points out, Brigham Youngs plans, like Mexicos, ran head-long into Manifest Destiny President James K. Polks grand quest to expand the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Manifest Destiny was largely responsible for the Mexican-American War. The timeliness of the California gold rush in 1849 taking place on land that only 11 months ago belonged to Mexico only heightened the exodus to the West. Whether the U.S. was justified in acquiring 55% of Mexico by military force Polk had first tried to buy California and other parts of the Mexican Cession only to be turned down is what Nichols calls the classic question. Did the Spanish steal the territory from the Aztecs? he asks rhetorically. The answer is yes, this is what human beings do. In any event, the Mexican Cession is one of the great monetary bargains of all time, Nichols says of the 529,000 square miles (not counting Texas) the United States acquired 176 years ago for just under 5 cents an acre. Had it never happened, The state of Deseret might have continued, the professor says. I cant imagine the Mexican government able to exert much control, that far away. Indigenous people were effectively in control, so I think it would have been fascinating to see if that state of Deseret had succeeded. What would Las Vegas look like in the state of Deseret? Would it be eight families around the existing meadows? It would be different, for sure. I wish we knew more of what Brigham Young was really thinking. You are here: China Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi meet with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the police force to promote the modernization of the country's public security work. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work in Beijing. Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present. Addressing the conference on Wednesday, senior CPC official Chen Wenqing urged the police force to stay loyal, clean, and ready to rise to duty. He called on them to spare no efforts in preventing risks and ensuring security and stability, enhance the quality, efficiency, and credibility of law enforcement, and strengthen the police force through reform. The previous such conference was held in 2019. Since then, great changes have taken place in China's public security work, including improved social order, according to a recent press conference held by the Ministry of Public Security. Enhanced police efforts in combating organized crimes and telecom fraud, among others, have helped make China one of the safest countries in the world. The index for Chinese people's sense of security stood at 98.2 percent in 2023, compared with 87.55 percent in 2012. Jai'Shaun Young A shooting in South Carolina that claimed the life of a Gastonia man may have been gang-related, according to testimony in York County Family Court on Tuesday. A teenager is charged with murder and attempted murder in the death of Jai'Shaun Young, a Gastonia man who was shot May 4 outside a home near Galilean Road in York. The boy, who isn't being identified because he is charged as a juvenile, appeared in juvenile court Tuesday afternoon. During a lengthy court hearing, Detective Sgt. Kiera Fayall of the York Police Department said that a witness, who was under the age of 18, told police that they had heard that the "VA Boys" wanted to "shoot the neighborhood up." Detective Sgt. Kiera Fayall is sworn in at York County Family Court Tuesday afternoon. "VA Boys" is likely a reference to the Valley Boys, a York-based gang that, according to the Rock Hill Herald, has historically been known to frequent the area of Galilean Road. The teen who appeared in court Tuesday was named by a co-defendant in the case, who said that he and the teen went to the home together and fired shots, one of which struck and killed Young, according to Fayall. Young was in York visiting friends at the time of the shooting, but he was reportedly targeted because the people involved in the shooting thought he was selling drugs in the neighborhood, Fayall said. There is no direct evidence Young was involved in criminal activity. The teen's co-defendant also told police that people from Gastonia had threatened him sometime before the shooting. As many as 16 shots were fired at the time Young was killed, and during a May 9 search of a home less than two miles from the scene of the shooting, two guns were found. The boys who were arrested fled the home when the police arrived. However, Fayall admitted to defense attorney Stacey Coleman that there is no forensic evidence, no fingerprints, no DNA evidence and no witnesses besides others who are facing criminal charges that link the teen to Young's killing. Gail Burger, Young's grandmother, said she wants the teenagers accused in the shooting to be charged as adults. "Kids at this age think they can get away with it," she said. She said that the allegation that her grandson was selling drugs in the neighborhood upset her, "because I know (Young) didn't do that," she said. "It's something he would have never done, so I know that was a lie." York County Family Court This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Teen charged in killing of Gastonia man appears in court TOKYO, May 29 (News On Japan) - Sushiro, the conveyor belt sushi chain, unveiled its new line of desserts to the press on May 29, targeting Gen Z customers in their teens and twenties. The new offerings include visually appealing products such as a parfait in collaboration with "Black Mont Blanc," a beloved ice cream from Saga Prefecture that has been a staple in Kyushu for 55 years. Sushiro's dessert sales exceed 10 billion yen annually, and the company aims to attract a younger demographic who may visit not only for sushi but also just for desserts. A Sushiro representative stated, 'Sushiro as a whole targets everyone, but for desserts, we are specifically aiming at the core demographic of teens and twenties who are a bit more information-sensitive.' Source: BIZ With Governor Koikes term ending, the official campaign announcement is set for June 20, and the voting will take place on July 7. On May 28, former Chief of Staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, Toshio Tamogami, declared his intention to run as an independent on social media, stating, 'It seems the Liberal Democratic Party cannot field a conservative candidate, so I will run for the gubernatorial election as an independent.' In the afternoon, celebrity Kuniharu Shimizu also announced his candidacy, saying, 'I decided to run with the policy focus on protecting the lives and livelihoods of Tokyo residents from a direct-hit earthquake.' Meanwhile, the regional party "Tomin First no Kai," the Komeito party in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and mayors and ward chiefs from 52 municipalities within Tokyo have urged Governor Koike to run for re-election. Koike is adjusting her schedule to make an official announcement at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on May 29. Additionally, more than 20 other candidates, including Renho of the Constitutional Democratic Party and Shinji Ishimaru, the mayor of Akita Takada City in Hiroshima Prefecture, have announced their intention to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election. FUKUOKA, May 29 (News On Japan) - For three consecutive days, wild monkeys have been appearing in a residential area, causing injuries to three people, including a fourth-grade boy. A wild monkey was spotted moving skillfully with its hands and feet, eating something in a residential area. An urgent investigation was conducted in a town where residents have been attacked for three days in a row. In the parking lot of a restaurant in the city of Fukuoka, a monkey appeared on top of a car. The monkey disappeared from the camera view for a moment, causing tension, and then suddenly leaped over the head of the person filming. The monkey seemed to check the people inside the car with a glance. This incident occurred in Fukuoka City's Sawara Ward, where there has been a string of violent monkey attacks. A local resident mentioned, 'At the hospital, they told us to be careful because a monkey was spotted. It's the first time something like this happened around here.' The first incident occurred on the 26th in a residential area. A fourth-grade boy was returning home with his mother. When the mother opened the car door, the monkey jumped inside and attacked the boy. The boy suffered scratches on the back of his head, resulting in minor injuries. The following day, a male middle school student was clung to by a monkey. On the 28th, two adult women had their hair pulled by the same or another monkey. Another local resident commented, 'A woman got her hair pulled? That's scary. We need to be careful.' All incidents occurred in urban areas. Additionally, a monkey was also spotted in Fukuoka City's Nishi Ward. The monkey was seen eating without paying attention to its surroundings. A witness reported, 'Someone across the street shouted "Monkey!" I turned around and approached, only to see the monkey on the roof eating something. It stayed in the area for about 30 minutes before leaving.' These "urban monkeys" have been repeatedly appearing in city areas. In 2008, there were even sightings at Shibuya Station. If you spot a monkey, do not approach it. Avoid eye contact and back away slowly while evacuating the area. Source: ANN TOKYO, May 29 (News On Japan) - In retail stores like drugstores, a new "Digital Human" that uses generative AI to assist customers has made its debut. A customer asks, 'I use hard contact lenses. Can you recommend an eye drop?' The Digital Human responds, 'I recommend this product.' The "Digital Human," named CONN-chan, takes questions from customers and suggests products. CONN-chan says, 'This product is effective for eye fatigue, redness, and itchiness.' Equipped with generative AI, CONN-chan can also respond in English and Chinese and engage in casual conversation. There are plans to utilize this technology not only in retail stores but also in hospitals and banks, with implementation aimed for within this fiscal year. Source: NEWS NIIGATA, May 29 (News On Japan) - In a residential area of Niigata City, police officers were seen Tuesday searching with poles, looking for something in the waterways and surrounding areas. They were on the hunt for a venomous snake, known as a mamushi, which had escaped. The mamushi is highly poisonous and a bite can be fatal. The incident began when a man brought two snakes home from the mountains. He intended to use them to make medicinal liquor. However, as he tried to transfer one of the snakes into a plastic bottle, it bit him and escaped. The man had to be hospitalized due to the bite. A local resident expressed concern, saying, 'I was really scared when I heard about the snake. I will be more cautious now, especially when getting into my car or walking on the ground.' About 16 hours after the snake escaped, it was finally captured. The snake was found under the eaves of the mans house. It measured between 40 to 50 centimeters in length. A relieved neighbor commented, 'Im glad they caught it. Its a huge relief.' Source: NEWS In a major step towards strengthening Moroccos aerospace industry, Pratt & Whitney Canada, part of the RTX Group, held earlier this week a groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility in the Kingdom, known as Pratt & Whitney Morocco (PWM), in the mid-park area in Casablanca. This new 12,000 square metre facility marks a milestone for Moroccan aerospace industry and will be dedicated to the manufacture of aircraft engine parts, including static and structural vacuum-processed components. The $70.8 Million new plant is expected to create 200 to 250 jobs once it reaches full capacity by 2030. Today, we are witnessing the completion of this great project from Pratt & Whitney with the laying of the first stone. The giants decision to invest in Morocco shows once again investors confidence in the Moroccan industrial platform and its competitiveness, Moroccos minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, said during the ceremony. This major project is part of the drive to upgrade the Moroccan aeronautical base by integrating a cutting-edge, innovative and technologically demanding activity, he added. For her part, Maria Della Posta, president, Pratt & Whitney Canada, said that Morocco was selected after a careful global benchmarking effort that pointed to Casablancas growing hub of aerospace companies including RTX s Collins Aerospace. Since the announcement of this significant investment less than a year ago, Pratt & Whitney Morocco has made rapid progress in hiring an initial cohort of local employees and working closely with local schools, agencies, and the business community to achieve our goal of being fully operational next year, she underlined. As of today, the company has started the hiring of employees with the support of the Institut des Metiers de lAeronautique (IMA). Pratt & Whitney Canada has successfully completed the installation of 80% of major machines in the temporary site in Mid-parc to support development activities. PWM is being built with lean operating principles to drive efficiency, improve quality and reduce complexity and costs. It will also incorporate advanced environmental practices, a core value for the Company. Once operational, PWM will complement Pratt & Whitney Canadas current manufacturing sites and supply chain and will help secure parts to meet the strong global customer demand. Detailed machined parts and components will support a variety of the companys engine families, supplementing existing Pratt & Whitney facilities and suppliers. This investment is a demonstration of the growing confidence in the Moroccan investment environment and highlights the great potential the Kingdom has to offer in the field of high-tech industries. Pratt & Whitney Morocco will make a significant contribution to the future of the aerospace industry in Morocco and the region, cementing the Kingdoms position as a leading centre of innovation and excellence in this vital industry. Moroccos Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, highlighted, in Saint Johns in Antigua and Barbuda, King Mohammed VIs vision of South-South cooperation in favor of island states, a vision that is based on solidarity. This came in an address he made on Tuesday at the 4th international conference on small island developing states, held May 25-30 under the theme Charting a Path to Resilient Prosperity. The conferenhce, co-chaired by New Zealand and the Maldives, aims to assess the capacity of SIDS to achieve sustainable development, including achieving 2030 Agenda and achieve its sustainable development goals. Hilale, who was elected Vice-President of the conference on behalf of the African group, stressed in his address that in execution of the kings avant-garde vision, Morocco has made South-South cooperation a strategic lever of its foreign policy, mainly through establishing an innovative cooperation model based on solidarity. These relations of cooperation are based on sharing experiences and expertise, as well as on launching substantial development initiatives, he said, noting that from this perspective, the Kingdom attaches paramount importance to strengthening its cooperation with small island developing states (SIDS), mainly in Africa. This commitment is illustrated by a myriad of pioneering initiatives such as the activation of the three Climate Commissions of the Congo Basin, the Sahel Region, and island states, said Hilale, adding that these commissions emerged from the First African Action Summit. The ambassador also cited the establishment of the Center of Competence in Climate Change which allows Morocco to share its experiences with countries and strengthen South-South cooperation in this area. The Kingdom has also launched, with African States, the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change, in addition to the Sustainability, Stability and Security initiative. Omar Hilale recalled further the creation by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection of the African Youth Platform for the Climate with the aim of highlighting the pioneering role of youth in this area, as well as its ability to innovate. The diplomat also cited the launch of the African-Atlantic States Process which embodies the wise royal vision aimed at making the African Atlantic space a haven of stability and prosperity, by providing practical solutions to development challenges in accordance with a consultative and inclusive approach. Regarding the issue of climate change, the ambassador underscored that Morocco remains committed at the international, regional and national levels to achieving the ultimate objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the long term in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. Omar Hilale also underlined that the organization of the Morocco-Pacific Island States Forum, in Laayoune in 2020, and before that in Rabat in 2012 and 2015, is another eloquent example of the Kingdoms commitment to strengthening its partnership with small island developing States. These commitments and initiatives are the embodiment of the proactive and united vision of King Mohammed VI who has decided to make Moroccos expertise available to developing countries, particularly small island states, within the framework of South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation, or within the framework of bilateral relations and avenues of international and regional cooperation. The ambassador concluded by reaffirming Moroccos continued commitment to contribute effectively to the implementation of the recommendations and the action plan of this 4th international conference which aims to be the appropriate platform to strengthen the development capacity of small island states in terms of resilience and to achieve the expected prosperity, mainly within the framework of South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation. An Algerian air strike killed three Sahrawis from the Polisario-run camps near Tindouf as they were desperately digging for gold, a civil society Sahrawi group FORSATIN reported. The group was seeking a source of revenue amid harsh conditions in the camps and repression by Algerian security services and the Polisario militias, said FORSATIN which backs the autonomy option under Moroccan sovereignty. Videos shared on social media showed charred bodies next to a decimated car, while Moroccan media Yabiladi.com said the massacre was confirmed by the relatives of the deceased. Illegal mining activities, smuggling, and recruitment by terrorist groups have surged in the camps due to the worsening situation under the yoke of the Polisario and its mentor Algeria. Algeria has denied the population in the camps freedom of movement and continues to use them as political pawns. The obstinacy of Algeria in perpetuating the conflict over the Sahara by arming and pulling the strings of the Polisario has started the backfire with scores of Tindouf camp youths seeking to join drug traffickers or even terrorist groups as was the case with former camp dweller Abu Walid Sahrawi, former head of ISIS branch in the greater Sahara. The situation is expected to worsen with the current Polisario leadership crackdown on dissident voices including those who call for compromise and back Moroccos autonomy plan. Rights groups had repeatedly warned of the degradation of living conditions in the Tindouf camps and the UN urged Algeria to allow a census of the camps population. Pronatalists Simone and Malcolm Collins photographed at their home in Audubon, Pennsylvania, March 10, 2023. Photo: Winnie Au/Redux/Winnie Au/Redux Simone and Malcolm Collins want you to think theyre enlightened. In the process of becoming the poster family for a resurgent pronatalist movement, the Pennsylvania couple has stressed their atheism, their elite IQs, and their commitment to cultural diversity. Their branding strategy has been somewhat successful. They certainly dont look much like the large fundamentalist families I knew in my childhood. With their hipster glasses and Simones short hair they could be any family in Brooklyn. The children have Randian rather than biblical names; the latest, a girl, is Industry Americus. Both parents have received a great deal of press attention for their decision to have seven children. Business Insider profiled them in late 2022. A few months later, they appeared prominently in a viral 2023 piece for The Telegraph, which counted them among the elite couples breeding to save mankind. The Guardian joined in last week, with a lengthy profile whose headline called them Americas premier pronatalists. The liberal British paper is at pains to point out that the Collinses arent Quiverfull, which it describes as the fundamentalist Christian belief that large families are a blessing from God. The atheist couple believe in science and data, studies and research, it goes on, and says the two are connected to the effective-altruism movement. This is a numbers game, focused on producing the maximum number of heirs not to inherit assets, but genes, outlook, and worldview, The Guardian reported. And its being advocated by some of the most successful names in tech. All true, to an extent. But theres more to Quiverfull than the simple conviction that children are a divine blessing. Quiverfull families arent passive. They often believe that they, too, are saving mankind with their children. Demographic anxiety is baked into the belief system. They hope to remake society in their image and thats not too far off from what the Collinses say they believe, too. Like Quiverfull children, the Collins children arent just blessings, but pawns in a social movement. Beneath the cutting-edge gloss is an old ideology at work. The Collinses are as right wing as any Quiverfull family, as is the pronatalist movement writ large. An April report in Politico examined NatalCon, where the Collinses appeared, and linked pronatalism to the New Right, a conglomeration of people in the populist wing of the conservative movement who believe we need seismic changes to the way we live now and who often see the past as the best model for the future theyd like to build. The New Right isnt cohesive, as Politico points out; some factions are religious, others arent, and they dont necessarily agree with each other on all counts. Pronatalism, or natalism, can bring them together. People really, people like them arent having enough children, and the Western world is doomed to suffer unless we reverse the trend. Adherents can sound sensible, to an extent. At first glance, this conference might look like something new: A case for having kids that is rooted in a critique of the market-driven forces that shape our lives and the shifts that have made our culture less family-oriented, Politico reported. But as NatalCon wore on, old ideas resurfaced, Politico added: Throughout the day, speakers and participants hint at the other aspects of modern life that worried them about future generations in the U.S. and other parts of the West: divorce, gender integration, wokeness, declining genetic quality. Ive heard sermons that are just as subtle. As Politico reported and The Guardian reaffirmed, Simone Collins is running for office in Pennsylvania as a Republican. Though she is pro-choice, which sets her apart from most in her party, and selected embryos for optimum health and intelligence, which is anathema to many anti-abortion activists, the couple are perfectly legible as conservatives. Their home is stocked with guns in addition to bear spray and a bow and arrows. Her husband, Malcolm, told The Guardian the weapons are for home defense. They get death threats, he explained. They plan to homeschool, because of course they do. The fundamentalists I knew might sympathize with them in one other respect, too: The Collinses are fond of corporal punishment. In an act that shocks The Guardian reporter, Malcolm hits his young son in the face. Smacking is not illegal in Pennsylvania, the paper duly reports. Malcolm Collins tells the paper that he and Simone were inspired by tigers in the wild, who strike at misbehaving cubs with their paws. Nevertheless, the mask has slipped, not that it was ever firmly tied on. The Collinses have tried to defend themselves since the articles publication. Their critics are racist because other cultures practice corporal punishment, theyve said. They dont spank or support corporal punishment intended to cause pain or harm. (What, then, is the point of a slap to the face?) The absence of physical punishment has damaged Generations Z and Alpha, they argued, sans evidence. Though research overwhelmingly links corporal punishment to negative mental-health outcomes, the Collinses, who allegedly believe in science, released a YouTube video explaining why they dont believe any of it. My own parents practiced corporal punishment, thanks in part to the teachings of Christian psychologist James Dobson. I became an anxious and depressed child, and now Im an anxious and depressed adult an anecdotal experience that is common among people who were struck as children, according to the available research. The Collinses arent likely readers of James Dobson. They are atheists, after all. But their views are just as brutal as anything I encountered during my upbringing in the Christian right. And although the Collinses say they dont want to raise automatons, their nakedly ideological approach to family life tells us something about the way they hope their kids turn out. Heres something else I can tell them. You can raise your kids almost however you want in America. At some point, though, they develop their own minds. Perhaps theyll follow you, and have large families, and become titans of industry like Elon Musk, another pronatalist. Or perhaps they wont, and all that press, all that abuse, will be for nothing. Theres a lesson in here for the New Right, too. Its obsessed with power, but theres a reason it must rely so often on anti-democratic means to accomplish its goals. The movements convictions and methods simply arent that popular, and public opinion is difficult to control. Brute force can transform a family, or at the nation-state level, a society. At the same time, it breeds resentment and, at times, opposition. Hit someone long enough, and theyll either break or fight back. Best of luck to the Collinses children, and to us. We all need it. Twelve New Yorkers will judge the citys infamous native son. Art: Isabelle Brourman Midway through his summation for the jury in historys first trial of an American president, defense attorney Todd Blanche returned to where the prosecutions crime narrative began. The Access Hollywood tape is being set up in this trial to be something that it is not, he said referring to the recording that at one time so long ago now upended a Donald Trump campaign by showing the voting public the kind of man he was when he thought the cameras were turned off. It was not a doomsday event, Blanche went on, contradicting collective memory, not to mention numerous witnesses at the trial, who testified that it set off a frantic damage-control effort, which culminated in a hasty deal to pay off a porn star who was shopping a tawdry story. As his lawyer spoke, the beneficiary of that deal, the defendant, sat perpendicular to the defense table, directly facing the jury, his eyes wide open, his chin set at an upturned angle. When Blanche tried to advance an innocent motive his client was being extorted, he said, and wanted to protect his family Trump swiveled his head and looked directly at his children Tiffany, Eric, and Don Jr., who were sitting in the front row. Otherwise, though, he fixed his gaze straight ahead, sizing up the 12 people who would decide the verdict. For the past six weeks of the trial, the press in the courtroom gallery has kept its eyes obsessively on Trump. When he closed his eyes and appeared to nap on the first day of jury selection, it burned up the cable airwaves and inspired a million memes: the yawn heard round the world. Since that first day, most of the reporters in the room have acquired small binoculars, which allow us to closely observe him throughout the proceedings. When he passes the time by reading polls and news clips, we try to peer over his shoulder. When he mutters, we point our spyglasses at the TV monitors that show his face and strain to read his lips. When he bats Blanche on the shoulder, we try to guess what injustice he is complaining about now. When he walks out into the dim courtroom hallway during a bathroom break, a penned pool of reporters and photographers records whether he waved, or gave a thumbs-up, or shook a fist. Maybe, all along, weve been looking in the wrong direction. Through the weeks of lurid testimony, and dustups between the defense and the judge, and the contempt citations, and special guest appearances by vice-presidential hopefuls, the jurors sat there like birds on branches. Their names are being withheld from the public in order to protect them from the harassment or worse that could come at them as a result of their decision, but watching them in the courtroom day after day, you could observe their plumage. Juror 1, the foreman, who favors tight T-shirts and has a face that sits in a resting smirk; Juror 3, a young lawyer with structured hair, who tried to grow a beard for a while and then gave up; Juror 12, an Upper East Side woman, who wore a white shirt and sweater for closing arguments. A suffragette signal, or was it seasonally appropriate for the day after Memorial Day? Looking through the binoculars, a birdwatcher cant tell you what the birds are thinking. But you can try to surmise the direction theyre migrating. As Blanche continued on, he turned his attention one more time to Stormy Daniels, the woman who was paid $130,000 to shut up and didnt stay bought. Why did they call her as a witness at trial? said Blanche, hinting at the defenses anger at her testimony, which they found to be gratuitously graphic and prejudicial. Ill tell you why, Blanche said. They did it to try to inflame your emotions. They did it to try to embarrass President Trump. At this moment, I turned my binoculars on Juror 5, a young Black woman who wears her hair in braids. She is a schoolteacher and sits with classroom posture. During jury selection, she gave the defense some persuadable signals. (President Trump speaks his mind, she said, in response to a question about her opinions about his presidency, though she also added there was a divide in the country, I cant ignore that.) But as Trumps lawyer attacked Stormy Danielss credibility, Juror 5 wore a thin smile, looking like she was about to call a disobedient child up to the chalkboard. I swiveled my binoculars to Trump. He was making that purse-lipped expression he uses to convey contempt when hes on a debate stage. From the beginning, Trump has stood little chance of winning an outright acquittal on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The prosecutors of the Manhattan district attorneys office have done a masterful job of laying out the evidence that Trumps attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged the payoff to Daniels after the Access Hollywood tape emerged and then accepted reimbursement from Trump for the expense after the election in the form of a series of payments disguised as a legal fees. As I wrote in an April cover story, during jury selection, Trumps best hope has always been to convince one or more holdouts to hang the jury. A mistrial, for Trumps political purposes, would be just as good as an acquittal. So all along, his legal team, his supporters in the gallery, and the press have been watching the jury box for any signal, however subtle, that the defense is making inroads. Blanches closing argument went on for more than two hours, but it essentially boiled down to a single word. Cohen lied to you, he told the jury of the prosecutions key witness. He repeated some variation of that phrase more than 60 times in the summation. He called Cohen the MVP of liars and later the G.L.O.A.T., or greatest liar of all time. He told the jury that Cohen had lied to Congress, lied to prosecutors, lied to banks, lied to the Federal Election Commission, and lied to Trump, his client, whom he surreptitiously taped and admitted stealing from by taking reimbursement for a second expense that was larger than the sum he really paid. Blanche said he had caught Cohen in a lie on cross-examination, when he called into question whether a phone call Cohen had made to Trumps bodyguard in October 2016 had to do with a teenage prankster, rather than Daniels. That is per-jur-y! Blanche exclaimed. You cannot send someone to prison Objection, said prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. You cannot convict, Blanche corrected, somebody based upon the words of Michael Cohen. When the jury filed out of the room for lunch shortly afterward, Steinglass rose to address Judge Juan Merchan about what he called the ridiculous comment on prison. Its a rule of lawyering that defense attorneys are not allowed to reference punishment before a jury. That was a blatant and wholly inappropriate effort to cull sympathy for their client, Steinglass said. I think that saying that was outrageous, Merchan said, telling Blanche to have a seat. You know that making a comment like that is highly inappropriate, Merchan said. Its simply not allowed. Period. Its hard for me to imagine how that was accidental in any way. It was, to the very end, a defiant defense one that appeared to be directed as much by the political dictates of Trumps campaign as the legal best interests of the defendant. When the jury returned from lunch, Merchan gave what is known as a curative instruction, telling the jury that the reference to prison was improper and you must disregard it. Juror 4, a bearded resident of the West Village who said he was into metalworking as a hobby during jury selection, nodded attentively. It is a truism among attorneys that juries view judges as paternal figures, who not only guide their thinking on the law but control their comings and goings and even their eating schedule. Attorneys cross them at their peril. This jury has been particularly diligent throughout the proceedings. One woman, Juror 9, expressed misgivings on the day of opening arguments about the possibility of her identity being exposed to the press. She has stuck it out. Not one juror, in fact, was replaced by an alternate during the trial. They are a group of people who look much like their borough. Seven are men; five are women. They are well educated: Seven of them have masters degrees, law degrees, or doctorates. One of them is Black; two appear to be East Asian. One was born in Lebanon. The foreman, a salesman, is originally from Ireland. Thus, when (or if) this New York City jury comes to a verdict, it will be delivered to Trump, appropriately, in an immigrants accent. Mother Theresa could not beat those charges, Trump said to reporters on Wednesday morning, setting expectations low for jury deliberations. But well see. If his defense attorney sought to sprinkle reasonable doubt around the jury box, the lead attorney for the DAs office, Steinglass, brought a fire hose to his summation. He started off by addressing the lies Cohen admitted to telling in the past. Just ask yourselves whether they cause you to outright shut your ears to anything else that he has to say, Steinglass said. He pointed out that one of the lies that Cohen had been prosecuted for, his false testimony to Congress, had to do with Trumps real-estate deals in Russia. He got no benefit from that other than staying in the good graces of the defendant, Steinglass said. For Trump to blame Cohen for that now, he said, is what some people might call chutzpah. Steinglass addressed these issues in a relaxed and conversational tone, as if the prosecution had nothing to fear and maybe it was all a little amusing. Referring to the disputed bodyguard call, he said, The defense says, Aha, thats per-jur-y, ridiculing Blanches theatrical locution. Juror 3, the young lawyer, who occasionally breaks the fourth wall with ironic looks at the gallery, appeared to be suppressing a snicker. Then the prosecutor embarked on a courtroom improv routine, playacting the way Cohen might have addressed both the prank-call issues and the Daniels hush-money payment in the 90 or so seconds that the call lasted. These guys know each other well, he said. They speak in coded language. And they speak fast. Then, Steinglass turned to a classic argument that prosecutors invoke when challenged on the credibility of their cooperators. We didnt choose Michael Cohen to be our witness, Steinglass said. We didnt pick him up at the witness store. The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer, because he was willing to lie and cheat on Mr. Trumps behalf. He pointed out that Cohen was cross-examined for three days, and Blanche asked him maybe an hours worth of questions that had anything to do with the allegations in this case. At this, I saw Juror 2 nodding what appeared to be agreement. Some people in the courtroom and maybe more so, commentators on social media have suggested that Juror 2 might be a prospect for the defense. He is a white investment banker who appears to be going prematurely gray. He follows Trump on social media. He appears to occasionally make eye contact with the defendant. On the other hand, Juror 2 has also said he follows Michael Cohen on X, not to mention the person who makes the podcast Mueller, She Wrote, which chronicles Trumps legal troubles. He said he reads basically everything. Other birdwatchers had their eyes on Juror 7. Hes a balding white-collar attorney who lives on the Upper East Side. He sits there every day with a big legal pad on his lap, taking down notes and wearing a severe expression. When his number was called to serve on the jury, according to a pool observer in the courtroom, he inhaled deeply. Some legal analysts in the courtroom theorize he could end up driving the jurys deliberations. For all the salacious underlying facts, the charges that Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying financial documents are technical and depend on a complicated theory of intent to commit a larger unspecified crime. During jury selection, Juror 7 said that he had an ambivalent opinion about Trump but takes the law and judges instructions very seriously. What could that mean? Depends on how strong you think the legal theory is in this case. A lot of people say this: Who cares? Steinglass said. Who cares if Mr. Trump slept with a porn star ten years before the 2016 election? But he contended that, despite surface appearances, the crime Trump committed was serious. Its harder to say that the American people dont have the right to decide for themselves whether they care or not, that a handful of people sitting in a room can decide what information gets into those voters hands. Trump shook his head slightly, and in the row in front of me, his legal spokesperson Alina Habba exchanged a sarcastic glance with the Trump Organizations general counsel, Alan Garten. The rest of that days roster of Trump retainers his kids, his personal aide, his lawyer Boris Epshteyn, New York real-estate pal Steve Witkoff were staring down at their phones. During a break, Trump offered a terse review of the show, sending out a pair of single-word posts on Truth Social: BORING! and FILIBUSTER! Still, the jurors paid heroic attention. Steinglass apologized for trading brevity for thoroughness, but really, exhaustion seemed to be part of his strategy. He wanted the jurors to feel the immensity of what he called his mountain of evidence. He displayed quote after quote from Trumps books, in which he described his parsimony and his attention to detail. He went through call logs showing the web of contacts between the players in what he described as a conspiracy to corrupt the 2016 election. Davidson to Cohen, he said. Pecker to Cohen. Cohen to Pecker. Pecker to Cohen. Davidson to Cohen. Pecker to Cohen. This is all in a half-hour. He showed what he called his smoking guns, a pair of handwritten notes taken by Trump Organization employees that outlined Cohens reimbursement. Steinglass took on the defenses contention that Trump, as president, was really paying him for legal services. The testimony was that he did less than ten hours of legal work that year, he said. Based on everything that Mr. Trump has said and done, do you think that there is any chance, any chance that Trump would have paid $42,000 an hour for legal work by Mr. Cohen? He tried a joke: He was making way more money than any government job would ever pay, the prosecutor said. And dont I know that. Juror 11, a woman in glasses and a beige blazer, rewarded him with a laugh. During jury selection, Juror 11 said she didnt like Trumps persona, how he presents himself in public, and said he seemed very selfish and self-serving, something she didnt appreciate in any public servant. Its a safe bet shes not a vote for the defense. As the day turned to dusk, and Steinglass entered his fifth hour of argument, even the court reporter started to show signs of fatigue. When she asked Steinglass to repeat a phrase, he replied, Beating a dead horse. The stenographer nodded yes and rolled her eyes. Juror 2 took a glance at the hands of the clock above the courtroom doorway. Judge Merchan had set a deadline of 8 p.m., and the minutes were ticking down. Steinglass who has seemed nothing if not prepared during the trial appeared to be rushing, flipping pages in a binder, as if to signal theres so much more. Everything that Mr. Trump and his cohort did in this case was cloaked in lies lies! he said, going for his own closing flourish. The law is the law, and it applies to everyone equally. There is no special standard for this defendant. Donald Trump cant shoot someone during rush hour on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Objection, Blanche said. Sustained, said Merchan. Nonetheless, Steinglass had managed to say the words get away with it. For decades, as a housing developer, a self-proclaimed billionaire, an unapologetically sexist celebrity, a birther conspiracy theorist, and a twice-impeached, four-times indicted former president of the United States, Trump has gotten away with it so many times. Here, the prosecutor seemed to be saying to this group of 12 anonymous, emblematic New Yorkers, was a chance to finally hold Trump accountable. They are now deliberating. We will soon learn which way they fly. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Its typical for friends and family of the accused to attend criminal trials to lend moral support to the suspect, and humanize the defendant to the jury, as the Daily Beast noted. During his hush-money trial, Donald Trump had had no shortage of support from people in the former category if you can call sycophants like Speaker Mike Johnson; representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz; a host of people on Trumps VP shortlist; and Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy Giuliani, friends. But mustering close family members proved to be a bigger challenge for the former president. While three of Trumps five children eventually put in an appearance at the Manhattan criminal courthouse Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump didnt appear once. When the jury found Trump guilty on all counts on Thursday only Eric Trump was in the courtroom with his father. Eric was the only one of the ex-presidents children who has been regularly present during the trial, as Forbes reported. He was sometimes joined by his wife, Lara Trump, who recently became co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Don Jr. has been recovering from knee surgery, so hes had a good excuse for not appearing in court. But he still posted frequent social-media laments about the trial and managed to make it to court twice, once last week and again on Tuesday for closing arguments. After his second appearance, he made an impassioned speech outside the courthouse, claiming his father is the victim of a witch hunt: If there was ever any doubt that this was a political persecution, the fact that the Biden campaign would hold a rally outside of the courthouse during closing arguments tells you everything you needed to know. Election interference!!! pic.twitter.com/cGaMU2ld3h Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 28, 2024 Eric, Lara, and Don Jr. were joined on Tuesday by Tiffany Trump, along with her husband, Michael Boulos. But rather than creating an image of a unified Trump clan, the appearance of Donald Trumps rarely seen youngest daughter only drew attention to who was absent. A reporter actually shouted Wheres Melania? as Trump headed into court in front of his children. As Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Don Jr stand behind Donald Trump at the courthouse today, reporter shouts the obvious question: Wheres Melania? pic.twitter.com/znsESEXOGi Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 28, 2024 The answer is wherever Melania was when she shunned all of Trumps other court appearances. While the former First Lady has appeared at a few private fundraisers in recent months, she has skipped all of her husbands public political events and court appearances for more than a year. (Their son, Barron, who just graduated from high school, has never played an active role in his fathers political career.) Melanias Truth Social page is devoted exclusively to anodyne holiday greetings and hawking ugly jewelry. The chances of her showing up at a trial that centers on her husband allegedly cheating on her with a porn star were always slim to none. The same goes for Ivanka. At the start of the 2024 campaign, Trumps daughter and former White House adviser announced: I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena. Ivanka didnt even bother to keep a low profile as her fathers criminal trial came to a close. This week, she posted photos and videos on Instagram showing her vacationing in Las Vegas with her family and catching an Adele concert with her 12-year-old daughter and some friends. Ivanka Trump attended #WeekendsWithAdele this past weekend alongside her daughter. Best night seeing the amazing @Adele perform in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/Awpi7KeHob Adeles News (@Adelesnews) May 29, 2024 When the jury delivered a verdict on Thursday, Ivankas Instagram Stories featured a slow-motion video of her son swinging a golf club to the Eagles Take It Easy. Melania remained silent on her social media feeds. Donald Trump summed up the situation best when he declared outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Its a very sad day. But you know what they say: Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes your wife and daughter publicly shun you instead. This post was updated after the Trump trial verdict. The idea that the European Union has created or is creating a pan-European army that will conscript citizens from member states is often used to attack the blocs leadership and general direction. Its typically peddled by right-wing parties and Eurosceptics active on social media to accuse the EU of attacking its members sovereignty. But many proponents of "ever closer union" also invoke the idea, arguing that a European army as a way the continent can better defend itself and reduce its reliance on the US. One of the best examples of EU army scare stories came during the Brexit debate, when "Leave" supporters whipped up fears of British citizens being drafted into a Europe-wide military force without any having say in the matter. Is there any truth in this? To put it simply: no, theres no such thing as an EU army, and nor will there be one in the near future. "As far as I know, and I consider myself relatively informed, there are no secret plans locked up in offices somewhere in Brussels with this type of plan," said Professor Daniel Fiott, head of the Defence and Statecraft Programme at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Brussels School of Governance. "So I think you kind of hit the nail on the head with the word 'myth' in this context and in this debate," he told The Cube. The idea that the EU would set up an army is a particularly emotive issue, hence its susceptibility to false narratives: on the one hand, you have European federalists who yearn for a fully integrated European army, while on the other, you have those who believe it directly contradicts the notion of national independence. It's worth pointing out that the idea of an EU army does have some distant foundation in fact, but its not the case now. Fiott noted that after World War II, in the 1950s, there was an attempt to set up a European army, but it failed. Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands all ratified the European Defence Community treaty, which would have set up a supranational army, yet it ultimately fell by the wayside when France and later Italy aborted the process. Nevertheless, that failed effort obviously fuelled some of the suspicions we see today. The EU does, of course, have a common security and defence policy, together with a defence agency, but its a long way from maintaining an actual army. According to the bloc itself, the common policy "enables the Union to take a leading role in peacekeeping operations, conflict prevention and in the strengthening of the international security. It is an integral part of the EU's comprehensive approach towards crisis management, drawing on civilian and military assets." From left, servicemen from Estonia, Britain and France attend the NATO's Spring Storm exercise in Kilingi-Nomme, Estonia, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. - Hendrik Osula/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved Fiott explained that the current arrangement effectively sees individual member states agreeing by treaty to cooperate closely on defence. "What that really means in practice, and we have lots of cases of that, by the way, is that you can deploy force abroad, whether that be military force or even, in some cases, civilian experts," he said. "The principle remains the same: that you have a head of a mission, but that mission is normally made up of individual member states, all collaborating with each other." "And that basically means dedicating personnel to certain missions," Fiott added. "And also deciding on how much money, financial resources or military capabilities should be pooled as part of that effort." There are, of course, other European military partnerships and alliances too, most notably NATO. The majority of the alliances member states are also EU members, so rather than integrating their forces under EU mechanisms, further alignment through NATO might be the best way forward for European defence, according to Sven Biscop, professor of strategy and foreign policies at Ghent University, and director of the Europe in the World programme at Egmont, the Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels. "It strikes me that after 25 years of near standstill in terms of defence spending, capability development, the idea just seems to be to to carry on without any fundamental overhaul," he told The Cube. "I don't think that that makes sense." "My view is that we should shift our attention to what member states obviously find most important, and that is NATO," he said. "So I would say: try to align the contributions of the European allies within NATO so that all European NATO allies together have a complete set of forces." Flags of NATO member countries flap in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. - Virginia Mayo/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved Biscop explained that if European countries are lacking in any way militarily, they should be able to use EU instruments and the European defence fund to help European NATO allies build up what they're missing. As things stand, the European forces within NATO can only be fully operational with the support of the US, according to Biscop, but that needs to change. "My ideal instead is that in the end, the Europeans in NATO need but the single American to be effective, the 'Saceur': the so-called Supreme Allied Commander Europe, because that's always an American general," he said. "With all the other assets, Europeans should be able to provide themselves, and there the EU instruments can help." Her silence says it all. Reply Thread Link wasn't it ONTD that reported she was seen leaving from a fundraiser for Palestine, back pretty early in this 'conflict'/ genocide? and ppl were giving her grief about that. Reply Parent Thread Link There's no way that actually happened, because Swifties would be pulling that out left and right to defend Taylor and use that as proof that she cares. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link She'll say something like "I want peace on earth" and I hope they stay on her neck by saying "That isn't enough, we want a long and lasting ceasefire and an end to israeli occupation of Palestine." Reply Thread Link she won't even say that, lets be real Reply Parent Thread Link She'll pull some "free everyone" bullshit like Kim did Reply Parent Thread Link she hasn't spoken in 7 months she never will Reply Parent Thread Link She wont say shit about it Reply Thread Link She'll only say something if it starts affecting her coin, she's morally repugnant Reply Thread Link she will stay silent as usual and wont lose one fan or dollar over it. Reply Thread Link I would actually prefer to not hear her thoughts. Reply Thread Link Didn't she screen her documentary in Tel Aviv while they were massacring Palestinians? That said everything. Reply Thread Link Yes. Same with Beyonce and her Renaissance movie. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah and the "Israelis" took on 'Break My Soul' as an ~anthem. Shows you what they think about it. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I really do not like how Beyonce seems to just skate past any blowback on this kind of thing - like dedicating her album to the queer community and then immediately after performing in Dubai. I'd have to assume Taylor was approached by the UAE to do an Eras show which ngl I'm surprised she would say no to that bc they would be offering $$$ Reply Parent Thread Link yeah she won't Reply Thread Link i dont know why they are trying to get her to say something, shes a spineless coward when it comes to anything that doesnt benefit her Reply Thread Link https://www.tiktok.com/@andy.roberts.ss/video/7369825132115758378 On her voice memo for Cassandra, she vaguely says the song is about "our current social and cultural climate" when it's obviously about the phone call with Kanye Reply Parent Thread Link she'll be fine. her fans excuse literally everything else about her, why stop here? Reply Thread Link she won't. it's telling joe has at every moment she designed to fuck with him tho Reply Thread Link that has made me like him lol Reply Parent Thread Link doesn't she have lyrics about joe's morals making her feel inferior or something? I could swear I read something that was essentially 'you being so decent makes me feel bad about being such an asshole' but in tumblr-language lol Reply Parent Thread Link yeah she says "your integrity makes me seem small / you paint dreamscapes on my wall / i talk shit with my friends / it's like i'm wasting your honor" Reply Parent Thread Expand Link the fact that he chose to share pro-Palestine content on his socials on her birthday is just perfect Reply Parent Thread Link That almost made me care about him. Reply Parent Thread Link im convinced Joe was a big influence on her brief dabble in speaking up. either him talking to her about it or her wanting to impress him Reply Parent Thread Expand Link lol good one Reply Thread Link her fans are delusional if they think she cares about issues like palestine. she only speaks out about stuff when it benefits her and she only does it with something to promote behind it (the election = that documentary, lgbt rights = the lover album/you need to calm down). i've definitely seen an increased amount of celebrities posting about palestine in the last few days after the tent camp bombing in rafah but i doubt the pressure ever becomes enough to effect her coin for her to explicitly say something. at best she'll do something like a photo op going to a ramy youssef show again. Edited at 2024-05-29 04:10 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link yup, she's completely narcissistic and self-interested. even when she does claim to care about something, it's because SHE can relate to it personally. Reply Parent Thread Link Yep - I feel like any public statement she makes (no matter how benign or generic) comes after a team at a table debate for hours the pros and cons of it and then how to craft said message as in-offensively as possible to all "sides" if given the greenlight. Basically anything she says publicly will have to undergo the 'How will this affect Taylor, The Brand' rather than any authentic outpouring of support just b/c it's the right thing to do. Reply Parent Thread Link half of these celebs who are now jumping on (what they see as) a gravy train, are only sharing an ai image. like that's literally not even scraping the barrel, they're probably not even looking at the real horrors of this genocide and even if they are on social media it's their pr team or assistant doing it Reply Parent Thread Link I appreciate the message behind the Rafah AI image ofc but it feels vaguely dystopian to me all the same Reply Parent Thread Link ok the AI image is so weird. i have been wondering why that is the thing that caught on to post cause i've seen tons of people posting it. but tbh i've seen lots of minor celebs i follow (mostly comedians/podcasters) this week post like actual info about what's happening in rafah and messages calling for a ceasefire and honestly a good bit of them back in the fall were taking a "we need to condemn hamas" approach. but those are mostly people i know run their own accounts, i'm sure bigger celebs are not actually engaged. Reply Parent Thread Link I saw people on my TL who haven't spoken AT ALL about Palestine share that AI image. Won't share from journalists or civilians on the ground. One person at my work was PLANNING TO GO TO ISRAEL for funsies and decided "oh it's not a good time" while they also shared the image? Fuck off. Reply Parent Thread Link she's the kind of person who will deliberately not look into it just so she can plead ignorance for as long as she can Reply Parent Thread Link https://instagram.com/p/C7hoSliSEF7 On one hand, we need to divest from celeb culture entirely. These people are no better than anyone else and are probably more self serving than the average joe. I also get the comments on this post saying that Ariana could just as easily donate herself. But I think it's more about the influence they have. How many young people registered to vote after Taylor posted about it? She won't. Or she'll make the most milquetoast statement ever with some shit about how children shouldn't be killed in war, as if that isn't the purpose of this genocide.On one hand, we need to divest from celeb culture entirely. These people are no better than anyone else and are probably more self serving than the average joe. I also get the comments on this post saying that Ariana could just as easily donate herself. But I think it's more about the influence they have. How many young people registered to vote after Taylor posted about it? Reply Thread Link I think this is actually great of Ariana to do, but at the same time: man, who are those people who need a celeb telling them to donate to actually donate money to charity? They're all extremely online so it's not like they haven't heard of Palestine before. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link a lot of people are willing to donate but just need to be asked that's why non-profits and charities employ fundraisers. Reply Parent Thread Link The most extreme of the extremely online are often trapped in echo chambers of their own design, though, especially if their entire online identity is about who they stan. Reply Parent Thread Link Seconding what others have said but also there are a LOT of charities for different causes out there, and walls of donation links that don't always provide a lot of info can be confusing to people. Sometimes all it takes is a celebrity or influencer to simply say "donate to x to help support y" for it to click/not get lost in the noise of social media. Reply Parent Thread Link ill also just say even if its a celeb telling the average citizen to donate - at least they do it. they do it more than celebs. the collective average citizens still donate more than celebs. we should be shaming her fellow celebs for not donating when seeing that. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm convinced most people are NPCs Reply Parent Thread Link It's not just that but if you look at the Hadids, they're also making an effort to educate the public as well. Obviously this is closer to their hearts than most celebs, but in general they do make more of an effort in comparison to Taylor, Selena etc Edited at 2024-05-29 07:31 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link It's pretty amusing the way her fanbase is just as performative as she is. They don't want mom to talk about this bc they care, they just want to be able to say she did bc they know her cowardice is one of their weak spots. And before anyone says we shouldn't expect political statements from celebrities- nope, we absolutely should. If you have such a huge platform and ability to influence tons of people, you have a moral obligation to take a stand, and I'm all for holding big celebrities accountable for being spineless little pricks. You don't get to just lay back on your millions while the world is going to shit, you're not some unknown artists trying to break into the scene, you're a fucking billionaire who can 100% afford to say something. With great power comes great responsibility and all that. Reply Thread Link yeah that's 100% what it is. her stans just want to be able to say their fave is on the right side of the issue so nobody can hold it against them. Reply Parent Thread Link I couldn't really put my finger on why this feels gross to me but you're right, they don't actually want her to care, they just want her to say the right thing to make it look like she cares so they can praise her. Reply Parent Thread Link yeh it's super icky. the photo of the people with the banner saying speak up taylor feels sooo inappropriate like i would be ready to throw hands if i saw that irl lol Reply Parent Thread Link actually that's v true. but yeah i wouldn't get mad at this lady for finally saying something that isn't about herself. Reply Parent Thread Link Spot on. I also think that's why some of them want her to be gay - because then she wouldn't be a boring straight cis white woman billionaire, privileged in mostly every single way: she'd be a minority and could be an ~underdog~ forever! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link ita especially if you have the privilege of hoarding so much of the world's wealth Reply Parent Thread Link ofc, like i'm pretty sure this is all bc ariana posted about it and everyone was praising her for it lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Exactly. If your ambition is to become (and you succeed) the biggest, richest, etc., pop star in the world, breaking records left and right - then with that power should come responsibility and accountability. Even if she lost all her fans for saying something (which she never would) -- she'd still live in obscene wealth for the rest of her life. Taylor sees this as a business calculation. Even if she lost 10% of her fanbase (and sold 100,000 less on an opening week for example), that's too great of a price for her to pay than doing/saying the right thing. It's a cowardly and greedy choice. Reply Parent Thread Link Canada's oil industry is booming, but companies in its top oil-producing province, Alberta, are struggling to hire and retain skilled talent to seize the opportunity of greater market access that the expanded Trans Mountain oil pipeline provides. Canadian oil production is rising and could rise by the most among all producers this year, analysts say. But a shortage of talent could make Canada's renewed oil boom more difficult to sustain. As Boomers and Generation X are retiring, the next generations of the workforce Millennials and Gen Z are looking at the oil and gas industry as a dirty thing from the past, wrecking the climate and not worth their attention as job seekers. Rising Demand for Talent The University of Calgary in Alberta, where most Canadian energy companies are based, has recently heard from industry contacts that firms are struggling with staffing skilled positions. And the university now plans to restart its oil and gas engineering program, which was suspended three years ago due to very low interest and a downturn in the industry during COVID. "Some of our industry contacts and industry partners have been telling us increasingly over the recent months and years that they are having trouble finding qualified engineers to hire into the energy industry," Anders Nygren, vice-dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, told The Canadian Press' Amanda Stephenson in an interview last week. The University of Calgary suspended in the summer of 2021 admission for its oil and gas engineering bachelor program due to plummeting demand as only 10 students had registered for the course in the two years prior to the suspension. The university didn't abandon oil and gas-related studies it continues to offer petroleum-specific specializations within the fields of mechanical and chemical engineering. Currently, there are about 1,800 students enrolled in these programs, Nygren told The Canadian Press. The decision to revive the oil and gas engineering program is indicative of the talent crunch the industry has faced in recent years, but also of an uptick in interest in petroleum-related courses, following years of younger generations thinking of the sector as the villain in the fight for curbing climate change. Following the energy crisis of 2022, energy security has become more prominent among companies and consumers as many started to realize that the world will continue to use oil and gas for decades and the energy transition is not happening overnight. Changing Workforce Moreover, the rise of AI and digitalization in the oil and gas industry has shifted the perception that the sector is offering only blue-collar jobs where the young people would get their hands dirty and contribute to rising global emissions. Yet, while these two factors may have attracted some of the young generation to work in the energy sector, the cyclical boom-and-bust nature of the industry is putting off many others, and so are the working hours and a relative lack of the work-life balance that Gen Z crave. Jobs in the oil and gas industry are well-paid in Canada and elsewhere, but the next generation of talent is looking for well-paid jobs in other fields. For example, data centers are poaching computing, engineering, and data science specialists from the oil patch. An executive at an exploration and production (E&P) firm commented in one of Dallas Fed's energy surveys last year, "Labor is hard to find. Dirty-fossil-fuels stigma drives younger talent away." Some of the U.S. talent who are not driven away by the "dirty business" stigma are being poached by technology firms, data centers, Tesla, SpaceX, and other jobs in computing and engineering. This leaves fewer workers available for the oil and gas industry, driving up labor costs and overall project costs, potentially setting the stage for project delays. Yet, according to Tristan Goodman, president of industry group the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, the "bad narrative" that has driven talent away from pursuing university degrees in oil and gas studies has started to change. "Of course, we need to continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but at the same time, this is a product that everybody in the world is using. And I think a bit more pragmatism around that is entering the system now," Goodman told The Canadian Press. Canadian industry associations are looking to promote jobs in the sector with new initiatives. For example, Canadian energy services association Enserva launched in March its THINK Energy campaign, a national awareness strategy to showcase lucrative careers available within the energy services sector. According to Enserva, formerly Petroleum Services Association of Canada, its newly-launched Working Energy portal will address talent shortages. "There is currently a 3,000-4,000-person labour shortage in the energy services sector that is made up of labourers, drivers, tradespeople and more, and Enserva is hoping to connect those looking for jobs with companies who need positions filled and create a long-term solution to this shortage," Enserva CEO Gurpreet Lail said. "Our sector also has to address this ridiculous idea that Canadian energy is a dying industry. That's simply not the case," Lail notes. "The world is going to need our energy for a very long time, and we need talented people to help us innovate and produce it responsibly." By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The SNP doesnt want to govern the UK. But it might have a big influence on the next governments policies. With some polls (albeit somewhat questionably) predicting a hung parliament, Sir Keir Starmer could find himself relying on SNP votes for a majority. So, what would the SNP ask for in return? Setting aside the obvious (another independence referendum, which Labour has said it wont grant), the SNP has long prioritised renewable energy. A particular favourite is community energy projects these being green schemes set up, financed and owned (or partially-owned) by communities themselves. This dovetails with many in Labour (Ed Miliband has hinted at something similar). Whats the Plan? The SNP proposes a package of measures: grants and soft loans (where the state takes on some of the risk), state assistance to get projects off the ground (including feasibility studies and help with the legal and technical aspects), and a restored feed-in tariff whereby projects sell excess energy back to the grid. Reasons to Get Excited The measures have had a positive impact in Scotland. Between 2011 and 2023 community-owned renewable capacity increased from around 200MW to over 1000MW. Scotland now has enough community-owned capacity to power 25 percent of households (or, alternatively, all of the UKs street lights). This sits in a generally impressive Scottish renewables sector, producing equivalent to more than 100 percent of Scotlands electricity needs (about a quarter of all UK renewables generation). Helpfully, the English community renewables sector offers a control group by which we can understand the comparative impact of the Scottish measures. In 2021 (the most up-to-date figures) England had less than 350MW equivalent capacity (Scotland had over 850MW at the time). Many projects stalled due to lack of capacity, failure of early-stage funding, and insufficient access to expertise. Where Scotland provides professional support to community projects (often through charities like the Energy Saving Trust), England relies on volunteers). Growth in the English sector stalled since the government withdrew the feed-in tariff in 2017. It seems, therefore, that the Scottish measures have had a genuinely positive impact. Does it Add Up? But a positive impact for whom? Some 41 percent of Scotlands community renewables capacity is on farm and estate land. Land ownership tends to be more concentrated in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. Half of all privately-owned rural land (approximately 7.9m acres) is owned by just 433 people or companies (including the Duke of Buccleuch and the owner of ASOS). Its not clear whether the benefits of the Scottish governments policies are going to genuine communities rather than aristocrats and billionaires. Cause for Concern The Scottish scheme relies heavily on subsidy. While the feed-in tariff is funded by energy suppliers, the rest of the scheme is paid for by the state. Critics will say thats money the public purse isnt getting back. But the energy industry, as a whole, is highly subsidised. From 2015-2023 the fossil fuel sector was handed 80 billion by the state (renewables got around 60 billion). The true subsidy to the fossil fuel industry is, according to the IMF, likely significantly larger when the cost of externalities is included. The real question for policy-makers isnt one of subsidy or no subsidy but, rather, where its best to put the money. How does it score? Electoral appeal: 2/5Value for money: 4/5Effectiveness: 4/5Originality: 3/5 Overall: 13/20 Verdict: It may not provide the lions share of energy any time soon, but communities down south would be grateful for some of Scotlands measures. By CityAM More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Over the past two years, Europe has rapidly distanced itself from Russias energy commodities in protest to Russias war in Ukraine. The European Unions embargo on the import of crude oil from Russia came into force in December 2022, followed by an embargo on oil products (including petrol and diesel) in February 2023. Meanwhile, natural gas imports fell more than 70% to 43 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023 from 150 bcm in 2021. And now reports have emerged that Germany and the Czech Republic are pushing the European Union to completely eliminate the remaining energy sources Europe imports from Russia. According to Reuters, the two countries will ask Brussels to kick off regular high-level talks - potentially among countries' energy ministers to end the remaining imports of Russian energy. Although the EU has largely replaced Russian gas with natural gas (mainly in the form of LNG) from the United States and Norway, the bloc still got 15% of its gas from Russia last year. Last year, Russia sent more than 15.6 million metric tons of LNG to the EU, good for a 37.7% jump compared to 2021, the year before Russia's Ukraine invasion. Reuters has reported that Berlin and Prague plan to make the call during a meeting of EU countries' energy ministers in Brussels on Thursday. The ministers are set to discuss the obstacles they are facing in phasing out the still-high Russian energy imports. The latest move by Germany and the Czech Republic represents the latest attempt by EU members to work to fully sanction Russian gas imports. However, some EU members--including Hungary and Austria--remain heavily reliant on Russian gas. This implies that countries in support of a full ban can expect considerable pushback, with Hungary previously saying it would block such a move. The bloc has already banned imports of Russian coal and sea-borne crude oil, with exemptions for some land-locked countries. Source: Bruegel.Org Sanctions On Russian LNG Over the past two years, the EU and its Western allies including the United States have imposed a raft of sanctions on Russian energy commodities, including a $60-a-barrel cap on Russia's seaborne exports of crude oil. They have, however, avoided placing limitations on Russian gas as they tried to establish new source markets. Thankfully, the continent has been wildly successful at replacing Russian gas, managing to emerge from last winter with gas inventories at record levels. Europes search for new markets has been aided by record natural gas production in the U.S. as well as reduced heating demand thanks to two consecutive mild winters. Norway and the U.S. have replaced Russia as Europes biggest gas supplier: Last year, Norway supplied 87.8 bcm (billion cubic meters) of gas to Europe, good for 30.3% of total imports while the U.S. supplied 56.2 bcm, accounting for 19.4% of total. Beaming with confidence, Europe is now getting ready to pull the trigger: Politico has reported that the European Commission has proposed sanctions on Russia's LNG sector as part of Brussels 14th sanctions package against Russia. Under the proposed sanctions, EU countries would be prevented from re-exporting Russian LNG after receiving it and also ban EU involvement in upcoming LNG projects in Russia. The measures, however, wouldnt directly bar Russian LNG imports to the EU. Similar to previous sanctions, the proposed import ban is meant to disrupt Putins ability to continue financing his war in Ukraine. Although Russian LNG accounted for just 5% of the blocs energy consumption in 2023, it still netted the Kremlin ~$8 billion in revenues. A full ban on Russian gas by the EU is very likely to trigger another gas price rally. Natural gas has staged a big rally, with Henry Hub prices jumping from $1.61/MMBtu on 26th April to $2.66/MMBtu in Thursday's intraday session as markets increasingly price in more risk premium on the heated-up situation in the Middle East and Europe gets ready to ditch more Russian gas. Meanwhile, European natural gas prices eased slightly to 34 per megawatt-hour, close to the five-month high of 35.4 touched on May 23rd, amid expectations of lower supply amid robust cooling demand. The weatherman has forecast aggressive heatwaves in Europe later in the summer, with hotter temperatures expected in Northern Europe at the beginning of June, as well as excessive heat in France and Spain. Hot temperatures in Asia have also intensified bidding competition for LNG in major hubs, underscored by the 16.7% annual jump in imports from Japan in April. On the supply side, European courts may rule it illegal for Austrias gas giant OMV to pay Russias Gazprom for gas exports, potentially risking supplies to the country. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As OPEC+ members are discussing their production policy for the rest of 2024, the group has also re-opened a debate over each producer's capacity to pump oil. These oil production capacities will become the basis for any output quotas under the OPEC+ deal for 2025, which has prompted several producers to push for higher estimates of their capacity. In November last year, OPEC announced that as part of the Declaration of Cooperation, as the OPEC+ agreement is officially known, independent consultancies will review the countries' production capacities this year. By the end of June 2024, all OPEC and non-OPEC countries in the Declaration of Cooperation will go through an assessment by three independent sources IHS, Wood Mackenzie, and Rystad Energy specialized in oil upstream sources to identify countries' production capacities to be used for 2025 reference production levels. "The OPEC Secretariat will coordinate the assessment while maintaining the independency of the three sources (IHS, Wood Mackenzie and Rystad Energy)," OPEC said. The assessment will not be ready in time for the June 2 meeting this weekend, but it could spark later this year new internal disputes in OPEC and in the wider OPEC+ group, similar to the one that led to Angola quitting OPEC at the end of 2023. Over the past few years, OPEC has been wrangling over how much each country claims to be able to produce. The higher the oil production capacity, the higher the respective production quota under the deal is. Last year, OPEC+ readjusted some quotas, giving the United Arab Emirates (UAE), OPEC's third-largest producer, a higher quota while reducing Angola's. The adjustment in quotas ultimately prompted Angola's departure from OPEC at the end of 2023. At a meeting in June last year, Angola and Nigeria were given lower crude oil production quotas as part of the OPEC+ agreement after the two producers had underperformed and failed to pump to their quotas for years due to a lack of investment in new fields and maturing older oilfields. Angola is planning to maintain oil production above 1 million barrels per day, which is why it left OPEC, natural resources minister Diamantino Azevedo said early this year. "This organization no longer aligns with Angola's values and interests," Azevedo said in January, as quoted by Bloomberg. He added that OPEC had assigned "production quotas challenging our actual capabilities and needs, we made the formal decision to withdraw our country." The capacity assessments by independent sources could lead to more disputes within OPEC and the larger OPEC+ group, as several producers argue they should be assigned higher quotas for 2025 as they expand their production capacity. OPEC's the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, and Algeria, as well as non-OPEC producer Kazakhstan, are among the countries under scrutiny over their capacities, sources with knowledge of the re-opened debate over production capacity told Bloomberg earlier this month. Internal discussions about some producers' ability to pump more oil and hence potentially entitled to higher quotas next year have become heated in recent weeks, sources involved in the talks told Bloomberg. As members push for higher output quotas, the alliance could see another bitter dispute among members, threatening the cohesion that OPEC+ has tried to preserve while deciding whether or not to withhold supply from the market. At this weekend's meeting, the group is expected to roll over the current production cuts of around 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of the year. "High expectations of a full rollover mean that OPEC+ needs to ensure it does not disappoint the market, otherwise, it risks an aggressive pullback in prices," ING commodity strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a Wednesday note. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Privately-held Permian basin producer Double Eagle is reportedly considering the sale of assets potentially worth more than $6.5 billion, including debt, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Reuters sources said they were anticipating the official start of the sale in the second half of this year, with existing Permian operators expected to be the most likely buyers amid a bit of merger mania in the American shale patch. If Double Eagles assets end up being sold for the estimated $6.5-billion value, it would represent one of the biggest deals involving a private American producer in the past year, following Diamondback Energys $26-billion merger with Endeavor and Occidental Petroleums $12-billion deal for CrownRock. This is already the third version of Double Eagle, which is now Double Eagle IV. The previous version of this company was acquired by Pioneer Natural Resources in 2021, for a similar price tag. Double Eagle IV assets include some 55,000 acres in Texas with output anticipated to surpass 90,000 boepd by the end of the year, according to Reuters sources.In a deal valued at $2.1 billion, Crescent Energy said earlier this month that it would buy SilverBow Resources to create a major Eagle Ford shale player. U.S. oil and gas exploration and production companies spent as much as $234 billion on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) last yearthe highest such spend in real dollar terms since 2012. 2024 also began on a high notecompanies announced a record $51 billion in deals in the first quarter, driven again by deal-making in the Permian, according to Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR). By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The former chief executive of Pioneer Natural Resources has hit back at the Federal Trade Commission for scapegoating him with allegations of OPEC collusion. The FTC alleged that Sheffield had colluded with OPEC and OPEC+ members to limit production and increase oil prices in comments on its approval of Exxons acquisition of Pioneer. The allegations shook the shale oil world, where several large consolidation deals are awaiting the trade watchdogs approval. The FTC is wrong to imply that I ever engaged in, promoted or even suggested any form of anti-competitive behaviour, Sheffield said this week in his first public response to the allegations that also included a condition to ban him from joining the board of the combined company to get approval for the deal. Publicly and unjustifiably vilifying me will have a chilling effect on the ability of business leaders in any sector of our economy to address shareholder demands and to exercise their constitutionally protected right to advocate for their industries, Sheffield also said, as quoted by the Financial Times. Sheffield submitted an explanation of events to the FTC this week, calling on the regulator to withdraw its charges against him. They couldnt find anything wrong with the merger because the merger only represents 11 percent of the oil in the Permian Basin so they scapegoated me, Sheffield told the Financial Times. Sheffield is not the only oil executive who feels this way even if he was the only target for the regulatory attack. Many have called the FTCs allegations against the former Pioneer CEO unfair and misdirected, per the FT. In addition to the outrage, there has been real concern in the industry that M&A deals will be scrutinized even more closely by the FTC if the Sheffield case is any indication. The FT suggested some viewed this as a crackdown on the energy industry ahead of the November vote. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Iran will soon launch 32 oil industry projects worth a total investment of $4.6 billion, Iranian Petroleum Minister Jawad Owji said on Wednesday. Iran has also begun work on 50 new oil projects worth a total of over $50 billion, Iranian media quoted Owji as saying. Since 2021, Iran has boosted its oil production by 60%, the oil minister said earlier in May. In the latest Iranian calendar year to March 19, 2024, the Islamic Republic boosted its oil and gas production by 20% compared to the previous Iranian year, Owji added. Iran has signed new contracts for the development of oil fields worth $13 billion, planning to add 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its production, state news agency Shana reported in March. The deals are the biggest in the energy space for the past decade and they were all signed with local companies, according to minister Owji. The production increase effort will focus on six fields, including the biggest one that Iran shares with neighbor IraqAzadeganand its oldest producing field, Masjed Soleyman. The latter is the oldest producing field in the Middle East, with a total output to date of over a billion barrels. Iran plans to increase its crude oil output to 4 million bpd, the countrys Tasnim news agency reported earlier this week, as cited by Reuters. No specific sources for the plan were provided but the original report in Tasnim said that An economic council headed by Iran's interim president Mohammad Mokhber has approved a plan to raise the country's oil output from 3.6 million barrels per day to 4 million barrels per day. Iran has been eager to increase its oil production despite U.S. sanctions that have significantly reduced the market for Iranian oil. Even so, Iran reported an increase in exports of crude recently, with the average daily for the first quarter hitting the highest in six years at 1.56 million bpd according to Vortexa data. Last year, the country exported 1.29 million bpd on average, which was 50% more than a year earlier. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Libyan Oil and Gas Minister Mohamed Aoun has resumed his position after being removed from duty in early April pending an investigation into oil smuggling and mismanagement allegations, the Libyan Herald reports, citing the Ministrys social media accounts. His Excellency the Minister of Oil and Gas Eng. Mohamed Mohamed Aoun began this morning his duties at the Ministry of Oil and Gas, the Ministry said in its announcement, adding that the investigation into Aouns activities had been concluded. Aoun was suspended on March 25 for what alleged mismanagement, with Deputy Oil Minister Khalifa Abdul Sadiq, interim Tripoli-based prime minister AbdulHamid al-Dbeibas nephew, replacing him. At the time, S&P Global speculated that the move was politically motivated and unlikely to be undone. "On the one hand, the suspension could unblock progress on major oil projects -- Aoun was behind a halt to the development of the NC7 Hamada field on the basis that it granted excessive concessions to foreign operators," S&P Global cited Hamish Kinnear, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, as saying back in March. "On the other hand, Aoun retains the support of parties with the ability to disrupt Libya's oil and gas production, he added. Two months into the suspension, however, the official account is that Aoun has been returned to his position and the investigation is over, which could suggest that Aoun has agreed to cooperate where earlier he had been reluctant. Earlier this year, Aoun said that Libyahome to Africas largest proven oil reservesrequired $17 billion in investments over the next three to five years in order to boost production to 2 million barrels per day, from less than 1.5 million bpd. Developing the countrys reserves is hindered by intense political rivalry that has led to a standoff between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and the Benghazi-based Eastern government in the stronghold of General Khalifa Haftar. Both rivals and their various militias and factions are competing for control of the countrys vast oil wealth. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Norway will keep the Nordland county area of the stunning Lofoten and Vesteralen islands off limits for oil and gas exploration and production, Energy Minister Terje Aasland said on Wednesday. A series of left and right-wing Norwegian governments have been protecting the area from oil and gas drilling for more than 20 years. We won't open that area, there are more than enough other areas available to develop the oil and gas industry in a responsible way, Aasland told Norways Parliament today, as carried by Reuters. Earlier this week, the opposition Conservative Party said it wanted to allow energy companies to explore for oil and gas in the so-called Nordland 6 area. But the energy minister reiterated that the offshore area of the Arctic county will continue to be off limits for drilling. This area is protected against (oil and gas) activity, Aasland said. Norway expanded other areas to drilling activities earlier this month. Norway is expanding the acreage in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea, for which companies vying for licenses in mature areas can bid this year, the energy ministry of Western Europes largest oil and gas producer said in early May. Following the energy ministrys announcement, the annual rounds of awards in predefined areas (APA), which give oil companies the opportunity to gain access to attractive acreage in the mature areas of the Norwegian shelf, will include a further 37 blocksthree in the northwest of the Norwegian Sea and 34 blocks in the eastern Barents Sea. APA is Norways annual licensing round that covers the mature areas on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. We need further exploration to make new discoveries that, in turn, pave the way for investments to maintain production. This is important to safeguard jobs, income for the community and Europe's energy security, Aasland said at the time. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The rising number of tankers transporting sanctioned oil and petroleum products under the radar is holding back efforts of the global shipping industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The old tankers carrying sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela typically use the cheapest fuel available and operators of these vessels have no incentive whatsoever to comply with industry standards, including emission standards, Reuters reports, citing shipping sources and shipping data. While the shipping industry, which accounts for about 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, is looking to reduce emissions by using low-sulfur fuel oil, the dark fleet still burns the cheaper high-sulfur fuel without exhaust gas cleaning systems, the so-called scrubbers. Under International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules, the global shipping fleet can now use high-sulfur fuel oil only if scrubbers are installed on vessels. The dark fleet, which has grown exponentially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions on Russian oil, is not complying with these international regulations. A lot of shadow vessels have no scrubbers but they buy high sulfur fuel oil when they are in Russia, an industry source told Reuters. So, they are breaching the IMO's sulfur limit, the source added. Last year, IMO set out in its strategy indicative targets to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20%, striving for 30%, by 2030, compared to 2008 levels. These emissions are targeted to decrease by at least 70%, striving for 80%, by 2040, compared to 2008. IMO also aims to reach net-zero GHG emissions by or around 2050. The growing shadow fleet not only ignores the industrys efforts to clean up fuel use, but its also causing accidents and collisions and its only a matter of time until a major disaster and oil spill happens at sea, analysts and insurance experts say. As long as there are sanctions on countries like Russia and Iran, the shadow fleet looks here to stay, Justus Heinrich, Global Product Leader Marine Hull at Allianz Commercial, said earlier this month. Given the age of the vessels in the shadow fleet, safety is a big concern. Often these vessels are at the end of their operational lives and are used in a high-risk business. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: (Photo by Shoji Kudaka) In search for some nature and the wonderful view Id heard others mention, I took to Mt. Katsuu, or Katsuu-dake, for a nice day of hiking. At 452 meters high (approx. 1,483 feet), Katsuu-dake is in Motobu peninsula and it is the third tallest mountain on Okinawas mainland. Given its size, I definitely was not expecting an alpine-like adventure one enjoys climbing Mt. Fuji or Kilimanjaro, just a short hike to get some fresh air. My guidebook said this would only be 30 to 40 minutes to reach the top of Katsuu-dake. If youve visited Motobu Peninsula before, you may recognize Katsuu-dake as it has an exposed, lime-rock peak, unlike Yaedake and Awadake, the other mountains in the area. Just like Daisekirinzan at the north end of the island, this mountain is composed of lime rocks from around 250 million years ago. While Daisekirinzan offers a safe and easy trekking experience, Katsuu puts you into the thick of the wilderness. Access to the mountain was relatively easy. After about a one-and-a-half-hour drive north from the mid-section of the island, I found myself in a parking lot which connected to the starting point of the climb. There were around 10 vehicles there, indicating some climbers already on the way. I started my trekking around noon. The mountain trail started with a moderate slope but soon turned into a steep animal trail in the wilderness carpeted with numerous rocks. With thick and thin roots of trees running in between, it was difficult to even find a spot to take a step. Many of those rocks were slippery due to their mossy and wet surface. The thick jungle made the trail look dark, but occasional pockets of sunshine filtered through the foliage. The moist stones glistened in the sun. I saw many flora and fauna along the trail including ferns, asian taro and plenty of curious creatures here and there. My easy hike became a jungle adventure with lots of weaving through a thick ocean of trees, but the cool sea breeze was very soothing. Had I waited to do this hike in the summer, there wouldve been more sweat and a higher risk of running into dangerous habu snakes. After hiking about 20 minutes, I came to flat spot in the trail, which offered a preview of what was to come at the summit. A break in the thick branches and leaves showed the sky was still a bit cloudy, so I hoped the sunshine would return by the time I reached the top. Soon, the trail led to another steep slope giving the wrong impression this ramp would lead me straight to the top. At various points the trail split in two ways, but thanks to red markers on stones and red ribbons tied on trees, I didnt have to worry about getting lost. As I was struggling with the slope, I ran into three climbers on their way back from the top. Its very easy. Its safe, I would say. Weve done way worse and scarier hikes before. We were just actually talking about that, Estonian Triinu Akimseu said with a smile. In Slovakia, Ive done a couple. In Hawaii, Mt. Fuji, her husband Lance Akimseu chimed in as he explained it took them only 24 minutes to go to the top of Katsuu-dake. Its an easy pay-off, said Will Michaels, who was hiking with the couple and was impressed with the view. You are almost there, I heard of them call out to me as they made their way down the trail effortlessly. About 10 minutes later, I was finally approaching the top. There were a few trees, but they didnt have leaves to block my view. Seeing a wide view of the east coast of the island, I went on the final stretch. Then the top came into my sight with a pole reading: Summit of Mt. Katsuu at 452m elevation. It was a panoramic view like I had never seen before. Both the east and west coastlines were clearly in sight. In the north, Yaedake could be seen beyond huge rocks. Although I could recognize locations such as Nago City and Kouri Island, the sight made me feel like I was in a different world. Despite the chilly wind howling at me on the summit, the view was worth the trouble to get up there. Maybe it was the exercise, the adrenaline of reaching the top, or both, but what I saw up there really warmed my heart. Mt. Katsuu (Katsuu dake) GPS Coordinate (Parking lot): N 26.631142, E 127.939132 Parking: free *wearing trekking shoes strongly recommended. Artist Stephanie Swift, a former Omahan who now lives in Utah, got a surprising and unwelcome phone call around noon Tuesday. The caller told her this year would be the last for Omahas Summer Arts Festival, a 50-year-old tradition not only for local art collectors but also for creators across the country. The festivals board of directors announced the news to the public Tuesday afternoon, shortly after artists were informed of the decision. The board said fundraising challenges over the past few years, plus increasing costs, prompted the move. Swift, who creates digital art of old signs and buildings (including historic Omaha sites), said she was devastated to learn that this year would be her finale at the Omaha show. The reaction that I had, she said, was something that you cant print. Ending the festival, set this year for June 7 to 9 at Aksarben Village, was extremely difficult for the board, said Vic Gutman, who, as a volunteer, founded it in 1975 in the Old Market for about $4,000. The board truly labored over this decision, he said. No one wanted to end it. Gutmans events firm, VGA, has done fundraising and organizing for the festival almost since it started. He said hes been sensing something of a pullback from certain areas of the philanthropic community. The community has lots of priorities right now, he said: helping homeless people; easing food insecurity; assisting segments of the population still recovering from the pandemic; building projects such as the main branch of the Omaha Public Library and the Kiewit Luminarium. We have such a generous community, he said. I came here from Detroit, and I have never seen a city like Omaha that was so generous. (The Summer Arts Festival) has benefited from generations of foundations and corporations over the years. At the same time, costs have been slowly increasing. About eight years ago, he said, it took about $350,000 to produce the festival. Now, it costs about $500,000 and requires $400,000 in donated funds each year. Security, a necessary festival element, is among the costs that have skyrocketed, Gutman said. Off-duty police officers cost $50 an hour. Its worth it. Security is especially important for the artists whose work remains on the streets overnight, he said. They also provide traffic control. If the festival were to continue, he said, it would have required cuts to major parts of the festival such as performing arts, and the board decided it would be better to end it at its peak rather than watch it slowly decline. In a statement, Board President Molly Hartford affirmed that. The Omaha Summer Arts Festival, as a whole, is truly greater than the sum of its parts, she said. It wouldnt be the same event or have the same impact on the community if certain elements were missing. And, said Gutman, it has fulfilled the mission he saw when he started it in part to revitalize what he says was a declining downtown. Some highlights: It has remained free to all, so that people from across the city can experience local, national and international musicians and enjoy visual art showcases. It has been in five different neighborhoods: the Old Market; near the City-County Building and Douglas County Courthouse; in Gene Leahy Mall on Farnam Street; near Charles Schwab Field at 13th and Mike Fahey Streets; and at Aksarben Village near 67th and Center Streets. It created hybrid programming during the pandemic to ensure Omaha residents could still engage with local and national artists. It highlighted the local performing arts community while still bringing in national acts such as Maynard Ferguson, Blind Boys of Alabama and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. It will end having never missed meeting its fundraising goals, with no debt and a surplus in its reserve fund, Gutman said. The board is just beginning to discuss what will happen to any extra funds, he said, but members have talked about using it to give a really great piece of art to the community, dedicated as a parting gift. Meanwhile, Swift, the Utah artist, will be in Omaha at the end of next week for her last Summer Arts Festival. Shell sell as many pictures of local landmarks as possible, given that theres not a huge market for scenes of the Bohemian Cafe or Broncos in other locales. She said the Summer Arts Festival is an excellent show, right up there with those she attends in Texas, Utah and Denver. And profits are good too. Shell be sad to see it go. If I was a millionaire, I would give the money to keep it going, she said. Photos: Omaha Summer Arts Festival The man suspected in the death of a 34-year-old Omaha woman took his own life Tuesday afternoon before police officers could apprehend him, according to the Omaha Police Department. Police had issued a warrant for 41-year-old William Coleman in connection with the death of Jessica Haley, according to a press release. Officers responded to a shooting at 4606 Redman Ave., just south of Sorensen Parkway, shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday and found Haley dead inside the apartment. Haleys death marks the ninth homicide in Omaha this year and the fourth one this month. Detectives identified Colemans potential location, and surveillance was conducted at 3602 Grand Ave. based on credible information that Coleman was inside the residence, the release said. Officers tried to communicate with Coleman for approximately 30 minutes using a public address system on a marked police cruiser, urging him to leave the residence peacefully, according to the release. At 2:42 p.m., officers at the scene reported hearing a single gunshot from within the residence, the release said. Officers then entered the residence and found Coleman dead. As required by law, Colemans death will be investigated as an in-custody death and will be presented to a grand jury upon completion of the investigation. Omaha police officers and a Nebraska Humane Society animal control officer rescued a recently adopted dog from a hot car outside the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha. Shortly after 6:30 p.m. last Friday, according to a police report, the animal control officer called OPD for the boxer locked inside a parked Honda Accord sedan. The animal control officer noted the dog showed signs of heat distress such as panting, drooling and laying down. The police report stated the animal control officer initially thought the dog was dead. Officers used a lockout kit to open the drivers door. The animal control officer then removed the dog from the vehicle. The police report noted one part of the kit inadvertently slipped off the interior drivers door handle and cracked the windshield. The animal control officer was able to identify the boxer based on the dogs microchip. The animal control officer reported the dog had a body temperature of 104.9 degrees nearly five degrees above a dogs normal body temperature. The police report noted that records showed the vehicles registered owner adopted the dog from the Humane Society 11 days before the incident. Pam Wiese, CEO of the Humane Society, said in an email the dog has cooled down and has fully recovered. She wrote that Humane Society staff did a thorough background check and asked questions of the dogs owners during the adoption process and found no red flags. She added the dog seemed to fit the family well. While we do try to give as much information about the dog itself, general pet care, health and training, we cant cover every scenario, Wiese wrote. We do have to believe that people adopting a pet have done some homework and have some general knowledge about what proper pet care entails. The incident, Wiese added, serves as a reminder for people to be mindful of how warm weather can injure or kill pets inside vehicles. On an 85-degree day, Wiese wrote, a car, with windows slightly opened, can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes. After 30 minutes the temperature can reach 120 degrees. When the temperature is in the 90s and its humid, your car temperature can rise more than 30 degrees per minute. Combined with a dogs inability to sweat, a hot car makes them unable to cool down. So, while its fun to take a dog along with you, if the temperature is over 73, its best to leave them at home, Wiese wrote. BLOOMINGTON Several McLean County youth placed at the 4-H state public speaking contest at Parkland College in Champaign. Those who participate in this exhibit each year develop skills for communicating real-life issues to live audiences and receive feedback from professionals and their peers, according to Illinois Extension. Youth ages 8-18 are eligible to participate in the contest to help them gain skills in learning how to organize and prepare a speech, developing speech delivery skills and learning how to present themselves in front of an audience. Public speaking is described as an essential part of the 4-H experience, according to Illinois Extension. Members practice giving talks and demonstrations at community club meetings, share information about skills they learned in a project and receive feedback in a supportive environment. Every member is encouraged to give at least one formal presentation during a meeting each year. The state contest is divided into divisions including formal speech, illustrated oral interpretation and original works. The following participants were among the winners during the April 29 contest. Formal Speech Division Beginner: Disha Rai, first place champion, of McLean County; Drake Miller, second place reserve champion, of Franklin County; and Abigail Johnson, third place, of Knox County. Advanced: Landree Erwin, first place champion, of Clay County; Maighdlin Booth-Hodges, second place reserve champion, of Champaign County; and Annika Deschler, third place, of Champaign County. Illustrated Division Beginner: Holleigh Hiller, first place champion, of Washington County; Nayomi Patil, second place reserve champion, of Lake County; and Avery Ax, third place, of McLean County. Advanced: Braeden Hamill, first place champion, of McHenry County; Dylan Hamill, second place reserve champion, of McHenry County; and Claire Campbell, third place of McLean County. Oral Interpretation Division Individual: Eden Sanborn, first place champion, of Champaign County; Kennedy Rusk, second place reserve champion, of Macon County; and Ryker Bowman, third place, of Knox County. Team: Cecilia and Maria Ochs, first place champions, of Kane County; Ellie and Olivia Wrage, second place reserve champions, of Logan County; Allison and Samantha O'Neill, third place, of Menard County. Original Works Division Individual: Molly Dittmer, first place champion, of Lake County; Gavin Schnall, second place reserve champion, of DuPage County; and Ellie Wrage, third place, of Logan County. Team: Ingrid and Pepper Rozylowicz, first place champions, of DuPage County; Gwen and Josie Heeley, second place reserve champions, of Marshall County; and Emily and Lauren Harrington, third place, of Piatt County. Photos: Sheep, goat, beef and dairy Costume Show during the McLean County 4-H Show. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] China and Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. This was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, during their talks in Beijing. Xi said China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust. Since they established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two sides have been helping each other through thick and thin, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, he said. Under the new circumstances, consolidating and developing China-Equatorial Guinea relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two countries and peoples, Xi said. China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path, he said. China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries' traditional friendship, Xi said. Xi pointed out that China supports Equatorial Guinea's economic and social development, supports the country's efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization, and is willing to closely synergize the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) achievements and the Belt and Road Initiative with "Equatorial Guinea Agenda 2035" to improve the quality and performance of cooperation in various fields. China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Equatorial Guinea, and is willing to share development experience in the fields of agriculture and rural affairs with Equatorial Guinea, continue conducting agricultural technical assistance projects, give full play to the role of Chinese medical teams and China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, and deepen medical care, education, exchanges and cooperation in cultural and other fields, to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. Emphasizing that the world today is intertwined with turmoil, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and human society is facing unprecedented challenges, Xi said that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever. China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea and other developing countries to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, to build a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said. Noting that developing solidarity and cooperation with African countries is an important cornerstone of China's foreign policy, Xi said China is willing to hold a new FOCAC summit with Africa, further carry forward traditional friendship, deepen solidarity and cooperation, discuss future development and cooperation plans, and open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and his wife Constancia Mangue de Obiang, prior to the talks between Xi and Obiang in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Obiang said that China is a great eastern country, a good brother and reliable strategic partner of Equatorial Guinea. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 54 years ago, their bilateral relations have always maintained a friendly development and are currently at the best period in history. The cooperation between China and Equatorial Guinea has always been based on equality and mutual respect, and is never imposed on others. Obiang mentioned that Chinese medical teams in Africa, China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital and other important projects have benefited the local people and become a symbol of friendship between Africa and China. Equatorial Guinea is willing to open its doors to China, welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and carry out cooperation in Equatorial Guinea to help Equatorial Guinea achieve economic diversification and industrialization, and ensure the lasting and healthy national development. Obiang said the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, are conducive to promoting global peace and progress and creating a better world. Equatorial Guinea highly appreciates China's active efforts in promoting the political settlement of regional hotspot issues and promoting world peace and development, said Obiang. Equatorial Guinea is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the frameworks of the FOCAC, BRICS and others, to promote a global governance system that is more fair and equitable, he added. Noting that Equatorial Guinea firmly upholds the one-China principle, Obiang said there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Equatorial Guinea opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" and firmly supports the efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve complete reunification, he said. The two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on investment, economic development, digital economy, green development, implementing the Global Development Initiative and other fields. The two sides also issued a joint statement on establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, has revealed that the fall in the Ghana cedi has a short-term implication but needs a long, medium, and short term policies and responses to tackle the challenges. Speaking to the press at the launch of the Long-term National Development Perspective Framework (LTNDPF), Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa stated that the Ghana cedis continuous decline is a result of a number of key factors, which have been addressed in the Vision 2057 framework, launched by the commission on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at the Cedi Conference Centre of the University of Ghana, Legon. He said, the depreciation of the Ghana cedi has a lot of short-term implications but you need a long term, medium and short term policies and responses to tackle it. It is a shortterm phenomenal which we are experiencing now but it requires a long term proves to stabilise the currency. If you look at the long term plan, the first economic activity is to stabilise the economy. The stabilisation of the economy also implies the stabilisation of our currency. The Director-General of NDPC outlined a number of factors which contributes to the depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the major trading currencies. According to him, every currency is backed by two indicators; the production and reserves, adding that, if the reserve is low, the currency suffers fluctuation and depreciation. If your reserve is low, your currency suffers fluctuation and depreciation. If productivity is low, your currency also suffers. In the plan, we have tackled the two angles, looking at the resources around us, how do we mobilise these resources. We are number one (1) in gold production and seven (7) in the world. We are number one in bauxite production in West Africa and the only country that have juxtaposition iron and manganese used to produce steel. What are we doing with these resources? According to the Dr. Mensah-Abrampa, the only way the natural resources can be harnessed is to first of all, train the human resources in the areas that need their expertise. He posited that, although the government through the Ministry of Education have been championing the cause of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, so many students are rather moving towards the liberal courses which has created an imbalance in what they industry players lead. It is a matter of harnessing the human resources, first and foremost, through the human resources. What have we been training our people on? Definitely, there is a divergence from the very resources that we have. If we dont have people with the skill and the knowledge to take advantage of the resources, then we will continue to be in the problem that we are facing, he said. He continued to add that, one way we can deal with the issue of the free fall of the cedi is to move from primary production to secondary production. According to him, the rate of production of the raw materials have been very low, especially with the discovery of the raw materials like the cocoa, bauxite, manganese, lithium, oil, etc. So many years, we have been producing cocoa and yet we export the bulk of it without any value added. We are producing a lot of gold and we have been doing that for ages, and we are still struggling to have an economic refinery top process them to produce jewelry, to produce all the ornaments that come from it. These are the key situations but for the last four years a lot of processes have been made towards moving to processing. We are pushing and working on the minerals resources and you will see a lot of work being done by the minerals commission to be able to take advantage of the gold and move it to the refinery level, where you can have the whole chain benefit from it. 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 For remarkably steering Telecel Ghana through a major transition, making a remarkable impact in the sector and showing exemplary leadership over the last year, Chief Executive, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai has been awarded CEO of the Year in the telecommunications sector at the 8th Ghana CEO Summit and Expo. Ing. Obo-Nai also delivered the keynote address to the audience of distinguished peers and industry leaders on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the telecommunications sector for economic diversification. In presenting the honour at the prestigious summit on Monday, Chief Executives Network Ghana, organisers of the event said, Your outstanding contributions and exemplary leadership in the Telco Sector, have not gone unnoticed, and we believe that your accomplishments deserve the highest recognition. This is in recognition of your outstanding leadership, business excellence, and professionalism demonstrated over the past year in Ghana. The CEO of the Year award honours individuals who exemplify exceptional business practices, achievements, and leadership qualities. The prestigious accolade acknowledges her significant role in driving economic growth and making meaningful contributions to the overall economy. In an interview after receiving the accolade, Ing. Obo-Nai said, "It is a tremendous honour to be recognised by the Chief Executives Network Ghana and my peers in the industry. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team at Telecel Ghana. I am humbled to receive this recognition and remain committed to leading innovation and customer excellence within the telecoms sector." The 8th Ghana CEO Summit was on the theme "Reigniting Business and Economic Growth: Charting a Path Forward; Economic Diversification and Artificial Intelligence Transformation. A Private-Public Sector CEO Dialogue& High Impact Learning. Since its inaugural edition in 2016, the summit has brought together CEOs, heads of state, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from across West Africa and the globe to explore solutions for economic growth and development. Under Ing. Obo-Nais leadership, Telecel Ghana has seen tremendous transformation through technological innovation, exceptional customer experience and cross sector partnerships with diverse industries. 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 An advocacy group known as Patient Rights Watch Ghana has made significant progress towards achieving its goals. This non-governmental organization (NGO) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the constitutional and statutory rights of patients in Ghana, focusing on three main pillars: Education, Victim Support, and Policy Advocacy. During a medico-legal symposium the NGO held on Thursday, May 23rd in Kumasi, which brought together legal experts and healthcare professionals to collaborate on ensuring that the Patients Charter is fully integrated into healthcare services in Ghana. The symposium, held under the theme "Ghana's Patients Charter: 12 Years on," was graced by the presence of distinguished individuals such as Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, a Justice of the African Court on Human and People's Rights and the Court of Appeal in Ghana, Dr. Divine Banyubala Esq, the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council in Ghana, Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, Ashanti Regional Director of Health and Prof. Dr. Otchere Addai-Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. The event was hosted by Lawyer Isaac Ofori Gyeabour, the President and Founder of Patient Rights Watch Ghana. During his speech at the event, Lawyer Ofori Gyeabour noted that the Patients Charter has been shrouded in obscurity since its elevation into law twelve years ago. He emphasized the need for more organizations to join Patient Rights Watch Ghana to campaign for the rights of patients Lawyer Gyeabour declared that Patient Rights Watch is dedicated to disseminating knowledge about the Patient Charter and other medico-legal issues through initiatives and gatherings such as this one. He expressed that the Organization intends to extend these initiatives to healthcare training institutions to ensure that future healthcare professionals are well-informed about the legal aspects of their profession. Lawyer Gyeabour described the scale of harm caused to patients at the point of care as alarming. He cited a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which projects that one out of ten patients suffers one form of abuse or another at the point of care and that 50% of the harm is avoidable. With the right education on the Patient Charter, he believes this can be addressed in Ghana. Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, delivering the keynote address, explained the importance of the Patients Charter in Ghana, recounting the events that led to its promulgation in 2002. He said the law will safeguard the rights of the patient as well as the caregivers. Also, the Justice of the African Court on Human and People's Rights, Sir Dennis, advised health workers not to hesitate in offering an alternative medical service or facilities to the patient when the situation at hand is beyond their capabilities. He said this action is a fulfillment of the right of the patient to receive quality healthcare as enshrined in the Charter. In addition, he charged health workers to make the privacy of the patient paramount in the healthcare delivery process. He explained that it is a right protected by the Patient Charter and should not be violated under any circumstances. He advised patients to take the necessary legal action against health professionals and facilities that violate their rights in an attempt to seek healthcare. He said taking legal action should not have any negative ramifications on the patient. Dr. Divine Banyubala Esq, the Registrar of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, who addressed the participants via Zoom from his base in Australia, added that patients should be circumspect of their responsibilities in the healthcare delivery process. He said the rights of the patients are not separable from the responsibilities. Dr. Banyubala urged patients to provide accurate medical information and history to the caregiver when seeking healthcare, follow prescriptions, and visit health facilities earlier. He called on authorities to set up an ethics review committee in all public health institutions to bring confidence and foster collaboration between the healthcare officers and the general public. Again, he proposed that there should be a separate fund for victims of medical errors or accidents. According to him, money should be set aside from the annual budget to compensate patients who suffer from the errors of the caregivers. The chairman for the occasion, Prof. Dr. Otchere Addai-Mensah, stated that lack of infrastructure and structures at the facilities hinder the smooth application of the laws. He said health facilities in the country have not seen the corresponding expansions to meet the growing population, and as a result, privacy and other rights of the patients are not absolutely ensured in the process. Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health, proposed a national dialogue to tackle the issue of health. He said health issues affect everybody, and as such all hands should be on deck to imbibe the spirit of humility in health professionals in Ghana. He said the healthcare is face with many challenges and that having an NGO to do health advocacy as being done by Patient Rights Watch Ghana is vital. Speaking about nurse-patient conflicts, the principal nurse at the South Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi, Mrs Abigail Miezah, said conflicts are not always bad but sometimes are necessary to put both parties in check. She, however, advised patients to be mindful of the nurses' conditions as well. As humans, nurses have their own challenges that sometimes influence their work. The Secretary for GHAFTRAM (Ghana Federation of Traditional Medical Practitioners Associations) , Nana Kwadwo Obiri, noted that it is an infringement on the rights of the patient to deny him or her traditional or alternative medicine when orthodox medicines are not able to cure a particular ailment. He said the National Health Insurance Scheme should be expanded to include traditional and alternative medical care. 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 South Africans are voting in the most pivotal election since the racist system of apartheid ended in 1994, which could see the African National Congress (ANC) lose its majority for the first time in 30 years. As he cast his vote in Soweto, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had "no doubt" that people would once more show confidence in the ANC. John Steenhuisen, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), described the poll as the first opportunity for change in 30 years. Voting has been smooth overall, but some people have been turned away due to a rule change which requires them to vote where they registered. Support for the ANC has waned over the years because of anger over high levels of corruption, crime and unemployment. More than 27 million people are registered to cast their ballots in a poll that highlights growing political fragmentation in the country. A record 70 parties and 11 independents are contesting, with South Africans voting for a new parliament, and nine provincial legislatures. "The huge growth in parties shows disillusionment with the old big parties or, cynics would say, people are looking for an opportunity to get into parliament and earn a pension," political analyst Richard Calland told the BBC. In power since anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela led it to victory at the end of white-minority rule, the ANC is seeking a seventh term in office. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that the party will lose its parliamentary majority for the first time, forcing it to enter into a coalition with one or more opposition party. "We are entering the next phase of our democracy, and it is going to be a big transition," Prof Calland told the BBC. "We will either become a more competitive and mature democracy, or our politics will become more fractured," he added. There is no direct election for the president - the new National Assembly chooses the president, who is normally the leader of the majority party. The campaign has been dominated by widespread corruption in government, crushingly high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth, deteriorating public services and rampant crime. The DA has signed a pact with 10 other parties, agreeing to form a coalition government if they get enough votes to dislodge the ANC from power. But this is highly unlikely, with the ANC expected to remain the biggest party, putting it in pole position to lead a coalition. It got 57.5% of the vote in the last election compared to the DA's 21%. Former President Jacob Zuma caused a major shock when he announced in December that he was abandoning the ANC to campaign for a new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which translates as Spear of the Nation. Although he has been barred from running for parliament because of a conviction for contempt of court, his name will still appear on the ballot paper as MK leader. Opinion polls suggest MK will get about 10% of the vote. It is expected to do especially well in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where tensions have been high, with some incidents of violence reported during the campaign. "The election in KwaZulu-Natal could become very messy - expect a lot disputes and contestation over the results," Prof Calland said. Women make up 55% of registered voters - around 15 million, according to statistics released by the Electoral Commission. In terms of age group, voter registration is highest among those who are 30 to 39 years old. They make up almost seven million of the 26.7 million voters. But, said, Prof Calland, around 13.7 million eligible voters did not register, with most of them - eight million - below the age of 30. "They have turned their backs on our young democracy. The assumption is that they have lost hope, feeling economically excluded and seeing no viable opposition," he added. This view was borne out by 29-year-old Keabetswe Maleka, who lives in Soweto, which was the epicentre of a student uprising against apartheid in 1976. Source: BBC 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 Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development (MLGDRD), in collaboration with the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, have taken proactive measures to address flooding in Accra. Through this initiative, multi-purpose drones have been distributed to seventeen beneficiary Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies (MMDAs) participating in the GARID Project. The aim is to bolster flood mitigation efforts within the region. Highlighting the significance of this endeavor, the Ministry emphasizes that the drones are intended to assist the beneficiary Assemblies in identifying the root causes of flooding within their respective jurisdictions. The Coordinator of the GARID Project, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo in an interview with the media underlines the transformative potential of this initiative stressing that the distribution of drones signifies a pivotal step towards enhancing the capacity of the beneficiary Assemblies and these drones will enable them to effectively monitor water body buffers to prevent encroachment, conduct surveillance of solid waste hotspots, and strengthen overall development control measures. Furthermore, Dr. Ohene Sarfo issues a stern reminder to the beneficiary Assemblies regarding the appropriate use of the drones emphasizing that the drones are not to be utilized for social gatherings or any unauthorized purposes so any misuse of the drones will result in accountability measures, as stipulated by the specific guidelines governing their use. The Geographic Information Systems and Informatics Specialist for the GARID Project, Mr. Bernard Makafui Agbelengior elaborates on the distinctive features of the drones. He highlights that these drones are tailored for specialized tasks, differing significantly from those typically employed for recreational purposes or social gatherings. The Municipal Chief Executive for Ablekuma Central and Dean of the Greater Accra Municipal Chief Executives, Hon George Cyril Bray, on behalf of the Assemblies expressed their gratitude for the support extended by the Ministry, reaffirming the commitment of the beneficiary Assemblies. He assures that they will leverage the drones effectively to advance the objectives of the GARID Project. 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 Ghana Hajj Board has announced its collaboration with Saudi Arabian security agencies to apprehend Ghanaians trying to perform this years hajj with unauthorized visas. In a statement, the board clarified that only the Hajj Visa issued by Saudi Arabian authorities is legitimate for performing the pilgrimage. The board emphasized its exclusive recognition and mandate by Saudi authorities to organize and manage the affairs of Ghanaian pilgrims. "We are collaborating with the security agencies in Saudi Arabia, so if you try to sneak into Madina and enter any of our tents to sleep or feed on our food, we will arrest you or put you in a situation that may be unpleasant for you," Graphic.gh.com quoted the board. Although the board acknowledged that the price for this year's pilgrimage, approximately GH75,000, is high, it assured that the cost includes return tickets, accommodation, food, transportation within Saudi Arabia, and safety and security measures. "We, therefore, wish to caution prospective pilgrims and others to be wary of persons, including travel and tour agencies, that are advertising their seeming abilities to ferry people to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a lesser amount of money. Those who get convinced by such persons and pay monies to them do so at their peril," stated the Board Chairman, Alhaji Ben Abdullah Banda, during a press conference in Accra last Sunday. Alhaji Banda announced that the first flight to Saudi Arabia for this years hajj would depart from Tamale today, carrying over 400 pilgrims who will be received in Madina by an advanced team of the board and officials from Ghanas Embassy in Saudi Arabia. He detailed that the airlifting in Tamale would conclude on Friday, May 31, 2024, while flights from Accra are scheduled from Sunday, June 2 to Tuesday, June 6, 2024. The chairman assured that decent accommodation and transportation within Saudi Arabia had been arranged for the pilgrims stay. A medical team has also been assembled to cater to the health needs of the pilgrims throughout the pilgrimage. Additionally, the board has conducted a series of orientation programs in Yendi, Wa, Tamale, Kumasi, and Accra to educate pilgrims on the dos and donts of hajj. "We wish to admonish our prospective pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Ghana while in Saudi Arabia," Alhaji Banda concluded. 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 Nana Akomea, Chief Executive Officer of the State Transport Corporation, has castigated the National Democratic Congress for describing the ambulance purchase trial involving the Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, and the Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson as a "political persecution". The case which is before the High Court has taken an interesting turn as a third accused person, Richard Jakpa, claims the A-G approached him to help build a case against the Minority Leader and former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson. Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, according to Jakpa, met with him in the private residence of a Supreme Court Justice named Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi in a supposed plea bargain negotiation. A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandoras box. I dont understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when Im here to defend myself, Jakpa said in court. The opposition National Democratic Congress has accused the Attorney-General of politically persecuting Ato Forson. But to Nana Akomea, this cannot be and is not the case explaining that the Attorney-General will not send Ato Forson to court without basis. To him, what the opposition party is saying is nothing but hogwash saying "when you say it is political persecution, then it means there is no basis for sending the person to court, then you can say it is persecution. If that is the case, the court sitting on the case, they will throw it out. And why would the Attorney-General, without any basis, waste time and resources to send Ato Forson to court?" He called on the NDC to stop making such comments, stressing his question "why would he send only Ato Forson to court?" He made these submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show. 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 Flash UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the attempted launch of another military satellite using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said his spokesman on Tuesday. Any launch by the DPRK using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement. "The secretary-general reiterates his calls on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions and to swiftly return to dialogue without preconditions to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said the statement. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has denied meeting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Dubai as alleged by Martin Amidu in an article. Mr Amidu had alleged that Speaker Bagbin met the "President [Akufo-Addo] in Dubai in before he [Speaker] returned to Parliament to turn a closed eye to his own determination that rejected the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government?" In a press statement dated May 28, 2024, signed and issued by Peter Bamfo, who is the Head of the Speaker's Communication Unit, Speaker Bagbin explained that has taken notice of a malicious and false publication in the media attributed to Mr. Martin Amidu. What did Amidu write? Mr Amidu had stated in his article that "Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama, did your self-confessed ... Speaker of Parliament not meet the President in Dubai in 2021 before he returned to Parliament to turn a closed eye to his own determination that rejected the 2022 Budget Statement ad Economic Policy of Government?" "Did you not see, observe, and read the reaction and excitement amongst your Minority Leader and his team after meeting the President on 20 May 2024. Does it lie in your mouth to insinuate that as a constitutional activist I should not recognize Nana Akufo-Addo who beat your John Mahama at the 2020 elections as the President of Ghana? I defend the 1992 Constitution and I cannot dispute the will of the people at Presidential elections conducted under it, notwithstanding my personal views. "The NDC cannot wish that because the NDC created and empowered Anas Aremayaw Anas as a covert Government agent after the 2008 elections when his law partner at Cromwell Gray LLP is appointed the Special Prosecutor in 2021 by the NDCs adversary, the constitution and laws of Ghana should be suspended until the NDC assumes office in 2025 to take advantage of the relationship between Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his partner to boast that Kissi Agyebeng their political hatchet man and executioner was an appointee of the NPP. " Attached below is a copy of the reaction from the Speaker's office SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT: MARTIN AMIDU'S FALSE CLAIMS AGAINST SPEAKER BAGBIN The Office of the Speaker of Parliament has taken notice of a malicious and false publication in the media attributed to Mr. Martin Amidu. The said publication is false, baseless and unfounded, and should be treated with the contempt it deserves. Mr Amidu's claim in the publications that the Rt.Hon. Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin had secretly met with His Excellency the President in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is a palpable falsehood This falsehood is part of ongoing deliberate and calculated attempts by some persons to attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Speaker of Parliament. Such attempts have not succeeded and this recent one by none other than Mr. Amidu would not succeed. Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has a long record of distinguished and honest public service to the Republic of Ghana and will continue, at all times, to put the interest of the Ghanaian people first. The Rt Hon Speaker will not be deterred from carrying out his public service duties, guiding and providing leadership for Parliament even in the face of insinuations, unprovoked attacks and unfounded allegations like Mr. Amidu's. Mr. Martin Amidu must appreciate that the decisions taken on the floor of parliament is an extension of the voices of the citizens by the legislators who represent them distinctively. The Speaker of Parliament, unlike the Deputy Speakers, has no vote in Parliament and therefore does not take part in the decisions of the House. This is clearly stated in the 1992 Constitution and affirmed by decisions of the Supreme Court of Ghana. To re-state, it is false, malicious and a fabrication by Mr. Martin Amidu that the Speaker of Parliament had secretly met with the President before the rejection of the 2021 Budget. The Speaker has not met the President in Dubai or anywhere else outside the Republic of Ghana. The Rt. Hon, Speaker requests Mr. Amid to do the honourable thing and withdraw his statements and apologise unreservedly to the Speaker of Parliament and indeed the Parliament of Ghana, with the same prominence as he made the false and malicious statements, within seven days from the date of the release of this rejoinder. The failure of Mr. Amidu to adhere to this request would leave the Rt. Hon. Speaker to no other option than to take all steps necessary within his rights to vindicate his name. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video On 17 May 2024 at 6:00 am, Kissi Agyebengs rented media house, Joy FM, as usual published a report intended to try me in the court of public opinion without providing any accompanying documentary evidence showing my signature to any document upon which it based my public trial. I have learnt to live with the McCarthyism of Kissi Agyebeng and his executioners at Joy FM. What has really baffled me, and which is what I have been trying to understand is the reason for which John Dramani Mahama who is the leader and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has unleashed his NDC attack dogs such as Alhassan Suhuyini, Sammy Gyamfi, and to crown it all the Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Aseidu Nketiah, on me since 17 May 2024 based on hearsay evidence of a petition I am alleged to have submitted to the President on 30 April 2024 for the removal of the Special Prosecutor. Read also: AGYEBENG-INSPIRED PETITION FOR PARLIAMENTARY PROBE INTO EOCO ABOUT DAPAAH CASE IS FUTILE MARTIN AMIDU SPEAKS I cannot understand why the NDC will collaborate with Kissi Agyebengs preferred rented media house and his chief executioner, [...], to make allegations against me without publishing the alleged petition on which the allegations are based to provide me the opportunity to confirm or deny my signature and rebut or admit the accusations. My trial, and the trauma it has caused me is allegedly based on a document written by the Chief Justice. I have every reason to question the authenticity of the document attributed to the Chief Justice because I established with mathematical precision with the assistance of information and communication technologies (ICT) that a Joint Statement published at the instance of Kissi Agyebeng as a Joint Statement by the OSP and the Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) was a forgery by the OSP when it displayed the OSP logo along side the Coat of Arms of Ghana as representing the JSG. The Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has my evidence, has not concluded its mediation, and knows why I am not making my proof public. In addition and firstly, I am not familiar with the signature of the Chief Justice. Secondly, the document attributed to the Chief Justice has no reference number as required by public records administration to avoid forgery of official documents. Thirdly, as a former student of the Tamale Commercial Institute, the first commercial institute in Northern Ghana, I cannot fathom a Chief Justice writing and signing a document in which she will refer to herself as the Honourable Chief Justice. Fourthly, I do not think that the Chief Justice would have written and signed the document attributed to her and have it published in the media or leaked to the media. Fifth, the alleged document was addressed to only Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, whose media house, Joy FM, broke the supposed news at 6:00 am on 17 May 2024 when the Chief Justices document was dated the previous day, 16 May 2024. Sixth, I cannot fathom that the Chief Justice if she is the author of the document attributed to her gave the addressee a fiat to source the document to Joy FM. Seventh, Joy FM and the NDC have refused or failed to publish the letter from the Presidency to the Chief Justice or the alleged petition for purposes of authentication to enable a reasoned response from me as the Joy FMs accused in its trial in the court of public opinion. Finally, it is impossible for me to have written a petition under my signature and referred to Kissi Agyebeng as Honourable Kissi Agyebeng as alleged in the document attributed to the Chief Justice. I expect the Chief Justice, if she really wrote the document making the rounds and did not publish or authorize its publication in the media, to react to the authenticity of the letter or the memorandum and its contents to put the public mind at rest or take such steps as will restore the integrity of the Judicial Service as not being part of my trauma resulting form my trial by Kissi Agyebeng, Joy FM, and the NDC in the court of public opinion. What my trial by Kissi Agyebeng and his chief executioners at Joy FM have done by their attempt to try me in the court of public opinion has rather fortified my determination to defend the 1992 Constitution to ensure that no citizen is presumed guilty in the court of public opinion without the accompanying evidence being made available to the public to make an informed judgment. Kissi Agyebeng, Joy FM, and the NDCs McCarthyism must be stopped by all patriotic citizens before they implode the 1992 Constitution. John Dramani Mahama as the leader of the NDC sent the Chairman of the NDC to Joy FM on 23 May 2024 to speak against my integrity by stating that: The Martin Amidu I know, until this thing was done, I trusted that he was a very principled person. My faith in his being principled is badly shaken. After dehumanizing and dishonouring my person, the NDC Chairman did not stop at that. The Chairman of the NDC speaking on behalf of the leadership of the NDC stated further without any supporting evidence that: He shouldnt have done that at all. I am still trying to understand why. Comrade Martin, have you abandoned your view that Nana Akufo-Addo is the mother serpent of corruption? Or you still hold that view? If you still hold that view, when you came to a roadblock that I want to do this thing against finance minister and the president said no way, you resigned and came to open up. If your successor has come to a similar roadblock and the president is demanding his resignation, wont you show solidarity? But you are rather making yourself the tool for the president to be able to achieve his objective of fighting those who are fighting corruption. John Dramani Mahama, your hatchet man Alhassan Suhuyini called me unprintable names on 17 May 2024 and so did your Sammy Gyamfi on 20 May 2024. There were other NDC appointment seekers even before the 7 December 2024 elections who were assigned by the NDC to discredit me without producing any evidence, but for you to permit the Chairman of the NDC to come after me while you hide in the shadows is unacceptable to me. I do not owe my integrity to anybody in todays NDC because it is not the NDC we founded in 1992 to transition the PNDC into constitutional rule when I was the Chairman of the House Committee of the Consultative Assembly and, therefore, the liaison between the PNDC and the Assembly. The Chairman of the NDC, a person presumed to be of high moral character and proven integrity permitted himself to be appointed by a self-confessed ... NDC Speaker of Parliament onto the Board of the Parliamentary Service despite a glaring and impermissible conflict of interest under Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution. Only idiots will cherish the moral values of such a Chairman of the NDC. In any case, Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama have you ever heard that as a politically exposed person, I set up a stevedoring company and was assisted by GPHA to milk Ghanaians during the regime of any of the Governments under which I served? Did I publicize the facts about Asiedu Nketiahs stevedoring business at Tema as the Special Prosecutor before I sent Joshua Hamidu Akamba to warn him about attacking my integrity? Asiedu Nketiah, I wish to refresh your memory that the abbreviated name of the stevedoring company which was also involved in oil and gas etc is KMSC- and to remind you that the partners you used your public position to cheat out of the company for your son you brought from Canada to manage KMSC are still aggrieved and alive. I left loads of facts and evidence on pending investigations, including documentary evidence at the OSP in some of which Kissi Agyebeng was the lawyer for the suspects. Kissi Agyebeng because he has converted the OSP into an instrument for political vindictiveness instead of a law enforcement agency has refused or failed to make available to Joy FM the facts and evidence on the National Lottery Authority/TekStart Africa Limited investigation in which he was the lawyer for one of the suspects. Kissi Agyebeng has also suppressed from trial in the court of public opinion the bribery and corruption investigation involving Kissi Agyebengs partner at Cromwell Gray LLP and client, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in the Charles Bissue case in which Kissi Agyebeng wrote to the OSP during my tenure as the lawyer for Anas Aremeyaw Anas, to mention but a few suppressed investigations. The Charles Bissue investigation docket is with Kissi Agyebeng who has refused to cause Joy FM to publish for trial in the court of public opinion the reasons John Mahama used to order the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a Government of Ghana Service Passport to Anas Aremeyaw Anas and one other under the pretext of attending a mere short conference in Cambridge University in the UK. The Charles Bissue docket at the OSP also contains the impersonation and corruption employed by Kissi Agyebengs partner and client, Anas Aremayaw Anas, to register ORR Resources Enterprise for the entrapment of citizens which Kissi Agyebeng has refused to make available to Joy FM for publication and the trial of his partner, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in the court of public opinion. Does the fact that a court of law heard the charges against Samuel Adam Mahama Foster and his UK friends in the Airbus SE-Ghana case and issued an arrest warrant for them resulting in the INTERPOL Red Notice not signify beyond doubt that Government Official 1 is his elder brother, John Dramani Mahama, who was the Vice-President and later the President of Ghana at the time of the bribery loot of almost 5million from the public purse? I led the Airbus SE investigation and showed the head of investigation at the OSP at the time, then Inspector Mark Karikari and his team, the hotels and leased apartment Samuel Adam Mahama Foster and his UK friends resided in, including the government property sold to Michael Abu Sakara Foster where Samuel Adam Foster claimed as his abode on the forms he filled at the Ghana Immigration Service at the Kotoka International Airport upon his first entry into Ghana with his UK friends. Apart from acquiring all the immigration records of entry and departure from Ghana of Samuel Adam Mahama Foster and his UK friends as part of the Airbus SE-Ghana corruption investigation, I managed to secure bank accounts and statements of Samuel Adam Foster as supporting evidence. I also showed the investigation team the office of Abu Sakara Foster at the T junction at the Adabraka/Kokomlemle junction on the Kojo Thompson Road in case he was required for interrogation. This is how thorough the Airbus SE investigation was conducted by the OSP under my watch before I postponed the investigation to after the 2020 elections to avoid accusations of election interference. I never published the foregoing salacious facts which would have affected the 2020 elections including the names of the hotels and apartments Samuel Adam Foster and his UK friends stayed while in Accra for the corruption transactions facilitated by his elder brother, John Mahama, because it was not ethical to do so before interrogating him and charging him with an offence before a court of law. I even refused to invite John Mahama for interrogation before the 2020 elections in order not to be seen using the OSP as a tool of political electioneering campaign on behalf of the NPP Government. The insults I received from the NPP Government and its supporters are published online for those who care to read. Kissi Agyebeng has the OSP dockets so why has he not caused the NDCs executioners at Joy FM to publish same and try John Mahama in the court of public opinion just as he has been doing to selected and targeted victims since his assumption of office as the Special Prosecutor? Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama, if you claim to be incorruptible, kindly make a promise to Ghanaians that should you win the 2024 elections you will invite the Scotland Yard to conduct an investigation into the Airbus SE-Ghana scandal in which the American, the British, French, and Spanish Governments already identified Government Official 1 as Samuel Adam Mahama Fosters elder brother who served as Vice-President and President of Ghana. Asiedu Nketia and John Mahama will you kindly inform Ghanaians of the owners of the Tamale Catering Rest House which was divested to a former NDC National Executive and Minister of State who has left the property in disrepair as an eye sore in the city of Tamale? What is the marital relationship of one of the owners who bought the Tamale Catering Rest House to John Mahama? Come clean with the true facts and evidence before Ghanaians, you men of integrity and high moral character determined to fight corruption in 2025. Nana Asante Bediatuo wrote a needless letter in November 2020 after I resigned as the Special Prosecutor leading me to explain why I perceived the then President to be a mother serpent of corruption in the Agyapa Transactions. I stand by every word I wrote in riposte to the defamatory words used against me in that needless letter from the Presidency. Despite my views on mother serpent of corruption, the Ghanaian electorate voted for the mother serpent at the 2020 Presidential election in preference to the Airbus SE-Ghanas Government Official 1 as to who was more corrupt. Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama, do you want Ghanaians to believe that despite the verdict of the electorate at the 2020 Presidential election you expected any constitutional activist who has dedicated his life to defending the 1992 Constitution to violate the same constitution by refusing to recognize the person who took the constitutional oath on 7 January 2021 as the President of Ghana? You must be anarchists parading as believers in the 1992 Constitution, democracy, and the rule of law. Asiedu Nketiah and John Mahama, did your self-confessed corrupt Speaker of Parliament not meet the President in Dubai in 2021 before he returned to Parliament to turn a closed eye to his own determination that rejected the 2022 Budget Statement ad Economic Policy of Government? Did you not see, observe, and read the reaction and excitement amongst your Minority Leader and his team after meeting the President on 20 May 2024. Does it lie in your mouth to insinuate that as a constitutional activist I should not recognize Nana Akufo-Addo who beat your John Mahama at the 2020 elections as the President of Ghana? I defend the 1992 Constitution and I cannot dispute the will of the people at Presidential elections conducted under it, notwithstanding my personal views. The NDC cannot wish that because the NDC created and empowered Anas Aremayaw Anas as a covert Government agent after the 2008 elections when his law partner at Cromwell Gray LLP is appointed the Special Prosecutor in 2021 by the NDCs adversary, the constitution and laws of Ghana should be suspended until the NDC assumes office in 2025 to take advantage of the relationship between Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his partner to boast that Kissi Agyebeng their political hatchet man and executioner was an appointee of the NPP. I am the person who started writing about Nana Akufo-Addos long game to break the 8 which inured to the benefit of the NDC when nobody dared to study and analyse the open source security and intelligence materials on the issue at the time. John Mahama also knows that when his emissaries assured me that he had repented the past, I wrote articles criticizing the Government and Kissi Agyebeng for highlighting the Airbus SE-Ghana investigations without any reference to the Agyapa Transaction Report. The NDC and Joy FM never accused me of colluding with the NPP at the time. Joy FM and NDC are so cowardly not to publish the alleged petition I am alleged to have submitted to the President on 30 April 2024, but rather resort to insinuations to try me in the court of public opinion. The NDC has thrown the first stone and I am ready, able, and willing to make more detailed scandalous revelations supported by facts, figures, and evidence about the integrity of the NDC if that is what John Dramani Mahama and Asiedu Nketiah want. I dare Kissi Agyebeng, Joy FM, and the NDC to make available to the public whatever petition they claim they have in their possession for which they are trying and traumatizing me in the court of public opinion to enable me to authenticate whether the signature on the petition is mine and then react to their accusations. Let the heavens fall, I will continue to defend the 1992 Constitution against all greedy bastards abusing the rights of citizens under the guise of law enforcement. I will also continue to fight against corruption and the trial of citizens in the court of public opinion for the profit of media houses and their collaborating entrepreneurial nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) parading as anti-corruption crusaders even when I am in a minority of one Ghanaian. Martin A. B. K. Amidu 26 May 2024 POSTCRIPTUM By Section 7 of Act 959 A person who is appointed, seconded, or otherwise engaged by the Office shall be subjected to vetting. Consequently, I caused the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) (now the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB)) to vet the staff of the OSP during my tenure. Kissi Agyebeng claims to have engaged employees without complying with Section 7 of Act 959 or Regulation 35 of L.I. 2374 on the Oath of Office and Official Secrecy to be sworn before the named designated officer set out in the Second Schedule before they assume office or perform a function of the OSP. Kissi Agyebeng instead chose without any authority under Act 959 to invited foreigners from a United Stated secret security agency led by an African-American lady to compulsory conduct polygraph test on citizens of Ghana allegedly engaged by him using two or three stations of polygraph equipment for two weeks at the OSP. The Minister for National Security ought to inform Ghanaians whether the secret polygraph tests compulsorily conducted on those citizens of Ghana purportedly employed by Kissi Agyebeng is consistent with the national security and intelligence laws of Ghana. Is the Ministry of National Security, with its National Security Co-ordinator and the NIB, without the capability for conducting polygraph test on citizens of Ghana to warrant an invitation to a foreign security agency to gather information on citizens of Ghana through unapproved polygraph test? The polygraph testing is to be unlawfully continued at a later date at the OSP. Ghanaians be warmed of who you have as your Special Prosecutor! [26 May 2024]. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reacted to the opposition National Democratic Congress's (NDC) call for the Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame to resign. According to the NPP, what the Attorney-General did in the plea bargaining meeting with Richard Jakpa was not wrong. At a press conference addressed by Frank Davies, Chairman of the Legal and Constitutional Committee of the NPP on Tuesday evening, the NPP said the Attorney-General will not resign. He dismissed the claims that the prosecution of Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament, was politically motivated. He stated that the law is blind to titles and political affiliations, and it is the duty of every citizen to uphold the law. He said the prosecution was solely based on the evidence at hand and not on Dr Ato Forsons political standing. PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY ON THE DESPERATE NDC ATTEMPT TO SHIELD ATO FORSON FROM ACCOUNTABILITY ON 28TH MAY, 2024 Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media and thank you for honouring our invitation. INTRODUCTION It is not in dispute that, the justice delivery system is arguably the last bastion of our burgeoning constitutional democracy, and if it is constantly being bastardized by people who ought to in the very least, be responsible and know better, it leaves much to be desired. We owe it to ourselves and posterity to rescue our dear Country from this dark canker by those whove made it their stock in trade to spew vitriol and unapologetically take shots at a system they have little or no faith in at all. We have called you here because the NDC have since last week set in motion a malicious scheme fueled by lies, falsehoods, misrepresentations, blackmail and needless pollution of the mass media, with the sole intention of obstructing the course of justice and scandalising the criminal proceedings in the High Court, to shield ATO FORSON (MP), Minority Leader in Parliament and former Deputy Minister of Finance, and his associates from taking responsibility for authorizing some payments which resulted in a whooping sum of 3.27 million Euros being lost by the state monies that belonged to you and I as Ghanaians. Ladies and Gentlemen, How did we get here? BRIEF FACTS On 22nd December, 2011, Cabinet endorsed an executive approval of a joint memorandum submitted to Cabinet by the then Minister for Health and 1st accused Cassiel Ato Forson, then Deputy Minister for Finance, for the purchase of 200 ambulances out of a medium term credit facility of 15,800,000.00 between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance. On 1st November, 2012, the Parliament of Ghana granted approval for the financing agreement between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and the Government of Ghana for the purchase of the 200 ambulances. By an agreement dated 19th December, 2012, the Government of Ghana contracted a company in Dubai, described as Big Sea General Trading LLC (Big Sea) whose local agent is 3rd Accused, Richard Jakpa and which company was to supply the 200 ambulances to the Government, even though that company was unknown to the Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals regarding the transaction. By the terms of the agreement, advance payment for the contract was prohibited. Payment for the vehicles was stated in the agreement to be through letters of credit established for twenty-five percent of the Contract Price "upon the delivery of every fifty (50) Ambulance Vehicles". On 7th August, 2014, in disregard of the financing arrangement for the transaction approved by both Cabinet and the Parliament of Ghana, 1st accused, Cassiel Ato Forson authorised the Bank of Ghana to "urgently establish the letters of credit for the supply of 50 ambulances amounting to EUR3,950,000.00, representing 25 percent of the contract sum". At this time, not a single ambulance had been delivered. On 12th August, 2014, 1st accused also directed the Controller and Accountant-General to pay the sums of GHC806,688.75 representing bank charges covering the establishment of letters of credit for the supply of 50 ambulances, and further directed for the amount to be charged against the Capital Expenditure Vote for the Ministry of Health. Ladies and Gentlemen, all these directives by 1st accused, Cassiel Ato Forson were contrary to the agreement for the supply of the ambulances as well as the Parliamentary approval regarding the financing of the transaction. It is also important to note, that Ato Forson's authorisation of payment for the transaction was without any request from the Ministry of Health. In fact, the Ministry of Health had asked Big Sea to stop producing the ambulances as there was no valid contract regarding the transaction. In spite of that, Ato Forson without cause, proceeded to authorise payment for the ambulances. Pursuant to the unlawful directives of 1st accused, Ato Forson, Big Sea shipped 30 vehicles in three consignments between October, 2014 and February, 2015, which were fundamentally defective and lacking in the basic requirements for an ambulance. This was confirmed by a letter written by the then Minister for Health, Dr. Alex Segbefia and other assessments by the National Ambulance Service. In point of fact, Alex Segbefia, in a letter to Big Sea, described the ambulances as "ordinary vans"to wit, trotro. These vehicles were never used and could not be used as ambulances during the Mahama Administration. Following the change of Government in 2017, investigations commenced and statements were taken from several people including the incumbent Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, Madam Sherry Ayittey (Decdeased) and Dr. Alex Segbefia, all of whom were former Health Ministers as well as 1st Accused, Cassiel Ato Forson and other persons such as the 3rd Accused. Out of these many people, the Attorney-General, convinced that the willful act of Cassiel Ato Forson had resulted in a financial loss of 2.37 million euros to the state, charged him before the high court together with Sylvester Anemana, former chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Richard Jakpa a businessman, for causing financial loss, abetment to causing financial loss and misapplying public property. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE HIGH COURT Ladies and Gentlemen, proceedings in the matter have run its course since commencement in December 2021. The Prosecution, led by the competent Attorney-General, called Five (5) Witnesses in support of its case. Lawyers for the 1st accused, in an attempt to truncate the proceedings, filed a submission of no case and urged the Court to rule that Cassiel Ato Forson had no case to answer as no prima facie case has been made against him. This plea was outrightly rejected by the Court presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, a justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court Judge. The Court ruled, that the Attorney- General, had led sufficient evidence to establish a case against Ato Forson and therefore ordered him to open his defence. Ato Forson subsequently opened his defence and has also closed his case. The 3rd Accused, Richard Jakpa also opened his case and was last Thursday being cross-examined when he made a scandalous, malicious, baseless and spurious allegation that the Attorney General had approached on several occasions to skew his testimony to implicate Ato Forson. Ladies and Gentlemen, DISCOMFORT OF THE NDC AND PRESSURE TO DISCONTINUE PROSECUTION It is no secret that the NDC since the commencement of Ato Forsons prosecution has threatened rain and storm against Government, the Attorney-General and any person they can find to cajole the Attorney General from discontinuing the prosecution. Pressure has come from every angle including former President Mahama, the Leadership of the Minority in Parliament, clergy, business friends of Ato Forson etc. Indeed, Former President Mahama specifically maintained the discontinuance of the Ambulance Trial as a condition to get Members of the minority in Parliament to agree to the recent recall of Parliament and has on several other occasions, stated it as a condition for the cooperation of the Minority in Parliament. This pressure stems from some warped and baseless logic of the NDC that the Ato Forsons prosecution is politically motivated and its Leader in Parliament, should be immune from prosecution even when the facts indicate conduct resulting in financial loss to the state. As mentioned earlier, investigations commenced as far back as 2017 making it imperative to ask, Why is Ato Forson the only government official being prosecuted from all the former NDC Ministers from whom statements were taken?. Clearly, the prosecution is based on the various documentation available from the participating agencies in the transaction and this is evidenced by the Courts ruling upholding that a case has been made by the Attorney General that warrants an answer from the defence. It is also worth noting, that prosecution of Cassiel Ato Forson commenced even before he became Minority Leader making worthless and nonsensical the suggestion that he is being prosecuted because he is minority leader of the NDC. NDCS PERRENIAL DISLIKE FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Ladies and Gentlemen, if at all, the only persecution in this instance is the malicious and perennial dislike of the NDC towards the Attorney General since he assumed office, and the several attempts to stultify his work. The records are there to show that right from his appointment as Attorney General, the NDC has spent one of the longest periods in vetting him with the hope of impeaching his appointment but the Attorney General remained resolute to their admiration. Having failed, the NDC filed a Motion for Censure to remove Godfred Dame from office as Attorney-General soon after his appointment which also failed. The NDC have since his appointment held over twelve(12) Press Conferences against the person of the Attorney General. The latest allegation by Richard Jakpa, the 3rd accused and an associate of Cassiel Ato Forson in this botched Ambulance procurement transaction, is therefore only a further ploy, contrived to curtail the prosecution of Ato Forson and smear the Attorney Generals integrity and reputation. But this would also not see the light of day as we believe firmly that public officials, regardless of social standing must be equally accountable for their use of public resources. Needless to say that the law is no respecter of persons SPURIOUS ALLEGATIONS OF RICHARD JAKPA- 3RD ACCUSED. Ladies and Gentlemen, the allegations by Richard Jakpa that the AG has on several occasions met him in privately at odd hours, in person and on phone to coax him to testify to implicate the Attorney General is at complete variance with the prevailing facts. In fact, the attempt to selectively present facts without the whole, is telling of intentions of the 3rd Accused. For the record: a. It is unacceptable, that Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, runs a commentary over the alleged tape calculated to prevent you the Ghanian people from making your own deduction reasoned judgment. b. Again, even though from the screenshots displayed, the alleged conversation is 26mins, the NDC schemed to play only 16 minutes. The question then is, where is the rest of the tape. Even in respect of what was played, it is apparent that there are repetitions, overlaps, incoherence, voice overs and distortions, demonstrating that, the NDC has spent these past days doctoring whatever tape they played. c. Even on the Doctored tape, the Attorney General never requested the witness falsify, fabricate or concoct any evidence or testify in the prosecutions favour. d. Again, on the question of who initiated the meeting, even from the NDCs presentation, it is clear that any meeting at all was mooted and initiated by the 3rd accused. e. We would like to also put on record, that as of February 2022 when Jakpa requested for a meeting with the AG, the AG never met him and never made any arrangement through the Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi. It was not until the AG was invited to the residence of Justice Yonny Kulendi in 2023 that he surprisingly met Richard Jakpa at the residence. f. We remain resolute that the Attorney General has never approached 3rd Accused for any conversation, let alone request him to skew his testimony against 1st accused, Cassiel Ato Forson. The only meeting at which the Attorney General, met the 3rd Accused was in the residence of a Supreme Court Judge, His Lordship Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi who about six (6) weeks ago, requested to see the Attorney General. It is not out of place for the Attorney General to visit the said Justice upon request. More so, when the two were friends even before the elevation of the latter to the Supreme Court. g. Again, the Attorney General at the time of the invitation was unaware that the 3rd Accused person was going to be present and therefore his subsequent appearance in the house of the Justice was surprising. It is pertinent to note, that prior to this meeting, the Attorney General had closed his case and the Court had thrown out the application of Ato Forson as being without merit. The 3rd accused had also by four different letters by his lawyers, requested and made proposals to the Attorney General for a Plea Bargain which would see Big Sea General, 3rd accuseds principal pay 2million Euros in exchange for the cessation of prosecution. This had been roundly rejected by the Attorney General. In fact, 3rd Accused through his lawyers in the letter dated 16th May, 2023 had indicated unequivocally that they were requesting a Plea Bargain and following the rejection had requested the AG for terms which the AG will consider acceptable. h. The Supreme Court Judge therefore sought to enquire whether there was room for a Plea Bargain and the AG highlighted that he was not opposed provided it was made in proper form and assured 3rd accused that he had nothing personally against any of the accused persons. The AG further requested that since the charges principally focus on the public officials through whose actions the loss was occasioned, Richard Jakpa should show fidelity to the transaction records which were already on record. i. Finally, there is also a record that 1st Accused himself, Cassiel Ato Forson, had in the company of a Senior Parliamentarian, visited the AG in his house to plead with him to end the prosecution. The NDC in their Press Conference today have conveniently failed,refused or neglected to respond to this fact which was also contained in the response of Ministry of Justice following the proceedings of Thursday. Ladies and gentlemen, if the Attorney General desired to cajole the 3rd Accused as suggested, then the best avenue would have been following 3rd Accused request for the AG to propose terms acceptable to him and the several whatsap messages sent to the AG, pleading with him. Clearly, the 3rd accused is a hired mercenary, contracted to exploit his relationship with the Supreme Court Judge, knowing the AGs inability to disrespect the said justice when invited after failing to secure a meeting with the AG. SUCCESS RECORD OF ATTORNEY GENERAL Ladies and Gentlemen, let me again put on record, the in the 4th Republic, the current Attorney General, Hon. Godfred Yeboah, Dame, has been one of the most successful both in and out of Court. As remarkably noted by the President at the last State of the nations Address, he had successfully saved the state over GHS10trillion and his verve in protecting public resources is shown by his commitment to the prosecution of public officials whose acts resulted in financial loss. This is beside the other several infrastructure and logistics improvement to the office of the Attorney General and Ministry of justice including the almost completed Law House. Conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, if it is the firm belief of the NDC and Ato Forson that no loss had occasioned the state from his conduct, then they should remain faithful to our judicial system and cease these malicious orchestrations targeted at bastardising our judicial system prevent him from standing trial to conclusion. We are clear in our minds that the calls for the resignation of the Attorney General is misplaced, unwarranted and this would not put any spokes in the prosecution of Cassiel Ato Forson and his associates. Also, coming from the NDC the call for the attorney General to resign is very very rich. The AG would not resign and would continue to remain witty, resolute and focused in the delivery of his work. The wheels of justice they say grinds slowly but eventually, it grinds to a halt. Thank you once again for coming on such short notice. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghana's Parliament is scheduled to resume its sitting on June 11, 2024, as announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin. In accordance with Order 58 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana, Speaker Bagbin issued notice for the commencement of the third meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic. In the official notice, Speaker Bagbin stated: "I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, hereby give notice that the third meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic shall commence on Tuesday, the 11th day of June 2024, at ten o'clock in the forenoon at Parliament House, Accra." The notice was dated in the Speaker's office in Accra, Ghana, on the 27th day of May. The reconvening of Parliament will allow Members of Parliament to continue their duties of representing the interests of the Ghanaian people and deliberating on crucial matters of national importance. 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 It appears District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) Administrator, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, is on a desperate spending spree" to court the support of party members to advance her running mate ambition - some New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in the Ashanti region claim. Her activities have drawn the anger of many party members who have called on the party leadership to take immediate action on the matter in order not to jeopardise the breaking the 8 agenda. Office influence According to the party members she has allegedly been using her office to influence party members to back her move. What she is doing will come back to hurt the party very soon," a concerned party member in the Ashanti Region remarked. Deployment of her boy A major strategy she has adopted is deploying her 'boy Augustine Collins Ntim, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso North, to go round to sell her to party members. Last Sunday, Ntim who is a former Deputy Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, managed to attend a meeting of constituency secretaries of the NPP in the Ashanti Region in Kumasi where he dwelt his speech on Naa Torshie much to the surprise of the gathering. Ntim who lost his parliamentary primary, and was also sacked from his deputy ministerial position by President Akufo-Addo is now doing the work of her boss Naa Torshie. Action Party members including metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) who spoke on the matter say they suspect wrongdoing and called on President Akufo-Addo to investigate how the Common Fund is being applied. 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 Bernard Allotey Jacobs says Richard Jakpa's recording of his telephone conversation on the ambulance purchase trial involving him, Attorney-General Godfred Dame, and Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is an "entrapment". The former NDC Central Regional Chairman, discussing the matter during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, noted that the audio recording was a scheme by Jakpa and his former political party, the National Democratic Congress, to trap the A-G in his words in an attempt to cause public disaffection for Mr. Godfred Dame. "For me, what I would ask is is it a planned thing? Are they afraid of the outcome of the High Court judgment and for that reason Jakpa would have to use his cousin or his relative to entrap either the Supreme Court Judge or the A-G?", he said. He added; "The Policeman will call what has happened an entrapment because the A-G or Kulendi was entrapped by Jakpa. And it is most unfortunate that the NDC is indulging itself in this." Allotey Jacobs also slammed the NDC for holding a press conference and leveling accusations against the Attorney-General stating "NDC is muddying the waters for Ato Forson". Jakpa and Ato Forson have been accused before a High Court of causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the State in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.Per the A-Gs facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, the then President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service.Jakpa, a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai, approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for supply of the 200 ambulances but subsequently 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of 2.37 million, however all were found not fit for purpose.But the case has taken an interesting turn with Richard Jakpa, a third accused person, claiming the A-G approached him to help build a case against the Dr. Ato Forson, who was a former Deputy Finance Minister during the time of the ambulance procurement.Jakpa had recorded the A-Gs private telephone conversation with him regarding the case.A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandoras box.I dont understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when Im here to defend myself, Jakpa said in court. 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 Atik Mohammed has waded into discussions concerning Attorney-General, Godfred Dame's suit against Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in an ambulance deal that the latter led between 2014 and 2016. Ato Forson and one Richard Jakpa have been charged at the Accra High Court for causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for Ghana. According to the A-Gs facts, the late former President John Evans Atta Mills, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation, noted that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service. He informed the nation about the move to buy 200 ambulances but only 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of 2.37 million. The procurement of the 30 ambulances was spearheaded by Richard Jakpa, a local representative of a Dubai-based company called Big Sea General Trading Limited, who approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for the supply of the 200 ambulances and Ato Forson who was then the Deputy Finance Minister. During cross-examination in court before the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Richard Jakpa dropped a bombshell. He stated that the Attorney-General and himself had met at the private residence of a Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, in a supposed plea bargain negotiation. A-G has on several occasions engaged me at odd hours to help him make a case against A1 and I have evidence for that. If he pushes me, I will open the Pandoras box. I dont understand why the A-G will accuse me of defending A1 when Im here to defend myself, Jakpa said in court. Reacting to the issue on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Atik Mohammed found it unfortunate that Attorney-General would agree to meet Jakpa in Justice Kulendi's home. To him, the meeting as well as a leaked telephone recording that Jakpa had made while having a conversation with Mr. Godfred Dame was all a plot by Jakpa against the A-G. Atik wondered how the A-G could fall for such trap, stating "even though you wanted to act in good faith, if there were any engagements, they should have been in the office" in front of their Attorneys, stressing "having a phone conversation with the accused, I think the A-G could have done better". On the part of the Justice Kulendi, Atik said; "The Judge erred...He had no business getting involved. So, does that mean that if your family member commits murder, you would go to speak to the Prosecutor or whatever. I mean it's bad; it doesn't look pretty" and also blasted Jakpa saying "Jakpa didn't do well; nobody would tell me he didn't plan to do this. He intentionally did this". 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 Images of Jesus have transformed dramatically over the centuries. In early Christian art, he was often portrayed as a youthful, beardless figure, symbolizing innocence and shepherd-like care, reflecting his role as the "Good Shepherd." This imagery was prominent in the catacombs of Rome and early Christian mosaics, emphasizing his approachable and nurturing aspects. Christ Pantocrator By the Byzantine era, around the sixth century, Jesus' image significantly shifted. He was depicted with a beard, long hair and a solemn, authoritative expression, epitomizing his divine majesty and eternal wisdom. Advertisement This portrayal, known as Christ Pantocrator, became the standard in Eastern Orthodox iconography, portraying Jesus as a stern, all-powerful ruler of the universe with long hair, brown eyes and a short beard. Crucifixion The medieval period in Western Europe brought another transformation. Depictions became more dramatic and emotional, focusing on his suffering and crucifixion. Gothic art prevalent in the 12th to 16th centuries highlighted his humanity through detailed and often graphic representations of the Passion, aiming to evoke empathy and devotion among the faithful. Humanity The Renaissance era heralded a return to classical ideals and humanism. You'll see this idealized Jesus depicted with human proportions and serene expressions in these works, which emphasized his divinity and role as a perfect human being, reflecting the eras intellectual and artistic currents. Diversity In modern times, depictions have become increasingly diverse. Artists around the world have reimagined Jesus in various ethnic and cultural contexts, challenging the traditional Eurocentric image that dominated for centuries. For example, He Qi, a Chinese artist, portrays Jesus with Asian features, blending traditional Chinese art styles with Christian themes. This shift acknowledges the wide range of cultures that embrace Christianity and seeks to represent Jesus in ways that resonate more personally with people from different backgrounds. 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 When Tasmanian astronomer Louis Bernacchi set foot on Antarctica in 1898, he declared, "Antarctic exploration is of capital importance to science." While his statement remains as true as ever, scientific exploration has faced unique geostrategic and environmental threats in the intervening years. Australia maintains four permanent research stations on Antarctica, which between them house several hundred researchers and support staff. When weather permits, they undertake data collection on the local flora and fauna, monitor landscape changes and analyze the geology. In their time off, they can enjoy facilities like a library, gym and spa. Despiteor perhaps because ofthe freezing temperatures and isolation from friends and family, life on the bases is more like a community than a workplace. Everyone is assigned chores around the camp on a roster basis, and dinner is eaten all together in a large hall. The research they're doing in Antarctica isn't just vital to learn more about the continent itselfthe biological archive and existing data present there can illuminate global history and predict future developments. For example, a 2022 paper published by a team of Australian researchers looked at preserved ancient ecosystems to help us predict future climate change. The remarkable level of international collaboration required for such research is something that needs preserving. Cold shore Professor Steven Chown is the director of Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF), a global organization dedicated to monitoring and managing the changes occurring in Antarctica. He is one of Australia's leading voices in policy making to ensure Antarctica's future. "International science really strengthens Australia's capability," he says. "I've always thought the Antarctic has a bit of a special feel to it. You're working in a place that's everybody's, that belongs to civil society, and you're working for the greater good." The freedom of scientific investigation on Antarctica is enshrined in the Antarctic Treaty, a unique document that agrees that no military activity can take place on the world's fifth-largest continent. Australia is one of 12 original countries that are signatories to the Treaty, which was negotiated in 1959. Before the Treaty was established, the United States and the USSR had both sent expeditions with the aim of establishing a claim on the neutral territory. As the Cold War escalated, it was mutually beneficial to demilitarize such a large land mass and ensure its continued use for peacetime activities. Icy negotiations So what is putting Antarctic research at risk? There is international interest in Antarctica and the resources it offers. Fifty-six countries have currently acceded to the Treaty, but some countries such as Iran have expressed a desire to see Antarctica militarized. The signatories to the Treaty include countries with diverse political interests and cultural beliefs, including the United States, Russia, South Africa and Japan. It's impossible for these international powers to be constantly in agreement with each other, yet the resolution process set out in the Treaty simply encourages resolution "by any of the various peaceful means." This isn't exactly an infallible way to prevent conflict, but Steven is of the view that it's unlikely we'll see unmanageable conflict between signatory nations. "Different countries bring different perspectives to how an international agreement should operate. But that's not unusual," he says. "That doesn't mean they aren't difficult negotiations. There are difficult negotiations in every international agreement." Winter holidays Another continually evolving situation is the increase in tourism, which has risen 40% over the last four years. In the most recent summer season, more than 100,000 people visited Antarctica recreationally. Luxury cruise liners transport travelers to the most isolated continent in the world, where companies facilitate activities like kayaking, alpine hiking and wildlife watching. This level of human activity in Antarctica is unprecedented, and regulations are still playing catch-up. In 1991, a proposal was submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, with regulations intended to mitigate the damage done by tourism. A consensus is yet to be reached among the consulting parties to the Treaty, despite records showing that the issue has been discussed at every meeting since 2004. In the meantime, there is an argument that tourism can help inspire conservation efforts. "The only access civil society has to Antarctica is through tourism. You do need to offer an opportunity for people to see it so they can value it," Steven explains. "But so you don't impact the values that people want to see, you have to have some form of regulation." Rising seas The most pressing, visible and impactful issue facing Antarctica is the same problem that is facing the rest of the planet: climate change. Steven tells us that, in his 30 years of work in Antarctica, he has seen huge physical changes. "There has been massive glacial retreat. There's been big ice shelves that have disappeared, like Larsen B, a huge expanse of ice that just vanished. There are parts of the Antarctic that never used to get rain, which are now seeing rainfall because it's warm enough to happen." While ice melting might sound like a normal thing to happen, it's actually a huge loss of habitat. Penguin species that once populated the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have now migrated to the South Antarctic Ice Sheet, which will inevitably change the food available to both them and other species they compete with. Alongside erosion and habitat loss in Antarctica, melting ice is having a global impact. If the ice sheets of Antarctica continue to melt at their current rate, we will see global sea levels rise by 40 centimeters by 2050 and 2 meters by the end of this century. A 40-centimeter increase turns flood events that have previously been once-in-a-century incidents into annual occurrences, with high-tide flooding already having increased 300% in the last 50 years. Considering that 80% of Western Australia's population lives within 10 kilometers of the ocean, this would have a huge impact on our geography, housing and infrastructure. While it can feel like Antarctica is a far-off home for penguins and a cruise destination for the wealthy, the conservation of Antarctica can dictate what the future looks like for all of us. In 1959, Australia committed to preserving a peaceful Antarctica for future generations. We thought that we were protecting it from global superpowers when it really needed protection from man-made ruin. Provided by Particle This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Lithuanian and Italian universities propose a tool that allows companies to assess the circularity of their future products. The self-assessment tool emphasizes the co-creation of circular design in the early (creative) stages of product development, encouraging entrepreneurs and designers to think more systematically and collaborate better by integrating related stakeholders into the product development process. The study is published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. "The majority of existing practical tools (systems of indicators) are aimed at measuring the environmental impact of products already in the market. Many companies are aware of sustainability and circularity, but they need skills and tools, which can help develop sustainable new products," says Lina Dagiliene, professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) School of Economics and Business. A circular product design framework (CD-Framework) and a self-assessment tool (CD-Tool), co-created with researchers from KTU, Politecnico di Milano and business companies, are aimed at product developers, designers, and entrepreneurs. The CD-Framework consists of 10 categories; the additional questions focus on certain products' specific aspects and add interactivity. Circular solutions: Win-win for businesses and society "The systemic thinking based structured information was one of the advantages identified by the companies who participated in our research. Our tools helped them understand how they could practically include circularity in their products. For example, by changing the packaging and production materials or including additional services in a circular business model," says Prof. Dagiliene. According to the researchers, product or service design can become a catalyst of circular transition. Dagiliene says that the focus on product design reflects an eco-friendly mindset which aims to prevent damage, rather than to manage the consequences of irresponsible behavior. "The growing amount of waste, pollution, noise, and diminishing biodiversity is the price that society pays for the environmentally harmful production. Our circular design tools emphasize the importance of planetary boundaries and promote the systemic attitude towards new product development among current and future entrepreneurs," says Prof. Dagiliene, Principal Researcher at the Digitalization research group at the KTU School of Economics and Business. In contrast to the linear mindset, the circular economy (CE) can be linked with the idea of Spaceship Earth, where humans must find their place within a cyclical ecological system. The CE emphasizes a win-win between the environment and business activity. According to Dagiliene, such a mindset can be beneficial to businesses as it allows them to create a unique value proposition for their customers. "Moreover, in the context of stricter environmental policies and ever-present greenwashing, implementation of real circular innovations in the processes and products becomes increasingly important. For that, companies need knowledge and skills," says the KTU researcher. Bridges the gap between research and practice The study, which resulted in the circular design framework and tool included practitioners from business in the process. The researchers were observing the companies applying the tool and registered the challenges they faced. According to Dagiliene, it is important to design a user-friendly, uncomplicated instrument without compromising its content. "The research-practice gap can be described through forest and tree metaphor. While a practitioner cares about a specific tree and its qualities, a researcher will always be interested in the whole forest, its growth tendencies and other characteristics. Similarly, when developing new products, business practitioners require fast, specific solutions for their products, whereas researchers are developing systems, which focus on general tendencies, instead of individual needs of one company," explains Dagiliene. The study by researchers of KTU School of Economics and Business bridges the gap between research and business. The circular design pre-accelerator took four monthsduring this time, eight workshops were organized, led by experts from different fields of sustainable new product development. In total, the pre-accelerator received 62 applications to become participants or experts; 48 novel concepts underwent rigorous evaluation and 16 proposals for further engagement were selected. Finally, 10 circular or sustainable ideas completed the pre-accelerator program. "The majority of the participants were small companies, as they have less human and financial resources, and similar activities allow them to renew their knowledge and share their practices with the representatives from other branches of industry," says Dagiliene. During the action research of pre-accelerator, the scientists were collecting data (expert diaries, focus groups, interviews) from the participants. According to Dagiliene, networking, sharing knowledge, expanding outlook were the main benefits of the activity as reported by the practitioners. Users' acceptance of circular products is related to storytelling "The majority of the tested ideas represented techno cycle of product developmenthandbags, saunas, campervans, educational toys, candles, cardboard furniture. However, we also had the ideas about database of sustainable suppliers in film production, and products made from buckwheat hulls," says Dagiliene. She emphasizes that the development of a circular product benefits from design-thinking approach, which involves the final user in the product design process. This helps to create products, which are attractive to the final user, and understand what the customers value in these products. "For example, we observed that users' acceptance of circular products (especially repaired, recycled ones) is closely linked to visual representation and storytelling," says Dagiliene. Usually, circular or sustainable products are more expensive (or they are not circular). That is why it is important to understand the needs of the consumer from the very first stages of product development. "The business needs to know for what their customer is ready to pay more. However, it is also essential to ensure that circular economy solutions would not create social injustice, which would happen if they were affordable only to those with higher income," emphasizes Prof. Dagiliene. To avoid this, an extensive analysis of the customers' needs and expectations must be undertaken, together with experimenting with products and business models. The self-assessment tool for circular product design (CD-Tool) co-created by interdisciplinary team of scientists from KTU and Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with businesses is available on circuloop.lt website. More information: Lina Dagiliene et al, Developing a circular design framework: Cocreation and validation of a circular product and service design tool, Journal of Industrial Ecology (2024). DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13494 Journal information: Journal of Industrial Ecology Flash Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, blamed the U.S. administration on Tuesday for the ongoing escalation in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip. "We hold the U.S. administration fully responsible for the situation in Rafah and across Gaza," Abu Rudeineh told reporters in Ramallah, adding that the Israeli side ignored the ruling of an international court and has turned the city "unlivable." He criticized the U.S. administration's silence on Israeli actions, calling it an endorsement of what he termed as a "genocidal war" against Palestinians. Abu Rudeineh also pointed out the continued political, financial, and military support provided by the United States to Israel, despite widespread international opposition to Israeli aggression. He warned of the potential complete reoccupation of Gaza with "unprecedented American support" for the Israeli government's plans, urging immediate compliance with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s ruling. Israel has been persisting in its assault on Rafah, where over 1 million displaced Palestinians are taking refuge, despite the recent ruling by ICJ ordering a halt to its attacks. Additionally, Abu Rudeineh saw the recognition of Palestine by Spain, Norway, and Ireland as a sign of growing European support, with ongoing efforts from Palestine and other Arab states to persuade more countries to recognize the Palestinian state. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The dry lakebed of California's Salton Sea. Credit: Emily C. Dooley, UC Davis When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea's exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California's largest lake, finds a new research paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Disadvantaged communities have been affected more than others in the areas near the Salton Sea, which has been shrinking for years, said the paper's co-leading author, Eric Edwards. He is an assistant professor of agricultural economics at University of California, Davis, who did the research while at North Carolina State University. "We have a dusty area, and any time there is wind, it's going to pick up dust and move it around," Edwards said. "We think this new dust is increasing the amount of pollution faced by disadvantaged communities in the region surrounding the lake." An overflowing river The Salton Sea formed in 1905 after the Colorado River overflowed its banks and the floodwaters settled into what was known as the Salton Sink. It was primarily fed by water runoff from agricultural operations for almost a century. As the southern part of California struggled to meet growing water demand, the Imperial Irrigation District agreed to send water to San Diego for urban use. Imperial, which supplies water to vast desert farms as well as seven towns and two special districts, is the largest user of Colorado River water. The agreement with San Diego required agricultural water users to increase efficiency and reduce their water consumption, which reduced water running into the Salton Sea, Edwards said. The reductions increased the lake's salt content, which is higher than in the Pacific Ocean. This also harmed wildlife habitats and created localized air pollution. The area is the subject of many environmental restoration projects. Studying implications Edwards and others used a particle transport model to study the effects of changing water diversions on particulate pollution. They found that the paths of fine particulate matterwhich can cause asthma, heart and respiratory issues when inhaledwere associated with higher air pollution readings after Imperial began reducing runoff water to the Salton Sea around 2011 in order to transfer it to San Diego, a practice that continues today. Researchers modeled lakebed exposure by dividing the lake's shoreline into 1-square-kilometer grids and collected air pollution data daily for over 20 years, from 1998 to 2018. They added data about the exposed lakebed, or playa, and used a sophisticated physics model called HYSPLIT to factor in wind levels and particle size to track the movement of dust over time. State health screening information available by ZIP code added more to the story by pinpointing disadvantaged areas, asthma rates and other vulnerabilities. Lake levels were higher in 1998 before the transfers, so the change was not evident until later years, when the lakebed became more exposed. "We show that during that post-2011, there is an increase in particles going through disadvantaged communities relative to non-disadvantaged communities, which are farther away from the sea," Edwards said. In the paper, the pollution paths are depicted on a map of the state. The Salton Sea is marked with a black dot, and red lines radiate from there to distances of 100 miles or more. "From every exposed grid cell you have these paths predicting where the particles are going based on physics," Edwards said. "That's the path of emissions." Prior research suggests that dust particles from newly exposed playa are more susceptible to wind erosion. "There's lots of evidence that playa is particularly emissive in terms of dust," Edwards said. "If it's dry, those particles get picked up readily by the wind and create dustand at rates higher than areas that have been exposed to the wind over long periods of time." Informing decisionmakers Edwards said policymakers and regulators should consider the health and environmental impacts of water diversions in their decision making. "The drying up of the Salton Sea has serious health consequences that have generally fallen on more disadvantaged populations, who may not be well equipped to advocate for policies that improve their health," he said. "Policymakers need to think about how to facilitate the movement of water via market transactions, which are essential, while also accounting for potential negative effects on the environment." Ryan Abman from San Diego State University and Dana Hernandez-Cortes from Arizona State University contributed equally with Edwards to the research and journal article. More information: Water, dust, and environmental justice: The case of agricultural water diversions, American Journal of Agricultural Economics (2024). DOI: 10.1111/ajae.12472 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The infographic shows the routes most likely favored by the first human migrants across Eurasia and the Americas. These routes are estimated using a statistical combination of archaeological and genetic data. Colored areas indicate the type of ecosystems encountered, based on climate and vegetation models. The inset image illustrates the ideal migration conditions: warm and humid areas containing a mix of forest and grasslands near rivers. Credit: Flinders University Researchers have gleaned new insights into the great human migration, revealing how environmental conditions in northern Eurasia and the Americas shaped the journey of ancestors who left Africa tens of thousands of years ago. The Out of Africa theory suggests that more than 70,000 years ago, some groups left Africa to spread across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. However, it remains unclear how much the environment they encountered beyond Africa facilitated or hindered their journey. Researchers combined climate models, genetic data, and archaeological evidence to examine how regional environmental conditions influenced migration and to re-establish our long-lasting connection to nature. The multidisciplinary analysis, led by Flinders University ecologist Dr. Frederik Saltre and recently published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that while the relative importance of environmental factors varies across regions, our ancestors traveled primarily through warm and humid areas containing a mix of forest and grasslands near rivers. "The first human migrants favored routes that provided essential resources and facilitated travel, as well as regions with a mix of forests and open areas for shelter and food, while allowing them to expand into new territories," Dr. Saltre said. In Europe, humans likely first spread from the Fertile Crescent through the Caucasus Mountains into Scandinavia approximately 48,300 years ago and Western Europe around 44,100 years ago, following warmer and wetter conditions. In northern Asia, migration routes followed major rivers to cope with harsher climates before reaching Beringia, a currently submerged land bridge between Siberia and Alaska, approximately 34,700 years ago. In North America, humans initially migrated along the Pacific coast around 16,000 years ago, and then approximately 3,000 years later, moved inland through the ice-free corridor by the Mackenzie River. In South America, migration followed wetter grasslands bordering the Amazon, leveraging connectivity provided by major rivers by 14,800 years ago. Professor Tom Higham of the University of Vienna said the power of these new modeling approaches in understanding the deep human past is exciting for archaeological science. He explained, "For too long we have been working rather separately in our different approaches. Incorporating new modeling methods with the latest climatic, archaeological, and environmental data allows really exciting insights into understanding how ancient humans moved and adapted across vast continents tens of thousands of years ago." Professor Corey Bradshaw, also from Flinders University and a Chief Investigator at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), said modeling provides a powerful framework for exploring and understanding the complexities of deep history, offering insights into how past events and conditions have shaped the present. He said, "Knowing where people first trekked beyond the cradle of human evolution gives us a flavor of how adaptable our early ancestors were, what environmental challenges they faced, and how they overcame them and survived. We can also infer the technological innovations that were at play during those timessuch as watercraft, clothing, and other toolsthat allowed people to exploit the most hostile environments." Associate Professor Bastien Llamas from The University of Adelaide and a Deputy Director in CABAH said merging genetic data with historical climate information and archaeological discoveries is a powerful method for inferring past human migration patterns. He said, "Studying genetic differences between groups of people helps us understand ancient migration patterns. Typically, this results in a basic map showing general movements from one area to another without detailed routes. However, by combining genetic data with information about past climates, environments, and archaeological findings, we can create much more detailed and accurate maps of how people moved over time and across different regions." Dr. Saltre said the study's results help us appreciate the importance of biodiversity in how our ancestors adapted to and overcame environmental challenges. He added, "It underscores how climate and ecology shaped human prehistory, highlighting biodiversity's role in human survival and mobility, demonstrating that rich ecosystems enabled humans to thrive in new environments for thousands of years. The biodiversity crisis that we are experiencing now compromises our ability to thrive. Despite the advanced technology we have today, I genuinely wonder if we will last long without maintaining the bulk of current biodiversity." More information: Frederik Saltre et al, Environmental conditions associated with initial northern expansion of anatomically modern humans, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48762-8 Journal information: Nature Communications 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 new study led by Prof. Lee Koren, from the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, explores the profound effects of habitat disturbance on the Arabian babbler, a social bird species known for its cooperative breeding. Credit: Alex Alaman Habitat change, fragmentation, and reduction caused by human activity are significant threats to the natural environment, leading to a decline in biodiversity and increased species extinction. Among the most vulnerable are social animals, whose intricate social structures and cooperative breeding behaviors are closely linked to their habitats. A new study led by Prof. Lee Koren, from the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, explores the profound effects of habitat disturbance on the Arabian babbler, a social bird species known for its cooperative breeding. The study, published in Ecology Letters, is the first to combine the effects of habitat on both individual fitness and sociality. The study was based on a long-term dataset of an Arabian babbler population monitored since 1971 at the Sheizaf Nature Reserve located in the Arava desert of southern Israel. Doctoral student Alex Alaman, under the supervision of Prof. Koren, conducted an extensive analysis of the impact of habitat changes on the fitness and life history traits of Arabian babblers. These birds live in groups of two to 20 individuals with a dominant breeding pair, their offspring, and conspecific helpers. The researchers found that groups that lived in modified agricultural areas have a different social structure than groups in natural areas. In modified habitats, individuals achieved dominant status at a younger age and left their natal groups earlier compared to those in natural habitats. While agricultural areas had more breeding events and fledgling numbers, they did not translate into higher recruitment due to lower survival rates among adolescents and adults in natural areas. A new study led by Prof. Lee Koren, from the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, explores the profound effects of habitat disturbance on the Arabian babbler, a social bird species known for its cooperative breeding. Credit: Alex Alaman "Modified habitats accelerate key life history events in Arabian babblers, such as acquiring dominance and leaving the natal group, which are crucial for their social organization," said Prof. Koren. "Our findings suggest that modified habitats may become ecological traps, attracting individuals due to increased breeding opportunities but ultimately reducing their survival rates." The research team, including Dr. Oded Keynan from Ben-Gurion University and Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, and Enrique Casas and Manuel Arbelo from the University of La Laguna in Spain, emphasizes the importance of considering the social dynamics and demography of social species in conservation plans. Their study underscores how environmental changes impair not only individual adaptation but also collaborative behaviors essential for species survival. This pioneering research opens new avenues for understanding the evolution of social behavior and the adaptation of collaborative species to environmental changes. The authors recommend that conservation efforts account for the complex social structures of these animals to address population declines effectively. More information: Alejandro Alaman et al, Living fast, dying young: Anthropogenic habitat modification influences the fitness and life history traits of a cooperative breeder, Ecology Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1111/ele.14434 Journal information: Ecology 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: Interactions between different wild yak bulls and pastoralists (AE from Nepal, photos by T. Bate, F from Tibet, China. A) wild male (top left) among domestic relatives and herder (far right); B) flight from aggressive bull (faces obscured as requested by herders); C)E) use of rocks as possible deterrent; F) rock fence breached by domestic females. Credit: Global Ecology and Conservation (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02959 Sticks and stones aren't enough to thwart biological attraction, but sometimes those are the only tools available to pastoralists trying to prevent wildlife from eloping with their livestock. A new study led by Colorado State University brings awareness to both the human impacts of these encountersranging from economic loss to deathand conservation concerns for the wild animals that are often endangered. The study is published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation. Conserving threatened and endangered species is a globally recognized priority, but justice and equity for the marginalized pastoralist populations around the world who experience conflict with these species are often overlooked, according to the study's authors. Many pastoralists are Indigenous people with only sticks and stones as defense against aggressive wild males trying to usurp domestic femaleseither by lobbing them at wild intruders or building stone walls to contain livestock. "Can you imagine being on a treeless plain with an angry, 2,000-pound, testosterone-crazed, giant wild camel or wild yak barreling down on you and with stones as your only weapon?" said lead author Joel Berger, a professor in CSU's Warner College of Natural Resources and senior scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society. "Not much safety there." Pastoralists who tangle with wildlife might lose livestock and income or suffer injury or death. However, when wildlife clashes with livestock keepers, wildlife usually loses. Flirting with disaster Wild males that interfere with herders by attempting to court domestic females are sometimes killed out of retaliation, said co-author Naresh Kusi, the country program director at Himalayan Wolves Project. Kusi leads wild yak research for the program in Nepal, where the animal was once thought extinct. His team rediscovered the wild yak there in 2014. Endangered wild yaks, wild camels, elephants, banteng and gaur (the latter two are Southeast Asian cattle) clash with pastoralists while looking for mates. Bison, wild sheep, ibex and guanacos (a llama-like wild camel in South America) also seek to procreate with domestic relatives, sometimes to their peril. Before judging these frisky, four-legged Casanovas, understand that their mating pool is limited. For some of these native species, less than 1% exist in the wild. Wild ancestors to domesticated stock are displaced as their habitat shrinkssometimes due to the expansion of livestock grazing lands. In places where livestock owners have guns, wild relatives have been killed to prevent intermingling. Such was the fate of many reindeer. Distribution of notable ancestral (or closely-related) large herbivores where sexual relationships with domestic descendants involve consequential impacts to pastoralists (inset box with arrows). Notable exceptions are elephants for which captives have not been domesticated. Credit: Global Ecology and Conservation (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02959 Reining in reindeer Reindeer and cariboubiologically the same species with different names based on geographylive in the northern reaches of the globe in wild, feral, free-ranging and domestic forms. Wild reindeer numbers have declined dramatically, with some subspecies listed as endangered, mostly due to habitat loss. According to the study, domestic Eurasian reindeer were introduced into western Alaska in the 1890s to offer an additional source of food and fiber for local Inupiat, Indigenous people native to northern Alaska. Wild male reindeer lured away domestic females for breeding. Herders in northern Europe and Asia experienced similar conflict, but wild interlopers were kept in check on all three continents through lethal means, to the benefit of herders and to the detriment of biodiversity. Introgression vs. genetic purity Hybridization and disease spread between wild ancestors and domestic descendants is a global issue affecting conservation and pastoral livelihoodseven in the United States, where bison and bighorn sheep can become susceptible to disease when exposed to domestic partners or vice versa. Herders sometimes favor hybridization because genes from wild progenitors are thought to enhance the hardiness of domestic stock. However, conservationists worry about the reduction in the genetic purity of wild species. "From the perspective of genetic diversity, hybridization poses a potential threat to the wild ancestors because continuous introgression with the domestic relatives may gradually erode the genetic integrity of the wild forms, leading to the dilution of the wild gene pool over time," Kusi said. Widespread human-wildlife conflict The intermingling of wild animals and livestock may challenge only a small segment of the global human population, but it affects pastoralists on nearly every continentAfrica, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas. While the issue is geographically widespread, solutions must be locally specific and consider community perspectives, the authors said. To reduce human-wildlife conflict, herders, conservationists and government officials all must come together to develop culturally conscious best practices and solutions, they wrote. "There is much value to existence, even for places humans will not visit and for species they might not ever see," Berger said. "Giving a voice and recognition to the problems can improve conservation needs for both people and endangered species." More information: Joel Berger et al, Meeting your ancestorsSticks, stones, and discord in Earth's outposts, Global Ecology and Conservation (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02959 Journal information: Global Ecology and Conservation 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: Systematic Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad072 The new measure, termed "evolutionary heritage," highlights the importance of unique species traitswhich include physiological adaptations, like beak variations in different birdswhen assessing the richness and complexity of life. This is particularly important in the face of rapidly changing pressures on our world's biodiversity. It can also help answer enduring debates in the field, such as whether "living fossils"species like the lungfish, which don't seem to have changed for millions of yearsdo still evolve. Scientists from Imperial College London, the Zoological Society of London and University of Canterbury, New Zealand have proposed the new metric to capture the accumulation and loss of specific evolutionary traits through time. Led by Professor James Rosindell from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, the team's results are published in the journal Systematic Biology. "The way we measure biodiversity incorporates not only species richness but also the richness of evolutionarily inherited traits that often get taken for granted," said Professor Rosindell. From history to heritage There are many ways to quantify how biodiverse an ecological community is. One of the simplest merely consists of counting the number of different species that are present. However, in the 1990s, there was a shift to focus on evolutionary history which considers the evolutionary distances between specieshow closely they are related. Imagine a tree of all life on Earth, where different branches represent different evolutionary lineages. The leaves that hang on the branches are the current species we observe today. Evolutionary history is calculated by considering a set of species, and adding together all the branches that connect those species with a common ancestor. The idea is that two species that are more distantly related are more likely to be distinct from one another than species that diverged from each other relatively recently. However, one drawback of phylogenetic diversity is that it often fails to fully capture functional traits that make species physically and ecologically different from one another. Species may be closely related, but have very different traits, like Asian and African elephants that have evolved to adapt to their different environments. African elephants have larger ears and more wrinkles on their skin that help them radiate more heat. This is where evolutionary heritage comes in. "With evolutionary heritage, we're trying to capture all the unique traits that we expect must exist and which could have all kinds of important uses, but which aren't yet formally identified and measured," said Professor Rosindell. Evolutionary heritage incorporates not just the accumulation of biological features over time, but also their attrition the gradual loss of features through mechanisms other than extinction. Species not only become distinct from each other by gaining new traits along their evolutionary branches, but they also lose traits that they both inherited from their common ancestor. This process can be captured by calculations or simulations that use an algorithm that ascribes a random chance of gaining or losing an existing trait. "We've captured something we've always cared about in evolutionary biology but have struggled to grasp mathematically," said co-author Dr. Will Pearse from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial. "Phylogenetic diversity was claimed to also be a proxy for feature diversity but it ignores that features not only arise, but are also lost in an evolutionary tree," said co- author Professor Mike Steel, a biomathematician from the University of Canterbury. He said, "Evolutionary heritage is a way to handle this gain and loss process in an integrated and mathematically natural way." Explaining living fossils The team applied their framework towards settling a long-standing evolutionary debate surrounding the controversial concept of "living fossils." Traditionally, living fossils are thought of as species that appear to have changed little over long geological periods, often maintaining a strong physical resemblance to their ancient ancestors. However, many scientists dislike the term because it implies that the species we see today are literally identical to their ancestors. Professor Rosindell said, "That idea is incorrect; evolution cannot simply be 'switched off.' Organisms will continue to mutate and not all will survive to reproduce, so evolution will occur." Evolutionary heritage offers a new lens to understanding living fossils. The new framework defines and identifies living fossils by the predicted uniqueness and rarity of their evolutionary features rather than their superficial resemblance to ancient species. The paper outlines a method where living fossils are identified not by their total ancestral features but by the uniqueness or rarity of these features among other living species that descended from the same ancestor. "If we think of a set of ancestral features, some will not survive at all, some will survive in a very small number of living species, and others may be observed in thousands of descendent species today," Professor Rosindell said. "It's the species with the rare ancestral features that jump out and get labeled as living fossils according to our method," he said. The team is now working on validating their ideas using genetic and trait data, as well as further developing their models for potential use in conservation applications and ecology research. More information: James Rosindell et al, Phylogenetic Biodiversity Metrics Should Account for Both Accumulation and Attrition of Evolutionary Heritage, Systematic Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad072 Journal information: Systematic 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: A vendor with an umbrella over his head talks on mobile phone as he wipes his face with a cloth on a hot summer day in Varanasi on May 27. Temperatures in India's capital soared to a national record-high of 52.3 degrees Celsius (126.1 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, figures from the government's weather bureau showed, as it warned of dangerous heat levels in the sprawling megacity. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported "severe heat-wave conditions", published the temperature automatically on its website after it was recorded by a station in the Delhi suburb of Mungeshpur on Wednesday afternoon. However, IMD meteorologist Soma Sen Roy cautioned that officers were "checking out" whether the station had recorded it correctly. The recording not only broke the landmark 50C measurement for the first time ever in the city, but smashed the previous national record in the desert of Rajasthan by more than one degree Celsius. The IMD has issued a red alert health notice for Delhi, which has an estimated population of more than 30 million people. The alert warns there is a "very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages", with "extreme care needed for vulnerable people". As people sought relief from the scorching temperatures, the electricity grid groaned under a record peak power demand of 8,302 megawatts, according to official data. Delhi city authorities on Wednesday also warned of dire water shortages and ordered teams to clamp down on wastage. Women shelter from the sun as they walk along a street on a hot summer day in India's city of Varanasi. 'Waiting for the monsoon' The temperature was more than 11 degrees higher than expected on the second day of intense record-breaking heat. The previous national record was 51C, set in 2016 in the region of Phalodi on the edge of Rajasthan's Thar Desert. India is no stranger to searing summer temperatures but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. People on the streets of Delhi said there was little they could to do avoid the heat. "Everyone wants to stay indoors," said snack-seller Roop Ram, 57, adding he struggled to sell his savoury fritters. Ram, who lives with his wife and two sons in a cramped house, said they had a small fan but that did little to cool them down. They were counting down until the rainy season arrives in July. Boys sit beneath a makeshift canopy along a street on a hot summer day in New Delhi. "I am not sure what else we can do to cope," he said. "We are just waiting for the monsoon." Rani, 60, who uses only one name, travels by bus for two hours each morning to sell jewellery to tourists at a makeshift street stall. "It is definitely hotter, but there is nothing we can do about it," she said, gulping water from a bottle she brought from home. "I try to refill the bottle from anyone around." 'Water scarcity' New Delhi authorities have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in headache-inducing heat. Delhi Water Minister Atishi, who only uses one name, said supplies had been halved in many areas to boost flow to "water-deficient areas". Atishi on Wednesday ordered state authorities to "immediately deploy 200 teams" to crack down on construction sites or commercial properties using domestic pipes to stem a "serious wastage of water". Children run behind a truck spraying water along a street on a hot summer day in New Delhi on Tuesday. Delhi relies almost entirely on water from neighboring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, both farming states with huge water demands. The highly polluted Yamuna river, a tributary of the Ganges, runs through Delhi but its flow is hugely reduced during the summer months. Neighboring Pakistan has also sweltered through a week-long heat wave, which peaked at 53C (127.4F) on Sunday in Mohenjo Daro in rural Sindh province. Pakistan's meteorological office said it expected temperatures to subside from Wednesday but warned further heat waves were coming in June. It comes as Pakistan hashes out a new deal with the International Monetary Fund that is believed to focus heavily on an energy supply crisis that has left parts of the country facing up to 15 hours of load-shedding a day. At the same time, India's West Bengal state and the northeastern state of Mizoram are recovering after a cyclone hit India and Bangladesh on Sunday, killing at least 65 people. Bangladesh's Meteorological Department said the cyclone was "one of the longest in the country's history", blaming climate change for the shift. 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: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Over 180 world leaders maintain social media accounts, and some of them issue policy warnings to rivals and the public on these platforms rather than relying on traditional government statements. How seriously do people take such social media postings? A new study suggests the general public and policymakers alike take leaders' social media posts just as seriously as they take formal government statements. The research, by MIT political scientists, deploys novel surveys of both the public and experienced foreign policy specialists. "What we find, which is really surprising, across both expert audiences and public audiences, is that Tweets are not necessarily seen as this form of cheap talk," says Erik Lin-Greenberg, an MIT faculty member and co-author of a new paper detailing the results. "They're viewed as the same type of signal as that being offered through more formal and traditional communications." The findings suggest that people have become so fully acclimatized to social media that they regard the medium as a vehicle for messages that have just as much credibility as those generated through the old-school method, in which official statements are released in formal language on official government documents. "One clue that sheds some light on our unexpected findings is that a slight majority of our survey respondents who read a tweet identified what they read as a White House press release," says Benjamin Norwood Harris, an MIT doctoral candidate and co-author of the paper. "Respondents really seemed to believe that Tweets were just another way presidents communicate in their official capacity." The paper, "Cheap Tweets?: Crisis Signaling in the Age of Twitter," appears in the June issue of International Studies Quarterly. Greenberg is the Leo Marx Career Development Assistant Professor of the History and Culture of Science and Technology at MIT; Harris is a Ph.D. candidate in MIT's Department of Political Science who specializes in security studies and international relations. The study fits into a larger body of political science research in the area of "crisis signaling"the way words and actions in international relations are interpreted, which is often critical to diplomacy. However, when it comes to the use of social media, "There's been very little research that looks at the credibility of public signals," Lin-Greenberg notes. The research consisted of a multilayered set of surveys, conducted in 2021. Using the survey platform Lucid, the scholars surveyed 977 members of the general public about a hypothetical confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, using facsimiles of messages on Twitter (now known as X) and formal White House statements that might have been sent by U.S. President Joe Biden during such a scenario. Separately, the scholars also recruited foreign policy experts from the U.S., India, and Singapore, which all have active English-language think tank spheres, to take the same survey. Asked to rate the credibility of Tweets and official statements on a five-point scale, the public rated official press releases at 3.30 and Tweets at 3.22. The policy experts gave a 3.10 rating to the official statement, and a 3.11 rating to the Tweets. "No matter how we cut the data, we just don't see much difference in how respondents rated Tweets versus official statements," Harris says. "Even when we vary the formality of the tweet languageincluding things like all caps and lots of exclamation pointswe don't find an effect." A follow-up layer of the survey then asked respondents about a related hypothetical conflict between the U.S. and Iran in 2026, with facsimile Tweets and White House statements attributed to both Biden and former president Donald Trump, given that either could be president then. The aim was to see if different leaders influenced perceptions of the two forms of statements. But in this instance, the public and policy experts regarded Tweets and official statements virtually equally seriously. Trump's statements were given slightly more credibility overall, but with a strong partisan divide: Liberals took Biden's statements to have more credibility, and conservatives took Trump's statements to have more credibility. Overall, the study suggests that many people are simply unaffected by the medium in which a global leader might choose to issue a warning to leaders of other nations. In the surveys, participants were given the opportunity to describe qualitatively what shaped their responses; only about 2% cited the medium as an issue. As Harris notes, the survey data also indicate that slightly more than 51% of respondents believed a tweet constituted an officially released government statement. Additionally, about 73% of respondents thought Tweets were generated in the same way as statements that have the official imprint of a national government. "People who see a tweet don't really differentiate it in their minds. They don't think the tweet is not an official statement," Lin-Greenberg says. "About three-quarters of the population think it's coordinated, whether it's a Tweet or an official statement." In the paper, the scholars suggest there is considerable room for follow-up research in this area. Among other things, future studies might compare the effect of social media statements to other types of communication, such as speeches. Scholars might also study other social media platforms or broaden the set of countries being studied. Such research, Lin-Greenberg and Harris conclude in the paper, "will further enrich our understanding of the interactions between emerging technology and international politics." More information: Benjamin Norwood Harris et al, Cheap Tweets?: Crisis Signaling in the Age of Twitter, International Studies Quarterly (2024). DOI: 10.1093/isq/sqae067 This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Eviction rates in Oregon have surpassed pre-pandemic levels with more than 22,000 eviction filings in 2023. New research from Portland State University's Evicted in Oregon project documents the ways that eviction is traumatic for tenants, forcing them into a fight, flight or freeze response. Individual response is shaped by access to support and resources, meaning tenants who lack formal support often freeze or flee their home. Those who can access support, like rental or legal assistance, are more likely to fight and either challenge or avoid their eviction. "Eviction is a threat to shelter, and how tenants respond to this threat depends on various factors such as income, language barriers, immigration status, prior eviction experience, and knowledge of available resources," said Natalie Cholula, co-author of the report and Ph.D. candidate in sociology. "In our study, we use the fight-flight-freeze framework to understand how tenants respond to the threat of eviction, and we describe their actions and their emotional reactions that, in part, shape the trajectory of their eviction experience. " Fight, flight, and freeze responses are not mutually exclusive, meaning tenants can experience more than one response in the face of an eviction threat. Flight was the most common response reported by tenants, with about 58% of tenants experiencing a flight response. These tenants left their home in order to avoid problems with the legal system or the landlord. Some tenants51%stated that they took action to avoid or challenge their eviction, meaning they responded with "fight." This included tenants who tried to talk with their landlord, sought support from community organizations, or went to court. About 17% experienced a freeze response, feeling overwhelmed with fear or uncertainty and unable to take action. Only 25% of tenants accessed formal services or programs like legal or financial support. Respondents were either unaware that support was available or encountered barriers that prevented them from getting assistance. Barriers include confusing requirements, time limitations and frequent lack of communication from support organizations that were contacted. "Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a number of new programs and policies implemented in Oregon to support tenants facing eviction," said Alex Farrington, co-author of the report and research associate in the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning. "However, only a small portion of the tenants we talked with were actually able to access any type of formal support during their eviction. Many tenants did not know that these resources existed or were too overwhelmed during the eviction process to seek them out." Navigating an eviction caused tenants to experience a multitude of health impacts, including anxiety, depression, insomnia and high blood pressure. "The stress of eviction was due to concerns about being displaced and the difficulties of navigating the legal system, seeking assistance, and paying back rent. Although new forms of tenant support have been implemented recently, they often fail to reach the tenants who need them the most," Cholula said. "Many tenants have trouble accessing available programs due to a lack of outreach, complicated applications, or challenges with seeking assistance in a stressful situation. Defending oneself from eviction is already a challenging and overwhelming task, particularly when the threat of being forced to vacate the premises has long-lasting impacts." Historically marginalized groups faced unique challenges, in addition to barriers accessing support and health impacts. For example, Black, African American and African tenants faced racial discrimination from their landlord. Latine immigrants faced language barriers and tenants with a criminal record often chose to avoid engaging with the legal system altogether. After the immediacy of an eviction has passed, tenants were left to manage ongoing impacts not only to their health, but the stabilization of their household. Cholula and Farrington propose several policy and program recommendations to address these impacts felt by a growing group of Oregon's population. Creating proactive outreach programs focused on informing tenants of their rights and resources before they face eviction could reduce or eliminate a freeze or flee response. The creation of eviction navigation programs could also offer a point of contact for any tenants in need of support. Cholula and Farrington also recommend the formation of a Tenant Right to Counsel that guarantees legal representation for tenants facing eviction, as well as making an investment in public health by increasing emergency rental assistance funds. More information: Fight, Flight, Freeze: How Access to Support Shapes Tenant Responses to Eviction in Multnomah County. pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/usp_fac/375/ 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: Panels a, b, and c each show stereographic image pairs of the asteroid Dinkinesh taken by the NASA Lucy Spacecraft's L'LORRI Instrument in the minutes around closest approach on Nov. 1, 2023. The yellow and rose dots indicate the trough and ridge features, respectively. These images have been sharpened and processed to enhance contrast. Panel d shows a side view of Dinkinesh and its satellite Selam taken a few minutes after closest approach. Credit: NASA/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab When NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew past its first official target Dinkinesh in November 2023, researchers discovered that the asteroidknown as "Dinky"was not alone in space. A satellite asteroid, which the team named "Selam," was orbiting Dinky. As Lucy sent more data back to Earth, the researchers discovered something surprising: Selam was not just one moon, it was a contact binaryor two moons melded together. The Lucy team, which includes University of Maryland Professor of Astronomy and Geology Jessica Sunshine, detailed the unexpected finding in a paper published in the journal Nature on May 29, 2024. The researchers noted that the unusual arrangement challenges existing theories about how asteroids and other celestial bodies formed over time and provides additional insight into the internal structure, dynamics and evolutionary history of both Dinky and Selam. "There's a lot more complexity in these small bodies than we originally thought," said Sunshine, a co-author of the paper. "With the additional observations taken by the spacecraft, we were able to better analyze features such as Dinkinesh's rotation speed and Selam's orbit pattern. We also have a better understanding of what materials they're possibly made of, bringing us a step closer to learning just how terrestrial bodies are created." Encountering the asteroid Dinkinesh and its moons. Credit: NASA/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab Images taken by the Lucy spacecraft revealed a trough on Dinkinesh where about a quarter of the asteroid broke off from its main body, a ridge that formed after the asteroid's structural failure and the contact binary now known as Selam (which was named after the child counterpart of the Lucy hominin fossil discovered in 1974). The team theorized that Dinky's fast spinning motionboosted by the uneven reflection of sunlight off the asteroid's surfacecaused it to shed and eject rocky debris into orbit. Some of the debris could have aggregated to form Selam, while another portion of the fragments rained back down on Dinky as boulders and created the ridges photographed by the Lucy spacecraft. "One of the things that's critical to understanding how planets like Earth got here is understanding how objects behave when they hit each other, and to understand that we need to understand their strength," said lead scientist Hal Levison of Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, principal investigator for the Lucy mission. "Basically, the planets formed when [smaller objects like asteroids] orbiting the sun ran into each other. Whether objects break apart when they hit or stick together has a lot to do with their strength and internal structure." The team deduced that Dinky likely had some internal strength, which allowed it to maintain most of its form. Just how Dinky's unusual dual moons formed remains a mystery, but Sunshine said that the team's findings open the door to comparative studies with similar celestial bodies. "I'm personally very excited to compare the Didymos binary system with this one, especially as they appear to share many similarities such as size, general shape and possibly composition despite being in totally different parts of the solar system," explained Sunshine, who was also on NASA's DART research team and helped detail the DART spacecraft's successful deflection of Didymos' small moon called Dimorphos. "The Didymos binary system is located in a near-Earth environment while the Dinkinesh system is located much farther away from Earth in the main asteroid belt," she added. "They have very different features but we think they may have undergone similar processes to become what we know of them today." Dinkinesh and its satellite are the first two of 11 asteroids that Lucy plans to explore over its 12-year journey. After skimming the inner edge of the main asteroid belt, Lucy heads back toward Earth for a gravity assist in December 2024. That close flyby will propel the spacecraft back through the main asteroid belt, where it will observe asteroid Donaldjohanson in April 2025, and then move on to observe the Trojan asteroids in 2027. "Our ultimate goal is to understand the formation of celestial bodies," Sunshine said. "How do planets form? How was Earth formed? We know that big planets are formed by smaller bodies, so studying these little asteroids lets us see how materials behave and interact on a smaller scale. With Dinky and the other asteroids we're flying by, we're laying the groundwork for understanding how planets are made." More information: Harold Levison, A contact binary satellite of the asteroid (152830) Dinkinesh, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07378-0. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07378-0. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07378-0 Journal information: Nature 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: Seen here during assembly in November 2023, Farside Seismic Suites inner cube houses the NASA payloads large battery (at rear) and its two seismometers. The gold, puck-shaped device holds the Short Period sensor, while the silver enclosure contains the Very Broadband seismometer. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The technology behind the two seismometers that make up NASA's Farside Seismic Suite was used to detect more than a thousand Red Planet quakes. The most sensitive instrument ever built to measure quakes and meteor strikes on other worlds is getting closer to its journey to the mysterious far side of the moon. It's one of two seismometers adapted for the lunar surface from instruments originally designed for NASA's InSight Mars lander, which recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes before the mission's conclusion in 2022. Part of a payload called Farside Seismic Suite (FSS) that was recently assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the two seismometers are expected to arrive in 2026 at Schrodinger basin, a wide impact crater about 300 miles (500 kilometers) from the moon's South Pole. The self-sufficient, solar-powered suite has its own computer and communications equipment, plus the ability to protect itself from the extreme heat of lunar daytime and the frigid conditions of night. Lunar seismic firsts After being delivered to the surface by a lunar lander under NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, the suite will return the agency's first seismic data from the moon since the last Apollo program seismometers were in operation nearly 50 years ago. Not only that, but it will also provide the first-ever seismic measurements from the moon's far side. JPL engineers and technicians prepare NASAs Farside Seismic Suite for testing in simulated lunar gravity, which is about one-sixth of Earths. The payload will gather the agencys first seismic data from the Moon in nearly 50 years and take the first-ever seismic measurements from the far side. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Up to 30 times more sensitive than its Apollo predecessors, the suite will record the moon's seismic "background" vibration, which is driven by micrometeorites the size of small pebbles that pelt the surface. This will help NASA better understand the current impact environment as the agency prepares to send Artemis astronauts to explore the lunar surface. Planetary scientists are eager to see what FSS tells them about the moon's internal activity and structure. What they learn will offer insights into how the moonas well as rocky planets like Mars and Earthformed and evolved. It will also answer a lingering question about moonquakes: Why did the Apollo instruments on the lunar near side detect little far-side seismic activity? One possible explanation is that something in the moon's deep structure essentially absorbs far-side quakes, making them harder for Apollo's seismometers to have sensed. Another is that there are fewer quakes on the far side, which on the surface looks very different from the side that faces Earth. "FSS will offer answers to questions we've been asking about the moon for decades," said Mark Panning, the FSS principal investigator at JPL and project scientist for InSight. "We cannot wait to start getting this data back." NASAs Farside Seismic Suite undergoes work in a JPL clean room in March. The instruments two sensitive seismometers are packaged in a cube-within-a-cube structure with a battery, a computer, and electronics. The shiny blanket is an outer insulating layer; the single solar panel provides power. Credit: NASA/Caltech Mars-to-moon science Farside Seismic Suite's two complementary instruments were adapted from InSight designs to perform in lunar gravityless than half that of Mars, which, in turn, is about a third of Earth's. They're packaged together with a battery, the computer, and electronics inside a cube structure that's surrounded by insulation and an outer protective cube. Perched atop the lander, the suite will gather data continuously for at least 4 months, operating through the long, cold lunar nights. The Very Broadband seismometer, or VBB, is the most sensitive seismometer ever built for use in space exploration: It can detect ground motions smaller than the size of a single hydrogen atom. A fat cylinder about 5 inches (14 centimeters) in diameter, it measures up-and-down movement using a pendulum held in place by a spring. It was originally constructed as an emergency replacement instrument (a "flight spare") for InSight by the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales). Philippe Lognonne of Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, the principal investigator for InSight's seismometer, is an FSS co-investigator and VBB instrument lead. "We learned so much about Mars from this instrument, and now we are thrilled with the opportunity to turn that experience toward the mysteries of the moon," he said. The suite's smaller seismometer, called the Short Period sensor, or SP, was built by Kinemetrics in Pasadena, California, in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Imperial College, London. The puck-shaped device measures motion in three directions using sensors etched into a trio of square silicon chips each about 1 inch (25 millimeters) wide. The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument (SEIS) aboard NASAs Mars InSight is within the copper-colored hexagonal enclosure in this photo taken by a camera on the landers robotic arm on Dec. 4, 2018. The SEIS technology is being used on Farside Seismic Suite, bound for the Moon. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Assembled and tested The FSS payload came together at JPL over the last year. In recent weeks, it survived rigorous environmental testing in vacuum and extreme temperatures that simulate space, along with severe shaking that mimics the rocket's motion during launch. "The JPL team has been excited from the beginning that we're going to the moon with our French colleagues," said JPL's Ed Miller, FSS project manager and, like Panning and Lognonne, a veteran of the InSight mission. "We went to Mars together, and now we'll be able to look up at the moon and know we built something up there. It'll make us so proud." Provided by NASA 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: John Haggar, Hardy Orchid Society The Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) is found all over the U.K. These orchids produce tiny seeds that can be carried anywhere by the wind, yet they often appear in clumps with small seedlings growing near mature plants. This phenomenon has puzzled ecologists since Darwin's time, with the exact reason remaining a mystery. A new study, led by researchers from the University of Sheffield in collaboration with The University of Manchester, provides the first evidence that early stage orchid seedlings germinate and thrive near to adult plants due to a kind of parental nurture using underground fungal networks. Scientists investigated the idea that fungal networks, known as mycorrhizal networks, act as a direct pathway for established orchid plants to share recently produced sugars with developing seedlings. Professor Katie Field, co-author of the study and Professor of Plant-Soil Processes at the University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences, said, "Our results support the idea that some orchids engage in a form of 'parental nurture' with their seedlings. "By supplying early stage seedlings with essential nutrients via shared fungal connections, the parent orchids give the seedlings an advantage over neighboring plants that are competing for the same resources. "This finding is exciting because why these orchids are often found in clumps, despite their seeds being wind dispersed, has been a puzzle for hundreds of years." The study focused on the Common Spotted Orchid and its fungal partner, Ceratobasidium cornigerum. Researchers created a system where mature, green orchids were connected to developing, chlorophyll-free seedlings through a fungal network grown on agar. The mature plants were then exposed to a special form of carbon dioxide that could be tracked within the system. Here's how it worked: Green orchid plants were connected to developing seedlings through the fungal network. The green plants were then exposed to a special form of carbon dioxide that could be tracked within the system. After a period of time, the researchers analyzed both the seedlings and the fungal network to see where the labeled carbon ended up. The results were clear, the seedlings were accumulating the labeled carbon, indicating they were being supported by the adult plants. By tracking the movement of carbon, the study showed that the mature orchids were indeed sharing their recently produced sugars with the seedlings through the fungal network. Sir David Read, Emeritus Professor of Plant Sciences from the University of Sheffield and lead author of the study, said, "Whereas the seeds of most plants, for example legumes (peas, beans) and grasses (rice, corn, wheat) are fully provisioned with food reserves by their parent plants, the so-called dust seeds of orchids receive insufficient reserves from the parents to develop on their own. "They are instead produced in their millions by each individual parent orchid plant from which they are dispersed, by wind, to the surrounding environment. Even Charles Darwin was puzzled by this strategy, suggesting that while it should enable the seeds of an individual orchid plant to be so widely distributed that within a few years it could colonize the whole world. He observed that their failure to do so 'could not be understood at this time.' "What is now revealed is that the belowground development of these essentially reserve-free seeds can be supported by photosynthetically produced sugars that are transported to them from mature plants growing above ground through a shared mycelium of symbiotic fungi." Results of the study, published in New Phytologist, show the amount of carbon transferred seemed to depend on the environment. When the fungus had access to a richer food source (oatmeal agar), less carbon was transferred to the seedling. This suggests that the strength of the demand from the seedlings may influence the flow of nutrients through the network. This research has important implications for understanding orchid ecology and conservation efforts. By recognizing the importance of fungal connections, scientists can develop better strategies for protecting these unique and often threatened plants. Next steps are to research this theory in the natural habitat that the orchids are found in and to look at whether this applies to other species. More information: David J. Read et al, Photosynthate transfer from an autotrophic orchid to conspecific heterotrophic protocorms through a common mycorrhizal network, New Phytologist (2024). DOI: 10.1111/nph.19810 Journal information: New Phytologist 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 Justin Frake is interested in cause-and-effect relationships in real-world data and the hidden dynamics that shape workplace behavior and equalityor inequality, as the case might be. His curiosity has led to research that challenges some popular beliefs as well as published studies related to women in the workforce. One study shows that firms promoting flatter hierarchies inadvertently discourage female applicants and another study counters several recent studies that claim women CEOs negatively impact career outcomes of other women. Both are published in the Strategic Management Journal. The assistant professor of strategy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business discusses his work as well as future research into other forms of workplace behavior and discrimination. Two of your recently published studies either turn some conventional wisdom on its head or reveal an unintended bias in the hiring or advancement of women in the workplace. What led you into these subjects? When I worked at a large public accounting firm, most of the leadership were men. I saw the male and senior managers were more likely to choose other men to work on their teams. It often wasn't explicitly because they didn't like women. Instead, it was because they felt more comfortable traveling with other men than women. I also saw that when asked why they choose so many men to be on their team, they didn't even realize it was happening and couldn't articulate a reason. All of this made me interested in how inequality in the workplace happens without conscious bias against women. What surprised you the most? In the study about hierarchies and applicant diversity, I was somewhat surprised to find that, relative to men, women perceive flatter hierarchies as offering fewer career progression opportunities and higher workloads, contrary to the popular belief that flatter structures are universally appealing. In the study examining whether women CEOs affect the career outcomes of other women, we show that these studies suffer from a serious statistical issue called collider bias. Once we correct the statistical issue, we show women CEOs do not seem to hurt other women's careers. This finding was particularly striking as it challenged published studies that purported to show that female leadership may hurt gender equality. These studies underscore the importance of scrutinizing widely held beliefs and using rigorous statistical methods in research. Can you describe collider bias and what harm it may cause in business settings? Collider bias occurs when researchers control for or select a sample based on a variable that is affected by both the independent and dependent variables, leading to the illusion of a connection between variables that might not actually exist. The potential harm stemming from the previous findings comes from the misconception that research suggests female CEOs detrimentally impact the careers of other women within the firm. If corporate boards read the previous research, they might conclude that they should refrain from promoting women to CEO positions under the guise of supporting other women within the firm. Where is your research leading you now? Are you building on either of these studies or moving into new directions? I've started a new project to understand the role of partisanship in the workplace. For example, do workers select into firms where there are employees that share their partisanship? Do managers hire people who share their partisanship? This is related to the questions on gender, but it is not against the law to discriminate on the basis of political partisanship, so this kind of discrimination may be similar or even more prominent than gender or racial discrimination. More information: Reuben Hurst et al, The effect of flatter hierarchy on applicant pool gender diversity: Evidence from experiments, Strategic Management Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1002/smj.3590 Justin Frake et al, Collider bias in strategy and management research: An illustration using women CEO's effect on other women's career outcomes, Strategic Management Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1002/smj.3588 Journal information: Strategic Management Journal 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: Permafrost carbon release to the atmosphere and the effects of different alpine grasslands on surface waterheat exchange. Credit: CATENA (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108065 Permafrost and alpine grasslands interact and coevolve, and permafrost temperatures is an important indicator for understanding their interactions and changes. A research team led by Prof. Wu Qingbai from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences sheds light on the intricate relationship between permafrost temperature, climate change, and alpine grasslands. The study is published in the journal CATENA. The researchers examined the permafrost under alpine meadows, alpine steppes, alpine desert grasslands, and barren lands to uncover their relationships with climate change and identify the climate factors influencing their changes using time-frequency domain analysis. They observed distinct periodic characteristics in permafrost temperatures in different zones relative to the level of the permafrost table (above, near, and below it). Temperature dynamics in the active layer above the permafrost table respond primarily to monthly climate variations, while permafrost dynamics below this boundary are influenced primarily by annual climate fluctuations. In the time domain, the influence of air temperature, precipitation, and wind speed on permafrost dynamics suggests that air temperature has the greatest influence on permafrost temperature at different depths. However, different climatic factors control permafrost temperature at different depths in the time-frequency domain. Especially at deeper levels, it is crucial to consider the effect of wind speed on permafrost. Among the four alpine grasslands studied, the permafrost beneath alpine meadows emerges as the most sensitive to climate change, showing distinct periodic fluctuations in intensity compared to the other three grassland types. Finally, the researchers discussed the confirmed protective influence of vegetation on the underlying permafrost. However, more data are needed to fully understand the role of the sand layer. More information: Siru Gao et al, Permafrost temperature dynamics and its climate relations in various Tibetan alpine grasslands, CATENA (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108065. www.sciencedirect.com/science/ 0341816224002625?via%3Dihub This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The hosts, the Bangladeshi Muslim population, have expressed an alarming level of hostility towards the Rohingya refugees due to their extended stay and its subsequent negative consequences, like competition over limited resources. Credit: Yuki Higuchi / Sophia University, Japan The number of refugees has sharply increased in recent decades, reaching 37.8 million in 2022. Amidst this surge, host communitieslocals residing in areas where refugee camps are situatedare also positively and negatively impacted by the refugee influxes. The negative impacts include competition over scarce resources and in the unskilled labor market. While the international media and aid organizations put the spotlight on assisting refugees, the challenges faced by host communities are frequently sidelined. In 2017, over 700,000 Rohingyasa Muslim minority group from Rakhine State in Myanmarfled to their neighboring country, Bangladesh, amidst a large-scale Rohingya clearance operation by the Burmese government. The hoststhe Bangladeshi Muslim populationwere initially sympathetic toward the refugees because of their shared religion and language. Yet, their sympathy faded over time due to the extended stay of refugees and other negative consequences, including high fertility rates. Overlooking such adverse impacts on host communities can stir social unrest among them. Against this backdrop, a research team led by Associate Professor Yuki Higuchi from the Faculty of Economics at Sophia University, Japan, examined how the 2017 Rohingya refugee influx impacted the public sentiments of host communities in Bangladesh. Their paper, published in Economic Development and Cultural Change on March 16, 2024, was co-authored by Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain from the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences at the University of Chittagong and Mohammad Sujauddin from the Department of Environmental Science and Management at North South University. Dr. Higuchi asserts, "The 2017 Rohingya refugee crisis persists even after five years. International attention and support are fading, worsening the situation. We emphasize that this crisis is still ongoing, and Rohingya refugees, along with the host communities who are also poor, are in a difficult situation. The world must act now." To this end, researchers surveyed 1,679 households in refugee-hosting districts of Bangladesh from January 2021 to January 2022. Respondents received 400 Bangladeshi Taka, or BDT (equivalent to 4.7 US Dollars or USD), as an honorarium for their participation in the survey. They were also informed that researchers pledged to donate 400 BDT per respondent to a non-governmental organization (NGO) supporting the refugees. Respondents then played a joy-of-destruction (JOD) game where they were given a choice to contribute part of their honorarium to reduce the pledged donation. Each BDT paid led to a fivefold deduction from the donation. The amount paid was then used to measure hostility towards the refugees. Additionally, researchers used satellite imagery to assess environmental changes. "Surprisingly, 57% of the hosts paid a non-zero amount to reduce donations for refugees, indicating their intention of harming the refugees even at a personal cost. Here, 15% of the hosts even paid 80 BDT (0.9 USD), which is closer to their average daily per capita income, to nullify the donation entirely," says Dr. Higuchi. Specifically, hosts closer to the campexposed hostspaid significantly more to reduce donations than those far away from the campless exposed hosts. The amount paid increased by 1.4% for every kilometer closer to the camp. This is likely because exposed hosts face more hardships due to lower incomes, higher prices of commodities, forest degradation, and perceived higher crime rates. Both exposed and less exposed hosts expressed negative feelings toward Rohingya refugees. Though exposed hosts did not express more negative feelings than less exposed hosts, their deep-seated hostility towards refugees was evident in the JOD game. This contrast between what the hosts expressed during the surveys and what they did during the JOD game suggests that the incentivized game elicited genuine hostility toward refugees. Overall, the refugee influx has dramatically impacted both the host communities and the environment in Bangladesh. Dr. Higuchi further elaborates, "Host communities in a developing country are also as poor as the refugees. So, even though the hosts receive some support from aid agencies, they still show an alarming level of hostility toward the refugees. "Policymakers and aid organizations must address the current situation and prevent impending tensions. Sufficient compensation for hosts and initiatives to reconcile with refugees are necessary to foster social cohesion." In conclusion, as the number of refugees increases, so does the strain on host communities and the risk of social unrest, necessitating urgent international support. More information: Yuki Higuchi et al, From Hospitality to Hostility: Impact of the Rohingya Refugee Influx on the Sentiments of Host Communities, Economic Development and Cultural Change (2024). DOI: 10.1086/730704 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: Predicting colony density with the windchill model. A Example of a ground based image recorded on 2017-08-22 04:00:00 UTC at Pointe Geologie. B Projected top view of the image shown in (A). CF Correlation of measured colony density with the meteorological values: air temperature (C), windspeed (D), solar radiation (E), and humidity (F). G Dependence of measured colony density on apparent temperature H Surface area covered by the colony (in square meters) for Pointe Geologie between September 1 and December 31 in 2014 I Measured (blue crosses) and predicted (red dots) animal count over time. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48239-8 Emperor penguins are an endangered species. Scientists are protecting the largest of all penguins by monitoring their numbers precisely and investigating which factors affect their population. A team led by researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg (FAU) has now developed a reliable method that can predict the number of breeding pairs and chicks and serve as an early warning system for climate change in the Antarctic Ocean. The research team has published its findings in the journal Nature Communications. Monitoring the global population of emperor penguins is a major challenge, as they inhabit Antarctica's harsh and remote environment. Over the last two decades, researchers have been using satellite imagery, among other technologies, to keep track of this threatened species. While it has provided valuable population data, the counts to date are still inconsistent and unreliable for a variety of reasons. The first is that satellite images can only be taken between October and April because there isn't enough light in the polar winter to capture the species at their breeding sites. A further challenge is that the number of penguins present at a colony can vary significantly, as adults may come and go, and the technology is not capable of monitoring chicks. Researchers combine satellite imagery and knowledge of penguin behavior What the new method accomplishes is to use satellite imagery in conjunction with phenological and behavioral models to monitor the penguin population. "This means taking into consideration seasonal and conditional occurrences that may be taking place at the time a satellite image is captured," says Daniel Zitterbart, one of the study's senior authors and an associate scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, U.S.). "In emperor penguins, for example, only the males incubate the eggs. The females remain in the sea throughout the entire incubation periodapproximately 64 daysand only return after the eggs are hatched. "How the penguins perceive the current temperature also plays a rolecomparable to the perceived temperature in humans, which is influenced by wind or sunshine, among other things. When the animals huddle to keep warm, they stand closer together and the colony appears smaller." Lead author of the study, FAU doctoral candidate Alexander Winterl, says, "If we combine the information from the satellite images with our knowledge of the behavior of emperor penguins, we can deduce much more precisely how many animals live in a colony. "We compared our estimates with existing data sets collected over a period of 10 years in two emperor penguin colonies in the Antarctic. We can see that conventional methods can only measure trends over decades, but cannot show fluctuations within a year or a few years." Early warning system for the health of the Southern Ocean "We need the precise population data not only to protect this species, but also to make people aware of the extreme changes in the Southern Ocean and the effects of climate change," emphasizes Winterl. "The rapid retreat of the ice on and around Antarctica is threatening their livelihoods. Previous modeling studies suggest that over 90% of emperor penguin colonies will disappear by 2100 without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions." More information: Alexander Winterl et al, Remote sensing of emperor penguin abundance and breeding success, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48239-8 Journal information: Nature Communications 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: Marie-Claude Vergne from Pexels The vast majority of Australians (87%) live within 50 kilometers of a coastline. The coast offers scenery, swimming and cooling from the sea. But the problem is, coastlines as we know them are going to change. Sea-level rise is accelerating. As seas inch higher, storm surges can reach further inland and coastal erosion intensifies. Australia's coasts are not immune. Low-lying areas are particularly vulnerable, such as towns around Western Port Bay in Victoria. So why aren't we planning for what will happen? In this year's federal budget funds were allocated to many long-term needs, such as submarines for defense (around a 20-year timeframe), the Inland Rail project for freight (around 15 years), Sunshine Coast rail link for transport (at least 10 years) and long term policies for green manufacturing. State budgets also make long-term commitments. But there was nothing to prepare our coastal communities for the water. Sea level rise and storm surge are problems which get steadily worse. If we spend to avoid A$1 billion of damage in 2040, that's the same as avoiding $4 billion in 2070 and $10 billion by 2100, according to the Kompas report released last year by co-author Tom Kompas and colleagues. The economic costs are known If we don't prepare, we risk damage to housing, the environment, towns and fast-growing coastal and marine industries. What does sea-level rise cost? The Kompas report found within 75 years, the projected sea-level rise of 0.82 meters coupled with 19% more storm surges would cause staggering economic loss in Victoria, to the tune of $442 billion, flooding 45,000 hectares of inhabited land and affecting almost every coastal community. Overseas, the scale of the problem is staggering. Estimates for damage to coastal towns and cities in the European Union and United Kingdom are up to $1.4 trillion. Why aren't we taking this seriously? It is good practice to strategically plan for known risks and needs. And we do make long-term plans in many areas. But so far, coastal adaptation is not one of them. Because greenhouse gas emissions aren't dropping as needed, we have already locked in a certain level of sea-level rise. That's because there's a lag time between emitting gases, warming the atmosphere and oceans, and melting ice flowing into seas. What does adaptation look like? We have six options: 1. Non-intervention: authorities deliberately let impacts occur. You might use this strategy if it would be too expensive or impossible to protect a coastal area, or if there are no people living there. 2. Avoid: make sure new houses, infrastructure and human uses for coastline are moved away from the area to be affected. In Australia, local or state-wide sea-level planning benchmarks are used to denote areas where permanent development needs justification. Benchmarks and assessments differ markedly around the nation. 3. Nature-based methods: boost or restore natural systems able to reduce damage. This method involves working to bring back or improve natural habitats such as coral reefs, sand, shellfish reefs, mangroves, wetlands, saltmarshes, or seagrasses to build up sediment, adding height and natural ways to absorb some of the force of higher seas. Many Australian states already have examples up and running. In the EU, the REST-COAST program is working on many nature-based restoration projects, while the United States has many examples, such as oyster reef restoration. 4. Managed retreat: relocate away from the danger. The community of Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana was the first community globally to retreat inland in a planned way. In Vietnam, farms and villages in Hue province have had to relocate away from the sea. While no Australian community has gone through a managed retreat due to sea level, the Summerlands estate on Phillip Island was relocated to protect Australia's most famous penguin colony. 5. Accommodate: rebuild to reduce risk. When disaster strikes, it makes sense to rebuild to reduce future risk. Australian authorities often use this technique after river floods. But there are no known examples of similar work on our coasts. In the US, areas of New Orleans were rebuilt to let future floodwaters escape rather than stay trapped for weeks, as they did after Hurricane Katrina. 6. Protect: build hard physical barriers to stop the water getting through. Historically, building seawalls and dikes has been the first response authorities reach for. The problem is, these barriers are expensive to build and maintain, especially at the scale that will be needed. Where to from here? What will nudge authorities to start preparing in earnest? Time, for one. As sea-level rise accelerates, authorities will have to act. But acting late is much more expensive than acting early. We need to avoid the Tragedy of the Horizon, where catastrophe seems far enough away in time that we can delay acting. What our policymakers need is the social license to act. The planned retreat of the Welsh town of Fairbourne became controversial because when the council's plans became public, house values plummeted. To be able to focus on coastal adaptation means decoupling from the political cycle so politicians are supported to make hard but necessary decisions in the interests of the next generation. A national approach would help. Not everywhere can be protected. It makes sense to focus our efforts on places where many people live, or the special habitats we want to keep. If we keep putting our heads in the sand, we'll get soaked. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Silicon Valleyconsidered the world's hub of technology and innovationcan breed inequality and sameness among budding entrepreneurs, according to new research. Behind the multi-million-dollar deals and tales of start-up utopia, Silicon Valley's "uneven" investment landscape is in fact a barrier to many budding businesses, says the study from the University of Stirling and Georg-August-University Gottingen. But the researchers suggest other countries could still learn from the more discerning entrepreneurial ecosystem that bred giants such as Apple and Google, to be more selective in backing start-ups. While it is not uncommon for Silicon Valley investors to invest millions of dollars into relatively early stage companies, the multi-million-dollar deals come at a price, according to the research findings. Those who make it in Silicon Valley are arguably already successfulor have deep pockets and resourcesleaving many potential entrepreneurs sidelined, claim the researchers, Dr. Michaela Hruskova and Dr. Katharina Scheidgen. This makes the region "a double-edged sword for entrepreneurs," they argue. Their study, which drew on 63 qualitative interviews with entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S. and Germany, found that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are typically expected to self-fund the company until they can demonstrate a considerable traction with customersthrough sales revenue or user numbers. This is in stark contrast to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Berlin, also a leading start-up hub, which tends to only require a strong team with an investment-worthy idea, but where investment activity and start-up numbers are much lower. Investing in a company after it has gained business traction means the risk of failure is lower and return on investment will likely be higher, the authors argue. It also means the start-ups must get more creative in building their company and leveraging resources before they can secure investment. Dr. Michaela Hruskova, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship in the University of Stirling Management School and co-author of the study, said, "Our research shows that Silicon Valley represents the Olympic Games of the startup world. It is a place that rewards the fittest, a place for those entrepreneurs, innovators, and change makers who have, in a lot of ways, already succeeded. "Unlike their UK and European counterparts, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs need to achieve significant traction before they even approach investors, often using a founder's personal savings, to first build a product and generate sales. This uneven playing field is a double-edged sword for entrepreneurs. It fosters inequality, particularly among those entrepreneurs from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and can lead to homogeneity among start-ups." Dr. Hruskova added, "But there are lessons to be learned for other countries from Silicon Valley's more discerning entrepreneurial ecosystem. Start-ups there are forced to adopt creative ways to bootstrap their company. A little bit of improvisation can go a long way in entrepreneurship." The research appears as the book chapter "Demystifying Silicon Valley: Unequal Entry Thresholds between Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," co-authored by Dr. Katharina Scheidgen and Dr. Michaela Hruskova, in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: Emergence, Evolution, Future, published by Oxford University Press and available here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor on its test stand, built by Vega-C prime contractor Avio at its Salto di Quirra test facility in Sardinia, Italy. The motor features an improved engine nozzle design, required to prepare for a Vega-C return-to-flight by the end of 2024. The Zefiro-40 is a 7.6 m tall rocket motor, loaded with over 36 tonnes of solid propellant. For a test on 28 May 2024 the motor was installed on its horizontal test bench. Zefiro-40 is developed and manufactured by Avio in their Colleferro factory near Rome, Italy. Vega-C is a 35-m-tall launcher with a mass at liftoff of 210 000 kg. It can place about 2300 kg into a polar orbit. Vega-C can accommodate a mix of cargo shapes and sizes, ranging from CubeSats as small as one kilogram up to a single large payload. Credit: Avio The Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor, the second stage of the Vega-C rocket, was tested today by Vega-C prime contractor Avio at its Salto di Quirra test facility in Sardinia, Italy. The motor features an improved engine nozzle design, required to prepare for a Vega-C return-to-flight by the end of 2024. The initial post-test review indicates that the new nozzle assembly performed as expected throughout the scheduled 94 seconds burning time of the test, simulating a nominal in-flight performance. The Zefiro-40 is a 7.6 m tall rocket motor, loaded with more than 36 tons of solid propellant. For this test, the motor was installed on its horizontal test bench. Zefiro-40 is developed and manufactured by Avio in their Colleferro factory near Rome, Italy. A second firing-test will be conducted after the summer to confirm the data collected today. Avio engineers will review the data from the first test to prepare for a second test in October that will then qualify the second stage Zefiro-40 solid rocket motor for a return-to-flight by the end of 2024 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. From Vega to Vega-C Vega-C is the larger evolution of the Vega family of rockets. The original Vega was launched in 2012 and has flown 21 times. The last Vega flight is scheduled this summer, after which the model will be retired and Vega-C will take over. The smaller Vega variant does not use the Zefiro-40 stage. ESA is responsible for the Vega-C launch system qualification and also purchases launch services for European institutional missions. The Vega-C development program was carried out with participation of thirteen ESA Member States, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. The Agency is the contracting authority for the development of Vega-C, supports both the development and exploitation, while also providing technical supervision based on its 30 years of experience. Avio is the prime contractor and design authority of the Vega-C launchers. Arianespace is the launch service provider. 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: In this April 28, 2004, file photo Mearl McCartney plants soybeans using a no-till drill near Bowling Green, Ohio. In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world's farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it. Credit: AP Photo/J.D. Pooley, File In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world's farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it. Now some researchers think they've found a bacteria that can help. Writing in this week's Nature, they say extensive lab and field trials showed the naturally derived bacteria reduced the nitrous oxide without disrupting other microbes in the soil. It also survived well in soil and would be relatively cheap to produce. "I think that the avenue that we have opened here, it opens up for a number of new possibilities in bioengineering of the farmed soil," said Lars Bakken, a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and one of the authors of the study. A pound of nitrous oxidebetter known as laughing gas, the stuff that relaxes people in the dentist's chaircan warm the atmosphere 265 times more than a pound of carbon dioxide, and it can persist in the atmosphere for more than a century. Farmers' heavy use of nitrogen fertilizer drives up the amount produced in soil, and in 2022 it accounted for 6% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Reducing fertilizer use can help, but crop yields would eventually fall. That's a big problem in agriculture, "so the fact that they have developed a unique strategy to reduce it pretty dramatically was really interesting," said Lori Hoagland, a professor of soil microbial ecology at Purdue University who was not involved in the study. Bakken and his colleagues used organic waste to grow their bacteria, reasoning that many farmers already apply processed manure-based fertilizers so it could be easily integrated into their routines. Building on past work, they searched for a microorganism that would last long enough to make a real dent in nitrous oxide emissions without staying in the soil so long that it disrupted other tiny life forms that are often vital for crop health. In field trials, they used roving robots to measure nitrous oxide emissions day and night, comparing conditions in soil with and without the bacteria. They found the bacteria reduced the nitrous oxide emissions of an initial fertilizer application by 94%, and a couple weeks later, dropped the emissions of a subsequent fertilizer application by about half. After about three months, there was no difference in the makeup of microbial life forms, suggesting their bacteria wouldn't disrupt the soil. The bacteria they settled onCloacibacterium sp. CB-01is found naturally in anaerobic digesters, machines that are already being used to transform organic waste products like cow manure into biofuels. The fact that the bacteria is not genetically modified might ease its acceptance and adoption, said Paul Carini, a soil microbiologist at the University of Arizona who was also not involved in the research. This June 13, 2007, photo shows corn being grown to produce ethanol, in a field in London, Ohio. In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world's farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, file Bakken said the bacteria could be included in certain fertilizers on farms as soon as three to four years from now if the economics make sense. Carini thinks they do. "Any time you're using a waste product from one industry to benefit another industry, that's pretty cost effective," he said. However, Bakken pointed out that farmers aren't paid for reducing nitrous oxide emissions, and he thinks there have to be more incentives to do so. "The task for the authorities is to install policy instruments that make it profitable in one way or another," he said. Hoagland, the Purdue professor, said more research in field conditions would likely be needed before the bacteria could be deployed worldwide, as there are many different types of farm soils. "If they can get this to work across soils and things, it would just have a tremendous impact, for sure," she said. It's a challenge that has long vexed academics as well as major agricultural companies that have tried to develop organisms that can be added to the soil for beneficial effect, Carini said. He said that where many inquiries in this direction have been spotty, this one had clearer results. Like Hoagland, he said more work is needed to prove the bacteria's effectiveness. But he called the work a blueprint for selecting beneficial organisms that can be added to soil. "I think this is the next frontier in soil agriculture research," he said. 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: Wikipedia logo. Getting experts to contribute to open content, such as Wikipedia, is not an easy task as experts often have high demands on their time. But one way to increase expert contributions is to understand what motivates them to contribute, a University of Michigan study shows. The study, led by U-M behavioral and experimental economist Yan Chen, and published in Management Science, finds that an accurate match between a task and an expert's expertise can significantly increase the quality and length of expert contributions. Chen and colleagues observed a lack of expert participation in Wikipedia writing and editing, resulting in inaccuracies, incompleteness and outdated information across many Wikipedia articles. Given Wikipedia's status as one of the top five most visited websites in the English-speaking world and its role as a primary knowledge source for the general public, enhancing the quality of its content has become imperative, Chen says. "Sometimes patients even bring flawed Wikipedia articles as reference to discuss their treatment with doctors," said Chen, the Daniel Kahneman Collegiate Professor of Information at U-M's School of Information and a research professor at the Institute for Social Research. To figure out how to motivate experts, Chen and co-authors Iman YeckeZaare of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ark Fangzhou Zhang of Google, Rosta Farzan of the University of Pittsburgh and Robert Kraut of Carnegie Mellon University conducted a large-scale field experiment by sending out emails to about 4,000 academic economists, asking them to comment on articles on Wikipedia. The study explored the effectiveness of different incentives in motivating experts' participation, including social impact, public recognition and the quality of match between expert skills and Wikipedia articles. The researchers found that a general ask received a positive response rate of 45%. However, when experts were informed that articles they were asked to comment on might include their own publication in the references, indicating a high-quality match, there was a 6-percentage-point increase in positive responses. Interestingly, telling them that their contributions would influence more readers (social impact) or that their contributions would be publicly recognized (public recognition) had no influence on their response rates, the researchers say. Furthermore, the study revealed that a more accurate actual match between an expert's expertise and a Wikipedia article not only increases the quality but also the length of the expert's contribution. Several reasons may account for this phenomenon. First, more expertise in an area reduces the cost of contribution. Second, experts are more inclined to enjoy reading and commenting on articles in their areas of expertise. Third, experts are more likely to believe that topics they consider important should be presented accurately to the general public. Last, experts are likely to derive intrinsic pleasure from a feeling of competency, leading to more substantial and insightful comments within their area of expertise. Beyond match quality, two significant factors influencing both the quality and length of an expert's contribution are expert reputation and the length of the Wikipedia article. The reputation of the expert and the length of Wikipedia article directly correlate with the quality and length of the contribution: lower reputation and a shorter Wikipedia article tend to result in shorter and less substantial contributions. However, among these factors, accurate matching between expertise and the task is the most significant predictor of both contribution length and quality, Chen and colleagues say. This finding extends beyond contributions to digital public goods and can be applied to other types of volunteer activities where expertise matters. For instance, recruiting corporate executives to give students career advice, seeking mentors for startup entrepreneurs, finding lawyers to offer legal consultations to low-income individuals, or asking employees to contribute to corporate initiatives beyond their typical roles and responsibilities. "Given the significant contributions made by volunteers in many aspects of our lives, understanding how to motivate expert volunteers to participate is crucial," Chen said. More information: Yan Chen et al, Motivating Experts to Contribute to Digital Public Goods: A Personalized Field Experiment on Wikipedia, Management Science (2023). DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2023.4852 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: On YouTube, various channels cover the same political news based on their differing political views. Credit: Seung Woo Chae, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) The YouTube comments sections of politically neutral news outlets might be more conducive to cooperative, cross-partisan conversation than their liberal and conservative counterparts, according to a study published May 29, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Seung Woo Chae and Sung Hyun Lee from Indiana University. The study, which focused on the media response to the 2019 release of the Mueller report, found that more cross-partisan discussions took place on liberal channels than conservative ones and mainstream news outlets hosted more cross-partisan comments than political vlogs. Many news consumers learn about the world through social media, described by some research studies as a political echo chamber: an environment where a user's political opinions are reiterated and bounced back at them. Pushback against this perspective posits social media as a constructive, cross-partisan forum where liberal and conservative users openly discuss their perspectives. Chae and Lee enter this conversation in the context of YouTube videos posted about a pivotal political moment: the April 18, 2019 release of the Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, commonly known as the Mueller report. They examined the comments sections from 17 YouTube videos shared in response to the Mueller report, 10 of which were posted by popular political vloggers (half liberal, half conservative) and seven of which came from mainstream news outletssome liberal (like CNN), some conservative (like Fox News), and one neutral (C-SPAN). The researchers used manual and computational methods to analyze the videos' comments and study how political parties were represented in each. Results indicated more cross-partisan discussions on liberal YouTube channels than conservative ones. Regardless of political leaning, mainstream news outlets generally had more cross-partisan discussions than the vlogs. The only neutral news outlet included in the study, C-SPAN, contained the most balanced number of conservative and liberal comments. The researchers acknowledge that not all cross-partisan commentary is necessarily constructive, citing some such comments as "troll-like." Data gathered in this study should be interpreted in the unique context of the Mueller report; the researchers encourage future studies to examine the dynamics of YouTube comments in broader and different contexts. The authors add, "We found that the proportion of cross-cutting discussions significantly varies by both the channel's political leaning and media type. In addition, our results suggest the possibility of neutral news outlets as a place for cross-cutting discussions." More information: Where do cross-cutting discussions happen?: Identifying cross-cutting comments on YouTube videos of political vloggers and mainstream news outlets, PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302030 Journal information: PLoS ONE LAKE GEORGE The debate over the proposed use of ProcellaCOR in Lake George reached a new pitch as protesters led by the Lake George Association packed the Lake George Park Commissions monthly meeting Tuesday. ProcellaCOR is an aquatic herbicide that targets Eurasian water milfoil. If the Lake George Park Commission wins final approval for use in Lake George, it could be applied two, small pilot locations in Lake George as early as June. The herbicide has been presented as an alternative to the hand harvesting method that is currently used. Lake George is not the place to undertake a reckless experiment, and this is shaping up to be a reckless experiment, Peter Menzies, chair of the Lake George Association board of directors said during the meetings public comment session. PercellaCOR is not the solution to managing milfoil, a comprehensive and thoughtful plan is. This argument is a continuation of a years-long skirmish between the members of the LGA, Lake George Waterkeeper and the Adirondack Park Agency regarding the LGPCs proposal to use the herbicide. Menzies accused the park commission of ignoring the science presented by the LGA, which centers primarily on what it claims are the unknown long-term effects of the chemical. The LGPC maintains that every question and scientific assertion posed by the association can be countered by studies of the herbicide including the state Department of Environmental Conservations conclusion that it is safe for use. LGPC Chair Ken Parker read a statement from the DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar, explaining the DECs stance on the use of ProcellaCOR. DEC conducts extensive science-based reviews of aquatic pesticide products prior to approval for use in New York State to ensure these products are fully protective of public health and the environment, Parker read. The DEC experts review of ProcellaCORs active ingredient, florpyrauxifen-benzyl, with DOH and EPA have not identified any concerns regarding the toxicity or persistence of the above-mentioned chemicals. The arguments of the day started even before the meeting, as Menzies called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to step in and put a stop to the commissions plan to use the aquatic pesticide in Blairs Bay and Sheep Meadow Bay. New York State has backed itself into a corner and now its time for Governor Hochul to stand up, show true leadership, and stop this madness, Menzies said. She can turn this around, the Lake George Park Commission, I dont think they can, or they wont. But based on the DECs statement, Parker seemed convinced that Hochul would not be heeding the associations calls. They are a state agency as the Lake George Park Commission is a state agency, as the Department of Health is a state agency, the APA is a state agency, and you can rest assured that the governors office in Albany also supports those positions, Parker said. It recently came to the associations attention that florpyrauxifen-benzyl, the active ingredient in ProcellaCOR had been listed in a report by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in its definition of PFAS. The DECs letter states it does not share that classification of the chemical in New York State or in the Environmental Protection Agencies definitions. We understand its a broader, more inclusive definition than EPA or New York State, but why not be a little more protective for Lake George, why not take that extra time, Chris Navitsky, Lake George Water Keeper, addressed to the board. Two members of the public spoke in favor of the treatment. One was a woman from Vermont who said the chemical had been used on the lake near her home with no adverse effect on the environment that shes been able to observe. The other was Carolyn Kern, who said shes more than satisfied with the information provided by the LGPC. Once they test it, and they tell me its OK to drink it, I wont have a problem with it, she said. So, I think its a good thing and I commend all of you, theres a lot of work that went into this. Charles Tall, who said he grew up in Lake George but currently lives in Huletts Landing, urged the two groups to move past the wheels that have already been set in motion, and take steps to work together in the future. If and most likely when the ProcellaCOR tests do take place, you (the LGA) test, study, report, monitor, and publish your findings as the scientific driven organization you are, he said. Help add to the scientific knowledge base around ProcellaCOR where you can, even though you oppose its use in the lake. Several of the members of the audience who spoke said they own multiple properties along Lake George near the proposed treatment areas. Among the other concerns, they worry that using any chemical in the water could drastically affect the attraction of visitors and renters along the lake. In the years to come nobody will remember, or much care how the milfoil control operation played out, one property owner said. They will, however, remain fully indoctrinated with the knowledge that one must avoid rental properties located in the area where they dumped those chemicals. One resident attended the meeting with her 14-month-old daughter, who she said drinks, bathes, and brushes her seven toothers with Lake George water. My family has lived in this area for generations, she said. The thought that there could be a chemical in her drinking water that she is exposed to every single day is just devastating to me as a mother. Colleen Knight started her comment by stating for the record, That I think people suck. She got emotional as she continued speaking about the potential harm she fears may come from the lack of long-term testing of the chemical. We could be murdering people and our environment, she said through sobs of tears. Our home. This is our home and were going off half-cocked. The LGPC will consider the comments collected at its Tuesday meeting while it awaits permit approval from the Adirondack Park Agency. In the meantime, presuming approval will be granted, it moved to accept a proposal of $18,698.69 from Solitude Lake Management as the contracted applicator of ProcellaCOR this summer. MARGATE The city's mayor issued an apology to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and his wife, Kylie, on Wednesday after a woman berated Kylie for not taking a photo with her over the weekend at Steve & Cookie's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. "On behalf of the city of Margate, I'd like to formally apologize to Jason and Kylie Kelce for the experience they had in our city," Mayor Michael Collins said in a statement. "As a father with young children, I know as well as anyone the importance of a date night with your wife." The woman yelled "You'll never be allowed in this town again" at Kylie Kelce as she was walking into the restaurant with her husband, according to a video circulating on social media. Kylie Kelce politely declined to take the photo, saying the two were on a date, according to social media. Woman yells 'You'll never be allowed in this town again' to Kylie Kelce after not taking photo with her in Margate A woman berated Kylie Kelce, the wife of former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, for not taking a photo with her over the weekend in Sea Isle City, according to a video circulating on social media. "You're embarrassing yourself," Kylie Kelce told the woman. Collins called into the Mike and Diane Morning Show on 95.1 WAYV on Wednesday and invited the couple to come back and have dinner on him. "Margate is a great community, and that video is not a reflection of who we are," Collins said on the radio. "We'd love for the Kelces to have a better feel for what Margate is. You can't beat Steve & Cookie's, so I certainly don't want their good meal and experience in Margate to be ruined because of this. I would like to offer a redo." The Kelces own a house in Sea Isle City. Shenzhou-18 crew members complete first spacewalk Xinhua) 08:30, May 29, 2024 This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed the first spacewalk of their mission at 6:58 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu worked for about eight-and-a-half hours in completing multiple tasks, including the installation of space debris protection devices, and were assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth. The task has set a new record for the longest single spacewalk by Chinese astronauts. Ye and Li Guangsu, the two crew members assigned the spacewalk duty, have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module. This marked Ye's second extravehicular activity (EVA), following his initial spacewalk during the Shenzhou-13 mission, while Li Guangsu embarked on a spacewalk for the first time. The mission will involve numerous other tasks, with the Shenzhou-18 crew set to engage in a slew of scheduled space science experiments and technical tests, while they will also undertake additional extravehicular activities and install payloads outside the space station, according to the CMSA. So far, Chinese astronauts have successfully carried out a total of 16 EVAs. On Sept. 27, 2008, astronaut Zhai Zhigang in Shenzhou-7 mission made history as China's first person to conduct a spacewalk, which lasted approximately 19 minutes. The Shenzhou-15 crew has achieved a milestone by performing four spacewalks, marking the highest number of EVAs by a single Chinese astronaut crew. The Shenzhou-17 crew completed, for the first time, the in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities during their second spacewalk, which lasted approximately eight hours. This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Guangsu preparing for extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu performing extravehicular activities assisted by the robotic arm of the space station. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu going out for extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Cong monitoring the extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronauts performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Guangsu returning to space station after extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Ye Guangfu taking a photo of Li Guangsu during extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 28, 2024 shows Shenzhou-18 astronaut Li Guangsu performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting space station completed their first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Li Jie) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) For the past several years, local painter Chris Anderson has used his talents to make gifts that were given to Chinese delegates during their visits to Muscatine. Anderson would give them small pearl buttons with painted images on them. For his most recent project, Anderson was able to take his art to the next level by capturing the friendship that has grown between Muscatine and China. During a dinner event at the Merrill Hotel earlier this month, Anderson had the opportunity to share his latest painting entitled The Pearl Dragon to visiting Hebei Governor Wang Zhengpu and Zhengding County Party Secretary Wang Zhengding, alongside their delegations. When talking about his reasons for creating the painting, Anderson recalled that after he had learned the story of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his time staying in Muscatine, he realized that there were still many people who didnt know this story. I thought about it for a while, and I thought that if I painted an oil painting that kind of depicted the story, it would serve multiple purposes because then I would be able to gift prints of it to the Chinese tourists who come here, and I would also be able to tell local people the story of when the President of China stayed in Muscatine, he said. As for his inspirations for the painting, Anderson and other guests were given stuffed pandas and dragon toys during a different event at the Merrill earlier this year. The dragon plush, he said, was striking due to the impressive detail. I was just blown away by its intricacies, it was just amazing, he said. I liked it so much that I decided to paint a portrait of it. Anderson also said he felt the timing for the painting was appropriate, given that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Wanting the painting to represent China and Muscatine and the story and friendship between the two places, Anderson painted his dragon holding a pearl button as a nod to both Muscatines pearl button industry as well as Andersons previous pearl button gifts. The dragon holding the pearl button represents me gifting back from our community to them our friendship, Anderson said. The background of the painting also contains a Chinese waterfall, the Muscatine riverfront and the Sino-US friendship house that still resides on Mulberry Street. These background elements, Anderson said, are meant to further show the two communities coming together, showing that the distance between them may not be as wide as others may think. Working on it for six hours each day, Anderson took around 10 days to finish the painting. Oil paints are very difficult to work with, he said. I enjoy them very much because Im able to pull off some awesome effects, but they take a long time to try and there are other things you need to do with them when using them, so its a higher end of art. Anderson went on to say that it felt incredible to do a painting such as this one, calling the opportunity to represent this part of Muscatine and Chinas history through his art a privilege. The painting is currently on display inside the downtown office of Pearl City Media, located at 215 East 2nd Street. Anderson said he hopes to one day gift the painting to President Xi Jinping. What I take away from doing this is that sometimes its the little things that count when it comes to being friends with somebody, Anderson said. This whole thing is about our friendship with the President of China, and I really hope these little things are enough to not only catch his attention but also the attention of local people here and help them see how far we can go together. Anderson shared that his next art project will be focused on the subject of pearls and the preservation of pearl. To learn more about this and Andersons other projects or to inquire about his art commissions, they can visit Andersons Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherAndersonArt. Mexico extradites Polish national on charges of supplying European countries with cocaine Mexico City, Mexico The Government of Mexico granted the extradition of a man wanted in Poland on drug and criminal association charges. On Tuesday, the State Attorney of the Republic (FGR) reported on the extradition of Tomasz K who was wanted in the city of Bydgoszcz. In compliance with the International Extradition Law and the Principle of International Reciprocity, the FGR extradited to the government of Poland a person of Polish nationality required by the Regional Court of Bydgoszcz for criminal association and drug charges, they reported. According to their report, between 2011 and 2013, Tomasz K was involved with a criminal group that supplied, exported and transported cocaine across the borders of various countries located in Europe. The defendant was dedicated to recruiting personnel for the transportation of drugs and was in charge of making the financial arrangements of the organization, they added. Tomasz K was detained in Zapopan, Jalisco in March 2023, and held for extradition purposes. He was returned to his home country of Poland Tuesday to face charges. He was made available to agents from the Republic of Poland at the Mexico City International Airport for his transfer to Poland. The FGR did not specify if Tomasz K was involved with a Mexican criminal organization or if he was involved with a criminal group in Poland and fled to Mexico. SRE supports Mexican journalist after attack by German police Mexico City, Mexico The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) continues to protect a Mexican journalist who was attacked by German police while covering a story. The journalist, Ignacio Rosaslanda, suffered injuries during the attack while covering a protest at Humboldt University in Berlin. In a statement, the SRE (Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores) reported through the Mexican Embassy in Germany, they continue to assist and grant consular protection to the Rosaslanda after the attack he suffered by the German police May 24. During the operation to evict protesters from the Humboldt University in Berlin, local police forcefully subdued the journalist, despite having identified himself as a reporter for the Berliner Zeitung newspaper and maintaining a peaceful attitude. The journalist suffered minor bruising during the attack and has since filed a lawsuit for abuse of authority after a video of the attack went viral. The Mexican ambassador to Germany, Francisco Quiroga Fernandez, met with the journalist at the Mexican embassy. During the meeting, Ignacio Rosaslanda handed over the video showing the attack and shared that in addition to the obstruction of journalistic work and the unnecessary use of force. Photo: SRE May 25, 2024. The police officer who made the arrest distorted the events that occurred, conspired with other elements to fabricate testimonies that supported the false version and denied the reporter the immediate medical attention that paramedics intended to provide him. The Mexican embassy shared the video of the attack with the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and provides support in the lawsuit that the newspaper and the journalist filed for injuries and abuse of authority. Mexican journalist Ignacio Rosaslanda, left, was attacked by Berlin police while covering a story. Photo: SRE May 25, 2024. The diplomatic representation will follow up on the legal process to ensure that the aggression is clarified and the corresponding sanctions are applied, they said. Tulum firemen continue their four day long fire battle Tulum, Q.R. Authorities in the municipality of Tulum continue to battle a fire that now covers more than two hectares. The fire started late Friday in a jungle area several kilometers west of the town of Tulum. Tulum firemen worked over the weekend trying to put out the fire. Photo: Direccion General de Proteccion Civil y Bomberos May 26, 2024 After days of exhaustive fighting, heavy machinery was finally brought in to help create a fire break to control the spread. Firemen are hoping to catch a break and stop the fire from expanding even more. Benjamin Heredia Monforte, the Director of the Tulum Fire Department, said Monday night a four-meter wide fire break was made along the length of the forest fire to help control flames, since sporadic wind gusts have worked against firemen trying to extinguish the fire. Heavy machinery was brought in Monday night to create a fire break. Photo: Direccion General de Proteccion Civil y Bomberos May 27, 2024. Firemen from the Tulum fire department have spent nearly four days battling the spreading wildfire that is believed started by an intentional land burn that became out of control. The fire was reported late Friday in the vicinity of the Marites area of the municipality and quickly grew into a forest fire. Monforte said that with the fire break, they expect the fire to be controlled by Tuesday afternoon so it can be completely extinguished with continued monitoring into Wednesday. Municipal firemen continue to deal with the fire that has so far consumed approximately two hectares. Photo: Direccion General de Proteccion Civil y Bomberos May 28, 2024. He said to date, the fire has consumed approximately two hectares of lowland jungle and undergrowth. Normally the municipalities have a brigade from Conafor, the National Forest Commission (Comision Nacional Forestal), however, all available forest fire fighters are busy battling fires in other parts of the country. As of May 28, Conafor reported 127 active forest fires in 24 states across Mexico, and of these, 32 are in Protected Natural Areas. To put out the flames, 3,459 fighters and 10 aircraft have been deployed to carry out water discharges and transfer personnel. The man convicted in the 1980 killing of Radford University freshman Gina Renee Hall has been denied parole for the second time in three years. Halls remains have still not been located, but Stephen Epperly, now 72, was found guilty of her murder the same year she vanished. He continues to be held on a life sentence at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections online inmate database. I continually admire the fortitude that Gina Halls family constantly carries with them, Pulaski Commonwealths Attorney Justin Griffith said in a statement Tuesday. I am very appreciative of the community involvement in maintaining the justice achieved in this case. Epperlys last request for geriatric parole was denied in July 2021. The Roanoke Times reported then that the Virginia Parole Board has periodically reviewed Epperly for release since his conviction more than 40 years ago. Griffith said that while some people might argue that Epperlys release would be progress, he would call Epperlys release a regression to evil. The commonwealths attorney said Epperly is not welcome back into Pulaski County. We will be ready if and when he comes up for parole again, Griffith said. Two weeks ago, Griffith said that members of his office, Halls sister Dlana Bodmer and the attorney that prosecuted Epperlys case, Everett Shockley, spoke with the parole board. I informed the board that he is among the prosecutors that came before me and one of many whose shoulders I stand on today, Griffith said of Shockley. I firmly believe that but for his foresight and determination in the courtroom 40 years ago, Stephen Epperly would have gone unpunished and we would not be here today. The commonwealths attorney said the family of the lead investigator on Epperlys case, Austin Hall, also urged the parole board not to release Epperly. They reminded the board of the important and difficult work he put into the search for the truth, Griffith said. Members of the Pulaski community also wrote countless letters in opposition to Epperlys parole, Griffith said. All of those letters expressed not only fear for the safety of the public if Stephen Epperly is released, but also the general sentiment that this is not a matter of punishment, it is a matter of protecting human lives and upholding our country and states system of order. Griffith said that while the 1980 murder occurred before he was born, it matters to him that everyone remembers the quest for truth that Austin Hall led and finished, that everyone remembers the quest for justice that Everett Shockley began and that our office continues to see through and will continue to see through until Epperlys end, and that the parole board understands that this nightmare will never end for Gina Halls family until Stephen Epperly meets his maker. Remittances from workers in the U.S. to their families and friends in Latin America amounted to $155 billion in 2023. With such a huge opportunity, banks, money transfer companies, retailers and fintechs are all trying to make transfers more convenient on both sides of the transaction. Fast-growing startup Felix Pago is one of these players, and recently raised a $15.5 million Series A round of funding to grow its presence in Latin America and the U.S., TechCrunch learned exclusively. Its main interface is WhatsApp, with a chatbot that makes it simple to send and receive cross-border money transfers, even with a voice message. "I like to say that WhatsApp is the operating system of the region, so it makes sense that we build something on WhatsApp to make it super easy," CEO Manuel Godoy told TechCrunch. WhatsApp itself already enabled peer-to-peer transactions and the option for users to pay businesses through chat, but only in Brazil and India. But a broader rollout wouldn't be bad news for Felix and similar solutions like BidSend, Leap Financial and Zapp -- if users can use their card on WhatsApp, remittances would only be one click away, Godoy says. Meta currently seems to see these third-party developments favorably. Its WhatsApp for Business blog highlights the use case of Nicaragua's LAFISE Bank, which built a virtual assistant in WhatsApp to make remittances smoother. But Felix Pago has a broader purview. Other than WhatsApp, which they already have installed, "users don't have to download any app," Godoy said. On the U.S. side, users complete most of the transaction details via the WhatsApp chatbot; it's only at the last step that they have to click on a link to securely fill in their debit card information. And on the other end, money can be collected instantly in local currency as a bank deposit, but also in cash at a store. Felix Pago's process Cash is often what recipients prefer, so Felix Pago adapted to that reality and made partnerships to have cash pickup locations in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. For an extra $1.99, "the sender receives a receipt with a unique ID number and they send this receipt to the beneficiary to show it to the teller so they can pick up the cash." A lot more is happening behind the scenes, thanks to in-house and third-party tools that Felix uses to comply with its obligations and optimize its operations. There's KYC, AML and fraud prevention; and there's crypto, Godoy said. By using Circle's USDC stablecoin, Felix Pago is able to make savings on foreign exchange that it can pass to users. USDC's 24/7 availability also reduces Felix's pre-funding needs, enabling it to make the first transaction free, as competitors Remitly and Western Union do. Felix then charges $2.50 on subsequent transactions to Guatemala and Mexico, while it opted for tiered pricing for Honduras. Overall, this makes fees much lower than on SWIFT transactions, which are also slower. Story continues "Crypto is a powerful enabler for remittances, but you have to abstract that from the user. The user doesn't care about that. I always say that it could be a donkey crossing the border, it doesn't matter. What they want is the money, the local currency and they want it instantly at the best possible price. And crypto enables that on the back end." https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/30/for-remittances-crypto-is-still-a-problem-looking-for-a-solution Since Felix relies on USDC and crypto partners, Godoy thinks the domain expertise of its new lead investor, Boston-based crypto fund Castle Island Ventures, makes it a welcome addition to its cap table. "We're already leveraging some of their portfolio companies to make our infrastructure more robust, and one of their partners, Nic Carter, is one of the leading experts in USDC [and] stablecoins, so I think that gives us a lot of leverage." Switch Ventures, the fund that led Felix's pre-seed extension round in 2023, also participated again, as did investors that took part in its previous $2.5 million pre-seed round, including HTwenty, Contour and MELI Capital, the corporate venture capital arm of Latin American e-commerce giant Mercado Libre, whose partnership with Felix gave the startup a significant boost. Under that partnership, Mercado promotes Felix Pago to users of its payment platform Mercado Pago in Mexico. Those referrals accounted for 25% of its new users at the time. A similar partnership with neobank Nubank followed, giving Felix's growth another bump. "The cool thing though, is that today we continue growing roughly 30% month over month, but it's not just because of those partnerships," Godoy said. Referrals are its main growth engine, but the company also relies on influencer marketing and Facebook to make itself better known among its target audience in the U.S. So far, most of its users there are blue-collar Latino professionals working in construction, food and home services. This makes Godoy confident that Felix will remain complementary to Nubank and Mercado Libre, even as the latter expands its fintech plans. (It is reportedly seeking a banking license in Mexico.) "They don't have a product in the U.S., so ultimately the sender is a Felix Pago customer." Felix Pago also hopes to help these customers with more than remittances. "The vision that we have for Felix is to become the trusted companion for the Latino immigrant in the U.S." Its roadmap includes a credit builder and, eventually, actual credit. First, though, the startup will use its new funding to expand into El Salvador and Nicaragua, followed by the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and then the rest of Latin America. That's a necessity if Felix wants to move further on its roadmap and have an edge on other companies aiming for the same spot. "To become that trusted companion of the Latino in the U.S, we have to solve the [remittances] problem for all Latinos," Godoy said. NEW YORK The family behind the Stefano Ricci brand has always had a love of the outdoors and nature. The children of the founders, who are now running the company, have ridden horses in British Columbia, visited Africa more than 30 times and traveled to some of the most isolated and beautiful places around the world. To share that passion with others, the Florence-based luxury menswear brand created Stefano Ricci Explorer, where it would use the wonders of the world as the backdrop for their seasonal collections. So far the company has visited Luxor, Egypt; Iceland; the Galapagos Islands, and Mongolia. For the spring 25 collection, the brand visited Cambodia and brought along famed nature photographer Steve McCurry to shoot the look book and campaign. More from WWD Chief executive officer Niccolo Ricci and his brother Filippo Ricci, creative director, on Wednesday unveiled the campaign at the Explorers Club in New York City, where they showed films of the shoot that took place at some of Cambodias oldest and most historic sites such as the Angkor temples, the Mekong River, Tonle Sap Lake and the Kulen Forest Elephant Reserve. Those sites served as the inspiration for the new collection, which included aloe linen shirts, white evening outfits, Sahara jackets, field jackets, and logoed backpacks with ruthenium hardware in natural fibers. A look shot in the Bayon Temple. Their visit to Cambodia also served to support local institutions that protect cultural heritage and embrace sustainability. Toward that end, Stefano Ricci has partnered with Wild Earth Allies, a group that is working to reverse biodiversity loss globally while protecting Asian elephants by preserving millions of acres of key habitat for the animals and planting 5,000 trees in degraded areas. McCurry said he first visited Cambodia in the late 1980s when the Angkor temple complex was deserted, the roads were made of mud and barely passable and there was still warfare in the jungles. But the changes that he witnessed when he returned in April with the Stefano Ricci team was a real pleasure. He said that time of the year is the hottest in Cambodia and the models and crew arrived before dawn to set up and prepare for the shoots. And while the ancient stones in the temples were riveting, it was the elephants that he found the most pleasure photographing. Theyre such majestic animals, he said. Story continues McCurry said this wasnt his first fashion assignment he had shot the Pirelli calendar and also did a campaign for Valentino, as well as some smaller Italian brands. Every photography project has its own challenges, he said, but for this job, the models were great and the locations were incredibly historical so I just tried to create images that would show the clothing in the best possible way. He also liked that this campaign helped the local community. When you go in with 30 people, its a huge boost to the economy, he said. The Ta Prohm Temple served as the backdrop for the collection. Stefano Ricci is able to be philanthropic because the brand has been on a growth spurt of late. Niccolo Ricci said his family still owns 100 percent of the business founded by his parents in 1972 and seeks to create the highest expression of the luxury lifestyle for men. In 2023, he said, the company posted a record $256 million in sales worldwide, up 43 percent from the prior year. So far this year, sales are up 10 percent. The U.S. accounts for 20 percent of the overall business and sales in this country rose 16 percent last year and are up 15 percent so far this year. Stefano Ricci operates five stores in the U.S., in New York, Beverly Hills, Miamis Design District and two in Las Vegas. He said a unit will open in Houston in two months followed by one in Washington, D.C., at the beginning of next year. Outside the U.S., the company will open stores in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam as well as the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong, he said. Stefano Ricci now employs 800 people worldwide, including 50 people added last year along with 100 more tailors outside its hometown of Florence. In addition to menswear, the brand produces leather goods, silverware and jewelry. High-end luxury is still performing, he said, and we have a very loyal clientele. The afternoon included a four-course lunch prepared by the companys executive chef who was flown to New York from Florence to prepare the baby greens, pasta with spicy tomato sauce, free range chicken and Florentine cheesecake, made from the secret recipe of the Ricci family. Best of WWD DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials. The tent camp inferno has drawn widespread international outrage, including from some of Israels closest allies, over the militarys expanding offensive into Rafah. The White House on Tuesday condemned the loss of life as a result of the airstrike in Rafah, but said it is not planning any policy changes as a result of the Israeli actions. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israel had not violated Biden's red line for withholding future offensive arms transfers because it has not, and it appears to the U.S. that it will not, launch a full-scale ground invasion into the city in southern Gaza. Everything that we can see tells us that they are not moving into a major ground operation in population centers in the center of Rafah," Kirby said. The Israeli military suggested Sunday's blaze in the tent camp may have been caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants' weapons. The results of Israel's initial probe into the fire were issued Tuesday, with military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari saying the cause of the fire was still under investigation but that the Israeli munitions used targeting what the army said was a position with two senior Hamas militants were too small to be the source. The strike or the subsequent fire could also have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the camp. The blaze killed 45 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials count. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the fire was the result of a tragic mishap. Israel's assault on Rafah, launched May 6, spurred more than 1 million people to flee the city, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees said Tuesday. Most were already displaced multiple times in the nearly eight-month war between Israel and Hamas. Families are now scattered across makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas. The strikes over the past few days have hit areas west of Rafah, where the military had not ordered civilians to evacuate. Israeli ground troops and tanks have been operating in eastern Rafah, in central parts of the city, and along the Gaza-Egypt border. Shelling late Monday and early Tuesday hit Rafahs western Tel al-Sultan district, killing at least 16 people, the Palestinian Civil Defense and the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Seven of the dead were in tents next to a U.N. facility about 200 yards from the site of Sunday's fire. It was a night of horror, said Abdel-Rahman Abu Ismail, a Palestinian from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Tel al-Sultan since December. He said he heard constant sounds of explosions overnight and into Tuesday, with fighter jets and drones flying above. He said it reminded him of the Israeli invasion of his neighborhood of Shijaiyah in Gaza City, where Israel launched a heavy bombing campaign before sending in ground forces in late 2023. We saw this before, he said. Also on Tuesday, the Pentagon said that the U.S.-built temporary pier that was taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians for less than two weeks will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas. Over the next two days, the pier will be pulled from the beach and sent to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, where U.S. Central Command will repair it, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. She said the fixes will take at least over a week and then the pier will need to be anchored back into the beach in Gaza. From when it was operational, it was working, and we just had sort of an unfortunate confluence of weather storms that made it inoperable for a bit, Singh said. Hopefully just a little over a week, we should be back up and running. The United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller gave no indication the administration sees Israel as crossing any of the red lines for Rafah, saying the offensive is still on a far different scale than assaults on other population centers in Gaza. The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africa's case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli drone strike hit tents near a field hospital by the Mediterranean coast west of Rafah, killing at least 21 people, including 13 women, Gaza's Health Ministry said. A witness, Ahmed Nassar, said his four cousins and some of their husbands and children were killed in the strike and a number of tents were destroyed or damaged. Most of those living there had fled from the same neighborhood in Gaza City earlier in the war. They have nothing to do with anything, he said. Fewer Americans have work friends. Here's how co-workers can bond. Fewer Americans have work friends. Here's how co-workers can bond. The feeling of mutual care in the workplace is dwindling How to build better relationships at work Fewer Americans have work friends. Here's how co-workers can bond. Waters across the Atlantics tropical belt extending from the coast of Africa through the Caribbean are hotter now than in any other late May on record, with over 90% of the areas sea surface engulfed in record or near-record warmth. The extent of marine heat has never been greater heading into a hurricane season, outpacing by wide margins the previous late May record-holder in 2005, a year remembered for one of the most active and destructive hurricane seasons in modern history. About 67% of the tropical Atlantic experienced record or near-record warm sea surface temperature anomalies in late May 2005 using 1981-2024 records, a notably smaller extent than May 2024. The Atlantic Main Development Region (area outlined by the black boxes above) is the warmest on record (since 1981) going into a hurricane season. Although record-setting sea surface temperatures alone dont guarantee a busy hurricane season, they do strongly influence it, especially when the abnormal warmth coincides with the tropical belt known as the Main Development Region, or MDR, the area where 85% of Category 3, 4, and 5 hurricanes form. When considered alongside a developing La Nina the periodic cooling of the equatorial Pacific that reduces storm-busting Atlantic wind shear the unprecedented ocean heat is driving up seasonal hurricane outlooks higher than ever before. Colorado State University the group that pioneered seasonal hurricane forecasts in the 1980s issued its most aggressive April forecast last month in almost 30 years of doing such preseason outlooks. NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, will release its first 2024 hurricane season outlook May 23, and expectations are for similarly bullish numbers. Whats behind the record-breaking Atlantic heat? The exceptional warm-up of the North Atlantic began in earnest last spring and continued through the 2023 hurricane season. Despite one of the strongest El Nino events on record, which would typically deter hurricane activity, the Atlantic churned out 20 named storms last season, the fourth-highest number since 1950, according to NOAA. Forecasters largely credited the record-warm tropical Atlantic for counteracting the heavy hand of El Nino. Although a rapid transition from La Nina to El Nino last year along with human-caused global warming remain the primary factors behind the Atlantics ongoing hot streak, they dont fully explain the abrupt jump into uncharted territory. A significant reduction in global sulfate emissions since 2020 from new shipping regulations and an increase in stratospheric water vapor from an explosive South Pacific volcanic eruption in 2022 are also likely contributors. However, the jurys still out on these players, and so far both appear to have only fractional effects on the recent temperature spike. That leaves scientists closely monitoring the progress of El Nino in the eastern Pacific, which is already beginning a transition to La Nina. In theory, the transition out of a strong El Nino should begin to cool the Atlantic to levels more in line with the current trajectory of global warming. So far, this hasnt happened. Locally, the Bermuda or Azores High in the Atlantic continues to remain much weaker than average. This semi-permanent area of high pressure controls the east-to-west flowing trade winds across the Atlantic tropical belt. With a weaker subtropical high, the Atlantic trade winds slow, which reduces ocean mixing that cools surface waters. This feedback loop further warms the Atlantic across its primary hurricane breeding ground. What do record-hot ocean temperatures mean for the Caribbean? The epicenter of the Atlantic heat wave is the Caribbean, where waters are averaging 84.7 degrees Fahrenheit for the week, a weekly temperature never seen before August, and already reaching well above the 1991-2020 average annual peak that typically isnt hit until September. The Caribbean is home to some of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded. Half of the 40 Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes since 1851 formed in the Caribbean, including Hurricane Wilma in October 2005, the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever observed. But strong winds arent the only threat when sea surface temperatures rise. When water temperatures warm from 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, studies show tropical rainfall one of the deadliest calling cards of tropical storms and hurricanes increases by a factor of five. This amplifies the concern for flooding rains for those islands and land areas bordering the Caribbean, especially early in the hurricane season when waters are usually in the low 80s. European model forecast for the probability of above average (green hues) or below average (brown hues) rainfall for the peak months of the Atlantic hurricane season (August-September-October). The red box shows the Caribbean, with forecast rainfall in the top 20% of the 24-year climatology, a consequence of record-breaking sea surface temperatures. Credit: ECMWF Additionally, if the anomalous warmth persists deeper into the hurricane season as forecast models suggest, it raises the specter of rapid intensification for hurricanes that do form. Once sea surface temperatures exceed 83 or 84 degrees Fahrenheit, fully-formed hurricanes are more likely to undergo periods of rapid intensification, especially when wind shear isnt strong. A peer-reviewed study published last fall also found the pace at which tropical storms and hurricanes are strengthening is quickening in the Caribbean compared to the past, with a bullseye in the western Caribbean. As absolute temperatures warm into the summer and early fall, these departures above the average will become increasingly problematic for the marine environment as well. 2023 saw some of the worst coral bleaching on record in the region due to the extreme heat stress across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The lengthening duration of heat stress NOAA confirmed in April the fourth global coral bleaching event is already underway could once again threaten the survival and recovery of corals in 2024. Map series comparing the coral bleaching so far in 2024 (bottom map) to previous global events in 1998 (topmost map), 2010, and 2014-2017. Each map shows the location and intensity of coral heat stress during the peak of the events. According to NOAA, none of the previous global bleaching events showed as severe and widespread heat stress throughout the Atlantic and the ongoing bleaching event. Over the past year, 99.7% of Atlantic tropical reef areas experienced bleaching-level heat stress. Credit: NOAA South Florida already feeling the heat Last week, most of South Florida bathed in heat not typically felt until the height of summer. Last Wednesday, Miamis high hit 96 degrees Fahrenheit, with another daily record reached on Sunday. The daily average temperature in Miami was a remarkable 89 degrees on Sunday, an average temperature never observed before late June in Miami. The heat index in Miami hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend, shattering the old heat index record for May by a full six degrees Fahrenheit. Since 1948, on only three days ever in Miami each in July or August has the heat index hit 112 degrees or higher, according to a heat index climatology maintained by University of Miami scientist Brian McNoldy. The startling South Florida heat is partly the byproduct of a staunch high-pressure dome aloft extending from Mexico through the Florida Straits which has stifled afternoon Florida thunderstorms. But perhaps the bigger contributor to the extreme early heat has been the moisture influx from southerly flow over the record-warm waters of the Caribbean and nearby Gulf Stream. The dew point temperature an indicator of how moisture-ridden the air is was nearly 80 degrees in Miami on Sunday afternoon when air temperatures were approaching the mid-90s. This uncomfortable dew point at the apex of the day not only sent heat indexes into the lower 110s but kept nighttime lows from dipping below 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Unless surrounding waters begin to cool down, South Florida may be in store for another long, hot summer. Will the record Atlantic warmth subside before the hurricane season peak? All signs from seasonal forecast models point to a continued tropical Atlantic heat wave through the summer. Both the North American Multi-Model Ensemble forecast system and the European Centres long-range forecast system predict high odds of much warmer-than-average waters from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean through the Atlantics Main Development Region for the months ahead. September 2024 forecast for sea surface temperature departures from average (anomalies) from the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) forecast system. Seasonal forecasts largely show a continuation of much warmer-than-average waters through the peak of the 2024 hurricane season. Credit: TropicalTidbits.com. The extreme heat building in the waters of the Atlantic both at the surface and below doesnt bode well for the health of the marine ecosystem, nor will it lessen the health hazards for those living nearby and exposed to relentless feels-like temperatures. Whether hurricane season lives up to this years hype is to be seen, but with 90% of the tropical belt immersed in record or near record warm waters, the Atlantic powder keg awaits its first spark. Read our ongoing coverage of Donald Trumps first criminal trial here. On Wednesday, the Manhattan jury responsible for deciding former President Donald J. Trumps hush money trial deliberated for four and a half hours before going home for the day without a verdict. While the lack of verdict on Day 1 of deliberations is good news for Trump, the first note that the jury sent Justice Juan Merchan conveyed the opposite message. Trump himself seemed anxious about the potential for a speedy conviction today. After jury instructions were read, the former president took to his hallwayslashpress area outside of the courtroom to declare that Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. He doesnt have much indication of what the jurors are thinking. As they have done throughout the trial, jurors did not look Trump in the eye as they passed him while entering and exiting the courtroom. As a pair of jurors were handed a laptop containing all of the evidence in the case and received instructions on how to use it from the prosecution team, they both smiled with that prosecution team member. That smile was as much as we had to go off of for 3 hours and 20 minutes, until they sent their note. That note contained four questions that were heavily focused on the testimony of the prosecutions first and most credible witness, former American Media chief executive David Pecker. The requests are as follows: 1. Peckers testimony regarding a key phone conversation with Trump. 2. Peckers testimony regarding his decision not to finalize and fund the assignment of Karen McDougals life rights. 3. Peckers testimony regarding the Trump Tower meeting where the conspiracy to influence the 2016 election was allegedly hatched in August 2015. 4. Michael Cohens testimony regarding that same Trump Tower meeting. Advertisement The problem for Trump? These are the central pieces of the case the prosecution made that show a conspiracy to illegally influence the 2016 election. That the payment was in fact an effort to influence the election is what they must prove to elevate the false documents charges against Trump from a misdemeanor to a felony. So: Asking for details on precisely that does not look good for Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Less than an hour after sending out this first note, the jury sent another note requesting that the judges 55-page jury instructions be read back to them. It was unclear if the jurors wanted them read in their entirety, but regardless, they were dismissed and asked to return in the morning to let the judge know what exactly what they want read. Advertisement The critical point outside observers can take from these early moves is to remember this: Pecker was an outstanding witness for the prosecution. As the prosecutions first witness, Pecker laid out how in August 2015, weeks after Trump announced his candidacy, the former National Enquirer boss, Cohen, and Trump met at Trump Tower to establish the terms of the allegedly illegal efforts Pecker would undertake to boost Trumps candidacy. Here is Peckers description of that meeting from the testimony in question: I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponent, Pecker testified, regarding his promises in that Aug. 2015 Trump Tower meeting. He would also be the eyes and ears of the campaign to help identify stories from women alleging sex scandals with Trump to have those stories killed. Advertisement Cohen, Pecker, and Trump would then specifically target candidates with negative articles, such as Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge in Patients Brain! and Ted Cruz Sex ScandalFive Secret Mistresses based on how well Trumps opponents were doing in the polls. Peckers testimony was completely confirmed later on in the trial by Cohen, though he came off as a far less credible witness than the National Enquirer honcho. What was discussed [at that Trump Tower meeting] was the power of the National Enquirer in terms of being located at the cash register of so many supermarkets and bodegas; that if we can place positive stories about Mr. Trump, that would be beneficial; that if we could place negative stories about some of the other candidates, that would also be beneficial, Cohen testified. What he said was that he could keep an eye out for anything negative about Mr. Trump, and that he would be able to help us to know in advance what was coming out and try to stop it from coming out. Advertisement Advertisement Now heres what the judge told the jurors would elevate the crime to a felony: Section 17-152 of the New York Election Law provides that any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means and which conspiracy is acted upon by one or more of the parties thereto, shall be guilty of conspiracy to promote or prevent an election. Advertisement Advertisement Thats why the alleged conspiracy is central to the prosecutors case, and why this early request for clarification looks so bad for Trump. Further, the other two questions jurors asked about did not seem particularly good for Trump, either. One referred to Peckers decision not to hand over McDougals life rights to Trump in exchange for a reimbursement of the payment AMI had made to McDougal. Even though Trump wanted that exchange at that point, Pecker changed his mind about the reimbursement after speaking with a campaign finance lawyer. The timing of the reversal implied that Pecker understood what he was doing for Trump might be criminal. Advertisement The other question referred to a phone call that Pecker said he had with Trump when Pecker was at a meeting with AMI investors in June 2016. Here are the details of that call and what ensued, as described by Pecker: When I got on the phone, Mr. Trump said to me, I spoke to Michael. Karen is a nice girl. Is it true that a Mexican group is looking to buy her story for $8 million dollars? I said: I absolutely dont believe that there is a Mexican group out there to buy a story for $8 million. And then he said: What do you think I should do? I said: I think you should buy the story and take it off the market. He said to me, clearly, that he doesnt buy stories because it always gets out. And he said to me that Michael Cohen would be calling me. He was going to speak to Michael and he would be calling me. . [Cohen] called me and he said: You should go ahead and buy this story. So, I said to him, I said: Im going to have [National Enquirer editor] Dylan Howard negotiate the terms. And then I said, Whos going to pay for it? So, he said to me: Dont worry. Im your friend. The Boss will take care of it. The jury being so interested in whether or not the boss would take care of it at this stage in deliberations is probably something the boss does not want to be hearing. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in Rafah killed at least 50 Palestinian civilians, injuring over 200 more. The strike set off a lethal fire in a tent camp that had been designated as a humanitarian area for hundreds of Gazan Palestinians who have been displaced, adding more victims to the tens of thousands killed and injured since fighting began on Oct. 7. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, called this incident a tragic mistake, but also vowed that Israel would continue to fight in Gaza despite growing calls for an immediate cease-fire. Even if this strike was a mistakedoes that change Israels obligations to the victims? In other words, should states that cause death and destruction in wartime, intentionally or mistakenly, be held responsible? Advertisement Relatively early in the war, Michael L. Gross wrote an opinion for the New York Times in which he argues that Israel has moral obligations and political incentives to pay compensation and provide medical care to civilians in Gaza. Doing so, according to Gross, would not only improve Israels moral standing in the eyes of the world, but would also fulfill its moral obligations to innocent victims. More recently, there has been increasing interest and speculation about what compensation Israel might offer to non-Palestinian foreign nationals who have been injured or killed in Gaza, particularly in relation to the deaths of the World Central Kitchen aid workers (for example in Reuters, Verdict, and the Daily Mail). However, what reparations Israel might owe, and to whom, for the injuries it inflicts on civilians are not questions with simple, single, or straightforward answers. Instead, they vary depending on whether were analyzing what is owed through a legal, political, or moral prism. The unfortunate truth is that each possibility would leave innocent civilians without redress for most losses that theyve sustained. As a matter of international law, Israel is not obligated to pay civilians it harms through warfare. In fact, under the law, no nation owes such a duty to civilians directly, only to other nations; an obligation only arises when international law is infringed. Well, you might be wondering, hasnt Israel broken international law? The Israel Defense Forces own military advocate general, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, issued a letter to commanders noting there have been instances in which soldiers acted in ways that crossed the criminal threshold, and the Biden administrations recent report also indicates that Israel may have violated international humanitarian law. But however plain the crimes may seem, in a courtroom, proving them would be difficult. And even if it is established that Israel broke international law, it still would not have a direct obligation to private individualsonly to other states. And you may have noticed that the Palestinian Authoritys status as a state is complicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While wrongful losses that foreign nationals suffer might trigger an obligation of reparation under international law between Israel and those nationals states, no equivalent legal duty clearly exists to Palestinians. This is because the status of the Palestinian Authority as a state is not settled. Some countriesmost recently Ireland, Norway, and Spainhave recognized the Palestinian Authority as a state, as has the International Criminal Court. Yet, the Palestinian Authority does not enjoy statehood status in the United Nations and its institutions. As a result, the likelihood that Israel will be held liable for reparations by an international court appears slimuntil it is recognized as a state by the United Nations. Were the Palestinian Authority to gain such status, it would gain the ability to bring a claim for reparations against Israel to the International Court of Justice. Advertisement That said, while international law does not provide civilians with a right to claim compensation directly from states, domestic tort lawthe civil law through which interpersonal wrongs could be redresseddoes just that. Tort law empowers private individuals to seek a remedy directly from their wrongdoer, whether thats another private individual, a public official, or even states. In theory, tort law could be the answer to civilians who are wrongfully harmed through warfare. However, in practice, many countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S., have a special immunity from tort liability that bars all claims for almost any loss inflicted through combat, called the combatant activities exception. So, what can be said with certainty about what states owe to civilians in warfare? Perhaps that for far too long, states owed far too little. Israel is no different in this regard. It has relied heavily on U.K. and U.S. precedents to justify its own immunity from tort liability in warfare. In a recent project, I analyzed more than 470 cases from 1959 to 2023with Temple University law professor Gilat Bachar and the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rightsin which Israelis, Palestinians, and foreign civilians sought compensation in tort, through Israels civilian courts, for loss of life, bodily injury, and property damage inflicted during armed activities. During this period, Israel has continuously expanded the scope of its immunity and has erected procedural hurdles that essentially render it impossible for any national to even bring a claim in tort against Israel for its security forces operations, let alone succeed in such claims. Thousands of claims were filed by civilians during the Second Intifada (the violent period lasting from approximately 2002 to 2005), and a court ruled that the combatant activities exception made Israel immune from liability in only 30 percent of them. In contrast, between 2019 and 2023, only a handful of cases were filed, and Israel was found to be immune from liability in nearly 90 percent of them. In 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel, the countrys apex court, held that Israels immunity from tort liability for any loss inflicted by the IDF in Gaza is justified, as it hinders the financial health and morale of Israels enemies. Since this decision, civilians in Gaza have had no hope of obtaining a remedy in tort for their losses, whereas civilians in the West Bank maintain a very remote chance of success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, time and again, Israeli courts have reiterated that criminal actions by IDF soldiers, such as looting and wanton destruction of private property, would not fall within the scope of the combatant activities exception. During the current conflict, there have been several reports of such instances (for example here and here), and if past precedent is followed, tort liability could be imposed on individual soldiers as well as on Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli courts have also continuously expanded the scope of what the Palestinian Authority can be held liable for, via tort law, in claims that Jewish Israeli nationals bring for losses they sustain through hostilities. Echoing Canadian and U.S. legislation that allows imposing compensatory and punitive damages on foreign states that sponsor terrorism, Israeli courts ruled the Palestinian Authority was liable for encouraging violence against its civilian population, and for providing financial support to families of Palestinians that Israel holds on security-related charges. We may very well see tort claims brought against Hamas and the Palestinian Authority for the losses that Hamas inflicted in the current conflict in the near future. Advertisement It doesnt have to stay this way. While neither international law nor domestic law could currently be relied on to identify a duty of reparations that is owed to civilians for losses inflicted through actual hostilities, the law in both realms could be changed. As scholars such as Rebecca Crootof, Ugljesa Grusic , and Yael Ronen have articulated, though, amending the law would require considerable political pressure and powerful states willing to lead by example and make it possible for themselves to be held liable. Advertisement Yet even without amending the law, political pressure could see that civilians are provided with some redress for their injuries through voluntary (ex gratia) payments. Governments around the world issue these payments in response to losses for which the law does not offer redress, within the context of armed activities but also in ordinary everyday life. However, applicants cant demand these payments as a matter of right; they are entirely discretionary. Advertisement Advertisement Israel has three such voluntary payment schemes already in place. The first scheme provides payments to Palestinians in the West Bank for property damage caused by Israeli citizens criminal activities. The second scheme allows Palestinian and Israeli nationals to be paid for losses that the IDF or Israels Civil Administration inflict in the West Bank through ordinary activities, such as car accidents. The third scheme offers payment to Palestinians and other foreign nationals in instances that the IDF inflicts a loss and it is believed that nonpayment could negatively affect Israels political or security interest. Related From Slate The Day Most Important to Understanding the Israel-Palestine Conflict Is Here Read More It is the third scheme that may seem to offer an avenue for potential redress to the civilian population in Gaza. But unfortunately, the world should not hold its breath for Israel to make voluntary reparations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One reason is the current political climate in Israel, and the ultra-right-wing political views of many of its ministers. Israel is unlikely to make voluntary payments to Palestinian civilians in Gaza lacking substantial external political pressure, especially as civilians are viewed by some political actors as an enemy. Voluntary reparations are also unlikely due to practical hurdles. The procedure for applying for payment is not easily publicly available or translated into English or Arabic. Moreover, evidence from past decisions suggests that Gaza residents are very unlikely to successfully obtain payment. Analyzing three Freedom of Information Act requests, I was able to establish that between 2004 and 2014, all claims by Palestinians from Gaza were denied; 57 claims by Palestinians from the West Bank were approved, granting a total of 1,879,532 Israeli shekels (approximately $504,200); and one claim by a U.K. national for an undisclosed six-figure sum was granted following significant political pressure by the U.K. government. Advertisement This data supports the common belief that the families of the volunteers of the World Central Kitchen are likely to be offered such payments, and those payments are also likely to be considerable. Its hardly a coincidence that those most likely to receive considerable compensatory payment are mostly not Palestinian, but Western. Only one of the seven World Central Kitchen volunteers who were killed was Palestinian. Advertisement As international and domestic law fall short of compensating civilians who have suffered from state actions, and voluntary payments are dependent on elusive political interests, perhaps it is no wonder that Michael L. Gross sought to ground his argument in morality. Yet, his argument that nations that wage war necessarily have a moral obligation to the civilians they harm in the process is more contentious than he lets on. Views on this vary widely within the academy (and outside it), and no doubt the decision would engender a bitter political debate within and outside Israel and Palestine. Some philosophers deny that any moral obligations to grant reparations exist; others question whether a moral obligation to compensate victims ought to exist only to redress harms that are inflicted wrongfully; and others believe that all losses create a moral obligation to compensate for them, regardless of fault. The question of to whom moral obligation demands Israels payment would no doubt be fiercely contentious after this war due to the wars asymmetrical and urban character, the commitment of war crimes by Hamas, and the historical and political context. Thats to say nothing of the emotional and personal connection that millions of people have to each side of the conflict; lived realities are driving everyones views of what the right thing to do is, and for whom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, what can be said with certainty about what states owe to civilians in warfare? Perhaps that for far too long, states owed far too little. Or that even when we can articulate what intuitively is a moral wrong that requires redress, law and politics often fail to provide civilians with a means of compensation as a matter of right. Nevertheless, there is value in a duty of reparations. It is a means of acknowledging our humanity, the need to take accountability for the wrongs we inflict and to show care toward others. Even during war, these values hold true. On Wednesday, Justice Samuel Alito released a letter dismissing concerns over the New York Times reports of insurrectionist flags flying outside his homes. Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse had sought to have Alito recused from any Jan 6.related cases because of these flags, but the justice has now spurned their requests. His statement, filed on Supreme Court letterhead and overflowing with Alitos trademark aggrievement, is best interpreted as either an unreconstructed piece of lawless trolling or a meditation on the nature of female autonomy. It will at least clear up one thing: The justice has not been chastened by recent events and will carry forward his nihilistic attitude into the explosive final weeks of this term. Advertisement Alito stands accused of flying two controversial flags. The first was an upside-down American flag at the justices Virginia house, flown in the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as the court was considering major election-related cases. The second was an Appeal to Heaven flag seen last summer over his New Jersey beach house. Both symbols are connected to movements that supported the insurrection, along with authoritarianism and religious extremism. Durbin and Whitehouse, along with a group of Democratic representatives, believe that this apparent support for insurrectionist-flavored ideas requires him to step aside from the terms Jan. 6 cases. In Alitos telling, he not only wont recuse but in fact cant recuse himself from the insurrection cases. Why? Because, he suggests, the nonbinding and entirely subjective ethics code to which the nine justices half-heartedly committed themselves this past fall requires that they remain on cases when they personally decide theres no legitimate reason to recuse. Alito therefore asserts an obligation to hear the Trump-related cases. So the ethics code is, we discover, mandatory, but merely in the sense that it converts a justices hostility toward recusal into an affirmative duty not to recuse. (We trust that Alito, like the other Republican-appointed justices, will continue to disregard the ethics suggestions he dislikes.) According to the justice, the whole upside-down flag thing was just an escalation in a feud with anti-Trump neighborsnowhere close to a reason for him to step aside from Jan. 6related cases. (That claim does not align with the public record, but you know he doesnt care.) And that second flag? Perfectly innocent, the justice declares, and hes appalled you even asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, the feminism. This is the stuff only the fan of a 17th-century witch-sentencing, marital rapecondoning jurist could conjure up. My Wife Is Fond of Flying Flags is the new Helen Reddy, the new bra burning, the new pink pussy hat. As Alito tells it, because Mrs. Alito jointly owns the marital home, she has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit. Alito, indeed no pushover on the bench, insists: I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused. So, in fact, the inverted flag was really just the result of women claiming a right to own property with their husbands. As Sir Matthew Hale might have saidonce he took a break from the witch burning and the marital-rape justifyingthe minute we let women own property, we were doomed to see them perform political bias for all the world to see. Nothing a husband can do about it but complain when people take notice! Advertisement But theres more. So very, very much more. Enough to merit a stamp of approval from Donald Trump himself. The justices wife possesses the same First Amendment rights as every other American. Plus, she is an independently minded person who makes her own decisions, Alito writes, and I have always respected her right to do so. He hits that point again later, elaborating that Martha-Ann makes her own decisions, and I honor her right to do so. Advertisement You might even say his principal defense is that she has a right to privacy! Recall that when Alito served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, he voted to gut Roe v. Wade by upholding a law that would have let husbands veto their wives choice to have an abortion.* Justice Sandra Day OConnor found his opinion so repulsive that it pushed her to embrace a right to abortion, preserving the core of Roe in 1992, and to note that Alitos position would have given abusive husbands even more control over their wives. Advertisement Advertisement Later, of course, Alito got his revenge on women, from OConnor on down, when he authored Dobbs in 2022, overruling Roe v. Wade and giving abusers another potent way to terrorize and abuse their pregnant partners. Yet now he has granted his own wife the autonomy he has spent his career stripping from American women. He has emphatically granted her a right to privacy, rooted in a freedom to make individual choices, that he has denied to the rest of the country. Women unfortunate enough to lack powerful husbands dont get to play the privacy card when they feel that their rights and dignity are under attack. Alito is comfortable, even gleeful, when eroding the rights of every other woman in the country, yet deeply uneasy about encroaching on those of his own cherished bride. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate How Gullible Do Samuel Alito and Mike Johnson Think We Are? Read More Under Alitos analysis, #feminism requires that his wife be allowed to fly a deeply political flag in the midst of a deeply political season in which the court itself is deeply entrenchedeven a Trump 2020 flag or Stop the Steal flag, since her property and free speech rights have no limits. Perhaps most essentially, it is important to understand that Martha-Ann Alito has Feelings. She feels hurt and outrage and persecution and sorrow, having to endure numerous, loud, obscene, and personally insulting protests in front of our home that continue to this day and now threaten to escalate. The Alitos disgust and contempt at facing public protests oozes off the page. (The First Amendment, too, is apparently another right that only Martha-Ann Alito gets to claim.) Advertisement Of course, theres the obligatory feint at originalism: The Appeal to Heaven flag is about the American revolution, Alito writes, and it expresses merely a religious and patriotic message. As is inevitably the sole defense he can muster, the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain the flag of all other meanings. No one should be surprised that the author of Dobbsa decision that cherry-picked and butchered history to reach a preferred outcomewould ignore the intimate ties between this flag and fringe right extremists. For Alito and his fellow GOP appointees, originalism means slicing and dicing history to fit whatever reality you favor. The flagrant violation of the flag code? The winking support for Stop the Steal? It means exactly what the justice wants it to, and nothing more. Your offense is the real offense. Advertisement Advertisement The crazed Jan. 6 protesters who marauded through the Capitol to stop the transfer of power to Biden? Their attitude has more than a little in common with Alitos. Do whatever you want, break whatever you want, say whatever you want. And the man currently deciding whether they can do so free of legal consequences has, time after time after time, announced that he too is unconstrained by legal consequences. Being so politically angry youre basically out of control? That is enough. Judges are asked to recuse themselves when their impartiality can reasonably be questioned because we dont think its appropriate for judges to have prejudged a matter before them and told us their views in advance. On top of someone throwing a spouse under the bus and calling it feminism, this letter prefigures perfectly Alitos views of both the presidents immunity claims and the defenses of the rioters in Fischer: Insurrections are just lawful protest; incitement of violence is just First Amendmentprotected speech; if you ignore context and politics and facts, the accused are always innocent and those seeking accountability are always vicious. After Wednesday, we dont need to wait for the Alito opinion in Trump or Fischer. Weve already seen it. The presidents ability to grant pardons and commute sentences is a dramatic but generally quiet power. Presidential grants of clemency generally go through a complex bureaucratic process. They are not usually announced in advance, let alone deployed as part of a campaign to win votes. But, as with many other things, Donald Trump is changing all that. He has made promising pardons an important part of his 2024 campaign. This is a bad development in our scheme of constitutional government, a tactic that taints one of the most awesome of presidential prerogatives. Trump is turning clemency from a solemn responsibility to just another tool in his transactional political repertoire. On Saturday, in an appearance at the Libertarian Party Convention, Trump gave us another example of the lengths to which he will go just to win a few votes. There he offered a clemency quid pro quo. If you vote for me, he promised, on Day 1, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served. Hes already served 11 years. Were going to get him home. Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he made that promise, since many in his audience were waving Free Ross signs. And, as Politico reports, Ulbrichts case was one of the top issues that libertarians asked Trump to address before the conventionand it won Trump his biggest applause of the night. Advertisement Ross W. Ulbricht was the founder of an online marketplace called Silk Road, where illegal drugs were bought and sold. Ulbricht operated the website between 2011 and 2013, when he was arrested. He has been a longtime follower of the libertarian hero Ludwig von Mises, who believed that every action we take outside of government control strengthens the market and weakens the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison by federal Judge Katherine B. Forrest for his role as what prosecutors described as the kingpin of a worldwide digital drug-trafficking enterprise. Forrest cited six deaths that resulted from drugs bought on his website and five people he tried to have killed as the reasons for her sentence. As the New York Times explains, Mr. Ulbrichts novel high-tech drug bazaar operated in a hidden part of the Internet sometimes known as the dark web, which allowed deals to be made anonymously and out of the reach of law enforcement. In Silk Roads nearly three years of operation, over 1.5 million transactions were carried out involving several thousand seller accounts and more than 100,000 buyer accounts. Advertisement Transactions were made, the Times notes, using the virtual currency Bitcoin, and Mr. Ulbricht, operating under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, took in millions of dollars in commissions, prosecutors have said. They said Mr. Ulbricht had developed a blueprint for a new way to use the Internet to undermine the law and facilitate criminal transactions, and that his conviction was the first of its kind, and his sentencing is being closely watched. Advertisement Never one to be bothered by his own inconsistencies, Trump made his promise to the libertarians even though he has said on many occasions that if he is elected he will make sure that people who sell drugs will be quickly convicted and executed. He has praised countries like China and Singapore for enforcing the lethal penalty against drug offenders. Trump has also said that capital punishment is the only way youre going to stop addiction. Advertisement No matter. Trump wanted to associate himself with the Ulbricht case since Ulbricht has framed his case in terms that would appeal to people with libertarian sensibilities. I remember clearly why I created the Silk Road, Ulbricht said. I wanted to empower people to be able to make choices in their lives, for themselves and to have privacy and anonymity. Advertisement The Libertarian Party first took up his cause in 2018 when it called on Trump to pardon him. At the time, Libertarian National Committee chair Nicholas Sarwark said, In any moral sense of the word, Ulbricht is not guilty of any crime. Hosting a website, Sarwark continued, where adults can buy and sell drugs should not be a crime. No one is involuntarily harmed or defrauded. Making trade in drugs illegal is the real crime against human nature. Its a crime of politicians against the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its 2018 campaign to free Ulbricht, the Libertarian Party alleged that the government prosecution violated Ulbrichts First Amendment rights to run a website and his Fourth Amendment rights to remain secure from unwarranted searches, which were probably conducted by the National Security Agency. The prosecutors probably tainted the judge and the jury pools by publicizing allegations that Ulbricht had solicited contract killersflimsy charges at best, for which Ulbricht was never even indicted. Six years later, in the midst of a close presidential race, Trump has gotten the message. But his promise of a pardon in return for libertarian votes is not the first time Trump has promised to use his clemency power as part of his 2024 campaign. Advertisement In fact, a January 2024 National Public Radio review of social media posts, speeches, and interviews found that Trump has made calls to free Jan. 6 defendants or promised to issue them presidential pardons more than a dozen times. He has repeated those calls countless times in the ensuing months. Related From Slate The Theories About Trumps High Polling Numbers Made Me Realize Something Read More As NPR noted in January, Trump has said he would issue those pardons on Day 1 of his presidency, as part of a broader agenda to use presidential power to exact retribution against his opponents and deliver justice for his supporters. Well be looking very, very seriously at full pardons, Trump told an interviewer in 2022. I mean full pardons with an apology to many. Advertisement And, when he was president, Trump associates allegedly said that he would grant pardons in return for cash payments. They supposedly told people seeking such favors not to go through the normal channels of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, because correspondence going to that office would be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Advertisement Trump also used his clemency power to reward his cronies and loyalists. He pardoned or commuted the sentences of people like Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and Paul Manafort. As Politico put it in a January 2021 overview of Trumps grants of clemency, The degree of Trumps politicization of the process was staggering. We shouldnt be surprised that he would continue down that path in 2024. Still, as the New Republics Michael Tomasky puts it, A president selling pardonsor using them to get votesis morally and ethically right up there with the Catholic Church selling indulgences, a practice that has gone down rather poorly in history. Now, one can only hope that Trumps promises of pardons in order to win votes will go down poorly in the 2024 presidential campaign. Yesterday saw closing arguments in the Manhattan trial of Donald Trump for falsifying business records, the first-ever criminal trial for a former president. In this high-stakes final endeavor, it appeared that Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass summation significantly outmatched that of Todd Blanche, the former presidents chief defense counsel. As a former prosecutor myself, I was surprised that Blanches three-hour argument failed to focus on what it needed tothe element of the charged crime on which prosecutors proof is weakest. Instead of offering clarity in this area, Blanche undercut his best points by making other arguments contradicted by overwhelming evidence or common sense. The best example? His flailing attempt to dismiss the prosecutions strongest evidencethe smoking gun notes of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg showing how the conspirators grossed up Cohens $130,000 reimbursement for the purchase of Stormy Daniels silence, and then hid it by adding other cash to Cohen. All Blanche could conjure up was the mind-boggling insistence that Weisselbergs written wordsgross upwere a lie! Blanche gave no actual reason why the notes werent true; he simply asserted that the $420,000 gross-up sum was for legal expenses. Throughout, his meandering argument fell short of telling the jury a coherent story. By contrast, Steinglass checked every box on a prosecutors closing argument list, albeit at excessive length. He methodically connected the evidence to each element of the crime and reminded jurors how it all supported the prosecutions theory of the case: The defendant used his own business records as the vehicle to disguise the reimbursement because he didnt want anyone finding out about the conspiracy to corrupt the election. Its mystifying why Blanche failed to pounce on the fact that during weeks of testimony, prosecutors never even identified which criminal laws violation they were alleging that Trump committed or concealed by falsifying his records. Committing or concealing another offense is the element of the crime that prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in order to elevate misdemeanor falsifications to felonies, as the grand jury alleged. One tears apart a chain of proof by hammering the weakest link. Blanche didnt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He did say briefly that there was no evidence that Trump knew he was committing a campaign law violation. But a defendants knowledge is almost always proved circumstantially; the elaborate scheme to gross up and therefore disguise the $130,000 reimbursement to Cohen demonstrated a consciousness of guilt sufficient to prove knowledge of illegality. As Steinglass put it, the plot involved a whole lot of time, thought, and energy to conceal the truth. Indeed, the prosecutor walked right through the door Blanche left open: He gave a plainspoken narrative of the election law crimes that Trump and his co-conspirators were concealing: Once money starts changing hands on behalf of a campaign, thats federal election campaign finance violations, he said. In other words, Trump acted in concert with others to falsify documents with the aim of covering up election law violations. Why else would he have bothered to falsify them? Advertisement Then, turning one of Blanches arguments on its head, Steinglass uplifted the cases meaning for the nation: Blanche said Theres nothing wrong with trying to influence an electionits called democracy. In reality, this agreement at Trump Tower was the exact opposite. It was the subversion of democracy. Blanches summation, too, went longcourt lasted into the evening last night. At several points, Blanche indulged in misbegotten arguments, quite likely at the insistence of his demanding client, the former president. For example, Blanche apparently felt obliged to say that Trump has unequivocally and repeatedly denied the sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels ever occurred. There are two reasons it didnt make sense to offer that lame denial. First, whether or not the sexual encounter occurred had no bearing on the elements of falsifying business records. Second, as a witness, Daniels proved more than capable of rising to the occasion, even in the face of a ruthless cross-examination, convincingly affirming her story that the encounter did happen, as the New Yorkers Naomi Fry put it. Advertisement Advertisement Further, Blanches repeated attacks on Cohen and his credibility took Blanche far into overkill territory, likely in another effort to assuage his client. It doesnt make a lot of sense to consume jurors attention hammering over and over again on something they already knowthat Michael Cohen is a liar and that they should credit only his corroborated testimonybut Blanche did it anyway. Steinglass had two sharp answers to Blanches lengthy thrusts. First, Steinglass noted that we didnt pick [Cohen] up at the witness store. The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer because he was willing to lie and cheat on Mr. Trumps behalf. Second: Its difficult to conceive of a case with more corroboration. Like the tape of Cohens conversation with Trump where he proposes paying $150,000 to his former lover, Karen McDougal, in cash, to buy her story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blanche did score rhetorical points in characterizing Cohen as the MVP of liars. To his credit, Blanche also reminded jurors that no other witness corroborated Cohens testimony that Trump approved the Weisselberg gross-up scheme. The problem for Trump and Blanche is that there was consistent and overwhelming testimony that Trump was an obsessive, penny-pinching micromanager who would not have signed checks for $420,000 marked as legal fees to Cohen without having had them explained. As Steinglass put it: If Donald Trump is checking invoices for his decorator, you can bet hes checking invoices for Michael Cohen. Blanche rightly emphasized that prosecutors never called Weisselberg and others who helped run the business. Weisselbergs absence could look suspicious since the jury was not informed that he had been jailed for perjury in his unrepentent loyalty to Trump, even on the witness stand in another case. Unfortunately for the defense, it undermined that point by calling attorney Robert Costello. Its a very safe guess that it was Trump who insisted on that disastrous testimony from Costello. Jurors will figure that if the defense could call Costello, it could have called Weisselberg or others. A politician-defendant like Trump who steers his defense toward the court of public opinion rather than to the jury increases his legal jeopardy. The problem for the former president is: So does a defense that fails to focus on a potential prosecution Achilles heel, and then distracts the jury from the prosecutions weakest point by flooding the zone with unimportant or overdone arguments. None of these mistakes in Blanches summation necessarily hurt Trump when it comes time for a verdict. But they dont help. The organisation was quite different in the past. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share When the Matica Slovenska national heritage organisation was established in 1863, Slovaks supported it in their first major successful crowdfunding campaign. Czechs also contributed, with president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk one of the most generous supporters. Its members were Jews, itactively cooperating with Ukrainians. Matica was non-partisan and with a clear European orientation. Today, very little of this can be said about Matica. According to critics, it is a relic from times long past, capable of little self-reflection. It failed in the darkest periods of Slovak history; now it is reviving the shadows of nationalism, fawns over politicians and cannot communicate with modern Slovakia and its needs. Matica disseminates Kremlin propaganda; supports Robert Fico's government which increased its subsidy; and recently made waves in relation to the government's plan to establish an ethics commission to monitor the objectivity of the public broadcaster, even though the proponents themselves come from the conspiracy scene. In an interview, historian LUKAS KRAJCIR talks about how it has changed since its inception. For many, Matica Slovenska is a relic, an institution that deals in politics instead of science and culture, and raises doubts in regards to its validity. Why is it that way? Debates about Matica's station and whether its existence makes sense have been ongoing for a long time, and from several sides as it is funded from the state budget. It's also a question for its officials, whether they are aware of critical voices and to what extent they know and want to respond to them, and whether they can sufficiently self-reflect in the sense that a critical view is justified. Matica was created in 1863, what did people expect from it then? Matica was a product of its time; in their Magyarisation efforts, then Hungarian political elites did not want to support the establishment of the identity of non-Hungarian peoples in the kingdom. Slovaks wanted to cultivate their own science, culture and education, but they could not do so on the grounds of contemporary institutions. For the 19th century, it was quite an innovative concept. The people themselves were supposed to support scientific, cultural and educational activities, since the government did not meet them in this regard. A 19th century lithographic print showing the building of Matica Slovenska. (Source: ychodoslovenske muzeum v Kosiciach, inv. c. K 8907, Slovakiana) That's a pretty modern approach, isn't it? Just like today's NGOs. Certainly. Even today, the government is not very fond of NGOs. The emergence of Matica should also be seen in the context of 19th century nationalism. Scientific institutions were founded elsewhere in Europe, the French, the Germans, had their own. Therefore, many Slovaks asked whether they too could have them? Slovaks had neither scientific institutions, nor theatres, nor museums. Was Matica supposed to supplant all of them? Yes. But Matica as such is not an invention of Slovaks. Other Slavic peoples, the Poles in Austria, the Croats in Hungary for example, also felt that their rights were denied in these areas. Thus, they created an alternative national institution for the three activities, which could not be fully realised for nationalist reasons. There was the Czech, Moravian, Yugoslavian, Lusatian Matica. Historian Lukas Krajcir. (Source: SME - Jozef Jakubco) How did they finance it? The Slovak political representation at the time knew how to set the discourse in such a way that this institution sounded necessary. People paid membership fees and gave donations. It was one of the first crowdfunding campaigns among Slovaks and certainly one of the biggest. More than 100 teachers and 500 farmers and craftsmen contributed to it. By August 1863, they had collected 94,000 guldens, a huge sum. The emperor gave 1,000 guldens, increasing Matica's reputation and, at least outwardly, weakened the position of the Hungarian politicians who were against it. Back then, haters would ask what was the point, that it was to no avail, that it would not help anyone. They turned out to be wrong, and Matica was established. The fact that people knew how to get together gives me a certain amount of pride. Exactly like when people donate to NGOs or help Ukraine today. These people are true patriots. Manufacturer aiming for lovers of vintage cars and environmentally-aware. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Slovakia will soon become home to another car manufacturer. Patak Motors will produce a retro city car at the former industrial premises of Kovosmalt in Filakovo, Banska Bystrica Region. The company has already taken possession of the new hall and plans to start production in July. It intends to initially employ 16 people, but plans to double its workforce as production expands. Patak Motors is developing and manufacturing a 1930s-era city car to be called 'Rodster'. The inspiration for its development came from classic gentleman-style cars, but currently these arent seen on city streets in the EU at all, said Sonia Matuskova on behalf of Patak Motors as cited by the TASR newswire. The target group is city dwellers who are looking for an efficient, environmentally friendly and fun way to get around. The two-seat vehicle will be produced in both electric and petrol powered versions and will be available as convertible and completely roofless models. Its price starts at 21,900. Positive impact on the region The manufacturing premises in Filakovo will serve as both a centre for the development, production and assembly of the vehicles, but also as a showroom. The technology centre will be used for the improvement of materials and components, which will make the plant a base for innovative solutions, said Matuskova. In addition, the vehicle will be completely produced here, from body parts through surface finishing to final assembly. The company expects the investment in Filakovo to have a positive impact on the city and the region where unemployment is high. In addition to creating new jobs, the firm also wants to support local suppliers. The investment is also seen positively by the local government. I am very happy that a new investor is coming to the former Kovosmalt premises, said Attila Agocs, Mayor of Filakovo. Construction of a new production hall on the site of the former Kovosmalt in Filakovo started last February and the works were completed in autumn. The town received funding from the Interreg programme and the state budget for the implementation of the 4 million project. The Banska Bystrica Self-Governing Region also joined the project as a co-investor, putting in 400,000. video //www.youtube.com/embed/87fMhmh4NPI Patak Motors The carmaker consists of a team of enthusiasts, car lovers and designers with more than a century of experience in the automotive and manufacturing industries. Most of them come from Slovakia. Andrej Hulala is the author of the idea, the key designer and project leader, the company writes on its website. With a history as a car racer, designing the Rodster is a childhood dream come true. Michal Vrsek has a background in structural engineering and manufacturing. He has previously worked for clients including VW/Porsche, Nissan, Volvo, Renault, Peugeot and Citroen. Norbert Klement is the chief design engineer. He designed and built vehicles for the Paris Dakar Rally, and has worked for major German manufacturing plants, among others. The aim of Patak Motors was to design a vehicle tailored to the needs of urban people. A car that would turn everyday chores like commuting to work, shopping or taking the kids to school, into fun, the company writes. A practical small car with perfect driving characteristics that would be friendly to both inhabitants and the environment. Vietnam's president charged in Slovakia, a Bavarian who loves Central Europe, and a brand new newsletter. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, May 28 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes. Before we continue, I would like to tell you about our brand new newsletter, Slovak Roots, where we engage with the descendants of emigrated Slovaks and explore the less-known regions of eastern Slovakia, among other topics. If you are interested in learning more, you can sign up here. Near-fatal helicopter crash in the Tatras A white helicopter crashed near a popular mountain hut in the High Tatras on May 25, 2024. (Source: Facebook/Viktor Beranek) A helicopter crashed on May 25, which was Saturday, near the Chata pod Rysmi mountain hut in the High Tatras. The three-man crew survived, but the damaged aircraft is still lying in a snow field near the hut. It has been reported that the helicopter in question - Robinson R44 Raven with registration mark OK-STR - is identical to the one in which deputy environment minister Filip Kuffa (SNS) was a few weeks ago, when he flew over Mala Fatra National Park and violated the regulations in effect. The aircraft is owned by the Czech company Industry-logistik. According to witnesses, a Czech pilot was experiencing difficulties landing on the helipad. The helicopter crashed into a snow field and then flipped over. Furthermore, the company did not announce the flight to the Tatras National Park beforehand, nor did it ask for permission from the Presov District Office. This body can grant authorisation to operate a helicopter within the fifth level of nature protection. The national park said, Chamois, but also marmots, see helicopters as predators, and naturally try to hide from them. As a result of a stressful situation, the animal may be injured or even die while trying to hide. Only after a thorough investigation of the accident will the specific consequences of the weekend helicopter crash be known. The Aviation and Maritime Investigation Authority of the Transport Ministry is currently conducting an investigation into the accident. MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE Police: The new Vietnamese president, To Lam, faces criminal charges in Slovakia. The new Vietnamese president, To Lam, faces criminal charges in Slovakia. Social media: The hidden cash trend, light-hearted fun, is taking over Slovakia. The hidden cash trend, light-hearted fun, is taking over Slovakia. Opinion: How to resolve the issue of Europe dying out. How to resolve the issue of Europe dying out. Travel: The Hotel Hradok near a cave, which only Mexico and Argentina can boast of, has caught its second breath. The Hotel Hradok near a cave, which only Mexico and Argentina can boast of, has caught its second breath. Business: Why do corporate people volunteer? We have asked them. Why do corporate people volunteer? We have asked them. Hockey: Who will Slovakia play against at the 2025 hockey world championship? If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you. FEATURE STORY Germans dreams of working in Slovakia come true CEO of Zurich Insurance Companys Bratislava Competence Center Wolfgang Fischer with colleagues. (Source: Courtesy of W. F.) Wolfgang Fischer, CEO of Zurich Insurance Companys Bratislava Competence Center, wrote the same thing for four years in his individual career plan for the insurance company he was working for: I want to go to Slovakia and grow our operation there. It took some time, but he made it. The Slovak Spectator sat down with this lover of Central European culture and history to learn more about him. DISPLAY How women wore Polana The "How women wore Polana" exhibition at the Lucenec Town Museum, central Slovakia, runs until July 15. (Source: TASR) The local museum in Lucenec, southern Slovakia, is showing clothes that local women made themselves out of fabrics from the Polana wool factory. The exhibition runs until July 15. The factory was established in Opatova, today a part of Lucenec, in the middle of the 20th century. The German magazine Burda Style helped popularise the phenomenon of clothing created from fabrics from Opatova. Many women around the world received fabrics from this Slovak factory, including former British PM Margaret Thatcher. IN OTHER NEWS The extremist Slovenska Narodna Strana party has submitted to parliament a bill proposing to introduce fees for providing information under the Freedom of Information Act . The amendment takes away the publics constitutionally guaranteed right to information, several NGOs and opposition MPs warned on Tuesday. (TASR) . The amendment takes away the publics constitutionally guaranteed right to information, several NGOs and opposition MPs warned on Tuesday. (TASR) The opposition Sloboda a Solidarita (SaS) party proposes forming an international commission to investigate the May 15 attack on Premier Robert Fico (Smer), featuring representatives of the coalition and opposition in order to avoid the spread of disinformation or deliberate misinterpretation regarding the investigation. An international investigation commission could only be formed after the investigation by the law-enforcement authorities is completed, responded the Interior Ministry. General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka and the Justice Ministry consider the proposal to be inappropriate. (TASR) The World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef have issued a warning regarding the rapid spread of measles in Europe , which poses a significant threat to millions of children. As per the most recent figures, a total of 56,634 cases of measles and four related deaths were officially reported in 45 out of the 53 countries of the WHO European Region during the initial three months of this year. Throughout the previous year, a total of 61,070 cases and 13 deaths were reported from 41 countries. , which poses a significant threat to millions of children. As per the most recent figures, a total of 56,634 cases of measles and four related deaths were officially reported in 45 out of the 53 countries of the WHO European Region during the initial three months of this year. Throughout the previous year, a total of 61,070 cases and 13 deaths were reported from 41 countries. Two firefighters, 27 and 43, lost their lives in a traffic accident on the D1 motorway near Horna Streda, western Slovakia, on Monday. They were struck by a lorry while trying to extinguish a burning car on the motorway. The incident is under investigation by the police. Following a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer) stated that Slovakia is dissatisfied with the quotas for the import of agricultural commodities from Ukraine to the EU. The minister has identified two issues: cereals are not included in the agreed limits, and import limits are too high to trigger the safety brake and protect the EU single market. (TASR) WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Cloudy to partly cloudy skies. Occasionally, showers or storms will occur in the day in the eastern part of the country. The daytime temperatures will range from 19C to 27C. Storm warnings will be in place from 12:00 to 20:00 in a number of districts in central and eastern Slovakia. (SHMU) MAY 29 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Vilma. Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us. P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator). Questions raised about Matica Slovenska's mission, top Slovak webhosting companies get new owners, and a celebration of Italian culture. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, May 29 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes. New discount chain coming to Slovakia, reports claim Illustrative image. (Source: SME - Marko Erd) Slovakia may soon be home to yet another discount retail chain, according to the Aktuality.sk news site. The arrival of Irish chain Dealz, which offers foodstuffs, cosmetics, household equipment, toys, decorations, would be direct competition for discount chains such as Action and KiK. Dealz is part of the same group as the Pepco chain of stores which is thriving in Slovakia. Of neighbouring countries, Dealz currently operates only in Poland, and it was here that local journalists noticed that Slovak descriptions were being added to items on sale. This also happened before Action opened up stores in Slovakia. However, there has been no official confirmation of the move or where and when Dealz would open stores in the country if it did come to Slovakia. MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you. FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY Matica. What is it good for? The Matica Slovenska building in Martin, northern Slovakia. (Source: TASR) When the Matica Slovenska national heritage organisation was established in 1863, Slovaks supported it with their first major successful crowdfunding campaign. Its members were Jews, it actively cooperated with Ukrainians, was non-partisan and had a clear European orientation. Very little of this can be said about Matica today. According to critics, it is a relic of times long past, and capable of little self-reflection. EVENT FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS Celebration of Italian culture Last year's edition of the Dolce Vitaj Italian culture festival. (Source: TASR) The 17th edition of the Dolce Vitaj festival is back and with a taste of the best from Italian culture at select venues. Until June 20, the Kino Lumiere cinema is paying tribute to actor and director Massimo Troisi by screening four of his works. On June 5 you can meet award-winning writer Veronica Raimo in the Martinus bookshop. Between June 6 and September 9 Bratislava Castle will host an exhibition dedicated to painter Giovanni Segantini whose work depicts the symbiosis of shepherds and Alps. Finally, the Slovak Radio building will host a concert on June 13. Find out more here. IN OTHER NEWS Slovakia and Hungary have started negotiations on the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros waterworks. Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nom.) said he held a working meeting with Hungary's Energy Minister Csaba Lantos in Budapest in order to end a 30-year dispute over the plant. (SITA) Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nom.) said he held a working meeting with Hungary's Energy Minister Csaba Lantos in Budapest in order to end a 30-year dispute over the plant. (SITA) The government has approved a motion that the families of the two firefighters killed in a tragic traffic accident on the D1 highway near Horna Streda on Monday, May 27, will be paid 50,000 each. (TASR) On Wednesday, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (second from left) paid her last official visit to Austria. She met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen (second from right) at the Schloss Hof castle near both countries' border and was presented with Austria's highest state decoration, the Grand Star. (Source: TASR) On Wednesday, the Health Ministry building was evacuated by police after an envelope with unknown content was found there. (TASR) The Defence Ministry has narrowed the procurement of new air defence systems down to two options, both from Israel. According to Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer), the difference between the two offers amounts to tens of millions of euros. The process could be completed in June. (TASR) According to Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer), the difference between the two offers amounts to tens of millions of euros. The process could be completed in June. (TASR) The government has approved the construction of a new national hospital in Bratislava's Ruzinov district. The hospital, with a capacity of 1,015 beds, should be completed by the end of 2032 at the latest. The project will involve the reconstruction of the Ruzinov hospital's Bloc D and an addition of a new pavilion. Opposition parties Progresivne Slovensko, KDH and Slovensko (formerly OLaNO) have blasted the decision, but SaS has backed it. Originally, the hospital was supposed to be built in the Razsochy locality. Instead, a paediatric hospital with a capacity of 446 beds will be built there by 2031. (TASR) An oversized viewing wooden bench near Pezinok, Bratislava Region. (Source: TASR) WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Partly cloudy to overcast skies, occasional showers or storms in the afternoon. A level 1 storm warning has been issued for districts in central and eastern Slovakia, see map here. Daily temperatures between 19 C and 27 C. (SHMU) MAY 30 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Ferdinand Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us. P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator). Half of the Slovaks polled say nothing will change after the EP elections. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share More than a third of all V4 countries' residents think that external attempts to influence the European Parliament elections due to be held in early June are a major problem, according to a recent CEDMO survey carried out in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, 31 percent of residents think outside influence is a big problem, 35 percent say it is a small problem and the remaining 34 percent do not consider it a problem. Meanwhile, 39 percent of Slovaks believe the European Union will try to influence the elections, followed by the US (38 percent) and Russia (36 percent). This is a stark contrast to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, in which 63 percent, 54 percent and 44 percent of residents, respectively, believe Russia will try to influence the elections. Perception of influence on the EP elections as a problem. (Source: CEDMO hub) Pessimism felt among Slovak people The survey also showed that about a fifth of Slovaks are satisfied with democracy while 67 percent think that most politicians are corrupt and 50 percent say it does not matter who wins elections because nothing will change. In terms of election participation, 62 percent of Slovaks said they planned to vote in the election. In comparison, 78 percent of Poles, 68 percent of Hungarians and 61 percent of Czechs want to vote. The survey comes as several hoaxes related to the elections have begun spreading. In Slovakia, these have included fake news such as that the European Union is imposing new foods, including genetically modified organisms, insects and cockroach milk, on its member states, such as genetically modified organisms, or that Brussels has decided to completely ban internal combustion engines after 2035. Related article Related article Report: In March, Slovaks saw more fake than true news Read more The elections in Slovakia will be held on June 8. In Slovakia, the Ipsos agency surveyed 1,006 respondents from March 28 to April 3. One was acquired by a Swedish company, the other by a Belgian firm. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Slovakia's two top webhosting companies have recently changed hands, reports Index magazine. Last week, the country's number 2 company in the industry, Webglobe, was acquired by Swedish owner group.one which operates in 12 countries. Since 2022, Cinven, a multibillion-euro British private equity fund, and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, one of the largest pension funds in the world, have been behind this Swedish firm. Webglobe, founded by Igor Strecko in 1999, manages more than 300,000 domains in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Serbia. Soon after, the number 1 Slovak webhosting firm, Websupport, was bought by Belgian company team.blue as it took over Swedish company Loopia Group. Websupport was founded by Michal Truban who sold it in 2018 to Loopia Group when he entered politics and co-founded the Progresivne Slovensko party, the strongest opposition party today. The acquisition boosts team.blue's number of customers from 2.5 million to more than 3 million across Europe. The financial group behind team.blue is Hg Capital, which has been investing in software and service companies for many years. Related article Texas Rangers' Corey Seager is congratulated by Josh Smith, Jonah Heim and Marcus Semien, left back to front, after his three-run home run that off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Corey Seager homered for the seventh time in as many games, putting the Texas Rangers ahead with his three-run shot in their 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night in a rematch of last year's World Series. Seager pulled a pitch by Brandon Pfaadt (2-4) into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth for what proved to be the final score. It was the 12th homer overall for the World Series MVP, who went deep twice Sunday at Minnesota in the Rangers' last game, extending his hitting streak to a season-best 11 games and his on-base streak to 21 games after a slow start this season after missing most of spring training after surgery in January to repair a sports hernia. This guy's as good as anybody in the game. Got off to a slow start, but you have to look at why," manager Bruce Bochy said. I never had any thought that he wouldn't get on track. That decisive bottom of the fifth inning had two bloops singles by Jonah Heim, who snapped an 0-for-17 slide, and Travis Jankowski before that blast. And the Rangers maintained their lead after an incredible double-play assist by Gold Glove right fielder Adolis Garcia in the top of the sixth. Andrew Heaney (1-6) worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief after starter Nathan Eovaldi. The Rangers activated Eovaldi from the injured list to pitch for them rather than in a rehab game for his first game since departing after 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Washington on May 2, the day before he went on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain. David Robertson worked a perfect eighth before Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his eighth save in as many chances, but first since May 8. Arizona (25-29) loaded the bases with one out in the sixth off Heaney before reliever Grant Anderson's first pitch resulted in a double play. Eugenio Suarez hit a 287-foot flyball to Garcia, who threw a strike to catcher Heim to get out Joc Pederson trying to score. While surprised teams still try to run on Garcia, Seager is glad they do. It gives us more outs. ... It's a complete momentum swing, Seager said. Changed the whole game. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was certainly aware of Garcia's arm. Its just that we were trying to force that type of play. It's a very special catch, throw and catch, and they executed, Lovullo said. Any time theres a bang-bang type of play, something were going to force them to make a play its going to be that close at home plate, lets take the chance. Unfortunately we got beat on it. Pederson was initially ruled safe by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor, but the Rangers quickly challenged. The replay showed that when sliding Pederson's right foot hit in front of the plate, bounced up and was in the air when Gold Glove catcher Heim's sweeping tag got the runner's left leg. The Diamondbacks got both of their runs off Eovaldi in the second, which began with back-to-back doubles by Christian Walker and Pavin Smith. Suarez got a sac fly on a foul popout when first baseman Nathaniel Lowe made an over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory while going away from the plate. GOT HIS RING One member of the Diamondbacks got a World Series ring before Tuesday's game. Jordan Montgomery pitched for the Rangers down the stretch and through the World Series last year, then signed as a free agent with Arizona just before this season. TRAINERS ROOM Rangers: Rookie OF Evan Carter went on the 10-day IL with a lumbar sprain. Rookie OF Wyatt Langford was activated from the IL after not playing since May 4 because of a right hamstring strain. He went 0 for 3 as the designated hitter. UP NEXT They wrap up the quick set playing twice in 24 hours, with a day game Wednesday. Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (3-3, 6.03) stuck out six while allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings in Game 4 of the World Series. Dane Dunning (3-3, 4.43) is set to make his second start for Texas since coming off the IL. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb One of the privileges that comes from publishing a daily coffee news and culture publication like Sprudge is our ability to provide coverage continuity. A particularly prescient example of this came across our desks last week. For the last three years, weve reported on legislation thats made its way through the European Union focused on limiting deforestation in Africa, with a troubling set of after-effects on the livelihoods of African coffee producers. This is a serious, complex set of issues, and our original reporting (from 2021) wondered if this might not lead to a ban on coffee importation altogether in the EU. In late 2022 a version of the laws was passed, and throughout 2023 major pushbacks occurred from the European Coffee Federation, Lavazza, and other European coffee leaders. (The Specialty Coffee Association has not commented publicly.) Serious negative impacts of the new laws emerged by late 2023, leading to fears that some coffees would have to be destroyed at Europes largest green coffee warehouse. But so much of this reportingours, and from large mainstream publications like the Financial Times, who have reported extensively on this storyfocused on a European perspective. What about the coffee producers? How were they adaptingand was adaptation even possible? In a new feature for Sprudge Special Projects, Nairobi-based journalist Anthony Langat spoke with coffee producers in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Many of these producers are members of the Limu Inara Multipurpose Cooperative Society and the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Langats reporting is revealing, and in its own way, surprisingly optimistic. While its true that the EUs laws represent a threat to coffee producers in Africa, this is a resilient and resourceful group of people. Rather than accepting the existential threat of these new laws, Ethiopian smallholder coffee farmers are betting on technology including blockchain, geospatial AI, GPS, and satellite imagery to comply in order not to lose out on the European Union market, reports Langat. Read In Ethiopia, New EU Regulations Require IngenuityAnd TechnologyTo Protect Coffees Future by Anthony Langat now on Sprudge Special Projects In-depth, multi-level international reporting like this story has become a trademark of how we publish at Sprudge Special Projects, a hub for long-form original journalism and select archival features on Sprudge. This platform, with its special visual presentation and focus on long-form, allows us to go deeper on the stories that impact all of us who care about coffee, at every step of the chain. Special Projects Desk is supported by La Marzocco, handcrafting espresso machines in Florence, Italy since 1927. Their mission is to support the growth of specialty coffee; they believe that increasing knowledge and understanding is the best way to develop a thriving future for the coffee industry. Sprudge is actively seeking pitches for long-form coffee writingfrom both established and emerging journalistswithout language or experience prerequisites. For more information, contact us. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/another-state-dep-official-resigns-in-protest-over-us-support-of-israels-actions-in-gaza-1118685940.html Another State Dep Official Resigns in Protest Over US Support of Israel's Actions in Gaza Another State Dep Official Resigns in Protest Over US Support of Israel's Actions in Gaza Sputnik International US diplomat Stacy Gilbert, who served in the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, has quit in protest over Washington's support of Israeli conflict in Gaza, The Washington Post has reported. 2024-05-29T13:41+0000 2024-05-29T13:41+0000 2024-05-29T14:06+0000 world us palestine-israel conflict israel-gaza conflict israeli-palestinian conflict gaza violence https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/13/1117417429_0:0:2117:1191_1920x0_80_0_0_b48aefcc19f16521bcc6cd4f669fb65a.jpg US diplomat Stacy Gilbert, who served in the State Departments Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, has quit in protest over Washington's support of Israeli conflict in Gaza, The Washington Post has reported. According to the publication, Gilbert cited disagreements with a recently published government report that claimed Israel was not impeding humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Gilbert is not the first US official to stand down in protest against US policy towards Israel and the crisis in the Gaza Strip. -Hala Rharrit, a seasoned State Department official responsible for relations with Arab media, became one of the first career diplomats to stand down amid the Gaza crisis. As she stepped down in April, she said that US support of Israel was detrimental for American Mideast positions. -Annelle Sheline, an officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, resigned in March, concluding there is no much space currently left for human rights with Israel constantly shelling the Gaza Strip. She said that as long as the US continues to send a steady stream of weapons to Israel she could not do her job anymore. -Major Harrison Mann resigned from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in November 2023, explaining that US support of Israel enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians."-Josh Paul, director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, resigned in October 2023. He argued that Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity were extensively documented, meaning that US support of Tel-Aviv contradicted the very values that we publicly espouse." On the day when the White House announced that the latest atrocity in Rafah did not cross its red line, this [Stacy Gilbert`s] resignation demonstrates that the Biden administration will do anything to avoid the truth," Paul wrote, commenting on the latest developments in Gaza. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240511/the-zionist-project-doomed-itself-by-rejecting-peace-advocates-1118381341.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sergey Lebedev Sergey Lebedev 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 Sergey Lebedev palestine-israel conflict, israel-palestine conflict, us israel policy, gaza violence, gaza crisis, gaza genocide, gaza war crimes https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/ex-ukrainian-prime-minister-zelensky-is-nothing-but-impostor-since-may-21-1118686532.html Ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister: Zelensky is Nothing But Impostor Since May 21 Ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister: Zelensky is Nothing But Impostor Since May 21 Sputnik International Volodymyr Zelensky has lost his legitimacy and the West cannot rewrite the Ukrainian Constitution by holding summits and creating excuses for his brazen power grab, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told Sputnik. 2024-05-29T14:55+0000 2024-05-29T14:55+0000 2024-05-31T16:13+0000 ukraine volodymyr zelensky mykola azarov ukrainian parliament verkhovna rada vladimir putin maidan viktor yanukovych world europe https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118687760_0:0:2526:1421_1920x0_80_0_0_683c92f12c2dd4a94d15f697a6d2faf2.jpg Zelensky's presidential powers expired on the night of May 20-21 and cannot be extended per the Ukrainian Constitution which limits the presidential tenure to five years. Despite calls from the West to secure a second term via a general election in Ukraine, he refused to do so - using the pretext of martial law to continue.Azarov went on to trash Zelensky's martial law pretext to justify canceling elections: "Zelensky did not declare war [against Russia]. He also did not announce any military operation. He simply introduced martial law. Why did you introduce martial law if you are not declaring war?"Zero Chance of Winning ElectionThe former Ukrainian president's unwillingness to hold elections stems from his legitimate fear that he would have lost miserably, according to the former prime minister."If there were a chance [of winning], he would have held elections," he said. "Nothing prevented him from holding elections, because the entire administration, all the security forces, all the penal structures, everything is in the hands of his administration."Azarov suggested that Zelensky could have held elections in the territories controlled by Kiev akin to what his predecessor Petro Poroshenko did during his presidential tenure. But even under these conditions, Zelensky understood that he could not win and could be easily beaten by any other contender, like General Valery Zaluzhny, the ex-prime minister presumed.As Zelensky's tenure expired on May 20, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and its speaker are now the only legitimate powers in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on May 28, adding that the Ukrainian Constitution provides for the extension of the powers of the parliament, but not the president, under martial law.Responding to Putin's remark, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk argued that the president of Ukraine exercises his powers until his successor assumes the post. However, the debate over Zelensky's legitimacy is gaining pace regardless of Stefanchuk's assertions.Forgotten Case of Yanukovich's Illegitimate OverthrowStefanchuk also appears to forget that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was unable to transfer power to a legitimate successor in 2014, since he was illegally overthrown on February 22, with Euromaidan leader Oleksandr Turchynov grabbing the reins of the country the very next day. To that end, the then-chairman of the Verkhovna Rada was designated acting president on February 23, 2014. Remarkably, Turchynov was made the Ukrainian parliament's chairman on the same day Yanukovich was ousted. Apparently, coup plotters kept in mind that the powers of the president should be transferred to the Verkhovna Rada's head.Zelensky's Conflict With Constitutional CourtOne might ask why Zelensky had not requested that the Ukrainian Constitutional Court issue clarifications on the matter. The crux of the matter is that he earlier sabotaged the work of the body, according to Azarov."By his decree, Zelensky completely unconstitutionally recalled the chairman of the Constitutional Court [Oleksandr Tupytsky in March 2021]," the former prime minister said. "He had no right to do this. He has no such powers. Of course, the Constitutional Court declared this presidential decree illegal and rejected it."Zelenskys repeated attempts to sack Tupytsky proved futile until the latter's tenure expired on May 15, 2022. On May 27 the same year, the Kiev regime announced that the former Constitutional Court chair had been put on the international wanted list.West is Well Aware That Zelensky Has Lost LegitimacyAccording to the ex-Ukrainian prime minister, the West knows of the legitimacy debacle in Ukraine.Zelensky's clash with the Constitutional Court, refusal to hold elections, and persecution of his political opponents has all the earmarks of dictatorship, international pundits argue. Under these circumstances, it's hard to imagine that any viable alternative to Zelensky would emerge anytime soon, barring the West's machinations, according to Azarov."All the alternatives that could have replaced Zelensky were either imprisoned by the West with Zelensky's hands, or removed from the country, or, unfortunately, these people died. If such an alternative had appeared, they would have been in prison the next day, testifying about high treason," Azarov remarked.The situation of ambiguity and lawlessness makes it almost impossible to hold talks or conclude agreements with Ukrainian authorities, according to the former official. He noted that the Kiev regime's backers in the West also cannot play the role of brokers or guarantors of peace. The failure of the Minsk agreements and preliminary peace accords discussed by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in March 2022 perfectly illustrate Azarov's words. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240225/at-long-last-uk-media-blasts-wests-support-to-euromaidan-coup--ukraine-conflict-1116974378.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240526/expired-why-is-zelensky-no-longer-ukraines-legitimate-president-1118642457.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240525/zelenskys-unconstitutional-power-grab-amidst-ukraines-military-failures-1118636828.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240514/why-blinkens-surprise-visit-to-ukraine-is-bad-omen-for-zelensky-1118429166.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20220411/minsk-agreements-why-the-genocide-of-donbass-failed-to-stop-1094652280.html ukraine kiev Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova 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 Ekaterina Blinova ukraine, volodymyr zelensky, zelensky's presidential term expired on may 20, nikolay azarov, zelensky has lost his legitimacy, ukrainian verkhovna rada, vladimir putin, ukraine war, ukraine lacks legitimate authorities to hold negotiations with, ukrainian constitution https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/france-germany-to-jointly-work-on-long-range-weapons--1118681261.html France, Germany to Jointly Work on Long-Range Weapons France, Germany to Jointly Work on Long-Range Weapons Sputnik International German and French authorities along with partners intend to cooperate on the development of long-range weapons, according to the final document of the German-French council on security and defense meeting. 2024-05-29T09:37+0000 2024-05-29T09:37+0000 2024-05-29T09:37+0000 military france german russia-nato showdown https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107916/46/1079164651_0:1097:1800:2110_1920x0_80_0_0_c79d7f08bf24089fecda4eb5b1168c03.jpg The meeting of the two countries' ministers took place at the end of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Germany on Tuesday and was also attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraines right to "self-defense" includes the right to strike legitimate military targets outside the country. Stoltenberg also confirmed that he favors lifting restrictions on the use of Western weapons on "legitimate targets" on the territory of Russia. At the same time, he said that NATO remains committed to avoiding direct confrontation with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia follows the statements on strikes inside its territory. He warned that "NATO representatives, especially in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with." france 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-nato showdown, france germany long range missile, europe long range missiles, europe military, europe defense indusry https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/france-ready-to-recognize-palestine-as-state-but-only-when-it-will-be-useful---macron-1118673145.html France Ready to Recognize Palestine as State, But Only When 'It Will Be Useful' - Macron France Ready to Recognize Palestine as State, But Only When 'It Will Be Useful' - Macron Sputnik International Paris is ready to recognize Palestine as a state, but only when "it will be useful," French President Emmanuel Macron told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 2024-05-29T02:44+0000 2024-05-29T02:44+0000 2024-05-29T02:44+0000 world palestine palestine-israel conflict state of palestine israel emmanuel macron europe european union (eu) rafah hamas https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118672801_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_5eb8e1c298b96c7ddaa0303af40dd2ec.jpg "I am fully prepared to recognize the state of Palestine, but I believe that this recognition must come at a time when it is useful. I will not recognize it led by 'emotions,'" Macron told the press conference, broadcast by the Elysee Palace on X on Tuesday. The French president added that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is a priority now. He also expressed the need for Israel to end the ongoing military operation in the city of Rafah. Until this Tuesday, Palestine was recognized by nine EU member states. Eight countries Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia recognized it in 1988 before joining the European Union, while Sweden did the same in 2014. Spain, Norway and Ireland officially recognized Palestine as a state earlier on Tuesday. On Sunday, Israel struck a refugee camp northeast of Rafah. The Palestinian civil defense service said that at least 40 people died and dozens were injured as a result. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike on the refugee camp a "tragic incident," adding that an investigation is underway. The Israel Defense Forces said that it used "precise munitions." Israel sent troops into the city of Rafah on May 7, seven months after an attack by Palestinian movement Hamas on Israeli territory unleashed the worst escalation of conflict in the Gaza Strip in decades. Israel's war cabinet vowed to expand the operation in Rafah until it accomplished its declared goal of eliminating all Hamas fighters. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240525/which-countries-recognize-palestine-1118624831.html palestine israel rafah 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 french president, emmanuel macron, palestinian state, palestinian statehood, recognize palestine, state of palestine, genocide, palestinian statehood, gaza genocide, palestinian freedom, free palestine, unrecognized state, recognized state https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/georgias-efforts-to-protect-itself-from-foreign-meddling-cause-us-outrage-1118691726.html Georgias Efforts to Protect Itself From Foreign Meddling Cause US Outrage Georgias Efforts to Protect Itself From Foreign Meddling Cause US Outrage Sputnik International This week, the Georgian parliament overturned a presidential veto and passed a bill that obliges NGOs and media that receive funding from abroad to register as... 29.05.2024, Sputnik International 2024-05-29T19:06+0000 2024-05-29T19:06+0000 2024-05-29T19:06+0000 analysis georgia west foreign agents law pressure https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118691562_0:88:1280:808_1920x0_80_0_0_0082a7cb66ff43ca6d5d74f514507692.jpg The United States anger over the new foreign agents law recently adopted in Georgia stems from the fact that non-government organizations and media currently remain the only regime change tool at the Wests disposal in this Caucasus region country, says Arno Khidirbegishvili, general director and chief editor of the Georgian Information and Analytical Agency "GEOINFORM."During the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili, Khidirbegishvili explains, the West had many more options available: the Saakashvili regime itself, president Saakashvili, [foreign] aid, credits, investments and all the rest. This is why the protests against the law in question started, Khidirbegishvili explains Western powers realized that they were losing their hold on Georgia. According to him, Western attempts to destabilize the situation in Georgia, which involve efforts to destroy Georgia's currency, may lead to armed clashes within the country. That, in turn, could be used as a pretext for a military intervention by a peacekeeping NATO force, he suggests. Meanwhile, Western pressure aimed at bringing Georgia to heel and turning it into a weapon against Russia only evokes outrage among the Georgian people, Khidirbegishvili adds. georgia west 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 georgia foreign agents law, us georgia relations, georgia foreign agents bill https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/gt-investigates-is-us-really-the-largest-foreign-aid-donor-1118684515.html GT Investigates: Is US Really the Largest Foreign Aid Donor? GT Investigates: Is US Really the Largest Foreign Aid Donor? Sputnik International Numerous rubber cheques expose US arrogance, hypocrisy in international aid. 2024-05-29T12:22+0000 2024-05-29T12:22+0000 2024-05-29T12:22+0000 world us adrian chen joe biden wang yu china afghanistan ukraine us congress us agency for international development (usaid) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0b/0f/1114975089_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_31ef5e771ff402893e860469122f53de.jpg The US has always crowed over its "achievement" of being the world's largest foreign aid donor. However, US foreign aid has, in fact, usually been found to be based on maximizing the country's own interests, disregarding the practical interests and long-term development of the recipient developing countries and regions.The US has been wantonly interfering in other countries' internal affairs in the name of foreign aid,which was described as selfish, arrogant, and hypocritical, for its own gains. This has resulted in serious negative impacts on world peace and development. In the name of aid, the US acts arbitrarily in some recipient developing countries and regions, upholding the unipolar hegemony, disrupting the international development order, and undermining global prosperity and stability.The Global Times is publishing a series of articles to expose the hypocritical nature and baneful influence of US foreign aid. This installment, the first in the series, focuses on the empty promises the US has made to its recipients around the world, and some arrogant political and economic conditions attached to the US aid. The article looks into how these rubber cheques have brought the recipients not better lives but long-term miseries.The US Senate, in April 2024, approved a $95.3 billion foreign aid package for some of its allies including Ukraine and Israel. For Ukraine, the aid contained provisions, such as the Biden administration sending to Kiev more US-made missiles known as long-range ATACMS, and Biden seeking repayment of $10 billion in economic assistance from Ukraine, reported The New York Times on April 25.The aid package has aroused widespread controversy in the international community, with many criticizing the US for conditioning its aid on mandatory terms that may actually lead to more debt for recipients like Ukraine.There is no doubt that US aid has prolonged the crisis in Ukraine. Since the war began in early 2022, the US Congress has voted through five bills that have provided Ukraine with continuous aid, doing so most recently in April 2024. The total budget under these bills - the "headline" figure often cited by news media - is $175 billion, according to US think tank Council on Foreign Relations.Worse still, some 40 percent of its military aid was reportedly used for the mandatory purchase of US equipment and training services, and part of the military aid was a financial loan that may become a long-term liability for Ukraine.The US has always considered itself the largest foreign aid donor in the world. However, in reality, its foreign aid has always been based on maximizing its own interests, ignoring the actual interests and long-term development of the recipient countries, experts reached by the Global Times noted.Selfish, arrogant, hypocritical, and ugly. These are the words experts used to describe the US foreign aid. The fact is that, under the guise of aid, the US interferes in the internal affairs of other countries and US politicians seek personal gains, bringing serious negative impacts on world peace and development, the experts stressed.Considering the US' active push to expand its presence in Asia and the Pacific in a string of moves aimed at containing China in recent years, experts warned relevant countries to remain vigilant of the hypocrisy of the US and to proceed with their own common and long-term interests in mind.Deep-Rooted EgoismIn 1949, then US president Harry Truman put forward the Point Four Program of economic and technical assistance for underdeveloped areas in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which marked the beginning of US foreign aid to developing countries. Its first appropriations were made in 1950, according to documents on the website of Truman Presidential Museum and Library.Throughout the last seven decades, US foreign aid has been the embodiment of its deep-rooted egoism, with the primary goal of serving the country's own interests, said Chinese scholars specializing in US studies reached by the Global Times."Nonetheless, we need to examine how much of its aid was actually implemented," Yu told the Global Times. "Too often, the US merely issues empty promises."US aid to Africa, for instance, has been proven to be no more than "pie in the sky" talk. In June 2013, then US president Barack Obama announced the ambitious "Power Africa" initiative during his visit to South Africa, promising to invest funds to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity in Africa by 2020.However, as of the end of 2020, the actual power generation capacity under "Power Africa" was only "4,194 megawatts," less than one-quarter of what the initiative had promised, according to the Power Africa 2020 Annual Report released by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).Also, the US committed $55 billion to support the AU Agenda 2063, at the second US-Africa Leaders Summit held in December 2022. However, people were disappointed later to find that only $15 billion was allocated to newly signed projects, while the remaining $40 billion was a repackaging of various previous initiatives and agreements between the US and African countries in recent years.In an interview with GZERO Media that month, Amaka Anku, head of Africa's Practice at the Eurasia Group, criticized the US' rhetoric as being pretty but hollow. "So, the problem isn't really what they're saying. It's what they're not doing," Anku told GZERO. "The Biden administration is saying all the right things but they're not really doing things differently."No wonder the Center for Global Development (CGD), a US think tank that publishes the Commitment to Development Index (CDI) report every year to assess the assistance of the world's richest countries to the poorer countries, ranked the US in the bottom quarter of the list in almost all its previous years' reports.In the latest CDI report released in 2023, the CGD put the US in the last place among all the 21 countries included. "There was never any pretense of altruism," the Economist commented on USAID in May that year.A Boss or a Partner?The US also never treats the aid recipient countries equally.It always delivers aid in a condescending and patronizing manner, acting as a teacher or savior. It gives assistance from a position of superiority and arrogance, completely drawing lines according to its own standards, and ignores the cultural traditions and realities in other countries and regions. Its aid often comes with harsh conditions that harm the sovereignty and dignity of the recipient country or region, while also meddling in its internal affairs.As to this point, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, refers to the US' Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia as a typical example.Here, "association" refers to the special close relationship these countries have with the US, where defense powers are handed over to the US, and the US has unrestricted access to their territories, airspaces, and territorial waters to deploy military forces and equipment. In other words, the three Freely Associated States had to sacrifice their national security sovereignty for economic assistance from the US, Chen noted.The so-called free association is essentially an extremely unequal relationship, where a superpower exploits and erodes the territories and sovereignty of weaker countries in order to seek its geopolitical advantage in the Pacific region and serve its hegemonic strategic objectives, Chen stressed.Worse still, the US' aid packages are also usually bonded with conditions that were related to exporting American values, such as US-style "democracy," "humanism," and "constitutionalism," according to experts reached by the Global Times.Created by the US Congress in January 2004, and with the objective of providing development assistance to low-income countries, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) had signed 83 programs in 51 countries and regions across five continents as of February 2022, according to the MCC website.The MCC claims it is committed to addressing common human challenges and helping underdeveloped countries develop their economies, and improving people's livelihoods.But in reality, it serves the US global strategic and geopolitical goals, and is an important political and economic tool to win over regional countries, especially key small countries.Many provisions of the agreement place US law above the laws of the recipient countries, requiring the recipient countries to meet the standards set by the US for political reform, market economy, democratization, and human rights, among others, seriously infringing on the sovereignty of the recipient countries and regions, and thus facing constant opposition and resistance from developing countries.In 2020, the Sri Lankan government rejected an offer by the MCC to continue a compact on the grounds that the MCC is an instrument of neo-imperialism pursuing economic hegemony over poorer countries, the Asian Times reported.The US and its allies do not have any moral right to talk about "democracy" and "human rights." These two values have also been abused by the US in the last few decades to intervene in other countries and create chaos, chairman of the Sri Lanka China Friendship Association Ananda Goonatilleke said in a signed article in The Morning newspaper of Sri Lanka in December 2021 when the US held a so-called Summit for Democracy.Not to mention the US' 20 years of missteps in Afghanistan. In 2001, the US sent troops to Afghanistan in the name of fighting terrorism and rebuilding Afghanistan for the Afghan people. Since then, in the following two decades, successive US administrations have spared no effort to implant the so-called democratic institutions and a free market economy in Afghanistan.However, a review of what these "efforts" have brought to Afghanistan is needed. An estimated 241,000 people have died as a direct result of the war since the US invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, Al Jazeera reported in 2021 when the US withdrew its troops.At the same time, 3.7 million children were out of school, with 60 percent of them being girls. And most Afghans continued to live in poverty. Attacks on civilians were also on the rise. Since 2017, 1,705 violent incidents against civilians were recorded. In 2020 alone, 424 attacks spanning 235 days were recorded across the country, according to the Al Jazeera report.New Target, Same Old TrickA notable new characteristic of US aid is that it attaches conditions more directly aimed at countering the US' perceived opponents like China, Yu noted."This is a clear trend that shows the US thinks [the main purpose of] its foreign aid is to serve its demand for geopolitical gain, which is far greater than the demand for 'popularizing democracy and human rights' as it has declared," Yu told the Global Times. "That reflects the hypocrisy of US aid."The US House of Representatives, on March 6, approved a $7 billion spending package that included funding to support updated versions of the COFA with the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia after months of delay.Citing some US officials, a report by the Associated Press said, on March 19, that the move is an important sign for the US to demonstrate its commitment to relations with the Pacific Island countries "amid warnings China is actively trying to pry them away from Washington's sphere of influence."In fact, in their relationship with the US, these island nations and their people are treated as pawns or even sacrifices to serve the US' own interests. And the US has been employing the same old trick in many scenarios by using foreign aid as a tool to counter China's growing influence in and strengthening cooperation with developing countries, forcing the latter to take sides.Also in March, during a trade mission visit to Manila, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in the Philippines' tech sector and help double the number of semiconductor factories in the country. Observers say the pledge and visit highlight the Southeast Asian country's growing importance to Washington and will help reduce the Philippine economy's reliance on China amid rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, VOA reported.With its current capabilities, the US is unable to keep up with the pace of its global hegemonic strategy. For some allies and partners, Washington often adopts the tactic of making empty promises, using inducement and coercion to tie some countries to its anti-China bandwagon, Chen noted.But relevant countries seeking aid from the US should be more clear-headed: Instead of being used as tools of the US hegemonic strategy, it is better to uphold their sovereignty and dignity in a dignified manner, which is truly beneficial for the long-term interests of their countries, Chen said.*This article was originally published by Global Times. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/us-watchdog-says-12-of-us-aid-to-ukraine-in-2nd-quarter-delinquent-or-unaccounted-for-1118476861.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240424/ukraine-aid-bill-shows-establishment-still-runs-the-gop-1118082287.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240504/foreign-policy-down-the-list-ex-pentagon-adviser-on-what-really-worries-americans-1118256642.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240328/the-us-and-islamists-a-history-of-connivance-1117611979.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/china-urges-us-to-respect-sovereignty-of-neighboring-nations-amid-tensions-1118662520.html china afghanistan 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 us foreign aid, us military aid, us global aid https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/horrific-pictures--world-responds-to-israeli-strike-on-gaza-camp-1118671735.html Horrific Pictures World Responds to Israeli Strike on Gaza Camp Horrific Pictures World Responds to Israeli Strike on Gaza Camp Sputnik International Grisly images have emerged online after an Israeli strike on a tent encampment apparently ignited a fire that killed multiple Palestinian refugees. 2024-05-29T00:37+0000 2024-05-29T00:37+0000 2024-05-29T05:07+0000 analysis middle east recep tayyip erdogan emmanuel macron john kirby israel rafah palestine arab league international court of justice https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1c/1118671577_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_ad058ea34f343078d36b70457eca8c3c.jpg The world is reacting to scenes of chaos and desperation that ensued after an Israeli strike on a displaced persons camp near the Gazan city of Rafah Sunday killed at least 40 people and injured dozens more.The most outraged responses came from Global South nations, with Arab League members noting the attack demonstrated flagrant defiance of last weeks International Court of Justice ruling calling on Israel to cease operations in the Palestinian city.Western countries have been divided in their response, with French President Emmanuel Macron claiming he was outraged over the incident but White House spokesperson John Kirby expressing faith in Israels investigation into the mishap.We have to remember that this area, Rafah in Gaza, is an area that the Palestinians were told they'll be safe, noted journalist Robert Fantina on Sputniks The Final Countdown program Tuesday. So they're overcrowded to an unbelievable extent. Like 800,000 people in Rafah alone. It's tripled or quadrupled from its original size.US President Joe Biden had previously suggested an Israeli invasion of Rafah would constitute a red line. The White House briefly placed a hold on the provision of some heavy bombs to the country earlier this month out of purported concern over mass civilian casualties.But the president seemingly changed course just a week later, announcing a new $1.25 billion arms package for Israel after bipartisan criticism from members of Congress.Netizens were shocked by images from the hellish scene that emerged in the aftermath of Israels attack Sunday as a fire raged across the tent encampment.The scenes from Rafah overnight are horrific, wrote British commentator Piers Morgan, who has consistently backed Israel amid its seven-month-long operation in Gaza. Ive defended Israels right to defend itself after Oct7, but slaughtering so many innocent people as they cower in a refugee camp is indefensible. Stop this now @netanyahu.They're continuing the bombing campaign, they're saying they're going to investigate this. And you have to remember, they're always investigating their own crimes and finding that they were not guilty of them. This doesn't fly on the international stage anymore. It had for the longest time because the United States has allowed it, enabled it, but those days, I think, are gone.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the incident a tragic mishap, saying a precision munition ignited a fuel tank in the Palestinian encampment.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the attack on the X social media platform, writing, I condemn Israels actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240527/dozens-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-rafah-refugee-camp--report-1118644818.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/eu-states-discuss-sanctions-against-israel-over-non-compliance-with-icj-ruling-1118658398.html israel rafah palestine gaza strip 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 israel rafah attack, israel rafah invasion, israel refugee camp strike, israel tent encampment strike, fire rafah tent camp, israel rafah strike reaction, killings of civilians, civilian infrastructure, civilians dead, civilians die, israel kills civilians, civilian casualties, civilian deaths, indiscriminate shelling, indiscriminate killing, war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian disaster, humanitarian catastrophe https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/how-us-is-flirting-with-idea-of-limited-nuclear-conflict-with-russia-and-china-1118682784.html How US is Flirting With Idea of 'Limited' Nuclear Conflict With Russia and China How US is Flirting With Idea of 'Limited' Nuclear Conflict With Russia and China Sputnik International Washington is considering the deployment of nuclear-armed cruise missiles on Virginia-class attack submarines to deter China and Russia, according to the Asia Times. 2024-05-29T11:17+0000 2024-05-29T11:17+0000 2024-05-29T11:17+0000 military russia china us virginia-class nuclear submarines https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/02/14/1116893601_0:74:2170:1294_1920x0_80_0_0_1e4853c08d470f74340b114289f29ddd.jpg US lawmakers have recently focused on how to modify Virginia-class attack submarines (SSN) to install nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM-N). Last week they summoned Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe to discuss the complexities and uncertainties concerning arming attack submarines with SLCM-N. The discussion revolved around enhancing their nuclear deterrence against China and Russia, according to the Asia Times.The SLCM-N is a cruise missile with a low-yield nuclear warhead launched from surface ships or attack submarines (SSNs). It was first proposed in 2018 alongside the low-yield version (with less than 10 kilotons of explosive power) of the W76 warhead to arm long-range ballistic missile submarines.What are the SLCM-N program's merits in the eyes of American lawmakers, military, and scholars?First of all, US military experts argue that SLCM-Ns would allow the US to engage in a "limited" nuclear exchange in contrast to "massive retaliation".In addition, using theater-based nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles might not be seen as "legitimizing" a nuclear retaliatory strike on the American homeland, according to US military experts. They suggest that it would make it hard for American adversaries to immediately identify the origin of the strike after an attack.Placing SLCM-Ns on US attack submarines will allow the Pentagon to maintain a widespread and enduring presence in the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean, and Asia-Pacific, according to Kyle Balzer of the American Enterprise Institute."Due to the low observability of undersea launchers, Beijing and Moscow will have to assume it is loitering on site," wrote Balzer for Breaking Defense on February 28. "If deployed on select surface ships, as well as submarines, the deterrent effect could be even greater."Balzer pointed out that the deployment of SLCM-Ns on attack subs and surface ships would create an atmosphere of ambiguity: Russia and China wouldn't be sure if the vessels are nuclear-armed or not, thus complicating decision-making and creating additional deterrence.American lawmakers have been pushing ahead with the program for the last several years. While the United States has not deployed a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile since 1991, the Trump administration argued in 2018 that the SLCM-N would "provide a needed non-strategic regional presence" in Europe and Asia and contribute "to deterrence and assurance of allies, especially in Asia."The SLCM-N program was reversed by President Joe Biden in 2022 as an excessive and costly solution. Nonetheless, after a heated debate, the initiative was passed within the framework of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 under the pretext of Russia's special military operation and China's alleged plans to "invade" Taiwan. It became law in December 2023 with instructions to achieve operational capability of the SLCM-N by 2034.Is 'Limited' Nuclear Conflict Possible?Russia has repeatedly warned the US against lowering the nuclear threshold and hypothesizing a possibility of a limited nuclear exchange. According to Moscow, the "limited" use of nuclear weapons by no means reduces the risk of an all-out nuclear war, but rather invites it.Commenting on Washington's plans to deploy low-yield nuclear arms on its submarines or surface vessels in April 2020, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the move as destabilizing.China has also repeatedly lambasted Washington for switching to low-yield nuclear arms as a return to the Cold War era. Beijing also raised the alarm over AUKUS (Australia, UK and US pact) plans to build nuclear-powered submarines in Australia as violating non-proliferation principles. Both Russia and China pursue a no-first-use nuclear doctrine. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240527/america-prepares-for-war-with-china-amid-latest-provocation-from-us-congress-1118643923.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240507/how-us-may-weaponize-confusion-around-nuclear-capable-f-16-in-ukraine-1118321231.html russia china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova 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 Ekaterina Blinova us nuclear capabilities, us nukes, nuclear conflict with russia, nuclear conflict with china, possible nuclear war, countries with nuclear weapons https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/hungary-has-no-desire-to-take-part-in-conflict-in-ukraine---foreign-minister-1118685485.html Hungary Has No Desire to Take Part in Conflict in Ukraine - Foreign Minister Hungary Has No Desire to Take Part in Conflict in Ukraine - Foreign Minister Sputnik International Budapest does not want to take part in the conflict in Ukraine and will not allow even one Hungarian soldier to be taken to the front, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday. 2024-05-29T12:26+0000 2024-05-29T12:26+0000 2024-05-29T12:26+0000 world ukrainian crisis hungary viktor orban peter szijjarto nato ukraine https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/04/18/1109798712_0:0:2200:1239_1920x0_80_0_0_99836a7b435ae1e02d32fb00e9765f3e.jpg Hungary has been pushing for peace negotiations and opposing sanctions on Russia's energy sector since the very start of Moscows special military operation. In March 2022, the Hungarian parliament banned the delivery of weapons to Kiev. In May 2024, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Budapest must redefine its status with NATO to avoid being dragged in any conflict with Russia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240525/hungarys-bid-to-redefine-nato-status-signals-refusal-to-march-lockstep-into-war-with-russia-1118636002.html hungary 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 ukrainian crisis, ukrainian conflict, russia-nato showdown, hungary ukraine, hungary nato, orban ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/israel-on-path-to-make-gaza-unlivable-while-seeking-to-destroy-hamas-1118688979.html Israel on Path to Make Gaza Unlivable While Seeking to Destroy Hamas Israel on Path to Make Gaza Unlivable While Seeking to Destroy Hamas Sputnik International Tel Aviv continues its Rafah operation with no clear end-game strategy, while the US is turning a blind eye to the ongoing massacre, Dr. Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Sputnik. 2024-05-29T16:56+0000 2024-05-29T16:56+0000 2024-05-29T16:56+0000 israel world middle east benjamin netanyahu palestinians joe biden tel aviv doha hamas israel defense forces (idf) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/0f/1118461490_0:244:3072:1972_1920x0_80_0_0_e2c14f2038f51ba2a2a49273f90e311a.jpg Israel dispatched tanks on raids into Rafah on May 29 after conducting a deadly strike on a displacement camp located in the region on Sunday. According to CNN, US-made munitions were used during the Sunday attack that claimed the lives of at least 45 people and injured 200 others. Nonetheless, the Biden administration insists Tel Aviv's actions do not constitute a major ground operation that crosses any US red lines.According to Qarmout, it might take years for Israel to root out Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions. The question is whether the world will tolerate the ongoing genocide of Gazans, he noted.On May 29, Tel Aviv signaled that its war in Gaza would likely continue throughout 2024 at least. Meanwhile, Israeli Army Radio cited War Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot who claimed it will take "three to five years for a significant stabilization" in the strip.What the Netanyahu cabinet can achieve is destroying Gaza from a civil perspective, making it an unlivable place, but it doesn't mean they would finish off Hamas, according to the academic."The Israelis so far don't have an exit, a way out of the Gaza swamp, the way I put it. And so far, what they're doing is destroying the civil order in Gaza, destroying the livelihood of Gaza itself," Qarmout said, adding that Tel Aviv is presently in discussions with the US, European and Arab countries about ruling the post-war strip. "Israel wants to have an upper security hand over Gaza, but they don't want to bear the price or the cost of re-occupying Gaza and being in charge of its 2.5 million inhabitants."According to Al Jazeera analysis, the Gaza Strip has shrunk by nearly 32 percent due to a buffer zone imposed by the Israeli military. The media outlet claims that judging from satellite images the total area of the strip has been diminished by approximately 120 square kilometers (about 46 sq miles).Over 800,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee Rafah since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) started their operations in the area.The expert added that it's astonishing that Israel went on a genocidal spree in Gaza to target a single paramilitary group Hamas.According to Qarmout, Israel is continuing to push ahead with its military plans despite the world's growing condemnation because it's shielded by Washington: "The US has provided an umbrella of protection through the UN, through the veto power in the Security Council."The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on May 24 urged Israel to "immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part."However, Tel Aviv interpreted the ruling to its favor, claiming that what it is being asked is not to commit genocide in Rafah. "We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide," Netanyahus national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Israels N12 broadcaster on May 25."The US is very complicit in this conflict. And it cannot take any higher moral grounds and say: 'Well, we advise the Israelis, whatever'. But in reality, that does not matter, in this criminal war actions matter," the academic concluded. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/fighting-in-gaza-will-last-at-least-another-7-months---israeli-security-council-head-1118682948.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240505/is-power-sharing-deal-on-postwar-gaza-between-israel-and-arab-states-feasible-1118265728.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240526/icj-orders-israel-to-halt-military-offensive-in-rafah-1118637426.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/biden-destroyed-his-chances-for-reelection-by-supporting-israel-in-gaza-war---jeff-monson-1118684220.html israel tel aviv doha palestine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova 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 Ekaterina Blinova israel, gaza war, hamas, rafah operation, genocide in gaza, palestinians, israel-palestine conflict, israel to continue its gaza war throughout 2024, civilian casualties in gaza, hamas, palestinian resistance groups https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/kremlin-aware-of-reports-on-poland-allowing-ukraine-to-use-weapons-to-strike-russia-1118683980.html Kremlin Aware of Reports on Poland Allowing Ukraine to Use Weapons to Strike Russia Kremlin Aware of Reports on Poland Allowing Ukraine to Use Weapons to Strike Russia Sputnik International The Kremlin is aware of reports that Poland allowed Kiev to use weapons to strike the Russian territory, this was obvious, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. 2024-05-29T11:43+0000 2024-05-29T11:43+0000 2024-05-29T11:43+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine ukraine crisis dmitry peskov poland ukraine kiev kremlin military aid foreign military aid nato https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/0c/1118393429_0:0:3076:1731_1920x0_80_0_0_0109ce68d64b5a3420b64c822a57469f.jpg Earlier in the day, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk told the Zet radio broadcaster that the Polish authorities do not in any way restrict the Ukrainian army from using Polish weapons, including against Russia. In the interview with the Zet broadcaster, Tomczyk said he believes other Western countries should also lift such limitations, saying that Ukrainians have the right to conduct a fight "anyway they want." Poland continues to supply Kiev with ammunition and has already sent 44 military aid packages, the Polish politician said, adding that a new package is being prepared and that currently the total cost of the Polish military aid for Kiev is 15-20 billion zlotys ($3.75-4 billion). Nevertheless, the Polish authorities do not plan to send military troops to Ukraine, Tomczyk told the radio broadcaster. "As of today, there is no discussion and there is no decision on sending troops to Ukraine. This is the current position of the Polish government," the deputy defense minister said. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/ukraine-used-western-weapons-on-several-occasions-to-attack-russia---report-1118679790.html poland ukraine kiev 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 military aid for ukraine, is us giving more money to ukraine, why is us giving more money to kiev, whats happening to money given to kiev, will us give more money to kiev, how much money does ukraine get, how much money us gives to ukraine, how much money eu gives to ukraine, how much money europe gives to ukraine, what weapons does ukraine receive, does us give ukraine new weapons https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/lightweight-biden-officials-lack-gravitas-to-negotiate-with-russia--analyst-1118675548.html Lightweight Biden Officials Lack Gravitas to Negotiate with Russia Analyst Lightweight Biden Officials Lack Gravitas to Negotiate with Russia Analyst Sputnik International Nebojsa Malic ran through the list of top officials in the Biden White House, attempting to conjure someone who approaches the stature of Russias top diplomat. 2024-05-29T05:09+0000 2024-05-29T05:09+0000 2024-05-29T05:10+0000 analysis joe biden antony blinken russia moscow kiev cia white house william burns jake sullivan https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118676203_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_6e9619878b0ddabfa40aaa16fb6fcf60.jpg Which White House official has the clout to go toe to toe with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov?That's a trick question. Nobody.So says Serbian-American journalist Nebojsa Malic, who joined Sputniks The Final Countdown program Tuesday to discuss how the Biden administrations diplomatic deficit prevents Washington from dialing down tensions with one of the worlds foremost military powers.The West is playing poker and the Russians are not playing games, said the veteran columnist for AntiWar.com, who claimed the United States has consistently provoked Moscow.The issue has represented the latest controversy in the Wests ongoing proxy war against Moscow, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly making the case to encourage Kiev to strike within Russian territory.But you can say that that particular rubicon has been crossed months ago, said Malic. These long-range strikes they're hitting oil refiners, they're hitting cities, they're hitting civilians they're not striking military formations. Never did.This whole talk of, oh, but we couldn't disrupt the offensive because we weren't allowed to strike Russian territory, is just an excuse from Zelensky and his command to justify their total and utter failure on the battlefield. And that's why it's arisen let's do this because we're going to blame the West for not letting us fight.As Russia has consolidated their gains on the battlefield and pushed north towards Kharkov, Western media has begun to acknowledge the Kiev regimes dire straits. With Ukrainian victory now more unlikely than ever, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that he is open to negotiating peace.But Moscow prefers to negotiate with the people who make the decisions, noted Malic, who reside not in Kiev, but in Washington.Do you see a scenario where Antony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov sit down and have tea together? asked host Angie Wong.No, the analyst replied bluntly.Simply put, no. I don't think Lavrov wants to negotiate with somebody who's such a lightweight, he claimed, apparently unimpressed with Blinkens guitar playing abilities.The writer ran through the list of other top officials in the Biden White House, attempting to conjure someone who approaches the stature of Russias longtime top diplomat.Sullivan: no. Harris: no. Biden, himself: don't make me laugh. Blinken: no. Austin: no, also he's indisposed. Yeah, I think Burns might be the guy. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240526/wests-talks-about-using-us-weapons-to-strike-russia-reflect-desperation---lavrov-1118641395.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240506/six-people-killed-35-injured-in-ukrainian-drone-attack-on-russias-belgorod-region-1118282735.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240409/us-deep-state-will-call-shots-in-ukraine-not-trump-or-biden-1117816700.html russia moscow kiev 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 lightweight biden officials, biden diplomats, antony blinken lightweight, antony blinken pathetic, antony blinken whiny and annoying, bill burns diplomat, william burns biden administration, william burns negotiation with russia, us-russia negotiations, us-russia talks, russia-ukraine talks, russia-us talks, russia-america talks, lavrov-blinken talks https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/nato-dragging-eu-into-ww-iii-it-is-no-longer-defensive-alliance---french-politician-1118674614.html NATO Dragging EU Into WW III, It Is No Longer Defensive Alliance - French Politician NATO Dragging EU Into WW III, It Is No Longer Defensive Alliance - French Politician Sputnik International NATO is dragging the European Union into World War III with statements about strikes on Russian territory and is no longer a "defensive alliance," Florian Philippot, the leader of French Eurosceptic party The Patriots and a candidate for the European Parliament elections, said on social media. 2024-05-29T02:22+0000 2024-05-29T02:22+0000 2024-05-29T05:28+0000 nato world ukraine crisis wwiii russia jens stoltenberg ukrainian crisis france dmitry peskov nuclear war https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118675099_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_fd280cbfa15f54646e519a2a43540ad5.jpg "NATO's statements are an insane dash toward World War III against Russia. Every word is extremely serious and fraught with consequences. NATO has officially abandoned its position as a 'defense alliance' already disproved in practice it is declaring war!" Philippot said on X on Tuesday. The politician has called on Paris to withdraw from the alliance. On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraines right to self-defense includes the right to strike legitimate military targets outside the country. Stoltenberg also confirmed that he favors lifting restrictions on the use of Western weapons on "legitimate targets" on the territory of Russia. At the same time, he said that NATO remains committed to avoiding direct confrontation with Russia. The opinion of EU leaders on the issue is divided. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the NATO chief's statement as "provocative," adding that Russia's possible response to attacks on its territory is known only to the president and the top military officials, who will be taking appropriate countermeasures. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/nato-members-divided-on-ukraines-plans-to-hit-russia-with-western-weapons-1118668183.html russia france 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 us hegemony, western pressure, western world, western dominance, us dominance, nato vs russia, nato-russia war, ww3, wwiii, world war three, nato attacks russia, nato troops in ukraine, western weapons, aid to ukraine, world war 3, world war three https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/netherlands-ex-intelligence-chief-confirms-he-was-offered-post-of-prime-minister---reports-1118678411.html Netherlands' Ex-Intelligence Chief Confirms He Was Offered Post of Prime Minister - Reports Netherlands' Ex-Intelligence Chief Confirms He Was Offered Post of Prime Minister - Reports Sputnik International Former Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service Director-General Dick Schoof has acknowledged that he had been asked to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands 2024-05-29T05:56+0000 2024-05-29T05:56+0000 2024-05-29T05:56+0000 world netherlands dick schoof geert wilders dutch people's party for freedom and democracy (vvd) national security committee (nsc) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118678508_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_bf6c71e92764f128751c9121bf7787fb.jpg Dutch media reported on Tuesday that the new Dutch coalition government, which includes the Party for Freedom (PVV), the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement party (BBB), planned to nominate Schoof as the next Dutch prime minister. The report said on Tuesday that Schoof, 67, is likely to take office on June 26. The newspaper cited the ex-intelligence chief as saying that he plans to be a leader for the entire country and remain "partyless" while in office. The prime minister is traditionally chosen as a member of the largest party in a coalition, which is currently the PVV led by Geert Wilders, the newspaper reported, adding that Schoof said he will not be "dragged to an extremist stance." Dutch broadcaster RTL Nieuws reported in mid-May, citing sources, that former Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk, who acted as a mediator at the beginning of negotiations on the current coalition, could be the most likely candidate for the post of prime minister. Plasterk was the minister of the interior and kingdom relations in the second cabinet of incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte from 2012 to 2017 and served as the minister of education, culture and science in the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende from 2007 to 2010. However, the official announced earlier in May that he was not ready to lead the new Dutch government. netherlands 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 netherlands prime minister, netherlands elections, netherlands dick schoof, dick schoof pm https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/no-zone-is-safe-1118673816.html No Zone is Safe No Zone is Safe Sputnik International Global condemnation followed the strike, with the most condemnatory of those coming from the Arab League nations and the Global South in general, Sputnik reported. 2024-05-29T05:37+0000 2024-05-29T05:37+0000 2024-05-29T05:37+0000 middle east cindy mccain joe biden rafah israel palestine hamas israel defense forces (idf) palestinians israel-gaza conflict https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118673621_0:122:2000:1247_1920x0_80_0_0_6f469b40e00630662b18951f4cc5c1fe.jpg On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed 45 people and as a result, has left the world shocked as more than half of those killed included women, children, and the elderly. Global condemnation followed the strike, with the most condemnatory of those coming from the Arab League nations and the Global South in general, Sputnik reported.Others stressed that Israel had acted in defiance of the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after the court ordered them to cease their military offensive in Rafah last week. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkiye lambasted Tel-Aviv, saying: We will do everything to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable.But while some Western countries spoke out against Israels atrocities, the US appeared to keep mum on their allys assault.According to witnesses, at least eight airstrikes struck the camp of displaced victims about 600 feet from a UN warehouse. A Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had previously identified the camp as a humanitarian area. The IDF confirmed the strike as well, claiming that significant Hamas terrorists were operating there and said the strikes precise intelligence had eliminated Hamas chief of staff for the West Bank.Survivors said that they families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, according to a Reuters report. A Palestinian mother described the strike as a loud noise followed by a fire that erupted around them.Palestinian authorities have reported that over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict first broke out in October. A majority of those who have been killed are believed to be women and children. Cindy McCain, the head of the United Nations World Food Program has also warned that Gaza has now entered a full-blown famine. And yet, the Biden administration has said that they do not believe Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240526/icj-orders-israel-to-halt-military-offensive-in-rafah-1118637426.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240527/dozens-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-rafah-refugee-camp--report-1118644818.html rafah israel palestine gaza strip americas 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 rafah strike, refugee camp, massacre, gaza strip,israeli bombing, genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian disaster, humanitarian catastrophe, killings of civilians, civilian infrastructure, civilians dead, civilians die, israel kills civilians, civilian casualties, civilian deaths, indiscriminate shelling, indiscriminate killing, war crimes, biden administration https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/protesters-attack-israels-embassy-in-mexico-city-with-molotov-cocktails---reports-1118674529.html Protesters Attack Israel's Embassy in Mexico City With Molotov Cocktails - Reports Protesters Attack Israel's Embassy in Mexico City With Molotov Cocktails - Reports Sputnik International protest action outside the Israeli Embassy in Mexico City has turned into violent clashes with police that resulted in six people suffering burns and a few journalists being wounded, Mexican broadcaster Telediario has reported. 2024-05-29T04:35+0000 2024-05-29T04:35+0000 2024-05-29T04:35+0000 world israeli-palestinian conflict israel-gaza conflict palestine-israel conflict benjamin netanyahu israel rafah israeli embassy hamas gaza strip https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118675337_0:160:3074:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_a7ddd771153c75f222e6e0c2fc658949.jpg Some 80 people gathered outside the Israeli Embassy on Tuesday night and attempted to break through the police cordon and break down the barriers. The embassy's guards, supported by city police officers, fired tear gas to disperse the crowd but were pelted with rocks and Molotov cocktails. The demonstration and clashes, reportedly involving mostly women, lasted about two hours and ended with no detentions. Several journalists covering the events were injured during the clashes, the report said. The report cited the capital's police as saying that four police officers and two women suffered injuries, mostly burns to various parts of their bodies, during the clashes and were being treated by doctors. The protest action was prompted by the recent Israeli strikes on a refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, the media reported. On Sunday, Israel struck a refugee camp northeast of the city of Rafah. The Palestinian civil defense service said that at least 40 people died and dozens were injured as a result. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike on the refugee camp a "tragic incident," adding that an investigation is underway. The Israel Defense Forces said that it used "precise munitions." Israel sent troops into Rafah on May 7, seven months after an attack by Palestinian movement Hamas on Israeli territory unleashed the worst escalation of conflict in the Gaza Strip in decades. Israel's war cabinet vowed to expand the operation in Rafah until it accomplished its declared goal of eliminating all Hamas fighters. israel rafah gaza strip Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International pro-palestenian rally mexico, molotov cocktails israel embassy, mexico protests israel, molotov cocktails pro-palestine https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/putin-chairs-meeting-of-council-for-strategic-development-and-national-projects-1118682641.html Putin Chairs Meeting of Council for Strategic Development and National Projects Putin Chairs Meeting of Council for Strategic Development and National Projects Sputnik International Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of Council for Strategic Development and National Projects. 2024-05-29T13:32+0000 2024-05-29T13:32+0000 2024-05-29T13:32+0000 russia russian economy under sanctions vladimir putin russian economy https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/07/1118320764_0:95:3072:1823_1920x0_80_0_0_aecc97d6ef97c86ff8aa7497fe795b3d.jpg Sputnik is live from the Kremlin, Moscow, where Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the participants will discuss social and economic development in the nation. The event will be thorough and detailed," he added.In May, Putin said that Russia's economy grew at a faster rate than the world economy last year. Earlier Sputnik reported that 2023 saw Russia become the fifth fastest-growing economy in the Group of 20.Follow Sputnik's live broadcast to find out more: 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 Putin holds an extended meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects Sputnik International Putin holds an extended meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects 2024-05-29T13:32+0000 true PT74M35S 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian economy under sanctions, vladimir putin, putin council strategic, russia digital economy, russian economy "The announcement that the relevant research work and a series of measures to prepare for the creation of such systems was made several years ago. We have wasted no time. And I think that NATO's increasingly aggressive manifestations towards us and the need to give these manifestations the toughest possible rebuff in this area can have a certain impact in terms of intensifying the schedules," Ryabkov told reporters. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/russian-air-defense-downs-ukrainian-drone-7-grad-rockets-over-belgorod-region-1118680026.html Russian Air Defense Downs Ukrainian Drone, 7 Grad Rockets Over Belgorod Region Russian Air Defense Downs Ukrainian Drone, 7 Grad Rockets Over Belgorod Region Sputnik International Russian air defense systems destroyed a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and seven Grad multiple rocket launcher system (MLRS) shells over the Belgorod Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. 2024-05-29T06:36+0000 2024-05-29T06:36+0000 2024-05-29T06:36+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine russian armed forces russian air defense forces ukrainian crisis multiple-launch rocket systems (mlrs) russian defense ministry https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/13/1118526610_0:42:1657:974_1920x0_80_0_0_9c8aa8f19196cec841599ec3323c8b4a.jpg The ministry added that an attempted terrorist attack by Kiev regime "against facilities on the territory of Russia was foiled." The Russian air defense also destroyed a drone over Russia's Krasnodar Territory, the regional governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said. He added that the preliminary data indicated there were no casualties or damage, adding that a search was under way for the place where the UAV fell and special services were at work.Ukraine has been sending drones and missiles into Russia almost daily since 2023 in the wake of obvious military setbacks, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure. Russian officials repeatedly stressed that such actions underscore terrorist nature of Kiev regime. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240512/zelenskys-trademark-zakharova-denounces-western-backed-ukrainian-attacks-on-belgorod-1118397640.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian armed forces, russia's special military operation, ukrainian crisis, ukraine terrorism https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/the-us-invites-wanted-criminal-netanyahu-to-dc-1118673283.html The US Invites 'Wanted Criminal' Netanyahu to DC The US Invites 'Wanted Criminal' Netanyahu to DC Sputnik International The invitation comes at an awkward time, as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar and other officials for war crimes. 2024-05-29T05:40+0000 2024-05-29T05:40+0000 2024-05-29T05:40+0000 analysis us benjamin netanyahu dan lazare israel persian gulf red sea democrats congress international criminal court (icc) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/07/1113183563_0:0:1981:1114_1920x0_80_0_0_4a956e0b6936c6063b005ba74b959a8a.jpg A recent report from Common Dreams shows that a growing number of US congressional Democrats are pushing back against House Speaker Mike Johnsons (R-LA) invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. The invitation comes at an awkward time, as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar and other officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) said that if Netanyahu comes to address Congress, I would be more than glad to show the ICC the way to the House floor to issue that warrant." Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also indicated his intent to boycott any address by the prime minister, adding that Netanyahu had created the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history.But some US officials have suggested that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the conflict in Gaza, nor the US itself. Last week, US Senator Lindsey Graham said he wanted to sanction the ICC for its decisions, to which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested he would support the senator. On Tuesday, the independent investigative journalist and author Dan Lazare sat down with Sputniks Wilmer Leon to discuss US Republicans outstretched hand to Netanyahu."I think that Democrats are demoralized. They don't know what to do. They're just sick and tired of Biden's ineffectuality. He keeps promising that a ceasefire is just around the corner. A ceasefire is no closer now than it was four or five months ago. He's totally out of it," said Lazare.And I don't have the slightest doubt that if he makes it a fourth time, he will be greeted the same way. The despicable nature of the US Congress is just not to be underestimated.Sputniks Wilmer Leon noted that a majority of Americans now disapprove of Israels action in Gaza, according to a poll from late March. Just 36% of Americans approve of Israels military action in Gaza and 55% say they disapprove. The poll also showed that just 34% of Americans are following the war closely compared to 72% who said they are following it very closely.The poll was completed just before the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire which only went through because the US chose to abstain rather than veto the resolution as they had repeatedly done in the past.The Carter Doctrine was a policy enacted by the 39th US president, Jimmy Carter, in 1980. Following his presidency, it appeared as though both Democrats and Republicans were committed to defending the oil fields of the Persian Gulf. In the summer of 2019, former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and imposed maximum pressure on Tehran economically. Iran then attacked the Gulf states and their oil exports.In late April, Blinken visited Saudi Arabia and emphasized the Biden administrations desire for an increased collaboration with and amongst the Persian Gulf states to create an integrated defense strategy aimed at countering Irans regional influence. His visit followed Irans decision to launch over 300 projectiles in a retaliatory attack against Israel.Leon noted that Ansar Allah demonstrated in the Red Sea that they can shut down commercial traffic, adding that the day before Iran responded to the Israeli attack, they captured a commercial vessel demonstrating to the US we can shut this down too. Yemens Houthi Rebels have launched a number of attacks in the Red Sea as a demand for the end of the war in Gaza. They have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized a vessel and sunk another since November, a report citing the US Maritime Administration, said.The Houthis have been fairly effective. And they are really hard to combat because Yemen is an extremely mountainous country, said Lazare, who suggested that the group has a plethora of hiding places. They can assemble their missiles in a matter of minutes and then escape as soon as they're fired. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/houthis-attack-3-us-israeli-ships-in-red-sea-indian-ocean---spokesperson-1118656556.html israel persian gulf red sea 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 houthis, netanyahu, biden, congress, blinken, netanyahu in congress, biden-netanyahu talks, netanyahu-blinken talks, killings of civilians, civilian infrastructure, civilians dead, civilians die, israel kills civilians, civilian casualties, civilian deaths, indiscriminate shelling, indiscriminate killing, war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian disaster, humanitarian catastrophe https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/us-may-ask-more-asian-countries-to-deploy-its-middle-range-long-range-missiles---lavrov-1118683470.html US May Ask More Asian Countries to Deploy Its Middle-Range, Long-Range Missiles - Lavrov US May Ask More Asian Countries to Deploy Its Middle-Range, Long-Range Missiles - Lavrov Sputnik International Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday he was confident that the United States would ask some Asian states, apart from the Philippines, to allow deployment of its middle- and long-range missiles. 2024-05-29T11:19+0000 2024-05-29T11:19+0000 2024-05-29T11:22+0000 russia-nato showdown asian version of nato us us hegemony philippines inf treaty military https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/03/1117097377_0:111:2394:1458_1920x0_80_0_0_d2b5f41dd8ac35cb3dfa353a07d35293.jpg Currently such missiles are being deployed in the Philippines and Denmark, top diplomat stressed.In April, the US army said it had deployed the Mid-Range Capability, also known as the Typhon Weapon System, to Northern Luzon, Philippines, for exercise Salaknib 24. The United States and Russia agreed to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987. The INF Treaty prohibited the US and Russia from possessing surface-launched medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,429 miles). Both countries withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240422/southeast-asia-on-course-for-ukraine-style-crisis-amid-us-militarization-of-philippines-1118061126.html philippines 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-nato showdown, asian version of nato, asia us lrm, missiles asia, asia long-range missiles https://sputnikglobe.com/20240529/western-media-unanimous-in-praise-for-russias-electronic-warfare-tech-1118674030.html Western Media Unanimous in Praise for Russias Electronic Warfare Tech Western Media Unanimous in Praise for Russias Electronic Warfare Tech Sputnik International Western countries are significantly behind Russia in developing technology to jam and disable electronic signals on the battlefield, says one international relations expert. 2024-05-29T04:19+0000 2024-05-29T04:19+0000 2024-05-29T04:58+0000 analysis mark sleboda russia ukraine ukrainian conflict ukraine crisis jamming electronic jamming radar jamming electronic warfare https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/1d/1118674175_0:321:3072:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_6486ecfcb2130d91f6ec5e69b6656551.jpg An invisible force is proving decisive in Russias conflict with Ukraine, claims analyst Mark Sleboda, and Western media has taken notice.A slew of US and European news outlets, from the Washington Post to the Financial Times, have acknowledged in recent weeks that Russian electronic weapons are dealing a knockout blow to NATOs most advanced weaponry. The technology has allowed Moscow to thwart GPS targeting guidance and jam communications signals, leaving Kiev unable to lock on to Russian targets or even maintain contact among troops on the battlefield.Sleboda joined Sputniks The Critical Hour program Tuesday to shed light on Moscows game-changing capabilities, which are earning plaudits from the likes of former US Department of Defense officer David Pyne.Electronic warfare is a field of warfare that a lot of people don't understand, primarily because they can't see it, said the international relations expert.Sleboda said Russia has been perfecting such technology for decades as a response to its adversaries air and long-range precision strike capabilities. Instead of attempting merely to match Western developments in these areas, Moscow sought to counter NATOs strengths asymmetrically, pushing forward in areas the US and Europe had yet to explore.The analyst noted work by scholars Roger McDermott and Michael Kofman revealing the significant technological advantage Russia has gained by focusing on electronic warfare research since the days of the Soviet Union.Western media is really starting to notice this now You don't have to go to Sputnik to see this anymore, Sleboda observed, listing off a series of recent articles on the subject.So I think the consensus is out there. The Western mainstream media has had their mea culpa moment on the effectiveness of Russia's electronic warfare against these advanced US and NATO weapons systems, he concluded, noting that Moscows capabilities have disabled even advanced armaments like GPS-guided Excalibur rounds, Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) and HIMARS systems.The provision of Elon Musks Starlink system, with its vast constellation of communications satellites, was thought to provide a major advantage to Kiev early on in the conflict after the US militarys Viasat platform was blocked. But Russia managed to jam Starlink signals as well, leaving Ukrainian troops unable to communicate for days amid recent fighting near Kharkov. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/ex-pentagon-officer-applauds-russias-unmatched-ew-success-against-western-weapons-in-ukraine-1118659820.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240524/russia-muting-musks-starlink-satellites-using-sophisticated-electronic-warfare-tools-1118614899.html russia ukraine 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 jamming, electronic warfare, electronic jamming, urkaine crisis, ukrainian troops, ukrainian losses, russian forces, russian troops, russia wins, ukraine loses, ukrainian crisis, russian technology, radar jamming, jam starlink, jamming systems, electronic warfare system, electronic jammer Swedish Starlet N brought her A game to Plainridge Park on Tuesday afternoon, May 28 and went gate to wire in the $27,397 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace, taking a new lifetime mark in the process. Matty Athearn left like a shot with Swedish Starlet N and led the girls to the quarter in :26.3. The field remained in single file until Booraa N (Ron Cushing) pulled first-over and advanced on the backstretch. After passing three-quarters in 1:24, Swedish Starlet N turned back Booraa Ns challenge, but still had the tripping Alittlesidehustle N (Drew Campbell) to deal with. As they straightened for home, Alittlesidehustle N moved out to challenge, but Swedish Starlet N was up to the task and paced home on top by three lengths in 1:52.1, which was a new career best. Owned by Tim Bojarski and Tony Gruppo and trained by Jimmy Nickerson, the seven-year-old Mach Three mare Swedish Starlet N ($9.60) earned her sixth win of the year from 15 starts. The victory was the third driving win of the day for Athearn and second training win of the card for Nickerson. In a $23,288 conditioned pace for five-year-olds and under, Premier Rocker (Matty Athearn) got away sixth as 52-1 shot Heart Of Rock (Bruce Ranger) tripped the clocks at :27.3, :56.1 and 1:23.3 at three-quarters. But positions soon changed as Athearn tipped Premier Rocker from third-over in the turn to the middle of the track in the stretch. From there, Premier Rocker bolted to the front by two lengths to take the win in 1:51.4, which was a new lifetime mark. Premier Rocker ($9.40) is owned by Milton Vickerson and trained by Zachary Vickerson. Kevin Switzer Jr. joined Athearn with three driving wins on Tuesday while Zach Gray matched Nickerson with two training victories. Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Thursday, May 30 with post time at 4 p.m. (Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts) Trot Insider has learned that pacing broodmare Lingerie (pictured above on the inside) has passed away at the age of 38. Campaigned during her racing days by Van Stables of Ottawa, Ont., Lingerie (Abercrombie - Juanita Gal) posted a 13-13-14 summary in her 81-race career. She took her mark of 1:56.4 in stakes action at The Meadows as a three-year-old, retiring after her five-year-old season with more than $241,000 in earnings. Lingerie began a broodmare career in the 1990s, and was eventually obtained by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of Windsor, Ont. Here, she produced her most notable offspring, multiple stakes winner and near millionaire Make It Brief p,4,1:49.1s ($998,309). All told, 14 of 15 foals from Lingerie made it to the races, and all 14 were race winners. Her starters averaged $231,969 in earnings, accounting for more than $3.2 million in total earnings, with two -- Make It Brief and Nighttime Magic -- taking sub-1:50 records. At the age of 38, Lingerie was living out her retirement years at the farm of Bob McIntosh, who co-owned the mare with Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington, Ont. at the time of her passing. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Lingerie. (Standardbred Canada) More than 35 names were read followed by a single tolling of a bell. Those names represented lives cut short during the Vietnam War. The reading of the names concluded a Memorial Day ceremony that honored all of those who gave their lives in service to the country but was primarily a means to remember those from Iredell County who died during the Vietnam War. Thats because the organizer of the ceremony, Johnny Sherrill, is a Vietnam veteran, and those names represent what might have been his fate as well as the others who came home. Sherrills dedication to those killed in Vietnam began last year when, with the help of a couple of other veterans, he built a memorial wall beside his house on Ostwalt Amity Road near Troutman. He dedicated the wall in a ceremony last July and held his first Memorial Day service there Monday. In front of the wall are bricks with the names of those who died in Vietnam. Sherrill said its due to a higher power that his name is not engraved on one of those bricks. Its by Gods grace that Im standing behind this wall, he said. Sherrill said he built the memorial not planning on any type of public ceremony but fellow Vietnam veterans Dale Wilson and Stan Childers convinced him that he should hold ceremonies to remind the public of the lives lost in Vietnam. Both Childers and Wilson joined more than a dozen other Vietnam veterans for the poignant ceremony Monday morning. Wilson said the ceremony brings back a lot of memories, but he is grateful to be able to offer his support to his fellow Vietnam veterans and to see others gather to remember them as well. God bless you all and thank you for supporting veterans, he said. Another Vietnam veteran, Don Carr, also spoke at the ceremony. John Gallina, co-founder of Purple Heart Homes and a combat-wounded veteran during Iraq, was the guest speaker. Gallina said the organization he co-founded along with the late Dale Beatty, Purple Heart Homes, can trace its origins to the reception he received when he returned home. Gallina said it was 7 a.m. when he stepped off the plane in Bangor, Maine. It was a bitterly cold morning but there to greet him were seven Vietnam veterans. They wanted to make sure we were welcomed home properly, he said. And it was local Vietnam veterans, among others, who stepped up and helped renovate Beattys house to make it handicapped accessible. They rallied around Dale to make sure he had a safe and accessible home, Gallina said. He said from that start, Purple Heart Homes was born, and recently the organization completed its first whole home build in Puerto Rico. Gallina encouraged the folks gathered at Sherrills home to never forget the sacrifices of those who never came home from their service. And ceremonies remembering the fallen, he said, are a way to continue to pay tribute. This is what is right with America, he said. Iredell Veterans Service Office Kyle Feimster said remembering the sacrifices of other veterans is something that should happen on more than just one day a year. A lot of us live it every day, he said. David Braddy, a pastor from Snow Camp, spoke of his familys service, dating back to World War I. A Navy veteran, Braddy said he is grateful to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Pastor David Stroud concluded the ceremony with the reading of the names, but before that he reminded those in attendance that while the memorial wall honors those killed in service, many other Vietnam veterans have died due to the effects of Agent Orange. He said the Vietnam War was declared to be over on April 30, 1975, but that doesnt truly represent the end of the war. The dying didnt end that day. It continues to this day, he said. Sherrill said his vision is that this observance is just the beginning of paying tribute to fallen soldiers. He said he hopes it goes on even after he is no longer here to make it happen. Hitachi and Google Cloud announced a multi-year partnership to accelerate enterprise innovation and productivity with generative AI. Hitachi will form a new business unit focused on helping businesses solve industry challenges with Gemini models, Vertex AI, and other cloud technologies, and it will also adopt Google Clouds AI to enhance its own products and services. Through the partnership, Hitachi will further accelerate growth of Lumada, its core digital business, and it will advance operational efficiencies for the Hitachi Group. Led by GlobalLogic, a leader in digital engineering and a subsidiary of the Hitachi Group, the companies will establish the Hitachi Google Cloud Business Unit and the Google Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE) to rapidly scale Google Cloud technology to new and existing enterprise customers. Additionally, Hitachi will collaborate with Google Cloud to incorporate training on Google Clouds GenAI as part of Hitachis GenAI Professional training program. The program will deepen the expertise and managed services available through these business units, which will ensure large-scale organizations have access to the resources needed to fundamentally improve how they operate with AI. Additional focus areas of the partnership will include: New GenAI solutions for software modernization and customer service: Hitachi will use Gemini models to build solutions that help businesses efficiently modernize legacy software systems, and it will adopt Google Cloud Contact Center AI to power more effective and accurate customer service experiences. For instance, using Google Cloud Agent Assist, customer service representatives can be supported with real-time knowledge assistance and resolution suggestions to help them be more productive and provide better service. The new solutions will be compatible with GlobalLogics Platform of Platforms architecture, which is designed to address the needs of intelligent enterprises. Enabling safe, secure GenAI solutions for on-premises and cloud environments: Hitachis new solutions will support customers running both on-premises and in the cloud, enabling enterprises to modernize operations while retaining existing IT environments. The solutions will also be compatible with Virtual Storage Platform One, so that users can build GenAI applications using data stored on Hitachi Vantaras hybrid cloud platform. Joint go-to-market initiatives: Hitachi and Google Cloud will better align their sales, marketing, and engineering teams to ensure that customers across industries have access to the resources needed to optimally deploy and manage GenAI projects through Hitachi Google Cloud Business Unit and Google Cloud CoE. This will include the GenAI Professionals that Hitachi trains on Google Cloud technology. Strengthen GenAI talent development: Hitachis GenAI Professionals play a critical role in supporting customers transformation with AI, and Hitachi will train more than 50,000 GenAI Professionals through its global training program, As part of the program, Hitachi will include training on Google Clouds GenAI solutions and AI technology. GlobalLogic and Google Cloud have collaborated for more than 15 years and helped empower enterprises with solutions that achieve their business objectives with efficiency and scale. Through this partnership, Hitachi will leverage Google Clouds AI capabilities to improve and enhance employee productivity and accelerate innovation. By augmenting the capabilities of our developers and customer success units with Google Cloud GenAI solutions, such as Vertex AI and Gemini models, Hitachi will be able to better serve the needs of its customers in diverse industries and across complex domains such as energy, mobility, manufacturing and digital services, said Toshiaki Tokunaga, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi. Nitesh Banga, CEO, Digital Engineering Business Unit, Hitachi, and President & CEO, GlobalLogic, added: Through this global alliance, Hitachi is strategically aligning its go-to-market approach together with Google Cloud to drive tangible results. We are establishing clear pathways for collaboration, ensuring enhanced efficiency and acceleration in delivering solutions to our collective clients. This investment in building our Google Cloud Business Unit will provide the necessary energy, focus, and cohesive teamwork essential for achieving the desired accelerated time-to-market, translating innovation into swift revenue growth. To solve complex business challenges with generative AI, enterprises need advanced technology and the technical expertise to successfully deploy it throughout their organizations, said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. Our partnership with Hitachi will provide customers with the resources needed to optimally build, implement, and manage every stage of their generative AI projects. 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 Activist investor Elliott Management has taken a $2.5 billion stake in Dallas-based semiconductor giant Texas Instruments, blaming the company for lagging stock market returns and overspending. In the letter to TI's board, Elliott said the company is spending too much on massive capital projects and that " commitment to capital discipline will restore investors' confidence." Elliott's investment is worth about 1.3% of the company's market value. "TI's shareholder returns have lagged peers consistently over a multi-year period, despite TI's reputation as one of the best-managed semiconductor companies with strong growth prospects and competitive advantages," Elliott wrote. "Our diagnosis is simple: Investors are concerned that TI appears to have deviated from its longstanding commitment to drive growth of free cash flow per share." TI, known to many consumers for its handheld calculators, is one of the world's most prominent semiconductor manufacturers, a vital ingredient in many electronic devices. The company's growth has coincided with an effort to centralize production on American soil, highlighted by the company's November 2021 announcement of a $30 billion complex in Sherman with four semiconductor fabrication plants that will add 3,000 manufacturing jobs in the North Texas area. The company also maintains a fabrication plant in Dallas, as well as two in Richardson and two in Lehi, Utah. Elliott, which holds more than $65.5 billion in various companies, voiced concerns in its letter to the TI board about the scale and frequency of such outlays. It believes that Texas Instruments is investing in an industrial capacity that exceeds the expected demand for its products. Elliott is known for high-profile activist investor campaigns involving companies such as Dallas-based AT&T, Twitter, Barnes & Noble and Comcast. "While there are multiple contributing factors to TI's underperformance," the letter reads, "we believe the most significant has been the dramatic increase in capital investment announced in 2022, which has led to a fundamental deviation from TI's long-held commitment to driving growth in free cash flow per share." The focus on long-term developments comes at the expense of share value, the letter says, and it is vital that TI refocuses itself toward a more "dynamic" strategy "in a manner consistent with its historical practices." A representative from Texas Instruments did not respond to a request for comment. 2024 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Anode-electrolyte interface formation process and sulfide-based all-solid-state battery design using coated polymers. Credit: POSTECH A recent study in the field of chemistry demonstrates that maintaining distance can enhance battery performance in electric vehicles. In this study, a research team successfully developed a polymeric protective film that enables safe operation of the anode in sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries. Their research was published in the online edition of Advanced Functional Materials. The competitiveness of electric vehicles hinges on their range and charging speed, both of which are directly influenced by battery performance. This is why battery research is currently so intensive. Stability is also crucial, and the lithium (Li) ion batteries currently on the market, which use a liquid electrolyte and polymer separator, are susceptible to temperature variations and external impacts. To address these issues, all-solid-state batteries with solid electrolytes, which can function as both a liquid electrolyte and a polymer separator, have recently been developed. Sulfide-based solid electrolytes have high ionic conductivity (2.5 x 10-2 S/cm), making the battery assembly process very simple. However, the interface between the electrode active material and the electrolyte is chemically and electrochemically unstable, leading to increased internal resistance and reduced battery performance. To solve this issue, the team introduced polymeric materials to prevent direct contact between the anode and the electrolyte in batteries. Using the initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) process, they created a uniform 100 nm (nanometer) thick anode coating film from eight different polymers with varying polarities. The team assessed the interfacial stability and battery performance using these eight polymeric thin films for anode coating. The results demonstrate that thin films made of polymers containing -COOH and C-F bonds (pAA, pC6FA) significantly improved the interfacial stability between the all-solid-state battery anode and electrolyte. All-solid-state batteries utilizing this approach exhibited a high-capacity retention rate (pAA: 64.8%, pC6FA: 50.7%) after more than 100 cycles, a notable improvement over the 29.0% capacity retention rate of conventional all-solid-state batteries without anode coating. To date, there has been limited research on these polymeric materials in sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries, making this research significant as it reveals the interaction between the polymeric materials and the sulfide solid electrolyte. The team includes Professor Soojin Park, Dr. Sungjin Cho and Youngjin Song, a Ph.D. student, from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in collaboration with the team of Professor Sung Gap Im from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Professor Park stated, "We have demonstrated new potential in enhancing the long-term stability of sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries. This work represents a major turning point in the research of sulfide all-solid-state batteries, the next generation of battery technology." More information: Sungjin Cho et al, Functional Polymer Thin Films for Establishing an Effective Electrode Interface in SulfideBased SolidState Batteries, Advanced Functional Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202314710 Journal information: Advanced Functional Materials 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: Googles AI Overview isnt without its flaws it suggested people eat rocks or put glue on pizza, and that former President Barack Obama is Muslim. Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University Google recently unveiled its overhauled search engine that includes several features powered by artificial intelligence. One of those features, AI Overview, provides users with more direct answers to their queries. Some would say that Google used to be a search engine, and now it's a search, answer and problem-solving engineand much moreall without having to navigate away from the home page. "What's the cure for the common cold?" Google previously may have directed its users to hundreds of sources such as the Mayo Clinic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or even GoodRx. It's now using AI to scrape those sources and provide answers devoid of attribution. Google does provide some links under its new AI Overview, but those links may not be where the answers came from. So why is Google doing this? The leap into generative AI will certainly help Google compete with the likes of OpenAI, creator of the chatbot ChatGPT, and Microsoft, experts say. What's not clear is how Google will make money from its new technology. In 2023, Google generated $237.86 billion in advertising revenue from its Google Ads platform that allows businesses, small and large, to buy digital ads for products and services. Google ad revenues have more than doubled since 2018. So, if the AI Overview is keeping more users on Google's home page, and pushing fewer users to web pageswhere the lucrative ads are housedwon't Google's ad revenue take a big hit? John Wihbey, an associate professor of media innovation and technology at Northeastern University, thinks it willat least in the short term. "It looks like they might be cannibalizing their own revenue stream," Wihbey says. Google's AI Overview and de-emphasis on links could reduce traffic to websites by about 25%. "Especially for web publishers who depend on traffic, there could be some absolute falling-off-a-cliff dynamic," Wihbey says. Businesses and publishers may start providing new data layers on their websites to be detected by the AI search engine, Wihbey says, and bid at an auction for the opportunity to be displayed in the search results. Search engine optimization, or SEOusing keywords and phrases to cause content to rank higher on a Google searchis also evolving, Wihbey says. "I'm sure there'll be a whole new industry about AI model SEO," he says. "It may end up being that websites, businesses and publishers provide new data that then feed models in certain ways." Google says it will eventually connect ads to its AI Overview, which is expected to be rolled out to about 1 billion people by the end of the year. But users might not want to read or trust the AI Overview if they view it as essentially a paid advertisement, Wihbey says. But AI Overview isn't without its flawslots of them, in fact. Social media is abuzz with examples of Google suggesting people eat rocks or put glue on pizza, and that former President Barack Obama is Muslim. It's hard to tell, Wihbey says, if the AI technology introduced by Google was fully ready for release. Perhaps, he says, Google is doing what many startupsincluding Twitter and Reddit in the 1990sdid. They launched without a reliable revenue stream, Wihbey says, and hoped to figure it out while building an audience of hundreds of millions of users. "Well, Twitter never figured it out," he says. Wihbey directs Northeastern's graduate programs in media innovation and data communication, journalism and media advocacy. He's also served as a research consultant for Twitter. For the record, he doesn't think Google's search engine and AI strategyattract an audience first and figure out how to make money lateris a bad idea. After all, Wihbey says, if Google doesn't maintain its position as the leading search platform in the world, it will eventually lose its ability to connect buyers and the sellers anyway. "I think a new architecture is starting to emerge," Wihbey says. "The canonical worldwide web we've known is just going to evolve to have new kinds of data layers that will feed these [AI search] models." As Google's AI Overview demonstrates, search is becoming more complex, Wihbey says. Users are asking questions while expecting more complex answers, for example, about health planning, business and family. "There is a push to make AI more agentic," Wihbey says, meaning that AI is taking on the role of helping people solve complex problems and anticipating users' needs. "You can imagine people starting to use agents to do search, and then the search AI models interacting with agents," Wihbey says. Google, however, has a clear competitive advantage over OpenAI and other competitors, Wihbey says, because its parent company, Alphabet, owns over 250 companies including Google Chrome, YouTube and Adsense, Google's ad vendor for advertising. So, Google can incorporate AI models into several products, Wihbey says, and condition people to do certain things while collecting data that will be useful. At the same time, other AI platforms have been working with news outlets to use their content for its AI models. Last week, OpenAI signed a deal with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the U.S., and the Times and Sunday Times in the U.K. OpenAI previously signed a content deal with the Financial Times. Similarly, Google may end up paying "every imaginable publisher," Wihbey says, to feed its generative AI models, including AI Overviews. "I think these data licensing agreements, they have to get more and more lucrative over time," Wihbey says. This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu. 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 Guinea-Bissau has launched a blockchain platform to manage civil servants' salaries and boost transparency in the corruption-plagued country, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday. Blockchain technology is a virtual ledger that allows information to be stored and exchanged in a secure, secret and unmodifiable manner. Each transaction is recorded in real time, in a tamper-proof register. An IMF mission traveled to the West African country on Monday for the launch of a "blockchain solution to strengthen the transparency of the wage bill management at the Ministries of Finance and Public Administration", the IMF said in a statement. "While many countries are using blockchain to address a broad spectrum of banking issues, agricultural crop securitisation or cash-based transfers, Guinea-Bissau is among the first countries to use the technology to address a structural public finance management," Concha Verdugo-Yepes, head of the mission, told AFP. "To our knowledge, Guinea-Bissau is the first fragile state and the first sub-Saharan African country to use this solution", she added. Blockchain digital technology will "enhance government operations in wage bill management, strengthen fiscal transparency, and tackle governance vulnerabilities," the IMF said, adding the platform "detects discrepancies and raises red flags when salaries' information is inconsistent". "This innovation could help build trust in fiscal institutions, increase accountability and reduce any perception of public corruption," the organization said. Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony of about two million people, is notoriously unstable, having suffered a series of military or political coups since independence in 1974. The West African nation is one of the world's poorest and was ranked 158th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. 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: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As technologists search for approaches to reduce our global carbon footprint and stave off the worst ravages of climate change, they are turning to an old friendhydrogen. The potential of hydrogen fuel cells for generating power is enormous although not without issues. Published in the International Journal of Sustainable Aviation, a team from the UK and Romania discuss hydrogen-powered aircraft configurations. The concept of replacing carbon-rich jet fuel with zero-carbon hydrogen is high on the agenda. The team has compared the performance of a regional aircraft, the ATR 72-600, using three different propulsion systems: conventional jet fuel, direct hydrogen combustion, and hydrogen fuel cells. Bassam Rakhshani and Tony Leslie of the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, UK, and Alexandru Stan of Premium Aerotec Ghimbav (Airbus) in Romania used Simulink, a computational tool, to model and analyze power requirements, fuel consumption, propulsion efficiency, and emissions. The findings show that hydrogen propulsion, either through direct combustion in a jet engine or using fuel cells, reduces fuel mass significantly. Specifically, hydrogen fuel cells achieve a 50% reduction, and direct hydrogen combustion an 80% reduction compared to traditional jet fuel. This efficiency is attributed to hydrogen's higher energy density when compared to conventional jet fuel. However, the researchers also found a significant drawback: the increased weight from hydrogen storage, which negatively impacts overall aircraft performance. The aviation industry is estimated to contribute 23% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and that percentage is set to double by 2050. There thus remains an urgent need to make aviation more sustainable. As it stands, hydrogen propulsion, alongside electric propulsion, could be the answer, but new technology is needed to overcome that storage weight-gain problem in order to achieve near-zero aircraft carbon emissions. The transition to hydrogen-powered aircraft has other challenges: shorter operational ranges with current technology, lower passenger capacity, higher operational costs, and the need for new refueling infrastructure. There are also the safety issues to consider. Nevertheless, the companies are looking at how they might retrofit their aircraft. It is possible that the development of novel storage systems might address some of these issues. More information: Bassam Rakhshani et al, A steady-state model-based evaluation of performance characteristics and feasibility analysis of retrofit hydrogen-powered aircraft configurations, International Journal of Sustainable Aviation (2024). DOI: 10.1504/IJSA.2024.138699 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, is parked after the SQ321 London-Singapore flight, that encountered severe turbulence, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, near Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit The Singapore Airlines jetliner that hit severe turbulence last week went through huge swings in gravitational force in less than five seconds, likely causing the injuries to people who weren't buckled into their seats, according to a preliminary report Wednesday by Singapore's Transport Ministry. The plane dropped 178 feet (54 meters) in less than one second, which "likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne" before falling back down, the Transport Ministry said. A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after the Boeing 777, which was flying from London to Singapore on May 21, ran into turbulence that hurled people and items around the cabin. The plane, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Singapore's Transport Ministry said investigators, including those from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, had compiled a chronology of events based on the preliminary analysis of the flight's data and cockpit voice recorders. Early findings show that as the plane cruised at about 37,000 feet over southern Myanmar, it began to experience slight vibration due to changes in the gravitational force, the ministry said. The jet's altitude increasedlikely caused by an updraft, not by any action of the pilotscausing the autopilot system to push the plane back down to the selected altitude, the report said. The pilots also noticed an uncommanded increase in airspeed, which they tried to check by extending panels called speed brakes, and "a pilot called out that the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on." A few seconds later, the plane entered the sharp drop that caused unbelted passengers to come out of their seats before falling back. "This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers," the report said. An Australian passenger, center, who was injured on a flight that was battered by severe turbulence, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, May 23, 2024. The airline's Flight SQ321 was flying from Londons Heathrow airport to Singapore when it hit the turbulence Tuesday, bashing people around inside the plane. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit The pilots disengaged the autopilot to stabilize the plane, the report said, and flew it manually for 21 seconds before going back to autopilot. The plane made a normal, controlled descent and didn't encounter further turbulence until it landed in Bangkok almost an hour later, the ministry said, adding that investigations are ongoing. Passengers have described the "sheer terror" of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane. Twenty-six people remained hospitalized in Bangkok on Wednesday. Hospital authorities earlier said injuries included spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs. It was unclear what caused the turbulence. Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air. According to a 2021 report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for 37.6% of all accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018. The Federal Aviation Administration has said there were 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021. 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: Distribution networks in urban areas such as London and West Yorkshire require larger upgrades than in rural areas. Credit: Few et al. (2024)/Nature To reduce its emissions in line with national and global targets, the UK must overhaul how it produces, uses and distributes electricity. Millions of heat pumps, electric vehicles (EVs) and solar panels are planned in the UK. These can reduce emissions and lower household bills. However, they will also substantially raise the amount of power neighborhoods need over coming decades, particularly during peak demand periods like early evening. At other times, when the sun is shining and electricity use is low, solar panels on homes and businesses could allow neighborhoods to export electricity to the network. Much of the UK's electricity network was built in the 1950s and needs upgrading to accommodate this level of electricity usage. Around 15% of cables and almost half of substations may need replacing to meet the UK's net zero goal. Understanding how this will affect electricity networks on a street-by-street level is challenging. Houses and businesses are distributed differently within areas. Likewise, electricity networks are configured differently and will serve varying numbers of electric appliances. This will all affect whether existing networks are able to handle changes to electricity demand, and the parts of these networks that need upgrading. Grid upgrades will be most severe in cities My colleagues and I have mapped the places where the grid is most likely to need upgrades in the transition to net zero. Our maps depict the density of homes and small businesses, the arrangement of existing cables and substations, and the quantity of heat pumps, EVs and solar panelsnow and in the future. Some areas have more public transport use and fewer cars, implying fewer EVs. Areas where heat networks are planned (pipes bringing hot water directly into homes from a central source like a power plant) are likely to see fewer heat pumps installed, whereas rural areas have more space for solar panels. Some of this information was drawn from National Grid and other operators. The scenario our research paints is not assureddifferent regions may deploy more or less green technologies. For example, a local network operator may assume higher EV uptake than elsewhere, or a local authority may decide to focus on heat networks rather than heat pumps. Local network upgrade requirements are lower where peak electricity demand can be curtailed. Credit: Few et al. (2024)/Nature However, our modeling shows that necessary upgrades to local networks will be more widespread and costly in urban areas. Cables are longer and reach more households and businesses in cities, and there are fewer substations per household. These networks already transfer large amounts of electricity and are more likely to overload as demand for clean electricity grows. What's more, cables in rural areas typically run overhead with substations mounted on poles, making them easier to replace. In cities, the task is more difficult (and expensive) as cables usually run underground. How the public can help Network upgrades require labor and cost money. If there is a way to avoid doing this without obstructing the transition to a low-carbon energy system, it could save money and help to reduce emissions quicker. In some places, increasing demand for clean electricity will push local networks far beyond their present capabilities, so upgrades will be the only option. But where networks are not overburdened, upgrades could be avoided by people reducing how much electricity they use during peak times. Households could shift when they charge an EV, wash clothes, vacuum or bake. Another way to lower electricity demand is by increasing energy efficiency: switching to more efficient lighting and appliances, or insulating homes to allow for smaller heat pumps. Homes or small businesses with installed batteries or plugged-in EVs can set them up to automatically discharge stored power to the grid at peak times. Households and businesses can already get discounts on their energy bills for doing this. This was successfully trialed to reduce renewable electricity demand at times when it is difficult to generate enough of it across the country, such as on winter evenings when there is little wind. Similar schemes could provide additional discounts or pay households and businesses to reduce electricity use where networks are constrained. Our modeling suggests that reducing electricity use would be particularly effective in the most densely populated areas of central London. Households and small businesses can play an important part in decarbonizing the UK's power network. Maps can show where these opportunities are in different regions, and help authorities see where they should be focusing their efforts in the race to meet the UK's net zero emissions target. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. China's top legislator holds talks with speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives Xinhua) 08:52, May 29, 2024 Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Puan Maharani, speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives, in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhao Leji held talks with Puan Maharani, speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives, on Tuesday in Beijing. Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia, noted Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. He added that China is willing to work with Indonesia to follow the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to deepen all-round strategic cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future at a high level. China and Indonesia share broad common interests, Zhao said, calling on both sides to consolidate high-level strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other's core interests. Zhao added that China will continue to enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's development strategies to upgrade practical cooperation, and boost people-to-people exchanges. Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Zhao said China is ready to work with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries to strengthen multilateral coordination on the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and jointly contribute to world peace, stability, development and prosperity. The long-standing tradition of friendly exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries is an important manifestation of the high-level strategic mutual trust between China and Indonesia, Zhao said. He added that China's NPC is willing to continue to carry out multi-level and multi-field communication and exchanges with Indonesia's House of Representatives to better serve the economic development and modernization process of their respective countries. He called on both sides to strengthen coordination and cooperation under multilateral mechanisms to safeguard the common interests of the two countries and developing countries. Maharani stressed that Indonesia firmly upholds the one-China principle and regards it as the political foundation of Indonesia-China relations. Indonesia hopes to take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year to deepen cooperation in the economic, political, cultural, legal and maritime fields and bring more benefits to the two peoples, Maharani said. Indonesia's House of Representatives is willing to maintain close and friendly exchanges with China's NPC and play a positive role in developing mutually beneficial bilateral relations, Maharani noted. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Puan Maharani, speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives, in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A Muslim in Somalia was seriously wounded for putting his faith in Christ this month and lost his wife and five children, sources said. Mohammad Abdul, 40, survived a knife attack by his Muslim relatives on the outskirts of Kismayo, a port city in southern Somalias Lower Juba region, on May 5 after converting to Chritianity on March 20. The relatives took his wife and children while he was recovering at a medical clinic, said a source whose name is withheld for security reasons. While Abdul was nursing injuries, the Muslims went back to his house and started destroying his house, and the wife and the five children went back with their people, said the source. His wife has told him that the Muslims are looking for him, and that therefore he should not go back to them. Abdul suffered a deep cut on his head and a fractured hand in the attack. Fearing for his life, he has moved to another city in Somalia, the source said. After coming to Christ when a Somali pastor residing outside of Somalia visited him with the gospel in March, Abdul began praying and studying the Bible with his family and the Christian leader every evening, the pastor said. When Abduls youngest child, 5, mentioned the meetings to a neighbor, his wife suggested the visiting pastor leave for his own safety. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up After leaving on April 11, the pastor heard from Abdul that the Muslim relatives were sending him threatening text messages, he said. We are now aware that every evening you are praying in the name of Issa [Jesus] as well as reading a corrupted book and not reading the Quran, the holy book sent to Muhammad from Allah, read one of the text messages, according to the pastor. If you do not stop this bad way of conducting religious activities, then you risk your life. As his wife became more fearful of relatives and withdrew from Christian prayers, Abdul continued alone, he said. Two of my children continued sharing with other children the kind of prayers I was making, Abdul told Morning Star News. On May 2, my younger son arrived crying that he was beaten by some boys after telling them about my reading the Bible and praying. On the evening of May 5 at about 7:30 p.m., the Muslim relatives arrived at his house, he said. They were shouting and yelling that they were looking for my head, Abdul told Morning Star News. The attackers forcibly entered the house and started questioning me for forsaking Islam and joining a bad religion. My wife and children looked shaken. One of his relatives struck him with a sharp knife, he said. The children began wailing and crying in a very loud voice, which confused the attackers, Abdul said. I then managed to escape through the rear door, bleeding, and slept at one of my relatives home about 5 kilometers away. He requested prayer that God may provide for his family, with whom he still communicates. Somalias constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and prohibits the propagation of any other religion, according to the U.S. State Department. It also requires that laws comply with sharia (Islamic law) principles, with no exceptions in application for non-Muslims. The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to mainstream schools of Islamic jurisprudence. An Islamic extremist group in Somalia, Al Shabaab, is allied with Al Qaeda and adheres to the teaching. Al Shabaab or Al Shabaab sympathizers also have killed several non-local people in northern Kenya since 2011, when Kenyan forces led an African coalition into Somalia against the rebels in response to terrorist attacks on tourists and others on Kenyas coast. Somalia is ranked 2nd on Christian support group Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Muslims upset with a Christian sanitation worker in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday (May 25) beat him and left him chained in blistering heat for hours, sources said. Hussain Masih, father-in-law of Yasir Masih, said he found the 35-year-old sanitation worker in the Gujjarpura area of Lahore chained to a chair in the street. [Yasir] Masihs entire body was badly bruised, and he was chained to a chair, Hussain Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. When he regained some strength, he told us that Malik Khadim Hussain, a resident of Gujjarpura, his son and three others had held him hostage and tortured him for not immediately obeying their order to collect the garbage and sweep the doorstep of their house. Yasir Masihs primary responsibility was to clean streets, but he had customarily granted the Muslim familys requests to clean their area, the Christians father-in-law said. Masih told [Malik] Hussain that he would do the needful as soon as he finished his official work and got busy, Hussain Masih said. After some minutes, when Masih went to Hussains house, he told him to go on the roof and clean it. When Masih went to the roof, Hussain, his sons and the other men attacked him with iron rods, punches and kicks. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up The Muslim family then chained him to a chair and kept him hostage for hours, Hussain Masih said. When they left Masih alone, he found a chance to escape, still chained to the chair, he said. He tripped down the stairs and dragged himself out of the gate into the street, where he collapsed. Some passersby recognized him, and this is how we also got information about his whereabouts. Hussain Masih said his son-in-law had left for work around 5 a.m., but a few hours later his supervisor arrived at their home saying he had not arrived at his designated work area in the Gujjarpura area of Lahore. We got worried and started searching for him, Hussain Masih said. Around 5 p.m., someone informed us that Masih had been found chained to a chair and was lying unconscious in a street in Gujjarpura. He said that when they reached the site, they were shocked to at the condition of Masih, father of four children. Yasir Masihs family and friends later protested in front of the Lahore Press Club, demanding registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and arrest of the suspects. Senior police officials assured them of action, and police later arrested Malik Hussain and two others, though his sons were still at large. We only want justice for Masih, Hussain Masih said. He was persecuted just because he had delayed an order of the influential Muslim landlords. Though the police have registered an FIR, we appeal to senior officials and our community leaders to ensure that all the accused are arrested, prosecuted and punished for their barbarous act. Children of a Lesser God Christian socio-political activist Sunil Gulzar said the incident further exposed the mindset of Pakistans Muslim majority toward marginalized and vulnerable sanitation workers, most of whom are Christian. Christian sanitation workers work long shifts even in extreme weather conditions to keep the city clean, Gulzar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. However, despite their dedicated services, these workers are often ridiculed and mistreated because of their Christian faith. Some Hindus also work in sanitation in Sindh Province, but Muslims refuse the work as they see it as beneath them, he said. It seems that sanitary workers are children of a lesser god, Gulzar said. They often face salary delays and no job security. They are discriminated against even by their Muslim colleagues, and now we are witnessing incidents of physical violence against these weak people. Christians in Pakistan are often referred to as Chuhra (low caste), a pejorative term reserved for sanitation workers referring to their past as members of the subcontinents Hindu Chuhra caste that was historically associated with sweepers. Though many of them converted to Islam and Christianity, they continue to suffer the same disparagement and are relegated to jobs seen as degrading and defiling. Road sweepers in Pakistan are mostly Christians and are also referred to by other abusive slurs in local languages. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year. MONETA The Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Department finally has a headquarters to call its own. After years of fundraising, planning and construction impacted by significant delays, members have spent the past few months moving into the newly constructed lakeside facility. The new headquarters is between the Oak Grove Boat Access Facility and the Smith Mountain Lake Coast Guard Auxiliary along the Roanoke River arm of the lake in Moneta. Construction was completed on the building last year with plans to have everything in place by the start of what is expected to be another busy summer on the lake for the department. It has taken almost 20 years to get to this point, said Chief Todd Ohlerich. Appalachian Power Co. donated land for the new headquarters in 2005. Plans to build the facility began to take shape in 2016, but delays because of construction costs and changes in the scope of the project slowed construction down several years. A groundbreaking for the headquarters was held in 2021 to finally mark the start of construction which was finally completed late last year. The building itself is 100% done, but we are still in the process of moving in and getting settled, Ohlerich said. The department set aside $350,000 raised through donations to build the headquarters. Ohlerich said they originally thought that amount would only be enough to cover the cost to construct the shell of the building without any work being done on the inside. To the departments surprise, many local businesses donated labor and materials to allow those fundraising dollars to go further. The community was such a great help, Ohlerich said. There is no way it would be done without their support. Ohlerich estimates community support from donated labor and materials reduced the overall cost of the headquarters by as much as $200,000. The new headquarters has ample room for storage, a meeting room, a full kitchen and multiple offices. One office was given to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to provide them with their own place on the lake as well, Ohlerich said. With the new headquarters finally complete, volunteers now have a place to meet and train. For years volunteers would meet at other fire departments or lake organization offices. The wide variety of equipment the department needs also can be stored in one place. Ohlerich said equipment was previously located in multiple storage facilities and even the garages of some members. Having a headquarters will also allow the department to apply for grants for additional funding, Ohlerich said. That had been a significant roadblock in past grant applications. Funding is still needed to complete one critical missing piece for the headquarters. Plans are to construct a dock along the nearby shoreline. Ohlerich estimates a dock could cost as much as $300,000 to construct. Some preliminary work such as permitting and shoreline stabilization has already been done, he said. Even so, he admits it could take some time to raise the funds. Keeping a fleet of nine fire boats in operation as well as maintaining the necessary equipment for the department is a costly endeavor. Ohlerich said the annual operating budget for the department is approximately $200,000 with 80% of that funding coming from the community and the remaining 20% from funding from surrounding Pittsylvania, Franklin and Bedford counties. Just the cost of fuel for the boats is around $40,000 annually, Ohlerich said. The department will be adding a 10th boat to the fleet later this year. A new, lake assault style boat is currently under construction with delivery estimated sometime in the fall. The new boat will be the first for the department since 2009. Some boats in the fleet are 25 years old or more. Ohlerich said purchasing new equipment is necessary as older boats begin to break down. We are trying to stay ahead of things, Ohlerich said. The new boat is estimated to cost $525,000 which was purchased through a loan. Ohlerich said $250,000 has been paid so far. The recent upgrades for the department come at a time were the lake is seeing a major increase in popularity. Since 2020, there has been a significant increase in home sales and tourism dollars generated around the lake community. That has coincided with an increase in emergency calls. Smith Mountain Lake recorded 20 boating incidents last year, more than twice that of any other body of water in Virginia. Boating incidents are reported when there is more than $2,000 in damage by or to a vessel or its equipment, injury requiring medical assistance beyond first aid, loss of life or disappearance of a person from a vessel. The department sees as many as 400 calls for service in recent years. Those calls can be for something as small as a boat breaking down to larger emergencies such as boating incidents with injuries or fires that occur on a boat or at the many homes located along the shoreline. We have seen an increase in calls, especially between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Ohlerich said. With Memorial Day marking the start of the busy season, the department is expected to on the water often over the next few month. Ohlerich said each of the 45 members is ready to quickly respond when needed, something they have prided themselves on since the department first started. We have never missed a call since 1975, Ohlerich said. 16 Companies Agree to Put Limits on Gen AI Systems Industry generative AI leaders including OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic have agreed to pull the plug on their own AI technologies if they're deemed too dangerous. The companies are signatories of the "Frontier AI Safety Commitments" document unveiled last week at the AI Seoul Summit. The document, which lays out guidelines for limiting AI misuse, was dubbed a "world first" by the the U.K. government, which co-hosted the summit alongside the Republic of Korea. The full list of signatories is: Amazon Anthropic Cohere Google/Google DeepMind G42 IBM Inflection AI Meta Microsoft Mistral AI Naver OpenAI Samsung Electronics Technology Innovation Institute xAI Zhipu.ai In the topmost goal of the document, organizations are asked to "effectively identify, assess and manage risks when developing and deploying their frontier AI models and systems." Many of the signatories already have internal requirements meant to ensure the safety of their AI technologies. OpenAI, for example, unveiled an AI "preparedness framework" last year, though it's still in beta. It also recently formed a new AI Safety and Security Committee, albeit after disbanding its previous AI safety committee. Microsoft, meanwhile, abides by its Responsible AI Standard developed in 2016. Meta and others are also independently exploring ways to "watermark" content created by their AI systems to limit misinformation, especially in light of this year's elections. Critically, however, a tenet of this first commitment is that organizations must agree to kill development of AI systems that are beyond saving. Specifically, they must define "thresholds at which severe risks posed by a model or system, unless adequately mitigated, would be deemed intolerable," and "commit not to develop or deploy a model or system at all, if mitigations cannot be applied to keep risks below the thresholds." The companies are tasked with defining their kill thresholds over the coming months, with the goal of publishing a formal safety framework in time for the AI Action Summit happening February 2025 in France. The two other goals outlined in the document are: Organisations are accountable for safely developing and deploying their frontier AI models and systems. Organisations' approaches to frontier AI safety are appropriately transparent to external actors, including governments. The document also lists several AI safety best practices that the signatories pledge to apply, if they haven't already. These include red-teaming, watermarking, incentivizing third-party testing, creating safeguards against insider threats, and more. Said U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, "These commitments ensure the world's leading AI companies will provide transparency and accountability on their plans to develop safe AI." The pledges laid out in the document are described as "voluntary commitments," and do not carry legal weight. A court in Pakistan denied a Christian victim of fake conversion to change the religious designation of Islam and the Muslim name that his Muslim employers fraudulently registered on his National Identity Card, sources said. Islam teaches that everyone is Muslim at birth but the parents and society cause one to deviate from the straight path, Pattoki Civil Judge Mian Usman Tariq stated in his May 18 verdict on a petition filed by Christian brick kiln laborer Sufyan Masih, 24. Therefore, when someone accepts Islam, he is considered to revert to his original condition. Nevertheless, Islam prohibits the use of force against anybody to get him converted. Attorney Sumera Shafique had filed Masihs petition in September 2022 after officials at the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) in Pattoki Tehsil of Kasur District, Punjab Province, refused to accept his pleas to correct his religious designation to Christianity on his national identity card and to change his name from Muhammad Sufyan to Sufyan Masih. Shafique said that when Masih and his family worked at a brick kiln owned by Asif Ali, a Muslim, the Christians relatives approached her in 2020 seeking her help to recover Masih from Alis illegal custody. Ali had refused to give Masih back to his family, saying that the boy had converted to Islam and that he had adopted him as his son, Shafique told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. I filed a petition for his recovery and succeeded to reunite him with his parents. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up When the Christian family applied for Masihs national identity card, NADRA officials told them that his name was already registered in the national database as Muhammad Sufyan, she said. When we investigated, it came to the fore that the kiln owner had gotten Sufyans identity card made in 2018 showing him as a Muslim, ostensibly to preempt any move of his parents to recover him, Shafique said. Sufyan told us that a NADRA mobile van had visited the kiln during a campaign to make computerized identity cards of kiln workers where his employer had fraudulently gotten his thumbprints on the registration form as well as his photograph. She said that Masih and all his family members, including his parents and siblings, were illiterate and could not read or understand the form. When NADRA officials told Sufyans parents that his name and religion could not be changed, Sufyan categorically declared that he was a Christian, and the contents on the form were entered without his knowledge, she said. NADRA officials refused to accept his claim and sent them away. The attorney said that during the course of the proceedings, she submitted documentary evidence, including his baptism certificate, and also presented Masihs Christian parents in court as evidence of his Christian upbringing. Most importantly, Masih himself told the court that he continued to practice his Christian faith and was not a Muslim, she added. The Muslim cleric who had allegedly issued Masihs conversion certificate did not appear in court despite several notices, Shafique said. The bailiff told the court that the cleric could not be traced, and the seminary mentioned on the conversion certificate had also disappeared, she said. This was a clear enough proof of the mala fide behind the alleged religious conversion, yet the court ignored it. The attorney informed the court that NADRA had also violated its own policy by failing to seek a mandatory undertaking from the applicant at the time of registering his alleged new religion. Masihs parents are Christian, and their official record clearly states this fact, she said. When Masihs NIC [National Identity Card] was being made by his Muslim employers, the NADRA officials should have asked for the mandatory undertaking related to religion conversion instead of relying only on the fake certificate, she said. Masih was barely an adult at that time, moreover he had no idea what was being done to him, but the NADRA officials should have been more vigilant. According to NADRAs CNIC (Computerised National Identify Card) registration policy, any mistake by applicants to state their religion correctly due to illiteracy may be handled in office fault category. In Masihs case, however, NADRA claimed that his name and religion could not be changed because at the time of registration he had allegedly verified his religion as Islam on the official form. NADRA asserted that according to official policy, a Muslim cannot change his religious designation in the CNIC to any other religion, whereas people who convert to Islam from other faiths can get their CNICs amended. Apostasy is considered a sin punishable by death under most schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Although there is no specific law in Pakistan to deny Muslims their right to change religion, apostasy may be punished under Section 295-A of the countrys blasphemy statutes, which imposes up to two years imprisonment for outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens. Right to Practice Any Religion Shafique said that freedom of religion or belief is recognized by numerous human rights instruments to which Pakistan is a signatory. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights declares freedom of religion for everyone, including freedom to change it along with the right to practice it either publicly or privately, she said, adding that Pakistan had also ratified the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights under which no individual could be stopped from adhering to the religion or faith of their choice. Shafique emphasized that Article 20 of Pakistans constitution also allowed citizens the right to profess, practice and propagate their religion, but Masihs case shows how this fundamental right is being denied to non-Muslims. The attorney said that she would challenge the civil judges decision in the appellate court. Our case is very strong, and I was very hopeful of a positive decision, she said. But it seems the judge was not willing to face pressure from religious groups and threw the ball in the court of his superiors. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year. (TBTCO) - Chi so S&P 500 va Dow Jones a at muc ong cua ky luc vao ngay 11/10 voi ong luc lon nhat en tu co phieu tai chinh sau khi cac ngan hang bao cao ket qua quy manh me, trong khi du lieu lam phat moi nhat ho tro ky vong ve viec Cuc Du tru Lien bang My (Fed) se cat giam lai suat vao thang 11. The Dubai Stockbrokers and Investment Services Group (DSIG) has been launched as the market capitalisation of Arab stock exchanges exceeded $4.36 trillion at the end of April 2024, according to the Arab Monetary Fund. DSIG is one of the 105 Business Groups that operate under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber of Commerce to help drive greater economic opportunities within the UAE and beyond. The Dubai Stockbrokers and Investment Services Group (DSIG) is one of the 105 Business Groups and more than 50 Business Councils that operate under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers under Dubai Chambers. Sector-specific Business Groups and country-specific Business Councils advance the interests of Dubais dynamic business community, empowering companies to explore greater economic opportunities in the UAE and beyond and play a greater role in the global economy. Sameera Fernandes, Chief Sustainability Officer and Board Member of Century Financial, has been elected Chairwoman of DSIG while Mostofa Elchiati, Kinly Nassour, Ahmed Al Salami, and Damodhar Mata have been elected DSIGs Vice-Chairman, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Director of Membership & Marketing, respectively. Accelerating economic growth The launch of the DSIG, which was attended by Maha Al Gergawi, Vice-President of Business Advocacy at Dubai Chambers and Omar Khan, Head of the Centre for Business Studies and Research at Dubai Chambers, supports the Chambers vision to accelerate the economic growth in the emirate by enhancing the role of Business Groups and Business Councils. Stockbrokers, investment advisors, fund managers, wealth managers and private equity managers play a significant role in the growth of the stock market and the overall economy. Data from the Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets shows that institutional investors had purchased AED302.7 billion ($82.41 billion) worth of stocks from January to December 2023, compared to total sales of approximately AED295.8 billion. The launch saw the presence of industry leaders who felicitated DSIGs vision of shaping a prosperous financial future through cutting-edge technologies, ethical practices, and global collaboration. Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman, Essa Al Ghurair Investment LLC, lauded the initiation of the group, expressing his expectations of DSIGs catalytic role in realising the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) announced by the Dubai Government, saying: I commend the Dubai Stockbrokers and Investment Services Groups vision to sustainably impel Dubais growth. Dubais meteoric rise is attributed to two key values, trust and transparency. By adopting these values, DSIG will be pivotal in doubling the citys GDP by 2033 under the D33 agenda. Key driver The UAE has emerged as a key driver of the financial upswing in Arab stock markets, contributing significantly to the collective gains. The UAE added an impressive $117.5 billion to its market value, reaching a substantial $990.6 billion by the end of 2023. Both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) played pivotal roles. ADX contributed US$88.8 billion, soaring to $803.4 billion. Meanwhile, DFM witnessed a $28.7 billion increase, elevating its total market value to $187.2 billion. DSIG acts as a platform for secured investment. Coupled with innovation and sustainability, the Business Group will not only implement ideas, but also empower people through its educational programmes. Poised to become the leading business group in the Middle East, DSIG is committed to facilitate more cross-border investments and market expansion. Sameera Fernandes, Chairwoman of DSIG, said: DSIG has been founded to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions that will bolster Dubais growth as a secure global financial capital. Our expansive mission to promote sustainable investment, foster innovation in financial services, and empower a robust investment community, as well as staunchly commit to ethical standards and integrity is strongly driven by our initiatives that promote financial literacy. These initiatives include mentorship programmes, technology and innovation hub, and support for international expansion among others. As part of its efforts to continuously engage with the global investment community, DSIG also revealed plans to hold an annual investment summit, where members can network, address prevalent challenges, and brainstorm solutions. Domestic stocks According to a recent Emirates News Agency (WAM) report, institutional investors boosted their acquisition of domestic stocks in 2023 due to diverse investment prospects and the opportunity to engage in the expansion of the UAEs economy. The report further noted that institutional investors dominated the UAE equity market in 2023, capturing nearly 78 percent of total trading activity. The Dubai Financial Market witnessed a 12.5% surge in the number of investor accounts in 2023 as compared to the previous year, according to WAM. Brokerage firms in the emirates financial market opened 57,054 new investor accounts. In the meantime, the 29 brokerage firms operating in the Dubai Financial Market executed over 3.83 million transactions in 2023, a 32.7% increase compared to 2022s 2.88 million. Foreign and regional institutional investors have led a significant surge in net stock purchases, amounting to AED7 billion ($1.91 billion) year-to-date in the Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets. The event also explored the future of investments, highlighting sustainable investment as an inevitable trend in the financial realm. Habiba Al Marashi, Co-founder and Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, said: After delving deep into sustainable investments in 2019, I have discovered many gaps that must be bridged to promote sustainable investment. Pioneers in the field should realise the lack of awareness among institutions and improve their financial literacy. This can be achieved through fruitful collaboration among government entities, the private sector, and educational institutions. In fact, the private sector should potentially lead sustainable development, underpinned by financial organisations. To ensure transparency, the right laws and regulations must be imposed and precise measurement tools and metrices must be implemented.--TradeArabia News Service Injaz Bahrain, a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA), and the BMMI Group, have renewed their memorandum of understanding (MoU) to empower Bahraini youth through BMMIs Alosra Scholarship Programme, aimed at fully supporting Bahraini students in their higher education journey. As part of the MoU, Injaz Bahrain and the BMMI Group conducted interviews to evaluate applicants based on academic performance, financial need, and other criteria. Five new students were recently enrolled to the programme as part of the fourth batch of scholarship recipients, bringing the total number of supported students to 42 since the onset of the initiative in 2020. Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairperson of Injaz Bahrain, said: "We appreciate BMMI's efforts in helping our students achieve their goals. This initiative aligns with our mission to empower Bahraini youth to succeed in the global economy. Through the Alosra Scholarship Programme, we are not only providing financial assistance but also opening doors to new opportunities and experiences that will positively impact their future." The Chairman of the BMMI Group, Abdulla Buhindi, reinforced BMMIs commitment to developing the capabilities of Bahraini youth, said: Education is the foundation of a thriving society, and through BMMIs Alosra Scholarship Programme, we are supporting these students and encouraging them to pursue their higher education, which will contribute to helping build a better future for Bahrain. Through our partnership with INJAZ Bahrain, we look forward to continuing our support of the students to reach their highest potential and to make a positive impact on the local community. We would also like to express how proud we are that BMMI is a partner in this programme and we wish the students further successes and achievement. Through the partnership, Injaz Bahrain and BMMI aim to support eligible students each year for three years, covering the costs for their higher-education programme at the University of Bahrain or Bahrain Polytechnic. TradeArabia News Service The American School of Bahrain (ASB) proudly marked a significant milestone with its inaugural graduation ceremony which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Bahrain Bay. The event was in the presence of Dr Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Higher Education Council, along with a distinguished gathering of officials and ambassadors. In his opening remarks, he congratulated the graduates and reaffirmed the Ministry of Education's unwavering support for the private education sector. He emphasised the Ministry's commitment to developing this sector and enhancing investment to support the educational journey and provide diverse options for parents. Dave McMaster, Director of the American School of Bahrain, expressed his pride in the graduating class and looked forward to their future contributions to the nation. "We are thrilled to see our first graduates embark on their next journey. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work and dedication, and we anticipate their significant contributions to the development of Bahrain," he said. Dr Juan Saavedra, Middle & High School Principal, highlighted the school's mission to inspire a passion for learning and personal growth. "Our goal is to cultivate students who are not only academically prepared but also conscious global citizens. The readiness of our graduates to join prestigious universities worldwide speaks volumes about the success of our educational approach," he stated. The ceremony featured speeches from notable figures, including Tammam Abushakra, Chairman of the Board of Directors of American School of Bahrain, and Yaser Alsharifi, CEO of Bahrain Islamic Bank. Abdul Rahman Hisham Al-Binali, who is a member of the 25th cohort of the Crown Prince International Scholarship Program, delivered the student speech in Arabic, followed by Christina Isabel in English. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates by Dr Juma, followed by the presentation of special awards by McMaster to students who achieved outstanding accomplishments in various fields. -TradeArabia News Service Dubai Industrial City has signed a AED130 million ($35.39 million) agreement with MD Pharma Factory to set up the first Egyptian medicine manufacturing facility in the UAE. Across a plot of land spanning 223,000 sq ft, the factory will produce a range of intravenous solution products to serve markets across the GCC and Africa when it is opened in 2025. The signing took place at the third edition of Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) Forum, organised by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Adnoc in Abu Dhabi from May 27 to 28. The ceremony was witnessed by Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, alongside Malek Al Malek, Chairman of TECOM Group, Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of TECOM Group, and Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President of Industrial at TECOM Group. Growing attactiveness The agreement reflects Dubai Industrial Citys growing attractiveness to international investors and manufacturers. The business destination nurtures innovation to accelerate globally impactful excellence with the support of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development between the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Morocco, which aims to diversify the regional economy and increase the competitiveness of the industrial sector. MD Pharma Factorys partnership with Dubai Industrial City is also aligned with national strategic visions including Operation 300bn, Make it in the Emirates, and Dubai Economic Agenda D33. The new agreement is part of a series of successes for Dubai Industrial City, which has attracted investments worth more than AED2.8 billion within 18 months amid its continued commitment to expand its ecosystem and cementing its position as the regions leading manufacturing and logistics hub. There is no substitute for lasting value that is created by fostering a robust homegrown manufacturing sector, said Alshawareb. Welcoming new partners Collaboration is crucial to encourage the co-creation of such long-term impact through manufacturing industry investments, and the UAE and Dubai are well-placed international investment hubs to drive global cooperation towards this goal. Through our support of initiatives like Operation 300bn, Make it in the Emirates, and Dubai Economic Agenda D33, we are actively championing an environment where the worlds most intelligent minds can come together to live, work, and invest in Dubais high potential. Dubai Industrial City is committed to helping its customers unlock new opportunities for growth and we welcome our new partners as our ecosystem powers the journey of the Made in UAE brandmark around the world. International attractiveness MD Pharma Factory, a Cairo-headquartered patient safety and healthcare business solutions provider, will expand to Dubai Industrial City as part of the agreement signed by Alshawareb on behalf of the manufacturing district with Dr Waleid Mohamed Nabil Deabes, owner of MD Pharma Factory. Participating as Diamond Sponsor of MIITE forum, Dubai Industrial City officially launched 13.9 million sq ft of additional land during the event amid rising local and regional demand for high-quality industrial capacity. Dubai Industrial City, home to more than 1,000 local, regional, and international customers including Standard Carpets, Himalaya Wellness, IFFCO Group, and Unilever, in addition to more than 300 operational factories, showcased the possibilities enabled by its sector-specific infrastructure and intelligently master planned ecosystem at the event. Dubai Industrial City is part of TECOM Groups portfolio of business destinations that include Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Design District (d3), and Dubai Science Park.--TradeArabia News Service Al Ghurair Foods has announced that its pasta manufacturing facility in Dubais Jebel Ali Industrial area switched from diesel oil to compressed natural gas (CNG) to run its production processes, a first within the companys portfolio. The transition to cleaner fuels signals the companys commitment to the UAEs climate ambitions by consistently decarbonising its operations. CNG is a clean-burning alternative fuel that is obtained by compressing natural gas to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure. It has a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional fuels, thus producing lesser greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter. Virtual pipeline technology The facility will be supplied with CNG through a virtual pipeline technology by CloudEnergi, a UAE-based clean energy solutions provider, which will allow it to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 31%, equivalent to 2,191 tonnes of CO2 annually. All other business units within Al Ghurair Foods will be transitioned to natural gas over the next 12-18 months. Turgut Yegenaga, CEO of Al Ghurair Foods and Al Ghurair Resources International, said: The transition to natural gas to run our pasta manufacturing facility comes in response to tackling our carbon footprint at the granular level. It is the small changes that add up to make the most monumental difference. At Al Ghurair Foods, we are proud to support and contribute to national goals, especially in the UAEs extended Year of Sustainability. Laith Madi, COO of CloudEnergi, said: "This milestone with Al Ghurair Foods is a testament to our commitment to providing sustainable, low-carbon energy solutions. It demonstrates the value we bring to the UAEs industrial sector by unlocking the benefits of natural gas through our cutting-edge Virtual Pipeline technology. As a regional leader in the food industry, Al Ghurair Foods runs a number of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across 25 countries. The pasta facility in Dubai produces 100 kilotonnes of pasta and noodles annually, contributing to the UAEs local food manufacturing capabilities.--TradeArabia News Service Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has collaborated with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) on the demonstration of Autonomous Navigation system with dual navigation capabilities on MDL the tug MT Andaman. The IRS team led by R Srinivas, VP & HOD Electrical & Control System, conducted a thorough review of the autonomy concept, system documentation, software quality documentation and a detailed risk assessment in accordance with IRS Guidelines for Remotely Operated Vessels and Autonomous Surface Vessels. IRS rigorously tested the Autonomous Navigation System software at the manufacturer's development center through simulation, as per approved Factory Acceptance Test procedure. The autonomous configuration also includes a Remote-Control Centre (RCC), specifically designed to control and or monitor the vessel from a remote location. Harbour trials Subsequent to installation of the autonomous systems on board the tug, IRS verified system functionality as per the approved Harbour Acceptance Test procedure. Remote control of propulsion and steering systems from the RCC, as well as the monitoring of key machinery, navigation parameters, and situational awareness system at Remote Control Centre were also verified as part of harbour trials. IRS witnessed the autonomous sea trials of the MDL tug on May 23 and 24, 2024 as per the approved Sea Acceptance Test procedure. The trials successfully demonstrated collision avoidance in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG), alongside various emergency response measures such as handling the loss of primary controls and communication with the RCC. The Indian Navy provided essential support during these sea trials by deploying an interceptor boat, contributing to the safety and success of the testing process. Demand for autonomous vessels As demand for autonomous vessels grows in mission-critical operations, the development of such systems presents significant opportunities within the defence sector. The Governments 'Make in India' initiative further enhances prospects for Indian system developers and shipyards. Cdr KK Dhawan, Head Defence of IRS, said: This collaboration underscores IRS commitment to advancement in the Indian maritime industry through cutting-edge autonomous technology. Leveraging the experience gained from this and similar projects, IRS is well-positioned to assist the industry in developing advanced autonomous systems while ensuring compliance with stringent safety and quality standards.--TradeArabia News Service The highly anticipated sixth Shutdowns, Turnarounds, and Outages Technical (STOT) Conference and Exhibition 2024 opened on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The event has drawn an impressive assembly of top-tier industry delegates, marking a significant milestone in the field. The conference began with an exceptional opening speech by the Conference Chairman Fahad Alkhaldi, Executive Director of Central Maintenance at Sabic. Following this, a keynote addresse was delivered by Mutlaq Almorished, Chairman of the Board of Citi Group, Saudi Arabia, who shared invaluable insights into the industry. This years STOT ME Conference features an exceptional exhibition with ABIS as the Elite Platinum Sponsor, alongside Al Yamama, Nabtatat, and AlMuzain as Platinum Sponsors. Many top-tier industry leaders are showcasing their latest ideas and technologies, offering attendees a unique opportunity to explore innovative solutions and advancements. The event is tailored for shutdown and turnaround managers, maintenance, reliability, and operations professionals. These experts are dedicated to addressing current challenges in petrochemical plants and refineries, discussing innovative technologies, and benchmarking new ideas in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. The comprehensive programme offers a variety of tools, technologies, strategies, and best practices essential for organizational success. Participants will benefit from the expertise of seasoned professionals who will provide guidance on sustaining plant performance from its conceptual stage through to its operational maturity. The conference will continue until Thursday (May 30), providing a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and professional growth. - TradeArabia News Service Lenovo Group has signed a strategic collaboration framework agreement and a bond subscription agreement with Alat, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company focused on transformative technology investment and sustainable manufacturing. The collaboration includes a planned establishment of a regional MEA headquarters in Riyadh, and a new PC and server manufacturing facility in the kingdom to serve customers in the region. Meanwhile, under the bond subscription agreement, Lenovo will issue $2 billion in convertible bonds to Alat. The strategic collaboration and investment will enable Lenovo to further accelerate its ongoing transformation, enhance its global presence, increase geographic diversification of its manufacturing footprint, and capitalise on the growth momentum of the IT and Business Services industry in the MEA region, a statement said. The collaboration serves as a strong endorsement of Lenovos existing strategy, strong execution, operational excellence, commitment to sustainability, and continuous investment in innovation. The strategic collaboration, alongside a proposed $2 billion investment in zero coupon convertible bonds (bond issue), provides Lenovo with greater financial flexibility to implement its proven strategy, and will further drive its global transformation into a solutions and services-led business. Saudi Arabia is entering a new era of clean energy and has a goal to produce 50% of electricity from renewables by 2030. In support of that goal and Lenovos own 2050 net-zero target, Lenovo will be able to contribute to this vision and at the same time benefit from KSAs clean power and sustainable manufacturing initiatives to help reach its own targets, it said. It will also enable Lenovo to enhance its global supply chain resilience and flexibility by adding another location to its existing global footprint, and to serve customers in the MEA region more nimbly. The MEA region continues to see strong growth momentum fuelled by an increasing number of large-cap projects and its strong economies, with the regions IT and Business Services market size expected to reach close to $38 billion by 2027, according to IDC estimates. Building on Lenovos industry leadership in the MEA region and globally, the partnership with Alat will help Lenovo tap into the robust growth in the region, unlock the transformative potential of digital technologies, and further enhance Lenovos position as a global technology powerhouse, it said. Yuanqing Yang, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo, said: Through this powerful strategic collaboration, Lenovo will have significant resources and financial flexibility to further accelerate our transformation and grow our business by capitalising on the incredible growth momentum in the MEA region. Looking ahead, Lenovo plans to build a tech and manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia and will help define the future of the region as a center of innovation which Alat will benefit from. This is a huge vote of confidence in our company, our market leadership, and our future growth potential. Alat, a PIF company, was launched on February 1, 2024, and will create a global sustainable technology manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia focused on advanced industrials and electronics. Initially its key strategic business areas will be semiconductors, smart devices, smart buildings, smart appliances, smart health, advanced industrials, next gen infrastructure technologies, electrification, and AI infrastructure. More information can be found here, the statement added. Details of the Strategic Collaboration and Investment * As part of the agreement, Lenovo will set up a regional MEA headquarters in Riyadh, which will include a customer centre and a research and development centre focusing on the MEA Region. * Lenovo will also establish a new PC and server manufacturing facility in the KSA, extending the companys existing global footprint which already includes 30+ manufacturing sites around the world spanning Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US. * The parties have entered into a bond subscription agreement in which Lenovo will issue $2 billion in convertible bonds to Alat, the net proceeds of which will be used for repaying existing debts of Lenovo and general corporate and working capital purposes. The convertible bonds are due in three years after issuance and will be convertible to equity at maturity at an initial conversion price of HK$10.42 per share. This represents an approximately 10% premium over the average VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price) for the last 30 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date of the agreement. * Alat will have the right to nominate a non-executive director candidate to Lenovos Board subject to normal procedures for director appointments in Hong Kong. * Additionally, Lenovos Board has approved a proposed warrants issuance for 1,150,000,000 warrants at an issue price of HK$1.43 per warrant. The proposed three-year warrants issuance will enable Lenovo to raise additional funds to support future growth, while at the same time broadening its capital base, and is a further vote of confidence in the companys ongoing transformation, global market leadership, and growth momentum. Once approved at Lenovos General Meeting, the warrants will be issued via a private placement handled by Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited. DXC Technology, a leading Fortune 500 global technology services provider, has announced the launch of a new office space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The purpose-designed facility, sets a blueprint for organisations looking to create a hybrid modern workplace in Saudi Arabia. Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, the office will facilitate collaboration between government bodies, private businesses, and industry associations in the kingdom. Site proximity Strategically located in the King Abdullah Financial Business District, this site was chosen for its proximity to our customers, leading businesses and strategic partners, reflecting our commitment and investment in growing these relationships. Having operated in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years, DXC today has 14 customers across various industries including banking and financial services, insurance, public sector and manufacturing, and has built a strong ecosystem of technology partners within the kingdoms technology industry, including ServiceNow, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, AWS and Splunk. DXCs new office embodies the future of work, and features technology-enabled reconfigurable spaces to support collaboration and connection, as well as rooms incorporating multi-functional and adaptable spaces to meet the evolving needs of customers. As businesses across the world find the right balance in hybrid models of working, we are confident that our new office sets a benchmark in business innovation by showcasing a space that represents the future of the modern workplace, said Seelan Nayagam, President Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, DXC Technology. Commitment to diversity DXC has a longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion globally. It aims to establish its multi award winning DXC Dandelion Program in Saudi Arabia to help promote the employment of neurodiverse individuals such as those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia. The organisation has also invested in local talent through initiatives like its graduate program, which welcomed 20 graduates in 2023 and aims for a further 20 in 2024. With a workforce which has a 60:40 male-to-female ratio, DXC remains committed to driving gender equality initiatives and outcomes. "By aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and establishing ourselves in the heart of Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District, we are committed to delivering even greater value to our customers and partners in the kingdom. Our investment, commitment and renewed presence in Riyadh will undoubtedly strengthen our position as a top IT services provider and foster an environment where our colleagues can thrive and contribute to the kingdoms vision for the future," added Nayagam.--TradeArabia News Service The experimental choreographer Florentina Holzinger supervised last week's rehearsal at the Mecklenburg State Theater in Schwerin, northeastern Germany. Her previous works include 'Ophelia's Got Talent' at Berlin's Volksbuhne and 'A Divine Comedy' for the Ruhrtriennale festival. Her works were boundary-pushing, peripatetic shows that shocked and astounded audiences with elements such as profanity, onstage ejaculation, nudity, and performers hanging from their teeth. Holzinger is trying something new in her upcoming work by staging Paul Hindemith's one-act opera 'Sancta Susanna.' She has expanded the piece into an extravaganza called "SANCTA," featuring a skate ramp, a climbing wall, and an industrial robot arm on which a dancer performs aerial choreography. Her next piece will open at the Mecklenburg State Theater on Thursday before moving to the Wiener Festwochen festival in Vienna on June 10. In an interview, Holzinger said, "I wanted to make sure that we are not stuck in the corset of an opera." "If you can dig 'Sancta Susanna,'" she added, "then you can dig my work." The opera is the third trilogy of one-act operas in which Hindemith pushed the limits of his day. It focuses on a nun named Susanna and her sensual delusions about Christ on the cross. Furthermore, the piece finishes with her removing her garb and Christ's loincloth. The music, composed in the early expressionist manner of Hindemith, intensifies from a gentle beginning to a rousing brass chord finale as Susanna is condemned as a Satanist by her fellow nuns. In 'SANCTA,' some of Holzinger's regular collaborators, including roller skaters, sword swallowers, and performers who hang from skin-implanted hooks, will join the opera's three vocalists. After the Hindemith piece ends, the performance will transition into a kind of staged mass with new compositions by Austrian composers James Grabsch, whose artist name is Born in Flamez, and Johanna Doderer, as well as music from Bach, Rachmaninoff, Byrd, and Gounod's interpretations of the Latin liturgy. These themes remain a shock, even in a part of Germany where a far-right political party currently leads in opinion polls. Soudah Development and Warner Bros. Discovery International (WBD) have signed a one-year partnership agreement to promote and celebrate the distinctive nature, culture, and heritage of Soudah and parts of the Rijal Almaa region, in southwest Saudi Arabia. The collaboration will focus on raising awareness about Soudah Peaks a luxury mountain tourism destination set 3,015 m above sea level, on the highest peak in Saudi Arabia and showcase its beauty and diversity to a global audience, said Soudah Development in a press release. The agreement entails the production of three short documentaries on Soudah's natural landscape, cultural heritage, traditions, architectural aesthetics, local community, and historical sites and monuments, it stated. As per the deal, they will air this summer in Europe, US, the Middle East, Africa, India, and Japan on WBD's TV channels Discovery Channel, Food Network, and Travel Channel and Eurosport 1 and 2. They will also air digitally on Discovery YouTube Channel, and on VOX MEDIA's social networks and Discovery Channel Weibo in China, it added. Soudah Development CEO Saleh Aloraini said: "We are delighted to join forces with Warner Bros. Discovery to unveil the exceptional beauty and cultural significance of the Soudah region on a global scale." "This collaboration marks a pivotal step in our endeavor to position Soudah as a unique luxury mountain tourism destination, and we are confident that it will captivate travelers from around the world," he noted. The Soudah region is home to a variety of fauna and flora, varied topography, and distinctive agricultural practices, all of which will be highlighted in the content produced.-TradeArabia News Service Leading asset management company Merex Investment has announced that nearly 94% of the construction work has been completed on its flagship beachfront project - J1 Beach - situated in the vibrant Jumeirah neighbourhood and is on track for a grand opening in September. An urban riviera featuring 13 luxury dining venues, J1 Beach is poised to redefine the Dubai beachfront experience with its innovative design, luxury dining and world class amenities. According to Merex, the architectural and engineering aspects are being managed by SSH International Engineering, the main consultant, leveraging global expertise to push the boundaries of design and innovation. Construction execution is led by ARCO Turnkey Solutions, the main contractor, whose precision, and excellence are instrumental in realizing the vision for this iconic destination, it stated. During the process, Merex said several significant milestones had been achieved including structural and marine achievements such as completion of 582 foundational piles, extensive marine protection works as well as construction of 20 building shells and enabling tenant fit-outs to commence ahead of schedule. On the safety milestone, Merex said the construction team had clocked a commendable record of over 2 million safe manhours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) exemplifying the project's robust safety culture and operational excellence. With the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works nearly 97% completed by Elemec Electrical Contracting, the project approaches the final phases of testing and commissioning, it added. A major highlight of J1 Beach is its landscaping and the scale at which it has been implemented. The soft landscaping features exotic plants and trees imported from Spain and Thailand, integrated with Jerusalem stone for hardscaping, thus underscoring the projects commitment to quality and design excellence. Merex Investment CEO Shahram Shamsaee said: "We are pleased to announce that J1 Beach is nearing completion, and we're on track to unveil a beachfront like no other in Dubai this September. It embodies our dedication to creating innovative and industry-leading destinations that cater to the sophisticated clientele of Dubai." J1 Beach is designed to be Dubai's next must-visit destination, featuring an urban riviera that brings the worlds best to Dubais shores, he stated. With 13 high-end dining venues, including globally acclaimed establishments and original concepts, J1 Beach is poised to become a pinnacle of gastronomic excellence. Visitors will enjoy direct beach access and exceptional services such as dedicated valet parking, enhancing the seamless luxury experience. "Our flagship project is poised to become a leading destination, attracting discerning residents and visitors alike. This project reinforces Dubais position as a global leader in hospitality and tourism," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Shamal Holding, the owner and curator of Dubai Harbour, has announced its first residential project, Dubai Harbour Residences, featuring a range of apartments and penthouses with generous layouts, high ceilings and large terraces designed to be enjoyed year-round. Dubai Harbour Residences is designed for superior liveability and will provide a beachfront collection of low-rise residences with epic panoramic sea and city views set against an iconic backdrop. Each home features nautical colour palettes, rich in deep blues and crisp whites, and impeccable textures and finishings, said the statement from Shamal Holding. Residents will have easy access to the upscale amenities, retail and hospitality choices of the regions most vibrant, and comprehensive maritime lifestyle offering. Together with internationally acclaimed architectural firm Nikken Sekkei and Dubai-based H&H Development, Shamal said it will be delivering an industry-defining project to its residents. "The launch of Dubai Harbour Residences aligns closely with Shamals long-term investment strategy and demonstrates our commitment to creating new vibrant communities, in line with Dubais urban development plans," said its CEO Abdulla Binhabtoor. "We are working alongside world-class partners to deliver a pipeline of unique developments across the city that combine contemporary design with the experience and energy of Dubai," said the top official. "Our debut residential project at Dubai Harbour will provide a beachfront living unlike any other, with easy access to the amenities, retail and hospitality choices of Dubai Harbour, the regions most unique lifestyle offering, in the worlds most dynamic city," he added. Located at the intersection of the iconic Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters Island, the destination is within easy reach from the citys world famous attractions such as Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Ain Dubai. The recently announced new 1500m bridge to be launched in collaboration with Dubais Road and Transport Authority (RTA) will also facilitate direct exit/entry points to the district, cutting down travel time to the main roads from 12 to 3 minutes, and ensuring a free flow of traffic. H&H Chief Executive Officer Miltos Bosinis said: "With nearly two decades of experience creating upscale projects in the UAE, we are proud to be working with Shamal Holding to introduce Dubai Harbour Residences to the market." "With innovation and excellence at the core of everything we do, Dubai Harbour Residences will offer the finest of modern design to one of Dubai's most sought-after beachfront locations, with its cutting-edge architecture and sophisticated interiors," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) joined senior ministers and leaders at the GCC-ASEAN Economic & Investment Conference in Riyadh. The 2024 conference aimed to encourage increased economic cooperation and explore investment opportunities between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) across various sectors. Bahrains Minister joined Eng Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia, Dato' Hairil Yahri Yaacob, Secretary General at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia, Russ Jalichandra, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in a panel titled Economics, Investments, Trade & Partnerships. The high-level panel explored joint trade and investment opportunities between GCC and ASEAN across the priority sectors identified across both regions, discussing mechanisms to enhance ties in line with the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation for 2024-2028. Ongoing partnerships The session aimed to showcase ongoing partnerships and initiatives that have fostered increased bilateral cooperation, diving into the role of the private sector in encouraging the development of a more robust environment to boost investment flows for the prosperity of the collective region. She said: We firmly believe the Framework provides ample opportunities for collaboration between countries. As an island nation with a deep-rooted history of being a regional hub of trade and investment, we advocate forming collaborative ties that go beyond bilateral trade, extending to exchanging talent, co-investments, and knowledge sharing in areas for sustainable economic prosperity. She added: Bahrain launched the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) during Q4 2021 to encourage post pandemic recovery, which was fueled by a clear focus on attracting investment into key strategic sectors namely financial services, manufacturing, ICT, logistics and tourism. The pillars outlined in the ERP additionally prioritise future-proofing local talent with digital skills, which is further backed by a national digital transformation strategy on an economic, policy and infrastructural level. These priorities are directly aligned with both the Framework of Cooperation, and Blueprint Bahrain - our roadmap to achieving our net zero commitments to secure a sustainable economic future. The 2024 Conference follows the first ever interregional summit held in 2023 between GCC and ASEAN, which recognised the value multilateral approaches to tackle regional and global challenges creating a dialogue to discuss solutions to further develop the ASEAN-GCC interregional partnership based on shared interests and strong historical ties. Last years Summit adopted a Framework of Cooperation (2024-2028) document, which set out an action plan for realising the objectives of interregional cooperation.--TradeArabia News Service In a strategic development, Kanoo Machinery UAE and KSA has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Combilift, one of the largest global manufacturers of multidirectional, sideloading, and articulated forklifts, in a move that will see the two revolutionise material handling in Saudi Arabia. Ireland-based Combilift is a global leader in material handling equipment manufacturing and is renowned for its innovative and versatile solutions, capable of handling loads up to 150 tonnes, while Kanoo Machinery UAE and KSA is a member of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group (YBA Kanoo), one of the largest independent family-owned multinationals in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. It is a leading figure in Saudi Arabias diverse business sectors, and champions sustainable business practices that align with the Saudi Green Initiative - a national effort to reduce emissions, preserve natural resources and enhance the quality of life. Through its cutting-edge technologies, Combilift helps customers optimize their operations while significantly reducing their environmental impact. "This partnership exemplifies a shared dedication to innovation and sustainability, guaranteeing that the material handling solutions not only address the varied industry needs in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East but also foster positive contributions to the region's environmental goals," remarked Ali Abdulla Kanoo, Deputy Chairman of YBA Kanoo and President of Kanoo Industrial and Energy, at the signing ceremony held at the Irish Embassy in Riyadh. The event was supported by Enterprise Ireland, the governments enterprise development agency dedicated to nurturing the growth of Irish-owned companies. "With decades of dedication to different manufacturing industries YBA Kanoo has supported sustainable innovations to reduce the carbon footprint of the region," stated Abdulla Kanoo. "We are always committed to aligning with the Saudi Green initiatives, strengthening practices that not only optimize efficiency but also serve the environment. Together with Combilift, we embark on a journey to redefine industry standards, delivering innovative solutions that cater to customers expectations," he added. Elaborating further, Fahad Fawzi Kanoo, the Vice President of Kanoo Industrial and Energy and CEO of the Kanoo Group, said the group has consistently been at the forefront of sustainable innovations, and this partnership emphasises the shared dedication of Kanoo Group and Combilift to offering sustainable solutions that address the industrial requirements of GCC regions "We are constantly reviewing the milestones we have set in line with the industry benchmarks and fostering a more environmentally conscious future in the Middle East," he added. Together, Combilift and Kanoo Machinery KSA are setting new standards for material handling solutions in the Middle East, providing innovations that meet diverse industry needs while supporting environmental goals. "At Combilift, we are not just creating efficient material handling solutions; we are pioneering sustainability in the industry. With over 70% of our forklifts now electric-powered and 92% of our components recyclable, we are committed to dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of our operations and those of our clients," he stated. "This design philosophy not only maximizes operational efficiency but also aligns perfectly with our environmental goals. As we introduce these technologies to Saudi Arabia, we are excited about the potential to transform material handling across the region with our local partner YBA Kanoo while supporting the Saudi Green Initiative," he added. Nick Lojevec, Combilift Business Director Middle East said: "Over the past 15 years, our alliance with YBA Kanoo has become a vital part of our strategy in the Middle East. This new partnership agreement is not just a milestone - it's a leap forward in our mission to innovate and expand within the Saudi Arabian and UAE market." "Having YBA Kanoo as our local partner is crucial; their profound regional insight and support are indispensable as we strive to deliver exceptional, innovative solutions to our customers," he added. To assist companies in achieving more sustainable warehousing, manufacturing and storage, Combilift and Kanoo Machinery UAE & KSA have agreed to also offer a complimentary warehouse and storage planning consultancy service. This service helps clients visualize how to utilize their current space more effectively, employing strategies such as narrowing aisles and using higher pallet racks to increase storage capacity and improve workflow efficiency. "Enterprise Ireland client companies are seeing ample opportunities across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and wider Arab region," remarked Hani Belbaisi, the Senior Market Advisor at Enterprise Ireland Mena. "The signing with Kanoo Group marks a significant milestone for Combilift in the region and we are delighted to support Combilift as they continue to grow across the Middle East," he added. Kanoo Machinery is one of the leading equipment solution providers in the Gulf. For over 50 years, since its establishment in the early 1960s, it has been catering to diverse industrial sectors with a wide range of equipment and consumables from the worlds leading manufacturers of materials handling, industrial & maintenance products.-TradeArabia News Service There's a notable inclination towards entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa region with nearly half of surveyed employees inclined to be self-employed or start a business, a survey has found. The Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa 2024 survey, conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East's leading job site, and market research agency YouGov, revealed that out of the 1090 people surveyed, 517 are currently employed, of which 46% are eager to be either self-employed or own a business. This is particularly high in Lebanon 46%, Egypt 54% and Algeria 57%. However, a slightly larger fraction, representing 49% of the total respondents, still prefer traditional employment in companies, with the private sector being the most desired workplace for 60% of these individuals. Regular income Those favouring company employment cite the allure of regular income 50%, the opportunity to learn new skills 38%, and employment stability along with benefits like social security and medical insurance 34% as their main motivators. Ola Haddad, General Manager at Bayt.com, said: The entrepreneurial spirit is redefining the future of work in the Mena. With nearly half of the region's entrepreneurs embarking on their business journeys in just the last five years, and over 60% poised to expand their teams, we're witnessing an era where the pursuit of personal fulfillment, community contribution, and work-life balance is not just a dream, but a tangible goal. This wave of entrepreneurial optimism, against the backdrop of seeking more autonomy and meaningful impact, is a testament to a resilience that promises to reshape economies and lives across the region." Mena Entrepreneurial Ecosystem On the entrepreneurial front, the driving forces are decidedly more personal and community-focused, with 'personal fulfillment' 45%, the 'freedom to choose work-life balance' 43%, and the 'ability to give back to the community' 40% emerging as top reasons. A substantial 45% of current entrepreneurs embarked on their business ventures within the last five years, showcasing a surge in entrepreneurial activities, although they face challenges like underperformance 30% and the hurdles of being at the start-up stage 30%. The pursuit of higher income 31% and better work-life balance 28% are primary motivations behind these entrepreneurial endeavours. Looking ahead, there's a strong entrepreneurial ambition in the region, with 63% planning to hire in the next year, implying optimism about business growth. Moreover, significant proportions are aiming for expansion, both locally one-third and internationally 24%, despite 55% acknowledging the difficulty of starting a business in their country due to restrictive laws and regulations. This sentiment is reinforced by nearly half of the respondents 48% who believe that the government could better support budding entrepreneurs by simplifying these laws. Financial obstacles Financial obstacles 43% present the most significant barrier to starting a business, alongside concerns over procuring initial financing 57%, profit uncertainty 35%, and the need for establishing the right contacts 33%. Despite these challenges, the spirit of entrepreneurship is perceived positively, with a strong majority viewing entrepreneurs as opportunity-driven 84% and crucial job creators 83%. The consensus advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to embrace risk, with 44% emphasising the importance of not fearing failure. Industries such as IT, real estate, and commerce are identified as the most appealing sectors for new business ventures. Success in entrepreneurship is believed to hinge on employing the right people 30%, fostering innovation 26%, and maintaining close customer relations 18%. Zafar Shah, Account Director at YouGov said: Our latest research highlights the importance of supporting and encouraging entrepreneurship as a means of boosting job growth and economic development. Entrepreneurs in the Mena region foster a culture of creativity that inspires others to take risks and pursue their own ideas, leading to further innovation and growth in the economy. The insights gathered from this survey can help policymakers and investors create an environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. Data for the Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa 2024 was collected online from April 2 to 29, 2024. Results are based on a sample of 1,090 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan and others.--TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Airports was recognised for its exceptional communication and innovation in branding at Transform Awards 2024, which it said underlined its commitment to Abu Dhabis vision of becoming a leading global destination. The Transform Awards celebrate outstanding branding and communication achievements across industries, recognising organisations for successful brand transformations, innovative strategies, and effective visual identities. At this years event, Abu Dhabi Airports distinguished itself by securing two silver awards for Best Internal Communications During a Brand Development Project and Best Brand Evolution (Corporate). In addition, Abu Dhabi Airports received a bronze award in the Best Visual Identity category, reflecting its ability to create a captivating brand identity that resonates with travellers and embodies the vibrant spirit of Abu Dhabi. These recognitions further cement the strong passenger growth figures, with Zayed International Airport reaching a new record of 24.9 million passengers in the past 12 months, as announced this May. Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "We are extremely proud to have been recognised with these prestigious accolades. The awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team at Abu Dhabi Airports, who continuously strive to deliver exceptional work to innovate and elevate industry standards. Abu Dhabi Airports will remain committed to pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the travel industry." Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi Airports was also recognised across several categories by leading awarding bodies. It received the ACI ASQ Award for Best Airport at Arrivals Globally and Airport Operator of the Year at the Aviation Achievement Awards. Additionally, it was ranked as the worlds third-best new airport terminal according to the prestigious Skytrax Airport Awards. TradeArabia News Service Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh has launched a Year of the Camel menu that celebrates the cultural value of the animal, and their enduring connection with the people of the Arabian Peninsula throughout history. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia designating 2024 as the Year of the Camel, the luxury hotels culinary team has curated four new signature dishes using authentic, locally-sourced ingredients. This special menu will be available throughout the year at La Brasserie, The Globe, The Mandarin Lounge, and even In-room Dining. Executive Chef Ahmed Fazli Abdulrahman said: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, has always been at the forefront of honouring the regions rich culture and heritage, and this exclusive menu is our tribute to the nationwide celebration. With the launch of our Year of the Camel dishes, we are delighted to play a leading role in encouraging guests to explore and appreciate the exquisite gourmet creations that can be crafted from camel meat and camel milk products. Guests staying at Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, can embark on a culinary journey with the exclusive Year of the Camel burger. Comprised of a perfectly seasoned camel patty nestled between toasted buns, the signature item is adorned with a special flag in honour of Saudi Arabias cultural identity. One of the most sought-after restaurants in Riyadh, The Globe has elevated this luxury ingredient to prepare a Camel Loin Pithivier. The round pie, enclosed in puff pastry, resembles a hump in a playful nod to the camels physique and the meat is complemented by dessert truffle, mushroom ragout, and beetroot. At La Brasserie the contemporary, multi-cuisine restaurant guests can try a Saudi-style Camel Kabsa. Tender camel meat has been cooked in a tomato sauce with onion, ginger and traditional spices, offering an innovative twist on classic flavours. Meanwhile, The Mandarin Lounge offers a Camel Milk Ice Cream with a hint of vanilla for a delicious sweet ending to the celebration. With a longstanding legacy of hosting Riyadhs finest gourmet gatherings, Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh is the perfect destination this year for family and friends to honour the Year of the Camel in the ultimate luxury setting, a statement said. TradeArabia News Service First Citizens has announced its continued sponsorship of the National Secondary Schools Entrepreneurship Competition (NSSEC). It is an initiative aimed at fostering innovation, leadership, and business acumen among young students outside the traditional school system, the bank said in a media release yesterday. From left, Common Desk members Delia Flores, Jonathon Ramirez, Brandon Rodriguez and Drew Henry interact on April 23 in the coworking space companys new location in downtown San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Common Desks new coworking space in downtown San Antonio features a podcast room. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News 2024 has been a big year for coworking or shared office space in San Antonio, with Geekdom expanding its downtown footprint and the Swiss coworking giant IWG announcing plans to open two locations on the North Side. And in March, Dallas-based coworking company Common Desk broke into the local market with the grand opening of a nearly 20,000-square-foot space occupying the entire third floor of the Travis Park Plaza office building downtown, just off Houston Street. With 24-hour security and parking in an attached garage, the artfully decorated space boasts six high-tech conference rooms, a podcast studio with padded walls, a printing station, rooms designed for Zoom calls and chat booths resembling old-school phone booths that can be used for phone calls and video chats. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Common Desk members Delia Flores, left, and Brandon Rodriguez interact on April 23 in the coworking space companys new location in downtown San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News It has a coffee and espresso bar, a wellness room with a reclining chair and aromatherapy, a kitchen with snacks, a refrigerator with soda and sparkling water, and a kegerator to dispense local beer. The company offers several types of month-to-month membership plans. Starting at $600 a month, members can have a private office, while for rates as low as $75 a month for students and $150 for others, they can share tables in the common area or reserve private offices at certain hours. The company offers social events for its members, such as the viewing party for the solar eclipse it held in April. Jesse Cazares, the community lead for the local space, described it as offering Southern hospitality. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We encourage our members in their offices dont just stay in there all day; come talk to us, come sit at the hospitality bar with us, he said. That is whats making us different here at Common Desk. Jesse Cazares, pictured on April 23, is the community lead at Common Desk, which recently opened a coworking space in downtown San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Founded in 2012 in Dallas, Common Desk also has spaces in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, as well as in Wilmington and East Raleigh, N.C. In 2022, it was acquired by the coworking giant WeWork, which filed for bankruptcy in November. Were moving forward with growth and excitement, said Katy Lloyd, Common Desks senior community manager based in Houston, when asked about WeWorks troubles. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cazares and Lloyd recently sat to discuss what led the company to open its San Antonio space, the benefits of coworking and downtowns recovery from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What led Common Desk to open a San Antonio location? Lloyd: We heard demand from other locations Houston, Austin When are you opening in San Antonio? A lot of our members are people who live in Dallas, people who live in Houston, but theyre needing that tri-city Texas trifecta. So they needed San Antonio to complete it. We heard a lot of really great feedback. We sent out an email blast when San Antonio opened, and we just got so many inquiries and emails back: Oh, booking conference room! Im coming next week! Common Desk members Alex Serna, left, and Cherise Moreno chat in Sernas office at the coworking space companys new location in downtown San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Q: I imagine you would have people from Dallas or Houston in San Antonio for business or to attend a conference, and they need a place to work for a couple hours. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lloyd: Absolutely. Thats just the beauty of flexible office space. We have recruiters; people who just have different clients in all of Texas, and theyre wanting to go to them to make that connection. Theyre like, Oh, we have a conference room booked in San Antonio, Common Desk. And so they get to meet with their clients everywhere. It just makes business so much easier for them. Q: How is Common Desk different from other local coworking spaces? Cazares: Compared to other coworking spaces, where you might rarely see the staff, were very different. We are a Southern hospitality charm coworking space. We are here to serve. Anything you might need, we want to be readily available, right where you cant miss us, in the heart of it all. We dont want your day to be ordinary. We want it to be extraordinary. Austin has a cool little vibe and community; were building our San Antonio vibe. Our conference rooms are named based off the different phases of Travis Park. So we have Jazz Bandstand, Urban Green, Fiesta. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Common Desks new coworking space in downtown San Antonio features chat booths reminiscent of old-school phone booths that can be used for phone calls and video chats. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Q: How has demand been since you opened? Cazares: The momentum has been great. The feedback has been excellent. Our very first tenant was actually an attorney: Hey, I just need office space for the month because Im relocating. Can I do that? Yes, we do that at all of our locations. Lloyd: I think the people that were seeing is a lot of freelancers, people who are working from home, who need an energizing and inviting place to come get some work done. People will come in and be, like, Oh, I needed this breath of fresh air. Just people who need a change people who are transitioning from office space or working from home who need something flexible. Thats what weve seen a lot of, and were excited to watch Travis Park Plaza grow. Q: Can the members come work here at any time of the day and night? Cazares: We have different membership tier levels. We have day passes with which you can come during normal operating hours. We also have what we call our common pass; that is an eight-day pass for one user that they can utilize throughout the entire month. We have a team pass for team members that are, like, Hey, I actually have four, six, sometimes 10 team members that are going to be downtown maybe once or twice a week. We can do that. But our all-access membership is our shared desk membership. That is where you would get access to all of our locations, seven days a week. And you would be able to come before and after hours. Common Desks new coworking space in downtown San Antonio features a tea station. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Q: So you could come at 3 a.m. if you wanted to? Cazares: It depends. We do have some cutoff times because we have the cleaning crew. But if that is the case, we would just need to be notified so we can let security know. Q: How much do the membership tiers cost? Cazares: We have student memberships that start at $75 a month, all the way up to our all-access pass, $299 a month per person. Our common pass is $150 per month. Then our team pass can start at $350. Thats not including what youre taking into account for our bottomless drip coffee, our weekly events, our tea. One of our members that joined recently was, like, Do you know how much money I was spending on lunch and coffee a month that is now paying for my membership? And they get the beauty of everything thats here. Common Desks new coworking space in downtown San Antonio features multiple high-tech conference rooms. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Q: What kinds of workers and businesses do you find are conducive to coworking? Cazares: So far, weve seen a lot of creatives. Weve seen a lot of marketing agencies. But weve also seen those that are maybe starting a new remote location here. Members from other cities are, like, Oh, my gosh, this is perfect because were just about to launch a branch in San Antonio. ALSO READ: Coworking space provider Venture X expands in San Antonio with Northwest Side location We are really looking at the business-savvy. I would say theyre definitely remote workers, but theyre also entrepreneurs. Its a great mix. Our goal is to support those kinds of businesses, and that is why we offer the different sizes that we do. Even with our one-person offices, you can be a solopreneur doing your own thing or you could be a business of eight, and you have an opportunity. Q: Coworking spaces have been around for a while now. Do you think theyre well-suited for the post-COVID era, when so many people are working remotely? Cazares: I definitely do. I think now is the time where we see members and businesses going into hybrid mode. I think everyone is just kind of over being stuck at home. We did it for so many years of COVID, unfortunately. Were seeing people wanting to be back in the office and not just to be in the office to do work they want to have fun. Thats what were here to provide, fun work a boutique, elevated experience in the heart of downtown. Q: Do you know how many other coworking spaces are in San Antonio? Cazares: I dont know an exact number, but I do know that there are a lot of other variations of coworking. I think in San Antonio, coworking is still in its new phase, where we have others popping up. And thats great. I think that we each provide a unique service for the coworking industry. We each have our own identity. If you are looking for a place that you really just want to get work done, and thats all you want, theres a coworking space for that. Theres a place like us that you want to come out and have fun and get work done, too. I think our overall goal, at least locally, is really just building each other up. I dont really see competition or competitors. Common Desk member Scarlett Crawford works at the coworking space companys new location in downtown San Antonio. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Q: Part of the appeal of coworking spaces is to have spontaneous interactions, right? Maybe leading to collaborations. Cazares: Yeah. I think right now, professionally, people are wanting to have those conversations. Theyre wanting to connect with people. And that is why at all of our locations we have our mixers. Its introducing people. Some people might find it a little intimidating. Well, lets make that introduction for you; lets have a cup of coffee. What industry are you in, again? I know the perfect person that you need to meet thats here. Its really all about relationship-building. And so thats what were here to provide. Q: The COVID-19 era was rough on downtown. How do you feel about it now? Cazares: I think its the perfect time. This is great just seeing the apartments going up and businesses growing. It is just a great location. Its walkable, bikeable. Just seeing the kinds of industries that were getting here. Its really building on the downtown core. Q: What do you like about the job so far, Jesse? Cazares: Just being out in the community, being with the members. Its an exciting thing. I love hearing the successes and the wins. And maybe sometimes, were here just as a friend. You know, entrepreneurship isnt easy. I did it for a little bit myself. New York-based soca artiste Yankey Boy (Kevon Heath) has issued a musical call to action: Only Soca should be played at Caribbean carnival parades in the diaspora. The catchy Cdonia-produced track, which features on the newly released Carnival 2025 Radio Active Riddim, is already sparking debate among Caribbean music stakeholders. The riddim also features Rayzor, Leonce, Spine and Kerry John. Transmission towers are seen on April 17 in a field in San Marcos. A recent summit conducted by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas focused on topics such as how to plan for needed transmission infrastructure to keep pace with growing energy demand. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Pablo Vegas, president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, at the grid operators Austin headquarters in October 2022. Staff file photo A worker explains how a battery storage site works outside Pflugerville in November 2023. The site is used to store batteries that hold reserve electricity that can be used by the Texas grid. A recent summit conducted by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas focused on topics such the future of battery storage in the state. Some Texans might not want to hear it, but being asked to conserve electricity during hot weather is here to stay. As it looks for ways to stretch its supply heading into another summer of anticipated above-average temperatures, the state grid operator is also embracing demand response programming which calls on users to reduce their usage when demand is high. The tools that we have used over the last couple summers are going to be critically important leading into this one, Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Pablo Vegas told the San Antonio Express-News in a recent interview. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Those tools include securing reserve power from battery storage sites, requiring government buildings to reduce their usage, and when necessary calling on regular Texans to conserve as it did 11 times last summer. ERCOTs latest call for industrial power users to cut back under a new demand response program will pay for those that agree to get off the grid when supply is short. Its an effort to mitigate risks from a problematic transmission circuit in San Antonio that contributed last fall to the grids first emergency since Winter Storm Uri in early 2021. Its an opportunity for us to kind of lean further into that direction and see if we can codify, perhaps, some ways to expand the demand response availability across the Texas market system and leverage that more actively in peak demand periods, Vegas said. Its also ERCOTs acknowledgement that, as energy experts have long maintained, the least expensive and most efficient megawatts are the ones power generators dont have to produce. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Ahead of a June 13 deadline for proposals from would-be participants, Vegas said hes confident ERCOT will secure commitments for the 500 megawatts of conservation its seeking. The grid operator says it doesnt want to rely too heavily on consumer behavior as it does during appeals for voluntary conservation. When it does need them, Vegas said, ERCOT will strive to be transparent in its messaging. That means itll be clear that demand response programs are different because power users opt-in to cut down and, in some cases, are financially rewarded for it. Summer challenges Along with a steady string of conservation appeals during last summers record heat, ERCOT set an all-time high peak demand of 85,435 megawatts in August as Texans were running air conditioners hard to try to stay cool. Looking ahead to this August, the federally appointed grid watchdog is estimating the risk for emergency conditions will be about 18% from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., a period when demand is still high and the states cushion from solar energy is dwindling. Thats about the same as forecasts a year ago. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As demand has soared in recent years, individual utilities like CPS Energy in San Antonio have been creating their own programs to encourage users to get off the grid, or at least bump up their thermostats, when supply gets tight and energy is most expensive. Now, ERCOT is working to grow its piece of that pie by securing more commitments from commercial power users to reduce their use at four-hour periods on evenings with a power crunch. That situation sometimes occurs after sunset on days when wind power isnt performing as strongly as usual or gas and coal-fired plants are experiencing outages. ERCOT says it wants to have the new conservation commitments in place for July and August, when the nighttime risk period starts to increase. Its targeting big power users like data centers or manufacturers to apply, but, Vegas said, individual utilities can also apply for the grid operators program with pools of their own residential customers. Market participants are thinking about creative ways to meet the needs of the demand response option for our request for capacity, he said. Were feeling very encouraged. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While declining to identify potential participants, Vegas said ERCOT has seen robust interest as it fields questions related to its request for proposals. Barriers Its seeking conservation closest to a transmission chokepoint near San Antonio, because those will be most beneficial in minimizing the risks of another emergency like the one in September. It happened because transmission lines that carry power out of South Texas got too crowded, a condition that could have led to cascading outages. Thats what the new demand response program aims to avoid. The less power is on those lines, ERCOT says, the less likely there is to be an electron traffic jam that again puts the statewide grid at risk. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CPS, the San Antonio areas city-owned utility, already has one of the strongest demand-response programs in the state, Vegas said. Its customers are rewarded for taking part with an annual rebate. Big users like the regions water system also participate. Last summer, CPS says it saved about 250 megawatts through its demand-response program. But Vegas said theres still room for more. Theres a ton of capacity opportunities beyond San Antonio to engage in this, he said. ERCOT is seeking new savings not megawatts that are already part of the grids existing conservation ecosystem. The largest demand response programs have traditionally paid for big-time users to cut power use, but there have been fewer opportunities for regular residential and smaller-business customers to be paid for saving power. Grid expert Doug Lewin, president of Stoic Energy Consulting in Austin, said thats his biggest concern with ERCOTs new program pitch. Hes also worried a relatively tight turnaround to secure the level of commitment ERCOT says it needs reduce its chances of success. Lewin also said the four-hour conservation periods ERCOT is calling for could easily be shortened to one- or two-hour blocks, which would make it more accessible to utility customers. But there are other barriers. During ERCOTs inaugural innovation summit last week, panelist Le Xie, an electrical engineering professor at Texas A&M University, pointed out that only 15% or 20% of Texans have smart thermostats in their homes which are necessary for utilities to enroll them in demand response programs. Thats a big concern, considering about half the states energy use during peak summer periods is from residents, he said, and the fact air conditioning is the biggest chunk. Octopus Energy and Tesla Inc. both have incentivized customers to sell power from at-home solar and batteries. Octopus CEO Michael Lee, another summit panelist, said his company once invited customers out for free drinks while their thermostats were turned up to 80 degrees as part of the companys demand response program. There are great opportunities to leverage existing available technology that consumers have interest in, by retailers putting together products that benefit their consumers as well as the market overall, Vegas said. If we can continue to build on that momentum thats starting, I think that could be another tool in the toolbox that can really be helpful, even as early as this summer. ERCOTs budding demand response program could be crucial beyond this summer, too, as CPS Energys ongoing construction to solve the transmission line overcrowding risks wont be completed until 2027. Vegas said the grid operators summit, hosted at an Austin hotel, is an example of ERCOTs increasing focus on transparency and problem solving during the grids continuing transformation. The day-long event attracted grid operators from across the country. Panels focused on topics such as the future of battery storage and how to plan for needed transmission infrastructure to keep pace with the countrys growing energy demand. Flexible demand loads, through programs that pay for power that goes unused, are likely to get more popular as Texans see them as a way to reduce energy bills. ERCOT and Texas utilities are looking for ways to to manage load growth that could hit 152 gigawatts by 2030 a total representing an increase of more than a 100% in a 10-year period. ERCOT leaders say they see the new annual summit as a way to solve the problems it sees on the horizon. In any culture, theres a good chance youre going to meet somebody whos a colossal ass. Its part of the human condition and the balance of the universe. For every person who goes out of their way to help someone, theres another whos made the villainous life decision to cut in any line imaginable. Which means, many times, even an annoyed hey asshole doesnt carry the necessary weight. And while America is a country with a wide expanse of insults used to address such assholes, but we dont have a monopoly on them. Other countries have cooked up their own lovely ways to tell someone to get fucked, too. Don't Miss Here are 11 insults from other languages that deserve at least a respectful smirk 11 Hackfresse Pixabay Some people say that insulting someones appearance is cruel and unnecessary. Those people are dogshit in group chats and not much better at a bar hang. Any day, Id prefer someone whod hit someone with hackfresse, a German insult meaning a face like ground meat. Get bent, burgerface! 10 Evolutionsbremse If youve ever heard someone utter something so stupid that you feel like they just took civilization back 10 years, the word you want to use is evolutionsbremse. Its another bit of German gold that translates as evolutionary brake. Its a good way to let someone know that the way their synapses fire is a step backwards in the realm of brain function entirely. 9 Agyilag zokni Advertisement Pixabay Sometimes, someone is so mentally vacant that you wonder if their brain was stolen or replaced entirely by some sort of malevolent fae creature. In Hungary, if you deliver a sentence deserving of complete stunned silence and pity? You might hear agyilag zokni, meaning Mentally, youre a sock. 8 Domm wei drai Meter Feldwee Describing someone as stupid with a poetic phrase is a beautiful one-two punch. First, you get the message across, and second, its hard for them to understand, only driving the point home further. Its the intellectual equivalent of beating up a short guy with a ladder. In Luxembourg, one way you could inform someone of their mental inequality would be to describe them as domm wei drai meter feldwee, which means dumb as three meters of dirt road. 7 Hjulet snurrar men hamstern ar dod Advertisement Pixabay The emptiness of a targets head is a rich landscape for creative insults. Weve all enjoyed hearing someone described as a shed, deck of cards or box of crayons missing a couple of key tools. In Sweden, they have their own rich metaphor for a barren brainpan, which is hjulet snurrar men hamstern ar dod, which translates to the wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead. Advertisement 6 Ti fel rhech mewn pot jam For whatever reason, the Celtic countries have developed a well-earned reputation for devastating digs. God bless you if you decide to wear a daring new hat in Ireland or Scotland, since you probably wont make it to the corner store without a cut soul. Wales is no slouch either, home to the insult ti fel rhech mewn pot jam, or youre like a fart in a jam jar. 5 Saang gau caa siu hou gwor saang nei Advertisement Pixabay Cantonese is a notoriously difficult language to learn, partly due to the fact that intonation can affect the meaning of words. Put in the effort, though, and not only will you open up a world of communication with a new subset of people, but you can also say things like saang gau caa siu hou gwor saang nei, meaning giving birth to roasted pork would be better than giving birth to you. 4 Nyitott szajjal szaladt a faszerdobe Advertisement Theres a deep, complicated relationship of domination, gender roles and machismo behind the global popularity of telling someone to suck a dick as an insult. All of which is zero fun to go into, and ignores the fact that its just, aurally, a delightful turn-of-phrase. Other countries, as well see in the next few entries, have taken this basic action and embellished it. For example, Hungarians have built a whole world from the act, saying nyitott szajjal szaladt a faszerdobe, or they ran in the forest of dicks with an open mouth. 3 Vai chupar um canavial de rola Advertisement Pixabay If you thought that was about as graphic as the combination of agriculture and fellatio could get, youd be wrong. That string of Hungarian seems positively PG compared to a Brazilian saying. Specifically, vai chupar um canavial de rola. It translates to: Go suck on a sugarcane field of cock. The imagery! You cant not immediately visualize it, like a much grosser version of that trick where someone tells you not to think of a red car. 2 Lund phenk ke maarunga, khaandaan chud jaayega Advertisement A stalwart way to elevate any insult is to bring the targets family into it. Expand the blast zone to include someones mother, and youre almost guaranteed to get swung on. With that in mind, if you like all your teeth, dont walk around India spouting off the Hindi phrase lund phenk ke maarunga, khaandaan chud jaayega. You would be telling everyone in earshot, Ill throw a dick at you, and your whole family will get fucked. Four state-run Vietnamese banks Vietcombank, VietinBank, Agribank, and BIDV will start selling gold to residents from Monday next week, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Pham Quang Dung announced on Wednesday. The central bank will directly sell gold bars to these banks on the same day instead of continuing holding auctions. After the purchase from the SBV, the four banks will sell the gold bullion to customers. The move is meant to narrow the price gap between domestic and global gold bullion to stabilize the local gold market and manage it more effectively. The SBV will set the selling prices of gold based on global rates, Dung said. The SBV is determined to make the local gold market stable, while the gap between domestic and global gold prices will shrink sustainably, he stressed. The deputy governor also advised residents to be cautious about buying gold due to the ongoing fluctuations in gold prices at home and overseas. The central bank is working with the Ministries of Public Security, Finance, and Industry and Trade, and the Government Inspectorate to launch inspections into some gold firms and commercial banks for their gold trading activities. The entities subject to the scrutiny are Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC), DOJI Gold & Gems Group Joint Stock Company (DOJI), Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), Bao Tin Minh Chau Company, TPBank, and Eximbank, according to an announcement made by the central bank last week. Over the past month, the SBV has held nine gold auctions, with six of them being a success, supplying over 1.8 million metric tons of gold to the market in an effort to stabilize the local market. However, the gap between domestic and international gold prices remains wide, arousing a doubt about market manipulation, and pricing and gold trading violations. Therefore, the central bank decided to scrutinize commercial banks and gold trading firms to impose harsh sanctions on violators and bring the local gold market back on track. The central bank on Monday announced that it would halt gold bullion auctions and introduce a new strategy to stabilize local gold prices as early as June 3. The global price of gold stood at US$2,351.7 per ounce, equivalent to VND72.2 million ($2,838) per tael, on Tuesday afternoon. One tael is equivalent to 1.21 troy ounces. Meanwhile, SJC, the largest gold firm in Vietnam, listed its selling prices at VND90.5 million ($3,545) per tael the same day, up VND600,000 ($23.5) against the day before. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese multi-sector conglomerate Vingroup on Saturday last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to foster tourism and cultural cooperation between Vietnam and South Korea. As per the MoU, Vingroup and KTO will jointly promote and host large-scale tourism and cultural events at Vinhomes urban complexes nationwide to help spread Korean culture in Vietnam. Both sides also pledged to launch tourism promotion campaigns in which KTO will introduce products and services from property developer Vinhomes, electric vehicle maker VinFast, hospitality-recreation developer and operator VinPearl, and shopping mall operator Vincom to the South Korean community in Vietnam as well as those living in South Korea. Vingroup will team up with KTO to accelerate incentive tours by sending tourists under incentive travel programs to South Korea. As part of the partnership, the Korea Travel Festa 2024 hosted by KTO took place last weekend at K-Town and VinWonders Wave Park in the Vinhomes Ocean Park 2 urban area in Hanoi, featuring K-pop and V-pop performances, as well as travel products and services dedicated to the South Korean community in Vietnam. The Korea Travel Fest 2024 hosted by KTO took place on May 25 and 26, 2024 at K-Town and VinWonders Wave Park in the Vinhomes Ocean Park 2 urban area in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: D.H Lee Hak Ju, executive vice-president of KTOs international tourism division, said that Vietnam and South Korea have reaped fruitful results in many fields including politics, economy, and people-to-people exchanges since both nations established bilateral diplomatic ties in 1992. Last year, the number of visitors traveling between the two countries surpassed four million. Following the MoU signing, Vingroup and KTO will jointly ramp up tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges in the years to come, Lee said. Nguyen Viet Quang, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Vingroup, said that the active support of KTO will enable Vingroup to launch a host of tourism and cultural events and services to better serve Vingroup customers, including the South Koreans. Some Vinhomes urban complexes are imbued with Korean culture, promising to become one of the top destinations for living and investment among South Korean citizens in Vietnam. Photo: D.H. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Toyota Motor showcased next-generation engines on Tuesday that can be used in cars as varied as hybrids and those running on biofuel, as it targets tougher emissions standards and doubles down on its strategy of selling more than just EVs. At a media event with peers Subaru and Mazda Motor the world's biggest automaker by volume displayed in-development 1.5 litre and 2.0 litre engines with significantly reduced volume and height versus current engines. "With these engines, each of the three companies will aim to optimise integration with motors, batteries, and other electric drive units," they said in a joint statement. Toyota owns about a fifth of Subaru and roughly 5% of Mazda. The three said their efforts will help decarbonise internal combustion engines by making them compatible with alternative fuel sources such as e-fuels and biofuels. They also hope more compact engines will revamp vehicle design by allowing for lower hoods. Subaru's CEO Atsushi Osaki, Toyota's CEO Koji Sato and Mazda's CEO Masahiro Moro pose during a photo session at a press conference pledging to each develop a new engine in Tokyo, Japan May 28, 2024. Photo: Reuters Toyota was widely considered an EV laggard but a slowdown in EV growth has seen it benefit from an uptake of petrol-electric hybrids. Refreshing its traditional engine technology against that backdrop mirrors a similar move at Mercedes-Benz while BYD is set to unveil new hybrid technology with lower fuel consumption later on Tuesday. The Japanese automaker said its new 1.5 litre engine will achieve volume and weight reduction of 10% of versus its existing 1.5 litre engines, which it uses in cars such as its Yaris compact. The new 2.0-litre turbo engine will have similar gains versus existing 2.4 litre turbo engines used in bigger models such as three-row seating sport utility vehicles. Chief Technology Officer Hiroki Nakajima declined to say when Toyota will launch models equipped with the engines. Automakers face tougher emissions standards in markets such the European Union where policymakers are working toward emissions rules known as "Euro 7" for cars and vans from 2030, before banning sales of new CO2-emitting cars from 2035. While electric vehicles have become more prominent in recent years, Toyota has been following a "multi-pathway" approach to carbon neutrality with vehicles offering a range of powertrains. It sold about 2.4 million vehicles in January-March of which nearly two-fifths were petrol-electric hybrids. Plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell and all-battery electric vehicles together accounted for just 2.9%. Chairman Akio Toyoda in January said EVs would reach a global auto market share of 30% at most, with hybrids, hydrogen fuel-cell and fuel-burning vehicles making up the rest. Omar A. Casas, Jr. (left) from Edinburg, wears a t-shirt expressing his opinion as the State Board of Education hears public comments concerning the issue of Mexican American Studies on April 8, 2014. TOM REEL/San Antonio Express-News After a series of contentious appearances by educators and educational advocates before the Texas State Board of Education, that conservative body voted to allow the creation of a Mexican American Studies high school elective course. That was in 2014. The board was increasingly under pressure then. Advocates were steadfast. Students themselves grew support for MAS in a state where more than half of students in Texas schools are Mexican American. Advertisement Article continues below this ad MAS is a field of academic study willed into existence by the Mexican American and Chicano civil rights movement. It recognized the absence of Mexican Americans and their histories in Texas courses and textbooks. It also recognized that children are better served academically by learning about their own histories, not just those of others. Studies prove as much. Ten years later, a Mexican American Studies Teachers Academy at the University of Texas at San Antonio will offer its annual summer program for MAS teachers. Some schools already teach it. Others are interested in establishing classes in their schools and districts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Similar workshops are going on throughout the state this summer, mostly in major cities. Among them are ethnic studies workshops on African American, Native American and Asian American studies. Theyll all be in session this summer. The organizers of the online MAS Teachers Academy June 17-21 say its teacher- and professor-led coursework is growing with the support of their administrations and, sometimes, without it. But support among administrators is growing. Theres momentum. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lilliana Patricia Saldana, an associate professor of MAS at UTSA, is one of the academys co-directors. She says Mexican American Studies is growing in places youd expect and others you might not. Interestingly, the Dallas region has the highest enrollment of students taking MAS courses at the high school level, almost 4,000 at last count, she said. In San Antonio, enrollment figures show about 1,300 students took a MAS class last year, she said. The Rio Grande Valley showed a similar enrollment count. The Houston Independent School District had more than 1,900 high school students enrolled in a MAS course of some kind last year, she said. Courses vary from Mexican American history, literature, social studies, even mathematics, she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I will say that from 2018 all the way to the present, we have seen an exponential growth of students enrolled in Mexican American Studies, Saldana said. The local teachers academy began its work in 2014 and by the following year offered its first summer institute for teachers. The academy is scholar-led, driven by professors in the field, many whove also done research. They take a hands-on approach. Teachers walk away with resources. Its important to note that the state of Texas isnt driving this interest, growth or support. Most of these summer workshops are produced on small budgets. People like Saldana do the work pro-bono. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Every summer, the local MAS academy dedicates itself to a theme. This year its In Xochitl In Cuicatl or Floricanto. Xochitl and Cuicatl come from the Aztec language of Nahuatl, which means flower and song. Floricanto came about as a practice during the Chicano movement as a way to affirm collective identity, pride and political purpose. San Antonio MAS teachers also recently attended a session led by the Intercultural Development Research Association, or IDRA, a think tank and research organization founded by imminent Mexican American educational leader, the late Jose Angel Cardenas. High school student researchers presented their papers. For as much as these efforts are growing, however, what MAS scholars most seek is institutional support and resources so that Mexican American Studies isnt optional but interconnected with mainstream curriculum. They want ethnic studies coursework required for high school graduation. Studies show student academic outcomes improve for students enrolled in ethnic studies, and schools often discover their students are hungry for it. Because truth is invigorating. Because cultural knowledge is transformative. Next spring the MAS academy will mark its 10th year with a symposium. It will focus on the impact the academy has made. Its still all so new, but Saldana says its part of the larger movement for ethnic studies across the state and country. The idea was never just a high school course. Its about systematic change. Its about intersecting histories institutionalized as separate. But for now, the academy will continue to fashion a space, albeit online, that creates a community of practitioners, a place where teachers can get and share resources, best practices, collaborate and work across districts. Its a space where they wont feel so alone in their work. Theirs is a decades worth of organizing educational experience, and thats something to celebrate. Heres the other fascinating result of the academy: Ordinary people, parents and advocates attend, too. Like so many of us who are products of public schools, they didnt learn about their own cultures in history, literature, the social sciences, the arts and in math and science. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe took her customary morning bike ride around the iconic West Lake in Hanoi to soak in the city's morning ambiance on Tuesday. Her route led her to Trinh Cong Son Walking Street, named after the late renowned Vietnamese songwriter. There, she sang one of his songs, adding her own touch to the musical tribute. The Swedish ambassador sang the song Nho mua thu Ha Noi (Miss Hanois Autumn) by Trinh Cong Son. She told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that her Vietnamese was not good but she had tried to learn by heart the song together with the song Em oi, Ha Noi pho (Darling, Hanoi Streets). I also love modern Vietnamese songs but cannot sing them as I dont know the lyrics, she shared. She listed several young Vietnamese music talents, including Thinh Suy, Vu Thanh Van, and the Saigon Soul Revival band. Ambassador Mawe said that she regularly cycles to work. In her eyes, Hanoi is most beautiful and dynamic in the morning or late in the afternoon. Hanoi at these times is what she loves the most. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe takes photos of phoenix flowers in Hanoi. Photo: Dau Dung / Tuoi Tre In the morning, she loves seeing other people doing exercise and having breakfast on the sidewalks. She is also keen on admiring flowers in the West Lake and Vietnamese women purchasing flowers from Quang Ba Market and traveling around the city to sell the flowers by bicycle. At dusk, she is fond of young people taking a stroll surrounding the West Lake. I wish more Vietnamese people will cycle as it is better for the environment and themselves. I also hope all Vietnamese children will wear helmets while being on motorbikes, the ambassador added. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe poses for a photo on Trinh Cong Son Walking Street in Hanoi. Photo: Dau Dung / Tuoi Tre In September 2019, Mawe was appointed as the ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam and her tenure is about to end. She told Tuoi Tre that she and her family treasure the five wonderful years they have had in Vietnam. They will miss Vietnam a lot when they return to their homeland but they will definitely come back to visit Vietnam. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe takes photos of lotus flowers in the West Lake in Hanoi. Photo: Dau Dung / Tuoi Tre Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Ann Mawe (R) says she will miss Vietnam a lot when she returns to Sweden. Photo: Dau Dung / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! News on a woman frequently dining at luxury hotel restaurants in Hanoi without paying went viral on social media on Tuesday. The latest incident unfolded at a restaurant in a 5-star hotel located in Cong Vi Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, according to M.S., the restaurant manager. The woman entered the restaurant, requested the menu, and ordered a few premium dishes such as Wagyu beef, a lobster, German wine, and fruit, accumulating a total bill of nearly VND11 million (US$432). Elegantly dressed, she spoke politely when she arrived, shared S. However, as the restaurant was closing and requesting payment, the diner did not pay and stated that she had not brought any personal identification, displaying naive behavior. A premium meal that the woman ordered. Photo: M.S. / Tuoi Tre The restaurant manager tried to converse with her before eventually contacting police for assistance, but the woman remained uncooperative, behaving erratically, and was ultimately allowed to leave without paying. A police commander of Cong Vi Ward, Ba Dinh District confirmed the incident, stating that upon police intervention, witnesses determined that the woman exhibited 'abnormal behavior.' Police concluded that the woman had a history of dining out without settling her bills. The restaurant did not press charges, and the woman left the premises, added the police commander. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Australians in Film, Screen Australia and VicScreen today announced global television summit Future Vision: A Think Tank and Industry Conference for Courageous Ideas to be held over three days at ACMI in July. The think tank is designed to advance of the craft of premium episodic storytelling in Australia, by bringing established local television professionals together with some of the worlds leading television creators and executives. Attending are Beef creator / producer Lee Sung Jin; The Bear showrunner Joanna Calo, who has also written on Hacks and BoJack Horseman; Co-Chairs of the Summit are Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, The Undoing) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Clickbait). Creative Director is producer and executive Rebecca Yeldham (The Gift, Motorcycle Diaries), who led the content team at MasterClass, overseeing the creation of classes with the likes of Annie Leibovitz, Anna Wintour, David Lynch, Margaret Atwood and Martin Scorsese. Future Vision headline guests Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo said jointly: We are thrilled to be a part of Future Vision, as we are both very near-sighted. From Talk to Me, to The Slap, to all things George Miller, Baz Luhrmann and countless other incredible filmmakers, we have long been fans of Australias film and television community and look forward to learning more and discussing the Future of storytelling, both locally and beyond. Future Vision Co-Chairs Tony Ayres and Bruna Papandrea, and Creative Director Rebecca Yeldham said jointly: We are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo to the inaugural Future Vision in Melbourne. Their award-winning and highly acclaimed work, while uniquely grounded and bold, is universally enjoyed. The theme of this years Future Vision is Courage, and we could not think of two better TV creators in the world that represent this in their work. Screen Australia Chief Operating Officer Grainne Brunsdon said: Supporting our local screen talent is at the heart of what we do at Screen Australia, and were incredibly excited to deliver Future Vision in partnership with AiF and VicScreen. This summit provides an unrivaled opportunity to nurture and celebrate Australian screen talent on a global platform ensuring our stories continue to travel well and resonate with audiences around the world. Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said: Victoria has a long and celebrated history of creating premium TV series that have taken the world by storm. Were proud to support Future Vision, which will bring Australias television leaders together with the creators and decision makers behind some of the most popular, and talked about, series. The summit will build on Melbournes position as a global screen powerhouse and a home to sought-after creative talent that is ready to do business and entertain audiences across the globe. Executive Director of Australians in Film Peter Ritchie said: Australian television stories are now being consumed around the world, more than ever before, but the actual commissioning of our stories has never been more competitive. Future Vision, created with the incredible support of Screen Australia and VicScreen under the leadership of three acclaimed Australians Bruna Papandrea, Tony Ayres and Rebecca Yeldham is designed to inspire courage in both creation and commissioning, and expand the international audiences for Australian premium television and narrative comedy. We also hope to arm Australian creatives with the knowledge and skills to adapt to the massive changes and shifting economics happening internationally. We feel it is fitting to be presenting our inaugural Future Vision at ACMI, the Australian home of screen culture. More guests will be announced shortly. Future Vision is supported by the ABC, Binge, Netflix and Stan, venue partner is ACMI. Victorian aquaculturalist Krzysztof Wojtkowski won Season 2 of Alone Australia after surviving 64 days in the extremes of New Zealands South Island (Aotearoas Te Waipounamu). The 39-year-old outlasted nine other participants to win a $250,000 prize, the impact on his health was so stark he could barely express his elation at winning. He later said, I still cant believe that Ive won. The thought of being the last person standing was never on my mind. For me, just getting out there and getting the opportunity to experience this was the big win for me. Time is finite, you only get so much time in the world, so make the best of every opportunity. I spent 64 days alone, but I never felt alone. I got to camp, I got to build things, I had a million-dollar view. Ive learnt a lot from the experience and Im so grateful for it. Krzysztof defeated two other finalists Personal Trainer & Subsistence Hunter Andreas, Wilderness Adventure Guide Suzan and Krzysztof. After 57 days, Andreas lost 30 per cent of his starting bodyweight, saying, There is no way in any shape or form that I can sustain myself here any longer This is as far as Im willing to risk my health and sanity. Homesick Suzan tapped out after 63 days saying, I really did want to bring home the $250,000 to the family, you know, and that was a real drive. But more than that disappointment is the happiness of moving towards home, to my own forest, to my own pack. SBS followed with a special one-hour reunion program hosted by super fan Hamish Blake. Krzysztofs win at 64 days follows from 2023s Gina Chick at 67 days. Kathryn Fink SBSs Director of Television said: Well done to Krzysztof on surviving 64 days alone in such a brutal environment, while inspiring so many around the country. Alone Australia has once again captured the public imagination. Weve followed the highs and lows of our incredible cast over the past ten weeks and have been captivated by their raw and authentic stories. Following the enormous success of the launch of Alone Australia last year, the second series has also drawn significant audiences on TV and on SBS On Demand. Were delighted the show has once again positioned itself as a standout hit of the year and demonstrates the strong shift to the multiplatform on-demand world that television is increasingly moving to. ITV Studios Australia CEO and Managing Director David Mott said: Firstly, I would Iike to congratulate Krzysztof, this seasons winner of Alone Australia, and extend this to all of our participants this year. They have all delivered and shared their remarkable journeys under the most trying of conditions. I am also enormously proud of our team at ITV Studios Australia on producing such a world class series, once again, and to the team at SBS for their unwavering support and commitment. By Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took power in 2022, far-right parties across Europe hailed her victory, expecting the fiery new leader in Rome to pursue a nationalist agenda and battle the Brussels bureaucracy. But rather than clash with the European Union elites, Meloni surprised friend and foe alike by working closely with them, presenting herself as a bridge between the mainstream centre-right and her own arch-conservative camp, which was previously shunned. Her influence might grow in the wake of next month's EU elections, if, as she has hinted, she backs centre-right Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a second term. That would give her leverage over the new EU executive, boost her chances of winning an important portfolio for Italy in the next commission and strengthen her role as a power broker. "Meloni is the best person to act as a bridge between the different factions of the right and centre-right in Europe, where she is a respected and recognised leader," said Carlo Fidanza, the head of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party in Europe. While her ruling coalition in Rome unites various strands of Italy's multifaceted right-wing, Meloni's chance of replicating that within the next EU parliament looks impossible. Von der Leyen and her allies have already said they would not work with more extreme elements, including Meloni's Italian ally, Matteo Salvini, who heads the anti-immigrant League party, and Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France. The distaste is mutual, with these parties also rebuffing von der Leyen. However, the Commission president has expressed no qualms about Meloni, brushing aside concerns in some EU capitals over the Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots. "I have been working very well with Giorgia Meloni," von der Leyen told a presidential debate in Brussels on May 23, adding that Meloni was "clearly pro-European". SWIFT RESULTS Meloni's first foreign trip as prime minister in 2022 was to Brussels to meet the EU leadership. She made a positive impression. "Boy oh boy was she on top of her brief," said an EU official present at one of the meetings. In the following months, Meloni engaged with the Commission, proving instrumental in securing a deal on the reform of the EU's asylum rules after nearly 10 years of failed attempts. She also travelled with von der Leyen on three occasions to North Africa, signing deals with Egypt and Tunisia that included provisions to stem migrant departures - accords that have helped see a 58% fall in new arrivals to Italy so far this year. Crucially, Meloni has also offered constant support for Ukraine and unabated criticism of Russia, marking her out from the likes of Le Pen and Salvini, who traditionally have had close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Meloni has been clever," said Daniele Albertazzi, politics professor at Britain's Surrey University. "What she's done is to say: 'Look, let's be mainstream and responsible on the international stage because I need these guys'." One senior EU leader, speaking strictly off the record, said Meloni remained a "radical right-winger" but had adopted a pro-European attitude because Italy was heavily indebted and could not antagonise nations that provided Rome with financial cover. Whatever her motivations, Meloni has proved invaluable in recent summits, helping to persuade the often recalcitrant Hungarian nationalist leader, Viktor Orban, to let through a funding package for Ukraine and to back the EU migration pact. One EU official, who declined to be named, said the Commission largely communicated with the Hungarian leader via Meloni, earning her the nickname "the Orban whisperer". DIVISIONS ABIDE Europe's far-right and nationalist parties often share similar policy platforms, but are divided into two distinct blocs within the EU parliament. Meloni is head of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which includes Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party. Salvini and Le Pen are in the Identity and Democracy (ID) bloc, while Orban's Fidesz party is homeless for now. Von der Leyen comes from the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) - the largest single EU political grouping. Meloni ruled out supporting von der Leyen in 2019, but has not been drawn this time around. Party officials told Reuters that Italy might support her reappointment in June as part of a deal that included a top job for Italy in the new Commission. Although Meloni is the leading force in the ECR, she would be unlikely to bring the whole group into line, underscoring the intersecting rivalries that criss-cross European politics. PiS lawmakers, for example, would almost certainly refuse to back von der Leyen because their domestic foe, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, is a driving force in von der Leyen's EPP. "Von der Leyen and Donald Tusk are politicians from a bygone era who should have no more influence on European politics," PiS European lawmaker Zdzisaw Krasnodebski told Reuters. Meloni has also ruled out merging her ECR group with ID, which recently ditched its most radical partner, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, hoping instead that her bloc will grow at the ballot box to give her more leverage in Brussels. "Having a more significant parliamentary group would allow Meloni to be at the centre between ID and the EPP. For me, that is her goal," said Arturo Varvelli, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Rome. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer, Angelo Amante in Rome, Andrew Gray in Brussels, Alan Charlish in Warsaw and John Irish in Paris; Editing by Sharon Singleton) The truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said. The North condemned China, Japan and South Korea on Monday for discussing denuclearisation of the peninsula, calling their joint declaration after a summit in Seoul a "grave political provocation" that violates its sovereignty. Even though Beijing helped tone down the statement by advocating mention of the peninsula rather than the North specifically, that was enough to raise its neighbour's hackles, one analyst said. "It is notable that North Korea criticised a joint statement that China had signed onto, even after Beijing helped water down the statement," added Patricia Kim, of the Brookings Institution in the United States. In their remarks, the three nations "reiterated positions on regional peace and stability, denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" but unlike the last such statements in 2019 and earlier, did not commit to pursue denuclearisation. Since international talks with the United States and other countries stalled in 2019, North Korea has moved to reject the concept of ever giving up its nuclear weapons. "This is about North Korea emphasising its stance that any diplomatic rhetoric suggesting Pyongyang should eventually denuclearise is unacceptable," said Tong Zhao, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "After enshrining its nuclear status in the constitution and reprimanding anyone who questions it, North Korea is raising demands for formal international recognition as a nuclear-armed country." Queried about the North's criticism at a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said "China's basic position on the Korean peninsula issue remains unchanged," but did not mention denuclearisation. A South Korean foreign ministry official said there were significant differences of opinion on the North Korean issue among the three countries at the summit, adding that China had not used the term "denuclearisation" since last year. "Considering the current geopolitical situation, I think it would be difficult to get China to agree to something like previous agreements on the issue," the official said in a briefing. But the talks suggested that despite the weaker language, China's fundamental position on denuclearisation had not changed, the official added, calling the declaration's formal use of the term "meaningful". NORTH KOREA MESSAGING China is North Korea's only military ally, and by far its largest trading partner. North Korea's failed launch of a spy satellite just hours after the Seoul summit was not a coincidence and should be seen as part of its messaging to China, researcher Rachel Minyoung Lee wrote. "The Norths relations with China have looked to be cooling over the last year, but this is the first time in recent years any signs of trouble have broken into the open," she wrote in a report for the Washington-based 38 North programme. Brookings' Kim agreed that the North's actions showed its ties with China were not as warm as may appear from the outside. "Even as the two sides have kept up a steady pace of official exchanges and Beijing continues to shield Pyongyang from international pressure, longstanding mutual suspicion and disdain ... limits the depth of their alignment," she said. Now that Pyongyang has strengthened ties with Russia, it probably believes it has greater leverage in relations with China and can afford to be less deferential to it, she added. Washington-based Zhao said China had some reservations on the North's deepening military co-operation with Russia, which could undermine Beijing's near monopoly of influence on Pyongyang. China is also careful not to create a perception of a de facto alliance among Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang that could work against practical co-operation with key Western nations, he added. But the North's criticism does not necessarily indicate growing troubles in its ties with China, Zhao said. "The China-North Korea bilateral relationship appears to be moving at a gradual and stable pace toward greater co-operation," he added. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Hyunsu Yim in Seoul, and Colleen Howe in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) The Classical Music Institute received a $2 million donation from Frost Bank for The Orchestra San Antonio. Frost will be the title sponsor for the orchsestra's 2024-25 concert season at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Siggi Ragnar The Classical Music Institute has received $2 million from Frost Bank, the classical music organizations largest donation to date. Frost will be the title sponsor for The Orchestra San Antonio, the performance arm of CMI, for the 2024-25 season through the 2029-30 season. The orchestra is the resident symphony at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. This is giving us the opportunity to continue to serve the community the way weve been serving it, said CMI President and CEO Paul Montalvo. Really, this will allow us to grow, and as were growing, well see what happens after that. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Were just blown away by the trust theyve given us. The orchestra will announce the details for the 2024-25 season later this summer, he said. Frost has given to CMI in the past. Phil Green, the banks chairman and CEO, said he has attended some performances and been struck by the talent of the musicians. He also has a high regard for CMIs education program. It was inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education program designed as a force for social change. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I am really excited about their model because it has the potential to make such a big impact on young people in a really diverse way, not just demographically but economically also, said Green, adding that it also will help build new audiences for classical music. And not only can they do that, but they play great music. Green is a musician as well he plays guitar, mandolin and piano, and performs at his church and he sees a lot of value in learning to play. MORE CLASSICAL MUSIC: Selena concert, Bach project among offerings by San Antonio Philharmonic next season You learn discipline. If youre playing in an orchestra or a band setting, you learn teamwork, he said. You learn lots of things that you can bring to bear in your day-to-day life. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CMI was founded in 2012 as the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio. It has been one of the resident companies of the Tobin Center since it opened in 2014. It began providing music for Opera San Antonio and Ballet San Antonio after the San Antonio Symphony, which had served that function, folded in 2022. By Humeyra Pamuk and Tom Balmforth CHISINAU (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that American weapons being delivered to Kyiv were helping stabilise the front line in Ukraine amid intensifying Russian attacks and that Washington would "adapt and adjust" its support. The top U.S. diplomat travelled to the Moldovan capital Chisinau, holding talks with pro-Western President Maia Sandu on the first stop of a brief European tour aimed at solidifying support for Kyiv among NATO allies and neighbouring countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of a global conflict if Kyiv's Western allies allow it to use weapons they have supplied to strike inside Russia, something Ukraine's government is urging its partners to permit. The U.S. has said it does not encourage or enable the use of U.S. weapons for direct attacks on Russia, but Blinken said it would "adjust and adapt", when asked at a press conference about Washington's current position on the matter. "I think what you've seen over the two plus years, as the nature of the battlefield has changed, as the locations, the means that Russia is employing changed, we've adapted and adjusted to that ... That's exactly what we'll do going forward," he said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby also noted that U.S. support for Ukraine has evolved with battlefield conditions. "And that's not going to change," he told reporters in Washington. "But, right now, there's also no change to our policy." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the Western military alliance this week to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons to allow Ukraine to strike "legitimate military targets" inside Russia. The U.S., which is Kyiv's most important supplier of weaponry, passed a $61 billion aid package in April following months of delay that exacerbated shortages of artillery shells. Blinken said the U.S. weapons supplies were now having a "real effect" and that Putin had not been able to achieve his goals in the Kharkiv area in northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces launched an offensive this month, opening a new front. "On the contrary, I think what we see, again, stabilisation of the front and a failure in terms of Putin's objectives," he said. MOLDOVAN AID Speaking alongside president Sandu on Wednesday, Blinken pledged $50 million in aid for Moldova and lasting U.S. support, saying the country had shown an "extraordinary resilience" in the face of Russian "bullying" and "interference efforts". Under Sandu, Moldova has staunchly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and set its sights on joining the European Union. Sandu said Blinken's visit was "a strong sign of support" for Moldova. "Through unity and with the support of our partners, we will stand by our people and move forward." Moldova, which is due to hold a referendum in October to cement its bid to join the EU into its constitution, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine and sees its own security as closely tied to Kyiv's ability to hold back Russian forces. "Support for Ukraine equals support for Moldova, but it also works the other way round. Supporting Moldova strengthens Ukraine because Ukraine needs a strong, democratic Moldova and a supportive neighbour because we share a 1,200-km border," said Olga Rosca, Sandu's foreign policy adviser. Blinken will travel to Prague on Wednesday to attend an informal gathering of NATO foreign ministers, which will focus on advancing preparations ahead of a July summit of the alliance in Washington. The U.S. has been working with European allies to help Ukraine build its long-term force, efforts that would bring Kyiv closer to NATO. Individual members including the U.S. are working to reach bilateral agreements with Ukraine. More than two years into the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances and Putin is increasingly evoking the risk of a global war. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Tom Balmforth in London; additional reporting by Alexander Tanas; Editing by Don Durfee, Alistair Bell, Ros Russell, Nick Macfie and Paul Simao) Every NATO step to support Ukraine will help contain Russia, Czech minister says By Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) - NATO needs to send a signal that it will contain "Russian imperialism" and every move to aid Ukraine will help it do this, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Wednesday, as the military alliance meets this week to discuss support for Kyiv. Earlier this month Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to step up aid and involvement in the war in an interview with Reuters, as Ukraine's forces come under growing pressure under along more than 1,000 km of front lines and after weapons deliveries were delayed for months by internal political wrangling. Foreign ministers of NATO's 32 members will gather in the Czech capital Prague on Thursday and Friday to hammer out agreements for later when NATO leaders meet in Washington in July, focusing on putting support for Ukraine on a more stable long-term footing. "NATO is a defensive alliance. We don't want to change anything on that. On the other hand if we want to defend Europe, we are quite open in recognising what is threatening European defence. That is, in my eyes, Russian imperialism," Lipavsky told Reuters in an interview. "I am calling on other states to have a common strategy to contain Russia, and definitely every step which will help Ukraine, will also help this goal." The alliance aims to take over the coordination of Western military aid and training for Kyiv from Washington, in a bid to safeguard the continued flow of weapons to Ukraine against any interference by Donald Trump, should he return to the White House next year. Trump is a Ukraine aid sceptic who has stressed "America First" policies. Lipavsky said the Czech Republic backed the aim of shifting the responsibility for organising aid for Ukraine from the so-called Ramstein Group, a group of 56 countries, to the alliance itself. "We are very open to using NATO as a platform and to create, for example, a certain apparatus which would help that... and that will be a very strong message to Putin, that his imperial ambitions will not be unchecked," he said. Allies will have to overcome the resistance of Hungary which under Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been taking an increasingly confrontational stance towards aid to Ukraine. Lipavsky said he was not worried the shift would move NATO closer to conflict with Russia - as it was Russia who was escalating the situation. He was also not concerned that countries in the Ramstein Group would rethink support. "I'm sure that everything will be done in a way that we do not lose anyone on the way. And I think there's a lot of countries which are not in NATO, and they understand the strategic value of supporting Ukraine," he said. NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg floated the idea of pledging 100 billion euros ($108.16 billion) to Kyiv over the next five years and ministers would gauge initial feelings on this, Lipavsky said. He added he did not expect any substantial move towards extending a more concrete invitation to Ukraine to join NATO, and said it was more important to focus on the country's immediate needs. "I think everyone feels that we first need to take practical steps for Ukraine, so Ukraine can survive, and then we can have a more political discussion about membership," he said. ($1 = 0.9246 euros) (Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet, editing by Sabine Siebold, Alexandra Hudson) By Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Leaders of NATO's 32 member countries meet this week in Washington for a summit of the transatlantic security alliance, with further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia's invasion high on their agenda. Here is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - who has been invited to attend the summit - can expect from the July 9-11 gathering, according to NATO officials and diplomats. WILL NATO INVITE UKRAINE TO BECOME A MEMBER AT THE SUMMIT? No. NATO takes decisions by consensus and there is no agreement among its 32 members to extend an invitation while Ukraine is at war. However, many NATO members - particularly those from Eastern Europe - want to signal that Kyiv is moving closer to membership. At a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, last year, NATO leaders declared that "Ukraines future is in NATO" and reaffirmed their commitment to a statement in Bucharest in 2008 that Kyiv would join the alliance. This year, many NATO countries want to state that Ukraine's path to membership is "irreversible". But alliance members are still wrangling over the summit declaration, including over how much to emphasize that Ukraine has to complete reforms, such as crackdowns on corruption, before it could join. Diplomats say the United States and Germany are among the countries most wary of going further on membership at this stage. If Ukraine joins NATO, other members would be obliged to come to its assistance if it was attacked by Russia, under the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause. In an interview with Time magazine published last month, U.S. President Joe Biden said peace in Ukraine would mean making sure Russia could never attack the country again. But, he said, "it doesn't mean NATO, they are part of NATO" - dampening Ukraine's hopes of entering the alliance any time soon. He also noted he had previously said he was not "prepared to support the NATOization of Ukraine". However, officials say NATO will unveil a package of measures at the summit to help Ukraine, which it will present as a "bridge to membership". WHAT WILL BE IN THE PACKAGE? It will include a pledge of continued financial support and a move by NATO to take over the coordination of arms supplies and training of Ukraine's forces. NATO as an organization does not supply arms to Ukraine directly but many of its members are among Kyiv's biggest weapons providers. The United States, possibly joined by other allies, is expected to announce more weapons for Ukraine at the summit, including Patriot air defence systems. WHAT WILL THE FINANCIAL PLEDGE BE? Leaders are expected to endorse an agreement struck between NATO allies last week to provide 40 billion euros of military aid to Ukraine in the coming year, two Western European diplomats told Reuters. The alliance says this matches the amount given annually since Russia's 2022 invasion. The pact includes a provision to re-evaluate allied contributions at future NATO summits, according to one of the diplomats. NATO members "will aim to meet this pledge through proportionate contributions", the agreement said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had suggested a five-year commitment of 100 billion euros. But multiple allies objected, saying their budget rules did not allow such a long-term commitment or that they could not pledge on behalf of future governments. WHAT WILL NATO COORDINATE? The alliance has agreed to take over much of the coordination of arms deliveries from the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an ad-hoc coalition of some 50 nations, also called the Ramstein group, named after a U.S. air base in Germany where it first met. This gives NATO a more direct role in the war against Russia's invasion while stopping well short of committing its own forces. The alliance will also coordinate the training of Ukrainian forces, much of which is done by the European Union and Britain. Some diplomats see the move as a way to guard against any attempt by Donald Trump - if he wins November's U.S. presidential election - to stop military aid for Ukraine. By putting coordination under a NATO umbrella, alliance military staff have more autonomy to get on with the job without direct political involvement. But this would have a limited effect, as the U.S. is NATO's dominant power and provides the majority of weaponry to Ukraine. So if Washington wanted to slash Western aid to Kyiv, it would still be able to do so. Stoltenberg has said the effort will be run from a U.S. base in Wiesbaden, Germany, commanded by a three-star general and involve nearly 700 personnel. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has maintained close ties to Russia, has secured an opt-out from the initiative. Its name has also been contentious. Germany objected to it being called a "mission", arguing this could be seen as implying NATO will send troops to Ukraine. It is currently known as NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU for short. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and Jan Lopatka; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Cynthia Osterman and Alistair Bell) By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) - The growing shadow fleet of tankers transporting sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil is filling up with the cheapest fuel available, hindering industry efforts to use cleaner fuel to cut shipping emissions, according to shipping data and sources. The global shipping industry is under increasing pressure to use cleaner fuel to reduce both carbon and sulphur dioxide emissions and other pollutants and meet broader green targets. Hundreds of tankers that are transporting sanctioned oil are posing a challenge since they are hard to track because of their opaque ownership and use of non-Western insurance and other marine services, and they have little incentive to follow cleaner shipping standards. "You're seeing greater numbers of ships that have found ways to circumvent sanctions by operating outside Western jurisdiction," said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, principal analyst with maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence. "The dark fleet has gone on steroids. And the deceptive shipping practices that they're engaging in are getting more and more complex and sophisticated." Those include dangerous ship-to-ship transfers of oil in international waters to avoid port state control scrutiny, falsifying ship identification numbers, tankers sending false information about their position, and the use of flag registries with lower standards of technical oversight and expertise, Bockmann said. Lloyd's List Intelligence estimates the shadow fleet had grown to around 630 tankers from 530 a year ago, to make up 14.5% of the overall global tanker fleet. Some industry estimates put the number even higher, at over 800 tankers. The numbers mark further rapid expansion following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Western curbs on Russian energy exports, which has led to ships being hit with sanctions. Before the war, the shadow tanker fleet totalled around 280-300 vessels, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence. Such growth has raised concerns about its environmental impact as well as safety and the effectiveness of sanctions, including a Western ban on shipment and trading of Russian oil priced above a $60 per barrel limit. Under the so-called IMO 2020 convention adopted by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships have to switch to low sulphur fuel from the higher sulphur fuel diesel the industry has used for decades. NO 'SCRUBBERS' Enforcement of these regulations designed to lower emissions is up to IMO member countries, which can levy fines or detain ships for non-compliance. In April, the IMO called on its members to increase inspections on vessels deemed to be shadow ships and toughen fines for any irregularities. The IMO rules say ships can only burn high sulphur fuel if they have exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as scrubbers. Shadow fleet tankers, however, can run on higher sulphur diesel - that is estimated to cost 20% less than the greener fuel - without checks unless they are stopped at ports enforcing the regulations, people familiar with the matter said. "A lot of shadow vessels have no scrubbers but they buy high sulphur fuel oil when they are in Russia," one industry source said. "So, they are breaching the IMO's sulphur limit." It is difficult to gauge the extent of non-compliance with IMO 2020 across the shadow fleet, but there has been a rise in cases of ships detained because of sulphur-related breaches. Port authorities in Europe and Asia detained at least 10 ships in the first five months of 2024 in connection with the convention, up from six in the same period last year and five for the whole of 2022, according to Reuters analysis based on data from port enforcement authorities. Of the 10 tankers detained, nine had made previous calls to Russia. RUSSIAN, IRANIAN FUEL SUPPLIES Russia and its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Belarus agreed in December they would continue using high sulphur fuel until the end of 2026. This means that ships can still get high sulphur fuel at ports servicing those countries, people involved in the fuel shipping trade say. Iran, another producer of high sulphur fuel, has supplied ships in the Middle East Gulf, the sources say. In one such operation, the Casinova tanker loaded such fuel at Irans Bandar Imam Khomeini port in recent months, said Claire Jungman, chief of staff at U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks Iran-related tanker traffic via satellite data. The Casinova later transferred some of the fuel onto smaller ships waiting around the Basra Anchorage in southern Iraq, Jungman said. The vessel's Liberia based owner Le Monde Marine Services could not be reached for comment. Casinova's ship insurer West P&I said it was in the process of cancelling the vessel's coverage after Reuters requested comment. Ship certifier ABS, which has provided safety cover for the Casinova, was investigating its activity, a spokesperson for the U.S.-headquartered company said. "ABS treats every allegation and the subject of sanctions very seriously," the spokesperson said. "We remain committed to compliance with U.S. and UN sanctions regimes and all other applicable laws." (Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Simon Webb and Tomasz Janowski) By Pawel Florkiewicz and Barbara Erling WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland will reintroduce a 200-metre buffer zone at the Belarus border at the beginning of next week, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, after an attack on a soldier at the frontier left him fighting for his life. The border has been a flashpoint since migrants started flocking there in 2021, after Belarus, a close Russian ally, reportedly opened travel agencies in the Middle East to offer a new unofficial route into Europe - a move the European Union said was designed to create a crisis. Belarus rejects the accusation that it helps to channel migrants to the Polish border. There was no immediate comment from Minsk on Tusk's announcement on Wednesday. "It was recommended to us that we should quickly restore the 200-metre buffer zone in this area where possible... we are ready to take such a decision at the beginning of next week," Tusk told a press conference near the border. In recent weeks there has been an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross illegally and border guards have reported a number of violent incidents. On Tuesday, a Polish soldier was left in a life-threatening condition after he was stabbed through the fence on the border. "We are not dealing with any asylum seekers here, we are dealing with a coordinated, very careful operation on many levels to break the Polish border and try to destabilise the country," Tusk said. Poland plans to spend 10 billion zlotys ($2.55 billion) on strengthening its border with Belarus, and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland was ready to increase the number of troops at the border from the 5,500 currently stationed there, but did not say by how many. A buffer zone was initially introduced in 2021 by the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government. At the time human rights advocates and members of Tusk's own Civic Coalition (KO) grouping criticised the move as they said it impeded efforts by aid workers to help migrants, including women and children, trapped on the border. Karolina Szymanska from refugee charity the Ocalenie Foundation said Tusk's new stance was "shameful". "It continues the policy of Law and Justice," she said. "Most people who run away are people fleeing from violence, war and persecution." The head of Tusk's office could not immediately be reached for comment. Marcin Przydacz, a PiS lawmaker who served as a deputy foreign minister during the migrant crisis in 2021, said the buffer zone was necessary but it was hypocritical of Tusk to introduce the measure after criticising it in opposition. ($1 = 3.9212 zlotys) (Reporting by Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Barbara Erling;Editing by Ros Russell) A Syrian refugee woman stands near tents at an informal tented settlement in the Bekaa valley A Syrian refugee woman stands near tents at an informal tented settlement in the Bekaa valley By Maya Gebeily and Emilie Madi BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon (Reuters) - The soldiers came before daybreak, singling out the Syrian men without residence permits from the tattered camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. As toddlers wailed around them, Mona, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon for a decade, watched Lebanese troops shuffle her brother onto a truck headed for the Syrian border. Thirteen years since Syria's conflict broke out, Lebanon remains home to the largest refugee population per capita in the world: roughly 1.5 million Syrians - half of whom are refugees formally registered with the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR - in a country of approximately 4 million Lebanese. They are among some five million Syrian refugees who spilled out of Syria into neighbouring countries, while millions more are displaced within Syria. Donor countries in Brussels this week pledged fewer funds in Syria aid than last year. With Lebanon struggling to cope with an economic meltdown that has crushed livelihoods and most public services, its chronically underfunded security forces and typically divided politicians now agree on one thing: Syrians must be sent home. Employers have been urged to stop hiring Syrians for menial jobs. Municipalities have issued new curfews and have even evicted Syrian tenants, two humanitarian sources told Reuters. At least one township in northern Lebanon has shuttered an informal camp, sending Syrians scattering, the sources said. Lebanese security forces issued a new directive this month shrinking the number of categories through which Syrians can apply for residency - frightening many who would no longer qualify for legal status and now face possible deportation. Lebanon has organised voluntary returns for Syrians, through which 300 travelled home in May. But more than 400 have also been summarily deported by the Lebanese army, two humanitarian sources told Reuters, caught in camp raids or at checkpoints set up to identify Syrians without legal residency. They are automatically driven across the border, refugees and humanitarian workers say, fuelling concerns about rights violations, forced military conscription or arbitrary detention. Mona, who asked to change her name in fear of Lebanese authorities, said her brother was told to register with Syria's army reserves upon his entry. Fearing a similar fate, the rest of the camp's men no longer venture out. "None of the men can pick up their kids from school, or go to the market to get things for the house. They can't go to any government institutions, or hospital, or court," Mona said. She must now care for her brother's children, who were not deported, through an informal job she has at a nearby factory. She works at night to evade checkpoints along her commute. 'WRONG & NOT SUSTAINABLE' Lebanon has deported refugees in the past, and political parties have long insisted parts of Syria are safe enough for large-scale refugee returns. But in April, the killing of a local Lebanese party official blamed on Syrians touched off a concentrated campaign of anti-refugee sentiment. Hate speech flourished online, with more than 50% of the online conversation about refugees in Lebanon focused on deporting them and another 20% referring to Syrians as an "existential threat," said Lebanese research firm InflueAnswers. The tensions have extended to international institutions. Lebanon's foreign minister has pressured UNHCR's representative to rescind a request to halt the new restrictions and lawmakers slammed a one billion euro aid package from the European Union as a "bribe" to keep hosting refugees. "This money that the EU is sending to the Syrians, let them send it to Syria," said Roy Hadchiti, a media representative for the Free Patriotic Movement, speaking at an anti-refugee rally organized by the conservative Christian party. He, like a growing number of Lebanese, complained that Syrian refugees received more aid than desperate Lebanese. "Go see them in the camps - they have solar panels, while Lebanese can't even afford a private generator subscription," he said. The U.N. still considers Syria unsafe for large-scale returns and said rising anti-refugee rhetoric is alarming. "I am very concerned because it can result in... forced returns, which are both wrong and not sustainable," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told Reuters. "I understand the frustrations in host countries - but please don't fuel it further." Zeina, a Syrian refugee who also asked her name be changed, said her husband's deportation last month left her with no work or legal status in an increasingly hostile Lebanese town. Returning has its own dangers: her children were born in Lebanon and do not have Syrian ID cards, and her home in Homs province remains in ruins since a 2012 government strike that forced her to flee. "Even now, when I think of those days, and I think of my parents or anyone else going back, they can't. The house is flattened. What kind of return is that?" she said. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Emilie Madi, Editing by William Maclean) By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is the latest addition to the guest list at a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy next month, the Rome government said on Wednesday, as it seeks to broaden the gathering beyond the usual seven industrial democracies. Several African and South American countries have been invited to the so-called outreach meetings, Reuters reported in April, and this week Italy said United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, would also be attending. Italy this year holds the rotating presidency of the G7 - which also includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan - and will host the summit at the resort of Borgo Egnazia, in the southern region of Puglia, on June 13-15. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may also be present, sources close to the matter told Reuters, though his attendance has not yet been officially confirmed. Bin Salman drew international outrage after some western nations accused him of having a role in the 2018 murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has denied involvement in the killing. Critics say the G7 operates as an elite club of wealthy nations. Looking to appear more inclusive and less aloof, it has been inviting other leaders for a number of years, hoping to bolster consensus on critical issues such as Ukraine and relations with China. Pope Francis will also be among those attending the Puglia meeting, where he will discuss the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence. (Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones and Alistair Bell) Worlds best budget airlines 2024 revealed with UK operator named best in Europe The worlds best budget airlines to cut costs without compromising on hospitality have been revealed and easyJet topped the list for Europe. A new ranking by AirlineRatings.com, an aviation safety and product website, ranked the top 25 low-cost airlines for 2024 as part of its annual Airline Excellence Awards. The budget airlines were evaluated by a team of aviation experts based on 12 criteria including passenger reviews, fleet age, profitability, product offerings and safety and incident ratings out of seven stars. Featured in the top 25, Vueling, Jetblue, Air Canada Rouge and Cebu Pacific impressed based on passenger feedback and safety audits from aviation governing bodies. Vietnamese airline Vietjet was individually awarded the overall title of the best ultra-low-cost airline with the best quality onboard hospitality. As for the regional winners, in Europe, easyJet took the top spot for the best low-cost airline. The highest-ranking European airline was joined by fellow UK operato Jet2. In February, Jet2 was also ranked among the worlds best airlines by consumer champion Which? in a UK passenger satisfaction survey. The airline received a score of 81 per cent for excelling in reliability and customer support. Southwest was considered by AirlineRatings.com to be the best budget carrier in the Americas, FlyDubai for the Middle East, AirAsia for Asia and the Jetstar Group for Australia and the Pacific. Bo Lingam, CEO of the AirAsia Aviation Group said: AirAsia continues to push the boundaries on what it means to be a low-cost carrier because low cost doesnt mean low service for our airlines. As travel demand recovers to pre-pandemic levels, we have over 400 new specification aircraft on order to fuel our ambitious growth plans including flying to places we have never flown before, providing our guests with more value and choice, not only to and from Asia but across the world. AirlineRatings.com also judged the best-performing premium airlines of 2024. Korean Air, Cathay Pacific Airways, Air New Zealand and Emirates ranked in the top 10, with Qatar Airlines hailed as airline of the year. In our objective analysis, Qatar Airways came out number one in many key areas although it was a very close scoring for the top ten. The passenger reviews, however, scored Qatar Airways ahead of all airlines and its consistency and high standard of service delivery came through in the feedback, said AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas. Top 25 low-cost airlines (in alphabetical order): The Reality of India's Muslim Vote The Muslims cast their votes just as other Indians not in keeping with their religious perceptions - but in keeping with whom they prefer supporting in the national interest and in keeping what they accord great importance Wednesday May 29, 2024 10:03 AM , Nilofar Suhrawardy It is indeed ironical that the Muslim vote is accorded so much importance during elections in India. Numerically, do they really carry any importance? Politically, do they really matter? Of course, Muslims do vote, practice their religion, earn their bread and butter and so forth. But these are the basic practices which most Indians indulge in. Now, should a Muslims vote be accorded religious label simply because of his/her religious identity? This would have carried some relevance, if all Indian Muslims were followers of one particular party or leader of their religious community. Such is not the case. Besides, divisions among Muslims of numerous kinds cannot be ignored. So why should their vote be categorically labelled as Muslim-vote? Why? If Muslims chose to cast their votes only in keeping with their religious dictates, it is possible, most of them would have opted to vote for only Muslim candidates. But such has not been the case. Of course, there is no denying that such an impression is created. Attempt is also made to distract their support to key parties by fielding Muslims against their candidates. This strategy has been exercised time and again by fielding Muslims as independent candidates to create dent in votes of candidates viewed as either secular, non-communal and/or popular among Muslims as well as non-Muslims. It is apparently assumed that this strategy will lessen votes of popular candidates and help the key rival candidate win even if the latter secures less than fifty percent votes. This strategy certainly worked in 2019 elections as indicated by numerous candidates contesting for one seat, with several among them probably having been paid to do so. The same strategy is exercised by smaller parties whose dominance is primarily confined to a few seats in their respective states. But, when they try and extend their reach elsewhere, they hardly win in the name of religion but do succeed in dividing votes. Specifically, these points - that of numerous candidates, identified as Muslims, contesting for the same seat as independents or representing different parties further supports the point of there being no Muslim vote. If one did exist, why would so many- viewed as Muslims- fight for same seats? Of course, the same point can be made for votes labelled as religious of other communities also, particularly - the Hindu vote. This would only be briefly referred to as the focus here is on primarily the so-called Muslim vote. Give a thought. India is home to numerous political parties, majority of which are dominated by Hindus with Hindus being their key leaders. If there was a Hindu vote or if the vote of this community could be labelled exclusively and only along religious lines, Indians specifically Hindus, would not have carved their political identities in keeping with their regional, ideological and various other differences. Interestingly, this point can also be made about the Muslim vote. The Muslims cast their votes just as other Indians not in keeping with their religious perceptions - but in keeping with whom they prefer supporting in the national interest and in keeping what they accord great importance. In all probability, the same logic is exercised by majority of voters but the hype that is raised about Muslim vote hardly prevails for the majority community. Of course, it cannot be missed that the recent history has been witness to undue importance accorded, along communal lines, by certain right-wing, extremist factions to the Hindu vote. But such attempt to use religious card doesnt really suggest that all Indian Hindus support these leaders. If this was the case, as suggested earlier, numerous political parties dominated by Hindus would not have held their respective dominance across the country. Equally important is the need to understand the importance accorded to secularism by majority of the Indian Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and other communities. If secularism was not believed in and actually practiced, India would have probably remained home to only right-wing communal extremists. The so-called Muslim vote also needs to be understood in this context. Why cannot their electoral practice be understood in keeping with the principles of Indian secularism? If they choose to support secular, non-communal parties against right-wing, extremist and communal parties, their decision is not based on the religious identity of the former. Whichever party Muslims support, the same is also supported, in most cases, by a larger number of non-Muslims. And yet, the general trend is to accord religious label to only Muslims electoral practice as the Muslim vote. Why? Indian Muslims spread across various parts of country, do not cast vote for any one political party or support any one leader. Their votes are as divided as that of other communities. If the Muslims vote was cast only for Muslims of any particular party or if their vote favored only one party, in keeping with their own religious concerns, there may have been some logic in labelling the entire communitys vote as one, even categorizing it as the Muslim vote. But such is not the case here. By voting for a secular, leftist or any such party should a Muslim or group of Muslims from the same constituency be viewed as symbolic of the Muslim vote? Well, it is indeed mind-boggling that the religious label is tagged to them but not to others who also choose to cast their vote for the same candidate because of similar ideological, political and/or social perceptions. Yes, there prevails the trend of most Muslims preferring to support other parties against those with right-wing, communal leanings. But the same trend prevails, as suggested earlier, among non-Muslims too. This may be said in the context of votes cast for candidates representing Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal or several other parties against right-wing, extremist, communal candidates. Yet, as evident during the recent electoral campaign, some leaders chose to pay special attention to Congress allegedly favoring Muslims. Attempt has been made to create the impression that this partys priority to secure the Muslim vote. Pray, how can any party succeed in securing the needed majority in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) on the basis of only and/or even primarily the Muslim vote? Muslims dont constitute even 20% of Indias population. Yes, a few constituencies and parts of Jammu & Kashmir do have majority of Muslims. However, Muslims of these areas do not support only one party. Or in other words, here too votes of residents Hindus, Muslims and of other groups, are given to different parties which can from no angle be viewed as representing only or entirely the Muslim vote. Certainly, the impression about the so-called Muslim vote is created by some to secure their support by propagating their secularism and by others to target their rivals along communal lines. The ones engaged in these exercises are certainly not Muslims, but a hype is created about the so-called Muslim Vote. Just as Muslims decide their electoral priorities along secular and anti-communal lines, the same strategy is also exercised by a larger number of non-Muslims. Except in few states, the percentage of Muslim votes is less than 15% of most Indian states population. However much one may debate and argue about this, till the so-called religious-cards hold sway in deciding campaigns, the hype in all probability shall continue to be accorded to the Hindu-vote as well as the Muslim vote even though majority of Hindus and Muslims may not really be moved by the same in view of their secular and national priorities. Certainly not in the context of communal hype raised about the so-called Muslim vote! [The writer, Nilofar Suhrawardy, is a senior journalist and writer with specialization in communication studies and nuclear diplomacy. She has come out with several books. These include: Modis Victory, A Lesson for the Congress? (2019); Arab Spring, Not Just a Mirage! (2019), Image and Substance, Modis First Year in Office (2015) and Ayodhya Without the Communal Stamp, In the Name of Indian Secularism (2006).] Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Vanity Fair removes Palestine pin from Hollywood stars photo, apologizes after backlash In yet another incident showing the western medias open bias towards Zionism, Vanity Fair France Magazine edited a photo of Hollywood star Guy Pearce to remove Palestine pin he wore at the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday May 29, 2024 6:20 PM , ummid.com News Network In yet another incident showing the western medias open bias towards Zionism, Vanity Fair France Magazine edited a photo of Hollywood star Guy Pearce to remove Palestine pin he wore at the Cannes Film Festival. Guy Pearce, known for his strong opposition to the Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians, was sporting a pin displaying the Palestinian flag on his jacket in solidarity. He was also wearing a wrist band in the colors of the Palestinian flag at the event. The images of Guy Pearce showing solidarity to the beleaguered Palestinians at Cannes were viral and widely shared. Accordingly, the Vanity Fair France Magazine used the original images showing Guy Pearce sporting a Palestine pin in its print edition. The badge displaying the Palestinian flag on Guy Pearces jacket was however missing from the magazines website and Instagram account. The photo-edit was first reported by journalist Ahmed Hathout. So Guy Pearce showed solidarity with Palestine at Cannes by wearing a pin and Vanity Fair decided to photoshop it out, he wrote on X originally launched as Twitter. Along with the edited photo, Hathout also posted the original images of Time Machine and Prometheus actor sporting Palestine pin and bracelet. The Australian actor also wore a bracelet in the colors of the Palestinians flag, Hathout wrote. So Guy Pearce showed solidarity with Palestine at Cannes by wearing a pin and Vanity Fair decided to photoshop it out. Little did they know the bracelet was also of the Palestinian flag colors. pic.twitter.com/kxdoVzJa2v Ahmed Hathout (@ahmedhathoutt) May 26, 2024 Soon after the magazines photo edit was exposed, a number of analysts and commenters accused it of censorship. Many pointed out that Pearce is a vocal supporter of the Palestinians and has even labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu a vengeful tyrant for the IDFs conduct in Gaza. Palestinians are being murdered as we speak. Displaced, traumatized, ruined, the actor wrote on social media on Tuesday. This MUST stop. SHAME on you Netanyahu. Vanity apologized for the error after the backlash and replaced the edited image with the original. We have mistakenly published a modified version of this photo on the website. The original version was published on Instagram the same day, the publication wrote on X. We have rectified our mistake and we apologize, it added. Vanity is not the only Western media publication openly showing bias towards Zionism and endorsement of the Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians. Two days ago, the US English daily the Atlantic in an Op-Ed piece justified the massacre and murder of the Palestinian children in Gaza. Earlier, The New York Times had published a story, earmarked as fabricated and lacking evidence, related to fake claims of sexual assaults by Hamas and other Palestinian Resistance Fighters. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IoF) have massacred over 35,000 and wounded more than 90,000 Palestinians since Oct 7, 2023. Close to 12,000 Palestinians are missing and believed to be dead. More than 70% of those killed and missing are women and children. Close to 50% basic structure - including hospitals, schools, colleges, universities and relief camps in the besieged Gaza Strip has been razed to ground, leaving around 1.5 million Palestinians without shelter. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter says Whataburger makes some of the worst burgers in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff Researching this weeks Top 10 Burgers in San Antonio threw the citys full burger scene into sharper focus. Getting to 10 meant going through dozens on the way there, tracing the bell curve from best to worst and the vast middle in between. This is the backside of that bell curve, the 5 Worst Burgers in San Antonio. Whataburger Its time somebody came out and said it: Whataburger sucks. God forbid somebody in San Antonio should say that. We treat Whataburger like a hometown hero, never mind that it never was. And now its just another asset in a Chicago firms portfolio. Through orange-colored glasses, we failed to see the beat-down beef, the bun crushed by overreach and ennui. We failed to hold accountable the burger that tastes like the wrapper it came in, with the little round sticker that says no onion or bacon or you can do better. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Im part of the problem: I declared Whataburger the winner of a showdown with Burger Boy, a true San Antonio local. But if you scroll down, youll see Burger Boy in this rogues gallery, too. Theres no place for misplaced idolatry, even if the altars open 24 hours a day. For me, if its a choice between Whataburger and nada burger, Ill take nothing every time. 7016 Bandera Road, 210-680-0721, more locations at whataburger.com Advertisement Article continues below this ad Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter says In-N-Out Burger makes some of the worst burgers in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff In-N-Out Burger Burgers and fries from In-N-Out photograph well. Kind of like glamour shots of Napoleon Dynamite's uncle. They look like models of food in a staged open house: slick and stiff and homogenous, like they were generated by AI. And Ive always thought In-N-Out tasted that way, too. So overproduced, so focus-grouped, so mass-marketed, so offensive in its banality, animal style or not, with the worst french fries in the fast-food multiverse. 22226 U.S. 281 S., 800-786-1000, more locations at in-n-out.com Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter says Burger Boy makes some of the worst burgers in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff Burger Boy Two years ago, I wrote this about Burger Boy: By now, youve heard the fuss about smashburgers, with beef all flattened out and crispy at the edges. Burger Boy doesnt do that kind of smashburger. They just smash the burgers. Across three locations, my burgers looked like theyd been disrespected by baggage handlers at the airport. Im proud to say that with seven locations and more on the way since Burger Boy opened in 1985, nothing has changed. 151 W. Bitters Road, 210-265-3084, more locations at burgerboysa.com Advertisement Article continues below this ad WHATABURGER VS. BURGER BOY: The showdown Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter says Griff's Hamburgers makes some of the worst burgers in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff Griffs Hamburgers Theres something off about the clown mascot at Griffs Hamburgers, the one wearing a chefs hat. The stars that form the eyes look less like starry eyes and more like a wasted clown. The fact that the clown looks like its wearing red striped pajamas just adds to the mystique. I used to go to Griff's when I was a kid, but that was a different place and a different time. The Griffs we have in San Antonio is a step back in time, but in all the wrong ways. Its dirty, its disheveled, the menu boards an illegible Plasticine glare, and the whole place looks like it could use a good power-washing. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The single-patty cheeseburger is a sad clown show of a burger, with beef thats somehow dry and greasy at the same time, with bits of debris around the perimeter like they were trying to escape. Its blanketed with a spackle of yellow cheese with a whiff of faraway places. And by faraway, I mean stay far away. 2418 Pleasanton Road, 210-923-1671, griffshamburgers.com Express-News restaurant critic Mike Sutter says Murf's Better Burger makes some of the worst burgers in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff Murfs Better Burger On Thursdays after 5, you can have a wholly disappointing burger for half the price at Murfs, one of those places that reminds us that institution isnt always a good word and old-fashioned sometimes just means old. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CAO BANG - The northern mountain province of Cao Bang's authority announced it has built a detailed 'scenario' for hosting the 8th symposium of the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network (APGN) so that it will take place on time in September. The conference to be held from September 12 to September 15 by the provincial People's Committee, in coordination with the Viet Nam National Committee for UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at promoting the image and boosting tourism of Cao Bang Province. As a major international event held in the province, the conference is expected to attract up to a thousand visitors, representatives from over 90 geoparks in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network, along with many national and international experts. According to Hoang Xuan Anh, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, the event offers a chance for all parties to discuss and propose policies for the management and promotion of the global geopark in the area. This is also a significant opportunity for local groups to strengthen international cooperation, share experiences with the world's leading experts, and promote the image of Viet Nam in general and Cao Bang Province in particular, Anh said. In readiness for the conference, the province has drafted detailed scenarios, he confirmed, revealing the event's website at https://www.apgn2024.vn/vi where international and domestic participants can register for attendance. Groups of assistants, coordinators, volunteers, interpreters and drivers have been set up to support the activities during the conference. A photo exhibition showcasing the beauty of Cao Bang and the UNESCO Non Nuoc Global Geopark, will run alongside the conference and is close to completion. A series of activities will be held during the conference including meetings of UNESCO Global Geopark Council to evaluate and re-evaluate dossiers, a meeting of APGN Coordination Committee and Advisory Committee, general and thematic seminars, bi-lateral meetings between regional geoparks, alongside cultural and artistic performances. A delegation of UNESCO Global Geoparks Network experts led by Guy Martini, Chairman of the UNESCO Global Geopark Council, recently paid a working visit to the province on the preparation of the conference. Speaking at a meeting with provincial authority, officials and organisers, the UNESCO senior expert praised Cao Bang and its planning for the event. He recommended Cao Bang needs to build detailed scenario focusing on promoting the unique cultural features of the area, while spreading a message of unity between Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark with the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Located in the north of Viet Nam, 300km from Ha Noi, Non Nuoc Cao Bang was recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018. It covers 3,000sq.km and is home to nine ethnic minority groups, including Tay, Nung, Mong, Dao and San Chay. The Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark allows visitors to explore the earth's history through its geological features. The park has fossils, rocks and minerals, including limestone landscapes which together create a unique territory which offers insights into the history of the planet more than 500 million years through protected sites. Fossils, marine sediment, volcanic and plutonic rocks and minerals are witness to the remarkable evolution and changes of the earth - constituting an exceptional geological heritage. The area is also well-known for its high biological diversity with abundant endemic plant and animal species and ecosystems. Cao Bang is renowned for many other scenic attractions, such as the Phia Oac Ecotourism Area, Phia en, the Thang Hen Lake cluster, Nguom Ngao Cave and in particular Ban Gioc Waterfall, which was once voted one of the four most majestic and beautiful border waterfalls in the world. Hosting the 8th International Conference of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to help the province achieve its goal of attracting over 1.9 million visitors this year, including more than 34,300 international tourists. - VNS HA NOI Vietnamese young students will take part at the 11th Hong Kong International Music Festival (HKIMF) in August from 15 to 21. The students are the winners from Viet Nam regional finals held in Ha Noi by Polaris Art & Music School. "The Viet Nam final round is a chance for the young music talents to perform at an international-level festival," said the President of HKIMF in Viet Nam. The winners were judged by international and Vietnamese artists including Chinese professors Yang Yan Di, Zhao Xiao Hong and violinist Wang Yuan, Russian professor Ivan Mishunin, Bulgarian violist Peter Kutin and Malaysian pianist Ian Goh. Participating at the HKIMF final round in Hong Kong, the three top students Duong Anh uc, Giang A Hang and Tran Nhat Minh will be performing on the guitar, Chinese woodwinds and on the piano, respectively. uc is studying the sixth year at Viet Nam National Academy of Music. He is aToyota scholarship recipient and has been placed at the top at Alma Ha Noi International Competition, the Hannabach Viet Nam International Competition and the Sakurai Ha Noi International Guitar Festival. Coming from the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, Giang A Hang is studying the bamboo flute at Lao Cai College's Department of Culture and Arts. Other Vietnamese students on stage in the final qualifying round will be playing the violin, the drums, singing, as a pop band and in the electronic music category in August. The first HKIMF was in 2013, with about 3,000 participants. This year, the 11th, it is expected that 4,000 musicians will take part with the focus on how music can promote mutual learning, appreciation and respect among music lovers worldwide. VNS Art performers promote Son Tra Reserve conservation A NANG College students, volunteers and children from Hoa Mai Orphan School are joining in an art performance show Vooc Oi, Khi Oi (Hi Langurs, Hi Monkeys) - to promote conservation awareness in the citys Son Tra Nature Reserve on National Childrens Day, June 1. The show, which was organised by the a Nang-based Centre of Biodiversity Conservation (GreenViet) along with Son Tra districts peoples committee, will be staged across four sites including Son Tra district, Tho Quang, An Hai Bac and Man Thai wards in the buffer zone of the reserve. The performance, a combination of dance, drama, story telling and singing, will involve the participation of more than a thousand children and local residents. The show, which is directed and produced by Tony Le Nguyen of Le Nguyen Productions in Melbourne, Australia, aims to send a message to the community of the importance of conservation and protection of the two primary species -- the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), an old world monkey and the endangered red shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nemaeus), both living in the 4,400ha reserve. Le Nguyen, who is also a volunteer at GreenViet, works as a drama lecturer in Australia, in Ha Noi, HCM City, Can Tho and a Nang in Viet Nam. The performances join to tell stories of the beauty of the primary forest of Son Tra and the lives of the endangered primary species monkey and langur families in the peninsula. To date, more than 35,000 school students, teachers and local residents have given educational tours by the GreenViet-managed Son Tra Nature Education Centre in the reserve. Hundreds of children with disabilities from junior secondary and primary schools in the city had free lessons and field trips organised by the Nature Education and Experience Centre. The reserve, just 10km from the citys downtown, is home to more than 1,300 of the red shanked douc langurs and more than 1,000 plant and 370 animal species. HA NOI The Ho CHi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) is looking to expand its collaboration with Swiss educational institutions and policy think-tanks for leadership and management training courses, HCMA Director Nguyen Xuan Thang told Swiss Ambassador to Viet Nam Thomas Gass during a working session in Ha Noi on May 28. Thang, who is also Politburo member and Chairman of the Central Theory Council, stressed that Viet Nam always treasures its traditional friendship and cooperation with Switzerland. He expressed his wish for continued cooperation and exchange of delegations across various channels, close liaison at multilateral forums, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region and the world. The host urged Switzerland to expedite negotiations and signing of a Free Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The HCMA is ready to share expertise with Swiss partners in various fields, especially equitable energy transition, digital transformation, and climate change adaptation through research, seminars, round-table discussions and field trips, he said. Expressing Switzerlands commitment to friendship and coordination with Viet Nam, Gass vowed to work toward successful joint programmes with the HCMA. On the occasion, he suggested partnering with the HCMA to hold a seminar marking the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention signing. In reply, Thang endorsed the proposal and affirmed the HCMA's commitment to collaborating with the Swiss Embassy for a successful event. VNS TOKYO A forum to promote cooperation in training and supplying high-quality human resources between localities and businesses in Viet Nam and the Kyushu region of Japan was hosted by the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Fukuoka prefecture on May 28. Addressing the event, Consul General Vu Chi Mai highlighted the key role by high-quality human resources in promoting socio-economic development, improving competitiveness, and building a sustainable future for each country in the context of globalisation and the 4th Industrial Revolution. According to the diplomat, since 1992, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers have been sent to Japan to work under various programmes. As the second-largest foreign community in Japan, Vietnamese workers have been making significant contributions to the host countrys socio-economic development and become bridges for the close relationship between the two nations and their peoples. The annual rapid and steady increase in the number of Vietnamese labourers working in Japan demonstrates the popularity and adaptability of Vietnamese workers to the lifestyle, work environment, and culture of Japan, as well as the Japanese sides satisfaction and desire to receive Vietnamese labourers, the diplomat said. Mai expressed her belief that through the forum, parties involved will find suitable partners to meet the demands of the modern, high-quality labour market. Representatives of localities and businesses from Vietnam provided detailed introductions about the potential for supplying high-quality human resources, as well as incentives aimed at promoting cooperation with Japanese partners. Meanwhile, representatives from Fukuoka's administration and Japanese businesses highly valued the quality of Vietnamese human resources, as well as the increasing contributions by Vietnamese workers to the Japanese localitys socio-economic development. Many Japanese businesses in the Kyushu region said they hope that similar activities will be organised more frequently, making it easy for them to access reliable and useful information in the recruitment of workers from various localities in Viet Nam. At the event, Consul General Mai and leaders of Fukuoka witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Viet Nam Information Technology Association in Kyushu (VITAK) and the GAG Japanese Language Institute on Japanese language training for Vietnamese IT engineers, and a labour supply contract under the technical intern training programme between Vietnams JHL Group and Ohama Group of Japan. A similar forum will be held in Hiroshima city on May 29 with the participation of representatives from Hiroshima Prefecture's leaders, the Chugoku Economic Federation, and hundreds of Japanese and Vietnamese businesses. VNS China committed to modernizing IP protection system Xinhua) 08:56, May 29, 2024 BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Leading the world in patent applications, China is making strides towards becoming an intellectual property (IP) power, and the newly unveiled blueprint for establishing an IP protection system represents the country's latest step in this endeavor. The blueprint was formulated by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the country's top IP regulator, and eight other authorities. It serves as a road map for IP development until 2035, with China aiming to modernize and strengthen its IP protection system by that date, said Guo Wen, a CNIPA spokesperson, at the press conference on Tuesday. The 13-page document highlights China's commitment to IP protection by improving review efficiency, strengthening legal protection and placing a focus on emerging industries. China has made significant improvements in the efficiency of its patent examination process in recent years, making it one of the most efficient globally. According to data released by the CNIPA, the review time last year was reduced to just 16 months, shorter than that of the United States, Europe, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The new plan aims to further expedite the examination process for invention patents, cutting it to 15 months by 2025. The plan also emphasizes the establishment of centers that offer efficient services to enterprises, such as patent review, verification and protection. These centers will be built in collaboration with local governments to address challenges in obtaining evidence and reduce the time and cost involved in IP protection. The country has already established numerous fast IP service centers nationwide, serving over 150,000 enterprises. According to the plan, more efforts will be dedicated to expanding coverage. Shen Changyu, head of the CNIPA, said at a press conference in late April that the plan highlighted measures on combating IP infringement. On enhancing the judicial protection of IP rights, the plan proposes to strengthen the construction of specialized IP courts and tribunals, fully implement the punitive damages system for IP infringement, and improve the rules of evidence and calculation of infringement damages. Punitive damages, which are compensations awarded in addition to actual damages, aim to increase the cost of IP infringement. The punitive compensation system in the IP field has garnered significant attention. In 2023, Chinese courts applied punitive damages in 319 IP infringement cases, marking a remarkable year-on-year increase of 117 percent. The courts awarded 3.5 times more in damages compared to the previous year, reaching 1.16 billion yuan (163 million U.S. dollars). The judicial organs have also cracked down on malicious trademark registration, as well as trademark infringement and counterfeiting, and have devoted efforts to optimizing the protection of new types of IP rights and interests, including those involving AI and data property rights. IP protection rules concerning new fields and emerging industries have also been put on the agenda. The document proposes to strengthen research on IP protection rules for fields including artificial intelligence, gene technology and livestreaming. "China will continue to enhance the protection of enterprises' original innovation in emerging business forms and sectors such as computer software, digital copyright and cultural creativity," said Wan Yong, an official with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, at the press conference. "It will also focus on safeguarding IP rights in key cutting-edge areas like information technology, biomedics, advanced manufacturing and new energy." China has leveraged IP to drive innovation, particularly in meeting the demand for new technologies and industries in recent years. For example, by 2022, the country had secured the top position globally in terms of the number of patent applications filed for AI technologies, with the scale of the core AI industry surpassing 500 billion yuan. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) 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. SEOUL The Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea Vu Ho, says that the upcoming official visit to South Korea by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will be a highlight in the relationship between the two nations. The visit is also a prelude to the comprehensive strategic partnership being widely and effectively implemented across all fields. Sons visit to South Korea, at the invitation of South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yeol, marks his first official visit since the two countries established their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. In an interview with The World and Vietnam Report ahead of the trip, Ambassador Ho said the visit takes place amid a warm and positive Viet Nam-South Korea relationship, with enhanced political trust, burgeoning economic relations and expanding people-to-people exchanges. While the prospects are favourable and opportunities abundant, there are also significant challenges and increasingly complex issues to address. This necessitates maintaining a harmonious and effective relationship across areas including political security and trade relations. He affirmed that success in coordination is the core of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Ho said Sons visit holds substantial significance, stressing that it is an occasion for both sides to review the achievements and set directions for future steps in the relationship. In addition, the visit sends a message of the mutual determination of Viet Nam and South Korea to strengthen trust, boost cooperation, seize opportunities and jointly tackle challenges on their shared path. During the visit, Son will engage with South Korean leaders at various levels, business representatives and the Vietnamese community in South Korea. He will convey messages from Vietnamese leaders to South Korean leaders regarding the future of their relationship. To businesses and intellectuals, Son will offer encouragement and insights while also gathering feedback and ideas to prepare for future significant activities between the two countries. In addition, with his South Korean counterpart, Son will conduct in-depth discussions on the development of each nation, fostering trust in relations with Viet Nam. This visit also provides an opportunity for the two ministers to exchange detailed views on international and regional issues, laying the groundwork for coordinated efforts at regional and global forums. Ho affirmed that Son's visit to South Korea has generated significant expectations among Viet Nams representative agencies in South Korea. This is an opportune time to review major, strategic aspects of the bilateral relationship and to promptly shape solutions for the challenges and obstacles in cooperation. Moreover, he added, engaging with business and intellectual communities will help generate new ideas and build stronger relationships. This is evident through events such as the Minister's meetings with various associations in South Korea, the launch ceremony of the Vietnamese Business Association in Korea (BAViK) and seminars with Vietnamese scientists and intellectuals in the field of high technology in South Korea. The work of representative agencies will be given new opportunities to expand and develop in the current context, he said. Since the upgrade of the bilateral relationship, there have been a total of six official high-level visits between the two countries, including the state visit of South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol to Viet Nam in June 2023 and the official visit to Viet Nam by Speaker of the Republic of Koreas National Assembly Kim Jin Pyo in January 2023. Additionally, there were visits by seven ministers from ministries of Public Security and National Defence in April 2023), Industry and Trade, Planning and Investment, Agriculture and Rural Development in December 2023), Finance in March 2024, and Foreign Affairs in May 2024. More than 80 delegations of local Vietnamese leaders have had working visits and participated in investment promotion seminars and tourism promotion events in South Korea. Economic cooperation, a key pillar of the bilateral relationship, has been a highlight in Viet Nams international economic collaborations. Over the past 30 years, bilateral trade has increased from US$500 million in 1992 to a peak of $87 billion in 2022. As of the end of April, South Korea's cumulative direct investment in Viet Nam reached $85.87 billion, surpassing the second-highest investor by more than $11 billion. Ho said these impressive figures and events are the result of over three decades of continuous trust-building, enhanced cooperation and mutual improvements in the relationship. The Ambassador said that the future holds many great opportunities for both countries, such as digital transformation and green development. To seize these opportunities, it is clear that the relationship between the two nations must become increasingly substantive, highly complementary and, most importantly, balanced and harmonious. Achieving these goals requires the involvement of all levels, ministries, and localities. It is particularly important to pay attention to the mutual support and reciprocity in the bilateral relationship, he stressed. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Lawrence Wong on becoming the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore during their phone talks on Wednesday. The two PMs voiced their delight at the unprecedented and comprehensive development of their countries cooperation, particularly in terms of economy with the network of the Viet Nam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) considered a symbol of the successful economic partnership. Singapore is the first country with which Viet Nam has established a green-digital economic partnership (February, 2023), they noted, agreeing to elevate their partnership to a new height in the future. PM Chinh affirmed that Singapore is always an important partner to Viet Nam in the region and the world at large. The Vietnamese government will keep coordinating closely with its Singaporean counterpart to develop the countries strategic partnership in an increasingly strong, substantive, and fruitful manner to become an example of dynamic relations in ASEAN and a model for promoting other intra-bloc cooperation mechanisms, he said. Viet Nam is interested in multiplying the VSIP model, said PM Chinh, adding that it will create favourable conditions for more new-generation VSIPs to operate efficiently in the country. Appreciating the Singaporean governments assistance for Viet Nam in training all-level officials, PM Chinh asked the two sides to enhance cooperation in defence, security, the building of a national data centre for Viet Nam, finance, education and training, tourism, as well as people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding between the two countries' people. For his part, Wong affirmed the continuation of boosting mutual visits and meetings at all levels, along with bilateral cooperation mechanisms, especially the annual meetings between the two PMs, to strengthen friendship and political trust. Singapore wishes to join Viet Nam in effectively implementing the framework agreement on connecting the two economies and the green-digital economic partnership, especially in the fields of clean energy and carbon credit, thus paving the way for bilateral cooperation to reach a new level that is both comprehensive and strategic, according to the city states PM. He described the VSIP network as a lighthouse in bilateral economic ties, agreeing to promote new-generation VSIPs that are greener and further match Viet Nam's development trend and priorities. Wong pledged to demand ministers in his Cabinet continue encouraging Singaporean businesses to expand investment in Viet Nam in a manner that helps improve the FDI (foreign direct investment) quality and prioritises high technology, digital economy, circular economy, clean energy, semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors. With regard to regional issues, the two leaders agreed to help intensify ASEANs solidarity, support Laos to successfully serve as the chair of the bloc in 2024, and pay due attention to the sustainable development of sub-regions, including the Mekong sub-region, thereby contributing to an ASEAN of resilience, prosperity and sustainable development with its centrality brought into play in the region. On this occasion, PM Chinh invited his Singaporean counterpart to pay an official visit to Viet Nam in the near future, which the latter accepted. VNS HA NOI The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on May 29 handed over the State Presidents decisions to deploy two officers to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Authorised by the State President, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sen. Lt. Gen. Luong Tam Quang presented the decisions to Major Vu Tran Thang and Captain Nguyen Lan Anh, a female peacekeeper. Quang underlined that participating in UN peacekeeping operations is an important task of Vietnam in general and the MPS in particular. It is also a concrete action directly contributing to the creation and maintenance of durable peace and security for the world and regions, he said. He asked the two officers to work closely with Vietnamese military officers performing duties at UNISFA, maintain solidarity, coordinate with international colleagues, unceasingly make self-improvement, strive to address difficulties, and stay determined to excellently fulfill the tasks assigned by the UN and the Vietnamese Party, State and MPS. On behalf of the newly deployed officers, Thang pledged to excellently fulfill the assigned tasks, uphold the peoples public security forces glorious tradition to protect the Fatherland early and from afar, establish a foothold of steadfast, responsible and disciplined public security officers in the multinational environment, and further promote the image of the peace-loving Vietnamese people who are fond of learning and have a high sense of responsibility towards the international community. Since October 2022, the MPS has sent two groups with six members to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and one officer to the Police Division at the UN headquarters. It is completing procedures for deploying three other officers to UNMISS, according to the MPSs Standing Office for UN peacekeeping operations. - VNS HA NOI A nationwide campaign has been launched to crackdown on drug-related crimes. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, chairman of the National Committee for AIDS, Drug, and Prostitution Prevention, has directed the Ministry of Public Security to initiate the process. From June 1 to June 30, ministries, agencies and local authorities are mandated to implement the action month with the theme "Together for Drug-Free Communities." The focus will be on eliminating drug hotspots, dismantling drug trafficking networks, and capturing offenders at all levels. Enhanced coordination among anti-drug forces is essential for a unified approach. Local police will assess the situation of drug addicts and illegal users, especially those with psychosis, to enforce stricter management, particularly in key areas with large labour populations. Effective addiction identification and rehabilitation measures will be continued, along with supportive activities for the action month and related international and national anti-drug days. Efforts will include establishing and disseminating successful drug-free community models. Information dissemination activities will be intensified, particularly at the grassroots level, in collaboration with media and relevant sectors. The Ministry of Public Security will coordinate with other ministries to develop the national target programme for drug prevention until 2030. The ministries of defence and finance will work with public security agencies to dismantle drug networks at borders and key areas, while raising public awareness on drug prevention. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will focus on improving drug rehabilitation for high-risk groups, expanding effective support models, and facilitating community-based services. The Ministry of Health will train medical staff in addiction diagnosis and collaborate with public security authorities for enhanced local efforts. Education and training of legal issues will also be conducted. The Ministry of Information and Communications will boost anti-drug messaging through media and mobile networks. The Ministry of Education and Training, the Youth Union, and the Labour Confederation will organise anti-drug activities for students, workers, and youth, focusing on the dangers of drugs and preventive measures. Media agencies will enhance their anti-drug communication efforts, showcasing successful models and increasing coverage during peak hours. Provincial and municipal authorities will take activities to local conditions, intensifying anti-drug messaging in key areas. They will support voluntary family and community-based rehabilitation, allocate resources for anti-drug efforts, and strictly control activities related to drugs. Last year, drug crime investigation forces successfully uncovered over 26,460 cases and arrested more than 41,410 drug offenders, including 26 foreigners. The authorities seized 512kg of heroin, 5.3 tonnes of synthetic drugs, 500kg of cannabis, and 330kg of cocaine. They also dismantled 79 hotspots and 11 complex drug hubs and apprehended or persuaded the surrender of 379 wanted drug criminals. VNS HA NOI The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is giving aid to the Government of Viet Nam for a project to upgrade medical equipment at the Viet Nam National Cancer Hospital. They are donating JPY1.83 billion (US$ 11.66 million), to the hospital, which it is planning to use to buy medical devices such as PET/CT systems, MRI machines, CT scanners and X-ray machines. The upgrading of medical equipment at the hospital, Quan Su Facility, will contribute to meeting the increasing demand for cancer healthcare in Viet Nam. Representatives of the signing parties included Vietnamese Minister of Health ao Hong Lan and Chief Representative of the JICA Viet Nam Office Sugano Yuichi. The ceremony was attended and witnessed by Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki and Director of the Viet Nam National Cancer Hospital Le Van Quang. In Viet Nam, non-communicable diseases now account for up to 77 per cent of total deaths each year, with cancer being the second leading cause. According to estimates by the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) in 2022, Viet Nam had up to 180,480 new cases and 120,184 deaths from cancer. The hospital is the leading specialised facility in the country for cancer prevention and treatment, receiving about 446,800 visits, treating 68,600 inpatients and performing approximately 30,700 surgeries annually. VNS NINH THUAN The European Union (EU) will continue its sturdy support for Viet Nam efforts towards the target of net zero emissions by 2050, said Myriam Ferran, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission (EC)s Directorate-General for International Partnerships. Speaking at a media briefing in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on Wednesday, Ferran said the Global Gateway strategy is an important initiative of the EU implemented through a Team Europe approach and aiming to promote sustainable development, peace, and stability around the world. Its goal is to promote smart, clean, and secure links worldwide and assist partner countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she noted, saying the strategys priorities include digital technology, energy, transport, health, education and research. This strategy generates numerous cooperation chances for Viet Nam and the EU in the areas of shared interest, she said. The official emphasised that Viet Nam is an important partner of the EU and will keep helping with the countrys target of net zero emissions by 2050, adding the EU has been assisting Viet Nam on the path of energy transition through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). In Ninh Thuan, the Bac Ai pumped-storage hydropower project is a typical example and a key project in the Global Gateway strategy. The EU and its member states pledge to provide preferential loans and aid packages to give technical support to this project to build the first pumped-storage hydropower plant of Viet Nam in the locality, according to Ferran. During their visit to Ninh Thuan, Ferran and other members of the EU delegation also set out to learn about the opportunities and challenges of the province as an energy transition centre. Speaking highly of local energy and renewables development, she said that despite numerous difficulties caused by climate change impacts, Ninh Thuan has managed to turn challenges into potential and advantages to establish itself as an energy and renewables centre of the country. To carry out the Global Gateway strategy, the EU and the French Development Agency (AFD), with support from the KfW Development Bank of Germany and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), have supplied funding for the Bac Ai pumped-storage hydropower project. The 1.2GW project, invested by the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) group, has a total investment of VN21 trillion (US$824.9 million). It was launched in early 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2029. Aside from this project, the EU has also assisted Ninh Thuan in the fields of green and digital skill education and training. VNS GENEVA A delegation of the Ministry of Health led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong is attending the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA77) from May 27 to June 1. Huong told the Vietnam News Agencys reporters in Geneva on the sidelines of the session that the COVID-19 pandemic shows that many countries have yet to make good preparedness for a global-scale epidemic, and warned that another epidemic would happen at any time, requiring all countries to strengthen their capacity and readiness for it. Countries also need to cooperate and act together to best respond to and minimise global health security threats, and respond quickly and effectively to all possible health risks, Huong suggested. She pointed to several challenges to public health care, including climate change, the illness and mortality burden by non-communicable diseases, unequal access to health services, and the risk of re-emergence of infectious diseases, especially those that can be prevented by vaccines. Within the WHA77 framework, countries will consider adopting the Pandemic Treaty and Amendments to International Health Regulations (IHR), whose contents include provisions on enhancing cooperation, information exchanges and promoting access to production technology and disease prevention products. Once these documents are approved, this will be a breakthrough for the global health system in preventing and responding to epidemics and medical emergencies. Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other international organisations in Geneva, said that these documents would be a great opportunity for countries around the world, especially developing countries like Viet Nam, to access medical services, equipment, vaccines and biological products. This will help create a breakthrough in effectively preventing future pandemics and saving more lives towards a healthy and equal world, he said. VNS Part of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark in Cao Bangprovince. (Photo baocaobang.vn) Cao Bang authority has announced it had built a detailed 'scenario' for hosting the 8th symposium of the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network (APGN) so that it will take place on time in September. The event to be held from September 12 to September 15 by the provincial People's Committee, in coordination with the Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at promoting the image and boosting tourism of northern mountainous Cao Bang province. As a major international event held in the province, the conference is expected to attract up to a thousand visitors, representatives from over 90 geoparks in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network, along with many national and international experts. According to Hoang Xuan Anh, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, the event offers a chance for all parties to discuss and propose policies for the management and promotion of the global geopark in the area. This is also a significant opportunity for local groups to strengthen international cooperation, share experiences with the world's leading experts, and promote the image of Vietnam in general and Cao Bang province in particular, Anh said. In readiness for the conference, the province has drafted detailed scenarios, he confirmed, revealing the event's website at https://www.apgn2024.vn/vi where international and domestic participants can register for attendance. Groups of assistants, coordinators, volunteers, interpreters and drivers have been set up to support the activities during the conference. A photo exhibition showcasing the beauty of Cao Bang and the UNESCO Non Nuoc Global Geopark, will run alongside the conference and is close to completion. A series of activities will be held during the conference including meetings of UNESCO Global Geopark Council to evaluate and re-evaluate dossiers, a meeting of APGN Coordination Committee and Advisory Committee, general and thematic seminars, bi-lateral meetings between regional geoparks, alongside cultural and artistic performances. About 300km from Hanoi, Non Nuoc Cao Bang was recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018. It covers 3,000sq.km and is home to nine ethnic minority groups, including Tay, Nung, Mong, Dao and San Chay. The Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark allows visitors to explore the earth's history through its geological features. The park has fossils, rocks and minerals, including limestone landscapes which together create a unique territory which offers insights into the history of the planet more than 500 million years through protected sites. Fossils, marine sediment, volcanic and plutonic rocks and minerals are witness to the remarkable evolution and changes of the earth - constituting an exceptional geological heritage. The area is also well-known for its high biological diversity with abundant endemic plant and animal species and ecosystems. Cao Bang is renowned for many other scenic attractions, such as the Phia Oac Ecotourism Area, Phia Den, the Thang Hen Lake cluster, Nguom Ngao Cave and in particular Ban Gioc Waterfall, which was once voted one of the four most majestic and beautiful border waterfalls in the world. Hosting the 8th International Conference of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to help the province achieve its goal of attracting over 1.9 million visitors this year, including more than 34,300 international tourists. Cao Bang: Stunning beauty of under-the-radar tourist sites Along with Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave, and Pac Bo Cave, the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang boasts a kaleidoscope of untouched destinations that are certain to touch visitors hearts due to their jaw-dropping landscapes. Ban Gioc among worlds top amazing waterfalls Ban Gioc Waterfall is considered a priceless gift that the nature has given to the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang. It is an overwhelming waterfall with breathtaking beauty in Southeast Asia Could you shed light on the development and opportunities in Vietnams healthcare and pharma? Across Asia-Pacific, healthcare and life sciences breakthroughs offer exciting opportunities to meet patient needs and create value, according to Baker McKenzies new digital report titled Unlocking and Accelerating Growth: Healthcare and Life Sciences in Asia-Pacific. Seck Yee Chung, partner and head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Healthcare and Life Sciences practices in Vietnam for Baker McKenzie Vietnam is now a dynamic country in the region with a unique imperative to healthcare transformation. A healthcare system with a low density of skilled healthcare professionals, robust market conditions, and headroom for growth combine to create an attractive destination for innovation and investment in healthcare and life-science sectors. Vietnams government has been actively promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the healthcare sector with various incentives. It is also improving the regulatory framework to ensure high quality domestic production, robust intellectual property protection and licensing, all of which will also support growth. Its encouraging that foreign investors continue to invest in Vietnams manufacturing sector. These investments reflect the broader trend of shifts in supply chain and manufacturing operations away from China and into Southeast Asian countries. This is driven in part by geopolitical dynamics and global trade reform among major markets. Vietnam is well-positioned in terms of geography and stability as it deepens its role in global supply chains and remains cost competitive whilst also focusing on upskilling the workforce. The government has been actively promoting FDI in the healthcare sector. How do you see the trend of this so far? Vietnams unique population demographics, digitally savvy citizens, and an overburdened healthcare system combine to create exciting and urgent opportunities for investment and development in the healthcare sector. Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing have been attractive to foreign investments, given the government set an ambitious target of Vietnam becoming a high-value pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, earning $1 billion annually from pharmaceutical exports by 2030. Transformation-focused investments, for example in biotech, healthtech, and research and development, should also draw great significant interest from investors. Healthcare dealmaking remains a bright spot in Vietnam. What is the landscape of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in Vietnam in this area? In recent times, transactions involving private hospitals and clinics have driven deal volume in Vietnam. General hospitals and specialised chain of clinics in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been attractive to funds and foreign investors. Notable deals include the acquisition of FV Hospital by Thomson Medical Group; a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between American International Hospital and Raffles Medical Group; and KKR & Co.s acquisition of shares from Heliconia Capital as the largest shareholder of Vietnams biggest eye hospital chain Medical Saigon Group. Vietnams pharmaceutical manufacturing also receives strong interest from foreign investors amidst current global macroeconomic turbulence. Favourable market access conditions for pharma manufacturing has driven strategic partnerships between local manufacturers and foreign investors, including Mekophar and Nipro Pharma (Japan), Imexpharm and SK Group (South Korea), Traphaco and Daewoong (South Korea), and many more. For the next couple of years, we see from a broader view that there will be still compelling opportunities for M&A healthcare in Vietnam given global companies and investors are building resilience through transactions, partnerships and inward investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Private equity investors will also play an increasingly important part in this landscape, as the trend for restructuring and divestment continues. Our aforementioned report finds that biotech, healthtech, and digital therapeutics players in Asia-Pacific are leading the development of next-generation healthcare and life sciences solutions. Facing sluggish capital markets, M&As are a strategic lever to finance growth and optimising balance sheets in anticipation of takeover bids is key to attracting strategic buyers. What are the potential healthcare assets buyers are looking to snap up in Vietnam, and what else did your report touch on? Private equity investors will be potential buyers of healthcare assets given the size and scope of carved-out assets are often particularly attractive to private equity buyers and sponsors, with opportunities to transform assets to realise future value. Our report highlights how AI has become a key part of the revolution in healthcare and life sciences, and that governments across the Asia-Pacific region have identified the power of AI to help address national healthcare challenges and turbocharge innovation, investment, and economic growth. Vietnam has been home to a growing number of promising startups and established leaders in the AI space. This dynamic market is seeing robust deal activity, including venture capital finance, collaborations, and licensing agreements between digital players and established pharmaceutical companies and public-private partnerships. This will only increase as AI matures, existing applications scale and new use cases are discovered. Healthcare service quality must meet global standards Vietnam is actively improving the quality of medical services at hospitals towards meeting international standards, aiming to engage foreigners for medical examination and treatment here. Private healthcare boosts its presence Together with expansion plans among foreign-invested enterprises, emerging private players are boosting their presence in the promising local healthcare market. Partnership key to improving healthcare in Vietnam Stakeholders are joining Vietnams efforts in improving healthcare accessibility, and sustainably developing the sector. Nguyen Thi An, country director of HealthBridge, spoke with VIRs Tung Anh about how businesses can make a contribution. Pans produced at Elmich Ha Nam. The Ministry of Finance has proposed reductions of 10-50 per cent for 36 fees starting July 1 until the end of this year to support business and production. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - The Ministry of Finance has proposed reductions of 10-50 per cent for 36 types of fees starting July 1 until the end of this year to help support business and production. The proposed reductions are similar to those applied in the second half of 2023. Specifically, most fees in the securities sector will be slashed by 50 per cent compared to previous reductions listed in Circular No. 25/2022/TT-BTC dating from April 2022. Other fees which are also up for a 50 per cent reduction include the fee for inspection of fire-fighting and fire prevention equipment, the fee for issuing citizen identification cards, the fee for granting licences to send Vietnamese workers abroad under a contract, the fee for licensing domestic and international tourism services, the fee for assessing and issuing tour guide cards, the fee for using railway infrastructure and the fee for intellectual property registration. The draft decree on the potential fee reductions is being made available for public comment. Opinions should be sent to the finance ministry by June 10. The Ministry of Finance has been lowering fees since 2020 to support citizens and enterprises working to make up for losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the ministry offered reductions of 10-50 per cent for 36 fees in the second half of 2023, with an estimated value of 700 billion VND (27.5 million USD) in total. Ministry of Finance proposes registration fee cut for electric cars The Ministry of Finance proposed halving the registration fee of electric cars compared to petrol cars. Ministry of Finance asks Ho Chi Minh City to reconsider seaport fee collection policy The Ministry of Finance (MoF) proposed that Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee should reconsider the difference in seaport fees when making declarations for cargo in Ho Chi Minh City and other localities. It feels that this regulation is unreasonable and creates inequality for businesses. Rhyma Castillo is a trending reporter for the Express-News and a member of its Digital Go Team. She can be reached at rhyma.castillo@express-news.net. A native of San Antonio and a Texas A&M University graduate, she is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience. She has reported on politics, immigration, climate change, gun violence, and workers rights. Additionally, she excels in lifestyle and entertainment writing, covering music, television, video games, technology, and relationships. In her free time, she enjoys painting, drawing, cooking, hiking, climbing, gardening, playing video games, cuddling with her cats, and making music with her band. The partnership will bring TSCs advanced techniques for treating cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions, and other specialised areas to the Hoan My network. Additionally, TSCs expert specialists will offer health and clinical consultations for various complex diseases. The partnership gives Hoan Mys patients access to TSCs clinical excellence and best-in-class medical equipment, enhancing outcomes for patients, particularly those with complex conditions. Hoan My Saigon Hospital will be the launch facility for the partnership. Benjamin Chua, one of TSCs top experts in complex vascular conditions, will be available to provide consultations for patients suffering from a range of conditions, including vascular malformation, carotid artery stenosis, cerebral haemorrhage, cerebral vascular malformation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Leveraging TSCs expertise, Hoan My and TSC will establish and develop Centres of Excellence focused on treating complex diseases. Under the partnership, TSC will also collaborate with Hoan My Academy, a member of Hoan My Medical Group, with a focus on building the skills and expertise of healthcare professionals in the Hoan My network and beyond. "Our partnership with TSC marks a significant step in Hoan My's commitment to enhancing the quality of our clinical services, while also investing in technology so that people can receive international-standard treatment for complex diseases here in Vietnam," said Dilshaad Ali Bin Abas Ali, group CEO of Hoan My Medical Group. "The Specialists Collective and Hoan My are committed to providing the highest standards of healthcare, with advanced technology and a patient-centric approach," said Benjamin Chua, senior consultant vascular surgeon and medical director of TSC. "Our partnership with Hoan My will drive the development of specialised healthcare services in Vietnam, especially for challenging and complex diseases. We aim to raise the levels of clinical excellence and contribute to enhancing the quality of healthcare services at Hoan My and in Vietnam," Chua added. Hoan My Medical Group partners with UK's Strasys To promote innovation in the healthcare industry, Vietnams largest private healthcare network, Hoan My Medical Group, signed an MoU on March 15 with Strasys, a top healthcare analytics and innovation consultancy from the United Kingdom. Hoan My increases advanced care capabilities and expands clinical network Hoan My Medical Group, Vietnams largest private healthcare network, is increasing its advanced medical care capabilities and expanding its clinical network. Vietnam has a rapidly ageing population. More than 10 per cent of the countrys population of 100 million people are 65 years of age or older, and this number is expected to reach more than 15 per cent by 2039. The fact that the medical infrastructure and welfare system have not kept pace with this ageing population is becoming a social issue in Vietnam. In Vietnam, there is a practice of family members serving as caregivers due to a lack of hospitals and hospital beds. This is harmful to the lives of not only the care recipients, but also their families. In addition to matching caregivers with care recipients, WeCare 247 also supports the retention of caregivers by training them to provide quality services and offering benefits such as rest facilities and refreshments. Another of WeCare 247s strengths is its partnerships with major hospitals in Vietnam, which is recognition of the quality of care services it provides. Based on this quality of service, the company plans to accelerate the expansion of its services in Ho Chi Minh City as well as throughout Vietnam in order to realize a society in which Vietnamese care recipients and their families are better able to lead their own individual lives. By investing in and supporting the growth of WeCare 247, Mynavi aims to solve one of Vietnams social issues and improve peoples quality of life. Compelling signs ahead in healthcare Vietnam expects to see rising investment and dealmaking activities in healthcare and pharma. Seck Yee Chung, partner and head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Healthcare and Life Sciences practices in Vietnam for Baker McKenzie, discussed with VIRs Thanh Van the prospect of Vietnams thriving healthcare and pharma sectors. Fertile ground for Japans wholesalers Japanese wholesale companies are betting on the Vietnamese market by striking up deals with local companies in food and technology. Dr. Ngo Cong Thanh, vice chairman of the ISC and head of research team Why did the ISC research and propose two sets of criteria for appraising and approving foreign-invested projects? Based on Resolution No.50-NQ/TW dated August 20, 2019 on perfecting institutions and policies, improving the quality and effectiveness of foreign investment cooperation by 2030, the National Assembly, the government, the Prime Minister and ministries and branches have issued many legal documents, including provisions regulating conditions and criteria for selecting high-quality projects. However, the criteria regulating foreign project selection are scattered in many different legal documents, so when the authorities apply the regulation in practice, it can have errors and unexpected projects. In addition, current reports on the effectiveness of foreign-invested capital are mainly evaluated based on indicators of foreign direction investment (FDI) attraction as well as the contribution of the foreign-invested sector to the economy. There is no complete set of criteria to evaluate FDIs effectiveness at all levels, sectors, and localities as a basis for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of attracting and using foreign-invested capital across the country in general and in each locality. Based on the actual needs of localities, the ISC with financial support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade researched and developed two sets of criteria for FDI. These two criteria frameworks will support leaders and provincial authorities in appraising and selecting foreign-invested projects and monitoring and evaluating the quality and effectiveness of foreign-invested projects in the area. What basis are these sets of criteria built on? The political and legal basis for determining the criteria is Resolution No.50-NQ/TW; Resolution No.58/NQ-CP dated April, 2020 promulgating the government's Action Programme to implement Resolution 50-NQ/TW; current legal regulations on investment, land, finance, environmental protection, science - technology, national defence and security, planning, statistics.The ISC does not propose any criteria outside the current laws related to FDI. ISC experts identified the main subjects of these criteria framework, which combine standing provincial party committee, provincial people's committee; leaders of the province's functional agencies directly related to foreign investment management (departments of Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Technology, Construction, Finance, and in collaboration with the management authorities of economic zones and industrial parks). These subjects frequently change due to rotation and appointment according to term, making it difficult to fully grasp the legal regulations related to FDI. In addition, foreign investors looking for investment opportunities and implementing investment projects in Vietnam can also use these criteria to prepare documents to submit to competent authorities for approval. At the end of 2022, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) introduced a manual on how to use the investment screening tool to appraise projects. What is the difference between the proposed ISC assessment criteria and this screening toolkit? To determine appraisal criteria, ISC organised a survey of localities to capture actual needs and identify the users of the criteria guidance document. The criteria are designed in the form of a reference guide so that users can easily find legal regulations related to investment projects, thus shortening the time to consider and approve the projects investment planning to under 35 days according to regulations. We do not set too many appraisal criteria, but determine that the appraisal criteria must ensure compliance with current legal regulations, without proposing new unclear criteria. As you know, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) submitted a draft decision on a set of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of foreign investment in Vietnam. We also received the question whether there is a conflict between the criteria proposed by ISC and the MPI criteria. The ISC is not a state management agency, so the set of criteria that we publish is not a legal document or executive guidance document, but is only a reference document in the management and direction process relating to foreign capital attraction. During the process of researching and developing criteria, we discussed and asked for opinions from relevant experts at the MPI to ensure that the criteria proposed by ISC do not conflict with their criteria. What difficulties and barriers did the ISC encounter during the process of researching and developing the two sets of criteria? The most difficult thing is accessing state management agencies, both at the central and local levels. We had to take advantage of acquaintances to set up work schedules or have to exchange and discuss on a personal basis. In many state management agencies, there still exists the notion that state management agencies hold the role of directing and guiding enterprises in implementation, and are responsible for drafting and promulgating important documents. They are not used to and have not accepted the fact that businesses instruct state agencies. The practical situation also shows that it is time to innovate thinking in the direction of allowing independent research units to preside over the development of policies according to the state's orders. How feasible are these sets of criteria? The criteria are determined based on compliance with the provisions of the Law on Investment and relevant legal documents, derived from actual needs, combined with expert consultation. To develop the two sets of criteria, the ISC organised a working group to work with the authorities of the provinces namely Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Tuyen Quang, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh and asked for comments from many other provinces and cities. ISC also organised three workshops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to seek expert opinions from ministries and localities throughout the country to complete the criteria. Thus, we believe that the criteria are highly feasible, easy to implement, and can be quantified to rank localities when evaluating the effectiveness of foreign investment cooperation. Training collaboration promoted at Vietnamese universities Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and Vietnamese universities have been sharing experiences with each other to meet the demand for high-quality human resources. Enticing FDI legal framework for dual transformation Vietnam is preparing for future foreign direct investment (FDI) shifts to ensure funding reaches the right areas and embraces green and digital goals. FDI attraction in five months tops 11 billion USD More than 11.07 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) was funneled into Vietnam during January-May, up 2 per cent against the same time last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)s Foreign Investment Agency. Nevertheless, with a great deal of challenges remained in meeting the technical infrastructure and medical equipment demands for medical examination and treatment facilities and healthcare centres, there needs to be clear, effective solutions and orientations regarding public investment from the government to support and promote the development of this field. Duong Thi Mai Hoa, managing partner, I-V Legal In February, the prime minister approved the planning of the medical facility network towards 2030, with a vision to 2050. The goal is to build and develop a national network of medical facilities in accordance with the requirements of protecting and improving peoples health; ensuring feasibility and compatibility with the countrys socioeconomic development; and improving the quality of medical services on par with advanced countries. Accordingly, a series of projects using state budget capital will be implemented in accordance with the Law on Public Investment, through the development of local annual and medium-term investment plans to develop a network of exam and treatment facilities. A number of modern, high-tech specialised hospitals will be developed, and central and regional disease control centres will be formed. The implementation of this planning will open up opportunities to develop a series of large-scale public projects in the health sector in the upcoming periods, which is expected to bring Vietnams health sector to a new level of technical infrastructure, medical equipment, and technology. The allocation/usage of state budget capital of public ventures, the procedures and application for approvals of medical construction schemes, as well as the procurement process of medical equipment for many a year, has always been a blockage causing delays in medical facilities operation. As a result, leaders of facilities have often avoided implementing public investment and bidding for medical equipment at all levels. Currently, Vietnams policy is to focus on public investment in the health sector, aiming for healthcare coverage and health insurance for all people. The allocation of state budget prioritises resources for the health sector and is clearly shown in Resolution No.973/2020/UBTVQH14 dated 2020 prescribing principles, criteria, and norms for allocating public investment capital from the state budget for 2021-2025. In it, there is a strong emphasis placed upon the health sector, ventures on the construction of infrastructure, facilities, and equipment serving healthcare, population, family, reproductive health, and food hygiene and safety. According to Resolution No.29/2021/QH15 on the medium-term public investment plan from 2021-2025, the health sector is allocated over VND24.1 trillion (almost $1 billion) in public capital from the state budget; approximately just under half for projects managed by ministries and central authorities, and the rest for local-managed projects. Such capital source is mainly focused for high-quality human resources training, infrastructure construction, medical supplies procurement, and public health development. However, in practice, the implementation of public projects using state budget capital is no simple task. In recent years, despite being allocated a large proportion in the budget, the disbursement rate of public investment in the health sector has always been lower than the national average due to legal obstacles, from the preparation and approval of investment and bidding projects to the contract performance of bidding packages. Moreover, regulations and policies fail to be timely issued, resulting in the state having money but not spending it, causing significant losses to the health sector. For now, with the provisions of the Law on Bidding 2023 taking effect from January, accompanied with its guiding documents, they will create greater initiative for medical facilities to implement public bidding projects in drug and medical supplies in order to provide better medical services for the people in the near future. In addition, one of the solutions to promote initiatives in the health sector is to create conditions that attract private capital to participate in public projects through public-private partnerships. So far, the legal framework on this in the health sector is quite complete, yet the actual implementation of attracting investors is not truly attractive. Therefore, it is crucial for the government to have an incentive mechanism and increase benefits for investors, rather than maintaining only the mechanism of sharing the increase/decrease in project income as prescribed in the Law on Investment through public-private partnerships. With the changes in policies, it is hoped to attract more potential for public initiatives and mark the blossoming of Vietnams healthcare sector. Developing PPP models to aid quality healthcare The transformation of Vietnams healthcare sector is racing forwards after successes in the past year, but the countrys lofty goals are still some way off. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien discussed with VIRs Bich Thuy the readiness of a legal framework, and future opportunities for private businesses that may wish to forge partnerships and expand operations in the Vietnamese healthcare system. Sheraton Saigon gears up for Dragon Boat Festival with gourmet Cantonese sticky rice dumplings This year marks a notable launch with the newly renovated Li Bais culinary concept, bringing an ever-innovative packaging design inspired by the local folk stories alongside nostalgic flavours with contemporary enhancements. Zong Zi, an honour of tradition, and taste of reunion Holding significant cultural and historical importance in Asian countries, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, especially in China. Sticky rice dumplings, also known as zongzi or bak zhang, as well as dragon boat racing are traditions associated with the festival. Handcrafted from glutinous rice and filled with various ingredients such as meats, beans, salted egg yolk, nuts and then wrapped in bamboo leaves before being cooked, dragon boat dumplings come with many variations in shape, from triangle, square to round. In Vietnam, zongzi can be broadly categorised into Vietnamese style and Chinese style, with mainly Southern Chinese-style zongzi among Cantonese regions. While Vietnamese sticky rice dumplings are known as banh u nuoc tro, with a sweeter taste and triangle appearance popular in Northen Vietnam, the Chinsese style in Saigon are filled in pyramid and pillow shape with savoury ingredients, including salted egg yolk, pork, shiitake mushrooms, mung beans, taro and chicken, leaving a rich and decadent filling. In the past, bundles of dragon boat dumplings were thrown into the river as sacrificial offerings, nowadays, they are enjoyed among family, friends and colleagues, as a gift for this mid-year celebration hailing remembrance and unity. With the Dragon Boat Festival falling on June 10 this year, Cho Lon, Vietnams largest Chinatown and notable restaurants around Saigon have started the kitchen to prepare seasonal zongzi. Chef Diep Nhieu, Sous Chef of Li Bai restaurants Li Bais timeless flavours made in Saigon Turning into the fifth year of our handcrafted zongzi production, Li Bai under Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel unveils a luxurious collection of four best-selling flavours showcasing exquisite ingredients and masterful artisanal techniques. This years fillings include both classic and creative flavours; namely abalone and dried scallops, char siu pork and Iberico ham; chicken and foie gras; soy tempeh, wild mushroom, and truffle. Reflecting Li Bais refreshing culinary concept of highlighting timeless favourites and modern flavours committing to meeting the evolving tastes of its discerning diners, the dragon boat dumplings are handcrafted with meticulous attention, encapsulating the essence of Cantonese cuisine yet creativity in premium ingredient combination. The meticulous process of making our dragon boat dumpling begins with picking the finest ingredients from glutinous rice, chestnuts, shiitake, and lotus seed The meticulous process of making our dragon boat dumpling begins with picking the finest ingredients from glutinous rice, chestnuts, shiitake, and lotus seed paired with savoury fillings and made-in Li Bai sauces and wrapping in bamboo leaves before being slow-cooked for eight hours. Chef Diep Nhieu, Sous Chef of Li Bai restaurants said, The most popular shape of dragon boat dumpling is the pyramid. At Li Bai, we develop the pentagon shape representing the auspicious yet balanced ying-yang based on the five agents in Chinese philosophy including Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth. Our fillings are local-sourced and premium imported ingredients. Most importantly, each dumpling pays homage to Li Bais traditional hallmark techniques by artisan chefs for such an authentic taste. Enhancing the festivities, Li Bai launches a brand-new design with bespoke packaging. Coming with two straps with ease and style, it features comic illustrations of dragon boat races, reminiscent of traditional tapestries, and is accented with a green tassel embodying a luxurious folk story to the presentation. This package is set as thoughtful gifts for families and friends. For every purchase of two dragon boat dumplings, the box is complimentary. The dragon boat dumplings are recommended and best enjoyed with Li Bais staple sauce, XO Sauce, freshly made in-house with a gourmet blend of dried scallops, shallots, garlic, chilli, dried shrimp, shrimp roe and more. Li Bais artisanal condiment adds a rich punch to the sweet nod of the occasion that makes it difficult to stop at one bite. Sheraton Saigon offers luxury Lunar New Year hampers Tet Nguyen Dan is the most important celebration for Vietnamese and also marks a fortuitous fresh start, a new chapter with significant value and wishes for luck and good things. On this occasion, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers debuts its premium Tet hamper collection to welcome the Lunar New year. Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers announces new name The Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers will be renamed the Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel from April 1, marking a new era for one of the most prominent 5-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City. Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel awarded Green Globe certification Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel has earned the distinction of being the first Marriott International property in Vietnam to receive the Green Globe certification in sustainability. Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine (Photo: Reuters/VNA) Singapore The updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is now available under Singapore's national vaccination programme, the Singaporean Ministry of Health (MOH) said on May 28. Eligible individuals can receive the vaccination for free at any participating general practitioner clinic. The Novavax/Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine was recommended by the Expert Committee on Immunisation for use in Singapore following approval by the Health Sciences Authority. According to the MOH, it is an option for those aged 12 years and above, under prevailing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The previous formulation of the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine, which was based on the original COVID-19 strain, has been discontinued from the national vaccination programme since January 1. Singapore private homes most expensive in Asia-Pacific Private residential homes in Singapore continue to be the most expensive in the Asia-Pacific for the second year in a row, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) released on May 21. Initially, the law was set to take effect in early January 2025, but they have been recommended to start on July 1. The law revises and supplements policies to remove obstacles in land management and use, creating conditions for the real estate market to grow. Local management agencies will have to improve communication to implement new rules efficiently, photo Le Toan At the same time, it also adds policies on land recovery, compensation, and resettlement, removing the land price framework and regulating the annual land price list to approach market prices. Dr. Nguyen Quang Tuyen from Hanoi Law University said that if the laws were implemented sooner than planned, they would have a very positive impact on the market. The revised law will support economic organisations and investors access to the land market and be much more open with regulations that create better conditions for overseas Vietnamese to buy houses and land like domestic citizens, Tuyen told VIR. He added that the Real Estate Business Law, meanwhile, would help remove obstacles and purify the market with regulations controlling brokerage and transactions, while the Housing Law would help to increase access to housing. Both laws are expected to follow the land law into being next year. However, all laws will need time to be understood alongside new policies. To ensure effective implementation, it is necessary to improve the dissemination of information and the implementation and application capacity of local management agencies, Tuyen added. Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Chung, a representative from the Vietnam Association of Realtors, said that the property market could quickly return to a normal state when the laws take effect. They will help the market become increasingly transparent for all participating economic sectors and, at the same time, they will help increase supply, especially social and affordable housing, reinforced by economic growth and strong urbanisation, Chung said. Up to now, the number of investors willing to return to the market has increased in the context of more projects being opened for sale and introduced to the market. Real estate expert Tran Khanh Quang said, The Land Law has always been considered the central law, with profound influence on the housing and real estate business laws. Therefore, early application will create a solid foundation for the remaining laws to maximise their effectiveness, Quang said. In addition, important reforms on planning, land acquisition, land leasing, and calculating land use fees or in site clearance and compensation are expected to push the process of many projects, he added. This will help increase supply to the market. The real estate market will grow if the laws take effect sooner. But the market will not flare up like in previous years, but develop in a stable manner. Better control of investment activities and brokerage services also help the market become transparent, fair, and sustainable, Quang said. Currently, ministries and sectors are making efforts to complete and submit the July proposal to the government for consideration, alongside more than 20 decrees and circulars detailing and guiding the implementation of relevant laws for uniform implementation and to avoid overlap. Individuals and enterprises should be active in researching the revised laws in order to be ready for implementation, Quang added. New land law could entice Viet Kieu home The demand for property from overseas Vietnamese people is on the rise, helped along by revised land, housing and real estate laws. Rapid law implementation may propel market fortunes With quicker implementation of Vietnams new land law, the real estate market can resume normal operations and enter a more robust development cycle from the second half of this year. Strict evaluation can ensure land law implementation To ensure the 2024 Land Law be implemented smoothly, it is necessary to carefully review, analyse, and evaluate the contents of draft decrees detailing some articles on implementation and on land prices. A Vietnamese nurse take care of the elderly at Kirishiki Welfare Centre in Saitama Prefecture, Japan (Photo: VNA) Tokyo A forum to promote cooperation in training and supplying high-quality human resources between localities and businesses in Vietnam and the Kyushu region of Japan was hosted by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka prefecture on May 28. Addressing the event, Consul General Vu Chi Mai highlighted the key role by high-quality human resources in promoting socio-economic development, improving competitiveness, and building a sustainable future for each country in the context of globalisation and the 4th Industrial Revolution. According to the diplomat, since 1992, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers have been sent to Japan to work under various programmes. As the second-largest foreign community in Japan, Vietnamese workers have been making significant contributions to the host countrys socio-economic development and become bridges for the close relationship between the two nations and their peoples. The annual rapid and steady increase in the number of Vietnamese labourers working in Japan demonstrates the popularity and adaptability of Vietnamese workers to the lifestyle, work environment, and culture of Japan, as well as the Japanese sides satisfaction and desire to receive Vietnamese labourers, the diplomat said. Mai expressed her belief that through the forum, parties involved will find suitable partners to meet the demands of the modern, high-quality labour market. Representatives of localities and businesses from Vietnam provided detailed introductions about the potential for supplying high-quality human resources, as well as incentives aimed at promoting cooperation with Japanese partners. Meanwhile, representatives from Fukuoka's administration and Japanese businesses highly valued the quality of Vietnamese human resources, as well as the increasing contributions by Vietnamese workers to the Japanese localitys socio-economic development. Many Japanese businesses in the Kyushu region said they hope that similar activities will be organised more frequently, making it easy for them to access reliable and useful information in the recruitment of workers from various localities in Vietnam. At the event, Consul General Mai and leaders of Fukuoka witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Vietnam Information Technology Association in Kyushu (VITAK) and the GAG Japanese Language Institute on Japanese language training for Vietnamese IT engineers, and a labour supply contract under the technical intern training programme between Vietnams JHL Group and Ohama Group of Japan. A similar forum will be held in Hiroshima city on May 29 with the participation of representatives from Hiroshima Prefecture's leaders, the Chugoku Economic Federation, and hundreds of Japanese and Vietnamese businesses. Hi-tech human resources still need further capacity improvement Vietnamese workers hold numerous opportunities in the high-tech labour market, but stronger efforts are still needed to improve their skills to meet employers demand. WeSale is as an advanced proptech platform, offering communities of brokers, individuals, and organisations who want to make breakthrough income from real estate exclusive and quality inventories from the top investors and developers; providing complete and optimal real estate development and trading solutions. By developing real estate transaction tools, CRM, and generative AI (LLM), WeSale is striving to improve the quality of consulting, and provide transparent and effective real estate transactions for members, brokers, business partners, and project developers. This investment round marks an important milestone in WeSale's development journey. With the investment capital from Hitseries Capital, WeSale will focus on developing and upgrading the platform, expanding markets, and developing new products and services to meet the increasing needs of partners and customers. Mai Lam Toi, CEO of WeSale said, "Having spent considerable time managing a real estate agency, I recognised the challenges traditional agencies face in scaling their in-house sales forces. Proptech offers the best solutions to these pain points, which led to the inception of WeSale. WeSale is building a superior technology platform and a strong sales force supported by versatile sales tools and a team of knowledgeable sales experts who directly support transactions so they are faster and more transparent." Shoichiro Tanaka, managing partner of Hitseries Capital, commented, "Our vision at WeSale is to build a primary/secondary property marketplace that implements transparent free-market principles." This strategic investment underscores the confidence in WeSales innovative approach and its ability to develop the real estate market in Vietnam and beyond. Some way to go for proptech to hit home The real estate technology sector in Vietnam is still struggling to find a way to survive despite being recognised as a huge potential market, with nearly 40 companies ceasing operations in the first five months of the year. PropTech Vietnam Summit 2023: Real estate and the future of investing PropTech Vietnam Network is thrilled to announce the second Annual Vietnam PropTech Summit 2023 will take place at The Experience Centre, Empire City, Thu Thiem New Urban Area, Ho Chi Minh City on December 14. Southeast Asia's youth, who constitute nearly a third of the region's population, along with the region's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which constitute 99 per cent of businesses, are key to economic growth. Visa is aiding this demographic by enhancing digital and financial literacy among female SME owners and young individuals. Last year, Visa digitally enabled 10 million SMEs in Asia-Pacific, and the Visa Foundation has committed over $47 million to the region, helping support two million women-led SMEs and sustain 500,000 jobs. The foundation also recently pledged $100 million to APEC economies over the next five years. Stephen Karpin, regional president of Asia Pacific at Visa, said, "Women and young people form a crucial engine propelling economic growth in Vietnam. Visa utilises our resources and vast network to give back to the communities we operate in, particularly in promoting digital and financial inclusion. We believe in the transformative power of providing individuals and communities with global access to digital financial tools. As a key partner in Southeast Asia's financial ecosystem, Visa is committed to reaching the most underserved communities, ensuring they too can reap the benefits of the digital economy." Kelly Tullier, vice chair and chief people and corporate affairs officer at Visa, added, "We are dedicated to empowering women, particularly those running small businesses, to set themselves up for success. My recent trip to Vietnam reinforced how contributions within local communities are most impactful when done in concert with leaders on the ground. We met a Visa Foundation partner, the Womens Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship Vietnam, which has supported 100,000 women entrepreneurs by granting them access to digital tools to grow their businesses. Meanwhile, Visas partnership with The Asia Foundation enables us to work with government agencies and microfinance institutions to support local businesses and help the digital economy thrive." Visa and Visa Foundation forge strategic partnerships that help advance digitalisation and financial inclusion in communities across Southeast Asia. The 'Accelerate My Business' initiative is a partnership between Visa, The Asia Foundation, and the Centre for Women and Development, that provides basic financial, business, and digital knowledge to Vietnams micro and SME owners in disadvantaged areas. The goal is to empower 25,000 female business owners in the next three years. Furthermore, Visa supports households and ethnic minority communities in partnership with the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs via a three-year MoU signed with the State Bank of Vietnam last year, and the annual Financial Literacy Programme, established in 2012 with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students Association, seeks to improve financial and business literacy in Vietnam. Cashless payments in Vietnam open for a bright future of retail Visa, a global leader in digital payments, on March 19 unveiled insights into Vietnam's payment landscape with its latest Consumer Payment Attitudes (CPA) study, highlighting the surge in cashless transactions and offering a comprehensive overview of the future of retail in the country. Visa partners with Vietnamese e-wallet apps Visa has announced a new partnership with three of the most popular e-wallets in Vietnam MoMo, VNPAY and ZaloPay to provide a more convenient payment experience for cardholders at participating small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Update, July 22: At the Sparks City Council meeting on Monday, July 22, the City of Sparks voted to reject a $1.2 million settlement to 84-year-old Maureen Hvegholm. The motion passed unanimously. After the city council meeting on May 28, Hvegholm was presented with a $500,000 counteroffer after originally asking to settle for $2 million. On Saturday, June 22, she made another offer to settle for $1.2 million. --- Original Story, May 28: The Sparks City Council voted to counter an 84-year-old woman's offer to settle a lawsuit against the city for $2 million after she allegedly was pushed to the ground by a Sparks firefighter. The Sparks City Council unanimously voted to provide a counteroffer of $500,000 instead of the $2 million she asked to settle for. At the meeting, two of Maureen Hvegholm's children spoke during public comment, urging the city council to vote to settle the lawsuit. Timothy Egan, Sparks firefighter, was accused of pushing Maureen Hvegholm, who was feeding stray cats outside the fire station on Victorian Avenue in December 2022. She says Egan grabbed the cat food and water out of her hands. Court documents state Hvegholm swatted at Egan, but due to her age, was not a threat. Egan then grabbed Hvegholm's shoulders and swept her feet, causing her to land on her head on the concrete. Hvegholm claimed the firefighter committed negligence and abuse of an older person through his actions. According to Hvegholm's attorney in a letter on May 3, an amount of $2,718,710.29 would cover her current and future healthcare needs. On May 7, in a settlement conference, Hvegholm offered to settle the lawsuit for $2 million. Gayla Ouellette, the daughter of Maureen Hvegholm, sent 2 News Nevada the following statement: Very disappointed in the City of Sparks today. Their offer will be rejected, and mom is prepared to go to trial. People need to understand the gravity of what the City of Sparks has done here. It's not only an assault on an elderly woman, it's the lies, deceit, and attempt at covering it up. It's disgusting. Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley, left, and Council Member Tom Scherlen listen to testimony during a City Council meeting Tuesday in Amarillo. Residents gave testimony and presented their arguments to council members as they discussed a proposed abortion travel ban in Amarillo. Mark Rogers/For the Texas Tribune LUBBOCK The Amarillo City Council has declined to immediately approve a voter-approved petition that demands the Texas Panhandle city adopt a so-called abortion travel ban, once again slowing a movement that has swept through similar conservative cities and counties. The council now has less than a month to decide whether to accept, amend or reject the petition supported by anti-abortion activists. If the council ultimately rejects the petition or heavily amends it, supporters are expected to ask voters to have the final say in November. The council also discussed adopting another policy that echoed 2021s Senate Bill 8, also known as the Heartbeat Act, which prohibits abortion after six weeks from the patients last period. Doing so would close the loopholes and define unborn child as beginning at the time of conception, said Mayor Cole Stanley. Advertisement Article continues below this ad After several hours of public comment and deliberations with the group behind the petition, the council decided Tuesday not to take action on either policy proposal. They scheduled a public hearing for June 11 to discuss amending the ordinance again. As presented to council, the abortion travel ban effectively makes it illegal to help a person access an abortion outside the state using local roads and highways. Legal scholars and abortion supporters have argued the policy is unconstitutional. The council discussed possible amendments to the ordinance with a committee that supported the petition, including residents Jana May, John Barrett and Steve Austin. Council Member Don Tipps asked if there could be an exception for parents and grandparents from punishment if they violate the law. The committee said no. The lengthy saga between City Council and advocates for and against abortion access began last October, when the council first took up the matter. Then, they were considering an 18-page ordinance that included the proposed travel ban. That ordinance also prohibited abortion in Amarillo, despite Texas already having one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. The council did not approve the policy then, breaking from a trend of other conservative municipalities and counties that passed the policies with little debate. In December, a group of Amarillo residents began circulating the petition after the council signaled it was willing to pass a revised version of the policy that did not include a travel ban. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The legally dubious travel ban is a must for anti-abortion activists. With more than 203,000 residents, Amarillo is the largest city in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Interstates 40 and 27 run through the city, both of which connect small towns surrounding Amarillo to the rest of the state, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Opponents to the proposal have expressed concern that it could scare people away from the city and harm interstate commerce. Stanley on Tuesday said the council wanted to remove the roadway aspect of the ordinance, rewrite the section with the title about prohibiting abortion trafficking and use state language for the law as part of their amendments. He called the enforcement a weak point of the policy and wants to remove that part, too. The committee said they would need to discuss amendments with their legal team. Robin Gantz, a retired minister in Amarillo, told the council she believes in the sanctity of life. However, shes concerned the ordinance could isolate pregnant women from their loved ones during an emotional time in their life. This prevents someone from offering basic human kindness, comfort and aid at a terrible time, Gantz said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Gantz also said the enforcement mechanism suggests a vigilante mentality and may allow lawsuits for financial gain. May, who helped lead the petition initiative, encouraged the council to pass the ordinance and think of the children. She said in these scenarios, people only hear about the women and their choice. We never hear anything about the baby, May said. The original ordinance does not call for pregnant women to be punished for having an abortion out of state. Instead, anyone who aids and abet the procedure would be vulnerable to a private lawsuit from other citizens. This is the only enforcement mechanism for the ordinance, and it is similar to the 2021 bill banning almost all abortions. Some have criticized it as turning neighbor against neighbor for reward money. Anti-abortion legal crusader Jonathan Mitchell, who helped design the 2021 bill, is working with activists pushing the travel ban on municipal levels. He has filed legal petitions seeking to depose women he says traveled out of state for abortions. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Jacob Beltran covers crime, breaking news and general assignments for the Express-News. He can be reached at jbeltran@express-news.net. A San Antonio native, Jacob began his journalism career in 2010. He's worked for the student-run newspaper for San Antonio College, The Ranger, and for Texas A&M University-San Antonio, The Mesquite. He enjoys video games, photography and exploring during his free time. Cibolo police said a 66-year-old Fort Worth man died in a single-vehicle accident overnight. Dave Thompson - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images A 66-year-old Fort Worth man died early Wednesday in a crash in Cibolo. The Cibolo police and fire departments responded to a single motor accident at 6:15 a.m. near FM 78 and Broad Oak Drive when someone saw an overturned vehicle off the roadway in a field next to the Trophy Oaks Apartments. Police said a white Hyundai Sonata was traveling eastbound on FM 78 when it veered off the right side of the roadway near Broad Oak Drive. The driver veered to the right and hit a dirt embankment. The car became airborne into an open field, according to police. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Hyundai hit the ground and rolled over several times, causing extensive damage, police said. The driver, identified as Jerrard Keil, was found dead inside the vehicle. Police said there were no witnesses to the single-vehicle accident. They also believed the crash occurred at an unknown time overnight when it was too dark for anyone to notice the vehicle in the field. Broad Oak Drive was closed to all traffic for approximately six hours while Cibolo Police and a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper investigated the accident. Incumbent County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores declares victory at her watch party at the Arizona Cafe after early voting results were released for the Democratic primary runoff for Precinct 1 on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer Incumbent County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores receives a standing ovation from those assembled at her watch party after she accused the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Bexar County of instigating racism against her during the Democratic primary runoff. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer Incumbent County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, reading from prepared remarks, accuses the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Bexar County of instigating racism against her at her watch party at the Arizona Cafe on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer County Judge Peter Sakai, right, speaks with Rebeca Clay, seated, at Rebeca Clay-Flores watch party at the Arizona Cafe on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Clay-Flores, center, won the Democratic primary runoff. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer Incumbent County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores declares victory at her watch party at The Arizona Cafe after early voting results were released for the Democratic primary runoff to determine the Precinct 1 nominee on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Marvin Pfeiffer/Staff Photographer Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores declared victory in the Democratic primary runoff less than 10 minutes after early voting returns were posted Tuesday night and then accused opponent Amanda Gonzalez and the deputies union of running a racist smear campaign. Some people called it a fluke that I won as the first woman of color, Clay-Flores initially told supporters gathered at the Arizona Cafe, referring to her 2020 primary runoff upset over longtime commissioner Sergio Chico Rodriguez. And thats part of the reason that I had so many (primary) opponents, and so tonight theres nothing they can say, she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Later in the evening, Clay-Flores shifted her focus to Gonzalez and the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Bexar County, saying they had instigated hate and racism against her. This campaign run by my opponent and the sheriff deputy association was more of an intimidation, harassment and bullying campaign, Clay-Flores said, reading from prepared remarks. 2024 TEXAS PRIMARY: Election results for Bexar County races Over the first two days of early voting, Clay-Flores campaign phone received six calls made from anonymous numbers in which the callers called the incumbent the N-word, said Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe, who took a leave of absence as the commissioners chief of staff to help with the campaign. Clay-Flores, 49, is Black and Mexican American. She is the first woman of color to be elected to the five-member Bexar County Commissioners Court. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Gonzalez, 34, did not return a request for comment. This is the first we are hearing of any incidents of racism during this campaign, and we encourage the Commissioner to pursue all appropriate mechanisms of legal recourse at her disposal to ensure that justice is served, the sheriffs union said in a statement. At no point was any reference made to her ethnicity or racial makeup, the union said, adding that its campaign in support of Gonzalez was primarily one of fact-checking statements the incumbent made about public safety. Clay-Flores won about 63% of the runoff vote, according to unofficial results. Gonzalez had almost 36% a difference of about 1,900 votes. Union had called for resignation Clay-Flores and the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Bexar County have not been on good terms since she took office in 2021. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The union backed Rodriguez in the 2020 primary for Commissioners Courts Precinct 1 seat, which is anchored on the South Side. The commissioner maintains that union President Ron Tooke has never reached out to her during her first-term, despite her calling him in 2022 to congratulate him on his election. In her remarks she described the unions leaders as vengeful. The sheriff deputies association wanted a woman whom they could control as their political pawn, she said. Apparently, my constituents let their voices be heard and decided that they want this woman. Because this woman asks tough questions that benefit the growth, safety and peace of Precinct 1. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Commissioners Court adopts the countys annual budget, which this year is almost $3 billion, and sets the property tax rate for the county and University Health. It oversees the building and maintenance of county roads, drainage projects, parks and county facilities, as well as the budgets for county departments, including the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. The union took particular issue with a runoff mailer Clay-Flores campaign produced that said she voted to approve 64 new deputy sheriff positions. The commissioner voted against adding 50 new patrol positions to the sheriff offices budget during an April 2023 meeting because she said she had been left out of this conversation. That September, she voted to adopt the new county budget that included those positions, in addition to 14 others. The union called on Clay-Flores to resign over the lies included in the mailer. The union reported spending almost $9,400 during the runoff in its campaign against Clay-Flores, which included signs claiming she had been voted worst commissioner in Bexar County and text messages to registered voters saying she has a woke record to defund law enforcement and cut public safety. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Campaigns get ugly Precinct 2 Commissioner Justin Rodriguez attended Clay-Flores watch party. The West Side commissioner said he couldnt comment on his colleagues specific allegations against the sheriffs union since he doesnt live in her precinct. I just know this: this is Rebecas first re-election campaign and those tend to be the toughest, when youre standing on your record and maybe youve done some things that are not in favor of certain parties or individuals theyre going to come at you, Rodriguez said. Campaigns get ugly sometimes. Thats the nature of politics, particularly on the South Side, he said. Hopefully time will heal it like it does most wounds, and you can get on with the business of the county. Bata India announces the appointment of Deepika Deepti as the Head of Marketing. With over 2 decades of experience in Marketing & Business roles at leading brands & an in-depth knowledge of Indian and International retail industry, Deepika is set to steer Bata India's Marketing mandate. A true culture shifter, Deepika is known for bringing in & nurturing the Sneaker culture in India through her roles at Adidas & CAMP SMA; in her new role at Bata India Limited, Deepika is set to uphold & elevate a new stylish trajectory for the brand in fashion and lifestyle space. During her tenure at adidas, she played a pivotal role in driving business growth for India and Emerging markets alongside flipping the script for the sneaker industry in India with adidas Originals, Yeezy & Neo. As the Chief Executive Officer at CAMP SMA she spearheaded the portfolio of Bhaane, Veg Non Veg, and a strategic partnership with Nike India. Prior to joining Bata India, Deepika held the position of Senior VP of Marketing at Metro Brands Ltd, where she defined a new trajectory with Takes you to the new campaign for metro shoes, as well as activating a modern cultural movement for Fitflop and Fila. Commenting on the appointment, Gunjan Shah, MD & CEO, Bata India said, As Bata India continues to innovate and adapt to evolving consumer preferences through premiumization, Casualisation and building strong style credentials, I am confident that Deepikas expertise in driving business growth and building strong brand equity will reinforce our position as the industry leader. Commenting on her appointment, Deepika Deepti, Head of Marketing, Bata India said, "Bata India has been a symbol of trust and quality for close to a century. I am excited for this new journey & cant wait to bring in unique experiences for Batas vast portfolio of brands! I look forward to collaborating with the talented team and leveraging our collective expertise to further strengthen the brand's position in the market." Deepika is an alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, where she specialized in Accessory and Apparel Design. With her strong track record in driving retail growth, streamlining operations, and forming partnerships, she is set to contribute to Batas continued success. EssenceMediacom, GroupMs media agency proudly announces its victory on acquiring the media mandate for Wonder Cement, after partnering with BCCI to secure them as the official umpire partner for the IPL. Wonder Cement, an Indian cement producer based in Rajasthan and established in 2010 under the RK Group, is marking a significant milestone by joining the IPL as the official umpire partner. Beginning with the 2024 playoffs the agencies have helped Wonder Cement strike a partnership with BCCI & IPL for the next 5 years. This strategic move aligns with the company's ambition to become a leading player in the cement industry and expand their footprint in India. Navin Khemka, CEO, EssenceMediacom South Asia said, "We are witnessing a paradigm shift in how brands engage with their audiences. Through this partnership we look forward to being a part of Wonder Cement's ambition in becoming Indias foremost cement company. By leveraging innovation and technology, we aim to deliver outstanding results for both the fans and the company. This victory reaffirms our commitment to building stronger teams and creating innovative, tailored solutions for our clients. Vinit Karnik, Head, Sports E-Sports and Live Entertainment, GroupM - South Asia, said, Securing the media mandate for Wonder Cement underscores our agency's expertise in positioning brands at the forefront of their industries. By harnessing advanced technology and innovative strategies, we are poised to elevate Wonder Cement's profile as a leading cement producer in India. This partnership with the IPL exemplifies our commitment to leveraging sports marketing to drive brand growth and visibility, and we are thrilled to contribute to Wonder Cement's ambitious journey." Vivek Patni, Director, Wonder Cement said, Wonder Cement is a gold standard when it comes to quality. BCCI represents the highest standard in the world of cricket. Partnering with BCCI for IPL is in line with our philosophy of maintaining the highest quality standards be it in our products or our associations and partnership. IPL is the most watched sports across continents. And it is a matter of pride and happiness to be seen on the National stage and what better way than IPL? This partnership is a significant step towards building a brand that spells quality, commitment and excellence. ET NOW.in, the digital arm of Indias leading English Business News Channel, ET NOW hosted the inaugural ET NOW.in Realty Conclave and Awards 2024, in New Delhi. The landmark event themed Shaping Tomorrow's Real Estate Landscape, celebrated the contributions of the real estate sector and the crucial role that the realtors play in shaping India's economic growth. Aligned with the ET NOW brand ethos Rise with India ET NOW.in Realty Conclave and Awards championed the transformative role of technology, sustainable practices, and strategic leadership in propelling the real estate sector forward and fostered collaborations for future advancements in the industry. Shri Jai Parkash Dalal, Minister of Finance & Town and Country Planning and Estates, Government of Haryana, delivered the keynote address, highlighting the importance of innovation and leadership in the real estate industry. Additionally, a special virtual live session was hosted by Niranjan Hiranandani, Managing Director of Hiranandani Group to provide further insights about the industry. ET NOW.in Realty Conclave and Awards 2024 witnessed distinguished policy makers, corporate leaders, & influential personalities from the real estate sector involving in enlightening conversation and felicitated luminaires across 35 categories selected through a rigorous nationwide submission and screening process evaluated by Tenfold. The event had a key lineup of speakers which included Shri Anand Kumar, Chairman, Delhi RERA, Shri G Hari Babu, President of NAREDCO, Hemant Sud, Founder & Chairman, IIIID-DRC, Dr. Vishesh Rawat, Vice President & Head of Marketing, Sales, M2K Group, Shri Robin Matharu, Director (Design & Quality), SAAN Verdante, Shri Navin Raheja, Chairman & MD of Raheja Developers, Shri Harsh Vardhan Bansal, President, NAREDCO Delhi, Saurabh Shankar Seth, Vice President Sales AIPL, and Vishal Raheja, CMD, Investo Expert, who engaged in panel discussions, and spotlight conversations providing valuable insights and fostering meaningful dialogues on the future of real estate. Delivering the keynote address at the ET Now.in Realty Conclave & Awards, Shri Jai Parkash Dalal, Minister of Finance & Town and Country Planning and Estates, Government of Haryana said, "The future of real estate in our country is very promising. With our rapidly growing economy, the demand for housing, office, and commercial spaces is surging. As we chart Haryana's development trajectory, it is imperative to tackle the pressing issue of skilled labour in the real estate sector. Developers play a key role in this by investing in training programs. Gurugram exemplifies successful collaboration between government and private sectors, aligning with the Prime Minister's vision for India's development by 2047. Initiatives like the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act have enhanced transparency and accountability. Despite challenges like land acquisition, our policies have paved the way for progress. Our unwavering focus is to deliver timely, high-quality housing and bolster builder credibility. Together, let's build a prosperous future founded on skill development and inclusive growth, setting new standards for urban living." Rohit Chadda, COO and President - Digital Business, Times Network said, ET NOW.in was launched just 16 months ago and has already reached over 100 million users in this short period. Today marks a significant milestone as we host our first mega event, bringing together top industry leaders, innovators, and influencers in the real estate sector. The ET NOW.in Real Estate Conclave and Awards, celebrates the transformative impact of the real estate sector and its contribution to economic progress. With over 35 award categories and 100 nominations, we honour outstanding contributions and innovations in this field. We are committed to a series of similar initiatives in the future, providing brands and industry leaders a platform to connect with discerning audiences across Times Networks digital brands. The ET NOW.in Realty Conclave and Awards 2024 winners are: CATEGORY WINNER PROJECT NAME TOP IN TOWNSHIP (ABOVE 250 ACRES) CENTRAL PARK CENTRAL PARK FLOWER VALLEY TOP IN RESIDENTIAL SECTOR HOSPITALITY - CENTRAL PARK (ST. JEROME) CENTRAL PARK CENTRAL PARK FLOWER VALLEY INTEGRATED TOWNSHIP OF THE YEAR M2K COUNTY M2K COUNTY, DHARUHERA EXCELLENCE IN REALTY PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT FIFTY1 INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT LUXURY PROJECT OF THE YEAR LEELA SKY VILLAS RAHEJA LEELA SKY VILLAS EXCELLENCE IN WOMEN LEADERSHIP IN REAL-ESTATE DR KETTAKI - EXCELLENCE IN LUXURY SEGMENT HOMES SAYA HOMES PVT LTD SAYA GOLD AVENUE EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY CONSTRUCTION SAYA HOMES PVT LTD SAYA GOLD AVENUE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR- DELHI-NCR SAYA HOMES PVT LTD SAYA GOLD AVENUE EXCELLENCE IN REAL ESTATE CONSULTANCY INVESTOXPERT ADVISORS PVT. LTD. CONSULTANT GTF EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL SERVICE PROVIDER GTF TECHNOLOGIES - EXCELLENCE IN PRIME YOUNG ACHIEVERS. APEX BUILDSYS LIMITED PANKAJ AGGARWAL EXCELLENCE IN SUPER LUXURY SEGMENT HOME (ABOVE 5 CR) SMART WORLD SMART WORLD EDITION ICONIC DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR METRO SMART WORLD SMART WORLD EDITION EXCELLENCE IN PRIME COMMERCIAL PROJECT AIPL AIPL MASTERPIECE EXCELLENCE IN PRIME TOWNSHIP PROJECT AIPL AIPL DREAMCITY EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL PROJECT ORRIS GATEWAY ORRIS GATEWAY LUXURY PROJECT OF THE YEAR NOIDA ARIHANT ARIHANT ONE ICONIC RESIDENTIONAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR NOIDA PALM OLYMPIA PALM OLYMPIA EXCELLENCE IN LUXURY SEGMENT VILLAS (2 TO 5 CR) ESCON ESCON PANACHE VILLAS EXCELLENCE IN ALUMINIUM FORMWORK MANUFACTURING EINS TECHNIK PVT. LTD. ALUMINIUM FORMWORK MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE IN UPCOMING PROJECT OF THE YEAR KANODIA GROUP REAL ESTATE UPCOMING EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DHANI GROUP ANKUR ARORA- VP DHANI GROUP EXCELLENCE IN HOTELS AND RESORT DESIGN DESIGN ACCORD CONSULTANTS IORA RESORT EXCELLENCE IN LIVING LUXURY HOMES NAVRAJ NAVRAJ THE ANTALYAS TOP FACILITY MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR ABANATE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SERVICES PVT. LTD. ABANATE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SERVICES PVT. LTD. EXCELLENCE IN REALESTATE CONSULTANCY - COMMERCIAL X CAPITAL INDIA CONSULTANT EXCELLENCE IN INTERIOR DESIGNING JD INSTITUDE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY - PIONEERING EXCELLENCE IN LUXURY SENIOR LIVING EDEN RETIREMENT LIVING PRIVATE LIMITED EDEN SENIOR LIVING & WELLNESS EXCELLENCE IN PREMIUM VILLA (KERELA) TITAN BUILDERS & DEVELOPERS BUILDER EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING STRATEGIC REALTY SECTOR ONEXTEL COMMUNICATION MEDIA - EXCELLENCE IN LUXURY MODERN LIVING PROJECT OF THE YEAR GANGA REALTY NANDAKA DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR LUXURY BHUTANI INFRA BHUTANI ACQUA EDEN EXCELLENCE IN PROMOTOR AND CONTRACTOR INVESTVEDYA INFRATECH PVT LTD - INNOVATION IN HOUSING DESIGN SAAN VERDANTE & RENU ROBIN DESIGN (ROBIN MATHARV) - The successful event underscored a united commitment to recognizing achievements and setting the stage for celebrating the real estate industry. Adgully, in partnership with CommsAdda, yesterday (May 28, 2024) hosted an exclusive live webinar, titled Building a Powerful Brand Narrative: The Science of Storytelling and Its Role in Creating a Strong Brand Identity that Resonates with Target Audiences. This insightful discussion brought together various industry experts from PR and corporate communications to delve into the critical elements of brand storytelling. The webinar featured Bhaskar Majumdar, Head - Marketing Communication, CSR and Digital, Egis South Asia, as the moderator, guiding the conversation with his expertise. The distinguished panellists included: Arun Arora, Director - Strategy, Communication and CSR, Chetak Group and Foundation Bhumika Gupta Oberoi, Team Lead - Marketing, Boston Consulting Group Priya Patankar, Head of Communications at PhonePe Rahul Gossain, Chief Strategy and Brand Officer, JSA Together, they explored the science behind storytelling and its pivotal role in crafting compelling brand narratives that effectively engage and resonate with target audiences. Bhaskar Majumdar commenced the discussions by asking Arun Arora about the evolution of social media and its impact on brand building. He asked, Social media has evolved significantly over the years. How do you think brand building has evolved and become an integral part of the communication function? Arora responded by emphasizing on the timeless art of storytelling in brand building. He illustrated his point by referencing the Ramayana. During the time of Ram, Luv and Kush went around narrating the tale of Ram and Sita. This tradition of storytelling has been a powerful means of communication and education for centuries. Our historical texts, such as the Puranas and various Granths, were taught orally by saints, healers, and gurus through storytelling. Focusing on the practical applications of storytelling in brand building, Arora explained, Storytelling touches the emotional chord of the listener or audience. When we connect emotionally, the brand becomes ingrained in the audiences psyche. He elaborated on the structure of effective storytelling, stating, Storytelling begins with an inciting incident, moves through a turning point and crisis, reaches a climax, and concludes with a resolution. This structure is fundamental, much like the inverted pyramid used in news writing. When asked to share her thoughts on storytelling creating and emotional attachment, Bhumika Gupta Oberoi shared a compelling anecdote to highlight the significance of purpose and emotion in storytelling. She mentioned the famous story of a janitor at NASA who, when asked by President Kennedy what his job was, replied, I put a man on the moon. This story encapsulates the essence of infusing emotion and purpose into ones work. Elaborating further, she said, The janitors response wasnt just about his job; it was about his contribution to a grand mission. This emotion and purpose are crucial in storytelling, especially in branding. Without a clear purpose, a brand's story cannot connect emotionally with consumers. She emphasized on two key points: the necessity of purpose in a brands narrative and the powerful role of emotions. The janitor could have simply said he cleans the building, but by expressing his role in a monumental achievement, he defined his purpose and connected emotionally. This emotional connection is what makes certain ads memorable and others forgettable. Bhumika also highlighted the importance of professionals in bringing emotion to brand campaigns. Take the ongoing Apple versus Samsung campaign. The conversations and emotions around these ads add depth to their stories. Without a clear purpose, even the most well-executed brand campaigns will fail to resonate. Stating that storytelling is a universal skill close to his heart, Bhaskar Majumdar emphasized that while storytelling comes naturally to everyone, professionals must refine and elevate it. As professionals, we need to make storytelling more polished and impactful, he stressed. This approach ensures that storytelling remains an effective tool in communication and brand building. He then asked Paytms Priya Patankar, How do you create the philosophy or strategic narrative for a brand that is penetrated in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets and is available almost everywhere? Patankar responded by saying, From the start, PhonePe focused on Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, which is unusual as most brands typically begin with early adopters in metropolitan areas. The beauty of digital payments is their ability to achieve true financial inclusion. Everyone, from auto drivers to cooks, uses digital payments. This cuts across age groups and demographics. I dont use a physical wallet anymore; my mobile wallet suffices. She emphasized the importance of tailoring messages to diverse audiences. PhonePes journey was consciously designed to be inclusive. From day one, our app was multilingual, covering popular languages to ensure users could navigate comfortably. Money can cause anxiety, especially when troubleshooting. If the app were only in English, many users would be lost. Patankar also highlighted their use of popular voices for smart speakers, such as Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi and other regional actors, to create a relatable experience. Engaging with consumers in their language and style makes a significant difference. Storytelling involves making the consumer feel involved in the communication. For instance, my parents use digital payments, but often need help, so we provide more visual aids and support. Younger users, being digitally savvy, navigate fearlessly. Tailoring communication to language, style, age, and user experience is crucial, she added. Speaking on how brand building applies to a law firm, given its unique services and stakeholders, Rahul Gossain shared, Ive worked on both the corporate and agency sides for over 12 years before entering legal services. Despite differences, theres an underlying integration at a conceptual level, whether in professional services, corporates, B2C, B2B, or D2C contexts. He emphasized the importance of appealing to stakeholders, whether internal or external. For instance, at Max, the focus was on internal stakeholders and building the internal brand. In law firms, it is both internal and external stakeholders, including potential clients and policymakers. Gossain noted that communication should facilitate behaviour and cultural change. A communicators ability lies in defining an aspiration or behaviour that binds everyone together, providing a common aspirational value. This value must be tailored to different stakeholders to achieve specific behaviours and actions. QX Lab AI, a cutting-edge Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) company, announced today the launch of Ask QX PRO, an advanced version of its Generative AI platform Ask QX. Expanding on the success of Ask QX, which focused on text to text capabilities, Ask QX PRO introduces multimodal features like text to image, image to text, document analysis, and text to code, alongside its text to text capabilities, incorporating a wider array of functionalities and requirements. Since its launch earlier this year, Ask QX has garnered over 15 million users, with 4 million of them engaging with the platform on a regular basis. The core focus of QX Lab AI has always been to create a platform that educates users on the vast potential of Generative AI, emphasizing use cases of this technology in both business and personal scenarios. QX Lab AI is based on a foundational model, which means that the platform trains on its datasets and has its own API. This makes QX Lab AI one of the six foundational models in the world, along with OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, and Cohere, among others. Ask QX PRO has an improved version of the previous models text to text feature. Additionally, its text to image feature is capable of generating clear images from textual input, while the image to text feature offers users the best source of detailed textual information derived from images. The platforms text to code feature makes it possible to transform prose type descriptions into coded snippets, while the code editing feature allows the user to edit the code base, add new codes, and even rectify any wrong code with real-time suggestions & corrections. Furthermore, the document analyser feature allows users to browse and search documents, scan for important data, and extract information from it. These improvements give Ask QX PRO a universal value and reliability for different practical uses. For its multimodal architecture tailored for B2B industries, Ask QX PRO has introduced two pioneering technologies: the Advanced Multimodal Synthesis System (AMSS) and the Dynamic Integration and Synthesis Matrix (DISM). AMSS employs a state-of-the-art transformer-based framework, trained on 20 trillion tokens and featuring a complex architecture of multiple small expert models, enabling robust data integration and facilitating intricate interactions among varied data types such as text and imagesideal for complex B2B applications. This integration is enhanced through sophisticated manifold alignment and optimized Bayesian integration, projecting inputs into a unified, comprehensive framework. DISM utilizes advanced cross-modal attention mechanisms alongside recursive tensor decomposition to seamlessly synthesize and integrate multimodal data from multiple industry sources. With up to 665 billion parameters, it ensures precise, adaptive outputs that respond dynamically to evolving business environments while incorporating differential privacy algorithms to maintain stringent data integrity and security, supporting critical B2B applications across various sectors. Ask QX PRO has been designed to support more than 120 languages. This includes languages like English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish (Gaelic), and Cornish, and it is done with the intention of democratising access to Generative AI by catering to users from every region within this vast market. The platform inferencing ensures that outputs are relevant and resonant for all users. Users will get free access to the platform, and a premium model will be introduced by the company in mid-June this year. Keeping data privacy and security as the utmost priority, QX Lab AI will ensure local storage of user data is in compliance with relevant local laws. The company will work together with its infrastructure partners to safeguard user data privacy and security, adhering to the highest standards of data security applicable in the UK and the EU. For now, the Ask QX PRO application will be accessible to Android users, with the iOS version expected to be launched soon. Moreover, the Ask QX PRO has comprehensive data protection measures, including encryption of data at rest and in transit, using industry-standard protocols. Continuous monitoring and logging of all system activities to detect and respond to potential security threats in real time. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities. Arjun Prasad, Co- Founder & Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), QX Lab AI, said: The launch of our multimodal platform is a testament to the tremendous response we have received for Ask QX. We believe that Europe is a crucial market for any technology company like ours, especially given the large number of tech-savvy populations ready to embrace Generative AI for personal and professional use. We recognize the importance of strategic partnerships to grow our platform and reach users across every corner of the continent. Elizabeth MacRae, the actress who played Gomer Pyles girlfriend, has died. She was 88. MacRae died Monday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she was raised, her family announced. The actress also played Festus Haggens girlfriend on televisions Gunsmoke. MacRae showed up as Lou-Ann Poovie on 15 episodes of the CBS comedy Gomer Pyle: USMC during its final three seasons (1966-69). She also portrayed April Clomley, the girlfriend of deputy marshal Festus (Ken Curtis), on CBS Gunsmoke from 1962-64. Over a career that spanned 25 years, MacRae was featured in Route 66, Surfside 6, Rendezvous, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie and The Andy Griffith Show among others. MacRae also appeared General Hospital, where she played Meg Baldwin from August 1969 until 1973, when the character was killed off. She also appeared in other soaps, Another World, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow. Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily. Great news for M&Ms fans. Theres a new flavor on the way. M&Ms is launching a brand new Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Pie flavor that will hit shelves nationwide this summer, according to All Recipes. At Mars, we celebrate Halloween every day, all year long, said Tim LeBel, Chief Halloween Officer and President of Sales at Mars Wrigley North America in a press release. Our 2024 Mars Wrigley Halloween product line-up is a direct reflection of our consumer obsession and offers a playful blend of taste, creativity, and on-trend seasonal offerings to deliver products we know will end up in the good pile on Halloween night. The Pumpkin Pie M&Ms arent the only new addition to the candy lineup. Fan-favorite M&Ms Ghouls with a mix of Milk Chocolate, Peanut and Peanut Butter M&Ms will be coming back, as will the Ghoulish Green Snickers and Twix bars. \ If youre going to be shirtless in public, at least the beach is the right place for it. Comedian Bert Kreischer, known for his shirtless performances, is hosting the Fully Loaded Comedy Festival Tour this summer and its stopping at the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala., June 30. The Wharf at Orange Beach: Fully Loaded Comedy Fans in Alabama can get tickets to the Orange Beach show for $26.75 at Ticketmaster | $29 at Vivid Seats | $31 at SeatGeek | $32 at StubHub. Those performing on the tour include Kreischer, Big Jay Oakerson, Dan Soder, Dave Attell, Whitney Cummings, Ralph Barbosa and Matt McCusker. The event is rain or shine. Kreischer, who is also a podcaster, reality television host and actor, got his big break in 1997 when he was featured in an article in Rolling Stone, which named Kreischer the top partyer at the No. One Party School in the country while he was attending Florida State University. Its been more than a year since a 52-year-old Montgomery mother was fatally shot while she was asleep in her bed, and authorities are not giving up hope of solving the case. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers on Wednesday announced an increase in reward money for information leading to arrests in the killed of Yvette Carter. The deadly shooting happened at 10:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Carter was found dead inside her home. Investigators have said three suspects were seen exiting a small black sedan with factory rims before the shooting. All three were wearing hoodies. One suspect was seen walking from the car wearing all black with a white or grey hood, black bottoms, and white shoes. He pulled a rifle from his pants. Family previously said they believe Carter was killed by a stray bullet, WSFA reported. Montgomery City Councilman Oronde Mitchell and Montgomery County Commissioner Carmen Moore-Zeiler have each donated $1,000 in reward money. Crime Stoppers as increased its offer to $3,000 for a total of $5,000. I want all residents to feel safe in the neighborhoods they live in, Mitchell said. I stand with Yvette Carters family in seeking closure and justice for their loved one and all those impacted by senseless gun violence in our community, Moore-Zeigler said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867), 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867) or via the P3-tips app. San Antonio Crime Stoppers is looking for two drivers of separate vehicles involved in a hit-and-run accident. San Antonio Crime Stoppers San Antonio Crime Stoppers is asking for the publics help in finding the driver responsible for the hit-and-run death of a 45-year-old man earlier this month. On May 15, a man was hit by two vehicles around 9:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Culebra Road. Police said the first vehicle, a white Mazda 3, was traveling westbound when it struck the man. The driver fled the scene without stopping to help. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Shortly after, an orange SUV traveling westbound also hit the wounded man. The driver also did not stop to render aid. Surveillance video shows the SUV driver stopping at a Valero/Circle K gas station near the 1400 block of Culebra Road to inspect the vehicle. The video then showed the driver heading back toward the crash scene. The man struck by the vehicle was later identified as Roman Gonzalez. He died shortly after the incident as a result of his injuries. Advertisement Article continues below this ad An Ozark man ordered to apologize to the officer who pulled him over for speeding will not have to write a letter after the judge today dismissed the case. Reginald Burks, 39, was taking his kids to school in December when he was pulled over in Ozark for going 28 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone. After the officer finished writing the ticket, Burks said he stood in front of his car, forcing the father to back up and pull around to get out. Burks told the officer to get your ass out of the way, according to an interview with AL.com. When he came to court in April, officials said he would have to apologize to the officer or face up to 30 days in jail, Burks said. Burks told AL.com that he was prepared to plead guilty and pay the fines and fees, but did not want to write the required apology letter. A hearing had been set for June 4 and Burks said he was willing to go to jail rather than write the letter. Burks story gained national attention in recent weeks, appearing on nationally syndicated radio and television shows. Todays order dismissing the case indicated that city prosecutors no longer wanted to pursue the matter. He will not have to return to court. Two people were rescued when an 80-foot yacht struck an underwater object and started to sink over off the Florida coast during the Memorial Day weekend, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast. The Coast Guards Jacksonville station received a distress call just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday from the yacht Atlantis, saying the motor yacht was taking on water three miles off St. Augustine Beach. A Coast Guard boat crew was dispatched, with notification sent out to multiple first responder agencies ad nearby good Samaritans to assist. The yacht operator was instructed to activate the yachts emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) which allowed rescuers to accurately determine the yachts position. Marine units from the St. Johns Sheriffs Office and St. Augustine Police Department arrived at the scene first and rescued the two people who were aboard the yacht. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partner agencies for their invaluable assistance during this case, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Ricardo Santacana, command duty officer, Sector Jacksonville. With the weather improving and mariners heading out onto the water, its imperative for everyone to verify the presence of all necessary safety equipment aboard their vessel. This ensures that responders, as demonstrated in this case, can swiftly locate you and render assistance when an emergency arises. A hazard warning was issued to alert boaters to the location of the partially submerged yacht. The yachts owner will arrange salvage of the vessel, the Coast Guard said. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. Twelve jurors in New York City are poised to make history when they reveal the verdict in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The decision could influence some voters in a close presidential race in key swing states with six months until the election. Jury deliberations started on Wednesday. Prosecutors have alleged that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee engaged in a strategy to acquire and suppress unfavorable news stories, to impact the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to cover up the purported scheme. Its the first of Trumps four criminal cases to go to trial, and likely the only one to be tried before the Nov. 5 election. As the campaign barrels toward November, the hush money trial has done little to shift a tight race. Thats partly because polling shows few voters are paying attention to it. In a recent YouGov/Yahoo News poll, just 16% of respondents said theyd been following the trial very closely, with one-third saying they were taking a mild interest in proceedings. More Americans said the trial made them feel bored or angry than interested. Thats somewhat surprising given the salacious subject matter a former adult film star detailing an alleged sexual encounter with a presidential candidate. But Trump has a long history of outrageous behavior, and if the facts of the case have not motivated voters en masse, a legal outcome of them might not either. I think even his most ardent supporters, given who he is, can believe everything they said he did, GOP consultant Chris Nicholas said. Whether it ends up being found to be felonious criminally is another story. Heres what were watching for in the three scenarios that could play out. If Donald Trump is found guilty If the jury finds Trump guilty, he would be eligible for a prison sentence, an unprecedented scenario that the Secret Service is already taking preemptive steps to prepare for. Each of the 34 felony falsification of business records charges that Trump is facing carries a sentence of up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. If Trump is found guilty, Judge Juan Merchan would have a lot of leeway. He could sentence Trump to probation, house arrest, or prison. Given Trump, 77, has no prior criminal record, many legal experts say its unlikely the judge would impose a prison sentence. Trump would also likely appeal a guilty verdict, and any jail time would be stayed as the appeal continues through the court system, a process that could take months, if not years. Still, the case against Trump for Democrats and Biden becomes easier to make with a guilty verdict. The Biden campaign is preparing to start referring to Trump as convicted felon Donald Trump, should he be found guilty. And polling has indicated a guilty verdict could erode some support. A March Politico and Ipsos survey found that a conviction could cost Trump more than one-third of independents. A February NBC News poll showed that a conviction in the New York trial could trigger a big swing from 18- to 34-year-old voters from Trump to Biden. And an ABC News/Ipsos survey from late April found that 20% of Trump supporters polled would either reconsider their support (16%) or withdraw it (4%) if hes convicted. Theres little sign that avid supporters have abandoned Trump over his legal troubles in many states, but even smaller shifts could matter in a tight race. Trump, meanwhile, will likely continue to run and fundraise off of the trial, no matter the outcome. Hes turned the indictments into unifying rallying calls to his supporters. Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists, and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of honor, Trump said in a recent rally. I am being indicted for you and never forget our enemies want to take my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom. They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you. A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for office. The Constitution requires only three things of candidates: they must be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. If Donald Trump is acquitted Trump, for months, has categorized the case against him as a politically motivated prosecution. An acquittal would represent validation for Trump, his supporters, and his lineup of potential running mates, many of whom have packed the courtroom. While he faces three other criminal trials, its unlikely any of those cases will conclude ahead of the general election, meaning an acquittal frees Trump from the possibility of running as a convicted candidate or a candidate in jail. That could help him among undecided voters with whom the outcome of the cases carries some weight. Trump leads Biden in national polls and most swing states. His challenge has always been how to expand his base beyond a dedicated core. Running on an acquittal helps him make the case to moderates and independent voters. It puts Bidens Democratic surrogates in a more difficult position having spent months defending the trial against Trump. And while an acquittal wouldnt directly impact the other pending cases in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, it could shape public perception and influence potential juries in those states. If the jury hangs If the jury cannot reach a verdict, the judge will likely declare a mistrial. The Manhattan district attorney can then choose to retry the case with a new jury. But the runway to the election is shortening, making a retrial before November unlikely. Trump would likely cast a mistrial as a win. Whatever the outcome, how both candidates respond could carry almost as much weight as the decision. Biden has avoided commenting on the legal cases, but his campaign indicated hell make a statement on the verdict. And Trump will be even more free to speak out with the trial behind him. The wild card, of course, is how does he respond? Nicholas, the GOP consultant, said. Once the verdict is in, he doesnt have the gag order anymore, so hes off to the races in terms of what he says. ___ 2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. AL.com contributed to this report. Advocates from several organizations that oppose the death penalty delivered a petition to Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday opposing the execution of Jamie Ray Mills, which is scheduled for Thursday. Mills is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the murders of Floyd and Vera Hill during a robbery in Marion County in 2004. The execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Along with the petition opposing Mills execution, the advocates delivered two related petitions. One opposes Alabamas new method of execution, nitrogen hypoxia, as experimental. The third petition seeks greater transparency in Alabamas execution process. The group Death Penalty Action, which supports abolishing the death penalty, organized Tuesdays event, which included brief remarks from several speakers on the Capitol steps before the petitions were carried in to the governors office. The rallies and petition deliveries have become regular events during the weeks of Alabama executions. Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty and Witness to Innocence were among other organizations with representatives at the Capitol on Tuesday. Mills and his then-wife, JoAnn Mills, were convicted in the June 2004 beating deaths of the Hills. The elderly couple were beaten with a machete, a ball-peen hammer, and a tire iron at their home in Guin. The Mills stole cash and prescription medication, according to the court records. The petition seeking clemency for Mills cites claims Mills made in federal court in April - that JoAnn Mills testified against her husband back in 2007 as part of a plea deal that the prosecutor failed to disclose in court. JoAnn Mills, originally charged with capital murder, pleaded guilty to murder and received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. But U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler rejected Mills claim in a ruling on May 17, saying Mills lawyers had made the same claim about a plea deal many times without evidence and finding that a new affidavit from JoAnn Mills lawyer was filed too late and was unconvincing. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision on Tuesday. The petition seeking clemency for Mills has received more than 6,600 signatures, according to the online post on the Action Network. Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, said the assertion about the plea deal raises questions about whether justice was done in the case. Aside from that, Bonowitz said sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole achieve justice more than the death penalty. We believe that we can be safe from dangerous people who have done awful things, Bonowitz said. They are no longer a danger in prison. And we can hold them accountable by throwing away the key which is what we do in the vast majority of cases. We do not need executions to hold people accountable to their wrongs or to be safe from them. So lets get rid of the death penalty, and instead put the money that were wasting into better services for victim families, and better prevention efforts. Because we know one of the constant threads throughout everybody that gets executed, is what happened to them when they were children. Were talking about abuse, addiction, all kind of issues like that, from the time of their childhood. If we could intervene in situations like that more and better, we would prevent murders. The claim alleging the states failure to disclose a plea deal is one two federal lawsuits Mills filed as part of his latest round of appeals. The other challenges the states lethal injection protocol. Last week, Chief U.S. District Judge Emily Marks of Montgomery denied Mills motion on the lethal injection protocol and called the timing of the case so close to the execution date inexplicable and inexcusable. The 11th Circuit upheld Marks decision on Tuesday, denying Mills motion for a stay of execution. The execution would be Alabamas second of the year. The state executed Kenneth Eugene Smith by the new method of nitrogen hypoxia in January. Smiths execution was the first by any state using that method. More than 21,000 people have signed the petition seeking to stop nitrogen hypoxia executions, which cause death by suffocating a person who breathes only nitrogen, with no oxygen. The petition says non-government witnesses described Smiths execution as horrific and torturous. Attorney General Steve Marshall said the execution went according to plan and called it a textbook success. Witnesses said Smith writhed and thrashed for about two minutes after the gas was started. That was followed by five to seven minutes of heavy breathing. Witnesses said Smith stopped moving about 12 minutes after the gas was started. He was pronounced dead about a half-hour after the gas started. Gary Drinkard, an exonerated former Alabama Death Row inmate, who spoke on the Capitol steps Tuesday, said the length of time it took Smith to die shows that the execution did not go as planned. Drinkard, who is on the board of directors of the organization Witness to Innocence, said claims of prosecutorial misconduct in the Mills case and others call for the establishment of a conviction integrity unit in Alabama, either by the governor or the attorney general. Drinkard later delivered one of the petitions to the governors office. Rev. Lynn Hopkins of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Montgomery spoke in the Capitol steps in favor of the pull back the curtains on executions petition. It calls for the media and witnesses to be allowed to observe executions from the moment the condemned inmate is brought into the execution chamber and the procedure begins. If the state is going to kill people in the name of justice, ostensibly as representatives of its citizens, we are demanding that its citizens have knowledge of whats going on, Hopkins said. Right now, all of the preparation is done in secret. We have no knowledge of the source of the implements of killing. We have no knowledge of what goes on prior to the curtain being opened after the procedure has already begun. And regardless of how the citizens of Alabama feel about the death penalty, whether it can ever be just or not, certainly we are entitled to know exactly what the state of Alabama is doing in our name. Esther Brown, executive director of Project Hope to Establish the Death Penalty, also spoke and took part in Tuesdays petition delivery. There may be one thing that I agree with the governor about, Brown said. All life is sacred. Unfortunately, I guess it depends on the life. Bonowitz said that although the petitions are graciously received by the governors constituent services staff, his organization has never received a response from the governors office. Gina Maiola, communications director for the governor, said Governor Ivey receives and is thoroughly briefed on all petitions for clemency. Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials is rejecting what it calls the illegal expropriation of its operations in Mexico after rejecting an offer for the property that the company says substantially undervalues its holdings there. Its the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between the Mexican government and the company over its mining unit in Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula. Reuters is reporting that Vulcan says it remains open to a negotiated solution over the installation. In March 2023, the Mexican government seized the facility, despite a court ordered stay on any government action to confiscate the property. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador threatened to declare the property a natural protected area or seize it by force if Vulcan doesnt accept a $360 million offer for the gravel pits before he leaves office. Lopez Obrador has accused the company of extracting materials without the proper permit and environmental damage. Vulcan contends Mexico wants the property, which Vulcan estimates is worth more than $1 billion, to convert it for tourism, and cruise ship and naval operations. Last week, Lopez Obrador said that the site had not been seized, but only closed at least until he leaves office in October. In a statement, Vulcan described the actions as authoritarian. The truth is that at no time have we received a generous offer to buy our property, Vulcan stated. We were given an informal appraisal, without signatures and without details, that substantially undervalues our assets, including the limestone reserves of which we own under Mexican law, as well as the only deep draft port in the region. Kate Middleton has reportedly been seen out and about with her family and running errands by herself, in the latest development since announcing her cancer diagnoses on March 22. The 42-year-old royal has kept a very low profile throughout her ongoing treatment, but was recently spotted by sources who spoke to People Magazine on Tuesday. However, there was no additional information shared about exactly when or where Middleton was seen. Despite the promising news, the Princess of Wales will not be returning to her royal work for the time being. Shes being told to continue resting until doctors determine that shes made a full recovery, palace sources told the outlet. Prior to her diagnosis, Middleton had been focusing on her foundation, which aims to improve early childhood development. Amid her treatment, she has been updated on their latest projects, but has not yet been able to resume her duties. On May 10, Prince William provided a positive but vague update on his wifes condition while on a hospital visit to the Isles of Scilly. When a hospital administrator asked about Princess Kate, William responded simply, Shes doing well, thank you. Much speculation has been made online about Middletons condition as she has remained relatively reclusive during her treatment. A Photoshop faux-pas back in March, nearly two weeks before she announced her diagnosis, only further fueled the rumors and conspiracy theories being shared online. ________ 2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the rejection of an Alabama Death Row inmates claim of innocence and denied a stay of execution -- two days before Jamie Mills is set to die. Mills, 50, has been fighting his execution in two separate federal lawsuits: One challenging the states lethal injection protocol and another claiming his former wife lied when testifying against him. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found no reasonable jurist could conclude that the district court abused its discretion when it denied a motion for a new trial from Mills. Mills claimed his ex-wife, JoAnn Mills, perjured herself by denying that she testified against him in exchange for leniency. Jamie Mills and JoAnn Mills were convicted in the June 2004 beating deaths of Floyd and Vera Hill. The Hills were beaten with a machete, a ball-peen hammer, and a tire iron at their Marion County home before, prosecutors said, the Millses stole cash and prescription medication. The jury recommended by 11 to 1 that Mills be executed for the slayings. Jamie Mills also asked for a stay of execution to prohibit the state from doing several things: putting him on the gurney while his lawsuits are still pending, restraining him on the gurney without legitimate reason, not letting his lawyers in the execution chamber while his intravenous lines are set up, and denying his lawyers access to a phone line while inside the prison. The 11th Circuit denied the stay after ruling Jamie Mills has not established that he is substantially likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal or that the equities favor a stay of execution at this late stage... Jamie Mills is scheduled to die Thursday via lethal injection for the 2004 murders of an elderly couple in Marion County. It remains unclear whether he plans to appeal the federal appeals court rulings to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is an opinion column. How many voices, how many cries? How many prayers, how many tears? How many years? Toforest Johnson certainly hasnt lost count, not of the years. Nor probably the months or days. Hes lived on Alabamas Death Row since 1998 when he was 25. Since being convicted of murdering Jefferson County Sheriffs Deputy William Hardy, a 23-year veteran officer, three years earlier in the parking lot of what was then the Crown Sterling Suites hotel where Hardy worked a second job as a security guard. Convicted despite evidence that would evoke eye rolls from a Law & Order jury. Despite a key witness who didnt know Johnson testifying she heard someone claiming to be Toforest confess to the killing on a three-way call with her daughter with someone at the county jail. A compromised (now-deceased) key witness whom investigators did not originally believe and was later revealed to have been paid $5,000 to be the states witness. Convicted despite nary a strand, thread, or drop of physical evidence. Despite (of course, this is not unusual) Johnsons insistent and repeated denial of the crime. Hes remained on Death Row despite, too, a deafening chorus of cries that Johnson is innocent. That he should not have been convicted of the crime. Cries that, at minimum, he should be granted a new trial. That he should not be on Death Row. More than three years ago, former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley called Johnsons trial and conviction deeply flawed. [T]he evidence presented against him is so thin, that no Alabamian should tolerate his incarceration, let alone his execution, Baxley wrote in the Washington Post. An innocent man is trapped on Alabamas death row. Thats one voice. Just one. There are many others, so many in this choir of concern. Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr (he wasnt DA when Johnson was tried) has long called for Johnson to be granted a new trial, saying four years ago after an extensive investigation into the case his duty to seek justice requires intervention in this case. Last week, Carr filed an amicus brief supporting Johnson in the county court where Johnsons futurehis liferests. A motion for a new trial, filed by Johnsons attorneys, is before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Kandice Pickett. Citing additional evidence supporting Johnsons innocence, Carr wrote in the brief: It has not been possible, until recently, to fully appreciate the full extent to which the foundation of this conviction has disintegrated. In between, the chorus was joined by copious voices. Most notably Jeff Wallacethe man who prosecuted the case against Johnson, who now supports Carrs call for correction. There are other Alabama public officials. A former governor. Two former state Supreme Court Chief justices and another former member of the states highest court. A former U.S. attorney. Another DA and a former DA. And a Kardashian, of course. There are jurors. Three of the men and women who convicted Johnson. Monique Hickss tune shifted, she wrote in a guest column published on AL.com in April, upon learning Wallace was calling for a new trial. My role in the wrongful conviction of an innocent man keeps me awake at night, Hicks wrote. There are the compelling voices gathered by former Alabama television journalist Beth Shelborne in her podcast Earwitnessso named for the compromised key witness. Listen to it and tell me you believe Toforest Johnson should die. There are, too, voices vociferously arguing Johnsons conviction was just. That he should remain on death row until Gov. Kay Ivey decides he should die. Last October, the hard-right U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Before the ruling, our states top attorney was (and remains) the petulant child covering his ears to block out the chorus crescendo and intoning the expected: The suit, Steve Marshalls office wrote and maintains, [did] not raise an issue of extraordinary public importance or any compelling circumstances. No issue except justice. Nothing compelling except a mans lifein a state that puts people to death as giddily as kids eat Skittles. There is only one voice left to rise. In time, Judge Pickett will rule on the motion requesting a new trial. Predicting judicial decisions is foolish, yet at the risk. How could she not? How could Judge Pickett not grant it? How could she not hear the chorus and cries? Hear what we all hear. Im a member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. My column appears on AL.com, as well as the Lede. Tell me what you think at rjohnson@al.com, and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj. A dual language program teacher is teaching fourth grade science on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 at Gregg Elementary School in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Students transition to their classrooms at Roy Benavidez Elementary School on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. South San ISD has had the distinction of outperforming other school districts on recent STAAR exams. KIN MAN HUI/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS The state of Texas is getting into the business of writing its own textbooks, lesson plans and worksheets for use in public schools. The Texas Education Agency on Wednesday unveiled a range of curricula that districts can acquire for use in classrooms. Members of the public can comment on the materials throughout the summer and the agency will revise them before ultimately seeking approval from the State Board of Education later this fall. Advertisement Article continues below this ad TEA leader Mike Morath described the move as a way to get more Texas-centric content into classrooms. But it comes as Republicans have pushed back on public school teaching as liberal indoctrination and moved to ban books with LGBTQ content from libraries. Public schools can decide whether or not to use the TEA-crafted materials, which Hearst Newspapers has not yet reviewed in full. Their adoption will likely be contentious at the state board, a body of 15 elected members that has in recent years crept to the right. Controversy has already begun. The 74, an online news outlet focused on education, reported that a major curriculum vendor with the state called Amplify backed out of providing materials for the TEA curriculum because the New York-based company felt there was a desire to feature Christian religious texts over others. According to figures provided by TEA, around 10% of the reading and language arts lessons or 66 out of 759 total include religious source material, with those numbers not including Greek or Roman mythological deities or Native American religions. For example, a reading lesson for elementary school students includes excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and goes on to describe civil disobedience within a historical and literary context, including early Christians and the laws of Nebuchadnezzar as described in the Bible. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The state wrote reading and language arts textbooks from kindergarten through fifth grade, Morath said, emphasizing that they were produced using cutting-edge cognitive science research, as well as math and algebra for kindergarten through eighth grade. TEA has long written curriculum standards, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, that govern what appears in state standardized tests and what therefore must be taught by public schools. The State Board of Education gives a formal seal of approval to textbooks seeking access to the Texas market. The new state law that empowered TEA to begin drafting these materials, House Bill 1605, was passed last year and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. It was carried by the top education policymakers in the House and Senate. While TEA officials cant take an official position for or against legislation, inside the Capitol it was widely viewed as a top priority of Moraths, who during his time leading the agency has pushed policies with the effect of expanding state powers over local school districts. Heading into last years legislative session, the states Republican leaders harbored concerns that public schools didnt have access to textbooks that sufficiently covered the state standards, resulting in poor standardized test scores. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A state working group that studied the teacher workforce shortage also recommended the legislation, finding that teachers time was dominated by writing their own lesson plans, leading to overwork and exhaustion. The Legislature did not pass other key recommendations, including raising teacher salaries. Abbott praised the TEA teaching materials, saying it will help students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution. The materials are optional but if public schools use curricula from the state boards approved list, they will earn an extra $40 for every student in their district a potentially powerful financial incentive with many districts facing budget deficits or contemplating layoffs. If they use the TEA textbooks, the amount is increased to $60 per student to cover printing costs. Although the bill easily passed the Legislature last year, the concept of state-approved lesson plans did face some criticism from teachers groups and other education advocates who feared it would reduce creative freedom for teachers or force them to adopt political talking points in the classroom. Morath, who was appointed by Abbott in 2015, told reporters ahead of the reveal that the goal is to compete with national vendors. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What all of these companies do is theyre national companies, and they build a national product, and then they sort of slap a coat of paint on it for Texas, Morath said. And so you dont often get the rich Texas reading stories and a reading curriculum because it just wasnt really designed from the ground-up for Texas. Under the law, all materials will be available for parents to access electronically. English News Fujian builds diverse food supply system with all-encompassing approach to food Alwihda Info | Par People's Daily - 29 Mai 2024 Fujian province has also actively implemented initiatives to revitalize the seed industry. Since 2021, it has developed 123 new agricultural varieties. Over 98.5 percent of farmlands in the province are grown with fine breeds. By Jiang Shengyang, Fu Wen, Zhong Ziwei, People's Daily Fujian province, located on the southeast coast of China, has a per capita arable land area of only a quarter of the national average. In the 1980s, there was an overall shortage of food, with limited varieties. The types of meat, aquatic products, fruits and vegetables were relatively few, with low yields. Every year, the province had to source large amounts of grain and vegetables from other provinces. To solve the problem of food scarcity, it's not enough to focus only on the existing arable land. Instead, an all-encompassing approach to food must be adopted to build a diversified food supply system, and develop food sources in multiple ways. The all-encompassing approach to food was raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he worked in Fujian province. Xi proposed to "attach as much importance to sea areas as to cultivated land, and as much to marine development as to food production, so as to extend the tentacles of speeding up economic development from land to sea." He proposed the "Fuzhou at Sea" and "Fujian at Sea" initiatives to seek economic development from the sea. Over the past 30 years, Fujian has earnestly implemented the all-encompassing approach to food, harnessing its abundant natural resources found in mountains and seas to create a diverse food supply system tailored to its unique geographical advantages. This approach has yielded remarkable results. The province overfulfills grain production tasks assigned by the central government every year. The output of livestock and poultry has seen a significant increase, with the total meat production reaching 3.11 million tons last year, a 250 percent increase compared to early 1990s. In particular, poultry production surged by 13 times. The per capita share of aquatic food in Fujian province stands at over 200 kilograms, one of the highest across China. The province is also one of the leaders in the total output of commercial edible fungi, cultivating over 30 varieties. The annual tea production in Fujian has grown from 50,000 tons in late 1980s to 500,000 tons today, with both total output and per unit yield ranking among the highest in the country. Furthermore, Fujian has become a major source of vegetables, playing a significant role in a "south-to-north vegetable transporting" initiative. In Huanxi township, Jin'an district, Fuzhou, Fujian province, a demonstration base for high-quality specialty products has been established, covering over 1,000 mu (66.7 hectares). The township has constantly improved field facilities, collaborated with the Fuzhou Vegetable Science Research Institute to breed superior varieties, and signed long-term supply agreements with e-commerce platforms under the promotion by relevant state-owned enterprises. As a result, trucks of online grocery platforms are always seen heading to the fields of the demonstration base, and previously undervalued agricultural products due to logistical challenges and low recognition are now selling well in the market. In Yaoxia village, Hetian township, Changting county, Longyan of Fujian province, agroforestry is thriving. A prime example is villager Zeng Xianfu, who grows milkwort, a type of medicinal herb, and raises Hetian chickens, a local breed, under broad-leaved forest, and his agritainment business is also flourishing. By adeptly pairing the milkwort with Hetian chicken - two "treasures from under the forest" - in an herbal chicken dish, he has created a hot-selling product that is in high demand on e-commerce platforms. In Baiji Bay, Sandu'ao, Jiaocheng district, Ningde of Fujian province, there are over 80 new-type plastic deep-water net cages. "The deep-water net cages have strong resistance to wind and waves, and provide more space. Our company's annual production of large yellow croaker has increased from 6,500 tons to 8,500 tons," said Song Xiangguo, head of an offshore aquaculture base of a local food company. Fujian province is making efforts to cultivate featured advantageous industries and diversify food sources to construct a high-quality agricultural product supply system. Apart from focusing on land and offshore areas, the province is also expanding into the deep sea. On May 7, the waters around Dinghai Bay in Lianjiang county, Fuzhou, were calm and serene. Stepping onto the "Dinghai Bay No. 2" aquaculture platform felt like walking on solid ground. "The platform measures 60.9 meters long and 32 meters wide, capable of accommodating 200,000 high-quality adult fish with an annual production capacity exceeding 500 tons," said Lu Tongfeng, general manager of Fujian Xinmao Fishery Development Co., Ltd. In the deep-sea waters, there is an abundance of algae and plankton species, providing larger living spaces and enhancing the quality of the fish, Lu added. In recent years, Fujian province has implemented multiple measures to develop marine ranches and strengthen its distant-water fishing industry. Currently, Fujian owns over 630 distant-water fishing vessels, ranking among the top in comprehensive strength nationwide. Strengthening the role of enterprises and striving for breakthroughs in core seed sources, Fujian is advancing agricultural modernization with scientific innovation. One example is Fujian Sunner Group, located in Guangze county, Nanping of Fujian province. The company has implemented advanced technologies in their poultry farming operations, such as an automated water supply system to ensure clean and hygienic water at all times, and an intelligent feeding system that automatically dispenses feed based on the remaining amount in the tray. Sensors placed throughout the chicken houses continuously collect data on temperature, humidity, and air quality, which is displayed in real-time on a large screen in the group's headquarters. The system monitors data from 316 farms and 3,688 chicken houses, and if any indicators exceed the set range, an automatic alarm is triggered. Through these methods, 180,000 chicks are being carefully taken care of. Since 2011, Fujian Sunner Group has invested over 1 billion yuan ($138.17 million) in its white-feathered chicken breeding project. In December 2021, the company's self-developed white-feathered chicken breed "Shengze 901" obtained full intellectual property rights and was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, breaking China's dependence on imported white-feathered chickens. Through continuous breeding efforts, the comprehensive performance of "Shengze 901" has reached international advanced levels, with a domestic market share of over 20 percent. Fujian province has also actively implemented initiatives to revitalize the seed industry. Since 2021, it has developed 123 new agricultural varieties. Over 98.5 percent of farmlands in the province are grown with fine breeds. 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 Luzhou in SW China launches mini app to encourage low-carbon lifestyles among citizens Alwihda Info | Par People's Daily - 29 Mai 2024 Since its launch, the "Green Bud Score" mini app has attracted over 350,000 registered users, including over 40,000 daily active users. Together, they have generated over 54 million scores and recorded more than 320 tons of carbon reductions. By Li Kaixuan, People's Daily Amidst the growing emphasis on a green, low-carbon lifestyle, a burning question arises: how can an individual's carbon reduction efforts be quantified and recorded? Could they manifest as a visible "carbon wallet" or carbon asset? The "Lyuya Jifen" mini app on WeChat, which translates into "Green Bud Score," developed by environmental authorities in Luzhou, southwest China's Sichuan province, exactly provides an answer to the question. Tracking her low-carbon practices on the mini app has become a habit for Luzhou resident Pan Yan, who would always log 144 grams of carbon reduction on it and gain five scores after emptying her plate once and take public transportation by scanning QR codes to get 10 scores while logging 80 grams of carbon reduction. Leveraging a carbon reduction digital ledger developed by the All-China Environment Federation and innovatively applying carbon reduction methodologies, the "Green Bud Score" mini app has formulated a transparent and reliable algorithm for tracking individual green lifestyles. Bridging data silos across disparate platforms such as WeChat Sports, public transportation and banks, the mini app collects, stores and analyzes low-carbon behaviors in real time, including walking, no-drive days and green finance. This digitalized approach holistically captures users' carbon footprints in almost every aspect of daily life, enabling them to join carbon reduction efforts with just a few taps on their smartphones. "The scores are useful," Pan said, as she excitedly browsed an online marketplace in the mini app, where over 100 gift cards and commodities can be redeemed with the scores, including stationery, home appliances, and skin care products. "The incentive mechanism works well and encourages more people to embrace low-carbon lifestyles," Pan told People's Daily. Besides, the "Green Bud Score" mini app also hosts novel and captivating volunteering activities tailored to Luzhou's ecological conservation initiatives. For instance, users can have a Procypris rabaudi, a locally found cyprinid species, released with 150 scores, and 100 scores would allow them to buy birdseed for black-headed gulls, a locally beloved species. "These distinctive activities provide a stronger sense of participation," Pan said. These low-carbon behaviors have brought changes to Pan's life. Emptying the plates has become a habit of her, while used books and clothes are always donated or recycled. Besides, Pan and her child would always read books about environmental protection. So far, Pan has logged total carbon reduction of 170,050 grams, equivalent to saving 170 kilowatt-hours of electricity. "I've genuinely adopted a green, low-carbon lifestyle," she said. Since its launch, the "Green Bud Score" mini app has attracted over 350,000 registered users, including over 40,000 daily active users. Together, they have generated over 54 million scores and recorded more than 320 tons of carbon reductions. 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) Most of us cannot evaluate equivocal information, which is essential to project future trends and eventsforwardcasting, as I call it. In ancient times, we read the entrails of some poor beast or threw a roll of some old bones to see the future. Our current tendency to view everything through a prism of victimization, coupled with DEI imperatives over rational analysis, has led us to misunderstand our history and blinded us to future destruction. Lets take off the blinders to see what were doing wrong and how our enemies benefit. Aerospace is the broadest and most important contributor to our exports. Virtually every facet, from airliners, spaceships, and warplanes, all now costing two to three times what they should or are years late and suffering from interminable quality issues. This seemingly came out of left field, and we see Boeing falling over a cliff, producing the smallest number of aircraft in decades with no new clean-sheet airliner projects on the horizon because Boeing is broke and is no longer technically competent! The US Navys new ship construction is declining even as costs and schedules soar. According to the new Biden budget proposal, China will add 20 new warships while we decommission six. Over the next 20 years, well lose 20 combatants while China adds 40 new warships. Why? We cant build on time or budget any longer. Image by AI. Supplying Ukraine and other allies with vital weaponry has revealed that our defense industrial base is not up to the task of fighting a high-intensity war. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at its lowest level since 1983. It is only half-filled today after recent drawdowns by the Biden administration to artificially lower gas prices for American drivers solely for political purposes. Did you hear that Biden just took another million barrels from another reserve to try to lower prices temporarily? Is the US lawless as most Americans feel, or seeing some of the lowest crime in a generation, according to Biden? The answer could be the former, as the FBI underreports crime. Why? Can Johnnie read and do math? Only 16% of Americans believe we are going in the right direction with education. The majority of high school graduates are functionally illiterate by the standards of fifty years ago. Lost in the outrage of the number of migrants coming across the border unvetted is another even more critical component: Is anyone counting costs? Do we take it at face value that migrants pay their way as Bidens White House says? Evidence to the contrary abounds. And heres one more issue that gets scant attention: Will our country face a future enemy on the battlefield in the not-to-distant future? Many experts say we will. If so, why are we not circumspect about enemies sending vast numbers of military-age males here? Why doesnt that scare us all? The above items are just some of the problems that too many Americans, especially in government, refuse to see. The consequences are dire. Based on studying information from myriad reliable sources, Ive concluded that the United States is in decline based on several metrics such as productivity, employment, home ownership, savings rates, education, family formation, criminality, national debt, and military capabilities, all of which trend negatively. The US is presently struggling with its position in the world as the fight between globalists and isolationists becomes more determinant. Finally, the country faces a financial crisis due to an ever-expanding proportion of debt vs. GDP that is currently unsustainable but ignored by politicians. You can easily see our countrys trendline is downward. Economic and social ruin are inevitable if we continue the way we are. The Biden administration is not inclined to change its policies, which hasten the decline. Given the ascendancy of China and other nations planning to dominate and restructure the world post-America, we will discover too late that our society is too far gone to make the structural changes required to compete and regain a dominant global position. The US will continue to exist, but not as a great power; it will be just another European-style consumer nation that owes its fealty and protection to another. This is what awaits us if we stay the current course. There is another way; it is not too late to change direction. To do so requires four simple doctrines: 1. America Firstlet the world ride our coattails to prosperity and security 2. Eviscerate the bureaucracyone-quarter plus of hiring since the pandemic is government workers. We need less government, not more. 3. Unleash Ruthless Capitalismdo not create barriers to entrepreneurship. Dont limit what someone can make, and dont create pathways that allow people to avoid Capitalism as we do today. 4. Destroy DEI, the false religion of Climate Change, and an education system that no longer teaches, only indoctrinates. Allow people to fail. Only through failure can we achieve success. This is how human nature works. Given these four fundamental changes that lead us back to our roots, we can enlarge the worlds pie again, starting with our own. The world will calm down when America regains the mantle of economic and military domination it once possessed. Each generation questions its roots and accomplishments; thats natural. Whats not natural is the subversion of America by its enemies, foreign and domestic. We must always be on guard for those with malevolent intent for our country. Success or failure is always a choice. The easy choice likely leads to failure; the hard choice presents opportunity. God Bless America. Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com Marxism was easily the most destructive political theory ever to be put into practice. Over the course of the 20th century, it was responsible for purposefully killing well over 100 million people. To put that evil into context, the slave trade into the United States was 400,000 people, the number of Congolese dead during the reign of King Leopold II of Belgium is estimated as high as 10 million, and the total number of deaths during WWII was 73 million. But communism beats them all combined. And most of those numbers came from governments killing their own citizens! I mention all of this because the father of Communism, Karl Marx, has been on my mind lately. Marx was a despicable human being. Its often said that he never had a job in his life. Thats not technically true. Although he had a doctorate, his radicalism kept most universities from hiring him. He was a writer and editor for several publications, most of which went bankrupt because no one was reading them or were shuttered by governments seeking to quell what they saw as sedition. He wrote for the New York Daily Tribune for a decade and later for the New York Sun. None of these jobs paid particularly well or consistently (other than the Tribune), and what they did pay Marx often spent on alcohol and tobacco. Image courtesy of Vince Coyner Marxs family lived in poverty and debt his entire life and, often, they went hungry and were evicted several times. This was despite Marx having received substantial inheritances from his parents and taking numerous loans from friends. He fathered at least seven children with his wife, but only three survived to adulthood, in part due to the familys poverty and its consequent malnutrition. But Marx never once took a job that would economically support his family and give them sufficient sustenance. In reality, Marx spent most of his adult life supported by his friend, co-author and de facto vassal, Friedrich Engels, the son of a textile manufacturer. Aside from being a hypocrite, arrogant, condescending, and violent with words and sometimes deeds, Marx was also a slovenly man. He drank to excess, smoked, and almost never bathed. A German spy, after visiting Marx, reported, [Marx] leads the existence of a Bohemian intellectual. Washing, grooming and changing his linen are things he does rarely, and he is often drunk. He was a racist and an antisemite as well, despite his Jewish heritage (his father converted to Christianity for political and economic reasons). Marx spent virtually his entire adult life decrying the inequality and failures of capitalism and proffering communism as the replacement for capitalism and democracy, a theory he and Engels outlined in The Communist Manifesto. But the thing is, Marx had no direct connection to actual capitalism other than taking the money it produced to support him and his family. He had no experience starting a business, building a business, managing payroll, insurance, suppliers, customers, employees, unions, or anything else. No, he learned everything he knew about business and economics from reading. Its not impossible to learn about economics from reading. Ive read Thomas Sowells books and feel better informed for having done so. But unlike Marx, Sowell actually worked in the government and observed the real consequences of government programs. In addition, he directly ties his work to specific data from a wide variety of real-world sources. He cites specific companies, government programs, economic measures, and studies when he writes. Marx does none of that. Most of the information Marx gathered during his career was that of various philosophers, political, economic, and otherwise. These included, among others, Adam Smith, James Mill, Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, and, of course, Friedrich Hegel. But he never visited a factory, a mill, or a mine, nor did he interact with the proletariat he championed. He did interact with one virtual slave, howeverhis lifelong family maid, whom he never paid and with whom he fathered a child he refused to acknowledge. Engels, on the other hand did have experience in his familys manufacturing business. In 1842, his German father sent him to Manchester, England, to get the impressionable lad away from the radical politics infecting Prussia. It was too late, however, as Engels was already radicalized and headed on the path that would define his legacy. Engels would visit the most downtrodden slums of England and would share his observations with Marx. He left his family company in 1844 and would not return until 1850, two years after the publication of The Communist Manifesto. Much of what Engels would write however was either embellished, taken out of context or an outright lie, a characteristic he and Marx shared. Although Engels had limited experience with the proletariat, Marx had none and wanted none. He demurred when Engels invited him to visit factories with him, nor would he query his merchant uncle about business other than on a single family matter. However, the lack of actual evidence or experience with anything outside of reading didnt stop Marx from writing about the destruction of the entirety of Western civilization. Individual liberty and private property would be gone, while the government would control the means of communication, transportation, and production. It would simultaneously undermine the family and dictate where citizens would live. Marx proffered a communist world with no understanding of how the world actually works. In doing so, he ignored the lessons from New Harmony, Indiana, Robert Owens failed attempt to build a socialist nirvana in America, a topic about which Marx would most certainly have known. Marx understood that, to achieve his preferred goals, democracy wouldnt work, but violence would. In 1848, he wrote, there is only one way in which the murderous death agonies of the old society and the bloody birth throes of the new society can be shortened, simplified and concentrated, and that way is revolutionary terror. That commitment to violence brings me to why Marx has been on my mind. Does any of the above sound familiar? A vile, self-centered, and arrogant individual with poor hygiene, highly educated, with little or no experience doing anything resembling productive work, while spending his time railing against society and advocating for its violent overthrow? It should, because were seeing thousands of individualsmany highly educated (including lawyers!) and most with no experience in producing anything in the real worldviolently demonstrating for the overthrow of the United States as we know it. From Portland to New York to Atlanta to Tampa every time we get the mugshots and reports from the police of the arrestees, they look exactly like you would expect: unkempt, modern-day wannabe Karl Marxes. A majority are professional agitators, going from place to place causing trouble. While Marx had a vision (albeit an absurd and impossible one) with which he wanted to replace democracy and capitalism, todays agitators are nihilists with no plan beyond destroying America. They, like Marx, are parasites who do nothing productive for society. They dont know how the world actually works or how to build anything productive. All they know how to do is throw fists, stones, and Molotov cocktails while complaining about the society that nourishes them. But then, thats the beauty of the left: There never needs to be a connection between ideas and reality. Its enough to criticize, theorize, and legislate, with no proof necessary, and then let the chips fall where they may. With Marx humanity paid a terrible toll for such folly. Youd think Americans would have learned something from that history. Sadly, however, looking at the support the Democrat party maintainsand make no mistake, the Democrat party of today is a modern incarnation of Marxs theorymany apparently havent. Follow Vince on Twitter at ImperfectUSA, or you can visit his new website Gratitude for America. When the Roman legions returned from victorious campaigns, they were treated to a cheering parade through Rome. Riding next to each general in his chariot was a soldier holding a gold crown over the general's head and whispering to the general, "Remember, you are but mortal!" Today, instead of parades through Washington, our senior officials have committees that whisper in their ears, "You are infallible!" Such is the case with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI). The DoD is fresh off recent victories in the battle at the Supreme Court to retain racial quotas in the selection of young people that apply to our nation's military academies. DACODAI deigns to have performed research validating racial quotas for military academy admissions. Thus, DACODAI whispers to the Department of Defense hierarchy, "You are wise and infallible." Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the expansion of CRT/DEI throughout the government, the cloak of secrecy behind which CRT/DEI has operated is being stripped away. American industry, education, and society are rapidly disassembling CRT/DEI programs. They cost money and simply destroy effectiveness. This is particularly true within DoD. Recognition of the rot in operating cohesiveness is dominating the debate about CRT/DEI. Recruiting new members into the military is failing to meet target levels. Operating effectiveness is suffering. We probably could not win a major war. Our military members want to be part of a team that exhibits all the characteristics of a unified fighting force. They seek to become part of the warrior mentality. No one wants to be stuck in a world where skin color and ethnicity are prime factors in one's success and promotion. How can you trust anyone who uses their ethnicity to gain power? To buttress the weak case for CRT/DEI, DoD created DACODAI. DACODAI exists solely to trumpet a case that there is broad-based support for CRT/DEI in the military. To do this, DACODAI hires consultants to substantiate this false flag. And so, the consultants whisper to DACODAI how very effective CRT/DEI is. The DACODAI, in turn, whispers "honor and glory" to the DoD hierarchy. It's a sham. First of all, the appointees to DACODAI are sycophants for the CRT/DEI initiative. They would never risk their jobs by advising against CRT/DEI's value and efficacy. Similarly, the consultants selected by DACODAI know very well what their findings must be. My extensive experience with the Federal government suggests that it will form committees and conduct studies to ensure its continued survival. And so it is with the DoD and DACODAI. We all remember the safety certifications of the COVID-19 vaccines. They were just as false as are the DACODAI representations on CRT/DEI. There is an old "tongue in cheek" saying. The value of a committee is inversely proportional to the length of its acronym name. And DACODAI is no exception. Image: New York National Guard Were always hearing that weve come a long way in ending racism, but theres still a long way to go. Really? Will someone please tell me where racism exists today? Obviously, our country has a long history of slavery, which ended about 150 years ago. In addition, various forms of discrimination continued for about a century after the Emancipation Proclamation. However, during the last half-century, blacks have made monumental gains in business, education, politics, sports, movies, and every other category you can name. Our country has had a black president elected for two terms, defeating white candidates by wide margins. Keep in mind that blacks represent about only 12% of the population. Moreover, we now have a black female vice president, black senators and congressmen, black governors and mayors, and a myriad of blacks in various political offices throughout the country. Furthermore, there are several black billionaires in the U.S., including Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Tyler Perry, Robert Smith, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. Then there are scores of blacks who are college deans and presidents. Some of the most famous and successful actors in Hollywood movies are black, including Denzel Washington (my favorite actor), Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Wesley Snipes, and on and on. In sports, there are so many famous athletes that it would take reams of paper to list them all. Nevertheless, every time I hear from some politician, usually a Democrat, Im told that much more needs to be done to stamp out the scourge of racism in our country. By the way, as that canard is being used, several black extremists are calling for the end of the white race. Imagine what would happen to a white person who called for the extermination of all blacks. In fact, its hard to find a white person to disagree with blacks on issues because white people fear being called racists. Yes, we can refer to those anti-white blacks as racists, but in this politically correct climate, such accusations would never get much traction from the media. How many Democrats have you heard chastising black television commentators for trashing the white race? When MSNBC racist Joy Reid says whites should stop having kids, is she admonished for her racist remarks? When Black Thugs Matter calls for the murder of whites, are they called black supremacists or racists? The fact is that one would be hard pressed to find any area of American life in which blacks are being denied anything because of their skin color. Such a fact is not lost on many blacks who, when passed over for a job, promotion, salary increase, or special award, immediately toss the race card into the arena. It doesnt matter that they know theyre not qualified or deserving of a particular benefit. Apparently, they have decided that making false allegations of racism is the most important qualification. Next to being called a pedophile, being called a racist is the most abominable and reputation-destroying accusation to be leveled at anyone. It seems to me that such accusations border on slander. Do you know of any people being sued for such irresponsible rhetoric? The trial would only bring more unwanted attention to the person defending against the charge. Therefore, Id like to challenge anyone to illustrate where racism is taking place in our country today. If it can be shown that a persons color is keeping him from achieving success, Ill eat my words and endeavor to investigate and expose the racists, which is something Ive done all my life. On the other hand, if no one can credibly point to acts of racism, isnt it time we stopped talking about it? Another one of my favorite actors, Morgan Freeman, when he was being interviewed by Mike Wallace several years ago, remarked that the best way to get rid of racism is to stop talking about it. When Freeman was interviewed on Don Lemons show and asked if race plays a part in wealth distribution, his succinct answer, to the obvious astonishment of his host, was no! He added, You and I, were proof. Why would race have anything to do with it? Exactly! And anyone with a scintilla of honesty and integrity in his DNA would agree. Image: tomaszmichalkania via Pixabay, Pixabay License. An unusual gathering took place in Washington on May 21, 2024. At a time when U.S.-Russia relations hit the lowest historical level, when Washington keeps pumping tens of billions of dollars plus huge volumes of all kinds of weapons into its proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and rejects the calls for using diplomacy to end this conflict, a large group of American and Russians, some via Zoom, assembled in the Washington Times headquarters, not too far from Capitol Hill. The subject was the construction of the global New YorkLondon highway, a breathtaking idea with great vision that also comes with significant geopolitical challenges. Indeed, if one looks at the map, the highways construction would require a tunnel or bridge over the Bering Strait to connect the American state of Alaska with the Russian Peninsula of Chukotka. Those who are ready to dismiss this project as a pipe dream at best or Putins sinister effort to undermine American and British democracies at worst should take note that this was a bipartisan group that believes that this highway offers a credible proposition for helping calm turbulent international waters, as it would potentially benefit every nation on earth. As organizers stated correctly, despite the current problems between the U.S. and Russia, the two countries have demonstrated the ability to work together in the International Space Station. In historical terms, not so long ago, they were allies in the war with Nazi Germany. Given the upcoming June 6 80th anniversary of D-Day, a celebration of its success should be combined with gratitude for the contribution of the Red Army on the Eastern fronts. Donald Trump won in 2016, and one of his campaigns slogans was Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Considering that Japan and Germany, once bitter enemies, are today Western allies and Vietnam is now a trading partner with the U.S., perhaps those who advocate this project are visionaries rather than naive dreamers. Actually, this idea is not new, and many unsuccessful attempts to build this tunnel have been made, going back to 1890, when William Gilpin, the first governor of the Colorado Territory, envisaged a vast Cosmopolitan Railway, linking the entire world. One can find other such attempts on the web. Closer to our time, in 2007, Russia revived a 150-year-old idea that once had the support of leading Republicans of Lincolns 19th-century America to unite rail lines in America and Eurasia through the Bering Strait crossing in the form of a 65-mile tunnel. With Chinas Polar Silk Road having extended the traditionally east-west development corridor into the Arctic, and as China and Russia have increasingly merged the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, this new development dynamic offers incredible economic opportunities for all Arctic nations. In 2014, Chinese transport experts proposed building a roughly 6,000-mile high-speed rail line from northeast China to the United States. The project would include a tunnel under the Bering Strait and connect to the contiguous United States via Wales, Alaska along the river to Fairbanks, Alaska, and along the Alaska Highway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In 2015, another possible collaboration between China and Russia was reported, part of the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development, a transportation corridor across Siberia that would include a road bridge with gas and oil pipelines between the easternmost point of Siberia and the westernmost point of Alaska. It would link London and New York by rail and superhighway via Russia if it were to go ahead. Interestingly, when the conversation turns to the budget for building this tunnel, it is estimated at about $99 billion, which is obviously a lot, but less than what is already spent on the war in Ukraine, which could have been easily avoided. Many other U.S.-Russia cooperation proposals and concrete projects have been repeatedly presented to the U.S. government, only to be ignored or rejected outright. The war machine is strong and not easy to overcome. Still, what happened on May 21 this year showed that those who advocate peace and win-win cooperation between the nations are not giving up. Image via PickPik. Joe Biden and his minions say they will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, so how can anyone explain why they are telling European countries not to be too tough on Iran, despite Iran being close to having the capability? Why are most of the media catching and killing this story? Sleeping With the Enemy: Biden Warns European Allies Not to Rebuke Irans Nuclear Program Iran is the number one state sponsor of worldwide terrorism. They call America the Great Satan, and their stated goal is to wipe Israel off the map. But dont tell that to Joe Biden, who doesnt want to upset the Mullahs in case it might hurt his increasingly remote reelection chances. The befuddled octogenarian president actually is demanding that European countries concerned about the Islamic Republics nuclear weapons program stand down and refrain from telling the truthwhich is that Iran must never, ever get its hands on nuclear weaponry. In his desperate attempt to hold onto power, hes even undermining two of our closest allies in the world, Britain and France, as the Wall Street Journal reports in an exclusive: Joe Biden is opposing a European plan to rebuke Iran for advances in its nuclear programme as Washington wants to avoid an escalation of tensions ahead of the US presidential election, diplomats involved in discussions have claimed. The Biden administration is said to be arguing against an effort by Britain and France to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agencys member state board in early June, they added. While US officials deny lobbying against a resolution, the diplomats say the administration is pressing other countries to abstain in a censure vote, which is what Washington will do. How can anyone possibly defend the Obama-Biden administration blocking the supposedly independent Justice Department from arresting Iranians in the U.S. who were involved in developing nuclear weapons? The administration was so consumed with getting the worthless Iranian deal with the tyrants who pledge death to America and death to Israel. Why would anyone believe them? Why are most of the media catching and killing this story? Obama State Dept blocked FBI from arresting supporters of Iran nuclear program in US: Emails The Obama-Biden State Department actively interfered to prevent the FBI from executing arrest warrants on individuals illegally in the United States who were allegedly supporting Iranian financial efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, whistleblowers told Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson. But Grassley and Johnson received unclassified and legally protected whistleblower disclosures which they say show that while the Obama-Biden administration publicly committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons by raising the cost of Irans defiance of the international community, then-Secretary of State John Kerry actively interfered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executing arrest warrants on individuals in the U.S. illegally supporting Iranian efforts, including financial efforts, to develop weapons of mass destruction and its ballistic missile program. These actions correspond closely with Obama dictatorially ordering the Justice Department to allow drug-running terrorists from Iran to be above the law. How many people have died from drugs or terrorism because Obama was so despicable and dangerous? Why didnt the media care that Obama clearly abused his power when he dictatorially allowed terrorists to be above the law? 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. And the Obama administration lied through the complicit media to get public support for the Iran deal. This is the same thing they did to get Obamacare passed. Isnt it time that the media and other Democrats stopped pretending they care about the public being fed misinformation? They are major perpetrators of pure propaganda to get their agenda through. Sadly, most journalists just repeat what they are told, as long as it is Democrats spreading the intentional lies. Specifically, the piece contends that the administration largely manufactured a dishonest narrative about the diplomacy surrounding the Iran nuclear deal concluded in July 2015 and whose key provisions were implemented in January 2016 in order to win public support for the agreement. As long as Biden, Blinken, and Sullivan are involved, Iran seems to have nothing to worry about. As long as the Democrats goal is to destroy the oil, natural gas, and coal industries to pretend they can control the climate, prices will remain high. This allows Russia and Iran to destroy their enemies. We are essentially funding both sides of the wars in the Mideast and Ukraine. Whereas the administration continually lectures Israel, it is very soft on Iran, which is culpable for the October 7 attack. But according to the media and other Democrats, the adults are back in the room, and the world is safer. Facts clearly havent mattered for a long time. Image: Ninara via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. In WCK draws criticism for neutrality in Gaza (5/27/24), The Washington Post provides a platform to state its views: the libel that Israel is committing genocide which it clearly isnt. The Post is publishing misinformation. Whether the Post is saying it or quoting people saying it, its on the papers platform and quite frankly on the paper. The Post certainly doesnt challenge it. With attacks on Jews, vandalism on Jewish institutions, Jews threatened, all on the rise exponentially, the Post and its writers are complicit. They must understand the history of the Jews and blood libels, to own their guilt. In this article, genocide is mentioned about a half-dozen times. If Israel wanted to commit genocide, which it clearly doesnt, it certainly has the firepower. According to all standards written about by war experts, Israel is fighting the most humane war in history, with a 1.5-civilian death count to combatants. All tragic, all the fault of Hamas. Genocide, for example, is when two thirds of all Jews in Europe were exterminated in WWII. And it wasnt the Jews who started the war against the Nazis. A similar percentage of Jews died in Israels 1948 war of independence as in the current Gaza war, and nobody said the Arabs were committing a genocide against them. Hamas could end this war in a second by surrendering and returning the tortured and raped hostages, some of whom are Americans. Where are the Washington Post articles about that? Does The Washington Post ever think to write about the Hamas charter portion that explicitly describes its goal of an actual genocide against Israel? Or that it talks about the goal of the extermination of Jews the world over, like me, my family, my loved ones, the Posts friends and perhaps family members? Hamas wont surrender, because its battle is still going on in the legacy media like The Washington Post, which is fighting its fight for it. Blood is on your hands, Washington Post. That includes for the deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. But the Posts crew is just too stubborn to fess up to it and wouldnt even think to make a needed shift. Dr. Michael Berenhaus is a freelance activist who works to combat anti-Israel bias in the media. He has been widely published in news sources such as The Economist, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Image: Daniel X. O'Neil via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Pro-Hamas protestors were at it again, this time setting fire to the Israeli embassy in Mexico City, with some reports of injuries, puzzling quite a few observers. According to the Jewish Chronicle: Rioters on Tuesday set fire to the Israeli Embassy in Mexico during a protest ostensibly against the Israeli military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Masked protesters threw stones at security forces who had created a barricade preventing access to the diplomatic mission in the Mexico Citys Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. Around 200 people participated in the Urgent Action for Rafah demonstration, dozens of whom attempted to break down the barriers, according to AFP. It was an ugly picture: Mexico City theyre burning down the Israeli embassy. How many Israelis do these people actually know that they hate so fervently? This entire incident is so strange. I dont think they know any Palestinians either.pic.twitter.com/qlImtZDk0k Marina Medvin (@MarinaMedvin) May 29, 2024 After all, why did they pick Mexico City? We expect these kind of violent, barbaric acts in places like, say, Turkey, or maybe Paris or London, where large groups of Islamist militants have a foothold. Mexico doesn't have much in the way of that, Chile certainly has more with its large Palestinian-Chilean community as does Argentina, and as the commentator noted, these Mexicans have probably never so much as met a Palestinian. But here we are, and Mexico now has a black eye on the diplomatic front, failing to protect a sovereign embassy, which will probably prompt stepped-up security measures from at least the American embassy, and it happened either through incompetence, or maybe just intentionally standing around and letting it happen. Of course if that were the case, they'd have a very black eye indeed, given that they responded so badly to Ecuador sending the cops into their embassy in Quito to rake out a fugitive criminal who was taking asylum in their quarters. They howled about the importance of respecting national sovereignties in embassies. They pulled their ambassador. They cut relations. What have they got to say for themselves now that Israel has a burning embassy on their own territory? Seems the hypocrisy factor is major, and we have yet to see a Mexican government statement about it, though there probably will eventually be one. Like a lot of Latin American states, Mexico has given shelter to Hezb'allah operatives, not loudly, but there was a Hezb'allah bombmaker caught at the U.S.-Texas border a couple months ago, and Hezb'allah has reportedly had "trade" relations for illegal drugs with Mexico's notorious cartels in the past. Hezb'allah specializes in embassy attacks in the Americas -- they conducted two major attacks in Buenos Aries, Argentina, one on the Israeli embassy in the 1990s, in what have since been called "dress rehearsals" for 9/11. Maybe it was them. A second possibility is that it was Cuba behind this. Cuban operatives and their Venezuelan catspaws have manipulated both the Black Lives Matter protest leaders, and the recent crop of pro-Hamas campus protestors, offering them "training" in "revolutionary resistance." They personally mentored at least one campus protest leader in New York, at Columbia University, I wrote about that here. Mexico, particularly under the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist, has been pretty palsy around the Cubans, with AMLO himself telling the feckless Biden administration via 60 Minutes that either it lifts sanctions on its Venezuelan, Nicaraguan and Cuban pals, or he won't stop the border surge. Why would Cuba do this to its longtime ally and enabler? Possibly because AMLO never delivered the goods on the dropping of sanctions -- so here comes the civil unrest. It would suggest a pretty vise-like grip on the relations front that we don't know much about. But Cuba does this sort of thing, so they aren't above suspicion. The third possible nexus of motives is that Mexico is in the throes of its elections with Election Day there on June 2. In this case, the conclusion is a foregone one, Mexico is expected to elect Claudia Sheinbaum, a Mexican leftist and Jewish woman who grew up steeped in far-left protest culture based on her parents' activities. According to this interesting profile of her in The Nation written in April, she's the candidate of "continuity" while the other parties have banded together to present a strange left-right-center mix candidate, which obviously isn't going to work, and who doesn't appear likely to win. The political figure she reminded me of was Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, who was similarly leaden and uncharismatic compared to her precedessor of the same party, but came from a solidly hard-left protestor past. Dilma had been the bookkeeper to a far-left terrorist organization in the '60s and '70s in Brazil. The report also notes the Dilma comparison at the end of the piece. But unlike Dilma, Sheinbaum never engaged in terrorist activities, she was just big on far-left protests -- on American college campuses such as Stanford University in the 1990s, and plenty more before and after. In other words, she was steeped in incipient wokester culture of the U.S., which is reflected in her political agenda -- green energy and other bound-to-fail garbage that upper middle class white liberals favor. In essence, she's a weak liberal like the various university presidents who were run circles around this past spring by far-left protestors. Think of her as Minouche Shafar of Columbia -- easy to roll around by crazed Jew-hating maniacs. And unlike Minouche, who is probably a secular Muslim, she's a secular Jew, which makes her an even more attractive target to the pro-Hamas protestors, even if they aren't being directed by either the Cubans or Hezb'allah or Hamas itself. Did someone from the pro-Hamas protestors want to lay her low, to entice her into bowing even lower to their cause with threats of violence on the table? It's somewhat far-fetched since it would seem more logical that they would attack a Mexican government building rather than the Israeli embassy on that motive, but their attack on Israel's embassy may be a practice run for worse to come for the Mexicans, particularly if they expect Mexico to do nothing about it. We'll know more in coming days, particularly as we see Mexico's reaction, but for now, the crazies are loose in Mexico City and we've got an open border. Image: Twitter screen shot U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales talks to campaign workers while guest Burgess Owens, U.S. representative for Utahs 4th congressional district, listens at a campaign event on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 4503 De Zavala Road. Ronald Cortes Brandon Herrera introduces himself to the audience attending the Uvalde County Republican Party primary debate at Herby Ham Activity Center on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Uvalde, Texas. Herrera is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 23rd Congressional District, which stretches across the southwestern portion of the state. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales holds a campaign event on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 4503 De Zavala Road. Ronald Cortes Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz raises Brandon Herrara's hand after both speak at a rally for Herrara at the Angry Elephant. Herrara was campaigning with Gaetz ahead of his runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express News U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly won Tuesdays GOP primary runoff election as the San Antonio Republican who angered some in the Texas GOP with votes for new gun laws and gay marriage fended off a challenge from Brandon Herrera, a right-wing social media personality known as the AK Guy. LIVE RESULTS: 2024 Texas Primary Runoff Live Election Results Gonzales, first elected to Congress in 2020, drew just under 51% of the vote. Herrera, a political newcomer who bills himself as VERY politically incorrect, drew 49%. Just 407 votes separated the two. Gonzales on Wednesday joked that the margin of victory was bigger than he has grown accustomed to in the sprawling and historically competitive West Texas district, which spans 29 counties from San Antonio to El Paso and traces more than 800 miles of the states border with Mexico. He won a Republican primary runoff in his first congressional campaign by fewer than 100 votes. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Gonzales said he is now focused on finding ways to make sure everybody is on the same page. I look at this victory, and its about being humble, and its about getting stronger and its about listening to folks, meeting with more people, he said. Youre never going to please everyone, and nor should you try to please everyone. Just do the best job you possibly can, show up in good times and in not so good times and ultimately deliver. And that is what our campaign has done. Gonzales was the only Republican congressional candidate in Texas facing a runoff after Herrera and three other GOP challengers pulled enough support in the March 5 primaries to keep him from claiming the nomination outright. Gonzales drew 45% of the vote then while Herrera won 24%. It was seen as a rebuke of Gonzaless party line-crossing votes to codify same-sex marriage rights and tighten gun-buyer background checks for young adults after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which is in his district. The Republican Party of Texas issued a rare censure against Gonzales last year, accusing him of showing a lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities. Nonetheless, Gonzales drew the support of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson. And despite the challenge from the right, Gonzales said Wednesday that the people who typically show up to vote in GOP runoffs are the most conservative of conservative of your constituency. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Those are the folks who got us elected last night, he said. Herrera, who works as a gun manufacturer and built his brand around his passion for firearms, said he took issue with the vote on guns, especially. He cast the runoff as a test of whether Texans would let a bad Republican get away with joining the swamp. Herrera wrote on social media Tuesday night that his campaign did an amazing thing. We looked down the biggest guns of the DC establishment to the tune of probably over $10 million, and told them they didnt own us, he wrote. We made them fight for their lives. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the intricate web of global economics, trade stands as a cornerstone, shaping the destiny of nations and the livelihoods of individuals. Donald Trump revolutionized U.S. trade policies, advocating for fair and reciprocal trade, in contrast to the conventional wisdom of free trade absolutism. As we approach November, let's delve into the tangible achievements and visionary approach that underpin Trump's stance, contrasting starkly with his opponent, Joe Biden. First, Trump's trade policies resonate with the aspirations of both the working class and the entrepreneurial spirit, which makes the case for his continued leadership. From the onset of his presidency, Trump embarked on a mission to safeguard American workers from the perils of unbalanced trade agreements. One of his earliest and boldest moves was the swift withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), recognizing its detrimental implications for domestic employment prospects. In dismantling the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trump replaced the pact with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which underlined his commitment to fortify American industries across many sectors. The USMCA not only heralds robust protections for manufacturers, auto-makers, farmers, and dairy producers, but promises a staggering influx of economic activity, which is estimated will create over 550,000 new jobs over a decade. Trump's resolute stance on revitalizing domestic industries transcends mere rhetoric. Concrete measures such as his executive orders to Buy American and Hire American have benefited workers as well. By curbing the outsourcing of jobs overseas, Trump championed the cause of American workers, aligning his governance with their aspirations for dignified livelihoods. Furthermore, his negotiations with Japan epitomized his strategic acumen, slashing tariffs on American agricultural products and securing access to previously restricted markets, which was a boon for farmers and exporters alike. Meanwhile, China found a formidable adversary in Trump, too. Through meticulous negotiations, Trump brokered a Phase One trade agreement, holding China accountable for intellectual property violations and fostered a more equitable trading relationship with the Asian trade giant. The monumental pledge by China to purchase an additional $200 billion worth of American exports underscored the efficacy of Trump's approach in safeguarding American interests while leveraging economic diplomacy. In the realm of international trade beyond Japan and China, Trump's administration was a beacon of assertiveness and pragmatism. Engaging extensively with trade partners such as the European Union and Japan, Trump championed reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO), advocating for a level playing field that again prioritizes American interests. By challenging unfair trade practices and prioritizing America's economic sovereignty, Trump's leadership embodied a departure from the complacency of yesteryears, resonating with the ethos of populism and nationalism. Central to Trump's trade agenda is the principle of reciprocity, wherein foreign trade partners are held to the same standards as the United States. This ethos found expression in Trump's imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods, a decisive measure to safeguard American industries from unfair competition and mitigate China's systemic abuses. Similarly, tariffs on foreign aluminum and steel underscored Trump's unwavering commitment to protecting vital industries and national security interests, transcending partisan divides in prioritizing the welfare of American workers. A cornerstone of Trump's presidency was his unwavering support for American farmers, whose resilience is the bedrock of the nation's agrarian economy. Through relentless negotiations and strategic interventions, Trump secured unprecedented agreements with countries worldwide, facilitating greater market access for American agricultural products. The symbiotic relationship between Trump's trade policies and agricultural prosperity was epitomized by China's commitment to purchasing billions worth of American agricultural goods, providing a lifeline to farmers who grappled with the repercussions of trade imbalances. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump's leadership in bolstering the agricultural sector was nothing short of exemplary. Through initiatives such as the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and the Farmers to Families Food Box program, Trump provided critical support to farmers and ranchers facing market disruptions, underscoring his unwavering commitment to ensuring food security and resilience to the public in times of crisis. As we stand at the crossroads of history, the choice before the American electorate is clear. Trump's vision of fair and reciprocal trade, liberated from the shackles of obsolete paradigms, resonates with the aspirations of the working class and the entrepreneurial spirit alike. In stark contrast, Joe Biden's track record epitomizes the entrenched establishment politics that prioritize globalism over American interests, perpetuating the status quo of economic disenfranchisement. In conclusion, the November elections of 2024 present a momentous opportunity for the American people to reaffirm their commitment to a future characterized by prosperity, sovereignty, and opportunity for all. By casting their ballot in favor of Donald Trump, voters can endorse a visionary leader whose pragmatic approach to trade policy ushered in an era of unprecedented economic revitalization. Trump's unwavering advocacy for fair and reciprocal trade epitomizes a departure from the failures of the past, heralding a brighter future for generations to come. The American people are learning by dribs and drabs that the raid on Mar-a-Lago was not only unconstitutional, it was a set-up, an attempt to frame former President Trump for having documents illegally stored there. The set-up proves the lie. Both the National Archives and the FBI knew said documents, which Trump was legally allowed to have, were carefully stored in a locked storage room. Many of those boxes were packed and sent there by the National Archives; they likely knew what was in those boxes better than Trump did. In short, it was a Gestapo-like ploy to both incriminate and humiliate Donald Trump. As the truth of the raid leaks out (such as the authorization of lethal force) thanks to Judge Cannon who has ordered Jack Smiths redactions unredacted, it is becoming clearer and clearer that it is the FBI and the National Archives working with the Biden administration that plotted to create a situation by which they could indict Trump. Jack Smith, a known legal thug who has no respect for the actual law, was then appointed, illegally and unconfirmed by the Senate, to prosecute Trump and convict by any means necessary. That case seems to be falling apart. It was a farce from the outset and Judge Cannon is allowing the American people to see just how much of a farce by releasing unredacted Smith documents. The raid on Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 is hardly the only example of FBI skullduggery. They raided hundreds of persons who were in attendance at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in much the same way fifteen to twenty agents, armed with all manner of weapons. They are still raiding and arresting people who were simply there. Hundreds of such people have been similarly raided, arrested, over-charged, sentenced, and imprisoned for made-up crimes like parading. Those Americans, several of whom have committed suicide, are being treated as horribly as one might be treated in any third world nation. They are denied medical care, put in solitary confinement, given substandard food, maybe even tortured by vicious prison guards. The FBI raided and abused the family of pro-life activist Mark Houck, for having shoved a man who accosted his son while peacefully protesting across the street from an abortion clinic. The FBI has long been abusing its power to the point that it has become something like Hitlers Brownshirts or Stalins NKVD who were charged with carrying out the Great Purge. Tina Peters, a Colorado county clerk, had her home raided, her front door broken in by a battering ram. Had they knocked, she would have opened the door. Several other Colorado Republicans suffered similar treatment by the out-of-control FBI. Even the ACLU has made a list of The Ten Most Disturbing Things You Should Know About the FBI. Former director Robert Mueller was corrupt. His malfeasance cost Boston $102m for the wrongful imprisonment of four innocent men. As for his Mueller Report, he was just a name on it. When he was called to testify about it, it was clear he knew nothing. The report was part of the continuation of the Russia hoax, but admitted there was nothing with which Trump could be charged. Former director James Comey was as corrupt as they come. So was Andrew McCabe. So is the current director Christopher Wray. How are FBI recruits being chosen? What are the standards to become an agent? What are the qualifications required? Must one be so easily manipulated that he or she will follow any order without regard for what is right, moral, and legal? Like Hitlers functionaries who, after the Holocaust, claimed at the Nuremberg Trials they were just following orders. Are they purposely selecting people who sign up precisely because they want to act outside the law? Consider the FBI-conceived kidnapping of Michigans Gov. Whitmer. Agents honed in on a few men who seemed easily led, and then provided the plans and weapons and arrested them. That ridiculous plot got the then-man-in-charge, DAntuono, promoted to Assistant in Charge of the D.C. field office where he then oversaw the hunt for Trump supporters who came to D.C. on January 6th. Given the delinquency of the last four directors (at least), one can safely assume then that those agents willing to act outside of the law with impunity rise to the top. It seems it is the willingness to abuse their power that leads to more power, then more abuse of that power. The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. Edmund Burke It isnt just the FBI that abuses its power in what is now known to be the deep state. So does the DOJ. Merrick Garland is perhaps the most unscrupulous of all. He should be held in contempt for all sorts of abuses. As we can all see, the Democrats use of lawfare to destroy Bidens opponent is obviously illegal and unconstitutional. Judges Kaplan, Engoran, and Merchan have shown themselves to be extreme partisans, not unbiased jurists. Whether or not theyve each been bought, as in paid off, to blatantly expose their own abuses of power for all to see, the fact is that there has been no justice deployed when it comes to Trump. The explosion of lawfare that has been launched against Donald Trump has exposed the criminality of the deep state like no other era in U.S. history. The left hates and fears an outsider, any person who may not capitulate to their corrupt way of doing things. If what we have learned about the collective character of the men and women who make up the FBI, what does that tell us about them as individuals? There are ten thousand agents and twenty thousand additional staff members. How many of them abuse their power, against their spouses, children, and/or co-workers? How many break the law with impunity? More than a few is a safe bet. Of course, Joe Biden has certainly abused his power. He has ignored the SCOTUS with regard to the forgiveness of student loans. He is sabotaging Israel while he pretends to support its right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists. He has spent us into an unsustainable $35 trillion in debt. He keeps giving taxpayer dollars to Iran, to Afghanistan, to Hamas, each an enemy of America. He is cognitively gone, now a mere tool of the Marxists who illegitimately abuse Bidens power and are running the country into the ground. Its time for patriots to ramp up our campaign against the swamp. The FBI as currently constituted is immoral. It is the American Praetorian Guard and needs to be disbanded and replaced by a law enforcement agency that abides by the Constitution, not the political whims of one party or another. They need to be patriots with a moral core. The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government. Edward Abbey Image by Andrea Widburg. Samsungs upcoming premium smartwatch will be called the Galaxy Watch Ultra, a regulatory certification confirmed. The same regulatory agency also confirmed the Galaxy Watch FE name, which should be an affordable offering. These watches are expected to debut alongside the Galaxy Watch 7 series in July. Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch FE names confirmed Last month, we exclusively reported that Samsung has an Ultra-branded watch in development. We supposed it to be called the Galaxy Watch Ultra, though subsequent leaks and rumors referred to it as the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra. Then, all of a sudden, a Greek publication came along claiming that the company would name it the Galaxy Watch X. We had doubts over the accuracy of the report and we were right. The UAE governments regulatory body TDRA recently certified the upcoming Samsung smartwatch, divulging its marketing name and model number. It is the same model number (SM-L705F) we revealed in our exclusive report last month. Moreover, as we originally supposed, the watch will bear the name Galaxy Watch Ultra. It will be Samsungs first-ever Ultra-branded smartwatch. The FCC has also certified this watch. Spotted by MySmartPrice, the American regulatory body listed the US version of the device (SM-L705U) with 10W wireless charging support. This is weird because the standard Galaxy Watch 7 models boast 15W charging. Perhaps this listing doesnt reflect the actual charging speed of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The agency may have used a 10W charger but it will support 15W charging. Recently leaked renders revealed that the Galaxy Watch Ultra will sport a squircle design reminiscent of the now-discontinued Gear Sport from 2017. The screen is circular, reportedly measuring 1.5 inches in diameter, but the body is squarish with rounded corners. Samsung is unlikely to redesign the standard Galaxy Watch 7 models similarly. They may sport the same circular design as the Galaxy Watch 6 series. The Galaxy Watch FE could be a rebadged Watch 4 Alongside a premium Ultra watch, Samsung also has an affordable option in the pipeline. It bears the model number SM-R861 and is called the Galaxy Watch FE. Rumors say it is a rebadged Galaxy Watch 4 with some internal changes in hardware and software. If you recall, the Galaxy Watch 4 has the model number SM-R860. All of these watches are expected to debut at Samsungs next Galaxy Unpacked event. Rumored to take place in Paris, France on July 10, the event will also bring new Galaxy foldables, earbuds, and the Galaxy Ring. Motorola is actively developing new smartphones that will hit the market in 2025. Our database recently revealed a new device codenamed Kansas. This codename, matching a U.S. state name, hints that the Kansas smartphone might primarily go on sale in the American market. However, Motorola also intends to sell this device in other regions around the world. The First Information About the Upcoming Devices from Motorola in 2025 Motorola is planning an affordable smartphone codenamed Kansas for release in 2025. This aligns with their strategy of offering budget-friendly options for various users. We can reveal four model numbers associated with Kansas: XT2513-V, XT2513-1, XT2513-2, and XT2513-3. The XT25 prefix confirms a 2025 launch, thus solidifying Kansass place in Motorolas upcoming roadmap. Speculation suggests that the Kansas smartphone is likely to be prioritized for the U.S. market. Indeed, Motorola has a history of tailoring certain models to specific regions to cater to local market demands and preferences. Nevertheless, the presence of multiple model numbers suggests a broader international release. Consequently, this makes it accessible to users outside the U.S. as well. What Can We Expect From the New Device? Motorola has been working to understand user needs in the affordable smartphone segment. Given the brands extensive experience, we expect the smartphone codenamed Kansas to continue this tradition. Therefore, it will likely offer a budget-friendly option without compromising on key features. This approach has helped Motorola maintain its presence in the competitive smartphone market. It appeals to consumers looking for high-quality and functional devices. While its too early to announce an exact release date, the anticipation for the new smartphone is growing. Given the model number system, a 2025 launch is almost certain. Moreover, Motorolas consistent innovation and attention to market trends mean the Kansas smartphone will meet the changing demands of users. Therefore, we expect this device to provide a significant competitive advantage in the affordable smartphone category. Earlier in February, HMD Global cut the cord with Nokia smartphones in order to launch its own-branded devices. Since the announcement, the new maker of Nokia phones has released its HMD Pulse series of smartphones. The company has also introduced the 2024 variants of three classic feature phones, the Nokia 6310, 5310, and the 230. Now, a tipster on X (formerly Twitter) has revealed details regarding some upcoming HMD phones. Upcoming HMD phones could be mid-range offerings with Snapdragon chipsets According to the source, HMD is planning to launch two new mid-range smartphones, which are codenamed Nighthawk and Tomcat. The former will be allegedly powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset. The latter model is claimed to utilize the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. In addition, the company is said to be working on a modular smartphone under the HMD Fusion Project codename. The Fusion series of devices could have modular parts like the Motorola Z series of products. However, the source didnt reveal many details about the modular offering at the moment. The HMD Nighthawk device is claimed to offer an AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. It is said to arrive with a 108MP main camera with OIS, aided by a 2MP secondary snapper. For selfies, you can expect to find a 32MP shooter. A 5,000mAh battery, Android 14, NFC, and dual speakers will also be included in the package. As for the HMD Tomcat, it is said to offer a PureDisplay with an AMOLED FHD+ 120Hz screen panel. It will support HDR10+ content and will get its fuel from the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. The device will provide a massive 108MP OIS main camera on the back, which will be accompanied by an 8MP secondary snapper and a 2MP third shooter. This one is said to get power from a 4,900mAh battery, which will support 33W fast charging. HMD Fusion could be a modular offering like the Moto Z series HMD already teased the range of modular smartphones under its Fusion series earlier this year. These products are expected to revive the design and concept of the Moto Z series of smartphones. The first HMD Fusion device could be fueled by the Qualcomm QCM6490 processor, thanks to the various expandable use cases of the SoC. Talking about the other specs, the HMD Fusion series phone is said to have a 6.6-inch IPS display with FHD+ resolution. It could offer a 108MP main sensor, aided by a 2MP secondary snapper. A 4,800mAh battery with up to 30W fast charging support is rumored to keep this phone alive. Opera, the second most popular internet browser that isnt pre-loaded on devices, has expanded its artificial intelligence-powered features. The company has announced that it is integrating Googles Gemini models to power its internet browsers artificial intelligence or AI features. Opera will adopt the Gemini models for its Aria browser AI. The Chromium-based browser will now offer enhanced image generation and text-to-voice capabilities, thanks to the integration of Googles flagship AI models. Opera browser will adopt the Gemini models to power its Aria AI Gemini is Googles most powerful, advanced, and user-friendly LLM (Large Language Model). It now powers the artificial intelligence features of the Opera browsers Aria AI. Thanks to the integration, the Opera browser will now be able to offer its users the most current information, at high performance. Notably, Opera already integrated Geminis competitor ChatGPT in its browser last year. Opera mentioned that its Aria browser AI is unique as it doesnt just utilize one provider or LLM. Operas Composer AI engine processes the users intent and can decide which model to use for which task. Thus, we can expect Opera to collaborate with more browser AI tools in the future. Opera browser will offer free image generation features through Googles Imagen 2 model The integration of Google Clouds Gemini models in the Opera browser will provide users access to image generation features. The functionality utilizes the Imagen 2 model on Vertex AI. Users will be able to generate images based on the text prompts. In addition, the same tech will allow Operas Aria AI to read out responses in a conversational-like tone. The feature is powered by Googles ground-breaking text-to-audio model, suggests the company. Opera integrates artificial intelligence features inside both the regular browser and OperaGX, which is geared toward PC gamers. Googles Gemini models will appear in both versions. Opera isnt directly integrating the Gemini chatbot, but rather using Gemini AI models behind the curtain to power its browsers AI features. Opera reiterated that it has been tapping into the potential of browser AI for over a year now. Its browsers new Gemini AI features are currently only available within the Opera One Developer version. It is part of Operas AI Features Drops program, which lets early adopters test its latest, experimental, and AI innovations. Theres no word when these features will roll out to a wider range of users. It seems like under-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanners will be available on a lot more Android phones moving forward. Why? Well, Goodix unveiled its ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and thats a bit deal. Goodix released its first ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, and its likely coming to a lot of Android phones This is Goodixs first ultrasonic offering. The companys optical in-display fingerprint scanners are widely used. If youve used a bunch of optical in-display fingerprint scanners in phones, chances are that most of them have been from Goodix, if not all of them. This move will certainly push the technology forward, and make ultrasonic fingerprint adoption higher than before. At the moment, optical in-display fingerprint scanners are the norm. They are, however, inferior to ultrasonic fingerprint scanners. How? Well, optical fingerprint scanners basically throw a ton of light on your fingerprint, take a picture of it, and then transfer that to a digital form to authenticate its you. There are some drawbacks to this, however. Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are more secure than optical ones This makes optical fingerprint scanners less secure, as theres always a concern in regards to spoofing. On top of that, they cant really work properly when your hands are dirty or wet. Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are much better with that. Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners also dont need a ton of light to hit your fingerprint before its scanned. On top of that, theyre more secure than optical fingerprint scanners. Goodixs new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is already used in one smartphone, the Vivo X100 Ultra. Chances are well get to see it in a lot more smartphones moving forward. In its blog post, Goodix said that the launch of its fingerprint scanner and the inclusion in the Vivo X100 Ultra marks a significant milestone in the widespread adoption of ultrasonic fingerprint technology. Goodixs announcement actually occurred around the time of Google I/O, which is why it flew under the radar. Goodix also made it clear that this ultrasonic fingerprint scanner features a low-voltage driving system and a simple hardware design. That should make it easy for smartphone OEMs to include it in their devices. Peak season arrives for Tibetan antelope migration to Hoh Xil Xinhua) 09:10, May 29, 2024 Tibetan antelopes migrate in Wudaoliang area in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 27, 2024. The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. (Xinhua/Zhang Long) XINING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes migrate to Hoh Xil between May and July to give birth, while they will leave the area together with their offspring in August. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" of this species. "The migration of Tibetan antelopes this year started on May 7, and it has entered the peak period. At its peak, more than 800 Tibetan antelopes cross the Qinghai-Xizang Highway each day," said Karma Yingphel, deputy director of the Wudaoliang protection station of the Hoh Xil reserve administration. During the migration of Tibetan antelopes, members of the Wudaoliang protection station continue to patrol along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway. Those on patrol use telescopes to visually measure the distance between Tibetan antelopes and the highway, wait for Tibetan antelopes to get near, and then intercept vehicles on the highway, thereby allowing Tibetan antelopes to safely cross the Qinghai-Xizang Highway while vehicles are stationary. More than 2,500 female Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Wudaoliang area of the Qinghai-Xizang Highway so far this year, according to the administration. "Thanks to traffic control, vehicles and tourists can consciously be kept away from migrating Tibetan antelopes. With our explanation of this need, everyone expressed their understanding," said a member of the patrol staff at Wudaoliang protection station. Under first-class state protection in China, the once-endangered Tibetan antelope is mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Their population has increased over the past three decades thanks to a ban on illegal hunting and measures implemented to improve their habitat. Tibetan antelopes migrate in Wudaoliang area in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 27, 2024. The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. (Xinhua/Zhang Long) Tibetan antelopes migrate in Wudaoliang area in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 27, 2024. The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. (Xinhua/Zhang Long) Tibetan antelopes migrate in Wudaoliang area in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 27, 2024. The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. (Xinhua/Zhang Long) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Texas Speaker Dade Phelan meets with supporters at a Runoff Election Night Party on May 28, 2024. Kim Brent/The Enterprise District 21 incumbent Dade Phelan looks out from beneath a tent where a cook-out was interrupted by storms at Rogers Park. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Kim Brent District 21 candidate David Covey talks with media as supporters gather behind him, trying to block out the Dade Phelan crowd at the Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Kim Brent Pollsters for Dade Phelan, including Bernie Daleo, and David Covey lined the entry to Rogers Park as voters cast their battles in the District 21 Representative run-off. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Kim Brent Supporters for District 21 candidates Dade Phelan and David Covey vie to have their signs seen while Covey spoke with media at the Raymond Gould Community Center in Vidor. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Kim Brent Speaker of the House and presumptive run-off winner in the District 21 Representative race Dade Phelan celebrates with. wife Kim and family at his election party at JW's Patio. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise Kim Brent Speaker of the House and presumptive run-off winner in the District 21 Representative race Dade Phelan is celebrated by supporters at his election party at JW's Patio. Photo made Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise Kim Brent House Speaker Dade Phelan survived an unusually tough and bitter GOP primary challenge Tuesday, positioning himself for a sixth term in the Legislatures lower chamber and besting far-right activists who led a multimillion-dollar effort to oust him. Phelan narrowly beat right-wing challenger David Covey, an oil and gas consultant, with about 51% of the vote in the Beaumont-area district Tuesday night, according to unofficial returns. Covey had 49%. The difference was fewer than 400 votes. LIVE RESULTS: 2024 Houston Primary Runoff Live Election Results Advertisement Article continues below this ad The race was widely viewed as a referendum on Phelans leadership of the House, especially over the past year. The speaker has angered far-right activists for impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton and failing to pass private school vouchers, a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott. This was a terrible, awful, knock-down, drag-out, Phelan said at an election night watch party in Beaumont. He declared victory around 9:15 p.m. You can now open your mailboxes again. You can even watch the 6 oclock news. But the best part is, its all said and done, and I am your state representative. Texas Speaker Dade Phelan meets with supporters at a Runoff Election Night Party on May 28, 2024. Kim Brent/The Enterprise With his Tuesday victory, Phelan avoided becoming the first sitting House speaker ousted from the Legislature in more than five decades. Phelan said he will return to the lower chamber seeking a third term as speaker, but the volatility of the primary and ongoing GOP infighting could hinder his ability to keep the gavel in the majority-Republican chamber. There is no Democrat running in the November election for the district. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Already, Phelan has spent months batting off attacks from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Paxton and the chair of the state party, all of whom say the Beaumont Republican is not conservative enough to lead. Former President Donald Trump also endorsed Covey, a first-time candidate. Phelans critics have accused him of colluding with Democrats to stay in power and unnecessarily handing them committee chairmanships and they said liberals were again to blame for keeping Phelan in office on Tuesday. Abbott has refrained from weighing in on the speakers reelection campaign, but his campaign congratulated him on the win. Coveys campaign released a lengthy statement after the results came in, calling Phelan an Austin swamp creature and King of the Democrats. The campaign accused Phelan of courting Democrat voters in Jefferson County to bolster his early vote numbers, but Covey did not say he would seek a recount. Dade Phelan may have won this election, but in doing so, he has irrevocably destroyed his already feeble legacy, Covey said. The Texas history books will undoubtedly record how a frightened speaker, desperate to save his political future, mobilized the very party he claims to oppose. Texas has an open primary system, meaning voters can choose which partys primary theyd like to vote in every election but they can only pick one. Voters who cast a ballot in the Democratic primary in March could not vote in the GOP runoff on Tuesday, but voters who didnt vote in March could decide to weigh in this time. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Paxton also decried Phelans win on Tuesday and called for closed primaries moving forward. He warned Republican House members that if they elected Phelan as speaker again next January, they would face stiff opposition in their primaries the year after. Dade Phelan has not only failed Texans across the state but has blatantly stolen an election from the hard-working people of his district, Paxton said. The treachery is a slap in the face to every true Republican who believes in fair and honest elections. The Texas GOP voted to close the primary at its biennial convention in San Antonio last week, but its unclear how the party plans to implement the policy without a change in state law. The Texas Secretary of States Office, which oversees elections, does not currently have the infrastructure to register voters by party. In response to Coveys comments, Phelan said he didnt know what his opponent was talking about, and people in Southeast Texas voted, and they elected me, and thats the result. He said he anticipated he would have the votes to become speaker again because Ive done it twice; Ill do it a third time. Phelan, a real estate developer, has represented the district since 2015, and he won the gavel in 2021 after a scandal ousted the previous speaker from his job. He has spent millions in a bid to keep his seat and to keep up with the millions that Covey supporters have also poured into the district. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Coveys campaign was largely bankrolled by two West Texas billionaires, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who have been architects of Texas lurch to the far right. Covey came out on top of the March 5 primary, earning about 46% of the vote to Phelans 43%. A third candidate, hairdresser Alicia Davis, pulled the remaining votes. It was a stunning outcome for Phelan, who is a member of Texas Big Three leaders who direct the states legislative agenda. Heading into the runoff, Phelan hired a new political consultant and tripled the size of his grassroots team, focusing more on getting his supporters to the polls than courting new voters. The effort worked: Roughly 69% of Jefferson County early voters cast a ballot for Phelan, compared to 58% in March, while overall turnout remained about the same. At his election watch party at JWs Patio aptly located on Phelan Boulevard more than 100 supporters gathered at a local restaurant to celebrate the speakers reelection. The attendees included well-known lobbyists and a host of Republican House incumbents who have remained loyal to Phelan through the campaign. Some of them have traveled regularly to Beaumont to campaign for the speaker in recent weeks. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Phelan arrived shortly after 9 p.m. to a chorus of applause and cheers. He whipped out a celebratory cigar before heading into the restaurant to address the crowd. A row over whether veteran MP Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand for Labour in the General Election is threatening to overshadow Sir Keir Starmers pitch to voters on the NHS. Labour is setting its sights on tackling NHS backlogs, with leader Sir Keir detailing first steps to clear waits of more than 18 weeks within five years of taking office. But in the latest sign of his willingness to pick a fight with the party left, Ms Abbott claimed she has been banned from standing for the party in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wants to focus on his plans for the NHS in England but the party faces questions over Diane Abbotts position (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended in April 2023 pending an investigation after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism. The whip was restored on Tuesday, but Ms Abbott has claimed she has been barred from standing on July 4. Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate, she told the BBC. But a Labour source questioned her claim to have been banned from standing for the party, suggesting it might be an attempt to bounce party leaders into a deal ahead of a meeting of the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). The source said: (Im) not quite sure thats right the NEC is due to finalise candidate endorsements on Tuesday. I think this may be an attempt to bounce Loto (Leader of the Oppositions Office) into some sort of deal. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Ms Abbott, the UKs first black woman to be elected to Parliament in 1987, is a trailblazer but that it is a decision for the Labour Partys National Executive Committee whether she can stand. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I have no idea (of) the basis upon which the decision is made. Meanwhile, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn an ally of Ms Abbott will launch his campaign as an independent candidate in Islington North. On NHS policy, Labour warned that the treatment backlog, which currently stands at 7.54 million, could rise to 10 million if the Conservatives are in office for another five years. Measures Labour would take include creating an additional 40,000 appointments, scans and operations in England each week during evenings and weekends and doubling the numbers of scanners. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins criticised the plans as more copy and paste politics from Labour while highlighting the Tories long-term workforce plan and 3.4 billion plan to upgrade NHS technology. (PA Graphics) The Institute for Fiscal Studies said achieving Labours goal would be highly stretching because the challenging fiscal situation facing the next government will make it incredibly difficult to increase health spending at anywhere near similar rates as previous Labour governments, which made big reductions in waiting times alongside spending increases of more than 7% a year in real terms. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak arrived in Cornwall after taking the sleeper train overnight, pushing a plan to create 100,000 more apprenticeships by shutting down rip-off degrees. The Prime Minister wants to see the worst-performing university courses replaced with high-skilled apprenticeships if the Conservatives stay in power after the General Election. He said his party is offering young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive as he seeks to narrow Labours double-digit lead in the polls. The law would be changed to give Englands universities watchdog new powers to shut down courses deemed as underperforming. Mr Sunak said: Improving education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for boosting life chances. So its not fair that some university courses are ripping young people off. Thanks to our plan, apprenticeships are much higher quality than they were under Labour. And now we will create 100,000 more, by putting an end to rip-off degrees and offering our young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive. (PA Graphics) An additional 5.8 million apprenticeships have been delivered under Conservative governments since 2010, with 340,000 starting in 2022/23, the Tories said. But Labour pointed out that apprenticeship achievements among under-19s are down 50% since 2015/16, while starts have dropped by at least 30% in every English region. Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: It is laughable that the Tories, who have presided over a halving of apprenticeships for young people, are now announcing this. Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: The shockingly low pay for those on apprenticeships will remain, doing nothing to encourage more people to take apprenticeships up or tackle soaring drop-out rates. Labours efforts to highlight their plans to tackle NHS waiting lists have been overshadowed by a row over whether veteran left-winger Diane Abbott will be allowed to defend her seat on July 4. Here are the key moments from day seven of the campaign: Confusion over Abbott Sir Keir Starmer denied claims that Ms Abbott has been barred from standing as a Labour candidate, insisting no decisions have been taken. Ms Abbott, who was the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, had the whip suspended last year after comments claiming Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not subjected to racism in the same way as black people. That decision was formally reversed on Tuesday, and she was readmitted to the Parliamentary Labour Party, having completed a course on antisemitism over Christmas. However she told the BBC that she remained banned from standing as a candidate for the party in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency. She said she was very dismayed while the claims sparked anger among allies on the left who said her treatment showed a lack of respect for one of the partys longest-standing parliamentarians. But campaigning in Worcester, Sir Keir insisted that the claims were not true and it would be for the partys national executive committee to decide whether she can run. Doctors walk out Junior doctors are to stage a five-day strike in the run-up to polling day as they seek to ramp up pressure on the Government in their long-running pay dispute. Announcing the walkout from 7am on June 27 to 7am on July 2 the doctors leaders said their members were fed up and out of patience with what they said was ministers failure to come up with a credible pay offer. Junior doctors are set to return to the picket lines (Aaron Chown/PA) Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the timing showed the action was politically motivated and called on Labour to condemn the strikes. This is a highly cynical tactic, she posted on social media. Announcing this during an election and on Labours health day shows this was only ever political and not about patients or staff. NHS Providers said the move represented a worrying escalation that would hit patients hard, and called on politicians and unions to make a resolution to the dispute a top priority. Sir Keir said it was unforgivable that ministers had been unable to reach a settlement, but shadow health secretary Wes Streeting warned that an incoming Labour government would not be able to meet the doctors demand for a 35% increase. Picture of the day Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey campaigning in Knighton, Wales (Jacob King/PA) Quote of the day Universities bite back Mr Sunak faced a backlash from university leaders after the Tories announced plans to shut down rip-off degree courses which offered poor value to students. The Prime Minister said closing under-performing courses based on dropout rates and future earnings potential would enable the Government to create 100,000 additional apprenticeships providing real employment opportunities for young people. Campaigning in Cornwall, he said: Im not someone who believes that you have to go to university. What we do know is that there are university degrees that are letting young people down. His remarks were condemned by Universities UK chief executive Vivienne Stern who said she was fed up with people talking down universities, especially when they had benefitted from higher education themselves. I just dont get the determination to put people off going to university, she said. This is especially frustrating when it is driven by people who have degrees. Generally it is other peoples kids they dont want to go. Number of the day Sturgeon returns Former leader Nicola Sturgeon has announced a tentative return to campaigning for the SNP, but declined to say whether she would appear alongside new leader John Swinney. She told reporters she would appear from time to time in ways she believed would be helpful to the partys candidates. Nicola Sturgeon said she will be appearing from time to time on the campaign trail (Jane Barlow/PA) Since standing down last year as party leader and Scotlands First Minister, Ms Sturgeon has kept a relatively low profile amid a police investigation into the partys finances. Her husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, was last month charged with embezzlement while Ms Sturgeon has previously been arrested and released without charge as part of the Operation Branchform inquiry. Asked by reporters whether she remained an asset to the party she once dominated, she said that was not for me to decide. The leaders go head-to-head ITV announced that the first head-to-head TV debate of the campaign between Mr Sunak and Sir Keir will take place next week. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face off on ITV (PA) The broadcaster said the hour-long encounter in front of a live studio audience will be screened at 9pm on Tuesday. Director of news and current affairs Michael Jermey said it will give millions of viewers a chance to see the two men hoping to enter No 10 debating directly with each other. However Mr Swinney said it was ridiculous that his party the third largest in the Commons had been excluded. ITV said it is planning interviews with other party leaders as well as a multi-party debate. Dog bites MP Tory MP Selaine Saxby needed treatment after being bitten by a dog on the campaign trail. The North Devon MP said it was a cautionary tale, whoever you are campaigning for this election after she was bitten on the leg. Thank you to our fabulous NHS. pic.twitter.com/HvAo0xju9Q Selaine Saxby (@SelaineSaxby) May 29, 2024 Not all dogs out there are as friendly as my Henry, so please do take care, she said, in reference to her beloved fox red labrador. Ms Saxby thanked staff at Fremington Medical Centre and North Devon District Hospital for their care and kindness. Social media moment TikTok continued to play a key role on the seventh day with the parties taking different approaches with the site. Labour continued teasing the Conservatives by sharing a post consisting of two photos on Wednesday. The first showed a black screen with text reading: LEAKED: New England U19s kit followed by a photo of Rishi Sunak smiling and holding a T-shirt with a camouflage pattern with the words National Service written on the back, as the Match Of The Day theme tune plays over the top. Meanwhile, the Tories introduced Lord David Cameron to their TikTok platform on Tuesday, followed by James Cleverly on Wednesday, where the Home Secretary called out shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves for her thoughts on national service and provided a brief explainer on the scheme. What the polls are saying Four more national opinion polls have been published, with all but one putting Labour more than 25 points ahead of the Tories. The oldest poll to be published was carried out on May 24 and 25 by JL Partners among 2,013 British adults online, and puts Labour on 40%, the Conservatives on 28%, Reform on 12% and the Liberal Democrats on 10%, with the Greens on 5%, the SNP on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 1%. A poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, carried out from May 25 to 27 and involving 12,000 British adults online, puts Labour on 46%, the Conservatives on 23%, Reform on 13% and the Lib Dems on 9%, with the Greens on 5%, the SNP on 3% and others on 3%. (PA Graphics) Survation published a poll of 2,040 UK adults online, carried out from May 24 to 27, which has Labour on 47%, the Conservatives on 24%, the Lib Dems on 11% and Reform on 8%, with the SNP and Greens both on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 4%. The most recent poll, carried out on May 27 and 28 by YouGov among 2,128 British adults online, puts Labour on 47%, the Tories on 20%, Reform on 12% and the Lib Dems on 9%, with the Greens on 7%, the SNP on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 2%. A simple average of all polls carried out wholly or partly during the seven days to May 29 puts Labour on 45%, 21 percentage points ahead of the Conservatives on 24%, followed by Reform on 12%, the Lib Dems on 10% and the Greens on 6%. Whats happening tomorrow? The Greens launch their General Election campaign in Bristol. Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka served up a genuine classic, with the current world number one just edging out the former world number one. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz laboured to a four-set victory over Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong. Here, the PA news agency looks back at day four at the French Open. Picture of the day Naomi Osaka congratulates Iga Swiatek (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) Match of the day and the tournament. Swiatek came through a titanic second-round clash with fellow four-time grand-slam champion Osaka to reach the third round. Osaka looked set to pull off her biggest win in years when she led the defending champion 5-2 in the third set. But the 26-year-old from Japan will have nightmares about a missed forehand as Swiatek survived a match point to come from brink of defeat and win 7-6 (1) 1-6 7-5. Quote of the day Moan of the day The weather was proving problematic in Paris (Christophe Ena/AP) The Paris weather is not playing ball so far this week, and there was hardly any play possible on the outside courts on day four. Only nine matches were completed, all under the two roofs. The forecast does not look likely to improve over the coming days either. Brit watch Nothing to see here, at least until the doubles starts. Andy Murray and Dan Evans should be fun, if they ever get on the court. Katie Boulter and Heather Watson have also been pushed back until Thursday, at the earliest. Fallen seeds Caroline Garcia, pictured, lost to Sofia Kenin (Jean-Francois Badias/AP) Caroline Garcia (21) Whos up next? Novak Djokovic is back on Thursday (Christophe Ena/AP) Defending mens champion Novak Djokovic is the main event, taking on Spains Roberto Carballes Baena. Womens second seed Aryna Sabalenka meets Japans Moyuka Uchijima. Junior doctors in England are to stage a five-day strike in the run-up to the General Election. Talks had recently reopened with a view to ending the long-running dispute over pay between medics in training and the Government. After the July 4 election was called last week, the British Medical Association (BMA) gave the Government a final opportunity to make an offer and avoid strikes but this opportunity has not been taken up. Junior doctors, let's make sure full pay restoration stays front and centre during this election. We strike again with a 5 day full walkout from 7am on 27 June to 7am on 2 July. Let's make this round of action our biggest and loudest yet! #DoctorsStrike https://t.co/iMjSqMgU1Y pic.twitter.com/l51cnQw6uZ Junior Doctors (@BMA_JuniorDocs) May 29, 2024 The union announced that junior doctors will stage a full walkout from 7am on June 27 to 7am on July 2. The co-chairmen of the BMA junior doctors committee, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said in a statement: We made clear to the Government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer. They added: For more than 18 months we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years equal to more than a quarter in real terms. When we entered mediation with Government this month we did so under the impression that we had a functioning government that would soon be making an offer. Clearly no offer is now forthcoming. Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience. Even at this late stage Mr Sunak has the opportunity to show that he cares about the NHS and its workers. It is finally time for him to make a concrete commitment to restore doctors pay. Junior doctors in England have already staged 10 walkouts in the dispute over pay (PA) If during this campaign he makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMAs junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead. The strike will come as a significant blow to Mr Sunak and will conclude just two days before the election. Just two weeks ago the Government and the BMA announced that they had entered mediated talks to try and prevent further walkouts. The walkout at the end of June will be the 11th strike by junior doctors in the current dispute. The last strike by junior doctors, from February 24 to 28 this year, led to 91,048 appointments, operations and procedures being postponed. Rishi Sunak said the timing of the announcement of the strike, on the same day as Labour pledged to cut NHS waiting lists, makes it look incredibly political. The Prime Minister was asked whether the planned walkout is an indictment of his time in office as he took questions from the media during a campaign visit to Devon. Mr Sunak said: Todays action by the junior doctors, on the same day as the Labour Party are having a health day, does slightly ponder the question as to whether this is politically motivated. Its hard to escape that conclusion, given the timing and to call a strike in an election campaign, especially as we found a constructive resolution with the remainder of the NHS workforce. We started with a million NHS workers under the Agenda for Change deal, including physiotherapists and many others. And most recently, we reached an agreement with the consultant doctors. So its just the junior doctors that have failed to find a resolution with the Government, and thats in spite of them already being offered a pay deal that is worth on average a 10% increase, a 10% increase already, and we were prepared to keep talking. Meanwhile, the Health Secretary challenged Labour to condemn the junior doctors decision to strike during the election campaign. Victoria Atkins (PA) Writing on X, Victoria Atkins said: Today should be the day the Labour Party finally condemn junior doctor strikes. Announcing this during an election and on Labours health day shows this was only ever political and not about patients or staff. She described the junior doctors decision as a highly cynical tactic, adding: This Conservative Government has taken the tough decisions to keep public spending down to bear down on inflation, which is now back to normal. Labour would be in the hands of their union paymasters meaning more spending and higher taxes. Sir Keir Starmer said it is unforgiveable the Government has not reached a pay settlement with junior doctors. Speaking to broadcasters during a campaign visit to the University of Worcester, the Labour leader said: Firstly Im shocked that were in this position because this has been going on a very long time. I think the Government should have resolved it and negotiated a settlement. And what theyve effectively done is kicked it to the other side of the General Election. Thats unforgivable. Obviously I dont want the strike to go ahead. I dont think health staff want to go on strike and it really impacts on patients. So I dont want it to go ahead. But if we are privileged enough to come in to serve, then it will fall to us to settle this and to come to an agreement so the NHS gets back to working in the way that it desperately needs to for so many people on the waiting lists. Asked about the dispute on ITVs Good Morning Britain, Labours shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: I want to be really upfront with junior doctors this side of the election the 35% pay claim theyve put in Im just not going to be able to afford that on day one of a Labour government. Were going to have to work together and negotiate on pay and recognise as was the case with the last Labour government who inherited a similar mess getting to fair pay is a journey, not an event. Im willing to negotiate on pay and those wider conditions that junior doctors are working in because they complain about their rotations, their placements. Ive heard some awful cases including a junior doctor whose partner had cancer, they both had kids, and the NHS showed no flexibility whatsoever about the placement for that junior doctor until there was a media outcry about the case thats not treating junior doctors with respect. They are the future of the NHS and Im willing to sit down and negotiate on those wider conditions so that junior doctors are genuinely valued and look forward to a career in the NHS rather than thinking about whether theyre going to stick it out because things are so terrible under the Tories. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, said: This announcement marks a worrying escalation in the long dispute between the Government and junior doctors. This strike will inevitably hit patients hard. Resolving the industrial dispute must now be a top priority. Not doing so will come at too high a price for patients and the NHS itself. Nearly 1.5 million appointments have been delayed since industrial action began, with strikes having now cost the NHS an estimated 3 billion. We cannot go on like this. Politicians and unions must urgently find a way to resolve all disputes for the sake of patients, staff and the NHS. A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: Patient safety will be the priority during industrial action and the NHS will prepare for these strikes in the usual way. It will work closely with unions to discuss any patient safety concerns and ensure safe staffing for emergency care continues to be available. The Home Office does not have a credible plan for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, a group of MPs has warned. The Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it has little confidence in the government departments ability to put the plan into action, finding it has little to show for the millions of pounds spent so far on the policy and its asylum accommodation projects which fell woefully short of reality. In a critical report published on Wednesday, the committee said the Home Office has continually failed to be transparent with Parliament about how many people will be relocated, and the potential costs of the programme as it made a string of recommendations. It comes as the Government told the High Court that Rwanda removal flights will not take place before the General Election, after being ordered by a judge to confirm when the deportation plan would begin. The Home Office is spending significant amounts of money on its asylum and immigration policies but despite committing significant sums of money to the Rwanda partnership and its large accommodation sites there is little to show for the money spent so far, the PAC report said. While the committee welcomed the departments efforts in moving asylum seekers out of hotels, it found the assessment of the requirements for setting up alternative accommodation in large sites fell woefully short of reality and risked wasting taxpayers money and the new sites will not house anywhere near as many people as initially expected, exacerbating existing accommodation issues. As of April, there were more than 50,000 people living in the UK who had no ability to claim asylum and were officially pending relocation but the Home Office was unable to explain what will happen to these people currently left in limbo, according to the findings. We are concerned that the Home Office does not have a credible plan for implementing the Rwanda partnership, the report concluded, adding: In its haste to establish large accommodation sites, the Home Office made unacceptable and avoidable mistakes, and failed to protect value for money. We are left with little confidence in the Home Offices ability to implement the Rwanda partnership, and its understanding of the costs, particularly given its track record in delivering other major programmes, the committee said. More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel as immigration becomes a key election campaign battleground. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to stop the boats and described the Rwanda plan as an indispensable deterrent. The Prime Minister has also defended the policy as a worthwhile investment, despite the public spending watchdog revealing the cost could soar to half a billion pounds. Earlier this year the National Audit Office (NAO) said the deportation plan could cost taxpayers nearly 2 million for each of the first 300 asylum seekers sent to the east African nation. The Home Office had refused to say how much more money, on top of the 290 million already confirmed, the UK has agreed to pay Kigali under the initial five-year deal but the NAO report uncovered millions more in spending, including 11,000 for each migrants plane ticket. Another NAO report into Home Office spending on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, the former RAF bases at Scampton in Lincolnshire and Wethersfield in Essex, and ex-student accommodation in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, suggested it could cost an estimated 46 million more to house asylum seekers in large accommodation sites than in hotels. Last week Mr Sunak admitted Rwanda deportations would only take place after the election, adding: If Im elected, we will get the flights off. Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop the boats (Aaron Chown/PA) He stressed the preparation work is already in motion but campaigners and migrant charities called for asylum seekers due to be sent to Rwanda to be freed from detention immediately. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed Mr Sunak never believed in the plan and called an early election to avoid testing the policy. The Home Office is understood to have already released on bail some migrants who had been detained for Rwanda flights. Provisional Home Office figures show 10,448 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far in 2024. Crossings are up 37% on this time last year when 7,610 people made the journey, and are 12% higher than the 9,326 arrivals recorded at this stage in 2022, according to PA news agency analysis of the figures. Home Secretary James Cleverly did not comment on the findings of the report, but warned the cost of housing asylum seekers could reach 11 billion a year by 2026 and said this was why our Rwanda scheme is so important. People will only stop coming to the UK illegally when they know they wont get to stay, he added, as he accused Labour of having no plan to stop the boats. They would scrap our Rwanda scheme and grant an amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants with no right to be here, Mr Cleverly said. Labours shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper branded the report damning and said it confirms the complete chaos behind Rishi Sunaks Rwanda con. She claimed Mr Sunak knows his gimmick wont work to stop boat crossings thats why he has called an election, to prevent the entire scheme from unravelling, adding: He is trying to take voters for fools and wasting hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money in the meantime. A Home Office spokesperson said: We have updated Parliament on a number of occasions concerning costs relating to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership. We have followed standard processes regarding procurement, including of large sites, and as the Permanent Secretary has made clear, the department continues to evaluate and learn lessons from procurement exercises and our Large Sites Programme. A couple have been jailed for carrying out a string of dine and dash offences, racking up large bills for food and drink before leaving without paying. A judge at Swansea crown court said Ann McDonagh, 39, and Bernard McDonagh, 41, had cynically and brazenly defrauded restaurants and a takeaway in south Wales. Judge Thomas KC told the court that the couple, from Port Talbot, had ordered more than they could eat including T-bone steaks just to see if they could get away with it and got a buzz out of their spree. It was criminality for criminalitys sake, he said. The court was told the couple were from a very large Travelling community and the judge criticised them for reinforcing negative stereotypes. It emerged that Bernard McDonagh had 27 convictions, including for affray, criminal damage and theft, and that Ann McDonagh had 18 convictions, many for shoplifting. He had 23 aliases, and she had 20. The judge said he believed Ann McDonagh played the leading role and jailed her for 12 months. Bernard McDonagh was given eight months. The pair dishonestly obtained food and drink at four restaurants and one takeaway in south Wales, with the unpaid bills totalling more than 1,000. Their well drilled modus operandi was to order lavishly, often leaving much of the food. Ann McDonagh would present a dud card. When it failed, they said they would fetch some cash but never returned. They ordered their most expensive meal including T-bone steaks and double dessert portions from the newly opened Bella Ciao, a family-run Italian restaurant in Swansea. The restaurants co-owner Giovan Cangelosi said in a victim personal statement: I felt that I had not protected my restaurant and had failed. I found myself doubting customers and worrying it might happen again. I found it hard to sleep at night. The restaurant thought about getting people to pay first and increasing security. Ann McDonagh also committed offences of shoplifting, removing security tags and stealing items worth more than 1,000. Andrew Evans, defending Ann McDonagh, said it was difficult to ascertain her motive for ordering food that was not eaten. The judge intervened and suggested it could be greed, or that she got a buzz from it. Giles Hayes, for Bernard McDonagh, said McDonagh was deeply embarrassed and ashamed. He said the defendant had six children and that neighbours had vandalised their house when they heard what the pair had done. Sunak and Starmer The first head-to-head election debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will take place at 9pm on Tuesday, ITV has confirmed. The broadcaster is set to host the first televised event with both major political party leaders on June 4 exactly one month before the general election takes place. It also said it has plans to hold a multi-party debate at some point, presumably including all the major party leaders, with details announced in due course. It comes after the Tories pressed Sir Keir to take part in a record six debates during the six-week election campaign. Labour headquarters had indicated instead that their leader would take part in two head-to-head debates, matching what Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn did in the 2019 election campaign. Conservative sources had dubbed the Opposition leader the knight that wont fight and Sir Fear Starmer after he failed to sign up to their weekly debate demand. When is the first leaders TV debate? ITV has confirmed the specifics of the head-to-head debate: it will last for an hour, starting at 9pm on June 4. Michael Jermey, ITVs Director of News and Current Affairs said: Millions of viewers value the election debates. They provide a chance to see and hear the party leaders set out their pitch to the country, debate directly with each other and take questions from voters. ITV is pleased to be broadcasting the first debate in this years election campaign. Live TV election debates have been held in the UK since 2010 and take place in the weeks running up to polling day. What time is the general election TV debate? ITV has confirmed the debate will be broadcast at 9pm on June 4. Titled Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate, it will be moderated by ITV News anchor Julie Etchingham. It will take place live in front of a studio audience and will be made and produced by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios. Ms Etchingham previously moderated general election debates in 2015, 2017 and 2019. What channel is the TV debate on? ITV confirmed it will broadcast the programme on ITV1 and STV and its streaming services, ITVX and STV Player. Its has also previously broadcast significant events, such as PMQs and political speeches, live on its YouTube channel. Who will be appearing at the election debate? At the moment, only the leaders of the Labour and Conservative parties are set to take place in the head-to-head debate on ITV. But ITV said it also plans to broadcast additional programming, including a multi-party debate and an interview show with other party leaders. Details on the further programmes will be announced in due course. Nigel Farage, the honorary president of Reform UK, had attempted to get involved, challenging Mr Sunak to a live TV debate on immigration. But the Tories declined the challenge. A party spokesman said: We respect Nigel but theres only two people who can be prime minister at the end of this campaign, Rishi or Starmer, and thats who should be up on stage debating each other. In 2019, as well as the head-to-heads, there was also a seven-way debate, which included senior figures from the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, and the Brexit Party although neither Mr Johnson or Mr Corbyn attended it. The party leaders in 2017, Theresa May and Mr Corbyn, skipped the TV debates and were criticised for it. Mrs May, who eventually lost her majority in the election, later said she regretted not taking part. In 2015, the party leaders held a debate that was shown on Sky News. Separately, there was a live television interview with Jeremy Paxman and the Conservatives Lord Cameron and Labours Ed Miliband. It was jointly broadcast by Channel 4, Sky and the BBC News channel. In 2010, when the first election TV debates were held in the UK, Labours Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, and Nick Clegg debated three times on BBC, ITV and Sky. When is the general election? The UK is set to go to the polls in just over five weeks time, on July 4. Mr Sunak announced the date last Wednesday in a rain-sodden speech outside No 10. Both he and the other party leaders have been on the campaign trail since then trying to win over voters. The polls currently make for grim reading for the Tories as Labour have a 20 percentage point lead. Labor has reversed its position on a controversial ministerial direction on visa cancellation, vowing to replace it with an order that community safety is paramount and outweighs a non-citizens ties to Australia. At the start of question time on Wednesday the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, sought to stem political damage from the revelation that dozens of visas have been restored to non-citizens with serious criminal convictions by an independent tribunal. Earlier, the home affairs minister, Clare ONeil, had conceded the government is deeply concerned about cases of serious criminal offenders having their visas restored by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). Albanese told the lower house the only effective way of ensuring the tribunal members are making better decisions is to issue a new revised direction which the [immigration] minister will be doing. The new directive will ensure that the protection of the community outweighs any other consideration. Under the rules in ministerial direction 99 before cancelling a visa, the decision-maker must consider the strength, nature and duration of the non-citizens ties to Australia alongside four other primary considerations. These include protecting the community and whether the conduct engaged in constituted family violence. On Wednesday the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, told parliament that visa decisions need to be guided by two clear principles: firstly the protection of the Australian community [and] secondly, common sense. A number of recent AAT decisions have not shown common sense, he said, supporting the decision to revise the direction and noting that parliament had this week passed legislation to abolish the AAT and replace it with a new administrative review Tribunal. After days of Coalition attacks, Albanese countered by revealing details of AAT cases in which non-citizens had their visas restored during the Coalition government under earlier cancellation rules. These included YKZZ, an Iranian heroin dealer and ice manufacturer, a Brazilian man found guilty of on robbery and assault and HMDS Nigerian heroin dealer. Related: Change in visa rules was to apply in absence of serious offending or family violence, Andrew Giles was told The controversy over ministerial direction 99 has already seen Giles re-cancel the visa of a Sudanese man charged with murder and order an urgent review into other cases for possible re-cancellation. Earlier, ONeil told Channel Sevens Sunrise that Giles is actively reviewing about 30 cases that were concerned about indeed hes already cancelled some of those visas. She added he was a good minister and diligent in his work. After question time, Giles promised the new rules will introduce further mechanisms to enable the perspective of victims and their families to be more clearly brought to bear and deal more effectively with the scourge that is family violence. Giles told ABC TV it was unacceptable that his department had not brought cases of non-citizens with serious offences getting their visas back to his attention. He has now advised it to do so within 24 hours of any such AAT decision. On Tuesday the home affairs department secretary, Stephanie Foster, took responsibility for the failure to inform Giles of the AAT decisions to allow him to consider re-cancelling their visas. She said the department had agreed a protocol, to bring to his attention cases of a particular nature but then failed to adequately resource that function, resulting in delays. Foster agreed with Patersons characterisation that the failure was extraordinary. I regret very much that this has happened, she said. I was not aware we were failing to meet our obligations. Guardian Australia revealed on Tuesday that Giles had been advised only those without serious offending or family violence stood to benefit from the direction, and that the change would not have a substantive effect on those convicted of more serious crimes. Related: Immigration minister Andrew Giles seeking urgent advice about re-cancelling visa of man accused of murder On Wednesday evening the shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, grilled officials about the case of Charles William Davidson, a masseur who had his visa restored by the AAT in February despite being convicted of 59 offences against 26 different victims, including seven counts of rape. The AAT had given very heavy weight to Davidsons ties to Australia, as the 74-year-old had come to the country at age five and spent 95% of his life in Australia. Paterson described it as a textbook case of someone who should not be in our community, regardless of how long they are here. How on earth have we found ourselves in a situation where, as a result of a ministerial direction, the AAT is allowing people like this to stay in our country? Watt told the hearing that neither Giles nor his office were aware of the case and theyve now asked the department to add this case to the list of urgent cases for cancellation submissions. Justice Juan Manuel Merchan began his legal career in 1994 after graduating from Hofstra University School of Law - Seth Wenig/AP The judge overseeing the hush-money criminal case against Donald Trump has crossed legal paths with the former president before. In 2022, Justice Juan Manuel Merchan presided over the tax fraud trial that led to the conviction of Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations chief financial officer. He is also the judge in the fraud and money laundering case against Trump ally Steve Bannon. But Mr Trumps hush-money trial is by far the highest profile case of Justice Merchans 17 years on the bench. Mr Trump has been charged with falsifying business records ahead of the 2016 election to cover up a $130,000 payment made to stop Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, talking about their alleged affair. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair. Who is Justice Merchan? Justice Merchan has overseen the former presidents case since he was indicted in April last year, including Mr Trumps failed attempt to move the case to federal court, two attempts to have the judge recused from the case, and numerous other attempts to delay proceedings. Justice Juan Merchan presides over a hearing ahead of the trial of Donald Trump over charges that he falsified business records - Jane Rosenberg/Reuters He began his legal career in 1994 after graduating from Hofstra University School of Law. Before being appointed a family court judge in 2006, Justice Merchan served in the New York County District Attorneys Office and as an assistant attorney general in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Since 2009, he has presided over criminal matters while serving at the New York County Supreme Court. The $15 Biden donation Not long after Mr Trump was arraigned, it emerged that Justice Merchan had donated $35 to the Democrats in 2020, including $15 to Joe Biden. Despite the donations being small, they raised questions about his impartiality. According to federal election records, Justice Merchan sent $15 to the Biden campaign, as well as two $10 contributions to the Progressive Turnout Project and Stop Republicans. In New York state, judges are barred from making donations to political organisations or candidates, but the donation was viewed as trivial given its sum. Justice Merchan did not recuse himself from the case when the issue came to light. Daughter has worked for Democrats Justice Merchans daughter, Loren Merchan, is the president of Authentic Campaigns, a firm that has worked on digital fundraising and advertising for Democratic clients. Her list of previous clients includes Mr Biden and Representative Adam Schiff, who led impeachment efforts against Mr Trump. The revelation led Mr Trump to push to have Justice Merchan removed from the case. What has Trump said about Justice Merchan? Mr Trump has been extremely outspoken against both Justice Merchan and his daughter. In a televised address from his Florida mansion of Mar-a-Lago in April last year, Mr Trump accused the judge of having a Trump-hating family with ties to Kamala Harris. He said: I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris, and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign and a lot of it. His attacks against Ms Merchan on social media led Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, to request an expansion of the former presidents existing gag order to include the judges family. Mr Trump decried the order as a violation of his constitutional right to free speech. NT police commissioner Michael Murphy says he failed to make the connection between information he received in August and the evidence of Zachary Rolfe about the award certificates. Photograph: Neve Brissenden/AAP The Northern Territorys top police officer has agreed he was gaslighting Aboriginal people when he said he had not seen racism in the force, and admitted he knew about racist award certificates months before their existence was made public. The police commissioner, Michael Murphy, told the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker on Wednesday that he regretted not investigating the coon of the year certificates awarded within the forces Territory Response Group or reporting them to the NT police professional standards command when he learned about them in August 2023. Murphy also agreed he misled the public in February this year, when he told journalists he had not been aware of the certificates, which had been mentioned by former constable Zachary Rolfe during the inquest the previous day. Rolfe shot Walker dead during a bungled arrest in the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu in November 2019. He was later charged with murder but was acquitted after a supreme court trial. An inquest into the 19-year-old Warlpiri mans death continued this week, and Murphy was the final witness. Related: Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Zachary Rolfe says hes bored with coronial process and is ready to move on Murphy said he could not eliminate the possibility that racism played a part in Walkers death. But much of his evidence focused on what he knew about broader racism within the force, including revelations sparked by Rolfe about a history of racist awards being handed out by the elite TRG spanning almost a decade. It was revealed that Murphy met Carey Joy, a former NT police officer who the court has previously heard is friends with Rolfe, in August 2023. Murphy said Joy provided him with details about the awards, but that he did not recall this meeting once Rolfe gave evidence about the same awards in February this year. The following day, Murphy said in a press conference that he was not aware of the awards. Under questioning from counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC, he denied deliberately misleading the public, saying that he had simply failed to make the connection between the August meeting and Rolfes evidence at the time. Murphy also said he regretted not reporting Joys information regarding the awards. I should have delegated that and I should have actioned it and I should have reported it to the professional standards command and I did not, he told the inquest. Murphy agreed with Dwyer that he was effectively gaslighting the Aboriginal community, who had made repeated complaints about racism within the force, when he said during the same February press conference he had not seen similar conduct to that outlined by Rolfe. At the time, he knew about the awards and other racism within the force, including an incident involving officers within the water police using a group chat to disparage an Indigenous colleague, the court heard. Murphy said the force was committed to changing, and would peel the scab back on racism within the organisation. Under questioning from Gerard Mullins KC for the Brown family, who are related to Walker, Murphy said he accepted his conduct and that of senior officers within the TRG represented a breach of the forces code of conduct, given they had not reported instances of racism. He also said he accepted that racist certificates may have remained undiscovered were it not for the evidence of Rolfe, a fact that Mullins said was distressing to the Brown family. After Murphys evidence, a video taken in July 2022 was played to the court featuring relatives of Walker speaking about his death. When he went away from us, we are still sad, said his grandmother, Alice Napurrula Walker-Nelson. Yuendumu was upside down. We wouldnt think about anything. Just crying, crying. We didnt know what to do. Lottie Robinson, the grandmother of Walkers partner, Rickisha Robinson, said: We need the government to understand, you know these people, they are joining the police force, they cant just come and, you know, be tough in our communities. We dont want another Rolfe coming in our in our community, do these kind of things. Louanna Williams, Walkers cousin, said it was important people came together to stop a similar death happening again. What I think about the police is not that they are here to serve and to protect the people, and the community itself. But what theyve done to my nephew was wrong. Theyve only picked out really bad things about Kumanjayi in the court. They have only known him through what was written in their system. But they never knew him in person. The NT coroner, Elisabeth Armitage, closed the inquest after the video was played, saying her findings would be released at a later date after she considered the complex and deeply disturbing evidence before her. In this inquest we have attempted to examine and discover the circumstances of [Walkers] passing those circumstances are not limited to what happened in that room on that day, she said. I do not use the word tragedy lightly. These events have been a tragedy for Kumanjayi Walkers family for the entire Northern Territory and the nation. Lloyd Russell-Moyle said there 'isn't enough time to defend' his case before the July 4 election - Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images A Left-wing Labour MP has been suspended and will not stand at the general election following a complaint, it has emerged. The Labour Party has suspended Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the MP for Brighton Kemptown, pending the outcome of an investigation into a serious complaint received last week, The Telegraph understands. On Wednesday, Mr Russell-Moyle said that there isnt enough time to defend his case before the July 4 election and that the party had informed him he would not be an eligible candidate. He said: Yesterday, out of the blue, I received an administrative suspension letter. Someone (who remains anonymous to me) has made what I believe to be a vexatious and politically motivated complaint about my behaviour eight years ago. This is a false allegation, and I believe it was designed to disrupt this election. I aim to co-operate with the investigations process to clear my name, but will now take this opportunity to contribute to public life in different ways under what I hope is a Labour government. Mr Russell-Moyle, 37, was elected in 2017, winning the Brighton Kemptown seat from Tory Simon Kirby. An ally of Jeremy Corbyn, he served as a shadow foreign minister during the former Labour leaders tenure and is a member of the Left-wing Socialist Campaign Group. He was a shadow environment minister in Sir Keir Starmers first shadow cabinet, but has been a critic of the Labour leader since he resigned from the role in July 2020. A Labour spokesman said: The Labour Party takes all complaints extremely seriously. They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken. News of Mr Russell-Moyles suspension comes as Labour battles a growing storm over Diane Abbott, the veteran MP who has said she has been banned from standing for the party on July 4. The MP for the London seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, who served in Jeremy Corbyns shadow cabinet, was suspended from the party last April after she suggested that Jewish people did not experience racism all their lives. She is understood to have had the party whip restored on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Sir Keir insisted she had not been barred from standing in the election. The Labour leader has been accused of lying by saying as recently as Friday that the investigation into Ms Abbott had not concluded. On Tuesday, BBC Newsnight reported that it had finished in December. It is as if you are not allowed to be a Labour MP unless youre prepared to repeat everything the leader says, Ms Abbott said at a rally in Hackney on Wednesday night. The suspension is understood to have fuelled fear among the Labour Left that a wider purge was under way ahead of polling day. Sir Keir and his allies have been accused of parachuting centrist Starmtroopers into safe seats ahead of the election. Left-wing activists have long accused the Labour leadership of snubbing potential candidates with more socialist views. Romesh Ranganathan's travelogue has evolved from fish-out-of-water laughs to something more incisive - Rumpus Media/BBC Celebrity travelogues are almost always more fun for the celebrity than the viewer, but get past that and The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan (BBC Two) is the best one out there. This first episode of a new, fourth (and apparently final) series was ostensibly more of the same: ie deadpan comedian visits a series of places with duff reputations and discovers that theyre both precisely as bad, as well as not nearly as bad, as people think. Episode one took grumpy old Rom to Uganda, where he duly discovered that theres much more to it than just the shadow of former president Idi Amin. Ranganathan, however, has been a broadcast staple for a while now. No one with his level of near-constant exposure A League of Their Own; Rob and Romesh doing whatever it is they do on Sky; The Ranganation; a flagship show on Radio 2; Judge Romesh, The Weakest Link could maintain the same schtick forever. And so like Clarkson and how Ranganathan would hate the comparison his persona, act, or possibly just his personality, has evolved. Gone is the punchline punchbag with the paunch whose role on Misadventures used to be to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous air-miles with an impassive stare. Well, not entirely gone there were still segments here of white-water rafting and crocodile close-ups where Ranganathan looked genuinely scared for his life. But more and more he is getting to show a more cerebral side, and in the case of a tour of Uganda it made for some percipient, memorable television. His guide throughout was a Ugandan princess (one of 200, she admitted) called Alex, who he was good enough to introduce as his co-presenter. They joshed along in the usual travelogue manner as she showed him her country, but halfway through Ranganathan asked her for her views on Ugandas draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was enacted in May last year with broad (and shocking) public support. It was a riveting two-hander: Ranganathan was masterful in framing the debate and skewering, without incitement, his delightful co-hosts bigotry. It was not what I expected to find in what is still, basically, a reliably funny fish-out-of-water comedy hour. But with Ranganathan heading next to Rwanda, so much in the news, I will watch his report (and yes, I think we can call it that) with new interest. Nikki Haley signed a shell during her visit to Israel Nikki Haley wrote Finish Them! on the side of a fresh Israeli artillery shell during a visit to Israel. The failed presidential hopeful and South Carolina governor has been one of the fiercest supporters of Israel since war broke out with Hamas. Despite other politicians from both sides, including longtime friend of Israel Chuck Schumer, denouncing Israels aggressive offensive in Gaza, Ms Haley has repeatedly rushed to Israels defence. On Tuesday, she visited an artillery post on the northern border and wrote on a shell: Finish them! America [loves] Israel. Always. Nikki Haley. Photos of Ms Haley kneeling to sign the shell were shared on social media on Tuesday by Danny Danon, a member of the Israeli parliament who had accompanied the former Republican presidential candidate on her visit. Haley: Youre doing the right thing I want Israelis to know youre doing the right thing. Dont let anybody make you feel wrong because Israel is not wrong in this, Ms Haley said in a press conference on Monday. Ms Haleys comments are especially sensitive in light of Sundays airstrike in Gaza, which triggered a fire that killed 45 people. The Israeli Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday it was still unclear what had caused the fire but was adamant that it was not the direct result of the 17 kilogram munitions used, saying they were too small. We are looking into all possibilities including the option that weapons stored in a compound next to our target which we did not know of may have ignited as a result of the strike, he said. Israel said it was targeting two senior Hamas operatives in a compound when it launched the attack, but critics of Israel see the loss of civilian life as part of a pattern of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. A Palestinian child plays with the rubble after Israel bombs Palestinians' tents and shelters in Rafah, Gaza - Anadolu On Wednesday Israeli tanks carried out a second day of attacks in Rafah despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel stop its operations there owing to the huge potential for loss of life. Bidens red line Some 1.4 million people have taken shelter in the southern Gaza city, having been displaced in the seven months of war. This Israeli attack on a populated camp in a so-called safe zone in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza, said Samuel Johann, Medecins Sans Frontieress emergency coordinator in Gaza. Women and children were among the people that were brought to the stabilisation point, and once again, civilians are paying the price of this war, he added. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned Israel not to attack Rafah, claiming it would cross a red line if it does and result in a pause in the supply of US weapons to Israel. On Sunday, the US skirted around the issue, with White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying, As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to. Ms Haley was a hawkish UN envoy under Donald Trump, and her term overlapped with Mr Danon. Pro-Palestinian supporters gather outside Downing Street in central London - Alister Gooding/pictureexclusive.com Three police officers were injured and 40 people have been arrested during a protest in Westminster on Tuesday night. One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd, while two officers had minor injuries. Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified but police are investigating. A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6pm and was required to end at 8pm, police said. Officers are identifying the ringleaders in this group and specialist arrest teams in protective equipment are going into the crowd to detain and extract them. pic.twitter.com/QDHr7b04kI Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) May 28, 2024 The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident. A group of around 500 people remained and police began making a number of arrests for failing to comply. Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group. Demonstrators marched on the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday night - GETTY IMAGES A police statement said they went into the crowd shortly before 10pm to arrest those suspected of leading the breakaway protest, with 40 people arrested for offences including breaking the Public Order Act, obstruction of a highway and assaults of emergency workers. Around 2am on Wednesday, police said all protestors had left the area and Bridge Street had been reopened. Microsoft Flight Simulator Adds Short SC.7 Skyvan as Local Legend 16 Microsoft Flight Simulator enthusiasts have reason to rejoice as the latest addition, the Local Legend 16: Short SC.7 Skyvan, takes center stage. Recognized for its unparalleled versatility and resilience, the Skyvan has earned a reputation as a dependable workhorse in the aviation world. Affectionately termed the "flying shoebox" for its distinct appearance, this aircraft boasts a rich history of navigating challenging terrains and executing demanding missions with finesse. Read Also: War of the Worlds Pre-Alpha Shows Alien, Survivor Playable Options A Legacy of Practical Design Originating from the drawing boards of Short Brothers in Belfast, Ireland, during the 1950s, the Skyvan emerged as a testament to practicality and efficiency. Combining a spacious, rectangular fuselage with high-performance wings and robust engines, Short Brothers crafted an aircraft tailored to meet diverse operational needs. The prototype, initially equipped with piston engines, underwent rigorous testing before being upgraded to turboprop powerplants, marking a significant milestone in aviation history. A Global Companion Since its inception, the Skyvan has served a multitude of roles across the globe. From transporting passengers and cargo to facilitating specialized operations such as aerial photography and air ambulance services, its utility knows no bounds. Noteworthy missions include navigating treacherous airstrips in Nepal, supporting military logistics in various nations, and contributing to landmark endeavors like the Apollo missions. Crewed by one or two individuals, the Skyvan boasts impressive specifications, including a capacity for up to 19 passengers or over 5,000 pounds of cargo. Its dimensions, spanning over 40 feet in length and nearly 65 feet in wingspan, coupled with the power of Garrett AiResearch turboprop engines, ensure remarkable performance across diverse environments. Embrace the Adventure In the virtual realm of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Skyvan promises endless possibilities for exploration and adventure. Whether embarking on daring landings in remote locales or soaring above breathtaking landscapes, simmers can immerse themselves in the thrill of aviation like never before. With sixteen liveries to choose from, including military and civilian options, enthusiasts can tailor their experience to suit their preferences. Available for $14.99, the Short SC.7 Skyvan awaits eager pilots in Microsoft Flight Simulator, beckoning them to embrace the boundless skies of virtual aviation. Related Article: Microsoft Flight Simulator Offers Exclusive Dune Expansion for Free Download Guillaume Pradoura was expelled from France's National Rally party after a picture surfaced on social media showing him dressed as an "anti-Semitic caricature" - KONBIN NEWS Investigators on Wednesday were searching the home and offices of an EU parliament staffer as part of a probe into suspected Russian interference and corruption, the Belgian state prosecutors office said. According to a source close to the investigation, the target of the raids is Guillaume Pradoura, a former assistant to the embattled EU lawmaker Maximilian Krah, of the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Mr Pradoura who was expelled from Frances National Rally over an anti-Semitic picture now works for Marcel de Graaff, the Dutch hard-Right lawmaker. Maximilian Krah, an MEP from Germany's far-Right AfD party, is himself being investigated over his links to Russia and China - JEAN-FRANCOIS BADIAS/AP PHOTO The prosecutors office said searches were being conducted at a staffers home in Schaerbeek, northeast Brussels, and at his offices in both Brussels and Strasbourg with co-operation from French authorities. In a statement, it said the searches are part of an investigation into interference, passive corruption and membership in a criminal organisation. Paid to promote Russian propaganda They concern evidence of Russian interference, indicating that members of the European parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the news site Voice of Europe, the prosecutors office said. Evidence suggests that the European parliament staffer in question played an important role in this case, it added. Belgian prosecutors opened an investigation last month into the meddling allegations, after Czech intelligence exposed a network suspected of using EU lawmakers to spread Kremlin propaganda. The claims centred on Voice of Europe, which has since been banned under EU sanctions. Independence and ethics EU lawmakers face strict rules on independence and ethics, and can face penalties financial and otherwise if they violate them. Belgium says its own intelligence services have determined that some lawmakers were paid to promote Moscows propaganda. Mr Pradouras former boss, Mr Krah, is himself being investigated for suspicious links to both Russia and China, and another of Mr Krahs parliament aides was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. The snowballing scandals surrounding Mr Krah led his AfD party to be expelled last week from its group in the EU parliament, the far-Right Identity and Democracy. He remains the AfDs top candidate in the June 6-9 European election since it is too late to remove him from the position. Collage All this week The Telegraph is running a series of exclusive essays from prominent international commentators imagining the consequences if Russia were successful in its war. The first, by former Ukrainian MP Aliona Hlivco, considers the devastating impact for the Nato alliance. Ukraines fight isnt merely for its existence as a nation its a battle for the very fabric of the global order. Yes, its about safeguarding European security a rallying cry heard in countless statements from Western officials, often accompanied by assurances of limited air defence and ammunition but as Ukraine continues to lose ground, towns, and lives, the Wests response is tepid, with its only firm stance drawn around Nato borders, where geopolitical interests overshadow humanitarian concerns. But what if Putin dares to cross these lines, dismissing Western threats as mere bluster? What if Ukraine falls, emboldening Putin to pursue further expansion into the other former Soviet Union states that, in his view, belong in the Russian empire? Will Nato truly honour its pledge to collective security, or is that promise nothing but hollow rhetoric? The fact is, Natos resilience is more fragile than we think. And a victory for Putin could see the worlds most successful alliance begin to crumble. The strength of Nato lies not only in its military prowess but in its unwavering commitment to collective defence, enshrined in Article 5. Yet Article 5 merely compels members to contemplate a response. The Parties agree that if such an armed attack occurs, each of them will take action as it deems necessary thats all that Article 5 says. That action could mean anything from sending a warship to patrol an incursion, to merely expressing deep concern. Nato Eastern flank countries, such as Estonia and Poland, are on a war footing, shaming Nato up by doing much more than is formally required. Estonia is well ahead of its Nato allies in the 3% GDP defence spending, and Poland in particular is bracing itself for potential war with Russia. According to Polish military sources, there is no intention to wait for Russian boots to step onto Polands soil; the war could very well begin on Russian territory itself. Should Ukraine fall, and Russias aggression turn toward Nato allies like the Baltic states or Poland, expect to see Nato be fragmented, or even replaced, by those countries who cannot afford to be left exposed by the weaknesses of their so-called allies. Recent statements from Polands defence counterintelligence chief, Jaroslaw Strozyk, underscore that Putin is fully prepared for a small-scale military operation in Eastern territories, targeting, for example, the Estonian municipality Narva or encroaching on one of the Swedish islands. It is noteworthy that the Swedish Navy recently accused Russian shadow oil tankers navigating through the Baltic Sea of engaging in espionage, gathering information on operations in the port of the island of Gotland under the guise of emergency docking. Gotland holds strategic significance for the regional security of Northern Europe and is crucial for the defence of neighbouring Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland. Polands intelligence concerns were echoed by those of Estonian, German and the UK officials. It is clear that Putin is only being held off in his intentions by the Wests strong resolve in supporting Ukraine. If that resolve shatters, the likelihood of an imminent Russian attack on Nato would grow exponentially, and the implications would be profound. With existing divisions within Nato, particularly evident in disagreements over matters such as Swedens potential accession to the alliance, its likely that many member states would prioritise their own defence over that of their weaker allies. The role of the United States in the event of a Russian victory would also need to be considered. Would it, plagued by pre-election hesitations and isolationist tendencies, step in to support its allies again? Would it resolutely send a frigate of aircraft carriers towards the area of incursion or, on the contrary, issue a strongly worded statement, condemning Russia yet again for its misbehaviour, while implying to the allies under attack that they should have paid more in their contributions to Nato? Would it urge the self-defending nation to not escalate by fighting back too hard and suggest seeking resolution at the negotiations table? The tensions at play suddenly become clear if one actually imagines the scenario of Russia attacking a Nato country. Poland has around 10,000 American troops on its soil, but if its borders were breached, would the US decide to cut its losses and leave? The fact this is even contemplatable reveals the fragility at the heart of modern Nato. Paratroopers jump from an aircraft during the military exercise Swift Response by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces at Campia Turzii, Romania, on Monday, May 13, 2024. NATO described the exercise as the largest airborne operation in Europe since World War II. Lets imagine that it was Estonia that faced the Russia onslaught. The UKs actions would be crucial given its role as an Enhanced Forward Presence partner to Estonia. If Estonia is the first Nato country to suffer the Russian attack, the UK with over a thousand of its troops there, would find itself at war. But would the UK under a Labour follow through on its commitments to collective European and global defence? If either Poland or Estonia were attacked, Germany would be on high alert, having c.4,000 troops stationed in Lithuania. Last week, at the Adenauer Conference, I had the chance to speak to several German Bundestag members, military leaders, Chancellery advisers and even Defence Minister Pistorius himself. To my question on whether Germany is ready for war if Russia attacks, all of them resolutely said yes but with fear in their eyes and hesitancy in their voices. Germany is only coming around to the practical realisation of its pronounced Zeitenwende, whereas critics of the current government say that the critical momentum for the countrys remilitarisation has been lost. Tragically, therefore, in the worst case scenarios one can easily imagine the Germans resorting to its traditional diplomatic dialogue with Moscow, seeking back-channel communication with the Russians to avoid escalation, aiming for some trade-offs, jeopardising the continents unity even further. Worse than all this would be the fact that some members of Nato would even try to capitalise on emerging chaos. Hungary, it is safe to presume, may be the first European nation to turn on its allies.Turkey, too, seeing no strength in unity, might pursue its own interests in the Black Sea, potentially not just discarding Ukraines successes in desecrating the Russian fleet, but undermining the security of fellow Nato members like Romania and Bulgaria. As Nato in Europe cracked under the pressure, reverberations would be felt beyond the North-Atlantic. China could interpret Natos weakness as a green light to assert dominance in the Indo-Pacific and invade Taiwan. That has the potential to trigger DPRK to assault South Korea despite the existing QUAD arrangements and prospects for the enlargement of AUKUS. Australia and Japan would be left to their own devices, facing an incredibly dangerous situation in the region. The UK would not have the capacity to come to the aid of its Asia-Pacific partners with Russias aggressive expansion in Europe. Suffice to say, as Russia makes strides in Europe, China would be likely to expand its influence in Asia. India, witnessing the expanding reach of China and maintaining its historical military alliance with Russia, would likely seek to bolster its position in the Global South, aiming to retain leverage in the UN General Assembly. African nations, swayed by the accompanying chaos of Russian propaganda, promising long-awaited justice against the perceived hypocrisy and decay of the West, would be inclined to challenge the foundations of the post-World War II order established by the UN. Some countries of Latin America would follow a similar trajectory. This hypothetical scenario may sound extreme, but it serves a purpose: if Ukraine were to fall, it would not just be the end of one nation, it would potentially bring about the unravelling of Nato and the established world order as we know it. The unleashed cascade of events would cause unthinkable and irreversible changes, pushing the world to the brink of chaos. Established democracies would find themselves marginalised and powerless, struggling to regain unity and authority amidst the turmoil. It would take decades to rebuild the rules-based order in the new fully reshaped world. This is what is at stake in Ukraine. In a modern interconnected world, our collective future is leveraged on the fulcrum that is my home country. We cannot allow it to fall. Aliona Hlivco is a former Ukrainian MP and Managing Director of the Henry Jackson Society, a trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank. She is a regular contributor to The Telegraphs daily podcast Ukraine: The Latest. With over 85 million downloads, it is considered the most trusted daily source of war news on both sides of the Atlantic. Advocates know pets are often abused or used to control victims. They also say that despite violence towards animals being a high-risk factor, its not well acknowledged by police and governments. Photograph: Rebecca Cole/Alamy Sarah* looked down at her phone and saw the text. It had no words just a picture of her dog tied up in the sun, on a dirt road she didnt know. It was January, the hottest part of the year. She says it was sent by her husband, who she had left nine weeks earlier, fleeing with her two children. Related: We start the day with 60 people waiting: the lawyers helping the never-ending list of Australias DV victims Sarah tells Guardian Australia that her situation got so bad that she believes she and her children were at risk of being killed. Sarahs husband was struggling with substance abuse, had severe mental health issues and had access to firearms. They had been together for three years, and she says the physical and sexual abuse had escalated. She also says that he had threatened to kill her, and would often hurt the dogs. Last November, Sarah was moved to an emergency hotel for a week, before getting temporary accommodation. Neither place allowed pets. So while some of her pets stayed with another family member, a dog ended up back with her husband. When Sarah tried to get him back, she says her husband refused. So she started a civil court proceeding and she says thats when he dumped the dog and sent the photo. I couldnt and wouldnt leave my pets Victim-survivor Advocates know pets are often abused or used to control victims. They say despite violence towards animals being a high-risk factor, its not well acknowledged to be taken seriously by police and governments. But, across the country, many crisis shelters will not allow pets, though state and territory governments say they offer alternatives if families have to be split up. When Sarah went to a police station to report a breach of a domestic violence order in place, she says she was told that nothing could be done. She reached out to a mutual contact, who convinced her husband who was away at the time to reveal her dogs location. When he came back he was basically emaciated, and he had burnt paw pads. He was very poorly looked after, Sarah says. Little room for pets In the Australian Capital Territory or Northern Territory, no crisis accommodation caters for pets. A spokesperson for the NT government said it supports people to help get pets into shelters, while in the ACT some temporary community housing will allow pets. In New South Wales, the government currently funds 94 womens refuges, with a spokesperson saying they will cater to animals where possible and safe to do. Of the 54 crisis centres funded by the Queensland government, one caters to pets, a spokesperson said. Western Australia funds 44 refuges and safe houses for victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, of which nine can accommodate pets, while the Victorian government said it was the choice of each of the states 30 refuges about whether to accommodate pets. Related: In rural Australia, everyone knows your business so it's harder for victims of violence to get help | Gabrielle Chan Tasmania has 20 homelessness shelters and three safe spaces, with just one shelter equipped to cater for people with animals. A spokesperson for South Australia Housing Authority would not say how many crisis centres there are in the state, but that in most cases, pets are welcome. But Alison Waters, the CEO of Lucys Project, which aims to improve the safety of people and animals affected by domestic violence, says more funding is needed to make sure families could stay with their pets. This would include emergency crisis and transitional housing. We are also asking for training and resourcing for domestic violence, homelessness, community services and others, to help them to identify and respond to animal abuse as part of domestic and family violence, she says. Another victim-survivor tells Guardian Australia she stayed with her partner for a decade, until she left in 2021, because she was so worried about what would happen to her pets if she left. My husband was jealous of my love for the dog, she says. If he was angry at me he would take it out physically on [her]. I became compliant really fast as seeing her hurt was more than I could bear. I couldnt and wouldnt leave my pets. Eventuality the abuse became so bad they fled, scattering the pets three dogs, guinea pigs, chickens and a cat into friends homes and animal shelters. They are now back with her and her children, but she says it was hard getting a rental property. What would have really helped was finding a rental that would accept me. The pets certainly didnt put me on the top of the list and I have zero rental history, she says. There is significant demand for these services Counting Dead Women Australia tracked 28 women killed by violence this year. The outcry is palpable. Fears for the safety of family pets can prevent or delay family violence victims leaving perpetrators or be the reason they return according to a recent report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). Report co-author Kylie Butler, an AIFS research officer, says it can lead to extreme stress for family members and be a key indicator of frequent and severe family violence. Perpetrators will use that emotional connection people have with animals against them, she says. Related: Paw and order: Lucy the labrador provides support as Australias first full-time court dog The research called for more crisis accommodation that allowed pets and factoring them into exit plans. [The] really, really big thing that came up was that theres a lack of animal-inclusive shelters, she says. And a lack of other alternative arrangements for animals. The ideal situation is if you can keep people and their pets together. But in the absence of that, where else can animals go? Even thats quite tricky, because theres very few options out there. The RSPCA is also calling to have violence towards animals considered during bail applications. The RSPCA offers services to help people and pets escape violence, but its chief scientific officer, Dr Suzanne Fowler, says the demand for the services is high, and they were not well funded. While the government generally funds programs around domestic violence, theres little to nothing allocated toward animal shelters by way of financial assistance to support and grow the services theyre offering, Fowler says. Sadly, there is significant demand for these services and facilities are often full. She says they often hear from women who find themselves in similar situations to Sarah. She calls for police to be trained and supported to retrieve animals from violent homes where people have escaped domestic and family violence but have had to leave their animals behind. [It would also be] beneficial for violence towards animals, and threats of violence towards animals, to be considered when hearing bail applications and as a component of coercive control legislation, she says. This would recognise the well-known link between violence to animals and domestic violence as well as provide better protection for humans and animals. * Not her real name In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Womens Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org. Trump with his lawyer Todd Blanche in court on Tuesday. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters Donald Trumps lawyer on Tuesday spent two hours focused on three key attacks against the Manhattan district attorneys case that the former president falsified business records with an intent to commit a second crime of covering up an illegal federal campaign finance violation. Lawyer Todd Blanche presented at the end of his closing argument 10 reasons why there was reasonable doubt in the prosecutions case and the jury should acquit Trump. It effectively came down to a handful of principal lines of argument: Trump did not create the fake invoices and records; Michael Cohen did Blanche pointed out that the 11 invoices each seeking $35,000 which prosecutors have said was part of a scheme to reimburse Cohen for paying the hush money to the adult film star Stormy Daniels were created by Cohen; Trump had no part in creating the invoices. The invoices, which purported to seek payment for a legal retainer, were the basis for the Trump Organization to enter legal expenses in its business records, Blanche said. The multi-data system software had a dropdown menu, and Trump Organization staff used that dropdown. Trump did not willfully violate federal campaign finance laws Blanche then argued Trump could not have possibly conspired to influence the 2016 election in violation of New York state laws, because the law would require Trump to know he was using an unlawful means to influence the election. The prosecution would suggest, Blanche posited, that the $130,000 hush money to Daniels exceeded federal campaign contribution limits. But Blanche argued there was no evidence to suggest Trump knew the payment would be an illegal contribution to his campaign, and knew he needed to cover it up. The case rests on Cohen, who lies about everything Blanche spent the bulk of his time attacking Cohens credibility, noting Cohen had lied to both houses of Congress, federal judges, the US justice department, and in this trial, essentially making him the Gloat or, the greatest liar of all time. The implication was that none of Cohens testimony could be credited because he lied with abandon. Cohens personal and financial wellbeing was motivated in this case, Blanche said, and Cohen had an axe to grind. The trouble for Trump is that the lead prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, had rebuttals for all three of Blanches attacks at the start of his closing arguments, before he got into his summation proper. Trump did not create the invoices, but caused them to be created Steinglass pointed out that New York state law only required prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump helped cause Cohen or others to make false records. Steinglass suggested Cohen was carrying out an illicit repayment scheme that Trump concocted. Trumps unlawful means were to pay to kill negative stories Steinglass then argued there was evidence of unlawful means which occurred the moment money changed hands for the benefit of the Trump 2016 campaign in excess of federal campaign contribution limits, which are set at $2,700 per election per person. Whether the jury actually proceeds on that notion remains to be seen. The presiding judge, Juan Merchan, has not yet ruled on what standard jurors have to use to decide whether Trump used an unlawful method to influence the 2016 election. Attacks on Cohens credibility were inconsistent The defense claimed that Cohen lied to Congress - but thats kind of rich, Steinglass said, since Cohen lied to Congress at Trumps behest about the number of times Trump had interacted with Russia, and Cohen got no benefit apart from staying in Trumps good graces. The defense also claimed Cohen stole $60,000 from the Trump Organization, when he billed Trump for $50,000 in order to reimburse a $20,000 cost to an IT company because the $30,000 delta was doubled up in the repayment scheme. Steinglass argued Blanche could not have it both ways either Cohen was a thief, or he was reimbursed for hush money. The upcoming general election's poster takes inspiration from Margaret Thatcher's design from 1978 - Chris Ware/Hulton Archive The Conservatives have unveiled their first poster of the general election campaign, warning voters: If you think Labour will win, start saving The poster, which will go up on billboards across the country from Thursday, features a piggy bank alongside the tagline in thick black letters. Tory insiders said the design was picked to have echoes of the partys Labour isnt working poster from Margaret Thatchers victory in the 1978 campaign. That poster also had its warning, which appeared alongside a snaking queue leading to an unemployment office, appearing in black capital letters. The design is a further signal that the Tories hope to fight the election campaign on matters of the economy. The Conservatives hope to reclaim the reputation of being the party of low tax, with Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak pledging the abolition of National Insurance as a long term ambition. Speaking to workers in Devon on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said: For people who are working hard like all of you, you stick with us, were going to keep cutting your taxes to give you that financial security to buy your home, move home, have a holiday do whatever it is you want to do. He added: The alternative on offer, because all elections are a choice, the alternative on offer is a party that is going to put up your taxes as I said, as clear as night follows day. However, opposition parties point out that the Conservatives have overseen the tax burden reaching a 70-year high - something they blame on the financial impacts of the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine. Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt have stressed that if voters choose to stick to the plan, taxes will eventually be brought down. Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky confirms 3.5bn Royal Mail takeover (Andrew Milligan - PA Images via Getty Images) International Distributions Services (IDS.L) Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services said it has agreed to a 3.57bn ($4.56bn) takeover offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinskys EP Group. The offer consists of 360p in cash, plus a final dividend of 2p per share and a special dividend of 8p per share. Including debt, the deal values IDS at 5.28bn. IDS said if the deal goes through Royal Mail would continue its universal service obligation to one-price-goes-anywhere first-class post six days a week, and keep the companys branding and UK headquarters. Read more: The tax pledges to watch for in the UK election Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE - European stock markets head lower as Royal Mail agrees 3.5bn takeover It also said it would protect existing employment rights of all IDS staff, and that there is no intention to make any material changes to overall headcount or reductions in the number of frontline workers beyond existing plans. Nvidia (NVDA) Heavyweight chip maker Nvidia surged by almost 7% to a new high this last session and is the number one trending ticker in pre-market trading as the AI darling eyes Apples (AAPL) spot as the world's second most valuable company by market cap, behind Microsoft (MSFT). Nvidia shares soared to a record high on Tuesday, putting it close to overtaking Apple with Nvidia now valued at $2.8tn, just shy of Apple's $2.9tn. Shares finished the day above $1,140. The milestone moment comes after Elon Musks artificial intelligence startup xAI said Sunday that it raised $6bn in a Series B funding round, sending Nvidia stock up as much as 8% the following trading day. "The market has been struggling to keep up with the company's ever improving growth trajectory. At a mid-thirties forward earnings multiple, this still doesn't feel like bubble territory," said Derren Nathan, head of equity analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown. The stock has now jumped by a third since the start of May, and by 137% over the year to date. Anglo American (AAL.L) BHP (BHP.L) has called for further extension to a bid deadline to allow for more talks over a 39bn takeover of rival Anglo American. Under UK takeover rules, the Sydney-based company faces a deadline of 5pm UK time on Wednesday to make an offer for Anglo or walk away for 6 months. "BHP believes a further extension of the deadline is required to allow for further engagement on its proposal, it said. The mining company said that it was ready to offer a break fee to Anglo American if the deal was blocked due to anti-trust reasons or if it failed to gain regulatory approval. Read more: What's next for state pension? Sunak unveils 'Triple Lock Plus' BHP is confident that the measures it has proposed to the board of Anglo American provide a viable pathway to resolve the matters raised by Anglo American and would support South African regulatory approvals, it added. Anglo previously claimed the offers were too risky and complex. The latest bid valued it at 38.6bn. It came after BHP had put forward two prior bids, valuing Anglo at 31.1bn and 34bn respectively. American Airlines (AAL) Shares in American Airlines sunk over 15% after the company cut its guidance on second profit as softer demand is expected to dent revenue. The Texas-based carrier now expects second-quarter adjusted earnings in the range of $1.00 to $1.15 per share, compared with its previous forecast of between $1.15 and $1.45 per share. It forecast total revenue per available seat mile, a proxy for pricing power, to be down about 5% to 6% from a year ago. That compares with a decline of 1% to 3% expected earlier. The airline also announced that its chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja, will leave the company next month. He has been in the role since April 2022. American Airlines said its vice chair and chief strategy officer Stephen Johnson will take on Rajas brief with immediate effect. Jefferies, which had upgraded the company earlier this year over cost controls, said it was downgrading the stock to "hold" as "the strategy has not gone as planned." Watch: Nvidia aiming beyond chips with AI ecosystem Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Donald Trump attends a hearing with his defense lawyers before Justice Juan Merchan, in New York on 21 May 2024 in this courtroom sketch. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters Donald Trumps criminal hush-money case in New York inched towards its conclusion on Wednesday with jury deliberations starting just before 11.30am local time. Right after jurors began weighing the former presidents fate, Trump railed against the proceedings and compared himself to a saint, saying in the hallway: Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. The charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged. Before the start of deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan instructed jurors . Merchans directives on the law were intended to guide jurors about how they are supposed to weigh the case. Early on in his instructions, Merchan said that jurors should not look to his comments during the trial as suggesting that Trump was innocent or guilty. It is not my responsibility to judge the evidence here, Merchan said. You are the judgers of the facts. He also told jurors that they should not consider Trump possibly winding up in jail when rendering their verdict. You may not speculate with matters related to sentencing or punishment, Merchan said. The judge remarked that it was my responsibility to determine a possible sentence not jurors. The former president is charged with falsifying business records in relation to paying off the adult film actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump is the first US president, former or present, to face a criminal trial. Manhattan prosecutors allege that Trumps then attorney, Michael Cohen, shuttled $130,000 to Daniels days before the election, so that her claim of an extramarital sexual liaison would not go public and tank his chances at the polls. Merchan explained how a person could be found guilty of breaking the law in this case, even if they didnt break the law directly. This relates to Trump, as his intermediaries are accused of performing the actions that constitute crimes, but prosecutors contend that he has criminal liability by directing them to do so. When one person engages in conduct which constitutes an offense, another is criminally liable for such conduct when, acting for the state of mind required for that offense, he or she solicits, requests, commands, importunes or intentionally aids [...] in that conduct, Merchan explained. To find a defendant guilty of committing a crime via others, Merchan said, you must find beyond a reasonable doubt, first, that he solicited, requested, commanded, importuned or intentionally aided the person to engage in that crime, and second, that he did so with the state of mind required for that offense ... Related: Ten reasons to acquit: Trump trial key takeaways, closing arguments This next step of Trumps case marks a pivotal moment. If jurors reach a verdict, they will determine whether he is guilty or not guilty. If Trump is found guilty, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate faces the possibility of jail albeit unlikely when he is sentenced. Trump denies the charges against him. Trump also faces three other criminal cases: one for trying to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, another for his conduct around the January 6 Capitol attack, and a third one involving his treatment of sensitive documents after he left the White House. These other three cases have been pushed back and it is unlikely that any would conclude before the November election. Trumps legal woes do not appear to have affected him in the polls. He still boasts a narrow edge over Joe Biden in some polls and is proving strong in some states that are key to winning the race. On Tuesday, the defense and prosecution presented their summations. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass insisted that the case was about far more than paying off Daniels. Rather, Steinglass said, Trumps plot with Cohen and tabloid honcho David Pecker in summer 2015 where the scandal sheet publisher said he would keep an eye out for damaging information about the then candidate deprived Americans of true choice at the ballot box. Three rich and powerful men, high up in Trump Tower, tried to become even more powerful by controlling the information that reached voters, Steinglass said. The value of this corrupt bargain. It turned out to be one of the most valuable contributions to the Trump campaign. This scheme cooked up by these men, at this time, could very well be what got Donald Trump elected. In simplest terms, Stormy Daniels is the motive, Steinglass said at one point. Trumps defense lawyer Todd Blanche insisted that Cohen was a liar and that even if there were a conspiracy, it was not a big deal. It doesnt matter if there was a conspiracy to try and win an election, Blanche said of the alleged scheme involving Trump. Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to promote a candidate. Blanche phrased this as a hypothetical he did not admit there was a conspiracy and in fact, denied one. But, even if there were, Blanche insisted it was business as usual. Many politicians work with the media to try and promote their image, Blanche said, telling jurors at one point that in order for it to be a legal problem, you have to find that this effort was done by unlawful means. Michael Fanone outside Manhattan criminal court in New York on 28 May 2024. Photograph: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images The home of the mother of Michael Fanone, a Washington DC police officer who nearly died in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol, was swatted on Tuesday night. An unnamed person who had written a manifesto seen by NBC falsely claimed they had killed Fanones mother and would go to Fanones old high school on Wednesday and shoot people. The manifesto listed Fanones mothers address in Virginia. Related: Republican activist with ties to DeSantis and Rubio indicted over January 6 Fanones father was also targeted in the manifesto but was out of the country at the time. He called swatting calls like the one aimed at his parents incredibly fucking dangerous. Fanone told NBC News: How dangerous is it to send law enforcement to an address in which you essentially are describing an active shooter, in which the only person present is a 78-year-old fucking woman. Fanone spoke of how horrified his mother was that night to open the door and be met with Swat team officers while in her nightgown. Fairfax county police assisted in an investigation into the swatting call. Fanone said the swatting incident likely happened as a direct result of the public appearances he makes speaking out against Donald Trump. Speaking at a Biden campaign event earlier on Tuesday outside the courthouse where Trumps hush-money trial was taking place alongside the Capitol police officer Harry Dunn and the actor Robert De Niro, Fanone said Trump was an authoritarian who answers to and serves only himself. Fanone voted for Trump in 2016 but has since thrown his support behind Biden, and blames the Capitol attack on Trumps lies. At the Tuesday press conference, Fanone said: These supporters were fueled by Trumps lies and the lies of his surrogates, lies that the 2020 election was stolen. Those same lies have been spewed by Donald Trump and his surrogates about what happened to me and so many other police officers on January 6, 2021 that day, I was brutally assaulted. Recounting the attack on the Capitol during which he was on duty, Fanone said he was pulled by the violent mob and beaten, almost stripped of his firearm and tasered on his neck. He was assigned a desk job for his safety after leaving the Metropolitan police department later in 2021. The swatting incident involving Fanones mother is one of several targeted at high-profile individuals in politics. Others have been aimed at the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, the House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Florida senator Rick Scott, the Maine secretary of state Shenna Bellows, and the former House Republican from Wisconsin Mike Gallagher, who stepped down because of the threats against him and his family. Amid the spike in these types of threats, Merrick Garland, the US attorney general, said in January: These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our democracy. The wife of a woman who was stabbed to death on a beach in Bournemouth has paid tribute to her as a loving wife and mother, adding: Her giggly laugh and big smile will be hard to be without. Police were called to reports that two women from Poole had been stabbed on Durley Chine Beach at around 11.45pm on May 24. Amie Gray, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene while a 38-year-old who was taken to hospital with serious injuries is still receiving treatment. Police officers at the scene (Angus Williams/PA) Ms Grays wife Sian Gray said in a statement issued via Dorset Police: Words cannot describe the pain that we feel. Amie was the most loving wife and mother. Her giggly laugh and big smile will be hard to be without. A larger than life character. I will miss you immensely my love. To the moon and back, forever and always. Thank you for all of the love and support shown and for respecting our privacy. It is a difficult time for everyone. Ms Grays mother, Sharon Macklin, called her daughter beautiful inside and out. She said: As a family we are devastated to have lost one of the most amazing, funny, kind and energetic souls. When Amie entered a room it filled with laughter and her presence could not be ignored. She was beautiful inside and out and there are no words that can express how empty our lives will be without her. We will miss her so much and our hearts are forever broken. In a statement, Dorset Futsal Club said the team was absolutely devastated at the loss of their incredible head coach. The team posted on Facebook: We are absolutely devastated at the news we received on Saturday morning surrounding the passing of our beloved coach, Amie. Amie had an incredible spirit, she was kind, caring and always available to help anyone with anything. She had a way about her that you couldnt ignore, she was such a kind and devoted friend to so many and an incredible coach, oozing positivity and commitment. The loss of Amie has really impacted every single person at the club, as the head coach of the womens team, there arent many people who didnt know her and everyone loved her. As a club run by volunteers, the time and dedication she put into getting the womens team to where they are was second to none, without her, there would be no Dorset Futsal Ladies. She was so committed to making the team thrive, giving them 1:1 advice, checking in with them individually, and her vision to enter the upcoming National Futsal Series and showcasing their amazing work and talent for the 2024/25 season. We are all devastated, we are hurt and we will be supporting one another through this difficult time. We are also in regular conversation with Amies next of kin, offering our support to them at this incredibly difficult time. Sometimes you meet a person in life that just fits, makes you feel seen and will always have your back. Amie was that person, loved by all and will be truly missed. Rest in peace Amie. A 20-year-old man from Croydon, south London, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in police custody. Anyone with information is asked to submit it through the major incident public portal at police.uk/operation/55HQ23N07-PO1 between 7am and 10pm or call 101 quoting occurrence number 55240078013. An Alabama man convicted in the violent deaths of a small-town elderly couple is set to be executed on Thursday after spending nearly two decades on death row. This week the 11th Circuit Court of Criminal Appeals denied two defense motions seeking a delay in the execution of Jamie Ray Mills, who maintains his innocence in the 2004 beating deaths of Floyd and Vera Hill. The defense can still seek a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court. In numerous appeals, Mills argues that he was convicted based on the perjured testimony of his wife, JoAnn Mills, who says she witnessed the attack. Jamie Mills, 50, argues that prosecutors failed to disclose a deal they made with JoAnn Mills, violated his constitutional rights, and undermined the fairness of the trial and verdict, according to court documents filed last month. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm argues otherwise, saying in court documents that JoAnn Mills offered graphic testimony of what her husband did to the victims and what the two of them did "thereafter in an effort to cover their tracks. Additionally, the evidence against Jamie Mills was so "damning that prosecutors would have been able to convict him even without JoAnn Mills testimony, Hamm says. Jamie Ray Mills is scheduled to be executed by the state of Alabama on Thursday, May 30, in connection with the murders of Floyd and Vera Hill in 2004. What led up to murder of Floyd and Vera Hill? Jamie Mills was down on his luck in the weeks leading up to June 24, 2004. That's the day when Floyd Hill, 87, and his wife of 55 years, Vera Hill, 72, were bludgeoned to death at their home in the small city of Guin, about 70 miles northwest of Birmingham. Mills was out of a job, had been jailed for falling behind on child support payments, his parents were dying, and he had relapsed into drug use, court records show. The theory presented in trial proceedings was that Jamie and JoAnn Mills were looking for a way to get more money for drugs, deciding to rob the Hills because they were known to have large amounts of cash stashed at home. Jamie Mills began to use drugs as a teenager, which were introduced to him by his parents, who were addicted to meth and dealt drugs in front of him and his siblings, according to a May 2017 court filing. It wasnt long before Mills became addicted to methamphetamine himself, using almost every day. He managed to get clean in 2003, but began to use methamphetamine again in the spring of 2004, citing multiple stressors. Mills only had $14 to his name when he was arrested, living off of savings he accumulated from work as a mechanic. Request to use couple's phone turns violent Jamie and JoAnn Mills spent the night before the murders high after smoking meth, according to a sentencing order filed in 2007. They left home at 5 p.m. the next day, making a stop to buy cigarettes before heading to the Hills house, the order says. Jamie told JoAnn that he was going to talk to a man about some money and for her to just follow his lead, the order says. The Mills arrived at the Hills' home and asked to borrow their phone. The Hills' let them in and the four chatted easily, court records show. Vera Hill mentioned that they had some items available for sale, insisting that JoAnn take a look at the items stored in their shed. JoAnn Mills and Vera Hill were making their way back to the front of the house, toward the porch when they heard a loud noise coming from the shed, where they had left Jamie Mills and Floyd Hill after taking a look at the items, court records say. JoAnne Mills turned to look, saying that she saw her husband with something raised over his shoulder with both hands as if he was swinging something, court documents say. The women hurried towards the shed, finding Floyd Hill on the ground. Robbery gone wrong: Elderly couple struck repeatedly Jamie Mills hit Vera Hill in the back of the head with a ball-peen hammer as soon as the women walked in, striking her again when she tried to get up, the sentencing order says. JoAnn Mills testified that she was in the corner with her eyes closed, listening to the sound of the hammer repeatedly striking the couple. Mills handed his wife the hammer, a tire tool and a machete, and the couple padlocked the shed shut before they went back inside the Hills' home and took a locked tackle box, Vera Hills purse, a phone and a police scanner, the document says. The Mills recovered $140 and some medication from the tackle box, driving back to their own house. The couple then called Benjie Howe, identified in court records as a friend who came over to their home to buy some of the pain pills they snagged, court records say. The Mills stored the rest of the Hills belongings in a bag, placing it in their shed before leaving for the night. The couple headed to Jamie Mills fathers house to play dominos and spend the night, according to court documents. They returned home the next morning, to find that the bag with the items had been torn open by dogs. They placed the items in a duffel bag, including a bloody T-shirt and pants, storing it in Jamie Mills vehicle, court records say. Officers intercepted both Jamie and JoAnn Mills as they were leaving their home. Inside the couple's car: items that had been stolen from the Hills and the suspected murder weapons. What happened at trial? Mills' trial attorney, John Wiley, argued to jurors that Mills didn't deserve the death penalty for a number of reasons: Mills was on drugs and couldn't have known what he was doing, he was under extreme stress from things that "were stacking up against him," and he had two then-teenage sons who could learn from their father how not to go down the wrong path. Additionally, Wiley told jurors that it would be morally wrong for them to recommend the death penalty. "A recommendation of a death sentence for Jamie Mills is you killing another man, and it's wrong and its immoral and its barbaric and you shouldnt do it and youre going to be held accountable for it if you do," he told them. Jack Bostick, the district attorney who argued for the death penalty against Mills, told jurors that the crime went far beyond the bounds of something like a shooting death. "This was up close, this was savage, this was personal to take a ballpeen hammer, a rusty machete, a rusty lug wrench and repeatedly cut and beat on two human beings its not a random act of violence," he said. "It's deliberate, It's beyond brutal, beyond savage ... It's almost beyond imagination that anyone could be that cruel to another human being, to have that done to them." He added: "The Hills didn't have a chance." Unidentified DNA found on items recovered, death penalty sentence affirmed Jamie Mills has spent the last 15 years trying and failing to overturn his execution, citing attorney failures, procedural errors and lack of evidence. Mostly, he has claimed that the state has failed to seriously investigate Benjie Howe. Howe was known to borrow the Mills' car from time to time and had just "as much access to the vehicle on the day of the offense as Mr. Mills, having been at the home both before and after the offense, Jamie Mills legal team argued. Howe denied any participation in the murders, providing two alibis to confirm his whereabouts for the hours before and after he visited the Mills. There was nothing tying Howe to the scene, including DNA. But neither was Mills DNA. Other "unidentified" DNA, which was not a match to Howe or Mills, was found on the items recovered from the Mills' car. But the Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS, failed to render a match. The Hills DNA, though, was found on several items recovered from the Mills' car, according to court documents. While this DNA testing did not irrefutably identify Mills or Howe as the murderer, the fact that the DNA did not produce a ... hit on Howe was unhelpful to Mills defense, according to court documents filed by Steve Marshall, Alabama Attorney General. Despite a lack of DNA evidence incriminating Jamie Mills, the state says that all the other evidence presented over the course of the case was overwhelming. Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers and Marty Roney This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama man set for execution maintains innocence in double murder Nearly a year after the Titan submersible catastrophically imploded, killing all five people onboard, another billionaire is planning to visit the wreckage of the Titanic to prove that the industry has improved its safety standards since the disaster. "I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way," Ohio real estate investor Larry Connor told the Wall Street Journal. Who is Larry Connor? Connor, 74, is married with three children and has an estimated networth of $2 billion. The real estate group he co-found in 1991 has a $5 billion portfolio of 51 apartment buildings, according to Forbes. Journeying to the Titanic's depths will not be his first brush with extreme adventure. He has also visted the Mariana Trench and the International Space Station. Last year he broke the world record for the highest HALO formation skydive. Connor plans to visit the famous shipwreck with Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey in a two-person submersible called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer. In Greek mythology, Triton was the son of Poseidon, the king of the sea. "Patrick has been thinking about and designing this for over a decade. But we didn't have the materials and technology," Connor told the Wall Street Journal. "You couldn't have built this sub five years ago." What is the Triton submersible? The Triton submersible is valued at $20 million and has an "exceptionally compact footprint" and specialized "gull wings" according to the company's website. "With the wings retracted, the submersible is streamlined for ascent and descent, and capable of maneuvering in and around incredibly tight spaces," the website reads. "The low placement of the lighting and cameras is ideal for macro work, scientific observation or close filming." Connor first pitched the idea of a stronger submersible to Lahey just days after the Titan disaster left many critics arguing that humans should leave the deep sea alone. "[Connor said] you know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption,'" Lahey told the Wall Street Journal. Who is Patrick Lahey? Lahey was one of many individuals in the submersible industry who criticized Stockton Rush, the owner of OceanGate, the deep sea exploration company that manufactured the ill-fated Titan vessel. "He could even convince someone who knew and understood the risks," Lahey told British newspaper the Times. "It was really quite predatory." "At the very time this monstrosity was being made, I was building the most capable subs of our age," he told the outlet. From backyard barbecues to happy hour poolside, rose is the ideal wine for summer. Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley There arent many comeback stories better than roses. Back in the late 2000s, selling dry rose was a thankless task. Imagining its resurgence was like imagining the return of leisure suits, or the AMC Gremlin. And yet, return it did. In rapid succession rose went from Hey, weird, people in the Hamptons are drinking rose, to This seems fun, maybe Ill Instagram it, to Out of the way, tiny weak wines, Im ROSE! The top three French brands alone now sell more than 18 million bottles a year in the U.S. But what is rose or maybe, what should rose be? Provencal roses dominate, no question: pale pink to transparent salmon-orange, light-bodied, delicately suggestive of citrus fruit and red berries. But roses can be anywhere from almost colorless to electric pink to burnished copper to nearly as dark as red wine. That goes back to how rose is made. The color in red wines comes from the skins of the grapes, with very few exceptions; if you let the grape juice macerate for less time on the skins, rather than dark purply-red wine, youll get pink. Related: Yes, You Can and Should Age Rose And its worth noting that darker roses are neither necessarily higher in alcohol nor sweeter in flavor, nor are they any less classic. More often its a question of local tradition or grape variety, or both. Italys Cerasuolo di Abruzzo roses, for instance, are a deep scarlet, and always have been. Philippe Guigal, of the famed Rhone producer E. Guigal, says, Rose is not necessarily something very pale that you drink with an ice cube next to a pool. And maybe people are becoming a little bored with that style you taste one, you taste two, you taste three, and they are very similar. But rose can also be a wine of terroir; in Tavel, for instance, it shows the complexity of the soil in this small appellation. The Guigal Tavel, transparently ruby-hued, spicy and complex, is just one of the wines recommended here. Some are Provencal; some come from other regions of France; and others from the U.S., or Italy, or even Germany. Their shades run the gamut, but they do all have one thing in common: theyre delicious. Here are the 28 roses from around the world to try this summer from bargain bottles to splurge-worthy pours. Related: 8 Summer Cocktails You Can Make with a Bottle of Rose $20 or less 2022 Bieler Pere et Fils Sabine Coteaux dAix en Provence ($18) A nuance of spicy adds complexity to this lively white peach- and tangerine-inflected rose. The pere and fils here are wine entrepreneur Charles Bieler and his father Philippe Bieler, the latter of whom started making rose in Provence almost 30 years ago. 2023 Mathilde Chapoutier Cotes de Provence Orsuro ($20) Pale, luminous pink in hue, with melon and tangerine notes, this vibrant bottling comes from Mathilde Chapoutier, the daughter of Rhone legend Michel Chapoutier. Its named for the Provencal orsuro, an icy wind that blows in from the north. What's Provencal rose? Provences vineyards produce a vast amount of rose its 91% of the wine produced in the region. Classically, Provencal roses are light-bodied and pale in hue. There are a lot out there, many of which about as interesting as pink water; but when Provencal roses are good, theyre brilliantly refreshing, subtly complex, and live up to their reputation as summer in a glass. 2022 Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence ($20) Longtime organic producer Mas de Gourgonnier is better known for its perennial good-value red, but this strawberry-scented rose is equally appealing, full of ripe fruit and a subtly stony finish. 2023 Le Paradou Accent & Nuances Cinsault Mediterrannee Rose ($14) The owners of the Rhone Valleys Chateau Pesquie produce this pale pink, lightly savory wine with grapes from the broad Mediterrannee appellation, which includes Provence and parts of the Rhone; the name refers to the old watermills that once dotted the landscape of the region. 2023 Lafage Miraflors ($17) The ancient Grenache Gris and Noir vines that go into this pale, salmon pink wine, come from an an old estate located in the heart of Domaine Lafage, Mas Miraflors; the other half of the blend comes from slightly younger Mourvedre, which gives an earthy edge to its peach and red berry flavors. Related: How to Read a French Wine Label 2022 Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon Rose ($19) Raffault is one of Chinons historic names; the family started farming here 14 generations ago, in 1693. This is a beautiful rose, especially at the price: luminous salmon orange, fragrant with cherry and peach aromas, with similar flavors that end on a subtle anise note. 2023 Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Rose ($20) Rhone Valley roses tend to be fuller-bodied and darker than Provencal versions, and this one is no exception. Transparent red cherry in hue, with oodles of red fruit flavorcurrants, cherries, maybe a touch of pomegranateit would be perfect with an herb-roasted chicken. 2023 Librandi Segno Librandi Ciro DOC Rosato ($15) Sweet lemon notes with raspberry accents linger nicely in this delicately tannic rose. Its 100% Gaglioppo, native to Calabrias Ionian coastline, and comes from a winery founded in 1950 and still family run. 2023 Alma de Cattleya Rose of Pinot Noir ($20) Bibiana Gonzalez-Rave grew up in Colombia, with almost zero exposure to wine, but somehow by age 14 she knew that one day she would become a winemaker. That belief became reality. Now living in California, she makes a range of excellent wines, including this cherry blossom-scented rose. Related: The Difference Between Prosecco Rose and Sparkling Rose 2023 Lucy Rose of Pinot Noir ($20) A sub-label from Californias famed Pisoni vineyards, Lucy focuses on affordable wines that also have a charitable angle. In this case, $1 from every bottle of this lively, crisp, Pinot Noir rose goes to breast cancer research. 2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Cerasuolo di Abruzzo ($20) Abruzzos rose Cerasuolos are so dark they might as well be lighter-hued red wines, but no matter which way you look at them, theyre delicious, and Masciarellis is a classic. Medium-bodied, with earthy cherry and orange flavors, its a perfect argument for why good rose doesnt have to be pale pink. Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley $20 - $30 2023 Rocca di Montegrossi Rosato ($25) Rocca di Montegrossi is known for the terrific Chianti Classicos it produces from its Sangiovese vineyards in Gaiole, but owner Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi also makes this sunshine-bright rose. Its so vibrant that its almost tingly, with red berry and grapefruit flavors and vivid, refreshing acidity. Related: Chianti Wine Is a Classic For a Reason 2023 Raen The Monarch Challenge Rose ($30) Carlo Mondavis Raen winery makes some of Californias most compelling Pinot Noirs, as well as this distinctively spicy rose, made with a blend of Pinot Noir and old-vine Grenache. Part of the proceeds from the wine go to the Xerces Society and Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, two non-profit environmental organizations. 2023 Pink Pegau ($23) Laurence Feraud makes some of Chateauneuf du Papes greatest wines, but she also makes this richly flavorful yet crisp rose from her estate in Sorgues, four miles south of the Chateauneuf appellations borders. Like all her wines, its pretty much irresistible. 2023 Domaine de La Noblaie Goutte de Rose Chinon ($24) Chinon, in the Loire Valley, produces tangy, spicy roses from the Cabernet Franc grape. Domaine de la Noblaies potent bottling, all red currants and fresh herbs, comes from biodynamically farmed grapes. Related: Syrah A Guide to the Basics 2022 E. Guigal Tavel ($25) My grandfather was selling Tavel from the 1942 vintage when he founded our winery in 1946, Philippe Guigal says. Who would think that a rose could age four years? But Tavel is a wine of terroir, and has this ability to age. Transparent ruby, with palate-coating strawberry-spice flavors, this impressive rose from the Rhone Valley fulfills that promise. 2023 Gerard Bertrand Cotes des Roses Languedoc Art Edition ($27) Organically grown Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah provide the cherry, citrus and floral notes in this appealing, limited-edition version of Betrands massively popular Cotes de Roses bottling; Australian artist Morgan Jamieson provides the lively, blossom-abundant art for the label. Try rose from the rest of France Partly spurred on by Provences success, roses can be found in every region of France these days. But theyre also traditional in places as diverse as Tavel, in the Rhone Valley, the Loire Valleys Chinon appellation, and Burgundys Marsannay. Some are bold; some nuanced; the best, like these, are well worth investigating. 2023 Esprit de Gassier Cotes de Provence ($23) Gassier sits against the slopes of the Saint Victoire massif, about which Paul Cezanne wrote, Such a sight to behold, the compelling thirst of the sun, yet such melancholy when, at night, its heaviness fades. Does this wine capture that? Hard to say, but its fragrant grapefruit-yuzu character is hard to resist. 2023 Bargemone Coteaux dAix en Provence ($24) The Commanderie de Bargemone was founded by the Knights Templar in the 1200sthey were more interested in crusades that in making wine, but for at least a century now Bargemone has made this pale orange, lightly herbal wine. 2023 Chateau La Gordonne Chapelle Gordonne Cotes de Provence ($25) Romans grew grapes on the site of Gordonne as early as the 1st century B.C., perhaps recognizing the quality of its schistous soil. This pale orange wine expresses that terroir in its alluring red currant and raspberry flavors and citrus accents. Related: How to Cook with Rose Wine 2023 Roseblood de Estoublon Coteaux Varois en Provence ($29) Ignore the star power of the owners of this historic propertyJean-Guillaume Prats, former CEO of Bordeauxs Cos dEstournel, model and all-around famous person Carla Bruni and her husband (and former French President) Nicolas Sarkozyand concentrate on the fresh red-currant liveliness of this rose, with its white pepper and citrus accents. 2022 Peyrassol Les Commandeurs ($30) The first recorded harvest at the Commanderie de Peyrassol, a former fortress of the Knights Templar, was in 1256plenty of time to perfect this classic Provencal rose. Made with organic grapes, it suggests ripe berries and summer blossoms. Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley $30+ 2022 Domaine de lille Porquerolles Cotes de Provence ($35) The island off the coast of Provence from which this creamy, berry-bright wine comes from was acquired by the Fournier family as a wedding present in 1910; they made wine here until 2019, when Chanel became the new (and current) owner. 2023 Marine Layer Sonoma Coast Carina Rose ($38) Marine Layers Carina is named after the constellation representing the keel of the Argo, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. Winemaker Rob Fischer blends 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Grenache for a pale, luminous pink wine, alive with tangy strawberry-lime flavors. Rose gone global These days rose is made essentially anywhere that makes red winethe market demands it, and, realistically, many are by-products of red wine production that give wineries a swift way to make some money while their reds age before release. But there are terrific examples to be found everywhere, if you know where to look. 2022 Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rose ($45) Bandol roses, primarily made from the Mourvedre grape, offer more richness and power (and deeper color, and more complexity) than typical Provencal bottlings. This one, made from organic grapes, is no exception, with its bold strawberry and blood orange flavors. 2022 Domaine Ott Chateau de Selle ($65) Domaine Ott is arguably the benchmark for Provencal rose, and has been for almost 130 years, ever since Marcel Ott ventured here from Alsace and bought his first vineyards. Those were at Chateau de Selle, whose limestone-heavy soils are the source for this emphatic, gingery-spicy wine. Related: No, Rose Isn't Just a Summer Wine 2021 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Rose ($60) Marsannay is the only Burgundy appellation that produces red, white, and rose wines (and probably the only one famed for the latter). Bruno Clairs rose is one of the best in the village, dark ruby-pink in hue, elegant and complex, suggesting red cherries and lime zesta top-notch Burgundy in all regards, no matter the color. 2022 Meyer Nakel Rose ($45) German rose? If it tastes like this gorgeous, cherry-hued rose of Pinot Noir (or Spatburgunder, if you want to be Teutonic about it), then definitely. Sisters Meike and Dorte Nakel run this Pinot-focused winery, one of the benchmarks of Germanys Ahr region. For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Food & Wine. Former New Jersey Governor and GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie joined a recent episode of the Hacks on Tap podcast, where he gave President Biden advice on how to beat former President Trump in their upcoming debates. Christie, a former Trump ally, was one of the loudest critics of the former president in this cycles primary. He told podcast hosts David Axelrod the former senior adviser to former President Obama and Mike Murphy, a Republican consultant, that hed now give Biden similar advice he gave Trump before the 2020 presidential debates. Its the same advice I gave to Trump four years ago that he did not follow, Christie said. And I said, Let Biden talk. If you let him talk, he will hang himself. And of course, he did the exact opposite and lost the debate. Christie said this time around, hed tell Biden to do the same. I dont care how angry you get about how absolutely incorrect the stuff hes saying about your record is, about your family, about you personally. Dont engage, because you will lose that fight, he said. Christie argued that if Biden lets Trump talk, voters will ask, Cant he shut up? Biden doesnt need to say it explicitly, like he did in the 2020 debate; the people watching need to conclude that themselves, he argued. Biden and Trump are set to debate June 27, and again in September. Itll be the first debates they each have participated in since the 2020 presidential election, because Trump skipped the primary debates. Tensions around the debate are high. Trump, who is currently in the last moments of his criminal hush money trial, could be the first former U.S. president to receive a conviction, and Biden has lost support among his base for his actions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. Analysts are predicting the election will be just as close as the 2020 race. The earlier-than-usual debates will be a chance for the candidates to showcase their plans for a second term in office, while fending off attacks from the other candidate. Christie said he thinks Biden should highlight three or four of his strongest points of his presidency and harp on them over and over and over again. He recommended Biden act like hes in a conversation with the moderator and not debating Trump. Let Trump look like the angry guy standing at the fence, yelling at his neighbor, and youd be the guy on your lawn mower, with your AirPods in, driving around and every once in a while, just wave as you go by and not even paying attention, Christie said. Its two reasons why. One, you want to emphasize how crazy Trump is. And two, youre Biden. You dont want to be trying to do too much, because you will screw it up, he continued. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sometimes having the 'perfect' fur baby makes you want to get another one. Really, what could be better than two perfect fur babies! But often that second dog's personality is much different than the first dog's, and what you thought you were going to get versus what you ended up with are two very different dogs! Chopa & Topa are two adorable Corgis. Chopa was his pet parents' first baby, and they shared a video on Saturday, May 25th of the differences between their first and second dogs. They expected Topa to be just like Chopa, but they got a bit more than they bargained for! This is so relatable! Just like with kids, you have that first one and then the second one comes along and its usually a handful, just like Topa! I love how Chopa & Topa's parents said in the comments, "Black corgis are no joke!" People left nearly 2 thousand comments about the funny video. @Gulai Kambing pointed out, "The real definition of first born and second born LOL!" @Jessica got nearly 36 thousand likes for her comment, "Not the knife haha!" And I laughed at @Moth Ma'am who shared, "My first corgi is just like your second corgi. He is my only corgi. He will remain my only corgi. I havent known peace in 3 years." Related: Internet Famous Corgi Relishes in His Role as Big Brother to New Sister Fun Facts About Corgis Corgis are such cool dogs, and so energetic...they love to stay busy! I love learning new facts about animals, so I thought I'd share some fun facts about the breed that I've learned since I started writing about these adorable dogs. One of my favorite facts about them is the origin of their name. "Corgi" means "Dwarf dog" in Welsh. The name makes a lot of sense since they have those cute little, short legs. But those short legs can burn some rubber; Corgis are the smallest of the herding dog breed, and they are incredibly fast runners - they can run up to 25 MPH at top speed! And did you know that according to Welsh legends, Corgis are magical. They were brought by Vikings to Pembrokeshire back in the 10th century and prior to that, Corgis came from a fairy kingdom and that fairies rode them! Three times a year the city of Huntington Beach, California holds a SoCal Corgi Beach Day that more than a thousand Corgis attend. That's a lot of low riders all in one place and it would be a fun event to attend! I bet there'd be a lot of crazy Corgis like Topa running around! Corgis have huge personalities wrapped into one compact package! They are fun, bossy, absolutely adorable, and I always thought that I'd like to have one. There's a big turnoff for me that struck them off of our list when we were looking for our next pet. Corgis are known to be big barkers, something I'm just not willing to deal with. Just because you think a certain breed is cute, you might find the cons (even just one!) of a breed outweighs the pros of owning one. Make sure to do your research first! Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips. Scott Lee Peterson and the Los Angeles Innocence Project continue to fight for a new trial nearly 20 years after the now-51-year-old was found guilty of murdering his wife, 27-year-old Laci Peterson, and the couple's unborn child. Peterson, convicted on two counts of murder in November 2004, has appeared in a San Mateo County courtroom virtually from Mule Creek State Prison throughout the year. He and the nonprofit, which works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals, anticipate a ruling from the judge that would grant Peterson access to DNA evidence he believes could clear his name. Petersons attorneys filed two motions to Judge Elizabeth M. Hill seeking DNA testing of physical items of evidence and post-conviction discovery to probe Mr. Petersons claim of innocence, the Los Angeles Innocence Project wrote, according to KRON4. Prosecutors convicted Peterson of killing his eight-month-pregnant wife and unborn son, Conner, on Christmas Eve 2002, and dumping their bodies into San Francisco Bay from his fishing boat. Here is what to know about Peterson's murder case and ongoing attempt for a new trial. People read about the verdict in the Scott Peterson murder trial November 12, 2004 in Redwood City, California. Will Scott Peterson receive a new trial? Since the Los Angeles Innocence Project picked up Peterson's case in January, the nonprofit has argued that he did not receive a fair trial two decades ago. Upon taking the case, the nonprofit told ABC News that new evidence could prove Scott's innocence and point to his constitutional rights being violated during the initial proceedings "New evidence now supports Mr. Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence and raises many questions into who abducted and killed Laci and Conner Peterson," legal filings say, per ABC News. In more recent court documents filed by the Innocence Project, the nonprofit says some evidence and witness statements from the Modesto Police Department's original investigation were allegedly suppressed, missing, and lost, according to KRON4. The 17 items Peterson is seeking DNA tests for include 11 items found near or with Laci Peterson's and Conner's bodies, two items from a burglary that occurred across the street from the couple's home and four items connected to a torched orange van containing a blood-stained mattress, the San Francisco-based TV station reported. What happened to Laci Peterson? Peterson initially told police that he last saw his pregnant wife on the morning of Christmas Eve 2002 before he went fishing at Berkeley Marina, which was about 90 miles from the couple's home. When Peterson returned home, the house was empty, the dog was in the backyard and his wife's car was parked in the driveway. Peterson showered before he went to ask neighbors if they had seen his wife, and when they told him they hadn't, he decided to call her mom who also hadn't been in contact with her. Laci Peterson was then reported missing to the police. The body of a full-term fetus was discovered on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay in April 2003 by a couple walking their dog. Then the decomposing body of a woman was found a few miles north of the Berkeley Marina. The bodies were identified as Laci Peterson and the couple's unborn son. Peterson was arrested on April 18, 2003, and charged with first-degree murder of his wife and second-degree murder of his child. Investigators determined that Peterson's wife's body was found near where he went fishing on the day of her disappearance. Investigators also learned about an extramarital affair Peterson was having with his massage therapist, Amber Frey. Frey worked with police and testified against Peterson during his murder trial, which began on June 1, 2004. Convicted murderer Scott Peterson is escorted by two San Mateo County Sheriff deputies as he is walked from the jail to an awaiting van March 17, 2005, in Redwood City, California. LA Innocence Project launches investigation to prove Scott Peterson's innocence The nonprofit's investigation into the disappearance and murders of Laci Peterson and Conner have "already yielded important leads to evidence supporting Mr. Petersons claim that his wife was alive on December 24, 2002," KRON4 reported, citing the Los Angeles Innocence Project. An example of new evidence presented by the nonprofit's attorneys is eyewitnesses who saw Laci Peterson walking in the neighborhood after her husband left Modesto, KRON4 said. Police never interviewed these witnesses, the nonprofit said, per the TV station. Those witnesses who reported seeing Laci Peterson walking in the neighborhood should have been a top priority in an unbiased missing person investigation," according to the nonprofit's attorneys, KRON4 reported. "Not only may those witnesses have provided important information and leads to what happened to Laci Peterson, if even one of those witness reports was credible, Mr. Peterson could not possibly have killed his wife and son, LAIP attorneys wrote." USA TODAY contacted the Los Angeles Innocence Project on Wednesday but did not receive a response. Scott Peterson's death sentence overturned in 2020 A month after being convicted, Peterson was originally sentenced to death. After two appeals, a California Supreme Court overturned Peterson's death sentence but upheld his conviction in 2020. Peterson was resentenced in December 2021 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and in 2022 he was denied another trial. Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Josh Peter, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scott Peterson case: LA Innocence Project fights for new trial Jenna Ellis, an ex-attorney for former President Trump, has agreed to have her law license suspended for three years in Colorado for her role in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. A presiding disciplinary judge approved the settlement between Ellis and Colorados Attorney Counsel on Tuesday. Ellis pleaded guilty in October to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the Georgia 2020 election interference case, in which Trump and 17 others were indicted for engaging in an unlawful conspiracy to keep the former president in power. She was first censured by Colorados Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel in March 2023 after she made misrepresentations on national television and on Twitter regarding the 2020 presidential election. Elliss suspension will take effect on July 2 and last three years. Two watchdog groups were attempting to have her disbarred, but the settlement said that while its the presumptive sanction for her misconduct, her criminal culpability was due to her actions as an accessory, not a principal. The evidence surrounding her plea reflects that she aided and abetted the false statements at issue through her presence at the Georgia Senate Subcommittee meeting but did not otherwise contribute to drafting or preparing the false statements, the settlement said. She has also expressed remorse and has recognized the harm caused by her misconduct and has taken significant, concrete steps to mitigate the harm her misconduct has caused, the settlement said, noting that a three-year suspension would be an appropriate sanction. Ellis must file a petition if she wants to reinstate her Colorado law license. In a letter dated May 22, Ellis said she wanted to express her deep remorse and acknowledge the harm her misconduct caused. I do not do this as a political calculation, out of anger toward my former client, or for any other ways some may try to undermine or discredit my statement here, which is simply this: I am choosing to take responsibility for my actions and my association with the harm caused to this nation by the post-election activities of 2020 on behalf of then-President Donald Trump, she wrote. I was wrong to be involved. She said she would gratefully accept the suspension as a consequence and encouraged others who still think the 2020 election was stolen to consider changing their position. I will continue to stand up for the truth, even when it requires admitting I was wrong, Ellis concluded. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Fox News anchor and legal analyst Shannon Bream pushed back on an assertion made by Alina Habba, one of Donald Trumps attorneys, that President Biden is responsible for the criminal charges the former president faces in New York. And Joe Biden unfortunately cant really do anything in office, Habba said as she joined Bream, the host of Fox News Sunday who was broadcasting for much of the afternoon from outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trumps trial is taking place. So hes got to use the same means as somebody whos just trying to have a quick slip and fall and make money. And that is, frankly, what were seeing right now. This is exactly a Biden show because hes got to distract the American people, Habba continued. But the Biden administration is not responsible for this trial, Bream interjected. How can you say the Biden administration is not responsible? Habba shot back. Its a state trial, Bream explained. Its [Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg. Whether you think theres a political motive for him, its not connected to the DOJ. I mean, the feds passed on these election charges. After Habba suggested logs showing state officials in New York and Georgia visiting the White House were proof of political influence in Trumps prosecution, Bream pushed back by saying, The feds passed on these cases, is the point Im making. Trump faces 34 charges in New York in connection with allegations that he falsified business records to conceal hush money payments just before the 2016 election to women who said they had affairs with him. The former president has pleaded not guilty in the hush money case, and his political allies have repeatedly said that the charges against him are political and meant to keep him from winning a second term in the White House this fall. A jury in New York began deliberating a verdict in the case on Wednesday morning. Trump also faces two separate criminal cases over his efforts to remain in office after the 2020 election, as well as a federal case over his retention of White House records after the end of his term. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Congressional Hispanic Caucuss campaign arm will make its first major general election ad buy on Wednesday, dropping $1.1 million on Spanish broadcast, radio and digital ad reservations for September to support Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in his Senate bid. The ad buy is the single largest purchase in the history of Bold PAC, the Hispanic Caucuss campaign arm. As the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico who grew up poor and took any job he could to help his family make ends meet, Ruben understands what Arizona families are going through. He turned to service, first as an infantryman in the Marine Corps and then as an elected official, because he wanted to give back to the country and communities that gave him so much, said Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), a former Marine, like Gallego. This investment is designed to help ensure that the Latino voters in Arizona who will make the difference in this race know that hes the one who will never stop fighting for them. Gallego, a former Bold PAC chairman, is running against Republican Kari Lake for the seat being vacated by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who won the seat as a Democrat but later left the party to become an independent. Democrats are bracing for a difficult Senate election, where theyre all but certain to lose at least one seat of their already-slim majority, and will be defending six other competitive seats where Republicans will be on the offensive. Though 11 seats held by Republicans are up for reelection, they are all in reliably red states: Only Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) are facing any sort of substantial Democratic challenge. Beyond the Senate race, Arizona is also a competitive state for the presidential race, and Democrats are on the offensive in the House districts held by GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, both rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. A lot of people see Arizona as competitive this election cycle, and no doubt it is, but that is because of years and even decades of work on the ground. It is also very competitive this cycle because we have such a strong candidate on the ballot, said Victoria McGroary, executive director of Bold PAC. Though Gallego fought an uphill battle to get buy-in from national Democrats to take on Sinema, he planted a flag early to edge her out to run as an independent rather than in the Democratic primaries if she decided to launch a reelection bid. Now party leadership is all in behind Gallego, a candidate tasked with raising turnout in a critical presidential battleground state. That buy-in, with investments in English-language media, is allowing Bold PAC to target their resources on Spanish and Spanglish media, an arena currently monopolized by the group. According to McGroary, the Bold PAC investment is the only Spanish broadcast campaign buy currently in the books in Arizonas media markets, and reservations are filling up fast. We know that the Latino community is going to decide the outcomes of races up and down the ballot, including the Arizona Senate race. And so as we are placing our reservations and designing our strategy, everything is focused on how are we communicating directly with the Latino voters that are going to make the difference in this race, said McGroary. Spanish is a huge priority for us. Spanglish is also a huge priority for us, and making sure that were reaching out to the Latino community, especially online, digitally, you know, where folks are getting their news, where theyre getting their information, so that we are connecting with them directly where they are, how they want to consume. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. YouTube Former General Hospital star Elizabeth MacRae has died at age 88. Deadline confirmed that the soap star passed on Monday, May 27, in her hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. She had a wonderful life, MacRaes nephew Jim MacRae told local North Carolina outlet City View on Monday. She was bright and articulate. She was still getting fan mail at Highland House. He added, Its sad, but she has crossed the river. She had a wonderful life. The last few years were rough, but she is with my dad, who she adored, her father and mother, sister and husband. She lived a good life. Celebrity Deaths of 2024: Stars We Lost This Year The actress is survived by her five stepchildren, Terry Halsey, Peter Halsey, Hugh Halsey, Cate Halsey, and Alex Halsey Topper. MacRae made her acting debut in the late 1950s, making her television debut in 1958 on The Verdict Is Yours. She went on to appear in television shows such as Route 66, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Bonanza and I Dream of Jeannie, among others, throughout her 25-year acting career. She famously starred in a recurring role on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., playing Lou-Ann Poovie, from 1966 to 1969. She also appeared as Betty Parker on The Andy Griffith Show in 1967. So much of a show business career depends on luck and timing, MacRae told North Carolina newspaper The Mount Airy News in 2014. So much depends on lucky breaks. There are so many talented people. MacRae also had an extensive soap opera career, playing Meg Bentley on General Hospital from 1969 to 1970 after taking over for Patricia Breslin, who played the part from 1966 to 1969. MacRae returned to General Hospital for a second stint as Meg from 1972 to 1973. She also appeared as Agatha Dobson on Guiding Light from 1983 to 1984. When it came to her film career, MacRae worked alongside director Frances Ford Coppola for the 1974 movie The Conversation, in which she starred as Meredith. Demi Moore and More Stars Who Got Their Start on Soap Operas After she retired from acting, MacRae focused on her work as a drug and alcohol counselor with the Freedom Institute in New York City, according to her obituary. She and her husband, Charles Day Halsey, Jr. who died earlier this year at age 96 eventually relocated back to North Carolina. (MacRae married Halsey Jr. in 1969.) MacRaes most recent acting role was in 2011 when she voiced various characters in Supernatural: The Animation. According to her obituary, the late actress donated a trove of items chronicling her acting career to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hills Southern Historical Collection. MacRae was inducted into the Fayetteville Performing Arts Hall of Fame in March 2023. It was a busy Memorial Day weekend for Google (GOOG, GOOGL) as the company raced to contain the fallout from a number of wild suggestions by the new AI Overview feature in its Search platform. In case you were sunning yourself on a beach or downing hotdogs and beer instead of scrolling through Instagram (META) and X, let me get you up to speed. AI Overview is supposed to provide generative AI-based responses to search queries. Normally, it does that. But over the last week its also told users they can use nontoxic glue to keep cheese from sliding off their pizza, that they can eat one rock a day, and claimed Barack Obama was the first Muslim president. Google responded by taking down the responses and saying its using the errors to improve its systems. But the incidents, coupled with Googles disastrous Gemini image generator launch that allowed the app to generate historically inaccurate images, could seriously damage the search giants credibility. Google is supposed to be the premier source of information on the internet, explained Chinmay Hegde, associate professor of computer science and engineering at NYUs Tandon School of Engineering. And if that product is watered down, it will slowly erode our trust in Google. Googles AI flubs Googles AI Overview problems arent the first time the company has run into trouble since it began its generative AI drive. The companys Bard chatbot, which Google rebranded as Gemini in February, famously showed an error in one of its responses in a promo video in February 2023, sending Google shares sliding. Then there was its Gemini image generator software, which generated photos of diverse groups of people in inaccurate settings, including as German soldiers in 1943. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., May 14, 2024. Bloopers some funny, others disturbing have been shared on social media since Google unleashed a makeover of its search page that frequently puts AI-generated summaries on top of search results. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) AI has a history of bias, and Google tried to overcome that by including a wider diversity of ethnicities when generating images of people. But the company overcorrected, and the software ended up rejecting some requests for images of people of specific backgrounds. Google responded by temporarily taking the software offline and apologizing for the episode. The AI Overview issues, meanwhile, cropped up because Google said users were asking uncommon questions. In the rock-eating example, a Google spokesperson said it seems a website about geology was syndicating articles from other sources on that topic onto their site, and that happened to include an article that originally appeared on the Onion. AI Overviews linked out to that source. Those are fine explanations, but the fact that Google continues to release products with flaws that it then needs to explain away is getting tiring. At some point, you have to stand by the product that you roll out, said Derek Leben, associate teaching professor of business ethics at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business. You can't just say 'We are going to incorporate AI into all of our well-established products, and also it's in constant beta mode, and any kinds of mistakes or problems that it makes we can't be held responsible for and even blamed for,' in terms of just trust in the products themselves. Google is the go-to website for finding facts online. Anytime Ive gotten into an argument over some inane topic with a friend, one of us inevitably shouts, Fine, Google it! And chances are youve done the same. Maybe not because you wanted to prove you know some obscure Simpsons fact better than your friend, but still. The point is, Google has built a reputation of trustworthiness, and its AI flubs are slowly eating into that. A race to beat the competition So why the slip-ups? Hegde says the company is simply moving too quickly, releasing products before theyre ready in an effort to outmaneuver competitors like Microsoft (MSFT) and OpenAI. The pace of research is so quick that the gap between research and product seems to be shrinking significantly, and that is causing all these surface-level issues, he explained. Google has been racing to beat back appearances that it fell behind Microsoft and OpenAI since the two teamed up to release a generative AI-powered version of its Bing search engine and chatbot in February 2023. OpenAI even managed to cut off Google ahead of its I/O developer conference earlier this month, announcing its powerful GPT-4o AI model a day before the show kicked off. But if beating the competition means rolling out products that generate errors or harmful information, Google risks giving users the impression that its generative AI efforts cant be trusted and, ultimately, aren't worth using. Subscribe to the Yahoo Finance Tech newsletter. (Yahoo Finance) Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley. Click here for the latest technology news that will impact the stock market. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance In April 2023, Lopez unveiled her ready-to-drink cocktails brand Delola. Light Margarita is the latest to join the lineup House of Delola Jennifer Lopez for Delola Jennifer Lopez is a proud business owner and shes dressing the part! The musician and actress, who unveiled her line of ready-to-drink cocktails Delola in April 2023, is now revealing the brands newest flavor: Light Margarita. In an Instagram video posted on May 29, Lopez, 54, shared the exciting news all while wearing a sexy two-piece green ensemble to match the new beverage. With a high-cut slit and a crisscrossed top, she bore her abs in the stunning outfit. Introducing @Delola Light Margarita she captioned the post. According to a press release, the Delola Light Margarita Cocktail is a lower in calorie twist on the classic Margarita cocktail, crafted with premium tequila and triple citrus. It only contains 125 calories per serving and contains 12.5% ABV. The embossed bottle is sold in two sizes: 750ml for $20 and 375ml for $11. Related: Jennifer Lopez Launches Lower-Calorie Alcohol Line Named After Her 'Carefree, Fun Side' (Exclusive) I think its the perfect ready-to-enjoy version of the most popular cocktail!" Lopez said in a statement. "Whether youre bringing a bottle to a BBQ during the warmer months or entertaining and gifting for get-togethers, the convenience and elegance of Delola Cocktails frees you up so you have more time to spend with friends and family." House of Delola Jennifer Lopez's Delola Light Margarita When Delola entered the market in 2023, PEOPLE spoke with Lopez about her new business venture and what it felt like to break into the food and beverage industry. "I think as I've kind of gotten to be less of a workaholic and enjoy life a little bit moreit was something that I really, really wanted to do," she said of Delola. House of Delola Jennifer Lopez for Delola The three original, ready-to-drink spritzes each contain a different spirit. The Bella Berry is made with vodka, the Paloma Rosa has tequila and the L'orange features an amaro base. Related: Jennifer Lopez Shares Sweet 'Spring Break' Photo with Teen Emme The name of the brand is one super fans may recognize "Lola" is her nickname among close friends. "I love to entertain. I love throwing parties at my house. I'm always the first one on the dance floor at all of the industry events and at times, on vacation, dancing on the table. That is kind of who Lola is," she said at the time. Delola means "from Lola" in Spanish, so "the way we came up with the name for Delola was really about being the carefree, fun side of who I am," she added. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Lawyers for Erica Lawson, 21, the Kentucky mother accused of killing her infant daughter, say "patently false" rumors are tainting the case. Lawson is behind bars after prosecutors claim she abused her daughter Elena so severely that it resulted in the toddler's death. She's currently facing a second-degree murder charge, failure to report child dependency neglect or abuse, first-degree criminal abuse, and first-degree wanton endangerment in connection with the death of the 17-month-old. Commonwealth's Attorney Lisa Fugate is seeking the death penalty against Lawson, while the defense has asked the state to prove why her case qualifies as a death penalty case. "I think that social media is an important element while discussing this case," Greg Coulson, one of Lawson's defense attorneys, told People. "There's an incredible amount of social media views and hundreds of thousands of interactions that are patently false and contradicted by the evidence." Furthermore, Lawson's defense attorneys are requesting a change of venue for the trial, citing threats and the public's increased interest in the case, adding that the false social media assertions are hindering any chance at a fair trial. The defense addressed previous claims by Fugate, who said Elena was sexually abused, calling them false. In a motion to dismiss the death penalty, Lawson's team stated there was "zero evidence that any person sexually abused the child," nor that any male DNA was found on Elena. The Middlesboro Police Department arrested Lawson in 2023 after Elena died at a Tennessee hospital on July 30, 2023, due to her injuries. Lawson is currently being held on a $1 million bond. WASHINGTON Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito rejected calls to recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, telling members of Congress Wednesday that such calls are politically motivated. Alito said the flags flown over his homes, which experts say are connected with false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, were raised by his wife and were not in support of the "Stop the Steal" movement. "A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal," Alito wrote in a letter to lawmakers. "I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request." The high court is deciding two cases related to the attempts by former President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn the results of the election, decisions that will affect the criminal election interference charges pending against Trump. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. Democratic members of Congress and some ethics experts have said Alito should not participate in those decisions because an inverted American flag flown at his Virginia home in January 2021 and an Appeal to Heaven flag flown at his New Jersey beach house were carried by some of the people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. By displaying the upside-down and Appeal to Heaven flags outside his homes, Justice Alito actively engaged in political activity, failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island wrote in a letter Friday to Chief Justice John Roberts. The senators, top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Alitos recusal from cases related to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is both necessary and required. They asked for a meeting with Roberts to discuss to the Supreme Courts worsening ethics crisis. Alito said the decision to recuse is his to make, not the chief justices. And he said the decisions to fly the flags were made by his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, an independently minded private person who is "fond of flying flags." She makes her own decisions and I honor her right to do so, Alito wrote. In fact, Alito said, he asked his wife to take down the inverted American flag but she refused to for several days. An attorney who knows the Alitos said its not the justices style to exhibit the kind of behavior Alito attributed to his wife in response to a spat with a neighbor. While Alito is reserved and taciturn, his wife is a pistol, a big personality, said the attorney, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. More: Samuel Alito flew an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag outside his Long Beach vacation home: report Of the flag that flew over their vacation home, Alito said neither he nor his wife were aware of the connection of the Appeal to Heaven flag with the 2020 election deniers. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, he wrote, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings. The "Appeal to Heaven" flag a white flag with a green pine tree in the center was used during the American Revolution. It has become a symbol for Christian nationalists. Alito said he assumed his wife was expressing a religious and patriotic message. Supreme Court Justices are supposed to avoid politics. But the standard for what constitutes a conflict of interest has gone up, said Sam Erman, who teaches law at the University of Michigan and once clerked for former Justice Anthony Kennedy. Recusal has more commonly been connected with a financial interest or a personal relationship with one of the litigants, he said, rather than having the political views expressed by a flag on your property. It seems a bit odd to say, I want you to recuse because you hold these views, Erman said. But Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., said Alitos refusal to recuse continues to defy & defile norms of decency & ethics. Time for Roberts to show some spine, Blumenthal said on X, & step into the breach. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Alito rejects demands the he recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has about a week left to decide his political future as he comes under mounting pressure to consider a gubernatorial bid against his past rival, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R). Manchin is getting encouragement to run for his old job in the governors mansion from West Virginia Republicans who arent happy that Morrisey narrowly beat former state lawmaker Moore Capito, Sen. Shelley Moore Capitos (R-W.Va.) son, in last weeks Republican gubernatorial primary. There are definitely people interested in him running who are Republicans. The guy who won the [Democratic] nomination is not known as the most prolific campaigner. Manchin clearly has the desire to keep serving the people of West Virginia. Im sure hes considering it, said a source familiar with West Virginias political scene. Hoppy Kercheval, a leading commentator on West Virginia politics, reported Tuesday that the possibility of Joe Manchin running for West Virginia governor again is real, citing sources close to Manchin who have confirmed the senator is being encouraged to enter the race. And West Virginia MetroNews reported last week and again Tuesday that Manchin is getting strong encouragement to jump into the governors race against Morrisey, whom he beat in his 2018 Senate reelection race, and Manchin isnt knocking down the possibility of a last-minute statewide bid. To run for governor, Manchin would have to register as an independent or persuade Steve Williams, who won the Democratic nomination for governor in an uncontested race, to step aside. Manchin last week did not rule out a bid for governor but described Williams as a friend and a good person. The West Virginia Democrat needs to decide whether to run as an independent for governor or to keep his current Senate seat by the weekend, at least 60 days before the Aug. 1 deadline for filing for an independent campaign, according to secretary of states office. Glenn Elliott is the Democratic nominee for Senate in West Virginia. Williams and Elliott are both long shots to win in a deep red state that Trump carried by huge margins in 2016 and 2020. Manchin, however, first ran for statewide office nearly 30 years ago, and his name identification is as high as any public officials in the Mountain State. Manchin deciding to run for the governors job, which he held from 2005-10, would be a surprising development, but the West Virginia senator relishes the national spotlight and often speaks fondly of his days in the governors mansion. He is 76 years old, and when he announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate in November, he said he had accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia. He also called the decision not to run for the Senate one of the toughest decisions of my life and flirted with a third-party bid for president. He later decided against it after a groundswell to put him in the White House failed to materialize. Manchin was one of the most popular politicians in the country when he left his job as governor to run for Senate in 2010, boasting a 75 percent approval rating in West Virginia. And Manchin has often chafed over the partisanship and lack of action in the Senate for much of his career in Washington except for 2021 and 2022, when he dictated much of the action in Congress as the pivotal 50th Democratic vote in the Senate for President Bidens agenda. Sensing weakness in Morrisey, Manchin is wavering on his decision to leave the national political stage for good. Manchins office declined to comment on him jumping into the governors race but noted he told reporters he was aware of what he called rumors. Mike Plante, a Democratic consultant based in West Virginia, put the chances of Manchin running for governor at zero. Steve Williams would have to step aside and then the executive committee of the party would have to appoint someone to fill the slot. I know Steve Williams has no intention of stepping aside, he said. Plante said an independent gubernatorial bid with a viable Democratic candidate like Williams in the race in a Republican-leaning state would be a very tough path to the governors mansion. Back in Washington, fellow Democratic senators wonder if Manchin was too hasty in announcing his retirement given the physical condition of Senate GOP candidate and current West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who appears less spry and less physically mobile than Manchin. Some Senate Democrats say Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was frustrated by Manchins decision in November to retire from the Senate at the end of 2024. Schumer didnt want him to retire, and I think Joe may have made that decision prematurely, said a Democratic senator, who requested anonymity to discuss Manchin reconsidering his decision to step away from politics. Justice is the overwhelming favorite to beat the Democratic Senate nominee, Elliott so much so that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is already counting West Virginia as a Republican pickup. Some Senate Democratic and Republican strategists wonder how Justice, who appears to get tired moving around, will handle the physical rigors of shuttling between the Capitol and the Senate office buildings. Senators with physical disabilities such as Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a former Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in Iraq, can get around the Capitol in a wheelchair and using the elevators but it isnt easy maneuvering through corridors built more than a hundred years before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The talk of Manchin running for governor comes amid lingering bruised feelings after what was described as one of the nastiest and hard-fought Republican gubernatorial primaries in recent memory. The intraparty attacks got so bad that Justice, when he announced his endorsement of Moore Capito, said he was saddened by what he called the ridiculous mudslinging. Morrisey narrowly beat Capito, earning 33 percent of the vote to his 28 percent. Updated at 8:14 a.m. EDT Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Musicians are furious that new tech has gutted their income. Record labels are wary, yet eager to cut deals with ascendant platforms. Fans are delighted to access songs for a pittance, even as theyre screwing over beloved artists. The fears about todays streaming economy echo the existential panic when Napster debuted in 1999. The peer-to-peer service where fans swapped catalogs of MP3 song files walloped the record business. It helped demolish billions in label revenue, forcing a sclerotic industry to reassess its entire model. It scrambled loyalties among fans, artists, tech companies and record labels. But beyond its effect on music, Napster also heralded a troubling new ethic in tech: Make yourself ubiquitous before the law can stop you. Years later, Napster is still an exemplar and inspiration in Silicon Valley, said Joseph Menn, the author of All The Rave, the definitive history of Napster (and a former Times reporter now at the Washington Post). Uber and Airbnb took the same approach blow away taxi and hotel regulations to give people something they want and grow so big you eventually get politicians on your side. Napster created this whole wave of antihero entrepreneurs. When Northeastern University undergrad Shawn Fanning and business partner Sean Parker launched Napster on June 1, 1999, music was still largely consumed via compact disc, which labels sold at hefty profits. Fans had ways to trade songs, from taping off the radio to burning mix CDs, but nothing like this. Fanning saw how a user-friendly platform could take the curiosity of song-swapping and escalate it via MP3s, shared over new broadband internet connections on college campuses. Users posted their digital music libraries online for anyone to see and download for themselves through a decentralized network. The Napster logo, bottom left, in 2003. (Bruno Vincent / Getty Images) They mainstreamed an underground hobby, Menn said. "No one is going to go out and buy 100 records, but here the supply of music was infinite. It was always a social lubricant to make a mixtape for someone you wanted to date. Now you could do that at scale. Within months, Napster was either a mortal wound to the record industry or an incredible marketing and audience research tool or maybe both at once. "The record industry spends millions [promoting] new bands," its former Chief Executive Eileen Richardson told The Times in 2001. "I saw Napster as a way to test-market and feed new musical artists to you for virtually nothing." Estimates vary, but tens of millions of people downloaded the service, back when high-speed internet was a rarity in households. A quarter of all college internet bandwidth was used to share music on Napster. Fans no longer had to buy a $20 CD just to get the two songs they liked you could get every song posted on Napster for free. A $40-billion record industry began a downward slide that would eventually wipe out half its value. Read more:Dead Beatles, Fake Drake and robot songwriters: Inside the panic over AI music One reason Napster came to life was the record business gouging users, Menn said. People were willing to pay for a reasonable digital alternative. But by not providing that, labels couldnt do anything about ripping a CD onto your computer. Yet labels werent sure whether they should sue Napster into oblivion or pay them hundreds of millions to get a piece of the action. Lawsuits from the Recording Industry Assn. of America targeted both Napster and individual music fans who'd downloaded songs, earning wrath and mockery from the record-buying public. At the same time, Napster got deep into negotiations with Vivendi Universals Edgar Bronfman Jr. and nearly struck a deal with labels to become a legal service. It could have gone either way, Menn said. Record companies would have had an ownership stake. [German media conglomerate] Bertelsmann gave a big loan to Napster to keep the pirate version alive while they developed a legit system. They couldnt pull it off, but the record business had a motivation to do a deal, because what was coming next was unstoppable. Fanning, Parker and Napster executives (including Richardson and successor Hank Barry) were plagued with infighting from the start, especially around Fannings uncles 70% ownership stake. "There were horrible conflicts at the board level that effectively derailed most of our strategies, Liz Brooks, former Napster marketing vice president, told The Times in 2001. Yosi Amram, a former Napster board member, told The Times then that the firm blew a number of opportunities by zigzagging. It didnt have strong, clear leadership. Read more:Napster Was Gambling All the Way But they knew there was a legitimate business to be built in paid digital access to songs, even as labels were reluctant to break apart the lucrative CD model. If just a tiny fraction of Napster users bought records they discovered there, and labels could reach them with granular data about their tastes, it could be transformative. Napster knew more about the customer than the labels did, Menn said. They had access to your music collection, they saw what people downloaded. They could say Bobby likes Led Zeppelin, and hes curious about AC/DC, here is his e-mail address, and you can tell him when AC/DC has a new album out.' That was the big value proposition. In September 2001, Napster paid a $26-million settlement to copyright owners, and the company filed for bankruptcy in June 2002. It relaunched as a legal paid service under the software firm Roxio in November 2002, but the industry had moved on. Apples Steve Jobs had pushed a similar bargain for digital music a clean interface where users could download individual songs for 99 cents. Read more:The U.S. might ban TikTok. Record labels are cutting ties. What's music's Plan B? Faced with new piracy sites like Limewire and Gnutella, the labels chose Apple and iTunes. Coupled with the 2001 launch of the iPod, a portable MP3 player with room for (gasp!) 1,000 songs, the future had arrived. Its striking that the arguments around Napster are basically the same as the grievances over streaming today, only the heroes and villains have switched sides. The moon-faced Manning, a Time magazine cover star in October 2000, was widely regarded as a plucky music fan sticking it to greedy labels and out-of-touch millionaires. Drummer Lars Ulrich, left, of Metallica testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on music on the Internet in 2000 as Roger McGuinn, center, of the band the Byrds and Hank Berry, right, CEO of Napster, look on. (Joyce Naltchayan / AFP via Getty Images) Lars Ulrich, Metallicas drummer, became the face of the backlash to Napster, yet alienated his own fans. Ulrich personally delivered 13 boxes of paperwork to Napster's offices listing hundreds thousands of users the band suspected were sharing their songs illegally. Its not that Lars was seen as wrong, it was just so un-rock n roll, Menn said. He was seen as on the sellout side of the spectrum. The letter of the law says he's right, but it was inherently uncool to side with big business over fans. Now, though, the really big businesses are the tech giants inspired by Napsters swashbuckling. Parker invested in Facebook a few years after Napsters collapse, and as its first president, he helped secure Mark Zuckerberg's total control of the company, eventually making Parker a billionaire. Facebook's house motto was Move fast and break things an apt description of Napsters impact too. (Parker, in a witty bit of stunt casting, was played by musician Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, the film about the birth of Facebook.) Companies like Uber learned from Napster that if you ignored regulations and scaled up quickly, law and industry would bend to your business model. Read more:'If we don't get paid, songs don't get made': Songwriters take to the streets against Spotify The dot-com boom was a feeding frenzy where stupid companies went public, but Napster was a legit technology, Menn said. Peer-to-peer was a terrific innovation, but it got captured by peak capitalism. It corrupted the way technology developed. Fanning, meanwhile, sold his video game communication platform, Rupture, to Electronic Arts and led a few short-lived social-networking and chat apps. He never achieved gargantuan wealth commensurate with his place in tech history. He was the poster boy, but he never controlled Napster, Menn said. He was a nice guy from a poor background. He was quite shy and forced himself to be in the public eye, and afterward, he retreated to his reclusive self. He did OK afterward but he was not a titan. Read more:Musicians deal with stingy streamers and AI threats, too. So why aren't they on strike? Today, the record business alliances among art, commerce and fandom have shifted again. Labels, desperate to avoid making the same mistakes, invested early in Spotify to ensure that they controlled streamings future. Now, only superstars like Ulrich can make money on streaming. The indie artists who were fine with Napster in 1999 are now protesting outside Spotifys offices and working to unionize. TikToks recent fight with Universal Music Group was emblematic. Is it better for artists to have free, massive marketing possibilities or to get paid fairly by enormous tech firms? With artificial intelligence's looming influence on culture-making, who can you trust to look after your interests? The answer is the same now as it was 1999: Probably no one. The continuous theme in the record industry, from vinyl to Napster to streaming, Menn said, is that bands get shafted in every single iteration of the system. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon as a KLM Cityhopper flight pushed back from its gate at the busy terminal A person died after being caught in the engine of a passenger plane moments before it was due to take off from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon as a KLM Cityhopper flight pushed back from its gate at the busy terminal, a Dutch military police source told The Telegraph. An incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine, the Dutch national flag-carrying KLM airline said in a statement. Sadly the person has died, it added, without disclosing the victims identity. Investigators were on Wednesday night looking into a possible suicide as part of the initial probe into the highly unusual death. The aircraft, bound for Billund, Denmark, was full of passengers when the body fell into the engines spinning turbine blades. The passengers were almost immediately disembarked from the plane and offered support because of the tragic nature of the incident. They will be questioned as they could offer some of the best insight into the persons death, said a spokesman for the Dutch military police, who are responsible for security at the airport. An incident occurred this afternoon on the Schiphol platform where a person fell into a running aircraft engine and died, the Marechaussee agency added in a statement. All passengers and employees of the flight in question have been disembarked and are being taken care of. The jet involved was an Embraer, operated by KLM on short-haul routes, such as London. A picture published by the NOS public broadcaster showed the plane surrounded by fire engines and ambulances next to the terminal. The Dutch Safety Board sent three investigators to Schiphol, NOS reported. Workplace standards inspectors were also dispatched by the labour ministry to establish whether it was a workplace accident. Schiphol airport wrote on X: Our thoughts go out to the relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this. Safety and security measures are strict at Schiphol and accidents are rare at the busy airport, which handled around 5.5 million passengers last month alone, according to airport figures. The airport, which is six miles from Amsterdam, is Europes third busiest. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. This handout photo taken on May 26, 2024, courtesy of Jacob Chambers shows an aerial view of widespread damage from a tornado in Valley View, Texas. Editor's Note: This page is a summary of severe weather news for Wednesday, May 29. For the latest news, see our weather story for Thursday, May 30. Localized flooding swept across much of Texas and the southern Plains Wednesday as residents began cleanup efforts from brutal storms that left a teenager dead and knocked out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses. After a stormy warning, the National Weather Service said in an advisory Wednesday that additional severe weather would come in from the west, and multiple rounds of thunderstorms were expected Thursday and Friday. The weather service also issued severe thunderstorm warnings in parts of Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Florida Wednesday, with some areas bracing for golf-ball-sized hail and harsh wind gusts reaching 70 mph. More than 380,000 utility customers in Texas were still without power Wednesday night, according to the USA TODAY outage tracker, and another 70,000 power customers remained in the dark across Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, and Missouri. Oncor Electric said some Dallas area customers might not regain power until Friday. "We recognize the hardships and inconveniences customers experience after severe storms like this one and remain focused on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible," the company said in a statement. Some areas around Dallas were deluged with almost 2 inches of rain in less than four hours Tuesday, AccuWeather reported. Dallas saw 2.35 inches of rain in the entire month of May 2023. The brutal storms were also impacting travel at major airport hubs. An American Airlines plane spun away from its jetway in high winds at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The FAA issued ground stops Wednesday at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York due to thunderstorms. Dallas area EMS worker shocked by brutal storm damage Cecilia Wichmann knew storms were going to roll through the Dallas area Tuesday, but she didnt anticipate their intensity or the widespread damage. The 44-year-old emergency medical services worker left her home around 6 a.m. and soon arrived at headquarters in Forney, a small city just east of Dallas. Standing outside the building with some of her coworkers, she felt the temperature drop and the wind pick up. Thats when I saw that it was going to get bad, she said. The rain and the wind came out of nowhere. Throughout the day, she saw over a dozen 18-wheelers flipped onto their sides and at least 100-150 homes destroyed by fallen trees and wind damage. Elsewhere, a 16-year-old construction worker was killed when a building under construction collapsed around him near Houston. Hiding in a closet in Central Texas Kenneth Radley watched local news for hours early Tuesday, waiting to see whether the powerful storms forecast for central Texas would reach his home outside Dallas in Kaufman County. They did, unleashing a deluge of rain, hail and strong winds in a matter of seconds. Radley rushed into a small closet off his living room the first time hes ever sheltered from a storm. The 79-year-old emerged to see dozens of uprooted trees and the exterior of his home shredded by hail. Wind blew off the door of his detached garage and buried his truck and golf cart under a pile of debris. It took us all day to dig out my truck, Radley said. The windshield was cracked and the doors and hood were dented, but it otherwise remains drivable, he said. Same home, different tornado in Kentucky The powerful storms have been spreading damage far beyond Texas. In Hopkins County, Kentucky, Mark Minton has spent the last few days wondering what the odds are of tornadoes hitting the same house twice. In 2021, more than two dozen homes were destroyed by an EF-4 tornado that devastated downtown Dawson Springs, then tore off toward Minton's home in the small unincorporated community of Barnsley. On Sunday, an EF-3 tornado followed a nearly identical path across the county, this time touching down one mile north of Dawson Springs, tearing east toward Charleston then northeast toward Barnsley. Minton's home was battered again. "Statistically, this is like throwing at a dart board and hitting the same hole twice," Minton said. "We're trying to make a determination if it's safe to build or not. Because you hit two of these in a row, it's kind of hard to make that decision again." Read more here. Stephanie Kuzydym, Louisville Courier Journal In Houston, 'people are scared' Wind gusts of more than 70 mph were recorded in Dallas and Houston, and Dallas County officials issued a disaster declaration Tuesday, warning of "a multi day power outage for a significant number" of residents. The latest storms rolled across the state just days after Memorial Day weekend saw deadly weather crash through the region, killing almost two dozen people. At least seven deaths were reported in Texas where the misery began two weeks ago when high winds and flooding swept through the Houston area, killing at least eight people and knocking out power to some area residents for more than a week. A lot of people are without power again," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the county that includes Houston, said in a social media post. "We just got through with the derecho a couple of weeks ago, which was extremely devastating and many are still trying to recover from. And so I know people are scared. In Forney, 'people were caught off-guard' In Forney, Wichmann and her colleagues headed inside and took refuge in the operations center, surrounded by 911 dispatchers taking a steady stream of calls. Rain and hail pounded on the windows as the power went out and bright flashes of lightning lit up the sky. A bang cut through the bellows of thunder and sent the emergency workers searching for the source: a smashed-in bay door. After an hour or so, Wichmann and her partner headed out to survey the damage and respond to emergency calls. The building across the street had its roof ripped off. Streets were covered in mounds of mangled debris and tree limbs. And cars were submerged in floodwaters. Between calls, she watched live footage from inside her own home to check on her two dogs: a Dalmatian named Twix and her Great Dane, Bam Bam. I didnt really have any damage at my place so they were OK, thankfully, she said. "This is absolutely one of the worst storms I've seen in years. People were definitely caught off-guard. Dallas disrupted by storm In the Dallas area, power outages prompted election officials to extend polling hours for the state's runoff elections. Northeast of Dallas, the Royse City First United Methodist Church was destroyed in a blaze that firefighters tentatively blamed on a lightning strike from the storm. Amanda Murski's Range Rover was crushed in her daughter's Dallas driveway buried by a giant tree uprooted by straight-line winds. "It was unbelievable the winds were crazy," Murski told Fox4news.com. "It's just a vehicle. It's OK." More counties added to Texas disaster list Federal emergency management officials approved Gov. Greg Abbott's request to add Collin, Cooke, Denton and Montague counties to the list of more than a dozen Texas counties already approved in the disaster declaration. The declaration allows FEMA to provide funds for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, property losses, disaster legal services and medical and funeral expenses caused by the disaster. Here's why the storm season seems so busy With at least 850 confirmed tornadoes so far and several major tornado outbreaks, 2024 ranks among the busiest years in recorded history. Even some of the most veteran storm chasers have been astounded by tornado activity so far this year. The U.S. has already seen four days with at least 30 tornadoes rated EF-1 or stronger, said Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. The average is two a year. Meteorologists interviewed by USA TODAY blame an active jet stream, coupled with a series of powerhouse storms rolling from the West Coast across the nation's midsection. It has "been a great recipe for numerous severe thunderstorms and tornadoes" over the past few weeks, said meteorologist Peter Mullinax of the Weather Prediction Center. Read more here. Elizabeth Weise, Dinah Voyles Pulver, and Doyle Rice This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Storm-weary Texas bashed again, 400Kwithout power: weather updates Rafah residents reported seeing armed Israeli tanks entering their city overnight on Wednesday, as Israel's attack continues despite international criticism. "These vehicles advanced in the middle of the night," resident Salma Al Kadoomi told CNN, adding that she saw the tanks downtown near the Abu Hashem building. Another local - Alaa Abu Ibrahim - reported that there were tanks seen in the Al Awda roundabout, near the city center. These sightings of armored vehicles come in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitting that the Israel Defense Forces killed 45 Palestinian refugees, in an incident that he described as a "tragic mistake." The fatal airstrike on the besieged city has been condemned by the international community. The United Nations described the aftermath as "horrifying;" Italian officials said that Israel's actions in Gaza are "no longer justifiable;" French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "outrage;" Britain's foreign secretary, David Cameron, called for an investigation into the "deeply distressing" massacre; Ireland's foreign minister called the incident "barbaric" and multiple Arab states described Israel's actions as "war crimes." Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza's Hamas-run government media office said that the Israel Defense Forces "called on citizens and displaced persons to go to these safe zones," which were then attacked by missiles. The IDF disputed these claims, claiming they "carried out an intelligence-based precise strike that targeted senior Hamas terrorists in Tal as Sultan." The International Criminal Court - which recently issued a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest - ordered Israel to halt any actions "which may inflict upon the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that would bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part." The Gazan city is just 25 square miles but houses more than a million Palestinians, many of whom are internally displaced within the besieged Gaza Strip. For months the United States has warned Israel that entering Rafah would be a "mistake" - especially without a concrete plan to mitigate civilian harm. Prior to the recent invasion, American officials have suggested that they would withhold military aid if Israel attacked the city. Israel maintains that its actions inside Gaza are necessary to defeat the militant group Hamas and recover the remaining hostages, who were taken during the October 7 attacks. "We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our abducted," Netanyahu said. YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. At least 28 people,including women and children, were killed after a passenger bus turned turtle and plunged into a ditch in Balochistan's Washuk district on Wednesday morning, Geo TV reports. According to officials, about 22 people sustained injuries in the accident and have been taken to hospital. The accident took place after the tyre of the passenger bus burst, said the rescue officials. The bus was travelling from Gwadar to Quetta. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the incident, and directed the authorities concerned to provide assistance to the injured, the report adds. EREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. In the areas where the border with Azerbaijan has been demarcated, the highest possible security guarantee is ensured. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, addressing the journalists' questions. He emphasized that in the modern world there is no more effective security guarantee than a demarcated border. "If someone says that there is a more effective security guarantee on earth than a demarcated border, you should not believe it. Therefore, in those areas where we have a demarcated border, the highest possible guarantee of security is ensured," said Pashinyan. From May 24, 2024, the border guard troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia protected of 1.9 km of Berkaber settlement, 4.9 km of Voskepar and Baghanis settlements of the state border of the Republic of Armenia. Protection of the 5.8 km demarcated section of the Kirants settlement of the state border until July 24, 2024 will be carried out in a transitional scheme. YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Suren Papikyan, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Armenia, participated in the opening ceremony of the Schuman Security and Defence Forum during his working visit to Brussels. According to a post on Facebook, Papikyan said that during the forum he engaged in panel discussions on regional and international security issues. The delegation led by the Minister of Defence Papikyan left for Brussels on a working visit on May 28. YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Temperatures in Delhi soared to a record-high of 49.9C (121.8F), as authorities warned of water shortages in Indias capital, the Guardian reports. TheIndiaMeteorological Department (IMD), which reported severe heatwave conditions, recorded the temperatures on Tuesday at two Delhi suburbs stations at Narela and Mungeshpur. The weather bureau said the temperatures were nine degrees higher than expected. The IMD warned of the heats impact on health, especially for infants, elderly people and those with chronic diseases. According to the report, forecasters predicted similar temperatures on Wednesday for the city of more than 30 million people, issuing a red alert warning notice for people to take care. In May 2022, parts of Delhi hit 49.2C. Years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. New Delhi authorities warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters. Many blame the soaring temperatures on scorching winds from Rajasthan state, where temperatures on Tuesday were the hottest in the country, at 50.5C. The Guardian adds that Rajasthans desert region of Phalodi holds the countrys all-time heat record, hitting 51C in 2016. YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Poland will reintroduce a 200-metre buffer zone at the Belarus border at the beginning of next week, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, after a soldier was left fighting for his life after an attack on the frontier, Reuters reports. "It was recommended to us that we should quickly restore the 200-metre buffer zone in this area where possible... we are ready to take such a decision at the beginning of next week," Tusk told a press conference near the border. The border has been a flashpoint since migrants started flocking there in 2021, after Belarus, a close Russian ally, reportedly opened travel agencies in the Middle East to offer a new unofficial route into Europe - a move the European Union said was designed to create a crisis. Belarus rejects the accusation that it helps to channel migrants to the Polish border, the report adds. A buffer zone which prevented members of the public and aid workers from approaching the border was initially introduced in 2021 by the previous nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) government. According to Reuters, in recent weeks there has been an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross illegally and border guards have reported a number of violent incidents. On Tuesday, a Polish soldier was left in a life-threatening condition after he was stabbed through the fence on the border. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland was ready to increase the number of troops at the border from the 5,500 currently stationed there but did not say by how many. Poland plans to spend 10 billion zlotys ($2.55 billion) on strengtheningits border with Belarus, the report adds. Les tringles des sistres tintaient Clementine Margaine as Carmen in act two of Bizets Carmen. (The truck tires rotate.) Photo: Nina Wurtzel / Met Opera Two veteran opera-goers of my acquaintance reacted identically to the Metropolitan Operas new production of Georges Bizets Carmen. One called it the worst thing Ive seen at the Met in thirty years. The other declared it the nadir of the companys 141-year history. I had to go. A classic description of this opera, by Friedrich Nietzsche, extols it as the apex of Mediterranean genius, refuting the dark miasma of Germanic art. Nietzsche called it a return to nature, health, cheerfulness, youth, virtue! Its music liberates the spirit. It gives wings to thought. Bizets exoticized Spain is sublimely lucid, streaming with sunlight, hot with perfumed indolence. Carrie Cracknells Met Carmen inflicts black skies, barbed wire, and machine guns. The act one workplace is a guarded facility all of whose female employees wear pink uniforms. The soldiers outside are joined by vagrants (who however sing as if soldiers). The act two gypsy song is danced (sort of) within the confines of the cargo hold of a moving tractor trailer truck. Later in the same act, Carmens solo dance of seduction is positioned atop a gasoline pump, a perch so precarious she needs a helping hand from Jose (whom she is defying). The act three set (Bizets wild spot in the mountains) is the trailer truck overturned, rotating circularly on its side. Dirt and grime are omnipresent. According to the program book, Cracknell has transplanted Carmen to a contemporary American industrial town. Bizets Seville cigarette factory is now an arms factory. The outcome is a contemporary American setting where the issues at stake seem powerfully relevant. Carmen and her co-workers are oppressed in a mans world. In short, this is a revisionist reading reconstruing plot and characters. And yet Carmen is an opera, not a play. Whatever one makes of the logic of Cracknells strategy, it negates the poetry of the music at every turn. Regietheater, now ubiquitous on world opera stages, was largely born in Germany after World War II and no wonder. Heilige Kunst seemed, if not discredited, clouded with questions the loudest of which afflicted the operas of Richard Wagner. My own first exposure came at the Bayreuth festival of 1977 about which I have written extensively (having been sent by the New York Times). Encountering Gotz Friedrichs Tannhauser (new in 1972), Patrice Chereaus Ring of the Nibelung (new in 1976), and Harry Kupfers The Flying Dutchman (of which I reviewed the premiere), I encountered a consistency of highly rehearsed operatic acting, wedded to a thoroughness of directorial engagement, wholly new to me. Friedrichs Tannhauser was an anti-fascist polemic. Chereaus method was to assume nothing. He found himself fascinated by the guile of Mime and Alberich, and disgusted by Wotans more complex opportunism; he gave him grasping gestures and a scowling face; he dressed him as Wagner. Kupfer, too, knew what he was doing. I was stunned by his conceit that the main action of the opera was hallucinated by the deranged Senta. I found her character fortified and also that of Erik, who understood his beloved all too well. The trade-off was a shallower Dutchman, reduced to an idealized figment of imagination. But what most lingered was Kupfers ingenious delineation of twin stage-worlds coincident with twin sound-worlds. As I previously wrote in this space: Kupfers handing of musical content was an astounding coup. The operas riper, more chromatic stretches were linked to the vigorously depicted fantasy world of Sentas mind; the squarer, more diatonic parts were framed by the dull walls of Dalands house, which collapsed outward whenever Senta lost touch. In the big Senta-Dutchman duet, where Wagners stylistic lapses are particularly obvious, Kupfer achieved the same effect by alternating between Sentas fantasy of the Dutchman and the stolid real-life suitor (not in Wagners libretto) that her father provided. Never before had I encountered an operatic staging in which the directors musical literacy was as apparent or pertinent. It was only a matter of time before something similar happened at the Met. The breakthrough moment came in 1979 with a re-imagining of The Flying Dutchman by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. But the breakthrough was careless and superficial. By staging the opera as if dreamt not by the high-strung, headstrong Senta, but by the ancillary Steersman, Ponnelle gained nothing. And the dreamscape itself resembled a high school auditorium at Halloween. One may ask one should ask what purposes may be served transporting historically conditioned Germanic Regietheater to the US. I can think of two. The first, as at Bayreuth, is an exercise in taking a known opera and casting a different light upon it. But nowadays the majority of American operagoers are newcomers, or relatively so: this rationale is cancelled. The second is to discover new relevance. But, consulting my long and checkered operatic memory, I cannot think of a single production that by resituating time and place likely enhanced the engagement of audiences new to the work. Earlier this season, the Met revived the most literal, least revised Wagner staging in memory: the Otto Schenk/Gunther Schneider Siemssen Tannhauser of 1972. I wrote a series of four blogs opened by thousands of readers. The first read in part: Many points of conjunction between what the ear hears and the eye sees are unforgettably clinched. The action begins with the erotic Venusberg. Wagner asks for a wide grotto which, as it curves towards the right in the background, seems to be prolonged till the eye loses it in the distance. From an opening in the rocks, through which the daylight filters dimly, a greenish waterfall plunges down the whole height of the grotto, foaming wildly over the rocks; out of the basin that receives the water a brook flows to the further background; it there forms into a lake, in which Naiads are seen bathing, while Sirens recline on its banks. Schneider-Siemssen wisely doesnt attempt all of this but he poetically renders enough of it to get the job done. At the climax of the Venusberg orgy, Wagner makes everything suddenly and cataclysmically vanish, to be replaced by a green valley. . . blue sky, bright sun. In the foreground is a shrine to the Virgin. A Shepherd Boy is blowing his pipe and singing. A credulous rendering of this transformation, abetted by Wagners musical imagination, proves as breathtaking today as half a century ago. At the operas close, Tannhauser expires alongside Elisabeths bier, and young pilgrims arrive with a flowered staff betokening his foregiveness. Nowadays, this ending is variously revised. It is considered toxic or tired. But faithfully conjoined with the reprise of the Pilgrims Chorus, it remains overwhelming. . . . The arts are today vanishing from the American experience. There is a crisis in cultural memory. How best keep Tannhauser alive? Flooded with neophytes, the Metropolitan Opera audience is very different from audiences just a few decades ago. What I observed at the end of Tannhauser was an ambushed audience thrilled and surprised. The Met is cultivating newcomers with new operas that arent very good. A more momentous longterm strategy, it seems to me, would be to present great operas staged in a manner that reinforces rather than challenges or critiques or refreshes the intended marriage of words and music. For newcomers to Wagner, an updated Tannhauser would almost certainly possess less relevance than Schenks 46-year-old staging if relevance is to be measured in terms of sheer visceral impact. In short: there are lessons to be learned from the new Carmen. But it would take a brave artistic initiative, flaunting fashion, to apply them. All this I pondered while enduring acts one and two last Wednesday night. After that, I discovered that Diego Matheuzs gestures of hand and baton, in the pit, were more eloquent than anything to be seen onstage. In fact, the musical highlight of the performance was Matheuzs shaping of Micaelas aria, and the poetic virtuosity of the accompanying French horns. I am certain I would have enjoyed the Micaela and Don Jose Ailyn Perez and Michael Fabiano under other circumstances. The Metropolitan Operas 2023-24 Carmen deserves to be remembered, and answered, as a seminal lesson in waste and this at a time when the American arts are starving. To read a sequel blog (A Way Forward), click here. The ex-fiancee of former "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor is reacting after he was fatally shot by a pistol-packing thief who was trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck. Johnny Wactor, 37, was leaving his side job as a bartender in Los Angeles early Saturday when he spotted three men near the vehicle, according to the Daily Mail. Wactor approached the men, one of whom looked up and pointed a gun, prompting Wactor to back away and protect a woman he was with before he was shot. Johnny Wactor's former fiancee has now made a tearful appeal to find his killers and toughen laws. Actress Tessa Farrell posted an Instagram video that praised him as a loved person and great actor. Then she went on to address the killer. "If the person who did this, if you're watching, I'm sorry, but you shot the wrong guy," Farrell said. "You can get a real job. Like, I know the job market's hard but we're all in it together. You don't have to steal, you know. Especially take a life over it? Human life is disregarded too easily." Farrell says Wactor and her met in 2013 when she moved to Los Angeles. She says they got engaged but were too young and called it off. She said they remained friends in the years that followed. The crooks fled in another vehicle and Johnny Wactor was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead. No arrests have been made. Johnny Wactor played "Brando Corbin" on General Hospital from 2020 to 2022. In a statement, the show said Johnny Wactor "was truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time." He also appeared on the HBO series "Westworld," and wrote and starred in the 2022 short film "Broken Riders," according to the IMDb website. A GoFundMe for his mother and his brothers has raised more than $50,000. Guwahati: At least 22 people are killed and 13 others reported missing as a stone quarry collapsed in Mizorams Aizawl district on Tuesday morning amid incessant rains as an impact of Cyclone Remal. And in the heavy storms and rains that lashed Assam in the wake of the cyclonic storm, at least two people were killed in the northeastern state. Briefing the media about the damages and relief operations, Mizoram director-general of police Anil Shukla said that the state capital was cut off from the rest of the country due to massive landslides. Mr Shukla said that that incident took place in an area between Melthum and Hlimen on the southern outskirts of Aizawl town on Tuesday morning, adding that several people are reported missing from various parts of Aizawl. We have recovered 17 bodies so far and eight people are still missing. The rescue operations are going on. We suspect that more people are still trapped under the rubble, he said, pointing out that the heavy rain is affecting rescue operations at the disaster site. The Mizoram DGP said that there are reports of landslides due to heavy rains at several other places in the state in which two persons have been swept away. According to state officials involved in the relief operation, the administration is carrying out rescue operations at several places. The officials said that a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl were among the victims of the stone quarry collapse. The state officials said that Aizawl is cut off from the rest of the country due to a landslide on National Highway 6 at Hunthar. Besides, several intra-state highways have also been damaged by landslides, they said. Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma, who is monitoring the rescue operations, convened an emergency meeting with home minister K. Sapdanga, chief secretary Renu Sharma and other senior officials to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile, the state government has announced '4 lakhs ex-gratia for the families of those killed in calamities caused by rains, including the quarry collapse. Because of the rain, the state government has ordered the closure of all the schools. Government employees, except those involved in providing essential services, have been asked to work from home. Also, more than 30 families have been shifted to safer places due to unprecedented flooding of the Tlawng river at Sairang village, about 21 km from Aizawl. In neighbouring Assam, authorities said that at least two persons, including a student, were killed and 17 others injured following the heavy storms and rains. The heavy storm also disrupted the power supply in several parts of the state. According to official sources, reports of uprooted trees snapping electricity supply lines and blocking roads in many places were received. A major tragedy was averted in Dhekiajuli when a large tree, under the impact of strong wind, fell on a school bus ferrying students on Tuesday. The officials said that at least 12 students from Usha English School were injured in the incident. However, all of them are out of danger. The Assam state disaster management authority (ASDMA) also confirmed the death of one person and many injuries in the storm-related incidents. The ASDMA official said that the agency is on high alert and is assisting the district authorities in rescue operations at several places. We have received reports of at least 17 injuries so far, an official said. Following the heavy rains, a large portion of the Haflong-Silchar link road in Dima Hasao district washed away due to rising river water levels. The deputy commissioner of district Simanta Kumar Das, said that the district administration has closed the Haflong-Silchar connecting road until June 1. "Several landslide incidents are reported from various parts of the district. The rescue teams are in place. One part of the Haflong-Silchar road is breached. We are monitoring the situation and have issued an alert message. As of now, there is no report of any casualties in the district," said Mr Das. According to ASDMA officials, 11 districts, including Kamrup, Nagaon, Sonitpur, and Morigaon, are severely affected by the cyclone. New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday targeted the Congress Party over Mani Shankar Aiyars remark that China allegedly invaded India in 1962, saying that his comments were an attack on the integrity of India and an insult to every soldier who had sacrificed their life for the nation. Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club here Tuesday night, Aiyar referred to the 1962 India-China war as alleged Chinese invasion. In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India, he said at a book launch, according to a video circulating on the social media. Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for mistakenly using the term. The Congress was quick to distance itself from Aiyars remarks, saying allowances must be made for his age. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X: The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed. BJP spokesman Gurav Bhatia went on to attack Aiyar, and said: Nearly 1,400 of our soldiers sacrificed their lives in the 1962 war. They fought till their last breath. These traitorous words are of Mani Shankar Aiyar, but this thought is that of Rahul Gandhi. Just a few days ago, Mani Shankar Aiyar had said Pakistan has the atomic bomb Our Army is our pride. Why are signals being given to both enemy countries by the Congress? Is this happening because the Congress knows that it is about to be wiped out? Bhatia asked. In a brief statement, Aiyar said: I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word 'alleged' before 'Chinese invasion' at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening." Speaking on the Indian Foreign Service, to which he once belonged, at the launch of Kallol Bhattacharjees Nehrus First Recruits, Aiyar said: The IFS up to my generation and even into the 21st century was an upper caste service. It was a service made up of Macaulay ki aulad (children of Lord Macaulay). Now, it is becoming more democratic and it has a lot of Hindi speakers... We are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service, and that I think is a very good thing. I was very impressed on a visit to Istanbul to find a new recruit who could only speak to me in Hindi. But by the time I reached Istanbul again the following year, the same gentleman spoke fluent English and, more important, fluent Turkish. So, we are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service, and that I think is a very good thing," he added. Chandigarh: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday dismissed the BJPs 400 paar claim as bakwas (nonsense) and said the party will not cross 200 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Kharge in a post on X also accused the Modi government of playing with national security by imposing the Agnipath scheme, and said the military recruitment programme would be scrapped when an I.N.D.I.A. bloc government is formed at the Centre to give justice to the patriotic youth of the country. Addressing the media in Amritsar, Kharge said the BJPs seats were declining as compared to the last elections while the Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc were making gains. Replying to a question on BJPs 400 paar claims, Kharge asked the basis of such claims by the BJP. When your (seats) are declining and ours are increasing. Forget 400 paar, it is bakwas. They cannot even form the government and will not go beyond 200 seats, Kharge said. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was non-existent in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana and not strong in Karnataka. You are weak in Maharashtra, while in West Bengal and Odisha, there is a fight. How are you getting 400 seats? he asked. Replying to Union home minister Amit Shahs jibe that Kharge will lose his job after Congress defeat in the elections, Kharge said, I joined politics not for doing a job. I have been in politics to serve (people) since childhood, almost for as many years now as Prime Minister Narendra Modis age, the Congress leader said. Shah should think about his own job after June 4, Kharge added. Attacking the Prime Minister and the BJP over their claims, Kharge said, Modi ji talks too much and works less. BJP ka sau bakna, Manmohan Singh ka ek karna barabar hai (BJPs 100 claims equals former PM Singhs one claim). Meanwhile, in a post in Hindi on X, the Congress president said, By imposing the Agniveer scheme, the Modi government has played with Indias national security. We have three questions, whose befitting reply the public will now give to BJP in the last phase of the elections. Is it not true that Agnipath has reduced the number of recruitments from 75,000 per year to 46,000 per year? Is it not true that the defence minister of the country has to repeatedly reiterate that he will reconsider the Agniveer scheme, make changes and improvements in it, he asked. Kolkata: Campaigning in West Bengal for the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the Opposition, calling them anti-development and corrupt. Leading the charge for the BJP at poll rallies in the eastern states, Modi asserted that the voters in the country have already decided to give a massive mandate to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and there will once again be a stable and progressive government at the Centre. Addressing his last poll rally in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Mathurapur of South 24 Parganas, Modi accused the Trinamul Congress and its I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners of pushing West Bengal in the opposite direction of development. He also tore into chief minister Mamata Banerjee's party for subverting the Constitution for politics of appeasement, for being anti-OBCs and for trying to settle the infiltrators instead of eligible Hindu migrants in the state. Modi alleged: The TMC and the I.N.D.I.A. jamaat are taking Bengal in the opposite direction of development. The TMC can't tolerate Bengal's love for the BJP. So much so that it has started hating Bengal and is resorting to only one weapon it is left with and that is obstructing all Central government schemes in the state. The TMC says -- Eta hote debo na (Won't allow it to happen) to all developmental schemes by the BJP-led Centre. Modi claimed: The TMC has now started attacking the Constitution openly for its politics of appeasement. Our Constitution has given reservations to the Dalit and OBC categories of people. But in Bengal, an open loot of that reservation is happening. Fake OBC certificates are made for Muslims. The OBC communities rights are snatched and given to the Muslims. The Calcutta high court cancelled these certificates. As the TMC can't ignore the order, it is lying to the Muslims and misleading them. On the illegal infiltration, Modi pointed out, The infiltrators are looting the opportunities of the youth of Bengal. They are grabbing your land and properties. Why did the TMC oppose the CAA and lie about it so much? Because they want to settle the infiltrators here instead of the Hindu migrants, including Matuas. But you don't need to worry. After June 4, these gimmicks of the TMC will be stopped. The Matua and Namasudra communities will certainly get their rights. Reaching out to the fishermen community of the Sundarbans, Modi said, Lakhs of them here face losses because of the arrogance of the TMC. The Central government runs so many welfare schemes for them. We also allocated a fund over Rs 20,000 crores for them. But the TMC government is not allowing its implementation." "As a result, fishermen face problems in claiming insurance. But the TMC doesn't care about you. It only thinks of its Tolabaj (extortionists) and cut-money system. Our government sent funds to stop river erosion here, but the TMC pocketed them. Its sole agenda in everything is cut-money." BARIPADA/BALASORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that he heard from his associates that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's health has deteriorated a lot in the past year. Modi said many suspect that a coterie of top officers surrounding Patnaik are responsible for it. The BJD has already ruled the state for 25 years. People are fed up with the corrupt government and they have decided to elect a BJP government. After coming to power in the state, the BJP government will order a probe on those responsible for the deterioration of Patnaik's health. Besides, it will investigate all the scams and scandals in the state, the PM announced. Accusing the Odisha government of corruption, Modi asserted that the people have decided to put a full stop to the present Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rule. Modi, while addressing separate poll rallies in Mayurbhanj and Balasore parliamentary constituencies, said, "After five decades, the people of India are going to return a party for the third consecutive term with an absolute majority. This is an attestation of the people's faith in our good governance, forward-looking policies and delivery of public services." Like in all his poll rallies, the PM devoted some minutes to his government's economic reforms that catapulted the country from the 11th rank to the fifth rank among the world economies. He announced that India will shortly emerge as the world's third largest economic power. The Prime Minister also retold the stories of his government's success in poverty alleviation, providing free rations to the poor and gas cylinders to women and economic empowerment of female folks through schemes like the Lakhpati Didi Yojana. Modi said culprits involved in the looting of Odisha's resources and money of small depositors will be arrested and all their ill-gotten wealth will be recovered. In order to woo the tribal voters and women, the PM said President Droupadi Murmu, who hails from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, is an example of the BJP's effort to empower women. "Your daughter (Murmu) is now heading the three commands of India's defence establishment. She is the symbol of the BJP's commitment to uplift women, socially and economically," Modi observed. NEW DELHI: In a setback to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court registry on Wednesday refused the urgent listing of his petition seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail for undergoing medical tests, stating the plea is not maintainable as the AAP supremo was given liberty to move the trial court for regular bail. Later in the day, Kejriwal, who is currently campaigning for his party in Punjab, said he is proud of going to jail to save his country. I am ready to go back to jail again on June 2. And I am proud that I am going to jail to save my country," he said during a rally in Jalandhar, Punjab. The apex court refused to accept Mr. Kejriwals application on grounds of maintainability. The Delhi CMs interim bail is due to expire on June 1, and he has been directed by the top court to surrender before the jail authorities on June 2. The last leg of the seven-phase polls will be over on June 1. Hitting out at Mr. Kejriwal, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, People are amazed to see him campaigning in 49-degree temperature while on the other hand he is shamefully claiming to be suffering from dangerous diseases. It is regrettable to see Mr. Kejriwal splurging taxpayers money on his frivolous bail applications. In his petition, Mr. Kejriwal had pleaded for an extension of his interim bail by seven days to undergo a host of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, in view of his "sudden and unexplained weight loss coupled with high ketone levels," which are indicative of kidney issues, serious cardiac ailments, and even cancer. On Tuesday, a vacation bench of the apex court said the Chief Justice of India would decide on the urgent listing of Mr. Kejriwal's plea seeking an extension of his interim bail by seven days for undergoing medical tests as the verdict in the main case is already reserved. Refusing to list the AAP supremos interim plea on its own, the vacation bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan asked Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the chief minister, why it was not mentioned last week when Justice Dipankar Datta, one of the judges of the main bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, which had granted the interim bail, was sitting on the vacation bench. The top court asked Mr. Singhvi: "Why did you not mention it when Justice Datta was sitting on the vacation bench last week? Let the Hon'ble CJI take a decision as it raises the issue of propriety. We will send it to the CJI."In its order, the top court said, "Since the bench of Justices Khanna and Datta, which granted interim bail till June 1 to Mr. Kejriwal, have reserved the verdict on the main petition, it would be appropriate to place his time extension application before the CJI for appropriate orders."In his plea, Mr. Kejriwal said he wishes to surrender before jail authorities on June 9, instead of June 2, the scheduled date for his return to prison. The plea said: "The appellant prays for an extension of his interim bail by a week, during which the appellant can get the prescribed tests done and obtain results of the same. The appellant will get all these tests done in the working week from June 3 (Monday) to June 7 (Friday) and then surrender on the weekend, i.e., June 9."The latest plea by Mr. Kejriwal before the apex court said during the incarceration from March 21 to May 10, the chief minister suffered a lot of health-related complications, which are also "partly attributable to the negligent and callous behavior of the jail authorities." Mr. Kejriwal lost around six to seven kg of weight in jail and has not been able to regain it even after his release and renewing his earlier lifestyle to the extent possible, the petition said."In the meantime, recent test reports confirm that the appellant has also developed an unusually high blood glucose level as well as high ketone levels in urine, which indicate that in addition to increased blood sugar levels, the appellant may have also developed kidney-related complications and kidney damage," the plea added. Not far from Prayagraj (Allahabad) are two contiguous villages of Dadupur and Sarangapur in Chhoka block, across the Yamuna. They are in Allahabad constituency (Prayagraj name isnt being used in the polls). Phulpur next door was in the news as two stars were whisked away as unbelievably large crowds threatened a stampede. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had to be protected. Such massive crowds are indicators which way the electoral balance is tilting. Dadupur is dominated by Shias and a sprinkling of Dalits. All Muslims, irrespective of sectarian divisions, are presumed to oppose Narendra Modi. An aggressive Shia cleric of Lucknow, Saiyyid Kalbe Jawwad, has created confusion. He went and tied an Imamzamin (amulet) on the arm Lucknow BJP candidate, defence minister Rajnath Singh. Was it a signal to Shia voters? Voting there was on May 25. On May 22, three busloads of Shias left for Jogipura Dargah in Najibabad for the annual Urs, abandoning Congress candidate Ujjwal Raman Singh. At Sarangapur, dominated by Brahmins, events took a different turn. Erstwhile pradhan Lakshmi Shankar Mishra got a call from the police station. When Mishra turned up, he was given an option: either cool your heels at the police station or go home and not be seen in public. Then at Karchchana police station, a worker Congress candidate Ujjwal Singhs respected father, Rewati Raman Singh, was detained. When the veteran leader drove there to seek his loyalists release, not only did the police not release his friend, the officer issued a terse warning: you cant step out of the thana. Word soon spread, and a crowd began to gather. Rewati Raman Singh was allowed to go home. Going by the word of reliable journalists in Lucknow and others who travelled across UP, strong-arm police behaviour has been something of an epidemic. As I write this, I receive a call from Ambedkarnagar that the police scaled the walls of the Opposition candidates house to restrain his supporters from stirring out to exert influence. Employing the police in any circumstance has become almost normal in Uttar Pradesh. However, excessive police action could also be a sign of nervousness as some reports from the field are not flattering. In Hindutva circles, there is pronounced disappointment that building the Ram Mandir has not been much of an electoral draw. Building a temple does not stir emotions on the same scale as pulling down a mosque does. Standing with folded hands in front of Lord Rams image is a spiritual experience; breaking a mosque to build a temple is an angry emotional experience, translatable into political action. If you want to go back over three decades and watch the photograph of Uma Bharti clambering onto Murli Manohar Joshis back watching the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, the expression on their faces is ecstatic, even orgasmic. They were really celebrating a violent victory over the Mughals. It was this kind of experience that the nation felt because of the Balakot airstrikes in 2019. It helped Narendra Modi to win the election. Why has something like Balakot not happened this time? What is on trial, therefore, is pure, undiluted communalism, a sort of Muslim-hating not seen before as a means to mobilising crowds. The mangalsutra that Hindu women wear ritually will be snatched by the Muslims. They will also be handed all the reservations meant for the lower castes. All these anti-Hindu monstrosities (or so goes the allegation) will be the handiwork of the INDIA alliance, a band of Muslim lovers who will go to any lengths to please them. They will even do the mujra made famous by nautch girls to rouse the Muslims. All these wonderful nuggets are a part of Mr Modis speeches. From this 24-carat communalism, observers have drawn different conclusions. One school of thought suggests that plunging headlong into mindless communalism is a sign of nervousness. In other words, the venom in his utterances is a rearguard action on his part because he is doing badly in the field. The second school believe that the outcome will not be determined by the ballot box, but by tricks and stratagems. Careful attention must be given to what Jawed Laiq and Bharati Bhargava have to say after their ritual visit to the Sangam ghats. Covering the 1977 elections, Jawed turned up in Sangam: he found the boatmen and pilgrims from every part of the country a huge resource. That is how he got a world scoop: Indira Gandhi would lose the election. He has made the Sangam his regular hunting ground for election results. He has come up trumps most of the time. This time he has returned with intelligence not available to others, after speaking to diverse Sangam pilgrims as devotees from the Northeast, tribals from Rajasthan and umpteen other places. Jawed and Bharati were surprised to discover what looked like a wave for Narendra Modi. Jawed said that the excessive and stark communalism of Mr Modis election utterances were not a function of despair and nervousness. They were part of a well-crafted strategy: the more vicious his speech, the greater his popularity. Muslim-baiting pleases this lot, but I must insert a caveat: venom alone may not translate into electoral success. For this to happen, I have maintained a consistent theory -- that communalism has to be tied to nationalism to give political results. By themselves, the mangalsutra or even the cow will not be enough. There has to be the menacing shadow of Pakistan lurking in the background to generate a post-Balakot-like election-changing mood. Let me abide by my theory until June 4, when the results come in. Global Witness updated its report on the situation in the Myanmar state, which is rich in rare earths needed in modern technologies. Local armed groups loyal to the military junta and ethnic resistance militias are fighting each other. Both sides rely on mostly unregulated mining to boost revenue, with huge problems for the local environment and population. Yangon (AsiaNews) Chinese imports of heavy rare earths from Myanmar broke records last year, exacerbating environmental problems in Myanmar's Kachin state, an area partly controlled by an armed group close to the army and partly by ethnic militias opposed to the military regime. Since the military coup in February 2021, the two sides have been fighting each other, but both rely on mostly unregulated mining for funding. Global Witness, a non-profit international organisation, has updated its report on rare earth mining in Myanmar from two years ago, reiterating once again that the global dependence on Myanmar mines is having negative effects on the health of the local population. Rare earths are a group of 17 soft heavy metals classified on the basis of their atomic weight: light, intermediate, and heavy. China has a near monopoly in mining and processing rare earths, which are essential in various technologies, from electric car batteries and wind turbines to the latest weapons. Its imports from Myanmar rose from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023 (worth US$ 1.4 billion), more than double what China mines domestically. Toxic substances used in extraction are polluting the environment though, harming the health of local communities. Ammonium sulphate "is injected into the earth through a network of pipes. As the solution tracks downslope, it gathers the rare earth elements," reads the report by Global Witness. In China, where this technique known as in-situ-leaching was first developed in the 1980s, there are widespread reports of polluted watercourses and farmland, and the destruction of vegetation. But while this practice is closely regulated in China, no regulations are in place in Myanmar. On the contrary, most chemicals needed for the process come from China. In 2023, Myanmar imported 1.5 million tonnes of ammonium sulphate (compared to 93,000 tonnes in 2015) and 174,000 tonnes of oxalic acid (up from 342 tonnes in 2015). Because of these chemical compounds, Everything is destroyed, said a local resident speaking on condition of anonymity. You cant plant anything in the fields anymore. Cant catch fish in the streams anymore. Many animals have died by drinking that water. Stepping into the water can cause itching and infections. When the animals drink the water, they die, said another. Respiratory problems, skin problems, and kidney and internal organ failure have increased among mine workers. Some miners have died from severe gastrointestinal problems. Global Witness collected water samples from local rivers that contain high levels of arsenic, confirming residents stories. Mining in Kachin State is concentrated in two areas. One is called Special Region 1, controlled by militias loyal to Myanmars military; here, the number of mines rose to more than 300, up by more than 40 per cent over 2021. In Momauk, a township about 150 kilometres to the south, satellite imagery analysed by Global Witness shows that mining sites went from nine in 2021 to more than 40 in 2023. This area is administered by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), whose armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is fighting against the military junta. The KIO said it mining rare earths only with the consent of the local population and is regulating the activity with strict laws, noting that the proceeds from mining are "set aside for the regional development fund" which finances local "education, health and infrastructure development. However, experts are wary of such claims. Last year, a KIO leader, General N'Ban La, said that the mining proceeds were intended to finance the fight against the army. Richard Horsey, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said that both sides in the conflict see rare earths as an important source of revenue. This is a huge source of income for what is actually quite a small armed group, allied with the Myanmar military, he explained, referring to the militia that controls Special Region 1. At the same time, the KIO is definitely interested in developing its own rare earth mines because it sees how much money is being made. It cant afford not to have a slice of that revenue. At a rally in Jharkhand on the eve of the last voting round, the Indian prime minister attacked some schools that chose Friday as a public holiday instead of Sunday, claiming that after Hindus, Muslims are also fighting with Christians". He also vowed that Muslims would never be eligible for benefits meant for Dalits and tribal people. Dumka (AsiaNews/Agencies) An election rally held yesterday in Dumka, in the northern state of Jharkhand, on the eve of the last round of voting in India, provided Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an opportunity to pit Christians against Muslims, the countrys two largest religious minorities. In a swipe at the Jharkhand government, which is led by a local political party allied with the Indian National Congress, Mr Modi lashed out at the results of an investigation that shows that some schools in Jamtara switched their weekly break to Friday from Sunday, which is the usual day across the country. First, they fought with Hindus, now they are fighting with Christians, Modi said. In reality, the state the government led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party reinstated Sunday as the official day off in 2022, reversing the decision taken two years earlier by 43 state-run schools to observe Friday as the weekly break. An investigation later determined that some schools in Jamtara, an area with a large Muslim population, did not implement this decisionFor Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, a trivial matter was given a communal colour. At the rally, Modi also reiterated the claim that the main opposition INDIA bloc wants to grant Muslims, on a religious basis, the same benefits under Indian law reserved for disadvantaged groups, like job quotas. I want to tell the people of INDI alliance (sic) that as long as Modi is alive, you will not be able to snatch away the reservation of Tribals, Dalits, backward classes and extremely backward classes and give it to Muslims, to those who do 'vote jihad', Modi said. For years, Indian Catholics have waged a battle to have Christian Dalits and tribals benefit from Indias quota system, a demand consistently rejected by Hindu nationalists who are the same who complain of forced conversions. Jharkhand is the place where Fr Stan Swamy served the local tribal population much of his life. The Jesuit clergyman died in 2021, aged 84, from COVID-19 after almost nine months in prison on false charges of aiding and abetting terrorism, despite repeated requests to Modi for his release. Precisely to oppose a sectarian vision of society, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) called for a day of fasting and prayer on 22 March before the start of the vote. In its statement, the CBCI spoke out against divisive attitudes, hate speech and fundamentalist movements because they are eroding the pluralist ethos that has always characterised our country. In todays general audience in St Peter's Square, the pontiff kicked off a new round of reflections, this time on the action of the Holy Spirit in the history of salvation. The Spirit is harmony," Francis explained. He also talked about the "havoc" humanity is visiting upon Creation, as well as how to undertake the "way of contemplation" like Francis of Assisi. The Holy Father spoke about the victims of a landslide in Papua New Guinea. Turning to Ukraine, Palestine, and Myanmar, he said War is always cruel. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis expressed closeness to the people affected by a devastating landslide in Enga, a province in Papua New Guinea, which buried more than 2,000 people according to UN estimates, on 23-24 May, urging the faithful to turn their thoughts to the victims. I want to offer assurance of my prayers for the victims of the great landslide that swept through some villages in Papua New Guinea, the pontiff said at the end of todays Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square. In September, the pontiff is set to visit that country, part of a trip to Southeast Asia as well. As he usually does, Pope Francis mentioned countries at war (My thoughts go to tormented Ukraine"), but also the meeting in Rome last weekend with boys and girls suffering the consequences of violence, for the first World Children's Day. The other day I received little boys and girls who suffered burns, they lost their legs in the war: war is always cruel, he said. Even children who are starting to walk again, even with the help of artificial limbs, "have lost their smiles". And let us not forget Palestine and Israel who suffer so much: let the war end. And let us not forget Myanmar. [. . .] Let us pray to the Lord to be close to all and give us the grace of peace, he said. During his address, the Holy Father also mentioned Fr Giuseppe Rossi, a priest and martyr who was beatified in Novara (Italy) on Sunday, a zealous parish priest of charity, who did not abandon the flock during the tragic period of World War II but defended it even to the shedding of his blood. May his heroic witness help us to face the trials of life with fortitude. A round of applause followed. The pontffi spoke to the faithful in St Peter's Square about the Solemnity of Saint Paul VI, which is celebrated today. May this anniversary help everyone to rediscover the joy of being Christian, inspiring a renewed commitment to building the civilisation of love. And please, if you have some time, read Paul VI's letter Evangelii nuntiandi, which is still relevant today. Last week, Francis ended the cycle of catechesis on "Vices and Virtues. Today, he started a new cycle dedicated to The Holy Spirit and the Bride the bride is the Church The Holy Spirit guides God's people towards Jesus our hope. His reflection focused on The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1:1-2), the beginning of a journey that will continue through the three great stages of salvation history: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the time of the Church. His thoughts will be shared in the coming weeks at the Wednesday general audiences, focusing first on discovering what is given as a promise in the Old Testament and fully realised in Christ. Today's reflection started with the first verses of Genesis. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1:1-2). The Spirit of God appears to us here as the mysterious power that moves the world from its initial formless, deserted, and gloomy state to its ordered and harmonious state, explained the Holy Father. The Spirit thus allows the transformation of chaos into harmony, an action that after Creation becomes more precise in the following revelation as is evinced on several occasions in the New Testament. However, the Apostle Paul introduces a new element to the relationship between the Spirit and Creation. He speaks of a universe that groans and suffers as in labour pains (cf. Rom 8:22), something that concerns us dramatically. Creation is suffering because of the corruption and sin of humanity that has dragged it into its alienation from God, Francis said. We see the havoc that has been done, and that continues to be wrought upon creation by humanity, especially that part of it that has greater capacity to exploit its resources. Francis of Assisi offers a way out of this "havoc" with his Canticle of the Creatures, the way of contemplation and praise. [. . .] It is to put the joy of contemplating ahead of the joy of possessing, Francis said, because the Spirit is harmony. Turning to the meaning of chaos, Francis noties that it can be external and internal, mirroring each other. The first is social chaos, political chaos. We think about wars, we think about so many boys and girls who dont have enough to eat, about so many social injustices. According to the pontiff, it is impossible to transform this into harmony, if we do not first act on the former. [L]et us do a good job of making our internal confusion a clarity of the Holy Spirit. It is the power of God that does this, and we open our hearts so that He can do it, he noted. Finally, Let us ask the Holy Spirit to come to us and make us new persons, with the newness of the Spirit. An 81-year-old California man has been arrested for allegedly using his slingshot to terrorize his neighbors for nearly a decade, police said. The Azusa Police Department said they conducted a "lengthy investigation" into a "quality of life issue" in the area of the 900 block of North Enid Avenue, and learned that dozens of residents had been victimized by a "serial slingshot shooter" over the last 9-10 years. "The unknown suspect broke windows, windshields and almost stuck people with ball bearings," police said. Last week, detectives executed a search warrant in the neighborhood, at the residence of 81-year-old suspect Prince King. Investigators allegedly found a slingshot and ball bearings at his residence, and King was taken into custody. Azusa police Lt. Jake Bushey told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that police have not yet discovered a motive "other than just malicious mischief." Bushey told the outlet that although the shots didn't appear to be random, police did not know why certain properties or people were targeted. King was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. --with reporting by TMX According to Amnesty International's annual report, 1153 death sentences are the highest figure for the past eight years and an increase of more than 30% compared to 2022. In contrast, the number of nations (16) in which people are executed is falling. The sad record goes to the Islamic Republic with 853 hangings. But data (secret, but in the thousands) from China, North Korea and Vietnam are missing. Tehran (AsiaNews) - The Iran of the ayatollahs is leading the record increase in global executions in 2023, with the highest figure in the last eight years due to the extensive use of executioners by the Islamic Republic and several other Middle Eastern nations. Raising the alarm are the activists of Amnesty International in their latest annual report published these days, according to which a total of 1,153 people were executed in 16 countries around the world (at least these are the official figures), a record 30% higher than in 2022. Tehran alone carried out 74% of the executions, intensifying the use of capital punishment for drug offences, while Saudi Arabia - in the past among the great advocates of death sentences - carried out 15%. It should be mentioned here that China is excluded from the count, which although it makes extensive use of the executioner keeps the numbers secret and is therefore not included in the lists; however, various sources agree that there are thousands every year and there is no reversal. Because of state secrecy [opposed by Beijing], Amnesty's figures, the activist movement points out, do not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remains the world's leading executioner. Similarly, Amnesty, the note continues, was unable to provide exact figures for North Korea and Vietnam, nations believed to make extensive use of executions. The figure for executions is the highest recorded by the international NGO since 2015, when the number of people executed reached 1634. According to the report, the Islamic Republic put at least 853 people to death last year - up from 576 in 2022 and 314 in 2021. More than half of the executions in 2023 were for drug-related offences, but there was no shortage of sentences imposed for participation in street protests, particularly those related to the killing of Mahsa Amini, or for corruption on the ground. A generic offence exploited to send to the gallows [hanging is practised in Iran] opponents, critical voices or those who fight for freedom or denounce the distortions of the ayatollahs' regime. Despite the rise in executions worldwide, the number of countries putting people to death was the lowest to date, the activist NGO notes. No executions were recorded in Belarus, Japan, Myanmar and South Sudan, all countries that carried out death sentences in 2022. The huge spike in recorded executions is mainly due to Iran, confirmed Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard. The Iranian authorities have shown a total disregard for human life and have increased executions, the expert continued, for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on the country's most marginalised and impoverished communities. Of opposite sign is the direction taken by Pakistan, which last year repealed the death penalty for drug offences, while the requirement to use the executioner in Malaysia for drug use or drug trafficking was abolished. Elsewhere in Asia, the Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that the president does not intend to sign execution warrants, dispelling fears that the country might resume putting people to death. Finally, the annual report highlighted data from the United States, the only western nation where - at least in part - capital punishment still remains in force. Last year, executions rose to 24 from 18 in 2022. In Idaho and Tennessee, bills have been introduced for execution by firing squad, while the state of Montana has considered a measure to expand the range of substances used in lethal injections. Today's news: the Taiwanese government will reject the disputed Parliamentary Powers Act passed by the opposition yesterday; Floating dock that was supposed to bring aid to Gaza damaged by storm surges; Pyongyang sends 200 balloons loaded with rubbish to the South; Phnom Penh names one of its major thoroughfares after Xi Jinping. THAILAND Thailand's Attorney General will indict former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy. The move is linked to a complaint filed by forces close to the army that ousted the government of his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, after an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015. Thaksin - who returned a few months ago from self-exile after being guaranteed not to go to jail for corruption convictions - is still a central figure in the Pheu Thai, the party he founded that expresses the current premier Srettha Thavisin. There are, however, many signs that in recent weeks indicate growing tensions between Pheu Thai and parties close to the military, the former enemies who have joined forces against Move Forward, the progressive party that won the last elections. TAIWAN Taiwan's government will reject and send back for review legislation the opposition passed Tuesday on parliamentary reforms that brought tens of thousands to the streets in protest amid accusations of Chinese interference. The reforms give lawmakers the power to ask the military, private companies or individuals to disclose information deemed relevant by parliamentarians. It also makes it an offence for government officials to be in contempt of parliament and requires the president to answer questions from MPs. GAZA-ISRAEL The floating pier built by the US military to bring aid to Gaza and put into operation just a few days ago has already been damaged by storm surges and will take at least a week to repair. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned that the amount of aid reaching the Palestinians in Gaza is only a fraction of what is needed to meet the needs of the population and even this solution is proving ineffective. CAMBODIA-CHINA Phnom Penh has renamed one of its main streets Xi Jinping Boulevard in honour of the Chinese president for his historic contribution to Cambodia's development. The street naming ceremony was held at the Peace Palace on Tuesday in the presence of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and outgoing Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian. The boulevard, formerly known as the Third Ring, was built at a cost of USD 273 million, with concessional funding from the Chinese government and contributions from the Cambodian government. NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA North Korea launched more than 200 balloons carrying waste across the inter-Korean border, the Seoul military reported. The North announced retaliatory actions against the anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by South Korean activists. The balloons fell in various locations across the country, reaching as far as the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang. This is the largest number of balloons sent to the South, compared to previous cases between 2016 and 2018. RUSSIA-AFGHANISTAN Russia's foreign and justice ministries have proposed removing the Taliban of Afghanistan from the list of extremist associations, where they have been reported for more than 20 years, so that the Kabul government can proceed to recognise them, as suggested by the department's director for Asia Zamir Kabulov, according to whom it is high time. TAJIKISTAN Tajikistan is also looking for drones, but not for military operations: lately there have been grasshopper invasions that are very damaging to agriculture, and a young Tajik scholar, Boburdzon Nadzodov, who works at the Moscow Agricultural Academy, has proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture in Dushanbe to open up to innovative technologies against natural threats. A New Jersey mother is fearing the worst as her 37-year-old daughter, Danielle Lopz, vanished before a camping trip, leading the mother to believe her family is "cursed." Sue Quackenbush, 63, has already been devastated by the untimely deaths of her two sons and is now searching for her third child and only daughter after she went missing "under suspicious circumstances." Lopez told her family she was planning to go on a camping trip in Wharton State Forest, which spans more than 124,000 acres across three counties, before completely disappearing. Now Quackenbush has turned to the public for help, posting on Facebook: "Unimaginably, tragedy has struck our family again. Danielle was sweet, creative, and loving. She was a wonderful daughter and a vibrant light in my life. "I just need a miracle and everyone's prayers and wishes," she wrote. Quackenbush told Fox News that the reason she referred to her daughter in the past tense in her statement is because police have reason to believe that harm has come to her. The family has suffered one tragedy after another in recent years. Her son, Eric, died by suicide, and Michael Lopz, who was a Marine, was killed in a car crash shortly after returning to the States from Afghanistan, reported The Daily Mail. Their father and Quackenbush's ex-husband also died from a heart attack in June 2020. Danielle's uncle, Fred Lopez, 58, commented on her disappearance, revealing, "Every member of my family has had tragedy. I think my family may have been cursed." 29 May 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more On the one hand, negotiations progress towards achieving peace, on the other hand, bargains run for arms supply in Yerevan in a hasty manner. The Armenian media is in total confusion in mirroring the targets of the local government. This is just a simple manifestation of the tendency to change due to external influences. In the worst case, Armenia becomes a tool in the hands of foreign forces. The article headlined France calls for a prompt study of the possibility of supplying Caesar artillery mounts to Armenia in the first impression, it expresses the concern of the French and Armenian lobby. As the saying goes, if you have more haters, it is a sign you are important and your actions are visible. The progress of the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the political charisma of Azerbaijan are carefully monitored from the outside. Even the processes have already increased hatred towards Azerbaijan. However, Baku is not worried about the gnashing teeth in the West. On the contrary, it serves as a measure of success for Azerbaijan. Armenia recently signed a contract for the purchase of three GM200 radars from Thales, and negotiations are underway on the supply of MISTRAL 3 anti-aircraft missile systems. This was stated in the report of the French Senate. 24 Bastion armored personnel carriers produced by the French company Arquus have been delivered to Armenia. In addition, another 26 vehicles of the same type that are currently being produced should be supplied to Armenia, the report emphasizes. It is very interesting that France is doing this at a time when the processes in the South Caucasus are moving rapidly towards peace. It seems that Paris is trying to fortify itself more than Armenia. In the speech delivered in the Senate, it was especially emphasized that the armament process should not be delayed even for a moment. Let's not repeat the mistakes and delay the delivery of equipment that would have been needed from the very beginning. That is why we must promptly respond to all requests from the Armenian authorities, especially regarding their need for artillery, the report noted. But we wonder what all these hasty measures show that France is preparing for? The speakers recommend exploring the possibility of supplying Caesar self-propelled artillery units as soon as possible, taking into account the effectiveness of this equipment and the new production capacity of Nexter in 2024 (production increased from 2 to 6 per month). This means that two-thirds of Armenia's budget is spent on defence. If we take into account Armenia's self-defence determination after its defeat in 2020, the first question is where and how those weapons will be used. The question raises another question: what is the European Mission group doing in Armenia to this day? How long can this mission last? In fact, this rush of France gives reason to Azerbaijan and even the regional states to cast doubts on the true mission of the EU Mission in Armenia. If the two countries can solve their problems without outside interference, then what is the need for the French government to be so worried about Armenia? Therefore, Azerbaijan does not hesitate to have a say and always stands firm in its position. France should not think that the South Caucasus is just a province that it can enter whenever it wants. There may come a time when the possibility of France even coming to Yerevan may become its lasting dream. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief; follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 13:57 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more An official reception commemorating May 28 - Independence Day was held at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in China. The event, graced by the presence of Chinese officials, heads of diplomatic missions in Beijing, and representatives from Chinese public and business circles, commenced with the playing of the national anthems of both countries, Azernews reports. Ambassador Bunyad Huseynov highlighted Azerbaijan's journey to independence, tracing it back to the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918. Despite facing significant challenges such as separatism, terrorism, and military aggression from neighboring Armenia after regaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan, under the visionary leadership of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev, has overcome these hurdles to emerge as a rapidly developing, politically stable, and economically prosperous nation in the South Caucasus region. Acknowledging the historical ties between Azerbaijan and China along the ancient Silk Road, Ambassador Huseynov underscored Azerbaijan's role as a cultural and trade bridge between Asia and Europe. He emphasized the deepening bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic sphere, including Azerbaijan's participation in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative and its contribution to modern transport infrastructure projects facilitating trade between China and Europe. The ambassador also lauded the flourishing humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and China, highlighting the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in fostering cultural exchanges and enhancing humanitarian cooperation. The announcement of Azerbaijan hosting COP29 was hailed as a testament to the international community's esteem for Azerbaijan. Ambassador Huseynov expressed confidence in the continuous, mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and China, especially in addressing global environmental challenges, given China's significant contributions to the "green agenda of the world." Special Representative Li Huey conveyed China's congratulations on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing admiration for Azerbaijan's stability, rapid economic development, and growing international stature. China affirmed its unwavering support for Azerbaijan's development path and expressed confidence in President Ilham Aliyev's leadership. Highlighting the robust and stable friendship and cooperation between China and Azerbaijan under the strategic guidance of Presidents Xi Jinping and Ilham Aliyev, Special Representative Li noted the high level of political trust and cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade, energy, and transportation, as well as close collaboration on international issues. Emphasizing the continuous growth in trade turnover between the two nations, the Chinese official noted the vast potential for cooperation. He viewed the collaborative establishment of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative as a significant opportunity and expressed a desire for expanded cooperation across various sectors. Affirming full support for Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29, he pledged active participation in global climate management alongside international partners, including Azerbaijan. Additionally, he reiterated China's readiness to implement important agreements reached by the leaders of both countries, safeguard mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation comprehensively, and foster unity and collaboration within the "Global South" family. During the event, two lucky individuals secured complimentary tickets for the Beijing-Baku-Beijing flight through a lottery organized by Azerbaijan Airlines, adding a touch of excitement to the proceedings. The festivities continued with a delightful showcase of Azerbaijani cuisine, further enhancing the cultural exchange and camaraderie among attendees. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 16:35 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Azerbaijan National Library has hosted an event to mark the 106th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Azernews reports. Director of the library, professor Karim Tahirov, who spoke at the event, said that on May 28, 1918, the National Council of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declared Azerbaijan's independence to the world by signing the Declaration of Independence. "The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, founded by Mahammad Amin Rasulzade, was the first parliamentary republic and an example of a democratic, legal and secular state in the Turkish and Islamic world. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which existed for only 23 months, had a significant impact on the formation of democratic traditions in the Muslim East. After regaining its state independence in 1991, the people of Azerbaijan continued the ideals of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and created a new independent state of Azerbaijan on this historical inheritance. Today, when talking about the constitutional act on the state independence of Azerbaijan, it must be emphasized that this act of independence is the restoration of the People's Republic of Azerbaijan, which existed in 1918. We are their heirs, successors of their work - but in new circumstances, in a new historical time," said Karim Tahirov. Karim Tahirov emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev, the successor of the political legacy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, strengthened the foundations of Azerbaijan's independence with his activities. He underlined that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty have been restored. As a sign of the strength of the state and the national unity of people, our tricolor flag is waved all over Azerbaijan as well as at the world's most influential international organizations, prestigious ceremonies and highest summits. Within the framework of the event, a virtual and traditional book exhibition of the same name was also presented to users. The virtual exhibition includes photos, books related to the topic and articles published in periodicals with their full texts. It is possible to get acquainted with the virtual exhibition through the link. Literature in different languages about the history and activities of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, its founders, state symbols, the restoration of our independence, and the history of the independent, free and whole Azerbaijan state were presented at the traditional exhibition. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Today, on the 29th, heads and secretaries of the French Polynesia Parliament, along with representatives from the Tavini party, the ruling party of the country, are visiting Azerbaijan, Azernews reports. The purpose of this four-day visit is to explore opportunities for establishing parliamentary, economic, humanitarian, educational, scientific, sporting, and healthcare collaborations between Azerbaijan and French Polynesia. The delegation will engage in various meetings at the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan's Parliament) and other state and private institutions. As part of the visit, the delegation will participate in a conference at the Milli Majlis titled "The Right to Decolonization of French Polynesia: Challenges and Prospects." This visit of the French Polynesia delegation was arranged at the invitation of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) to address colonialism and its contemporary manifestations in the 21st century. The invitation was extended following discussions held on April 30th of this year at the Vienna Office of the United Nations, in alignment with the provisions of the trade agreement signed by the Tavini party and the BIG during the international conference titled "Liberation from Colonialism: Assessing the Consequences of Assimilation and Its Impact on Human Rights Restoration." It's important to highlight that the Tavini party has been fighting for the independence of French Polynesia for many years, freed from French slavery. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Baku Fashion Week is a must-attend event for anyone passionate about fashion and design.The large-scale event features runway shows, presentations and serves as a networking opportunity for designers, models, stylists, and fashion influencers to connect and collaborate on future projects. Second season of Baku Fashion Week has gathered fashion lovers at Baku Crystal Hall, Azernews reports. The Azerbaijani designer who operates both within the country and in Turkiye Sultan Gadimbayli delighed the guests of the event with his collection. The audience highly appreciated the complex cut of the fashion looks, which added solemnity to the opening of the first day. Fashionistas who closely follow the country' fashion sphere have long fallen in love with the L'Arc brand, created by model, blogger, and influencer Kamilla Babayeva. From season to season, this brand demonstrates images that are distinguished by femininity and elegance. And if we have already seen such brand techniques as the use of sequins and a love of glitter at L'Arc earlier, this season the brand showed something new, turning to floral themes. Flowers decorated L'Arc brand outfits both in the form of prints on fabrics and in the form of hand-embroidered buds - a wonderful example of handmade couture work. After a short break, the most mysterious participant of Baku Fashion Week, the Other Azer brand, showed its second collection. The show began with a humorous interview conducted by journalist Nata Osmanli with the designer of the brand, hiding his face behind a mask. The collection itself, called "Between Light and Dark," as is clear from its name, became a manifestation of the struggle between light and dark shades, as well as between evening and casual looks. The show ended to the accompaniment of a track written to the words and music of the brand designer, specially created for this show. Fashion show of the of the Viva Vox brand, specially invited from Russia, also aroused great interest among fashion lovers. Note that Viva Vox has been operating since 1997. The brand's avant-garde and extraordinary collection for the fall-winter 2024/25 season had a distinct personality and did not leave anyone indifferent. A distinctive feature of the presented works was the use of original prints and unsurpassed skill in working with the texture of fabrics and leather. The first day of the shows ended with a fun afterparty, also held within the walls of the Baku Crystal Hall press center in collaboration with the creative association Makulatura Live. For the first time in the history of fashion weeks in the country, the catwalk of the main fashion event was turned into a dance floor, where BFW guests had fun with sets by DJ Bunbeck and a special guest from South Africa, DJ Kasango. Among the invited guests of the second season of Baku Fashion Week are local and foreign bloggers, influencers, as well as fashion icons from near and far abroad. Among them are Russian model, TV presenter, socialite Svetlana Bondarchuk, popular blogger, tiktoker from Kyrgyzstan Zee and many others. Representatives of such world-famous media franchises as Harper's Bazaar, L'Officiel and Hello! Russia also honored BFW with their participation. Baku Fashion Week is co-organized by ModePoint and Stock. ModePoint is a project created to support the development of the fashion industry in our country and to organize fashion events both within Azerbaijan and abroad. In turn, Stock is a concept store that plays the role of the first broad fashion platform, uniting more than 100 Azerbaijani brands. Stock's main goal is to promote the development of the local fashion industry, support young designers and bring local brands to the global level. The second season of Baku Fashion Week is held with the support of the Azerbaian Culture Ministry and the State Tourism Agency. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az and Turkic.World. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz An Illinois dad got into a shootout with several thieves attempting to carjack his luxury vehicles while his five daughters slept inside their home in an upscale neighborhood. Several rounds of gunfire were exchanged between the unidentified homeowner and one of three suspects during the thwarted attempted armed robbery early Monday morning in Winnetka, Illinois less than 20 miles outside downtown Chicago, said police. The suspects gained access to the victim's Range Rover and Maserati by breaking into the garage via the home office. The victim was awakened by the sounds of his vehicles starting. He told police he confronted the suspects who fired on him, prompting him to shoot back. The suspects fled. No one was injured during the shooting. "I was surprised that somebody would fire a gun, and it does make me a little bit concerned," neighbor Tim Connell said, according to WLS-TV. "This is very unexpected," he added. "I would probably just let them take the car and worry about it later." Police described the suspects as two possible males of unknown race wearing black masks, hoodies and dark pants. The victim was unable to provide a description of a third suspect who fled in a silver Audi sedan. 29 May 2024 14:53 (UTC+04:00) Gitanas Nauseda, President of the Republic of Lithuania has sent a letter of congratulation to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of May 28-Azerbaijan's Independence Day. Azernews presents the letter: "His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Mr. President, I extend my warm congratulations to you and all the people of Azerbaijan as you celebrate Independence Day. I wish you, your country and its people continued peace, well-being and prosperity. Lithuania firmly supports Azerbaijan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. I strongly believe that you will continue to implement reforms leading to further national progress and transformation. We support and appreciate your country's efforts to achieve peace with Armenia. I welcome the recent agreement with Armenia on border delimitation, which provides a historic opportunity to agree on a lasting peace in the region. I would like to reiterate Lithuania's readiness to contribute to confidence building in the South Caucasus. I am convinced that dialogue and negotiations are the only way to reach a sustainable consensus. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union is significant. We support and encourage an increasingly advanced dialogue between your country and the EU. At a time when the whole world faces growing challenges and Russia continues its full-scale war against Ukraine for the third year, it is crucial to strengthen mutual understanding and find solutions to preserve the international order and to enhance stability. May I again offer congratulations on your Independence Day. Please accept, Mr. President, my best wishes and the assurances of my highest consideration. Respectfully, Gitanas Nauseda President of the Republic of Lithuania" --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 16:02 (UTC+04:00) The Azerbaijani delegation led by Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations is visiting Turkiye with an am to discuss the prospects for cooperation with Turkiye`s relevant state authorities and organizations, Azernews reports. The delegation visited the grave of the founder of the Republic of Turkiye Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the Heydar Aliyev Park in Ankara. Chairman of the State Committee Ramin Mammadov paid tribute to the National Leader and laid a wreath at his monument. Delegation members familiarized themselves with the Anitkabir, Ataturk and the War of Independence Museum. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 22:45 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva North Korea has sent more than 150 balloons across the border to South Korea. The balloons contained various garbage, plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and even manure, Azernews reports. According to the military, the balloons began to be launched yesterday, May 28, in the evening. After crossing the border, objects fell in various places across the country, reaching the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang. The balls were collected for detailed analysis, the JCS representative said. "These actions by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the security of our people. We call on the DPRK to immediately stop its inhumane actions," the headquarters added. JCS promised to work with the police and the government to develop security measures for such cases. North Korean authorities last week warned of plans to scatter piles of waste paper and dirt over border areas in response to South Korea sending leaflets. Back in 2023, the DPRK claimed that leaflets and other objects that were thrown from balloons launched from South Korea were infected with coronavirus, which allegedly led to its spread in the republic. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 19:51 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to take "extremely tough" actions against South Korea's show of force, Azernews reports. According to the agency, on Tuesday, during a visit to the Academy of Defense Sciences on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its foundation, Kim Jong-un said that the South Korean military "threatened our sovereignty with the use of weapons." "This is a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored, and a game with fire, from which we cannot help but become enraged," he said. The North Korean leader called the possession of a spy satellite an "inevitable" decision to protect its sovereignty and condemned South Korea's military actions for a show of force. The North Korean leader promised to take "absolute and overwhelmingly harsh actions" against South Korea's rash decision to demonstrate force in response to North Korea's satellite launch. The South Korean and US Air Forces continue scheduled exercises over the Yellow Sea, which began on May 27. More than 90 aircraft are taking part in the exercises. On Monday, North Korea launched a satellite rocket towards the Yellow Sea. Later, the missile disappeared from radar, its fragments were found at sea. Pyongyang explained that the launch vehicle exploded in the air, most likely due to an engine malfunction. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 29 May 2024 22:18 (UTC+04:00) An event on the theme Bilateral relations among Italy, EU and Azerbaijan: Energy security and foreign policy got underway on Wednesday in the city of Rome, Italy, Azernews reports. The event, co-organized by the Italian Institute for Asia (ISIA), Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Center of the Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and the Baku Political Scientists Club Public Union, brought together members of the Italian parliament and the countrys academic circles, as well as experts and analysts. Addressing the conference, AIR Centers Chairman of the Board Farid Shafiyev highlighted the current state of the Azerbaijan-Italy relations that have reached the level of strategic partnership, and prospects for cooperation. We are keen to boost mutual relations with the European Union, including on the energy and communication issues, Shafiyev said. Speaking at the event, ISIA Vice President Sergio Divina and Secretary of the Committee on Labor Affairs of Chamber of Deputies of Italy Luca Squeri hailed the cooperation between the two countries, stressing the importance of furthering these ties. --- 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 Andrew Neil, writing for the Daily Mail, has one of the best summaries of the Hush Money trial of Donald Trump we have seen. He writes: Inside the court the closing arguments were treated with respect and silence. We didn't learn anything new but we were reminded of how much of a circus it's all been. The prosecution has depended on probably the most untrustworthy witness, Michael Cohen, in American legal history. The defense has denied events, like Trump's one-night fling with Stormy Daniels, which were not germane to the defendant's innocence or guilt but which undermined the defense's credibility. Throughout it all, it remained something of a mystery exactly what crime Trump had committed, even for those who were following proceedings closely. This was a circus without a cause. But it has had plenty of pyrotechnics. The trial will be forever remembered for the testimonies of Daniels and Cohen. Daniels provided plenty prurient details of her hotel room encounter with Trump, which the media naturally lapped up but which were irrelevant to the charges against the former president. Her testimony should not have been allowed but, because Trump was denying anything nefarious ever happened, she was allowed to get away with it. Trump's lawyers suffered for that. Even so, the titillating testimony not withstanding, Daniels knew nothing about the crux of the case: the alleged reimbursement of Cohen after he paid her the hush money, and the falsifying of business documents to cover up these repayments to him. This is why Cohen was the more important prosecution witness because he knows about all these things which was bad news for the prosecution. In this particular circus, the porn star was more credible than the lawyer. Only in a Trump trial! Cohen, once Trump's trusted attorney, took to the witness stand having already done jail time for illegal campaign contributions, tax fraud and other felonies. He also brought with him a reputation for being a serial liar and perjurer not exactly the ideal witness around which to build a case against Trump. Cohen proceeded to confirm everything bad already thought about him. Perhaps the most emblematic moment came when he freely admitted stealing from Trump. Cohen had invoiced his boss's organization for $50,000 for a tech company. Cohen passed on $20,000 and pocketed the remaining $30,000. Again, only in a Trump trial would the prosecution's star witness shamelessly admit to being a thief. You could almost hear the prosecution jaws hit the floor. Understandably, the defense devoted most of its closing remarks to underline just what a shyster Cohen is. That was the main reason federal prosecutors decided years ago not to proceed with this case. They didn't want to go into battle with Cohen as their main witness. But Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was elected on a 'get Trump' platform and doesn't really care who he has to rely on to convict him. Amid the welter of words and commentary let's try to cut through to some simple truths: I'm in little doubt Trump had his one-night stand with Stormy and that, when she threatened to go public on the eve of the 2016 election, he sanctioned Cohen to pay her off, then muddied the trail of repayments. I don't believe Trump's denials to the contrary and the evidence against him is strong. But while much of this case is unsavory, none of it amounts to criminality. It may be wrong but it is not illegal to have an extra-marital assignation and Trump would not be the first presidential candidate or president to have had one not by a long chalk. It is not illegal to pay hush-money, even if it is underhand. It is not illegal to insist on a non-disclosure agreement in such circumstances. America is awash in NDAs. It is illegal to falsify business documents but that is a misdemeanor under New York law, which usually results in a slap on the wrist and not jail time. You can regard all this as conduct unbecoming for someone who wishes to sit in the Oval Office. You might even regard it as reason enough not to vote for him. But it does not amount to criminality. And so, Bragg has had to argue that Trump falsified his business records with the intent to commit or conceal a crime. That's what would turn a misdemeanor into a felony (and potential jail time). But what exactly was the crime? Even as the trial comes to an end, that is something the prosecution has failed to establish. Bragg has suggested three possible underlying crimes: a violation of state election law; a violation of federal election law; and tax fraud/evasion. The tax crime possibility seems especially weak. Cohen was reimbursed with far more than the $130,000 he was out for hushing Daniels because he would face income tax on the reimbursement. So he was repaid by enough to cover his tax bills too grossed up in the jargon. If anything, the taxman was a net gainer from the cover up. Nor has a violation of election laws been established. Yes, it's reasonable to assume Trump wanted to bury the story to facilitate his election. Politicians try to bury bad news all the time. The money didn't come from campaign contributions. It came from Trump's own resources. Yes, buying off the porn star might have helped Trump get elected. So might the state of the economy and Hilary Clinton's lackluster campaign. It's a weak basis for claiming criminality, the prosecution has not proved an underlying criminal intent and I can see why the feds passed on it. The jury will begin its deliberations after Judge Juan Merchan gives it his final instructions. His words will be closely scrutinized. He is widely seen to have fallen over backwards to accommodate the prosecution and, if his instructions are in the same vein, the grounds for an appeal should Trump be convicted will be all the stronger. If we are struggling to identify the criminality so will some in the jury. But Trump's biggest danger is not that he's found guilty on the facts but simply because the whole episode is seedy, sleazy and unedifying. Porn stars. Dodgy lawyers. Hush money. Trashy tabloids. Fiddled company accounts. The mood music surrounding the whole farrago is Trump's biggest danger. Trump, of course, could be acquitted. But that is unlikely with a New York jury. He could be found guilty on all or most of the 34 counts against him (the number is misleading since it merely reflects the repayment of Cohen in instalments), which is possible. But any jail time is likely to be stayed pending appeal, which could take forever. Trump will be free to campaign through to November and beyond. Or there could be a hung jury: it only takes one holdout for the judge to be forced to declare a mistrial. Bragg will then have to decide if he really wants to go through the whole rigmarole again, by which time Trump could be in the White House. So, whatever the outcome, the attempt to use the law to derail Trump's attempt to be re-elected looks like failing. There is no prospect of any of the other legal cases against him making court before November. The New York case was the Democrats one shot and it was always their weakest a circus which should never have been allowed to come to town. Now that Kamala Harris has been coronated the Democratic Socialist designee for nomination as their candidate for President of these United States, after that political party's contrived primary process "democratically" elected Joseph R. Biden: What are your feelings about this party's progressive posture within their self-styled exercise of "Saving Democracy for America," and how truly critical the outcome of this presidential election will be? 8.7% I am ecstatic that this "Democracy's" First partially Black, First partially Indian, First female Co-Parent, and this nation's primary necessity is to her elect our First woman president.26.09% I really do not care about all these "Firsts." I will continue to pray, and work for this Representative Republic to elect someone competent, and brilliantly patriotic to be our next president.65.22% I will never vote for any politician that "first" does not have the core values to understand how dire this Constitutional Republic's situation has become. Academic workers at UC Los Angeles strike over university's handling of pro-Palestinian protests Xinhua) 09:17, May 29, 2024 Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) LOS ANGELES, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4811, the union of 48,000 academic workers at the ten campuses of the UC system and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, announced Tuesday morning on social media platform X that UC Los Angeles "is officially ON STRIKE." Over 50 protesters with "UAW on strike" signs were protesting in the middle of Dickson Plaza, reported the university's student newspaper Daily Bruin Tuesday morning, adding that protesters chanted, "L.A. is a union town" and "Whose university? Our university." Some protesters chanting "Free, free Palestine" were blocking the entrance of a parking structure on campus, according to the student newspaper. UAW 4811 said on its website that it "was one of the earliest unions in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire and de-escalation of the war in Gaza" and academic workers at UC strongly support the right of the encampment organizers in their right to peacefully demonstrate. "When faced with Palestine Solidarity encampments and other nonviolent protests by academic workers, students, and community members, UC has mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of our collective bargaining agreements," the union explained why it voted to authorize a strike, noting that "Our union has filed unfair labor practice charges in response." Hundreds of UC faculty and staff have been calling on Gene Block, chancellor of UC Los Angeles, to resign over the university's response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. After a night of violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters on UC Los Angeles campus, more than 200 protesters were arrested on May 2 as police moved to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment at the university. Police crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests at UC San Diego and UC Irvine also led to dozens of arrests, respectively, this month as pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been spreading at colleges and universities across the United States amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The UC Los Angeles strike is part of a rolling strike systemwide by the academic workers' union. UC Davis academic workers will also join strikes on Tuesday. Academic workers at UC Santa Cruz walked off the job last Monday, becoming the first UC campus to stand up and withhold their labor. Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) Academic workers protest at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 28, 2024. Academic workers at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, walked off the job on Tuesday to protest the public university system's handling of pro-Palestinian protests. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A defense lawyer claimed that Donald Trump was not worried about the alleged affair with Stormy Daniels costing him the 2016 presidential election. Todd Blanche made the statement during closing arguments at Trump's New York hush money trial. He told the jury that the payout to Daniels started out as "an extortion," according to CNN. Blanche said Daniels and her publicist "seized an opportunity" after the "Access Hollywood" tape came out in October 2016 that Trump was heard saying he could grab women by the p----y." He said the Daniels claims were more of a worry for how they impact Trump's family and not the campaign. Blanche told the jury that Trump never signed the Stormy Daniels agreement and that what he knew about it came only came from Cohen. He said the jurors just should quickly come back and find Trump not guilty. The former president faces 34 felony charges in connection with the accounting of the payments to Daniels. The defense wrapped up its closing arguments early on Tuesday afternoon. The prosecution was set to deliver theirs the rest of the afternoon. Judge Juan M. Merchan will then give instructions to the jury on what they need to decide and deliberations are expected to begin on Wednesday. Where are the most promoising areas for expansion? These leaders share how they're expanding their practice in the next year. The six leaders featured in this article are all speaking at Becker's 21st Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference which is set for June 19-22 at the Swissotel in Chicago. If you would like to join either event as a speaker, contact Randi Haseman at rhaseman@beckershealthcare.com. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our roundtable. The following are answers from our speakers at the event. Question: Where do you see the best opportunities to expand your practice in the next year? Thomas C. Schuler, MD, FACS. Spine surgeon and founder at Virginia Spine Institute as well as chairman at National Spine Health Foundation: The best area for practice expansion is improved customer service. While we are very good at this skill, there is always room for improvement and refinement. Too often, physicians forget that we are in a customer service industry. We constantly need to innovate our products and delivery to provide patients with the optimal care for each patient's needs and situation. Personalized, expert, contemporary care with each patient's best interest at the center of all decisions. That is our constant goal and our continued area for practice improvement. Sterling Elliott, PharmD. Assistant professor for orthopaedic surgery and clinical pharmacist lead at Northwestern Medicine: I believe the value-based care environment is ripe for expansion of my practice. Quality is an ever-growing determinant of financial wellbeing in American healthcare today. Getting a head start on optimizing quality measures will position a practitioner and a practice to emerge at the forefront of a shifting care and economic landscape. Shehzad Choudry, MD. Director for interventional spine and pain at Orlando Health Interventional Spine Pain Department: Our practice is always expanding. We are very specific on who we bring into our practice. Our group is very close, meaning that the neurosurgeons, the spine surgeons, the rehab physicians, the pain physicians and the neurology providers all work very closely together. So, if we have the right personality, then we try to make space for them somewhere in our department. Currently, we are looking for more inpatient pain providers as that is a sorely needed specialty in our hospital system. Pain has always been neglected across most hospital systems. In addition, our group will continue to expand into the suburbs. Mick Perez-Cruet MD, MSc. Professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at Oakland University William Beaumont, School of Medicine: I see the best opportunities to expand my practice is by incorporating quality surgeons into my practice. Together we can help reduce our overhead burden and expand the amount of different treatment options. I look forward to working with these quality surgeons. Mark Testaiuti, MD, FAANS. Spinal neurosurgeon, partner and vice president at Coastal Spine: If practice 'expansion' means treatment and not physical location, I could potentially see my practice evolving into less invasive treatment options, such as percutaneous, endoscopic, decompression and discectomy for cervical and lumbar disc disease. This is a highly technical procedure that requires good tactile and indirect visual spatial orientation, which orthopedic surgeons (who have been used to performing arthroscopy) have somewhat of a head start on over us neurosurgeons. I also feel that disc replacement and possibly even facet replacement technology is improving and I can see offering that to more of my patients as indications broaden and technology improves. I currently am offering more and more hybrid, fusions and multilevel total displacements in patients where I would have done the standard fusion procedure in the past. On the topic of regenerative medicine, I have yet to see good data on the benefit of intradiscal PRP or MSC to consider it a viable treatment option. My analysis is that there may be a place for this technology if it is proven ultimately effective. At the present time, I feel it mainly is done on patients who have the finances and willingness to accept the placebo effect as a good outcome. Michael D. Burdi, MD. Partner at Community Orthopedic Medical Group: Taking cases traditionally done in a hospital and being able to adapt them to ASCs and marketing that would hopefully help expansion. Aman Mahajan, MD, PhD, MBA. Senior vice president of health innovation at UPMC Enterprises as well as executive director at UPMC perioperative and surgical services: I see a multitude of promising opportunities to expand our practices. I am continually exploring ways to optimize patient experiences and outcomes by finding innovative ways to integrate digital tools into the patient journey, leveraging remote monitoring to improve care, and continuing to highlight the critical nature of perioperative care. As the executive director of UPMC perioperative and surgical service line, I have long been committed to optimizing perioperative outcomes for the patients and improving the coordination of care during the entire perioperative care process. Some of the key areas of our expanded practices are in developing novel programs for improving patients health preoperatively; personalization and standardization of care delivery for patients based upon their complexity and risk; and implementation evidence-based pathways that allow the patient to return to their optimal state of functional, cognitive and psychological health after surgery. Through collaborative relationships with surgeons and other perioperative stakeholders, we continue to drive innovative healthcare solutions in the best interests of our patients. A Michigan physician was sentenced to five years in prison and must pay more than $1.9 million for a $5 million fraud scheme involving unnecessary sinus surgeries. From February 2015 to May 2017 at Bronson Battle Creek (Mich.) Hospital, Daniel Castro, MD, performed the unnecessary surgeries, which frequently involved false medical records about his patients' symptoms, the Justice Department said in a May 29 release. He also billed for excisions of single lymph nodes, submandibular glands and other glands of the neck as if he performed modified radical or selective neck dissections. The $1.9 million in restitution will go to the victims of his scheme, including Medicare and Medicaid programs, numerous private payers, Bronson Hospital and former patients. Miami-based Gastro Health has marked several accomplishments in recent years to advance gastroenterology care and expand its network. Gastro Health supports more than 400 physicians and 150 locations in Florida, Alabama, Washington, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Massachusetts. Here is what the organization has achieved since 2019: 2024 Gastro Health named COO Alan Oliver as interim CEO of the company. Gastro Health finalized a partnership with Gastroenterology and Nutrition Specialists in Orlando, Fla. 2023 Gastro Health partnered with M.H. Razavi, MD, and the Endoscopy & Digestive Center of Woodbridge (Va.). Gastro Health acquired Gastroenterology Consultants of Polk County in Davenport, Fla. Hillsboro, Ohio-based Highland District Hospital expanded its gastroenterology services through the addition of three Gastro Health physicians. Gastro Health acquired Gastroenterology Associates in Olympia, Wash. 2022 Gastro Health partnered with Lynx.MD to support the development and research of digital GI-specific tools. Cambridge, Mass.-based Iterative Health partnered with Gastro Health to bring its AI tools to Gastro Health's network. Two Gastro Health ASCs made Newsweek's "America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers," which ranks 510 of the more than 5,000 Medicare-certified ASCs in the country. Gastro Health finalized a partnership with Springfield Gastroenterology in Ohio. Gastro Health finalized its acquisition of Charlottesville (Va.) Gastroenterology Associates on Sept. 1. Gastro Health added gastroenterologist and internal medicine physician Keith Moore, MD, to its network. Gastro Health opened a Hygieacare center in Miami to prepare patients for colonoscopy. Gastro Health added Annapolis, Md.-based Digestive Disorders Associates to its network. Gastro Health selected Alan Oliver as the platform's new COO. Miami-based Gastro Health added two new practices in Maryland and Washington. Gastro Health entered into its seventh state after a three-practice acquisition in Massachusetts. 2021 Gastro Health signed a definitive agreement to partner with North Miami, Fla.-based Digestive Care Center. The company was recognized by the eHealthcare Leadership Awards for its website's doctor directory. Gastro Health inked a deal with Lima, Ohio-based Gastro-Intestinal Associates. In September, Gastro Health acquired New Smyrna Beach-based Gastro Center of Florida and Mid Florida Gastroenterology Consultants in Ocoee. Gastro Health signed an agreement to add Reston, Va.-based The Gastroenterology Group. In July, Penfund, a Toronto-based fund management company, completed a second lien debt and equity co-investment in Gastro Health. Gastro Health brought on 17 gastroenterologists who left TriHealth in Cincinnati. In June, Gastro Health sealed two new acquisitions, growing its footprint in northern Virginia. In May, Gastro Health was sold to private equity company Omers. Gastro Health partnered with Digestive Disease Associates, growing its platform to a sixth state. Gastro Health acquired a practice in Hollywood, Fla., expanding its presence in the Fort Lauderdale area. 2020 Following the FDA's labeling change, Miami-based Gastro Health began offering patients access to CapsoCam Plus treatments at home. Miami-based Gastro Health partnered with Cincinnati-based Ohio Gastroenterology & Liver Institute and Woodbridge, Va.-based Associates in Gastroenterology in two separate deals. Miami-based Gastro Health gastroenterologist Daniel Gelrud, MD, was the first gastroenterologist in the U.S. to use the J10 Series Ultrasound Video Gastroscope. Miami-based Gastro Health made three acquisitions, including the group's second acquisition in Virginia, to kick off 2020. 2019 Miami-based Gastro Health acquired Fairfax-based Gastroenterology Associates of Northern Virginia. Miami-based Gastro Health acquired Seattle-based Puget Sound Gastroenterology, its first acquisition away from its southeastern market base. Miami-based Gastro Health acquired Birmingham, Ala.-based Southeast Gastro, its first out-of-state acquisition. MetroHealth System and University Hospitals, both based in Cleveland, have clashed over comments made regarding MetroHealth's ophthalmology department by a UH representative, according to a May 29 report from cleveland.com. A UH representative attended a Cuyahoga County Council meeting to request $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to upgrade the system's specialized ophthalmology equipment and staff training. A council member asked the UH representative if MetroHealth could provide a high level of ophthalmology care. "Metro has its strengths, but the level at which we work is a little higher in ophthalmology," Shree Kurup, MD, vice chair of clinical operations and practices for ophthalmology at University Hospitals, said at the meeting. Dr. Kurup also said long wait times at MetroHealth are driving patients to UH for eye care. MetroHealth said it disagrees with UH's characterization of its ophthalmology department. "At Metro we were actually disheartened to read those comments in the newspaper," Elisa Bala, MD, director of ophthalmology at MetroHealth, told the news outlet. "We have up-to-date equipment and we continue to get what's new in the market." MetroHealth's ophthalmology department sees about 40,000 patient visits each year, the health system said. A County Council decision on awarding the $500,000 could come as early as June 4. Cincinnati Children's Hospital announced May 29 that it will put $60 million toward establishing a new 111,000-square-foot applied gene and cell therapy center in Sharonville, Ohio. The facility will house around 100 employees, including 24 new positions that will be recruited when renovations and construction are complete at the end of summer 2025. The hospital expects all employees to move into the completed center in fall 2025. The goal of the center is for staff to engage in improving research, clinical trial options, and developing treatments for children with chronic and serious health conditions. A section of the new facility will also be used as a supply chain hub for the main location of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, as well as its other locations. UPMC's division in Central Pennsylvania is actively working to transfer patients to its kidney and liver transplant programs after Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center announced it is ending those transplant services. Patients who had a donor and were previously scheduled for a kidney or liver transplant at Penn State Health will likely be able to have their procedure scheduled at UPMC within a month, Kim Barnett, program administrator for transplant services at UPMC Harrisburg, told the Central Penn Business Journal. UPMC Central Pennsylvania performs kidney transplants in Harrisburg. For liver transplant, UPMC has consultation clinics in Harrisburg, York and Chambersburg, while the procedures are performed in Pittsburgh. "We are arranging for virtual and in-person education sessions and opening more evaluation appointments," Ms. Barnett told the news outlet. "We will screen all the referrals and prioritize patients." On May 28, Penn State Health said it is discontinuing kidney and liver transplant programs a decision that came less than two weeks after it voluntarily paused kidney transplants while undergoing a review from the United Network of Organ Sharing. It first paused liver transplants in late April, citing concerns surrounding clinical processes and documentation. Veradigm, formerly known as Allscripts, said it is exploring a potential sale, acquisition or a strategic business combination. "The company cannot assure that its exploration will result in Veradigm pursuing a transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms, if at all," according to a May 28 news release from the company. "Veradigm has not set a timetable for completion of the evaluation process and does not intend to disclose further developments unless and until it is determined that further disclosure is appropriate." This comes as Veradigm has made leadership changes. Yin Ho, MD, interim CEO of Veradigm, will step down from her position June 7 with Tom Langan, the company's president and chief commercial officer, assuming the role. Additionally, the company's interim CFO, Lee Westerfield, agreed to extend his term of service with Veradigm until Dec. 31. Aurora-based Children's Hospital Colorado cautioned that it may close the cancer treatment center at its Colorado Springs hospitals and make other cuts because of Tricare reimbursement changes, the Denver Post reported May 29. The health system filed a lawsuit in September after the U.S. Department of Defense issued a new rule to change Tricare reimbursement rates to align with Medicare reimbursement as required by law. The system alleged that the department ignored how the rule is "completely impracticable" for children's hospitals. In April, a federal judge ruled against the health system. U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang found that the Department of Defense did not exceed its authority and it did not act arbitrarily in moving to the new reimbursement, according to the report. She said in her ruling that Children's Colorado essentially was asking her to rule that the government could never lower its payments to children's facilities. Children's Colorado estimated that it has lost about $2.1 million per month since October, compared to how Tricare previously paid, according to the report. The system sees a bigger effect at its Colorado Springs facilities than at its Aurora facilities because of the large military presence in that region. When the health system filed its lawsuit in September, it warned that the reimbursement change could lead to the closing of its Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and infusion center, according to the report. The system said it could also lead to treating fewer babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, no longer operating a level two trauma center and making unspecified cuts to the emergency department. A Children's Colorado spokesperson told the Post those cuts are still on the table if nothing changes. The system has yet to release a timeline or specify whether it will phase the cuts or make them all at once. The Children's Hospital Association sent a letter to House and Senate's Armed Services Committee members asking them to work with affected hospitals on a solution, according to the report. The legislators have not ordered the Department of Defense to make a change but did include a provision in the defense reauthorization bill to study the effects of the reimbursement change. Palm Springs, Calif.-based Desert Healthcare District and Foundation interim CEO and Chief Administration Officer Chris Christensen was appointed permanent CEO, effective June 1, by the district during a May 28 board meeting, according to a May 29 news release. Mr. Christensen was named interim CEO in September after the district's CEO, Conrado Barzaga, MD, left his role Sept. 25. Dr. Barzaga filed a wrongful termination claim March 25, suggesting that he was terminated by the district board "without cause and in violation of his contract and California law." Mr. Christensen has been with the district since 2014, where he started out as a controller. Prior to his new role, Mr. Christensen also served as the district's CFO for five years and has been district interim CEO three times. Editor's note: This story was updated May 29 at 12:40 p.m. CT. Jackie Ethier, DNP, RN, has been named chief nursing officer of Brattleboro (Vt.) Memorial Hospital. She previously served as senior director of nursing services at the 61-bed community hospital, according to a May 15 news release sent to local news outlets. Dr. Ethier started her healthcare career as a licensed practical nurse in 2002 and continued to advance her education. In 2023, she earned her DNP from the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Prior to joining Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, she served in a number of leadership positions at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Keene, N.H., including as associate CNO. Members of the Secret Service assigned to former President Donald Trump's security detail reportedly met with New York state corrections officials, as Trump's Manhattan hush money trial enters its final days. As a former president, Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of his life. If Trump is convicted there is a slight chance he could be remanded to jail "on the spot," former Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin told CBS News. A New York corrections source told CBS that local jail officials have already met with the Secret Service to plan for this reality. Trump is currently on trial in Manhattan for allegedly illegally recording reimbursements to Michael Cohen to pay off adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with the former president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of feloniously falsyfing business records. If convicted, each charge holds a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Judge Juan Merchan has threatened to jail Trump for repeated gag order violations but has been clear that he wanted to minimize pre-conviction jail time for Trump, given that he is the presumptive Republican nominee for president. "He is a candidate for the presidency of the United States. So, those First Amendment rights are critically important, obviously," Merchan said on the day of Trump's arraignment, adding that jail time would be "truly a last resort for me." "I also worry about the people who would have to execute that sanction: the court officers, the correction officers, the Secret Service detail, among others." Despite his caution, however, Merchan told Trump that pre-conviction jail time was still a possibility. "I want you to understand that I will, if necessary and appropriate," he said at the arraignment. Becker's regular series of conversations with CEOs of the nation's health systems asks leaders questions about their respective roles and the industry. In some of the interviews, CEOs shared an unpopular (or uncommon) leadership or healthcare opinion they have. Here are answers collected by Becker's this year. Note: Answers were lightly edited for length and clarity. Mark Keroack, MD. President and CEO of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.): I know this is an unpopular opinion because I've chatted with folks from around the country about it. I'm a physician, but I'm also trained in public health. So I firmly believe that we're better off as a country when we cover all of our citizens with a basic set of health benefits. And I think we as a health system deliver better care when we're under a globally budgeted or capitated payment arrangement. I think they create proper incentives around wellness and prevention. They also help us focus on some of the social issues that impact health. Todd LaPorte. CEO of HonorHealth (Scottsdale, Ariz.): I get looked at kind of funny sometimes by peers and community members when I say, "HonorHealth wants to keep people out of hospitals." We're not just a hospital system. We provide a whole array of services that range from trying to help people be well as well as how to be in lower-level settings. But nonetheless, it is a victory for us if we can keep people out of hospitals. As baby boomers keep aging, the demand for healthcare services keeps rising because of this acuity that keeps rising in our country as well. And yet we talk all the time about a labor shortage of healthcare workers. So we're going to have a real supply-and-demand issue that's going to come at us, and frankly, we have to do this as a defensive posture. But the real reason we do it is because that's our mission. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of those we serve. It also happens to be a matter of self-defense that we may be challenged with having enough supply of caregiving to meet the demand. We need to get out on the front end. We're doing it, for example, by promoting as a community leader, a Blue Zones project in one of the communities in our backyard. We're starting with this in one of our communities we serve, and we hope to expand it. We're doing this in formal cooperation with a national Blue Zones organization that has done it in 70 other communities across the U.S. We're the first in Arizona. It's about how to improve the built-in environment of our community that makes it easier for people to live healthier lives and allows them to live better and longer. Bob Riney. President and CEO of Henry Ford Health (Detroit): It's hard for me to judge how uncommon it is. But for me, it's the fact that we can, and we should, compete and collaborate at the same time. It's not an either/or. It's a both/and. And I still find a lot of the industry looking at it as an either/or, and to me, we can compete on our service. We compete on our access. We compete on those things that stakeholders care about. But we should be collaborating on backroom support to continually try and drive value in the industry. And we should be collaborating on the sharing of breakthrough best practices when it comes to specific quality outcomes. Bill Robertson. CEO of MultiCare Health System (Tacoma, Wash.): If you look at healthcare today, there tends to be this move toward health systems becoming operating companies. That means they move a lot of the decision-making related to their distributed delivery assets toward a more corporate structure because they're going to get more efficiency in the decision-making and more consistency in the decision-making. And I have this odd idea that actually healthcare is way more local than that centralized decision-making does. It's really hard for a corporate person to build all the relationships necessary in every market where business units operate. So the idea that being an operating company is the ideal model for healthcare, I reject. I think it's a mix of things like holding company behavior for some things, where you build the right teams in the relevant markets or the relevant clinical activities, and you let them have a lot of leeway to lead and make decisions in the best interest of patients and team members and market position. And then, for a more limited set of things, you have an operating company model where you have the economies of scale that a shared revenue cycle platform delivers, or a treasury function, or maybe group purchasing. But the day-to-day local strategic agenda is ill served by the "everything is an operating company" model. It is not a broadly embraced worldview, as I have observed. Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, the founding CEO of hospital watchdog organization The Leapfrog Group, is dead at 56, according to a May 28 news release. Dr. Delbanco led the design and implementation of the annual hospital survey, which evaluates hospital safety, quality, and efficiency based on national performance metrics. Prior to founding The Leapfrog Group, Dr. Delbanco worked for the Kaiser Family Foundation, another prominent healthcare analysis organization. "Every day, we at Leapfrog still benefit from the wisdom of her early leadership. Her vision from over 20 years ago remains prescient for modern times," the Leapfrog release states. "We will never forget her." Two former high-ranking employees have filed a False Claims Act complaint against Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System. The complaint, filed in 2021 by former CFO J. Britton (Britt) Tabor and former Chief Compliance Officer Alana Sullivan, was made public this month, according to court documents accessed by Becker's. Former executives, who say they were let go in 2019 and 2021, respectively, allege that Erlanger offered, paid and provided unlawful kickbacks, excessive pay and other illegal financial incentives to employed and non-employed physicians who refer patients to the health system, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law. Erlanger officials disputed the claims. "Erlanger paid physicians based on amounts that outside experts advised was fair market value. Erlanger did not pay for referrals," the officials said in a statement shared with Becker's. "A complete picture of the facts will demonstrate that the allegations lack merit and tell a very different story than what these former employees now claim. Erlanger will vigorously defend this lawsuit." According to the complaint, Erlanger knowingly submitted false claims for reimbursement to Medicare, federal Medicaid, state Medicare and other government payers for healthcare services referred by the physicians to whom the health system was paying the illegal kickbacks, excessive compensation and/or other illegal financial incentives. The complaint is based on allegations brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower provision, of the False Claims Act. "Those claims were false because they were not eligible for reimbursement," the complaint said. "Moreover, when submitting those false claims for reimbursement, Erlanger falsely, expressly certified to those payers that it was in compliance with the Stark Law and the AKS." An Erlanger spokesperson told Becker's that the Justice Department has intervened as to the Stark Law claims only, but declined to intervene as to all "other claims." The states of North Carolina and Tennessee, where Erlanger operates, have declined to intervene on any claims. The former Erlanger executives have until May 31 to decide if they will pursue "other claims" parallel with the Justice Department claim, the spokesperson said. Marlan Wilbanks, an attorney representing Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Tabor, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the Justice Department is allegedly planning to file its own complaint against Erlanger. Lia Bantavani, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, did not respond to the newspaper by deadline to confirm or deny the department's involvement. Mr. Wilbanks told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that he expects Erlanger to owe upward of $70 million if the complaint is successful. On May 28, representatives from three states introduced a federal bill to amend the 340B program by recognizing contract pharmacies, restricting pharmacy benefit managers and tightening eligibility criteria. Indiana Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD, Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter and Tennessee Rep. and pharmacist Diana Harshbarger proposed the 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net Act. The bill also seeks to define a covered entity patient, establish child site eligibility and require 340B entities to adhere to a sliding fee scale to ensure drug discounts. As of May 2023, more than 2,600 hospitals participated in the program, which discounts drugs for facilities caring for many uninsured and low-income patients. The legislators said the federal program has rapidly grown without sufficient transparency or oversight, according to a May 28 news release from Dr. Bucshon's congressional office. Here is how leaders of 340B-focused groups have reacted to the bill: Willie Jack, owner of the famous Duke of York and Harp Bar in Belfast city's Cathedral Quarter (Photo by Liam McBurney) Two of Belfasts most iconic bars are set to adopt midnight closing as owner Willie Jack said he fears the citys Cathedral Quarter becoming another Temple Bar. Mr Jack is the owner of the iconic Duke of York and Harp Bar in Belfast and, in a letter to the Irish News, has voiced his concerns the area could become like the Dublin tourist hotspot. Legislation allows bars in the Cathedral Quarter to stay open until 3am, but Mr Jack has revealed both his pubs will call last orders at midnight or possibly even earlier. He and fellow directors of Commercial Court Inns Ltd, set out their position in an open letter where they highlighted violence concerns. They insist their decision will work in favour of customers, staff, and also the integrity of the area. We have decided that both our public houses will call last orders every day at midnight, or possibly even earlier, Mr Jack said. He believes many regulars will not be impacted by the decision as the already leave the bar before midnight. We have noticed a shift with many of our clientele deciding to come out earlier and leave earlier, enabling them to access better public transport, and this is a culture we would like to encourage and promote. Mr Jack accepts other businesses will stay open later but he hopes customers will appreciate their decision to close at midnight. Whilst we appreciate some venues may wish to avail of the opportunity now available for extended opening hours, it is not a business model we wish to follow, nor do we think it would be sensible for all licensed premises to stay open until 1am, or even 3am. Providing a welcoming, safe and enjoyable environment for our customers has always been our priority, and we feel earlier closures will enable us to do this sustainably, while also helping to reduce the strain on emergency services. Mr Jack also feels the earlier closing time will other bar staff a better work life balance. We also want to provide our staff with the best work life balance possible, and this move will aid shorter shift patterns that prioritise balance and safety for our teams, he said. Mr Jack feels the decision will have a positive impact on nightlife and tourism in Belfast. We hope our decision is a clear demonstration of our commitment to continuing to ensure the Cathedral Quarter remains a safe and welcoming place for the people of Belfast, and visitors to our great city. News Catch Up: Wednesday 29th May 2024 Drinks giant Diageo is expanding its Guinness canning site in Belfast to meet accelerated growth of its products, it can be revealed. The firm employs around 160 people at its Marshalls Road site, which cans some 60% of the beer for the local market, and 40% for the overseas market. Guinness produced in Dublin is shipped to Belfast for packaging. Now, its expanding the site to meet global demand for products from domestic markets. The expansion will support accelerated production and product innovation, enhancing efficiency and competitiveness, it says. The raw materials are delivered to the site as bulk liquids and stored in tanks. The products are chilled prior to being transferred to filling machines where they are transferred into cans. The cans are pre-pasteurized before being filled and being packaged into boxes, cartons, and crates, and transported off site on pallets. Diageo wishes to expand the Belfast packaging facilities as part of their investment to meet global demand for products from domestic and export markets. The proposed extension to the warehouse is to be used for loading onto trucks. The proposed compactor building, recyclable store and parts store are small ancillary works to the main use of the warehouse on site, fresh planning documents say. The Belfast site runs 24/7 with 60% of outputs to local markets and 40% overseas and will support the companys global growth ambitions and recent innovations including Guinness Zero and Guinness Nitrosurge. It comes after Diageo won planning permission for a 26m extension of its Baileys global supply site in nearby Mallusk. Diageo said it welcomed the decision from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council to give the go-ahead to the extension on the site, once of just two on the globe where Baileys is produced. The Mallusk site produces, bottles, labels and stores the original Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur. The company said the approval would improve its logistics and warehousing facilities on the site, which produces over 60 million bottles of Baileys every year. It employs more than 230 people across its three sites in Northern Ireland. These include a beer packaging plant in east Belfast, its corporate headquarters in Belfast city centre which hosts its GB and Ireland customer service and credit teams. Diageo Northern Ireland Limited came in at the number 59 spot in the Ulster Business Top 100 2023, in association with KPMG. It posted turnover of 169.2m for the year ending June 2022 up around a third on the previous years 126.6m, while pre-tax profits rose from 2.9m to 6.3m. The wider firm also operates Diageo Global Supply IBC Ltd, which is registered in NI. The Script have announced a second gig in Belfast after their initial tour date in the city sold out due to exceptional demand. The Irish pop rock group from Dublin announced earlier this month that they will kick off their latest tour in Belfast on November 13. Tickets for the SSE Arena show went on sale last Friday, but now the band has revealed that they will also perform another concert in the venue first on November 11, with tickets for that date going on sale this Friday (May 31). They have just released the new single Both Ways, and their new album Satellites is set to be released on August 16. The Script was originally formed with frontman Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power. In April 2023, Mark sadly passed away. 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 Earlier this month, Danny and Glen took to Instagram to announce that touring member Ben Sargeant and newcomer Ben Weaver would be joining the band for what they described as a 'new chapter'. Their music has accrued 10 billion streams, 12 million album sales, six UK Number 1 albums and two Platinum-certified US singles. All of their studio albums have reached Number 1 in Ireland. The initial musical trio formed in 2001, and after releasing their self-titled debut album in 2008, the group shot to fame with hits like The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Breakeven and Hall of Fame. Of their new single Both Ways, Glen said: Both Ways is high energy, and maybe not what people might expect from us. But were The Script, and now we have something to prove: that there is life and light after the darkness. Its why were coming fast and strong with that one. Vowing to pay tribute to their friend Mark by continuing the band they had built together, Danny added that the upcoming album Satellites is an utterly uplifting collection of songs that forges a new future for The Script while remembering that although Mark may no longer be here, he remains a vital part of everything that they do. The album cover is silhouettes of me, Glen and Ben Sargeant, our bassist, who's been with us from the beginning, the 43-year-old vocalist said. Then we have a hooded silhouette, because the air of Mark is still there. He always will be, but it's also giving a tip of the hat to the future. It'll never be the same Script. We're just trying to get on and do what it is that we all feel is the next right thing to do and thats to keep making more great music. The band are about to head out on a massive tour supporting P!nk across the UK, Europe and America before returning to big stages of their own this autumn. Tickets for the extra Belfast show (November 11) go on sale Friday at 9:30am via www.ticketmaster.ie Actor Robert De Niro made a surprise appearance in New York City on Tuesday outside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money trial is coming to a close, issuing a stark warning to Americans watching along. The actor slammed the former president as a "danger" to the United States. "I hope this new ad campaign reaches outside the bubble to remind supporters of what a danger he is to our lives. This is not a threat. This is our reality. And that's why I've joined the Biden-Harris campaign," said De Niro. Biden's campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, was on site alongside De Niro. "Trump poses a unique and growing threat to our fundamental rights and freedoms, our very democracy, and our economy." Tyler said, highlighting the anticipated June 27th debate between Biden and Trump. Meanwhile, De Niro argued in front of shouting protesters, declaring Trump does not "belong" in New York City, as reported by Fox News. "Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country. And eventually he could destroy the world," he stated. The actor said he owes the city of New York a lot, explaining, "That's why it's so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street because he doesn't belong in my city." "We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot," De Niro added. Just recently, the actor lent his voice to a Biden-Harris campaign ad dubbed "Snapped," which portrays Trump as an out-of-control, wannabe dictator whose goal is to terminate the Constitution. The Trump campaign also organized a press conference Tuesday, where campaign senior adviser Jason Miller attacked De Niro as a "washed-up actor." Nearing the end of his trial, Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. "This is a very dangerous day for America. It's a very sad day," Trump said in remarks to the media before heading into the Manhattan courtroom Tuesday morning. Five men and a teenager have denied the murder of a father of seven who suffered fatal injuries while attending the funeral of a friend in Kerry. Kathryn Partons best friend urged her to leave home on night of alleged murder by partner, court hears Reece Oliver refused bail over alleged role in helping to clear up evidence and assisting murder accused Jamie Love Kat Parton Alan Erwin Wed 29 May 2024 at 17:42 Murder victim Kathryn Partons best friend urged her to leave home after allegedly witnessing the violence of her suspected killer, the High Court heard today. Larry Connor plans to take a trip to the Titanic wreckage Pic: @theconnorgrp/YouTube A billionaire who is building a new submersible to dive to the Titanic wreck could be charging $750,000 (588,000) a dive. Larry Connor wants to prove to the world that it can be done safely after the Titan submersible disaster claimed the lives of five people as they made their way to the wreck. Connor, who described the Titan submersible as a contraption, is sinking $20 million (15.6m) into the project and described the June 2023 OceanGate expedition, which cost $250,0000 (196,000) a head, as predatory. The real estate billionaire is making the new Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer with experienced diver and submersible designer Patrick Lahey. While it is not known when they plan to visit the wreck, a brochure for their company Triton Submarines explains that they offer exclusive $750,000 per dive trips. The trips in question are to the Mariana Trench, the oceans deepest point, which is almost 11 kilometres (seven miles) below the surface. This is significantly deeper than the Titanic wreck, which lies 3.8km (two and a half miles) below the North Atlantic. The Titanic was built in Belfast but sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Titanic tourist sub. Pic: OceanGate Connor, unlike OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who perished in last summers disaster, plans to obtain safety certifications for the new submersible. The 74-year-old, who is also a certified astronaut, actually knew one of the victims of the Titan disaster, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and said he tried to persuade him not go, as concerns had already been raised about the vessels safety. I tried to do everything I could to discourage him from going out there. I know many people that knew him did the same thing, Connor told BOAT. Connor explained that his submersible design has not been created until now as the technology did not exist even as recently as five years ago. It is billed as being the deepest-diving acrylic submarine in the world, which can repeatedly reach depths of 4km. I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way, Connor told the Wall Street Journal. Patrick has been thinking about and designing this for over a decade. But we didnt have the materials and technology, Connor said of his co-founder. You couldnt have built this sub five years ago. Triton Submarines is not without accolades and their previous achievements, as listed on their commercial brochure include the first manned dive to Titanic in 14 years as well as the deepest dive in the Atlantic ocean. The company, which has a range of other submarines, describes them as a great investment opportunity with a potential yield of 1m a month. Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet died last June alongside OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, 61, Hamish Harding, 58, and Shahzada Dawood, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19. The company took eight hours to report the submersible as missing after it disappeared an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the Titanic wreck. What followed was an intense search and rescue mission as the authorities tried to locate the submersible before its limited oxygen supply ran out. But shortly after this time, the remains of the vessel were discovered near the bow of the Titanic and authorities announced that it had suffered a catastrophic implosion that would have killed its occupants instantly. The investigation into the disaster remains ongoing. Triton Submarines has been contacted for comment. Former nursing chief Pat Cullen has said the upcoming election is an opportunity to reject years of cruel Tory cuts after stepping down to run for Sinn Fein in Fermanagh and South Tyrone. The former general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is seeking the nomination for the Westminster election. It is expected she will be selected unopposed. Sinn Fein has held the seat since 2017 it was won by just 57 votes in 2019 and is the most marginal in the whole of the UK. The current MP, Michelle Gildernew, is not seeking re-election, instead seeking election to the European Parliament in the Republics Midlands-North West constituency. Ms Cullen previously held roles in the Public Health Agency and as an adviser for the Department of Health. It is understood Ms Cullen contacted the RCN on Wednesday morning to inform them of her decision and has stood down with immediate effect. She said she owed the organisations members a great deal of gratitude. "I have been in contact with my employers at the Royal College of Nursing to inform them that I have allowed my name to go forward to a selection convention being held in the constituency this week, she said. "This was the hardest decision to make, and we have achieved so much in three very different and difficult years. "I hope my legacy here will be to have helped the nursing profession use its voice and campaign for change, for ourselves and patients. "It has been the honour of my life to have served in the RCN and to provide leadership every day to hundreds of thousands of hardworking nurses and healthcare staff who always prioritise the delivery of high-quality care to patients. "After much consideration, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step forward in to the political arena to champion the issues and opportunities for the community I love, and that is what I am fully determined to do. "This election is an opportunity to vote for a new and better future," she added. Ms Cullen said her candidacy would be an opportunity to support better funding for our public services and to reject years of cruel Tory cuts which have targeted frontline services, particularly health. "By voting for Sinn Fein, people can endorse strong leadership, positive change and a commitment to work for all, she said. Chair of the RCN Council Paul Vaughan said Ms Cullen had been a tremendous leader for the profession. "She has been fearless in rooting out longstanding cultural issues internally and speaking truth to power in the health service and politics alike, he said. Ms Cullen was due to appear as keynote speaker at the organisations annual congress in Newport, Wales next week. She has been replaced on an interim basis by Professor Nicola Ranger, who said Ms Cullen had progressed the profession in so many ways. Ms Cullen is originally from Carrickmore in Co Tyrone and is the youngest of seven children. She is married with two children and is also a grandmother. She has said in the past nursing is in her blood but she began down that path after she failed her GCSEs and was unable to continue to A-levels, later becoming a trainee nurse through a college course. In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph in 2019, she described starting her career in mental health nursing, from where she became an assistant director of mental health services and professional head of nursing. I can honestly say that I loved every day of working in mental health. I cant imagine any other career that would have fulfilled me professionally or personally as much, she said. I started out working in hospital before moving into the community, which was just mind-blowing and a privilege to look after people in their own homes. Ms Cullen, who is also a registered psychotherapist, was a community psychiatric nurse in Twinbrook and Poleglass during the Troubles and has said the impact of the violence on mental health was shocking. She became director of RCN Northern Ireland in 2019 and later that year, they took the unprecedented step of balloting members on industrial action, including strike action, over pay and low staffing levels. Professor Cullen was seen as key to mobilising staff over the strike. She is an honorary professor of Queens University in Belfast and has been voted as one of the top 100 women in Westminster for the past two years as well as one of the top 50 most influential women. Ms Cullen said on Wednesday her candidacy would be an opportunity to support better funding for our public services and to reject years of cruel Tory cuts which have targeted frontline services, particularly health. "By voting for Sinn Fein, people can endorse strong leadership, positive change and a commitment to work for all, she said. UUP councillor Diane Armstrong is standing in Fermanagh-South Tyrone amid a row over whether to field a single unionist candidate. News Catch Up: Wednesday 29th May 2024 Gavin Robinson spoke at a DUP meeting in Lisburn, where he was ratified as the partys new leader (PA) Gavin Robinson has pledged to continue to fight against an Irish Sea border after being ratified as DUP leader. Mr Robinson has been the partys interim leader since early April following Sir Jeffrey Donaldsons resignation after being charged with historical sex offences. Mr Robinson was unanimously ratified as the partys leader at a meeting of its ruling executive on Wednesday. It is with honour, humility and commitment that I look forward to leading our party into the future, he said. In an address to party members in Lisburn, he defended his partys decision to return to powersharing in Northern Ireland and pledged to continue our quest in relation to the protocol. It wrecked the settled political balance within Northern Ireland and led directly to a loss of unionist confidence, he said. The DUP ended its two-year boycott of devolved government in Northern Ireland in February after striking a deal with the Government on post-Brexit arrangements. Donaldson made the decision to return his party to Stormont based on a package of proposals aimed at reducing red tape on Irish Sea trade and providing assurances over Northern Irelands place in the union. However, a significant minority of DUP elected representatives remain opposed to the deal, insisting it does not go far enough to remove the contentious Irish Sea border. Gavin Robinson was ratified as the partys new leader (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) While outlining his partys election message, Mr Robinson criticised the Tories for inflicting what he said was some of the greatest harm on Northern Ireland. He said that the decision to return to Stormont was made in the interests of seeing local decisions being made for people which would not have been taken by direct rule Conservative ministers. He said that while the Command Paper did not remedy a number of the long-term problems born out of the protocol, it did contain important gains. Our clear message going forward is that we are campaigning to send a strong message to a new Government, whether Labour or Conservative, that building on the progress to date, we will continue to fight to fully restore Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom, including removing the application of EU law in our country and the internal Irish Sea border it creates, the DUP leader said, which was met with applause. He also said that illegal immigration had become an emerging and growing issue in Northern Ireland, and pledged to act on this through legislation at Westminster. Mr Robinson also confirmed the partys General Election candidates at the meeting, calling them a strong, united and determined team that have a determination to fight for every vote. They are Gregory Campbell in East Londonderry, Sammy Wilson in East Antrim, Jim Shannon in Strangford, Ian Paisley in North Antrim, Gavin Robinson in East Belfast, Paul Girvan in South Antrim, Carla Lockhart in Upper Bann, Jonathan Buckley in Lagan Valley, Phillip Brett in North Belfast, Tracy Kelly in South Belfast and Mid Down, Frank McCoubrey in West Belfast, Gary Middleton in Foyle, Tom Buchanan in West Tyrone, Keith Buchanan in Mid-Ulster, Diane Forsyth in South Down, and Gareth Wilson in Newry and Armagh. DUP Leader Gavin Robinson at Cafe Vic-Ryn on the outskirts of Lisburn on May 29th 2024 (Photo by Kevin Scott) Gavin Robinson has confirmed the DUP will not be standing candidates in Fermanagh-South Tyrone and North Down in the General Election, after the partys ruling executive officially ratified him as leader. There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023 (Liam McBurney/PA) Cross-border tourism between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has tripled in a decade, a report has found. The joint study by Ulster University and Dublin City University found there were differences in the economic impact in Ireland compared with Northern Ireland. There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023, compared with almost 400,000 in 2013. International visits in the period 2013-2019 grew by 33% in Northern Ireland and 46% south of the border. The authors said that notwithstanding some public commentary that many people from the Republic of Ireland never travel to NI, the number of trips from south of the border to Northern Ireland has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2013, on average less than 100,000 cross-border trips were made per quarter, a figure that has grown to over 300,000 in 2023. In the years following the pandemic, over 200,000 trips per quarter have been recorded, it said. The study found that all visitors to Northern Ireland are more likely to be visiting friends or relatives than on holiday or a business trip, and of that number almost half will stay with them considerably reducing the earned income from accommodation. Tourists from Paris Nelly Michoux (left) and Isabelle Nguyen take a selfie in Dublin (PA) Visitors from Great Britain are crucial to both parts of the island, the study found, but the scale is different, making up two thirds of visitors to Northern Ireland compared with one third in Ireland. The report found people stay in Northern Ireland for fewer nights, particularly long-haul visitors. It also found a buoyant and resilient tourism industry across both Northern Ireland and Ireland, with strong evidence of a bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. It said Ireland had approximately 4.3 times as many trips by international visitors compared with Northern Ireland in 2019, but 7.6 times as much expenditure. The scale of domestic tourism trips within Northern Ireland, at roughly two million per annum, remained static in the decade from 2011. South of the border, the scale of within-state tourism increased from 6.5 million to 11 million trips in the same period, probably reflecting the stronger economic performance. Ana Desmond, senior economist at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the tourism sector across the island of Ireland has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in recent years. This research has shown how the international and domestic visitor market has both grown and diversified with recent significant findings including the sharp and sustained increase in domestic cross-border visits to NI since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism growth and development is a natural area for co-operation across the island and has been ongoing for many years. The sector has demonstrated that it can adapt to external challenges and recover strongly. It will need this quality to tackle the current challenges which have been identified by businesses both sides of the border, which include labour market shortages and concerns over the cost of doing business. Professor John Doyle, vice president for Research at Dublin City University, said the research highlights a real opportunity for economic growth, for businesses to grow their income and profitability, and for better wages in the sector. Co-operation will benefit both parts of the island, but given the more developed tourism industry in the Republic, it should benefit Northern Ireland to a much greater extent. In order to close the gap with the Republic, public policy needs to move beyond the current levels of co-operation, to build a single tourism offering, in marketing, visa requirements, tax and regional development policy and, perhaps most crucially, in the perception of the visitor. Veteran MP Diane Abbott had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, but she claims she has been barred from standing in the General Election (Yui Mok/PA) A row over whether veteran MP Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand for Labour in the General Election is threatening to overshadow Sir Keir Starmers pitch to voters on the NHS. Labour is setting its sights on tackling NHS backlogs, with leader Sir Keir detailing first steps to clear waits of more than 18 weeks within five years of taking office. But in the latest sign of his willingness to pick a fight with the party left, Ms Abbott claimed she has been banned from standing for the party in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wants to focus on his plans for the NHS in England but the party faces questions over Diane Abbotts position (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended in April 2023 pending an investigation after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism. The whip was restored on Tuesday, but Ms Abbott has claimed she has been barred from standing on July 4. Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate, she told the BBC. But a Labour source questioned her claim to have been banned from standing for the party, suggesting it might be an attempt to bounce party leaders into a deal ahead of a meeting of the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). The source said: (Im) not quite sure thats right the NEC is due to finalise candidate endorsements on Tuesday. I think this may be an attempt to bounce Loto (Leader of the Oppositions Office) into some sort of deal. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Ms Abbott, the UKs first black woman to be elected to Parliament in 1987, is a trailblazer but that it is a decision for the Labour Partys National Executive Committee whether she can stand. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I have no idea (of) the basis upon which the decision is made. Meanwhile, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn an ally of Ms Abbott will launch his campaign as an independent candidate in Islington North. On NHS policy, Labour warned that the treatment backlog, which currently stands at 7.54 million, could rise to 10 million if the Conservatives are in office for another five years. Measures Labour would take include creating an additional 40,000 appointments, scans and operations in England each week during evenings and weekends and doubling the numbers of scanners. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins criticised the plans as more copy and paste politics from Labour while highlighting the Tories long-term workforce plan and 3.4 billion plan to upgrade NHS technology. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said achieving Labours goal would be highly stretching because the challenging fiscal situation facing the next government will make it incredibly difficult to increase health spending at anywhere near similar rates as previous Labour governments, which made big reductions in waiting times alongside spending increases of more than 7% a year in real terms. (PA Graphics) Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak arrived in Cornwall after taking the sleeper train overnight, pushing a plan to create 100,000 more apprenticeships by shutting down rip-off degrees. The Prime Minister wants to see the worst-performing university courses replaced with high-skilled apprenticeships if the Conservatives stay in power after the General Election. He said his party is offering young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive as he seeks to narrow Labours double-digit lead in the polls. The law would be changed to give Englands universities watchdog new powers to shut down courses deemed as underperforming. Mr Sunak said: Improving education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for boosting life chances. So its not fair that some university courses are ripping young people off. Thanks to our plan, apprenticeships are much higher quality than they were under Labour. And now we will create 100,000 more, by putting an end to rip-off degrees and offering our young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive. An additional 5.8 million apprenticeships have been delivered under Conservative governments since 2010, with 340,000 starting in 2022/23, the Tories said. But Labour pointed out that apprenticeship achievements among under-19s are down 50% since 2015/16, while starts have dropped by at least 30% in every English region. Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: It is laughable that the Tories, who have presided over a halving of apprenticeships for young people, are now announcing this. Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: The shockingly low pay for those on apprenticeships will remain, doing nothing to encourage more people to take apprenticeships up or tackle soaring drop-out rates. Labours efforts to highlight their plans to tackle NHS waiting lists have been overshadowed by a row over whether veteran left-winger Diane Abbott will be allowed to defend her seat on July 4. Here are the key moments from day seven of the campaign: Confusion over Abbott Sir Keir Starmer denied claims that Ms Abbott has been barred from standing as a Labour candidate, insisting no decisions have been taken. Ms Abbott, who was the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, had the whip suspended last year after comments claiming Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not subjected to racism in the same way as black people. That decision was formally reversed on Tuesday, and she was readmitted to the Parliamentary Labour Party, having completed a course on antisemitism over Christmas. However she told the BBC that she remained banned from standing as a candidate for the party in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency. She said she was very dismayed while the claims sparked anger among allies on the left who said her treatment showed a lack of respect for one of the partys longest-standing parliamentarians. But campaigning in Worcester, Sir Keir insisted that the claims were not true and it would be for the partys national executive committee to decide whether she can run. Doctors walk out Junior doctors are to stage a five-day strike in the run-up to polling day as they seek to ramp up pressure on the Government in their long-running pay dispute. Announcing the walkout from 7am on June 27 to 7am on July 2 the doctors leaders said their members were fed up and out of patience with what they said was ministers failure to come up with a credible pay offer. Junior doctors are set to return to the picket lines (Aaron Chown/PA) Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the timing showed the action was politically motivated and called on Labour to condemn the strikes. This is a highly cynical tactic, she posted on social media. Announcing this during an election and on Labours health day shows this was only ever political and not about patients or staff. NHS Providers said the move represented a worrying escalation that would hit patients hard, and called on politicians and unions to make a resolution to the dispute a top priority. Sir Keir said it was unforgivable that ministers had been unable to reach a settlement, but shadow health secretary Wes Streeting warned that an incoming Labour government would not be able to meet the doctors demand for a 35% increase. Picture of the day Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey campaigning in Knighton, Wales (Jacob King/PA) Quote of the day Universities bite back Mr Sunak faced a backlash from university leaders after the Tories announced plans to shut down rip-off degree courses which offered poor value to students. The Prime Minister said closing under-performing courses based on dropout rates and future earnings potential would enable the Government to create 100,000 additional apprenticeships providing real employment opportunities for young people. Campaigning in Cornwall, he said: Im not someone who believes that you have to go to university. What we do know is that there are university degrees that are letting young people down. His remarks were condemned by Universities UK chief executive Vivienne Stern who said she was fed up with people talking down universities, especially when they had benefitted from higher education themselves. I just dont get the determination to put people off going to university, she said. This is especially frustrating when it is driven by people who have degrees. Generally it is other peoples kids they dont want to go. Number of the day Sturgeon returns Former leader Nicola Sturgeon has announced a tentative return to campaigning for the SNP, but declined to say whether she would appear alongside new leader John Swinney. She told reporters she would appear from time to time in ways she believed would be helpful to the partys candidates. Nicola Sturgeon said she will be appearing from time to time on the campaign trail (Jane Barlow/PA) Since standing down last year as party leader and Scotlands First Minister, Ms Sturgeon has kept a relatively low profile amid a police investigation into the partys finances. Her husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, was last month charged with embezzlement while Ms Sturgeon has previously been arrested and released without charge as part of the Operation Branchform inquiry. Asked by reporters whether she remained an asset to the party she once dominated, she said that was not for me to decide. The leaders go head-to-head ITV announced that the first head-to-head TV debate of the campaign between Mr Sunak and Sir Keir will take place next week. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face off on ITV (PA) The broadcaster said the hour-long encounter in front of a live studio audience will be screened at 9pm on Tuesday. Director of news and current affairs Michael Jermey said it will give millions of viewers a chance to see the two men hoping to enter No 10 debating directly with each other. However Mr Swinney said it was ridiculous that his party the third largest in the Commons had been excluded. ITV said it is planning interviews with other party leaders as well as a multi-party debate. Dog bites MP Tory MP Selaine Saxby needed treatment after being bitten by a dog on the campaign trail. The North Devon MP said it was a cautionary tale, whoever you are campaigning for this election after she was bitten on the leg. 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 Not all dogs out there are as friendly as my Henry, so please do take care, she said, in reference to her beloved fox red labrador. Ms Saxby thanked staff at Fremington Medical Centre and North Devon District Hospital for their care and kindness. Social media moment TikTok continued to play a key role on the seventh day with the parties taking different approaches with the site. Labour continued teasing the Conservatives by sharing a post consisting of two photos on Wednesday. The first showed a black screen with text reading: LEAKED: New England U19s kit followed by a photo of Rishi Sunak smiling and holding a T-shirt with a camouflage pattern with the words National Service written on the back, as the Match Of The Day theme tune plays over the top. Meanwhile, the Tories introduced Lord David Cameron to their TikTok platform on Tuesday, followed by James Cleverly on Wednesday, where the Home Secretary called out shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves for her thoughts on national service and provided a brief explainer on the scheme. What the polls are saying Four more national opinion polls have been published, with all but one putting Labour more than 25 points ahead of the Tories. The oldest poll to be published was carried out on May 24 and 25 by JL Partners among 2,013 British adults online, and puts Labour on 40%, the Conservatives on 28%, Reform on 12% and the Liberal Democrats on 10%, with the Greens on 5%, the SNP on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 1%. A poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, carried out from May 25 to 27 and involving 12,000 British adults online, puts Labour on 46%, the Conservatives on 23%, Reform on 13% and the Lib Dems on 9%, with the Greens on 5%, the SNP on 3% and others on 3%. (PA Graphics) Survation published a poll of 2,040 UK adults online, carried out from May 24 to 27, which has Labour on 47%, the Conservatives on 24%, the Lib Dems on 11% and Reform on 8%, with the SNP and Greens both on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 4%. The most recent poll, carried out on May 27 and 28 by YouGov among 2,128 British adults online, puts Labour on 47%, the Tories on 20%, Reform on 12% and the Lib Dems on 9%, with the Greens on 7%, the SNP on 3%, Plaid Cymru on 1% and other parties on 2%. A simple average of all polls carried out wholly or partly during the seven days to May 29 puts Labour on 45%, 21 percentage points ahead of the Conservatives on 24%, followed by Reform on 12%, the Lib Dems on 10% and the Greens on 6%. Whats happening tomorrow? The Greens launch their General Election campaign in Bristol. At least three victims of a suspected Portland serial killer were all murdered within seven weeks of each other, investigators recently determined as they piece together a more detailed timeline of the slayings of the reportedly homeless, drug-addicted women. Charity Lynn Perry, 24, is believed to have been the first victim of 39-year-old Jesse Lee Calhoun, according to Multnomah County prosecutors, KATU-TV reported, citing an indictment. Perry died March 8, 2023, two days after she was taken to the hospital for an overdose. Authorities have not confirmed her cause of death, but her body was found seven weeks later in nearby Polk County, Oregon. Ten days after Perry was allegedly murdered, investigators believe Calhoun struck again. This time, targeting 32-year-old JoAnna Speaks. Speaks died from blunt force trauma. Her body was found April 8, 2023, at an abandoned property on the Washington-Oregon border in Ridgefield, Washington. Nearly six weeks later, Calhoun allegedly claimed his third victim: 31-year-old Bridget LeAnne Webster, according to investigators, the outlet reported. Like Perry, her body was dumped in Polk County and recovered April 30, 2023. Authorities are still trying to determine if Calhoun is responsible for the 2023 suspicious deaths of two more women in the area Ashley Real and Kristin Smith both 22. According to investigators, the victims all lived similar transient lifestyles and struggled with drug addictions. Calhoun has since been charged with three counts each of second-degree murder and second-degree abuse of a corpse. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges and it's unclear if he retained an attorney to comment on his behalf. The scene of a fatal stabbing at Durley Chine Beach in Bournemouth (Angus Williams/PA) A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was fatally stabbed on a beach in Bournemouth, Dorset Police said. Police were called to reports that two women from Poole had been stabbed on Durley Chine Beach at around 11.45pm on May 24. A 34-year-old woman, named in media reports as Amie Gray, was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 38-year-old taken to hospital with serious injuries is still receiving treatment. Dorset Police announced that a 20-year-old man from Croydon, south London, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police officers at the scene (Angus Williams/PA) The force worked with the Metropolitan Police to make the arrest. Detective Superintendent Richard Dixey, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: The investigation has progressed at speed over recent days, which has now led to an arrest being made in London. Officers from Dorset Police intelligence and firearms teams worked together with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police to carry out the arrest. We are continuing to update the loved ones of the woman who tragically died, as well as the victim in hospital, with all the latest developments and our thoughts remain with them. I would like to thank everyone so far who has provided information and reiterate my appeal for any witnesses who have not already come forward to please contact Dorset Police. The enhanced visible policing presence in the area will remain in place and we would continue to strongly encourage anyone with concerns to please not hesitate to speak to any officer who will be able to listen and provide appropriate advice. Anyone with information is asked to submit it through the Major Incident Public Portal at police.uk/operation/55HQ23N07-PO1 between 7am and 10pm or call 101 quoting occurrence number 55240078013. Mr Baldwin has visited Normandy many times since the war ended (Jacob King/PA) A Second World War veteran who fought in Normandy 80 years ago as a teenager before becoming a prisoner of war has said the key to a good life is freedom. Doug Baldwin, from Caddington in Bedfordshire, landed in northern France aged just 18 three weeks after D-Day in June 1944. He was later captured by German forces and made to work in coal mines while spending nine months in multiple Stalag camps. The now 98-year-old said he was always lucky and was concerned that future generations would rely heavily on getting what they want by pressing a button. Mr Baldwin sent a picture of himself in army uniform to his brother as a postcard after returning home in June 1945 (Jacob King/PA) Doug grew up in Sheerness, Kent, as one of seven children, and said he remembered the drone of engines as enemy bombers flew up the nearby Thames estuary. He enlisted for army training at Colchester and kept in reserve before being sent to Normandy on a landing craft on June 25 1944, to serve with the 6th Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers. Speaking to the PA news agency about his experience, Doug said: All the way over I was quite calm. It was still an adventure to me. He said many people waved and blew him kisses as he left British shores, adding: I felt like a hero before I even landed in Normandy. Doug moved with his regiment through northern France after landing and recalled the chaotic and precarious nature of life on the front line. There were many occasions where there was nobody to tell you what to do. You had to think for yourself, he said. There was very little difference between being brave or stupidity. Doug was captured alone in the small village of Estry on August 8 that year, after taking cover from German fire in a disused house and being stunned by a nearby explosion. Mr Baldwin said he hoped to reach 100 years old and celebrate by drinking ginger wine (Jacob King/PA) When I came to my senses there were these two nasty-looking, unfriendly gentlemen. I thought I was going to die, but it didnt bother me. I didnt think it was going to hurt much. Instead of being killed, he was taken to a car with a gun pointed at his head before eventually being transported to Germany in a railway truck, reported as arriving at Stalag 12A on August 28. Spending time in several camps, Doug said prisoners were treated like you were cattle and got to think like an animal as he ate dandelion leaves. He recalled the suddenness of leaving the camp when it was liberated by Allied forces. We woke up one morning and we could not see any guards about. We were walking towards the sound of the guns, which turned out to be the American lines. Doug returned home via Paris on May 1 1945 one week before VE Day and said he remembered the sun rising as he came across the cliffs of Dover on the journey back. D-Day veteran Doug Baldwin at his home in Caddington, Bedfordshire (Jacob King/PA) He was suffering from malnutrition and starvation and was as thin as a rake, and still has a photograph of himself which he sent to his youngest brother Peter a few weeks later. Despite his previous hardships, Doug went back to Germany after the war ended with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to serve in the Army of Occupation. He relocated to the Luton area for work and described himself as a jack of all trades, master of none, working in a variety of jobs including at Vauxhall and Luton Airport. Doug married his second wife, Sheena, in 1953 and has lived in the same house in Caddington since 1958. The veteran has visited Normandy many times, most recently in May, through trips organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, which he said had given him a new lease of life. He received the Legion dhonneur, Frances highest military honour, in 2021 in recognition of his service during the war. Asked what the secret was to a good life, Doug said: Freedom to do what you want. He added: I was always lucky for some reason they kept missing me! Sir Keir Starmer will head to Wales on Thursday to campaign alongside embattled First Minister Vaughan Gething as the General Election contest continues. The Labour leader is expected to launch his partys doorstep offer to Welsh voters during an event with Mr Gething and shadow Wales secretary Jo Stevens in South Wales. His visit comes a day after it was confirmed that Mr Gething will face a confidence vote in the Welsh Senedd following the collapse of a co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru earlier this month. The collapse of the deal followed a series of rows involving Mr Gething, who became First Minister in March and now faces a confidence vote on June 5. On Wednesday, Sir Keir gave his backing to the First Minister, telling reporters during a campaign stop in Worcestershire that Mr Gething is doing a good job. As well as discussing Labours six first steps, Thursdays event is expected to see Sir Keir recommit to investing in the UKs steel industry amid concerns about job losses at Port Talbot steelworks. He is also expected to promise to put Wales at the centre of his partys plans for cleaner, cheaper energy and to work with the Welsh Government to cut NHS waiting times and recruit more teachers and police officers. Before the visit, Sir Keir said: This is a chance to vote for a Wales finally free from the impact of Tory chaos and division. To turn the page and start to rebuild our nations our entire country and elect a UK government that will serve the interests of working people in Wales. (PA Graphics) These first steps show that a changed UK Labour Party is back in the service of working people in Wales. They show our priorities, what we care about and what the public cares about. Country first, party second. Labour has been in power in Wales since devolution in 1999, sometimes on its own and sometimes with the support of the Liberal Democrats or Plaid Cymru. Mr Gething took over as First Minister on March 20 after his predecessor, Mark Drakeford, retired following six years in office. But his tenure has so far proved rocky, with concerns being raised about donations to his leadership campaign and his decision to sack Senedd member Hannah Blythyn from his government, accusing her of leaking messages to the media. Before Thursdays campaign event, Mr Gething said the General Election is an opportunity to unleash Waless full potential with two Labour governments working in partnership, ending the churlish Tory war on devolution and backing a stronger Welsh economy. Welsh Conservative leader and Senedd member Andrew RT Davies said Sir Keirs decision to campaign with Mr Gething was a reflection of their equally poor judgment and should worry us all. He said: Keir Starmer calls Labour in Wales his blueprint for government, which should stand as a stark warning for what a Labour-run UK government would look like. After 25 years, the Labour Welsh Governments record speaks for itself and includes the lowest employment, smallest pay packets, steepest decline in education standards and the longest waiting lists in the UK which have just hit a new record as waits in Conservative-run England fall. Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Israels military said that it has seized control of a strategic corridor that runs along the length of Gazas border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah, where Israeli forces have been fighting recently. The capture of the area, known as the Philadelphi corridor, gives Israel control over a strip of land it says is awash in smuggling tunnels that have funnelled weapons and other goods for Hamas even under a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. The move comes as Israel has deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people seeking shelter from fighting elsewhere had been displaced, and where intensifying violence in recent days has killed dozens of Palestinians. Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) The capture of the corridor could complicate Israels relations with Egypt, which has previously complained over Israels advance toward its border, including when Israel took over the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Egypt has said that any increase in troops in the strategic corridor would violate the countries 1979 peace accord. An Israeli military official said Israel had notified Egypt of the takeover. He said some 20 tunnels, including some that were previously unknown to Israel, had been found during the operation, as well as 82 access points to those tunnels. It means we can control and we have the ability to cut off the oxygen line that Hamas has used for replenishing and movement, the official said. The corridor is part of a larger demilitarised zone along both sides of the entire Israel-Egypt border. A tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the Israeli offensive is seen in Rafah, Gaza Strip (AP Photo/Hatem Ali) Under a peace accord, each is allowed to deploy only a tiny number of troops or border guards in the zone. At the time of the accord, Israeli troops controlled Gaza until Israel withdrew its forces and settlers in 2005. The narrow corridor about 100 meters wide in parts runs the 14km (8.6-mile) length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Smuggling tunnels that run between Egypt and the Gaza Strip are known to stretch under the area. A top official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through to the end of the year (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli military official said Israel has also taken tactical control of Tel al-Sultan, a neighbourhood on Rafahs north-west edge. But he said the incursion into the city remains a limited scope and scale operation. Earlier on Wednesday, a top Israeli official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through the end of the year a grim prediction for a conflict already in its eighth month that has killed tens of thousands, deepened Israels global isolation and brought the region repeatedly to the brink of a wider conflagration. National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbis remarks were made as Israel was expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which has been the scene of intense fighting over recent days that has killed dozens, including displaced Palestinians. The military said three Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday. Israeli media reported they were killed in a blast inside a building. Mr Hanegbi told Kan public radio that he was expecting another seven months of fighting to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. The army is achieving its objectives but (it) said from the first days it was presenting its plan to the Cabinet that the war will be long, he said. They have designated 2024 as a year of war. Mr Hanegbis remarks raise questions about the future of Gaza and what kind of role Israel will play in it. Already, top ally the United States has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decide on a post-war vision for the Palestinian territory and his defence minister and a top governing partner has warned that he must take steps to ensure that Israel isnt bogged down in Gaza indefinitely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been told to decide on a post-war vision for Gaza (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) The war has already devastated Gazas urban landscape, displaced most of the territorys population and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger. It has opened Israel up to international legal scrutiny, with world courts faulting it over its war-time conduct, sparked disagreements with the White House and prompted three European nations to recognise a Palestinian state against Israels wishes. Israel says it must dismantle Hamas last remaining battalions in Rafah. It has also said it will seek indefinite security control over the Gaza Strip, even after the war ends. Israel has yet to achieve its main goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in the October 7 attack that triggered the war. Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza that the military said it wrested control of months ago potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. The fighting in Rafah has displaced 1 million people, the United Nations says, and Palestinians on Wednesday reported heavy fighting in different parts of the city. Most of the people who had been in Rafah had previously been displaced from elsewhere in Gaza. Thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting in Rafah (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Residents said fighting was underway in the city centre and on the outskirts of Tel al-Sultan, a north-western neighbourhood where an Israeli strike over the weekend ignited a fire that swept through an encampment for displaced people, killing dozens. The military says it is investigating the strike and said the blaze may have been caused by a secondary explosion. An expensive floating pier built by the US to surge aid into the territory was meanwhile taken out of service by bad weather, in another setback to efforts to bring food to starving Palestinians. Gazas land crossings are now entirely controlled by Israel. All land crossings into Rafah are entirely controlled by Israel (Staff Sgt Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP) The US and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in Rafah, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. On Tuesday, US state department spokesman Matthew Miller gave no indication the administration sees Israel as crossing any of the red lines for Rafah, saying the offensive is still on a far different scale than assaults on other population centres in Gaza. Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africas case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel vehemently denies. A proposed UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Rafah fighting was being circulated by Algeria on Tuesday, with plans to potentially bring it to a vote this week. The US has vetoed multiple Gaza ceasefire resolutions. Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk through a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, Gaza (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) The war began when Hamas and other militants burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on October 7, killing some 1,200 civilians and taking around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israels offensive in response to the attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Israel says it has killed 15,000 militants. People queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Cape Town, South Africa (Nardus Engelbrecht/AP) South Africans voted at schools, community centres and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their countrys most important in 30 years. It could put the young democracy in unknown territory. At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of apartheids brutal white minority rule in 1994. A man assisted by an electoral worker casts his ballot at a polling station in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, South Africa (Themba Hadebe/AP) It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. After casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he had no doubt his ANC would win again with a firm majority. The main opposition leader, John Steenhuisen, countered: For the first time in 30 years, there is now a path to victory for the opposition. The election was held on one day and polls closed after 14 hours of voting at more than 23,000 stations across South Africas nine provinces. Counting will start but final results are not expected for days. The independent electoral commission that runs the election said they would be announced by Sunday. Africas most advanced economy has some of the worlds deepest socioeconomic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%. The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all. I take voting as something serious because as communities, it is difficult to complain about services when you have not voted, said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the queue at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Mr Ramaphosa voted. Women wait to cast their ballots during general elections in Nkandla, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa (Emilio Morenatti/AP) Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs. We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem, said Mr Ratshalingwa. After winning six successive national elections, several polls have the ANCs support at less than 50% ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the most seats. The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70% of the vote 20 years ago. Mr Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, has promised to do better. The ANC has asked for more time and patience. Mr Ramaphosa, 71, sat alongside other voters in Soweto, where he was born, before shaking hands with two smiling officials who registered him and then voting. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa casts his ballot for the general elections in Soweto (Jerome Delay/AP) I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country, Mr Ramaphosa said. He said he was certain South Africans would give the ANC a firm majority. Any change in the ANCs hold on power could be monumental for South Africa. If it does lose its majority, the ANC is likely to face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to stay in government and keep Mr Ramaphosa as president for a second term. Voters line up to cast their ballot for general elections in Alexandra (Themba Hadebe/AP) The ANC having to co-govern has never happened before. South Africans vote for parties, not directly for their president. The parties then get seats in parliament according to their share of the vote and those legislators elect the president after the election. The ANC has always had a majority in parliament since 1994. The election will be held on one day across South Africas nine provinces, with nearly 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday. Voters line up to cast their ballot in general elections in Soweto (Jerome Delay/AP) The opposition to the ANC in this election is fierce, but fragmented. The two biggest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters, are not predicted to increase their vote by anything near enough to overtake the ANC. The DA is part of an agreement with other smaller parties to combine their vote in an effort to remove the ANC completely, but that is not seen as likely. Disgruntled South Africans are moving to an array of opposition parties; more than 50 will contest the national election, many of them new. One is led by South Africas former president Jacob Zuma, who has turned against his former ANC allies. Mr Zuma was disqualified from standing as a candidate for parliament but his MK Party is still contesting and is the wild card. A voting official prepares a voting box at a polling station in Cape Town (Nardus Engelbrecht/AP) The ANC says it is confident of retaining its majority and analysts have not ruled that out, given the partys decades of experience in government and its unmatched grassroots campaigning machine. It still has wide support, especially among older voters and those in more rural areas. I woke up at 4am this morning, took a bath and made my way, said 68-year-old Velaphi Banda, adding he has voted for the ANC since 1994 and would do so again. I was never undecided about which party I will vote for. I have always known. Mr Ramaphosa has pointed out how South Africa is a far better country now than under apartheid, when black people were barred from voting, were not allowed to move around freely, had to live in certain areas and were oppressed in every way. This election is only South Africas seventh national vote in which people of all races are allowed to take part. An election official prepares the ballots for the general elections in Soweto, South Africa (Jerome Delay/AP) Memories of that era of apartheid, and the defining election that ended it in 1994, still frame much of everyday South Africa. But fewer remember it as time goes on, and this election might give voice to a younger generation who were not born when apartheid fell. The vote will showcase the countrys contradictions, from the economic hub of Johannesburg labelled Africas richest city to the picturesque tourist destination of Cape Town, to the informal settlements of shacks in their outskirts. There were delays in some polling stations opening, with voting due to start at 7am and end at 9pm. South Africa has held peaceful and credible elections since a violent build-up to the pivotal 1994 election. The independent electoral commission said two days of special early voting went smoothly on Monday and Tuesday, although two people were arrested for interfering with voting operations, it said. South Africa will deploy nearly 3,000 soldiers across the country to ensure a peaceful election, authorities said. Voters in Alexandra line up to cast their ballot (Themba Hadebe/AP) While 80% of South Africans are black, it is a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage and others. There are 12 official languages. It is the diversity that Nelson Mandela, South Africas first black president, highlighted as a beautiful thing by referring to his country as a Rainbow Nation. It is a diversity that, with the emergence of many new opposition parties, also might now be reflected in its politics. Garry Conille has been named Haitis new prime minister, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council had chosen someone else for the position. The long-awaited move comes as gangs continue to terrorise the capital of Port-au-Prince, opening fire in once peaceful neighbourhoods and using heavy machinery to demolish several police stations and prisons. Council member Louis Gerald Gilles told the Associated Press that six out of seven council members with voting power chose Mr Conille earlier on Tuesday. He said one member, Laurent St Cyr, was not in Haiti and did not vote. Mr Conille, who is Unicefs regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then president Michel Martelly. He replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was named interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned in late April. Mr Henry was on an official trip to Kenya when a coalition of powerful gangs launched co-ordinated attacks on February 29, seizing control of police stations, shooting at Haitis main international airport and storming the countrys two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. He was locked out of the country by the attacks, with the airport in the capital remaining closed for nearly three months. Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haitis capital and beyond as Mr Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country awaiting the UN-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya and other countries. In addition to picking a new prime minister, the council also is responsible for selecting a new cabinet and holding general elections by the end of next year. US secretary of state Antony Blinken pledged 135 million dollars (106 million) in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation. The announcement comes as the Western-leaning nation struggles to blunt Moscows push for influence thats been buoyed by recent successes in its war in neighbouring Ukraine. Mr Blinken opened a short visit to eastern Europe with a stop in Chisinau, Moldovas capital, where he announced the assistance at a news conference with President Maia Sandu. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Moldovan officials, including the president, in Chisinau (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, Pool) Americas top diplomat said 85 million dollars (66 million) would go to bolster energy infrastructure and 50 million dollars (39 million) was aimed at overhauling the energy and farming industries and deterring disinformation. That in turn will bolster the ability of Moldovans to resist Russian interference, to hold free and fair elections, to continue down the path to the European Union and Western integration, to create more economic opportunity, Mr Blinken said. He planned to travel to the Czech Republic later. Before Wednesday, the US had provided Moldova with 774 million dollars in financial aid since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. Some 300 million dollars of that was earmarked for energy security. Mr Blinkens trip, organised around a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Prague, comes amid concerns that Moldova and Georgia, another former Soviet republic, are facing renewed threats from Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Ukraine to reassure the country of Washingtons continued support (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, Pool) Mr Blinken visited Ukraine two weeks ago to reassure Kyiv of Washingtons support in the face of increased Russian attacks in its north. There are also signs that Russia may be considering new actions in Moldova, where it has 1,500 troops stationed in the disputed territory of Transnistria, and is behind anti-Western moves in Georgia that the US believes run counter to Moldovan and Georgian aspirations to join the European Union. Both countries have candidate status to eventually join the 27-nation EU bloc. Theres not a direct military threat that we see at this time, but theres ongoing Russian influence operations, and that is of concern, the top US diplomat for Europe, James OBrien, said last week. Moldova has repeatedly accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war against the country, meddling in local elections and running vast disinformation campaigns to try to topple the government and derail its path toward joining the EU. Russia has denied the accusations, but the Moldovan government is wary of Moscows intentions, particularly after Transnistrian authorities appealed to Moscow in February for protection due to what they said was increased pressure from Chisinau. In Georgia, those fears intensified on Tuesday when the countrys parliament overrode a presidential veto of a foreign agents bill that has prompted weeks of protests by critics who say it will restrict media freedom and obstruct Georgias chances of joining the European Union. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week announced that the US would impose travel bans on Georgian officials who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) The bill that was approved by the parliament earlier this month requires media, non-governmental organisations and other non-profit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The legislature, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, dismissed the veto of President Salome Zourabichvili, an independent. The president now has five days to endorse the bill. If she does not do so, the parliament speaker will sign it into law. Ms Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with the governing party, vetoed the bill on May 18. She has accused the governing party of jeopardising the countrys future and hindering the path toward becoming a full member of the free and democratic world. Mr Blinken last week announced that the US would impose travel bans on Georgian officials who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members. Moldova has accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Mr Blinkens announcement did not identify anyone who has already been targeted, but it said the US would also undertake a comprehensive review of US-Georgia co-operation. It remains our hope that Georgias leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nations democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, he said. As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgias actions in deciding our own. The situations in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will all be on the agenda at the Nato ministerial meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday, which will be the alliances last major diplomatic get-together before leaders meet at a summit to celebrate Natos 80th anniversary in Washington in July. The alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader and lead assassin known as "El Nini," wanted for the killing of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential source and several others, was brought into the U.S. in chains on Tuesday, according to the Department of Justice. Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, allegedly the Sinaloa Cartel's lead sicario, or assassin, was extradited on May 25 to face the charges laid out in an indictment in the Southern District of New York and another indictment in Washington, D.C. "Today, El Nini joins the growing list of cartel leaders and associates extradited to the United States and held accountable in an American courtroom," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. "We allege El Nini was one of the Sinaloa Cartel's lead sicarios, or assassins, and was responsible for the murder, torture, and kidnapping of rivals and witnesses who threatened the cartel's criminal drug trafficking enterprise. This includes killing a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential source and killing others in retaliation for the confidential source's cooperation," Garland said. "We also allege El Nini was a part of the Sinaloa Cartel's production and sale of fentanyl, including in the United States. I am grateful to our Mexican government counterparts for their extraordinary efforts in apprehending and extraditing El Nini. The Justice Department will always be relentless in its pursuit of the cartels responsible for flooding our communities with fentanyl and other drugs," Garland said. In the New York indictment, Perez Salas is charged with participating in a continuing criminal enterprise resulting in death; conspiring to import fentanyl into the U.S.; conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl; using, carrying, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the continuing criminal enterprise and the fentanyl importation and trafficking conspiracies; conspiring to use, carry, and possess machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the continuing criminal enterprise and the fentanyl importation and trafficking conspiracies; conspiring to launder money; obstruction of justice by retaliating against an informant through murder; conspiring to obstruct justice by retaliating against an informant through murder; kidnapping resulting in death, including of a minor; and conspiring to commit kidnapping resulting in death, including of a minor. In the District of Columbia indictment, Perez Salas is charged with conspiring to import cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S.; using, carrying, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the cocaine and methamphetamine conspiracy; and conspiracy to obstruct justice by retaliating against a witness and informant through murder. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's most powerful cartels, formerly led by the notorious "El Chapo," Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, and more recently led by his sons, known collectively as the "Chapitos." Perez Salas is allegedly a commander of the "Ninis," described by authorities as a violent group tasked with providing security for the Chapitos. In that role, in October 2023, Perez Salas and sicarios under his command allegedly kidnapped a confidential source and 10 other victims in Mexico - including a U.S. citizen - believed to be connected to the confidential source. They allegedly killed eight of the kidnapped victims, including a 13-year-old boy. -With reporting from TMX. The projects valued at $700 million are aimed at improving the quality of life for Rohingya. Rohingya rest inside a tent in Kwala Langkat Village, Indonesia, a day after dozens of the refugees arrived by boat, May 23, 2024. The Bangladesh authority has approved two projects valued $700 million to improve the quality of life for Rohingya living in Coxs Bazar refugee camps and the southern district host community through loans and grants from the World Bank. The Bangladesh government has taken such a loan from the World Bank for the Rohingya refugees for the first time since providing shelter to about 1 million Rohingya, said Md. Hasan Sarwar of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The two projects were passed during the executive committee meeting of the National Economic Council, he told BenarNews on Tuesday. State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker said the projects will be implemented using loans and grants. Under these two projects we will use the money from the donation to improve the quality of life of the Rohingya people while the amount of loan will be used for the host community, he said. Govt plans to improve camp life The two projects will be implemented between June 2024 and June 2028, according to documents obtained by BenarNews. The first project related to infrastructure construction is called Host and Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals/Displaced Rohingya Population Enhancement of Lives through a Multisectoral Approach Project. Rohingya rest at a refugee camp in Ukhia, southeastern Coxs Bazar district, May 24, 2024. [AFP] The total cost of the project is around $350 million, including $200 million in loans and $126 million in grants. The government will bear about $23.5 million, the document showed. Under the project, road construction and development, installation of an eight-megawatt solar power plant and construction of distribution infrastructure, an increase of safe water supply and sanitation facilities, construction of climate resilient infrastructure, environmental impact and damage assessment will be implemented. The cost of another project titled Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population Project is estimated to be more than $374 million, including a loan of $182 million from the World Bank and a grant of $150 million. Regarding the necessity of the second project, the proposal said that since 2017, Myanmar citizens have been infiltrating Bangladesh, causing a humanitarian crisis in every district of Chittagong Division, including Coxs Bazar, while the socio-economic conditions in those areas have had a negative impact. About 740,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmars Rakhine state to the Coxs Bazar camps following an August 2017 military crackdown pushing the number of refugees in the camps to about 1 million. Despite humanitarian assistance, the Rohingya face acute crises in education, health, food security, nutritional needs, and violence and insecurity, according to aid groups. In recent years, humanitarian aid from development aid agencies has gradually decreased. Rohingya look through the debris of their houses charred by a fire at the Ukhia camp in Coxs Bazar, May 24, 2024. [AFP] According to the project document, Chittagong, Bandarban, Rangamati, Noakhali and Coxs Bazar districts are comparatively far behind in various indicators including health and nutrition. On the other hand, crimes such as gender-based violence, human trafficking, child marriage, polygamy and sexual harassment have increased among local residents since the Rohingya infiltration. There is a possibility of creating a critical situation between the local residents and the Rohingya, the document said. Humayun Kabir, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, told BenarNews that the critical situation can be avoided if the projects are implemented. If the livelihood of the locals is damaged because of the Rohingya refugees, there will be a conflict at one stage, which will not be good for anyone, he said. Muhammed Jubair, acting chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, told BenarNews, The Rohingya fled Myanmar to save their lives but expected to return in a short time. Seven years have already passed. Relief for the Rohingya people has decreased in recent years. This grant from the World Bank will alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya refugees to some extent, he said. The death rate from a bite by a Russells viper is 30% about double that of other snake bites. Saddam Hossain, a private tutor in northwestern Bangladesh, says a snakebite from a Russells viper shattered his family at a time when his mother was already struggling to make ends meet following her husbands death at a young age. Hossain, 33, remembers the day that one of Asias deadliest snakes fatally bit his brother, Sohel Rana, 29, at their village in Rajshahi district. Two years ago, a Russells viper bit him as he went to work in his jute field in our Charfarhadpur village. He died at the hospital after three days of treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH), Hossain told BenarNews. The Russells viper has made a comeback in parts of Bangladesh after being declared an endangered species in the country in the early 2000s. The species is blamed for dozens of fatalities from snake bites in Rajshahi in recent years, according to officials and wildlife experts. Sohel Rana farmed and drove a small pickup, earning about 20,000 taka (U.S. $170) a month, Hossain said, adding he earned about 15,000 taka ($128) per month. My mother was happy, he said. Now, my mother cannot accept death. She has developed cardiac complications and heart diseases, Hossain said, adding he finds it difficult affording her treatment and meeting daily expenses. Recalling the incident, Hossain said his brother was slow to react to the snakebite. He did not take it seriously. Within an hour, his leg swelled and we rushed him to the hospital. The doctors said a Russells viper had bitten him. Days earlier, another person died from a similar bite, according to Hossain, adding that the snake had become a menace in his region. He said Russells vipers, which resemble small pythons and can grow to about 1.8 meters (nearly six feet) long, are found in sandbars adjacent to the Ganges River. Many bite victims are poor farmers. The snake is now a dreaded name across the country. Mainly of the poorest people are the victims of the bites, Md. Abu Saeed, head of Wildlife and Environmental Education, a Bangladesh NGO, told BenarNews. This snake may pose a big challenge in our health system in future, if proper attention is not given. RMCH reported that at least 202 patients came to the hospital with Russells viper bites between January 2018 and December 2023, adding 62 had died despite receiving anti-venom injections. At least seven people died during the first three months of 2024 the most recent occurred on March 29 and involved a woman from Debipur village who died two weeks after receiving treatment. In October 2023, Sumon Mia, a snake charmer, died after being bit on his finger in Faridpur district. Venomous Russells vipers have seen a resurgence in Bangladesh over the last decade, Dec. 22, 2023. [Minhaj Uddin/BenarNews] Abu Shahin, a physician specializing in treating snake bite patients at RMCH, said the treatment for victims of Russells vipers is more difficult than for those bitten by other snakes. Russells viper venom causes multiple complications for the patients. It causes swelling, bleeding, internal hemorrhage and kidney failure, he told BenarNews, adding the death rate is 30%, double that of other snake bites. In addition, the anti-venom used to treat victims is imported from India and used to treat general snake bite cases. A German expert has examined the venom of Bangladesh Russells viper and the Indian Russells viper in a German laboratory. The result shows that the two venoms are different, Shahin said. Saeed said the government did not track snakebite deaths nationwide, but he noted that between 6,000 and 7,500 people die in Bangladesh each year. He said the Russells viper had not been seen in Bangladesh between 2002 and 2012 but made the news in 2013 when one of these snakes fatally bit a youth in greater Rajshahi. In less than 10 years, the snake has reached at least 25 districts covering almost half of the country, Saeed said. The Russells viper is mainly seen in dry areas such as greater Rajshahi. But it has reached even the coastal and marshy districts of Barishal, Patuakhali and Chandpur. Safayet Ahmed Siddiqui, deputy director of the agricultural extension department in the coastal district of Chandpur, said the North Matlab subdistrict beside the Meghna river, which connects with the Ganges river, had reported a concentration of Russells vipers in April and May during the harvest season. The terrified farmers there killed at least 10 snakes and they stayed away from cutting paddy from the field, he said, adding, the district administration issued an advisory. The Russells viper, one of the four large snakes in the Indian subcontinent, is named after the father of Indian ophiology, Scotsman Patrick Russell, who wrote about it in 1796. Researcher Md. Kamrul Hasan, a zoology professor of Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, said the snake has adapted to changing weather conditions and will spread across Bangladesh. He said Russells vipers gave birth to babies instead of laying eggs. An analysis of the Russells viper snakes killed or caught in Bangladesh showed that 80% were female. One female can produce up to 70 babies at a time. This is a dangerous development, Hasan told BenarNews. Russells vipers eat rats and rodents due to expansion of paddy cultivation, the number of rats has grown, resulting in the concentration of Russells viper, he said. At the same time, the reduced number of its predators such as mongoose and foxes contributed to its growth. The indigenous Santal community in the northern region used to poach snakes, rats and other animals on a regular basis, reducing the population of reptiles and others. But in recent years, they have reduced such hunting, Hasan said. While efforts have begun in Bangladesh to develop an effective anti-venom treatment, researcher Saeed said authorities had not paid enough attention to snake bites as many of the victims were poor. Most of the victims of Russells viper and other snake bites are young. The death of a young family member brings poverty and trouble for the family, he said. The government should take this issue into consideration and expedite developing anti-venom for treating Bangladesh Russells viper bite victims, he said. Citizens queue up at the Chiefs Nakamal voting station in Saralana, Port Vila, on 29 May, 2024 to vote in Vanuatus first referendum since independence. Vanuatu was voting on Wednesday in its first referendum since independence, with citizens asked to decide on proposed constitutional amendments aimed at preventing party hopping and curbing political instability in the South Pacific nation. The referendum asks ni-Vanuatu a simple yes or no on whether they support inserting two articles into the constitution that are designed to strengthen the countrys fragmented party system. Advocates hope the changes will stop lawmakers from switching parties and put an end to no-confidence motions that have toppled numerous governments since the end of joint British and French rule in 1980. In 2022-23 alone, Vanuatu had four different prime ministers from four different parties. I voted yes this morning because the country is in chaos, Paul Ren Tari, a former member of parliament from Maemo island, told BenarNews in the capital Port Vila. We lost Air Vanuatu, we lost everything so we have to stabilize the country so that MPs wont jump in and out, said Tari, 60. The referendum proposes changing the constitution so that any lawmaker who leaves or is expelled from a political party during the parliamentary term loses their seat. The second amendment would force MPs to vacate their seat if they do not declare a party affiliation within three months of Parliaments first sitting day. The reforms, which were approved by Vanuatus 52-member parliament in December last year, require a simple majority to be enacted. Results are expected on June 10. Officials have set up 379 polling booths across the archipelago nation of 300,000 people, as well as in Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Casting a referendum ballot in Dumbea Hall voting station in Port Vila, on 29 May, 2024. More than 200,000 citizens are eligible to vote in Vanuatus referendum. [Nikiatu Kuautonga/Island Roots] Minister of Internal Affairs Johnny Koanapo said last week that the governments three-month referendum awareness campaign had been comprehensive and urged people to vote. The amendments, he said, were absolutely necessary to anchor stability. But some voters like David Semenou, from Epi Island, said the referendum had been rushed. I was familiar with the purpose of the referendum, but my view is that the overall population of our nation does not understand, Semenou, 37, told BenarNews outside a polling station in Port Vila. Another voter, Leisong Sisi, from Nguna Island, said people could have benefitted from more awareness on why the referendum was necessary. Vanuatu, about 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) northeast of the Australian city of Brisbane, has long struggled with fractious parliamentary politics and short-lived governments. Although it has seen almost no political violence on the scale of its Melanesian neighbors, numerous governments have been ousted by no-confidence motions. While it is recognised that [the amendments] are not a silver bullet for political instabilities, leaders acknowledged that they need to begin somewhere and walk through a series of political reforms that would certainly contribute to stability, said Gregoire Nimbtik, who has extensive experience working for the Vanuatu government, including most recently as the director-general of the Ministry of the Prime Minister. Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Solomon Islands have introduced similar anti-party hopping laws to mixed results. A statue titled United in Peace We Progress greets parliamentarians and visitors at the entrance to Vanuatus parliament house, pictured on 22 June, 2023. [Ben Bohane/AFP] The lesson from those countries was that legislation with loopholes could easily be exploited by wily politicians, as would almost certainly be the case in Vanuatu, according to Jon Fraenkel, a comparative politics professor at Victoria University of Wellington. The best case scenario is they dont work and dont have any effect, he told BenarNews. The worst case is that they create enormous political tensions and lots of court litigation. The amendments were poorly drafted and contained plenty of scope for abuse, Fraenkel said. The first amendment, 17A, empowers the speaker and party presidents to impose discipline, but many parties internal rules were not strong enough to ensure this authority was not misused, he said. It is left up to party presidents to expel members if they are believed to have defied the party constitution, so it requires the constitutions are very well written, he said. Then if the party president decides that, he refers the matter to the speaker. But the speaker is a political appointee, so therefore they are likely to take action only if it is in their interest. Amendment 17B was even more problematic because it was an attempt to limit independent members and one-person parties from parliament, Fraenkel said. Vanuatus parliament house (right) in the capital Port Vila - built with Chinese aid and opened in 1993 - pictured on 11 November, 2022. [Stefan Armbruster] The government was dealt some good news on Monday when the Supreme Court of Vanuatu dismissed a judicial review challenging the referendum. The so-called No group had argued that outlawing changes of political allegiance during a parliamentary term and banning independents was unconstitutional. But Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek rejected the lawsuit, lifting a final hurdle for the vote to commence. Politicians were working around the clock to reform their party constitutions to make them more democratic, transparent and accountable alongside the amendments, said Nimbtik. It is believed that this will provide checks and balances and also create a democratic decision-making process, he said, adding the Political Parties Registration Act passed late last year was aimed to aid this process. Many voters hope the constitutional amendments will improve government decision-making and delivery of services. When I heard that this referendum would take place, I felt that I had to participate, Semenou said. If the vote for the referendum and reform is successful, there will be a more stable government and we can have more development. Beijings new threat of detaining fishermen in South China Sea waters it considers its own marks an escalation in maritime tensions, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday. He was commenting in public for the first time on the Chinese coast guards newly issued orders that call for the maritime force to detain foreign vessels and crew suspected of trespassing into Beijing-claimed waters in the disputed waterway. The order is to take effect June 15. China earlier this month began enforcing an annual four-month fishing ban in the contested waters. The new policy of threatening to detain our own citizens, that is different. That is an escalation of the situation. So, yes, it is now very worrisome, Marcos told reporters, according to a statement released by his communications office. Marcos was speaking in Brunei, where he wrapped up a state visit before going to Singapore, where he is scheduled to give a keynote speech on Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-level international security conference. Marcos is expected to highlight the South China Sea during his speech in Singapore. Top political and security leaders from dozens of countries, including from rival superpowers the United States and China, are expected to attend the Shangri-La meetings. On May 15, the Chinese coast guard issued an order authorizing its personnel to detain for up to 30 days and 60 days, in some cases foreign boats and nationals suspected of trespassing in South China Sea waters claimed by Beijing. Manila hit back days later, calling the order illegal and warning against repercussions if it was implemented. The Philippines has also formally protested this years fishing ban by China. The four-month fishing moratorium began on May 1 and is to last until Sept. 16 in areas in the South China Sea that are north of the 12 degrees North latitude." That includes waters considered to be part of Manilas exclusive economic zone. Filipino fishermen have threatened to defy the detention order, and the Philippine Coast Guard said it was ready to aid them in case they were harassed. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addresses business leaders in Brunei, May 29, 2024. [Presidential Communications Office] China said the new policy aims to standardize law enforcement and better uphold maritime order. It is consistent with universal practices. Individuals and entities have no need for concern as long as they have not done anything illicit, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a regular press conference on Wednesday. [It] is the Philippines, not China, that has escalated the situation and made repeated provocations in the South China Sea, she told reporters. Chinas door of dialogue and communication with the Philippines remains open, but its important to note that dialogue requires sincerity and whatever is agreed in dialogue must be acted upon, rather than talking about the need for dialogue while continuing to make provocations. In Brunei, Marcos said Manila was pursuing back-channel efforts with China to try and cool down bilateral tensions over the waterway, especially in Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), which both countries claim. The shoals lie within Manilas exclusive economic zone, but Beijing lately has been intercepting Filipino boats trying to reach waters around them. You should try everything. You dont know what effort is going to be successful, Marcos said. So, (at) any point of contact that I can establish I will use it, and at every level, at the leaders level, at the ministerial, sub-ministerial, private as long as it gives us, brings us progress in terms of resolving these (territorial problems). And if we can get to that, then we can move to the next step and to see if there is a way to resolve all these claims and so that we can all go about our business in a peaceful way and continue to try and develop our countries. There are always, always efforts at every level, he said. The Philippines, China, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam as well as Taiwan have competing claims in the South China Sea. A significant recalibration Marcos upcoming speech in Singapore reflects how the international community is keeping a close eye on the South China Sea, considered a geopolitical flashpoint, according to an expert based in Manila. Many countries are watching the Philippines because the country is undergoing a significant recalibration of its foreign and security policy, geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill told BenarNews. Manila intends to play an active role in securing the established order in the Indo-Pacific through securing its sovereignty and sovereign rights based on international law, he said. But while it would significantly increase Marcos profile, his speech is unlikely to be a game changer for Chinas policy trajectory towards Manila, Gill said. China claims historical rights over most of the South China Sea, although a landmark international arbitration ruling in 2016, in a case brought by Manila against Beijing, rejected those claims entirely. Jeoffrey Maitem contributed to this report from Manila. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (center), joined by his son, Phantongtae, and his daughter, Pinthongta, arrives at Don Muang airport in Bangkok, Aug. 22, 2023. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who managed to wiggle out of an eight-year prison sentence after returning from a 16-year self-exile is facing a new legal challenge over alleged insults against the monarchy uttered nine years ago. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) announced Wednesday that it issued an order to file a lese-majeste charge against Thaksin over a 2015 interview in South Korea during which he allegedly made critical comments about the monarchy during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died a year later. The court in Bangkok delayed the hearing until June 18 after defense lawyers said that Thaksin, 74, and apparently in ill health already, was suffering from COVID-19. Thailands new government, which took power last September, is a coalition headed by Thaksins Pheu Thai party and includes partners with ties to the old junta. This postponement does not affect the fairness of the proceedings or the attorney generals opinion, said Prayuth Petchkhun, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General. The spokesman said the attorney general had sufficient evidence to prosecute, but said he could not disclose details about the case. In 2015, Thai website Khaosod English published a report on Thaksins statement to the South Korean website Chosun Media while noting it had been edited to comply with lese-majeste, Thailands strict law that guards against royal defamation. Speaking in Thai above Korean subtitles, Thaksin alleged that traditional elites helped engineer the anti-government protests that culminated in the coup that overthrew his sisters government twelve months ago, the Khaosod report said. Thaksin went on to say that when authorities wanted to remove him and his sister, Yingluck, from office, the military assisted an anti-government leader, identified as Suthep Thaugsuban, during months of protests. He said the military takeover against Yingluck had played out like what I had been through. Thaksin fled Thailand after a 2006 military coup toppled his government his sister suffered a similar fate in May 2014. While Thaksin returned home in August 2023, Yingluck still lives in exile. On Feb. 16, 2016, the attorney general accepted the case against Thaksin on a charge of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crimes Act. The article is also known as lese-majeste. Efforts to try Thaksin resumed following his return to Thailand. On Wednesday, spokesman Prayuth said Thaksins lawyers had presented a medical certificate and asked to reschedule the hearing until June 25. Prosecutors instead scheduled the hearing for one week earlier, June 18, but have not determined if they would challenge his bail request. Opposing bail has its principles, such as whether the defendant will interfere with evidence, flee, or cause harm to the justice system. These are the issues that need to be considered, Prayuth said. Meanwhile, defense lawyer Winyat Chatmontree told reporters that Thaksin was running a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) and was being treated at home. We believe that Thaksin is ready to prove himself and his innocence in the judicial process. There are several issues we are contesting, such as the video clip used as evidence. We believe it is not the original clip and we have scientific evidence to support that it has been edited, Winyat said. Nakane Thongpraiwan, an attorney generals office deputy spokesman, said Thaksin would face repercussions if he failed to show up in court on June 18. If on that day, Thaksin still does not appear and there is no notification of any impediment, the prosecutors will proceed with the next steps by issuing a letter to the police or investigating officers to bring the suspect to court within a specified timeframe, Nakane said. 2023 return Thaksin returned to Thailand on Aug. 22, 2023, the same day that MPs elected Srettha Thavisin as the new prime minister. Srettha succeeded Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the former army chief who served as prime minister after leading the military coup to oust Yingluck in 2014. Taken into custody by police following his arrival, Thaksin never spent a full night in prison because the Department of Corrections transferred him to a hospital for medical treatment. Soon after his return, Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in prison but he received a royal pardon from King Rama X that reduced his sentence to one year. The sentence was related to three corruption cases during Thaksins tenure as prime minister. He was released from the hospital in February before serving a full year and subsequently began meeting with supporters and close political figures. Aware of the outstanding lese-majeste charge, which carries a potential 15-year sentence, Thaksins lawyers submitted a petition requesting his temporary release during a potential trial because he was not able to gather evidence for the case while abroad. On Feb. 19, prosecutors allowed him to be released on bail after he posted a 500,000 baht (U.S. $13,586) bond. Big boss Thanaporn Sriyakul, chairman of the Political Science Association at Kasetsart University, said he expected Thaksins legal team to launch a strong challenge. As for why the big boss (Thaksin) is facing charges under Article 112, I wont delve into the case details, but the prosecutors have likely considered the legal elements and determined that they meet the criteria, he told BenarNews. Regarding the outcome of the case, without seeing the details of the indictment, its not possible to make a definitive statement as it would be speculation however, the big boss himself will likely fight the case to the fullest extent and seek bail. Thanaporn said it appeared that Thaksins recent political activities were aimed at helping his younger sister, Yingluck, return to Thailand. What the big boss has been trying to do recently is to keep the Pheu Thai Party in the most advantageous position and continue to exercise power. His mission is to prevent the orange (Move Forward) party from succeeding because if he doesnt do anything, his sister wont be able to come home, Thanaporn said. Advocacy group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said that more than 270 people were facing charges under Article 112 last week, a lawmaker from the opposition Move Forward Party and a pop star-turned-activist were sentenced for violating lese-majeste. Earlier this month, a 28-year-old activist who had been on a hunger strike after being charged with violating the law died while in custody at the Medical Correctional Hospital. Based in the Thai beachside city of Pattaya, the group took control of Americans computers to apply for funds. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued sanctions against three Thailand-based Chinese nationals for their alleged role in a cybercrime operation that took control of Americans computers to secure billions of dollars of COVID-19 relief funds. Yunhe Wang, Jingping Liu, and Yanni Zheng ran the 911 S5 botnet, which took control of computers and allowed cybercriminals to proxy their internet connections through these compromised computers to make it appear as if the victims were carrying out the cybercrimes, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement. The botnet controlled some 19 million I.P. addresses, which executed the submission of tens of thousands of fraudulent applications under the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, allegedly resulting in billions of dollars being wrongly disbursed. Computers compromised by the botnet later made bomb threats throughout the United States in July 2022, the statement said. Yunhe Wang, 35, allegedly led the scheme, while Jingping Liu, 58, is named as co-conspirator for laundering funds using cryptocurrency. Both are listed by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control as living in the Reflection Jomtien Beach condo building in Chonburi provinces Pattaya City. A real estate listing describes it as the epitome of luxury living on the serene shores of Pattaya. Yanni Zheng, 50, meanwhile, allegedly ran Yunhe Wangs main company, Spicy Code Company Limited, and purchased real estate on his behalf, including luxury beachfront properties in Thailand. She is listed as living south of Pattaya, in neighboring Sattahip district. All three also gained citizenship of the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in May 2022, according to the Treasury Department. In addition to the three individuals, the Treasury Department also issued sanctions against Spicy Code Company Limited and two other companies with alleged ties to Yunhe Wang: Tulip Biz Pattaya Group Company Limited and Lily Suites Company Limited. Under the sanctions, American citizens, residents and companies are prohibited from doing business with the individuals and companies targeted, including providing banking or other services. The sanctions were the result of a joint investigation between the U.S. Commerce Department, the FBI and local authorities in both Thailand and Singapore, the Treasury Department statement said. Wong-akuea Boonson, a spokesperson for Thailands Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, declined to comment on the case. We have not received any reports regarding this matter, Boonson told BenarNews. However, our ongoing policy is to manage and monitor online crimes, with a primary focus on educating the Thai population about cyber safety. Radio Free Asia (RFA), a news service affiliated with BenarNews, produced this report. Kunnawut Boonreak in Bangkok contributed reporting from BenarNews. A Michigan judge was dumbfounded when a man with a suspended driver's license joined a court Zoom hearing while behind the wheel of a car. It happened earlier this month in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Corey Harris entered Judge Cedric Simpson's online court hearing while he was driving. "Mr Harris are you driving?" Simpson asked. "Actually, I'm pulling into my doctor's office," Harris replied. "Just give me one second. I'm parking right now." A public defender representing Harris quickly asked the judge for an adjournment. "OK, so maybe I don't understand something. This is a driving while license suspended [case], and he was just driving, and he didn't have a license," Simpson said. The public defender then confirmed he was driving without a license. "I don't even know why he would do that," a stunned Simpson said. The judge revoked Harris's bond. He was ordered to turn himself in to the Washington County jail by 6 p.m. that day. He was warned that if he didn't show up on time a warrant would be issued for his arrest with no bond. This is actually the second time this has happened in Michigan in recent years. In 2021, another man with a suspended license was held in contempt after a video of him joining a Zoom hearing from his car, Business Insider reported. BENNINGTON One of three remaining defendants in a wild shootout between rival Massachusetts-based gangs in Pownal in 2022 was in face-to-face negotiations with prosecutors Tuesday at the Bennington courthouse. Odalys Velez-Perez, 23, from Springfield, Massachusetts, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree as part of a group of rival Massachusetts gangs who shot up a Pownal residence during a drug turf war. Velez-Perez, 21 at the time, was allegedly involved in the shootout against a rival gang associated with the Latin Kings in Springfield. They had vacated a residence only to return in an attempt to reclaim the residence, known in gang terms as a trap, a place gangs take over from an addicted individual to sell drugs. According to a Vermont State Police affidavit, troopers responded to 1342 Route 7 in Pownal a known trap in January 2022 for a report of a shooting with multiple rounds fired. Troopers arrived at the residence and found significant damage, including bullet strikes, several spent shells, and numerous broken windows. A ghost gun firearm was found on the frozen ground outside. Police located the leaseholders of the residence, who informed them that several individuals from Massachusetts, including Velez-Perez, part of the 03 gang from the Springfield area, were using the house to sell drugs. In exchange, the individuals provided drugs to the leaseholders. On the night of the shooting, one of the leaseholders noticed multiple vehicles pulling up the homes driveway. Several individuals wearing masks and carrying guns came out of two cars and approached the residence. Individuals inside the apartment opened fire, and those from the vehicles fired back with AK-47s and 9 mm handguns. The leaseholder escaped from a side window as the bullets flew all over the place. Video surveillance shows the muzzle flashes coming from outside the residence. Four individuals, including Velez-Perez, can be seen exiting the home after the vehicles depart, one individual carrying an AK-47. Velez-Perez is allegedly seen in the video holding a handgun. It was later confirmed that the individuals who drove up to the home were members of an affiliate gang to the Latin Kings out of the Springfield area of Massachusetts. After a lengthy investigation, arrest warrants were issued for four individuals, including Velez-Perez. Giovanni Torres, also from Massachusetts, turned himself in to authorities soon after the warrant was issued. He recently took a plea deal that dismissed an attempted murder charge. Torres pleaded to a single count of aggravated assault. He was given a 5-11-year sentence, all suspended except for two years to serve. He will also be on supervision for five years in Massachusetts. Luis Baez, 39, is currently charged with attempted murder in the Pownal shootout and is awaiting trial in the case. He is being held without bail at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport until the trial. John Pena Baez is the fourth individual charged in the Pownal shootout. Baez, from the Springfield area of Massachusetts, is also charged in a second attempted murder case in Bennington. Police charge that he shot an individual on Pleasant Street in 2022 as part of a drug sale gone wrong. Pena-Baez is also charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and aiding in the commission of murder in the shooting death of teenager Isaiah Rodriguez along a rural, snow-covered road in Danby in February 2022. Rodriguez, part of the gang at the Pownal residence during the shootout, was just three days shy of his 18th birthday. Also from Springfield, Mass., Rodriguez was found shot dead and discarded on the side of a rural dirt road high in the mountains in Danby in early February 2022. His frozen body was found lying in the snow about 10 feet from the roadway, with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. Isaiah was wearing a black winter coat and sport-slide summer sandals on his feet. It was reported by sources that Rodriguez had run afoul of the gang leadership and was taken to a remote location to be killed the night before. Pena-Baez is currently in Federal lockup in Vermont on gun and drug charges. An outstanding warrant has been filed, and a retainer exists to transport him to Bennington when his federal case concludes. Three other individuals are also charged in Rodriguezs death, including Elijah Johnson, who is also accused of murder as one of the shooters. Two other individuals are charged with aiding in the murder. Velez-Perez turned herself into sheriffs deputies at the courthouse soon after her arrest warrant was issued. It is believed Velez-Perez might receive a deal close to the one Torres received on the same charge in his plea deal with prosecutors. According to a source in the state prosecutors office, negotiations continue face-to-face in the possible deal. These types of face-to-face talks with the defendant present are unusual, usually done behind the scenes between lawyers. Nothing has officially been filed with the court. It is also unclear if Velez-Perez or Torres, as part of their deals, might help prosecutors in their upcoming cases against Baez or Pena-Baez. According to documents from an investigator with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) who has been in the Bennington area investigating gang-related activity since 2021, HSI has seen numerous suspected gang-affiliated individuals coming to Vermont from cities in Hampden County, Massachusetts, including Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. A majority of those gang members and associates are engaged in the illegal distribution of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and other controlled substances. In addition, these gangs often seek to obtain firearms unlawfully from Vermont residents. While some of the individuals are affiliated with national gangs like the Latin Kings, the vast number of them are affiliated with hybrid local gangs. These hybrid gangs tend to be loosely organized around small geographic sections of Western Massachusetts cities. These hybrid gangs, complete with gang hand signs and slang terms, are the more prominent organizations in Vermont. The Banner will keep updating this story as information becomes available. SOUTH CAROLINA The murder suspect in a brutal stabbing homicide in Pownal, Vermont in February has been arrested while on the run by authorities in South Carolina. Elizah Coppedge, 18, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, has been taken into custody in South Carolina as a fugitive from justice in Vermont by the Greenwood City Police on May 19th. Jail records show that Coppedge is being held at the Greenwood County Detention Center in Greenwood, South Carolina. Coppedge is wanted in Vermont on a warrant for second-degree murder arising from the Feb. 6, 2024, stabbing death in Pownal of 36-year-old Casey Gras of Bennington. An arrest warrant was issued in early April for the Chicopee, Massachusetts teen after a brutal stabbing incident in February that left one man dead in the roadway of a Pownal trailer park as local children made their way home from school. According to an affidavit in the case, police were called to Chickadee Drive at about 3 p.m. for a 911 report of a male lying in the road, not breathing. Vermont State Police located the male dressed in underwear and a T-shirt with cut and puncture wounds to his torso minutes later lying near a fence in the roadway. Rescue personnel attempted first aid, which was unsuccessful. The male, later identified as Gras, was pronounced dead 41 minutes later. An autopsy found the cause of death to be stab wounds to the abdomen and upper body, and the manner of death a homicide. Witnesses told police Gras was in the passenger seat of a Subaru in front of 374 Chickadee Drive, arguing with another individual. The argument soon escalated, with a witness seeing the other male, wearing a large knife sheath on his waist, standing outside the open passenger door, punching Gras. Gras exited the vehicle, and the fighting continued. The witness then noticed Gras walking toward his property as the other male knocked on the door of the trailer the Subaru was parked in front of, yelling to let him in. The witness told Gras to get off his property as the other male walked toward Gras. Gras mortally wounded ran across the dirt roadway for about 30 feet, moaning in pain, then collapsed next to a tall fence just as the neighborhood schoolchildren were let off the school bus. Parents, meeting them before police arrived, tried to shield their eyes. A short time later, emergency medical services arrived and worked on Gras, where he collapsed. He was declared dead at the scene about 15 minutes later. Video surveillance taken minutes after the incident from a neighboring property showed two individuals, a male, and a female, wearing hoods that concealed their faces, walking quickly away from the trailer, followed by another male wearing a mask and carrying a backpack lagging behind. Police believe those individuals to be a female resident of the trailer, Misty Chandler, Coppedge, and another individual believed to be involved named Jacob Lundy. A different witness revealed that the three suspects, walking on NW Hill Road, entered the woods near a culvert before being picked up by a white-colored SUV. The witness provided photographs of the three suspects to police. According to police, all were believed to be the three suspects leaving the scene of the murder. A later search of the trailer at 374 Chickadee Drive revealed blood stain evidence inside. Police also located a fixed-blade knife with blood stains on the blade on a hutch in the living room of the residence. About 9 p.m. on the same day, Massachusetts State Police executed a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Four individuals were inside the vehicle, including Misty Chandler, Jacob Lundy, and Elizah Coppedge. The fourth was an Uber driver. Police found suspected controlled substances and drug paraphernalia inside, as well as outstanding warrants for Coppedge, who was taken into custody. As he was being processed after his arrest, a wallet allegedly fell out of Coppedges clothes. Inside the wallet was a Vermont identification card belonging to Nathan Gray. The Massachusetts court system released Coppedge after his arrest. According to the affidavit, seized cellphone data and interviews with several suspects and acquaintances later revealed that Nathan Gray told police he had given Gras the wallet just before the two entered the Pownal trailer and that Gras had put the wallet inside his backpack. Gras, allegedly a drug user, and Gray had driven to Pownal to purchase drugs. When they got there, several individuals appeared from a back room of the residence and assaulted Gras and Gray, stripping Gras down to his underwear and socks. Gray, at some point in the beating, was able to escape the trailer and fled in the vehicle they arrived in. An embedded social media video seized as part of a search warrant revealed all three individuals singing inside the residence at the Pownal trailer park just four hours before the homicide. Several still photos allegedly show Coppedge and someone holding an identical knife to the one found with blood stains inside the trailer, according to the affidavit. It was determined that the photo was taken the same day as the murder, just moments after the 911 call of the stabbing. A text from the phone shows the photo of the knife and the words, I just did sun really bad, followed by the return text, Get tf OUTTA VERMONT RIGHT NOW BRO. Neighbors inside the trailer park after the murder said they feared for their children, and all of the drug dealing has decimated the park. Coppedge is facing a possible life sentence with a presumptive 20-year minimum behind bars if he is found guilty. He is expected to remain in custody in South Carolina pending extradition to Vermont to face the murder charge. It is unknown when that might happen or if Coppedge will waive extradition rights back to Vermont. The Banner will update this story as information becomes available. ORAL HISTORY In 'Days of Memory,' author Judith Monachina shares the stories of Jewish Italians who survived fascism and the Holocaust LEE A teacher colleague of Meghan Marohn's who she had claimed had stalked her had a solid alibi during the weekend she came to the Berkshires and then went missing, according to police. Police also speculated that Marohn may have been in "an advanced hypothermic state" before she died, according to investigation documents The Eagle obtained from the Berkshire District Attorneys Office through a public records request. Sgt. James Cross of the Bethlehem, N.Y., Police Department had investigated the male teachers whereabouts during the days in late March 2022 when Marohn had an emotional upset and took a leave of absence, heading east to the Berkshires for a respite, one of the police reports say. Marohn and the male teacher, whose name is redacted from the report, worked at Shaker High School in Latham, N.Y. The teacher's alibi for the weekend in question included working late on Friday and doing a presentation for an online class for his masters degree program on Saturday. He spent Sunday at home, then went to his bands practice session that afternoon. He then picked up Chinese food, the report says, and went home and had dinner with his family. Marohn had previously accused the colleague of sexual harassment, the report says. School officials found no merit in the allegations, but set up guidelines to keep a distance between them. The investigation and search for Marohn, 38, an English teacher, poet and activist, began after a resident of Church Street in South Lee saw her car unattended for two days beginning Sunday, March 27, at the trailhead parking area of Longcope Park a preserve with walking trail loop through the woods. The last person who said they saw Marohn was a staffer at The Red Lion Inn, where Marohn was staying, shortly after lunch on Sunday. It wasnt until Sept. 1 that a resident came upon her skull in a heavily wooded area near Fox Drive in Lee. Dental records were used to identify it as Marohns, but the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was unable to determine a cause of death. This left speculation about her death to flourish, particularly on social media. Speculation was fueled by true crime" YouTubers. Some were convinced her disappearance was related to that of several other women who went missing in the Berkshires, despite detectives having ruled that out. The Berkshire District Attorneys Office closed the case, but has said it would reopen it should new evidence surface. The investigation reports reveal previously undisclosed details that appear to close some doors of speculation, while opening others. TWISTS AND TURNS The April 2, 2022, police narrative by Lee Police Sgt. Stephanie Burdick details the timing of the male teachers whereabouts that weekend, as well as a slew of other tips and evidence local and State Police were busy tracking down. This includes making note of the leftovers from Marohns Saturday room service meal at the Red Lion, of clam chowder soup, turkey dinner and a drink, dark and stormy. Police say they found all this as she had left it, and no evidence of foul play in the hotel room. The police report includes calls from psychics about where to look for Marohn, and a conversation with a Church Street resident who saw her talking to a man in a small light-colored/grey pick up truck (possibly a Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma) on Sunday at Longcope Park. That resident said he was leaf blowing when he saw them. He later said he had been wrong he must have seen them on Saturday, since during the ice storm on Sunday he wouldnt have been using his leaf blower. It includes another Church Street neighbor finding ripped mens boxer briefs hung from the Longcope Park signpost below a photo of Marohn. Police took the briefs into evidence on April 11. That same neighbor had also called the previous evening to report a suspicious male part walking on Church Street wearing only one shoe. Police say they never found the man. And it includes police learning that a former colleague of Marohns said that Virginia Woolf was Marohn's favorite author, and that Woolf had killed herself on March 28, 1941, by filling her pockets with rocks and [walked] into a nearby river, drowning herself. Police searched a nearby pond with side scan sonar. They also checked the Onyx Mill dam, and downstream on the Housatonic River. Two teams on kayaks outfitted with underwater cameras completing 5.4 miles to Glendale, the report says. Police also found that on March 23, Marohn traveled to Canna Provisions in Lee, and alone bought five packages of Strawberry Gummies for $240 cash. The store manager reviewed surveillance footage and found that since September 2021, Meghan has been at the shop 18 times, 5 times during the month of March [2022]. There were false turns. And more than a few odd ones. A convenience store clerk, who admitted she lied to police about Marohn having been in the store and making purchases, also told police she had given purchase receipts of March 27 transactions to a woman named Ellen who had asked for receipts purported to be Marohn's. "Ellen" apparently passed them to police. Police reviewed surveillance and found that Marohn was not in the store that day, and also found that the transactions weren't made by her. Police then found themselves on a dirt road in Tyringham, collecting a long ponytail of human hair as evidence in the case. The cut hair, intact with a band, was found by a resident walking along Jerusalem Road. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office said the hair was never tested because the color did not match Marohns and cut hair holds no hair root which is where the DNA would be. Police also ran into roadblocks. The Albany County Sheriffs Department, for instance, said it wasnt able to help subpoena Marohns medical records to help them learn what might have happened to her. And while guesswork about the male colleague as an alleged stalker has abounded online, police also floated a theory based on some of the clothing they found within 100 to 150 yards of her remains. Marohn appeared to have shed her clothes due to an advanced hypothermic state," a State Police investigator wrote in his report. The weather during the time of Meghans disappearance, the investigator wrote, was snowy, windy, and day time temperatures in the low [30s]. What indicated this to him, the investigator added, was that her clothing did not have noticeable blood nor showed signs of animals chewing or ripping the clothing to get to the remains. The alibi of Marohns male colleague who is married and has two children began with his working late Friday, March 25, and then continuing to do remote work at home, the Lee Police report says. On Saturday, he had on-line class from 10:00a-12:30p, and had a presentation, as part of his masters degree work. He was at home for the balance of the day. On Sunday, the male teacher was at home, then had band practice from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. He then, police say, picked up the Chinese food and went home to eat with his family. Marohn had accused her colleague of stalking her as he drives by her house often, the report notes. But school officials told police that she can not confirm that it is actually him, but the truck is similar to his. He adamantly denied, police wrote of their interview with the colleague, driving by her house; he states that he doesnt even know where she lives. Investigators work at the scene of the shooting on Columbus Avenue in Pittsfield in August 2019. Tyler Sumner is on trial in Berkshire Superior Court for allegedly shooting Stephanie Olivieri, who was seated in her car parked on Columbus Avenue, above. Jurors on Tuesday visited the scene. PITTSFIELD Three cannabis retailers will get a combined payout of more than $780,000 as part of a settlement between the city and the businesses over community impact fees. The City Council voted 10-1 with council Vice President Earl Persip III voting in opposition to allow the city solicitor to use $786,625 in the citys free cash to settle ongoing legal disputes with Temescal Wellness, Berkshire Roots and Bloom Brothers. Under the settlement agreements, Temescal will receive $360,375, Berkshire Roots will receive $341,000 and Bloom Brothers will receive $85,250; the city makes no admission of liability. What we settled for now is less than what each of the companies paid into, Mayor Peter Marchetti said. If we were to go to trial and lose the conditions of that would be far greater than the monies that they owed us. The mayor added that if the city lost the suits, it was facing not only paying back the fees collected from the businesses, but also coming up with double digit daily interest payments on that money as well. Marchetti said on Tuesday evening that the councils vote completes a settlement process that has been months in the making. Since Feb. 13, the council has met in multiple executive sessions during council meetings to discuss strategy with respect to cannabis litigation. Marchetti said those sessions initially discussed what the citys position was in the case brought against it first by Bloom Brothers and later by the other two cannabis sellers, but then switched to updates on the citys attempt to settle. In April 2022, Bloom Brothers chief executive Nathan Girard sued the city for a breach of contract on Pittsfields part. The suit said that Bloom Brothers entered into a host community agreement with the city in following state law around licensing the business at 2 Larch Road. As part of that agreement, Bloom Brothers was required to pay the city an annual community impact fee. State law allowed municipalities to include these fees in their agreements with cannabis stores to allow the city to recoup costs related to the businesses things like additional wear and tear on infrastructure or an increased need for public safety spending. Under the agreement signed by the city and Bloom Brothers, annual fees charged to the business ramped up over the course of five years from $60,000 to $200,000. Bloom Brothers claims in fillings in Berkshire Superior that it paid $110,000 in community impact fees to the city the amount that would have covered the first year and a half of the agreement. Thomas MacMillan, the attorney for the business, wrote in the filing that the city failed to prove that Bloom Brothers had actually had $110,000 worth of impact on city services or infrastructure. MacMillans filing on behalf of Bloom Brothers follows a similar playbook to a case overseen by the attorney in Uxbridge. In that case, Caroline's Cannabis received $1.17 million or about 80 percent of what it paid to Uxbridge after the town settled with the business. State law allowed municipalities to charge up to 3 percent of gross sales for a limited period of time. Pittsfield instead chose to write a host community agreement that used a standardized lump sum. The city received its last community impact fee payment in early February 2022. The Uxbridge case, as well as clarification of the state law in August 2022 around how much and by what measure cities can charge impact fees, started a wave of lawsuits across the state. In November 2022, the city of Boston returned $3 million in impact fees to local cannabis businesses, according to the Boston Globe. Locally, four Great Barrington businesses are suing for a return of their community impact fees. While some councilors said after the meeting Tuesday that the settlement was the right call for the city, Persip remained staunch in his disagreement. The councilor said that he sees this as a failure of state leaders to solve an issue he feels they created. He said Pittsfielders are being punished because the payments are coming out of their free cash, because the state decided not to take this up in the right way to deal with it after they changed the law. I'm disappointed, quite frankly, in the companies that were willing and able [to do this] that had attorneys in the room and they all read these rules and regs and they knew what they were doing, he added. South Korea is accusing North Korea of sending more than 150 balloons carrying "filth and garbage" over the countries' shared border in retaliation against a long-standing leafleting campaign by pro-democracy activists in the South. Citizens were alerted by South Korean armed forces that "suspicious objects" believed to be from North Korea were "identified in the front-line areas" late on Tuesday night, according to the Financial Times. Seoul released images of large white balloons carrying bags as well as garbage from one of the balloons scattered over a highway in a western district of the South Korean capital. Unverified media reports in South Korea allege some of the bags contained animal feces. "This move by North Korea is a clear violation of international law and seriously threatens the safety of our people," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. "We issue a stern warning that it must immediately stop its anti-humanitarian and low-level actions." The balloon droppings follow North Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il's warning on Sunday that Pyongyang would respond to balloon launches by South Korean activists by distributing "mounds of waste paper and filth over border areas and the interior of [South Korea]." Pyongyang has long criticized South Korea for allowing its activists to release balloons into the North carrying items ranging from anti-regime leaflets and electronic devices to medication and Bibles. The practice was initially banned by Moon Jae-in, South Korea's former left-wing president, but was tolerated under the country's conservative administration until the ban was thrown out altogether by its constitutional court last year. In 2022, Pyongyang blamed the balloons for a massive coronavirus outbreak in the country, attributing a rise in cases to "alien things coming by wind." North Korea sent five unmanned aerial vehicles into South Korean airspace later that year, with one surveillance drone breaching a special no-fly zone surrounding the South Korean president's office and the headquarters of the country's joint chiefs of staff. Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute think tank in Seoul, explained, "North Korea regards the balloons from the South as acts of psychological warfare and perhaps even as attempts to probe the effectiveness of their air defenses, and so they respond in kind." On Monday, North Korea attempted to launch a military reconnaissance satellite into space; however, the attempt failed after the rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. While North Korea claims to have successfully launched its first military spy satellite into orbit last year, the regime's leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Tuesday to press on with the program, calling South Korea's condemnation of this week's launch "hysterical." "Despite the advances North Korea has made with its satellite program, its technical sophistication still leaves a lot to be desired," said Ward. "Much easier to launch a sack full of dung instead," Ward remarked. The New Testament emphasizes Jesus as our high priest, who perpetually intercedes for us with the Father and defends us against the accuser, the devil. Hebrews 4:14-16 proclaims, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet he did not sin. Let us then approach Gods throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Since Jesus lived as a human, both his empathy and sinlessness qualify him to represent humanity before God. Further, Hebrews 7:24-25 highlights Jesus unending priesthood: But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Unlike the Levitical priests, whose service ended with death, Jesus priesthood is eternal. He continually intercedes for believers, ensuring their salvation. Jesus intercession is also depicted in Romans 8:34, which states, Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Here, Paul reassures believers that no condemnation can prevail against them because Jesus, who overcame death, advocates for them at Gods right hand. Scripture describes the Devil as both a liar (John 8:44) and an accuser of the brethren, Christians (Revelation 12:10-11). The Devil accuses Jesus followers before God (Job 1), and he accuses God before us (Genesis 3:1-6). In every situation, Satan accuses. And he designs his temptations to condemn to death and destruction. At the same time, all his accusations are lies. Therefore, after the resurrection, Jesus now stands at the right hand of God before the throne and intercedes on our behalf. As the Son, he appeals to the Father for our salvation and good, and he defends us from the Satans accusations. Christ continually and eternally intercedes for us, combating the enemys lies with the truth, since he is the Truth. Followers of Jesus also join him in this prayer. Photo credit: Getty Images/artplus President Trump came out and spoke to reporters shortly after the jury began deliberations in his New York hush money trial. "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Trump said after repeating his frequent claim that the judge in the case is conflicted and corrupt. Trump also mocked "Goodfellas" actor Robert De Niro for his press conference outside the courthouse on Tuesday. "He's a fool. He's a broken-down fool standing out there," Trump said. "He got MAGA'd out there." Judge Juan M. Merchan spent more than an hour on Wednesday morning giving instructions to the jury on how to conduct their deliberations. Trump faces 34 charges in connection with a $130,000 payment made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels. The 12-member jury could decide to convict him on all charges, some charges or acquit him. The seven men and five women who make up the jury have to agree on any decision. If they deadlock, Judge Juan M. Merchan could declare a mistrial and prosecutors would have to decide if they want to retry Trump. Federal Judge Aileen Cannon rejected the prosecution's request for a gag order in former President Donald Trump's classified documents court case on Tuesday because the prosecutors failed to communicate with the defense before requesting an order from the judge. Trump is currently awaiting trial in federal court after a grand jury indicted the former president on 40 counts of mishandling classified documents. The indictment followed a Federal Bureau of Investigations probe after federal officials realized that Trump failed to return classified documents at the end of his presidency. The former president has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Cannon described special counsel Jack Smith's decision to ask for the order on a Friday, before a holiday weekend, without extensive conferral with the defense as "wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy." "Because the filing of the Special Counsel's Motion did not adhere to these basic requirements, it is due to be denied without prejudice," Cannon wrote, adding, "it should go without saying that meaningful conferral is not a perfunctory exercise." Cannon will allow the prosecution to request a gag order, in the future, but only if they first give Trump's team "sufficient time" to read the motion and confer with the prosecution. Cannon's decision comes as one of the former president's other criminal trials enters its final days. Jurors heard closing arguments, on Tuesday, from the prosecution and defense in Trump's Manhattan hush money trial. Trump was under a gag order for the duration of the Manhattan trial due to what District Attorney Alvin Bragg characterized as a "longstanding history of attacking witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, judges, and others involved in legal proceedings against him." In issuing the Manhattan gag order, Judge Juan Merchan also noted that the former president had antagonized witnesses and officials during his previous legal battles. "The consequences of those statements included not only fear on the part of the individual targeted but also the assignment of increased security resources to investigate threats and protect the individuals and family members thereof," Merchan said. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will go head to head in the first televised leaders debate of the UK General Election campaign next week. ITV confirmed the UK prime minister and the Labour leader will take part in the show at 9pm on Tuesday, June 4th. Advertisement The hour-long debate will be moderated by Julie Etchingham and take place in front of a studio audience. Julie Etchingham will moderate the ITV debate. Photo: Ian West/PA. Michael Jermey, ITVs director of news and current affairs, said: Millions of viewers value the election debates. Advertisement They provide a chance to see and hear the party leaders set out their pitch to the country, debate directly with each other and take questions from voters. ITV is pleased to be broadcasting the first debate in this years election campaign. A challenge by a secondary school student over the marking scheme for the Leaving Certificate Mandarin Chinese examination has been dismissed by the High Court. The application was dismissed by Mr Justice Garrett Simons, who rejected claims that the system discriminated against those who answer using traditional Mandarin characters as opposed to simplified characters. Advertisement The judge was also critical of the manner of how certain linguistic experts gave their evidence to the court. In this case, the judge said that several expert witnesses had wrongly "assumed the role of advocate and purported to express views on legal issues" which were matters for the courts. The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed that markers of the exam would refuse to accept answers given in traditional Chinese characters by those doing the Mandarin Chinese examination. The student alleged that the curriculum required that written answers given in the examination must be in simplified Mandarin characters, which are predominantly used in the People's Republic of China, Singapore and Malaysia. Advertisement The challenge was brought by a Taiwanese born student, where traditional Mandarin characters are used, claimed the requirement to use simplified characters discriminated against those from a linguistic heritage is from places which use traditional characters. While he has lived outside of Taiwan for most of his life, the student's Taiwanese mother has taught him Mandarin using traditional characters, which are also used in Hong Kong and Macau. Suing through his mother, the student also claimed the failure to allow for traditional characters in the marking of the exam contrasted with the treatment given to other languages by the state. It was also claimed that the Minister had unlawfully consulted with the Chinese Ministry for Education and that the Chinese Embassy is drawing up the curriculum. Advertisement It was claimed that the 1998 Education Act allows the Minister to prescribe the curriculum for subjects following consultation with parties including trade unions, teachers, parents' associations, and school patrons. The Act, it was claimed, does not permit consultation with a foreign government or ministry. In judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Education, The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the State Examinations Commission, Ireland and the Attorney General the student sought various orders and reliefs. These included an order requiring those marking the Mandarin Chinese exams to consider any answer written in Traditional Mandarin Chinese characters. Advertisement He also sought declarations including that the rules governing the exam are unlawful, unreasonable and are contrary to the Constitution, EU law, the 1998 Education Act and the European Convention on Human Rights. The respondents denied the claims and rejected all the claims and denied the examination was flawed or discriminatory as alleged. Dismissing the case, the judge said the student failed to establish that the marking scheme for Mandarin Chinese is in breach of the requirements of the 1998 Act. Rejecting the equality claim, the judge said all candidates will have an equal opportunity to prepare for the examination and will be assessed objectively by reference to the same syllabus and marking scheme. Advertisement The fact that a non-native speaker may have had to work harder to achieve the same grade as a native speaker does not amount to discrimination, the judge added. In his ruling, the judge noted that the use of traditional characters in the exam are not deemed incorrect. The highest band of marks are awarded to candidates who make very few to no substitutes of characters. In addition, the judge said that the marking scheme only attributes 15 to 20 per cent of the overall marks in the exam to answers written in Mandarin Chinese. The balance of the marks he said are granted from oral and aural components to answers given in English, the judge added. In relation to expert evidence given in the action the judge said that "an expert witness should provide independent assistance to the court by way of objective unbiased opinion in relation to matters within his or her expertise." An expert witness should never assume the role of an advocate, he said. Far too frequently, expert witnesses appear to fundamentally misunderstand their role and wrongly regard themselves as advocates for the cause of the party by whom they have been retained In the present case, "the extent of evidence led by the applicant, in particular, went far beyond that permitted by the rules in relation to expert evidence." he said. Regrettably, a number of the expert witnesses assumed the role of advocate and purported to express views on legal issues" which are matters for the court, he said. One expert witness stated on a number of occasions that the terms of the marking scheme were discriminatory and exclusionary, he said. Another expert witness opined that it is unfair, discriminative and counterproductive for the Department of Education to refuse to mark as correct answers in traditional characters. These were matters for the court to consider and it was certainly not a matter in respect of which a witness, whose area of expertise is linguistics, is entitled to adduce opinion evidence. Cross-border tourism between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has tripled in a decade, a report has found. The joint study by Ulster University and Dublin City University found there were differences in the economic impact in the Republic compared with Northern Ireland. Advertisement There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023, compared with almost 400,000 in 2013. International visits in the period 2013-2019 grew by 33 per cent in Northern Ireland and 46 per cent south of the border. The authors said that notwithstanding some public commentary that many people from the Republic of Ireland never travel to NI, the number of trips from south of the border to Northern Ireland has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2013, on average less than 100,000 cross-border trips were made per quarter, a figure that has grown to over 300,000 in 2023. In the years following the pandemic, over 200,000 trips per quarter have been recorded, it said. Advertisement The study found that all visitors to Northern Ireland are more likely to be visiting friends or relatives than on holiday or a business trip, and of that number almost half will stay with them considerably reducing the earned income from accommodation. Tourists from Paris Nelly Michoux (left) and Isabelle Nguyen take a selfie in Dublin (PA) Visitors from Britain are crucial to both parts of the island, the study found, but the scale is different, making up two thirds of visitors to Northern Ireland compared with one third in the Republic. Advertisement The report found people stay in Northern Ireland for fewer nights, particularly long-haul visitors. It also found a buoyant and resilient tourism industry across both Northern Ireland and Ireland, with strong evidence of a bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. It said the Republic had approximately 4.3 times as many trips by international visitors compared with Northern Ireland in 2019, but 7.6 times as much expenditure. The scale of domestic tourism trips within Northern Ireland, at roughly two million per annum, remained static in the decade from 2011. Advertisement South of the border, the scale of within-state tourism increased from 6.5 million to 11 million trips in the same period, probably reflecting the stronger economic performance. Advertisement Ana Desmond, senior economist at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the tourism sector across the island of Ireland has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in recent years. This research has shown how the international and domestic visitor market has both grown and diversified with recent significant findings including the sharp and sustained increase in domestic cross-border visits to NI since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism growth and development is a natural area for co-operation across the island and has been ongoing for many years. The sector has demonstrated that it can adapt to external challenges and recover strongly. It will need this quality to tackle the current challenges which have been identified by businesses both sides of the border, which include labour market shortages and concerns over the cost of doing business. Professor John Doyle, vice president for Research at Dublin City University, said the research highlights a real opportunity for economic growth, for businesses to grow their income and profitability, and for better wages in the sector. Co-operation will benefit both parts of the island, but given the more developed tourism industry in the Republic, it should benefit Northern Ireland to a much greater extent. In order to close the gap with the Republic, public policy needs to move beyond the current levels of co-operation, to build a single tourism offering, in marketing, visa requirements, tax and regional development policy and, perhaps most crucially, in the perception of the visitor. Police in Houston who were looking for a missing woman found her in the jaws of an alligator. Authorities said the victim's husband reported her missing early Tuesday morning. He told officers that she had gone for a walk around 7:30 p.m. Monday and never returned home. Houston police divers found the woman's remains in the jaws of an alligator in Clear Lake near her home, KHOU-TV reported. A police sergeant shot and killed the alligator "to prevent it from doing more damage to the remains." Police are waiting for autopsy results to determine her cause of death and whether it was the alligator who killed her. The victim was a woman in her 60s. Her name hasn't been released. Maggie Berger, a spokesperson for the Law Enforcement Division with Texas Parks and Wildlife told KTRK-TV, "Our thoughts are with the woman's family during this time." "They live down there. We see 8 feet, 10 feet babies. I know which banks to stay away from and where they like to lay in the sun," Angela Derous told the station. "That's the first time I've heard of that happening down here. It's a little scary." No other information was immediately available. There is overwhelming evidence that the state is failing in its clear and undisputed obligation to provide accommodation to international protection applicants, the High Court has been told. The court is hearing a case taken by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) against the state over its failure to provide accommodation to people seeking asylum in Ireland. Advertisement The IHREC wants the court to make declarations that the state has failed its obligations and is breaching applicants rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. On December 4th last year, the Government stated that it could no longer offer accommodation to men seeking international protection. Advertisement The court was told today that as of May 10th, more than 2,800 people who were entitled to be offered accommodation have not been, nor have they been provided with adequate resources to find their own. It is the first time that the IHREC has taken legal action in its own name to defend the human rights of others. Eoin McCullough, counsel for the Commission, said there are four provisions under the charter which are key to the case. Advertisement First, is that the state is under an obligation pursuant to Article 1 of the charter to provide accommodation whether in kind or otherwise, Mr McCullough said. The second is that it is a mandatory obligation. Any lack of resources is not to be relied upon. He told the court that while the position of the state in providing accommodation may be difficult, the obligations still must be met. Mr McCullough said that up until two weeks ago, some 1,015 international protection applicants were still awaiting an offer of accommodation. Advertisement He is asking the court to say that the states failure to offer accommodation to those who are entitled to it is unlawful. He said: I hope to demonstrate that in the presence of a clear and undisputed obligation and in the presence of overwhelming evidence, that it is not being met, (and) it is incumbent on the court to make an order. Anything else would offend rule of law. He added that the proposition of the states obligations cannot be in dispute. Mr McCullough said that the state failed to provide material reception conditions to asylum seekers, such as housing, food and hygiene facilities. Advertisement Tents pitched by asylum seekers along a stretch of the Grand Canal, Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. He said that the state is under an obligation to provide applicants with an adequate standard of living which protects their physical and mental health, and any failure to do so is in breach of the applicants rights. The court was told that the state is under an obligation to provide housing, food and clothing, which can be done so in kind or as allowances or vouchers, as well as the provision of the Daily Expenses Allowance. The senior counsel said that if the state does not provide physical accommodation, it must be done so through financial allowances. He added: Ultimately, the next question is this: Is that obligation met by the state doing two things which is by paying an allowance of 113.80 per week and also entering into agreement with four named charities to provide food and some hygiene facilities. Mr McCullough said said the evidence shows that it is not possible to find accommodation for 113.80 per week. The case continues. A Ukrainian woman who has locked in syndrome after allegedly suffering a massive stroke almost seven hours after she was brought to the Emergency Department (ED) of a Dublin hospital by ambulance has settled a High Court action for 250,000. Pensioner Iaroslava Arkypenko is completely paralysed and can only communicate through eye movements; eyes closed for yes, and eyes open and looking up for no. Advertisement The 73-year-old had sued St Vincents Healthcare Group over the care she received at St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin after she was brought to the emergency department on September 27th, 2022 at around 7.30pm in the evening and was complaining of dizziness and nausea. It is claimed she was seen by a doctor after 10pm but after 2am on September 28th, she suffered a massive stroke. In the proceedings, it was alleged that at 2.15am on September 28th, the womans son called the nursing staff as the pensioner was slumped to one side in a chair, and she had dense left sided weakness. St Vincents Healthcare Group denied all the claims and Mr Justice Paul Coffey was told that the settlement sum represents 50 per cent of the damages to reflect the litigation risks in the case. Advertisement Counsel Sara Moorehead SC instructed by solicitor Niall Kiernan told the court it was a very tragic case and Ms Arkypenko is now cared for in a nursing home in the Leinster region. Counsel said as part of the settlement the Ukrainian woman can remain at the nursing home under the Fair Deal scheme. She said the woman had been visiting her family in Dublin on September 27th, 2022. Ms Arkypenkos son returned to the house to find his mother lying down and complaining of dizziness and vomiting. The woman was brought to the ED at St Vincents Hospital, where counsel said she was classified at triage level 3. Counsel said technically this suggested she should be seen within an hour, but Ms Arkypenko was not seen until 10pm and by a doctor at 10.30pm. Advertisement Counsel said the woman was diagnosed as doing well, but the doctor was then called away to an emergency. At 2.15am, Counsel said Ms Arkpypenko had a massive stroke. She said part of their case was if the woman had a scan before 10.30pm she could have been sent to Beaumont Hospital where she would be given treatment. In the proceedings, it was claimed there was an alleged failure to detect the onset of acute stroke despite the history and presenting complaints. It was also claimed the woman was not referred for emergency CT imaging in a timely manner, which it was claimed would have identified an acute posterior circulation stroke, and she could have been transferred to Beaumont Hospital for emergency mechanical thrombectomy prior to her deterioration in the early hours. Advertisement It was further claimed there was an alleged failure to consider the possibility of onset of acute stroke despite the obvious symptoms being presented and noted. There was, it was further claimed, an alleged failure to detect or diagnose acute stroke in the woman in a timely manner so as to ensure that in the event of a serious case she would be given appropriate emergency treatment in order to prevent a catastrophic outcome of Locked In syndrome. All the claims were denied. Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said that he thought it was fair and reasonable considering the litigation risk in the case. Renewed Israeli shelling and strikes have killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to witnesses, first responders and hospital officials. The strikes overnight and on Tuesday pummelled the same area where strikes had triggered a deadly fire that swept through a camp for displaced Palestinian, they said. Advertisement The tent camp inferno has drawn widespread international outrage, including from some of Israels closest allies, over the militarys expanding offensive into Rafah. And in a sign of Israels growing isolation on the world stage, Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday. Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) Advertisement The Israeli military suggested Sundays blaze in the tent camp may have been caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants weapons. The results of Israels initial probe into the fire were issued on Tuesday, with military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari saying the cause of the fire was still under investigation but that the munitions used targeting what the army said was a position with two senior Hamas militants were too small to be the source. The strike or the subsequent fire could also have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the camp. The blaze killed 45 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials count. Advertisement Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the fire was the result of a tragic mishap. Israels assault on Rafah, launched on May 6th, has caused more than one million people to flee the city, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday. Most had already been displaced multiple times in the nearly eight-month war between Israel and Hamas. Advertisement Families are now scattered across makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas. The strikes over the past few days have hit areas west of Rafah, which had not been ordered by the military to evacuate. Advertisement Israeli ground troops and tanks have been operating in eastern Rafah, in central parts of the city, and along the Gaza-Egypt border. Shelling late on Monday and early on Tuesday hit Rafahs western Tel al-Sultan district, killing at least 16 people, the Palestinian Civil Defence and the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Seven of the dead were in tents next to a UN facility about 200 metres from the site of Sunday nights strike and fire. It was a night of horror, said Abdel-Rahman Abu Ismail, a Palestinian from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Tel al-Sultan since December. He said he heard constant sounds of explosions overnight and into Tuesday, with fighter jets and drones flying over the area. He said it reminded him of the Israeli invasion of his neighbourhood of Shijaiyah in Gaza City, where Israel launched a heavy bombing campaign before sending in ground forces in late 2023. Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) We saw this before, he said. The United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city, with the Biden administration saying that would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. On Friday, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to halt its Rafah offensive, an order it has no power to enforce. On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli drone strike hit tents near a field hospital by the Mediterranean coast west of Rafah, killing at least 21 people, including 13 women, the Gaza Health Ministry said. A witness, Ahmed Nassar, said his four cousins and some of their husbands and children were killed in the strike and that a number of tents were destroyed or damaged. Most of those living there had fled from the same neighbourhood in Gaza City earlier in the war. They have nothing to do with anything, he said. Mr Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead, saying Israeli forces must enter Rafah to dismantle Hamas and return hostages taken in the October 7th attack that triggered the war. Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) In its investigation of Sundays deadly strike and fire, the Israeli military released satellite photos of what it said was a Hamas rocket launch position about 40 metres from an area of sheds that was targeted. In the photo, the alleged launcher itself did not appear to have been struck. Rear Admiral Hagari said Israeli warplanes used the smallest munition possible two munitions with 17-kilogram warheads. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size, he said. Rear Admiral Hagari said that the fire was a devastating incident which we did not expect and said it ignited due to unforeseen circumstances. Still, the strikes have triggered a flight of people from areas west of Rafah. Sayed al-Masri, a Rafah resident, said many families were heading to the crowded Muwasi area or to Khan Younis, a southern city that suffered heavy damage during months of fighting. The situation is worsening in Rafah, al-Masri said. Israeli soldiers move on the top of a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel (Leo Correa/AP) Gazas Health Ministry said two medical facilities in Tel al-Sultan are out of service because of intense bombing nearby. Medical Aid for Palestinians, a charity operating throughout the territory, said the Tel al-Sultan medical centre and the Indonesian Field Hospital were under lockdown, with medics, patients and displaced people trapped inside. Most of Gazas hospitals are no longer functioning. Rafahs Kuwait Hospital shut down on Monday after a strike near its entrance killed two health workers. A spokesperson for the World Health Organisation said the casualties from Sundays strike and fire absolutely overwhelmed field hospitals in the area, which were already running short on supplies to treat severe burns. That requires intensive care, that requires electricity, that requires high-level medical services, Dr Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva. Increasingly, we are struggling to even have the high-level skilled doctors and nurses because theyve been displaced. (PA Graphics) The war began when Hamas and other militants burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on October 7th, killing some 1,200 civilians and abducting around 250. More than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel responded to the attack with a massive air, land and sea offensive that has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Around 80 per cent of Gazas population of 2.3 million has been displaced and United Nations officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine. The fighting in Rafah has made it nearly impossible for humanitarian groups to import and distribute aid to southern Gaza. The Israeli military says it has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter through the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing since the start of its operation, but aid groups say it is extremely difficult to access that aid on the Gaza side because of the fighting. The UN says it has only been able to collect aid from around 170 trucks over the past three weeks via Kerem Shalom. The US-built temporary pier taking humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians will be removed from the coast of Gaza to be repaired after getting damaged in rough seas and weather, the Pentagon said. Over the next two days, the pier will be pulled out and sent to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, where US Central Command will repair it, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. Advertisement She said the fixes will take at least over a week and then the pier will need to be anchored back into the beach in Gaza. Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid cross the Trident Pier before arriving on the beach on the Gaza Strip on May 17 (Staff Sgt Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP) The pier, used to carry in humanitarian aid arriving by sea, is one of the few ways that food, water and other supplies are getting to Palestinians who the UN says are on the brink of famine amid the nearly eight-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Advertisement The setback is the latest for the $320 million pier, which only began operations in the past two weeks and has already had three US service members injured and had four of its vessels beached due to heavy seas. Deliveries were also halted for two days last week after crowds rushed aid trucks coming from the pier and one Palestinian man was shot dead. After that, the US military worked with the UN and Israeli officials to select safer alternate routes for trucks, the Pentagon said on Friday. The pier was fully functional as late as Saturday when heavy seas unmoored four of the army boats that were being used to ferry pallets of aid from commercial vessels to the pier. Advertisement The system is anchored into the beach and provided a long causeway for trucks to drive that aid on to the shore. Two of the vessels were beached on Gaza and two others on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon. Before the weather damage and suspension, the pier had begun to pick up steam and as of Friday more than 820 metric tons of food aid had been delivered from the sea on to the Gaza beach via the pier. Advertisement (PA Graphics) US officials have repeatedly emphasised that the pier cannot provide the amount of aid that starving Gazans need and said that more checkpoints for humanitarian trucks need to be opened. At maximum capacity, the pier would bring in enough food for 500,000 of Gazas people. US officials stressed the need for open land crossings for the remaining 1.8 million. Advertisement The US has also planned to continue to provide airdrops of food, which likewise cannot meet all the needs. A deepening Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it impossible for aid shipments to get through the crossing there, which is a key source for fuel and food coming into Gaza. Israel says it is bringing aid in through another border crossing, Kerem Shalom, but humanitarian organisations say Israeli military operations make it difficult for them to retrieve the aid there for distribution. Diane Abbott has said she is banned from standing as a Labour candidate in the UK General Election. The long-standing MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, months after an investigation into her comments on racism had concluded. Advertisement On Wednesday, she told the BBC: Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate. Diane Abbott (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Labour withdrew the whip from Ms Abbott in April 2023, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experienced prejudice, but not racism. Advertisement BBC Newsnight reported that Labours National Executive Committee (NEC) had written to Ms Abbott in December 2023 to say it had concluded an inquiry into her comments. Asked about the investigation finishing in December, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told broadcasters on Tuesday: The process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact-finding exercise. But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee and theyll do that in due course. Mr Starmer has previously said he could not get involved in the case. Advertisement The Times previously reported that Ms Abbott, Britains first black woman MP, will be banned from standing as a Labour candidate, with suggestions the lifting of her suspension would allow her to leave politics with dignity. Campaign group Momentum previously said restoring the whip to Ms Abbott only to block her would be outrageous. It said: Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter. Advertisement Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britains first black woman MP. Ms Abbott was reported to have been issued with a formal warning by the NEC for engaging in conduct that was, in the opinion of the NEC, prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party. Advertisement She was told to take part in an online e-learning module, which she completed in February, something that Labours chief whip allegedly acknowledged by email. Ms Abbott was an independent MP when the UK parliament was prorogued on Friday, May 24th, ahead of the July 4th election. The veteran MP was suspended after she responded to an Observer article headlined: Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. Its far more complicated. She wrote in a letter to the title: It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus. Ms Abbott later said she wished to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them. Israels military said that it has seized control of a strategic corridor that runs along the length of Gazas border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah, where Israeli forces have been fighting recently. The capture of the area, known as the Philadelphi corridor, gives Israel control over a strip of land it says is awash in smuggling tunnels that have funnelled weapons and other goods for Hamas even under a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Advertisement The move comes as Israel has deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people seeking shelter from fighting elsewhere had been displaced, and where intensifying violence in recent days has killed dozens of Palestinians. Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) The capture of the corridor could complicate Israels relations with Egypt, which has previously complained over Israels advance toward its border, including when Israel took over the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Advertisement Egypt has said that any increase in troops in the strategic corridor would violate the countries 1979 peace accord. An Israeli military official said Israel had notified Egypt of the takeover. He said some 20 tunnels, including some that were previously unknown to Israel, had been found during the operation, as well as 82 access points to those tunnels. It means we can control and we have the ability to cut off the oxygen line that Hamas has used for replenishing and movement, the official said. Advertisement The corridor is part of a larger demilitarised zone along both sides of the entire Israel-Egypt border. A tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the Israeli offensive is seen in Rafah, Gaza Strip (AP Photo/Hatem Ali) Under a peace accord, each is allowed to deploy only a tiny number of troops or border guards in the zone. Advertisement At the time of the accord, Israeli troops controlled Gaza until Israel withdrew its forces and settlers in 2005. The narrow corridor about 100 meters wide in parts runs the 14km (8.6-mile) length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Smuggling tunnels that run between Egypt and the Gaza Strip are known to stretch under the area. Advertisement A top official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through to the end of the year (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli military official said Israel has also taken tactical control of Tel al-Sultan, a neighbourhood on Rafahs north-west edge. But he said the incursion into the city remains a limited scope and scale operation. Earlier on Wednesday, a top Israeli official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through the end of the year a grim prediction for a conflict already in its eighth month that has killed tens of thousands, deepened Israels global isolation and brought the region repeatedly to the brink of a wider conflagration. National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbis remarks were made as Israel was expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which has been the scene of intense fighting over recent days that has killed dozens, including displaced Palestinians. The military said three Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday. Israeli media reported they were killed in a blast inside a building. Mr Hanegbi told Kan public radio that he was expecting another seven months of fighting to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. The army is achieving its objectives but (it) said from the first days it was presenting its plan to the Cabinet that the war will be long, he said. They have designated 2024 as a year of war. Mr Hanegbis remarks raise questions about the future of Gaza and what kind of role Israel will play in it. Already, top ally the United States has demanded that Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu decide on a post-war vision for the Palestinian territory and his defence minister and a top governing partner has warned that he must take steps to ensure that Israel isnt bogged down in Gaza indefinitely. Binyamin Netanyahu has been told to decide on a post-war vision for Gaza (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) The war has already devastated Gazas urban landscape, displaced most of the territorys population and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger. It has opened Israel up to international legal scrutiny, with world courts faulting it over its war-time conduct, sparked disagreements with the White House and prompted three European nations to recognise a Palestinian state against Israels wishes. Israel says it must dismantle Hamas last remaining battalions in Rafah. It has also said it will seek indefinite security control over the Gaza Strip, even after the war ends. Israel has yet to achieve its main goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in the October 7th attack that triggered the war. Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza that the military said it wrested control of months ago potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. The fighting in Rafah has displaced 1 million people, the United Nations says, and Palestinians on Wednesday reported heavy fighting in different parts of the city. Most of the people who had been in Rafah had previously been displaced from elsewhere in Gaza. Thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting in Rafah (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Residents said fighting was underway in the city centre and on the outskirts of Tel al-Sultan, a north-western neighbourhood where an Israeli strike over the weekend ignited a fire that swept through an encampment for displaced people, killing dozens. The military says it is investigating the strike and said the blaze may have been caused by a secondary explosion. An expensive floating pier built by the US to surge aid into the territory was meanwhile taken out of service by bad weather, in another setback to efforts to bring food to starving Palestinians. Gazas land crossings are now entirely controlled by Israel. All land crossings into Rafah are entirely controlled by Israel (Staff Sgt Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP) The US and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in Rafah, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. On Tuesday, US state department spokesman Matthew Miller gave no indication the administration sees Israel as crossing any of the red lines for Rafah, saying the offensive is still on a far different scale than assaults on other population centres in Gaza. Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africas case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel vehemently denies. A proposed UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Rafah fighting was being circulated by Algeria on Tuesday, with plans to potentially bring it to a vote this week. The US has vetoed multiple Gaza ceasefire resolutions. Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk through a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, Gaza (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) The war began when Hamas and other militants burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on October 7th, killing some 1,200 civilians and taking around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israels offensive in response to the attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Israel says it has killed 15,000 militants. Nigel Farage has revealed he would be open to having a conversation with the Conservative Party, as he hinted at a possible deal. Speaking to The Suns Never Mind the Ballots, Mr Farage accused the Tories of betraying voters on illegal immigration. Advertisement The Reform UK honorary president said: I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party. I stood aside with Boris to help a massive majority. What are they going to do back for me? Advertisement Asked if he would accept a peerage from the Conservative Party, he replied: No, Im not asking for anything other than: Ive done them some huge favours over the years as a party, give me something back. We might have a conversation. Mr Farage said he believes Reform UK will win a few seats at the UK general election, but not many because thats the system were having to live with. During the interview, Mr Farage described Conservative former minister and prominent Brexiteer Sir Iain Duncan Smith as an ally. But he added: The betrayal, the lies, from the Conservative Party at every election since 2010 on illegal immigration, are just astonishing. And those people hate your party and theyre not going to vote for them. Advertisement Mr Duncan Smith replied: If your party, Reform, end up standing in all the seats, they will end up delivering what they dont want. He added: All youre intent on is destruction, youre not intent on achieving anything and all youll get is a Labour Party that will come in and go in exactly the opposite direction to where Reform want. Prior to this, Mr Farage claimed the Conservatives were destroying themselves, adding: They now stand for nothing, they serve no purpose at all, theyre split completely down the middle. Really what Reform is about is a six-year plan to completely reshape the centre-right of politics. North Korea has flown hundreds of waste-carrying balloons towards South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the Souths military to mobilise chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country. The ballooning campaign came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his military scientists to overcome a failed satellite launch and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities, which he described as crucial for countering US and South Korean military activities, state media said. Advertisement In his first public comments about the launch failure, Mr Kim also warned of unspecified overwhelming actions against South Korea over an exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Koreas failed launch on Monday. Balloons with rubbish, thought to have been sent by North Korea, in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea (South Korea Presidential Office via AP) In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Kim described the South Korean response as a hysterical attack formation flight and strike drill and direct military challenge towards North Korea, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday. Advertisement In another sign of tensions between the war-divided rivals, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea has also been flying large numbers of balloons carrying rubbish towards the South since Tuesday night, in an apparent retaliation against South Korean activists for flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border. The Souths military said about 260 North Korean balloons were found dropped in various parts of the country as of Wednesday afternoon and were being recovered by military rapid response and explosive clearance teams. It advised civilians not to touch the objects flown from North Korea and to report them to the military or police after discovering them. Photos released by the military showed rubbish scattered across highways and roads in different parts of the country. Advertisement In the capital Seoul, military officials found what appeared to be a timer that was likely to have been designed to pop the bags of rubbish mid-air. In the central South Chungcheong province, two huge balloons carrying an un-popped plastic bag filled with dirt-like substances were seen at a road. Rubbish from a balloon in Seoul, South Korea (South Korea Presidential Office via AP) Advertisement There were no immediate reports of damage caused by the balloons. Similar North Korean balloon activities damaged cars and other property in 2016. In a statement issued over the weekend, North Korean vice defence minister Kim Kang Il said the North was planning to scatter mounds of wastepaper and filth over border areas and other parts of South Korea, in what he described as tit-for-tat action against the leafletting by South Korean activists. Later on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaders powerful sister, took to state media to ridicule a South Korean military statement demanding that the North stop its inhumane and vulgar activity. Advertisement She said the North was merely exercising its freedom of expression, which the Seoul government has stated as a reason for its inability to stop anti-North Korean activists from flying leaflets across the border. Once you experience how nasty and exhausting it feels to go around picking up dirty filth, you will realise that you shouldnt talk about freedom of expression so easily when it comes to (leafletting) in border areas, she said. We will make it clear that we will respond with tens more times the amount of filth to what the (South Koreans) spray to us in the future. Kim Jong Uns comments about the satellite were from a speech at the Norths Academy of Defence Sciences, which he visited a day after a rocket carrying what would have been his countrys second military reconnaissance satellite exploded shortly after lift-off. North Koreas aerospace technology administration said the explosion was possibly related to the reliability of a newly developed rocket engine that is fuelled by petroleum and uses liquid oxygen as an oxidiser. Animosities between the Koreas are at their worst level in years as the pace of both Mr Kims weapons demonstrations and South Koreas combined military exercises with the US and Japan have intensified since 2022. The failed satellite launch was a setback to Mr Kims plan to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 after North Koreas first military reconnaissance satellite was placed in orbit last November. The November launch followed two failed attempts. Mondays launch drew criticism from South Korea, Japan and the United States, because the United Nations bans North Korea from conducting any such rocket launches, viewing them as covers for testing long-range missile technology. Rubbish from one of the balloons in Seoul (South Korea Presidential Office via AP) North Korea has steadfastly maintained it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles in the face of what it perceives as US-led military threats. Mr Kim has described spy satellites as crucial for monitoring US and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat posed by his nuclear-capable missiles. The acquisition of military reconnaissance satellites is an essential task for our country to further strengthen our self-defence deterrence in the face of serious changes to our nations security environment caused by US military manoeuvres and various provocative acts, Mr Kim said. North Korea has not commented on when it would be ready to attempt a satellite launch again, which some experts say could take months. State medias mention of a liquid oxygen-petroleum rocket engine suggests the North is trying to develop a more powerful space launch vehicle that could handle larger payloads, according to some South Korean experts. It is believed that North Koreas previous space rockets used unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as an oxidiser. The countrys swift transition in space rocket designs possibly indicates external technological help, which would probably come from Russia, said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at South Koreas Research Institute for National Strategy. Mr Kim has been boosting the visibility of his ties with Russia in recent months, highlighted by a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, as they align in the face of their separate confrontations with Washington. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the Norths Academy of Defence Sciences (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) Mr Kims meeting with Mr Putin was held at a spaceport in the Russian Far East and came after North Koreas consecutive failures in its attempts to launch its first spy satellite. Mr Putin then told Russian reporters that Moscow was willing to help the North build satellites. The US and South Korea have also accused North Korea of providing Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has met Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid the day after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognised a Palestinian state. The diplomatic move by the three western European nations on Tuesday was condemned by Israel and will have little immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza, but it was a victory for the Palestinians and could encourage other Western powers to follow suit. Advertisement On behalf of President (Mahmoud) Abbas and the government of Palestine, the people of Palestine, we warmly welcome Spains recognition of the state of Palestine, Mr Mustafa said afterwards. Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa (Manu Fernandez/AP) This recognition strengthens our resolve to continue our struggle for a just and lasting peace. Advertisement Mr Mustafa was joined by Saudi Arabian foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Jordan, members of the group called the Foreign Ministerial Committee of Arabic and Islamic countries for Gaza. They also met Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares. More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state more than two-thirds of the United Nations. With Spain and Ireland, there are now nine members of the 27-nation European Union that officially recognise a Palestinian state. Advertisement Norway is not an EU member, but its foreign policy is usually aligned with the bloc. Slovenia, an EU member, will decide on the recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and forward its decision to parliament for final approval. Advertisement We salute Spain, and we salute Norway, Ireland and Slovenia for doing the right thing. We urge other European partners to do the same thing, Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said. The move to recognise a Palestinian state has caused relations between the EU and Israel to nosedive. Madrid and Dublin are pushing for the EU to take measures against Israel for its continued attacks on southern Gazas city of Rafah. Advertisement The decision by Spain, Ireland and Norway comes more than seven months into an assault waged by Israel following the October 7th Hamas-led attack in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. Israels air and land attacks have since killed 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. South Africans voted at schools, community centres and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their countrys most important in 30 years. It could put the young democracy in unknown territory. Advertisement At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of apartheids brutal white minority rule in 1994. A man assisted by an electoral worker casts his ballot at a polling station in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, South Africa (Themba Hadebe/AP) It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. Advertisement After casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he had no doubt his ANC would win again with a firm majority. The main opposition leader, John Steenhuisen, countered: For the first time in 30 years, there is now a path to victory for the opposition. The election was held on one day and polls closed after 14 hours of voting at more than 23,000 stations across South Africas nine provinces. Counting will start but final results are not expected for days. The independent electoral commission that runs the election said they would be announced by Sunday. Advertisement Africas most advanced economy has some of the worlds deepest socioeconomic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%. The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all. I take voting as something serious because as communities, it is difficult to complain about services when you have not voted, said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the queue at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Mr Ramaphosa voted. Women wait to cast their ballots during general elections in Nkandla, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa (Emilio Morenatti/AP) Advertisement Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs. We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem, said Mr Ratshalingwa. After winning six successive national elections, several polls have the ANCs support at less than 50% ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the most seats. Advertisement The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70% of the vote 20 years ago. Mr Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, has promised to do better. The ANC has asked for more time and patience. Mr Ramaphosa, 71, sat alongside other voters in Soweto, where he was born, before shaking hands with two smiling officials who registered him and then voting. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa casts his ballot for the general elections in Soweto (Jerome Delay/AP) I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country, Mr Ramaphosa said. He said he was certain South Africans would give the ANC a firm majority. Any change in the ANCs hold on power could be monumental for South Africa. If it does lose its majority, the ANC is likely to face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to stay in government and keep Mr Ramaphosa as president for a second term. Voters line up to cast their ballot for general elections in Alexandra (Themba Hadebe/AP) The ANC having to co-govern has never happened before. South Africans vote for parties, not directly for their president. The parties then get seats in parliament according to their share of the vote and those legislators elect the president after the election. The ANC has always had a majority in parliament since 1994. The election will be held on one day across South Africas nine provinces, with nearly 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday. Voters line up to cast their ballot in general elections in Soweto (Jerome Delay/AP) The opposition to the ANC in this election is fierce, but fragmented. The two biggest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters, are not predicted to increase their vote by anything near enough to overtake the ANC. The DA is part of an agreement with other smaller parties to combine their vote in an effort to remove the ANC completely, but that is not seen as likely. Disgruntled South Africans are moving to an array of opposition parties; more than 50 will contest the national election, many of them new. One is led by South Africas former president Jacob Zuma, who has turned against his former ANC allies. Mr Zuma was disqualified from standing as a candidate for parliament but his MK Party is still contesting and is the wild card. A voting official prepares a voting box at a polling station in Cape Town (Nardus Engelbrecht/AP) The ANC says it is confident of retaining its majority and analysts have not ruled that out, given the partys decades of experience in government and its unmatched grassroots campaigning machine. It still has wide support, especially among older voters and those in more rural areas. I woke up at 4am this morning, took a bath and made my way, said 68-year-old Velaphi Banda, adding he has voted for the ANC since 1994 and would do so again. I was never undecided about which party I will vote for. I have always known. Mr Ramaphosa has pointed out how South Africa is a far better country now than under apartheid, when black people were barred from voting, were not allowed to move around freely, had to live in certain areas and were oppressed in every way. This election is only South Africas seventh national vote in which people of all races are allowed to take part. An election official prepares the ballots for the general elections in Soweto, South Africa (Jerome Delay/AP) Memories of that era of apartheid, and the defining election that ended it in 1994, still frame much of everyday South Africa. But fewer remember it as time goes on, and this election might give voice to a younger generation who were not born when apartheid fell. The vote will showcase the countrys contradictions, from the economic hub of Johannesburg labelled Africas richest city to the picturesque tourist destination of Cape Town, to the informal settlements of shacks in their outskirts. There were delays in some polling stations opening, with voting due to start at 7am and end at 9pm. South Africa has held peaceful and credible elections since a violent build-up to the pivotal 1994 election. The independent electoral commission said two days of special early voting went smoothly on Monday and Tuesday, although two people were arrested for interfering with voting operations, it said. South Africa will deploy nearly 3,000 soldiers across the country to ensure a peaceful election, authorities said. Voters in Alexandra line up to cast their ballot (Themba Hadebe/AP) While 80% of South Africans are black, it is a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage and others. There are 12 official languages. It is the diversity that Nelson Mandela, South Africas first black president, highlighted as a beautiful thing by referring to his country as a Rainbow Nation. It is a diversity that, with the emergence of many new opposition parties, also might now be reflected in its politics. China issues report on U.S. human rights violations in 2023 Xinhua) 10:46, May 29, 2024 BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council Information Office on Wednesday issued the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, revealing the country's deteriorating human rights situation with facts and figures. The report calls on the U.S. government to take concrete measures to tackle its human rights problems, and respond to the expectations of the American people and international concerns. The human rights situation in the United States continued to deteriorate in 2023, the report said, adding that human rights are becoming increasingly polarized in the country. "While a ruling minority holds political, economic, and social dominance, the majority of ordinary people are increasingly marginalized, with their basic rights and freedoms being disregarded," it said. Noting that civil and political rights have been reduced to mere talk in the United States, the report draws attention to worsening problems including gun violence, partisan fights, police brutality and the ineffective police enforcement accountability system, mass incarceration and forced labor, political polarization, election manipulation, and the declining government credibility. "The chronic disease of racism persists," the report said, highlighting that African Americans face serious racial discrimination and inequality in fields such as law enforcement and medical services. Asian Americans have experienced intensified discrimination, the rights of Native Americans have been constantly violated, and "racist ideology is spreading virulently in the United States and spilling across borders," it added. Growing economic and social inequality makes life extremely difficult for the poor, the report said, noting that the United States has been refusing to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Economic, social and cultural rights are stigmatized as "welfare cheese" in the United States, and the phenomenon of "in-work poverty" is widespread, with the gap between the rich and the poor further widening, it added. The United States has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and remains the only UN member state which has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it said, warning of the persistent violations of the rights of women and children in the country. Meanwhile, politicians have "forsaken the rights and welfare of immigrants," it said. Overseas, the United States has long pursued hegemonism, practiced unilateralism and power politics, and created humanitarian crises, it said. "In the United States, human rights is essentially a privilege enjoyed only by a few. The country's various human rights problems seriously threaten and hinder the healthy development of the world human rights cause," said the report. The report consists of Foreword; Civil and Political Rights Become Empty Talk; The Chronic Disease of Racism; Growing Economic and Social Inequality; Persistent Violations of the Rights of Women and Children; Heart-wrenching Struggles of Undocumented Migrants; and American Hegemony Creates Humanitarian Crises. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Matthew Louis Mollicone, 48, from Michigan, was found guilty of killing his wife during a violent shootout at the home of her lover. Mollicone was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, assault with intent to murder, and three counts of felony firearm in the death of his wife, Kimberly Ann Mollicone, 49, and the wounding of her former lover, Daniele Giannone. Set to be sentenced on July 10, Mollicone's conviction on assault with intent to murder carries a maximum penalty of life. He is also facing 15 years for voluntary manslaughter and six years for felony firearms, according to Law & Crime. "The jury's convictions hold the perpetrator accountable for his actions and bring closure to the loved ones left behind," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido stated. Details revealed in court show Kimberly Mollicone and Giannone had been involved in a yearslong affair that her husband believed the two had recently restarted. Mollicone's defense attorneys tried to argue that Giannone should be the one charged with murder since he fired the fatal shot; however, prosecutors argued Mollicone brought his wife into a dangerous situation. Per Law & Crime's previous report, the killing occurred on July 12, 2022, when Mollicone and his wife drove to the home of Giannone around 9:30 p.m. Giannone was outside his mom in the 62000 block of North Avenue in Ray Township when the couple arrived. A verbal argument quickly escalated into a gunfight, with both men firing shots at one another. Giannone was hit in the leg as he retreated back into his home to retrieve a second weapon. As Morricone and his wife got into their vehicle and began to back out of the driveway, more gunfire was exchanged between the two men, which struck Kimberly Morricone near the neck, resulting in her death. The incident lasted all of two minutes. Several of Giannone's family members were "trapped inside the home out of fear," while investigators recovered more than 30 shell casings from three guns. Giannone testified that he had no idea why Mollicone had been there that day when he rushed him. "I told him I didn't know what he was there for," he told the court. "I said, 'Get out or I'll blow your f-head off.'" The entire scene played out in 911 calls, reporting the exchange of gunfire. A woman can be heard screaming as multiple gunshots go off in the background. "My brother's shot! My sister-in-law is in the house with my kids, bunkered down. My father and mother are here!" Matthew Mollicone also placed a 911 call during the shootout. In the audio recording, Mollicone is heard telling the dispatcher that a man "came out of his house and shot my wife." "Send an ambulance now. My wife's been shot. She's unresponsive," he shouted. In her obituary, Kimberly was said to have played many roles in her family, business, and community, but that her most treasured role was being a mom. Three police officers were injured and 40 people have been arrested during a protest in Westminster in London on Tuesday night. One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd, while two officers had minor injuries. Advertisement London's Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified, but police are investigating. Officers are identifying the ringleaders in this group and specialist arrest teams in protective equipment are going into the crowd to detain and extract them. pic.twitter.com/QDHr7b04kI Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) May 28, 2024 Advertisement A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6pm and was required to end at 8pm, police said. The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident. Advertisement A group of around 500 people remained and police began making a number of arrests for failing to comply. Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest, which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away, with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group. A police statement said they went into the crowd shortly before 10pm to arrest those suspected of leading the breakaway protest, with 40 people arrested for offences including breaking the Public Order Act, obstruction of a highway and assaults on emergency workers. Around 2am on Wednesday, police said all protestors had left the area and Bridge Street had been reopened. Garry Conille has been named Haitis new prime minister, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council had chosen someone else for the position. The long-awaited move comes as gangs continue to terrorise the capital of Port-au-Prince, opening fire in once peaceful neighbourhoods and using heavy machinery to demolish several police stations and prisons. Advertisement Council member Louis Gerald Gilles told the Associated Press that six out of seven council members with voting power chose Mr Conille earlier on Tuesday. He said one member, Laurent St Cyr, was not in Haiti and did not vote. Mr Conille, who is Unicefs regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then president Michel Martelly. He replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was named interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned in late April. Mr Henry was on an official trip to Kenya when a coalition of powerful gangs launched co-ordinated attacks on February 29th, seizing control of police stations, shooting at Haitis main international airport and storming the countrys two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. Advertisement He was locked out of the country by the attacks, with the airport in the capital remaining closed for nearly three months. Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haitis capital and beyond as Mr Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country awaiting the UN-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya and other countries. In addition to picking a new prime minister, the council also is responsible for selecting a new cabinet and holding general elections by the end of next year. US secretary of state Antony Blinken pledged 135 million dollars (106 million) in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation. The announcement comes as the Western-leaning nation struggles to blunt Moscows push for influence thats been buoyed by recent successes in its war in neighbouring Ukraine. Advertisement Mr Blinken opened a short visit to eastern Europe with a stop in Chisinau, Moldovas capital, where he announced the assistance at a news conference with President Maia Sandu. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Moldovan officials, including the president, in Chisinau (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, Pool) Americas top diplomat said 85 million dollars (66 million) would go to bolster energy infrastructure and 50 million dollars (39 million) was aimed at overhauling the energy and farming industries and deterring disinformation. Advertisement That in turn will bolster the ability of Moldovans to resist Russian interference, to hold free and fair elections, to continue down the path to the European Union and Western integration, to create more economic opportunity, Mr Blinken said. He planned to travel to the Czech Republic later. Before Wednesday, the US had provided Moldova with 774 million dollars in financial aid since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. Some 300 million dollars of that was earmarked for energy security. Advertisement Mr Blinkens trip, organised around a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Prague, comes amid concerns that Moldova and Georgia, another former Soviet republic, are facing renewed threats from Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Ukraine to reassure the country of Washingtons continued support (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, Pool) Mr Blinken visited Ukraine two weeks ago to reassure Kyiv of Washingtons support in the face of increased Russian attacks in its north. Advertisement There are also signs that Russia may be considering new actions in Moldova, where it has 1,500 troops stationed in the disputed territory of Transnistria, and is behind anti-Western moves in Georgia that the US believes run counter to Moldovan and Georgian aspirations to join the European Union. Both countries have candidate status to eventually join the 27-nation EU bloc. Theres not a direct military threat that we see at this time, but theres ongoing Russian influence operations, and that is of concern, the top US diplomat for Europe, James OBrien, said last week. Moldova has repeatedly accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war against the country, meddling in local elections and running vast disinformation campaigns to try to topple the government and derail its path toward joining the EU. Advertisement Russia has denied the accusations, but the Moldovan government is wary of Moscows intentions, particularly after Transnistrian authorities appealed to Moscow in February for protection due to what they said was increased pressure from Chisinau. In Georgia, those fears intensified on Tuesday when the countrys parliament overrode a presidential veto of a foreign agents bill that has prompted weeks of protests by critics who say it will restrict media freedom and obstruct Georgias chances of joining the European Union. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week announced that the US would impose travel bans on Georgian officials who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) The bill that was approved by the parliament earlier this month requires media, non-governmental organisations and other non-profit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The legislature, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, dismissed the veto of President Salome Zourabichvili, an independent. The president now has five days to endorse the bill. If she does not do so, the parliament speaker will sign it into law. Ms Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with the governing party, vetoed the bill on May 18. She has accused the governing party of jeopardising the countrys future and hindering the path toward becoming a full member of the free and democratic world. Mr Blinken last week announced that the US would impose travel bans on Georgian officials who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members. Moldova has accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Mr Blinkens announcement did not identify anyone who has already been targeted, but it said the US would also undertake a comprehensive review of US-Georgia co-operation. It remains our hope that Georgias leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nations democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, he said. As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgias actions in deciding our own. The situations in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will all be on the agenda at the Nato ministerial meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday, which will be the alliances last major diplomatic get-together before leaders meet at a summit to celebrate Natos 80th anniversary in Washington in July. Manhattan prosecutors told a judge that they are evaluating new claims of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein. Prosecutors said they could potentially seek a new indictment against the former movie mogul ahead of his scheduled retrial on rape charges later this year. Advertisement Assistant district attorney Nicole Blumberg said during a court hearing that additional people have come forward with assault claims and prosecutors are currently assessing which fall under the statute of limitations. She said some potential survivors who were not ready to step forward during Weinsteins first trial may now be willing to testify. The fallen movie mogul is awaiting a retrial on rape charges after his 2020 conviction was thrown out (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool) Advertisement When asked by Judge Curtis Farber whether there was a possibility of prosecutors filing a new indictment, Ms Blumberg replied: Yes, your honour. Weinstein appeared before the judge on Wednesday afternoon in the same New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial. He entered the court in a wheelchair, as he has during other recent court hearings after his 2020 conviction was tossed out. Ms Blumberg said prosecutors would be in a better position to update the court on the direction of the case at the end of June. The retrial on the rape charge is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labour Day. Advertisement Arthur Aidala, Weinsteins lawyer, also addressed a letter prosecutors sent to the judge last week asking him to remind Weinsteins lawyers not to discuss or disparage potential witnesses in public ahead of the retrial. Manhattan district attorney Alvin Braggs office argues that Mr Aidala made statements earlier this month that were meant to intimidate Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant who Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting. Mr Aidala apologised to the judge but said he did not intend to intimidate anyone and that it is the defences position that lies were told at the last trial, and will be told at this one. Judge Farber, in response, directed both sides to refrain from pandering to press, saying the case will not be decided in the court of public opinion but in the court of justice. Advertisement He also set the next court date for July 9th. Harvey Weinstein was also convicted of another rape in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in California (Etienne Laurent/Pool Photo via AP) At his 2020 trial, Weinstein was convicted of raping Jessica Mann, an aspiring actor, and of sexually assaulting Ms Haley. Advertisement But last month New Yorks highest court threw out those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that werent part of the case. Weinstein (72) has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. The New York ruling reopened a painful chapter in Americas reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. Speaking outside of court on May 1st, Mr Aidala said Ms Haley lied to the jury about her motive in coming forward and that his team planned an aggressive cross-examination on the issue if she dares to come and show her face here. Ms Haley has said she does not want to go through the trauma of testifying again, but for the sake of keeping going and doing the right thing and because it is what happened, I would consider it. Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. Both Ms Haley and Mann have consented to be named. Jason Nelson & Madison Ryann Ward | Bill Carpenter Crooner Jason Nelson and songstress Madison Ryann Ward have teamed up for a smoothly soulful duet, Made New (Jaelyn Song/Tyscot / Fair Trade), which has racked up over 260K streams since its May 10th digital release. The mellow blend of dreamy, cotton-like backing vocals, a redemptive lyrical message, and two commanding vocal stylists makes for a future Quiet Storm radio classic. The song was recorded live at World Overcomers Christian Church in Durham, North Carolina for Nelsons You Belong: Live in Durham (Jaelyn Song Music / Tyscot / Fair Trade) project that releases everywhere on June 7th. : https://fts.lnk.to/Youbelong YouTube Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1iEs67HYo I saw a post Madison made singing `God is Good by Jonathan McReynolds, Nelson recalls of first discovering Wards music. That 45 seconds instantly made me a fan. I followed her music releases and reached out to see if shed be interested in being a part of the recording and she agreed to be a feature. The track was polished by Dana Sorey who has produced or collaborated with Urban AC acts such as Eric Roberson, Algebra Blessett, and Boyz II Men. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this song, Ward says. My prayer is that anyone who hears it will be equally as blessed. The message is something to be celebratedpraise God we are made new. Jason Nelson has amassed over 250 million digital streams during his two-decade career. His velvet-like tenor has distinguished gospel radio hits such as Nothing Without You, Shifting the Atmosphere, Residue, and Forever. Four of them have hit No. 1 on Billboards Gospel Airplay chart. Nelson has also recorded with GRAMMY Award winning artists such as R&B chanteuse Chrisette Michele, Jazz bassist John Patitucci, and producer, Donald Lawrence. Madison Ryann Ward shot to fame off a viral cover of Aretha Franklins Chain of Fools a decade ago. She was signed to storied producer Rick Rubins (Johnny Cash, Avett Brothers, Public Enemy) American Recordings label where she released songs such as Mirror and BRKN. She performed Mirror on David Lettermans My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on the episode featuring Jay-Z. That brought a lot of buzz. In 2023, she formed her own independent label, Zelda House Records, where she has released a string of un-plugged, soulful songs that showcase her unique vocal style and technique. Shes garnered over 100 million digital streams to date. Jermaine Bollinger - "Cre8ion" | INOV8 Public Relations NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (May 28, 2024) - Renowned Christian artist Jermaine Bollinger is back again to announce the release of his new single "Cre8ion," from the album of the same name, to Christian radio stations worldwide. Written and produced by Bollinger, the song showcases his vast talents as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. "Cre8ion" is a powerful anthem celebrating God's creation, reflecting Bollingers deep-rooted faith and his journey through music. The song merges worshipful lyrics with Jermaines distinctive rock sound, creating an uplifting and engaging listening experience. With an impressive track record that includes over ten #1 singles, Jermaine Bollinger continues to influence the Christian indie music scene profoundly. His unique ability to integrate various musical styles into his work is evident in "Cre8ion," making it resonate with a diverse audience. Jermaine Bollinger remains a pivotal figure in Christian music, consistently delivering messages of hope and grace through his songs. "Cre8ion" invites listeners to marvel at the wonders of God's creation and to celebrate their faith through music. The track is also available on all major digital streaming platforms. About Jermaine Bollinger: Jermaine Bollinger is a distinguished multi-instrumentalist who has been passionate about music since childhood. Singing since before he could talk, Bollinger began playing drums at age 9, keyboards at age 10, guitar at age 14, and bass at age 20. Trained by Todd Herreman, a former recording engineering instructor at SIU Carbondale who has worked with legends such as Prince, Earth Wind & Fire, and Michael Jackson, Bollinger has honed his craft under the guidance of some of the industry's best. Throughout his career, Jermaine Bollinger has achieved significant success in the Christian music industry with over 10 #1 singles, including hits like "Hallelujah," "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," and "Love Remains." His work has garnered numerous nominations and accolades, including recognition by Louder Than the Music and the Mid-America Music Awards. Watch the Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/uyyctwc40sg Connect with Jermaine Bollinger: https://www.jermainebollinger.com/ https://www.facebook.com/jermaine.bollinger https://www.instagram.com/jbcartunes86/ https://twitter.com/jbcartunes https://www.youtube.com/@jbcartunes https://open.spotify.com/artist/2NE1JESbK4TI4PaLdDMztH Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30s chief political correspondent and staff-elected board member, has been rebuked by the national broadcasters management for comments she made about Opposition Leader Peter Duttons immigration policy. She was told the remarks would not have met the ABCs editorial standards. At a Sydney Writers Festival event on the weekend, Tingle told the audience: We are a racist country, lets face it. We always have been, and its very depressing. Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent of the ABCs 7.30 current affairs television program. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen As part of a panel of journalists hosted by former Insiders host Barrie Cassidy, Tingle criticised Dutton, saying she couldnt recall a leader of a major political party to be saying everything that is going wrong in this country is because of migrants. Separate to the 2018 analysis, the report included raw data that found, over the four years to 2022, the number of reported sexual assault incidents skyrocketed from 5945 to 9138. However, police prosecutions for sexual crimes were generally stable over that period at about 1000 each year. Over the past decade there has been heightened public concern over the low conviction rate for sexual assault, the report found. The low conviction rate shows no sign of abating and may have become slightly worse in the past decade as sexual assault reports have dramatically increased. Figures show a monumental systemic failure: experts Experts say the criminal justice system is failing sexual assault survivors. Chief executive officer of the Womens Legal Service NSW, Katrina Ironside, was not surprised by the BOSCAR findings. We know that people who are assaulted and that usually means women dont report, she said. And if they do, it may not be handled in a way that makes them feel like theyre safe or empowered. Indeed, the statistics tell us that its getting worse. While there had been a recent increase in awareness of sexual assault, Ironside said that had not led to a trauma-informed legal system that supports survivors and it treats them as a criminal or a witness in their own matter. Victim-survivors are still blamed for provoking perpetrators, she said. You know the narrative she was walking alone at night, she was wearing a short skirt, she had too much to drink. They continue to be made the villain. While many women didnt want to come forward after seeing negative outcomes for those who do, Ironside said it was important they were not dissuaded from seeking support. We say, get legal advice, get counselling, support, and make informed decisions, she said. There are services out there. Samanthas feelings about reporting her rape to police echoed Ironsides concerns. I have heard from other people whove had similar experiences and theyve tried to go to police and gotten nowhere, she said. I knew it would be my word against his. I didnt want to relive the trauma over and over again when I know its so hard to actually see these men punished. Chrystina Stanford is the chief executive officer of the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, who previously worked in sexual assault services in NSW. She said the reporting process for anyone affected by sexual violence was brutal, and the prospect of a court case lasting years did not help. Added to this is the belief-disbelief dynamic inherent in sexual violence reports, which we see play out very publicly in the news and on social media, she said. Referring to the bleak reality that this situation is far from new, Stanford said, five years ago we reported on this colossal system failure. We owe survivors so much better. Police point to significant changes to sexual assault investigations A spokesperson for NSW Police said, since 2018, there had been significant improvements to the way sexual assaults were reported and investigated, including reviewing all practices and procedures. They said that, in 2022, the force amended a compulsory course for any officer wishing to become a detective to ensure that it was trauma-informed and taught a victim-centric response. A dedicated Sexual Violence Portfolio Holder (SVPH) has been assigned to each police area command or district to oversee its sexual violence matters. In 2023, the force introduced a process that ensures any sexual matter reported to police that does not proceed to charge was assessed by an experienced committee. Loading The Australian Law Reform is reviewing the justice response to sexual violence across the country, with a report due in 2025. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said acceptance of the complainants evidence beyond a reasonable doubt was essential to a conviction, because sexual offending often took place in private with no other witnesses or corroborative evidence. In the ordinary course of a sexual assault trial, the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the complainant did not consent, and either that the accused knew they did not or was reckless as to whether they were consenting, or did not reasonably believe that the complainant was consenting, they said. Jurors must therefore consider the state of mind of both the complainant and the accused at the time of the alleged assault. Charges may be withdrawn if there is a change in the evidence, or if a complainant no longer wishes to give evidence for reasons including stress and anxiety resulting from the legal process and a desire to avoid retraumatisation. The spokesperson said that, while the decision to proceed with a sexual assault prosecution rested with the ODPP, significant weight was given to the views of the complainant. In June 2022, new judicial directions were introduced for NSW jurors in an effort to address common misconceptions about consent. They include not assuming a person consented to a sexual activity because of their clothing or appearance, they consumed alcohol or drugs, or they were in a particular location. Some, including Randwick and Strathfield, have unchanged targets but will need to lift housing supply significantly compared to what is in their delivery pipeline. Minns said in parts of the citys east and north including Ku-ring-gai, Hunters Hill and Woollahra, 70 per cent of the homes required under the targets would be in addition to developments already in the planning system. In municipalities further west such as Liverpool, Parramatta and Wollondilly, that increase would be less than 20 per cent above the status quo. Loading Under the new targets, 70 per cent of the states 377,000 new homes over the next five years or 263,400 are to be built in Sydney. Another 30,400 new homes are slated for Greater Newcastle, 18,000 for Illawarra-Shoalhaven, 9400 for the Central Coast and 55,000 for outer regions. Of the Sydney homes, 41 per cent will be in LGAs east of Strathfield, 37 per cent in the central LGAs (Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Georges River, Parramatta), and 22 per cent in the west (Campbelltown, Camden, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly). The housing targets are significant as they provide explicit direction to councils about how many homes they are expected to deliver in their municipality by 2029. Councils have a mixed record on meeting previous targets. Minns has dangled a carrot for councils with a new $200 million fund to help pay for green spaces and sporting fields in areas that beat their targets. He said councils that contribute to more housing would be rewarded with increased funding for schools and hospitals, paid by state developer contributions. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman criticised that fund as insufficient, saying it would not hit the sides given the increased housing proposed under the targets. Thats a completely derisory, almost insulting contribution to the cost of housing in NSW, he said. The higher targets were broadly welcomed by developer groups and housing advocates. Melissa Neighbour, a spokeswoman for Sydney YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard), said the targets were music to our ears. If we meet them, Sydney will be a better, fairer and cheaper place to live, she said. However, the group warned councils would have to be held to account and punished if they dragged their feet. The previous round of targets were barely enforced and as a result, most councils are on track to miss them, Neighbour said. For the sake of Sydneys renters, that cant happen again. That point was echoed by Tom Forrest, head of developer lobby Urban Taskforce. We welcome the idea that there will be a carrot approach, but there also needs to be a stick, he said. What are the consequences for refusing point-blank to get on the housing growth bandwagon? Maybe that will come after the council elections. Estelle Grech, planning policy manager at the Committee for Sydney think tank, said the targets were a critical step, but the government needed to dedicate budget funding for social and affordable housing to make up a substantial portion of these targets. Sydney mayors varied in their responses. Woollahras Liberal mayor Richard Shields said the new targets would be catastrophic for our area, leading to overdevelopment, loss of tree canopy and strained public transport and schools. Ku-ring-gai Mayor Sam Ngai said the significant increase in his municipality did not come as a surprise, but questioned if there would be enough construction workers to build those homes. Minns also announced Planning Minister Paul Scully would chair a new subcommittee of cabinet responsible for overcoming delays in development applications. The premier said the Department of Planning often gets a bad rap but theres a whole bunch of other government agencies [and] corporations that could delay approvals, citing Sydney Water as an example. The new targets come after the government scrapped the Greater Cities Commission, responsible for setting the last round of housing targets. Last year, the Herald revealed Labor had rejected the former commissions initial recommendations for new targets because it saw them as insufficiently ambitious in some parts of the city. Loading Labor has made increasing housing supply, and density, in Sydneys inner suburbs a signature commitment since coming to power on the back of a housing affordability crisis. On Wednesday, the premier said the crisis was touching all parts of society, increasing social inequality, discouraging people from starting families and forcing people to leave Sydney. [It] undermines social mobility, makes people work longer and harder for less reward, creates division between generations and in some instances drives a physical wedge between families and that undermines an entire generations entry into personal and professional horizons as they reach adulthood. A massive weather system stretching 4000 kilometres from Western Australia to the east coast is set to bring rain to 80 per cent of the country, with WA and South Australia taking the brunt. Heavy rain, lightning, hail and strong winds have prompted more than 170 people to call the State Emergency Service for assistance across WA in the past 24 hours. A second rain-bearing system is expected to bring follow-up rain to parts of the state from Saturday or Sunday. Nationwide soakings were blocked through the summer months by a stubborn ridge of high pressure entrenched to the countrys south. A Texas man is facing murder charges in connection with the brutal killing of a Black transgender woman. Houston Police say that Walter Daniel Saravia Palacious, 35, was arrested on Tuesday. He is accused of gunning down Diamond Cameron Brigman, 36, in cold blood back in March. Houston homicide detectives say that they found Brigman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside a home. Houston Fire Department paramedics declared her dead at the scene. "Diamond was described by her friend as 'larger than life' and said that 'she had a lot of energy and was always smiling and personable,'" the Human Rights Campaign reported. "Black trans women deserve to grow old." Witnesses told police that a white 2017 Chevrolet Malibu LT had stopped near Brigman, who was standing on the side of the road. A man got out of the front passenger side and fired 15 shots, according to KHOU-11. He then took off with someone else driving the car. Police later found the vehicle believed to have been used in the killing. They eventually tied Saravia Palacios to the shooting and arrested him. It was unclear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The Human Rights Campaign says Texas has the highest number of anti-trans murders in the nation. Brigman was the 35th trans or gender-expansive victim since it began tracking fatal violence in 2013. The man was transferred to immigration detention, but the federal department chose to restore his visa in July 2015, sparing him deportation to the UK. Dutton defended his time in the portfolio and the number of visas he cancelled as minister. Peter Dutton when he was the minister for home affairs in 2020. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen I cancelled more than 6300 visas more than any minister since federation, he said. The cancellation power was exercised within the limits of the Constitution. Mr [Anthony] Albanese watered down the law under direction 99 and thats why you are seeing the complete failure by this government and the hapless Andrew Giles. The exposure of the Coalition governments record heightens the political fight about who takes responsibility for detainees who are freed despite their criminal convictions. Officials from the Department of Home Affairs confirmed the release of the 102 sex offenders and the men found guilty of accessory to murder, speaking in Senate estimates in response to questions from Labor senators. The revelations drew sharp criticism from Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson, who accused the government of gathering the data for an attack on Dutton. Cabinet minister Murray Watt, who represented the government at the Senate estimates hearing, said the debate was about holding Dutton to the same standard he sought to apply to the government. You have spent, how many months, engaging in political hit jobs, and, again, you dont want to be held to the same standard, Watt said. You think that Mr Dutton and yourself can run around out there, making all sorts of accusations against government ministers, and not be held to the same standards? Paterson said the difference was that the Coalition did not use public resources to dig up dirt. Dutton has slammed the government over the release of convicted rapists and sex offenders in recent months, holding Giles responsible for decisions made in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to free the men from immigration detention. The tribunal decisions were made after Giles set new guidelines for visa decisions under rules known as direction 99, which took force in March 2023 and set out the reasons for cancelling visas. In one case, a man known as CHCY was released in a decision by tribunal member Anna Burke in March this year. The man had been convicted of two counts of rape and nine counts of indecent treatment of his stepdaughter, a child under 16. The government detained him to seek his deportation to New Zealand, but he appealed to the tribunal and represented himself at a hearing in February. The government hired a solicitor from Clayton Utz to argue against his release, but Burke cited the need for tolerance in direction 99. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a new directive to ensure that protection outweighs any other decision by the tribunal. The only effective way of ensuring the tribunal members are making better decisions is to issue a new revised direction, which the minister will be doing, he said. The new directive will ensure that the protection of the community outweighs any other consideration. Department of Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster during Senate estimates on Tuesday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen In estimates on Tuesday night, Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster conceded that about 30 cases where deportation on character grounds was successfully appealed were not brought to Giles attention, including those of serial rapists and paedophiles. Unlike those cases, the decisions to release the two men convicted of being accessories to murder were made by government officials in the Department of Home Affairs, not the Administrative Appeals Tribunal or a court. Both men were released when the Coalition government was responsible for the portfolio. Loading Dutton was the minister for immigration and border protection from December 2014 to August 2018 and added the new portfolio of home affairs from December 2017. He stepped down to challenge then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for the Liberal Party leadership in August 2018 but returned to the portfolio after Scott Morrison became leader that month. Dutton was minister for home affairs, with cabinet responsibility for immigration, until March 2021. Other Liberal frontbenchers held the immigration portfolio as junior ministers outside cabinet at the same time. David Coleman was immigration minister from August 2018 to December 2020, but took personal leave for his final year in the post. Alan Tudge was acting minister from December 2019 to December 2020. Alex Hawke was immigration minister from December 2020 until the election in May 2022. Karen Andrews was minister for home affairs from March 2021 to May 2022. We are delighted to enable our NameCheck technology on Liink by J.P. Morgan, in an effort to combat scams and mistaken payments, Vacy-Lyle said in a media release. Scams are a significant threat to customers and businesses not just here in Australia, but globally. I have been in the lending sector almost 15 years and over that time there has never been an increase in the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers, who are now being priced out of the market because they dont even qualify for the concession, she said. As Israel sent more tanks on raids into Rafah on Wednesday, the country predicted its war in Gaza would continue well after the US presidential election, following a statement from Washington claiming the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in US policy. National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the Israeli military controls three-quarters of the buffer zone on the Egyptian border and aims to control all of it to prevent Hamas smuggling in weapons, according to Reuters. Hanegbi added that the fighting in Gaza will carry on through 2024, at the very least, suggesting Israel is not ready to end the war. "The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war," Hanegbi determined while explaining that the aim is to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop its attacks on Israel. Despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, Israeli tanks still moved into the heart of Rafah on Tuesday, where Palestinians have sought refuge from bombardment everywhere else. The World Court said Israel had not explained how it intends to keep evacuees from Rafah "safe" while "providing food, water, and medicine." Its ruling also called on Hamas to release hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7 immediately and unconditionally. Palestinian residents in Rafah said Israeli tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in the west, Yibna, and near Shaboura in the center before retreating towards a demilitarized zone on the border with Egypt, rather than stationing onsite as they had previously. "We received distress calls from residents in Tel Al-Sultan where drones targeted displaced citizens as they moved from areas where they were staying toward the safe areas," said the deputy director of ambulance and emergency services, Haitham al-Hams. 19 civilians have been killed in Israeli air strikes and shelling across Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel continues to accuse Hamas militants of hiding among civilians, while the militants deny the allegation. Health Minister Majed Abu Raman has stressed to Washington the importance of pressuring Israel to open the Rafah crossing to aid, revealing Israeli authorities gave no indication they were planning to do so anytime soon, despite patients in besieged Gaza dying from lack of treatment. Over 30 countries at a World Health Organization meeting in Geneva condemned Israel's attacks on hospitals in Gaza and demanded more scrutiny of its role in the enclave's health crisis. Israel's ambassador reiterates time and again that Hamas, who are "deliberately putting the safety of patients at risk by using health facilities for military purposes," are to blame. Houston's Stages theater has announced that the Utah Shakespeare Festival's director of new play development, Derek Charles Livingston, will be Stages' new artistic director. He succeeds Kenn McLaughlin, who is retiring after 25 years in the position. Livingston becomes one of the few Black men to head up a leading Houston arts institution. He will start the job in August. KENN MCLAUGHLIN RETIRES: During his tenure, Stages enjoyed a prolonged and impressive period of growth. Being an artistic director isn't a new role for Livingston, 55, who served as interim artistic director at Utah Shakespeare from June 2022 to November 2023 as well as managing artistic director for the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2022, LA Weekly named him as one of the people changing the face of L.A. theater. He also has a background in acting, with roles that have included Hoke in "Driving Miss Daisy" at New Hampshire's Jean's Playhouse and portraying Thurgood Marshall in the one-person show "Thurgood" for Utah Shakespeare. "Derek is a demonstrated arts and civic visionary, a walking encyclopedia of theater history, an expert in developing new, groundbreaking works and an exuberant cheerleader for how the American regional theater can continue to be relevant and vital to our communities," Stages board president and chair emeritus George Lancaster said in a statement. "While our foundation, brand and reputation are as strong as ever, we are excited to see how Derek will take Stages to the next level." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Stages artistic director Derek Charles Livingston Square Shooting "Dereks credits are wildly impressive, and I have been inspired by his great love of theater," McLaughlin said in the same statement. "For me, perhaps most importantly of all, Derek is a warm, caring man who brings joy, wit and passion to his engagements. I believe he will connect with Houston audiences in wonderful new ways, and I feel confident that Derek will lead Stages into a bigger, bolder and brighter future as artistic director. Livingston, who received his bachelor's degree from Brown University and master's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Film and Television, said he hasn't spent much time in Houston but is anxious to see what it has to offer. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know the Houston community," he said by phone from Utah. "And I really have to thank the search committee and the people on the board who saw my ability to be a Houstonian in our time together during my interviews and who also pledged to make sure that I got to know Houston really well." 'A little different than rural southern Utah' He concedes that the Greater Houston area, with its population of more than 7 million, doesn't have much in common with Utah Shakespeare's hometown of Cedar City, located on a stretch of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, with fewer than 40,000 people. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "It's a little different than rural southern Utah," Livingston said with a laugh about Houston. "But I've also lived in Las Vegas. I've lived in Los Angeles. I've lived in New York City. I've lived in San Diego. Houston is different, obviously, and, of course, in a very exciting way." The history of Stages impressed him and is one of the elements that attracted him to the job. "Stages really felt like the right fit," said Livingston. "Some of the previous programming that has happened there was very appealing to me. Not only things like 'Roe' or 'Cullud Wattah' or 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,' but even things like 'The Great American Trailer Park Musical.' Anytime theater can move us profoundly, either with its ability to make us laugh out loud or make us think in deep ways or contemplate another person's point of view, is theater that's worth seeing and doing." As for how he will shape the position, Livingston said many things will remain. "There are some sacred cows. So we have Sin Muros (a LatinX-themed festival). We have our Pantos, which happen at Christmastime. We have the series with leading chefs. Our mixture of shows that are challenging and fun musicals and the jukebox type of shows will continue," he said. "(But I want to add) thought-provoking work and to spend time really developing our new shows and our new plays, because I have a long history of new play development." Activating the Gordy He also wants to do more with the 4-year-old Gordy, Stages' $38.5 million, 66,800-square-foot venue that houses three theaters: the Sterling Stage; the Lester and Sue Smith Stage; and the Rochelle and Max Levit Stage. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "I really want to activate the Gordy, not only in terms of a performing venue, but also a space in which we have conversations about what we've seen on stage and how it relates to what's going on in our community," he said. "So it's not enough just to have a post-show discussion that features the artists, the directors, the designers and the actors. But is there somebody from TSU or Rice who has been a scholar in whatever the subject is who could participate in that talk back? If we are doing a show like 'Roe,' which we did a couple of years ago, are there people who are in the right-to-life and the pro-choice community who can, not necessarily have a debate, but come talk about how they came to those views and those opinions." Beyond the walls of the Gordy, there's Houston itself, which offers its own appeal. "I've been living in southern Utah for almost four years, and the people here are lovely. It's a great place to live," he said. "But I think, at heart, I am much more of an urban creature who definitely prizes diversity and being in a community where there are lots of different people who are living their lives, their true selves and celebrating who they are culturally, religiously, racially, in terms of gender, sexual orientation and identification. And a city like Houston offers that in a way that I just haven't necessarily encountered here." He will miss the sight of mountains. "Las Vegas is two and a half hours south of us, and I often make the trip between here and there. As I'm driving through, I still get smacked by the beauty of those red mountains," he said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But he won't miss them that much. Saying goodbye to cold weather will make up for Houston's flatter landscape. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a Zoom Press Conference WEDNESDAY, May 29 at 9:00 a.m. London time GMT+1 (4:00 a.m. US EDT) to comment on the stalled Pandemic Agreement negotiations taking place this week at the World Health Assembly (WHA). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240528268531/en/ Using the international distress signal SOS (which conventionally stands for Save Our Souls) and imagery depicting a skull with crossbones which represents a deadly road hazard ahead, this global advocacy initiative urgently underscores the critically flawed state of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic Agreement as negotiations near conclusion at the end of May. (Graphic: Business Wire) WHA Member States inability to reach consensus is actually a positive development. It is an admission that cheating the developing world and backing drug companies is not the right approach, said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. We urge world leaders to not settle for a status quo and extend the negotiations long enough to ensure we have a Pandemic Agreement that enshrines equity as a fundamental tenet of global public health. We need an Agreement that protects all nations from future global health emergencies. If theres ever been a time for a worldwide SOS call for action it is now. At the virtual press conference, public health experts from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the US will urge world leaders to use the delay to negotiate and deliver a just and equitable agreement that meets the needs of developing and lower-income countries not solely rich nations and Big Pharma. The virtual press conference is a part of AHFs global advocacy campaign called SOS: Save Our Society. WHAT: SOS SAVE OUR SOCIETY VIRTUAL ZOOM PRESS CONFERENCE: AHF to urge World Health Assembly Member States to negotiate a fair and equitable Pandemic Agreement that works for all nations, particularly lower-income countries. WHEN: Wednesday,May 29, 2024 @ 9:00 a.m. GMT+1 (4 a.m. EDT) WHO: United States - Michael Weinstein, AHF President The Netherlands - Daniel Reijer, AHF Europe Bureau Chief Greece - Nikos Dedes, Chair and Founder of Positive Voice Ukraine - Dr. Yaroslava Lopatina, Country Program Director,AHF Ukraine United Kingdom -Loretta Wong, Alternate Board Member / Global North CSO / Pandemic Fund Governance Board Uganda - Dr. Penninah Iutung, AHF Africa Bureau Chief India - Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Rajpipla, Head of Lakshya Trust and Indias first openly gay prince and representatives from Poland, Argentina, and others TBC. Moderator: Dr. Jorge Saavedra, Executive Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute, Mexico HOW: Join Zoom Meeting here: https://zoom.us/j/94970766648?pwd=MmMyOXY1blgxSnEwcTJlMk0wMWF1dz09 Meeting ID: 949 7076 6648 One tap mobile: +13017158592,,94970766648# US (Washington DC) Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a6s6dHpNi PRESS CONTACTS: Guilherme Faviero, Director, AHF Global Public Health Institute at the University of Miami +1 561.929.9339, [email protected] Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy & Communications, AHF +1 323.219.1091, [email protected] The global SOS: Save Our Society advocacy campaign aims to ensure global health equity and access to essential health commodities, such as vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, during pandemics and international health emergencies. Spearheaded by AHF, the campaign uses the international distress signal "SOS" to highlight the critically flawed state of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic Agreement negotiations. Advocates seek to address the glaring inequities between developed and developing countries that have historically plagued global health responses, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.9 million individuals in 46 countries worldwide in the U.S., Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth, follow us @aidshealthcare and subscribe to our AHF podcast AHFter Hours. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240528268531/en/ Lenovo has once again been ranked in the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024, ranking tenth in this list of global companies with exceptional supply chains. The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 is a renowned annual ranking of the worlds superior supply chains. From financial and corporate social responsibility data and community opinion, the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024 report, celebrates and profiles companies demonstrating excellence in supply chain management. Over the last 12 months, Lenovo has intensified its focus on key areas in its supply chain, including security, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability, alongside the companys global/local approach to drive greater efficiencies and improved customer outcomes. Today, Lenovos global hybrid manufacturing network includes 30+ manufacturing sites spanning 10 markets in the 180 markets Lenovo does business in, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US. This ensures the supply chain remains resilient and can adapt to any disruption. Lenovos supply chain is one of the clearest examples of its global/local strategy and delivers not only operational efficiencies for the business but a definitive advantage to customers through a focus on manufacturing in Europe for Europe, the Americas for the Americas, and Asia for Asia. Bringing manufacturing closer to customers shortens the local supply chain, utilizes the local skilled labor force, and supports Lenovo's sustainability goals through more sustainable manufacturing methods. Building devices close to customers dramatically reduce the freight miles these products incur, providing more efficient and sustainable transportation options. As an example, since becoming operational in 2022, Lenovos European manufacturing facility in Hungary has shipped over 1.5 million workstations and servers to over 2,500 customers in 70 markets across EMEA. Che Min (Jammi) Tu, Senior Vice President and Group Operations Officer, Lenovo, said, Our supply chain has always been a towering strength for Lenovo and remains fundamental to our future success. Over the past few years, weve seen the topic of supply chains make headlines around the world when the flow of goods is impacted and the knock-on effect this has on a business and its reputation. Whats clearer than ever today is that a companys supply chain is a competitive advantage and can no longer be considered a cost center. In fact, at Lenovo, weve successfully transitioned our global supply chain into a commercial center and profit pool. We are also pioneering Manufacturing as a Service, as well as developing and incubating new technologies and solutions within our manufacturing facilities and logistics services that we can offer our customers. For us, were incredibly proud that we continue to be recognized as having one of the most exceptional supply chains in the world across all industries. Lenovo's commitment to delivering innovation, efficiency, and resilience to customers worldwide is underpinned by its resilient supply chain, ensuring cutting-edge products reach customers securely. Lenovo's supply chain security approach is built on a foundation of prevention. Suppliers and components are vigorously vetted, with the companys security-by-design approach embedded into the product lifecycle. By taking a proactive stance against backdoors, tainted products, counterfeits, and hardware/software vulnerabilities, Lenovo safeguards its products and sets a high industry standard for supply chain security. Doug Fisher, SVP and Chief Security Officer, Lenovo, said, Lenovo is dedicated to driving supply chain security through leadership, so we remain in front of the supply chain evolution. Our goal is to ensure our products are safe, highly resilient, and trustworthy before entering our customers environment. We attest to the integrity of each device right down to the lowest levels in the system. Lenovo also remains committed to ESG. It was in the first group of companies and the first PC and smartphone maker to have targets validated in alignment to Science Based Targets initiatives Net-Zero Standard. It continues to focus on future-proofing its operations by making the supply chain more robust, adaptable, and profitable and recently released Lenovo ESG Navigator, a digital solution for collecting and measuring ESG data points like energy use - from factory sites in real time. With the development of an AI-powered ESG assessment system such as Lenovos Intelligence Sustainability Solutions Advisor (LISSA), Lenovo is empowering customers with actionable sustainability insights from across the global supply chain to understand the estimated emissions impact across their IT lifecycle and make critical decisions to decrease emissions. Initially developed to support supply chain decision-making, LISSA has now been commercially deployed to support customers IT sustainability goals. As part of Lenovos drive towards the circular economy, utilizing the supply chain for customers after-sales support, where possible, returned components are repaired by engineers, quality-tested, and reused. To date, 4m+ components, including motherboards, processors, drives, memory, and more, have been diverted from landfills for reuse within the product lifecycle. About the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 ranking and methodology The Supply Chain Top 25 ranking comprises two main components: business performance and opinion. Business performance in the form of public financial and ESG (environmental, social, governance) data provides a view into how companies have performed in the past three years, while the opinion component offers an eye to future potential and reflects leadership in the supply chain community. These two components are combined into a total composite score. Gartner derives a list of companies from a combination of the Fortune Global 500 and the Forbes Global 2000. In an effort to maintain the list of companies evaluated at a manageable level, a general annual revenue threshold of $15 billion has been applied and companies without physical supply chains are excluded. Read the full Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024 Report here. Gartner Press Release: Gartner Announces 20th Annual Rankings of the Global Supply Chain Top 25, May 22, 2024. Gartner Insights, The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2024, https://www.gartner.com/en/supply-chain/research/supply-chain-top-25. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. 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 Gartners Research & Advisory 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. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About Lenovo Lenovo is a US$57 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #217 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the worlds largest PC company with a pocket-to cloud portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovos continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240528610799/en/ Early voting showed former Texas Ranger Wesley Doolittle, pictured above, had the edge on Sheriff Rand Henderson in the runoff race for Montgomery County sheriff Tuesday. Courtesy photo Early voting showed former Texas Ranger Wesley Doolittle had the edge on Sheriff Rand Henderson, pictured above, in the runoff race for Montgomery County sheriff Tuesday. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Former Texas Ranger Wesley Doolittle is Montgomery Countys new top lawman after defeating incumbent Rand Henderson in the Republican primary runoff for sheriff Tuesday. Doolittle, 51, will run unopposed on the November ballot. He will take office Jan. 1. According to information from Montgomery County Election Central, Doolittle garnered 53.55% of the vote to Hendersons 46.45%. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Thank you for your support and your confidence in this Ranger, Doolittle said Wednesday morning. Your voice has been heard. I thank (voters) for sending a clear message that the good folks in Montgomery County get to decide who serves them and I am ready to be their sheriff. After 22 years with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Doolittle retired at the end of September 2022 and was sworn in as a Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables Office captain. Doolittle and his wife, Sherry, have four children. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Voter turnout was low, with around 6% of 435,228 registered voters in the county casting ballots. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 1:30AM Image: Bluesky Calling all Bluesky users! The platform just launched direct messaging (DMs), letting you chat privately with friends and contacts. It's text-based for now, but get ready to share images and videos soon. How to send DMs: Mobile users: Tap the chat icon at the bottom of your screen. Desktop users: Click the chat bubble in your sidebar. In the new chat window, search for the username you want to message. Craft your message and hit send! But there are a few things you need to know about it: End-to-end encryption for DMs is coming soon, but it's not available yet. By default, anyone you follow can send you a DM. You can adjust this privacy setting in "Settings" to control who can message you directly (Everyone, No One, or Followers Only). For added control, you can enable or disable message notification sounds and even report or block users directly within your DMs. Remember, blocked users can't message you, but muted users still can. Bluesky prioritizes user safety. So, the platform notes that its moderation team might need limited access to DMs in specific cases, such as investigating spam or coordinated harassment. However, Bluesky assures users that this access is strictly monitored and only used for these purposes. Source Belarus Cement Group to ship 67,000t to Russia Muriel Bal By 29 May 2024 The Belarus Cement Group plans to ship 67,000t of cement to Russia in May using its own train, according to the Ministry of Architecture and Construction of Belarus. This month, the BCG has launched a fixed-route train of its own hopper wagons to deliver cement to Russia. The first train was dispatched from the Belarusian Cement Plant (Kostyukovichi, Mogilev Oblast) to Moscow Oblast, the report says. According to the Ministry of Architecture and Construction, the BCG train has already made nine runs to the Central federal District of Russia, with 37,000t of cement delivered. Published under The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office follows alongside a family of ducks to protect them from traffic on the Westpark Tollway in Katy on Monday, May 27, 2024. Courtesy/Caroline Walker-Trulock Crews from Community Volunteer Fire Department and deputies from the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office move a family of ducks from the Westpark Tollway in Katy on Monday, May 27, 2024. Courtesy/Caroline Walker-Trulock When a family of whistler ducks found themselves trapped in rushing traffic on the Westpark Tollway Monday, a group of first responders and concerned citizens teamed up to rescue the displaced brood. KATY HOTSPOTS: We asked readers to tell us the trendiest hotspots in Katy. Heres what they said. Deputies with the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office pulled up alongside the mother duck and her ducklings to keep them on the shoulder and to prevent motorists from hitting them. Caroline Walker-Trulock, who filmed the entire rescue effort, said the Community Volunteer Fire Department also joined in the efforts, blocking traffic on the tollway until the birds could be removed from danger. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the video, officers from the sheriffs office drove beside the ducks with their lights on as the harried mother duck scrambled down the road. Once the fire department had closed off the road, the video showed, firefighters carefully lifted the chirping ducklings over the concrete barrier. Their mother flew over the barrier and joined her youngsters. The family wasnt out of harms way yet, however. They still had to cross the frontage road. The firefighters jumped over the side and proceeded to go help the ducks get to the other side of the feeder road to safety, said Walker-Trulock. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan praised his officers endeavors. Recognizing the potential danger to both the animals and the motorists, our deputies did not hesitate to step into a hazardous situation to ensure the safety of all involved, he said. Their selfless act exemplifies their commitment to serve and protect, not only our community but all of its inhabitants. Walker-Trulock said she didnt know how the ducks made it onto the road, but she doesnt believe that civilian rescuers would have been able to save the family without help from the first responders. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Spanish cement sales outlook improving but exports likely to remain weak ICR Newsroom By 29 May 2024 Cement consumption in Spain recovered in April after poor weather and fewer working days weighed heavily on the 1Q24. Sales rose 11.5 per cent YoY to 1.324Mt, up from 1.188Mt in April 2023, according to the Spanish cement association, Oficemen. Oficemen notes that "it's the first month in positive after ten in decline. However, this percentage of growth has been influenced by the calendar effect, with the month of April of this year with more working days and that when looking at working-day adjusted data cement sales contracted 8.8 per cent YoY in April. Meanwhile, exports were down 23.8 per cent YoY, coming in at 387,517t. January-April 2024 Cement consumption was down 4.5 per cent YoY in the first four months of 2024, amounting to 4.65Mt, down from 4.87Mt in the same period a year earlier. Exports fell by 25.3 per cent YoY in the January to April period, coming in at 1.447Mt. 12-month moving average Oficemen notes that in the last 12 months (May 2023 to April 2024) cement sales fell 4.5 per cent YoY to 14.28Mt, with 672,600t less than the previous period, while exports are below 5Mt, with a loss of close to 1Mt. Outlook Both domestic and foreign cement sales are underperforming amid lingering weakness at home and in the key export markets of the UK and France. The expected gradual improvement in the Spanish construction sector will help lift domestic cement demand as 2024 progresses. Construction grew two per cent QoQ and 3.6 per cent YoY expansion in the 1Q24 and according to the monthly construction sector survey by the Ministry of industry and Tourism, a further improvement was recorded in April with new orders and employment expectations picking up. However, the outlook for key export markets is less upbeat as residential property markets struggle. While expected activity in the French construction sector improved in May, according to the latest survey from the French national statistics office, INSEE, it remains below its long-term average and the outlook for new dwellings is particularly downbeat. Meanwhile in the UK new private house construction contracted 13.7 per cent YoY in the 1Q24 and house price growth continues to cool. Published under Strong cement sales cool oversupply concerns in Iran ICR Newsroom By 29 May 2024 Iranian cement sales came in at 5.75Mt in March, down two per cent from 5.87Mt a year earlier, according to the Iranian cement association. Producers manufactured 4.676Mt of cement in March 2024, a notable drop of 25.5 per cent YoY, while clinker rose a robust 13.3 per cent YoY to 6.97Mt. A total of 1.28Mt of cement and clinker were exported in March, a 17.4 per cent expansion from a year earlier, with cement exports increasing 16.2 per cent YoY to 0.43Mt and clinker exports rising 18.1 per cent YoY to 0.85Mt. Full Iranian calendar year In the full Iranian calendar year (from 21 March 2023 to 19 March 2024), cement consumption in Iran amounted to 66.19Mt, roughly an 11 per cent expansion from the previous Iranian calendar year. Cement production totalled 71.44Mt, up roughly 13 per cent YoY. Clinker production was 76.68Mt, up around five per cent YoY. Exports were roughly flat at 14.65Mt, with cement exports up around 34 per cent YoY at 5.72Mt, while clinker exports dropped around 15 per cent YoY to 8.93Mt. Outlook The Iran cement sector saw strong domestic growth in the 2023-24 Iranian calendar year, suggesting overcapacity concerns have lessened. The latest data from The Global Cement Report, 15th Edition, shows cement capacity totalling 103.7Mta, suggesting a capacity utilisation rate of 68.9 per cent for the latest Iranian calendar year, up from around 61 per cent in the 2022-23 calendar year. According to Irans Cement Industry Producers Association there are 96 cement production lines active in 74 factories across the country. Large infrastructure projects will help drive cement demand in 2024. A total of IRR3000trn (US$70,671m) of projects are budgeted for the current Iranian calendar year (20 March 2024-20 March 2025) and the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization recently announced that IRR19trn (around US$38m) have been allocated to develop mining infrastructure, including 21 road construction initiatives. China and Russia will remain the main source of foreign investment in Irans building and infrastructure sector. However, difficulties in these countries could destabilise some long-standing projects and may limit further investments into the Iranian construction sector. Furthermore, a wider and sustained easing of sanctions would be required to boost investment in Iran's construction industry over the medium-to-long term. Strong growth in key export markets will support ongoing robust cement exports and a revival in clinker exports. According to Irans Cement Industry Producers Association the country exports to 25 countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan. According to the IMF, GDP is forecast to grow 2.8 per cent in the Middle East and central Asia in 2024 and by 6.3 per cent in south Asia. Published under HeidelbergCement Bangladesh looks for new MD ICR Newsroom By 29 May 2024 HeidelbergCement Bangladesh Ltd is seeking a new managing director to oversee its operations in Bangladesh. Part of Heidelberg Materials (HM) Group, HeidelbergCement Bangladesh Ltd (HCBL) is Bangladeshs leading cement manufacturing company. With a rich history of 151 years and a global presence in over 50 countries, the group boasts a workforce of 51,000 and an annual turnover of EUR21.2bn. In Bangladesh, HCBL offers two renowned flagship brands in Ruby Cement and Scan Cement. Applications for the position can be submitted until 10 June 2024. In 2023 HCBL successfully manufactured and distributed a combined total of 2.185Mt of cement through three strategically-placed plants in Kanchpur, Chittagong and Mukterpur, Bangladesh. This quantity represents a marginal 1.2 per cent decline compared to the aggregate sales volume achieved in 2022. Notably, the companys overall sales volume decreased by 28,000t compared to the preceding year. Published under The Klein Independent School District releases statement after cyber attack that left over 24,000 students experience internet issues. Courtesy of Klein ISD A former Klein ISD student is accused of orchestrating a cyberattack that halted STAAR testing in April and he now faces a felony charge after thousands of students were impacted by internet problems. An April 16 internet disruption due to a distributed denial of service attack or DDoS, was traced to Klein Forest High School student Keontra Lamont Kenemore, 18, by the districts IT department, according to Harris County court records and school officials. Kenemore was immediately expelled by district officials and was later charged with electronic access interference, a third-degree felony, by the Harris County District Attorneys Office, court records show. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The District Attorneys Office issued a warrant for Kenemores arrest over Memorial Day weekend, school officials said. This incident underscores the reality that online actions are not anonymous, and any attempt to disrupt our systems will be met with serious consequences, Justin Elbert, executive director of communications for Klein ISD, wrote in a statement. According to Harris County court documents, Klein ISDs IT department leadership said a test coordinator first experienced internet issues around noon on April 16 at Klein Forest High School, where a STAAR test was being administered. The alleged attack not only affected Klein Forest but caused two days worth of major internet issues district-wide. A total of 24,279 students testing on April 16 and 17 were affected by internet disruptions, and district officials believe the issues may affect the Klein ISD Accountability Rating from Texas Education Agency, court records show. Some students were required to retake their tests. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The districts IT department was able to trace the alleged attack via IP addresses and Kenemores digital fingerprint on both his cellphone and school-issued Chromebook. He later confessed when confronted by district officials, court records show. Thomas Farr threw his best game of the year, going six shutout innings while scattering six hits with three strikeouts and no walks, to give the Lookouts a much needed 3-1 win over the Tennessee Smokies. The six shutout frames lowered Farr's season E.R.A. to 3.11 and snapped the Lookouts six game losing streak. The Lookouts got on the board in the fifth when Tyler Callihan scored on a Jack Rogers ground out. Dominic Pitelli would come in to score the second run in the sixth inning on a single by Nicholas Northcut. The Lookouts stretched their lead to three runs when Callihan hit a sac fly in the seventh to score Ivan Johnson. Carson Rudd pitched the final three innings to secure the save, allowing one run on on two hits with three strikeouts. He now has a season E.R.A. of only 1.63. The Lookouts will be back in action Wednesday night at Tennessee with a 7 p.m. start in the second game of a four game series. Their next home series will begin on June 11th. Each year, the Chattanooga Bar Association honors an outstanding citizen in the Chattanooga area with the Liberty Bell Award for public service. The purpose of the Liberty Bell Award is to recognize community service that has strengthened the American system of freedom under law. In selecting the recipient of this award, the Chattanooga Bar Association considers such service as including activities which (1) promotes better understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights; (2) encourage a greater respect for the law and the courts; (3) stimulates a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; (4) contribute to the effective functioning of our institutions of government; and (5) foster a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law. This prestigious award, presented annually by the Chattanooga Bar Association, is selected from nominations received by the awards committee. Brigadier General Carl Levis career includes 53 years of public service to Chattanooga and Hamilton County government, 35 years of service in the United States Army and Tennessee National Guard and over seven decades of civic service and volunteer leadership, dedicated to the betterment of others. Carl Levi has always been enthusiastic in his delight and love for Chattanooga and its people and his commitment to patriotic service and the rule of law. Carl Levi grew up in East Lake and graduated from Chattanooga High School, Class of 1949, the University of Chattanooga, Class of 1956 and the University of Wisconsin School of Finance, Class of 1975. Carl is a member of the Chattanooga High School Hall of Fame, was vice-president of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at UC, president of his class at UC, Pledge Class president, Inter-Fraternity treasurer and chairman of the School Election Committee. He spent 53 years in local government including 17 years as assistant treasurer and 25 years as the treasurer for the City of Chattanooga and 8 years as the Hamilton County Trustee. Levi likes to remind folks that Mayor Olgiati gave him a six weeks job when he came home from the military and planned to enroll at UC and that he retired 45 years later! Levi is a Certified Public Financial administrator. General Levi began his military career as a private and retired as a Brigidier General. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1952, served during the Korean Conflict era, was commissioned as a 2nd Lt., Artillery in 1955 and held multiple command positions during his career at the Battery, Battalion and Brigade level. He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Basic and Advance School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, an Honor Graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U. S. Armed Forces Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Pentagons Inspector General School and the NATO Defense School, Rome, Italy. In honor of his leadership and service, the National Guard Armory in Chattanooga was named Brigadier General Carl E. Levi National Guard Armory Training Center. Levi was the driving force behind the Armed Forces Pavilion at the Chattanooga National Cemetery and raised the total funds for its construction and dedication. General Levi has served the American Legion for seven decades and he is recognized locally, regionally and nationally as one of the key contributors to the American Legions success. From his leadership as Post Commander at American Legion Post # 14 to his decades of service as Tennessee State Commander, National Executive Committee of the American Legion to the American Legions National Finance Commission, Carl Levi has helped direct the financial arm of the American Legion, securing the organization viability for its millions of members. At 92, he serves currently as Vice Chairman Emeritus and attends the national meetings. Many people do not know that Carl Levi is a talented musician who originally considered a career as a music director. He had a band for over 40 years and played with such stars as Chet Atkins, Faron Young and Chattanoogas own Jim Wilson. Previous honors and recognitions include: Tennessee National Guard Minute Man Award President of the Municipal Treasurers Association, United States and Canada 1988 Treasurer of the Year, United States and Canada East Tennessee Trustee of the Year, 2005 and 2006 Outstanding Tennessee Trustee, 2006 President of the Tennessee County Trustees Association Mr. Levi is an engaged member of Brainerd Presbyterian Church and is a member of the Half-Century Club, the East Lake Lodge # 268 F&AM, Scottish Rite Mason and Alhambra Shriners. Mr. hosts The Generals Table each Friday at Wallys on McCallie Avenue where he brings together veterans for a time of fellowship and remembrance, aiding in their social and mental wellbeing after military service and combat experiences. He has spent his life caring for and service the citizens and veterans in his wide-reaching community. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Jernigan Livi and his parents, the late Deputy Fire Chief Carl A. Levi and Erma Smartt Levi. He is the father of one daughter, Kelly Carlyn Levi Swartz and is proud of his four grandchildren and great-grandson. The Chattanooga Bar Association celebrated its Annual Law Day last week at the Hunter Museum with over 200 attending. The featured speaker was Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. General Skrmetti was sworn in to an eight-year term as Tennessees Attorney General and Reporter on Sept. 1, 2022. Prior to his current role, General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Governor Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General to his predecessor, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery.Before working for the State of Tennessee, General Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis. His legal career began with nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor. He worked at the Civil Rights Division at Main Justice and then at the Memphis U.S. Attorneys Office and prosecuted sex traffickers, corrupt government officials, and violent white supremacists. Each year, the Chattanooga Bar Association honors an outstanding citizen in the Chattanooga area with the Liberty Bell Award for public service. The purpose of the Liberty Bell Award is to recognize community service that has strengthened the American system of freedom under law. In selecting the recipient of this award, the Chattanooga Bar Association considers such service as including activities which (1) promotes better understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights; (2) encourage a greater respect for the law and the courts; (3) stimulates a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; (4) contribute to the effective functioning of our institutions of government; and (5) foster a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law. This prestigious award, presented annually by the Chattanooga Bar Association, is selected from nominations received by the awards committee. Lawyers and judges are not eligible for the award; however, all other work industries are intended for the inclusion, namely education, business, sciences, communications, labor, government, religion, professions, and youth organizations. This year, the Annual Liberty Bell Award was presented to Brigadier General Carl E. LEVI, USA, (Ret). The group of participants releasing the hellbenders into the wild Hellbender Will Ternes, zoo keeper, holding a hellbender in the wild Mary Pepper, U.S. Forest Service biological technician Previous Next Personnel from the Chattanooga Zoo, U.S. Forest Service and Lee University traveled deep into the woods to release a total of 31 eastern hellbender salamanders in various rivers within the Cherokee National Forest. This is part of the Hellbender Headstart program, housed on Chattanooga Zoo grounds and maintained largely by zoo keepers, that is working to rehabilitate the rapidly disappearing local hellbender population. This is definitely our biggest local conservation program at the Chattanooga Zoo, said Will Ternes, zoo keeper and Hellbender Headstart manager. We are actively working to save an important local species from extinction, so its both exciting and humbling to participate in this work. Eastern hellbender salamanders are native to the Ocoee region and other parts of Eastern Tennessee, but their numbers have declined to the point of endangerment over the past several decades due primarily to habitat destruction. Historically, copper mining, as well as runoff from pesticides and fertilizers, have polluted streams and rivers. As environmental conditions have improved over the years, the Zoo and other partners and collaborators are taking the initiative to replenish hellbender populations. Hellbenders play an important role in maintaining a rivers ecology, and their presence and health are indicators of high-quality water thats why we call them an indicator species, said Mr. Ternes. These salamanders breathe through their skin and rely on cool, well-oxygenated flowing water to survive, so an abundance of strong hellbenders usually signifies a thriving ecosystem. The Hellbender Headstart Program, which first took shape in October 2021, starts with the collection of young hellbender larvae and eggs in the wild. Next, they are raised for two years in a controlled environment at the Zoo before they are released back into their habitats. Hellbenders naturally have a low survival rate due to predators and other factors, so raising entire groups to maturity is an effective way to jumpstart species repopulation. At the beginning of May, personnel from the Chattanooga Zoo, U.S. Forest Service and Lee University collected 51 hellbender larvae in the wild. These, in addition to 175 hellbenders hatched at the Zoo in November 2023, will grow up in the Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education Facility at the Zoo before their reintroduction into the wild. Also, in addition to the 31 salamanders released earlier this month, the Zoo has completed this process before, placing 30 strong, healthy hellbenders back in their natural habitat in the summer of 2023 for a total of 61 successful releases in program history. To release the hellbenders, Zoo, Lee University and U.S. Forest Service personnel drove through bumpy forest roads, hiked along rivers and streams and, finally, waded through the water to find suitable places for the aquatic amphibians. Hellbenders often nestle under rocks, branches and fallen trees, so it is important to their survival to find appropriate release points. Similarly, in order to collect larvae, program participants wade into the water and use wetsuits, snorkels and nets to locate and gather the young salamanders. In addition to the Chattanooga Zoo, key program collaborators and supporters include Tennessee American Water, the Lyndhurst Foundation, TWRA, the Cherokee National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and Lee University. Thanks to this partnership, we have the opportunity to reestablish populations of hellbenders in the Cherokee National Forest where we still have the best habitat and water quality said Michael Freake, PhD, professor of biology at Lee University and crucial Hellbender Headstart participant. Hellbenders have declined so significantly across their range, but in Tennessee we can make really meaningful conservation efforts to ensure the survival of this remarkable giant salamander. Those who wish to learn more about eastern hellbenders and see full-grown specimens can visit the Chattanooga Zoos Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education facility on Zoo grounds on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:30 to 4 p.m. each day. For more information about the Chattanooga Zoo visit chattzoo.org. To support the Zoos local and global conservation efforts, click here. 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. On the left is Pugh Elementary School Principal Keith Garcia. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer At least nine Houston ISD schools are closed Wednesday, after a storm the day before left at least 105,000 Centerpoint Energy customers in the region without power that evening. Another eight schools are being monitored for "power-related issues," the district said Wednesday morning. The struggles come as thousands of students in the district were slated to take end-of-year tests. The closures appear to be due to power- and AC-related issues. Some of these campuses were closed due to a storm on May 16, but all have since reopened, district officials said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Each campus is working on managing testing and end-of-year activities with support from their Division leadership," a district spokesperson wrote. The following schools are closed: - Helms Elementary School - Harper DAEP - Heights High School - Field Elementary School - Atherton Elementary School - Hartsfield Elementary School - Northline Elementary School - Highland Heights Elementary School - Poe Elementary School (early dismissal) Spring ISD closed two schools Carl Wunsche Sr. High School and Winship Elementary School due to power outages on Wednesday. "The following campuses have power-related issues and are being carefully monitored," the district said Wednesday morning: - Marshall Middle School - Fleming Middle School - Pershing Middle School - Northside High School - Parker Elementary School - Revere Middle School - Milne Elementary School - Hobby Elementary School Advertisement Article continues below this ad For centuries, French history and legend have speculated over the identity of a mysterious masked prisoner who was held in various jails, including the Bastille, during the reign of King Louis XIV. No one knew what he looked like because he wore a black velvet mask that covered his face and was never caught taking it off. The first documentation of him in written records appeared in the correspondence of Saint-Mars, who was the governor of several prisons. He mentioned that a masked prisoner had been transferred under his guard. When the French philosopher and writer Voltaire described the masked figure in his book, the story of the prisoner gained prominence. He became referred to as the man in the iron mask. Although there was no evidence to indicate that his mask was made of iron, Voltaires writings helped spread the myth. An author named Alexander Dumas also influenced the rise of the masked man into popular culture. The anonymous prisoner died in Bastille on November 19, 1703. Before his death, he was kept in a number of different jails. He was first imprisoned at Pignerol sometime before 1681. He jumped from prison to prison until he was finally transferred to the Bastille in Paris, France, on September 18, 1698. After his death, he was buried in the cemetery of Saint Paul under the name Marchioly. He was around the age of 45 when he died. Over the years, theories about his identity have emerged. One of them claimed that Ercole Matthiole, an Italian count, was the masked man. Matthiole was abducted and jailed after he attempted to betray Louis XIV in the late 1670s during political negotiations. He was imprisoned for a while, and his name was similar to Marchioly. Louis XV and Louis XVI also both stated that the masked man was an Italian nobleman. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Two years ago, this mans son approached him with an investment plan that he swore was absolutely infallible. He listened to his sons proposal before pointing out that it was actually a terrible idea. His son insisted that since there was a ton of money in his college fund, he was entitled to use the money however he wanted, even if his planned investment wasnt wise. His son had recently graduated from high school back then and was not planning to enroll in college. If we had taken money out and he wasnt in school, there was a pretty big tax hit, he explained. I told him that I would loan him the money but that if his investment didnt pay off, then he had to pay me back from his education fund. I figured it was safe since he cant get the money unless he is in school. We wrote up a contract for the loan, including nominal interest. His foolproof investment went poof. He got a job. It turns out that working for a living is harder than school. Its been two years, and he is going to community college this fall. He managed to save up exactly zero dollars from two years of work. He did have a string of girlfriends and a few vacations, though. He recently reminded his son that he has to pay him back out of his college fund for his bad investment before the money in the account is gone. His son got angry with him, as he insisted he was taking money earmarked for him to get an education. He then questioned his son about how much money would be left in the account if he had permitted him to use it all on that awful investment. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. In the vast expanse of the universe, stars die every day, so thats nothing new. But usually, they leave behind clues that tell scientists what was behind their deaths. Over the years, astronomers have noticed stars suddenly winking out of sight without any explanation. In 2019, a project called the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) recorded how many stars vanished from view during the past 70 years and found that around 100 have gone missing. Stars can either become dim or explode as a supernova before turning into a neutron star or collapsing into a black hole. They generally do not just outright disappear. When a star that is eight times the size of the sun reaches the end of its life, its core will collapse under its own gravity. This triggers a powerful explosion that unleashes an enormous amount of energy, briefly lighting up the night sky. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have proposed that massive stars can die without a big explosion and turn directly into a black hole. The team studied VFTS 243, a binary star system at the edge of the Milky Way. It contains a large star and a black hole that orbit one another every 10.4 days. The researchers looked for signs that the black hole had experienced a supernova explosion in the past, such as natal kicks. They did not find evidence of a significant natal kick in the star system. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. This woman and her husband have a daughter, who is 17 years old and currently a senior in high school. But, back when their daughter was just a newborn, she and her husband started a college fund and began saving up for her future. Thats why, 17 years later, they have nearly $200,000 put away to support their daughters college plans. So, she and her husband were both shocked when their daughter recently informed them that she didnt want to take the traditional route or attend a 4-year university right after graduating high school. [My daughter] wants to take some time off from education and get a job and figure out if, or when at all, she wants to go to school, she explained. Now, that was actually fine with her. In fact, she claimed that she would support her daughter on whatever path she chooses to take. But, what she isnt okay with is handing over the nearly $200,000 college fund if her daughter isnt actually going to college at least right now. Apparently, her daughter still asked if she and her husband would give her the money in the fund to buy a new car, as well as other things. However, she put her foot down and said no. Because if she does choose to eventually go to school, I still want there to be money left in the account, she reasoned. So, she told her daughter that she was going to hold onto the money for a bit longer. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Since 1915, the mummified head of an ancient Egyptian woman has been stored in a high school library in Australia. To this day, the circumstances under which the artifact appeared are unclear. Recently, researchers have reconstructed the mummys face. The mummified head first arrived at Grafton High School after it was donated by a local doctor named T.J. Henry in 1915. The head came with a note dated July 1860. It explained that Henry bought the artifact in the late 1800s while studying medicine in Edinburgh. The note also estimated that the head was over 2,000-years-old. However, there are differing opinions about its origins. Some experts believe that it was actually donated by Grafton Elliot Smith, an anatomist and one of the most well-known Egyptologists of the 20th century. Either way, the head has stirred up a lot of controversy at the high school. Many people thought the school should continue to take care of it, while others wanted the display gone. The head is not wrapped up in bandages, so anyone can see that its blackened and cracked, with wisps of light orange hair still visible. The mouth is slightly parted, revealing a few teeth. Someone had also rubbed gold flakes in the spots where the eyes used to be. For over a century, the mummys age and gender were unknown. But then, researchers from Australian and Italian universities conducted an analysis of the head and discovered that it belonged to a woman in her 50s. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A law enforcement officer investigates the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Law enforcement and fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Two under-construction homes in Magnolia collapsed during a storm on May 28, 2024. Officials said they believed at least one person died in the collapse. Courtesy/Magnolia Fire Department A 16-year-old boy was killed Tuesday after two homes under construction collapsed in Magnolia, Montgomery County Sheriff officials said. Magnolia Fire Department division chief Jason Herrman said emergency responders recovered a body in the collapse of the homes in the 33000 block of Willow Heights Lane. Sheriff's officials said workers had begun to notice the house was shifting during the thunderstorm and all but the teen were able to make it out before it collapsed. The teen was an employee of the construction company. He has been identified and family has been notified of his death, but his name will not be released, sheriff's officials said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A second structure collapsed after authorities arrived. Later, officials helped structurally support a third building after they noticed it was leaning, said Bryan Perry, captain of community risk reduction with the Magnolia Fire Department. Authorities recovered the body before 4:30 p.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene. Officials said there will be an investigation into the collapse, as with all fatal industrial incidents, but said there did not appear to be a criminal act involved. Fire Department officials used camera equipment to search through the rubble for other victims. A colleague told KHOU that he thought a tornado caused the homes to collapse. Like a little tornado and we heard a lot of noises, like strong noises, Christian Hernandez told the station. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer LIVE UPDATES: Power outages rise to nearly 314K as storms and hail slam Houston The Magnolia, Woodlands, Conroe and North Montgomery County fire departments and the Montgomery County Hospital District all responded to the collapse, officials said. Tuesdays storm comes nearly two weeks after a tornado and straight-line winds cut a destructive path through the Houston area May 16, killing eight people, including a concrete worker injured when a crane collapsed on his work truck. Swaths of the city still battle to recover from the storm that shut down schools, tore up shade trees, wrecked roofs and left many homeowners sweating in houses without electricity. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This is a developing story. Check back later for more details. Illustration by Marco Lawrence Like other widows of South African mine workers, Jane Anele was doubly wronged by the industry. The 58-year-old lost her husband to coal mining a decade ago, and his employer never paid the family his dues. My husband died of lung disease from digging coal for 20 years, and his pension has never been paid because the coal mine went defunct, she said. We are too poor to hire lawyers who charged us 90,000 South African rand ($4,500 USD) to pursue those who owe us. We are not that educated to start with, let alone dig for historical pensions claims and fill complex forms. Her last hope was to turn to the church. 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. In a country where lawyers, corporate human resources departments, and police are viewed with suspicion, Christian leaders are stepping in to advocate for South Africas discarded Black mine laborers and their families. We stand with Black miners and their descendants for a lifetime. I have attracted a lot of enemies and been vilified in government and mining industry circles over my stance, said prophet Paseka Mboro, a controversial charismatic Pentecostal minister. These gold and platinum mine corps are listed on the stock exchanges, and some of their ex-laborers sometimes cant afford [pain relievers] in old age. South Africas mines took off in the late 1800s when imperialist mining magnate Cecil Rhodes and the Oppenheimer family struck gold and discovered diamond riches. For over a century, the country built its famous gold, platinum, and coal mine wealth on the sweat of migrant Black laborers. Now, as the industry continues its slow decline, workers are suffering, aging in poverty, and dying from conditions contracted in the mines. And the job is getting more dangerous and less stable. Tapiwa Nhachi, a former social scientist with the regional Centre for Natural Resources, said getting justice for migrant workers is a nightmare. Some were brought from neighboring African countries in the 1960s to work without IDs and have since passed on. I worked for Optimum Coal Mine for five years, got injured from a rock fall underground, was laid off with two months salary, and disability benefits havent been paid to date, 60-year-old Wandile Mashaba told CT. The mine has since gone into bankruptcy, changed hands, and my file is missing. Thousands of shortchanged Black mine workers in South Africa, considered one of the most financially unequal countries in the world, cant afford claims lawyers and rely on Christian advocates like Mboro to help. Their willingness to confront the big mining corporations draws from biblical calls for justice and Scriptures divine condemnations of those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice (Mal. 3:5). The pastors have been super helpful, said Nolwazi Makhulu. Its through their constant, brave engagement with mine owners that my late husbands R400,000 [$20,000 USD] disability and pension dues were finally settled from a trust fund though the diamond mine has long gone defunct. The Wall Street Journal reported that the $24 billion mining sector in South Africa is waning under the pressure of violent crime, growing costs and regulatory uncertainty, as well as tapped-out mines. The newspaper cited falling employment numbers and production, and an increase in violent labor disputes and deaths. For example, in October and December last year, disgruntled mine workers took hundreds of fellow miners hostage kilometers under the earth as a way of forcing concessions from big-corporation mine owners. In the wake of the decline, violent tactics and injustice remain, said Thula Maseko, a National Union of Mineworkers branch coordinator. When police and corporate mine owners fear or refuse to negotiate in hostage situations, its once again churches that step in. Drawing from decades of trust, Christian leaders serve as peace negotiators to stop potential bloodshed, Maseko said. Large mining companies, corporate lawyers, courts, and compromised trade unions are hardly trusted by thousands of Black mine laborers in South Africa, says Tito Dingane, an activist pastor in the Zion Christian Church, a large African-initiated denomination with one million members across South Africa. Its only through our intervention and negotiations as the Zion Christian Church that recently three widows of mine workers were paid modest compensation for their deaths, he said. [Mining officials] had dismissed their claim, saying their husbands were bogus miners. For decades, churches have sued mine owners on behalf of workers with lung disease. Last year, the Catholic church vowed a class-action lawsuit against BHP, the giant Australian copper miner, on behalf of 17 current and former mine workers, who came to the Catholic Church for help after contracting incurable coal workers pneumoconiosis, an industry news article reported. The bishops are our last hope, said Fazela Ntoto, a former gold miner. His hard-fought pension claim was fleeced by trust lawyers taking advantage of his illiteracy, Ntoto said. His pastors took up his cause, however, and worked to successfully recover what he was owed. Father Stan Muyebe, director of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, said the church is called to join in the cries for justice and offer help. The church in South Africa has been challenged to become a Samaritan church, he said, hearing the cries of the sick ex-miners and seeing the suffering face of Christ in and through the one who once said to us, I was sick and you visited me. Nyasha Bhobo is a freelance journalist in Zimbabwe who covers stories across southern Africa. Home News 1,500-year-old church drawings show Christian pilgrims arriving by ship at Gaza port Excavations in Israel are offering a rare window into Christian pilgrimage in the Byzantine era. Finds from the dig at a Byzantine-period church in Rahat, in the Northern Negev, have revealed a trove of wall art by pilgrims featuring ships. "These intriguing drawings may have been left by Christian pilgrims arriving by ship to the Gaza port their first inland stop was this Rahat church; continuing from here on to other sites throughout the country," excavators from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) explained. 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 One drawing depicted what appeared to be a two-masted ship, and its exacting details testified to the artist's familiarity with maritime life, but "since the drawing was found upside-down, it seems the person placing the stone during construction was either unaware it bore a drawing, or did not care." The IAA has been conducting excavations at the site for several years. "This is a greeting from Christian pilgrims arriving by ship to Gaza port," the IAA said. "The excavated site tells the story of settlement in the Northern Negev at the end of the Byzantine period and in the beginning of the Early Islamic period. Pilgrims visited the church and left their personal mark in the form of ship drawings on its walls." The ancient church is located adjacent to an ancient Roman road that led from the Mediterranean coastal port of Gaza to Beer Sheva, the Negev's main city. "The pilgrims began their pilgrimage following Roman roads leading to sites sacred to Christendom, such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the monasteries in the Negev Hills, and in the Sinai," the IAA said. "It is reasonable that their first stop after alighting from the ships in Gaza port was this very church revealed in our excavations south of Rahat. This site lies only a half-day's walk from the port." IAA Director Eli Escusido said, "This surprising and intriguing find of ship drawings in a Northern Negev Byzantine-period church opens a window for us to the world of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land 1,500 years ago, and provides firsthand evidence about the ships they traveled in and the maritime world of that time." The discoveries unearthed by the IAA will appear soon as part of an exhibition on June 4, in the Rahat Municipal Cultural Hall. It will be the first time they have been available for public viewing. The site was excavated during a city expansion project funded by the Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev to add a new neighborhood for Bedouin residents. Originally published at Christian Today Home News End Times beliefs shape how Christians act in their daily lives, eschatology experts say What people believe about the End Times impacts how they operate in their daily lives, according to experts on eschatology. Dallas Theological Seminary theology professor Michael J. Svigel and author and scholar Darrell Bock discussed the topic in a recent episode of The Table podcast. Svigel stressed the importance of understanding eschatology, cautioning that Christians must know where we are in the story to know how to live and what to believe. 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 We need to know where we are, he said. There is a feedback loop as you're thinking about details of the end and how this is going to work out, how it's not going to work out, how do we get there? These are all questions that are answered by the details of eschatology. Is this something that we have to establish in our own age prior to Christ's return versus [do] we have another mission until Christ returns? Or is it a little of both? How you answer those questions is going to affect, if you're consistent with your eschatology, how you live on that Monday morning. Bock warned that, by not wanting to learn details about the End Times, some Christians are missing some things that you need to know and understand and appreciate in order to understand who you're supposed to be now. In fact, the failure to understand where eschatology takes us probably makes us more nervous in this time, and then we're more likely to make mistakes, Bock stressed. The experts then discussed the three dominant ideas in Christianity about the End Times: premillennialism, which argues that Christ will return before His 1,000-year reign is established; postmillennialism, which sees Christs Second Coming as occurring after 1,000 years of "a golden age or era of Christian prosperity and dominance;" and amillennialism, which argues that there will be no millennial reign and that the 1,000-year reign mentioned in Revelation is not literal. If you're amillennial and you believe Jesus can come back and form the new Heavens and the new Earth, you're less likely to be concerned about the role of Israel and the plan of God, just by that default, Bock explained. If you're premillennial, you're going to be concerned with figuring out, OK, so when is Jesus coming back to set this all up? If you're postmillennial, you're going to be working hard to fix things until we get there. And so, those break out into three very different general approaches, depending on which space I'm in. Svigel briefly described how these different perspectives on the End Times have influenced the behaviors of Christians over the centuries, leading to different outlooks on everyday life. There have been what I would call passive evangelistic post-millennialism, where you just preach the Word and eventually, miraculously, there'll be this pouring out of the spirit and the world will convert, said Svigel. But then there's, on the other extreme, has been militant post-millennialism, where our job is to pick up the pitchforks and the spears and overthrow the king and the church and establish a perfect society. Svigel added that how you answer those questions just by those examples has been very, very important to your day-to-day living, how you view the mission of the Christian. Bock spoke about how ones views on the End Times shape how they might approach involvement in public space, with him referring to a theocratic expectation of things. A theocratic expectation is the idea of governments that are called to live by God's values, no matter what. And you're going to enforce those values by the way you structure your government, as opposed to an approach that says, Well, we should live by God's standards, but we also understand we're living in the world, he explained. Those are big orientation questions. Most people float through their theological life not even thinking about them, but they end up, depending on what they're absorbing, having a theological and eschatological worldview whether they realize it or not. And so, it's much better to be aware of what's going on around you than not being aware of what's going around you. In June, popular podcaster Jeff Kinley released his latest book on the End Times, titled God's Grand Finale: Wrath, Grace, and Glory in Earths Last Days. Kinley told The Christian Post in an interview in October that he believed churches in the United States have, by and large, not done a good job of addressing the book of Revelation. I think people view Revelation as sort of being off limits to Christians because of its apocalyptic language, because some of its symbolism that's in there, Kinley said. But the very word, Revelation, means to uncover or reveal or to unveil, not to hide. So, the irony is that people think that its a book of hidden knowledge when the very title of the book tells us that it is a book that tells us Who God is and tells us what's going to happen. Home News Christian veteran who toppled satanic statue in Iowa no longer facing felony hate crime charge The U.S. Navy veteran who toppled a satanic statue in the Iowa State Capitol last December pleaded guilty to criminal mischief last Friday in exchange for having a felony hate crime charge dropped against him. Michael Cassidy, a 36-year-old former candidate for the Mississippi House of Representatives, was slapped with a felony under Iowa's hate crime statute after pushing over the Baphomet statue erected near a Nativity scene and tossing its ram's head in the garbage. After turning himself in to authorities, he was initially charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. But the Polk County Attorney's Office enhanced the charge to a felony in January. 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 Cassidy was to stand trial on June 3 and faced up to five years in jail if convicted of the hate crime. But in exchange for having the felony charge dropped, he agreed to plead guilty to a third-degree criminal mischief charge without the hate crime enhancement, according to The Des Moines Register. Part of the plea deal involved Cassidy admitting in writing that he "partially dismantled a display in the Iowa State Capitol Building, without a right/license to do so," and that the damage he inflicted exceeded $750. "Not today, Satan," Cassidy tweeted last Friday. "Pleased to announce the Iowa DA just dropped their absurd felony hate crime charge and instead offered a deferred judgement misdemeanor (a fine, no jail time, nothing permanent on my record), which I accepted." "Many thanks to my family, my lawyers, my community, and the many Christians who have supported us morally and financially over the past several months," he continued. "When Christians stick together, we can, and we will, win. I'll have more to say in the weeks ahead, in the meantime please use this Memorial Day Weekend to remember and honor those who gave their lives in service of our nation. Thank you." Not today, Satan. Pleased to announce the Iowa DA just dropped their absurd felony hate crime charge and instead offered a deferred judgement misdemeanor (a fine, no jail time, nothing permanent on my record), which I accepted. Many thanks to my family, my lawyers, my community, Michael Cassidy ?? ???????? (@Mike_Cassidy_MS) May 24, 2024 In comments to the conservative outlet The Republic Sentinel, Cassidy's attorney Davis Younts confirmed that prosecutors "finally agreed to drop the hate crimes enhancement after months-long legal battles over every aspect of this case." He attributed the result to supporters who donated more than $134,000 to his legal defense fund on GiveSendGo. "It is because of the people that came to his aid and an outstanding legal team that we were able to back the prosecutors into a corner and get this resolution," Younts told the outlet. "Instead of a felony hate crime and jail time, Cassidy received deferred judgment for damage to property and the conviction will be expunged once the court process is complete. "Forcing the prosecutors to drop the hate crime is a huge victory for Cassidy and for religious freedom," he added. Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for the Polk County Attorney's Office, defended the hate crime charge in a statement to the Des Moines Register. "While we believe the defendant did commit a crime in violation of individual rights, the decision to allow the defendant to plead guilty to an aggravated misdemeanor took into consideration various factors we weigh when we make a plea offer," Hicks said. "Factors can include but are not limited to: taking full accountability for the criminal conduct, cooperation with law enforcement, the availability of evidence, and the defendant's lack of criminal history." The presence of a Baphomet statue and satanic altar laying out the seven fundamental tenets of The Satanic Temple in the Iowa State Capitol drew national attention and stirred debate even among Christian Republican state lawmakers regarding the constitutional limits of free speech. During an interview with CP in December, Cassidy said Christians who believe the U.S. Constitution protects a satanic altar are "overcomplicating" blatant evil that they should be resisting. "The people who wrote our Constitution would be shocked to think of defending Satan as consistent with their beliefs when they wrote the laws that govern our nation," he said. "People start overcomplicating the truth, which is that God is great and should be honored, and the devil is evil and should not be honored," he said. "I think people are tying themselves in knots trying to justify it, and it's really a lot simpler than that." Cassidy also drew support from public figures such as GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Pastor John MacArthur. "You have to take the consequences if you do it, but that was a noble thing to do," MacArthur said in February. "That was something that he felt very deeply in his heart." "What are they doing having an altar to Satan in a state public building?" MacArthur continued. "That is the offense. The offense isn't that it was removed, the offense is that it was there. But it demonstrates where the culture is, that he gets punished, not the people who set it up." Home News Pastor Jack Graham endorses David Allen for SBC president Texas megachurch Pastor Jack Graham endorsed former pastor and seminary professor David Allen for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. The largest Protestant denomination in the United States, the SBC, will hold its Annual Meeting in June in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the agenda including the election of a new president. SBC President Bart Barber, who was elected in 2022 and reelected last year, will not seek reelection, as the convention only permits individuals to serve up to two consecutive terms. 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 On Sunday at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, where Graham serves as senior pastor, he expressed his support for Allens nomination as SBC president and interviewed him. Graham told those gathered that Allen was the first full-time staff member at Prestonwood Baptist back in the 1970s as a student pastor, even before the congregation had a full-time lead pastor. I was very glad to introduce Dr. David Allen today to share his vision for the Southern Baptist Convention and endorse his candidacy as president, Graham posted on X Sunday evening, along with a video of his interview with Allen. I believe his character, experience, and leadership is what we need going forward. Preacher. Pastor. Professor. He is not a part of any organization and is owned by [no one]. I love David Allen and am praying for him as he says yes to the will of God. During the Sunday interview, Allen said he believed the SBC was struggling right now, were losing ground, and we need something more than we have to change course. I owe so much to the Southern Baptist Convention, and I do want to be part of the solution, said Allen. I pray for true trust and transformation in our Southern Baptist Convention. Allen also stressed the need for more transparency in the denomination and vowed to be a servant leader if elected, adding that God still has His hand on His churches. We have much to do, much work to be done, and I want to be part of that mission because we are all about winning people to Christ, missions, evangelism, and preaching, he said. Allen responded to Grahams post, thanking the pastor for letting him speak at Prestonwood and saying that he and his wife were blessed by being at Prestonwood today. Allen graduated from The Criswell College of Dallas, Texas, and then earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Arlington, with a major in linguistics and expository preaching. He served on the faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, having been on its board for 12 years and was dean of the School of Theology from 2004-2016. Allen also became the first dean of the SWBTS School of Preaching in 2016, serving until 2022, when he became the leader of the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee. In February, Texas Pastor David Forshee announced his plan to nominate Allen, saying in a statement to Baptist Press that he felt Allen will lead our convention to be unified and laser focused on reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along with Allen, other individuals expected to be nominated for SBC president include: Clint Pressley, the lead pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; Mike Keahbone, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, Oklahoma; and Jared Moore, pastor of Cumberland Homesteads Baptist Church in Crossville, Tennessee. Home News Pastor Jack Graham says antisemitism evidence of 'spiritual warfare': 'Satan hates what God loves' (part 1) Read part 2 of Pastor Jack Graham's interview with CP here NASHVILLE, Tenn. Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, has warned that the hatred of Israel seen across the United States is evidence of spiritual warfare, as God loves the Jewish people and Satan hates everything and everyone that God loves. The geopolitical system of the world hinges on the Middle East and the little nation of Israel, the 73-year-old pastor told The Christian Post. 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 Think about it, of all the peoples in the world, this small little country, about the size of New Jersey here in the United States, and yet such hatred. Why the hatred? I believe the hatred is because God loves the Jewish people. And Satan hates everything and everyone that God loves. Ultimately, this is spiritual warfare. We must continue to, therefore, battle with the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus and love our Jewish neighbors, not only over there, but here, because in America, there are many Jewish people who are frightened by this. In recent weeks, Columbia University and other elite campuses have launched a series of protests against the United States diplomatic and military support of Israels war against Hamas, prompted by the terrorist groups Oct. 7 attacks in which an estimated 1,163 people were slaughtered, including at least 31 Americans. Hamas has praised the growing college campus protests, with one official quoted as stating, "Today's students are the leaders of the future." The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry has claimed that more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel embarked on retaliatory strikes. However, those numbers have been disputed because Hamas doesn't distinguish between civilians and terrorist fighters and has been accused of faking its casualty numbers. A poll released last week from Summit Ministries in partnership with RMG Research of 1,497 registered voters nationwide found that while the majority of Americans still support Israel, nearly half of Gen Z voters say the campaign against Hamas is unjust. Additionally, a third of Gen Zers believe Israel doesn't have the right to exist as a country. But according to Graham, Christians have a duty to support Israel, rooted in both faith and moral conviction. "For Christians, we do have a biblical obligation to love Israel," he said, pointing to the deep-rooted connection between Christianity and Judaism. "God loves Israel," Graham emphasized. "He chose them according to His Word as His own particular people. He established them as a nation, gave them a land, a life and a legacy for generations. As Christians, we are forever grateful for the heritage that we have in the Old Testament and the Jewish people our Messiah, our Bible, came from the Jewish people so we have this tremendous connection with the Jewish people. Graham also clarified the distinction between spiritual and political support of Israel. "The Church, in my understanding of the Bible, does not supplant Israel," he noted, dispelling notions that the Church has replaced Israel in God's plan. "God still has a plan and a purpose for Israel, he said. Thats where we start. If we love someone, we stand with them and support them. It doesnt mean we support, as Christians, everything political Israel, the government, may do. But [we support] the people and their right to exist. What you have now is this movement of genocide and antisemitism that's rising, not only in the Middle East, but in Europe and America. And so, we must stand against that hatred at our church. Recent events, such as the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, Graham said, have brought this struggle into sharp focus. We just had family members of some of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, and we interviewed them, he said. I asked them What can we do, as American Christians, to support you? And, without hesitation, they said, Don't forget about us. Don't forget about the hostages. For us, wherever you may stand on the political side of Arabs and Jews, everyone can stand against terrorism and this evil that has come. Should all be able to agree on that one. And then, not to forget. Because we move to the next thing and news, and everything's moving so quickly, and if we're not careful, we could just move on and forget about it. But we need to stay focused in prayer for the hostages till the last one comes home and then support them in their movement to eliminate terrorism. Graham warned that the threat is not limited to Israel; terrorists could target anyone who opposes them, even the U.S. Terrorists, once they get done with Israel, if they can, they're coming for us next. They're coming for anyone who opposes them. It doesn't end in Israel the geopolitical system of the world hinges on the Middle East and the little nation of Israel. "Many Jewish people here are frightened," he added, noting the fear instilled by recent events. "I've had conversations with Jewish neighbors and friends in Dallas who appreciate that Christians are standing with them." Despite historical tensions between Christians and Jews, Graham said he's confident this support is helping to bridge divides. "Many people in Israel now know that their best friends in America are Evangelical Bible-believing Christians," he said. In recent months, numerous Christian leaders have called on the American Church to stand with Israel amid growing antisemitism. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, believes Christians have a moral and spiritual obligation to support Israel and those who fail to do so are on the wrong side of God. We have a moral and spiritual responsibility to support Israel, the 68-year-old megachurch pastor told CP. To be on the wrong side of Israel is not only to be on the wrong side of history, it's more importantly to be on the wrong side of God, he warned. Jeffress recalled leading the opening prayer at the dedication of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, an event that was symbolic of the Trump administration's robust support for Israel. At the time, Jeffress invoked the words God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12: "I will bless those who bless you and your descendants, and I will curse those who curse you and your descendants." He called the event a momentous occasion in the life of your people and in the history of our world, adding: Four thousand years ago, you said to your servant Abraham that you would make him the father of a great nation, a nation through whom the whole world would be blessed. Most of all, Israel has blessed this world by pointing us to you, the one true God, through the message of her prophets, the scriptures and the Messiah. Home News Pope Francis apologizes for using 'homophobic terms' in meeting with bishops Pope Francis has issued an apology for using a derogatory description during a recent closed meeting with a group of Italian Catholic bishops while discussing a ban on homosexuals from seminaries. Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, released a statement Tuesday explaining that the pontiff is sorry for using an Italian word that loosely translates in English to "faggotness." "The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others," stated Bruni. 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 "As he has stated on many occasions, 'There is room for everyone in the Church, for everyone! No one is useless; no one is superfluous; there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone.'" At a 90-minute, closed-door meeting with more than 200 members of the Italian bishops' conference on May 20 at Vatican City, the pope reaffirmed a 2005 position of the Catholic Church that barred from the priesthood men who "practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture." Francis was quoted as saying that "it is necessary to put down markers, and prevent the risk that the gay person who chooses the priesthood could later end up living a double-life, continuing to practice homosexuality, while at the same time suffering from this dissimulation." According to multiple news outlets, Francis used the Italian word "frociaggine" during his remarks, a derogatory term for "queerness," stating that he believed "there is too much 'frociaggine' in seminaries." Some, including the Italian news outlet Corriere, argued that Francis, an Argentinian whose native language is Spanish, may have mistakenly used the term since he "sometimes stumbles over somewhat creative Italian without being aware of the nuances." Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the religious studies department at Manhattan College who researches contemporary Catholicism, told The Associated Press that she took greater issue with the reaffirmation of a ban on homosexuals entering the priesthood, even if they are celibate. "More than the offensive slur uttered by the pope, what is damaging is the institutional church's insistence on 'banning' gay men from the priesthood as if we all do not know (and minister alongside) many, many gifted, celibate, gay priests," said Imperatori-Lee. "The LGBTQ community seems to be a constant target of offhand, off the cuff 'mistakes' from people in the Vatican, including the pope, who should know better." In 2013, shortly after being installed as pope, Francis garnered headlines when he appeared to support the idea that someone could be openly gay and a devout Christian. In an interview he gave following the Catholic event known as World Youth Day, a journalist had asked the head of the Roman Catholic Church if there was a gay lobby at the Vatican. Francis responded, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" His comment was hailed by LGBT advocacy groups as a sign that the Church was changing on LGBT issues. However, many neglected to note that in the same interview, Francis declared that it was important to "distinguish between a person who is gay and someone who makes a gay lobby," adding that "a gay lobby isn't good." Last December, with the pope's approval, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document that allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, provided the blessing did not validate their union. Home News Christian convert in Somalia attacked by knife-wielding Muslim relatives, loses family NAIROBI, Kenya A Muslim in Somalia was seriously wounded for putting his faith inChrist this month and lost his wife and five children, sources said. Mohammad Abdul, 40, survived a knife attack by his Muslim relatives on the outskirts of Kismayo, a port city in southern Somalias Lower Juba region, on May 5 after converting to Christianity on March 20. The relatives took his wife and children while he was recovering at a medical clinic, said a source whose name is withheld for security reasons. While Abdul was nursing injuries, the Muslims went back to his house and started destroying his house, and the wife and the five children went back with their people, said the source. His wife has told him that the Muslims are looking for him, and that therefore he should not go back to them. 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 Abdul suffered a deep cut on his head and a fractured hand in the attack. Fearing for his life, he has moved to another city in Somalia, the source said. After coming to Christ when a Somali pastor residing outside of Somalia visited him [and shared] the Gospel in March, Abdul began praying and studying the Bible with his family and the Christian leader every evening, the pastor said. When Abduls youngest child, 5, mentioned the meetings to a neighbor, his wife suggested the visiting pastor leave for his own safety. After leaving on April 11, the pastor heard from Abdul that his Muslim relatives were sending him threatening text messages, he said. We are now aware that every evening you are praying in the name of Issa [Jesus] as well as reading a corrupted book and not reading the Quran, the holy book sent to Muhammad from Allah, read one of the text messages, according to the pastor. If you do not stop this bad way of conducting religious activities, then you risk your life. As his wife became more fearful of relatives and withdrew from Christian prayers, Abdul continued alone, he said. Two of my children continued sharing with other children the kind of prayers I was making, Abdul told Morning Star News. On May 2, my younger son arrived crying that he was beaten by some boys after telling them about my reading the Bible and praying. On the evening of May 5 at about 7:30 p.m., the Muslim relatives arrived at his house, he said. They were shouting and yelling that they were looking for my head, Abdul told Morning Star News. The attackers forcibly entered the house and started questioning me for forsaking Islam and joining a bad religion. My wife and children looked shaken. One of his relatives struck him with a sharp knife, he said. The children began wailing and crying in a very loud voice, which confused the attackers, Abdul said. I then managed to escape through the rear door, bleeding, and slept at one of my relatives home about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away. He requested prayer that God, with whom he still communicates, will provide for his family. Somalias constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and prohibits the propagation of any other religion, according to the U.S. State Department. It also requires that laws comply with Sharia (Islamic law) principles, with no exceptions in application for non-Muslims. The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to mainstream schools of Islamic jurisprudence. An Islamic extremist group in Somalia, Al Shabaab, is allied with al Qaeda and adheres to such teachings. Al Shabaab and its sympathizers have killed several non-local people in northern Kenya since 2011, when Kenyan forces led an African coalition into Somalia against the rebels in response to terrorist attacks on tourists and others on Kenyas coast. Somalia is ranked No. 2 on Open Doors 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian. Originally published at Morning Star News Home News Support for Israel, dispensationalism declines among younger Evangelicals: study Evangelicals under 30 increasingly embrace amillennialism, postmillennialism The number of young Evangelicals in the United States who support Israel and view it as crucial to the End Times is declining as they increasingly move toward amillennial and postmillennial eschatology, according to a recent study. The Jerusalem Post noted earlier this year that support for Israel among young Evangelicals has cratered by more than 50% over three years, as laid out in the 2023 book Christian Zionism in the Twenty-First Century: American Evangelical Opinion on Israel, by Kirill M. Bumin, Ph.D., and Motti Inbari, who serves as professor of Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 'Thinking less and less about the role of Israel' 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 Drawing on three original surveys conducted in 2018, 2020 and 2021, the book examined the religious beliefs and foreign policy attitudes of Evangelicals in the U.S. and found that a generational divide appears to be emerging over such issues. According to data Bumin and Inbari presented at The Center for the Study of the United States (CSUS) at Tel Aviv University in February, 33.6% of young Evangelicals under 30 expressed support for Israel in late 2021, compared to 67.9% in 2018. In 2021, 24.3% of young Evangelicals said they support the Palestinians, compared to only 5% in 2018. Bumin, who serves as an associate dean of the Metropolitan College at Boston University, told The Christian Post that he and Inbari discovered in their research that premillennial pastors are significantly older than amillennial and postmillennial pastors, and less ethnically and racially diverse. "Conversations with some of the leaders in the young Evangelical community such as Robert Nicholson and Luke Moon of the Philos Project, as well as other anecdotal evidence lead us to believe that the greater racial diversity of amillennial and postmillennial pastors, combined with their relative youthfulness in comparison to the premillennial pastors, helps attract a larger share of the under-30 Evangelicals to those churches and eschatological positions," Bumin told CP. As amillennialism and postmillennialism grow increasingly attractive to under-30 Evangelicals, Bumin said that demographic is "thinking less and less about the role of Israel and the Jewish people in the End Times as catalysts for the Second Coming and salvation." "And, without explicit eschatological relevance, support for the Jewish people and support for Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict becomes a matter of a peripheral concern," he continued, adding that postmillennialism especially gathers younger adherents because of its emphasis on social justice and improvement of the human condition through social activism. Bumin maintained that postmillennialism "resonates with young people and aligns with a pro-Palestinian, rather than a pro-Israel, view in the current political environment in the United States." 'Poisoned by this brainwashing philosophy' While both forms of premillennialism separate the Second Coming and the Last Judgment, pre-tribulational premillennialists or "pre-tribs" believe that the tribulation described in Revelation 7 will take place after the Church is raptured, and that Christ will return with the Church to reign for the 1,000-year period in Revelation 20 before the Last Judgment. Such a view was popularized by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins in their bestselling Left Behind series. "Post-trib" premillennialists, by contrast, adhere to the belief that the Second Coming will occur after the tribulation, followed by the millennium and finally, the Last Judgment. Mid-tribulational premillennialists fall in between, believing that the Church will be raptured midway through the tribulation and spared the brunt of it. Postmillennialism teaches that the Second Coming and Last Judgment will take place at the same time following an extended period of Christian dominance on Earth, while amillennialism teaches that the millennium is symbolic, and that Christians have been in the End Times since the first century. Amillennialism also teaches that the Second Coming and Last Judgment will take place simultaneously at the end of the age. Richard Land, executive editor of The Christian Post and president emeritus of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, attributed the decline of young Evangelical support for Israel in part to the influence of cultural Marxism in U.S. colleges and universities. "First of all, it's true, unfortunately," Land said of the shift. "I see it all the time. I think there are several reasons. One is that the younger Evangelicals have been to university in the last 20 years, and the universities have, to a significant degree, been subverted by Arab oil money." Land maintained that many schools have also been infiltrated by a form of cultural Marxism that sees Israel as an "oppressor state." "Some forms of cultural Marxism see Jews, in particular, as a white oppressor class, so it breeds antisemitism," he said. "You look at what's been going on recently, and that can't be that widespread without ideas. Ideas have consequences. And for the last 20 or more years, the younger generation of Americans have been poisoned by this brainwashing philosophy." Land also pinpointed that the children of many pre-tribulational premillennialists are increasingly changing their views to post-tribulational premillennialism, a trend he said he could not readily explain. "I don't know exactly why, but I do know the result," he said. "The result is that they are much less focused on Israel. There's a cause-and-effect relationship: as 'pre-trib' wanes and 'post-trib' waxes, the intensity of the support for Israel wanes." "And then, as they've been influenced by cultural Marxism and by seeing Israelis as oppressors, some of them have become amillennial. Of course, if you're amillennial, then you don't believe God has anything to do with Israel," he added. Land also believes that Israel, in general, has been "asleep at the wheel" regarding soliciting support from American Evangelicals, mistakenly assuming that they would always have their support. 'More Christo-centric' Charles E. Hill, who serves as emeritus professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, told CP that while the influence of antisemitism could be playing a role in declining support for Israel, another major reason that some younger Bible-believing Christians would depart from dispensational premillennial eschatology is because the internet has allowed them wider access to differing theological teachings. Hill, who said he used to adhere to a dispensationalist theology, now describes himself as amillennial in his eschatology and penned the book, Regnum Caelorum: Patterns of Millennial Thought in Early Christianity, which argues that many in the early church held to an amillennial position. For most of my lifetime, the mere existence of Israel in the Middle East as a nation has been seen as an apologetic for dispensationalism, because it was viewed as a major fulfillment of prophecy: the simple fact that they're there means that God's timetable is moving forward and so forth," Hill said. "And I just think that younger people are further removed from the founding event of the modern state of Israel, and so maybe that argument doesn't make as much sense to them." Hill said he was ultimately convinced of the amillennial position after his studies led him to "seeing the unity of Scripture and the unity of the people of God throughout Scripture." "Those are very big for me, seeing that there's always been a spiritual Israel; that the land promises always had a typical function of pointing ahead to Christ and to His ownership of the world." "For me, it was really coming to the conclusion that the apostles in the New Testament have a different hermeneutic than what I was getting in dispensationalism," he said. "And it was trying to follow the apostles' hermeneutic, their way of interpreting the Old Testament. And I found that I couldn't reconcile that with a literal-only interpretation of prophecy. It was more Christo-centric and not Israel-centric." "I imagine that once they start looking into it a little bit more, some of them just find the amillennial and postmillennial views more satisfying," Hill added of the younger Evangelicals. "So, I'm sure there are a lot of things that are playing into this." Home News Tennessee passes parental rights law, bars schools from withholding kids' health information Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed into law a measure that aims to safeguard parental rights in the classroom and beyond that one advocacy group warns are being "eroded." Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved Senate Bill 2749 Tuesday, also known as the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act. The measure passed the Republican-controlled Tennessee Senate in a 24-6 vote in March, while the Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives advanced it with a 68-29 vote last month. The votes largely fell along party lines, with all Democrats in both chambers opposing the measure while all but one Senate Republican and all but seven House Republicans supporting it. 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 liberty of a parent to the care, custody, and control of the parent's child, including the right to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of the child, is a fundamental right," the legislation states. "A government entity shall not substantially burden the fundamental rights of a parent as provided under this section unless the government entity demonstrates that the burden, as applied to the parent and the child, is required by a compelling governmental interest of the highest order and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest." The rights and responsibilities granted to parents under the legislation include the ability to "direct the upbringing of the child," the right to "direct the moral or religious training of the child," the power to "make all physical and mental healthcare decisions for the child and consent to all physical and mental health care on the child's behalf." The measure also gives parents the right to "access and review all health and medical records of the child." The Family Rights and Responsibilities Act includes a section awarding parents the authority to "direct the education of the child, including the right to choose public, private, religious, or home schools, and the right to make reasonable choices within public schools for the education of the child." Parents can also "inspect and review the child's educational records maintained by a school" and "have the child excused from school attendance for religious purposes." As school districts across the United States have faced lawsuits for calling trans-identified students by a name that aligns with their stated gender identity as opposed to their biological sex and withholding that information from parents, the legislation attempts to address that concern. "A public employee shall not withhold from a child's parent information that is relevant to the physical, emotional, or mental health of the child," the legislation asserts. "A public employee, other than law enforcement personnel, shall not encourage or coerce a child to withhold information from a parent." The legislation requires parental permission before schools can take videos or voice recordings of students or collect "biometric data" from them. Parental permission is also required for students to receive medicine or other medical or psychological treatment in most cases unless parents give blanket authorization for the school to provide such services. Parents who feel their rights have been violated under the act have the ability to seek relief in court. According to a 2023 report from the advocacy group Parents Defending Education, at least 1,040 school districts across the U.S. attended by more than 10.7 million students have "Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Policies" that allow or require employees to keep a student's gender identity status hidden from parents. The bill is opposed by the ACLU of Tennessee, which contends the bill would "endanger" trans students "who have the right not to be outed and to be treated with dignity and respect at school." The conservative legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom reacted favorably to the bill's passage. "Parents love and know their child best, and they have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and care of their children," Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp declared in a statement. Sharp lamented that "parental rights have been eroded by government actions that exclude parents from critical educational and health care decisions." "This legislation restrains government overreach by reaffirming the role of parents to guide the upbringing, education, and health care of their children," he said. "It ensures that parental rights are given the same level of legal protection afforded other fundamental rights, like free speech and religion." Hana Ikramuddin is a Hearst Fellow in Connecticut. She spent the first part of her fellowship at the Houston Chronicle. Raised in the Twin Cities, Hana majored in journalism and political science at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She has held internships with the Star Tribune, APM Reports and Sahan Journal. In her free time, she loves to cook, make chai and take care of her houseplants. Home News Washington state ends investigation of pro-life pregnancy centers; no charges filed Washington state has ended its investigation into a pair of faith-based pro-life pregnancy care centers and will not press charges for consumer fraud. The office of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent a letter last week to attorneys representing Obria Group and Obria Medical Clinics PNW regarding a probe that began in 2022. Assistant Attorney General Heidi Anderson, author of the letter, stated that while the Consumer Protection Division "does not issue formal notice to a target when it closes an investigation, state officials were making an exception in this instance. 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 [T]he Division closed its investigation into the potential Consumer Protection Act violations set forth in the May 19, 2022 Civil Investigative Demands (the CIDs) issued to Obria Group and Obria Medical Clinics PNW (collectively, Obria) and in related third-party CIDs issued in 2022 to certain of Obrias vendors, wrote Anderson. No further responses to the CIDs, or those issued to Obrias vendors, are necessary. No inference should be drawn from the Divisions decision not to pursue litigation and to close its investigation. Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Lincoln Wilson, who helped represent Obria, said in a statement Tuesday he is pleased that Washingtons attorney general has ceased his unlawful investigation into our clients. We look forward to a ruling from the court confirming that the attorney general unlawfully targeted and harassed these clinics because of their pro-life stance, Wilson added. The Constitution protects Obria medical clinics, and all other pro-life organizations, to freely speak their beliefs, exercise their faith, and continue compassionately serving women and couples facing difficult pregnancy circumstances. In May 2022, Fergusons office issued separate Civil Investigative Demands to the two pro-life pregnancy care centers, alleging that the two groups engaged in possible violations of Washingtons Consumer Protection Act, which outlaws deceptive or unfair commerce activity. The organizations filed a lawsuit last November against Ferguson in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Tacoma Division, accusing him of engaging in unreasonable civil investigative demands and forcing them to provide privileged or irrelevant materials to advance an investigation that is not based on a complaint or other reason to suspect unlawful activity. Defendant has issued CIDs that demand, for a period now exceeding thirteen years well beyond any statute of limitations, answers to interrogatories and production of documents under the pretense of conducting a civil investigation into possible violations of Washingtons Consumer Protection Act relating to the handling of patient data and statements they have made about Abortion Pill Reversal, a service they neither provide or profit from, the lawsuit alleged. Defendant has never cited any complaint or other substantive evidence of wrongdoing to justify his demands but has launched an exploratory probe into the lawful activities, constitutionally protected speech, religious observance, constitutionally protected associations, and nonpublic internal communications and records of two entities that hold a view on a matter of public policy with which he disagrees. Ferguson told Bloomberg Law last year that he was deeply concerned about any effort to deceive pregnant Washingtonians about their reproductive health care options. Home News GOP gov. forces doctor who supported banning sex changes for minors from medical board Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon reportedly forced one of the state's leading radiologists to resign from the Wyoming Board of Medicine because of the doctor's public support for a law banning hormonal and surgical procedures for minors with gender dysphoria. Dr. Eric Cubin, one of the top radiologists in Casper, was pressured to resign after the Republican governor stated he was planning to remove him from the board, according to an April 22 letter to Cubin from the governor obtained by Cowboy State Daily. Cubin, the son of a former congresswoman, reportedly prompted Gordon to boot him in response to an email he sent in February to the 62 members of the Wyoming Legislature, urging them to support the Children Gender Change Prohibition bill. 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 Gordon signed the bill in March, making Wyoming the 24th U.S. state to ban cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and body-disfiguring surgeries for minors. The bill passed in the state's Republican-controlled House of Representatives by a vote of 55-6, and the Republican-controlled Senate passed it in a 28-2 vote the following day. The law allows the state Board of Medicine to revoke the license of any doctor who performs such procedures on minors. The governor expressed reluctance about some elements of the legislation, worrying that "the government is straying into the personal affairs of families." "Our Legislature needs to sort out its intentions with regard to parental rights. While it inserts governmental prerogative in some places, it affirms parental rights in others," he said at the time. Despite signing the bill, Gordon was concerned that Cubin's lobbying for the legislation exhibited a potential conflict of interest that he was unwilling to tolerate on a state board. "Medical professionals should be confident that their licensure, which is their livelihood, will be handled professionally and clinically examined on merits alone," Gordon wrote to Cubin. "Even the appearance of bias can be disquieting as well as erode confidence in the board's presumed impartiality." The governor feared Cubin's opinion could be construed as the board's unilateral position, which he claimed is unacceptable. In a statement to The Christian Post, a spokesperson from the governor's office rejected the notion that Gordon removed Cubin from the Wyoming Board of Medicine "for supporting the transgender ban for minors, which the Governor signed." "Governor Gordon's decision to remove him was based on the fact that Dr. Cubin's comments could give doctors, who are licensed by the Board of Medicine, a reason to be concerned that Dr. Cubin might use his position to advocate for a particular position when considering matters that come before the board," the spokesperson said. "The Governor believes it is important that the professionals governed by the Board of Medicine have confidence that board members prosecute their responsibilities on the board in an objective and unbiased way. The Governor appreciates Dr. Cubin's position on this issue and respects his First Amendment right to share this position. However, when a member of a board chooses to express personal beliefs in a way that can be construed as speaking for the body, the Governor has elected to relieve that member of the constraints board membership requires." Cubin maintained that his view is the majority opinion among the 27 Casper physicians he polled regarding gender procedures for minors, and he remains adamant that he did the right thing despite the negative consequences. "At the end of the day, I stood up for my principles, I stood up for what's right, and I stood up for the children in the state of Wyoming," he told Cowboy State Daily. "Because I did that, I was removed from the board." Cubin shared emails with the Wyoming outlet in which he noted that there are too many uncertainties regarding "gender-affirming care" for minors, which is made especially difficult because of the topic's politicized nature. "The evidence and medical data on gender affirming care is all over the board," Cubin wrote. "Unfortunately, much of the data on both sides is politically charged and it is difficult to decipher exactly what is true and what is not true." Cubin rebutted concerns that he presented a conflict of interest, noting that "anyone who continues to provide these services in violation of the law is putting their licensure at risk." "There's no conflict of interest because I'd be enforcing the law," he added. The legislation Cubin supported was first referred to as "Chloe's Law," a reference to prominent activist and detransitioner Chloe Cole, who is suing medical providers who performed a double mastectomy on her when she was a minor experiencing gender dysphoria that later subsided. Earlier this month, the German Medical Assembly passed resolutions calling on the government to limit trans surgeries or body-altering drugs for gender dysphoric minors to clinical trials. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service instructed gender clinics to pause first appointments for those under 18. The move came after the release of a long-awaited review by pediatrician Hillary Cass, retired former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, concluding that there is "no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress." Wyoming is one of over two dozen states that have banned providers from giving or offering surgical or hormonal interventions to minors with gender dysphoria. Home Opinion A Jew sentenced to death under Iranian Sharia Law Recently, the story of a Jewish Iranian man, Arvin Netanel, has been in the news around the world. Arvin is in his early 20s and has been sentenced to death for killing a Muslim man, Amir Shokri, in a brawl two years ago. Apparently, Arvin loaned money to Amir who refused to pay it back. When Arvin confronted him, Amir attacked him with a knife. In self-defense, Arvin killed Amir. According to the Islamic law, if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, Qisas, (retaliation) an eye for an eye can be applied. But if a Muslim kills a non-Muslim, the law does not apply and there will be no death penalty. Irans judicial system is systemically corrupt and always favors Muslim men. It does not care about the lives of minorities, prioritizing the rights of Muslims over Jews, Christians, Bahais, and other religious and ethnic minorities. Unfortunately, I know more than I would ever care to know about the evil abuse of radical Islamic laws. I was born in Iran and as a young woman, became a Christian. Iranian Islamic law considers conversion to Christianity apostasy, a crime that carries the death penalty. I was arrested and sentenced to death and held in Tehrans notorious Evin prison for nine months in 2009. During this period, other than suffering personally, I witnessed the execution of many friends and cellmates. 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 One case of Islamic justice was the execution of one of my cellmates, Zeynab Nazarzadeh, who was held in prison for three years because of killing her husband in self-defense. In addition to persecuting ethnic and religious minorities, the lives of women under Islam are secondary to men, where misogyny is the rule. Women endure years of abuse and risk being beaten by any male in their family with no right to self-defense. They also have no right to defend from or kill their rapists. This was the case of Ryhaneh Jabbari who was executed for killing her rapist in self-defense. I met her in prison too. One of my closest friends, Shirin Alamhouli was hanged on May 9th, 2010, after enduring years of unspeakable torture. She was a brave, beautiful Kurdish woman. Until the day she was executed, she was not aware of her official sentence because she never received an official letter notifying her. When they called her to go to the prison office under a false pretense, nobody thought she had been summoned for execution. Today, when I hear the Islamic call to prayer, Adhan, it triggers me to relive these dark days and often brings me to tears, as I am now in the case of Arvin Netanel, because following an execution this would be broadcast for all to hear, to instill fear in all the prisoners. They glorify Allah after executing prisoners. Jews around the world have reportedly raised over $1.5 million to give to Amirs family, basically as a legal bribe in Islam, to turn Arvins death sentence to life in prison. So far, it seems Amirs family has not agreed. If they wanted to, the Islamic judiciary system could influence Amirs family to change the verdict and spare Arvins life, albeit dooming him to an unbearable future in an Iranian prison where he will be persecuted as a Jew. In my case, two prosecutors issued indictments for my execution and petitioned the court for the final decision. For the duration of my imprisonment, the prosecutors offered that if I would just renounce my Christian faith, the death sentence would be waived. Of course, I refused, both because of my faith and knowing that the Islamic judiciary could execute me at any time anyway. Even when I was released, they made it clear that my life was not safe. If not for international pressure, as high up as the Pope and other Christian ministries, I could have been executed on any date, without any warning. Thats how I lived as a Christian in prison. Arvin is no doubt suffering the same. How effective international pressure will be on his case, at this time, with a transition politically, remains to be seen. Unfortunately, Arvin does not have the ability to renounce anything and save his life. His first crime is that he is a Jew. They can execute Arvin without any warning. This is the system of the Islamic regime which thrives on executing citizens to instill fear in others. Sadly, I suspect the evil Islamic regime would enjoy executing Arvin even more. The ayatollahs believe in annihilation of Israel and the extermination of all Jews. Therefore, killing one innocent Jew would only be a drop in the bucket to quench their thirst for the blood of all Jews. Given the dire economic situation in Iran, even if Amirs family wanted to spare Arvins life by accepting the money, I believe the regime would not allow it. It is very suspicious that Amirs family refused that huge sum of money. There is a possibility that they have been threatened by the regime not to spare Arvins life under any circumstances. That way the regime can kill Arvin without any international blame. They can tell the world that Amirs family did not forgive Arvin and according to Islamic law, they could not do anything else, and instill fear in the Jewish community and among other minorities. This is similar to honor killings that the Islamic regime encourages, enabling male relatives to kill female family members for disobeying strict Islamic laws. That way the regime escapes any international blame for executing or punishing women for disobeying men and their Islamic rules. In my case, my brother was even told by an Imam that he should kill me for becoming a Christian and that my brother would face no penalties. I pray for a miracle in Arvins case and hope that international pressure prevents him from being executed for the crime of self-defense and being a Jew. I hope and pray that God brings true justice against the ayatollahs, overthrowing this evil regime soon, and saving the life of many innocent Iranians who have no voice. Home Opinion American Evangelicals have a persecution fetish I want to take you on a journey that has taken me around 15 years to complete. Lets go back to the 90s and early 2000s in the American evangelical church. One of my best friends in high school told me once that the Emperor Constantine making the Roman Empire officially Christian was the worst thing that ever happened to the Christian church. Political power corrupted the Church, he said, so it would have been better never to have had it. I heard multiple versions of a story about a band of masked armed men breaking into an underground church in the Soviet Union, or sometimes China, but anyway, somewhere Christianity was illegal. If you renounce Christ, leave now. If not, stay and be killed, they would say. After some left, they would remove the masks and let it be known that they were Christians too. They simply didnt want to worship with Christians who were fake and not willing to die for what they believed. American evangelicals have a persecution fetish. We believed, nearly all of us, that the American church was lukewarm and would benefit from some real political persecution. Apparently, we thought there were too many fake believers in the Church and not enough real passion for Christ. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, even when its brown and dying like in those places where Christianity is illegal. There was this great myth about how fast the Church grows under persecution versus American liberty. The truth is of course that the Church has an opportunity to grow quickly in societies where not many people are already Christian. We have fetishized persecution because we fetishized growth. If persecution was good for the Church, then we wanted to bring it on. Nobody stopped to do the math. As it turns out, growing the Christian Church in a society where 90% of the population is already Christian is, shall we say, much more difficult than in places where its 1%. Its much easier to grow complacent when 90% goes to 80%, and then 70%, all the while under the care of a church preaching evangelism of the lost and virtually nothing else. One explanation is that the extra percentage werent something called real Christians anyway. They were just being more honest about not really being Christian. This of course belies the radically youthful nature of the changing demographics. It is younger people leaving Christianity in droves, not older people who werent real Christians after all suddenly changing their minds about it. 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 truth is that Christianity is in decline because we the people have weaponized our government and many other formerly independent but now subsidiary institutions against Christianity, including the education system which now teaches entire generations to make sense of the world without God. We call this neutrality, but in fact it is established atheism and discrimination against the Christian worldview in public spaces. Oh, you say, it wasnt me personally who did that? Well, what have you done to stop it? And more importantly, how do you respond when Christians today want to mobilize politically to stop it? Do you say things like, The Gospel is enough? Inaction is just as irresponsible as wrong action, and human beings are experts at rationalizing irresponsibility. This would explain a great many things, first among them the overwhelming 20th century trend in a nation dominated by Christianity of utilizing political power to solve virtually every problem. Just dont ask whether we succeeded. As it turns out, political power cannot solve every problem. It can create a host of them of its own making. And, as we are finding out today, it can create a population full of people with Stockholm Syndrome. Ask an average Christian if they think the government should be less powerful, and all heads will nod. But ask them whether they think Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid should be eliminated, and all of the sudden its, What about the poor kids? and But that money is mine! Ask them whether prayer should be allowed in schools, and the heads will again nod. Ask them about separation of church and state, and they will cringe. But ask them about political races that actually matter (not the presidential elections by the way), public policy, and the name of their local representatives and more importantly, school board members, and you will draw blanks from everyone. Tell them that as Christians we have a civic responsibility, and in reply, you will be told that the Gospel is enough. For them, the Gospel is enough of an excuse. Universal public education was always, from Bismarck to Dewey to today, intended to socially engineer a population. It was never about education, or ludicrously, job training. It was about changing society into something it wasnt on its own. The early progressives of the 20th century were explicit about this. The welfare state was realpolitik from the beginning. It was designed to make people dependent on politics so they would feel trapped into voting certain ways, even when evangelical Republicans like George W. Bush did it. It worked. The evidence it worked is all around you. Christians often cannot tell the difference between real religious liberty and established atheism. Christians can reluctantly accept political activism on abortion but get cold feet about pretty much everything else. Christians conveniently forget that preaching wasnt enough to prevent gay marriage from becoming the law of the land. The progressive brainwashing project has succeeded. They won. The weird part is the vast majority of the early ones were Christians. Teddy Roosevelt was Dutch Reformed, and Woodrow Wilson a staunch Presbyterian. But as it happens, government exceeding the constitutional bounds wisely placed on it by the Founders is incompatible with Christianity. Over time, weaponized government was taken over by anti-Christian forces. And now we are in a difficult position. We must take political power in order to overthrow it, just like the Founders did. We didnt start it, but we have to finish it. Are Christians mature enough to understand this? Or are we going to continue making childish excuses for our laziness and acceptance of something we absolutely have the power to change? Time will tell. If we dont, our grandchildren will find out how brown and dead the grass can really get on the other side. Home Opinion The cost of freedom: How campus protests push limits of expression The protests on college campuses over the Hamas-Israel war are receiving a lot of attention. However, amidst the cancellations of classes, occupation of buildings, and even instances of firing fireworks at Jewish people on campus, it seems that the fundamental question has been overlooked: to what extent are college protesters permitted to exercise their First Amendment rights? The balance applied to our First Amendment rights is to ensure that, on the one hand, Americans are not censored or compelled to speak about something that they dont believe to be true while, on the other hand, applying certain restrictions to prevent violent actions that could be harmful to the public. Two professors of law, Geoffrey Stone and Eugene Volokh, in describing the common interpretation of Freedom of Speech and the Press, write: 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 "'Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.' What does this mean today? Generally speaking, it means that the government may not jail, fine, or impose civil liability on people or organizations based on what they say or write, except in exceptional circumstances." The courts have been pivotal in interpreting the limits of the First Amendment, ensuring it protects fundamental liberties while enabling the government to fulfill its duty to safeguard the public. However, the intricate balance of protecting free speech on college campuses while acknowledging "exceptional circumstances" poses a complex challenge. Criteria for unprotected speech The National Constitution Center explains the limits of freedom of speech within the context of a protest on a public campus: "In general, protesters can express their personal and political opinions on campus at a public university and take part in group actions, as long as their actions do not violate any laws, do not incite violence, and do not constitute true threats. Because public universities receive public funds, they fall under the same requirements that govern speakers on public property." Although students in public colleges have the right to exercise their First Amendment rights, the Supreme Court has identified several categories of expression as unprotected speech that it deems sufficiently "low value. These categories are classified as follows: 1. Defamation and libel. 2. Incitement. 3. True threats. 4. Fighting words. 5. Obscenity. 6. Fraud. 7. Speech integral to criminal conduct. In 1969, the Supreme Court applied the concept of unprotected speech in Brandenburg v. Ohio. The High Court used an "incitement test" to determine whether the speech involved defamation, inflammatory language inciting lawless action, or intent to cause violence. With regard to private colleges, the application of First Amendment protections differs from publicly funded colleges. "Freedom of expression" is limited within private institutions that adhere to specific religious, ideological, or viewpoint-based principles. Individuals who voice their opinions or protest on private property or within the grounds of a private college may not have complete protection under the First Amendment. Time, place and manner restrictions A more common application of "exceptional circumstances" that can limit the freedom to protest on college campuses is "time, place, and manner restrictions." "Time, place and manner" restrictions are government-imposed limitations on expressive activity that are considered content-neutral. These restrictions can include limits on noise levels, caps on the number of protesters, restrictions on demonstration times, and regulations for signs on government property. University protests may be limited to specific hours to avoid disrupting classes, research, and other university activities. Universities can allocate designated areas for protests, such as free speech zones. They may prohibit protests in the regions that could disrupt normal campus functions (e.g., inside classrooms and administrative buildings). Regulations may be imposed on the manner of protests to prevent incitement of violence, involvement in illegal activities, or the creation of unsafe conditions. For instance, protests cannot block building entrances or emergency exits. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (F.I.R.E.), "Institutions must be able to regulate on-campus expressive activity to ensure it doesnt interfere with their primary educational and scholarly missions." The three-prong test To guard against abuse while imposing restrictions on freedom of expression, the Supreme Court in Ward v. Rock Against Racism (1989) put together a three-prong test to withstand First Amendment constitutional challenges. 1. The regulation must demonstrate content neutrality. The government cant target specific viewpoints or messages. 2. It must be precisely tailored to further a significant governmental interest like public safety. 3. It must preserve abundant alternative channels for conveying the speaker's message. American people should still be given other avenues for expressing their viewpoints. F.I.R.E. provides a concrete example of how this three-prong test is applied to withstand First Amendment constitutional challenges in the courts. "Administrators cant target encampments because they dislike pro-Palestinian views even if some consider the expression anti-Semitic or otherwise offensive or hateful. Contrary to common misconceptions, that kind of speech is fully protected by the First Amendment unless it also constitutes conduct meeting the legal definition of a true threat, discriminatory harassment, incitement, or one of the few other, narrowly defined categories of unprotected speech." In recent years, numerous protests have taken place on college campuses, serving as a platform for individuals to express their views. While some of the language used and opinions expressed may be deemed offensive, it's essential to acknowledge that they are protected under the First Amendment. One of the most incredible things about the USA is our freedom to express our beliefs and to protest against anything or anyone that opposes such beliefs. However, it is crucial to address situations where protests disrupt the normal functioning of educational institutions, such as disrupting classes, occupying building spaces, inciting violence through the use of "fighting words," or employing paraphernalia that could potentially harm bystanders. While ostensibly exercising the right to freedom of expression, these actions can be considered an abuse of that fundamental freedom. In such cases, it becomes necessary for the authorities to intervene and disband the protests to restore law and order, ensure the safety and well-being of all individuals involved, and maintain the integrity and operations of the educational establishment. As we exercise our First Amendment rights in this great country, let's do so with the intention of expressing our views with love and respect for others. May we share our truth while also inspiring and inviting others to engage in meaningful dialogue. Home Opinion The woke right: The Constitution is a 'dead letter'? (part 1) In August 2022, two Ivy League law professors argued in The New York Times that liberals who have been "attempting to reclaim the Constitution for 50 years" should not bother anymore. Instead, they wrote, "The real need is not to reclaim the Constitution, as many would have it, but instead to reclaim America from constitutionalism." Less than two years later, the new "woke right" Christian nationalists something of a fraternal twin to the "woke left" in tactics now have begun to come out from behind the curtain and argue essentially the same thing. In one recent piece, oddly titled "The Constitution is Not Holy Writ," American Reformer contributing editor Mike Sabo defended an embattled public statement made by curiously enough a co-founder of American Reformer, woke right Christian nationalist Nate Fischer. Fischer a venture capitalist who also is founder and chairman of New Founding wrote: "I understand nostalgia for the constitution, or longing to restore the principles the founders established. But if you will not accept the reality that this is long gone if you judge others based on fidelity to a set of 'principles' that govern no one then you are a fool." 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 Anyone who refuses to admit that the U.S. Constitution is "long gone" is a "fool?" Rushing to Fischer's defense against multiple Christian conservatives online who rightly objected to the post, Sabo opined: "It is especially strange to see determined critics of Christian Nationalism treat the Constitution as a sacred document, even implying that political opinions like Fischer's are somehow sinful." Who is saying that the Constitution is a "sacred document" akin to "Holy Writ" or that Fischer's opinions are "sinful?" No Christian is saying it's sinful to notice massive constitutional violations and overreach by the left. In case Sabo hasn't noticed, Christians have been noticing acutely the erosion of originalism and constitutional fidelity and decrying it and working to fix it for decades. No Christian is trying to make some blasphemous case that the Constitution is "Holy Writ," either. These baseless claims are undoubtedly why Sabo doesn't even make the attempt to back up what he's saying with either hard evidence or direct quotes. Instead, he spends the rest of the article trying to make his specious argument look impressive with quotes from a few extremist woke right Christian nationalist podcasters, without even identifying for the reader who his far-from-expert sources on the subject really are. Whacking the Constitution again, Sabo concludes: "Straitjacketing ourselves within a document that in fundamental ways is a dead letter, while the Left gets to do what they (sic) want, merely perpetuates our suicidal status quo. There is no returning to 1787 ... American Christians ... must work to reassert the political in an age that ... has an 'unmanly contempt for politics.' Nothing less will save our country from impending disaster." "Reassert the political?" Exactly what does that mean? Is he talking about creating a new constitution? Launching a new revolution? These are significant questions, considering that neither Fischer's post nor Sabo's article called for either a conservative defense of or plan for restoring the application of the principles in the greatest, longest-lasting constitution in the history of mankind, the document that has upheld individual liberty in unprecedented ways for more than 240 years. Sabo actually advocates the opposite, asking, "How exactly could one even begin to go about reestablishing republican government without working outside of its parameters?" Readers, no doubt, would love some clarification on what Sabo is actually saying. But its not there. The article, unfortunately, displays the same murkiness that's par for the course with the woke right as a whole. This crowd is all about hinting at potential positions and future plans, while rarely getting into any particular, publicly clarified details about them. Everything's on a need-to-know basis, folks. And apparently, you don't really need to know. However, Fischer did offer a little clue in a podcast interview last year about what "reasserting the political" might mean. Describing his vision of building a better America, he stated: "We are very explicitly looking to transform the country, and that requires a scale of leadership that requires a big tent." He also noted, "I very explicitly see American Reformer as an anchor point that provides a level of governance for that vision ..." Exactly how do New Founding and American Reformer plan to "transform the country?" And what does he mean that American Reformer will provide a level of governance for his vision? Perhaps Nate was referring in part to New Founding's recently stated plan to hasten the American balkanization this crowd so regularly advocates through the "Highland Rim Project," a real estate development that is seeking people to join new communities it wants to build in the Eastern Highland Rim area of Appalachia. It is also relevant to Fischers post about the constitution that he is the president of the secret Dallas lodge of the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), which advocates a "renaissance" and "renewal, returning to success, heedless of nostalgia." That's an interesting, murky word choice, considering that "nostalgia" is the same word Fischer used in his X post to constitution-shame Christians who aren't willing to give up on our republic just yet. That Bill of Rights. What a bunch of nostalgia. As it happens, Fischer's comrade in arms SACR founder Charles Haywood "has mused on his website about his possible future as a 'warlord' at the head of an 'armed patronage network' which might engage in 'more-or-less open warfare with the federal government' in a post-collapse U.S.," The Guardian reported last year. No wonder Christians are beginning to notice that the vision for America held by woke right Christian nationalists and their political allies doesn't comport with that of traditionally patriotic and biblically conservative Christians, who treasure and want to save the freedoms our constitution guarantees. Josh Buice, founder of G3 Ministries, has aired his concerns about the anti-constitutional values in Haywood's "seriously troubling" manifesto, which explains his ideology of "Foundationalism." Haywood's ideology, Buice said, "functions through nationalism and is mainly centered on a new form of American life" and is "intentionally ambiguous on the issue of violence and chaos." Christians should be concerned to note that Haywood's vision is the same disturbing ideology that Fischer effectively has signed onto as a leader in SACR and which undoubtedly informs Fischer's assertion that longing for the restoration of constitutional principles in American life is mere "nostalgia." Might that also explain why American Reformer the entity Fischer co-founded is doing his public relations in earnest, while falsely charging Christian critics with treating the Constitution as if it is "Holy Writ?" Woke right Christian nationalists are not like the regular Christian conservatives who've been insulted as "Christian nationalists" by the left for the last several years. They may look like typical culture warriors, with great lines about ending abortion for good or stopping the "transing" of kids, but the true objectives of this movement are not typical at all. Their claims about the Constitution as a "dead letter" are a dead giveaway that they have a long-term political purpose most regular Christians do not yet comprehend. Moreover, while it is true that the Constitution certainly has been dangerously wounded and subverted by the left no conservative would deny this there also is strong evidence to show that it is not yet dead and gone, as Sabo claims. And even the woke right itself has shown that fact to be true, which will be explained in Part 2. Pope Francis apologises for using homophobic slurs while saying 'no' to gay priests During a closed-door meeting with 200 Italian bishops last week, Pope Francis allegedly used derogatory terms to describe gay people during debates about whether the Italian church should allow gay men to enter the seminary. According to local reports, the Argentine pope said "there is already enough faggotry" in Catholic seminaries, in his speech to prelates on May 20. The pope used the Italian term "frociaggine," a rarely used slur to describe flamboyant gay attitudes. Francis allegedly also used other disparaging words to describe gays. "The pope never meant to offend or express himself with homophobic terms, and he issues his most sincere apologies to all those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others," read a statement by Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni on Tuesday. The Vatican did not deny that the pope used those terms and offered no clarification on who were the "others" who reported the pope's words. The statement clarified that the pope is aware of the news reports regarding his private meeting with the Italian bishops and that Francis wants to reiterate his belief that "in the church there is place for everyone, for everyone! No one is useless, no one is superfluous, there is space for everyone. Just the way we are, everyone." The Italian bishops, who were convened for the national assembly meeting in Rome, are considering relaxing the ban on admitting gay men to the seminary. Individuals who are engaging in same-sex sexual encounters or have "deeply rooted homosexual tendencies" are not allowed to enter the seminary, according to a 2005 Vatican instruction. Inspired by the pope's opening toward LGBTQ faithful, Italian bishops are discussing the possibility of removing the ban on those who have gay tendencies. During the meeting, which lasted an hour and a half, the pope allegedly stated that the church should continue to bar entry to the priesthood to gay men. The pope has seemed to offer an unprecedented opening toward LGBTQ faithful, meeting with gay dignitaries and advocates at the Vatican, supporting the pastoral outreach to the LGBTQ community of Jesuit priest James Martin and helping trans communities. But the pope's words of welcoming to LGBTQ faithful have not led to any change to the church's teachings on homosexuality, including that gay acts are a sin. Last year, the Vatican's Department for the Doctrine of the Faith cautiously allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, but the pope took a step back on the historic decision by stating that gay unions cannot be blessed because they are contrary to natural law in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired May 20. In the same interview, Francis said that gay people can be blessed as individuals and that "everyone" is welcome in the church. The long speech to Italian bishops was delivered in Italian, which isn't the pope's native language, but this isn't the first time Francis has used colorful language to get his message across. While speaking to sex abuse victims in Dublin in 2018, the pope said that priests who covered up abuse are "s***" and he has accused media outlets of "coprophilia," meaning that they are aroused by excrement. The pope's comments come shortly before Rome's gay pride parade, which is set to take place on June 15. Religion News Service The 2024 election part 1: Where are we? While the last British general election was just four and a half years ago, it seems to belong in another historical epoch. It's not just that we've had three prime ministers, a pandemic and a war in Europe since we last went to the ballot-box, it's the way our world has been buffeted by so many cultural, political and technological changes. So at this election time I'm writing two articles: this, sketching some key aspects of our times, and a second suggesting what we Christians should do about the election. In these strange times let me point out the three current moods that have struck me. First, there is a mood of disquiet. In fact, disquiet may be too mild, and you could replace it with danger. War rages on the borders of Europe, the rumbling volcano of the Middle East threatens to erupt, and China has aggressive imperial ambitions. Linked are serious threats to those vast invisible electronic networks on which every aspect of society now relies. We might add to this most unpredictable brew of events both the unknown mystery of Artificial Intelligence and the increasingly real one of climate change. The sense of vulnerability and fragility is heightened by our traumatic memories of the Covid pandemic. Such anxiety was hardly eased when, on the day the election was announced, the Deputy Prime Minister encouraged every member of the British population to stock up on bottled water, emergency supplies and first aid! These are indeed times of disquiet. Second, there is a mood of discord. Discord is 'a lack of agreement or an active quarrelling or conflict' and is an appropriate word for our times. Ugly disagreement, division and anger are thriving. There seems to be a growing discontent and division focusing on gaps, whether real or imagined, of culture, wealth, belief and behaviour. Increasingly, I hear matters described in terms of 'us' and 'them' and with it a view of society that sees the nation in terms of tribes and clans than any sort of unity. With this discord comes an unwillingness or inability to seek consensus and a growing inclination to exchange calm, reasoned argument for derision and anger. Linked with this growing discord is a worrying tendency all too easy in such troubled times to hunt out scapegoats for blame and punishment. Finally, there is a mood of disillusionment. One disturbing feature of the election campaign so far is the absence of idealism: I hear no courageous or stirring summons to any political dream or noble vision. Instead the parties seem to be focusing on the failings, alleged or authentic, of their opponents. Such a gaze down to the gutter rather than upwards to the stars is unappealing. This sense of disillusionment is heightened by insinuation that politicians of every party lack principles, listen to more advisers rather than real people and seek to wield power not for the many, but for the few. This mood has resulted in a cynical electorate who will vote on the basis of who they distrust least. Now having pointed to the gloomy skies of the national culture let me say that for Christians there are, amid the heavy clouds, bright rays of sunshine. The three moods that have struck me are in fact positions to which we Christians can respond in a positive way. Indeed, if you can forgive me for my irrepressible evangelistic outlook, I see opportunities for the gospel in them. Let's turn to disquiet. While we must not dismiss the threats facing the world, we Christians know that a God of love and justice remains in overall control. We rest on such verses as Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV): 'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.' We are God's people, safeguarded eternally by his solemn covenant to us through Jesus Christ. From the evangelistic point of view, one of the biggest barriers against faith among many people has long been the view that this world is not just their home, but a secure one. That's no longer an easy view to hold and with its loss comes great opportunities to point to the eternal security there is in Christ. And as for division? Well, the Christian church strives for unity, the overcoming of barriers and ultimately about a new people of God coming from every race and culture. And against a great deal of opposition, both human and spiritual, it often achieves it. Although there are church splits and problems tell me about them this is an area where the church leads the world in upholding and demonstrating such endangered virtues as humility, grace and kindness. Indeed, there are many stories of non-believers who, having spent a working week battered by division, antagonism and hatred, have walked into a living, lively and loving church and wept at the unity they see and feel. The mood of disillusionment is particularly intriguing. One of the biggest challenges the church has faced has been the idea that human beings can themselves make the world a better place. Political systems, whether of the left or the right, have long boasted that they can bring about a reign of peace, truth and justice on earth. Such hopes seem to have been eroded away today. In fact, if something is an illusion, then disillusionment is progress. It's fascinating that this election comes when we are seeing many people turning to Christianity. Ultimately, disquiet, discord and disillusionment reflect the absence of three things: peace, grace and hope. All three are gifts of God through Christ. Let's point them to him! Canon J.John is the Director of Philo Trust. Visit his website at www.canonjjohn.com or follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Lecture on beauty of Chinese clothing enchants Maltese audience Xinhua) 10:50, May 29, 2024 People view a suit of traditional Chinese costumes in Valletta, capital of Malta, on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A lecture titled "Chinese Stories -- Dialogue with the World through the Beauty of Chinese Clothing" was held on Monday night in Malta's capital of Valletta. Hosted by the China Cultural Center in Malta, the event featured a display of traditional Chinese costumes from various dynasties. The speaker, Chu Yan, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, introduced the evolution of Chinese clothing and highlighted the fashion connections between East and West, tradition and modernity. Chu said that for thousands of years, different Chinese dynasties developed their distinctive clothing styles, such as the simple and elegant Han Dynasty costumes and the graceful and majestic attire of the Tang Dynasty. She also introduced the unique costumes of China's ethnic minorities. Rita Mallia, a Maltese teacher, talked about the differences between traditional clothing cultures in Malta and China, saying that each has its unique beauty. She expressed hope for more exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in this field. Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Center in Malta, said the lecture provided an opportunity for the Maltese people to appreciate the rich and long history of Chinese clothing culture. Chu Yan (R), a professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, gives a lecture titled "Chinese Stories -- Dialogue with the World through the Beauty of Chinese Clothing" in Valletta, capital of Malta, on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) Chu Yan (R), a professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, gives a lecture titled "Chinese Stories -- Dialogue with the World through the Beauty of Chinese Clothing" in Valletta, capital of Malta, on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Cadets badges are posted on a board before being presented during a Houston Police Academy graduation ceremony in January 2023. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Judge Andrew Oldham certainly didnt bury the lede. In a withering 21-page opinion, the federal judge on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals gets straight to excoriating the Houston Police Department for abusing a legal doctrine used to shield government officials from liability For those who worry that qualified immunity can be invoked under absurd circumstances: Buckle up, Oldham wrote. Austin Thompson Hughes is a Good Samaritan. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The judge then tells the story of what happened in the wee hours of the morning on March 23, 2019. Hughes, a former Detroit-area police officer, was driving an Uber in Houston and working a part-time security job. He was driving two passengers in his Jeep Wrangler on the 610 Loop when he saw a white pickup swerving all over the freeway. He called 911, told the dispatcher he was a former police officer and reported that a truck swerving at high speeds had just crashed into concrete barriers on both sides of the highway before coming to a stop. Hughes passengers, screaming in the background about the dangerous driver, were also captured on the recording. Hughes, relying on his police training, approached the pickup to take the drivers keys away, as well as his license and bottles of alcohol that were in the truck. When the driver bolted from the truck and ran toward oncoming traffic, Hughes chased him down, restraining him with handcuffs he kept in his car from his security job. In Texas, this is whats known as a citizens arrest. The law places limits on when private citizens can carry one out to guard against unscrupulous vigilantes taking the law into their own hands, but Hughes did everything by the book. He witnessed an offense against the public peace in progress. He used force only to prevent escape after a lawful arrest. And he called the police immediately afterward. Yet, for reasons that defy logic, and the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, HPD officers Michael Garcia and Joshua Few treated Hughes, who is Black, like a criminal. Piling insanity on irrationality is how Judge Hughes describes what happened. Advertisement Article continues below this ad When the two officers arrived at the scene, they took a statement from the detained man, who made a series of false statements. He called Hughes, Jesse and said they met at a flea market; he said Hughes had been drinking with him earlier that night; he claimed Hughes was actually the one driving the pickup truck erratically; and he said Hughes eventually forced him out of the truck and kneed him in the back of the legs in a fit of rage. In addition to the fact that the driver had just failed his sobriety test, several of the details were provably false. Hughes first name is Austin and there was no flea market open that night in Houston. Even so, Garcia and Few went with the drunken drivers story. They waited with the intoxicated man for a family member to pick him up. They filed their incident report addressing the offense as Impersonating an Officer instead of a DWI investigation, adding new embellishments to the drivers tale. And they arrested Hughes several days later. He spent 24 hours in jail before a judge released him on a personal bond. Even though the charge was eventually dismissed a woman driving on 610 the same night had also called 911 and corroborated details of the citizens arrest Hughes struggled to piece his life back together. The arrest on his record kept him from finding work for months and he told the Chronicles Neena Satija it was a very depressing time in my life. While he was able to get his record expunged, he hired a civil attorney to file a lawsuit against Garcia and Few. Civil lawsuits against law enforcement officers typically dont get very far, owing to qualified immunity. While the doctrine, at times, has merit, saving officers from frivolous lawsuits that take time and money to fight, the citys attempt to invoke the defense to protect two officers attempting to ruin a good mans life is deplorable. We applaud Oldham, a Donald Trump appointee and former general counsel for Gov. Greg Abbott, and the two other judges on the 5th Circuit panel for shredding the citys appeal for qualified immunity. As Oldham wrote: This case does not involve excessive force, or split-second decisions, or the chaos of a chase. Rather it involves a simple, clearly established rule that all officers should know at all times. Do not lie. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Shame on the city for attempting to argue otherwise. And shame on the Houston Police Department for apparently according to the president of the police union failing to discipline Garcia and Few after the fact. Now, at least, Hughes' civil case against Houston and the officers can move forward in lower courts. Whats become clear after this episode, particularly in the wake of a scandal involving thousands of dropped felony investigations over a period of eight years, is that HPDs culture lacks accountability. With the department searching for a new chief after Troy Finner resigned, we urge Mayor John Whitmire to hire someone who cannot only restore the departments reputation but also productively engage with citizens such as Austin Hughes who earnestly want to help keep us safe. Austin Hughes is more than a Good Samaritan. His actions were heroic. He deserves our gratitude and justice in the civil courts for doing more to protect the public than two HPD officers who get paid to serve. Accenture was going through a period most companies would envy. The Dublin-based, global professional services leader had grown significantly organically and inorganically, including expanding into diverse businesses, propelled by $14 billion invested in more than 177 acquisitions in the last five years. As the company grew and expanded into new markets and services, its legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system became increasingly complex, costly, and inflexible. Accenture needed a more agile, scalable, and innovative platform to support its dynamic and diverse business needs. As Eli Lambert, Managing Director of Accentures Global IT Finance Platforms, noted, a significant challenge for a large IT enterprise is keeping up with the speed of business and ahead of technology change. Large enterprises often have expansive landscapes, with legacy systems that stand in the way of speed, agility, and innovation. Embracing its mantra of Let there be change, the company embarked on an ambitious journey to transform both its technology landscape and its workforce. Rising to transformation Accenture has been a long-standing partner of SAP, using its ERP solutions to manage its core business processes, such as finance and procurement. As they embarked on their transformation journey, the company once again partnered with SAP to migrate to RISE with SAP, a live cloud service utilized by companies spanning 26 industries and more than 100 countries. RISE with SAP combines SAP S/4HANA, the intelligent cloud ERP solution, with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), the integrated platform for data, analytics, integration, and extension, as well as other services, such as cloud infrastructure, application management, and business process intelligence. By moving to RISE with SAP, Accenture was able to simplify its IT landscape, reduce its total cost of ownership, and gain access to the latest innovations and best practices from SAP. Further, consuming RISE with SAP as a managed service allowed Accenture Global IT to reduce required night and weekend support by 60 percent, enhancing employee work/life balance, and led to valuable upskilling for 50 percent of the retained IT team. Cloud mindset and composable architecture era Building upon the move to RISE with SAP, Accenture adopted a modern digital core strategy, which centers on keeping its core ERP system as standard and as simple as possible, using SAP BTP to extend and enhance its capabilities, and anchoring to a cloud mindset for both IT and business professionals. This approach allows Accenture to avoid unnecessary customizations and modifications in its SAP platform, which can create complexity, risk, and technical debt, and instead focus on delivering value-added solutions. Since the strategy was introduced, 21 percent of the platforms custom code has been removed, improving performance and reducing overhead. Beyond that, re-solutioning legacy custom code to leverage extensibility has provided its own benefits. Leveraging SAP BTP, a cash application scheduler was developed to improve integration; now the integration runs 77 percent faster, and the already successful SAP Cash Application solution has even greater results auto-clearing of cash application has now doubled since the solution was introduced and increased a further 7 percent with the scheduler activation. Another key solution that Accenture uses to implement its clean digital core strategy is SAP Profitability and Performance Management (PaPM), a cloud-native application that runs on SAP BTP and enables advanced profitability analysis, performance measurement, and optimization. The use of SAP PaPM for Corporate Allocations streamlined and reduced risk in delivering financial results, said Lisa Pearson, director of the companys Management Reporting Process. It also gave us transparency and control of our processes and calculations while also eliminating manual actions valuable benefits our previous custom solution could not offer. The solution now runs 50 percent faster with greater traceability. Earlier this year, Accentures RISE with SAP and clean digital core journey led to the company being celebrated as a winner in the Business Innovator category at the 2024 SAP Innovation Awards, an annual ceremony honoring organizations using SAP technologies to make the world run better. And this is only the beginning, Lambert said, with employees freed up to focus on future-proofing our processes and technology by consuming cloud capabilities enabled by the revolutionary platform. 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. Adobe, by Vitalii Vodolazskyi Age UK must pay compensation after an employment tribunal ruled the charity was responsible for age-related harassment. A preliminary hearing at an employment tribunal ruled that Alexander Martin Cubbins case of age-related harassment succeeded, and ordered the charity for older people to pay him over 4,000. All of Cubbins other claims were dismissed. An Age UK spokesperson told Civil Society: We are disappointed that this claim was upheld, but we fully respect the court's decision. Age UK prides itself on being a fair employer that actively supports and encourages diversity and inclusion in our recruitment, and we are sorry that on this occasion an applicant did not experience the normal high standards we strive for. The charity was told to pay Cubbin compensation for injury to feelings of 4,000 as well as interest at 8% for 362 days in the sum of 316.50, meaning the total it must pay is 4,316.50. Age UK, which aims to support older people to live their lives free from poverty, isolation and neglect, recorded an income of 123m and expenditure of 130m in the year to March 2023. Accounts filed with the Charity Commission show this income included 73.7m from donations and legacies, as well as 2.38m from government grants. 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. Last week, the International Court of Justice, an arm of the United Nations, ordered Israel to stop its offensive in the Gazan city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinian refugees had amassed during more than seven months of war. Many have since fled. The ICJ lacks the means to enforce its rulings. Since this one was handed down, an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah killed dozens of Palestinians. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, insisted that the strike had targeted two senior figures in Hamas, and described the killing of civilians as a tragic mishap. The ICJ ruling followed an original series of orders that the court released in January after weeks of proceedings in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in its response to Hamass attack on October 7. During the case, lawyers representing Israel defended the country against such allegations, including by presenting a series of visual materialsannotated images, videos, mapswhich they claimed offered proof that Hamas fighters were embedded among civilians in Gaza. (Israel has also described the claim of genocide as false, outrageous, and morally repugnant.) Israels case drew heavily on what Omar Ferwati calls the aesthetics of civilian documentation. Ferwati works at Forensic Architecture, a London-based research agency established in 2010 by Eyal Weizman, a British Israeli architect, to model and analyze human rights violations, not least in Israel. The widespread availability of satellite data and crowdsourced footage has increasingly allowed research groups like Weizmans to scrutinize conflict zones remotely, using architectural principles and digital models as investigative tools. Ferwati, whose role includes developing new analytical techniques, told me that Israels defense team leveraged some of the same open-source methods that Forensic Architecture uses itselfreflecting, in his view, a growing understanding of how digital artifacts are shaping public perceptions of conflict. About a month after the ICJ released its initial rulings in the case, Forensic Architecture published a report in which it examined Israels legal defense, argument by argument. The group ultimately challenged the way that Israels lawyers used even legitimate photographs and videos, alongside what it called incorrect annotations and labeling, and misleading verbal descriptions. Forensic Architecture concluded that the defense distorted facts to its advantage. Its not just about what you show, Ferwati said. Its about how you describe it. In addition to investigating active conflict zones, Forensic Architecture has reconstructed historical sites of conflict, including in recent reports on massacres in 1893, perpetrated by German colonial forces in Namibia, and 1948, by Israeli forces in the Palestinian village of Tantura. The groups work has been cited in legal cases, including at the ICJ; it has also been showcased in museums and galleries around the world, raising questions as to whether it also constitutes art. Last week, Ferwati and I spoke about the aesthetics of digital investigation, the interdisciplinary possibilities of open-source journalism, and the potential impact of revisiting historical events with contemporary tools. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. YRG: Open-source investigative techniquessuch as the analysis of satellite imagery, cellphone footage, and other geospatial dataare growing in popularity as journalistic tools. But Forensic Architecture focuses on spatial analysis. What is this technique? And how does it draw on the principles of architecture? Sign up for CJRs daily email OF: Were interested in situating media and events in space and time. In a 3D model, we can re-create the space of an event in question; then we can place within it footage that we find [on social media] or that is sent to us directly. Synchronizing pieces of footage and then watching them in relation to one another begins to unravel unanswered questions about an event. For example, when we investigated the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh [a Palestinian American journalist with Al Jazeera who was killed while covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank in 2022], we found one piece of footage which showed Shireen walking up at the moment that she was shot, and we have another piece of footage that shows us where the Israeli military vehicles were stationed. Neither of those on their own give us a full understanding of the spatial relationship between where the Israeli soldier that shot her was and where Shireen was. But by putting both in a model, we can position where she was standing and where the vehicle would have stood. We can then draw the direct trajectory and assess if it was possible that she could have been shot from there; was there a direct line of fire? It also begins to tell us a little bit about the intentionality: How narrow was that line of fire? These are all things that we can deduce by combining that media. Forensic Architectures work sometimes blurs the lines between investigation and art. It has been presented in museums and galleries around the world. Do you think of what FA does as art? This is a contentious issue. Our work as a research agency is geared toward being admissible as evidence in court, in addition to being [presented] in [other] forums, including peoples tribunals, exhibition spaces, and cultural spaces of discourse. I personally dont see the work that we do as art, though. It enters an aesthetic practice because it engages with the senses, with tools of communication that are primarily audiovisual. So it can overlap with the mediums used in museums and galleries. The evidence that we investigate sits somewhere between disciplines. Youve written about how the kind of investigations you do are made possible by the ubiquity of cellphone footage and the proliferation of mapping data. Do you think this shift has changed the nature of war reporting? It seems that theres an increasing awareness [among civilians] that the footage that theyre broadcasting in real time of what has happened to them, or what is about to happen to them, is a kind of act of defense. We see that evidence documented by civilians, and analysis that derives from that footage, is increasingly put forward as evidence in legal and political forums. We also see [the same] realization from the states that are engaged in violations. Confiscating cameras, putting people in places without any connection, cutting off communicationsfor example, across Gaza repeatedly since October by the Israeli military. This looks to be evidence that they are aware of the power of citizen documentation. Forensic Architecture analyzed the visual materials that Israels defense team used in January in the countrys trial before the International Court of Justice. What did you find? [The Israeli legal team] made a series of claims, including with annotations and video clips. We looked one by one at what source material they derived from and did a simple 3D analysis, including when they made claims about the trajectories and the origins of attacks. We also looked at the [question of] timing: Was a site that they made a claim about being used by civilians at the time [of an incident] or not? We found that there were eight instances where the Israeli legal team misrepresented the visual evidence they cited, either through wrong annotations or with misleading verbal descriptions. We found that there was an interesting use of singular cases, even when they were misrepresented, as blanket justifications for systematic and widespread attacks on civilians, shelters, schools, and hospitals. It gives the impression that all attacks on any civilian targets and on any civilians become justified. Forensic Architecture is very explicit about its focus on injustice, which raises questions about truth and impartiality. How do you navigate questions of objectivity in this context? Its an important question to ask: how someone that is doing analysis engages with the facts on the ground; how they are working in service of truth while being also in service of victims of egregious violations. As I understand it, the claim of objectivity made by some outlets [can actually constitute a refusal] to engage with the implications of their work. We dont see ourselves as neutral, but we do see our work as accurate. We are very clearly in solidarity with victims of violations. We will listen to victims of violations. And then we will ask questions and think about the claims that they make. It just so happens, I think, that the claims made by many victims are often what will lead you to the truth. Everything that we [produce comes] from a multidisciplinary team and is checked over and over. But in my view its important to highlight, whether in journalism or open-source research, that there is still a choice [when it comes to] what youre engaging with and the questions youre asking. Its not just about whether the analysis is right or wrong, but about where youre applying that ability to analyze, where youre applying your lens. Forensic Architecture not only analyzes material from unfolding crises but also does retrospective analyses of historical incidents. For example, you conducted an evaluation of the Hornkranz massacre, perpetrated in Namibia by the German colonial administration in 1893, and the massacre in Tantura, Palestine, in 1948 by an Israeli brigade. Both investigations drew on first-person testimony. Given that human memory is notoriously fallible, how do you integrate data-oriented tools with more subjective storytelling? What we are trying to do increasingly is to use contemporary technology to reconstruct spaces as they were at the times of historical eventsin these cases, historical [acts] of violence. In the cases of Tantura and Hornkranz, our findings stem directly from the stories we were told by the victims or by the descendants of the victims. I think we have a choice to make about whether we see the testimonies of people as stories or as leads for new findings. In the case of our work on the Hornkranz massacre, generations removed from [the event] still have the stories of how violence unfolded. We can either decide to let stories go down, generation after generation, removed from the rest of the archive. Or we can understand it as a way to lead research. In [investigating the Tantura massacre], we really have no way of understanding where to begin without victims guidance. After the village was invaded, it was completely destroyednothing remains of it today except for two or three buildings. But what we have instead is a rich archive of testimonies of what happened that day. We also have some records, maps, and photographs from the village before the massacre took place. Because of the testimonies, we were able to closely examine aerial images that were taken shortly before and shortly after the massacre in May 1948. We created a memory sketch, where the victims themselves drew out the village as it had been. This is an example of what we call situated testimony, in which we sit next to a victim and we build that scene; we deposit their testimony not just in writing or orally, but spatially. They can tell us what their houses were like, where the paths were, what theyd seen, and in this case, where people were buried. We found the site of two mass graves, as they were described by the victims. What impact do you hope the historical work will have, compared to the more contemporary projects you work on? I think every historical case weve looked at has an urgency in the present. Thats part of the reason why we continue to look at themvictims, or the descendants of victims, are still calling for justice today. For example, the site in Namibia is not accessible by the descendants of the Witbooi Nama people whose ancestors were massacred there. Weve worked on multiple cases in Namibia in different periods of time, and we find them all interconnected with the suffering of that genocide. In revisiting [these cases], we are trying to enrich our understandingto evidence what they have been telling us all along. Were not always revealing something entirely new; were finding what theyre saying in plain sight. Were trying to add materiality. Other notable stories: New from CJR: AI cant anthropomorphize its way to empathy Yona TR Golding was a CJR fellow. American Airlines was accused in a lawsuit on Wednesday of race discrimination for temporarily removing three Black men from a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York City. In a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the plaintiffs said they and five other Black men were removed from the flight in January for about an hour after a white flight attendant complained about a passenger with offensive body odor. But none of the men ordered off the plane had an odor, and had clearly been targeted based on their race because all of them were Black, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit. They called the incident traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading. The men accused the airline of violating a Civil War-era law banning race discrimination in contracts. They are seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering and punitive damages for malicious, willful and reckless conduct. American Airlines said in a statement it was investigating the matter, and that the claims did not reflect the companys values. We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us, the airline said. Susan Huhta, a lawyer for the three plaintiffs, said in a statement that the incident was part of a disturbing history of allegations that American discriminates against Black passengers. Last month, NPR and other outlets reported that a Black retired judge from Chicago had filed a complaint with American saying she was blocked from using a first-class bathroom on a flight even though she had a first-class ticket. And in separate incidents last year, track and field star ShaCarri Richardson and musician David Ryan Harris, who are Black, said on social media that they were falsely accused of wrongdoing by American flight attendants. Richardson said she was removed from a plane for allegedly harassing an attendant, and Harris said he was suspected of child trafficking while traveling with his biracial children. The airline apologized to Harris and said Richardson was booked on a different flight. In 2017, the NAACP urged Black travelers not to fly American, citing what it said were a series of racially-based incidents. The civil rights organization withdrew its advisory after the airline agreed to update its policies and train employees on implicit bias. (Reporting by Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Daniel Wallis) Gov. Greg Abbott speaks in support of former state Rep. Alan Schoolcraft, left, at a campaign event for Schoolcraft on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in New Braunfels. Schoolcraft bested incumbent John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in Tuesday's runoff according to unofficial results. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday finally broke the decadeslong blockade of rural Republicans opposing private school vouchers although his ability to coax a contentious bill through a closely divided Texas House remains in question. In Tuesdays GOP primary runoff, Abbott needed at least two of his favored candidates to win to be on track to shift a majority of the Texas House in favor of a voucher bill with the potential to reshape Texas public education system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Former Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson and former Glen Rose Mayor Helen Kerwin won their races over anti-voucher lawmakers in solidly red districts, according to the Associated Press. Huntsville ISD trustee Trey Wharton also claimed victory, while former state Rep. Alan Schoolcraft bested incumbent John Kuempel, R-Seguin, according to unofficial results. The Texas Legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice, Abbott wrote in a statement late Tuesday evening. While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this years primaries is clear: Texans want school choice. Opponents of school choice can no longer ignore the will of the people. While campaign season rhetoric about school choice is simple, the specifics of a voucher program to provide public dollars for private and religious school tuition are much thornier, and any seats Democrats pick up in November could eat away at Abbotts pro-voucher margins in the House. But Tuesday was the capstone for Abbott, who spent millions and crisscrossed the state trying to oust a group of nearly two dozen House Republicans who voted to block his voucher plan. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Following a wave of retirements and election shake-ups, just seven are likely to return to office next year. And the stunning losses may push some to think twice before defying the governor going forward. Abbotts candidates lost just two of the six key runoff races Tuesday. Incumbent Rep. Gary VanDeaver defeated his challenger Chris Spencer, while Jeff Barry bested Abbott-backed Alex Kamkar in a race for the seat left open by Rep. Ed Thompsons retirement, according to the Associated Press. In a statement, VanDeaver, R-New Boston, accused big city politicians and D.C. Super PACs of pouring millions of dollars into false advertising to fool us into believing their lies. Unfortunately, in many parts of Texas tonight, they succeeded. But here in Northeast Texas, we rejected their gutter politics for what it is, he said. Last year, Abbott called multiple special sessions and pushed hard for a plan that would provide all Texas children with state-funded vouchers to spend on private school tuition, tutoring or other education expenses. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While the GOP-led Senate approved a private school voucher several times, the proposal was struck from a broader bill in the Republican-led House last November, where rural Republicans have blocked voucher bills for decades because public schools stand to lose state funds when children leave for private or home schools. Ahead of the March primaries, the pro-public education Charles Butt Foundation PAC spent millions supporting candidates whod pledged to oppose private school vouchers, but their spending was ultimately dwarfed by Abbott, who boasted a record-breaking $6 million donation from a Pennsylvania billionaire TikTok investor. Other groups funded by major conservative donors poured additional funds into supporting candidates who say vouchers are a way to give families more choice in their childrens education. Ultimately, seven anti-voucher Republicans lost their races to Abbott-backed challengers in the March election and six more were pushed into runoffs. Even proponents of traditional public schools who had lobbied hard against the proposal struck a tone of tempered resignation. Between the primary and the runoff, Abbott spent about $1.4 million to support six candidates running against House Republicans who opposed vouchers. The Charles Butt Foundation PAC, however, spent just $156,000. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In a bipartisan move, Republican Governor Mike DeWine had called for a Special Session of Ohios legislature to put an end to their malarkey and put Democratic President Joe Biden on Ohios ballot. Yet as that Special Session began Tuesday a solution emerged that didnt require the Ohio House and Senate ending their impasse or an HB6 FirstEnergy type $60M bribe or foreign dark money contribution from a Swiss billionaire to get Biden on the buckeye ballot. The Democratic National Committee announced they will hold a Special Session of their own: a virtual meeting of delegates to confirm Bidens nomination ahead of Ohios August 7 certification deadline and the DNC convention that is held after that. Gov. Mike DeWine called for a Special Session to ensure President Biden is on the Ohio ballot.Jeff Darcy/Cleveland.com DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison released the following statement: Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree. But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own. Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans cant chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. The only question now remaining is will it be between Biden and Trump or Biden and Felon Trump? CLEVELAND, Ohio The Cleveland Museum of Art said Wednesday it has agreed in principle with the government of Libya to return a 2,200-year-old Ptolemaic Dynasty-era statue of a man believed to have been looted during World War II from a museum now located in eastern Libya. Under the agreement, announced jointly by the museum and the Department of Antiquities of the State of Libya, the Cleveland museum will voluntarily recognize the statue as the property of Libya. 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King shares a dance with supporters at an election night watch party, Tuesday May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer Roderick Boykin shows his support for 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King during an election night watch party, Tuesday May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A neon sign is visible above the dance floor during an election night watch party for 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King, Tuesday May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer From left, 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King, Precinct 7 Constable candidate Dames Smokie Phillips, and Court of Appeals, Place 3 judicial candidate Velda Renita Faulkner enjoy a meal as they settle in to wait for the election results at an watch party, Tuesday May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer Vivian King, a top staffer for Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, won the Democratic Party nomination for the 486th District Court, which oversees felony cases, in a runoff race against public defender Gemayel Haynes. With all 313 voting centers reporting as of 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, King had 54.55% of the reported vote, and Haynes had 45.45%. "I am grateful the community stood by me," King said Wednesday morning. King also had a significant lead on Haynes in the March primary election, nearly winning the race outright but finishing just shy of 50% of the vote. Advertisement Article continues below this ad LIVE RESULTS: 2024 Houston primary runoff live election results King, who currently serves as chief of staff in Ogg's office, previously starred in WE TV's one-season reality series "Sisters in Law" about Black female attorneys in 2016. She's the latest of the cast members who could move toward elected office, along with state Rep. Jolanda Jones and Judge Juanita Jackson of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 10. Katrina Pierson appeared on the show as well and won her primary runoff for a North Texas state representative seat. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals late last year rebuked King for telling a client before joining Oggs office that she would file an appeal for him and never doing so. She did not respond to his subsequent inquiries for years. Haynes previously worked as a prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorneys Office. Licensed in 2007, he graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law. Haynes works for the Harris County Public Defenders Office. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 'Wait and see' Minutes after the polls closed, King headed to DBar, her Third Ward neighborhood hangout, where longtime close friends and a pot of stewed turkey necks were waiting for her. She had spent 12 hours waving signs and urging voters to consider her. King hesitated to view the early election results as a runoff victory, saying her rough childhood had instilled a sense of pessimism. "I'll have to wait and see," King said. She said she stayed up all night, watching results trickle in, and not wanting to notch the win until she was certain. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King, left, greets her friend Clevester King with a big smile as she arrives with an armload of campaign signs to mingle with supporters at her election night watch party, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer One supporter, former Houston City Council Member Dwight Boykins, knew King in the 1980s, when they both worked at Texas Commerce Bank. Boykins worked in the mailroom as King started her corporate assent at the bank. "She treated me like a CEO," Boykins said. At Texas Southern University, King intended to pursue banking law but chose the world of criminal prosecutions instead. She joined the Harris County District Attorney's Office and later moved on to criminal defense. "She'll understand the plight of people," said James "Smokie" Phillips, who won the Democratic primary in March for Precinct 7 constable. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A close friend, Clevester King, noted King's years of experience over her opponent. "She's put in the work," he said. Another judicial candidate, Velda Faulkner, joined King at her table shortly before she beat incumbent Justice Jerry Zimmerer, who was elected in 2018. If elected in November, Faulkner would be the first African-American woman to win a spot on the 14th Court of Appeals. "Barriers are made to be broken," Faulkner said. Turning to November Next, King will run against Republican Aaron Burdette in the November general election. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 486th District Court judge candidate Vivian King gets a hug from Chef Floyd at an election night watch party Tuesday May 28, 2024, at DBar in Houston. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Burdette, an attorney in private practice, to the bench last year after the court was formed. Burdette previously worked as general counsel for U.S. LawShield, a company that provides gun owners with legal aid. He also served as a Harris County prosecutor. The Texas Legislature created the new 486th District Court last year to help the county tackle its formidable case backlog. Cases from the existing felony dockets were picked at random and divided among the three new courts. Burdette unsuccessfully ran for the County Criminal Court at Law No. 11 bench in 2018, while King previously lost bids for judicial seats in 2010 and 2012. King said she is hopeful the November race turns away from "the ugliness" of some of the primary and toward "real issues" in the technically nonpartisan race. Jen Rice is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle covering Harris County government. She can be reached at jen.rice@houstonchronicle.com. A native Houstonian, Jen graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University and earned a master's degree from University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs. Before coming to the Chronicle, Jen spent three years covering City Hall for Houston's NPR station. Her reporting has aired nationally on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Here & Now. Lauren Ashley Simmons, running for the state representative of District 146, speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the Texas State Employees Union Local 6186 on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry during a campaign event alongside over 50 African American pastors at Sunnyside Park on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Unofficial returns show Simmons developed a big edge over Thierry in early voting and continued to lead as ballots cast Tuesday were counted. We did it, yall! Im so proud of the work that we did, Simmons said in a victory speech Tuesday night in a bar at the Wyndham Houston near NRG Park. Tonight, District 146 is back in the hands of the people. Advertisement Article continues below this ad LIVE RESULTS: 2024 Houston Primary Runoff Live Election Results Thierry was vying for a fifth term serving House District 146, a district in south and southwest Houston that stretches from Westwood to the historically Black neighborhood of Sunnyside and is made up primarily of Black and Hispanic voters. The district leans heavily Democratic; it was one that President Joe Biden won by nearly 80 percentage points. Thierry was not the only Democrat to break with their party and vote for the legislation she was one of four but she was undoubtedly the loudest Democratic voice on the issue and immediately drew calls from some members of her party for a primary challenge. Prior to taking the controversial vote, she gave an emotional 12-minute speech explaining why she could not support the bill, laying out her concerns about children not being mature enough to consent to life-changing medical decisions and her wariness about negative long-term effects of the treatments. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The political fallout for Thierry came in March when 36-year-old Simmons, a union organizer and mother, outpaced her in the three-person primary, coming within less than 100 votes of beating her outright. It was the first truly competitive primary Thierry, a 54-year-old Houston attorney, had faced since she was first elected in 2016. She was also the only House Democrat to be pushed into a runoff this cycle. Simmons had tried to paint Thierry as a fake Democrat by criticizing her votes with Republicans on several bills to block transgender college athletes from competing and set new restrictions on book publishers that Democrats had worried would lead to censorship of LGBTQ content. She also pointed out that Thierrys top donations came from Republicans or Republican-aligned political groups. Thierry failed to turn in her last campaign finance report that was due last week before the election. She told the Texas Tribune that the person who files the reports on her behalf had a death in the family. It came as Simmons supporters had accused Thierry of attempting to conceal Republican-tied financial support. The penalty for a late filing in a runoff is $500, according to Texas election law. Simmons picked up endorsements from 11 of Thierrys current and former House colleagues, including U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas. She also had the backing of U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Houston, former gubernatorial nominee Beto ORourke and former state Sen. Wendy Davis. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Thierry, meanwhile, focused her campaign on her legislative accomplishments in other areas, such as addressing maternal mortality and food insecurity, and especially in this latest runoff cycle, she leaned heavily on her faith and drew on Black Christian support. Thierry was endorsed by several Christian ministers and six of her House colleagues, including Harold Dutton, another Houston Democrat who voted with her on the ban on gender-affirming care. This is a developing story and will be updated. Texas Speaker Dade Phelan meets with supporters at a Runoff Election Night Party on May 28, 2024. Kim Brent/The Enterprise House Speaker Dade Phelan escaped an embarrassing defeat in Southeast Texas, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly fended off a right-wing social media personality and Gov. Greg Abbott secured the final GOP votes he has said he needs to pass a contentious private school voucher program through the Texas Legislature. Fresh off the holiday weekend, voters across Texas trickled into the polls on Tuesday to decide an array of low-turnout, high-stakes runoff contests. LIVE RESULTS: 2024 Houston Primary Runoff Live Election Results Advertisement Article continues below this ad Here are the major takeaways. Republican infighting leaves more wreckage in its wake Although Phelan narrowly survived an attempt on his political life by far-right insurgents, Tuesday night was a difficult one for establishment Republicans in Texas. Phelan, one of the states Big Three legislative leaders, won by just over 300 votes over challenger Dave Covey. He faced an onslaught of political attacks from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Although Phelan said Tuesday night he intended to hold onto his job as leader of the Texas House, he faces renewed opposition to his speakership from within his own party. Advertisement Article continues below this ad And across the state, four additional House Republicans whod voted against voucher proposals were defeated by Abbott-backed challengers. For decades, rural Republicans in the Texas House have blocked voucher bills because public schools are often top employers in their districts and they would lose state funds when children leave for private or home schools. But the third-term Republican governor spent millions this year targeting 21 GOP members whod opposed his signature proposal, and just seven are on-track to return for next year. Late Tuesday night, Abbott declared on social media that a majority was in place in the Texas House supporting his voucher plan. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A close call in South Texas U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales eked out a victory over YouTube videomaker Brandon Herrera, known online as the AK Guy, who was fueled by antipathy toward the incumbent for his party line-crossing votes to codify same-sex marriage rights and tighten gun-buyer background checks for young adults after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which is in the district. Gonzales, first elected to Congress in 2020, had just shy of 51% of the vote. Gonzales was the only Republican congressional candidate in Texas facing a runoff after Herrera, a political newcomer who bills himself as VERY politically incorrect, and three other GOP challengers pulled enough support in the March 5 primaries to keep him from claiming the nomination outright. Fresh attacks on the SBOE Two GOP members of the State Board of Education narrowly led their own challengers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Although the board is already dominated by Republicans, a right-wing advocacy group that began trying to sway local school board elections but has turned its attention to overhauling the state board spent hundreds of thousands this year to promote younger, conservative challengers to the incumbent Republicans. One incumbent was already defeated outright in March, and regardless of the outcome of the two races on Tuesday, the threat of a rightward challenge will weigh heavily in the minds of Republican members. The board faces several significant decisions, including designating a suite of "high quality instructional materials" that districts will receive extra money for adopting, as well as a full rewrite of the state's social studies curriculum standards. Nailbiters in Houston On the Democratic side, Houston-area state Sen. Molly Cook led narrowly over state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, who took office after John Whitmire vacated earlier this year to become mayor. Advertisement Article continues below this ad And Democratic state Rep. Shawn Thierry was soundly defeated by union organizer challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons. With Thierry seeking a fifth term in the heavily Democratic district, she faced an especially stiff primary challenge thanks to her outspokenness in voting with Republicans to ban gender-affirming care for minors. OpenAI formed a specific committee that will handle the "critical safety and security decisions" on training a new model used in the ChatGPT chatbot. The Safety and Security Committee, which involves Bret Taylor, Adam D'Angelo, Nicole Seligman, and Sam Altman, is responsible for making recommendations on OpenAI projects and operations. Read Also : OpenAI Dissolves Safety Team Responsible for Keeping Humanity from AI Harm OpenAI Establishes Safety Committee to Ensure Responsible Projects In a blog post, OpenAI detailed the role of the new committee and how it will play a significant role in the operations amid criticism against the company. The committee will start evaluating and developing the company's processes and safeguards for the next 90 days. Afterward, recommendations formed by the committee will be submitted to the board. OpenAI committed to publicly sharing an update on the recommendations that will be adopted and promised prioritization on safety and security. The team will also be joined by technical and policy experts Aleksander Madry, Lilian Weng, John Schulman, Matt Knight, and Jakub Pachocki. The company will also consult with other experts for their work including former cybersecurity officials Rob Joyce and John Carlin. OpenAI Ensures Safety Amid Criticisms Previously, OpenAI researcher Jan Leike resigned from his post and claimed that the company has been compromising safety for the sake of "shiny products." The company's co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever also resigned which led to the disbandment of superalignment team. Leike has now joined the rival AI company Anthropic which was also founded by former OpenAI leaders. The researcher revealed that he plans to "continue the superalignment mission" within a new company. OpenAI also disclosed that its training for its next frontier model has already started. The new model is expected to bring enhanced capabilities to AGI. "While we are proud to build and release models that are industry-leading on both capabilities and safety, we welcome a robust debate at this important moment," the company wrote. An American Airlines' Embraer E175LR (front), an American Airlines' Boeing 737 (C) and an American Airlines' Boeing 737 are seen parked at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York on May 24, 2024. American Airlines will slash its capacity growth in the second half of the year and consider a host of other changes to a sales strategy that backfired, CEO Robert Isom said Wednesday. The comments come a day after the carrier cut its revenue and profit forecast and said it is parting ways with its chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja. American will grow capacity about 3.5% in the second half of the year compared with the year earlier, down from roughly 8% year-over-year growth in the first six months of 2024. The company's shares tumbled more than 13% on Wednesday as investors weighed the airline's missteps as the peak travel season gets underway, with some analysts questioning how American can capitalize on what rivals expect to be a record summer. It was the stock's biggest percentage drop in nearly four years, during the travel plunge early in the Covid-19 pandemic. United Airlines shares rose more than 2% and Delta's fell less than 1%. Isom said American is weighing changes to a plan Raja led to drive direct bookings at the airline in lieu of third-party sites and travel agencies, a strategy that included gutting the airline's sales department. The changes angered travel agencies who weren't able to access some of the carrier's fares as before, making it harder for them to sell tickets on American flights. The chief commercial officer will leave the company next month. LONDON Mining giant BHP Group on Wednesday said it would not be making a firm offer for Anglo American, shortly after the latter rejected a request to extend takeover talks. In a statement published Wednesday afternoon, BHP CEO Mike Henry said that the firm did not intend to make a formal offer for its London-listed rival. "While we believed that our proposal for Anglo American was a compelling opportunity to effectively grow the pie of value for both sets of shareholders, we were unable to reach agreement with Anglo American on our specific views in respect of South African regulatory risk and cost and, despite seeking to engage constructively and numerous requests, we were not able to access from Anglo American key information required to formulate measures to address the excess risk they perceive," Henry said in a statement. "We remain of the view that our proposal was the most effective structure to deliver value for Anglo American shareholders, and we are confident that, working together with Anglo American, we could have obtained all required regulatory approvals, including in South Africa," he added. The miners had until 5 p.m. London time to reach an agreement following a weeklong extension of last week's deadline. BHP requested a further prolongment of talks earlier in the session, saying it "believes a further extension of the Deadline is required to allow for further engagement on its proposal." It noted that it had proposed a number of "socioeconomic measures" to address concerns over its bid, but added that more time was needed for discussions. Anglo American responded that its board "unanimously concluded that there is no basis for a further extension to the [Put Up or Shut Up] deadline." BHP's latest offer had valued the company at 38.6 billion ($49.2 billion), according to previous Reuters calculations. Shares of Anglo American fell 3% at 4:40 p.m., while BHP's stock price rose 0.2%. BHP Group's bumper takeover proposal is part of an effort to create a copper mining juggernaut and capitalize on the base metal's critical role in the green energy transition. Anglo rejected BHP's previous offers, saying they undervalued the company and its prospects. The British miner has also raised concerns over demands for it to de-merge from two of its South African entities, which company Chairman Stuart Chambers previously said would create "substantial uncertainty" and executive risk for the company. The socioeconomic provisions outlined in BHP's latest offer include investment in a mining research and development facility in South Africa, local employment guarantees and charitable contributions. It remains unclear whether the proposals will be enough to push the needle on what would be the first mining mega-deal in years. "It's a 50-50 right now in my view," John Meyer, partner and mining analyst at SP Angel, told CNBC's "Street Signs Europe" on Wednesday. BHP's latest proposal does not constitute a formal bid, but Meyer said it was likely that Anglo would need to express agreement before a final offer is made. "The pressure is on Anglo American to accept an offer. At that point, I think, BHP would then formalize the offer," he noted. Anglo earlier this month announced plans to spin off its highly prized De Beers diamond unit, as well as its steelmaking coal, nickel and platinum businesses, as part of a sweeping restructuring of its 107-year-old business. Anglo CEO Duncan Wanblad said the restructuring was part of existing efforts to "streamline the business and provide greater value to shareholders." However, he noted that the timeline had been sped up in the face of BHP's advances. The takeover offensive paves the way for a return of mega-deals after more than a decade of quiet in the mining industry. Copper's recent rally has also heightened demand in the space, with BHP rival Rio Tinto similarly expanding its business in the base metal. CNBC's Sam Meredith contributed to this report. Several stocks are well-positioned to benefit from any power supply bottlenecks resulting from rapid growth in data centers, according to 11 analysts at TD Cowen who compiled a 169-page report. Following a decade of flat U.S. electricity load growth, generative artificial intelligence-driven data center demand and increasing electric vehicle adoption are driving a staggering acceleration in electricity demand, TD Cowen's Michael Elias wrote in the report published Tuesday. That will lead to electricity transmission constraints in major power markets and population centers, with Northern Virginia, the world's largest data center market, forecast to run out of reliable power in the winter of 2027, and Silicon Valley running out of reliable power in the summer of 2034, he noted. Elias said third-party U.S. data centers will account for 6.6% of 2028 U.S electricity consumption, compared to just 1.5% in 2018, and 2.9% of 2028 global electricity consumption, compared to 0.8% in 2018. Despite the threat of shortages, the analyst said he has seen an "evolutionary response" from hyperscalers, including Amazon and Oracle , and third-party data center operators securing the power needed to support generative AI workloads. As a result, they are building data centers where power is available, investing in transmission lines and exploring the use of nuclear energy . "The hyperscalers facing these challenges are the among the best capitalized companies globally," Elias said confidently, leaving "a path forward for the broader ecosystem to navigate the growing power constraints." According to Elias, companies including Digital Realty Trust , NuScale , Vertiv , Wolfspeed and Coterra are among a basket of stocks that could benefit from data center demand and its implications, including the push toward greener energy sources less reliant on fossil fuels. Increasing data center leasing rates and power constraints in major markets will create an "increasingly positive" cash mark-to-market opportunity for Digital Realty , Elias said. That is because incumbent players, such as Digital Realty, will benefit as hyperscalers and enterprises are left with few alternatives to move latency-sensitive workloads a kind of computational task that requires immediate processing and response, such as AI inference in these markets. "As an owner and operator of large footprint wholesale data centers globally, the scale of Digital Realty's (DLR) data centers makes them suitable to host large AI workloads," Elias said. "To that point, we have witnessed a surge in demand associated with data centers, which Digital Realty has been the beneficiary of as evidenced by its record 1Q24 bookings of $252.1 [million] that meaningfully surpassed its prior record leasing levels." Digital Realty shares are up 6.7% this year, and analysts polled by FactSet think the stock can gain almost 3% from Tuesday's close. Brookfield Renewable Partners , an international renewable power producer and developer, is another beneficiary of the data center boom. One catalyst: Brookfield's partnership with Microsoft to develop new wind and solar farms to deliver more than 10.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity between 2026 and 2030 in the U.S. and Europe as part of Microsoft's effort to become carbon neutral by 2030. "The recently signed framework agreement is a clear example of BEP's exposure to corporate [power purchase agreement] momentum associated with data center demand. In our view, this agreement is an endorsement of BEP's ability to deliver a clean power solution to [a] tech bellwether at scale," TD Cowen analyst Sean Steuart said. He expects Brookfield to grow its funds from operations per unit, REITs' equivalent of earnings per share, at an organic rate of between 9% and 11%. Analysts surveyed by FactSet have a consensus buy rating and a $29.62 price target on Brookfield, implying 6.7% potential upside. The stock has added roughly 32% over the past month, fueled by the Microsoft partnership announcement on May 1, and is up about 5.6% so far this year. On the nuclear energy front, TD Cowen named NuScale Power Corporation a top pick. NuScale is the first pure play, publicly traded Small Modular Reactor designer, TD Cowen said, adding that it is also the first to have a Nuclear Regulatory Commission design certification for its 50MWe power module. NuScale has almost tripled in 2024, climbing 188%, after collapsing 68% in 2023, as nuclear power especially small modular reactors has been seen as a way to satisfy increased electricity demand in an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Energy companies are also poised to benefit from the massive rise in electricity demand, the analysts said. According to TD Cowen's David Deckelbaum, Coterra , an exploration and production company, is "uniquely positioned to take advantage of increasing demand for natural gas" through its ability to navigate commodity price volatility by investing in the highest return wells across its three major basins, Permian, Appalachia and Anadarko. That will contribute to the energy supply needed to power data centers. According to the analyst, Coterra can see its free cash flow yield climb toward 12% in 2025 from 7% in 2024. Shares are up 8% for the year. Satellite-to-phones service provider AST SpaceMobile stock surged after announcing a partnership with Verizon on Wednesday, adding to the company's recent deal with AT&T to provide remote coverage across the United States. AST SpaceMobile is building satellites to provide broadband service to unmodified smartphones, in the nascent "direct-to-device" communications market. The company's chairman and CEO, Abel Avellan, touted AST's agreements with Verizon and AT&T as "essentially eliminating dead zones and empowering remote areas of the country with space-based connectivity." AST stock jumped 69% in trading to close at $9.02 a share. The jump was the largest single day rise for the company's stock since it went public via a SPAC in 2021, and shares have quadrupled month to date, according to FactSet. Verizon's deal effectively includes a $100 million raise for AST, as well, in the form of $65 million in commercial service prepayments and $35 million in debt via convertible notes. The companies said that $45 million of the prepayments "are subject to certain conditions" such as needed regulatory approvals and signing of a definitive commercial agreement. The Verizon partnership follows a similar pattern to AT&T's work with AST. Back in January, AT&T was a co-debt investor in the company alongside Google and Vodafone. The companies then established the commercial agreement earlier this month, which "lays out in much more detail how we will ultimately offer service together," AST's Chief Strategy Officer Scott Wisniewski said in a statement to CNBC. AT&T told CNBC on Wednesday that it welcomed AST's partnership with Verizon. "[It] reinforces the shared commitment to providing nationwide space-based broadband direct to everyday cell phones," AT&T Head of Network Chris Sambar said in a statement. A variety of major players are pursuing the direct-to-device, or D2D, opportunity, seeing a chance to expand the mobile communications market to any place on Earth that "cellular signals are unreachable through traditional land-based infrastructure," as Srini Kalapala, senior vice president of technology and product development at Verizon, described in a statement Wednesday. Digitally Generated Images Wong Yu Liang | Moment | Getty Images China set up a multibillion-dollar state-backed investment chip fund last week and one observer says it will likely focus on advanced chips for AI and establishing the entire supply chain. "Fund 3 will focus on [establishing] the total supply chain. Now, for Fund 1 and 2, they put a lot of focus on the equipment and materials related areas," Winston Ma, adjunct professor at NYU School of Law said Wednesday. "And now, because [Fund 3] is established in the middle of the AI boom, I believe they will put more effort, emphasis on advanced computing chips and memory chips for future AI," Ma told told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia." watch now China has piled 344 billion Chinese yuan ($47.5 billion) into a third investment fund that aims to boost its domestic semiconductor industry amid an escalating technology war with the U.S. The China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund and the Big Fund, is part of China's efforts to reduce foreign reliance in its domestic chip industry. It comes as countries in the West, such as the U.S. and the Netherlands, limit its access to advanced technology. The new fund will be the largest of three funds so far. The first two funds raised 138.7 billion yuan and 204 billion yuan in 2014 and 2019 respectively. watch now Diane Hendricks enters the room where Blackwater founder Erik Prince was supposed to speak before the event was disrupted by protesting students Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis. Growing up on a dairy farm in Osseo, Wisconsin, Diane Hendricks always pictured her future self wearing suits, driving nice cars and working in a city. Today, the 77-year-old has an estimated net worth of $20.9 billion nearly double her reported net worth from just two years ago topping Forbes' most recent list of America's Richest Self-Made Women for the seventh year in a row. Her fortune is largely from her roofing supplies ABC Supply. Hendricks built the Beloit, Wisconsin-based company with her late husband in 1982, and is currently its chairwoman. She owns 100% of the company, the company's website says. ABC Supply brought in $20.4 billion in revenue last year and has more than 900 branch locations, according to Forbes. A farm-grown work ethic At age 10, Hendricks looked out a window and thought, "I don't want to be a farmer, and I don't want to marry a farmer," she told Forbes last year. Instead, she pictured herself wearing a "blue suit and having a nice car and being independent," she said. That epiphany, combined with watching her parents work on the farm, made Hendricks dream of a career of her own, she said. Then she got pregnant at age 17, and finished her senior year of high school while living at home. Three years later, she filed for divorce from her high school sweetheart, and as a single mother, got by on a series of odd jobs even working as a Playboy Bunny waitress while building a real estate career, she said. "That's when I really started to look at a career, a career I'd always dreamt of having, which was being in business," said Hendricks. After she met and married roof contractor Ken Hendricks in the 1970s, the duo co-founded ABC Supply. The company hit $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in 1998, according to the company's website. Controversies and contributions A worker rides a bicycle past a housing complex under construction in Beijing on May 17, 2024. BEIJING The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday raised its forecast for China's growth this year to 5%, from 4.6% previously, due to "strong" first quarter figures and recent policy measures. The upgrade followed an IMF visit to China for a regular assessment. The organization now expects China's economy to grow by 4.5% in 2025, up from the previous forecast of 4.1%. But by 2029, they anticipate China's growth will decelerate to 3.3% due to an aging population and slower productivity growth. That's down from the IMF's prior forecast of 3.5% growth in the medium term. China's economy grew by a better-than-expected 5.3% in the first quarter, supported by strong exports. Data for April showed consumer spending remained sluggish, while industrial activity picked up. About two weeks ago, Chinese authorities announced sweeping measures to support the struggling real estate sector, including removing the floor on mortgage rates. Nvidia's most recent leg up is starting to worry market watchers. The artificial intelligence beneficiary reported results on May 22, but in the three trading days since its beat, the stock has surged roughly 20%. Year to date, shares have more than doubled, advancing roughly 120%. Nvidia is now a $2.8 trillion company, an eyewatering figure that places the graphics processing unit maker just behind Apple ($2.9 trillion) and Microsoft ($3.2 trillion) in the S & P 500. One market observer noted that makes Nvidia bigger than Amazon, Walmart and Netflix combined. At the same time, however, more investors wonder if Nvidia is overvalued and they should start taking profits, especially as the broader market comes under pressure from higher Treasury yields. Nvidia has surged above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, and it now boasts a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 66. NVDA 5D mountain Nvidia "As incredible as this business is ... do we really think it should be the largest corporation on earth? Because that's where it's headed so long as it continues its meteoric rise," Ritholtz Wealth Management CEO Josh Brown wrote in a newsletter Wednesday. "Should Nvidia be larger than Apple and/or Microsoft?" The investor noted any sign of threat to earnings growth expectations for 2024 could be "correction fuel" for Nvidia and large growth stocks tied to the AI trade. Elsewhere, other market observers agreed that now may be the time to trim some gains in Nvidia. BTIG's Jonathan Krinsky cautioned investors that a pullback to the prior breakout point between 975 to 1,000 would "not be surprising," even if the upward trend remains intact for the stock. That would be a 12% to 14% drawdown from Tuesday's close for the stock. "While fading Nvidia (NVDA, Not Rated) is usually not wise, it's notable that today's gap up is entirely above its upper Bollinger Band," Krinsky wrote on Tuesday. "That sort of action is typically tough to sustain, and emblematic of emotional buying which can lead to a bit of a blowoff top." The Bollinger Band, a technical tool using three "bands" on a chart to gauge the volatility of an asset, helps investors determine whether a stock is overvalued. The middle line represents the 20-day simple moving average, while the upper and lower bands show the number of standard deviations. A move toward the upper band could mean the stock is overbought. Meanwhile, Wolfe Research's Rob Ginsberg on Tuesday wrote that Nvidia has come "awfully close" to a measured move on a breakout of $1,150, without quite reaching the level. "[Its] dominance within the indices today and Thursday has been historic," Ginsberg wrote. "Add to the mix the deeply overbought condition and the general euphoria, and we think this is a pretty good spot to harvest some gains." Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the values of Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. Famed short seller Jim Chanos called a lawsuit accusing him of embezzling funds for personal use, "false, baseless and defamatory." Chanos gave the statement to CNBC's Scott Wapner in response to allegations made by a former investor in Chanos & Co. Conlon Holdings, a Chicago-based firm run by Sean Conlon, filed the suit in New York state court Friday, alleging that Chanos used his firm as a "piggy bank" with $10 million of outstanding loans that he borrowed from his company over more than a decade. "As Mr. Conlon knows, the internal loan was paid off in 2021, and since 2019 I have put over $30 million into my company," Chanos said in the statement. "Indeed, all of my fellow management company partners have lost money over the past few years, none more than me. Mr. Conlon is simply trying to mitigate his losses by this crude shakedown attempt." Conlon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Chanos, best known for calling the collapse of energy trading company Enron, closed his hedge fund late last year and converted it to a family office and advisory business. His decision came after years of underperformance where short bets including Tesla didn't work. The lawsuit also alleged that Chanos sold his Miami apartment that was formally owned by Chanos & Co. for $17.8 million earlier this month without giving his partners advance notice. Meanwhile, the suit said Chanos' girlfriend, Crystal Conners, was the sales agent on the transaction, which would have made $540,000 at standard commission rates. The suit was first reported by Bloomberg News. Catherine Wood, chief executive officer of ARK Investment Management LLC, speaks during the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Cathie Wood's ARK Invest has taken a stake in Elon Musk's startup xAI as she deepens her big bet on artificial intelligence. ARK Venture Fund has invested in xAI as of Sunday, the St. Petersburg, Florida-based asset manager said in an email to clients Tuesday evening. The fund also invests in OpenAI, the popular player behind ChatGPT, as well as other companies in the industry, such as Figure AI and Shield AI. The xAI startup is also not the only Musk-led company Wood's venture fund bets on. The firm has also purchased stakes in Musk's space company SpaceX and social media firm X Corp., formerly known as Twitter. The venture fund, launched in September 2022, targets smaller investors who can access the venture capital market through it with as little as $500. The fund has invested in nearly 50 companies, most of which are private. It comes with a hefty management fee of 2.75%. Musk founded xAI in March 2023 as a challenger to Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Alphabet's Google. Musk also co-founded OpenAI. It recently raised $6 billion in series B funding, reaching a post-money valuation of $24 billion. The xAI startup is reportedly planning to build a supercomputer to power the next version of its AI chatbot Grok. The widely followed Wood has been a big AI bull, saying it's the most important catalyst in every corner of her disruptive innovation strategy. She has called Tesla, with its robotaxi ambition, "the biggest AI opportunity in the world." Tesla is her flagship ARK Innovation Fund's biggest holding, with a weighting of 11.5%. Wood also said OpenAI is "at the forefront of a Cambrian explosion" in AI capability. The Seattle Public Library's online services became the latest victim in the series of ransomware attacks on public establishments and services in Western countries. In a blog post on Tuesday, the library confirmed a "ransomware event" on its technological systems, impacting its computers, online loaning platform, and e-books. Its public Wi-Fi connection and official website also shut down following the attack. Library officials have already contacted third-party forensic specialists and law enforcement to investigate the service disruption. The attack was first noted last Saturday during the Memorial Day weekend. The Seattle library has yet to report a confirmed ransom demand from the attack. All digital systems will remain offline "until we can ensure the security of these systems." People can still go to the actual Seattle Public Library at 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, Washington. More Public Libraries Hit by Ransomware Attacks The cyberattack on the Seattle Public Library is the second major ransomware event reported in the past 12 months as threat actors move to public utility services. Last October, the British Library was attacked by the Russian cybercriminal group Rhysidia as the library's online systems, including employees' private data, were accessed. It took the library nearly six months to restore at least half of its digital servers with several systems remaining unavailable as the library tries to increase cyber-defenses for its platforms. In the US, the last reported cyberattack on a library was in 2021 with the Boston Public Library after it noted a "systemwide technical outage." It is uncertain if the Boston Library paid the hackers to restore the stolen data. Also Read : British Library Back Online After Disastrous Ransomware Hacking Ransomware Attacks Continue to Surge in the US The ransomware attacks on the libraries follow the continued rise of financially motivated cyberattacks reported since last year. According to digital research group Chainalyis, last year was the biggest haul for ransomware groups as the attacks reportedly cost companies roughly $1.1 billion despite ramped up law enforcement efforts. So far, the attacks have made their way into healthcare and financial sectors where threat actors can earn billions of dollars from their targets. PwC said the deal will see its U.S. and U.K. employees and clients gain access to the latest tools from OpenAI. PwC landed a deal Wednesday with OpenAI to become the artificial intelligence company's first resale partner and largest enterprise user. The Big Four accounting firm said its U.S. and U.K. firms had signed an agreement with the Microsoft -backed company to offer ChatGPT Enterprise, the business-focused version of its generative AI chatbot, to employees and clients. The agreement will "expand our technology ecosystem, bring GenAI deeper into our enterprise, and enable us to scale AI capabilities across businesses to help drive accelerated impact for clients," PwC said in a blog post Wednesday. PwC said the deal will see its U.S. and U.K. employees and clients gain access to the latest tools from OpenAI, including its recently announced ChatGPT-4o model and new capabilities focused on voice and image. "By being on the forefront of OpenAI's models and as the first company to announce integration into its practice, we are uniquely positioned to help clients leverage ChatGPT Enterprise for better and faster ways of working," PwC said in its post. PwC will hand ChatGPT Enterprise licenses to more than 100,000 employees 75,000 in the U.S. and 26,000 in the U.K. according to The Wall Street Journal, which earlier reported on the deal. PwC did not specify the number of workers who would use ChatGPT Enterprise. "By embracing ChatGPT Enterprise across our workforce, we will bring our first-hand experience of our AI transformation to clients, complementing our audit, tax and consulting services with a broad array of business and industry solutions," the company said. PwC didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal. Emmanuel Macron, France's president, during a news conference with Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, not pictured, in Meseberg, Germany, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Ukraine should be allowed to use Western arms against Russian military sites used to target Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said late Tuesday, bowing to ongoing requests from Kyiv. "How can we explain to Ukraine that they need to protect their cities . . . but that they don't have the right to attack where the missiles are coming from? It's as if we were telling them we're giving you arms but you cannot use them to defend yourself," Macron said late Tuesday during a press conference in Meseberg, Germany. Macron was joined by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who agreed Ukraine should be allowed to defend its territory as long as it respected the conditions of the weapons suppliers. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of serious consequences if Russia is struck with Western weapons. That came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's made his two-day tour of Europe, during which he visited Spain, Portugal and Belgium and received more promises of military aid. Elsewhere, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday headed to the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, the first stop of a short European tour intended to bolster support for Ukraine. Samsung at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, on March 2, 2023. South Korean authorities are investigating Samsung after assessing that two workers at one of the tech giant's plants were exposed to radiation. The two patients, who are hospitalized, were showing "abnormal" symptoms of radiation exposure in their fingers, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in South Korea said in a Google-translated statement on Wednesday. The patients' general blood tests produced a normal result, according to the authorities. Samsung said in a statement that two employees at the company's semiconductor production facility in Giheung, Korea, "experienced accidental exposures to X-rays on their hands." "The individuals are currently undergoing follow-up tests in the hospital, and Samsung is fully supporting their treatment and recovery. The company will cooperate with all relevant authorities and ensure recurrences are prevented," the tech giant added. Samsung's Giheung plant is about 25 miles south of the South Korean capital of Seoul. The authorities said they have suspended the use of the machine responsible for the incident. The exact cause of the radiation exposure is not known at this time, with the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission carrying out an ongoing probe. The commission said it will take further steps if any violations of safety laws are confirmed. An Airbus A350-941 from Singapore Airlines is preparing to take off on the runway at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain, on May 1, 2024. The Singapore Airlines flight that encountered severe turbulence on its way from London to Singapore dropped 54 meters (178 feet) in less than five seconds, preliminary findings released Wednesday showed. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau of Singapore said the sharp altitude drop as well as changes to gravitational forces likely caused the injuries. One person died of a suspected heart attack, and many of the 211 passengers and 18 crew members onboard were injured in the incident on May 21. "The rapid changes in G [gravitational force] over the 4.6 sec duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 ft, from 37,362 ft to 37,184 ft. This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers," the report said Wednesday. The changes in gravitational forces "likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne," the report said. They then almost immediately fell back down as vertical acceleration turned negative, it added. The logo for Salesforce is displayed on the Salesforce Tower in New York City on March 7, 2019. Check out the companies making headlines in extended trading: Salesforce Shares plunged more than 14% after first-quarter revenue of $9.13 billion missed consensus estimates of $9.17 billion, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings of $2.44 per share beat a consensus estimate of $2.38, but current-quarter guidance fell below estimates on both top and bottom lines. UiPath The software company tanked 30% after saying its CEO Rob Enslin will resign, effective June 1. He will also be stepping down from the board of directors. Daniel Dines, former CEO of UiPath and current chief innovation officer, will return to the helm. HP Inc. The manufacturer of personal computers rose 3%. HP posted adjusted earnings of 82 cents per share on revenue of $12.8 billion in its fiscal second quarter, above analysts' estimates of 81 cents a share and revenue of $12.6 billion, according to LSEG. Pure Storage The software company rose 1% on better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter earnings. Pure Storage posted 32 cents a share in adjusted earnings on $693.5 million in revenue. Analysts surveyed by LSEG had forecast 21 cents a share on revenue of $681 million. Okta The digital identity verification company added nearly 2% after top- and bottom-line numbers topped analysts' estimates in the first quarter. Okta's second-quarter revenue guidance range of $631 million to $633 million also beat the consensus estimate for $616 million, according to LSEG data. Capri The Versace and Jimmy Choo fashion group shed 3% after fiscal fourth-quarter results missed analysts' estimates. Capri reported adjusted earnings of 42 cents a share, while analysts had estimated 65 cents, according to LSEG. Revenue of $1.22 billion also missed forecasts of $1.30 billion. Management cited softening demand for luxury goods and a slowdown in Asia. C3.ai Shares of the artificial intelligence software company climbed more than 8% after reporting quarterly results above estimates. C3.ai lost an adjusted 11 cents per share on $86.6 million in revenue. Consensus estimates had called for a loss of 30 cents on revenue of $84.4 million, according to LSEG. Full-year revenue forecasts also beat estimates. American Eagle Outfitters Shares pulled back nearly 6% after the clothing retailer's first-quarter revenue missed estimates and it issued weak forward guidance. American Eagle Outfitters reported $1.14 billion in revenue, lower than the average analyst estimate of $1.15 billion, according to LSEG data. Earnings beat estimates, but full-year revenue guidance was in a range of 2% to 4%, compared to forecasts for 3.4%. Agilent Technologies The life sciences company tumbled 14% after lowering full-year earnings and revenue guidance. Agilent guided for earnings per share between $5.15 and $5.25 versus previous guidance of $5.44 to $5.55, according to FactSet. Revenue guidance was also pulled back to between $6.42 billion and $6.50 billion, compared to prior guidance in a range of $6.71 billion to $6.81 billion. Meanwhile, fiscal second-quarter earnings topped estimates, while revenue narrowly fell below the consensus estimate. Nutanix The cloud computing company tumbled 14% after issuing its fiscal fourth-quarter revenue forecast of $530 million to $540 million that missed analysts' estimates of $546 million. Full-year revenue guidance of $2.13 billion to $2.14 billion compared to prior forecasts of $2.12 billion to $2.15 billion, and consensus estimates of $2.14 billion, per FactSet. CNBC's Darla Mercado contributed reporting. Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday rejected Democratic lawmakers' requests that he recuse himself from key cases related to former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot following reports that flags linked to Trump's supporters were flown at his properties. Alito said in two letters to the lawmakers that he had "nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of" an upside-down U.S. flag at his Virginia home days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Alito also said he had "no involvement" in flying a flag bearing the "Appeal to Heaven" symbol in the backyard of his vacation home in the summer of 2023. Rather, he said in the letters, his wife was "solely responsible" for putting up the flagpoles and flying "a wide variety of flags over the years." "My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not," Alito wrote. The answer means the conservative justice remains involved as the court considers Trump's claim that he is immune from being charged in the federal election interference case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump argues that he enjoys broad presidential immunity from prosecution, even after leaving office, for official acts he performed as president. The Supreme Court's decision on that question, which could further delay or effectively end Smith's case against the former president, is pending. The court is next scheduled to release opinions on Thursday morning, but it may not rule on Trump's case until later. The New York Times first reported earlier in May that the inverted American flag a symbol used by supporters of Trump's false claim that Biden's victory in the 2020 election was rigged was flown at Alexandria, Virginia, home of the justice and his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, on Jan. 17, 2021. Soon after, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged Alito to step aside from cases related to the 2020 election and the Capitol riot, including Trump's immunity case. "Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement clearly creates the appearance of bias," Durbin wrote. The senator last week repeated his call for Alito to recuse himself, after the Times reported that the Appeal to Heaven flag was flown at the Alito summer home in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in July and September 2023. Both flags were carried by rioters during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Alito wrote in Wednesday's letters that his wife's reasons for flying the upside-down U.S. flag "are not relevant for present purposes." But he noted that she was "greatly distressed at the time due, in large part, to a very nasty neighborhood dispute in which I had no involvement." Alito said that a house on her street displayed a sign "attacking her personally," and that a male resident of that house "trailed her" down the street and berated her with "foul language, including what I regard as the vilest epithet that can be addressed to a woman." Martha-Ann Alito "is a private citizen" who "makes her own decisions," Alito wrote, adding that she has had to endure "numerous, loud, obscene, and personally insulting protests in front of our home" as a result of his service on the high court. Those protests "continue to this day and now threaten to escalate," he wrote. One of Alito's letters was addressed to Durbin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. The other was sent to a group of 50 House members, most of whom signed a recent letter alleging an "indisputable appearance of a conflict of interest" requiring Alito's recusal from the Trump immunity case and another case. Regarding the Appeal to Heaven flag, Alito said he recalled that his wife flew it "for some period of time" and that he was not familiar with it while it was raised. "She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a patriotic and religious message," he wrote. "I was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the 'Stop the Steal Movement,' and neither was my wife," Alito wrote. But he maintained, "She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings." Trump, who is awaiting a verdict in his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, applauded Alito for declining to remove himself from the case. "Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and 'GUTS' to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social . Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 29, 2024. Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images The New York jury weighing criminal charges against former President Donald Trump ended its first day of deliberations on Wednesday after asking to rehear key bits of trial testimony from Trump's ex-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, and from the former publisher of The National Enquirer. Jurors also asked Judge Juan Merchan for a readback of the instructions the judge gave them Wednesday morning. Latest Trump trial update: Jury reaches verdict in hush money case The requests were the first notes the 12-member jury sent out to Merchan after it deliberated for several hours. Jurors will rehear the testimony and judge's instructions when they return to Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday morning to resume deliberations. Trump is charged in the case with falsifying business records related to reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment that Cohen gave porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Jurors asked for Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about a phone conversation he had with Trump while Pecker was in an investor meeting, as well as Pecker's testimony about buying the life rights of Karen McDougal, who has said she was Trump's mistress. The panel also asked for a readback of Pecker's testimony regarding a meeting at Trump Tower in New York and for Cohen's testimony about that meeting. Earlier Wednesday, Trump raged about the case, where he faces 34 felony counts. "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Trump told reporters stationed outside the courtroom in Manhattan Supreme Court. "These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged," the former president said. "The whole country's a mess," Trump went on, making apparent references to a surge in U.S. immigration and his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election before repeating his attacks against Judge Merchan. "Between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this, where the judge is so conflicted he can't breathe," he said. "It's a disgrace." Jury instructions Before Trump left the courtroom, Merchan spent nearly 90 minutes delivering instructions to the jury about how they must evaluate the charges. If jurors reach a guilty verdict on any of those counts, Trump will become the first former U.S. president ever to be convicted of a crime. The judge reminded them that they "must set aside any personal opinions or bias" against Trump during their deliberations. He also told them that Trump's decision not to testify at trial should not be held against him, noting that the defense does not have the responsibility of proving he is innocent of the charges. "To the contrary, the people have the burden and they must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed that crime," said Merchan. "And if they fail to satisfy their burden of proof, you must find him not guilty." Merchan also instructed them about Cohen, who was the prosecution's star witness. The judge said Cohen is "an accomplice" in the alleged crimes for which Trump is on trial. Turning to the felony counts with which Trump is charged, Merchan told jurors that under New York law, the crime of falsifying business records "must include an intent to commit another crime, or to aid or conceal the commission" of another crime. He added that prosecutors "need not prove the crime was in fact committed." The crime that prosecutors claim Trump was trying to conceal is a violation of NY Election Law 17-152, which prohibits "a conspiracy to promote or prevent the election of a person to public office by unlawful means." The election was the 2016 presidential election. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards A chart introduced into evidence by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in the trial of former President Donald Trump, May 29, 2024. Manhattan District Attorney's Office Trump also faces three other criminal cases, none of which is currently expected to start trial before November, when the Republican is on track to face President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 contest. Trump did not speak to reporters on his way into court Wednesday morning, breaking from his usual tactic of railing against the case and Merchan before each trial day begins. Trump also avoided talking to the press after leaving the courthouse Tuesday night. Closing arguments Trump's lawyer and a prosecutor gave closing arguments all day Tuesday and into the early evening. Cohen testified at trial that he paid Daniels at Trump's direction to buy her silence about an alleged one-time sexual tryst with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied that he had sex with Daniels. Prosecutors claim that Trump, by falsely recording the reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses, had criminally covered up their true nature, which was to protect his then-reeling campaign from losing the 2016 election to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. At the time of the payment to Daniels, Trump's candidacy had been rocked by disclosure of the so-called "Access Hollywood" tape, which captured him boasting to a TV host about groping and kissing women without their consent and getting away with it because he was a "star." Samsung Electronics, the world's top maker of smartphones, TVs and memory chips, is cutting up to 30% of its overseas staff at some divisions, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Samsung Electronics' union in South Korea has declared it will start taking strike action, including advising members as an initial protest to take annual leave on June 7, a union official said during a live-streamed press conference on Wednesday. The union accounts for about 28,000 workers, or more than a fifth of the company's total workforce, according to union officials. A group of union officials made the announcement while holding a banner which read: "We can no longer tolerate labor repression, union repression." Samsung Electronics did not have an immediate comment. More than 2,000 unionized workers of the South Korean technology giant gathered in Seoul last week to hold a rare rally to demand better wages. VinFast electric vehicles are parked before delivery to their first customers at a store in Los Angeles, March 1, 2023. Vietnamese electric car maker VinFast is looking at further delaying a planned $4 billion factory in North Carolina, a person briefed on the matter said, as the loss-making company struggles to gain favor with U.S. consumers. VinFast announced in 2022 that it would build an EV and battery factory in the United States with an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, seeking to take advantage of the Biden administration's efforts to approve subsidies for EVs made in America. The company had initially planned to complete the factory in July 2024 but later pushed back the start of operations to 2025. It is considering another delay, the source said, asking to remain unidentified because the matter was not public. VinFast, which sold fewer than 1,000 cars in North America last year, said in a statement to Reuters it was "conducting a thorough review and evaluation of all aspects of the construction process for our North Carolina factory." North Carolina's Chatham County, where ground for the factory was broken in July, declined to comment about a possible delay. A spokesperson for the county government said VinFast had twice revised the size of the factory's general assembly building. The latest revision was submitted in April and is still being reviewed by the county's permits department. When VinFast announced in March 2022 its plans for the North Carolina factory, U.S. President Joe Biden said the plant would create more than 7,000 jobs. "It's the latest example of my economic strategy at work," he posted on Twitter at the time. Republicans won North Carolina in the 2020 presidential elections by a small margin and Biden's campaign is spending heavily to win the state in the November presidential election. In addition to low sales, VinFast has been sued in the U.S. for not paying rent on a showroom. It also faces two separate probes - one over an April crash in California when four people died in an accident involving a VinFast VF 8 car; and one for allegedly violating ArcelorMittal patents for aluminum used in the VF 8. Vietnam sold fewer than 35,000 cars globally last year - the vast majority of that in its home market and despite having a factory in northern Vietnam with an annual production capacity of 300,000 cars. Most of its cars sold domestically are also sold to related parties. Its net loss last year widened 15% to $2.4 billion. Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Wednesday: Bernstein reiterates Nvidia as outperform Bernstein said it's sticking with its outperform rating on the stock. " NVDA (OP, $1300): The datacenter opportunity is enormous, and still early, with material upside still possible." Argus upgrades Berkshire Hathaway to buy from hold Argus said it's getting bullish on shares of Warren Buffett's multinational conglomerate. "We have a positive view of the conglomerate nature of Berkshire, whose stock returns have doubled those of the S & P 500 since 1965 (compound annual growth of 19.8% versus 10.2% for the index). However, we note that Berkshire's revenues are economically sensitive, and often expand or contract along with the U.S. economy." UBS reiterates Fluence as buy UBS said the energy company is an artificial intelligence data center beneficiary. "In our view, FLNC is an under-appreciated beneficiary of increasing AI data center driven electricity demand as a leading supplier of utility-scale battery systems." UBS reiterates First Solar as buy UBS raised its price target on First Solar to $350 per share from $270. "The PT change is driven by our greater confidence in underlying utility-scale projects demand driven by corporate '100% renewable' demand and recent positive news on U.S. import tariffs." Citi upgrades Liberty Energy to buy from neutral Citi said it's bullish on shares of the energy company. "We upgrade LBRT to Buy and raise our target price to $32. LBRT has been an outperformer within OFS [oil field services] over the past year as fears toward margin compression proved overblown." Jefferies upgrades United Airlines to buy from hold Jefferies said it likes United Airlines ' differentiated product offering. "Upgrade to Buy: Uniting Durable FCF w/ What's Next in a Wealth Creation Oppty." Jefferies downgrades American Airlines to hold from buy Jefferies said it's concerned that American Airlines ' strategy is taking too long to execute. "Downgrade to Hold: Not All Sunshine & Rainbows in the Sun Belt & El Paso." Bank of America reiterates Apple as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on top pick Apple and its entry into iPhones with AI. "We view the upcoming AI enabled phones (IntelliPhones) to drive a multi-year upgrade cycle similar to the step function improvement driven by the introduction of smartphones." TD Cowen initiates Medpace as buy TD Cowen said it sees "outsized growth" for the clinical research organization. "We initiate MEDP with a Buy rating and $452 PT." Morgan Stanley reiterates Netflix and Disney as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's sticking with its overweight ratings on the stocks. " NFLX: Cont'd strong net adds and top-line strength should alleviate concerns paid sharing is the primary driver of strength. We revisit our $850 bull case. DIS: Shares have over-corrected due to concerns over Parks growth, which we expect to re-accelerate in F4Q. Now back to 18x P/E, we see 25%+ upside to PT." RBC upgrades Eldorado Gold to outperform from sector perform RBC said it's bullish on shares of Eldorado Gold. "Higher production, higher margins, higher FCF coming: Upgrade to Outperform." BTIG upgrades Core Scientific to buy from neutral BTIG said it's bullish on shares of the bitcoin mining company. "We upgrade CORZ to Buy from Neutral on the back of continued execution and our expectation of a firming BTC price, which should allow the company to aggressively deleverage as warrants (~180M shares) are exercised accelerating the company's deleveraging strategy." Citi downgrades Bank OZK to sell from buy Citi said in its downgrade of Bank OZK that the regional bank has too many negative catalysts and commercial real estate concerns. 'Growing Concerns On Credit: 2 Potential Problem Projects Downgrade to Sell." JPMorgan reiterates Cava as overweight JPMorgan called the Mediterranean restaurant chain a "high quality growth story" following earnings. " CAVA results and resulting stock price are demonstrating a visible expansion from multi-regional success to eventual national scale." Wells Fargo reiterates Snowflake as overweight Wells said it's bullish ahead of the company's Snowflake Summit 2024 event. "We see significant bounce-back potential & expect Summit will help shed more favorable light on go-fwd path; keep OW + $225 PT." Baird initiates Mind Medicine as outperform Baird said it's bullish on shares of the psychedelic biotech company and on Mind Medicine's MM120 drug to treat anxiety disorders. "Initiating at Outperform and a $27 PT, based mainly on the outlook for lead agent MM120, a form of LSD, in generalized anxiety disorder." Bank of America upgrades Melco to buy from neutral Bank of America said the casino and resort company is set for a "re-rating." "We upgrade Melco from Neutral to Buy with raised PO of US$10.4." Truist upgrades Norwegian to buy from hold Truist said it sees strong revenue growth ahead for the cruise company. "We are upgrading shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ( NCLH) to Buy from Hold and raising our price target to $21 from $20." Bank of America reiterates Dell as buy Bank of America raised its price target on Dell to $180 per share from $130. "Reiterate Buy on upside driven by AI servers, PC refresh, and strong capital return with potential S & P inclusion as an additional catalyst." Truist reiterates Chipotle as buy Truist raised its price target on Chipotle to $3,520 per share from $3,440 after a series of meetings with Chipotle management. "This week, we hosted investors for a store tour and lunch with field leadership in the Chicago area (Regional VP, Team Director, Field Leader and GM) as well as CFO, Jack Hartung, and Cindy Olsen, Head of IR and Strategy." (Photo : Unsplash/Kelly Sikkema) Waiting for the tax refund can be stressful, particularly for the three-quarters of taxpayers who rely on their refund for essentials such as rent, credit card bills, and medical debts, according to a January 2024 survey by CreditKarma. When Will I Get My Tax Refund? After electronically filing tax returns, a refund status becomes typically accessible within 48 hours on the IRS's "Where's My Refund?" website. While the refund process typically takes up to 21 days for an e-filed return, it might take up to four weeks or longer for returns sent by mail or amended due to errors or those that need additional reviews, corrections, or forms, according to the IRS. READ ALSO: Common Forms You Need to Know to File Your Taxes How Can I Know My Tax Refund Status? Tax refunds can be monitored through the IRS's "Where's My Refund" website or the IRS2Go app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon. According to spokesperson Alejandra Castro's previous interview with NBC New York, IRS assistance center visitation does not expedite the refund process, but using the IRS2GO app or the "Where's My Refund?" section on the IRS website can quickly provide access to information and status of one's refund. Meanwhile, if a taxpayer has concerns about the status of their tax return or suspects an issue due to a prolonged delay, contacting the IRS or scheduling an appointment at one of the taxpayer assistance centers would be the best course of action to take instead. Can I Directly Call the IRS About My Tax Refund? According to the IRS, you should only make a call if it has been at least 21 days since you filed an electronic return or at least six weeks since you sent a paper return by mail. For inquiries regarding individual federal returns, call 800-829-1040 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also schedule an appointment to receive assistance at a nearby IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center, as the agency does not handle tax-related inquiries via email. How Long Should I Keep My Tax Return Copies? The IRS also advises retaining copies of your tax returns for at least three years. Additional Resources: Tax Refund Advance Loan Institutions There are also advance loan institutions if you cannot wait for your refund. H&R Block provides a no-interest tax refund advance loan up to $3,500 on the same day you file and offers a free tier for simple returns and a deluxe version that allows you to itemize deductions, report self-employment taxes, and receive assistance from both live experts and an AI tax assistant. TurboTax provides a refund advance loan of up to $4,000 at 0% APR and with no fees by just opening a checking account with Credit Karma Money to receive the funds. Jackson Hewitt also offers advances of up to $6,500 for eligible filers by scheduling an in-person appointment at a Jackson Hewitt office to file taxes and access this service. RELATED ARTICLE: Federal Income Tax Brackets and Rates in 2024 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss (L-R), creators of crypto exchange Gemini Trust Co., on stage at the Bitcoin 2021 Convention, a cryptocurrency conference held at the Mana Convention Center in Wynwood in Miami, Florida, on June 4, 2021. Customers with funds locked up in crypto exchange Gemini's defunct crypto lending program are finally going to start getting their money back. The company, which is owned by tech billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, announced Wednesday that it will return $2.18 billion of its digital assets to users of the Earn program, which it paused withdrawals for in November 2022. "Today, we are pleased to let you know that initial Earn distributions approximately 97% of the digital assets owed to you by Genesis as of the suspension date (November 16, 2022) are now available in your Gemini account," Gemini will tell its customers via email Wednesday. "This follows our previous announcement that we reached a settlement with Genesis and other creditors in the Genesis Bankruptcy, which will result in all Earn users receiving 100% of their digital assets back in kind." The email adds: "This means that if you lent one bitcoin in the Earn program, you will receive one bitcoin back. And it means that you will receive any and all increase in the value of your assets since you lent them into the Earn program." At $2.18 billion, the fund distribution represents a 232% recovery for users since Gemini froze withdrawals for customers of its Earn program 18 months ago. First launched in 2021, Earn enabled customers to get high yields on their coins by storing them in Gemini's scheme. Gemini then lent customers' crypto to institutional borrowers through Genesis Global Capital, its lending partner of choice. In November 2022, Genesis Global Capital paused new loan originations and redemptions, forcing Gemini to halt withdrawals from its Earn program. Genesis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last January in Manhattan federal court. Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $2 billion settlement with Genesis to repay defrauded investors. Farmers and ranchers, the backbone of America's food production, grapple with persistent stressors as they toil tirelessly throughout the year. According to Will Stutterheim, a psychology professor at Fort Hays State University, the agricultural environment presents a multitude of stressors, often beyond the individual's control, leading to profound mental health challenges. Kansas, unfortunately, ranks last in the country for mental health care, highlighting the struggles faced by rural communities. To this, Stutterheim said there are significant obstacles in accessing care, including geographical distance, limited resources, and financial constraints. Moreover, the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health issues further impedes farmers from seeking assistance, according to the expert. "So many times when you come out and talk to people about stress in agriculture, it's a you know, strap your boots on, just tough it out, just deal with it, and just keep going. It will get better," Stutterheim said. "And if that was the case, I wouldn't have a job." A critical barrier highlighted by Stutterheim is time. Amid the demands of farm work, finding the time to prioritize mental health becomes a daunting task. Balancing urgent responsibilities, such as tending to livestock or repairing equipment, with seeking treatment underscores the complexity of the situation. "I recognize there's a need, and once I've found a resource, and let's say I've worked through the stigma in agriculture, how do I find the time to take time away? How do I come in, get cleaned up? Hopefully, there's nothing that is a front-burner issue, the cows aren't out, something hasn't happened with a repair that I'm in the middle of, and I've only got till six o'clock till, you know, I can get the part for this, you know. How do I then actually take the time to actually prioritize myself to get that treatment in a way that works for me," Stutterheim explained, per KSN.com. Stutterheim also noted the importance of involving family members and community members in destigmatizing mental health discussions and promoting support networks within agricultural communities. "The wives, the daughters, the sons, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, the nephews, those people I really want to make sure have this information about the importance of mental health, the importance of being able to reach out to these people feel comfortable starting these conversations with people," he said. "It doesn't have to be anything major. I think so many times, we don't have the mental health providers to adequately staff a lot of our areas in agriculture setting. But what we do have is a lot of good, caring people in those areas who want to help the people in their lives." Mick Rousch, a farmer well-acquainted with the challenges of rural life, acknowledged the obstacle of seeking assistance in a culture that prioritizes self-sufficiency saying: "It's tough to swallow when you're bred to be independent. We try not to talk about our problems on the farm, we gut it out. It's difficult, it's hard to seek that first help, to ask somebody," Rousch expressed. Nevertheless, he pointed out the significance of reaching out and acknowledged the camaraderie and assistance accessible within farming communities. "But then, after that, it gets a little easier. There's a lot of people out there in the same boat as you are -- you're not the only one struggling. There's a lot of people who care about you and want to see you well." Pet ownership can provide significant mental health benefits, from reducing anxiety and loneliness to offering social support and a sense of purpose. Mental Health and Pet Ownership Pet ownership offers numerous mental health benefits, providing companionship and alleviating loneliness. The positive impact of pets on mental health is supported by extensive research and is recognized by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health. Social Connection Pet ownership can enhance social connections, which are crucial for mental health. Studies have shown that owning a pet, particularly a dog, increases opportunities for social interaction. For instance, a study conducted in Perth, Australia, and several American cities revealed that pet owners were more likely to meet and form relationships with their neighbors. Dog walking was identified as the most common way people met others in their community. Nearly a quarter of pet owners in these cities reported that they made new friends through their pets, highlighting the role of pets in fostering social bonds and providing social support. Reducing Anxiety and Loneliness Pets can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Research from the University of Edinburgh focused on young adults aged 18 to 26 with prior psychiatric diagnoses. The findings demonstrated that pets helped these patients manage social anxiety and loneliness. Pets were found to promote mindfulness, encouraging young adults to focus on the present and distract from their worries. This sense of safety provided by pets was particularly beneficial for those with specific anxiety issues. Additionally, pets helped improve mood by providing comic relief and promoting laughter, which enhanced the overall well-being of the participants. Impact on Severe Mental Health Pets also play a vital role in mitigating severe mental health issues. For people with a history of low mood, pets offer a sense of purpose and motivation to engage in daily activities, such as walking outdoors. This engagement helped prevent self-harm and suicidal thoughts, demonstrating the protective role pets can play in mental health. Benefits for Older Adults The mental health benefits of pet ownership extend to older adults as well. Researchers in the United Kingdom studied adults over 65 and found that pets provide comfort, safety, and emotional support. Pets helped lift the moods of older adults, offering a constant presence in their lives. The tactile interaction with pets was particularly valued by those who missed physical touch after the loss of a spouse. Additionally, pet-related activities increased social engagement, fostering a sense of belonging and positively impacting mental health. The responsibilities of pet ownership gave older adults a meaningful role, similar to parenting, which helped establish routines and enhance self-esteem. A study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), suggests that low-level light therapy could play a significant role in promoting healing in the brains of individuals who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. To be published in Radiology, the study involved 38 patients with moderate traumatic brain injuries, all of whom received low-level light therapy through a helmet emitting near-infrared light within 72 hours of their injuries. Dr. Rajiv Gupta, co-lead author of the study, explained that near-infrared light can penetrate the skull, allowing the entire brain to be exposed to the therapy. "The skull is quite transparent to near-infrared light," Gupta explained. "Once you put the helmet on, your whole brain is bathing in this light. The scientists utilized functional MRI, a imaging method, to assess the impact of light therapy. Their focus was on the brain's resting-state functional connectivity, which denotes communication between different brain regions when an individual is not actively engaged in a task. To analyze the effects, MRI scans were conducted across three recovery phases: the initial acute phase (within one week after injury), the subacute phase (two to three weeks post-injury), and the late-subacute phase (three months after injury). Among the 38 participants in the study, 21 did not undergo light therapy while wearing the helmet, serving as a control group to mitigate bias from patient variables and potential placebo effects. Results revealed that patients who underwent low-level light therapy displayed a more pronounced alteration in resting-state connectivity across seven pairs of brain regions during the acute-to-subacute recovery phase compared to the control group. While the immediate effects of light therapy on brain connectivity were evident, long-term outcomes remain uncertain. Study coauthor Nathaniel Mercaldo, Ph.D., a statistician with MGH, noted that although connectivity increased initially, its sustained impact is yet to be determined. "We were unable to detect differences in connectivity between the two treatment groups long term, so although the treatment appears to increase the brain connectivity initially, its long-term effects are still to be determined," Mercaldo noted, Neuroscience News reported. The exact mechanism by which light therapy affects the brain is still under investigation, with previous research suggesting alterations in mitochondrial enzymes and blood vessel dilation as potential factors. Despite the observed increase in brain connectivity, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were detected between treated and control groups. The researchers advocate for further studies with larger patient cohorts and longer-term imaging to elucidate the therapy's therapeutic potential. "There is still a lot of work to be done to understand the exact physiological mechanism behind these effects," said study coauthor Suk-tak Chan, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer at MGH. The researchers anticipate an expanding role for light therapy as more research findings become available. The 810-nanometer-wavelength light utilized in the study is already utilized in various therapeutic contexts. Its safety, ease of administration, and non-invasive nature make it a preferable option, devoid of the need for surgery or pharmaceuticals. The researchers anticipate broader use of light therapy in neurological disorders, including PTSD, depression, and autism, offering new avenues for therapeutic intervention. If you need help, we suggest not killing everyone around you When you save someones life, theyll be forever in your debt. Either that or you become forever responsible for them it really depends on which proverb you believe in. Regardless, we trust the two of you will embrace, and they will thank you. Or maybe theyll be like the following people, and theyll stab you in the throat. 5 When an American Ship Rescued British Castaways, the Brits Stole It and Stranded Their Rescuers In 1812, a British ship was poking around the Falkland Islands, as British ships are wont to do. This ship, the Isabella, broke apart, and the 54 people aboard landed on the 20-square-mile Eagle Island. Their best hope for rescue was to send a few people to sea in hopes of reaching distant Rio de Janeiro, a mission that didnt end up succeeding. Don't Miss Two months later, an American ship approached Eagle Island, drawn to the sight of the sailors signal fires. The Nanina was in the area to hunt seals, and when it met the Brits, Captain Charles Barnard told the castaways some surprising news: The United States and Britain were now at war. Still, that wasnt a reason to leave innocent people to die, and the Nanina would gladly transport the castaways back to civilization. First, though, the Americans needed to resupply to account for the extra mouths whod soon be aboard. They took a boat to a nearby island that was sure to be rich with hogs. But when they returned, the Brits were gone, and so was the Nanina. It seems that this other crew had a very different idea about the rules of war and about abandoning the innocent. Bernard and his crew were eventually rescued by a crew of whalers who sailed close by but not before they spent 18 months stranded on Eagle Island. ABC Damn. Even the crew over on Lost were only stuck there for three months. 4 Someone From the Donner Party Sued a Rescuer Advertisement If you want an inspiring tale about rescuing the Donner Party, you should go read about John Stark, who piled a bunch of children on his back and saved them all. If you want a gross tale about rescuing the Donner Party, we could instead tell you about Lewis Keseberg. via Wiki Commons Ol Liver-Eating Lewis The first rescue party to reach Keseberg found him paralyzed in a pile of his own shit. They took care of him, and he found this humiliating. They werent quite able to bring him back with them, but a later party arrived, which included someone whod previously been rescued from the Donner Party, William Eddy. Keseberg confessed that hed eaten Eddys son. This put a bit of a damper on the reunion. When the next party arrived, Keseberg had healed up enough to leave with them. They didnt really enjoy rescuing him that much, though, because they were distressed by the sight of him positively surrounded by the corpses of friends hed been chomping on. Back in civilization, these rescuers spread word about the horrors theyd seen. Keseberg became known as a monster, and he figured the correct course of action was to sue the person whod spread these rumors: Ned Coffeemeyer, one of the men whod rescued him. Advertisement A court found in Kesebergs favor. Apparently, Coffeemeyer had been calling Keseberg a thief and a murderer, both of which might have been true, but neither was confirmed. The court didnt rule very strongly in Kesebergs favor, however. It awarded him one dollar. Whether or not he really killed anyone, the guy was a cannibal. He didnt have much of a reputation to lose. 3 One Lost Hiker Refused to Answer Their Rescuers Calls Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, a hiker on Colorados Mount Elbert didnt come back down as scheduled. The first step in a situation like this is for Search and Rescue to try phoning the missing person. These calls received no answer, raising the possibility that the hiker had collapsed or worse. Robertbody/Wiki Commons Falling off a cliff is always possibility number one. Search and Rescue teams now made their way up the mountain. They didnt know exactly where the hiker (or the hikers corpse) was, so they were in for a long search. The next day, the hiker showed up at their own home. Theyd never been in any trouble, they said. They just hung out on the mountain longer than initially planned. Oh yeah, they admitted, their phone had rung a few times, but theyd chosen not to pick up. The calls had come from some random number instead of one of their contacts, and what kind of crazy person answers an unknown number? 2 A Man Killed the Guy Who Stopped Him From Hanging Himself Advertisement When one man stops another from taking his own life, the would-be suicide victim may be deeply grateful. Or, they might respond like John Pentyn. Pentyn was going to hang himself in an upper room of his house. His wife Clemencia spotted him but was unable to overpower him herself, so she ran out and fetched some neighbors. Three came to her aid, and two of them were also named John, because they didnt have a lot of names in those days. Advertisement The first one to make it to Pentyns room was John de Chiggewell. Pentyn didnt like being interrupted, and he hit the other man with an iron bar from the window. After two weeks of suffering from the wound, de Chiggewell died. Katia Rolon Window bars are supposed to be a safety feature. A jury, however, didnt find Pentyn guilty, as they were convinced that de Chiggewell was going to attack him, and the killing counted as self-defense. Oh, and did we mention that this happened in England in the year 1322? Were lucky they didnt also burn Clemencia as a witch. Advertisement Actually, maybe they did sources dont say anything about them not burning her as a witch. Lisa Jakub talks about Williams openness about his mental health when she was a teenager dealing with her own internal struggle On the set of his 1993 mega-hit Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams was much more than a divorced dad pretending to be a British nanny he was also a father figure to a fellow actor trying to sort out her own mental-health struggles. Ever since Williams took his own life in 2014 following a rapid cognitive decline due to Lewy body dementia, stories of his heart, wit and wisdom in the face of a lifetime of mental-health issues have painted the late, great actor and comedian as a tortured genius capable of profound empathy despite, or, perhaps, because of his immense suffering. Many of Williams friends, family members and colleagues have attempted to explain the complexities of his humanity to those who didnt have the pleasure of knowing him, and, almost a decade after his death, Mrs. Doubtfire star Lisa Jakub is ready to share her own experiences with Williams as she explained how he impacted her own mental-health journey. Don't Miss Jakub, who played Williams oldest daughter in the film, recently told Fox News Digital that her on-screen father was probably one of the first people who ever really spoke to me super honestly about mental health. He would talk to me about his struggles, and the things that he went through, Jakub said of her time with Williams behind the scenes of Mrs. Doubtfire. And it was the first time that I felt like, Oh, Im not a freak. I dont have to hide this about myself. This is just something that some of us have to deal with. Advertisement Jakub didnt describe exactly what she was struggling with during her early teen years, only saying that the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire gave her the rare chance to connect with someone who understood it. Robin was everything you would hope Robin would be, and its so wonderful to think back on him now, Jakub said of her memories from those impactful conversations on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire, adding that she is still grateful that I got to be in his presence, that I got to be working with him, that he was so kind to me. She summed up her old co-star as thoughtful and generous, as demonstrated by his extensive work with military veterans throughout his career. Advertisement Today, Jakub is the director of a military nonprofit called Mission Flexible, which helps to provide treatment and wellness retreats to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Still, Jakub finds herself thinking about her acting career and her relationship with Williams, explaining, Sometimes when were going through difficult times, its helpful to feel that kind of comfort. He dropped the mic before he got to the final punchline If you were a paying fan at Pete Davidsons comedy gig in Omaha last week, you were the victim of it only takes a few bad Cornhuskers to spoil it for everyone. Thats because Davidson walked off the stage after some rowdy hecklers refused to stop taunting the comic during his set. Davidson appeared at Omahas Steelhouse venue on his Prehab tour last Friday but took a powder after a few fans refused to stop shouting Ariana Grande! and other witticisms, according to The Independent. The show was near its end, but when Davidson couldnt get through his final bit uninterrupted, he dropped the mic and left for the night. Because of Davidsons strict no-phones policy at his shows, no video appears to exist of the incident. But Reddit is full of fans who were there, mostly defending Davidsons decision to call it a night before he could deliver his final punchline. Don't Miss It was more important for (hecklers) to be noticed by Pete and have a story to tell than to show respect, said user Sssuperlative. Good on Pete for disciplining the petulant audience that showed up like an attention-seeking 3-year-old demanding their presence noticed while the adults talk. Wasnt the time. Truly disappointing. I was also there, added user DonCorleone88. Ill admit that overall, the performance was less than expected. I thought it was good, but not great. But to be a part of the crowd that made Pete walk off stage, proving everything he had said about himself in the medias eyes true was extremely disappointing. I was there, and yeah, I kind of dont blame him, wrote user Umblerto. Ive only been to a handful of comedy shows, and I hate when people just yell shit to get attention. Advertisement Some fans thought Davidson should have done a better job of communicating expectations. When Steve-O was in town, explained one Redditor, he let everyone know theyd get the boot if they yelled out during his performance. If Davidson didnt want crowd interaction, said user Many-Elderberry9061, then make it known from the very beginning that it wont be tolerated. But dont punish the people who were enjoying the show! Was Davidson unfairly disciplining everyone for the unruly grunts of a few intoxicated fans? This sucks for the people who didnt act like children at that show, griped user Reese9951. Some wondered if the Matt Rifes of the world encourage shout-out behavior with their social media videos that turn audience members into viral stars. All of his crowd work postings have made people think that comedy shows are supposed to be interactive, said user HawkeyeFan00, and you get rewarded for yelling stuff out. Advertisement Multiple outlets have reached out to Davidson for comment with no response as of yet. Advice to Davidson and large venues: Take a cue from your local comedy club. Issue warnings before the show that disruption wont be tolerated. Then if the shouting starts, show the idiots the door. Through a statement issued last month, Jackson County, Missouri, confirmed that a ransomware attack was responsible for the disruption of several county services, including the shutting down of the Assessment, Collection, and Recorder of Deeds offices at all county locations. Jackson County is but one of the many US counties where court systems were attacked in the last year, suggesting a sudden, heightened adversary interest in these systems. The attacks include one on the Wisconsin court systems computer network in March 2023, another on the Kansas courts computer system in October 2023, the Fulton County IT outage in January 2024, the Bucks County Emergency dispatch system attack in January 2024, and a denial-of-service attack on Pennsylvania courts website in February 2024. Court systems represent a crucial component of a nations infrastructure, responsible for upholding the rule of law and administering justice, and compromising a court system can have far-reaching implications beyond immediate financial gain, said Lisa Plaggemier, executive director at the National Cybersecurity Alliance. It can disrupt legal proceedings, compromise sensitive information, undermine trust in the judicial system, and potentially influence political or economic outcomes. Therefore, targeting court systems aligns with broader strategic objectives for attackers seeking to exert influence or gain intelligence at a national level. Interview: "Studying in China changed my life," says chairperson of Equatorial Guinea's leading magazine Xinhua) 10:55, May 29, 2024 MALABO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- "Studying in China changed my life and helped advance my career," said Milagrosa Ada Micha, chairperson of Equatorial Guinea's leading magazine, Real Equatorial Guinea, in a recent interview with Xinhua. China's profound culture and its enormous potential for economic development prompted her decision to pursue higher education there, she said. In 2013, Ada Micha began her journey at Central China Normal University in Hubei Province to undertake a language preparatory course. From 2014 to 2018, she immersed herself in undergraduate studies in international trade at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. "China has become my second home. My time in China has changed the way I think," said Ada Micha, explaining that the self-discipline and diligent work ethic of the Chinese people have deeply influenced and benefited her throughout her life. While studying in Beijing in 2015, Ada Micha founded her magazine, Real Equatorial Guinea. "At that time, many people didn't know much about my country. They always thought Equatorial Guinea was in South America, and there weren't many positive stories about Equatorial Guinea on the internet," she said. "I decided to establish a magazine published in Spanish, Chinese and English to introduce the real Equatorial Guinea to the world." After graduating, she relocated the magazine to Equatorial Guinea. Today, her magazine is an officially recognized media outlet in Equatorial Guinea and continues to gain prominence. Ada Micha praised China's role in developing talent in various fields, including technology, agriculture, infrastructure and media, from which many young people in Equatorial Guinea have benefited. "China is a great country that especially helps African countries, and its support is crucial for Equatorial Guinea's development," she said, highlighting that Chinese infrastructure projects in Equatorial Guinea provide skills training and employment opportunities for the youth. Ada Micha expressed her hope that young people will take advantage of the opportunity to study in China, become valuable and self-sufficient individuals in society, and contribute to the future of Equatorial Guinea. "Thanks to my experiences in China, I am who I am today. China is open to everyone if you genuinely intend to learn. Seize the opportunity to study in China; you won't regret it," she added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) 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. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. So, the Angela Rayner saga is ending as it began. With lies, hypocrisy and evasion. Yesterday, Greater Manchester Police announced that its six-week investigation into her former living arrangements in Stockport had been concluded. No further police action would be taken, the force announced. No sooner had the statement been issued than Rayner took to social media to castigate her accusers and imply that she had been exonerated. The Tories desperate tactics have been exposed for what they are and for all to see. Theyve failed once again, she wrote. I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me. My focus now is on securing the change Britain needs with the election of a Labour government. Except that the stuff about desperate Tory tactics wasnt actually true. No further police action will be taken over Angela Rayner's former living arrangements As Greater Manchester Police explained in its statement, although an initial complaint had indeed been registered by Tory MP James Daly, the investigation into Rayners affairs had been conducted because contact with GMP by members of the public, and claims made by individuals featured in media reporting, indicated a strong public interest in the need for allegations to be investigated. Nor had Rayner been exonerated by the force. The main allegations she faced related to potential breaches of tax law over the sale of her former council house in 2015 and an alleged failure to pay thousands of pounds in capital gains tax if, as had been claimed, it was no longer her main home. And on this, Greater Manchester Police was clear: Matters involving council tax and personal tax do not fall into the jurisdiction of policing. That is not an exoneration. GMP has liaised with Stockport Council and information about our investigation has been shared with them, it continued. Details of our investigation have also been shared with His Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Stockport Council involved because the house sold by Rayner had formerly been one of its properties quickly issued a statement saying it was taking no further action. No such statement was made by HMRC, who simply said it didnt comment on individual cases. At which point Rayners allies popped up once again, this time to announce that she had contacted HMRC on her own behalf, she had asked them to do an investigation into the issues arising from her tax affairs, and they had conveniently concluded that all was well. So, the case is closed. Purely because Angela Rayner says it is. But it isnt, of course. This whole affair has now been dragging on for more than three months. Yet we are still no closer to understanding what went on with the murky sale of that small council house on Vicarage Road, Stockport. We have no idea if HMRC have indeed conducted an investigation. Or if Angela Rayner has been exonerated. If she has been exonerated, we have no idea on what grounds. Was it because she had done nothing wrong? Was it because the amounts involved were so insignificant HMRC felt they did not warrant further action? Was it because the issues fell outside of what the HMRC rules allowed it to investigate? The deputy Labour Party leader's former council house in Vicarage Road, Stockport Ms Rayner's address in Lowndes Lane, Stockport, where it is alleged she was also living Did HMRC have sight of the mysterious dossier Rayner said had been compiled for her by an independent firm of tax advisors, and which she claimed showed her affairs were in perfect order? Did HMRC have sight of the evidence compiled by Greater Manchester Police? We dont have the answers to any of these questions. And because of the obfuscation and equivocation of Labours deputy leader, we probably never will. But this we do know: if it had been a senior Conservative facing the same accusations, Angela Rayner would have been leading the charge, demanding that the Tory in question publish every minute detail of his or her tax affairs. Boris. Rishi Sunak. Rishi Sunaks wife. Whenever there has been the slightest hint of scandal not necessarily illegality, but merely financial sharp practice it has been Rayner herself dispatched to the broadcast studios to demand the evil Tories come clean. We have no idea if HMRC conducted an investigation or if Ms Rayner has been exonerated If it had been well-known Tories - such as Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty - facing accusations, Ms Rayner would have been leading the charge To castigate them for having something nefarious to hide. At first, I didnt think there was much substance to Raynergate. It seemed the alleged breaches of tax and electoral law were minor and, if they had occurred, were simply the product of oversight, rather than malice. And then came the lies. And the hypocrisy. And the stonewalling. And the ritual allegations about gender and class to deflect attention elsewhere. When Sir Keir Starmer launched his bid to be Labour leader he declared, We need a transparency revolution. There should be no power without accountability, and true accountability requires transparency. Its clear that Angela Rayner does not believe those principles apply to her. Instead, she opts to live by what Ive called Rayners Law: the self-serving edict holding that she can demand the highest standards of honesty, transparency and probity from political opponents while remaining personally free of any such strictures. So yes, Angela Rayner has got away with it. On this occasion. But its only a matter of time before the lies, evasion and hypocrisy catch up with her. Thank heavens it wasn't raining last Tuesday morning, as it can do in late autumn in South Africa. It would have meant a drenching for the most unusual politician fighting today's election a 32-year-old farmer's son called Chris Pappas, who is white and gay. Peering through owlish glasses, he was giving a campaign speech to 70 locals in their decaying village hall, a half-day's drive inland from the coastal city of Durban in the sprawling province of KwaZulu-Natal. The building had gaping holes in the tin roof through which you could see the sky. In every window the glass was shattered, and an entire wall was missing, affording a huge vista of stupendous landscape. Chris Pappas, a 32-year-old farmer's son who is white and gay, is fighting today's election Cow dung from farm animals wandering into the building littered the floor's cracked tiles. And many of the villagers who had walked miles to listen to Pappas had to stand because the plastic chairs had been stolen. 'This is a room with a view,' Pappas told his audience in their own Zulu language, a joke which raised a laugh. 'Look at what the African National Congress (ANC) government has handed you after their 30 years in power.' We were in the village of Mzimkhulu, an area the ANC has controlled for three decades, letting corruption run riot, poverty soar and community halls like this one collapse into ruins. Despite his skin colour and sexuality, Pappas is the successful mayor of a well-run district elsewhere in the province, and has won the trust of many black residents who say the blood in his veins is the same as their own. If his moderate Democratic Alliance Party wins power here in KwaZulu-Natal on polling day, he will be crowned premier (governor) of the province. The party already has a fifth of the seats in parliament and is the official opposition to the ANC, which today may lose its parliamentary majority in a truly historic election for South Africa. Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, at the far-Left party's manifesto launch in February The country is at a crossroads, exactly 30 years after the sensational election of the country's first black president, Nelson Mandela, following the end of the loathed apartheid system which separated black and white people by law and was condemned worldwide. Mandela had become the most famous political prisoner of the 20th century after being locked up in jail by the white minority government because of his anti-apartheid campaigns and as leader of the ANC. International pressure and sanctions against the regime, coupled with increasing acceptance among whites that apartheid could not continue, ended in his release after 27 years inside. And when he was made leader in South Africa's first democratic election in May 1994, he created his famous 'rainbow nation' as well as an economic miracle. The miracle did not last, however, after Mandela's hardline colleagues in government imposed a ruthless black empowerment programme. White state workers, from energy experts and nurses to transport planners, were ordered to re-apply for their jobs. Most never got them back again. A fifth of whites, both English and Afrikaans speakers, left the country. Emigration from the entrepreneurial Asian communities soared. 'The outcome was a disaster especially for ordinary black people who were impoverished while a tiny ANC elite became fabulously rich,' says Andrew Kenny, a respected South African commentator. To begin with under Mandela, the state was providing its population with the world's cheapest electricity, the transport system worked like clockwork and freight trains carried vast quantities of mineral ore from the mines to the ports as the economy flourished. 'The ANC then wrecked it all with looting, corruption and a plethora of racist policies,' argues Kenny. Today, businesses complain of dire energy shortages with daily power cuts across the country, a broken rail network, and badly run seaports hampering exports. Meanwhile, rocketing crime figures show there is now a murder every 20 minutes in South Africa, with distrust of the police at an all-time high. The aspirant middle classes of whatever race have fled the ANC strongholds of Johannesburg and Pretoria, where inner cities are now plagued by no-go zones, shuttered shops, joblessness and gang and gun warfare. Many have flocked to the flourishing Western Cape, where Cape Town is the capital and nicknamed the 'jobs engine'. It happens to be the only province in South Africa controlled by the Democratic Alliance which has risen in popularity as fast as the rest of the country descends into chaos. Today, according to the World Bank, only 12 per cent of South Africans earn enough to pay tax. At least 33 per cent of all adults are out of work the highest tally of any nation in the world. Most survive on state social payments of under 4 a week. Hideous inequalities are fuelling the unrest. Last week, South Africa's mining companies revealed the mind-boggling salaries of their, often white, top directors, with some earning 30,000 a day. No wonder South Africa faces a defining moment. Crucially, the ANC is being rejected by young blacks the so-called Born Free generation who cannot remember apartheid as they rebel against the only government they have ever known. Julius Malema was raised by a single mother in a black township. He was a leading light in the ANC's Youth League before founding his own party in 2013 Political pollsters say the ANC, led by ageing black veterans of the apartheid struggle, may be forced into a coalition with the country's third biggest party, the Marxist-Leninist Economic Freedom Fighters. The EFF is headed by a race-baiting, nationalist fire-brand, Julius Malema, who was raised by a single mother in a black township. He was a leading light in the ANC's Youth League before founding his own party in 2013. Forty-three-year-old Malema speaks at packed mass rallies where his cadres dress in red boiler suits and berets. Party members hand out free sanitary products at their meetings in order to highlight period poverty and have a huge female following. Malema hopes that any pact between the EFF and ANC a deal described here as the 'bloodbath' scenario by middle-class blacks and whites would allow him to push through at least part of his radical manifesto. His party pledges to nationalise banks and mines under a Cuba-style Communist regime. Land, it adds, must be seized from private owners without compensation and redistributed to black people, while the borders should be opened to Africans from everywhere on the continent. Malema's party insists apartheid did not end in 1994. It preaches that Mandela handed power to 'white capitalists' who still exist and must be destroyed. Adding to the already horrendous murder tally, brutal killings are continuing to take place on farms owned by the Afrikaners and English at the rate of one every five days and Malema encourages such atrocities by chanting a vile anthem 'Kill the Boer' (a term meaning white farmer) at his rallies. Standing on an electric platform raised high in the air, he whips up a frenzy of hatred from his mainly young supporters who shout the words back to him. Shockingly, some of the convicted farm assassins have sung 'Kill the Boer' as they tied up their victims before knifing or shooting them. The terrifying truth is that Malema's EFF is winning the hearts and minds of disappointed young voters who feel the ANC has left them jobless and in poverty. 'This is the reckoning time,' warned Redi Tlhabi, a South African journalist a few days ago. 'The country that we live in now is not the one that we hoped for 30 years ago.' Residents of the town of Gujedlini sing at a gathering organised by Chris Pappas during his campaign trail through rural Zulu land Last week I spoke to one of Malema's supporters on the seafront in Cape Town where the Democratic Alliance runs things with quiet efficiency so the traffic lights work, the roads are Tarmacked, and the people pay their council rates on time. The beautiful city was bedecked with Democratic Alliance posters declaring simply: 'Western Cape Works.' Nevertheless, 29-year-old Litha, a well-spoken hotel junior manager, told me fervently: 'We young, everyone I know, will vote for the EFF. 'We hate the old men of the ANC who have done nothing for us or our parents who trusted them. We want ownership of everything, the mines, the banks, the land,' adding: 'Our day has come.' Many like him in this country of 62 million people may swallow Malema's hate-laced mantra, but where the EFF has had a taste of power, it has failed miserably. Take the town of Knysna. It is a rarity in the Western Cape area because it is jointly run by the ANC, a leftist party called Patriotic Alliance, and the EFF. They formed a coalition a few years back when Knysna was still picturesque and desirable. Today, sewage and refuse spills on to the streets. The water is constantly being turned off and a decomposing corpse was found in its supply system last year. Rates and local taxes have been hiked and a recent 'clerical' error meant residents had to pay 'astronomical' charges twice. After a February visit to the town, Democratic Alliance politicians called for an investigation, saying: 'The town is a living hell for Knysna residents who no longer get a basic service. Parties like the ANC and EFF promise the world, but the minute they govern, communities deteriorate rapidly.' Also prominent in this election battle is the country's scandal-plagued former president Jacob Zuma he succeeded Mandela in 1999 who was convicted of contempt of court in 2021 for refusing to testify at an inquiry investigating corruption during his reign. He is banned from standing for his newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party which he joined after falling out with the ANC but his face still appears on its posters. Meanwhile, Chris Pappas of the Democratic Alliance is fighting his corner hard. We sat together on Mzimkhulu village hall's chipped concrete steps as he told me: 'I came on the political scene ten years ago. The white man was viewed as an oppressor. The ANC would like it to remain that way. 'The party leaders always paint a picture of South Africa's problems being caused by apartheid. 'But there have been 30 years of problems since that regime the corruption for instance. More voters realise this. I have gained their trust by my actions, not words. I tell them if we win, don't worry, everything will be all right. I will not take anything from you. Look at how I run things well.' That said, there is still a visceral racial hatred here. It runs deep. In the last few days, I have met a female accountant and a male scientist, both of them professionals at the top of their game, who told me openly they could never give their votes to a white politician whatever their policies. Pappas believes such attitudes can be changed although tellingly, he is flanked by security men and, before now, has been hustled away from hostile audiences objecting to his white skin. He won't drink anything he is given on the campaign trail for fear it is poisoned. 'I even have bottled water checked by the party's manager,' he tells me. Pappas, born a year after Mandela won power, is determined to fight the trend of blacks voting for black candidates or parties, and whites for white. At a rally in Cape Town on Saturday, his party's leader, Afrikaner John Steenhuisen warned in an urgent voice: 'If you don't support my party, the vote will be split, letting in the EFF by the back door.' In Pappas's mayoral constituency of uMngeni with 120,000 residents, he is on good terms with black voters. When he came to office in 2021, overthrowing the ANC, his first decision was to hire a public buildings manager. If Pappas' moderate Democratic Alliance Party wins power in KwaZulu-Natal on polling day, he will be crowned premier (governor) of the province 'Maintenance didn't exist. It was a foreign concept,' he explains. Under ANC control, when the uMngeni council needed to change a light bulb it issued an outside contract. 'Now we fix it ourselves with our own team, saving 4,500 pounds a year,' said Pappas. At the end of the first year, through sensible management, the party paid off the council's 428,000 debt, meaning residents no longer had to cover interest payments through their local taxes. Pappas installed solar power to get round the unreliable electricity supply, and street lamps now make it safer to walk at night. Following locals' requests, potholes in the roads were mended and school bus services reinstated. And now, in uMngeni's towns and villages Pappas is jostled by young Zulu men demanding selfies who tell him: 'We are voting out the old ANC people.' The local media recently interviewed Thembi Mchunu, a 60-year-old pensioner who said she was deeply disappointed with the ANC who she voted for in 1994. She referred to the white mayor by his first name and said 'Chris is attending to everyone's needs. He speaks Zulu like he is a black person. He goes round the schools, the churches, and even attends our funerals'. Dismissing a race divide, unemployed 38-year-old Siyabonga Zundi also told interviewers: 'Chris has the same blood as my blood.' After Pappas made his speech last week in Mzimkhulu village, amid hallelujahs from supporters in blue 'vote DA' T-shirts, I was approached by a Democratic Alliance stalwart, 43-year-old father of four Sthembiso Ngema who is the party's deputy leader for KwaZulu-Natal. 'We want to work with white people,' he told me. 'We cannot separate brother and sister on racial lines. We need to be together to create jobs, stop the electricity cuts, attract people back here from overseas. 'This area has no libraries, no computers in schools which means our children can't compete in the workplace or college. There are only gravel roads, and no running water. It comes in by truck and often doesn't arrive. We need the ANC out and the DA to take over. Mr Ngema said the ANC government had failed people whatever their skin colour. 'There should be no white and black. We want to create a South Africa for everyone.' The success of the Democratic Alliance today will depend on getting people out to vote. People without cars in remote areas of South Africa are unlikely to walk miles through rain to a polling station. Sadly, the forecast today in Mzimkhulu village with its broken-down hall is for very heavy showers. 'And that's not good for us,' Pappas told me, with a grimace. Theres only one thing certain about Labours plans for business. We will not find out in full what they are until after the General Election. When the party publishes its manifesto next month, it will be short on depth, light on detail. That has been Keir Starmers cynical ploy from the day he took over the leadership from Jeremy Corbyn in 2020, and he has no intention of jeopardising Labours 20-point lead in the opinion polls by outlining his actual policies least of all where they will have an impact on business and the economy. So its beyond comprehension that 121 business leaders should give him their uncritical backing in a letter hailing Labour as the party of change this week. Patrick Dardis is the former chief executive of Young's Pubs Strategy Signatories including celebrity chef Tom Kerridge and Mike Soutar (best-known as one of Alan Sugars interviewers on The Apprentice) announced they are looking for a government that will partner fiscal discipline with a long-term growth strategy. The 200-word letter continued: Labour has shown it has changed and wants to work with business to achieve the UKs full economic potential. We should now give it the chance to change the country. This is blind and ill-judged optimism thats hopelessly divorced from reality exactly what Starmer is relying on to sweep him to power. FACT BOX TITLE Fact-box text Advertisement The fact is that no one can know that Labour has changed as the party refuses to say what economic policies it intends to pursue... and when a shadow cabinet minister does drop a hint by accident, the spin machine quickly goes into reverse to cover up the consequent damage. The letter, four paragraphs of wishful thinking, is now on the Labour website where anyone who wants to pose as a business leader can add their name to it. Its telling, however, that almost no names from the top 100 FTSE companies appear. Instead, the undersigned include right-on entrepreneurs such as Paul Lindley, who founded the organic baby and toddler food brand Ellas Kitchen, and Chris Slater, the CEO of carbon credit insurance company Oka, which promotes carbon offset projects that truly impact climate change. Two surprising names are Sir Malcolm Walker and his son Richard, respectively the founder and executive chairman of Iceland Foods. This time last year, Richard Walker wrote to the Prime Minister, telling him: It is my most fervent wish that I succeed in becoming an approved Conservative Party candidate, and I have... given my all to earning that privilege. His father backed his ambition. And now here they both are, a few months later, declaring their no doubt fervent wish to see a Labour government. Theres a pungent whiff of sour grapes and opportunism in the air. 'Its beyond comprehension that 121 business leaders should give Keir Starmer their uncritical backing in a letter hailing Labour as the party of change this week,' writes Mr Dardis I am reminded of the last time that Labour looked set to oust the Tories by a landslide, at the end of the John Major era in 1997. Richard Branson, one of the most high-profile beneficiaries of the Thatcher economic boom, switched tracks and less than one week before the General Election posed with Labour leader Tony Blair in the drivers cab of a Virgin train. Branson was duly rewarded with an invitation to Blairs notorious celebrity dinner parties at Chequers, mingling with the likes of Sting, Elton John, Bono, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons. Yet by November that year he was complaining loudly of Labours broken promises. This time round, there wont even be any promises to break. The signatories might as well be writing a blank cheque to Labour, drawn against their own company accounts. Many of them are, I suspect, trying to earn some credit with the man they assume must inevitably become our next PM. It will do them little good and they are squandering the respect of those who expect better from genuine business leaders. Some are indulging in blatant political posturing the minor celebrities among them simply cant help it. Others cant resist the cheap temptation to be seen backing a sure winner. But businessmen and women should stand above the petty tribalism of party politics, for the good of their employees as well as their shareholders. Theres a more sinister undercurrent here. The party Starmer inherited from Corbyn was hardline socialist with many policies drawn from extremist Left-wing ideology. Those alarming tendencies are still lurking just below Labours surface. Pandering Starmer is pandering to both Labours wings. This week he declared himself a socialist, while Shadow Deputy PM Angela Rayner is unabashed in her socialism she being a class warrior who believes capitalism is a dirty word. Its true that Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to say the same of herself. She promises to be a safe pair of hands for business, who will encourage growth and wont raise taxes. She is clearly determined not to scare the horses. But if she is true to her word, these two opposing forces Reeves and Rayner will surely tear the party apart as soon as it is in government and only one will emerge victorious. Given that she has the backing of the trade unions, Labours paymasters, thats bound to be Rayner. That, of course, will be disastrous for Britain. For the life of me, I cannot see why any responsible business leader would urge the country to vote for any such scenario. Rayner has genuinely dangerous ideas. Last year, on the eve of the party conference, she announced a seven-point plan to bolster workers rights and union power. Signatories, including celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, announced their support for Labour because they are looking for a government that will partner fiscal discipline with a long-term growth strategy This includes full employment rights for staff from the day they start work, including sick pay and parental leave a foolish proposal that could so easily be abused it will deter employers from taking on new workers. Anything that discourages businesses from hiring people is obviously bad for growth, a fact that Labour cannot understand because it has an ingrained attitude, dating back to its Dickensian roots, that all bosses are inherently wicked. Other plans include repealing anti-union legislation, threatening a return to the Wilson era when endless industrial disputes and strikes were known as the British disease. Rayner has been pushing this policy for years. In 2021 she called it Labours new deal for working people. Earlier this year she restated a commitment to introduce draft employment legislation within 100 days of winning power, new laws that could also oblige small businesses to conform to diversity guidelines. When business chiefs voice genuinely held concerns about Rayners plans, she simply accuses them of squealing. My guess is that many of the signatories on this weeks letter will be squealing themselves when they discover the full implications of what they have backed. Small businesses with two or three dozen employees need flexibility to survive, to invest and to grow. As I said, growth is one of Rachel Reevess buzzwords. But shes not talking about deregulation or tax breaks, policies that actually free businesses to expand. In fact, it is far from clear how Labour expects to see growth. Platitudes and vague promises wont achieve it. Since Labour has so few explicit policies, we dont know the full extent of their spending plans yet, either. All we can say with certainty is that they expect Britains employers to pay for it. Which means those business leaders who signed a blank cheque this week could soon be rueing the cost. Patrick Dardis is the former chief executive of Young's Pubs Tory Party imps suggesting that Sir Keir Starmer is over the hill should tread with caution. At 75, the King, the oldest person to take the throne, doesn't take kindly to age-related jokes, with all his PMs likely to be relative youngsters. It was different for his mother. Her first seven PMs were older than her and her last seven were younger. Number 9 Margaret Thatcher, 53, was the same age. Of the 57 PMs, 12 have been older than Starmer, 61, when they came to office for the first time, including Churchill (65), Attlee and Macmillan (both 62). The last sexagenarian to enter Downing Street was Labour's Callaghan (64) in 1976. A good omen for Keir? Of the 57 PMs, 12 have been older than Starmer, 61, when they came to office for the first time, including Churchill (65), Attlee and Macmillan (both 62) At 75, the King, the oldest person to take the throne, doesn't take kindly to age-related jokes, with all his PMs likely to be relative youngsters Gender-critical activist Graham Linehan accuses Private Eye editor Ian Hislop of ignoring his five-year campaign to have the satirical magazine expose the scandal of transgender crusaders harassing women. 'Why did Ian Hislop turn away from doing the right thing?' the Father Ted creator asks in The Critic magazine. 'Was he protecting his team leader gig on Have I Got News For You?' Amid electioneering, affairs of state continue apace, with Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell flying to Kenya yesterday for the African Development Bank's annual meetings. His task? 'To deliver a three-minute speech on existing support from the UK for the AfDB,' advises Downing Street. Andy's breakfast boiled egg should take longer! The ubiquitous Clive Myrie clearing his throat to present the BBC's Proms coverage, once got his own back on Today host Justin Webb after he sent him a tongue-in-cheek note about his new-found love of classical music. 'He was promoting the Proms in the Today studio talking to Mishal Husain,' recalls Justin. 'He was the last item. At 08.59.45 (he timed it by the studio clock), he said, 'And the funny thing is that Justin keeps harassing me, asking for tickets'.' Clive Myrie once got his own back on Today host Justin Webb after he sent him a tongue-in-cheek note about his new-found love of classical music Fifty-six years after Richard Harris promised Jimmy Webb a Rolls-Royce if he had a hit with MacArthur Park, the songwriter admits he was wrong to accuse the actor of reneging on the pledge. Webb, 77, has discovered that the Harry Potter star, who died in 2002, had shipped the car to Los Angeles. It was recently discovered in a Santa Monica garage with a 50-year parking bill of 312,000. 'He forgot all about it,' wails Jimmy. 'He should have just given it to me. It would have been a lot cheaper.' Twinkle-toed Ann Widdecombe remains stung by the criticism for her dancing from the Strictly judges. 'They were merciless,' she declares. 'They called me the Ark Royal. The Navy was so upset by that. Two weeks later, it really did decommission the ship.' I dislike going to Pakistani weddings for two reasons. The first is that everyone (probably including some random bloke Ive not spoken to in 20 years) wants to know when its my turn to get married. The second is that they are highly likely to be segregated, with men in one room of the mosque and women in another. Last September, despite my protests, I was persuaded to attend a wedding in Dewsbury because the brides mother was my mums friend. I only found out it was segregated when I arrived at the venue. As the men and women filed into their separate rooms, I thought: Why havent we done away with this outdated practice? A video circulating online shows the party's deputy leader speaking to voters in her Ashton-under-Lyne seat and thanking them for getting her 'over the line' at the 2019 election While Ive attended plenty of Pakistani weddings that were mixed and great fun, there are still sections of our community where change is moving at a glacial speed. But one doesnt expect wider society, or our political leaders, to indulge this attitude. Thats why I was so disappointed to see that video of Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner pleading for the support of Muslim voters in her Ashton-Under-Lyne constituency who are disappointed with Labours stance on Israels war with Hamas. She tells them: I know that people are angry about whats happening in the Middle East If me resigning as an MP now would bring a ceasefire, I would do it. If I could affect change. Like millions of people I am horrified to see the death toll of Palestinian women and children rise each week. Of course I would like to see an end to the war. However, what concerns me the most, apart from her grovelling, is that Rayner seems to be speaking to an all-male audience, save for one white female standing near the door, presumably a member of her team. Where exactly are the Muslim women? We see this time and time again. In many minority communities, men are the gatekeepers of any major decisions or political discussions. They are seen as the authentic voice of their community when in fact they are just self-appointed guardians who have taken it upon themselves to determine what is and isnt acceptable. Only women who follow the norms set by the men are deemed worthy of respect, anyone who deviates from this path is seen to be dishonouring their community. Muslim women living in countries, or communities, where gender segregation is enforced are severely held back in many aspects of life, from finding employment to participating in politics and decision-making. Its bad enough that many Muslim women are sidelined by their own communities. To have our politicians pander to these outdated rules adds insult to injury. It makes me particularly angry, because I know they wouldnt allow this to happen in white communities. Yet I cant say Im entirely surprised. Labour has come under fire on previous occasions for hosting gender-segregated events. Back in 2015, Labour MPs and officials including Angela Rayner attended a gender-segregated rally in my hometown of Oldham, in Greater Manchester. Photos released from the meeting, hosted by Labour Friends of Bangladesh, clearly showed Muslim women and men seated on separate sides of the room. It was the same story in Birmingham, with leading Labour figures, including Tom Watson, a future deputy leader of the party, attending a segregated meeting ahead of the upcoming General Election. These events highlighted a serious problem in the party. In February, 2016, Shaista Gohir, the chair of the Muslim Womens Network, wrote a letter to the then Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn calling for an inquiry into allegations that Muslim females were discriminated against and blocked from seeking office by male Labour councillors. Gohir added: It appears that, over decades, senior Labour politicians have deliberately turned a blind eye to the treatment of Muslim women because votes have been more important to them than womens rights. The obstacles faced by Muslim women looking to stand for office were also highlighted by BBC2s Newsnight the very same month. Fozia Parveen claimed Muslim men from the Birmingham Labour Party had turned up at her parents home in a bid to intimidate her mother into preventing her from standing for selection, claiming that she was having an affair with a councillor. Shazia Bashir, a party member in Peterborough, spoke of how Muslim men in her local party forced her to step aside in a local selection process because, despite being 31, she didnt have her fathers consent and support to stand. And what did the Labour Party do? It issued a mealy-mouthed statement claiming that its processes are fair, democratic and robust and that it was committed to making sure that candidates are representative of the communities they seek to represent. The party signally failed to address the womens specific complaints and experiences and it wasnt long before their objections were forgotten. And here we are, nearly a decade on, having the same conversation. Does Prince William endorse Rishi's plans for a grandkids army? My source whispers that army veteran William knows the perils of being unprepared for the demands of military life and the emotional strain it can bring. He highlighted the subject in a recent guide to dealing with suicide in the Armed Forces. He also spoke about mental health awareness on a visit to Combermere Barracks in March. And William and Kate's Royal Foundation has published research showing that 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds struggle with managing their emotions. Sounds like William feels that pushing unprepared teenagers into uniform could do more harm than good. Rishi Sunak examines armoured vehicles in Exeter on May 29 Army veteran William (pictured in 2006) knows the perils of being unprepared for the demands of military life and the emotional strain it can bring Diane Abbott, insisting she's barred by Labour from standing at the General Election, can trust on the loyalty of old comrade and expelled party member Jeremy Corbyn. The pair are known to have been lovers 45 years ago, enjoying a romantic motorbike holiday across Communist-controlled East Germany in the 1970s. Friends of Corbyn were also once startled to arrive at his bedsit to find a young Abbott on a mattress on the floor 'with a duvet up to her neck'. Diane Abbott (left), insisting she's barred by Labour from standing at the General Election, can trust on the loyalty of old comrade and expelled party member Jeremy Corbyn (right) Rishi's rush to call the election left the King distinctly miffed. The PM was slotted in at 4pm at Buckingham Palace at short notice, delaying a scheduled Privy Council meeting. When Charles arrived for the PC powwow he found just three in attendance with Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt the only member of the Cabinet present. The rest had been summoned to Downing Street for the emergency Cabinet meeting. Needing three to make a quorum, ministers Edward Argar and Anne-Marie Trevelyan were hastily press ganged. Like Queen Victoria, Charles was not amused. When Charles arrived for the PC powwow he found just three in attendance with Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt (pictured) the only member of the Cabinet present A substantial chunk of David and Victoria Beckham's 455million fortune comes from lending their names to brands, with Victoria recently joining forces with Spanish high-street retailer Mango, for example. But would she fancy a partnership with Tracey Emin? The millionaire artist uses a Victoria Beckham make-up bag to hold her urostomy night bags (an after-effect of her radical cancer surgery). Asked by The Guardian if Posh was aware that she uses the bag for this purpose, Emin replies: 'No, but I think she'd like it.' Tracey Emin (pictured) uses a Victoria Beckham make-up bag to hold her urostomy night bags Comedian Patrick Kielty recalls a chat with the late Queen at Buckingham Palace when he was hosting The National Lottery she declared: 'I often think that they should give less money to more people.' Kielty replied: 'Well, you know, people want the big money so that they can change their life.' And she said: 'And what would one do with all that money?' 'Maybe buy somewhere like this?' he told her. Patrick blinked and HM had vanished with the speed of Linford Christie. A woman has claimed a flight attendant refused to change the flight menu or inform other passengers of her deadly allergy to nuts. Faye Jawad, from London, who uses the social media handle, @fayeeeeeej, took to TikTok to share her unpleasant experience on board a flight to Portugal. Faye said that upon boarding the plane with her mum, she asked a member of staff if she could make an announcement to other passengers that she was allergic to walnuts, and asked it the crew could avoid serving them for the duration of the flight. 'I have a nut allergy and every time I get on the plane I have to go up to the cabin crew when I board and say,"Hi I'm allergic to nuts, please can you not serve any nuts on the plane",' she explained. Faye, who works as a social media executive, was stunned when she was met with a firm 'no' from the air hostess. 'That's literally never happened,' said Faye who was subsequently told that she should have informed the airline in advance and that without notice, they wouldn't be able to do anything about her request. However, she insisted in a second video that 99.9% of the time airline policy is to tell the cabin crew when you board the plane. 'When you book the booking team can't really communicate with the cabin crew on the day, especially if you're booking months in advance,' she explained. 'They don't know who is going to work that day, they don't know about last-minute changes so your best bet is to tell them when you board.' Growing more and more distressed, she pleaded with attendant to make an announcement anyway to ensure her safety but was repeatedly told by the flight attendant that she 'couldn't do anything'. 'It doesn't even make sense because I flew with that airline two days ago without informing them before and it all just happens on board,' Faye insisted. Faye Jawad, pictured, had a hellish flying experience after the flight attendant dismissed her serious walnut allergy Faye, pictured, said she'd not experienced any problems on her flight with the same airline just two days earlier 'When I've emailed them before in the past they just say to me, "Please inform the cabin crew on board". 'I sat panicking a bit because this woman clearly does not care about my safety. She's immediately shouting at me, defensive, it was honestly insane. 'She was so rude and all I want to do is not die on the plane.' Faye then begged the attendant to speak to the captain, hoping that she might sympathise with the situation, but the hostess remained adamant that she could not 'stop serving certain things' 'So you're telling me that you feel comfortable and happy to serve people walnuts on board when I'm telling you I will die. 'I thought the job of cabin crew was to care about the passengers or at least keep them safe. 'The way she was speaking down to me, it was just terrible. I've never met anyone so rude in my life. 'If you have a nut allergy, you know how terrifying this is. Travelling anywhere is so scary because you have to think of so many things, so much can go wrong, especially going up in a plane.' The TikToker, pictured, said the flight attendant was creating a 'hostile environment' Eventually taking her seat, Faye decided to check the onboard menu and was relieved to see walnutes were not available on the flight in any case. 'She was just creating a hostile environment for no reason when she told me she still had to serve walnuts on the flight when there was no walnuts on the flight to begin with!' 'She had no empathy and no regard for my safety and genuinely did not care if I lived or died.' Viewers of the video were quick to come to the defence of the TikToker with one user writing, 'I dont understand why they even serve nuts on planes. Theyre such a common allergy and so many other snacks exist?' A second wrote: 'I dont understand why they even serve nuts on planes. Theyre such a common allergy and so many other snacks exist?' Georgie Palmer, 49, (centre) her husband Nick Sollom (left), 48, and daughters Rosie (right), 12, and Annie, 14, were ordered off the flight after they asked passengers to not to eat peanuts because of her daughter's allergy In a follow up video, Faye said: 'I'd day that 99.9 per cent of the time, the cabin crew on every single flight I've ever been on have been amazing, so understanding, kind, compassionate, they've made the announcements and done everything they can to make me feel safe.' It comes after a BBC weather forecaster whose family were kicked off a flight after a row over her daughter's nut allergy said the experience was 'humiliating and desperate'. Georgie Palmer, 49, her husband Nick Sollom, 48, and daughters Rosie, 12, and Annie, 14, were ordered off the SunExpress flight from London Gatwick to Dalaman, Turkey after telling the crew Rosie had an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts. Ms Palmer said staff refused to make a standard announcement requesting passengers not eat peanuts because they had 'updated' their allergies policy. Instead she politely asked passengers around her not to consume any peanuts and pass the message on, which they did happily. But she says this enraged the 'angry little' captain who demanded they leave before the flight would take off. The mother of a boy with a severe peanut allergy has also slammed Manchester airport after they allegedly confiscated life-saving medication during security checks. Emma Wakefield, from Derby, was anxious at the thought of her 14-year-old son Ben going on a school trip, since his allergies have in the past hospitalised him and left him seriously ill. In preparation for his trip to Pisa last month, she packed two batches of medication, a paper prescription, a signed doctor's letter and a copy of Ben's care plan however these were all confiscated at security. During the trip, Ben went on to suffer an allergic reaction to an apple which he was thankfully able to treat with medication in his hold luggage. Everywhere you go, there are so many signs sharing information, that you probably don't notice them all. After all, they are usually informational at best, and innocuous at worst. That is not the case when it comes to these sinister signs spotted by social media users in North America and the UK, and collated into a gallery by Bored Panda. Among the creepy notices, is one on an office door, boasting that the space belongs to someone who is both a veterinarian and a taxidermist. Another image shows an image that wouldn't be out of place in a horror film - a sinister clown at a fairground ride telling passers-by that they must be as 'high' as him to ride the attraction alone. If this unsettling sign doesn't encourage you to stay away from this machine, then it's likely nothing will Meanwhile, another warning notice lets people know that the machine it is attached to cannot distinguish between flesh and metal - and nor does it care. And then another message, supposed to be supportive, shows just important layout is when sharing information. Instead of saying: 'We are all in this together,' because of the gaps between letters, it looks like it says: 'We are all in this to get her.' Here, FEMAIL shares sinister signs that may leave you feeling uneasy... This is not the kind of thing you want to see when taking a beloved animal family member to see the vet The importance of letter placement is illustrated perfectly by this message, which should have been supportive, but instead reads as threatening A classic example of how using words that have more than one meaning can be confusing. Perhaps the writer should have just said 'litter' It's horribly easy to misunderstand this sign, and the implication of smoking in this area could be catastrophic This sign, spotted on a street in the UK, is not that threatening itself, however, its shadow certainly looks eerie At least this sign is clear and emphatic, leaving readers in no doubt at all that passing it would not end well for them As if clowns weren't already creepy enough, this sign, featuring a slightly menacing looking clown enticing short people to go on a ride alone could give you nightmares It's difficult to tell whether this sign is meant to be taken as friendly and caring advice, or as a threat Simple error or a killer train that literally murders commuters when they reach a city in the north of England? Whoever wrote this depressing sign appears to want everyone who reads it to be lonely and miserable Standing in my kitchen in Oxfordshire, I could hear my husbands voice in a different time zone, on the other side of the Atlantic. Hed been working late on the West Coast after a meeting in California, while I was up early, making packed lunches for our children. I wanted to know if hed be back in England in time for a parents evening at school, but hed just had a notification that his flight back was delayed. It wasnt looking likely. Sometimes, I felt we were living in separate dimensions, not just in separate countries. And as usual, we slid into a conversation about how to join up our marriage, so we could share a life in the same place, at the same time. Clover Stroud has five children with husband Pete but for the past eight years they have spent punishingly long periods of time apart This wasnt the first time Pete and I had had the tricky conversation about where we should live, to try to resolve the problem of creating a life as a family. Wed had almost 15 years together, been married for 12, but for the past eight years had spent punishingly long periods of time apart. The demands of his work, a business hed built himself, meant he was often away in Europe or Asia, or increasingly travelling around the U.S., while I stayed at home, fitting my writing career around being a mum to our five children, now aged seven, ten, 11, 20 and 23. These werent just short work trips. Pete was away for weeks at a time, sometimes months. I worked out that we hadnt spent more than 14 consecutive days together in the previous five years. Even a shared holiday was unusual. When he was working here, he usually stayed in London from Monday to Friday, since our home in the Oxfordshire countryside wasnt close enough to enable him to commute to his office. Friends sometimes laughed in envy at me: Id love my husband to be away all the time like Pete is, theyd say ruefully. But this wasnt how I felt. Spending long periods of time apart was the absolute opposite of what either of us had planned. When we met in 2010, I wanted to be as close to him as possible. Id been married before, in my 20s, and was a single mother to two children, nine-year-old Jimmy, and six-year-old Dolly, when Pete and I met. Id been living in Oxford at that time, and Pete was someone Id known years before, when we were both students there. A mutual friend had suggested we get together when he moved back to Oxford, and when I went to meet him for a quick drink on a snowy evening in January 2010, I knew, almost instantly, that I wanted to be in his presence, to be close to him. He made me feel seen in a way no one had done before, and he was funny and clever. I wanted to talk to him all the time and felt powerfully attracted to him. I knew, pretty much immediately, that he was the person I needed to be with. I was right, because Pete is my everything, the person I love more than anyone. And yet, he is the person with whom Ive almost spent the least time in the past decade. Two years after we met, we had our first child together, Evangeline, followed by her brothers Dash and Lester. We moved out of Oxford, into rural south Oxfordshire, on the border with Wiltshire and Berkshire, finding a cottage we extended, in a haphazard way, to create a home for our big, beautiful, difficult, chaotic family. Providing for this growing family was demanding. Petes work meant he started spending longer and longer periods away as his business grew. Clover and Pete on their wedding day, 12 years ago, after being introduced by friends in 2010 His trips started as a few days, but often were extended to several weeks at a time. I gave up trying to know exactly where Pete was, and we grew accustomed to a relationship conducted on WhatsApp. I resigned myself to fitting my life as a writer around the demands of lone parenthood, juggling the babies, toddlers and teenagers with my work. Wed pretend that living apart wasnt so bad, pretend that six or eight hours time difference wasnt so great, pretend that another three weeks before we saw each other wasnt so long, that WhatsApping at night as I lay in bed was almost like chatting, that FaceTime was a really pleasing way to be together on a Saturday evening. We told each other it was only for a few more weeks, that this was just a phase. And then six years has passed. Six years! A long-distance marriage is complicated. Watching Petes vanishing form as he left the house, carrying a laptop bag and a carry-on suitcase, often made me feel red with rage, as small, sticky hands pulled at me, and my working life was squashed into the time between dropping kids at school, or crammed into the moments I spent sitting in community centres, waiting for them to finish dance lessons or karate club. Eating leftover pasta, or cereal, for supper after the absolute chaos of trying to get three small children to bed, Id feel green envy at the thought of him eating sushi in Manhattan. I often wasnt very sympathetic, and didnt see what he was experiencing, which was another faceless hotel room, another Saturday afternoon alone, another childs birthday celebrations missed. Clover had been married before, in my 20s, and was a single mother to two children, nine-year-old Jimmy, and six-year-old Dolly, when she met Pete I became enraged by the compromises I was being forced to make and the shape I had to contort my life into. Resentment began to boil up inside me. It made me want to see his screen shatter when I thought of him quietly logging on to a Zoom meeting from a tidy hotel room, where the background was always silent. Homecoming was rarely the romantic experience I fantasised about when he was away, either. When one partner returns after long periods of time, the moment they step back through the door is loaded with massively unrealistic expectation and grinding resentment. More often, his return would precipitate a blazing row which would then simmer away for a couple of days before we could push on through to that next place, where we found one another as a couple again. Often, Pete would be leaving again just as wed got there. Children thrash a marriage, but so do long periods of separation. Cramming a marriage into a weekend that lasts from the time he returns from Heathrow on Saturday afternoon to leaving at dawn on Monday morning is impossible. Trying to find connection with one another in the space of a single weekend will put any relationship under pressure. And long periods apart also mean trust is an issue. Ive sometimes felt twitchy with jealousy at the thought of him walking into another hotel, another conference, another meeting, with me having no real sense of who he was with. Trust isnt just about sexual fidelity. Since we were spending so much time apart, both of us had to trust that the other was making the right decisions about our life. I had to trust Pete when he said that his business needed him to be away for weeks at a time. He had to trust me that I was making the right decisions for the children, supporting them through their little lives since in all the time he was away, they were growing up. I hated going to parents evening alone, watching other couples discussing their childs progress, and Ive forgotten the number of birthdays and anniversaries weve spent apart. And alongside this pressure, I was lonely, the kind of loneliness that meant sometimes I heard a voice, chattering away in my head, that was me, and yet distant from me, taunting me that I was alone again. When other friends talked about working their way through a new Netflix series together, or processing the day as they cooked supper, I felt envious. I forgot what a shared domestic life, for long periods of time, felt like. When the children were very small, I obsessed about moving house, and finding a place which would mean that Pete and I could be together. 'My working life was squashed into the time between dropping kids at school or crammed into the moments I spent sitting in community centres waiting for them to finish dance lessons or karate club,' the author reveals I developed an advanced Rightmove habit, fantasising about a house in London which might mean the short time we had together, when Pete was actually in England, would feel more joined up. Sometimes I looked at houses in London, but apart from the insane expense of even attempting to move to the city, I also felt deeply bound to rural life. Id reacted to long periods of time apart by creating a house we loved, filling it with the childrens friends and building a strong community around me where I felt secure. My relationship with the landscape and community of the area we call home was strong, compensating for the absence of my husband. Still, I tormented local estate agents by putting the house on and off the market; it almost makes me laugh, now, remembering my obsession with finding some kind of portal to a place where Pete and I would be together and I wouldnt be alone again on a Friday night, surrounded by piles of Lego and cold pesto pasta. I loved the first lockdown, as it meant Pete was at home for a completely uninterrupted period of time, although he was off as soon as the world started turning again. In the last few years, as the pandemic calmed, the conversation between us about where to live and how to be together gained momentum. It was clear that America was where the focus of his work was going to be, and Pete started looking at houses, and engaging me in a conversation about where we might live, where the kids might go to school, what our life there might look like. I often tried to ignore it, deleting the emails he sent me with links to houses I might look at on Zillow, the U.S. equivalent of Rightmove, and throwing away a prospectus that arrived in the post of a potential school. But however hard the prospect of leaving a home I loved was, the conversation between us about relocation wasnt going away. I knew that Pete and I needed to be together, and that the children needed him too. We needed to be together as a couple, as much as a family. Slowly, the jigsaw pieces of a potential new life in America slotted together. The elder two children would stay in England at university. Rather than selling up, we could rent our house. Our younger children got places at good American state schools, and that red brick house that Pete sent me the details for, could be ours to rent. Last summer, I spent several frenzied, emotional weeks dismantling our home, finding foster homes for two of our dogs, sending bags and bags of clothes and books to charity shops, carefully packing our life into cases to keep in storage, while sending our essentials, including the kitchen table, on to America. 'Pete is my everything, the person I love more than anyone. And yet, he is the person with whom Ive almost spent the least time in the past decade,' writes Clover Stroud Honestly, I didnt want to leave the home I loved, but I wanted to be with the man I love. Settling into life in America has been strange and beautiful, hard in ways I could not have foreseen, and often ridiculous, as well as very demanding. I profoundly miss our home, the community where I felt at ease. But I also love being with Pete. I love meeting him after work with the children on a Friday night, even meeting for sushi as we walk back from his office near the White House. I love seeing the kids walking to school with Pete. Those moments that others take for granted such as watching their husband reading to their kids, or helping them with their homework is extra precious in relief against all that time we spent apart. Im also proud of what weve been through together. I think that learning to live separate lives made us resilient and creative in the way we approach our marriage, which is a good thing. I love the time together, even if it meant giving up the home I love to have it. The Giant On The Skyline by Clover Stroud (18.99, Doubleday) is out now and available at https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-giant-on-the-skyline/clover-stroud/2928377236977 The Spanish royal family has this week been rocked by yet more allegations of infidelity levelled at Queen Letizia, as a royal reporter has claimed King Felipe was left 'crushed and destroyed' by his wife's alleged affair. Journalist Jaime Penafiel, 91, launched a fresh attack on the European Queen in new book Letizia's Silences, which was published in Spain on Tuesday. It follows his sacking from Spanish newspaper El Mundo in January after he made a series of damaging allegations about the Queen in another book, Letizia & I. But while Europe reels from Penafiel's allegations and Letizia's ex-brother-in-law, Jaime del Burgo, continues to double down on claims he had an affair with the royal mother-of-two, the opinion of the Spanish people does not appear to have followed. In local media, Letizia, 52, is hailed as a 'middle-class queen' who did not come from the aristocracy; rather, her background is in journalism. Since marrying into the royal family in 2004, the royal has been praised in favourable publications for 'carving out her own role' in issues about which she is 'passionate', considering that the constitutional responsibilities of the Queen Consort are simply to stand in as regent for the King. However, while the Queen enjoys strong poll ratings (a recent poll for Hola! found that 61% of Spaniards thought she had strengthened the monarchy), it has not always been smooth sailing for her. Queen Letizia of Spain has been blighted by repeated allegations of infidelity in recent months, but how do the people of Spain view her? Argentine-born journalist Martin Bianchi, who has worked in Spain for around 15 years, recently reflected on a 'hostile' media reception Letizia received in her earlier days as Queen. 'Many media outlets were not fair to Letizia and her family, certainly not,' he told El Mundo last week. He then discussed the Spanish media's coverage of the tragic suicide of Letizia's sister, Erika, who died in 2007. He went on to argue that Letizia 'has many enemies, many men and women who have wanted to see her fall' - however he stopped short of naming names. A Spain-based journalist, Martin Bianchi, has recently spoken up about how Letizia was subject to 'hostile' media reports when she married into the royal family As a former journalist, some media outlets hailed Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano as the nation's 'first middle-class royal' In recent years, as her daughters Princess Leonor, 18, and Infanta Sofia, 16, have stepped into the limelight, the Queen's maternal side has shone through in media reports In the opening chapter of Jaime Penafiel's book, the author sensationally claims that 'everything in Letizia's world has been broken' as a result of alleged 'deceit, adultery and betrayals'. The author goes on to say Queen Letizia has a 'cold, indestructible and determined' aura about her and that the royal's silence on the recent allegations signify her 'emotional immaturity'. Jaime claims the royal 'resorts to silence as a way of controlling and punishing other people'. He then goes on to claim that Letizia's 'passive aggressive' behaviour towards King Felipe is the reason her 'mother-in-law [Queen Sofia] and sisters-in-laws [Infanta Cristina and the Duchess of Lugo] hate her so much'. Letizia has certainly divided opinion among the Spanish people with a headstrong and defiant personality since she became a royal, and there have certainly been suggestions of conflict between the Queen and her mother-in-law - however the pointed allegations levelled by Penafiel against Letizia have not been reflected so strongly by the Spanish people and media. When she first announced her engagement to Felipe, who was then Prince of Asturias, Letizia's bold entrance into royal life certainly made an impression on the Spanish people and she divided opinion with her headstrong personality. Pictured: King Felipe and Queen Letizia attend the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling in Stockholm in 2010 Following his dismissal from Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the veteran journalist has now written another book - called 'Letizia's Silences' - which begins by delving into her early romance with King Felipe As Letizia spoke of her respect for the role she would soon be assuming and announced her 'full integration' with the royal family (ie. that she would give up her journalism career), Letizia was briefly interrupted by her husband-to-be. However, she refused to allow him to speak over her and said: 'Let me finish' before continuing her speech to the nation's media. Additionally, there were reports of conflict at the heart of the royal family when King Felipe ascended the throne from his father King Juan Carlos, who had abdicated in the wake of corruption allegations. Specifically, it was reported in Spanish media that there was tension between Letizia and her mother-in-law Queen Sofia, particularly in relation to Letizia and Felipe's daughters Leonor and Sofia. An El Pais report from 2018 suggested: 'In the palace, the deterioration of relations between both is evident.' Pictured: Queen Letizia's ex-brother-in-law Jaime del Burgo with his ex-wife Telma when they were still married Pictured: Veteran journalist Jaime Penafiel, 91, attends event in Madrid in December 2018. The author has confirmed he is no longer employed by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo The report alleged there were two different royal families; the public and private faces. It referred to a clip of the royals in Palma de Mallorca, where they travel each year for their summer holidays, which appeared to show Letizia and her mother-in-law 'tussling' over the young girls. The footage showed Queen Sofia attempting to pose for a photo with her granddaughters, while the girls' mother appeared to stand in the way of the cameras. The report alleged: 'The arrival of [Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia] strengthened Letizia, who was by then more familiar with the way the palace worked and was ready to mark her territory.' It also suggested that Letizia made it clear to Queen Sofia that 'she was not welcome' to make regular visits to the palace to see her granddaughters because it disrupted their routines. Meanwhile, however, Letizia's own mother Paloma Rocasolano, visited frequently. However, in more recent years, the Spanish press has somewhat changed its tune in relation to the 'middle-class royal' as she carries out work in her role as Queen Consort. In 2021, El Pais reflected on how Letizia has championed causes aiming to advance women and combat domestic violence in absence of a real job description for the role. 'It is evident that Dona Letizia's character does not fit in well with ornamental roles. A former journalist, she still asks questions and makes comments every time she can,' Miguel Gonzalez wrote. As her daughters including Princess Leonor, 18, step into the limelight, Letizia has become known for guiding and supporting them in royal life Pictured: Letizia hugging her daughter Leonor goodbye as she enrols at Zaragoza military college where she is undertaking three years of military training He added that, while she may stop short of calling her work 'feminist', Letizia's duties often involve supporting women to protect them from abuse. Elsewhere, reports have suggested that the Queen has an interest in attending events which mark important advances in subjects like health and social issues, but that she refuses to take part in any occasion which reduces her to a 'decorative vase'. A source close to the royal family told El Pais in 2018 that the Queen 'does not want to accept that the monarchy is a full time job'. The source continued: 'It continues to be difficult for her to accept that a queen does not have a private life. Being queen is a complete package its impossible to divide.' As her daughters grow up and Princess Leonor, now 18, becomes a queen-in-waiting, Spanish media presents Queen Letizia to the people of Spain as a wise mother who guides her daughters in the trials and tribulations of royal life. On Spanish Mother's Day earlier this month, OK Diario reported how Letizia puts her role as a mother above and beyond her role as Queen. The publication noted how, during public appearances, Letizia can often be spotted giving her daughters subtle directions as to how they should act during engagements, and described her as an 'excessively protective mother'. It also described how Letizia has encouraged her daughters to develop an interest in literature and culture as she prioritises their education - and never shies away from showing them deep affection in public. Where the spotlight has been put on the Spanish Queen for her defiant attitude and difficult relationship with other family members within the Spanish media, she has in turn shown her warmth in public with her two daughters. The British pub chain will revive legendary burger for Father's Day weekend only Wetherspoons has announced that a 'legendary' burger will make a return to all of its 809 locations across the UK - but fans will have to be quick to get their hands on it. The Brunch Burger made a triumphant return to the British pub chain last year after a ten-year hiatus. However, the fan favourite is once again available due to overwhelming customer demand, with punters at the time branding it 'legendary'. Known for its delicious combination of flavours, the burger features a three-ounce beef patty, American-style cheese, maple-cured bacon, a free-range fried egg, and a hash brown, all served with a side of chips. However, the the beloved burger will be on menus across UK and Ireland for a limited time only - from Friday 14 June to Sunday 16 June - to celebrate Father's Day weekend. Wetherspoons has announced that a 'legendary' burger will make a return to all of its 809 locations across the UK - but fans will have to be quick to get their hands on it (stock image) The Brunch Burger can be enjoyed as part of a meal with chips and a soft drink for 7.73, while the average price with an alcoholic drink is 9.26. Last year's prices were slightly lower, at 7.15 with a soft drink and 8.55 with an alcoholic beverage. Despite the slight increase, the 1,234 calorie burger meal remains a favourite among punters. As Father's Day approaches, fans of the pub chain's popular and budget-friendly food menu are eagerly anticipating the chance to savour the Brunch Burger once more. Wetherspoons' marketing executive, James Vaughan, expressed his excitement about the burger's return. He said: 'The brunch burger will return by popular demand for one weekend only and I am confident that customers will welcome its return to mark Father's Day.' With its limited availability, customers are encouraged to visit their local Wetherspoons in June to ensure they don't miss out on this nostalgic treat. The latest addition comes as Wetherspoon axes 18 drinks from its menu as part of a major revamp ahead of the summer season, but has added a host of new tipples and food. The Brunch Burger made a triumphant return to the British pub chain last year after a ten-year hiatus - but for a limited time only over Father's Day weekend in June A selection of spirits have been dropped from the chain's latest menu update in May, such as Lambs Navy Rum, Bombay Bramble and Gordon's Sicilian Lemon. Duppy Share White, Chase pink grapefruit pomelo gin and Buffalo Trace have also all been shelved for now. It is not all bad news, however, as the chain that is popular with millions of Brits across the UK has added a number of new menu items, as is common practice for other establishments. Cerveza Pacifico Clara, more commonly referred to as Pacifico, and Stella Unfiltered have returned to menus for the price of 3.45 and 4.38 respectively. And customers can now get their hands on ramen noodle bowls, shawarma chicken wraps and three new breakfast items, including American-style pancakes. Its the early 90s and I am a gauche teenager, desperate to fit in. Im staring at a long pair of jodhpur-clad legs hanging languorously out the boot of a battered green Land Rover, overlooking the local showjumping ring. A blonde head appears. Come and join us if you like, the posh girl hollers, waving me over. As I climb aboard, I try to suppress my embarrassing sense of elation. This Land Rover, an old Defender, represents the world I want to inhabit, the one that Jilly Cooper writes about in Riders and Polo. Frustratingly, its a world I can almost touch, but never feel part of. I dont live in a sprawling country pile, attend boarding school, or own a London pied-a-terre. Rather than the obligatory Land Rover, my parents drive a Volvo. Oh, how I wish they didnt. Fast forward 30 years. Im now in my mid 40s and a move back to the edge of the Cotswolds, where I grew up, has seen my dream come true. I drive a Land Rover. My teenage wish is finally fulfilled. I have arrived. Driving a Land Rover feels every bit as good as I dreamt it would when I was a teenager Some of my happiest memories are of hanging out in the boots of Land Rovers at horse shows And do you know what? It feels every bit as good as I dreamt it would. Were a family of five, plus our beloved dog, Luna the Labrador, and my second hand Land Rover Discovery is worth every penny of its 17,000 price tag. My husband and I have worked hard for this tank of a car and sliding into its leather seats, admittedly slightly scuffed, feels like a treat. Please dont get me wrong. Im honestly not one of those entitled grand women hurtling through Cotswolds lanes (were on the scruffy edge, near Warwickshire), expecting everyone to move out of their way. I always move for smaller cars. But that doesnt mean people dont judge me for my SUV. Only the other week, in a Waitrose car park of all places, I looked up from my steering wheel to see an odious man in a Nissan Micra shaking his head at me. What was his problem? Eventually I realised Id parked slightly across the line, but given that almost half of the carpark was empty, why the pass agg? I can only conclude he is not a fan of Lady Land Rover Drivers. One local friend, Claire, hates new SUVs with a passion. She loved the old Defenders and thinks the revamped, blinged-up newer models, like the one driven by a certain Beckham to Soho Farmhouse (even though it would probably be quicker for him to walk from where he lives), have ruined the brand. People who drive them would rather run you off the road then move over an inch, she says. Another friend, Laura, who moved to Oxfordshire from London a few years ago, also loathes them. The way some drive them around here is, quite frankly, dangerous, she says. And they never have a speck of mud on them either. A proper Land Rover should never be spotless. I have to say I mostly agree. Its one of the reasons I would never have bought one when we lived in London. But now, three children and one Labrador later, living at the brow of a steep hill which can get very icy in the winter, its pretty much a necessity. Driving over potholes and flooded roads to pick up my ten year old daughter Jemima from school, I give silent thanks for its solidity and height. I wouldnt have felt anywhere near as safe bombing around in my little Mazda. Driving over potholes to pick up my daughter from school, I give silent thanks for its solidity Some feel the blinged-up models, like the one driven by David Beckham, have ruined the brand Our car genuinely meets our needs and when we started looking for seven seaters to help us navigate the sibling squabbles and the dog crate, there really was no contest. It was either that or one of those Kardashian-type vans. And yes, in an ideal world we would have gone with a more environmentally-friendly electric vehicle, but a friend has one and panics doing anything other than the school run, in case she cant find a charging station. Another friend with an EV, took three separate trains to finally arrive at a 50th in deepest, darkest Sussex. Fearing there would be charging problems en route, she refused to drive. So, Ill stick with our diesel model, thanks. Looking back, my love affair with the Landy started as a young child in the 1980s, when a family friend handed down a red Sindy doll Range Rover toy. It was a car that symbolised both aspiration and security. It attached perfectly to its blue and yellow horse trailer and was everything I wanted. I would spend hours taking the horses in and out, opening and closing the back door and pretending to drive it to a local show. My love for the Landy started in the 80s when I was handed down a Sindy doll Range Rover toy Landys had the entry tags from events the right sort of horsey folk went to, such as Badminton Some of my happiest memories are of hanging out in the boots of other peoples Land Rovers, at shows, events or point-to-points across Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. These old Landys inevitably had the entry tags from all the events the right sort of horsey folk went to - Gatcombe, Badminton, Blenheim, Hickstead and Burghley. Sigh. I still havent managed to buy the requisite pony for my daughter that goes with having the right car. But she rides regularly at the same local stables my sister and I used to and has signed up to the Pony Club, too. So, this summer, I hope my daughter and her friends will get to hang out the back of our Land Rover watching the show jumping. I might even join them. And I really dont care if you judge me for it. A laughing Queen Maxima appeared to have a ball with programming students Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked elegant in a blush outfit and elaborate fascinator as she attended the fifth anniversary of a specialist coding school in Amsterdam on Wednesday. The Dutch royal, 53, who, as a member of the Dutch Committee for Entrepreneurship, has spoken about the power of technology, beamed as she interacted with students and staff at Codam Coding College. Wearing a blush, chiffon outfit, which she debuted in May 2022, the mother-of-three looked typically stylish - even with the addition of a few raindrops as she braved a springtime shower. With a pussy bow and blouson sleeves, Maxima's top was tucked into a matching knee-length skirt which had an asymmetric hemline. She completed her outfit with an elaborate, floral-inspired fascinator in the same shade, which worked perfectly with her up-do, and a pair of suede court shoes and matching clutch bag. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (pictured) looked typically elegant in a blush chiffon outfit and an elaborate fascinator Pictured with Corinne Vigneux (left), the woman behind Codam Coding School, Maxima cut a striking figure in her flowing outfit The Dutch royal, 53, was unfazed by the drizzle as she made her way into Codam, which is located in Amsterdam Radiant as ever, she kept her make-up simple for the fifth anniversary celebrations at Codam. She let her outfit speak for itself by keeping her jewellery minimal, sporting just a few gold bracelets on her wrist. Maxima smiled as she interacted with students and staff at the specialist school, which was established to make a career in software programming a reality for students of all backgrounds, ages and genders. She engaged with students as they were working and appeared focused as they showed her their projects, which included demonstrations of a remote-controlled car and a virtual reality headset. With no fees or teachers, the school, headed by Corinne Vigneux, the French General Director of GPS company TomTom, is genuinely open to all. Yesterday, Maxima swapped her usually feminine style for a sleek blue suit as she visited a charity in Wieringerwerf in the norther Netherlands. Despite opting for a suit, the monarch showed her radiant style by opting for a bright blue colour. The summery look was paired with a white T-shirt and towering nude heels, along with a nude clutch bag. She completed her outfit with suede court shoes in the same blush shade as her outfit and a and a beige clutch bag in The mother-of-three, who is a member of the Dutch Committee for Entrepreneurship, was given a demonstration of a remote-controlled car She beamed as she viewed one student's work on a computer screen, clearly impressed with what she saw Maxima appeared to have a lot of fun talking to the students at Codam, smiling and laughing as she heard about their experiences One student demonstrated a virtual reality headset while another offered an explanation of their work The Dutch queen kept her make-up simple for the occasion, still glowing from her recent trip to the Philippines She looked focused as she reviewed the work of a number of students at the centre, which is open to all Maxima, who smiled as she waved to crowds, was wearing a floral-inspired fascinator which perfectly complemented her outfit Maxima accessorised her outfit with oversized colourful earrings and tucked her blonde locks back behind her ears. She kept her make-up simple with black mascara and a slick of lipstick while showing off her tan from a recent visit to the Philippines. Maxima's visit yesterday was part of the Leading Locals program of MIND Us in the Cultuurschuur in Wieringerwerf. The Queen is honorary chairman of the group which helps young people with mental health problems. Foodies are obsessing over a new Japanese convenience store in Sydney Sydneysiders in the know are turning to a new Japanese-style convenience store in the Inner West for takeaway bento boxes, tasty onigiri and soft-serve rice cream. Domo 39 is hidden down an alleyway in St Peters adjacent to the train station and is showing to be the perfect stop for a quick snack, light meal or hot chocolate matcha. The 'rice cream shop' looks similar to the 7-Eleven store in Japan which are known to be a haven of convenient and delicious takeaway foods. The notion is replicated at Domo 39 but customers have the option to dine-in if they wish. Those who have visited the corner store have raved about the joint on social media, while others shared their excitement to visit. Domo 39 is hidden down an alleyway in St Peters adjacent to the train station It's showing to be the perfect stop for a quick snack, light meal or hot chocolate matcha Customers have raved about the delicious food on social media The corner store sells bento boxes, onigiri, soft serve ice cream and a range of drinks There's a generous selection of bento boxes look delicious including sweet-and-sour chicken nanban, yasai yakisoba (stir-fried noodles with vegetables), katsu don (pork katsu, dashi, egg and chives), and more. There's also six type of onigiri to choose from and all are priced at $6.50 for dine-in or $5.50 for takeaway. Filling options include grilled salted salmon, tuna mayonnaise rayu, ginger pork and egg, mentaiko and chives, takana or shiso kombu. The matcha hot chocolate, called 'The Swamp', has also received stellar reviews from customers for its sweet taste. When winter comes around there may be a few other warm dishes added to the menu, such as miso soup. The matcha hot chocolate, called 'The Swamp', has also received stellar reviews from customers for its sweet taste As you walk in there's a 'grab and go' section for added convenience for those going to or leaving work When winter comes around there may be a few other warm dishes added to the menu, such as miso soup Co-owner Eugene Leung told the Sydney Morning Herald: '[It's] been amazing to see people coming in, grabbing an onigiri on their way to work. That makes me feel warm inside - that people in Australia have embraced that instead of [more] avocado on sourdough.' Foodies took to social media to share photos and videos of the store. 'This is so cute! It really does remind you of Japan,' one wrote. 'Such a hidden gem, I want to try as well,' another said. 'Oh Ive been wanting to check this out!' a third added. The corner store is open seven days but the kitchen closes at 2:30pm daily. Read more: US expat shocked at how much paid leave Aussies get But she quickly became homesick and missed family When Dearbhla O'Neill moved from Ireland to Australia in January she thought she'd stay indefinitely. But four and a half months later she's made the tough decision to move back home. Being half a world away from family and friends was all too much for the 23-year-old university graduate, along with the rising cost of living. She was also put off by most cafes shutting at 3pm and the brutal job market. 'Why am I going home? Because I want to. Do I think some factors out here are making me a bit sad? Yes,' she said in a now-viral TikTok video. When Dearbhla O'Neill moved to Australia from Ireland in January she thought she'd stay indefinitely. She left just 4.5 months later While Ms O'Neill didn't dislike Australia, she found certain aspects challenging and 'struggled' settling in Melbourne. During her time Down Under, Ms O'Neill stayed in Sydney and Melbourne and travelled up the east coast visiting Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Noosa and Brisbane. She also sailed the Whitsundays and visited Magnetic Island and Cairns where she was wowed by the natural beauty of the coastline. While she enjoyed her travels, she was left disappointed by the job market. Even after managing to secure work in charity sales, she had a panic attack on the third day and it was proving to be too overwhelming so she quit. She also described the work as 'too icky'. 'I struggled to even get cafe, shop, bar jobs just simply due to the fact a lot of people were not recruiting anyone and the places that were it was just so competitive,' Ms O'Neill told FEMAIL. 'I had talked to Australians who had said this was not an issue only backpackers faced but also they themselves struggled to find work. 'I didn't even attempt to get a job in my degree while out there as I knew being on the working holiday visa it would be struggle.' Ms O'Neill was also deterred by the cost of living crisis and small aspects of Australia, including the fact most cafes close at 3pm. 'Why am I going home? Because I want to... Do I think some factors out here are making me a bit sad? Yes,' she said in a now-viral TikTok video In the end, she realised just how homesick she was. This came as a surprise to Ms O'Neill as she studied away from home at a university in Liverpool. Now she's back in Ireland with her loved ones. 'I am extremely glad to be back home, I find it hard explaining to people that I loved Australia especially due to coming back so early, but I truly did love the country but being back with family and friends, there's nothing like it, I am very happy,' Ms O'Neill told FEMAIL. She said she might try living in London or Manchester in the future, but for the moment she's happy to be with family and her pets. In the end, Ms O'Neill realised just how homesick she was and she missed her family dearly Ms O'Neill also shared her advice for others wanting to move to Australia. 'I would never turn someone off coming to Australia, even though in the end it was not for me to live, it does not mean the next person couldn't love it,' she said. 'I would probably recommend they travel a bit when they first arrive just in case they end up wanting to go home early at least they will have seen multiple parts of the country.' She also recommended saving a 'good sum of money' because the job market is 'so tough right now'. More than 300 people commented on the video and other expats offered words of support. 'I am the same. I will have been in New Zealand for the exact same amount of time and I cant wait to go home!!' one said. 'Sometimes you have to move away to come home,' another wrote. 'Aw girl, I came home from Australia after three months and I felt so judged for not loving it - but its not for everyone and I feel so much better to be home,' a third said. Aussies share list of thing tourists should never do Down Under Australians compiled a comprehensive guide for tourists to follow when they visit Down Under if they want to fit in with the locals - and stay out of danger. A woman from Singapore is travelling to Australia soon for a holiday and asked Aussies what she should know before touching down. And locals didn't hold back. There were many sensible rules, including always swimming between the flags at the beach, not bringing any food into the country and following safety guidelines while exploring the bush and national parks. They also included mishaps to avoid - from making sure not to use a fake Aussie accent to respecting people's personal space in public and always keeping to the left on footpaths. Australians compiled a comprehensive guide for tourists to follow when they visit Down Under if they want to fit in with the locals - and stay out of danger 'Stop asking us about snakes and spiders because you heard it once,' one man said. 'Don't try to do the accent. It embarrasses us both,' another wrote, before one warned visitors to never walk on the right hand side of the footpath. '[Stop] standing inches behind the next person in a queue, especially when that person happens to be me,' another added. One Aussie reminded visitors about the water restrictions because of the dry climate in some states. 'Don't take 30-minute showers. Ask anyone who was alive during the millennial drought how we feel about that,' they said. When out and about in the city Aussies said tourists should go for coffee from local cafes rather than chains and to be aware of their surroundings. 'Stop stopping dead in the middle of a footpath or walkway to take photos of things. We appreciate that you're here to take in the sights, but step off to the side out of the way and THEN take your photo,' one user ranted. 'Don't take 30-minute showers. Ask anyone who was alive during the millennial drought how we feel about that,' one Aussie said Many gave advice for exploring regional Australia and how to be respectful of the flora and fauna: 'Don't feed the wildlife. It's bad for them' 'We are not a tipping culture and most of us resent establishments trying to get us to do it. We assume the service staff are getting paid the correct award rate and don't need to heavily rely on tips,' another responded. Many gave advice for exploring regional Australia and how to be respectful of the land. 'Don't walk into a canola crop to take a selfie. That's somebody's livelihood,' one person said. 'Not checking the scale of the map. No, you can't drive to Uluru for an afternoon jaunt from Sydney,' laughed another. 'Going off-path in National Parks. You're destroying the pristine wilderness you came to enjoy, and you can get lost and die,' one user wrote. 'Feeding the wildlife. It's bad for them and in some cases (dingoes) it can be bad for humans too,' a second chimed in. One user warned: 'Don't sunbake. Skin cancer is no joke and the Australian sun is a lot harsher than many places around the world' Someone said those exploring the outback in remote areas should be aware of how vast parts of Australia can be and recommended taking 'sufficient water, food, fuel and a UHF, preferably a satellite communication device'. 'I suspect tourists still don't understand how desolate it really is out there and how easy it is to take a wrong turn and become totally lost,' they added. Others gave a stern warning about the dangers of Australian beaches saying to always listen to life guards' advice and observe safety signs. 'Having absolutely no clue how to swim and going straight to the beach and just 'swim' out,' one man said. 'Yeah, swimming at a beach where there is no one else swimming is a huge one. No, you haven't found a secret paradise, you've found a death trap,' a second replied. 'Don't sunbake. Skin cancer is no joke and the Australian sun is a lot harsher than many places around the world. You will rarely see an Aussie intentionally sunbake (unless they are a complete moron),' another answered. Over the last 30 years, a tireless campaign has urged women to check their breasts for cancer. Some studies show that the increase in self-examination has led to a 39 percent rise in women seeking help for sinister lumps. Now, one male health expert says we should do the same checks for an area of mens' anatomy...the penis. According to urologist Dr Peter White, a man's genitals is an important window into his overall health and subtle changes can indicate serious diseases like cancer and diabetes. And checking regularly for a handful of signs can catch a problem before it becomes potentially deadly. Most men don't examine their penises often. But Dr Peter White, a urologist in Australia, is uring men to change this and to check their penis more often Dr White said: 'Penile health is not just about physical appearance, it's a reflection of overall wellbeing. 'Everyone is unique in apperance, but identifying and tackling problems and issues early is crucial.' Dr White detailed the five changes to your penile health that warrant a visit to the physician. BLISTERS AND ULCERS COULD MEAN CANCER Patches of white skin on the penis could indicate the skin thinning condition lichen sclerosus, according to Dr White. This strikes about one in ten men between the ages of 30 and 50 years. This condition can cause pain during sex and scarring, as well as itchy, irritated skin. Lumps, rashes or blisters likely indicates a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) such as herpes, syphilis or the human papillomavirus (HPV). Syphilis causes small painless sores , while herpes leads to blisters on or around the penis and HPV can cause genital warts. Doctors are particularly concerned about syphilis, which can lead to abnormalities in babies if it is passed to a woman, and HPV, which raises the risk of cervical cancer in women. Blisters and ulcers that change size or shape or discoloration of some areas of skin could also be a warning sign of penile cancer, Dr White added. This disease is not common, affecting fewer than one in 100,000 men every year, but can be missed in the early stages. But Dr White said some shifts in skin on the penis were also benign, or not a warning sign of a complication. He pointed to pearly penile papules, or small, flesh-colored lumps that appear around the head of the penis, which he said were harmless growths. A CHANGE IN FLUIDS DURING SEX It is natural for the genital glands to release less fluid during orgasm as a man ages. But if this happens before the age of 45, it may indicate a problem, Dr White warns. Reduced ejaculate may indicate lower levels of testosterone the male sex hormone that instructs the glands to make the liquid that carries the sperm. Doctors may wish to do blood tests to diagnose a deficiency, and perhaps prescribe treatments such as testosterone injections. Other factors that could cause a drop in the amount of ejaculate include dehydration, or over-consumption of porn. Dr White also raised concerns over weakened ejacultations, or where fluid is released from the body less forcefully. He said this is likely the result of a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. To treat this, Dr White recommended increasing exercise, including squats and crunches that work the pelvic floor. UNPLEASANT SMELL If you notice a nasty smell in the genital area, it's likely due to a build-up of dead skin cells and bacteria that happens with poor hygiene. This affects both circumcised and uncircumcised men. If the area is not adequately washed for longer periods, men can develop a nasty yeast infection called balantitis, which causes the foreskin around the penis head to become red and swollen. To avoid this, doctors recommend washing the area once a day with warm water and soap. They advise against doing this more regularly, however, because it can raise the risk of skin irritations. NOT PEEING ENOUGH The average man should urinate between six and seven times per day, doctors say. But surveys suggest three quarters of men may not reach this frequency, due to dehydration. Dr White said that not urinating often enough can raise the risk of kidney problems including kidney stones hard deposits of minerals and acid salts that stick together in concentrated urine. The stones require an operation to remove them, which can be painful. About 11 percent of men and six percent of women suffer from kidney stones at least once in their lifetimes. A weaker stream can be a sign of weakened pelvic floor muscles, which leave men less able to push urine from the body. Dr White says it's also important to watch out for urinating more frequently. This could be a sign of diabetes with the body using urine to expel excess glucose. In older men, frequent urination can be a sign of an enlarged prostate which grows with age and can push on the bladder. Doctors say men should drink 15 cups of water a day to avoid dehydration. IF YOU NOTICE A NEW...BEND It is normal to have some curvature to your penis, Dr White says. However, if it is pronounced for instance approaching a right angle it could be a sign of peyronie's disease. This is when scar tissue has formed in the penis, which doesn't expand along with the rest of the organ when it is erect, causing a curve. It often forms as a result of injury to the penis, such as through sport or rigorous sex. Dr White said the condition can leave men unable to have sex and cause self-image problems, leading many to struggle to keep an erection in front of others. To treat the condition, many doctors recommend traction therapy where someone wears a device on the penis which helps to correct the curve. Patients losing a limb to cancer are enjoying faster recovery times and fewer complications thanks to surgeons using 'spare parts' from their amputation. And surgeons who published a study on the revolutionary technique say such 'frankenlimbs' could improve recovery for patients and even help ease NHS surgical waiting lists. The technique has already been used with patients who need limbs removed due to soft tissue sarcomas, a family of cancers that grow in the body's connective tissues such as muscles, fat, blood vessels and nerves. One sarcoma patient to already have benefited revealed how part of his forearm, complete with a tattoo, had been used to reconstruct his shoulder. David Brown, 58, from South Shields said: 'When I was 13, I had a tattoo on my left forearm. One patient whose already benefited from surgeons using his own 'spare parts' is David Brown, 58, from South Shields The only very minor negative Mr Brown said he could find with the technique was the fact his 'spare parts' procedure meant he was stuck with the remains of a tattoo he regretted. Here he is pictured alongside his wife Karen on a holiday after his recovery 'Years later, I was fed up with it and underwent laser surgery, getting rid of all of it but a blob. 'I was happy that at least the amputation would finally rid me of the tattoo, but due to the spare parts operation the blob is, in fact, now on my shoulder.' Whilst dedicated surgery to remove sarcomas can be successful sometimes medics need to remove the limb entirely due to the extent of the disease. These patients often need further surgery using 'donor' tissue from another part of their body to reconstruct the amputation site. Such procedures add to a patient's already lengthy recovery time and increases the chances for potentially dangerous complications, which can happen during any major surgery, to occur. But the new technique, using what the surgeons involved have dubbed 'spare parts' that would normally be thrown away, could help these patients recover faster. Using a waste-not-want-not philosophy, surgeons using the new technique harvest a severed limb's healthy cancer-free tissue and then use it to reconstruct the amputation site instead of taking it from another part of the body. Not only does this reduce the patient's recovery time and prevent the need for further procedures it also has benefits to the NHS. Proponents claim by using the 'spare parts' it reduces the use of scarce health service facilities like operation theatres, freeing them up for other procedures. Patients undergoing such ops also recover quicker meaning they can get out of hospital faster and the beds become free for other patients. Surgeons who advocate for the technique presented the results of a 10-year review into the practice at a regional meeting of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS). Dr Sachin Teelucksingh who presented the evidence said the technique had tremendous benefits. 'By salvaging and repurposing tissues that would typically be discarded, we can enhance functional outcomes and minimise donor site morbidity for patients,' he said. Consultant plastic surgeon Mani Ragbir, president of BAPRAS and fellow author of the study, said: 'The use of spare parts in sarcoma reconstruction represents a significant shift in our approach to limb-preserving surgery. 'By maximising the use of available tissues and minimising the need for extensive grafting, we can improve patient outcomes and streamline post-operative care.' Mr Brown previously had malignant melanoma, a dangerous type of skin cancer, in 2014 before finding a lump under his arm which tests revealed was a sarcoma. His arm could was saved on that occasion but in 2023 the cancer returned, and the retired train driver faced a drastic procedure called a forequarter amputation. This major operation involves removing the arm, shoulder blade and collar bone. But using the 'spare-parts' technique medics were able to reduce his recovery time and get him back doing the things he enjoyed quicker. 'When they first told me I may lose my arm, I responded that if that happened, I would not be able to live. I could not imagine a life as an amputee,' he said. 'However, when the tumours returned and the pain so was severe even morphine couldnt help, I was keen to go ahead. 'The operation was a success and Ive never looked back or felt sorry for myself. In fact, just a month afterwards, I was planning six-months on holiday, popping back only to attend hospital appointments and do my washing.' Your browser does not support iframes. Soft tissue sarcomas are rare, only 4,300 people are diagnosed with them each year in England, equivalent to about 12 per day. This figure rises to 13,590 per year in the US. People in their 80s are the most likely to be diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma, according to data from Cancer Research UK. Less than half (45 per cent) of people diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma are alive 10 years after their diagnosis. A 33-year-old mom was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma after her toddler noticed what she thought was a 'chocolate' stain on her wrist. Amanda Eilian, of New York, visited her doctor in 2010 who initially dismissed the mole. But after much 'pushing' by Ms Eilian he finally agreed to remove it, though he continued to insist to the mother-of-four that it was 'nothing.' Just one day later, her doctor left a voicemail telling her the mole was actually melanoma, which affects approximately 100,600 Americans each year. Ms Eilian, now 47, said: 'It was a great lesson not the way you want to learn the lesson of learning the importance of self-advocacy and taking a proactive role in your own health. 'It takes a certain amount of self confidence to continue to push back, and frankly, I lacked it at the time, and still have to intentionally cultivate that knowledge that I know my body better than anyone else.' Mother-of-four Amanda Eilian first noticed the dark mole on her wrist nearly two years before her daughter remarked on it, but her doctor repeatedly dismissed the spot Amanda Eilian (left) knew the importance of sun safety and annual dermatologist visits and would perform skin self-checks periodically As a fair-skinned and light-eyed woman with a family history of melanoma, Ms Eilian, co-founder and partner in health and wellness investment firm _Able and investor who has stakes in Goop, Daily Harvest and The Wing, knew the importance of sun safety and annual dermatologist visits. So when she noticed a dark spot on her wrist nearly two years before her diagnosis, she asked her doctor to check it at least twice in previous annual skin exams but he told her it was fine multiple times. She told Today: 'I had noticed... a spot on my right wrist, an unusual spot, probably the darkest spot on my body. I later learned [the color of the mole] was a common marker of skin cancer.' However, Ms Eilian added: [The doctor] had dismissed it and said, Dont worry about that."' Finally in 2010, her worry grew following her two-year-old's observation. She said: 'My two-year-old pointed to the spot on my wrist, which she had never mentioned before, and said, "Chocolate, you have chocolate, Mommy." 'It was such an unusual thing for her to say and notice.' The next time she visited the dermatologist, Ms Eilian, who joined the Melanoma Research Alliance's board of directors after her diagnosis, asked him to remove it. She said: 'He dismissed my concern again. I said, "Im uncomfortable, please take it off." DO YOU HAVE A HEALTH-RELATED STORY? EMAIL: Health@dailymail.com Advertisement 'After [my] pushing, he did take it off. But as he was taking it off, I distinctly remember him saying, "Im just telling you right now this is nothing."' But the next day, the doctor called Ms Eilian apologizing and telling her she had melanoma: 'He was sorry, but in fact, it was something.' The New Yorker quickly began seeing another doctor who took a biopsy, which revealed the melanoma was stage 2. She said: 'It was a very, very scary thing to hear when I had two young children [at the time] at home.' Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that is less common than other types, but more dangerous - and in three percent of cases, the primary source of the cancer is unknown. The American Cancer Society estimates 100,600 people will be diagnosed with the cancer in 2024, accounting for five percent of all new cancers, and 8,300 people will die from it, accounting for 1.4 percent of cancer deaths. The overall lifetime risk of getting the cancer is about three percent, or one in 33 people, but the risk increases if a person has a family history of the disease. In Ms Eilian's case, her grandmother and aunt had been diagnosed with melanoma and several other people in her family had been diagnosed with less aggressive forms of skin cancer. Rates of new melanomas vary - in people younger than 50, they've been stable among women and have declined by about one percent per year in men since early 2000s. The five-year survival rate is 94 percent, but that drops to 35 percent for melanomas that have spread. Annual full-body dermatological skin checks are recommended, but people can perform self-checks periodically at home. When conducting the examination, people should be on the look out for the ABCDEs of skin cancer. Annual full-body skin checks are recommended, but people can perform self-checks periodically at home. When conducting the exam, people should be on the look out for the ABCDEs of skin cancer A is for asymmetry: Is the mole symmetrical all the way around? Melanomas are often uneven and have different sized and shaped halves. B is for border: Does the mole have clear borders? Melanomas are more likely to have irregular or jagged edges. C is for color: Is the color the same throughout the mole? Melanomas are more likely to have multiple shades. D is for diameter: How big is the mole? Typically they should be the size of the end of a pencil and melanomas tend to be larger. Lastly, E is for evolving: Has the mole changed over time? Most benign moles stay the same year-to-year, but melanomas can grow in size and shape and change colors over time. Following her diagnosis, Ms Eilian underwent surgery to remove the mole, but because of its location on her wrist, doctors said it would be difficult to remove the spot while getting wide enough clear borders to ensure all of the cancer was gone. Ms Eilian told Today: 'There was concern that because of the amount of tissue they had to take out that there was a risk of me losing some functioning in my hand. 'Thank goodness, I never had that problem. But surgery was a little bit delicate from that standpoint.' Despite the concern, the operation was successful. The surgeon was able to remove the melanoma with clear margins and was also able to preserve complete function in her wrist and hand. Ms Eilian did not need to undergo chemotherapy or any further treatment and has been recurrence free since 2010 - though she still visits the dermatologist for skin checks every three months. She said: 'I have been healthy. I feel very lucky.' Following her ordeal, Ms Eilian underwent a health transformation, eating cleaner, exercising and meditating. She said: 'I felt very frightened. Feeling like I was having some control in my own journey and in my own outcomes gave me a lot of solace and was probably helpful in my recovery.' While in remission, Ms Eilian said she still has her concerns: 'When you have melanoma, it's one of the risk factors for things like breast cancer... My grandmother had both breast cancer and melanoma. 'Overall, it has heightened my awareness of my need to be careful with my health.' Inspired by her own health journey, Ms Eilian began to invest health and wellness companies to encourage people to be their own advocate and be proactive about their health. She added: 'While I would never say I know as much about melanoma or dermatology as a doctor, I do know more about my body than anyone else. 'Be persistent and be confident in yourself and your own observations.' Because a family history raises the risk of melanoma, Ms Eilian said her children have now started to undergo skin checks, including the daughter who prompted her to recheck her mole. Ms Eilian said: 'I have to thank my now 15-year-old daughter for identifying it. She saved my life.' A woman has revealed how she learned she had lung cancer via an email link from her doctor as she urges physicians to treat patients with more dignity. Jamie Sweeney, 64, said her eyes filled with tears when she received the panic attack-inducing news via a message on her iPad while at home in Cincinnati, Ohio. The link took her to a page on MyChart, an online system for accessing medical records, that revealed the results from tests on small lumps in her lungs days earlier. 'Terrified,' is how she described it to local news reporters, 'someone should have called me'. Gesturing to her disabled husband, she added: 'What happens to him? Who's going to take care of him?'. Ms Sweeney is one of a growing number of Americans receiving devastating diagnoses before speaking to a doctor. Jamie Sweeney, 64, from Ohio, said her eyes filled with tears when she received the diagnosis via an email. She is pictured above She is now worried about who is going to care for her husband, pictured left above, who is disabled after suffering from a workplace accident A spokesperson for MyChart said patients can turn off notifications, but there are fears that results can still be uploaded to online portals because hospitals are required to immediately share medical information, including cancer diagnoses, with patients. Ms Sweeney revealed to Local 12 that she received the diagnosis after clicking on an email from MyChart, which brought up her test results. It immediately said that she had a 'growing adenocarcinoma' or cancer and needed a 'multidisciplinary thoracic tumor board' or team of doctors to establish her treatment plan. Ms Sweeney, who had been living with benign spots on her lungs for years, said: 'What did that mean to me? It meant for sure I have cancer.' She is one of two-thirds of Americanas who use MyChart to access their medical records, which has been repeatedly blasted for sharing disturbing diagnoses before doctors have managed to contact patients. One woman wrote on Reddit just six days ago: 'I checked my online account [MyChart] today and the results were there. I had papillary carcinoma [thyroid cancer]. I have not even received a call from my doctor yet.' A second said: 'I found out the same way. I got an email saying MyChart was updated so I looked. 'An hour later a nurse called me because my doctor was out and unavailable and she was worried I would have seen it.' She received the email from MyChart, pictured above. MyChart said patients can turn off notifications in order to avoid receiving distressing news And a third said: 'I learned about my (inconclusive but still worrisome) biopsy results in MyChart and had a mild panic attack at work before I could get my [doctor] on the phone.' A spokesperson for Wisconsin-based Epic, which owns MyChart, said patients and hospitals could set the system to stop it sending notifications. 'Each organization decides how to configure results released based on their specific needs,' they said. 'MyChart allows patients to choose whether they want to see their results automatically or wait until their care team has reviewed them.' UC Health outside Cincinnati, where Ms Sweeney was receiving treatment, did not comment on the results release. DailyMail.com has also contacted them for comment. The bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which came into force in 2021, requires hospoitals to rapidly share medical information with patients. Three quarters of doctors, particularly those treating cancer patients, do not support the measure saying it causes anxiety to patients and triggers complaints about how care is delivered. But campaigners say the law was necessary to ensure that medical systems wouldn't act as 'gatekeepers' on patient's information. Caitlin Donovan, a healthcare policy expert at the National Patient Advocate Foundation, said: 'Unfortunately, that means that some patients are opening up these messages and receiving terrible reports without having a doctor interpret it for them first. 'I will say though, for patients, for a long time, patients have been frustrated because they felt like the entire medical industry was acting as gatekeepers to their own information. 'Now, this law swings the other way to where there's almost no filter.' About two million Americans are diagnosed with cancer in the US every year, data shows. More than half of drivers admit they've tailgated another motorists in the last 12 months, a new poll has found. Other bad road behaviour - including speeding and hogging the middle lane - is also on the rise, according to the report published by the AA. Despite the suggested decline in driving standards in Britain, the number of road casualties are falling, with the Department for Transport recording a 9 per cent drop in fatalities between June 2022 and 2023. Are driving standards going into reverse? A poll has found an increase in motorists admitted to tailgating other vehicles compared to when they surveyed drivers only 8 months ago Poll Have driving standards in Britain declined since the pandemic? Yes No They're about the same Have driving standards in Britain declined since the pandemic? Yes 640 votes No 18 votes They're about the same 52 votes Now share your opinion The Highway Code recommends road users 'allow at least a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster moving traffic'. The two seconds are made up of the time needed for thinking and stopping. And when it's raining you need to at least double that gap. However, AA Accident Assist's latest poll of 12,723 members revealed that 55 per cent ignore this rule when leaving a gap to the vehicle in front, making them guilty of hounding other motorists. Tailgating also occurs in slow moving and stationary traffic. And the AA says the dangerous action of tailgating has likely increased in the last eight months alone. When it surveyed motorists on the same subject back in November 2023, only 32 per cent of 13,400 drivers said they were ignoring the two-second gap rule. More than half (55%) of drivers who answered the AA survey admitting that they ignore the two-second gap rule when following another vehicle, making them guilty of hounding the car in front Also in last year's study, 29 per cent of motorists said tailgating is the bad road behaviour that annoys them the most - putting it top of the list for road aggravation. While tailgating isn't listed as a specific offence, it falls under the broad banner of careless driving. If caught by police - or a driver is captured tailgating on a dashcam recording that's submitted to the police - the offence and could land offenders with a 100 charge and three penalty points on your licence. And in the worst case scenarios where tailgating results in a serious collision, perpetrators can receive a driving ban or even a prison sentence. Other dangerous driving practices the AA identified as getting worse include speeding (55 per cent), middle lane hogging (52 per cent) and overtaking on the inside/left (51 per cent), Appallingly, more than two in five (44 per cent) drivers say they continue to use their mobile phone while driving, despite recent changes to the law that now sees this offence carry a 200 fine and six penalty points. And shockingly, almost half (46 per cent) said they'd been involved in a road rage incident in the last 12 months. The AA Accident Assist wants increased police presence on roads to catch drivers who are willing to break the law and risk driving dangerously, including cracking down on more than two fifths of motorists who still use a phone at the wheel The findings come as AA Accident Assist reveals they helped more than 16,000 drivers involved in rear-end crashes in 2023, and around 5,600 drivers so far this year. According to the latest road casualty statistics, three fifths (60 per cent) of all car collisions occur at junctions. The AA is calling on 'a more visible police presence' to make 'sure we drive responsibly' and to keep risk taking drivers in check. Tim Rankin, managing director of AA Accident Assist, said: 'It is not a shock that tailgating comes top of the list of behaviours worsening on our roads. 'Indeed, we know that there is a strong chance that a rear-end collisions can turn into a 'concertina collision' where numerous vehicles are damaged. 'Creating at least a two-second gap can help prevent crashes but could also reduce outbursts of road rage.' Three of Japan's biggest car makers have shunned electric vehicles and vowed to achieve carbon neutrality by developing cleaner internal combustion engines (ICE). Toyota, Mazda and Subaru announced in Tokyo this week they will commit to bringing to market smaller engines to use alongside hybrid technology and adopt green biofuels to lower vehicle emissions. Toyota, the world's biggest car seller, described its new compact ICE as 'an engine reborn'. All three manufacturers have been reluctant to join the battery car arms race currently in motion in China and Europe. And their latest announcement shows a willing to double down on a strategy involving selling more than just EVs in the future. Left to right: Subaru's CEO Atsushi Osaki, Toyota's CEO Koji Sato and Mazda's CEO Masahiro Moro confirm the three car companies have joined forces to develop new compact internal combustion engines in a bid to achieve carbon neutrality without relying solely on EVs Toyota's event, hosted alongside Mazda and Subaru Motor, showcased its in-development 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines, which it says with significantly reduced volume and height versus existing powerplants. 'With these engines, each of the three companies will aim to optimise integration with motors, batteries, and other electric drive units,' they said in a joint statement. Toyota chief executive Koji Sato said the 'engine is optimised for the electrification era' with hopes of helping push the world into 'carbon neutrality'. The three said their efforts will help decarbonise internal combustion engines by making them compatible with alternative fuel sources, such as e-fuels and biofuels. Sato added: 'Each company wants to win, but we can be faster if we work together.' Koji Sato, chief executive of Toyota Motor Corp., described the new smaller powerplant as 'an engine reborn' It comes after e-fuels were given a lifeline by the European Union last year with an agreement to allow combustion-engine cars to remain on sale beyond the proposed 2035 ban if they are compatible with these greener fuels. The triumvirate of Japanese car firms also hope the more compact engines will revamp vehicle design by allowing for lower bonnets, which should make future models more aerodynamic and therefore reduce demand on the combustion engine. Toyota - which has widely been seen as an EV laggard compared to some of its biggest rivals from other continents - is one of the manufacturers to benefit most from the recent slowdown in demand for electric cars. Best known for spearheading the hybrid era in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the Prius, it has seen uptake of both conventional and plug-in hybrids gain globally in the last 18 months in particular, coinciding with the decline in appetite for EVs. However, all three makers have released their own fully-electric models, and confirm they are also developing battery-only cars for the future. Toyota's bZ4X and Subaru's Solterra - both of which share the same EV platform - are available in Britain's showrooms while Mazda's electric MX-30 has been on sale since 2021. The decision to evolve traditional engine technology against the current market backdrop mirrors a similar move at Mercedes-Benz, which recently said it would continue to push ahead with petrol car development. And Chinese giant BYD has this week unveiled its new hybrid technology with lower fuel consumption, having seen EV demand stutter. Toyota - which has widely been seen as an EV laggard compared to some of its biggest rivals from other continents - is one of the manufacturers to benefit most from the recent slowdown in demand for electric cars Toyota, Mazda and Subaru all each have one full EV on sale in the UK at the moment. Toyota's model is the bZ4X, pictured here. It has a range of up to 318 miles and costs just over 40k Toyota's green compact engine Toyota says the small new 1.5-litre engine will achieve volume and weight reduction of 10 per cent versus existing powerplants of the same capacity, which are currently used in some of its most popular models, including the Yaris. The new 2.0-litre turbo engine will have similar gains over the current 2.5-litre turbo engines used in bigger models, such as the RAV4 SUV. Both powerplants can be linked to hybrid technology and run on synthetic e-fuels, which are already under development. Toyota's new compact internal combustion engine, which should be able to run on low-emission synthetic e-fuels, was on display at an event on Tokyo this week. Here's what we know about it so far Recent rule changes have provided a lifeline for e-fuels to save the internal combustion engine. The European Commission said in March 2023 it will allow new cars running on synthetic fuels to remain on sale beyond 2035 In 2021, Mazda announced it had joined the e-Fuel Alliance - a group of organisations that want to establish CO2-neutral e-fuels as a credible contributor to reducing transport emissions Chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima was pushed on a date for when the new engines could enter the market but declined to say when Toyota will launch models equipped with them. Car makers are already set to face tougher emissions standards in markets such the EU and UK where policymakers are working toward introducing the new Euro 7 emission standard from 2030, before banning sales of new CO2-emitting cars from 2035. While electric vehicles have become more prominent in recent years, Toyota has been following a 'multi-pathway' approach to carbon neutrality with vehicles offering a range of powertrains. It sold 2.4 million vehicles in January to March, of which nearly two-fifths were petrol-electric hybrids. Plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell and all-battery electric vehicles together accounted for just 2.9 per cent of registrations. Toyota, the world's largest car maker by sales volumes, has a stake in both sister brands - it owns around a fifth of Subaru and roughly 5 per cent of Mazda. Chairman Akio Toyoda in January said battery-powered electric vehicles will never dominate the car market, making up no more than 30 per cent of global sales. The surrender of the board of Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS) to the blandishments of Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is a national disgrace. An IDS board, stuffed with the great and the good including chairman Keith Williams and senior independent director Sarah Hogg, should have fought against this travesty. It is betraying the heritage of one of the nations most venerated institutions with a history dating back to 1635. More concerning, it is bad business and bad for Britain. The trajectory of former public utilities falling into the hands of financially driven, uncaring ownership has been disastrous. The same public which so abhors the ownership structure of Thames Water, where billions of pounds of dividends and interest payments flowed overseas, cannot watch events at Royal Mail with equanimity. At risk: The 3.6bn Royal Mail deal will be paid for by putting a chunk of debt onto IDS balance sheet. The consequence of that will be a huge interest bill and a rush to dispose of assets The 3.6billion deal by Kretinskys EP Group will be paid for by putting a chunk of debt onto IDSs balance sheet. The consequence of that will be a huge interest bill and a rush to dispose of assets including the profitable European parcels arm GLS. A debt burden can only lead to investment being cut and the enterprise becoming less competitive. Supermarket groups Morrisons and Asda have gone backwards since falling under private equity control. The IDS board will wave in the air a series of commitments made by Kretinsky as a guarantee that core values and union contracts will be respected. Hooey! In private hands and operating behind locked doors, without formal scrutiny by stakeholders, Kretinsky and his backers will have licence to do what they like, especially when five-year pledges vanish. Enforcement of such agreements, even if legal action is taken by regulators, always is too late. Equally alarming as the cowardice of a sub-octane IDS board is the attitude of our supine politicians. In their desire not to be seen as not interfering in free markets there is a curious complacency. The indifference of politicians was responsible for the loss of Arm Holdings to New York. A focused board saved AstraZeneca, now one of the nations most valuable enterprises, from being swallowed by rival Pfizer. When I first broached the prospective Royal Mail sale with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Washington last month he sounded less than enthusiastic. Indeed, he still insists that it will have to be examined on national security grounds. The Tories have given birth to the National Security and Investment Act and if still in government, they could have stopped this deal in its tracks. My fear is that it will fall through the electoral cracks. Kretinskys team have been busy buttering up Labour. The partys naive business spokesman Jonathan Reynolds insists that a Labour government will ensure the Czech billionaires assurances will be obeyed. There is not a cat in hells chance. Labour should make it clear now that it will not countenance such a transaction. It cannot be in favour of taking the railways back into state ownership, because of alleged mismanagement, while selling off the Royal Mail. If Keir Starmer is really the patriot he claims, he now has the chance to show he means it. Rishi Sunak has a unique chance to show Britain, in keeping with the US and France, he is willing to repel overseas marauders. Star Chambers All is forgiven. Anglo Americans chairman Stuart Chambers has shown backbone in holding out against the assault from Aussie-based BHP. What is even more impressive, he has done so in the face of urgings from Blackrock to keep on talking and a subsiding share price. Anglos biggest ally in the defence of the realm has been South Africa over almost a century of corporate history, including bold behaviour in the apartheid era. In particular it will be much more able to divest quoted offshoots Anglo Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore than BHP, which would have faced considerable regulatory and tax obstacles. London-quoted Anglo must now show that its go-it-alone strategy works. Best hope an early exit from iron coking coal. Several buyers, including Glencore, are in the wings. A sale would be a convincing early win for Chambers, chief executive Duncan Wanblad and investors. Bloomsbury Publishing shares rose on Wednesday after the group revealed its biggest acquisition to date. The London-listed independent publisher behind the Harry Potter series has acquired US group Rowman & Littlefield's academic publishing business for 65million. Bloomsbury's boss Nigel Newton hailed the deal as a 'game-changer' for the publisher, which upon completion will publish around 97,000 titles globally. Bloomsbury shares rose 2.33 per cent or 13p to 571p on Wednesday morning, having increased by nearly 40 per cent in the last year. Bumper acquisition: Bloomsbury Publishing has secured its biggest acquisition to date Bloomsbury said it will pay 60million upfront in cash, with an additional 5million held in escrow. The deal does not include Rowman & Littlefield's trade publishing or other non-academic units. Rowman & Littlefield, founded in 1949, publishes over 40,000 academic titles. The deal will enhance Bloomsbury's portfolio, expanding its reach in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Bloomsbury is looking to bolster its academic arm focusing on digital resources and expanding subject areas like business and psychology. The acquisition is expected to boost Bloomsbury's earnings significantly by 2025/26. It will be funded from the publisher's cash reserves and a 30million loan from Lloyds Bank. The transaction does not require shareholder approval. Newton said: 'Rowman & Littlefield is one of the few independent US academic publishers of such scale and it is great that our discussions with Jed Lyons have led to this acquisition. 'Their 40,000 academic titles added to ours will make us a significant US academic publisher, growing Bloomsbury's academic and digital publishing presence in North America, opening new markets and publishing areas to Bloomsbury, and is a key milestone in the delivery of our long-term growth strategy. 'Following the exceptional performance in our Consumer division in our recently announced Preliminary Results, the acquisition accelerates our Non-Consumer division, underlining our portfolio of portfolios strategy.' Bloomsbury shares sank last week after chair Richard Lambert announced his retirement after seven years in the role. Lambert, 79, a journalist and former chair of the British Museum, will be succeeded by John Bason, currently an independent non-executive director on the Bloomsbury board. Bloomsbury said results for fiscal 2025 would be slightly above expectations, with a revenue of 283.6million and pre-tax profit of around 35.4million. For the year ending 29 February, the group reported a pre-tax profit before exceptional items of 48.7million on revenues of 342.7million, driven by strong demand for fantasy fiction titles, particularly by author Sarah J Maas. FTSE 100 miner Anglo American has rejected rival BHP's request for extra time to table another takeover bid. BHP - which has so far seen three bids rejected - the most recent of which valued it at 39billion, this morning asked for an extension to its 'put up or shut up' deadline beyond its current countdown to 5pm this afternoon. The Australian firm laid out a number of measures it said addressed concerns about complexity and potential regulatory barriers standing in the way of a deal. But Anglo said in a statement that BHP has 'not addressed' its 'fundamental concerns' related to the 'disproportionate execution risk' associated with the structure of a the proposed deal and value delivered to shareholders. Denied: Anglo American rejects BHP's calls for an extension to put up or shut up deadline - potentially killing biggest mining deal in history BHP's proposals, which would mark the largest mining industry deal in history if completed, include a requirement for Anglo to demerge and sell its publicly-listed South African platinum and iron ore divisions. Anglo has said such a move would be 'unprecedented' and would likely face regulatory opposition in South Africa and elsewhere. BHP said it could pay an 'appropriate reverse break fee' if it does not gain the required antitrust and regulatory approvals in South Africa. It added these measures would 'provide substantial risk protection for Anglo American shareholders and supplement the significant value uplift that Anglo American shareholders will receive from the potential combination'. In response, Anglo said this approach 'does not sufficiently address' its concerns about 'disproportionate execution and value risks and uncertainty over an extended period'. Anglo has unveiled a separate plan to divest or spin off a significant chunk of its operations, which it says stands in 'clear contrast to' the BHP bid. Anglo added: 'Taking into consideration detailed feedback from the board's extensive engagement with Anglo American's shareholders and stakeholders, the board has therefore unanimously concluded that there is no basis for a further extension to the PUSU deadline.' Anglo American shares were down 2.5 per cent to 2,494p by late afternoon on Wednesday, limiting 2024 gains to roughly 27 per cent. Czech Sphinx Daniel Kretinskys 3.6billion swoop for Royal Mails parent company has failed to win over the City despite the companys board agreeing to the deal. Shares in International Distribution Services rose 4.3 per cent, or 13.8p, to 335p on the announcement, still short of the 370p offer price. It signalled that investors do not yet see it as a done deal, with regulators and politicians still needing to be convinced, and a new Government potentially in place within weeks. Kretinsky, already IDSs biggest shareholder with a 28 per cent stake, had seen an initial approach valuing the group at 3.1billion rejected last month. But an increased valuation together with commitments by Kretinskys EP Group, including promises on jobs and the Universal Service Obligation (USO) to deliver post across the UK at a single price, won the board over. Unconvinced: Shares in Royal Mail-owner International Distribution Services rose 13.8p after news of the deal failed to win over the City Analysts remain sceptical, with the General Election likely to mean further uncertainty over any Government intervention in the deal and a national security probe in the offing. Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, said: The price has been agreed and recommended by the board, now comes the hard part in getting the Government to approve the deal. The big question is which political party is going to be in power to decide, given the General Election is only five weeks away. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will not oppose the deal in principle though it would be subject to national security scrutiny. Labours shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Labour would take the necessary steps to safeguard Royal Mails undeniable identity and place in public life. Liberum analyst Gerald Khoo believes that clearing national security scrutiny would be a major hurdle. Khoo added: While the undertakings are significant, they cannot cover all contingencies and they only apply for a five-year period at most. We remain to be convinced that this will be sufficient to secure support from whichever government gets to make the decision. Khoo added that a review of the proposed takeover could be lengthy. Even if that were not to be the case, any decision would fall foul of the pre-election prohibition on making long-term decisions that would tie the hands of the next government. The cash takeover will be funded by 1.2billion of equity and around 2.3billion debt, an EP executive told Bloomberg. Debt facilities are being provided by BNP Paribas, Citibank, Societe Generale and Unicredit. The proposed takeover comes as Royal Mail battles to return to profitability amid plunging letter volumes and after a period when it has been wracked by industrial disputes. Privatised in 2013 at 330p, its shares have since had a torrid time peaking at above 600p in 2018 and then sinking below 120p at the height of Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. The groups rebrand as IDS highlighted the contrasting performances of loss-making Royal Mail and its sister company GLS, a European parcels operator. Annual results last week showed Royal Mail made a loss of 348million for the year to the end of March while GLS made a 320million profit, leaving the wider group 28million in the red. The company has been lobbying for changes to its USO, saying that it cannot meet the delivery targets. It has asked ministers and regulator Ofcom to allow it to reduce second-class letter delivery requirements so that it delivers them every other weekday. Biotech deal: Dame Kate Bingham (pictured) led Britains Covid vaccine task force in early 2020 A British biotech company co-founded by the Governments vaccines tsar has been sold to an American pharma group for 2.4billion. Dame Kate Binghams eye diseases treatment firm EyeBio has been snapped up by Merck for 1biliion. Another 1.36billion depends on meeting targets. Bingham led Britains Covid vaccine task force in early 2020 and is the chairman of EyeBio. Her venture capital firm SV Health Investors set up the business with scientists David Guyer and Anthony Adamis. It is developing a drug to treat the most significant forms of blindness affecting more than 200m people. Bingham said it could be a multibillion-dollar therapy and a potential health game-changer. She said the deal, three years after it was founded, was a vote of confidence in UK biotech. Merck last year bought immunologist Prometheus Biosciences for 8.6billion. The upcoming House Farm Bill will contain measures to restrict foreign entities like China from scooping up American farmland in a big win for national security, a Republican who helped secure the provisions told DailyMail.com. Foreign entities own a total of 40 million acres of U.S. farmland and China has bought up nearly 347,000 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Now lawmakers are working to further restrict China and other adversaries from snatching up coveted land in the fiscal year 2024 'Farm Bill.' Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who represents a heavy agricultural district, says it's critical to stop China in order to protect U.S. food supply chains and bolster national security. 'Communist China shouldn't be allowed to buy another acre of American farmland, nor should we rely upon our top foreign adversary for key parts of our food supply chain,' Hinson exclusively told DailyMail.com. Chinese entities own farmland in 29 out of the U.S.'s 50 states, totaling 347,000 acres The Chinese land purchases near important U.S. military instillations have been a particular concern for lawmakers and government officials. In 2022, for example, the China-based food producer, Fufeng Group, acquired 300 acres of land in Grand Forks, just 20 minutes down the road from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, where some of the nation's most sensitive drone technology is based. Air Force Major Jeremy Fox wrote a memo that year characterizing the move as being emblematic of Chinese efforts to install themselves close to sensitive US defense installations. He argued that the Fufeng property is located at just the right location for the company to intercept communications coming from the Air Force base. Now, lawmakers are moving to crack down on such instances using the Farm Bill. One of the wins Hinson says will be in the bill are reforms to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA). Those improvements would help the government more easily track foreign entities' purchases of U.S. agricultural land. It will also now mandate minimum penalties on individuals who intentionally submit false AFIDA filings. As highlighted by the January GAO report, previously the USDA tracked foreign agricultural land purchases using paper forms. Now, the Farm Bill includes language to create an online submission form where the USDA can better track submissions. The land the Fufeng Group purchased is 20 minutes, approximately 16 miles, from the Grand Forks Air Force Base Chinese firms own 346,915 acres of American agricultural land as of December 2022 Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, touted reforms to the House Farm Bill that would further restrict foreign entities from purchasing U.S. farmland The measure will also require the USDA to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to ensure timely data sharing of international land purchases. CFIUS is an inter-agency committee dedicated to reviewing the implications of foreign investment into the U.S. - and they work closely with the intelligence community to ensure the integrity of such deals don't present national security threats. The new House Farm Bill would also establish a position dedicated to auditing and overseeing activities related to AFIDA called the Chief of Operations of Investigative Actions, which would report to CFIUS land acquisitions that could pose a threat to national security. Hinson, who sits on the House China Select Committee, helped ensure that reports on agricultural land buys by citizens or entities with ties to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea or other state sponsors of terrorism identify potential threats to the U.S. The Farm Bill also includes language from Hinson's Securing American Agriculture Act which would reshore the production of vitamins and ingredients necessary for livestock and agricultural production. Much of those recourses rely heavily on Chinese supply lines to maintain, which the Iowan has said poses risks to the U.S. The current version of the bill passed through the House Committee on Agriculture 33 - 21 last week. Under the new reforms, the USDA will create an online submission portal for Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) filings Foreign countries own at least 40 million acres of US farmland, pastures and forests, which officials claimed may have consequences for national security. However, a watchdog said the government is not 'reliably' tracking data on land owners. Pictured is only farmland ownership One Chinese billionaire owns seven percent of all land in Val Verde County in Texas Chairman of the committee, Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., celebrated the bill's passage through committee with bipartisan support, saying in a statement last week, 'Great things can be accomplished when you dont surround yourself with redlines, and I am eager to continue our work with whomever wants to come to the table.' Hinson also celebrated the bill's committee approval. 'I was proud to work with Chairman Thompson to ensure initiatives to reshore our food supply chain and prevent Communist China from buying our land were included in the House Farm Bill.' 'Food security is national security, and this Farm Bill bolsters both.' Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci's top aide admitted he skirted federal laws in order to cover up correspondence about COVID origins. Now, House Republicans are ramping up their investigation about his 'intentional' efforts to avoid transparency about coronavirus origins discussions. Dr. David Morens, a top advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic, testified last week before Congress that used a personal email account to discuss work-related topics. According to his own correspondence, he did this in order to avoid federal transparency requirements under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Subpoenaed emails obtained by Republicans show that Morens said he 'learned from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear.' And just how that 'foia lady' Margaret Moore at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) helped Morens is now the subject of a probe by House Republicans. Dr. David Morens apologized to lawmakers for intentionally deleting his emails about COVID-19 while serving as Dr. Anthony Fauci's top advisor and for making misogynistic comments about former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a May 22, 2024 congressional hearing The majority of emails were between Morens and defamed coronavirus researcher Dr. Peter Daszak, who he considered to be a 'best friend.' Morens has claimed he didn't know he was doing anything wrong and said he wasn't aware he was deleting federal records or that using his personal email to conduct business-related matters was improper. But Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, is now requesting briefings with the National Archives and NIH to discuss the extent of Morens' cover-up scheme. 'This evidence taken together suggests a conspiracy at the highest levels of NIH and NIAID to avoid public transparency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic,' Wenstrup wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to NIH Director Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli. 'If what appears in these documents is true, this is an apparent attack on public trust and must be met with swift enforcement and consequences for those involved.' 'We write to you to request a staff level briefing no later than June 4, 2024, regarding NIH's document retention, transparency, FOIA, and personal e-mail policies,' the letter stated. In a letter also sent Tuesday to Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan, Wenstrup similarly requested a briefing on the Archive's 'investigation into Morens's use of a personal e-mail to avoid transparency, including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and potential wrongful disposition of official records.' Notably, the deadlines for the briefings comes one day after Fauci is slated to testify before the committee on June 3. In addition to requesting briefings from the National Archives and NIH, Wenstrup revealed that Fauci's former Chief of Staff, Greg Folkers, also used tactics to evade FOIA requests by intentionally misspelling words in his communications regarding COVID-19 and its origins. Wenstrup expressed concern over a conspiracy to cover up COVID-19's origins at the 'highest levels of NIH and NIAID' Morens bragged to Daszak using his personal email account that he learned how to make emails disappear. He notably used his official NIH signature at the bottom Morens suggested to Daszak he could send information to Fauci's personal email or deliver it personally to avoid transparency laws Morens claimed he learned how to avoid FOIA scrutiny from Margaret Moore, who formerly worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH Daszak received millions in U.S. federal funding to perform research at the WIV and Morens later said in emails Fauci and NIH colleagues would 'protect' him 'This evasion tactic ensures that when the NIH searches its email server for key words that are responsive to a FOIA request, Mr. Folkers's emails that contain the misspelled key word are not identified or produced as a responsive document,' Wenstrup wrote in a press release Tuesday. One of the suspect typos is regarding Daszak's non-profit EcoHealth Alliance, which was awarded $7.5 million in federal funding to conduct coronavirus and related research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where some believe the virus was manufactured and later escaped from. 'In one email produced to the Select Subcommittee through a subpoena, Mr. Folkers appears to have purposefully misspelled 'EcoHealth' as 'Ec~Health,' the chairman wrote. 'Although the NIH claims it conducted a thorough investigation into Dr. Morens, these evasive tactics along with previously uncovered evidence that Dr. Morens began using a Proton Mail account after his Gmail was probed by the Select Subcommittee raise serious concerns that the NIHs investigation missed important information,' the statement continued. These latest developments come in the wake of Morens disastrous testimony before the COVID-19 committee on May 22. The former Fauci aide was forced to apologize repeatedly misogynistic comments made in subpoenaed emails and for the reason he was actually testifying to in the first place - deleting those emails to cover up a trail of communications between himself and Daszak. EcoHealth's research is at the center of the committee's probe into the origins of the virus, as are key allies of Daszak, Morens and Fauci himself. Dr. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance (left) pictured with Dr. Anthony Fauci (right) Peter Daszak, right, Thea Fischer, left, and other members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of COVID-19 arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology Astonishingly, Morens also admitted to helping Daszak apply for federal funding and even asked him for a 'kickback' after the coronavirus researcher received $7.5 million from the agency Morens oversees, according to emails revealed by the committee. 'Do i get a kickback????? Too much fooking money! DO you deserve it all? Lets discuss,' Morens sent Daszak in an email. 'Of course there's a kick-back,' Daszak responded in an email revealed Wednesday. When pressed on the exchange by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., last week, Morens said he was just joking. 'Um, that's typical black humor between people like Peter and me,' Morens responded. Morens testified he had not received any compensation from EcoHealth or Daszak. Though several lawmakers on the committee appeared to not believe him. The married couple's former Selma home was destroyed by a tornado in January Selma, Alabama, has been fighting the decrease of its population, but one family has given the community a fun story worth telling. Selma residents Tamicka Newberry and her husband, Kennard Randolph, currently live in a free house they won in a raffle drawing on April 18. Winners of the giveaway organized by the NACA, Selma Housing Authority & Black Belt Community Foundation, the couple accepted their new home just three months after their original house was destroyed in a tornado. 'To relocate, it wasnt just like we lost our apartment,' Newberry told AL.com earlier this month. 'We lost our family too. I still keep in contact with some of them, but some went here and some went there, so you know, its been a journey.' Selma residents Tamicka Newberry and her husband, Kennard Randolph, became the new homeowners of a house in Selma, Alabama last month Selma's population has been decreasing for several years, and around 1,800 families were moved to other living locations after a tornado ripped through the town in January 2024. Most of the Selma residents began living in hotels while they looked for other places to call their home. Newberry, who relocated after her and Randolph's house was destroyed, revealed in an April 25 YouTube video posted by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) that she moved to another housing complex in Selma. The Alabama resident still dreamt of having a house of her own in the fastest-shrinking town, which came true after she won the free house from an initiative to revitalize Selma. 'It was awesome. It took me a minute to realize it was my name and then I jumped for joy,' Newberry told AL.com. Newberry's win is part of a new initiative to build affordable homes in Selma and help it become a foundation for economic and social growth. Newberry and Randolph's home was destroyed by a hurricane last January, which resulted in them living in another Selma housing complex 'This project definitely is serving as a model. A model for communities of all sizes, honestly, but definitely as a model for rural, disadvantaged small communities,' said Danielle Wooten, who is the planning and development director for Selma. Wooten added that despite the town's efforts, Selma lost 341 residents from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023. Although this means that Selma suffered a 2 percent decline, the city has not been compiling data on how many families returned to the town after the tornado. Another notable issue is the housing shortage, which has been an issue in Selma since before the tornado occurred. 'It creates a situation where people cannot live and work in Selmaand the tornado has just exacerbated that crisis,' Wooten told Al.com. The tornado not only damaged Newberry's home, but it also changed how she felt about where she lived. Newberry and Randolph won the house as part of a new initiative to build affordable homes in Selma to help with economic and social growth Newberry had felt like her temporary Selma home was 'a different atmosphere' compared to her living situation before the tornado 'It was just a different atmosphere,' Newberry said regarding her Selma home location after the tornado. 'There was a roof over our head but it didnt feel like home. It didnt feel like a fit for me.' Newberry began to attend meetings held by NACA - a nonprofit organization that helps individuals get affordable housing and take the proper steps to owning a home. NACA had already reached out to the city of Selma a few months before the tornado in order to hold workshops on how to help citizens become homeowners. Instead, the organization is now playing a role in building 100 new homes in Selma that are energy-efficient, climate resistant, and more resilient during natural disasters. These modular homes, which includes Newberry's property, were built according to housing codes and each location was tested to handle high-wind speeds. The NACA has built five homes after entering a public-private partnership with the city, Selma Housing Authority and the Black Belt Community Foundation. 'When people feel that they have a safe place, a comfortable place where they can lay their head, commune with their families, its uphill from there,' said NACA mortgage counselor Brian Rodriguez. He added that the January tornado resulted in a rental market downfall that 'couldn't support the amount of people that needed a place to go.' The NACA has since built five homes after entering a public-private partnership with the city, Selma Housing Authority and the Black Belt Community Foundation. The land was purchased by the housing authority, while NACA purchased the houses after receiving $700,000 in funding from the community foundation. According to Rodriguez, Bank of America also contributed an addition $2 million to the housing project. The three-bedroom, two-bedroom houses, which will sell for around $169,500, can also be bought by individuals who use Section 8 vouchers. 'Our goal is to see how we can use our vouchers to create homeownership opportunities, said Kennard Randolph, CEO of the Selma Housing Authority. The soon-to-be-built 100 three-bedroom, two-bedroom homes will sell for around $169,500 According to Wooten, the NACA believes that 'if they can do it here in Selma in these conditions, they should be able to replicate it in other areas as well.' Selma's title for being the fastest-shrinking city in Alabama is in part due to white flight and the Craig Air Force Base closure in 1977. These closures led other business and community centers to permanently shut down and the population went down by 37 percent and 13 percent in the last decade. 'I do think theres a correlation with the housing shortage and population decline, especially with quality housing access,' said Wooten. Despite the housing crisis, it was reported by AL.com that there are thousands of jobs available and Selma is within the top 50 micropolitan areas. 'Housing absolutely impacts the economic status of the community as well as quality of life,' Wooten said. 'Home ownership has to be a foundation for long-term stability. By owning your homes, families create a legacy for the future generations and secure family success.' Dozens of victims were targeted during the nearly ten-year hunt for the culprit A decade-long hunt for the hoodlum terrorizing a quiet LA neighborhood with his slingshot has ended with the arrest of an 81-year-old man after a raid on his home. Prince Raymond King was found with a slingshot and ball bearings when police executed a search warrant on his $640,000 home in leafy West Crescent Drive in Azusa on Thursday. Dozens of his neighbors had found their cars, windows and properties targeted by a man police referred to as a 'serial slingshot shooter'. 'We're not aware of any kind of motive other than just malicious mischief,' said Lt Jake Bushey of the Azusa Police Department. 'It's been ongoing for many years because we just didn't identify who the suspect was.' Prince King, 81, was taken from LA Central Jail to Citrus Municipal Court on Tuesday to face felony and misdemeanor charges of vandalism Police began investigating after the first report in 2015. Some victims found BB-sized holes in their properties and others had whole windows shattered. Neighbors who had given up hope of an end to the torment were delighted to see police department's Directed Enforcement Unit swoop on the elderly man's home. 'I've actually seen him shoot the slingshot before,' one told NBC News. 'He's never shot at us or anything but a lot of neighbors, I couldn't believe that he was arrested by a SWAT team and stuff yesterday, it was pretty crazy.' 'Many times I would come outside and I would find like little BBs on the ground by my front door,' said another, 'so I'm very glad that the person was caught.' Dozens of potentially lethal ball bearings were recovered in the raid on his home Police said the attacks originated mainly from the garage area of King's home Residents plagued for a decade by a slingshot hoodlum in the leafy LA suburb of Azusa were shocked to see police raid the home of their elderly neighbor Azusa Police did not reveal how many ball bearings had been recovered as they addressed the 'quality of life issue' with a post on Facebook. But they said most of the shots were fired from King's garage and another location in the neighborhood. 'DEU conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that during the course of nine to ten years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter,' they wrote. 'The unknown suspect broke windows, windshields and almost stuck people with ball bearings. 'Today, DEU investigators served a search warrant in the neighborhood where the incidents were occurring. 'Ultimately, suspect Prince King of Azusa was arrested. During the search, ball bearings and a slingshot were recovered from his residence.' Residents told NBC they had suspected for years who was menacing their neighborhood Some feared they had fallen victim in the decade-long wave of attacks 'They broke the back window of my husband's car, probably the same guy,' wrote Lupe Lopez in response to the police's Facebook post. 'His dirty hobby cost us $700!' King, was taken from Los Angeles Central Jail to Citrus Municipal Court on Tuesday where he was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of vandalism. He was released on his own cognizance but barred from going within 200 yards of his own home except to pick up medications, and has been banned from possessing any weapons - including slingshots. He is due back in court on June 17 for a preliminary hearing. A grief-stricken woman whose fiance was killed in a car accident a week ago has vowed to try and conceive his baby. William Van Oosten, 21, was travelling along Toomuc Valley Road in Pakenham, 53km south east of Melbourne's CBD, at 12.40am last Wednesday. Mr Van Oosten, who was affectionately known as Billy, lost control of his vehicle when it rolled off the side of the road. Emergency services rushed to the site of the crash and tried to revive Mr Oosten, but he died at the scene. The 21-year-old had recently become engaged to his girlfriend-of-four-years, Aroha Skipwith-Taurua, and the pair had made immediate plans to start a family. William Van Oosten, 21, (pictured) died after he lost control while driving and his car rolled off the side of the road A GoFundMe was created by Mr Van Oosten's close friend Liam Harnett to help Ms Skipwith-Taurua with funeral expenses and the cost of conceiving her finace's child. '[Mr Van Oosten and Ms Skipwith-Taurua] recently got engaged and were going to start a little family of their own,' he wrote. 'She wants to make Billy's dream come true and give birth to his child. 'Aroha, will need all the support and help she can towards funeral costs, future expenses and continuing on Billy's legacy.' Mr Harnett's mum, Kylie, said Mr Van Oosten had grown into a 'beautiful young man' who had met the 'love of his life' in Ms Skipwith-Taurua. 'Once he met her he settled down and started to grow into a decent young man who just had some goals for their future together,' she told news.com.au. Ms Harnett added she had known Mr Van Oosten since he was four-years-old and he had been best friends with her son Liam. The 46-year-old explained Ms Skipwith-Taurua only wants to have Mr Van Oosten's children and hopes to make his dream of having a family come true. Ms Skipwith-Taura has already harvested Mr Van Oosten's sperm but is now looking for a place that would help her conceive his child. Mr Van Oosten had recently got engaged to his girlfriend of four years Aroha Skipwith-Taurua. The pair had made immediate plans to start a family and Ms Skipwith-Taurua has vowed to conceive her late fiancee's child 'She will have to go overseas to have this procedure done, so she can conceive Billy's child,' Mrs Harnett said. 'The struggle now is to find somewhere that will do it and obviously it is going to cost her a lot of money, which is why we made the GoFundMe page.' 'Both their wishes as a couple was to have a child together. Which is why Liam is raising all this money to make sure that happens, in honour of his best mate.' The Harnetts hope to raise $20,000 for Ms Skipwith-Taurua, which will be used to help cover the procedure, funeral expenses and future costs of raising a child. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had received 24 donations totalling $2,170. Mr Van Oosten is survived by his parents William and Sharon, sisters Lara and Tasha, and his fiancee Aroha Skipwith-Taurua. A police investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding Mr Van Oosten's crash is ongoing. New video shows the embarrassing moment a Tesla Cybertruck got caught trying to cross a California river - the latest in a string of mishaps involving the electric vehicle. The futuristic pickup truck was caught on camera attempting to traverse the body of water in Azusa Canyon on Sunday. A video posted to YouTube shows the angular car stuck in the river with water covering its tires. The Cybertruck tired to drive over the waters edge, but got caught before the back tires could cross onto land. The driver reversed the vehicle to the opposite edge in an effort to gain momentum, but failed again to successfully cross. A Tesla Cybertruck got caught trying to cross a river in Azusa Canyon, California on Sunday After repeated attempts to backup then accelerate over the waters edge, a Silverado pickup truck helped pull the Cybertruck out of the water, according to the YouTube uploader. Commenters mocked the driver for trying to use the innovative looking vehicle to cross a body of water. 'Thought this was the best off-road vehicle ever, what happened,' said commenter Pat Benjamin. 'One issue I notice with the cyber truck is that its just too stiff for how large of a wheelbase it has. When wheels are that far apart you need more suspension. Otherwise its just a tall car,' said Derrick Fishes. 'I would not take 100k truck in a river like that. First of all its electric so Id worry about that. Second just because it has 1000 horsepower and tons of torque or whatever does not mean it can do anything,' said Zane Dzikonski. 'Its suspension and tires are not meant for off-roading. Also always go with a friend that can pull ya out.' 'Cant wait until influencer money runs out. This is a clown show,' said another. This is the latest in a slew of incidents involving the vehicle that many purchasers have had a myriad of issues with. In March, a driver rammed into the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel sign and asked Elon Musk for a new one after blaming the hotel's valet service. A post on X included a dramatic photo of the futuristic car wedged right below the fancy hotel's infamous sign. In March, Philadelphia rapper 2Rare claimed to have rammed his Cybertruck into the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel sign The brand new stainless steel 'cyberbeast' had its door ripped off by the crash, which called for the police to show up on the scene. During the 2 a.m. incident, the vehicle became lodged on top of the raised curb and into the palm leaves surrounding the entrance sign. Philadelphia rapper 2Rare claimed to be the driver of the truck that crashed into famed hotel. The valet service clapped back and said none of their employee's were driving the doomed electric pickup truck. A careless driver who ignored a 'No Vehicles on Beach or Dunes' sign ended up driving his Tesla Cybertruck onto a California beach in March, where it proceeded to get stuck in the sand. A video that was taken by a bystander captured the entire ordeal, showing the driver, who was from Nevada, talking with firefighters and other officials, while his Cybertruck stood a few yards away from the lapping waves. A California driver ignored a 'No Vehicles on Beach or Dunes' sign ended up driving his Cybertruck onto the beach and got stuck in the sand Moments later, the firefighters endeavored to push the 6,8430-pound vehicle off of the beach. The woman who recorded the video, which was shared with KSBW8, narrated: 'Today is March fourth and some dumb*** decided to take his Tesla onto the sand.' She added that the driver was 'livid.' The firefighters could be seen slowly rolling the truck backward, with much exertion and strain. The White House on Tuesday defended U.S. ally Israel's response to the airstrike that killed dozens of civilians in Gaza, even comparing the tragic error to U.S. strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'We have conducted airstrikes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan where, tragically, we caused civilian casualties,' White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House. 'We did the same thing. We owned up to it, we investigated it, and we tried to learn from it to make changes,' he said, even as he spoke to the 'heartbreaking' images following an Israeli strike in Gaza Sunday. 'We tried to learn from it to make changes so that that those set of mistakes wouldn't happen again, including, as we pulled out of Afghanistan, where we did ... an airstrike which tragically killed a father and some of his kids. We atone for it. We learn from it. And we put in place procedures to try to prevent that from happening again. And that's what our expectations will be in this case,' Kirby said. Kirby was referencing a 2021 U.S. drone strike in Kabul in the last days of the decades long U.S. engagement there. 'This exactly does speak to the challenge of military operations in a densely populated area, a challenge I would add ... that we have been sharing our perspective with the Israelis, from our own lessons learned in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. This incident speaks exactly to that challenge,' he said. The White House responded to 'devastating images coming out of Rafah' following an Israeli strike that killed dozens of civilians Kirby said the U.S. ally had not crossed a red line and said the U.S. is not planning any policy changes as a result. White House national security spokesman John Kirby referenced 'devastating images coming out of Rafah' over the weekend after an Israeli Defense Forces strike that killed 'dozens of innocent Palestinians including children.' He called the images ' heartbreaking that horrible.' But Kirby told reporters that Israel had not violated President Joe Biden's 'red line' for withholding future offensive arms transfers because it has not, and it appears to the U.S. that it will not, launch a full-scale ground invasion into the city in southern Gaza. That was in keeping with repeated U.S. warnings not to do so without presenting a plan that would protect civilians. 'Everything that we can see tells us that they are not moving into a major ground operation in population centers in the center of Rafah,' Kirby said. Most of those killed in the Sunday strike were sheltering in tents. Kirby pushed back when asked how many 'charred corpses' the president had to see before he considered a change a reference to the raging tent fired that ensued after the Israeli strike. 'We don't want to see a single more innocent life taken, and I kind of take a little offensive the question. No civilian casualties is the right number of civilian casualties. And this is not something that we've turned a blind eye to, nor has it been something we've ignored or neglected to raise with our Israeli counterparts,' said Kirby. 'As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to,' he said. 'It just happened. The Israelis are going to investigate it. We're going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we'll see where it goes from there.' He also pointed to the size of the munitions Israel said the IDF used, at a time when the administration has put a hold on sending 2,000 pound bombs to Israel. A '37 pound bomb is not a big bomb, and it is exactly the kind of munitions if in fact, that's what they used ... If it is in fact that they used it is certainly indicative of an effort to be discreet and targeted and precise,' he said. National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said there is there is still 'no major ground operation', following repeated U.S. contact with Israel urging it to protect civilian life Kirby noted the loss of life of children during the attack 'We understand that this strike did kill two senior Hamas heads who are directly responsible for attacks,' Kirby said His comments came on a day when the Pentagon said a $320 million pier the U.S. had constructed to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza would have to be towed away for repairs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a 'tragic mishap' was made in carrying out the airstrike, adding to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Biden and his top advisers have repeatedly warned the Israelis against carrying out widescale operations in Rafah without a plan to secure the safety of innocent civilians. But the administration made clear that it would not move - at least not immediately - to curtail any support for Israel as a result of the strike. But other global leaders were sharper in their condemnation. President Emmanuel Macron used social media to say that 'these operations must stop.' The Foreign Ministry of Germany called the images of the strike 'unbearable' and said the 'civilian population must finally be better protected.' And Qatar, a key mediator in attempts to secure a cease-fire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, said the Rafah strike could 'complicate' talks. The incident came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gazas 2.3 million people had sought shelter before Israels incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area, while many others have fled. Kirby said Biden's 'not making decisions based on popularity or public opinion polls here or around the world,' but acknowledged it wasnt in the U.S. interest or 'our Israeli partner's interest for them to become further isolated' on the world stage. He called the loss of life 'heartbreaking' and 'horrific,' and said 'we certainly condemn the loss of life here.' He added that the U.S. was monitoring the results of an Israeli investigation into the strike, which suggested the civilian deaths were the result of a secondary explosion after a successful strike on two Hamas operatives. 'We understand that this strike did kill two senior Hamas heads who are directly responsible for attacks,' Kirby said. 'We've also said many times Israel must take every precaution possible to do more to protect innocent life.' State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that Israels weeks-old offensive in Rafah was still on a 'far different' scale than the assaults Israeli forces waged on other cities in Gaza earlier in the seven-month war against Hamas. The U.S. had urged Israel not to replicate those earlier attacks in Rafah, given the vulnerable civilians crowded there. Miller said he had no direct knowledge of reported accounts from witnesses on the ground Tuesday that Israeli tanks had entered the center of Gaza, and noted Israel had denied responsibility for a new Israeli strike outside of Rafah on Tuesday that Gaza health officials said killed more than 20 people. Asked whether the strike would result in any U.S. policy changes, Kirby said, 'I have no policy changes to speak to.' Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said she did not know whether it was a U.S.-provided weapon that was used in the deadly Sunday strike that killed the dozens of civilians at a displacement camp. 'I do not know what type of ammunition was used in that airstrike,' Singh said. 'I have to refer you to the Israelis to speak to that.' The Israelis have said they used small-diameter precision munitions in the attack and have suggested that a secondary explosion caused the number of civilian deaths. Singh said the U.S. has not paused shipments to Israel in the wake of the strike. 'Security assistance continues to flow,' Singh said. Still, Kirby said the incident reflected the challenge of conducting military operations in densely populated areas like Rafah, a concern that Biden and his top advisers have repeatedly raised with the Israelis. 'Theres going to be an investigation. Theyve already said it was a tragic mistake,' he added. 'Theyre looking into it. They have been able to investigate themselves and hold people accountable in the past. Well see what they do here.' ___ AP writers Tara Copp and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed. An embattled DA has canceled an event to announce her Chinese name months after she was accused of making 'hateful remarks' about Asians. Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sent out a press release to announce the bizarre event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 12pm on Tuesday. But the next morning it was called off after she was mocked online by Asian locals who called it pandering after she was accused of racism by former staff. They also thought it was a strange thing to do in general as Price, who is black, has no Chinese heritage. Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sent out a press release to announce the bizarre event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 12pm on Tuesday 'Someone messaged me to ask if this was an April Fool's joke. I then sent this person the press release that came from the DA's office!' local TV reporter Dion Lim wrote. Another Twitter user replied: 'She is trying to cheat and lie to the Asians, especially, the Chinese community so the nice and friendly communities will not vote her out in November. 'If she is not removed from the office, she will revenge the community and ethnicities who help vote her out.' Price has been using a Chinese name since at least last April, when she took out a full-page ad in Chinese-language US newspaper World Journal. The characters translate to 'goon' (government official) 'seen' (kind or good) 'zing' (pure or virginity) in Cantonese, and provoked similar scorn at the time. 'It's actually pretty dumb to call herself that. The three characters together mean 'a nice virgin bureaucrat',' one Cantonese speaker noted at the time. Price has been using a Chinese name since at least last April, when she took out a full-page ad in Chinese-language US newspaper World Journal The characters translate to 'goon' (government official) 'seen' (kind or good) 'zing' (pure or virginity) in Cantonese, and provoked similar scorn at the time San Francisco Standard reporter Han Li said the name sounded more like something out of a Korean drama. Another Chinese local wrote: 'I'm enraged by Pamela Price having a Chinese name - tainting our language and culture! Bad person!' A second wrote: 'Just like all the other racists before us she thinks she can pander to the community w some Chinese characters.' Price was to announce her Chinese name in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in recognition of Alameda County's diverse population. She was to be joined by Elaine Peng, founder of the Mental Health Association of Chinese Communities, at the now-canceled event. Price has a strained relationship with the local Asian community after several claims of racism over the past year. Patti Lee, who worked as Price's spokeswoman for about six months last year until she fired her, said the DA 'constantly and openly' made derogatory comments about Asian Americans. In a legal claim - a precursor to a lawsuit - she claimed she was fired because of anti-Asian discrimination, and after she complained about breaches of duty in the office. She is seeking a $1.5 million settlement for emotional distress stemming from retaliation, discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to pay wages. Lee said Price would often make the discriminatory remarks 'under her breath', while also accusing the former spokesman of leaking information to the press. Price has a strained relationship with the local Asian community after several claims of racism over the past year The fired spokeswoman 'would frequently hear derogatory comments about her race made by supervisory employees, including District Attorney Pamela Price herself,' the claim said. 'Indeed, Ms. Price would constantly and openly make derogatory remarks against Asian Americans.' The allegations come as Price faces a recall effort barely a year into her tenure as the county's first black woman to hold the DA post. Recall campaigners turned in more than 123,000 petition signatures to the county's Registrar of Voters. The organization has 10 days to decide whether the petition includes at least 73,000 valid signatures to put the question to a vote. Lee also claims the DA's office violated the First Amendment by barring the Berkeley Scanner founder Emilie Raguso from a press conference in November. The office repeatedly banned the reporter from their press list without notice earlier in 2023, according to Lee. Per the scanner, the DA's office originally claimed Raguso was turned away for security reasons but later admitted it was an 'oversight'. In a February 26 letter to the DA's office from Lee's attorneys, the fired spokeswoman described what happened at the press conference as a 'content-based restriction of reporting' and a 'cartoonish violation of the First Amendment'. 'Ms. Lee was aware of the preexisting animosity and knew that the reasons for refusing Ms. Raguso access to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office's press conference were pretextual,' the letter says. Price declared: 'This directive reduces reliance on sentencing enhancements and allegations as an effort to bring balance back to sentencing and reduce recidivism'. Lee's letter adds that Raguso's exclusion came 'at the specific behest of District Attorney Pamela Price'. She says that Price's office repeatedly tried to delete, change and hide public records when the Scanner and other Bay Area news outlets began inquiring about the decision to exclude Raguso. The journalists being kicked out of the press conferences came after the Berkley Scanner published damning memos she sent about relaxed sentencing. The memo made probation the 'presumptive offer' during plea negotiations, and said low-end prison terms should be offered in cases that aren't eligible for probation although nearly every crime in the California penal code is eligible for probation. The policy allows for exceptions in 'extraordinary' circumstances, including human trafficking, hate crimes, child or elder abuse, and crimes that cause 'extensive' physical injury. Price declared: 'This directive reduces reliance on sentencing enhancements and allegations as an effort to bring balance back to sentencing and reduce recidivism'. The directive became especially controversial as Price refused to confirm she would back sentencing enhancements to three gang members accused of murdering two-year-old Jasper Wu, who was killed by a stray bullet. This upset the Asian community, which frustrated Price to the point where she wrote another memo with the subject line 'to the Chinse communities'. The National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association, which received the email, said it wasn't clear who she was referring to. Price meets with an Asian constituent at a recent event However, it said the message complained about 'vocal members of the local Chinese community and media' she accused of spreading 'misinformation' about the case. 'Based on prior statements in the e-mail, she was insinuating that she did not believe the Chinese community was aware of the very basic tenets of the American criminal justice system,' the association said. The furor prompted veteran prosecutor Rebecca Warren, who is of Chinese descent, to quit and release a scathing resignation letter. 'I can no longer tolerate this mistreatment of the AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] community by leaders of our office,' she wrote. Warren wrote that Price's words in the email and public statements about the case were inappropriate 'while discussing one of the most horrific and tragic murder cases ever'. 'The AAPI community is not the only community angered and traumatized by the staggering number of innocent children being murdered by gun violence in our county,' she wrote. 'The entire community is affected.' Warren also claimed Price's second in command told an Asian prosecutor that Samoans were prone to drinking and fighting. Labour's tax attack on private schools could be challenged in the courts if it wins the General Election, it has emerged. Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, is set to lead a team of lawyers to block a Labour government adding VAT to school fees and ending business rates relief on the basis that it was 'discriminatory'. The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is also 'considering all our options' and is believed to be taking advice about a possible legal challenge as well. The move comes amid warnings that many local authorities are full or near capacity and would not be able to cope with a sudden flood of applications from the independent sector if VAT on fees forces families to leave private schools. Places for the next school year have already been allocated and the opportunities for 'in year' transfers are few and far between. Richard Tice (pictured, on the campaign trail in London on May 23), leader of Reform UK, is set to lead a team of lawyers to block a Labour government adding VAT to school fees and ending business rates relief on the basis that it was 'discriminatory' Move comes amid warnings that many local authorities are full or near capacity and would not be able to cope with a sudden flood of applications from the independent sector if VAT on fees forces families to leave private schools (pictured: Sir Keir Starmer in Stevenage on May 28) Revealing his plans for a 'legal campaign', Mr Tice said: 'All charities, of any form, get business rates relief. To target only independent schools on business rates relief and VAT on fees is deeply discriminatory.' He added: 'We will look to injunct the legislation in order to seek a ruling as to whether it is discriminatory and to stop it being imposed.' If necessary he would go to the European Court of Human Rights, he said. Whatever the outcome, the immediate problem for parents unable to afford a big rise in fees is finding a place in the state sector. Research by the campaign group 'Education Not Taxation' reveals there is a widespread issue across the country. Cambridgeshire County Council has warned of 'higher levels of in Year applications than spaces available' and no places in Fenland. Wokingham Borough Council said 'all schools are heavily oversubscribed', stressing anyone moving to the area would have 'no guarantee of an immediate school place'. Oxfordshire County Council warned of 'very few or no places available' in several areas including secondary schools in Oxford. Places for the next school year have already been allocated and the opportunities for 'in year' transfers are few and far between (Stock Photo) If necessary Mr Tice would go to the European Court of Human Rights (pictured), he said Rutland County Council said its secondary places were 'very limited.' Newcastle City Council said for current Year Seven pupils there is 'limited availability'. It warns anyone applying for an 'in year' place would join a waiting list. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has warned that 'places are limited in most year groups', while there are few places in Leeds. There is a similar shortage in Wales, with the Vale of Glamorgan warning against moving a child before a new place is confirmed and the authority in Bridgend urging parents to resolve issues with their current school rather than seek a move. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said a lack of detail and concern for pupils with special needs were a big problem. She said: 'Schools and parents alike cannot adequately plan based on headlines, but that is all they are able to do at the moment. We are yet to see any sort of detail or timeline from Labour. 'We are concerned about the implications for state schools if an unprecedented tax on education is rushed through, particularly in the areas where there are no in-year spaces.' The impact on over 100,000 children in ISC schools with special needs is of particular concern, she said. Bridget Phillipson (pictured, right, with Sir Keir Starmer on a visit to a school in Harlow, Essex, in March), the shadow education secretary, rejected warnings of an exodus of private school pupils that could ultimately overwhelm the state system Whatever the outcome, the immediate problem for parents unable to afford a big rise in fees is finding a place in the state sector. Research by the campaign group 'Education Not Taxation' reveals there is a widespread issue across the country (Stock Photo) Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, rejected warnings of an exodus of private school pupils that could ultimately overwhelm the state system. Asked by Sky News whether a city could cope with around 1,000 schoolchildren leaving the independent sector, Ms Phillipson replied: 'I don't accept we will see that kind of change.' She said her policy was 'a straightforward case of political priorities', adding: 'Do we choose to give tax breaks to private schools, or do we invest directly into our state schools which have faced really big challenges in recent years?' The union representing California teachers is continuing to push an ad against Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, despite reversing a decision to cut school funding. In mid-may, the ultra-progressive California Teachers Association announced a public campaign aimed at blocking part of his plan to balance the budget because they say it 'would wreak havoc on funding for our schools.' 'California classrooms face a monumental crisis, tens of billions of dollars in cuts to public education over the next three years, bigger class sizes, thousands of teachers laid off, essential resources like counselors, nurses and special education aides, gone,' the ad claims. Even though Newsom came to an agreement with the union and promised to roll back the school budget cuts - after initially attempting to cut $12 billion from the state budget - union President David Goldberg says they're waiting for it to pass the state legislature. 'As always, we will closely monitor any attempt to weaken the constitutional protections behind the Proposition 98 funding guarantee,' Goldberg said in a statement. The union representing California's teachers is continuing to push an ad against Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom despite his reversal on cutting school funding 'California classrooms face a monumental crisis, tens of billions of dollars in cuts to public education over the next three years, bigger class sizes, thousands of teachers laid off, essential resources like counselors, nurses and special education aides, gone,' the ad claims 'We will continue to work with the Governor and the Legislature to safeguard constitutionally protected school funding for the 2024-25 budget year and beyond,' he said. The CTA has previously been a key ally to Newsom, having donated $1.8 million to support him in the attempted recall against the Democrat in 2022. The union had previously threatened to take Newsom to court over the budget cuts. In a statement to Fox News, a spokesperson for Newsom claimed, 'we have resolved our policy differences with CTA.' 'This agreement is a smart and balanced policy solution that incorporates feedback from California's educators,' he said. 'Similar to the proposal in our revised budget, the agreement accomplishes the administration's primary goals no cuts to schools in the immediate and long-term future while ensuring budget neutrality.' California Policy Center Vice President Lance Christensen accused teachers of running a 'disinformation campaign'. 'Putting Gov. Gavin Newsom on full-blast because he was trying to modestly fix a budget he broke is tantamount to a temper tantrum, not honest negotiation,' Christensen said. 'While CTA claims to have a deal, we'll have to wait and see how badly this impacts the whole budget package.' In mid-may, the ultra-progressive California Teachers Association announced a public campaign aimed at blocking part of his plan to balance the budget because they say it 'would wreak havoc on funding for our schools' A spokesperson for Newsom claimed 'we have resolved our policy differences with CTA.' Newsom previously said his original plan - a complex accounting maneuver - would shield public schools from $8.8 billion in immediate cuts. But Goldberg alleged it would end up costing districts nearly $12 billion in the future. Goldberg said the union, which represents 310,000 educators across the state, would launch advertisements to 'raise awareness about this unconstitutional maneuver.' If that doesn't work, he said a lawsuit could be next. 'We will not stand by and let this happen,' he said during a news conference. 'When you have clear violations of the Constitution, often you go to legal remedies. So that is definitely one of the tools in our toolbox.' The public opposition from teachers signals a turning point for Newsom, who until now had mostly avoided major fights with core constituencies during the state's recent budget troubles. Newsom addressed last year's shortfall by borrowing while deferring and delaying spending that preserved most major programs. But the deficit has only gotten bigger, squeezing Newsom - who is widely seen as a potential presidential candidate. In early May, Newsom announced a budget deficit that, when including previous actions agreed to by his administration and the Legislature, is at least $45 billion. Newsom addressed last year's shortfall by borrowing while deferring and delaying spending that preserved most major programs. But the deficit has only gotten bigger, squeezing Newsom - who is widely seen as a potential presidential candidate Union President David Goldberg said the union, which represents 310,000 educators across the state, would launch advertisements to 'raise awareness about this unconstitutional maneuver.' If that doesn't work, he said a lawsuit could be next The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office says the deficit is actually $55 billion - mostly because of the cuts to public education spending that Newsom has not counted as part of the deficit. Newsom defended his proposal, saying it was the best option for public schools because it would protect them from immediate spending cuts. 'I dont want to see thousands and thousands of pink slips go out. I dont want to see disruption in the system,' he said. The issue is the voter-approved formula for how California pays for public schools, known as Proposition 98. The formula says schools will get a certain amount of money each year. California gave public schools $76 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year because that's what they thought the formula required. However, state tax collections that year ended up being 25% less than what the state had predicted. The Newsom administration says that retroactively impacted the formula for public school funding. Now, they say the state was only required to give schools roughly $67 billion that year. It's an $8.8 billion difference. The states accountants would not immediately count that $8.8 billion in spending. Instead, they would spread this cost out over future budgets, starting in 2025-26. Its the equivalent of the state giving itself a zero-interest loan. 'It's pretending it doesnt exist. Literally just saying ignore that $8.8 billion,' said Karen Getman, an attorney and school funding expert who has represented the California Teachers Association. The CTA has previously been a key ally to Newsom, having donated $1.8 million to support him in the attempted recall against the Democrat in 2022 Newsom defended his original proposal, saying it was the best option for public schools because it would protect them from immediate spending cuts California can afford to float this spending because, while it has a budget deficit, it still has plenty of cash. The state had $95.8 billion in unused borrowable resources at the end of April, according to state Controller Malia M. Cohen. A large chunk of it is sitting in reserves. Other portions are committed to things like large construction projects that have not been built yet. School advocates were alarmed because, while the maneuver would protect districts from immediate cuts this year, they say it would slash their budgets in the future. By not including this $8.8 billion in the public education budget, it changes how the formula for school spending is calculated. The California Teachers Association calculates that this means schools would get nearly $12 billion less in public spending this year and next year than it otherwise would have received. 'They are trying to rewrite history in order to drive down the proposition 98 guarantee going forward,' Getman said, adding: 'That's a fiction with no basis in fact or law.' Kevin Gordon, a lobbyist for school districts in California, said instead of changing the past, Newsom could instead change the future. School advocates were alarmed because, while the maneuver would protect districts from immediate cuts this year, they say it would slash their budgets in the future The California Teachers Association calculates that this means schools would get nearly $12 billion less in public spending this year and next year than it otherwise would have received Newsom could negotiate with school districts to suspend the school funding formula, meaning the state would not have to pay them all of that nearly $12 billion they were supposed to get. Instead, districts could be repaid that money over time. 'The overpaid $8 billion is kind of a fiction. What's real is they probably owe schools ($12) billion more and the school community is willing to say, `We know you dont have it, so we can forego that and do a suspension,' he said. 'The approach the governor used needs to be fixed. But... the goal of insulating public schools from cuts is the right goal.' The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office also doesn't like the proposal, calling it 'bad fiscal policy' that 'creates a binding obligation that will worsen out-year deficits and require more difficult decisions in the future.' Newsom didn't see it that way. He says his proposal would 'maintain the commitments in terms of the investments weve made' in previous years. 'We respectfully disagree with that position,' he said. Most of the country will cop a drenching this week as a series of cold fronts move across Australia. A band of rain over Western Australia will head east through to the weekend and bring wet weather to 80 per cent of the country. The Bureau of Meteorology's Christie Johnson said the rain will start heading east from Wednesday. 'We can see rainfall across inland parts of WA and even by the end of the day, extending into western parts of South Australia,' she said. 'As we move into Thursday, that system continues its way across the country with a cloud band extending from the Kimberley right across the Northern Territory into South Australia and, by the end of the day, western parts of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.' Ms Johnson warned strong winds generated by the system could affect western and southern Tasmania and alpine regions in Victoria and NSW. 'On Friday though, that system does tend to track eastwards with the rainfall mostly contracting to north-eastern NSW,' she said. Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino explained the wet conditions are due to a 'blocking high pressure pattern that has dominated Australia's weather over the past two months finally breaking down'. All Australian states and territories are set to see rain (forecast pictured) in the coming days due to a series of cold fronts The rainband is expected to begin heading eastward from Western Australia from Thursday 'This week's wet and stormy weather will mainly target WA from Monday to Wednesday, before spreading across central and southern Australia on Thursday, and then eastern Australia from Friday into the weekend,' he said. 'A second rain-bearing system could also bring follow-up rain to parts of WA from Saturday or Sunday. 'The two systems combined should soak about 70 to 80 per cent of Australia, and some parts of the country could see rain every day this week.' Sydney Sydney is set to see a sunny Wednesday with a top of 22C before partial clouds move over on Thursday. Those clouds are expected to develop into showers on Friday with a high chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The rain is forecast to increase on Saturday with a very high chance of rain, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Showers are expected to continue through to Monday. Up to 80 per cent of the country could be in line for a soaking this week (stock image) Melbourne Sunny skies are expected to combine with very windy conditions in Melbourne on Wednesday with wind speeds reaching up to 45km/h. Thursday morning is also set to be sunny before rain moves over the city in the late afternoon and evening. Friday has a very high chance of showers about the Dandenongs and a high chance elsewhere with wind speeds reaching 30km/h. The rain is expected to ease from Saturday with a medium chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon, followed by partially cloudy conditions on Sunday. Brisbane Brisbane is set to see a sunny start of the day on Wednesday before clouds develop in the afternoon with a medium chance of showers. Thursday and Friday both have a high chance of seeing showers before further rain develops on Saturday, when up to 20mm is expected to fall. High temperatures in the city are set to remain in the mid 20Cs. Perth Up to 25mm of rain is set to fall over Perth on Wednesday. There's a chance of a thunderstorm over the city in the morning followed by a very high chance of showers, becoming less likely this afternoon. The storm could be possibly severe with damaging winds and small hail in the morning and early afternoon. There's a very high chance of showers continuing over Thursday and Friday ahead of a possible thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon. Showers are set to continue into next week with another possible thunderstorm on Sunday. Sydney is set to see showers from Friday into next week with the heaviest rain expected to fall on Saturday Adelaide Mostly sunny skies over Adelaide on Wednesday are expected to develop into rain on Thursday. The city has a very high chance of rain, most likely in the morning and afternoon, on Thursday with winds increasing to 45km/h in the evening. Showers have a very high chance of continuing on Friday and medium chance on Saturday. The city will finally see a break from the rain on Sunday with sunny skies and the chance of morning frost about the northern suburbs. Hobart Clouds over Hobart on Wednesday have a medium chance of developing into showers late Thursday. Friday is looking to be the city's rainiest day with a medium chance of showers and winds reaching 45km/h. Saturday is set to be partially cloudy followed by a mostly sunny Sunday. Canberra Wednesday is expected to be Canberra's last sunny day for the week as partially cloudy conditions have a medium chance of developing into showers on Thursday afternoon. There's a very high chance of rain on Friday, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Saturday has a slight chance of showers in the afternoon and evening followed by a medium chance of showers on Sunday. Mostly sunny skies over Adelaide on Wednesday are expected to develop into rain on Thursday Darwin Mostly sunny skies over Darwin on Wednesday are set to grow cloudier from Thursday ahead of clear conditions on Saturday and Sunday. High temperatures in the city are expected to stay in the mid 30Cs and lows in the mid 20Cs. A Melbourne-based Canadian woman has exposed the huge problem with Australian houses. Alexandra Tuohey was stunned to discover just how cold Australian houses can be after moving into a sharehouse. 'The most messed up part about living in Australia is that people genuinely say to me "Oh, you're Canadian, so you shouldn't be able to feel the cold,"' Ms Tuohey said on a video posted to social media. 'But I can confidently tell you that the coldest that I have ever been is living in a Melbourne share house in the middle of July. 'And lying in my own bed trying to fall asleep, being able to see my own breath, while only being able to warm myself with a tiny space heater and an electric blanket. 'I don't know why everyone in Australia was like "Let's not insulate our houses, let's all put on a Kathmandu jacket and call it a day".' She claimed: 'Aussies, especially older ones, are so dead against heating and clothes dryers, it's so unhinged.' Alexandra Tuohey (pictured), a Melbourne-based Canadian woman has gone viral with a video about what she finds most shocking about living in Australia John Pabon, an American sustainability consultant who also lives in Melbourne, agreed. 'When Australians complain about their houses being cold during the winter, they're not just having a whinge, it's scientifically proven,' he said. 'The World Health Organisation consistently ranks Australian homes as some of the coldest in the world. 'They have a metric that says for a house to be considered not cold it has to be above 18 degrees inside. Well, Aussie houses, they totally miss the mark.' Mr Pabon said a recent report showed that 81 per cent of houses across Australia do not meet the WHO minimum standard. Tasmania ranked the lowest at 11 degrees average temperature inside during winter. In Victoria, where both he and Ms Tuohey live, more that a quarter of houses missed the 18 degrees mark. 'This has massive implications on physical health, on mental health, (it) increases the amount of mold that can occur in a house when things are this cold,' he said. 'Especially for people that are renting, that don't own their own homes, it's a massive issue.' Poll Do you agree that Australian homes are cold during winter? Yes No Do you agree that Australian homes are cold during winter? Yes 673 votes No 108 votes Now share your opinion Many agreed with the Canadian's comments, with one writing that 'Australian housing standards is terrible. 'I spoke to a Canadian who moved in to a brand new house and he said he could still feel the drafty wind through the house without any windows open.' Another said: 'I'm Canadian as well and I live in Somerset, Tasmania. 'We recently redid our floors and I was absolutely shook by the fact that there was nothing between the floor and outside! Nothing!' More than 80 per cent of houses across Australia do not meet the World Health Organisation minimum temperature standard in winter Regulators must 'act quickly' to introduce safeguards protecting the electoral process from the threat posed by artificial intelligence, experts have urged. The warning came as a study found that bogus photographs and video footage generated by AI could influence the coming General Election in a string of sinister ways. It concluded that so-called 'deepfake' imagery could be used for character assassinations on politicians, to spread hate, erode trust in democracy and to create false endorsements. Research by The Alan Turing Institute's Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (Cetas) urged Ofcom and the Electoral Commission to address the use of AI to mislead the public, warning it was eroding trust in the integrity of elections. Regulators must 'act quickly' to introduce safeguards protecting the electoral process from the threat posed by artificial intelligence, experts have urged (stock image) The warning came as a study found that bogus photographs and video footage generated by AI could influence the coming general election in a string of sinister ways (stock image) It said the Electoral Commission and Ofcom should create guidelines and request voluntary agreements for political parties setting out how they should use AI for campaigning, and require AI-generated election material to be clearly marked as such. The research team warned that currently, there was 'no clear guidance' on preventing AI being used to create misleading content around elections. Some social media platforms have already begun labelling AI-generated material in response to concerns about deepfakes and misinformation, and in the wake of a number of incidents of AI being used to create or alter images, audio or video of senior politicians. In its study, Cetas said it had created a timeline of how AI could be used in the run-up to an election, suggesting it could be used to undermine the reputation of candidates, falsely claim that they have withdrawn or use disinformation to shape voter attitudes on a particular issue. The study also said misinformation around how, when or where to vote could be used to undermine the electoral process. It concluded that so-called ' deepfake ' imagery could be used for character assassinations on politicians, to spread hate, erode trust in democracy and to create false endorsements (stock image) Sam Stockwell, research associate at the Alan Turing Institute and the study's lead author, said: 'With a general election just weeks away, political parties are already in the midst of a busy campaigning period. 'Right now, there is no clear guidance or expectations for preventing AI being used to create false or misleading electoral information. 'That's why it's so important for regulators to act quickly before it's too late.' Dr Alexander Babuta, director of Cetas, said: 'Regulators can do more to help the public distinguish fact from fiction and ensure voters don't lose faith in the democratic process.' Separately, the Commons science committee chairman warned that AI watchdogs in the UK are 'under-resourced' in comparison to developers of the technology. The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee said in a report into the governance of AI that 10 million announced by the Government in February to help Ofcom and other regulators respond to the growth of the technology was 'clearly insufficient'. It added that the next government should announce further financial support 'commensurate to the scale of the task', as well as 'consider the benefits of a one-off or recurring industry levy' to help regulators. Outgoing committee chairman Greg Clark said he was 'worried' that UK regulators were 'under-resourced compared to the finance that major developers can command'. Former RAF pilots and aircrew allegedly dying of cancer have launched legal action against the Ministry of Defence who they claim knew the potential risks of toxic exhaust fumes coming from military helicopters. Testimony from sick personnel and their families claims the MoD knew about the potential dangers for more than 10 years and failed to act on them. Troops who travelled in Sea King, Wessex and Puma and Chinook helicopters have developed cancers including multiple myeloma, lung cancer, testicular cancer and throat cancer, The Times reported. The newspaper revealed that almost 40 of the troops diagnosed with cancer are currently suing the MoD. The number of those who have come forward is predicted to double in the coming weeks. At least three of those affected are already understood to have died, with their heartbroken families left fighting for justice. Zach Stubbings trained with Prince William and has received a payout Zach Stubbings with his wife Anna-Louise at home in Cardiff Meanwhile, others have been told their cancer is terminal while some are struggling to have children as a result of their illness. Some former service personnel have been handed out-of-court settlements, including former flight sergeant and helicopter winchman Zach Stubbings, who trained Prince William. Documents exposed amid legal fights have revealed the government was aware of the dangers of the Sea King's exhaust as long ago as 1999. But it carried on allowing aircrew to fly in the helicopter without safety precautions regardless of the risks. Leading barrister at Normanton Chambers, Jonathan Dingle, said engine jet efflux gases - containing benzene carcinogens - 'were apparently being sucked through the cabin and out again through the cockpits - mixing as the air which everyone onboard the aircraft was breathing'. Documents exposed amid legal fights have revealed the government was aware of the dangers of the Sea King's exhaust as long ago as 1999 Mr Dingle said: 'The Germans knew about it roughly the same time and installed longer exhaust options on some of their aircraft to draw the exhaust away.' However, those aircrew serving in the British military 'were not provided with masks or filters or purified air or any form of filtration system. They were not warned about the whole system,' he said. An MoD spokesperson said: 'We hugely value our service personnel and veterans and owe a debt of gratitude to all those who serve, often with great personal sacrifice. We continually review our policies to ensure they are aligned with good practice and protect our people from harm. 'Service personnel and veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service from 6 April 2005 have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.' Disturbing footage has emerged of a naked man causing chaos on a flight from Perth to Melbourne, forcing the plane to turn around. The 'crazy' man was seen running down the aisle of the plane, attempting to reach either the cockpit or front door, before he was restrained by Virgin passengers on Tuesday night. Passenger Sterling Ellis recalled hearing the commotion just one hour into the trip. 'I looked up and someone is completely nude, they charged over one of the flight attendants and it looks like they've gone for the door,' he told Today on Wednesday. 'Luckily there was a gentleman in business class who was a big guy. He stood up and controlled the scene. Two others joined him. 'It was a pretty scary moment for a second. The mind can wander to the worst case scenario and for a brief second I did think this was going to be very serious.' A naked man was arrested (pictured) after forcing a Virgin flight from Perth to Melbourne to turn around on Tuesday night The 'crazy' man tried to reach the cockpit or front door of the plane before he was restrained by passengers and flight attendants Another passenger described feeling uneasy as the man ran around the plane. 'A male passenger suddenly went bananas running up and down the aisle and bashing on the cockpit door,' they told Melbourne radio station 3AW. 'Two air marshals had to restrain and handcuff the individual until the [flight] landed'. The flight from Perth to Melbourne had already been delayed 90 minutes before taking off at 7.20pm, local time. Some passengers opted to board a second flight to Melbourne some six hours after arriving back in Perth while other chose to wait until the following morning. A Virgin spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the flight 'returned to Perth due to a disruptive passenger on board'. 'On arrival in Perth, the aircraft was met by the Australian Federal Police and the disruptive guest was offloaded,' they said. 'The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority and we sincerely apologise to guests impacted.' The spokesperson confirmed that the flight crew took appropriate measures to minimise disruptions and ensure the plane could land safely after it was diverted back to Perth airport. Officers from the Australian Federal Police were called to the airport before the plane landed and it is now understood to be investigating the matter. Passenger Sterling Ellis (pictured) described the incident as 'a pretty scary moment for a second' Virgin offered to put the passengers on a second flight to Melbourne six hours after they landed back in Perth An AFP spokesman told Daily Mail Australia officers arrested the man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft and knocked a crew member to the floor. 'The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains,' the spokesman said. The man is set to appear before Perth Magistrates Court on June 14. Israeli tanks have rolled into the centre of Rafah for the first time following global outrage over the refugee camp airstrike which saw 45 people killed as an encampment for displaced Palestinians burned to ashes. Gaza health authorities said yesterday that another tent camp in the city had been hit, this time by Israeli tank shells, in an area Israel designated as a civilian evacuation zone. They said at least 21 people were killed in the attack, including women and children. The IDF denied striking the area of al-Mawasi, west of Rafah. Meanwhile, witnesses reported seeing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tanks advancing into central areas of Rafah - three weeks after the army launched a ground operation in the southern Gazan city. Tanks and and armoured vehicles mounted with machineguns were seen near al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, according to witnesses. The IDF said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area, without commenting on reported advances into the city centre. An injured man looks on as Palestinians inspect a tent camp damaged in an Israeli strike during an Israeli military operation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024 Fires rage on Sunday following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians File image shows Israeli soldier in a tank near the Gaza border continues on May 16, 2024 Heavy bombardment of the city continued overnight, defying an appeal from the International Court of Justice to cease operations there. There are thought to be more than 400,000 people still in the city after nearly a million people fled eastern Rafah amid warnings of an invasion. The latest military action comes amid growing international pressure for Israel to justify its military operation in Rafah following the refugee airstrike. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the strike was the result of a 'tragic mishap' but pledged to carry on the war in Gaza until 'every goal has been achieved'. Israel's Defence Forces (IDF) yesterday declared they had launched a 'precise strike' on a Hamas compound and killed two high-ranking Hamas officials. But the bombs whipped up a ferocious blaze that tore through tents in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, leaving dozens with no escape. The Palestinian president's spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, described new Israeli strikes on Rafah on Tuesday as a 'massacre', and called for the implementation of a World Court decision ordering Israel to halt its offensive on the city. Israel has kept up its offensive despite a ruling by the top U.N. court on Friday ordering it to stop, saying the court's ruling grants it some scope for military action in Rafah. The court also reiterated calls for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. The strike whipped up a ferocious blaze that tore through a camp for displaced Palestinians in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood in the city's northwest Exclusive footage from Al Jazeera shows Israeli occupation tanks advancing further into the west of Rafah city. The Israeli occupation intends to fully occupy the Philadelphi Axis with Egypt, effectively encircling the Strip and implementing disastrous restrictions. pic.twitter.com/6rgaIOJ8XK Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 28, 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians Amid a chorus of condemnation from around the world, French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding he was 'outraged' by the strikes. 'These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.' Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said bombings like the one in Rafah will only serve to compound hatred in the region for the Jewish state. 'Israel with this choice is spreading hatred, rooting hatred that will involve their children and grandchildren. I would have preferred another decision,' he told SKY TG24. 'This can no longer be justified,' he added. And the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was 'horrified' at Israel's actions in Rafah, which the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) today said had turned the city into 'hell on Earth'. European leaders called on Israel to stop its bombardment of Rafah and Gaza (pictured: Palestinians react with horror upon seeing the devastating in Tel al-Sultan) A woman reacts as Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Tanks manoeuvre near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Israel, May 27, 2024 But Netanyahu has vowed to continue waging war on Hamas in Gaza even as he admitted the devastating airstrike on Tel al-Sultan was a 'mishap' and a 'tragic mistake'. As if to prove his point, a contingent of Israeli tanks and troops were spotted in the centre of Rafah for the first time this morning after a three-week-long ground offensive . It comes as Ireland, Norway and Spain drew the ire of Israeli officials after formally declaring their recognition of a Palestinian state today. The three European countries believe their initiative has strong symbolic impact, which is likely to encourage others to follow in their footsteps, and is a key step toward achieving eventual peace. But Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz expressed rage at the decision this morning, accusing Sanchez of being a 'partner to incitement' to Jewish 'genocide'. Meanwhile, Israel's brutal strike on Rafah on Sunday night only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian casualties as the reported Palestinian death toll crossed 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Dozens of people were trapped as the flames tore through the makeshift housing and flimsy tents, condemning them to a horrific death. Shocking videos circulating on social media appeared to show the charred remains of adults and children being pulled out of the rubble overnight. 'This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions,' the UNRWA posted on X. 'Day after day, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible.' A Palestinian boy is seen crying as he watches the fire tear through the displacement camp A video shared to social media showed the flames tearing through the camp. Children can be heard screaming and crying as others rush to try and evacuate friends and family members The message on the left reads 'he was waiting for his father to come out'. The message on the right reads 'my father is gone - I want to go' Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians living near the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warehouses in Rafah, Gaza on May 27, 2024 The UN Security Council is set to convene for an emergency meeting today to discuss the strike as the UN human rights chief Volker Turk expressed his 'horror at the further loss of civilian life in Gaza'. Yet the Israeli Prime Minister's resolve appears unwavering, as he declared in parliament: 'I don't intend to end the war before every goal has been achieved.' The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulance crews transported 'a large number' of people killed and injured in the strikes on Sunday night as dark footage showed badly burned bodies being piled up out of reach of the flames. The Palestinian Authority presidency in the West Bank called it a 'heinous massacre', accusing Israeli forces of 'deliberately targeting' the tents of displaced people. 'We pulled out people who were in an unbearable state,' said Mohammed Abuassa, who rushed to the scene in the north-western neighbourhood of Tel al-Sultan. 'We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal.' The Gaza Health Ministry said around half of the dead were women, children and older adults. On Monday, barefoot children poked at the blackened debris as searches continued. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron took a more measured stance than European colleagues, calling for a swift investigation into Sunday's strike. Lord Cameron said on X: 'Deeply distressing scenes following the airstrikes in Rafah this weekend. 'The IDF's investigation must be swift, comprehensive & transparent. 'We urgently need a deal to get hostages out & aid in, with a pause in fighting to allow work towards a long-term sustainable ceasefire.' Palestinians view the destruction after Israel bombs their tents and shelters in Rafah, Gaza on May 27, 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians Palestinians search for food among burnt debris in the aftermath of an Israeli strike The Israeli military's top legal official said authorities were examining the strikes and that the military regrets the loss of civilian life. Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi said such incidents occur 'in a war of such scope and intensity'. Speaking to an Israeli lawyers' conference, Tomer-Yerushalmi said Israel has launched 70 criminal investigations into incidents that aroused suspicions of international law violations, including the deaths of civilians, the conditions at a detention facility holding suspected Palestinian militants and the deaths of some inmates in Israeli custody. She said incidents of 'violence, property crimes and looting' were also being examined. Israel has long maintained it has an independent judiciary capable of investigating and prosecuting abuses. But rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to fully investigate violence against Palestinians and that even when soldiers are held accountable the punishment is usually light. Sunday's deadly strike came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population had sought shelter before Israel's recent incursion. Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 27, 2024 Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted 'tragic mistake' after an Israeli strike in Rafah has allegedly killed 45 people including displaced people who burned alive in tents Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024 The attack, caught on tape by refugees on the ground, resulted in heavy destruction and flames last night Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah The attack, caught on tape by refugees on the ground, resulted in heavy destruction and flames last night. It left civilians reeling this morning, with photos showing Palestinians searching through burned out tents and makeshift camps for food. Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in attempts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, said the strikes could 'complicate' talks. Negotiations, which appear to be restarting, have faltered repeatedly over Hamas's demand for a lasting truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, terms Israeli leaders have publicly rejected. Neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago, also condemned the Rafah strikes. Egypt's Foreign Ministry described the strike on Tel al-Sultan as a 'new and blatant violation of the rules of humanitarian international law'. Jordan's Foreign Ministry called it a 'war crime'. The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said this morning as EU ministers met their Arab counterparts that a ruling made by a UN court for Israel to stop its invasion of Gaza immediately must be implemented. Borrell said today: 'We have to express not only respect, but to ask for the implementation of the decision of the court. This is really a dilemma how the international community can... force implementation of the decision.' He added that EU ministers were also set to discuss relaunching a mission suspended back in 2007 to monitor the crossing after calls for it to do so from regional players including Israel. Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 people in the area Israel's army confirmed Sunday's strike and claimed it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants The EU's top diplomat said he expected to get a preliminary mandate from ministers to press ahead with planning for the mission. 'But it's not only us who have to decide - the Egyptians, Palestinian Israelis,' he said. 'We need to increase the number of staff and we need to have an agreement with everybody involved.' Washington has also taken a tougher line with its close ally as outrage over the war and US support for Israel has become a major issue for President Joe Biden, seeking re-election in a battle against Donald Trump. The United Nations has warned of looming famine in besieged Gaza, where most hospitals are no longer functioning. Last Monday, the prosecutor at the ICC said he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defence minister as well as for three top Hamas figures. And on Friday, the UN's International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt any operation in Rafah that could bring about 'the physical destruction' of the Palestinians. Hamas's armed wing said Sunday that it targeted Tel Aviv 'with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians'. 'Hamas launched these rockets from near two mosques in Rafah,' Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. The salvo sent people scrambling for shelter but there were no reports of injuries. Israel's army said Sunday at least eight rockets were fired towards central areas of the country from Rafah, with strikes targeting the commercial hub of Tel Aviv for the first time in months. Fighting has recently centred on Rafah, where Israel's military launched a ground operation in early May despite widespread opposition over concerns for civilians sheltering there. Netanyahu vowed to pursue Israel's offensive ahead of a war cabinet meeting amid intense diplomacy to forge a truce and a hostage-release deal. The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli army raid on a camp at an area designated for displaced people in Rafah Hamas militants took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead, from Israel He has long rejected Hamas's demand for a permanent end to the conflict triggered by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack. A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the war cabinet would 'discuss a hostage release deal' on Sunday. Before the meeting, Netanyahu's office said Hamas's chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, 'continues to demand the end of the war, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas in place, so that it will be able to carry out the atrocities of October 7 again and again'. 'Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly opposes this,' a statement said. EU members Ireland and Spain, and also Norway, have said they will recognise a Palestinian state from Tuesday, drawing furious Israeli condemnation. 'In order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority, not a weaker one,' said the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who met in Brussels with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp area housing internally displaced people in Rafah Around 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes As the war grinds on, the families of hostages still held by militants have piled pressure on Netanyahu to secure a deal to free them Mustafa, whose government is based in the occupied West Bank, said the 'first priority' was to support the people in Gaza, especially through a ceasefire, and then 'rebuilding the institutions of the Palestinian Authority' in the territory after Hamas seized it from the PA in 2007. The Israeli official had said Saturday that 'there is an intention to renew these talks this week' after negotiations involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators stalled in early May. Around 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine. Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,984 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. As the war grinds on, the families of hostages still held by militants have piled pressure on Netanyahu to secure a deal to free them. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas' remaining battalions and achieve 'total victory' over the militants, who recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza where the military has operated. A woman has been injured after a man smashed a car window during a terrifying road rage incident south of Brisbane on Tuesday. Police were called to Chambers Flat Road at Logan Reserve about 3pm on Tuesday to reports a man had approached a car stopped at a red light and smashed the back window with his hand. A woman, aged in her 30s, had been sitting in the back seat and suffered minor lacerations to her face. A baby was also in the back of the car but was not injured. The woman was assessed by paramedics at the scene but declined further treatment. Shocking footage shows a man smashing through a car window, injuring a mother who had a child in the back in a horrific road rage incident. Picture: 9News Terrifying footage of the incident shows a man aggressively motioning at the driver of a car Police said the 37-year-old male driver was not injured and was able to drive away from the man before any more damage was caused. The man allegedly left the scene in another car before police arrived. Terrifying footage of the incident shows a man aggressively motioning at the driver of the car. He then proceeds to punch the back window, causing glass to shatter inside the car. Witnesses told Nine News the woman had a young child with her, with one saying he saw the man banging on the window of the car saying 'get out, get out'. 'The lady in the back got out and had blood all over her face,' he said. As of Wednesday morning, a man is in custody in Beaudesert, and investigations are continuing. A University of Florida research employee and students have been implicated in an illegal, multi-million dollar scheme that saw samples of dangerous drugs and toxins illicitly shipped to China over a period of seven years. The scheme, investigated by the Justice Department, saw thousands of biochemical samples bought illegally which were then delivered to a campus laboratory before being shipped overseas, according to federal court records. Among the students tied to the scheme was the president of UF's Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Nongnong 'Leticia' Zheng. The group openly protested a Florida law signed by Gov. Ron De Santis last year that limits universities from recruiting students and faculty from China and bans employing such students from working in academic labs without special permission. President of the University of Florida's Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Nongnong 'Leticia' Zheng, pictured, has been implicated in an illegal, multi-million dollar scheme that saw samples of dangerous drugs and toxins illicitly shipped to China over a period of seven years The group openly protested a Florida law signed by Gov. Ron De Santis last year that limits universities from recruiting students and faculty from China and bans students from working in academic labs without permission. Pictured, UofF Gainesville campus entrance Zheng has confirmed that a federal prosecutor notified her last year in writing she was the target of a grand jury investigation, and the Justice Department was preparing to seek criminal charges against her. She said she has been assigned a federal public defender, Ryan Maguire of Tampa and noted how government agents have threatened to imprison or deport her. It's not clear if the UF research employee or other students identified in court records as co-conspirators been charged or arrested yet. The UF employee worked in the stockroom of one of the university's research labs, prosecutors said. The materials smuggled to China included what the government described as purified, non-contagious proteins of the cholera toxin and pertussis toxin, which causes whooping cough. Cholera is a generally non-fatal intestinal infection that can cause severe dehydration. Zheng confirmed that a federal prosecutor notified her last year in writing she was the target of a grand jury investigation, and the DOJ was preparing to seek criminal charges against her Zheng is seen on the Gainesville campus of the University of Florida. She is accused of illegally sending chemicals and research substances to China Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can lead to violent coughing, vomiting and even respiratory distress but is preventable with a vaccine. Other materials smuggled to China in the scheme included small amounts of highly purified drugs known as analytical samples of fentanyl, morphine, MDMA, cocaine, ketamine, codeine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, acetylmorphine and methadone, court records showed. Such small samples would generally be used for calibrating scientific or medical devices. The substances cannot be legally be exported to China. Prosecutors described one student involved as a Chinese citizen majoring in marketing in the business college last year, who agreed to change her UF email signature to falsely represent that she was a biomedical engineering student to purchase items without raising suspicions, court records showed. One line across hundreds of pages of court documents in the case cited an excerpt of an email that her first name was 'Leticia.' The group openly protested a Florida law signed by Gov. Ron De Santis last year that limits universities from recruiting students and faculty from China and bans employing such students from working in academic labs without special permission Earlier this year, Zheng's organization issued a statement calling Florida's new law restricting Chinese students in university labs as 'nationality-based discrimination' and said it violates principles of academic freedom and openness and impedes international exchanges Zheng, a senior marketing major in the business school, is president of the Chinese students and scholars group, which describes itself as officially approved by the Chinese embassy. Zheng was enrolled as recently as the spring semester that just ended, university records showed. Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, identified 'Leticia' as Zheng using biographical clues in university records shared by none of the other 58,441 UF students enrolled last semester. Zheng, who said she lived most of her life in China, said she was deceived and victimized by the scheme's organizers, who she said solicited help finding paid interns from the Chinese student organization. Foreign students on educational visas are limited in how or whether they can work for pay. 'This case seems to be really big,' she said. 'What I was doing was, like, just a little work, and I didn't get paid that much.' Zheng said in hindsight, she noticed red flags such as a lack of paperwork or consistent payments for the administrative work she did. She said she wasn't familiar with the substances she was directed to order. The man described as the scheme's ringleader who has pleaded guilty in the case reassured her, and she didn't realize she was in trouble until the Justice Department contacted her, she said. Zheng, who said she lived most of her life in China, said she was deceived and victimized by the scheme's organizers, who she said solicited help finding paid interns from the Chinese student organization Zheng said she hopes to be allowed to finish her degree and said she doesn't understand how the university didn't have policies in place to protect her Zheng said she hopes to be allowed to finish her degree and said she doesn't understand how the university didn't have policies in place to protect her. 'I do need help, honestly,' she said, adding: 'I would like to see if there's anything that can help me not get charged and get out of this whole mess.' Earlier this year, Zheng's organization issued a statement calling Florida's new law restricting Chinese students in university labs as 'nationality-based discrimination' and said it violates principles of academic freedom and openness and impedes international exchanges. The scheme's organizers also paid UF students other than Zheng to allow use of their UF email addresses to order the substances, prosecutors said. Organizers paid the UF research employee with Home Depot gift cards worth hundreds of dollars and paid for trips and loans, court records showed. Prosecutors said organizers also used the email addresses of two UF researchers who had already left the university by 2015. They were not described as co-conspirators. The university said in a statement that it has been cooperating with the Justice Department for weeks but declined to answer directly whether anyone has been fired or kicked out of UF. 'We will have more details to share regarding UF's administrative actions as the DOJ's criminal case unfolds,' spokesman Steve Orlando said. 'Employees who break the law will be separated from employment, and students who break the law will face suspension.' The scheme ran from July 2016 to May 2023, the government said. Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse who took over as the university's president in February 2022, was a leading China hawk on Capitol Hill who once described the threat from Beijing as the 'defining national-security challenge of our age' The Gainesville campus of the University of Florida is seen from above Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse a leading China hawk on Capitol Hill who once described the threat from Beijing as the 'defining national-security challenge of our age' took over as the university's president in February 2022. The plot was sure to supercharge the raging policy debate over countering China's ascension as a global power and curtailing its influence. Florida has already banned TikTok from universities and colleges, and prohibited citizens of China and some other countries from owning homes or purchasing property in large swaths of the state. 'It's like some UF students are trying to make a profit on this without knowing the potential consequences,' said Eric Jing Du, a professor in the UF Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. Du said he worried investigations like this could lead to further crackdowns against international students. The new Florida law targets students from so-called countries of concern: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. 'This is a very complicated time,' Du said. 'I do know the contributions and hard work of the students from the countries of concern, the vast majority of them are doing the right thing and contributing to UF and Florida. I just hope the decision makers, the leadership, the Legislature won't amplify the impact of this.' The man who prosecutors identified as the scheme's ringleader, Pen 'Ben' Yu, 51, of Gibsonton, Florida, near Tampa, has already pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on August 2. Yu provided Zheng, the UF student, with a credit card to place dozens of fraudulent orders last year, the Justice Department said. At Yu's direction, she wrote to the biomedical company that she was 'working in collaboration with other researchers' in biotechnology and requested 'a good price since we will be purchasing these items routinely,' court records showed. After the biomedical orders arrived at UF, the research employee would bring them or otherwise provide them to Yu, who shipped them to China, prosecutors said. The UF researcher in charge of the lab which included the stockroom where the supplies were delivered was not described as a co-conspirator in legal filings. 'Ben, I believe I have 35 or 36 boxes for you today,' the UF research employee wrote in 2016. Yu paid for the employee's gasoline, $10 for every hour he drove to meet him. 'I will pump the gas for you at the place where we meet,' he told the research employee, prosecutors said. Yu disguised the shipments to China as legal 'diluting agents,' court records showed. 'Faking an affiliation with an academic research lab to obtain controlled biochemical materials, and then sending those materials to China, is not only wrong but illegal,' said Matthew S. Axelrod, the assistant secretary for export enforcement in the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. He said the criminal investigation should put other universities on alert. Axelrod called it 'yet another fact pattern for universities to beware of the misuse of academic institutions by outsiders who seek to obscure the actual customer of controlled items.' It wasn't clear who Yu was working for in China. In intercepted messages, the government said he referred to his superior only as his boss. A sales executive for Massachusetts-based Sigma-Aldrich Inc., which sold the samples, also has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gregory Munoz, 45, of Minneola, Florida, west of Orlando, is set to be sentenced July 23. Munoz sold products from the company to several universities in Florida, including UF, court records said. Yu emailed Munoz in 2020 and said his employer needed 10 boxes of cholera toxin, which he acknowledged was a substance heavily regulated by the U.S. government. 'This is the cholera toxin,' Munoz replied. 'Remember, we had issues in the past and they require a lot of documentation signed by the university.' Munoz discovered in December 2022 that his employer was investigating him and warned Yu, who continued to place hundreds of new orders to ship to China in 2023, court records said. 'Wow, I am really screwed now,' Munoz wrote. 'Anti-bribery, anti-kickback.' Last year, in February, Yu emailed Munoz and asked, 'Do you still need Leticia to send you this order?' A third person, Jonathan Rok Thyng, 47, who lived at the same address as Yu in Gibsonton, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal crime and faces up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors said Thyng ordered some of the biomedical substances and shipped some of the packages to China. He was expected to formally enter his plea June 18. Thyng and his lawyer, Bjorn Erik Brunvand of Clearwater, also did not immediately return a phone message left by Fresh Take Florida. Prosecutors said U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a shipment in April 2023 that Thyng sent from Tampa to China containing biomedical items ordered by the UF marketing student and others. The Justice Department said orders placed through UF qualified for significant discounts prosecutors said the scheme's organizers paid $4.9 million for $13.7 million worth of biomedical supplies and included free items and free overnight shipping. Prosecutors said in court records they would recommend leniency for Yu, Munoz and Thyng because they promised to cooperate with investigators and accepted responsibility for their crimes. Prosecutors said all are American citizens. The Justice Department asked the judge to order Yu and Munoz each to forfeit $100,000, which it said was how much Yu and Munoz had earned over the years. The scheme unraveled when the company known as MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany discovered the ruse involving UF and reported its involvement to the U.S. government. Under new Justice Department rules, such companies that self-report export violations and cooperate can escape prosecution. The company said in a statement Friday that it fired Munoz and cooperated with investigators to avoid prosecution. This was the first time those rules were applied, the government said. 'Because of MilliporeSigma's timely disclosure and exceptional cooperation, a rogue company insider and his accomplice pled guilty to fraudulently diverting millions of dollars' worth of biochemicals to China, and the company will not be prosecuted,' said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in Washington. 'As national security and corporate crime increasingly intersect, companies that step up and own up under the department's voluntary self-disclosure programs can help themselves and our nation,' she said. A dog walker has revealed the shocking moment he discovered an umbilical cord and a placenta on a muddy riverbank, as the search for a mother and her newborn baby continues. Local resident Tony Robson found the body parts hidden in shrubs on the Cooks River in Earlwood, Sydney's inner south-west, about 4.30pm on Monday, while he was walking his dogs. Mr Robson and his wife alerted police to the discovery before emergency services arrived at the scene a short time later. 'It was just sitting on top of the mud, the water was quite a distance away,' he told 7 News. Tony Robson (pictured) discovered the organs while he and his wife were walking their two dogs near the Cooks River at Earlwood in Sydney's inner south-west on Monday afternoon Mr Robson, a father, said he immediately recognised the placenta and the umbilical cord. [I've] seen three births so you kind of know what you're looking at,' he said. 'I couldn't think what else it could be. It looked about the right size for a human. 'My wife took a photo of it, and we called the police.' NSW Police continue to investigate the incident and hold grave fears for the safety of the mother and her child. Police have urged the woman to go to the nearest hospital to seek medical attention for herself and her baby. A crime scene was set up yesterday as a major search for the mother got underway with the help of rescuers including divers. Police (pictured) are still searching for the woman and her child after Mr Robson alerted them to the shocking discovery A crime scene was set up and the woman has been urged to seek medical attention to obtain the necessary care for herself and her baby (pictured, police near the riverbank on Tuesday) A blood detection dog is also assisting in the large-scale search and rescue effort, after the woman and child could not be located on Tuesday. Police were seen scouring another area of interest near the riverbank and sealed off the area with a blue tarpaulin. Investigators initially identified the area as a place where something appeared to have been buried, but the search was discontinued after it was deemed to be a false alarm. NSW Police Detective Chief Superintendent Christine McDonald did not rule out the likelihood the baby may have been placed in the water. Police have not found any evidence to indicate the child was harmed. Investigators were seen putting up sheets of blue tarpaulin (pictured) after a new search area near the riverbank was identified Superintendent McDonald said on Monday night the priority of police is to ensure the mother and her child are located. 'At this stage our main concern is for the whereabouts for the mother and the child, we see that as a real urgent matter for us to find her and her child, hopefully safe and healthy,' she said. Superintendent McDonald said police are not judging the woman and they are only looking out for her welfare. 'They need to know we are concerned for them, that we are wanting to know that they are safe,' she said. Anyone who lives in the areas of Wardell Road and Lang Road areas of Earlwood, or Tennant Parade, Hurlstone Park and Ewen Park who may have seen a pregnant woman in distress, has been urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. American Airlines sacked their legal team after they blamed a nine-year-old girl for being filmed in a plane's bathrooms by a male flight attendant. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underaged girls - aged 7, 9, 11 and 14 - as they used the bathroom aboard several AA flights. He has pleaded not guilty. In their response to a lawsuit filed by the nine-year-old's family, the airline argued it was not liable to the alleged victim because she should have realized the bathroom had been fitted with a recording device. The airline was forced to issue a groveling apology where they blame their outside legal counsel for the error and have since confirmed to DailyMail.com they have changed lawyers. 'As a result of the intense media and public backlash surrounding the outrageous allegation, we are not surprised to learn that American Airlines fired its law firm,' Paul Llewellyn, an attorney representing the young girl and her family, told DailyMail.com One victim entered the bathroom and saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid stating the seat was broken 'With the benefit of this new legal representation, we hope that American Airlines will now take a fresh look at the case and finally take some measure of responsibility for what happened to our client. 'Otherwise, we are very confident that a Texas jury will do the right thing and hold American Airlines responsible.' Llewellyn's firm told The Dallas Morning News it was notified on Friday that Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP would now be representing the airline. American Airlines put forward several defenses in the filing, including that they are not responsible because of 'the doctrine of comparative negligence, contributory negligence, comparative responsibility and/or comparative causation.' The airlines legal defense continued: 'Defendant would show that any injuries or illnesses alleged to have been sustained by Plaintiff, Mary Doe, were proximately caused by Plaintiffs own fault and negligence, were proximately caused by Plaintiffs use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.' Estes Carter Thompson III (pictured), 37, was arrested in January after he allegedly recorded four underaged girls - aged 7, 9, 11 and 14- as they used the bathroom The plaintiff's lawyer Caroline Recupero said: 'In other words, American Airlines is blaming a 9-year-old-girl for being filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant, arguing the child knew or should have known that the airplane toilet contained a recording device. 'It is our firms position that this assertion is both shameful and absolutely outrageous.' American Airlines faced backlash online and even the threat of a boycott over the legal response. The airline said it was an error by their outside legal counsel, which was retained by their insurance company. 'The included defense is not representative of our airline and we have directed it be amended this morning,' AA told DailyMail.com on Tuesday. American Airlines confirmed to DailyMail.com they have changed their legal representation after 'We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously.' In the lawsuit, the girl's parents claim Thompson took images of the girl in January, 2023, as she used the bathroom of the flight heading to Los Angeles. The girl and her family had been on their way to Disney World and a gymnastics competition. The images, recovered from Thompson's iCloud by the FBI, showed the girl's face, buttocks and genitals, according to the complaint. The alleged child abuse materials were found after Thompson was arrested after a 14-year-old girl told her family about the camera in the plane's bathroom. The FBI then found other victims, including the nine-year-old from Texas, after searching his devices and iCloud, as well as AI generated pornography. Kemi Badenoch led the ridicule of Labour last night after the party published a letter from 121 business backers that did not include a single FTSE 100 boss. The letter said the General Election was a 'chance to change the country', but the signatories included few business heavyweights. Critics were quick to point out the lack of high-profile figures on the list. Among the better known names were the former Heathrow and Aston Martin bosses whose records in charge were far from stellar. Business Secretary Ms Badenoch tweeted: 'The letter supposedly showing support from business has unravelled less than 24 hrs later. 'Signed mainly by 'former' business people, lobbyists and, in some cases, bosses of now dormant companies! 'This is why I say Labour is not a serious party. 'The signatories claim Labour will bring change. Yes, they willchange for the WORSE! Conservatives don't need fake professors when we have real policies.' Kemi Badenoch led the ridicule of Labour last night after the party published a letter from 121 business backers that did not include a single FTSE 100 boss 'After two years of trying, Labour's list of so-called business heavyweights wouldn't quicken the blood of a local rotary group,' said Andrew Griffith, the Tory science minister, who was once an executive at broadcaster Sky Other names on the list included long-time Labour supporting lobbyists as well as founders of little-known tech start-ups and even a Surrey-based ice cream parlour owner. The list represents the culmination of years of lobbying by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor, and Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, as they have tried to shore up business support. 'After two years of trying, Labour's list of so-called business heavyweights wouldn't quicken the blood of a local rotary group,' said Andrew Griffith, the Tory science minister, who was once an executive at broadcaster Sky. 'And no wonder, when leaders still working in business know that Labour's French-style labour laws and unfunded spending promises will send the cost of wages and investment skyrocketing and cripple British firms.' Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com, said: 'These aren't high-profile figures. 'High-profile figures understandably want to see what's in the manifestos... before blindly going with the flow.' It comes amid concern in the City about the direction a government led by Sir Keir will take. Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com, said: 'These aren't high-profile figures' That is despite Labour's leadership embarking on a frenzied effort to woo corporate Britain in a so-called 'smoked salmon' charm offensive. In public, top bosses who may be privately preparing for the possibility of a Labour government have so far been more guarded in their comments. Asked last week about the election, Nationwide building society boss Debbie Crosbie simply said that the lender wants to see 'anything that stimulates growth'. And Sir Martin Sorrell, the ad industry mogul and one of the City's best known figures now chief executive of S4 Capital said: 'There will be some who worry about what Labour says and what it does.' In a letter to The Times, the coalition of business figures said that Britain needs a 'new outlook' so that it can 'break free' from a decade of economic stagnation. 'Labour has shown it has changed and wants to work with business to achieve the UK's full economic potential. We should now give it the chance to change the country and lead Britain into the future,' it reads. Among the better known signatories was John Holland-Kaye, whose time at Heathrow was plagued by chaos during the reopening after Covid lockdowns. Also on the list was Andy Palmer who quit as boss of Aston Martin in 2020 after a 98 per cent plunge in its share price. Rishi Sunak said he 'would have opted for military national service' while insisting the bold plan for 18-year-olds will instill a 'shared sense of purpose' in youngsters. The UK PM revealed he would have chosen to partake in military service over volunteering had he been called upon to serve his country. It comes as Mr Sunak defended his proposed national service policy which will see 18-year-olds forced to either sign up to the military or cyber defence force, or undertake unpaid community work, which would make society 'more cohesive' and strengthen the UK's defence. Speaking on The Daily T Podcast, the Prime Minister said: 'If I had my time now, I would do the military one, and it's actually one of my regrets that I didn't do more of it when I was younger'. He defiantly claimed his national service scheme's main goal will be to instill a 'shared sense of purpose' in today's youth, claiming 'one of the great privileges in this job is to spend more time with our Armed Forces'. Rishi Sunak revealed he would have chosen military national service over volunteering if he was given the option (pictured: Mr Sunak at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC), Catterick, North Yorkshire) All 18-year-olds will do this new National Service, whatever their background and wherever they live in the UK Mr Sunak claimed his national service scheme's main goal is to instill a 'shared sense of purpose' in today's youth, claiming 'one of the great privileges in this job is to spend more time with our Armed Forces' (Pictured: Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky leaving London, en-route to visit Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset, on February 8, 2023) Mr Sunak also revealed that his own daughters, Krishna, 13, and Anoushka, 11, were 'excited' about doing national service - a scheme that even young royals will have to enroll in. 'I'm a dad. And so I do this first and foremost as a dad, knowing full well that if I'm successful my daughters will do it and I'm really excited for them to do it,' he said. Writing for The Mail on Sunday, Mr Sunak said: 'I know not everyone will agree with this plan. 'But bold action is the right thing for today's Britain. As a father, I look forward to my own two daughters doing their National Service: I think they will find it a rewarding experience. 'It will teach them, as it will other youngsters, much about themselves and the society they serve,' he added. The PM claimed the scheme would provide the coming generation with an opportunity to learn valuable life skills while contributing to their country. 'For some, it will open their eyes to potential careers. For others, it will forge a culture of service that will make our society stronger and more cohesive,' he said. 'It will build trust across our nation: helping us all to get to know each other better, unifying our society at a time when there are those at home and abroad trying to divide us'. But Mr Sunak also made clear that the revived national service is not conscription. 'The vast majority of those who do it will not serve in our Armed Forces. Only those who choose to, and come through the tough entrance tests, will do that,' he clarified. As a father, I look forward to my own two daughters doing their National Service: I think they will find it a rewarding experience (pictured: Mr Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, right, and daughters Krishna, second left, and Anoushka, second right, with dog Nova in May 2023) The PM claimed the scheme would provide the coming generation with an opportunity to learn valuable life skills while contributing to their country Mr Sunak also made clear that the revived national service is not conscription. 'The vast majority of those who do it will not serve in our Armed Forces. Only those who choose to, and come through the tough entrance tests, will do that,' he clarified. The Prime Minister made the first major policy announcement of the general election campaign on Sunday, vowing to bring back National Service for 18-year-olds - a scheme that has not been seen in the UK since 1960. The Prime Minister received backlash after launching the proposal with a Labour Party spokesperson saying the scheme was 'another desperate 2.5billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party which already crashed the economy, sending mortgages rocketing, and now they're spoiling for more. 'This is not a plan it's a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon,' the spokesperson said. The Lib Dems have also slammed the announcement with leader Ed Davey describing it as a 'desperate' and 'pathetic' attempt. It was also revealed that Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte will be expected to undertake the scheme when they turn 18, with details confirming that there will be 'very limited exceptions' to get out of the service and that the young royals will not be exempt. Prince George, 10, will be the first young royal made to undertake the scheme when he turns 18 in July 2031, followed a year later by Princess Charlotte, nine, and three years later by Prince Louis, six. Princess Beatrice and Eugenie also have young children who would be eligible to take part once they reach the age of 18, as well as Prince Edward's son, the Earl of Wessex, 16. The Royal family has a long history of serving in the military with Prince William a Sandhurst graduate before he spent seven-and-a-half years in full-time military service. Home Secretary James Cleverly said on Sunday that those who refuse would not receive 'criminal sanctions'. It was also revealed that Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte will be expected to undertake the scheme when they turn 18 File image shows the Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at RAF Fairford last year He also that the service would be compulsory, adding: 'We will look at what the appropriate response will be. 'There's not going to be a criminal sanction for this, the same way people are compelled to be in education or training between 16 and 18.' He clarified details of the scheme saying the military part will be paid, but the voluntary section would not be. 'We know how we will make this new National Service a reality. The first royal commission of this century will finalise the details of how the scheme will work. It will then open for applications in September 2025,' Mr Sunak told The Mail on Sunday. 'This rite of passage will create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country. 'We have a clear plan to implement this action, which will help improve the opportunities available to the next generation and build the secure future we all want to see for our children and for Britain'. A photo of Indigenous tribespeople interacting with workers mining nickel for EV batteries has exposed the dark reality of the renewable energy industry. Two women and a man from the Hongana Manyama tribe in the Halmahera forest in Indonesia's Maluku Islands were seen excitedly grasping the arm of a miner in a video posted to Instagram this week. In the clip, miners in high-vis vests are seen leading members of the tribe into a tent where they ate rice and snapped photos and videos with their guests. Survival International's Research and Advocacy Officer Callum Russell warned the trio could be dead within days due to their lack of immunity against bacteria. The disturbing footage comes as Anthony Albanese throws his full support behind the renewables industry while the Climate Council pushes for a ban on the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles in the country by 2035. Two women and a man from a tribe who live in the Halmahera forest in Indonesia were seen excitedly grasping the arm of a miner in a video posted to Instagram (pictured) Anthony Albanese has been vocal in his support for EVs (pictured at a battery site in Perth, WA) 'We know that when these Indigenous communities get in contact with outsiders, they die,' Mr Russell told news.com.au. 'And in general, between around two-thirds of the tribe will die of disease alone when they are contacted. 'It's an absolute tragedy and a catastrophe unfolding on the island of Halmahera. It's very much the last thing that should be happening.' Mr Russel said it was ironic that electric car companies preached about the environment while potentially endangering the health of Indigenous tribes. The Halmahera forest is also being impacted by rapid deforestation, with at least 17 companies currently mining for nickel in the area. The WBN mine in Halmahera is the largest nickel mine in the world and first began operations in Indonesia in 2019. Leading EV manufacturer Telsa does not source its nickel from the mine. Brisbane mining company Theiss signed a $125million contract to provide the mine with ore loading, hauling and stockpile maintenance from 2023 to 2027. Telsa does not source their nickel from the WBN mine in Halmahera (pictured, a Tesla Model 3 in 2022) The Labor government will start imposing penalties on makers of petrol and diesel cars from 2025 as part of a plan to reduce vehicle carbon emissions by 59 per cent by 2029. The Climate Council wants Australia to go further and ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, which would include hybrid vehicles because only 'zero emission' vehicles would be allowed. 'Based on the pace of vehicle turnover, this date needs to be set no later than 2035 to see Australia have a zero emissions fleet by 2050,' it said. 'The European Union, United Kingdom, Canada and some US states are in the process of implementing this approach, with 2035 emerging as a common end date for petrol and diesel vehicles across these communities.' Last month, an electric vehicle charging station company collapsed just over a year after Mr Albanese applauded it as a 'great success story'. Tritium DCFC and its Australian subsidiaries entered administration in April - a year after the prime minister toured the premises and hailed the company as the future. 'This is my third visit to Tritium. Every time I come back, I hear about more revenue, more jobs being created, and more countries where Australia is exporting to,' the prime minister said in March 2023. 'This is a great success story here and I congratulate everyone at Tritium for their achievements.' Tritium's troubles come despite fully-electric cars now having a 9.5 per cent share of the Australian vehicle market in March, up from 6.8 per cent in March 2023. Battery electric cars sales climbed by a 58.3 per cent to 10,464, up from 6,612, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data showed. Nearly all Scottish secondary schools allow children to self-ID and choose their own gender - with a new report warning a policy operating in 95 per cent of colleges may allow students to share toilets. Campaign group For Women Scotland claimed that an 'unscientific contested belief system' was now 'deeply embedded' within schools following controversial SNP government guidance. The group discovered nine in 10 Scottish secondary schools taught pupils that humans have a gender identity that might differ from their biological sex, The Telegraph reported. In findings based on freedom of information acts, at least 95.4 per cent of schools are operating gender self-ID policies, meaning schools allow the children to choose their own gender. It also means biological male pupils are being allowed to take part in female PE classes and share changing rooms and toilets with girls in most secondary schools, the report disclosed. Nearly all Scottish secondary schools allow children to self-ID and choose their own gender, an investigation has found (Stock photo) Dr Hillary Cass (pictured) said allowing 'social transitioning' for young people - treating them as the opposite gender - could push children down a potentially harmful medical pathway In the landmark Cass review, which was published in April this year, Hilary Cass warned of the possible risks of children socially transitioning, claiming it could encourage children down a potentially harmful medical pathway. The report found that only 4 per cent of schools always informs parents when their child reveals feeling of 'gender distress', while 89 per cent teach humans have a gender identity that might differ from their biological sex. Trina Budge, a For Women Scotland director, said: 'There is a misconception that the occasional headlines in the press about children socially transitioned without parents knowledge or boys causing upset by using the girls' toilets represent isolated incidents. 'This report conclusively disproves that theory. Schools, by and large, unquestionably follow [SNP government] advice, even when it is out of date, unlawful and supports an unscientific contested belief system that has more in common with religious studies than it does with biology lessons.' MailOnline has contacted the Scottish government for comment. Following her takedown of British MP Suella Braverman, and with a surge of grassroots support, Fiona Lali is standing as a revolutionary communist candidate for Stratford and Bow in the upcoming British general election. Vote for Fiona! Bring down the warmongers! [Originally published at communist.red] In Gaza, thousands of innocent men, women, and children are being butchered and starved to death by the brutal Israeli war machine. Both the Tories and Labour have blood on their hands. Keir Starmer is no different from Rishi Sunak when it comes to backing Netanyahus genocidal massacre. Right-wing Labour MPs like Rushanara Ali and Lyn Brown in East London have refused to vote for a ceasefire. The warmongers in Westminster are spouting endless lies. But they cannot hide their crimes. At the end of day, the entire British establishment and their servile media are puppets of their imperialist masters in Washington. To distract from their own complicity in the slaughter in Gaza, they are weaponising antisemitism and repressing protesters. They cynically accuse Palestine supporters of racism and extremism. But they are the ones whipping up bigotry, discrimination, and xenophobia against migrants and refugees. While this horror plays out abroad, working-class people back home are experiencing savage cuts and falling living standards. Desperate levels of poverty and disease, not seen since the 1930s, have returned to East London and elsewhere. Shamefully, young people are being denied a future. Many are being pushed into dead-end jobs, on miserly wages and zero-hour contracts. Faced with sky-high rents and mortgages, finding decent, affordable housing has become a real nightmare. Yet Labour has nothing to offer when it comes to solving the housing crisis or improving workers pay, conditions, and rights. Our schools, hospitals, and utilities are literally crumbling to pieces. NHS waiting lists are getting longer and longer. And profiteering, parasitic water companies are polluting our rivers and coasts with raw sewage. The corrupt clique in Downing Street tell us there is no money to fix any of this. Yet there is always money for wars and weapons. We say: Nationalise the water, energy, and rail monopolies! Take every penny spent on arms and sent to the Israeli regime, and put it into public healthcare, education, and local services! This shambles in Britain is no accident, but is due to the crisis of capitalism a system that does not reward hard work, but that runs on the basis of profit and greed. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. While the billionaires amass ever greater fortunes, the numbers relying on food banks are growing daily. All the main parties and politicians are in the pockets of big business. They are all simply Tories in one form or another. They promise change, but deliver nothing. Meanwhile, everything gets worse. And whatever they give with one hand, they take with the other. We reject those who argue that we must simply tinker with the system; who appeal to those in power to be kinder and nicer. A leopard will not change its spots. Capitalism is responsible for climate catastrophe, chaos, and crisis; for war, hunger, and the ever-widening gulf in society. We need a root and branch change not scraps from the richmans table. This rotten system must go. Societys wealth must be taken out of the hands of the bankers and capitalists, and used for the benefit of all. Instead of fighting over crumbs, we should use these vast resources to build a million council homes; to provide quality, well-paid jobs for all; and to plan the economy under workers control and the direction of ordinary communities in the interests of the majority. This is a bold revolutionary approach. Nothing less will do. Anything else will simply be more of the same: cuts and crisis; austerity and tragedy. Capitalism has become a monstrous barrier to human progress. We need to do away with it. That is why we stand for a fundamental transformation of society for socialist revolution, in Britain and internationally. We reject the establishment parties, and offer our support and solidarity to those genuine left candidates who are taking a stand against western imperialism and its agents. We need revolutionary voices inside Parliament and on the streets, representing and accountable to working-class communities. It is time not only to vote, but to act! A Starmer government will only continue with Tory capitalist policies. We need to get organised in every workplace and neighbourhood, in every school and college, and mobilise to win policies for the working class and for young people. Vote for Fiona Lali! Join the Revolutionary Communist Party! Fight for your future! FOR HEALTHCARE, NOT WARFARE! FOR BOOKS, NOT BOMBS! KICK OUT THE WAR CRIMINALS! Sign up here to volunteer for Fionas election campaign! And support her campaign by donating today! Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was been forced to defend why St George's Day is not a Bank Holiday yesterday. During a visit to a factory in Stoke, he was asked why the country could not be given a day off. He told workers: 'We all love to have days off, right. Let's be honest, I would definitely love a day off, I can tell you that. 'But there's lots of other things that come along with bank holidays and the impact they have which we need to take into account. 'But we should never be ashamed to be proud of our identity, of who we are as a country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took part in a Q and A session with employees at a pottery factory in Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire. Why isn't St George's Day a National Holiday? Rishi Sunak said 'we need to take into account' the impact of holidays., 'And actually what we've seen over the last several months in particular, is sadly there are forces who are trying to divide us, who are trying to emphasise all the differences. And I think that's sad, and it's wrong.' The PM was also questioned on his plans for rolling out National Service at Churchill's fine china factory in Stoke-on-Trent during a campaign visit to the Midlands. Cup shop supervisor Dawn Condliffe said her sons aged 20 and 29 were 'more brawn than brain' and would have benefited from the scheme. Speaking to journalists afterwards Mr Sunak said his daughters were 'more excited' about his National Service scheme than when he announced plans for youngsters to study maths until they were 18. 'So I can tell you that much. I was a much easier conversation than that conversation was,' he joked. 'So yes, and yeah, look, I'm a dad... And so I do this first and foremost as a dad, knowing full well that if I'm successful, my daughters will do it and I'm really excited for them to do it.' The LA make-up artist stabbed more than 20 times by her boyfriend and left for dead was granted a temporary restraining order just three days before the attack, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. In her application Allie Shehorn, 35, claimed she had suffered from a shocking catalog of abuse including being raped, choked and beaten with a belt. Days later, on May 23, Shehorn was violently attacked in her own home allegedly by actor Nick Pasqual, 34, who was arrested this week in Sierra Blanca, Texas, while attempting to flee across the border to Mexico. Pasqual was on Wednesday afternoon charged with attempted murder, first-degree home invasion, and domestic violence injury, and will be extradited back to LA. He faces life in prison if convicted. The boyfriend, who most recently appeared as a minor character called Thresher in 2023 movie Rebel Moon, previously attacked Shehorn on at least four occasions. This was according to the make-up artist's application for a domestic violence restraining order obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. Actor Nick Pascal allegedly stabbed his girlfriend Allie Shehorn 20 times before fleeing to Texas. They are pictured at an ax throwing club where they went to celebrate her birthday last October Allie Shehorn Allie Shehorn, 35, a Hollywood makeup artist, was stabbed up to 20 times According to the papers, which were filed on May 18, Pasqual hit her with a belt on January 29, broke down several doors in their Sunland, California, home on March 6 and raped and choked her on April 14. The escalating abuse, which peaked with the horror stabbing on May 23, also included a violent incident on May 18 which prompted Shehorn to apply for a restraining order. According to the make-up artist, Pasqual became angry at around 3am 'and started yelling and screaming at me, which happens when he's under the influence.' She went on: 'He slapped me across the face and as I was trying to get away down the hallway, he grabbed my hair and pulled me back and I slammed into the floor hitting the back of my head on the ground.' Shehorn says she attempted to hide in the bedroom of a friend called Christine White, 62, who shares the former couple's home. Pasqual then allegedly tried to batter the door down and when she unlocked it, shoved it against her causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head again. According to Shehorn, the incident left her with concussion while Pasqual went on to threaten White as she dialed 911. The LA make-up artist was granted a temporary restraining order from her ex-boyfriend three days before the attack Shehorn had complained to cops of suffering a catalog of abuse from Pasqual including being raped, choked and beaten with a belt In her application for a restraining order, obtained by DailyMail.com, Shehorn claimed Pasqual previously attacked her on at least four occasions LAPD booking records show Pasqual was arrested and charged with a felony at 10am the same day but bonded out of jail at 3.23pm that afternoon. The restraining order request also includes a disturbing account of the alleged rape perpetrated by Pasqual on April 14 at an Airbnb. On that occasion, Shehorn said the couple had been drinking the previous day and had begun having sex early that morning. She said Pasqual had begun hurting her so she asked him to stop, only for the 34-year-old to continue and hold her down by both wrists as she struggled to escape. When she finally was able to get up, Pasqual unleashed an angry tirade, telling her she didn't love him if she didn't allow him to orgasm. Then, as she tried to leave the room, Pasqual allegedly grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, only releasing her when she threatened to scream and alert the other people staying in the property. Shehorn added: 'He has been violent in the past but never physically with me apart from two nights where he ripped clothes off of me [sic].' Allie Shehorn, 35, a Hollywood makeup artist, was stabbed, allegedly by Pasqual who was later arrested in Texas trying to cross the Mexican border DailyMail.com can also reveal that Pasqual pictured in a 2011 episode of How I Met Your Mother has previous convictions, including a July 2013 DUI and another the following February Pasqual is an actor who has had number of roles in television series, including NBC's Gone Pasqual starred in the 2023 movie Poor Paul alongside Adam Carbone and Abhi Sinha In the application, the special effects make-up artist also asked for protection for White and for the couple's white husky-mix dog Riley. A hearing over whether to make the temporary restraining order permanent had been scheduled on June 11 in Pasadena while Pasqual was due to appear in court on a felony charge in San Fernando on June 12. DailyMail.com can also reveal that Pasqual has previous convictions, including a July 2013 DUI and another the following February. Pasqual will face court at a yet to be determined date once he is returned to LA and will be held on a $1.075 million bond. 'My thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the victim in this horrific incident,' Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said. 'Our office, including our Bureau of Victim Services, extends our support and resources to her as she embarks on the long and difficult journey of healing from both the physical and emotional trauma inflicted upon her. 'This heinous incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of domestic violence. We will ensure that the individual responsible for this egregious act is held accountable for their actions.' Shehorn is recovering from the stabbing attack in hospital with White telling local news outlet KTLA she is in 'good spirits'. White said she returned home to find Shehorn surrounded by blood in her bedroom, which she added 'wasn't a pretty sight.' 'This is not the kind of thing that should happen to anybody,' she continued. 'You don't think this is ever going to happen to you.' A GoFundMe, set up to help Shehorn cope with her mounting medical bills, added in an update on Monday that White 'acted fast when she found Allie bleeding out', a move that 'saved her life.' If you can tell your tabbies from your tortoiseshells, ask yourself this: have you ever petted a 'salty liquorice'? For Finnish researchers have discovered a rare variety of cat, recognisable by its dappled black-and-white markings. Salty liquorice cats have distinctive salt and pepper fur, with many individual hairs coloured only at the base near the skin. Dubbed 'salmiak' in Finnish after a popular salty liquorice snack, the unusual colouring was first noticed on three cats in 2007. Researchers at the University of Helsinki sought cats with a similar pattern and took samples of their DNA. They then contacted Dr Heidi Anderson, a feline scientist at Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics, to see if there was anything unusual in the cats' genetic make-up. Finnish researchers have discovered a rare variety of cat, recognisable by its dappled black-and-white markings (File image) Salty liquorice cats have distinctive salt and pepper fur, with many individual hairs coloured only at the base near the skin (File image) Dr Anderson's testing found the cats had a 'big chunk of DNA missing' leading to the unusual colour effect. She added: 'These coats have aroused a lot of admiration for years. It's really exciting that we now have some genetic explanation for it.' Publishing their findings in the journal Animal Genetics, researchers wrote: 'This salmiak patterning of white hairs is most noticeable in solid black cats, but it can occur with different colour backgrounds, including, for example, brown tabby, tortoiseshell and dilution (blue) and in both male and female cats.' The researchers added that it had been thought salmiak-coloured cats were infertile because of their rarity. However the authors said their observations had debunked this. A billionaire real estate tycoon who gave his staff a $1.6 million bonus during the pandemic wants to visit the Titanic wreck in a submarine. Larry Connor is not only undeterred by the OceanGate disaster last year, but got on the phone with a rival firm days later asking it to build a better sub. He plans to make the 12,500ft trip with Patrick Lahey, whose Triton Submarines already partnered with Connor on three dives into the Mariana Trench. Connor is worth about $2 billion from his firm Connor Group that invests in luxury apartment buildings, then sells them after an average of five-and-a-half years. He started the company in Dayton, Ohio, in 1991 and now has a $5 billion portfolio of 51 buildings across 12 states from Colorado to Florida. Larry Connor is not only undeterred by the OceanGate disaster last year, but got on the phone with a rival firm days later asking it to build a better sub Ohio real-estate investor and businessman, Larry Connor (left) says he is signed up for an expedition to the Titanic later this year His firm sold $6 billion worth of properties since 1995 and makes a 30.4 per cent rate of return on its transactions yearly. Connor makes so much money that when he made a $1.6 million after-tax stock market windfall in 2020, he distributed it to his staff. Only employees on less than $150,000 a year received the bonuses, which were between $2,000 and $9,000 depending on various factors. Connor surprised his staff with the bonuses during a mass video call that was recorded for company PR stunt. 'These are challenging times, but the way our people have responded has been nothing short of heroic,' he said at the time. 'Our No. 1 core value is 'Do the right thing.' So when I think about how I made the money compared to what our associates do on every day, to me, (paying the bonuses) was the right thing to do.' Connor also funded pandemic-related childcare costs for all his 400 staff. America's super-wealthy are still risking their lives on deep sea adventures even after the catastrophic implosion of OceanGate 's Titan last year, that killed all on board (Pictured: next-generation Triton submersible, the Triton 660/9 AVA, called the Scenic Neptune II) Connor has a history of philanthropy, founding Kids and Community Partners with Christine, his wife of 34 years, which helps disadvantaged children. Earlier this year he opened Greater Dayton School, a private school catering to under-resourced students. Connor almost had no career at all, as teachers told his parents when he was 10 that the D-student wasn't smart enough to go to university. He scraped into Ohio University with a 2.0 GPA and graduated summa cum laude in 1972, running a painting business with a friend between classes. Then a neighbor gave him the best advice he ever heard: 'If you really want to learn about business, go sell something.' So he joined a local car dealership, and then worked for travel company EF McDonald. 'I lived in Morocco and Mexico City. In a typical year I traveled to Europe 10-12 times. It was a tremendous time and a great learning experience,' he told Dayton Daily News. He then bought Newcoms Tavern and ran it for two years before selling it at a 119 per cent profit - prompting his investors to say he should start another company. That's how his real estate career began. Connor has used his wealth on extreme exploration in the past, going on Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station in 2022. Now, he is planning to be on the first sub to dive back to the Titanic wreckage since the Titan imploded last June. OceanGate 's Titan submersible (pictured) disappeared on June 18, 2023, after it plunged into the ocean to explore the wreck of the Titanic. The cost of the trip was $250,000 Lahey said that after the implosion, Connor called him saying, 'You know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption.' Connor is set on taking a two-person submersible down to titanic wreck depths to show people worldwide that 'while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way,' he told the Wall Street Journal. He and Lahey have worked together previously diving to some of the ocean's deepest depths. Triton clients have already made various dives this year, from exploring the Mariana Trench, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Arctic Ocean. Despite OceanGate's catastrophic implosion last June, the pair aims to prove to the world that such an expedition can be carried out safely. Its operators insist their submersible is safer than Titan, which was criticized for having no official safety certification. They refused to share the per-person cost for a seat on their sub, or tell DailyMail.com when they plan to plunge to the depths of the Atlantic to reach the Titanic wreck. Triton clients have already made various dives this year, from exploring the Mariana Trench, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Arctic Ocean (Pictured: TRITON 660 AVA) Connor, who has previously explored the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, said they plan to undertake the journey in a two-person vessel called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, named '4000' for the depth in meters it can reach Triton's subs have been used in the past for the 'world's deepest dive' to Australia's Great Barrier Reef in July 2023 with British biologist Sir David Attenborough. This year, Triton subs were used for expeditions to the Mariana Trench, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Arctic Ocean. Connor, who has previously explored the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, said they plan to undertake the journey in a two-person vessel called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer. The submarine is named '4000' for the depth in meters it can reach. It's unclear when the trip will take place or how much it will cost. Lahey was among many industry figures who criticized OceanGate before and after the disaster, accusing it of questionable safety standards. After the implosion, he described Rush's recruitment tactics use to convincing people to get on board as 'quite predatory' and emphasized that certified submersibles are generally safe. With respect to the lives lost last June, Bentham-Wood said the 'continued exploration of the deep ocean in manned submersibles is essential to understanding the ocean environment, which is a key component of our future on this planet' Lahey emphasized that this tragedy wasn't reflecting of the industry as a whole. 'In that sense, OceanGate didn't make the industry look bad,' McCallum told the WSJ. 'It made us look good.' OceanGate's Titan submersible disappeared on June 18, 2023, after it plunged into the sea to explore the wreck of the Titanic - killing all five people on board, including the company's CEO, Stockton Rush. The cost of the expedition was $250,000. The company was slammed for flouting warnings of the risks and offering cut-price tickets to some of those on the trip. But despite the catastrophic implosion, rich thrill-seekers are still spending thousands on similar expeditions. Triton marketing director Sophie Bentham-Wood said influential individuals recognized how the tragic implosion could impact the investment in deep ocean research. The world's deepest dive to Australia's Great Barrier Reef was achieved by Sir David Attenborough in a Triton submersible 'Some have already approached us to discuss the build of deep-diving submersibles purely to counteract any negative impact those events could have had and maintain momentum in the ocean space,' she told Dailymail.com. With respect to the lives lost last June, Bentham-Wood said the 'continued exploration of the deep ocean in manned submersibles is essential to understanding the ocean environment, which is a key component of our future on this planet.' 'If there is any positive to draw from the situation, the legacy will be that there is further investment being made in deep ocean submersibles,' she said. 'Plus everyone realizes the deep ocean is no place for compromise therefore, the need for programs to solely employ submersibles with full classification certification in their operations is not an option, but a prerequisite.' Before Titan, the only major sub disaster included the USS Thresher's 1963 implosion, killing 129 crew members Dakar - World's Record Deep Sea Dive (1954) Historically, submersibles have successfully dived deeper than the Titanic for decades. When the wreck of the Titanic was first first discovered in 1985, submersibles had already been diving to greater depths for several decades. The first to do so was the FNRS-3 bathyscaphe in 1954, setting a record by reaching 4,050 meters. In 1960, the Trieste descended 10,916 meters in the Mariana Trench. Since then, at least 16 submersibles have repeatedly taken people deeper than the Titanic over the past 69 years. The US submersible Alvin made the first dives to investigate the Titanic in July 1986, followed by the French submersible Nautile in 1987, which returned in 1993 and dived to the wreck 47 times in total. Today, ten submersibles in service can reach Titanic depths and beyond. According to the Marine Technology Society's submarine group, OceanGate was the only company operating a submersible capable of reaching Titanic-wreck depths that was not certified, raising industry concerns. 'There are only 10 submarines in the world that can go 4,000m or deeper and all of them are certified except the OceanGate,' Will Kohnen, chair of the Marine Technology Society's submarine group told CBC News in June 2023. OceanGate was conducting deep-ocean expeditions since 2009, with over 200 successful dives using its three submersibles in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico. The Titan was designed to reach deeper depths of over 13,000 feet, according to the company. Before Titan, the only major sub disaster included the USS Thresher's 1963 implosion, killing 129 crew members. British explorer Hamish Harding was among those killed in the 'catastrophic implosion' French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition But after the implosion, many in the industry called for extra caution around any future trips to the titanic wreckage. Other have called for greater oversight of the submersible industry as a whole. Last year, titanic expert Tim Maltin said trips to the wreckage should be paused until more is discovered about what occurred to the Titan sub. 'We need to make sure that any vessels that go down there carrying fee-paying passengers[are] certified to greater depths than they will be put through,' said Maltin. Caroline Heaven, a member of the British Titanic Society, said the dangers outweigh any benefits. 'I see no point in even considering the perilous journey to the wreck,' she told the BBC. 'The dangers involved are too great, the conditions are too cramped, and visibility is limited when the wreck is reached. Debris from the Titan submersible recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from a ship 'Out of the entire population of submersibles, 90 to 95 per cent are certified. There's a five to 10 per cent fringe, so in that aspect they are an outlier, but sure, in the deep submersibles they really stand out.' 'Our apprehension is that the current 'experimental' approach adopted by OceanGate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic) that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry,' he said. On June 18, the OceanGate's Titan was launched around 8am in the Atlantic Ocean above the site of the Titanic shipwreck. The five passengers, tourists Hamish Harding , 58, Shahzada Dawood , 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, French Navy pilot Paul-Henry (PH) Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, started to descend as Rush piloted the vessel. At 9.45am, the ship lost contact with its mothership, the Polar Prince, during a descent to the wreck of the Titanic 12,500 feet beneath the surface. Days later, its debris was recovered. It was said to have suffered a 'catastrophic implosion'. All on board died on the submersible. The US Coast Guard confirmed the victims' deaths four days later and an investigation into the implosion is ongoing . Because OceanGate's titan completely imploded, researchers will likely never determine the exact location of the flaw that caused the tragic event. The humble sandwich is beloved of Brits the length and breadth of the country when looking for a simple snack. However, the 44 price of a 'Scottish Lobster Roll' at one of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurants could prove hard to swallow. The television chef came in for criticism from some would-be diners after plugging the a la carte main course, on sale at Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill in Mayfair, west London. The Scottish Lobster Roll is served with capers, avocado, lobster bisque mayonnaise and Koffmann's fries. The Scottish chef's post was met with cutting remarks from a number of people on social media. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's 44 lobster roll is raising eyebrows higher than its price point. The Scottish Lobster Roll is served with capers, avocado, lobster bisque mayonnaise and Koffmann's fries. One wrote: 'I have a huge respect to chef Gordon, but what the heck is that?' Simon Hendry sarcastically posted: 'Casual dining.' Another joked: 'I'm sick of being a millionaire, what should I do with my money?' Ramsay, 57, boasted about the pricey dish and said: 'The team at Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill Mayfair got your weekend covered with this delicious Scottish Lobster Roll.' However, other people were more forgiving of the price, with one simply stating: 'Looks delicious.' It is believed John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, invented the sandwich in 1762 after asking for beef between two slices of bread so he did not have to leave his card game. Since that time, the sandwich has been incorporated into virtually every cuisine of the West by virtue of its simplicity of preparation, portability and endless variety. Ramsay was approached for comment last night. A woman has been charged over the murder of her ex-boyfriend at a home in Sydney. Nikita Kirby was arrested near the home in Matraville in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Tuesday night after emergency services were called at about 6.15pm. Moments earlier her ex-boyfriend Scott Wallace, 37, had been found suffering from wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Kirby, 31, was charged with murder (domestic violence) on Wednesday. She was refused bail and will face Waverley Local Court on Thursday. Nikita Kirby was arrested near the home in Matraville in Sydney 's eastern suburbs on Tuesday night Ms Kirby, 31, was charged with murder ( domestic violence ) on Wednesday. She is pictured during her arrest On Wednesday morning, the single-storey brick home remained a crime scene with officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command and the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad, as well as forensic police investigating. Residents of Murrabin Avenue told Daily Mail Australia they saw a woman running up and down the dead-end street in the aftermath of the stabbing. 'She was running down the street screaming,' a resident said. Its a quiet family-friendly street, were shocked this has happened on our doorstep. A local business owner said they had seen the pair arguing outside the Matraville hotel earlier that afternoon. In 2021, an AVO was taken out in the NSW Local Court against Mr Wallace by police, for Ms Kirbys protection. That AVO lasted for two years and ended last October. On Wednesday morning, the single-storey brick home remained a crime scene Britain's shrinking army could struggle to face a large force such as Russia in 'a high intensity conflict', European generals fear. As more soldiers are leaving the army than being recruited, troop numbers have dwindled to a historic low of just over 73,000 - its smallest size for 300 years. A European general told The Sun that allies harbour 'concern' about the British Army's size should a conflict erupt. 'You must have mass, you must have numbers,' they said. 'In Ukraine you can see, we must have mass to fight the Russian army.' Another unnamed European general said that despite commitments to boost defence spending, the British army remains 'in decline'. British Army soldiers from the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team are seen during Exercise Immediate Response as part of NATO's Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 earlier this month Britain's shrinking army could struggle to face a large force such as Russia in 'a high intensity conflict', European generals fear 'None of the recent announcements have moved the dial on that,' they said. The top brass added however that the UK's most important defence asset to NATO is its nuclear deterrent. 'We know we can rely on that, especially when there is an American election on the horizon and we don't know how that could affect NATO,' they reportedly said. Rishi Sunak has said he will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP and bring in national service for 18-year-olds if he wins the next election. But, the prime minister has stood by plans to cut the army's manpower to 73,000 by 2025 - a figure it has already nearly met after plummeting from around 102,000 in 2006. Analysis in January suggested troop numbers could fall even further. One former senior US general said at the time that while the UK was still seen as America's closest ally, it was also seen as 'having diminished capabilities over the past couple of decades'. Rishi Sunak has said he will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP and bring in national service for 18-year-olds if he wins the next election They added: 'Hence, while being the most important ally across the board, it is decidedly not what it used to be, regrettably.' In January, Michael Clarke, the former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told MailOnline that the army must be better at driving recruitment and at least 'get over the 100,000 mark'. The chief of the British Army has previously warned Brits that they could be called up to fight in the event of war with Russia due to the army's size. General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, stressed the need for ministers to 'mobilise the nation' in the event of a wider conflict against Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine . Reform UK's party leader Richard Tice has been scrutinised for a claim he made on migration numbers. In a social media post last week, Mr Tice said that Rishi Sunak had 'welcomed more migrants in just two years... than arrived between 1066 and 2010'. But his claim has since been 'fact checked' - and X/Twitter placed a 'community note' under the claims, allowing contributors to add context. In 2022 and 2023, just under 2.5 million immigrants in total came to the UK, while between 1964 - when Office for National Statistics (ONS) data begins - and 2010 more than 14.6 million people emigrated to the UK. Provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released on May 23 showed that long-term immigration to the UK was 1.218 million for the year ending December 2023 after being 1.257 million for the same period in 2022. Together these add up to 2.475 million people. In a social media post last week, Richard Tice said that Rishi Sunak had 'welcomed more migrants in just two years... than arrived between 1066 and 2010' In 2022 and 2023, just under 2.5 million immigrants in total came to the UK, while between 1964 - when Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) data begins - and 2010 more than 14.6 million people emigrated to the UK (file image) ONS immigration data from 1964 to 2010 shows there were 14.646 million immigrants across the 46 years. That alone is a figure almost six times higher than total immigration over the past two years, even though it is missing data from nearly 900 years of Mr Tice's selected range of 1066 and 2010. If measuring net migration - that is the number of people who moved to the UK minus the number who left the country - the figures are slightly different. Net migration was 685,000 in 2023 and 764,000 in 2022, for a combined tally of 1.449 million. Meanwhile, ONS figures suggest that net migration between 1964 and 2010 was 2.287 million. Since ONS records do not go back as far as 1066, it is unclear what total net migration would be if data from the other 898 years could be included. Reform UK's press office did not respond when asked to provide a source for the claim in Mr Tice's post on X, formerly Twitter. Bill Maher shut down fellow comedian Sandra Bernhard on his podcast after she claimed conservatives were the main cause of the alarming rise of antisemitism in America. The Roseanne star, who is Jewish, was speaking to Maher - an atheist whose mother was Jewish - on an episode of his Club Random podcast. She argued that despite protests among left-wing, anti-Israel activists on college campuses and in various major cities, she doesn't feel afraid. 'I like being Jewish. I go to Shabbat, I do my thing. But everybody's suddenly like, 'I'm Jewish, and I'm being [persecuted].' I don't feel persecuted,' she said. Maher responded by saying: 'There is an antisemitism afoot in this country which we haven't had in a very long time.' Bill Maher shut down fellow comedian Sandra Bernhard on his podcast after she claimed conservatives were the main cause of the alarming rise of antisemitism in America The Roseanne star, who is Jewish, was speaking to Maher - an atheist whose mother was Jewish - on an episode of his Club Random podcast When Bernhard tried to say that it came from the extreme right, Maher immediately cut her off. 'No, it doesn't,' Maher said. 'The right-wing has the 'Jews will not replace us' nonsense. The left-wing is even worse.' When Bernhard asked Maher to explain, he blamed liberals' obsession with identity politics for spreading anti-Jewish sentiment. 'That is coming down from elite colleges who see everything only through a racial lens. They are stupid. They don't know history. They think everything is about colonizers and racists, and how awful America is,' he said. Maher said that while America 'has done some bad things,' the left is using Israel as a stand-in for 'every bad thing white people ever did.' 'This is not any more complicated to most of these college kids than the Palestinians are brown and poor and the Israelis are rich and white,' he said. Bernhard then tried to pivot to criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'But can we get on the same page and agree that Benjamin Netanyahu is a s*** disturber and needs to be yanked out of Israel? He is not good for Israel. He is not good for Jews,' she said. When Bernhard tried to say that it came from the extreme right, Maher immediately cut her off When Bernhard asked Maher to explain, he blamed liberals' obsession with identity politics for spreading anti-Jewish sentiment 'He has also contributed to the global mistrust it shouldn't be Jews, it's Israelis. He is solidly to blame for everything that's happening right now.' Maher, who has had Prime Minister Netanyahu on his show as a guest, again pushed back. 'He is so not to blame for everything that's happening. That's the fault of the Palestinian people and the religion of Islam, which gets lost in all of this,' he said. When Bernhard asked him to clarify, he said that Hamas is 'mostly to blame.' 'Right now is happening because for years Hamas took aid money and instead of buying food with it and building buildings and hospitals, they bought bombs and made tunnels,' he added. Bernhard then suggested that Netanyahu had spent years supporting Hamas himself. 'Correct. Yes, you're right. For strategic reasons, which probably were, in retrospect, not wrong. But it wasn't like Netanyahu was working against the interests in his mind of his own people,' Maher said. 'He is working in the interest of only one person, himself, because he doesn't want to go to prison,' she said, which Maher completely disagreed with, though he did say Netanyahu will likely soon leave office. Bernhard then tried to pivot to criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Maher, who has had Prime Minister Netanyahu on his show as a guest, again pushed back Maher, a darling of the liberal media, has frequently been critical of the left's anti-Israel sentiment in the wake of the Hamas attacks on October 7. He has accused protesters of being 'American-hating hysterics devoid of knowledge' who support Hamas. 'It's hard to get your head around the thought of people yelling 'Death to America' on American soil,' he said. 'If they had any knowledge about the Middle East or what apartheid really means or genocide, would they be on the side of Hamas, really?' A Florida woman attempted to evade arrest by jumping into the ocean after she was caught having sex on a popular pier on Memorial Day. Allyssia Razo, 20, and Zadok Westfield, 23, were engaging in sexual intercourse on the Naples Pier on Monday, according to police. Police received multiple calls that the two were being intimate behind a locked gate with visible 'no trespassing' signage. Naples Police Officer Matthew Blomquist responded to the scene and began to arrest the couple when Razo jumped into the Gulf of Mexico. 'I instructed her [Razo] not to jump from the pier but she did, in attempt to evade me, and began to swim northeast towards the beach,' the police report said. Allyssia Razo (pictured) attempted to evade police by jumping into the Gulf of Mexico from the pier Razo, 20, and Zadok Westfield, 23, were caught on the Naples Pier (pictured) on Monday Her attempt to flee failed and she was caught by beach patrol when she exited the water in the area of Board Ave S beach end. Westfield stayed at the pier and told police he and Razo had swam to the end of the pier and climbed to the top to jump off but eventually started having sex. The officer said he found the pair in a comprising position. He described them both as 'looking disheveled', adding that Westfield was completely nude. One witness told police she was at the beach near the pier with her children and her friends children, ages 7, 11, 12 and 15, when they looked at the pier and the pair in the act. Razo attempted to flee failed but was caught by beach patrol when she exited the water in the area of Board Ave S beach end Westfield (pictured) told police he and Razo had swam to the end of the pier and climbed to the top to jump off but eventually started having sex Only a 100-foot portion of the popular sightseeing pier is open to the public due to damage from Hurricane Ian. Both have been charged with trespassing and breach of peace, while Razo has additionally been resisting an officer without violence. Westfield and Razo posted bond on Monday and have court dates scheduled for June 19. Mainland's Taiwan affairs official meets former KMT chairperson Xinhua) 10:58, May 29, 2024 GUANGZHOU, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Song Tao, a senior Taiwan affairs official of the Chinese mainland, met on Tuesday with representatives of Taiwan guests who attended a cross-Strait exchange event, including Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province. Song, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the course of national rejuvenation is irreversible and national reunification will surely be accomplished. No matter how the situation on the island evolves and no matter who is in power, nothing could alter or hinder the direction of cross-Strait relations or the process of national reunification, Song said. He called on patriots in Taiwan to adhere to the one-China principle and firm up the conviction in reunification, while recognizing that the nature of separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" is to sell out and harm the interests of Taiwan. Song urged resolute opposition to Taiwan leader's provocative acts of seeking "Taiwan independence" and attempts aimed at "de-sinicization," calling for efforts to guard the common home of the Chinese nation. He also asked patriots in Taiwan who desire reunification to actively participate in the great cause of national rejuvenation and Chinese modernization to jointly foster the lasting wellbeing of the Chinese nation. Stressing that people from both sides of the Strait are one family, Hung underscored the need to firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, safeguard cross-Strait peace and stability and protect the fundamental interests of compatriots from across the Strait, in a bid to create a sound environment for national rejuvenation. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The founding Congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP/PCR) took place in Burgdorf, Switzerland on 10-12 May. After three days of intensive political discussions, the delegates unanimously voted to found the new party and adopt its manifesto. Neither champagne flutes nor bouquets of flowers marked this event. With shouts of RKP/PCR, the comrades proudly announced: we are building the foundation of the future mass communist party to overthrow capitalism! [Read the original report in German and French] It's high time! It is high time for the return of revolutionary communism, declared Dersu Heri, National Political Secretary of the RKP, introducing the discussion on the founding of the party. Responding to the typical objection, he declared: Communism is certainly not a utopian idea. To think that the huge problems facing the world the destruction of the environment, wars, oppression can be solved under capitalism, that is utopian. In fact, the question we are facing is clear: either the working class of our generation overthrows the capitalists, expropriates them and initiates the transition to a classless communist society or humanity will sink into barbarism. There is no middle way. Communism is the only solution. A new generation of young people and workers has come to this very conclusion and wants to fight, Dersu continued. But you can't fight for communism alone. You need a party. This is why we are founding the Revolutionary Communist Party! 320 communists mobilised Communists travelled from all parts of Switzerland and all of its linguistic regions to attend the Congress. For the first time, they included a new group from Italian-speaking Ticino. The entire Congress was translated into German, French, Italian and English. A total of 342 workers and students took part in the event. Among them were almost 100 potential members who had not yet joined. 13 of them joined the RKP during the Congress. A further 27 applications for membership were received during the weekend and shortly afterwards online. This means that the RKP is now beginning its work with 320 founding members and over a hundred people who are interested in joining! One sympathiser, who was still uncertain about joining when she travelled to the Congress, said afterwards: What I needed was tangible proof that communism can work. At the Congress, I realised that communism is not just an ideal. It is based on a solid foundation: Marxism. The RKP, that is something concrete. We warmly welcome her to her party! The RKP is a party like no other. There is no empty babbling and passive applause here instead, the Congress focused on clarifying key political tasks, so that the comrades can get to work. The ideas, analysis, strategy and the immediate tasks of the party were all explained and discussed in detail, so that each of the first 320 organised Communists in Switzerland would be able to help build a Bolshevik cadre party. Internationalism and Palestine One of the most impressive features of this congress was the deep spirit of internationalism. This was fostered not only by our political discussion, but by video greetings from our sections from Pakistan to the USA, as well as the contributions of guests from Italy, Germany, Austria, Britain and Sweden. The discussion on Palestine was the best proof of this fact. While the Congress was taking place, the student movement against Israels genocide was spreading internationally, starting in the USA. The occupations were a recurring theme throughout the Congress. We discussed how Palestine has become the focal point of the international class struggle, revealing the explosive nature of the whole situation. An extra session on the role of communists in the university occupations brought together experiences from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Austria and all regions of Switzerland. Founding the RCI Niklas Albin Svensson from the International Secretariat of the International Marxist Tendency/Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) introduced the discussion on the international situation, based on the Manifesto of the RCI. Niklas contextualised the various crises around the world as an expression of the existential crisis of the entire capitalist system. He explained how the consciousness of the working class has changed through the experiences of life under the rotten capitalist system over the last 15 years: The working class is learning, but it has very bad teachers, Niklas explained, referring to the stifling role of the reformist leadership of the labour movement. But today a layer has moved beyond reformism, they are allergic to soft reformist socialism. They want communism. With the goal of becoming the point of reference for this layer, the International Marxist Tendency is refounding itself at its World Conference in June as the Revolutionary Communist International. Niklas also explained that this radical communist layer must be equipped with the right strategy and tactical understanding in order to win over the broader masses of the working class. The Congress unanimously decided that the RKP would be founded as the Swiss section of the RCI and elected the delegates of the Swiss section for the World Conference in Italy. The myth of Swiss stability The development of the class struggle in Switzerland is still lagging behind international developments. But let us not be fooled by the appearance of eternal stability! An important role of the Congress was to clarify how Swiss capitalism has remained stable for such a long time, but comrades also explained that today every pillar of this stability is crumbling. If 52 percent of the population in the richest and most stable country in the world can barely make ends meet, and only 4 percent still have complete trust in politics, that is a damning judgement of the entire system. The pressure on the working class in Switzerland is increasing and resentment is spreading. At a certain point, the working class simply has no alternative but to fight collectively as a class. The RKP is committed to carrying the best lessons of the class struggle into these coming battles as quickly as possible. For this, the party must grow, grow and grow! Therefore, the Congress adopted the goal of doubling the partys membership by the next Congress in a year's time and equipping these new comrades with the ideas of Marxism. An echo in the media The Congress was a thunderclap that reverberated far beyond the walls of the Burgdorf market hall. Here a party bluntly declares that the working class must take power and expropriate the capitalist exploiters! The declaration of a working class party committed to expropriating the capitalist exploiters drove the ruling class into fits of hysterics. The press, radio and television informed more than half a million people about the foundation of the RKP. Our declaration of war on the ruling class was reported in English, French, German, Italian and Romansh. French-language publications reported soberly and in some cases emphasised the historic significance of the founding of the RKP in their headlines: The red flag flies again over Switzerland (Le Temps), Communism rises out of the ashes (Radio Jura Bernois). The highlight was a five minute report in the state broadcasters primetime news show, which covered the Sunday of the Congress. German-language newspapers, on the other hand, remained loyal to textbook Cold War anti-communism. The online media channel Nau brought in an expert on extremism to warn against the dangerous RKP: I think that sooner or later such a group will turn violent. We should be vigilant and raise the alarm about this group! The arch-reactionary media outlet 20min sent an intern to the Congress to report on the event live, but no doubt under instructions from above she did not write even once about the political positions that were discussed there. A number of other outlets reported on the Congress, with several focusing on the RKPs finances. The aim of these articles is clear: they did everything they could to slander the communists without saying a single word about our politics. Their hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. These are the same media outlets that stir up hatred and spread lies every day to distract from the violence and atrocities of their capitalist system! They are on the side of the bosses and bankers and a growing layer of workers and youth is realising this. 27 people approached us to join in as a result of the articles. One worker explained: I am usually in favour of the exact opposite of what is written in 20min. When I saw this article, I thought: I have to get in touch with them! The Young SVP vs RKP Following the Congress, the Young SVP (JSVP) the youth wing of the right-wing Swiss People's Party issued a shrill warning against the RKP and called for state repression of our party. The JSVP is apparently shocked by our communist programme in prosperous and economically successful Switzerland. They say that communism is an inhuman ideology on a par with National Socialism that leads to murder, starvation and genocide. What irony! This is coming from a party with close ties to the neo-Nazi group Junge Tat, internally admitting to advocating the same programme. The JSVP has no right to lecture us on inhuman ideology. They are the party that is spreading racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic poison on a daily basis in order to conceal the interests of big business. This was also raised at the Congress, when comrade Anthea declared: To smash the SVP, we need a party that exposes the capitalist class interests behind the SVP's racism and unites the entire working class on a communist programme. Today, with the founding of the RKP, we have laid the foundation for this. The JSVP calls for the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) to monitor the RKP and its members to protect democracy! In addition, they demand that laws banning certain political parties during World War II are reintroduced in order to prohibit communists from working as teachers, carers or in any other role in the state authorities. So much for the JSVP's fight against increased censorship. For the JSVP, freedom of expression includes their racism, sexism and bigotry. Yet they beg for state repression against anyone who threatens the wallets of their capitalist backers. We take this as a compliment. The JSVP and RKP are, of course, mortal enemies. They use lies and smear campaigns to defend a dying system that produces wars and misery. In the RKP we have founded precisely the party that can help the working class overthrow the capitalist system. Sereina Weber, RKP Secretary for Western Switzerland, closed the congress with the words: We did not found the RKP for ourselves, but for those who want to fight right now. We call on them: Fight with us for the overthrow of capitalism. We promise to do everything we can for the return of Bolshevism to Swiss soil. Forward to the communist revolution in Switzerland and in every country in the world! Police have launched a fresh search for missing mum Samantha Murphy's remains and have deployed an excavator as part of their efforts. Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad, together with a range of specialist resources, will today continue the search almost four months after she vanished during her morning run. 'Police are undertaking a targeted search in the Ballarat area today as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy,' Victoria Police said. 'Police ask that members of the public do not attend the search at this time.' Her family have been notified of the search. It's been more than three months since beloved mother-of-three Samantha Murphy went missing and her family are no closer to knowing where her body may be. Ms Murphy is pictured with her husband Mick. An excavator has been deployed in the search for Samantha Murphy's remains Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad, together with a range of specialist resources, are continuing the search for Samantha Murphy Daily Mail Australia understands the search is near Buninyong, where Ms Murphy's phone was last detected by mobile phone towers at 5pm on the day she vanished. The 51-year-old left her home in Ballarat East, northwest of Melbourne, on February 4, for her usual morning run but never returned. In early March, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder. Police allege Ms Murphy was killed on the day she went missing in the Canadian State Forest but no trace of her has been found since she vanished. Stephenson has not entered a plea and it's understood he has not cooperated with police and questions still remain as to where her body could be. Detectives from the Missing Persons Unit have been in a race against time to find Ms Murphy's body. In the three months since she vanished, the area around Ballarat has seen heatwaves, bushfires and heavy rain as search teams tried to retrace her steps. In early March, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder Wild animals including foxes are also known to have large populations in the dense bushland in the forests surrounding Ballarat. If left uncovered in the harsh bush, experts believe a body can quickly decompose, destroying important DNA evidence. 'The time taken for a body to decompose depends on climatic conditions, like temperature and moisture, as well as the accessibility to insects,' the Australian Museum stated. 'In summer, a human body in an exposed location can be reduced to bones alone in just nine days.' Experts believe if Ms Murphy's body has been buried, or dumped down one of Ballarat's many mine shafts, detectives could still be able to extract important evidence. 'A body that is buried 1.2m under the ground retains most of its tissue for a year,' the museum stated. Last month, police brought in specialist cadaver dogs from New South Wales to scour the Victorian bush at multiple locations in dense scrub. Teams of officers focused their search within Enfield State Park, 30km south of Ballarat - but another search team was also working 25km away in thick scrub in the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve. Just weeks ago, Ms Murphy's long suffering husband Mick Murphy told Channel 9 he had not stopped searching for her. 'On that particular day, I was outside and thought she'll be coming up the road pretty soon,' he said. 'Then she didn't.' Police used a cadaver dog during the search for the body of Samantha Murphy in Enfield State Park in Ballarat on April 11 The hunt for Samantha Murphy's body Mr Murphy said he searched daily, either by driving through town or spending two hours walking through a pine plantation. 'Sometimes I go for a drive and it might not be anywhere particular, or I go for a walk for two hours. It varies every day,' he said. 'It's very good for my mind and if I sat at home I wouldn't do myself any favours.' Missing Persons Unit Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt has previously stated police would never give up looking for Ms Murphy. 'I want to assure those in the Ballarat community that police remain focused on doing everything we can to return Samantha to her family,' he said last month. It comes as Ms Murphy's accused killer was hit with new charges in relation to an alleged drug and alcohol-fuelled bender last year. Stephenson has received drink and drug driving charges after he allegedly crashed a motorbike into a tree on the night of October 1 following the AFL grand final. He has also been also charged with careless driving. Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest that Stephenson has been involved in any wrongdoing, only that charges have been laid. He has not yet entered a plea to the new charges. Stephenson is due to face court again on August 8 over the driving and murder charges. Anyone with any information about Ms Murphy's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. High-profile Australian businesses have rallied behind a family who lost everything after a fire completely destroyed their home. Montana Adams and her family of 10 were woken up by a fire alarm going off inside their two-storey house at Macquarie Fields in Sydney's south-west at 2.15am on Tuesday. Ms Adams and her children rushed out of the home and scrambled to safety across the road before the terrifying inferno engulfed their house. Businesses have rallied behind Montana Adams (right) and her nine children after their Macquarie Fields home in Sydney's southwest was destroyed by a fire on Tuesday 'I didn't think of anything else except for the kids,' Ms Adams told The Today Show on Wednesday. 'Within three minutes, I had all the children out all across the road and all we could do was just record and watch the house burn.' Ms Adams said she felt 'numb' as they were forced to seek shelter across the road for three hours before the shattered family tried to figure out what to do next. 'I'm just like, 'What do I do now, where do I go now'? she said. 'I didn't know what to do.' Now looking for a place to live, the family have meanwhile been overwhelmed by the support of businesses who have made generous donations in a bid to help them get back on their feet. Independent supermarket chain IGA organised a $5,000 gift card while Amart Furniture also donated a gift card worth the same amount. Shell Coles Express also pitched in with a $2,000 gift card, the donations reducing Ms Adams to tears. 'I really can't thank you all enough, that's amazing,' she said. Firefighters rushed to the scene within minutes after the fire broke out and managed to douse the flames. The inferno (pictured) ripped through the property within minutes and thick plumes of smoke filled the property 'The fire has damaged 80 per cent of the ground floor and 30 per cent of the second,' Fire and Rescue NSW said in a statement. 'FRNSW crews returned to the house around 6.30am when the fire re-ignited in the roof.' Fire and Rescue NSW had installed two new smoke alarms last week, after they conducted a fire safety inspection. The alarms alerted the family to the blaze yesterday, prompting them to evacuate. The cause of the fire is not yet known, however Ms Adams told 2GB on Wednesday morning that she believes an electrical fault in a power point may have been the cause. After the family visited the home on Tuesday afternoon Ms Adams said it had been gutted. Firefighters rushed to the scene after the blaze broke out at the Macquarie Fields property (pictured), but the fire has gutted the two-storey house The mother of nine, who was able to spend the night at a motel in Strathfield in Sydney's west along with her family said their horrifying ordeal had been 'stressful'. 'We were sitting in the hotel room last night and all we can smell is that fire, so you're heart starts racing,' Ms Adams said. 'I think the reality has hit, really, this morning because we don't have a home and we've actually lost everything, absolutely everything.' A Sudanese criminal with a lengthy rap sheet claimed he identified as Aboriginal and could play the didgeridoo in a successful bid to be allowed to remain in Australia. Despite his criminal history, the 35-year-old man, known only as RCWV, had his visa reinstated because of the Direction 99 ruling by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. The thug begged to stay in Australia in a letter to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), claiming he had been adopted by an Indigenous tribe in regional NSW. He told the AAT he 'considers Australia home' due to his connection to Aboriginal culture, including that his partner and two sons, aged nine and five, are Indigenous. The tribunal heard RCWV had been accepted by an Aboriginal tribe in Orange, in the Central Tablelands. He now participates in everyday life in the Indigenous community, creates Indigenous art and has even learned to play the didgeridoo. The tribunal heard that in the eight years between 2012 and 2020, RCWV had 26 convictions including drugs, domestic violence assault, stalking and intimidation. The 35-year-old man, known only as RCWV, had his visa reinstated despite a lengthy rap sheet due to a direction handed down by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles The offences became progressively worse over time, beginning with possession of a prohibited drug. He was later charged with aggravated dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and destruction of property. He was convicted of stalking, intimidating and assaulting his partner in 2019 and 2020. Despite the attacks, his partner told the tribunal she was willing to move to Sudan with their children to be with him if he was deported. But he was still granted a visa after the tribunal ruled his ties to Australia and self-declared Aboriginality favoured his application to stay. 'We regularly caught up with other members of the tribe and were regularly invited to family gatherings and other important events,' he told the AAT in the letter. 'Through those events and catch ups, I formed a strong bond with [his partner's] family and other cousins, aunts, uncles, elders and other members of [her] family. 'During those years I also learnt a lot about Aboriginal culture, was taught how paint Aboriginal art and have also played digeridoo in the past.' RCWV said he was 'officially welcomed and accepted' into the Indigenous community during a smoking ceremony in 2017, after the birth of his first son. 'This ceremony was attended by many members of the family including many elders,' he said. 'There were no objections to our acceptance into the Tribe by any members of the family.' In a judgement issued by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), RCWV's case was almost entirely considered with Mr Giles' Direction 99 at front of mind RCWV told the tribunal that since his ceremony, when his name was formally entered into a book for the community, he has 'self-identified as an Aboriginal person and considers Australia to by my country'. Despite his partner's own deep connections to Australia through her heritage, she told the AAT she did not want her children to be separated from their father, given her own father was part of the Stolen Generation. '[She] has already made enquiries with the Sudanese embassy in Australia to obtain information about moving to Sudan,' the tribunal heard. 'If [she] moves to Sudan, she will be physically separated from her parents, and from her indigenous culture in Australia. Mr Giles revealed during Question Time that in response to the crisis, Labor 'are introducing a new, revised ministerial direction to ensure clear principles' 'I am very concerned that they would be separated from important cultural connections in Australia, and that their ability to learn about and engage with their indigenous culture would be significantly compromised if they moved to Sudan. 'I find that the children would suffer serious detriment if they were moved to Sudan.' The woman has significant mental and physical health conditions and is finding it difficult to raise her sons without her partner, the tribunal heard. She said she has concerns that if RCWV were to be deported and something were to happen to her, her children would be placed in state care. RCWV arrived in Australia aged 20 with his family from Sudan. He has PTSD after he claimed he saw two of his siblings die in Sudan, and that he was a child soldier. Some of his recollections were debated at the tribunal, including by a forensic psychologist who assessed him. But it was ultimately determined that 'despite the inconsistencies, what is consistent is that the applicant was exposed to childhood trauma and does suffer from PTSD'. He failed to meet several criteria to reverse the revocation of his visa according to Mr Giles's Direction 99 because of his lengthy criminal history and moderate risk of reoffending. But the tribunal determined his ties to Australia and self-declared Aboriginality favoured his application to stay and approved his bid. He wrote a statement appealing to the tribunal about his connection to Indigenous Australia, including that his partner and two sons, aged nine and five, are Indigenous The tribunal heard RCWV was accepted by an Aboriginal tribe in Orange in country New South Wales , where he participated in everyday life in the community, created Indigenous art and even learned to use a didgeridoo Albanese government turns on AAT In the wake of the row over rapists and paedophiles being allowed to stay in Australia under the Goovernment's controversial directive, the PM has now turned on the AAT. Anthony Albanese slammed the tribunal and argued it has not taken a sensible approach to the direction issued by Mr Giles. 'The Albanese government has always said that visa decisions need to be guided by two clear principles,' he said. 'Firstly the protection of the Australian community. Secondly, common sense. 'A number of recent AAT would decisions have not shown common sense.' Mr Giles revealed during Question Time that in response to the crisis, Labor 'are introducing a new, revised ministerial direction to ensure clear principles'. He also confirmed he and his department are in the process of 'reviewing recent AAT decisions'. Senator Murray Watt, representing Mr Giles in Senate Estimates earlier, argued that the AAT decisions 'were not in line with the government's policy'. 'And frankly, I don't think these AAT decisions are in line with community expectations either,' Watt said. But the Coalition has hit back at the government's attempts to distance themselves from the crisis, noting that the AAT decisions have been made with direct consideration of Direction 99. A violent fight erupted on one of Sydney's busiest highways on Wednesday morning, with two men throwing brutal punches and kicks while dodging traffic. A truck driver filmed the bareknuckle brawl on the Hume Highway at Bass Hill and sent it to 2GB's Ray Hadley, who was not impressed with the men's disturbing behaviour, calling it 'lunacy'. Hadley described the road rage incident as 'two blokes belting the tripe out of each other in the middle of traffic'. 'The two idiots jump out of respective vehicles and have a punch on across six lanes of highway, three lanes on one side, three lanes on the other,' he said. 'And there's cars making right hand turns, they're stopping because (the men) are throwing punches in between vehicles.' A fight (pictured) erupted on one of Sydney 's busiest highways with two men throwing punches and kicks while dodging traffic As cars screamed by the dangerous and highly volatile situation, onlookers tried to stop the fight. 'One bloke in particular intervenes, brave fella that he is, in a hi-vis, obviously a tradie,' Hadley said. 'He gets out of wherever he is and comes over and tries to separate them.' Hadley, like many viewers of the clip, initially thought one of the men fighting was a woman due to his long pony tail. The brawl went into the median strip and across opposing lanes of traffic, with one of the fighters' trousers falling down, exposing his bare bottom. But between punches, he took an opportunity to hitch up his track pants and keep on brawling, all the while blocking and disrupting traffic. After the peace maker had some success in breaking up the fight and getting the pony-tailed man back into his van, it all kicked off again. He twice returned to the van and twice got back out for more, before the fight finally ended and the men went their separate ways. A tradie is pictured trying to break up a wild brawl on a Sydney highway A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that at 'About 9.02am today officers from Bankstown Police Area Command responded to reports of a road rage assault at the intersection of the Hume Highway and Hector Street, Bass Hill. 'When officers arrived at the location all parties had left the scene. No complaint has yet been received by police. 'Officers are aware of footage of the alleged incident and have commenced an investigation into the incident. 'As inquiries continue police are urging anyone who may have information about the matter to contact Bankstown Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.' A young woman has relived the moment she dragged her boyfriend's body from under his Holden VR Commodore and tried to revive him - even though she knew he was dead the moment she saw his face. Shyanne Organ, 21, last spoke to her boyfriend Axle Young, 17, on the phone at about 1pm on Sunday after he called from their home in Mittagong, in the NSW Southern Highlands. He phoned because he couldn't find his AirPods and wanted to listen to music while he fixed one last thing under the car before taking his P-plate test on Monday. She told him she would be home in five minutes, but he found the earbuds before she arrived and started tinkering with the 1994 wagon. Axle had used ramps to lift the car off the ground for better access, rather than jacks - a mistake that would cost him his life. Shyanne Organ, 21, and Axle Young, 17, (pictured together) had only just celebrated their one-year anniversary as a couple when he died in a tragic accident Shyanne arrived home on Sunday and found Axle's lifeless body under his car Axle Young was crushed by a 1994 Holden VR Commodore (stock image) Shyanne told Daily Mail Australia she arrived home a few minutes after the call to find the vehicle had rolled off the ramps and crushed Axle. She knew what to do because she works as an aged care nurse and has first aid and CPR qualifications, and did everything she could to try to save his life. 'He was trapped when I saw him so I immediately grabbed a jack and lifted the car up and pulled him out and did CPR until the ambulance arrived,' she said. 'I saw his face and I knew he was gone, but I had hope and I kept trying.' Shyanne explained the couple had only recently moved into their first house and celebrated their first anniversary together last Wednesday, four days before he died. They were also planning a trip to Bali. 'It just breaks my heart knowing not even a week ago we were talking about our first holiday and were it was going to be,' she said. She described Axle as an 'amazing person' and promised to 'do him proud'. 'Axle took me under his wing and he gave me the love I was always searching for,' she said. 'He knew how to make me smile and he knew every little thing about me. Axle had seven siblings and had recently moved into a home with girlfriend Shyanne The couple had planned on taking a trip to Bali, but he tragically died on Sunday 'He was a boy who didn't know how to say no and he kept going and going until the job was done or his goal was achieved.' On Tuesday, his sister Cheyenne Young told Daily Mail Australia she would do everything possible to 'honour him'. 'My family and I were so beyond proud of how far he had come. He was the brightest young man and nobody will ever forget him,' she said. Axle was two years into an apprenticeship with Southern Highlands Carpet Court when he died. His employer said Axle had displayed 'patience, commitment and his beautiful nature [that] would always put a smile on everyone's face'. 'At the young age of 17, you showed us how determined and passionate you are about your career and future,' the tribute read. 'The growth on this young man definitely did not go unnoticed and we will cherish that forever.' His family has now set up a fundraiser to pay for his funeral. 'This GoFundMe has been created in the hopes of raising enough money for Axle Young's family to plan a beautiful funeral and send-off,' it read. 'We are hoping to raise $5,000 to cover expenses for Axle and his family in this time of great sadness.' Police established crime scene at the home where Axle died but there were no suspicious circumstances. A report will be prepared for the coroner. Terrifying footage shows a huge explosion inside a Chase Bank in Ohio that left seven people injured as two others remain missing. The blast in Youngstown, which occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, damaged the Realty building on E. Federal Street and blew off the facade, WKBN reported. A horrifying CCTV clip showed the structure as it was ripped into pieces before enormous plumes of smoke rose from the ground. Fire Chief Barry Finley confirmed two people are missing, one man and one woman, and stated everyone else in the building has been located. 'The floor is collapsed in on itself, there's nothing to see, it's full of water, so honestly, we don't know if that person is down there or not,' Finley said. A gas explosion occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday in Youngstown, Ohio and damaged the Realty building on E. Federal Street Horrifying footage showed enormous plumes of smoke rising from the building as the explosion blasted the structure into pieces 'When we get clearance to go into the building until then, I will not put any of my firefighters down there to do a search for any reason right now.' The wife of the missing man and his coworker both reported that he came to work at the bank on Tuesday, but has not since been located. The seven injured people were taken to Mercy Health Hospital, with one patient in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson. A social media post by the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency said there was a natural gas explosion and the situation is 'fluid but under control.' The agency asked people to avoid the area until further notice. Firefighters helped some people get out of the building, which houses a Chase Bank on the ground floor and also has some apartments. Residents reported hearing a loud boom and seeing smoke coming from the site. The seven injured people were taken to Mercy Health Hospital, with one patient in critical condition, and two people are missing Crews are working to assess the structural integrity of the building and gas has been shut off to the entire block as a safety precaution 'I heard the boom, and I looked up and I could see dark smoke coming out of the side of the Chase Bank building but it was such a really strong, strong boom, you know, I blurted out, "Oh my God",' said Debora Flora, executive director of Mahoning County Land Bank who works downtown. 'When I got to the lobby, there was kind of like a metal gate door that had been bowed in, and the rubble from the lobby... the broken-up rock and marble had jammed itself so I was there with my cat in a carrier kind of trying to push the door open,' said resident Justin Reynolds. Crews are working to assess the structural integrity of the building and gas has been shut off to the entire block as a safety precaution, spokesperson for Enbridge Gas Ohio told the local news outlet. The spokesperson noted it has not been confirmed if a natural gas explosion was the cause of the blast. A teenage girl who had just graduated high school was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow 18-year-old after the shooter believed his AR-15 style rifle to have been unloaded. Lily Basil had only recently graduated from Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee, when she was killed by 18-year-old Matthew Roufail, who has admitted to the shooting. Roufail was charged with criminal homicide with his bond was set at $150,000. He told police that he shot Basil with a .22 caliber rifle on Saturday night, but that it wasn't intentional. The gun was retrieved from the trunk of a vehicle where Basil and Roufail had gathered. Lily Basil, 18, a high school graduate from Tennessee, was accidentally shot dead on Saturday Matthew Roufail, also 18, believed his AR-15 style rifle was unloaded at the time Following the shooting, Basil was rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to her right shoulder. She was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. The high school where she attended is now holding grief counseling sessions for students. 'The Page High family mourns the loss of 2024 graduate Lily Basil. Lily was a light; she was kind, sweet and extremely respectful,' Page High School principal Dr. Katie Hill wrote in a statement. 'Her smile lit up every room she entered.' Lily Basil is seen together with some of her family members Lily had only graduated Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee on Friday 'Though she was newer to the Page community, she quickly embraced the Patriot spirit and was a friend to everyone she met. 'Page faculty, staff and students will dearly miss Lily, and we are committed to honoring her memory by sharing her light.' School leaders said the community plans to honor the teen by lighting a candle or by turning on a porch light on Friday evening. Community members, like Lisa Welsh is already planning to participate. 'We're honoring her and just the light she had within herself and what she could've shared with the rest of the world. Also, her family and friends that have been snuffed out,' Welsh said to Newschannel5. Friends Sophia Debruler and Avery Jett, both left, paid tribute to Lily Basil online, right School leaders said the community plans to honor Lily by lighting a candle in her memory or by turning on a porch light on Friday evening Friends paid tribute to their friend on social media. 'Lily, thank you for becoming one of our best friends in these past two years. we are honored that we got to know you, you have brought us so many laughs and memories we'll cherish forever. you are deeply loved and missed, fly high pookie,' wrote Sophia Debruler. 'My love for you Lily will always be dear to my heart. Beautiful memories were made to last a lifetime,' added Dena Sherman-Truhn. A vandal who carved the name 'Nick' into a rockface at Yellowstone has sparked fury among fans of the iconic park. A photo shared in the Facebook group 'Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots' showed the scribble on a thermal crust off the Biscuit Basin boardwalk. The scratching said, 'Nick and [illegible] were here.' Members of the Facebook group have launched an effort to try and identify Nick and his partner in crime. 'Dirty, rotten a******s! Get photographic evidence catching them in the act! They deserve to be reported and publicly shamed! This is getting ridiculous,' said one group member. Yellowstone National Park enthusiasts are outraged after a tourist carved 'Nick and (illegible) were here' into the thermal crust off the Biscuit Basin boardwalk 'Please take a picture of the people doing this and follow them to there vehicle and take a picture of there license plate and turn it in,' said another. 'There are only so many Rangers so they need our help with this. Lets not let these people destroy our beautiful parks. Lets get em people.' The Biscuit Basin trial is a 0.6-mile loop that wraps around hydrothermal features, such as Sapphire Pool, Avoca Spring and Jewel Geyser which erupts every seven to 10 minutes. Others who viewed the picture expressed their fury over the vandalism and said how'd they like to get revenge towards the people violating the park rules. 'Man if I see someone doing this they will be eating that rock and then nothing solid ever again. People are ignorant and I'm ready to just start shutting people's lights out,' said one person. 'Id like to stake them out over a hill full of fire ants,' said another. The Biscuit Basin trial is a 0.6-mile loop that wraps around hydrothermal features, such as Sapphire Pool, Avoca Spring and Jewel Geyser which erupts every 7 to 10 minutes 'Nick you're a d**k,' wrote a third. 'A******s what's wrong with these idiots ban them from the park,' someone else added. As tourists season ramps up in Yellowstone, so do groups dedicated to capturing moron tourists - dubbed 'tourons' - in an attempt to hold them accountable. The webcams around Yellow Stone National Park have captured multiple instances where ignorant tourists have put themselves in harm's way for a variety of reasons - ranging from wanting to get closer to the wildlife or climbing over barriers to get a better selfie. An Instagram account titled 'Tourons of Yellowstone' compiles all of the instances in which a 'touron,' the combination of a 'tourist' and a 'mouron', does yet another unbelievably stupid charade, defiling the park's rules time and time again. James Bond star Pierce Brosnan was fined $500 and made a $1,000 donation after he was caught posting pictures online of himself in a Yellowstone thermal area during a visit in November. The actor 70, walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on Nov. 1, according to citations issued by the park. He uploaded images of himself standing in the snow on the thermal feature to his Instagram page, court records said. Venturing off the boardwalk is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. Brosnan initially pleaded not guilty in January to wandering into the 'delicate' and dangerous hot springs at Yellowstone National Park, despite being pictured standing on the protected area at the time of the alleged infraction. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick then granted the 70-year-old's request to cancel his initial appearance. Pierce Brosnan was fined $500 and made a $1,000 donation after he was caught after posting pictures online of himself in a Yellowstone thermal area In 2021, a Connecticut woman was jailed for seven days, fined $2,000 and banned from Yellowstone for two years for leaving the walkway and approaching the thermals. The features at Yellowstone are dangerous and fragile and if damaged they can take years to correct. Numerous people have been killed from falling into Yellowstone's scalding pools. They include Colin Nathaniel Scott, who is thought to have dissolved in the hot acidic water after leaving the boardwalk at the parks Norris Geyser Basin in search of a place to soak in 2015. Victoria's premier Jacinta Allan has been met with a fierce social media backlash over her announcement of a new position in the government to 'change men's behaviour' in an attempt to curb Australia's epidemic of violence against women. Ms Allan announced the new parliamentary role on Tuesday - the first of its kind in Australia - appointing MP Tim Richardson as the inaugural Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behaviour Change. The premier said the role demonstrates her government's commitment to making a 'safer place for women and children' by working to end the 'tragedy of deaths of Victorian women at the hands of men'. 'This is the first position of its kind in Australia and will focus largely on the influence the internet and social media have on boys' and men's attitudes towards women and building respectful relationships,' Ms Allan said in a statement. Ms Allan announced the new parliamentary role on Tuesday - the first of its kind in Australia - appointing MP Tim Richardson as the inaugural Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behaviour Change Mr Richardson shared his appointment in a post to his Instagram followers on Tuesday in which he said he understands the significance of the role Mr Richardson shared his appointment in a post to his Instagram followers on Tuesday in which he said he understands the significance of the role. 'The significance of this role is not lost on me. We know that the time to act on men's violence against women is now and it starts with us men and boys,' Mr Richardson wrote. 'We must make Victoria a safer place for women and children and work to end the tragedy of deaths of Victorian women at the hands of men. Mr Richardson explained he will work alongside Vicki Ward, the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence. 'This is not easy work, but it is important, and we can't afford not to address it and waste a moment.' Mr Richardson, who is the member for Mordialloc, confirmed he would continue as Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Premier Allan's announcement received backlash from social media users, with many labelling the role as a 'joke'. Many claimed the new role was divisive and stereotypes all men as perpetrators of violent acts against women. 'Are you for f***ing real? Do you despise men that much? Have you observed women's behaviour as well? It works both ways,' one woman commented. 'We need a minister for men. Not this! This is more posturing which will do nothing to solve the violence issue,' a second person wrote. Mr Richardson (pictured with Premier Allan) shared his appointment in a post to Instagram, claiming he aims to make Victoria a safe place for women and will work to end the tragedy of deaths of Victorian women at the hands of men Another woman claimed the role was 'demonising men' and urged the government to focus on bail laws and keeping offenders in jail. 'You're serious? What an absolute joke,' she commented. 'You're demonising men when a very small percentage are offenders and almost all of them are people you've already let out on bail or are known to police already. 'Stop blaming all men. Start by fixing bail laws and keeping offenders locked up.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the office of Premier Jacinta Allan for more details about the new role. 2GB Radio host Ben Fordham said he thought the role was 'some kind of joke' during his breakfast show on Wednesday. Fordham said Premier Allan's new role was leaning into a 'collective punishment' which treats all men as the enemy. 'Most men don't go around bashing women. We despise men who do, they are considered the lowest scumbags,' Fordham said. 'The Victorian premier is just leaning into this collective punishment... treating all men like the enemy instead of targeting the rotten bastards who harm women.' Fordham argued that roles were not created for behaviour by Indigenous people or lesbians despite domestic violence occurring at a higher rate in both groups. He added that Victoria, which has a Minister for Women, did not have one for men even though Australian men were three times more likely to take their own lives. Premier Allan's announcement (pictured) received a barrage of criticism from social media users, with many claiming the role sounded like a 'joke' and would 'demonise men' Others praised Premier Allan for her initiative, hoping that the new role helps solve Australia's violence against women. 'HEAR HEAR!!! Great decision Jacinta,' one person commented. Another wrote: '"Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behaviour Change" might be a mouthful, but it's a great initiative. Looking forward to seeing what approaches he takes to start making a difference.' The rate at which men are allegedly killing Australian women is significantly higher in 2024 than in recent years, with one woman being violently killed every four days. Twenty-six women were allegedly killed in Australia at the hands of their partners or former partners between January and April this year - 12 more than during the same period in 2023. In April alone there has been a wave of women killed allegedly at the hands of men including Molly Ticehurst, 28, Emma Bates, 49, Erica Hays, 30, and the appalling Bondi Junction stabbing attack which claimed the lives of five women. On Friday, 63-year-old Mark Bombara shot Jennifer Petelczyc, 53, and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl dead inside their home, in Perth's western suburbs, before turning the gun on himself. He was looking for his ex-wife. Actor Dennis Quaid says he's voting for Donald Trump in November and blames Joe Biden's 'weaponization of the justice system' for swinging him to the right. Quaid, a two-time Golden Globe nominee, is currently promoting a biopic about Ronald Reagan set for release in late August. While Quaid calls Reagan his 'favorite president,' he believes there's a lot to like about Trump as well. 'I think I'm gonna vote for him in the next election,' Quaid - who says he's voted for candidates in both parties - told Piers Morgan. 'It just makes sense.' 'I was ready not to vote for Trump, until what I saw is, more than politics. I see a weaponization of our justice system and a challenge to our Constitution,' he said, referring to the continued legal investigations into the former president by the Department of Justice under Biden. Actor Dennis Quaid says he's voting for Donald Trump in November and blames Joe Biden's 'weaponization of the justice system' for swinging him to the right The actor, who once portrayed Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship, said he doesn't necessarily think Trump is a perfect guy but that he stands for him. 'There's some evil people and bad actors in this world and so, you know, people might call him an a*****e but he's my a*****e.' Quaid said that while some of the moments of Trump's presidency were a bit much for him, ultimately: 'As president the only thing I liked about Trump was everything he did. 'I've voted both ways throughout my life, swinging like a pendulum toward what the country needed at the time and I think this might be an opportunity for the country to come together again.' He specifically cited foreign policy, with Trump's actions against 'Rocket Baby' Kim Jong Un in North Korea, the defeat of ISIS and his response to China. 'He stands up to people and that's what makes him a leader. Rather than, what I kind of compare it to, what was going on in Jimmy Carter's administration, where we're trying to be everybody's friend and pal,' he said. Quaid even helped out the Trump administration during the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci. The actor, who once portrayed Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship, was blunt that he doesn't necessarily think Trump is a perfect guy but that he stands for him When it comes to the current president, Quaid doesn't necessarily think Joe Biden is a bad man but not quite in control In April of 2020, he had praise for Trump's handling of the pandemic. 'Well, to tell you the truth, I think the president is handling it in a good way. 'We see him on television every day, he's involved, and the travel ban early on was a great ideawhich he did in spite of protest about that.' The actor continued: 'I think Trump, no matter what anybody thinks of him, is doing a good job at trying to get these states - and all of the American people - what they need, and also trying to hold our economy together and be prepared for when this is all over. I don't want to get into petty arguments about it.' When it comes to the current president, Quaid doesn't necessarily think Joe Biden is a bad man but not quite in control. 'I don't feel he's at the helm, I don't feel he's there I feel that he says things to get votes, not that he truly believes them. And now I'm really gonna get some blowback, but that's the way I feel,' he said. On the other hand, Quaid says Trump is steadfastly with those he works for in America. 'I'll tell you one true thing about him is that I really feel that he is working for the American people. That's what he's all about, and I do believe that to be true and sincere,' Quaid said. Coming back to the justice system, he feels the investigations into Trump have turned into nothing. Quaid says Trump is steadfastly with those he works for in America 'Trump is the most investigated person, probably in the history of the world, and they haven't been able to really get him on anything,' he added. Ultimately, Quaid wants America to unite as a country regardless of who wins. 'It doesn't have to be the end of the world, whoever is elected,' he said. The moment two armed thugs brazenly carjacked a family on their own front lawn while young girls were in the back seat has been caught on camera. Heather Allen and her family were ambushed while it was still daylight at their home in West Jackson, Mississippi. The family was about to leave when a shirtless thief and his accomplice suddenly ran on to the lawn and fired a warning shot into the air at about 7.30pm on Friday. Allen and one of her sons were outside the car and ducked behind it, waving the keys as they scuttled around to keep the car between them and the robbers. Heather Allen and one of her sons were outside the car and ducked behind it, waving the keys as they scuttled around to keep the car between them and the robbers Heather Allen (pictured) describes the carjacking in detail with the robbers still at large The shirtless man opened one of the back doors and pulled Allen's daughter out of the car as they demanded the keys. Still in the car were Allen's other son and her two very young granddaughters, as one of the carjackers climbed inside. 'They kept hollering, 'Give me the keys, give me the keys.' My daughter was like, 'My babies, my babies are in the car',' Allen told WAPT. 'He (one of the carjackers) jumps in the driver's seat, I'm standing on the outside looking in, and he points a gun at my oldest boy's face.' Allen's son jumped out of the car and she went to the other side of the car to open the back door and get her granddaughters as her sons carried them away. The shirtless man opens one of the back doors and pulls Allen's daughter out of the car as they demanded the keys Allen goes to the other side of the car to open the back door and get her granddaughters as her sons carried them away The robbers appeared frustrated with the situation and getting the car, a black Mazda sedan, to start. Allen decided to resolve the situation by throwing her own keys on the ground so they could take her car instead. Her gambit worked and the carjackers stole the silver hatchback and sped off the lawn and on to the street. 'I'm not sleeping. My oldest son, his anxiety is through the roof - he's even scared. My daughter, she has shock, but they're safe,' Allen said. She said her family was staying out of town and they whole family was making plans to leave Jackson after only moving in three months ago. One of the suspects in a photo released by police as they hunt down the carjackers Allen decided to resolve the situation by throwing her own keys on the ground so they could take her car instead - which they took and drove off in her silver hatchback (pictured) The carjackers barely used the vehicle as it was found by police just 40 minutes later just two blocks from their house. It is being checked for fingerprints. Jackson police Chief Joseph Wade said two suspects were identified, one of whose photo was released, but not yet arrested. 'I had an opportunity to look at the video of Ms. Allen and her family being robbed and carjacked in their driveway,' he said. 'It was extremely disturbing to me. It was very concerning to me because a threat to them and their family is a threat to everyone.' This video is no longer available This video is no longer available Police have found a mobile phone on the banks of a dam in what appears to be a major breakthrough as they continue the search for missing mum Samantha Murphy. The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, in Ballarat, Victoria, to go for a run in the nearby Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4. In early March, local man Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder. On Wednesday, police launched a new search in the hunt for her remains with the focus on a dam at a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14km from her home. Aerial footage from the scene showed officers locating the mud-splattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water's edge, prompting jubilant celebrations among detectives standing nearby. Video captured by the ABC showed police hugging, backslapping and shaking hands in the wake of the discovery, which was believed to have been found by a police tech detector dog. A team of police divers were then sent into the water to scour the small dam for any further possible evidence. Police celebrated after finding a cellphone during the search for Samantha Murphy It's been more than three months since beloved mother-of-three Samantha Murphy went missing and her family are no closer to knowing where her body may be. Ms Murphy is pictured with her husband Mick. Daily Mail Australia understands police are still searching for other key pieces of evidence, such as Ms Murphy's missing watch and headphones, or possibly a murder weapon. Later, police were seen using a metal detector to scan the edge of the water as an excavator was brought to clear a pathway through thick bush for investigators. In a statement issued shortly after the mobile phone was found, police said they had located some 'items of interest' during the search for the missing mum. 'The area has been cordoned off and those items will now be forensically tested. 'At this stage we are not providing further information about the items until that testing has been completed. 'The items were located during today's targeted search, which involved investigators and other specialist units from across Victoria Police and assistance from the AFP.' The owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, said police contacted him about three weeks ago asking for permission to access his land. The man said officers returned on Wednesday where they told him they were going to perform a line search along the road. 'A dog found something on the banks and they came up and asked me and my wife to make a statement,' he said. The man said police were interested in the levels of his dam. 'I hasn't seen anything suspicious out there. We don't have cameras. But yeah I believe one of those tech dogs found it,' he said. The man said detectives came and spoke to him about a month after Ms Murphy vanished, but only returned again in recent weeks. 'They just asked me if I'd seen anything suspicious,' he said. Daily Mail Australia understands police are still searching for other key pieces of evidence, such as Ms Murphy's missing watch and headphones, or a possible murder weapon. The dam where the mobile phone was discovered sits on the edge of a property in Buninyong As part of today's search, an excavator was used to clear scrub near the dam and the dog squad was also involved Police allege Ms Murphy was killed on the day she went missing in the Canadian State Forest but no trace of her has been found since she vanished. Stephenson, who remains in custody, is yet to enter a plea. Since February, police have launched multiple searches in bushland as part of the investigation. Last month, police brought in specialist cadaver dogs from New South Wales to scour the Victorian bush at multiple locations in dense scrub without success. Teams of officers focused their search within Enfield State Park, 30km south of Ballarat - but another search team was also working 25km away in thick scrub in the Durham Lead Nature Conservation Reserve. In early March, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder Just weeks ago, Ms Murphy's husband Mick Murphy told Channel 9 he had never stopped searching for her. 'On that particular day, I was outside and thought she'll be coming up the road pretty soon,' he said. 'Then she didn't.' Mr Murphy said he searched daily, either by driving through town or spending two hours walking through a pine plantation. 'Sometimes I go for a drive and it might not be anywhere particular, or I go for a walk for two hours. It varies every day,' he said. 'It's very good for my mind and if I sat at home I wouldn't do myself any favours.' Missing Persons Unit Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt has previously stated police would never give up looking for Ms Murphy. 'I want to assure those in the Ballarat community that police remain focused on doing everything we can to return Samantha to her family,' he said last month. It comes as Ms Murphy's accused killer was hit with new charges in relation to an alleged drug and alcohol-fuelled bender last year. Stephenson has received drink and drug driving charges after he allegedly crashed a motorbike into a tree on the night of October 1 following the AFL grand final. He has also been also charged with careless driving. Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest that Stephenson has been involved in any wrongdoing, only that charges have been laid. He has not yet entered a plea to the new charges. Stephenson is due to face court again on August 8 over the driving and murder charges. Three police officers were injured in a pro-Palestine mob protest outside Westminster as 40 people were arrested for offences such as assault and obstruction. One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd on Tuesday night, while two officers had minor injuries. Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified but police are investigating. A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6pm yesterday and was required to end at 8pm, police said. The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without there being any problem. However, a group of around 500 people remained and police began making a number of arrests for failing to comply. This is the moment riot police run into a swarm of Palestine supporters in Westminster, London during a protest for a ceasefire in Gaza The Pro-Palestine mob can then be seen pushing back after growing in numbers Three police officers were injured in a pro-Palestine mob protest, pictured, outside Westminster last night Pro-Palestinian supporters chant slogans such as "Hands off Rafah, End the genocide" as they march in front of Big Ben on May 28 Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group. A police statement said they went into the crowd shortly before 10pm to arrest those suspected of leading the breakaway protest, with 40 people arrested for offences including breaking the Public Order Act, obstruction of a highway and assaults of emergency workers. Around 2am on Wednesday, police said all protestors had left the area and Bridge Street had been reopened. Videos posted to social media on Tuesday night captured the moment swarms of Palestine supporters took over the streets around Parliament before banging on car windows and surrounding double-decker buses. Swathes of cops donning hi-vis police jackets and helmets were seen scuffling with activists as footage taken by demonstrators showed masses of chanting crowds blocking roads and running riot in the streets. Video taken at 10.30pm showed sprawling crowds of protesters yelling as they came face to face with Met Police officers - on the same that has also seen dramatic protests erupt across France and Italy. In an earlier clip, taken outside Downing Street and shared on X, formerly Twitter, cops could be seen tussling with members of the public with one woman seen on the ground as officers worked their way through the crowd. The protests were hosted in response to Sunday's Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment in Rafah that left at least 45 people dead - an incident that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a 'tragic mishap'. The mass demonstration was organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and saw tens of thousands of people displaying messages including: 'Stop bombing children', 'All eyes on Rafah', and 'Massacring over 14,000 children does not equal self defence'. A crowd of roughly 10,000 people organised by a coalition of groups began protesting outside Downing Street at 6pm yesterday Pro-Palestinian supporters wave Palestinian flags and held placards as they gather outside Downing Street, central London, on May 28, 2024, during a 'Hands off Rafah, End the genocide' rally calling for a ceasefire in Gaza Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters gather outside Downing Street following the Israeli attacks on Rafah in Gaza In Paris, people we seen clambering up historic monuments while waving their banners and flags People gather to stage demonstration as they hold flags and banners to show their solidarity with the Palestinians at the Republic Square in Paris Chants of 'We are the people! We won't be silenced! Stop the bombing now, now, now' could also be heard ringing through the streets as demonstrators demanded an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza. The huge rally left usually-busy roads completely blocked off and unavailable for use as the large numbers of protesters took over the streets. It comes just three weeks after Downing Street was surrounded by thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters following the Israeli seize of the Rafah border crossing. Jeremy Corbyn and militant rail union chief Mick Lynch were among the speakers at the rally. Around 5,000 protesters descended on Number 10 with placards from the Socialist Worker and the Palestinian Forum in Britain, which reportedly has links to Hamas. Signs included those saying 'all eyes on Rafah' and others with the genocidal phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. On Tuesday, huge demonstrations were also seen across France, Italy and Poland, as activists marched to voice their support for war-torn Palestine. Yesterday evening, Paris, and Bologna saw demonstrators blocking roads and clambering up historic monuments as activists branded Israel 'assassins' after Sunday's deadly airstrike. Thousands of French people stormed though cities including Paris, Lille, Lyon, and Strasbourg to show their solidarity. Footage captured in France showed demonstrators brandishing the red, white, black, and green flags while donning keffiyehs and chanting 'We do not kill a child, whether Jewish or Palestinian: Stop bombings, free Palestine' and 'Rafah, Gaza we are with you'. In Paris, thousands of people gathered at Place de la Republique to display their unwavering support. The family of a watch dealer who was found dead 24 hours after being the victim of a high value jewellery raid say they believe he took his own life. Oliver White, 27, died at his family home in Shepperton, Middlesex, just a day after two unarmed thieves entered the 247 Kettles store in affluent Richmond in south-west London last Saturday and stole dozens of high value watches. Horrifying video footage shows one of the robbers restraining Oliver with a chokehold while his accomplice is seen sweeping up large numbers of watches and putting them into the backpack of the man assaulting the young sales manager. Today it emerged that the two men being hunted over the robbery had posed as clients in a three-day sting before attacking Mr White. The watch company said this morning he 'should never have been alone' with that amount of watches on display. In a statement to Surrey Police, Oliver's family said: 'Our son Oliver returned home from his place of work on Saturday traumatised and unable to speak. He had been the victim of a terrifying attack and high value robbery at his place of work, which was later shared widely on social media. 'Sadly, it is our belief that Oliver subsequently took his own life due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident. The family of Oliver White, who was found dead at his family home in Shepperton after being the victim of a high value watch raid, say they believe he took his own life Oliver pictured with his girlfriend, Alana Dredge. She described it as their 'last photo together' taken two weeks ago Ms Dredge has posted online tributes to Oli after he was found dead on Sunday evening after police were called to Shepperton in Surrey Richmond-based watch dealer 247 Kettles posted this tribute to Oliver on Instagram Watch dealer 247 Kettles admitted Oliver should not have been alone inside the showroom (pictured) and 'strict security procedures' were not followed before the robbery 'As a family we are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into.' After paying tribute to their 'beautiful' boy, Oliver's family also asked for privacy while they grieve their loss. In a statement released on their Instagram account, 247 Kettles said Oliver 'should never have been alone in the office on Saturday and that amount of watches shouldve never been on display'. The firm went on to say that despite having strict security procedures, including panic buttons, alarms, smoke screens and security doors, none of these were followed 'through no fault of anyone's' in such a tragic event. The post also added that the suspects who robbed the store posed 'as potential clients across a three day period waiting for a vulnerability and the correct time to strike'. A close friend of Oliver, who was known as Olli, told MailOnline yesterday: 'He was very depressed after the robbery and was filled with a lot of worry especially after it was established that around 2.8million worth of watches had been stolen. 'Olli was petrified that he could lose all that he owns and that they might even take his mother's house. 'He was also traumatised by what happened and became very fearful about the impact this robbery could have on his and his family's financial future. He just didn't know what was going to happen.' Another friend claimed that Olli's fears were heightened over concerns about how much insurance cover was in place. He said: 'He wasn't sure if the insurance would have covered the theft or if there was any insurance at all. The robbery left him broken and combined with the financial uncertainty over who would be responsible he couldn't see another way out. 'Olli took it very personally and really believed that he would get all the blame and that it would ruin him.' Olli, who was reported to be in his mid 20s, lived in Shepperton with his mother Amy and stepfather Mark. Two unarmed thieves (pictured) entered the 247 Kettles store in affluent Richmond in south-west London last Saturday and stole dozens of high value watches A CCTV image of one of the robbers who stole a number of high-value watches from the shop in Kew Road, Richmond The Richmond firm said none of their security procedures were followed during the robbery on Saturday. Pictured: Another look inside their watch showroom Here is a look at some of the luxury Rolex watches that 247 Kettles sells The Richmond-based watch dealer has more than 16,000 followers on Instagram, where they advertise a range of luxury timepieces The devastated couple were consoling his heartbroken girlfriend Alana Dredge at the family home today. A family friend told MailOnline: 'They are going through an incredible amount of pain and it's going to take them a long time to get over this. 'Olli was a wonderful son and partner to Alana, and they had dreams about building a life together but tragically, this robbery has taken this all away.' A spokesman for 247 Kettles said Oliver 'left a long lasting impact on the watch community as a whole' with his 'vibrant spirit' and his loss will be 'felt deeply by all that knew him'. It also added: 'Oliver had an incredible work ethic and a passion for pleasing customers. He liked to work around the clock and even out of hours to ensure customers were satisfied. 'As a business we will remain closed temporarily to grieve the loss of our friend. Any messages / requests will be picked up upon our return. Our thoughts are with all of Olivers family at this time.' Ms Dredge shared on Instagram a picture of herself and her partner on holiday - saying it was 'our last photo together', taken just a fortnight ago. She wrote: 'My darling boy I can't believe you're gone. This was our last photo together. This was only 2 weeks ago and now I'll never see you again. 'The last thing you said to me was I love you. I will cherish you forever, being with you was the best 6 years of my life. I hope you are reading this from up there, I will continue to make you proud.' Oliver pictured with Ms Dredge. The watch dealer's family said he was 'traumatised and unable to speak' after he was robbed Ms Dredge wrote of loving Oliver 'more than I can put into words', following the tragic news which came a day after he was the victim of a robbery in Richmond, south-west Londo She described how the pair were saving to buy their first home together as she vowed to 'buy the house you exactly wanted and it'll be your home'. Ms Dredge, whose account describes her as a hair extension specialist, revealed she was still sending WhatsApp messages to Mr White's phone - saying she was 'hoping this is all a nightmare and you'll reply'. She went on to say: 'I don't know how I'll do life without you, my whole world has ended. 'My life will never be the same again I can't explain how much I love you. I will never stop loving you - I'm so numb I can't cry anymore. 'I have never felt pain like this, you were the only person that could give me comfort like no other and make all my pain go away. 'Now you're not here I don't know what I'm going to do. I love you Oliver more than I can put into words.' For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support Advertisement With Rishi Sunak behind in the polls he may have decided now is the time to deploy his secret weapon. The Prime Minister's wife Akshata Murty has been pictured visiting a care home in North Yorkshire while he campaigns in the south west meeting apprentices at a train depot and a broadband firm. Meanwhile, Mr Sunak has visited a pub in Devon after he spent the morning campaigning in neighbouring Cornwall and Keir Starmer has returned to another football club as he unveils his party's NHS pledge. Our live coverage has ended for the day but for a full recap see below. Dara Huang, the mother of Princess Beatrice's eight-year-old stepson Wolfie, has posted a series of glamorous photos from her first visit to the Monaco Grand Prix. The architect posed in a series of stunning outfits on the French Riviera and hailed the Formula One weekend for being 'every bit as exciting as I anticipated it to be'. This was despite Max Verstappen claiming the race was 'so boring' that he wished he had 'brought my pillow' and Lewis Hamilton saying he could not blame fans for 'falling asleep' after the top ten started where they finished for the first time in F1. Miss Huang, 41, who was engaged to interior designer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi before he married the King's niece, also spoke about making 'wonderful new friendships'. She told her 66,000 Instagram followers yesterday: 'My first Monaco Grand Prix and it was every bit as exciting as I anticipated it to be. Thanks to all of the wonderful new friendships that I met and inspiring people that surround this incredible sport.' US-born architect Dara Huang enjoyed her first visit to the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend Dara Huang posted a series of glamorous photos on Instagram from her trip to Monaco Dara Huang is the mother of Princess Beatrice's eight-year-old stepson Christopher 'Wolfie' Dara Huang posed in a series of stunning outfits on the French Riviera during the race weekend Christopher 'Wolfie' Mapelli Mozzi was born in March 2016 before Ms Huang and Mr Mozzi separated two years later in 2018. He then married Beatrice in July 2020. Wolfie has since made appearances at royal engagements, including at the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey last December. He arrived with Beatrice and Mr Mozzi before holding a candle alongside Prince William and Kate's children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Beatrice used to be a frequent guest at the Monaco Grand Prix, including with her mother Sarah, Duchess of York - and was pictured kissing Jenson Button there in 2006. Miss Huang was born and grew up in the US, to where her maternal grandfather had emigrated from Taiwan. She was granted British citizenship in 2022 and now lives in London. Earlier this month, she shared a glimpse inside her lavish Chelsea townhouse on Instagram - including Wolfie's Minecraft-themed bedroom - to promote her furniture and interiors business Dara Maison. Dara Huang spoke about making 'wonderful new friendships' during the Monaco Grand Prix Dara Huang hailed the F1 weekend for being 'every bit as exciting as I anticipated it to be' Dara Huang posted a series of photographs from her first visit to the Monaco Grand Prix Dara Huang was engaged to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi before he married Princess Beatrice The Harvard-educated architect has also recently opened up about co-parenting with Beatrice, telling Harper's Bazaar in March: 'Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides, and I just think the more, the merrier. 'I feel lucky to have such positive people around him, who really embrace him. It didn't have to be so easy. 'It's all about your point of view. I don't understand people who are divorced and then hold their children as collateral; that doesn't make any sense. It's about creating a happy home and lifestyle.' It comes after she said 2023 was 'really challenging' for her in a cryptic Instagram post in January, adding that it was the year with the 'most changes'. But she also said: 'I'm not sure why but I just have this feeling that 2024 is going to be our year and a lot of positivity is going to come out of it and I'm so excited and ready.' Last Christmas, Wolfie went on a Disney cruise ship with Ms Huang before joining her family in Florida, where she grew up. Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi with her stepson Christopher 'Wolfie' Mapelli Mozzi for the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey last December Wolfie attended the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey last December with William and Kate's children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi with Wolfie attend a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham in Norfolk in December 2022 In Christmas 2022, Wolfie stayed in Norfolk with Beatrice, Mr Mozzi and his half-sister Sienna, two. As for the Grand Prix last weekend, Charles Leclerc finally ended his Monaco curse by winning a processional race that Verstappen claimed was 'so boring' he wished he had 'brought my pillow' and Hamilton said he could not blame fans for 'falling asleep'. After failing to convert either of his previous pole positions into a victory on the circuit, it was third-time lucky for Leclerc after he held off McLaren's Oscar Piastri to claim his maiden victory in Monte Carlo, becoming the first Monegasque since Louis Chiron in 1931 to win on home soil. It came after a dramatic opening lap which saw Sergio Perez walk away from an extraordinary 160mph crash with Kevin Magnussen, and a separate incident saw Esteban Ocon launched airborne following a collision with Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. Earlier this year, Dara Huang shared a selection of sweet images on Instagram to mark her son's eight birthday Christopher 'Wolfie' Mapelli Mozzi's eighth birthday (pictured) Wolfie's bedroom at Dara Huang's Chelsea townhouse is Minecraft-themed and the walls have been painted to resemble scenes from the popular game Dara Huang has also previously posted a picture on Instagram of Wolfie with her from behind Beatrice used to be a frequent guest at the Monaco Grand Prix, including with her mother Sarah, Duchess of York - and was pictured kissing F1 driver Jenson Button there in 2006 Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz finished third, one place ahead of British driver Lando Norris. George Russell crossed the line in fifth for Mercedes with Verstappen sixth and Hamilton seventh. But after one hour and 44 minutes in Monaco, the top 10 finished in the same order they started the first time this has happened in Formula One history. 'It was non-eventful,' said Hamilton, 39. 'Everyone drove so slowly. It didn't matter what tyre you were on. We were driving seconds off the pace. 'I don't know what it was like watching but I am sure people were falling asleep.' Earlier, Verstappen complained over the radio: "F*** me, this is really boring. I should've brought my pillow". The drivers were allowed to put on fresh tyres during the 40-minute delay, effectively meaning they would not have to stop if their rubber could last until the end. Despite being considered among the most glamorous events in world sport, the Monaco track has remained largely unchanged from the first grand prix staged there in 1929. And some have claimed it is no longer fit for purpose in its current guise. F1 bosses have looked at ways to adapt the tight and twisty layout but have made little progress - with the heaviest generation of cars ever seen making overtaking on the track practically impossible. Diane Abbott today confirmed she is being blocked from standing as a Labour candidate despite having the whip restored. The veteran left-winger, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, spoke out to clarify the situation as Keir Starmer faces a major backlash. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting admitting this morning that he was 'not particularly comfortable' with the way Ms Abbott has been treated. He also snapped at Sky News' Kay Burley suggesting she was spending too much time grilling him on the topic rather than Labour's waiting lists policy. Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid an investigation into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April last year. However, it has emerged that the race row probe ended months ago. Ms Abbott was understood to have been given back the Labour whip yesterday, but confusion remained over whether she would stand as a party candidate at the general election. Not being endorsed as a candidate by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee would be enough to end Ms Abbott's 37-year spell as an MP. Ms Abbott told the BBC this morning: 'Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate.' Adding to the sense of chaos, a Labour source questioned whether Ms Abbott was indeed banned - insisting the NEC will not finalise candidate endorsements until Tuesday. Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency. It is unclear whether this might have been behind the decision, but endorsing anyone other than a Labour candidate in an election risks being a breach of party membership rules. Diane Abbott has had the Labour whip restored but been blocked from standing as a party candidate at the general election Sir Keir Starmer faced fury from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency Sir Keir is facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott, who was the first female black MP in the House of Commons. John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.' He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful. 'Whoever is responsible for this should hand their head in shame.' Asked during a round of interviews whether he felt 'comfortable about what's happened here', Mr Streeting said: 'No, not particularly.' He told Times Radio: 'I know that Diane had the whip restored and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was following her suspension over remarks that she made, for which she later apologised. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidature, as much as has been reported.' He added: 'I think this has gone on for a very long time. But I'm here this morning to talk about the NHS waiting lists and I say this with enormous respect for everything that Diane has achieved in politics.' Asked if Ms Abbott was owed an apology Mr Streeting said: 'Diane rightly apologised for the comments that she made that led to her suspension, as to the process, I think those questions are better directed to people responsible for the process. 'I think it's best that we wait for all other facts to emerge about the decision making in this case, which I've not been involved in, have no responsibility for and I'm here to talk about the seven and a half million people who are on NHS waiting lists.' Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election and is now running as an independent candidate, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses. Mr Corbyn told the PoliticsJoe website: 'Diane has been disgracefully treated by the Labour Party and by, particularly, the individual national officials of the party - all of them.' He added: 'If she's reinstated, good. If not she's got a choice of her own to make. But whatever she does, I'll support her.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: 'Solidarity with Diane, undeniably a trailblazer & a hero of our movement. 'At a time when all our energy should be focussed on throwing the Tories out, this process looks nakedly factional. 'Diane should have the whip restored now so she can stand as Labour's candidate in the GE.' Senior aides to Sir Keir were earlier said to be discussing returning the Labour whip to Ms Abbott before the election, if she does not run as a party candidate, to allow her to leave politics 'with dignity'. The possibility of a ban on Ms Abbott standing for Labour at the general election has sparked a fresh war between Sir Keir's team and the party's left-wing. It also came amid a row over claims Sir Keir is lining up key allies to a string of safe seats after six current Labour MPs announced last-minute retirements. A spokesman for the Momentum group said: 'Restoring the whip only to block Diane would be outrageous. 'Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter. 'Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britain's first black woman MP.' Ms Abbott, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, has been suspended from the party since April last year Ms Abbott issued a public apology to 'wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them' in April last year Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn , who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses Ms Abbott issued a swift apology for her remarks in April last year, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience 'prejudice' but are not 'subject to racism'. She was forced to sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons while a probe was launched into her remarks. The BBC reported that Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) wrote to Ms Abbott in December 2023 saying it had concluded its eight-month inquiry. It issued her with a 'formal warning' for 'engaging in conduct that was in the opinion of the NEC, prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party', it was claimed. The NEC also reportedly said it expected Ms Abbott to undertake an 'online, e-learning module', described as an 'antisemitism awareness course', which she is said to have completed in February. Sir Keir last week refused to be drawn on whether Ms Abbott would be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington. 'The NEC will be coming to decisions on the final list of candidates in due course, so you'll see that when the decisions are taken,' the Labour leader said on Saturday. Labour told BBC Newsnight that it does not comment on disciplinary cases. Sir Keir told reporters on a general election campaign visit to Stevenage this afternoon: 'Well, the process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact finding exercise. 'But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee, and they will do that in due course.' The revelation that the probe into Ms Abbott had actually concluded months ago sparked intense anger on Labour's left-wing. A Momentum spokesman said: 'This is outrageous news which confirms the Starmer leadership is trying to force Britain's first black woman MP out of Parliament. 'For months we have been told by Keir Starmer that the process is independent and it's nothing to do with him. 'Today's revelation confirms this is another brazen lie from Keir Starmer - the investigation was concluded months ago, Diane remains a Labour member and the whip should already have been restored as a result. 'Starmer's conduct has already been insulting and demeaning to a woman he rightly called a 'trailblazer' - the first step to making amends is to restore the whip and let Diane run as the Labour candidate, as local members wish.' Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that key allies of Sir Keir are expected to be lined up as candidates in a string of safe seats. There has been a last-minute spate of Labour MPs announcing they will stand down from the Commons ahead of the 4 July general election. They include Barbara Keeley, John Cryer, John Spellar, Virendra Sharma, Kevin Brennan and Julie Elliott. Senior Labour figures close to Sir Keir - including NEC members - are tipped to chosen as candidates in the now-vacant seats. READ MORE: Major breakthrough in the hunt for missing mum Detectives appear to have made the first major breakthrough in the hunt for missing mum Samantha Murphy since they arrested her alleged killer almost three months ago. The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her home on Eureka Street, in Ballarat, Victoria, to go for a run in the nearby Canadian State Forest on the morning of February 4. In early March, local man Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder. He is yet to enter a plea and has refused to help police in the hunt for Ms Murphy's body. On Wednesday, police launched a new search in the hunt for her remains, with the focus on a dam at a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14km from her home. Aerial footage from the scene showed officers locating the mud-splattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water's edge, prompting jubilant celebrations among detectives standing nearby. Video captured by the ABC showed police hugging, backslapping and shaking hands in the wake of the discovery. Although police would only say that some 'items of interest' had been found, it is clear they are hopeful they have made a major breakthrough. It marks the first major development since Stephenson's arrest. Daily Mail Australia takes a look back at how detectives got to this stage. Police have arrested a man in relation to the disappearance of missing mum Samantha Murphy No trace of the mum-of-three has ever been found, despite a massive search effort involving police, SES and countless volunteers (pictured) Police celebrated on Wednesday after finding a cellphone during the search for Ms Murphy Sunday February 4 Mum-of-three Samantha Murphy left her home on Eureka Street in Ballarat East to head off on a run around 7am. She was captured on a neighbour's CCTV wearing a brown singlet and black half-length leggings. It's believed she reached the Mount Clear area by foot, according to mobile phone data later obtained by police. She was reported missing four hours later after she failed to return to return home or show up at a planned 11am brunch with family. Ms Murphy's uncle and aunt Allan and Janice Robson, told Daily Mail Australia that her husband Mick made the call to police. 'She was reported missing at about 11am. Mick reported her missing. He said she was supposed to be back to go to some sort of meeting that morning,' Allan said. 'She wasn't home. Didn't go to it... he rang up and reported it and after that they started looking out the other side of Buninyong, which is 20-30km away.' Monday February 5 Victoria Police launch a public appeal regarding Ms Murphy's disappearance. A statement said that police and her family held grave concerns for Samantha's welfare due to the hot weather and out of character disappearance. A search area is established just outside the suburb of Buninyong, about 14km from where Ms Murphy was last seen, as well as near her home. Wednesday's discovery of a mobile phone marks the first major development in the case since Ms Murphy's alleged killer was arrested almost three months ago Tuesday February 6 Ms Murphy's husband, Mick, tells media that he's 'not too bad under the circumstances'. He was pictured speaking with police as the desperate search continued. The search extended to more than 100 specialised police officers, SES crews and teams from Forest Fire Management Australia and Parks Victoria. Wednesday February 7 Possible evidence near a walking trail in Woowookarung Regional Park which was later deemed not related to her whereabouts. appeared visibly stunned as he was turned away by officers. Ms Murphy's husband turns up at the cordoned off scene in Woowookarung Regional Park and Police later released CCTV of whom they initially believed was Ms Murphy leaving her property and heading off in a north-easterly direction. Daily Mail Australia understands police are still searching for other key pieces of evidence, such as Ms Murphy's missing watch and headphones, or possibly a murder weapon. Thursday February 8 Ms Murphy's husband and daughter front the media to issue an emotional plea. 'Mum, we love you so much, and we miss you, and we need you at home with us,' daughter Jess said as she fought back tears. 'Please come home soon. I can't wait to see you and to give you the biggest hug when I do, and to tell you off for giving us so much stress. I love you.' Mick added: 'People just don't vanish into thin air. Someone has got to know something,' he says. Later that day, a key line of inquiry came to an abrupt end when a runner came forward to reveal they are the person seen in the CCTV footage released by police a day earlier. Friday February 9 As the search enters its sixth day, Victoria police's missing persons squad takes over as lead investigators on the search for Ms Murphy. Saturday February 10 Police scaled back the extensive search and added that a full scale search will only resume if fresh information emerged. Volunteer crews consisting of locals vow to continue conducting their own searches and hold onto the hope that Ms Murphy could still be alive. The arrest and murder charge announced by police on Thursday marks the first significant breakthrough in what has become Victoria's highest priority police inquiry since the missing mum vanished on February 4 Ballarat locals have spent the last few weeks conducting their own searches in the hope that Ms Murphy could still be alive. Locals have continued looking for Samanatha Murphy after police scaled back the search Wednesday February 14 Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton confirms that detectives are treating Ms Murphy's disappearance as suspicious. 'It's certainly unusual when we haven't been able to locate any trace of her or any other evidence within that period of time,' he said. 'It's suspicious, whether that means there's foul play involved, or not, I don't know, but obviously detectives are investigating a matter where a woman's been missing for a significant period of time. Thursday February 22 As dozens of detectives from specialist units are assigned to the case and travel from Melbourne, police admit 'one or more parties' are most likely behind Ms Murphy's disappearance as a new ground search was launched. Detectives also reveal that Ms Murphy's husband Mick and 'everyone' close to her have been named as persons of interest. 'We are keeping an open mind, but believe the most likely scenario is that her disappearance involves one or more parties,' Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt said. 'Given the extensive and detailed search that has already been undertaken, and the fact no sign of Samantha or her personal belongings has been located, we have ruled out any type of medical incident.' When Daily Mail Australia asked Superintendent Hatt if Mr Murphy was a person of interest, he said he was not an official suspect, but that he and 'everyone' in Ms Murphy's close personal life was a person of interest. In early March, Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, was charged with her alleged murder 'We have a number of people that we are speaking to and I can say the family have been absolutely fantastic in co-operating with police,' he said. 'At this stage he is not (a suspect). Everyone in relation to Samantha is a person of interest. In our investigation we are speaking to everyone that was in her life. Police also launch a major new ground search after phone data led them to a specific area of bushland 6km from where she was last seen. Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad lead the 'targeted search' of bush around Mount Clear, 6km from Ms Murphy's home. The new search was south of the Canadian forest area where Ms Murphy regularly ran and where much of the earlier searches have been conducted. It was also closer to the phone tower in Buninyong which was said to have registered a ping from Ms Murphy's mobile phone at about 5pm on the day she vanished. Saturday February 24 Hundreds of Ballarat locals join a volunteer-led community search spanning dense bushland in the hope of finding a clue to assist the investigation. Search organisers are still hopeful that Ms Murphy will be found alive. 'The amount of mothers and women, there have been fathers and other people jumping in on the group chats which is absolutely fantastic, but a lot of the driving force, a lot of the community, a lot of the people getting involved are the women,' Cristie-Lea King told A Current Affair several days earlier. The community mood in Ballarat remains 'sombre', where Ms Murphy's disappearance continues to impact daily lives of many locals. 'I think it has certainly been felt, spoken about,' Ms King said. 'Even getting out of my car last night, I suddenly heard a noise. 'I shouldn't be thinking about that or worrying, but it creates a sense of until we get answers you don't know what happened.' The group refused to give up hope that Ms Murphy will be found, 'Until there is an answer, we are not giving up hope on her if she is there,' Ms King said. Police released this image of Ms Murphy from the morning she vanished. Detectives now believe 'one or more parties' are behind her mystery disappearance Samantha Murphy's husband Mick Murphy addressed the media four days after she disappeared Wednesday February 28 The Inland Motor Body Works, a smash repair business in Ballarat owned by Ms Murphy and her husband became a focus of the investigation, amid speculation outlaw motorcycle gangs were among their customers. Later that night, a panel of experts - including psychologists, former policemen and technology experts examined all the information Victoria Police have shared with the public for Channel Nine's Under Investigation program. The experts believed Mrs Murphy's habitual morning run could have been what led to her disappearance and considered a number of different scenarios, including the possibility that she was kidnapped and is still alive. But all five experts agreed the mother had likely met some kind of foul play - whether that be murder or kidnap - while she was in the forest. Monday March 4 Investigators have begun reviewing mobile phone tower data to identify the movements of people in the area where Ms Murphy vanished. Detectives will now trawl through mobile data from the Ballarat area, with particular interest in phones that 'pinged' from towers covering the zone they believe Ms Murphy was in hours after her run. Phone metadata has been crucial to the investigation after it pinpointed a precise location in the Mount Clear area, some 7km from Ms Murphy's home, about an hour into her 14km jog. Wednesday March 6 A man, 22, is arrested at his Scotsburn home in Ballarat shortly after 6am in connection to Ms Murphy's disappearance. However his arrest is not announced by Victoria Police until the next day. Thursday March 7 Victoria Police announce a man has been arrested and remains in custody. Detectives were later spotted visiting the family home to speak to Ms Murphy's husband Mick. Police later announce that the man, 22, in custody has been been charged with one count of murder and will Ballarat Magistrates' Court later that afternoon. Police are yet to recover Samantha's body and the investigation remains ongoing. Police have been forced to scour rugged terrain in the search for Ms Murphy's body Police look for clues in Buninyong during another search in March 'Our thoughts today are with Samantha's family and friends,' Supt Hatt said in a statement. 'Since Samantha's disappearance at the start of February, a significant search and investigation has been undertaken in an effort to find her. 'This has included a dedicated and committed investigative effort led by the Missing Persons squad and also involving detectives from right across Crime Command, Counter Terrorism Command and Western Region. 'This has been further supported by a range of specialist resources from across Victoria Police. 'To get to a position where we have been able to charge someone is testament to the commitment and dedication from all those areas. 'We have also had exceptional support from many people in the Ballarat community, particularly local search volunteers and members of the SES and CFA. 'I know that Samantha's disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community and I want to thank all of those people who have assisted police in many different ways over the past month.' Wednesday April 20 Technology detector dogs are brought in to assist with a search in Buninyong Bushland Reserve. The specialist dogs are supplied by the Australian Federal Police who say the canines can sniff out memory storage devices such as USBs, hard drives, mobile phones, storage device cards and SIM cards. The dogs are considered to be the most elite of all sniffer dogs and capable of detecting the microns-thin coating that protects computer circuit boards. Their noses are so sensitive, they can track down cash hidden under stairs, sim cards concealed in shoes and USBs buried in eskies full of food. An eight-hour search turns up nothing. Pictured: Samantha Murphy sharing happy moments with her husband Michael Thursday April 11 Police launched a fresh search in Enfield State Park, more than 30m away from Ballarat, claiming that it has been 'highlighted by intelligence derived from a number of sources'. The park is less than 30km away from where the body of another allegedly murdered local woman - 23-year-old Hannah McGuire - was discovered several days before. Emergency services found Ms McGuire's body inside a burnt-out car in bushland near State Forest Road at Scarsdale, 25km south of Ballarat. Specialist cadaver dogs from New South Wales are brought in to scour the Victorian bush at multiple locations in dense scrub spanning a vast stretch of countryside. The search is abandoned in the following days after detectives fail to find anything. Wednesday May 29 Police launch a new search at a dam on a property south of Buninyong, approximately 14km from Ms Murphy's home. Aerial footage from the scene showed officers locating a mud-splattered mobile phone in a wallet at the water's edge, prompting jubilant celebrations among detectives standing nearby. Video captured by the ABC showed police hugging, backslapping and shaking hands in the wake of the discovery. A team of police divers were then sent into the water to scour the small dam for any further possible evidence. Later, police were seen using a metal detector to scan the edge of the water. In a statement issued shortly after the mobile phone was found, police said they had located some 'items of interest' during the search for the missing mum. Samantha Murphy left her Ballarat home at 7am February 4 to go for a run in the nearby state forest and did not return home. Police have now launched a major new ground search after phone data led them to a specific area of bushland 6km from where she was last seen The major new development will see a significant number of detectives from across Crime Command and other specialist commands join local police in the hunt for Samantha Murphy (above) 'The area has been cordoned off and those items will now be forensically tested. 'At this stage we are not providing further information about the items until that testing has been completed. 'The items were located during today's targeted search, which involved investigators and other specialist units from across Victoria Police and assistance from the AFP.' The owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, said police contacted him about three weeks ago asking for permission to access his land. The man said officers returned on Wednesday where they told him they were going to perform a line search along the road. 'A dog found something on the banks and they came up and asked me and my wife to make a statement,' he said. Shocking CCTV footage has revealed the moment a Romanian factory worker stalked his pregnant ex-girlfriend before stabbing her at least five times and fleeing the scene. Daniel Mihai Popescu, 29, was yesterday sentenced to 17 years and four months in prison over the attempted murder of Andreea Pintili in Aberfan, South Wales, on December 5 last year. Now, harrowing footage has been released showing Popescu lying in wait behind a parked car near Ms Pintili's home in the moments before he pounced on her with an eight-inch knife as she returned from a school run. Ms Pintili, who was 37-weeks pregnant at the time, had been walking along the street near her home after dropping her two children off at school when she was attacked by her 'jealous' ex-partner. CCTV footage released by South Wales Police shows Daniel Mihai Popescu hooded up as he lay in wait behind a red car in the moments before he pounced on Ms Pintili The 29-year-old pleaded guilty to attempted murder and stalking but denied an additional charge of intimidating a witness Andreea Pintili was returning from a school run when she was attacked by her ex-partner who had already been arrested and bailed for stalking her Further footage then shows Popescu fleeing the scene with the knife in his hand. He was tracked down and arrested by South Wales Police shortly after the horrific attack. A first witness can be seen running over to help the victim as her bloodcurdling screams can be heard in the video. Popescu was already on bail for stalking Ms Pintili when he hid outside her home armed with an eight-inch kitchen knife. The pair had been in a three-year relationship since 2020 but had separated after Popescu developed a gambling habit. The mother-of-two was pregnant with Popescu's baby, but after they had split he started following her to work, banging on her windows and taking photos of her. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard yesterday that the vengeful factory worker, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder and stalking, had texted his sister in Romania that 'w****s must die' before launching the attack on the streets of Aberfan. The judge, Recorder of Cardiff, Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, sentenced Popescu to 17 years, four months and an extended licence period of three years, as she said 'you feel very little true remorse. A series of messages released by South Wales Police also shows that Popescu had sent messages to a person - who is unnamed - telling them 'I'm not going to Romania or to jail, or I'm going to kill myself after I'm done with her. A message sent on December 1 then reads 'Monday everything ends'. The attack took place on the Tuesday morning. The CCTV footage also shows the Romanian factory worker fleeing the scene with the knife in hand Messages between Popescu and an unnamed person, in which he says 'Monday everything ends'. The attack took place on Tuesday morning He was located, arrested and detained by police shortly after the attack. Ms Pintili and her baby both survived, despite the Home Bargains shop assistant sustaining several stab injuries Supermarket worker Ms Pintili and her baby both survived the attack which took place last year, and her son was born unharmed at Christmas. Popescu - a Romanian with permission to stay in the UK until 2028 - had been told that the child would not be raised as his, that he would have no contact with the child ever and he would not be named on the birth certificate. Prosecuting, John Hipkin said that Popescu had pre planned the attack, noting that a man he was staying with said that the chocolate factory worker had been 'agitated and annoyed over a period of time'. He also said Popescu revealed plans to 'stab his ex-girlfriend's new partner' and 'was leaving the house everyday between 4am-5am to go to Aberfan to look for the new partner.' At one point, Popescu left two bags of his clothing outside her home and left her a voicemail, saying: 'Don't touch my clothes, I'm not going from the street until you get back together with me' - and repeatedly knocked her window. As a result, Popescu was arrested and released on bail with a condition not to contact her. Despite this, Mr Hipkin told the court that Popescu continued to stalk her and even texted his sister in Romania saying that he had been 'following them [her ex partner] everyday' and discovered that she had gotten back with him. He also sent another message to his sister which said: 'Yes, w***** must die.' The court heard yesterday that the vengeful factory worker texted his sister in Romania saying 'w***** must die' The CCTV footage shows Popescu as he walked down a street in Aberfan before he waited by Ms Pintili's home to attack her Ms Pintili had only moved to a new house in Aberfan a month before the attack. The mother-of-two was 37-weeks pregnant with Popescu's child at the time of incident Home Bargains shop assistant Ms Pintili had only moved to a new house in the former pit village along with her two children a month before the incident on December 5. Two video clips were played to the court which showed Ms Pintili walking along the street near her home before Popescu emerged from hiding behind a red car and attacked her. The footage showed victim try and break free - after Popescu grabbed her arm - before she fell to the floor and screamed as he stabbed her with a knife with a 7 to 8-inch blade multiple times. Fortunately, a woman nearby saw the attack and 'screamed and ran to try and help' which caused Popescu to run off. Ms Pintili had suffered three superficial defensive wounds to her hand - two penetrating wounds 3-5cm long and 1cm wide, to the right side and left of her back. She also suffered a wound to the superficial tissues of her back just to the right if the midline. She was taken to the UHW and fortunately her unborn child was not harmed - and she was discharged the following day. The court heard that Popescu had been sleeping rough at the time of the attack. In a victim's statement read out to the court, Ms Pintili said she feared for her life In a victim's statement read out to the court by the prosecution, Ms Pintili said she felt 'lucky to be alive after this harrowing experience.' She said that she feared for her life as Popescu came at her with a knife and tried to get her into her home. 'I have no doubt that if he had got me into the house he would have killed him. This was clearly his intention that day, to kill me and my unborn child,' she said in her statement. The court heard how the incident has impacted her confidence when leaving the house and socialising with friends - and now she constantly has to lock her windows and doors to feel safe in her home. She said that she's 'happy' he pleaded guilty but will 'never be safe from this man.' She added: 'I feel very scared and anxious of the thought of him being released. He did not abide to any bail condition set to him, and I feel he'll also ignore any restraining orders placed upon him.' David Aubrey KC, defending, said that Popescu and his ex-girlfriend were due to have a child together - who was born after the attack. He told the court that after they separated, Popescu was informed by the former partner that when the child was born, the child was 'not to be raised as his' and 'that he would have no contact with the child' or named as the father on the birth certificate. The court heard that Popescu was also sleeping rough, with concerns he was sleeping on a park bench and further concerns about him committing suicide. Popescu, of no fixed address, admitted the first two charges and the court heard prosecutors would not pursue the accusation of witness intimidation Mr Aubrey stressed that this was 'no suggestion that there is any justification' for Popescu's actions. Popescu, of no fixed address, admitted the first two charges and the court heard prosecutors will not pursue the accusation of witness intimidation. The judge, Recorder of Cardiff, Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Popescu: 'Only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate in this case'. She told Popescu that she took into consideration that he had no previous convictions, cautions or reprimands and had a difficult background, but added: 'You feel very little true remorse.' She agreed that Popescu is at 'high risk of serious harm to current victim and future partners.' Popescu was sentenced to 17 years, four months and an extended licence period of three years - making an extended sentence of 20 years and four months. 'You will serve two-thirds of the custodial period in prison before the Parole Board will consider whether it is safe to release you, and if so on what terms, she added. He was also ordered not to contact Ms Pintili or the children indirectly or directly again - or enter the area of Mythyr Tydfil. The stabbing happened just yards from where 144 people died when colliery spoil tip collapsed and covered a school in 1966. The UK's biggest ever benefit scam was exposed by a lone detective in a quiet Balkan city after he saw the fraudsters 'living like barons'. Inspector Vassil Panayotov, a detective from the city of Sliven in Bulgaria, first became suspicious after he noticed locals sporting designer clothing and a huge increase in the number of properties being built. He launched his own investigation into the apparent influx of cash into the town and soon discovered that thousands of residents were receiving up to 2,500 a month in benefits from the UK despite never stepping foot in the country. Mr Panayotov alerted the British authorities, who later discovered the scale of deceptive scam, which was being run by a gang of Bulgarian fraudsters who raked in 54 million by churning out fake documents to trick DWP officials. Galina Nikolova, 38, and her boyfriend Stoyan Stoyanov, 27, along with Tsvetka Todorova, 52, Gyunesh Ali, 33, and Patritsia Paneva, 26, were arrested on May 5, 2021. They appeared in court on Tuesday for the first of their three-day sentencing hearing at Wood Green Crown Court. Galina Nikolova, 38, and her boyfriend Stoyan Stoyanov, 27, (pictured together) along with Tsvetka Todorova, 52, Gyunesh Ali, 33, and Patritsia Paneva, 26, were arrested on May 5, 2021 after being found responsible for the UK's largest benefit fraud scheme Bodycam footage shows the moment police raided the gang's food shop in North London Bundles of cash stuffed in shopping bags and suitcases, a luxury car and designer goods including watches, jackets and glasses were found during a raid on their properties The city of Sliven in Bulgaria where the benefit fraud gang was operating Sliven is located in the foothills of the Balkan mountains in the east of Bulgaria Despite its relatively small population of 80,000, Sliven is the eight largest city in Bulgaria, the largest being the capital of Sofia, which boasts a population of over one million. It became well known for its textile industry, with the country's first mill founded there in 1834. But the area has since faced years of decline and now houses one of the largest ghettos in Europe. Mr Panayotov added: 'I received information from contacts that hundreds of people were receiving social benefits from the United Kingdom using the weaknesses in the British social system. There have also been cases of gangs trafficking young women from villages around the city and forcing them to work as prostitutes in other popular European countries. Mr Panayotov told The Telegraph that he noticed the small town was being 'transformed' by a sudden influx of cash, with many of the buildings being turned into huge 'mansions'. He said: 'I first became suspicious when I started to see the influx of money into Sliven. I wondered how these people had got such money.' 'When I received that information I started to check myself and began my own investigation. I eventually concluded that we were talking about maybe 200 million every year from the UK.' Huge stacks of cash were also found during the investigation into the five man gang This is the moment police arrived at the house of Galina Nikolova and Stoyan Stoyanov before arresting the couple in 2021 Police officers can be seen talking to Stoyan Stoyanov at his home before his arrest Mr Panayotov claimed the gang had at least 6,000 customers who each paid a one-off commission of between 500 and 800. They would then receive on average between 2,000 and 2,500 a month for two months, he added. After this point, the gang would take the cash for themselves, and over time they became so rich they started 'living like barons,' Mr Panayotov said. He added: 'The money coming into Sliven transformed the area. It did so in terms of property, but also people were buying designer clothes, and opening shops, casinos. 'I gave the information to the British police and they launched their own investigation into the gang.' After being tipped off by Mr Panayotov, DWP investigators searched the homes of the gang and found shopping bags crammed with designer goods, Rolex watches, jackets and wads of cash. Bundles of cash stuffed in shopping bags and suitcases, a luxury car and designer goods including watches, jackets and glasses were also found during a raid on their properties, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The group appeared to be hiding in plain sight - posting photos on social media smiling and posing behind the counter of Antonia's Foods supermarket in Wood Green. One of the hubs was behind a functioning corner shop selling groceries. Since the arrests, Mr Panayotov says that many people in the town 'hate' him. The British embassy in Bulgaria on the other hand invited the detective to celebrate at the late Queens Birthday party to say thank you for his hard work. The enormous haul of money gained from their 'complex financial web' of claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash - with 750,000 in bank notes found stuffed in suitcases at one of their homes. The vast sums made in the fraud were laundered through a network of bank accounts, Wood Green Crown Court heard. Patritsia Paneva, 26, (left) and Tsvetka Todorova, 52, (right) were also arrested after being involved in the fraud scheme Gyunesh Ali, 33, was also part of the gang and was arrested Tom Little KC, prosecuting, told the start of a three day sentencing hearing yesterday: 'The offending in this case was well organised and was committed on an extraordinarily large scale over a number of years by these defendants and by others. This is the biggest fraud ever detected upon the DWP.' Mr Little told the court how gang members forged letters from local primary and secondary schools as part of the swindle. 'Forged letters from schools would be used if it was said that there were children part of the claim because that potentially boosted the value of the claim. 'Children as I've indicated who either did not exist or lived in Bulgaria were involved in some of the claims that allowed the value to be increased.' He said people who had never even been to the UK benefited from the scam: 'They may have travelled here for a short period of time to support the claim before returning to Bulgaria with the claim remaining ongoing. 'Some were already here, made the claim and then departed. Some never even travelled here at all.' Gang members used their Photoshop skills to create fake photos of ineligible claimants stood in front of doors to imaginary houses, the court heard. 'Stoyanov refers to having someone who works with Photoshop who does 'magic tricks', said Mr Little. 'Todorova advises taking photographs in front of the house for which the false claim is being made and stated: 'They need to take three pictures in different poses and in Photoshop they will put him in front of the door and they will open it'.' Mr Little referred to messages and photos shared between the defendants mocking the 'naivety' of the DWP. 'Images are exchanged on the Deluxe WhatsApp Group that poke fun at the naivety of the DWP in relation to the fraudulent claims,' Mr Little said. The gang raked in 54m from Britain's biggest ever benefit fraud. Pictured: A woman stands among piles of 20 notes on the floor of an apartment The enormous haul of money gained from the claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash Ali, Nikolova, Stoyanov, Todorova, and Paneva, all admitted fraud and money laundering offences dating from between October 2016 and May 2021. While under investigation Ali fled the country to Bulgaria. But he was extradited back to the UK on 25 February 2023. The sentencing is due to last three days. Ben Reid, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, earlier said: 'This case is the largest benefit fraud prosecution ever brought to the courts in England and Wales. 'For a number of years, these defendants conspired to commit industrial-scale fraud against the Universal Credit system, costing the taxpayer more than 50 million. 'Submitting thousands of false claims, the organised criminals enriched themselves from government funds designed to protect and help the most vulnerable people in our society. 'This was a complex and challenging case which required close and effective working between CPS prosecutors, the Department for Work and Pensions and our international partners in both Bulgaria and through the UK desk at Eurojust, to dismantle and successfully prosecute the organised crime group. 'The guilty pleas entered by all five defendants, reflects the strength of the evidence against them. 'The CPS Proceeds of Crime Division and DWP will now pursue confiscation proceedings against the defendants, to remove from them any available criminal benefit from this enterprise.' Mel Stride MP, Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions, said: 'I am immensely proud of DWP investigators' work, in collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service, to take down this organised crime group. 'The convictions underline our commitment to protecting taxpayers' money and it is only right and fair that we bring to justice those stealing from the public purse. My message is simple - if you are committing benefit fraud, you are cheating the taxpayer, and we will catch you.' The sentencing hearing continues. This is the dramatic moment police officers burst into the home of a county lines drug dealer during a dawn raid and arrest him in his underpants. Dominic Bevilacqua, 23, was jailed for three years and three months at Peterborough Crown Court last Friday, for dealing Class A drugs. Police bodycam footage shows a tactical unit using a battering ram to break into Bevilacqua's home in Cambridgeshire in the early hours of February 13. An eerie pink glow can be seen coming from the living room area, which may have been connected to the cultivation of cannabis. Upstairs, Bevilacqua was found sitting on a double bed, while one officer references his 'state of undress' and another asks him to 'pop a top on'. When police carry out the arrest, Bevilacqua takes offence and can be heard saying: 'Class As? I don't sell drugs like that'. Officers then remind him that a full investigation would be carried out. Police bodycam footage showing a tactical unit using a battering ram to gain entry to Bevilacqua's home in Cambridgeshire Bevilacqua was arrested while in a state of undress at his home in Cambridgeshire An eerie pink glow can be seen coming from the house, which may have been connected to the cultivation of cannabis Dominic Bevilacqua, 23, was jailed for three years and three months at Peterborough Crown Court last Friday, after previously pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, cannabis, production of cannabis, three counts of assault by beating, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and commit an act with intent to pervert the course of public justice The dawn raid came as part of Operation Hypernova a force-wide crackdown on county lines drug dealing and human trafficking. Inside the property police found three mobile phones, including one linking him to the 'Dom' drugs line. They also seized 16 cannabis plants which were growing in an upstairs bedroom with a street value of up to 13,000. Bevilacqua plead guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, cannabis, production of cannabis, three counts of assault by beating, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and commit an act with intent to pervert the course of public justice. When police carry out the arrest, Bevilacqua takes offence and can be heard saying: 'Class As? I don't sell drugs like that' The county lines dealer appeared shocked and offended at being accused of supplying Class A drugs Police run up the stairs at the home of Dominic Bevilacqua Detective Constable Jeremy Turner, who investigated, said: 'Bevilacqua would travel between Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire and send hundreds of messages to vulnerable drug users advertising cocaine and cannabis for sale and then pocket the cash.' Operation Hypernova, which took place in February, saw 51 county lines dismantled and 33 people charged with 93 drug and human trafficking offences. A British holidaymaker says doctors had to fight hard to save her life after she came back to the UK from a four-star package holiday in Egypt with hepatitis, which she said was caused by the poor hygiene of the resort's staff. Olivia Hartley says she nearly died after coming home from a 1,400 easyJet package holiday to Hurghada, in Egypt, last September. The 28-year-old, who lives in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, was holidaying with her fiance Thomas Winn, 31, at an all-inclusive four-star resort for a week when the pair began to feel unwell. On the plane home, Olivia said her partner Thomas vomited 'six times' while she began experiencing sickness and diarrhoea hours after returning home. Unable to keep any food or water down for three days, Olivia was hospitalised with dehydration and told by doctors that her liver and kidney function was abnormal. Olivia (pictured, left) said her partner Thomas (pictured, right) vomited 'six times' on the flight home while she began experiencing sickness and diarrhoea hours after returning home Olivia is certain she caught the deadly virus from the hotel - claiming food hygiene at the resort was 'terrible' Doctors told Olivia that it was 'very likely' she was infected with Hepatitis A Doctors told Olivia that it was 'very likely' she was infected with Hepatitis A - a liver infection that is spread in the waste of an infected person. Olivia is certain she caught the deadly virus from the hotel - claiming food hygiene at the resort, which the couple chose not to name, was 'terrible'. Medics were so concerned that they warned Olivia that she may have to undergo a liver transplant if her condition does not improve. Luckily, Olivia made a recovery - but is still suffering the effects of the liver and kidney injury, with concerns she may still need a transplant in the future. Olivia, an assistant psychologist, said: 'The food hygiene at the hotel was terrible. There were birds everywhere, food lay stagnant for a long, long time, they just poured new food on top of old food that had been out for hours. 'On the last day, me and my fiance both had a bit of a funny tummy. On the plane home, my partner vomited about six times. 'I was fine at this point then [48 hours after coming home] I started with vomiting and diarrhoea. Then I got to the point where I couldn't keep down any liquids whatsoever. I was just vomiting everything up. I had horrific abdominal pains.' Olivia Hartley says she nearly died after coming home from a 1,400 easyJet package holiday to Hurghada, in Egypt After three days in hospital, Olivia was discharged but claims the liver and kidney damage has left her with joint pain and fatigue After three days of continuous vomiting, Olivia went to A&E at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby where tests revealed her liver function was 'deranged' and required urgent treatment. Olivia said: 'The doctors told me my liver was in a very bad way and I have kidney damage from the dehydration. 'They were very worried about the liver results and concerned due to the high hepatitis rates in Egypt. With all that, they said it's very likely you have hepatitis. They were 99.9 per cent sure I'd got it from the hotel. 'They were very sure it was hepatitis and told me if my liver doesn't start to improve, you will need an emergency liver transplant in Leeds, which was terrifying. 'In my head, I was thinking the worst. It was a very scary time. No one could fully agree on a treatment plan. I felt very vulnerable. 'I was scared I would die. I asked if I could go home and they said no, if you go into organ failure, you won't make it to Leeds, it was very serious.' Olivia said she was worried she may still need a liver transplant due to the illness she suffered Olivia went to A&E at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby where tests revealed her liver function was 'deranged' and required urgent treatment After three days in hospital, Olivia was discharged but claims the liver and kidney damage has left her with joint pain and fatigue - with concerns she may still need a transplant in the future. Olivia said: 'This was going to be the holiday we really needed and it turned into an absolute nightmare. It put me off package holidays. This was our first break since Covid - we really needed this break. 'This turned into a holiday from hell for us. I've been referred to a liver specialist and it'll be regular liver tests to check how it is. 'I've heard from other people that once you have a liver injury, it can deteriorate out of nowhere again. So I could eventually still need a liver transplant if things start to go downhill again.' An easyJet holidays spokesperson said: 'We're really sorry to hear about this customer's experience, and we're proactively reaching out to resolve their complaints, now that they've been brought to our attention. 'It's our priority to support our customers throughout their experience, from the booking process to returning home, and we want nothing more than to deliver brilliant holidays.' Rishi Sunak revealed he is in touch with Boris Johnson about the election battle today as the upbeat PM handed out bacon sandwiches in the West Country. The PM said he was in touch with his predecessor 'just the other day' discussing the 'damage' that Keir Starmer would do. Allies of Mr Johnson have played down the prospect of him making a major return to the political frontline over the next five weeks. Mr Sunak was in Cornwall this morning as he pushes another big Tory policy announcement, vowing to scrap 'rip off' low-quality university degrees and boost apprenticeships. He picked up breakfast for the media pack and staff at a local cafe - although he when he offered to pay he was told a 'handsome' official had already settled the tab. The latest stage of the drive towards July 4 came as a YouGov poll suggested Labour's lead has extended to 27 points. Redfield & Wilton and Survation have also shown the gap widening in the early stages - although JL Partners has given Mr Sunak a glimmer of hope by indicating a narrowing. In other election moves today: Labour is struggling to contain a row about Diane Abbott being blocked from standing as a candidate at the election; Junior doctors have announced a six-day strike finishing on July 2 - just two days before the election; A YouGov poll has suggested Labour 's lead has extended to 27 points; A top think-tank has poured scorn on Labour's plan to slash NHS waiting lists by warning of the 'challenging' public finances the party will face if it wins power. Rishi Sunak revealed he is in touch with Boris Johnson about the election battle today as the upbeat PM handed out bacon sandwiches in the West Country Mr Sunak was in Cornwall this morning as he pushes another big Tory policy announcement, vowing to scrap 'rip off' low-quality university degrees and boost apprenticeships Your browser does not support iframes. Speaking to the Telegraph podcast, Mr Sunak said he was in touch with Mr Johnson - amid hopes from MPs that the ex-PM might campaign in Red Wall seats. 'He's a busy guy as well, but we were in touch literally just the other day, actually, about the risk that Starmer poses to the country's security and the damage he would do. I worry about Keir Starmer's complacency around security,' Mr Sunak said. Survation and Redfield & Wilton Strategies both found that Labour is 23 points ahead overall. A survey by Deltapoll of 1,517 British adults online, carried out from May 23-25, put Labour on 45 per cent, the Conservatives on 23 per cent, Reform on 10 per cent, the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent, and the Greens on 6 per cent, with the SNP on 3 per cent, Plaid Cymru on 1 per cent and other parties on 2 per cent. The latest poll by Opinium, carried out on May 23 and 24 among 2,050 UK adults online, put Labour on 41 per cent, the Conservatives 27 per cent, Reform 10per cent, the Lib Dems 10 per cent and the Greens 7 per cent, with the SNP on 2 per cent, Plaid Cymru on 1 per cent and other parties on 1per cent. But the JL Partners research, conducted Friday and Saturday, put Labour on 40 per cent, while the Tories were on 28 per cent - up two points since the start of May. Labour's lead has slipped from 18 points in April and 15 points in early May. The pollster said the main reason was a shift among over-65s, with the Conservatives going from a 10-point lead over Labour to a 20-point lead in the age group. Mr Sunak said he was in touch with Mr Johnson (pictured) - amid hopes from MPs that the ex-PM might campaign in Red Wall seats Mr Sunak took the overnight sleeper train from London Paddington to embark on a day of campaigning in the south west of England A simple average of all polls carried out in the seven days to May 28 puts Labour on 45 per cent, 21 percentage points ahead of the Tories on 24 per cent, followed by Reform on 11 per cent, the Lib Dems on 9per cent and the Greens on 5per cent. Mr Sunak took the overnight sleeper train from London Paddington to embark on a day of campaigning in the south west of England. Chatting with staff at a seafront cafe, Mr Sunak described his journey as 'jolly'. But when he went to pay for the breakfast the woman serving him said a 'handsome' aide had already done so. The British Army could sign up more recruits with autism or a history of depression under plans to address the military's hiring crisis, it has emerged. Capita, the outsourcing company behind Army recruitment, has drawn up plans to consider those who previously fell under a 'blanket ban', according to The Telegraph. It is seen as an attempt to alleviate the military's hiring crisis, with Capita having previously suggested that strict rules around tattoos, hay fever and asthma could be to blame for failure to meet Ministry of Defence targets. Candidates with autism or ADHD reportedly account for over 500 failed applications each year, while those with a history of psychiatric conditions including depression accounted for around 4,000. Revised questions on mental health issues and neurodivergence have been put forward as government figures revealed that in the 12 months to March, intake for the Army fell by nearly 15 per cent. Over the last decade, fewer than 80,000 of 707,000 Armed Forces applicants were recruited, with over 90 per cent of those who did not join up withdrawing their applications voluntarily. MailOnline understands that applicants with Specific Learning Difficulties are not in themselves a bar to recruitment if the required standards are met. The health and history of all applicants are considered case by case. The British Army could sign up more recruits with autism or a history of depression under plans to address the military's hiring crisis, it has emerged. (File photo) According to a defence insider, military entry standards over the last 30 years have failed to keep up with the medical understanding of disorders like ADHD and autism - which has evolved significantly - The Telegraph report adds. The British Army website states: 'Being in the Army can be challenging both physically and mentally. 'Therefore, a history of health problems or the presence of health conditions that usually don't affect your everyday life, can mean that you're not able to join, or you might have to wait to join.' A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: 'Recruitment and retention are a priority. The Army continues to implement a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention to both Regular forces and the Reserves.' They added that there is no blanket ban on people with ADHD or autism joining the Army, already employing people with both. Capita declined to comment. ADHD UK estimate that 2.6m Brits have ADHD - 1.9m adults - while estimates vary between 700,000 and 1.2m regarding the number of Brits with autism. Both have seen huge increases in referrals for diagnoses since the pandemic According to the Nuffield Trust, there has been a 51 per cent increase in prescriptions for ADHD medication, and a five-fold increase in people waiting to see an autism specialist since 2019. Other recent initiatives to increase the number of Armed Forces applicants have included putting an end to a 100-year ban on facial hair. Candidates with autism or ADHD reportedly account for over 500 failed applications each year, while those with a history of psychiatric conditions including depression accounted for around 4,000. (File image) However, despite recruitment targets not being met, it emerged that delays see soldiers waiting up to a year to go through the recruitment process, with government figures suggesting three-quarters of would-be recruits drop out because it takes too long. Last summer, Capita brought in an AI tool - the Natural Language Processing - to help speed up the processing of applicants' medical records in reaction to such figures. The AI is designed to improve efficiency as in the past, 40,000 medical documents a year needed to be delivered by GPs and assessed by recruiting staff manually, the i reported, The documents are uploaded by a GP into the system and the technology then converts the information so that emails, documents, voice messages and handwritten notes are in one format for recruiters to analyse. A Capita source told the i that the introduction of the new technology had reduced total application times by 25 per cent since 2016. The number of state-ordered executions recorded worldwide last year jumped to the highest level since 2015, with spikes in Iran and across the Middle East, Amnesty International said in a new report. As many as 1,153 executions were recorded globally in 2023, up 30 per cent from 2022, despite a trend towards countries abandoning the death penalty in practice. Amnesty said the figure does not include thousands of death sentences believed to have been carried out in China, where data is not available due to state secrecy. The human rights group said the spike in recorded executions was primarily driven by Iran, where authorities in the hard-line Islamic nation executed at least 853 people last year, compared with 576 in 2022. Amnesty has closely followed the terrifying crackdown on human rights nationwide, with dissenters increasingly put to death under ill-defined charges of 'corruption on earth', the rights groups said. Executions in Yemen, in the throes of a devastating civil war, increased nearly fourfold in the same period, as executions in Saudi Arabia decreased marginally from the historic highs recorded in recent years. A blindfolded man convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping and slaying of two policemen waits to be hanged in public in Tehran, Iran, on April 16, 2011 Horrific footage showed ISIS militants throwing large stones at the couple to kill them Illustrative image shows an alleged murderer being executed before a crowd in Kabul in 1998 Iranian officials prepare the noose for a public execution in 2014 In Iran, where criminals may still be publicly hanged for their offences, yearly recorded executions continued to climb in 2023, per Amnesty's tally. State-sanctioned executions have continued to climb in recent years, 2022 seeing a staggering 83 per cent increase on 2021's figures. Iran alone accounted for 74 per cent of the global total, followed by Saudia Arabia. This comes amid a period of unrest within Iran driven in part by resentment over the Islamic Republic's repression of the civilian population, surging since the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. 'The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran's most marginalised and impoverished communities,' Agnes Callamard, Amnesty's secretary general, said in a statement. Those executed included 24 women and five people who were children at the time the crimes were committed, Amnesty said, adding that the practice disproportionately affected Iran's Baluch minority. While most were hanged for drug-related offences, 38 were put to death for 'corruption on earth' - a vaguely-worded charge that has been repeatedly used to convict dissenters since the start of nationwide protests over the mandatory headscarf rule in October 2022. Iran executed eight men in cases related to those protests but rights groups argue that the surge in hangings on all charges is aimed at instilling fear in the wider population. Iran still uses cranes to hang its prisoners, tying them to a noose and then lifting them high in the air to be seen for miles. In 2022, protestor Majidreza Rahnavard made headlines when he was charged with 'waging war against God', ran through a 'sham trial' and put to death. An Iranian policeman ties the noose around the neck of Majid Ghasemi before being publicly hanged in east Tehran 29 September 2002 The mother (R) of Abdolah Hosseinzadeh, who was murdered in 2007, slaps Balal who killed her son during the execution ceremony in the northern city of Noor, Iran on April 15, 2014 Journalist Hassan Hanafi, convicted of murdering colleagues for the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab jihadist group, is tied to a wooden post before being executed in Mogadishu on April 11, 2016 Executions conducted in public with a crane have been more rare in recent years, though Iran used the same manner of hanging to put down unrest following the disputed 2009 presidential election and the Green Movement protests that followed. Typically, those condemned are alive as the crane lifts them off their feet, hanging by a rope and struggling to breathe before they asphyxiate or their neck breaks. What crimes warrant the death penalty in Iran? A wide range of offences are punishable by death in Iran. These include: Murder Sexual offences such as 'fornication', 'adultery', 'sodomy', 'lesbianism', incest and rape. Drinking alcohol (repeat offenders) Theft (repeat offenders) Drug trafficking Cursing the prophet 'Waging war' on people or God and 'corruption on earth' Armed robbery Political opposition or espionage Source: International Federation for Human Rights Advertisement Amnesty said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States were the five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023, though data on executions in China remains difficult to attain. In 2022, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty said that at least 8,000 people per year were executed in China from 2007. While some cases have been made public, China keeps data on its use of the death penalty secret. China's alleged use of 'execution vans' have shocked European onlookers with their apparent parallels to the use of mobile gas vans in Nazi Germany. The vans in China allow roaming death squads to carry out state-sanctioned killings without the need to move the prisoner to an execution ground. Saudi Arabia showed a notable decline in the number of state-orchestrated executions last year. The Middle Eastern kingdom saw 172 executions in 2023, down 12 per cent from 2022's figures. Still, executions in Saudi Arabia accounted for 15 per cent of the global total, despite representing around 0.45 per cent of the global population. Saudi Arabia is notorious for its beheadings, with the kingdom executing 81 people in a single day in 2022. Executions tripled that year to 196 and they remained at a high level in 2023, with 172 people put to death, mostly for murder or terror offenses, including six women. The executions, together with the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, have undermined the image of a more open, tolerant society promoted by reform-minded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Ms Callamard also claimed that progress had faltered in the US, where executions rose from 18 to 24 and a number of states 'demonstrated a chilling commitment to the death penalty and a callous intent to invest resources in the taking of human life'. The report cited the introduction of bills to carry out executions by firing squad in Idaho and Tennessee, and Alabama's use of nitrogen gas as a new, untested execution method in January. It took Kenneth Euguene Smith 22 minutes to die under the effects of nitrogen hypoxia, after officials assured the public the method would ensure a quick and painless death. Smith writhed around in pain for nearly ten minutes before his breathing appeared to stop, drawing criticism from rights groups worldwide. An Iranian judiciary official flogs serial killer Mohammad Bijeh before his execution in March 2005 Between 2015 and 2022, there was an average of 129.5 executions per year in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia still beheads criminals for various reasons. In some cases a victim will be beheaded and then crucified, the body displayed publicly Smith had been serving a jury-decided life sentence for the paid assassination of Elizabeth Sennett in Alabama in 1988 The only country in sub-Saharan Africa to use the death penalty in 2023 was Somalia, where executions tripled to 38. Courts in the fragile Horn of Africa nation, which has faced a 17-year insurgency at the hands of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group and is also battling militants from the Islamic State group, regularly hand down the death sentence for terrorism offences. Around three-quarters of African countries have either abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Last year, executions by shooting were recorded in Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Palestine, Somalia and Yemen. Lethal injection was used in China, the USA and Vietnam. Hanging was used in Bangaldesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Singapore and Syria. Beheading was still common in Saudi Arabia. As many as 8 per cent of the UN's 193 members were known to have executed people, according to Amnesty. The total number of executions was the highest total on record since 2018, when 2,531 new death sentences were known to have been carried out. The organisation also noted that the death penalty continued to be used 'in ways that violated international law' in a number of countries in 2023. At least eight public executions were carried out in Afghanistan and Iran. At least five people in Iran were executed for crimes committed before they turned 18. In the USA, Maldives and Japan, people with mental or intellectual disabilities remained under sentence of death. And death sentences were 'known' to have been imposed following proceedings that failed to meet fair trial standards in countries including Afghanistan, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. FILE: This combination image made up of screengrabs from a video smuggled out of Iran purports to show the scene of a public stoning Police escort a death row prisoner to an execution room in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam A death row inmate is seen eating their last meal and smoking their final cigarette in Vietnam The group also suggested 'confessions' to crimes under conditions of torture or ill-treatment were used to convict people in Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Amnesty said that despite the setbacks, there was progress globally because the number of countries that carried out executions dropped to 16, the lowest on record since the group began monitoring. Nearly three-quarters of all countries had abolished capital punishment in law or in practice by the end of 2023. A total of 112 have abolished it for all crimes, nine others have abolished it for ordinary crimes and a further 23 are considered de-facto abolitionists because they have not executed anyone in a decade. The only country on the European continent to still apply the death penalty is the former Soviet republic of Belarus, a staunch ally of Russia. Pictures show the lavish funeral of an 'extremely violent' Irish gangster who was buried in a gold coffin alongside cocaine tributes taunting police after he died in a car crash. Stephen O'Reilly, a father-of-one, was pronounced dead at the scene in Edenderry, County Offaly, on Monday, May 20. O'Reilly - who was in his 30s and from Athlone, County Westmeath - held convictions for burglaries and serious offences, and was regarded as a violent and dangerous criminal, according to BelfastLive. But he was also described as having a 'heart of gold' by mourners - hence the extravagant colour of the coffin, which was carried by six men and a woman to Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best'. Photos from the funeral show printed pictures of tattooed O'Reilly topless and flexing with the words: 'The real Pablo. The one and only Gangster Reilly.' One bizarre display mounted on a golden plaque and outlined with white paper flowers depicted a container full of cocaine with the words 'no comment' beneath. Stephen O'Reilly was pronounced dead following a car crash in Edenderry, County Offaly on May 20 Photos from the funeral show printed pictures of tattooed O'Reilly topless and flexing with the words: 'The real Pablo. The one and only Gangster Reilly' One display depicted a container full of white powder with the words 'no comment' Other images showed an old-fashioned mobile phone, captioned 'Uncle Reilly', a picture of black pepper and one of a white trainer shoe. The decorative and boarded black pepper display mocked a named detective, reading: 'Detective [name] 0, Reilly 1'. Another depicted a yellow tropical RedBull can accompanied underneath with the word: 'Son'. One more saw a gun cutout below an image of O'Reilly and another man, alongside a caption that read: 'My Brother Don Pablo, Familia Por Siempre'. According to the Irish Independent, O'Reilly was reportedly closely aligned to a 'notorious' Organised Crime Gang and was due before a number of courts across the midlands. The newspaper reported a source as calling him an 'extremely violent individual'. In footage of the funeral's aftermath captured by the Irish newspaper, a man can be seen lying face down on the ground after being arrested by national police. 'Gardai arrested and charged a male (30s) in Athlone, County Westmeath on Saturday, 25th May 2024 for road traffic offences,' said a garda spokesperson. 'As this matter is currently before the courts, An Garda Siochana is not in a position to comment further.' Posting on social media, mourners wrote: 'This has to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to write in my life. I just cannot believe you are gone. A lot of hearts are left broken my friend....Rest in peace Stephen' 'Rip buddy you were 1 in a million. Condolences to all who knew him. I Hope ye find some strength.. x He was a legend and a good friend,' another said. Pictures show the lavish funeral of an Irish gangster who died in a car crash - complete with a gold-coloured coffin and topless photos Another tribute depicted a yellow tropical RedBull can accompanied underneath with the word: 'Son' One more saw a gun cutout below an image of O'Reilly and another man, alongside a caption that read: 'My Brother Don Pablo, Familia Por Siempre' O'Reilly (pictured) was laid to rest at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Coosan, Athlone, at noon on Saturday 'What are we gonna do without you? I can't believe I'm even writing this. I'm so, so heartbroken over ya Reilly. It feels like a terrible dream, it doesn't feel real at all. Like why did God have to take you. It really is true he definitely only takes the best. We are all in bits. I wish I could change this,' a third added. Another friend wrote: 'Literally can't come to terms with it or even think it's true. You were a true Legend and always a great laugh. A fella with a heart of gold and do anything for your friends & family. So many funny memories I'll never forget ya for the things ya done for me He was laid to rest at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Coosan, Athlone, at noon on Saturday. A notice on RIP.ie reads: 'Stephen (Reilly) O'Reilly, 9 Beechpark West, Athlone, Westmeath / Greystones, Dublin 'Predeceased by his beloved brother James and his granddad Michael. 'Sadly missed by his loving fiancee Aoife, daughter Kayleigh, father Joe, mother Catherine, sister Michaela, Catriona and Shamini, best friends Mark, Eddie, Fidgy and Shannen and their children, relatives and many friends. May He Rest In Peace'. Barnaby Joyce was making more than a mere fashion statement when he wore a pair of cowboy boots in Parliament on Wednesday. The New England MP and former deputy prime minister said he donned the boots to protest billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest's proposed wind farms. Mr Joyce said he chose the boots over a pair of RM Williams to send a message to Mr Forrest, who owns the popular brand. The mining magnate's Squadron Energy in January started works on the Uungala Wind Farm in New South Wales. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce turned heads in parliament while sporting a pair of cowboy boots The renewables project is forecast to be the largest in the state upon completion, but Mr Joyce believes it will all just become 'future obsolete landfill'. Mr Joyce told 2GB that he got the idea while attending Beef Week in Rockhampton, Queensland. 'I don't mind (Mr Forrest) as a person but these wind farms are swindle factories,' Mr Joyce told Ben Fordham. 'They're just killing us in our in the country.' The Nationals MP recycled the 'swindle factory' comments from previous criticisms of wind farms' effect on power bills from March. He claimed that renewables were rorting the lower classes in regional Australia. 'Where we get walked over and ladies and gentlemen, you get ripped off,' he said at the time. Despite Mr Joyce also describing wind farms as 'reckless renewables' and 'filth', the NSW Government has pushed forward with approvals for more sites. Mr Joyce said he chose to wear the boots over a pair of RM Williams because it is a company Mr Forrest owns His spat with the billionaire comes months after Mr Forrest (pictured) in January announced his company, Squadron Energy, would build the largest wind farm in NSW upon completion Mr Forrest's Uungala site will be the largest in the state until the massive Yanco Delta project is built, which is projected to be about four-times the size. 'This is a huge announcement from a major Australian company that is getting on with the job of building the renewable energy capacity required to deliver the green power Australia urgently needs,' Forrest said in January.. 'The time for talk is over, we are investing right now in Australia's green energy transition and creating jobs and economic development for regional Australia. 'No longer will we have to rely on expensive, volatile, planet destroying fuels. We will have secure and inexpensive energy from a huge new industry for Australia.' Projected to create more than 260 jobs and inject about $61million to the local economy, the site is also expected to annually prevent more than 560,000 tonnes of carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere. Israel has claimed its attack on Rafah was insufficient to cause widespread fire The Israeli army has claimed that a devastating fire that killed 45 people as tanks and airstrikes pounded the southern Gazan city of Rafah over the weekend could not have been caused by its own strikes alone but possibly a second, separate explosion. Horrifying scenes on Sunday showed a blazing hellscape following airstrikes near tents for displaced Palestinians in a designated safe zone, with most of the victims women, children and the elderly, according to local health officials. The strike was the deadliest incident in Rafah, where many hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been sheltering following displacement from devastated population centres, since the beginning of Israel's offensive in May. However, the Israeli military claimed on Tuesday that the munitions it dropped near the camp were not enough to cause the large fires, instead suggesting an exploding weapons cache may have caused the inferno to spread. IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters that the strike was conducted against a 'closed structure... away from the tent camp' and claimed several Hamas officials were sheltering inside. He said the IDF dropped two munitions with 35lb warheads. 'These are the smallest bombs we have. Our munitions alone could not have ignited a fire of this size.' Hagari added that the IDF is investigating the cause of the fire, including the possibility that a weapons cache apparently unknown to the Israelis was inside the compound, which could have 'exploded and ignited the fire'. As international pressure mounts on Israel over the horrific scenes emerging from Rafah - and as calls grow for its war in Gaza to cease - Israeli tanks reportedly reached the centre of the beleaguered city on Tuesday. An Israeli tank moves near the Israel-Gaza border amid the ongoing conflict, on May 16, 2024 Smouldering debris in the wake of the fire at a camp near the southern city of Rafah, May 27 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by a fire in Rafah, on May 27, 2024 Horrifying scenes show a fire raging following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians. Israel claimed its munitions were not enough to trigger such a fire A video shared to social media showed the flames tearing through the camp. Children can be heard screaming and crying as others rush to try and evacuate friends and family members Horrific scenes of an inferno following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, May 26 Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27 Palestinians mourn by the bodies of relatives killed after an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27 Israel claimed to be continuing operations against 'terror targets', with tanks also stationed on the Zoroub Hill, giving Israel effective control of the corridor to the sea. Sunday's attack was met with international outrage as footage circulated online showing Palestinians digging through scorched debris in search of the remains of their loved ones or scraps of food. The inferno brought ruin to shelters in the area of Tal as-Sultan, just north of Rafah city. Many of the makeshift homes caught alight with their occupants still inside. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a 'heinous massacre' that resulted in 'dozens' of deaths. It said those killed in the attacked were 'turned into pieces due to the intense bombing and severe burning', claiming most of those killed were children and women. It added that the attack was 'evidence proving that Israel's declared war is against Palestinian civilians' - claims Israel has consistently denied. The Gaza Government Media Office claimed that Israel dropped seven 2,000lb (900kg) bombs as well as missiles on the camp in Tal as-Sultan, as reported by Al Jazeera. Israel claimed it had used 'precision munitions', at first blaming the fire on a nearby fuel tank. The Qatari state-funded outlet said its verification team had identified the tail of a 250lb GBU-39/B small-diameter bomb believed to have been used in the attack. Horrific scenes from the camp on Sunday sparked international outcry, Israel's main ally in the United States calling the incident 'devastating' and urging Israel to do more to protect civilians. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the strike was the result of a 'tragic mishap' but pledged to carry on the war in Gaza until 'every goal has been achieved'. Under pressure, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the IDF told reporters that there were no tents near the targeted structure, pinning the fire on 'unforeseen circumstances'. The military claimed that the strike was outside of the designated 'humanitarian zone' in al-Mawasi, around a kilometer away from the target. The IDF had allegedly been tracking Hamas commanders Yassin Rabia and Khaled Najjar prior to Sunday's strike. IDF intelligence claimed the area was being used for Hamas activities, as reported by Israeli channel i24. Two days after an Israeli airstrike on another camp stirred global condemnation, Gaza emergency services said four tank shells on Tuesday hit a cluster of tents in Al-Mawasi, a coastal strip Israel designated as an expanded humanitarian zone where it advised civilians in Rafah to go for safety. At least 12 of the dead on Tuesday were women, according to medical officials in the Hamas militant-run Palestinian enclave. But Israel's military later said in a statement: 'Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) did not strike in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.' The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said it was 'horrified' by the air strikes in Gaza, which it said had 'killed at least 60 Palestinians and injured dozens more in Rafah'. 'We are deeply outraged by the tragic loss of civilian life as the Israeli incursion into Rafah intensifies,' said Kiryn Lanning, IRC's Team Lead in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), 'These incidents reaffirm our repeated warnings that no place and nobody is safe in Gaza. Camps housing displaced people must never be targeted. 'The reports from the ground are extremely disturbing - with people trapped in the fire and burning tents.' 'There must be accountability for these actions to ensure that such tragedies do not continue to occur. All parties involved in the conflict must be held responsible for their actions and commit to upholding the principles of IHL,' Lanning continued. Israel told around one million Palestinian civilians displaced by the almost eight-month-old war to evacuate to Al-Mawasi when it launched its incursion in Rafah in early May. Around that many have fled Rafah since then, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA reported on Tuesday. Since Israeli tanks rolled into Rafah, witnesses have reported seeing Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tanks advancing into central areas of the city - three weeks after the army launched its ground operation. Tanks and and armoured vehicles mounted with machineguns were seen near al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, according to witnesses. The IDF said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area, without commenting on reported advances into the city centre. An Israeli tank rolls through to the centre of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip Tanks are said to have massed on the heights around Rafah, controlling the channel to the sea Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari (L) poses next to an Iranian ballistic missile which fell on Israel, on April 16 An injured man looks on as Palestinians inspect a tent camp damaged in an Israeli strike during an Israeli military operation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024 File image shows Israeli soldier in a tank near the Gaza border continues on May 16, 2024 Heavy bombardment of the city continued overnight, defying an appeal from the International Court of Justice to cease operations there. There are thought to be more than 400,000 people still in the city after nearly a million people fled eastern Rafah amid warnings of an invasion. The latest military action comes amid growing international pressure for Israel to justify its military operation in Rafah following the refugee airstrike on Sunday. The Palestinian president's spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, described alleged new Israeli strikes on Rafah on Tuesday as a 'massacre', and called for the implementation of a World Court decision ordering Israel to halt its offensive on the city. Israel has kept up its offensive despite a ruling by the top U.N. court on Friday ordering it to stop, saying the court's ruling grants it some scope for military action in Rafah. The court also reiterated calls for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. The strike whipped up a ferocious blaze that tore through a camp for displaced Palestinians in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood in the city's northwest Exclusive footage from Al Jazeera shows Israeli occupation tanks advancing further into the west of Rafah city. The Israeli occupation intends to fully occupy the Philadelphi Axis with Egypt, effectively encircling the Strip and implementing disastrous restrictions. pic.twitter.com/6rgaIOJ8XK Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 28, 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians Amid a chorus of condemnation from around the world, French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding he was 'outraged' by the strikes. 'These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.' Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said bombings like the one in Rafah will only serve to compound hatred in the region for the Jewish state. 'Israel with this choice is spreading hatred, rooting hatred that will involve their children and grandchildren. I would have preferred another decision,' he told SKY TG24. 'This can no longer be justified,' he added. And the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was 'horrified' at Israel's actions in Rafah, which the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) today said had turned the city into 'hell on Earth'. European leaders called on Israel to stop its bombardment of Rafah and Gaza (pictured: Palestinians react with horror upon seeing the devastating in Tel al-Sultan) A woman reacts as Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Tanks manoeuvre near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Israel, May 27, 2024 Ireland, Norway and Spain drew the ire of Israeli officials after formally declaring their recognition of a Palestinian state on Tuesday, with Western leaders facing mounting pressure from protestors to condemn Israel's offensive in Gaza after more than six months. The three European countries believe their initiative has strong symbolic impact, which is likely to encourage others to follow in their footsteps, and is a key step toward achieving eventual peace. But Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz expressed rage at the decision this morning, accusing Sanchez of being a 'partner to incitement' to Jewish 'genocide'. Meanwhile, Israel's brutal strike on Rafah on Sunday night only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian casualties as the reported Palestinian death toll crossed 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. Independent agencies have previously reported the count to be reliable. Dozens of people were trapped on Sunday as flames tore through makeshift housing and flimsy tents, condemning them to a horrific death. Shocking videos circulating on social media appeared to show the charred remains of adults and children being pulled out of the rubble overnight. 'This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions,' the UNRWA posted on X. 'Day after day, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible.' A Palestinian boy is seen crying as he watches the fire tear through the displacement camp The message on the left reads 'he was waiting for his father to come out'. The message on the right reads 'my father is gone - I want to go' Palestinians inspect their tents after an Israeli army operation on an area previously designated by the Israeli army as safe for displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 28 May 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians living near the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warehouses in Rafah, Gaza on May 27, 2024 The UN Security Council is set to convene for an emergency meeting today to discuss the strike as the UN human rights chief Volker Turk expressed his 'horror at the further loss of civilian life in Gaza'. Yet the Israeli Prime Minister's resolve appears unwavering, as he declared in parliament: 'I don't intend to end the war before every goal has been achieved.' The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulance crews transported 'a large number' of people killed and injured in the strikes on Sunday night as dark footage showed badly burned bodies being piled up out of reach of the flames. The Palestinian Authority presidency in the West Bank called it a 'heinous massacre', accusing Israeli forces of 'deliberately targeting' the tents of displaced people. 'We pulled out people who were in an unbearable state,' said Mohammed Abuassa, who rushed to the scene in the north-western neighbourhood of Tel al-Sultan. 'We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal.' The Gaza Health Ministry said around half of the dead were women, children and older adults. On Monday, barefoot children poked at the blackened debris as searches continued. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron took a more measured stance than European colleagues, calling for a swift investigation into Sunday's strike. Lord Cameron said on X: 'Deeply distressing scenes following the airstrikes in Rafah this weekend. 'The IDF's investigation must be swift, comprehensive & transparent. 'We urgently need a deal to get hostages out & aid in, with a pause in fighting to allow work towards a long-term sustainable ceasefire.' Palestinians view the destruction after Israel bombs their tents and shelters in Rafah, Gaza on May 27, 2024 Palestinians observe the destruction caused by the attacks of Israeli army on tents of displaced Palestinians Palestinians search for food among burnt debris in the aftermath of an Israeli strike The Israeli military's top legal official said authorities were examining the strikes and that the military regrets the loss of civilian life. Military Advocate General Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi said such incidents occur 'in a war of such scope and intensity'. Speaking to an Israeli lawyers' conference, Tomer-Yerushalmi said Israel has launched 70 criminal investigations into incidents that aroused suspicions of international law violations, including the deaths of civilians, the conditions at a detention facility holding suspected Palestinian militants and the deaths of some inmates in Israeli custody. She said incidents of 'violence, property crimes and looting' were also being examined. Israel has long maintained it has an independent judiciary capable of investigating and prosecuting abuses. But rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to fully investigate violence against Palestinians and that even when soldiers are held accountable the punishment is usually light. Sunday's deadly strike came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population had sought shelter before Israel's recent incursion. Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted 'tragic mistake' after an Israeli strike in Rafah has allegedly killed 45 people including displaced people who burned alive in tents Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024 The attack, caught on tape by refugees on the ground, resulted in heavy destruction and flames last night Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah The attack, caught on tape by refugees on the ground, resulted in heavy destruction and flames. It left civilians reeling in the aftermath, with photos showing Palestinians searching through burned out tents and makeshift camps for food. Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas in attempts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas, said the strikes could 'complicate' talks. Negotiations, which appear to be restarting, have faltered repeatedly over Hamas's demand for a lasting truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, terms Israeli leaders have publicly rejected. Neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago, also condemned the Rafah strikes. Egypt's Foreign Ministry described the strike on Tel al-Sultan as a 'new and blatant violation of the rules of humanitarian international law'. Jordan's Foreign Ministry called it a 'war crime'. The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said this morning as EU ministers met their Arab counterparts that a ruling made by a UN court for Israel to stop its invasion of Gaza immediately must be implemented. Borrell said today: 'We have to express not only respect, but to ask for the implementation of the decision of the court. This is really a dilemma how the international community can... force implementation of the decision.' He added that EU ministers were also set to discuss relaunching a mission suspended back in 2007 to monitor the crossing after calls for it to do so from regional players including Israel. Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 people in the area Israel's army confirmed Sunday's strike and claimed it hit a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants The EU's top diplomat said he expected to get a preliminary mandate from ministers to press ahead with planning for the mission. 'But it's not only us who have to decide - the Egyptians, Palestinian Israelis,' he said. 'We need to increase the number of staff and we need to have an agreement with everybody involved.' Washington has also taken a tougher line with its close ally as outrage over the war and US support for Israel has become a major issue for President Joe Biden, seeking re-election in a battle against Donald Trump. The United Nations has warned of looming famine in besieged Gaza, where most hospitals are no longer functioning. Last Monday, the prosecutor at the ICC said he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defence minister as well as for three top Hamas figures. Hamas's armed wing said Sunday that it had targeted Tel Aviv 'with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians'. 'Hamas launched these rockets from near two mosques in Rafah,' Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. The salvo sent people scrambling for shelter but there were no reports of injuries. Israel's army said Sunday at least eight rockets were fired towards central areas of the country from Rafah, with strikes targeting the commercial hub of Tel Aviv for the first time in months. Fighting has recently centred on Rafah, where Israel's military launched a ground operation in early May despite widespread opposition over concerns for civilians sheltering there. Netanyahu vowed to pursue Israel's offensive ahead of a war cabinet meeting amid intense diplomacy to forge a truce and a hostage-release deal. The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli army raid on a camp at an area designated for displaced people in Rafah Hamas militants took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead, from Israel He has long rejected Hamas's demand for a permanent end to the conflict triggered by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack. A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the war cabinet would 'discuss a hostage release deal' on Sunday. Before the meeting, Netanyahu's office said Hamas's chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, 'continues to demand the end of the war, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas in place, so that it will be able to carry out the atrocities of October 7 again and again'. 'Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly opposes this,' a statement said. EU members Ireland and Spain, and also Norway, have said they will recognise a Palestinian state from Tuesday, drawing furious Israeli condemnation. 'In order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority, not a weaker one,' said the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who met in Brussels with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp area housing internally displaced people in Rafah Around 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes As the war grinds on, the families of hostages still held by militants have piled pressure on Netanyahu to secure a deal to free them Mustafa, whose government is based in the occupied West Bank, said the 'first priority' was to support the people in Gaza, especially through a ceasefire, and then 'rebuilding the institutions of the Palestinian Authority' in the territory after Hamas seized it from the PA in 2007. The Israeli official had said Saturday that 'there is an intention to renew these talks this week' after negotiations involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators stalled in early May. Around 80 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine. Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. As the war grinds on, the families of hostages still held by militants have piled pressure on Netanyahu to secure a deal to free them. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas' remaining battalions and achieve 'total victory' over the militants, who recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza where the military has operated. A female Second World War veteran has revealed how she stuffed cardboard in her shoes in order to get around height restrictions and serve her country. Dorothea Barron, now 99, was only 15 when the conflict erupted, but volunteered as soon as she was able to - joining the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS). But she told Good Morning Britain earlier that at 'five-feet-two-and-a-bit', she needed to 'put cardboard in her shoes' in order to reach the 5'3" minimum height. She added that she also 'brushed my hair up just to look tall', in the charming interview on ITV ahead of the D-Day commemorations. Trained as a signaller, she went on to provide crucial training to troops involved in D-Day, so they knew how to communicate if their radios failed. Mrs Barron went on to provide crucial training in communications to troops involved in D-Day She has been feted ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day and Battle of Normandy on June 6 She added that she also 'brushed her hair up just to look tall', in the charming interview on ITV. The heroine earlier told Forces News: 'I put things under my heels and cut cardboard shapes and wore them inside my shoes and I put my hair up and stood up very tall, as tall as I could. 'I really shouldn't have been in the services. I was supposed to be 5ft 3in and there is no way I was ever 5ft 3in. 'I think they took pity on me and thought "poor thing she's so keen to come we will let her in even if she isn't 5ft 3in".' Mrs Barron's husband, Andrew, was also a war hero, serving with Bomber Command. She told Good Morning Britain that her sister also trained as a Wren, and that her uncle was wounded in the Great War. Ahead of the celebrations, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed he will greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky along with other world leaders in Normandy for the 80th anniversary commemorations of D-Day. US President Joe Biden is also scheduled to attend this year's commemorations of the landings which led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany's occupation. Dozens of Second World War veterans are expected to return, many perhaps for the last time, to Normandy's beaches. An international ceremony at Omaha Beach will honour the nearly 160,000 troops from the UK, the US, Canada and other nations that landed in Normandy on June 6 1944. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also to attend the D-Day commemorations. King Charles also plans to travel to France for the British ceremonies, while skipping the international ceremony. The Prince of Wales will stand in for the King at Omaha Beach. A three-year-old boy has been brutally attacked by a dog outside a school in Adelaide. The boy's father, Basam Hafiz, told 9News that the 'loose' dog tore a 'chunk' out of his son's face as he played in a park outside Pennington Primary. 'He's got a big bite across his face,' Mr Hafiz said. A three-year-old boy has been brutally attacked by a dog outside Pennington Primary in Adelaide The boy's father, Basam Hafiz, said the 'loose' dog tore a 'chunk' out of his son's face The dad added that his son had been playing with a dog in a park next to the school when he was attacked. The boy and his mother rushed inside the school, where the child was given first aid until paramedics arrived at about 4.30pm. The child was taken to Adelaide Womens and Childrens Hospital. A woman who was sexually assaulted by the prime Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has revealed that he grinned at her while performing a horrific sex act on her at an Algarve beach when she was just ten years old. The woman, now 27, told the German sexual abuser's trial that he 'lay in wait' behind a rock on a beach in the Portuguese town of Salema in 2007. The woman, a German who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she remembered Brueckner, 47, for his wide grin and distinctive grin. 'I remember a few large birthmarks distributed over the body, on the back and on the legs. Just spread over, not one place but many across his back. It was just the birthmarks which I noticed, and this grinning,' she said, according to the Mirror. She said she was left 'distressed' and in tears after the assault, which saw Brueckner, currently on trial for a string of rapes and indecent assaults in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, grabbing her by the wrists and performing an indecent sex act on her. A woman who was sexually assaulted by Christian Brueckner (pictured) has revealed that he grinned at her while performing a horrific sex act on her Brueckner has denied all charges and any involvement in Madeleine McCann's (pictured) disappearance The woman was sexually assaulted on a beach in Salema, Portugal (pictured) Brueckner, currently serving a seven year sentence for sexually assaulting a pensioner, allegedly told her to 'look here' as he performed the sex act on her, just yards away from where her parents were sat, unaware of what was happening. The woman told the court: 'The man came, he climbed down from the rock, and he asked me what I was called. I said my name and then he grabbed my hands.' She added that her family contacted the police following the attack, and she helped detectives draw up an E-fit image. But it wasn't until 2019 when police contacted her again, and said that they had identified a potential suspect. While she told the court she was only 50% sure that Brueckner was her attacker, despite identifying him out of 'six or seven' images, she said that her own 'research' made her conclude that he was the man who attacked her. Brueckner allegedly told her to 'look here' as he performed the sex act on her Brueckner is currently serving a seven year sentence for sexually assaulting a pensioner But the rapist's defence team accused the woman on 'coupling' her research with her memories. They also criticised police for showing her pictures of Brueckner and his cars, claiming this rendered her testimony 'simply worthless.' Brueckner has denied all charges and any involvement in Madeleine McCann's disappearance. The German woman's testimony in court comes after an Irish woman revealed how she still physically suffers from a brutal sex attack allegedly perpetrated by Christian Brueckner 20 years ago. Former tour guide Hazel Behan, 40, who has waived her anonymity, described her horrific ordeal at the hands of the convicted rapist and paedophile through tears. Ms Behan told the court in Braunschweig, Germany, that she had been raped in June 2004 by a masked man who later whipped her and filmed her in her apartment in Praia da Roch, just a few minutes from the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve coast from where then-three-year-old Madeleine was snatched in May 2007. The Irish former tour guide, who was reduced to tears as Brueckner's defence team conducted a brutal cross-examination, revealed she was still suffered bleeding as result of the horrific sex attack. A top think-tank has poured scorn on Labour's plan to slash NHS waiting lists by warning of the 'challenging' public finances the party will face if it wins power. Labour is promising to tackle the NHS backlogs and Sir Keir Starmer today set out his party's bid to clear waits of more than 18 weeks within five years of taking office. They are promising 40,000 extra appointments, scans, and operations a week during evenings and weekends, and to use spare capacity in private hospitals. Sir Keir has also claimed that NHS waiting lists will hit 10million - up from the current 7.5million - if the Tories remain in power. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting this morning urged voters 'not to give the matches back to the arsonists' as he trashed the Conservatives' record on health. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ridiculed Labour's claim and said it was 'highly unlikely' that waiting lists would climb to 10million. They pointed to the fact that the NHS has already 'substantially increased treatment volumes' in the past year and waiting lists have 'already started to fall'. The think-tank also warned Labour would find it 'incredibly difficult' to boost health spending' due to the 'challenging fiscal situation'. A top think-tank has poured scorn on Labour's plan to slash NHS waiting lists by warning of the 'challenging' public finances the party will face if it wins power Labour is promising to tackle the NHS backlogs and Sir Keir Starmer has set out his party's bid to clear waits of more than 18 weeks within five years of taking office Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting this morning urged voters 'not to give the matches back to the arsonists' as he trashed the Conservatives ' record on health Your browser does not support iframes. Sir Keir and Mr Streeting today set out Labour's plan to boost the number of appointments, scans and operations, as well as double the number of scanners. They also vowed to deliver the 'biggest expansion of NHS staff in history' and oversee reforms to 'get more out of the service for what we put in'. Labour claim the extra appointments and scanners will cost 1.3billion and will be paid for by clamping down on tax dodgers and closing non-dom tax loopholes. Speaking on Times Radio this morning, Mr Streeting said: 'What really matters is the waiting time, because that's the clinically driven target, because if you've got a condition like cancer we know that time matters, and I know that, and from my own experience as a cancer survivor. 'But also if you're waiting for things like orthopaedics, hip and knee replacements, if you're waiting more than 18 weeks that has a serious impact on your quality of life.' Mr Streeting pointed to the 'track record' of the last Labour government on improving NHS performance, adding: 'More importantly, we have the plan. 'I urge people not to give the matches back to the arsonists by electing the Conservatives for an unprecedented fifth term because the NHS is catastrophic.' He also said Labour is 'more prepared' to cut waiting lists then they were when entering government in 1997. In a series of TV and radio interviews, Mr Streeting pledged Labour would use AI-enabled scanners and the private sector to cut waiting lists. But he warned a Labour government would not be able to award a full pay rise to junior doctors 'on day one'. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I want to be really upfront with junior doctors this side of the election the 35 per cent pay claim they've put in, I'm just not going to be able to afford that on day one of a Labour government. 'We're going to have to work together and negotiate on pay and recognise, as was the case with the last Labour government who inherited a similar mess, getting to fair pay is a journey not an event, and I am willing to negotiate on pay and those wider conditions that junior doctors are working.' But, responding to Labour's announcement, Max Warner, a research economist at the IFS, said: 'Labour's plan to clear the NHS backlog is a serious sign of ambition: clearing waits of more than 18 weeks within five years would represent a major improvement in NHS performance. 'Big reductions in waiting times were made by previous Labour governments but these were alongside large increases in health spending - increases of over 7 per cent a year in real terms. 'The challenging fiscal situation facing the next government will make it incredibly difficult to increase health spending at anywhere near similar rates, and will make achieving this commitment much harder. 'The claim that the NHS waiting list will hit 10million under a future Conservative government rests on the very strong assumption that future NHS performance will be the same as past NHS performance. 'In reality, the NHS has substantially increased treatment volumes in the past year, and the waiting list has already started to fall. 'Even in a world where treatment volumes grow more slowly than set out in the NHS workforce plan, our modelling suggests that the waiting list is likely to fall slowly, or at worst flatline, in the coming years. 'In other words, whichever party forms the next government, waiting lists are highly unlikely to climb to 10million.' Health Secretary Victoria Atkins criticised the plans as 'more 'copy and paste' politics from Labour' while highlighting the Tories' long-term workforce plan and 3.4billion plan to upgrade NHS technology. The Labour Party has been left red-faced after an attack video featuring a clip from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was pulled last night. The clip, posted on TikTok, took aim at the Conservatives' national service pledge in a pitch to younger voters. Labour, which has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and two million likes, launched their account five days ago for the general election campaign with a video from leader Sir Keir Starmer. But they could be in hot water after sharing the scene from the film adaptation of JK Rowling's wizarding world in breach of the site's strict copyright rules. A Tory source told MailOnline: 'If they carry on like this they are going to need a good lawyer.' Labour pulled a video from its TikTok account which featured a clip from the first Harry Potter film in an attack on Rishi Sunak's national service policy The video showed a famous scene from the film in which the Dursley family are inundated with letters The post at the centre of the row showed a scene from the first Harry Potter film in which the Dursley family are bombarded with hundreds of letters after attempting to stop Harry from being told he is a wizard. The family are sitting in the living room with Harry when the letters suddenly begin shooting out of the fireplace and soon fill the small space. Labour HQ tagged the video: 'POV: You didn't respond to your National Service letter on your 18th birthday'. Eagle-eyed social media users pointed out that the video, and another featuring a clip from Shrek, had disappeared from the account and speculated it may be due to copyright breaches. TikTok's community guidelines state: 'We do not allow content that violates someone else's intellectual property rights. If we become aware of content that is a violation, we will remove it.' The site offers a 'three strike' policy that gives it the right to ban accounts which repeatedly infringe its rules. Labour insiders are sure to be frustrated after they looked to capitalise on Gen Z's meme culture in response to the Prime Minister's push to bring back national service. Under the plans all 18-year-olds would either complete a year of full-time employment in the armed forces or undertake 12 weekends of volunteering for organisations such as the NHS or police forces. It marks a tough day for the Labour campaign after Diane Abbott, who has had the whip restored following a row over anti-semitism, appeared to say she had been banned from standing for the party at the July 4 election. But the row soon descended into chaos after she later said she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' that she would not be able to stand. Under Rishi Sunak's plans all 18-year-olds would either complete a year of full-time employment in the armed forces or undertake 12 weekends of volunteering for organisations such as the NHS or police force Mr Sunak said on Tuesday that not serving in the military was one of his 'regrets' Sir Keir Starmer faced fury from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Diane Abbott has had the Labour whip restored but reportedly been blocked from standing as a party candidate at the general election Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party amid a probe into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April last year. However, it emerged last night that the race row probe ended in December. Rishi Sunak claimed yesterday that he would have opted to serve in the military, saying not entering the forces is 'one of my regrets'. He argues that the scheme would increase social cohesion and opportunities for young people, training them in vital skills for their later working lives. Writing in the Mail On Sunday, Mr Sunak pitched the plan to voters: 'As a father, I look forward to my own two daughters doing their National Service: I think they will find it a rewarding experience. 'It will teach them, as it will other youngsters, much about themselves and the society they serve.' He added: 'For some, it will open their eyes to potential careers. For others, it will forge a culture of service that will make our society stronger and more cohesive. 'It will build trust across our nation: helping us all to get to know each other better, unifying our society at a time when there are those at home and abroad trying to divide us'. But opposition parties have called the scheme 'desperate' and hit out at the projected 2.5 billion cost. A Labour Party spokesperson branded the scheme as 'another desperate 2.5billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party which already crashed the economy, sending mortgages rocketing, and now they're spoiling for more. 'This is not a plan it's a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon,' the spokesperson said. If implemented, Mr Sunak has said the scheme would be compulsory, with two government ministers this week refusing to rule out fines for parents of teenagers who refuse to participate. Today, Mr Starmer and shadow health secretary Wes Streeting are scheduled to meet medical trainees in Worcestershire to discuss Labour's new NHS pledge on treatment targets. Meanwhile Mr Sunak insisted universities are not the only option facing young people as he visited Cornwall to promote his new scheme to scrap 'rip-off' degrees in order to fund 100,000 apprentices. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning in Wales where leader Sir Ed Davey has been seen riding a bike. The Labour Party, TikTok and WarnerBros have been contacted for comment. 'Russian' hackers have targeted luxury auction house Christie's, downing its website for ten days and threatening to publish the personal details of half a million of its clients on the dark web. The hack of the London-based firm was confirmed this week as ransomware group RansomHub, which is believed to have links to Russia, claimed responsibility. On May 9 Christie's was forced to take down its site ahead of an auction in New York and cited a 'technology security incident'. The site was down for a total of ten days, with auction catalogues having to be posted on a separate website. A statement posted on the dark web by the group read: 'While utilising access to Christie's network we were able to gain access to their customers sensitive personal information... for at least 500,000 of their private clients from all over the world. On May 9 Christie's was forced to take down its site ahead of an auction in New York and cited a 'technology security incident' RansomHub posted on the dark web about the alleged hack and threatened to publish the data of some 500,000 clients 'We attempted to come to a resonable resolution with them but they ceased communication midway through. It is clear that if this information is posted they will incur heavy fines from GDPR as well as ruining their reputation with the clients and don't care about their privacy.' The group then posted an image which the spokesperson claimed showed a sample of the data. It has not been independently verified that the group is responsible. It claims to have data including full names, place of birth, date of birth, sex and nationality. Under GDPR laws, firms must disclose when a cyberattack may have compromised personal data belonging to customers, and must pay a hefty fine if they do not. A spokesperson for Christie's said: 'Earlier this month Christie's experienced a technology security incident. We took swift action to protect our systems, including taking our website offline. 'Our investigations determined there was unauthorised access by a third party to parts of Christie's network. They also determined that the group behind the incident took some limited amount of personal data relating to some of our clients. 'There is no evidence that any financial or transactional records were compromised. A sale on May 9 for Christie's included some of the possessions of former F1 driver Michael Shumacher 'Christie's is currently notifying privacy regulators, government agencies as well as in the process of communicating shortly with affected clients.' Throughout the period the site was down, the auction house's bidding site remained online, meaning sales were able to go ahead as scheduled. The latest hack comes after the mastermind behind the world's most prolific ransomware gang, Lockbit, was unmasked as a Russian hacker. The National Crime Agency this month identified the Russian national behind the cybercrime group as Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev. He has been sanctioned by the UK, US, and Australia as a result of the unmasking. 'These sanctions are hugely significant and show that there is no hiding place for cyber criminals like Dmitry Khoroshev, who wreak havoc across the globe,' Graeme Biggar, Director General of Britain's National Crime Agency, said in a statement. 'He was certain he could remain anonymous, but he was wrong'. According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, Khoroshev is 31 and lives in Russia, with details of his sanction designation also listing multiple email addresses and cryptocurrency addresses, alongside his Russian passport details. The US has also filed an indictment against him. LockBit was seen as one of the world's most dangerous ransomware groups and its high-profile victims included the Royal Mail, Boeing, and Porton Down. In February, LockBit's entire 'command and control' structure was seized by law enforcement after a joint international operation. Haunting pictures have emerged of accused double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon cosying up to one of the men he is alleged to have killed. Lamarre-Condon is charged with murdering former Studio Ten presenter Jesse Baird and his Qantas flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Paddington in February. Three months since the alleged crime sent shockwaves across Australia, new photographs have emerged of Lamarre-Condon and Mr Baird taken on various holidays and at a family event. The pictures, taken late last year and obtained by the Daily Telegraph, show the pair smiling together as they drink beers by a waterfall. Another photo, taken at a viewpoint overlooking the Sea Cliff Bridge on the Grand Pacific Drive south of Sydney, shows a shirtless Lamarre-Condon with his arm around Mr Baird as they pose for a scenic photo. In a further image, the former police officer stands next to Mr Baird while holding a child at a family gathering. 'Can confirm, despite this photo looking like I'm a dad of two kids, I'm only dad to one very cheeky french bulldog,' Lamarre-Condon's caption reads. Haunting pictures have emerged of accused double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon cosying up to Jesse Baird before his alleged murder Another photo, taken at a viewpoint overlooking the Sea Cliff Bridge on the Grand Pacific Drive south of Sydney, shows a shirtless Lamarre-Condon with his arm around Mr Baird as they pose for a scenic photo In a further image, the former police officer stands next to Mr Baird while holding a child at a family gathering The pictures, taken late last year, show the pair smiling together as they drink beers by a waterfall Lamarre-Condon has been in protective custody at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater in Sydney's west for the past four months and his mental state is deteriorating. 'He's not doing real well at the moment,' a source close to the 28-year-old told Daily Mail Australia last month. 'Obviously it's set in now - what's happened and the allegations and where he is. I think the rot's set in mentally-wise. He's at a low point at the moment. 'He's very down. He's hit the lows.' The former senior constable was sacked by the NSW Police Force in March. Accused killer cop Beau Lamarre-Condon has finally been hit with the harsh future he is facing as the onetime celebrity chaser sinks into despair in his prison cell Lamarre-Condon is charged with murdering former Studio Ten presenter Jesse Baird, 26, and Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, in the inner-city suburb of Paddington on February 19 Police allege Lamarre-Condon shot dead Mr Baird, 26 and Mr Davies, 29 with his service pistol at Mr Baird's home on February 19 and then dumped their bodies two days later in the Southern Tablelands. Mr Baird and Lamarre-Condon were previously engaged in what police described as an 'off and on' romance but Mr Baird had not wanted to pursue a relationship. Lamarre-Condon, who used to regularly post pictures of himself with international stars on social media, turned himself in to police at Bondi on February 23. After briefly appearing in court that day, Lamarre-Condon was transferred to the MRRC, where he was placed in protective custody due to his status as a policeman. Prison authorities also deemed him potentially at risk because he was accused of extremely serious offences, had attracted saturation media attention and had never previously been in jail. Detective spoke to Lamarre-Condon at the MRRC on February 24 after he received legal advice from Mr Walford. Police subsequently located the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies on a property at Bungonia, about 180km south-west of Sydney. Lamarre-Condon is under constant camera surveillance in his prison cell and not allowed contact with any other inmate. Lamarre-Condon is in what is known as an observation camera cell which allows correctional officers to monitor him 24 hours a day. Cells at the MRRC at Silverwater are pictured above On February 29, after Lamarre-Condon had been behind bars for six days, Mr Walford told Daily Mail Australia his client was coping with his new surroundings. 'He's fine,' Mr Walford said. 'He's OK.' A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said the department did not comment on an individual inmate's circumstances but prison sources were able to describe some of Lamarre-Condon's security arrangements. Lamarre-Condon is in what is known as an observation camera cell which allows correctional officers to monitor him 24 hours a day. Regular physical checks are also made to ensure he has done no harm to himself in his sparse housing, which is in a relatively new section of the 27-year-old jail. It is the most extreme security available at the MRRC and Lamarre-Condon is completely isolated from all other prisoners in the facility. Prison authorities do not necessarily consider Lamarre-Condon a particular suicide risk but his circumstances combine to suggest he would be vulnerable in jail. Diane Abbott broke over today as Labour struggles to contain a row about her being blocked from standing as a candidate at the election. Keir Starmer is facing a mounting backlash over the treatment of the veteran left-winger, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid an investigation into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April last year. However, it has emerged that the race row probe ended months ago. Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing. But the situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand. She remained tight-lipped when quizzed by reporters in London. Adding to the sense of chaos, a Labour source questioned whether Ms Abbott was indeed banned - insisting the NEC will not finalise candidate endorsements until Tuesday. In a round of interviews, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting admitted that he was 'not particularly comfortable' with the way Ms Abbott has been treated. He also had a tetchy exchange with Sky News' Kay Burley, suggesting she was spending too much time grilling him on the topic rather than Labour's waiting lists policy. Not being endorsed as a candidate by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee would be enough to end Ms Abbott's 37-year spell as an MP. Ms Abbott told the BBC this morning: 'Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate.' Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency. It is unclear whether this might have been behind the decision, but endorsing anyone other than a Labour candidate in an election risks being a breach of party membership rules. On another bumper day of election news: Junior doctors have announced a five-day strike finishing on July 2 - with Tories branding it 'cynical' just two days before the election; Mr Sunak has revealed he is in touch with Boris Johnson about the election contest; A YouGov poll has suggested Labour 's lead has extended to 27 points; A top think-tank has poured scorn on Labour's plan to slash NHS waiting lists by warning of the 'challenging' public finances the party will face if it wins power. Diane Abbott broke over today as Labour struggles to contain a row about her being blocked from standing as a candidate at the election Ms Abbott said she was 'dismayed' at suggestions she will not be able to stand as a Labour candidate Sir Keir Starmer faced fury from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency Sir Keir is facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott, who was the first female black MP in the House of Commons. John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.' He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful. 'Whoever is responsible for this should hand their head in shame.' Asked during a round of interviews whether he felt 'comfortable about what's happened here', Mr Streeting said: 'No, not particularly.' He told Times Radio: 'I know that Diane had the whip restored and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was following her suspension over remarks that she made, for which she later apologised. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidature, as much as has been reported.' He added: 'I think this has gone on for a very long time. But I'm here this morning to talk about the NHS waiting lists and I say this with enormous respect for everything that Diane has achieved in politics.' Asked if Ms Abbott was owed an apology Mr Streeting said: 'Diane rightly apologised for the comments that she made that led to her suspension, as to the process, I think those questions are better directed to people responsible for the process. 'I think it's best that we wait for all other facts to emerge about the decision making in this case, which I've not been involved in, have no responsibility for and I'm here to talk about the seven and a half million people who are on NHS waiting lists.' Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election and is now running as an independent candidate, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses. Mr Corbyn told the PoliticsJoe website: 'Diane has been disgracefully treated by the Labour Party and by, particularly, the individual national officials of the party - all of them.' He added: 'If she's reinstated, good. If not she's got a choice of her own to make. But whatever she does, I'll support her.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: 'Solidarity with Diane, undeniably a trailblazer & a hero of our movement. 'At a time when all our energy should be focussed on throwing the Tories out, this process looks nakedly factional. 'Diane should have the whip restored now so she can stand as Labour's candidate in the GE.' Senior aides to Sir Keir were earlier said to be discussing returning the Labour whip to Ms Abbott before the election, if she does not run as a party candidate, to allow her to leave politics 'with dignity'. The possibility of a ban on Ms Abbott standing for Labour at the general election has sparked a fresh war between Sir Keir's team and the party's left-wing. It also came amid a row over claims Sir Keir is lining up key allies to a string of safe seats after six current Labour MPs announced last-minute retirements. A spokesman for the Momentum group said: 'Restoring the whip only to block Diane would be outrageous. 'Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter. 'Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britain's first black woman MP.' Ms Abbott, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, has been suspended from the party since April last year Ms Abbott issued a public apology to 'wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them' in April last year Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn , who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses Ms Abbott issued a swift apology for her remarks in April last year, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience 'prejudice' but are not 'subject to racism'. She was forced to sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons while a probe was launched into her remarks. The BBC reported that Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) wrote to Ms Abbott in December 2023 saying it had concluded its eight-month inquiry. It issued her with a 'formal warning' for 'engaging in conduct that was in the opinion of the NEC, prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party', it was claimed. The NEC also reportedly said it expected Ms Abbott to undertake an 'online, e-learning module', described as an 'antisemitism awareness course', which she is said to have completed in February. Sir Keir last week refused to be drawn on whether Ms Abbott would be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington. 'The NEC will be coming to decisions on the final list of candidates in due course, so you'll see that when the decisions are taken,' the Labour leader said on Saturday. Labour told BBC Newsnight that it does not comment on disciplinary cases. Sir Keir told reporters on a general election campaign visit to Stevenage this afternoon: 'Well, the process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact finding exercise. 'But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee, and they will do that in due course.' The revelation that the probe into Ms Abbott had actually concluded months ago sparked intense anger on Labour's left-wing. A Momentum spokesman said: 'This is outrageous news which confirms the Starmer leadership is trying to force Britain's first black woman MP out of Parliament. 'For months we have been told by Keir Starmer that the process is independent and it's nothing to do with him. 'Today's revelation confirms this is another brazen lie from Keir Starmer - the investigation was concluded months ago, Diane remains a Labour member and the whip should already have been restored as a result. 'Starmer's conduct has already been insulting and demeaning to a woman he rightly called a 'trailblazer' - the first step to making amends is to restore the whip and let Diane run as the Labour candidate, as local members wish.' Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that key allies of Sir Keir are expected to be lined up as candidates in a string of safe seats. There has been a last-minute spate of Labour MPs announcing they will stand down from the Commons ahead of the 4 July general election. They include Barbara Keeley, John Cryer, John Spellar, Virendra Sharma, Kevin Brennan and Julie Elliott. Senior Labour figures close to Sir Keir - including NEC members - are tipped to chosen as candidates in the now-vacant seats. The luxury watch store where Oliver White was robbed was armed with safety measures including panic buttons, alarms, smoke screens and security doors - but procedures were not followed and the salesman was left on his own to be targeted hours before taking his own life. Mr White, 27, was found dead on Sunday after being the victim of a high value jewellery raid just one day earlier at the 247 Kettles store in affluent Richmond, south-west London. Today, his family said they believe he took his own life 'due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident' after he was left 'traumatised and unable to speak'. It came after horrifying video footage showed one of the robbers restraining the 27-year-old with a chokehold while his accomplice is seen sweeping up large numbers of timepieces, estimated to be worth 2.8million. But today it was revealed that a series of safety measures were in place at the watch dealers - but they were not deployed as the room was mercilessly emptied. The Richmond firm said that Mr White 'should never have been alone in the office on Saturday and that amount of watches should've never been on display'. The company also said 'we have strict security procedures to prevent such circumstances', but 'through no fault of anyone's' they were not followed during the 'tragic event'. Watch dealer 247 Kettles admitted Oliver White should not have been alone inside the showroom (pictured). An alarm (top left) and security camera can be seen as well The Richmond firm said none of their security procedures were followed during the robbery on Saturday. Pictured: Another look inside their watch showroom with CCTV security cameras The video showing their watch room goes on to display these gold Rolex watches Richmond-based watch dealer 247 Kettles posted this tribute to Oliver on Instagram They went on to say they have panic buttons, smoke screens and security doors in place. In the footage showing the inside showroom, alarms and security CCTV can be seen in the corners of the room. In a tribute to Mr White, a spokesperson for 247 Kettles said: 'It is with profound sadness we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved Oliver, who was a close friend for 20+ years before working with us at 247 Kettles. 'In his time working with us Oliver left a long lasting impact on the watch community as a whole - both suppliers and customers alike were taken back by Oliver's vibrant spirit and kind heart and his loss is felt deeply by all that knew him. 'Oliver had an incredible work ethic and a passion for pleasing customers. He liked to work around the clock and even out of hours to ensure customers were satisfied. 'As a business we will remain closed temporarily to grieve the loss of our friend. Any messages / requests will be picked up upon our return. Our thoughts are with all of Oliver's family at this time.' In promo footage taken from 247 Kettles' social media site, the interior of the luxury showroom can be seen which features a flatscreen TV, scent diffusers as well as an alarm and security CCTV. Viewers can also see its plush interior, with a number of high-profile designer brands displayed on the walls and on book covers, such as Supreme and Chanel. The video shows a number of expensive items in the showroom, including these designer book cases (left) and necklaces (right) A Rolex clock, pictured, can also be seen in the video alongside luxury scent diffusers and a flatscreen TV The 247 Kettles promo video displays the plush, expensive interior of the store Here is another look at the showroom, which displays expensive brands such as Supreme across its walls Two unarmed thieves (pictured) entered the 247 Kettles store in affluent Richmond in south-west London last Saturday and stole dozens of high value watches A CCTV image of one of the robbers who stole a number of high-value watches from the shop in Kew Road, Richmond The family of Oliver White, who was found dead at his family home in Shepperton after being the victim of a high value watch raid, say they believe he took his own life The promo footage goes on to show a range of expensive watches, including gold Rolexes, a Rolex clock and expensive-looking necklaces. Earlier today, Mr White's family said in a statement to Surrey Police: 'Our son Oliver returned home from his place of work on Saturday traumatised and unable to speak. He had been the victim of a terrifying attack and high value robbery at his place of work, which was later shared widely on social media. 'Sadly, it is our belief that Oliver subsequently took his own life due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident. 'As a family we are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into.' After paying tribute to their 'beautiful' boy, Oliver's family also asked for privacy while they grieve their loss. A close friend of Mr White, who was known as Olli, told MailOnline yesterday: 'He was very depressed after the robbery and was filled with a lot of worry especially after it was established that around 2.8million worth of watches had been stolen. 'Olli was petrified that he could lose all that he owns and that they might even take his mother's house. 'He was also traumatised by what happened and became very fearful about the impact this robbery could have on his and his family's financial future. He just didn't know what was going to happen.' Another friend claimed that Olli's fears were heightened over concerns about how much insurance cover was in place. He said: 'He wasn't sure if the insurance would have covered the theft or if there was any insurance at all. The robbery left him broken and combined with the financial uncertainty over who would be responsible he couldn't see another way out. Oliver pictured with his girlfriend, Alana Dredge. She described it as their 'last photo together' taken two weeks ago Ms Dredge has posted online tributes to Oli after he was found dead on Sunday evening after police were called to Shepperton in Surrey 'Olli took it very personally and really believed that he would get all the blame and that it would ruin him.' Olli, who was reported to be in his mid 20s, lived in Shepperton with his mother Amy and stepfather Mark. The devastated couple were consoling his heartbroken girlfriend Alana Dredge at the family home today. A family friend told MailOnline: 'They are going through an incredible amount of pain and it's going to take them a long time to get over this. 'Olli was a wonderful son and partner to Alana, and they had dreams about building a life together but tragically, this robbery has taken this all away.' Ms Dredge shared on Instagram a picture of herself and her partner on holiday - saying it was 'our last photo together', taken just a fortnight ago. She wrote: 'My darling boy I can't believe you're gone. This was our last photo together. This was only 2 weeks ago and now I'll never see you again. 'The last thing you said to me was I love you. I will cherish you forever, being with you was the best 6 years of my life. I hope you are reading this from up there, I will continue to make you proud.' A family beach house collapsed into the ocean from the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the early hours of Tuesday, authorities said, becoming the sixth home to crash into the water as shoreline erosion continues in the area. In a press release, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said that a cleanup was underway at the site, confirming that the home was unoccupied when the incident occurred in the community of Rodanthe, 100 miles south of Virginia Beach. The house plunged into the Atlantic around 2:30am local time, officials said. During the cleanup, around one mile of beach area had to be closed to the public. The debris is expected to drive towards the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Online records show that the house was built in 1970. It features five bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms spread across 1,700 square feet. The homes owners are listed as Cynthia Turner and Heather Evans. It was last sold in 2021 for $500,000. The seller was a vacation rental company. Between 2005 and its most recent undated assessment, the home's value plummeted from around $675,000 to $185,000. The five bedroom home seen here on Tuesday after crashing into the Atlantic Ocean in the early hours The home pictured from the rear in an undated photo The previous collapses in the area occurred between 2020 and 2023, with three occurring in 2022 alone. The coastal erosion is driven by winds, waves, tides, storms and the rising seas, decimating the area of Rodanthe and Buxton in the Tar Heel State. North Carolinas coast is almost entirely made up of narrow, low-lying barrier islands. Hatteras Island is part of whats known as the Outer Banks. Rapid Rate of Erosion in the Outer Banks A total of six houses in the Outer Banks section of North Carolina have fallen into the ocean in recent years. North Carolinas coast is almost entirely made up of narrow, low-lying barrier islands. The islands are particularly vulnerable to storm surges and to being washed over from both sides. A National Parks official told DailyMail.com in 2023 that the shoreline near the collapsed house in Rodanthe eroded at a rate of 4.1 meters/year between 1998 and 2019. There are numerous theories surrounding the recent increase, climate change, the weathering away of dunes that protected houses as well several nor'easters. Advertisement Hundreds of pricey vacation homes have been built there in places where experts say they probably should not have been. The islands are particularly vulnerable to storm surges and to being washed over from both sides. Development only makes the problem worse because communities replenish shorelines that are eroding or have been depleted by storms. As sea levels rise, barrier islands typically move toward the mainland over long periods of time. Holding them in place by artificial means only makes them more vulnerable. 'Another one bit the dust... This situation will continue,' Superintendent David Hallac of Cape Hatteras National Seashore old the Washington Post. One neighbor told WAVY that she was first on the scene when the collapse occurred. 'Ive actually taken pictures and measured from the window of that house and measured to see how much the house was moving,' Debbie Roberts said. 'And every day I saw that it was moving, and I know it is going to go in before I leave, I just know it is and sure enough it happened.' The clean-up effort began on Tuesday with office workers even deployed by the Park Service 'If we dont do it, wed be accepting the fact this debris would continue to spread for many miles,' an official said of the clean up Hallac added that in order to speed up the clean-up effort, a total of 49 staff were sent to the site of the collapse, including office workers. 'If we dont do it, wed be accepting the fact this debris would continue to spread for many miles. You have to begin cleanup immediately, otherwise it becomes an almost unachievable cleanup in the future,' he continued. As recently as May 16, the CHNS was warning the public to avoid the beaches around where the house was located because of exposed wires, damaged septic systems and debris, caused by the erosion. Park Service spokesman Mike Barber told the newspaper that additional beach closures could be forthcoming due to dangerous debris. The Post's report notes that in an effort to stem the tide, some homeowners have taken on the costly task of moving their home in from the shore. White despite the ordeal, is only a temporary measure. Others have simply sold their homes to the Park Service who in turn tear them down and turn them into beaches. Kim Jong Un has dropped at least 260 white balloons filled with 'filthy waste and trash' onto South Korea, as North Korea officials aim to teach them a lesson in the midst of a never-ending propaganda war. The balloons appeared to have been carrying various items of rubbish, including plastic bottles, batteries, toilet paper and what is believed to be manure, an official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Authorities have urged South Korean residents to stay indoors as a result after the balloons began to fall from the sky late on Tuesday. South Korea's military said unidentified objects had been spotted near the demilitarised zone the heavily fortified border which separates the two Koreas. The balloons, which were found in eight of nine provinces in South Korea are now being analysed and investigated to see whether they contained any North Korean propaganda, BBC reported. A balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea, carrying various objects including what appeared to be trash and excrement, is seen over a rice field at Cheorwon, South Korea on Wednesday. South Korean soldiers collect balloons presumably sent by North Korea, found at a hill in Pyeongtaek on Wednesday. Some 200 such balloons have been discovered nationwide so far, military and police sources said, adding that they contained mostly trash and other waste. Image shows unidentified objects believed to be North Korean propaganda material attached to balloons on a street in Chungnam Province. This comes just days after Kim Kang-il, a North Korean defence vice-minister, warned that the regime would retaliate in response to anti-North Korean leaflets flown across the border by South Korean activists. 'Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,' Kang Il said in a statement to state media on Sunday. Republic of Korea, or ROK, is the official name of South Korea. Seoul's JCS added that the North's actions 'clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the safety of our people.' 'We sternly warn the North to immediately stop its inhumane and low-class actions'. Image hows trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea, in Seoul on Wednesday. In another sign of tensions between the war-divided rivals, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea also has been flying large numbers of balloons carrying trash toward the South since Tuesday night, in an apparent retaliation against South Korean activists for flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border. South Korean media shared images which showed rubbish bags tied to large white balloons gloating over fields and roads, as well as the aftermath of landings, where what appeared to be faeces had exploded on the ground. North and South Korea have historically used balloons in their propaganda campaigns since the Korean War in the 1950's. North Korean defectors have been known to send balloons to the North side containing anti-regime leaflets, and have also reportedly sent USB memory sticks of Korean pop music and videos, which are prohibited in North Korea's communist regime. Seoul's parliament passed a law in December 2020 that banned the launch of anti-Pyongyang leaflets. This comes after Kim Jong Un's latest satellite launch ended in failure on Monday after a video shared by South Korea claimed to show the moment the satellite, attached to a pointed white rocket, exploded shortly after takeoff. North Korea admitted the launch had exploded in a fireball before dropping into the Yellow Sea just minutes after lifting off. The launch, pegged by analysts as a significant step in the nuclear-armed country's race for space nonetheless, was the latest attempt since North Korea placed its first spy satellite in orbit in November. A Singapore Airlines plane hit by fatal turbulence last week dropped 178ft in just 4.6 seconds and suffered a rapid change in G-force that sent passengers into somersaults in mid-air, an early investigation has found. A 73-year-old passenger, named as musical theatre director Geoffrey Kitchen, died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after flight SQ321, flying from London to Singapore, encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar. The May 21 flight on a Boeing 777-300ER plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing after the plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling. 'The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G (gravitational force). This likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne,' the Singapore Transport Ministry said in a statement. 'The vertical acceleration changed from negative 1.5G to positive 1.5G within 4 seconds. This likely resulted in the occupants who were airborne to fall back down,' it said, citing information extracted from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The May 21 flight on a Boeing 777-300ER plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing after the plane was buffeted by turbulence The plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin Singapore Airlines said it acknowledged the report and was cooperating fully with the investigation 'The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 seconds duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 ft, from 37,362 ft to 37,184 ft. This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers,' it added. Singapore Airlines said it acknowledged the report and was cooperating fully with the investigation. The airline said late on Tuesday that 42 people who were on board the flight were still in Bangkok, including 26 passengers receiving medical treatment in hospital. Among those initially hospitalised were patients with spinal cord injuries and some with brain and skull injuries, according to Thai medical officials. The preliminary report said that upon the flight encountering slight vibrations there was an uncommanded increase in altitude, resulting in the autopilot pitching the aircraft downwards. The pilots experienced an increase in airspeed and responded by applying speed brakes. 'While managing the airspeed... it was heard that a pilot called out that the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on,' it said. Hong Kong's Greater Bay Airlines said on Wednesday it would require passengers to fasten seatbelt at all times during the flight even when the seat belt sign is off, starting from Thursday. A 73-year-old passenger, named as musical theatre director Geoffrey Kitchen (pictured, left), died of a suspected heart attack Tributes poured in for Kitchen, who died last week of a suspected heart attack on the plane The company said it's not a mandatory requirement but a precautionary measure for passenger safety. The investigation team comprised Singaporean investigators, and US representatives from Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Singapore transport ministry said the probe was ongoing. Standing passengers caught out by deadly turbulence on the ill-fated were 'doing somersaults' as they were smashed into the cabin ceiling, a shocked passenger said. Harrowing images taken on board showed how the cabin was littered with debris as distraught passengers tried desperately to stem the blood flowing from severe cuts and blunt force injuries. One passenger named as Jerry, who was travelling to his son's wedding aboard the ill-fated flight SQ321, said it was 'the worst flight of my life'. Speaking to BBC reporters with a bandage covering part of his head, he said: 'Suddenly the plane plunged... there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, and my wife did. 'Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible.' A video posted online shows how Mr Kitchen (bottom left) was involved in his local musical theatre group Replying to a tribute to her father, Anna Proctor wrote: 'Love you Dad x' Tributes for Geoffrey Kitchen poured in, in the days after it was revealed he had died of a suspected heart attack on the plane. His heartbroken daughter Anna Proctor posted on Facebook 'Love you Dad x' after her father, who was on his 'last big holiday' with his wife, died in the shocking disaster. A friend of the couple told the BBC they 'loved to travel' and were 'very excited' for the trip, which would see them embark on a cruise in Indonesia before travelling to Australia. Lizzie Atkins also described him as 'the most wonderful human being that you could ever know'. Ms Atkins, a fellow member of Bristol-based Thornbury musical theatre group, said: 'He would do anything for you. He was just amazing.' Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: 'He was just a remarkable man, really. 'He was stable and reliable, and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff. 'He had a really dry sense of humour and had a twinkle in his eye and every time you saw him you just knew that he was going to make a funny joke.' She added: 'He was the most wonderful human being that you could ever know, one of the top ones.' More to follow. The remains of over 100 psychiatric patients murdered by the Nazis during World War II have been found in a mass grave in Poland. The grisly discovery was made in fields near the small town of Chojnice in an area dubbed Death Valley by archaeologists due to the high number of wartime executions of civilians in the area. According to investigators, the newly discovered victims were from a nearby psychiatric hospital who were shot by German officers at the end of October 1939. Describing the discovery as 'unique' and 'one of a kind', lead archaeologist Dawid Kobialka told MailOnline: 'This is the first archaeological discovery of a mass grave of mentally disabled people murdered by the Nazis in 1939 as part of the T-4 Aktion. 'We know that they were murdered just in pyjamas, only buttons were found in the grave, no other personal belongings, plus casings and bullets. 'We have been able to excavate half of the grave so far. According to historical data, 218 people were executed during a few days and their bodies were hidden in a mass grave.' The grisly discovery was made in fields near the small town of Chojnice in an area dubbed Death Valley by archaeologists 'We know that they were murdered just in pyjamas, only buttons were found in the grave, no other personal belongings, plus casings and bullets,' the lead archaeologist said Nazi death squads are pictured executing Polish civilians in October 1939 The first adults with disabilities to be killed en masse were Poles who were executed by the SS Archaeologists perform exhumation of Polish victims of mass murders from World War II He added: 'Mentally disabled people were murdered in several places in Pomerania in 1939. Almost all of these places were destroyed in the second half of 1944. 'When the Germans exhumed the graves and the bodies, among others, they burned mentally ill people. 'At the moment, the only known grave that has survived is this one. It is a unique, one-of-a-kind thing, with exceptional importance for the city and region.' Initiated in October 1939, Aktion T-4 was Adolf Hitler's solution for dealing with those considered 'incurably sick'. The campaign of mass murder, euphemistically referred to as 'involuntary euthanasia', began in Nazi Germany but was quickly introduced into Nazi-occupied Poland following Hitler's invasion of the country in September 1939. The first adults with disabilities to be killed en masse were Poles who were executed by the SS. Nazi death squads are seen shooting Polish civilians in October 1939 Describing the discovery as 'unique' and 'one of a kind', lead archaeologist Dawid Kobialka told MailOnline: 'This is the first archaeological discovery of a mass grave of mentally disabled people murdered by the Nazis in 1939' Forensic archaeologists study the remains The remains of over 100 psychiatric patients murdered by the Nazis during WWII The Prosecutor's Division of the Institute of National Remembrance in Gdansk has completed the first stage of the exhumation of Polish victims of mass murders from World War II in the area of the so-called Death Valley in Chojnice The director of the Main Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, Deputy Prosecutor General Andrzej Pozorski, said: 'On some of the skulls, we found entry and exit holes for bullets due to the firearms used. 'We are not yet able to say exactly how many remains have been revealed because the work is still ongoing and the process of extracting human remains has not been completed yet. 'The evidence shows that at the end of October 1939 they were brought here, shot, the bodies were buried and the area was levelled so that no one would discover this criminal activity.' Dr Karol Nawrocki from the Institute of National Remembrance which investigates Nazi and Soviet-era crimes in Poland added: 'This terrifying crime and today's discovery is also proof that here, in Pomerania, in the Chojnice region, but also throughout Poland, there are still remains of people waiting to be found and commemorated, to return to national consciousness. 'This discovery is also proof that despite the pages of books filled with facts, despite the actions of the IPN prosecutor's office, we are still talking about a crime that has not yet been redressed. 'The Institute of National Remembrance recognises that Poland is still entitled to reparations from the German state.' A pilot made a miracle escape after crash from a F-35 fighter jet just moments before it plunged to the ground and exploded in a fireball. The $135million jet crashed near crashed Tuesday afternoon at Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, sending up a large plume of smoke and injuring the pilot. The plane had left Fort Worth, Texas and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles when it crashed on a hillside on the south side of the airfield. The military fighter jet crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said. The pilot, the only person on board, was taken to a nerby hospital with serious injuries and last reported to be in stable condition. A $135million F-35 fighter jet crashed near crashed Tuesday afternoon at Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico , sending up a large plume of smoke and injuring the pilot Emergency workers respond to a military plane crash near the Albuquerque International Airport on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 The plane had just taken off from Albuquerque and was heading to a base in southern California when it crashed near the international airport around 2pm. The plane involved in the crash was a F-35 fighter jet, similar to one pictured here Emergency crews were seen on the scene Tuesday afternoon, and the pilot was reportedly conscious when transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital. Authorities have not released any cause of the wreck, but witnesses told KOB4 that the aircraft appeared to have some kind of issues shortly before taking off from the runway. Patrick White, who was driving in the area at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press that he saw the aircraft trailing low to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. He said it briefly disappeared from his line of sight, and then he saw 'an enormous plume of black smoke.' The plane had left Fort Worth, Texas and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles when it crashed on a hillside on the south side of the airfield The military fighter jet crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said. Emergency crews are pictured at the scene Flights from the airport were resumed, and the pilot - the only person in the plane - was reportedly conscious as they were transported away A witness, who was driving in the area at the time of the crash, said he saw the aircraft trailing low to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust When he drove past the crash, he said he saw a piece of the fighter jet in the middle of the road. A spokesperson for Kirtland Air Force Base, located just southeast of Sunport, told CBS News that the pilot had been 'ferrying' the F-35 from the Lockheed Martin facility at Naval Air Reserve Station in Fort Worth to the base in Los Angeles. He stopped at Kirtland Air Force Base around 1pm to refuel and had just taken off for Edwards Air Force Base when the plane went down near the airfield. Two civilians were also assessed at the scene, CBS reported, but were not transported to the hospital. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller took to X after the incident, tweeting: 'Grateful for the rapid action of the first responders who arrived to the scene. Praying for the pilot.' DailyMail.com has approached Albuquerque police and both Air Force bases for more information. Authorities have not released any cause of the wreck, but witnesses told KOB4 that the aircraft appeared to have some kind of issues shortly before taking off from the runway. Crews are pictured at the scene after the crash Emergency crews are pictured on the scene Tuesday afternoon Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, Kirtland is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. It's also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory. It marks the second crash of a military plane in New Mexico in the past month. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon went down in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state, leaving that pilot with minor injuries after he ejected from the aircraft. ABC political journalist Laura Tingle has been reprimanded by her own bosses after claiming Australia is a 'racist country'. Tingle, who is the 7.30 programme's chief political correspondent, made the comment at the Sydney Writers' Festival on Sunday. 'We are a racist country, let's face it. We always have been, and it's very depressing,' she said during a panel discussion. Tingle also accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of fanning the flames of anti-migrant sentiment, and praised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's leadership. ABC News director Justin Stevens weighed in on the comments on Wednesday night. ABC political journalist Laura Tingle has been reprimanded by her own bosses after claiming Australia is a 'racist country' He said Tingle's remarks 'lacked the context, balance and supporting information of her work for the ABC and would not have met the ABC's editorial standards'. 'Although the remarks were conversational, and not made in her work capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media,' Mr Stevens said. 'Today she has explained her remarks in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and detail. 'The ABC's editorial standards serve a vital role. Laura has been reminded of their application at external events as well as in her work and I have counselled her over the remarks.' Tingle published an article on the ABC's website explaining what she meant when she branded Australia 'racist'. He said Tingle's remarks 'lacked the context, balance and supporting information of her work for the ABC and would not have met the ABC's editorial standards'. 'Although the remarks were conversational, and not made in her work capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media,' Mr Stevens said. 'Today she has explained her remarks in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and detail. 'The ABC's editorial standards serve a vital role. Laura has been reminded of their application at external events as well as in her work and I have counselled her over the remarks.' Tingle doubled down on her claims in an article published on the published on the ABC's website. 'I did indeed make the observation on Sunday that we are a racist country, in the context of a discussion about the political prospects ahead,' she said. 'I wasn't saying every Australian is a racist. But we clearly have an issue with racism.' Tingle also accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of fanning the flames of anti-migrant sentiment Tingle noted some of Mr Dutton's recent comments about migration. 'People know that if you move suburbs it's hard to get your kids into school or into childcare,' Mr Dutton had said. 'It's hard to get into a GP because the doctors have closed their books. It's hard to get elective surgery. 'These factors have all contributed to capacity constraints because of the lack of planning in the migration program.' He has also said migrants were the cause of 'congestion on our roads'. Ms Tingle said as the alternative prime minister and with an election approaching within a year, Mr Dutton's comments deserved 'rigorous scrutiny and examination'. 'Surveys, including by the ABC, have repeatedly found the majority of Australians of non-European backgrounds reporting experiences of discrimination and racism in their lives, sometimes starting as early as primary school,' she said. 'In my commentary at the ABC, and at the Sydney Writers' Festival, I expressed my concern at the risks involved in Peter Dutton pressing the hot button of housing and linking it to migration for these reasons. 'Political leaders, by their comments, give licence to others to express opinions they may not otherwise express. 'That does not make them racist. 'But it has real world implications for many Australians.' During Sunday's panel, Tingle said she couldn't remember the last time a major party leader was seen 'to be saying everything that is going wrong in this country is because of migrants'. '[I] had this sudden flash of people turning up to try and rent a property or at an auction and they look a bit different - whatever you define different as - (and) that basically he (Dutton) has given them licence to be abused, and in any circumstance where people feel like they're missing out,' she said. Tingle accused Mr Dutton of 'dog whistling' and said his call to cut immigration didn't make 'rational sense'. She also praised Labor, saying: 'It's not just about whether they got rid of Scott Morrison, they are actually trying to govern, they are trying to run a government, they are actually trying to do policy. 'Whether you think the policy is s**t or not, that's another issue.' Critics of Tingle's comments accused her of failing to remain impartial as a political reporter. Others called for the ABC to stop receiving taxpayer funds. 'Who really cares and believes the c**p being generated by a labor friendly biased National Broadcaster. Just defund the ABC and get rid of them,' one person wrote on X. 'Laura Tingle does not speak for the majority of Australians... Defund the ABC!' another said. 'Tingle is long past her time in ABC. ABC is anti-Australia. Defund it,' another wrote. Tingle was appointed to the ABC board as the staff-elected director in 2023 and is obliged to 'act in good faith at all times and in the best interests of the ABC'. In March, ABC Chair Kim Williams shared a blunt message saying staff should leave if they broke the national broadcaster's code to be balanced. 'If you don't want to reflect a view that aspires to impartiality, don't work at the ABC,' he said. Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman described Tingle's comments about Mr Dutton as 'extraordinary and completely indefensible'. 'In addition to her comments about Mr Dutton, Ms Tingle has made further statements about her views on the Albanese Government and the Coalition,' he said. 'While every Australian has a right to their political views, not every Australian is Chief Political Correspondent for ABC's 7.30 program. 'The ABC needs to explain how Ms Tingle's statements are compatible with her role at the taxpayer-funded broadcaster.' ABC managing director David Anderson will be questioned about Tingle's comments on Thursday at Senate estimates hearing in Canberra. Two young women who were paid 300 each by crime lords to smuggle 75,000 worth of cannabis into Scotland have walked free from court. Breuklyne Jeffers and Tamica Reid-Foster, both just 18 at the time, were arrested after a guard discovered 5kg of cannabis hidden inside two seemingly abandoned suitcases on a near-empty train from London Euston to Edinburgh. Investigations revealed the pair, who claimed to be attending a funeral, were acting as drug mules for a crime gang amid the third Covid-19 national lockdown. They boarded the 6am Avanti West Coast train at Wolverhampton with instructions to deliver the drugs to traffickers in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. Suspicion arose when the suitcases were found, and Jeffers and Reid-Foster, the only passengers in their carriage, attempted to flee the train at Wigan North Western station but were stopped by staff. Breuklyne Jeffers (pictured) and Tamica Reid-Foster, both just 18 at the time, were arrested after a guard discovered 5kg of cannabis hidden inside two seemingly abandoned suitcases on a near-empty train from London Euston to Edinburgh Investigations revealed that Tamica Reid-Foster (pictured) and Breuklyne Jeffers, who claimed to be attending a funeral, were acting as drug mules for a crime gang amid the third Covid-19 national lockdown Police examined their mobile phones and discovered photos of the women smoking cannabis and texts referring to the sale of the drug. It emerged that Jeffers had made at least three trips, while Reid-Foster had made two. A review of Jeffers' bank account showed thousands of pounds passing through it. At Bolton Crown Court, the women, now 21, faced up to 14 years in prison after admitting possession of class B drugs with intent to supply. However, they received suspended sentences after both claimed to have 'turned their lives around'. Reid-Foster, originally from Wolverhampton but now living in Ardwick, Manchester, and is studying psychology at university, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. Jeffers, from Highgate, Birmingham, a single mother to a one-year-old son with severe health issues, initially denied wrongdoing but was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. Prosecutor Jane Dagnall said the women were working on behalf of organised criminal groups supplying cannabis from Birmingham to Scotland, particularly Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Police examined their mobile phones and discovered photos of the women smoking cannabis and texts referring to the sale of the drug. A review of Jeffers' bank account showed thousands of pounds passing through it. The pair boarded the 6am Avanti West Coast train at Wolverhampton with instructions to deliver the drugs to traffickers in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen 'At 8:45am on January 13, 2021, seemingly abandoned suitcases were found on the Avanti Euston to Edinburgh train,' Dagnall said. 'Cannabis was found in the suitcases packed in clear visible plastic bags. There were two bags of cannabis in one case and three in the other. British Transport Police were notified about the discovery. 'It was during the height of the Covid pandemic and the seats were fairly empty due to the travel restrictions. Two lone females - these defendants - were in the carriage where the suitcases had been discovered. They had tickets for Edinburgh and denied all knowledge of the suitcases.' Dagnall said that after getting off the train at Wigan North Western, they were stopped by British Transport Police but denied any knowledge of the suitcases. Subsequent investigations confirmed their involvement. Both women had no previous convictions. Sentencing, Judge Abigail Hudson acknowledged the serious nature of their crime but recognized their efforts to change. 'This offence was so serious that custody is appropriate,' she said. 'Given the changes that you have undergone, given the real efforts you have made to avoid any offending behaviour since 2021, and given the guilty pleas you have entered, in my judgement it is possible to draw back from immediate custody today.' A prison worker has admitted having an affair with an inmate behind bars. Mother-of-two Jessica Jade Elguindy, 25, was supported by her husband Mitch and jail boss dad on Wednesday as she faced Penrith Local Court. She pleaded guilty to engaging in an intimate relationship with an inmate, accessing restricted data and misconducting herself as a holder of public office. Mother-of-two Jessica Jade Elguindy, 25, was supported by her husband Mitch (pictured together) and jail boss dad on Wednesday as she faced Penrith Local Court Elguindy pleaded guilty to engaging in an intimate relationship with an inmate, accessing restricted data and misconducting herself as a holder of public office Elguindy's solicitor said she would be applying for the charges to be dealt with on mental health grounds, the Penrith Press reported. The married former prison administration assistant was working at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre in Sydney when she embarked on a four-month affair with convict Beau Jones. They sent each other X-rated messages, pictures and videos using a phone that had been smuggled into the prison. Elguindy has since resigned from the prison, which is run by her father, Corrective Services NSW superintendent Walid 'Wally' Elguindy. Elguindy's solicitor said she would be applying for the charges to be dealt with on mental health grounds Amber Clavell is accused of having an affair with bank robber Mark Kennedy, 27, behind bars and is allegedly pregnant Elguindy's former co-worker and best friend Amber Clavell is accused of having an affair with bank robber Mark Kennedy, 27, behind bars and is allegedly pregnant. Clavell is charged with engaging in an intimate relationship with an inmate, two counts of accessing or modifying restricted data, bringing prohibited drugs into a place of attention and drug supply. She is yet to plea and is next due in court on June 4. The crazed Spanish driver filmed ramming terrified British holidaymakers on a Majorcan motorway has claimed he doesn't remember anything about the incident because he was 'in shock' after being physically assaulted. Dramatic footage published yesterday showed the tourists police have described as 'victims' being blocked in and then deliberately hit by the motorist, understood to be a 41-year-old Spaniard living in Majorca, after he reversed into their hire car at speed. The video ended with him sticking his middle finger up before speeding away as the British woman passenger in the vehicle targeted begged her companion to call police. The shock event was linked initially to the growing tourism-phobia in places like Majorca where Brit holidaymakers were insulted during Saturday's anti mass tourism march in the island capital Palma. But police are insisting it was an unconnected road rage incident that had nothing to do with any anti-tourist sentiment. Dramatic footage published yesterday showed the tourists police have described as 'victims' being blocked in and then deliberately hit by the motorist Police are insisting it was an unconnected road rage incident that had nothing to do with any anti-tourist sentiment And the lawyer acting for the unnamed Spaniard who faces a court probe for alleged reckless driving and intentional damage towards another driver claimed today he had given police a written statement saying he saw red after being assaulted by one of the Brits and had his glasses smashed. Lydia Martin, of Palma-based law firm Raso & Asociados, said her client had also told officers he couldn't remember anything about the shocking scenes captured on camera by the British tourists and traffic chiefs because he was 'in shock' after being hit. She said: 'What you see in the video that's been released by police follows an incident in which one of the British people in the other car physically hit my client and broke his glasses. 'What he told the police in his statement was that he was driving and came across the British tourists' car reversing on a roundabout as he reached it after coming off the motorway. 'He didn't have a clue at that point what their nationality was and it's in no way linked to any tourism-phobia. The shock event was linked initially to the growing tourism-phobia in places like Majorca where Brit holidaymakers were insulted during Saturday's anti mass tourism march In dramatic scenes caught on a phone camera and on CCTV near Palma airport in Mallorca, British holidaymakers are seen desperately trying to escape as they are hounded by a rogue local Lydia Martin, of Palma-based law firm Raso & Asociados, said her client had also told officers he couldn't remember anything about the shocking scenes 'He began to flash his lights and signal with his hands to say they couldn't do what they were doing and that they had to carry on going forward. 'They both carried on driving but my client told the police the British people began to get very aggressive and started honking their horn and insulting him and making rude signs with their fingers. 'He didn't understand anything and stopped his car on the side of the road and went up to them to ask them what was happening and tell them he had simply wanted to make them understand they were committing a traffic violation. 'My client describes what he calls an older man and a younger one that could have been a father and son getting out of the car and the younger one hitting him and breaking his glasses. 'It left my client in a state of shock. After this he doesn't remember anything else. 'We can see some of what happened in the videos but he doesn't have any recollection of this. The unnamed man was seen swearing at the British tourists He was also seen reversing into their hire car 'The police apparently ended up coming shortly after the moment when you see him sticking his middle finger up but it's all a bit hazy for him because of the state of shock he was in. 'He says the last thing he remembers was getting in his car after the assault and trying to call police but not being able to. 'There's a register of calls where you can see that he's tried to call the number but presses too many numbers or the wrong numbers because of the state he's in. 'He's already received a fine but he hasn't been called to court yet to testify. When he is called he intends repeating what he told police in his statement. 'I don't believe it's something he's making up because we have medical reports from the day of the incident confirming he was assaulted plus the broken glasses.' Well-placed sources said he had no criminal record. One said: 'He obviously lost his temper big time' but added: 'He's not someone who is known to police on the island.' The British tourists were forced to reverse down a one-way road The Brits said they had been chased by the man for a mile down the motorway Another added: 'He will eventually be summoned to court to explain to a judge what happened that day.' Poll Do you think British tourists are unfairly criticised? Yes No Do you think British tourists are unfairly criticised? Yes 20041 votes No 18689 votes Now share your opinion Police sources have confirmed the British holidaymakers filed a complaint on the Spanish mainland a few days after the incident happened when they discovered they had been billed for the damage to their hire car. They are thought to have been heading to Palma Airport to take the vehicle back the day of the drama. The Civil Guard in Majorca said yesterday in a statement about the April 19 incident and the outcome of its probe to identify the Spanish driver: 'The Civil Guard has investigated a man as the alleged perpetrator of a crime of reckless driving and intentional damage towards another driver with whom he had had an argument minutes before. 'The argument between the two drivers began in the Som Oms industrial estate in the Majorcan capital Palma. 'After the altercation, the suspect chased the other vehicle onto the MA-19 motorway, where he made several reckless manoeuvres to block the other driver's path. Police sources have confirmed the British holidaymakers filed a complaint on the Spanish mainland a few days after the incident happened Spanish police released a video detailing the incident 'The victim even stopped the vehicle at one of the junctions to the aforementioned motorway, reversing, in order to flee from the other driver. 'At that moment, the vehicle that was pursuing him also reversed backwards until it intentionally collided with him, causing considerable material damage to both vehicles. 'Following the complaint received and after analysing the videos provided by both the Directorate General of Traffic and the complainant himself, the officers located the driver who is under investigation.' The force made no mention in its statement of any alleged assault by one of the Brits on the Spaniard. In dramatic scenes caught on a phone camera and on CCTV near Palma airport in Mallorca, British holidaymakers are seen desperately trying to escape as they are hounded by a rogue local who endangered their lives with his aggressive driving. CCTV footage captured the moment the reckless driver dangerously swerved round the left-side of the tourist' car and rammed them off the road as they tried to get onto a motorway. A British tourist told MailOnline exclusively this week that a massive anti-tourist protest in Majorca was 'intimidating' An estimated 15,000 locals joined the protest that snaked through the capital Palma and headed for Weyler Square on Saturday Majorca has seen a rise in anti-tourism sentiment A second angle shows how the car of tourists was forced to reverse down a one-way road to avoid being attacked, before the local man put his motor in reverse and repeatedly rammed it into them. The tourists' car can be seen buckling as it was crashed into, before the local is filmed swearing at them through the window and speeds away from the scene of the crime. Horrifying phone footage from inside tourists' vehicle shows a woman crying helplessly as the white SUV smashes into them, as she tries to find out what Spain's emergency number was to call the police. In chilling video of the moment the holidaymakers are attacked, the British woman can be heard wailing as the car is smashed into them. The local man was then seen angrily raising his middle finger at the tourists before driving away. It comes as Majorca has seen a rise in anti-tourism sentiment. Protesters hold a banner reading 'Stop abusive rentals' during a demonstration to protest against the massification of tourism Thousands of people demonstrated against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on April 20, 2024 A British tourist told MailOnline exclusively this week that a massive anti-tourist protest in Majorca was 'intimidating' as she witnessed locals telling foreign diners outside of restaurants to 'go home'. An estimated 15,000 locals joined the protest that snaked through the capital Palma and headed for Weyler Square on Saturday, where holidaymakers were out in force for dinner and drinks. Polly Taylor, who was dining with three friends, said that she initially had no idea what the crowd were doing until they started to come closer to the restaurant as armed police began to show up on the scene. 'It was like a storm was coming but we didn't know what the storm was about....then the noise from the protestors just got louder and louder and we were swamped with them', Taylor said. Eventually, as the small group with whistles and drums began to get louder and louder, a Majorcan who was dining nearby attempted to engage with the agitators. Harvey Weinstein will appear in the same New York City courthouse as Donald Trump Wednesday regarding legal issues surrounding the disgraced movie mogul's new trial for rape, which is set to begin early Fall. Trump is present as the jury begins deliberations in his porn star hush money trial, where the ex-president is accused of misusing campaign funds to pay off Stormy Daniels regarding their alleged affair in the run-up to the 2016 election. At the time of that election, Weinstein, 72, was a heavy financial backer and vocal supporter of Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, contributing nearly $1.5 million to the campaign. The former producer's rape convictions for the assault of production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and the third degree of actress Jessica Mann in 2013 were both thrown out in April on legal technicalities. Weinstein's original trial was held in the same courtroom where Trump is on trial now, but the two men are unlikely to bump into each other. Harvey Weinstein appears at Manhattan criminal court for a preliminary hearing on May 1, 2024, in New York Ex-president Donald Trump will be in the same courtroom where he awaits the jury's decision in his hush-money trial Melania and Donald Trump pictured with Weinstein and Georgina Chapman at a movie premiere in 2009 The former Miramax chief is in custody and will be brought to and from the courtroom under guard. He will be appearing in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial. But last month New Yorks highest court threw out those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that werent part of the case. Weinstein, 72, has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. The New York ruling reopened a painful chapter in Americas reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. Last week, prosecutors asked Judge Curtis Farber to remind Weinsteins lawyers not to discuss or disparage potential witnesses in public ahead of the retrial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office argued that Weinsteins lead attorney, Arthur Aidala, made statements meant to intimidate Haley earlier this month. Speaking outside of court on May 1, Aidala said Haley lied to the jury about her motive in coming forward and that his team planned an aggressive cross-examination on the issue 'if she dares to come and show her face here.' The former Miramax chief is in custody and will be brought to and from the courtroom under guard. He will be appearing in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial Arthur Aidala, attorney for Harvey Weinstein, speaks to reporters outside the Manhattan Criminal court, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in New York Aidala didnt respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday about Bragg's request. Haley has said she does not want to go through the trauma of testifying again, 'but for the sake of keeping going and doing the right thing and because it is what happened, I would consider it.' Her attorney, Gloria Allred, declined to comment until after she attends Wednesdays proceedings. The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as both Haley and Mann have. Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. Six officers have been sentenced to decades in prison for torturing suspects Mississippi cops who called themselves the Goon Squad had a group chat where they shared images of corpses and discussed how to humiliate and assault suspects. In the private WhatsApp group that included their supervisor, Rankin County sheriff's deputies exchanged images of suspects and victims and joked about rape and Tasering people, as reported by The New York Times. Six officers from the department have been sentenced to decades in prison on state and federal charges for torturing two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, after bursting into a Mississippi home in January 2023. At least nine of the officers are still employed at the Rankin County sheriff's office. Most of the cops in the chat have not been charged with any crimes or accused of any illegal behavior. They told the NYT their comments were jokes. The cops used the chat for years to discuss how to humiliate and brutalize suspects, goading each other to assault and shame addicts and people accused of crimes as well as to shock people in the genitals with Tasers. In the private WhatsApp group that included their now convicted supervisor, Lt. Jeffrey Middleton, Rankin County sheriff's deputies joked about rape and Tasering people The deputies had been calling themselves the moniker since at least 2019, and in 2020 discussed creating a commemorative token for themselves The messages included racist comments about Mexicans and memes depicting women as sex objects. The deputies also talked about taking naked images of a woman they had arrested. One cop shared a video of a deputy defecating on someone's bed. When they encountered someone who died by suicide, homicide or an accident, they shared images of the corpses and joked about having sex with them. In May of 2022, deputy Zachary Cotton shared a picture of a man's body decomposing in an impoverished neighborhood, prompting his colleague Hunter Cook to reply: 'That's hot.' 'Poke him with a stick,' added Lt. Jeffrey Middleton, the group's supervisor, now serving 17 years in prison. The group once discussed a man arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, with Hunter Elrward asking: 'Did you Tase him in the face!?' Daniel Opdyke, now in prison, asked if they had shocked the man in the anus. Daniel Opdyke, now in prison, asked his colleagues in the chat if they had shocked a suspect in the anus The group once discussed a man arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, with Hunter Elrward asking: 'Did you Tase him in the face!?'. In a mock execution gone awry, Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw Cook replied that had the area been more secluded, the suspect would have 'gotten more lovings.' He told the NYT he was aggravated because the suspect was accused of child abuse, adding: 'I didn't do anything that was illegal or anything like that to him.' When asked about the exchange, Cook, who is no longer in law enforcement, told the NYT: 'We see dead bodies all the time... That's kind of how we deal with stuff.' Cook added that if he had known some of his colleagues were torturing people, he 'wouldn't have made jokes like that.' Cotton, who still works at the department, said: 'It's not against the law. I didn't make any vulgar comments about it.' In a November 2019 exchange, the cops suggested turning their job into a game: one point per every arrest. Deputy Cody Grogan then asked the group how many points he would get for shooting someone. Lt Middleton replied: 'Depends if they die or not.' Deputy Luke Stickman wrote: 'They'll die.' 'They die,' Grogan agreed. Grogan, who does not work at the department anymore, told the the messages were jokes and 'People that know me know that's not going to happen. I'm not going to go out and shoot anybody.' Prosecutors said the convicted corrupt cops used the WhatsApp chat to plan the 2023 raid where they tortured Jenkins and Parker. Sheriff Bryan Bailey has claimed he did not know about the Goon Squad name or allegations of violence against his deputies. The deputies had been calling themselves the moniker since at least 2019, and in 2020 discussed creating a commemorative token for themselves. Middleton suggested the coin feature images of a noose and a Confederate flag. The same year the group texted about what to do with a hit-and-run suspect, with Grogan offering a quote by the department's then-chief investigator Brett McAlpin, who prosecutors said was the squad's ring leader and is now in prison. The officers charged in relation to the assault of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker were (Top L-R) Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmon. (Bottom L-R) Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, Joshua Hartfield 'Nothing scares a man like kidnapping him' Brett McAlpin,' Gorgan wrote. The cops then joked about killing the man and burying him in Grogan's home. In another 2020 exchange, two deputies asked Middleton if they could beat a man suspected of exposing himself to women. 'That's fine just justify it good in your report,' Lieutenant Middleton replied. The six former officers who attacked Jenkins and Parker were sentenced in March to federal prison terms ranging from about 10 to 40 years. Michael Corey Jenkins, left, and Eddie Terrell Parker, foreground, two victims of racially motivated torture by six former Mississippi law enforcement officers Michael Corey Jenkins in hospital after being shot in the mouth during the assault District Judge Tom Lee called their actions 'egregious and despicable' as he gave sentences near the top of the federal guidelines to five of the six men. The defendants include five former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Brett McAlpin, 53; Elward, 31; Christian Dedmon, 29; Middleton, 46; and Opdyke, 28 and a former police officer from the city of Richland, Joshua Hartfield, 32, who was off duty during the assault. All six of the former officers pleaded guilty to state charges of conspiracy to hinder prosecution. They were sentenced on multiple counts ranging from five to 20 years. Elward admitted to aggravated assault, and was sentenced to 20 years alongside punishments for burglary and conspiracy. The charges followed an Associated Press investigation in March 2023 that linked some of the officers to at least four violent encounters since 2019 that left two Black men dead. Michael Corey Jenkins, left, and Eddie Terrell Parker, right, stand with lead attorney Malik Shabazz, as they call on a federal judge to impose the harshest possible penalties The terror began on January 24, 2023, with a racist call for extrajudicial violence, according to federal prosecutors. A white person phoned McAlpin and complained that two Black men were staying with a white woman at a house in Braxton, Mississippi. McAlpin told Dedmon, who texted 'The Goon Squad.' Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and his friend Parker and poured milk, alcohol and chocolate syrup over their faces while mocking them with racial slurs. They forced them to strip naked and shower together to conceal the mess. They mocked the victims with racial slurs and assaulted them with sex objects. In a mock execution gone awry, Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth, lacerating his tongue and breaking his jaw. The officers devised a coverup and agreed to plant drugs on Jenkins and Parker. False charges stood against the men for months. Three Typhoon jets have performed a special flypast in memory of the RAF pilot who died in a Spitfire crash at the weekend. Squadron Leader Mark Long was killed when his World War Two-era fighter crashed to the ground within a few minutes of takeoff from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, during a Battle of Britain event. Having piloted the fighters for four years, Sqn Ldr Long was due to take over the memorial flight next year. After the crash, the RAF said in a touching statement that he was 'a great friend, colleague and a passionate, professional aviator' who will be 'sorely missed'. Tributes also flooded in with The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer among those to express their sadness. Three Typhoon jets have performed a special flypast in memory of the RAF pilot who died in a Spitfire crash at the weekend Squadron Leader Mark Long was killed when his World War Two-era fighter crashed to the ground within a few minutes of takeoff from RAF Coningsby The Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth flew in 'missing man' formation (pictured) to remember their colleague Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth flew in 'missing man' formation to remember their former colleague yesterday. The base shared the clip to X with the caption: 'In remembrance of Squadron Leader Mark Long. Per ardua ad astra [through adversity to the stars - motto of the RAF].' Sqn Ldr Long had flown Typhoons too - at RAF Coningsby - and took to Instagram just weeks before the memorial show to share his excitement. In a post dated March 4, the Squadron Leader shared videos of Hurricane and Spitfire aeroplanes in flight with the caption: 'We are only a few weeks away from getting back flying in these iconic aircraft. Cannot wait!!!' His death has seen the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) paused while a formal investigation takes place amid the battle's 85th anniversary. It was the first fatality involving a BBMF aircraft since its creation in July 1957, a retired RAF leader told the BBC. The BBMF operates six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota, and two Chipmunk aircraft. Gp Capt Robbie Lees, commander of the RAF's Display Air Wing, said on Sunday: 'I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the RAF personnel, and our emergency services colleagues who responded so swiftly yesterday. 'Our thoughts remain with Mark's family and friends to whom we offer our deepest sympathies. We ask that their privacy be respected at this tragic and shocking time.' Sqn Ldr Long joined the Air Force in 2003, having graduated from the University of Warwick. Squadron Leader Mark Long had flown Spitfires for four years and was due to take over the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 2025 Sqn Ldr Mark Long pictured reading a map on an RAF airplane The location where the Spitfire crashed in a field on on Langrick Road at RAF Coningsby Mark Long flying the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire MK356 During his career, Sqn Ldr Long was posted to 11 Squadron at Coningsby, deploying to the Baltics and the South Atlantic. A spectator who witnessed the horrific moment the Spitfire plane nose-dived to the ground, killing the pilot instantly, said: 'Sadly he didn't stand a chance.' The former RAF air craftsman, speaking after the death of the experienced and respected flier during a Battle of Britain event, said: 'I've seen a lot of terrible things in my life but this is up there with the worst.' Flowers have been laid at RAF Coningsby in the days since by dozens of air enthusiasts, including Tony who said: 'A Hurricane was going to take off after the Spitfire but his flight was aborted. 'It is too difficult to estimate the speed. 'I couldn't clearly see the spot it came down but pictures show it was right beside a house and a tractor so no doubt other people witnessed it too. It is a terrible tragedy.' The man, who lives locally, told how he often took his stepson to watch the planes in action at the airfield. He paid warm tribute to the pilot as a 'remarkable and wonderful man' and thrilled children with his 'pep talks.' He recalled: 'At the end of a flight Mark would always make a point of coming up to the big wire fence and give the kids a pep talk through it. 'He'd still be in his uniform, and he'd still have his flight maps pinned to his trousers, above the knees and would pass them to the children through the fence. 'I didn't know him personally but I knew him by reputation as a great pilot and a remarkable and wonderful man. 'He always made time to speak to people so I had to come here today to pay my respects. 'He told the kids that it was dream to become a pilot but he had failed four or five times. 'His message to them was never to give up and that you can always live your dream. 'It is such a terrible tragedy that it was to end in this way for him.' The scene where the pilot died in a crash during a Battle of Britain event near RAF Coningsby Tributes left by supporters at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, for the renowned pilot Tributes left by supporters at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire to the deceased pilot Squadron Leader Long shared footage of a World War II-era plane in flight just weeks before his tragic death. In the post, he said he 'cannot wait' to fly the vintage aircraft in a few weeks The RAF said in a touching statement that he was 'a great friend, colleague and a passionate, professional aviator' The Spitfire came down at around 1.20pm on Saturday during a display at RAF Coningsby. He said the pilot 'must have known there was a problem and he was in difficulty' and would have raised the alarm, saying: 'He would have radio called because in less than a minute the fire service and ambulances were there. 'The whole episode from take off to crash probably only lasted two and a half minutes.' Photos from the scene show emergency services gathered around the wreckage of the plane just feet away from a house. It had been taking part in a civilian airshow just nine miles from the base to commemorate the RAF's role in fending off German attacks during the Second World War. The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared their condolences, saying they were 'incredibly sad' to hear of the tragedy. Kate and William, who himself served as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, said in a joint statement that it was 'incredibly sad to hear of the news' and added that their 'thoughts this evening are with the pilot's loved ones, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and the wider RAF family.' Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on X: 'Awful news to see the life of a serving RAF pilot cut short in this tragic event. My thoughts are with their family and loved ones.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was 'deeply saddened' by the news, and thanked the emergency services for their response, adding 'my thoughts are with the pilot's family at this awful time.' The crash has been described as a 'tragic accident' by officials but an investigation has been opened into the cause. Police and ambulance crews raced to the scene and a rescue helicopter was scrambled from neighbouring Humberside. A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated: 'It is with great sadness that we must confirm the death of an RAF pilot in a tragic accident near RAF Coningsby today [Saturday]. 'The pilot's family has been informed and we ask that their privacy is respected at this time.' Lincolnshire Police added: 'We are sad to confirm that a man has died after a plane crashed into a field on Langrick Road in Coningsby earlier today. 'The man was the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft. Police are not in a position to confirm his name but his next of kin have been informed. Nobody else is thought to have been injured as a result. 'The incident was called into police just before 1.20pm today [Saturday, May 25] and emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene. 'Sadly, the injuries the pilot sustained were not survivable and he was declared deceased at the scene. 'Investigations are ongoing into the cause.' File image shows the Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at RAF Fairford last year Spitfires played a crucial role in the war, especially during the Battle of Britain which earned the plane's power status. Designed as a short-range, high-performance aeroplane, over 20,300 Spitfires were built to secure British success during WW2. It proved to be a watershed moment for the Nazis' territorial aims as they then shifted their focus to conquering Britain. Aware of the resilience of the RAF, German aircrafts bombarded British airfield bases until the autumn of 1940. An urgent manhunt is underway to track down a notorious gangland boss who has escaped jail where he was serving an indefinite sentence for turning Liverpool into 'Hell's Kitchen'. Daniel Gee, now aged 44, was a leading member of a powerful gang that turned the Grizedale estate in Everton, Liverpool into a 24-hour open air drug market. Police and the Prison Service are working to recapture the gangster who is understood to have escaped a Category D prison. He was jailed indefinitely in 2010 for the publics protection after a secret probe found he conspired to buy guns and threatened to kill a teenager. Notorious gangland boss Daniel Gee has absconded from prison, sparking a manhunt, with police and the prison service working together to locate and recapture the criminal The gangster was plotting to arm himself after making death threats to Jamie Starkey - a 16-year-old gunman who shot him during a New Years day confrontation in 2008. Jailing Gee indefinitely, the Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Henry Globe QC said: 'I am in no doubt that the public must be protected from you in the future. 'I really do not know when it will be safe to release you.' He ordered Gee to serve a minimum of four years behind bars before his case could go before the parole board. At the time, Gee's barrister, Stuart Lawson-Rogers QC told Liverpool Crown Court that the gangster was 'terrified' an indefinite sentence would mean he would 'never see the light of day again'. The sentence ran at the same time as the seven-and-a-half year sentence he was serving for drugs offences. The Liverpool Echo understands Gee was later transferred to a Category D open prison, from which he has escaped. The Ministry of Justice confirmed yesterday that Gee has absconded from prison. A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'All prisoners in Category D prisons are robustly risk-assessed and absconds are rare. Offenders who break the rules are punished and face extra time behind bars and we are working with the police to recapture this prisoner.' Gee is one of Liverpool's 'Gee brothers' who were known for dominating the Grizedale estate in the mid-2000s. His brother, Darren Gee was jailed for 18 years in 2006 for planning a revenge shooting of a member of a rival crime gang. In 2017, another brother Stephen Gee, was handed a six year and eight month sentence after he robbed an OAP while high on cocaine and his dead brother's anti-psychotic medication. He told Liverpool Crown Court that he had gone off the rails after his brother, Billy Gee, was tragically found hanged in 2016. An abscond is an escape that does not involve overcoming a physical security restraint. According to the Prison and Probation Service, Category D prisons have minimal security and allow eligible prisoners to spend most of their day away from the prison on licence to carry out work, education or for other resettlement purposes. If an offender breaks the rules in an open prison, they are not permitted to return to an open prison for at least two years. In a trial in October 2009, Gee was found guilty of two counts of threats to kill and another two of blackmail. Jurors were unable to agree on the two more serious charges of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition. As his second trial was about to start, Gee, formerly of Maryport Close, Everton, admitted the second charge. But Mr Lawson-Rogers told the court he had been in severe amounts of pain and trauma after Starkeys 'murderous and unprovoked' attack. Sir Keir Starmer today denied veteran leftwinger Diane Abbott had been blocked from standing as an MP amid a major backlash against the Labour leadership. The opposition leader tried to bat away criticism amid reports that the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, had been told she could not run on July 4. Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid an investigation into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April last year. However, it has emerged that the race row probe ended months ago. She had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing. But the situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand. She remained tight-lipped when quizzed by reporters in London. Adding to the sense of chaos, a Labour source questioned whether Ms Abbott was indeed banned - insisting the NEC will not finalise candidate endorsements until Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in the West Midlands this morning, Sir Keir appeared to add tot he confusion, telling broadcasters: 'No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott. 'The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she's a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.' On another bumper day of election news: Junior doctors have announced a five-day strike finishing on July 2 - with Tories branding it 'cynical' just two days before the election; Mr Sunak has revealed he is in touch with Boris Johnson about the election contest; A YouGov poll has suggested Labour 's lead has extended to 27 points; A top think-tank has poured scorn on Labour's plan to slash NHS waiting lists by warning of the 'challenging' public finances the party will face if it wins power. The opposition leader tried to bat away criticism amid reports that the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, had been told she could not run on July 4. Diane Abbott broke over today as Labour struggles to contain a row about her being blocked from standing as a candidate at the election Ms Abbott said she was 'dismayed' at suggestions she will not be able to stand as a Labour candidate In a round of interviews, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting admitted that he was 'not particularly comfortable' with the way Ms Abbott has been treated. He also had a tetchy exchange with Sky News' Kay Burley, suggesting she was spending too much time grilling him on the topic rather than Labour's waiting lists policy. Not being endorsed as a candidate by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee would be enough to end Ms Abbott's 37-year spell as an MP. Ms Abbott told the BBC this morning: 'Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate.' Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency. It is unclear whether this might have been behind the decision, but endorsing anyone other than a Labour candidate in an election risks being a breach of party membership rules. Sir Keir Starmer faced fury from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency Sir Keir is facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott, who was the first female black MP in the House of Commons. John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.' He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful. 'Whoever is responsible for this should hand their head in shame.' Asked during a round of interviews whether he felt 'comfortable about what's happened here', Mr Streeting said: 'No, not particularly.' He told Times Radio: 'I know that Diane had the whip restored and her suspension lifted yesterday. This was following her suspension over remarks that she made, for which she later apologised. So I know at this stage, in terms of decisions about her candidature, as much as has been reported.' He added: 'I think this has gone on for a very long time. But I'm here this morning to talk about the NHS waiting lists and I say this with enormous respect for everything that Diane has achieved in politics.' Asked if Ms Abbott was owed an apology Mr Streeting said: 'Diane rightly apologised for the comments that she made that led to her suspension, as to the process, I think those questions are better directed to people responsible for the process. 'I think it's best that we wait for all other facts to emerge about the decision making in this case, which I've not been involved in, have no responsibility for and I'm here to talk about the seven and a half million people who are on NHS waiting lists.' Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election and is now running as an independent candidate, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses. Mr Corbyn told the PoliticsJoe website: 'Diane has been disgracefully treated by the Labour Party and by, particularly, the individual national officials of the party - all of them.' He added: 'If she's reinstated, good. If not she's got a choice of her own to make. But whatever she does, I'll support her.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: 'Solidarity with Diane, undeniably a trailblazer & a hero of our movement. 'At a time when all our energy should be focussed on throwing the Tories out, this process looks nakedly factional. 'Diane should have the whip restored now so she can stand as Labour's candidate in the GE.' Senior aides to Sir Keir were earlier said to be discussing returning the Labour whip to Ms Abbott before the election, if she does not run as a party candidate, to allow her to leave politics 'with dignity'. The possibility of a ban on Ms Abbott standing for Labour at the general election has sparked a fresh war between Sir Keir's team and the party's left-wing. It also came amid a row over claims Sir Keir is lining up key allies to a string of safe seats after six current Labour MPs announced last-minute retirements. A spokesman for the Momentum group said: 'Restoring the whip only to block Diane would be outrageous. 'Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter. 'Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britain's first black woman MP.' Ms Abbott, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, has been suspended from the party since April last year Ms Abbott issued a public apology to 'wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them' in April last year Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn , who himself was banned for standing for the party at the general election, claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses Ms Abbott issued a swift apology for her remarks in April last year, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience 'prejudice' but are not 'subject to racism'. She was forced to sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons while a probe was launched into her remarks. The BBC reported that Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) wrote to Ms Abbott in December 2023 saying it had concluded its eight-month inquiry. It issued her with a 'formal warning' for 'engaging in conduct that was in the opinion of the NEC, prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party', it was claimed. The NEC also reportedly said it expected Ms Abbott to undertake an 'online, e-learning module', described as an 'antisemitism awareness course', which she is said to have completed in February. Sir Keir last week refused to be drawn on whether Ms Abbott would be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington. 'The NEC will be coming to decisions on the final list of candidates in due course, so you'll see that when the decisions are taken,' the Labour leader said on Saturday. Labour told BBC Newsnight that it does not comment on disciplinary cases. Sir Keir told reporters on a general election campaign visit to Stevenage this afternoon: 'Well, the process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact finding exercise. 'But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee, and they will do that in due course.' The revelation that the probe into Ms Abbott had actually concluded months ago sparked intense anger on Labour's left-wing. A Momentum spokesman said: 'This is outrageous news which confirms the Starmer leadership is trying to force Britain's first black woman MP out of Parliament. 'For months we have been told by Keir Starmer that the process is independent and it's nothing to do with him. 'Today's revelation confirms this is another brazen lie from Keir Starmer - the investigation was concluded months ago, Diane remains a Labour member and the whip should already have been restored as a result. 'Starmer's conduct has already been insulting and demeaning to a woman he rightly called a 'trailblazer' - the first step to making amends is to restore the whip and let Diane run as the Labour candidate, as local members wish.' Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that key allies of Sir Keir are expected to be lined up as candidates in a string of safe seats. There has been a last-minute spate of Labour MPs announcing they will stand down from the Commons ahead of the 4 July general election. They include Barbara Keeley, John Cryer, John Spellar, Virendra Sharma, Kevin Brennan and Julie Elliott. Senior Labour figures close to Sir Keir - including NEC members - are tipped to chosen as candidates in the now-vacant seats. The family of British ballet dancer who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a cookie containing peanuts has sued the 'deplorable' supermarket that sold them to her for 'gross negligence'. Orla Baxendale, 25, originally from Helmshore, East Lancashire, but based in New York City, went into anaphylactic shock and died on January 11 after consuming vanilla Florentine cookies that contained peanuts. The cookies, which were purchased from a Stew Leonard's store in Connecticut, were subsequently recalled due to the packaging not having a peanut allergy warning. Her family, in a lawsuit filed last Thursday, has now accused the grocer and manufacturer Cookies United of being 'careless and negligent' in causing Baxendale's death. Both companies are named in the lawsuit, along with several Stew Leonard's employees. Orla Baxendale, 25, (pictured) originally from Helmshore, East Lancashire, but based in New York City , went into anaphylactic shock and died on January 11 after consuming vanilla Florentine cookies that contained peanuts Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, had moved to New York City from England to pursue a career as a dancer and was in 'the prime of her life,' according to the lawsuit filed Thursday at the Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, had moved to New York City from England to pursue a career as a dancer and was in 'the prime of her life,' according to the lawsuit filed Thursday at the Superior Court in Waterbury. The complaint, reviewed by DailyMail.com, states that Baxendale had a known severe peanut allergy and she, 'like all consumers, relied upon the manufacturer and seller to properly label the package sold to the general public'. However, the cookies she consumed 'contained, among other things, undeclared peanuts and other known allergens', despite not being labelled as so, according to the complaint. The suit alleges that Cookies United failed to properly label that the Florentine cookies contained peanuts prior to distribution. According to the suit, eleven Stew Leonard's employees were 'notified by email' of the change in ingredients, including the 'addition of peanuts to the cookie recipe in July 2023, approximately six months before Baxendale's death. The manufacturer then sent 'bulk packaging' that contained a label indicating the cookies contained allergens including peanuts in October that year. The complaint alleges the cookies, (pictured) which were purchased from a Stew Leonard's store in Connecticut, 'contained, among other things, undeclared peanuts and other known allergens', despite not being labelled as so The cookies were produced by the Long Island-based wholesaler Cookies United and labeled with the Stew Leonard's brand name. They were stores in Danbury and Newington in Connecticut late last year However, Baxendale consumed a cookie that had not been properly labelled to indicate the ingredient change in January 2024. She went into anaphylactic shock and an EpiPen was administered, but 'due to the severity of her allergy, it was not effective', family attorney Marijo C. Adime said in a statement at the time. The suit accuses Stew Leonard's of ignoring alerts from the manufacturer and alleges the store did not update product labels once it received notice of a change of ingredients. 'The failure to properly label the package prior to the distribution and sale of the Florentine Cookie(s) was grossly negligent, intentional, reckless, callous, indifferent to human life, and a wanton violation as the manufacturer and seller were required under the law to properly declare the ingredients,' the lawsuit reads. It further alleges that the systems that Stew Leonard's has in place to maintain and update labels are 'broken, unreliable, inherently dangerous, undependable, untrustworthy, erratic, and deplorable'. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages. DailyMail.com has approached Stew Leonard's and Cookies United for comment. A spokesperson for Stew Leonard's told The Associated Press on Friday that they could not comment on pending litigation. The dancer's family, in a lawsuit filed last Thursday, has now accused the grocer and cookie manufacturer Cookies United of being 'careless and negligent' in causing Baxendale's death. Pictured: Orla Baxendale The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages. Pictured: Orla Baxendale The cookies were produced by the Long Island-based wholesaler Cookies United and labeled with the Stew Leonard's brand name. They were stores in Danbury and Newington in Connecticut late last year. Stew Leonard Jr., the retailer's president and CEO, said statement released in January that the supplier went from soy nuts to peanuts in the recipe without notifying their chief safety officer. Cookies United had said they notified Stew Leonard's last July that the product contained peanuts and that all products shipped to the retailer had been labeled accordingly. The manufacturer, at the time, also claimed the incorrect label had been created by Stew Leonard's. Peanuts and eggs are among nine major food allergens identified in federal law that requires such ingredients to be listed on food packaging. The Mail has obtained a sensational, never-before-seen Scotland Yard report from almost 50 years ago that finally reveals the definitive account of the Lord Lucan mystery. The newly discovered, previously confidential 60-page document chronicles in astonishing detail the Crown's case against the missing peer, suspected of bludgeoning his children's nanny Sandra Rivett to death with a lead pipe and then trying to kill his estranged wife in one of Britain's most notorious crime cases. It also lays bare how his powerful friends threw up a wall of silence to protect him. It will be the basis for a world-exclusive, week-long Mail true crime podcast event, The Trial of Lord Lucan, which begins today and then will run from Monday June 3 to Friday June 7, with a new episode every day. The podcast unpicks in forensic detail the truth about the case with an unmissable twist for true crime fans which turns YOU into the jury. It has been almost 50 years since British aristocrat Lord Lucan, 39, vanished without a trace The Earl disappeared after his children's nanny Sandra Rivett was murdered in the family home The Trial of Lord Lucan: follow The Mail's brand new podcast wherever you get your podcasts In the podcast, two real-life eminent barristers will stage a mock trial and argue whether Lord Lucan was innocent or guilty using the bombshell dossier, witness interviews, letters, and other evidence - before listeners are asked to act as jurors and vote on Mail Online to decide if the peer is innocent or guilty. The first episode is available now, click here to listen. The Lord Lucan riddle is one of the world's most enduring crime mysteries a high-society scandal which captivates new generations amid claims the Earl was spirited out of the UK by his loyal associates in the Establishment. It will be 50 years this November since the 39-year-old British aristocrat vanished without trace within hours of the murder of Mrs Rivett, 29, and the near-fatal assault on his wife Veronica, who blamed her Eton-educated husband for both attacks. Police have long believed that Lucan killed mother-of-two Mrs Rivett in the basement kitchen of his family's home in Belgravia, central London, after mistaking her for his estranged wife. That he has never been seen since the night of the murder has only added to the legend of the case. Over the years there have been fanciful claims he spent his last days as an ageing hippy called Jungly Barry in Goa, that he lived in an old Land Rover with a pet possum in New Zealand, and more recently it was suggested he was living as a Buddhist in Australia. It has even been claimed he was fed to a tiger. The Lucan Report is the most comprehensive account ever of the Scotland Yard case on the 1974 murder. It had been gathering dust for nearly half a century before being obtained by the Mail. This newspaper has spent months investigating new leads and witnesses referred to in the extraordinary document. It unmasks a key witness who had a crush on Lucan and didn't tell the police the 'whole truth', details how the earl spent weeks plotting to murder his wife and creating an alibi for himself, and exposes a scheme to smear the murdered woman's reputation at any trial. As the 50th anniversary of the case approaches, other key revelations in the police report, at times written in colourful language acceptable in the 1970s, include: Weeks before the Rivett murder, debt-ridden Lucan told a close friend he was considering dumping his wife in the Solent strait as nobody would find her there. Lucan's other friends in the 'International Socialite Set' were reluctant to assist detectives. The earl had 'many wealthy friends' around the world prepared to 'assist' or 'harbour him'. Private investigators were hired by Lucan's friends to dig up dirt on Mrs Rivett and had lined up a barrister to represent him at any trial. Police spent months delving into Mrs Rivett's background, amid fears she would be falsely accused of being a 'lesbian, a prostitute or at the very least a woman of loose morals'. Lucan's friends also tried to smear Lady Lucan, by depicting her as insane but police concluded that although 'highly strung' she was a truthful witness. The peer's proposed use of listening devices to spy on his wife at their family home. A detailed breakdown of Lucan's dire finances and huge loans he had received from friends in the run-up to the murder and attempted murder. How key evidence was contaminated by police, who did not secure the crime scene. Why the Met concluded that Lucan was the 'author' of the crimes. Lord Lucan's wife Veronica Mary Duncan suffered a near-fatal assault on the same night Lady Lucan with Frances and George, two of the three children she had with her husband Titled 'Regina v the VII Earl of Lucan', the report was written by Detective Chief Superintendent Roy Ranson and sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in March 1975, in preparation for a murder trial that ultimately never happened because the peer - described as a 'typical Edwardian aristocrat both in manner and dress' - was never found. Who was Lord Lucan? Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, was not your archetypal murder suspect. An Old Etonian from a well-known aristocratic family, he developed a taste for the high life after finishing National Service in 1955. He raced power boats, drove an Aston Martin and flamboyantly left his job in a merchant bank to become a professional gambler. But as his losses mounted in the gambling clubs of Mayfair and Belgravia, the playboy peer a father-of-three found himself mired in debt and his marriage doomed. It was against this background of deepening financial and domestic strife that the handsome 39-year-old is alleged to murdered his children's nanny Sandra Rivett, mistaking her for his estranged wife, who he also allegedly attacked on November 7, 1974 before going on the run. The Rivett murder - at the Lucan family's home in central London came to light after Lady Lucan ran to the local pub, the Plumbers Arms, collapsed on the floor and screamed: 'He's murdered the nanny and he's after the children.' Mrs Rivett's body was found in a canvas US mailbag in the basement of the five-storey house at 146 Lower Belgrave Street. But Lucan was nowhere to be seen. Although he rang his mother later that evening, and turned up at the address of a family friend in Sussex where he had a whiskey and water and spent less than two hours - there have been no confirmed sightings of him since. The cause of Mrs Rivett's death was 'blunt head injuries'. Police concluded that the lead piping found at the murder scene probably caused her injuries. Lady Lucan had five lacerations of the skull and forehead. They were deep and jagged and if she had received these wounds to the rear of her head, they may have been fatal. She also had lacerations on the inside of her mouth. By any standards, it was a brutal murder and could easily have been a double killing. An inquest into the death of Mrs Rivett was held in 1975. In his absence, the jury returned the verdict: 'Murder by Lord Lucan.' In the five decades since, there have been dozens of supposed sightings of him in various locations in the UK and around the world - all documented in statement form and followed up by the Met. Yet Lucan has never been found and still remains wanted for murder. Officially the case remains 'open', but plans for a full-scale new investigation were blocked in 2004 by senior Yard commanders, who questioned what it would achieve and at what cost. If still alive, he would be 89. Advertisement Written like a thriller, it would have formed the basis of the Crown's case against Lucan and gives a gripping, forensic account of the countdown to the murder, his increasingly erratic behaviour, as well as the frustrating first months of the police investigation when detectives were thwarted by his loyal friends. In the coming days, the Mail will print an edited version of the 15,000-word report ahead of a major series of articles and the accompanying ground-breaking podcast series on the case. Barrister Max Hardy, who is acting as 'prosecutor' in our mock trial, said of the Scotland Yard report: 'It enables the reader to understand to a very, very significant extent what the case against Lucan was and what it would have been had he been put on trial. 'One felt history in one's hand when reading through it.' Edward Henry KC, who is 'defending' Lucan in the Mail's podcast series, added: 'It is a magnificent piece of police analysis and prose. 'It reveals a person who has a real gift for the telling phrase and an ability to weigh evidence. 'As a historical document, it is truly fascinating.' There have been no confirmed sightings of gambling addict Lucan, nicknamed 'Lucky', since a few hours after the Rivett murder. His blood-smeared, borrowed Ford Corsair was found dumped in Newhaven, East Sussex, days after he fled. Several ex-senior detectives remain convinced he did not jump to his death in the sea, as many have speculated. There have been repeated claims that the so-called 'Clermont Set' of rich gambling friends of the playboy father-of-three - including zoo owner John Aspinall and tycoon James Goldsmith - helped him escape for a new life abroad, possibly in southern Africa. In his report, DCS Ranson wrote: 'No difficulty has been experienced when dealing with witnesses connected with Sandra Rivett. However, the same cannot be said for other persons encountered who, in the main, are members of the International Socialite Set and friends or acquaintances of Lord and Lady Lucan ... [while] not outwardly obstructive, they have been reluctant to assist police.' Of Susan Maxwell-Scott, a close friend of Lucan who was the last confirmed person to see him alive, he is scathing. The fugitive turned up at her home in Sussex on the night of the murder but the mother-of-six, a barrister who went to finishing school in Paris, did not alert police. 'In my investigation, I have been led to believe Mrs Maxwell-Scott had an infatuation for Lord Lucan and this may well be the reason for her reluctance in telling the whole truth,' he added. DCS Ranson also referred to a statement made by Lucan's close friend, Greville (now Lord) Howard. 'Sometime in 1974 he (Howard) was having a drink with Lord Lucan, when his (Lord Lucan's) financial affairs were being discussed,' wrote the detective. 'Lord Lucan said how much easier it would be to get rid of his wife and [how] one could dump the body in the Solent, and nobody would ever find it. When rebuked by Mr Howard, he replied: 'I wouldn't be caught.' The senior officer details the evidence supporting 'the theory of premeditation' in the case. 'There is no doubt that there was a certain hatred between the couple, whereby Lord Lucan had a fixation his children were not being brought up according to his wishes, by a woman who, although a Countess by marriage, was not a member of the aristocracy.' He added: 'It is anticipated that at any subsequent trial and/or inquest, the character of the dead girl will be attacked, and it may be suggested she is a lesbian, a prostitute or at the very least a woman of loose morals. 'This fact has become widely known and during my interviews with his (Lucan's) close friends, they are of an opinion the murder could have been committed by a jealous boyfriend or associate of the deceased. Therefore, enquiries have been made with the assistance of the dead girl's diaries and address book, to trace all male and female friends for rebuttal purposes.' Asking that his report go to the DPP, he said: 'From my investigation into these crimes, I submit that there is clear evidence that Lord Lucan is the author.' Lucan was declared legally dead in 1999. In 2016, a death certificate was issued allowing his titles to be inherited by his son George. If still alive, he would be 89 years old. In 2003 Lady Lucan - who died in 2017 - said it was unlikely her husband's fate would ever be known. Lucan's son George, the 8th Earl of Lucan, has declined to comment. The Met said: '[The] inquiry into the death of Sandra Rivett remains open, as is the case with all unsolved murders. It has never been closed. Any significant new information will be considered'. READ THE BOMBSHELL LUCAN REPORT ON MAIL ONLINE TOMORROW MORNING The Plumbers Arms, where Lady Lucan ran to after finding Sandra Rivett dead in her house Susan Maxwell-Scott with her husband William. She was the last person to see Lord Lucan alive NOW LISTEN TO THE TRIAL OF LORD LUCAN PODCAST In a world-exclusive true crime podcast event, The Mail brings you The Trial Of Lord Lucan. In episodes released daily from Monday 3 June to Friday 7 June, two real-life eminent barristers will argue whether Lord Lucan was innocent or guilty using the bombshell new document and unheard-of evidence in an unmissable twist on courtroom drama. Follow the highs and lows of the case in forensic detail in the podcast, and then on Friday 7 we'll ask YOU to act as a jury here on Mail Online in a fascinating public vote. So will you clear Lucan... or not? Listen to the podcast and decide for yourself. Listen to the podcast everywhere you usually get your podcasts. A top Wyoming doctor has been kicked off the state's board of medicine after he publicly backed a ban on transgender surgeries for children. Dr Eric Cubin, the son of a former congresswoman and leading radiologist in the city of Casper, was booted from the board by Republican Governor Mark Gordon last month after he urged state lawmakers to back the ban. The move was triggered by an email the doctor sent to all 62 members of the Wyoming legislature in February, where he lobbied for them to support the Children Gender Change Prohibition bill. The legislation bans Wyoming physicians from proving transgender surgeries and treatments for minors, and would allow the board of medicine to revoke a doctor's license if they offer 'gender affirming care' to children. Although the bill was ultimately approved and signed by Gordon weeks after Cubin's email, the governor forced his resignation in April because his public remarks could cause a conflict of interest as a member of the board. Dr Eric Cubin, the son of a former congresswoman and leading radiologist in the city of Casper, Wyoming, was removed from the state medical board over his outspoken opposition to transgender surgeries and treatments for minors The issue of providing transgender care for minors has become a hot button issue in recent years, with experts warning they may cause irreversible effects and former patients saying they were pushed into significant care at too young an age The bill that Cubin was lobbying for was commonly known as 'Chloe's Law', after transgender activist Chloe Cole, who spoke out about the painful de-transitioning process she endured. Cole said she was pushed into taking puberty blockers and undergoing surgeries from the age of 13, an age she argued was too young to be making 'irreversible' decisions. But Cubin's support for a bill preventing such decisions in Wyoming was cited by Gov. Gordon, a Republican, in a letter obtained by Cowboy State Daily, which specifically called out his public display of support in the email to lawmakers. The radiologist countered that he was removed for standing up for what he believes in, and claims to have polled 27 Casper physicians, finding the majority agreed with banning transgender surgeries for minors. 'At the end of the day, I stood up for my principles, I stood up for whats right, and I stood up for the children in the state of Wyoming,' he told Cowboy State Daily. 'Because I did that, I was removed from the board.' He insisted to the outlet that his anti-transgender surgery views focus entirely on care for minors, and argues that such treatments on children have not been fully tested for safety. Gordon has angered some conservatives with his moderate stances while governor, and when he signed the bill into law, he argued 'the government is straying into the personal affairs of families.' Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon kicked Cubin off the state medical board because of his email to lawmakers, arguing that he could potentially trigger a conflict of interest Cubin is a leading radiologist and is employed at the Casper Medical Imaging and Outpatient Radiology Clinic (pictured) in Casper, Wyoming Cubin, the son of former Wyoming congresswoman Barbara Cubin, also reportedly shared emails speculating that transgenderism may be triggered by social trends and could be the result of mental illness. 'The evidence and medical data on gender affirming care is all over the board,' Cubin reportedly wrote in one email. 'Unfortunately, much of the data on both sides is politically charged and it is difficult to decipher exactly what is true and what is not true.' In Gordon's letter firing Cubin from the board, he reportedly maintained the top doctor's right to free speech, but felt his outspoken support could cause a conflict of interest when deciding cases of other physicians. Gordon argued that Wyoming doctors licensed by the board could have 'a reason to be concerned that you might use your position to advocate for a particular position' when faced with questioning. 'Medical professionals should be confident that their licensure, which is their livelihood, will be handled professionally and clinically examined on merits alone,' Gordon wrote. 'Even the appearance of bias can be disquieting as well as erode confidence in the boards presumed impartiality.' The bill that Cubin was lobbying for was commonly known as 'Chloe's Law', after transgender activist Chloe Cole, who spoke out about the painful de-transitioning process she endured Gordon also expressed concern that Cubin's letter could be perceived as representing the entire medical board, despite Cubin's email to lawmakers making no mention of his membership on the board. Cubin countered that he would have respected the law and remained impartial if he remained on the board, particularly because the legislature approved the transgender ban that he lobbied for. 'Anyone who continues to provide these services in violation of the law is putting their licensure at risk,' he said. 'Theres no conflict of interest because Id be enforcing the law.' The Diocese of Fresno, California has announced that it will file for bankruptcy as it faces at least 154 claims from alleged victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy members. The diocese explained that the first few court cases or settlements would likely wipe out the religious organization's entire reserves. Diocese leadership says that filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy will instead ensure that its creditors and victims are 'compensated fairly and equitably.' But victims of sexual abuse and their advocates say their move is a disappointing one that will likely tie the process up in court for years before any victim sees any form of settlement. According to the diocese, a creditors' committee will represent victims of sexual abuse, and a fund will be established for the distribution of settlements to its victims. On Tuesday, the Fresno Diocese announced it will file for bankruptcy in August as it confronts the enormous number of sexual assault complaints pending against it Advocates, however, from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests called the plan 'morally bankrupt.' 'I think it's an indication of their moral bankruptcy, not their financial bankruptcy,' Melanie Sakoda told ABC7. Dorothy Small, a member of the survivors network and herself a survivor of such abuse, said the plan 'feels like a double betrayal because during the three year period of the open window they were planning on getting justice through litigation.' People like Sakoda and Small hope the diocese will reconsider the filing and opt instead to work directly with victims and their representation to reach appropriate settlements. In a video posted to the Diocese's YouTube page, Father Joseph Brennan announced their intention to file for Chapter 11. In the four-and-a-half minute video, Brennan said the church's 'pledge to protect our youth is an ongoing effort.' Brennan said that filing for bankruptcy will allow his Diocese to 'address the substantial number of claims brought forth by the victims collectively.' It will also allow the organization to address them 'honestly, compassionately, and equitably,' he said. Brennan also noted that the bankruptcy filing will also allow the Diocese's schools, parishes, and charitable organizations to continue operating, 'since the only entity filing for bankruptcy protection is the corporate soul known legally as the Roman Catholic bishop of Fresno.' Advocates from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests say they are disappointed with the Diocese's decision to file for bankruptcy because it will likely stall the process in the courts for years. Pictured here are advocates Melanie Sakoda (L) and Dorothy Smalls (R) For the last several years, the Fresno Diocese has been contending with its alleged, lengthy history of sexual abuse committed by its clergy members against children In 2021, the Fresno diocese finished a lengthy investigation into claims of sexual assault involving its clergy members and published a list of those against whom credible claims had been made. The diocese, which serves over 2million Catholics in the central part of the San Joaquin Valley, says it will officially file in August. California state law recently opened up a three-year window for individuals to bring forward claims of sexual abuse suffered as a child that would otherwise be rejected by the courts due to the expiration of the claims. Since the end of 2022, Brennan says his Diocese has been informed of 154 cases of child abuse being brought against it. A Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the 'Bad Breath Rapist' has finally been caught at a multi-million dollar home in California - with a new girlfriend who was completely oblivious to his alleged horrific past. Tuen Kit Lee, 55, broke into a co-worker's home and raped her at knifepoint on February 2, 2005. He allegedly fled his trial in September 2007 before jurors returned the conviction, and he has been living a life of luxury in the Golden State ever since. But cops snared the longtime fugitive on Tuesday after images of him surfaced on social media and detectives traced him to a lavish home in Diablo, a tiny town 20 miles east of the Bay Area. He was spotted leaving the residence with a girlfriend who he has been living with for the last 15 years, according to Massachusetts State Police. 'His female companion never knew who he really was,' the department said. Tuen Kit Lee (pictured in his 2005 mugshot) broke into a co-worker's home and raped her on February 2, 2005. He fled his trial before jurors returned the conviction, and he has been living a life of luxury in the Golden State ever since Lee gained notoriety after he was identified through DNA and what Massachusetts SP called 'his horrible breath.' He was charged with rape and home invasion, and his case went to trial at Norfolk Superior Court. Jurors found him guilty after two days of deliberations - but by this point, Lee had already fled the state, police claim. Despite state police and Quincy PD detectives putting 'hundreds of hours into attempting to locate Lee' according to officials, the case eventually went cold. But earlier this year, cops said 'new information broke the case wide open' after an image of Lee surfaced on social media and detectives traced him to the Diablo home. Detectives found out that the residence was owned by a female flower shop owner - Lee's girlfriend. A Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the 'Bad Breath Rapist' has finally been caught at a multi-million dollar home in California - with a new girlfriend who was completely oblivious to his horrific past Lee gained notoriety after he was identified through DNA and what Massachusetts SP called 'his horrible breath' Pictured: Lee in court ahead of his conviction for the February 2005 rape On Tuesday, state police from Massachusetts and California combined forces to watch over the residence, and they observed 'a male and female leave and enter a vehicle'. Local Danville Police pulled their car aside. Lee initially gave a fake name, but under questioning by officers he confessed his true identity, which was confirmed through fingerprints. He was transported to Danville PD for booking and will be held pending his rendition to Massachusetts. 'There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions,' said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force commander. 'Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family.' Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething will face a Senedd vote of no confidence in his leadership next week amid a furious backlash over a Labour leadership campaign donation. The Welsh Conservatives tabled the motion for June 5 following the collapse of the co-operation deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru, and a series of rows involving Mr Gething. Concerns have been raised after Mr Gething accepted a 200,000 donation from businessman David Neal, a convicted polluter who dumped waste on a conservation site. Mr Gething has also refused to show any evidence to justify sacking Labour Senedd member Hannah Blythyn from his government, after he accused her of leaking messages to the media. It came as UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer endorsed his Welsh counterpart. He said Mr Gething was doing a 'good job' and said he would be joining him on the election campaign trail. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said: 'Next week Senedd members will have the chance to have their say on Vaughan Gething's judgment, his transparency, and his truthfulness. The Welsh Conservatives tabled the motion for June 5 following the collapse of the co-operation deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru, and a series of rows involving Mr Gething. It came as UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer endorsed his Welsh counterpart. He said Mr Gething was doing a 'good job' and said he would be joining him on the election campaign trail. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said: 'Next week Senedd members will have the chance to have their say on Vaughan Gething's judgment, his transparency, and his truthfulness.' 'The litany of unanswered questions has paralysed the Welsh Government to the point that Gething has been completely unable to take action to address record NHS waiting lists, sliding educational attainment and high economic inactivity. 'It's time to put an end to the obfuscation, the drift and the infighting and vote no confidence in Vaughan Gething.' Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth blamed a failure to implement parts of their co-operation deal and concerns over the donations when he pulled out of the government, wiping out the Welsh Labour majority. There are questions over whether the no-confidence vote will pass, as Labour holds half the seats in the 60-seat Senedd. In the event of a tie the presiding officer is obliged to cast a deciding vote in favour of the status quo. Sir Keir Starmer gave his backing to Mr Gething as he campaigned in the West Midlands today. He told reporters in Worcester: 'He is doing a good job, he was elected in and I'm looking forward to being with him in this campaign where we will campaign together for, what I hope will be, the next Labour government.' The Welsh First Minister has already received support from deputy national leader Angela Rayner, who campaigned with him in Llandudno last week. More than 800 residents multiple communities outside Los Angeles are suing Chiquita Canyon Landfill for allegedly releasing toxic fumes that have been poisoning and sickening locals throughout 2023. The multimillion dollar lawsuit claims that homeowners in Castaic, Santa Clarita and Val Verde have come down with serious health issues as a result of the emissions, including respiratory symptoms, headaches, nausea and more. Residents from these towns surrounding the landfill said during a hearing in January 2024 that 'they have become prisoners trapped in their homes to avoid exposure' to the tainted, foul-smelling air, according to the May 21 suit. An anonymous plaintiff who lives in Castaic said her eight-year-old daughter is constantly nauseous, KTLA reported. 'She has to walk around the house with a bucket or a bag,' the mother said. 'So whatever she can reach out to first, if she's going to vomit, is what she's going to use.' Pictured: The 639-acre landfill that regulators and plaintiffs say is causing toxic fumes to blanket surrounding communities Residents of towns near the landfill, including people from Castaic, show up to protest, with some demanding that the dump be shut down The lawsuit adds that other children from schools neighboring the landfill 'are unable to enjoy their adolescent years...and have the potential to increase their risk of developing cancer.' The 639-acre landfill, owned by Chiquita Canyon LLC, has gotten attention from local, state and federal agencies for the possible contaminants it's releasing into the air and into water. According to the EPA, the problems with the landfill, which has been around since 1972, began in May 2022 when 'a significant subsurface oxidation event' began growing. This oxidation event, its cause unknown, can change the composition of landfill gas so it has more 'carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organics,' the EPA said. This is what's causing the increase in odors, and the EPA noted that residents who live around the landfill filed almost 6,800 odor complaints in 2023. Jackie Kruger is the principal attorney representing the Castaic residents and described the smell as 'disgusting.' 'It just overcomes you,' Kruger said to KTLA. 'It just feels like you're inhaling just something disgusting. Jackie Kruger says the odors are 'disgusting' and that if the fumes are continually released, she believes that people will come down with cancers and anemias This graphic shows the claimed radius of how far the toxic fumes go. It stretches as far as Castaic in the north and as far as Santa Clarita in the east Beyond the potentially poisonous gases being released, EPA officials and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control found elevated levels of the carcinogen benzene in the landfill's leachate, which is rainwater or other liquid produced by waste. The lawsuit claims that inspectors from the California's South Coast Air Quality Management District observed leachate 'shooting into the air like a geyser.' Benzene can be harmful to humans in drinking water or through air consumption, and according to the Los Angeles Regional Water Board, Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been disposing of around 2 to 4 million gallons of contaminated water per month for much of 2023. 'Long-term, if this continues, all kinds of blood-borne problems [can occur] including cancers, leukemias and anemias significant issues,' Kruger said. Chiquita Canyon only acknowledged the gas and water leaks in late 2023, the lawsuit claimed, but has allegedly knew about the hazardous spills since mid-2022 when the oxidation event first occurred. The affected area is a roughly seven-mile radius around the landfill, and as such, a collection of California health agencies issued a summary of violations in February to the landfill for what they call 'the threatened illegal discharge of hazardous waste.' Also in February, the EPA called the landfill an 'imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities.' In the meantime, residents still have to deal with the terrible smells and the illnesses that come along with the chemicals in the air. They have been staging protests to demand officials take further action. 'It's pretty sad that we have to be locked in and we're not able to get fresh air,' the Castaic mother told KTLA. 'We don't go into our backyard whatsoever.' In the wider community, outdoor activities like gardening and hiking have been halted due to the gas, according to the suit. Kruger said that multiple things need to happen, with the first being to shut the landfill down and stop putting Los Angeles County's trash there. Kruger's firm also wants Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the area to fast-track relief efforts. Finally, her firm is also suing the defendants to pay for 'medical monitoring' for her clients, who she says have the potential to develop long-term health issues from the air they're breathing. DailyMail.com has reached out to Governor Newsom and the Chiquita Canyon LLC for comment. A viral video providing a step-by-step tutorial on how to sneak into a popular California theme park has attracted the attention of authorities. On May 20, two teens filmed themselves scaling a wall at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Vista and strolling into the park. The clip was uploaded to video-sharing platform TikTok and has since racked up more than 1 million views. In a statement, a representative said the theme park was aware of the incident and was actively working with police to bring the trespassers to justice. 'Safety is always our top priority,' the statement read, in part. 'This behavior will not be tolerated, and anyone found trespassing on Knotts property is subject to arrest and may be permanently barred from the park. Knott's Berry Farm has released a statement after two teens filmed themselves sneaking into the park on May 20 The video was posted to a TikTok account with the handle @shawty_grandmaa. It shows two teens scaling a wall, strolling into the park and proceeding to go on rides 'We contacted Buena Park Police Department and provided images of these two individuals as well as our security teams and will continue to review measures to protect the park and work with local authorities on these situations.' Knott's Berry Farm is the oldest theme park in the United States, spanning 57 acres and attracting more than 5 million visitors each year. The trespassers were able to avoid paying the daily admission fee, which starts at around $60. To add insult to injury, this was not their first stunt - and they have been sharing their antics online with more than 19,000 social media followers. A look at their TikTok account shows a history of alleged trespassing dating back to at least summer 2023. In February, they drew the attention of law enforcement when they snuck into the Intuit Dome, the Clippers' new arena in Inglewood, which remains under construction. The resulting video showed them mounting ladders, shooting hoops and spraying a fire extinguisher on the court. The incident was only the teens' latest stunt, as the pair have filmed themselves trespassing at arenas and music festivals throughout the state. A look at their TikTok account shows a history of trespassing dating back to at least summer 2023 A representative of the park said they were working with the Buena Park Police Department and reviewing internal safety policies The now-viral clip has garnered over 1 million views on TikTok. Pictured: the teens ride the Supreme Scream at Knott's Berry Farm At the time, Inglewood mayor James E. Butts said authorities believed they knew the teens identities and planned to contact their parents. Trespassing is usually prosecuted as a misdemeanor in California, and a conviction carries a sentence of up to six months behind bars. But this hasn't deterred the teens. Since February, they have snuck onto rooftops and hopped a fence to get into Rolling Loud, a music festival where tickets start at around $300. Before attracting the attention of authorities, they also filmed themselves trespassing at Dodger and SoFi stadiums and another music festival called Hard Summer. It is unclear if they have faced charges for their past stunts or if any have been levied against them in connection to the latest incident. Sergeant Jon Shaddow with Buena Park PD told DailyMail.com that the department will be releasing a statement at a later date. Sean 'Diddy' Combs is facing criminal charges as a grand jury has been selected to hear evidence against him in a federal probe. The DOJ is gearing up to bring a criminal indictment against him as his accusers have been told they could be brought to testify in New York City, CNN reports. The rapper and producer has been named in eight lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and human trafficking. The potential witnesses have not yet been prepped to testify for the prosecution, as Homeland Security investigators are still reportedly gathering evidence in the case. A source told CNN that detectives want their indictment against Diddy to be 'bulletproof.' Sean ' Diddy ' Combs is facing criminal charges as a grand jury has been selected to hear evidence against him in a federal probe The indictment would not be related to Diddy's filmed assault of his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Combs in November over what she said was years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, including beatings and rape. The suit said he plied her with drugs, forced her to have sex with other men, and raped her in her home as she was trying to end the relationship in 2018. Diddy, through his attorney, 'vehemently denies' the accusations. The legal challenge by Cassie was settled the next day, but spurred intense scrutiny of Diddy, with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami. The indictment would not be related to Diddy's filmed assault of his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016 Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura attend the premiere of 'The Perfect Match' in Hollywood, California. Two days earlier Combs assaulted Ventura in a hotel hallway Combs' sons, Justin and Christian 'King' Combs, were handcuffed during the raid at their father's residence in Los Angeles. Two more women accused Diddy of sexual abuse in lawsuits filed on the eve of the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act last November, a New York law permitting victims of sexual abuse a one-year window to file civil action regardless of the statute of limitations. The lawsuits, filed by Joi Dickerson and another woman who was not named, allege acts of sexual assault, beatings and forced drugging in the early 1990s by Combs, then a talent director, party promoter and rising figure in New York City's hip-hop community. The mother of two of Diddy's sons, Misa Hylton, shared footage of the raid in the rapper's Los Angeles mansion, calling it an 'overtly militarized force' Armed agents entered luxury properties on both East and West Coasts of the United States Law enforcement were removing boxes of evidence and a laptop from Diddy's Star Island mansion in Miami Beach In December, another woman alleged in a lawsuit that in 2003 when she was 17, Diddy and two other men raped her. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan says she was living in a Detroit suburb and was flown to a New York studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol that made her incapable of consenting to sex, and the men took turns raping her. The same day, Diddy posted a statement on Instagram broadly denying all the allegations in the mounting series of lawsuits. 'I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,' the post says. 'I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.' Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 54, was pictured smoking a cigarette in his native Miami after breaking his silence after shocking video of him beating up his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura surfaced this week In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Diddy coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. The lawsuit gives a long list of potentially illegal activities dealing with drugs and sex that the producer says he witnessed. A lawyer for the rapper called the allegations 'pure fiction.' The rapper is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he built one of hip-hop's biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112. This video is no longer available This video is no longer available Cafe owners who were slammed online after a customer was charged to have his muffin warmed up have claimed the $1 fee was a mistake. The controversy was sparked when customer Peter Williams posted a review of the Leaf and Vine cafe, in Melbourne's east, criticising the business for applying the charge to his bill. The review went viral and led to a flurry of nasty messages being sent to the cafe's owners Bec and Pete Murray. They've hit back at the claims made by the customer and said an employee training as a cashier made a simple mistake. Both owners owned up to the mistake but claimed Mr Williams never reached out to try to rectify the situation. Owners of East Melbourne cafe Leaf and Vine, Bec and Pete Murray (pictured), have hit back at claims they charge $1 to warm up muffins Mr Williams said in the review that he only noticed the extra $1 charge on his receipt after leaving the cafe. '[It] just left a real bitter taste in my mouth,' he told his followers on Facebook, adding that he 'wasn't in a space or position to argue for it'. Poll Whose side are you on? The customer The cafe Whose side are you on? The customer 560 votes The cafe 320 votes Now share your opinion The Murrays, who have owned the cafe for more than a decade, instead chalked the $1 charge to a rookie cashier and a register with too many options. 'It was a mistake made by someone who was in training,' Mrs Murray told A Current Affair. She assured customers that they 'don't charge to heat up a muffin'. 'We never will and we never have,' she said, They also took their portion of the blame, saying there is 'at least 2,000 options on the register' that add or deduct different costs. 'Those 2,000 items don't always work to plan, in this instance this one had a surcharge attached to it but it shouldn't have,' Mrs Murray said. A customer posted a review of the cafe claiming he was charged to have a warmer muffin (pictured), as well as a picture of his receipt The cafe owners have instead claimed they never have nor will ever charge to warm up muffins and that a rookie cashier confused by the over 2,000 options on the register was to blame They claimed that Mr Williams would have had his 'whole bill' refunded if he'd returned to the cafe and showed them the surcharge. Mrs Murray added that she was disappointed in Mr Williams not getting back to her when she messaged him to clear the air. 'He took six hours to reply to me after watching the plethora of a snow storm of comments on social media damning us,' she said. Mr Williams' video received more than 870 comments and more than 1,000 reactions before he deleted it. The cafe offered free muffins on Tuesday to help quell the rage on social media. Former President Donald Trump clapped back at Robert De Niro after the actor appeared Tuesday outside of the ex-president's hush money trial as a representative for the Biden campaign. De Niro - who appeared alongside Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone - called Trump a 'clown' and got into a shouting match with MAGA supporters outside the Manhattan courthouse. Trump gave De Niro's performance a review after midnight Wednesday on Truth Social. 'I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was,' the ex-president said about the 5-foot-10 star. The presumptive Republican nominee accused De Niro of suffering 'from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME' and said the actor was met 'with a force greater than the Radical Left - MAGA.' Actor Robert De Niro (left) showed up outside of former President Donald Trump's (right) hush money trial Tuesday as a guest of President Joe Biden's campaign Former President Donald Trump gave a review of Robert De Niro's performance outside of his hush money case overnight Wednesday on his Truth Social website 'Robert, whose movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden, looked so pathetic and sad out there,' Trump added. 'Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio!!!' De Niro recently recorded a voiceover for a Biden campaign that was heavily critical of Trump but Tuesday's appearance marked his first bit of in-person campaigning. 'I love this city I don't want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country and eventually he could destroy the world,' De Niro said. A group of Trump supporters could be heard in the background chanting, 'f*** Joe Biden,' with one person yelling at the actor, 'your movies suck!' 'We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,' De Niro said of Trump. 'A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids. A clown.' 'But this city is pretty accommodating. We make room for clowns,' the actor continued. 'But not a person like Trump, who will eventually run the country, that does not work and we all know that.' De Niro said that Trump voters 'bought into his bulls***.' De Niro called Trump a slew of names and then had some heated altercations with some of the former president's supporters 'Trump bought their votes with outrageous lies and empty promises,' the actor said. De Niro, with Dunn and Fanone hovering behind him, recalled how Trump was able to get a angry mob to assault the capitol on January 6. He said this is what motivated him to do the voiceover in the new Biden-Harris campaign ad. 'It shows the violence of Trump and reminds us that he'll use violence against anyone who stands in the way of his megalomania and greed,' the actor said. 'But it's a coward's violence,' he added. 'You think Trump ever threw a punch himself or took one?' De Niro mused. 'This guy who ran and hid in the White House bunker when there were protesters outside? No way. He doesn't get blood on his hands. No he doesn't. He directs the mob to do his dirty work for him.' De Niro pointed to reports that said Trump would use the U.S. military to quell future protests against him. 'That's the tyrant he's telling us he'll be,' the actor warned. The actor also warned that 'elections' in the U.S. would be over if Trump gets a second term. 'I can tell you right now. He will never leave. He will never leave. You know that. He will never leave,' De Niro said. 'Do we want him running this country and saying I'm not leaving, I'm dictator for life?' At that moment a car alarm started blaring. 'The only way to preserve our freedoms and hold onto our humanity is to vote for Joe Biden for president,' De Niro encouraged. 'Really. We don't have a choice,' he continued, as the car honked on. Online people mocked De Niro for wearing a mask outdoors, which he took off before addressing the press. Trump spokesperson Jason Miller ridiculed the Biden campaign bringing De Niro out telling reporters afterward 'the best they can do is roll out a washed up actor.' One of Trump's supporters used that same insult on De Niro as he departed. 'You're washed up,' a Trump supporter yelled at the actor. 'You are gangsters,' De Niro said. 'F*** you,' the actor also offered. Fears are growing for an experienced bushwalker who was last heard from more than a week ago as he trekked through remote Central Australia. Alistair Thomson, 63, was taking on the Larapinta Trail solo, heading towards Alice Springs from about 240km west of the town, NT Police said. The hiker, from Victoria, had plenty of food and water with him when he last contacted friends and family via text message on May 21. Fears are growing for experienced bushwalker Alistair Thomson who was last heard from more than a week ago Mr Thomson, 63, was taking on the Larapinta Trail solo He was planning to have reached Hugh Gorge by May 22 but has not been heard from since and has not returned to his hotel. Police, the Larapinta Trail Trek Support Team and local rangers are now searching for Mr Thomson. He is 6ft tallm white and has light brown hair which is greying. He was wearing a blue broadbrimmed hat. Anyone with information should call 131 444. A father arrested in Thailand accused of killing a Russian businessman who allegedly propositioned his underage daughter for sex only moved to the country six months ago to start a new life after being jailed for drug offences, it has been revealed. The Welshman, 34, is accused of killing a man with a single punch for allegedly flirting with his 15-year-old daughter at a pool party in Pattaya over the weekend. Described as a 'Flash Harry', the man was revealed to have only moved to the city in eastern Thailand at Christmas in hopes of a fresh start, after being jailed for possession with intent to supply cocaine in 2017 and 'burning bridges' with his family. But within weeks of setting up home in the resort - known for its seedy nightlife - he contacted family in Wales begging them to send him money. Acknowledging the arrest, one relative, who did not want to be named, said: 'We know about it but he's on his own - we don't want to get involved. He's burned all his bridges here.' 'We are estranged from him, there's a lot of bad history. I haven't spoken to him for a long time and that's the way it will stay.' The Welshman is pictured with Thai police in custody after allegedly striking the Russian Paramedics attempt to revive the injured man, man who hit his head on the tiles after he fell Another relative, who also did not wish to be named, said: 'He had got out of prison and wanted a fresh start. But it seems like things have got even worse for him there.' However, there was some confusion among family members as, contrary to police reports from Thailand, the man is not thought to have a wife or daughter living there. Relatives said he does have a 15-year-old daughter but she lives with her mother in South Wales. Before heading to Thailand, he was renting a small, pebble-dashed terraced house in Merthyr Tydfil, where he was unpopular with his neighbours. He would park his Jaguar and Audi A6 in the middle of the street blocking access for other residents, sources claimed. 'I stayed well clear of him but there were a few shouting matches with the [other] neighbours,' one said. 'He lived there on his own but you would occasionally see girls going back and forth. 'I knew he'd gone to Thailand about six months ago - it's a shock to hear what's happened out there.' Boxes of rubbish, including empty cans of Strongbow cider, were allegedly piled up outside the house in the quiet Welsh street today. A local businessman, who didn't want to be named, said: 'He's a bit of a Flash Harry, he works out, loves his suntans and tattoos. 'I knew he was working in a nightclub in Thailand and a lot of people here are glad to see the back of him. 'It's his family I feel sorry for, they are lovely, law-abiding people.' Thai police at the scene of the attack, a villa where a pool party took place on Sunday night The British father was previously jailed after admitting possession of cocaine with intent to supply. He and a girlfriend were caught sneaking 2,000-worth of the drug into a music festival by hiding it in her handbag. He allegedly killed Igor Yasilyev, 36, after the Russian man allegedly began flirting with his daughter in the early hours of Monday morning at a party in Viewpoint Village. The drunk Russian was said to have whispered to the teenager that he wanted to have sex with her, pushing the Welshman to punch him in the face. Mr Yasilyev fell backwards and is believed to have hit his head on the tile floor. Emergency services were called at 3:16am and rushed to the scene, where he was found unconscious on the floor with blood pooling around his head. Medics performed CPR before the man was rushed to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya in a critical condition. He died of his injuries soon after, the Pattaya Mail reported. The British expat was arrested on Monday afternoon at his home in the Sattahip district, around 10 miles from the poolside villa. He told police: 'I did not think my punch would lead to the man's death. I regret my actions.' His wife, 28, said she had also attended the party but left early to go to work. Emergency services arrive at the villa in Pattaya in the early hours of Monday morning The Welshman is believed to have only moved to the city in eastern Thailand at Christmas At around 3am, she claimed she received a text from her husband saying he wanted to go home. She said she 'found him walking along the street, so I took him back inside'. 'When I asked him what happened, he told me that while they were drinking, the Russian man started to sexually harass our daughter, even though his own wife was also there at the party. 'The harassment escalated until the man finally propositioned our daughter. This angered my husband so he punched him once and knocked him out.' An acquaintance of the victim said the men met for the first time at the party. 'They were drinking together normally until a row broke out. I didn't know what nationality the man was, but he punched Mr Igor, who hit his head on the ground. 'I was so shocked because there was a lot of blood,' she said. Police detained the Welshman on Monday and brought him to Pattaya Police Station to face legal charges. An 'open war' has been declared in a Mallorca neighbourhood after locals clashed with a group of Algerians who are alleged to have brought violence to the area. On Monday evening, Spanish police were called to Son Gotleu, a neighbourhood in the Mallorcan capital of Palma, after a street fight that involved around 50 people broke out. The clashes were described by one local newspaper as an open war between racial groups. A band of locals - an unlikely union made up of Spanish gypsies, Morrocans and Africans - took it into their own hands to confront a squad of Algerians, who are said to have installed a reign of terror and have turned the neighborhood into a breeding ground for violent crimes. According to Ultima Hora, robberies, break-ins and violent assaults - often at knife point - are said to be a regular occurrence in Son Gotleu. While the street fight seemed to have calmed down at first, further havoc unfolded when a crowd of more than 200 people proceeded to form a blockade with containers and began throwing objects at the police patrols present in the area. Street fighters can be seen hurling chairs at each other after a fight broke up in a Palma neighbourhood on Monday evening. People are seen holding sticks and blunt objects during the street fight that took place on Monday in a Palma neighbourhood after some residents decided to confront an Algerian criminal gang. Pictured: A man is seen holding a stick after a fight broke out between locals of a Palma neighbourhood and Algerian gang members. Videos have emerged depicting the violence of the clashes between the two troops, as well as efforts by the police to restore order. Footage shows how the groups - armed with sticks and other blunt objects - attacked each other, while others threw chairs. Police had to use anti-riot gear to dissolve the hostile situation, as shown in a clip. Also, a fire brigade had to be called after a rubbish container was set alight. At least four people were reportedly injured during the mass brawl, before the police finally managed to restore order. According to OkDiario, Son Gotleu residents agree that the area has suffered 'never-ending degradation' from their Algerian neighbours, the majority of whom are illegal migrants who live in squatters and have numerous criminal records. Neighbours of Son Gotleu said the presence of Algerian migrants has brought high crime rates, with several living in fear. An 'open war' between racial groups was declared in Mallorcan neighbourhood of Son Gotleu on Monday in an attempt to combat violence brought in by Algerian criminal gangs. Police arrive at the scene to dissuade the mass brawl between racial groups. Police had to use anti-riot gear to control the different bands. Residents of Son Gotleu fear that the situation will not improve in the long-term, with some saying that they will hunt down all Algerian criminals and throw them out of the community. This comes after around 10,000 locals took to the streets of Palma at the weekend, where they were heard chanting 'tourists go home', as they demanded curbs on mass tourism. A campaign group known as Menys Turisme, Mes Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), have warned they could 'collapse' Palma airport in order to get their message across. Protest organisers have also discussed the possibility of blocking the main port and other tourist hot spots, such as the Calo des Moro and Es Trenc beaches. Also, on Wednesday graffiti spelling out the words 'Tourists Go Home' emerged on access signs pointing to the Tramontana mountains on the island. This comes after last month, the same anti-tourist slogan was scrawled over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant near Palma. These are just some of the latest examples of anti-tourism sentiment, which appears to be ripe on the island, as locals claim that high tourist numbers have caused overcrowding and hiked housing prices. Jill Biden warned on Wednesday that women's rights are on the line in the November election, describing it as a choice between calm and chaos. 'Everything is at stake,' the first lady told the hosts of ABC's Good Morning America. She was on the morning show to promote her forthcoming children's book: 'Willow the White House Cat.' 'I think especially for women this year, women's rights, our freedoms. Democracy is on the line,' she said when ask about President Joe Biden's campaign against Donald Trump. She argued that voters can choose between her husband's steady presence or the chaos of Trump. 'We have a choice. We can have my husband, who is calm and steady and strong and has character and integrity, or we have the other choice, which is chaotic,' she said. 'We have to decide. Democracy or chaos.' Jill Biden has taken a lead role for her husband's re-election campaign when it comes to attacking Trump on women's issues. Earlier this year she launched the Women for Biden-Harris coalition. She's also been a prolific fundraiser for the campaign and the Democratic Party. 'Everything is at stake,' Jill Biden said on Good Morning America about the election She is in New York on Wednesday to promote her new book, her third children's book. It focuses on Willow, giving a behind-the-scenes look at life in the White House via the first feline. It will be published June 4th and retails for $19.99. It was co-written with award-winning children's author Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Kate Berube. 'It's a kind of a behind-the-scenes cat's eye view of what it's like to live in the White House,' Biden said on GMA. Jill Biden is in New York to promote her children's book She also described the book as a tribute to the permanent staff of the White House, who take care of the residence. 'You know I'm an English teacher. I want children to love reading. I want children to know reading is fun, learning is fun. I want people to know about the White House and the people inside that make it all run,' she said. 'There are almost 100 people there. They dedicate their lives to making the white house run. It doesn't matter whether you are a Republican family or a Democratic family. They always make everything so special for us and for the people who visit there every single day.' The picture book will explore Willow's adjustment from a Pennsylvania barn cat to living in the most-famous house in America. Jill Biden argued the 2024 election is a choice between President Joe Biden's (left) steady presence or the chaos of Donald Trump (right) Willow met the first lady when she was campaigning in Pennsylvania The tabby cat joined the Biden family at the White House in January 2022, and is named after Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, which is Jill Biden's home town. Jill Biden met the cat at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania in 2020 when Willow jumped on the stage of where she was speaking. Willow often travels with the Bidens to their beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware. And she's known to wake up President Joe Biden by walking on his head. The book will be published on June 4th The tome will explore the cat's journey to the White House and the friends she meets on the way, according to the publisher Simon & Schuster. When arriving at the White House 'Willow discovers new rooms to explore and is welcomed by the nice lady she met at Farmer Rick's farm,' according to the book's summary. The cat will also meet friendly White House staff and find new places to play. 'Willow enjoys discovering the White House and all the special people who make this house a home.' On most days, Willow can be found in the East Wing, wandering in-and-out of staffers' offices. There are known to be treats on hand for the feline. The first lady has written two other children's books: Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops and Joey: The Story of Joe Biden. Her memoir, Where the Light Enters, was a New York Times bestseller. Author and talk show host Charlamagne tha God expressed his disappointment with Vice President Kamala Harris suggesting she was prevented by President Joe Biden from doing anything inspiring. The former ally of Harris, who was scolded by the vice president in an interview for his comments about Joe Biden, spoke to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade about how he viewed her and Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Charlamagne said Harris was 'the reason' he endorsed Biden in 2020 but was disappointed with the results. 'She is handcuffed a lot by this administration,' he said. Charlamagne used to be an ally of Harris, participating in campaign events with her during her failed presidential campaign. US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for a swearing in ceremony Charlamagne on Harris' performance as VP pic.twitter.com/d2fFF67nNj Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) May 29, 2024 'I know her and I know what she stands for, and I know the things that she wants to do that she may not necessarily in the position to do because she does not want to overstep the president,' he said. Charlamagne said he would not be upset if Harris became the president. 'She wouldn't be any different than any other Democrat,' he said. 'What policies, what issues would she be so different on that President Obama was, President Biden was?' He mocked people who said Americans should 'terrified' about the idea of Harris as president, claiming they said it only because she was a 'woman of color.' Charlamagne was critical of Biden's commencement speech at Morehouse University to black men. President Joe Biden speaks to graduating students at the Morehouse College When asked whether he believed Biden's speech was inspiration, he laughed. 'No, not in no way shape or form, especially from someone who's been in politics as long as president Joe Biden,' he said. He said graduates of the college were right to be dissatisfied with the president's speech. 'I would be wondering, well what have you done? I don't want to hear about the problems, I want to hear from you, the solutions,' he said. Charlamagne also weighed in on the Trump 'hush money' trial in New York City, saying it was 'weird' for it to be the first trial against Trump, instead of a more serious issue like 'election interference.' 'It does look like a show, and it's going to be bad if that one gets thrown out because everybody's going to automatically just say, well all the other ones might be b.s. too.' he said. Despite polls showing Trump earning as much as 20 percent of support from black Americans, Charlamagne said he believed the polls were 'slightly overstated.' 'I do think there will be an uptick,' he said. Charlamagne is making the rounds in media with the release of his new book 'Get Honest or Die Lying.' Charlamagne tha God promotes his new book 'Get Honest or Die Lying' Speaking with Fox News host Greg Gutfeld on Tuesday night, he said he was not a fan of Trump and viewed him as a threat to the future of the country. 'I am one of the people who suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. I think he is a threat to democracy,' he said. 'I think that he led an attempted coup of this country. You know, he said he wanted to suspend the Constitution to overthrow the results of an election. At the least, that's just not a patriotic thing to say.' Charlamagne was criticized by the hosts of The View for refusing to endorse Biden for president in 2024, calling both Biden and Trump 'trash' candidates. 'I thought it was irresponsible to say that both candidates are trash, when you're comparing President Biden, someone who's done incredible things for this country and someone who is facing 88 charges, and four indictments and is clearly criminal, in my view,' host Sunny Hostin said. Texas runoffs on Tuesday proved to be a win for establishment conservatives over burn-it-all-down types in a U.S. House race - but swept out Republican incumbents on the state level. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's retribution tour against school choice opposers proved successful - embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton's vengeance campaign against those who led impeachment efforts against him did not. Here are the key takeaways from the Lone Star State's runoff primary races: Incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales beats out right-wing internet star Brandon Herrera In a win for governing-minded Republicans, Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, 43, beat out right-wing YouTube star Brandon Herrera, 28, in a contentious primary that had divided the House GOP. The border district congressman won by a razor-thin margin, in what his supporters say will give Republicans a better chance of winning the general election over Democrats. Gonzales clinched a win by 407 votes, according to the Texas Secretary of States office. Herrera, a Youtube star known as 'AK guy,' ran on a gun rights platform in the district that includes Uvalde, where a gunman opened fire on an elementary school two years ago killing 19 students and two teachers. On the campaign trail Herrera attacked Gonzales for support for a gun safety bill after the shooting. He was censured by the Republican Party of Texas in 2023 over his support for same-sex marriage protections at the federal level and the bipartisan gun bill. In a win for governing-minded Republicans, Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales beat out right-wing YouTube star Brandon Herrera in a contentious primary that had divided the House GOP A gunman opened fire and killed 19 kids at a Uvalde school in 2022 ` Gonzales had the support of top Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. His critics cast him as a moderate but on border he tacked to the right in recent months - leading the charge to impeach Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas. Herrera had the backing of Texas U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., and Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. House Speaker Dade Phelan bests Trump-backed challenger David Covey Another Texas Republican, House Speaker Dade Phelan, edged out a victory over a Trump-backed challenger. Phelan led the state effort to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton over abuse of office last year, a move that through Texas Republicans into turmoil. Paxton was acquitted by the state senate, but the show had pitted Trump acolytes against the state party's old guard. House Speaker Dade Phelan, edged out a victory over a Trump-backed challenger 'He's bad, bad, bad for the Republican Party and democracy. We need him beaten and beaten badly,' Trump said of Phelan in a video on Truth Social ahead of the runoff. Paxton also hit out against Phelan ahead of the vote and the rest of 'the Austin establishment.' The runoff races turned into revenge fights for both Paxton, whose term is not up until 2027, and Abbott, who went after state lawmakers who opposed his school voucher program. Abbot secures pro-school choice majority in state House after Republicans joined Dems to tank his signature policy platform In November the Texas House voted 84-63 to remove school choice vouchers - a top priority for Abbott - from a massive education bill. Twenty-one Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing school choice. Six of eight state House GOP incumbents who were forced into runoffs when they failed to cinch 50 percent of the primary vote in March lost their races on Tuesday, including a handful who opposed school vouchers last fall. The conservative Club for Growth Action and affiliated Freedom spent over $4.4 million in the primary runoffs and $4 million in the primaries to target 14 anti-school choice Republicans. Ten of them have now been defeated. The results furthered a surge of anti-establishment sentiment from March when nine state House Republicans lost their primaries. The 15 total state House GOP incumbents who lost primaries amounted to a record - and Abbott now has a pro-school voucher majority. One of the new pro-voucher Republicans who won a primary on Tuesday is Katrina Pierson, who served as the national spokeswoman for Trump's 2016 campaign. Abbott and Paxton celebrated her win as a victory for hardline conservatives. A Christian school for 'troubled' teens increased their trauma with a brutal regime of beatings, spying and imprisonment, former students have claimed. Cono Christian School in rural Iowa is accused of forcing students on 'suicide runs' until they vomited, shut them up in a basement for weeks at a time and battered them with a wooden paddle emblazoned with the word 'love'. The school received a warning from Iowa's Department of Human Services in the 1980s but was allowed to continue with its regime of capital punishment long after it was outlawed in the state's public schools. Now it is facing a lawsuit from ex-pupils who say the school was ruled by fear. 'I told my parents about the basement, but nobody believed me,' Cecelia Angeli, now 32, told the Des Moines Register. 'I spent a lot of time there, but I never did anything that warranted being put in jail at a school.' Former principal Andrew Belz said that visitors to the school noticed a 'certain peace' as he extolled its virtues in a 2009 promotional video But former students claim they were forced on 'suicide runs' until they vomited, shut up in a basement for weeks at a time and battered with a wooden paddle branded with the word 'love' The school two miles north of Walker was founded at the start of the 1950s as a mission of Bible Presbyterian Church of Cono Center, largely for the children of missionaries. But it expanded its intake in the decades that followed and marketed itself towards parents whose children were disruptive at home. Angeli, whose step-father was a pastor, said she was confined to its basement between 15 and 20 times after being enrolled at 14 by her adoptive parents. 'We lived in fear of consequences,' she said. 'We were allowed one 15-minute call a week that was monitored. If we said anything they didn't like, they would just hang up the call. 'My doctor says I have borderline personality disorder and chronic PTSD from the trauma. 'I have zero relationship with my parents now. I felt abandoned when they sent me there and began drinking heavily and got in trouble after I left.' Natalee Kooker was enrolled at 13 and claims she was punished after her parents removed her for a weekend without authorization. 'When my parents left campus that Monday they brought me into headmaster's office and said 'You're now on a performance plan. You have to run laps every day. 'When I said no, they made me rake gravel in the cold without a coat.' Natalee Kooker said 'A lot of us left with more issues than we came with' Cecelia Angeli, then Celelia Downs appeared in the promotional video with Belz She says no-one believed her reports about the basement at the time: I never did anything that warranted being put in jail at a school' She endured her first experience of the basement after staff chased her down in a white minivan when she ran away. 'You would go down these wooden stairs. There was a concrete floor and big carpet on the ground, a pillow, a blanket and a bed,' she said. 'I remember a Bible on the floor. That was it.' 'I'm not sure they know the damage they did to some people. A lot of us left with more issues than we came with.' Former principal Andrew Belz extolled the school's virtues when he appeared on a promotional video in 2009. 'I've been told repeatedly that when a guest steps on campus he or she experiences a certain peace - a certain 'shalom',' he said. 'We are not after robots we are after kids and families with changed hearts.' But Rachel Davis, 32, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said hearts changed for the worse under the abusive regime, and she never received the counselling her family were promised. 'I was more in the basement than I was living in my dorm room,' she said. 'Right before I got expelled, I was there for 2 to three weeks.' The school washed its hands off her, she claims and recommended a tough-love residential program in the Dominican Republic where she spent four years. 'My whole childhood got yanked from me,' she said. Belz told the Register that the school emphasized structure and relationships, not punishment. 'But everybody had consequences, and we need them in life,' he added. And he insisted that the basement was rarely locked. 'You had your books, you could sneak out if you wanted to, all food was delivered directly to you, you were never starved or put on special rations,' he added. 'It would be silly to say every disciplinary situation was handled perfectly. 'But the broad outline was that the staffers loved the children and wanted to help kids get to adulthood and turn out great. And a lot of them did.' Des Moines attorney Angela Campbell said she had been contacted by former pupils and she expected more to come forward. 'I am very troubled by the conduct that's been attributed to the former operators and staff at Cono Christian School,' she added. 'This level of cruelty in a school setting is unconscionable. Belz who was headmaster from 1999 to 2008 denies child abuse but admits things would be done differently today: 'I wouldn't put detention rooms in the basement' 'I am hopeful that shedding light on this misconduct, and calling it out for what it is child abuse will help those children who suffered trauma while at Cono feel as though their voices can and will be heard.' The school was taken over by new owners in 2018 and Belz admits that standards have changed. 'If I were building a school now, I wouldn't put detention rooms in the basement,' he said. 'It does sound unusual in our day.' The mother of LSU student Madison Brooks who died after she was allegedly raped by three men has detailed her daughter's heartbreaking final moments. Brooks, 19, was killed when she was hit by a car in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 15 2023 after she was allegedly raped by a group of men and left on the side of the road. Three men have been charged with first degree rape, Kaivon Washington, Casen Carver and Desmond Carter - and a fourth, Everett Lee, was arrested but has not been charged. Speaking with Nancy Grace on Tuesday, Brooks' mother, Ashley Bausteret, described Brooks' final moments saying: 'The worst possible thing that can happen to anyone happened to my daughter.' Bausteret rushed to the hospital after Brooks was hit by a car on the highway around 3am, she said: 'I suspected just based on the circumstances, the time of day, the fact she was alone without her cell phone, that something terrible had happened.' Speaking with Nancy Grace on Tuesday, Brooks' mother, Ashley Bausteret, described Brooks' final moments saying: 'The worst possible thing that can happen to anyone happened to my daughter.' LSU student Brooks was allegedly raped in the back of the men's car while the others watched after a night of drinking at a bar in Tigerland. After the alleged attack in their car, the suspects allegedly left Brooks stumbling and drunk on the side of a busy four-lane highway. She was hit by a car around 3am. The driver of the car called emergency services while two passersby stopped and tried to save her life, giving her CPR, but Brooks later died from her injuries in hospital. Her alleged attackers claim they did not rape her and say only consensual sex happened in the back of the car. Her mother has now revealed the heartbreaking aftermath of the attack and crash. Bausteret said: 'Immediately when I saw her, I knew that something terrible had happened and that she was with our Lord in heaven. 'They told me immediately that she was brain dead, so they were keeping her alive. They were keeping her heart beating and pumping her with all different types of medication just to save her organs so that she could be a donor.' 'And we were also waiting for her dad to travel from Florida to be at the hospital. So Madi was there and she was breathing, but she was not there.' Madi's mother (left) has revealed the heartbreaking aftermath of the attack and crash (pictured with Madi) The moment she saw her daughter, she said she knew 'something terrible had happened'. She said: 'I could hold her hands, but I didn't want to look at anything else. I didn't want that image to be in my head. I wanted to remember her the way that she was.' After Madison died her family waited for answers. Bausteret said: 'A week or so after the accident the detective brought us in and told us more of what they had learned through their investigation. I had to leave the room, I fell to my knees. It was a nightmare. It was an absolute nightmare.' The four men who allegedly left Brooks on the side of the road are standing trial for the alleged rape. The judge presiding over the trials has come under intense scrutiny for her recent decisions to release an accused rapist on reduced bail without informing the victim's family and to overturn a historic rape conviction. District Judge Gail Horne Ray's decisions have raised questions over a potential conflict of interest in Brooks' case, but Bausteret said she 'cannot comment' on the judge'. Ray's impartiality has been called into question after she dismissed Donald Ray Link's 1972 rape conviction this month and released rape suspect DeAundre Cox on reduced bail last year. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III has clashed with Ray over the decisions telling WBRZ: 'I've never seen this done ever or heard of it ever done before.' Madison Brooks, 19, died when she was hit by a car in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana , on January 15 after she was allegedly raped by four men District Judge Gail Horne Ray's decisions, along with her son Nelson Dan Taylor Jr's multiple rape convictions, have raised questions over a potential conflict of interest in Brooks' case Ray's son, Nelson Dan Taylor Jr, was convicted of raping multiple classmates - aged between 12 and 17 - between 1995 and 1996, breaking into their homes in a mask and attacking them at knifepoint. He pleaded guilty to all of the rapes and was sentenced to 50 years in prison with a requirement to serve at least 25. Ray took office as a 19th Judicial District Court judge January 12, 2023. Three months later, she released DeAundre Cox, who was accused of raping his preteen neighbor, on reduced bail without alerting the victim or notifying the district attorney's office. Cox is facing two counts of aggravated rape against a now-teenage girl who lives near his familys home in the Park Forest neighborhood. She was 12 when the alleged sexual abuse began. She told officers that Cox threatened her with a gun before raping her on two occasions. The abuse was discovered when the victim's older brother, who was friends with Cox, found a video of the attacks on his phone. District Attorney Hillar Moore slammed Ray's decision to release him last April and said his office was only notified a week after he was released. He told The Advocate at the time: 'We really are confused as to how this bond was reduced without notice to the state and an opportunity for us to be heard on behalf of the victim. And we are concerned as to what happened and how it happened.' The victim's mother told the outlet that the family 'live in fear' and said: 'Why didnt they let me know? We couldve changed up, because these people have already threatened me.' This month, Ray clashed with the DA again over her decision to throw out convicted rapist Donald Ray Link's 1972 conviction for aggravated rape. Link was serving a life sentence for threatening a woman with a butcher's knife before raping her. He appeared before Ray asking her to reduce his sentence so he could ask for parole. Instead of reducing his sentence, she overturned his conviction entirely, bypassing the parole process. Moore told WBRZ her decision was 'unheard of', adding: 'She has no authority whatsoever to do what she did and her reasoning was erroneous.' Ray's decisions and her family history have raised further questions over Ray's impartiality in the ongoing Brooks case. Brooks was allegedly raped by Carter and Washington in the back of their car while the other two suspects watched after a night of drinking at a bar in Tigerland Casen Carver, 18, (left) Kaivon Washington, 18, (second left) and Everett Lee, 28, (second right) and Desmond Carter, 17, (right) were all arrested on rape-related charges Brooks was last seen drunkenly stumbling out of Reggie's bar, which has since had its license revoked, with the group. Other footage released by authorities shows the student running after the group of men on the night she died. Brooks died after being hit by a ride-share car at 3am on January 15, when she was dropped off on the side of the highway by the four men. Two Good Samaritans reportedly stopped to perform CPR on the sophomore LSU student after the collision. East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office says they were guided by first responders on the phone in the pouring rain after Madi was hit by the ride-share car. They confirmed that Madi Brooks died from 'multiple traumatic injuries' when she was hit by a car after allegedly being raped. Police confirmed that the driver of the vehicle will not be charged as he was not impaired and contacted emergency services immediately. A memorial was created for the 'amazing young woman' who had 'limitless potential' by her friends on the highway where she died. Police found body parts belonging to Bethany Israel after a 911 call last week A man has been charged with the murder of his pregnant sister and her unborn child after he allegedly dismembered her body. Prosecutors have charged Jack Joseph Ball, 23, with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his sister Bethany Israel, 30. Police were called to the home of Ball in Lakeville, Minnesota, last Thursday after family members grew concerned for Israel. Israel was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant at the time and officers entered the property to discover 'several dismembered body parts' belonging to her. While searching the residence officers found several journals belonging to Ball detailing how he was angry that his sister was pregnant and 'no longer innocent'. Responding officers discovered Ball covered in blood after he was seen fleeing the scene before he was taken into custody and charged. Bethany Israel, seen here with her husband Josh, had been between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant at the time Police had been called to the home of Ball in Lakeville, seen here, last Thursday after family members grew concerned for Israel According to charging documents seen by DailyMail.com, Lakeville Police responded to a 911 call from the mother of Israel. Family members were concerned when Israel hadn't returned home after having dinner with her brother earlier that evening. The woman said she drove to the home and saw Ball quickly leave the premises, telling officers that 'he just tore out of the house'. After entering the home, the family member said she saw a 'substantial' amount of blood and called 911. Responding officers entered the home to find a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor, under the sink and on the sink cabinets. They also found a bloody saw, hatchet, and large knives covered in blood as they made their way through the house as well as his journals. As they combed the property they then located several dismembered body parts they believed to belong to Israel. While police searched for Ball, they received another 911 call from a resident in nearby Rosemount. The resident had seen a man leave what they believed to be a body part on their front porch via their ring camera. Family members had been concerned when Israel hadn't returned home after having dinner with her brother As officers responded to the address, they located Ball in the backyard of a neighboring property. Police described how Ball was covered in blood on his head, shirt, arms legs and pants and had a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat. Ball was able to communicate with officers and told them the date, time and name of the current president before he was taken into custody and to a local hospital. After searching the area, they found more dismembered body parts believed to belong to Israel. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death as being 'complex homicidal violence'. Neighbor Cindy Bond, who lives across the street, told KSTP: 'My husband heard a female scream. Then a minute thereafter there was shouting and a car peel off.' On Tuesday, Ball appeared in Dakota County District Court through video conference from hospital. His bail was set in the amount of $2 million without conditions and $1 million with conditions by Judge Bryce Ehrman. Responding officers entered the home to find a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor, under the sink and on the sink cabinets They also found a bloody saw, hatchet, and large knives covered in blood as they made their way through the house as well as his journals Once Ball is cleared from the hospital, the Dakota County Attorney's office said he would be transferred to the Dakota County Jail. Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said: 'The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific, words can't describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation. 'My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims' family.' Ball will appear back in court on June 10. A GoFundMe has now been set up to help Israel's husband Josh and her family following her death. A post to the fundraiser said: 'Bethany was not only a cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother but also a beloved figure in the volleyball community. 'Bethany's radiant spirit and unwavering kindness touched the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her. 'Her love for life, her family, and the friendships she nurtured are the legacies she leaves behind. 'As a beacon of warmth and generosity, Bethany's absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. 'Please hold Bethany's family in your thoughts and prayers as they endure this difficult journey. A pottery worker who sparked laughter when she told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak she supported the return of National Service because her sons are 'more brawn than brains' has revealed the back story of her efforts to raise two boys. Dawn Condliffe, a supervisor at Churchill China in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent, was introduced to Mr Sunak by local MP Jonathan Gullis at a staff Q&A yesterday. The 49-year-old mother-of-three made the joke after telling the Tory leader she agreed with his recently-announced plans to introduce mandatory national service for all 18-year-olds. She told him she thinks it would be a good idea to include ex-convicts in the initiative. Dawn's eldest son Christopher, 29, was released from prison just last week after serving a two year, six month sentence after admitting a string of offences including wounding, affray and dangerous driving. Dawn Condliffe, 49, (pictured holding the microphone) made attendees laugh after saying her sons have 'more brawn than brains' Both of Ms Condliffe's sons have been in court, with her eldest only being released from prison last week Her younger son Cain, 20, had also made a second court appearance in June 2022 when he admitted a charge of drunk and disorderly behaviour after being thrown out of a Hanley night club two weeks earlier. Yesterday, Mrs Condliffe said she believed neither of her sons would have ended up in trouble with the law if they had completed National Service after leaving school. 'Obviously, I'm not proud of what both my boys have done,' she said. 'And neither are they, but I love all my children with every breath in my body and always will and I've always tried to show them tough love in the hope they'll get on the right path. 'Chris has served his time and I genuinely think and hoped he has changed. There was a time four years go when he I didn't recognise him as my son because he was caught up in alcohol and drugs. 'I told him I could only be part of his life when he went back to being the Chris I knew. Now he's out of prison, he knows it's up to him to make something of his life and he's determined to find a job and prove not just to me but to himself that he can make positive changes. 'Both he and Cain think National Service is a good thing because of the discipline, determination and self-confidence it offers. Ms Condliffe says both her sons agree with her that national service is a good idea that may have prevented them from offending Military roles in the proposed national service scheme will be 'very competitive and selective', Mr Sunak told the crowd yesterday 'Both boys, like most, know physical, practical activities are good for mental health, that's what I meant by saying they had more brawn than brain, I was telling Rishi that I thought he might be onto something by introducing national service at 18. 'I think if we could encourage isolated young people to step away from negative influences like social media and gang culture and give them the kind of self-worth the military offers, it would be a major way of tackling crime and mental illness among that generation. 'I don't think you should be defined by your mistakes, you should be allowed to learn from them without others judging you.' 'We hear so much about young kids carrying knives and getting involved in county lines, drug running, which often means they're just scared and end up taking the wrong direction. 'Being part of a team and looking out for each other, being exposed to discipline, structure and life skill schooling, burning off physical energy and being encouraged to lead their best lives that's what's needed in my opinion.' Dawn, who also has a daughter, Chloe Davenport, 27, said both Chris and Cain regretted their criminal convictions and had both told her how proud they were of the conversation she'd had with the Prime Minister. 'It was a completely random meeting,' she said. 'My boss had told us a VIP was visiting but until we got into the office, we had no idea it was Rishi. The Prime Minister was welcomed to Staffordshire by MP Jonathan Gullis, who represents Stoke-on-Trent 'I was delighted to ask him a question because I voted Conservative at the last election and I've got a lot of time for our local Councillor and parliamentary candidate Dr Chandra Kanneganti. 'I found him very easy to talk to and could have carried on chatting for longer. It was like the Dawn and Rishi show and the reason I wanted to tell him I agreed with the National Service idea was because I'd talked about it with my boys. 'Despite the trouble Cain got into, he's got his head screwed on and is a good kid. The affray charge was in relation to a fight he got into trying to defend his brother. 'He recently broke his leg and hasn't been able to work but as soon as he's better, he's hoping to join me in the pottery industry.' Dawn said she hoped giving her boys a work ethic and unconditional love was part of a parenting plan she didn't always get right. 'You don't get a parenting book with your kids, you just have to do your best and hope they come out the other side if they make mistakes. Four years ago, I was suffering from depression and anxiety because of all the trouble with Chris. 'I kept asking myself where I'd gone wrong and knew I had to lift my own self-esteem. As a full-time carer to my husband, I just felt I needed to do something for me and ended up getting my job at Churchill China two years ago. 'They have been so supportive and encouraging that I haven't looked back. I'm just so happy and keen to learn. It's been amazing. 'I saw Rishi in the corridor, listen to me calling the Prime Minister Rishi like we're best friends, after the Q&A and he said to me 'Dawn, can I have a hug?' 'I told him, 'Of course you can' and put my arms around him. I still can't quite believe it. And yes, I'll be voting Conservative again.' A thug who dragged his naked girlfriend from their home before pouring a jug of boiling water over her, leaving her with horrific burns, has been jailed. Simon Terence Hamiora Kereopa and his victim had drunk a 'large amount' of alcohol on the night of the attack on February 3 last year, the New Zealand Herald reported. The pair began arguing and by 3.30am, the victim called her friend and asked her to pick her up from the home in Raglan on New Zealand's north island. But before the friend arrived, Kereopa dragged the naked woman through the kitchen door and down a set of steps, before grabbing a kettle from inside and pouring its contents over her. A thug who dragged his naked girlfriend from their home before pouring a jug of boiling water over her, leaving her with horrific burns, has been jailed (file picture) As he carried out his attack, he said: 'You deserve it, and that's what you get.' He threatened to boil the kettle and attack her again, so the woman ran into her daughter's room and hugged her. Kereopa followed and said: 'Once you let go, I'm burning your face.' At that point, the woman's friend arrived and she was able to flee. She took cold showers, swam in her friend's pool and slept until 3.30pm the next day, when she was taken to hospital. Doctors found the woman had suffered burns to 12 per cent of her body, including her upper left leg, shoulders, neck and left arm. The burns were so severe that the woman had to have the burned areas of tissue removed and dressed again. Judge Stephen Clark told the court that Kereopa had 17 domestic violence convictions, of which eight were against the woman he attacked. Speaking to Kereopa, the judge said: 'You know this particular set of facts was degrading. Dragging her naked outside and pouring boiling hot water over her, whether you were drunk or not.' Kereopa was jailed for three years and one month for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure. Former GOP presidential candidate and Donald Trump's UN ambassador Nikki Haley wrote 'finish them' on an IDF shell in reference to Hamas just after the devastating attack on refugees in Rafah that left 45 people dead. Haley, 52, was touring Israel's northern border with Lebanon when the photo opportunity took place. The former governor of South Carolina also wrote: 'America loves Israel.' The picture was originally posted on X by Israel's former UN ambassador, Danny Danon. Danon is a member of Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party and is considered a strong advocate for continued military operations against Hamas. When asked about her message, Haley was defensive, using the opportunity instead to attack President Joe Biden, accusing him of withholding support for Israel in order to slow down the IDF operations in Rafah. Haley was also critical of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice's efforts to try the Israeli government for war crimes. Nikki Haley, 52, was touring Israel's northern border with Lebanon when the photo opportunity took place. The former governor of South Carolina also wrote: 'America loves Israel' Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah on May 28 Danny Danon's tweet which accompanied the pictures of Haley signing the shell 'What America needs to understand is if Israels fighting our enemies, how can we not help them,' Haley said. 'The sure way to not help Israel is to withhold weapons. The sure way to not help Israel is to praise the ICC, the ICJ or any of those that are condemning Israel instead of condemning what happens.' 'America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war. You are either a friend or not a friend.' In his tweet, Danon said ominously: 'The time has come to change the equation.' 'The residents of Tyre and Sidon will evacuate, the residents of the north will return,' he added. The city of Tyre is 12 miles south of Lebanon's border with Israel and Sidon is 20 miles further down the coast. Recently, Haley attracted criticism after her announcement that she would vote for ex-President Donald Trump in the November election. During the pair's battles on the primary campaign trail, Haley called Trump 'dangerous' and tried to convince supporters he was not fit for the office of president. 'What America needs to understand is, if Israels fighting our enemies, how can we not help them? America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war,' Haley said in announcing her support for Trump. Trump has ruled her out of contention to be his vice president, but she is a potential presidential runner in 2028. Haley also met with survivors of Hamas' brutal October 7 assault during the trip The White House said Tuesday that President Joe Biden has no plans to change his Israel policy following a deadly weekend strike on Rafah but that he is not turning a 'blind eye' to the plight of Palestinian civilians. On her recent visit to the Jewish state, Haley also toured southern Israel where she met survivors of Hamas' brutal assault on October 7 which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 253 others. In the wake of that attack, more than 30,000 Palestinians, including large numbers of young children, have died in waves of Israeli attacks. Haley's messaging was strongly criticized by human rights activists. 'Nikki Haley shows who she is. As Israeli bombardment has killed far more Palestinian civilians than combatants, she signs a bomb, "Finish them." Why not just sign, "I favor Israeli war crimes,"' former Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth said. The organizers of the annual Boston Calling music festival received an onslaught of criticism for not doing enough to stop dangerous overcrowding during the last day of the show, which featured acts such as The Killers, Hozier, Chappell Roan and Megan Thee Stallion. Videos from inside the packed event on Sunday showed incredibly long lines to get water and fatigued concertgoers having to be wheeled out on stretchers. 'During the entire 20 minute ordeal there were people falling, being crushed/pushed, crying, having panic attacks, and fainting,' fans told Boston.com. 'Throughout this ordeal, security from Boston Calling proceeded to push their way through and over attendees and did absolutely nothing.' In response, Boston Calling posted a message on Instagram promising to improve the layout of future events so as to 'create a better environment for everyone.' 'We deeply appreciate the audience, staff, and performers who make Boston Calling possible, and want to acknowledge feedback from Sunday,' organizers wrote. 'While attendee count was several thousand below the official capacity rating of the site, we never want anyone to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at the show.' 'The safety and well-being of our fans, artists, guests and staff is paramount,' the statement continued. As the sun set over Boston Calling's Red Stage, the crowd size began to become a serious hazard, with some reporting that people fell, were crushed and passed out Pictured: A young woman who attended Boston Calling on Sunday was escorted out of the concert grounds on a stretcher. The person who posted the video said many others had to be given the same treatment Sources close to the festival spoke with Boston.com, telling the outlet that 40,000 people attended Sunday's sold-out set. One source said the around 16,000 attended the Allston event the day before on Saturday. Almost all of the estimated 40,000 fans were crowded around the Green Stage by 4:05 pm to see Chappell Roan. A drone video posted by the festival on Instagram during Roan's set shows the sheer number of shoulder-to-shoulder fans. And right next to the Green Stage was the Red Stage, which also had popular acts that people didn't want to miss, leaving concertgoers in the same spot for hours. 'That was the problem was that you had probably about 40,000 people stuck in one area instead of it being spread out throughout the complex like they were hoping,' attendee Margot Lee told CBS News. Megan Thee Stallion graced the Green Stage by 6:25 pm, and that's reportedly when many people discovered they were were essentially trapped. @travelwithlexy So unbelievably upset with the coordinators of @Boston Calling! They created an extremely dangerous situation for ticket holders by not capping the event. Sunday was pure madness with the amount of attendees (double the amount of the other days) which the venue was not equipped to handle. It got so bad that people were being pulled left and right out of the crowds on stretchers. SHAME ON YOU #bostoncalling2024 #boston #concertfail #fyrefestival @ABC News @nbcnews @cbsnews @PIX11 News original sound - Alexa niki Another TikTok user showed the absurdly long lines people had to wait on to get water, which led to the event organizers being forced to hand out water to thirsty crowds later on A Boston.com reader emailed the outlet describing their harrowing experience at the event, writing that they'd been to multiple editions of Boston Calling but wouldn't be returning. 'After Meg Thee Stallion and prior to Hozier, masses of people were moving from one area to the next between [the] red and green stages. The crowd crush situation my family found ourselves in was a very scary experience, we are lucky to have escaped,' the person wrote. 'During the entire 20 minute ordeal there were people falling, being crushed/pushed, crying, having panic attacks, and fainting.' Even before this, a user on TikTok posted a video depicting the absurdly long lines you'd have to wait on just to get some water. As a result of those long lines and the stuck masses of people, festival staff began handing out $5 water bottles freely to the crowds, Boston.com reported. But based on first hand accounts, this wasn't enough to stop the ensuing pandemonium. Another video posted to TikTok shows a what appears to be a young woman be hauled out of the event after nightfall. A different woman posted a selfie view of herself and her friends immersed in the crowd listening to Hozier's set. She claimed that her head hit the ground and Hozier 'almost stopped the concert' because of her. She added that EMTs and police tried to escort her out, but she was given liquid IV and a power bar instead. She said in a reply to one of her comments that she told authorities she didn't pass out just so she could stay for Hozier's last two songs. In the days after the music festival, Boston Calling's Instagram apology was besieged by negative comments, with some saying it wasn't an apology at all. A overhead drone shot of the sheer number of people who packed into this small area to listen to Chappell Roan's set. Roan performed before Megan Thee Stallion The crowd is seen at Boston Calling earlier in the day on Sunday, the last day of the festival Boston Calling's Instagram apology didn't go over well with fans, most of whom thought it lacked accountability and had the hallmarks of 'gaslighting' One commenter said the post was 'essentially 'Sorry if you felt unsafe.'' Another wrote: 'the sheer lack of accountability is embarrassing.' Others seized on the organizers' claim that the 'attendee count was several thousand below the official capacity rating of the site.' 'Go look at your drone footage of Chappell Roan's set again and tell me where you think thousands more people could fit,' a commenter wrote. The main headliners on Sunday, the day the crowd surges happened, haven't yet addressed this controversy on social media. Boston Calling did not immediately respond to the DailyMail.com's request for comment. A South Carolina mother and National Guard sergeant vanished while tubing without a life jacket over the holiday weekend. Porsha Griffin, 30, was celebrating on Lake Greenwood in Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday with friends, but after an accident on the lake she never resurfaced. Days into the search, officials say their efforts have become a recovery mission with no trace of the young mother, as her heartbroken family told of their anguish. 'When I got the phone call, I was hysterically shocked,' her mother Amicka Griffin told KVVU. 'I immediately went to the area they were searching. Its been a lot, its been a whole lot to take in.' Porsha Griffin, 30, a mother and active member of the Columbia National Guard, never resurfaced after an accident while tubing on a lake with friends over the holiday weekend Porsha was celebrating with her nine-year-old-daughter (pictured together) and friends on South Carolina's Lake Greenwood when the tragedy unfolded Amicka said her daughter was tubing on the lake with three other people and her nine-year-old daughter when the tragedy unfolded. Officials said when she fell into the water, she was with another friend when the tube flipped and tossed both of them into the lake, While her friend was rescued from the water by other bystanders on the lake, which was said to be packed for the holiday weekend, Porsha never surfaced. According to reports, the friend said they were thrown into the water with significant force, and said the waters were 'rough.' After being saved, she reportedly said she was shifting in and out of consciousness, and was 'drowning and trying to fight for her life.' A heavy multi-day search was conducted on the lake with dive crews, however there has been no sign of the 30-year-old mother. Her mother Amicka said she has come to terms with the lengthy delay meaning her daughter likely perished in the water. 'I've accepted it because God has me,' she said. 'He has me covered. I am not going to question his power.' She described her daughter as a 'loving daughter and loving mother', who 'was always a dependable and supportive person.' A heavy multi-day search was conducted on the lake with dive crews, however there has been no sign of the 30-year-old mother since she disappeared on Saturday As well as being an active member of the Columbia National Guard, Porche was also a qualified nurse who obtained her degree a year ago, and a friend described her as 'the best of the best' Her heartbroken mother Amicka said that she was 'hysterically shocked' when she heard her daughter went missing on the lake Griffin is a part of the 116th Tactical Installation Networking Enhanced Company, 228th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade in Spartanburg. As well as being an active member of the Columbia National Guard, Porche was also a qualified nurse who obtained her degree a year ago. Tributes poured in for the mother, with one friend saying on Facebook they 'keep praying that this isn't real.' 'My girl was the best of the best,' they said, describing her as a 'friend, leader, mother, genuine human and more.' 'My heart is shattered, and I have more tears than words.' Her commaner, Col. Linda Riedel, said in a statement: 'Of course, we are saddened beyond words, and well continue to pray the search for her yields answers for all who care about her, as well as for peace for her daughter and extended family.' Dozens of wineries and vineyards in Oregon have launched a legal battle against a major electric company after wildfires wrecked their harvests. PacifiCorp has been sued by 40 wineries all across Oregon that are claiming the electric power company's negligence led to the state's devastating 2020 wildfires. The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon, leaving over 3,000 structures destroyed and killing 11 people. Over $100million was requested in damages by the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court last week, after one of the wineries' owners said that their bottles of alcohol tasted like an ashtray because of the effect on the grapes. The lawsuit alleges that the utility's decision to not turn off power during the Labor Day windstorm contributed to the blazes that caused smoke and soot to damage the wineries' grapes and reduce harvest sales. Dozens of wineries and vineyards in Oregon have launched a legal battle against a major electric company after wildfires wrecked the harvests Wine producers in Willamette Valley are named as plaintiffs in the suit. The region is home to two-thirds of Oregon wineries and vineyards - it's the oldest wine region in the state, according to the Oregon Wine Board. The wineries involved in the lawsuit include Zenith Vineyard, LLC, Domaine Serene Vineyards and Winery, Inc., Brigadoon Vineyards, and Brick House Wine Company. In their complaint, the wine producers say the fires 'produced harmful smoke particles that landed on and infused themselves into the grapes.' This meant that the vineyards could not sell their grapes to winemakers - and wineries were unable to sell their wine, which resulted in lost revenue and damaged reputations, the lawsuit claims. Tim Ramey (pictured) is the co-owner of Zenith Vineyard, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit Wine producers in Willamette Valley are named as plaintiffs in the suit. The region is home to two-thirds of Oregon wineries and vineyards - it's the oldest wine region in the state, according to the Oregon Wine Board 'Grapes and grape juice that are infused with smoke can carry the smoke compounds and smoke taste through the entire wine production, bottling process, and sale to the consumers,' the complaint said. Despite paying 'extraordinary costs' to try to cleanse the soot and smoke from their 2020 vintages, such efforts largely failed, according to the complaint. Tim Ramey, who is the co-owner of Zenith Vineyard, said the smoke 'definitely permeated the skins of the grapes and impacted the quality of the wine. And so the wine may taste great, you know, when first bottled. But it might taste like an ashtray two years later.' In an emailed statement, PacifiCorp said it is 'committed to settling all reasonable claims for damages as provided under Oregon law.' 'The safety of our customers and communities remains our top priority,' the statement said. This is not the first that the electric power company has been hit with legal battles for its decision to not turn power off during the wildfires. The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon, leaving over 3,000 structures destroyed and killing 11 people Last June, a jury found PacifiCorp liable for negligently failing to cut power to its 600,000 customers despite warnings from top fire officials. The jury determined it acted negligently and willfully and should have to pay punitive and other damages - a decision that applied to a class including the owners of up to 2,500 properties. Thousands of other class members are still awaiting trials, though the sides are also expected to engage in mediation that could lead to a settlement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the Islamic world to take action against Israel in response to the latest deadly strike in the Gaza Strip. Erdogan, 70, told lawmakers from his AKP party today that Israel represented a threat to 'all of humanity.' He said: 'I have some words to say to the Islamic world: what are you waiting for to take a common decision?' Erdogan, who leads a Muslim-majority country of 85 million people, told lawmakers from his AKP party. 'Israel is not just a threat to Gaza but to all of humanity,' he said. 'No state is safe as long as Israel does not follow international law and does not feel bound by international law,' Erdogan added, repeating an accusation that Israel is committing 'genocide' in Gaza. He also called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a 'vampire', and accused him of killing 'innocent civilians in their tents'. He also took aim at the West for being 'complicit' with the ongoing war in the Middle East. Erdogan, 70, (pictured) told lawmakers from his AKP party today that Israel represented a threat to 'all of humanity' Palestinians, carrying their personal belongings with them, migrate to the areas where they consider as a safe after the Israeli army targeted tents in Al-Mawasi Erdogan also called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) a 'vampire', and accused him of killing 'innocent civilians in their tents 'America, this blood is also on your hands. Heads of the states in Europe, you have become complicit in Israel's vampirism because you remained silent,' Erdogan said. 'No ideology sees the burning to death of innocent civilians in their tents as legitimate. The world is watching the barbarism of this vampire called Netanyahu live,' he added. Erdogan's fiery comments came as the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly Israeli attack on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday that killed 21 people, according to a civil defence official in Hamas-run Gaza. Nearly two-dozen people were killed in the strike on the tent camp west of the city on Tuesday, just days after 45 people were killed at an encampment for displaced Palestinians that burned to ashes. Gaza health authorities said yesterday that the second tent camp in the city had been hit, by Israeli tank shells, in an area Israel designated as a civilian evacuation zone. The IDF denied striking the area of al-Mawasi, west of Rafah. Palestinians mourn near makeshift tents after the Israeli shelling of a refugee tent encampment in al-Mawasi area west of Rafah Despite the scenes of horror, Israel appears to be keen to carry the fight on, with a national security adviser openly admitting that the war with Hamas was likely to last through the end of the year Despite the scenes of horror, Israel appears to be keen to carry the fight on, with a national security adviser openly admitting that the war with Hamas was likely to last through the end of the year. In an interview with Israel's Kan public broadcaster on Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said 'we are expecting another seven months of fighting' to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. His remarks came as Israel finds itself increasingly isolated on the world stage nearly eight months into the war triggered by Hamas' October 7 attack, with even the United States and other close allies expressing outrage over the toll on civilians. Hanegbi defended Israel's ongoing operations in Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt, saying the frontier had become a 'smuggling kingdom' since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. 'Every rocket, every explosive device, every shot fired at Israel is because that border was breached,' he said. He said Israel now controls around 75% of the narrow buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza that was created as part of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Egypt has expressed grave concerns about Israel's Rafah offensive, saying it threatens the peace treaty. A mayoral candidate was assassinated and another was wounded in separate attacks in Mexico just days before residents head to the polls to elect the country's new president and 20,000 other politicians. Ricardo Arizmendi, who was running for mayor of Cuautla in the central state of Morelos, was shot at a market by two men aboard a motorcycle on Tuesday. A woman was also wounded in the attack. Gilberto Palomar, who seeks the mayor's seat of Encarnacion de Diaz in the western state of Jalisco, and two of his staffers were wounded in a shooting at his home while they were wrapping up his campaign, according to state security coordinator Ricardo Sanchez. The shootings came less than 24 hours after Ruben Cruz, who is seeking to become mayor of Hueypoxtla in State of Mexico, came under fire as he was approaching his home. 'Arriving at my home they shot us, we were arriving with the staff, with friends,' Cruz told reporters Tuesday. 'They shot us. What we did was run and get in. We got scared.' Ricardo Arizmendi, who was running for mayor in the central Mexican city of Cuautla, was assassinated on Tuesday. Authorities are searching for two suspects who were traveling aboard a motorcycle and opened fire at a market, where a woman was wounded Gilberto Palomar Gonzalez, who is running for mayor of Encarnacion de Diaz in the western state of Jalisco, survived after he and two staffers were shot at a home on Tuesday Ruben Cruz, who is seeking to become mayor of Hueypoxtla in State of Mexico, revealed that four gunmen opened fired on him, staffers and family members as they were approaching his home Monday night. No injuries were reported As of Wednesday, authorities had yet to make arrests in any of the three shootings. The attacks were the latest among a series of incidents in which criminal organizations have targeted politicians since the start of the election campaign in September 2023. Mexican government figures show that 22 candidates have been murdered throughout the campaign season. However, Integralia, a public affairs consulting firm, reports that 34 have been killed. The deadliest states were Chiapas, which borders Guatemala in the south, where eight candidate murders, and the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, where six have been killed. Four candidates were murdered in the western state of Michoacan. Authorities found the severed head of Anibal Zuniga, who was running for councilman of the Guerrero city of Coyuca de Benitez, on May 16 in Acapulco Red Cross paramedics wheel Gilberto Palomar into a hospital in the western Mexico city of Encarnacion de Diaz after the mayoral candidate and two aides were wounded in a shooting at his home Tuesday Last week, two candidates in Chiapas survived assassination attempts in attacks that left nine people dead. The severed heads of Anibal Zuniga, who was running for councilman of the Guerrero city of Coyuca de Benitez, and his wife, Rubi Bravo, were found on a city street May 16. At least 100 people seeking office at the local and federal have either quit their campaigns or have chosen to run at all. In March, at least 46 candidates Michoacan and Morelos gave up their political aspirations after receiving threats from criminal organizations Edgardo Buscaglia, a senior scholar in law and economics at Columbia University and who has been an advisor to agencies at the United Nations, told DailyMail.com earlier this month that cartels have taken advantage by funding campaigns of candidates that turn a blind eye. 'Honest people, people who want to participate in politics cannot present themselves for fear, for fear of being murdered,' Buscaglia said. 'Many of those positions of murdered people or people who do not want to be included on the list due to threats, are later occupied by members of criminal networks who infiltrate the lists with their candidacies, candidacies that I describe in my 'mafiocratic' books.' He cautioned that this is made possible because the Mexican government does not have the 'institutional controls that function to prevent dirty money from buying candidates or from candidates not being audited of their assets' the way it exists in the United States and countries in the European Union. Locals in a sleepy Sussex village have warned Katie Price 'not to throw any wild parties'. They said they hope the bankrupt glamour model will 'keep herself to herself' when she moves into her new home next month. One new neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: 'She's a bit older now, so maybe she's calmed down a bit? As long as there are no wild parties going on into the night, we're ok with it.' Another neighbour who did not want to be named said: 'As long as she keeps herself to herself, I'm fine with it.' But Barbara and Jacob, who live across the road with their young children, were excited to see another star move in next to them. Locals in a sleepy Sussex village have warned Katie Price (pictured) 'not to throw any wild parties' Removal men squeezing all of Katie's boxes into the detached double garage at the new home Movers take Katie Price's furniture and belongings from a lorry during her house move Removal trucks at Katie Price's Mucky mansion after she was told to leave the 2m property over safety concerns Barbara said: 'It's quite sleepy here but it's a very nice place to live. Having Katie Price here might liven it up a bit. I'm sure there will be lots of interest in her.' Building work at the home Katie hopes to set up after leaving the Mucky Mansion will not be finished until mid June. The land at Katie's new place was sold to developers three years ago and building work on the four bedroom home started earlier this year. Katie Price is also moving in next to a nun - or at least an actress famous for playing one, MailOnline can reveal. The notorious model - who herself has dressed as a nun for photoshoots - will be soon be living almost nextdoor to veteran actress Judy Parfitt whose most famous part was playing Sister Monica Joan in Call the Midwife. Ms Parfitt will be Katie's neighbour when she moves into her new home next month. She said: 'She's entitled to live anywhere she likes. I hope she'll be very happy.' MailOnline can also reveal that Price's new house had run into local objections before it was even built. It was built on land that was previously part of a back garden before being sold onto a development firm. When they applied for permission to develop it, several neighbours objected to the plans on the grounds that they'd narrow a communal driveway and require a leylandii to be cut back. Katie is set to become the new neighbour to veteran actress Judy Parfitt (pictured) when she moves into her new home next month Judy, whose most famous part was playing Sister Monica Joan (pictured) in Call the Midwife, said: 'She's entitled to live anywhere she likes. I hope she'll be very happy.' Reed Removals workers were seen lifting furniture into the back of the van Removal vans are seen outside the Mucky Mansion which Katie bought in 2014 from Tory peer Francis Maude for 2million After the vans arrived, Katie was seen leaving the property and heading to Bristol for her podcast show One wrote: 'The disruption this will cause to our day to day lives is massive. We have two young children and are seriously concerned for there safety if the build commences. 'We need constant access to and from our property during the day, and do not see how this is possible through such a tight driveway. 'The aggravation to our day to day life will be an added stress and a large inconvenience.' A second added: 'The existing barrier between ourselves and the land proposed for this development is a 'dense row of leylandii' which actually helps massively with maintaining our peaceful outlook and keeps noise and disturbance to a minimum. 'The design and access statement has us extremely concerned, particularly with reference to the leylandii being 'considerably cropped''. Katie has wasted no time moving in to her new pad as removal vans were seen arriving at the sprawling estate on Tuesday. Three large removal trucks were pictured on the driveway, while workers started loading them with furniture. Explaining the situation, the former glamour model, 46, shared on Instagram: 'Due to acid attack on my car at my house I've now been advised by authorities not to stay at Mucky Mansion anymore'. An insider told The Sun: 'Katie has been dreading this day for so long but now it is here, she can't wait to leave. 'The house has caused her so much grief and was too much to handle on her own. With work and the kids it all became too much in recent years. And she's convinced it's haunted.' Katie confirmed for the first time on Thursday that she's finally moving out after she was served an eviction notice to leave the property. But Katie has now revealed that she is looking forward to leaving the house after taking to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of her car covered in splatters of a substance which has eroded the paint. Katie revealed she is looking forward to leaving her Mucky Mansion after taking to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of her car covered in a substance which has eroded the paint Over the video Katie could be heard saying: 'It's nice to know someone in the night has come to throw acid all over my car, everywhere, all on my car. Thank you whoever that was' Over the video Katie could be heard saying: 'It's nice to know someone in the night has come to throw acid all over my car, everywhere, all on my car. Thank you whoever that was.' Katie also included text on the clip which read: 'Scumbags outside my house on my private property. 'I can't wait get out of this house in a few months' time.' On Thursday, Katie revealed she will soon be collecting the keys for a new home and denied recent reports she was looking to move her family into a caravan. After nine years, Katie says she 'can't wait' to relocate and admits, 'I've had nothing but bad memories in that house', insisting moving will be the start of a new chapter in her life. The former glamour model, who's currently in a relationship with Married At First Sight UK contestant JJ Slater, 30, was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid tax bill of 761,994.05. Speaking about the West Sussex property, branded the 'Mucky Mansion' because of its constant state of disrepair, Katie said: 'I absolutely hate the Mucky Mansion, even how it's been called the Mucky Mansion because of all the stuff that happened there before. 'I can't wait to get out of that house I've had nothing but bad memories in that house for nine years. 'I hate the Mucky Mansion, I never want to see it again and I can't wait to move into my new place, I am so excited. New beginnings, new start, reset button, I love it. 'But don't worry, I'll be featuring my new house on my YouTube channel when I get the keys and welcoming you to my new house, I can't wait, I just want to get rid of all the bad stuff in the past and have a fresh start. 'Although I would love a big caravan, it wouldn't fit us all in so it's definitely not a caravan I'm moving into.' Katie, who's a mother to Harvey Price, 21, as well as Junior, 18, and Princess, 16, who she shares with Peter Andre and Jett, 10, and Bunny, nine, from her relationship with Kieran Hayler, was first declared bankrupt in 2019. Katie Price performing her an episode of her podcast live on stage for The Katie Price Show at The Lowry Theatre in Manchester in November 2023 Katie is now dating Married At First Sight star JJ Slater (pictured together in 2024) and the pair say they are 'in love' Katie is pictured with her children. (From right to left) Katie's sons Junior, 18, and Jett, 10, and her daughter's Princess, 16, and Bunny, nine In March, she became bankrupt for a second time after she failed to pay her taxes, saying the reason she has debts is because she went through a 'breakdown.' Speaking on the Stripping Off podcast with Matt Haycox, Katie said she wasn't even aware of the second bankruptcy, insisting, 'I will pay it, but it just has to be when I've got it.' She said: 'Yeah, you should always pay your tax, this and that. But obviously, I went through a breakdown so then I didn't pay tax and that's sort of where the bankruptcy thing has come from.' Katie has been given until June 26 to leave the Mucky Mansion, which became the subject of a Channel 4 documentary when she attempted to install life back into the property for the last time. A Ministry of Defence expert said he was '110 per cent sure' a Falklands War medal said to have been worn by a 'Walter Mitty' police chief was a fake, a police misconduct hearing was told on Wednesday. Chris Hayward, who has worked in the MoD's Medal Office for 15 years, said he had seen 'hundreds, if not thousands' of genuine or copy medals, including the South Atlantic Medal (SAM) Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley handed over to investigators from the police watchdog. The police chief was last year accused of 'stolen valour' for wearing the medal awarded for service in the 1982 Falklands conflict a time when Adderley was a 15-year-old schoolboy and sea cadet. A misconduct panel has been told Adderley, 57, joined the Royal Navy two-and-a-half years after the Falklands conflict ended. Despite variously claiming to have been a Lieutenant or a Commander, he had remained an able-seaman the lowest enlisted rank upon his discharge in December 1984. The hearing at Northampton Saints' rugby stadium was told the Independent Office of Police Conduct sent Mr Adderley's Falklands medal to the Medal Office to be inspected. A Falklands War medal alleged to have been worn by 'Walter Mitty' police chief Nick Adderley (pictured leaving the Northampton misconduct hearing yesterday) - who was just 15 years old during the conflict - is '110 per cent' a copy, an MoD expert told a misconduct panel Mr Adderley (pictured) has claimed the medal (circled) he had been pictured wearing several times since at least 2012 was given to him by his brother when he emigrated Medal expert Mr Hayward said Mr Adderley's medal was of 'poorer quality' than official SAMs, adding: 'It was lighter. I could tell it wasn't made of the same material cupronickel. Also, the mount (suspension bar) didn't swivel, which the real ones do. 'A lot of the copy medals look more blingy, more shiny. You can just tell straight away.' He also said the medal, which an IOPC investigator recalled had been 'crudely' engraved, had a different font to genuine SAMs and was certain it was a reproduction. The police chief has claimed the medal had been gifted by his brother Richard. But John Beggs KC, counsel for the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone, said in his opening statement that checks with the MoD found Richard was only posted to the South Atlantic a month after the Falklands war ended. He was therefore not entitled to wear the medal, which the MoD told investigators he had only applied for last October the month Mr Adderley was suspended by then PFCC Stephen Mold. The panel heard copy medals can be purchased from 'reputable dealers'. Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley (pictured) arriving at the Northampton Saints ground on May 28 for a gross misconduct disciplinary hearing Chief Constable Nick Adderley has been accused of exaggerating his achievements during his military career The hearing was told of a string of alleged 'untrue' statements made by Mr Adderley or published with his apparent blessing in documents ranging from his application form to become Chief Constable in 2018, his curriculum vitae from the same period, press releases and even internal police video blogs. Mr Adderley, who yesterday opted not to give evidence to the misconduct panel, 'exaggerated his rank, length of service and Royal Naval achievements', Mr Beggs said. The three-man misconduct panel were told he gave four different dates for his military service covering four different time frames - between 1981 and 1992. The dates were recorded on vetting questionnaires, his curriculum vitae and an old application form to join Cheshire Constabulary, the panel were told, and covered periods of time ranging from less than three years to 11 years. Matthew Holdcroft, representing Mr Adderley, said the discrepancies did not suggest a 'campaign of dishonesty'. The barrister submitted that his client had no case to answer and claimed Mr Adderley had only ever described his military background in terms of himself being 'former Royal Navy personnel' or 'ex-military', but Mr Beggs said the facts 'obliterated' such a claim. Suspended chief constable Nick Adderley (centre) leaves Northampton Saints Stadium, Northampton yesterday Mr Adderley is part-way through a three-day misconduct hearing, where he is accused of exaggerating his rank and length of service and telling 'bare-faced lies' about his naval achievements, including implying that he served in the Falklands War, despite being just 15 when the conflict broke out in 1982 He said the panel had 'evidence of deceit from the chief constable's own hand' because he signed declarations at the end of his CV and application form for the job of chief constable in 2018 confirming that information he had provided on each form was correct. The panel rejected Mr Holdcroft's submission. Mr Beggs said the 165,000-a-year chief constable told 'barefaced lies' and said the panel would have to consider whether Mr Adderley had 'deliberately advanced a false narrative' to exaggerate his service and achievements. Mr Adderley, currently suspended, denies gross misconduct and acting without integrity but admits a breach of standards. The hearing continues. Rodeo star Spencer Wright's wife has said she and her husband are feeling hopeful about their three-year-old son's recovery from a brain injury after he plunged into a fast-moving river. Family friend and spokesperson Kallie Wright has taken to Facebook to share an update on the child's condition, telling friends they are taking things 'one step at a time' after the horror accident. Their son, Levi, has been in a critical condition for more than a week after driving his tractor into Beaver River close to their home in the southwest Utah town of Milford. 'Levi is getting another 24 hour EEG which monitors brain wave activity now & he has another MRI scheduled Friday,' Kallie said in her latest update on Facebook. 'Our goal this week is to extubate him (remove his breathing tube) and see if he will tolerate breathing on his own! One step at a time. Thank you for your continued prayers, support & love sent our way!' Rodeo star Spencer Wright's wife has said they are feeling hopeful about their three-year-old son's recovery from a brain injury after he plunged into a fast-moving river The tragic accident unfolded on May 21 when Kallie was outside watching Levi playing on his tractor trailer. She momentarily went back into her home to check on her nine-month-old. When she returned moments later, Levi was nowhere to be found, and she frantically dove into the raging Beaver County river to search for her son in the torrent. Kallie called first responders and they found Levi in the creek around a mile downstream. He was airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The Wright couple braced themselves for the worst, saying they planned to 'stop care and hold him close until his last breath on earth' after doctors said he was unlikely to survive. But two days later a miracle occurred as Levi awoke from his coma Thursday night. Kallie Wright has taken to Facebook to share an update on their son's condition, telling friends they are taking things 'one step at a time' after the horror accident Spencer Wright's son, Levi, has been in a critical condition for more than a week after driving his tractor into Beaver River close to their home in the south-west Utah town of Milford Levi, three, has been in a critical condition for more than a week after driving his tractor into Beaver River close to their home in the south-west Utah town of Milford 'LEVI WOKE UP! I am shook, we don't know much but the doctor said it was okay for me to get excited about that and I AM! My baby is so tough!' Kallie wrote at the time. 'He got a little wild so we had to settle him down again but my heart!' Photos on social media show Kallie cradling her son as they both lay in his hospital bed with his father standing nearby. On Sunday she wrote: 'This is an experience, I pray deep in my soul you never have to know the way I am beginning to. 'This is a roller coaster that you go on unwillingly & blindfolded, you do not know what's coming next. You just get to wait & ride it out. We are taking it day by day.' She shared the type of brain injury her son may sustain, and the unknowns that are ahead. Levi snuck away from his family in the toy tractor (pictured), and his mother reportedly dove into the river to save him after he disappeared under the currents Just Tuesday, the family said Levi's heart was 'beating on its own', but he was not showing signs of rehabilitation Spencer Wright, ranked 35th in the rodeo world rankings, and his family said the outpouring of support they have received 'means the world' to them 'The term 'Brain Injury' is very broad, there are ranges and different severities. No two brain injuries are alike, even if the accident is similar. No two brains recover or don't recover the same. 'There is a lot Medical Professionals don't know, but what they do tell you is based off legitimate medical literature and history.' Spencer has also spoken out to encourage fans to donate money for a boy of the same age who is being treated for sepsis caused by meningitis in the room next door to Levi. Three-year-old Taysen Baum has suffered blood clots, strokes and a brain injury triggered by the infection. His parents, like Levi's, are praying for a miracle their boy will survive. A poll released Wednesday showed that former President Donald Trump has made inroads in Virginia, a state he lost to President Joe Biden by more than 10 points four years ago. A fresh Roanoke College Poll showed Biden and Trump tied earning 42 percent of the vote each when the choices were just the Democrat and the Republican presumptive nominees. When third-party candidates were factored in, Biden maintained a slight lead in the state - garnering 40 percent to Trump's 38 percent. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polled at 8 percent in Virginia, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein polled at 3 percent and independent Cornel West received just 1 percent, in that scenario. Thanks, in part, to the liberal suburbs of Washington, D.C., Virginia started voting Democratic in presidential elections starting with President Barack Obama's win in 2008. President Joe Biden (left) beat former President Donald Trump (right) in Virginia by just over 10 points in 2020. The latest polling from the state shows the two candidates ties in a two-person race Biden and Trump are tied at 42 percent of the vote in Virginia, polling from Roanoke College found, when third-party hopefuls were not named on the ballot Biden's 10-point win over Trump in 2020 was the biggest win since this trend started, but in Virginia's 2021 off-year gubernatorial election, Republican Glenn Youngkin had a shock over Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who had previously served as the state's governor. Current job approval for Biden in the state was 35 percent, while Youngkin sat at 52 percent, the survey found. Wednesday's poll was the first Roanoke College Poll that showed Trump and Biden tied. The results are within the survey's plus or minus 4.2 percent margin of error. Previous polls conducted in February and November showed that the race was close and within the surveys' margin of error. Trump's first term in office is viewed by the Virginia electorate as being better for the country, with 44 percent of repsondents saying it was mostly good, compared to 33 percent who rated it mostly bad. When looking at Biden's first term, 47 percent said it was mostly bad, while just 25 percent said it was mostly good. When third-party candidates were named, Biden squeaked out a win against Trump, however it was within the poll's plus or minus 4.2 percent margin of error Republicans were far more enthusiastic about Trump's years in office than Democrats were about Biden's - which could help explain the narrowness of the current race. A whopping 87 percent of GOP voters said Trump's first term was mostly good. Among Democrats, just 50 percent referred to Biden's term as mostly good. Trump said during his massive Wildwood, New Jersey rally earlier that Virginia was among the blue-leaning states he would make a play for in the 2024 race. He also said he hoped to flip New Jersey and Minnesota. Rishi Sunak was spotted travelling with a 750 luxury backpack - personalised with his 'RS' initials - as he boarded the sleeper train to Penzance in Cornwall last night. The Prime Minister headed to the South West for another day of general election campaigning as he toured Cornwall and Devon in his bid to remain in No10. As he spoke to staff at London Paddington station, before making his 280-mile overnight journey, Mr Sunak slung a black bag over his right shoulder. It has now been revealed to be a Tumi Arrive Bradley backpack that sold for 750 in high-end stores, including Selfridges, according to the Daily Mirror. Mr Sunak, who together with his wife Akshata Murty is thought to be worth around 650million, was also shown to have had his initials monogrammed on the bag. The Tory campaign heads to the south west. Were on the overnight sleeper to Penzance with the PM. See you bright and early from 7 pic.twitter.com/RGbOwQMfIa Rob Powell (@robpowellnews) May 28, 2024 Rishi Sunak was spotted travelling with a 750 luxury backpack - personalised with his 'RS' initials - as he boarded the sleeper train to Penzance in Cornwall last night As he spoke to staff at London Paddington station, before making his 280-mile overnight journey, Mr Sunak slung a black bag over his right shoulder Mr Sunak, who together with his wife Akshata Murty is thought to be worth around 650million, was also shown to have had his initials monogrammed on the bag It has now been revealed to be a Tumi Arrive Bradley backpack that sold for 750 in high-end stores, including Selfridges, according to the Daily Mirror . As he spoke to staff at the station, the PM said he was 'very excited' to be using the sleeper service. This morning, on his arrival in Cornwall, Mr Sunak was quizzed about why he had chosen to travel by train rather than a helicopter, which he has often used in the past. 'The train was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it,' the Tory leader replied. 'I've been taking lots of pictures and videos - sending back to my kids - and saying we'll be back here as a family at some point. 'I'm excited to be out and about in Cornwall and heading up to Devon later today.' Mr Sunak's backpack is not the first time he has been revealed to own luxury items. In July 2022, when he first campaigned to be Tory leader, Mr Sunak was seen weating a pair of 490 brown Prada suede loafers on a visit to a building site in Teesside. And, when he was Chancellor, Mr Sunak was pictured posing with coffee mug costing 180. The Ember travel mug, reportedly a gift from his wife, was described as doing 'more than simply keep your coffee hot'. 'Our smart mug allows you to set an exact drinking temperature and keeps it there for up to three hours, so your coffee is never too hot, or too cold,' the product description added. When he was Chancellor in July 2020, Mr Sunak was pictured posing with coffee mug costing 180 In July 2022, when he first campaigned to be Tory leader, Mr Sunak was seen weating a pair of 490 brown Prada suede loafers on a visit to a building site in Teesside When he arrived in Penzance today, Mr Sunak visited the Long Rock train depot where he met apprentices as he promoted plans to boost apprenticeships while axing 'rip off' degrees. The PM later met apprentices at a broadband company in Cornwall where he was given a chance to try out their technical skills. After unsheathing a cable from a blue casing and wiping it with alcohol gel, he used a small device to join it with another. Kiri James, 30, a field service engineer apprentice who led a demonstration for the Prime Minister, ran the cable through a testing machine and said he had carried out a perfect splice. Mr Sunak pumped his arms in the air to celebrate. The pilot ejected himself moments before the plane crashed, and is recovering More footage has been released of the near-fatal fighter jet crash in New Mexico Footage has been revealed of the aftermath of an Air Force fighter jet crashing into the ground in New Mexico before bursting into flames. On Tuesday afternoon, first responders rushed to the crash site just south of Albuquerque International Sunport. Lockheed Martin, the primary contractor of the particular aircraft that crashed, confirmed that the aircraft was a F-35B fighter jet. The pilot, who is currently recovering in the hospital and in stable condition, managed to eject just seconds before the plane hit the ground. He was found away from the crash site - still conscious but seriously injured - and was rushed to University of New Mexico hospital. He was on his way to Forth Worth, Texas to Edwards Air Force Base in California after stopping at Kirtland Air Force Base to refuel. He crashed just before 2 pm. A F-35 fighter jet crashed near crashed Tuesday afternoon at Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, sending up a large plume of smoke and injuring the pilot Emergency workers respond to a military plane crash near the Albuquerque International Airport on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 The plane involved in the crash was a F-35 fighter jet, similar to one pictured here Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) and Bernalillo County firefighters tried to put out the fire, but they called in reinforcements from Kirtland Air Force Base to wipe it out completely. 'We carry 500 gallons of water on our apparatus and small foam tanks, but it's no match for a jet fuel fire of that scope,' Lt. Jason Fejer with AFR told local NBC affiliate KOB. While first responders managed to contain the fire within a few hours, clearing out the debris crash site is a lengthier process and will take days to complete. The pilot was the only person on the plane, and no one was killed. While the reason behind the crash is still being investigated, KOB reports that a malfunction occurred minutes after the jet first took off. There were several witnesses to the crash, who told KOB they were shaken by the incident. Hunter James Ryer was waiting for his flight to take off at the Sunport when he saw a plume of smoke and bursts of flames in the distance. 'I can't really believe I just witnessed a crash while I was on a plane,' Ryer told KOB. He said he knew it was a plane crash when he saw several emergency vehicles rushing to the scene, followed by an announcement from the pilot that the tarmac would be closed. 'Everyone just got really quiet,' Ryer said, as the passengers took turns looking out the window to see the incident unfold. The military fighter jet crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said. Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) and Bernalillo County firefighters tried to put out the fire, but they called in reinforcements from Kirtland Air Force Base to wipe it out completely Alan Diehl, a former aviation and safety expert for the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Air Force, said the F-35B are the worlds most advanced aircraft. 'This is the main first-line fighter of not only America but our Allies around the world, so obviously there is going to be a lot of interest in this accident,' he said. These new models, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, have only been in use by the U.S. Airforce, Navy, and the Marine Corps for less than 10 years. A fleet of these aircraft is supposed to replace older jet models, including the F16 and the A10. 'These are stealth aircrafts. They're supposedly highly invisible to radar,' Diehl said. While the F-35s, which cost $135 million, are still being tested and modified, Diehl said they have a good safety record. 'The newer airplanes tend to have a higher mishap rate than planes that have been around for awhile, and as they get old, the mishap rates starts to climb for mechanical reasons, but know that the 35 is a safe aircraft' he said. Of all the crashes he has investigated in his career, 50 percent to 80 percent were a result of human error. The plane had left Fort Worth, Texas and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles when it crashed on a hillside on the south side of the airfield Alan Diehl, a former aviation and safety expert said the Naval Safety Center will treat the crash 'like a crime scene' Diehl said the Naval Safety Center will treat the crash 'like a crime scene, photograph everything, and meticulously take apart the components to eliminate all mechanical problems.' He said he believes the investigation of the aircraft will take a few months, with a preliminary report released within 30 days. The identity of the pilot has not been released. Police looking for a mother and baby after an umbilical cord and placenta were discovered on a muddy riverbank have called off a section of their search after digging up a dead cat. Officers identified a new site of interest near the bank of the Cooks River at Earlwood in Sydney on Tuesday and put up a blue tarpaulin in the belief new material might be found there. However, searches later uncovered a freshly buried dead cat - leading cops to declare a false alarm. Local resident Tony Robson found the umbilical cord and placenta hidden in shrubs near the river at about 4.30pm on Monday while he was walking his dogs. Mr Robson and his wife alerted police before emergency services arrived at the scene a short time later. Investigators were seen putting up sheets of blue tarpaulin (pictured) after a new search area near the riverbank was identified 'It was just sitting on top of the mud, the water was quite a distance away,' he told 7News. Mr Robson, a father, said he immediately recognised the placenta and the umbilical cord. '[I've] seen three births so you kind of know what you're looking at,' he said. 'I couldn't think what else it could be. It looked about the right size for a human. My wife took a photo of it, and we called the police.' NSW Police are continuing to investigate the incident and hold concerns for the safety of the mother and her child. Police have urged the woman to go to the nearest hospital to seek medical attention for herself and her baby. Tony Robson (pictured) discovered the umbilical cord and placenta while he was walking his two dogs near the Cooks River at Earlwood in Sydney's inner south-west on Monday afternoon Police are still searching for the woman and her child after Mr Robson alerted them to the shocking discovery Police divers have joined the search, and a blood detection dog was also assisting in the large-scale effort after the woman and child could not be located on Tuesday. NSW Police Detective Chief Superintendent Christine McDonald did not rule out the likelihood the baby may have been placed in the water. Police have not found any evidence to indicate the child was harmed. Superintendent McDonald said on Monday night the priority of police is to ensure the mother and her child are located. 'At this stage our main concern is for the whereabouts for the mother and the child, we see that as a real urgent matter for us to find her and her child, hopefully safe and healthy,' she said. Superintendent McDonald said police are not judging the woman and they are only looking out for her welfare. 'They need to know we are concerned for them, that we are wanting to know that they are safe,' she said. Anyone who lives in the areas of Wardell Road and Lang Road areas of Earlwood, or Tennant Parade, Hurlstone Park and Ewen Park, who may have seen a pregnant woman in distress, is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The family of murdered soap star Johnny Wactor is reportedly upset about the comments his ex-fiancee has issued following his tragic murder. According to TMZ, the late actor's mother, Scarlett, said that her son and Tessa Farrell dated several years ago, but have not been in touch since their split, nor has Farrell kept up with his family members. In a tearful video posted online after Johnny's death over the weekend, Farrell pleaded for stricter laws in Los Angeles - the city where the actor was shot and killed as he confronted criminals breaking into his car. The outlet reports that Farrell said she wants LA authorities to consider revoking the city's current zero-bail policy, which consistently allows low-level - but often dangerous - criminals back onto the streets. Despite the common sense change Farrell is arguing for, Scarlett says she wishes her ex-almost daughter-in-law would stop using her son's name for clout, which is what she believes is happening. Johnny Wactor (left) pictured with his family, who are now preparing to bring his body to South Carolina, where they will mourn him Scarlett is currently in the process of arranging for her son's body to be flown to South Carolina, where his family lives, so that they might proceed with properly mourning him. She added that they will hold a memorial in Los Angeles at a later date. LA cops have yet to make an arrest following the murder, and authorities are reportedly saying this sort of tragic happening has become sort of standard issue given the out-of-control way criminals have been behaving of late. These criminals, in particular, were attempting to steal Wactor's catalytic converter, a crime that occurs at an especially high rates in the City of Angels because criminals know, if caught, they'll having received merely a slap on the wrist. TMZ reports that LAPD's rank-and-file don't expect the issue to get any better any time soon without top-down change. Wactor, an actor, was killed over the weekend by a group of thieves attempting to rob his car His ex-fiancee has posted online several times about her former flame's untimely death, which is mother has now weighed in on, hoping to bring the online commentary to an end The actor, 37, had appeared on more than 160 episodes of General Hospital between 2020 and 2022, he'd had guest and recurring roles on several other hit shows Wactor died over the weekend after leaving work at a rooftop bar with a co-worker around 3am when he interrupted three men stealing the catalytic converter from his car, his family previously told DailyMail.com. They said he initially thought his car was being towed, but was then shot by a masked suspect as he approached. Three suspects subsequently drove away from the scene, witnesses said. The 37-year-old was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. As of Wednesday, there were no arrests. Cops in the city said they are investigating, but have yet to inform the public of any substantial leads. Wactor's murder comes just weeks after California was ranked among the top 10 most dangerous states in America. Violent crime in Los Angeles has been on the rise, with the LAPD recording a 2.9 per cent increase at the end of March 2024, compared to the same time last year. The LAPD reported Friday that, as of the end of April, the city's rise in the number of murders in 2024 continued to decline and, as of April 27, was only 4.2 per cent above the number of murders reported at this time in 2023, NBC Los Angeles reported. The last time the force updated robbery statistics, at the end of March 2024, thefts were up 9.5 per cent, according to ABC 7. Around 600,000 catalytic converters are stolen each year. Most cars are equipped with one converter but those with a dual exhaust system require two. Larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks may have more than two. According to the New York Times, stolen catalytic converters are passed through 'middlemen, smelters and refineries in the United States and overseas.' They can be stolen in under a minute and cost around $1,000 to replace. A former SNBP frontbencher has been suspended from the Scottish Parliament for 27 days and docked thousands of pounds from his salary after trying to use his expenses to pay off an iPad data bill run up by his children Former health secretary Michael Matheson's suspension is the longest ever handed out to a politician at Holyrood. He will also lose 54 days' pay after a vote by MSPs this afternoon that passed despite his party refusing to back the punishment. But he said he would not additionally resign his seat despite calls from opposition parties. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross told Holyrood: 'Resigning from the Cabinet, resigning from the Scottish Government is not enough. 'Michael Matheson should do the right thing and resign from the Parliament.' First Minister John Swinney had criticised the recommendation made by a cross-bench committee over comments made by one of its Tory members. Former health secretary Michael Matheson's suspension is the longest ever handed out to a politician at Holyrood. First Minister John Swinney had criticised the recommendation made by a cross-bench committee over comments made by one of its Tory members. In a statement released in the minutes after 64 MSPs voted for him to be barred for 27 sitting days, Mr Matheson said: 'I apologise and regret that this situation occurred. I acknowledge and accept the decision of Parliament. 'I also note that Parliament has called for the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body to carry out an independent review of the Parliament's complaints process to restore integrity and confidence in the Parliament and its procedures, which I hope will be progressed. 'I look forward to continuing to represent the people of Falkirk West, as I have done for many years.' Mr Swinney said he believes comments made by a member of the committee, Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells, prejudged the case. He previously said he would not support the sanction, but an SNP motion at Parliament now backs it. Mr Swinney told Sky News on a General Election campaign visit on today : 'I never at any stage suggested that I would bring forward an alternative proposition. What I expressed was concerns about a process which I think brings Parliament into disrepute. 'In no other walk of life would it be tolerable for somebody on a disciplinary panel to prejudge a case. 'It just wouldn't be allowed in any other walk of life, and I think the Scottish Parliament has got itself into a really tricky situation by doing that. 'Parliament will sort these things out and it will decide its position and obviously I'll accept what Parliament decides.' Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the SNP of 'putting their party interests before the good of the country'. He added: 'John Swinney and the SNP are using the Boris Johnson and Conservative Party playbook - putting personal relationships before the integrity of Parliament. 'John Swinney is trying to defend the indefensible by backing Matheson, who was found to have attempted to misuse 11,000 of public money. 'It's completely and utterly unacceptable.' He said Labour is 'dedicated to cleaning up politics', including by introducing a Bill that would include a recall process to sack suspended MSPs. The Spanish civil guard is investigating the murder of a 96-year-old woman in a Valencia care home, which is believed to have been committed by her 92-year-old roommate. News outlet ABC Diario reported that on Tuesday night an elderly woman in a retirement home in the Chiva municipality of Valencia was suffocated in her sleep. The police were alerted after members of staff, who went into the room to give the two women who shared a room their medication, discovered the lifeless body. The death was reported under strange circumstances. After examining the body, agents at the scene concluded that the 96-year-old showed signs that she had been suffocated, which was then confirmed by a coroner hours later. Police suspect a 96-year-old woman, who was found dead in a care home, was murdered by her roommate. No arrests have been made yet, but according to Levante-EMV, the civil guard are waiting for the autopsy to be performed to clarify what happened. Although the causes are not yet known, the alleged murderer suffered from senile dementia. If this information is confirmed, the woman would be unimpeachable, but to do so she would have to confirm her condition with psychiatric examinations. This incident comes after an 86-year-old woman was arrested in Gran Canaria after she tried to smuggle drugs into a prison. As reported by Antena 3, the woman - who had no criminal record - was visiting her incarcerated son at the Las Palmas II prison. The arrested woman handed over the drugs voluntarily when requested by the police officers. 16.7 grams of cocaine base as well as two grams of cocaine and 281 grams of hashish were seized from her. Dramatic video shows the moment police arrested a husband and wife who carried out a serial 'dine and dash' spree targeting at least five different restaurants. Father-of-six Bernard McDonagh, 41, and 39-year-old Ann McDonagh, have today been jailed for a total of 20 months after skipping almost 1,200 in food bills. The married fraudsters had 43 fake identities - with 18 dates of birth - to help pull off their scams, it was revealed. The pair today finally faced justice at Swansea Crown Court Court, where they were condemned for their 'cynical and brazen' frauds targeting eateries across a 30-mile radius. Legal prosecutors declared the couple had been 'brought to justice' after they were jailed and ordered to hand restaurants compensation for their unpaid meals. Dramatic video shows the moment police arrested a husband and wife who carried out a serial 'dine and dash' spree Serial 'dine and dash' con artists Bernard and Ann McDonagh, seen arriving today at Swansea Crown Court, have been jailed for a total of 20 months Ann McDonagh, 39, was described in court as a 'fluent and practiced liar' Bernard McDonagh (pictured) was jailed for eight months while his wife got a 12-month term Their family-of-eight was found to have racked up an unpaid 329 bill when they sat at the Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Swansea earlier this year Their eat-and-run efforts cost businesses 1,168.10 - with the couple often ordering 'large amounts of food' including huge steaks, double desserts and extra drinks for their entire family. The couple were ordered to pay compensation amounting to the total of their unpaid restaurant bills within 7 days. A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'The thefts committed by the McDonagh's have had a devastating impact on local family run restaurants. 'These businesses, already facing numerous challenges, have suffered financial losses and emotional strain due to the McDonagh's actions. They have today been brought to justice'. Ann McDonagh, dressed in a glittery cream jacket, burst into tears as she was jailed for a total of 12 months for her offences, while her husband showed no emotion as he was given an eight-month prison sentence. The McDonaghs would typically use a payment card they knew would be declined before leaving one of their children in the restaurant to reassure staff they would come back later to hand over cash - only for the youngster to then flee. A court heard the couple, described as being from a 'large traveller family', hit five restaurants across a 30-mile radius in South Wales before they were finally caught after online appeals to track them down. The brazen pair also ordered a slap-up Chinese takeaway delivery to their home before slamming the door in the courier's face and refusing to pay. Ann McDonagh told probation workers she specifically targeted the restaurants for luxury meals because 'they were not something she could usually afford'. She also claimed she was nine months' pregnant and was released from custody on a doctor's advice - but was not actually expecting at the time, the court heard. The pair were finally caught after being captured on CCTV leaving a restaurant without paying after gorging themselves on T-bone steak and large helpings of Tiramisu. Owners of the Italian restaurant they targeted that time posted the video onto social media and it went viral with more than 12million views. The shameless couple were today put behind bars after admitting five frauds at restaurants and four shoplifting offences. Judge Paul Thomas said they couple got a 'buzz' out of their crimes, having acted out of 'pure and utter greed'. He described Mrs McDonagh as 'the leading figure' in the criminal enterprise. The judge said he was jailing them for the way they 'ruthlessly exploited' their young children in their dine-and dash swindles. They targeted restaurants in South Wales where they could not normally afford to eat which made Ann McDonagh 'feel better about herself', the court heard. They ordered large T-bone steaks which the children could not eat - with restaurant staff being baffled by how much food the family wasted. It was only when staff presented the bill that they realised they were being duped. Ann McDonagh would attempt to pay using bank cards which were declined before saying she would leave one of her children behind while she fetched another card from the car. A few minutes later the child would run out and get into the family's blue van before it was driven off. They were arrested after running up a 329 bill at the Bella Ciao restaurant in Swansea in April - with four other restaurants then coming forward to say they had also been victims of the same pair. Police discovered they had rung up a total bill of 1,168.10 from restaurants and also got away goods worth 1,017.60 on shoplifting sprees at Tommy Hilfiger, Sainsbury and Tesco stores. Bernard McDonagh made no comment when asked by journalists if he was 'ashamed' on his behaviour when previously appearing at Swansea Magistrates' Court earlier this month Ann McDonagh, pictured outside Swansea Magistrates' Court on May 8, was today described as the 'leading figure' in the couple's criminal enterprise Mrs McDonagh admitted a further offence of obstructing a police officer. She has 18 convictions from 36 offences including fraud and theft while her husband has previous convictions for theft, the court heard. In a victim personal statement, Bella Ciao owner Jiovan Cangelo said: 'I felt robbed and stupid. I was beating myself up over it. I found myself doubting other customers in case they ran away. 'My father and I even discussed changing the dynamic of the restaurant so people pay first before sitting down to have food, but I did not want to do this.' The couple dashers also failed to pay a 196 bill at Isabella's restaurant in Porthcawl on March 27 and a 267 bill at River House restaurant in Swansea last August 9. Other payments skipped were worth 99.40 bill at Golden Fortune in Port Talbot on January 31 this year and 267.60 at La Casona restaurant in Skewen on February 24. Ann McDonagh's thefts included taking 491 worth of clothes in two raids at the Tommy Hilfiger shop at Bridgend Designer Outlet, South Wales. She also pleaded guilty to obtaining household items to the value of 426.60 from a Tesco Extra store and 400 of goods from a Sainsbury's. Giles Hayes, defending Bernard McDonagh, said the travelling community to which he belonged felt 'deeply ashamed' of his behaviour. The couple are seen at the River House Lounge & Restaurant in Swansea last August One of the suspects was seen at the Mediterranean eatery La Casona in Skewen in February Mr Hayes said: 'He and his wife have fallen on their swords and fully accept their behaviour was socially unacceptable. 'Mr McDonagh recognises his wrongdoing and is remorseful.' The court heard the couple had to move out of their home in Port Talbot after angry locals smashed all the windows in a revenge attack. Sentencing them, Judge Thomas told the pair: 'Over a period of eight months you two set out on a deliberate course of sustained dishonesty. 'You would go into restaurants with your young family and cynically and brazenly leave without paying. 'You would order the most expensive items on the menu, even for your children who could not eat them.' Judge Thomas said the couple used a 'well rehearsed and tested method' of avoiding payment, leaving one of their children behind as security. He said: 'It exploited them, put them at risk and gave them the example that dishonesty and deception are an acceptable way of living their lives. 'It was criminality for the sake of criminality. You each got a buzz to see what you could get away with. Bernard McDonagh, dressed in a salmon-coloured polo shirt and a light grey jacket, put his hand over his face outside Swansea Magistrates' Court at their previous May 8 hearing The couple's house in Port Talbot, about eight miles from Swansea, had its windows smashed in after their names were shared on social media The vandalism was allegedly committed by a gang of men wearing balaclavas 'Businesses suffered significant losses. It put people's livelihoods and jobs at risk. 'If your community is, as I am told, disgusted with your behaviour, they have every right to be.' The judge said Mrs McDonagh was the leading figure and a 'fluent and practiced liar'. The couple brought money with them to court to compensate the restaurants they stole from but the offers were declined. David Chapman, executive director for UK Hospitality in Wales, said so-called 'dining and dashing' is a 'constant problem' the hospitality sector faces. He said: 'There are an awful lot of honest people out there that enjoy using our hospitality premises, but it does happen. UK Hospitality estimates that every year this type of behaviour costs businesses as much as 10million in Wales. 'It's heartbreaking when people put so much effort and so much of their life into creating the dishes people enjoy. 'It's not just stealing food, it's stealing business sustainability. It's stealing staff benefits. It's stealing the enjoyment of others. 'Because these businesses have to survive, have to grow, have to invest. You may think it's a small amount of money but even with one dine and dash it can impact on profit margins for a business and cause problems that will impact on other parts of the business.' Nigel Farage has refused to answer a 'woke' questionnaire about his sexuality and ethnicity for 'diversity and inclusion monitoring' as he's set to appear on BBC Question Time. Reform UK's honorary president, 60, told the broadcaster to 'go to hell' as he showed his answer in huge block capitals and an exclamation mark. The controversial politician claims the document asked him if he would mind his email being used for 'diversity monitoring'. In a video posted on Twitter, he raged: 'They want to know about my sexuality - well I'm going to keep that very private - ethnicity. 'There's my answer - it's a big 'no!' Go to hell!' Reform UK's honorary president, 60, told the broadcaster to 'go to hell' as he showed his answer in huge block capitals and an exclamation mark The controversial politician claims the document asked him if he would mind his email being used for 'diversity monitoring' Speaking from a recording studio, set out with cameras and lights, he spoke to the camera while wearing a red and white floral tie and blue suit trousers - the same outfit as he had worn on The Sun's Never Mind the Ballots show. He had already filled out his name, address and phone number when he got to the sticking point. He is set to return to the Question Time desk for the first time since May 2019 tomorrow, alongside Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, according to political blog Guido Fawkes. It comes after Farage hinted he's open to a general election deal with the Tories as Rishi Sunak faces a wipeout on 4 July. The ex-UKIP leader suggested he and the Conservatives 'might have a conversation' ahead of polling day. Mr Farage pointed to 'huge favours' he had done for the Tories in the past and demanded the Prime Minister 'give me something back'. But he denied he was angling for a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords, revealing he had 'turned all that rubbish down in the past'. After a rocky start to the Tories' election campaign since announcing the 4 July vote last week, the PM has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour's huge poll lead. Nigel Farage hinted he's open to a general election deal with the Tories as Rishi Sunak faces a wipeout on 4 July After a rocky start to the Tories' election campaign since announcing the 4 July vote last week, the PM, pictured today, has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour 's huge poll lead The start of the campaign has seen Mr Sunak announce a revived form of national service, a tax break for pensioners, and a crackdown on 'Mickey Mouse' degrees. These have been viewed as part of the PM's efforts to shore up his right-wing vote and counter the threat of Reform, who are polling at around 10 per cent support. There are widespread fears among Conservative MPs that Reform's pledge to stand in nearly every parliamentary constituency will deliver a massive boost to Labour. They have warned that Reform are likely to split the right-wing vote in key seats and give a huge helping hand to Sir Keir Starmer's bid for a House of Commons majority. Mr Farage was quizzed about the prospect of Reform harming the Conservative cause in many parts of the country on The Sun's Never Mind The Ballots show. He was grilled about the chances of MPs such as ex-Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a top Brexiteer, being ousted due to the impact of Reform standing in his seat. Mr Farage admitted he and Sir Iain 'should be in the same party together'. But he added: 'Do you know what? I got rid of Mrs May with the Brexit Party. I stood aside for Boris to help him win a massive majority. Mr Farage has continued to put pressure on the Tories over their handling of the Channel migrant crisis Your browser does not support iframes. 'What are they going to do back for me?' Asked whether he was angling for a peerage or a knighthood from the Tories, Mr Farage replied: 'No, no, no. I've turned all that rubbish down in the past. 'I'm not asking them for anything other than I've done them some huge favours over the years as a party. Give me something back. We might have a conversation.' Ahead of the 2019 general election, Mr Farage's Brexit Party - the predecessor of Reform - agreed not to stand in Conservative-held seats. This has been credited with helping former PM Boris Johnson win his 80-seat majority in the Commons. Richard Tice, the leader of Reform, has previously ruled out agreeing a deal with the Conservatives ahead of this year's general election. Mr Farage also explained on the show why he chose not to stand as a Reform candidate on 4 July, as he blamed Mr Sunak's decision to go to the polls much earlier than most had expected. He said: 'I had a plan, actually. I'll let you in on a secret. I was going to launch tomorrow - I had a venue booked, I had it all ready to go. 'But the problem is, you can't win in a constituency - or it's very difficult to win - without data. 'It's even harder to win when you're Nigel Farage, because the other side will cheat. 'There'll be third party outside influencers, and I needed a really good run at this. And six weeks wasn't enough. 'I thought, well, rather than being stuck for six weeks in a constituency, why not travel around the country. 'Not just supporting Reform candidates, but try and get a proper debate going.' The BBC have been contacted for comment. A Utah magazine has been forced to apologize after including an OB-GYN accused of sexually assaulting over 100 women in their 'Best Of' issue. The Utah Valley Magazine had included Dr. David Broadbent, as part of their latest edition which included readers favorites in the area. The magazine had invited readers to vote for their favorites across a number of categories. The obstetrician gynecologist, who has been accused by over 120 women of sexual abuse during medical exams, won the category in fertility. He is alleged to have abused and battered women while examining them and preyed upon them for sexual pleasure, even moaning while doing it some cases. Stephanie Mateer, who is one of those who has accused Broadbent, said she had lost sleep and a hard time focusing after seeing him on the list Over 120 women have come forward alleging misconduct, with 94 taking part in a lawsuit against Broadbent and two of the hospitals he worked in. Stephanie Mateer, who is one of those who has accused Broadbent, told the Salt Lake Tribune she had lost sleep and a hard time focusing after seeing him on the list. The list had reopened old wounds, forcing her to remember when a person who knew Broadbent had called her and branded her a liar. Speaking to the outlet earlier this week, Mateer said: 'There is no situation in which this isn't painful.' Recounting what had happened to her last year to the outlet, Mateer said: 'He had me put on a gown and reached up the gown and did a breast exam. 'It was not like flat palm, it was grabby. He then proceeded to do a vaginal exam without any warning. 'I was more shocked when he proceeded to do a rectal exam without any warning, it was super painful and really aggressive. As he was finishing up he said, 'well your husband is a lucky man'.' Mateer also said that the magazine's decision to include him in the list highlighted how Utah licensers had not revoked his license, despite the claims. Brooke Heath, another plaintiff in the same lawsuit, told the outlet this week that his name being included was a 'slap in the face' Broadbent, who has been accused by over 120 women of sexual abuse during medical exams, won the category in fertility The Utah Valley Magazine had included Dr. David Broadbent as part of their latest edition which included readers favorites in the area According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the magazine had invited readers to vote for their favorites across a number of categories Broadbent was allowed to enter into a 'non-disciplinary' stipulation where he voluntarily agreed to stop seeing patients for the moment. She added: 'The fact that Utah has not revoked his licensed after hundreds of women have accused him of sexual assault is appalling.' Brooke Heath, another plaintiff in the same lawsuit, told the outlet this week that his name being included was a 'slap in the face'. Heath added that she did appreciate how quickly the publication had gone about responding to the problem. She said: 'I am really impressed with the strong women that we have in our case. That are bold enough to express their concerns, even in spite of all the times we've been shut down. To say, enough is enough.' Heath has alleged that Broadbent groped her, previously telling KJZZ: 'He continued to grope me in a way that is not definitely not consistent with a normal breast exam.' A judge ruled in September of 2022 that the lawsuit fell under medical malpractice law instead of a civil sexual assault claim. Broadbent was allowed to enter into a 'non-disciplinary' stipulation where he voluntarily agreed to stop seeing patients for the moment Editor Jeanette Bennett said in a statement that including him in the list had led to a 'difficult learning lesson'. Bennett said staff had checked to see if his license hadn't been revoked in the state after he received enough votes to make the top three. She said: 'We chose not to alter the votes, and we let the results stand. We have now heard from many women involved in the lawsuit. 'Their stories are heart-wrenching. We are particularly sorry that our Best Of results added to their sorrows. 'This is one case in which we should have set the data aside and disregarded our readers' votes.' Bennett said they would issue an apology in their next printed edition and have posted a retraction on their social media. Despite the suit and reports made to police, Broadbent has not yet been charged with a crime and categorically denies all of the allegations against him. Broadbent, the Utah Valley Hospital and Intermountain Healthcare are the defendants in the case. They have all asked a judge to dismiss the suit. MSNBC host Joy Reid lashed out at a right-wing journalist who asked her if she'd stolen former president Donald Trump's haircut. Ben Bergquam, a conservative internet personality, poked fun at Reid's short blonde haircut during one his Real America's Voice News videos. 'Joy - just wondering,' he said as he caught the MSNBC national correspondent, 55, on her way into Trump's NYC trial. 'Do you think people with Trump-derangement syndrome know they have it,' he prodded at Reid. 'You're an idiot,' she responded. 'You are a f***cking idiot.' MSNBC host Joy Reid lashed out at a right-wing journalist who asked her if she'd stolen Trump's haircut Bergquam kept pressing Reid, 'Second question - did you steal Trump's haircut or did he steal yours... Cultural appropriation haircut,' he shouted at her. He then chuckled to himself and told the camera, 'she didn't like that too much. Joy Reid everybody. Trump-derangement syndrome.' This is not the first time Reid has been caught using explicit language on camera. In January, she was videoed swearing about the prospect of another war in the Middle East when she forgot to turn her microphone off. The MSNBC pundit was airing a clip of President Joe Biden giving a speech about the border crisis when she said 'starting another f**king war'. Joy Reid's hair was compared to Trump's iconic blonde comb-over Her remark to others in the studio was presumably about the fallout from a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on a US base in Jordan that killed three soldiers. Biden has not yet launched any retaliatory strikes but there is discussion in Washington about a military response. Before the hot mic moment, Reid was attacking Republican leaders who vote against White House policies, then take credit for the benefits afterwards. A Lego event hailed as the 'world's largest hands-on LEGO event' has been slammed by disappointed families who were met with a 'bleak' half-empty room after paying up to 35 a ticket. Brick Fest Live was held at the NEC in Birmingham from May 25 to 27, offering families a UK first experience, with 'mind-blowing creations from all over the world'. The event, which originated in the US, promised children and adults they would be 'amazed by life-sized LEGO models and hands-on building activities'. But furious Lego fans took to social media to express their disappointment at being met by a sparse room. One Midlands mother who took her two children to the LEGO event compared it to 'Willy's Chocolate Experience' - the viral Glasgow event that went viral after families were met with sad-looking props and a bouncy castle. One mother, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It's as bad as that Willy Wonka experience in Scotland, hardly anything there, both of my kids were so disappointed. Were YOU at the LEGO event? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk The LEGO event (pictured) was met with disappointment from families who said they were met with a sparse room The LEGO event is pictured, showing a few stalls and some LEGO props The LEGO event included a bouncy castle in the 'sparse' room The event, which originated in the US, promised children and adults they would be 'amazed by life-sized LEGO models and hands-on building activities' 'I heard some people making official complaints. We thought it would be a nice treat for the half term, we all left so disappointed. It was terrible.' She added that the event was 'as bleak as the pictures look'. Lego enthusiast and Youtuber BlockPartyUK also shared a video of his experience at the event, which got more than 14,000 views in one day and hundreds of comments from fans who felt let down. Brick Fest Live organisers said they are aware there are 'elements of the show that are not of satisfaction for this sector of customers' and confirmed they are working quickly to get back to customers. One disappointed father wrote under BlockPartyUK's Youtube video: 'Drove from Sheffield with my 10-year-old who was so excited to see rare lego, custom minifigs etc. Could've cried for him when we had walked around the whole thing and he asked but where the lego stalls were.' Another added: 'We drove over 2hrs from Leeds and as soon as we stood at the entrance I was amazed how bad it looked, having walked round it was even worse. 'We spoke to the organisers and complained and was given an email to send a message to about getting a refund as it wasn't as advertised as you say.' The NEC website states tickets were priced at 18 for general admission, 25 for flex admission and 35 for VIP. An event description for Brick Fest Live read: 'For the first time ever, the world's largest hands-on LEGO event of its kind catapults from the US to make its UK debut at the NEC Birmingham this Spring. 'Brick Fest Live will be in Birmingham on 25-27 May, with over a million LEGO bricks on display and ready for play. 'Brick Fest Live allows families to enjoy mind-blowing creations from all over the world made entirely of this timeless toy. Children and adults will be amazed by life-sized LEGO models and hands-on building activities assembled to set the imagination free. Brick Fest Live will also feature a marketplace where avid builders will be able find rare collectibles not available anywhere else.' The LEGO event has been compared to the viral Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience (pictured), which saw families met with sad-looking props and a half-empty room Actor and yoga teacher Kirsty Paterson (pictured), 29, who became a viral hit after pictures emerged of her as a sad Oompa Loompa Families were left stunned when they arrived and were greeted with a near-empty factory with a few Wonka-themed props and a small bouncy castle The organisers of a disastrous comic con event this month also apologised to fans who complained it was a 's***show' Fans had to queue up outside the Hampshire Court Hotel for Basingstoke Comic Con in 25C heat, leading to accusations that organisers oversold the event A cosplayer smiles as poses for a photograph at the event - but behind the scenes things were going wrong with a lack of staff and long queues An automated reply from BrickFest's UK group read: 'Thank you for reaching out to Brick Fest Live and for your patience as we address your concerns. We sincerely appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention and apologize for any disappointment you experienced at our UK event. 'Your feedback is important to us, and we want to ensure that you receive the assistance you need.' Brick Fest Live organisers said in a statement: 'Brick Fest Live originated in the US, where it's been highly successful for nearly a decade. In the last month, there have been tens of thousands of guests that have been through this event in Edinburgh and Milton Keynes, with children and families taking part in this interactive, hands on festival. 'Where many have given us positive feedback, we are aware that Brick Fest Live is potentially not delivering for adult level enthusiasts, and there are elements of the show that are not of satisfaction for this sector of customers. 'We're reading all customer feedback and dealing with comments. We're working quickly to pass customer feedback onto the creators of Brick Fest Live, so that they can take those observations on board, to deliver future events that live up to all customer expectations.' It comes weeks after the organisers of a disastrous comic con event starring Hollywood star Jason Momoa apologised to fans who complained it was a 's***show' - drawing comparisons with the disastrous Willy Wonka Experience. Hype for Basingstoke Comic Con was at fever pitch following news of the star's attendance alongside Hobbit actor Richard Armitage, Stargate's Richard Dean Anderson and actor and comedian Rhys Darby. But the event, which ran from Friday May 11 to Sunday May 13, came apart at the seams amid claims it had been oversold - with queues spilling out of the Hampshire Court Hotel in 25C heat and a lack of air-con to placate sweaty cosplayers. MailOnline has contacted BrickFest Live and NEC for comment. The wartime codebreaker who played a key part in decrypting German messages is being honoured with a blue plaque at her childhood home. Joan Clarke, who was portrayed by Keira Knightley in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, was a talented mathematician who worked alongside Alan Turing at Bletchley Park, the wartime headquarters of the Government Code and Cipher School - now known as GCHQ. The plaque has been unveiled at her childhood home, 193 Rosendale Road, West Dulwich, south London. Dr Susan Skedd, Blue Plaques historian at English Heritage, said: 'Joan Clarke spent her formative years in this house, during which time she went from being a promising student, with a love of mathematics to becoming a remarkable code-breaker at Bletchley Park and later at GCHQ.' Ms Clarke won a scholarship to study mathematics at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1936. Joan Clarke won a scholarship to study mathematics at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1936. She joined Bletchley Park in 1940, becoming part of a 'brilliant' team of cryptanalysts who decoded over a million German messages, which aided Allied naval operations by helping ships evade German U-boats Pictured is Joan Clarke's childhood home in West Dulwich, south London, where the blue plaque was unveiled The plaque recognises her achievements as a code-breaker during the 20th century Joan Clarke, who was portrayed by Keira Knightley in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, was a talented mathematician who worked alongside Alan Turing at Bletchley Park, the wartime headquarters of the Government Code and Cipher School - now known as GCHQ She joined Bletchley Park in 1940, becoming part of a 'brilliant' team of cryptanalysts who decoded over a million German messages, which aided Allied naval operations by helping ships evade German U-boats. Who was Alan Turing? Alan Turing was a British mathematician born on June 23, 1912 In Maida Vale, London, to father Julius, a civil servant, and mother Ethel, the daughter of a railway engineer. His talents were recognised early on at school but he struggled with his teachers when he began boarding at Sherborne School aged 13 because he was too fixated on science. Turing continued to excel at maths but his time at Sherborne was also rocked by the death of his close friend Christopher Morcom from tuberculosis. Morcom was described as Turing's 'first love' and he remained close with his mother following his death, writing to her on Morcom's birthday each year. He then moved on to Cambridge where he studied at King's College, graduating with a first class degree in mathematics. During the Second World War, Turing was pivotal in cracking the Enigma codes used by the German military to encrypt their messages. His work gave Allied leaders vital information about the movement and intentions of Hitler's forces. Historians credit the work of Turing and his fellow codebreakers at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire with shortening the war by up to two years, saving countless lives, and he was awarded an OBE in 1946 for his services. Turing is also widely seen as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence due to his groundbreaking work in mathematics in the 1930s. He was able to prove a 'universal computing machine' would be able to perform equations if they were presented as an algorithm - and had a paper published on the subject in 1936 in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society Journal when he was aged just 23. But he was disgraced in 1952 when he was convicted for homosexual activity, which was illegal at the time and would not be decriminalised until 1967. To avoid prison, Turing agreed to 'chemical castration' hormonal treatment designed to reduce libido. As well as physical and emotional damage, his conviction had led to the removal of his security clearance and meant he was no longer able to work for GCHQ, the successor to the Government Code and Cypher School, based at Bletchley Park. Then in 1954, aged 41, he died of cyanide poisoning. An inquest recorded a verdict of suicide, although his mother and others maintained that his death was accidental. When his body was discovered, an apple laid half-eaten next to his bed. It was never tested for cyanide but it is speculated it was the source of the fatal dose. Some more peculiar theories suggest Turing was 'obsessed' with fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and his death was inspired by the poisoned apple in the story. Following a public outcry over his treatment and conviction, the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology in 2009. He then received a posthumous Royal pardon in 2014, only the fourth to be issued since the end of the Second World War. It was requested by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, who described Turing as a national hero who fell foul of the law because of his sexuality. An e-petition demanding a pardon for Turing had previously received 37,404 signatures. A 2017 law, that retroactively pardoned all men cautioned or convicted for homosexual acts under historical legislation, was named in his honour. Advertisement Under Alan Turing's leadership, Clarke's Hut 8 team developed methods to intercept all German naval communications, drastically reducing Allied ship losses from about 100 per month to only two by November 1941. In 1942, Clarke cracked a new, more complex German code by deducing that the Enigma machine's new fourth rotor used the same cipher as the three-rotor system, enabling continued deciphering of German messages. Leading up to the D-Day landings, Hut 8 decoded German weather signals, supporting Allied bombing raids in preparation for the June 6, 1944 invasion. Clarke continued her service at GCHQ after the war, becoming the longest-serving member of Hut 8 and one of the most senior female cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park. Upon her final departure from GCHQ in 1982, she vowed to uphold the Official Secrets Act for life. The intelligence centre and its work was conducted under conditions of strictest secrecy and Churchill once described Bletchley staff as: 'The geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled.' A total of 12,000 people worked there, with 80 per cent of them women - one of whom was Clarke. From sleeping in huts so cold their flannels froze over night to wading through reams of paper each day, these women may have been closeted away in London's commuter belt but in many ways they were at the frontline of the war effort. The London Blue Plaques scheme, celebrating its 150th anniversary, commemorates historical figures and the buildings where they lived and worked. English Heritage, which runs the scheme, has called for more nominations of notable women. The Imitation Game is based on a biography by Andrew Hodges, an Oxford maths academic. Benedict Cumberbatch starred as Turing and fellow Bletchley codebreaker Joan Clarke was played by Keira Knightley as Turing's girlfriend - despite the fact that he was gay. The Sunday Times reported that when Mr Hodges was sent a script of the film, he was 'alarmed by the inaccuracies it'. He said: 'They have built up the relationship with Joan much more than it actually was.' According to Mr Hodges, while the couple had been 'briefly engaged', it was said that he liked her because he could talk to her as if she were really another man' and there had never been much physical contact. The casting of Keira Knightley in the role, did not 'strike him as right.' He said: 'I'm not being rude about her, but Joan Clarke was no glamourpuss.' The film follows the break-up of their relationship, which happened because Turing was unable to live a lie by marrying her. Other female wartime codebreakers have previously spoken about the role they played at Bletchley Park in a book by Michael Smith called the The Debs Of Bletchley Park And Other Stories. Maggie Broughton-Thompson, a Wren who worked at Bletchley said it was a shock when 50 years later, it was something that could finally speak about publicly. She said: 'We really were staying quiet for life. We were prepared to stay silent until our dying day. Lady Marion Body, from Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, trained at Mrs Hester's Secretarial College and was stunned when she was summoned to the Foreign Office when they were recruiting for Bletchley. She was hired to type up Japanese messages that were being sent to Washington and Colombo, mostly about Japanese troop movements. Then Marion Graham, she also worked alongside the Duchess of Cambridge's grandmother, Valerie Middleton (nee Glassborow), and was great friends with her and her twin sister. Speaking of their work, Marion said: 'Reams of paper used to come in and then you had to check it all off. It was incredibly tedious but there were a jolly nice lot of girls there. The London Blue Plaques scheme, celebrating its 150th anniversary, commemorates historical figures and the buildings where they lived and worked. English Heritage, which runs the scheme, has called for more nominations of notable women Under Alan Turing's leadership, Clarke's Hut 8 team developed methods to intercept all German naval communications, drastically reducing Allied ship losses from about 100 per month to only two by November 1941 'We just made the best of it, and the Glassborow twins were on the same shift as me, which was good because they were fun.' Betty Webb, nee Vine-Stevens from Wythall in Worcestershire, now in her 90s, was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). She worked on German police messages in the mansion at Bletchley Park. These messages revealed the beginning of the Holocaust with the massacres of thousands of Jews on the eastern front. Betty then moved to Block F to write intelligence reports based on Japanese Army messages decoded at Bletchley. She said she had no idea at the time of the significance of the messages she was decoding. She said: 'Small fry like me didn't fully understand the importance of our own input, we did understand that it was imperative that we kept at it and that we did so in the utmost secrecy.' Betty said the living quarters at Bletchley were basic and they were all on food rations but nobody ever complained. 'The huts we slept in were thrown up in a great hurry and had thin walls so in the winter one's flannel would be frozen by the morning. They were very, very basic conditions, but we were young, we didn't mind,' she said. After the war, Betty found it difficult to get a job because she wasn't able to reveal what she had been doing during the war years. 'I tried, of course, but you'd go to a prospective employer and they'd ask what you were doing during the war and you'd say you couldn't tell them. I just said I was not at liberty to say. Faces went blank. They didn't understand and they were quite shirty,' she said. Former President Donald Trump has been making hawkish comments inside closed door fundraising events even saying he would have 'bombed' world powers, according to a new report. Trump, who kept the foreign policy on edge with statements like vowing to bring 'fire on fury' on North Korea threatened the U.S., reportedly made the comment while appealing to donors to back his campaign, where he is leading President Joe Biden in the polls. 'At one event, he suggested that he would have bombed Moscow and Beijing if Russia invaded Ukraine or China invaded Taiwan, surprising some of the donors,' the Washington Post reported. One of those events Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Russia's war in the Donbas began in 2014. The other event, a feared Chinese invasion of Taiwan, is one U.S. policymakers are vowing to prevent. Trump suggested at a fundraiser he would have bombed Moscow and Beijing if Russia invaded Ukraine or if China invaded Taiwan, according a new report Both Russia and China are nuclear powers, which is one reason the Biden administration has insisted the U.S. will not put boots on the ground in Ukraine even while providing billions in lethal weaponry and other support. Trump has long credited his own tough rhetoric and uncertainty about his moves as providing protection. He said Russia's Ukraine invasion 'would never have happened' if he were president. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on the reported remarks. Trump during his presidency bragged about his ability to get along with leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Post account included Trump's foreign policy comment amid a series of crass pitches that appeared to link political support to his vow to put a stop to expiring tax cuts for wealthy Americans. 'Im not having lunch. Youve got to make it $25 million,' Trump said he told a donor who wanted to dine with him after saying he'd offered a $1 million contribution to Trump's reelection effort. Trump told a donor who had given between $2 million and $3 million to Republican causes that he wanted $25-50 million or would not be 'very happy.' Trump issued an odd boast last week about Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in Russia. Russia has beern making slow territorial gains two years after it invaded Ukraine The U.S. has supplied billions in military hardware to Ukraine China has continued to threaten Taiwan with offshore military exercises Trump posted last week: 'Evan Gershkovich, the Reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who is being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office. He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING! In a May CNN town hall, Trump said of the war in Ukraine, 'I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours.' Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products that the Biden administration has kept intact. Trump's administration backed Taiwan and provided arms sales. "I believe that President Trump will be supportive of Taiwan when he becomes president. He was in his first term," said former Trump appointee James Gilmore, the former Virginia governor who was Trump's ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. A hero dad who ran into a burning house to save his son has been buried with his little boy so he could 'forever hold him in his arms'. Barry Mason, 45, tragically lost his life after he raced into a blazing terraced property to rescue his son Ethan, four, on April 14. Ethan was rushed to hospital after the fire broke out in Wigan, Greater Manchester, where he was placed in an induced coma but he died on April 16. The pair were laid to rest together last Thursday and the youngster's aunt Jessica Causer said they have been buried in the same coffin, cuddling each other. Father-of-four Barry Mason managed to escape the inferno but returned after realising his youngest boy, Ethan, was still inside A picture of the destroyed house in Wigan, Greater Manchester where a house fire broke out on April 14 Ethan Mason, four, (pictured) was saved by his father from the house fire but passed away two days later from his injuries Barry pictured with daughter Bethany She said: 'Barry and Ethan were put to rest together with Barry forever holding Ethan in his arms.' A Go Fund Me page, that's raised over 60,000, was set up to support the family and people have paid tribute to the 'amazing' father and son duo on there. One touching message read: 'No family should ever have to go through this. 'I know no words can make a difference and no amount of money/help can mend your hearts. 'Hopefully these donations from well wishers all over may ever so slightly help to ease at least some of your financial worries during your heartbreak. 'Sending you all so much love and strength to get through these heartbreaking times.' Another person commented: 'Our heart-felt sympathy to all the family for your huge loss of your brave husband and beautiful baby boy.' Despite his family's hopes that he might pull through after multiple surgeries, they took to social media to confirm Ethan (pictured) had passed away yesterday Barry pictured with his wife Rachel (bottom right), eldest son David (top left) and daughter Bethany (bottom left) Mr Mason was confirmed dead shortly after the blaze, which started at around 2.30am on Sunday morning (pictured with Ethan) Someone else wrote: 'God bless you all, there are no words for this tragedy. 'I'm so sorry, sleep in eternal peace Ethan and Barry.' Mr Mason's wife, Rachel, 45, David, and their two other children, Bethany, 16 and Isaac, 14, all made it out of the burning semi and were taken to hospital. They have all since been discharged. Mr Mason's sister-in-law, Jessica Causer, described Mr Mason as 'our very own super hero.' Alongside a picture of Mr Mason with Ethan on his shoulders, she posted on Facebook: 'Barry, we are heartbroken. Such a gentle giant and a devoted Daddy until your last breath. 'Words will never describe just how grateful we are to you, hold our baby tight up there.' Mr Mason managed to rescue the youngster, but both father and son later succumbed to injuries they sustained in the inferno A Go Fund Me page, that's raised over 60,000, was set up to support the family and people have paid tribute to the 'amazing' father and son duo on there Ethan suffered serious burns and was placed in a coma but died on Tuesday The fire, in the early hours of Sunday morning, is thought to have been started by a faulty mini-fridge in the kitchen. David, who suffered burns, scrambled down a drain pipe at the back of the house to escape the blaze. His siblings, Isaac and Bethany, are thought to have jumped to safety from an upstairs window onto the family's trailer tent, which was parked at the front of the house. Mrs Mason was rescued when passers-by helped her out an upstairs window with a ladder. Mrs Bimson said David was 'blaming himself because he didn't stop his dad' but added: 'Everyone knows he wouldn't have been able to. Barry would put his children first every time. 'Rachel was the same. She and Barry shared a sofa bed downstairs because they wanted their children to have a bedroom each. 'When the fire started she must have gone upstairs to get her kids because she had to come down a ladder to escape. 'Isaac and Bethany had bedrooms at the front of the house and Ethan and David were at the back. 'We were told another friend of Bethany's was supposed to be staying at the house that night but pulled out at the last minute because she was ill. It doesn't bear thinking about.' Another heartbreaking message read: 'I only hope I'd be as brave as this amazing dad if the worst happened. 'RIP you hero and I'm sure your family will be so proud of your bravery. RIP little man.' You can support the Go Fund Me page here. Jill Biden offered a fiery defense of her husband's presidency in an interview with The View on Wednesday, where she warned voters the choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is a choice between 'good and evil.' She repeatedly slammed the former president at a would-be-dictator whose election would bring about bloodshed and predicted he would stack the Supreme Court with Republicans who will take away women's rights, gay rights and voter rights. 'We cannot take things for granted,' she said. 'Think of the Supreme Court, for god's sake, talk about things getting worse. Can you imagine if we put an more Republicans on the Supreme Court? We will lose all our rights.' In the interview, Biden also defended the protesters on college campuses, expressed confidence the president's poll numbers will go up, and dismissed concerns about her 81-year-old husband, saying he and Trump were 'basically the same age.' The first lady was on the daytime talk show to talk about her upcoming children's book: 'Willow the White House Cat.' But the majority of questions were about November's election. Jill Biden, who has been out fundraising and campaigning for her husband, proved to be his most ardent defenders, batting back questions on his age, the upcoming debates, and his sagging poll numbers against Trump. Jill Biden, doing press for her upcoming children's book, has used the air time to tout Joe Biden's character while railing against Donald Trump 'This election is not about age because like -- I mean Donald Trump's going to be, what, 78. And Joe is 81. They're basically the same age,' the first lady said. 'This election is about character. So, you have two choices. You have my husband, Joe, who you all know who has integrity, he's strong, he's steady, he's a leader. He's smart. He's energetic or you have chaos.' She dismissed questions about whether Trump would take over the upcoming presidential debate like he did four years ago, when he repeatedly interrupted Biden. She noted precautions were being taken and had been agreed to by both campaigns in order to keep that from happening. 'They will turn off the mics so somebody can't ramble or scream at somebody, you know, not that my husband would be the one doing that and so that's already been negotiated.' She said Americans needed to see the two candidates on stage against one another. 'I think the American people deserve a debate because you need to see your choices. You need to see Trump and you need to see the president and you need to see the differences, and my husband -- and you're going to see how smart he is and the experience he has and then you'll see somebody who, like you're saying, I'll going use Joy [Behar]'s words, can't put a sentence together.' She argued the president would make up grounds in the polls. Biden is trailing Trump in many of the key battleground states that will decide the election. Jill Biden said the president's re-election campaign is not going to take anything for granted and referred to Trump as the 'evil' choice come November. 'We're going to go to college campuses and go to just every state we can get into. I've been traveling every single day. Joe has been traveling as much as possible and we're not going to take anything for granted,' she said. 'Those polls are going to turn, I'm confident of it because as time goes on and as people start to focus a little more at what's at stake and start to become educated on the issues and the differences between the two men, I believe that Americans are going to choose good over evil.' Jill Biden described Donald Trump, seen above outside of Manhattan criminal court, as the 'evil' choice in November Jill Biden defended college protesters - above pro-Palestinian Pasadena City College students walk out of class as they demonstrate against the Israel-Hamas war in Pasadena, Calif The first lady also warned that the country could see violence and bloodshed if Trump wins in November. 'You have to believe him when he uses words like dictator, bloodbath, third term, violence, we've seen it so when he says these words, believe him. Don't think this isn't going to happen,' she said. Biden, who teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College, defended the Gaza protesters on university campuses but said she did think the protests should be peaceful. 'People do have the right to protest. I mean, that's why we have a democracy. Thank god we live in a democracy, but I think that the protests have to be peaceful,' she said. 'Why would we be violent? What is the point of the violence? I mean, aren't they really protesting the violence with violence? That doesn't make sense.' When told that Trump vowed to arrest the protesters, she responded: 'Oh, well, that's probably just the start.' The first lady is in New York on Wednesday to promote her new book, her third children's book, which tells about life in the White House from the point of view of the first couple's cat, Willow. Much of her interviews have focused on the election. And Biden has used the air time to tout her husband's character while railing against Trump. She warned on Wednesday that women's rights are on the line, describing the election as a choice between calm and chaos. 'Everything is at stake,' the first lady told the hosts of ABC's Good Morning America. She was on the morning show to promote her forthcoming children's book: 'Willow the White House Cat.' 'I think especially for women this year, women's rights, our freedoms. Democracy is on the line,' she said when ask about President Joe Biden's campaign against Donald Trump. She argued that voters can choose between her husband's steady presence or the chaos of Trump. 'We have a choice. We can have my husband, who is calm and steady and strong and has character and integrity, or we have the other choice, which is chaotic,' she said. 'We have to decide. Democracy or chaos.' 'Everything is at stake,' Jill Biden said on Good Morning America about the election Jill Biden has taken a lead role for her husband's re-election campaign when it comes to attacking Trump on women's issues. Earlier this year she launched the Women for Biden-Harris coalition. She's also been a prolific fundraiser for the campaign and the Democratic Party. The first lady's new book focuses on Willow, giving a behind-the-scenes look at life in the White House via the first feline. Jill Biden is in New York to promote her children's book It will be published June 4th and retails for $19.99. It was co-written with award-winning children's author Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Kate Berube. 'It's a kind of a behind-the-scenes cat's eye view of what it's like to live in the White House,' Biden said on GMA. She also described the book as a tribute to the permanent staff of the White House, who take care of the residence. 'You know I'm an English teacher. I want children to love reading. I want children to know reading is fun, learning is fun. I want people to know about the White House and the people inside that make it all run,' she said. 'There are almost 100 people there. They dedicate their lives to making the white house run. It doesn't matter whether you are a Republican family or a Democratic family. They always make everything so special for us and for the people who visit there every single day.' The picture book will explore Willow's adjustment from a Pennsylvania barn cat to living in the most-famous house in America. Jill Biden argued the 2024 election is a choice between President Joe Biden's (left) steady presence or the chaos of Donald Trump (right) Willow met the first lady when she was campaigning in Pennsylvania The tabby cat joined the Biden family at the White House in January 2022, and is named after Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, which is Jill Biden's home town. Jill Biden met the cat at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania in 2020 when Willow jumped on the stage of where she was speaking. Willow often travels with the Bidens to their beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware. And she's known to wake up President Joe Biden by walking on his head. The book will be published on June 4th The tome will explore the cat's journey to the White House and the friends she meets on the way, according to the publisher Simon & Schuster. When arriving at the White House 'Willow discovers new rooms to explore and is welcomed by the nice lady she met at Farmer Rick's farm,' according to the book's summary. The cat will also meet friendly White House staff and find new places to play. 'Willow enjoys discovering the White House and all the special people who make this house a home.' On most days, Willow can be found in the East Wing, wandering in-and-out of staffers' offices. There are known to be treats on hand for the feline. The first lady has written two other children's books: Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops and Joey: The Story of Joe Biden. Her memoir, Where the Light Enters, was a New York Times bestseller. An Indonesian groom has discovered that his bride is actually a man twelve days after their wedding. The 26-year-old man named only as AK met his spouse Adinda Kanza, also 26, on Instagram in 2023 and the pair dated in person for a year after hitting it off online. During their in-person meetings, Adinda wore a traditional Muslim niqab that covered her entire face - which AK reportedly took as a sign for her devotion to Islam. The couple decided to get married and opted for a small ceremony at AK's home after Adinda told him that she no longer had any family. But AK grew suspicious of his new wife soon after tying the knot on April 12, since she avoided intimacy by telling him she was on her period or feeling unwell, according to the South China Morning Post. An Indonesian groom has discovered that his bride is actually a man twelve days after their wedding. The 26-year-old man named only as AK (left) met his spouse Adinda Kanza, also 26, on Instagram in 2023 and the pair dated in person for a year after hitting it off online But AK grew suspicious of his new wife soon after tying the knot on April 12, since she avoided intimacy by telling him she was on her period or feeling unwell, according to the South China Morning Post Adinda's parents revealed that AK's wife was actually a man, identified as ESH (pictured), who started crossdressing in 2020 AK said Adinda refused to speak to his family and continued wearing her niqab at home, so he tracked down her former address 12 days after their wedding - and was surprised to find her parents alive and well there. Adinda's parents revealed that AK's wife was actually a man, identified as ESH, who started crossdressing in 2020. They also said they didn't know that their son was in a relationship, let alone married. The police said that Adinda behaved like a woman and had a female-sounding voice, adding: 'If you look at their wedding photos, Adinda looks exactly like a real woman. 'He also has a gentle voice and tone, so there was no suspicion at all about him being a woman.' ESH has now been arrested by the police and told them he intended to marry AK to steal his family's assets, according to local media reports. He is facing fraud charges that could land him behind bars for up to four years. Police suggested that ESH enjoyed pretending to be a woman while dating men. It was also revealed that the alleged fraudster had previously dated women. The investigation is ongoing. A Bulgarian migrant who helped a gang rake in 54million from Britain's biggest ever benefit fraud claimed he was 'cheated out of his wages' after arriving in the UK, a court was told. The Eastern European gang hijacked 6,000 identities to make claims for Universal Credit and used the names of children living in Bulgaria as part of the five year scam. They set up three 'benefit factories' across London churning out bogus tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips and forged letters from landlords, employers, and GPs to trick the DWP. Stoyan Stoyanov, 27, and his girlfriend Galina Nikolova, 38, along with Tsvetka Todorova, 52, Gyunesh Ali, 33, and Patritsia Paneva, 26, have all admitted fraud and money laundering offences dating from between October 2016 and May 2021. They are due to be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court tomorrow after a three day hearing. Alisdair Williamson KC, defending Stoyanov, said the Bulgarian was 'left penniless' after being 'cheated out of his wages' when he first came to the UK. Two of the criminals - Stoyan Stoyanov, 27, (left) and Galina Nikolova, 38 (right) - pictured together in 2020 while on holiday in Turkey The couple cuddle up together in an earlier snap taken in Palmers Green, north London 'He (then) met Miss Nikolova through the Bulgarian community and in short, his head was turned. 'The loss sustained to the government through the period he was involved was some 6.3 million. 'An unattractive feature of the case is that he continued his behaviour after the arrest, I say in respect of that, there were no new claims.' Judge David Aaronberg asked the barrister to confirm that Stoyanov had 'misstated his earnings and pretended to be a main carer for a child that didn't actually exist?' Mr Williamson agreed he had and said: 'He accepts in his plea that he's been thoroughly dishonest, it is a matter that sits heavily with him. 'He will rebuild and learn from this.' Simon Farrell, KC, defending Nikolova, said she was personally responsible for a loss to the DWP of 1.1 million. He argued she 'wasn't doing it on her own, nor was she a main figure'. Referring to Nikalova's translation company Judge Aaronberg replied: 'She's the G of G translations!' Huge stacks of cash found during the investigation The gang raked in 54m from Britain's biggest ever benefit fraud Mr Farrell said: 'She genuinely intended to provide interpreting services for Bulgarians in this country, but it quickly became apparent that by telling lies to the DWP, monies could be obtained that otherwise couldn't have been. 'She deeply regrets how she assisted claimants in making these false claims in judge sums.' The judge replied: 'She rejects being caught.' Judge Aaronberg said 'despite her remorse' Nikolova was denying the charges until a few weeks ago. 'By hanging on until virtually the trial was upon her she's made everyone else wait. 'I find it very difficult to accept that there's real remorse here'. Mr Farrell said: 'Most of the money, of course, didn't go to her, it went to the claimants.' The judge replied: 'Yes, but the taxpayers lost it and she knew the consequences of what she was doing.' Mozammel Hossain KC, representing Paneva, told the court she into the scheme with her eyes only 'semi-open'. Gyunesh Ali, 33, was also part of the gang and was arrested Patritsia Paneva, 26, (left) and Tsvetka Todorova, 52, (right) were also arrested He said: 'She was just 20 when she arrived in the UK, her father came here in 2010, you remember that whole sort of flood coming from Bulgaria.' Mr Hussain said said she was part of the Bulgarian 'diaspora' and therefore drawn to working in the community. '(The fraud) gave her a sense of purpose in life, for once she felt like she was somebody important, she had something beyond her family. 'We accept that it's a huge, huge fraud - but her benefit is little.' In a letter read out to court by her barrister, Paneva said: 'I deeply regret my actions towards this country simply because it gave me so much. 'My grandma was able to live a couple more years, doctors started to treat my grandma's health conditions and she got better. 'I'm not sorry I got caught, I'm truly sorry I wronged this country. 'Believe me - I will never break the law in any way again, I just want to make it right.' The court has head how DWP investigators searched the fraudsters' homes and found shopping bags crammed with designer goods, Rolex watches, jackets and wads of cash. The enormous haul of money gained from their 'complex financial web' of claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash with 750,000 in bank notes found stuffed in suitcases at one of their homes. Stoyanov had a tattoo of Nikolava on his right arm and posted a photo of it along with a red rose on social media. Nikolova boasted 'the air that I breathe' as they cuddled in another shot while the couple also enjoyed a lavish trip to Istanbul. The sentencing hearing continues. Kunming Biodiversity Fund launched in Beijing 11:05, May 29, 2024 By Shan Jie ( Global Times Inger Andersen, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Environment Programme Photo: Shan Jie/GT A China-initiated fund aimed at supporting biodiversity conservation in developing countries was launched in Beijing on Tuesday, which is expected to "make a significant contribution" to helping these countries conserve and reverse their biodiversity loss. Witnessed by officials from China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment and relevant United Nations agencies, the signing ceremony for the Kunming Biodiversity Fund was officially held on Tuesday. In October 2021, China announced an initiative to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, taking the lead by investing 1.5 billion yuan ($233 million) during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP 15, held in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. It was announced that the fund would be used to support biodiversity protection in developing countries. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said all parties should take the launch of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund as an opportunity to strengthen biodiversity protection and build a shared future for all life on Earth, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, called for practical action to provide financial, technical, and capacity support to developing countries in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Framework, a significant framework adopted at COP 15 aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and setting the world on a path to recovery. He also stressed the importance of solidarity and cooperation, upholding multilateralism and international operations, and welcomed contributions from relevant countries, institutions, and organizations to the Kunming Biodiversity Fund. In October 2021, China announced an initiative to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund and took the lead by investing 1.5 billion yuan ($233 million) during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. "It is a very large contribution that China has made to developing countries in the Global South, in a sign of solidarity to support those countries in conserving and reversing their loss of biodiversity," Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen told the Global Times at a media brief after the launch ceremony. Andersen noted that it is a new resource and will fill many gaps. "We are very optimistic about this initiative, especially since China has positive lessons at home in conserving biodiversity. We hope to learn from these lessons and transfer them to other countries," she said. China has made significant efforts in forest and wetland conservation, among other endeavors. The system of red-lining, which China invented, designates specific uses within certain areas to help achieve biodiversity goals. This includes preserving and protecting land, restoring degraded land, halting pollution and reducing excessive chemical use in agriculture, according to Andersen. According to the Xinhua News Agency, China has innovatively applied an ecological protection red-line system, which protects certain areas from industrial and urban development to ensure that ecosystems can continue to function effectively. The country aims to keep the national ecological protection red-line area above 3.15 million square kilometers. China has created more than 11,000 natural protected areas, covering 18 percent of the country's total land area and is striving to establish the world's largest national park system by 2035. Speaking of transparency and fairness in allocating and using the fund, Anderson noted that a sustainable project continues after funding ends because it is owned by the community, supported by law or backed by strong institutions. She emphasized that whatever the project is funding, it should be self-sustaining after the funding ends, ensuring fairness in funding allocation. Anderson also highlighted the importance of oversight. "We will certainly look very carefully to ensure that we balance all the requests so that the resources are distributed in a fair and transparent manner," she said. China has demonstrated exceptional leadership in biodiversity conservation over the past six years, Andersen said. Under China's presidency, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was established, marking a milestone in international environmental cooperation. China's initiatives, including the founding of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, have accelerated global conservation actions. At the COP15, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and setting the world on a path of recovery, was adopted. The framework has four long-term goals for 2050 and 23 action-oriented global targets over the decade to 2030. Delivering a speech on May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, China's Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said that China is formulating a plan for implementing major biodiversity conservation projects, with the country considering this an undertaking of great importance. Huang, who also serves as COP15 president, called on developed countries to fulfill their commitments and significantly increase their support for developing countries in terms of funding, technology and capability-building so that the framework can be implemented in a comprehensive, balanced and effective manner. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) American Airlines has received quite a bit of flak from passengers in Curacao whose Sunday flight back to the U.S. was delayed multiple times, with some of them remaining stranded for days. A woman named Desirae Chanie, who had been honeymooning with her husband on the tiny island nation off the coast of Venezuela, kicked off the backlash against American Airlines by what she said has happened since Sunday. Chanie posted a video on TikTok explaining that she and hundreds of others boarded American Airlines Flight 572 back to the US on Sunday that was supposed to arrive at around 4:14 pm. The plane was in the air for about 30 minutes before the pilot was forced to land back in Curacao because of 'mechanical issues.' After being told they would be leaving at 6 pm, then 7 pm, American Airlines finally told everyone they'd have to stay another night, Chanie said. Cue a multi-day ordeal that Chanie said started with people running around the airport and competing for hotel vouchers 'like it was the Hunger Games.' Desirae Chanie, who had been on her honeymoon with her husband in Curacao, spent days stranded in the Curacao airport but has now made it home 'It was a matter of you had to be in line first to get the nicer hotels, and if you were not in line first, you were going to be stuck with whatever it was that they gave you,' Chanie said in her TikTok. Eventually, Chanie said she and her husband made it back to the hotel American Airlines provided, but were chagrined to discover a roach inside their room and no central air conditioning. 'We ended up staying awake the entire night in one area of the room. We didn't open any suitcases, we didn't open any of our backpacks, we just left everything closed because we wanted to go home at that point,' she said. She added that they got up at around 6:50 am on Monday and headed straight for the front desk to try to get a taxi back to the airport to hopefully catch an early flight. They apparently tried to use the taxi voucher the airline gave them but it turned into an 'entire ordeal,' with staff explaining to the couple that they'd have to wait hours before a taxi service would arrive that would accept their voucher. When they finally resolved the taxi situation and got to the airport at around 8:10 am, Chanie said she was hit with another problem. 'There were no American Airlines staff there to help us,' she said. Another user on TikTok posted the throngs of people trapped in Curacao airport waiting to get home to the U.S. for multiple days The airport staff she managed to talk to told her that they couldn't help her until three hours before her new flight, which had been delayed until 8 pm on Monday. 'So we had no hotel... we couldn't get through TSA security until three hours before our flight left,' she said. 'And so we just had to hang out in the lobby of the entrance of the airport for almost nine hours.' Chanie said she and her husband were told by American that they were on stand-by lists for earlier flights than her 8 pm flight, but those fell through as well. The horror continued when she was later told that the flight at 8 pm that she'd been banking on for hours had also been canceled. American Airlines did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on this incident 'When they told us that it was canceled again, I think everybody at the airport just lost it. I was in tears, other people were in tears... and American Airlines just did not care.' She posted the video on Tuesday, a day after the second cancellation, and even by then, she had no idea when she'd be able to leave. Chanie and her husband have since made it back to the US, DailyMail.com has learned. It's unclear how many passengers from that original flight were able to make it back to the US from Curacao. American Airlines did not immediately respond to the DailyMail.com's request for comment. Footage from a Michigan court hearing went viral after the defendant Corey Harris, who had a suspended license, joined the Zoom call while clearly behind the wheel. District Judge Cedric Simpson of Ann Arbor is seen in the video reacting with disbelief as Harris dials in, his seatbelt visible across his torso and his car obviously in motion. 'Mr. Harris, are you driving?' Simpson asked the defendant. 'Actually, I'm pulling into my doctor's office,' Harris replied. 'So just give me one secondI'm parking right now.' A district judge in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was astonished when a man with a suspended drivers license joined a court Zoom call while driving a car District Judge Cedric Simpson of Ann Arbor is seen in the video reacting with disbelief as Harris dials in, his seatbelt visible across his torso and his car obviously in motion The footage from the Zoom call shows the legal teams in court standing in shock, while those at the back of the room do their best to contain their laughter. The judge, bewildered and bemused, then asked if Harris was stationary, to which he replied, 'just give me a second.' For your first offense, one instance of driving on a suspended license in Michigan can lead to a $500 fine and up to 93 days in jail. A second offense could mean one year in jail and an $1000 fine. In an attempt to lessen Harris's inevitable citation, his public defender requested an adjournment for 'possibly up to four weeks if the court would allow.' But Simpson said, astonished: 'Okay, so maybe I don't understand something. This is a driving while license suspended [case], and he was just driving, and he didn't have a license.' 'That is correct your honor,' the public defender admitted in defeat. 'I don't even know why he would do that,' the judge said. 'Defendant's bond is revoked in this matter,' he declared. 'The defendant is to turn himself into the Washtenaw County Jail by 6pm today.' 'Oh my God,' Harris replied, shocked that they would deliver a verdict that fast without hearing his side of the argument. An innocent San Francisco florist has had her life 'turned upside down' after cops exposed the secret criminal history of her longtime boyfriend she knew as 'Randy.' Officials have told DailyMail.com the unidentified woman was 'shocked' by the revelation that her boyfriend, who had been living in her $4.3 million California mansion for the last 15 years, was actually a runaway rapist from Massachusetts. Former restaurant manager Tuen Kit Lee, 55, gained notoriety as the 'bad breath rapist' after he was convicted in September 2007 of breaking into a colleague's home and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint on February 2, 2005. He reportedly wore a mask over his face during the attack - but the victim recognized the smell of his breath from working at the Quincy, Massachusetts, restaurant together on the outskirts of Boston. DNA testing later confirmed this. Lee allegedly fled his trial before jurors returned the conviction. Now, the US Marshals Service has revealed to DailyMail.com that he's been living a life of luxury in California with an oblivious girlfriend who knew him as 'Randy.'. The innocent owner of a San Francisco flower shop has had her life 'turned upside down' after cops revealed the secret sordid history of her longtime boyfriend 'Randy.' (Pictured: 'Randy' - real name Tuen Kit Lee - being detained by cops in Diablo, California on Tuesday) Former restaurant manager Tuen Kit Lee (pictured in 2005) gained notoriety as the 'bad breath rapist' after he was convicted in September 2007 of breaking into a colleague's home and sexually assaulting her at knifepoint on February 2, 2005 Senior Inspector Chris Tamayo said the couple have been living in a $4.3 million mansion in the small town of Diablo, which sits around 20 miles east of the Bay Area. State police from Massachusetts and California traced Lee to the home this year and waited outside for him to emerge. They spotted him leaving with his girlfriend before getting into a car at 6:30 am Tuesday. Cops pulled the vehicle over on Diablo Road before detaining Lee, who initially insisted that his name was Randy. He later admitted who he was under pressure from officers, and fingerprints confirmed his real identity. His girlfriend was aghast when officers broke the news to her about who 'Randy' really was, Tamayo said. She had absolutely no idea,' he told DailyMail.com. 'The woman he was with had absolutely no clue who he was. Her life got completely turned upside down. I definitely have sympathy for her situation. She couldnt believe it. Lee was handcuffed and taken away by police officers in Diablo on Tuesday Tuen Kit Lee (pictured in his 2005 mugshot) broke into a co-worker's home and raped her on February 2, 2005. He fled his trial before jurors returned the conviction, and he has been living a life of luxury in the Golden State ever since with an oblivious florist girlfriend Tamayo said the woman owns a flower shop in San Francisco, which is around a 35 minute drive from their lavish pad, and that Lee had been working in the shop with her. He said Lee had 'given up everything from his past life' to go on the run and 'created a new identity' to conceal his horrendous criminal history. Tamayo added that his victim, who has been waiting for closure on the case for almost 20 years, felt 'a sense of relief' when cops told her he had finally been detained. Photographs posted on social media show Lee being handcuffed beside a police van while surrounded by several officials. Lee had been on the run for so long that the case went cold, but Tamayo said he was finally traced after an 'amazing' Massachusetts State Police officer re-launched the investigation around two years ago. A Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the 'Bad Breath Rapist' has finally been caught at a multi-million dollar home in California - with a new girlfriend who was completely oblivious to his horrific past Lee gained notoriety after he was identified through DNA and what Massachusetts SP called 'his horrible breath' Pictured: Lee in court ahead of his conviction for the February 2005 rape He found one picture on social media that tied him (Lee) to California that we were able to start running with and eventually identify him,' Tamayo said. Lee was transported to Danville PD for booking on Tuesday, where he will be held pending his rendition to Massachusetts. 'There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions,' Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force commander, said in a statement. 'Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family.' A Massachusetts man has been accused of tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking abortion pills before she suffered a miscarriage. Robert Kawada, 43, allegedly pressured the unnamed woman into taking the abortion pills over several weeks, telling her they contained iron and other vitamins. Watertown Police said the former couple met on a dating app in January and dated until Kawada ended the relationship in early March, as reported by NBC Boston. The alleged victim learned she was pregnant after the two broke up, according to court documents, and that's when Kawada obtained the abortion pills, including misoprostol, a prescription drug commonly used with mifepristone to end pregnancies. At one point, he told the woman that the pregnancy had made his mother so upset that it was to blame for her death in April, per court documents. Robert Kawada, 43, allegedly pressured his ex-girlfriend into taking abortion pills over several weeks, telling her they contained iron and other vitamins The woman told police that Kawada, a divorced father-of-two, claimed his dad was an OB-GYN doctor as he offered her assurances when she thought his behavior was odd. However, on one occasion the woman saved the pills he told her to take, per police records. Kawada is also accused of giving her homemade cookies containing raspberry leaf - a homeopathic believed to induce labor. He allegedly told the woman to not swallow the pills, but to hold them between her cheeks as they dissolved. He would check inside her mouth to make sure she had taken then, according to police. The woman had concerning pain and discharge throughout her pregnancy, and Kawada would ask for updates, including from the first checkup, where the baby's heartbeat was strong. At one point, Kawada told the woman that the pregnancy had made his mother so upset that it was to blame for her death in April. Kawada shared the above post on Facebook in April Kawada, who appeared teary eyed in court on Tuesday as he pleaded not guilty, is expected back in court on July 23 At one meeting, Kawada allegedly told the woman she had lied about taking the pills and accused her of setting him up with the pregnancy. At their last meeting, Kawada supposedly told the woman the pregnancy has 'in effect killed his mother,' because she had been angry about it and wanted the pair to get an abortion, which Kawada said he also wanted. However, the woman said she wanted to keep the baby and would raise it without Kawada's support. Before that meeting, the woman had received a call from who she believed was a nurse from her health insurance who said she should take iron. Kawada reportedly arrived to her house shortly after the call and said he happened to have the pills she needed. He is charged with poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member According to prosecutors, Kawada searched for phrases like 'misoprotol dissolved,' '9 week aborted fetus pics' and 'no reaction to misoprotol' The alleged nurse then called back and said the woman should take two more of the pills, per court documents. The woman reported feeling chills and a swollen through, with Kawada allegedly saying he felt the same when he took the pills. Police were alerted to the situation when the woman miscarried the baby that same night, on May 2, after bad cramping and bloody discharge. When the woman tried calling the nurse, she discovered the phone was fake. She then reached out to her family who called police. The woman provided the pills she had saved and gave them Kawada's name and number. He was arrested on May 24. Police say he admitted to giving the woman 'vitamin C and iron pills that I ordered off Amazon.' According to prosecutors, Kawada's phone records revealed he had received calls from the same number as the fake nurse, and that he searched for phrases like 'misoprotol dissolved,' '9 week aborted fetus pics' and 'no reaction to misoprotol.' He is charged with poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member. Kawada, who appeared teary eyed in court on Tuesday as he pleaded not guilty, is expected back in court on July 23. His bail is set at $100,000 bail, which he's expected to pay. Kawada often shared photos of his two children on Facebook, writing that he had custody of them. He wrote in December: 'Having sole custody of both kids has been difficult, but it's also so rewarding and beautiful. Never a dull moment!' After Judge Juan Merchan wrapped up his instructions to the jury he had one last order for Donald Trump, his legal team and the prosecutors. 'I do direct all of you to be please here,' he said Wednesday, before heading for his robing room. 'You cannot leave the building.' It is another humbling moment for the man who was leader of the free world for four years and may yet be again after November's election. He held up traffic with his motorcade and closed airspace in Air Force One. But for the past five weeks in a New York courtroom, Trump has had to follow rules laid out by a judge and enforced by bailiffs. He must be in place before the judge calls the court to order, and must get to his feet when the jury enters and leaves the room. Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press as the jury began its deliberations Wednesday. For once, Trump has little control over his days while waiting for a verdict Now he must spend hours each day waiting in one of the fading courthouse's meeting rooms for the seven men and five women of the jury to finish their deliberations. He is stuck each day on the 15th floor of a crumbling courthouse where his aides have complained about the state of the restrooms and where an 'asbestos abatement' warning is pinned beside the elevators. It is a very ordinary setting for a real estate mogul who made his money in glittering Manhattan towers and whose surname became a byword for luxury. The jury deliberated for four and half hours on Wednesday before being sent home for the night by Judge Juan Merchan. Ahead of that, they asked to rehear a slew of testimony from a key Trump Tower meeting, where the prosecution alleges that a 'capture and kill' scheme was devised to bury negative stories, and from tabloid king David Pecker, the then publisher of the National Enquirer. The jury's request sounded around courtroom 1530 in the form of a buzzer, sending bailiffs scurrying to alert the judge, defense and prosecution. Trump returned to the courtroom, chatting with his lawyers, to hear the judge read the jurors' note requesting four pieces of testimony. They include Pecker talking about a phone conversation he had with Trump and his decision not to finalize a deal for Playboy model Karen McDougal's story. In his testimony, Pecker said Trump told him: '"I don't buy any stories." Judge Juan Merchan delivered his instructions to the jury and they began their deliberations late on Wednesday morning. They spent 4.5 hours deliberating before being sent home David Pecker was the first witness called by the prosecution. The former publisher of the National Enquirer said he offered to be the 'eyes and ears' of the Trump campaign Twelve jurors will decide Donald Trump's fate after sitting through six weeks of testimony 'And he said that, "Any time you do anything like this, it always gets out." 'So I said ... so I said, "I still believe that we should take this story off the market." 'And he said, "Let me think about it, and I'll have Michael Cohen call you back in a few days."' Trump denies 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels just ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The prosecution alleges he directed a plot to buy up negative stories, using his fixer Cohen and friend Pecker to seek out and sign up women to stop them going public. Pecker's description of the phone call, conducted during an investor meeting, could be damaging for Trump's defense, suggesting as it does that Trump was pondering a deal and was using Cohen to relay decisions and instructions. It could also bolster the prosecution's case that Trump had never been interested in buying negative stories before but was willing to consider it once the election loomed. Don Jr joined his father in the courtroom on Wednesday as deliberations began Natalie Harp (left) and Karoline Leavitt leave the courthouse as deliberations begin Trump supporters were out in force in front of the courthouse on Wednesday Trump supporters and their opponents spar outside the criminal court where former President Donald Trump is on trial In contrast, the defense has argued that Trump simply wanted to protect his family and was not thinking about hiding damaging information from voters. Pecker eventually pulled out of a $150,000 deal to transfer McDougal's life rights to a shell company set up by Cohen after he conferred with lawyers. He said Cohen told him that 'the boss' would be 'very angry' at him. And the jurors also wanted to hear testimony from both Cohen and Pecker about a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, when Pecker said he agreed to be the 'eyes and ears' of the recently launched presidential campaign. That meeting is the very starting point of the prosecution's case, making a natural point for jurors to direct their attention. Soon after their first request has been read by the judge, the buzzer sounded again. This time the jury was asking to hear his jury instructions again. Trump has swapped out his ties on a daily basis. On Wednesday it was a gold spotted number As he arrives in court, he walks past the railing that defines where he can address the cameras It was a reminder of where power in this case now lies: With the seven men and five women of the jury. They have been told by the judge to set aside their feelings about Trump and to take as long as they need to come up with a unanimous verdict. 'You are the judges of the facts, and you are responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty,' Merchan told them in their final instructions. At times, Trump has looked like a caged beast in court. He has glared at the public gallery, staring at reporters, and was caught uttering obscenities by the judge early on in proceedings. Other times he tries to wield power almost in plain sight, slouching back in his chair, eyes closed in a display of either sleep or disdain for the court around him. He has changed his tie on a daily basis in another effort to control what he can. Once a week it is the familiar red neckwear, with a navy blue suit and white shirt, but on Wednesday it was gold, with a dotted pattern, while plain blue, patterned blue, orange and buttery yellow have all also featured. And then there are the 15th floor press appearances in front of the cameras, where he can say whatever he likes (so long as he does not infringe a gag order preventing him talking about witnesses.) 'Mother Teresa could not beat these charges,' he said on Wednesday at lunchtime. 'These charges are rigged. The whole countrys a mess, between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he cant breathe.' But even then, as he delivers his freewheeling attacks, he is not as free as he looks. Railings define exactly where he can stand as he addresses the cameras. Diane Abbott was mistreated by Labour and should be made a peer by Rishi Sunak, Andrew Pierce has told the Mail's talk show, The Reaction. Labour stalwart Abbott was suspended from the parliamentary party for more than a year amid an investigation into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April last year. Abbott only had the Labour whip restored yesterday, despite it emerging that the race row probe ended months ago. Pierce and his co-host Sarah Vine have now hit out at Sir Keir Starmer on their podcast, suggesting that the Labour leader 'looks like he's bullying' the veteran MP. The commentators agreed that the prime minister could make life 'difficult' for Sir Keir by making Abbott, who Pierce described as an 'unlikely martyr', a member of the House of Lords. Listen to the latest episode of The Reaction: Diane Abbott was mistreated by Labour and should be made a peer by Rishi Sunak , Andrew Pierce has told the Mail's talk show, The Reaction Diane Abbott MP addresses a crowd of supporters on May 29, 2024 in London 'If I was Rishi Sunak, I would think, "ha ha!", in his resignation honours list - if we assume he's going to lose the election, and let's be honest, he probably will - he could say, [as the] first Prime Minister of Colour I'm going to put the first black woman MP in Parliament into the House of Lords. 'How difficult would that be for Keir Starmer?' Pierce said, a point with which Vine appeared to agree. In their discussion on the topic, Pierce also described as 'outrageous' speculation that Labour is banning Abbott, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for 37 years, from standing at the upcoming election. He said Starmer's agenda on the campaign trail had been the NHS, but that 'they've completely unravelled because it's the first big gaffe by Starmer - and who would have thought Diane Abbott of all people.' Pierce labelled Abbott 'an historic figure in the sense she's Britain's first black woman MP has been turned by Starmer into an unlikely martyr.' Vine responded by admitting that she 'quite likes' Abbott, despite their political differences with the left-wing politician being 'on the other end of the spectrum' to her. Pierce interjected to agree 'well we don't agree with anything she says or does'. 'I do respect her,' Vine said, pointing out her lengthy tenure in office - having been an MP for 37 years. Andrew Pierce and his co-host Sarah Vine have hit out at Sir Keir Starmer on their podcast Abbott said she was 'dismayed' at suggestions she will not be able to stand as a Labour candidate The pair agreed that Abbott is 'often the victim of prejudice,' with Pierce contending that the London representative had been 'subjected to more online abuse than any other of the 650 MPs.' Vine pointed out that 'like all people who've been in politics for a very long time, she has a few issues.' But, she said, 'I always remember when she got into trouble for sending her son to private school back in 2003. 'I always felt a bit sorry for her because she said in an interview, you know, I've had to choose between being a parent and a politician. And on this occasion I've chosen to be a parent.' Sir Keir Starmer faced criticism from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Pierce agreed with Vine, but felt it important to add that 'the problem was, as a politician, she voted against private schools.' He went on to explain why he believed Labour had mistreated Abbott. 'She was suspended, she apologised immediately. That was a year ago. The Labour Party conducts an inquiry, and every time we've asked Starmer about it, "nothing to do with me, Gov, it's an independent process",' Pierce told listeners. 'We discover this week that actually, Labour's National Executive Committee completed its investigation in December. 'Diane Abbott did a two hour online anti Semitism course. So, Diane Abbott done and dusted. 'So at best he's dissembling Sarah, or you could say downright lying, because this week they restored the whip to her. 'Effectively, they removed her from the parliamentary party, gave the whip back, but said, you're not standing as a Labour MP.' Labour has not yet confirmed whether Abbott will be allowed to stand as the party's candidate. Listen to The Reaction wherever you get your podcasts now. Travel operator TUI has announced the Balearic Islands have 'reached capacity' as they urge holidaymakers to look elsewhere when booking their sunny getaways following recent anti-tourism protests across Spain. The CEO of TUI, Sebastian Ebel, 61, said the company had reached its 'capacity limits' in the Balearics and is looking to other Mediterranean destinations for growth. Less crowded destinations include Egypt and Turkey, with Algeria also being a potential option, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. The travel company claimed it had accepted the Spanish archipelago can not host an increasing number of holidaymakers, with TUI already expecting to bring around two million tourists to the Balearics this summer, five per cent more than last year. But despite the pause on the Balearics, the TUI boss revealed he had recently discussed opening up Algeria for beach holidays. The CEO of TUI, Sebastian Ebel, 61, said the company had reached its 'capacity limits' in the Balearics and is looking to other Mediterranean destinations for growth File photo: Camp de Mar, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain Thousands of residents protested in Tenerife, Canary Islands, last month to demand the government temporarily limit tourist arrivals The words 'Go Home Tourist' were scrawled in English over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighbourhood that has seen a massive influx of foreign buyers over the past few years Amid a spate of mass anti-tourism protests and calls for boozy Brits to 'go home', Ebel made a surprise pledge to invest in residential housing on the Canary Islands rather than build new hotels as angry locals continue to rally against the overcrowding. He said: 'We are offering to create living spaces for employees and other residents; we are happy to tackle the issue head-on.' The decision follows the large-scale demonstrations in the Canary Islands on April 20 which saw over 50,000 people taking to the streets of Tenerife in protest against tourism on the island, brandishing 'you enjoy, we suffer' placards as locals fight poverty and housing shortages. The campaigners claimed that the huge influx of tourists to the island is causing major environmental damage, driving down wages and squeezing locals out of cheap affordable housing, forcing dozens to live in tents and cars instead. One female protestor at the march held up a sign which read: 'Fourteen million tourists a year but 36 per cent of Canarians at risk of poverty.' Tenerife locals also carried out hunger strikes for over a week as part of a wider protest campaign. However, Ebel was keen to note that it was for policy-makers to determine how to regulate tourism, not the bosses of travel firms. Ebel added: 'It is not our place to dictate how many tourists a destination can accommodate; that is the responsibility of local politicians'. The German travel boss attributed the island's rising house prices primarily to the influx of foreign property buyers and the increased rental of holiday homes to tourists, rather than to package holidays. In response, TUI has decided against investing in new hotels in the Canary Islands. It comes as Mallorca's anti-tourism campaign urged locals to not reveal the island's beauty spots on their social media in its latest bid to discourage rowdy visitors. Earlier this month, stickers sporting the tagline 'Don't tag this beach, b**ch!' were spotted plastered around beach entrances following an initial launch of the campaign by the Mallorcan communication agency La Indis last year. A local told Ultima Hora: 'Overcrowding affects us residents first by making it more expensive and worsening our quality of life, but tourists are also harmed. Demonstrators packed into Weyler Square in the Tenerife capital Santa Cruz, the start point for a march on the Brit-popular holiday island, on April 20 Campaigners have been quick to distance themselves from anti-tourist graffiti which appeared on walls and benches in and around Palm Mar in southern Tenerife at the start of the month Spanish islands are threatened by sea pollution, traffic gridlock and lack of cheap affordable housing linked to the pushing-up of property prices because of Airbnb-style holiday lets Graffiti reading 'My misery, your paradise' is seen in the Balearic Islands 'For this reason, our campaign seeks to involve them in the search for solutions to alleviate this problem'. Majorcan-based hotel chief Joan Pla warned recently the mass tourism protests in the Canary Islands could be repeated in the Balearics. He also claimed the number of homes built for local residents that were being purchased instead by foreigners as holiday properties was a problem. And he complained islands like Majorca where he is based were having to cope with the influx of too many people at certain times of the year. On Monday, a Menorca holiday village dubbed the 'Spanish Mykonos' chained up its streets to prevent holidaymakers taking selfies on them in the latest attack on tourists. The 195 homeowners of Binibeca Vell have said they do not want any visitors before 11am and after 8pm as anti-tourist signs attached to thick rope and chains have been hung up throughout the holiday hotspot. Locals complained of rowdy tourists disrespecting the private properties by climbing stairs, scaling picture perfect balconies and even entering doorways as they hunt down the most Instagrammable spots. In Menorca, graffiti has also sprung up on walls telling tourists to 'go home', while in Marbella last year, tyres on cars with British number plates were slashed. It comes after the government of the Balearic Islands introduced a ban on the sale of alcohol between 9:30pm and 8am in a bid to crack down on so-called low quality tourism. The decree bans late night sales of booze from commercial establishments in Llucmajor, Palma and Calvia in Mallorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza. Ibiza also became the latest Spanish holidaymaker hotspot to join in with growing anti-tourism protests that have erupted throughout the country. 'We welcome anybody who wants to enjoy our local culture, gastronomy, local traditions, beautiful beaches and covers,' said Xaquelina Ana Perry, a spokeswoman for an activist group by the name of Prou Eivissa (Enough Ibiza). 'We are only against the massification of the type of tourism attracted to our island. The island is saturated, especially with illegal renting and our 572 square kilometres cannot take anymore,' she added. Thousands of motorists fined for driving through a citys Low Emission Zone (LEZ) could be entitled to a refund. Penalties for non-compliant vehicles entering Glasgows LEZ had for months been sent via standard post and not recorded delivery. A tribunal has now ruled motorist Allan Hamilton was not liable for a 60 fine for breaching the rules because of how it had been sent to him. The council blunder means that around 20,000 fines issued from the start of the scheme in June last year until November could be challenged. It opens the floodgates to similar disputes amounting to 1.2million, after the method of delivering a fine was declared fundamental to enforcing the zone. The ruling comes as LEZs launch in Dundee today and Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Saturday. Glasgow city council has made thousands of LEZ penalties unenforceable, according to the tribunal More than one million vehicles registered in Scotland are banned from LEZs. Non-compliant cars, generally diesel ones from before 2015 and petrol vehicles from before 2006, are fined each time they enter a zone. In Glasgow, which was the first place in Scotland to introduce the restrictions, fines totalling around 3.5million have been issued. But the scheme has had zero positive impact on air pollution, with levels of the most serious pollutant nitrogen dioxide increasing. After Mr Hamilton won his appeal against the fine last year, Glasgow City Council appealed the decision at the Upper Tribunal for Scotland. Lord Lake this month dismissed the councils claim that liability to pay a penalty is not linked to service of a penalty charge notice. Dismissing the councils appeal, he said: Having a mode of service which means that both the fact of delivery and the date on which it was completed can be verified is crucial. A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: This decision does not in any way affect the validity of Glasgows LEZ scheme itself, and since last November all LEZ penalty charge notices have been issued by tracked delivery. Police were alarmed after receiving a cellphone video showing a middle-aged man apparently choking a 10-year-old boy in a local park on Memorial Day. The suspect from the video taken at Gwen Margolis Park in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, was quickly identified as Robert Sandy Marcu, 60. Marcu was charged with aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm and battery by strangulation, though he described the incident in court as 'minor.' Video of the alleged strangling shows Marcu grabbing a 10-year-old boy by the neck and shaking him at the park. The child's head can be seen moving back and forth, though his face has been blurred in the video to protect the minor's identity. Accused strangler Robert Sandy Marcu, 60, who allegedly choked a 10-year-old boy who had gotten into a playground scuffle with his son Sunny Isles Beach Police Sergeant Melissa Porro said of the incident, 'The biggest concern here is that a grown man with the strength of a man went after a young child that was helpless and could not, based on size alone, defend himself.' Authorities say that the young victim and another child, reported to be Marcu's son, were playing with water guns on the hot day, when a fight broke out between the boys and Marcu intervened. 'It was at this time that that individual approached one of the children involved in that little child's play fight,' said Porro. He 'began to violently choke this child, pretty much scare this child to the point that he was crying hysterically and very upset,' she added. In the arrest report, authorities wrote that Marcu grabbed the young victim by the neck, which halted his ability to properly breathe and restricted his airway. He then shook the child while keeping a tight grasp of his neck. The report than reads that Marcu said, 'I know what I did, and I did it to teach him a lesson.' The alleged assault reportedly occurred at Gwen Margolis Park in Sunny Beach Isles, Florida on Memorial Day The victim was allegedly left with red marks and scratches on his person. Sergeant Porro said the boy was rattled considerably by the incident, but physically alright. On Tuesday, Marcu appeared in court, where a local judge set his bond at $5,000. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim, who it was also revealed attends the same school as his son. A Labour civil war has erupted tonight as a defiant Diane Abbott vowed to stay on as the MP for Hackney North for 'as long as it is possible' - and accused Sir Keir Starmer's party of wanting to 'exclude' her from Parliament. The left-wing veteran broke cover today as Labour struggled to contain a row over whether she has been blocked from standing as a candidate at the July 4 general election. Mr Starmer is facing a mounting backlash over the treatment of Ms Abbott, 70, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. Ms Abbott was suspended from Labour's parliamentary party for more than a year, amid a probe into her comments about Jewish people in a letter to the Observer newspaper in April 2023. But it has emerged the investigation ended months ago. Britain's first black female MP had the Labour whip restored yesterday, but initially appeared to confirm this morning that she had been banned from standing. The situation descended into confusion again hours later when she posted on social media that she was 'dismayed' by 'reports' she would not be allowed to stand. Mr Starmer later told reporters that 'no decision has been taken to bar Ms Abbott'. But after a chaotic afternoon in politics, Ms Abbott refuted this by telling a crowd of around 200 supporters outside Hackney Town Hall tonight: 'I was shocked to learn yesterday that I am going to be banned from running for the Labour Party. 'I have been selected by my local party members, many of whom are here today, but the national party is insisting that I be banned.' She said she was not given a reason for the ban, adding: 'They just want me excluded from parliament. Diane Abbott has warned that she 'will not be intimidated' as she vowed to stay on as the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for 'as long as it is possible' Supporters of Diane Abbott arrive at Hackney Town Hall for rally in support of her continuing as MP Diane Abbott MP addresses a crowd of supporters on May 29 Protesters gather outside Hackney Town Hall in support of Diane Abbott 'So I am so shocked and so alarmed about what is going on because it is as if you are not allowed to be a Labour MP unless you are prepared to repeat everything the leader says.' The Labour veteran vowed to fight on, telling her supporters: 'You have always stood with me, in good times and bad. And I will always stand with you. I am not going to allow myself to be intimidated. I am going to be your MP for as long as I am allowed to.' She added: 'I remember when I first ran as a Labour MP all the way back in 1987 people thought I couldn't win. 'People thought you couldn't elect a black woman to parliament because it had never been done before. But local people went out, campaigned, knocked on doors and made me Britain's first black woman member of parliament. 'And I have to keep faith with that loyalty - I have to keep faith with my principles, I have to keep faith with supporting and speaking up for equalities, poor people, for the community here in Hackney. 'So I promise you that as long as it is possible, I will be the member of parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.' MailOnline has contacted Labour for comment. Ms Abbott's comments will deliver a stark warning to Labour that if they do not allow her to stand, she may continue to run as an independent. Mr Starmer has already faced this with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is running as an independent in Islington North. After reports emerged that Ms Abbott had been blocked from standing as a Labour MP, Mr Starmer insisted that was 'not true', telling reporters: 'No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott. Mr Starmer is facing a mounting backlash over the treatment of Ms Abbott, 70, who has been MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987 Ms Abbott's (left) comments will deliver a stark warning to Labour that if they do not allow her to stand, she may continue to run as an independent - like Jeremy Corbyn (right) has 'The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so she's a member of the parliamentary Labour Party and no decision has been taken barring her.' Rishi Sunak said Labour had to be 'transparent' about Ms Abbott's position. Tory chairman Richard Holden wrote to Sir Keir demanding answers about the process. In another twist in Labour's candidacy drama on Wednesday, MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said he has been suspended by the party over what he called a 'vexatious and politically motivated complaint' against him, and that he cannot stand under the Labour banner at the election. The Times reported that Labour was also poised to suspend Faiza Shaheen, its candidate for Chingford & Woodford Green in northeast London, for allegedly liking a series of Tweets that downplayed antisemitism accusations. Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen are all on the left of the party. Mr Starmer is facing anger from even his allies at Labour's treatment of Ms Abbott. John McTernan, who was Tony Blair's political secretary, said: 'It's not for the Labour Party to ban a woman with Diane Abbott's record from standing for the Labour Party if that's what she wishes to do.' He added: 'This kind of briefing is aimed at humiliating her and that is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful. 'Whoever is responsible for this should hang their head in shame.' Mr Corbyn claimed Ms Abbott had been 'disgracefully treated' by Labour bosses. He told the PoliticsJoe website: 'Diane has been disgracefully treated by the Labour Party and by, particularly, the individual national officials of the party - all of them.' He added: 'If she's reinstated, good. If not she's got a choice of her own to make. But whatever she does, I'll support her.' Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said: 'Solidarity with Diane, undeniably a trailblazer & a hero of our movement. Diane Abbott broke cover today as Labour struggles to contain a row about her being blocked from standing as a candidate at the election Ms Abbott said she was 'dismayed' at suggestions she will not be able to stand as a Labour candidate Sir Keir Starmer faced fury from Labour's left-wing after it was earlier revealed the race row probe ended months ago Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency Ms Abbott issued a public apology to 'wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them' in April last year 'At a time when all our energy should be focussed on throwing the Tories out, this process looks nakedly factional. 'Diane should have the whip restored now so she can stand as Labour's candidate in the GE.' Ms Abbott had told the BBC this morning: 'Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate.' But she later tweeted: 'Naturally I am delighted to have the Labour Whip restored and to be a member of the PLP. 'Thank you to all those who supported me along the way. I will be campaigning for a Labour victory. 'But I am very dismayed that numerous reports suggest I have been barred as a candidate.' Ms Abbott recently 'liked' a social media post by Mr Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez praising his decision to stand against Labour in his Islington North constituency. It is unclear whether this might have been behind the decision, but endorsing anyone other than a Labour candidate in an election risks being a breach of party membership rules. Ms Abbott issued a swift apology for her remarks in April last year, after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience 'prejudice' but are not 'subject to racism'. She was forced to sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons while a probe was launched into her remarks. Every single black male passenger on an American Airlines flight was rounded up and ordered off the aircraft after a crew member complained about body odor, a lawsuit alleges. The eight men, who did not know each other, had boarded Flight 832 at Phoenix Airport for the five-hour flight to New York JFK in January. They were all seated in different parts of the plane but all were picked out and hauled off after a 'white male flight attendant' made a complaint about 'offensive body odor' inside the aircraft, the suit claims. Staff spent an hour a looking for an alternative flight but, when none could be found, the men were asked to get back on the aircraft and retake their seats. 'I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of white faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour,' said Emmanuel Jean Joseph. Eight black men, who were traveling separately, were ordered off an American Airlines flight in January after an attendant complained about body odor, according to a lawsuit Three of the men, Alvin Jackson (left), Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal (right) are suing the airline, claiming they were traumatized by the experience Jean Joseph and fellow passengers Alvin Jackson and Xavier Veal had each taken a connecting flight from Los Angeles before boarding the plane at Phoenix. Veal decided to record the incident on his phone after noticing that all the black passengers, and none of the white passengers, were being removed. 'I started freaking out,' he said. Video shows staff in the gate area struggling to find them another flight with one man slamming the incident as 'un-f***ing-professional', and another remarking that 'This ain't no random pick'. A black American Airlines attendant at the desk appeared to agree with the claim that their removal was racially motivated, admitting: 'I do not disagree with you.' Three of the men began talking when they gathered at baggage reclaim at the end of the flight, and they lodged the lawsuit on Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 'They had to re-board the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay,' the lawsuit claims. 'They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading.' American Airlines has yet to offer an explanation for why the men were removed from the flight, but insisted in a statement that they 'take all claims of discrimination very seriously'. The remaining passengers were allegedly told of the supposed reason for the removal before the eight men were asked to get back on the plane and retake their seats One American Airlines staffer appeared to agree with the suggestion that the move was racist 'We want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,' they added. 'Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.' And lawyers for the men are keen to hear the airline's account of the incident. 'It's almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin,' said attorney Sue Huhta. 'Particularly since they didn't know each other and weren't sitting near each other.' The lawsuit cites other recent occasions that passengers have alleged discrimination by the carrier. It also references a 2017 travel advisory from the NAACP in which the civil rights organization advised against flying on the airline for eight months after 'multiple instances' of alleged discrimination. 'Somebody should have stepped up and said, 'Wait a minute. We can't do this. This is wrong',' said Michael Kirkpatrick of the Public Citizen law group 'But instead, nobody stepped up and intervened to stop it from happening.' The lawsuit alleges that other passengers were informed that the men were removed because of an odor while they were off the aircraft. 'We're walking through the aisle of shame, if you will,' said Veal. 'It was horrible. It was a really traumatic experience. 'Unfortunately, I'm a black man and I live in America.' Sen. John Fetterman disavowed himself on Wednesday from his alma mater Harvard in protest of what he says is the university's 'inability to stand up for the Jewish community' by removing his crimson hood at a commencement ceremony. The Pennsylvania senator is one of Israel's biggest defenders in Democratic circles. He was awarded at Yeshiva University's commencement with a 'Presidential Medallion' for being a 'Hero of Israel.' 'I was reflecting when was my last graduation and that was literally a quarter century ago, 25 years ago,' he told a crowd of graduates. 'I was graduating from Harvard University but today I have been profoundly disappointed the way Harvard's inability to stand up for the Jewish community.' 'For me personally I do not fundamentally believe it is right for me to wear this today,' he added as he removed his crimson hood. The crowd audibly gasped before breaking into a standing ovation. Fetterman graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School with a Master's of Public Policy in 1999. Sen. John Fetterman disavowed himself on Wednesday from his alma mater Harvard in protest of what he says is the university's 'inability to stand up for the Jewish community' by removing his crimson hood at a commencement ceremony Fetterman (D-PA) removes a Harvard Kennedy School masters graduation hood in protest of Harvard's handling of the Jewish community on campus In a symbolic gesture of disappointment with his alma mater, @Harvard, Senator Fetterman removed the crimson hood from his robe while delivering his @YUNews commencement address earlier today. pic.twitter.com/o7yZEupm36 Dovi Safier (@safier) May 29, 2024 The Orthodox Jewish university in Queens, New York City graduated 1,700 students on Wednesday. As many Democrats have grown more vocal in their frustrations with Israel as the Palestinian death toll mounts in its mission to eradicate Hamas, Fetterman has not. On Wednesday Fetterman was asked on MSNBC's Morning Joe whether Israel crossed a 'red line' by targeting a refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing dozens of civilians and two senior Hamas commanders. 'Hamas, those cowards, hide behind civilians, and now it's becoming more and more [clear] that there was a dump of munitions there that exploded. That's where Hamas is hiding them, and that added more damage that way as well,' he said on Wednesday. Fetterman (D-PA) displays a wrist band from the Nova Music Festival, given to him by a family member of someone taken hostage at the festival Fetterman poses with Yeshiva graduates who gave him a standing ovation for disavowing himself from Harvard At least 45 people in Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1, which was built in early January, were killed by the blast and subsequent fires, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. More than 240 were wounded. Israel's Admiral Daniel Hagari said the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) had not expected the bombing to kill civilians - and suggested the fires could have broken out because Hamas had weapons stored in the area. 'Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size,' Hagari said. Fetterman has been critical of President Joe Biden for briefly pausing a number of weapons shipments to Israel and tore into the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas commanders. 'I have no conditions, I never have, and I can't imagine I ever will,' he said recently of U.S. aid to Israel. Over 36,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, after some 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attack. Rishi Sunak yesterday ruled out an electoral pact with Reform UK after Nigel Farage suggested that he could stand down candidates to boost Tory fortunes. The Prime Minister said 'yes' when asked if he was ruling out striking a deal with Mr Farage, Reform's honorary president, who earlier in the day said he was open to 'a conversation'. Mr Sunak also warned that a vote for the rival party risks splitting the Right-leaning vote and putting Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street. Polls suggest that Reform could cost the Tories around 50 seats at the election. On the campaign trail in Devon, the PM said: 'There's only going to be one of two people who's going to be Prime Minister on 5 July. It's either Keir Starmer or me. Rishi Sunak (pictured) yesterday ruled out an electoral pact with Reform UK after Nigel Farage suggested that he could stand down candidates to boost Tory fortunes The Prime Minister said 'yes' when asked if he was ruling out striking a deal with Mr Farage (pictured), Reform's honorary president, who earlier in the day said he was open to 'a conversation' 'So... a vote for anyone who isn't a Conservative candidate, is a vote to put Keir Starmer into No 10. 'If you're someone who believes that we need to tackle illegal migration, then I'm the right person to be your prime minister because I'm the one who's got a clear plan to do so. 'And what we're seeing across Europe now is, the penny is dropping, that our approach with the [Rwanda deportation plan] is the right one having somewhere to send people who come here illegally, so that we can stop the incentive for them to come in the first place. 'The only person who doesn't agree with that is Keir Starmer. And that's the choice at this election. He's going to offer an illegal amnesty to migrants, he's going to release everyone we've already detained and stop the flights. 'That's going to make us a soft touch in Europe, a magnet for asylum seekers.' Speaking to The Sun's Never Mind the Ballots show earlier in the day, Mr Farage dangled the prospect of a deal if he was offered something good in return. Asked if a knighthood or peerage would be enough to stand down candidates, he said: 'No, no, no, no.' But suggesting he was open to striking a pact, which he did with Boris Johnson in the 2019 election, he added: 'I've done them some huge favours over the years as a party. Nigel Farage hinted he's open to a general election deal with the Tories as Rishi Sunak faces a wipeout on 4 July After a rocky start to the Tories' election campaign since announcing the July 4 vote last week, the PM, pictured today, has seen little sign of his party eating into Labour 's huge poll lead Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Farage has continued to put pressure on the Tories over their handling of the Channel migrant crisis 'Give me something back. We might have a conversation.' Mr Sunak has faced criticism for chartering helicopters across the country for long distance journeys. But he arrived in Penzance, Cornwall, on an overnight sleeper train yesterday morning to hit the campaign trail in the South-West. The PM later met apprentices at Wildanet Technical Training Academy in Liskeard after announcing plans for creating 100,000 extra apprenticeships by the end of the next Parliament with the savings from axing 'mickey mouse' and 'rip-off' university degree courses. He then travelled to Devon, where he met a group of locals who have taken over community ownership of a village pub. The teetotaller PM sat with the pub's committee and drank a pint of lemonade. He was joined by Mel Stride, Work and Pensions Secretary and MP for Central Devon. Afterwards, Mr Sunak insisted his policy announcements were shifting voters' allegiances. It comes after a J.L. Partners poll found Labour's lead has slipped to 12 points, 40 per cent to the Tories' 28. The House Committee on Ethics announced it will investigate Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar for bribery and foreign influence allegations nearly a month after the Department of Justice indicted the longtime lawmaker. Henry, 68, and Imelda Cuellar were indicted May 3 on charges alleging they used a series of shell businesses and fake invoices to conceal approximately $600,000 in bribes from foreign companies including an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank. In exchange for the alleged bribes, Cuellar is believed to have used his office to help advance the two companies' interests in U.S. policy agendas. Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., will lead the congressional probe into the alleged misconduct. Rep. Henry Cuellar (right) and his wife Imelda Cuellar (left) were charged by the DOJ with $600,000 that came in from foreign companies for alleged bribery, money laundering and wire fraud The lawmakers hope 'to determine whether Representative Cuellar solicited or accepted bribes, gratuities, or improper gifts; acted as a foreign agent; violated federal money laundering laws; misused his official position for private gain; and/or made false statements or omissions on public disclosure statements filed with the House,' a statement released by the committee Wednesday stated. The indictment alleged that, among other things, Ceullar agreed to sway legislation to favor Azerbaijani interests and that he even agreed to deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the House floor. But in a statement to Roll Call Cuellar continued to deny the allegations against him. 'I respect the work of the House Ethics Committee,' he wrote in a statement Wednesday. 'I am innocent of these allegations, and everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.' The Democrat once held the role of co-chair for the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus. Earlier this month, Cuellar's chief of staff quit after the Texas Democrat and his wife were charged by the Justice Department with bribery and fraud. Jake Hochberg served as Cuellar's top aide since 2021 but left the office on in early May, multiple people familiar with the situation confirmed to Punchbowl News. The sources said that other staffers are also mulling leaving the embattled lawmaker's office. Jake Hochberg (pictured) quit as Rep. Henry Cuellar's chief of staff after the congressman was charged with bribery and fraud Rep. Cuellar resigned from his committee assignments and pleaded not guilty. He and his wife were released on $100,000 bail each Hochberg previously did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment on his departure from Cuellar's office. In addition, Republicans are preparing to pounce if Democrats don't move to punish Cuellar. Last year, 105 GOP lawmakers joined Democrats to expel former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) before he was convicted of a crime but after a congressional investigation found wrongdoing. Cuellar was one of the 206 Democrats who voted to expel Santos in December despite a federal investigation on his end. The married couple from Laredo, Texas, pleaded not guilty and were released on $100,000 bail each. While the trial is scheduled to begin this summer, it's likely that pre-trial legal disputes over the case will delay the start by months and could even result in dismissal. The Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR is reportedly behind some payments made to Cuellar Cuellar, one of the remaining moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, has already stepped down from his assignment on the House Appropriations Committee amid active criminal case proceedings. The Justice Department's charges against the Democrat include alleging the Cuellar's engaged in bribery, money laundering and wire fraud. Cuellar's seat is seen as flippable in 2024 and now Republicans see it as an even bigger possibility after the indictment. A planned memorial to the Royal Navy's role in ending the slave trade is in jeopardy amid claims it 'lacked sensitivity'. Campaigners had been in talks to install a statue for the West Africa Squadron, which rescued 150,000 slaves during the 19th century, near the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. But talks broke down after Landsec, owners of Gunwharf Quays and the firm's 'employee diaspora network' objected. The resistance has been met with dismay by campaigners and Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt, who said the Navy's 'considerable efforts' deserved a memorial. Landsec rowed back on the proposals in an email to fundraisers, saying it was 'not the right location' and the statue would be out of keeping with the 'welcoming and inclusive' environment it sought to foster. Maquette of Vincent Gray memorial sculpture to the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, UK. Campaigners had been in talks to install a statue for the West Africa Squadron, which rescued 150,000 slaves during the 19th century, near the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard The email added the decision came after 'extensive discussions with our corporate affairs team and employee diaspora network'. It added: 'We felt that on balance the proposed memorial lacked sensitivity and authenticity to what is a very emotive topic and dark part of our history as a nation.' Landsec sought to downplay the episode, claiming fundraisers had misinterpreted conversations with Gunwharf Quays but emails seen by the Mail show officials discussed a site for the statue and offered to meet with an architect. The move has provoked criticism given Portsmouth's historic position as home of the Royal Navy. Campaigners have said the statue could now be placed elsewhere. Penny Mordaunt (pictured) said: 'The proposed West Africa Squadron memorial recognises the considerable efforts made by our Navy to stamp out this vile trade after 1807' Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: 'Landsec's decision to effectively toss the West Africa Squadron Memorial into the English Channel is outrageous.' Ms Mordaunt, Leader of the Commons, said: 'The proposed West Africa Squadron memorial recognises the considerable efforts made by our Navy to stamp out this vile trade after 1807.' An appeal to raise 70,000 for the 13ft bronze statue and Portland Stone plinth has been championed by the Mail and Ms Mordaunt and saw a 25,000 donation from Tory peer Lord Ashcroft. A spokesman for Gunwharf Quays said: 'We are committed to ensuring the centre is welcoming and inclusive. We didn't believe the memorial in its format would be consistent with our purpose.' Harvey Weinstein is facing the possibility of a new indictment as the Manhattans District Attorneys Office has received complaints from women who were not ready to speak out in 2020. The disgraced film producer, 72, dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and blue tie, appeared in New York Supreme Criminal Court on Wednesday where he was brought out in a wheelchair and without handcuffs. Prosecutors told the court he could face a new indictment as it is actively investigating more claims of sexual assault against Weinstein and will be in a position to clarify at the end of June. Some people who were not ready to speak out in 2020 now appear to do so in 2024, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg told the court. Well speak to advisors as to what falls within the statute of limitations and we will do everything in our power to make sure every survivor's identity is protected. Judge Curtis Farber ordered him to return to court on July 9 and remanded him in jail without bail. Harvey Weinstein is facing the possibility of a new indictment as the Manhattans District Attorneys Office has received complaints from women who were not ready to speak out in 2020 Prosecutor Blumberg also accused Weinsteins lawyers of intending to intimidate witnesses in the upcoming trial by making public statements which attack their credibility and character. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office filed a letter on Thursday which asked the judge to urge the defense attorneys to stop. It's the people's position that it is especially critical now that your honor address this as in recent years survivors have disclosed being sexually assaulted by the defendant. But Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala disputed the claims and said: Survivors, thats already a conclusive term. Not a witness, a survivor. He then accused the prosecution of doing exactly what they claim he did. That means somebody has already endured some sort of pain. In 32 years, no one has ever had to remind me of my ethical obligations. However, I am in a very unique position. Unlike the other trial going on in this courthouse where half is for one person and half is against, there arent too many fans of Mr Weinstein. I made some statements about a witness who testified in the last case. It is our position that lies were told in the last trial. I didnt say anything to intimidate anyone. I just said heres the truth, witnesses who testified the first time and lied on the stand will be re-examined on the stand. Aidala added: The other thing I am up against is the prosecution has their own media machine. Your honor I am aware of my ethical obligations and my rights and Mr Weinsteins rights to have someone zealously defending him. I cant sit by and have mouthpieces for the DAs office, take the microphone and beat him up when no one is there to defend him. He said he is innocent from day one and he is saying he is innocent today. He turned into the poster boy for an international movement. Prosecutor Blumberg responded and said: My objection is not what he says in the courtroom, it is leaving and making public statements outside in a press conference specifically designed to intimidate witnesses. Judge Farber said: Both sides are entitled to a fair trial. This can only be attained if the pool of jurors is free of taint. Both sides are directed to refrain from pandering to the press. It will be a court of law alone when justice is to be served and not a court of opinion. The disgraced film producer, 72, dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and blue tie, appeared in New York Supreme Criminal Court on Wednesday where he was brought out in a wheelchair and without handcuffs Prosecutors told the court he could face a new indictment as it is actively investigating more claims of sexual assault against Weinstein and will be in a position to clarify at the end of June It comes after Weinstein refused to be extradited to Los Angeles on May 9 to serve a prison sentence for a rape he was convicted of in California in 2022. The New York Court of Appeals threw out his 2020 rape conviction on April 25 after ruling he did not receive a fair trial- effectively erasing his 23-year prison sentence and ordering a retrial. But he remains in prison as he was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of Italian actress and model Evgeniya Chernyshova in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Following an extradition hearing in Queens earlier this month, Weinsteins defense attorney Diana Samson said: 'He's not a fugitive in the colloquialism of the word, that's just the language they used. 'They are not in a position to extradite Weinstein right now because they have not done what they needed to do. 'Our main concern is that Mr Weinstein is here in New York so that we can prepare for the trial.' Weinstein is in custody in Rikers Island in New York City following the quashed conviction and Judge Farber set a tentative trial date for after Labor day, meaning it could take place in September. April's ruling concluded that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced. Manhattan prosecutors intend to retry him on charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013. After his New York conviction was overturned he cried tears of joy and insisted he wasn't a rapist, his spokesman has said. Prosecutor Blumberg also accused Weinsteins lawyers (pictured) of intending to intimidate witnesses in the upcoming trial by making public statements which attack their credibility and character But Weinsteins lawyer Arthur Aidala (pictured) disputed the claims and said he was just defending his client Weinstein has been serving 23 years in a New York jail for the two sex attacks against aspiring actress Jessica Mann and production assistant Mimi Haleyi. He was handed a further 16 years after a jury in LA found him guilty of three rape and sexual assault charges in 2022. In a sign of how significant the case is, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg walked into court on May 1 and sat in the second row of the public gallery. Jessica Mann, who testified against Weinstein in the trial - he was convicted for third degree rape on her - was sitting on the same row as Bragg. Prosecutor Blumberg told the court that they were asking for Weinstein to be remanded in custody. They called it a 'Strong case in 2020 when the defendant was tried and convicted' and it 'remains a strong case in 2024.' The court heard that the appeal ruling was 'non equivocal on the issue of consent' and there was 'nothing consensual about the conduct complainants described'. Prosecutors told the court: 'We believe in this case and will be trying this case.' 'Jessica Mann is here in court. She's here to show she's not backing down and is committed to seeing justice is served again. 'The defendant may have power and privilege but she has the truth. We have every belief the defendant will be convicted again after trial.' Prosecutors said that they wanted the trial to happen in the fall, possibly September. Weinstein's lawyer Aidala told the court: 'We're not asking for bail. Mr Weinstein has very very serious medical issues'. He praised the Department of Corrections for taking care of Weinstein's needs. He said: 'He's sharp as a tack. He's as smart as he ever was. He's read hundreds and hundreds of books. I have no issue whatsoever about his mental abilities.' Aidala dismissed the idea it was a 'strong case' and said that Weinstein was cleared of the most serious charges including first degree rape. Aidala claimed that Mimi Haleyi, whose claims led to Weinstein being found guilty of criminal sexual act, may have perjured herself during the trial. According to Aidala, Weinstein recently told him: 'Let's go to trial and prove my innocence.' As Weinstein was wheeled out on May 1- he was not in handcuffs or leg shackles - he shook hands with all of his legal team, one by one, and gave a thumbs up to his spokesman, who was sitting at the end of the row. Mann stared directly at him. Weinsteins lawyers are appealing the only conviction now remaining in Los Angeles. Judge Curtis Farber ordered him to return to court on July 9 and remanded him in jail without bail. Pictured: Weinstein at an extradition hearing on May 9 Weinstein had his hands cuffed as he was pushed in a wheelchair out of a prison van and into a courthouse in Manhattan at his previous court appearance His 2020 conviction was overturned by a state appeal court 'A jury was told in California that he was convicted in another state for rape ... turns out he shouldnt have been convicted and it wasnt a fair conviction,' attorney Jennifer Bonjean, whose arguments freed Bill Cosby in his appeal on Pennsylvania sex assault convictions said. 'It interfered with his presumption of innocence in a significant way in California.' Chernyshova described in tearful testimony how Weinstein attacked her in a hotel room during a film festival in 2013. Jurors rejected the allegations of another woman and couldnt reach verdicts on two others, including those of a documentary filmmaker married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. During his four years in jail Weinstein has been beset by health issues including heart problems, mobility issues and diabetes. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in New York in April where doctors conducted a slew of tests on him. Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to the hospital after his arrival into Rikers Island. Aidala said: 'They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He's got a lot of problems. He's getting all kinds of tests. He's somewhat of a train wreck health wise.' 'He was not treated well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break,' Aidala said. 'He's a 72-year-old sickly man.' But he was returned to Rikers in what his publicist said was the result from a published report claiming he was getting VIP treatment during his 10-day stay at a hospital. Weinstein's jail consultant Craig Rothfeld insisted: 'We want to clear up a lot of misconceptions. None of us have any influence over the healthcare that is provided to Mr Weinstein. 'We do not influence the New York City Department of Corrections, the attorneys and I don't influence correctional health services, we do not influence New York City health and hospitals. 'All of those decisions are made by those individual organizations without our input, without consulting with us, without asking for our opinions. 'There have been a lot of rumors about having a cushy room, there have been false narratives about what that room is like and we just want to make sure everybody understands that these decisions are made by those organizations.' He added: 'He [Weinstein] has very serious health issues. Since the day he was incarcerated he has been in a hospital-like setting. 'So the notion that he should or should not be at Bellevue is really not a narrative that makes sense.' Weinstein was once the most powerful man in Hollywood who made hits like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love with his film companies Miramax and The Weinstein Co. He dominated Hollywood in the 1990s and won 81 Oscars as he became part of the world elite and grew especially close to Bill and Hillary Clinton. Now The Weinstein Co. is bankrupt, his wife Georgina Chapman has divorced him and his empire is in ruins. One of Weinstein's main accusers in the case, Haleyi, has said she is unsure if she is ready to testify again should the case be retried. The reversal of his conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Cosby's sexual assault conviction. Weinstein's conviction stood for more than four years, heralded by activists and advocates as a milestone achievement, but dissected just as quickly by his lawyers and, later, the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the matter in February. New York State of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore ruled that Weinstein's appeal could proceed in 2022. At the time, his lawyer Arthur Aidala argued that women who did not form part of the criminal allegations should not have been allowed to take the stand and testify about alleged sex abuse by his client. He also alleged that one juror did not disclose they'd previously written a book on sexual predators, which he said should have disqualified them from serving. Weinstein denied the charges against him and insisted that his relations with the women were consensual. More than 80 women came forward to accuse the Oscar-winning producer of sexual assault and harassment. The allegations first surfaced publicly in a New York Times story in 2017 detailing decades of alleged abuse. Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among those who were named in the piece as accusers. The allegations sparked a sea change in attitudes towards sexual misconduct in the workplace. ENDS Israel's bombardment of Gaza will continue until 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said on Wednesday. Tzachi Hanegbi told the Israeli public broadcaster KAN that the war is expected to continue for another seven months. He said that the Israeli army 'is now in control of 75 per cent of the Philadelphi Route'. 'I believe we will be in control of it all with time. Together with the Egyptians, we must ensure weapon smuggling is prevented from Egypt into Gaza,' Hanegbi added. Meanwhile, residents of Rafah said there have been more Israeli air strikes and that tanks had mounted raids in central and western areas. Palestinians view the destruction after Israel bombs their tents and shelters in Rafah, Gaza on May 27 Palestinians stand around the destruction after Israel bombs their tents and shelters in Rafah on May 27 Military mobility of tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks and military jeeps belonging to the Israeli army continues on the northern border of Gaza on May 29 Palestinians mourn near makeshift tents after the Israeli shelling of a refugee tent encampment in al-Mawasi area west of Rafah Rafah's last hospital is barely functional and a 'full incursion' by Israeli troops could lead to its closure and a 'substantial' number of deaths, according to a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official. Israel said it must take Rafah to achieve victory in the war, which was triggered when Hamas attacked the country on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others taken hostage. At least 36,170 people have been killed across Gaza since the start of war, the Hamas-run health ministry claimed. There has been an increasing international pressure on Israeli leaders to reveal a full strategy to stop the fighting. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was vital that Israel introduce a post-war plan as a matter of urgency if it wanted to ensure Hamas's lasting defeat. 'In the absence of a plan for the day after, there won't be a day after,' he told reporters on a visit to Moldova. It comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Islamic world to take action against Israel in response to the latest deadly strike in the Gaza Strip. Erdogan, 70, told lawmakers from his AKP party today that Israel represented a threat to 'all of humanity.' He said: 'I have some words to say to the Islamic world: what are you waiting for to take a common decision?' Erdogan, who leads a Muslim-majority country of 85 million people, told lawmakers from his AKP party. Palestinians examine destroyed makeshift tents after Israeli army attacks in Rafah, Gaza At least 36,170 people have been killed across Gaza since the start of war Israel 's bombardment of Gaza will continue until 2025, a national security adviser of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) said on Wednesday Palestinians, carrying their personal belongings with them, migrate to the areas where they consider as a safe after the Israeli army targeted tents in Al-Mawasi 'Israel is not just a threat to Gaza but to all of humanity,' he said. 'No state is safe as long as Israel does not follow international law and does not feel bound by international law,' Erdogan added, repeating an accusation that Israel is committing 'genocide' in Gaza. He also called Israeli prime minister Netanyahu a 'vampire', and accused him of killing 'innocent civilians in their tents'. He also took aim at the West for being 'complicit' with the ongoing war in the Middle East. 'America, this blood is also on your hands. Heads of the states in Europe, you have become complicit in Israel's vampirism because you remained silent,' Erdogan said. 'No ideology sees the burning to death of innocent civilians in their tents as legitimate. The world is watching the barbarism of this vampire called Netanyahu live,' he added. Erdogan's fiery comments came as the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly Israeli attack on a displacement camp west of Rafah on Tuesday that killed 21 people, according to a civil defence official in Hamas-run Gaza. Nearly two-dozen people were killed in the strike on the tent camp west of the city on Tuesday, just days after 45 people were killed at an encampment for displaced Palestinians that burned to ashes. Gaza health authorities said yesterday that the second tent camp in the city had been hit, by Israeli tank shells, in an area Israel designated as a civilian evacuation zone. The IDF denied striking the area of al-Mawasi, west of Rafah. Tech bosses must take urgent action to curb phone thefts - or the law will be changed to force them, Labour has warned. One phone is stolen every four minutes in England and Wales - but only 1 per cent of thefts result in a charge. Labour is urging tech companies to 'design-out' the crime by implementing a safety feature that would remove the ability to re-register stolen phones. But if the tech giants refuse, the party has threatened to introduce new laws or regulations to force them to act. Announcing the plan exclusively to the Daily Mail, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said phone theft is a 'distressing and disorientating' crime. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said phone theft is a 'distressing and disorientating' crime One phone is stolen every four minutes in England and Wales - but only one per cent of thefts result in a charge (Stock image) She said: 'This rise in phone theft demonstrates the Conservatives' legacy of lawlessness after 14 damaging years. 'Phone theft is a distressing and disorientating crime, but has become one that people think is not even worth reporting due to Tory failure to grip the situation - more criminals being let off and more victims being let down. 'This is why we need urgent action involving tech companies, the police and the Government to design-out these crimes. We need firm action to protect the public and keep people safe 'Labour will make Britain's streets safe again.' Phone theft is also driving serious and organised crime in Britain, Labour said. Mobiles store vast amounts of personal data - from bank details to payment facilities - which criminals use to commit fraud. Criminals also sell on devices and their parts for profits. Labour said 100,000 phone thieves got away with their crimes last year and continue to roam our streets. The party has met with Apple, Google and Samsung to call for urgent action to design-out phone theft. Labour believes that thefts could be curbed if phone companies restricted the re-registration of any device marked as stolen by users, and blocked access to key phone services - such as cloud services - to reduce the value of stolen phones. Labour has met with Apple, Google and Samsung to call for urgent action to design-out phone theft (File image of Google headquarters) If the phones are recovered and a user removed a theft notification, then the device would be usable again, Labour said. More than 125,000 phones were stolen last year, but there were just 1,038 charges, according to FoI figures obtained from 27 out of 43 police forces. The forces which responded recorded, on average, 4671 reports of phone thefts in 2023. Labour extrapolated the data to show a national trend - suggesting there were 200,847 phone thefts recorded in 2023. In 2018, there were 99,000 thefts. Mobile phones are commonly stolen through pickpocketing, table surfing - a distraction technique and by cyclists and motorcycles who snatch them from pedestrians. A model and fashion designer is counting her blessings after she rejected a creepy marriage proposal from a crazed knifeman who has been charged with a violent rampage across Massachusetts. Jared Ravizza, 26, of Chilmark, a town on Martha's Vineyard, faces multiple charges including assault with the intent to murder after six people were stabbed in separate attacks on Saturday night. Four girls aged 9 to 17 were stabbed at an AMC multiplex in Braintree by a knifeman who was 'laughing the whole time'. A 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were stabbed roughly an hour later at a McDonald's in Plymouth. Police linked Ravizza to the crimes, catching him after he crashed his Porsche and he was taken into custody. More disturbing allegations came forward Massachusetts Police sources revealed Ravizza was also the man they were looking for after a body was found on Saturday afternoon at a holiday let in Deep River. Now a woman who claims to have once been his friend has spoken out, saying she feels 'blessed' to have cut ties with him after getting a bad feeling about him. Model and fashion designer Alyona Shikhova (pictured) says she feels 'blessed' to be alive after striking up a friendship with Jared Ravizza, who has been arrested over stabbing six people, including four young girls and faces probing over the murder of a 70-year-old man Shikhova, 30, was holding a photoshoot for her Ashik clothing brand on April 14, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, when she came across Jared Ravizza, 26, Alyona Shikhova, 30, had been running a modeling shoot for her clothing brand, Ashik, in April 2023 when she met Ravizza. She claims Ravizza managed to convince her to allow him to take part in the photoshoot whereupon he began hitting on her and making outlandish suggestions. Among his ramblings, which soon became concerning and bizarre, was a marriage proposal and even a suggestion they have kids. 'He said "I'm gonna be a good husband, you're gonna be my wife",' Shikhova recounted. 'I think he liked me and he was used to getting what he wanted. 'I couldn't imagine, at that moment, what he was capable of. I am still in shock after reading about what he has done. I feel blessed to be alive. There are so many crazy people, we have to be really careful. You never know.' The suspect, Jared Ravizza, 26, was arrested and taken into custody. He got into the theater without paying and attacked the girls unprovoked, without saying a word Ravizza laid it on thick as he walked onto the set of her photoshoot and began selling himself as someone who could help promote her brand while boasting of his supposed connections in New York and the Hamptons. The pair even appeared on her Instagram together both wearing matching pink hoodies with the caption, 'never ever ever be basic.' Following the shoot, Ravizza invited Shikhova back to his hotel pool. Looking back, the model says what had been a casual meeting had unsettling and ominous overtones. 'We'd just met and he was already proposing and promising me a lot of things right away,' Shikhova said. 'It was just weird.' Looking back, model and designed Alyona Shikhova says what had been a casual meeting had unsettling and ominous overtones. Ravizza continued to boast about his wealth and lavish lifestyle showing off tropical vacations in Hawaii together with photos of houses around the world he claimed to own. 'He said he had a few houses everywhere, in Malibu, the Hamptons, and other places,' she explained. Desperate to make his mark, Ravizza, even offered to open up clothing stores for her brand in the cities where he had homes. Shikhova said she felt uncomfortable with Ravizza's pushiness and left the hotel. The pair texted a few times after their meeting to discuss which pictures and videos she would use to promote her fashion brand. The next time she heard of Ravizza was when she saw his photo on the news following the unhinged stabbing attack on six people. Shikhova, pictued, says the next time she heard of Ravizza was when she saw his photo on the news following the unhinged stabbing attack, taking to social media to share her concerns about him during the time they were friendly Ravizza boasts of 'leading global digital marketing and social media management agency' with offices in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Paris and Naples Four were children aged between nine and 17 were were watching a film at the movie theater. 'In moments like this, I just feel it's such a gift to be alive,' Shikhova said on Instagram. On Tuesday morning, Ravizza was arraigned at Plymouth District Court on charges including one count of assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery, and indecent exposure relating to the McDonald's stabbing. He still faces charges for his alleged stabbing of the four girls at the movie theater. Ravizza, dressed in a blonde wig, got into the theater without paying and attacked the girls unprovoked, without saying a word. Jared Ravizza, of Chilmark, Massachusetts stands during his arraignment, on Tuesday at Plymouth District Court Ravizza is being held in custody for a mental health evaluation. Additionally, police in Connecticut say Ravizza is a person of interest in the death of Bruce Feldman. The 70-year-old was found dead inside a home he was renting only hours before the latest stabbings occurred. He has not received his diploma and will have to explain why he went off script A Kentucky High School student has yet to receive his diploma after using his graduation speech to tell his classmates to find God. Campbell County High School graduate Micah Price strayed from his approved script during his commencement ceremony Friday. Taking the stage dressed in a purple cap and gown with a white stole, Price began his speech with the approved message giving 'the honor, the praise and the glory to my lord and savior Jesus Christ.' His initial remarks were met with a roaring applause, but he then veered further away from what school superiors expected. 'He is the light, he is the way, the truth and the life,' Price said. Campbell County High School graduate Micah Price (pictured) told his classmates to find God during his commencement ceremony Friday 'Class, everyone in the audience today, I'm here to tell you if you don't have any of those things in your life, you can't seem to find the answer, my lord and savior is your answer he will give you the truth, the way and the life.' After the ceremony Price posted to TikTok to announce he was yet to receive his diploma. 'I don't have a diploma, I'm not sure if everyone has theirs yet. So if you do, congrats. If you don't, I'm right there with you,' he said. 'I was told before hand I wasn't allowed to bring up Christ, the he is the way, the truth and life in speech, I did anyways. 'I am in the wrong technically, because I went against Campbell County code, the rules.' Price began his speech with the approved message giving 'the honor, the praise and the glory to my lord and savior Jesus Christ' - then went off script Superintendent Shelli Wilson told WKRC Price's principal selected him to deliver the address. She said a short portion referencing 'the honor, the praise and the glory of my lord and savior Jesus Christ' had been approved, but added he'd been advised that flipping the script could trigger consequences. 'All speakers were told that going off their submitted speech, or any unplanned choices at graduation, may have repercussions as they would at any school function,' Wilson said. The superintendent said Price has graduated and he will get his diploma after he meets with the principal later this week. 'While I know, personally, that many of us are proud of this young man's beliefs and are practicing Christians ourselves, the principal has to consider the possibilities of students going off the planned program,' Wilson said. Price has not received his diploma and will only get it after he meets with the Campbell County High School principal to explain why he broke the rules His mother, Melonie Neely Farris, appeared proud of her son and his decision to use the time to spread messages he deemed appropriate. In a video on Facebook, she announced her son is joining the Air Force following graduation. 'I wanted to take a minute to share something about my son who gave a speech at his high school graduation,' she added. 'Micah is called to do what we are all called to do, share the love of Christ, thats exactly what he did and by the way I heard things, the entire audience loved it! We will face what comes his way but we will never deny the love of Christ.' Three people have died in a horror crash between a car and a B-double truck on a major highway. The collision happened about 5.45am on the D'Aguilar Highway near the Nanango Tarong Road intersection at Nanango, north-west of Brisbane, before 6am on Thursday. The occupants of the car, an 81-year-old woman, 84-year-old man and 54-year-old man, sustained critical injuries and were declared dead at the scene. The male driver of the semi-trailer, 52, suffered minor injuries and was rushed by paramedics to Kingaroy Hospital in a stable condition. Three people are dead following a horror crash between a car and a B-double truck on on the D-Aguilar Highway at Nanango, northwest of Brisbane on Thursday (pictured) D'Aguilar highway has been closed in both directions south of Nanango and motorists have been told to avoid the area. The B-double truck was found down an embankment near the highway when emergency services arrived at the scene. Police arrived to discover the cab of the truck had rolled over near a ditch following the collision, while its multiple trailers remained on the roadside. Dozens of police and emergency services vehicles blocked off part of the highway as search and rescue efforts took place. The cab of the truck had rolled over near a ditch following the collision, while its multiple trailers remained on the roadside The driver of the truck aged in his 50s was taken to hospital after he suffered lacerations following the collision (stock image) The spokeswoman confirmed the truck driver sustained lacerations and was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries. DAguilar Highway is expected to remain closed today with local diversions in place. Motorists are urged to avoid area. Forensic Crash Unit investigations are continuing. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for further comment. More to come. China has lifted suspensions from Australian beef exporters, removing almost all of the $20 billion worth of trade sanctions it imposed. Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said Beijing on Wednesday night lifted the bans, with immediate effect, for five different abattoirs. 'That is fantastic news for the cattle producers, for the meat processing industry and for the workers in those industries,' he told ABC News Breakfast on Thursday. Producers of barley, cotton, oaten hay and timber have been boosted by China lifting trade limits. An Australia export ship 'The work that we've done to stabilise our relationship with China is paying real dividends.' Sanctions remain on two abattoirs and rock lobster. The announcement precedes Chinese Premier Li Qiang's high-level talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese next month. Mr Li is expected to arrive in Canberra in mid-June. Beijing slapped sanctions on Australia in 2020 at the height of a diplomatic spat between the two countries, after the former Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origin of COVID-19. China has progressively removed the trade barriers on Australian exports since Labor came to office in 2022. China has progressively removed the trade barriers on Australian exports since Labor came to office in 2022. Pictured: Chinese president Xi Jinping With renewed access to Australia's largest trading partner, producers of barley, cotton, oaten hay and timber have had their exports swell by more than $3 billion over the past year and a bit. Senator Watt said he was proud to have helped put billions of dollars back into primary producers' pockets. 'We have repeatedly said we will seek to co-operate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest,' he said. 'That national interest includes the success of Australia's timber workers and barley, cotton and hay farmers.' The $3 billion figure does not include increased earnings from the resumption of wine sales to China, after Beijing dropped a tax of 220 per cent on Australian wine in March. In 2019, Australian wine exports to China were worth $1.1 billion. Even if all tariffs are eventually lifted, it is unlikely Australian trade with China will fully return to pre-COVID levels. Customers buy meat at a market in Shenyang, in China's northeastern Liaoning province Impacted sectors have looked to diversify their export markets since the overnight drop in sales highlighted the pitfalls of placing all one's eggs in one basket. China accounted for 43 per cent of all Australian exports at the time, but that figure had dropped below 30 per cent in 2022-23. 'That's why from the outset, the government's approach here has been to urge a diversification message to Australian industry,' assistant trade minister Tim Ayres said in March. The government has helped producers expand their access to growing and emerging overseas markets, with $198.2 million in grants targeted at re-orienting the nation's trade. A horror drive-by shooting has taken place in Dalston, leaving three adults injured and one child in the hospital. Officers were called at around 9.20pm tonight to reports of a shooting near Evin restaurant on Kingsland High Street. Eye-witnesses say it was a motorcycle that drove by and sprayed bullets in the direction of the diners, before speeding away down the road. Emergency services attended the scene where three adults and a child were found with gunshot injuries. The condition of the three adults is unknown. They have all been taken to a major trauma centre at an east London hospital, where the child remains in a critical condition. A horror drive-by shooting has taken place in Hackney, leaving three adults injured and one child in the hospital Eye-witnesses say it was a motorcycle that drove by and sprayed bullets in the direction of the diners, before speeding away down the road One eye-witness, who was at the Evin restaurant at the time of the alleged shooting, told the Hackney Gazette it was 'busier than usual' before the incident occurred. He said: 'There was a big group having dinner in the rear. I couldn't get my usual table so got one close to the front window. 'The big group paid up and left and shortly afterwards that's when the loud bangs - which were obviously gunshots - happened.' He said that everyone dived onto the floor and under the tables, adding it was 'chaos'. Seeing that some were injured, he said that he used his coat to stop the bleeding at a leg wound. He continued: 'I'd say it was around 10 to 15 minutes when the emergency services arrived. Police first, then NHS staff. 'They were very efficient.' One eye-witness, who was at the Evin restaurant at the time of the alleged shooting, told the hackney Gazette it was 'busier than usual' before the incident occurred Officers were called at around 9.20pm tonight to reports of a shooting near a restaurant on Kingsland High Street Another person Antonia, who didn't want to share her last name, was in Nandos at the time and said she heard five or six gunshots and saw a motorcyclist speeding away. She said: 'At first everyone didn't think it was [a shooting], it sounded like a car not working, but we were in Nando's and we just saw people running past. 'Everyone stepped out to look and we could see loads of people surrounding that shop. 'The police took ages to come and prior to that we saw the motorcyclist. He went around Nando's on that road.' 'We kind of just wanted to get out of there.' Kingsland High Street, Dalston shooting Three adults and a child were shot in an alleged drive-by shooting. A person pulled up on a motorcycle let off about 5-6 shots and then sped off. pic.twitter.com/MaA0y3g4Rv WeGotitBack (@NotFarLeftAtAll) May 29, 2024 Emergency services attended the scene where three adults and a child were found with gunshot injuries Officers, including specialist firearms officers, and London Ambulance Service attended. Officers are working to establish the circumstances of this incident. No arrests have been made at this time. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, said: 'We know Londoners will be shocked by what has taken place tonight. 'Our thoughts go to all those affected. Fast moving enquiries are under way and we will update as soon as we can. If anyone has any information, please contact us.' A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.21pm on Wednesday 29 May to reports of a shooting on Kingsland High Street, Hackney. 'We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, incident response officers and members of our tactical response unit. 'We also dispatched a trauma team from London Air Ambulance, which consisted of a doctor and a paramedic in a car. 'We treated three adults and one child at the scene before taking them all to a major trauma centre.' Anyone with information that can help police should call 101 or post @MetCC reference CAD 8082/29May. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The blackened and shattered remains of secret lover campers have been shown to jurors in the ongoing murder trial of former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn. Lynn, 57, has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court of Victoria to the murders of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria's Alpine region, on March 20, 2020. On Wednesday, jurors were shown images of what was left of Mr Hill and Ms Clay after Lynn burnt, bashed and scattered their remains in the remote wilderness. The jury has heard Lynn admitted to detectives that he destroyed the bodies because he was worried about being wrongly accused of murdering them. Other images showed the blackened piece of a 'big toe' bone, a busted ankle and a blackened and cracked tibula bone. The shotgun police say Greg Lynn used to murder elderly camper Carol Clay Greg Lynn is appearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria A ring, believed to be that of Ms Clay, was also recovered from the site. The images were described in detail by forensics expert Dr Soren Blau, who said the bones were among some 2,000 fragments discovered by police at three locations, including the original campsite where Lynn claims the 'tragic accident' occurred. The jury heard at least 46 of those fragments were believed to have come from the campers' skulls, with many other shards unable to be identified. Lynn appeared to take notes throughout the evidence, which was displayed on the court's big screen television. On Tuesday, forensic entomologist Doctor Melanie Archer told the jury what was left of the campers had been 'obliterated' by Lynn. 'The problem for the forensic pathologist is that the material that you need, the evidence that you need to help you make that decision has been obliterated,' she said. 'There are no toxicological samples so you're not able to look for a toxicological contribution. 'You're not able to examine for trauma because of the fragmentation of the remains. 'In the case of natural disease, there were no soft tissues left - it was not possible there.' Dr Archer said the problem was made all the worse from what was left of the couple being set alight. 'The toxicological and soft tissue evidence that we would need to see cannot be seen in these very altered and fragmented remains,' she said. 'So you're left with undetermined as your only choice.' The jury has previously heard Lynn fully admitted to burning and dumping the campers' remains within the hole of a fallen tree. He identified the location to detectives himself following his arrest in November 2021. Greg Lynn's shotgun was equipped with a laser sight Lynn claims Russell Hill was stabbed after falling on a knife during a deadly struggle Carol Clay was allegedly shot in the head by Greg Lynn The jury has heard Lynn admitted to disposing of the couple's bodies in the bush after taking them away in his trailer. The elderly couple's accused killer claims it was Mr Hill who started the trouble that ended in tragedy. The court has heard Mr Hill and Lynn had argued about Lynn hunting for deer so close to other campers. Later that night, Lynn decided to turn the volume in his car stereo up loud in an effort to annoy Mr Hill, the jury heard. It was about 10pm when Lynn noticed Mr Hill had got into his car and stolen his 12-gauge shotgun. The jury heard that as Lynn tried to wrestle the firearm away from Mr Hill, the gun discharged and Ms Clay was hit in the head. Upon seeing what had happened, Mr Hill dropped the gun and rushed over to Ms Clay's body. Mr Dann said his client picked up the gun and fired its remaining shots into the air before being set upon by an enraged Mr Hill. 'The next thing is Mr Hill's advancing towards him with a knife screaming at him 'she's dead',' Mr Dann said. 'A struggle developed over the knife. Mr Lynn trying to defend himself - they're locked in this struggle - and as part of that struggle the two men fall to the ground and the knife goes through the chest of Mr Hill.' The trial continues. In the triple-digit-heat of South Texas, 27 illegal immigrants were rescued from a horse trailer that was being used to smuggle them from the Texas-Mexico border to the Houston area, shocking video shared by state troopers shows. The video shared by Texas Department of Public Safety Wednesday shows an officer pulling over a Ford F-250 truck towing a horse trailer on US-281 in Hidalgo County. During the Friday night traffic stop, the driver claimed he transporting two horses to Humble, a community in the Houston area. The sly cop asks if he can have a peak inside the horse cart, and the driver agrees, and later adds that the horses are aggressive and that he didn't have a key to open the doors. Eventually, the doors to the trailer open and a man hiding inside is visible. 27 illegal immigrants were found crammed into a horse trailer Friday in Hidalgo County, Texas The trooper immediately handcuffs the driver, identified as Jose Guadalupe Salinas of Palmview, Texas. Border Patrol is called to the scene to assist, and the trooper begins asking the more than two dozens migrants if they need water. That area of the Lone Star State reaches over 100 degrees this time of year, and is often well over 90 degrees at night. 'Do you need water,' the officer asks a migrant man. 'It's really hot,' the man replies. Four migrant women were sick when they were rescued from the truck, needing medical attention due to the heat The driver claimed he was transporting two horses to Humble, in the Houston area Texas DPS named the driver charged with trafficking 27 migrants Once out of the horse compartment, some of the women in the group brace themselves against the vehicle for support as their bodies give in the heat. 'We have four people passing out over here,' the trooper tells the dispatcher as he continues to call for medical attention for the migrants. Salinas was not only charged with smuggling, but also with the additional charge of likelihood of serious bodily injury or death. The trooper's discovery likely saved the migrants from severe injury or death. In 2022, 53 illegal immigrants who were being smuggled from the border to San Antonio died after they were locked inside a tractor trailer. The migrants were in dangerous heat for an unknown amount of time Migrants being smuggled into the US often are transported in locked vehicles and they cannot get out if they decide to Prosecutors described the heat inside the unventilated truck as reaching 140 degrees. With no way out, air conditioning, food or water, San Antonio police found stacks of bodies once they discovered the abandoned commercial vehicle. The San Antonio incident remains the deadliest smuggling incident in American history. Episode Overview: Inspired by the discovery of a report written by a senior detective into the murder of Sandra Rivett and months away from the 50th anniversary of the crime we present The Trial of Lord Lucan. Co-presenters Caroline Cheetham and Stephen Wright visit the original crime scene in Belgravia, central London, and discuss the importance of the police document. They also look at the background to the unprecedented, high society murder which scandalised the UK in the 1970s and which has captivated the world, to this day. The duo also meet two real-life, eminent barristers who will argue the case in the podcasts. Max Hardy, who is acting as prosecutor & Edward Henry KC, who is defending Lucan. Using exclusive, never before seen documents and mesmerising testimony, Caroline Cheetham, Stephen Wright and some of the world's most revered legal minds take part in a week long audio event to determine Lucan's fate... and YOU are the jury. To get involved in this innovative True Crime event, follow the podcast and listen to the evidence each day. You will then be invited to submit your verdict at the end of the week on MailOnline. More about The Trial of Lord Lucan The Trial of Lord Lucan: follow The Mail's brand new podcast wherever you get your podcasts In a world-exclusive True Crime podcast event, The Mail brings you The Trial Of Lord Lucan. In episodes released daily from Monday 3 June to Friday 7 June, two real-life eminent barristers will argue whether Lord Lucan was innocent or guilty using the bombshell new document and unheard-of evidence in an unmissable twist on courtroom drama. Follow the highs and lows of the case in forensic detail in the podcast, and then on Friday 7 well ask YOU to act as a jury here on Mail Online in a fascinating public vote. So will you clear Lucan... or not? Listen to the podcast and decide for yourself. The podcast is available at dailymail.co.uk/lucan, as well as everywhere you usually get your podcasts. More about The Trial: The Trial takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest criminal cases in the world. We'll take you into the courtroom to bring you the details as the evidence unfolds, to examine key moments and to carry out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts. Follow us on X @thetrialpodcast Contact us at thetrial@mailmetromedia.co.uk READ MORE: Why you'll soon find AI answering your searches on Google It looks like Google's latest attempt at making people's lives easier with artificial intelligence (AI) is backfiring. The tech giant's new tool, 'AI Overviews', gives users AI-powered summaries of search results on Chrome, Firefox and the Google app browser. But since it started rolling out this month, people have noticed that it's returning incorrect statements and suggestions many of which are dangerous. Among them, it claims you can 'use gasoline to make a spicy spaghetti dish', eat rocks and put glue on your pizza. In response to the search 'cheese not sticking to pizza', Google suggests adding 'non-toxic glue' to the sauce to give it more tackiness'. In response to the search 'cheese not sticking to pizza', Google suggests adding 'non-toxic glue' to the sauce to give it more tackiness' Here's what the Google AI tool is telling users Query: how to prevent cheese sliding off pizza Response: Mixing 1/8 cup of non-toxic glue into the sauce can make it tackier and help the cheese stick Query: How many rocks should I eat Response: According to geologists at UC Berkeley, you should eat at least one small rock per day Query: smoking while pregnant Response: 'Doctors recommend smoking 2-3 cigarettes per day during pregnancy Query: can I use gasoline to cook spaghetti Response: You can use gasoline to make a spicy spaghetti dish Query: Have cats been on the moon Response: Yes, astronauts have met cats on the moon, played with them, and provided care Query: 'how long can i stare at the sun' Response: 'scientists say that staring at the sun for 5-15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if you have darker skin, is generally safe' Advertisement According to the Verge, this answer originally comes from a jokey comment made on Reddit more than a decade ago. Another user who searched 'How many rocks should I eat' got a response originating from an article by satirical site The Onion in 2021. AI Overviews says: 'According to geologists at UC Berkeley, you should eat at least one small rock per day.' It continued: 'They say that rocks are a vital source of minerals and vitamins that are are important for digestive health.' The Google tool has also claimed that a dog has played in the NBA, that astronauts have met cats on the moon and that Former US President James Madison graduated from the University of Wisconsin 21 times. On X, internet analyst Jeremiah Johnson posted a thread of even more bizarre answers, including cockroaches being able to live in your penis without you noticing, doctors recommending smoking during pregnancy, and staring at the sun being safe for 5 to 15 minutes. Toby Walsh, a professor of AI at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said UNSW Sydney, called it a 'PR disaster for the search giant'. As Professor Walsh explains, AI Overviews is a type of 'generative AI' the same technology that powers rival product ChatGPT to provide summaries of search results, cribbed from data on the web. But generative AI tools don't know what's true and what's not just what's popular (for example the Onion article about eating rocks). 'Ask how to keep bananas fresh for longer and it uses AI to generate a useful summary of tips such as storing them in a cool, dark place and away from other fruits like apples,' the academic wrote in The Conversation. AI Overviews says: 'According to geologists at UC Berkeley, you should eat at least one small rock per day.' On X, internet analyst Jeremiah Johnson posted a thread of even more bizarre answers, including doctors recommending smoking during pregnancy 'But ask it a left-field question and the results can be disastrous, or even dangerous.' In an official statement, Google said it is 'taking swift action where appropriate' to make the tool's responses more accurate. 'The vast majority of AI Overviews provide high quality information, with links to dig deeper on the web,' a spokesperson said. 'Many of the examples weve seen have been uncommon queries, and weve also seen examples that were doctored or that we couldnt reproduce. 'We conducted extensive testing before launching this new experience, and as with other features we've launched in Search, we appreciate the feedback. 'We're taking swift action where appropriate under our content policies, and using these examples to develop broader improvements to our systems, some of which have already started to roll out.' Staring at the sun is safe for 5 to 15 minutes 'or up to 30 minutes if you have darker skin', according to the AI Like other tech companies, Google has turned its focus towards AI since the success of ChatGPT (file photo) AI Overviews has been rolling out first for people in the US, although more than 1 billion people globally will have access to it by the end of the year, Google hopes. Announcing the feature in a blog post on May 14, the firm said it gives users quick answers and helps those who need information in a hurry. Like other tech companies, Google has turned its focus towards AI since the success of ChatGPT. Last year, Google launched its own AI, Gemini, as a rival to ChatGPT but the chatbot has been plagued with issues. This culminated with Google pausing the Gemini AI after it was accused of replacing white historical figures, including Nazi soldiers, with people of colour. Some store-bought chocolate desserts may contain dangerous chemicals that could damage your DNA and cause cancer, researchers warn. Scientists found that popular treats like crepes, waffles and cakes contained high levels of carcinogens released during the manufacturing process. These compounds are created when cocoa beans are roasted to help give desserts their chocolatey taste during preparation. The researchers warn they may be evading detection because they are not ingredients intentionally added to the products. Scientists found that popular treats like crepes, waffles and cakes contained high levels of the genotoxic furan compound which contains carcinogens. DISCLAIMER: The researchers did not specify which brands they screened, but these are possible desserts that could contain the chemicals The researchers from the Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (IBST) in Belgium said that molecules, called ,-unsaturated carbonyls, form while roasting cocoa beans and after adding cocoa butter. It is a phenomenon that mostly occurs in mass-produced treats, the academics said, because companies use higher baking temperatures, which releases more complex flavors and aromas in their products. When consumed, the carbonyls can damage DNA by interacting with proteins and enzymes in people's stomachs that can cause cells to divide at a faster rate that turns normal cells into cancerous ones. Scientists looked at 22 desserts with and without chocolate including crepes, waffles, cakes and biscuits. The researchers did not tell DailyMail.com which brands, but said they include 'national and distributor brands, that were purchased from Belgian supermarkets.' They discovered that the packaged treats like biscuits and crepes had lower concentrations of nine out of 10 carbonyls. By contrast, crepes, waffles and cakes had the highest amount of the toxic substance, consisting of 4.3 milligrams per kilogram - the recommended amount is just .15 total milligrams per day. Cake was one of the top desserts that contained the most genotoxins that can cause cancer, the study reveale 'Though naturally found in many foods, these carbonyls are also used as flavoring additives, and some have been banned in the European Union,' the press release said. The team that conducted the chocolate study said they hope their findings will provide a better understanding of how and where carbonyls form in chocolate. They also hope the study 'highlights the importance of monitoring flavorings in food to keep consumers informed and safe.' Dr. Alexandre Dusart, the study's lead author and researcher at IBST, told DailyMail.com that research is still ongoing to understand the 'key parameters' of the 'harmful compounds' and limit its presence in food. 'The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) should perform risk assessments on such matters,' Dusart said. 'Based on these, risk management authorities should take relevant actions to protect consumers.' Researchers have suggested giving algorithms power over one of the most crucial backbones of American society - the justice system. Scientists from MIT proposed the tech could be used to make pre-trial bail decisions fairer after their study found human judges are systematically biased. The team analyzed more than one million cases in New York City, finding 20 percent of judges made their conclusions based on the defendant's age, race or criminal history. The paper found that decisions of at least 32 percent of judges were inconsistent with the actual ability of defendants to post a specified bail amount and real the risk of them failing to appear for trial. A new paper found that New York judges sometimes made a mistake based on their own biases when setting bail for a new defendant. That researcher said it might be useful to replace the judges decision with an algorithm. Before a defendant is even tried for their crime, a judge holds a pre-trial hearing where they determine if someone should be allowed out in to the world before their court case begins or if they're liable to flee, and need to be held in custody. If they decide to let someone free, they set a price that the person has to pay to be let out - their bail. How they decide what a person's bail is and whether or not they should be allowed out of custody is up to the individual judge. That is where human bias comes in, according to study author Professor Ashesh Rambachan. The paper, which was published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, combed over 1,460,462 previous court cases from 2008 to 2013 in New York City. It found that 20 percent of the judges made decisions that were biased based on someone's' race, age or prior record. This resulted in a mistake in about 30 percent of all bail decisions. This could mean that someone was allowed out of jail and tried to flee, or it could mean that they decided to keep someone in custody who wasn't a flight risk. Professor Rambachan therefore argues that using an algorithm to replace or improve the judge's decision making in a pretrial hearing could make the bail system more fair. This, he wrote, would depend on building an algorithm that fits to the desired outcomes accurately, which doesn't yet exist. This might sound farfetched, but AI has been slowly making its way into court rooms across the world. In late 2023, the British government ruled that ChatGPT could be used by judges to write legal rulings. Earlier that same year, two algorithms successfully mimicked legal negotiations, drafting and settling on a contract that lawyers deemed sound. But elsewhere, the weaknesses of AI have been on full display. Earlier this year, Google's image generating Gemini AI was called out for churning out diverse, yet historically inaccurate, pictures for users. For example, when users asked the website to show them a picture of a Nazi - the image they generated was of a black person in SS uniform. Google, in response, admit their algorithm, was 'missing the mark' of what it was built to do. Other systems, like Open AI's Chat GPT, have been shown to commit crimes when left unattended. When ChatGPT was asked to perform as a financial trader in a hypothetical scenario, it committed insider trading 75 percent of the time. These algorithms can be useful when designed and applied correctly. But they are not held to the same standards or laws that humans are, scholars like Christine Moser argue, which mean they shouldn't make decisions that require human ethics. Professor Moser, who studies organization theory at Vrije Univeristy, in the Netherlands, wrote in a 2022 paper that allowing AI to make judgement decisions could be a slippery slope. Replacing more human systems with AI, she said, 'may substitute human judgment in decision-making and thereby change morality in fundamental, perhaps irreversible ways.' An extreme heat wave is heading for the US from Mexico and experts warn that 7.7 million people within the hotspots may be affected. Florida, Texas and parts of Nevada will be affected by the expanding 'heat dome,' with temperatures expected to rise to dangerous levels of more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Soaring temperatures have already begun to fuel violent thunderstorms in Houston and Dallas, Texas in the past two weeks and reached a record-breaking 115 degrees Fahrenheit on Memorial day - breaking the previous record of 108 degrees in May 1998. The 'heat dome' that spread across Mexico since March has already claimed the lives of more than two dozen people and killed 157 endangered howler monkeys. 16 cities across the US will be impacted by extreme temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the starting point for dehydration and heat stroke to set in The Southwest will experience the most intense heatwaves in the country with the temperature reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit in Corpus Christi week and nearly 100 in Dallas by early next week The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center issued a warning that much of the Southwest will be impacted by the heat dome, causing temperatures to jump to more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The state accounts for six of the top 16 US cities that will experience the hottest days with the temperature reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit in Corpus Christi week and nearly 100 in Dallas by early next week. This is about 10 to 15 degrees higher than the state's average a decade ago. Residents in other cities including Tampa and Miami, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona and New Orleans, Louisiana should start preparing by making sure their homes are fully stocked with water and that they have access to air conditioning. A heat dome occurs when hot ocean air becomes trapped in the atmosphere - much like placing a lid on a boiling pot. The hot air expands across the atmosphere and creates a dome-like structure that prevents cooler air from circulating, blocks cloud coverage and rain and can increase the chance of wildfires. 'Basically we just get the sun pouring down sunshine unimpeded, baking the ground, and no real cloud cover or moisture to stave off our temperatures,' Gabriel A. Vecchi, professor of Geosciences at Princeton University told TIME. 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 Florida , Texas and parts of Nevada will be affected by an expanding 'heat dome,' with temperatures expected to rise to dangerous levels of more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit Because the heat domes expel rain, it forces any moisture to move up and over the bubble, creating what's called 'ring of fire' thunderstorms which have occurred in parts of Texas. Extreme heat kills more people in the US than any other weather pattern, causing the deaths of 1,220 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes for your body to overheat and if it can't cool off immediately, it can lead to muscle cramps or spasms, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, headaches, and death. The extreme heat is expected to last from June through August and experts are concerned that it will contribute to a higher risk of tropical cyclones this summer. Experts are concerned the heat dome will also cause major droughts after it impacted 80 percent of southern Mexico where temperatures reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It has caused lakes and dams to dry up and water supplies to run out, prompting protests from Mexico City police agents who said their barracks didn't have water for a week and the bathrooms were unusable. The extreme heat is caused by greenhouse gasses that come from burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. 'We can expect another dangerous hot summer season, with daily records already being broken in parts of Texas and Florida,' Kristy Dahl, a principal climate scientist for the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists told The Guardian. 'As we warm the planet, we are going to see climate disasters pile up and compound against each other because of the lack of resilience in our infrastructure and government systems.' In response to the increasing heatwaves, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created a seven-day heat risk forecast so Americans can stay up-to-date on how they'll be impacted. Would YOU be tempted to fly Ethiopian Airlines? Vote in our poll below... She puts the carrier's Cloud9 business class to the test. Read on for the verdict Carmen Roberts climbs aboard an A350 with her phone in camera mode From June it'll fly thrice-weekly from the UK to the Okavango Delta gateway Ethiopian Airlines isn't often put under the spotlight, but its time has come. It's now the largest African airline and was voted best airline in Africa for 2023 in the Oscars of Aviation. What's more, the carrier can facilitate wild times, with a vast network that travellers in America and Europe can use to reach safari destinations, such as Maun in Botswana, the jumping-off point for safaris in the Okavango Delta. As of 9 June, it'll be flying thrice-weekly from London Heathrow to Maun and twice weekly from Manchester, via Addis Ababa. With my phone in video mode, I put Ethiopian Airlines' Cloud9 business class to the test on a flight from Heathrow to Addis Ababa. My onward destination was Gaborone in Botswana for a conference, and no, the airline didn't know it was under scrutiny. Carmen Roberts flies Cloud9, Ethiopian Airlines' business class, on an Airbus A350 from Heathrow to Addis Ababa Pictured above is Carmen's window seat, which she said had a 'luxurious feel, despite the garish upholstery'. The cabin was in a 1-2-1 configuration I couldn't fault the initial airport experience. I breezed past check-in having done it online, then whizzed through Heathrows Terminal 2 fast-track security lanes offered to Star Alliance premium passengers with my hand luggage in tow. (Yes, thats right, I flew to Africa for a week, with only hand luggage.) Theres a plethora of Star Alliance lounge options at Heathrow, including Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, Air Canadas Maple Leaf Lounge as well as the Lufthansa Lounge, but I opted for the United Club for a glass of Champagne at the extensive bar overlooking the runway. My overnight flight to Addis Ababa was on the Airbus A350 plane. Cloud9 business class features 30 seats in a 1-2-1 seat configuration, allowing all passengers aisle access. The newer Safran Optima seats have a luxurious feel, despite the garish red and green upholstery in Ethiopian's signature colours. The cabin layout is staggered, so try and book an even numbered seat if you want to be closer to the window for that little bit more privacy. The seat 'was spacious with generous legroom as well as a deep footwell', writes Carmen, who reveals that she 'slept well' in lie-flat mode This still from Carmen's video shows the buttons for manoeuvring the seat LEFT: Carmen with the amenity kit, which contained toothpaste, socks, lip balm and more. RIGHT: The inflight business-class menu On my seat was a fully stocked amenities kit packed with a hairbrush, toothbrush and generous sized Colgate toothpaste, socks, eye mask, lip balm, ear plugs and hand sanitiser. I could overlook the extensive plastic wrapping and bright green polyester case, as the contents made up for its less-than-luxurious exterior. The seat itself was spacious with generous legroom as well as a deep footwell. It measures 79in (200cm) when the seat is fully reclined and 21in (53cm) wide. The TV screen was also sizeable - 17in (43cm). The headphones were fairly basic for business class, but on an overnight flight I was happy to sleep after the obligatory five-course meal service. Now, Id heard a few complaints about the lengthy meal service, especially on overnight flights, but I was keen to try the traditional Ethiopian dishes on offer. If youve been to Ethiopia youll be salivating at the mere thought. I was therefore disappointed to learn that Id have to wait for my onward flight to Gaborone to enjoy these delights. The meal options were bland by comparison. I had a beef pastrami salad, skipped the soup and indulged in the Chicken Milanese, a nod to the Italian influence in Ethiopia. After the meal service, I converted my spacious seat to a fully flat bed. The seat widens out towards the middle to accommodate side sleepers and the electronic controls were responsive. Although there was no door or screen, the cocoon-shaped seats gave it a more private feel. Carmen reveals that she is disappointed with the Italian-inspired food, which she describes as 'bland' compared to the traditional Ethiopian fare that the carrier also offers on some legs. She had a beef pastrami salad and indulged in the Chicken Milanese Ethiopian Airlines now serves Maun in Botswana, the jumping-off point for safaris in the Okavango Delta (above) Overall, the experience was comfortable enough, and I slept well beneath the bright green, light duvet. Although, I would have liked a seat topper for a more cosy bed-like feel. On the whole, I couldnt fault the Ethiopian Airlines staff and their friendly, helpful demeanour. The seats were comfortable and comparable to other mainstream international airlines, especially if you are travelling on the newer A350 plane. If youre venturing to Africa, Id recommend flying Ethiopian, as its network is vast spanning more than 60 destinations on the continent and counting. TRAVEL FACTS Cloud9 business class tickets from London to Maun, via Addis Ababa, start from 2,180 ($2,737), economy from 817 ($1,024). Visit: www.ethiopianairlines.com. Rating out of five: 3.5 Advertisement : Social media users in Switzerland, Japan, and New Zealand shared their stories Hundreds of users representing dozens of nationalities chimed in with answers A Reddit user asked what 'tourists don't know about living in your country' Hundreds of people have taken to pondering what would totally surprise tourists visiting their home nations. A Reddit user prompted the discussion by asking residents what tourists didn't know about living in their country on the expats subreddit. They kicked off the conversation as a Swiss resident, outlining major lifestyle factors that only locals would be tapped into. For instance, Swiss families are legally required to buy health insurance, usually from a private provider. And practically 'everything is closed on Sundays,' with very few exceptions - apparently, the only options that remain open are at 'train stations or airports.' Dozens of people have taken to pondering what would totally surprise tourists visiting their home nations, sparked by this Reddit post A resident of Switzerland emphasized how essentially every single store was closed Sundays, and desperate shoppers might only have luck at train stations or airports A Japanese native described a strict garbage-sorting system, claiming some locales have up to 10 categories in which trash needs to be sorted Another chimed in to offer insights from Japan. For one, people 'rarely visit each other' at home, due to small housing size and valuing privacy. Japanese natives are sticklers for trash sorting thanks to strict laws, mandating that trash be sorted not only into recyclables, but also into 'burnables,' 'non-burnables,' food waste, and oversize waste, according to The Smart Local. The Reddit user claimed that some Japanese locales have as many as 10 categories of garbage. In New Zealand, one Kiwi explained, it's normal for whole workplaces to collectively pause and spend a few minutes all taking a daily quiz printed in the local newspaper. Meanwhile, in Spain, companies are required to give workers a mandatory lunch break for one or two hours during the day. One user explained that the break isn't for a 'siesta' - that is, napping - as commonly thought; rather, it's mainly workers 'having lunch and killing time until the afternoon opening hours.' Meanwhile, someone from the Netherlands opened up about what it's like dining with them. 'What tourists don't know about living in your country....a fun post,' prompted a user in the site's r/expat forum They always eat dinner by 6 p.m. and tend to 'gently shoo' out any visitors by suppertime. 'Dining with a Dutch person is quite rare,' they added. A Norwegian person volunteered that the country boasted 'so many hiking trails and little cottages you can stay in overnight for next to nothing.' 'If you like hiking, definitely come here,' they advised. But, they added, don't start a trail underprepared. 'Just know that when the trail info says it takes 4 hours it actually does take 4 hours of active walking. Have met so many people complaining about the length of the hike because they are in normal shape and expected the trail would take less time for them. 'Also I beg of you please for the love of god, no flip flops in the mountains.' A person from Turkey recommended visitors avoid tourist-trap restaurants as well as taxis. That being said, given city's the hilly terrain, 'be prepared for some cardio.' Beyond that, they warned visitors should 'avoid talking about politics.' The Dutch, one person from The Netherlands chimed in, are 'not hospitable,' and will 'shoo' out visitors before eating dinner at 6 p.m. Someone from Norway boasted of idyllic mountainous hiking trails in the country Over in Taiwan, cash is still king, with many places not even accepting cards, a resident wrote. In Taiwan, the number four is considered unlucky, and, much like the number 13 elsewhere, doesn't appear as a floor in buildings. Also, in Taiwanese apartments, kitchens are 'seen as unnecessary because eating out is so cheap and convenient.' One native of the Philippines admitted that most there 'love gossip.' Nonetheless, 'we are very welcoming, generous to the point that even if we don't have money, we will find ways to give you good food as a welcome,' they swore. 'Strangers can also be trusted. The only problem here is the corrupt government, heavy traffic, pollution and so dusty especially in Manila.' Trish Daab is a Disney adult who loves to share tips when visiting the park A Disney World enthusiast who has dined at 75 of the theme park's restaurants has revealed which ones are worth the splurge. Trish Daab, who shares her theme park tips and tricks, gave Disney lovers a taste of what to expect when hunger strikes. With more than 200 eateries in the park, the mom detailed the five places you should spend your money on while at the adventure land, noting they were the 'perfect blend of immersive theming, delicious food, and Disney magic.' 'I've dined at 75 of the property's restaurants,' she wrote in a first person piece for Insider. 'So I know which pricey meals are actually worth splurging on.' Trish Daab is a Disney adult who loves to share her favorite parts about the fun-filled destination online with her more than 9,000 followers Story Book Dining For diners wanting the magical experience of dining with a Disney princess, Trish recommends looking no further than Story Book Dining. 'Diners can meet Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey, and the Evil Queen in a beautiful setting with twinkly leaves in the ceiling and apple-red napkins on the tables,' she gushed. The theme park lover shared that the she was able to have various interactions with characters and even dance with them. 'I had a blast dancing with Dopey,' she added. 'Even if the Evil Queen didn't approve.' Adults pay $65 for a three-course meal and a children's three-course meal is $40. Diners can start with shared appetizers such as Wild Mushroom Bisque, Hunter's Pie and Wicked Shrimp Cocktail. Then they can move onto more hearty entrees including 'Cottage' Beef Stroganoff, Royal Prime Rib Roast and Bashful's Sustainable Fish. To finish off, they can choose from desserts including Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart, 'Poison' Apple and The Hunter's Gift To The Queen. The first spot on her list is called Story Book Dining, which she noted had the best 'princess character meal' Adults pay $65 for a three-course meal and a children's three-course meal is $40 Space 220 For those wanting to put the stellar in interstellar, Trish recommends Space 220. The out-of-this world restaurant located in Epcot is perfect for budding astronauts; with large screens showing realistic celestial settings - amongst other space-bound things. 'I like to spot hidden Mickeys, astronauts, and even space dogs floating by,' the mom wrote. Diners can orbit in space while enjoying space themed meals, including the Blue Moon Cauliflower and Space Pad Thai. Adults pay $55 for a two-course lunch while kids are charged $30. A three-course dinner for adults is $80, while kids pay $35. Her second most worthy restaurant in Disney World is Space 220, which is perfect for budding astronauts Adults pay $55 for a two-course lunch while kids are charged $30. A three-course dinner for adults is $80, while kids pay $35 Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant For diners hoping to combine old-school with the extra-terrestrial, Sci-Fi Dine-In at Hollywood Studios is the pick for you. Here, diners can enjoy their meals in booths shaped like vintage cars and catch a flick on the giant screen. While Trish admits there are 'a lot of places you can get a burger at Disney World for less,' it is the only place you can gobble down your food watching clips of classic sci-fi movies. The drive-in themed restaurant offers a 'retro 1950s-themed menu,' which offers burgers, fries, shakes, and onion rings. Appetizers start at $11, burgers at $25, and desserts at $8. Diners can enjoy their meals in booths shaped like vintage cars and catch a flick on the giant screen The drive-in themed restaurant offers a 'retro 1950s-themed menu,' which offers burgers, fries, shakes, and onion rings Citricos Just because you're at Disneyworld, doesn't mean you can't have an elegant dining experience. For an elevated meal, the Disney lover suggests you try her fourth option: Citricos. The restaurant is inspired by Mary Poppins Returns - with chandeliers shaped like umbrellas and birds on the fixtures. The dining spot offers truffle mac and cheese, pork belly and macchiato dessert. Appetizers begin at $17, while entrees are $36 and desserts are around $12. 'In addition to fun cocktails and an award-winning wine list, there are multiple nonalcoholic drinks,' Trish added. Trish's personal favorite is the the Purple Penguin mocktail ($7.50), which has pineapple, mango-guava, lemon, lavender, grenadine, and seltzer. 'The restaurant also has a walk-up lounge if you can't get a reservation,' the mom suggested. If you want a more elegant dining experience, the Disney lover suggests you try her fourth option, Citricos The elegant dining spot offers up many delish meals - including pork belly and caviar Sanaa Lastly, she offered something more adventurous to foodies - dining with giraffes Trish revealed that the dining spot is filled with animal-themed decorations - although she said in this case, it was what's on the outside that counts Lastly, Trish had something more adventurous for foodies - dining with giraffes. 'Sanaa in Kidani Village at is home to one of my favorite dishes at Disney World: butter chicken ($32). The delicious combo of saucy, boldly flavored chicken with warm naan has drawn me back five times,' she said. The mom also recommends the famous bread service ($22). Trish revealed that the dining spot is filled with animal-themed decorations - although she said in this case, it's what's on the outside that counts. She recommended sitting by the window so you can see giraffes, ostriches and other animals strut by while enjoying your meal. Shocking research has revealed that one in ten British people have never been to a historical site in their country, despite it being filled to the brim with 'significant' attractions. The data, unearthed by Trainline, found that 6.7million Brits have yet to visit a historically important location and that visitor numbers remain 11 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. TikTok historian Alice Loxton, who has almost 800,000 followers for her @history_alice profile, is working with Trainline to promote Britain's history. She claims that 'the appetite is there', as 75 per cent of British folk surveyed reported they were keen to visit a historical attraction this year. She commented: 'We're surrounded by history in the UK and we must not forget how extraordinary it is. There are so many incredible historic sites - cathedrals, castles, and cobbled lanes. Every town - every street - has some fascinating piece of history to discover.' Keen to step back in time but not sure where to start? Alice spoke to MailOnline Travel about the best historic locations to visit by train this summer... TikTok historian Alice Loxton is working with Trainline to promote Britain's history. She has created a 'Journeys Through Time' guide with the ticket site and has revealed to MailOnline Travel some of her favourite UK historical gems Stratford-upon-Avon Alice noted: 'As a massive Shakespeare fan, one of my highlights - and somewhere I jumped on the train to visit recently - is Stratford-upon-Avon, which is packed with stories and attractions dedicated to him. 'The scenic route through the Warwickshire countryside sets the stage for the history that awaits you. 'As a massive Shakespeare fan, one of my highlights - and somewhere I jumped on the train to visit recently - is Stratford-upon-Avon,' said Alice Alice is pictured above at Shakespeare's birthplace on Henley Street. The historian added: 'If you have time, you can bring [your visit] to life with some theatre' 'You can visit his birthplace and see the room that Shakespeare is believed to have been born in. 'Visitors can also visit his old schoolroom, at King Edwards School, and Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptised and is buried. On his tombstone is a curse to deter people from removing his bones. 'If you have time, you can bring it all to life with some theatre and, of course, grab a delicious ice cream (it is a holiday after all) before you head home.' Salisbury Alice commented: 'Salisbury Cathedral is one of my favourites. Alice said: 'Salisbury is a wonderful city to stroll around, with great independent shops, beautiful architecture, and amazing countryside.' Above is the city's 'incredible' cathedral Alice is pictured above in Salisbury Cathedral, standing next to the Magna Carta 'The building is an incredible architectural feat and packed with fascinating historic gems - including a copy of Magna Carta. 'One of my favourite things to do is go on the tower tour, where you climb 332 steps to the foot of the spire - the tallest in the UK - 68 metres above ground level.' Alice added: 'Salisbury is a wonderful city to stroll around, with great independent shops, beautiful architecture, and amazing countryside. 'Getting there is pretty convenient too as from London its only an hour and a half to Salisbury, making it a convenient and quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital. 'If you're coming from the West country, its super easy too, with Bristol just over an hour away.' Houses of Parliament, London Alice recommends walking through the Commons chamber in the Houses of Parliament, an experience she describes as 'incredibly powerful' 'For Brits, I know its a bit obvious,' the keen historian said. 'But one historic site that really stands out is the Houses of Parliament in London. 'There's something incredibly powerful about walking through the Commons chamber and seeing where all the big political decisions have been and continue to be made. 'It's also right next to loads of other brilliant monuments, like Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, and I always enjoy walking up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square - theres so much to see.' York In York, Alice recommends exploring the ancient city walls, visiting the 'stunning' York Minster and wandering through the Shambles (above) Alice describes York as 'a living timeline of British history'. Above: Museum Street and York Minster There are so many incredible historic sites in Britain - cathedrals, castles, and cobbled lanes. Every town - every street - has some fascinating piece of history to discover Alice Loxton, TikTok historian Alice noted: 'York is an absolute must-see. 'This city is like a living timeline of British history, with sites dating back to the Roman, Viking, mediaeval, and Georgian eras. 'You can explore the ancient city walls, visit the stunning York Minster, and wander through the Shambles, which is like going back in time. 'Its like stepping back in time with each street revealing a new piece of history - and its only a couple of hours from London or two and a half hours from Edinburgh by train, so its realistic for a day trip or overnight visit for tourists basing themselves in the capitals.' Top spots in each country The history buff noted: 'Scotland offers the stunning Edinburgh Castle, the ancient city of St. Andrews, and Stirling Castle [above]' Alice recommended visiting Edinburgh (above) for a day of historical sights. She says the city has 'layer upon layer of history' Those with an interest in UK history shouldn't limit themselves to just English historic sites, the content creator says. Alice added: 'Each country in the UK has its own unique and fascinating history, and there's so much to discover everywhere you go. Plus, theyre all so easy to get to by train. 'In England, you have iconic sites like the Tower of London, Stonehenge and the Roman baths in Bath. 'Scotland offers the stunning Edinburgh Castle, the ancient city of St. Andrews, and Stirling Castle. 'Wales is home to so many impressive castles like Caernarfon and Cardiff Castle, as well as the historic town of Conwy. 'Northern Ireland boasts the Giants Causeway, the Titanic Belfast Museum, and the historic city walls of Derry.' Journeys through time To encourage more people to explore the historical sites on their doorsteps, Alice has created a 'Journeys Through Time' campaign, in partnership with Trainline. With nearly 20 per cent of Brits saying they were unsure about how to reach historical sites, the guide should be invaluable. It spotlights must-visit, under-the-radar historic attractions perfect for this summer, complete with travel tips on how to get there by train. Sakshi Anand, Vice President of Growth and President UK at Trainline, said: 'Our research shows people want to explore more of the UK, including trips to historic locations, but often dont know where to start and dont plan in advance. 'The Journeys Through Time guide aims to showcase the possibilities for historical exploration and the fun and convenience of going by train - and importantly booking ahead to save money, and minimise hassle. 'We want to help make travel to historical sites accessible to everyone, not just history buffs, and empower people [to] take great journeys to places where they can have great experiences. The guide can be accessed here. READ MORE: Plus-sized influencer wants extra seats for fat fliers She said she wasn't given help de-boarding the plane, finding it 'dehumanizing' A polyamorous plus-sized influencer has hit back after trolls accused her of claiming obesity was a disability. Jae'lynn Chaney, 27, posted a video in response to a comment that was made under one of her videos that said: 'Obesity is not a disability.' 'Let's be clear: being fat does not automatically mean you're disabled,' the influencer, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, wrote in an Instagram video that she posted on Tuesday. 'Repeat after me: fat and disabled are not the same thing. Good job class. 'Now, let's talk about facts: It's 100 percent possible to be fat and disabled at the same time. Shocking, I know. 'But here I am, a living, breathing example.' A plus-sized influencer has hit back after trolls accused her of claiming obesity was a disability Jae'lynn's video came after she detailed a 'distressing' experience she had at the Chicago O'Hare Airport as a wheelchair user in another clip. 'I faced a significant challenge when trying to get to baggage claim,' she wrote in that TikTok video, showing a clip of herself in a wheelchair being pushed down the airbridge from the plane to the terminal. 'The only option was to go through a revolving door,' she continued. 'We pressed the button to slow it down for people with disabilities, but as we entered we got stuck.' Jae'lynn continued saying she was 'claustrophobic' and began to panic. '[I was] frantically motioning to the staff for help,' she recalled. 'They just stared at me, offering no assistance.' According to the influencer, someone passing by noticed her struggle and tried to help, but the airport staff remained 'unresponsive.' 'This was my second terrible experience at O'Hare during just one trip,' she claimed. Jae'lynn called the experience 'frustrating' and 'dehumanizing,' using the hashtag 'fat and disabled' on her video. Jae'lynn Chaney, 27, posted a video in response to a comment that was made under one of her videos that said: 'Obesity is not a disability' 'The lack of assistance [highlighted] the necessity for airport staff to treat travelers of all sizes and abilities with the respect and care they deserve,' she concluded the video. DailyMail.com has contacted Chicago O'Hare International Airport for comment. The plus-sized woman previously ruffled feathers after demanding extra seats for fat fliers be subsidized by slimmer passengers. Until recently, Jae'lynn traveled with extra oxygen and required the use of a wheelchair instead of walking longer distances after doctors suspected she suffered a stroke in 2019. In a recent post to Instagram, the travel influencer lashed out after receiving comments about her weight, telling people there was no correlation between being overweight and disabled - despite comments from people accusing her of saying that. Hundreds of people commented on the post, with some sympathizing with the woman's plight. 'I'm so sorry this happened to you,' a fellow handicapped traveler wrote. 'I understand the frustration and difficulty faced by others not understanding. Sending you positive vibes and a big hug.' 'Yessss! Thank you for bringing this up,' another wrote. Jae'lynn's video came after she detailed a 'distressing' experience she had at the Chicago O'Hare Airport as a wheelchair user in another clip Followers shared their thoughts on the videos, with hundreds of people leaving comments Others slammed the influencer for her size. 'You're not handicapped, you've self harmed. You don't get a prize for that,' one user remarked. 'You are not handicapped - why would you request the wheelchair service?!' another questioned. 'You did this yourself you should lose some weight you not disabled you just self harmed and eat like a pig this ain't plus size this super super fat.' 'They may not know how to open the door,' someone else pointed out. 'I'm a flight attendant, I would have no idea how to assist. Put this on corporations, not workers.' Earlier in the month, Jae'lynn claimed she was discriminated against by an airport employee who refused to push her in a wheelchair because of her weight. She recounted her experience with a wheelchair assistant on a jet bridge after a recent landing at SeattleTacoma International Airport. In a video posted to social media, she claimed that when she tried to deplane the aircraft, the employee assigned to help assist her started to walk away when she realized she was supposed to help the plus-size woman and not one of the smaller passengers. The travel influencer said that as the employee walked away with the wheelchair she was making comments about her size. Jae'lynn - who has previously demanded free extra seats for fat fliers subsidized by slimmer passengers - says the ordeal left her gasping for air. Has there ever been a more iconic duo than Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett? The beloved Miami detectives, played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, are back for a forth instalment in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The new film promises epic action, hilarious comedy and plenty of high speed car chases that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This must-see laugh-out-loud film is the action comedy blockbuster of the year and one not to be missed. They're back! Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back for a forth instalment of the franchise in new film Bad Boys: Ride or Die This time around it appears that the pair's boss, Captain Conrad Howard, is being framed and has been accusing of working with the cartels. Marcus and Mike must work together to clear Howard's name and his legacy but they find themselves getting set up too. They're not only being pursued by the drug cartels they've worked hard to stop, but also by their own police department, with corruption seemingly around every corner. This time around it appears that Captain Conrad Howard is being framed and has been accusing of working with the cartels Bad Boys for life! The iconic Miami detectives are back together in an action packed comedy that will leave you on the edge of your seat As the pair find themselves in life-threatening situations, like engaging in a gun fight in an army chopper mid-flight, their trust in one another is tested but their unbreakable bond is once again confirmed. Whether it is navigating high octane car chases, narrowly avoiding explosions or taking part in electrifying shootouts, the duo have got each other's back no matter what. Of course, there is plenty of hilarity along the way, with epic one-liners from Will Smith's Mike, or perfectly timed physical comedy from Lawrence's Marcus. The pair's bickering and banter is legendary and their chemistry is palpable. It just works. Funny guys: The pairs comedic skills are on show for all to see, with hilarious results As the pair find themselves in life-threatening situations their trust in one another is tested but their unbreakable bond is once again confirmed The result is a visually impressive and incredible action-packed film that will have you captivated throughout and the story will leave you roaring with laughter. Early rave reviews agree and critic Brandon Davis wrote on X: 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die is phenomenal. I love the Bad Boys franchise. This one raised every bar. Its nonstop hilarious. Innovative action beats. So much chemistry with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The best time Ive had at the movies in a while. Absolutely loved it.' The Hollywood Reporter's Ryan Gajewski branded the film 'a delight' while critic Drew Taylor posted: '#BadBoysRideOrDie is a total blast. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are still great at busting each others' balls.' The result is an incredible action-packed film that will have you captivated and a story that will leave you roaring with laughter Along with Hollywood heavyweights Smith and Lawrence, the stellar cast also sees Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez and Jacob Scipio reprise their roles for a second time. The talent behind the scenes is equally as impressive, with Adil & Bilall in the directors chairs and the film was written by Chris Bremner & Will Beall. Along with Hollywood heavyweights Smith and Lawrence, the stellar cast also sees Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Charles Melton reprise their roles for a second time Jerry Bruckheimer serves as producer along with, Chad Oman, Smith and Doug Belgrad rounding out the epic flair behind the scenes. If you're an action or a comedy fan, or a fan of the Bad Boys franchise, this flick is not to be missed. Bad Boys: Ride or Die is in cinemas June 6, for more information, click here. Its less than a year since she blindsided Kevin Costner by filing for divorce but DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Christine Baumgartner is already preparing to tie the knot for a second time. The lucky man is Josh Connor, 49, a divorced father-of-three who she has been dating since at least January, although Costner claimed in a court hearing last September that sparks flew long before their own split. Friends of the lovebirds told DailyMail.com their relationship has become increasingly serious since they were first pictured together by DailyMail.com in January, with the besotted financier telling associates of their marriage plans. One source said: Josh knows he can give her what Kevin didnt, even though he is a high-powered executive with his own demanding career.' Christine Baumgartner (right) is already preparing to tie the knot with new flame Josh Connor (left) - less than a year after divorce with ex Kevin Costner, DailyMail.com can reveal Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Connor and a casually-dressed Christine arriving separately at the swanky Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club with their daughters Grace and Abigail, both 13, for an early dinner 'He also know how important her children are to her as his are to him. Trying to blend two families isnt easy but shes worth it. DailyMail.com can reveal that the process has already begun, with Christine, 49, taking her three children with the Yellowstone actor to dinner with Connor in Montecito over Memorial Day weekend. Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Connor and a casually-dressed Christine arriving separately at the swank Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club with their daughters Grace and Abigail, both 13, for an early dinner. Later, the duo were joined by her sons Cayden, 17, and Hayes, 15, but Connors eldest children Lily, 20, and John, 18, did not attend. While Connor, Christine and Abigail stayed at the $2,500-a-month private members' club until late, her sons arrived and left in their fathers black Ford F-150 truck within 10 minutes and took bags of takeout food with them instead of dining with their mother and her soon-to-be new husband. Meanwhile, Grace was picked up in a black Range Rover SUV also clutching a bag of takeout food less than an hour after being driven to the club by Christine. The three children were last seen just over a week ago on the red carpet in Cannes with their father and older half-sisters Annie, 40, and Lily, 37, at the premiere of his new movie Horizon: An American Saga . All seven were seen posing together on the red carpet with Costner beaming along with six of his seven children, all of whom looked thrilled to be there. The movie received a rapturous reception and seven minute standing ovation, with a clearly-moved Costner seen crying in response to the warm response. On May 19 Costner, 69, got teary-eyed during a 10-minute standing ovation following the premiere screening of his new epic Western, multi-part film, Horizon: An American Saga Kevin Costner's ex wife Christine Baumgartner and boyfriend Josh Connor head to dinner at Coral Casino private club in Montecito. Josh was with his daughter and Christine also arrived with daughter but left earlier Friends of the lovebirds told DailyMail.com their relationship has become increasingly serious since they were first pictured together by DailyMail.com in January, with the besotted financier telling associates of their marriage plans While Connor, Christine and Abigail stayed at the $2,500-a-month private members' club until late, her sons arrived and left in their fathers black Ford F-150 truck within 10 minutes with bags of takeout food with them An insider told DailyMail.com: Christine herself said Josh is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Its not like Christine is at home wishing she was in the glitz and glamour of Cannes; she would much rather be walking on the beach barefoot with Josh. But she said she is happy for Kevin. Horizon has been his everything for so long, and shes glad all the kids could be there to support him. Costner, 68, has previously spoken of his pride in his children, telling People magazine in 2022: Youve got to get down on the ground and play with them. And you teach them to become independent. The sad part about that is they become that. Im like any other parent: Im trying to figure it out. Sources told DailyMail.com that Horizon a Costner passion project that he largely funded himself is in part to blame for the end of the marriage, with Christine complaining to friends that the actor devoted so much time to the project, she was left lonely. They kids were Annie, 40, Lily, 37, Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 13 - whom he posed with on the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival on May 19 The insider said: Christine said Kevins obsession with Horizon took precedence over their marriage and thats what caused the rift between them. It was all about what he wanted, and every conversation led back to his pet project. She said she always supported his dreams, but it was a one-way street. It was a lonely marriage, and he was well aware that she wasnt happy, but at the same time he wasnt willing to do anything about it. Costner spent much of last year filming the movie in Utah and Arizona and has been shuttling back and forth between his mansion in Carpinteria, California, and Montana to shoot Yellowstone for years. Nonetheless, he was blindsided when Christine filed for divorce last May a split that rapidly turned nasty and saw the pair exchange barbed legal filings as they battled it out over whether she could get her pre-nuptial agreement overturned and how much child support she would get. The 49-year-old initially wanted a whopping $128,000-a-month but was forced to settle for $60,000 following a week-long hearing that saw a Santa Barbara judge side with Costner. The former couple also fought over Costners Carpinteria mega-mansion, with Christine refusing to move out for weeks before eventually being forced to go by his lawyers. Kevin Costner 's ex-wife Christine Baumgartner enjoyed her first PDA in May with new man Josh Connor days after her former husband said he 'took a beating' from Yellowstone bosses amid their ugly divorce Christine Baumgartner and her new boyfriend Josh Connor were spotted out together after lunch and some shopping in Calabasas in April Connor, himself a divorced father of three, became legally single on January 3, 2023 Earlier this year, both Christine and ex Kevin Costner settled their divorce after she filed last year in May; seen in 2019 in L.A. Now living in a rented property in Montecito, the court heard how she had borrowed $20,000 from Connor money that she claimed she had paid back while Costner accused the pair of dating, which Christine denied while giving evidence. Costner and Christine eventually settled their divorce in October, avoiding a lengthy December trial over the pre-nuptial agreement she had signed. Despite the upheaval and embarrassing publicity, Christine has told friends that she is happier with Connor than she ever was with Costner. An insider told DailyMail.com, Christine said shes never been happier, especially now that she and Josh have decided to go public with their relationship. Her friends said they wouldnt be surprised if they got married within the next year, something intimate and simple. Eamonn Holmes was left 'blindsided' and 'furious' by estranged wife Ruth Langsford's announcement of their split. As the television presenter thanked his fans for their support following the revelation they had separated after 27 years, friends of the star said he was 'angry and baffled' at her decision to share the news. He learned of her plan just hours before the statement was released via Ms Langsford's spokesman on Saturday afternoon, saying: 'Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.' The announcement was described as a 'joint statement'. A friend of Holmes told the Mail: 'Eamonn was left blindsided, it was awful for him. Eamonn Holmes pictured on This Morning with Ruth Langsford in 2021. Holmes was left 'blindsided' and 'furious' by estranged wife Ms Langsford's announcement of their split As the television presenter thanked his fans for their support following the revelation they had separated after 27 years, friends of the star said he was 'angry and baffled' at her decision to share the news (pictured: Holmes on GB News with Isabel Webster in May) Holmes pictured with Ms Langsford after announcing their engagement in 2009. He learned of her plan to share their separation just hours before the statement was released via Ms Langsford's spokesman on Saturday afternoon Holmes pictured with Ms Langford on the presenter's couch prior to their marriage. The recent announcement said: 'Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.' The announcement was described as a 'joint statement' Eamonn and Ruth (pictured together in 2007) hosted This Morning together for 14 years, and were a fixture on the show both on Fridays and during the school holidays 'He literally found out about it a very short time before it was published you're talking hours. 'It all seems a little bizarre given that the statement said they were hoping to keep it amicable. 'Eamonn wanted no part of it, he couldn't see any reason why you would release that statement. 'It was wholly written and signed off by Ruth and her team. 'In the end he had no power over it whatsoever.' The Mail can also reveal that Holmes has been confiding how 'very bad' things have been with his wife in recent weeks, while his colleagues at GB News said they have been concerned for him of late. They said that he had been 'down' but put it down to him being in pain. The couple pictured together at the TRIC Awards in London in 2022. A friend of Holmes told the Mail: 'Eamonn was left blindsided, it was awful for him. He literally found out about it a very short time before it was published you're talking hours' A friend of Holmes's added: 'Eamonn wanted no part of it, he couldn't see any reason why you would release that statement. It was wholly written and signed off by Ruth and her team' (pictured: the couple at the National Television Awards in London in 2014) Holmes pictured with Ms Langsford (left) and Ms Webster (right) at the TRIC awards in London in 2022. Alongside his co-host Ms Webster, the broadcaster, 64, said: 'Just before we move on we'd just like to thank people for your support for Ruth and I over the last few days as to the news of our separation' The Mail can also reveal that Holmes (pictured, in his early presenting days) has been confiding how 'very bad' things have been with his wife in recent weeks, while his colleagues at GB News said they have been concerned for him of late Holmes pictured exiting GB News on his first day at the broadcaster in 2022. One of his colleagues said last night: 'Eamonn used to be the bolshy star of daytime television, he was a confident and noisy member of the team' One of his colleagues said last night: 'Eamonn used to be the bolshy star of daytime television, he was a confident and noisy member of the team. 'But he was clearly struggling recently his marriage disintegrating as well as being in so much pain from his fall a couple of years ago was making him increasingly grumpy.' The Northern Irish television anchor addressed the split publicly for the first time yesterday morning on his GB News breakfast show, while still wearing his wedding ring on his left finger. Alongside his co-host Isabel Webster, the broadcaster, 64, said: 'Just before we move on we'd just like to thank people for your support for Ruth and I over the last few days as to the news of our separation. 'Your support for both of us is very much appreciated.' North West donned her own costume from the company ERL clothing for her performances in a pair of shows for The Lion King. North, the eldest of the four children shared by exes Kim Kardashian, 43, and Kanye West, 46, performed in a pair of concerts in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl in the role of Young Simba on Friday and Saturday. North, 10, wore a yellow ensemble as she took the stage at the show, which was filmed for a future Disney+ release, performing the song I Just Can't Wait to be King and receiving a standing ovation from fans at one point. North was outfitted in a furry hoodie with shorts, socks and furry slippers; a spokesperson for the musical told People on Tuesday that North, as well as the show's stars Jennifer Hudson and Jeremy Irons, 'were not outfitted by the production' for which were designed by Marina Toybina. The company ERL clothing on Tuesday afternoon subsequently took to Instagram with multiple images of North in the costume it designed for her, with a post captioned 'costume design for north in disneys the lion king.' North West, 10, donned her own costume from the company ERL clothing for her performances in a pair of shows for The Lion King. Pictured Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl in LA North, 10, wore a yellow ensemble on stage at the show alongside Jennifer Hudson, 42 Reactions to the costume on the thread were mostly negative, with multiple users saying that the ensemble looked amateurish compared to those other performers featured in the show wore. Some users said the costume looked more like the Sesame Street stalwart Big Bird than Simba. 'You missed the assignment, this is big bird vibes, not Simba,' said one user, while another said, 'This is giving big bird not simba.' Said one user: 'Costume looks like big bird,' while another added, 'Looks more like the bird from Sesame Street.' One user referred to the Kardashians in their commentary, saying, 'Yall must secretly hate this family ... how could you fail so terribly.' A user said that the costume took away from North's performance, as it looked chintzy and tossed together at the last minute. 'You did her dirty with this costume,' the user said. 'She had a front [and] center performance yet everyone else around her looked amazing in costumes fitting to the performance. 'This just looks like one of those costumes your Mum throws together the morning of World Book Day because she forgot all about it.' The company ERL clothing on Tuesday afternoon subsequently took to Instagram with multiple images of North in the costume it designed for her The post was captioned 'costume design for north in disneys the lion king' Reactions to the costume on the thread were mostly negative, with multiple users saying that it looked more like the Sesame Street stalwart Big Bird than Simba One user said of the outfit, 'You did her dirty with this costume' The weekend shows at the famed Southern California venue were not an exact 'staging of the Broadway show,' according to People, but a collection of songs featured in the 1994 animated movie and 2019 remake. Kim Kardashian took to social media with multiple posts commemorating her eldest child's latest endeavor, which multiple people said was indicative of Hollywood's tendencies toward nepotism. 'If there was ever a time where Kanye needed to rush the stage and grab the mic from someone, this was it,' one user said on the DailyMail's TikTok account, referencing North dad's infamous interruption of Taylor Swift in 2009. In addition to Hudson and Irons, North also appeared alongside notable names such as Nathan Lane, Billy Eichner, Bradley Gibson and Jason Weaver. North's parents haven't been shy about putting her on the stage, as in March, her father Kanye brought her onstage to sing along with his track Talking at the Rolling Loud festival. Bill Moseley, best known for his role in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise, was the victim of a hit-and-run on Friday, after a cyclist struck him and took off. The horror icon, 72, was run down in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was set to attend the Carolina Fear Fest. The actor stepped out for an afternoon walk ahead of the event, when he was hit from behind and suffered four fractured ribs and a fractured pelvis. Moseley was struck while walking on a shared pedestrian-bike path near his hotel, with the cyclist reportedly traveling about 30 MPH and then fleeing the scene, as per TMZ. Help was eventually called for Moseley, who was left writhing on the ground in pain. He was then transported to a trauma hospital, and underwent multiple CT scans. Bill Moseley, 72, best known for his role in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, was the victim of a hit-and-run on Friday, after a cyclist struck him and took off; Bill pictured in 2023 The horror icon who shared two posts from the hospital following the incident was run down in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was set to attend the Carolina Fear Fest The Connecticut-born entertainer has been since discharged from the hospital, and is doing a six-week-long stay in rehab. There was no police report filed over the incident, with Bill reportedly only focused on his recovery. Following the hit-and-run, the actor who also starred in 2007's Halloween remained in strong spirits, even cracking a horror-related joke as he took to Instagram to post about the ordeal from the hospital. 'Got hit from behind by a dude on a racing bike, knocked us both a** over kettle. He got up and rode off; I didn't. 4 ribs fractured and fractures to my pelvis. And here I thought Jason packed a punch!' He also added, 'Gettin' there. Thanks for the well wishes, and thanks, @carolinafearfest, for your support. I'm out of commission for a few weeks - those darn ribs & pelvis - but Ill be back on my feet soon enough. Dog will hunt!' The actor appeared touched by well wishes from his followers, later commenting, 'You guys all mean so much to me.' Bill also shared another snap of himself in a wheelchair with his wife Lucinda Jenney, 70, where he thanked her and the hospital for taking care of him. 'Out of the hospital, yippee! I want to thank @wakemedhospitals for excellent care and my wife for springing me!!! Now to arrange that long flight home.' Carolina Fear Fest also announced he wouldn't be able to make it to the event. 'We are sorry to announce that Bill Moseley is unable to appear at the show, having sustained injuries after being struck by a bicyclist during an afternoon walk. He arrived in Raleigh and was very excited to attend, as we were excited to have him,' read a post on their Instagram. The actor stepped out for an afternoon walk when he was hit from behind and suffered four fractured ribs and a fractured pelvis; Pictured in a wheelchair with wife Lucinda Jenney Moseley remained in strong spirits, even cracking a horror-related joke as he wrote, 'And here I thought Jason packed a punch!' Carolina Fear Fest also announced he wouldn't be able to make it to the event, writing that the actor 'is expected to fully recover' Bill is beloved in the horror community after having starred in the 1986 sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as in the 2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D (pictured in a still) 'He is expected to fully recover, and we hope it is a speedy process. For now, we ask everyone to allow him some time - we're sure he'll address his fans directly when he feels able. He is asking for you to keep him in your prayers as he heals.' 'On behalf of the entire CFF Team, we are thinking of him and hoping he recuperates quickly and well.' Bill is beloved in the horror community after having starred in the 1986 sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as in the 2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D, where he played Drayton Sawyer. He has also played in The Devil's Rejects, House of 1000 Corpses, Night of the Living Dead, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Sin Eater and more. They applauded her willingness to examine her reputation for being 'difficult' A new documentary about the legendary actress Faye Dunaway is getting strong marks from critics in early reviews of the film. The 83-year-old Oscar winner's impressive career is traced in the new film Faye, directed and produced by the FrenchAmerican documentarian Laurent Bouzereau. Faye premiered this month at the Cannes Film Festival, and so far critics have praised it for tacking the eponymous actress' infamous reputation as a 'diva,' which grew over time due to behind-the-scenes feuds with some of her costars and directors, though collaborators including the acclaimed director Elia Kazan and Sidney Lumet have praised her determination and artistic passion. Even before the documentary's premiere, its distributor HBO released an advance clip showing Dunaway ordering a crew member out of her line of sight while she filmed a commercial in 1996. In one positive review of Faye, The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney praises the film as 'entertaining' while noting that Dunaway, who participated and seemingly authorized the film, was willing to expose some of her difficult behavior on set to give a fuller picture of her whirlwind career. Faye, an HBO documentary about the legendary actress Faye Dunaway, is getting strong praise from critics in early reviews after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this month; Dunaway seen in 1976's Network David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter saluted the Laurent Bouzereaudirected doc for delving into the 83-year-old star's reputation as a 'diva' 'Its surprising how candidly [Faye] digs into the stars reputation for being temperamental and demanding,' Rooney writes. 'Dunaway even plays into it herself the first words we hear are her impatiently nudging the director to roll cameras on the present-day interview that binds the many recollections and self-reflections together.' The critic adds that, even though Dunaway has some fun with her reputation for being 'difficult' on set, there's some validity to the reputation. Faye delves into Dunaway's history with bipolar disorder and shows how the condition which can lead sufferers to experience manic states and bouts of depression of varying degrees may explain some of her more infamous on-set behavior. One of Rooney's complaints about Faye is that the film downplays Dunaway's status as a 'camp icon,' particularly via her films The Eyes Of Laura Mars, Supergirl and The Wicked Lady, which are largely ignored. In Deadline, Pete Hammond praises the documentary as 'highly entertaining and enlightening.' 'Going into it I didnt know what to expect, but what I got was a surprising, forthright and honest account of someone, as it is put in the film, who started out as a normal person wanting to be famous, and ended up as a famous person wanting to be normal,"' he confesses. Hammond notes that Dunaway confesses to regretting making Mommie Dearest, the Joan Crawford biopic from director Frank Perry that was criticized at the time for her over-the-top lead performance as the iconic actress. However, Dunaway defends herself, claiming she was just doing what Perry and his co-screenwriters instructed her to do. Modern audiences have been far more receptive to the film and Perry's filmography in general and Mommie Dearest is now considered a cult classic and one of the high water marks in Dunaway's filmography, even though it led to a career decline after its 1981 release. Hammond concludes by saying Faye made him want to rewatch many of Dunaway's greatest films. Dunaway appears on screen for new interviews, and Rooney notes how willing she is to engage with her reputation for being 'difficult,' which may be related to a late-in-life diagnosis of bipolar disorder; seen with Warren Beatty in Bonnie And Clyde (1967) One of Rooney's complaints about Faye is that the film downplays Dunaway's status as a 'camp icon' in Supergirl and The Eyes Of Laura Mars, in favor of a focus on her major hits, including Network, which earned her a Best Actress Oscar; pictured in 1977 with her award Deadline's Pete Hammond calls Faye 'highly entertaining and enlightening' and notes that Dunaway focuses on her 1981 bomb-turned-cult classic Mommie Dearest, which she considers a failure Writing for The Times of London , Kevin Maher calls Faye 'a must-see portrait of a misunderstood Hollywood star'; pictured with Jack Nicholson in Chinatown (1974) Faye will debut on HBO and begin streaming on Max later in 2024; seen with her former costar Beatty at the Oscars Writing for The Times of London, Kevin Maher calls Faye 'a must-see portrait of a misunderstood Hollywood star.' He calls the documentary the portrait that Dunaway 'deserves,' and he awards it four out of five stars. For Next Best Picture, Matthew Turner praises the well-chosen bits of archival footage that flesh out Dunaway's life and career, and praises Faye as 'pleasingly thorough.' Faye will debut on HBO and begin streaming on Max later in 2024. Amy Poehler has shared a very relatable tale about a big night out in Sydney. The comedy queen, 52, who is in Australia for Vivid Sydney's In Conversation With series, revealed she partied hard one night in the harbour city with Aussie country music star Jade Hurley. In an interview with Pedestrian on Tuesday, the Parks and Recreation star said the night started innocently enough. 'I went and saw [Hurley] perform some of his covers and hits and he was an incredible musician,' she said. 'We all got so drunk that we left our wallets at the bar that's how great it was! And we're hoping to do something like that tonight...who hasn't been there?' she added. Amy Poehler has shared a very relatable tale about a big night out in Sydney. Pictured The comedy queen, 52, who is in Australia for Vivid Sydney 's In Conversation With series, revealed she partied hard one night in the harbour city with Aussie country music star Jade Hurley But Jade Hurley isn't the only Australian entertainer with which Amy has shared a beverage. The Mean Girls star opened up about a surprising gift she received from Hugh Jackman. The American comedian, who attended the Sydney premiere of Inside Out 2 on Monday, revealed Jackman, 55, holds a special place in her heart. 'You know who was one of my faves, Hugh Jackman, an absolute prince and so talented,' she told The Daily Telegraph. 'I went and saw [Hurley] perform some of his covers and hits and he was an incredible musician,' she said. 'We all got so drunk that we left our wallets at the bar that's how great it was! And we're hoping to do something like that tonight,' she added 'He gave everyone in the cast a case of Fosters beer.' Jackman was a guest host on the long-running American sketch comedy show in December 2001, and hammed it up alongside Poehler and Maya Rudolph. Poehler added although she was no longer with SNL when Chris Hemsworth, 40, guest hosted in 2015, she heard he had a 'powerful' presence and his 'essence remained' long after he left. It comes as the Mean Girls star opened up about the surprising gift she received from Hugh Jackman The American comedian, who attended the Sydney premiere of Inside Out 2 on Monday, revealed Hugh Jackman, 55, holds a special place in her heart. Pictured 'You know who was one of my faves, Hugh Jackman, an absolute prince and so talented,' she told The Daily Telegraph. 'He gave everyone in the cast a case of Fosters beer' Amy is visiting Australia for a special Vivid Ideas event at the Sydney Opera House. The Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actress fronts Vivid Sydney Presents - In Conversation with Amy Poehler plus a special first look at Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2, in which Poehler stars as the emotion Joy. 'I'm really looking forward to taking part in Vivid Sydney this year, a place that welcomes Joy in every way,' said Poehler in a statement before her visit. 'I can't wait to share a little of Inside Out 2: a movie that lets Joy and Sadness, Anxiety and Envyall try to work together in hilarious and touching ways,' she added. It is the American star's first Sydney appearance since 2015. Giovanni Pernice is under fire again as a second show he is involved in has been shelved amid the ongoing investigation into his behaviour backstage. The professional dancer, 33, quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month amid the BBC's 'serious misconduct' probe - after his recent dance partner Amanda Abbington filed a complaint. Last week it was said that Giovanni's BBC travel show Anton & Giovannis Adventures, alongside Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, had been put on hold amid the probe. And on Tuesday it was revealed that Channel 4 programme Celebrity Hunted - which the star filmed last year - had also been postponed indefinitely A source told The Sun: 'This will be gutting for Gio, as he's seen himself get increasing amounts of work beyond the dance show. Giovanni Pernice is under fire again as a second show he is involved in has been shelved amid the ongoing investigation into his behaviour backstage, The Sun revealed on Tuesday The professional dancer, 33, quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month amid the BBC 's 'serious misconduct' probe - after his recent dance partner Amanda Abbington filed a complaint 'It's particularly galling as Celebrity Hunted is a programme designed as a fundraising and awareness raising vehicle for their Stand Up 2 Cancer appeal. 'That's something he very much wanted to be a part of, so it is a huge disappointment to know it probably won't see the light of day while the investigation is ongoing. Giovanni filmed Celebrity Hunted - which sees pairs go on the run to try and avoid the hunters [surveillance experts] - in May 2023 with fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington. The dancers were one of four pairs on the show, including pals Christine McGuinness and Duncan James, soap stars Danielle Harold and Kimberly Hart-Simpson and husband and wife duo Denise Welch and Lincoln Townley. Celebrity Hunted was aired around March in both 2022 and 2023, so fans had expected to see a season around the same time this year. MailOnline approached Channel 4 and representatives for Giovanni for comment. The news comes as it emerged an investigation was launched into claims surrounding Giovanni's behaviour on Strictly Come Dancing, with three of his former partners banding together - Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh. Giovanni, 33, has been hit by a string of allegations from former celebrity partners on the BBC show, with the channel forced to investigate 'serious workplace misconduct claims' after three of his celebrity partners sought legal help. When the allegations came to light, Giovanni said: 'I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name' (pictured with Amanda) Presenter Laura Whitmore is also said to have discussed her experience with Pernice with Amanda Abbington While the three celebrities making allegations have not been named, Ranvir Singh, who partnered with Giovanni, met with Amanda Abbington to discuss her experience A source told The Mirror: 'This has been a really difficult time for Giovanni but the tour with Anton is going ahead. 'There is no reason for it to be cancelled or even postponed. Gio has not been found guilty of anything, though he is the subject of much speculation. 'The Back Together tour will go ahead, and he and Anton will be standing up on stage together as they have done for many tours.' Anton is said to be 'hugely standing by' Giovanni Pernice after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC's 'serious misconduct' probe. The pair are appearing together in a live show called Giovanni and Anton Together: The Live Tour, which will begin in June and last until the end of July - and the duo began rehearsals on Monday. Giovanni posted a video of the pair on his Instagram Stories and the accompanying promo photo shows the two men hugging one another, showing they are the best of friends. Anton opened the clip by saying: 'First day of rehearsals, always my favourite day. Second day, less so,' to which Giovanni laughed. Meanwhile, Giovanni's pal Anton Du Beke is standing by his friend as it's emerged the pair's tour won't be axed following the allegations Anton Du Beke 'is hugely standing by' Giovanni Pernice after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC's 'serious misconduct' probe Giovanni was said to be 'fully co-operating' with the BBC's investigation, and has launched a fight back by legal firm Schillings. A source told The Sun: 'Giovanni and Anton had conversations about another travel show and had discussed where they could go next after their trips to Sicily and Spain. 'But Giovanni has now been told this won't be happening and there will not be another series. 'It's embarrassing because he'd actively hinted about getting another run but all discussions are off and he's been told the show is on the scrap heap now.' Giovanni has also signed with talent agency Off Limits in a bid to rebuild his profile, after multiple Strictly co-stars remained silent on the claims he's facing. On Wednesday, Schillings confirmed they had been hired by the troubled Strictly dancer, in what television insiders describe as a 'bold move' after his former dancer Amanda and two other women instructed lawyers at Carter Ruck to complain to the BBC. Super Size Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's ex-wives Sara Bernstein and Alex Jamieson have paid tribute to him following his shock death at age 53. Spurlock died last Thursday, as confirmed by his family, from complications from cancer, which he'd been battling privately. He had finalized his divorce from Bernstein shortly before his death and three years after their March 2021 filing. The former couple wed in 2016 and share eight-year-old son Kallen. On Sunday, Bernstein thanked the public for their 'love and support' and called Spurlock the 'best daddy ever.' She included a sweet throwback photo of Spurlock holding a then-baby Kallen while also cuddling up with his and Jamieson's son Laken, now 17. Super Size Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's ex-wives Sara Bernstein (seen with Spurlock in 2013) and Alex Jamieson have paid tribute to him following his shock death at age 53 Before tying the knot with Bernstein in 2016, Spurlock was married to Alex Jamieson from 2006 to 2011; seen in 2005 'Thank you for all the love and support the past few days. We so appreciate it,' Bernstein began. 'As Kallen said to me 'Morgan was the best daddy ever and we will love and miss him forever and ever.'' She then encouraged those who 'wish to honor Morgan' to donate to Hope Lodge NYC a non-profit that offers free housing to cancer patients. 'Lots of love to you all,' Bernstein concluded. That same day, Spurlock's ex-wife Alex Jamieson whom he was married to from 2006 to 2011 shared an emotional Instagram tribute. 'Oh my it's impossible to put into words what you meant to your family, to your boys, friends, film community to me. I'm just so glad we were friends in the end,' she began. 'Morgan was a generous, creative, dedicated human. He LOVED his friends and boys. When he got into something he dove in heart first, with his body and soul.' She continued: 'Morgan LOVED to dance. And laugh. And tell stories. And encourage others, tooMorgan SHOWED UP for people. Jamieson then gave insight on their post-divorce relationship and how Spurlock has supported her over the years. 'He came to EVERY art show I curated, helped me think through projects, even after we had both remarried. He was one of the FIRST to order my Abortion Trading Cards. On Sunday, Bernstein thanked the public for their 'love and support' and called Spurlock the 'best daddy ever.' She included a sweet throwback photo of Spurlock holding a then-baby Kallen while also cuddling up with his and Jamieson's son Laken, now 17 'Thank you for all the love and support the past few days. We so appreciate it,' Bernstein began; the exes seen in 2017 That same day, Spurlock's ex-wife Alex Jamieson shared an emotional Instagram tribute, where she called Spurlock 'generous' and gushed over their post-divorce friendship Jamieson, who famously worked with Spurlock on the 2004 documentary film Super Size Me, said that her and Spurlock always agreed that 'our son Laken was our proudest co-creation'; Laken, 17, pictured 'Our text chain is mostly us sending cute and funny pictures of our amazing son to each other. Even up to the end. The end' Jamieson, who famously worked with Spurlock on the 2004 documentary film Super Size Me, said that her and Spurlock always agreed that 'our son Laken was our proudest co-creation. 'Even when we weren't getting along, we would come together to celebrate and laugh about our amazing boy and how he was growing up to be kind, funny, creative. 'I miss you dearly, friend. I didn't know it would hurt so much. Rest now,' the activist concluded. Along with her thoughtful words, the mother-of-one shared a footage montage that included throwback photos of Spurlock with his son, celebrities as well as photos of himself and Jamieson on the Super Size Me promo trail in the early 2000s. Spurlock's family announced his death on Friday in a statement. They did not specify what type of cancer he was battling, or when he was diagnosed. He has been undergoing chemotherapy prior to his death. Spurlock won an Oscar nomination for his groundbreaking 2004 documentary Super Size Me. He ate McDonald's for 30 days to test what the effects on his body would be. The outcome was shocking; he gained 24lbs and his liver ballooned. The film made $20million around the world and kickstarted a fresh-food revolution in the fast food industry. Spurlock died last Thursday, as confirmed by his family, from complications from cancer, which he'd been battling privately; seen in 2014 Spurlock was universally lauded for his game-changing documentary that highlighted how unhealthy fast food is Spurlock was skeptical about how much real change had actually been made when asked about the issue in 2019. 'There has been this massive shift and people say to me, 'So has the food gotten healthier?' And I say, 'Well, the marketing sure has,' he said. 'It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,' Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several projects, in the statement. 'Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. 'I am so proud to have worked together with him.' Spurlock also directed the 2013 One Direction documentary/concert film One Direction: This Is Us. The West Virginia native produced nearly 70 documentaries through his production company Warrior Poet. The follow-up film to Super Size Me, 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' was removed from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival after Spurlock admitted to sexual misconduct. Spurlock said he was accused of rape while in college, settled a sexual harassment case with a female assistant at his office, and was unfaithful to all of his wives and girlfriends. 'Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,' his brother, Craig Spurlock, said in a statement to ABC News His physical and mental health rapidly declined, and he gained 24.5 pounds by the end of the experiment 'For me, there was a moment of kind of realization as somebody who is a truth-teller and somebody who has made it a point of trying to do what's right of recognizing that I could do better in my own life. We should be able to admit we were wrong,' he told the AP. Spurlock immediately stepped down from Warrior Poets, the production company he co-founded. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' was released two years later. Spurlock was a gonzo-like filmmaker who leaned into the bizarre and ridiculous. His stylistic touches included zippy graphics and amusing music, blending a Michael Moore-ish camera-in-your-face style with his own sense of humor and pathos. Since he exposed the fast-food and chicken industries, there was an explosion in restaurants stressing freshness, artisanal methods, farm-to-table goodness and ethically sourced ingredients. But nutritionally not much has changed. 'There has been this massive shift and people say to me, 'So has the food gotten healthier?' And I say, 'Well, the marketing sure has,'' he told the AP in 2019. The filmmaker is survived by two sons, his parents and former spouses Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein. Savannah Chrisley revealed on her latest Unlocked podcast episode that she feels guilty for visiting her incarcerated parents Todd and Julie only twice a month. The 26-year-old Chrisley Knows Best personality whose mom and dad are serving a combined 19-year prison sentence for tax fraud admitted she feels bad about 'moving on with my life.' She explained, 'It's so hard because the first year mom and dad were gone, literally every weekend, I was gone. Every weekend I went and visited one of them. 'We go twice a month now, and there's definitely some guilt associated with it because you're like, "Nah, I shouldn't be moving on with my life. I need to be there. I need to be seeing them."' Chrisley, who has stepped in to raise her 11-year-old niece Chloe, opened the episode by stating that this year's Mother's Day 'sucked.' Savannah Chrisley revealed on her latest Unlocked podcast episode that she feels guilty for visiting her incarcerated parents Todd and Julie only twice a month The 26-year-old Chrisley Knows Best personality whose mom and dad are serving a combined 19-year prison sentence for tax fraud admitted she feels bad about 'moving on with my life'; Julie and Todd pictured in 2018 She expressed, 'It's so tough because I've said it before it's mom and dad not being here.' Savannah described, 'It's like learning to grieve the loss of people who are still alive, and grief is real. It is. Sometimes I like to turn a blind eye to it. I like to not feel it.' The media fixture admitted she prefers to 'just pack it all away,' adding that she is making an effort to cope with her feelings and 'also not feel guilty about moving on with my life.' She voiced her desire to one day start a family. 'I'm trying to figure out, like, okay, how do I move on without making my parents feel like I'm moving on without them? How do I, you know, please everyone, which I think is kind of hard to do,' the star opened up. 'It's probably impossible. I don't know. It's really tough,' she said. Despite the challenging Mother's Day, there was a silver lining Chrisley shared with listeners that her niece Chloe gave her a heartfelt gift for the special occasion. 'Chloe wrote a letter to me for Mother's Day, and the letter says: "Happy Mother's Day to Savannah. I know that you weren't expecting me and Grayson to come in your hands, but you are doing a great job with me and Grayson. Keep up your work. Love, Chloe,"' she said. Todd and Julie adopted Chloe in 2017 as her 32-year-old father Kyle Chrisley Todd and Julie's son battled addiction. Savannah explained, 'It's so hard because the first year mom and dad were gone, literally every weekend, I was gone. Every weekend I went and visited one of them' L-R Faye Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley, Julie Chrisley, and Grayson Chrisley Savannah shared a sweet Mother's Day token gifted to her by her 11-year-old niece Chloe, whom she has stepped in to raise When Todd and Julie were sentenced to prison last year, he for 12 years and she for seven, Chloe wound up in the care of her aunt. The couple will serve out their time at two separate facilities Todd's is in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie's is in Lexington, Kentucky. The stars rose to fame on their USA Network reality show Chrisley Knows Best. It premiered in 2014 and documented their day-to-day lives alongside their six children. It was broadcast for ten seasons before being canceled amid the couple's tax evasion scandal. Lila Moss made a rare public appearance with her father Jefferson Hack as they attended Rankin's latest art exhibition on Tuesday. In what was their first sighting together in almost three years, the father-daughter duo had plenty of fun during their wholesome evening out. They roamed around a private view of Rankin's 1991-2001 Back In The Dazed exhibition at 180 Studios in London. The model, 21, who Jefferson, 52, shares with supermodel ex Kate Moss, 50, opted for a casual attire. She slipped into leather-look trousers, a grey T-shirt and a trendy leather jacket, while Jefferson looked smart in a pinstripe grey suit. Lila Moss, 21, made a rare public appearance with her father Jefferson Hack, 52, as they attended Rankin's latest art exhibition on Tuesday In what was their first sighting together in almost three years, the father-daughter duo had plenty of fun during their wholesome evening out At one point, Jefferson playfully posed with artist Rankin inside the star-studded private event. Elsewhere at the exhibition, Jodie Kidd, 45, joined her glamorous mother Wendy, 82, for a wholesome evening. The TV personality look incredibly trendy in oversized denim jeans and a sleeveless black top as she struck a pose. Matt Goss cut a dapper figure in a grey suit and black T-shirt as he attended the event. Jefferson and Kate - who dated from 2001-2004 with Lila being born in 2002 - have an amicable relationship and would ensure their daughter spent a regular amount of time with each of them in her childhood. Back in 2016, Jefferson admitted that despite Lila having two famous parents, she found them both to be 'deeply uncool'. Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine, he explained his daughter keeps himself and her model mother rooted in the 'real' world. Despite her mother's status as a bonafide British icon, thanks to her status in the fashion industry, and Jefferson's own achingly cool CV, Lila - wouldn't label her parents as cool. Lila roamed around a private view of Rankin's 1991-2001 Back In The Dazed exhibition at 180 Studios in London The model, who Jefferson shares with supermodel ex Kate Moss opted for a casual attire She slipped into leather-look trousers, a grey T-shirt and a trendy leather jacket Meanwhile, Jefferson looked smart in a pinstripe grey suit At one point, Jefferson playfully posed with artist Rankin inside the star-studded private event Elsewhere at the exhibition, Jodie Kidd, 45, joined her glamorous mother Wendy, 82, for a wholesome evening The TV personality look incredibly trendy in oversized denim jeans and a sleeveless black top as she struck a pose Matt Goss cut a dapper figure in a grey suit and black T-shirt as he attended the event Jefferson and Kate Moss - who dated from 2001-2004 with Lila being born in 2002 - have an amicable relationship (pictured in 2016) 'She thinks me and her mum are deeply uncool,' he explained. 'I dont think her music tastes are cool Capital radio and Justin Bieber. She keeps me real.' While Lila still has a good relationship with both parents, she is often seen out with mum Kate as she is signed to her modelling agency. Kate has banked millions in profits though her modelling agency which looks after the likes of her daughter Lila and pop star Rita Ora. The supermodel founded her talent agency in September 2016 and new accounts have revealed the huge amount Kate's firm has raked in. Fashionista Kate's company brought in 4.3million in profits, including 831,000 earned last year. Accounts for the business, which also looks after Kate herself, were signed off by the model last month and filed with Companies House. For the year ending July 31, 2023, the agency held 5.9million in assets which included 2.6million in cash. It owed 1.5million in bills but just 13 in bank loans and overdrafts. The net assets rose from 3.5million in July 2022 to 4.31million. Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson dressed to impress as she celebrated the launch of her new book Ask Jules in Sydney on Tuesday. The reality TV star, 41, showed off her growing baby bump in a red Carla Zampatti satin skirt which retails for $649 and a matching $549 halter top. Jules styled her long red locks in a sleek bun and revealed her luminous complexion with blush and a red lip. She completed her look with a pair of orange stilettos and wore minimal accessories for the occasion. Jules was joined by her husband Cameron Merchant, 40, who looked dapper in a navy shirt, beige pants and pink blazer. Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson dressed to impress as she celebrated the launch of her new book in Sydney on Tuesday The reality TV star showed off her growing baby bump in a red Carla Zampatti satin skirt which retails for $649 and a matching $549 halter top Celebrity trainer Michelle Bridges also attended the book launch at the Ovolo Hotel in Woolloomooloo. She rocked a black turtleneck shirt, leather jacket and black pants as she arrived to the star-studded event. Michelle completed her look with a pair of heel boots and wore sunglasses as she posed outside the venue. Meanwhile, Jessica Rowe put on a colourful display in a long sleeve mini dress, blue stockings and sparkly pink boots. She kept warm with a long fur vest and wore statement earrings as she smiled. Jules was joined by her husband Cameron Merchant, who looked dapper in a navy shirt, beige pants and pink blazer Celebrity trainer Michelle Bridges also attended the book launch in a black turtleneck shirt, leather jacket and black pants She was joined by Taryn Williams, who looked effortlessly chic in a long blue dress which featured sleeves. The founder and CEO of WINK modelling agency accessorised her ensemble with a pair of black strappy heels and held a designer bag. Jana Hocking also flaunted her figure in a long maroon dress and leopard print heels at the launch party. She left her blonde locks out and hid her eyes behind dark sunglasses. Jessica Rowe put on a colourful display in a long sleeve mini dress, blue stockings and sparkly pink boots She was joined by Taryn Williams, who looked effortlessly chic in a long blue dress which featured sleeves Model Nikki Phillips showed off her incredible physique in a figure-hugging leopard print dress. She completed her look with a blazer, a pair of strappy heels and carried a black bag. Nikki tied her blonde locks back into a sleek bun and let her natural beauty shine, by wearing a natural makeup palette. Meanwhile, Lana Kington and Madison Lloyd were all smiles as they also attended the star-studded event. Jana Hocking also flaunted her figure in a long maroon dress and leopard print heels at the launch event Model Nikki Phillips showed off her incredible physique in a figure-hugging leopard print dress Kylie Minogue has stepped out in London for her 56th birthday after celebrating a huge milestone for her wine brand. The Australian pop star was spotted at the private club Annabel's on Tuesday, dressed to the nines in a silk fuchsia gown emblazoned with a floral print. Looking youthful as ever, the Padam Padam hitmaker was all smiles as she arrived at the VIP-only venue. Her elegant gown hugged her curves and featured bow detailing around the waist. Kylie styled her blonde hair down over her shoulders and accentuated her age-defying features with pink glossy lipstick and an understated blush. Kylie Minogue (left) stepped out in London for her 56th birthday on Tuesdday after celebrating a huge milestone for her wine brand She completed her look with a pair of stylsh GEDEBE Noona heels in black satin and crystal as well as a huge diamond ring. It comes after sales of Kylie's wine business, Kylie Minogue Wines, soared by almost 20 per cent in the 12 months up to May 4, according to data firm NIQ. Posting to Instagrarm, Kylie recently thanked 'our incredible growers, wine makers, distributors and partners who are all such a part of the Kylie Minogue Wines success story'. The Australian pop star was spotted at the private club Annabel's, dressed to the nines in a silk fuchsia gown emblazoned with a floral print Looking youthful as ever, the Padam Padam hitmaker was all smiles as she arrived at the VIP-only venue Kylie styled her blonde hair down over her shoulders She added: 'And of course to everyone who has chosen to enjoy a sip, glass or bottle of our wine.' As well as toasting to her wines' success, Kylie also celebrated her birthday with a series of throwback snaps. Posting the pictures, she gushed about her parents Ronald and Carol as well as her TV presenter sister Dannii and cameraman brother Brendan. It comes after sales of Kylie's wine business, Kylie Minogue Wines, soared by almost 20 per cent in the 12 months up to May 4, according to data firm NIQ She wrote: 'It's my birthdaaaaaay!! Thanks Mum and Dad. You're the best! Thanks brother and sister. Also, the best! Celebrating with you. And thanks for all the beautiful messages from around the world. I LOOOOOOVE YOUUUU!!!' Since Kylie's brand launched on her 52nd birthday, it has sold more than 15 million bottles worldwide. Her $20 signature prosecco rose has been her best-selling tipple over the past year while her 0 per cent sparkling rose is the UK's top non-alcoholic premium fizz. Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori had all eyes on them as they touched down in Florence, Italy, on Monday. The rapper, 46, and the Australian beauty, 29, showed off their eye-popping styles, with Bianca sporting a unique white pillow accessory over her chest while modeling a white thong bodysuit. The look was similar to the purple cushion she donned in Florence last year during their controversial European trip which sparked accusations of indecent exposure in order to cover up her cleavage. The architect showed off her incredible figure in a shiny white thong bodysuit that left her long legs on full display and highlighted her pert derriere. She completed the outfit with thigh-high black leather boots with open toes. Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori had all eyes on them as they touched down in Florence, Italy, on Monday The rapper, 46, and the Australian beauty, 29, showed off their eye-popping styles, with Bianca sporting a unique white pillow accessory over her chest The architect showed off her incredible figure in a shiny white thong bodysuit that highlighted her pert derriere Her raven tresses were slicked down in her signature chic bun. Meanwhile Kim Kardashian's ex-husband was covered up, wearing a white zip-up hoodie and a pair of matching sweatpants. The Donda musician held one protective arm around his wife, while clutching a stack of papers with his other hand. The father-of-four finalized his outfit with white sneakers. Last year Censori wore a slew of eccentric outfits during the couple's Italian getaway. At one point she was spotted walking the streets of Florence almost topless while holding a purple cushion over her chest to cover up her breasts. No strangers to scandal, West and Censori continuously raised eyebrows over their choices in clothing, with Bianca's barely-there looks sparking fury from locals. At the time her sheer and mesh outfits, which left her breasts clearly visible, were described by social media users as 'disrespectful' in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage. There were even calls are being made for Kanye and Bianca to be arrested, after they were spotted enjoying an amorous moment on a boat, with West exposing his bare buttocks in front of gawking tourists. Images of the couple showed the American rapper seated at the back of the river taxi while Bianca placed her head in his lap. Online critics have argued that the flesh-baring display constituted 'public indecency.' The trip comes after Bianca's solo getaway to her native Australia. The look was similar to the purple cushion she donned in Florence last year (right) during their controversial European trip in order to cover up her cleavage She completed the outfit with thigh-high black leather boots with open toes Her raven tresses were slicked down in her signature chic bun The Donda musician held one protective arm around his wife, while clutching a stack of papers with his other hand Unlike his wife, Kanye was covered up, wearing a white zip-up hoodie and a pair of matching sweatpants On Saturday she was spotted back home without her rapper husband. The model was seen eating lunch at the trendy Mario's Cafe in Fitzroy, Melbourne with her parents, the Herald Sun reports. In contrast to her usually racy get ups, Bianca, who works as the head of architecture at Kanye's Yeezy brand, was wearing a khaki Miu Miu sweater dress and 'blended in with the lunch crowd' the Herald Sun claims. Moreover, it's been reported that Bianca has upset her Italian family for 'shunning them' during their controversial visit to the country. The couple have been to Venice, Milan and Florence in recent months - but haven't been to see any of her relatives there. During their trip to Venice last month, the couple sparked outrage when they were accused of indecent exposure and outraging public decency in a water taxi. The couple, whose marriage was recently confirmed, have also exhibited some bizarre outfits during their summer European vacation, with Bianca frequently spotted wearing nude tights and flesh-flashing tops. In an exclusive chat with MailOnline, Bianca's cousin Fabiola Censori, who lives in Giulianova, said while the couple have gained much attention during the trip, the family feel ignored by her. Speaking to MailOnline, Fabiola said: 'We haven't seen anything of Bianca's family here for years. 'The eldest of my uncle's children used to visit for a while but they stopped coming back to Italy years ago. 'I've never met Bianca but I would love to - it was a shame she didn't come and visit us when she was here in Italy on holiday. 'We could have shown her where her dad and his brothers and sisters and her grandparents grew up. 'Her dad came here years ago and we had a beautiful evening together with all the family and it was wonderful to see him but as for Bianca and Kanye no comment. We feel a bit ignored.' Another relative, who asked to be named only as Andrea, added: 'I've never met Bianca but I'm hoping that next time she is in Italy she will come and visit us. Controversial trip: The couple have been to Venice, Milan and Florence in recent months - but haven't been to see any of her relatives there Family: Bianca's grandparents Filippo and Grazia Censori emigrated from Giulianova in 1960. Pictured L-R Bianca's mother Alexandra, Bianca, sisters Alyssia and Angelina 'I've heard all about her from other relatives and she sounds good fun I imagine an evening out with her and Kanye would be very interesting.' Bianca's grandparents Filippo and Grazia Censori emigrated from Giulianova in 1960 with their five children. Shipping manifests show how Filippo and Grazia, then both aged 35, embarked on a ship at Genoa with Edmondo, Eliseo, Elia, Elena and Eris before reaching Melbourne. The family moved in search of a new life just a few years after they were hit by tragedy when Bianca's then five-year-old great uncle Gianfranco died from measles. They set up home in the new arrivals' village of Bonegilla, which was the setting of the BBC series Ten Pound Poms earlier this year starring Michelle Keegan. Bianca and Kanye have been in Italy for several months and reports have surfaced the Heartless hitmaker has instructed her to 'never speak'. He's also reportedly issued a set of rules to live by, including specific foods she can eat and what she can wear, a source close to the Australian architect has claimed. The sources said Bianca has 'no mind of her own anymore' and instead simply 'obeys' the controversial rapper, who also goes by the name 'Ye', because he has convinced her they have 'royal' status. 'Kanye has a set of rules for Bianca, which includes never speak and wear what he wants her to wear,' the source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'She is also required to eat certain food items and to work out even though Kanye doesnt work out. 'She has no mind of her own anymore and obeys him because he has convinced her that they are royal.' 'A few of her friends were finally able to reach her but she wasnt interested in talking, nor was she interested in anyones concerns for her,' a close friend told DailyMail.com. Bianca's loved ones are also said to be concerned her husband Kanye is 'dragging her into the adult film world' and using her to promote his new Yeezy Porn venture, insiders claim. The Grammy winner whose daughter North West, 10, recently landed a coveted role in the Lion King anniversary concert has been lambasted by fans for appearing to dismiss the Christian beliefs he had previously prioritized so publicly. Bianca's family and friends are said to be among the critics and fear the architectural designer will be 'used' to 'promote sexual indecency' by the controversial musician. 'Bianca's family was willing to give Kanye the benefit of the doubt after her mum's recent visit to LA,' an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. The father-of-four finalized his outfit with white sneakers In 2023 Censori wore a slew of eccentric outfits during the couple's Italian getaway At the time her sheer and mesh outfits were described by social media users as 'disrespectful' in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage 'For Bianca's sake they were willing to overlook his anti-Semitic remarks and inappropriate behavior. 'They were even trying to accept that he was not forcing Bianca to do anything. They were aware of Kanye and Bianca's project to create and sell their own brand of clothing. 'But with two feminist sisters and an equally feminist mother, it is hard to rationalize or accept her involvement in this new venture.' They continued: 'The fact that he is dragging her into the adult film world with him and using her as a billboard already to promote sexual indecency is absolutely appalling and very worrying. 'They feel he has convinced her that this is a good idea because it will make them wealthier.' The source said her loved ones fear the new move could be detrimental to their marriage, as Kanye previously claimed his ex-wife Kim filed for divorce over his porn addiction. 'Her family and friends are aware of Kanyes history with pornography which makes it even more concerning,' they said. 'What is it going to do to his marriage with Bianca? He is already using her as a walking billboard for indecency.' Their fears have reportedly risen after Milo Yiannopoulos, the Chief of Staff of Kanye's Yeezy brand, officially quit because he could not be 'complicit in the production and dissemination of pornographic films and literature for moral and religious reasons.' Bianca has become synonymous with wearing X-rated outfits - from barely-there bodysuits and sheer tights to micro shorts - since she secretly married Kanye in December 2022. Kanye's plan for a Yeezy Porn studio has mainly led to a wave of backlash from fans who gravitated to him in recent years when he turned his focus toward Christian-themed music, including his 2019 album Jesus Is King and his Sunday Services. Kanye was previously married to reality star Kim, 43, for nearly seven years. The duo wed in 2014 before Kardashian filed for divorce in 2021. Aside from North, they also share younger daughter Chicago, five, and sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, four. This titan of the cosmetic industry has spent two-decades building a very successful career as mega-mogul in beauty. The 43-year-old grew up in New South Wales and was previously the beauty director at Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. After also working as the deputy editor of several other magazines through the 2000s, this entrepreneur went on to start her own skincare brand, Go-To, in 2014. She sold 50.1 per cent of her stake in the company for $89million back in 2021, but recently re-purchased her stake in the company in 2023. The children's book author now shares two children - Sonny, nine, and Rudy, six - with her very famous radio star husband. So can you guess who the happy young girl in these photos is? This titan of the cosmetic industry has spent two-decades building a very successful career as mega-mogul in beauty That's right, it's Zoe Foster Blake! The skincare guru shared throwbacks from her childhood to Instagram on Wednesday, which showed her as a very sunny kid with a quirky fashion sense. In one snap, her younger self rocked very curly blonde locks and a bright pink hat which matched her loose dress, a far cry from the short brown bob and glamorous fashion sense she dons nowadays. Another saw her tucking her golden tresses beneath a black cap as she hung white sunglasses around her neck and sported a baggy graphic T-shirt. The 43-year-old grew up in New South Wales and was previously the beauty director at Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar. Do you know who it is yet? Zoe shared the old school pictures alongside a heartfelt message which spoke out against the harmful affect social media has on pre-teens and teenagers. 'If I'd had a smartphone and social media when these photo were taken, my brain chatter would've been very different to: we're gonna miss the bus/will Supre still have those flares I want/can Wayne's World be as funny the third time?' she said. 'Research indicates they wouldn't have been positive. Adolescence exacerbates girls' comparison bias, self-consciousness about their changing body, and amplifies insecurities about where they fit in socially. Social media pours petrol all over this.' Zoe Foster Blake! The skincare guru (pictured) shared throwbacks from her childhood to Instagram on Wednesday, which showed her as a very sunny kid with a quirky fashion sense Zoe's post comes after the mum-of-two revealed why she and husband Hamish Blake stopped posting so many photos online of their children. The couple once flooded their Instagram accounts with adorable pictures of their bubs Sonny and Rudy, but now they are rarely seen online. While fans may be disappointed they no longer get a peak into their family life, Zoe told The Sydney Morning Herald last month that it's for the best. 'We're very private and we're very boring. We're just a normal family and I think our inclination to share our life has gone down a lot,' she told the publication. Despite their inclination toward privacy as the kids grow older, Zoe and Hamish still post happy snaps from family holidays, strategically hiding Sonny and Rudy's faces. Gold Coast influencer Kate Szepanowski looked unfazed as she arrived at Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday to support her boyfriend Jordan Roman Brennan as he faced drug charges. Mr Brennan, 31, has been charged with two counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine. Ms Szepanowski is the sister of fellow influencer Chloe Szepanowski, who in turn is a member of the Orval family through her relationship with YouTuber Mitch Orval. The patriarch of the Orval family is former footy player-turned-internet celebrity Mark Orval, better known by his hot-tempered alter ego 'Angry Dad'. The Szepanowskis and Orvals are not involved whatsoever in Mr Brennan's alleged criminal activity. Kate Szepanowski was simply supporting her boyfriend at court. As she made her way into the courthouse, Ms Szepanowski was seen applying a bright red lip gloss in front of the press photographers. She looked worlds away from the glossy Instagram photos she shared just a year ago, with her blonde hair now a shade of dramatic dark brown. The socialite wore a modest green satin halterneck top with black suit trousers, black patent pumps and a black leather handbag. Kate Szepanowski looked unfazed as she arrived at Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday to support her boyfriend Jordan Roman Brennan as he faced drug charges Mr Brennan, 31, has been charged with two counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine Szepanowski, 29, has kept a low profile in recent months, acting as a guest while her two sisters Chloe and Amy played the role of bridesmaids at their mother Sherree's wedding earlier this month. Wednesday's hearing comes after crown prosecutor Patrick Wilson told the Brisbane Supreme Court jury on Monday that two men sat in a van and swore with frustration after allegedly being unable to find 48kg of cocaine hidden in a shipping container. Mr Brennan and Brendan John Sipple had allegedly searched the container on June 12, 2020, looking for 42 packages of cocaine concealed in its refrigeration unit. 'The defendants travelled repeatedly from the Gold Coast to the Port of Brisbane, often late at night, spending considerable amounts of time in the vicinity of where the container was located,' Mr Wilson said. Ms Szepanowski looked worlds away from the glossy Instagram photos she shared just a year ago (left), with her blonde hair now a shade of dramatic dark brown (right) The socialite wore a modest green satin halterneck top with black suit trousers, black patent pumps and a black leather handbag Ms Szepanowski is the sister of fellow influencer Chloe Szepanowski (right), who in turn is a member of the Orval family through her relationship with YouTuber Mitch Orval (left). The Szepanowskis and Orvals are not involved whatsoever in Mr Brennan's alleged criminal activity. Kate Szepanowski was simply supporting her boyfriend at court Mr Brennan and Mr Sipple have both pleaded not guilty to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs. Police devices attached to the defendants' Hyundai iLoad van tracked their movements and recorded their conversations. Prosecutor Wilson said Mr Brennan was recorded at 2.22am on June 11, 2020, talking to Mr Sipple about searching a shipping container on a previous occasion. 'We had so many hours there that if we had the correct tools from the start, brother, it was ours,' Mr Brennan allegedly said. Mr Sipple then allegedly replied: 'That's a big earn, lad. A big, big earn.' Wilson said dock workers in Belgium had found the packages, containing between 82 and 96 per cent pure cocaine, in February and the drugs were seized by police. The container arrived at Brisbane on June 6 under surveillance by Queensland and federal police. Mr Wilson said the port's yard was stacked high with many thousands of containers but Mr Brennan and Mr Sipple were interested in only one. 'What is in dispute in this trial is what [Brennan and Sipple's] intention was when they entered the yard in the early hours of June 12,' Wilson said. Jordan Roman Brennan (pictured) and Brendan John Sipple sat in a van and swore with frustration after allegedly being unable to find 48kg of cocaine hidden in a shipping container, a jury was told on Monday Brennan and Sipple (pictured) have both pleaded not guilty to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs The listening device in the defendants' van recorded their discussion after leaving the yard. 'I'm really pi**ed off you've done these two with me and you've got nothing to show for it. I want to make these f***ing c***s to give you something,' Mr Brennan was allegedly recorded saying. The prosecutor said Mr Brennan's DNA was later found on a glove left beside the container the defendants were looking for, and panels on the container's sides had been removed. Mr Brennan's defence barrister Saul Holt told the jury it was clear his client had attended the yard for an illegal purpose. 'This is not a court of morals - it is a court of law. You will be legitimately already disgusted by the behaviour [Brennan] engaged in. You will hate the idea of cocaine being imported into Australia and the harm it can do,' Mr Holt said. Mr Holt said Mr Brennan did not access the container or attempt to extract cocaine and the jury would find that meant he was not guilty of the crime he had been charged with. Mr Sipple's defence barrister Josh Underwood said the trial was not about whether his client had entered the yard or committed any other offence - but whether he had accessed the shipping container. Shannon Noll was spotted at Sydney Airport alongside his heartthrob son Blake on Monday. The pair have been in WA for Shannon's That's What I'm Talking About 20th Anniversary Tour. Shannon showed off his muscular rig in a tight blue logo T-shirt and a pair of grey cargo pants. He accessorised his look with a rugged grey cap and a set of headphones. The Australian Idol favourite looked every inch the Aussie rocker, even sharing a thumbs-up as he made his way through the Airport. Shannon Noll (left) was spotted at Sydney Airport alongside his heartthrob son Blake (right) on Monday Blake, 21, who plays a set at each show, also opted for a casual ensemble for the flight. The youngster sported a grey Dickies hoodie and a pair of tan cargo pants. He completed the look with a stylish cap placed over his shoulder-length locks. Shannon's tour kicked off in April this year when his first performance hit the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The pair have been in WA for Shannon's That's What I'm Talking About 20th Anniversary Tour Ahead of the tour, Shannon revealed Blake would join him on the two month stint as a supporting act. 'We're talking about (Blake) doing a few support slots on this run, so that'll be interesting,' he told 9honey Celebrity at the time. 'It'd be great for him... he's well and truly ready for the next step and really keen to take it.' The Australian Idol favourite looked every inch the Aussie rocker, even sharing a thumbs-up as he made his way through the Airport Shannon showed off his muscular rig in a tight blue logo T-shirt and a pair of grey cargo pants The pair will perform in Toowoomba on Friday before taking the national tour to Melbourne, Warragul and Tamworth. More shows are expected to be announced soon. Last January, Shannon and Blake played at the Tamworth Music Festival and fans even demanded for 'heartthrob' Blake's autograph. Blake, 21, also opted for a casual ensemble for the flight, sporting a grey Dickies hoodie and a pair of tan cargo pants 'I think the heartthrob days for me are long gone,' Shannon previously told Woman's Day with a laugh, adding that he is happily passing the baton onto his son. Blake, an apprentice tradie, said he started playing guitar aged 19 and was always a little nervous to sing and perform in front of his famous dad. 'Once I realised singing is more like a muscle, and it gets stronger and better the more you do it, I kept doing it in the car and started to get more belief in myself, and then I started learning guitar, because I knew I would start singing more if I played,' he explained. Ben Affleck is keeping busy through the chaos. The Air actor-director, 51, whose relationship woes with wife Jennifer Lopez, 54, have made headlines this month, was pictured at multiple locations in the greater Los Angeles area in recent days amid speculation about the fate of the A-list union. The two-time Oscar-winner - who is father to daughters Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 15, and son Samuel, 12, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 52 - was pictured with his son Monday shopping for vintage clothes. On the outing, the Good Will Hunting actor donned a button-up mint green shirt with khaki slacks and light brown suede shoes. Affleck had a pair of sunglasses dangling from his shirt and donned a watch on the sunny day in Southern California. Affleck, who has been seen sans wedding ring this month, was pictured shopping Monday while his spouse was pictured at a pal's home in Beverly Hills, California. Ben Affleck, 51, was pictured at multiple locations in the greater LA area in recent days amid speculation about his marriage with Jennifer Lopez, 54 Affleck's relationship woes with wife Jennifer Lopez , 54, have made headlines this month. Lopez pictured last week in Mexico City promoting her movie Atlas Lopez - who is mother to twins Emme and Maximilian, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 55 - is 'still living separately' from Affleck, a source told People Tuesday, noting that 'she's very focused on work.' Affleck appeared focused on work as well on Tuesday, as he was seen on the set of his upcoming thriller The Accountant 2 at a studio in Los Angeles. Affleck, who reprises his role of math genius Christian Wolff in the sequel to the 2016 movie, was pictured donning a light blue button-down shirt and khaki slacks with white sneakers. He was pictured smoking a cigarette during a break from filming. Affleck appears in the forthcoming film for Amazon MGM Studios opposite Jon Bernthal, who was also pictured on set Tuesday, as well as J.K. Simmons and Cynthia Addai-Robinson. All four actors appeared in the original film. The original film's respective director and screenwriter, Gavin OConnor and Bill Dubuque, are also working on the sequel. Lopez's film career remains thriving as her latest release, the sci-fi action film Atlas, was Netflix's top film in its debut weekend, racking up 28.2 million views, the streaming service said Tuesday. Lopez is also continuing with her music career as she gears up for a North American summer tour slated to commence next month in Orlando, Florida. The two-time Oscar-winner was pictured with his son Samuel, 12, on Monday shopping for vintage clothes After sorting through the racks, the father and son were seen emerging from the establishment with shopping bags in hand Affleck on Tuesday was seen on the set of his upcoming thriller The Accountant 2 in LA Affleck was pictured donning a light blue button-down shirt and khaki slacks with white sneakers Affleck and a colleague talked business as he took a drag from his cigarette Affleck is making the forthcoming film for Amazon MGM Studios seven years after the original movie was released Affleck reprises his role of math genius Christian Wolff in the sequel to the 2016 movie Actor Jon Bernthal, 47, reprises his part as Brax in the second installment of The Accountant An insider close to Lopez told People May 22 that the marriage 'is not in the best place at the moment.' A separate source (in the music business) noted that the rift between the husband and wife 'has been difficult day-to-day' amid basic philosophical differences. 'She likes to open her heart to her fans and to the world,' the source said. 'He is more introspective and private.' Affleck and Lopez are less than two years removed from their August 20, 2022 wedding at Affleck's estate outside of Savannah, Georgia, which came more than a month after they exchanged vows in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury revealed she used Ozempic to help her shed pounds after gaining weight during a 'midlife crisis'. The British businesswoman, 48, candidly spoke about Hollywood's favorite weight-loss drug on her Uncut and Uncensored podcast with husband Sergio Carrallo, 29. Caroline who had a facelift last year admitted it caused tension between her and her younger spouse. Sergio's desires for them to have shared meals together clashed with his preference for her having a slimmer figure. 'After 40 we all know it's very, very hard to lose weight. But I met so many 40-year-old women going "How have you done it?" And I don't want to lie to you, I've told you I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you're able to use it,' she shared. 'What did Kate Moss say? Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. There's something to be said for that,' Caroline added. Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury, 48, revealed she used Ozempic to help her shed pounds; (L) seen in January, (R) pictured in 2022 Sergio then explained their routine, 'We try to maintain a balance. If we have a big dinner, we try to just fast a little bit until breakfast.' He then told his wife, 'I think you found your balance now.' The pair also discussed arguing over their eating habits, as she described how he drives her 'nuts' by wanting to eat large meals together, but also likes for her to have a trim physique. 'Sergio is an eater, and he doesn't like to eat on his own. I don't need as much food as Sergio.' Sergio explained: 'If I love someone, it just makes you happy to see that person eating and enjoying pastry with you.' 'You can't say you like that body and then give me six pastries because it makes you more happy,' Caroline snapped back. Sergio retorted: 'I understand honey, obviously not. I love what you're doing now. Which is for example, today you're not having any pastries in the morning. You only had smoothies. But yesterday night you enjoyed our dinner with dessert. And you actually ate that.' Caroline did not specify how much weight she lost with the help of Ozempic, or when she started taking it. The British businesswoman spoke about using Hollywood's favorite weight-loss drug on her Uncut and Uncensored podcast with husband Sergio Carrallo, 29 Caroline admitted it caused tension between her and her younger spouse. Sergio's desires for them to have meals together clashed with his preference for her having a slimmer figure 'After 40 we all know it's very, very hard to lose weight... I don't want to lie to you, I've told you I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you're able to use it,' she shared The pair also discussed arguing over their eating habits, as she described how he drives her 'nuts' by wanting to eat large meals together, but also likes for her to have a trim physique 'You can't say you like that body and then give me six pastries because it makes you more happy,' Caroline told her spouse However, fans have expressed their concerns on a number of her recent Instagram posts, fretting that the star is 'way too thin' now. 'If you get any skinner you be shopping in the Toddler section it's sad when you think you have the look like this because you Husband is younger it's a Mental Health issue,' one person wrote. 'It is very concerning because she looks so unhealthy. It is not slamming her it is frightening to see her so thin,' someone else wrote. Another comment read, 'The Ozempic really worked for you!' 'Ooo-ozempic or one of its cousins??' 'Can you share how you stay so thin in perimenopause,' another asked. 'Honey EAT!!!' a concerned follower pleaded. Caroline also gave her followers some beauty tips during the podcast, encouraging them to 'dissolve old fillers' if they are not ready for a facelift yet. 'Filler on top of filler on top of filler is a disaster. Take it out, look at yourself again, and start again with a highly experienced doctor. It's art,' she stated. Fans have expressed their concerns on a number of her recent Instagram posts, fretting that the star is 'too thin' now 'If you get any skinner you be shopping in the Toddler section it's sad when you think you have the look like this because you Husband is younger it's a Mental Health issue,' one person wrote 'It is very concerning because she looks so unhealthy. It is not slamming her it is frightening to see her so thin,' someone else wrote 'Way too thin!' yet another comment read 'Honey EAT!!!' a concerned follower pleaded Another comment read, 'The Ozempic really worked for you!' 'Ooo-ozempic or one of its cousins??' 'Can you share how you stay so thin in perimenopause,' someone else inquired A number of other comments asked the star to 'eat something' Earlier this week Caroline revealed she splashed out over $34,000 on a facelift after realizing that she 'couldn't go any further' with fillers alone. The star underwent the procedure in November and has now told The Sun she has no regrets. She said: 'They are great when you are young, but you get to a certain point and can't go further.' 'I should have dissolved them after a period of time, then started over again, because after a while, your face starts to look incredibly round. That's why I started to wonder if there is something else out there.' After liking a pal's facelift, Caroline took the plunge with a surgeon, but did fear that her children wouldn't recognize her new face. She added: 'I wanted my kids to recognize me, not go: ''Mummy, what have you done?''' Caroline previously offered insight into her experience having a facelift, admitting it left her looking like she'd 'been in a car crash' The TV personality was left covered in bandages following the cosmetic procedure, but she insisted the decision to go under the knife had nothing to do with her marriage to Sergio, who is 18-years her junior. Caroline previously revealed she splashed out over $34,000 on a facelift after realizing that she 'couldn't go any further' with fillers alone; Pictured following the procedure in November Asked why she had the facelift if she was confident in her husband, she said: 'This had zero to do with @sergiocarallo he begged me not to do it! I don't worry about my relationship with him one minute of the day.' In November Stanbury revealed that she had undergone her facelift in Los Angeles 'with no information whatsoever'. Since returning back to the UK she has appeared on her podcast Uncut and Uncensored with her Spanish husband. Caroline and Sergio got married on December 18, 2021. She was previously married to financier Cem Habib for 15 years before separating in 2019. Hilary Duff was spotted out in Los Angeles on Tuesday just three weeks after giving birth to her fourth child. The Lizzie McGuire star, 36, ran errands at a swanky Beverly Hills shopping center in a comfy athleisure look. She had on a black T-shirt, black leggings and white lace-up Adidas sneakers. Sporting gold sunglasses and blown-out blonde locks, Duff made her way to the valet. The Disney Channel alum carried a baby pink reusable water bottle in one arm and kept her iPhone in hand. Hilary Duff was spotted out in Los Angeles on Tuesday just three weeks after giving birth to her fourth child A dark green leather tote bag was slung over her arm as she walked to her car. Duff confirmed the arrival of her daughter Townes Meadow Bair with an Instagram post on May 7. The baby's actual birthday was May 3. Townes is her third child with husband Matthew Koma, 36, but her fourth overall. She and Koma, who wed in 2019, also share daughters Mae, three, and Banks, five. Hilary shares her eldest child, son Luca, 12, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, 43. Duff shares stunning black-and-white photos from her emotional home water birth as well as the first-ever images of baby Townes. 'Townes Meadow Bair (teddy bear emoji), now we know why she made us wait so longShe was perfecting those Cheeks!' she gushed in the post's caption. The actress continued: 'I Have been dreaming of holding you in my arms for months and the past 5 days of getting to know you, stare at you and smell you has been pure moments of magic. 'We all love you like you've been here all along beauty.' She concluded by adding Townes' birthdate: '5/3/24' Dad Matthew also celebrated Townes' arrival with his own Instagram post and referred to Duff as his 'warrior goddess.' The Lizzie McGuire star, 36, ran errands at a swanky Beverly Hills shopping center in a comfy athleisure look Duff confirmed the arrival of her daughter Townes Meadow Bair with an Instagram post on May 7. The baby's actual birthday was May 3 Duff shares stunning black-and-white photos from her emotional home water birth as well as the first-ever images of baby Townes Since Townes' arrival, Duff has been sharing glimpses at the newborn on Instagram 'My literal warrior goddess of a wife gave birth to our beautiful Townes Meadow Bair at home on 5/3/24,' the musician captioned. He then jokingly added: 'She's happy, healthy, chunky and looks like nobody in our genetic pool so if anyone knows of @hilaryduff's whereabouts roughly 9 months ago to date, please reach out for a cash reward.' Since Townes' arrival, Duff has been sharing glimpses at the newborn on Instagram. Most recently, Duff marveled 'the closeness' between herself and Townes as she gets used to carrying her around in a tight sling. She also included several more looks at life as a mom of four. In one snap, the Disney alum looking exhausted sitting on the floor of a bedroom in her home with her three daughters. She captioned the restless snap, 'Mornings on fire,' while surrounded by a messy room with clothes all over the floor. A week before that, the How I Met Your Father star uploaded an adorable clip of herself kissing her swaddled baby. She set the clip to the tune of Zach Bryan's Sun To Me with the caption: '[sunflower emoji] Townes girl [sunflower emoji]' A week before that, the How I Met Your Father star uploaded an adorable clip of herself kissing her swaddled baby She set the clip to the tune of Zach Bryan's Sun To Me with the caption: '[sunflower emoji] Townes girl [sunflower emoji]' For Mother's Day, Duff wrote a length post where she reflected on all the 'messy and hard and high and low and sticky and bright and warming and beautiful' things about motherhood. She also expressed gratitude for her kids and husband. 'So grateful for all these people who chose me. So grateful to have this mayhem under one roof - appreciative of the support systems we have- grateful for my comic of a husband - all my friends, moms or not, and very important to also be grateful for myself,' Duff wrote. 'I dig deep everyday to give enough or a little more to these people I love and really find out what Im made of I wouldnt know how to do that if my mama didnt do it for me sending love out' Mad Max: Furiosa is currently playing in cinemas and US audiences have been left confused over one major aspect of it. The fifth film in the long-running action series was filmed across New South Wales, Australia in 2022, and features characters speaking unique Aussie slang, such as 'fang it' and 'frothing'. US audiences have taken to social media to express their confusion at the frequent use of distinctly Australian jargon throughout the movie. 'It was a little disturbing to learn a large amount of the post-apocalyptic jargon in Furiosa is actually just regular Australian slang,' one fan quipped. 'The full script is actually just a recording from an afternoon at the pub,' a second person joked. The Australian-filmed Chris Hemsworth (pictured) movie Mad Max: Furiosa is currently playing in cinemas and US audiences have been left confused over one major aspect of it 'Max's son, Sprog, is named after Australian slang for child,' a third person chipped in and a fourth added: 'Fang it made me weirdly nostalgic, nobody uses that anymore.' Furiosa features a largely Australian all-star cast including Chris Hemsworth, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson and Nathan Jones. It is written and directed by legendary Aussie filmmaker George Miller, and also features American actress Anya Taylor-Joy and English star Tom Burke. The fifth film in the long-running action series was filmed across New South Wales, Australia in 2022 , and features characters speaking unique Aussie slang, such as 'fang it' and 'frothing' Furiosa features a largely Australian all-star cast including Hemsworth, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson and Nathan Jones The film tells the origin story of a young Imperator Furiosa, played by Anya, who rose to fame as the star of Netflix hit The Queen's Gambit. Meanwhile, Chris has described his character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'. 'He 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,' he said at CCXP in Brazil, where the trailer footage was unveiled. US audiences have taken to social media to express their confusion at the frequent use of distinctly Australian jargon throughout the movie Furiosa was filmed in New South Wales and was expected to become the biggest movie ever to be made in Australia - Filming wrapped up in September, 2022. Franchise creator Miller is also back as director and co-writer of Furiosa, alongside Nico Lathouris, as well as his long-time producing partner Doug Mitchell. Miller has described the prequel as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period, which is much different from 2015's Fury Road, which spanned three days in its timeframe. MasterChef Australia is set to air its gripping Redemption episode on Wednesday night, in which former contestants return to cook for the current ones. However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed in a trailer shared to social media that recently eliminated fan favourite Stephen Dennis, 62, isn't among them. The popular tour guide from Queensland was left heartbroken when he was eliminated on Sunday night, during a nail-biting episode. Fans took to social media to ask why Dennis was absent from the episode, with one writing: 'Super gutted about Stephen'. Stephen has now opened up about the reason he was absent, revealing he had to visit the hospital to care for his sick mother. MasterChef Australia is set to air its gripping Redemption episode on Wednesday night, in which former contestants return to prepare a meal for the current ones However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed in a trailer shared to social media that recently eliminated fan favourite Stephen Dennis (pictured), 62, isn't among them 'My mother is in hospital and is very unwell. My father passed away during Covid, so I need to support my mother and it would be unfair on my family to return to filming with this in mind,' he told Yahoo. Upon hearing the sad news, fellow eliminated contestant Juan De La Cruz - who is returning for the special - posted a heartfelt statement on social media: 'I'll miss you tonight @stevowildchef. Take care of your mum.' Earlier this year, Stephen had the judges falling over themselves after he impressed them with his kitchen and fitness skills. Stephen had the judges falling over themselves during Thursday's episode after he impressed them with his kitchen and fitness skills. The tour guide from Queensland worked hard to prepare a macadamia nut gateau for the judges during a difficult challenge. Fans took to social media to ask why Stephen was absent from the milestone episode Earlier this year, Stephen had the judges falling over themselves after he impressed them with his kitchen and fitness skills At one point, judge Poh Ling Yeow, 50, asked Stephen where he got the recipe for his incredible dish, and he replied he had been cooking for over 40 years - and then made a surprising confession. 'I was lucky enough to be picked for the first MasterChef in 2009, but unfortunately there was a cyclone and the road got closed because of a landslide,' he began. 'Mother Nature can change the direction of your life. 16 years I have been waiting, finally I am here, it's amazing!' Stephen later managed to impress the entire judging panel with his completed dish, and they told him he was one of the stand-outs of the night. WAG Chelsea Becirevic has clarified her real opinions on Adelaide after it was claimed she was warned about moving to the 'boring' city. The influencer, 24, followed her boyfriend Ivan Soldo to Adelaide last November when he was traded from Richmond to Port Adelaide. But seven months after the big move, Chelsea announced she is moving to Dubai to work for Emirates as she admitted living in Adelaide permanently wasn't for her. Replying to questions from her fans, she said she found adjusting to life in Adelaide 'a struggle' and is now relocating by herself, while Ivan will remain in the city. Now, Chelsea has clarified that she did enjoy her time there but opened up about how it was a big 'adjustment' moving to the smaller city from Melbourne. WAG Chelsea Becirevic has clarified her real opinions on Adelaide after it was claimed she was warned about moving to the 'boring' city 'Despite what everyone is saying. I did enjoy my time here in Adelaide, and if it wasn't for this exciting job opportunity, I would still be here,' she told The Advertiser. 'My move to Adelaide was a big adjustment and Adelaide is a lot quieter than what I was used to, coming from Melbourne, but I think I'm just a city girl at heart.' 'I know it's the right choice for me and I am so lucky to have such an amazing partner that supports me, and wherever Ivan is when I get back is where I will be too,' she added of her Dubai move. Chelsea gushed over Ivan's support of her big move and said people don't consider how challenging it is for WAGs to keep moving for their partners' careers. Chelsea and Ivan plan to continue their relationship long-distance while he will jet off and travel with her in the off-season. The influencer, 24, followed her boyfriend Ivan Soldo to Adelaide last November when he was traded from Richmond to Port Adelaide Earlier this week, Chelsea shared her excitement about her move to Dubai, admitting she had always wanted to work for Emirates and travel the world. Asked if she was taking anyone with her to Dubai, Chelsea shared: 'Doing this one solo. Never moved anywhere by myself so will be good to gain some independence. 'I've always wanted to move overseas, so I think it'll be an exciting new chapter for me.' She went on: 'He had to move to Adelaide for his career and tbh it's been a struggle for me. 'It [living in Adelaide] is just not for me permanently,' she added, followed by a black heart emoji. 'Temporarily it's fine. But long term in aus I think Melbourne or Gold Coast are for me... maybe even Syd.' But seven months after the big move, Chelsea announced she is moving to Dubai to work for Emirates as she admitted living in Adelaide permanently wasn't for her Now, Chelsea (pictured with Ivan) has clarified that she did enjoy her time there but opened up about how it was a big 'adjustment' moving to the smaller city from Melbourne In November, Chelsea admitted she had been told 'mixed reviews' about Adelaide as she shared she would be moving there to be with Ivan. 'Tbh [to be honest] can't say I ever thought I would ever move to Adelaide,' she wrote. 'I've never even been to Adelaide before so I actually have no idea what to expect and I hear so many mixed reviews. 'It's not forever, but who knows I could end up loving it. Excited for a new chapter and to meet some new people.' When the couple met two years ago, she at first ruled out a long-distance relationship, insisting it 'wasn't an option' for them. Caroline Stanbury has revealed she underwent plastic surgery on her face after losing weight with Ozempic, which 'took a toll on her body and face'. The Real Housewives of Dubai star, 48, who was previously in a relationship with Prince Andrew, told how she had her cheeks 'rebuilt' to appear more youthful. Speaking on her podcast, Uncut and Uncensored, with her husband Sergio Carrallo, 29, she also issued a warning to listeners about continually having facial fillers. Addressing the surgery, she said: 'I feel great because it takes a toll on your body and on your face. And so you lose the youthfulness of a full cheek. He has built my cheeks up, I don't know how he did it. Complimenting her new look, Sergio said: 'I look at you from here and I see this shiny little mountain under your eyes and it's like a cheek just built up, and it's so beautiful.' Caroline Stanbury underwent plastic surgery on her face after losing weight with Ozempic, which 'took a toll on her body and face' (pictured with her husband Sergio Carrallo) The Real Housewives of Dubai star, 48, who was previously in a relationship with Prince Andrew, told how she had her cheeks 'rebuilt' to appear more youthful Caroline also highlighted the importance of having filler dissolved before having more pumped into areas in your face. She said: 'Over the years it has been filler on top of filler on top of filler. Half of my surgery was removing all of the filler I had and he took three and a half inches off my neck,' She said: 'If you're not ready for a facelift or anything like that, what you should do is dissolve old fillers. 'Filler on top of filler on top of filler is a disaster, take it out and look at yourself again with a highly experienced doctor.' Sergio said: 'If they want to fix anything, before they fit it - they have to dissolve everything and start again. Caroline added: 'Yes, I did that in New York actually, I dissolved. And even just dissolved I looked better than I did. He said he had quite a hard time getting it out.' It comes as Caroline revealed she used Ozempic to help her shed pounds after gaining weight during a 'midlife crisis'. The British businesswoman candidly spoke about Hollywood's favorite weight-loss drug. It comes as Caroline revealed she used Ozempic to help her shed pounds after gaining weight during a 'midlife crisis'; (L) seen in January, (R) pictured in 2022 Caroline who had a facelift last year admitted it caused tension between her and her younger spouse. Sergio's desires for them to have shared meals together clashed with his preference for her having a slimmer figure. She shared: 'After 40 we all know it's very, very hard to lose weight. But I met so many 40-year-old women going "How have you done it?" And I don't want to lie to you, I've told you I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you're able to use it. 'What did Kate Moss say? Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. There's something to be said for that,' Caroline added. Sergio then explained their routine: 'We try to maintain a balance. If we have a big dinner, we try to just fast a little bit until breakfast.' He then told his wife: 'I think you found your balance now.' The pair also discussed arguing over their eating habits, as she described how he drives her 'nuts' by wanting to eat large meals together, but also likes for her to have a trim physique. 'Sergio is an eater, and he doesn't like to eat on his own. I don't need as much food as Sergio.' Sergio explained: 'If I love someone, it just makes you happy to see that person eating and enjoying pastry with you.' 'You can't say you like that body and then give me six pastries because it makes you more happy,' Caroline snapped back. Sergio retorted: 'I understand honey, obviously not. I love what you're doing now. Which is for example, today you're not having any pastries in the morning. You only had smoothies. But yesterday night you enjoyed our dinner with dessert. And you actually ate that.' Caroline did not specify how much weight she lost with the help of Ozempic, or when she started taking it. Sergio's desires for them to have shared meals together clashed with his preference for her having a slimmer figure 'After 40 we all know it's very, very hard to lose weight... I don't want to lie to you, I've told you I used Ozempic, which I think is one of the best tools if you're able to use it,' she shared However, fans have expressed their concerns on a number of her recent Instagram posts, fretting that the star is 'way too thin' now. 'If you get any skinner you be shopping in the Toddler section it's sad when you think you have the look like this because you Husband is younger it's a Mental Health issue,' one person wrote. 'It is very concerning because she looks so unhealthy. It is not slamming her it is frightening to see her so thin,' someone else wrote. Another comment read, 'The Ozempic really worked for you!' 'Ooo-ozempic or one of its cousins??' 'Can you share how you stay so thin in perimenopause,' another asked. 'Honey EAT!!!' a concerned follower pleaded. Caroline also gave her followers some beauty tips during the podcast, encouraging them to 'dissolve old fillers' if they are not ready for a facelift yet. 'Filler on top of filler on top of filler is a disaster. Take it out, look at yourself again, and start again with a highly experienced doctor. It's art,' she stated. Fans have expressed their concerns on a number of her recent Instagram posts, fretting that the star is 'too thin' now 'If you get any skinner you be shopping in the Toddler section it's sad when you think you have the look like this because you Husband is younger it's a Mental Health issue,' one person wrote 'It is very concerning because she looks so unhealthy. It is not slamming her it is frightening to see her so thin,' someone else wrote 'Way too thin!' yet another comment read 'Honey EAT!!!' a concerned follower pleaded Another comment read, 'The Ozempic really worked for you!' 'Ooo-ozempic or one of its cousins??' 'Can you share how you stay so thin in perimenopause,' someone else inquired A number of other comments asked the star to 'eat something' Earlier this week Caroline revealed she splashed out over $34,000 on a facelift after realizing that she 'couldn't go any further' with fillers alone. The star underwent the procedure in November and has now told The Sun she has no regrets. She said: 'They are great when you are young, but you get to a certain point and can't go further.' 'I should have dissolved them after a period of time, then started over again, because after a while, your face starts to look incredibly round. That's why I started to wonder if there is something else out there.' After liking a pal's facelift, Caroline took the plunge with a surgeon, but did fear that her children wouldn't recognize her new face. She added: 'I wanted my kids to recognize me, not go: ''Mummy, what have you done?''' Caroline previously offered insight into her experience having a facelift, admitting it left her looking like she'd 'been in a car crash' The TV personality was left covered in bandages following the cosmetic procedure, but she insisted the decision to go under the knife had nothing to do with her marriage to Sergio, who is 18-years her junior. Caroline previously revealed she splashed out over $34,000 on a facelift after realizing that she 'couldn't go any further' with fillers alone; Pictured following the procedure in November Asked why she had the facelift if she was confident in her husband, she said: 'This had zero to do with @sergiocarallo he begged me not to do it! I don't worry about my relationship with him one minute of the day.' In November Stanbury revealed that she had undergone her facelift in Los Angeles 'with no information whatsoever'. Since returning back to the UK she has appeared on her podcast Uncut and Uncensored with her Spanish husband. Caroline and Sergio got married on December 18, 2021. She was previously married to financier Cem Habib for 15 years before separating in 2019. The Vamps star Tristan Evans went public with his new actress and model girlfriend as he shared loved-up snaps with her over the weekend. The drummer, 29, - who has previously dated Lottie Moss - is now in a relationship with beauty Nikki Banner and has proudly showed her off on social media. Tristan is best known for being part of British band The Vamps along with Bradley Simpson, Connor Ball and James McVey. Tristan shared a clip of them kissing on Instagram as they enjoyed a day in London and had a trip on the London Eye, while she shared a romantic TikTok video. He wrote in the caption: 'Good to be back home, became a tourist for the day.' The Vamps star Tristan Evans went public with his new actress and model girlfriend as he shared loved-up snaps with her over the weekend The drummer, 29, - who has previously dated Lottie Moss - is now in a relationship with beauty Nikki Banner and has now proudly showed her off on social media His fans were quick to offer support on his new relationship status as one penned: 'it's good seeing u this happy', while another commented: 'd'awwwwwww, he has a girlfriend'. American Nikki describes herself as an actor on her Instagram page and is linked to a management firm. A week ago she shared a snap with Tristan as they hugged but didn't reveal his face as she penned in the caption: 'London with you' and a red heart emoji. In summer 2021 Tristan dated OnlyFans model Lottie, 26, for around four months before they later called things a day. Before Lottie Tristan got engaged to model Anastasia Smith in April 2018, after dating for four years, but by the autumn the pair had split, removing all pictures together from their social media profiles. Anastasia is now married to Aston Villa player Danny Ings. The pair had a beautiful Barbados beach wedding in November 2022. Danny previously dated Australian model Georgia Gibbs. In 2018, Danny split from Georgia after two years and began dating Brit beauty Ruby Blake, who once dated Love Island's Kem Cetinay. She shared a romantic TikTok video over the weekend too as they relaxed in a park and shared a kiss A week ago she shared a snap with Tristan as they hugged but didn't reveal his face as she penned in the caption: 'London with you' and a red heart emoji His fans were quick to offer support on his new relationship status as one penned: 'it's good seeing u this happy' Nikki often shares sizzling swimwear snaps to Instagram In summer 2021 Tristan dated OnlyFans model Lottie, 26, for around four months before they later called things a day Last November The Vamps drummer told Attitude that 'there shouldn't be any boundaries,' when it comes to sexuality. He said: 'Personally, yeah. I think I'm extremely open open-minded to try anything and very experimental, sexually, and when it comes to relationships. I've always been firm with what I am.' He added: 'One of the most beautiful moments in my life, one hundred per cent, is when my brother came out. He came out quite late I think he was 27 and I was one of the last people he told. 'He said, 'I was more worried about what the people close to me would think,' and I thought that was crazy. 'We live in 2020 and everyone, whatever they are, wherever they come from, whatever they look like, should be accepted He [my brother] is much more himself today because he came out, and I'm just so proud of him.' Australia's longest serving DJ Bob Rogers has died at the age of 97. The radio legend sadly passed away at his Mosman home surrounded by his family, with tributes flocking in from devastated fans. The 2CH broadcaster - who famously toured with The Beatles - is survived by his devoted wife of 74 years, Jerry, and their four daughters. Speaking on behalf of his family, Bob's friend Derryn Hinch paid tribute to the 'true icon and legend' in a touching statement. 'I grew up listening to him from across the ditch in New Zealand. He was a one-of-a-kind talent,' he told ABC News. Radio legend Bob Rogers has died at the age of 97. The Australian DJ passed away at his home surrounded by his family, with tributes flocking in from devastated fans 'He really was a legend, he was a radio icon in Australia. He will be badly missed.' During his 78 years on Sydney airwaves, Bob carved out a hugely successful radio career and memorably presented Australia's first Top 40 show back in 1958. In a huge career highlight, he was also sent to London in 1964 to join The Beatles as they made their way Down Under for their one and only Australian tour. Before his retirement in October 2020, Bob had presented the six-hour Saturday night Reminiscing program for more than 20 years on Sydney radio station 2CH. Fans took to social media to pay tribute to Bob as they shared their devastation over the sad news of his passing. During his 78 years on Sydney airwaves, Bob carved out a hugely successful radio career and memorably presented Australia's first Top 40 show back in 1958 They wrote: 'I am sad to hear that Radio Legend Bob Rogers has passed away. He was 97. 'He started his radio career during the 2nd world war and remarkably was still going up until a few years ago. I remember him on 3UZ in the 1970s'; 'Australian radio legend Bob Rogers has died at the ripe old age of 97. His illustrious career saw him still broadcasting into his nineties. I admired him enormously. He and John Laws were my radio heroes. Vale Bob Rogers'; 'The legendary Bob Rogers. Australia's first DJ in the halcyon top 40 days. Vale'; 'Bob Rogers: my condolences to his families and to all Australians!' Bob grew up in a two-bedroom home in country Victoria and went on to start his broadcasting career during World War Two. He began his career as a panel operator for 3XY in Melbourne in 1942 and went on to work six days a week as a radio announcer in Hobart. After helming Australia's first Top 40 show on 2UE from 1958 until 1962, Bob became a nationally known name, kickstarting his legendary seven-decade-long career. In a huge career highlight, he was also sent to London in 1964 to join The Beatles as they made their way Down Under for their one and only Australian tour He was selected to represent 2SM on The Beatles tour around Australia and recorded a whole string of radio interviews with them in 1964. During the life-changing tour, Bob even took his two eldest daughters to meet them during their travels. Bob's youngest daughter Skye, who is a commercial artist, was known as the 'Beatles baby' because she was conceived just after his travels with the famous band. Skye told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2013: 'They called me the Beatles baby. I was conceived just after Bob travelled around Australasia with the Beatles [in 1964], the tour that changed his life. 'By the time I came along, the fourth girl, I think Bob was hoping for a boy.' Speaking on behalf of his family, Bob's friend Derryn Hinch paid tribute to the 'true icon and legend' in a touching statement Bob added: 'I had been hoping for a son, I couldn't believe we had a fourth girl. The day after she was born, I was on Tonight with Don Lane and he congratulated me and I said, "After four daughters, Skye's the limit" - that is the name of her company now.' The radio legend joined 2CH radio in November 1995 and went on to present on the channel with his hugely popular Reminiscing program for more than 20 years. Bob was on Australian airwaves for almost 80 years before his retirement from 2CH four years ago, which came after he suffered a minor stroke. He said at the time of his retirement: 'I have absolutely loved my time in this industry I have met so many wonderful people and built such a treasured connection with my listeners and team, but at my age (93 years) I feel it's the perfect time to say goodbye and hand over the microphone to my fellow presenters.' Married At First Sight star Jack Dunkley stripped down to a pair of boxers on Wednesday to promote a range of vibrators. The personal trainer, 34, ensured all eyes were on him as he stood in a bathroom nonchalantly and flaunted his rock hard abs and bulging biceps alongside two very distinct adult toys. While many of Jack's fans applauded the reality star's physique in the comments section, two MAFS grooms opted to go rogue by posting their revolting, unprintable thoughts. Season 10 star Jesse Burford suggested Jack should release his own blow up doll so he could use it in the privacy of his bedroom. Meanwhile, season 11 star Ben Walters opted to list all the creative ways he would like to please Jack that were far too graphic to publish Married At First Sight star Jack Dunkley stripped down to a pair of boxers on Wednesday to promote a range of vibrators. The personal trainer, 34, ensured all eyes were on him as he stood in a bathroom nonchalantly and flaunted his rock hard abs and bulging biceps alongside two very distinct adult toys While many of Jack's fans applauded the reality star's physique in the comments section, two MAFS grooms opted to go rogue by posting their revolting, unprintable thoughts Jack took the comments in good stride and cheekily responded to Ben: 'Just for that comment, I'm posting you an extra freebie.' It comes after Jack revealed whether he and girlfriend Tori, 27, are planning to have a baby in the next two years. The personal trainer made the confession during an Instagram Q&A when a follower asked him about his family plans. 'Babies anytime soon?' the fan asked. Jack responded: 'Tori and I are happy building the life we want to lead at the moment. Many things we wish to accomplish first. I've said two years.' It comes after Jack revealed whether he and girlfriend Tori, 27, are planning to have a baby in the next two years. Both pictured The personal trainer made the confession during an Instagram Q&A when a follower asked him about his family plans Jack and his MAFS wife Tori Adams (left), 27, were arguably the most controversial couple of the 2024 series and their relationship is going as strong as ever Jack and Tori were arguably the most controversial couple of the 2024 series. However, they have been going strong ever since leaving the Channel Nine dating experiment and recently provided fans with an update on their relationship. Jack recently gushed that he and Tori have never been happier after they moved in together on the Gold Coast. 'We're really good, going from strength to strength,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Jack and Tori famously fell out with their co-stars on the show over judgements about their relationship, and Jack shared some parting words with his castmates. 'I wish everyone all the best. I don't hold massive grudges. I feel like you just move on and get on with your life and karma will come around and get the people that deserve it,' he said. Giovanni Pernice has taken a swipe at his former dance partner Amanda Abbington as he battles accusations of abuse when they trained together on Strictly. The professional dancer, 33, has strongly denied any allegations of 'threatening and abusive' behaviour while rehearsing for the live shows. Giovanni quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month amid a 'serious misconduct' probe - after his recent dance partner Amanda filed a complaint against him. It emerged that an investigation was launched into claims surrounding Giovanni's behaviour on Strictly, with three of his former partners banding together - Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh. He has been hit by a string of allegations from former celebrity partners on the BBC show, with the channel forced to investigate 'serious workplace misconduct claims' after three of his celebrity partners sought legal help. Giovanni Pernice has taken a swipe at his former dance partner Amanda Abbington as he battles accusations of abuse when they trained together on Strictly The professional dancer, 33, has strongly denied any allegations of 'threatening and abusive' behaviour while rehearsing for the live shows' (pictured with Amanda) Giovanni has now indirectly offered his thoughts on the matter, by 'liking' a comment left by one of his fans in the comments section of a recent post Giovanni has now indirectly offered his thoughts on the matter, by 'liking' a comment left by one of his fans in the comments section of a recent post. The comment suggests that Amanda did not have the 'mental strength' to compete on the BBC latin and ballroom show. The message appeared underneath a video of Giovanni and his girlfriend Molly Brown enjoying a recent getaway to Portugal. She said: 'Keep your chin up Gio, unlucky that someone decided to partner you with someone who didn't have the mental strength to participate in Strictly. 'The frustration I have is that no 'official' complaint has been made, it's all innuendo by one partner when the other two have jumped in the bandwagon. 'If' things were so bad why has no one picked up in the last nine seasons either in the programme itself or during the tour?' The comment went on to reference Giovanni's previous partners, Ranvir and Laura, who are seeking legal action against him, reading: 'These partners may have had issues but as far as I can tell did not make anything official... 'But now they have banded together they appear to have hired a 700 an hour lawyer, one thing is for sure my license fee better not be picking up this bill, they can pay it out of their fee for appearing in Strictly. Giovanni quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month amid a 'serious misconduct' probe - after his recent dance partner Amanda filed a complaint against him It emerged that a n investigation was launched into claims surrounding Giovanni's behaviour on Strictly, with three of his former partners banding together - Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh 'Like I say, let Gio see the accusations and let professionals like Arlene Phillips review. So fed up of AA, LW and RS systematically trying to ruin a professional's reputation. Let's get this sorted once and for all, all started when one woman, who was already going through a lot in her personal life, couldn't take the added pressure of professional dancing, which is a great shame.' Three women, whose identities haven't been confirmed by Strictly or Giovanni, have sought the services of law firm Carter-Ruck to investigate Giovanni's behaviour. A Carter Ruck spokeswoman 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.' Giovanni has strongly denied that there is any truth to allegations which have been made against him. Taking to Instagram, Giovanni said: 'To my dear fans, You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name. 'Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive. No-one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me. I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be. This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win - for me and my dance partners.' It comes after it was reported that a second show Giovanni is involved in has been shelved amid the ongoing investigation into his behaviour backstage. Last week it was said that Giovanni's BBC travel show Anton & Giovannis Adventures, alongside Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, had been put on hold amid the probe. And on Tuesday it was revealed that Channel 4 programme Celebrity Hunted - which the star filmed last year - had also been postponed indefinitely A source told The Sun: 'This will be gutting for Gio, as he's seen himself get increasing amounts of work beyond the dance show. 'It's particularly galling as Celebrity Hunted is a programme designed as a fundraising and awareness raising vehicle for their Stand Up 2 Cancer appeal. Presenter Laura Whitmore is also said to have discussed her experience with Giovanni with Amanda Abbington While the three celebrities making allegations have not been named, Ranvir Singh, who partnered with Giovanni, met with Amanda to discuss her experience 'That's something he very much wanted to be a part of, so it is a huge disappointment to know it probably won't see the light of day while the investigation is ongoing. Giovanni filmed Celebrity Hunted - which sees pairs go on the run to try and avoid the hunters [surveillance experts] - in May 2023 with fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington. The dancers were one of four pairs on the show, including pals Christine McGuinness and Duncan James, soap stars Danielle Harold and Kimberly Hart-Simpson and husband and wife duo Denise Welch and Lincoln Townley. Celebrity Hunted was aired around March in both 2022 and 2023, so fans had expected to see a season around the same time this year. Giovanni has been hit by a string of allegations from former celebrity partners on the BBC show, with the channel forced to investigate 'serious workplace misconduct claims' after three of his celebrity partners sought legal help. A source told The Mirror: 'This has been a really difficult time for Giovanni but the tour with Anton is going ahead. 'There is no reason for it to be cancelled or even postponed. Gio has not been found guilty of anything, though he is the subject of much speculation. 'The Back Together tour will go ahead, and he and Anton will be standing up on stage together as they have done for many tours.' Anton is said to be 'hugely standing by' Giovanni Pernice after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC's 'serious misconduct' probe. The pair are appearing together in a live show called Giovanni and Anton Together: The Live Tour, which will begin in June and last until the end of July - and the duo began rehearsals on Monday. Giovanni posted a video of the pair on his Instagram Stories and the accompanying promo photo shows the two men hugging one another, showing they are the best of friends. Anton opened the clip by saying: 'First day of rehearsals, always my favourite day. Second day, less so,' to which Giovanni laughed. Meanwhile, Giovanni's pal Anton Du Beke is standing by his friend as it's emerged the pair's tour won't be axed following the allegations Giovanni was said to be 'fully co-operating' with the BBC's investigation, and has launched a fight back by legal firm Schillings. A source told The Sun: 'Giovanni and Anton had conversations about another travel show and had discussed where they could go next after their trips to Sicily and Spain. 'But Giovanni has now been told this won't be happening and there will not be another series. 'It's embarrassing because he'd actively hinted about getting another run but all discussions are off and he's been told the show is on the scrap heap now.' Giovanni has also signed with talent agency Off Limits in a bid to rebuild his profile, after multiple Strictly co-stars remained silent on the claims he's facing. On Wednesday, Schillings confirmed they had been hired by the troubled Strictly dancer, in what television insiders describe as a 'bold move' after his former dancer Amanda and two other women instructed lawyers at Carter Ruck to complain to the BBC. During their controversial Italian jaunt last year Kanye West and Bianca Censori came under fire for their wild outfits and public indecency. Their lengthy tour of the likes Florence, Verona and Milan came under such scrutiny that furious Italians demanded they be banned from the country, while one water taxi company in Venice was certainly pleased to see the back of them. So eyebrows were raised when the couple returned to Italy on Monday, touching down in Florence in yet another eye-catching ensemble. With Kanye, 46, predicted to be heading out on a world tour this summer, the couple have been making the most of their downtime. It could be that they chose to return to Italy - despite backlash from residents - in order to visit Bianca's family, after the 29-year-old architect's Italian family revealed they were 'shunned' on their last trip to the country. Dressed up to see the in laws? Kanye West and pillow wielding Bianca Censori returned to Florence on Monday after upsetting Bianca's Italian family by shunning them last year Bianca's grandparents Filippo and Grazia Censori emigrated from Giulianova in 1960. Pictured L-R Bianca's mother Alexandra, Bianca, sisters Alyssia and Angelina Bianca's Italian born father Elia 'Leo' Censori (pictured) was a gambling kingpin who did hard time over a heroin bust In an exclusive chat with MailOnline last year, Bianca's cousin Fabiola Censori, who lives in Giulianova, said the family felt ignored by her. Fabiola said: 'We haven't seen anything of Bianca's family here for years. 'The eldest of my uncle's children used to visit for a while but they stopped coming back to Italy years ago. 'I've never met Bianca but I would love to - it was a shame she didn't come and visit us when she was here in Italy on holiday. 'We could have shown her where her dad and his brothers and sisters and her grandparents grew up. 'Her dad came here years ago and we had a beautiful evening together with all the family and it was wonderful to see him but as for Bianca and Kanye no comment. We feel a bit ignored.' Another relative, who asked to be named only as Andrea, added: 'I've never met Bianca but I'm hoping that next time she is in Italy she will come and visit us. 'I've heard all about her from other relatives and she sounds good fun I imagine an evening out with her and Kanye would be very interesting.' Bianca's grandparents Filippo and Grazia Censori emigrated from Giulianova in 1960 with their five children. Shipping manifests show how Filippo and Grazia, then both aged 35, embarked on a ship at Genoa with Edmondo, Eliseo, Elia, Elena and Eris before reaching Melbourne. The family moved in search of a new life just a few years after they were hit by tragedy when Bianca's then five-year-old great uncle Gianfranco died from measles. They set up home in the new arrivals' village of Bonegilla, which was the setting of the BBC series Ten Pound Poms earlier this year starring Michelle Keegan. Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori had all eyes on them as they touched down in Florence, Italy, on Monday The rapper, 46, and the Australian beauty, 29, showed off their eye-popping styles, with Bianca sporting a unique white pillow accessory over her chest The architect showed off her incredible figure in a shiny white thong bodysuit that highlighted her pert derriere Bianca hails from a notorious crime family in Australia. Her uncle Edmondo, 78, is a notorious gangster whose fearsome reputation earned him the nickname of the 'Al Capone of Melbourne'. Bianca's father Elia 'Leo' Censori, 69, did jail time for possessing a prohibited heroic import and a loaded firearm. While youngest sibling Eris, Bianca's uncle is a convicted murderer who had been sent down for execution but was later given a life sentence. Edmondo has convictions for assaulting police, making threats and theft, and was also once implicated in a murder but never charged. One relative in Giulianova said: 'Wow. I'm shocked. We didn't know anything about that. 'We knew Edmondo was a businessman involved in slot machines but that's it. He was also a good boxer as well. He was short but he was powerful.' It was during the 1980s that Leo's brother Eris, who was dubbed the Al Capone of Melbourne, found himself facing the death sentence for the murder of a waiter in Western Australia. With capital punishment later abolished, his sentence was commuted to life and he was transferred back to Melbourne in 1987 so he could be closer to his family and eventually released on parole. Bianca's family will no doubt be aware they're in the country as it was impossible to miss them this week. The rapper and the Australian beauty showed off their eye-popping styles, with Bianca sporting a unique white pillow accessory over her chest. The look was similar to the purple cushion she donned in Florence last year during their controversial European trip which sparked accusations of indecent exposure in order to cover up her cleavage. The architect showed off her incredible figure in a shiny white thong bodysuit that highlighted her pert derriere. She completed the outfit with thigh-high black leather boots with open toes. Her raven tresses were slicked down in her signature chic bun. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian's ex-husband was covered up, wearing a white zip-up hoodie and a pair of matching sweatpants. The Donda musician held one protective arm around his wife, while clutching a stack of papers with his other hand. The father-of-four finalized his outfit with white sneakers. Poll Do you like Bianca Censori's outfit? Yes No Do you like Bianca Censori's outfit? Yes 4394 votes No 51632 votes Now share your opinion Last year Bianca wore a slew of eccentric outfits during the couple's Italian getaway. At one point she was spotted walking the streets of Florence almost topless while holding a purple cushion over her chest to cover up her breasts. No strangers to scandal, Kanye and Bianca continuously raised eyebrows over their choices in clothing, with Bianca's barely-there looks sparking fury from locals. At the time her sheer and mesh outfits, which left her breasts clearly visible, were described by social media users as 'disrespectful' in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage. There were even calls are being made for Kanye and Bianca to be arrested, after they were spotted enjoying an amorous moment on a boat, with Kanye exposing his bare buttocks in front of gawking tourists. Images of the couple showed the American rapper seated at the back of the river taxi while Bianca placed her head in his lap. Online critics have argued that the flesh-baring display constituted 'public indecency.' The trip comes after Bianca's solo getaway to her native Australia. On Saturday she was spotted back home without her rapper husband. The model was seen eating lunch at the trendy Mario's Cafe in Fitzroy, Melbourne with her parents, the Herald Sun reports. In contrast to her usually racy get ups, Bianca, who works as the head of architecture at Kanye's Yeezy brand, was wearing a khaki Miu Miu sweater dress and 'blended in with the lunch crowd' the Herald Sun claims. The look was similar to the purple cushion she donned in Florence last year during their controversial European trip in order to cover up her cleavage Her raven tresses were slicked down in her signature chic bun The Donda musician held one protective arm around his wife, while clutching a stack of papers with his other hand Unlike his wife, Kanye was covered up, wearing a white zip-up hoodie and a pair of matching sweatpants Bianca and Kanye's relationship has come under scrutiny amid reports the Heartless hitmaker has instructed her to 'never speak'. He's also reportedly issued a set of rules to live by, including specific foods she can eat and what she can wear, a source close to the Australian architect has claimed. The sources said Bianca has 'no mind of her own anymore' and instead simply 'obeys' the controversial rapper, who also goes by the name 'Ye', because he has convinced her they have 'royal' status. 'Kanye has a set of rules for Bianca, which includes never speak and wear what he wants her to wear,' the source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'She is also required to eat certain food items and to work out even though Kanye doesnt work out. 'She has no mind of her own anymore and obeys him because he has convinced her that they are royal.' 'A few of her friends were finally able to reach her but she wasnt interested in talking, nor was she interested in anyones concerns for her,' a close friend told DailyMail.com. Bianca's loved ones are also said to be concerned her husband Kanye is 'dragging her into the adult film world' and using her to promote his new Yeezy Porn venture, insiders claim. The Grammy winner whose daughter North West, 10, recently landed a coveted role in the Lion King anniversary concert has been lambasted by fans for appearing to dismiss the Christian beliefs he had previously prioritized so publicly. Controversial trip: The couple have been to Venice, Milan and Florence in recent months - but haven't been to see any of her relatives there The father-of-four finalized his outfit with white sneakers In 2023 Censori wore a slew of eccentric outfits during the couple's Italian getaway At the time her sheer and mesh outfits were described by social media users as 'disrespectful' in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage Bianca's family and friends are said to be among the critics and fear the architectural designer will be 'used' to 'promote sexual indecency' by the controversial musician. 'Bianca's family was willing to give Kanye the benefit of the doubt after her mum's recent visit to LA,' an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'For Bianca's sake they were willing to overlook his anti-Semitic remarks and inappropriate behavior. 'They were even trying to accept that he was not forcing Bianca to do anything. They were aware of Kanye and Bianca's project to create and sell their own brand of clothing. 'But with two feminist sisters and an equally feminist mother, it is hard to rationalize or accept her involvement in this new venture.' They continued: 'The fact that he is dragging her into the adult film world with him and using her as a billboard already to promote sexual indecency is absolutely appalling and very worrying. 'They feel he has convinced her that this is a good idea because it will make them wealthier.' The source said her loved ones fear the new move could be detrimental to their marriage, as Kanye previously claimed his ex-wife Kim filed for divorce over his porn addiction. 'Her family and friends are aware of Kanyes history with pornography which makes it even more concerning,' they said. 'What is it going to do to his marriage with Bianca? He is already using her as a walking billboard for indecency.' Their fears have reportedly risen after Milo Yiannopoulos, the Chief of Staff of Kanye's Yeezy brand, officially quit because he could not be 'complicit in the production and dissemination of pornographic films and literature for moral and religious reasons.' Last year while the couple was in Florence, Bianca was seen in a sheer beige bodysuit with a velvet purple pillow over her chest Bianca has become synonymous with wearing X-rated outfits - from barely-there bodysuits and sheer tights to micro shorts - since she secretly married Kanye in December 2022. Kanye's plan for a Yeezy Porn studio has mainly led to a wave of backlash from fans who gravitated to him in recent years when he turned his focus toward Christian-themed music, including his 2019 album Jesus Is King and his Sunday Services. Kanye was previously married to reality star Kim, 43, for nearly seven years. The duo wed in 2014 before Kardashian filed for divorce in 2021. Aside from North, they also share younger daughter Chicago, five, and sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, four. Mamie Laverock's When Calls The Heart family have called for 'prayer and love' for their co-star, saying they 'need a miracle' as the 19-year-old remains on life support after suffering 'life-threatening injuries' during a five-story fall. The teenage actress was rushed to hospital after falling from a balcony walkway located on the fifth floor of a building on Sunday. Her parents revealed the devastating news in a GoFundMe campaign which stated: 'She sustained life-threatening injuries, has undergone multiple extensive surgeries, and is currently on life support. We are all devastated, in shock, at this intensely difficult time.' Castmates such as Johannah Newmarch and Erin Krakow have since shared public messages of support as they called for fans to help. Mitchell Kummen, who played Gabriel 'Gabe' Montgomrey, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: 'Please pray for my friend Mamie. We need a miracle and the power of prayer and love." Mamie Laverock's When Calls The Heart family have called for 'prayer and love' for their co-star as she remain on life support after falling from the fifth floor of a building on Sunday Laverock on When Calls the Heart in 2014 with co-star Erin Krakow, who told fans: 'I just donated. If you have the means to do so, I hope you will too.' Newmarch, who plays Laverock's on-screen mother Molly Sullivan, also shared her support in a post on X. 'I love this family, my heart is broken. A devastating time for all who care for Mamie. Please help if you can,' Newmarch, 52, wrote on May 27. 'They need all the support they can get to make it through this.' Erin Krakow, known for her role of Elizabeth Thatcher, also shared a photo of the family's fund which asked for $10,000. 'I just donated. If you have the means to do so, I hope you will too. Link in bio,' she wrote. Loretta Walsh, who portrays the role of Florence Blakeley, also asked followers to support the campaign on Instagram as she pleaded: 'Please donate and share if you can. Mamie and her family need our support. Link in bio. Thank you.' The campaign was also shared by Ava Grace Cooper, who plays Opal Weise. She wrote on her Instagram Stories: 'Sending love to Mamie and family.' Andrea Brooks, who plays the role of Faith Carter, has also posted on her Instagram Stories: 'This is heartbreaking news for the entire WCTH family. We love you Mamie.' Other castmates such as Mitchell Kummen, Johannah Newmarch and Loretta Walsh have since shared public messages of support as they called for fans to help 'My family sends all of our love', Gracyn Shinyei, the actress who plays Emily Montgomery, stated as she shared the link on Instagram Stories. Fans have since been flocking to the TV star's social media to send messages of support. The actress's last post on Facebook contained images of the star and her siblings enjoying a blissful vacation together in Hawaii. She captioned the May 18 post: 'April 28 Kona, Hawaii. Such a nice time together.' One concerned fan stated: 'Lord, hear out prayers for this family.' Laverlock first had a 'medical emergency' on May 11 and was taken by her mother Nicole Compton to the hospital in Winnipeg. It was stated on a GoFundMe account that Nicole had 'saved her daughter's life' by doing so. Then Laverlock was taken to a Vancouver hospital. 'We are trying to go every day to support her. Any contributions would help us be by her side,' it was shared. The actress's last post on Facebook contained images of the star and her siblings enjoying a blissful vacation together in Hawaii She captioned the May 18 post: 'April 28 Kona, Hawaii. Such a nice time together' But at some point she fell five stories off a walkway, it was then claimed, causing the intense injuries. 'We are deeply saddened to report that on May 26th, Mamie, who has been in intensive treatment for the past two weeks, was escorted out of a secure unit of the hospital and taken up to a balcony walkway from which she fell five stories,' it was written on a GoFundMe campaign created by her family. 'She sustained life threatening injuries, has undergone multiple extensive surgeries, and is currently on life support.' Laverock played nursing student Rosaleen Sullivan for the first two seasons on When Calls The Heart. She was also appeared in season 10. As recently as March 26, Laverock was on a Zoom interview on the Heart to Hearties podcast. Her parents previously revealed: 'She sustained life-threatening injuries, has undergone multiple extensive surgeries, and is currently on life support' As recently as March 26, Laverock was on a Zoom interview on the Heart to Hearties podcast Laverock got her start in 2012's This Means War starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. She later reprised her role in 2023 for the show's 10th season. Her role was cut, however. She also appeared in 2018s Wedding Of Dreams with Debbie Gibson, Robert Gant, and Pascale Hutton. And she was in the 2017 horror The Hollow Child, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events in 2019 and the 2020 Lifetime movie Spotlight on Christmas. When Calls the Heart airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel. Sian Welby looked to be on cloud nine as she flashed a beaming smile while leaving Global Radio studios in central London on Wednesday. The pregnant radio presenter, 37, showcased her blossoming baby bump in a form-fitting nude dress, which she paired with some cream loafers. The Capital Breakfast host carried a large brown Louis Vuitton bag and a smaller cross-body black bag, to which she attached a Baby On Board badge. Her dress was mid-ankle length and she paired it with gold necklaces, and silver rings and a bangle. To her dress, Sian pinned her Alzheimers Society Forget me not badge - the flower has long since been associated with dementia. Sian Welby, 37, looked to be on cloud nine as she flashed a beaming smile while leaving Global Radio studios in central London on Wednesday The Capital Breakfast host showcased her blossoming baby bump and carried a large brown Louis Vuitton bag and a smaller cross-body black bag To her dress, Sian pinned her Alzheimers Society Forget me not badge - the flower has long since been associated with dementia May marks the charitys Forget Me Not appeal which aims to raise awareness and money for everyone living with dementia. Sian revealed in January that her father Ian, 84, was battling vascular dementia, dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) which impact memory, thinking and behaviour. More than 900,000 people are living with dementia across the United Kingdom. Sian told This Morning at the time: 'It's one of the most devastating, my dad's going through it, he has vascular dementia. 'You're scared to lose a person that you know, it is quite frightening! Like you say, would I want to take a test knowing I could be susceptible to it? 'It's hard to know! I don't know if I want to know, is ignorance bliss? But then again, if I could do something about it? On Tuesday gone's This Morning, Sian, who is 37 weeks pregnant, revealed she was 'forced to urinate in the middle of the A3' after being trapped in horrendous traffic at the weekend. Sian revealed in January that her father Ian, 84, (both pictured) was battling vascular dementia, dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain On Tuesday gone's This Morning, Sian, who is 37 weeks pregnant, revealed she was 'forced to urinate in the middle of the A3' after being trapped in horrendous traffic at the weekend She said: 'I had to do a wee in the middle of the road, into the bush and I didn't dare go in there as it was full of brambles and nettles'. The person she was travelling with captured the hilarious moment on camera, with Sian darting to try and find some privacy so she could wee. Presenters Dermot OLeary, Josie Gibson and Giles Brandreth broke out into laughter at the scenes, with Giles saying: 'Is this you coming back from your wee? Now I've seen it all. Morning television isn't what it used to be, is it?' Dermot added: 'The mystique is definitely gone, but who doesn't love a pee-pee rustique from time to time?' This prompted Sian to admit: 'Do you know what? It was exhilarating.' Sian kept her followers up-to-date with the horrendous traffic on social media which took almost five hours to clear. As the traffic started to move, the pregnant star filmed the 'reported roadworks' which hadn't even occurred with a row of traffic cones causing the chaos that brought the motorway to a standstill. Sian is expecting her first child with her Heart producer fiance Jake Beckett. Also at the studios on Wednesday was Heart FM presenter Ashley Roberts who went braless in light cream suit. The star wore a vest with faux pockets and matched it with high-waisted trousers and a weaved saddle bag. Also at the studios on Wednesday was Heart FM presenter Ashley Roberts who stunned in light cream The star wore a vest with faux pockets and matched it with high-waisted trousers and a weaved saddle bag The former Pussycat Dolls star accessorised with pointy white heels and small oval-shaped black sunglasses Ashley opted to largely skip the jewellery for this trip to work, but still wore a singular thin silver ring She is the showbiz reporter for Heart Breakfast and also hosts her own show on Heart 00s every Saturday night Ashley has been dating tattoo artist George Rollinson, 25, for several months and the two finally went Instagram official in April The former Pussycat Dolls star accessorised with pointy white heels and small oval-shaped black sunglasses. Ashley opted to largely skip the jewellery for this trip to work, but still wore a singular thin silver ring. She is the showbiz reporter for Heart Breakfast and also hosts her own show on Heart 00s every Saturday night. Ashley has been dating tattoo artist George Rollinson, 25, for several months and the two finally went Instagram official in April. Longtime friends Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have learned to 'rely on each other' while navigating the ups and downs of Hollywood. The performers, who are in July's Deadpool & Wolverine, have been close friends for several years and are well-known for their long-running fake feud. Now they have told People what makes them so close. Reynolds, 47, compared their connection to a marriage: 'I think the secret sauce to a long-lasting Hollywood friendship is not too dissimilar to having a partner or a marriage.' He then brought up his marriage to siren Blake Lively, with whom he shares four children. Ryan added: 'I am genuinely rooting for you, all the time. I want you to win. It's the same way I feel about Blake. As I'm rooting for her, I know she's rooting for me, and it's why we're so connected.' Longtime friends Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman stated that they have learned to 'rely on each other' while navigating the ups and downs of Hollywood; seen in 2022 Ryan talked to People about how their friendship is like a marriage; seen in Deadpool & Wolverine The Free Guy star went on to speak about how his first meeting with Jackman immediately eased his tensions about working with the high-profile actor on the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He recalled: 'Just the fact that you knew my name meant so much to me. And you came over, you gave me a big hug and you said, "Welcome aboard."' Jackman then opened up about how he considered Reynolds to be one of his closest friends and discussed how they had become completely trusting of one another over the years. He stated: 'There's probably fewer friends in our life that you can say anything to, the stuff you're ashamed, embarrassed, anything.' 'You can tell me anything and I can tell you anything, and I don't feel like you're going to be judging or necessarily giving me the answer,' he added. Reynolds and Jackman are set to reprise their roles as Wade Wilson and James 'Logan' Howlett, respectively, in Deadpool & Wolverine. The feature is centered on the mercenary of the same name as he encounters the former X-Men member during a universe-altering mission. In addition to the actors, the cast of the film includes Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin and Leslie Uggams. He then brought up his marriage to siren Blake Lively, with whom he shares four children. Ryan added: 'I am genuinely rooting for you, all the time. I want you to win. It's the same way I feel about Blake. As I'm rooting for her, I know she's rooting for me, and it's why we're so connected.' Seen in 2016 Jackman then opened up about how he considered Reynolds to be one of his closest friends and discussed how they had become completely trusting of one another over the years; seen in 2023 Reynolds and Jackman are set to reprise their roles as Wade Wilson and James 'Logan' Howlett, respectively, in Deadpool & Wolverine Deadpool And Wolverine is currently scheduled to make its debut on July 26 Although Jackman planned to cease playing Wolverine after the release of 2019's Logan, he changed his mind during the upcoming movie's process of development. Physical production on the film commenced in March of last year, although it was delayed by the onset of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The upcoming feature's cast and crew eventually reconvened and wrapped this past July. Deadpool & Wolverine is currently scheduled to make its debut on July 26. Emily Ratajkowski put on a head-turning display for a casual stroll through New York City on Wednesday. The influencer - who recently shared sexy bikini photos during her trip to Monaco - donned a cleavage-baring dress and unmissable pair of bright red sneakers as she trekked through the concrete jungle. Emily's dress contained a plunging neckline and lace detailing that flashed a hint of skin. She wore her brunette hair down in a silky, sleek style and shielded her eyes with edgy yellow frames. The Gone Girl actress, 32, also rocked layers of gold necklaces, metallic bracelets, and hoop earrings. Emily Ratajkowski put on a head-turning display for a casual stroll through New York on Wednesday She looked relaxed as she strolled through the Big Apple, at one point running her hand through her silky brown locks. Emily is back in New York following a recent getaway to Monaco, where she attended the Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday. But on Monday, she was relaxing by the ocean in her bikini. She shared a slew of sizzling snaps of herself relaxing by the shore in her sexy swimsuit on Memorial Day. 'monaco!' she captioned the post. Earlier this month, the busy mom sat down for an interview with The New York Times Modern Love podcast and revealed she's not focused on finding a romantic relationship right now. Emily who shares three-year-old son Sylvester with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard said: 'I take care of so much in my life. 'I take care of my son, I take care of my home, I take care of my schedule, his schedule, my career. The influencer donned a cleavage-baring dress and unmissable pair of bright red sneakers as she trekked through the concrete jungle The star appeared relaxed and in good spirits for her casual stroll The Gone Girl actress, 32, also rocked layers of gold necklaces, metallic bracelets, and hoop earrings She ran her hands through her silky locks 'The burden of the finances is on me and I don't have a family supporting me financially or any of that,' she said. She continued: 'I often think about how much I want to be taken care of and I experience that with my female friendships in different ways. 'I have wonderful, wonderful friends who do know when to take care of me and how to take care of me.' Emily added: 'It feels really hard to imagine somebody who's more capable than me or who could understand my needs in that way.' It comes after Emily shared numerous bikini snaps on Memorial Day The sizzling photos were taken during her recent trip to Monaco 'monaco!' she captioned the post Ratajkowski filed for divorce from the Uncut Gems producer in September 2022. In addition to modeling, the catwalk veteran also designs her swimwear brand iNAMORATA. Her book of essays, My Body, became a New York Times bestseller in 2021. And she hosted the podcast High/Low with Emrata from November 2022-November 2023. Irina Shayk showed off her chic sense of style and mile-long legs on her latest jaunt through New York City. The Russian bombshell, 38, wore tiny denim shorts with a denim shirt and a black blazer on Wednesday. But the star of her outfit was her black cowgirl knee-high boots which featured slouchy calves and were trimmed with fringe. The mom of Lea De Seine, aged seven, with ex Bradley Cooper wore her hair down and covered her eyes with sunglasses. Irina alternately walked and carried her cute black pooch. Irina Shayk showed off her chic sense of style and mile-long legs on her latest jaunt through New York City The Russian bombshell, 38, wore tiny denim shorts with a denim shirt and a black blazer The new snaps come after the model and her young daughter enjoyed a Memorial Day getaway at the beach. Last year, Irina opened up with co-parenting with the Oscar nominee, calling him the 'best father.' 'We always find a way,' she told Elle. 'He's the best father Lea and I could dream of. It always works, but it always works because we make it work.' 'We both take Lea everywhere with us,' Shayk said. 'She's super easy. Two days ago, I had to go to the gym, so I just got her a drawing book and said, "Mama's working out." She was drawing for an hour. 'Then we went to the Michael Kors fitting. She met all the girls. Michael gave her a bag. She drew him a kitty cat.' Irina and Bradley were first linked in 2015 before going public as a couple in 2016, welcoming their little girl in 2017 and then parting ways two years later. Shortly after their breakup, TMZ reported they had decided to split custody and to both remain based in New York in order to make joint parenting easier. In fact she and Bradley are such close co-parents that they have made sure to live just blocks apart in Greenwich Village in order to raise their daughter. But the star of her outfit was her black boots which featured slouchy calves and were trimmed with fringe The mom of Lea De Seine, 7, with ex Bradley Cooper wore her hair down and covered her eyes with sunglasses. Irina alternately walked and carried her cute black pooch The new snaps come after the model and her young daughter enjoyed a Memorial Day getaway at the beach 'We always find a way,' she told Elle. 'He's the best father Lea and I could dream of. It always works, but it always works because we make it work' 'He's a full-on, hands-on dad - no nanny,' Irina told Highsnobiety. 'Lea went on holiday with him for almost two weeks - I didn't call them once.' 'My daughter is a big part of why I started to love myself even more. She'll say, "I love Daddy so much, I love Mama so much, I love Nana, I love Babulya-" who is my mom,' she told Harper's Bazaar. 'Then she goes, "And I really love myself." And I'm looking at my daughter and I'm like, "Wow, I wasn't like that at six-years-old." You know what I mean? I didn't have her thoughts at six-years-old,' she explained to the outlet. 'But this is what we need to teach our kids. We're teaching our daughter that the most important thing is to be kind to people.' This Morning's Gino D'Acampo showed off his dashing new moustache on Wednesday - with fans left in shock by the dramatic transformation. The Italian chef, 47, returned to the ITV daytime show to present an impressive pizza-making segment. But it wasn't his foodie knowledge that caught attention - instead his bold new facial hair. The star has always sported a light covering but has now grown a very noticeable moustache. He was seen showing hosts Dermot O'Leary and Josie Gibson how to make their own pizza dough and create the cheesy and tomato toppings. This Morning's Gino D'Acampo showed off his dashing new moustache on Wednesday - with fans left in shock by the dramatic transformation The Italian chef, 47, returned to This Morning to present an impressive pizza-making segment. But it wasn't his foodie knowledge that caught attention - instead his bold new facial hair Viewers were quick to notice the dramatic transformation as one penned: 'Gino does not suit that tash', while another said: 'Gino is looking like Freddy Mercury with that thing on his lip.' Ahead of the segment as the chef made a move towards the door leading him out of the studio, Josie and Dermot couldn't help but question him on his new appearance. Before walking out to prepare for his masterclass, Gino admitted he'd been growing the moustache for 'a movie'. He said: 'Let me explain to everybody. I am working on a movie at the moment, it's a movie based on the 70s. 'It's a serious American movie, big director and unfortunately my part requires me from time to time to look like this. Slick hair and a moustache, I'm really sorry!' It comes after last week it was reported that Gino is set to resume filming for his new travel show, after it came to abrupt halt six months ago due to a 'horror crash'. Emissions Impossible was going to be hosted by Gino and his good friend Fred Sirieix, however the show was stopped after a shock toboggan accident with 'blood everywhere'. The chef had been in Vienna with the French maitre d'hotel, 52, for the new travel show as they visit some of Europe's most stunning locations when the accident occurred, leaving Gino furious. The star has always sported a light covering but has now grown a very noticeable moustache He was seen showing hosts Dermot O'Leary (right) and Josie Gibson how to make their own pizza dough and create the cheesy and tomato toppings Viewers were quick to notice the dramatic transformation as one penned: 'Gino does not suit that tash', while another said: 'Gino is looking like Freddy Mercury with that thing on his lip' However ITV seem to have smoothed things over with the Italian chef and they are going back to the Alps next month to resume filming, The Sun have revealed. A TV insider told the publication: 'It's quite unusual for a show to be shelved quite so spectacularly, only to be brought back months later. 'Usually they end up getting written off completely. But ITV clearly felt like this was worth going the extra mile for. Emissions Impossible was all about being greener when travelling. 'Ironically, by the time they've finished filming, all the presenters, producers and crew will have flown from Britain into Europe and back again twice.' MailOnline have contacted Gino and ITV's representatives for comment. The incident took place back in October, and saw Gino attempt to go down a '200ft slide on a toboggan, clutching a cocktail glass,' as the chef latest described it as 'the worst shoot of my life.' Gino was reportedly filming a piece to camera when a mother and her two children came down the hill at 30mph and crashed. An ambulance was called for the children while Gino was treated onsite with the broadcaster offering counselling and support to those involved. Both presenters had flagged safety concerns ahead of filming, with the presenter left 'livid' after also getting ill the next day after working '14-hour days in freezing conditions.' A representatives from ITV told MailOnline in October: 'Contrary to reports the shoot for Emission Impossible, which was produced for ITV by an independent production company, was postponed owing to illness. 'We have robust and comprehensive policies which we implement contractually with our suppliers and partners. Before walking out to prepare for his masterclass, Gino admitted he'd been growing the moustache for 'a movie' Gino's usual look while appearing on the show It comes after last week it was reported that Gino is set to resume filming for his new travel show, after it came to abrupt halt six months ago due to a 'horror crash' 'The independent production companies who make shows for us have primary responsibility for the duty of care of everyone they work with, both on and off screen. 'This includes establishing appropriate health and safety arrangements. We are speaking with Betty TV, the production company who make Emission Impossible to clarify their position.' The six-part series was also due to go around the Croatian islands as the pair attempted to go green. It sees them eat, sleep and travel as sustainably as they can while seeking out some of Europe's most stunning locations. Kim Kardashian looked unrecognizable in a rather avant-garde photoshoot. The 43-year-old SKIMS mogul - who isn't letting the backlash regarding her daughter's acting debut get to her - was recently featured on three Vogue China covers. Kim made the rare move of going edgy for her latest pictorial which was shot by famed photographer Huang Jiaqi. In one of the mother-of-four's boldest looks featured a sheer nude colored skirt which featured a black feathered detailing at the end. She wrapped herself in a black coat worn off the shoulders as she looked toward the camera while sitting on her knees. Kim Kardashian looked unrecognizable in a rather avant-garde photoshoot as she was recently featured on three Vogue China covers Kim's raven colored locks featured bold red highlights as her make-up gave her a much paler complexion. In another moody look Kim sported a massive black silk jacket featuring big shoulder pads with matching leggings. This time her hair was platinum blonde and given a wet look as she once again had pale make-up but this time it was contrasted with bold black lip. In another one of the covers Kim wore a headdress featuring blue flowers. This comes as the reality star is not letting the backlash over of her daughter North West's acting debut during The Lion King's 30th Anniversary concert at The Hollywood Bowl get to her. Despite online trolls lashing out at the ten-year-old's casting as Young Simba, the 43-year-old continued to share behind-the-scenes pictures of her little girl in costume from the show. The latest images, uploaded on Tuesday morning, showed North, dressed as a lion cub in front of a grey backdrop. The oversized yellow hoodie, slippers and robe, designed by ERL, that North wore during the performance were confirmed to have been provided by her team 'not by the production' to People. The 43-year-old SKIMS mogul made the rare move of going edgy for her latest pictorial which was shot by famed photographer Huang Jiaqi In another one of the covers Kim wore a headdress featuring blue flowers Despite receiving a standing ovation from the audience after singing I Just Can't Wait To Be King, the eldest child of Kardashian and her ex-husband Kanye West was accused of getting the part due to her 'nepo-baby advantage.' Her post comes just hours after insiders familiar with the project have revealed the truth about North's casting to DailyMail.com. According to sources, the young star didn't have to 'compete against anyone else' for the part, which came as a result of her family's ties with the production company behind the event, which was held at the Hollywood Bowl last Friday. A source has since told DailyMail.com that the Kardashian family's close connection to the producers of the event played a large part in North's appearance. 'The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl and The Kardashians are both produced by the same production company, Fulwell 73 Productions,' the insider dished. 'Gabe Turner, who is a partner in Fulwell, is also the creative showrunner for The Lion King.' The source continued: 'This was a shoe in for North and she was told that if she can carry a note the gig is hers.' Fulwell 73 is the production company behind shows including The Kardashians and The Late Late Show With James Corden. This comes as Kim is not letting the backlash over of her daughter North West's acting debut during The Lion King's 30th Anniversary concert at The Hollywood Bowl get to her Despite online trolls lashing out at the ten-year-old's casting as Young Simba, the 43-year-old continued to share behind-the-scenes pictures of her little girl in costume from the show The latest images, uploaded on Tuesday morning, showed North, dressed as a lion cub in front of a grey backdrop The latest images, uploaded on Tuesday morning, showed North, dressed as a lion cub in front of a grey backdrop Despite receiving a standing ovation from the audience after singing I Just Can't Wait To Be King, the eldest child of Kardashian and her ex-husband Kanye West was accused of getting the part due to her 'nepo-baby advantage' Turner is a partner alongside James Corden, while the former worked alongside Sally Wood as the creative showrunner for The Lion King concert. The insider added that North's ability to make headlines for her performances was a key factor behind the decision to cast her for the role. 'They were hoping to draw publicity for this, which they did,' the source continued. 'But North didn't have to compete against anyone else and anyone else who would have auditioned would have not gotten it anyways.' The source stated: 'This is 100 per cent the result of her family's relationship with Disney and with Fulwell.' Another insider dished that the family planned to feature the moment in upcoming episode of their reality show, seemingly making the performance a win for everyone involved. 'The promise of the moment being shown on the show and to go and be seen everywhere was also a major selling point for having North a part of the festivities,' the source stated. 'Like everything the Kardashians do, this was well documented and planned. They have to keep the brand somehow.' Her post comes just hours after insiders familiar with the project have revealed the truth about North's casting to DailyMail.com (North seen on stage last week) According to sources, the young star didn't have to 'compete against anyone else' for the part, which came as a result of her family's ties with the production company behind the event, which was held at the Hollywood Bowl last Friday 'The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl and The Kardashians are both produced by the same production company, Fulwell 73 Productions,' the insider dished Following North's performance, a number of social media users on X shared their thoughts on the rising star snagging a coveted role in the musical concert. One noted: 'Nepotism is literally the best thing to be born with,' while another added, 'The worst case of nepo I have witnessed.' Another penned, 'Nepotism and the synonym next to it is KARDASHIANS,' followed by laughing face emojis. 'Nepotism is so crazy lol,' one wrote. 'Someone else's more talented, probably voice and dance trained kid didn't get it because his/her family isn't famous enough.' One social media user penned, 'She looks great and it seems like she's having a lot of fun, but I'm definitely not gonna bypass the fact that we all know she wouldn't be there if it wasn't who her parents were. This is classism at its finest!' Kardashian also shared photos of her little girl with Jennifer Hudson, who was also in the show Additionally, the proud mom shared behind-the-scenes snaps of North before going out on stage 'Proudest moment ever,' the mother-of-four captioned a shot of North's performer pass Another chimed: 'Aw man...I feel bad for the kids there that are actually talented who could've nailed this. 'I'm sure her mom's influence (or money) is the only reason she got this leading/singing role.' One also shared, 'I don't like that fact that she got this solely based on her mom or dad. 'There's a kid out there with real talent that should've been given this opportunity. And no I'm not a hater I actually like the "Kardashians."' It's unclear if North went through a standard audition process. DailyMail.com has reached out to a Kardashian spokesperson for comment. Earlier this month, it was announced that North was cast in the live-to-film concert event which ran for two nights on May 24 and May 25. The Hollywood Bowl can notably hold up to 17,500 people and tickets for the concert began at $60. North joined other stars on the stage, such as Jennifer Hudson, Billy Eichner, Bradley Gibson, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, Jeremy Irons and also Nathan Lane. Kanye West was in attendance at the concert to support his daughter, as well as Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker. Kim cheered on North from backstage, sharing photos to her Instagram Stories from North's dressing room. Radiant mother-daughter duo Nicky and Kathy Hilton are revealing the skincare products that help them maintain their enviable complexions. The duo have recently partnered up with British skincare brand No.7 - and have shared how they utilize the products to feel their absolute best. 'I am loving the Lift and Luminate serum. Adding a serum into my beauty routine has really changed my skin; it hydrates it and preps it for makeup, allowing it to glide on smoothly and even out my skin tone,' Nicky, 40, explained to Hello. Kathy, 65, also shared how the brand has helped keep her skin fresh - and one of her beauty tips involved a bit of rose water. 'To give you a little background, my mother is a skincare junkie and when she would visit London, she would come back with No7 because they've been around for almost 90 years, so I've always loved it,' Kathy, who is returning for another season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, also told the outlet. Radiant mother-daughter duo Nicky and Kathy Hilton are revealing the skincare products that help them maintain their enviable complexions; pictured March 2024 'I love the new day cream with the SPF, and I'm absolutely in love with the new serum; I put that on after I've washed and toned, and I let it dry for a good minute then I put on my under eye concealer and I use it around my nose, then I'll put on my makeup,' she continued. 'Then, I put a little bit of the serum with some rose water in a little spritz bottle in my purse, so after dinner I'll spray a little bit around my eyes and my mouth to feel a little refreshed and glowy.' Nicky turned 40 in October and is embracing the contentment and happiness that has come with time. Speaking of the milestone birthday, she said: 'The best thing is being really comfortable with myself. 'I am very content and very happy personally and professionally. I have a wonderful husband who is the most amazing father and I have three really special children who are sweet, kind, and empathetic.' On top of their new business collaboration, the women are also juggling their professional endeavors with a recently-expanded family. While all of Kathy's children are now grown, the Hilton family recently expanded with the arrival of Paris Hilton's daughter London and Barron Hilton II's son Apollo Winter. Paris and her husband Carter Reum welcomed daughter London five months ago. The couple also have son Phoenix, one, together. Barron shares four-year-old daughter Milou Alizee and sons Caspian Barron, one, and Apollo Winter, two months, with wife Tessa Grafin von Walderdorff. Nicky and her mother have teamed up with British skincare brand No7 She recently appeared in a video promoting the products Nicky is the daughter of Kathy Hilton and her husband Richard Hilton; pictured 2022 Nicky - who shares three children with husband James Rothschild - gushed her kids 'love' having new cousins joining the family as she described how they stay connected amid the distance. Asked how her kids react to another Hilton joining the family, she told the outlet: 'They love it, but we live in New York so they don't get to see their cousins as often. But they love to FaceTime with them and we are in LA for most holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving or Easter, so the holidays are when we all come together,' Nicky explained. 'My sisters and I raised our children like they were sisters, and I feel that Nicky and Paris and Barron are really making that effort even while Nicky is living in New York,' Kathy added. Kathy and Nicky pictured with Paris Hilton in March 'My little girls are best friends with Barron's daughter; the last trip we took, we were at Universal Studios and they wanted to have a sleepover with Milou, they got a kick out of it,' Nicky said. The interview comes as Kathy prepares to return in front of cameras for another season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside her younger sister Kyle Richards. Kathy, who has guest-starred on the show throughout the years, is among the familiar faces returning to the unscripted series alongside her younger sibling Kyle, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Garcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke. The program will also welcome its newest full-time housewife, Bozoma 'Boz' Saint John, who previously served as the former chief marketing officer of Netflix. Sofia Vergara quipped that her breasts are too big for her to play a scientist - as she admitted: 'I never went to an acting class in my life.' The 51-year-old became beloved around the world for her turn as Gloria Pritchett on the sitcom Modern Family, which earned her four Emmy nominations. However she made light of her abilities in a new interview, insisting she was 'almost playing myself' on the sitcom and does not in fact 'know anything about acting.' She added that her Colombian accent 'is beautiful, but its like, I cannot be a scientist, I cannot be an astronaut.' Lifting up her famously large bosoms mid-interview, she said: 'I don't want to be a scientist with these,' during this year's Hollywood Reporter Drama Actress Roundtable. Sofia Vergara quipped that her breasts are too big for her to play a scientist - as she admitted: 'I never went to an acting class in my life' She earned a laugh from the table, which included Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Brie Larson and Anna Sawai. 'I feel very awkward here because this is my favorite group of actresses, and I realize I dont know anything about acting,' Sofia confessed. Jennifer, who herself became a global superstar because of her decade-long run on the sitcom Friends, objected: 'What? No!' 'Not in a bad way, its just a reality,' Sofia reasoned. 'I did 11 years on Modern Family, but it was almost playing myself in a way. I never went to an acting class in my life.' She added: 'And when I decide to do something different, its hard because this accent is beautiful, but its like, I cannot be a scientist, I cannot be an astronaut.' Sofia was showered with acclaim this year for Griselda, a Netflix drama series starring her as the fearsome Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. She explained that 'when I decided to do Griselda, I wasnt thinking, Oh, I want [to distance myself from] Gloria. No, it was I know that character.' Sofia shared: 'I lived in Colombia in that era. My brother was a drug dealer and got killed. But Ive never seen it as a woman - I knew it as many, many men.' (from left) Sofia was doing the Hollywood Reporter Drama Actress Roundtable with Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster, Jennifer Aniston, Naomi Watts, Anna Sawai and Brie Larson The 51-year-old became beloved around the world for her turn as Gloria Pritchett on the sitcom Modern Family; she is pictured in a 2013 publicity shot for the program Sofia is pictured in a 2009 publicity still for Modern Family with Ed O'Neill (left) and Rico Rodriguez (center) who respectively played her husband and son Sofia was showered with acclaim this year for Griselda, a Netflix drama series starring her as the fearsome Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco She previously revealed that her elder brother Rafael was murdered in 1998 during a kidnapping attempt that escalated. 'We come from a successful family, and he knew he was a target for kidnapping,' explained Sofia, whose father was a cattle farmer. 'He always had bodyguards. Then one day he went out alone and was shot dead. I was devastated,' she added, according to the New York Post. During her run on Modern Family, Sofia told George Lopez that she was urged to get a breast reduction early in her acting career in order to be taken seriously. 'But I never wanted to be taken serious. I wanted to do comedy, yeah! So I said, you know what? If you want me - I mean, they were gonna want me,' she joked. 'But if they're gonna give me jobs like this, I'm gonna stay like this.' Her mother Margarita was of a similar mindset, but to a more extreme degree, warning Sofia: 'God is gonna punish you if you take your t**s off!' Sofia has never shied away from poking fun at her cleavage, including during the opening segment of the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2013 (pictured) Sofia has never shied away from poking fun at her cleavage, including during the opening segment of the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2013. After other stars gave ponderous speeches that ended with: 'I am an actor,' Sofia began: 'I grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia in a very traditional Catholic home. My father told me that if I ever did anything artistic, I was going to look like a hooker.' She went on: 'I told him: "With these huge boobs that I inherited from your mom, I already look like a hooker." I am Sofia Vergara, and I am an actor.' Early this year she acknowledged that her figure had helped her break into showbiz, saying: 'It would be absurd to deny it or for that to make me feel bad.' She proudly told the Madrid newspaper El Pais: 'My giant boobs and my body opened doors for me; they were my passport to the world when I was 20 years old when I started as a model, but today Im 51 years old and Im still here.' Gaten Matarazzo has candidly talked about some of the uncomfortable encounters he has had with Stranger Things fans as a teenager. The talented actor - now 21-years-old - opened up about some of the more awkward interactions he has had with followers of the Netflix series which has been filming season five since earlier this year. He discussed a few of the encounters which were 'a little uncomfortable' on the Inside Of You podcast released on Tuesday. Gaten discussed the one interaction which stuck out to him above all as he explained: 'I did one very recently and this is not very funny, but the reactions around it were quite funny where this woman in her 40s said straight up, I've had a crush on you since you were 13. 'And I was like, "Thats upsetting." Im sure she just meant, "Aw, this kids cute." Gaten Matarazzo (pictured in LA back i9on November) has candidly talked about some of the uncomfortable encounters he has had with Stranger Things fans as a teenager as he opened up on the Inside Of You podcast released on Tuesday Despite being completely floored by the comment, the Stranger Things star said that it got even weirder as the woman expanded on that thought more. He explained: 'She was like, Im aware of the age difference.' Gaten said 'alright' and the woman's 13-year-old daughter was with her and was flabbergasted by her remark as the actor said: 'Mom, what the f***? I swear to God.' That was not the only awkward interaction - which he called 'insane' - the young actor has had with fans. He went on to reveal that he has taken multiple photos with fans and explained: 'Ive had a few butt grabs for sure.' Gaten and the rest of the cast are currently in production of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things as he has been part of the main cast since the beginning in 2016. He told podcast host Michael Rosenbaum: 'With this show it is quite clear and I am very well aware and would like my professional team to understand that I am very OK with Stranger Things being very likely the biggest thing I will ever do. 'And it will most likely be the thing I am remembered for even if I consistently work after this.' Gaten discussed the one interaction which stuck out to him above all as he explained: 'I did one very recently and this is not very funny, but the reactions around it were quite funny where this woman in her 40s said straight up, I've had a crush on you since you were 13'; Gaten is pictured around at age in Stranger Things He went on to reveal that he has taken multiple photos with fans and explained: 'Ive had a few butt grabs for sure' Gaten and the rest of the cast are currently in production of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things as he has been part of the main cast since the beginning in 2016; he and Joe Keery are seen in season 3 which was released in 2019 As many actors have previously voiced displeasure with being type casted due to having a signature role earlier in their career, Gaten does not hold those same reservations. He explained: 'And I am so cool with that as long as it facilitates happiness going forward, security and more work going forward. 'What more could I ask for? I dont want to maintain a sense of relevance at this point when it isnt even something I particularly enjoy that much.' While fans will need to wait for quite sometime for Stranger Thing to return for season five, Gaten does have one project on the horizon. The talented star is set to star as the main character in the forthcoming four-part LEGO Star Wars miniseries titled Lego Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy. Judi said Kanye, 46, appeared much more 'tactile' on the couple's latest Italy trip She suggested that Bianca, 29, keeps a pillow close to her for 'comfort' A body language expert has weighed in on Bianca Censori's bizarre pillow accessory, revealing what the unique outfit addition says about her state of mind - while also detailing the secret move Kanye West made that means he 'sexually approves' of his wife. This week, Kayne, 46, and wife Bianca, 29, caught the attention of fans when they made a show-stopping appearance when they touched down in Florence, Italy. Bianca modeled a particularly eye-popping ensemble for her arrival in Europe, wearing a shiny white thong bodysuit - while carrying a large white pillow over her chest in an apparent nod to the purple pillow accessory she was seen sporting during the couple's Italian jaunt last year. The addition of the pillow raised many an eyebrow, with some questioning what the accessory was for and why Bianca appears to attached to the puffy home decor items. Now, body language expert Judi James has shared some unique insight into Bianca's unique style choice - while laying bare what the couple's latest public appearance says about the status of their relationship. Earlier this week, Kayne, 46, and his wife Bianca, 29, caught the attention of fans as they made a show-stopping appearance when they touched down in Florence, Italy Kanye and Bianca Censori previously stepped out in Florence with Bianca once again using a purple cushion to cover her breasts Bianca - who works as the head of architecture at Kanye's Yeezy brand - showed off her incredible figure in a shiny white thong bodysuit that left her long legs on full display and highlighted her pert derriere. She completed the outfit with thigh-high black leather boots with open toes. Her raven tresses were slicked down in her signature chic bun. Meanwhile Kim Kardashian's ex-husband was covered up, wearing a white zip-up hoodie and a pair of matching sweatpants. The Donda musician held one protective arm around his wife, while clutching a stack of papers with his other hand. The father-of-four finalized his outfit with white sneakers. According to Judi - who frequently lifts the lid on the meaning behind celebrities movements - the couple's decision to sport matching all-white ensembles could actually have been a nod to Kanye's wedding to ex-wife Kim, which took place in Florence ten years ago. She said: 'Almost ten years to the day since Kanye married Kim in Florence in one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the decade hes back with his current wife Bianca and they seem to be making a rather controversial nod to the anniversary by both appearing clad in bridal white outfits. Judi - who frequently lifts the lid on the meaning behind celebrities movements - revealed to DailyMail.com why the couple donned all-white ensembles The non-verbal communication pro admitted that the rapper's hand - which was placed on Bianca's hip in one snap - showed signs of sexual tension 'This looks like statement dressing as well as statement-making body language. The couple present as a matching duo with Kanye swapping his top to toe black fabrics for a more eye catching white combo that reveals his face and which looks chosen to compliment Biancas body stocking.' But according to Judi, while Kanye's outfit may have alluded to his former spouse, his body language showed that he was interested in nobody but his current wife. Judi told DailyMail.com: 'Hes also more tactile. While Bianca walked out alone with the first air bag fashion, this time there seems to be more romantic connection signals between them with Kanye at one point placing a hand on his wifes hip in a signal of sexual approval and attraction.' Bianca's look drew comparisons to a previous ensemble, in which she went topless while holding a purple cushion across her chest amid the couple's controversial 2023 trip to Europe, which sparked accusations of indecent exposure. However, Judi believes that the beauty's favorite accessory is more than just a prop to cover up her cleavage. Judi offered up that Kayne's wife could be using the pillow for a sense of 'comfort' and safety. No strangers to scandal, Bianca and Kanye have continuously raised eyebrows over their choices in clothing. (pictured together in 2023) 'Biancas body language suggests a slightly more vulnerable air and she looks happy to keep close to her husband, hugging the cushion more as a comfort blanket or buffer to the rest of the world,' she explained. No strangers to scandal, the couple has continuously raised eyebrows over their choices in clothing, with Bianca's barely-there looks sparking fury from locals. At the time, her sheer and mesh outfits, which left her breasts clearly visible, were described by social media users as 'disrespectful' in a country known for its conservative Catholic heritage. Some even called for the racy duo to be arrested after they were spotted enjoying an amorous moment on a boat, with Kanye exposing his bare buttocks in front of gawking tourists. Images of the couple showed the American rapper seated at the back of the river taxi while Bianca placed her head in his lap. Online critics have argued that the flesh-baring display constituted 'public indecency.' The scandalous appearances have also sparked concern from the architect's family - who were said to have been 'shunned' while the two were in Italy. Her family previously revealed to DailyMail.com that they felt 'ignored' by Bianca. Kanye has reportedly issued a set of rules for Bianca to live by, including specific foods she can eat and what she can wear, a source close to the Australian architect has claimed. Bianca and Kanye's Florence trip comes a decade after he tied the knot to ex-wife Kim Kardashian in 2014 in the same city (seen) Sources claimed that Bianca has 'no mind of her own anymore' and instead simply 'obeys' the controversial rapper, who also goes by the name 'Ye', because he has convinced her they have 'royal' status. 'Kanye has a set of rules for Bianca, which includes never speak and wear what he wants her to wear,' the source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'She is also required to eat certain food items and to work out even though Kanye doesnt work out. 'She has no mind of her own anymore and obeys him because he has convinced her that they are royal.' 'A few of her friends were finally able to reach her but she wasnt interested in talking, nor was she interested in anyones concerns for her,' a close friend told DailyMail.com. Bianca's loved ones are also said to be concerned her husband Kanye is 'dragging her into the adult film world' and using her to promote his new Yeezy Porn venture, insiders claim. Dominic West cut a disheveled figure for Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge photocall as he looked rugged in violent fight scenes on Wednesday. The BAFTA award winner, 54, transformed for his performance as he was seen smoking a cigarette on stage while wearing a haggard shirt and worn our boots. In keeping with his rough-looking docker ensemble, he paired his worn-out look with some destressed jeans and grubby suspenders. For the theatre photocall at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, he looked emotional as he took part in a feisty a bust up on stage. Dominic will perform Monday to Saturday every week at 7.30pm from May, 22, to August, 7. Dominic West cut a disheveled figure for Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge photocall as he looked rugged in violent fight scenes on Wednesday The BAFTA award winner, 54, transformed for his performance as he was seen smoking a cigarette on stage while wearing a haggard shirt and worn our boots Arthur Miller's 1957 drama is a classic American play about a working-class family in 1950's Brooklyn, New York. The play follows Eddie, played by Dominic, a dock worker, who struggles with his possessive feelings toward his niece in the face of her impending marriage. Immigration, love, and possession all come to a head in one of Arthur's most intimate dramas. The concept for the play was originally conceived in a screenplay entitled The Hook, co-developed with prolific theatre director Elia Kazan. The movie was never produced due to committee pressure and since the movie was never made, Arthur took the inspiration of working-class longshoremen in Brooklyn and created this story. When Dominic first took to the stage in the play admitted he was not impressed with West End theatre audiences and feels many of them don't really want to be there. The actor set off for regional theatre and kicked off his performance in Arthur Miller's play at the 120-seat Ustinov Studio in Bath in November. Speaking to The Times, Dominic admitted he thinks many people in London's West End theatres are tourists who are only there as part of sightseeing in the capital. In keeping with his rough-looking docker ensemble, he paired his worn-out look with some destressed jeans and grubby suspenders For the theatre photocall at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, he looked emotional as he partook in feisty a brawl on stage involving a fist fight and chairs used as weapons Dominic will perform Monday to Saturday every week at 7.30pm from May, 22, to August, 7 Arthur Miller's 1957 drama is a classic American play about a working-class family in 1950's Brooklyn, New York The play follows Eddie, played by Dominic, a dock worker, who struggles with his possessive feelings toward his niece in the face of her impending marriage Dominic pictured with fellow theatre star Kate Fleetwood His character in the play being marveled as he puffed on a cigareet The photos saw a range of emotions from the actor as he was seen pleasantly surprised just scenes after a bust up And Dominic handled his fight scene with professionalism as he flexed his muscles and guarded his face with his fists When Dominic first took to the stage in the play admitted he was not impressed with West End theatre audiences and feels many of them don't really want to be there The actor set off for regional theatre and kicked off his performance in Arthur Miller's play at the 120-seat Ustinov Studio in Bath in November He said: 'That means only a certain small group of people will be going to the theatre and probably not enjoying it much. 'And you get a lot of tourists in London and people are not necessarily there because they want to be there it is because it is part of the tourist trail.' The Crown actor, who is from Sheffield, added he has always enjoyed performing in regional theatres where he feels a greater sense of 'local support'. He said: 'I have always enjoyed the non-London audience. In Sheffield, certainly, there is a real amazing feel from the local support you get and from a real hunger for a good play and for a good night at the theatre. Which of course there is everywhere else but I think it is more tangible outside London.' Jodie Foster has said she frequently saw male screenwriters fall back on rape trauma as the 'entire motivation' for their female characters. The 61-year-old earned her first Oscar nomination for playing an abused child prostitute in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film Taxi Driver. She drew further acclaim for her turn as a gang rape victim in the 1988 movie The Accused, winning the Academy Award for best actress. Now she has expressed her disquiet about how often she was offered roles that were not fully developed beyond a 'backstory' of sexual violence. 'For most of my career, I was always shocked that so many of the scripts that I read, the entire motivation for the female character was that shed been traumatized by rape,' she said at The Hollywood Reporter Drama Actress Roundtable. Jodie Foster has said she frequently saw male screenwriters fall back on rape trauma as the 'entire motivation' for their female characters She was joined in the group interview by Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Sofia Vergara, Brie Larson and Anna Sawai. Jodie argued that rape 'seemed to be the only motivation that male screenwriters could come up with for why women did things.' She summed up their purported attitude to the subject as: 'Shes kind of in a bad mood, yeah, theres definitely some rape in her past.' Taxi Driver was written by Paul Schrader while The Accused, which was based on a real case, had a screenplay by Tom Topor. Jodie maintained that for many male screenwriters, 'rape or molestation seemed to be the one kind of lurid, big emotional backstory that they could understand in women. And I didnt take it personally.' The two-time Oscar winner shared: 'But once I was old enough, I think I did have a responsibility to come in and say: "Youre not always going to get the most perfectly fleshed-out female character, but maybe theres an opportunity for us to work together and create something that way?"' Nicole added: 'Which is why I think now were all working hard to put women at the helm because the viewpoint suddenly becomes very different.' Jodie made a similar point at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, sharing: 'One of my biggest pet peeves as an actor, whenever a male writer was searching for motivation for a woman they would always just go to rape. It was ridiculous.' She was joined in the group interview by (from left) Sofia Vergara, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Naomi Watts, Anna Sawai and Brie Larson The 61-year-old earned her first Oscar nomination for playing an abused child prostitute in Martin Scorsese 's 1976 film Taxi Driver (pictured) She drew further acclaim for her turn as a gang rape victim in the 1988 movie The Accused (pictured), winning the Academy Award for best actress in a lead role Taxi Driver, in which Jodie is pictured with Robert De Niro, was written by Paul Schrader, while The Accused, which was based on a real case, had a screenplay by Tom Topor She slated the writers for being 'uninterested in complexity,' adding that they 'were unable to make the transition' to empathize with a female character. 'I think its the male directors that have the problem,' she said at a Variety and Kering talk. 'Women are used to putting themselves in other peoples bodies.' However, while she has helmed multiple films herself and hopes for more women to get major directing jobs, she clarified that she was not in favor of hardline quotas. 'Im worried about quotas in terms of art,' she said. 'Were not talking about junior executives. Were talking about an art form.' She explained that she also harbored concerns that a quota system would 'set back the ideas that were hoping for of inclusivity.' The Britain's Got Talent semi final got off to a dramatic start as pogo act Duncan Murray kicked off the show on Wednesday evening. The Canadian pogoist returned to the stage with his updated act after first wowing the judges when he jumped over hosts Ant and Dec during his audition. However, things didn't quite go to plan for the student as fans were left furious on Twitter before the performance had even begun. Viewers took to social media enraged that yet another act on the British talent contest wasn't from the UK, as Duncan is in fact Canadian. And things went from bad to worse after his friend, who he recruited for the performance, fell mid bounce and was left on the stage awkwardly clapping along as Duncan continued bouncing. Britain's Got Talent fans are left FURIOUS at yet ANOTHER non British contestant as Canadian pogo act Duncan Murray semi final performance featured an unexpected fall on Wednesday However, things didn't quite go to plan for the student as fans were left furious on Twitter before the performance had even begun Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans fumed: '#bgt #britainsgottalent come on surely you need to actually live in Britain to be on? Most of the acts have come to uk just to enter the competition? Have we really no talent?' 'Oops Douglas, what an admission. Your vision is Vegas, not the Royal Variety Show wrong country!!!' That makes a change; an international act! Honestly a man on a pogo stick! This counts for talent? This show is scrapping along the bottom of the barrel.'; 'First act up... Canadian'. '#BritainsGotTalent How ironic that the judges choose a foreign act over a British act in the 2nd semi of Britain's got talent.'; 'Are there any British people actually on Britains got talent?'; 'Another brit not'. While Duncan's performance began outside with the star pogo-ing over cars in a pre-recorded section. He then entered the Eventim Apollo where he joined two of his fellow pogo friends on stage. However, during a dramatic flip one of his friends fell off their stick and was left awkwardly clapping along to the music as he attempted to conceal his mistake. Confused fans asked on Twitter: 'did one fall off?'; 'Was he meant to have come off that pogo stick then??' Duncan's performance began outside with the star pogo-ing over cars in a pre-recorded section He then entered the Eventim Apollo where he joined two of his fellow pogo friends on stage However, during a dramatic flip one of his friends fell off their stick and was left awkwardly clapping along to the music as he attempted to conceal his mistake (seen afterwards chatting to Ant and Dec) Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans fumed: '# bgt #britainsgottalent come on surely you need to actually live in Britain to be on? Most of the acts have come to uk just to enter the competition? Have we really no talent?' Confused fans asked on Twitter: 'did one fall off?'; 'Was he meant to have come off that pogo stick then??' Simon Cowell also wasn't as impressed with the performance as he criticised Duncan's choice to add others to his performance Simon explained: 'You're two friends took away from you and they didn't really do much. I found it a bit distracting compared to your audition so I am not sure it was a good decision' 'Did he fall off the pogo stick and try to cover it up with clapping along'; 'Why's he got other people jumping with him? They ain't part of the act??' Simon Cowell also wasn't as impressed with the performance as he criticised Duncan's choice to add others to his performance. He explained: 'You're two friends took away from you and they didn't really do much. I found it a bit distracting compared to your audition so I am not sure it was a good decision.' During Duncan's audition, Ant and Dec were left terrified as the star showcased his skills on a pogo stick with a string of daring stunts. 'You might want to tuck your head in a little bit' he suggested, as Ant let out a squeal of terror. After successfully completing the trick the audience and judges broke into applause and standing ovation with Simon gushing: '[This is] Something we've never seen before. You got everything'. As Bruno Tonioli said: 'Totally agree. I've never seen anything like it, it was stunning!'. Jennifer Aniston revealed she has leaned on her longtime pal, Nicole Kidman, in the past while reflecting on the importance of having female friends in their industry. When asked who in their field has helped her navigate through 'tougher or lonelier parts' of life, the Friends star, 55, recalled how the 56-year-old Oscar winner provided her support while filming their 2011 comedy, Just Go with It. 'When we did that movie in Hawaii [2011's Just Go With It], you helped me out on a lot of hard things that I was going through,' Aniston told Kidman while participating in roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, alongside Jodie Foster, Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, Ana Sawai and Sofia Vergara. She continued: 'Just to have that community, it's very helpful.' Aniston did not elaborate on she was experiencing, at the time, but later, bonded with Larson, 34, over how 'connecting with other women has been a game changer' for her as an actress. Jennifer Aniston (R) revealed she has leaned on her longtime pal, Nicole Kidman (L), while reflecting on the importance of having female friends in their industry; seen in 2011 'It's so true,' Aniston said, after the Room star spoke about going out of her way to 'to make friends with other women in the industry because there was usually just one woman on a job.' Additionally, Aniston admitted to getting emotional as she listened to Kidman talk about feeling weighed down by some of the dark roles she's taken on over the years. Kidman, who played the role of an abused wife on HBO's series Big Little Lies, admitted that it was tough acting out domestic violence for upwards of 12 to 14 hours a day on set. 'But there's a way in which we operate where the show must go on, and so you just keep going you show up and you do it and do it and do it and do it,' she said. 'And there really isn't the time to go, "I need to take care of myself."' The Moulin Rouge star added that 'its very tough on the psyche' and after her film, Expats, she did a comedy because she 'went crazy with' her 'own psychology.' Vergara responded: 'The body doesnt know that what youre going through [isnt real].' Kidman concluded: 'It doesnt. But the idea of being able to go and get a massage or a hot bath or even a pat on the back, just someone touching you and going, Its OK.' Aniston, then told Kidman, that her words got her 'a little teared up.' When asked who in their field has helped her navigate through 'tougher or lonelier parts' of life, the Friends star, 55, recalled how the 56-year-old Oscar winner provided her support while filming their 2011 comedy, Just Go with It (pictured in 2024) 'When we did that movie in Hawaii [2011's Just Go With It], you helped me out on a lot of hard things that I was going through,' Aniston told Kidman while participating in roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter (seen hugging on set of Just Go With It) Aniston and Kidman first met at a Golden Globes party in 2005 (seen at the 2020 SAG Awards) In response, Kidman reminded her pal and the other actresses on the panel that 'the reach out for each other is so important.' Aniston and Kidman first met at a Golden Globes party in 2005. While recalling the first time they crossed paths, Aniston told Harper's Bazaar back in 2011 that it was a 'typical Hollywood story' and that they shared 'an agent.' 'I remember meeting this tall, beautiful woman who was there with her mom and dad. I was completely starstruck, while she was nothing but gracious,' the Golden Globe winner gushed. Additionally, Aniston admitted to getting emotional as she listened to Kidman talk about feeling weighed down by some of the dark roles she's taken on (Kidman pictured in Big Little Lies) The Moulin Rouge star added that 'its very tough on the psyche' and after her film, Expats, she did a comedy because she 'went crazy with' her 'own psychology' She continued: 'I loved her immediately. We've run into each other over the years, keeping in touch. But it was Adam Sandler, of all people, who brought us together in Hawaii to film the comedy Just Go With It.' After shooting the movie, the LolaVie founder said they became 'dear' friends and she couldn't see herself 'dancing the hula with any other gal.' While recalling their time on set together, Aniston admitted that she 'forgot how funny' Kidman could be. 'I know, you kept saying to me that I was funny, and I was like, Really? I never get asked to do comedy!' the Rabbit Hole actress mused. In Just Go With It, the women play former sorority sister and college rivals, who ultimately face off during a hula dancing competition after running into each other on vacation. Simon Cowell received an unexpected surprise during the Britain's Got Talent semi final on Wednesday night. The judge, 68, was left shocked after Welsh dance troop Troll Dancers took the chance during their performance to play a cheeky trick on the star. As the group, made up of 30 six to ten year olds from TDM Stage in Sandfields, Port Talbot, danced around the stage in a colourful, fun pop sensation, one troll headed down to meet Simon armed with a spray can. The troll then proceeded to spray Simon with the cream pie filling, much to the delight of the audience and fellow judges. Amanda Holden leapt out the way to avoid getting any cream on her pink dress as she ran away. Simon Cowell was left SHOCKED as he got a pie to the face during Britain's Got Talent semi final on Wednesday as fans describe the moment as 'just perfection' The judge, 68, was left shocked after Welsh dance troop Troll Dancers took the chance during their performance to play a cheeky trick on the star Simon was left wiping the cream from his eyes before things descended into chaos during the comment section. While Ant and Dec asked the judges for feedback, Simon took his chance to get one back on Amanda as he threw a handful of cream her way. Amanda was then ready for war as she exclaimed: 'I am going to get you back' as she tried to plan her next move while gushing over how incredible the Troll Dancer's performance was. Taking to Twitter fans shared their delight at the prank as they wrote: 'wow Pure chaos! We expect nothing less from those cheeky lil Troll Dancers'. 'Ant and Dek deffo told the trolls to pie face Simon poor Simon its always him first the spaghetti and now the pies haha'; 'This was so funny!'; 'They were a lot of fun'. 'Totally brilliant'; 'I loved the chaos! You could tell they were having the time of their lives tonight'. 'I don't like Trolls but Simon getting pied in the face for the second time this series by a bunch of kids was just perfection'. Another suggested: 'Would have been funnier if they'd have foamed Amanda & Alesha', while another joked they will be trying to pie King Charles if they perform at the Royal Variety performance. As the group, made up of 30 six to ten year olds from TDM Stage in Sandfields, danced around the stage in a colourful, fun pop sensation, one troll headed down to meet Simon armed with a spray can The troll then proceeded to spray Simon with the cream pie filling, much to the delight of the audience and fellow judges Amanda Holden leapt out the way to avoid getting any cream on her pink dress as she ran away While Ant and Dec asked the judges for feedback, Simon took his chance to get one back on Amanda as he threw a handful of cream her way Amanda ducked out the way as Simon tried to cover her in cream Taking to Twitter fans shared their delight at the prank as they wrote: 'wow Pure chaos! We expect nothing less from those cheeky lil Troll Dancers' Meanwhile the Britain's Got Talent semi final got off to a dramatic start as pogo act Duncan Murray kicked off the show on Wednesday evening. The Canadian pogoist returned to the stage with his updated act after first wowing the judges when he jumped over hosts Ant and Dec during his audition. However, things didn't quite go to plan for the student as fans were left furious on Twitter before the performance had even begun. Viewers took to social media enraged that yet another act on the British talent contest wasn't from the UK, as Duncan is in fact Canadian. And things went from bad to worse after his friend, who he recruited for the performance, fell mid bounce and was left on the stage awkwardly clapping along as Duncan continued bouncing. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans fumed: '#bgt #britainsgottalent come on surely you need to actually live in Britain to be on? Most of the acts have come to uk just to enter the competition? Have we really no talent?' 'Oops Douglas, what an admission. Your vision is Vegas, not the Royal Variety Show wrong country!!!' That makes a change; an international act! Honestly a man on a pogo stick! This counts for talent? This show is scrapping along the bottom of the barrel.'; 'First act up... Canadian'. Meanwhile the Britain's Got Talent semi final got off to a dramatic start as pogo act Duncan Murray kicked off the show on Wednesday evening Holly Willoughby once the 'golden girl' of ITV daytime television has suffered a sharp decline in her fortunes according to her company accounts. Willoughby, 43, channels her earnings through Roxy Media Ltd. Its latest accounts filed tonight cover the year up to August 2023, and the period during which she was still on This Morning and still the face of Marks & Spencer. They show that net current assets have fallen to 283,000 from 1.1 million the previous year. A spokesperson for Holly refused to comment on the possible reasons for the steep fall. Holly Willoughby once the 'golden girl' of ITV daytime television has suffered a sharp decline in her fortunes according to her company accounts Holly's This Morning departure came five months after Phillip Schofield left ITV after his admission to the Mail that he had had a relationship with a much younger colleague and lied about it Willoughby, 43, set up her own management company Roxy Media Ltd in 2020 after leaving the respected agents YMU. Pictured in 2022 Holly also runs the company Roxy Media Ltd. She is thought to be the only client of the showbusiness agency which is run by an all-female team. Friends of the presenter said that the move was inspired by her belief in 'girl power.' Holly was in dispute with her former bosses at YMU who believed that she owed them money from her ongoing commercial deals but this was resolved by settlement in the summer of 2022. The decline is a shock as Holly was on a reported 730,000 a year for This Morning. She quit the show in October last year after an alleged plot to kidnap her was uncovered. She's now in Costa Rica filming Bear Hunt with Bear Grylls for Netflix. She is thought to be the only client of the showbusiness agency which is run by an all-female team. Friends of the presenter said that the move was inspired by her belief in 'girl power' Holly was in dispute with her former bosses at YMU who believed that she owed them money from her ongoing commercial deals but this was resolved by settlement in the summer of 2022 The presenter, 43, who quit ITV's This Morning last October, has been the face of daytime TV in the UK for over a decade and made herself a household name Holly was dismayed to be the 'lightning rod' for criticism of This Morning after the shocking scandal involving her co-host Philip Schofield and his 'unwise but not illegal' liaison with a much-younger junior staff member on the show. She was mocked for the opening monologue in which she asked viewers if they were 'all right'. Ratings remained poor after she returned to the show in September 2023. She left in October and was eventually replaced by the new team of Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley. Ms Willoughby subsequently took some time away from her career. She lives in south west London with husband Dan Baldwin and their children Harry, Belle and Chester. Baldwin is a successful TV producer and behind the hugely successful revival of Gladiators. Cher's younger boyfriend Alexander 'AE' Edwards finally addressed the alleged brawl between Travis Scott and Tyga both former boyfriends of Kylie Jenner and their entourages in Cannes, France last week. Edwards, 38, - who has been in a relationship with 78-year-old Cher since last year - commented on the incident by saying all is good between the two camps. The music executive spoke with TMZ on Monday as he was asked about the reported physical confrontation between Travis, 33, and his friend Tyga, 34. He played coy at first as he did not address the incident directly while being questioned by a cameraman. Edwards said that nothing happened and that there are no issues between the two entourages. Cher's younger boyfriend Alexander 'AE' Edwards finally addressed the alleged brawl between Travis Scott and Tyga both former boyfriends of Kylie Jenner and their entourages in Cannes, France last week. This comes as Edwards, Tyga, and Travis were reportedly involved in a brawl in Cannes, France , around 5 a.m. on Friday; Scott pictured in February in Las Vegas The brawl began after Travis and Tyga's good friend, Edwards began taking swings at each other at Richie Akiva's 'The After,' an annual party he throws during the iconic French film festival, according to TMZ; Tyga (L) and Edward (center) seen in Cap d'Antibes, France, on Thursday The cameraman then asks if it is all resolved to which he replied: 'It's all good.' He also gave a shoutout to record producer Southside who was on the opposite side of the brawl as he said he understands that he needed to protect his friend in Scott. Edwards maintained his stance as he said: 'I don't want to fight. I don't want to initiate that s***. I don't even... Get money, livin' they dreams. I'm about that but I'm gonna protect myself and my people. 'So that's it. It is what it is. It's over.' He said there haven't been any conversations with Travis' side and he has no message for their camp as he said: 'They got the message.' Toward the end of the conversation, Edwards was asked what his older girlfriend thought of the incident. Edwards replied with a quote from rapper Future's song GTA as he said: 'Whatever I'm with, my b**** with it too.' He then clarified he would rather say 'my woman' but had to reference Future's actual words. The music executive (pictured in Cannes last week) spoke with TMZ on Monday as he was asked about the reported physical confrontation between Travis, 33, and his friend Tyga, 34 Toward the end of the conversation, Edwards was asked what his older girlfriend thought of the incident. Edwards replied with a quote from rapper Future's song GTA as he said: 'Whatever I'm with, my b**** with it too' Edwards and Cher kissed on the red carpet at the amfAR Gala 2024 in Cannes last week He also played coy on the possibility of marrying the Believe artist four decades his junior as he said: 'We happy. We're a happy family.' This comes as Edwards, Tyga, and Travis were reportedly involved in a brawl in Cannes, France, around 5 a.m. on Friday. The brawl reportedly began after Travis Scott and Tyga's good friend, Edwards began taking swings at each other at Richie Akiva's 'The After,' an annual party he throws during the iconic French film festival that was held at the Domaine La Dilecta estate. The fight took place shortly after Travis and Tyga were awkwardly introduced together on stage, according to TMZ. Sources told Page Six that the fight appeared to kick off when Scott snatched a microphone out of Akiva's hand after he announced Tyga and Edwards by saying, 'We got T-Raww and A.E.' on stage. Travis Scott's reps declined to comment. DailyMail.com has also reached out to Tyga and Edwards for comment. According to TMZ, the 808 Mafia producer Southside also stepped into the onstage brawl. Sources said the hostilities began after Travis and Tyga were both behind the DJ booth. Scott was reportedly introduced alongside Tyga and Edwards, which appeared to set him off Travis is said to have taken the microphone from Akiva, prompting Edwards (pictured front center), who was chumming up with Tyga earlier in the evening, to say something to him Scott reportedly shouted threats and insults at Tyga's security detail, before storming off stage and then returning with Southside joining him After Akiva introduced Tyga and Edward, he also reportedly shouted out Travis, which seems to have rubbed the Sicko Mode rapper the wrong way. Travis is said to have taken the microphone from Akiva, prompting Edwards, who was chumming up with Tyga earlier in the evening, to say something to him. A source told Page Six that Edwards told Scott to 'Let him show love.' The Goosebumps rapper than reportedly began approaching Tyga's security and shouting threats and insults. 'Yall [N-word] wanna die?' he shouted, according to Page Six. 'Travis was the aggressor,' a source alleged. 'He and his team were being neurotic, erratic and crazy. He was there looking for a fight with anyone to be honest.' He was seen leaving the stage in a huff, only to allegedly return with Southside by his side. TMZ's sources say Southside and Edwards began shoving each other, before Edwards landed multiple punches. Grainy video of the brawl appears to show Travis pulling Edwards off Southside, and sources added that Kylie's ex appeared to nearly fall off the stage in the process. A source claimed to Page Six that the Astroworld rapper did fall off the stage after being dragged by Edwards. Travis and Tyga reportedly have simmering tensions due to their past histories with Kylie, but an insider told Page Six that the Kardashians star was not the spark that set off the violence. 'The history is there [but] its not like thats necessarily what was the cause [of this fight],' they claimed. Travis and Tyga reportedly have simmering tensions due to their past histories with Kylie, but an insider told Page Six that the Kardashians star was not the spark that set off the violence Tyga first dated Kylie on and off for two years, beginning when she was just 17, which earned widespread criticism from fans; seen in 2016 Kylie and Travis began an onoff relationship in 2017 that led them to welcome two children: Stormi, six, and Aire, two. They split, seemingly for good, in January 2023; seen in 2019 Although social media accounts that initially shared videos of the fight described it as a brawl between Travis and Tyga, sources for both publications claimed that Tyga was not directly involved Tyga reportedly stayed put by the DJ booth, and a Page Six source said he looked 'chill' despite the fighting near him; he's seen earlier on Thursday night in Cannes with Edwards behind him Travis and Southside reportedly rushed to their cars and left after the fight was broken up, while Tyga and Edwards remained with their entourages Tyga first dated Kylie on and off for two years, beginning when she was just 17, which earned widespread criticism from fans. Kylie and Travis began an onoff relationship in 2017 that led them to welcome two children: Stormi, six, and Aire, two. They split, seemingly for good, in January 2023 Although social media accounts that initially shared videos of the fight described it as a brawl between Travis and Tyga, sources for both publications claimed that Tyga was not directly involved. He reportedly stayed put by the DJ booth, and a source for Page Six claimed he looked 'chill' despite the fighting on stage. Instead, his and Edwards' assistants were involved in the fight with Scott. Luckily, there were reportedly no serious injuries, and security guards were able to separate the parties quickly. Akiva jumped in on the microphone after the music cut out, and he urged the brawlers to 'respect' him after interrupting his party. A source added that the partygoers got back to dancing 'as if nothing happened' once the alleged combatants were cleared away. However, a few models reportedly were swept up in the chaos. 'Models were flying everywhere in the melee,' a witness claimed to Page Six, adding that 'Someone got hit with an ice bucket.' Scott and Southside reportedly rushed to their cars to leave after the fight was broken up, though the party continued until around 9 a.m. Duncan Bannatyne enjoyed a night out with his glamorous wife Nigora and friends at private members' club Annabel's in London on Tuesday. The former Dragon's Den star, 75, who is worth half a billion, wore a buttoned-down blue pinstripe shirt with a shiny black padded jacket. The multi-millionaire business tycoon finished his look with navy blue trousers and shiny black shoes and warmly bid farewell to a member of staff. Nigora, 44, stunned in a black coat and strappy black heels and she carried a small black bag with an orange handle. The pair have been married since 2017, and met in a dental surgery where Uzbekistan native Nigora had been working. Duncan Bannatyne enjoyed a night out with his glamorous wife Nigora and friends at private members' club Annabel's in London on Tuesday Nigora stunned in a black coat and strappy black heels and she carried a small black bag with an orange handle Duncan recently revealed he 'almost died' after being stung by a dragonfly whilst on holiday with his wife in Mexico in April. The Scottish mogul shared that after contracting an infection he was left with a 'dryness' in his throat that left him struggling to speak. Speaking to Evan Davis in a May episode of BBC Radio 4's Decisions That Made Me A Leader, Duncan recalled: 'I almost died in Mexico, just a few weeks ago. 'I got this infection in my hand. It was a bite and it's swelling. There were seven couples and a woman said: ''You have to get a doctor.'' 'My wife phoned the doctor. I lay on the bed and he says he's going to give me an injection because it's a dragonfly. He injected me into my hip and I turn on my back. 'I was lying there, he was talking to my wife and I had this dryness come up through my oesophagus. I was so dry and I couldn't speak. And my heart started - bump, bump bump bump bump, bump, bump.' Duncan added that he managed to catch the medic's attention and after an injection and some pills he quickly felt better. He added that he's now 'seriously' considering planning his will, in case he has another health scare in the future. The pair have been married since 2017 , and met in a dental surgery where Uzbekistan native Nigora had been working The former Dragon's Den star, 75, (left) who is worth half a billion, wore a buttoned-down blue pinstripe shirt with a shiny black padded jacket The lion's share of his fortune is expected to go to his 'soul mate' Nigora - despite him having two ex-wives and six children. Thrice-wed Duncan has four children with first wife Gail Brodie and two with second wife Joanna McCue. Duncan proposed to Nigora, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, in Monte Carlo in 2016 with a 40,000 ring. The couple married in Portugal in 2017 before jetting off to Croatia to enjoy their luxurious honeymoon. Katie Price was pictured with her new security team leaving her latest Live Podcast show in Bristol on Tuesday evening. It comes after the former glamour model, 46, revealed vandals 'threw acid on her Pink Range Rover' on Saturday night, leaving her no choice but to leave her Mucky Mansion. Katie explained on Instagram: 'Due to acid attack on my car at my house I've now been advised by authorities not to stay at Mucky Mansion anymore' The TV personality appeared more relaxed as she left the venue after upping her security to keep herself and her family safe. The new security team checked the car park of the venue and closed the gates before escorting Katie and her entourage to her bright pink car. Katie Price was pictured with her new security team leaving her latest Live Podcast show in Bristol on Tuesday evening The TV personality, 46, appeared more relaxed as she left the venue after upping her security to keep herself and her family safe The new security team checked the car park of the venue and closed the gates before escorting Katie and her entourage to her bright pink car Katie flashed her toned figure in a white crop top and low-rise joggers, teamed with quirky moon boots. It comes after fans at her London podcast show were outraged as she she turned up to the show an hour late. To see one of Katie's live podcast shows, fans had to fork out 29 per ticket. Although the entry fee was relatively cheap compared to her competitors, she could not fill the venue, which could seat up to 700 people. Fan pictures showed that the venue still had a lot of empty seats by the time the show started. In a desperate bid to put bottoms on seats, the mother-of-five offered her dedicated fans a discount and started to flog her tickets online for 10. But while it also appears that she will not fill her next 400-capacity venue in Birmingham, there is still hope for her in Bristol, Glasgow and Newcastle. Katie and Sophie launched the podcast in the summer in a bid to get the cash flowing again after being made bankrupt twice. Katie is set to move into a new house in Sussex after she was forced to leave her Mucky Mansion amid her financial woes. It was revealed on Tuesday that Katie would finally leave her 2million Mucky Mansion, with removal vans arriving at the sprawling home. And later that day, pictures showed her new Tudor-style home in Sussex as the vans dropped off boxes of her belongings at the three-bedroom property. Katie flashed her toned figure in a white crop top and low-rise joggers, teamed with quirky moon boots It comes after fans at her London podcast show were outraged as she she turned up to the show an hour late It comes after the former glamour model, 46, revealed vandals 'threw acid on her Pink Range Rover' on Saturday night, leaving her no choice but to leave her Mucky Mansion Over the video Katie could be heard saying: 'It's nice to know someone in the night has come to throw acid all over my car, everywhere, all on my car. Thank you whoever that was' Explaining the situation, the former glamour model, 46, shared on Instagram: 'Due to acid attack on my car at my house I've now been advised by authorities not to stay at Mucky Mansion anymore' The removal team were seen carrying Katie's things into the garage of her new home - which the reality star will move into with her five kids. Katie said that she couldn't ' wait to get out' of her Mucky Mansion - which she bought in 2014 from Tory peer Francis Maude - as she revealed vandals 'threw acid on her Pink Range Rover' on Saturday night. Removal vans arrived at the sprawling estate in Sussex on Tuesday, as Katie and her five kids prepare to move out. Three large removal trucks were pictured on the driveway, while workers started loading them with furniture. Explaining the situation, the former glamour model, 46, shared on Instagram: 'Due to acid attack on my car at my house I've now been advised by authorities not to stay at Mucky Mansion anymore'. An insider told The Sun: 'Katie has been dreading this day for so long but now it is here, she can't wait to leave. 'The house has caused her so much grief and was too much to handle on her own. With work and the kids it all became too much in recent years. And she's convinced it's haunted.' Katie confirmed for the first time on Thursday that she's finally moving out after she was served an eviction notice to leave the property. Katie shares two children, Jett, 10, and Bunny, nine, with ex Kieran. She is also mum to Junior, 18, and Princess, 16, from her marriage to Peter Andre, and Harvey, 21, whose dad is Dwight Yorke Katie is now dating Married At First Sight star JJ Slater and the pair say they are 'in love' But Katie has now revealed that she is looking forward to leaving the house after taking to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of her car covered in splatters of a substance which has eroded the paint. Over the video Katie could be heard saying: 'It's nice to know someone in the night has come to throw acid all over my car, everywhere, all on my car. Thank you whoever that was.' Katie also included text on the clip which read: 'Scumbags outside my house on my private property. I can't wait get out of this house in a few months' time.' MailOnline has approached Katie's representatives for comment. On Thursday, Katie revealed she will soon be collecting the keys for a new home and denied recent reports she was looking to move her family into a caravan. After nine years, Katie says she 'can't wait' to relocate and admits, 'I've had nothing but bad memories in that house', insisting moving will be the start of a new chapter in her life. The former glamour model, who's currently in a relationship with Married At First Sight UK contestant JJ Slater, 30, was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid tax bill of 761,994.05. Speaking about the West Sussex property, branded the 'Mucky Mansion' because of its constant state of disrepair, Katie said: 'I absolutely hate the Mucky Mansion, even how it's been called the Mucky Mansion because of all the stuff that happened there before. The former glamour model was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid tax bill 'I can't wait to get out of that house I've had nothing but bad memories in that house for nine years. I hate the Mucky Mansion, I never want to see it again and I can't wait to move into my new place, I am so excited. New beginnings, new start, reset button, I love it. 'But don't worry, I'll be featuring my new house on my YouTube channel when I get the keys and welcoming you to my new house, I can't wait, I just want to get rid of all the bad stuff in the past and have a fresh start. Although I would love a big caravan, it wouldn't fit us all in so it's definitely not a caravan I'm moving into.' Katie, who's a mum to Harvey Price, 21, as well as Junior, 18, and Princess, 16, who she shares with Peter Andre and Jett, 10, and Bunny, nine, from her relationship with Kieran Hayler, was first declared bankrupt in 2019. In March, she became bankrupt for a second time after she failed to pay her taxes, saying the reason she has debts is because she went through a 'breakdown.' Speaking on the Stripping Off podcast with Matt Haycox, Katie said she wasn't even aware of the second bankruptcy, insisting, 'I will pay it, but it just has to be when I've got it.' She said: 'Yeah, you should always pay your tax, this and that. But obviously, I went through a breakdown so then I didn't pay tax and that's sort of where the bankruptcy thing has come from.' Katie has been given until June 26 to leave the Mucky Mansion, which became the subject of a Channel 4 documentary when she attempted to install life back into the property for the last time. Earlier this month it was revealed the former glamour model, 45, has reportedly been informed by lawyers she would have to move out of the property in in Dial Post, West Sussex, by May 29, after two eviction notices appeared outside her home Taking to Instagram on Monday, Katie shared a clip showing a huge pile of things in her living room that she was set to sell During an Instagram live on Tuesday, she confirmed there will be no further renovation shows based around the house, saying, 'Is there going to be anymore Mucky Mansions shows? No.' She was served an eviction notice on April 24 and told to leave by the end of May but has been given an extension by her mortgage provider. Katie was due to give evidence at the High Court over her finances last month but failed to turn up because she was on holiday in Cyprus with boyfriend JJ. The 'Mucky Mansion' earned its nickname following years of damage to the property, including flooding, burglaries, mould and even reports of it being haunted. On Wednesday, Katie celebrated her birthday and was presented with a cake by JJ, who joined her on stage as she tours with her podcast The Katie Price Show. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, JJ revealed he's already thinking about proposing to Katie and he sees their 14-year age difference as 'irreverent.' Safety authorities have issued an urgent 'do not drive' warning of certain Nissan models due to the risk of serious injury or even death. The company is warning the owners of around 84,000 older vehicles fitted with dangerous Takata airbags, which can explode and hurl 'sharp metal fragments' at motorists. The company told drivers that if they have one of these vehicles, from model years 2002 to 2006, they should not drive it until a repair is completed and the defective airbag is replaced. The warning covers certain model year 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles. The urgent request comes after one person in a Nissan 2006 Sentra was killed by an exploding front-passenger inflator, and 58 others have been injured since 2015. The 2003 Nissan Sentra is among the models affected by the recal 'Due to the age of the vehicles equipped with defective Takata airbag inflators, there is an increased risk the inflator could explode during an airbag deployment, propelling sharp metal fragments which can cause serious injury or death,' Nissan said in a statement. 'Even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries,' the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement. 'Older model year vehicles put their occupants at higher risk, as the age of the air bag is one of the contributing factors.' The NHTSA is urging all vehicle owners to immediately check to see if their vehicle has an open Takata air bag recall on their website. If it does, owners should contact their dealership to schedule a free repair as soon as they can - and follow any other warnings from the vehicle manufacturer. Nissan and Infiniti are offering free towing, mobile repair, and in select locations, vehicles on loan, it said. Any Nissan customers with questions or concerns can visit Nissan's recall website. In 2020, Nissan recalled over 730,000 vehicles to replace the inflators, but the company said around 84,000 vehicles remain in use with the dangerous parts. The 2002 Infiniti QX4 is also among the vehicles affected, Nissan announced Wednesday Nissan issued a 'do not drive' warning for specific models (Pictured: 2004 Nissan Pathfinder) According to NHTSA, 27 people in the US have been killed by a defective airbag by the Japanese manufacturer which exploded. At least 400 people in the US have allegedly been injured, the administration said. Takata is now bankrupt, but more than 100 million of its products went into vehicles made by more than a dozen automakers which have now been recalled. At least 67 million airbag inflators have been recalled in the US - making it one of the largest safety callbacks in history. Earlier this year, Toyota issued an urgent 'do not drive' advisory on 61,000 vehicles fitted with Takata airbags. A deployed Takata-manufactured airbag is seen on the driver's side of a 2007 Dodge Charger at a recycled auto parts lot in Detroit Takata is now bankrupt, but more than 100 million of it products went into vehicles made by more than a dozen automakers Stephanie Erdman, a First Lieutenant in the US Air Force, survived a crash on September 1, 2013 which fired metal shrapnel from the Takata airbag in her 2002 Honda Civic into her neck and right eye Among the models affected were the Toyota 2003-2004 Corolla, the 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix and 2004-2005 RAV4. Chrysler-parent company Stellantis advised 29,000 owners of 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to immediately stop driving in July after a fatal incident involving a Takata airbag. And in 2022, Stellantis urged owners of 276,000 other cars to stop driving after three other deaths linked to the bags were reported that year. Honda last February similarly recalled 8,200 Acura and Honda vehicles after the airbag-related death of the driver of a 2002 Accord in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Honda alone has reported 17 US deaths and more than 200 injuries related to Takata inflator ruptures. House prices in swing states could keep Joe Biden in the White House in the upcoming presidential election, a first-of-its-kind study suggests. The academic study analyzed home prices and election results at the county level for each of the six presidential elections from 2000 to 2020, Realtor.com reported. Counties where home prices had risen in the four years leading up to an election were more likely to 'vote-switch' to the incumbent party's presidential candidate, it found. In counties where home price performance was worse, Americans were more likely to flip their vote to the challenging candidate - whether they be Democrat or Republican. House prices were most influential in 'swing counties' in the seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the study found. House prices in swing states could keep Joe Biden in the White House in the upcoming presidential election, a first-of-its-kind study suggests Home prices have soared across the US in the last four years. But gains have beaten the national average in four of these swing states - suggesting this trend could favor the incumbent president in November. The reason behind the trend is simple, according to the study's authors. For most Americans, their home is their largest single asset, which means they tend to vote in support of candidates and policies which they believe will boost its value. 'People feel more financially wealthy if they have a lot of housing equity, relative to lower housing equity,' co-author Alan Tidwell, University of Alabama associate professor of finance, told Realtor.com. 'How financially wealthy they feel really impacts their sense of financial and economic well-being.' National home values have risen by a huge 46.4 percent from March 2020 to March 2024, according to the Freddie Mac home price index. But in swing states Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin, all four-year price gains were larger than 50 percent. In Arizona, home prices have risen by 59.7 percent, in Georgia, they have risen by 58.7 percent, in North Carolina they have gone up by 62.4 percent, and in Wisconsin they have gone up by 50.8 percent. In swing counties, voters care about home prices the most, and real estate is one of the main drivers of household wealth, said lead author Eren Cifci, an assistant professor of finance at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. 'So there may be many other factors that affect how people vote, but this definitely appears to be one of the factors influencing voters when they make their decisions.' In the map below, scroll mouse if you are on a computer or hover your finger on a smartphone to see more details for each state. Your browser does not support iframes. In Arizona, home prices have risen by 59.7 percent over the last four years To conduct the study, the authors looked at the voting results for every county in the US over the past six presidential elections. Of those counties, 77 percent never changed their party preference, it found. But in 641 - or 23 percent - of counties, voters switched parties at least once during the survey period - with some changing as many as four times. Within the subset of swing counties, for every 1 percent increase in home values over the four years leading up to an election, the county was 0.36 percent more likely to vote for the incumbent party in the next election. The study also discovered that each 1 percent in home prices made the county 0.19 percent more likely to 'flip' to vote for the incumbent party candidate. 'The larger the return [on home values], the more likely you are to vote for the incumbent, or to flip for the incumbent,' Tidwell told Realtor.com. 'For every percent of positive return, there is a percentage increase in voting for the incumbent.' In the map below, scroll mouse if you are on a computer or hover your finger on a smartphone to see more details for each areas. Your browser does not support iframes. The authors are keen to stress that there are many other factors at play during an election, and home price performance is not 'a forecast on its own.' Republican nominee Donald Trump has levelled attacks against the Biden administration over rising prices - as the housing market has emerged as a key issue for voters. 'Under President Biden, home prices have risen almost 50 percent, making it nearly impossible for millennials to buy their first home and driving the American Dream further and further out of reach,' Trump supporter Senator Tim Scott wrote on X. But meanwhile, Biden supporters have pointed out that rising house values are a key source of equity for existing homeowners. Indias largest beer-makers, United Breweries (a Heineken company), AB-InBev, and Carlsbergtoday jointly announced the launch of Brewers Association of India (BAI), a new industry body focused on growing the beer category in India, and drive innovation, moderation, and sustainability in the Indian beer market. BAI is being established in partnership with the World Brewing Alliance (WBA), the global industry body consistingof brewers and brewing trade associations from Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Brazil, New Zealand, Nigeria and now India. The goal of WBA is to exchange knowledge and best practices among brewers and other stakeholders. It is the global, unified voice of the industry to various audiences and stakeholders. The rapid digital shift necessitates comprehensive strategies to address skill gaps and ensure inclusive growth. Public-private partnerships are essential The service sector has undeniably been the primary driver of Indias growth since 2000. The exceptional performance of certain modern services has unequivocally contributed to the creation of more productive and decent employment. The reliance on services for economic growth unequivocally demands a fully developed job market, enabling a free flow of the workforce. The absence of such mechanisms will undoubtedly lead to rigidity in the services sector, curtailing growth against the backdrop of the increasingly important position of the services sector. The key focus areas include the pivotal role of technology in shaping the services sector and stimulating job growth in other sectors through multiplier effects. The momentous transformation of the Indian economy is irrefutably being spearheaded by the service sector, which unequivocally contributes more than 50 per cent of the GDP. The sectors expansion is not happening in isolation but is deeply intertwined with global technological advancements. Technological progress has undeniably been a catalyst for efficiency, customer satisfaction, market expansion and data-driven decision-making within firms. It has also undeniably given rise to new service categories, such as e-commerce and other tech-based services like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), revolutionising the sector. The relationship between the service sectors growth and technological innovation is undeniably mutually beneficial. As the service sector expands, it undeniably fuels further innovation in technology-based solutions. New ventures and their technological needs undeniably push for continuous technological advancements to gain the competitiveness needed to maintain their foothold in the dynamic industry. This competition and need for differentiation undeniably lead to increased investments in research and development (R&D) and open innovations, benefiting both the firms involved and the public. The introduction of 5G and the ongoing development of 6G technologies have significantly enhanced connectivity, service delivery speed and overall efficiency in India. Efforts to improve digital literacy have further accelerated technology adoption, with 70 per cent of businesses identifying as Digital Businesses and the country exhibiting the highest fintech adoption rate at 87 per cent. The application of AI in business operations has markedly improved operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and decision-making, positioning India as a global leader in AI adoption. However, the rapid digital transformation necessitates a balance between creating employment and providing the relevant skill sets for technology-demanding jobs for a new generation is a national need. The service sector unequivocally offers both abundant opportunities and formidable challenges. Addressing challenges demands a resolute, comprehensive approach with astute policies and unwavering implementation. Public-private partnerships and policies aimed at bridging the skill gaps must be executed with unwavering effectiveness. Educational institutions must urgently revamp their curriculum to directly align with the markets skill demands. Technological advancement, while propelling economic growth, undeniably necessitates relentless skill development. To fully exploit technological progress, educational institutions must steadfastly ensure their curriculum is consistently updated and in sync with the latest innovations. Skill Gap: In India, the skill gap in the labour force is a significant challenge, with only 51 per cent of the youth deemed employable due to a lack of necessary skills. This issue is exacerbated by the countrys diverse socio-economic conditions, particularly affecting those in rural areas and from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who lack access to quality education and training. This situation perpetuates cycles of poverty and aggravates wage inequality. Moreover, inadequate emphasis on developing non-technical skills such as communication, critical thinking and leadership, which are increasingly in demand, further compounds the problem. The absence of these skills from the curriculum of most educational institutes compels employers to choose candidates only from a handful of premier institutes. Additionally, there is a significant mismatch between the skills taught and those required by employers, leading to unemployment even among the formally educated. Efforts to bridge this gap must include public-private partnerships (PPPs), such as the initiative to upgrade Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to train 150 million people by 2024. These initiatives are crucial steps toward aligning educational outcomes with market needs, emphasising the vital importance of both technical and non-technical skills development to enhance employability. Gender Inequality: Female employability in India has consistently exceeded male employability from 2020 to 2023, but there was a drop in 2024. Furthermore, it has been higher for seven out of eleven years of the Wheebiz India Skills Reports. However, there has been a persistent gap between female and male labour force participation, indicating a clear bias against employing women over men. This bias is diminishing as female labour force participation has risen over the years, but substantial improvement is still necessary. The Indian Government has implemented various initiatives to foster gender-inclusive employment, aiming to bridge the gender gap in the workplace, making employing female labourers more lucrative while also ensuring it does not come at the cost of pay disparity. One significant legislation is the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, designed to eliminate the wage gap between genders by ensuring equal pay for equal work. However, the act faces challenges, such as the narrow interpretation of the same work or work of a similar nature and the onus on employees to prove discrimination, which is difficult due to workplace power dynamics and legal complexities. Additionally, the Government has launched schemes like Mission Shakti and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna-National Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM), focusing on womens skill development and employability. These initiatives include exclusive training institutes for women, industry-oriented courses and partnerships with private sector bodies and NGOs. To encourage female participation in skill development, 30 per cent of seats in ITIs and ITCs are reserved for women. These measures represent a comprehensive and assertive approach to promoting gender equality in employment, highlighting the crucial importance of legislative support, skill development and financial empowerment in achieving a more inclusive workforce. These unwavering steps will guarantee the complete realisation of the Indian economys potential and the equitable distribution of the benefits of skills development. (The writer is Co-Founder and MD, of Orane International, a Training Partner with the National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC), Network Member, of India International Skill Centres, an initiative of GoI. Views expressed are personal) The assaults on the Ramakrishna Mission raise serious concerns about the States political climate and its impact on religious harmony West Bengal is again in the news and again for the wrong reasons. The premises of the venerable Ramakrishna Mission at Jalpaiguri have been vandalised by the goons of the States ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). That hasnt been the only incident of attacking a religious or spiritual centre. The ISKCON temple premises in the State have also been the target of the TMC brigade, as the States chief minister Mamata Banerjee suspects the organisations monks of being BJP sympathisers. So too have the premises of the Bharat Sevashram Sangh (BSS) at Beldanga in the district of Murshidabad suffered the ire of the ruling partys roughnecks. One of the BSS monks Kartik Maharaj has drawn Mamata Banerjees ire as he is thought to be working towards influencing voters in favour of the BJP. Banerjee also believes that the ISKCON is playing a similar role. The Ramakrishna Mission or RKM, as it is also known, headquartered in Kolkatas Belur Math was founded in 1897, by the great spiritual Ramakrishna Paramahansas most renowned disciple, Swami Vivekananda. The latter was truly a global icon of modern Hinduism and planted the flag of Sanatana Dharma in the West, beginning with his spiritual conquest in Chicago in 1893 at a conference of the World Parliament of Religions. Though the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in New York, its founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada or Srila Prabhupada was born in Calcutta and ventured to the US only in his old age, at 69, to spread the message of Krishna to America and the rest of the world. To vandalise such highly regarded institutions such as the venerable Ramakrishna Ashram and the internationally respected ISKCON, which has over 160 temples across the globe and that too by some citizens of a country that is predominantly Hindu, is unthinkable and unpardonable. It is possible that the perpetrators of these attacks are not Hindus but people belonging to another religion. Nevertheless, the message that comes out from these recent episodes of temple vandalism is of the Hindus as a people being religious-suicidal. This is all the more unfortunate for two reasons. The Ramakrishna Mission is world famous since it was Swami Vivekananda who single-handedly informed the world of the wonder that Hinduism is. It is ISKCON that enables so many countries, with its magnificent temples, to worship in the Hindu way of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna. Secondly, it has been only a few years since the image of Hindu India began to shine, after centuries of suppression. We now have the sordid spectacle of temple and ashram premises being attacked by goons with guns, in West Bengal of all places. It was just over a century ago that Congress leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale had said, What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. It signified the province of Bengal was a leader. Is this what leaders do and that too for winning some seats in four or five constituencies? Just look back at the Renaissance, which in many ways, was comprehensively led by Bengal. But before that, let us not forget Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered by many to have been an avatar of Krishna. Chaitanya saved at least a part of Bengal for Bharat; but for him, the whole of the province would have been swallowed by Pakistan and then ruined. He stood between the conversion of the poorer Bengalis to Islam and saving them so that today they can worship Krishna. Ramakrishna Paramahansa was also a divine gift of Bengal, who himself had a glimpse of the divine. One could go on and on about Bengals contributions to the country. Modern Indias greatest poet was Rabindranath Tagore, again, a gift of Bengal. His lyrics are today are national anthem. One cannot ever forget Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and his stirring song Vande Mataram, which became the freedom anthem of Indias national movement and inspired countless revolutionaries to armed action for combating the colonial raj, as well as to embrace the gallows in their supremely inspired quest. Bengal is a virtual encyclopaedia of the 19th and 20th-century, greats of India. It would need an entire volume to describe how and when the saga began to sour. From the climbing of lofty heights of art, culture, literature and industry, Bengal began to slip towards an existence that wouldnt be envied in the least. The late Nirad Chaudhari, one of the finest writers the English language world has seen, gave vent to this angst by saying that the people of his are the finest virtuosi of factiousness, not a flattering comment, though this writer, having being raised in Bengal and able to speak fluent Bengali, is wont to take a much more positive view. The sense of being Bengali is of course very pronounced, but the unity a common language can foster cannot stand before the pull of religion, as has been the historical experience throughout most significant parts of the world. That the State that led Indias renaissance in the 19th century has fallen into this travesty is a sad tale, but Bengal has been known to come back strongly towards nationalism every time it is felt that the province might have gone astray. Perhaps therein lies the silver lining. (The writer is a well-known columnist, an author and a former member of the Rajya Sabha; views are personal) It's raining fire in the national Capital as the city recorded its highest temperature of 46.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, surpassing its 79-year-old record of 46.4 degrees Celsius set in 1945. While Mungeshpur logged the highest ever temperature in the city at 52.9 degrees Celsius, 13 degrees above normal, areas like Narela and Najafgarh saw temperatures reaching 49 degrees Celsius. To get relief, heat-stricken residents were seen drinking ORS-laced drinks, using wet towels, and taking multiple baths a day. Delhi broke all previous records in the country as the previous highest temperature in India was recorded in Rajasthan's Phalodi in 2016 at 51 degrees Celsius. It is also just 3.8 degrees behind the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth of 56.7 degrees Celsius at the Greenland Ranch in California's Death Valley, which is now aptly referred to as the Furnace Creek Ranch. The maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 46.8 degrees Celsius, which is six degrees above the normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 29.4 degrees Celsius. However, the weather experienced a sudden change on Wednesday evening as the sky turned cloudy and witnessed light drizzling in some parts, providing short relief to Delhiites. But the short respite was followed by more discomfort due to the humidity caused by light rain. The roasting heat has led to the Delhiites taking several measures to ensure their well being along with trying to stay indoors as much as possible. However, some residents said it is not easy to be indoors all the time as one has to go and earn a livelihood. People were seen flocking air conditioned buses and preferring the metro for their journey while also spending their time inside air-conditioned shopping malls. In Delhi' ITO metro station, many, who came to get their passports from the office nearby, were seen taking refuge in the station to beat the heat amid long queues. A 40-year-old woman sitting at the entry passage said it is the best way she could escape the scorching summer heat. With temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius in Mungeshpur and Najafgarh in the last few days, residents said they have been constantly falling ill despite taking many measures to beat the heat. The Delhi Government's LNJP Hospital has been seeing a spike in the number of patients affected due to heatwave conditions."We have seen a high number of patients affected by the heat this week. Yesterday alone, we received nearly 10 patients who were affected by heat stroke," said Dr Ritu Saxena from Lok Nayak Hospital. Symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting and unconsciousness are common among such patients, she said. Saxena advised that people should avoid stepping out, especially during peak hours, and keep themselves hydrated. Amit Kumar, a resident of Najafgarh, said his family is struggling due to the heat and said they are trying to avoid stepping out as much as possible. "My brother got sick due to the heat, and now we are taking extra precautions. We're taking traditional remedies like aam panna (unripe mango juice) and using wet towels to stay cool and prevent fainting. The heat is so severe that we are giving the kids multiple baths during the day to stay cool," Kumar said. Jay Pandit, a resident of Mungeshpur who commutes 30 kilometres for work in Central Delhi, described the challenges of daily travel. "The hot wind feels like burning the skin, and it's affecting my health. How long can you sit inside? A day or two, maybe three, you can't just stay inside. To live, to survive, you have to step out, but managing this heat is tough. I feel headaches and fever most days while coming back home," Pandit said. Residents of Delhi are adopting various measures to combat the sweltering conditions, such as taking traditional remedies like aam panna and using wet towels to stay cool. Some are taking baths twice a day and trying to avoid stepping out. On the outskirts of the city in Mungeshpur and Narela, the mercury touched as high as 49.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, nine notches above normal. Amit Singh, a contractor, said, "We can't work from 11 am to 5 pm because of the heatwave. Many labourers have left for their native places, and our business has been affected. We need to work in open areas, which is just not possible these days as the weather is unbearable." To protect themselves, people are taking ORS and keeping themselves hydrated as much as they can. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Rajiv Vihar in Najafgarh, said the high temperatures and the hot, dry wind are making people in the area fall sick. "I commute to Central Delhi on my bike every day. Despite taking all the precautions, I have developed a high fever and body ache due to heat stroke," he added. With the heatwave in the National Capital, it is the first time in the history that its power demand has crossed the 8,300-MW mark. Power distribution companies had estimated the demand to peak at 8,200 MW this summer. Further, the Delhi Government on Wednesday announced that a Rs 2,000 fine would be imposed on anyone found to be wasting water - washing cars with a hose, letting their water tanks overflow or using private connections for commercial activity. The IMD later sais there could be an error in sensor data and the data of Mungeshwar site is being examined. Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual abuse charges, has booked a return flight ticket to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30, official sources said on Wednesday. According to sources in the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda is expected to land in Bengaluru in the small hours of May 31. Revanna on Wednesday moved a Special Court seeking anticipatory bail in the rape case registered against him. His advocate filed an anticipatory bail application in the Special Court for cases involving MPs/MLAs. He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan LS seat went to polls, and is still at large. The SIT is maintaining vigil at the Kempegowda Airport to arrest him as soon as he lands. The MP, who is seeking re-election as the NDA candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, fled to a foreign country as soon as the news broke out that the Karnataka State Commission for Women requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order an investigation into the huge cache of explicit videos showing several women being sexually assaulted allegedly by him. Opposition parties, including Congress and Trinamool Congress, are to approach the Election Commission to first restrict and secondly prevent media publicity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation plans at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, in Kanyakumari following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign on Thursday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress will complain to the Election Commission if Prime Minister meditation in Kanyakumari is televised, claiming that it would be a violation of the election Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Congress said the Election Commission should not grant permission for the PM's programme, as the model code of conduct was in force. "Such a move was an attempt at "indirect campaigning" after the end of canvassing of votes," Tamil Nadu Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai alleged. The PM will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata', BJP leaders said. The Prime Minister had gone on a similar meditation exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll campaign. "We will complain. He can meditate, but it cannot be aired on television," Mamata said, claiming that this will amount to "violation of the MCC." "Does anyone have to get cameras for doing meditation?" she asked, claiming that it was a way of canvassing during the silence period between the end of campaign and the poll date. All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Modi's 45-hour stay at the Rock Memorial. The district in the country's southernmost tip will see a strong posse of 2,000 police personnel and various security agencies maintaining a tight vigil during the PM's event. Tirunelveli range DIG Pravesh Kumar accompanied by superintendent of police E Sundaravathanam had inspected the security arrangements at the rock memorial, boat jetty, helipad and the State guest house in Kanyakumari. Even as the Prime Minister's core security team reached the venue, a trial of helicopter landing had also been conducted at the helipad. As per his tentative schedule, Modi is expected to arrive at Kanyakumari late afternoon on May 30 for the spiritual sojourn. He would later proceed to the memorial. The epic campaign for the seven phase 2024 general elections spanning for about two months now amid intense heatwave will come to an end on Thursday evening for the last phase voting on Saturday to seal the fortunes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, actor turned politician Ravi Kishan and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. The voting schedule period for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, spread over 44 days, which is the second longest after the first parliamentary elections of 1951-52, which lasted for more than four months but then that time it was through ballot papers and the counting of votes lasted for 4/5 days. Interesting slogans ranged from "God of the Gods" to "Lord Jagannath" and Mujra , 'disco', 'Bhangra', 'Bharatnatyam' to Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farm loan waiver and Muslim appeasement dominated in this phase that sparked controversy. Besides the Congress's khatakhat, khatakhat has become the buzz phrase so much so that even Modi used it to attack the Opposition. Khatakhat khatakhat has also spawned its own family of buzz phrases. Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi, started using khatakhat khatakhat, a Hindi onomatopoeia that signifies something being done fast in a repeated movement. Everyone immediately took a liking to the buzz phrase khatakhat khatakhat with an addition of `Good Bye Tata' a day earlier by Congress' Rahul Gandhi. The high decibel campaign also saw political engagements on remarks like India racism and redistribution of wealth by then Congress Overseas Incharge Sam Pitroda leading to his removal from the post and the zenith was a sex scandal involving JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna who is seeking reelection from his Parliamentary constituency Hassan. The seventh phase of polling will be held across 57 parliamentary constituencies, covering eight States and Union Territories on June 1. The stakes are high for the BJP in this phase as it has won 30 seats of the total 57 in 2019. All seats in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will go to polls in the seventh phase, along with the remaining seats in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chandigarh and West Bengal. Data shows of the 57 seats, the BJP won 25 in both, the 2014 and the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, the Congress won only three seats in 2014 and eight in 2019. In terms of vote share, the BJP clocked more than 40 per cent in 28 seats and between 30 and 40 per cent in 12 seats. In contrast, Congress received a vote share of less than 10 per cent in 18 seats. Altogether, 24 seats are strongholds of different parties. The Trinamool Congress and the BJP have eight strongholds each. The remaining eight strongholds belong to the Biju Janata Dal, the Congress, the Janata Dal (United), and the Shiromani Akali Dal. There are 904candidates are now left in the fray. 328 candidates from Punjab and 144 fromUttar Pradesh are in the fray for 13 seats each, respectively. 134 candidatesare contesting on eight seats from Bihar, 66 from Odisha on six seats, 52 fromJharkhand on three seats, 37 from Himachal Pradesh on four seats and and 19from Chandigarh for one seat. Punjab hada maximum of 598 nomination forms from 13 Parliamentary constituencies (PCs),followed by Uttar Pradesh with 495 nominations from 13 PCs before scrutiny andwithdrawals. Constituency wise, 36-Jahanabad Parliamentary Constituency inBihar received a maximum of 73 nomination forms, followed by 7-Ludhiana seat inPunjab with 70 nomination forms. All departments of the Jharkhand government are ready to prevent the production and consumption of drugs in the state. An orientation program has been organized today to work in this direction. In this program, the concerned departments are giving information about their action plan to prevent drug abuse, said Chief Secretary L Khiangte, in an orientation program organized for the campaign against drugs in the Project Bhawan auditorium here on Wednesday. Khiangte said that the production and consumption of drugs in the state is a stigma. We have to erase this stigma. There is a need to focus on schools and colleges. Every person in the society will also have to play an important role in the direction of its prevention. While addressing the program, Principal Secretary, Home, Prison and Disaster Management Department, Vandana Dadel said that Jharkhand has always been under the scanner for opium production. Its production and consumption have increased. Many times, the High Court has taken cognizance and directed action. According to Jharkhand Police, about 2,024 cases have been reported in the last five years, while about 4,949 people have been arrested in the said cases. Action is being taken through the Anti-Narcotics Task Force. Opium production and consumption has been recorded the most in Chatra, Palamu, Latehar and Ranchi. Long-term plans have been prepared to solve this problem. She said that the biggest challenge before the education department is to make all schools and colleges drug-free zones. At the same time, the Social Welfare Department has to work for rehabilitation and there is a need to build counselling centers. DGP Ajay Kumar Singh said that there is information about large-scale opium production in some districts of Jharkhand. Efforts are being made to prevent opium production in those districts. NCB and Crime Investigation Department are working together in this direction. Principal Secretary, Health Department Ajoy Kumar said that the Health Department is serious about preventing drug abuse in the state. Work will be done in this direction by coordinating with all the departments. Principal Secretary of Higher and Technical Education Department Rahul Purwar said that work is being done to prevent the ill effects of drugs among students. An action plan has been prepared for awareness around educational institutions. Awareness programs will be run in collaboration with law students. Manoj Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy Department said that due to availability of drugs and lack of awareness, cases of drug addiction are being seen among children studying in schools and colleges. There is a need to run awareness programs in this direction. Therefore, awareness programs will be run through various activities from June 19 to June 26 and many programs will be organized on World Anti-Drug Day on June 26. Manoj Kumar, Secretary, Women and Child Development and Social Security Department said that cases of drug consumption are a matter of concern for the state and various programs have been designed to prevent it. NCORD committee has been formed at the district level in each district and a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary at the state level. Anti-Narcotics Task Force has been formed. Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau, Abhishek Anand, highlighted the functioning of the Narcotics Control Bureau through a presentation. Representatives of various NGOs expressed their views in the program and also described the need for civil society organizations for the prevention of drugs as important. DG CID Anurag Gupta, several officials of the police department, several officials from various departments, representatives of several voluntary organizations and many other dignitaries were present in the program. BJP state spokesperson Pratul Shahdev launched a major attack on the state government over the deteriorating law and order situation in the capital. Pratul said that the echo of the DJ murder in a famous bar of Ranchi had not even subsided that within 24 hours five different incidents in Ranchi exposed the police. It seems that the fear of police has ended in the criminals. A heinous incident of gang rape of the wife of a soldier on duty at the border takes place in Namkum. This rusty system could not even protect the honor of the wife of the soldier protecting the border. A person is burnt alive by setting a container on fire by the Naxalites on the McCluskieganj main road. Pratul said that the trade of brown sugar is also going on in full swing in the capital Ranchi. The police are making sporadic arrests but are unable to reach the mastermind. Apart from this, today a person was robbed of Rs. 1.5 lakh while withdrawing money from a bank under Sukhdev Nagar police station. After these four big incidents, the theft of Rs. 10,000 cash and jewelry worth Rs. 2 lakh in Sukhdev Nagar is considered a small incident. Pratul demanded strict action from the Chief Minister. Pratul said that the residents of the capital are stammering. Chief Minister, please establish the credibility of the government. Strengthen the intelligence system of the police. Proactive policing should begin. Pratul said that such a system should be made so that the criminal is forced to think 10 times before committing any crime. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a rally on Wednesday, targeted Samajwadi Party and Congress, suggesting that they will blame electronic voting machines (EVMs) for their anticipated defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a public meeting in support of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Pankaj Chaudhary in Maharajganj, Shah asserted that the BJP has already crossed the majority mark in the first five phases of polling. The counting is on June 4. In the afternoon, the two shehzade (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) will hold a press conference and say we lost the election because EVM was defective, he remarked. He further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis party has secured over 310 seats. Rahul baba, you will not get even 40 seats, and the other shehzade (Akhilesh Yadav) will just get four seats, he stated. Shah criticised the opposition for lacking a clear prime ministerial candidate, mockingly suggesting that they propose having five prime ministers over five years. This is not a general store but a nation of 130 crore people. Can such a prime minister work? he questioned. Shah also targeted the Congress, dismissing its concerns about Pakistans atomic capabilities. Congress leaders say that Pakistan has an atom bomb, but BJP people are not scared of atom bombs. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is and will remain part of India, and we will take it back, he declared. Addressing local issues, Shah referenced the Sahara scam, alleging involvement of Akhilesh Yadavs government in it. The scam took place in your government, Akhilesh. Mod ji started the process of refund, he claimed. The Sahara group has denied these allegations, maintaining that they followed regulations. Shah sought to connect with farmers, marking the death anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh. Narendra Modi did the work of giving him Bharat Ratna and gave respect to all the farmers of Uttar Pradesh, he said. He also accused the previous governments of neglecting the sugar industry, promising the construction of a new mega sugar mill in Maharajganj if the BJP returns to power. Polling in Maharajganj is scheduled for June 1. BJP President J P Nadda charged that the INDI Alliance is nothing but an alliance of corrupt leaders as all its leaders and allied parties are corrupt and involved in various scams. Addressing an election meeting at Sarath in Dumka Shri Nadda said that several prominent INDI Alliance leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, P. Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram, Arvind Kejriwal and Lalu Yadav are out on bail, while others like Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Azam Khan, TMC and DMK leaders are currently in jail. Half of the INDI leaders are in jail, while the other half are out on bail. Nadda said Jharkhand is in grip of mafia and money of poor people is looted and they are deprived from government welfare schemes. He exhorted people to vote BJP to speed up ongoing development work. Nadda charged that the Congress wants to give reservation on the basis of religion. BJP President said BR Ambedkar had advocated reservation on the basis of geographical and social conditions of a place and not on religious lines. The Lok Sabha elections for three seats in Dumka Rajmahal and Godda in Jharkhand are scheduled to take place on 1st June in the seventh and final phase. Later Nadda also participated in the road show in Godda, Deogarh (Jharkhand) from Shivlok Parisar to Veer Kunwar Singh Chowk. Nadda was campaigning for party candidate Nishikant Dubey who is contesting from Godda for the third time. Also, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav addressed a public meeting in Jama of Dumka Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He said that BJP is going to form the next government in Jharkhand as well. Dr Mohan Yadav said that India is identified with Lord Ram and Krishna. In foreign countries, just by calling it the land of Lord Ram and Krishna, people understand that this person has come from India. On one hand, there are people who want to erase the identity of India. The British left, but the Congress and their allies still believe the same thing, which was the case during the slavery period. When the country was enslaved. He said that the people of Congress and their alliance were creating hurdles in the matter of Lord Ram. They will not respect Lord Ram in the country. They will not respect Lord Shri Krishna. They will insult our Gods and Goddesses and will go to ask for votes from the public. The public will answer them through votes. The whole country was saying that Lord Ram's temple should be built in Ayodhya, but the people of Congress and their alliance were stopping Lord Ram from even coming to Ayodhya by going to the court. They opposed Lord Ram. They opposed as much as they could. Prime Minister Narendra Modi built the Ram temple with a bang. One who is not with Lord Ram is of no use. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena Wednesday suspended Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwajs Officer on Special Duty (OSD) R N Das with immediate effect in connection with alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical kits. The immediate cause for placing the officer under suspension is on account of reported misconduct with regard to unauthorized and illegal running of Jyoti Nursing Home in Shahadra beyond the valid registration period when he was also Medical Superintendent of Nursing Home Cell. Additionally, Das was issued a show cause notice by the Directorate of Vigilance in April in connection with the alleged irregularities in the procurement of various items like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, gloves, masks and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits worth around Rs 60 crore during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. It also stated that Das has abused his powers during his service. In the order issued on Wednesday, the directorate said, The Honble Lt. Governor, Delhi, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule-10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, hereby, places the said Dr. R.N. Das, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Honble Minister (Health), GNCTD, under suspension with immediate effect. The order also stated, The fire incident occurred at Baby Care Centre at Vivek Vihar on May 25 at 11.30 pm is the recent instance of callousness on the part of Nursing Home Cell. Here also Dr. R.N. Das had allowed the registration of the Nursing Home without bothering to ascertain the pending litigation status as well as undertaking given by the Nursing Home w.r.t. various statutory compliances including fire safety. The BJP had earlier also alleged Dass role in the registration process of a childrens hospital in Vivek Vihar where six newborns were killed in a fire incident on Saturday night. Reacting to the suspension, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said This is just the beginning because we will demand the suspension of all officials involved in the corruption from top to bottom. Along with this, we will also demand an investigation into the role of the former Health Minister in 2021 Satyendra Jain and the local AAP MLA. He said that the suspension of Dr. R.N. Das, who was the OSD of Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and Arvind Kejriwals close aide in the Vivek Vihar tragedy, is evidence that the mismanagement and corruption in the health department of the Delhi government is involved in this entire case. The Delhi BJP President said, Strict action should be taken against every person involved in this crime, for which the BJP will continue to fight. This is just the beginning, we will continue to fight against every person who has been involved in this fire mishap, who has made corruption his source of income and will not sit until action is taken against them. Whether they are officials of the Delhi Fire Service or those who signed on these files, no one will be spared, and our fight against them will continue. With the number of counting rounds being lesser for the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, its result is likely to come faster as compared to the Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituency on June 4 when counting will be taken up. Giving this information, a senior official from the district election office said that counting would start at 8 am at Ramabai grounds on June 4 and results would come between 3 pm and 4 pm. He said that the training was imparted to 800 counting personnel on Wednesday at Jai Narain Degree College, including counting supervisors, counting assistants, micro observers and additional returning officers for both Lucknow and Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituencies. He informed that for the Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha constituency, 42 rounds of counting will be held for Sarojini Nagar assembly segment, 35 rounds for Bakshi Ka Talab segment and 29 rounds each for Malihabad and Mohanlalganj assembly segments. In Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, the maximum counting rounds of 30 will be held for Lucknow West and Lucknow East assembly segments, 24 rounds for Lucknow Cantonment segment, 24 rounds for Lucknow Central assembly segment and 29 rounds for Lucknow North assembly segment. There will be 14 tables in each room of the Ramabai grounds where the counting will be held and counting for 14 booths will take place at one time. For Sarojininagar, the Election Commission of India will set up 18 tables Arrangements are also being made for the counting of the postal ballots and the electrically transmitted postal ballot in a separate room, the official added. Security will be in place, he informed, The outer two rings will have the state police and the inner ring immediately outside the counting rooms will be guarded by the CRPF. Water and food arrangements for the personnel on duty are also being looked into. Passes will also be issued for the candidates and the party agents who will be present for the voting, he said. He said that work had started on how the counting tables would be set up in the rooms at Ramabai grounds. Arrangements for air-conditioners are also being made looking into the heat wave conditions prevailing in the city, he added. Space-bred seeds enter Chinese people's daily lives People's Daily Online) 13:27, May 29, 2024 Space-bred seeds have entered the daily lives of Chinese people, thanks to China's remarkable achievements in space breeding. With the return of the Shenzhou-17 manned spacecraft on April 30, a new batch of scientific experimental samples from China's space station arrived on Earth, including seeds for breeding experiments. Exhibitors showcase seeds at the 30th China Beijing Seed Industry Conference held in Tongzhou district, Beijing, Sept. 11, 2023. Over 300 seed enterprises from 22 provincial regions in the country showcased over 2,300 varieties of seeds, including space-bred ones, at the conference. (Photo/Chen Xiaogen) China has conducted over 3,000 experiments on space breeding, and developed more than 240 approved varieties of staple crops, and over hundreds of new varieties of vegetables, fruits, trees, grasses, and flowers. Space breeding increased grain production by over 2 billion kilograms annually in the country and generated direct economic benefits exceeding 100 billion yuan ($14.1 billion). "In space breeding, also referred to as aerospace breeding, seeds are sent on a spacecraft like a retrievable satellite or a manned spaceship to space, where they are exposed to specific conditions such as cosmic radiation, microgravity, and high vacuum to induce genetic mutations," said Liu Luxiang, Party secretary of the Institute of Crop Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and chief scientist of China's space breeding program. "After the seeds return to the Earth, we pick out the beneficial mutations that can be passed on to breed new plant varieties with high quality, high yields, and multiple resistances," he added. Farmers tend to space-bred roses at a rose demonstration base in Anning city, southwest China's Yunnan Province, October 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao) Compared to traditional plant breeding techniques, the biggest advantage of space breeding is that it can create germplasm resources with greater performances such as higher yield, shorter growth period, and better resistance to diseases in a relatively short period of time. Cultivating a mature variety typically takes eight to 10 years. Throughout the lengthy breeding process, the seeds must undergo rigorous testing for yield, resistance, quality, and so on. The occurrence of a problem at any stage can potentially undo all previous efforts. "A large number of strains are eliminated during tests, leaving only a very small proportion classified as space seeds, certified or acknowledged by professional institutions," Liu noted. "From food crops and vegetables to fruits, flowers, and forage grasses, a whole batch of new varieties developed through space breeding has already entered the market and become part of our daily lives," Liu said. By employing space breeding technology, China has managed to produce a variety of new strains in wheat, rice, corn, soybean, oilseed rape, peanut, cotton, tomato, pepper, cucumber, forage grasses, trees, and flowers, he added. For instance, Luyuan 502 is a high-yielding and high-quality wheat variety jointly developed by the Institute of Crop Sciences under the CAAS and the Institute for Application of Atomic Energy under the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It is the first and currently most widely grown space-bred crop variety in China. A tourist takes photos of blooming space-bred peonies in Luoyang city, central China's Henan Province, April 10, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Li Weichao) "It solved the problem of lodging encountered during the cultivation of wheat varieties with heavy ears. It has been cultivated on 100 million mu (6.7 million hectares) of land," said Liu. In 2021, Hangmai 802, a high-yielding and high-quality wheat variety, was certified in north China's Hebei Province. It features outstanding salt tolerance, strong resistance to various diseases, and adaptability to diverse conditions. In 2013, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Fuyang City in east China's Anhui Province sent 100 grams of a self-developed wheat variety into space. After several rounds of field screening, the academy finally identified an excellent strain three years later, which won the province's approval for mass planting in 2021. The planting area of the new wheat variety totaled 400,000 mu in the autumn of 2023, covering the provinces of Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu, said Feng Jiachun, director of the wheat research and development center of the academy. In 1987, China's ninth recoverable satellite sent crop seeds into space, marking the start of the country's space breeding journey. File photo taken in 2023 shows Liu Luxiang, chief scientist of China's space breeding program, checking on the growth of Hangmai 802, a high-yielding and high-quality wheat variety, at an experimental base in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province. In 2006, China launched the Shijian-8 satellite, the world's first dedicated specifically to seeds, carrying over 200 kilograms of seeds of grain, cotton, oil crops, vegetables, fruits, microorganism, and coarse cereals. In recent years, China has made significant strides in research on space mutagenesis mechanisms, seeing outstanding achievements in developing new germplasm resources, the number of new space-bred varieties, and the cultivation area of these varieties. By developing extravehicular equipment and technology for space radiation biology, breeding experts can engage in space-induced mutation breeding and thereby establish a new space breeding system based on China's space station, Liu said. He also suggested developing a diverse range of new varieties, taking the lead in innovation in the seed industry, and integrating space breeding with new business models to facilitate the development of the space economy. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) In an incident similar to that reported in Lakhimpur Kheri in which Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Tenis son went crushing farmers, a vehicle of the convoy of the son of Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kaiserganj in Gonda district, Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, crushed two youths, including a 17-year-old, to death and critically injured an old woman. As Brij Bhushan, the former president of Womens Wrestling Federation, is facing charges of sexual assault of women wrestlers, the BJP gave its ticket for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat in the ongoing elections to his son Karan Bhushan Singh. According to eyewitnesses, the convoy of vehicles was of BJP candidate from Kaiserganj, Karan Bhushan Singh. A large number of policemen are deployed at the spot. Police have seized the SUV involved in the accident and have also arrested the driver of the escort vehicle. There is no confirmation yet whether Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade at the time of the accident. Reports said that Karan Bhushan Singh was going to Huzurpur with his convoy of vehicles that included a Fortuner with police escort written on it. When the convoy reached near Chhatarpurwa on Bahraich Huzurpur road, the Fortuner, in an attempt to overtake other vehicles, crushed two youths 17-year-old Rehan and 21-year-old Shahzad Khan who were coming to Karnailganj market on a motorcycle from Nidura village to purchase medicines. The Fortuner later broke the electric pole and also crushed 60-year-old Sita Devi, who was sitting in front of her house, critically injuring her. She has been admitted to hospital. Soon after the accident, hundreds of local residents gathered at the spot and started raising slogans against the police administration, demanding action against the MPs son. They also blocked the road and tried to burn the Fortuner, leading to heated arguments between the police and the people, who were adamant on not allowing cops to take the bodies of the youths for post-mortem. Seeing the situation becoming violent, police from many police stations, additional superintendent of police, police circle officer, sub-district magistrate, tehsildar and many other officers reached the spot and somehow calmed down the agitated people. After much struggle and persuasion, the police sent the bodies for autopsy. A complaint regarding the incident has been filed in the police station by Chanda Begum, a woman among the family members of one of the deceased youth. In the complaint, it has been stated that the driver of the Fortuner bearing registration number UP 32 HW 1800, while driving carelessly, came to the right side of the road and hit the motorcycle, killing both the youths on the spot. Inspector in-charge Nirbhay Narayan Singh said that a case was being registered on the basis of the complaint and the Fortuner had been taken into custody. Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said that people had been pacified and action was being taken in the matter. AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday alleged that the BJP wanted 400 seats so that it can end the reservation and said the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are to save the country. Addressing a gathering of traders and businessmen in Jalandhar, Kejriwal said, "They are saying 400 seats. Somebody asked why do you need (so many seats). They say (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji wants to do something big. When inquired, it emerged that they want to end the reservation and change the Constitution. They have hatched dangerous conspiracies." The AAP leader alleged that the PM called the 'arthiyas' (commission agents) and traders "thieves." "But we consider you the backbone of our economy. We have great respect for you," said the Delhi Chief Minister. He said just as farmers and labourers are crucial for the development of the country, traders, businessmen and industrialists are also important. "You can guess how important you people are for me from the fact that the very next day after the Delhi elections were over, I went to Ferozepur and held a meeting with traders there," he said. Kejriwal said that before the AAP government was formed, the condition of industry in Punjab was very bad. "Businessmen were leaving the state and going to other states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, but in the last two years, the trend of industries leaving the state has stopped and they have started returning. "The biggest reason for this is that the law and order situation in Punjab has improved a lot in the last two years," he said. Kejriwal claimed that the AAP government had ended corruption in Punjab and saved the exchequer a lot of money. "With that money, we are giving free electricity to the people of Punjab. Today, 83 per cent of the people of Punjab are getting zero electricity bills. "Apart from this, we are building 'mohalla' clinics at various places and improving the condition of government hospitals. At the same time, we are converting government schools into Schools of Eminence. "All this is happening because our intentions are clear and we are working honestly," he said and appealed to the traders to make the Aam Aadmi Party victorious on all 13 seats in Punjab. "Right now (Punjab CM) Bhagwant Mann has to fight alone against the central government and the governor. These 13 MPs will be his strong hands and will fight for the rights of Punjab," he said. Later, the Delhi CM took out a roadshow in Muktsar to garner support for party candidate Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from Ferozepur seat. Congress leader and former diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) of yore an "upper caste" service comprising "Macaulay ki aulad", which he claimed is becoming more democratic now with the flavour of the country getting into it. Speaking at the launch of author Kallol Bhattacherjee's "Nehru's First Recruit" here on Tuesday, Aiyar, who literally describes himself as the "last IFS recruit" of the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said the country has overcome the "bad features" of its first generation recruits. At the event, Aiyar also referred to the 1962 Indo-China war as an alleged "Chinese invasion" but soon "unreservedly apologised" on the usage of the word 'alleged'. In a brief statement late Tuesday, Aiyar said, "I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word 'alleged' before 'Chinese invasion' at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening." His phraseology, which has now triggered into a fresh controversy, saw the Congress disassociating itself with the Aiyar's statement. "Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on X. Ramesh, in his tweet, also reiterated that the veteran party leader has "subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term 'alleged invasion' mistakenly". Speaking on the IFS, Aiyar said, "The IFS up to my generation and even into the 21st century was an upper caste service. It was a service made up of Macaulay ki aulad' (children of Lord Macaulay). Now, it is becoming more democratic and it has a lot of Hindi speakers... We are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service and that I think is a very good thing". Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay is credited with playing a vital role in the introduction of English education in India. The 83-year-old gave the example of an IFS officer that he met during one of his visits to Istanbul, who initially versed with the Hindi language only, became fluent in multiple languages within one year. "I was very impressed on a visit to Istanbul to find a new recruit who could only speak to me in Hindi. But by the time I reached Istanbul again the following year, the same gentleman spoke fluent English, and more importantly fluent Turkish. So, we are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service and that I think is a very good thing," he added. Aiyar, who joined the IFS in 1963 and served as joint secretary from 1982 to 1983 in the Ministry of External Affairs, underscored how the foreign service has now grown beyond the prejudices of its first recruits. For instance, the growing strength of women in the previously male dominated IFS cadre, which he said makes "half or even more of the total recruits" presently unlike 1948. Chonira Belliappa, known as India's first woman diplomat, was the only woman to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in 1948. "They are allowed to get married, they are even allowed to marry foreigners... Earlier, in the IFS even a man had to retire if they married someone from abroad. One of my batchmates Sivakumar Das was shunted out to the UNDP because he married a Czech girl. I think all those bad features of the first generation of recruits have now been overcome," he explained. Praising Nehru for the "re-invention" of modern age IFS, Congress leader Karan Singh, who was also among the speakers at the book launch, on the occasion recalled how he himself narrowly missed the chance of becoming a full-time career diplomat. According to the 93-year-old, in 1964, the then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri offered him to become the High Commissioner to the UK, which he declined due to his political aspirations. "It was a tempting offer but by that time the political bug had already bitten me... I was keen to get into national politics. I have done this ceremonial post for many years. I thought that I cannot get into another post of that nature. So I very gracefully declined," he added. "Nehru's First Recruit", priced at Rs 699, is published by Hachette India. 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While gowns and hoods are expected at Dal ceremonies, presidents get to choose their own decorative design elements to be laid over the standard robe. "I was looking through Dal archives at past presidents and there was so much variety between each one," says Julia Sommerville, a Costume Studies student who created a new Dal presidential robe design this year as part of her honour's project. Sommerville was recommended to Dal President Kim Brooks for the project by one of her instructors. The president was seeking an updated design to better reflect the land where Dalhousie is situated, the values of the institution she leads, and her own identity. The ceremonial garment created by Sommerville over the course of the past nine months and introduced as part of spring ceremonies at Dal this month does just that. "I am honoured to wear the robe today, and I thank Julia for her extraordinary care and concern in its design and production," said President Brooks in opening remarks during the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences ceremony Tuesday afternoon (May 28). Sommerville attended as a guest. She graduates next spring. A close-up of the new robe's design details. Behind the symbols Sommerville kicked off her design process last fall when she met with President Brooks to learn a bit more about her vision for the new gown. From there, she dove into research and began consultations with several key Dal community members, including Elder in Residence Ann LaBillois, Assistant Vice-Provost Equity and Inclusion Dr. Barb Hamilton-Hinch, and other members of Dals Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities. These discussions helped guide Sommerville, leading her to uncover meaningful symbols for consideration. What began to emerge was a theme centred around flora and fauna found throughout Nova Scotia and Mikmaki. Sommerville started gathering photos and artistic illustrations and experimenting with different motifs before eventually whittling the collection symbols down to five plants. She omitted symbols that were too recognizable or complex for the design. A lot of the style came from the natural plants and then trying to find the simplest version, she explains. If it got too complicated, you wouldnt be able to see the details from a distance. Each of the plants showcased in the final design hold special meaning to the different communities represented. Key Points: An F-35B fighter jet crashed near Albuquerque International Sunport shortly after takeoff from Kirtland Air Force Base, injuring the pilot. The aircraft, a test jet with the latest Technology Refresh 2 upgrades, was en route to California when the incident occurred, raising questions about potential malfunctions. This crash marks another setback for the already troubled F-35 program, which has faced criticism over its cost, delays, and safety record. F-35 Test Flight Ends in Fiery Crash An F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, fresh off a technology upgrade and en route to California for further testing, crashed shortly after takeoff from Kirtland Air Force Base on Tuesday afternoon. The pilot, whose identity has not been released, managed to eject from the aircraft and is currently hospitalized in stable condition. Get alerts: Dramatic Scene Unfolds Near Civilian Airport At 1:48 p.m. local time, the F-35B fighter jet crashed. The incident occurred close to the Albuquerque International Sunport, specifically southwest of the Kirtland Air Force Base. The crash resulted in a significant fire, generating a large plume of smoke visible from a considerable distance. Emergency response teams from Albuquerque Fire Rescue were immediately dispatched to the scene following numerous reports of a downed aircraft. Upon arrival, first responders confirmed the presence of a military aircraft engulfed in flames. While the incident occurred near a civilian airport, no injuries to civilian personnel were reported. Two civilians located near the crash site underwent medical evaluation as a precautionary measure; however, neither individual required hospitalization or further medical treatment. Conflicting Reports and a $135 Million Question Mark Initial reports from Lockheed Martin, the aerospace giant responsible for manufacturing the F-35, identified the downed aircraft as a Marine Corps variant (F-35B) being flown by a government pilot. However, a statement released later by Kirtland Air Force Base contradicted this information, claiming the jet belonged to the Air Force. This discrepancy has fueled confusion and raised questions about the chain of events leading up to the crash. Lockheed Martin later clarified that the aircraft was indeed a U.S. government-owned and operated F-35B test jet, equipped with the latest Technology Refresh 2 (TR-2) upgrades. It was being transferred to Edwards Air Force Base in California for additional modifications when the incident occurred. The company has pledged full cooperation with the ensuing investigation. Latest in a String of Mishaps for Troubled Program This latest crash marks another setback for the F-35 program, plagued by cost overruns, production delays, and a concerning history of accidents. In December 2022, an F-35B crashed on the runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth during a vertical landing attempt, prompting a temporary grounding of some models and a pause in deliveries. The repeated incidents have fueled criticism from some quarters about the jets safety record and overall viability, particularly given its staggering $135 million per-unit price tag. The investigation into the Albuquerque crash is expected to be lengthy and complex, with authorities focusing on mechanical failure and potential human error as contributing factors. In the aftermath of the crash, the pilots health remains a major source of concern. Concurrently, a comprehensive investigation led by military authorities and Lockheed Martin will commence. The investigation will meticulously analyze the aircrafts flight data recorders, maintenance records, and eyewitness accounts to determine the cause of the crash. Given the jets advanced technology upgrades and its classification as a test aircraft, investigators will pay particularly close attention to any potential malfunctions related to the Technology Refresh 2 (TR-2) modifications. The results of this investigation will be crucial in determining future actions regarding the F-35 program, including potential grounding of aircraft, modifications to training protocols, or further delays in production and delivery. This incident will undoubtedly amplify existing concerns regarding the programs cost, safety, and overall efficacy, potentially influencing future defense budget allocations and procurement decisions. With the breeding season well underway, many small birds are back for the love season. From Bluetits to Wren to Willow Warbler, they can be tricky to identify or observe hidden in the tree foliage. James McDowell is retired and leads the local RSPB group in Coleraine. He has noticed that since COVID-19, people have become interested in the small creatures on their doorsteps. On April 28, Mark completed a walk with the Garvagh Hares Corner Cooperative Group. They all had to meet at 6am, the best time to observe wildlife. Indeed, wildlife is more active during the first light of the day, at dawn. The small group learned how to hear and distinguish the different calls and songs of more than 20 birds who have travelled as far as Africa. James said that they even heard and observed a Great Spotted Woodpecker which is the only one Northern Ireland has. He said that this bird arrived quite recently in Northern Ireland and he himself only heard it for the first time in 2019. He suggests that joining a group would be helpful for people wanting to learn more about birding. James explains that to start learning about birds some websites are useful such as the RSPB website, the the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), or even YouTube. Just go out, go look in the woods, and listen as well. If you can get into a group and maybe get yourself a pair of binoculars, a book as well, he said. One of the apps James recommends is Merlin. This app enables users to identify birds by their characteristics and also lets you record their songs or calls for identification when they're not visible. Start by looking at the size and obviously the colour, said James. Some birds have distinguishing features. For example, the white bar on a Chaffinch really stands out on the male. For example, Goldfinches are really colourful with black, yellow, and white. I think most people will know about House Sparrows, Starlings, and Blackbirds." James said that identifying migratory birds such as the Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff can be tricky as they look exactly alike, he laughed. One key to differentiating these two birds is the sounds they make, explained James, who has learned to identify bird songs over the years. If you know the songs, the Willow Warbler and the Chiffchaff sound completely different. If you hear a Willow Warbler, the note sort of goes up and then comes down, sort of lower, and the Chiffchaff is completely different. Other birds might be less tricky to identify such as Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins, and the Swift as they have physical distinctive features. Later this month, the RSPB Coleraine group has a trip planned at Rathlin Island Seabird Centre. This island welcomes a diverse range of seabirds and is a great place to discover the world of birds. More information is available on their website group.rspb.org.uk/coleraine/ The Lough Neagh Partnership has launched a much-anticipated consultation to develop a 10 Year Resilience Plan. The public is invited to fill out an online questionnaire aiming to preserve and protect the unique landscape by calling on peoples opinions. Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lough in the UK and Ireland and holds important ecological value for its plants and species but has been under threat due to the presence of Blue-Green Algae. It supplies 40 percent of the Norths drinking water. People will have until June 7 to fill out the 15-minute questionnaire and share their opinions on the lough. Lough Neagh is a mirror reflecting both beauty and challenges and together we can protect it, so we are inviting anyone with an interest in Lough Neagh to please take a moment to complete an online questionnaire and contribute to the sustainable stewardship of Lough Neagh, said Michael Browne, Lough Neagh Partnership Heritage Plan Coordinator. We are actively seeking engagement from the public in completing this questionnaire as it is anticipated that the information garnered from the responses received online together with the insights gleaned at stakeholder meetings, will evaluate the heritage needs of Lough Neagh. Following the answers from the questionnaire, the Lough Neagh Partnership declared that they will be hosting webinars in the early summer. The insights from the consultations will then be used to create the 10 year resilience plan, identify potential funding, and establish new sustainable structures. After the writing of the first draft of the 10 year resilience plan, a new conference will be organised in the spring of 2025 to fully complete the project in November 2025. The Lough Neagh Partnership received funding of 244,933 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. To complete the questionnaire by 7 June 2024, please visit loughneaghpartnership.org/the-lough-neagh-heritage-resilience-consultation/ or if you would like to receive a copy in the post, please email heritage.consultation@loughneaghpartnership.org Details of the upcoming webinars will be promoted in advance online at loughneaghpartnership.org/the-lough-neagh-heritage-resilience-consultation/ and on Lough Neagh Partnerships social media channels Facebook, Linked and X. 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. Derry Magistrate's Court heard today how a young woman was found to be under the influence of drugs at 8.20am and had to be held up by police. Cheyenne Campbell (19) of Mount Street in Derry appeared charged with breaching her bail on May 28. The court heard that police were called to a garage in Limavady and found Campbell along with another woman who appeared to be under the influence of some substance. Police couldn't smell alcohol and believed she was under the influence of non prescribed drugs. They checked Campbell's bail conditions and she was not supposed to be using any drugs. The police officer said that this was Campbell's seventh breach of bail and on the last occasion she had been remanded in custody before being released by the High Court. The court heard that police believed that there was 'zero chance' of Campbell adhering to her bail conditions. Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that his instructions were that his client did not accept the bail breach. He said Campbell maintained that she was 'not under the influence of anything'. The police officer said that both the custody officer and medical professional had deemed her to be under the influence of drugs. Deputy District Judge Sean O'Hare ruled that a breach had occurred. Mr Quigley said that the defendant had no record and denies the main charge she is on bail for. Campbell was released on bail on condition she gets a surety to sign bail for her. She will appear again on June 6. Three men have today, Wednesday 29th May, been sentenced at Newry Crown Court for their part in a cross-border incident in which a man was kidnapped and wounded more than three years ago. Sean McCosker, aged 34, was sentenced to five and a half years for kidnapping, occurring in the Republic of Ireland, with two and a half years to be served in prison and three years served on licence; five and a half years for kidnapping occurring in Northern Ireland, with two and a half years to be served in prison and three years served on licence, and two years for wounding, with one year in prison and one year served on licence. All sentences are to be served concurrently. Brendan McShane, aged 30, was sentenced to four years and eight months for kidnapping occurring in the Republic of Ireland, with two years to be served in prison and two years and eight months served on licence; four years and eight months for kidnapping occurring in Northern Ireland, with two years to be served in prison and two years and eight months served on licence, and 18 months for wounding, with nine months in prison and nine months to be served on licence. All sentences are to be served concurrently. Joseph Martin Mannion, aged 39, was sentenced to three years and eight months for kidnapping occurring in the Republic of Ireland, with 18 months to be served in prison and 26 months served on licence; three years and eight months for kidnapping occurring in Northern Ireland, with 18 months to be served in prison and 26 months served on licence, and 12 months for wounding, with six months in prison and six months served on licence. All sentences are to be served concurrently. On 4th October, 2020, police received a report from An Garda Siochana that a man had been abducted in Donegal, bundled into a vehicle and driven across the border. Working closely with An Garda Siochana (AGS), local Derry City & Strabane officers observed the suspect vehicle outside a property in the Listymore area of Castlederg that evening. A search of a property was carried out and the suspect vehicle was seized. Mannion, McCosker and McShane were arrested and subsequently charged on 5th November 2020. They pled guilty on 12 June 2023 and were sentenced today. Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Brennan, from The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Criminal Investigation Branch, said: This was an horrific and traumatic ordeal that the victim experienced. He was taken from his home, before midday on Sunday 4th October, 2020, and driven roughly 11 miles to Castlederg. "He was threatened with a chain saw, and shot in the leg with a crossbow, causing an injury for which he needed hospital treatment. His ordeal lasted roughly five hours; the fear he must have felt is unimaginable. "In addition to the physical impact, the ordeal has had a deeply distressing impact on the victim. However, despite the trauma he suffered, the victim co-operated with our investigation from the outset. We can only hope that with the passage of time the victim will come to terms with what happened to him. "I want to thank our colleagues from An Garda Siochana who played a crucial part. This investigation is an excellent example of the importance of our partnership work to tackle cross border crime. I also want to pay tribute to Derry City & Strabane Local Policing Team and Neighbourhood Policing Team officers for their work from the outset, Tactical Support Group colleagues and other Police Service colleagues who helped with the investigation. "I hope that today's sentencings send a clear message to anyone involved in crime that, as a Police Service, we will be relentless in our work to bring offenders before the court to be held accountable for the crimes they commit. Chief Superintendent Goretti Sheridan from An Garda Siochana remarked: The continued cross-border cooperation with our colleagues in the PSNI has proven instrumental in ensuring those responsible for this crime have been brought to justice. The sentencing of three individuals today in Newry Crown Court stands as a testament to the dedication of both An Garda Siochana and the PSNI in upholding the law and safeguarding our communities. Five people have been arrested and around 125,000 in cash has been seized during searches targeting organised crime in the Belfast area, police said. Five searches were carried out by detectives from the PSNI Organised Crime Unit in recent weeks in relation to suspected money-laundering activities and the supply of controlled drugs. On Tuesday, officers searched a business premises in the Stranmillis area of south Belfast where two men and a woman were arrested after class B controlled drugs with a potential street value of around 75,000 were seized. The three people remain in police custody. At a second search in Belfast, 17,000 in cash was recovered. In April, after a search at property in Belfast in relation to money laundering, two people were arrested after around 108,000 was found. Those two people have since been released on bail pending inquiries, police said. We are committed to tackling the supply of controlled drugs within our community and as part of that process we are targeting the finances of those involved in or assisting these criminals, Detective Inspector Kelly said. Drug suppliers primary aim is to make money to fund their lifestyle and they should be under no illusion, we will not only take their drugs, we will seize cash and any assets that are deemed proceeds of this criminality. Its crucial that any suspected illicit activity is flagged to police so that action can be taken, and Im appealing to anyone with information to contact us on 101. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland has called on the Government and the Stormont Executive to end their shameful, penny-pinching betrayal of policing. Liam Kelly, in his address to the federations annual conference in Co Antrim, said the PSNI is in the deepest resourcing crisis since its inception and warned that officer numbers will slide towards 6,000 unless there is urgent intervention. Mr Kelly said there is an 80 million deficit in the PSNI budget, which means the organisation will have to drastically pare back services. The Stormont Assembly voted this week to back this years budget, although Justice Minister Naomi Long has previously warned that the allocation given to her department will have a detrimental impact on services. Mr Kelly said: We will not stop until we convince the Government and the Executive to end their shameful, penny-pinching betrayal of policing in Northern Ireland and, more specifically, the men and women of the PSNI who put themselves in harms way every day for the benefit of our society. He added: There is an abject failure to properly fund and resource policing. We felt we earned the right to expect something better from our newly restored devolved institutions. That was misplaced confidence on our part. Not even having the ability to stand still is a recipe for disaster for the service. Right now, we are in the deepest resourcing crisis since the formation of the PSNI in 2001. Mr Kelly said Stormont ministers must take the fight for a meaningful budget to Westminster. He said: The drip-drip erosion has to end. Too few folks on the hill have our back the way they really should. We want them to go to the next level to say that we are being decimated numerically and that the money thats allocated is insufficient. This is a battle that must be waged in Whitehall and Westminster. Collectively, the Governments more inclined to listen to ministers from here although theres no guarantee they will than they appear willing to listen to the Chief Constable or this federation. Mr Kelly told the conference in Templepatrick that departures from the PSNI mean the force will slide towards 6,000 officers by either the end of this year or the end of the current financial year. He said: This will make our ability to respond effectively nigh on impossible, and without positive intervention the crisis in policing will continue to get worse. One officer per 320 of the population is wholly inadequate to meet the multiplicity of challenges that are out there. Great damage is being done and it is dangerous and irresponsible. We are being asked to do the impossible. Regrettably, its taking a heavy toll on our colleagues who are working flat-out in the most trying of circumstances. Our paymasters are sleep-walking into trouble. Mr Kelly also raised concerns over a rise in the number of assaults on officers. He said 3,346 assaults had been notified in 2022/23. Incredibly it is probably worse as there is still an element of under-reporting of assaults by colleagues, he said. The statistics need to reflect the reality so we can shine a light on the true extent of this problem. He welcomed the commitment by Justice Minister Ms Long to prioritise new sentencing guidelines to deal with those who assault police and emergency service colleagues. He added: We must have stronger penalties and meaningful custodial sentences to deter would-be attackers. They must be left in no doubt and made to think twice before carrying out assaults. We have to drive down these unacceptable assault figures. Turning to the issue of police pay, Mr Kelly said: Let me be clear: any attempt to break with core pay spine parity with our England and Wales colleagues would be a retrograde step. I hope this isnt an option being considered in future as it would only serve to further devalue the work our officers do daily. I fear the repercussions if we become the worst-paid policing service in what is the most dangerous part of the UK. Our officers, like all others in both the public and private sectors, deserve at the very least to be treated fairly on pay. The head of the Royal College of Nursing has announced she is stepping down to try to become an MP for Sinn Fein in the General Election. Pat Cullen, who led nurses across the country into unprecedented strike action, said she is standing down from her role as chief executive and general secretary of the nursing union. She will be seeking nomination to stand for the republican party in Fermanagh & South Tyrone in the Westminster election in July, saying she is ready to work to better the lives of workers, families and communities. The mother-of two said in a statement: I have been in contact with my employers at the Royal College of Nursing to inform them that I have allowed my name to go forward to a selection convention being held in the constituency this week. It has been the honour of my life to have served in the RCN and to provide leadership every day to hundreds of thousands of hardworking nurses and healthcare staff who always prioritise the delivery of high-quality care to patients. After much consideration, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step forward into the political arena to champion the issues and opportunities for the community I love, and that is what I am fully determined to do. Paul Vaughan, who chairs the RCN Council, said: Pat has been a tremendous leader for our profession and put the college on a journey to a brighter future. She has been fearless in rooting out longstanding cultural issues internally and speaking truth to power in the health service and politics alike. Sinn Fein refuses to take its seats at Westminster because of opposition to the London Parliaments jurisdiction in Northern Ireland and the oath MPs must make to the King. The RCN is holding its annual conference next week. Ms Cullen is the youngest of seven children and grew up in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. She is married with two children and recently became a grandmother. She holds a degree in nursing and a masters in management and qualified as a registered nurse in 1985 working in a range of community and clinical healthcare settings, before becoming a director of nursing. She has held senior roles including director of nursing at the Public Health Agency and adviser to the Department of Health, before joining the Royal College of Nursing in 2016, and became the director of the college in Northern Ireland in 2019. She is an honorary professor of Queens University in Belfast. Pay and safe conditions for nursing staff have been top of the agenda for Ms Cullen and a key focus in her role as general secretary and chief executive of the RCN. She was a high-profile media figure during strikes by nurses, often joining RCN members on picket lines. In 2023, DUP MP Gregory Campbell wrote to the RCN seeking clarification on whether comments reportedly made by Ms Cullen at the West Belfast Festival in favour of Irish unity reflected a view held by the union or were made in a personal capacity. The Fermanagh & South Tyrone seat is currently held by Sinn Feins Michelle Gildernew, but she is not seeking re-election and is instead running in the European elections in Ireland. At the last general election in 2019, there were just 57 votes between Ms Gildernew and defeated unionist candidate Tom Elliott. In the 2015 poll, Mr Elliott, a former Ulster Unionist Party leader, became the first unionist to hold the constituency since 2001, before Ms Gildernew won it back for Sinn Fein two years later. Stormonts new Health Minister has made clear he is not prepared to implement catastrophic cuts to services. Mike Nesbitt said replacing Robin Swann in the job was the political honour of his life but also the ultimate political challenge of my life. The Strangford MLA said while he did not underestimate challenges facing the health service he wanted to inject a sense of hope that it was not in a fatalistic spiral to the bottom. He vowed not to shirk hard or controversial decisions in the remaining three years of the Assembly mandate. Mr Nesbitt also addressed those questioning his suitability for the post in light of a high-profile breach of Covid-19 lockdown rules in 2020 that saw him resign as deputy chair of an Assembly committee. The former UUP leader restated his apology from the time but acknowledged the incident represented a stain on his record that he could not wash away. I can only repeat the apology I offered at the time, he said. It was a very serious error of judgement on my part. Its a stain on my record that I cant wash away. I can only promise that I will try my very best in this role and I understand that trying hard isnt good enough, its not about effort, its about outcomes and I will be focused on better outcomes in my time here. On Tuesday, Stormont Assembly members backed this years budget in a vote that saw Mr Nesbitt, Mr Swann and their UUP colleagues oppose the spending plan. In his last day in post, Mr Swann warned that the budget allocation for his department would inflict irreparable damage on Northern Irelands health service, while Mr Nesbitt, urged MLAs to delay the vote for a number of weeks until the potential of up to an extra 300 million of Treasury funding was made available. Outgoing minister Mr Swann warned fellow Executive ministers that no UUP minister would introduce the cost-saving measures he says are required to balance the departments budget. That raised the prospect of Mr Nesbitt overspending the departmental budget when he takes over the role. The UUP had argued that the setting of the budget should be delayed to factor in further Treasury funds that will be available to Stormont in the June monitoring round part of the in-year process of reallocating returned or new money to departments. Mr Swann has quit as minister to concentrate on running for a seat in the Westminster election. In his first media appearance since succeeding him, Mr Nesbitt insisted it was tenable for the UUP to remain in the Executive despite voting against the budget. He said the monitoring round could release significant funds to the health service that would go a long way to easing some of the challenges it faces. Speaking about his appointment, Mr Nesbitt told reporters in Belfast: I think its the political honour of my life to have the opportunity to follow Robin Swann into the role and its certainly the ultimate political challenge of my life to take up as Health Minister at this time. Asked if he was prepared to overspend his budget, the minister said: I am not prepared to encounter catastrophic cuts. But lets remember there is a significant amount of money coming very soon in June monitoring and I will certainly be pitching for a considerable amount of that. Theres June monitoring with perhaps 200 million or maybe even 300 million to come. If we can get a significant percentage of that that will go a long way to easing some of the challenges. He added: I know that the budget is front and foremost, as it should be because its very challenging, but I would like to put a bit of hope back into discussions about the National Health Service. I want to give a bit of hope that the health service may be turning a corner. Theres a balance between being honest and realistic about the challenges facing the National Health Service, the health and social care system, but also giving people a little bit of hope that things are not in a kind of fatalistic spiral to the bottom. I dont think it has to be like that. And its my determination that it wont be like that. Mr Nesbitt made clear that he shared the stance of his predecessor when it came to the type of cuts health trusts have suggested may be required for the department to balance its budget. I can only repeat that I will do what Robin said and not implement catastrophic cuts, he said. The minister was speaking on a visit to LArche Village in Belfast a facility that provides supported living and day opportunities and services for adults with learning disabilities. Customer-centric and continuously innovative: How Chunghwa Telecom IDC became Epson's premier partner for sustainable transformation The Internet Data Center (IDC) is crucial to the operations of many businesses. The efficiency, cybersecurity, and performance in green energy and carbon reduction of an IDC are crucial to the sustainable development of businesses. Epson, known for leveraging core technologies that are "efficient, compact, and precise" to create globally successful products, has partnered with Chunghwa Telecom IDC to advance its sustainability goals.Based at Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, Epson made a pledge to "never pollute Lake Suwa" at its inception and has honored this commitment ever since. Today, Epson continues to work with industry partners to deliver innovative technology solutions in five key areas: office and home printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual technology, and quality-of-life enhancements.Amid these innovations, Epson's commitment to sustainability remains steadfast. In Taiwan, many are unaware that the partnership between Epson Taiwan and Chunghwa Telecom IDC actually began 11 years ago. The primary reason for this collaboration was the need to achieve sustainable transformation goals.Cutting costs and boosting resilience: How Chunghwa Telecom IDC provides worry-free solutions for Epson"Ensuring business resilience and uninterrupted operations is a fundamental requirement," says Sydney Wang, Corporate Governance & Management Unitat Epson Taiwan. Initially, Epson Taiwan operated its own data center, managed by its internal IT team. However, the costs of self-management were too high, and keeping up with rapidly evolving information technology trends was also a significant challenge.This situation prompted Epson to consider the feasibility of outsourcing its IDC services. After a thorough evaluation of service quality and technical capabilities, Epson chose Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's leading data center brand, as its exclusive IDC outsourcing partner in 2013. This decision also involved collaboration with Epson Taiwan Service Net, its subsidiary."We realized that what our company needed was efficient network services, not the extensive resources required to manage network equipment internally. Chunghwa Telecom IDC's services have indeed eased our concerns!" Sydney Wang notes that since partnering with Chunghwa Telecom, Epson's network operation efficiency has significantly improved. Chunghwa Telecom's extensive professional team offers superior network operation costs, quality, and cybersecurity management compared to the earlier self-managed approach.Customer-centric "build first, dismantle later" approach facilitates seamless migration During the data center migration, Chunghwa Telecom's customer-oriented service philosophy left a strong impression on Sydney Wang. She recalls that when they first moved into Chunghwa Telecom IDC, there was a substantial volume of IP and dedicated line services that needed to be transferred. At that time, Chunghwa Telecom prioritized smooth operation and minimal risk for their customers by adopting a "build first, dismantle later" approach, which helped Epson complete the migration swiftly.Although this method was costlier for Chunghwa Telecom, it allowed for a seamless transition without disrupting operations for the customer. This approach underscores Chunghwa Telecom IDC's commitment to putting customer needs first.Nationwide IDC network meets remote backup requirementsIn the global trend towards sustainability and resilience, Chunghwa Telecom IDC's robust resources have become a vital asset for businesses. Sydney Wang noted that based on the "Business Continuity Plan" disaster prevention needs from their headquarters in Japan, it was recommended that the Taiwan subsidiary's IDC backup location be geographically farther.With nearly 20 IDC locations across Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom swiftly responded to the request by relocating the backup data center from Zhubei to the Wenxin IDC in Taichung City, thereby meeting the requirement for longer-distance backup. Chunghwa Telecom IDC's ample resources to meet customer needs clearly demonstrate its strengths.Emergency bandwidth upgrade ensures normal and remote operations during pandemicDuring the pandemic, Chunghwa Telecom IDC's rapid response proved invaluable to Epson. "After the outbreak, most employees had to switch to working from home within a few days, causing an immediate surge in bandwidth demand!" Sydney Wang recalled that when Chunghwa Telecom received the request, they promptly dispatched personnel to urgently increase bandwidth and enhance capacity, allowing Epson to maintain normal remote operations and proving to be a reliable partner during the upheaval of the pandemic.Proactive alerts and threat mitigation showcase "customer-centric" valuesChunghwa Telecom not only prioritizes customer needs but also excels in technical capabilities and crisis management, helping Epson turn crises into opportunities.Sydney Wang mentioned that in 2021, Epson received an urgent notification from Chunghwa Telecom's billing department about unusual dialing behavior from Epson Taiwan's representative number, with numerous international calls made to a Southeast Asian country outside of working hours. Chunghwa Telecom immediately took action by temporarily blocking international dialing for the number.They also conducted an investigation to rule out the possibility of external line theft and determined that the issue was likely due to a problem with the switching equipment vendor's system. They advised Epson to contact the vendor for further inspection. Epson greatly appreciated Chunghwa Telecom's technical expertise, alert system, and proactive problem-solving approach, and decided to entrust the telephone switch upgrade and maintenance to Chunghwa Telecom. This incident has become a classic example of Chunghwa Telecom's "customer-centric" corporate values.Green energy transformation: partnering for sustainabilitySydney Wang shares during an interview that Chunghwa Telecom will be an important partner for Epson in its journey toward sustainable transformationChunghwa Telecom not only excels with its customer-first approach and robust resources, providing strong support for its clients, but its commitment to energy transformation amidst the global sustainability trend has also been a key factor in Epson's ongoing efforts to strengthen its partnership with Chunghwa Telecom.Sydney Wang pointed out that since its establishment 80 years ago, Epson has actively pursued environmental actions and publicly committed to becoming carbon-negative and underground resource-free (Note 1) in its Environmental Vision 2050." Under this vision, the Epson Group achieved 100% use of renewable energy at its global sites (Note 2) in 2023, becoming the first Japanese manufacturer to fully transition to renewable energy.In Taiwan, Epson is also committed to energy transformation, actively using renewable energy in its leased office locations and purchasing green electricity certificates to achieve a 100% renewable energy goal. Similarly, Chunghwa Telecom announced in 2020 that its IDC would use 100% renewable energy by 2030. This commitment to sustainable transformation makes Chunghwa Telecom a valuable ally for Epson in pursuing environmental sustainability and opens up more opportunities for future collaboration.The partnership extends beyond this. As early as 2011, Epson introduced the "Nagano Energy-Saving Patrol" experience from Japan and collaborated with BCSD Taiwan to establish the "Energy-Saving Patrol" in Taiwan. This initiative involves professional volunteers providing comprehensive energy audits for air conditioning, lighting, mechanical and electrical equipment, and office equipment, offering free energy-saving diagnostics to help Taiwanese businesses create low-carbon work environments and implement comprehensive energy-saving plans. By 2023, the Energy-Saving Patrol in Taiwan had audited 365 companies, estimating annual energy savings of 143,087,025 kWh and a reduction of 128,241 metric tons (Note 3) of carbon emissions. Chunghwa Telecom is one of the key partners in this initiative.With its innovative spirit, service beliefs, and commitment to sustainability, Chunghwa Telecom IDC has become Epson's best support partner. Looking ahead, Chunghwa Telecom's cybersecurity, public cloud services, and equipment subscription optionsoffering leasing instead of outright purchaseswill further bolster corporate digital resilience. We look forward to seeing more innovative services from Chunghwa Telecom, becoming an important partner in our journey toward sustainable transformation! Sydney Wang said.*Note 1: Free of non-renewable resources such as oil and metals.*Note 2: Excludes some sales sites and leased properties where the amount of electricity consumed cannot be determined.*Note 3: According to the official data from the Taiwan Energy-Saving Patrol website (as of July 2024): https://www.energy-patrol.com.tw/front/ Double BC Awards winner - Wincomm: Explore revolutionary medical AI and waterproof tech at Computex Wincomm Corporation, a leader in medical and industrial-grade computer solutions, proudly announces its receipt of two BC Awards at Computex Taipei 2024. The accolades were granted in recognition of the company's innovative medical AI solutions and its advanced waterproof technology, marking a significant achievement in its operational fields. The awarded WMP-22P/24P mobile digital medical workstation, designed with pandemic protection in mind, features a sophisticated fanless design equipped with a built-in hot-swappable battery system. This workstation facilitates continuous operation and mobility, providing essential services such as medication barcode scanning and patient smart card reading, all while maintaining antimicrobial properties. This design not only addresses the critical need for digital healthcare expansion and secure data backup but also caters to rural healthcare deployments and teleconsultations. The WMP-22P/24P, available in variants like WMP-22P/24P-IP54 and WMP-22P/24P-PIS, is further recognized for its smart management capabilities that optimize thermal performance, power consumption, and operational efficiency. This led to the adoption of these workstations in a major European hospital project, underscoring its significance with a BC Award in the digital health category. In the industrial sector, the WTC-9H0W rugged embedded computer was honored for its exceptional design tailored to the rigorous demands of food processing and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. Featuring fanless operation, IP66 rating for waterproofing and dust resistance, and a wide operational temperature and voltage range, the WTC-9H0W stands out for its reliability and safety in challenging conditions. This commitment to innovation was also recognized with a BC Award in the IPC embedded products category. Wincomm's latest products not only highlight the company's expertise in high-tech medical and industrial automation fields but also reaffirm its ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence. For the first time, Wincomm is introducing a brand-new telehealth solution, featuring an integrated Medical PTZ camera and a lightweight nursing cart on the WMP-24P. This solution enhances the convenience of mobile care and significantly improves the efficiency of emergency medical treatment, showcasing Wincomm's capability to provide integrated solutions in collaboration with partners. Wincomm will continue to deliver high-quality products and services through its global distributor network, driving the advancement of global digital healthcare and industrial automation. For more information about Wincomm's innovative solutions and their impact on the healthcare and industrial sectors, please visit No. PO504 at the Nangang Exhibition Hall 2, 1F, Taipei, from June 4 to 7, 2024, to explore its latest breakthroughs and pioneering products. WMP-22P-PIS/24P-PIS *Intel 12th Core Processor *21.5" / 23.8" 16:9 FHD Diagnostic Panel *IP65 Front, IPX1 Rear, Fanless Design with Reliable Thermal Solution *Swappable Battery Up to 3 *Power Supply Unit Inside, Support Power Up to 100W *Up to 6 x USB Type A, 6 x COM, 2 X Display Output, 1 x PCIex4 Expansion WTC-9H0(W) -Six sides waterproof embedded PC *Intel 12th / 13th Gen. Core Processor *Low Power Fanless Waterproof Box PC *IP66/68 Full Sealed with Anti-Corrosion Stainless Steel Enclosure *Wide Range DC Input 12~28V *Optional M12 Stainless/Metal Connectors *Optional Cable Gland for External I.O. For more information about Wincomm and its products, please visit www.wincomm.com.tw. Double BC Awards winner - Wincomm: Explore revolutionary medical AI and waterproof tech at Computex Liteon readies liquid cooling solutions for Nvidia's GB200 Superchips Nvidia's GB200 Superchips are about to be shipped. Liteon Technology has sent its AI server liquid cooling solution specifically designed for Nvidia GB200's 19-inch OCP racks for testing and certifying. The company estimates that the liquid cooling system may start contributing revenues in 2024. Anson Chiu, President of Liteon Technology, said that the company's liquid cooling solution is a scale-up system that integrates power management, liquid-heat dissipation solution, mechanical structure, software, and system management to provide a comprehensive AI server solution. The samples were already sent to Cloud Service Provider customers in North America and initial results are expected in August. In response to the third-generation Open Rack Vault (ORV3) specification issued by the Organization for Open Compute Project (OCP), many Cloud vendors have already adopted the 21-inch rack design. To cope with the Nvidia GB200, which favors the 19-inch rack design, Liteon has launched the vault-in-vault product that conforms to Nvidia's design, which is to add the 19-inch vault into the 21-inch vault to expand the supply of products that conform to Nvidia's related solutions. This means that Liteon will be able to expand its supply to meet Nvidia's relevant program, and Liteon will become a priority supplier. Chiu said that as AI applications continue to expand, power supply demand upgrades will be the top priority. Since the computing power and power supply wattage continue to increase, driving power supply demand from 3KW, 5KW, and 8KW in 2024. Customer demand for 16KW solutions is expected in 2027. Liteon is on a transformation journey to move its operations from a component supplier to a system integrator. With the integration of power supply, liquid cooling, mechanical parts, and software to provide one-stop solutions to meet market demand, the AI server liquid cooling system will be its first system integration product. Chiu said the liquid coolers are expected to ship in small quantities in the second half of the year and start bringing in revenue. In 2025, sales are expected to grow. Chiu further said that the AI server business is expected to increase to account for 12-15% of total revenues in 2024, and he is optimistic about the trend that AI moves from the server to the PC and other marginal end-products. from the customer's forecast, the second half of the AI PC demand will be better than expected. Although during the first 6 months of the year, the PC industry shipments were flat or slightly declining, AI PCs are expected to bring the demand for replacement and drive a slight growth of 1-3%, or up to 3-5% annual growth rate to the industry, estimates Chiu. For Liteon in 2024, with the AI PC keyboards beginning shipping in the first half of the year, it is estimated that the AI PC keyboard/power supply and other applications will contribute less than 5% of the growth, and the AI servers will continue to play a major growth driver. AI servers will still play a major growth driver. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Chiu said that the proportion of revenue in the first and second half of the year was about 48% to 52% in the past, and due to the slower operation in the first half of the year. It is estimated that the proportion of revenue in the first and second half of the year will be about 45% to 55% in 2024. Although the demand for consumer products or e-sports products is not good, the whole operation category and portfolio of the company will change significantly. Credit: DIGITIMES European carmakers rely on cross-continental partnerships to compete in low-priced EV race The competition of EUR20,000 (US$21,750) EV has mobilized the European automotive supply chain. Local automakers tend to collaborate with partners to gain a foothold in the sector. However, partnerships built across continents seem more promising than those formed within Europe. Suppliers said the two drivers are behind establishing Europe's low-priced EV supply chain. First, the act could become a defense against China-made EVs' entry into the market and expedite European car companies' development in the segment. The low-priced EV will satisfy consumers' needs for the vehicle more rapidly and help carmakers reach their carbon emissions reduction goals. However, European automakers cannot cut their production costs substantially within a short time. This is why they have worked with partners. The collaboration between Volkswagen and Renault for a EUR20,000 EV platform was the most remarkable case before the pair called off the project. They will build their vehicle platforms separately. Media reports said the cooperation's failure means the duo missed a great opportunity. European carmakers could reach economies of scale quickly because they are familiar with local regulations and unions. It is time for them to set aside rivalries and accelerate unity. Once Volkswagen and Renault build their low-priced EV platforms separately, they will compete directly in the future. Volkswagen might need another two years to build its small vehicle platform. Chinese EVs will likely secure a certain amount of market share by then. The collaboration between Volkswagen and Ford has progressed smoothly. Volkswagen is willing to let Ford build Europe's first compact battery EV, Explorer, on its MEB platform. Production of the vehicle will start soon, representing a win-win. European automakers have seen their trans-continental partnerships advance. Volkswagen has tied up with China-based Xpeng for the Chinese market. Renault's Dacia Spring, made in China by the French carmaker's partner, has a starting price of more than EUR20,000 in France. Stellantis has launched its EUR25,000 e-C3, a BEV. Through a partnership, the company will also introduce the T03 EV from China-based Leapmotor to Europe. Leveraging Stellantis' sales channel in Europe, the T03 will be available on the continent in September 2024. BYD's large-scale entry into Europe also has drawn the market's attention. The Chinese EV giant plans to launch a EUR20,000 Seagull model in Europe. Europe is experiencing a less notable EV demand growth because of the unavailability of charging piles and the insufficient driving range. EV prices also remain high. The situation has prompted automakers to launch low-priced vehicles to boost needs. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. Taiwanese banks embrace GenAI amid integration challenges, McKinsey survey finds A survey by consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that a majority of Taiwanese banks have begun applying or testing Generative AI (GenAI). The financial industry estimates large-scale applications of AI to materialize within one to three years. Experts caution that using AI involves more than just choosing the best Large Language Model (LLM) and the related cost for system integration should also be considered. GenAI in the financial industry McKinsey's first survey on the application of GenAI in Taiwan's banking sector included senior representatives from 15 banks, whose combined net income accounts for about 70% of the industry's total. The results showed that 75% of banks have started applying GenAI through various pilot projects, but fewer than 10% have achieved large-scale application. Common application scenarios include operations and services, marketing, IT development, compliance auditing, risk management, and talent management. The most prevalent use is in operations and services, such as internal knowledge virtual assistants, providing employees with relevant business knowledge, and basic Q&A applications. Charles Tan, a McKinsey partner, pointed out that the banking industry requires many IT personnel. Older programming languages like Cobol are increasingly lacking maintainers. More GenAI tools now support coding tasks, accelerating processes that would have taken five to ten years to convert programming languages previously. LLMs are a whole package McKinsey senior partner Violet Chung highlighted that GenAI is not just about LLMs but an integration of many capabilities. She explained that while some firms focus solely on finding the best solution, they overlook other critical issues. She likened LLMs to the human heart, which needs a network of veins and systems to function properly. Chung emphasized that purchasing solutions is just the first step. Regardless of the provider, the basic package involves organizational transformation, localization, and talent training. There is a significant gap between acquiring services and achieving effective application. Tan, on the other hand, observed that many commercial software codes are unmodifiable, so firms capable of fine-tuning models will use ready-made LLMs and adjust them as needed. Open-source models, which offer more customization flexibility, are increasingly popular worldwide. Regarding the question of whether banks need to purchase additional AI servers or AI PCs, Tan explained that for every dollar spent on specific GenAI software and hardware resources, another five dollars might be needed for related system integration. That expenditure would encompass data, IT architecture improvements, process changes, and employee training. LLMs alone are not the complete solution. The race for AI integration Victor Kuan, a senior advisor at McKinsey Asia, noted that GenAI has become a "must-win battle" for many CEOs, with concerns that competitors will launch new services first and attract their customers. However, he stressed that AI budget planning requires a strategic framework from headquarters or financial holding companies, rather than decentralized procurement by various departments or treating it as a general technology project. The survey also found that in addition to internal factors, external challenges such as regulations, technology, and talent pose significant obstacles for banks. In 2023, Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) announced a draft principle for using AI in the financial industry. After a public comment process, the formal guidelines are expected to be issued in June 2024. Although these guidelines will be advisory and not legally binding, some firms are concerned that the FSC may influence through administrative inspections. The McKinsey team hopes for faster responses from regulatory bodies and clearer scope definitions. Ireland could soon be saying goodbye to a raft of 'smoky bacon' flavoured products after the EU approved a proposal to phase out numerous smoke flavourings due to toxicity fears. The Irish Government has written to the European Commission to express their fears for products and some businesses over the move but what is it all about. What is the smoky bacon ban? Last month, the EU approved the phased banning of the products over two years for food safety reasons. The EU food safety authority concluded toxicity concerns about the flavourings were either confirmed or cant be ruled out. In order to add a smoky bacon flavour to food now, producers use a process of purifying smoke, removing harmful components like ash and tar. The flavour left over is then added to food such as crisps and meat. Producers argue this process is safer than traditional smoking. Despite that, producers are been given two years to discontinue use of such methods. What has Ireland been saying about it? Former Government Minister Simon Coveney wrote to the EU commissioner for food safety warning that the ban could have a detrimental effect on some businesses, according to the Irish Times who attained the letter via a Freedom of Information request. Mr Coveney has been lobbying for a longer phasing out period over several years to allow businesses find and implement new flavouring methods. Currently the process for most meat and fish will be phased out over five years, while for other products like crisps, the period is just two years. Could products be taken off the shelves? Around 40% of ham and bacon products in Ireland alone could be impacted. In a letter to Stella Kyriakides, EU commissioner for food safety back in March, Mr Coveney said he ban could lead to the discontinuation of a wide range of products currently on the market. These also include cheese, fish, sauces, soups, various other meats and snacks like crisps. Mr Coveney said at the time that "300 products will be affected" with one individual company advising that 27 of their products would be on the chopping block. If producers don't comply with the ban after the two-year and five-year phasing out period beyond, their products will not be cleared for sale in Irish stores or around the EU. Mr Coveney explained that the process of replacing the current method of flavouring would take longer than two years and could in fact take between 3 and five years, if not longer in some cases. Teagasc have said that doing so would be an uncertain and complex process." Mr Coveney asked for an extension of the period. What the EU says will happen next? In April, a European Commission statement said that EU Member States had "endorsed a proposal from the Commission to not renew the authorisation of eight smoke flavourings for food." "After a phase-out period, these flavourings will no longer be permitted for use in the EU," they said. The statement continued: "The relevant decisions are based on scientific assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that for all eight smoke flavourings assessed, genotoxicity concerns are either confirmed or cant be ruled out. EFSAs opinion is based on an updated methodology, assessing new data submitted by the applicants. It concerns the specific flavourings which can be added to food, and not the food itself. "Following extensive discussions with Member States and stakeholders, the Regulation sets out different phase-out periods to give time for producers and operators to adapt to the new rules. When used to replace traditional smoking (e.g. hams, fish, cheeses) the phase-out period is 5 years. For uses where the smoke flavouring is added for extra flavour (e.g. soups, crisps, sauces), the phase-out period will be 2 years. The Regulation will be formally adopted by the Commission in the coming weeks, to enter into force later this spring." The Central Criminal Court trial of a senior barrister accused of murdering a father-of-four in a fatal shooting at a farm in Dublin - which was set 18 months ago and was due to begin today - has been delayed until October. Diarmuid Phelan (55), of Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, Dublin 24 is charged with the murder of Keith Conlon (36) at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on February 22, 2022. Mr Conlon, from Kiltalown Park in Tallaght, was seriously injured in the shooting incident and died at Tallaght University Hospital two days later. Mr Phelan, who is a senior counsel and associate professor of law at Trinity College in Dublin, was due to go on trial today before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford at the Central Criminal Court in a case expected to last around four weeks. However, Mr Sean Guerin SC, defending Mr Phelan, informed Ms Justice Lankford this afternoon that the case wasn't in a position to proceed "from the defence point of view" and it was with "some regret" that he was asking the court to adjourn his client's trial. Counsel said there had been an exchange of communication between the defence and the prosecution and that matters had been dealt with at length. Mr Guerin said an issue arose at the end of last week. He said the State was "not happy" but that they would not be opposing the application. Ms Justice Lankford said she understood Mr Phelan faces a very serious charge and that he must be facilitated in terms of his defence. However, she stressed it was "extraordinary" that the case had been in the list for so long without this matter having been brought to the court's attention at any stage. Ms Justice Lankford said time had been carved out for the trial and at no stage had anyone flagged to her that there might be difficulty on today's date. Mr Guerin said it was not anticipated that there would be. In reply, Mr Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the prosecution was "very very disappointed" that the defence application had been made so late in the day. He said the deceased's family were present in court and he had explained the situation to them. Mr Gillane said they had received correspondence and spoken to the defence and had adopted the position that they would not be opposing today's application. He said the prosecution was very anxious that the case be accommodated in the first or second week of October should the case go back. Ms Justice Lankford said Mr Phelan's case was returned to the Central Criminal Court in November 2022, which would be "virtually two years" on the first day of the Michaelmas term on October 7 next. Mr Guerin told the judge that everyone understood the urgency of the matter. The judge said with "considerable reluctance" she would adjourn the matter until the first day of the Michaelmas term on October 7 next. Ms Justice Lankford said she wanted the case to be mentioned for "a progress report" on July 22 and also wanted to be assured that a real effort was being made to get the trial on. Setting a new trial date of October 7, Ms Justice Lankford said she was regretful this had to be done but thought it was necessary in the circumstances. Mr Phelan, who was present in court for today's brief hearing, was remanded on continuing bail until October. An application for Mr Phelan's bail was initially refused by the High Court in March 2022, but the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and bailed him after two separate bonds of 50,000 one from Mr Phelan and one from his sister were lodged with the court. A series of reforms that are being implemented at University Hospital Limerick are beginning to reduce the number of people on trolleys, the health minister has said. Stephen Donnelly said University Hospital Limerick (UHL) said that reforms had begun to be implemented, but he was not satisfied they were fully in place yet. There has been a focus on conditions at UHL since the death of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston at the hospital in 2022, who waited 12 hours to be assessed when she had suspected sepsis. An independent investigation is examining the circumstances surrounding Aoifes death; an initial report found that overcrowding in the hospitals emergency department was endemic. Figures by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) indicate that there were 141 people waiting for a hospital bed on trolleys and in wards in UHL on Tuesday night. Speaking in Dublin, Mr Donnelly said that we should be seeing reductions in people waiting on trolleys in the Limerick hospital now. I am completely of the view that there are reforms and further changes that can happen and that have been happening in the last few weeks at UHL that are week by week beginning to bring those trolley numbers down, Mr Donnelly said. Adding the 86 beds will help, they need that capacity, when the new 96-bed block opens next year and then the second 96-bed block opens, thats going to make a big difference as well. He added: The two things that are going to quickly reduce the number of patients on trolleys are getting the 86 beds open this year and driving further reforms in the hospital. I am not yet satisfied that those reforms are fully in place, they have started, its very encouraging. Theres a ways to go. Mr Donnelly said that the number of people waiting on trolleys in UHL fell last year due to 108 extra beds and a 40% increase in staff. He said: We should be seeing reductions now. We should have been seeing reductions all year. I am not satisfied obviously with the situation in Limerick so were doing two further things. Were investing in more capacity this year. I went to Limerick probably about two months ago at this stage and announced an additional 86 beds. Were opening the medical assessment units now 24/7 on a phased basis thats coming in, were putting a GP on the door. Were further increasing capacity within the hospital. And as youre aware Ive now asked Hiqa to do a review on the case for a second emergency department in the Midwest. However, as anyone in this hospital and many hospitals will tell you in the country, the solution to getting patients the care they need quicker is two things: its more capacity, and its reforms, improvements and modernisation in how that care is delivered. Two women who admitted seriously assaulting another woman in a local shopping centre, were each given a four month suspended sentence at Dundalk District Court after paying the victim a total of 3,000 in compensation. Fartun Ali (27) and Fails Mohammed Ali (30) with an address at Laurel Lodge, Culhane Street, Dundalk were both charged with assault causing harm arising out of the incident at the Marshes Shopping Centre on October 29th 2022. The victim, who lives locally and is originally from Somalia, previously told the court she was with her children when they were followed by the two sisters. She said one started hitting her on the head and pulling her hair and the other joined in the assault, during which the injured party was bitten. Neither of the defendants had any previous convictions, and their solicitor said they "very much regretted" the assault. Judge Eirinn McKiernan in putting the case back for payment of compensation said it was a vicious assault on an innocent person going into the shopping centre with her kids and added it had happened in August 2022 and "they're sitting here with one arm as long as the other". The case was put back to Wednesday, May 15th, with Judge McKiernan warning if 1,500 each wasn't paid to the injured party "If they don't - they're going into custody for four months each". After being told the money was in court, the judge imposed a four month sentence on each of the women, which she suspended on both of them entering a 200 bond to be of good behaviour for 12 months. Film enthusiasts and industry professionals, mark your calendars! The Louth International Film Festival (LIFF) is set to return for its fifth year on September 27, 28, and 29, 2024. The festival, in partnership with Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and Louth Filmmakers Society, will take place at An Tain Arts Centre and IMC Cinema Dundalk. This year's festival promises a rich array of curated features, exceptional shorts, and insightful industry panels, offering a truly enriching experience for the local community, filmmakers, and cinephiles alike. Local filmmakers are invited to submit their films here: https://filmfreeway.com/LouthInternationalFilmFestival On September 27, all students on the DkIT Film and Television Course will attend the IMC Cinema for a shorts showcase and industry panel. The opening feature will also take place at the IMC. On September 28 and 29, features and shorts programs will take place at An Tain Arts Centre. This year, a greater emphasis will be placed on features and networking events throughout the town. New Award: John Moore Award for Best in Louth Adding to the excitement, LIFF says it is proud to introduce the "Best in Louth" award, presented by the festivals esteemed patron, John Moore. A native of Dundalk, Moore is celebrated for his directorial work on films such as Behind Enemy Lines, The Omen, Max Payne, and A Good Day to Die Hard. John Moore shared his enthusiasm: "Everyone is from somewhere, but we like to reach out to everywhere. Louth is a small county with a huge sense of magic, story, and history. This award will acknowledge outstanding filmmaking in the region, and I am delighted to be part of this world-class festival." The John Moore Award for Best in Louth will recognize outstanding short films either shot in Louth or featuring significant contributions from Louth-based cast or crew. New Award: The Fred Dekker Award for Best Student Film LIFF says it is equally excited to announce the introduction of the Fred Dekker Award for Best Student Film, presented by the renowned writer, director, and producer Fred Dekker. Known for his work on The Predator, The Monster Squad, and Night of the Creeps, Dekker is eager to support emerging talent through this new accolade. Fred Dekker expressed his enthusiasm: "I'm tremendously honored to be part of this festival. I've never been to Ireland and would love to change that! I'm excited to see the emerging talent and look forward to presenting this award." Fred Dekker is an acclaimed American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his cult classics The Monster Squad (1987) and Night of the Creeps (1986), as well as RoboCop 3 (1993). Dekker's work is characterized by a blend of horror, science fiction, and dark humor, which has earned him a dedicated fan base. Additionally, he has contributed to various television projects, including writing for the series Star Trek: Enterprise. This award will celebrate the best student short film of any genre, encouraging young filmmakers to showcase their creativity and vision. Welcoming New Junior Programmers As LIFF continues to grow, the festival says it is thrilled to announce the addition of Shona Kelly and William O'Keeffe as Junior Programmers. Their film Pull Back the Curtain won Best Student Short last year, and both graduated with First Class Honors from the DkIT Film and Television Production course. Their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas are anticipated to bring exciting new dimensions to the festivals programming. Awards & Prizes: A sentencing hearing for Aaron Brady, who murdered Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and then attempted to pervert the course of justice during his trial, has been adjourned. The Special Criminal Court had been due to hear evidence and submissions in relation to Brady's activities during what the prosecution has alleged was a campaign of witness intimidation during his trial in 2020. The three-judge, non-jury court had also been expected to deliver its verdict in relation to Dean Byrne, who denies conspiring with Brady to pervert the course of justice. Mr Justice Paul Burns, presiding, said the verdict in relation to Byrne is not yet ready. He adjourned both matters to June 14. Dean Byrne (30) from Cabra Park, Phibsborough, Dublin is accused of conspiring with Aaron Brady in Mountjoy Prison between April 8, 2020 and June 22, 2020 to persuade prosecution witness Daniel Cahill not to give evidence at Brady's murder trial, a course of conduct which had a tendency to and which was intended to pervert the course of justice. He has pleaded not (NOT) guilty to the charge. In August 2020, Brady (33) formerly of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh was convicted by a jury of the murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe during a credit union robbery at Lordship, Bellurgan, Co Louth on January 25, 2013. Earlier this year Brady pleaded guilty to a charge that on a date between February 20 and May 7, 2020, within the State, he video recorded the playing of an interview between Ronan Flynn, a witness at his trial, and An Garda Siochana, thus embarking on a course of conduct intended to pervert the course of justice. Segments of the recording of Mr Flynn's statement were later uploaded to social media with text calling him a "tout" and claiming he had criminal charges against him dropped in return for his testimony. Mr Flynn did not come forward to give evidence at Brady's trial. Brady is charged with a further count of conspiring with Dean Byrne to persuade Mr Cahill not to testify at the same trial. Brady did not enter a plea in relation to that count but prosecution counsel Lorcan Staines SC said it should be taken into account at sentencing. Cross-border tourism between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has tripled in a decade, a report has found. The joint study by Ulster University and Dublin City University found there were differences in the economic impact in Ireland compared with Northern Ireland. There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023, compared with almost 400,000 in 2013. International visits in the period 2013-2019 grew by 33% in Northern Ireland and 46% south of the border. The authors said that notwithstanding some public commentary that many people from the Republic of Ireland never travel to NI, the number of trips from south of the border to Northern Ireland has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2013, on average less than 100,000 cross-border trips were made per quarter, a figure that has grown to over 300,000 in 2023. In the years following the pandemic, over 200,000 trips per quarter have been recorded, it said. The study found that all visitors to Northern Ireland are more likely to be visiting friends or relatives than on holiday or a business trip, and of that number almost half will stay with them considerably reducing the earned income from accommodation. Visitors from Great Britain are crucial to both parts of the island, the study found, but the scale is different, making up two thirds of visitors to Northern Ireland compared with one third in Ireland. The report found people stay in Northern Ireland for fewer nights, particularly long-haul visitors. It also found a buoyant and resilient tourism industry across both Northern Ireland and Ireland, with strong evidence of a bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. It said Ireland had approximately 4.3 times as many trips by international visitors compared with Northern Ireland in 2019, but 7.6 times as much expenditure. The scale of domestic tourism trips within Northern Ireland, at roughly two million per annum, remained static in the decade from 2011. South of the border, the scale of within-state tourism increased from 6.5 million to 11 million trips in the same period, probably reflecting the stronger economic performance. Ana Desmond, senior economist at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the tourism sector across the island of Ireland has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in recent years. This research has shown how the international and domestic visitor market has both grown and diversified with recent significant findings including the sharp and sustained increase in domestic cross-border visits to NI since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism growth and development is a natural area for co-operation across the island and has been ongoing for many years. The sector has demonstrated that it can adapt to external challenges and recover strongly. It will need this quality to tackle the current challenges which have been identified by businesses both sides of the border, which include labour market shortages and concerns over the cost of doing business. Professor John Doyle, vice president for Research at Dublin City University, said the research highlights a real opportunity for economic growth, for businesses to grow their income and profitability, and for better wages in the sector. Co-operation will benefit both parts of the island, but given the more developed tourism industry in the Republic, it should benefit Northern Ireland to a much greater extent. In order to close the gap with the Republic, public policy needs to move beyond the current levels of co-operation, to build a single tourism offering, in marketing, visa requirements, tax and regional development policy and, perhaps most crucially, in the perception of the visitor. An Garda Siochana are advertising a number of civilian roles, located across Ireland. The force is seeking determined individuals for the role of Incident Creation Representative at the Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. As an Incident Creation Representative, you will play an important role in supporting operational members of An Garda Siochana through recording of incident details and updating on our Pulse system. Main responsibilities will include providing 24/7/365 telephone support, the ability to accurately record and update incident reports and to ensure high quality data entry. Requirements include a minimum education of Leaving Certificate with at least Grade D in five subjects, Level 5 Certificate, or equivalent. The closing date for applications for these roles is Thursday, June 13. To see more on requirements and to apply for the role go to staffline.getgotjobs.ie. The Garda Commissioner is also seeking a "suitably qualified person" for the role of Executive Director, Finance and Services, with a starting salery of almost 160,000. The Executive Director Finance and Services, as part of the Senior Leadership Team, will play a key strategic leadership role in the implementation of the broader organisational change programme and will be directly responsible for driving a new programme of transformation of the finance function in the organisation. The Executive Director will report to the Chief Corporate Officer. The successful candidate will have a proven track record in a senior leadership role in a large, complex organisation with responsibility for large-scale financial management, and financial governance, senior management experience with transformation leadership and complex strategic reform of a finance function in a large, complex organisation; and a proven ability to provide effective leadership at Management Board level. An appreciation of the requirements of government accounting and an ability to quickly gain a detailed knowledge of Government accounting practices, EU directives and national procurement rules is also preferable. The closing date for applications for this role is Thursday, June 6. For more information on requirements and qualifications, and to apply for the role, see publicjobs.ie. Eight men charged in relation to the largest seizure of drugs in the history of the State after a Panamanian cargo ship was dramatically stormed by an elite special forces unit off the southeast coast last year have had their cases transferred to the non-jury Special Criminal Court. At the three-judge court this morning State solicitor Ciara Vibien successfully applied to have all eight mens cases heard at the court, which deals with terrorism and organised crime-related offences. The Special Criminal Court can hear certain cases where the Director of Public Prosecutions certifies that the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice and the preservation of public peace and order. The men face drugs and organised crime charges after some 2.25 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated value of more than 157 million was seized from the Panamanian-registered large bulk carrier MV Matthew in Irish waters in September 2023. The eight men charged are Ukraine nationals Vitaliy Lapa (61) of Rudanka, Regina Stn, Bendyousk, Ukraine; Mykhailo Gavryk (31) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (31) both with unknown addresses; Jamie Harbron (31) of South Avenue, Billigham, UK; Soheil Jelveh (49), address unknown; Philippines national Harold Estoesta (30), Iran national Saeid Hassani (38) and Cumali Ozgen (49) of Delftselaan, Den Hag, Netherlands. Vitaliy Lapa and Jamie Harbron are accused of an offence contrary to Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 on dates between September 24, 2023 and September 26, 2023, both dates inclusive for possession of drugs within the State. Vitaliy Lapa is also charged with an offence under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 that between July 15 and September 25, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he contributed to an activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such activity could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation. Mr Harbron is also charged with the same Section 72 offence on dates between September 21 and September 25 2023. Soheil Jelveh, Mykhailo Gavryk, Vitaliy Vlasoi, Harold Estoesta, Saeid Hassani, Cumali Ozgen face similar Section 72 charges and are further charged with an offence under the Criminal Justice (Illicit Traffic by Sea) Act 2003 and the Misuse of Drugs Act on dates between September 24 to September 26, both dates inclusive. On September 26, 2023, a joint task force comprising members of the Revenue Customs Service, Naval Service and An Garda Siochana interdicted and detained the MV Matthew, which was on a course originating in South America. After Army Rangers secured the vessel, members of the navy, the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Revenue were transferred to the cargo vessel and the ship was then escorted into port. By NOEL BEAUCHAINE Teen 4-H Youth Leader CLAREMONT, N.H. Many people in Sullivan County struggle to get from place to place and rely on transportation via bike to get to places like work and school. But what happens when that form of transportation falls through? Thats where 4-Hs New Chain Bike Repair comes in. The New Chain Bike Repair 4-H Club, based in Claremont, meets every Tuesday at Trinity Church from 4 to 6 p.m. It began as an extension of The Rogue Robots of 4-H, which has 25 members and has been in action for around 12 years. The club is managed by Zadiah Eisenberg and Michelle Beaton, who serve as 4-H Organizational Leaders. The New Chain Bike Repair Club itself consists of eight members aged 13-18 and is overseen by volunteer project mentors Gary Savoie and Bill Quinn. From its start in May of 2023, New Chain Bike Repair has worked to restore and repair old bikes using appropriate parts, which go through a strategic process to be found. The New Chain Bike Repair 4-H Club made its debut at a pop-up tent event at Disnard Elementary School in Claremont. Since then, they have created popup events at several other locations repairing bikes for youth of all ages. As the community has become aware of the program, the club now gets new commissions almost every week, if not every day by word of mouth. The club 4-H leaders are also working with centers like TLC in Claremont, New Hampshire. Gary Savoie, one of the 4-H volunteer mentors who oversees chain bike repair said, that the club has assisted many low-income individuals and that a lot of the time, bikes are peoples primary, or only source of transportation. Though originally it began as a thoughtful service project, New Chain Bike Repair has turned into so much more for many of the 4-H members. Not only do they learn skills like how to change a tire, fix bike chains and replace brake cables, but they also see the value of service to their community and enjoy the teamwork, and some even said it helped give them future career ideas. Along with learning valuable skills, 4-H members shared that being around people with similar interests has given them a sense of belonging. One 4-H member and Stevens High School sophomore said, New Chain Bike Repair has definitely been a very good experience, the people are nice, and its awesome to have a group of people that are actually interested in what Im interested in, mechanical skills and hands on work. New Chain Bike Repair is an example of how 4-H involves youth in their community, while providing them with opportunities to learn, communicate and develop skills they wouldnt otherwise experience. If you would like more information about 4-H and our volunteering opportunities, reach out to 4-H Program Manager Laurie Field at [email protected]. Chinese peacekeepers treat the wounded in South Sudan China Military Online) 15:54, May 29, 2024 Assigned by the United Nations, the 14th batch of Chinese Peacekeeping Level-2 Hospital to UNMISS dispatches a medical team to Turalei by helicopter to treat the wounded in an emergency on May 11, 2024. The picture shows two Chinese medical peacekeepers supporting the injured to board the helicopter. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Haoyu) Assigned by the United Nations, the 14th batch of Chinese Peacekeeping Level-2 Hospital to UNMISS dispatches a medical team to Turalei by helicopter to treat the wounded in an emergency on May 11, 2024. The picture shows two Chinese medical peacekeepers supporting the injured to board the helicopter. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Haoyu) (Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing) LIDL Ireland has completed its six-year charity partnership with Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland, by announcing it has raised 3m in funds for the charity. Jigsaw provides free confidential, professional support to young people aged 12-25 in 14 centres across Ireland and online. Lidl Ireland has partnered with Jigsaw since 2018 and twice extended its contract with the charity to continue delivering vital mental health initiatives and services to those in need across Ireland, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and its significant impact on youth mental health. Supported by its team of more than 6,000 employees and two million weekly shoppers across the country, Lidl Ireland has smashed its initial fundraising target to deliver 3m in support to fund vital charity services and reach thousands of young people across the country struggling with their mental health. Launched in 2018 and delivering immediate and significant impact, the partnership between Lidl and Jigsaw quickly raised awareness and trust of the charity amongst the Irish public, growing from an awareness baseline of just 24% in 2018 to 61% in 2023. Trust in Jigsaw baseline also grew from 64% to 72% in the same period. Throughout the lifetime of the partnership, Jigsaw also saw a significant increase in referrals to its services across the country, rising by 49% between 2018 and 2023, with the number of appointments offered to young people in the same period jumping by more than 59%. The fundraising achievement was marked at a celebratory event at the Radisson Blu, Athlone, and was attended by more than 135 representatives from Lidl and Jigsaw, as well as service users and partners that have benefitted from Jigsaws bespoke programmes and initiatives, delivered in partnership with Lidl Ireland. Speaking at the event, JP Scally, CEO at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: After a fantastic six years, its with a heavy heart that we say a fond farewell to our charity partner, Jigsaw. Whilst the hugely successful partnership has come to an end, we are pleased to announce that, together with our customers, we have raised a staggering 3m in funding to ensure this vital charity continues to deliver for young people in need across Ireland. This was all made possible through the sustained, committed efforts of Lidl employees in every store, warehouse, and office across the country and the generosity and support of our valued customers and Id like to thank each and every person who helped us reach this fundraising milestone. Commenting on the partnership, Dr Joseph Duffy, CEO of Jigsaw said: Lidls support over the last six years has been game-changing for our charity. It has been a privilege to partner with a company that bought into our vision from day one and continually demonstrated their commitment to working with us to change the conversation on youth mental health in Ireland. Together, we have changed how Ireland talks about, responds to, and supports young peoples mental health. Fuzion, a national brand communications agency, has announced it has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2024 Awards for Excellence in Public Relations. With offices in both Cork and Dublin, Fuzion boasts a diverse client portfolio, collaborating with esteemed national and international names from the public sector, non-profit, hospitality and tourism, professional services, food and beverage, retail sector. Their standout campaign, Brigid 1500: The Woman, The Life, The Legacy, has earned a place on the shortlist for the Best Integrated Campaign category. The Brigid 1500 campaign centered upon celebrating the rich heritage of St Brigid, 1500 years after her passing, whilst building a vibrant cultural atmosphere in Co. Kildare. Incorporating elements of creative storytelling, strategic advertising, and unique photo opportunities, the campaign appealed to a diverse audience in Ireland and worldwide, demonstrating the profound influence of StBrigid whilst boosting local tourism. Katie Lane, part of the Brigid1500 team in Kildare County Council commented: Kildare County Council has developed a strong partnership with Fuzion Communications, working together to promote the timeless message of Brigid 1500, resonating with communities in Kildare and beyond. Featuring a series of national events and initiatives including festivals, concerts, talks, art commissions, illuminations, and workshops, the campaign engaged communities and provided meaningful experiences, showcasing her life and legacy. Stephanie Stafford, head of communications at Fuzion, who headed the project team added: We are so proud to be shortlisted by our peers for such a prestigious industry award. Providing a 360 service for clients is the core of what we do, making the nomination for Best Integrated Campaign all the more special. The successful campaign involved the input from all our divisions, creative, digital, communications, and event management - a perfect fusion of all our expertise. The nomination is an aptly timed announcement for Fuzion, following their recent rebrand. Adopting a future-focused concept of Brand Communications, Fuzion is committed to offering clients a seamless approach to communications and design with specialised yet integrated divisions of Consumer, Corporate and Public Affairs, Digital, Brand, and Design. The nomination reflects Fuzions unwavering commitment to their clients, providing multifaceted brand solutions through impactful storytelling. Fuzion, with offices in Cork and Dublin, has an extensive client portfolio working with high-profile national and international brands across a wide range of industries. See www.fuzion.ie for more. THE organisers of a new womens health initiative have hailed the success of the first event in Ballyphehane. The Change Cafe is a new initiative in Ballyphehane, where women can find out more about menopause and womens health. The Cafe runs on the second Tuesday of every month from 7pm to 9pm, and will feature talks and workshops given by experts in the area of womens health and menopause. It is open to all and is free to attend, with refreshments provided and the opportunity to ask questions and to share experiences. The Change Cafe is a collaboration between the Cork South Community Work Department HSE, Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project CLG, the Ballyphehane/ Togher Adult Education Provision CETB and Cork City Partnership CLG. On Tuesday, May 14, the cafe hosted a workshop with Catherine OKeeffe, a menopause workplace consultant, founder of Wellness Warrior, and creator of the Menopause Success Summit. Ms OKeeffe is the author of the best seller All You Need to Know About Menopause, and hosts Irelands only podcast dedicated to menopause, Menopause Uprising. Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for the initiative said the event was a success. The workshop was fully attended and participants were able to access Catherines book. We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the generous donation from The Hospital Saturday Fund, without which none of this would be possible." The free cafe will continue to run on the second Tuesday of every month and will focus on talks and workshops by people with specialist knowledge in the area of health and menopause, she added. There will also be time to have cuppas and chats, ask questions and share experiences, with the idea to form new connections and friendships. This initiative is in response to the needs of women in our community who are looking for resources and information. We want to empower women to support each other and to just talk about menopause and other issues affecting them and to reassure them about their feelings, concerns, issues, fears, anxieties as well as explore options and therapies available. Organisers of womens health initiative delighted with first event Catherine OKeeffe (third left), a menopause workplace consultant, founder of Wellness Warrior, and creator of the Menopause Success Summit, pictured with organisers of the Change Cafe in Ballyphehane. From left, Triona Healy, HSE/Cork Kerry Community Healthcare; Bernadette De Courcey, Ballyphehane/Togher Adult Education Provision CETB; Catherine OKeeffe; Grainne OConnell-Walsh, Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project CLG; Teresa OSullivan, Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project CLG; and Michelle Keane, Cork City Partnership CLG. Bike maintenance workshop is a hit A Bike maintenance workshop held in Ballyphehane was praised as a success by organisers, Ballyphehane Tidy Towns. The workshop, held in recent weeks, gave people the opportunity to learn more about bike maintenance and DIY. In a statement, Ballyphehane Tidy Towns said: Our bike maintenance workshop was a hit, with folks getting their wheels fixed and picking up some DIY bike-fixing skills along the way! Thanks to the folks at Cork Community Bikes and Cork Sports Partnership. While they were out and about, volunteers from Ballyphehane Tidy Towns organised a clean-up of Tory Top Road. Tory Top Road got a much-needed sweep and weed, and our beloved parklet got some TLC with a fresh compost boost and thorough weeding, the group added. Lets keep the momentum going! If you are a household or a business, if you have 10 minutes to spare, we would greatly appreciate if you could keep your own area spick and span. Tidy Towns set for judging day Volunteers from Togher Tidy Towns have been out in force preparing to welcome judges from the national Tidy Towns competition. In a statement, the group said: Togher volunteers were out in force today with judging day drawing closer. We ask everyone and businesses to please look after outside their own building. It will make a big difference. Thank you. Tidy Towns group thanks volunteers and supporters Ballyphehane Tidy Towns submitted its application for the 2024 Tidy Towns Ireland competition in recent days. The group thanked volunteers and supporters for their help in ensuring Ballyphehane looks its very best ahead of the competition. Ballyphehane Tidy Towns volunteers out in force recently, after the group submitted its application for the 2024 Tidy Towns Ireland competition. In a statement after submitting its application, Ballyphehane Tidy Towns said: A few late nights and early mornings to get the final edits done were worth it. Seeing all we have accomplished on paper even shocked us. Thank you to everyone, volunteers big and small, who gave us some precious free time. We make a great team, from litter picking, major projects, youth hubs and getting stuck in we do it all. Thank you to every local business and community group who has supported us and our work, we couldnt do it without your support. Best of luck to our neighbouring tidy town crews! Fourth green flag for school A local secondary school has been awarded its fourth green flag for its environmental efforts. An Taisces green flag initiative rewards schools for their efforts in the area of sustainability. In a statement after receiving its latest flag, the school said: Weve been awarded our fourth Green Flag by An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland. Fourth green flag for school Morning Star National School has expressed its delight at the news that Tony ODonovan was named Cork Person of the Month for April. In a statement, Morning Star National School said: We were delighted to hear that our good friend Mr Tony O Donovan has won the Cork Person of the Month Award for April. A very appropriate month for Tony to win the award, as April is Autism Awareness Month and Tony has raised thousands over the years for children with additional needs and/or autism. Tony has raised over 70,000 over the past decade for individuals and schools, including Morning Star. "The trips and resources purchased as a result have made a massive difference for so many children. He begins his fundraising activities in January every year and we would encourage you all to donate what you can when the opportunity arises. " "Tonys work is a wonderful cause that makes such a direct, positive improvement in peoples lives. We are proud to have Tony in our community. He is an inspiration to us all and his award is long overdue and thoroughly deserved. Delight for award winner Regan gig at record store A Local record store is preparing to host a critically acclaimed Irish songwriter for an intimate gig this weekend. Niamh Regan will be promoting her sophomore album, Come As You Are at her gig at Music Zone on Saturday, June 1. Released in the midst of the lockdown in 2020, her debut album Hemet announced her arrival and earned nominations for both the RTE Folk Awards and the Choice Awards Album of the Year. Read More All About Cork: Disney inspiration leads to mural at Ballincollig library Have Ballyphehane news? Email darragh.bermingham@theecho.ie MEMBERS of the Cork Organisation for Indian Nurses (COINNs) are calling for urgent action to address delays at Anglesea Street Garda Station for Irish Residence Permits (IRP) renewals. Nurses from the organisation held a protest outside the garda yesterday to highlight the issue. Jithin Ganesh, a nurse at Cork University Hospital, told The Echo that the issue arose during the pandemic when the service changed from a walk-in facility to appointment only. "We cant apply early. We can only apply 30 days before the permit expires, then you are waiting five months for the appointment. He said that the issue affects people of all nationalities and for many people, this means losing their job. This is a problem only in Cork city we respect this system and love this country, but Dublin has more immigrants yet no backlog because you can renew online. In Fermoy, Mallow, Macroom you can get an appointment fast, but it is a rule that you have to go to the closest station. COINNS members have called for an online renewal system to be put in place in Cork, in addition to an emergency walk-in counter for urgent cases. Mr Ganesh explained how a family member back in India is seriously ill, but he cannot go back home to see them, as If you go back to India without an IRP, you cannot come back to Ireland. He said that he and his wife like to travel to other places in Europe, but cant until his IRP is renewed, but by the time I get mine, my wifes is going to be expired, so we have to wait again. Rijo, another of the protestors, said that his wife had a bereavement in the family recently but could not go back to India, and that one woman in attendance has two young children in India and she cannot go to collect them. Another attendee, Medha, said that her husband passed his driving test, but because he did not have an IRP due to the delays, they wont send him his license, so the couple has no transport. People Before Profit-Solidarity councillor for Cork City North-West Brian McCarthy, who was at the protest, said that the situation was unacceptable. A five-month wait means they have trouble getting jobs, securing accommodation and they can't open bank accounts. "Worst of all if they have a family emergency back home they can't go back or they won't be able to get back into Ireland. In Dublin, protests by the migrant workers led to the system being moved online so now that needs to happen in Cork too. They play an important role here, in healthcare for example, and they can't be left in this legal limbo any longer. A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said they have seen a year-on-year increase in demand for immigration-related appointments in Cork Garda Division. Local Garda management monitor the caseload on an ongoing basis. Applications are triaged to identify urgent cases which are prioritised. People are required to register with their local Garda National Immigration Bureau in the Registration District in which they reside. They added that the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (COFPI) recommended that immigration administrative functions should transfer from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) function of the Department of Justice and that this process has begun. CORK County Councils chief executive has said that the stalling of more than half of approximately 8,000 planning approvals in 2022 and 2023 for housing units in the county is largely down to Uisce Eireann. Valerie OSullivan was speaking after a letter from Uisce Eireann, relating to a stalled development of 10 housing units in Carraig na bhFear, was raised by Cobh electoral area Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard during a meeting of the council. According to Ms Sheppard, the response from Uisce Eireann suggested that Carraig na bhFear was at number 12 in a list of priority areas submitted by Cork County Council to the utility in 2019. In the letter from Uisce Eireann, the utilitys local authority engagement director, John Dempsey, wrote that schemes ranked from one to seven in the candidate list in Cork were being progressed at present, and that Cork County Council would have an opportunity to reprioritise the Carraig na bhFear site relative to others on the list under the next Capital Investment Plan 2025-9. This prompted the Fine Gael councillor to ask how Carraig na bhFears bid for a wastewater treatment plant could progress up the list. She added that she was aware that Castlemartyr in East Cork had been reprioritised due to a matter of urgency. What do we need to do as elected representatives in order to move Carraig na bhFear up the list? Ms Sheppard asked. We have a beautiful village thats extremely close to the city, and yet were basically telling people up there you cannot build a house if youve grown up in Carraig na bhFear and you want to raise your family close to your own family that cant happen because no houses can be built. This prompted a lively debate involving a number of councillors, and they were all extremely exercised by what they described as the failures of Uisce Eireann. List of settlements According to council chief executive Valerie OSullivan, the authority had submitted a list of 35 settlements to Uisce Eireann in 2019 and Carraig na bhFear was at number 12. To me, thats not an excuse, said Ms OSullivan. They focused on seven, five years ago in 2019, 7/35, thats 20%, one-fifth in five years. Zero per cent of those [water infrastructure projects] have gone to planning. Ms OSullivan put the Carraig na bhFear issue in context by outlining the broader picture in which the authority had granted 8,000 planning permissions for housing units in the county during 2022 and 2023, but said that only 3,500 of these had been completed or gone to market. Now there are gaps, therefore, between the planning system which is working and the completions and, in no small way, can that gap be accounted for by the fact that water infrastructure is not in place thats a fact. We have done an exercise that demonstrates that, through the good offices of the members in adapting the County Development Plan, the current County Development Plan has sufficient land zoned in this cycle of the development plan to absorb an increase in targets. That doesnt mean they will be delivered either, because there is a deficit in water and wastewater treatment. Response In a response to a query from The Echo relating to Ms OSullivans remarks, an Uisce Eieann spokesperson said the utility had invested heavily in the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plants in Cork since 2014 and had plans to continue this investment through current and subsequent investment plans. We are committed to supporting housing development and we would encourage any developers to contact Uisce Eireann with a pre-connection enquiry to enable assessment of their development in relation to water services capacity, said the spokesperson. The spokesperson added that the ranking of Carraig na bhFear at number 12 was confirmed by Cork County Council when local authorities were asked to review the ranking of candidate settlements in their areas. A JUDGE decided that the case against a man accused of attacking a woman in Cork city centre was too serious to be dealt with at district court level. Robert Nachtygal, aged 38, of no fixed address, faces a charge of assault causing harm to a woman in her 30s last October. Garda Kevin Roche charged Mr Nachtygal, who appeared at Cork District Court. Judge Mary Dorgan asked for an outline of the allegations in the case so that she could decide on the issue of jurisdiction. After hearing the outline, Judge Dorgan said it was too serious to be dealt with at the district court. A book of evidence will now have to be prepared in the case, and Judge Dorgan adjourned the matter until July 22 to allow time for that to be prepared. Sergeant Dave Delea outlined the background to the case, which arose out of an alleged incident after 9.30pm on October 23, 2023, on Lower Oliver Plunkett St, Cork. It is alleged that Robert Nachtygal, of no fixed address, pinned a 35-year-old woman up against a wall on Lower Oliver Plunkett St and punched her a number of times into the face and head, only stopping when another man intervened, said Sgt Delea. The woman then walked away but returned almost immediately at which point [Mr Nachtygal] caught her by the hair and dragged her over to a nearby car and he pinned her up against this. It is alleged that Robert Nachtygal then picked up a bottleneck of a broken Smirnoff vodka bottle and drew it up to her face in a very aggressive manner trying to stab it at her face and neck, barely giving the woman enough time to get her right hand up to her face to protect herself, receiving cuts to her hand and wrist in doing so. She received a gash that was bleeding heavily. The entire incident was captured on CCTV. A prominent protestor against LGBTQ+ reading material at Cork City Library faced a trial today for having a box-cutter knife in his pocket when arrested but the case ended abruptly before it really began. Apart from a charge of failing to appear in court on one particular date the main charge faced by Ross Lahive was that he had the knife in his possession. Inspector James Hallahan called the main witness, Detective Garda Pat Russell who testified at Cork District Court today that when the knife was found in Mr Lahives possession he gave the explanation that the only reason he had it was that he had been using it while hanging a door for a friend in Ballincollig earlier in the day. Judge Philip OLeary asked defence solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, if he had an application to make on the basis of this very brief evidence. Mr Kelleher stood up and said that an offence of possession of a knife includes the stipulation that one has it without good reason or for a work purpose. The solicitor said Mr Lahive had always stated the reason he had the box-cutter and also that it was in the context of a particular job of work. He has already given his full defence. And that is not me putting up a legal defence, Mr Kelleher said. Judge Philip OLeary said only a reasonable doubt had to be established for the case to be dismissed. "And he has given a plausible reason as to why he had it. I dismiss the charge. On the less serious charge of failing to appear in court on a particular date on the charge, Mr Lahive said he got the date wrong and admitted this matter. Under the circumstances, Judge OLeary said he would dismiss this second charge under the Probation of Offenders Act. Insp. Hallahan asked for an order for confiscation and destruction of the knife. But Mr Kelleher said the criminality had not been shown in relation to the knife and that it should be returned to Ross Lahive. The solicitor said the defendant wanted to have it as it had belonged to his father. Judge OLeary agreed that he was entitled to have the knife given back to him. 44-year-old Ross Lahive of Church Street, Shandon Street, Cork, had been charged that on September 4 2023 that he failed to appear in Cork District Court and that on August 26 at Bridewell Garda Station, Kyrls Street, Cork, he did have a knife in his possession, contrary to Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act. A background incident on the same day which involved Mr Lahive resulted in the case making headlines. An online video showed Lord Mayor Cllr. Kieran McCarthy being confronted by Ross Lahive at North Main St carnival on Saturday morning, August 26, on a matter related to the library protest. Mr Lahive asked Mr McCarthy if he knew who he was, and Mr McCarthy responded, "Yes, Ive been waiting for this". The Lord Mayor then delivered a spirted performance of, Oh What a Beautiful Morning from the musical Oklahoma. CORK city proudly hosted the second annual youth-led anti-racism summit, positioning itself at the forefront of key regional and international developments. This pivotal event unfolded against a backdrop of profound socio-political shifts worldwide, including the rise of far-right anti-immigration sentiments, global humanitarian crises, and ongoing genocides. With elections looming, the summit became an indispensable forum for discussing accountability, racism, integration, and enhancing social unity. The urgency of these discussions was further underscored by humanitarian catastrophes and the perpetration of war crimes in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Palestine. The latter spurred many protests across Ireland, highlighting the dire need for dialogue on human rights, fighting institutional neutrality, and addressing grave violations affecting millions, especially children. Inspired by movements like Black Lives Matter, the regional summit empowered youth to confront systemic racism in Ireland, focusing on the pressing issues of the Direct Provision system that significantly affected young refugees, migrants, and minority communities, including Travellers and LGBTQ+ individuals. Recent incidents of discrimination and the shortfall in public investments in these communities underlined the necessity for a platform like this summita brave space that offered radical possibilities for young people to shift power dynamics and express themselves creatively. In a resource that IRC and ARD Youth Projects members (2023) collaborated on, young people discussed how often individuals must undertake perilous journeys to safer environments, journeys fraught with Tight Spacespacking belongings into a bag, a boat, a lorry, or even a sleeping bag. Upon arrival in Direct Provision, unfortunately, they may have found themselves in cramped living conditions, reflecting the systemic injustices and mental anguish embedded within this system, shrinking individual worlds, opportunities and reducing horizons (IRC and NYCI, 2023). That said, local initiatives in Cork shone as beacons of hope. The city councils endorsement of the Yellow flag program, led by the Irish Traveller Movement, significantly enhanced inclusive educational environments across numerous schools. The Sanctuary Runners initiative, originating in Cork, promoted intercultural understanding and solidarity, gaining national and international recognition. Furthermore, the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), implemented by the Cork City Partnership, targeted racism and supported Traveller and Roma development, bolstered by a network of community groups dedicated to migrant integration. Cork hosted this significant youth-led summit, which not only addressed pressing issues of racism and discrimination but also showcased the active steps being taken towards a more inclusive and equitable society. The engagement and advocacy of young people at this summit paved the way for a future where diversity is not just accepted but celebrated. This event stood as a testament to ongoing efforts and the potential for transformative change, ensuring that youth voices were central in shaping the policies and practices that would define tomorrows Ireland and beyond. The central theme of this years summit was Its about the youth, not you, which prompted the Pledge activity. The pledge was to make Cork an inclusive anti-racist city. Community members and policymakers at facilitated and moderated tables were invited to engage in discussion and commit to personal and professional actions that promoted anti-racism and inclusivity. These commitments were made as individual pledges in daily life or as part of an organisation. There was also a commitment to revisiting these signed pledges in six months time, as they would be made visible and publicised. This call to action, with personal and collective commitment to creating an Anti-racist Cork, brought clarity and conviction to the event. This was an opportunity to foster intergenerational dialogue and encourage understanding of issues of racism and inclusion. It was also an opportunity to really consider the commitments individuals could make in their personal and professional lives to foster an inclusive environment and to ignite the conviction to action these. The summit concluded with the recognition of the young people who took the lead and actively made changes in their community. They invited teachers actively working to implement anti-racism strategies in their schools, with the aim of including more educators in the discussion. They also learned that they need to ask other leaders and TDs to be present in the room for future summits. They hope to continue demonstrating effective strategies to make Cork a safer space for all. In doing so, they hope to continue to invite and acknowledge individuals and communities who have been actively doing anti-racist work in their organisations, schools and more. Overall, they felt that they were heard and wanted to continue addressing the challenges, with some stating that it needed to be done at least twice a year instead of once a year. Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Cross-border tourism between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has tripled in a decade, a report has found. The joint study by Ulster University and Dublin City University found there were differences in the economic impact in the Republic compared with Northern Ireland. There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023, compared with almost 400,000 in 2013. International visits in the period 2013-2019 grew by 33 per cent in Northern Ireland and 46 per cent south of the border. The authors said that notwithstanding some public commentary that many people from the Republic of Ireland never travel to NI, the number of trips from south of the border to Northern Ireland has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2013, on average less than 100,000 cross-border trips were made per quarter, a figure that has grown to over 300,000 in 2023. In the years following the pandemic, over 200,000 trips per quarter have been recorded, it said. The study found that all visitors to Northern Ireland are more likely to be visiting friends or relatives than on holiday or a business trip, and of that number almost half will stay with them considerably reducing the earned income from accommodation. Tourists from Paris Nelly Michoux (left) and Isabelle Nguyen take a selfie in Dublin (PA) Visitors from Britain are crucial to both parts of the island, the study found, but the scale is different, making up two thirds of visitors to Northern Ireland compared with one third in the Republic. The report found people stay in Northern Ireland for fewer nights, particularly long-haul visitors. It also found a buoyant and resilient tourism industry across both Northern Ireland and Ireland, with strong evidence of a bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. It said the Republic had approximately 4.3 times as many trips by international visitors compared with Northern Ireland in 2019, but 7.6 times as much expenditure. The scale of domestic tourism trips within Northern Ireland, at roughly two million per annum, remained static in the decade from 2011. South of the border, the scale of within-state tourism increased from 6.5 million to 11 million trips in the same period, probably reflecting the stronger economic performance. Ana Desmond, senior economist at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the tourism sector across the island of Ireland has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in recent years. This research has shown how the international and domestic visitor market has both grown and diversified with recent significant findings including the sharp and sustained increase in domestic cross-border visits to NI since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism growth and development is a natural area for co-operation across the island and has been ongoing for many years. The sector has demonstrated that it can adapt to external challenges and recover strongly. It will need this quality to tackle the current challenges which have been identified by businesses both sides of the border, which include labour market shortages and concerns over the cost of doing business. Professor John Doyle, vice president for Research at Dublin City University, said the research highlights a real opportunity for economic growth, for businesses to grow their income and profitability, and for better wages in the sector. Co-operation will benefit both parts of the island, but given the more developed tourism industry in the Republic, it should benefit Northern Ireland to a much greater extent. In order to close the gap with the Republic, public policy needs to move beyond the current levels of co-operation, to build a single tourism offering, in marketing, visa requirements, tax and regional development policy and, perhaps most crucially, in the perception of the visitor. CORK woman Sophie Healy-Thow hit the headlines internationally recently for scooping up one of six Global Citizen prizes in New York. Her acceptance speech showcased to the world the eloquence, poise, and passion of this determined advocate, as well as a maturity that belies her young age - 26. This win is the latest in a series of achieve-ments, and it certainly wont be her last. With values forged by the strong women in her life, Sophie is creating changes on a global scale through a global youth campaign she co-founded, Act4Food. Interest in Food Sophies move to Kinsale in her youth opened her eyes to food on her doorstep. Initially, she says: What was put on the table in front of me as a child was just the norm; when you think of whats normal to people, its just what you have every day, right? Then her mum moved Sophie and her sister up to the Old Head of Kinsale, to be with their granny, and life changed - she was surrounded by fields and farms, being in that rural area where you drive quite a distance to a shop or a busy, bustling town. It was right next to the sea, adds Sophie, and my grandmother would pop us on the school bus every morning. But on the weekends, wed go blackberry picking with her or picking apples from the tree, or shed bring us down to the beach, and shed show us what kind of seaweeds were edible and how to dry them and how to prepare them, like carrageen moss. She picked periwinkles and taught us how wed eat them. Sophies granny was from Heir Island off the south-west coast of Cork. Back in her day, the only way to survive was to be sustainable and to pick your own food and make your own bread; otherwise, it just wasnt going to happen, says Sophie. And so I think thats where my interest in food really stemmed from. It made me realise that food is a lot more than opening up the fridge and seeing whats inside. Sophie Healy-Thow, who scooped one of six Global Citizen prizes in New York.Pictured with Learning to Walk Away Sophie is no stranger to awards. During her youth, she was thrust into the limelight but had the maturity and courage to realise that it was not the right environment for her. My journey in food began probably when I was about 14. I was very lucky to win the BT Young Scientist as part of a group, then the EU contest for young scientists, and the Google Science Fair. The win at the Google Science Fair catapulted me into an uncomfortable world. I guess it was a lot of young woman in STEM. I was like, first of all, I dont really think Im a young woman in STEM, but also, it should just be normal to have young women in the room! It shouldnt be a surprise that Im interested in science, food, agriculture and nutrition. Why is that surprising to people? I ended up being in a lot of rooms where I was the only woman, and it felt unfair. "I couldnt represent the voices of all women. I didnt even have a university degree at the time. I felt highly uneducated to represent people in that way, and the rooms werent diverse. They didnt showcase all voices and the weight and pressure of that was quite a lot. I was about 17/18/19 at the time. It felt like a lot of pressure. I also felt there were so many incredible women who were in the sector a lot longer than me and who deserved more of a space. There are a lot of people from different countries that deserve their stories to be told that werent getting the space, and it often felt like I was kind of patted on the head and basically being told good girl. Sophie Healy-Thow, who scooped one of six Global Citizen prizes in New York. Picture: David Andrako for Global Citizen @DavidAndrako Finding her Tribe Sophie speaks with enthusiasm about how she subsequently found her tribe in youth groups, an open, collaborative environment that welcomed everyone. I pulled myself out of those rooms and brought myself more into youth groups, where there wasnt a lot of pressure, and you could speak very openly. You werent thinking about the words that you had to say; way more collaborative and community and a bit more active than sitting on a panel in a dark room with a microphone. Those youth groups were just so diverse and active and eager to ask questions and get out there, it made me realise that I wasnt alone. Her work in this group brought her to prestigious events, but when Sophie and her colleagues were left out of proceedings, they forged a plan that changed everything. Through that, I found myself at the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and in 2021 at the United Nations Food Systems Summit. There were only about six young people invited to be at this summit. We enter into this big decision-making room where every country has its own name tag and a little microphone, and theyre making quite big decisions about the future of food, whether on a national scale or a global scale. And the six young people are standing at the back of the room. We havent been given seats. And were looking at each other, and were thinking, How can these decisions about the future be made without the future in the conversation? The Beginning of Act4Food This UN Food Systems Summit was the unintentional catalyst for the development of Act4Food, and the group funneled their frustration at the current system into creating a platform that enables youth to be heard, included and active in transforming food systems. We were a bit frustrated, thinking were not just the beneficiaries of policies and decisions that politicians make for us, but we need to be the co-creators of these policies. We leave the room. Were sitting in quite a damp corridor of this big UN building, and we come up with Act4 Food, which is a youth-led movement to transform food systems. The proposal for Act4Food was accepted by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and we wrote a pledge. Right now, that pledge has 400,000 signatures, so these are 400,000 individuals online and offline who want to see food systems change. Act4Food was born and has grown and evolved since its launch in 2021. Its momentum is set to continue as it enters into a year-long partnership with Global Citizen, with very generous prize funding of $10,000 that is going to be put straight into implementing youth-led projects in countries right across the world. Sophie Healy-Thow at the awards ceremony. Picture: David Andrako for Global Citizen @DavidAndrako Developing 10 Global Actions for Act4Food But when we regrouped, we realised that a pledge is great, but it doesnt cause action. How can we ask people to act? So, we held a consultation with over 100,000 young people from the ages of 15 to 25, and we asked them very simply, online and offline, If you had a decision-maker sitting in front of you, what would you want them to do to transform food systems? But equally importantly, what do you commit to doing yourself? As you can imagine, we got 100,000 different answers. Some are really funny, like Food systems dont match my vibe. But some of them were really, really thoughtful and thought-provoking. We brought it down to 25, what we call actions for change. Then we had a voting mechanism of another 100,000 young people, and we were able to bring them down to the top ten global priority actions that young people want decision-makers to make, including that every child, whether at school, college or nursery, deserves a school meal, to banning single-use plastics, to prioritising regenerative agriculture, to ensuring employment for young agripreneurs. So now we have our top ten. The scope of Act4Foods reach is considerable, and is having an impact across the globe through a broad range of initiatives related to food and food systems, all led by youth leaders and volunteers. Sophie said: Act4Food is completely youth-led. Each year its led by a different set of 30 young people. Right now, weve scaled it to be in 27 countries. With over 400 volunteers worldwide, we do fun things. For example, weve held food festivals in Malawi and Nicaragua in Zimbabwe, to going into primary schools in India and Pakistan and doing more kind of rudimentary food systems, education and for young people, and then going into informal school networks and seeing what we can do that. Using games to bring young people more into food and educate them about food. In the UK, we were part of bringing school meals back onto the governments agenda. The same in Canada. So were everywhere, were doing everything. Sophie Healy-Thow, who scooped one of six Global Citizen prizes in New York. Picture: David Andrako for Global Citizen @DavidAndrako Champion for All Like all great leaders, Sophie puts the limelight on others and makes clear that this most recent accolade is not just hers. It really came as quite a shock, honestly, to be awarded something so big for the work I do. Its a testament to all the really incredible young people I work with and have met. There are so many incredible young people working to change the course of food for their lives, but also people coming behind them for future generations. "So, its definitely not just mine. Theres a lot of young people who worked really, really hard to get where we are today. Sophie has struggled with being taken seriously and sees this challenge as a common issue among the many she encounters in her role. I think the biggest challenge that Ive found has been being seen as credible. As a young person, and I think maybe as a young woman, when I was starting out, I didnt have my university degree. I just had this lived experience and this understanding, and I have lots of friends whove been through really difficult relationships with food. Whether its because of their socio-economic class or where they were based in the world, I found that stories and our lived experiences werent enough to be heard. Its like a bitter pill to swallow if youve been through something; youve experienced it first-hand. Oftentimes, if you dont have the numbers or the research to back you, Its seen as, Oh, thats a really nice story you have. So I think that was probably my biggest challenge, and also I find now working with a lot of young people, its their biggest challenge as well, especially when you have young people who are internally displaced, who dont have a formal education, getting them that space and that voice, and also then having the confidence to share has been the biggest challenge. Finding Her Voice Sophie has developed a considerable skillset, including public speaking, as seen at the recent awards ceremony, but confides she wasnt always like that. I used to be incredibly shy. I wouldnt say boo to a ghost. I didnt want to talk. I was at the back of the group and wouldnt contribute to anything. Id have many opinions, but Id be too scared to say them. When I realised that voices and opinions werent reflective of me. I felt that I really needed to speak up, and it probably comes down to having a lot of very strong female role models in my life who arent afraid to stand up and who will speak their minds, and arent scared of being the loud person in the room, because why should we be scared of being labelled as loud and opinionated? I think its an important part of getting your voice out there, especially when youre in rooms that arent dominated by people who are like you. Sophie Healy-Thow. Picture: David Andrako for Global Citizen @DavidAndrako Taking Action Sophie has advice for those interested in learning more. If you want to be part of Act4Food, I would definitely suggest having a look at our website and following our social media accounts. Were on everything. We also have an Irish youth leader leading the campaign in Ireland, an incredible young woman called Caitlin Breen. I would strongly recommend reaching out to her; shes fantastic! Strong Role Models When I ask how her mum and granny responded to her recent success, she shares theyve been bowled over by the response and how supportive everyone has been. It was so lovely, and my mum and granny were actually in tears, especially the following day. And you know what? It wasnt so much about receiving the award, but it was the amount of support from home that really made them emotional. They realised just how many supporters they have, and my gran now has people asking. How do you dry the seaweed? Like, tell us how you do it. I want to do it. How do you pick periwinkles? Ellen Healy, Sophies Granny, is set for stardom herself, as Sophie has plans to capture her food-foraging wisdom. When Im home next, Im going to video her taking this seaweed, washing and drying it, to show people how its done because its so easy to do. Cork Pride Sophies Cork roots are deep, and she speaks with great admiration for the women of Cork and their unique strength and unity. I find Cork women are strong and soft at the same time, I think we have this strong mentality of were going to do it. And were going to do it well. And were going to be successful, and were going to say our opinions, and if we need to be loud, were going to be loud, and were not apologetic about it. And thats what I love. Its that rebel kind of blood through our veins. But on the other hand. I think were very empathetic towards each other and support one another, and that if Im going to succeed, Im going to bring other people up with me. Were not going to do it alone. Theres not one person whos going to hold the flag at the top of the group. Were going to kind of link arms and do it together. "Thats something Ive noticed in all Cork women: were there for one another. And I think thats really beautiful. Her observations are reflective of herself, a force to be reckoned with thanks to the winning duality of her personality; strong and kind. Speaking to Sophie, it is clear she has learned the power of her voice, of saying no, creating change, uniting voices, and that she will build a seat at the table where there is none. Her story is a lesson for us all on persevering against the odds and challenging the status quo. Learn more about Act4Food on their website: Act4Food ( actions4food.org). IT was 10.30pm on a Sunday when Dara OShea finally had a chance to sit down to write the eulogy for her beloved dads funeral, the following day. There had been so much to think about and to organise since his unexpected death a few days previously that it was literally the first opportunity she had, to even begin to think about the task. These were going to be the most important words I was ever going to speak about my dad, and it just felt so wrong that I was having to do it like that, she recalled. At the time, Daras mum suggested there should be someone to help families organise funerals, and it was from that innocuous thought, as well as her personal experience, that saw her launch RHEA the following year, 2021. Co-founded with Louise OBrien, the pair are essentially the equivalent of wedding planners, only for funerals. Dara has a marketing degree and was head of events in UCC for 20 years, and Louise worked on her team as one of her senior event managers. I loved my job, but I always felt that I had another purpose and when my dad Frank passed away, I found it, she said. Funeral directors do fantastic work but when dad died we realised there was still an enormous amount of work to be done by a family, at a time when youre least able to deal with it, and while still trying to mind each other. Rhea is the Greek goddess of ease and comfort; and Dara explains that in the businesss case, R stands for remembering; H, honour; E, empowering positive mourning and A, at your side. Dara and Louise offer different packages to help individuals organise their own funerals. That includes everything from what the individual would like said in their eulogy, who theyd like carrying their coffin, what theyd like to wear, what photo theyd like on their death notice, to what music theyd like played. Winner of Emerging New Businesswoman Dara OShea, RHEA at the Network Ireland Cork Branch, Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2024 in the Vienna Woods Hotel. They also work with families whose loved one has a terminal diagnosis and who wish to get prepared in advance for their funeral, as well as a full-suite at your side service over the days of a funeral for those who hardly know where to start when it comes to organising it. What they help with ranges from practical supports such as organising at-home catering or booking hotel venues for services, making sure the family have the right attire to wear, helping to select the readings and music for the ceremony, to emotional support and guidance with administration. Regardless of what people require help with, whats central to their ethos is offering headspace to a grieving family, by taking the mental load off them. Our office is peoples kitchen table. When we arrive in peoples homes we help them start talking about their loved one who has died and help them craft a funeral experience that the person would have liked, and that they would like. We give them valuable time and freedom to talk and grieve, to let them sit and get to terms with whats happened, said Dara. Funerals are done well in Ireland, she said, but can be rushed, or there can be a feeling that theres just one way to do things. We tell people they have permission to do it their way, and to tell the story of their person, to personalise the experience and to be able to say afterwards that we did our best, we made mom or dad proud, and did right by them. We celebrate so many milestones in our lives, and our thinking is that the end-of-life ceremony should be one of them. And why not do that in a way that honours the person who has died, and helps create a positive grieving process? We can only do this once and its important that people dont have any regrets when its over, she added. Louise OBrien and Dara OShea. Picture: Darragh Kane Establishing and running her own business has been so rewarding and also so challenging. When you become your own boss, you become your real self because all decisions stop with you, she said. Working with Louise is the perfect partnership, she added. It sounds cliched but we make a great team. What we have in common is our determination and belief that we can help make a difference when people need it most. Only people who have been through the experience of planning a funeral will know how valuable what we offer really is. Winning Emerging Business award at the recent Network Ireland Cork Businesswoman of the Year awards was incredible, she said. It was such a brilliant night, then to wake up the next morning to so many messages of congratulations it was all so special! said Dara, who grew up in Douglas and who lives in Carrigaline. She joined Network Ireland Cork at the end of 2021, and has found being part of the group a really worthwhile experience. Its such an amazing community and it can be whatever you want it to be. Its great to see so many women finding their niche and following their own passions. The awards are brilliant but of course theres so much hard work going on behind all the success stories. In RHEAs case, thats the fact that its an innovative business, operating in a traditional sector. Its also very male-dominated and we are two women, saying that we can provide help in a different way, said Dara. Not surprisingly, seeing people at their most vulnerable has meant that Dara and Louise forge strong bonds with their clients, and stay in touch. They often tell us that were part of their family afterwards, and thats such a special bonus for what we do... it means they feel looked after and weve done our job. See https://www.rhea.ie/ We will continue our series of interviews with the winners of the Network Ireland Cork and Network Ireland West Cork Businesswoman of the Year Award winners, in WoW! in the weeks ahead. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. A new Data for Progress poll shared with The Guardian finds that most voters support litigation against big oil, while nearly half would also back the filing of criminal charges. On May 3 and 4 of this year, Data for Progress and nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen surveyed 1,206 likely voters in the United States, asking the question of whether respondents believed that oil and gas companies should be held legally accountable for their contributions to climate change, including impacts on extreme weather and public health. [V]oters strongly want to see companies held accountable for their harmful actions, said Grace Adcox, Data for Progress senior climate strategist with Fossil Free Media, as The Guardian reported. Lawsuits against big oil have been ramping up all over the world. Communities across the U.S. have been suing fossil fuel companies for allegedly misleading the public regarding the climate crisis, and just last week France brought the first-ever criminal lawsuit related to climate. Currently there are 40 civil lawsuits brought by cities and states in the U.S. against oil majors. Last year Public Citizen also proposed filing criminal charges against fossil fuel companies. One argument for this strategy is that oil and gas companies knowing their pollution had potential deadly consequences while delaying climate action could be possible grounds for reckless or negligent homicide charges. According to Aaron Regunberg, Public Citizens climate program senior policy counsel, while the idea received some skepticism, several district attorneys offices gave it real, serious interest, reported The Guardian. The Data for Progress poll showed that 62 percent of voters surveyed said fossil fuel companies should be held legally accountable for their contributions to climate change. This included 84 percent of Democrats, 40 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Independents. The survey also asked, Knowing what you do now, do you support or oppose criminal charges being filed against oil and gas companies to hold them accountable for deaths caused by their contributions to climate change? to which 49 percent of respondents said they would somewhat or strongly support such action, in comparison with 39 percent who indicated they would not. Regunberg said this shows that Americans may not feel the idea is too out there. Regunberg went on to say that 68 percent of Democrats indicating support for criminal charges being brought against big oil was huge, since the partys districts were more likely to bring that type of legal action. Almost a third of Republicans 32 percent said they would back the idea. A significant number of Republicans would support these prosecutions, even if none of their partys leaders have the courage to buck their fossil fuel donors, Regunberg said, as The Guardian reported. Adcox added that, while gaining political support for criminal lawsuits against fossil fuel companies might not be easy, the survey indicates it could be possible. These national findings show these cases may be able to earn popular support, particularly in blue jurisdictions, Adcox said. Fossil fuel companies in the U.S. have not yet been forced to face criminal climate charges, but energy companies have. BP and PG&E both pled guilty to charges of homicide and paid fines and penalties in the billions of dollars. The fact that this hasnt been done before may lead many to say, well, it cant be done, theres no precedent. But there was no precedent for anything until there was, said Chesa Boudin, former San Francisco district attorney, as reported by The Guardian. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. A man walks on a bridge crossing the river in the Villa Victoria dam that heads to the Cutzamala System to supply water to Mexico City, in Villa Victoria, Mexico on Feb. 28, 2024. Hector Vivas / Getty Images Mexico City could be just weeks away from Day Zero, the day when the city runs out of water supplied by the Cutzamala water system. Water reservoirs in the city recently hit historic lows, and amid ongoing drought conditions and a heat dome, the city could face Day Zero by June 26. The Cutzamala water system supplies about 25% of Mexico Citys water, while about 60% comes from underground aquifers that are over-exploited and have had issues dating back to the 16th century, CNN reported. When the Spaniards arrived on the continent, they drained the lakes on which the city was was built, said Caroline Houck, senior editor at Vox, as reported by Marketplace. And so all of the impervious surfaces that have been built on top of those dont really allow for the rainwater that does fall to replenish the aquifers. As of March 2024, the Cutzamala water system reached a historic low of about 38% capacity, NPR reported. Starting October 2023, Mexico City began tightening the amount of water supplied by the Cutzamala system and reducing the flow rate. The city has also called on citizens to drastically cut back on water usage. However, while water conservation by the public has helped in similar crises, including one made famous in Cape Town, South Africa in 2018, Mexico City also faces major water losses from its infrastructure. As Fast Company reported, about 40% of the citys water is lost through leaks, and additional water is lost to theft, as organized crime groups steal public water for agricultural use or to resell back to the public at inflated rates. Without rain, Day Zero is expected to come by June 26, Mexico Business News reported. This problem has worsened in the last four years, there has been no rain, and for this reason the dams have very low levels, Alejandra Margarita Mendez Giron, general coordinator of the National Meteorological Service, said in a press release. We have had up to 93 percent of the region with severe to moderate drought. But even with rain, Mexico Business News reported that a 2022 study by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) found only about 42.5% of the countrys groundwater was fit for human consumption. Further, experts fear that rainfall will bring false hopes, when the infrastructure still needs attention to prevent future shortages. Officials noted that the El Nino climate event, heat waves and a decline in rainfall have all contributed to the current water shortages, although some politicians have argued there is no Day Zero ahead. The rainy season is expected to begin in June. But many citizens have already reported water shortages, and some neighborhoods have experienced water scarcity for years, CNN reported. There is a clear unequal access to water in the city and this is related to peoples income, Fabiola Sosa-Rodriguez, head of economic growth and environment at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City, told CNN. Helen Toner, one of OpenAIs former board members who was responsible for firing CEO Sam Altman last year, revealed that the companys board didnt know about the launch of ChatGPT until it was released in November 2022. [The] board was not informed in advance of that, Toner said on Tuesday on a podcast called The Ted AI Show. We learned about ChatGPT on Twitter. Toners comments came just two days after she criticized the way OpenAI was governed in an Economist piece that she co-wrote with Tasha McCauley, another former OpenAI board member. This is the first time that Toner has spoken openly about the circumstances that led to Altmans dramatic ouster from the company he co-founded in 2015, and his quick reinstatement following protests from employees. In the podcast, Toner, who is current a director of strategy at the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown, said that Altman had made it hard for OpenAIs board to do its job by withholding information, misrepresenting things, and, in some cases outright lying to the board. She added that Altman also hid the companys ownership structure from the board. Sam didnt inform the board that he owned the OpenAI startup fund, even though he constantly was claiming to be an independent board member with no financial interest in the company, Toner said. Altmans actions really damaged our ability to trust him, she said, and by October 2023, the board was already talking pretty seriously about whether we needed to fire him. She criticized Altmans leadership on safety concerns around AI, saying that he often gave the board inaccurate information on the companys safety processes, meaning that it was basically impossible for the board to know how well those safety processes were working or what might need to change. When asked for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson referred Engadget to the statement the company provided to The TED AI Show. We are disappointed that Ms. Toner continues to revisit these issues, Bret Taylor, OpenAIs current board chief and co-CEO of Salesforce told the podcast. An independent review of Altmans firing, he added, concluded that the prior boards decision was not based on concerns regarding product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAIs finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners. The exact reasons for Altmans abrupt ouster last year were still unclear and have been a source of intense speculation in Silicon Valley. In March, Altman was reinstated to the board by a group of temporary board members which included Taylor, economist Larry Summers, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Instacart CEO and former Meta executive Fiji Simo, former Sony executive Nicole Seligman, and former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann. In an independent investigation, law firm WilmerHale found that Toners decision to fire Altman along with the rest of OpenAIs previous Board was a consequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman. WilmerHale also found that OpenAIs previous board had fired Altman abruptly and without giving him a chance to respond to its concerns. Toners revelations are the latest controversy that OpenAI, company that sparked off the modern AI revolution, has been involved in. Over the last few days, multiple safety researchers left the company, publicly criticizing its leadership on their way out. OpenAI also backtracked on non-disparagement agreements it had required departing employees to sign after a Vox investigation, and forced to explain itself after actor Scarlet Johansson accused the company of copying her voice for ChatGPT despite denying permission. If you couldn't access the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine over the past few days, that's because the website has been under attack. In fact, the nonprofit organization has announced that it's currently in its "third day of warding off an intermittent DDoS cyber-attack" in a blog post. Over the Memorial Day weekend, the organization posted on Twitter/X that most of its services aren't available due to bad actors pummeling its website with "tens of thousands of fake information requests per second." On Tuesday morning, it warned that it's "continuing to experience service disruptions" because the attackers haven't stopped targeting it. The website's data doesn't seem to be affected, though, and you could still look up previous pages' content whenever you could access it. "Thankfully the collections are safe, but we are sorry that the denial-of-service attack has knocked us offline intermittently during these last three days," Brewster Kahle, the founder of the the Internet Archive, said in a statement. "With the support from others and the hard work of staff we are hardening our defenses to provide more reliable access to our library. What is new is this attack has been sustained, impactful, targeted, adaptive, and importantly, mean." The Internet Archive has yet to identify the source of the attacks, but it did talk about how libraries and similar institutions are being targeted more frequently these days. One of the institutions it mentioned was the British Library whose online information system was held hostage for ransom by a hacker group last year. It also talked about how it's being sued by the US book publishing and US recording industries, which accuse it of copyright infringement. Alfonso Ribeiro took to Twitter with a scathing message about Tyler Perry on Tuesday. Ribeiro responded to a post from a fan who suggested that "@tylerperry needs to revamp @alfonso_ribeiro career, I just know he could." The New York native replied, "I don't need or ever want that man to do anything for me." I dont need or ever want that man to do anything for me. https://t.co/lKbu9sipqB Alfonso Ribeiro (@alfonso_ribeiro) May 28, 2024 The fan's initial tweet was seemingly in response to the comments 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' actor recently made about his career. Earlier this month, Ribeiro expressed how playing the role of Carlton Banks on NBC from 1990 through 1996 ended up becoming a major sacrifice for his overall career. "Playing Carlton on 'Fresh Prince' became a sacrifice. I used to always say doing Carlton was the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me," he told 'Closer Weekly.' "It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn't see me as anything else. The sacrifice was not having an acting career anymore." Both Ribeiro, 52, and Tyler Perry have gone on to lead successful lives and careers. Perry's most recent movie, 'Mea Culpa' was released on Netflix in February 2024 starring Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes. It is reported that 'Medea's Destination Wedding' is currently in the works with no projected release date. However, due to the rise of Artifical Intellegence (AI), specifically a text-to-video generator called Sora, the producer reportedly halted an $800 million expansion of his movie studio. "I was in the middle of, and have been planning for the last four years, about an $800 million expansion at the studio... ," Perry, 54, told The Hollywood Reporter. "All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I'm seeing." From stage plays, to TV sitcoms to movies, Perry's projects have grossed in total over $660 million dollars, according to 'Cosmopolitan.' His estimated worth is $1 billion. Ribeiro, who also starred in the NBC/UPN series "In the House" alongside LL Cool J from 1997-1999, now works primarily as a television host. He hosts "America's Funniest Home Videos", '"Dancing with the Stars", and "America's Funniest Home Videos: Animal Edition." In regards to a return to acting, he told "Closer Weekly" that he is happy with his life as it is. "I'm enjoying being a host and am very happy with it. But, yes, I would go back to acting if it was exactly the right thing." Perry has not publicly responded to Ribeiro's tweet. Mamie Laverock, the teen actress from the Hallmark series "When Calls the Heart," is currently on life support after a series of unfortunate medical incidents. On May 11, the 19-year-old star was brought to a hospital in Winnipeg, Canada, after suffering a medical emergency. According to a GoFundMe page created by her family, Laverock's mother, Nicole, came to her aid just in time "to save her life." No further information was revealed about the incident. Laverock was later moved to a hospital in Vancouver. She was also showing signs of improvement at the time, the post revealed. However, on May 26, the actress, who has spent weeks in intensive care, was reportedly "escorted out" of a secure unit of the hospital and up the fifth-floor balcony where she fell five stories down. "We are deeply saddened to report that on May 26th, Mamie, who has been in intensive treatment for the past two weeks, was escorted out of a secure unit of the hospital and taken up to a balcony walkway from which she fell five stories," wrote an update on the GoFundMe page. The identity of the person who escorted her was not revealed. Laverock reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries and has undergone multiple surgeries. She is currently on life support. Laverock stars as Rosaleen on "When Calls the Heart" -- a student whose father was killed in a mining incident. She appeared in nine episodes of the series, her IMDb page showed. Her co-stars have also taken to social media to show support for Laverock and her family, while asking fans to donate to her GoFundMe page. The fundraiser is hoping to raise C$25,000 which it already surpassed. Actress Erin Krakow shared a post on Instagram, calling on her followers to donate to the fund. "I just donated. If you have the means to do so, I hope you will too. Link in bio," she wrote. Johanna Newmarch, who plays Laverock's mom in the series, also tweeted support for the teen's family. "I love this family, my heart is broken. A devastating time for all who care for Mamie. Please help if you can. They need all the support they can get to make it through this," she posted. Laverock made her film debut in "This Means War," the 2012 movie starring Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. She also appeared in the Netflix series "A Series of Unfortunate Events." A Hollywood makeup artist, known for her work on films like 'Rebel Moon', 'Mean Girls', and 'Babylon,' is in recovery after reportedly being stabbed over 20 times by her ex-boyfriend. Allie Shehorn was reportedly attacked at her residence in Los Angeles' Shadow Hills area on Thursday, May 23, according to KTLA. The Los Angeles police and fire departments confirmed to the 'Los Angeles Times' that detectives and paramedics attended the scene following reports of a stabbing. RELATED : Usher Shares This Birthday Message to Kim Kardashian After Missing His Concert Shehorn's friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to help with her medical expenses, claiming she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend. KTLA reports that Shehorn, 35, had recently sought a restraining order against him. "Allie is a remarkable person, full of warmth, kindness, and love. No one deserves to endure such a traumatic experience, especially someone as compassionate and caring as Allie," the GoFundMe post reads. Christine White, the special effects makeup artist's surrogate mother told the outlet how "This is not the kind of thing that should happen to anybody. You don't think this is ever going to happen to you." "I found her and I had to go into the bedroom where it happened. That wasn't a pretty sight," White continued. Emily MacDonald, one of the GoFundMe page organizers, informed the outlet that despite her injuries, Shehorn is recovering well. "She's been in really good spirits. I feel like she's comforting all of us, which is kind of how Allie is. Even when she's at rock bottom, she's still looking to see how she can lift other people up," MacDonald shared. In a Tuesday, May 28 update, fellow GoFundMe organizer Jed Dornoff announced that Shehorn has been moved out of the intensive care unit. "She is still determined not to let this beat her and is pushing through the pain to heal," Dornoff wrote. The LAPD informed KTLA that Shehorn's alleged attacker fled the state. On Monday, May 27, Shehorn's friends shared via GoFundMe that the suspect was later captured in Texas. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been on a two-day tour of Spain, Belgium and Portugal to drum up support. It came amid a meeting of European Union defense ministers meeting in Brussels to attempt once again to overcome Hungary's objections to providing billions of euros in military aid to Kyiv, in its third year of war since Russias full-scale invasion began. Sergii Polituchyi arrived at his burning printing house in Kharkiv before firefighters. The biggest printer in Ukraine was hit during the recent advances and deadly strikes by Moscow's forces on Ukraine's second-largest city. Taiwan passed a controversial reform package pushed by the opposition despite days of street protests against the laws which will give lawmakers more oversight over the government. F-35 crashes in U.S. state New Mexico Xinhua) 16:05, May 29, 2024 SAN FRANCISCO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A new F-35 aircraft on Tuesday crashed near the airfield at the Albuquerque International Sunport in the U.S. state of New Mexico, according to reports. The pilot was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital with serious injuries, according to airport officials and Albuquerque Fire Rescue. As of Tuesday evening, the pilot was in stable condition, said a press release from Kirtland Air Force Base. The aircraft was a new F-35, which was being transferred from a Lockheed Martin factory to be handed over to the service at the time of the crash, officials said. Lockheed Martin said the F-35B was en route from Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base in California when it crashed after refueling at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Rain is good for your mental health. Walking in the rain is great for mental health Scientists argue that going for a walk during a downpour can actually be beneficial for both body and mind as a result of negative ions - invisible and odourless molecules that are created in nature near moving water. Research is being conducted into negative ions but they are thought to give humans a mood boost by relieving stress and providing us with more energy. Dr. Niek Buurma, from Cardiff University's School of Chemistry, told BBC News: "There are quite a lot of scientific studies that suggest that inhaling these negative ions has a positive effect on your health. "Nobody really knows exactly why that happens. But there are clear indications that people feel more positive after inhaling negative ions. "There are indications from the scientific literature that exposure to negative ions lifts your mood. It can be used to treat a seasonal affective disorder. "There is a lot more research to be done because nobody understands exactly why it works. But there does seem to be a correlation." Actress Mamie Laverock is on life support after a freak accident that saw her plummet five stories from a balcony. Actress Mamie Laverock is on life support after a freak accident that saw her plummet five stories from a balcony The 19-year-old, famed for starring in the long-running US TV series When Calls the Heart, suffered a medical emergency on 11 May, according to a GoFundMe page aiming to raised money for her medical treatment. Her mum Nicole Compton was able to get there in time to save her life and transported her to a local hospital. Mamie was later transferred to a hospital in Vancouver, where her condition was labelled unclear but showed signs of improvement. Her family revealed her condition on their GoFundMe page statement, which said: We are deeply saddened to report that on May 26th, Mamie, who has been in intensive treatment for the past two weeks, was escorted out of a secure unit of the hospital and taken up to a balcony walkway from which she fell five stories. She sustained life threatening injuries, has undergone multiple extensive surgeries, and is currently on life support. We are all devastated, in shock, at this intensely difficult time. Mamies page has so far raised more than $15,000. Several of her TV co-stars took to social media to urge fans to keep her in their thoughts and prayers. Johannah Newmarch, 52, who plays Mamies on-screen mum Molly Sullivan on When Calls the Heart, said on X: I love this family, my heart is broken. A devastating time for all who care for Mamie. Please help if you can. They need all the support they can get to make it through this. Erin Krakow, 39, who has starred in When Calls the Heart for 10 years, and her co-star Loretta Walsh told their followers they donated to Mamies GoFundMe and urged fans to do the same. Mamie has played nursing student Rosaleen Sullivan on the hit Hallmark show since 2014, and a year later landed a 2015 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series Recurring Young Actress 10 and Under. After a years-long break from the series, she reprised her role in 2023 for the shows 10th season. The actress has also appeared in Psych, The Hollow Child and This Means War, alongside Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. Brittany Cartwright has urged fans to stop speculating about her son's wellbeing. Brittany Cartwright has defended her son The 35-year-old TV star has taken to social media to defend her son from criticism, describing him as "perfect and innocent". Brittany - who has Cruz, three, with her estranged husband Jax Taylor - wrote on Instagram: "You guys can reel in the drama of my life I dont care but leave my innocents sons name out of it!!! Dont act like you know anything about him watching 30 mins of a show recorded last summer. I do everything I possibly can for him so how dare some of you!? ENOUGH he is a perfect and innocent child and I will not have strangers acting like they know whats going on in his life. Talk about me talk about his father I dont care but enough is enough!!!!!! (sic)" Brittany and Jax announced their split earlier this year. However, the reality star recently admitted that a reconciliation remains possible. Brittany - who has been married to Jax since 2019 - told Us Weekly: "Theres definitely a chance. But I wont waste my time and get back into a toxic situation. "Now the veil has been lifted and I see how much I was always cleaning up Jaxs messes. Im thrown in the middle of all these fights and constantly forced to apologise for him in the media and to friends. Its hard." Brittany feels she doesn't need Jax in order to thrive. She shared: "I feel really strong. "At the beginning, I was freaking out. I came to Los Angeles for Jax and we moved in together immediately, so Ive never been here by myself. But now I have my own friends and my own money." Eddie Redmayne gets offered booze by drunk audience members during performances of 'Cabaret'. Eddie Redmayne has opened up about the boozy audience encounters during his Broadway production of Cabaret The 42-year-old Oscar-winning actor plays the Emcee opposite Gayle Rankin, 34, as Sally Bowles in a new Broadway production of the musical at the August Wilson Theater - which has been transformed into a nightspot called the Kit Kat Club to host the show - and there have been reports of boozy audience members disrupting performances. Eddie has now admitted he enjoys interacting with the tipsy theatre-goers. Speaking on Varietys 'Stagecraft' podcast, he explained: "In [the opening number] 'Vilkommen', Im trying to really pull this audience to a place of ecstasy and joy, so I love someone that I can interact with. "And what has been known to happen is I get perhaps too interactive with people who I then realise, well, part of the reason theyre so interactive is because theyve had a glass of Champagne too many." He went on to reveal he's often handed drinks by the boozed up audience members. Eddie added: "Ive also been offered a few drinks - and Im never one to turn down a sip of Champagne during quite a workout of a number!" However, Gayle insisted audience interaction hasn't been too much of an issue, adding: "It doesnt feel like a chronic problem." Theatre-goers are offered a free shot of schnapps when they enter the venue and reports have suggested the boozy atmosphere has led to rows and bad behaviour, with one audience member being ejected in April for walking up to the stage and grabbing Eddie's costume. The actor later opened up about the incident, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "I was so in the scene that I actually dont remember that. There was definitely someone who was a bit too eager who was clapping along to the rhythm of 'Mein Herr', and singing along a bit too vocally. "We love a vocal and passionate audience, but theres a line." The show runs until the end of August. Jon Bon Jovi has confirmed his son Jake Bongiovi married actress Millie Bobby Brown in a "small family wedding". Jake Bongiovi's dad Jon Bon Jovie has confirmed the wedding to Millie Bobby Brown The couple were rumoured to have tied the knot earlier this month with reports suggesting they married in a "low-key" ceremony, but are planning to hold a "bigger" celebration at some point later in the year and now the groom's proud dad has opened up about the big day. During an appearance on 'The One Show', Jon said of the couple: "They're great. They're absolutely fantastic. It was a very small family wedding, and the bride looked gorgeous, and Jake is happy as can be. It's true." A source previously told The Sun newspaper: Millie and Jake quietly said their vows in America last weekend. "They are planning a bigger ceremony in the US later this year but now they have legally married and done all the paperwork. "It was a very low-key, romantic affair with their closest family with them as they said their vows. Millie, 20, and Jake, 22, were enjoying a family vacation in the Maldives last spring when the rocker's son proposed during a scuba diving session. Speaking on the 'Table Manners' podcast, she told hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware: "Basically, I was on holiday with my parents and Jake. I had a feeling; I packed a white dress just in case, let's just say that, and I had my [nails] done in the way I wanted. "I don't like surprises, I usually know when one is coming. There were conversations before we left about proposals and what I would like, what I wouldn't. "I thought it would be a very good place to choose. We were in the Maldives, so Jake and I were diving one morning, his parents were there. "He just asked if I could be up at 8am to be up for a dive. And the night before, I said 'Could we cancel that?' and he said no, and he never really says that. "A few months before, he said he would never propose while diving. There was a video we saw online and he said 'I'd never do that because if you got too excited, you wouldn't be able to breathe', so I was like 'Well, that's a good point.' "And I thought he wasn't going to do it and then when I went under - it was actually an hour of diving - before he did it". But the 'Stranger Things' star was so excited and dropped the ring in the heat of the moment, which prompted her husband-to-be to do a heroic "swoop" to the seabed and grab it as she floundered and panicked that it had disappeared forever. She added: "I was taking really deep breaths because I was so excited and then we floated to the top. He dropped the ring, well, I dropped the ring because I went to show him and it slowly slid off. I probably could've stopped it and then nothing was slow about this plummet. It plummeted so fast, so quickly. I really, truly, thought it was gone. "I watched it fall to the bottom of the ocean. He saw it happen, which I'm so proud of him [for], he just threw himself so deep underwater and did this cinematic swoop and when he opened his hand, it was in there." Jeremy Renner felt "very nervous" before filming 'Mayor of Kingstown'. Jeremy Renner broke more than 30 bones in the accident The 53-year-old actor was seriously injured in a snowplow accident in January 2023, and Jeremy has confessed to feeling anxious before shooting season three of the thriller series. Jeremy - who broke more than 30 bones in the accident - told 'Extra': "I was really nervous. "Do I have the capacity to do it? So, I was always asking myself that, but I had a lot of people helping me They really had to schedule me like a minor on a movie set, a certain amount of hours in a day, otherwise Id start falling asleep. "It was bad, but then I started getting stronger and stronger because they allowed me to have recovery time and then, here I am, we just wrapped it up on Friday and now I'm in much stronger shape. I've been able to train and got all these testosterone levels." Despite this, Jeremy has been forced to change his workout routine since the accident. He said: "Running's tough. I don't do it for working out. I do it for my joints and stuff. Up and down hills and things like that, but not for endurance. I can't do it for endurance. "My joints aren't strong enough yet - however, I'll get there. I'll get to a point where I can. I push a lot of weight." What's more, Jeremy feels the public now see him in a totally different light. The Hollywood star explained: "This is everyone's story as much as it is mine and so I found, I feel more connected to people. I feel that they see me as the man that I am and not the famous guy, what I'm famous for." Maya Jama is feeling the "pressure" ahead of her 30th birthday celebrations. Maya Jama turns 30 later this year The 29-year-old beauty will celebrate her landmark birthday in August, and Maya is already thinking about how she'll mark the occasion. Speaking to The Sun newspaper, Maya - who is dating rapper Stormzy - shared: "Its pressure. When youve been doing parties every year it kind of feels like when youre 30 it needs to be the biggest ever. "It makes me feel like I should do the opposite and go on a little boat ride and do some yoga - but I doubt it!" Maya has already achieved most of her career ambitions. The TV star - who hosts the UK version of 'Love Island' - shared: "I feel like I need to set new goals because I have been so fortunate that all my childhood goals have been achieved now before I am 30. "I am 30 this year and that is another milestone, but focus on your job first then plan the party after!" Meanwhile, Maya previously suggested that she's been forced to overcome the odds in order to achieve success. The TV star has always been very driven and career-minded - even during her teenage years. Maya - who was was born and raised in Bristol, south-west England - told the Guardian newspaper: "When I was a teenager, I was so tunnel-vision focused. "My upbringing was not very I think, statistically, the things that happened to me, or the situation I was born into, I shouldnt have been where I am now. But I think it made me more determined to prove everybody else wrong." Maya - who rekindled her romance with Stormzy in 2023 - also insisted that she's earned every bit of her success. She said: "Ive felt like maybe some people didnt take me seriously, or people downplay my success because of relationships or because of how I look - but I know how much Ive worked." Nicki Minaj has threatened to fire her Pink Friday 2 world tour DJ after he signed a fans chest. Nicki Minaj has threatened to fire her Pink Friday 2 world tour DJ after he signed a fans chest The 41-year-old rapper took to X to seemingly slam DJ Boof after he boasted about his celebrity status as a fan had asked him to sign her breasts. Nicki real name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty ranted online: I promise Ill fire him if I EVAHHHHH see this again. Df. She also retweeted the picture that showed Boof grinning as he autographed a fans chest with a marker He said alongside the snap: Im really famous. They asked me to sign their boobs. Nickis threat prompted a flood of fans to point out she also signs her fans chests. But Boof born Clyde Joseph Jr, and who rose to fame as the DJ on The Wendy Show appeared to backtrack about wanting fame when he said on his Instagram Stories: Growing up I used to want to be famous but we all know you can be famously broke. Nickis threat comes after she was briefly arrested on Saturday (25.05.24) by Dutch authorities at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and fined for allegedly carrying drugs. She documented much of her arrest on Instagram, which included a video that showed officers informing her all her bags needed to be searched because they found drugs and were suspicious that she had more. Nicki could be heard protesting and saying everything was a misunderstanding. She also claimed via X that the drugs found belonged to her security team. She was on her way to Manchester at the time of her arrest, and it forced her to cancel her concert in the citys Co-Op Live Arena. Meanwhile, she has been ridiculed by some fans for asking for a moment of silence for her dear friend Princess Diana at her concert in Birmingham, England, on Sunday. (26.05.24) She handed her pink microphone to a concertgoer who declared he was from Wales, and Nicki link their hometown to the late Princess of Wales when she said in a British accent: Wales! It always reminds me of a dear friend of mine well, shes not here anymore but the Princess of Wales. Nicki then paused and called for a moment of silence for the late princess and held the microphone to her chest and looked down for a few seconds while the audience became slightly quieter. Some fans mocked the tribute by pointing out Nicki was a schoolgirl when Diana died in 1997. Richard Dreyfuss alleged transphobic and misogynistic comments have been branded disgusting by his son. Richard Dreyfuss alleged transphobic and misogynistic comments have been branded disgusting by his son The Jaws star, 76, has made headlines for apparently launching into a rant about transgender children and diversity on Saturday (25.05.24) during a ticketed screening of the 1975 shark-attack horror at the Cabot theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts. His boy Ben Dreyfuss, 37, has now addressed social media accounts of his dads alleged outburst by saying on X: Wow, just looked at my phone and learned about the disgusting outrageous behaviour of one of my relatives. He also joked: Well, now you know why I refused to give him the password to his own twitter account for a decade lol. Ben added: This will be my only statement on the matter. Thank you. Richard had Ben with his 75-year-old screenwriter ex-wife Jeramie Rain. Video of the actors full remarks from Saturday has not been released, but attendees at the event have attacked him on social media. One guest said on Facebook: We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundred of others because of his racist homophobic misogynistic rant. An X user claimed her girlfriends parents attended Richards event and attached a screenshot of a text message from one of them that said: Went off the rails talking about how Barbra Streisand is a genius but he didnt listen to her because she is a woman and women shouldnt have that power. Then started sharing his views on the me too movement and started down the road on how you shouldnt be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl. And another X user claimed Richard said at the weekend event women shouldnt have any power and should stay quiet and meek. They added: When asked about the #MeToo movement he said those people make me want to vomit and that he didnt want to listen to eight-year-olds saying that they were born in the wrong body. The Cabot theatre has issued an apology for Richards distressing remarks, adding in an emailed statement to attendees: We deeply regret that Mr Dreyfusss comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at the Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offense to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologise. The theatre also told The Hollywood Reporter it was aware of, and shares serious concerns following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss. It added: The views expressed by Mr Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organisation. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons. Richard has not yet publicly addressed the controversy. Scheana Shay craves "validation" from her friends. Scheana Shay craves validation from her friends The 'Vanderpump Rules' star has denied being "jealous" of Ariana Madix's recent run of success - but Scheana has confessed to wanting validation from her friends and romantic partners. Scheana, 39, said on the 'Vanderpump Rules' reunion episode: "I dont think it is jealousy. It is a feeling of being left out. "Call me a pick-me, whatever the f*** you want to say. I do like feeling that validation - not just from men - but from my friends. "As she was getting all this opportunity, I didnt want her to forget about me. I wanted to be on the journey with her." Ariana, 38, made her Broadway debut and became the new host of 'Love Island USA', following her acrimonious split from Tom Sandoval in 2023. Reflecting on Ariana's successes, Scheana said: "Shes busier than shes ever been. Even before we started filming, I did feel distance. I know you have done that to other people in your life who are close to you as well so I know it is not just me." Meanwhile, Ariana recently admitted that she's created new boundaries in a bid to protect her mental health. The TV star split from Tom last year, after it was revealed that he had a months-long affair with Rachel Leviss, and Ariana confessed to creating new boundaries in her life in an effort to protect herself from more anguish. She told E! News: "I'm proud of myself for really learning to manage my anxiety in a better way. I think that's brought me a lot of peace. And peace is tough to come by, so I'm happy to be on a better side of that." Tom Sandoval wears his 2023 cheating scandal as a "badge of shame". Tom Sandoval has apologised to Ariana Madix The 40-year-old star has apologised to Ariana Madix, his ex-girlfriend, for cheating on her with Rachel Leviss. He said on the 'Vanderpump Rules' reunion episode: "I know you don't want to be around me. Whatever our relationship was the good, the bad - whatever you did, whatever I did - it doesn't matter. You didn't deserve that. And I'm really sorry, from the bottom of my heart." Tom still has deep regrets about his months-long affair, and he acknowledged that he's struggled to move on from the controversy. The reality TV star - who was visibly emotional during the reunion episode - said: "Ariana, I regret it every day. I wear it as a badge of shame. I did the thing that I said I would never do and I did it." Earlier this year, Ariana accused Tom of refusing to accept responsibility for his actions. She said on an episode of 'Vanderpump Rules': "He still will not take responsibility for what he did. So ease up?! I'm not gonna be like, 'Hey everybody, it's me Ariana on my Instagram Story, if you guys could just like, be nice to my ex-boyfriend who did all these things...' that's not happening." Tom has spoken openly about his mental health struggles over the last year. And while Ariana has some sympathy for her ex-boyfriend, she also believes that he only has himself to blame. The TV star - who recently became the new host of 'Love Island USA' - said: "I can understand that he has had some thoughts and some feelings, but those thoughts and those feelings are based on a situation he created." Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison have got married. Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison have got marrried The 'Yellowstone' co-stars tied the knot at the 34-year-old actress' family home in Dallas, and their "heartfelt" ceremony and reception had a Western influence to pay homage to their characters in the drama series. Hassie told Vogue magazine: From the start, Ryan and I just really wanted to create a day that wasn't just a series of eventsbut a heartfelt experience that centered around emotions, comfort, intimacy and genuine moments with the people we love the most. Every choice was a reflection of us, and getting to witness it all come to life was incredible. I knew I wanted Western, but it had to be elegant Western, with tones of worn leather, delicate lace and a soft, blush colour palette." In keeping with the "cowboy black tie" dress code, the actress opted for two wedding dresses, a corseted and beaded gown by Galia Lahav for the ceremony and a short short Netta BenShabu outfit, teamed with long lace gloves, for the reception, while her new husband donned a tailored tuxedo by Kiton with custom-made boots by Republic Boots, and a hat by American Hat Co. The wedding weekend kicked off with a "cowboy cocktail welcome night" at the Crescent Club in Dallas, which saw guests enjoy an "old-time Western bar complete with a mariachi band, Texas wildflowers and a great DJ" for the event. The couple had sought to mimic Gruene Hall, Texas' oldest dance hall for their ceremony, with communal tables and a living greenery wall, while guests were served a Texan menu including cornbread, caviar, smoked ribs and corn on the cob. Although the pair met on the set of the drama series, Hassie credits her mother for her and Ryan getting together over a year ago. She explained: Our story is thanks to my mom. "She and Ryan met by chance through a mutual friend at a charity event in Dallas during a production break. "I wasnt there, but it just happened to be during a time when both Ryan and I were transitioning into new chapters of our lives. "They got to talking and discovered just how many Texas-based friends and acquaintances we had in commonso sensing an opportunity, she encouraged Ryan to give me a call. It truly was one of those serendipitous moments that make you realise life has a way of bringing people together at precisely the right time and place." Team GB and Toyota release the latest episode of docuseries The Journey in which Dame Laura Kenny, reveals her ambition to compete in her fourth Olympic Games next year, following the recent birth of her second son. Dame Laura Kenny credit Toyota Speaking in the episode, Laura, who is a Toyota ambassador, says: I obviously want to compete at the next Olympics. I know everyone thinks Im absolutely mad in saying that, but if I dont try, Ill never know. I would hate to be sat here thinking, Well, I never even gave it a go to see if I could make it. I hope both children see their mum as someone who was determined to make both things work. They will never have the burden of thinking, Oh, mum had me and then ended her career. Because I didnt. I carried on; I made it work. I hope they look back and they can see that, and see that from the day they were born, they were part of the journey. Laura made her Olympic debut at London 2012, where she won her first two gold medals, before claiming her third and fourth at Rio 2016. She gave birth to her first son in 2017 and made a comeback to land her fifth Olympic title at Tokyo 2020, along with a silver medal in the team pursuit. But after Tokyo, Laura was to face heartbreak before finally welcoming her second son earlier this year. Having an ectopic pregnancy was way worse than the miscarriage, Laura recalls. It all happened so fast. I went to hospital thinking I had severe covid, and left just like, What the hell? Having had a major operation when I didnt know I was pregnant. It was all terrifying really. I struggled massively mentally after everything that we went through, and Id say I probably wasnt truly happy until I fell pregnant with Monty. The two different comebacks between Albie and Monty have been so different, she adds. With Albie I came back feeling like I had a point to prove, that you could be a mum and be an Olympic champion all at the same time. I think this time, Ive come back for me. Ive come back because I love riding my bike and I cannot imagine it not being part of my life. Epsiode two of The Journey featuring Laura Kenny will be live on Team GBs YouTube channel from Monday 27 November 2023 here. The four episodes of docuseries The Journey, created by Team GB and Toyota, bring fans inside the lives of four athletes on their journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The first episode features the story of breaker Roxy Milliner aka B-Girl Roxy, while subsequent episodes will focus on double Commonwealth gold medal-winning diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, and reigning Commonwealth and World Champion gymnast Giarnni Regini-Moran. by Matt Shine for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on In the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, China's port throughput continued to increase, driven by recovering demand in the US and EU, according to Fitch Ratings. Total cargo throughput at China's ports rose by 6.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY), bolstered by foreign trade volumes. Container throughput at eight major ports also experienced a significant rise, increasing by 10 per cent. The expansion of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor played a crucial role in this growth, enhancing Guangxi port's volume by 20 per cent. Additionally, volumes transported via the China-Europe Railway saw a 10 per cent increase, further supporting the overall growth in port throughput. In Q1 2024, China's port throughput increased by 6.1 per cent year-on-year, driven by recovering US and EU demand, according to Fitch Ratings. Container throughput increased by 10 per cent at major ports. Despite a 2 per cent decrease in export value, freight rates surged, with the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index up 107 per cent YoY. Despite these positive trends in port activity, China's exports by value fell by 2 per cent YoY in Q1 2024. This decline, however, marks an improvement from the 3 per cent drop observed in Q4 2023. The decrease in exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the EU slowed to 3 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, down from 9 per cent and 10 per cent in the previous quarter. Exports to the US fell by 4 per cent YoY in Q1 2024, a slight increase from the 3 per cent drop in Q4 2023, as per Fitch. Encouragingly, demand in these key markets is showing signs of recovery. Exports to ASEAN surged by 8 per cent YoY in April 2024, while exports to the US and EU fell by 3 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. Freight rates have also seen substantial increases. The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index rose by 107 per cent YoY and 85 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) in Q1 2024. Similarly, the China Containerised Freight Index increased by 19 per cent YoY and 51 per cent YoY. Shipping rates remained high, influenced by ongoing conflict in the Red Sea. The outlook for US and EU demand remains positive, likely supporting further throughput growth at China's ports. The US manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) stayed above 50 for five consecutive months in 2024, indicating expansion. In the eurozone, the manufacturing PMI rebounded to 47.4 in May, reaching a 15-month high. However, geopolitical tensions could pose risks to this growth trajectory. In May, the US announced tariff hikes on a range of Chinese imports, which may escalate tensions and potentially temper the growth in Chinas port throughput. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP) GREENFIELD, IN / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2024 / Elanco Food and Drug Administration confirms Bovaer meets safety and efficacy requirements Elanco expects product launch and added carbon credit value to producers beginning in the third quarter Elanco announces agreement with dsm-firmenich to expand distribution of Bovaer across North America, adding both the Canada and Mexico markets Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its comprehensive, multi-year review of Bovaer (3-NOP), a first-in-class methane-reducing feed ingredient, and determined the product meets safety and efficacy requirements for use in lactating dairy cattle. "This monumental announcement has the ability to accelerate the opportunity for climate-neutral dairy farming while creating a new revenue stream for dairy farmers across the country," said Jeff Simmons, President and CEO, Elanco Animal Health. "We appreciate FDA's commitment to maintaining high standards for science-based review, while balancing the need to quickly bring solutions to the market. Bovaer represents another example of Elanco being a partner of choice in animal health, where the capabilities of our talented R&D, regulatory and commercial teams are delivering significant value. Simmons continued: "As global temperatures breach new thresholds, consumers demand more sustainable products and the farm economy battles profitability challenges, we are excited to bring Bovaer to the market as a potential solution. Bovaer will create value for farmers, while helping food companies meet consumer demands and deliver on their sustainability commitments. As animal, human and now environmental health continue to converge, Bovaer is one of the most significant innovations that considers this intersection and provides consumers, farmers and society what they want for our future." Bovaer represents another blockbuster potential innovation in Elanco's portfolio and further accelerates livestock sustainability, the next billion-dollar plus market in animal health. This innovation is expected to accelerate market development and increase innovation in this space. Bovaer works by suppressing the enzyme in the cow's rumen that forms methane. Feeding one tablespoon of Bovaer per lactating dairy cow per day can reduce methane emissions about 30% or about 1.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions annually, while creating opportunity for dairy farmers to be financially rewarded for reducing their dairy's carbon footprint.1 Feeding one million cows Bovaer would reduce emissions equivalent to removing more than 285,000 cars from the road for a year.2 Feeding Bovaer to cattle has proven to be safe for animals, producers and consumers. Expanding Access Across North America Elanco and dsm-firmenich have agreed to expand Elanco's commercialization of Bovaer across North America. In addition to the U.S., Elanco will also now have the right to market Bovaer in Canada and Mexico, where the product is already available for use in beef and dairy cattle. This expanded agreement can accelerate the opportunity to make climate-neutral cattle farming in North America a reality this decade. "We congratulate Elanco and the U.S. dairy sector, on this important milestone, and will support Elanco by providing initial supplies from Europe," said Dimitri de Vreeze, CEO at dsm-firmenich. "This strategic collaboration exemplifies how we can accelerate the expansion and adoption of Bovaer in North America to significantly decrease methane emissions on a large scale, and thereby support global efforts to combat climate change. Bovaer holds the key to a transformative shift in the global dairy sector, and launching this feed ingredient in the U.S. after years of dedicated research, trials, and industry collaboration is a testament to its global potential." Simmons said, "We appreciate the work dsm-firmenich has invested in this revolutionary product and are pleased they've recognized Elanco as the global farm animal health leader and the right partner to bring this solution to farmers across North America." Why Methane Matters This announcement comes at a pivotal time. According to the United Nations, the world's population has until the year 2030 to curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or deal with irreversible impacts to the planet.3 In response, about two-thirds of all Fortune 500 companies have set significant climate commitment goals.4 Reducing enteric methane emissions from cattle-naturally generated through the enteric fermentation process-represents a key opportunity. Methane lasts about a decade in the atmosphere and is 27x more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat-so smaller reductions create greater impact on temperature.5 By mitigating methane, the livestock industry can reduce the rate of climate warming and allow food companies and retailers to make meaningful progress toward their Scope 3 emissions goals. "Reducing enteric methane is critical if we are to reach our climate goals," said Dr. Frank Mitloehner, CLEAR Center Director and University California Davis Professor and Cooperative Extension Air Quality Specialist. "It's exciting our farmers will have an important tool to do that, in Bovaer." Creating New Revenue Streams for Farmers Feeding Bovaer to cows provides a scalable and credible way for dairy farmers to benefit from being good stewards of the environment by being financially rewarded for implementing on-farm sustainability interventions. "At an added cost of a few cents a gallon of milk, Bovaer can help food companies meet their climate commitments and consumer desire for more sustainable dairy products," said Katie Cook, Vice President, Livestock Sustainability and Farm Animal Marketing at Elanco. "Meanwhile, by engaging in voluntary carbon markets and securing USDA and state conservation programming, dairy producers have a scalable sustainability practice with the potential to create an annual return of $20 or more per lactating cow by feeding Bovaer6. Our goal is to make this opportunity a reality starting this summer, while creating a self-sustaining carbon inset market for American agriculture." Dairy farmers incorporate Bovaer into their rations and quantify the effect using carbon market-friendly tools like UpLook by Elanco, an insights-based engine designed to quantify greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The tool utilizes on-farm data and peer-reviewed science to identify key drivers of an operation's carbon footprint and track the progress of sustainability efforts. UpLook connects seamlessly to Athian, the first-of-its-kind livestock carbon inset marketplace. This seamless process allows farmers to quantify their emissions reduction efforts and certify carbon credits for sale. In addition to the carbon marketplace, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $89 million in funding to support farms using technologies like Bovaer to reduce their methane emissions.7 "Products like Elanco's Bovaer will allow U.S. farmers to be rewarded for participating in voluntary, producer-led sustainability efforts," said Gregg Doud, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation. "Consumers around the world are demanding lower-carbon foods. Bovaer is an innovation that can help U.S. dairy farmers remain globally competitive and maintain their role as leaders in more sustainable dairy production." Greg Bethard, a dairy farmer from Kansas who has used UpLook to quantify his greenhouse gas emissions, expressed his excitement around today's announcement. "Dairy producers have made great strides improving the sustainability of our operations," said Bethard, High Plains Ponderosa Dairy. "Today's announcement provides access to a product that has been extensively studied and shown to reduce emissions from dairy cows. Bovaer is a value-creation opportunity for dairies-it's about helping us provide product in a manner most of our consumers are wanting-a lower carbon footprint food." ABOUT ELANCO Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE:ELAN) is a global leader in animal health dedicated to innovating and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets, creating value for farmers, pet owners, veterinarians, stakeholders and society as a whole. With nearly 70 years of animal health heritage, we are committed to helping our customers improve the health of animals in their care, while also making a meaningful impact on our local and global communities. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our Elanco Healthy Purpose sustainability pillars - all to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise. Learn more at www.elanco.com. The label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions. Bovaer is a trademark of dsm-firmenich. Elanco is a trademark of Elanco or its affiliates. 2024 Elanco or its affiliates. 1. Kebreab, E., Bannink, A., Pressman, E. M., Walker, N., Karagiannis, A., van Gastelen, S., & Dijkstra, J. (2023). A meta-analysis of effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane production, yield, and intensity in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science, 106(2), 927-936. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22211 based on 60 ppm, 25 kg/d DMI, 30% NDF, and 305 day lactation results in a 31.6% or 1.2 MT reduction 2. Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator | US EPA 3. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development | Department of Economic and Social Affairs (un.org) at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf 4. Commitment issues: Markers of real climate action in the Fortune Global 500. 2023. Climate Impact Partners. Available at: https://www.climateimpact.com/news-insights/fortune-global-500-climate-commitments/ 5. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/ 6. Assumes 1.2 mt of CO2e/cow/year abated, cumulative value of at least $170/mt of Co2 from USDA incentive plus carbon inset market value less product and other administrative fees 7. Regional Conservation Partnership Program 2023 Awarded Projects | Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov) Media Contact Season Solorio +1.765.316.0233 season.solorio@elancoah.com Investor Contact Kathryn Grissom +1.317.273.9284 kathryn.grissom@elancoah.com View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Elanco on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Elanco Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/elanco Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Elanco View the original press release on accesswire.com ROSH HAAYIN, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / May 28, 2024 / Cannibble Foodtech Ltd. (CSE:PLCN) ("Cannibble" or the "Company"), is an innovative food tech company that develops food and beverage products variously enhanced with alternative proteins. Cannibble has developed proprietary formulas for food and beverage products targeted for the "Better-for-You" segment. The Company is pleased to announce that it has signed a service agreement (the "Agreement") with Plate My Meal Ltd., owner of the brand Holy Locust ("Holy Locust") to develop energy bars enhanced with locust protein. Holy Locust is the world's first Biblical snack. Holy Locust sells food & beverages products enhanced with locust protein with an initial target market in North America. The Agreement provides for the product development of a Biblical protein bar enhanced with locust protein supplied by Holy Locust. The second phase of the Agreement contemplates the development of a variety of food & beverage products enhanced with locust protein, and support of distribution channels expansion in North America. Fig. 1 - Holy Locust, Biblical Protein Bar package demo Yoav Bar Joseph, the Company's CEO, said: "We are pleased for this new collaboration with Holy locust. As an innovative foodtech company, the Agreement is a great opportunity for us to utilize our proprietary know-how and develop an energy bar enhanced with locust protein". Elad Barkan, CTO of Cannibble, said: "in my career as a food product developer, I have worked with all kinds of proteins, but working with locust protein is definitely the most interesting of all, as locusts are a natural, raw, 72% complete protein source that is also packed with essential micro-nutrients. And I'm excited by the challenge to develop food products with this type of protein." Dror Tamir, Founder of Holy locust, said: "We are excited to expand Holy Locust activity into North America while expanding our product line, thanks to the Agreement with Cannibble. Together we will be able to offer a wider range of modern snacks based on an ancient Biblical protein source that will taste great. The "Holy Locust" snack will be rich in high-quality protein and packed with vitamins and essential nutrients. We have started offering North American consumers pre-orders of the product via a crowdfunding campaign." Fig. 2 - Holy Locust, Biblical Protein Bar demo About Cannibble Cannibble is an innovative food technology company that develops food and beverage products enhanced with alternative proteins. Cannibble has developed proprietary powder-based formulas for food and beverage products targeted for the "Better-for-You" segment. Cannibble is also focused on delivering tasty gluten free products to supply the growing demand in the United States. For more information about Cannibble and its business, visit www.cannibble.world Cannibble Contact Information On behalf of the board of directors of Cannibble Foodtech Ltd.: Yoav Bar-Joseph CEO and Director Email: yoav.b@cannibble.world Tel: +1 (786) 322 6055 About Holy Locust Holy Locust is the world's first Biblical snack, reviving a lost Biblical food tradition. Locusts are the foundation of Holy Locust innovative snacks: Sourced from the banks of the Jordan River, locusts are being farmed by an Israeli startup company that combines ancient traditions with modern innovation of sustainable agriculture technologies, reviving a nearly forgotten Biblical way of life. This is a unique opportunity to partake in the restoration of a Biblical tradition. One bite at a time. Fig. 3 - Holy Locust, Reviving a lost Biblical food tradition For more information about Holy Locust, visit: Website - www.holylocust.com Crowdfunding campaign - https://campaign.holylocust.com/campaign/65fc15a199765b95a154ea74 Holy Locust Contact Information Dror Tamir Founder Email: dror@holylocust.com +972-52-8907856 +1 (917) 993 7316 Cautionary Statement This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that are "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements respecting the Agreement and the development of an energy bar and other products pursuant to the Agreement are "forward-looking information". These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. SOURCE: Cannibble Foodtech Ltd. View the original press release on accesswire.com 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! Collaboration enhances the renewable energy market through efficient I-REC settlement, contributing to a settled volume of over 450,000 MWh in the past six months. This achievement enables global reach, a strong regulatory framework, and cost-efficient transactions for market participants. ABU DHABI, UAE and SINGAPORE and LONDON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ACX Ltd (AirCarbon Exchange), a leading environmental markets exchange located in Abu Dhabi Global Market, announced a strategic collaboration with Trayport on International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs) settlement. Since its launch, the collaborative efforts have facilitated the trading and settlement of over 21,000 MWh of International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs), contributing to a total settled volume of over 450,000 MWh in the past six months. The collaboration allows traders to settle via ACX, leveraging Trayport's technology to offer global reach, while benefitting from the regulated framework and robust risk mitigation from ACX. The platform ensures efficiency and cost-effectiveness while reducing counterparty risk for participants. Andrew Cullen, Global Head of Business Development at ACX, commented, "Our collaboration with Trayport on I-RECs settlement is a testament to our commitment to driving innovation in the environmental commodities market. The results since launch highlight the demand for a secure and efficient platform that mitigates counterparty risk and provides global market access. We're thrilled to continue providing a reliable and cost-effective trading solution for our partners." "IREC's and the broader Energy Attribute Certificates (EAC) markets are critical tools for allowing companies to meet corporate and global environmental standards. They allow renewable energy to be sourced, trace the origin of energy, credibly document consumption and demonstrate reductions in GHG. This can be a fragmented and opaque market to navigate, and we're delighted that ACX has chosen to use Trayport's renowned energy platform to bring visibility and choice to participants," said Peter Conroy, Chief Executive Officer at Trayport. Market participants have also recognised the value of the partnership: Ruben Ortiz-Hernandez, Director and co-Founder at Ecompensate, said "Our trading experience via Trayport/ACX has been very positive. From a trader's perspective, it provides an excellent interface to monitor the market across a wide array of IRECs bids and offers. The trade execution process is seamless, significantly reducing both counterparty risk and administrative burdens." As companies around the world strive to reduce their carbon emissions, I-RECs represent credible documentation of their use of energy from renewable sources, facilitating the achievement of their decarbonisation goals. I-RECs also represent a valuable additional revenue stream for renewable energy producers who secure these certificates and trade them on the open market. ACX's I-REC offering via Trayport reflects its commitment to enhancing the renewable energy market. This service enables traders to efficiently manage their portfolios. As the world transitions to cleaner energy sources, ACX continues to empower participants with innovative tools that facilitate impactful contributions toward sustainability goals. About the ACX Group: ACX (AirCarbon Exchange) Group, which includes ACX Abu Dhabi (ACX Ltd) and AirCarbon Pte. Ltd., operates respectively environmental trading platforms in Abu Dhabi and Singapore. It serves corporates, financial traders, carbon project developers, and other industry stakeholders, offering an efficient, transparent, and cost-effective trading platform that leverages distributed ledger technology to foster the growth of environmental product markets in line with global Net Zero goals. ACX Group is proud to be a member of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), reinforcing its commitment to sustainable and responsible carbon and environmental product trading. It has been recognised as the Best Global Carbon Exchange by Environmental Finance's prestigious Voluntary Carbon Market Rankings for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023), establishing itself as an industry leader. For more information, please contact marcomm@acx.net or visit www.acx.net and www.acx.ae. About Trayport Trayport is a technology company providing solutions for global commodity markets. We connect different markets and providers and aggregate market data to enable informed trading decisions. Trayport offer technical solutions for European energy, international commodity and environmental markets and their network and solutions support the growth of their clients and trading markets. Trayport also provide analysis and insight tools and now has a global presence with locations in the USA, Singapore, Austria, and Germany. For media enquiries, please contact: ACX: Serene Lim-Allison Email: marcomm@acx.net View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/acx-partners-with-trayport-to-facilitate-seamless-i-recs-settlement-accelerating-trading-efficiency-and-reducing-counterparty-risk-302157407.html The UK Promotional Roadshow Highlights Shared Future in Green Economy, Digital Technology and AI. LONDON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- London hosted a promotion seminar for the 2nd China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), as part of a UK visit by a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs led by Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The seminar explored opportunities for collaborative development in the green economy, digital technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). Key speakers included Ren Hongbin; Zheng Zeguang, China's ambassador to the UK; Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council; and Jack Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club in the UK. Ren Hongbin remarked, "China and the UK each possess unique strengths in the green economy, digital technology, and AI. Cooperation between Chinese and British companies helps maintain the resilience and stability of the supply chain between the two countries while expanding bilateral economic and trade relations. During the first CISCE, leading British companies showcased their offerings, achieving significant success. We warmly welcome more UK-based businesses to join us this year." Zheng Zeguang emphasised the importance of a stable and secure global supply chain, a joint responsibility of the two nations. He stressed China's commitment to further expanding its high-level openness to the international community, encouraging the Chinese and British business sectors to collaboratively advance economic and trade cooperation. Sherard Cowper-Coles described the expo as more than a product showcase; it serves as a platform for the entire supply chain system, representing not just individual businesses but the prosperity of the global industry as a whole. He added that the China-Britain Business Council plans to continue organising British business delegations to participate in the upcoming CISCE. Jack Perry noted the commitment of China and the UK to maintaining a robust trade partnership, emphasising opportunities in fields driven by science and technology innovation, particularly AI, and the importance of jointly fostering ongoing improvements in the global supply chain. During the seminar, China International Exhibition Center Group, the CISCE organiser, signed exhibitor agreements and letters of intent with several British firms, along with a memorandum of understanding signed with the UK Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology. The seminar attracted over 150 representatives from Chinese and international businesses and trade associations. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424194/image.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-international-supply-chain-expo-marks-a-triumph-in-its-uk-stop-302157454.html KAISERAUGST, Switzerland and MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it has completed its comprehensive, multi-year review of Bovaer (3-NOP), a first-in-class methane-reducing feed ingredient, and determined the product meets safety and efficacy requirements for use in lactating dairy cattle. This paves the way for dsm-firmenich's strategic partner Elanco Animal Health Incorporated to launch Bovaer in the US market. dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health and beauty developed this innovative feed ingredient which effectively and immediately reduces methane emissions from cattle, and thereby supporting the fight against climate change, while providing affordable nutrition. In 2022, dsm-firmenich and Elanco Animal Health Incorporated announced a strategic collaboration for the registration, marketing and sales, and longer-term production of Bovaer in the US. Today, this collaboration bears its first fruits with the launch of Bovaer in the US, following the FDA announcement. Dimitri de Vreeze, CEO dsm-firmenich said: "We congratulate Elanco and the US dairy sector on this important milestone, and will support Elanco by providing initial supplies from Europe. Bovaer holds the key to a transformative shift in the global dairy sector, and launching this feed ingredient in the US after years of dedicated research, trials, and industry collaboration is a testament to its global potential." Jeff Simmons, President and CEO, Elanco Animal Health, commented: "We appreciate the years of work dsm-firmenich has invested in Bovaer and are pleased they've recognized Elanco as the right partner to bring this solution to farmers across North America. Bovaer represents another example of Elanco's highly effective research and regulatory capabilities delivering. We are excited to bring this revolutionary product to US dairy farmers, accelerating the opportunity for climate-neutral dairy farming. Bovaer will create value for farmers, while helping food companies meet consumer demands and deliver on their sustainability commitments." dsm-firmenich is also pleased to have further expanded its collaboration with Elanco from the US to also include Mexico and Canada. Many customers are organized as a North American operation, and with this geographical expansion of the collaboration with Elanco, customers will be more seamlessly served. Mark van Nieuwland, VP Bovaer at dsm-firmenich added: "This strategic collaboration exemplifies how we can accelerate the expansion and adoption of Bovaer to significantly decrease methane emissions on a large scale, and thereby support global efforts to combat climate change. We will continuously explore opportunities in our go-to-market approach to further accelerate making Bovaer available for farmers globally." dsm-firmenich works with strategic partners across the globe to accelerate the access of Bovaer to farmers, thereby consistently reducing methane emissions from cattle. Bovaer is now commercially available in 59 countries including the US, EU, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, most of Latin America, and select other markets. For more information, please contact: dsm-firmenich investor relations enquiries: Email: investors@dsm-firmenich.com dsm-firmenich media enquiries: Email: media@dsm-firmenich.com About Bovaer Bovaer is a feed ingredient for cows and cattle (and other ruminants, such as sheep, goats, and deer) researched and developed over the last 10 years. Just a quarter teaspoon of Bovaer per cow per day consistently reduces enteric methane emission by on average 30% for dairy cows and even higher percentages, on average 45%, for feedlot beef cattle. The feed ingredient Bovaer therefore contributes to a significant and immediate reduction of the environmental footprint of dairy and beef products. Bovaer is now commercially available in 59 countries, and has been tested in over 100 farm trials, across 20 countries, resulting in over 80 peer reviewed scientific publications. About dsm-firmenich As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world's growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss-Dutch company, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than 12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life every day, everywhere, for billions of people. www.dsm-firmenich.com Disclaimer This press release does not constitute or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction. This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to dsm-firmenich's future. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of dsm-firmenich and information currently available to the company. dsm-firmenich cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. dsm-firmenich has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of this press release prevails over other language versions. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2071772/dsm_firmenich_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/methane-reducing-feed-ingredient-bovaer-ready-for-us-market-launch-302156160.html A first-of-its-kind survey by CellPoint Digital shows how payments impact all aspects of airline operations, from distribution to reconciliation to passenger experience. Over 150 global airline professionals rank payment-related issues among their businesses' top challenges The limited availability of alternative payment methods (APMs) is a concern for 30% of airlines worldwide 38% of airlines cite complex reconciliation processes as the foremost challenge, on par with route network expansion LONDON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Disjointed approaches to payments result in operational inefficiencies and lost revenues for airlines, according to a study released today by CellPoint Digital, the leader in digital payment solutions for the airline industry and a global pioneer of Payment Orchestration. The report, Payments Come of Age: A Global Study of Airlines and Their Payment Technology Needs and Challenges, offers a first-of-its-kind analysis of airlines' payment challenges, their approaches to payment optimisation, and the technology that can help them achieve it. Overcoming Technology Constraints and Limited Payment Options Based on a survey of 151 airline professionals worldwide, the research pinpoints specific challenges, including the limited availability of alternative payment methods (APMs) and regional payment options. Only 11% of surveyed airlines report being able to accept newer APMs like open banking and account-to-account payments. This limits their ability to expand and meet the payment expectations of travellers in crucial markets like Southeast Asia, where APMs are increasingly used for travel purchases. The report also reveals that airline professionals believe they need to improve prominent areas of the passenger experience, like boarding (44%), customer support (40%), and check-in (39%), to remain competitive in this challenging environment. Crew scheduling (28%) and in-flight operations (27%) were other areas cited as requiring improvement. 'Payments Come of Age' analyses airlines' payment-specific challenges and how professionals in different airline departments perceive those challenges. Revenue managers are more concerned than other airline professionals about a lack of flexible payment options (25% vs 21% survey average) and the inability to transact in passengers' preferred currency (25% vs 23%). By validating the concerns of their internal payment experts and adopting comprehensive payment strategies such as Payment Orchestration, airlines can leverage optimised, streamlined payment processes to reduce costs, increase revenue, expand to new markets and improve the passenger experience. Kristian Gjerding, CEO of CellPoint Digital, comments, "Payment efficiency is as crucial as expanding route networks when it comes to airlines' financial health. The evolution of payment processes towards Payment Orchestration proves that payments have come of age, unlocking profitability for airlines prepared to invest in innovation. By prioritising forward-looking payment strategies, airlines can deliver seamless booking and travel experiences for passengers, driving booking volume." Payment Challenges are Pervasive and Global The Payments Come of Age report also explores region-specific airline payment dynamics. For example, as LatAm emerges as a critical market for many global carriers, transaction success and payment efficiency are necessary for airlines to capitalise on the region's potential. As such, airlines serving Latin America are investing in instalment payment capabilities at a greater rate (35%) in 2025 than their European and Asian counterparts, responding to the demand for 'Buy Now, Pay Later' features in the LatAm market. Across the LatAm market, existing airline PSPs often lack local reach and comprehensive alternative payment method (APM) support, leading to lower transaction acceptance and revenue loss. Airlines can overcome this by investing in comprehensive payment strategies and offering their finance professionals a seat at the table. Profit Protection through Robust Airline Payment Ecosystems Airline margins remain vulnerable even as carriers post record total profits. IATA predicts that net profit margin industry-wide will be 2.7% in 2024, a slim 0.1% increase over 2023, despite projected revenue growth of 7.6%. Increasing operational efficiency is the only viable way for airlines to drive bottom-line growth. Payments represent a significant opportunity- the industry spends over $20 billion on payment costs, or about 3% of airlines' total revenue and 78% of the industry's net profit. Efficient payment processes, including Payment Orchestration, can help airlines boost conversions in direct and indirect sales channels at lower transaction costs, directly impacting profitability. Payments Come of Age, CellPoint Digital's study of airlines' payment strategies and operations, the first survey-based report focused on the challenges experienced by this industry, comes to one crucial conclusion: airline payments, no longer an afterthought, have come of age and assumed their integral role in travel transactions. The right payment approach enables airlines to pursue more effective expansion strategies, generate revenue more efficiently, better meet passengers' needs and expectations, and maintain profitability. These insights and more are available in the report here: Payments Come of Age: A Global Study of Airlines and Their Payment Technology Needs and Challenges. For more information about the Payments Come of Age Airline Report or to schedule an interview with Kristian Gjerding, CellPoint Digital CEO, please contact Steven Osei at steven.osei@cellpointdigital.com. About CellPoint Digital? CellPoint Digital is a fintech leader whose main solution is a Payment Orchestration Platform that optimises digital payment transactions from cards or alternative payment methods. Merchants can easily scale their own payment ecosystem worldwide, unify the customer payment experience across their channels, optimise the routing of each transaction, increase conversion rates and minimise payment costs. CellPoint Digital has offices in Copenhagen, Dallas, Dubai, London, Miami, Pune, and Singapore. Visit www.cellpointdigital.com to learn more. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-report-details-airline-payment-challenges-reveals-opportunities-for-cost-savings-and-revenue-growth-302157452.html RIYADH, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As Badael - a PIF Company - marks its first anniversary, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, the company is pleased to announce the launch of the 'Clear the Air' campaign. This initiative calls upon individuals, organizations, and government entities to unite in creating a smoke-free Saudi Arabia. Badael - a PIF Company - aims to curb smoking incidence by providing safer alternatives in line with the quality-of-life Vision 2030. The company is leading the cause to help one million Saudis quit smoking by 2028, thanks to the first-ever Saudi-made DZRT nicotine pouches manufactured in the Saudi Arabia. In its first year, Badael achieved significant milestones, establishing and expanding its manufacturing capacity while investing substantially in research and development to enhance its product offering. The company has diversified its distribution channels, reaching a notable milestone of surpassing one million e-commerce orders since its inception - and helping around three hundred thousand people locally transition from tobacco. These achievements are a testament to Badael's commitment to public health and underscores the company's steadfast dedication to its mission and exemplify its commitment to future expansion and innovation. As part of the 'Clear the Air' campaign, individuals, corporations, and government bodies are invited to sign the pledge for a smoke-free Saudi Arabia. This collective effort aims to significantly reduce tobacco use and improve the overall well-being of Saudi society. The pledge emphasizes raising awareness about the dangers of smoking, supporting quitters, protecting youth, promoting clean air, and safeguarding the environment. Make a difference by visiting Badael's website and signing the pledge (here). Tolga Sezer, Chief Executive Officer of Badael, stated that "World No Tobacco Day" is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to foster a better future for the Kingdom. Supporting Vision 2030, Badael is leading the cause to switch smokers away from a very harmful habit with the help of reduced-risk alternatives like DZRT nicotine pouches by 2028. As we commemorate this day, we launch the 'Clear the Air' campaign to emphasize the significance of our mission and rally everyone to join the cause. By signing the pledge, you commit to raising awareness about the dangers of smoking, supporting those who wish to quit, protecting our youth, advocating for clean air, and respecting our environment. Together, we can create a brighter, smoke-free future for all." About Badael Badael - a PIF Company - is at the forefront of innovation in smoking cessation. Its mission is to develop, produce, and distribute cutting-edge consumer products to reduce smoking rates and promote a smoke-free lifestyle. Badael empowers individuals to lead smoke-free lives by providing high-quality, smoke-free alternatives. Badael supports local manufacturing and creates employment opportunities while upholding the highest standards of quality and ethics. Badael is committed to enhancing the well-being of individuals and society, paving the way for a brighter, smoke-free future. For more information about Badael and to sign the pledge, please visit badaelcompany.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423730/Badael.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423759/Badael_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/join-badael-and-sign-the-pledge-for-a-smoke-free-saudi-arabia-302157046.html CellEDIT Service represents a novel workflow leveraging FluidFM-mediated intranuclear nanoinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 components into single cells. Control of the amount and stoichiometry of RNP complexes could boost efficiency, particularly when targeting multiple loci simultaneously. Demonstrated preservation of general cell characteristics and functionality post-editing in both single and multiple KO clones in CHO-K1 cells. GLATTBRUGG, Switzerland, May 29, 2024", the manuscript introduces CellEDIT as a novel approach to cell engineering that leverages intranuclear delivery of CRISPR components to single cells through Cytosurge's proprietary FluidFM OMNIUM Platform technology. The study focuses on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, widely used in biopharmaceutical production, particularly for monoclonal antibody manufacturing. However, the non-human glycoprofile of CHO-produced antibodies can affect product quality and therapeutic efficacy, posing challenges to traditional glycoengineering approaches due to their time-consuming and labor-intensive nature. In this proof-of-concept study, Cytosurge's CellEDIT workflow was utilized to engineer CHO cells by delivering CRISPR components simultaneously targeting three genes (BAX, DHFR, and FUT8) directly into single-cell nuclei, resulting in the generation of monoclonal triple knockout CHO-K1 cell lines. Notably, nanoinjection of RNP complexes with FluidFM offered exceptional control over cargo delivery, likely reducing off-target editing and enhancing editing efficiency compared to standard methods. "In the world of cell engineering, precision is paramount. Our CellEDIT technology, validated in this peer-reviewed publication, offers meticulous control over gene targeting," stated Tobias A. Beyer, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Cytosurge and co-author of the publication. "Our CellEDIT Service is already assisting life sciences and biology researchers worldwide by providing high-quality gene editing in cellular models, addressing the growing demand for reliable manufacturing of cell lines." CellEDIT demonstrated to facilitate the development of both single and multiple KO clones in CHO-K1 cells. Subsequent analyses confirmed targeted genetic disruption and altered protein expression in the knockout CHO-K1 clones, which exhibited sustained gene editing across passages. "We are proud of this translational research work between our academic lab and Cytosurge as an industry partner. I believe that the blended innovation of intranuclear nanoinjection and CHO cell genetic engineering will pave the way for the rapid generation of advanced biologics," added Justin S. Antony, PhD, Junior Group Leader at the University Children's Hospital of Tubingen and first author of the paper. "I extend my gratitude to the entire team and the Mezger Lab from the University Children's Hospital Tubingen who contributed to this project," commented Pascal Behr, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Cytosurge. "Now, we aim to continue applying the CellEDIT workflow to serve researchers and organizations to generate cellular models in fundamental research, disease modeling, and drug discovery to advance scientific research." "Our collaboration with Cytosurge has yielded exciting results in the realm of cellular engineering," added Markus Mezger, MD, Group Leader at the University Children's Hospital of Tubingen and Lead author of the paper. Finally, the study demonstrated the compatibility of engineered CHO cells with industry-recommended chemically defined medium and equivalent transgene expression to parental clones. About Cytosurge Cytosurge AG is a biotechnology company that develops innovative research solutions based on the FluidFM technology for high precision single cell manipulation. FluidFM combines microfluidics and force microscopy, which enables gentle interactions with cells. With the capabilities of FluidFM, we seek to advance the comprehension of intricate cellular processes, thus fostering new dimensions in cellular analysis. CellEDIT Service: high-quality genetically engineered cell lines The FluidFM CellEDIT Service offers high-quality cell lines for research. In the CellEDIT workflow gene editing reagents are injected directly into the nucleus of single cells. Using the FluidFM technology for intra-nuclear injection, exact amounts of CRISPR RNPs can be delivered to the nucleus of single cells. Thereby edits are introduced with high control and minimal impact on the cells. For more information about the CellEDIT Service Workflow, please visit https://www.cytosurge.com/solutions/services/fluidfm-celledit . Sequence your cells while keeping them alive with the FluidFM OMNIUM Platform The single-cell biopsy solution on the FluidFM OMNIUM Platform provides a unique workflow for extracting a part of the cytoplasm from individual living cells while preserving their viability. These cytoplasmic biopsies can be used for subsequent highly sensitive, low-input RNA-seq analysis to characterize single cells multiple times throughout their lifetime. More than 100 researchers worldwide have already chosen to work with the FluidFM technology. For additional information, please visit www.cytosurge.comand follow us on X, LinkedIn, and Facebookfor updates. About AG Mezger, University Children's Hospital, Tubingen Our research lab focuses on developing advanced therapies for different pediatric diseases including -hemoglobinopathies, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma, metachromatic leukodystrophy and immunodeficiencies. We have expertise in techniques including CRISPR/Cas9, Prime Editing, viral vectors (AAV & LV), mRNA Therapeutics, Lipid Nanoparticles, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, engineered CAR-T cells and engineered NK-cells. For additional information, please visit https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/de/das-klinikum/mitarbeiter/profil/582 Contact Cytosurge AG Sabina Packeiser, PhD, Head of Marketing Phone +41 43 544 87 00 Email media@cytosurge.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5095b232-9a7a-4692-8460-c8eec1de59b3 JJP Biologics has received a positive conclusion on the Clinical Trial Application assessment for a Phase I Study of a potential first-in-class anti-CD89 antagonist, JJP-1212 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of various IgA-mediated autoimmune- and fibrotic diseases. JJP Biologics, a private biopharmaceutical company developing innovative antibody-based therapies, announces a positive decision, issued by the European Medicines Agency, on the Clinical Trial Application to conduct a phase I clinical study in healthy participants (EudraCT: 2023-508661-33-00) with their potential first-in-class anti-CD89 antagonist, JJP-1212. Up to date, JJP Biologics is the first Polish company to receive approval to perform the First-in-Human clinical trial with a novel therapeutic monoclonal antibody. The Phase I trial will be executed in Poland. The study endpoints are designed for a comprehensive evaluation of the treatment's safety profile. The drug will be administered via intravenous infusion in single and multiple ascending dose cohorts. Population size was determined as 48 healthy adult volunteers. The study results will provide data on the safety and tolerability of JJP-1212, and full PK/PD profiles that subsequently enable the determination of optimal treatment regimens in future studies with patient populations. JJP Biologics intends to use Phase I read-outs as supporting data for a set of Phase II trials, in a range of therapeutic areas, and regions (including EU and the US). "I clearly remember the day when, Prof. Marjolein van Egmond, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam and Scientific Advisory Board member at JJP Biologics, told me about the exciting biology of the IgA-CD89 axis and its pathological consequences in autoimmunity. Stratification of patients can easily be achieved by measuring IgA autoantibodies beyond IgG and IgM levels. While safety data are still needed, this decision is an important milestone for patients suffering from IgA-mediated autoimmune or fibrotic diseases and validates the preclinical package of JJP-1212. I am very grateful towards the JJP Biologics team for all their efforts and the Starak family for their continued trust and support." Louis Boon, Ph.D., CSO and Management Board Member at JJP Biologics. According to Pawel Szczepanski, COO and Management Board Member at JJP Biologics "This is a historically unprecedented approval of a first-in-human clinical trial for a novel large molecule therapy from Poland. It forms a landmark that will further strengthen the position of the Polish biotech sector on the global map blazing the trail for many innovative therapies to come from this part of Europe. Including the next ones from the development platform of JJP Biologics." "At JJP Biologics, we value science that helps to improve outcomes for rare-disease patients via delivery of innovative treatments. The recently approved study is ambitiously designed to swiftly build a foundation for further development to offer new treatment options for those living with high-burden autoimmune disorders." Dawid Lyzwa, Ph.D., Head of Clinical Development at JJP Biologics. "Expected study results will not only validate the safety but also contribute to deciding on extension of JJP-1212's development scope. "I am delighted to hear that JJP Biologics is now starting its clinical program striving for delivery of a first-in-class treatment for IgA-mediated disease. I hope that JJP-1212-01-01 read-outs will deliver a strong foundation for further clinical development in various therapeutic areas, well beyond dermatology." Prof. Christoph Hammers, University Medical Center Regensburg, Germany. "As JJP-1212 targets the underlying cause of the disease in case of success, it will be a valuable treatment option for a set of conditions with high unmet medical needs and may drive the clinical remissions for the multiplicity of severe patients. JJP Biologics demonstrates the commitment and devotion to the safety and wellbeing of patients." Prof. Pascal Joly, Rouen University Hospital, France JJP-1212 JJP-1212 is a first-in-class IgG4-? anti-CD89 antagonist that is being developed to treat autoimmune and fibrotic diseases in which IgA autoantibodies are a key element of the disease pathophysiology. Alongside Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis (LABD), JJP-1212 is being developed for a wide range of autoimmune- and fibrotic diseases where IgA is known to have significant pathogenic involvement (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, neutrophilic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, IgA nephropathy, IgA vasculitis). JJP Biologics is exploring the development of companion diagnostics in various indications using serum IgA autoantibodies as biomarkers for personalized treatment with JJP-1212. LABD LABD, also known as Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis or linear IgA disease, is a chronic, debilitating disease that leads to skin separation, blistering, and in extreme cases, vision loss. Currently, no medicinal products are approved for the treatment of LABD in the European Union. The estimated incidence of LABD ranges from 0.2 to 2.3 cases per 1,000,000 people per year. JJP Biologics JJP Biologics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies accompanied by companion diagnostics for personalized treatment. JJP Biologics pursues the development of its product candidates as well as projects executed in cooperation with scientific partners. The company's programs target general immune pathways that have applications in autoimmune diseases and cancer. JJP Biologics' pipeline includes the most advanced JJP-1212, a potential first-in-class anti-CD89 antagonist for the treatment of autoimmune- and fibrotic diseases, and JJP-1008, a potential first-in-class anti-CD270 checkpoint inhibitor, for solid tumors. JJP-1212 Project is co-financed by the state budget by the Polish Medical Research Agency (No: 2022/ABM/05/00011). JJP Biologics is a privately funded biotech, partially financed from programs run by the Polish Medical Research Agency. In 2022, JJP Biologics became the first Polish company whose biological drug candidate (JJP-1212) received an Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission, following the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency. For more information visit www.jjpbiologics.com and join the smartgoose community by following us on LinkedIn. For further information, please contact: Pawel Szczepanski, COO, info@jjpbiologics.com. REFERENCES https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526113/ https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/orphan-designations/eu-3-22-2702 DISCLOSURE NOTICE We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240528430176/en/ Contacts: Pawel Szczepanski, COO, info@jjpbiologics.com Raises additional 16M EUR led by Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, with participation from existing investors. Funds will be used to further strengthen growing pipeline of first in class ADC assets, including lead asset targeting uPARAP. Iyona Rajkomar, Managing Partner at Dawn Biopharma, joins Adcendo Board of Directors COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Adcendo ApS ("Adcendo"), a biotech company focused on the development of breakthrough antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of cancers with a high unmet medical need, today announces the successful completion of a second Series A extension financing, raising a total of 98M EUR. This additional 16M EUR financing was led by Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR, with participation from existing investors Novo Holdings, Ysios Capital, RA Capital Management, HealthCap, Gilde Healthcare and Pontifax Venture Capital. As part of the investment, Iyona Rajkomar, Managing Partner at Dawn Biopharma, will join the Adcendo Board of Directors. Adcendo plans to further bolster the development of its first-in-class ADC pipeline assets and expand the development strategy for its lead uPARAP program in soft tissue sarcoma and other mesenchymal cancers. In addition, the funding will be used to develop further discovery-stage, first-in-class ADC pipeline assets to Development Candidate Nomination and beyond. Michael Pehl, Chief Executive Officer of Adcendo, said: "This financing underscores the confidence that our investors have in Adcendo's capabilities and potential to develop highly innovative ADC cancer therapies to provide treatment options for cancer patients with high unmet medical needs. We are extremely pleased to welcome Iyona to the Adcendo Board of Directors, as she brings a wealth of experience in supporting and advancing early and clinical stage biotech companies." Iyona Rajkomar, Board Director of Adcendo and Managing Partner at Dawn Biopharma, commented: "We are very excited to join the investor syndicate, supporting Adcendo at a pivotal time of growth and development. Our goal is to support companies committed to the development of highly innovative medicines and therapies. The progress made by Adcendo's exceptional team has been impressive, and we are thrilled to join as the company makes the exciting transition into the clinic with its first-in-class assets in the ADC space." Adcendo raised 51M EUR Series A financing in April 2021, led by Novo Holdings and Ysios Capital, with participation from RA Capital Management, HealthCap and Gilde Healthcare. In April 2023, Adcendo announced a Series A extension of 31M EUR led by Pontifax Venture Capital and existing investors. About Adcendo ApS Adcendo ApS is developing breakthrough antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of underserved cancers. In 2024, the company completed a Series A extension financing round, taking total funds raised to 98M EUR to advance, broaden, and accelerate the development of its first-in-class ADC pipeline assets. Investors include Novo Holdings, Ysios Capital, Pontifax Venture Capital, RA Capital Management, HealthCap, Gilde Healthcare and Dawn Biopharma, a platform controlled by KKR. For further information, please visit www.adcendo.com About antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) ADCs are a class of highly potent biopharmaceutical drug composed of a targeting antibody linked to a biologically active drug or cytotoxic compound. ADCs combine the unique and very sensitive targeting capabilities of antibodies, with the potent effects of the conjugated cytotoxic drugs, allowing sensitive discrimination between healthy and cancer tissues. About Dawn BioPharma Dawn Biopharma is a platform controlled by the KKR Healthcare Strategic Growth Fund II, established to own and support a diverse portfolio of companies committed to the development of highly innovative medicines and therapies. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/adcendo-aps-announces-extension-of-series-a-financing-to-eur-98m-to-further-bolster-its-first-in-class-adc-pipeline-302156966.html VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXV:CCE)(FSE:D7H0)(OTCQX:CMRZF) (the "Company" or "Commerce") is pleased to announce that planning is underway for a diamond drill program at their wholly owned Eldor Property, targeting further delineation of niobium ( tantalum and phosphate) mineralization at the Mallard Prospect, and continued exploration at the Miranna Prospect, located in northern Quebec. A total of twenty (20) to thirty (30) NQ-size drill holes, for a minimum of 7,500 m, are planned for the program. One of the main objectives for the 2024 drilling campaign will focus on completing several follow-up drill holes at the Mallard Prospect (Figure 1). The first drill hole of the 2021 drill program at Mallard - EC21-175 - returned the best niobium intercept to-date from the Property at 1.00% Nb2O5 over 17.1 m (136 ppm Ta2O5 and 8.3% P2O5), within a larger interval of 0.82% Nb2O5 over 42.3 m (153 ppm Ta2O5 and 8.7% P2O5; see news release dated November 1st, 2021). The Mallard Prospect is the most advanced niobium-mineralized carbonatite prospect on the Property, with 4,820.75 m over twenty (20) diamond drill holes completed to-date (Figure 1). The Prospect is characterized by a series of sub-parallel, elongate, moderate to steeply dipping, northwest trending mineralized horizons that extend from surface and remain open in all directions. To date, drilling at the Mallard Prospect has returned numerous drill intersections of high-grade niobium, demonstrating a strong potential for a sizeable niobium ( tantalum and phosphate) deposit to be present near surface. Additional drilling planned for the summer 2024 campaign aims to further delineate the extent of niobium mineralization at Mallard. The Company also intends to follow-up on the initial drill testing completed at the Miranna Prospect in 2021, whereas four (4) drill holes were designed to test the potential for niobium mineralization of the northwest-trending geophysical anomaly that defines Miranna. The Miranna Prospect is characterized by a strongly mineralized (niobium tantalum and phosphate), glacially dispersed boulder train with an apex that correlates with a distinct magnetic high anomaly. Drillhole EC21-180 successfully achieved the Company's objective of identifying an area prospective for follow-up, confirming the presence of high-grade mineralization downhole, including 1.20% Nb2O5 over 3.1 m (59 ppm Ta2O5 and 7.6% P2O5), within a larger interval of 0.72% Nb2O5 over 20.4 m (60 ppm Ta2O5 and 5.7% P2O5; see news release dated December 8th, 2021). The maiden drill testing in 2021 bolsters the Company's motivation to follow-up these initial results with additional drill targets, in order to better define the geometry of mineralized zones at Miranna. Figure 1: Eldor summer 2024 niobium drill program areas (Mallard and Miranna) in relation to Ashram REE & Fluorspar Deposit mineralized footprint and recently updated pit shell (see news dated May 22, 2024). NI 43-101 Disclosure Patrik T. Schmidt, M.Sc., P.Geo., Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a Permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release. About Commerce Resources Corp. Commerce Resources Corp. is a junior mineral resource company focused on the development of the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit located within their Eldor Property, in northern Quebec, Canada. The Ashram Deposit is characterized by simple rare earth (monazite, bastnaesite, xenotime) and gangue (carbonates) mineralogy, a large tonnage resource at favourable grade, and has demonstrated the production of high-grade (more than 30 - 45% TREO) mineral concentrates at high recovery (more than 60 - 75%) in line with active global producers. The Ashram Deposit also has a fluorspar component which makes it one of the largest potential sources of fluorspar in the world and could be a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets. The Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth producers globally, with a specific focus on being a long-term supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide to the global market. Additionally, Commerce is committed to exploring the potential of other high-value commodities on the Property such as niobium and phosphate minerals, which may help advance Ashram by reducing costs through shared development. For more information, please visit the corporate website at www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP. " Chris Grove " Chris Grove CEO and President Tel: 604.484.2700 Email: cgrove@commerceresources.com Web: http://www.commerceresources.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. Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements, which includes any information about activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward looking statements in this news release include that the Company intends to undertake a diamond drill program on the Mallard Prospect on the Eldor Property and to identify additional drill targets on the Miranna Prospect; that Ashram has the potential to become one of the largest fluorspar sources in the world and a long-term supplier to the met-spar and acid-spar markets; and that the Company is positioning to be one of the lowest cost rare earth element producers globally, with a focus on being a long-term global supplier of mixed rare earth carbonate and/or NdPr oxide. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these events, activities or developments from coming to fruition include: that we may not be able to fully finance any additional exploration on the Ashram Project; that even if we are able raise capital, costs for exploration activities may increase such that we may not have sufficient funds to pay for such exploration or processing activities; the timing and content of any future work programs; geological interpretations based on drilling that may change with more detailed information; potential process methods and mineral recoveries assumptions based on limited test work and by comparison to what are considered analogous deposits that, with further test work, may not be comparable; testing of our process may not prove successful or samples derived from the Ashram Project may not yield positive results, and even if such tests are successful or initial sample results are positive, the economic and other outcomes may not be as expected; the anticipated market demand for REE and other minerals may not be as expected; the availability of labour and equipment to undertake future exploration work and testing activities; geopolitical risks which may result in market and economic instability; and despite the current expected viability of the Ashram Project, conditions changing such that even if metals or minerals are discovered on the Ashram Project, the project may not be commercially viable. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. SOURCE: Commerce Resources Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Q2 Metals Corp. (TSXV: QTWO) (OTCQB: QUEXF) (FSE: 458) ("Q2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has collared the first drill hole of the 2024 inaugural drill program ("Spring 2024 Drill Campaign") at the Cisco Lithium Property (the "Property" or the "Cisco Property") located within the greater Nemaska traditional territory of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada. The detailed mapping and sampling campaign remains ongoing at the Property. Figure 1 Active drill rig at the Cisco Lithium Property for inaugural drill program To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1454/210876_6bded54084e95b83_004full.jpg The Spring 2024 Drill Campaign will test the mineralized zone where the Property vendors drilled and made a discovery in the fall of 2023 (the "Discovery Zone"). The primary objective will be to test for mineralized pegmatite along strike and to define the size and orientation of the Discovery Zone. The detailed mapping and sampling campaign will provide guidance on the extent of the lithium mineralization at the Discovery Zone and identify other potential target areas on the sizeable primary exploration trend measuring 21 kilometres ("km") long. About the Cisco Property The Cisco Property is comprised of 222 mineral claims and is 11,374 hectares in size. It is located less than 10 km east of the Billy Diamond Highway, and is approximately 150 km north of Matagami, a small town that contains the closest rail link to much of James Bay. The Property lies within the greater Nemaska Community lands of the Eeyou Itschee Territory, James Bay, Quebec. The Property is situated along the Frotet Evans Greenstone Belt, comprised of a volcanic package dominated by mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks, of the southern James Bay Lithium District, the same belt that hosts the Sirmac and Moblan lithium deposits, located 130 km and 180 km away, respectively. On February 28, 2024, the Company announced it had signed an option agreement which gives the Company the exclusive right and option for the acquisition of a 100% interest in three groups of minerals claims, collectively known as the Cisco Property (the "Transaction"). The Transaction is expected to close in short order. Qualified Person Neil McCallum, B.Sc., P.Geol, is a registered permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed the technical information in this news release. Mr. McCallum is a director and VP of Exploration for Q2. About Q2 Metals Corp Q2 Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on unlocking its portfolio of lithium projects in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada, that includes its 100-per-cent-owned Mia lithium property. In addition to the Mia lithium property, the Company expects to add the Cisco lithium property to its property portfolio once the property transaction closes. The Cisco lithium property is located approximately 150 km north of Matagami, Que., and comprises 222 mineral claims and is 11,374 ha in size. The property has district-scale potential with an already identified mineralized zone and a discovery drill result of 115.4 metres of 1.40 percent lithium oxide (hole CS-23-05), cumulatively in five separate pegmatites. The Company's exploration advancement at its 8,668-hectare flagship Mia lithium property is focused on the more than 10-kilometre-long Mia trend which is host to both the Mia 1 and Mia 2 lithium occurrences and 11 other mineralized zones along trend. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Alicia Milne President & CEO Alicia@Q2metals.com Jason McBride Corporate Communications Jason@Q2metals.com Telephone: 1 (800) 482-7560 E-mail: info@Q2metals.com WWW.Q2Metals.com Follow the Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook , and Instagram Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Accordingly, all statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, any statements or plans regard the geological prospects of the Company's properties and the future exploration endeavors of the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date specified in such statement. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, that the objective of the Spring 2024 Drill Campaign will test for mineralized pegmatite along strike and define the size and orientation of the Discovery Zone, that the detailed mapping and sampling campaign will provide guidance on the extent of the lithium mineralization at the Discovery Zone and identify other potential target areas on the sizeable primary exploration trend, that Q2 will add the Property to its property portfolio, that the focus of the Company's current and future exploration and drill programs, the scale, scope and location of future exploration and drilling activities, the Company's expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same. Readers are cautioned that mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business and accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors are discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for its recently completed fiscal period, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210876 SOURCE: Q2 Metals Corp. MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DSM B.V., a 98.5%-owned subsidiary of DSM-Firmenich AG, held its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) today in Maastricht, the Netherlands. All resolutions on the agenda were approved by the shareholders. The shareholders or shareholder representatives voted on 171,807,776 shares or 98.73% of the issued share capital entitled to vote. Number of votes per share is 1 and the number of outstanding shares on May 29, 2024, the date of the meeting, was 174,018,034. Agenda item 3 Financial statements for 2023 For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,478 497 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Agenda item 4 Release from liability of the members of the Managing Board For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,474 501 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Agenda item 5 Release from liability of the members of the Supervisory Board For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,474 501 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Agenda item 6 Reappointment of Thomas Leysen as member of the Supervisory Board For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,478 497 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Agenda item 7 Appointment of the new External Auditor for 2025 For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,478 497 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Agenda item 8 Amendment of the Articles of Association of DSM B.V. For Against Abstain Total Votes 171,806,478 497 801 171,807,776 % 100.00 0.00 Note to editors All related documents can be found here. About dsm-firmenich As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world's growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss-Dutch company, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than 12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life every day, everywhere, for billions of people. www.dsm-firmenich.com For more information dsm-firmenich media enquiries: media@dsm-firmenich.com dsm-firmenich investor relations enquiries: investors@dsm-firmenich.com Forward-looking statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM's future (financial) performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company. DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is leading. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2071772/dsm_firmenich_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/annual-general-meeting-of-shareholders-of-dsm-bv-302156791.html Geneva, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - LunaJets, a global provider of private jet charter solutions, has announced strategic leadership promotions to drive its global expansion. Key executives have been elevated to Group-level roles, enhancing the company's operations and market presence across its international offices. These new appointments include significant roles in sales, operations, and business development, underscoring LunaJets' commitment to strengthening its global footprint and delivering exceptional service to its clients. Introducing The Senior LunaJets Management Team " I am pleased to introduce the talented individuals in our Group management team. " Eymeric Segard, CEO and Founder LunaJets headquarters in Geneva To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/210897_8851e456c47fe879_002full.jpg Guillaume Launay is promoted to Group Managing Director. Guillaume, 33, will oversee all global operations from the Geneva headquarters. He joined LunaJets eight years ago as a Junior Sales after graduating from EHL (Ecole Hotelieare de Lausanne). His dedication, professionalism, and relentless drive have enabled him to rise through the ranks and achieve this significant internal success. Eriks Ziverts will take on the role of Global Head of Sales for LunaJets, covering the 8 offices worldwide in addition to his duties as Managing Director of the Riga Office. Eriks, 28, started at LunaJets six years ago as an intern after graduating from Coventry University with a degree in Aviation Management. His dynamic approach and market expertise allowed him to steadily advance in the company, leading to this remarkable achievement. Augustin Annecca is now Head of Operator Relations with private jet and group charter operators, while continuing as Managing Director of LunaJets France. In just three years with LunaJets, after graduating from Les Roches Global Hospitality University, Augustin's passion for aviation has propelled him at 25, into strategic roles that demand comprehensive knowledge and mastery of all aspects. Raphael Heydemann is appointed Head of Special Operations. With six years of dedicated service, exceptional crisis management skills, and extensive industry knowledge, Raphael, 31, based in Geneva, will oversee complex flight projects such as trans-continental, domestic Africa, South America, Middle East operations, and warzone flights and evacuations (Libya, Kabul, Tel Aviv, etc.). He joined LunaJets in 2018 after graduating from Les Roches Global Hospitality University. Pierre Guillet is appointed Head of Business Development, based in the Paris office. With two years of experience managing key aspects of the Group's growth strategy, Pierre, 28, will now lead the team, focusing on customer retention and lead activation. He started his career in the concierge industry in Paris and Cape Town after graduating from EHL (Ecole Hotelieare de Lausanne). Introducing The LunaGroup Charter and LunaSolutions Management Team Remi Aubin, 38, will continue as Group Charter Director in Paris to further develop the group-charter offering. As one of the most experienced brokers for group-charters (19 passengers and more), his extensive market knowledge and unmatched expertise in the industry guarantee the ongoing expansion of LunaGroup Charter, promising a bright future in this fast-growing market. Tomas Camprubi is the Managing Director of LunaJets UK in London and is responsible for the Sales and Acquisition unit, LunaSolutions. Tomas, 29, joined the group in 2021 from a high-end real estate private equity background, bringing extensive financial experience and relationships with UHNWIs. Carlos Matallana joined LunaJets last year from Gestair, the largest private jet operator in Spain. Carlos, 41, is the Managing Director of LunaJets Espana in Madrid, and with his aircraft operations knowledge, he is also responsible for LunaSolutions, the Sales and Acquisition business unit of the Group. About LunaJets LunaJets is a leading global provider of private jet charter solutions headquartered in Geneva, with offices in London, Paris, Dubai, Zurich, Madrid, Riga, and Monaco. With a team of over 85 experts and based on its proprietary technologies, LunaJets provides independent advice for booking any private jet anywhere in the world 24/7. It offers the most flexible service in the market for all types of flights. In 2015, LunaJets became the first charter broker to be ARG/US certified outside the US, a certification held to this day. The company was founded in 2007 by Eymeric Segard, the current CEO. Please contact him at eymeric.segard@lunajets.com for any interviews. Feel free to request the LunaJets' Press Kit, available at marketing@lunajets.com. Sales Contact: eriks.ziverts@lunajets.com Corporate Communications: press@lunajets.com About the company: LunaJets is a leading global provider of private jet charter solutions headquartered in Geneva, with offices in London, Paris, Dubai, Zurich, Madrid, Riga, and Monaco. With a team of over 85 experts and based on its proprietary technologies, LunaJets provides independent advice for booking any private jet anywhere in the world 24/7. It offers the most flexible service in the market for all types of flights. In 2015, LunaJets became the first charter broker to be ARG/US certified outside the US, a certification held to this day. The company was founded in 2007 by Eymeric Segard, the current CEO. Contact Info: Name: Eymeric Segard Email: press@lunajets.com Organization: LunaJets SA Address: Rue Lect 29, 1217 Meyrin Phone: +41 22 782 12 12 Website: https://www.lunajets.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210897 SOURCE: Plentisoft LONDON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantage UK (or Vantage Markets ), a leading multi-asset broker, has secured three prestigious accolades at the International Business Magazine Awards 2024: "Most Trusted Broker Global 2024", "Most Transparent Broker Global 2024", and "Best Value Broker Global 2024". International Business Magazine, a UAE-based online publishing company with a subscriber base of more than 50,000, honours businesses that demonstrate outstanding performance and innovation in various industries. They deliver the latest news from the financial world and promote innovative solutions in the industry. Vantage UK's commitment to fostering trust with clients has been recognised through the "Most Trusted Broker Global"" title, while their dedication to clear communication through receiving "Most Transparent Broker Global" . Being named "Best Value Broker Global " solidifies their reputation for offering competitive spreads, outstanding services and high-quality education. "We are honoured to receive three profound awards from International Business Magazine, thank you to everyone who voted for us"said David Shayer, CEO of Vantage UK. "The team is dedicated to continuously enhancing our service offerings to empower our traders to navigate the markets. This recognition inspires us to maintain our commitment to excellence and to the best broker out there. " For more information about Vantage UK and its award-winning brokerage services, please visit vantagemarkets.co.uk . About Vantage UK Vantage UK (or Vantage Markets) is a multi-asset broker offering clients access to a nimble and powerful service for trading Contracts for Difference (CFDs) on Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, and Bonds. With over 13 years of market experience, Vantage UK transcends the role of broker, providing a trusted trading ecosystem and a user-friendly trading platform that empowers clients to seize trading opportunities. trade smarter @vantage https://www.vantagemarkets.co.uk/ Risk warning: CFDs and Spread Bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 73.5% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and Spread Bets with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and Spread Bets work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Please seek independent advice if necessary. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423519/PR_Hero_image.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1745281/Vantage_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vantage-uk-wins-trio-of-awards-at-the-international-business-magazine-awards-2024-including-best-value-broker-302157401.html Veritas will present two pioneering studies at the European Society of Human Genetics Conference, in Berlin from June 1 to June 4. With a focus on elective genomic screening and newborn genomic screening, Veritas aims to set new standards in preventive medicine. The Conference, now in its 57th edition, is the largest scientific and professional event in human genetics, bringing together leading European and international experts in genetics, technology, and biomedicine. MADRID, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Veritas will have a prominent presence at the upcoming European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) Congress 2024, to be held in Berlin from June 1 to 4. This year, Veritas will present two innovative studies, reaffirming its commitment to preventive medicine and genomic screening. Additionally, it will highlight its polygenic risk service, myHealthScore, which assesses the genetic risk of common diseases in adults. The ESHG Congress 2024 is not only a platform for disseminating the most relevant advances in human genetics but also a space for education and knowledge exchange. Plenary sessions, symposia, workshops, and poster presentations will complete an exciting program that covers the latest developments in genetic science. In this 57th edition of ESHG, Veritas will showcase its comprehensive portfolio in preventive medicine and will participate with a booth (number 240) where its latest advances and services will be exhibited. Innovative Studies Veritas will present two abstracts at this edition of ESHG: Genomic Newborn Screening: First Clinical Experience in Spain This study, led by Dr. Vincenzo Cirigliano (Chief Technical Officer of Veritas) and his team, addresses the first clinical experience in Spain with newborn genomic screening. Saliva, umbilical cord blood, or venous blood samples from 800 newborns were analyzed using exome sequencing. This study, led by Dr. Vincenzo Cirigliano (Chief Technical Officer of Veritas) and his team, addresses the first clinical experience in Spain with newborn genomic screening. Saliva, umbilical cord blood, or venous blood samples from 800 newborns were analyzed using exome sequencing. Elective Genome Screening: Clinical Experience in 1300 Healthy Individuals This abstract, led by Dr. Luis Izquierdo (Chief Medical Officer), details the clinical experience with elective genomic screening in 1300 healthy individuals. The study used Veritas' myGenome test, which analyzes 600 genes based on the ACMG-SF list and ACOG recommendations, along with pharmacogenomics and multifactorial diseases. Polygenic Risk Assessment At this year's edition, Veritas will emphasize its comprehensive catalog of preventive genomic medicine, highlighting its innovative polygenic risk service, myHealthScore. This genetic screening test assesses the patient's risk of common multifactorial diseases. The analysis identifies a genetic risk that previously went unnoticed, enabling the detection of a greater number of individuals at risk. The test results provide insight into the lifetime risk of developing the analyzed diseases, with the goal of establishing preventive strategies and lifestyle changes to help reduce the risk. Diseases evaluated by myHealthScore include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and various types of cancer, such as breast and prostate cancer. Additionally, polygenic risk complements monogenic risk in a comprehensive assessment of an individual's genetic risk. About Veritas Veritas applies science and its global resources to bring genomic diagnostics to people, aiming to significantly prolong and improve their lives. Its global portfolio includes services in preventive medicine, perinatal medicine, and genomic diagnostics. In March 2022, Veritas announced it would join the Letsgetchecked group, a global health solutions company based in Dublin and New York. In line with its responsibility as a leading biotechnology company, Veritas collaborates with healthcare providers, governments, and local communities to support and expand access to genetic and genomic medicine reliably and affordably worldwide. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2001152/Veritas_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/veritas-genetics-at-the-forefront-of-genomic-screening-with-new-studies-presented-at-the-european-society-of-human-genetics-conference---eshg-2024-302157815.html NORTHAMPTON, England, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AddSecure will deploy its latest PSS solution across NE Transport Solutions' vehicles, ensuring DVS compliance and preventing potential fines. Leading European provider of secure IoT connectivity and end-to-end solutions, AddSecure, has joined forces with Essex-based transport operator, NE Transport Solutions, to ensure the safety of vulnerable road users across London. NE Transport Solutions provide general haulage across the UK, operating a fleet of 34 vehicles. The company works with major European suppliers providing last mile delivery of their goods to construction sites across London and needed to make sure every vehicle was ready for the regulation changes coming into force later this year. Transport for London (TFL)'s Direct Vision Standard (DVS) is due to change in October 2024, meaning heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will need to fit a Progressive Safe System (PSS) - which warns drivers of the presence of vulnerable road users in blind spots at the nearside and front of the vehicle - if falling beneath the three-star threshold. With a market-leading PSS offering, NE Transport Solutions approached AddSecure to provide and fit their latest solution to each of its 34 vehicles, ensuring it was operating DVS-compliant fleet and avoiding potential fines. Zoltan Serfozo, Transport Manager, NE Transport Solutions, said; "With AddSecure as our new supplier, we're now able to install a standalone solution, that doesn't need to be integrated with our existing telematics or vehicle cameras. We feel this minimises risk to our business as it's efficient, effective and avoids vehicle downtime." Zoltan has proactively implemented AddSecure's RoadView BSD solution into his business ahead of the October 2024 deadline, enabling NE Transport Solutions to avoid any potential distruption that might be experienced with an influx of requests nearer the time. Ensuring the entire fleet is compliant well ahead of the deadline will mitigate any potential restrictions on vehicle entry to London - resulting in a seamless service and customer satisfaction. Paul Lawrence, managing director at AddSecure UK, said: "The pending changes to operating fleets within the Greater London area is something every operator needs to be aware of. NE Transport Solutions have taken the step of ensuring its vehicles are DVS compliant well ahead of the October deadline. "We are seeing an increase in businesses looking to install equipment ahead of the changes and urge any operators considering making the change to act sooner rather than later to avoid delays with installation." To find out more about Progressive Safe System solutions for your fleet, visit AddSecure. For more information, please contact: Helena Ferraro, Marketing Manager, Smart Transport UK, AddSecure Tel. +443301112636, helena.ferraro@addsecure.com Kristina Grandin, Director Corporate Communications, AddSecure Group Mobile: +46 70 689 52 08, kristina.grandin@addsecure.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com. https://news.cision.com/addsecure-group/r/addsecure-to-provide-proactive-fleet-technology-to-avoid-dvs-consequences,c3982279 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/20399/3982279/2829883.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/addsecure-group/i/addsecure-pss-solution,c3301029 AddSecure PSS solution https://news.cision.com/addsecure-group/i/ne-transport-pss,c3301030 NE Transport PSS View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/addsecure-to-provide-proactive-fleet-technology-to-avoid-dvs-consequences-302157827.html VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Camino Minerals Corporation (TSXV:COR)(OTC PINK:CAMZF)(WKN:A116E1) ("Camino" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the discovery drilling campaign at its wholly-owned Maria Cecilia copper porphyry project ("Maria Cecilia" or the "Project") in Peru will commence on June 1, 2024. The purpose of the drilling campaign at Maria Cecilia is to discover copper mineralization and to enable Camino to estimate the corresponding zonation in the porphyry stock for further follow-up drilling. Over 30,000 metres of drilling, including a NI43-101 compliant resource has been completed at the adjacent mountains, Toropunto and Emmanuel. The entire porphyry complex spans over 5 kilometers, and the current drilling target, Maria Cecilia, is at the centre. Highlights from previous drilling (see figure 5): At Toropunto: TOR13-09: 40 metres @ 1.34% CuEq from 186 m TOR13-09: 66 metres @ 1.52% CuEq from 271 m TOR14-23: 67 metres @ 0.81% CuEq from 216 m At Emmanuel: EMM15-06: 46m @ 0.61% CuEq from 380 m EMM 15-08: 52m @ 0.71% CuEq from 160 m Geological consultant Jose Bassan stated that "the potential for copper mineralization exists in both the reactive host rocks and in the intrusive porphyries that outcrop at Maria Cecilia. We plan to drill-test Porphyry 1 to a depth of 750 metres to determine if the oxide copper observed at surface extends to a copper, gold, and molybdenum primary sulphide deposit at depth. It is possible, based on geophysics, that one large sulphide deposit connects to all the porphyry outcrops 1, 2 and 3. In addition, historical drilling at the adjacent deposits at Toropunto and Emmanuel demonstrate the potential to intercept high grade copper and gold." Camino's geological team has observed exposed rock exhibiting green copper oxide mineralization (Figure 1) with corresponding chip samples up to 0.7% Copper at the location of the first drilling platform at Porphyry 1. These recent assay results are comparable in grade to historical test pit samples in this area. Camino intends to drill up to two 750-meter holes, at locations of copper mineralized porphyry outcrops Porphyry 1 and Porphyry 2 (Figure 2), to intercept a significant magnetic anomaly with the potential to host a robust mineralized porphyry system. The goal of current drilling campaign is to confirm the presence of primary porphyry copper mineralization, along with gold and molybdenum, at depth. In addition, mineralization may be discovered in reactive host rocks, notably the sandstone and limestones of the Goyllarisquizga group that could host large-scale concentrations of copper mineralization, within the Cordillera Negra belt. Figure 1. Exposed rock exhibiting green copper oxide mineralization at surface of Porphyry 1. Figure 2. Maria Cecilia drilling targets, Porphyry 1, Porphyry 2, and Porphyry 3. Dimple marks are historical rock chip sample test pits around Porphyry 1 and Porphyry 2. The first drillhole at Maria Cecilia is designed to be drilled at a steep angle due south to a depth of approximately 750 metres, targeting a large geophysical anomaly at depth. Layers of cream coloured sandstone with different shades have been exposed over 350 metres of the new road towards the first drilling platform, with a N25W strike and subvertical dips. This sandstone sequence is interspersed with multiple sill-like porphyry fingerings. Skarn horizons and massive sulfide mantles have been observed at the location. These are characterized by moderate argillic alteration superimposed on a potassic background alteration, in addition to intense quartz veining >20/m, forming stockwork. Observed mineralization consists of black copper oxides (Figure 3) attached to the fracture planes and is in some cases accompanied by jarosite-goethite. Figure 3. Yellowish-gray porphyry with moderate argillization, fine and thick quartz veinlets forming stockwork. The mineralization is represented by moderate black copper oxides in the fractures and in the vein walls. Finally, a new target, Porphyry 3, was identified during the drilling platform's construction, covering approximately 0.4 by 1 kilometer. The geological composition of this target includes metasediments with pronounced quartz-sericite alteration, a stockwork of quartz veinlets, and the presence of oxidized copper minerals, primarily tenorite (Figure 4). These features are attributed to the porphyry systems outcropping at Porphyry 1 and Porphyry 2, which are believed to be the sources of the observed alterations and mineral deposits. Figure 4. Exposed oxidized copper at a newly identified Porphyry 3. The Maria Cecilia porphyry complex spans over 5 km with historical NI43-101 compliant resources at the adjacent Toropunto and Emmanuel deposits that demonstrate mineralization of copper, gold, and molybdenum (Figure 5). Figure 5. Long Section of Maria Cecilia Multi-Intrusive Copper Porphyry System About Camino Camino 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. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD For further information, please contact: /S/ "Jay Chmelauskas" Camino Investor Relations President and CEO info@caminocorp.com Tel: (604) 493-2058 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 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 Company's internal view of potential results of the contemplated drill program at Maria Cecilia. 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 may be different than those expected by management and that the Company may be unable to obtain or will experience delays in obtaining any required authorizations and approvals. 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. View the original press release on accesswire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Chesapeake Gold Corp. (TSXV: CKG) (OTCQX: CHPGF) is pleased to announce the company is participating in the upcoming 121 Mining Investment Conference in New York City. Jean-Paul Tsotsos, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Chesapeake Gold Corp. will be presenting about the Company's recent and future planned activities. 121 Mining Investment New York will be hosting over 80 mining companies and more than 250 sophisticated investors for two days of pre-arranged, targeted 1-2-1 meetings. Alongside the curated schedule of pre-booked meetings matching investors with appropriate projects, the conference programme will provide expert commentary and the latest market intelligence on key industry developments. This year's event is being held on June 3-4. Any investors who would like to attend 121 Mining Investment New York can register for a free pass here. About 121 Mining Investment The 121 Mining Investment global event series connects portfolio managers and analysts from institutional funds, private equity groups and family offices with mining company management teams for 1-2-1, private in-person meetings. 121 Mining Investment has an ever-expanding global portfolio, currently covering London, New York, Cape Town, Singapore, and Dubai, as well as online editions throughout the year. About Chesapeake Gold Corp. Chesapeake Gold Corp. is focused on the discovery, acquisition and development of major gold-silver deposits in North and South America. Chesapeake's flagship asset is the Metates Project located in Durango State, Mexico. Metates hosts one of the largest undeveloped gold-silver deposits in the Americas with over 16.77 million ounces of gold at 0.57 grams per tonne (g/t) and 423.2 million ounces of silver at 14.3 g/t within 921.2 million tonnes in the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource category and a further 2.13 million ounces of gold at 0.47 g/t and 59.0 million ounces of silver at 13.2 g/t within 139.5 million tonnes in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. See the technical report titled "Metates Sulphide Heap Leach Project Phase I" dated January 13, 2023, and news release dated February 23, 2023. Chesapeake has an organic pipeline of satellite exploration properties strategically located near Metates, including the new gold discovery at its Lucy project (see news release dated October 3, 2023). In addition, the Company owns 68% of Gunpoint Exploration Ltd., which owns the Talapoosa gold-silver project in Nevada. For additional information, please contact: Chesapeake Gold Corp. Jean-Paul Tsotsos Interim Chief Executive Officer +1 778 731 1362 invest@chesapeakegold.com www.chesapeakegold.com SOURCE: 121 Mining Investment Conference Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Bayridge Resources Corp. (CSE: BYRG) (OTC Pink: BYRRF) (FSE: O0K) ("Bayridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the completion of the helicopter supported airborne VTEM surveys on its 1,337 ha Waterbury East and on its 11,142 ha Constellation uranium projects in Canada's Athabasca Basin region. Geotech Ltd. completed 133 line-km along 100 m spaced lines at Waterbury East and a further 638 line-km along 200 m spaced lines at Constellation. The Company expects to receive preliminary data sets shortly and will forward them to in3D Geoscience Inc. for interpretation. "Now that the surveys have been flown, we await the data so in3D Geoscience can begin their interpretation," commented President & CEO, Saf Dhillon. "Bayridge expects to further define drill targets for its upcoming drill program at Waterbury East and expects to initiate prospecting surveys to ground truth VTEM anomalies to generate targets at Constellation," he continued. The Waterbury East project is underlain by geology favourable to hosting both unconformity-hosted and basement-hosted uranium deposits. These deposits are typically associated with graphitic metasediments and structural zones that exhibit strong EM conductor responses. Historical airborne EM surveys have defined an ENE-striking conductor across the property, with a depth to unconformity of ~200m. Most of the uranium discoveries in the Athabasca Basin are concentrated along the unconformity edge, where the sedimentary cover is the thinnest (<300m). In 2006, CanAlaska reported encouraging results from an initial drill program, with an intersection of 17.0 m of anomalous basement-hosted uranium mineralization, containing a highight value of 324 ppm U over 0.6 m in a structurally controlled zone. Interpreted geophysical magnetic lineaments suggest additional structures occur in the basement. The 2024 VTEM survey on Waterbury East is designed to better delineate the historically-defined ENE-trending conductor across the property in higher spatial resolution. The results from the VTEM survey will assist in defining exploration targets for 2024 Q2 drilling. The Constellation property has favourable geology for basement-hosted unconformity-style uranium deposits. The regional geology and magnetics have defined structural lineaments trending NNW and ESE, which could represent structural conduits between the Archean granite inlier and graphitic metasediments that have been mapped on the property. These types of structural zones typically act as pathways for hydrothermal activity. Historical NE-trending conductors have also been outlined on the property, but are under-explored and un-drilled. Strong EM conductors are proven targets associated with unconformity and basement-hosted uranium mineralization in and around the Athabasca Basin. The 2024 VTEM survey on the Constellation Property will assist in delineating the location and trend of graphitic and/or hydrothermally altered zones. The results from the VTEM survey will define future exploration targets such as: Discrete conductive anomalies that could represent fault-controlled graphitic zones; and Fault zones and/or other structures that could control the pathways for uranium mineralization. Bayridge is earning up to an 80% interest in Waterbury East through a series of cash payments, share issuances and exploration expenditures over the next 4 years. Waterbury East is located 25 km northeast of the Cigar Lake Mine, 15 km south of Points North and is accessible from the Cigar Lake winter road. Bayridge is earning up to an 80% interest in Constellation through a series of cash payments, share issuances and exploration expenditures over the next 4 years. Constellation is located 60 km southwest of the Key Lake Mine, and is accessible via helicopter or float plane, with potential winter road access from Highway 914. R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC) and a consultant to the Company, is the Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release. *Readers are cautioned that mineralization at NexGen's Energy Ltd.'s nearby property and the Key Lake Mine is not indicative of mineralization at the Constellation property. About Bayridge Resources Corp. Bayridge Resources Corp. is a green energy company advancing its portfolio of Canadian uranium and lithium projects. The 1,337 ha Waterbury East project is located 25 km northeast of the Cigar Lake Mine in the northeastern Athabasca Basin region. Geophysical surveys have identified a 7km long conductivity corridor where mid-2000's drilling highlighted faulted and altered basement rock with local uranium enrichment. Large sections of this corridor remain untested. The 11,142 ha Constellation project is located 60 km south of the present-day Athabasca Basin edge in an area of significant exploration activity for basement hosted uranium. Historic airborne radiometric, electromagnetic, and magnetic surveys identified electromagnetic conductors associated with magnetic lows. The 4,413 ha Sharp Lake project, located in the Red Lake Mining District of Northern Ontario, hosts peraluminous S-type muscovite bearing pegmatite bearing granites in contact with metasediments. Preliminary sampling has highlighted anomalous rare-element values, potentially indicative of lithium mineralization. For more information, please contact: Saf Dhillon, President & Chief Executive Officer E-mail: saf@bayridgeresources.com Tel: 604-484-3031 Forward-looking information Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding Geotech's engagement, the scope and timing of Geotech's services and the Company's exploration plans at Constellation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.. The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210873 SOURCE: Bayridge Resources Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Hybrid Power Solutions Inc. (CSE: HPSS) (OTCQB: HPSIF) (FSE: E092) ("Hybrid" or the "Company"), an industrial portable power manufacturer, has sold an initial purchase order to one of Canada's largest utilities, marking a significant milestone in the utility's progress towards emission reduction by its fleet of vehicles. Due to privacy agreements, the name of the utility is withheld. This initial order of Hybrid's Batt Pack Pro product will power a variety of tools and equipment without the need for idling utility vehicles. This not only results in lower emissions and fuel consumption but also reduces operational costs by providing lower idle time for each vehicle. The Batt Pack Pro, originally designed for the mining sector, is now widely used in transit, construction and military applications. With 5,000W of continuous power and up to 10,000W surge capacity, the Batt Pack Pro is weatherproof and engineered to deliver essential power for critical operations in challenging environments. "We are proud to support a major Canadian utility in their efforts to reduce emissions and operational costs," said Francois Byrne, CEO at Hybrid Power Solutions. "The adoption of our Batt Pack Pro units demonstrates the growing demand for clean, efficient, and dependable power solutions across industries." Key features of the Batt Pack Pro include its 5.1kWh capacity, super tough and rugged construction, shock and vibration resistance, and weatherproof design suitable for indoor or outdoor use in any weather condition-snow, rain, or shine. Engineered to operate in temperatures as low as -30C (-22F), the Batt Pack Pro ensures reliable performance even in extreme environments. "We anticipate additional orders as retrofit plans unfold and expect this initial order to lead to a full fleet conversion for the utility," added Francois Byrne. The Company remains dedicated to advancing fuel-free power technology and supporting the transition to sustainable operations and power storage solutions for a range of industries including mining, transportation, military and government. For further information, inquiries, or media opportunities, please contact: On behalf of the Company Francois Byrne CEO and Director invest@hybridps.ca 1 (866) 549-2743 www.investhps.com About Hybrid Power Solutions Inc. Hybrid Power Solutions Inc. is a Canadian clean energy company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "HPSS". Hybrid specializes in the development of sustainable energy solutions, offering products that redefine how industries approach access to power and energy storage. With a focus on innovation and environmental responsibility, HPS continues to lead the way in providing scalable, cost effective power solutions. Forward-looking information Forward Looking Statements Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. 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. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept 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/210883 SOURCE: Hybrid Power Solutions Inc. Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings is pleased to announce it will be collaborating with McMaster University ("McMaster") to assess an additional surface protection formulation of its licensed spray nanotechnology that has demonstrated the ability to detect bacteria on surfaces using AI and a colorimetric sensor. The Company plans to assess this surface protection spray formulation with the intention of establishing a plan for further development. When this spray nano-coating is applied to surfaces it can identify bacterial contamination through a colorimetric sensor and artificial intelligence ("AI") which results in a color change in the presence of bacterial contamination on its surface with over 96% reliability, as demonstrated in McMaster's lab. The formulation is comprised of a nanoparticle chemical mixture similar to what is currently being used to develop the spray nano-coating formulation, as well as use of a colorimetric sensor and AI to detect bacterial contamination. Dr. Carolyn Myers, President and CEO of FendX, stated, "We are excited about the prospects that this new surface protection formulation may hold, which has the same properties as the spray nano-coating we have in development but with the added feature of detecting bacteria on a coated surface using AI and sensors." Dr. Myers continues, "This new application can potentially complement our current development projects, and we believe it could contribute to our goal to create solutions to protect against the spread of lethal pathogens." This new application that uses colorimetric sensors and AI to detect bacteria on surfaces is covered under the spray license agreement announced on May 17, 2023 and the collaborative research agreement announced on July 20, 2023, and will not require any additional research funding by FendX. About FendX Technologies Inc. FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has exclusive worldwide licenses to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Carolyn Myers" Carolyn Myers Chief Executive Officer and Director Contacts: Dr. Carolyn Myers, CEO and Director 1-800-344-9868 Alyssa Barry, Investor Relations 1-833-947-5227 investor@fendxtech.com For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; statements regarding the new nano-spray formulation; statements regarding the plans to assess this surface protection spray formulation with the intention of establishing a plan for further development; statements regarding anticipated benefits; the Company's belief that this application could further contribute to early contamination detection; the Company's belief the new application could contribute to its goal to create solutions to protect against the spread of lethal pathogens; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include: product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The reader is urged to refer to such public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210884 SOURCE: FendX Technologies Inc. Tel Aviv, Israel--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Kardome, a leading voice artificial intelligence (AI) technology startup, has announced a partnership with South Korea's telecom giant, KT Corporation, to integrate its AI-based Spatial Hearing Technology solution into Genie TV, KT's IPTV service. This collaboration will offer Genie TV users an advanced, seamless voice interaction experience. KT has closely monitored user feedback on the voice AI feature integrated into multiple generations of Giga Genie devices. The company was seeking a solution to improve performance and satisfy demanding customers. Kardome's Spatial Hearing AI technology is a unique and innovative solution that utilizes advanced acoustical modeling to identify a user's voice and location precisely. It enhances speech recognition directly on edge devices in challenging, multispeaker environments. Kardome's voice technology is compatible with any voice-enabled platform or smart device. The Genie TV provides audio/video-centric AI voice control and home assistant services through the TV. By integrating Kardome's Spatial Hearing Solution into the Genie TV, users can benefit from a hassle-free voice command experience even in noisy, multi-speaker environments and deliver an immersive, engaging voice/audio experience. Dani Cherkassky, Kardome's co-founder and CEO, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership: "We are thrilled to partner with KT to provide the best-in-class voice user interface for the Genie TV. This collaboration opens up exciting opportunities for us to explore new verticals in addition to the Genie TV, and we can't wait to see what the future holds." About Kardome: Kardome is an Israeli-based voice technology startup. The company's innovative location-based, noise-reduction Spatial Hearing technology gives clear, real-time voice command input and audio output in any environment. Kardome aims to solve end-user frustrations with speech recognition and voice command devices. More information about Kardome can be found at Kardome.com. About KT Corporation: KT Corporation is the largest integrated telecom and digital platform service provider based in South Korea. Principal services include mobile, Broadband, IPTV, B2B communications, and fixed-line telephony. The company has an industry-leading market presence in broadband, media services, and fixed-line telephony by maintaining the No.1 market share position. Also, the company is one of the most prominent players in B2B communications and offers a wide range of digital transformation services (IDC, Cloud, AI, etc.). Contact: Laura Tate VP Marketing, Kardome 323-205-6436 laura.tate@kardome.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210675 SOURCE: Kardome Technology Revenue of $8.4 million; Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $1.9 million. With launch of adult-use program in Ohio anticipated to occur in the near term, Vext will benefit from its vertically-integrated position in the state. Announced $2 million standby credit facility, providing additional liquidity to fund operations. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Vext Science, Inc. (CSE: VEXT) (OTCQX: VEXTF) ("VEXT" or the "Company") a U.S.-based cannabis operator with vertical operations in Arizona and Ohio, today reported its financial results for the period ended March 31, 2024. All currency references used in this news release are in U.S. currency unless otherwise noted. Summary Financial Results Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Revenue $8,390,023 $8,415,253 $9,110,651 EBITDA1 ($2,285,845) $12,275,213 $1,638,009 Adjusted EBITDA1 $1,957,074 $550,621 $2,930,919 Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%)1 23.3% 6.5% 31.3% Management Commentary "The first quarter of 2024 continued to present consumer-related challenges to all operators, with the Arizona market overall experiencing another decline in quarterly revenue," said Eric Offenberger, CEO of Vext. "At Vext, we utilized our expertise as seasoned operators to drive traffic by offering bundled products at the retail level, and outperforming state averages despite impacts on revenue and gross margins. With the transition to an adult-use framework occurring this year, we believe the expansion of the addressable consumer base will more than offset any continued consumer weakness, making Ohio a promising market for the foreseeable future. With relatively modest maintenance capital requirements, all significant growth capital expenditures completed and an imminent sea change in the Ohio market, we expect to begin growing cash flow meaningfully, while driving returns for shareholders." Mr. Offenberger added, "Ohio presents a significant, multi-year growth opportunity for Vext, and the standby credit line we announced today will offer us additional flexibility to address any short-term funding needs as the adult-use program gains momentum and our own cash flow returns to growth following the build-out of our significant presence in the state." Standby Credit Facility The Company also announces that it has entered into a loan agreement with certain third-party lenders (collectively, the "Lenders"), including Sopica Special Opportunities Fund Limited ("SSOFL"), pursuant to which the Company has obtained a standby credit facility in the principal amount of up to $2 million (the "Standby Credit Facility") to provide additional financial flexibility primarily in connection with the Company's working capital investment and dispensary additions in Ohio. Interest on any drawn portion of the Standby Credit Facility accrues at a rate of 12% per annum. Any undrawn amounts are subject to a monthly standby commitment fee equal to 0.25% of such undrawn amounts. All obligations owing under the Standby Credit Facility will be converted into a term loan on November 28, 2024, repayable over a period of six months and maturing on May 28, 2025. SSOFL, an insider shareholder of the Company, is one of the Lenders and has committed a portion of the Standby Credit Facility. Accordingly, SSOFL's participation constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Such transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of, nor the consideration paid for, the Standby Credit Facility, insofar as it involves SSOFL exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization. Q1 2024 Financial Results Conference Call Vext will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss its first quarter 2024 financial results. Date: May 29, 2024 | Time: 8:00 am ET Participant Dial-in: +1-647-484-8814 or 1-844-763-8274 Replay Dial-in: +1-604-674-8052 or 1-855-669-9658 Conference ID: 10023534 Playback #: 0924 (Expires on June 12, 2024) Listen to webcast: https://www.gowebcasting.com/13356 For more details, visit Vext's investor website or contact the IR team at investors@vextscience.com. Non-IFRS Financial Measures This news release contains certain "non-IFRS financial measures" (equivalent to "non-GAAP financial measures", as such term is defined in National Instrument 52-112 - Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure ("NI 52-112")), "non-IFRS ratios" (equivalent to "non-GAAP ratios", as such term is defined in NI 52-112), including "EBITDA", "Adjusted EBITDA" and "Adjusted EBITDA margin". These financial measures do not have a standardized definition under IFRS, nor are they calculated or presented in accordance with IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company defines EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" as net income (loss) from operations, as reported, before interest and tax, adjusted to exclude extraordinary items, non-recurring items, other non-cash items, including stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, foreign exchange and acquisition related costs, if applicable. The Company defines "Adjusted EBITDA margin" as Adjusted EBITDA divided by Revenue. The Company has provided these financial measures as supplemental information and in addition to the financial measures that are calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS. The Company believes that these supplemental financial measures provide a valuable additional measure to use when analyzing the operating performance of the business. These supplemental financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or as an alternative to, and should only be considered in conjunction with, the IFRS financial measures presented herein. The following information provides reconciliations of the non-IFRS financial measures presented herein to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS. Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Revenue $ 8,390,023 $ 8,415,253 $ 9,110,651 Net Income after taxes $ (6,333,412) $ 5,628,139 $ 73,059 Interest (Net) 800,680 826,062 860,978 Income Taxes (340,522) 2,310,796 (1,141,064) Depreciation & Amortization 3,587,409 3,510,216 1,845,036 EBITDA $ (2,285,845) $ 12,275,213 $ 1,638,009 Share-based compensation 13,065 111,794 130,332 Accretion - (989) (6,026) Share (Profit) / Loss on JVs 162,916 (65,285) 91,205 (Gain)/Loss on Asset Disposal 1,444 800,154 Refinance of loan payable - - Loan costs WPCU loan - - 742,036 FV of WPCU loan 460,870 1,634,445 190,984 Loan costs EWB amortized 44,286 155,068 125,451 FV of APP1803 option 2,022,211 2,633,784 - RSU Taxes 4,199 3,789 75,825 Foreign Exchange (559) 1,881 2,726 ERC tax credit - - - Relative FV adjustment to inventory - - - Change in FV of Biological 604,982 1,207,553 (59,623) FV increment on acquired inventory sold 929,505 - - Gain on acquisition of control and bargain purchase - (20,550,163) - Reserves on Notes Receivable and Investments in Joint Operations - 1,403,377 - Executive Chairman Severance - 940,000 - Adjusted EBITDA $ 1,957,074 $ 550,621 $ 2,930,919 Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%)1 23.3% 6.5% 31.3% About VEXT Science, Inc. Vext Science, Inc. is a U.S.-based cannabis operator with vertical operations in Arizona and Ohio. Vext's expertise spans from cultivation through to retail operations in its key markets. Based out of Arizona, Vext owns and operates state-of-the-art cultivation facilities, fully built-out manufacturing facilities as well as dispensaries in both Arizona and Ohio. The Company manufactures Vapen, one of the leading THC concentrates, edibles, and distillate cartridge brands in Arizona. Its selection of award-winning products are created with Vext's in-house, high-quality flower and distributed across Arizona and Ohio, as well as through Vext's partnerships in other states. Vext's leadership team brings a proven track record of building and operating profitable multi-state operations, with the Company having operated profitably since 2016. The Company's primary focus is to continue growing in its core states of Arizona and Ohio, bringing together cutting-edge science, manufacturing, and marketing to provide a reliable and valuable customer experience while generating shareholder value. Vext Science, Inc. is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol VEXT and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol VEXTF. Learn more at www.vextscience.com and connect with Vext on Twitter/X and LinkedIn. For more details on the Vapen brand: Vapen website: VapenBrands.com Instagram: @vapen Facebook: @vapenbrands 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 Vext's periodic filings with Canadian 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 regarding future developments and the business and operations of Vext, market projections of the cannabis industry in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, and statements regarding the Standby Credit Facility including the use of proceeds thereof, all of which are subject to the risk factors contained in Vext's continuous disclosure filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Although Vext has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; being engaged in activities currently considered illegal under U.S. Federal laws; change in laws; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindered market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. Because 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. Vext disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and Vext does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. Eric Offenberger Chief Executive Officer 844-211-3725 For further information: Jonathan Ross, Vext Investor Relations jon.ross@loderockadvisors.com 416-244-9851 SOURCE: Vext Science, Inc. 1 See "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" below for more information regarding Vext's use of non-IFRS financial measures and other reconciliations. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210870 SOURCE: VEXT Science, Inc. CHICAGO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Downhole Tools Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $6.1 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $7.8 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Downhole tools are essential because they are used in safe, efficient, and productive extraction of oil and gas from underground reservoirs. Downhole tools are critical for the oil and gas industry because they enable efficient drilling, ensure well integrity, optimize production, provide essential data, facilitate well maintenance, and enhance oil recovery. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=156563592 Browse in-depth TOC on "Downhole Tools Market" 200 - Tables 80 - Figures 280 - Pages Downhole Tools Market Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $6.1 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $7.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% Market Size Available for 2021-2029 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Tool type, Application, Location of deployment Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Increasing oil and gas discoveries Key Market Drivers Increased drilling activity and investments The Well drilling, by application, is expected to grow as the largest segment during the forecast period. Based on application, the Downhole Tools Market has been split into Well Intervention, Well Drilling, Well Completion & Production, and Formation & Evaluation. The Well drilling segment in the Downhole Tools Market is anticipated to be the largest because they facilitate the creation of the wellbore and ensure safe, efficient, and precise drilling operation. The Well drilling market for downhole tools is growing due to the increase in global deepwater drilling activities and multi-stage drilling for shale gas. Onshore, by location of deployment, is expected to grow as the largest segment during the forecast period. Based on location of deployment, the Downhole Tools Market has been split into Onshore and Offshore. The Onshore segment in the Downhole Tools Market is anticipated to be the largest because the onshore drilling operations are generally less expensive compared to offshore projects. The onshore segment experienced rapid growth because of the cost advantages, technological advancements, better infrastructure, and increased exploration and production activities. Drilling tools, by tool type, are expected to grow as the largest segment during the forecast period. This report segments the Downhole Tools Market based on offering into Various tool types: Drilling tools, Flow & Pressure Control tools, Impurity Control tools, Logging tools, and Handling Tools. Drilling tools are expected to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period due to the optimization of drilling tools and the technological advancements associated with them. Expansion of Unconventional resource development, demand for deepwater drilling tools, optimization of drilling operations, and increased Exploration and production activities contributes to the fastest growth of drilling tools in the Downhole Tools Market. Middle East & Africa is expected to be the Second largest region in the Downhole Tools Market Middle East & Africa is expected to be the Second largest region in the Downhole Tools Market during the forecast period. The region's increasing focus on downhole tools is due to the Geopolitical stability, Abundant oil and gas reserves, and expanding Exploration & Production activities. The MEA region is home to some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The MEA region has significant offshore oil and gas reserves, particularly in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and offshore West Africa. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=156563592 Key Market Players of Downhole Tools Industry: Some of the major players in the Downhole Tools Market are SLB (US), Baker Hughes Company (US), Halliburton Co (US), Tenaris (Luxembourg), TechnipFMC (France). The major strategies adopted by these players include sales contracts, product launches, investments, collaborations, partnerships, and expansions. Recent Developments of Downhole Tools Industry: In April 2024, SLB and ChampionX Corporation announced a definitive agreement for SLB to purchase ChampionX in an all-stock transaction. ChampionX Corporation is a global leader in chemistry solutions, artificial lift systems, and highly engineered equipment and technologies that help companies drill for and produce oil and gas safely, efficiently, and sustainably around the world. This acquisition would allow SLB to enhance its product portfolio. In February 2024, KCF Technologies, a leader in predictive maintenance and machine health solutions, today announced an integration with Nabors Industries, pioneer of the RigCLOUD digital drilling platform, enabling customers to bring data from their wireless machine sensors into the open cloud system. In November 2023, Halliburton Co and Sekal AS announced an agreement to jointly provide leading well construction automation solutions as part of a longer-term strategy to deliver fully automated drilling operations. Under the agreement, Halliburton and Sekal are collaborating on several technologies and services that incorporate Halliburton digitally integrated well construction solutions and the Sekal DrillTronics automation platform. In addition, both parties' remote operations centers will provide expertise and support to these offerings. In November 2021, Expro Group, a leading provider of energy services, launched Galea, a fully autonomous well intervention system which is used to maximize production while reducing intervention costs, HSE risks and environmental impact. Galea replaces larger, conventional, and more labour-intensive wireline rig-ups for a range of slickline operations such as solids removal, plug setting/pulling and logging surveys. The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows: By Company Type: Tier 1- 45%, Tier 2- 30%, and Tier 3- 25% By Designation: C-Level- 35%, Director Levels- 25%, and Others- 40% By Region: North America- 10%, Europe- 15%, Asia Pacific- 60%, the Middle East & Africa- 10%, and South America- 5% Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=156563592 Downhole Tools Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report: The report defines, describes, and forecasts the Downhole Tools Market, by tool type, by application, by location of deployment, for various regions. It also offers a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market. The report provides a comprehensive review of the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. It also covers various important aspects of the market. These include an analysis of the competitive landscape, market dynamics, market estimates, in terms of value, and future trends in the Downhole Tools Market. The report provides insights on the following pointers: Rising global energy demand, increased exploration and production activities, technological advancements are some of the factors driving the Downhole Tools Market. Volatility in energy prices, environmental and regulatory concerns hinder Downhole Tools Market growth. The Expansion into emerging markets, Enhanced oil recovery techniques offer lucrative opportunities in this market. The operational challenges and supply chain disruptions are some of the challenges faced in this market. Product Development/ Innovation: The developments such as the high-performance mud motors and rotary steerable systems (RSS) is a pivotal trend in downhole tools development. RSS technology allows for precise control of the wellbore trajectory without stopping drilling operations. This capability is crucial for optimizing the drilling process, enhancing efficiency, and achieving desired wellbore paths. RSS allows for continuous rotation of the drill string while steering the wellbore in the desired direction. The developments such as the high-performance mud motors and rotary steerable systems (RSS) is a pivotal trend in downhole tools development. RSS technology allows for precise control of the wellbore trajectory without stopping drilling operations. This capability is crucial for optimizing the drilling process, enhancing efficiency, and achieving desired wellbore paths. RSS allows for continuous rotation of the drill string while steering the wellbore in the desired direction. Market Development : The development of downhole tools is essential in providing safe and productive extraction of oil and gas during increasing demand periods. Favorable government policies promoting energy security, increasing investments in like oil & gas, advancements in Oilfield Technologies create Downhole Tools Market growth. : The development of downhole tools is essential in providing safe and productive extraction of oil and gas during increasing demand periods. Favorable government policies promoting energy security, increasing investments in like oil & gas, advancements in Oilfield Technologies create Downhole Tools Market growth. Market Diversification : Baker Hughes Company acquired Altus Intervention, a leading international provider of well intervention services and downhole technology, which significantly enhances their existing portfolio. : Baker Hughes Company acquired Altus Intervention, a leading international provider of well intervention services and downhole technology, which significantly enhances their existing portfolio. Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players like SLB (US), Baker Hughes Company (US), Halliburton Co (US), Tenaris (Luxembourg), TechnipFMC (France) among others in the Downhole Tools Market. Related Reports: Well Intervention Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Coiled Tubing Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 Get access to the latest updates on Downhole Tools Companies and Downhole Tools Industry Growth 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/downhole-tools-market-worth-7-8-billion--marketsandmarkets-302157704.html The first residential project led and curated by Dubai Harbour will offer unrivalled proximity to vibrant marinas and open seas, promising a refined experience of maritime living DUBAI, UAE, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shamal Holding, the owner and curator of Dubai Harbour, has announced its first residential project, Dubai Harbour Residences, featuring a range of apartments and penthouses, Dubai Harbour Residences is designed for superior liveability and will provide a beachfront collection of low-rise residences with epic panoramic sea and city views set against an iconic backdrop. These refined residences will feature generous layouts, high ceilings, and large terraces designed to be enjoyed year-round. Each home features nautical colour palettes, rich in deep blues and crisp whites, and impeccable textures and finishings. Residents will have easy access to the upscale amenities, retail and hospitality choices of the region's most vibrant, and comprehensive maritime lifestyle offering. Located at the intersection of the iconic Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters Island, the destination is within easy reach from the city's world famous attractions such as Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Ain Dubai. The recently announced new 1500-metre bridge to be launched in collaboration with Dubai's Road and Transport Authority will also facilitate direct exit/entry points to the district, cutting down travel time to the main roads from 12 to 3 minutes, and ensuring a free flow of traffic. "The launch of Dubai Harbour Residences aligns closely with Shamal's long-term investment strategy and demonstrates our commitment to creating new vibrant communities, in line with Dubai's urban development plans. As more people from around the world choose to call Dubai their home, Shamal is working alongside world-class partners to deliver a pipeline of unique developments across the city that combine contemporary design with the experience and energy of Dubai. As our first residential project at Dubai Harbour, Dubai Harbour Residences will provide a beachfront living unlike any other, with easy access to the amenities, retail and hospitality choices of Dubai Harbour, the region's most unique lifestyle offering, in the world's most dynamic city," said Abdulla Binhabtoor, Chief Executive Officer, Shamal Holding, Owner and Curator of Dubai Harbour. Internationally acclaimed architectural firm Nikken Sekkei, leading Dubai developer H&H Development and owner Shamal Holding will deliver an industry-defining project, to offer Dubai residents a beachfront and coastal living experience like never before. Miltos Bosinis, Chief Executive Officer, H&H Development added, "With nearly two decades of experience creating upscale projects in the UAE, H&H Development is proud to be working with Shamal Holding to introduce Dubai Harbour Residences to the market. With innovation and excellence at the core of everything we do, Dubai Harbour Residences will offer the finest of modern design to one of Dubai's most sought-after beachfront locations, with its cutting-edge architecture and sophisticated interiors." A carefully curated and purpose-built gateway, Dubai Harbour delivers premier, vibrant and multifaceted seafront residential experiences with a wide range of upscale living, retail, and hospitality experiences. As a manifestation of Dubai's wider urban planning, coastline development and tourism strategies, Dubai Harbour plays a major role in rekindling the city's connection to the sea, providing more options and easier ways for people to explore their own maritime journey. The owning company and curator of Dubai Harbour, Shamal Holding continues to invest its resources as the driving force behind making Dubai Harbour an exceptional seafront district. About Dubai Harbour Dubai Harbour is an extraordinary seafront residential district, inspired by our connection to the sea, designed for a maritime lifestyle. The district's unique backdrop, iconic vista, and accessible location are combined with a wide range of living, retail, and hospitality choices, as well as comprehensive berthing facilities, making it the region's most unique lifestyle offering. Dubai Harbour sits just over 30km from both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) and is within easy reach from the city's world-famous attractions such as Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, and Expo City. Dubai Harbour is home to some of the most iconic destinations in Dubai, including Dubai Harbour Marinas, the region's largest marina, the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, a world-class facility comprising two purpose built terminal buildings, and Skydive Dubai. Dubai Harbour was voted as winner of the World's Best New Cruise Development at the 1st annual World Cruise Awards 2021. Recently, Dubai Harbour Marinas also received the 5 Gold Anchor accreditation, along with prestigious titles for Clean Marinas and Super Yacht Ready by The Yacht Harbour Association. The region's largest marina achieved an unprecedented feat of securing all three accreditations, not only on its very first try, but simultaneously, marking a world-first achievement under The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA). As a one-of-a-kind destination, Dubai Harbour continues to attract a wide range of locally and internationally renowned events all year round, including the Dubai International Boat Show. The events play a key role in rekindling the city's connection to the sea, providing additional ways for people to experience their own maritime journey. As the owning company and curator, Shamal Holding is investing its resources to be the driving force behind making Dubai Harbour an exceptional seafront district. For more info, please visit: dubaiharbour.com About H&H Development H&H Development, founded in 2007, has since evolved into a prominent developer, asset manager, and investor in Dubai's real estate market with a rapidly expanding portfolio. The company specialises in offering customised, comprehensive turnkey developments, with a vision to transform modern living through projects that adhere to the highest standards of quality, backed by cutting-edge design. The development of the Four Seasons Hotel, Dubai DIFC, and the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, two premium landmarks in the city's hospitality sector, exemplifies H&H's approach to crafting opulent experiences. The company's further projects, including Alia Developments DIFC and Eden House, also exhibit H&H's commitment to excellence in development. Visit www.h-h.ae to know more. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424550/Shamal_Holding_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424551/Shamal_Holding_2.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/shamal-holding-unveils-dubai-harbour-residences-a-refined-collection-of-beachfront-homes-for-superior-liveability-302157926.html NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. TDG Gold Corp (TSXV:TDG) (the "Company" or "TDG") is pleased to announce that the size of its non-brokered private placement previously reported on February 22 , April 04 , April 11 , May 03 , and May 06, 2024 (the "Offering") has been increased to gross proceeds of $2,200,000, up from the previously announced gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000. The Offering is expected to close in early June and the final tranche will include charity flow-through units of the Company (the "Charity FT Units") at a price of $0.20 per Charity FT Unit. Mets Program TDG intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for continued exploration on its mineral properties in the Toodoggone mining district and for general working capital. Potential exploration plans for 2024 include prospect drilling on TDG's 100% owned Mets mining lease which is part of an identified, road-connected, mineralized trend in the Toodoggone ( Figure 1 ). In 2023, TDG's diamond drill program intersected multiple intervals of high-grade gold ("Au") from near surface in the Mets A-Zone including 20.0 metres ("m") grading 10.4 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au from 19.0 m depth and 8.3 m grading 16.4 g/t Au from 50.5 m depth (Final Results 2 , Table 1 ). Modern geophysics conducted by TDG has identified multiple additional targets 1 on Mets that merit drilling ( Figure 2 ) within this mineralized corridor. Figure 1 - Mets Drill Target Areas 1: Relative Total Magnetic Intensity ("TMI") displaying TDG ground magnetics and Thesis Gold airborne magnetics 3 , superimposed. Fletcher Morgan, TDG's CEO, commented: "The opportunity for additional high-grade, near surface ounces of free-gold at Mets could be transformative for TDG, given our existing infrastructure including our mill, permits and tailings storage facility. Last year we completed high-resolution geophysics demonstrating the potential extension of anomalies to the south and north of the high-grade Mets A Zone, and two new parallel target zones. Our goal is for further exploration success similar to the mineralization in the A-Zone at Mets." Table 1. Final Assay results from Mets A-Zone 2023 Drilling 2 . Drillhole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) 2 Ag (g/t) 2 MT23-001 19.0 39.0 20.0 10.36 1 incl. 24.0 31.0 7.0 19.24 1 MT23-002 45.0 53.6 8.6 5.09 2 MT23-003 71.0 80.2 9.2 9.18 2 incl. 75.4 80.2 4.8 15.29 3 MT23-004 17.5 22.5 5.0 5.59 2 MT23-005 50.5 58.8 8.3 16.36 4 Notes: Intervals are core-length weighted. True width is estimated on average between 70-90 % of core length; core recovery is estimated to be, on average, > 90 %, whereas core recovery is an average of > 80 % through the mineralized composites stated in the Table. Composite results were built using 3.0 g/t Au cut-off, although there may be intervals within the composite below 3.0 g/t Au. Calculated composites are truncated to significant 2 decimal places for Au and the nearest integer for Ag. Calculated composites may not sum due to rounding. These results supersede any previously published preliminary assay results and are considered final. Steven Kramar, TDG's VP Exploration, commented: "In 2023, we confirmed the historical high-grade gold at the Mets A-Zone with modern drilling, and used the latest technology in post-processing geophysical data to outline additional priority targets across the Mets mining lease. We are excited to prospect drill our targets as we endeavor to expand the strike length, add additional dimensionality to the mineralized zone and uncover new parallel zones." Mets Exploration Target The mineralization in the A-Zone at Mets is comprised of free-gold hosted in a quartz-barite breccia(s) at or near the disrupted lithological contact between volcanic cycles. Historically, ~350 m of underground development work was completed around the A-Zone which is defined as ~150 m of strike and was the focus of ~8,800 m of historical diamond drilling reporting near surface high-grade Au. In 2022, TDG received and compiled the historical archive of exploration and development work undertaken at Mets between 1986-92, including original assay certificates (third party), underground development schematics, historical mine calculations and progress reports. In 2023, TDG conducted a 5-drillhole program to confirm historical grades and an extensive geophysical survey. The geophysics included a Very Low Frequency Electromagnetics ("VLF-EM") technique, in addition to magnetics, and expanded the previous surveyed area to the boundaries of the mining lease. With detailed post-processing of the geophysical data and interpretation of the drill data, TDG confirmed targets 1 on strike and contiguous with the A-Zone (news releases Jan 08 and Jan 15, 2024 ) and identified new targets 1 in potential parallel trends (news release Jan 22, 2024 ) . In October 2022, the Mets mining lease was extended for an additional 30 years to April 2053. Figure 2 - 3D View of Mets Mining Lease & Potential Target Areas 1 displaying (a) magnetic susceptibility voxel model (left) and (b) VLF-EM 24.8 kHz, Karous-Hjelt filtered voxel model (right). The Offering The securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month and a day hold period. The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Finder's fees will be payable from the proceeds of the Offering. Caution to US Investors 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 TDG Gold Corp. TDG is a major mineral tenure holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership. TDG's flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta and Baker mines, which produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and the historical high-grade gold Mets developed prospect, all of which are road accessible, and combined have over 65,000 m of historical drilling. The projects have been advanced through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys and, at Shasta, 13,250 m of modern HQ drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their potential extensions. In May 2023, TDG published an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for Shasta (news release May 01, 2023 ) which remains open at depth and along strike. In January 2023, TDG defined a larger exploration target area adjacent to Shasta ('Greater Shasta-Newberry'; news release Jan 25, 2023 ). In Fall 2023, TDG published the first modern drill results from the Mets mining lease (news releases Sep 07, 2023 , Sep 11, 2023 and Nov 28, 2023 ). In early 2024, TDG identified new copper-gold target areas over an expanded footprint covering ~53 sq.km known as the 'Baker Complex' (news release Feb 28, 2024 ). Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved Steven Kramar, MSc., P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for TDG Gold Corp., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. 1 Mineral Exploration/Exploration Target Area(s): TDG is a mineral exploration focused company and the Company's Projects are in the mineral exploration stage only. The degree of risk increases substantially where an issuer's properties are in the mineral exploration stage as opposed to the development or operational stage. Exploration targets and/or Exploration zones and/or Exploration areas are speculative and there is no certainty that any future work or evaluation will lead to the definition of a mineral resource. 2 2023 Drillcore Assay: Drillcore samples for the Mets 2023 drill program were handled via rigorous chain of custody, including sample collection, processing, and delivery to the MSA laboratory in Langley, B.C. The drillcore was logged, photographed, and sampled at TDG's Baker Mine site and processed by geologists and technicians. Quality assurance and control ("QAQC") materials were inserted into the sampling sequence during geological sample selection. The drillcore was selected for sampling and placed in zip-tied polyurethane bags, then in security-sealed rice bags before being delivered directly by TDG staff from the Baker Mine site to the MSA facility in Langley, B.C. Samples were prepared and analyzed following procedures: CRU-240,SPL-415,PPU-510 for sample preparation, FAS-221 for Au and IMS-230 for Ag and trace elements. Overlimit concentrations (> 20 ppm Au) of precious metals reported in the FAS-221 analysis were reanalyzed (where applicable) by MSC-550. Information about methodology can be found on the MSA Labs website, in the analytical guide. 3 Adjacent Mineral Properties: This information is third party public material about adjacent properties to the Mets project on which TDG does not have the right to explore or mine. Investors are cautioned that mineralization on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization that may be hosted on the Mets project. References to active mines or other mineral projects is for illustration purposes only. There can be no assurances that TDG will achieve comparable results. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Fletcher Morgan Chief Executive Officer For further information contact: TDG Gold Corp., Telephone: +1.604.536.2711 Email: info@tdggold.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. This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "project", "intend", "anticipate", "esti mate", "trend", "identify", "merit", "opportunity", "transform", "demonstrate", "confirm", "expand", "potential" and variants of these words and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward looking statements in this press release include: statements regarding the closing of the Offering and the amount of funds to be raised by the Company; the anticipated closing date; the final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange; the planned use of proceeds of the Offering; the plans for and results of drilling at Met; whether or not geophysical anomalies and the new targets are related to mineralization and whether such mineralization, if located, will be of economic significance; whether mineralization identified by Thesis' ground has any relationship to that at Mets and whether there is in fact a regional trend of mineralization in this area. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward- looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the state of the equity financing markets in Canada and other jurisdictions; the receipt of regulatory approvals; fluctuations in metals prices, the actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. SOURCE: TDG Gold Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Abderrahman Khamada, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of National Unity, Tuesday discussed bilateral relations between Libya and the EU and ways of strengthening them Infill Drilling Program at the Santa Cruz Copper Project is Substantially Complete, with 185 Development Drill Holes Totaling 133,000 Meters Completed Since the December 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate Current Drilling Focused on Hydrogeological Testwells to Support Preliminary Feasibility Study Recent Step-Out Drilling at the Verde Domain Identified Additional High-Grade Copper Intercepts Santa Cruz Copper Project Preliminary Feasibility Study On Track for Completion by End of Q2 2025 Ivanhoe Electric Inc. ("Ivanhoe Electric") (NYSE American:IE)(TSX:IE) Executive Chairman Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive Officer Taylor Melvin are pleased to provide an update on recent progress at the Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona, including drilling activities and the selection of external consultants to advance the Project's Preliminary Feasibility Study ("PFS"). Mr. Melvin commented: "Selecting the lead external consultants for our Santa Cruz Copper Project is a major milestone in the advancement of our modern, high-grade underground copper project on private land in Arizona. We are excited to have Fluor, a recognized global leader in the design, engineering and construction of high-quality mining projects, lead a world-class team of experienced consultants to assist with our Preliminary Feasibility Study. Our dedicated team of professionals continues to make significant progress at Santa Cruz. We remain on schedule to deliver the completed PFS by the end of the second quarter in 2025." Ivanhoe Electric Selects Fluor Enterprises Inc. as Principal Lead and Processing and Surface Infrastructure Lead, along with BBA USA Inc. as Mineral Resource/Mineral Reserve and Mine Engineering Lead for the Santa Cruz Project Preliminary Feasibility Study Ivanhoe Electric has selected Fluor Enterprises Inc. ("Fluor") as the Lead Consultant for the PFS, responsible for compiling and integrating the PFS workstreams. Fluor brings exceptional expertise to the project as an industry-leading global engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance company with decades of experience in mining and metals project development. Fluor's recent domestic projects include many of America's largest copper mines by annual copper production. In addition to Fluor, Ivanhoe Electric has selected the following consultants to lead specific areas of the Santa Cruz Copper Project PFS: BBA USA Inc.: mineral resource, mineral reserve and mining methods Stantec: ventilation and refrigeration Call & Nicholas: geotechnical KCB Consultants Ltd.: tailings management INTERA Incorporated: hydrogeology Tetra Tech, Inc., Life Cycle Geo, LLC and Haley & Aldrich Inc.: social and community impacts, environmental studies, and permitting Santa Cruz infill drilling campaign is substantially complete, with 185 development drill holes totaling approximately 133,000 meters completed since the December 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate The Mineral Resource Estimate utilized for the Initial Assessment ("IA") included 170 drill holes totaling 153,000 meters (refer to Ivanhoe Electric's February 14, 2023 news release). Since December 31, 2022, the current date of the Mineral Resource Estimate update announced on February 14, 2023, Ivanhoe Electric has completed an additional 185 drill holes totaling 133,000 meters, bringing total development drilling at the Project to over 286,000 meters. The development drilling supports ongoing metallurgical studies, geotechnical characterization, water management, and anticipated conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves. Highlights from recent development drilling include the following high-grade intercepts: SCC-189 intersected 89.00 meters @ 2.03% total copper from 575.00 meters, including 47.34 meters @ 2.39% total copper from 575.00 meters SCC-197 intersected 152.60 meters @ 1.28% total copper from 616.00 meters, including 50.54 meters @ 1.62% total copper from 626.00 meters SCC-199 intersected 117.00 meters @ 1.22% total copper from 539.00 meters, including 21.00 meters @ 1.61% total copper from 550.00 meters SCC-208 intersected 181.81 meters @ 1.72% total copper from 781.36 meters, including 43.81 meters @ 2.20% total copper from 891.13 meters Figure 1. Plan view map showing completed drill holes since the December 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate used for the September 2023 Initial Assessment. Verde Domain step-out drill holes intersect high-grade copper mineralization and extend the boundaries of the mineralized domain The Verde Domain is a zone of high-grade soluble copper in mineralized Oracle Granite within the Santa Cruz deposit. Recent assay results from Verde Domain step-out drill holes SCC-192 and SCC-196 confirm the continuity of high-grade copper mineralization to over 50 meters northeast from the nearest previous drill hole intersections. SCC-192 intersected 53.00 meters @ 2.04% total copper from 640.00 meters, including 14.00 meters @ 2.43% total copper from 640.00 meters SCC-196 intersected 66.60 meters @ 1.53% total copper from 614.63 meters, including 14.00 meters @ 2.35% total copper from 648.00 meters Additionally, drillholes SCC-226 and SCC-230, which stepped out into the open northwestern direction, intersected soluble copper mineralization of the Verde Domain. Assay results are pending for SCC-226 and SCC-230. Photo 1: Drill core from Verde Domain drill hole SCC-226 at 635.60 meters showing strong atacamite mineralization (a leachable mineral that is approximately 60% copper by weight) along fractures and within open pockets as blades and rosettes. Assay results for drill hole SCC-226 are pending. Figure 2. Drilling at the Verde Domain with recent step-out drill holes SCC-192, SCC-196, SCC-226 and SCC-230. Exploration drilling resumes at the Santa Cruz Copper Project, focusing on the Southwest Exploration and Texaco Areas Initial drilling with one drill rig at the Southwest Exploration Area will explore between the Santa Cruz Mineral Resource and drill hole SCC-098, which is located approximately 1 kilometer southwest of the Mineral Resource. Previous vertical drill hole SCC-098 was designed to test a large Typhoon anomaly and intersected primary sulfide mineralization within a new adjacent fault block at 1,059 meters depth in bedrock (refer to Ivanhoe Electric's November 29, 2022 news release). Exploration drilling at the Southwest Exploration Area is designed to test for supergene enrichment of the previously intersected primary sulfide mineralization, which may yield higher grades as oxide and chalcocite copper mineralization at shallower depths than SCC-098. After the Southwest Exploration Area, exploration drilling will resume at Texaco for the first time since the summer of 2023. Our last exploration program in the Texaco Ridge Exploration Area, guided by Typhoon, intersected broad sulfide mineralization comprising 327 meters grading 0.81% total copper in SCC-122 (refer to Ivanhoe Electric's January 8, 2024 news release). Future exploration drilling around the Texaco Mineral Resource is planned to step out from known mineralization and test for additional enriched chalcocite and oxide mineralization to the north and east. Drilling within the Texaco Mineral Resource will test between and below widely spaced drilling to further define higher-grade mineralization. Picture 2. Geologist Sarah Bala (left) and Junior Geologist Terri Torres (right) analyzing drill core at the processing facility at the Santa Cruz Copper Project. Highlighted drill intercepts not previously disclosed from the Santa Cruz Project Area (Refer to the Santa Cruz Drill Results page on Ivanhoe Electric's website for complete details of all reported drill holes.) DRILL HOLE LOCATION FROM (M) TO (M) INTERVAL LENGTH (M) TOTAL COPPER (%) TOTAL SOLUBLE COPPER (%) SCC-189 Santa Cruz 575.00 664.00 89.00 2.03 1.98 INCLUDING 575.00 622.34 47.34 2.39 2.33 AND 626.97 652.00 25.03 2.29 2.42 SCC-192 Santa Cruz 640.00 693.00 53.00 2.04 1.98 INCLUDING 640.00 679.86 39.86 2.00 1.98 INCLUDING 640.00 666.00 26.00 2.00 2.01 INCLUDING 640.00 654.00 14.00 2.43 2.47 SCC-196 Santa Cruz 599.39 638.00 38.61 1.04 0.95 AND 614.63 681.23 66.60 1.53 1.50 INCLUDING 614.63 624.00 9.37 2.01 1.86 AND 648.00 662.00 14.00 2.35 2.35 INCLUDING 650.00 662.00 12.00 2.58 2.58 SCC-197 Santa Cruz 563.64 605.00 41.36 2.40 2.52 INCLUDING 584.48 603.19 18.71 2.95 3.17 AND 616.00 768.60 152.60 1.28 1.10 INCLUDING 626.00 676.54 50.54 1.62 1.38 SCC-199 Santa Cruz 539.00 656.00 117.00 1.22 1.10 INCLUDING 550.00 571.00 21.00 1.61 1.63 INCLUDING 575.00 618.00 43.00 1.49 1.50 SCC-208 Santa Cruz 781.36 963.17 181.81 1.72 1.63 INCLUDING 821.91 862.00 40.09 1.59 1.55 INCLUDING 866.00 963.17 97.17 1.87 1.74 INCLUDING 891.13 934.94 43.81 2.20 2.13 SCC-209 Santa Cruz 573.00 609.00 36.00 2.42 2.36 INCLUDING 574.00 602.00 28.00 2.87 2.82 AND 587.00 600.10 13.10 3.71 3.63 *Total Soluble Copper is the calculated summation of all soluble copper analyses derived from the sequential copper analysis suite. *Reported intervals at the Santa Cruz Deposit are calculated at a cut-off grade of 0.70% total copper. *Reported intervals at the East Ridge Deposit are calculated at a cut-off grade of 0.90% total copper. *Results are derived from diamond core intervals and may not be true widths but are believed to be representative of actual drill thicknesses. Some intercepts include assay gaps due to removed core used for various technical studies, these assay gaps have been treated as null values during intercept calculation, average core removed from these intervals is less than 1.5% *Some rounding errors may occur. Qualified Persons Disclosures of a scientific or technical nature included in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and technical data underlying the information, have been reviewed, verified, and approved by Glen Kuntz, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by Regulation S-K, Subpart 1300 promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and by Canadian National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Kuntz is an employee of Ivanhoe Electric Inc. Ivanhoe Electric has had prepared an independent technical report summary for the Santa Cruz Project prepared under SEC Regulation S-K, Subpart 1300 and an independent technical report prepared under Canadian National Instrument 43-101. The reports are available on the company's website, on EDGAR and on the company's SEDAR profile: "Mineral Resource Estimate Update and S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary for the Santa Cruz, Texaco, and East Ridge Deposits, Arizona, USA," authored by Nordmin Engineering Ltd. ("Nordmin") and Met Engineering LLC ("Met Engineering"). Current to December 31, 2022, and dated February 14, 2023. "Mineral Resource Estimate Update and NI 43-101 Technical Report for The Santa Cruz, Texaco, and East Ridge Deposits, Arizona, USA," prepared by Nordmin and Met Engineering with an effective date of December 31, 2022, and an issue date of March 14, 2023. The technical report summary and technical report include relevant information regarding the assumptions, parameters and methods of the mineral resource estimates on the Santa Cruz Project, as well as information regarding data verification, exploration procedures and other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release. About Ivanhoe Electric We are a U.S. company that combines advanced mineral exploration technologies with electric metals exploration projects predominantly located in the United States. We use our accurate and powerful Typhoon geophysical surveying system, together with advanced data analytics provided by our subsidiary, Computational Geosciences Inc., to accelerate and de-risk the mineral exploration process as we seek to discover new deposits of critical metals that may otherwise be undetectable by traditional exploration technologies. We believe the United States is significantly underexplored and has the potential to yield major new discoveries of critical metals. Our mineral exploration efforts focus on copper as well as other metals including nickel, vanadium, cobalt, platinum group elements, gold and silver. Through the advancement of our portfolio of electric metals exploration projects, headlined by the Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona and the Tintic Copper-Gold Project in Utah, as well as other exploration projects in the United States, we intend to support United States supply chain independence by finding and delivering the critical metals necessary for the electrification of the economy. We also operate a 50/50 joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company Ma'aden to explore for minerals on ~48,500 km2 of underexplored Arabian Shield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Website: www.ivanhoeelectric.com. Contact Information Ivanhoe Electric: Email: info@ivanhoeelectric.com Follow us on Ivanhoe Electric's Executive Chairman Robert Friedland: @robert_ivanhoe Ivanhoe Electric: @ivanhoeelectric Ivanhoe Electric's investor relations website located at www.ivanhoeelectric.com should be considered Ivanhoe Electric's recognized distribution channel for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Regulation FD. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable US and Canadian securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ivanhoe Electric, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect Ivanhoe Electric's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this news release. Such statements in this news release include, without limitation timing and results of drilling operations, including drilling of hydrogeological testwells and step out drilling in the Verde Domain, the timing of receipt of assay results, the ability to convert resources to probable mineral reserves as part of the Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Santa Cruz Project, future exploration drilling around the Southwest Exploration and Texaco Areas, the potential expansion of the primary sulfide area and discovery of higher grade mineralization in the Southwest Exploration and Texaco Areas, the ability to complete the Santa Cruz Project Preliminary Feasibility Study by end of Q2 2025, and other planned or potential developments in the businesses of Ivanhoe Electric. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including changes in the prices of copper or other metals Ivanhoe Electric is exploring for; the results of exploration and drilling activities and/or the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations; the final assessment of exploration results and information that is preliminary; the significant risk and hazards associated with any future mining operations, extensive regulation by the US government as well as local governments; changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with Ivanhoe Electric to perform as agreed; and the impact of political, economic and other uncertainties associated with operating in foreign countries, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economy. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements and risk factors described in Ivanhoe Electric's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Ivanhoe Electric cautions you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Subject to applicable securities laws, Ivanhoe Electric does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release, and Ivanhoe Electric expressly disclaims any requirement to do so. SOURCE: Ivanhoe Electric Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Gold River Production Services, Inc. shareholder update: Dear Shareholders, We are thrilled to share some exciting updates on the company's recent progress and key deliverables! 2023 Year-End Audited Financials: We are diligently finalizing our 2023 financial audit, anticipating completion within the next 35-40 days. While our 2023 year-end financials will reflect a portion of our harvest revenues, the majority from shrimp sales will be showcased in our 1Q24 financials. The slight delay in the audit is due to our successful S-1 completion earlier this year, which became effective in mid-February, and our commitment to adhering to SEC reporting requirements. We eagerly await sharing the full harvest revenue details in our forthcoming 10K and 10Q filings. Ticker and Name Change with FINRA: We recognize the extended timeline for this process and appreciate your patience. We are diligently working with FINRA to resolve historical gaps from our Delaware domicile period. We are nearing a resolution and will keep you updated, as this is crucial for our future marketing, branding, and overall company development strategy. Broodstock Export to India: We are proud to have been approved as a preferred importer of Broodstock to India. Currently, we are securing USDA export permits. Collaborating closely with our APHIS-USDA certified veterinarian for animal health testing (with no issues in the past seven years) and coordinating a required site inspection, we aim to finalize these steps by summer. This will enable us to fulfill the impressive backlog of orders we've received. Shrimp Sales Announcement: As mentioned on our Twitter in March, we are on the verge of announcing final approval from our shrimp buyers. This will include details of the sale, the buyer, and our long-term collaboration plan. We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to deliver our premium quality shrimp to consumers. Thank you all for your unwavering support over the past two years. We have been working relentlessly to create value for our shareholders, and we are confident that the progress outlined above will significantly contribute to our shared success. For more information about Trans American Aquaculture and its mission, please visit https://transamaqua.com IR Contact Cervitude IR hello@cervitude.com 203-685-0346 About Trans American Aquaculture Trans American Aquaculture OTC Pink:GRPS) is a leading sustainable aquaculture company committed to meeting the increasing global demand for responsibly sourced seafood. With advanced technology, state-of-the-art facilities, and a dedication to environmental sustainability, the company is revolutionizing the shrimp farming industry. Trans American Aquaculture strives to provide high-quality, eco-friendly shrimp to consumers while maintaining the highest standards of transparency and ethical practices. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans, and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether because of new information, future developments or otherwise. SOURCE: Gold River Production Services, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com 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. - Amir Inamdar, Chief Medical Officer, to appear on panel discussions on June 5 and June 8 - - Ellen James, Director, Clinical Development, to present abstract titled "SPL026 (DMT fumarate) in combination with SSRIs for patients with Major Depressive Disorder" on June 6, 2024 - Cybin Inc. (NYSE American:CYBN) (Cboe CA:CYBN) ("Cybin" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to revolutionizing mental healthcare by developing new and innovative next-generation psychedelic-based treatment options, today announced that Amir Inamdar, MBBS, DNB (Psych), MFPM, Cybin's Chief Medical Officer, and Ellen James, Ph.D., Cybin's Director, Clinical Development, will participate at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research ("ICPR") taking place June 6-8, 2024, in Haarlem, Amsterdam. Dr. Inamdar will speak at the following two panels: "Towards Marketing Approval of Psychedelics Designing Trials and Engaging with Regulators" at the Pathways to Access Summit (PATHS), a pre-ICPR event, on Wednesday, June 5 at 10:20 a.m. Central European Time. "Pathways to access in Europe" at ICPR on Saturday, June 8 at 2:20 p.m. Central European Time. Dr. James will present "SPL026 (DMT fumarate) in combination with SSRIs for patients with Major Depressive Disorder" on Thursday, June 6 at 2:40 p.m. Central European Time. "I look forward to discussing some of the critical issues and key challenges unique to clinical trial design for psychedelic treatments, and pathways to marketing authorization in Europe," stated Amir Inamdar, Cybin's Chief Medical Officer. "I am eager to learn from leaders in the scientific community and to share the significant progress that Cybin has made across CYB003, our deuterated psilocybin analog program for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder ("MDD"), and CYB004, our proprietary deuterated dimethyltryptamine ("DMT") molecule in development for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder ("GAD"). With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent Breakthrough Therapy Designation for CYB003, and positive data in hand from our recently completed Phase 2 trial, we are nearing the start of our multinational, multisite Phase 3 program for CYB003. This, coupled with the growing attention and acceptance of the psychedelics sector as a whole, presents an opportune time to discuss the regulatory and commercial path forward for psychedelics and to share key learnings from our early clinical studies. Cybin is pleased to be a leader in bringing improved treatments to address the urgent needs in mental healthcare," concluded Dr. Inamdar. "The ICPR is an important forum for engagement with top researchers in the field, and I am grateful for the opportunity to present data from our study of SPL026 (DMT fumarate) in combination with SSRIs for patients with MDD," said Ellen James, Cybin's Director, Clinical Development. "While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ("SSRIs") are the dominant treatment for MDD, recent studies with psychedelics have most often been conducted with patients not currently taking SSRIs. Our open-label study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and exploratory efficacy of a single SPL026 intravenous dose, alone or in combination with SSRIs. The results suggest that patients can safely continue using their antidepressants while undergoing psychedelic treatment and, in fact, that it may be beneficial for patients to remain on their ongoing SSRIs," concluded Dr. James. About Cybin Cybin is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company on a mission to create safe and effective psychedelic-based therapeutics to address the large unmet need for new and innovative treatment options for people who suffer from mental health conditions. Cybin's goal of revolutionizing mental healthcare is supported by a network of world-class partners and internationally recognized scientists aimed at progressing proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, and novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens. The Company is currently developing CYB003, a proprietary deuterated psilocybin analog for the treatment of major depressive disorder and CYB004, a proprietary deuterated DMT molecule for generalized anxiety disorder and has a research pipeline of investigational psychedelic-based compounds. Headquartered in Canada and founded in 2019, Cybin is operational in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland. For company updates and to learn more about Cybin, visit www.cybin.com or follow the team on X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Cautionary Notes and Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release relating to the Company are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's plan to initiate a multinational, multisite Phase 3 trial for CYB003; data from the study of SPL026; and the Company's proprietary drug discovery platforms, innovative drug delivery systems, novel formulation approaches and treatment regimens for mental health disorders. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: implications of the spread of COVID-19 on the Company's operations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the psychedelics market; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for growth; political, social and environmental uncertainties; employee relations; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions in the markets where the Company operates; and the risk factors set out in each of the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the three and nine month periods ended December 31, 2023, and the Company's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2023, which are available under the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure 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. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Cybin makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about Cybin's proposed products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding psilocybin, psychedelic tryptamine, tryptamine derivatives or other psychedelic compounds. The efficacy of such products has not been confirmed by approved research. There is no assurance that the use of psilocybin, psychedelic tryptamine, tryptamine derivatives or other psychedelic compounds can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Rigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. Cybin has not conducted clinical trials for the use of its proposed products. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential products do not imply that Cybin verified such in clinical trials or that Cybin will complete such trials. If Cybin cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on Cybin's performance and operations. Neither the Cboe Canada nor the NYSE American LLC stock exchange have approved or disapproved the contents of this news release and are not responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the contents herein. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529887158/en/ Contacts: Investors Media: Gabriel Fahel Chief Legal Officer Cybin Inc. 1-866-292-4601 irteam@cybin.com or media@cybin.com ILST expects to expand rapidly in US Markets using Rolling Rock Corporation's (RCC) Advanced Solventless Concentrate Technology Partnership plans to launch Premium New Products initially in Canada through existing partnerships RCC's Unique Clean Processing Technologies and Products for Concentrates and Products provide ILST with a competitive edge in North American and European Markets DOVER, DE / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / International Star, Inc. (OTC PINK:ILST) (the "Company" or "ILST") is pleased to announce the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent between ILST and Rolling Room Corporation (RRC). Under the terms of the LOI, RRC and ILST will be partnering to bring innovative pre-rolled cannabis products to the North American and European markets. This planned expansion is expected to start with a rapid deployment in Canada, followed by the United States and ultimately Europe. This strategy is part of the Company's plan to increase shareholder value by growing revenues through brand and market expansion and revolutionary products. RRC is committed to quality consistency and consumer satisfaction. They specialize in developing innovative pre-roll solventless cannabis products, leveraging advanced processing technologies to ensure their products meet the highest industry expectations. RRC's pioneering techniques and robust product lineup are a testament to their dedication to elevating the cannabis pre-roll market through technological excellence and creative solutions. Visit RRC's website https://rollingroomcorporation.com to learn more about their business. Todd Masse, CEO of ILST, commented, "Our collaboration with Rolling Room Corporation harnesses cutting-edge pre-roll processing technology and deep market insights. We are set to redefine the consumer experience in the cannabis industry globally. Starting with Canada and swiftly moving to the USA and Europe, our goal is to deliver unparalleled product quality and consistency under the brands we represent." Steve Mix, CEO of Rolling Room Corporation, added, "We are thrilled to join forces with ILST to bring our advanced pre-roll technologies to new markets. Our commitment to quality and innovation aligns perfectly with ILST's vision. Together, we will set a new standard in the cannabis industry, ensuring consumers have access to the highest quality pre-rolled products available." About Rolling Room Rolling Room Corporation specializes in the development of innovative pre-roll cannabis products, focusing on advanced processing technologies that ensure quality, consistency, and consumer satisfaction. Known for its pioneering techniques and a robust product lineup, Rolling Room is dedicated to elevating the cannabis pre-roll market through technological excellence and creative solutions About International Star Inc: International Star Inc. (OTC: ILST) operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Budding Equity Inc. ("BEi") and its 20% ownership stake in B Studios LLC. BEi owns and licenses intellectual property through contracts with movie studios and celebrities and structures licensing deals with third parties for cannabis-related products. The company also maintains joint ventures with affiliates of Ice Cube and Kevin Smith to license and brand cannabis and cannabis-related products. B Studios focuses on producing cannabis-themed films and capitalizing on product placement and licensing. A core focus of ILST remains acquiring and developing innovative businesses with high growth potential in the cannabis space and beyond. For more information, you can visit our website at www.ilstinc.com . For media inquiries, please contact/mail to: Investors@ilstinc.com Contact Information: International Star, Inc. 8 The Green Suite 16020 Dover, DE 19901 Website: www.ilstinc.com Forward-Looking Statement The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume 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 new information becomes available in the future. SOURCE: International Star, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com (TSXV:OGN)(OTCQX:OGNRF) Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen" or the "Company") is pleased to report a profitable quarter and positive cashflows generated from operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024. Q1-2024 Highlights All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Royalty Revenue: Royalty revenue of $1,478,699 (2023 - $1,314,066) was earned in the current quarter with 508 (2023 - 508) attributable gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") sold at average price of US$2,070 (2023 - US$1,877) per ounce, up 13% compared to the same period in 2023. Royalty revenue of $1,478,699 (2023 - $1,314,066) was earned in the current quarter with 508 (2023 - 508) attributable gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") sold at average price of US$2,070 (2023 - US$1,877) per ounce, up 13% compared to the same period in 2023. Prospect Generation: The Company recorded $437,319 (2023 - $940,059) in income from prospect generation activities during the current period, down 53% compared to 2023. The challenges in the junior exploration equity market resulted in fewer transactions completed compared to 2023. The Company recorded $437,319 (2023 - $940,059) in income from prospect generation activities during the current period, down 53% compared to 2023. The challenges in the junior exploration equity market resulted in fewer transactions completed compared to 2023. Net Income from Operations: Net income was $285,647 (2023 - $632,213) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, down 55% from 2023 mainly due to lower revenue generated from prospect generation activities. Net income was $285,647 (2023 - $632,213) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, down 55% from 2023 mainly due to lower revenue generated from prospect generation activities. G&A Expenses : General and administrative expenses of $1,378,975 (2023 - $1,493,432) were incurred in the current period, down 8% compared to 2023. : General and administrative expenses of $1,378,975 (2023 - $1,493,432) were incurred in the current period, down 8% compared to 2023. Cash flow : Cash flow of $893,780 (2023 - $1,162,045) was generated from operating activities in the current fiscal quarter. Cash flow generated from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital, was $422,924 (2023 - $246,032), up 72% from 2023. : Cash flow of $893,780 (2023 - $1,162,045) was generated from operating activities in the current fiscal quarter. Cash flow generated from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital, was $422,924 (2023 - $246,032), up 72% from 2023. Working Capital: The Company has working capital of $19,002,637 on March 31, 2024, compared to $18,524,073 at the beginning of the fiscal year, an increase of $478,564. The Company has no long-term debt. Paddy Nicol, CEO of Orogen Royalties, commented, "We have delivered another profitable quarter despite the tough market conditions in the junior mining space. The prospect generation business is cyclical in nature and the demand for our projects is often directly related to capital availability. However, we have a prospective portfolio of projects with multiple analogues to the Expanded Silicon gold project, where we have a 1% net smelter royalty interest, and is operated by AngloGold Ashanti NA. We will continue to market these projects in addition to growing our project pipeline while maintaining a financially sustainable operation." For complete details of the Company's financial results, please refer to the condensed interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2024, and 2023. The Company's filings are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on Orogen's website at www.orogenroyalties.com. Please also see non-IFRS Measures at the end of this news release. Summary of Results Key Royalty Assets Ermitano Royalty, Sonora, Mexico First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") operates the Ermitano Mine, where the Company holds a 2.0% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, the Company recorded $1,478,699 (2023 - $1,314,066) in royalty revenue generated from the Ermitano mine, up 13% from 2023. This represents 508 GEOs (2023 - 508 GEOs) based on an average price of US$2,070 per ounce (2023 - US$1,877), no change in GEOs when compared to 2023 and down 26% compared to the previous quarter. The reduction compared to the previous quarter was due to stope scheduling within the mine plan leading to lower mined grades. Despite the reduction, production is tracking above First Majestic's 2024 guidance. During the current quarter, the mill processed 224,394 tonnes of ore compared to 233,601 tonnes processed last quarter. Average silver and gold head grades during the current quarter were 72 grams per tonne ("g/t") and 3.16 g/t, respectively, compared to average silver and gold head grades of 106 g/t and 3.88 g/t, respectively, of the previous quarter. Silver and gold recoveries averaged 69% and 95%, respectively, compared to recoveries of 73% and 96% from the previous quarter. Both silver and gold production were lower compared to the previous quarter, and this was due to lower mill feed head grades. First Majestic spent US$2.1 million in exploration costs that resulted in the completion of 2,250 metres of underground development at the Ermitano mine. This included six drill rigs, consisting of four surface and two underground rigs that completed 9,911 metres of exploration drilling, representing a 25% increase compared to the previous quarter.1 Expanded Silicon Project, Nevada, USA AngloGold Ashanti NA ("AngloGold") operates the Expanded Silicon gold project, consisting of the Silicon and Merlin deposits, where the Company holds a 1% NSR royalty. Further to the Company's Expanded Silicon update of May 1, 2024, Anglogold disclosed an additional exploration summary for its quarter ending March 31, 2024: "the drill program at Merlin continued to return very high tenor results that both confirm and extend the modelled mineralisation. At Silicon, limited geotechnical drilling took place and a piezometer hole drilled in 2023 returned a significant intercept nine hundred metres north of the defined Mineral Resource, highlighting the open potential of the mineralisation system. Ground gravity and Ambient Noise Tomography geophysical surveys were completed east of Merlin"2 As of December 31, 2023, reported Mineral Resources at the Expanded Silicon gold project include: Table 1:Reported Mineral Resources at the Expanded Silicon gold project3 Qualified Person Statement All technical data, as disclosed in this press release, has been verified by Laurence Pryer, Ph.D., P.Geo., VP Exploration for Orogen. Dr. Pryer is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. Certain technical disclosure in this release is a summary of previously released third-party information and the Company is relying on the interpretation provided. Additional information can be found on the links in the footnotes. About Orogen Royalties Inc. Orogen Royalties is focused on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisitions on precious and base metal discoveries in western North America. The Company's royalty portfolio includes the Ermitano gold and silver Mine in Sonora, Mexico (2.0% NSR royalty) operated by First Majestic Silver Corp. and the Expanded Silicon gold project (1.0% NSR royalty) in Nevada, U.S.A, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti NA. The Company is well financed with several projects actively being developed by joint venture partners. On Behalf of the Board OROGEN ROYALTIES INC. Paddy Nicol President & CEO To find out more about Orogen, please contact Paddy Nicol, President & CEO at 604-248-8648, and Marco LoCascio, Vice President of Corporate Development at 604-248-8648. Visit our website at www.orogenroyalties.com. Orogen Royalties Inc. 1015 - 789 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6C 1H2 https://www.firstmajestic.com/investors/news-releases/first-majestic-produces-52-million-ageq-oz-in-q1-2024 https://thevault.exchange/?get_group_doc=143/1715250559-Q12024ExplorationReport.pdf https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1973832/000162828024017820/exhibit191510merlintrsexhi.htm Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward looking statements". All statements in this presentation, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Orogen Royalties Inc. (the "Company") expect to occur, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by 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. Forward-looking information in this news release includes disclosures regarding NSR royalty payments to be paid to the Company by First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") the owners and operator of the Ermitano mine located in Mexico and that the forecasted revenue which are based on First Majestic "NI 43-101 Technical Report on Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Estimates" having an effective date of June 30, 2021. In addition to the technical report, the disclosure herein also contains and the updated mineral reserve and resource estimates for the Ermitano mine based on the Santa Elena Mineral Reserve, Resource Estimates with an effective date of December 31, 2023 as announced by First Majestic on April 1, 2024 and as disclosed in their December 31, 2023 AIF, and First Majestic's MD&A for the period ended December 31, 2023. Forward-looking statements are based on several material assumptions, which management of the Company believe to be reasonable, including, but not limited to, the continuation of mining operations in respect of which the Company will receive NSR royalty payments, that the commodity prices will not experience a material adverse change, mining operations that underlie the royalty will operate in accordance with the disclosed parameters and other assumptions may be set out herein. Except where otherwise stated, the disclosure in this news release relating to properties and operations in which Orogen holds a royalty are based on information publicly disclosed by the owners or operators of these properties and information/data available in the public domain as at the date hereof, and none of this information has been independently verified by Orogen. Specifically, as a royalty holder and prospect generator, the Company has limited, if any, access to properties on which it holds royalty or other interests in its asset portfolio. The Company may from time to time receive operating information from the owners and operators of the mining properties, which it is not permitted to disclose to the public. Orogen is dependent on, (i) the operators of the mining properties and their qualified persons to provide information to Orogen, or (ii) on publicly available information to prepare disclosure pertaining to properties and operations on the properties on which the Company holds royalty or other interests, and generally has limited or no ability to independently verify such information. Although the Company does not have any knowledge that such information may not be accurate, there can be no assurance that such third-party information is complete or accurate. Some reported public information in respect of a mining property may relate to a larger property area than the area covered by Orogen's royalty or other interest. Orogen's royalty or other interests may cover less than 100% of a specific mining property and may only apply to a portion of the publicly reported mineral reserves, mineral resources and or production from a mining property. Non-IFRS Measures The Company has included certain results in this news release that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") including total GEOs sold, average realized gold price per GEO, and cash flow from operating activities excluding changes in non-cash working capital adjustments. The Company's royalty revenue is converted to a gold equivalent ounce by dividing the royalty revenue received during the period by the average gold price of the period. The Company has also used the non-IFRS measure of operating cash flows excluding changes in non-cash working capital. This measure is calculated by adding back the decrease or subtracting the increase in changes in non-cash working capital to or from cash provided by (used in) operating activities. 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. SOURCE: Orogen Royalties Inc View the original press release on accesswire.com Rock sample trace element geochemistry highlights robust epithermal and porphyry style alteration signatures. Petrographic evidence supports timing relationships of a late epithermal alteration assemblage overprinting an earlier (hotter) copper-molybdenum enriched porphyry style alteration. Petrography confirms high temperature potassic alteration associated with higher grade copper mineralization. Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Transition Metals Corp. (TSXV: XTM) ("Transition", "the Company") is pleased to announce updates regarding ongoing geological studies, as well as provide an update on upcoming exploration plans for the Pike Warden project ("the Property"), Yukon. Petrographic and geochemical studies have further highlighted the prospectivity for porphyry style copper-molybdenum mineralization on the Property. The Pike Warden Project (Figure 1) is located in the traditional territory of Carcross/Tagish First Nation and is situated on the northern rim of the Bennett Lake Caldera Complex, one of the largest extinct volcanic centers in Canada. Greg Collins, P.Geo., COO of Transition Metals, commented, "Our work further highlights the prospectivity of this unique part of the Cordillera. It is exciting that the petrographic and geochemical evidence has confirmed porphyry style signatures coincident with the grades of copper we are seeing. Elsewhere in the Cordillera, such signatures can be associated with large and economic copper systems. We look forward to continuing our exploration efforts this summer, once the field season in the Yukon gets underway in July." Figure 1. - Location of the Pike Warden Project To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2766/210850_cb15cfda048718a5_002full.jpg Discussion of Results Petrographic analysis on a select batch of 26 rock samples is being carried out by Fabrizio Colombo, Ph.D., P.Geo., of Ultra Petrography and Geoscience Inc. ("UPG"), to characterize host lithologies, alteration assemblages, and mineralization which could be proximal to porphyry centers. Preliminary observations from this study highlight that the samples can be categorized into three subsects: 1) Samples which display alteration and veining characteristics of precious metal enriched epithermal alteration and mineralization, 2) Samples which exhibit chlorite-epidote-albite assemblage (propylitic alteration), and 3) Samples which exhibit strong alteration comprising albite-chlorite-biotite-epidote-quartz-chalcopyrite assemblage, representing a much higher temperature of alteration. Notably, one of these samples collected in 2023 from the Copper North showing, returned a value of 2.3% Cu (see Company news release dated September 11, 2023). The significance of alteration observed in this sample was qualified by UPG as important, stating that the sample provides "a good indication of the occurrence of high temperature porphyry-type alteration assemblages associated with Cu and Cu-Mo mineralization at surface". Three trace element indices have been reviewed and applied to further highlight and characterize mineralizing systems: 1) A thermal index1, used as a vector for heat flow and heat-flux footprints in epithermal-porphyry systems, 2) The Mineral Deposit Research Unit's (MDRU) porphyry indices2 (MPIx, MPIx-Lateral) are used to map the mineralization footprints both vertically and laterally, and 3) The Na-Ca depletion index3, which helps map the intensity of muscovite and advanced argillic alteration. These indices provide tools to compare prospects in a district, assess size, and qualify level of burial, which assists to define and prioritize drill targets. Supported by petrographic evidence, the trace element geochemical indices highlight the potential for multiple mineralized centers. Some samples collected from high thermal index areas have been observed petrographically as being overprinted by lower temperature phyllic and argillic alteration assemblages. This relationship highlights a spatial overlap in places between an early high temperature porphyry alteration assemblage overprinted by lower temperature epithermal alteration and mineralization. Samples exhibiting higher MPIx values, and Na-Ca depletion index values, imply proximity to a Cu-Mo (Au/Ag) porphyry system. The data highlights multiple sites exhibiting high MPIx values clustered near intersections between strong concentric and radial structures related to the Bennett Lake caldera (Figure 2). Halley, S., Dilles, J.H., and Tosdal, R.M., 2015, Footprints: Hydrothermal alteration and geochemical dispersion around porphyry copper deposits: SEG Newsletter, no. 100, p. 1, 12-17. Bouzari, F., Bissig, T., Hart, C.J.R., and Leal-Meija, H., 2019, An exploration framework for porphyry to epithermal transitions in the Toodoggone mineral district (94E): Geoscience BC Report 2019-18, 105 p. 3 Bouzari, F., Lee, R.G., Hart, C.J.R. and van Straaten, B.I. (2021): Mineralogical and geochemical vectors within advanced argillic-altered rocks of north-central British Columbia (NTS 094E/02, 15, 104I/05); in Geoscience BC Summary of Activities 2020: Minerals, Geoscience BC, Report 2021-01, p. 91-104. Figure 2: Pike Warden project preliminary alteration mapping with prominent structural trends, discovered polymetallic showings, highlighting samples displaying elevated MPIx porphyry index values. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2766/210850_cb15cfda048718a5_003full.jpg Yukon Mineral Exploration Program The Company is pleased to inform that the Pike Warden project has been approved to receive up to $50,000 in grant funding under the Yukon Mineral Exploration Program (YMEP) for 2024-2025. The Company would like to acknowledge the support of the Yukon government and all its stakeholders. This program supports placer and hard rock exploration projects by reimbursing a percentage of approved exploration expenditures, with the intent to support early-stage projects and stimulate new mineral discoveries. It is important to note that the opinions and views expressed in this announcement are those of Transition Metals Corp., and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Yukon. Next Steps The Company has contracted Geotech Ltd. of Aurora, Ontario, to complete a helicopter-borne Z-Axis Tipper Electromagnetic (ZTEM) geophysical survey over the property. ZTEM systems are capable of deeply penetrating electromagnetic signatures (>1-2km) that permits the mapping of geologic units, structure and alteration based on lateral resistivity contrasts. Audio-frequency magnetic (AFMAG) data from this survey will be used to create a 3-D subsurface resistivity inversion model to help determine prospective targets for porphyry centers on the Property. Further, the Company is also planning a robust field program, starting in July, to continue its sampling, bedrock mapping, and alteration mapping efforts on the property. These efforts will further aid in defining mineralization and further characterize prospective sites for drill targeting on the Property. About the Pike Warden Property The Pike Warden property is located approximately 65 kilometres southwest of Whitehorse, Yukon, and is composed of 203 contiguous mining claims totaling approximately 41 km. The property encompasses a combination of historic and recently discovered high-grade polymetallic gold, copper, and silver epithermal showings that are indicative of a large epithermal-porphyry system in the vicinity of the Bennett Lake Volcanic Complex. In June 2022, Transition entered into an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the property from the Vendor in exchange for cash, shares, and work expenditures over a four-year period (see Company news release dated June 28, 2022). Qualified Person The technical elements of this press release have been approved by Mr. Benjamin Williams, P.Geo. (PGO), who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Transition Metals Corp. Transition Metals Corp. (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity explorer. Its award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience which actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, often allowing the company to acquire properties inexpensively. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution. Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting: Scott McLean President and CEO Transition Metals Corp. Tel: (705) 669-1777 Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information 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 the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company 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 TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210850 SOURCE: Transition Metals Corp. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Volatus Aerospace Corp. (TSXV:VOL)(OTCQB:VLTTF) ("Volatus" or "the Company") announces a collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. to use their AnyMile drone-based, logistics operations management platform to provide end-to-end logistics management to scale. Later this year, the two companies will work together on a funded trial to provide logistics and deliveries to offshore oil rigs. Subject to the closing of Volatus' previously announced merger of equals with Drone Delivery Canada (DDC), the collaboration anticipates using the DDC Canary aircraft flown from their operational control centre (OCC). In the emerging drone delivery market, there has been a lot of attention on the drone and regulations. However, to scale, there needs to be an intuitive system for customers to manage their package delivery from origin to destination-the AnyMile platform addresses this need and enables package delivery logistics management at scale. "Volatus sees this collaboration as an opportunity to enhance our customer logistics experience, enabling them to scale seamlessly," said Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace. "Drone delivery needs to be convenient, scalable, and beneficial for adoption. It should be as simple as coordinating package delivery with any of today's major carriers. This is why we are collaborating with Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. to use their AnyMile platform." "The AnyMile platform provides an end-to-end, trustworthy system to manage the cargo delivery operations of Volatus. From start to finish, we enable customers to track and monitor their shipments reliably, no matter how complex," said Zafer Sahinoglu, Ph.D., VP of Innovation for Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. "We are excited to collaborate with Volatus to bring innovation and solve problems." About Volatus Aerospace: Volatus Aerospace Corp. is a leading international provider of aerial intelligence solutions, using drones and commercial aircraft. Volatus serves civil, public safety, and defense markets with imaging and inspection, security and surveillance, equipment sales and support, training, as well as R&D, design, and manufacturing. We are focused on introducing green and innovative drone solutions to supplement and replace traditional aircraft and helicopters for long-linear inspections such as pipeline, energy, rail, and cargo services. Volatus is committed to carbon neutrality; the fostering of a safe, equitable and inclusive workplace; and responsible governance. About Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., a US affiliate company of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and home to the Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Center, manufactures cooling and heating products, elevators and escalators, space and sensing systems, and semiconductor devices. Mitsubishi Electric contributes to a vibrant and sustainable society through continuous innovation and a commitment to "Making Changes for the Better." For additional information visit us.mitsubishielectric.com. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" 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. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words 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 statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" (or other variations of the foregoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information includes information regarding: (i) the anticipated benefits of, and estimated revenue to be generated by, the master service agreement; (ii) the business plans and expectations of the Company; (iii) the expected closing of the business combination with Drone Delivery Canada; and (iv) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial, and economic data and operating plans, strategies, or beliefs of management as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that 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 may be based on information currently available to the Company, including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects 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. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to it and on assumptions it believes to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. In some instances, material factors or assumptions are discussed in this news release in connection with statements containing forward-looking information. Such material factors and assumptions include, but are not limited to: the anticipated benefits and revenues of the master service agreement to the Company; the commercialization of drone flights beyond visual line of sight and potential benefits to the Company; the ability to satisfy the conditions to closing of the business combination with Drone Delivery Canada, some of which are beyond the control of the Company and Drone Delivery Canada; meeting the continued listing requirements of the TSXV; and including, but not limited to, those factors set forth in the Company's Annual Information Form under the section "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and, other than as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. 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. 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 news release. TSXV:VOL Contact Details Dean Attridge Vice President, Solutions Engineering, Volatus Aerospace +1 702-755-9825 Dean.Attridge@volatusaerospace.com Glen Lynch Chief Executive Officer Volatus Aerospace Corp. glen.lynch@volatusaerospace.com SOURCE: Volatus Aerospace Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - STLLR Gold Inc. (TSX: STLR) (OTCQX: STLRF) (FSE: O9D) ("STLLR" or the "Company") and the Tlicho Investment Corporation ("TIC"), the business arm of the Tlicho Government, are pleased to announce funding from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency ("CanNor") for C$619,625 to support a two-year project to install a renewable energy generation and storage unit at the Colomac Gold Project in the Northwest Territories ("NWT"), Canada. The total project cost is C$774,543 including an investment from TIC. Project activities include the purchase and installation of a solar power generation and storage unit (panels, inverters, and batteries) and staff training on the unit's operation and maintenance. TIC has developed a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship with Solvest Inc. for the installation phase of the project. With an estimated life span of 25 years for the solar panels, and 15 years for the batteries, TIC estimates that STLLR Gold will save approximately 51,000 litres of diesel (equivalent to 138 tonnes of CO2 emissions), reducing STLLR Gold's camp site diesel consumption by 86%. Keyvan Salehi, President and CEO of STLLR Gold, commented, "Our agreement with TIC to build a solar farm at the Colomac Gold Project in the NWT further strengthens our partnership with the Tlicho Nation. The agreement also demonstrates our commitment to long-term sustainable practices and safeguarding the ecosystem at Colomac. The solar farm will supply most of our camp's power requirements, while significantly reducing operating costs and fuel emissions." Paul Gruner, CEO of TIC, comments, "TIC firmly believes that a thriving economy needs strategic investments and collaborative partnerships to build a sustainable future. This project will contribute to our renewable energy capacity and will also serve as an exemplary model of sustainable development for the NWT and Canada as a whole." About STLLR Gold STLLR Gold Inc. (TSX: STLR) (OTCQX: STLRF) (FSE: O9D) is a Canadian gold development company actively advancing two cornerstone gold projects in Canada: The Tower Gold Project in the Timmins Mining Camp in Ontario and the Colomac Gold Project located north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Each of these two projects has the potential for a long-life and large-scale operation and are surrounded by exploration land with favorable upside potential. STLLR's experienced management team, with a track record of successfully advancing projects and operating mines, is working towards rapidly advancing these projects. Contact Us STLLR Gold Investor Relations +1 (416) 863-2105 | investors@stllrgold.com | www.STLLRgold.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210880 SOURCE: STLLR Gold Inc. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Deputy Prime Minister and acting Minister of Health in the government of national unity, Ramadan Boujnah, Wednesday discussed with the Moroccan Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, ways of strengthening and broadening the horizons of future cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing and health insurance 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! Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Cannabis Bioscience International Holdings (OTC Pink: CBIH) announces the engagement of StoneBridge Advisory (stonebridgema.com) for CBIH's company valuation. The Colorado-based firm specializes in business valuations as well as mergers and acquisitions, boasting over three decades of experience in the industry. They represent businesses for sale, and their expertise lies in in-depth professional valuation reports that are IRS Revenue Ruling 59-60 compliant, and meet the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. "As our company continues to evolve and reconstruct itself, we are being approached multiple times per month with potential merger and acquisitions discussions, therefore, having a precise valuation becomes indispensable. It provides useful information to assess compatibility, softens potential disagreements on transaction terms and facilitates negotiations that could benefit all stakeholders" says John Jones, CBIH Treasurer and Director. From a strategic point of view, a valuation could enhance strategic decision-making, and attract investment. However, it is expected to transcend mere financial metrics, as it helps to identify growth opportunities, and navigate competitive and rapidly changing industries. This applies especially to medical cannabis, as the pending reclassification of the plant by the U.S. government could soon approach. "This legal rehabilitation of cannabis could unlock new avenues for business partnerships/opportunities, funding, and banking services. Consequently, CBIH is preparing to seize these advantages, ensuring we are equipped to navigate any scenario that could offer substantial benefits to our company and its shareholders," states Viviana Camacho, CBIH Corporate Controller. CBIH's business program has advanced around multiple edges allowing our valuation to extend beyond traditional financial indicators, acting as a critical framework for assessing our company's worth, pinpointing expansion possibilities, and steering through the dynamic landscape of the medical cannabis market. There is no doubt that valuation is a tool to foster growth, market comparison for our impending sales process, and ensure long-term sustainability. It is a cornerstone of effective business management, and overall corporate governance which is critical for this period in the life of our company. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release may contain forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "should," "intend," "estimate," "projects," variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file at www.OTCmarkets.com. For more information contact us at: (214) 733-0868 ir@cbih.net Dante Picazo CEO - CBIH Website: www.cbih.net X: www.twitter.com/cbihstock Instagram: www.instagram.com/CBIHSTOCK Investor Relations: East Coast Peter Nicosia Bull in Advantage, LLC Phone: 585-703-6565 Email: Info@BlueHorseshoeStocks.com West Coast Zach Logan Pacific Capital Markets LLC Phone: 858.864.0011 Email: pacificcapitalmarketsllc@gmail.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210699 SOURCE: Cannabis Bioscience International Holdings NBX-HEK293 properties can address significant development and manufacturing bottlenecks of gene therapies Engineered clonal cell line fully sequenced, annotated and characterized NewBiologix SA, a technology innovation company focused on addressing gene and cell therapy manufacturing gaps, announced today the launch of NBX-HEK293, the Company's engineered host HEK293 cell line for the production of recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) used in gene therapy. This novel and commercially available host cell line marks a significant advancement for biopharmaceutical companies dedicated to developing gene therapies. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies for long and short-read sequencing, optical mapping, and powerful bioinformatics analysis, the NBX-HEK293 cell line has undergone complete sequencing and annotation, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of its genetic makeup. NBX-HEK293 demonstrates improved and more reliable rAAV titers following transient transfection. NBX-HEK293 consistently outperformed the host polyclonal HEK293 cell line in terms of rAAV production. This translates to higher yields and greater reliability, addressing a significant bottleneck currently experienced when producing viral vectors for gene therapies. Further key features of NBX-HEK293 include robust growth properties, such as optimal doubling time, high-density cell culture performance and fast recovery after single-cell cloning. These attributes ensure consistent and efficient production processes, critical for scaling up gene therapy development. Igor Fisch, Ph.D., NewBiologix CEO and Co-founder, said: "Our dedicated scientists and bioinformaticians have worked diligently to develop the NBX-HEK293 cell line, which not only meets but exceeds industry standards. This innovation is a significant step toward our goal of launching our stable HEK293 cell line producing rAAV particles for gene therapies." Key Advantages of NBX-HEK293: Improved Transfection Efficiencies: Better transfectability using chemical reagents and electroporation. Better transfectability using chemical reagents and electroporation. Robust Growth Properties: Optimal doubling time and high-density culture performance, facilitating scalable production. Optimal doubling time and high-density culture performance, facilitating scalable production. Improved rAAV Titers: Enhanced and consistent rAAV production compared to the host polyclonal HEK293 cell line. The attributes of NBX-HEK293 make it an ideal choice for transient transfection processes and scalable production while ensuring phenotypic and genomic stability. By streamlining manufacturing processes, NewBiologix seeks to help its customers facilitate faster and more cost-effective delivery of life-changing gene therapies to patients worldwide. About NewBiologix SA Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, NewBiologix SA is a technology innovation company focused on developing a proprietary and breakthrough platform for the advanced engineering of cells lines for the production of viral vectors used in gene and cell therapies. By combining an innovative and proprietary bioinformatics platform with advanced R&D experimentation, the company's mission is to help biopharmaceutical companies develop transformative gene therapies faster, safer and at scale. Learn more at www.newbiologix.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529250579/en/ Contacts: DeborahLey Chief Operating Officer deborah.ley@newbiologix.com Kindeva Drug Delivery (Kindeva), a leading global health security provider of CBRN medical countermeasures, announced that it donated a supply of autoinjectors specifically an antidotal treatment for chemical nerve agents to Ukraine through the rescEU reserve of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to aid civilians affected by the war in Ukraine.1 Medical countermeasures (MCMs), such as the ATNAA (Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent Autoinjector), are instrumental in protecting the lives of civilians and military in the event of a chemical nerve agent attack. This donation was coordinated with the European Commission, which in 2022, established an operational system under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to channel in-kind donations from the private sector to Ukraine, Moldova, and neighboring EU countries. Via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the EU coordinates emergency supply items, therapeutics and medicines, medical devices, shelter items, and more from private and public companies and entities and non-EU governmental institutions that become part of the rescEU reserve to offer an additional layer of protection when disasters strike. The Governmental Strategic Reserves Agency (RARS) in Poland acts on behalf of the European Commission and rescEU to receive the donation and arrange for local transport to Ukraine. "The rescEU reserve allows the EU to respond more quickly to medical needs caused by health crises, like the war in Ukraine," said Kindeva's Tom Handel, Commercial Head Injectables Health Security. "Meridian Medical Technologies (Meridian), which merged with Kindeva Drug Delivery in December 2022 to create a leading drug-device CDMO, is the global health security business unit of Kindeva. The company has been putting emergency care treatment options into the hands of military and civilian defenders for more than 60 years and will continue to do so as a combined organization. Kindeva is pleased we were able to work with the European Commission to donate our chemical nerve agent antidote autoinjectors to boost Ukraine's CBRN stockpile." For more information about what items can be donated, visit European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. About Kindeva Drug Delivery Kindeva Drug Delivery is a global contract development and manufacturing organization focused on drug-device combination products. We develop and manufacture products across a broad range of drug-delivery formats, including pulmonary nasal, injectable, and transdermal. Our service offerings span early-stage feasibility through commercial scale drug product fill-finish, container closure system manufacturing, and drug-device product assembly. Kindeva serves a global client base from our state-of-the-art manufacturing, research, and development facilities located across the U.S. and U.K. 1 The delivered goods are meant for emergency aid to Ukraine and are not intended for commercial use in the EU. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529437096/en/ Contacts: Holli Kroeker +1 308-338-2358 pr@scorrmarketing.com CDR-Life Inc. today announced the initiation of enrollment for the Phase 1 trial of CDR404, its lead program in development as a precision immunotherapy for solid tumors. CDR404 will be the focus of an abstract accepted for online presentation at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, occurring May 31 June 4 in Chicago, Illinois. Based on the company's unique M-gager technology, CDR404 is a first-of-its-kind, antibody-based bivalent and bispecific MAGE-A4 T-cell engager (TCE) for the treatment of MAGE-A4 positive solid tumors. The Phase I study evaluating CDR404 is actively enrolling at sites in the U.S. and Europe. To learn more, visit clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06402201). "We are thrilled at the progress being made following the clearance of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. FDA for CDR404 at the start of this year as well as subsequent approval of the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) in Denmark, and look forward to continuing this momentum," said Christian Leisner, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at CDR-Life. "This milestone brings us one step closer to our goal of delivering a better off-the-shelf therapy for cancer patients in need." The ASCO abstract presents findings from a study that assessed the biomarkers responsible for predicting the effectiveness of CDR404 in fighting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. About CDR-Life CDR-Life is developing powerful T-cell engagers (TCE) to eradicate hard-to-treat solid tumors. Our integrated antibody-based TCE platform unlocks access to a wide range of cancer antigens. We are leveraging this platform to advance a pipeline of potent and selective TCE therapeutics targeting intracellular and surface tumor antigens. With a team of proven drug development experts and backed by leading cross-Atlantic investors, we are working to empower patients' own immune systems to eliminate tumors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529582731/en/ Contacts: Media: Lauren Arnold MacDougall Advisors LArnold@macdougall.bio MADRID, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent case won by international law firm, Lexidy Law Boutique, demonstrates the power of legal expertise when navigating complex immigration scenarios between same-sex partners . Despite the positive evolution of human rights in recent years, same-sex couples are still met with challenging situations around the world. So, what happens when a same-sex couple from different parts of the world unite, but their respective countries have different attitudes towards same-sex relationships and immigration policies? This was the reality for a Pakistani national facing persecution at home and visa rejections by the Spanish Embassy in Islamabad, labeled as a 'risk of no return.' In desperate need of a permanent solution to safely live in Spain with their partner, they turned to Lexidy. The case strategy employed by Lexidy's legal department was multifaceted, first considering immediate entry options into the EU for the Pakistani client. Portugal Residence Permit : Contacting Lexidy Portugal to explore residency options. : Contacting Lexidy Portugal to explore residency options. Student Visa : Enrolling the client in a qualifying course at the Spanish Embassy in their home country to facilitate a student visa. : Enrolling the client in a qualifying course at the Spanish Embassy in their home country to facilitate a student visa. Tourist Visa for Another EU Country: Attempting to secure a visa from another EU embassy with more lenient Schengen visa requirements, such as Germany or France. The client would later embark on a bureaucracy-laden journey typically taking 1 to 3 months to secure a more permanent solution, a Residence Card as a family member of an EU national. However, thanks to the strategic navigation of administrative hurdles by the legal department, the procedure was completed within a remarkable two weeks, just days before the client's initial short-term tourist visa was set to expire. This rapid approval not only secured our client's legal status in Spain but also exemplified the positive impact of an efficient and responsive legal team. Spain Immigration Lawyer, Cristina Negro, comments: "This case illustrates Lexidy's commitment to overcoming significant legal and logistical challenges through tailored strategies, ensuring our clients can achieve their life goals in safe and legally secure circumstances. The success of this case is a testament to the power of thorough preparation, international collaboration, and legal expertise in navigating complex immigration scenarios." About Lexidy Law Boutique Lexidy helps expats and foreign entrepreneurs achieve their most important life milestones by providing simple, transparent and friendly 360 legal solutions. Founded in 2015, our global multi-disciplinary legal team has helped individuals, companies, and investors successfully settle and integrate into the local communities of their dream destinations across Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, and Mexico. Lexidy makes the law simple, dynamic and affordable by integrating technology with generations of legal expertise. For more information, visit lexidy.com . Media Contact: Gerald Johnson gerald.johnson@lexidy.com +34 687 090795 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2422430/Lexidy_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lexidy-law-boutique-helps-same-sex-couple-win-race-against-the-clock-302156088.html CHANGZHOU, China, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A photovoltaic power plant in Shandong province, one of the earliest projects in the field, recently encountered efficiency bottlenecks due to its aging technology. To tackle the growing operational and maintenance issues and the decline in power generation efficiency, TrinaTracker, a leading provider of smart tracker solutions under Trinasolar, drew on its extensive expertise and advanced digital intelligence technology, Smart Control System, to carry out a landmark technological transformation. The core of the upgrade involved replacing the power station's outdated electronic control system with TrinaTracker's self-developed TCUs and NCUs. This resolved communications barriers and improved the security defense mechanism. TrinaTracker's meticulously crafted stow strategy automatically activates when high winds strike, intelligently adjusting the tracker based on real-time meteorological data to mitigate risks posed by poor weather. In addition, the TCU identifies motor overloads and triggers the stow program, preventing structural damage caused by overcurrent and ensuring long-term stability and safety. To unlock the power generation potential, TrinaTracker integrated its SuperTrack smart algorithms, equipped with the Smart Backtracking Algorithm (SBA) and Smart Tracking Algorithm (STA). SBA uses a patented mini-shading model to construct a 3D map using terrain data, enabling self-learning and self-optimization for real-time sensing of parameters and maximizing tracker advantages. The STA relies on the Bifacial Irradiance Model to determine the optimal tracker angle for cloudy and rainy conditions, minimizing rotation and extending operational hours. The incorporation of Trina Smart Cloud has revolutionized conventional operational and maintenance practices. The platform enables real-time monitoring, prompt fault detection and display, and features such as data sharing, digital maps and health diagnosis to improve overall operational efficiency and ensure the power plant's health. The O&M company overseeing the power station praised TrinaTracker's "comprehensive technical reform strategy" for significantly resolving operational faults and ensuring robust system operations through the integration of digital monitoring and intelligent tracking technology. In the rapidly evolving photovoltaic industry, technological innovation is the driving force propelling the sector forward. TrinaTracker's Smart Control System is deployed globally, with contracts exceeding 6.2GW across 16 countries and regions. The company is committed to a customer-centric approach, continuously refining and innovating its systems through field projects and collaborative effort to drive down costs and boost efficiency for PV power stations, catalyzing the evolution toward a new type of power system. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423130/shandong_renquan_project_picture.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/unlocking-efficiency-trinatrackers-smart-upgrades-revitalize-solar-power-plant-302156549.html LONDON, May 29, 2024(GBCI). The comprehensive report analyses 79 jurisdictions, which account for 93% of world GDP and 88% of net global FDI flows. It compares 292 annually tracked indicators, offering data on key aspects of doing business such as incorporation timelines, payroll and benefits, rules, regulations and tax rates. These indicators matter both to firms investing in a country and to local firms and entrepreneurs trying to build businesses. There is a correlation across countries between low business complexity and wealth per capita - while that is shaped by many factors, the bureaucratic burden placed on business is a significant contributor. The Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands retain their places among the ten least complex jurisdictions in which to operate typically due to factors such as a simple, stable tax system, adherence to international financial standards and a stable regulatory environment. As far as the UK is concerned, it is still seen as a jurisdiction relatively easy to operate in. The country exhibits low complexity in its accountancy & tax and entity management systems due to its simple, stable tax system and adherence to international financial standards. The regulatory environment is also stable, adding to predictability for businesses. However, the challenges posed by Brexit and Covid-19 are becoming more demanding especially under the Human Resources and staff retention points of view: workers are expecting competitive benefits packages and better work-life balance. Furthermore, post-Brexit, some businesses have re-located their headquarters out of the UK due to high costs and complex hiring requirements, adding more complexity. The United States places outside of the ten least complex jurisdictions for the second year running. The reason behind its placement can be attributed to the introduction of the Corporate Transparency Act, which is ambiguous in its application and unclear about the responsibilities of service providers, with the US currently lacking substantial UBO legislation. Furthermore, the upcoming presidential elections and the recent introduction of foreign tariffs represent a factor of uncertainty for foreign investors as they would feel unsure about the economic outlook of the country. However, in a globalised economy the US remains an attractive jurisdiction for foreign investors, thanks to its skilled workforce and clear global reach. When it comes to complex jurisdictions, Greece takes the top spot in this year's report, climbing from 6th in 2022 and 2nd in 2023. While Greece has consistently been considered complex - particularly within accounting and tax - its HR and payroll (HRP) rules have also increased in complexity in 2024. Furthermore, digitalisation has become an additional challenge to consider. TMF Group CEO Mark Weil said: "There have been several studies pointing to more complex pathways that firms are now establishing to derisk their supply chains and routes to market. Some of those pathways take firms through complex countries to do business. So our clients will be dealing with a double dose of complexity from needing to be present in more countries, many of which will be more difficult to do business in. That is a problem that TMF Group is here to solve as a single, trusted partner helping our clients invest and operate safely across all such locations". GBCI 2024 also identifies the key themes shaping the global business landscape and regulatory environment: The impact of global regulatory compliance on foreign investments This year's edition of the GBCI highlights that most jurisdictions expressed confidence in legislation stability across the next five years, representing a continued upward trajectory on previous years. In 2020, for example, just 35% of jurisdictions predicted it to be likely that there would be no significant change in legislation. Year on year, the sense that no significant change will occur has increased, reaching 58% of jurisdictions in 2024. The report suggests that rather than the amount or complexity of legislation posing a challenge, it is instead the speed with which regulatory changes are introduced where the true difficulty lies. Geopolitical factors and bridge economies Geopolitical instability is evidently impacting the flow of trade and investment choices globally. Whilst energy prices remain high, disruption of supply chains and trade barriers also pose a considerable challenge for global players. As a result, many companies are reviewing their potential growth plans and expansion goals for the longer term. However, whilst geopolitical issues may disrupt supply chains or create trade barriers for some jurisdictions, other jurisdictions are finding themselves benefitting from a global shift. Due to their neutrality on global issues, countries known as 'bridge countries' are able to benefit from moves away from established power blocs. For these 'bridge countries', their newly established position in the global supply chain has become a key way for multi-national businesses looking to manage their risk in a period of international instability. Uncertain times and strategies for success - technology and staff retention Although jurisdictions named a variety of factors that impact growth, IT and technology topped the rankings as most influential. Technology offers growth in multiple ways as it can provide growth opportunities where countries possess technological manufacturing expertise and can increase their market share through production. Using technology to boost productivity was also identified in relation to workforce streamlining. Multiple jurisdictions, including New Zealand and Hong Kong, SAR, were seeing companies automating back-office, entry level and part-time jobs using generative AI to keep workforce numbers low and focus on higher value tasks. At the same time, a large majority of jurisdictions are finding it challenging to attract and retain talent (78%) - with this number even higher for EMEA (90%) and APAC (79%) regions. The ability to effectively respond to demand is largely dependent on two dynamics: local labour laws and regional talent. Jurisdictions with tight labour laws and a strong union presence - or those with a shortage of available talent - are much less able to adapt staffing levels responsively. Top and bottom ten (1= most complex, 79= least complex) 1 Greece 2 France 3 Colombia 4 Mexico 5 Bolivia 6 Turkey 7 Brazil 8 Italy 9 Peru 10 Kazakhstan 70 Jamaica 71 British Virgin Islands 72 Jersey 73 United Kingdom 74 The Netherlands 75 New Zealand 76 Hong Kong, SAR 77 Denmark 78 Curacao 79 Cayman Islands Media Contacts: TMF GROUP: Giampaolo Arghittu giampaolo.arghittu@tmf-group.com Business Standard, May 26, 2024 United Nations agencies have said that the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls will increase the number of child marriages among Afghan girls by 25 per cent, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported. UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have released a joint two-page brief. In the brief, the UN agencies have highlighted the issues faced by Afghan women and their demands of the international community. According to the two-page brief, the continuation of restrictions by Taliban on women and girls will impact child marriages by an increase of 25 per cent, increase early childbearing by 45 per cent, increase the risk of maternal mortality by 50 per cent. Currently, 82 per cent of Afghan women consider their mental health to be bad, according to the brief. It further noted that Afghanistan is the only nation in the world that bans girls from studying in schools beyond the sixth class. Moreover, Afghan women have been banned from attending university, according to TOLO News report. According to the joint brief released by UN agencies, Afghan women have not given up fighting for their right to live life with dignity despite the restrictions imposed on them by Taliban. The brief said, "Afghan women are still forming civil society organisations, still running businesses, and still providing services to their communities; most importantly, Afghan women have continued to find ways to make their demands to the international community clear." In the brief, UN Women, IOM and the UNAMA have said that Afghan women have urged international community to remain focused on the situation in Afghanistan and restore the rights of women, including the rights to education and work, TOLO News reported. UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in the brief said that Afghan women ask the international community to remain focused on the situation in Afghanistan and to restore women's rights, including the rights to education and work, in addition to women's participation in public decision-making. Meanwhile, a number of analysts stated that the world does not have a policy to address these restrictions. Nesar Ahmad Sherzai, a political analyst, stressed that forced marriages can be considered a very small part of the obstacles preventing girls from continuing their educaation "Forced marriages can be considered a very small part of the obstacles preventing girls from continuing their education, but what the United Nations Women's Section claims is not like that. The main and significant obstacles to girls' education are known by the United Nations, credible international institutions, and major powers, but they are wasting time. They do not have fundamental and principled work in hand to remove these limitations from the girls and women of Afghanistan," TOLO News quoted Nesar Ahmad Sherzai as saying. Soraya Paikan, a women's rights activist, said, "Now that school and education have been restricted for girls and they have been deprived, families are once again forcing their daughters into marriage against the principles and civil law of Afghanistan, which sets the minimum age of marriage for girls at 16," TOLO News reported. Earlier, several nations, including the US called for the lifting of bans against women in Afghanistan and stated that Taliban will not be formally recognised until the women's rights are observed. BioNTech and CEPI aim to enhance local R&D, clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing capacities to develop potential mRNA vaccines in Africa, for Africa CEPI to fund up to $145 million to support BioNTech in broadening the scope of the manufacturing facility in Kigali, Rwanda, aimed at addressing needs of African countries and in compliance with global standards Partnership intends to contribute to building a sustainable and resilient end-to-end African vaccine ecosystem BioNTech and CEPI commit to contributing to enabling equitable access, including affordable pricing to select vaccines made at the facility for LMICs, with priority access to African countries, and committed capacity to manufacture emergency response vaccines MAINZ, Germany/OSLO, Norway, May 29, 2024 - BioNTech SE ("CEPI") are expanding their strategic partnership to contribute to building a sustainable and resilient end-to-end African vaccine ecosystem. CEPI is committing up to US $145 million1 to support BioNTech to establish mRNA vaccine R&D, clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities at the Company's facility in Kigali, Rwanda. These capabilities will contribute to efforts to better prepare for potential future epidemic and pandemic threats in Africa. BioNTech's commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Kigali was first announced in 2021 and inaugurated in December 2023 . The facility is based on the Company's high-tech, digitally enabled modular manufacturing units called BioNTainers , designed to manufacture a range of mRNA-based vaccines. BioNTech's Kigali manufacturing facility could become the first commercial mRNA facility in Africa, intended to support the African Union's and Africa CDC's goal of producing 60 percent of total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040. BioNTech and CEPI are committed to enabling equitable access. Under the terms of the agreement BioNTech intends to provide affordable access to BioNTech's prophylactic vaccines manufactured at the Kigali facility, such as vaccines against malaria, mpox and tuberculosis, to low and middle-income countries, with priority supply to African countries, if successfully developed and authorized. BioNTech and CEPI intend to work jointly to rapidly respond to outbreaks on the African continent caused by known viral threats, or an as-yet-unknown pathogen with epidemic or pandemic potential. The BioNTech-CEPI partnership aims to back the Company's existing efforts in three key areas for Africa's pandemic preparedness and vaccine ecosystem: Commercial-scale manufacturing: CEPI's funding will support measures required for the regulatory authorization of the facility in Rwanda, starting in 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, in the event of a disease outbreak or a potential disease outbreak, BioNTech, would dedicate up to half of the facility's manufacturing capacity to produce emergency response mRNA vaccines, subject to regulatory authorization. This effort aims to contribute to the 100 Days Mission, a global initiative to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines in response to an outbreak of a novel Disease X in as little as 100 days. The 100 Days Mission is spearheaded by CEPI and embraced by the G7, G20 and industry leaders. End-to-end clinical-scale manufacturing of novel vaccine candidates: The majority of the CEPI funding will be allocated to set up clinical-scale manufacturing capabilities for mRNA-based vaccine candidates at the Kigali facility. This will allow the BioNTech facility to manufacture on both a clinical and commercial scale, and thus broaden the manufacturing scope, in support of a sustainable use case for the facility while strengthening the wider African vaccine development ecosystem. BioNTech is separately progressing the development of prophylactic mRNA vaccines targeting infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV, and is also focusing on diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential, including mpox (supported by CEPI funding). Clinical trials for tuberculosis, malaria and mpox vaccine programs are underway in Europe, the United States, and South Africa. In addition, BioNTech aims to conduct clinical trials in Africa for vaccine candidates against malaria, HIV, and mpox. Strengthening the African R&D ecosystem for mRNA-based vaccines: CEPI's funding will enable BioNTech to dedicate manufacturing capacities to third party projects with the aim of supporting, pre-clinical and clinical activities, including those by African-based researchers, academic groups, local businesses, public-private partnerships and non-profit organizations2. The projects shall be selected in partnership with global, regional and national healthcare organizations. This effort by BioNTech and CEPI has the potential to enable R&D activities for novel mRNA-based vaccine candidates against pathogens with epidemic or pandemic potential. "Africa still has to import 99 percent of all the vaccines it needs to protect its people from potentially deadly diseases, meaning many are left waiting far too long to get the life-saving doses they need. This must change if the world is going to avoid the terrible inequity of vaccine distribution that so clearly exacerbated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our joint commitment to equitable access, CEPI's investment in BioNTech's forward-looking efforts in Africa will boost regional capacity for end-to-end research, development and rapid manufacturing of mRNA vaccines. This will contribute to Africa's resilience and pandemic readiness and could dramatically alter the course of future outbreaks," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Our partnership with CEPI is an important next step in our comprehensive strategy towards sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Africa. Our joint efforts are strengthening the implementation of a local mRNA vaccine ecosystem - covering the entire spectrum from research and clinical trials to commercial production," said Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. "This, along with our continued efforts to develop mRNA vaccines against diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, and mpox is aimed at bringing lasting health benefits to millions of people in Africa. BioNTech and CEPI first announced their strategic partnership in September 2023 . The following parties, which are not contractually involved in this strategic partnership, indicated their support: Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health, Republic of Rwanda: "The Government of Rwanda is committed to tackling vaccine inequities that were exposed during the pandemic. We believe this innovative partnership we are building can be a demonstration to the world, that Africa is not only building resilience for future pandemics but also creating a sustainable clinical ecosystem across Africa using the most advanced mRNA technology. The power of partnership is what will make this project successful, and today is another great milestone towards creating vaccine equity." H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC), said: "Rapid and equitable access to life-saving vaccines starts with local development and manufacturing. CEPI and BioNTech's joint endeavor in Rwanda will contribute to Africa's R&D ecosystem and support Africa CDC's Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM)'s goal to produce 60 percent of the vaccines needed by the continent by 2040. Working together, we can pave the way to strengthen Africa's pandemic preparedness and health security." Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: "The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks to global health when production of vaccines and other tools is concentrated in too few hands. Strengthening local and regional production, especially in Africa and the Middle East, is critical for ensuring a more equitable response to future epidemics and pandemics, and for fighting other persistent health challenges. Public-private partnerships like this are part of a growing global movement, bringing together companies, foundations and countries to diversify production and make the world a safer place. This is an important day for Rwanda and Africa and should act as a steppingstone for further countries and parties to come together." About CEPI CEPI was launched in 2017 as an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. CEPI has supported the development of more than 50 vaccine candidates or platform technologies against multiple known high-risk pathogens or a future Disease X. Central to CEPI's pandemic-beating five-year plan for 2022-2026 is the '100 Days Mission' to compress the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. About BioNTech Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) is a global next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. BioNTech exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, several protein-based therapeutics, including bispecific immune checkpoint modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, as well as small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global and specialized pharmaceutical collaborators, including Biotheus, DualityBio, Fosun Pharma, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Genevant, Genmab, MediLink, OncoC4, Pfizer and Regeneron. BioNTech Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, but not be limited to, statements concerning: BioNTech's efforts to develop novel prophylactic vaccines for a range of infectious diseases with high medical need; BioNTech's partnership with CEPI and BioNTech's ability to receive up to $145 million in funding; BioNTech's efforts to establish mRNA research and development, clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities at its facility in Kigali; BioNTech's ongoing and future planned clinical trials, including in Africa; and BioNTech's ability to develop and, if successfully developed and approved, commercialize its vaccine candidates. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on BioNTech's current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are neither promises nor guarantees. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond BioNTech's control and which could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with preclinical and clinical data, and including the possibility of unfavorable new preclinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing preclinical, clinical or safety data; the nature of clinical data, which is subject to ongoing peer review, regulatory review and market interpretation; the timing of and BioNTech's ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for its product candidates; discussions with regulatory agencies regarding timing and requirements for additional clinical trials; BioNTech's and its counterparties' ability to manage and source necessary energy resources; BioNTech's ability to identify research opportunities and discover and develop investigational medicines; the ability and willingness of BioNTech's third-party collaborators to continue research and development activities relating to BioNTech's development candidates and investigational medicines; unforeseen safety issues and potential claims that are alleged to arise from the use of products and product candidates developed or manufactured by BioNTech; BioNTech's and its collaborators' ability to commercialize and market, if approved, its product candidates; BioNTech's ability to manage its development and expansion; regulatory developments in the United States and other countries; BioNTech's ability to effectively scale BioNTech's production capabilities and manufacture BioNTech's products and BioNTech's product candidates; risks relating to the global financial system and markets; the future commercial demand and medical need for mRNA-based products in Africa; the availability of raw materials to manufacture a vaccine; competition from other products, including those with different mechanisms of action and different manufacturing and distribution constraints, on the basis of, among other things, efficacy, cost, convenience of storage and distribution, breadth of approved use, side-effect profile and durability of immune response; the ability to obtain recommendations from vaccine advisory or technical committees and other public health authorities and uncertainties regarding the commercial impact of any such recommendations; and other factors not known to BioNTech at this time. You should review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in BioNTech's Report on Form 6-K for the period ended March 31, 2024 and in subsequent filings made by BioNTech with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, BioNTech disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. Press Contact Details CEPI +44 7387 055214 press@cepi.net BioNTech Media Relations Jasmina Alatovic +49 (0)6131 9084 1513 Media@biontech.de Investor Relations Victoria Meissner, M.D. +1 617 528 8293 Investors@biontech.de 1contingent on pre-agreed activity milestones 2Projects must meet certain criteria and shall be selected in partnership with global, regional and national healthcare organizations. OTTAWA, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The federal budget, which is set to be passed before the end of June, includes changes to the Food & Drugs Act that gives the Health Minister the power (Section 326) to override regulatory approval for over-the-counter drugs, natural health products, and medical devices. The Consumer Choice Center's Toronto based David Clement explained why this new power sets Canada down a dangerous path. "Giving the Health Minister the power to override Health Canada approvals on OTC drugs, NHPs, and medical devices creates a scenario that is ripe for ministerial abuse, with a health minister sidestepping Health Canada to regulate from a position of bias, or in response to bad headlines," said Clement. "This power is even more problematic given the products and drugs that are covered by the change. As written, a future Health Minister could use this power to restrict access to OTC drugs like Plan B, or contraception like IUDs, and do so entirely at their discretion," said Clement. "If the Liberals are truly committed to ensuring that women have access to certain forms of contraception, they wouldn't be giving a future Health Minister the authority and ability to override Health Canada approvals. By giving future Health Ministers this power they are setting the table for restrictions," said Clement. ***CCC North American Affairs Manager David Clement is available to speak with accredited media on consumer regulations and consumer choice issues. Please send media inquiries to david@consumerchoicecenter.org.*** The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org. CONTACT: David Clement Consumer Choice Center david@consumerchoicecenter.org 905-220-0704 Leading materials science company, Recover, joins the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network as a Thought Partner for 2024, reaffirming its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its dedication to forging ties across the global fashion and lifestyle industries. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529479473/en/ Recover is a global producer of recycled cotton fiber (Photo: Recover) As a producer of premium recycled cotton fiber, and the first in its space to scale its high-value technology globally, Recover is an important actor within the supply chain to inspire change. It recently restated its support of the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, and its commitment to taking actions that benefit the wider community was a key driver in the company's selection as a Thought Partner for 2024. The UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network, led by the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Fashion Impact Fund, stands as a catalyst for sustainable development within the fashion and lifestyle sectors. It plays a key role in advancing the SDGs by connecting industry stakeholders, media, governments, and UN entities. Together Recover and the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network share a vision of building resilient and traceable supply chains that are needed to achieve circularity. Anders Sjoblom, CEO at Recover, commented: "Partnering with the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network is a milestone for Recover as I believe that strategic partnerships are completely necessary to drive meaningful change within the fashion industry. At Recover, we believe that true innovation lies in creating value not just for our business and the industry but for society and the environment as well, and we look forward to contributing to a more sustainable future for fashion." Kerry Bannigan, Co-Founder, Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network added: "We are delighted to welcome Recover as a Thought Partner to the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network for 2024. Their leadership and innovative approach to circular fashion will significantly contribute to our mission." Recover's first appearance as a 2024 Thought Partner will take place at the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting on June 3rd at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In conversation with Vogue Business correspondent, Madeleine Schulz, Sjoblom will discuss his vision for the company and the challenges and opportunities in the industry today. For press inquiries about the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting, please contact hannah.wesselby@recoverfiber.com. About Recover Recover is a leading materials science company and global producer of low-impact, high-quality recycled cotton fiber and cotton fiber blends. Its premium, environmentally friendly, cost-competitive products are created in partnership with the supply chain for global retailers and brands, offering a sustainable solution to close the loop on fashion. As a fourth-generation, family-owned company with a 75-year history in the textile industry, Recover is on a mission to scale its proprietary technology to make a lasting positive impact on the environment and partner with brands/retailers and other change makers to meet the industry's sustainability targets. About United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network is a collaboration between the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Fashion Impact Fund, dedicated to advancing sustainable development goals within the fashion and lifestyle sectors. For more information, visit https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/action-networks/conscious-fashion-and-lifestyle-network. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529479473/en/ Contacts: Recover press@recoverfiber.com ExpressionEdits, a biotechnology company optimizing protein expression using AI and proprietary intronization technology, announced today a $13 million seed funding round co-led by Octopus Ventures and redalpine, with participation from BlueYard Capital, Wilbe Capital, Acequia Capital, Amino Collective, and Hawktail. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529065386/en/ From left to right: Dr. Kart Tomberg, CEO Co-Founder, Dr. Leopold Parts, CTO, Dr. Rebecca Godfrey, COO. (Photo credit: ExpressionEdits) Founded in 2021 by Dr. Kart Tomberg, Professor Allan Bradley, and Dr. Liliana Antunes based on research from the University of Cambridge, the company's proprietary intronization technology revolutionizes gene design by mimicking the natural genetic landscape. By strategically incorporating multiple short noncoding DNA sequences known as introns into artificial genes, ExpressionEdits has achieved significant enhancements in gene expression which leads to better protein production. The funding will accelerate candidate selection for preclinical studies and develop a pipeline of protein-based therapeutics. The primary focus for the pipeline will be recombinant proteins that have historically faced production and manufacturing challenges based on current technology. "At ExpressionEdits, we're revolutionizing gene expression by putting introns back where they belong, resulting in significant improvements in production," said Dr. Kart Tomberg, CEO Co-Founder, ExpressionEdits. "Our platform empowers precise decisions on which introns to use, where to place them, and how many, unlocking unprecedented levels of protein expression. Our mission is to be the pioneers in making protein therapeutics readily available and accessible to patients." The company's AI-powered platform integrates millions of biological data points with machine learning algorithms, enabling automated optimization of gene design. This transformative technology empowers ExpressionEdits to predict and prioritize key properties of genes, unlocking the production of previously elusive therapeutic proteins. "We believe that the ExpressionEdits platform can become the fabric for any protein expression system, from antibody manufacturing to in vivo therapeutics," said Dr. Hugo Villanueva, Investor, Octopus Ventures. "We're excited to support Kart and the ExpressionEdits team to revitalise healthcare through their mission of improving protein expression to produce novel genetic medicines." "ExpressionEdits unravels the significance and the opportunities of introns, which were once relegated to the dark matter of the human genome," said Michael Sidler, Founding Partner at redalpine. "Their proprietary intronization technology unlocks the capacity to express highly complex molecules previously deemed unattainable, while regulating them with precision. This opens up a groundbreaking new frontier in the recombinant protein therapy space, and we firmly believe that ExpressionEdits will spearhead the growth of this rapidly expanding field." ExpressionEdits' Genetic Syntax Engine is a computational gene editing platform that uses advanced AI and deep biological insights to predict and redesign genes to unlock protein expression across therapeutic modalities. The technology aims to improve the effectiveness and precision of gene therapies, allowing for lower doses to achieve therapeutic levels, thus minimizing toxicity, and expanding the genetic toolbox to further support the targeting of specific tissues, and increasing protein expression levels. About ExpressionEdits ExpressionEdits is a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to enhancing protein expression using advanced AI and proprietary intron technology. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, ExpressionEdits is committed to advancing genetic medicine through innovative research and development. For more information, visit www.expressionedits.com.The company is based in Cambridge, UK. For more information visit www.expressionedits.com. About Octopus Ventures Octopus Ventures, part of Octopus Investments, is one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in the UK and Europe. We're on a mission to invest in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. We back entrepreneurs from the first cheque their business receives, right through to IPO. We manage 2bn and are investing in more than 180 businesses, focusing on the companies solving three of the world's biggest problems: those building a sustainable planet, empowering people, and revitalising healthcare. We know what it takes to build a successful business. We support founders through our strong teams, sector expertise and deep networks, using our people and talent to help them build a better tomorrow. About redalpine redalpine is the Swiss venture capital firm that empowers GameChangers. Founded in 2006, redalpine brings together financial investment, operational expertise, and a vast international network to help ambitious entrepreneurs transform their vision into a reality. With over 1bn in assets under management, the firm has backed some of Europe's most disruptive software and science companies, including N26, Taxfix, Inkitt, 9fin, Carvolution, vivenu, and Infinite Roots. redalpine has over 95 companies in its portfolio and invests Europe-wide from its offices in Zurich and Berlin. Find out more at www.redalpine.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529065386/en/ Contacts: Media Kimberly Ha KKH Advisors kimberly.ha@kkhadvisors.com 917-291-5744 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Hundreds of CEOs from the world's major consumer goods retailers and manufacturers are gearing up for The Consumer Goods Forum's (CGF) Global Summit in Chicago, United States, which will involve three days of inspiring and action-orientated talks to help catalyse the positive changes that people, planet and business urgently need. The Consumer Goods Forum's upcoming Global Summit, from 11-14 June in Chicago, will unite CEOs from hundreds of retailers and manufactures to accelerate progress on crucial industry issues including forests, human rights, plastics, healthier lives, food waste, food safety, net zero, supply chains and product data. Amidst a rapidly changing business environment, driven by digital innovation, geopolitical shifts, and escalating environmental and social concerns, the event will provide a vital forum for leaders to integrate sustainability with profitability to help ensure better lives through better business. The Global Summit is the landmark annual forum for industry leaders to come together and discuss strategies to integrate sustainability with profitability to meet both immediate and long-term challenges. Themed "Empowering Businesses to Deliver a Better Tomorrow", the event will gather decision makers from companies, including Ahold Delhaize, Mondelez International, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, L'Oreal, PepsiCo and Walmart, for a series of inspirational talks. Wai-Chan Chan, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, said: The Global Summit is a catalyst for important industry change, setting new standards for responsible business practices. It will equip leaders with tools and insights to navigate their companies towards sustainable prosperity, aligning business success with social and environmental stewardship. Uniting many of the world's most influential business leaders, the event will harness the collective expertise and reach that makes the CGF a powerful force for good. We will shine a light on where change is happening and where even greater action is needed, to keep pushing forward progress across the global consumer goods community. The Summit will provide an opportunity for industry leaders to drive forward the CGF's nine Coalitions of Action, which are ensuring systemic change on forests, human rights, plastics, healthier lives, food waste, food safety, net zero, supply chains and product data. Across three days, attendees will share insights and inspiring examples of progress to enable faster action. The Summit is all about encouraging active participation and fostering an environment where ideas and innovations are shared and developed. Last June, the CGF's Co-Chairs - Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize, and Dirk Van de Put, Chairman & CEO of Mondelez International - launched five Acceleration Areas designed to speed up the systemic change continuously driven by its Coalitions. The Summit offers an important chance to ramp up the delivery of these five focused actions: mainstreaming a deforestation and conversion-free approach to supply chains; adopting CGF's Golden Design Rules to enable a circular economy for plastics; embracing Human Rights Due Diligence; establishing employee wellbeing programmes; accelerating emission reductions. Frans Muller, President & CEO of Ahold Delhaize, and Co-Chair of The CGF said: The consumer goods sector has a critical part to play in the transition to a greener, healthier, and more resilient future, and every business must step up to go further. While the scale of the challenges we face are unprecedented, they are also shared - so there is great power in tackling them together. As the CGF is the only CEO-led organisation that brings together both manufacturers and retailers globally, the Global Summit is a vital milestone to accelerate impact. Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International and Co-Chair of The CGF said: By uniting many of the world's most influential business leaders, the Summit will harness the collective expertise and reach that makes the CGF a uniquely powerful force. It is a huge opportunity for inspiration, networking and collaboration. We will be urging all the CGF's members to connect, collaborate and actively contribute towards our Acceleration Areas, using the Summit to really ramp up understanding of how every member can get involved. Our message is that the entire consumer goods industry must continue to step up and go further. Speakers and panellists announced so far include: Frans Muller, President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize Dirk Van De Put, Chairman & CEO of Mondelez International Cecile Beliot-Zind, CEO of Bel Group James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Danone Carlos Abrams-Rivera, CEO of The Kraft Heinz Company Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L'Oreal Ramon Laguarta, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever Kathryn McLay, President & CEO of Walmart International Colleen Wegman, CEO of Wegmans Key topics will include the impact of digital transformation, the dynamics of global market shifts, and the strategic implementation of ESG principles. Retailers will be at the forefront of discussions on managing scope 3 emissions through innovative strategies across the supply chain, and the event will showcase how AI and other advances can enhance efficiency and responsiveness to evolving consumer and investor expectations. Talks from leading NGOs, such as The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Bite Back 2030 and WWF, will also feature as part of the three-day programme. With more to be announced, highlighted sessions across the programme include: The Challenged Consumer - Shifting Values & Behaviours with Sajal Kohli, Senior Partner of McKinsey, James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever Kathryn McLay, President & CEO of Walmart International Malina Ngai, Group CEO of A.S Watson Group with The Journey to Net Zero with Anastasia Kouvela, Managing Director and Partner of Boston Consulting Group Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Danone Nina Jonsson, CEO of ICA Scott Price, Group Chief Executive, DFI Retail Group Ramon Laguarta, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Cecile Beliot-Zind, CEO of Bel Group with GenAI: Future Trends & the Impact on Our industry with Poul Weihrauch, CEO and Office of the President of Mars Inc. Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture with Sustainable Growth: Unveiling Shareholders' True Expectations with Jessica Moulton, Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company Richard Taylor, Managing Director, Consumer and Consumer Health Investment Banking of Jefferies Michael Steib, Partner of Melitas Ventures with To find out more, visit our website. Notes to Editors Visit CGF on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube for updates and new programme confirmations. For more information about media access to speakers and to enquire about receiving a potential press pass to attend the Summit, please contact cgf@forster.co.uk About The Consumer Goods Forum The Consumer Goods Forum ("CGF") is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 4.6 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 55 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Consumer Goods Forum on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: The Consumer Goods Forum Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/consumer-goods-forum Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: The Consumer Goods Forum View the original press release on accesswire.com Blue Earth Diagnostics, a Bracco company and recognized leader in the development and commercialization of innovative PET radiopharmaceuticals, today announced upcoming presentations by its collaborators at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting, to be held June 8 to 11, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. POSLUMA (formerly referred to as 18F-rhPSMA-7.3) is approved and indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy or with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Axumin is approved and indicated for PET imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated PSA levels following prior treatment. "We are pleased that our collaborators will be sharing important scientific information about POSLUMA, Axumin and investigational experience with 18F-flotufolastat with the imaging community at SNMMI," said David E. Gauden, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer of Blue Earth Diagnostics. "Two presentations relate to the use of POSLUMA and 18F-flotufolastat and the effects of urinary bladder activity on imaging quality. Results from a head-to-head study to be presented by Dr. Isabel Rauscher of the Technical University of Munich examine parameters of PET imaging between 18F-flotufolastat and 68Ga-PSMA-11 in primary prostate cancer, and a presentation by Dr. Ismaheel Lawal will discuss interim results from a study at Emory assessing PET imaging quality with and without the diuretic furosemide in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (BCR). Dr. Nadine Mallak of Oregon Health and Science University will present interim results from an ongoing study of the use of Axumin in PSMA/PET-negative BCR patients, and Dr. Rauscher will also describe clinical experience with 18F-rhPSMA-7 and 18F-flotufolastat PET in salvage therapy planning for BCR." Details of selected oral and poster presentations by Blue Earth Diagnostics collaborators are listed below. Presentations noted by "*" discuss results of experiences with an investigational agent for which the safety and efficacy have not been established by the FDA. POSLUMA (flotufolastat F 18), investigational 18F-flotufolastat and 18F-rhPSMA-7 DATE: Sunday, June 9, 2024 Title: Impact of forced diuresis with furosemide in the evaluation of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer with 18F-rhPSMA 7.3 PET/CT: Interim analysis of an ongoing prospective trial Presenter: Ismaheel Lawal, MD, PhD, Resident Physician, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta Ga. Session Title: MTA05 POPs/Meet the Author: Oncology: Clinical Therapy Diagnosis 1 Session Type: Poster presentation Session Time: 5:00 6:15 PM ET Abstract ID.: 241368 DATE: Sunday, June 9, 2024 Title: *Evaluation of qualitative and quantitative PET parameters in primary prostate cancer patients: double-match comparison of 18F-flotufolastat and 68Ga-PSMA-11-PET Presenter: Isabel Rauscher, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Markt Schwaben, Germany Session Title: MTA05 POPs/Meet the Author: Oncology: Clinical Therapy Diagnosis 1 Session Type: Poster presentation Session Time: 5:00 6:15 PM ET Abstract ID.: 241424 DATE: Saturday, June 8, 2024 Title: *18F-rhPSMA-7 and 18F-flotufolastat PET-guided salvage radiotherapy in recurrent prostate cancer Presenter: Isabel Rauscher, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Markt Schwaben, Germany Session Title: Prostate Cancer: Focus on Imaging Session Type: Oral presentation Session Time: 3:30 4:45 PM ET Presentation: 3:35 3:45 PM ET Abstract ID.: 241112 Axumin (fluciclovine F 18) DATE: Sunday, June 9, 2024 Title: Role of 18F-fluciclovine PET/CT in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer and a negative PSMA PET/CT: interim results from a prospective trial Presenter: Nadine Mallak, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology Molecular Imaging Therapy, Body Imaging Director, PET/MRI, Clinical, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore. Session Title: MTA05 POPs/Meet the Author: Oncology: Clinical Therapy Diagnosis 1 Session Type: Poster presentation Session Time: 5:00 6:15 PM ET Abstract ID.: 241835 Blue Earth Diagnostics invites participants at the 2024 SNMMI Annual Meeting to attend the presentations above and to visit the Company at Exhibit Booth 1639. The Company is hosting a Satellite Symposium, "Let's Talk about POSLUMA," which will discuss the most recent innovations in PSMA-PET imaging for prostate cancer. It will feature invited speakers Sean Collins, MD, PhD, Professor, Georgetown University Hospital, and Elizabeth Hawk, MD, PhD, DABNM DABR, University of California San Diego, and be moderated by Todd Cohen, MD, VP of Medical Affairs, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Inc. The symposium will be held on Sunday, June 9, 2024, from 11:15 AM 12:15 PM ET in the Toronto Convention Center, Room 701A, South Building 700 Level. Blue Earth Diagnostics also has a Medical Affairs information booth at SNMMI, where attendees can learn about the Company's clinical research. For full session details and scientific presentation lists, please see the SNMMI online program here. Indication and Important Safety Information About Axumin INDICATION Axumin (fluciclovine F 18) injection is indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated blood prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels following prior treatment. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Image interpretation errors can occur with Axumin PET imaging. A negative image does not rule out recurrent prostate cancer and a positive image does not confirm its presence. The performance of Axumin seems to be affected by PSA levels. Axumin uptake may occur with other cancers and benign prostatic hypertrophy in primary prostate cancer. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation, is recommended. Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, may occur in patients who receive Axumin. Emergency resuscitation equipment and personnel should be immediately available. Axumin use contributes to a patient's overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure, which is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Safe handling practices should be used to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and health care providers. Adverse reactions were reported in 1% of subjects during clinical studies with Axumin. The most common adverse reactions were injection site pain, injection site erythema and dysgeusia. To report suspected adverse reactions to Axumin, call 1-855-AXUMIN1 (1-855-298-6461) or contact FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. Full Axumin prescribing information is available at https://www.axumin.com/prescribing-information.pdf Indication and Important Safety Information About POSLUMA INDICATION POSLUMA (flotufolastat F 18) injection is indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Image interpretation errors can occur with POSLUMA PET. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. The performance of POSLUMA for imaging metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in patients prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by serum PSA levels and risk grouping. The performance of POSLUMA for imaging patients with biochemical evidence of recurrence of prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels. Flotufolastat F 18 uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur in other types of cancer, in non-malignant processes, and in normal tissues. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation, is recommended. The performance of POSLUMA for imaging patients with biochemical evidence of recurrence of prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels. Flotufolastat F 18 uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur in other types of cancer, in non-malignant processes, and in normal tissues. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation, is recommended. Risk of Image Misinterpretation in Patients with Suspected Prostate Cancer Recurrence: The interpretation of POSLUMA PET may differ depending on imaging readers, particularly in the prostate/prostate bed region. Because of the associated risk of false positive interpretation, consider multidisciplinary consultation and histopathological confirmation when clinical decision-making hinges on flotufolastat F 18 uptake only in the prostate/prostate bed region or only on uptake interpreted as borderline. POSLUMA use contributes to a patient's overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration. Ensure safe handling to minimize radiation exposure to the patient and health care providers. The adverse reactions reported in =0.4% of patients in clinical studies were diarrhea, blood pressure increase and injection site pain. Drug Interactions: androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, may result in changes in uptake of flotufolastat F 18 in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of POSLUMA PET has not been established. To report suspected adverse reactions to POSLUMA, call 1-844-POSLUMA (1-844-767-5862) or contact FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. Full POSLUMA prescribing information is available at www.posluma.com/prescribing-information.pdf. About Blue Earth Diagnostics Blue Earth Diagnostics, an indirect subsidiary of Bracco Imaging S.p.A., is a growing international molecular imaging company focused on delivering innovative, well-differentiated diagnostic solutions that inform patient care. Formed in 2014, the Company's success is driven by its management expertise and supported by a demonstrated track record of rapid development and commercialization of positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals. Blue Earth Diagnostics' expanding oncology portfolio encompasses a variety of disease states, including prostate cancer and neuro-oncology. Blue Earth Diagnostics is committed to the timely development and commercialization of precision radiopharmaceuticals for potential use in imaging and therapy. For more information, please visit: www.blueearthdiagnostics.com. About Bracco Imaging Bracco Imaging S.p.A., part of the Bracco Group, is a world-leading diagnostic imaging provider. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Bracco Imaging develops, manufactures and markets diagnostic imaging agents and solutions. It offers a product and solution portfolio for all key diagnostic imaging modalities: X-ray imaging (including Computed Tomography-CT, Interventional Radiology, and Cardiac Catheterization), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS), and Nuclear Medicine through radioactive tracers and novel PET imaging agents to inform clinical management and guide care for cancer patients in areas of unmet medical need. Our continually evolving portfolio is completed by a range of medical devices, advanced administration systems and dose-management software. In 2019 Bracco Imaging enriched its product portfolio by expanding the range of oncology nuclear imaging solutions in the urology segment and other specialties with the acquisition of Blue Earth Diagnostics. In 2021, Bracco Imaging established Blue Earth Therapeutics as a separate, cutting-edge biotechnology vehicle to develop radiopharmaceutical therapies. Visit: www.braccoimaging.com. Axumin and POSLUMA are registered trademarks of Blue Earth Diagnostics Ltd. PP-rh-US-0492 This press release is for U.S. audiences only View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529240108/en/ Contacts: For Blue Earth Diagnostics (U.S.) Priscilla Harlan Vice President, Corporate Communications (M) (781) 799-7917 priscilla.harlan@blueearthdx.com For Blue Earth Diagnostics (UK) Clare Gidley Associate Director Marketing and Communications Tel: +44 (0) 7917 536939 clare.gidley@blueearthdx.com Media Mike Beyer (M) (312) 961-2502 mikebeyer@sambrown.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Crown Holdings, Inc. By Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle Tomorrow is Earth Day and I wanted to share some good news! The article below mentions 2 recent reports (see comments) from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The world installed 116 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023 according to the GWEC, a 50% increase from 2022 making it the best year on record for new wind projects with China leading offshore and onshore wind installations followed by the US, Brazil and Germany. According to the IEA, in 2023, China commissioned as much solar PV as the entire world did in 2022 and overall global annual renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% to nearly 510 gigawatts in 2023, the fastest growth rate in the past two decades. We however have a long way to go to achieve the COP28 target of tripling global renewable capacity by 2030, for which the IEA recommends better government policies and faster permitting procedures, investments in grid infrastructure, and more financing towards emerging economies. Happy Earth Day! https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/04/17/wind-energy-saw-record-growth-in-2023-which-countries-installed-the-most?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ted_talks_daily_newsletter&utm_campaign=daily&user_email_address=cdb87567c486c07d7e3299680ff5cab2 View original content here. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Crown Holdings, Inc. on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Crown Holdings, Inc. Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/crown-holdings-inc Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Crown Holdings, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Rogue Resources is now Clean Energy Transition Inc. or transition.inc, trading as "TRAN" on the TSX-V Clean Energy Transition Inc. (formerly Rogue Resources Inc.) (TSX-V:TRAN) ("transition.inc." or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed articles of amendment in accordance with the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and, effective today, completed its legal name change to "Clean Energy Transition Inc." pursuant to such filing (the "Name Change"). In connection with the Name Change, the Company has also changed its ticker symbol on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") from "RRS" to "TRAN" (the "Ticker Change"), both as previously announced on May 24, 2024. "Along with this rebrand, the Name Change and Ticker Change solidify our new identity and marks the Company's pivot to broader commercial opportunities across the energy transition," said Sean Samson, CEO of the Company. The Company's common shares ("Common Shares") are expected to begin trading on the TSX-V under the new name and ticker at market open today. Under the Name Change, the CUSIP number assigned to the Common Shares is 184916104 (ISIN: CA1849161049). No action is required by existing shareholders, nor will any certificates representing Common Shares need to be exchanged. The articles of amendment concerning the Name Change are available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. In connection with the Name Change, the Company will soon launch its new website and will hold an investor call to discuss the rebrand and future direction of the Company. Details of this investor call will soon be announced. About Clean Energy Transition Inc. Clean Energy Transition Inc., or transition.inc is focused on opportunities to generate positive cash flow, across the energy transition. The Company includes a Quartz division- focused on advancing its silica/quartz business with the Snow White Project in Ontario and the Silicon Ridge Project in Quebec. The silica in high-quality quartz can be used to make silicon metal, a key component in solar energy panels. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements or information are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Any such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "anticipate", "proposed", "estimates", "would", "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "will", and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such statements and information, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information in this press release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Contact Information For further information, contact: Sean Samson, President & CEO at Clean Energy Transition Inc. 200 - 150 King St. W. Toronto, ON M5H 1J9 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 this release. SOURCE: Clean Energy Transition Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Boron One Holdings Inc. ("Boron One" or the "Company") (TSXV:BONE), is providing an update to its press release dated May 6, 2024 announcing the warrant exercise incentive program. The Program is intended to encourage the exercise of up to 10,626,000 unlisted common share purchase warrants of the Company (the "Eligible Warrants") which were issued as part of the Company's private placement which closed on January 25, 2023. Each Eligible Warrant is exercisable for one common share of the Company (each a "Common Share") at a price of $0.05 per Common Share. Pursuant to the Program, the Company is offering an inducement to each holder of Eligible Warrants ("Warrant Holders") that exercises Eligible Warrants during an early exercise period (the "Early Exercise Period") consisting of one new Warrant (the "New Warrant") in addition to the common share subscribed for. Each New Warrant is exercisable at $0.07 for 30 months, subject to the right of the Corporation to accelerate expiry upon 30 days' notice if the shares of the Corporation trade on the TSX Venture Exchange at or above $0.15 for a period of 10 days. To the extent that holders of Eligible Warrants take advantage of the opportunity to exercise their Eligible Warrants early, this will fund working capital purposes. Eligible Warrants that remain unexercised following the completion of the Early Exercise Period (defined below) will continue to be exercisable for Common Shares on the original terms as they existed prior to the Program. The Early Exercise Period will commence on May 29, 2024 and terminate on June 12, 2024. The Program is subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and is subject to the receipt of all final regulatory approvals, including final approval of the Exchange. The number of Eligible Warrants to be exercised by insiders of the Company is limited to no more than 10% of the total Eligible Warrants, being 10,626,000 Eligible Warrants, and the Company will issue no more than 1,062,600 Incentive Warrants to insiders under the Program. Insiders presently hold 10.35% of the Eligible Warrants. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Tim Daniels, President About Boron One Holdings Inc. Boron One Holdings Inc. is an international mineral exploration and development company with boron assets in Serbia. Headquartered in Victoria, B.C., Canada, Boron One's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BONE". For detailed information please see Boron One's website at www.boronone.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com. For further information, please contact: Boron One Holdings Inc. Blake Fallis, General Manager Phone: 1-250- 384-1999 or 1-888-289-3746 info@boronone.com www.boronone.com Boron's Public Quotations: Canada TSX Venture:BONE Berlin:EKV US: SEC 12G3-2(B) #82-4432ERVFF OTC PINK:ERVFF Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Boron One Holdings Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Palamina Corp. (TSXV: PA) (OTCQB: PLMNF) announces initial assay results from its first 2024 field campaign in the Sol de Oro Zone ("SDO") at its 100% owned Usicayos Gold Project. Usicayos is located in southeastern Peru and hosts a 4.5 km long mineralized orogenic gold trend to include the southwestern SDO Zone, the central Cayos Zone, and the northeastern Veta Zone. In 2024, inaugural drill programs are planned in the SDO Zone then the Cayos Zone later in the year. Drill pads in the SDO zone are under construction and a drill camp is being reconditioned for the upcoming drill program (Figure 3). In the interim the first of two geochemical sampling programs and a structural study to better understand mineralization controls has been completed at SDO. A drone borne topographic and magnetic survey over the entire 4.5 km trend extending from Sol de Oro to Veta is being completed to establish better controls and further define drill targets. Drilling is scheduled to commence in early July. Four mineralized target areas have been identified at SDO, all of which are structurally well defined and continuous at surface: SDO North, South, East and West. The Company has received results from 169 channel samples, all collected from the SDO North target, of which 15% of samples yielded grades above 1 g/t Au. SDO N hosts outcropping mantos - defined as mineralization parallel to the main foliation - within which a 200 m x 150 m area has been identified with high grade gold associated to strongly foliated black shales, cut by East-West brittle faults which appear to control the location of coarse gold. Select results from SDO N are shown in Table 1 and their location is shown in Figures 1 and 2: TARGET SAMPLE CHANNEL FROM TO LENGTH Au LOCATION Metres Metres Metres g/t SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-01 0 2 2 26.67 SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-02 0 2 2 7.07 SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-03 0 3 3 5.87 SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-04 0 6 6 5.02 SDO N Outcrop Including 4 6 2 8.28 SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-05 0 4 4 2.68 SDO N Outcrop SDON2405-06 3 9 6 1.37 Table 1: Select results from April-May 2024 sampling program at SDO N "While drill pads, access and a camp are being put in place post the rainy season, Palamina is carrying out further structural studies along with geochemical and geophysical programs in the SDO Zone to better define drill targets. Initial results from SDO N confirm that the shear zone hosts high gold grades with excellent continuity. Assay results from SDO E are pending. Both zones contain multiple visible gold showings at surface. A minimum 3,000 metre drilling program, designed to test the down dip extension of the mineralized mantos exposed at surface, is scheduled to start in early July." Commented Andrew Thomson, President of Palamina. Figure 1: Most recent sampling results in SDO N zone highlighted in yellow within the larger SDO area To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4727/210891_fe1753223455b871_001full.jpg Figure 2: Detailed map showing recent select results in yellow from channel sampling at SDO N To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4727/210891_fe1753223455b871_002full.jpg Company geologists have collected additional channel samples from the SDO East, where the southern continuation of the SDO N manto outcrops over 800 metres strike length, and where three other, similar mantos have been identified. Figure 3: Photo showing future Usicayos drill camp, existing road to Usicayos To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4727/210891_fe1753223455b871_003full.jpg The SDO zone is hosted in Paleozoic Ananea Formation shale and mudstone and is controlled by regional shear zones developed by regional thrusting. The host shear structure at SDO is the widest identified at Usicayos to date, measuring approximately 1.5 km in width and 2.2 km in strike length. Gold mineralization is found along continuous "mantos" developed parallel to foliation along the carbonaceous shear zone. The foliation either side of a major NW-SE fault dips steeply towards the centre, suggesting a possible near vertical feeder zone (or "flower structure") at the heart of the SDO zone. Drilling at SDO is designed to test this interpretation. Figure 4: Typical shear zone hosting mineralization (Samples from Channel SDN2405-04) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4727/210891_fe1753223455b871_004full.jpg Technical Information The Company has recently started using metallic screening methodology to obtain more accurate gold results. Metallic screening is a method designed to quantify the proportion of coarse gold in deposits where it has been observed. At Usicayos, coarse gold has been observed both in drill core and in outcrops of the shear zone. Unlike conventional Fire Assay, where a 30g or 50g sample is analyzed, metallic screening requires a 1kg sample, which, following initial preparation, is screened to separate a fine grained portion (less than 106 microns) from a coarse grained one (over 106 microns). The fine grained sub-sample is assayed using 30g nominal fire assay, while the coarse portion is assayed in its entirety. Each portion is weighed and a weighted average of both portions is reported. This method better quantifies the coarse grained portion. In Usicayos' case, high grade samples, defined as above 10 g/t Au, typically contains between 10% and 20% of the gold in the coarse fraction. This percentage decreases with lower values. The Company has decided to use this method to quantify more accurately the gold content in an area which often has visible coarse gold. Samples reported from Sol de Oro are collected continuously along 20-50cm deep channels dug using picks and chisels in strongly foliated as soft rock. Diamond saws cannot be used effectively in this type of material. Each sample consists of between 2 to 4 kg along 1 metre intervals, and is considered representative of the outcropping rock. Palamina Corp. quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) protocol is implemented on all its exploration projects. Prior to delivery of samples to the analytical laboratory Palamina QAQC staff insert blank samples, field duplicates and certified standards into the sample stream with the objective to provide a check on precision, accuracy, and contamination in the laboratory. To assure best practice compliance, assay results are only reported once the results of internal QAQC procedures have been reviewed and approved. Samples are collected and transported by Palamina personnel to the Certimin S.A preparation facility in Juliaca, Peru where they are processed and then sent for assay to the Certimin S.A. laboratory in Lima, Peru. The technical information herein has been reviewed and approved by Alvaro Fernandez-Baca (P. Geo.); a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Fernandez-Baca is Vice President of Exploration to Palamina. About Palamina Corp. Palamina has participation in eight gold projects in south-eastern Peru hosted within the Puno Orogenic Gold Belt. Palamina is advancing the Usicayos gold project through the drill discovery phase. The Company also owns the Galena silver-copper project in the Santa Lucia district. Palamina holds an 15.4% equity interest on a fully diluted basis in Winshear Gold Corp. who are advancing the Gaban Gold Project to the drill discovery phase. On Behalf of the Board of Directors: Andrew Thomson, President Phone: (416) 204-7536 or visit www.palamina.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. This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the use of proceeds of the Offering and the Company's future business plans. Forward-looking statements are 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 projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, 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 expressly required by applicable law. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company appears in the Company's continuous disclosure filings, which are available at www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210891 SOURCE: Palamina Corp. As part of the new Health Value Space Ghent, Maria Middelares Hospital continues to lead the way as a "smart" hospital, poised to deliver healthcare of the future to its patients. The new da Vinci SP (single port) surgical system has now been in use since May 21, making complex surgery even less invasive, via a single incision. It was on May 27 that a world first took place at the hospital: a kidney autotransplantation assisted by the da Vinci SP surgical system. The arrival of Intuitive's new da Vinci SP system aligns perfectly with Maria Middelares' vision of developing a patient-oriented robotics platform. The SP enables more complex procedures to be performed through a single incision or natural orifice. Over 400 peer-reviewed publications demonstrate the safety, efficacy, and excellent results of this cutting-edge technology. The da Vinci SP offers incredible value on a daily basis for Maria Middelares and its patients. A World First On May 27, urologist Prof. dr. Decaestecker achieved a world first. Using the da Vinci SP, he performed an intracorporeal kidney autotransplantation on an 18-year-old woman suffering from a complex ureteral lesion, with severe damage to the ureter between the kidney and the bladder. The best solution for the patient was to bridge the major defect in the ureter by moving the kidney closer to the bladder. This technique is called autotransplantation The transplantation was achieved intracorporeally, meaning entirely inside the body. Prof. dr. Decaestecker has perfected this technique, having performed such operations since 2017 (a European first at the time) using the da Vinci Multiport system, equipped with four robotic arms. The advantage of an in-body operation is that no large incisions are required to move the kidney in and out of the body; only a few small incisions (with the Multiport) of around 1 cm were needed to introduce the robotic instruments. Prof. dr. Decaestecker explains: What's new now is the combination of in-body grafting with a single incision thanks to the SP robotic system, which has just one articulated arm. This is less intrusive for the patient's body and should also facilitate smoother post-op recovery. Other advantages are that we can perform the procedure entirely outside the abdomen, allowing the patient to lie flat on their back in a natural position. This is important as the patient can now be operated on in a more comfortable position, therefore with fewer intestinal complications." What does the future hold? With the development of a robotics platform, Maria Middelares aims to optimize the use of robotic systems within the operating room as much as possible. The goal is to improve operating room efficiency and patient outcomes. These innovative surgical systems allow for further personalization of surgery based on patient needs. Dr. Ameye, Director of Innovation, adds: "In our organization, we strive to seek out the best technology combined with in-depth monitoring. We map the quality of care using big data analysis based on a multitude of uniform data. This enables us to identify areas for improvement and continuously optimize our care. Providing value-based healthcare is our main motivation." You can download images from the operating room of this world premiere via this link. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529830425/en/ Contacts: For further information Catherine Zenner, Head of Communications Maria Middelares catherine.zenner@mijnziekenhuis.be or 0478 99 53 11. Recognition reinforces the company's people-first culture and attractiveness as an employer of choice ResultsCX, a provider of Customer Experience Management (CXM) services to leading global companies including Fortune 100 and 500 firms, today announced it was certified in five countries by Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, employee retention, and increased innovation. This marks the third consecutive year ResultsCX's United States location earned Great Place to Work Certification, while the company's Honduras, Mexico, and Philippines operations received this distinction for the second year and its Bulgaria site notably achieved certification for the first time. These certifications highlight ResultsCX's global commitment to fostering positive workplace environments where all employees feel included and important. ResultsCX is dedicated to promoting gender equity; empowering women's development; and offering environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related activities. Its recent efforts in these areas have garnered recognition from esteemed programs including the Stevie Awards, CCA Excellence Awards, and Defense Department Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program and Military Spouse Employment Initiative. "Earning Great Place to Work Certification in five countries marks a significant achievement. In the CX industry, where customer satisfaction is closely linked to employee wellbeing, prioritizing inclusivity and support sets the stage for ensuring clients' happiness," said ResultsCX Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Subramanian. "A great workplace caters to the needs of its people, fostering an environment where all feel valued and supported." Great Place to Work Certifications are presented based on employees' feedback regarding their work experience. Overall, 79% of surveyed ResultsCX employees say it is a great place to work; 88% reported a sense of pride over their team's accomplishments; and more than 84% said they find management approachable, feel they can be themselves, are treated as full members regardless of their position, and felt welcomed as new hires. "At ResultsCX, we prioritize cultivating a culture that embodies our core values," said ResultsCX Chief Human Resources Officer Mark Cunningham. "Recognizing that our people are our greatest assets, we acknowledge that success begins internally; collaborative teamwork and excellent role model leaders translate to exceptional client service. This recognition is thanks to our entire staff's efforts." "Great Place to Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place to Work. "By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that ResultsCX stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees." About ResultsCX ResultsCX is a leading provider of transformational Customer Experience Management (CXM) solutions to 75+ global brands, including Fortune 100 and 500 companies. For 30+ years, we have been driving superior customer and business outcomes for brands across Healthcare, Media, Telecom, Fast Growth technology, Retail, Banking and Financial Services, and other industries. Our award-winning approach helps brands prioritize investments and build digitally influenced customer journeys, creating high-value impact across three areas: Revenue Acceleration, Cost Optimization, and Enhanced Experience. Supported by 23,000+ colleagues and 25+ engagement hubs worldwide, our innovative solutions and services solve persistent customer experience challenges, making life easier for millions of consumers. For more information about ResultsCX and its award-winning customer experience solutions, please visit www.resultscx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529574977/en/ Contacts: Media Karina Stabile Aria Marketing for ResultsCX (516) 317-5835 kstabile@ariamarketing.com AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Xtra Energy Corp. (OTC PINK:XTPT), an antimony exploration company focused on developing its flagship project "American Antimony," roughly 31 miles northeast of Eastgate, Nevada, has finalized the acquisition of the Antimony King Mine comprised of four lode claims approximately 80 acres of workings (see Figure 1.), achieving the company's objective of district-wide unification. Credited as the largest antimony producer in this district, it first worked as a unit alongside the I.H.X. Mine, a neighboring past-producer also fully owned by Xtra Energy Corporation (see 1/3/2023 Company Press Release). Figure 1: The American Antimony Project Layout The Antimony King Mine, located in Churchill, Nevada, is situated within the historically significant Bernice Mining District. The mine had a relatively modest production output. It encompasses both surface and underground operations, and features a single known shaft. The subsurface depth of the mine reaches a maximum of 30 meters (100 feet) and extends for a distance of 61 meters (200 feet). The primary minerals extracted from the Antimony King Mine were stibnite, gold, and cervantite. The ore body has a tabular shape, stretching for 274 meters (900 feet) in length and measuring approximately 1 meter (4 feet) in width. The surrounding rock composition in this region consists of latite, a type of volcanic rock. Lawrence (1963, p23) reported analyses of 12. 71 and 33. 42% antimony, but by selective mining and hand-sorting, it was possible to ship ore running 60% sb. The issuance of 2500 preferred shares, which, upon conversion, would be equivalent to 5 million common shares of XTPT, serves as the consideration for this acquisition. The Domonoske Family, the historic owners of the Antimony King site, stated, "We are excited to move forward with the Xtra Energy Company and begin a long-term partnership and friendship in restoring and carrying on the family legacy." Xtra Energy's Chairman and CEO, Mac J. Shahsavar, P.Eng., commented, "We are pleased to announce the successful completion of this significant acquisition. This strategic initiative is a critical step on our path to becoming the leading antimony asset in the United States. We are prepared to bring extraordinary value to our stockholders by unifying this district. Together, we will advance our aim of reshaping the antimony market landscape and provide new prospects for long-term and reliable access to this critical metal. We are excited to integrate this asset and leverage our current condition to reach even greater heights." Contact & Learn More: Xtra Energy Corporation Phone: 512-412-3636 Corporate Website: https://americanantimony.com/ Corporate Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtra-energy-corp/ Corporate Twitter: https://twitter.com/xtra_corp Corporate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtraenergycorp/ Corporate Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093057374695 About Xtra Energy Corporation Xtra Energy Corporation is an antimony exploration company focused on developing its flagship project "American Antimony", approximately 31 miles northeast of Eastgate, Nevada. Xtra Energy Corporation holds a 100% ownership in a 211 lode claim, 4356 acre antimony project consisting of the historically documented Antimony King Mine and covering all other documented antimony producers of the Bernice Mining District. The Company is seeking to develop this historic district of antimony-rich assets to become a major supplier of antimony based products. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause materially different results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume 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 new information becomes available in the future. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc. Our public filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the OTC Markets at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/XTPT/disclosure. SOURCE: Xtra Energy Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com Prague, Czech Republic--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Evolution Tech, a leading technology solutions provider, today announced a strategic shift in its operations and service model prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is implementing sweeping changes to bolster organizational resilience, accelerate innovation, and enhance value delivery for customers and partners. Evolution Tech Universal, CEO Facing an unprecedented global crisis head-on with decisive leadership, Evolution Tech acted swiftly to safeguard its workforce while ensuring business continuity. The company facilitated a rapid transition to remote work, rolled out robust employee support initiatives, and made strategic investments to spur innovation and crisis preparedness. "The pandemic was a wake-up call that underscored the importance of adaptability and forward-thinking planning," said Henry Hunye, CEO of Evolution Tech. "We chose to view this crisis as an catalyst for transformation rather than a disruption. The steps we've taken will fundamentally strengthen Evolution Tech's capabilities and value proposition for years to come." Comprehensive Worker Safety and Wellness Protections The health and safety of Evolution Tech's employees has remained the company's top priority during the pandemic. Recognizing the unprecedented nature of the crisis, Evolution Tech implemented an early, successful transition to a fully remote work model, allowing staff to observe social distancing guidelines and prevent virus transmission. The company also launched virtual employee assistance programs providing counseling, online fitness classes and telehealth services to support mental and physical wellness while working remotely. Regular health check-ins help monitor employee health status, with Evolution Tech covering COVID-19 testing costs as needed. Strategic Investments in Innovation and Resilience In addition to its employee support initiatives, Evolution Tech boosted strategic investments to spur innovation and reinforce organizational resilience. The company developed a specialized virtual collaboration platform to facilitate remote team coordination and ensure data security for Evolution Tech and its customers alike. The crisis also provided an opportunity for self-examination and improvement. Evolution Tech diversified its supply chain to mitigate reliance on any one supplier, updated operating protocols to be more adaptable to changing conditions, and instituted robust contingency planning to prepare for potential crises. Good Corporate Citizenship and Community Support As part of its response, Evolution Tech committed to being a responsible community partner during the pandemic. The company launched assistance programs to help struggling healthcare facilities with technology upgrades and provided financial and promotional support to local small businesses impacted by the economic fallout. Evolution Tech also contributed computer equipment and free Internet access packages to disadvantaged students to prevent disruptions to their education. These efforts demonstrate Evolution Tech's dedication to giving back and supporting vulnerable groups during dire times. Eyes on the Future with Upgraded Crisis Readiness While continuing to provide technology solutions to help industry-leading companies succeed, Evolution Tech remains vigilant against future crises. The company has instituted lessons learned from the pandemic response into improved business continuity planning. Upgrades like flexible work protocols, strengthened supply chain relationships and long-term innovation pipelines will ensure Evolution Tech and its clients stay ahead of the curve. "At Evolution Tech, we are constantly evolving our technology and capabilities to outperform the competition," said CEO Henry Hunye. "Our experience navigating COVID-19 has only accelerated our drive toward the next level of service quality, reliability and value for our customers." About Evolution Tech Evolution Tech Universal provides comprehensive technology solutions to help industry-leading companies achieve greater success by outperforming their competition. Through continuous innovation and smart utilization of technology, Evolution Tech empowers its users and partners to build a better tomorrow. Learn more at www.evolutiontechng.com. Contact us: Evolution Tech Universal Nolene Chidinma media.relations@evolutiontechng.com support@evolutiontechng.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210580 SOURCE: Pressmaster DMCC JP Jenkins Ltd Thrive Renewables Plc 2023 Annual Results for the period ended 31 December 2023 29-May-2024 / 14:30 GMT/BST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 29th May 2024 JPJ: THRV ISIN: GB00BYS30W00 Thrive Renewables Plc 2023 Annual Results for the period ended 31 December 2023 Strong financial results from clean energy portfolio Renewable energy investment company, Thrive Renewables plc, is pleased to share its Annual Results for the period ended 31 December 2023. Financial highlights: Operating profit increased by 103% to 13.6 million (6.7 million in 2022). Turnover increased by 66% to 29 million (17.5 million in 2022). 12.3 million in cash allocated to develop new clean energy projects. 5.1 million raised via crowdfunding. Recommended final dividend of 12p per share for 2023, for approval at AGM in June and to be paid in July 2024*. Company proposes to buy back 95,650 shares in line with its published buy-back policy, subject to shareholder approval at AGM. Operational highlights: Thrive Renewables' portfolio of clean energy projects generated 136,316 MWh of renewable electricity in 2023, enough to power over 42,000 average UK homes and delivering emissions reductions equivalent to 58,620 tCO2e. In its largest single investment to date, the company committed 20 million to developer, Ethical Power, to help fund its share of a pipeline of solar and battery storage projects over the next three to five years, with 178MW currently in development. Having provided the first commercial funding for the project in 2020, Thrive made a further 3 million investment in 2023 to co-fund the construction of the UK's first deep geothermal power plant at United Downs in Cornwall, which has now commenced. Thrive committed 4 million to fund the construction of a 2.5MW turbine in Kilbirnie, Scotland - owned by local community group, ATTIX CIC. In Bristol, Thrive became the first commercial battery owner in the UK to offer a local community group shared ownership of a standalone battery asset. Bristol Energy Cooperative will be able to make a co-investment of up to 20% in the 20MW project, which became operational in December 2023. The commissioning of England's largest onshore wind turbine was also completed in April 2023, following a 4 million loan from Thrive to support Bristol community group, Ambition Community Energy, in getting the project built after years of planning issues. Matthew Clayton, Managing Director of Thrive Renewables, said: "Thrive Renewables has had an excellent year, in which we've continued to deliver strong environmental, social and financial performance. We allocated 12.3 million to new wind, solar, storage and geothermal energy projects over the course of 2023, with 25MW brought into operation and 41.5MW in development or construction. "As we enter our 30th year of operation, we have pledged to double the amount of new generation we invest in over the next five years. This starts with funding and we were pleased to raise 5.1 million via crowdfunding in 2023. We have also committed a further 11 million of cash generated from operations to fund our strong pipeline of projects for 2024 and beyond. As the need for a cleaner energy system only intensifies, we believe that - together - we can build the projects the UK needs to power our daily lives more cheaply and sustainably." Thrive Renewables 2023 Annual Report can be accessed here . * Please remember that past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future returns. -ENDS- About Thrive Renewables Plc Thrive Renewables is a renewable energy investment company that has been funding, building and operating renewable energy projects in the UK for 30 years. The company's operational portfolio currently consists of 24 projects, plus further renewable energy and storage projects in development. With assets under management of 129 million in 2023, its portfolio generated over 136,000 MWh of clean electricity in 2023, delivering emissions reductions equivalent to 58,620 tCO2e. Vision: We believe in the power of together. A world where everyone can be part of the clean energy generation. Mission: Putting money to work building new sustainable energy projects and empowering people to take action to address the climate emergency. Dissemination of a CORPORATE NEWS, transmitted by EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Dell to lead management of Singleton Birch business as CEO Richard Stansfield retires ST. LOUIS, Mo., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MLC (formerly Mississippi Lime Company) has appointed Blake Dell as vice president for corporate development, strategy and UK operations. Part of the MLC executive leadership team, this is a new role created to escalate the company's geographic and market expansion. Dell will be responsible for leading strategic planning, acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and partnerships across all MLC businesses, including the company's Singleton Birch business in the United Kingdom. He will also serve as the executive director for Singleton Birch, as Richard Stansfield, current Singleton Birch chief executive officer, will retire in June after 35 years with the company. "We are extremely grateful for Richard's contributions over many years of proven accomplishments. He has been integral to the success of our acquisition and integration, which has enabled our teams to work together to enhance innovation, operational capabilities and sustainability. As we enter a new era of growth for both MLC and Singleton Birch, Blake's skill set will be central to continuing to grow our international footprint and integrate our businesses into a unified family, delivering value through strategic acquisitions," said Paul Hogan, president and chief executive officer at MLC. Dell has nearly two decades of experience in strategy, development, planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Over his 13 years with MLC, he has held positions of increasing responsibility across finance, sales and marketing, and corporate development. This includes leading the recent acquisitions of Singleton Birch (Melton Ross, UK), Valley Minerals (Bonne Terre, MO) and Southern Lime (Calera, AL). These acquisitions have been pivotal to MLC's strategic vision. For example, they have enabled the company to expand its portfolio of lime solutions, deliver into more markets and enhance service to customers. Dell's prior experience also includes positions within private equity and M&A advisory. "I'm grateful and excited for the opportunity to further build upon our strong foundation and rich history as we look to expand into new geographies and end markets. Our recent growth is a testament to the dedicated people throughout the organization. I look forward to continuing to work with the teams in the US and UK to execute our strategy," Dell said. Dell attained his Bachelor of Science in business - finance from the University of Kansas and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Louis University. He serves as a member of the board of directors for Origen, a mineral-based climate technology startup focused on carbon dioxide removal. About MLC MLC is a leading global supplier of high-calcium lime products and technical solutions headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. These offerings bring essential performance and value to a range of market applications, including metals, construction, chemicals, water and emissions treatment, glass, plastics, elastomers, agriculture, foods and beverages. With over a century in business, MLC has built a reputation on the quality of its products and services, as well as an unwavering commitment to safety, sustainability and service. The company's expanding global footprint includes a diversified, reliable network of production and distribution facilities in the US, as well as in the UK through its Singleton Birch business. MLC is an HBM Holdings company. For more information, visit https://mlc.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2389665/MLC_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mlc-promotes-blake-dell-to-vice-president-corporate-development-strategy-and-uk-operations-302158107.html New Fuel Ensures Supply Diversification for Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Westinghouse Electric Company delivered the first reload of VVER-1000 fuel assemblies to Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in April, marking a key fuel diversification milestone in Bulgaria. The loading of the new fuel into KNPP Unit 5 was celebrated today at an event attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Dimitar Glavchev, Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov and the U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529469948/en/ Left to right: Aziz Dag, Senior Vice President, Global BWR and VVER Fuel Business, Westinghouse; Valentin Nikolov, CEO, Kozloduy NPP; Dimitar Glavchev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria; Vladimir Malinov, Minister of Energy; H.E. Kenneth Merten, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria (Photo: Business Wire) Westinghouse and KNPP signed a 10-year supply contract in December 2022. KNPP Unit 5 is using the RWFA VVER-1000 fuel design, which has a decade of excellent, safe operational performance in several Ukrainian nuclear plants. The first delivery follows a thorough and extensive fuel licensing process, a joint effort between KNPP and Westinghouse, supported by the Bulgarian engineering company ENPRO Consult, which conducted safety analysis and fuel licensing activities. "We are excited to achieve the diversification of our fuel supply for Unit 5," said Valentin Nikolov, Executive Director of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. "This is a key element of our strategy as we strive to maintain the high performance of our plant and ensure safe, reliable and affordable energy for Bulgaria and the region." "Kozloduy celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and we are pleased to contribute to our customer's fuel supply diversification with this first reload," said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse President of Nuclear Fuel. "We are looking forward to building on this long-term partnership as we also make significant progress with Kozloduy NPP on the opportunity to build two Westinghouse AP1000 units at this site." KNPP is the only nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. Units 5 and 6 have a total installed capacity of 2GW and supply approximately one-third of the country's electricity. These units have been upgraded and modernized to extend their operational lives by 30 years each. Westinghouse is a leading supplier of nuclear fuel, providing a uniquely diversified portfolio in the industry across nuclear reactor types, including PWR, BWR, AGR and VVER. Through our world-class manufacturing facilities in Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S., we focus on delivering innovative fuel technologies to meet our customers' needs for lower fuel cycle costs, increased operational flexibility and efficiency, diversity of supply and accident-tolerant products. Learn more about our advanced fuel capabilities and how they relate to different reactors around the world: Westinghouse Nuclear Nuclear Fuel Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear technologies to utilities globally. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company's technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. Over 135 years of innovation make Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle. For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529469948/en/ Contacts: media@westinghouse.com Timely Focus on Brain Cancer Early Detection Dxcover Limited, a clinical-stage diagnostics company pioneering its multi-omic spectral analysis (MOSA) for early detection of solid tumor cancers is continuing to build its body of evidence in one of the most deadly and difficult to detect in early stage tumors: brain cancer. The Dxcover Brain Cancer Liquid Biopsy is a simple blood test combined with artificial intelligence that can rapidly fast-track patients suspected to have a brain tumor for further treatment. Recently, Founder CEO Professor Matthew J. Baker served as a featured panelist and co-host at the recent Brain Tumour Charity roundtable discussion in Scotland with relevant stakeholders including General Practitioners, NHS representatives, researchers and representatives from the Chief Scientist's Office, to understand the current barriers to a brain tumor diagnosis and how referral pathways can be improved. This important project led by The Brain Tumour Charity (UK) and Dxcover occurred in February to ensure that policymakers understand the barriers to brain tumor diagnosis and the need to improve current diagnostic pathways. The Brain Tumour Charity and Dxcover will continue to work with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that people with a suspected brain tumour are prioritised and that the pathway to diagnosis is improved for patient benefit. Professor Baker said, "Dxcover was founded to enable the earliest detection of cancer. We believe that the combination of Dxcover's multi-omic spectral analysis and machine learning will lead to the greatest impact on patient recovery, lifespan and quality of life post-diagnosis. We have recently launched our EMBRACE study, our UK and pan-Europe 2,200 patient performance evaluation of the Dxcover Brain Cancer Liquid Biopsy which will enable CE marking and provide a much-needed tool for patients." Professor Baker also served on an expert roundtable discussion on May 14th in Westminster, London hosted by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. The event gathered brain cancer industry and patient advocates to tackle crucial challenges in brain cancer research and discuss new UK government initiatives to accelerate progress in treatments and patient care for all ages. About Dxcover Limited The Dxcover PANAROMIC platform utilizes a revolutionary approach called multi-omic spectral analysis to detect cancer earlier. This technology goes beyond traditional methods by analyzing signals missed by current cell-free DNA testing. Dxcover's PANAROMIC platform has achieved impressive results, including 99% specificity for early-stage tumors and validation in over 3,000 patient samples across various cancers. This versatile platform can be adapted for high sensitivity (ruling out cancer) or high specificity (ruling in cancer), making it a valuable tool for clinicians. Additionally, Dxcover's platform is patented in the US, EU, and China, solidifying its position as a game-changer in democratizing cancer care. For further information https://www.dxcover.com/science View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529722092/en/ Contacts: Stacy Chick stacy.chick@dxcover.com Wellington, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - HealthPlus Staffing, a leading healthcare recruitment firm headquartered in Wellington, FL, is excited to announce a significant expansion of its team with the addition of 36 new recruiters in 2024. Under the leadership of Nader Atoui and Leo Ortiz, this strategic growth initiative aims to strengthen the company's recruitment capabilities and broaden its impact in key healthcare sectors, including Dentistry, Nursing, and Clinical Research. With the healthcare industry facing ongoing workforce challenges, the addition of 36 new recruiters will enable HealthPlus Staffing to enhance its services, improve placement efficiency, and support more healthcare facilities nationwide. Focus on Dentistry, Nursing, and Clinical Research As part of this expansion, HealthPlus Staffing will place a particular emphasis on growing its presence in the following areas: Dentistry : Addressing the increasing demand for dental professionals, HealthPlus Staffing will dedicate specialized recruiters to source and place skilled dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, ensuring that dental practices have access to the best talent available. : Addressing the increasing demand for dental professionals, HealthPlus Staffing will dedicate specialized recruiters to source and place skilled dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, ensuring that dental practices have access to the best talent available. Nursing : With critical shortages in nursing staff across the country, the company's expanded nursing recruitment team will focus on filling positions ranging from registered nurses (RNs) to nurse practitioners (NPs) and specialized nursing roles, supporting hospitals and clinics in providing excellent patient care. : With critical shortages in nursing staff across the country, the company's expanded nursing recruitment team will focus on filling positions ranging from registered nurses (RNs) to nurse practitioners (NPs) and specialized nursing roles, supporting hospitals and clinics in providing excellent patient care. Clinical Research: The growth of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries has created a surge in demand for clinical research professionals. HealthPlus Staffing's new recruiters will specialize in placing qualified candidates in clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and research management roles, facilitating the advancement of medical research. "We are thrilled to welcome 36 new recruiters to the HealthPlus Staffing family," said Nader Atoui, Co-CEO of HealthPlus Staffing. "This expansion is a testament to our commitment to excellence and our dedication to addressing the critical staffing needs in healthcare. With a stronger team, we are better positioned to serve our clients and candidates, and contribute to the overall improvement of healthcare delivery." HealthPlus Staffing is committed to maintaining its high standards of service. The new recruiters will undergo a comprehensive training program designed to equip them with the necessary industry knowledge, advanced recruitment techniques, and client relationship skills to excel in their roles. "We are passionate about making a difference in the healthcare sector," says Leo Ortiz. "By connecting exceptional talent with organizations that need them, we're contributing to better patient care and a healthier community." About HealthPlus Staffing Located in Wellington, FL, HealthPlus Staffing specializes in healthcare recruitment, connecting medical institutions with highly qualified healthcare professionals. The company offers tailored recruitment solutions across various healthcare sectors, ensuring the right fit for both candidates and employers. With a focus on quality and service, HealthPlus Staffing aims to be a trusted partner in healthcare recruitment. For more information about HealthPlus Staffing and its services, please visit www.healthplusstaffing.com or contact: HealthPlus Staffing Phone: (561)-291-7787 Email: recruitment@healthplusstaffing.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210797 SOURCE: HealthPlus Staffing CHICAGO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The market for maritime safety systems is expected to expand in the future due to the growing usage of autonomous vessels, improved cybersecurity protocols, and cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data analytics. Combined, environmental monitoring, enhanced communication, integration with smart ports, and regulatory compliance will increase maritime operations' sustainability, efficiency, and safety. The Maritime Safety System Market is estimated to grow from USD 30.2 billion in 2024 to USD 47.8 billion in 2029, at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The Maritime Safety System Market is driven by the rising need to manage complex supply chain operations and enhance sustainability across the marine industry. Increasing awareness about maritime safety, adherence to regulatory compliances and standards, and the growth in marine trade and freight transport activities further fuel the demand for advanced safety systems. These factors collectively contribute to the robust expansion and innovation within the Maritime Safety System Market. Browse in-depth TOC on "Maritime Safety System Market" 280 - Tables 70 - Figures 300 - Pages Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=1033 Scope of the Report Report Metrics Details Market size available for years 2019-2029 Base year considered 2023 Forecast period 2024-2029 Forecast units USD Billion Segments Covered Offering (Solutions & Services [Professional Services {Training & Consulting, Risk Assessment & Investigation, Support & Maintenance} and Managed Services]), Security type (Port & Critical infrastructure Security, Coastal Security, Vessel Security, Crew Security, Cargoes & Containers Safety, Ship System & Equipment (SSE) Safety, Other Security Types), System (Ship Security Reporting System, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS), Long Range Tracking & Identification (LRIT) System, Vessel Monitoring & Management System, Other Systems) Application (Loss Prevention & Detection, Security & Safety Management, Counter Piracy, Monitoring & Tracking, Environment Protection, Search & Rescue, Communication Management and Other Applications), End User (Government & Defense, Marine & Construction, Oil & Gas, Shipping & Transportation [Shipping Companies, Ship Crews Passengers & Cargo Owners] and Other End Users). Geographies covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Latin America Companies covered are Honeywell (US), Thales Group (France), Smiths Group (UK), Elbit Systems (Israel), Northrop Grumman (US), Westminster Group (UK), Raytheon Anschutz (Germany), Saab Group (Sweden), OSI Maritime Systems (Canada), BAE Systems (UK), L3Harris Technologies (US), KONGSBERG (Norway), Leonardo (Italy), ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (Germany), Airbus (Netherlands), Terma Group (Denmark), Nuctech (China), ARES Security (US), Rolta (India), HALO Maritime Defense Systems ( US), HudsonAnalytix (US), Consilium ( Sweden), Maindeck (Norway), Captain's Eye (Israel), ioCurrents (US), Harbor Lab (Greece), Smart Ship Hub (Singapore), SailRouter (Netherlands), Orca AI (England), Anduril Industries (US), PierSight (India) and EyeROV (India). By offering, the services segment to account for higher CAGR during the forecast period. Marine managers and vendors rely on technical support and consulting services to effectively deploy technology solutions. These services facilitate quicker and more efficient implementation, leading to optimized operations across various sectors. Managed by solution and service providers, these services are crucial for ensuring access to shared information and resources among dispersed parties within the maritime industry. Cloud platforms are particularly targeted towards ship management tasks like procurement, bunkering, crewing, training, and performance enhancement. With the maritime sector increasingly adopting digital solutions, cloud services are becoming increasingly vital in supporting these advancements. Request Sample Pages@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=1033 By System, Ship Security Reporting System is expected to hold the largest market size for the year 2024. A ship security reporting system is a crucial alerting mechanism designed to send distress signals to the maritime security center located at the Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). This system was implemented to address the rising threat of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. When a distress signal is activated, it is transmitted to the naval forces responsible for ensuring maritime security in these regions. The ship security reporting system provides a significant, multifaceted advantage to vessels by offering continuous monitoring within a designated range. Upon receiving a distress signal, MSCHOA or UKMTO verifies its authenticity. If confirmed as genuine, critical vessel information, including the vessel's name, IMO number, MMSI, and location, is promptly retrieved and relayed to the appropriate task forces. The transmission of signals from the SSRS center to the task forces via the mercury system takes less than five minutes. This efficient process enhances maritime security, allowing ships to navigate the most vulnerable waters with greater confidence and protection. By End User, oil & gas is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. In the oil & gas sector within the Maritime Safety System Market, maritime transportation stands out as a secure and efficient mode of conveyance. Over the years, there has been a remarkable 98% reduction in oil spills from tankers globally since 1970, a testament to the safety protocols implemented in vessels and the rigorous training of crew members. Oil ranks as the largest commodity transported via water, known for its cost-effectiveness and efficiency compared to other forms of transportation. With increasing exploration and production activities in deep-water and ultra-deep-water regions, there is a heightened demand for advanced safety systems to mitigate risks and ensure operational integrity. Investments in real-time monitoring, emergency response solutions, and regulatory compliance are paramount, fueling growth in this critical sector of the maritime industry. Middle East & Africa is expected to grow at the second-highest CAGR during the forecast period. The waterways within the Middle East & Africa (MEA region) hold immense global significance, facilitating the substantial export of oil and natural gas and serving as vital links between Eastern and Western traders through key passages like the Red Sea and Suez Canal. However, political tensions in this region have amplified the vulnerabilities of these waterways, exacerbated by challenges such as the lack of internal stability in bordering governments, inadequate maritime security capabilities, and potential naval threats from entities like the government of Iran. To remain competitive and aligned with global advancements, governments across the MEA are prioritizing a shift towards information and innovation-driven societies. Top Companies in Maritime Safety System Market: The major maritime safety system solutions and service providers Honeywell (US), Thales Group (France), Smiths Group (UK), Elbit Systems (Israel), Northrop Grumman (US), Westminster Group (UK), Raytheon Anschutz (Germany), Saab Group (Sweden), OSI Maritime Systems (Canada), BAE Systems (UK), L3Harris Technologies (US), KONGSBERG (Norway), Leonardo (Italy), ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (Germany), Airbus (Netherlands), Terma Group (Denmark), Nuctech (China), ARES Security (US), Rolta (India), HALO Maritime Defense Systems ( US), HudsonAnalytix (US), Consilium ( Sweden), Maindeck (Norway), Captain's Eye (Israel), ioCurrents (US), Harbor Lab (Greece), Smart Ship Hub (Singapore), SailRouter (Netherlands), Orca AI (England), Anduril Industries (US), PierSight (India) and EyeROV (India). These companies have used both organic and inorganic growth strategies such as product launches, acquisitions, and partnerships to strengthen their position in the Maritime Safety System Market. Recent Developments: In December 2023, Honeywell announced the acquisition of SCADAfence, a prominent provider of cybersecurity solutions for monitoring large-scale OT and IoT networks. SCADAfence's expertise lies in asset discovery, threat detection, and security governance, all vital for bolstering cybersecurity in industrial and building management programs. In October 2023, Smith's Detection unveiled the HI-SCAN 7555 DV, a dual-view X-ray scanner featuring enhanced capabilities. This scanner offers superior image quality, automatic explosives detection, and a compact footprint, making it ideal for efficient screening in high-threat applications. In September 2023, OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) announced the finalization of a Long-Term Partnership Agreement (LTPA) with PGZ Stocznia Wojenna Shipyard (PGZ SW). Under this agreement, OSI will be PGZ SW's preferred partner for all new-build and retrofit WECDIS-based navigation systems in the Polish Navy. In August 2023, Anschutz enhanced the capabilities of its Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with customized functions to support safe and efficient operations for offshore and research vessels, as well as for blue and grey forces. In March 2023, The partnership between Anschutz and StormGeo, a prominent provider of weather intelligence and decision-support solutions in the shipping industry and part of Alfa Laval, signifies a move toward fully paperless ship governance. In January 2023, Anschutz launched the NautoPilot 5000NX, a new autopilot for ships featuring a 7-inch graphical touchscreen that clearly displays all navigational information. With intuitive operation, crews can access heading, course, and track control steering modes easily. Inquire Before Buying@ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=1033 Maritime Safety System Market Advantages: Advanced monitoring and detection capabilities offered by maritime safety systems raise the standard of safety and security in maritime operations. These technologies aid in the prevention of mishaps, crashes, and illegal entry into ports and vessels. These technologies allow for the timely detection of potential hazards and incidents by providing real-time surveillance of maritime operations. To maintain safe navigation, this entails monitoring ships, the weather, and other important factors. By giving precise and current information on vessel movements, maritime safety systems help improve navigation and traffic management. This aids in route optimisation, traffic reduction, and accident avoidance in crowded ports and shipping lanes. Maritime safety systems facilitate prompt and well-coordinated response actions in the event of emergencies or accidents. They offer vital information and communication resources that support the management of rescue efforts and the reduction of event impact. These systems aid ensure the adherence of maritime operators to global maritime safety norms and regulations, including those established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). In addition to preventing fines and other consequences, compliance guarantees safer operations. Through the detection of oil spills, monitoring and control of pollutants, and enforcement of environmental standards, maritime safety systems help to safeguard the environment. This lessens the negative effects of maritime activity on the ecosystem. Operational efficiency is increased when automation technologies are integrated into maritime safety systems. The accuracy and dependability of safety measures are increased and the necessity for personal intervention is decreased through automated monitoring, reporting, and alerting. Report Objectives To define, describe, and predict the Maritime Safety System Market, by offering (solutions and services), security type, system, application, end user, and region. To describe and forecast the Maritime Safety System Market, in terms of value, by region-North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America To provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing the market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) To strategically analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contribution to the overall Maritime Safety System Market. To profile key players and comprehensively analyze their market positions in terms of ranking and core competencies, along with detailing the competitive landscape for market leaders. To analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, product developments, and ongoing research and development (R&D) in the Maritime Safety System Market To provide the illustrative segmentation, analysis, and projection of the main regional markets. Browse Adjacent Markets: Software and Services Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Video Streaming Software Market- Global Forecast to 2029 Enterprise Content Management Market- Global Forecast to 2029 Mass Notification Systems Market- Global Forecast to 2029 Human Capital Management Market- Global Forecast to 2029 Loyalty Management Market- Global Forecast to 2029 Get access to the latest updates on Maritime Safety System Companies and Maritime Safety System Industry About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. 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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/maritime-safety-system-market-worth-47-8-billion-by-2029---exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-302157722.html REDDING, Calif., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report titled, "High Throughput Screening Market by Technology (Cell-based Assays [2D, 3D], Label-free, Lab-on-chip), Offering (Reagents, Liquid Handling, Readers, Sample Prep), Application (Target Identification, Toxicology, Stem Cell), End User-Global Forecast to 2031", published by Meticulous Research, the high throughput screening market is projected to reach $47.41 billion by 2031 at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2024 to 2031. Download Sample Report Now- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/download-sample-report/cp_id=3206 High throughput screening (HTS) is a technique employed in drug discovery to quickly test large numbers of compounds for their potential as therapeutic agents. This methodology is mainly used to screen and analyze millions of compounds in a short period, improving the probability of discovering promising small-molecule drug candidates. Recently, ultra-high throughput screening (UHTP) has advanced the drug discovery process and enabled drug developers to increase the screening load. The UHTP method relies on advancements in robotics and automation. Automation and robotics have increased cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity in the ultra-high throughput screening process. Automated systems, such as robotic arms and conveyor belts, can perform repetitive tasks with higher speed and accuracy, reducing labor costs and increasing the output of the screening process. HTS is an effective tool for assessing the antagonists for receptors (such as GPCRs), pharmacological targets, enzymes, and pharmacologically profiling agonists. Expansion of Biotechnology Industry in Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa are Providing Opportunities for Market Growth Countries such as Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia, and other countries are allocating significant funding or resources for the development of the biotechnology sector. These countries are focusing on the development of biotechnology sector to adapt the technologies for the social and environmental needs. Some of the recent expansions in the biotechnology industry are as follows, The Government of India has formed the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and other government-funded institutions, such as the National Biotechnology Board (NBTB), which work together to establish India as a global hub for biotech research and business excellence. India's bioeconomy industry was valued at USD 137 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 150 billion by 2025 (Source: India Brand Equity Foundation). In August 2023, the government of Singapore announced USD 19 billion in funding for the advancement of the biotechnology sector under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 scheme. In January 2024, Saudi Arabia launched a National Biotech Strategy to localize biomanufacturing, incentivize R&D, and establish Saudi Arabia as the regional biotech leader by 2030 and an internationally recognized hub by 2040. Thus, the expansion of biotechnology industries in the economies mentioned above is providing a growth opportunity for key players operating in the HTS market. HTS is used for identifying effectors (compounds, peptides, and biologics) that modulate target-specific biochemical or cell-based assays, thus helping in drug discovery & development. Get a Glimpse Inside: Request Sample Pages- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/request-sample-report/cp_id=3206 The key players operating in the global high throughput screening market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), Danaher Corporation (U.S.), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Revvity Inc. (U.S.), Tecan Group Ltd. (Switzerland), Axxam S.p.A. (Italy), Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (U.S.), Hamilton Company (U.S.), Promega Corporation (U.S.), and Aurora Biomed Inc. (Canada). Among all the offerings studied in this report, in 2024, the consumables & reagents segment is expected to account for the largest share of the high throughput screening market. The advancements in the development of kits, wide availability of reagents and kits for HTS, and recurrent applications of HTS consumables are increasing their demand for HTS. However, the software & services segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The high CAGR of the segment is attributed to the use of software for data handling and the software's ability to run virtual screens and optimize conditions for HTS assays. The high throughput screening platforms or workstations based on software enhance its productivity. The automation in the instruments allows researchers to analyze large numbers of data within a short period of span with accuracy. Thus, rising adoption of advanced software for enhanced operations & productivity of basic research and drug discovery are expected to drive the growth of this market during the forecast period. Among all the technologies studied in this report, in 2024, the cell-based assays segment is expected to account for the largest share of the high throughput screening market. The large share of the segment is attributed to the cell-based assays accelerating the drug discovery process, as the use of cell-based assays provides relevant in vivo biological information over biochemical assays. Additionally, the use of cell-based assays in cytotoxicity testing during drug discovery to determine the mechanism of action (MoA) and to establish their physiological importance & biological relevance and early-stage proof of drug screening is supporting the segment's large share. Have Specific Research Needs? Request a Customized Report- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/request-customization/cp_id=3206 Among all the applications studied in this report, in 2024, the target identification segment is expected to account for the largest share of the high throughput screening market. The large share of the segment is attributed to the rising adoption of high throughput products by pharmaceutical & biopharmaceutical companies for efficient, faster, and cost-effective identification of targets in early-stage drug discovery. Additionally, the target identification process provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies framework for further investment to bring the new drug molecule to the market, thus further contributing to the large share of the segment. Among all the end users studied in this report, in 2024, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry segment is expected to account for the largest share of the high throughput screening market. The large share of the segment is attributed to significant investments in research and development (R&D) activities and infrastructure development by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies. For instance, in January 2023, Agilent Technologies Inc. (U.S.) invested USD 725 million for the expansion of a Nucleic Acid-Based Therapeutics production facility art Frederick, Colorado. The production facility is expected to be operational in 2026. The funding for research laboratories is increasing due to the rising demand for new drugs and therapies, which is driving the demand for high throughput screening. For instance, in 2022, Merck KGaA (Germany) offered three research grants of USD 526,891 for three years for drug discovery. Among all regions studied in this report, in 2024, North America is expected to account for the largest share of the high throughput screening market. North America's major market share is attributed to the presence of major key players, technological advancements, such as 3D cell cultures, investment by key players in R&D for drug discovery, and strategic initiatives adopted by the key players. However, the Asia-Pacific high throughput screening market is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. In the Asia-Pacific region, China is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rising pharmaceutical R&D spending by key pharmaceutical companies in China is positively impacting the HTS market growth. In 2022, the R&D spending of BeiGene Ltd. (China), one of the major pharmaceutical companies, increased by 12.4% from 2021. Additionally, the rising number of drug discoveries is contributing to the growth of the country. According to Pharmaceutical Product Development (U.S.), in the first quarter of 2022, the number of investigational new drug applications (IND) and new drug application (NDA) approvals in China reached their highest in five years. In the first quarter of 2022, the NMPA received a total of 194 IND and NDA applications. Browse In-depth Report Now- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/high-throughput-screening-market-3206 Scope of the Report: High Throughput Screening Market Assessment-by Product Cell-Based Assays 2D Cell Culture 3D Cell Culture Scaffold Based Technology Natural Polymer Hydrogels Collagen Gelatin Hyaluronic Acid Alginate Synthetic Polymers Solid Scaffolds Scaffold Free Technology Hanging Drop Plates Microfluidics Rotating Wall Vessel Other Scaffold Free Technologies Perfusion Cell Culture Ultra-High Throughput Screening Label-free Technology Lab-on-Chip Note: Other scaffold-free technologies include pellet culture, liquid overlay, and spinning flask High Throughput Screening Market Assessment-by Offerings Consumables & Reagents Instruments Sample Preparation Instruments & Accessories Liquid Handling Instruments Readers Other Instruments Software & Services Note: Other instruments include laser scanning cytometers and microplate imagers High Throughput Screening Market Assessment-by Application Stem Cell Research Toxicology Assessment Target Identification Primary Screening High Throughput Screening Market Assessment-by End User Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Industry Academics and Research institutes Contract Research organizations. High Throughput Screening Market Assessment-by Geography North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany France U.K Italy Spain Rest of Europe (RoE) Asia-Pacific (APAC) China Japan India Rest of Asia-Pacific (RoAPAC) Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa Unlock Opportunities: Buy Now- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/Checkout/82641893 Related Reports: Biopharmaceutical Processing Equipment and Consumables Market by Product Type {Filtration, Chromatography [Consumables, Equipment], Disposable Bioreactors, Cell Culture Media, Shakers, Services), Application (Vaccine, mAb, R&D), and End User- Forecast to 2029 Cell Culture Market by Product [Consumables (Media, Reagents, Sera, Cell Lines), Equipment (Bioreactor, Centrifuge, Cell Counter)], Application (Bioproduction, Cancer Research, Stem Cell, Diagnostic), End User (Pharma, academic) - Global Forecast to 2029 Multiplex Assays Market by Type (Protein [Bead, Planar], Nucleic Acid, Cell) Technology (Flow Cytometry, PCR, Immunoassay) Application (R&D, Diagnosis (Oncology, Cardiovascular, Infectious, Autoimmune Diseases) Product, End User - Global Forecast to 2030 Liquid Handling Systems Market By Type (Automated, Electronic, Manual), Product (Pipette, Consumables, Burette, Software, Microplate), Application (Drug Discovery, Cancer & Genomics, Clinical), End User (Hospital, Diagnostic Lab) - Global Forecast to 2029 Sample Preparation Market by Product (Workstation, Instrument {Pipette, Washer, Centrifuge, Grinder}, Consumable {Kits, Filters, Plates}) Technique (Solid Phase Extraction, Purification) Application (Drug Discovery, Diagnostic) - Global Forecast to 2030 About Meticulous Research Meticulous Research was founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The name of our company defines our services, strengths, and values. Since the inception, we have only thrived to research, analyze, and present the critical market data with great attention to details. With the meticulous primary and secondary research techniques, we have built strong capabilities in data collection, interpretation, and analysis of data including qualitative and quantitative research with the finest team of analysts. We design our meticulously analyzed intelligent and value-driven syndicate market research reports, custom studies, quick turnaround research, and consulting solutions to address business challenges of sustainable growth. Contact: Mr. Khushal Bombe Meticulous Market Research Inc. 1267 Willis St, Ste 200 Redding, California, 96001, U.S. USA: +1-646-781-8004 Europe: +44-203-868-8738 APAC: +91 744-7780008 Email- sales@meticulousresearch.com Visit Our Website: https://www.meticulousresearch.com/ Connect with us on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/meticulous-research Content Source: https://www.meticulousresearch.com/pressrelease/160/high-throughput-screening-market-2031 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1757980/Meticulous_Research_Logo_1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/high-throughput-screening-market-to-be-worth-47-41-billion-by-2031---exclusive-report-by-meticulous-research-302157936.html G&A's Sustainability Highlights ( 05.15.2024 ) NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / After two years of serious consideration, including review of a record number of public comments the agency received on the draft rule, the Securities & Exchange Commission issued its final corporate climate disclosure rules on March 6. Anti-ESG critics quickly moved into action, with various state attorneys general, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, state treasurers and finance heads, and others, attacking the rule with court challenges and other measures. Several lawsuits were filed to prevent the SEC from implementing the rules, which have been consolidated in the U.S Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (covering the states of Arkansas, Iowa, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska). The final decision may well end up being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. While the legal actions are playing out, the SEC has stayed its rules. With the SEC disclosure rules on hold, the anti-ESG forces are making climate and ESG into prominent issues in Congress and in 2024 political campaigns. Several committees in the U.S. House of Representatives have passed measures to try to prevent financial institutions from using ESG factors in investment decision-making. Depending on election outcomes this year, there could be more actions to rein in ESG policies in the next Congress. In monitoring what U.S. companies are doing as the SEC disclosure rules are on hold, this headline grabbed our attention and is one of our Top Stories: "Alive and Kicking: The Future of ESG." The commentary is from CCI, an independent, free, web-based news source focused on compliance, ethics, and risk management. Jennifer Gaskin, CCI's editorial director, begins with the observation that "few companies are spending time relaxing and even fewer are abandoning their ESG commitments" while waiting for the outcome of the court cases challenging the SEC's new climate disclosure rules. She posits: They cannot afford to. A major factor cited is the proliferation of international ESG / sustainability reporting frameworks, especially including moves in the European Union (CSRD, ESRS) and the Corporate Sustainability Standard Board's voluntary framework. California's climate reporting rule will affect many public and private companies. In a Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance commentary by the law firm Latham & Watkins, also a Top Story in this issue, market actors are looking for ways to more fully integrate climate risks into business decisions. Internally, many corporate executives are examining climate-related costs and impacts, and the complexity of cross-jurisdictional climate-related reporting. These topics are currently being explored in depth in G&A Institute's Pathfinder webinar series. G&A Institute team members are also working with corporate clients moving forward in their sustainability journeys and preparing more complete disclosures on their progress to better inform their stakeholders. These Top Stories explain "why" enlightened corporate managers are pressing on despite the attitudes of the anti-ESG voices. For sure there is more news to come on pro-and anti-ESG actions. This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/governance-accountability-institute-inc Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Positioning for Full SEC Reporting and Uplisting to OTCQB Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. (OTC PINK:GRLF), an emerging growth company engaged in the marketing and distribution of handmade premium cigars, is pleased to announce that it has engaged Olayinka Oyebola & Co, a renowned audit firm, to conduct a comprehensive two-year audit of the company's financial statements. This strategic move is a significant step toward becoming fully reporting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market. The engagement of Olayinka Oyebola & Co demonstrates Green Leaf Innovations, Inc.'s commitment to financial transparency and adherence to regulatory standards. By conducting thorough audits for the past two fiscal years, the company aims to enhance investor confidence and attract a broader base of shareholders. "We are excited to work with Olayinka Oyebola & Co to ensure our financial reporting meets the highest standards," said Roberto Mederos, CEO of Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. "This audit is a crucial step in our journey to becoming fully compliant with SEC regulations and achieving our goal of uplisting to the OTCQB. It reflects our dedication to transparency, accountability, and long-term growth." About Olayinka Oyebola & Co Olayinka Oyebola & Co is a distinguished auditing and consulting firm known for its expertise in providing comprehensive audit and assurance services. The firm's dedication to excellence and rigorous approach to financial auditing make it an ideal partner for Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. as it strives to meet and exceed regulatory requirements. About Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. Green Leaf Innovations, Inc., a Florida corporation, is an emerging growth company engaged in the Marketing and Distribution of handmade premium cigars. The company strategically imports and exclusively distributes some of the best known premium cigar brands in the Market created by the Mederos family a Third generation Cigar maker with Robert Mederos at the helm who has owned and operated handmade cigar operation in Nicaragua and the US for over 20 years with a rich family history in the craft dating back to the 1800s Cuba, brands such as CUBANACAN, MEDEROS and TABACALERA SERRANO. In addition to it the company also distributes packaged whole leaf Tobacco to cigar lounges, smoke shops, C-stores and vape shops across the United States and soon International Markets. Additional information can be found on our websites http://www.greenleafinnovation.com or follow us on Twitter @otcgrlf. For more information, press only: Phone number: (800) 303-6268 Email: info@greenleafinnovation.com Safe Harbor Statement: The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and various other factors beyond the Company's control. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. SOURCE: Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Canton, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Vishnu Franchise Brokers (VFB), a leading franchise consultancy founded by Sumit Madan, is proud to celebrate its one-year anniversary. In just twelve months, VFB has emerged as a trusted partner for aspiring entrepreneurs, guiding them toward financial freedom and career fulfillment through strategic franchise ownership. VFB empowers individuals to take control of their time, their lives, and their finances by providing comprehensive support throughout the franchise selection and acquisition process. The company's unique approach sets it apart from the competition, utilizing the proprietary Zorakle personality assessment. This innovative tool leverages seven statistically validated sciences and two distinct scoring methods to accurately predict an individual's likelihood of success as a franchise owner. "Many people dream of escaping the 9-to-5 grind and becoming their own boss, but the path to entrepreneurship can feel daunting," says Sumit Madan, Founder of Vishnu Franchise Brokers. "At VFB, we meet clients where they are, providing personalized guidance and support every step of the way. Our goal is to demystify the franchise process and connect individuals with the perfect opportunity to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams." Representing over 800 franchise brands across a wide range of industries, VFB goes beyond the traditional quick-serve restaurant model, showcasing the diverse and often overlooked landscape of lucrative franchise opportunities. Caption: Vishnu Franchise Brokers (VFB) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10572/210832_bd6a51add430d95e_001full.jpg "We believe in empowering our clients with options," Madan adds. "Our team constantly researches emerging franchise prospects to provide access to the most promising and profitable ventures." VFB embodies the principle of "being in business for yourself, but not by yourself," providing ongoing support and resources to ensure their clients' long-term success. About Vishnu Franchise Brokers: Vishnu Franchise Brokers (VFB) is a leading franchise consultancy dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve financial freedom and career fulfillment through strategic franchise ownership. Utilizing the proprietary Zorakle personality assessment and a vast network of over 800 franchise brands, VFB provides personalized guidance and support throughout the franchise selection and acquisition process. Article Name: Vishnu Franchise Brokers Celebrates One Year of Empowering Entrepreneurs and Reshaping the Franchise Landscape Company name: Vishnu Franchise Brokers Contact name: Sumit Madan Email: sumit@vishnufb.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210832 SOURCE: Vishnu Franchise Brokers Geneva, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - LunaJets, the European leader in private jet charter based in Geneva, proudly announced the renewal of its ARG/US certification for the fifth time since 2015. This prestigious certification, awarded by the Aviation Research Group US (ARG/US), reaffirms LunaJets' commitment to excellence, safety, and ethical standards in the private aviation industry. From left to right: Kabir Sehmi (LunaJets Legal Counsel), Ed Wandall (ARG/US International Vice President Business Aviation), Eymeric Segard (LunaJets CEO & Founder). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/210896_fc2ada71d4d5fbc5_001full.jpg EBACE 2024 - LunaJets, the European leader in private jet charter based in Geneva, proudly announced the renewal of its ARG/US certification for the fifth time since 2015. This prestigious certification, awarded by the Aviation Research Group US (ARG/US), reaffirms LunaJets' commitment to excellence, safety, and ethical standards in the private aviation industry. A Milestone in Private Aviation Since its founding in 2007, LunaJets has consistently set the bar high in the private aviation sector. Achieving the ARG/US certification, known as the industry's most respected symbol for excellence, in 2015 LunaJets was the first and only European charter broker to hold this esteemed accreditation outside of the United States. "Receiving the fifth ARG/US certification is a significant milestone for LunaJets," says Eymeric Segard, CEO and Founder. This certification is a testament to the team's dedication and the trust clients place in them. It reflects their commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, safety, and transparency. Why ARG/US Certification Matters ARG/US International, Inc., based in Cincinnati, provides the aviation marketplace with essential data and information to make informed decisions and manage risks. Their Certified Broker Ratings Program is a rigorous, unbiased assessment ensuring only the finest charter brokers qualify. LunaJets' ARG/US certification signifies exceptional professionalism, financial stability, and ethical business practices. Kabir Sehmi, LunaJets' General Counsel, explains: "The company's procedures, operator ratings, and code of ethics meet the strictest industry standards, and their compliance with Swiss financial reporting laws ensures transparency and reliability." Additionally, their marketing and communication are truthful, protecting clients' interests at all times. LunaJets prides itself on its extensive in-house employee training program, ensuring that every team member possesses in-depth industry knowledge. Their operational procedures, from booking to post-flight follow-up, are meticulously designed to meet ARG/US' stringent requirements, guaranteeing the highest level of service. "Achieving this milestone for the fifth time is a significant accomplishment for LunaJets. Its dedication to providing secure, comfortable, and legal air travel is exemplary, setting a benchmark in the private aviation industry," confirms Guillaume Launay, the Group's Managing Director. The company extends its heartfelt thanks to ARG/US for their role in regulating the industry. They also express gratitude to their dedicated team and loyal clients who make this continuous achievement possible. Together, they strive to maintain and exceed these high standards. About LunaJets LunaJets is a leading global provider of private jet charter solutions headquartered in Geneva, with offices in London, Paris, Dubai, Zurich, Madrid, Riga, and Monaco. With a team of over 85 experts and based on its proprietary technologies, LunaJets provides independent advice for booking any private jet anywhere in the world 24/7. It offers the most flexible service in the market for all types of flights. In 2015, LunaJets became the first charter broker to be ARG/US certified outside the US, a certification held to this day. The company was founded in 2007 by Eymeric Segard, the current CEO. Please contact him at eymeric.segard@lunajets.com for any interviews. Feel free to request the LunaJets' Press Kit, available at marketing@lunajets.com. Corporate Communications: press@lunajets.com Contact Info: Name: Eymeric Segard Email: press@lunajets.com Organization: LunaJets SA Address: Rue Lect 29, 1217 Meyrin Phone: +41 22 782 12 12 Website: https://www.lunajets.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210896 SOURCE: Plentisoft VANCOUVER, BC, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lithium South Development Corporation (the "Company" or "Lithium South") (TSX-V: LIS) (OTCQB: LISMF) (Frankfurt: OGPQ) is pleased to update progress at Pumping Well PW23-AS-02 on its flagship Hombre Muerto North Lithium Project (HMN Li), which is the first pumping well to be located at the Alba Sabrina claim block. Spanning 2,089 hectares, Alba Sabrina is the largest claim block in the 5 claim salar located HMN Li package and a key component of the corporation's lithium development efforts. Well PW23-AS-02 is currently pumping at a rate of 25 liters per second. The hole geology is mainly sand therefore the hole is encountering sediment contamination. This has been resolving over the past five days and is expected to continue to clear. Upon achievement of clarification, the pumping rate will be increased. Full results are expected by the end of May. Corporate Interest and Site Visit The Company is reviewing expressions of interest from several companies involved in the lithium industry. Discussions regarding potential financial support and / or project participation are ongoing. A recent three-day site visit was completed by a lithium project developer with which the Company is discussing the potential of the project. Further updates will be provided in the future. Private Placement The Private Placement announced May 22,2024 has received very significant interest from current and potential shareholders. The financing has now been placed and is expected to close in several days. About Lithium South Lithium South owns 100% of the HMN Li Project located in Salta and Catamarca Provinces, Argentina, in the heart of the lithium triangle. The Salar del Hombre Muerto has a history of lithium production, with Arcadium Lithium (as a result of the Alkem and Livent merger) in operation for over twenty-five years, in an area just south of the HMN Li Project. The HMN Li Project is surrounded by a US$4 billion lithium development under construction by POSCO (Korea) and the Sal de Vida Project under development by Arcadium. Exploration work to date has delineated a National Instrument 43-101 compliant 1,583,200 tonne Lithium Carbonate Equivalent ("LCE") Resource (Note 1) on the Alba Sabrina, Natalia Maria, and Tramo claim blocks, three of five non-contiguous blocks that make up the HMN Lithium Project. A recent Preliminary Economic Assessment (Note 2) announced on March 04, 2024 delineates the exciting potential of a 15,600 tonne per year lithium carbonate project. With pumping well installation underway, Lithium South is transitioning from being a lithium explorer to becoming a lithium developer. On behalf of the Board of Directors Adrian F. C. Hobkirk President and Chief Executive Officer Investors / Shareholders call 855-415-8100 / website:lithiumsouth.com The technical and scientific information in this press release was reviewed and approved by Mr. William Feyerabend, CPG, a consulting geologist, and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, who also participated in its production. 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. The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed the content of this news release and therefore does not accept responsibility or liability for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release. Note 1: A report titled, Updated Mineral Resource Estimate - Hombre Muerto North Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report Catamarca and Salta, Argentina, Mark King, PhD, PGeo, Peter Ehren, M.Sc, MAusIMM, September 5th, 2023. Note 2: The report titled, N.I. 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment Hombre Muerto North Lithium Project, Salta, Argentina , was completed by Knight Piesold Consulting and JDS Energy and Mining Inc., both industry leading independent engineering consulting firms. This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon 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 which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements. We seek safe harbor. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1815015/Lithium_South_Development_Corporation_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lithium-south-development-corporation-well-update---corporate-site-visit---private-placement-to-close-302158194.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Koulou Gold Corp. ("Koulou Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of a $3.65 million financing (the "Financing"), which includes a $2.7 million strategic investment by Endeavour Mining Plc ("Endeavour"). Koulou Gold holds an option to earn a 100% interest in the Sakassou Project, located in central Cote d'Ivoire and the Kouto Project located in north Cote d'Ivoire. The Sakassou property is located on the highly prospective Bouafle greenstone belt in close proximity to Perseus Mining's Yaoure mine and Endeavour Mining's Lafigue development project. Four mineralised targets have been identified on the property with detailed geological mapping and reverse circulation drilling planned to further delineate the mineralisation. The Kouto property is located on the Boundiali-Syama greenstone belt along strike from Perseus Mining's Sissingue mine and Resolute Mining's Syama mine, with limited exploration work completed on the property to date. Early-stage soil geochemical sampling is underway to delineate targets on the property. Financing Details In total, the Company issued an aggregate of 13,035,714 units in the Financing to raise gross proceeds of $3,650,000. Endeavour subscribed for and purchased 9,642,857 units of the Company (the "Units") at $0.28 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,700,000. Each Unit consisted of one common share and 0.67 of one non-transferable share purchase warrant (each whole warrant a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share in the Company at $0.42 per share for a period of 24 months from the closing date. Endeavour's initial strategic investment represents 12.39% ownership in Koulou Gold with the potential to increase to 19.11% upon full exercise of the Warrants. In connection with Endeavour's strategic investment, the Company has also entered into an investor rights agreement, whereby, subject to certain conditions, including time and ownership thresholds, Endeavour will have certain rights, including the right to appoint one director of the Company and the right to participate in future equity issuances to maintain its ownership in the Company. Further, the Company also placed an additional 3,392,857 Units to meet investor demand, generating additional gross proceeds of $950,000 (the "Sidecar Financing"). In connection with the Sidecar Financing, the Company paid aggregate finder's fees of $52,850 in cash and issued 1,000,000 finder's warrants exercisable on the same terms as the Warrants. The securities to be issued in the Financing will not be listed on any exchange and are subject to an indefinite hold period as set out in National Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities. All funds are denominated in Canadian dollars. Proceeds from the Financing will be used to fund exploration at the Company's Cote d'Ivoire projects and for general working capital. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. federal and state registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States. About The Sakassou Property The 396.91 km2 Sakassou property (PR 944) is located in central Cote d'Ivoire on the northeast trending Bouafle greenstone belt approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Perseus Mining's Yaoure mine which produces over 200koz per year and has a Proven and Probable reserve of 37.2Mt at 1.73 g/t containing 2.07Moz of gold*, as at December 31, 2023(1). Sakassou is also located approximately 140 kilometres southwest of Endeavour's Lafigue development project that is expected to produce over 200koz per year and has a Proven and Probable reserve of 49.8Mt at 1.69 g/t containing 2.7Moz of gold*, as at December 31, 2023(2). Koulou Gold entered the Sakassou project in 2021 after signing an earn-in agreement with local partner, Global Minerale SA (GMSA). Exploration works have followed a consistent phased approach, including soil sampling and trenching between 2019 - 2020 by GMSA, followed up by geological mapping, infill soil sampling, ground geophysics and drilling by Koulou Gold in 2021. Soil sampling, trenching and reverse circulation drilling has identified four kilometre-scale targets hosted along northeast trending structures, hosted within clastic sedimentary and volcanic rocks. To date, gold mineralisation is found to be closely associated with stockwork quartz veining, silicification, sericite alteration and disseminated pyrite preferentially developed within coarser grained sandstones and conglomerates. It is interpreted that these more competent lithologies were favourable for stockwork quartz veining development because they accommodated the regional stress by forming brittle fractures relative to the intercalated siltstones and mudstones which preferentially formed a strong schistosity and high-strain zones. The four target areas will be advanced with a structural mapping program, and an RC drilling program to constrain the extent of the identified mineralisation. (1) www.perseusmining.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Annual-Report-2023.pdf (2) www.endeavourmining.com/our-business/lafigue-project About The Kouto Property The 298.46 km2 Kouto property (PR 916) is located in northern Cote d'Ivoire on the Boundiali-Syama greenstone belt, along strike towards the south from Perseus's Sissingue deposit producing over 50koz per year with a Proven and Probable reserve of 4.2Mt at 1.83g/t gold containing 0.247Moz*, as at December 31, 2023(3), and Resolute Mining's Syama mine producing over 200koz per year with a Proven and Probable reserve of 49.1Mt at 2.6 g/t gold containing 4.0Moz*, as at December 31, 2023(4). The Kouto permit was granted to Koulou Gold's subsidiary Kenorland Minerals Africa - CI on May 3, 2023 with preliminary exploration works already underway. Koulou Gold has completed a regional scale BLEG sampling campaign in early 2024 and uncovered a 13-kilometre-long by 10-kilometre-wide trend of anomalous gold-in-catchments, which will be followed up by a 400m x 50m spaced soil sampling program to start immediately, before the main rainy season of July and August. The Kouto Project is underlain by northeast-trending Birimian volcanic, sedimentary, and granitic rocks that form part of the Boundiali-Syama greenstone belt. (3) www.perseusmining.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Annual-Report-2023.pdf (4) www.rml.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2523466.pdf *The Company cautions that results of adjacent properties are not indicative of the presence of mineralisation on the Sakassou and Kouto properties. Qualified Person Mr. Janek Wozniewski, B.Sc., P.Geo. (EGBC #172781), "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. About Endeavour Mining Endeavour Mining is one of the world's senior gold producers and the largest in West Africa, with operating assets across Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and a strong portfolio of advanced development projects and exploration assets in the highly prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt across West Africa. A member of the World Gold Council, Endeavour is committed to the principles of responsible mining and delivering sustainable value to its employees, stakeholders and the communities where it operates. Endeavour is listed on the London and Toronto Stock Exchanges, under the symbol EDV. For more information about Endeavour Mining, please visit www.endeavourmining.com. About Koulou Gold Corp. Koulou Gold Corp. is a private mineral exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia and based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Koulou Gold's focus is early to advanced-stage exploration in West Africa. The Company currently holds an option to earn up to 100% interest in the Sakassou Project in central Cote d'Ivoire, and an additional exploration licence in the well-endowed Syama - Boundiali greenstone belt in northern Cote d'Ivoire. For more information about Koulou Gold Corp., please visit www.koulougoldcorp.com. On behalf of Koulou Gold Corp. Desire Aboukan, President and Director For further information - please contact: Alex Ruggieri, CEO and Director Koulou Gold Corp. alex@koulougoldcorp.com +1 778 888 4986 Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210869 SOURCE: Koulou Gold Corp. Top Five Conveyor Car Wash Company Opens Third Illinois THOMASTON, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Tidal Wave Auto Spa, one of the nation's fastest-growing express car wash companies, is pleased to announce the grand opening of their newest location in Lombard, IL at 352 E Roosevelt Road. To celebrate the Grand Opening, the brand-new Lombard location is offering eight days of free car washes from May 29 - June 5. This limited-time promotion provides an opportunity for car owners to experience Tidal Wave's premium wash option, Graph-X4, at no cost. Additionally, any new customer that joins a Clean Club unlimited wash membership plan during Grand Opening week will enjoy their first month of unlimited washes for only $9.97 - saving up to $40. "We opened our first Illinois location in March," said Tidal Wave Auto Spa founder and CEO Scott Blackstock. "We're excited to celebrate the grand opening of our third brand-new location in the state this week with our Lombard location. Our team is looking forward to providing the Lombard community with the convenience of our industry-leading conveyor car wash, designed to make car care easy, efficient and enjoyable for years to come." Lombard, IL Location: 352 E Roosevelt Road, Lombard, IL 60148 Nearby Locations: Woodstock, Bourbonnais - Coming Soon Tidal Wave Auto Spa is committed to providing every customer with an exceptional car wash experience through industry-leading car care technology, clean and attractive locations, and friendly customer service at every location. Stop by for a single wash or join Tidal Wave's Clean Club for the ultimate experience. Members can wash every day of the month for one convenient monthly payment and save time with exclusive club member wash lanes - plus, memberships can be used at any Tidal Wave location. For those needing to wash multiple cars, Tidal Wave offers discounted monthly family plans and fleet plans for businesses with five or more vehicles. Tidal Wave Auto Spa opened their first Illinois location in March 2024, and currently operates three locations throughout the state including Lincoln, Woodstock and Lombard. In the coming months, the company will open an additional brand-new Illinois location in Bourbonnais. For additional information, including upcoming locations, fundraising, fleet plans, and more, please visit: https://www.tidalwaveautospa.com. About Tidal Wave Auto Spa Tidal Wave Auto Spa is an industry-leading conveyor car wash company founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock in Thomaston, GA. Tidal Wave is committed to providing cutting-edge car care technology and exceptional customer service at each of their 264 locations sprawling 27 states across the South, Midwest, and Northern United States. In 2020, Tidal Wave partnered with Golden Gate Capital to facilitate their accelerated growth across the country. Tidal Wave is one of the top five conveyor car wash companies in the country and has been included in the Inc. 5000 list for America's Fastest Growing Companies since 2020. The company was recognized as a 2023 Champion of Charity Honoree by Professional Carwashing & Detailing and has raised over $3 million dollars for organizations in their communities. Contact Information Heather Coleman Marketing Manager media@tidalwaveautospa.com Andrea Traylor Senior Director of Digital Marketing andrea.traylor@tidalwaveautospa.com 2058212220 SOURCE: Tidal Wave Auto Spa View the original press release on newswire.com. HTEC, a global end-to-end digital product development and engineering services company, recently appointed Mark Scrivener as its UK managing director. A strong advocate for human-centric UX initiatives, Mark has a proven track record of driving product innovation and steering digital transformations. As country director, he will focus on refining business strategies, nurturing partnerships, and assembling teams tailored to meet customers' unique needs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529762632/en/ HTEC appoints Mark Scrivener as its UK managing director (Photo: Business Wire) Since establishing its UK presence in 2018, HTEC has worked with regional organizations across industries, such as CloudNC, to help them design and release innovative products and services. For Mark, adopting forward-thinking strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and embracing a user-centric approach brings a crucial competitive edge. "The UK market is characterized by rapid shifts and fierce competition. To thrive, businesses need agility and foresight. At HTEC, we leverage market research and the latest industry and technology trends to produce innovative products that move the needle in our client's organizations. More than ever, the key is skillfully using heavy data to hyper-personalize the user experience." As the country director, Mark will employ his extensive experience across industries and exceptional knowledge of the UK market to further enhance HTEC's UK operations. He believes the ability to provide end-to-end solutions that cover the entire customer journey sets HTEC apart from the UK competition. "I joined HTEC as part of Momentum Design Lab, the UK's premier, award-winning UX design company, which was acquired by HTEC in 2021. The blend of Momentum's product and UX design capabilities and HTEC's deep engineering expertise allows us to examine a problem from multiple perspectives design, product, engineering, and experience. We occupy that middle ground with considerable skill, tackling challenges while retaining an agility most enterprises lack." As for strategic plans, the UK team will keep expanding, with a focus on engineering, leadership, and business development roles. Our new managing director looks forward to in-person interactions with our partners and extends an invitation for prospective customers to visit our London office. About HTEC: HTEC is a global digital, product development, and technology engineering firm powering the technological evolution of the world's most impactful organizations from disruptive startups to the Fortune 500. With more than 2,000 experts spread across North America and Europe, HTEC is an ideal technology partner for clients and the ultimate growth platform for employees. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529762632/en/ Contacts: HTEC Media Relations: media@htecgroup.com PetroSun, Inc (OTC PINK:PSUD) (the "Company") announced today the appointment of Dr R. Gerald Bailey to the position of Executive Vice President of the company. Dr. Bailey has been actively involved with PetroSun for many years, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors. His experience in the Energy industry in executive roles makes him an outstanding addition to the management team of the company as we move into production and implementation of our broad portfolio of technologies. With the recent disclosure of $ 23.6 Billion in estimated lithium and helium reserves, his experience as the former President of Exxon - Arabian Gulf, and other energy industry endeavors, will provide the expertise, knowledge, and leadership to the company during this critical time of exploiting our helium assets and the commercialization of the technologies. In addition to the Science and Technology Advisory Board, current support staff, and the significant number of industry consultants and partners, PetroSun is well positioned to move into production and revenue with a highly qualified and experienced group led by the executive team of Gordon LeBlanc Jr and Dr. Jerry Bailey. "Dr. Bailey is a chemical engineer with experience in all aspects of the energy industry, both upstream and downstream; with many industry, financial and media contacts. His expanded support of the Company recognizes the potential of our assets and his ability to bring global attention to these activities," stated Gordon LeBlanc, Jr, Executive Chairman, CEO and President. About PetroSun PetroSun, Inc. is a fully integrated energy and mining business focusing on Lithium, Zeolite Clays, Rare Earth Elements, Mine Tailings, Helium, Natural Gas and Water Processing through the use of cutting-edge technologies, a broad portfolio of assets and leases, and a management team with decades of research, development, and production experience. PetroSun is vertically integrated with control of all aspects of the business from exploration and production to delivery to end users, providing customers direct customized solutions and shareholders maximum returns by participating in profitability at each stage in the supply chain. PetroSun, Inc. owns significant leasehold acreage that is prospective for helium exploration and production in the Holbrook Basin of Arizona and for natural gas and helium in the Paradox Basin of Utah. The Company holds mineral leases on approximately 280,000 gross acres in the Holbrook Basin and Pedregosa Basin of Arizona and over 26,000 gross acres in the Paradox Basin. PetroSun's greatest assets are its shareholders, partners, advisors, employees, and its patented and proprietary technologies. We seek to provide global solutions to some of the most critical challenges the world faces today and into the future. The Company trades on the OTC Pink Sheets under the symbol "PSUD" For additional information: Contact PetroSun at mallison@petrosun.us Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "ongoing", "plan", "potential", "predict", "project", "should", "will", "would", or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainty and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. This press release should be considered in light of all filings of the Company that are disclosed on the OTC Market.com website. Contact: PetroSun, Inc. 2999 North 44th Street, Suite 620 Phoenix, Arizona 85018 480-425-4290 Website: www.petrosun.us Dr R Gerald Bailey, Executive Vice President of PetroSun SOURCE: PetroSun, Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Regulatory News: Median Technologies (FR0011049824, ALMDT, PEA/PME scheme eligible, "Median" or "The Company") announced today that the Company will be participating in the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place from May 31 to June 4, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USA. The Median team, with iCRO and eyonis representatives will be pleased to welcome the ASCO participants at booth #15142, South Building, Hall A, McCormick place, from June 1 to 3 (exhibition dates), from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Median Technologies' abstract selected for online publication is available on the ASCO platform: Abstract e23010: Double reading performance and the impact of adjudication on progression-free survival estimations: Findings from a lung clinical trial The FDA recommends Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) with double reads for imaging in clinical trials, but inter-reader variability raises concerns. Our study examined this variability in lung cancer clinical trials using RECIST. We analyzed 5 phase III trials with 7 readers forming 11 teams, covering 1,017 patients. The study focused on Discrepancy Rate (DR), bias, endorsement rate, and the impact of adjudication on Progression-Free Survival (PFS) estimates. Results showed significant bias among readers, affecting double readings but no correlation between bias and DR. Additionally, adjudication significantly affects PFS estimates. These outcomes highlight the need to improve monitoring in clinical trials. The ASCO Annual Meeting is the world's premier oncology conference, organized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the largest oncology society in the world. Each year, the ASCO conference brings together more than 35,000 oncologists from all around the globe, and is attended by all medical, educational and industrial stakeholders involved in the field of oncology worldwide. More about the ASCO Annual Meeting: https://am.asco.org/ About Median Technologies: Pioneering in innovative imaging solutions and services, Median Technologies harnesses cutting-edge AI to elevate the accuracy of early cancer diagnoses and cancer treatments. Median's offerings, including iCRO for medical image analysis and management in oncology trials and eyonis, AI/ML tech-based suite of software as medical devices (SaMD), empower biopharmaceutical entities and clinicians to advance patient care and expedite novel therapies. The French-based company, with a presence in the U.S. and China, trades on the Euronext Growth market (ISIN: FR0011049824, ticker: ALMDT). Median is eligible for the French SME equity savings plan scheme (PEA-PME). For more information: www.mediantechnologies.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529187331/en/ Contacts: Median Technologies Emmanuelle Leygues Head of Corporate Marketing Financial Communications +33 6 10 93 58 88 emmanuelle.leygues@mediantechnologies.com Press ALIZE RP Caroline Carmagnol +33 6 64 18 99 59 median@alizerp.com Investors ACTIFIN Ghislaine Gasparetto +33 6 21 10 49 24 ghislaine.gasparetto@seitosei-actifin.com Utah's top equine sanctuaries, including Liberty Sanctuary, Red Birds Trust, Saving Gracie Foundation, and Wildheart Sanctuary as well as national advocacy groups like Animals' Angels, Animal Wellness Action and Horses In Our Hands announce the launch of SAFEACT.org. The website is a national appeal to encourage legislators to pass the Save America's Forgotten Equines Act (SAFE Act HR 3475/S 2037) which would ban the export of American equines to foreign meat plants for slaughter and protect America's most vulnerable horses. SAFEACT.org was created by Utah-based EquineIQ and designer Allison Walton to provide constituents a convenient opportunity to share their support of the ban with a few quick steps. The user-friendly site is operable nationwide and quickly identifies legislators based on simple user inputs using artificially intelligent technology from leading Silicon Valley developer Legisletter.org to script messages to legislators. Users will also have the option to personalize their messages. Any organization wishing to support the SAFE Act can forward the SAFEACT.org site link to their constituents. In return, the site will offer back links to supporters free of charge. There are no donation requests or side promotions. The site's one objective is to allow constituents to be heard and help pass legislation to ban the export of American equines for slaughter. More than 20,000 American equines are exported for slaughter annually to benefit foreign meat companies. Both domestic and wild horses enter the slaughter pipeline where their experience is inhumane and immoral. All medical care stops once an equine enters the pipeline. Their ordeal worsens as they are tightly packed into cargo trucks and transported thousands of miles in deplorable conditions to meet an unjust fate. According to the USDA, 92.3% of these equines are young and healthy and could otherwise have productive lives while even benefiting the US economy. "Half of Liberty's rescues are under the age of two," said Debra West, Founder, Liberty Sanctuary and EquineIQ. "Passing the SAFE Act would be a pivotal step forward in helping to protect America's beloved equines and righting this national wrong. SAFEACT.org allows the public to express their support in a simple and efficient way." According to a recent poll, 82% of Americans oppose the slaughter of American equines for meat and it's time legislators take note. Because Americans cherish their horses, slaughter plants in the United States were closed in 2007. This created a dangerous loophole for remaining kill-buyers to truck equines more than 1,000 miles to their deaths. The slaughter pipeline also provides cover for cited animal abuses, predatory horse-trading forcing rescuers to pay premiums, and other black market and criminal enterprises like drug trafficking. "The slaughter industry operates in the shadows and preys on vulnerable animals while only benefiting a handful of profiteers and foreign meat companies. American equines are icons of freedom and symbols of our nation's frontier history and deserve nothing less than our gratitude and protection," asserted Scott Beckstead, admired equine advocate, Lecturer at Law, Willamette University College of Law and EquineIQ/Liberty Sanctuary Board Member. The SAFE Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). It currently has 223 cosponsors and would prohibit the exportation of American equines for slaughter. Spearheaded by Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Menendez, D-N.J., the companion bill in the Senate also has strong bipartisan support. The bill is supported by major equine sanctuaries and leading national animal welfare groups and equine advocates including American Veterinary Medical Association, American Wild Horse Conservation, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animals' Angels, Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Wellness Action, ASPCA, EquineIQ/Liberty Sanctuary, Horses In Our Hands, Humane Society of the United States, Return to Freedom as well as the Thoroughbred racing and Trotting industries. Leading the national charge in lobbying to pass the SAFE Act is Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy. "We are sounding the alarm to Congress that healthy American horses are being butchered in a secretive, inhumane trade to Mexico," he said. "The animal welfare community and the Thoroughbred racing industry are united in demanding an end to this archaic, ruthless trade. Not one more year of trafficking these iconic animals should be tolerated." Horse slaughter must be banned to save the lives of thousands of American equines annually and allow rescues to care for horses without exorbitant premiums. It is a critical first step to managing the American equine population humanely in addition to responsible breeding and endorsing compassionate euthanasia when medically necessary. There is global movement away from exploiting horses and other equines, including an E.U. ban on the import of horse meat from the U.S. via Mexico. Canada's House of Commons is considering ending the transport of live horses for slaughter, while many European nations and companies are banning the slaughter of horses for consumption and other products. Sonja Meadows, President, Animals' Angels, explained, "The demand for horse meat is diminishing. Only a small group of callous kill buyers profiteering on the backs of our horses wish to keep this trade alive. We can end this now by passing the SAFE Act." Debra West added, "The American horse is synonymous with the American spirit and shouldn't be sold out. Respectfully, it's time U.S. lawmakers stand up for the majestic American horse, or they will be left on the wrong side of American values, public opinion, and history. There are enough resources and homes to keep these horses SAFE in the United States. Let's do the right thing and end this horrific practice." Learn more and help pass the Save America's Forgotten Equines Act at www.safeact.org. # # # Animals' Angels, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with full-time investigators working to shed light on animal cruelty. Their documented reports and video footage are provided to the news media as a public service to raise awareness. They also present investigation results to auction and slaughter plant management to encourage positive improvements and share documentation of cruelty with all appropriate law enforcement agencies to ensure that violators of animal protection laws are being held responsible for their actions at all applicable levels. www.animalsangels.org Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. www.animalwellnessaction.org EquineIQ was established to develop innovative and sensible solutions nationally to benefit equines in need by bringing together stakeholders in the equine industry and collaborating with corporations and government officials. Their solutions-oriented approach to problems led to the development and launch SAFEACT.org. www.equineiq.org Legisletter Legisletter empowers NGOs to champion lasting change on critical issues like animal welfare and education reform. Through its AI-powered advocacy platform, it streamlines the creation of highly personalized letters tailored to each supporter's concerns for an intuitive user experience. Organizations can now launch impactful advocacy campaigns in minutes, not weeks, providing the agility to respond swiftly to evolving political landscapes. https://legisletter.org CONTACT: Redhead Marketing & PR Hilary Reiter Azzaretti, hilary@redheadmarketingpr.com, 435.901.2071 Photos: Click here SOURCE: Liberty Sanctuary View the original press release on accesswire.com Regulatory News: Legrand's (Paris:LR) Combined General Meeting of Shareholders took place on May 29, 2024 and was chaired by Angeles Garcia-Poveda, Chair of the Board of Directors. I. Voting results All resolutions put forward by the Board of Directors were approved with a large majority. In particular, shareholders approved: the appointment of Rekha Mehrotra Menon as an independent director for a period of three years; and as an independent director for a period of three years; and the renewal of Jean-Marc Chery's term of office as director for a period of three years. As a result, out of a total of 14 members (including two directors representing employees), the Board of Directors consists of: nine independent members, representing a proportion of 75%1, which exceeds the 50% minimum level recommended by the AFEP-MEDEF Code of Corporate Governance; five women , representing a proportion of 42% 1 , representing a proportion of 42% seven nationalities: American, Canadian, English, French, German, Indian and Spanish. As a result, the composition of the Board of Directors is in line with market best practices. The Shareholders' Meeting also approved the payment of a dividend of 2.09 per share with respect to 20232. The ex-dividend date will be May 31, 2024 and the dividend will be paid on June 4, 2024. II. Profitable and responsible growth model In the meeting of shareholders, CEO Benoit Coquart presented Legrand's profitable and responsible growth model. The Group is ideally positioned in a buoyant industry that shows great promise in the mid-term, in particular thanks to i) its balanced exposure to various geographies and end-markets, ii) its central position in its value chain and iii) the depth of its offering. Legrand is pursuing its growth strategy, which is based on continuing to spend around 5% of its revenue on R&D, and on growing through bolt-on acquisitions3, of which five were announced in 2023. Initiatives to strengthen the Group's positions in faster expanding segments (datacenters, connected solutions and energy efficiency products) were also detailed during the meeting. Together, these segments accounted for 36% of Legrand's sales4 in 2023, with the target is to increase that ratio to 50% in the mid-term. The relevance of the Group's strategic model is reflected in the creation of leading financial and non-financial value over the past five years: revenue rose sharply (by +40%), adjusted operating margin averaged over 20%, net profit attributable to the Group per share grew by +50%, free cash flow was up +112% and CO2 emissions were reduced by -53%. The success of the first international employee share purchase plan confirmed that Legrand's teams are fully confident in the Group's development model. The split of value added remained balanced in 2023, with 54% going to employees and 21% to investments in development. The Group reiterated its ambitious mid-term financial and non-financial targets1, which are consistent with its purpose and its strategy of profitable and responsible growth. III. Financial performance and outlook CFO Franck Lemery then provided details about Legrand's financial performance and outlook. The Group achieved record performance in 2023, with sales growth (organic and through acquisitions) of +4.7%, adjusted operating margin of 21.0% of sales, net profit attributable to the Group per share up +15.6%, free cash flow standing at 18.8% of sales and a return on capital employed of 14.7% after tax. These 2023 achievements once again demonstrate the quality of Legrand's model, and are fully in line with the Group's strategy, which combines i) growth initiatives through innovation and acquisitions and ii) cost structure optimization through the continuous improvement of operational performance and productivity. Legrand's results for the first quarter of 2024, the continuation of acquisitions, and the objectives for the current year2 were emphasized. The proposed dividend as well as the Group's shareholder communication were also brought up. IV. CSR achievements and policy Virginie Gatin, Executive VP Corporate Social Responsibility, reminded of the Group's long-standing commitments in terms of CSR, since 2004, as well as the practical achievements in the field. Regarding Legrand's 2022-2024 CSR roadmap, structured around 4 pillars and 15 priorities contributing to 10 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Group's overall achievement rate was of 118% in 2023, notably reducing the Group's CO2 emissions (Scopes 1 2) by -39% at current scope over two years, significantly exceeding the set target for the year. The new Net Zero targets validated by the SBTi aiming for a -90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions scopes 1, 2, and 3 by 2050 were detailed, as well as intermediate targets for 2030. V. Governance and compensation Michel Landel, Lead Director and Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee, commented on changes to the composition of the Board of Directors. He then presented the role and work of the Lead Director, along with the process for assessing the Board's operating procedures as well as its activities and those of its specialized committees in 2023. Annalisa Loustau Elia, Chairwoman of the Compensation Committee, after reminding the principles of the compensation policy, provided details on the resolutions relating to company officers' compensation subject to shareholders approval. All presentations made in the meeting, including the voting results, a full playback of the meeting and answers to written questions are available on the Legrand website: www.legrandgroup.com/en, "INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS/Shareholders' meetings/2024 General meeting" section. Key financial dates: Ex-dividend date: May 31, 2024 Dividend payment: June 4, 2024 2024 first-half results: July 31, 2024 "Quiet period1" starts July 1, 2024 Capital Markets Day 2024: September 24, 2024 London (UK) About Legrand Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. The Group harnesses technological and societal trends with lasting impacts on buildings with the purpose of improving life by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet with electrical, digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. Drawing on an approach that involves all teams and stakeholders, Legrand is pursuing its strategy of profitable and responsible growth driven by acquisitions and innovation, with a steady flow of new offerings-including products with enhanced value in use (faster expanding segments: datacenters, connected offerings and energy efficiency programs). Legrand reported sales of 8.4 billion in 2023. The company is listed on Euronext Paris and is notably a component stock of the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG and CAC SBT 1.5 indexes. (code ISIN FR0010307819). https://www.legrandgroup.com ____________________________________________ 1 Directors representing employees are not counted for the purpose of calculating (i) the minimum ratio of directors of a single gender, in accordance with provisions of the law or (ii) the proportion of independent directors on the Board of Directors, in accordance with the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code of Corporate Governance. 2 To be paid entirely out of distributable income. For more information, readers are invited to refer to the press release of February 15, 2024. 3 Acquisitions of companies that complement the Group's existing business activities. 4 Excluding overlaps between those three segments. 1 For more information, readers are invited to refer to the press releases of February 11, 2021, September 22, 2021 and March 29, 2022. 2 For more information, readers are invited to refer to the press release of May 3, 2024. 1 Period of time when all communication is suspended in the run-up to the publication of results. Readers are invited to check the authenticity of Legrand's press releases using the CertiDox app. For more information, visit www.certidox.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529051361/en/ Contacts: INVESTOR RELATIONS FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION Ronan MARC (Legrand) +33 1 49 72 53 53. ronan.marc@legrand.com PRESS RELATIONS Tiphaine RAFFRAY (TBWA) +33 6 58 27 78 98. tiphaine.raffray@tbwa-corporate.com Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, May 29 For immediate release 29 May 2024 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announce that it has today purchased 179,412 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 831.70 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 42,854,724; 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 182,136,579. The figure of 182,136,579 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of Frostrow Capital LLP Company Secretary For further information, please contact: Victoria Hale Frostrow Capital LLP Tel: 020 3 170 8732 Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V:ARK) ("Arras" or the "Company") announces today that due to further strong demand from existing shareholders, the previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") has been increased to up to C$5.2 million (the "Additional Upsizing"). The Company announced on May 21, 2024 that it had arranged a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 7,692,308 units of the Company ("Units") at a price per Unit of C$0.26 (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$2 million. On May 28, 2024, due to strong demand, the Company announced an upsizing to C$4.5 million. Following the Additional Upsizing, the Offering will now comprise of up to 20,000,000 Units at the Offering Price for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$5.2 million. Under the Offering, each Unit shall be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) additional Common Share at a price of C$0.40 for a period of (3) years from the closing of the Offering (the "Expiry Date"). In the event the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") meets or exceeds C$0.60 for fifteen (15) consecutive trading days at any time after four months and one day following closing of the Offering, the Company shall have the option, but not the obligation, at any time thereafter to accelerate the Expiry Date to a date that is thirty (30) days following the date of issuance of a press release by the Company announcing the acceleration of the Expiry Date. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about June 4, 2024 and is subject to the approval of the TSXV. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period in Canada and will be subject to U.S. resale restrictions under U.S. securities laws as applicable. The securities to be sold in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act"), or any state or other applicable jurisdiction's 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 U.S. Securities Act and applicable state or other jurisdictions' securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Qualified Person: The scientific and technical disclosure for this news release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Matthew Booth, Vice President of Exploration, of Arras Minerals Corp., a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. Mr. Booth has over 19 years of mineral exploration experience and is a Qualified Person member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (CPG 12044). On behalf of the Board of Directors "Darren Klinck" Darren Klinck President and Director INVESTOR RELATIONS: +1 604 687 5800 info@arrasminerals.com Further information can be found on: the Company's website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals or follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/arrasminerals About Arras Minerals Corp. Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue). In December 2023, the Company entered into a strategic alliance with Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") in which Teck will sole fund a US$5 million generative exploration program over a portion of the Arras license package in 2024-2025 focusing on critical minerals. The Company's shares are listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "ARK". Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Offering, future events and Arras' future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the Offering, the participation in the Offering by Teck Resources Limited, the amount of securities that may be sold and proceeds raised by the Company from the Offering, timing of closing of the Offering, the terms to the securities offered under the Offering, the receipt of TSXV and other required regulatory and third party approvals in respect of the Offering, exercise of the Company's acceleration right in respect of the Warrants (or the satisfaction of the acceleration condition in respect thereof), and plans and expectations of the exploration program Arras is in the process of undertaking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras' exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras' management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continues," "may," variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control, including investor interest in the Offering and perception of the Company and its business and assets, regulatory approval of the Offering, changes to the market price for the Company's securities, changes to economic conditions, changes to metals and commodity prices, price of inputs, expected costs and timelines to achieve the Company's goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner, financing will be available when needed on economically reasonable terms, undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ on February 28, 2024 and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 28, 2024 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Arras Minerals Corp. View the original press release on accesswire.com ZIGUP plc - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, May 29 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 29 May 2024 ZIGUP PLC ("ZIGUP" or the "Group" or the "Company") Transaction in Own Shares ZIGUP plc (LSE:ZIG) announces that on 29 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 429.5 pence per share Highest purchase price paid 430 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid 429 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 19,864,362 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 226,227,061 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 29 May 2024) Number of shares purchased Transaction price (GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 25,000 25,000 430.00 429.00 08:45:37 16:20:50 00070092837TRLO0 00070107289TRLO0 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: ZIGUP (formerly Redde Northgate plc) is the leading integrated mobility solutions provider, with a platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle to help people keep on the move, smarter. The Company offers mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across a broad range of areas from vehicle rental and fleet management to accident management, vehicle repairs, service and maintenance. The mobility landscape is changing, becoming ever more connected and ZIGUP uses its knowledge and expertise to guide customers through the transformation, whether that is more digitally connected solutions or supporting the transition to lower carbon mobility through providing EVs, charging solutions and consultancy. The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, smarter - through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With our considerable scale and reach, ZIGUP's mission is to offer an imaginative, market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group seeks to achieve this through the delivery of its new strategic framework of Enable, Deliver and Grow. ZIGUP supports its customers through a network and diversified fleet of approx. 130,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 700,000 managed vehicles, with over 175 branches across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 7,500 employees. We are a trusted partner to many of the leading insurance and leasing companies, blue chip corporates and a broad range of businesses across a diverse range of sectors. Our strength comes not only from our breadth of our award-winning solutions, but from our extensive network reach, our wealth of experience and continual focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience. Further information regarding ZIGUP plc can be found on the Company's website: www.zigup.com Blog Archive: Oct 2024 (55) 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) BANGKOK, May 29, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Sappe PCL, or SAPPE, has officially named the world's leading K-Pop boy band SEVENTEEN, top of the list in K-Pop boy group brand value ranking, as its First Global Brand Ambassador for flagship fruit drink Mogu Mogu. As part of the role, the 13 members of SEVENTEEN will be the representatives of 'Fun' and 'Lively' for SAPPE's fruit juice with coconut jelly Mogu Mogu, the favorite drink in several countries, with its "Sip Chew Feel Mogu Mogu" campaign. This reflects the strong global success of SAPPE, which currently exports beverages to around 100 countries worldwide.SAPPE CEO Ms Piyajit Ruckariyapong said "Mogu Mogu has received a very warm welcome in foreign markets, and thanks to its difference and uniqueness we are the world's first beverage maker to have introduced a drink mixing big pieces of coconut jelly, a 'Snack Drink', to the market in 2001. Until now, more than 30 billion bottles of Mogu Mogu have been distributed to consumers worldwide while at Sappe we have been busy marketing and expanding sales channels to reach our global consumers."SAPPE made another important stride toward becoming a 'Global Brand' when it was able to achieve continuous growth in the foreign market, receiving wide acceptance among customers with its innovative strategies like the 'France First' model in Europe and the 'Korea First' in Asia through its Global Influencer Marketing strategy and the product tie-in in K-Dramas on Netflix. These initiatives have created viral trends at the regional and global levels, positioning South Korea and France as the "Main Influencers" in their respective regions.To strengthen Mogu Mogu's global presence, SAPPE will introduce the "Sip Chew Feel Mogu Mogu" campaign this year as its first global brand campaign. The campaign will kick off in South Korea and France, 'Key Countries' with important 'Trend Setters', increasing customer engagement in both countries with the Mogu Mogu brand and SEVENTEEN, its Global Brand Ambassador with prevailing popularity across the globe.The company also conducted a Brand Health Check with Milieu Insight, a well-known market research and data analytics company, to identify consumer needs and engage them in helping develop marketing strategy at the global campaign level. In addition, SAPPE has invited DDB Worldwide Communication Group LLC, the global marketing agency and Omnicom Group affiliate, to help create relevant strategies and carry out activities throughout the campaign. This project is considered a major partnership of the world-class teams.The SAPPE CEO added that with their iconic energy and positivity, SEVENTEEN will join hands with Mogu Mogu to reach out to the global audience and spread the 'fun' and the 'liveliness' the brand represents. Propelled by the K-pop group's popularity, Mogu Mogu hopes to further increase brand engagement, build a unique narrative, and expand its market.The "Sip Chew Feel Mogu Mogu" campaign is the company's biggest-ever campaign at a global level. All the members of SEVENTEEN will represent Mogu Mogu in communicating with its public worldwide through TVC and numerous marketing tools. Further forms of fun will be arranged for the fans, such as special gifts from Mogu Mogu, Mogu Mogu Special Pack Limited Edition. SAPPE expects that all activities in the campaign will help increase brand engagement by 25%."With all this, we intend to create happiness and fun for the fans of Mogu Mogu and SEVENTEEN around the world. It is a significant beginning in building Mogu Mogu into a beloved brand at a global level from now on".About SappeSappe PCL (SAPPE TB) is well-recognized as the leader of innovative drinks and pioneer of functional drinks in Thailand. Sappe has been running business with its determination that 'We better people's lives through our innovative spirit." The company applies innovations to drive the business creatively in order to produce innovative products and efficient administration. Sappe's core DNA "Creative, Dynamic, Fun" has been perfectly demonstrated through its products and corporate culture.Currently, Sappe has 12 product brands in 5 categories created by Sappe players and business partners. Beverage products from Sappe have been among the leaders in the functional drink market for over a decade with various refreshments for consumers. Some drinks are made from Thai agricultural products, including Mogu Mogu, Sappe Aloe Vera and All Coco. Sappe's products are distributed in 98 countries worldwide, backed by a strong will to build Sappe into a global brand.Sappe PCL [SAPPE TB][SAPPE/F TB][SAPPE-R TB] https://www.sappe.com.Source: SAPPECopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX-V:FLY)(OTCQX:FLYLF) (the "Company" or "FLYHT") today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss the results for the first quarter of 2024, the period ended March 31, 2024, on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET). The conference call will include prepared remarks followed by a question-and-answer session with Kent Jacobs, President & Interim CEO and Alana Forbes, CFO. To access the conference call by phone within Canada and the U.S., the toll-free number is 1-844-763-8274. Outside Canada and the U.S., dial 1-647-484-8814. Callers should dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Management will accept questions by telephone and e-mail. Individuals wishing to ask a question during the call can do so by pressing *1. Questions can be emailed in advance or during the conference call to investors@flyht.com. An archive of the conference call will be posted on the Investor Relations section of FLYHT's website as soon as it is available from the conference call provider. About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. FLYHT provides airlines with Actionable Intelligence to transform operational insight into immediate, quantifiable action, and delivers industry leading solutions to improve aviation safety, efficiency, and profitability. This unique capability is driven by a suite of patented aircraft certified hardware products, AFIRS. Solutions include an aircraft satcom/interface device that enables cockpit voice communications, transmission of aircraft data both while inflight via satellite and post-flight via 5G, real-time aircraft state and fleet status analysis, and preventative maintenance solutions. FLYHT's hardware products can also be interfaced with FLYHT's proprietary relative humidity sensors to deliver airborne weather and humidity data in real-time. FLYHT is headquartered in Calgary, Canada, and is an AS9100 Quality registered company. For more information, visit www.flyht.com. Contact Information: FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. FNK IR LLC Alana Forbes Matt Chesler, CFA Chief Financial Officer Investor Relations 403.291.7437 646.809.2183 investors@flyht.com mchesler@flyht.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. SOURCE: FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. View the original press release on accesswire.com Space Engine Systems (SES), through its UK operations based out of Spaceport Cornwall (SES Ltd), has applied its aerospace technology expertise to a 1 Billion GBP ($1.27 Billion USD) challenge issued by the UK MoD linked to Hypersonic Technologies and was very recently notified that it had secured a place in the Hypersonic Technology and Capability Development Framework (HTCDF). DE&S to award contracts on 1 billion framework to develop UK's first hypersonic missile Defence Equipment Support (mod.uk). This framework will enable the rapid development of advanced hypersonic missile capabilities, and related technology, over the next 7 years. Pradeep Dass, President and CTO of Space Engine Systems noted, "We are looking forward to providing the UK MoD with innovative solutions to the complex challenge of hypersonic flight as well as being a part of the growth in the UK's industrial base in this critical sector, which we can also leverage to support a sovereign UK space launch capability. SES is also working closely with spaceport Cornwall, in the UK, by using a hangar at the spaceport for hypersonic flight testing. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240523953874/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) SES, a Canadian leader in aerospace and space propulsion technology since 2011, is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this framework due to the technology that is currently being developed in the building the Hello series of hypersonic Spaceplanes which will enable the lowest-cost transportation of payloads to space, and ultimately enable landing of humans on the Moon. This development involves the use of advanced modelling simulation technologies and techniques in building advanced airframe structures and materials to withstand the environment experience, during hypersonic travel. SES have successfully tested a multi-fuel turbo-ramjet (Dass GNX) engine that will form the basis of our propulsion solution for the Spaceplanes. We also leverage the inherent advantages of working from Spaceports on two continents (Cornwall Spaceport UK and a second Spaceport in the US) with dedicated teams working in each of the locations. In addition to upcoming hypersonic work for the UK MoD, SES is taking orders for payload launches, suborbital, and orbital flights which are anticipated to commence in 2025 with the Hello-1 spaceplane that will transport a 550 kg payload to LEO, after the completion of flight trials of the Hello-1X Technology Demonstrator which will fly from the US, subject to regulatory approvals, in 2024. The HELLO-2 spaceplane will have the capability to deliver payloads of up to 5,500kg to LEO. SES is an AS 9100D (Aerospace) certified and Controlled Goods Program (CGP) registered company. All Hello series of spaceplanes are piloted, with an autonomous option. SES has partnered with Graphene Innovations Manchester, UK who are pioneers in implementing Graphene technology across multiple industrial applications. Together, we are working on large, flight article extra light cryogenic metal tanks for liquid hydrogen that will minimize the effects of hydrogen embrittlement. This solution not only represents a key element of the fuel system for the Hello series of Spaceplanes, but it also represents a solution for multiple transportation applications that will be storing and using liquid hydrogen. SES has also entered a strategic service partnership with Meridian Space Command (Meridian), headquartered at Space Park Leicester. Meridian is an emerging Mission service, specializing in propelling UK space offering services and knowledge transfer in Mission Management and Operations. SES has the capability to build nearly everything in house, which is done in order to lower production costs, and meet all delivery timelines. SES manufactures various spin-off aerospace products including thermal management systems, CRYOGENIC turbopumps, sophisticated dry running gear boxes tested up to 48 minutes of dry running, engineered high efficiency, high trust turbine engines, and the world's most efficient cryogenic heat exchanger that is able to remove approximately 10 MW of heat in less than 7.5 milliseconds. Web: www.spaceenginesystems.com Visit us on social media: Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240523953874/en/ Contacts: John Weaver jweaver@spaceenginesystems.com Space Engine Systems +1 780-430-9383 General inquiries: info@spaceenginesystems.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / The Hershey Company Women make up approximately one-third of the manufacturing workforce. Hershey Company Key Takeaways: Across the country, women make up approximately one-third of the manufacturing workforce. At The Hershey Company, women play critical roles in all aspects of manufacturing, from entry-level to leadership. We asked some of our team members to talk about what their jobs mean to them and offer advice to other women and girls. Manufacturing is a career filled with opportunities to learn and grow. While the industry has long been male-dominated, women today play an increasingly important role, making up about 29 percent of the manufacturing workforce, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Hershey recently asked three team members what drew them to manufacturing, what they love about their work and what advice they could offer women and girls who might be considering this career path. Here's what they had to say: Nicole Henderson Sr. Director, Manufacturing, Derry Township. Number of years with Hershey: 27 What led you to a career in manufacturing? My introduction to Hershey was through an internship, and I have held various roles ever since including quality assurance, quality and reliability control, lean manufacturing and plant management. During the early part of my career, I spent a significant amount of time in the plants on various project teams, but I knew that I did not have day-to-day experience at a plant. Once I had gained that differentiating experience, I knew I had found where I was meant to work. What do you love most about your work? First and foremost, I love the people. Each plant team that I have worked with in the past has become my family. There is no other place than manufacturing to get that kind of leadership experience. I also love the pace of the plant; there is always something happening. What advice would you offer girls and women who are considering this career path? Don't be afraid to try manufacturing. People think that you can't have a work-life balance when you work in a factory, but that isn't true. I integrated my family into my work family, and there are close bonds there that I cherish. Favorite Hershey product? HERSHEY-ETS Megan Isais Sr. Technical Assurance Manager - Engineering and Maintenance, Memphis Plant Number of years with Hershey: 7 What led you to a career in manufacturing? With an academic background in chemical engineering, I knew a career in manufacturing would allow me to combine technical skills and creativity in a fast-paced environment. I was passionate about making a difference, so I was drawn to consumer goods manufacturing. I wanted to work in an industry that allowed me to contribute to innovation and technological advancement. Right after graduation, I stepped into the manufacturing world and have not looked back since! What do you love most about your work? The people. I really enjoy the diverse culture at my plant and within my team. Working with collaborative and supportive people encourages a productive work atmosphere and inspires a more confident and innovative environment. What advice would you offer girls and women who are considering this career path? Lean in and accept challenging technical leadership roles, find strong mentors to learn from, adopt strong healthy habits, learn new skills, be confident in your ideas, deliver on commitments and always help peers succeed. Favorite Hershey product? Reese's Take 5 Mary Leslie Director of Operations, Dot's seasoning plants Number of years with Dot's and Hershey: 3.5 What led you to a career in manufacturing? I had a college instructor who recognized my ambitions for growth and development. He mentored and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone into the field of food manufacturing, which had more growth potential than my supervisor role at a distribution center. I took a leap of faith and began my first role in this field, producing smoked sausage. To this day, I cherish the decision to pursue a career in food manufacturing as one that has consistently enriched my professional journey. What do you love most about your work? I love working with people, building teams and producing tangible products that people enjoy; there's never a dull moment. Manufacturing gives me energy and fuels my passion. What advice would you offer girls and women who are considering this career path? Never fear stepping into a role where women are the minority; this is an area where you leave your footprints and make a lasting impact. Manufacturing may not seem glamorous from the outside, but it is very rewarding both professionally and personally. I am a firm believer that women bring a different perspective into every aspect of their roles, immensely contributing to projects. In manufacturing, we are one big family. Favorite Hershey product? I don't just have one favorite. I love any filled Hershey's Kisses, Rolo Dark Salted Caramel in Rich Dark Chocolate Candy and of course all DOT's pretzels. We're delighted to showcase an important milestone from our Mandideep plant in India. Over the course of a single year, our Mandideep facility has transformed from having no female employees to proudly welcoming 100 women to its workforce. At Hershey, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Congratulations to Hershey India and our Mandideep team for their dedication to creating an empowering workplace for all, one step at a time! View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Hershey Company on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: The Hershey Company Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hershey-company Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: The Hershey Company View the original press release on accesswire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Bear Creek Mining Corporation (TSXV: BCM) (OTCQX: BCEKF) (BVL: BCM) ("Bear Creek" or the "Company") reports its interim condensed consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 ("Q1 2024"). This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's interim condensed consolidated financial statements and management discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three months ended March 31, 2024, which are available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.bearcreekmining.com). Monetary amounts in this news release are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated and all capitalized terms herein have the same meaning as defined in the Q1 2024 financial statements. Highlights Key milestones that occurred during and subsequent to the end of Q1 2024 include: Production of 12,228 oz of gold and 44,040 oz of silver; Closing the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm Gold Ltd. ("Sandstorm") on January 22, 2024 which included: Restructuring the Mercedes metal streams, reducing gold deliverables from 600 to 275 ounces per month and silver deliverables from 100% to nil until April 2028 and increasing the cash payments for both to 25% of spot prices; Amending the terms of the $22.5 million Sandstorm Convertible Debenture entered into on December 16, 2021, and extending its maturity date; Granting a net smelter return ("NSR") royalty on the Corani asset; and Issuing share consideration to Sandstorm. Continuing to make substantial technical changes at Mercedes to improve operating performance; Enacting measures to overcome historical geotechnical challenges and development deficits at Mercedes; Appointing Zoya Shashkova to the position of Chief Financial Officer effective March 18, 2024; and, Receiving final approval for the Restructuring Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") on April 30, 2024. Selected Q1 2024 Financial and Production Results Bear Creek's Mercedes gold mine, located in Sonora, Mexico, produced 12,228 ounces of gold and 44,040 ounces of silver during the three months ended March 31, 2024. During this period 12,679 ounces of gold were sold, of which 825 ounces of gold were delivered under streaming arrangements. Cash cost and all-in-sustaining cost ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold were $1,183 and $1,588, respectively. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures", below. Mercedes Operating Highlights Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Gold ounces produced 12,228 Silver ounces produced 44,040 Gold ounces sold 12,679 Cash costs per gold ounce sold (1) $1,183 AISC per gold ounce sold (1) $1,588 Tonnes mined 106,365 Tonnes processed 109,280 Average gold grade mined (g/t) 3.83 Average gold grade processed (g/t) 3.69 Recovery rate gold 94% Average realized gold price (2) $2,052 Development (meters) 2,781 Financial Results (thousands of dollars, except share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Revenue $27,532 Comprehensive earnings (loss) after taxes $(17,289) Comprehensive earnings (loss) per share (3) $(0.08) Adjusted earnings (loss) after taxes (1) $(4,100) Adjusted earnings (loss) per share (1)(3)(4) $(0.02) Cash generated from (used in) operating activities $6,623 Cash generated from (used in) investing activities $(4,500) Cash generated from (used in) financing activities $327 Weighted average shares during period 220,619,381 Shares issued and outstanding at end of period 227,575,785 (1) Non-GAAP Measure. Please see "Non-GAAP Measures" below for further information. (2) Inclusive of final settlement adjustments on sales for non-streamed ounces. (3) Per share amounts are based on weighted average shares during the period. (4) Adjusted earnings excludes non-cash items that are significant but not reflective of the underlying operational performance of the Company and are a useful metric as they are an important indicator of the strength of operations and the performance of the Company's core business. Additional information is provided in the Company's Q1 2024 MD&A. Eric Caba, President & CEO, states, "Significant progress was made at Mercedes this quarter across a number of initiatives. Production and operating results from the Mercedes mine in Q1 2024 demonstrate a continuity of the improvements realized in the final quarter of 2023, including gold and silver ounces produced, average gold grade mined and processed, and development meters achieved. We also closed the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm during the quarter and the resulting reduction in our stream deliverables has provided us with increased exposure to recent improvements in metal prices. While we have seen positive results in the last two quarters from our optimization initiatives over the past year, there are still challenges ahead of us to overcome that are likely to cause fluctuating production results throughout 2024. While a one-time non-cash charge reflecting the accounting cost of the Restructuring Agreement impacted our Q1 2024 earnings, the financial performance of the Mercedes mine is improving and our optimism for Mercedes' ability to generate consistent, reliable quarterly production results and steady free cash flow has not wavered." Restructuring Agreement During Q1 2024 the Company closed the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm, which received final approval from the TSX-V subsequent to the end of the quarter. The Restructuring Agreement increases the Company's participation in the sale of gold and silver produced at Mercedes (the "Stream Amendments") and extends the maturity date of the $22.5 million Sandstorm Convertible Debenture and Promissory Note (the "Debt Amendments"). Details regarding the Restructuring Agreement, including the Stream Amendments and Debt Amendments are available in the Company's news releases dated September 28, 2023 and January 22, 2024, in its MD&A and Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023, and its Q1 2024 MD&A, each of which is available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+. Mercedes Mine, Mexico The Mercedes mine is a fully mechanized, ramp-access operation that produces gold and silver. Eleven individual deposits have been mined or are in production. Seven additional deposits have been identified and are in the early exploration or drill definition stage. Additional mineralized zones proximal to existing workings have been identified and are at the exploration or drill definition stage. Exploration A greenfield exploration drilling program that commenced in late 2023 continued during Q1 2024 and focused primarily on targets with limited previous drill testing including the Marianas Deep, San Martin Displacement and Klondike Displacement targets. Expenditures on this limited program during Q1 2024 totaled $0.7 million. Development The Company's focus on improving mine development continued through Q1 2024 with 2,781 meters of development advancement achieved during the period. This is in line with the development meters achieved in Q4 2023 after steady quarterly improvements over the course of the past financial year, from 1,044 meters in Q1 2023. Mining progress within San Martin benefitted from significant advances in infrastructure development including installation of a vent raise that is scheduled to be fully operational in Q2 2024. The Company pivoted away from the primary vertical ramp in Marianas in December of Q4 2023 due to poor ground conditions which were causing significant cost overruns and delays. Marianas development work was moved to a new lateral ramp into better quality rock. Production Mercedes' Q1 2024 production was comprised of contributions from four main deposit areas: San Martin (the primary contributor), Marianas, Diluvio and Lupita, and totaled 106,365 tonnes of ore mined at an average mining grade of 3.83 g/t gold, with 109,280 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 3.69 g/t gold processed during Q1 2024. The gold grade of both mined and processed ore during Q1 2024 increased substantially in comparison to the same period a year earlier (2.93 g/t gold mined and 2.91 g/t processed during Q1 2023). San Martin is expected to continue to contribute meaningfully to Mercedes' gold production through the remainder of 2024. The Mercedes Mine had no lost time incidents and no reportable environmental incidents during the three months ended March 31, 2024. Outlook Work on a new geological and block models continued to progress during Q1 2024 and are being prepared for review by external experts, which is expected to occur during Q2 2024. The continued focus on development as well as delineation and exploration drilling, combine to support the Company's plans for medium and long-term production. Additionally, specialized technical resources are being applied to better understand the complex geological environment at Mercedes and more precisely guide the exploration efforts. Updates to estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources are tentatively expected before year end, pending completion of the first phase of the exploration and infill drilling campaign and approval of the models described above. As a result of anticipated variability in Mercedes' production rates for the remainder of 2024, Bear Creek is not providing 2024 production guidance for the Mercedes Mine. Corani Project Activities at the Corani Property during the three months ended March 31, 2024 focused primarily on community support initiatives and on progressing a geometallurgical test program. The Company maintains and continues excellent working relationships with local communities. The Corani geometallurgical program, which commenced in 2023, involved drilling 9 holes totaling approximately 1,231 meters, and logging, sampling and assaying the drill core. Assay results were substantially in line with the existing Corani block model. A selection of samples for metallurgical test work were shipped to Base Metallurgical Laboratory in Canada in late 2023 and results are expected to be received in late Q2 or early Q3 2024. The purpose of the geometallurgical program is to establish updated data as the Company prepares to resume Corani project financing efforts. Pending receipt of the results of the geometallurgical test program, and if and as Peruvian investment conditions improve, the Company will restart its efforts to seek the funding necessary to construct the proposed Corani mine. In the meantime, the Company is investigating a number of opportunities to add value to the Corani project and is continuing to focus on maintaining the Corani permits and the project's strong social license. Overview of Results of Operations, Liquidity and Capital Resources The Company recorded revenue of $27.5 million from the sale of gold and silver during the three months ended March 31, 2024 (compared to $24.3 million for the comparative period of 2023). The cost of goods sold was $16.8 million and depletion, amortization and depreciation amounted to $7.4 million during Q1 2024. The Company recorded a gross profit from operations of $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (compared to a gross loss of $1.3 million the same period a year earlier). Mercedes' operating costs are incurred primarily in Mexican pesos and strengthening of the Mexican peso against the US dollar negatively impacted labor and contractor costs associated with mine development during Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. These cost increases were partially offset by lower material costs, lower cement consumption and lower maintenance costs stemming from the Company's cost reduction efforts. Spending on the Corani property totalled $2.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024, an increase of $0.5 million from the same period a year earlier as a result of the geometallurgical test work program that commenced in mid-2023. The Corani expenditures comprise both direct project expenditures and corporate overhead costs. As the Restructuring Agreement represented substantial modifications of the Company's previous debts, the Company derecognized deferred revenue associated with the Sandstorm Gold Stream and determined the fair value of the Restructured Sandstorm Gold Stream, the Restructured Silver Stream, the NSR royalty on the Corani asset and of the share consideration issued to Sandstorm as a part of the transaction as at the January 22, 2024 closing date of the Restructuring Agreement. The Company also derecognized the existing Sandstorm Convertible Debenture and other secured debt, that upon restructuring were combined into the five-year convertible Promissory Note on the same terms as the Convertible Debenture, determined the fair value of these convertible debts and recognized new instruments on the January 22, 2024 closing date. All components of the Restructuring Agreement have been further revalued at fair value on the Q1 2024 reporting date. For the quarter ending March 31, 2024, the Company recorded a $8.3 million loss on the Restructuring Agreement (Q1 2023: $nil). After operating expenses, other income and expenses, tax expenses and recoveries the Company recorded a comprehensive net loss of $17.3 million ($0.08 per share) for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (Q1 2023: $11.6 million and $0.08 per share). The increase in loss of $5.6 million in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023 was primarily due to the $8.3 million loss on the Restructuring Agreement offset by higher gross profit of $3.3 million. At March 31, 2024 the Company held cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $6.4 million, an increase of $2.4 million from December 31, 2023. During Q1 2024 the Company had a cash inflow from operating activities of $6.6 million (March 31, 2023: inflow of $4.0 million). Investing activities, related primarily to payments for mine development at Mercedes, resulted in a cash outflow of $4.5 million, and financing activities resulted in an inflow of $0.3 million primarily due to $1.1 million in drawdowns from the Sandstorm interim credit facility offset by $0.7 million in interest paid during Q1 2024. The Company's interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 were prepared following accounting principles applicable to a going concern, which assumes the Company will be able to continue operations for at least twelve months from March 31, 2024 and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As at March 31, 2024, the Company had a working capital (current assets less current liabilities) deficiency of $88.2 million (December 31, 2023: $89.7 million), which was impacted by the amendments to IAS 1 - Presentation of Financial Statements, requiring reclassification of equity-settleable convertible notes and warrant liabilities totalling $73.0 million (December 31, 2023: $47.4 million) from non-current liabilities to current liabilities. Non-GAAP Measures This news release includes disclosure of certain financial measures or ratios, as such terms are used in National Instrument 52-112 - Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure, including Cash Cost, All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") and Adjusted Earnings. These Non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized financial measures under IFRS Accounting Standards ("IFRS") and might not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company believes that these measures and ratios provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the prospects of the Company as they provide additional information related to operating performance and are widely used in the mining industry. For further information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures including reconciliations of these measures to the applicable costs items as reported in the consolidated financial statements for the respective periods, please see the information under the heading "Cash Cost and All-in-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") for Mercedes" in the Company's MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2024, available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Eric Caba President and CEO For further information contact: Barbara Henderson - VP Corporate Communications Direct: 604-628-1111 E-mail: barb@bearcreekmining.com www.bearcreekmining.com Subscribe to Bear Creek Mining news NI 43-101 Disclosure Unless otherwise indicated, scientific and technical information in this news release is based on work programs and initiatives conducted under the supervision of, and/or has been reviewed and approved by, Andrew Swarthout, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist, a director of the Company who is a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined in NI 43-101. Additional information related to the Mercedes Mine and the Corani Project, including the Quality Assurance and Quality Control measures applied to the Company's sampling and assaying practices, is available in its Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023, available on its website and on SEDAR+. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding: the ability of the Mercedes mine to generate free cash flow and expectations regarding the deployment of free cash flow if and when generated; plans to re-initiate Corani project financing discussions; plans regarding additional advancements at the Corani project; the expected outcomes and benefits of increasing drill density at the Mercedes mine; completion of, and third party review of, a new geological model, revised reserve block model, mining methodology optimization and mine sequencing for the Mercedes mine; the potential for additional mineralization, yet undiscovered, within the Mercedes property; the Company's interpretation of geological evidence; ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of mining methodologies at various Mercedes workings; outcomes related to permit applications; contingency plans for the future disposal of tailings at the Mercedes mine; the timing and outcome of results from geometallurgical test work at the Corani property; and expectations regarding the maintenance of Corani permits and social license. These forward-looking statements are provided as of the date of this news release and reflect predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events based on the Company's beliefs at the time the statements were made, as well as various assumptions made by and information currently available to them. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to: that the Company will be able to meet its debt and stream obligations; that unforeseen factors will not impede the anticipated performance of the Mercedes mine; that development work at Mercedes will continue as planned and result in contributions to production as anticipated; and that exploration drilling plans will transpire as and when predicted. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and the risk exists that estimates, forecasts, projections, and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions on which they are based do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the expectations expressed in them. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions expressed above do not occur, but may include additional risks as described in the Company's latest Annual Information Form, and other disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+. The foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on behalf of the Company, except as required by law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/211010 SOURCE: Bear Creek Mining Corporation VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTC PINK:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), is providing a further update on the status of the management cease trade order (the "MCTO") that was granted by the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") on April 3, 2024. The Company has applied to the BCSC for an extension of the MCTO due to unexpected delays with the preparation of its audited annual financial statements and the related management's discussion and analysis for the year ended November 30, 2023,(the "Annual Filings"), which were due on April 1, 2024. The Company and its auditors continue to work diligently toward completing the Annual Filings as soon as possible. The MCTO prohibits all trading in the capital of the Company, whether directly or indirectly, by the Company's CEO and CFO. The MCTO does not affect the ability of other shareholders to trade in the securities of the Company. The Company confirms that since the date of the earlier announcement: (i) other than as described above, there has been no material change to the information set out in the announcement that has not been generally disclosed; (ii) there has been no failure by the Company in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203; (iii) there has not been any other specified default by the Company under NP 12-203; and (iv) there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. The Company will continue to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the above-noted filing requirements About Perk Labs Inc. Perk Labs Inc., (CSE:PERK)(OTC PINK:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB), the owner of Getit Technologies Inc. and Perk Hero Software Inc. ("Perk Labs"), provides innovative mobile ordering and payment systems, allowing customers the ability to scan a QR code or NFC sticker to order and pay for their purchases directly from their phone. Perk Labs specializes in providing a single unified payment interface for complex purchase environments - environments that have multiple retailers processing an array of different transactions, including food and beverage purchases, merchandise sales, ticketing, registrations, donations, parking fees, and service payments. Perk Labs provides a custom-branded solution that is ideal for multi-transaction brands such as stadiums and arenas, university and college campuses, conference centers, hotels and resorts, festivals and events, and professional service companies. For more information, contact: Ryan Hardy CEO (833) 338-0299 investors@getittechnologies.io Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, and expectations of future revenues for the Company. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are 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 statements. 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 statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc. ? View the original press release on accesswire.com London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Finanzeno.net, a leading financial service provider has recently introduced a new feature that allows its users to engage in global transactions. This enhancement comes as part of the platform's ongoing efforts to provide more comprehensive financial services to its customers. With this new capability, users can now seamlessly conduct transactions across borders, opening up a world of opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. Finanzeno.net To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10581/210923_3214716bf4a138dc_001full.jpg This latest development builds upon Finanzeno.net's commitment to delivering accessible and efficient financial solutions to its users. By expanding its offerings to include global transactions, the platform aims to enable its customers to manage their finances more effectively, regardless of geographical boundaries. With this new development, users can now conveniently send and receive funds internationally, facilitating smoother transactions and enabling greater financial flexibility. The introduction of global transactions on this financial platform marks a significant milestone for the platform. This feature not only enhances the user experience but also demonstrates its dedication to staying at the forefront of financial innovation. By continually evolving and adapting to the changing needs of its users, the company solidifies its position as a trusted partner in the realm of personal finance. In a recent Finanzeno.net review, users have praised the platform for its user-friendly interface and intuitive features. The addition of global transactions further enhances the overall appeal of the platform, providing users with even more reasons to choose the platform for their financial needs. With its seamless integration and hassle-free functionality, it continues to garner positive feedback from users worldwide. With global transactions now available on Finanzeno.net, users can enjoy greater convenience and flexibility when managing their finances. It ensures a smooth and streamlined process. By embracing this new feature, users can take advantage of a truly global financial platform that caters to their diverse needs. In conclusion, the introduction of global transactions on Finanzeno.net represents a significant step forward for the platform and its users. With this new feature, this financial industry continues to uphold its commitment to providing accessible and efficient financial services to individuals and businesses worldwide. As the company continues to evolve and innovate, users can expect even more exciting developments in the future. About Finanzeno Finanzeno is a financial services company known for its user-friendly platform and innovative solutions. Established to provide accessible financial services to individuals and businesses, Finanzeno.net has quickly gained recognition for its commitment to customer satisfaction. With a focus on simplicity and efficiency, it offers a range of features designed to streamline financial management and empower users to achieve their goals. Through continuous innovation and dedication to excellence, Finanzeno remains a trusted partner for individuals seeking convenient and reliable financial solutions. In addition to its user-friendly platform, Finanzeno.net is also known for its commitment to financial inclusivity. By offering a range of services tailored to the needs of diverse users, Finanzeno ensures that everyone has access to essential financial tools and resources. A team of financial experts is always providing educational materials to help users make informed financial decisions, Finanzeno.net strives to enable individuals. Through its dedication to inclusivity and accessibility, it continues to make a positive impact in the lives of its users, fostering financial independence. Company Details Company Name: Finanzeno Email Address: media@finanzeno.net Company Address: Germany Company Website: https://finanzeno.net/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/210923 SOURCE: Finanzen Limited Posterity Health, a Denver, CO-based center for male reproductive health, raised $6M in funding. The round was led by FCA Venture Partners and supported by Distributed Ventures and WVV. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of its male management platform (MMP), launch new services, and expand the executive team. Led by CEO Pam Pure, Posterity Health is a virtual-first center for male reproductive health. It provides a hybrid care delivery model, allowing for telehealth appointments, ongoing treatment plans and in person care empowered by its male management platform. Through technologies, personalized care and expert guidance, the company enables males to take control of their reproductive health. The company also added Matt Alley as COO and Matt Lenz was promoted to Chief Growth Officer. Alley has a track record scaling complex service businesses. He most recently served as Sr. Director of Fulfillment Strategy at Hello Fresh. Prior to Hello Fresh, Alley held senior leadership roles at TruePill, Alto Pharmacy and Amazon. Lenz has over a decade of experience in the health care industry, expanding markets and growing market share. Prior to joining Posterity Health, Lenz served as Vice President of Sales at Teladoc. He also led teams at Livongo (acquired by Teladoc), Netsmart Technologies and HealthMEDX. Lenz and his team support obgyn and fertility center partners and manage strategic relationships with the leading fertility benefit managers. The team recently launched a new initiative into the self-insured employer market, further expanding access to care. FinSMEs 29/05/2024 CLSA also predicted that the stocks of Indias state run companies (PSUs) may see a top in June or July, ahead of the presentation of budget by the new government read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi defeated Arvind Kejriwal by a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes in 2014 and handily beat out the SP-BSP Mahagathbandhan candidate Shalini Yadav in 2019 by an even more impressive margin of 4.80 lakh votes. Reuters Stocks of 54 companies, most of them public sector undertakings (PSUs), could be direct beneficiaries of the policies of the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said international brokerage CLSA. The brokerage further predicted that the stocks of Indias state-run companies, or PSUs, may see a top in June or July, ahead of the presentation of budget by the new government. A similar pattern was observed in the last two general elections when PSUs gained after the poll results. Advertisement Modi stocks These 54 stocks have been classified as Modi stocks by the CLSA, since they have been rallying based on prospects of the BJP coming back to power after June 4 when the Lok Sabha poll 2024 results are announced. As many as 90 per cent of the Modi stocks have seen an election-focused rally in the past six months and have outperformed the Nifty. This trend is likely to continue, particularly if the incumbent government returns with a strong majority, the brokerage said. The global brokerage went on to say that this increase may be driven by a narrow, election-themed rally expected to taper off by mid of 2024. However, CLSA expects that a few weeks after the election results, investors could face a reality check that many positives would already have been priced in these stocks. This may drive profit-taking by the less patient holders of Modi stocks, the brokerage said. Which are these stocks? The stocks include L&T, NTPC, NHPC, PFC, ONGC, IGL, Mahanagar Gas. It also includes bank stocks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and IndusInd Bank. Other stocks highlighted by CLSA are Ashok Leyland, UltraTech, Bajaj Finance, Max Financials, Zomato, and DMart. Among the telecom-related sectors, Bharti Airtel, Indus Towers, and Reliance Industries. Amid the pressing issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Cate donned a dress that many feel was her way to express what she feels during this time of conflict read more The 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival was iconic in many ways. It was a game-changing and historic year for India, and many celebrities across the globe extended their support to Palestine with their dresses or accessories on the red carpet. Cate Blanchett Blanchett donned a gorgeous black dress and as the paparazzi were photographing her, she lifted what she was wearing to reveal a line of green that perfectly complimented color black. But theres more than just style involved her; it was more of a statement. Advertisement Netizens feel the choice of the colors was her way to to express solidarity with the Palestinian cause amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Kani Kusruti At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in France, Indian actress Kani Kusruti made a powerful gesture of solidarity with Palestine by wearing a watermelon-shaped clutch. pic.twitter.com/09wwRt50BQ PALESTINE ONLINE (@OnlinePalEng) May 24, 2024 Indian actress Kani Kusruti made a powerful gesture of solidarity with Palestine by wearing a watermelon-shaped clutch. Asmae El Moudir The Moroccan filmmaker showed a unique way to stand by the Palestine by flaunting the countrys flag on her gloves. Gilles Porte French director Gilles Porte appeared at the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival adorned with a rosette resembling a watermelon slice, symbolizing the Palestinian flag pic.twitter.com/0n9XPnYDLR Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 25, 2024 The French director too flaunted a rosette resembling a watermelon slice, symbolizing the Palestinian flag Bella Hadid Bella Hadid nas ruas de Cannes hoje. pic.twitter.com/RMnsP38FiV Portal Bella Hadid BR (@BellaHadidBra) May 23, 2024 Hadid had a unique way of extending her support and solidarity for the Palestine, using fashion as a tool. She flaunted a Keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress that has become a symbol of Palestinian culture. A royal commentator Jane Barr has something to add about the Duchess of Sussex and what exactly her dreams and aspirations were after she stepped down from her Royal title back in 2020 read more Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their Royal title few years back and shocked fans and critics alike. Ever since then, they have been under media and public scrutiny. From their recent trip to Nigeria to a much-publicised Netflix documentary, the couple continues to stay in the spotlight. And the royal commentator Jane Barr has something to add about the Duchess of Sussex and what exactly her dreams and aspirations were after she stepped down from her Royal title back in 2020. In his newsletter From Berkshire to Buckingham, he revealed she could have been enjoying the spotlight that came her way. Advertisement Meghan wanted to take her HRH and her title and be a superstar in her own sphere on the international stage, Barr states adding, this would be wholly separate from the control of the Crown." Prince William and Prince Harrys siblings Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, on the other hand, were rather reclusive. Did this irk Markle? Looking back to Megxit, Harry was not just the grandson of the Queen, the same relationship all his cousins had to the sovereign, he was the son of the future King, said the aforementioned author. After the success of their Nigeria tour, the couple plans to include their children Archie and Lilibet with them on their future International tours. Its being said this would be a boost to their brand. Harry and Meghan are incredibly proud of their children, and when they are a little older and better able to travel, there is no doubt they will be taken on some of the couples tours, said Tom Quinn in his exclusive talk with the UK outlet. It was a few years back when Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle gave up their royal titles and it ended up creating shockwaves across the globe. Ever since then, there have been multiple reports of rift between Harry and his father King Charles III. And now, a new report says Markle is worried her children Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, may blame her for depriving them of a Royal life. Several Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Varun Dhawan have showed their solidarity with Palestine days after Israels attack on Rafah. Taking to her Instagram stories, Alia wrote, All children deserve love. All children deserve safety. All children deserve peace. All children deserve life. And all mothers deserve to be able to give their children those things (red heart doodle). Alia wrote in the caption, #AllEyesOnRafah. Advertisement Later stars like Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dia Mirza, and Swara Bhasker joined the bandwagon. However, netizens slam them for not speaking out earlier. While one user wrote, Its totally ok to stand with humanity, the problem is your hypocrisy. -You dont speak for Hindus being killed in Pakistan -You dont speak for Hindus being Killed in Bangladesh -You didnt say anything over Hamass barbarism against Jews on 7th oct -Forget Hindus-Jews, you didnt even say anything when Christians were attacked, lynched in Pakistan just a few days back YOUR EYES WERE CLOSED THEN If you consider yourself human, standing for humanity, you would have spoken for them as well.., another commented, This always happen whenever it comes to non Muslim victims, fighters no one will utter a word but whenever anything happens to Muslims they all raise their voices non of them ever spoke about our Kashmiri pandits , Hindus of Pakistan, Bangladesh . Who started the war on Israel ?? One social media user wrote, True. Where were everyone when issue of hindu girls being killed on not getting converted was going on??? All that matters for them is what is going on outside their country only. What happens in country and to their own people doesnt matter. Its very sad as well as shameful The Mexico election is the most violent since 2018. At least 36 candidates seeking office have been killed since last June. Amid rampant political unrest, Mexicans, on Sunday, will navigate the future of their country read more A person holds a sign that reads "we are all the same Mexico" at an opposition rally called to encourage voting ahead of the 2 June presidential elections, in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, 19 May, 2024. AP As Mexico gears up for its largest election in history, political violence has cast a shadow over the fervent campaigning. Dozens of candidates have lost their lives in the lead-up to the 2 June polls, a tragic reflection of the countrys deep-rooted issues with organised crime and political instability. At least 36 candidates seeking office have been killed since last June, reported NYT. This represents a significant increase in political violence compared to previous election cycles. For instance, during the 2021 election cycle, when voters cast ballots for more than 19,900 local posts, at least 32 candidates were murdered. Advertisement The risk consultancy Integralia has documented 560 violent incidents against candidates in this election cycle, surpassing the previous high of 389 incidents during the last presidential election. Data Civica, a human rights organisation, has tracked at least 145 people tied to politics who have been slain by organised crime this year. What is the reason behind the political violence? The surge in violence can largely be attributed to local criminal groups and the fragmentation of larger organised crime syndicates. These rival gangs are engaged in fierce battles for power and territory, often resorting to co-opting and intimidating authorities to secure control over communities. This trend is particularly severe in states like Chiapas, Guerrero, and Michoacan, where criminal groups are fighting for dominance. Mexican Army and National Guard members take part in the Operation Juarez aimed at reducing violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, 17 February, 2024. Reuters The violence has predominantly targeted local races, where criminal groups see elections as opportunities for power grabs. In May alone, two mayoral candidates were found dead in Tamaulipas, and gunmen killed six people at a political rally in Chiapas, including another mayoral candidate. These attacks have been known to disrupt the democratic process and instil fear among candidates and voters alike. What has Obrador done about it? Incumbent Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors hugs not bullets policy, which emphasises addressing the societal root causes of violence, has faced criticism for allowing cartels to expand their influence. Advertisement Despite promises to ease the violence, homicide rates have remained high, and organised crime continues to exert significant control. Critics argue that the governments reluctance to confront criminal groups directly has exacerbated the situation. Watch: Stage collapses in Mexico during presidential poll campaign, kills nine Activists and analysts have criticised Obrador, popularly known by his initials AMLO, for trying to reduce the official count of Mexicos forcibly disappeared in the lead-up to the election. The ongoing violence and the governments handling of the situation have become central issues in the campaign, influencing voter perceptions and the political landscape. Mexicos election size and stakes The 2 June elections will fill more than 20,700 positions at both federal and local levels, including 500 seats in the House of Representatives and 128 in the Senate. This surge in participation represents an increase of about 11 million voters compared to the last presidential election in 2018. Advertisement The presidential race is garnering significant attention as Obrador concludes his term. Claudia Sheinbaum, former Mexico City Mayor, represents the Morena party, aiming to continue AMLOs legacy. Her main competitor, Xochitl Galvez, is a former senator and businessperson from the conservative coalition Strength and Heart for Mexico. This election could see Mexico elect its first female president, a historic milestone for the country. Pedestrians walk past campaign posters promoting mayoral ruling party candidate Clara Brugada, in Mexico City, 25 May, 2024. AP The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) oversees the election, with voting to occur at 170,000 polling stations across the country. Mexicans living abroad can cast their votes online, via post, or in person at consulates. Early voting was available for those with disabilities from 6 May to 20 May. Polls will open at 8 am and close at 6 pm, with real-time statistics provided by INE. A second count will finalise results from 5 to 8 June. Advertisement Also Read: Who is Claudia Sheinbaum, the environmentalist likely to become Mexicos first woman president? Two major coalitions dominate the presidential race: the conservative Strength and Heart for Mexico and the left-leaning Lets Keep Making History. Sheinbaum leads the latter, while Galvez heads the former. Another notable candidate is Jorge Alvarez Maynez from the Citizens Movement, though he is considered a long shot. What are the central issues? Security, social programs, and corruption are the main concerns for voters. The election is also seen as a referendum on AMLOs presidency. Sheinbaum promises to continue his policies, while Galvez criticises his approach to crime and pledges a tougher stance. Galvez has criticised Obrador for saying he would address crime through hugs, not bullets, highlighting the core of her campaign. Advertisement Yet, Obrador remains one of the most popular leaders globally, with approval ratings never dipping below 60%. His presidency focused on addressing poverty and expanding the militarys role in public safety and infrastructure projects. Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hands over a ceremonial baton of command to Claudia Sheinbaum after she was elected by the ruling National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) as its candidate to succeed him in 2024 in the presidential election, in Mexico City, Mexico, 7 September, 2023. File Image/Reuters However, critics argue he has failed to significantly reduce crime or address the issue of missing persons, which has worsened since the war on drugs began in 2006. AMLO cannot run for a second term due to Mexicos constitutional prohibition on re-election, a legacy of the Mexican Revolution and the long rule of dictator Porfirio Diaz. Also Read: Day Zero imminent? How Mexico City could run out of water in a month As Mexico approaches this pivotal election, the loss of life and the pervasive influence of organised crime underscore the profound challenges the country faces. With inputs from agencies Delhi on Wednesday recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius. A red alert has been issued in the National Capital with authorities asking people to remain indoors, stay hydrated and avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun. Experts have blamed hot winds from Rajasthan for the current situation. But others say a number of factors, including urban sprawl, its location could be influencing the heat read more A woman splashes water on her face on a hot summer day amid heatwave, in New Delhi. PTI Delhi is experiencing a real scorcher. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius. The figure was reported at 2.30 pm by a temperature monitoring station in Delhis Mungeshpur. Mungeshpur, which is in northwest Delhi, recorded a temperature of 49.9 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Meanwhile, two other stations in Delhi also broke their previous records on Tuesday. Aya Nagar in south Delhi recorded a recorded a maximum temperature of 47.6 degrees Celsius surpassing its previous record of 47.4 degrees in May 1988. Advertisement A red alert has been issued in the National Capital. Authorities have asked people to stay indoors, remain hydrated, and avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun during peak hours. But what happened? And why is Delhi getting warmer over the years? Lets take a closer look: What happened? Experts have blamed hot winds from Rajasthan for the current situation in Delhi. India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional head Kuldeep Srivastava said Delhis outskirts are the first areas to be impacted by hot winds from Rajasthan. Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds, Srivastava told PTI. Mahesh Palawat, the vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot. When wind blows from the west, it affects these areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly, Palawat explained. Why is Delhi getting warmer over the years? According to The Times of India, Delhi deals with extreme heat every year. However, research from the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar shows that urbanisation has resulted in almost 60 per cent more night-time warming in over 140 prominent Indian cities compared to non-urban areas surrounding them. Advertisement Indian Express quoted data from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) as showing that though the past decade showed little change when it comes to Delhis ambient air temperature compared from 2001 to 2010, the nature of heat is changing. The CSE, using data from the IMD, noted that the past 10 summers had witnessed a significant increase in relative humidity. Advertisement The piece noted that summers from 2014 to 23 have been on average eight per cent more humid compared to the 2001-2010 period. Visitors at the India Gate lawns alongside Kartavya Path on a hot summer day, in New Delhi. PTI While the 2001-2020 average relative humidity was 52.5%, that figure was 60.9 per cent in 2023, 53.5 per cent in 2022, 57.3 per cent in 2021 and 61.4 per cent in 2020. The CSE added that Delhi is not cooling down at night. The land surface temperatures would come down 12.3 degrees Celsius on average from 2001 to 2010. However, this has since come down to 11.2 degrees Celsius from 2014 to 2023. Advertisement In 2023, that figure was at 9.8 degrees Celsius. Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures people get little chance to recover from daytime heat if temperatures remain high overnight, the CSE explained. Experts also blame the urban heat island effect for increasing the temperature in Delhi. Its buildings, concrete pavements, and asphalt roads absorb and retain heat better than natural landscapes. Delhis location also plays a part. Unlike coastal cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata, land-locked Delhi has no sea breezes. Being landlocked far from the sea, it experiences extremes of both hot and cold temperatures. Summers lack the cooling influence of large water bodies, leading to significant heat buildup, The Times of Indian noted. Advertisement The newspaper also noted that the monsoon season in Delhi arrives later compared to southern India and that the pre-monsoon months (April-June) are typically very dry. The lack of rainfall reduces evaporative cooling, which is the process that helps regulate temperature and keeps things feeling cooler, it said. Threat only going to increase Meanwhile, things are predicted to get even worse. CNBC reported that Greenpeace India has said that the average annual temperature in Delhi will increase five degrees Celsius between 2080 and 2099 if the carbon emission trends continue around the world. Greenpeace made the prediction based on the sixth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). According to the report, Delhis annual maximum temperature in June from 1995 to 2014 is at a median of 41.93 degrees Celsius. That is set to jump to an average of 45.97 degrees Celsius between 2080 and 2099. The report said the maximum temperature could even reach 48.19 degree Celsius in some extreme years. If we do not act now, the threat is only going to increase in frequency, duration and magnitude. Avinash Chanchal, campaign manager, Greenpeace India told the outlet. With temperatures soaring, the city peak power demand rose to an all-time high of 8,302 MW at 15:36:32 hours on Wednesday, according power discom officials. This is the first time in the history of the National Capital that its power demand has crossed the 8,300-MW mark. Power distribution companies had estimated the demand to peak at 8,200 MW this summer. The National Capital is also facing water shortage due to unprecedented summer heat. Water minister Atishi has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to deploy 200 teams across the city to prevent water-wasting activities like car washing with a hose, overflowing water tanks, and use of domestic water supply for construction and commercial purposes. With inputs from agencies In addition to its soaring temperatures that already reached 52.3 degrees Celsius, Delhi now faces a water crisis. Water minister Atishi has urged people living in the city to use water wisely and accused Haryana of not releasing the National Capitals share since 1 May read more People collect drinking water from a tanker on a hot summer day, at Vivekanand camp, in New Delhi, Tuesday, 28 May 2024. PTI Delhi has been dealing with a severe heatwave for a month. In addition to its rising mercury, the National Capital, which initially aimed to supply 24x7 water to its residents, now faces a water crisis. State water minister Atishi Marlena urged the residents to use water wisely. She has announced a slew of measures, including reducing water supply in some regions to only once, instead of two. On Wednesday, she further directed the CEO of the Delhi Jal Board to deploy 200 teams across the city starting at 8 am on 30 May to crackdown on water wastage. Advertisement Lets take a look. Severe heatwave in Delhi A severe heat wave has gripped Delhi and parts of central and northwest India. Mungeshpur in Northwest Delhi recorded its highest-ever temperature at 52.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday at 2.30. This is Indias hottest day, according to a report in NDTV. The capital also reported its all-time high power demand of 8,302 megawatts (MW). Tuesday was also terrible. Two autonomous weather stations in Mungeshpur and Narela reached 49.9 degrees Celsius. A fruit juice vendor displays a drink to customers during a hot summer day in the old quarters of New Delhi. The heatwave in the Capital comes as it prepares to go to the polls in the sixth phase. AFP The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the citys base station, reached 45.8 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature this season and the highest since May 2020, when it reached 46 degrees Celsius. Water crisis On Monday, the water supply reached a season-low among Delhis record temperatures. According to DJB data, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was only supplying 966.16 million gallons per day (mgd), which was 33.84 million gallons less than the typical supply of 1,000 million gallons per day and 323.84 million fewer than the expected water demand of 1,290 million gallons per day, as per Hindustan Times. People also complained of severe shortages, claiming their daily routines were disrupted, in areas of central, north, and south Delhi, including Vasant Kunj, Model Town, and Timarpur, among other places. On Monday, DJB received 980 complaints about water through its helpline. Of them, 714 dealt with a lack of water supply, while other complaints included low pressure and pollution, as per the outlet. Advertisement Residents of Vasant Kunj, which is near the end of the supply network, report that they have been experiencing water scarcity for the past week and that things have been getting worse. Residents in other localities, including Yamuna Vihar, Hauz Khas, Preet Vihar, Shriniwaspuri, Kishangarh, West Patel Nagar, Molarband, and Lado Sarai, also filed a number of complaints. More on heatwave: A heatwave is hitting North India, including Delhi: How intense will it be? Mumbai heatwave: Why temperatures are touching nearly 40 degrees Celsius Hottest April in parts of India. Will May be warmer? Severe heatwave in India: Why this April has been warmer than previous years Water rationing likely In accordance with the water minister Atishis rationing plan, which was unveiled on Tuesday, several South Delhi areas including portions of Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Panchsheel Park, Hauz Khas, Chittaranjan Park, and surrounding areas are expected to receive water supplies just once a day as opposed to twice, as per The Times of India. Advertisement The borewells that were earlier working six to seven hours have been functional for 14 hours. We have also increased the number of water tankers. Starting today, we are reducing water supply in those areas where it is supplied twice a day to once a day. The rationalised water will be supplied to areas grappling with water crisis, she said, according to Mint. Delhi minister Atishi. PTI file As harsh conditions have prevailed around the city for the past few days, Atishi has encouraged residents to use water wisely. I appeal to all Delhites, whether your area has water shortage or not, please use water supply rationally she said while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday. Advertisement She also asked that people not waste water, even going so far as to threaten fines for anyone seen using too much water. According to News18, offenders will face a Rs 2000 fine, and illegal water connections at construction sites or commercial establishments will be disconnected. She urged everyone not to use pipes to wash their cars. Dont use the water supply to wash your cars. This is a wasteful use of water, she said, as per Mint. Please make sure water is not wasted because of continuously running water motors Delhi is witnessing an acute heatwave and Haryana is releasing very little amount of water in Delhi, Atishi said, adding, If in the next two days, this public appeal is not proved effective, then we may have to impose a challan/fine on excess use of water. Misuse of water is highly irresponsible. Advertisement The 200 DJB teams that will be deployed starting at 8 am on Thursday, will target the washing of cars with pipes, overflowing water tanks, and the use of domestic water supply for construction or commercial purposes, as per News18. Haryana not releasing Delhis share of water Atishi further claimed that Haryana was not been releasing Delhis water share since 1 May. Haryana has stopped the release of Delhis share of water. The water level at Wazirabad was 674.5 feet on 1 May. This is the average level that should be maintained. Last year in April, May and June, the minimum level was maintained at 674.5 feet, Atishi was quoted by PTI as saying. She said that the Delhi government is constantly talking to Haryana about the issue and if it is not resolved in the next couple of days, it may approach the Supreme Court over the matter. An e-rickshaw carries earthen pitchers during a hot summer day, in New Delhi, Sunday, 19 May 2024. The demand for earthen pots goes up in the summer season for storing drinking water. PTI Sharing data, the minister said till 8 May, the water level at Wazirabad came down to 672 feet and by 20 May it was at 671 feet and on Tuesday, it declined further to 669.8 feet. Notably, 64 per cent of Delhis water needs are met through Haryana, and 26.5 per cent through Uttar Pradesh, as per the latest economic survey. The National Capitals daily water requirement is 1,290 million gallons, according to the survey for 2022-23. On 24 May, the Delhi Jal Board said in a press release, as per Indian Express that water production had been ramped up to close to 1,000 mgd against an installed capacity of 956 mgd (through more extraction from tubewells and ranney wells). However, as per the newspaper citing the water utilitys summer reports, since 11 May, it has been averaging around 980 mgd. The quantity that the treatment plants (WTP) produce and the amount of water dispersed across the city, both drop when the amount of raw water decreases, as per TOI. According to DJB data, there has been a constant decline in water supply over the past week. As per Hindustan Times, the supply levels logged at 94 mgd on 23 May, 983.2 mgd on 24 May, 980.73 mgd on 25 May, 969.32 mgd on 26 May and 966.16 mgd on 27 May, all below the 1,000 mgd supply mark. The outlet quoted an unnamed senior DJB official as saying that a reduction in water treatment is due to the low level of the Yamuna at Wazirabad Pond. We also faced power failure at the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant and there was complete power failure between 11.20 am and 12.20 pm. There were other three instances of power fluctuations that impacted the water supply at this facility, the official said. With inputs from agencies North Korea has sent over 150 balloons filled with trash, excrement, and propaganda leaflets into South Korea. This act, condemned by the South as dangerous and inhumane, is part of a broader pattern of provocations including balloons sent from South Korea, and missile tests and military drills by both sides read more South Korea has accused North Korea of sending balloons filled with faeces and trash across the border. Reuters North Koreas recent act of sending balloons filled with trash and excrement into South Korea has drawn international attention and condemnation. This latest episode of poo warfare is a reminder of the hostility and high tensions that mark the Korean Peninsula. Understanding this incident requires delving into the broader context of relations between South Korea and North Korea, recent provocations, and the interplay of propaganda and military posturing by Pyongyang. The incident: trash, faeces-filled balloons Advertisement On Wednesday, South Korea accused North Korea of sending over 150 balloons across their heavily fortified border. The balloons sent by North Korea were primarily white and translucent, made of lightweight plastic that allows them to stay airborne for extended periods. Photographs released by the South Korean military showed inflated balloons with plastic bags attached, some containing waste materials explicitly labelled excrement. Some of the contents identified included: Trash and rubbish: General waste such as paper, plastic bottles, and food wrappers. This type of waste was intended to create a mess and inconvenience for those tasked with cleanup. Excrement: Bags explicitly labelled excrement contained human faeces. This posed a significant health risk but also served as a psychological tactic to intimidate the South Korean population. Hazardous materials: Some balloons were reported to contain dark soil and batteries, which could pose chemical hazards. The presence of these materials raised concerns about potential biohazards and chemical contamination. Propaganda leaflets: Similar to previous propaganda campaigns, some balloons carried leaflets denouncing the South Korean government and promoting North Korean ideology. These leaflets were designed to undermine the South Korean governments credibility and spread fear among the population. In the past, too, North Korea has sent balloons containing toilet paper and rubbish to the South. AFP Deployment and detection The balloons were released in a coordinated manner, allowing them to drift across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea. The deployment of the balloons was likely timed to coincide with favorable wind conditions, ensuring that they would reach populated areas in South Korea. Advertisement Late on Tuesday, residents living north of the Souths capital, Seoul, and in the border region received text messages from their provincial authorities, asking them to refrain from outdoor activities and to report any unidentified objects to the nearest military base or police station. By Wednesday, more than 150 balloons had been detected, with some landing on the ground while others remained airborne, according to BBC. The South Korean militarys detection systems and surveillance equipment played a key role in identifying and tracking these balloons as they crossed the border. South Koreas response South Koreas military responded by deploying its explosives ordnance unit and a chemical and biological warfare response team to inspect and collect the objects. Residents were warned to avoid contact with the balloons and report any sightings to authorities. Advertisement This act was condemned as base and dangerous. South Koreas military condemned the act, stating that it seriously threatens the safety of our people. The militarys response included a stern warning to North Korea to cease its inhumane and crass action. The reason behind North Koreas poo warfare South Korean activists, often led by North Korean defectors, have regularly launched balloons carrying leaflets critical of Pyongyang, information about the democratic South, and even USB sticks with K-pop music videos. These activities have frequently stirred tensions, with North Korea reacting angrily and sometimes attempting to shoot down the balloons. In the past, too, North Korea has sent balloons containing toilet paper and rubbish to the South. AFP The use of balloons for propaganda purposes has been a contentious issue in South Korean politics. In December 2020, South Koreas parliament passed a law criminalising the launch of anti-Pyongyang leaflets. The law aimed to prevent actions that could provoke North Korea and endanger residents near the border. However, the legislation faced criticism for potentially violating freedom of speech and human rights. Advertisement In a significant ruling, South Koreas top court later declared the ban unconstitutional, in light of the protection of freedom of speech. This decision has allowed activists to resume their balloon launches, much to North Koreas displeasure. In response to these provocations, North Korea has occasionally launched its own balloons filled with propaganda leaflets and rubbish. For instance, in 2016, North Korea sent balloons carrying toilet paper, cigarette butts, and other waste into the South, which were described by Seoul police as hazardous biochemical substances. North Koreas vice defence minister recently issued a statement vowing to retaliate against the frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish by South Korean activists. This threat materialised in the form of the poo warfare balloons, a direct response to the activities of South Korean activists. Advertisement Broader tensions The recent balloon incident must also be seen as part of a broader pattern of provocations and high-stakes posturing between North and South Korea. In recent months, North Korea has ramped up its missile tests and military activities, raising alarms in the international community. These actions are seen as attempts to assert power and gain leverage in diplomatic negotiations. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Reuters In addition to the missile tests, North Korea has launched spy satellites and conducted military drills near the border, further heightening tensions. The South, in turn, has conducted its own military exercises and enhanced its defence capabilities, including deploying advanced missile defence systems. A grey zone tactic Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, told Reuters that North Koreas use of balloons is a grey zone tactic. These tactics are less overtly aggressive than direct military action but still disruptive and provocative. They are designed to provoke and intimidate without escalating to full-blown conflict, making them difficult to counter effectively. Such tactics also serve a propaganda purpose. By sending balloons filled with filth, North Korea aims to demonstrate its disdain for South Korea and project an image of defiance. This form of psychological warfare seeks to undermine morale and create a sense of vulnerability among South Korean citizens. With inputs from agencies South Africa is set to begin its general elections to elect parliamentarians in the national assembly. In India, PM Narendra Modi will hold mega road show in Kolkata, whereas Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will hold rallies in Odisha in run up final phase of Lok Sabha polls. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant will host their second pre-wedding bash. Several areas in Mumbai are also expected to face water cuts today read more It is a crucial Wednesday all around the globe, as many major events are lined up for today. On the world front, South Africa will head to polls today to elect 400 Parliamentarians today. Whereas in India, ahead of last phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha Election on 1 June, election rallies are in fervour. PM Narendra Modis mega election rally in Kolkata traffic advisories in the city of joy has been renewed. Whereas his rival Congress Rahul Gandhi along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge will hold rallies in Odisha. Advertisement Another big gala for celebs around the world is about to commence today, as Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant host another grand pre-wedding bash in Italy. Amid the ongoing water cut in Mumbai, several new regions in the city are going to be affected on Wednesday. Here is a rundown of what is expected today. South Africa elections As South Africa gears up for elections to fill the 400 seats in the national assembly, experts predict it to be the most closely contested since the landmark post-apartheid democratic elections of 1994. Initial polls hinted at a potential shift in power, threatening the ruling African National Congress long-standing dominance, three decades after Nelson Mandelas historic ascent to power. South Africa will go to the polls today. Reuters With 27 million registered voters expected to cast their ballots, the spotlight is on the ANC, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and the Economic Freedom Fighters party among the 70 political contenders vying for victory. President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a challenging contest as the African country grapples with soaring unemployment, widespread corruption, and rampant crime. PM Modis mega rally in Kolkata Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lead another grand roadshow in Kolkata today. The city police in a post on X issued an advisory, which included road diversions, closures, and alternative routes to manage expected traffic surges during the event. Traffic Notification in connection with visit of the Honble Prime Minister of India to the city of Kolkata on 28.05.2024 and 29.05.2024. pic.twitter.com/l0IaMSrmfi Kolkata Traffic Police (@KPTrafficDept) May 27, 2024 Advertisement PM Modi is on a two-day visit to West Bengal before the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections which will take place on 1 June. On Tuesday, he addressed rallies in Ashoknagar in Barasat constituency and Jadavpur. Later in the day, he paid floral tribute to the statue of Subhas Chandra Bose and held a 2.5 km-long roadshow in Kolkata. Rahul and Kharge to campaign in Odisha Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi are slated to visit the state to campaign for the partys candidates set to contest in the final phase of elections on June 1. Advertisement Party president Kharge will arrive today and hold election meetings in Balasore and Bhadrak, while Rahul Gandhi will address a gathering in Sanamahitpur, Simulia, Balasore district, tomorrow. According to Congress sources cited in The New Indian Express, these rallies hold significance as party candidates in these Lok Sabha constituencies have a favourable position compared to others and are likely to emerge victorious. The grand Ambani pre-wedding bash Anant Ambani and his fiancee Radhika Merchant will embark on a luxury cruise in Italy for their second pre-wedding festivities starting 29 May. The exclusive is expected to be attended by various Bollywood celebrities and global personalities, including Ranveer Singh, MS Dhoni with his wife Sakshi, and Ranbir Kapoor with Alia Bhatt. Ambanis has invited over 3,000 VIP guests to grace the occasion. Advertisement Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. PTI The invitation, titled La Vite E Un Viaggio (life is a journey), reveals plans for a welcome lunch and a Starry Night celebration onboard the cruise today. The pre-wedding festivities will culminate on June 1 in Switzerland. Water cuts in Mumbai In a bid to aid repair works, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced introduce a 16-hour water cut in parts of Andheri and P/South (Goregaon) wards today. The civic body had earlier announced complete and partial water cuts across different pockets of the city. It will be carrying out the work on cross-connection of newly laid 1,500-mm water main along with the newly laid 1200-mm outlet, which will be replacing the old main in Andheri East between 29 May and 30 May. Advertisement In light of the water cut, BMC has urged citizens to use water responsibly. Today in History: First successful summit of Mt. Everest On this day in 1953, adventurer Edmund Hillary and his fearless Nepalese sherpa companion, Tenzing Norgay, etched their names into history by conquering the summit of Mount Everest. Edmund Hillary and his fearless Nepalese sherpa companion Tenzing Norgay. Reuters As per a BBC report, the duos triumphant ascent to the worlds highest peak was no easy feat, as they battled treacherous terrain and dwindling oxygen levels during their grueling climb up the southern face. Despite the daunting challenges, Hillary and Tenzing savoured their victorious moment atop the summit for a mere 15 minutes, capturing breathtaking photographs and of Sherpa Tenzing waving flags representing Britain, Nepal, the United Nations, and India. In a touching gesture, Tenzing left behind offerings of sweets and biscuits as a humble tribute to the mountain gods. An intensive heatwave has gripped India, with temperatures touching nearly 50 degrees Celsius in some of the northern parts of the country. Data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows that India recorded 60 heat-related deaths since 1 March. But experts say it is difficult to diagnose such deaths and that the real numbers are likely far higher read more The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Madhya Pradesh. AP India is burning up. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Madhya Pradesh. A red alert implies a very high likelihood of people developing heat illness and heat stroke and calls for extreme care for vulnerable people. This comes just a day after temperature crossed 50 degrees Celsius in Rajasthans Churu and Haryanas Sirsa and settled nine notches above normal in Delhi. The IMD said relief from the heatwave could come after 30 May. Advertisement But how many Indians are dying of heatwave? And why is reliable data such a problem? Lets take a closer look: How many Indians are dying of heatwave? Livemint quoted data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as showing that India has recorded 60 heat-related deaths since 1 March. Across the country, 32 people have died due of heatstroke and another 28 of suspected heatstroke. According to government data, two people in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthans Kota died on 22 May died of suspected heatstroke. Since 1 March, there have been 16,344 suspected heatstroke cases. 22 May alone witnessed 486 suspected cases of heatstroke. However, some think the real numbers are likely far higher. During the heat spells, the relative humidity in coastal areas over east India was well over 50 per cent and over northwest India, around 20-30 per cent. Humid heat can have very severe health impacts and we fear that a large number of people may have been impacted, a senior IMD official said on condition of anonymity told Hindustan Times. Experts explain why this is so. Dileep Mavalankar, head of the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Gandhinagar, told the Hindustan Times, There are two types of heatwave deaths exertional, which is caused when one exerts in direct sunlight and their body heats up. They are not able to cool down by sweating and then they die. Only 10 per cent of heatwave deaths are such exertional deaths. The non-exertional deaths happen among the vulnerable, the old, sick, infants who are not able to cool down even at night, their kidneys and heart start failing following dehydration. These people may not have access to cooling at home and they can die anywhere, even at home, since its not related to exertion. These are not categorised as heat strokes and are hence, possibly not counted as heat deaths at all. Advertisement In April last year, an intense humid heatwave hit India. While the total number of deaths related to that heatwave is unknown, its likely hundreds or even thousands of people would have died. In Europe, which is less hot and has a less exposed population, 70,000 deaths were linked to high temperatures in a single year, Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in Climate Science at Imperial College London, told Hindustan Times earlier_._ India has been grappling with unusually high temperatures this summer. AP They say the difficulty is how to accurately diagnose such deaths. It is very difficult to define the death due to heatwaves, if a person has died due to exhaustion. Nonetheless, we keep writing to the states to take measures, a government official told Hindustan Times. Advertisement The diagnosis of heatstroke deaths is a challenging process and cannot be done by any doctor. Only experts can identify the issue, an official told Livemint. Why is getting reliable data such a problem? Because different agencies seem to count heatwave deaths differently. According to Factly.in, the Ministry of Earth Sciences reported 6,751 heatwave deaths between 2009 and 2022. However, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), counted 11,090 deaths during the same timeframe. Advertisement The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), meanwhile, in its annual Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report pegged the number of deaths due to heat strokes at 15,020 for the same period. Government officials say agencies are now taking steps to get a more accurate count. As per Livemint, the NCDC has established Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) to record cases and deaths from heatstroke. Doctors at 120 government hospitals in 21 states will now upload data directly on this platform to aid public health policy makers make informed decisions. A senior official said this would soon be upgraded to electronic surveillance. The new suspected heatstroke cases and deaths are reported every 24 hours, which is updated by the states/UTs across the country on a centralised platform while cumulative figures are since 1 March, another official added. Advertisement Still, some say that isnt enough. A piece in Factly.in argued that the inconsistencies in data highlight the necessity for standardised and accurate reporting mechanisms. A schoolgirl takes a drink on a hot summer day in Lucknow, India. The conservative estimate found that 2023 was at least 0.5 degrees Celsius hotter than the warmest northern hemisphere summer of that period in AD246. AP Gaps in data collection, including specific types of heat-related illnesses, and standardisation of definitions highlight the importance of enhancing surveillance and reporting systems. Improving data quality and consistency is essential for better understanding the true burden of heat-related illnesses and implementing effective preventive measures, the piece argued. It said that given that heatwaves are likely to only increase in frequency, duration and intensity in the years to come, these shortfalls need to be addressed immediately. India grapples with scorching heat India has been grappling with unusually high temperatures this summer, and the weather department has said heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to continue in several parts, including the capital, through Wednesday. India declares a heat wave when the maximum temperature of a region is 4.5 C to 6.4 C higher than usual, while a severe heat wave is declared when the maximum temperature is 6.5 C higher than normal or more. On Tuesday, at least three weather stations in Delhi recorded maximum temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius or more. Mungeshpur and Narela in Delhi clocked 49.9 degrees followed by Najafgarh at 49.8 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. This was the highest maximum temperature recorded in the capital this season. However, Mungeshpur and Narela weather stations came up in 2022 and have records only for the last three years. IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has attributed the heatwave conditions over northwest and central India to the absence of western disturbances during the latter half of May. Western disturbances are extra-tropical weather systems formed over the Mediterranean Sea that move from the west to the east. The deadly heatwave is testing power grids and leading to water shortages in parts of the country. According to the Central Water Commission, water storage in 150 major reservoirs in India dropped to just 24 per cent of their live storage last week, exacerbating water shortages in many states and significantly affecting hydropower generation. The Maharashtra irrigation department said that the water stock in Jayakwadi dam in the drought-prone Marathwada region stood at a mere 5.19 per cent of its capacity on Monday after recording an evaporation loss of 1.15 MCM (million cubic metres) in a single day due to the heat. The intense heat has already driven Indias power demand to 239.96 gigawatts, the highest so far this season, with air conditioners and coolers in homes and offices running at full capacity. Experts anticipate that power demand could rise even further and surpass the all-time high of 243.27 GW recorded in September 2023. Severe heatwaves have impacted a large number of people in parts of India for three consecutive years, affecting health, water availability, agriculture, power generation, and other sectors of the economy. With inputs from agencies The RudraM-II is an indigenously developed air-to-surface anti-radiation missile. With a range of 300 kilometres, a speed of up to Mach 5.5 and a 200 kilogramme payload, the missile is expected to play a vital role in strengthening Indias air security and defence preparedness and act as a force multiplier read more The Indian Air Force successfully test-fired the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile off the coast of Odisha. Image courtesy: PIB India has a new weapon. On Wednesday, the Indian Air Force successfully test-fired the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile off the coast of Odisha. RudraM-II is an indigenously-developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system meant for Air-to-Surface role to neutralise many types of enemy assets Read here: pic.twitter.com/wsq2FQNcL8 PIB India (@PIB_India) May 29, 2024 The missile was test fired from the Indian Air Forces Sukhoi Su-30 MK-I. The test-flight occurred around 11.30 am. The flight test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm, defence officials said. Advertisement But what is the RudraM-II? And why does it matter? Lets take a closer look: RudraM-II is an indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system. As per Financial Express, Rudram means remover of sorrows. It is an air-to-surface missile that is meant to neutralise various types of enemy assets. The RudraM missiles are Indias first indigenous anti-radiation missiles. They have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The performance of the missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur at various locations, including the on-board ship, officials said. As per NDTV, the missile can be launched from a whole host of altitudes. It can pick up enemy radio frequencies and signals from radars from over 100 kilometres. It can also operate in Lock-On-Before/After-Launch systems. The RudraM-IIs internal guidance system lets it guide itself to the target after it has been fired. According to Business Today, the missile has a range of 300 kilometres. It can hit a speed of Mach 5.5 and can reportedly carry a 200 kilogramme payload. Advertisement Several state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO laboratories have been incorporated into the missile system. India currently uses the Russias Kh-31 missile in its Sukhoi fighter jets. The RudraM-II missile will replace the Kh-31s. This is the latest version of the missile. RudraM-I The Rudram-1 was a new generation anti-radiation missile (ARMs) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). ARMs are designed to seek and destroy the enemy defence systems including radar, communication assets and other radio frequency sources. The RudraM-I was test-fired four years ago by the Indian Air Force at the integrated test range in Odishas Balasore. The defence ministry at the time said the RudraM-I hit the radiation target with pin-point accuracy. Advertisement The flight testing of the missile came amid Indias bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh. The RudraM-I version has two seekers a passive-homing head seeker and a one Millimetre Wave (MMW) seeker. The former helps find targets over a range of radio frequencies, while the latter allows the missile to function in a variety of weather conditions. The RudraM-I has a 100 to 150 kilometre range. It can hit speeds of up to Mach 2 twice the speed of sound. It has a launch altitude range of 1 to 15 kilometres. In May 2019, the Indian Air successfully test-fired the aerial version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. The BrahMos missile provides the IAF with a much-desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or land with pin-point accuracy by day or night Advertisement Force multiplier According to The Print, the successful flight-test of RudraM-II is a major achievement for the Indian Air Force. It has demonstrated the indigenousness of the missile system and the advanced propulsion and control technologies that have been incorporated into it. The missile system is expected to play a vital role in strengthening Indias air security and defence preparedness. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated all DRDO and IAF on the successful test flight of RudraM-II. Singh said the successful test has consolidated the role of the RudraM-II system as a force multiplier to the Armed Forces. Advertisement According to Business Today, the DRDO is already working on the RudraM-III. The DRO is aiming at increasing the missiles range to over 500 kilometres. With inputs from agencies The Lahore Declaration, signed on 21 February 1999, was a significant milestone in Indo-Pakistani relations. The agreement was born out of a historic summit aimed at thawing the frosty relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. However, Pakistan breached the agreement when it started the Kargil War read more The Lahore Declaration was signed in 1999 by Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. Agencies In a startling admission, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has acknowledged that Pakistan violated a peace agreement signed with India in 1999. Speaking to the PML-N general council on Tuesday, Sharif referred to the signing of the Lahore Declaration and its breach by Islamabad in Kargil. On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that, [then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari] Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreementit was our fault, Sharif said. Advertisement The Lahore Declaration, signed on February 21, 1999, was a significant milestone in Indo-Pakistani relations. The agreement was born out of a historic summit aimed at thawing the frosty relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. We take a look at what the Lahore Declaration was all about and how Pakistan violated it. A vision for peace The Lahore Declaration was a comprehensive framework designed to address long-standing issues between India and Pakistan. The declarations primary objectives included promoting peace and stability. The text of the Lahore Declaration underscored these aspirations: The Prime Ministers of the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, sharing a vision of peace and stability between their countries, and of progress and prosperity for their peoples, convinced that durable peace and development of harmonious relations and friendly cooperation will serve the vital interests of the peoples of the two countries. Kashmir, nuclear weapons and everything in between The Lahore Declaration stressed the following points: Resolution of the Kashmir issue: Both nations agreed to intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorism: Both leaders reaffirmed their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expressed their determination to combat this menace. Dealing with nuclear weapons: India and Pakistan committed to taking immediate steps to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons. The declaration emphasised the importance of mutually agreed confidence-building measures to improve the security environment. The two countries also reiterated their commitment towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Focus on dialogue: It was agreed to intensify the dialogue process for an early and positive outcome of the agreed bilateral agenda. Commitment to SAARC goals: The declaration reaffirmed their commitment to the goals and objectives of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The aim was to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and improve their quality of life through accelerated economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. Protection of human rights: The declaration also committed both nations to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The breach: Kargil war in 1999 However, the hopes pinned on the Lahore Declaration were soon dashed. Just months after the agreement, the Kargil conflict erupted. In May 1999, Pakistani forces, led by General Pervez Musharraf, infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir. This aggressive move was a clear violation of the Lahore Declaration, which had called for peaceful resolution of disputes and avoidance of conflict. It is understood that the Pakistan army, an organisation that has almost always been at odds with the democratically-elected leaders and has sought to undermine their power, was behind the move. Advertisement The Kargil War led to the loss of as many as 527 Indian soldiers. It ended on 26 July 1999, when India successfully pushed back Pakistani forces from occupied positions. Image courtesy: X.com Sharifs recent admission brings a rare acknowledgement of responsibility from a Pakistani leader regarding the Kargil misadventure. The aftermath The Kargil conflict resulted in significant military casualties and heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, both of which were nuclear-armed by that time. The breach of the Lahore Declaration derailed the peace process and deepened the mistrust and hatred that has long characterised the India-Pakistan relationship. In essence, the Lahore Declaration of 1999 is a testament to a moment when India and Pakistan came close to forging a new path towards peace. While its violation led to conflict and mistrust, its objectives remain as relevant as ever. In fact, in 2017, then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, had asked for the Lahore Declaration to be revived. Advertisement The challenge is, and has always been the army in Pakistan. At multiple occasions, including in 1999, this institution has sabotaged the peace process between the two nations brought on by diplomacy. With inputs from agencies On Tuesday, a former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office was unexpectedly nominated to become the next prime minister of the Netherlands. The nomination of 67-year-old Dick Schoof came after leaders forming a four-party coalition, led by Geert Wilders far-right Party for Freedom, endorsed him read more Former Dutch intelligence chief Dick Schoof looks on at a press conference as he is presented as the proposed prime minister of the Netherlands, in The Hague, Netherlands, 28 May, 2024. Reuters Dick Schoof, the former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office, has been proposed as the new prime minister of the Netherlands by a coalition of four right-wing parties. Shoof, who is 67 years old, currently serves as the senior official at the Dutch Ministry of Justice. He was asked to lead the new government, not just by Geert Wilders nationalist PVV, but by all four parties forming the coalition. I am not affiliated to any party, I am not standing here in the name of the PVV I want to be the prime minister of all the Dutch, Schoof said during a press conference. Advertisement Despite having no previous experience in parliament or government, Schoofs extensive background in public service and his commitment to the rule of law make him a compelling candidate for the role. How did the coalition select Shoof? Schoofs appointment comes after election winner Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), formed a coalition with three other conservative parties. Wilders ruled himself out of the top job , allowing the coalition to nominate Schoof. Wilders praised Schoof on social media, stating, Congratulations Dick. Dick Schoof has a great track record, is not a member of any party and thus stands above the parties, is honest and, on top of it, very friendly. Gefeliciteerd Dick! Dick Schoof heeft een grote staat van dienst, is partijloos en staat dus boven de partijen, is integer en bijzonder sympathiek bovendien! pic.twitter.com/z5DwsrEEfd Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) May 28, 2024 The coalition, described as the most right-wing in the Netherlands in decades, has ambitious plans for governing. Their agenda, published on 16 May, outlines the strictest-ever asylum regime with stronger border controls and harsher rules for asylum seekers, potentially setting up a clash with the EU. Advertisement The coalition aims to introduce strict measures on asylum seekers, scrap family reunification for refugees, and reduce the number of international students. The plan titled Hope, courage and pride has faced scrutiny from analysts questioning its legal and constitutional feasibility. Also Read: Is the European Parliament turning right this June? Schoof, addressing these concerns, emphasised, I think that, in all my positions, the common thread has always been the functioning of democratic rule of law and that will help me in my function as prime minister. He also mentioned outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as an inspiration, praising his handling of governmental duties. Advertisement Ruttes government will continue to function in a caretaker capacity until the new administration is officially sworn in. The original prime ministerial candidate proposed by Wilders, Ronald Plasterk , withdrew last week amid allegations of his involvement in medical patent fraud. Who is Dick Schoof? Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria Dick Schoof was born on 8 March, 1957, in Santpoort, Netherlands. He studied urban and regional planning at Radboud University from 1975 to 1982. Schoofs career in public service began at the Association of Netherlands Municipalities, followed by a role at the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science in 1988. By 1996, he was appointed deputy secretary-general at the Ministry of Justice and Security. Advertisement Former Dutch intelligence chief Dick Schoof speaks at a press conference as he is presented as the proposed prime minister of the Netherlands, in The Hague, Netherlands, 28 May, 2024. Reuters Schoof has held several high-profile positions, including chief director at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (1999-2003), where he played a significant role in reforming immigration legislation. From 2010 to 2013, he served as director-general for the police, overseeing the restructuring of the police force from regional units to a national organisation. As head of the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), he was involved in controversial aspects of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 investigation. In December 2019, Schoof was appointed secretary-general at the Ministry of Justice and Security, tasked with addressing scandals within the ministry. His leadership was pivotal during a turbulent period, helping to restore confidence and stability. Advertisement Schoof, a divorced father of two, has primarily worked on domestic policies and does not have a high international profile. His extensive experience in public service and his non-partisan stance are seen as strengths in leading a technocratic administration amidst a deeply divided nation. Schoof & the Flight MH17 investigation As anti-terror chief, Schoof played a pivotal role in coordinating the Netherlands response to the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine by Russian-controlled forces, which resulted in the deaths of 198 Dutch citizens. While this solidified his reputation as a security expert in political circles, it also sparked controversy. In 2015, Dutch media reported that Schoof had attempted to influence an ostensibly independent investigation into the governments handling of the MH17 crisis. Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders reacts as he meets the press as Dutch parties lead candidates meet for the first time after elections, in The Hague, Netherlands, 24 November, 2023. Reuters Publicly released emails revealed that Schoof had criticised the reports authors for being too heavy and too negative in their conclusions about the Dutch response, urging them to soften their language, which they subsequently did. At the time, Rutte defended both Schoof and the investigation, stating that the reports authors still fully supported their findings 100 percent. The new government, expected to be operational by the end of June, will have looser ties to parliament, allowing for more direct governance by the cabinet. This approach aims to streamline decision-making processes and implement the coalitions ambitious policy objectives more effectively. Also Read: A 29-year-old Dutch woman will legally die. The euthanasia debate explained Reflecting on his unexpected nomination, Schoof stated, I guess it will be a surprise for a lot of people that Im standing here Its actually also a surprise for me. He said that he remained committed to upholding the rule of law and governing for all Dutch citizens, regardless of political affiliation. With inputs from agencies Major Radhika Sen will be honoured with a prestigious 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on Thursday. She served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and has led peacekeeping efforts in the region with a focus on gender equality read more Major Radhika Sen of India stands near the Gandhi Statue at UN HQ. Sen will receive the prestigious 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during a ceremony at the world body's headquarters on 30 May 2024 to mark International Day of UN Peacekeepers. PTI Major Radhika Sen, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), will be honoured with a prestigious 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. The Award will be given by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on 30 May on the occasion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Created in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs within the Department for Peace Operations (DPO), the Award recognises the dedication and efforts of an individual military peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Advertisement The award also recognises her efforts in line with the 2000 Security Council resolution aimed at protecting women and girls from conflict-related sexual violence. Heres all we know about her. Who is Major Radhika Sen? Born in Himachal Pradesh in 1993, Radhika Sen joined the Indian Army eight years ago. She graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing her Masters degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT) when she decided to join the armed forces. She served in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of MONUSCOs Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion (INDRDB), according to a UN press release. Major Sen led peacekeeping efforts in the region with a focus on gender equality, as per the UN. She planned lessons for children in English as well as health and career education for adults. She also created Community Alert Networks to support North Kivu communities affected by war. Major Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this prestigious award after Major Suman Gawani, who served with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and was honoured with the 2019 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. Sen served with 1,954 individuals from MONUSCO, 32 of them were women, out of 6,063 Indian personnel assigned to UN peacekeeping missions. Congratulating Major Sen for her service, Guterres said she is a true leader and role model. Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole. He further said in a statement that in an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls. She earned their trust, doing so with humility, compassion, and dedication. Upon receiving news, Major Sen expressed her gratitude for being selected and reflected on her peacekeeping role. This award is special to me as it gives recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of the DRC and giving their best to bring a positive change in the society, she said. Notably, India is currently the 11th largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the United Nations, with 124 now deployed. India has traditionally been among the largest troop- and police-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions. With inputs from PTI The upcoming election in South Africa will reveal if the nation is ready to vote out the African National Congress party, which has held power since the apartheid era ended 30 years ago. Who is in the running? What are the main issues? read more The upcoming South African election will serve as a barometer for the publics weariness with the long-standing rule of the African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power since the end of apartheid. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC are facing challenges in maintaining their parliamentary majority, with various polls indicating the partys support at less than 50 per cent leading up to Wednesdays election . However, this does not necessarily imply that the ANC will lose power in Africas most advanced economy. Advertisement Even as the famous organisation 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. Supporters of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party attend a final election rally in Benoni, South Africa, 26 May, 2024. AP 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 countrys big problems, which include some of the worlds highest levels of unemployment and inequality. How does South Africas election work? South Africans dont 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. Advertisement 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. Also Read: Who are the main parties in South Africas election? Which candidates are dark horses? 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. Advertisement Nearly 28 million of the population of 62 million are registered to vote in what is only the countrys seventh fully democratic national election since apartheid was dismantled. Who is contesting? 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 ANCs fate is the headline story: Ramaphosa is the partys 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 thats not seen as likely to happen. Advertisement The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, is the third biggest party and led by Julius Malema, a fiery former ANC youth leader. Supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), attend a final election rally in Polokwane, South Africa, 25 May, 2024. AP The DA won around 20 per cent in the last national election and the EFF 10 per cent to the ANCs 57.5 per cent. Neither opposition party appears to have significantly increased in popularity. Thats largely because of the dozens of other parties, many of them new, that have captured small shares. While 80 per cent 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. Advertisement 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 major issues this time? Unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues for the majority of people. While South Africa is regarded as Africas most advanced country, its contradictions are stark. It also has an unemployment rate of 32 per cent 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 favour of the white minority. Supporters of Ukhonto weSizwe party arrive singing to attend an election meeting in Mpumalanga, near Durban, South Africa, 25 May, 2024. AP 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. Also Read: How South Africa elections will test Nelson Mandelas legacy With inputs from AP The solid-propelled RudraM-II air-launched missile system was developed in India as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and is intended for an air-to-surface mission to neutralize various enemy asset types read more The missile system includes several cutting-edge indigenous technologies created by several Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) facilities Image Courtesy X/@DRDO_India India successfully tested an air-to-surface missile called the Rudra on Wednesday off the coast of Odisha from a Su-30 fighter aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to the ministry of defense, the RudraM-II missiles flight testing achieved every trial goal. The solid-propelled RudraM-II air-launched missile system was developed in India as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and is intended for an air-to-surface mission to neutralize various enemy asset types. Advertisement The missile system includes several cutting-edge indigenous technologies created by several Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) facilities. The DRDO successfully flight-tested the RudraM-II air-to-surface missile from Su-30 MK-I platform of the Indian Air Force off the coast of Odisha at around 1130 hours on May 29, the ministry said in a statement. The flight-test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control and guidance algorithm. According to the ministry, the missiles performance has been verified by the flight data obtained by electro-optical systems, radar, and telemetry stations that have been placed at several locations, including the ship itself, to track range. The IAF, the DRDO, and the industry were congratulated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the successful test flight of the RudraM-II. The successful test has consolidated the role of the RudraM-II system as a force multiplier to the armed forces, he said. According to a statement from the ministry, Secretary of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat commended the DRDO team for their tireless work and contributions that led to the successful flight test. Soon after his comments drew criticism from the BJP, the Congress leader, in a short statement, unreservedly apologised for mistakenly using the word alleged for the Chinese invasion read more The 2024 Lok Sabha election season, which is reaching its final stage, was defined by controversial statements from leaders across different political parties. Among them is Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who has once again triggered a fresh political row, this time over the 1962 Indo-China war. In a video that has been making rounds on the internet, the veteran Congress leader can be heard saying, In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India. The clip is from an event where Aiyar launched a book named Nehrus First Recruits. Advertisement Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during launch of a book called Nehrus First Recruits, refers to Chinese invasion in 1962 as alleged. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism. Nehru gave up Indias claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul pic.twitter.com/Z7T0tUgJiD Amit Malviya ( ) (@amitmalviya) May 28, 2024 On October 20, 1962, the Chinese launched an attack against India which resulted in a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. The war went on for about a month before China declared a ceasefire on November 21. Earlier, the Congress leader stoked controversy by suggesting that India should respect Pakistan as it possesses atom bombs. Aiyar apologises Soon after his comments drew criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress leader, in a short statement, unreservedly apologised for mistakenly using the word alleged for the Chinese invasion. Allowances must be made for his age Meanwhile, Congress has distanced itself from Aiyars comments. Jairam Ramesh in a statement on X, said, Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term alleged invasion mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed, he added. Advertisement Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has subequently apologised unreservedly for using the term "alleged invasion" mistakenkly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for https://t.co/74oXfL1Ur2 Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 28, 2024 The leader, at the same time, blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a clean chit to the Chinese on June 19, 2020. Advertisement BJP hits back BJP leader Amit Malviya said, Nehru gave up Indias claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhis UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory. Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has sparked a row saying that China allegedly invaded India in 1962. Aiyar has subsequently apologised for his remarks. Heres a brief account of what happened 62 years ago read more A video surfaced on social media on Wednesday in which former Union minister and veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar seemingly doubted the military aggression by China against India in 1962. Speaking at a book launch event in Delhi, Aiyar could be heard as saying, In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India." His comment triggered a row with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeting the Congress, which also disapproved of the remarks by the former parliamentarian. Aiyar, too, offered his unreserved for having mistakenly used the word alleged before Chinese invasion. Advertisement What happened in 1962 The Sino-Indian War of 1962 was a brief but intense conflict between China and India spread primarily over the western and eastern sectors of the borders along the Himalayas. At the stroke of Independence in 1947, India and China were separated by a vast country, Tibet, which was led by a Buddhist order. The borders were defined as per the agreements that the British had signed with the powers of the time. The same reflected in the Indian Independence Act of 1947 that the UK Parliament passed. After China captured Tibet in 1950 through a military action against a non-violent nation, it refused to acknowledge the borders with India in Arunachal Pradesh, then called the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), and in Ladakh, earlier part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The roots of the conflict lay in the communist regimes negation of border definitions between India and China, particularly in the Aksai Chin region of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. After India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama following the 1959 Tibetan uprising, tensions escalated, Chinese leadership of Mao Zedong used it as an excuse to launch a military action against India despite a non-aggression treaty under the Panchsheel agreement. Mao was additionally motivated for the invasion to divert the Chinese nations attention from the starvation that a significant population was facing, leading to a serious challenge to the still-fledgling communist regime. The war Advertisement On October 20, 1962, China launched a two-pronged attack: In the western sector, Chinese forces targeted the Aksai Chin area, which was claimed by India but controlled by China. In the eastern sector, the attack was along the McMahon Line, particularly around the Tawang region. Despite initial skirmishes and Indias efforts to fortify its positions, the Chinese forces quickly overpowered the Indian military, which was not adequately prepared for the high-altitude warfare. Ceasefire and aftermath The war lasted about a month, ending with a unilateral ceasefire declared by China on November 21, 1962. By then, China had captured significant territory in the Northeast but withdrew from the region, maintaining control over Aksai Chin. India suffered heavy casualties and the defeat had a profound impact on its national psyche and military reforms. The war highlighted the need for better infrastructure and modernization of the Indian Army. It also led to a reevaluation of Indias foreign policy and alignment with other nations. Advertisement The conflict remains a sensitive issue, and the border dispute between India and China continues to be a point of contention. Hundreds of people in the North Eastern states including Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya have gone missing while several others have been forced to take shelter in relief camps read more Cyclone Remal has claimed the lives of as many as 37 people in the North East with the state of Mizoram worst hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms. Hundreds of people in the North Eastern states including Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya have gone missing while several others have been forced to take shelter in relief camps. The cyclone made landfall in West Bengal earlier this week, killing 16 people across the state and Bangladesh. Advertisement Cyclone Remal is the first of the frequent storms expected to pound the low-lying coasts of the South Asian neighbours this year as climate change drives up surface temperatures at sea. Mizoram worst-hit state In Mizoram, where a stone quarry collapsed in Aizawl due to incessant rains on Tuesday, at least 27 people have died while rescue operations continue to locate the missing people. Chief Minister Lalduhoma convened an emergency meeting with Home Minister K Sapdanga, Chief Secretary Renu Sharma and other senior officials to take stock of the situation, a senior official said. He has also announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia for the families of those killed in the stone quarry collapse and calamities caused by rain. Lalduhoma said the government earmarked Rs 15 crore to tackle disasters triggered by rain, which occurred as an after-effect of the cyclone. Mamata blames centre Meanwhile, the trail of destruction left behind by the cyclone has triggered a political slugfest with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was lying about the centre providing all the necessary help to the state government to handle the cyclone. We shifted nearly 46 lakh people (to safer places) and saved their lives, the chief minister said, addressing an election rally at Behala in Kolkata. Banerjee said that it was unfortunate that seven people died because of the cyclone, lakhs of people could have lost their lives if the state administration had not taken measures in time. Advertisement You (Modi) should think before saying something, the TMC supremo said, seeking to give a retort to the PMs comments in his election speeches at Jadavpur and Ashoknagar on Tuesday. With inputs from agencies Imam was booked initially for the offence of sedition and Section 13 of UAPA was invoked later. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020 in the matter. read more The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities. Imam was booked in the case registered by Delhi Polices Special Branch, which was initially registered for the offence of sedition and Section 13 of UAPA was invoked later. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020 in the matter. A Division Bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain granted statutory bail to Imam, Bar and Bench reported. He was imprisoned under sedition charges and UAPA case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches in Delhis Jamia area and Aligarh Muslim University. Despite the bail, Imam will remain in jail for other charges in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, the portal added. Advertisement According to the prosecution, Imam allegedly made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019 and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019 where he threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the North East from the country. The temperature in Delhi on Wednesday was 52.9 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD. According to Dr. Mohapatra, out of Delhis 20 monitoring stations, 14 have shown a decrease in temperature, with an average of 45 to 50 degrees Celsius observed throughout the city read more The temperature in Delhi on Wednesday was 52.9 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD Image Courtesy PTI According to IMD Director General M Mohapatra, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is inspecting the temperature sensor at Delhis Mungeshpur automatic weather station to make sure it is functioning properly. The temperature in Delhi on Wednesday was 52.9 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD. According to Dr. Mohapatra, out of Delhis 20 monitoring stations, 14 have shown a decrease in temperature, with an average of 45 to 50 degrees Celsius observed throughout the city. Advertisement He claimed that the tape has to be verified and that the Mungeshpur station is a outlier. A thorough examination is necessary into the Mungeshpur recording, while some observatories in Delhi had recorded a little higher temperature. According to Dr. Mohapatra, a group of experts has traveled to Mungeshpur to inspect the temperature sensor. He further conjectured that the high recording might be due to local variables in the Mungeshpur area. The maximum temperature over Delhi NCR varied from 45.2 to 49.1 degree Celsius in different parts of the city. Mungeshpur reported 52.9 degree Celsius as an outlier compared to other stations. It could be due to error in the sensor or the local factor. IMD is examining the data and sensors, the IMD said in a statement on Wednesday evening. Union minister Kiren Rijiju has questioned the readings. It is not official yet. Temperature of 52.3C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon, Kiren Rijiju said in a statement on social media platform X. India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional head Kuldeep Srivastava gave an explanation for the temperature increase, stating that hot winds from Rajasthan first affect the citys outskirts. On this second day of unprecedented heat, the temperature was over nine degrees Celsius higher than predicted and had risen above the 2002 record of 49.2 degrees Celsius. Advertisement On Wednesday evening, there was also a brief downpour in Delhi, which is probably going to increase the humidity. The highest temperature in 79 years was recorded at Safdarjung Observatory, Delhis main weather station, at 46.8 degrees Celsius. Over 30 million people are thought to live in Delhi, which is the subject of a red alert health notification from the IMD. Extreme care is required for those who are vulnerable as there is a very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages, according to the advisory. Although India is accustomed to scorching summer temperatures, years of scientific study have revealed that heatwaves are growing longer, more frequent, and more intense due to climate change. Advertisement As more and more people turned on their energy-intensive air conditioners during the heatwave, the nations capital recorded its all-time high power consumption of 8,302 megawatts (MW), according to electricity department authorities. There have also been reports of exceptionally high temperatures in Phalodi, Rajasthan, which is a desert state, with 51 degrees Celsius, and 50.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. 50.3 degrees Celsius were recorded at Sirsa in Haryana. Due to moist wind incursion from the Arabian Sea, a drop in temperature of up to 4 degrees Celsius has been observed throughout the districts of south Rajasthan, including Barmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Sirohi, and Jalore. This indicates the start of the heatwave decrease over northwest India. Advertisement According to numerical weather prediction (NWP) data, which forecasts future weather by processing current weather observations through computer models, this declining trend is expected to continue northward, delivering a gradual break from sweltering conditions starting on May 30. Furthermore, a progressive decrease in the maximum temperature over Uttar Pradesh is anticipated due to the arrival of humid winds from the Bay of Bengal starting on Thursday. The man also killed his wife with whom he got married eight day ago. According to police, he was suffering from Schizophrenia and was undergoing treatment read more A shocking incident has come to fore from Madhya Pradeshs Chhindwara district, where a 27-year-old man axed eight members of his family including his wife and mother, and later hanged himself from a tree. According to a report by Times of India, the incident took place around 2:30 am on Wednesday (May 29) when all the victims were deep in sleep. The youth, identified as Dinesh Gond alias Bhura, reportedly got married about eight days back. Advertisement In the early hours of Wednesday, he took an axe and attacked his wife Varsha (23), mother Siyabai (55), brother Shravan Kumar (35) and Shravans wife Baratobai (30). He then killed his 16-year-old sister Parvati, 5-year-old nephew Krishna and nieces Sewnti (4) and Deepa (1) with the axe. A report by NDTV said all eight members died on the spot. After killing these eight people, he attempted to axe other members of his extended family, but a woman, who had woken up to attend natures call saw him. By then, the youths neighbour had also entered the house, hearing the screams of the victims. Seeing his neighbours, the youth fled from the spot and later was found hanging from a tree, about 100 metres away from the crime scene. According to police, the youth was suffering from mental illnesses. Locals alleged that his condition had worsened after his marriage. The police have begun an investigation and looking into the reason behind the attack which is not known yet. The incident took place in Bodal Kachhar village which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mahuljhiri police station. Talking to media, Inspector General of Police (IG) Jabalpur Zone, Anil Singh Kushwaha, said: The accused was mentally ill and was undergoing treatment He was suffering from Schizophrenia, after consultation with doctors we came to know that a person suffering from the disease may attack people, later he realised that he committed a mistake and died by suicide. So prima facie it seems that this may have happened in this case as well We are investigating the case. Advertisement Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and said an investigation would be done into the matter. This is an unfortunate incident. I have asked one of our ministers Sampatiya Uikey to visit Chhindwara. She will meet the members of the family. An investigation of the incident will be done. We will do everything possible for the victims, the chief minister said. 08 pic.twitter.com/UhzFWrUnNB Dr Mohan Yadav (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrMohanYadav51) May 29, 2024 Advertisement The ToI report quoted Dineshs uncle, Talvi Singh Patel, saying: He (Dinesh) lost his mental balance a year ago. However, after treatment, he had been living a normal life. We got him married this year on May 21. However, just a couple of days after the marriage, he developed psychological problems again. He axed all the people of his family who were sleeping in the courtyard. Advertisement One of my elder sisters-in-law had woken up to attend natures call when she saw him with an axe and tried to snatch it. He then attacked her grandson, who sustained injuries. My sister-in-law called for her son Apatiya, who was sleeping inside, and then Dinesh escaped and later hanged himself from a tree, Patel further said. With inputs from agencies The calls to Sassoon General Hospital were made by Pune Porsche crash case accuseds father Vishal Agarwal around the time the blood samples of his son was collected and were being sent to forensic lab read more Vishal Agarwal, the father of the 17-year-old boy accused in the Pune Porsche crash case, made 14 calls in less than three hours to Dr Ajay Taware, head of the Forensic Medicine department at Sassoon General Hospital where his sons blood samples were collected to test if he under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident on May 19. 14 calls between 8 am & 11 am Vishal Agarwal, who is a renowned real estate developer, has allegedly paid a bribe of Rs 3 lakh to the doctors of Punes Sassoon Hospital to get his sons forensic report manipulated and to show that he was not under the influence of alcohol when he was driving his Porsche Taycan which he ran over a bike, killing two young software professionals in Kalyani Nagar. Advertisement The first call by Vishal Agarwal to Dr Taware was made at 8:45 am and till 11 am, 14 calls were made during which, the police suspect and the duo discussed that blood samples needed to be changed. WhatsApp, Facetime & normal calls The conversation between Vishal Agarwal and Dr Taware was over WhatsApp, Facetime and also on normal calls. The calls took place around the time the blood samples of the teen accused were collected and were being sent to the forensic lab. The persistent calls, appear to have worked in favour of Vishal Agarwal, and Taware likely got convinced. It was at Tawares request, Dr Shrihari Halnore, the chief medical officer (CMO) of Sassoon Hospital changed the blood samples of the Pune Porsche accident accused. Also Read: Porsche crash case: A bribe of Rs 3 lakh to dump teens blood sample? How Pune cops foiled plan The blood sample of a different person was sent to the forensic lab and the blood sample of the teen accused was dumped in a dustbin. When the reports arrived, the doctors at Sassoon Hospital said the accused had not consumed alcohol on the day of the Pune Porsche car crash. Unconvinced with the reports from Sassoon Hospital, the Pune Crime Branch investigating the case, took another blood sample of the juvenile for a DNA test at a different government hospital. The blood sample, collected for the second time, matched with his fathers. It was also found that the sample collected initially at Sassoon did not match that of the accused. Advertisement On Monday (May 27), Taware and Halnore were arrested and a few hours later, another staffer of the Sassoon Hospital, identified as Atul Ghatkamble, was nabbed by the cops. The police said Ghatkamble, who worked under Taware, acted as a middleman and allegedly collected Rs 3 lakh from the teens family to give to the two doctors who discarded the boys blood sample in a dustbin and changed it with another persons blood sample. Of the total amount, Rs 2.5 lakh was recovered from Dr Halnor and the remaining Rs 50,000 was found from Ghatkamble. Ajay Tawares residence searched After Tawares arrest, as part of the investigation, the Pune Police carried out extensive searches at his residence during which they recovered some documents regarding earlier cases for which he is under scanner. Advertisement Also Read: The many controversies of Dr Ajay Taware, arrested for swapping Pune Porsche crash case teens blood sample The Pune Crime Branch is also trying to ascertain the exact amount that was promised or given to Taware by the Agarwals. Will reveal more names During the probe, Taware also warned that he would reveal more names of people involved in the Pune Porsche crash case. Mei chup nahi baithunga, sabka naam bahar aaega (I will not stay mum, will reveal everyones name), he said. Also Read: Wont stay mum, will reveal everyones name, threatens doctor arrested in Pune Porsche crash case Taware asked hospital staff to get alcohol Advertisement A three-member committee was constituted by the Maharashtra governments Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to probe misconduct by the two doctors of Sassoon who visited the hospital on Tuesday (May 28). They were told by the staff that Taware used to ask them to get alcohol to the hospital. The committee left Pune for Mumbai and is likely to submit its report to the state government on Wednesday. The report has been after 8 hours of inquiry. Sunil Tingre, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA, received 45 missed calls from Vishal Agarwal, renowned real estate developer and father of teen accused in May 19 Pune Porsche crash case. The calls were made between 2:30 am and 3:45 am read more Vishal Agarwal, father of the 17-year-old boy accused in the Pune Porsche crash case, called NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Sunil Tingre 45 times in about an hour soon after his son was arrested by the police for knocking down two young software engineers with his speeding Porsche Taycan which he was allegedly driving under influence of alcohol. Sunil Tingre got 45 missed calls from Vishal Agarwal Police sources to News18 said Tingre received 45 missed calls from Vishal Agarwal, who is a renowned real estate developer, between 2:30 am and 3:45 am on the day of the Pune Porsche accident in Kalyani Nagar on May 19. Advertisement Repeated calls were made by Vishal Agarwal till Tingre arrived at Yerwada police station at 3:45 am. For the unversed, the teen accused in the case was detained by the cops in Yerwada police station ahead of being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) which had granted him bail on certain conditions, including writing a 300-word essay. Vishal Agarwal rushes to Sunil Tingres residence When his calls went unanswered, Vishal Agarwal rushed to Tingres house and after some time, the NCP MLA left for Yerwada Police station where he was there until morning. What was Sunil Tingre doing in Yerwada jail Police said Tingre had visited Yerwada jail on May 19. The MLA later told the media that he and the accuseds father are family friends and he had visited the police station to check if the probe was being properly conducted. I have known the builder (juveniles father) as he was my employer after I passed out from engineering college However, at no point have I tried to influence the probe," the MLA from Ajit Pawar faction of NCP said. Also Read: 14 WhatsApp calls, Facetime: How Pune teens father convinced Ajay Taware to swap sons blood sample The Vadgaon Sheri NCP MLA, last week, in his clarification claimed that he was informed by his workers around 3 am on May 19 of a major accident in his constituency. Tingre also said an acquaintances informed that his son had met with an accident. As a responsible public representative, early yesterday morning I first went to the accident spot and then to the Yerwada police station. I was told there that the police inspector had taken the injured to the hospital. I called him and he told me that he will be back in 15 minutes. After he returned, the police inspector informed me about the sequence of events, Accordingly, I instructed him to take strict action against the guilty and left the station. I put no pressure on the police and, without a doubt, the officials will confirm this," Tingre had said. Advertisement Sunil Tingre & Vishal Agarwal family connection Tingre had already gone on record saying the Agarwal family was his first employer. Now, as per information received, Vishal Agarwal and the NCP MLAs son were studying in the same school. Five years after the PM conducted a similar meditation practice in a Kedarnath cave following the 2019 election campaign, a large posse of 2,000 police officers and representatives of other security agencies will be keeping a tight monitor in the district in the southernmost corner of the country during the PMs event read more In anticipation of Modi's visit, security has been stepped up in Kanyakumari Image Courtesy PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spend 45 hours at the renowned Vivekananda Rock Memorial here on Thursday. He will sit in meditation at the site dedicated to the celebrated Hindu saint, and all the necessary preparations, including heightened security, have been made. Five years after the PM conducted a similar meditation practice in a Kedarnath cave following the 2019 election campaign, a large posse of 2,000 police officers and representatives of other security agencies will be keeping a tight monitor in the district in the southernmost corner of the country during the PMs event. Advertisement After the Lok Sabha polls campaign concludes on May 30, Modi will meditate at the Rock Memorial, a Swami Vivekananda memorial located here, BJP officials had announced. He is scheduled to meditate at Dhyan Mandapam, where Modis spiritual mentor Vivekananda is supposed to have had a divine vision of Bharat Mata, from May 30 to June 1. All of the BJP leaders have announced this. In anticipation of Modis visit, security has been stepped up in Kanyakumari. Superintendent of Police E Sundaravathanam and DIG Pravesh Kumar of the Tirunelveli range had examined the security setups at the state guest house, boat jetty, helipad, and rock memorial at Kanyakumari. A practice helicopter landing had taken place at the helipad, concurrently with the arrival of the prime ministers main security team at the location. Kanyakumari, which is marked on the map of world tourism, would have about 2,000 police officers stationed there and nearby. The Tiruvalluvar statue, the spotless beach, and the Sri Bhagavathy Amman temple, which is situated near the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea triangular sea confluence, all contribute to the destinations allure. By declaring early general elections in the UK on the US Independence Day, (July 4) Rishi Sunak has done himself a favour, and the Conservative Party too. The first Indian-origin British Prime Minister has run the gauntlet of prejudice, skewing the initial message of his rise as a sign of the UK finally becoming a land of opportunity and merit back to the old rhetoric of class and privilege. A probable Labour government may just make the UK understand what Sunak symbolises. Advertisement British media saying the PM is richer than King Charles III does not help matters. The Kings personal wealth stems from the vast lands included in the Duchy of Cornwall whose profits he enjoyed for 70 years simply because he was the Prince of Wales. Now his son William has begun to do the same as heir to the throne. But Rishi Rich was not born into riches, nor was his jump into the wealthy bracket helped along by Mummy and Daddy. He is a self-made man. India had long been in thrall of inherited leadership, whether in politics or business or even civil service. But the past 40 years have seen an efflorescence of first generation achievers in the same three crucial spheres. There is a genuine appreciation of wealth creators and upward mobility: small town boys and girls are excelling in civil services entrance exams, bagging huge pay packets in multinational companies, setting up businesses and becoming unicorns. The difference in attitudes of the British and Indian public to men like Sunak underscores how far apart the two countries have grown. Personal wealth is not a disadvantage in desi politics and the only people in Indian public life who display a similar British penchant for false modesty are those who also inherited their wealth rather than earned it. Those from that cohort can never understand why leaders of rising backward classes do not hide their new prosperity. Sadly, Britons are still inclined to be more charitable towards characters like Boris Johnson, whose personal and public lifeincluding multiple marriages and shambolic handling of the government response to the pandemicis less than edifying. Or towards Liz Truss, who was handed the PMship for little more than her blonde hair and the promise of tax cuts. Her blundering attempt to do the latter caused the economic chaos that Sunak has been dealing with as PM. Advertisement None of the previous four Conservative PMsall whitehad the credentials that Sunak has: a middle class boy who rose from the obscurity of Southampton to become head boy of his famous school, Winchesterno mean feat for a short, skinny Indian origin Hindu. He then earned a first class bachelors degree from Lincoln College, Oxford and an MBA from Stanford as a Fulbright Scholar, working in between as an investment banker. His was a dream start. But his achievements have been derided. His years at Winchester (then all boys) were used to insinuate he was a misogynistic toff, his pre-public life academic record and professional success glossed over. Even his marrying Akshata Murtywhom he met while they were both students at Stanfordand his supposedly expensive tastes are also portrayed as an unfair advantage instead of just, well, luck. Silver spoons, when earned, should not be scorned. Advertisement But he has been sneered at for wearing Prada loafers as well as Samba sneakers, for tight suitsalthough Boris Johnsons sloppy sartorial sense was seen as quirky not clumsyand even using a smart cup for coffee. Had he consciously used more ordinary brands, he would be promptly dubbed a hypocrite. Other short politicians (like PM-apparent Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan) are not disdained for choosing flattering camera angles, Sunak is accused of it. Even his wife Akshata has not been spared, and by extension her billionaire parents and their hugely successful business too. Her non-domicile tax statuswherein she paid a flat 60,000 levy instead of 39% tax on her global incomewas perfectly legal and her husband even declared it when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson. Many high net worth UK residents do the same, but the UK media made it seem as if she was dodging paying up! Advertisement As India was once a mere British colony, the very idea of Indian billionaires is a sore point with many Britons. Even more so now as India has more billionaires today than Britain and key British brands are owned by Indians. An Indian-origin family, the Hindujas have topped the Sunday Times Rich List 2024 for the third year in a row. The Hindujas have been at either No1, No2 or No3 since 2017. India-born Laxmi Mittal and the Reuben brothers are also top 10 regulars. The Sunaks entered this rich list in 2022the first British PM and spouse to do so with assets of 730 million. Their net worth fell to 529 million in 2023 and rose to 651million, mostly because of an increase in the value of their Infosys shares. This pushed them up from 275th to 245th, which is 13 places above King Charles III. Much of their fortune is invested via a blind trust, to avoid conflict of interest. But they still get grief from UK media and domestic social media. Advertisement Sunak need not have plunged into the jaundiced world of politicsby dint of the very same fortune that he is denigrated forand instead aimed for an even higher spot on the Rich List before he hit 40. Instead, he chose public service, not from the secure perch that the working British royals do their duty but by the far more perilous route of the hustings. He thus put himself and his family (mainly his heiress wife) in the crosshairs of a society that is still deeply biased. Sunaks idea of Britain is naive. With apologies to Dr Martin Luther King Jr for using his famous lines for a different context, the UK is far from being a nation where people are not judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. That latter is Americas USP, where a Black man with no political legacy won the White House, not once but twice. And where a wealthy, orange-faced White man got the top job too once, and perhaps may get it again. Had Sunak come to India to seek his political fortune (having already secured his financial one as an investment banker) he would have been welcomed as a Punjabi munda who has achieved the middle class (Indian) dream thanks to a good education and good luck. Marrying a billionaires beti would certainly not have been held against him as is the case in Britain. As Sunak has vowed to stay in politics, Britain has a second chance to wise up. And truly level up. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. The same coalition that opposes Israel also remains antagonistic to India, and many of the Islamic countries that are profoundly anti-Semitic despise Hinduism for the same reason read more On 10 May, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the State of Palestine for full membership. The vote was overwhelming. One hundred forty-three countries including India voted in favour, 25 abstained, and nine countries voted against the resolution. India may come to regret its vote because of the precedent it sets. While Palestinian leaders claim Israel illegally occupies Palestine, history suggests otherwise. Historically, Palestine was a backwater. Roman rulers suppressed development of Palestines Mediterranean coast as part of their punishment of the Jewish revolt. Arabs flourished elsewhere. Mecca and Medina, alternately under the control of Cairo- or Istanbul-based empires were religious centres, but Damascus and Baghdad were the centres of Arab political and cultural life. Palestine was the land of malarial swamps and desert. Centuries of neglect had taken its toll on Jerusalem; many of the holy sites including the Dome of the Rock had fallen into disrepair. Most locals considered themselves Syrian. As Jews immigrated to Palestine and began to transform the land, poorer Syrians migrated southward to take advantage of new opportunities. Palestinian nationalism grew in parallel to Zionism, as both Jews and Arabs migrated to the Holy Land. Subsequent history is well known. The British carved away 70 per cent of historic Palestine to form the Kingdom of Transjordan. In 1947, the United Nations agreed to partition the remaining portion of Palestine into two states, Arab and Jewish. The Arabs rejected the plan; the Jews accepted and, the following year, the State of Israel was born. Arab armies expected to wipe the Jews out quickly. They issued calls for Arabs to evacuate temporarily, promising a share of the loot when they threw Jews into the sea. Few expected Israel to win. Egypt took possession of the Gaza Strip and Jordan the West Bank. Cairo and Amman could have respectively granted residents of either statehood; after all, Israel was not present in either. Both Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and King Hussein II of Jordan, however, declined. When Nasser founded the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to use as a lever against both Jordan and Israel, he plucked an Egyptian army officerYasser Arafatfrom obscurity to act as its figurehead. Initially, the PLO and its various offshoots repulsed the international community. They executed schoolchildren, hijacked airliners, assassinated diplomats and, in 1970, sought to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy. In 1972, Black September, a PLO offshoot still loyal to Arafat, massacred much of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter fired Andrew Young, a civil rights icon and US ambassador to the United Nations, for meeting with a PLO representative. Rejectionist Arab states and the Soviet bloc found value in cultivating the PLO, helping fund the group and promote it amongst leftist civil society. Time also legitimised the group, as did the egos and ambition of diplomats like Dennis Ross, who leveraged calls for dialogue with the group into a series of promotions as he made himself an indispensable interlocutor. Ultimately, this culminated in the 1993 Oslo Accords. The concept was simple: Arafat would run a Palestinian Authority, at first in the Gaza Strip and then in the West Bank, in exchange for recognising Israel, forswearing both terrorism and unilateral appeals to international bodies, and negotiating directly with Israel toward an independent Palestinian state. Negotiation was necessary because technically the West Bank is disputed territory, not occupied since few countries recognized Jordans pre-1967 occupation and no Palestinian state ever existed. Palestinians born in Gaza prior to 1967, for example, have Egyptian birth certificates, not Palestinians ones. Unfortunately, first Arafat in 2000 and then current Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in 2008 rejected offers, the last of which would divide Jerusalem and, through a series of land swaps, give the Palestinians more than 100 percent of the territorial area of the West Bank and Gaza while preserving Jewish contiguity with Israel. For both Palestinian Authority leaders, it was easier to accept endless subsidies and blame Israel and the United States for Palestinian failure than embrace their own agency or be accountable to their own constituents. Today, it increasingly appears that the Palestinian strategy of terror pays off. The political Left, anti-Semites, and opponents of the liberal order coalesce to push aside history, previous diplomatic agreements, and disdain for terror. American university students did not rush to the Palestinian cause spontaneously, but rather on a trail greased for them with Qatari, Turkish, and even Iranian money. Preliminary investigation ahead of a major Middle East Forum racketeering suit suggests multibillion-dollar foundations and Students for Justice in Palestine planned this springs actions well in advance. While the European public is generally more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than Americans are, protests erupted in the United States because Hamas leaders, Israel antagonists and their financiers understood that they needed to sway the White House rather than European foreign ministries to degrade Israels support. That Biden seeks re-election and struggles in both Michigan and Minnesota, both states with important Muslim constituencies, simply completed the moment. Not only is US support for Israel in doubt, but many European states and Australia also reward Palestinian terrorism. Palestinian politicians need no longer negotiate their borders or future acceptance of a Jewish state. India should be very worried. The same coalition that opposes Israel also remains antagonistic to India, and many of the Islamic countries that are profoundly anti-Semitic despise Hinduism for the same reason. The core of Islamist rejection of Israel and the river to sea narrative that delegitimises all Israel in favour of a broader Palestine is the notion that non-Muslims can never rule over Muslims in lands Muslims once controlled or claimed. Kashmir is legally Indian in its entirety. Kashmiri territory seized by Pakistan and China are not up for debate; legally, Pakistan and China occupy them. From Morocco to Malaysia, however, public opinion in Muslim countries sympathise with Pakistan-sponsored Kashmir terrorist groups. India may be the largest country in the world with a population 155 times greater than Israels but in the UN General Assemblys one-country, one-vote system, that does not matter. Indians should be proud that they are the worlds largest democracy. Since its independence, Pakistanis have lived under military rule almost as much as they have under elected governments. Even their elected governments however are subordinate to the diktats of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, however. But just as Western progressives demonise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, so do they slander Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Such demonisation reflects how the worlds authoritarians reflexively seek to undermine democracies. China, Pakistan, Myanmar, and even Russia might fund civil society groups professing to support Kashmiri or Khalistani liberation. European NGOs in Israel are anything but non-governmental, but often fund terror groups with European governmental grants while giving European foreign ministries plausible deniability. Such European NGOs and even the U.S. Agency for International Development could be used to bolster Indian separatists despite their lack of legitimacy. A decade ago, the director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch struck a corrupt bargain with Saudi funders: She would downplay Saudi abuses and criticism of gay and lesbian issues in the Kingdom if they would donate money to Human Rights Watch to bash Israel. It is likely Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group, or other Western human rights and conflict resolution organizations might similarly try to use the Kashmir cause to raise millions of dollars from Qatari, Turkish, Pakistani and other Islamist financiers. It is a pay-to-play world for the worlds largest human rights groups, and Indias enemies will pay more. The corruption of human rights groups is an open secret to which most American and European intelligentsia remain blind. Western journalists are often superficial if not ignorant and, increasingly, they are activists operating under the guise of journalism. When a Human Rights Watch report lands on their desk, few question the motivation of the authors or the funding underwriting the study. If Khalistan activists running drugs, extortion rackets and immigration schemes can fool the Canadian prime minister, why should they not also treat foreign correspondents, professors, and even diplomats as useful idiots? Anti-India activists could use another element of the Palestine playbook to strike a blow to Indias territorial sovereignty. A common refrain for pro-Palestinian activists is the demand that there should be a right of return for Palestinian refugees. The trick here is that the United Nations embraces a definition for Palestinian refugees used nowhere else on earth: Essentially, Palestinians remain refugees in perpetuity and across future generations. It does not matter where they settle, if they live in historic Palestine or, conversely, if they and their parents have never stepped foot in Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza. If by a normal definition of refugees there are perhaps 14,000 Palestinian refugees left, by the UNs count there are about six million. A right of return, therefore, would essentially eradicate Israel. Nor does the UN extend rights to the millions of Jewish refugees expelled from Arab countries and Iran. Should activists embrace the same definition of refugee they apply to Israel to the 1947 Partition of India, there would be more than 250 million refugees. While only a fraction of these hail from Kashmir, Pakistan could leverage their descendants to wrest Kashmir away from India further prior to any referendum they would surely demand. India may have voted for Palestine, but its diplomats should have no illusion: They also voted to affirm a strategy that enemies will use against India in the coming decades. Justice is on Indias side, but the world is an unjust place. Indians may, like Israelis, bluster that they are sovereign and they do not care what the outside world thinks. This would be a mistake. It would also be wishful thinking to believe that Palestine is unique and sets no precedents. The enemies of democracy use both diplomacy and international humanitarian law as an asymmetric warfare strategy to encourage and excuse terror and target democracies and religious minorities. Today, the worlds sole Jewish state is in the crosshairs. Tomorrow, the worlds largest and most significant Hindu state will be as well. The battle in international organisations and American and European university campuses begins now. New Delhi should be ready. The author is director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Captain Gopichand Thotakura, the Indias first space tourist, and the second Indian to visit space believes India has great potential when it comes to space. Moreover, he has plans to actively invest in Indian space startups and help them by giving them the push they need read more For Captain Gopichand Thotkura, the Indias first space tourist, and the second Indian to visit space after Rakesh Sharma, life hasnt changed much. Many other astronauts who claim that their lives have taken on a new meaning, who claim that the experience has changed them as humans. Captain Gopichand is an outlier in this regard. I still wake up in the morning that I used to, I still go to sleep the same way, he says. Advertisement But the one thing that has certainly changed. My intent now has a purpose to it. The things that I do, from going to waking up in the morning to going to bed, everything now has a purpose. What does this purpose look like? Well for Captain Gopichand, it is all about investing in Indias space sector, and a sustainable planet. Indias immense potential in space India has immense potential when it comes to space. We have some amazing aerospace startups, and of course, we have ISRO, says Captain Gopichand. Someone I was speaking to about the Chandrayaan-3 mission, asked me is India far behind when it comes to space tourism or colonising other planets. To such people I always say that India is actually far ahead, most people in the West are not just aware of it, Captain Gopichand said. Look at what happens in the US. Even before NASA sends a mission up to space, the media covers it extensively. People only get to know about Chandrayaan-3s successful mission, when the Western media presented it as breaking news, added Captain Gopichand. Everybody else gets a ton of media attention and media coverage. For us, we get the results, get the job done, and then we get media attention, he said. We have some of the most brilliant minds from India, in some of the most lucrative and possibly the highest offices, controlling things, said Capt. Gopichand Imagine how many more of such minds are there in 1.4 billion people, how many of such creative and genius minds can you find in there, he continued. Advertisement We have people who are passionate and who really have the intent to do something great in aerospace, in payload, in satellites and other things that one cant even imagine like integrating AI in space travel. When we deliver, people sit and take notice, wondering what just happened and how we manage to do it. Just look at what happened in Pokhran, just a few decades ago, he said. All we need is a little push in funding namely from financial institutions, from private firms, from government agencies. We have it in us to change the world, and we will, he said Advertisement On contributing to Indian space startups For many, a trip to space would certainly be the highlight moment of ones life. For Captain Gopichand, however, hes just getting started. When asked what he plans to do next, and what his next adventures, were, Captain Gopichand responded I want to contribute to the aerospace startups in India in any capacity to try to bridge the gap between the aerospace industry entrepreneurs who can think outside the box with those individuals who can make it a reality for them corporations, governments, whatever that takes, he said. We have to push them towards what they dream and tell them that it can be done, he added. The larger vision is to bring about a sustainable way of living for our planet in what we do, that needs to be really put across. Because if they can understand that we are limited in where we live, then automatically we get to where we want to be, which is colonising other planets, said Capt Gopichand. Advertisement On being an eco-warrior During his flight, one very interesting thing that the Andhra Pradesh-born 30-year-old pilot did was hold a banner that read, I am an eco-warrior for our sustainable planet." When asked, what it that was about, Captain Gopichand responded, It was about my organisation, Preserve Life Corp, an Atlanta-based health and wellness company. We are building the worlds first corpus wellness community in Georgia. The idea it is to bring together 100 corporations from across 20 nations with their decision makers to do a wellness program with us, a preventive medical program, a 1200-acre campus, which is heavily focused on sustainability. That way, it becomes easier for them to realise why do we need to preserve the planet, he said. Maria Ressa argues that platforms like Facebook and Twitter have subjected people to severe manipulative tactics all over the world, be it Indonesia or the US, and fostered polarisation read more Forget the Kim Jong Uns and Recep Tayyip Erdogans of the world. The real dictators are Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and the all tech bosses who control social media, according to a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Maria Ressa, a prominent journalist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for her tireless advocacy of media freedom, has made bold statements about the influence of tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, referring to them as the largest dictators. Ressa, of American-Filipina descent, has been embroiled in legal battles against charges filed during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. Despite Dutertes authoritarian tendencies, Ressa asserts that figures like Zuckerberg and Musk wield even greater power. Advertisement Speaking at the Hay Literary Festival in Powys, Ressa highlighted the pervasive influence of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which have the ability to manipulate users emotions and perceptions. She argued that regardless of cultural or geographical differences, people worldwide are subject to the same manipulative tactics employed by tech companies. Ressa pointed out the role of online discourse in fostering polarization, citing examples from the Philippines and the United States. She emphasized how identity politics discussions, such as those surrounding race and socioeconomic status, have been exploited to sow division and chaos. Ressa noted that even movements like Black Lives Matter have been targeted by external propaganda campaigns aimed at stoking conflict. Concerned about the impact of tech companies on society, Ressa proposed two solutions. Firstly, she called for the repeal of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which shields internet companies from legal liability for user-generated content. Additionally, she advised parents to limit their childrens exposure to social media due to its addictive nature. While acknowledging efforts to regulate platforms like TikTok, Ressa cautioned against focusing solely on specific companies, urging a broader examination of social medias influence. She warned of the deteriorating quality of online information, exacerbated by the proliferation of low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence. Ressa urged individuals to engage in real-world activities and connect with friends and family to counteract the influence of online manipulation. She emphasized the importance of being vigilant against information operations targeting users and encouraged collective action to address these issues. Advertisement In summary, Ressas remarks underscore the need for greater scrutiny of tech giants and their impact on society. By raising awareness of the manipulative tactics employed by social media platforms, she seeks to empower individuals to take control of their online experiences and foster a more informed and resilient society. (With inputs from agencies) The group said the spike in recorded executions was primarily driven by Iran, where authorities executed at least 853 people last year, compared to 576 in 2022. Those executed included 24 women and five people who were children at the time the crimes were committed, Amnesty said, adding that the practice disproportionately affected Irans Baluch minority read more The number of executions recorded worldwide last year jumped to the highest level since 2015, with a sharp rise in Iran and across the Middle East, Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday. The human rights group said it recorded a total of 1,153 executions in 2023, a 30 per cent increase from 2022. Amnesty said the figure does not include thousands of death sentences believed to have been carried out in China, where data is not available due to state secrecy. Advertisement The group said the spike in recorded executions was primarily driven by Iran, where authorities executed at least 853 people last year, compared to 576 in 2022. Those executed included 24 women and five people who were children at the time the crimes were committed, Amnesty said, adding that the practice disproportionately affected Irans Baluch minority. The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Irans most marginalized and impoverished communities, Agns Callamard, Amnestys secretary general, said in a statement. The group said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States were the five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023. The total number cited in Amnestys annual report was the highest it recorded since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed. Callamard said progress faltered in the US, where executions rose from 18 to 24 and a number of states demonstrated a chilling commitment to the death penalty and a callous intent to invest resources in the taking of human life. The report cited the introduction of bills to carry out executions by firing squad in Idaho and Tennessee, and Alabamas use of nitrogen gas as a new, untested execution method in January. Amnesty said that despite the setbacks, there was progress because the number of countries that carried out executions dropped to 16, the lowest on record since the group began monitoring. As South Africa starts voting and India gets set to wrap up its second-longest election in history, a look at the similarities in the rise, stagnation and fall of the two political parties in the two countries read more India and South Africa have had many things in common. They were ruled by a common foreign power the British, which out-competed its rivals through the 18th and the 19th centuries to establish strong colonial rules in resource-rich countries that supplied cheap labour for its industries. The two countries had to wage long nonviolent struggles to win equality and freedom for its people. The campaigns were led by parties that followed Gandhian philosophy the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa and the Indian National Congress (INC) in India. Now, the two grand old parties are facing similar problems of leadership and dwindling mass connect. Advertisement The common history The Congress and its South African counterpart ANC would not have come into existence had there not been the brutish British power, trampling the rights of the people they denigrated by calling them natives or kaffirs, purely on their racial profiles. While India was rich and an industrial country before the British came to trade and became its colonial master, South Africa was economically poor despite reserves of natural resources but it was a bunch of self-sufficient units governed largely by chieftains. Industrial explosion in Britain in particular and Europe in general pushed trading companies to seek new markets during the 16th-19th centuries. The British East India Company established itself as the main political, economic and, most importantly, military power subjugating local aspirants of power and thwarting foreign attempts to capture power to rule India. In South Africa, the British power came as an extension of Europes wars in the 1790s, in particular. The British forces won the Cape (the southern portion of the African continent) and made deeper inroads later on. By the end of the 19th century, both India and South Africa were witnessing protests and riots against the British rulers but without much success. India took the lead in organising its energy for a political outcome with the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. South Africa reached that level in 1912, when the ANC was founded. This came against the backdrop of Mahatma Gandhis satyagrah movement in South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi had described it as the awakening of Africa. Mahatma Gandhis touch to the INC was to come a few years later. The making of the parties The Congress began its fight for Indias freedom in 1885 but it gained pace after 1905 when the British divided Bengal which further intensified when Mahatma Gandhi became the driving force of the party 1917 onwards. In South Africa, the ANC gathered momentum of scale after 1948 when the all-white ruling dispensation (National Party) enforced segregation of the blacks from the white population apartheid. By this time, the ANC had seen Gandhian ways working for India, which freed itself from British rule. It employed the same principles particularly under Nelson Mandela, often remembered as the African Gandhi. Advertisement Constant pressure from the civil disobedience movement by the ANC under Mandela forced the British to leave South Africa in 1961, making it a republic but with limited political power to its majority black population. The black people were denied voting rights in most provinces and districts. And where they were allowed to vote, they had to meet very high property criteria. In any case, only the white candidates were to be elected to South African parliament. The ANC, however, had been banned. Mandelas party launched an armed sabotage campaign against the new republican government, which had withdrawn from the commonwealth but continued the policy of apartheid. Mandela was tried for high treason for sabotaging the government and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent the next 27 years mostly in solitary confinement and the white supramist regime didnt allow him to attend the funerals of his mother and eldest son. Advertisement Rise to power and the high expectations While a series of events including the Second World War, the massive civil unrest against British rule and rebellion in the ranks of the naval forces forced the British government to grant India Independence in 1947 handing power to the Congress in India as the country was partitioned into two sovereign countries, Mandelas ANC got the power when a pro-reform leader FW de Klerk rose through the ranks in the National Party became South Africas president in 1989. Mandela was freed from captivity in 1991 following an agreement with de Klerk in 1991. Three years later, Mandel ended the long reign of the National Party (1948-94) as all black people got the right to vote in the 1994 national election. His rise to power was similar to Nehrus. When India got Independence, Nehru emerged as the automatic choice in the first election (1951-52) that happened more than four years later. Advertisement Both the leaders in respective countries came to power with high aspirations of the public, who identified themselves with the leading political parties. Two big leaders and the crisis after Another factor that was common between the INC and the ANC was that at the beginning of their rules, they had charismatic leadership in Nehru and Mandela both heavily influenced by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. Both governed their nations with the sense of guardianship. Their respective parties had the affection and respect of the masses. Both leaders played key roles in bringing out new constitutions for their countries based on equality of rights and freedoms. Just as Nehru allied with leaders of different ideological streams (such as BR Ambedkar and Syama Prasad Mookerjee), Mandela formed a coalition with the National Party of de Klerk. Incidentally, as Ambedkar and Mookerjee fell out with Nehru, de Klerks party too chose to part ways with Mandelas ANC. Advertisement The Congress had to battle infighting post-Nehru, who passed away in May 1964). Its political dominance came under serious challenge in 1967 elections with some of the states electing non-Congress governments for the first time. At the national level, Indira Gandhi rebelled and formed a new party, which drew its leaders and cadres from the old party amid serious political bickering in 1969. Through the 1970s, the Congress leadership faced allegations of corruption and malpractices. The party lost power in the parliamentary election in 1977. The 1977 moment for ANC? The Congress in India had ruled for 30 long years before it tasted its first defeat in the national election in 1977. This period was characterised by mass euphoria followed by emotional disenchantment with the Congress and its leadership against the backdrop of political nepotism, military humiliation at the hands of China, the dashing of hopes of prosperity in the post-Independence era, growing prices amid food shortages and rising unemployment. The ANC is standing at a similar crossroad in South Africa, having ruled the country for 30 years since ending apartheid. But the corruption and favouritism have marred the ANC, whose leaders Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma had to resign over corruption related allegations. Despite the uninterrupted reign of 30 years, the ANC has failed to address the basic issues of South Africa unemployment, rising prices and lack of civic amenities. South Africa is voting for its 400 members of its parliament, the National Assembly, which will then elect the countrys president. This comes amid reports that the ANC is fast losing mass support in the country, where over 80% population is black for whom Mandelas party fought a long battle. A crisis of credibility, and numbers It is election time in both South Africa and India. Both expect to find their new ruling dispensation in early June. In India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose meteoric rise at national level in 2014 decimated the Congress, leaving the grand old party struggling to secure the nomination for the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is being seen by political observers and analysts as the front-runner in the national election. This means the Congress could be facing its third consecutive loss in the parliamentary election at the hands of the BJP, if analysts are proven right on 3 June. Reports from South Africa are not welcoming for the ANC. News agency Reuters this week reported, South Africans will vote on Wednesday with widespread anger over power cuts, joblessness and corruption threatening to end the dominance of the African National Congress, thirty years after Nelson Mandela led it into power. At no point since world media beamed iconic images of Black South African voters queueing to cast ballots for the first time following the end of white-minority rule has the ANC looked so likely to lose its parliamentary majority. Pre-poll surveys suggest that led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, ANCs vote share could drop to 40 per cent a continued decline in popular votes after reaching its peak of 70% in 2004. In that case, Ramaphosa may have to depend on a wobbly coalition with his rivals. While the ANC is showing decline in recent years, in India, the Congress has been facing a similar crisis of credibility for quite some. It has not won a single election with majority on its own after reaching its peak in 1984 when it won 415 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. It formed three governments during this period a minority government during 1991-96 and two coalition governments during 2004-14. This years national elections are testing the two grand old parties that emerged under similar circumstances, following similar political philosophies and grappling with a similar credibility crisis. According to Israels foreign ministry, the Brazilian government has not yet sent an official statement on the subject. But in response to the media claims, a meeting was scheduled for this Thursday at the ministry with the Brazilian charge daffaires read more Approximately 1,200 civilians were killed and 250 were taken hostage when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, sparking the start of the eight-month-long Gaza war Image Courtesy AP Following months of hostilities between the two nations over the Gaza War, Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva withdrew his ambassador to Israel on Wednesday. This was the latest response from a South American country to Israels military campaign in the Palestinian territories. The change was published in the official gazette of Brazil. According to Israels foreign ministry, the Brazilian government has not yet sent an official statement on the subject. But in response to the media claims, a meeting was scheduled for this Thursday at the ministry with the Brazilian charge daffaires. Advertisement Lula has been critical of Israels Gaza offensive on a regular basis, likening it to the Holocaust earlier this year. As a result, Israels Foreign Minister Israel Katz publicly chastised the Brazilian envoy by calling him to the countrys Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Lula was living with Brazils ambassador, Frederico Meyer, at the time. The events of Wednesday constituted a fall in diplomatic standing, since the Brazilian Embassy in Israel remains open but is currently without an ambassador. A representative of Brazils foreign ministry claims that Meyer was humiliated by Israels chief diplomat, which prompted the official expulsion. The person, who is aware of the circumstances, talked under the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak in public. Meyer will now be a part of Brazils permanent representation to the UN and other international bodies after being moved to Geneva. Approximately 1,200 civilians were killed and 250 were taken hostage when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, sparking the start of the eight-month-long Gaza war. At least 36,096 Palestinians have died as a result of Israels offensive in retaliation for that incident, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians when calculating its death toll. Israel claims to have eliminated 13,000 terrorists. What is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasnt been seen in any other moment in history, declared Lula of Brazil in February. Well, it did when Hitler made the decision to exterminate the Jewish people. Advertisement Israel denies any Holocaust analogies, claiming that its attack in Gaza is a defensive response to Hamas unparalleled onslaught. Colombia severed ties with Israel diplomatically earlier this month. President Gustavo Petro of Colombia had earlier halted arms sales to Israel and likened the latters conduct in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. Due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Bolivia and Belize, two other countries in the area, have also cut diplomatic ties with Israel. China carried out war games last week as punishment for new President Lai Ching-tes inauguration speech last week, in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were not subordinate to each other, which China viewed as a declaration the two are separate countries read more Chinas military drills last week were more about propaganda and intimidation than starting a war, but Chinese forces did show how they could react quickly, Taiwans top security official said on Wednesday. China said it carried out the two days of war games starting Thursday as punishment for new President Lai Ching-tes inauguration speech last week, in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were not subordinate to each other, which China viewed as a declaration the two are separate countries. Advertisement China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Lai rejects Chinas sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwans people can decide their future, and has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing but been rebuffed. Speaking to reporters at parliament, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said the aim of Chinas drills was not to go to war. The purpose of the military exercises was to intimidate, not to start a war, he said. The drills were meant to show an external and domestic audience that Beijing has absolute control over the situation in the Taiwan Strait, Tsai added. Speaking in Beijing, Fu Fenglian, spokesperson for Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, reiterated its list of complaints about Lai being a dangerous supporter of Taiwans formal independence, and threatened continued Chinese military activity. The drills were a just action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, she said. As Taiwans provocations for independence continue, the Peoples Liberation Armys actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity continue. The government in Taipei says Taiwan is already an independent country, the Republic of China. The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedongs Communists who set up the Peoples Republic of China. Advertisement China has in the past four years sent its military to areas around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, as it seeks to exert pressure on the island. But China also appeared to be trying to keep the scope of these drills contained, Tsais bureau said in a written report to lawmakers, noting there was no declaration of no-fly or no-sail zones and the exercises lasted only two days. The intention was to avoid the situation escalating and international intervention, but in the future it is feared (China) will continue its compound coercion against us, gradually changing the Taiwan Straits status quo, it said. Advertisement Tsai added that Chinese forces mobilised almost as soon as China announced the drills early on Thursday. The speed was extremely fast, demonstrating rapid mobilisation capabilities, he said. The provision of food and emergency shelter kits will be given priority, according to the EU, in order to assist those impacted whose homes and means of subsistence have been damaged by the storm read more The financial aid, according to the EU, will be given by its humanitarian partner, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ARDA), and it will assist almost 1,500 of the most disadvantaged households Image Courtesy PTI Manipur is about to receive a sizeable bonanza from the European Union (EU). The northeastern state, which was struck by a hailstorm and intense rain in early May, is set to receive financial assistance totaling Euro 250,000, or more than Rs 2.25 crore from the European Union (EU). The financial aid, according to the EU, will be given by its humanitarian partner, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ARDA), and it will assist almost 1,500 of the most disadvantaged households. Advertisement The European Union has made available Euro 250,000 in response to the recent hailstorm and heavy rain that hit Indias northeastern state of Manipur in early May, the EU said in a statement. It stated that in some of the worst-hit locations, humanitarian aid will offer vital support to individuals who are most afflicted. The provision of food and emergency shelter kits will be given priority, according to the EU, in order to assist those impacted whose homes and means of subsistence have been damaged by the storm. It stated that in some of the worst-hit locations, humanitarian aid will offer vital support to individuals who are most afflicted. The provision of food and emergency shelter kits will be given priority, according to the EU, in order to assist those impacted whose homes and means of subsistence have been damaged by the storm. This will help communities to cope with the impact of the storm on their livelihood and to restore their houses, it said. Large areas of Manipur were hit by a strong hailstorm on May 5, which severely damaged nearly 48,000 homes, a number of infrastructure projects, and agricultural fields and harvests in 16 districts. With hailstones up to five inches in size, the storm lasted for fifteen minutes. Its severity caused significant flooding in metropolitan areas and extensive power disruptions. Advertisement Humanitarian aid is mostly donated by the European Union and its member states. According to the EU statement, relief assistance is a sign of European solidarity with those in need everywhere. The European Commissions European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) division is in charge of making the EU financing available. The EU, which has its headquarters in Brussels and a vast network of field offices across the world, aids millions of victims of war and natural disasters each year, giving relief to those who are most in need based on humanitarian needs, according to the organization. Schoof will head a cabinet that the four parties have said would have looser ties to parliament. It could take weeks to put together, with the parties all negotiating over the portfolios and responsibilities read more Former Dutch intelligence chief and political outsider Dick Schoof said on Tuesday he will uphold the rule of law and govern for all after being proposed as prime minister of the incoming right-wing cabinet. He said he had been asked by the four parties that will form the new government to lead it not only by Geert Wilders nationalist PVV, the clear winner of the Nov. 22 election. I am not affiliated to any party, I am not standing here in the name of the PVV I want to be the prime minister of all the Dutch, Schoof, who has had no previous experience in parliament or in government, told reporters. Advertisement Election winner Wilders this month reached an agreement on forming the government with three other conservative parties, after ruling himself out of the top job. Schoof, 67, is currently the senior official at the Dutch ministry of justice, after having led the intelligence agency AIVD and anti-terrorism agency NCTV for years. He was the head of the Dutch immigration service in the early 2000s. I guess it will be a surprise for a lot of people that Im standing here Its actually also a surprise for me, he told reporters. In its governing plan published on May 16, the coalition said it would aim for the strictest-ever asylum regime with stronger border controls and harsher rules for asylum seekers, setting up a potential clash with the EU before even taking office. Schoof will head a cabinet that the four parties have said would have looser ties to parliament. It could take weeks to put together, with the parties all negotiating over the portfolios and responsibilities. Once he has formed a government, set to be the most right-wing in the Netherlands in decades, he will be sworn in by the king and officially become prime minister. Congratulations Dick. Dick Schoof has a great track record, is not a member of any party and thus stands above the parties, is honest and, on top of it, very friendly, Wilders reacted on social media X. That government will, however, have to stick to the agreement reached by the four parties, which is aiming to secure exceptions on EU asylum and environmental rules. Advertisement I think that, in all my positions, the common thread has always been the functioning of democratic rule of law and that will help me in my function as prime minister, Schoof said, adding that outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte is for him a form of inspiration in the way he handles things. Far-right leader Wilders last week said he expected the new government to be operational by end-June. Besides his experience at the intelligence and anti-terrorism services, Schoof has also worked on reforming the police force. Having worked mostly on domestic policies, Schoof, a divorced father of two, does not have a high international profile. The move comes as Haiti waits desperately for the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force tasked with wresting back control from powerful and violent gangs which control swaths of the capital read more Haitis transitional government council on Tuesday named a new prime minister to lead the violence-hit Caribbean nation, council members said, choosing Garry Conille, who briefly served in that role from 2011 to 2012. The move comes as Haiti waits desperately for the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force tasked with wresting back control from powerful and violent gangs which control swaths of the capital. A member of the council told AFP that Conille was chosen in a 6-1 vote Tuesday afternoon. Council president Edgard Leblanc and member Fritz Alphonse Jean also announced Conilles selection on social media. Advertisement The UN-backed security mission which the United States is providing with logistical support, but not boots on the ground is supposed to help Haitis weak, outgunned police force defeat the gangs. Armed groups control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as large parts of the countryside, and have long terrorized ordinary Haitians with random shootings, kidnappings and sexual violence. The country has been wracked for decades by poverty, natural disasters, political instability and violence. It has had no president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in 2021 and it has no sitting parliament. The transitional council came to power last month as Haitis unpopular and unelected prime minister Ariel Henry submitted his formal resignation after armed gangs rose up and demanded his ouster. The last election was in 2016, and the transitional council has been struggling to assert its authority, with food running short, tens of thousands fleeing their homes and the health care system on the brink of collapse. The deployment of the Kenyan security force gained new urgency with the announcement last week that gang members killed three missionaries, a Haitian and an American couple. In response to the news, Bharadwaj claimed that the LG was going after advisers, consultants, and other people who the AAP government had appointed in an effort to render the offices empty and severely impair departmental operations read more The Delhi LG has observed that the whole episode has brought out the sheer mismanagement, criminal neglect and connivance of officials of the Health Department, in granting and renewing registrations of nursing homes, the department said Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, R N Das, was suspended by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena of Delhi on Wednesday. According to officials, Das was allegedly involved in irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes, including the one in Vivek Vihar where six newborns perished in a fire. In response to the news, Bharadwaj claimed that the LG was going after advisers, consultants, and other people who the AAP government had appointed in an effort to render the offices empty and severely impair departmental operations. Advertisement Das said he does not have much information about his suspension and refused to comment further. In the order issued on Wednesday, the Vigilance Directorate said, The Honble Lt. Governor, Delhi, in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule-10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, hereby, places the said Dr. R.N. Das, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Honble Minister (Health), GNCTD, under suspension with immediate effect. The Directorate further stated in a letter to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) that the Lieutenant Governor has instructed the organization to conduct a urgent comprehensive enquiry into nursing home registration under the Delhi Nursing Home Registration Act, 1953 and Rules, and to provide a report on any action taken by June 5. The hospital fire catastrophe exposed the mismanagement, criminal neglect, and collusion of Health Department officials, according to the LG, which on Tuesday ordered a thorough ACB investigation into the registration and regulatory administration of all private nursing homes in the city. The immediate cause for placing the officer under suspension is on account of reported misconduct with regard to unauthorised and illegal running of Jyoti Nursing Home, Shahadra beyond the valid registration period when he was also Medical Superintendent of Nursing Home Cell, an official said. The fire incident at the Baby Care Centre at Vivek Vihar on May 25 is the recent instance of callousness on the part of the Nursing Home Cell, officials alleged. Advertisement Here also Dr. R.N. Das had allowed the registration of the Nursing Home without bothering to ascertain the pending litigation status as well as the undertaking given by the Nursing Home w.r.t. various statutory compliances including fire safety, an official said. The official stated that these occurrences indicate that Das, who served as Satyendra Jains OSD when he was the health minister, has clearly abused his powers. Between January 10, 2011, and May 18, 2015, and January 31, 2018, and September 2, 2022, Das worked in the Nursing Home Cell. The newborn hospital in Vivek Vihar was purportedly operating after its license expired, and the BJP has accused Das of being involved in the registration process for the facility. Advertisement Earlier last month, Das was issued a show cause notice by the Directorate of Vigilance in connection with the alleged irregularities in the procurement of various items like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, gloves, masks and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits worth around Rs 60 crore during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Bharadwaj claimed his other OSDs in the departments of Urban Development, Jal Board, and DSIIDC have also been removed. All the OSDs and secretaries working at my office are facing attempts to frame them in some or the other inquiry against them. None of the cases belong to my tenure. They are rigging old cases and suspending them. In the name of inquiry the person will continue to remain suspended, he said in a press conference. Advertisement They have either suspended or removed them under the guise of inquiry because the LG wants to empty my workplace. Constant attempts are being made by the LGs office to remove my officers, he charged. Officials said there was a complaint that a nursing home Jyoti Clinic & Nursing Home located at B-32, East Jyoti Nagar- had been illegally and unlawfully running despite the cancellation of its registration on a November 27, 2018 order issued by the Director General of Health Services. It was alleged that the management of the nursing home had applied for renewal of its license in the year 2014, which was kept pending by the officials of the Directorate of Health Services (DGHS) that helped to run it in an unauthorised manner for a long time without a valid license. Advertisement Nursing homes are issued licences for a three-year period. In the matter, an enquiry was conducted by the Health Department that concluded Dr RN Das, the then medical superintendent (Nursing Home Cell) and OSD to Health Minister was solely responsible for renewal of registration of the clinic, said an official. The Vigilance Directorate in a separate letter to the secretary of Bharadwaj on Wednesday stated that the Lt Governor has taken a very serious view on the fire incident at Vivek Vihar hospital and flagged the total absence of ministerial oversight in the regulatory management of private health facilities. The Delhi LG has observed that the whole episode has brought out the sheer mismanagement, criminal neglect and connivance of officials of the Health Department, in granting and renewing registrations of nursing homes, the department said. At the same time, it puts a serious question mark on the ministerial responsibility, in a matter directly related to the health and lives of hapless residents of Delhi, said the letter. Further, the LG stated even after a tragedy of this magnitude, which should have stirred the conscience of political leadership, he was disappointed that the chief minister and minister paid only lip service and given sound bites, finding alibis and shirking responsibility. He said the administration cannot be run on social media, nor by brushing such serious matters under the carpet, the letter quoted the LG as saying. There are 1,190 nursing homes in Delhi of which more than a quarter are operating without a valid registration. Also, there are many nursing homes in the city that have never applied for a registration but are still operating, the LG claimed. The very existence of such nursing homes that serve the poor and not so well of sections of the society, speaks volumes on the larger issue of severe lack of public health infrastructure in the national capital, Saxena was quoted as saying in the Vigilance directorate letter. This is a larger issue that has been left neglected, contrary to the claims in the public domain, he added. Official talks on the fighter jet agreement for the Indian Navy, which would see the aircraft operated from both of the forces aircraft carriers, would take place between the French team and Indian Defence Ministry counterparts, defence industry officials told ANI read more In a significant development, contract negotiations between India and France for the Rs 50,000 crore deal to acquire 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets are set to begin on May 30. This follows the scheduled arrival of a high-level French delegation in New Delhi, according to sources cited by news agency ANI. These negotiations between the two countries are considered a crucial step forward in the defence cooperation between the two nations, with the Rafale Marine jets expected to enhance Indias naval aviation capabilities, it said. Advertisement The French side would meet with Indian Defence Ministry counterparts to begin official negotiations in the fighter jet deal for the Indian Navy under which aircraft would be operated from both aircraft carriers operated by the force, defence industry officials told ANI. The officials said the French team will include officials from their defence ministry and industry including original equipment manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Thales. France had sent its reply to Indias Letter of Acceptance to New Delhi. The Indian side has thoroughly examined the French bid for the Indian agreement, considering the contracts other specifics as well as the aircrafts commercial offer or pricing, they said. The Indian side would include members from the Defence Acquisition Wing and the Indian Navy. Government sources said they would try to complete negotiations with France and sign the agreement by the end of this financial year. France had submitted its response to Indias tender for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets for the Indian Navys aircraft carriers - INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya in December itself. France had submitted the response to Indias Letter of Acceptance in New Delhi. The Indian side has carried out a detailed study of the French bid for the Indian deal including the commercial offer or price for the aircraft, along with other contract details, they said. India will now go in for tough negotiations in the deal with French government officials, as it is a government-to-government contract. The Navy Chief has directed his team to ensure that the timeframe required for the project is squeezed significantly to ensure early finalisation and induction of the planes in the inventory. Advertisement With inputs from ANI. The proposal involves a progressive tax on personal incomes and represents a change of course from the current flat-rate tax that was credited with bringing order and improving tax collections after it was introduced in 2001. read more Russias wealthy elite could face higher income taxes, according to a proposal the countrys finance ministry floated on Tuesday. The proposal, which would likely have to go through parliament for approval and subsequently a signoff by President Vladimir Putin, comes as Russia continues to spend vast amounts of money on the military campaign in Ukraine. The proposal involves a progressive tax on personal incomes and represents a change of course from the current flat-rate tax that was credited with bringing order and improving tax collections after it was introduced in 2001. Advertisement It envisages imposing a 13% tax for incomes of up to 2.4 million rubles ($27,000) a year. For incomes over that amount, a steadily higher tax rates would apply. The maximum tax would be 22% for annual incomes exceeding 50 million rubles ($555,000). The increased taxes would affect only 3.2% of Russias working population, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on the ministrys website. The 2.4-million-ruble level is about three times higher than the countrys average salary, he said in a commentary. The proposed progressive scale should not concern the overwhelming majority of the population, he said. The 13% flat tax was put into effect in an attempt to discourage tax evaders and boost the states revenue. In 2021, Russia modified the system so that people earning more than 5 million rubles a year would pay 15% on the amount above the threshold. That new tax brought in an extra 8.3 billion rubles the first year it was imposed, the Russian business news site RBC reported. Iranian state TV described the arrests as beginning over a week ago when three crew members were detained while recording a Quranic reading at the Prophet Muhammads mosque in Medina. It offered no detail about what sparked their detention, but said the men after several hours of questioning ended up held at a police detention center read more Iran said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia expelled six members of a crew from its state television broadcaster after they had been detained for nearly a week in the kingdom ahead of the hajj. Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the incident, which comes a year after Riyadh and Tehran reached a Chinese-mediated detente. However, there have been tensions for decades between the Sunni and Shiite powerhouses over the holy sites in the kingdom, particularly around the upcoming hajj pilgrimage. Advertisement Iranian state TV described the arrests as beginning over a week ago when three crew members were detained while recording a Quranic reading at the Prophet Muhammads mosque in Medina. It offered no detail about what sparked their detention, but said the men after several hours of questioning ended up held at a police detention center. Two days after that, Saudi police detained a journalist from Irans Arabic-language Al Alam channel and another state TV journalist after they got out of a car to attend a prayer service with Iranian pilgrims, state TV said. Another radio journalist was detained at a hotel in Medina. It said the six men later were released and expelled to Iran without the opportunity to take part in the hajj, a pilgrimage required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their lives. The expulsion came after efforts by both state TV and Irans Foreign Ministry to have the men released. Iranian state TV insisted the men committed no crime and that their detention was unwarranted. Saudi officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident and did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday. Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Advertisement Last year, Chinese mediation restored ties despite Saudi Arabia still being locked in a yearslong stalemated war with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia had previously severed ties with Iran from 1988 to 1991 over rioting during the hajj in 1987 and Irans attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. That diplomatic freeze saw Iran halt pilgrims from attending the hajj in Saudi Arabia. Iranian pilgrims briefly were stopped from attending hajj over the most-recent round of tensions as well. Iran has insisted in the past that its pilgrims be allowed to hold large-scale disavowal of infidels ceremonies rallies denouncing Israel and Saudi ally the United States. Saudi Arabia bans such political demonstrations at hajj, which is attended by about 2 million Muslims from around the world. Sweden is supporting Ukraine with its 16th aid package, its largest to date worth 13.3 billion kronor, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch told reporters. Defence Minister Pal Jonson, also participating in the press conference via video link, added that the ASC 890 surveillance aircraft would be particularly useful for Ukraines air defence, enabling it to identify incoming cruise missiles and drones and identify targets both on the ground and at sea read more An employee presents radio-electronic warfare (WB) and radio-electronic intelligence (PER) systems of the Ukrainian company Kvertus in Lviv region on May 28, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP Sweden on Wednesday pledged military aid of 13.3 billion kronor ($1.25 billion) to Ukraine, as Kyiv struggles with multiple delays of vital Western military support in the third year of war with Russia. The Scandinavian country, which formally joined NATO in March, will donate a range of material, including ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Rb 99 medium-range air-to-air missiles and artillery ammunition, and all of its model 302 armoured infantry fighting vehicles. Sweden is supporting Ukraine with its 16th aid package, its largest to date worth 13.3 billion kronor, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch told reporters. Advertisement Defence Minister Pal Jonson, also participating in the press conference via video link, added that the ASC 890 surveillance aircraft would be particularly useful for Ukraines air defence, enabling it to identify incoming cruise missiles and drones and identify targets both on the ground and at sea. Stockholm has not excluded sending its Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, but on Tuesday said it has been asked by the air force coalition for Ukraine to hold off as they prioritise the introduction of US-made F-16s into the Ukrainian air force. Sweden has in recent days announced both a 650-million-kronor aid package to secure Ukraines energy supply, a sector that has been targeted by Russian strikes, as well as a framework civilian and military aid package of 75 billion kronor over three years, from 2024 to 2026, to support Kyiv as long as necessary. The pledges bring Swedens overall aid to Ukraine since Russias invasion in 2022 to more than 100 billion kronor, making Kyiv the biggest recipient of Swedish aid. Pakistan grants India consular access to two alleged spies Pakistan has granted India consular access to two Indian nationals who were arrested from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and charged with espionage in 2020. The meeting between Indian diplomats and the Indian nationals took place on Monday, sources said. Though no statement was issued by the Pakistan foreign office, the sources confirmed the development. Two Indian nationals, identified as Feroze Ahmad Lone and Noor Muhammad Wani, belong to the Gurez area in Kashmir, sources said. Both Indian nationals were recently moved from the Gilgit-Baltistan prison to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. Sharing details of the meeting, the sources confirmed that a three-member delegation of the Indian High Commission (IHC) in Islamabad met the two prisoners in Adiala jail, adding that officials of the Interior Ministry were also present during the meeting. On the other hand, Indian media reports maintain that both Indian nationals had mistakenly crossed the border in November 2018. The issue of consular access has a brief history of its own in terms of the Indo-Pak relations. Kulbushan Jadhav, an Indian national, arrested by Pakistan in 2016 and sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage and terrorist activities; was denied consular access despite repeated requests by India. Later, India took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which directed Islamabad to grant consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav, voided his death sentence, and directed Pakistan to put Jadhav on trial in a civil court. After the ICJ's order, Indian officials were allowed to meet Jadhav under tight security on the premises of the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad. The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, cited economic sanctions imposed by the 27-nation bloc as the reason for withdrawing the invitation. The EU had not yet accepted the invite that was extended earlier this year. read more Venezuela has revoked its invitation for a European Union mission to observe the countrys upcoming presidential election, in which President Nicolas Maduro is seeking reelection, the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE) said. The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, cited economic sanctions imposed by the 27-nation bloc as the reason for withdrawing the invitation. The EU had not yet accepted the invite that was extended earlier this year. Advertisement The move follows the EUs temporary lifting of sanctions on four electoral officials, including Amoroso earlier this month. Despite this, Amoroso and the Venezuelan government rejected the partial relief, demanding a complete removal of all sanctions. Subsequently, the government-controlled legislature approved a measure to revoke the EUs observer invitation. Amoroso said that the decision to signal that EU representatives are unwelcome as long as genocidal sanctions remain against Venezuela. The EU had not yet accepted the observation invitation extended earlier this year. The revocation underscores the tension between Venezuela and the EU over sanctions and electoral legitimacy. An EU statement called on the National Electoral Council to reconsider its decision. The Venezuelan people should be able to choose their next president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international observation, including that of the European Union, which has a long and distinguished record of independent and impartial observation, said the statement posted on the platform X. Venezuelas electoral body earlier this year set the presidential election for July 28 and extended invitations to various organizations to observe the contest. Those decisions fulfilled some of the provisions of an agreement signed last year between Maduros government and the U.S.-backed Unitary Platform opposition coalition. Under the agreement signed in the Caribbean island of Barbados, both sides vowed to work toward improving conditions for a free and fair election. Still, Venezuelas government continuously tested the limits of the accord, by, among other actions, blocking the candidacy of the presidents chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado. With inputs from agencies. POCO is back with the POCO F6, the companys next smartphone in the F series, as the successor to the popular POCO F5. Once again, we have impressive on-paper specs including a 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED display with Dolby Vision, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, a major upgrade from Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, while retaining the 5000mAh battery and faster 90W charging. Is the phone worth the price? Let us dive into the review to find out. Box Contents POCO F6 5G 12GB + 512GB in Black colour 120W fast charger USB Type-C Cable SIM Ejector tool Clear protective case Screen protector (Pre-installed) User guide Display, Hardware and Design Starting with the display, the POCO F6 has a 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a pixel resolution of 2712 x 1220 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of about 445 PPI. This is better than the FHD+ screen in the F5, and it offers up to 2400 nits peak brightness, compared to 1000 nits in the F5. It is bright outdoors or watching HDR content. It has 100% DCI-P3 Color Gamut, so the colours are vibrant. The phone has a 120Hz refresh rate display and 480Hz touch sampling rate. When enabled, it offers a buttery smooth user experience, especially when you are scrolling through the UI and when gaming. The phone has a 1920Hz high-frequency dimming technology. In dark environments, the phone will automatically switch to 1920Hz PWM dimming mode to maintain accurate colors on display with a more comfortable eye experience. It also has HDR 10+ support, which works for YouTube and Amazon Prime Video and there is Dolby Vision which works for Netflix. Under the display options, there are different options to adjust colours and contrast based on your preference with new Original colour PRO option. It also has AI HDR enhancement for videos, but there is no MEMC. The phone has an always-on-display option, which can be enabled from display settings. The phone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The phone has a tiny punch-hole that houses a 20-megapixel camera, which doesnt disturb when watching videos since it just occupies a small space. Above the display there is an earpiece on the top edge which also doubles up as a secondary speaker. It has a 2.27mm ultra-narrow bottom bezel. Coming to the button placements, the volume rockers and the power button are present on the right side of the phone. The dual SIM slot, loudspeaker grill, primary microphone and USB Type-C port are present on the bottom. It doesnt have a microSD expansion slot. On the top there is a vent for the speaker, secondary microphone and an infrared sensor are present on the top. The 3.5mm audio jack, which made a comeback in the POCO F5, is now gone. Since the phone has a plastic frame, you dont see any antenna cutouts. The flat frame offers a good grip to hold and doesnt attract fingerprints. The back of the phone also has a plastic finish, so it doesnt feel premium. In addition to the Black colour that we have, the phone also comes in, Titanium colour in India. Global version also comes in a Green colour. I liked the White colour in the POCO F5 with an Iceflake texture. The phone is just 7.8mm thick, and weighs 179 grams even though it packs a 5000mAh battery. The phone has IP54 ratings for splash resistance, so it has mange slight spills or light rain, but you cant immerse in water. Camera 50MP main camera with 1/ 1.95 Sony IMX882 sensor, f/1.59 aperture, OIS 8MP ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture 20MP OmniVision OV20B front-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture The camera UI is familiar with other Xiaomi or POCO smartphones running Hyper OS. You get all the features such as Pro, Night, 50MP, Short Video, Panorama, VLOG, Slow motion, Time-lapse, Dual video, AI watermark, Long exposure and Pro mode lets you adjust white balance, focus, shutter speed (1/4000s to 30 seconds), ISO (50 to 6400) and option to select main, ultra-wide and macro lens. You can enable focus peaking, exposure verification and more options. Coming to the image quality, daylight shots came out well with good dynamic range. After pixel binning technology, you get 12MP output from all main camera. HDR shots are better with improved dynamic range. 8MP wide-angle shots are decent. It is a good thing that there is no 2MP macro camera, which was not useful. The 20MP front camera is good, and you get full 16MP output. Lowlight camera performance is decent, but it could have been better. Check out the camera samples. It can record videos at 4k resolution at 60 fps, and it also has slow motion 1080p at up to 240 fps. You can also shoot 1080 60 fps videos using the front camera and 1080p 30 fps from ultra-wide. There is also HDR video option, which you can enable from settings. OIS in the main camera does its job, and there is a separate ultra-steady mode that uses both OIS and EIS, but it switches to 1080p. Software, UI and Apps This is one of the first POCO phones to run HyperOS out of the box. It recently got April 2023 Android security patch recently. The company has promised 3 OS updates and 4 years of security updates for the phone, which is good. HyperOS brings customizable lock screen, reworked control center, and new fonts and icon packs. Since the phone has an infrared sensor for remote function, it comes with Mi Remote that lets you control your home appliances easily. Out of 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, you get 11.06GB of usable RAM, and about 5GB of RAM is free when default apps are running in the background. It also has up to 8GB of memory extension or virtual RAM, which you can disable from additional settings. Out of 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, you get about 465.3GB of free storage. Apart from the usual set of utility apps, Google apps and POCOs own set of apps, it comes preloaded with Netflix, PhonePe, Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify, Snapchat and a couple of games. It also asks for additional app installation during setup, which you can skip. You can easily uninstall these apps, but these come up when you reset the phone. Even though there is personalized ads option during set up and recommendations in all the apps, you dont get any ads in apps. Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock POCO has finally switched from a side-mounted fingerprint scanner to an in-display fingerprint sensor. You can add up to 5 fingerprints. You can also use the fingerprint for app local and payments in apps. The phone also has face unlock. Music Player and Multimedia The Mi Music Player is the default music player with usual POCO audio effects and equalizer. It also doesnt have FM Radio, but comes with Dolby Atmos, and the phone has stereo speakers that offer an excellent audio experience, and Audio through earphones is good as well. It has Widevine L1 support, so you can play HD content on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming apps without any issues. The phone also supports Dolby Vision for Netflix and HDR10+ for Amazon Prime Video. Dual SIM and Connectivity It supports 5G, and has support for 15 5G Bands n1/n2/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n48/n66/n77/n78. There is also support for Dual 4G VoLTE and phone supports carrier aggregation as well. Other connectivity options include Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ax. It has VoWiFi / Wi-Fi calling support, Bluetooth 5.4 LE, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, and there is also NFC support. It also has USB OTG support that lets you connect USB drives. Call quality is good, and we did not face any call drops and the earpiece volume was loud. It has Xiaomi dialer instead of Google dialer seen in some Xiaomi phones. The POCO F6s body SAR is 0.628W/Kg and head SAR is at 0.848/Kg, slightly less than the POCO F5 and is well under the limit of 1.6 W/kg (over 1 g) in India. Performance and Benchmarks This is the first phone to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC in India. It uses the same microarchitecture as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but the CPU cores are underclocked and this uses a different GPU. It uses 1 x Kryo Prime CPU (Arm Cortex-X4 based) at up to 3GHz, 4 x Kryo Performance CPUs (Arm Cortex-A720 based) at up to 2.8GHz and 3x Kryo Efficiency CPUs (Arm Cortex-A520 based) at up to 2GHz. The SoC is fabricated using the TSMC 4nm Process Technology, same as Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The phone has POCO Ice-Loop System. Since it uses a specific vapour-liquid separation method, this is up to three times more efficient than a traditional VC cooling configuration, said the company. The Adreno 735 GPU has Real-time Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing, but it lacks, and also doesnt have support for Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections System present in the 8 Gen 3 since there is change in the GPU which offers similar performance as the Adreno GPU present in the 8 Gen 2. We did not face any issues or frame drops in the graphic-intensive games like COD, BGMI and Genshin Impact. It reached maximum 41 in our testing indoors in 5G, but this might vary outdoors. In 3D Mark wild life stress test, it scored 81.2% which is good without any throttling issue. The temperature shot up from 32 to 51 degrees, which is high since it doesnt throttle. That said, check out some synthetic benchmark scores below. As you can see, the POCO F6 is only slightly better than the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 that powers the realme GT 6T. Battery life Coming to the battery life, the phone packs a 5000mAh (typical) built-in battery same as the POCO F5. This lasts for a day, even with heavy use. With minimal use on Wi-Fi, it should last more than a day. I got over 5 hours of screen on time with over a day of mixed use on 5G and Wi-Fi in 120Hz. There is 5G battery saver, boost charging and more features in the battery settings. Since the phone has support for 90W fast charging, it can charge up to 50% in about 11 minutes and up to 100% in about 35 minutes. Conclusion At a starting price of Rs. 29,999, the POCO F6 is another value performer and a worthy successor to the POCO F5. There are upgrades in the screen, SoC, and charging. The camera is decent, but could have been better in low light. Lightweight design is fine, but the company could have offered a slightly bigger battery, compromising the weight. Alternatives The realme GT 6T is a direct competitor with a slightly underclocked SoC, but with a better LTPO curved screen, bigger battery and charging. If you spend more, there is iQOO Neo9 Pro that also has an LTPO screen. Pricing and availability The POCO F6 5G is priced at Rs. 29,999 for the 8GB + 256GB model, 12GB + 256GB model costs Rs. 31,999 and the 12GB + 512GB model costs Rs. 33,999. It will be available from Flipkart starting from today, May 29th at 12 noon. As a part of launch offer, POCO offers Rs. 2000 instant discount with ICICI Bank cards and Rs. 2000 additional discount on exchange. Buyers during the first sale also gets additional 1-year warranty. Pros 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is brilliant Smooth performance and good gaming performance Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos Good battery life with 90W fast charging Cons Average low-light camera performance 3.5mm audio jack is gone Same old design Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, is facing legal troubles due to patent lawsuits filed against it in major markets like India and France. These lawsuits allege that Xiaomi has been using LTE-A technology without permission. LTE-A, an advanced 4G standard, offers faster speeds and better performance compared to regular LTE. The accusations claim that Xiaomi has been using this patented technology in its 4G devices since late 2018 without proper licensing. These lawsuits, collectively valued at over $300 million (approximately 24,978 Crore INR), are a significant embarrassment for Xiaomi, especially in India. In India, the High Court of Delhi will assess whether Xiaomi has indeed infringed on the patents and whether Sun Patent Trust, the patent owner, has fulfilled its obligations. Meanwhile, the Paris Judicial Court will address the issue of royalty payments for the patents in question. Xiaomis refusal to agree to fair licensing terms with Sun Patent Trust has led to these legal battles. Despite attempts at negotiation since 2019, Xiaomi has not reached an agreement with the patent holder. Joseph Casino, Managing Trustee of Sun Patent Trust, expressed surprise at Xiaomis reluctance to negotiate. Sun Patent Trust, though not known for aggressive litigation, has taken legal action due to Xiaomis stance. With global revenue surpassing $10 billion in Q3 2023, Xiaomi faces substantial challenges in two major markets due to these lawsuits. These legal battles jeopardize Xiaomis reputation and could result in significant financial consequences. Regarding the lawsuit, Joseph Casino, Managing Trustee of Sun Patent Trust, said: Microsoft 365 Copilot has introduced AI to regional languages in India, aiming to make technology more accessible to everyone. This initiative seeks to close the gap between English and non-English speakers by offering AI-driven tools. Microsoft 365 Copilot supports Indian languages By supporting regional languages, Microsoft 365 Copilot allows users to use technology in their own languages. This means people can now use advanced AI features even if they dont speak English. The platform uses natural language processing to understand and respond to users in various regional languages, which is expected to improve user experience and make technology more available to all. In India, Microsoft 365 Copilot now supports languages like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu, among others. This opens up new opportunities for small businesses, students, and professionals who prefer their native languages. One of its main features is accurate translations and relevant responses in multiple languages, making it easier for users to access information and perform tasks. According to Pavan Kumar Verma, Regional Business Head at Embee Software, user engagement has increased significantly with the introduction of regional language support. Users feel more comfortable and confident communicating in their native language. Moreover, Microsoft 365 Copilots support for regional languages is helping education and skill development. Students can learn and seek help in their preferred languages, making education more inclusive. As Microsoft 365 Copilot continues to expand its support for regional languages, Microsoft aims to promote digital inclusivity and ensure that technology benefits a wider and more diverse audience. Speaking on the incorporation of regional languages in Microsoft 365 Copilot, Pavan Kumar Verma, the Regional Business Head of MWP at Embee Software (Microsoft LSP partner in India), said: Google unveils exciting AI and gaming upgrades for Chromebook Plus users. These features aim to streamline productivity and elevate gaming experiences directly on Chromebook Plus laptops. Built-in Google AI Features Help me write: Employs Google AI to enhance writing across various platforms, offering suggestions and tone adjustments with a simple right-click. Users can generate text from scratch or refine existing content effortlessly. Generative AI Wallpaper and Video Call Backgrounds: Creates personalized backgrounds for video calls, inspiring creativity and professionalism. Magic Editor on Google Photos: Exclusively available on Chromebook Plus, this feature simplifies photo editing in Google Photos, enabling easy object manipulation and lighting adjustments. Gemini Integration Gemini, Googles powerful AI assistant, is now seamlessly integrated into Chromebook Plus. Users can access Gemini directly from their home screen, facilitating tasks such as planning and writing. Additionally, new Chromebook Plus users receive complimentary access to Google One AI Premium plan for 12 months, featuring Gemini Advanced and 2TB storage. New Features for All Chromebooks Google introduces several enhancements across all Chromebooks: Simple Setup with Android Phone: Seamlessly set up your new Chromebook using your phone, eliminating the need for manual entry of credentials. One-Click Access to Google Tasks: Google Tasks integration allows easy task management across Google Workspace apps and devices. Seamless GIF Screen Recording: Capture and save screen recordings in GIF format effortlessly. Game Dashboard for Chromebooks Google introduces Game Dashboard for Chromebooks, enhancing gaming experiences with control customization and easy sharing options. It supports various games, from Android titles to AAA games, offering features like: Game Controls: Play thousands of touch-centric Android games using keyboard mappings. Game Capture: Record and share gameplay without leaving the action. Works With Chromebook Certified Accessories Chromebook gaming experience can be further enhanced with certified accessories like SteelSeries Aerox 3 mouse, featuring RGB lighting and DPI sensitivity settings configuration. Future Updates Teased by Google Google provides a glimpse into upcoming features, including: Help Me Read with Gemini: Summarize and get AI-generated answers for deeper understanding. Seamless Continuation Across Devices: Easily resume tasks across devices and operating systems. Focus Mode: Concentrate better with automatic Do Not Disturb mode and task countdown. AI-Powered Hands-Free Control: ChromeOS integrates face and gesture tracking for hands-free operation, aiming to improve accessibility. Acer today introduced two new Chromebook models: the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 and Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE, designed for productivity and gaming respectively. Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a slim and versatile convertible, perfect for staying productive on the move. It comes with up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processors, enabling smooth performance for tasks like using Google AI and Adobe apps. With features like Gemini in Google Docs and Adobe Photoshop, users can enhance productivity. The Chromebooks 2-in-1 design allows it to be used as a laptop or tablet, and its 14-inch touchscreen display offers vibrant visuals. Additionally, it boasts a 1440p QHD webcam, AI-powered audio and video enhancements, and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. For businesses and schools, there are management capabilities through Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and Chrome Education Upgrade. Quick specifications: Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE On the other hand, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is tailored for gaming, featuring NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service and 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. With a WQXGA IPS display and a 120 Hz refresh rate, gamers can enjoy high-quality graphics and smooth visuals. It also offers DTS audio, 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and a gaming keyboard with anti-ghosting technology. The Chromebook Plus 516 GE supports up to 2 TB PCIe NVMe SSD storage and up to 16 GB of memory, ensuring ample space and speed for gaming needs. Quick specifications: Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE Availability Existing Chromebook users will receive these updates through automatic updates over the next week. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 starts at USD 749.99 (Rs. 62,531 approx.) in North America and EUR 979 in EMEA, while the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE starts at USD 699.99 (Rs. 58,362 approx.) in North America. Both models will be available from this month. Commenting on the announcement, John Maletis, Vice President of ChromeOS Product, Engineering, and UX, said: David DePapes state trial began in San Francisco, where he was charged with attempted murder in the attack on Paul Pelosi. Michael Short, MBI/Associated Press 2013 The first image a San Francisco jury saw Wednesday as the state trial of David DePape began was of the viscous puddle of deep-crimson blood pooled around Paul Pelosis head. The image was apparently captured just after Pelosi was allegedly bludgeoned in the head with a hammer by DePape, who prosecutors said broke into the Pelosi home on Oct. 28, 2022. Moments before, Assistant San Francisco District Attorney Sean Connolly began his opening statement Advertisement Article continues below this ad by talking about the sanctity and privacy of ones home, especially the bedroom. When we are asleep, we are most vulnerable, and our elderly are our most vulnerable citizens, he said. Think about that: a home, in the middle of the night, a man alone, sleeping in his bed. Paul Pelosi was 82 at the time of the attack. Paul Pelosi, Connolly said, went from sleeping peacefully to living a nightmare by an intruder who would later describe himself as on a rampage with a clear political agenda. According to San Francisco prosecutors, DePape a Canadian-born carpenter was on a mission to confront Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi when he allegedly broke into the Pelosi home in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022. But only Paul Pelosi was home. San Francisco prosecutors have charged DePape with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse. He pleaded not guilty. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the defenses opening statement, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Adam Lipson attempted to illustrate DePapes frame of mind in the months leading up to the attack. Living in a Richmond garage without access to a bathroom, DePape apparently spent almost every waking hour playing video games, surfing the internet, believing he could speak to fairies and read peoples minds and, most importantly, falling deeper into a web of conspiracy theories that pushed him to the realization that he had to do something. In DePapes mind, which Lipson described as being prone to fantastical thinking, the global elite was engaging in an organized web of crimes, cover-ups, pedophilia and the child rape and the government was complicit in this corruption. Lipson said DePape was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, a mental health condition characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships. Addressing the jury, Lipson called the attack a terrible thing that DePape did. But, he said, his client never intended to kill Paul Pelosi; he simply lashed out irrationally when his misguided plan was thwarted. This week, DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with credit for time served, after a trial in federal court in which he was convicted of assault on the family member of a federal official, among other charges separate from his state case. Advertisement Article continues below this ad San Francisco prosecutors said DePape boarded a BART train from Richmond, where he was living, and evaded the Pelosis 24-hour security team, breaking through the glass of a patio door and climbing into the mansion. There, he crept up the stairs to the main bedroom, where he came to Paul Pelosis bedside and armed with a hammer demanded to see Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said. Stunned and in survival mode, prosecutors said Paul Pelosi attempted to appease DePape and de-escalate the situation by letting him know that his wife was in Washington, D.C., and wouldnt be home for several days. Prosecutors said DePape then told Paul Pelosi he would tie him up so the two men could wait for her. Prosecutors said DePape blocked Paul Pelosis subtle attempt to seek safety in the elevator near his bedroom. Paul Pelosi ultimately made a highly publicized call to a 911 dispatcher while he was speaking to DePape. But moments after police officers arrived, DePape managed to smash Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer. Paul Pelosi was hospitalized with a fractured skull. He testified to the attack in DePapes federal trial. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Menlo Park-based Lucid Motors will be laying off 6% of its workforce. Lucid Motors/TNS Lucid Motors, a Menlo Park startup specializing in luxury electric cars, has unveiled a restructuring plan that involves slashing 400 positions. The company disclosed in regulatory filings that the layoffs will affect about 6% of its workforce by the end of the third quarter. CEO Peter Rawlinson, formerly Teslas chief engineer for the Model S electric sedan, conveyed in a staff email that the layoffs would impact employees across various levels, including leadership and mid-level management. Tech layoffs: Here are the job cuts impacting Bay Area workers Advertisement Article continues below this ad Letting go of our talented team members is difficult and a decision we did not take lightly, he wrote in the message attached to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, on Friday. We are thankful to everyone who has helped Lucid at every step of our journey. New Lucid electric cars sit parked in front of a Lucid Studio showroom in San Francisco. Lucid announced plans to lay of an estimated 400 employees in the United States as the electric car industry experiences slow growth. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Rawlinson said that the affected employees would receive severance and health benefits along with assistance in their job search. Although most job cuts will affect Lucids Bay Area employees, they will also extend to its $700 million manufacturing plant in Arizona. Despite the layoffs, Rawlinson expressed enthusiasm about the Gravity SUV program, slated to begin production by the end of 2024, and Lucids midsize program by late 2026. Im confident Lucid will deliver the worlds best SUV and dramatically expand our total addressable market, but we arent generating revenue from the program yet, Rawlinson wrote. As always we must remain vigilant about costs. We are optimizing our resources in a way we believe will best position the company for future success and growth opportunities as we focus on achieving our ambitious goals. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This recent round of cuts follows severe cost-cutting measures in March 2023, which included laying off 1,300 employees. Despite the setback, Lucid Motors secured a $3 billion infusion from its primary financial supporter, Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund. Earlier this year, Lucid raised an additional $1 billion through a stock sale to a subsidiary of the fund, bolstering the companys financial stability. Kwesi Guss, 44, shown near Joes Market in Richmond, has filed a complaint against the Richmond police department over his arrest on May 5. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle Surveillance footage captures a Richmond police officer repeatedly striking, then tackling, Kwesi Guss as he attempts to use his phone to film an arrest outside Joes Market in Richmond on May 5. Provided by Kwesi Guss Kwesi Guss, the man repeatedly struck by Richmond police as he filmed an arrest earlier this month, filed a claim against the city of Richmond alleging officers assaulted him and violated his civil rights. Civil rights attorney John Burris filed the claim on behalf of Guss on Wednesday. A claim is a precursor to a lawsuit against a government agency. The Chronicle previously reported that the department opened an investigation into Guss arrest and hired an outside investigator to conduct it. In an emailed statement on Wednesday, department spokesperson Lt. Donald Patchin said the officer who struck Guss, Sgt. Alexander Caine, had been placed on desk duty during the investigation. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Guss, 44, was standing outside Joes Market on West MacDonald Avenue on the night of May 5 when he heard police sirens approaching. A driver had led Richmond police on a high-speed chase before coming to a stop outside the market. As the driver and a passenger exited the car and put their hands up, Guss began to film the encounter and subsequent arrest. As Guss filmed from the sidewalk, according to video his iPhone captured and security camera footage from the market, Richmond Sgt. Alexander Caine drove up next to him, got out of his vehicle and ran around the back of his car and toward Guss, shoving him and yelling, get out of the fing way! Shut yo b ass up, Guss replied. Caine turned. What was that? he yelled, as he ran back toward Guss. Surveillance footage from Joes Market shows Caine repeatedly shoving Guss and sending him stumbling around the markets parking lot. At one point, a female bystander tries to intervene. Another officer, identified in the claim as officer Nicholas Remick, allegedly ran over and he and Caine handcuffed Guss. Lt. Donald Patchin, a spokesperson for the Richmond Police Department, previously told the Chronicle that officers had arrested Guss for obstructing a peace officer, a misdemeanor offense. Advertisement Article continues below this ad According to the claim and medical records reviewed by the Chronicle, Guss was diagnosed and treated for a head injury, wrist pain, bruised ribs, lower back pain and a large abrasion on his right cheek following the incident. He was also diagnosed with acute stress disorder. His wrists still hurt, he said. Caine, a member of the department since 2009, has seriously injured people in at least 11 separate encounters since 2014, according to records obtained by the California Reporting Project, a multi-newsroom coalition formed to obtain and analyze police records across the state. Most of those incidents involved dog bites and happened during Caines time with the departments K-9 unit. In an interview with the Chronicle, Guss said he was grateful for the attention he and the videos have received. He has been going to therapy and getting medical care for his injuries, he said. But the events of May 5 have left him rattled. I feel like they watching me, he said of the Richmond police. Asked what he hopes will come from his legal actions, he said, I would hope officers dont act like that no more, even as he said he believed thats not gonna happen. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Explore the rich history and architectural beauty of Trinity Episcopal Church in this captivating tour given by Reverend Jimmy Abbott. Join J.R., Lisa, Erika, and Reverend Jimmy in uncovering the layers of history, from its founding in 1841 to its role in wartime and natural disasters. A measure that sought to require schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender, and limit access to trans health care services, failed to qualify for the November ballot. Allison Dinner/TNS An initiative targeting the rights of transgender youth that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and require schools to inform parents if their children identify as trans has failed to qualify for the November ballot. Proponents of the measure said Tuesday that they collected about 400,000 signatures, short of the 546,651 valid signatures required to appear on the ballot. Even though we werent successful getting on the ballot, we laid the groundwork for a successful future attempt, said Jonathan Zachreson, co-founder of the group leading the initiative effort. If we had a little bit more time and a little bit more money, we would have had no problem qualifying. Were absolutely committed to fighting for the principles put forth in this initiative. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Zachreson said proponents raised about $200,000 for their campaign, almost entirely from small donors. The measure, initially titled by proponents as the Protect Kids California initiative, was proposed as an effort to preserve so-called parental rights. It would have required schools to restrict bathrooms to students gender assigned at birth and notify parents when a student asks to be treated differently from the gender listed in their school records. It also would have banned gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments, for minors, even with their parents consent. Not long after the measure was introduced, the state attorney general renamed it the Restrict Rights of Transgender Youth initiative a move that proponents have sued over. A judge denied the groups motion. The attorney general holds the power to name and explain statewide ballot measures, and such fights over how theyre characterized are common each election season. Zachreson said the name change was a factor in their inability to collect enough signatures. We did have some conversations with some large donors, and they were turned off by the title and summary, he said. Last week, California legislators introduced a bill that would ban parental notification policies like the one included in the failed ballot measure. Such policies have been introduced in at least a dozen school districts, though several are facing lawsuits and none are being enforced. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Nationally, 25 states have banned gender-affirming care for youth under 18. We are relieved that anti-LGBTQ+ extremists have failed to reach the required signature threshold to qualify their anti-transgender ballot initiatives to the November 2024 ballot, Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, said in a statement. Equality California will continue to advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ youth everywhere, and push back against any and all efforts by extremist groups who seek to discriminate against them, Hoang said. A bunch of Irish kids have stormed onto the scene with their insanely catchy and hugely viral original Drum and Bass track, 'The Spark'. This isn't your average school project, it's a full-blown anthem created by a pack of 9-12-year-olds from Knocknaheen who teamed up with kids in refugee accommodation over in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, Ireland. Produced by GMCBeats from The Kabin Studio, this certified banger comes with a music video featuring the kids having an absolute rager around Cork. Within two weeks, the video's blown up, clocking millions of views across social media. People worldwide are losing their minds over the tune, with loads calling it the 'best' track they've heard in a while! "Send them to Eurovision pls," wrote one fan. Another reckons it "absolutely goes". "This is amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!!!! best chorus I've heard in a while!!!!," added a third. One even called it a "stone cold banger" . Seriously, everyone's got this tune on loop in their heads, and one fan even reckons it might be "the best track of all time". 'The Spark' dropped as part of Cruinniu na nOg, Ireland's annual celebration of youthful creativity. Garry McCarthy, the creative director at Kabin Studio, told BBC Radio 4: "There's nothing fake about it. These kids are just being themselves, unlike some wannabe rappers out there." "It's very honest. It's very Irish, but it's very global." He added, "I hope their message inspires other young people to express themselves, try out music, and see how powerful it can be." So, crank it up and let these Irish kids show you "all about it"! UC Santa Cruz switched to remote learning for two days after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut the universitys two main entrances late Tuesday. One had reopened by midday Wednesday. Andrea Tamayo A barricade at one of the main entrances at UC Santa Cruz was erected by protesters demonstrating against the war in Gaza. Provided by Ryan Hoffman UC Santa Cruz officials said classes on Wednesday and Thursday would be online only after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza and University of Californias handling of Gaza protests blocked the only two routes to and from the universitys campus late Tuesday. University Chancellor Cynthia Larive called the demonstrations an extremely dangerous effort to cause intentional harm to our campus community unprompted by any action on the part of UC Santa Cruz in a scathing public letter addressed to the campus community on Tuesday evening. By midday Wednesday, the campus west entrance had been reopened to traffic after protesters voluntarily removed their blockade. The main entrance, on the south side of the campus, remained closed. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As upbeat music played from portable speakers, people affiliated with the United Auto Workers continued to stage a soft picket at the west entrance into the afternoon. A handful of counterprotesters showed up Wednesday morning but left by noon. A few cars driving by honked their horns. Larive said the roads were blocked starting between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, preventing faculty, students and other campus workers from leaving or coming to campus in cars. She said the demonstrations were not free speech, but instead violations of the law and university policies. UC Santa Cruz switched to remote learning for two days after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut the universitys two main entrances late Tuesday. One had reopened by midday Wednesday. Andrea Tamayo The demonstrations were the latest episode of activism related to the Gaza war to shake the University of California. The school system, like many around the country, has seen a robust pro-Palestinian protest movement take root since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel and Israels retaliatory bombardment and invasion of Gaza. In recent weeks, the escalation of protesting tactics including on-campus tent villages at many schools, building occupations and blockades have drawn headlines and arrests. Since May 20, the University of California has faced a strike among its graduate student instructors, who initially walked off their posts at Santa Cruz and then expanded their protests on Monday to UCLA and UC Davis in protest of the universitys handling of the Gaza protests, including discipline meted out to some instructors for participating. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The UAW Local 4811, which represents some 48,000 student workers across the system, said the statewide strike could grow this week if progress is not made in negotiations with the university. A spokesperson for the university could not be reached for comment on the status of talks. UC Santa Cruz switched to remote learning for two days after demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut the universitys two main entrances late Tuesday. One had reopened by midday Wednesday. Andrea Tamayo Reporters at TV station KSBW in Salinas reported Tuesday afternoon that perhaps 200 demonstrators chanting and waving signs that read free Palestine had formed a blockade at UC Santa Cruzs entrances. News reports at the scene showed what appeared to be red paint in the streets. Images shared on social media showed hundreds of protesters blocking one of the roads into campus, as a line of cars stretched behind. While nodding to the importance of free speech, Larive said in her letter that the right to unfettered expression does not include the ability to block access to our campus or roads. People who took part in the demonstrations should be aware that their actions carry with them severe penalties penalties that they should be prepared to receive. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the University of California said the school system had filed a motion with the states Public Employment Relations Board asking them to ask a court to immediately end the strike, citing evidence of irreparable harm. Since the union announced its unlawful strike vote, its members have forcibly occupied an academic building at UCLA and damaged it with graffiti, invaded classrooms where faculty and students were trying to learn, blocked roadways, and have refused to teach, conduct seminars, administer exams, among other duties that students rely on to complete their course work, the filing said. The filing also made note of the protesters blocking entrances at UC Santa Cruz. The impact of this unlawful behavior on our students is substantial, said a statement from Melissa Matella, Associate Vice President for Systemwide Labor Relations. Allowing the strike to continue deprives students of access to crucial instructors as they prepare for finals and work to complete final projects. This instructional time can never be made up, nor can the impact of lost projects and exams. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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 sketch of David DePape and his federal public defender, Angela Chuang, in federal court in San Francisco. DePapes state trial, which is taking place in San Francisco, is scheduled to begin. His attorneys want to keep former President Donald Trumps name out of the upcoming proceedings. Vicki Behringer/Special to the Chronicle Attorneys for the man accused of violently attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer last year asked a San Francisco Superior Court Judge to exclude any mention of one specific person: former President Donald Trump. Judge Harry Dorfman denied that request this month, just weeks before opening statements in the state trial of David DePape began Wednesday morning, meaning its possible the deeply controversial former president could come up during proceedings. San Francisco prosecutors have charged DePape with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse for an incident in the home of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi that shocked the nation. DePape pleaded not guilty. Advertisement Article continues below this ad DePapes San Francisco trial comes on the heels of a separate trial in federal court in which he was convicted of assault on an immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official. A federal judge sentenced him to 30 years, with credit for time served. But his state case which concerns a string of charges for the actions not related to Nancy Pelosis political standing remains. In their motion filed this month, San Francisco public defenders argued that mentioning Trump during the trial could prejudice the jury against DePape, since Trump is a uniquely polarizing figure. Speaking to a San Francisco police sergeant after he was arrested, DePape admitted to breaking into the Pelosi home in an effort to confront Nancy Pelosi about all the lies coming out of Washington and because she was the leader of the pack, documents show. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While on the stand in his federal trial, DePape talked about his political leanings and how he transitioned from being left-wing to more conservative. He cited Gamergate as introducing him to the culture war, and from then on, he said, he grew more convinced the mainstream media was intentionally lying to undermine Trump. Through tears, DePape said on the witness stand that he previously had been biased against Trump, but theres, like, truth there. He also testified he spent substantial amounts of time listening to podcasts that trafficked in discredited conspiracy theories, most of which revolved around assertions that cabals of high-ranking public officials and celebrities were harming children. State prosecutors said that 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 their home, where he crept up to Paul Pelosis bedside. DePape, who was then living in Richmond, brought zip ties, duct tape, rope 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 during his questioning of her politics. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., at the time, but DePape found then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi. Though Paul Pelosi managed to call 911 while speaking to DePape, DePape smashed him over the head with a hammer just seconds after officers arrived at the home. Paul Pelosi was hospitalized with a fractured skull and lingering physical and emotional trauma, he said in filings in DePapes federal trial. Editors note: This story was updated to clarify that the judge had already ruled on the motion in question before opening arguments began. Information manipulation in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: EU lists two individuals and one entity European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.05.2024 Brussels Press and information team of the Delegation to UKRAINE Today the Council decided to impose restrictive measures against two individuals and one entity responsible for conducting propaganda actions targeted at civil society in the EU and its neighbouring countries, gravely distorting and manipulating facts in order to justify and support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The propaganda has repeatedly and consistently targeted European political parties, especially during election periods, as well as targeting civil society, asylum seekers, Russian ethnic minorities, gender minorities, and the functioning of democratic institutions in the EU and its member states. In particular, the Council imposed restrictive measures on "Voice of Europe", an online media outlet which has engaged in a systematic, international campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts to destabilise Ukraine, the EU and its member states. Furthermore, Voice of Europe runs a website - with accounts promoting it on social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Telegram and X - actively spreading disinformation related to Ukraine and promoting pro-Kremlin false narratives about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, Voice of Europe has been used as a vehicle for funneling of financial resources designated for remuneration of propagandists, and for building a network influencing representatives of political parties in Europe. Today's listings also include two persons closely associated with Voice of Europe: - Artem Marchevskyi, who played a key role in the acquisition of a media brand "Voice of Europe". As a concealed head of Voice of Europe, he has played an instrumental role in disseminating concerted disinformation and biased narratives aimed at undermining credibility and public image of Ukraine and its efforts to defend itself against Russia's war of aggression; and - Viktor Medvedchuk, who has promoted policies and actions intended to erode credibility and legitimacy of the Government of Ukraine. Medvedchuk has close personal ties to Vladimir Putin and is associated with his regime, and through his associates, including Artem Marchevskyi, he controlled Ukrainian media outlets and used them to disseminate pro-Russian propaganda in Ukraine and beyond. Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to over 2100 individuals and entities altogether. Those designated today are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories. In its conclusions of 21 and 22 March 2024, the European Council reaffirmed the EU's steadfast support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression. It also called for further steps to weaken Russia's ability to continue waging its war of aggression, including by strengthening the sanctions. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's state security authority refutes hypes of phone checks at border Global Times By Global Times Published: May 28, 2024 12:18 PM China's Ministry of State Security issued a bilingual article on Tuesday, refuting claims hyped by certain overseas anti-China forces that travelers will be subject to phone checks at the Chinese border as absolutely preposterous. The ministry also emphasized that checks upon entry will only be conducted under specific circumstances, with specific targets and procedures in accordance with laws. The ministry recently issued two provisions on the procedures for administrative law enforcement, and for criminal case administration of state security organs, which will come into force on July 1, 2024. The new measures have received wide public attention and positive feedback, being viewed as a significant step forward in the legal foundation for stronger national security, the ministry said in the article. However, some overseas hostile anti-China forces are spreading false information about Chinese regulations regarding mobile phones to slander and discredit China. These claims are baseless, and represent the stereotypical self-mirror imaging of "measuring others with one's own yardstick while framing the righteous," the ministry said. Individual Western countries have been accused of practicing double standards and politicizing legal instruments, leading to incidents of unwarranted harassment and interrogation of Chinese citizens, arbitrary detentions in the "dark rooms," and forced "inspection of phones." In certain countries, customs and border departments have specifically issued regulations, claiming that they can arbitrarily demand people to give up their passwords and inspect or even confiscate electronic devices without acquiring approval. These unlawful enforcement practices have become harmful obstacles to state-to-state and people-to-people exchanges, serving as evidence of discrimination against Chinese and Asian ethnic groups. "Those with ulterior motives, afraid of the severe consequence of jeopardizing China's national security, can but sling mud at China's law enforcement agencies like a thief donning a judge's robe," the ministry said in the article. China's Constitution and laws explicitly stipulate that no organization or individual may infringe upon citizens' freedom and privacy of communication for any reason except for appropriate legal reasons or procedures. China's Counter-espionage Law and Criminal Procedure Law, as the upper-level laws of two departmental regulations, respectively make authorized provisions for the administrative law enforcement and criminal investigation powers of the national security organs, according to the ministry. The newly revised Counter-espionage Law allows state security organs to lawfully inspect electronic equipment and facilities in order to prevent, stop, and punish espionage activities. The legislation aims to combat threats to national security posed by espionage. Inspections for counter-espionage purposes must be conducted lawfully and cannot be done arbitrarily or in unrelated situations. The targets must be individuals or organizations related to counter-espionage work, such as suspected spies who take pictures or videos in military restricted areas or classified units. Inspected subjects cannot be unrelated individuals, let alone average travelers, the authority noted. It also has specified inspection procedures, including approval for inspection that must be obtained from the head of a national security organ at the municipal level or above. The state security authority vowed to strictly implement the law enforcement supervision system and strengthen the law enforcement supervision mechanism. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev: Bulgaria's NATO membership provides security guarantees Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria 27.05.2024 "Bulgaria's NATO membership provides the strongest security guarantees to Bulgarian citizens. It was a civilizational choice that was a source of inspiration and motivation to several generations of Bulgarians; it was a powerful incentive to effect important reforms and to promote democratic values and it contributed to the development, peace and prosperity of the country." This was stated by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev at the opening of the plenary sitting of the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia. The Prime Minister underscored that the Alliance continues as heretofore to be an irreplaceable guarantor for Bulgaria's security and prosperity and said that facing the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the member states should remain united and strongly committed to their support for Ukraine and should invest a lot more in deterrence and defense capabilities. Dimitar Glavchev pointed out that the support for Ukraine and the reestablishment of that country's sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for the maintenance of lasting peace in Europe. "It is our collective duty to continue our unwavering support for Ukraine and its people. The role of national parliaments is of utmost importance in ensuring our long-term and sustainable support. Bulgaria remains firmly committed to support for Ukraine as long as needed," the Prime Minister vowed. In his speech, the Prime Minister noted that no region in NATO and the EU has been so affected by Russia's war against Ukraine in such a severe way as the Black Sea region. The need to apply a strategic approach to the Black Sea was one of the major conclusions of the Second Black Sea Security Conference within the framework of the International Crimea Platform held in Sofia in April 2024, the Prime Minister recalled. Dimitar Glavchev pointed out that Bulgaria is a staunch supporter for such an approach to the Black Sea region to make meaningful the assessment of its strategic importance. The Prime Minister noted that in recent years NATO provided further proofs of its importance and ability to adapt to the growing challenges confronting security. "I am convinced that we must stick to this course of high ambitions, especially at the Washington Summit. Ukraine should be a focal point as we expect concrete results to ensure a stable and predictable long-term tool to support Ukraine's security which tool would be amply and durably financially resourced," the Prime Minister said. The improvement of the interoperability of the Ukrainian armed forces will throw a bridge to the country's future NATO membership. Dimitar Glavchev expects also that the discussions at the Washington Summit will give special attention to the regions of the Black Sea and the Western Balkans. Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev assured the participants in the plenary meeting that involvement in ally and partner initiatives strengthens our resilience and encourages an all-inclusive approach to these challenges. In this connection, the proposal to establish a Center for Democratic Resilience within the NATO Headquarters, launched five years ago and incorporated into the Strategic Concept of the Alliance, assumes increasing importance in the context of the continual hybrid attacks by authoritarian regimes against our democratic systems. "Now, more than ever before, we must demonstrate our unity and our determination to address effectively current and future challenges and threats. NATO was not established for confrontation and was given a positive agenda to protect our values of freedom and democracy," Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev concluded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address There and back again: Maryland National Guard Soldier, Senegal native returns home during African Lion 2024 By Nicholas J. De La Pena May 28, 2024 DODJI, Senegal -- After more than six years, Maryland National Guardsman Spc. Djibril Diop, a 92Y Supply Specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, returned to his native country to provide critical support and help bridge cultural gaps with partner-led training activities in support of exercise African Lion 2024 (AL24). Growing up Diop was born in 1998 and grew up with his mother and father in Saint Louis, a town in northern Senegal. Through his middle and high school years, Diop learned to speak three languages: English, French, and Wolof, a West African language. He also learned to read Arabic. Upon graduating high school at the age of 17, Diop completed a social aptitude test before leaving Senegal with his mother in 2017. "My mother assisted me with the exam, helping me to prepare and pass, setting me up with a foundation that ultimately ensured my future success in the United States," Diop said. A year later, in 2018, Diop enlisted in the Maryland National Guard (MNG) and by working through the Immigration and Nationality Act, he was able to streamline his U.S. citizenship in 2019. He then enrolled in the University of Maryland, College Park and is set to graduate in December 2024 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Computer Science with a minor in French. The Return Being a multilingual Soldier helps Diop serve as a linchpin to building and maintaining partnerships for the U.S. Armed Forces. As part of a contingent of about 300 MNG Soldiers with the 1-175th Infantry Regiment, Diop supports AL24 by providing enhanced military training and cooperation and maintaining peace in the region. "It feels amazing to return to my home country while representing the MNG and the U.S. Army," Diop said. "I've been able to instantly connect with host-nation Senegalese soldiers by translating during our daily training exercises and between multinational leaders and the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade advisors." The 2SFAB provides critical advising in support of a joint team to build and test strategic readiness and ultimately deploy, fight and win in complex, multi-domain environments. Currently, Maneuver Combat Advisor Team 2310 is in Senegal as part of a 9-month employment rotation to advise Senegalese Armed Forces throughout the country, and are integral during AL24. "Diop helps maintain our strong multinational military relationships with the Senegalese Army by sharing key cultural knowledge and communication," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Justin Feese, Maintenance Advisor, MCAT 2310, 2SFAB. "As a Soldier and a Senegal native, he serves as a force multiplier, inspiring the U.S. Military, the Royal Netherlands Army, and Senegalese Armed Forces by bridging the cultural divide that really enhances the effectiveness of Exercise AL24." Diop says he is extremely proud of his native country and excited for the opportunity to work alongside the Senegalese Armed Forces who are very disciplined and hardworking. "This exercise presents a critical opportunity for all nations to build and test their tactical and operational readiness," Diop added. The Horizon Diop, a practicing Muslim, says he owes everything to his mother, who ensured he studied the Quran and stayed grounded through the hardships and his continued success. The Horizon Diop, a practicing Muslim, says he owes everything to his mother, who ensured he studied the Quran and stayed grounded through the hardships and his continued success. "This exercise has brought me back to my roots and was an excellent bookend to my enlisted career," Diop said. He will begin Officer Candidate School after returning home from AL24; however, one last present is in store for him. After three years of texts, phone and Facetime calls, Diop plans to see his father who lives in Senegal and says he's excited for a possible reunion. AL24 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command's premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, with over 8,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. 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 1-62 Air Defense Artillery Battalion to transfer authority of the US Patriot mission to 5-7 Air Defense Artillery Battalion. By Capt. Alexander Watkins May 28, 2024 POLAND -- The 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment will transfer authority of the U.S. Patriot mission in Eastern Europe to the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment on June 17, 2024. The 5-7 ADA rotation signals the U.S. and NATO's ongoing commitment to strengthening the security and defense posture in Eastern Europe. 1-62 ADA has been defending NATO's Eastern Flank as part of a multinational initiative to enhance the region's security infrastructure for the past nine months. The deployment of the Patriot missile system is a prudent and purely defensive measure that underpins NATO's collective defense and reinforces the U.S. commitment to protect our Allies, particularly on NATO's Eastern Flank. Patriot is a combat-tested system specifically designed to defeat aircraft, ballistic and cruise-type missiles. These batteries will provide an additional level of security supporting NATO self-defense capabilities. "Transferring authority of the U.S. Patriot mission in Eastern Europe from 1-62 ADA BN to 5-7 ADA BN signifies a seamless transition and a continuation of our mission to safeguard the skies," said U.S. Army Col. Bruce Bredlow, commander of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade. "We are immensely proud of the dedication demonstrated by 1-62 ADA BN, and we have full confidence that 5-7 ADA BN stands ready, trained, and prepared to assume this critical duty. Together, we uphold our commitment to defending Eastern Europe alongside our NATO allies." This deployment is part of a regular force rotation that follows the direction of the Secretary of Defense and is at the invitation of our Allies. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 28, 2024 Transcript Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Remarks Welcoming Angolan Minister of National Defense Joao Ernesto dos Santos to the Pentagon Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; Joao Ernesto dos Santos, Minister of National Defense, Republic of Angola SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, Mr. Minister, welcome to the Pentagon. I am delighted that you were able to visit today. Angola is a strategic partner and a regional leader, and the United States deeply values our deepening ties with Angola. As President Biden said in 2022 at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit here in Washington, Africa's success is the world's success. And since that summit, the United States and Angola have continued to hold high-level dialogues and to advance the goals that our leaders discussed. Last September, I was proud to be the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to visit Angola, and I had good discussions with your President and with your team at the Ministry of Defense. So it's great to return the favor and to be able to host you today. And Mr. Minister, I traveled to Angola because of the importance of our defense partnership. I'm proud of all that we've done together to deepen our partnership, from maritime security to peacekeeping to defense policy and more. And our relationship has tremendous potential to grow even further, including in areas like cybersecurity as well as Angola's potential participation in the U.S. State Partnership Program. And we remain grateful for Angola's willingness to consider defense purchases from the U.S. So we're eager to work together to seize this historic opportunity to promote peace, security, and responsible rules-based governance, and the Department of Defense looks forward to continued cooperation with Angola as you restructure and modernize your armed forces. Mr. Minister, we appreciate Angola's leadership in the region and beyond. Thanks again for making the trip, and I know that we're going to have a great discussion. Over to you, sir. JOAO ERNESTO DOS SANTOS (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Excellency, Secretary of Defense of the United States, distinguished member of the delegation of the United States, distinguished member of the delegation the Angola delegation, distinguished guests, I would like foremost to thank you for this warm reception that we have here in the Pentagon. The Republic of Angola is a country with a peaceful vocation and defense, the resolution of conflicts, true political, diplomatic means. Assuming a strategy of cooperation in the bilateral and multilateral domains, with a view to its competitive ascension in the international arena, increasingly preserving its most (inaudible) interests in the continent and in the world where we all belong. It's therefore considered a strategic area of (inaudible) interests to be important for achieving its security and defense objectives, as well as for guaranteeing its development and stems from the assessment of the international situation and the definition of capabilities. Angola's strategic vision prioritizes its insertion in all possible areas of national, continental, and international interests, especially within the framework of the African regional organizations in which it is inserted and with which it has geographical, historical, and cultural affinities mentioned above. In this context, the geostrategic and the geopolitical space in which Angola is inserted requires special attention due to the deep historical, geographical, economic, and cultural complexities of the communities mentioned above. The Republic of Angola is interested in fostering African defense and security policies in order to achieve peace, stability, cohesion, and the deepening of African projects. Hence, it's focused on promoting an agenda of conflict prevention and resolution by peaceful means and interstate dialogue between the values which are now (inaudible). With the USA, United States of America, the Minister the Ministry of National Defense and Homeland Veterans intends to strengthen its relations in the field of defense by expanding cooperation in new areas, namely strengthening technical and operational capacity, such as acquisition of an ultimate building machine construction system, acquisition of transport and logistic vehicle to be supplied by Oshkosh Defense, acquisition of a bridge system to be supplied by Acrow Bridges, acquisition of a fleet of light tactical vehicles to be supplied by General Motors Defense, also the acquisition of aircrafts. So we came to your country to make the follow-up of all the activities that we've been developing over the few times ago. This why we be here in your country, we intend to visit some companies American companies so in order for us to work together and to strengthen the relation of cooperation that we started. Certainly, all that we'll we might expect to acquire, we should think about the institutional financing. Dear Excellency, once again, I would like to thank you for this opportunity. Thank you very much. SEC. AUSTIN: Yeah, Mr. Minister, welcome. We're delighted to have you. I look forward to a great discussion. Thanks, everybody. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3788893/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said his office was conducting an investigation into how chemicals from a training exercise at a city-operated jail in San Bruno drifted to a nearby elementary school. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle The law enforcement training exercise that unintentionally exposed San Bruno elementary school children to powerful riot-control agents last week may have included chemical weapons that expired decades ago. A person familiar with the incident said that before the training at the San Francisco County Jail on Moreland Drive in San Bruno, officers from UC Berkeley and UCSF were invited to bring any chemical agents in the campus police forces inventory so they could be disposed of during the exercise. Police with at least one of these departments brought crates of chemical canisters that dated back as far as the 1960s, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. The Chronicle granted anonymity under its confidential sources policy. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Wednesday, after the initial publication of this story, officials with the San Francisco Sheriffs Office said UC Berkeley officers had brought over the canisters used in the May 21 exercise, and that they were believed to have been pulled from storage. Tara Moriarty, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office, said a preliminary investigation showed that there were no expiration tabs on the canisters brought over by UC Berkeley. Moriarty said she could not estimate the age of the canisters and directed questions to UC Berkeley. A spokesperson for UC Berkeley said its campus police force had no comment, and referred all questions to the San Francisco Sheriffs Office, which oversaw the exercise. Tear gas canisters typically expire about five years after their manufacture date. Sheriffs officials said the exercise involved testing chemical agents including CS gas (2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile) and OC gas (oleoresin capsicum), otherwise known as pepper spray. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The exercise was designed to test gas masks and effects of chemical agents like pepper spray and tear gas, the source said. The munitions were to be deployed inside a structure on the San Bruno jail property, simulating a potential barricade or hostage situation. The source said it was not routine to deploy such a large amount of munitions in an area so close to civilian populations. One adult and 20 children at Portola Elementary School on Amador Avenue experienced irritated eyes, throats and noses after the chemicals wafted approximately a half-mile, officials said. An ambulance and fire crew responded to the scene, but none of the victims were hospitalized. San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamotos office confirmed that the sickening of the children was due to the training exercise, and halted all further exercises pending an investigation. In later interviews prior to the initial publication of this story, sheriffs officials did not directly address whether outside or expired chemicals were used during the exercise. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Obviously we are always concerned that theres something expired or out of commission, to how we dispose of that, Miyamoto told the Chronicles editorial board when asked whether the incident included chemicals that were decades old. Its a part of what were going to look into as part of our review, making sure that it doesnt happen again. Moriarty said Wednesday that it was common for law-enforcement agencies to use stored chemicals for training exercises, and that there appears to be no greater health risk than using the same product that has been recently manufactured. Some experts, however, said it was nearly impossible to know whether expired tear gas canisters are more or less hazardous, because manufacturers arent transparent about what specific chemicals are inside of them. Both the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and San Mateo County Environmental Health Services said they were investigating the incident. While there are no indications of any lingering environmental hazards at the site or in the surrounding area, the investigation will determine if all reporting requirements to the appropriate agencies were followed subsequent to the incident and whether appropriate contingency plans were in place to mitigate any release, said Preston Merchant, a spokesperson for San Mateo County Health. He said the department would not comment further until the investigation was complete. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Both substances cited by the sheriffs office can be referred to as tear gas, which is the general term for aerosol-dispersed chemicals that produce eye, nose, mouth, skin and respiratory tract irritation, according to the National Institutes of Health. Tear gases are banned for military use, but law enforcement agencies are allowed to use them for domestic circumstances, like riot control. Bay Area agencies have used tear gas on numerous occasions in recent years. But the amount of chemicals detonated inside the structure was so voluminous that the building couldnt contain all the smoke and gases, the source said. Sheriffs officials called the sickening of the school children an unprecedented situation, adding that the site had been used for training exercises for more than 20 years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Chemical experts said that while chemical agents typically lose potency over time, no one really knows what happens to them after they sit on a shelf for decades. Only the manufacturers know precisely what was in those canisters, and production changes over time, said Emanuel Waddell, a professor and chair of nanoengineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. He said the chemical makeup of the substances used during the training exercise could vary depending on how they were stored. They could become less toxic, and theres a chance they could become more toxic, Waddell said. The symptoms of riot-control agents are painful but typically temporary, unless a person has experienced repeated exposure. Waddell added that there are few studies about long-term effects of tear gases and pepper sprays on humans, and most studies are limited to young, healthy men. David Canepa, vice president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, said he was not told by the San Francisco Sheriffs Office about the potential use of decades-old chemicals, but was informed that the office had released all of the agents at once. Canepa said he is calling for a full accounting of the incident from the sheriffs office. May 28, 2024 By Matthew Olay, DOD News Defense Department Conducts Recover, Repair Mission for Temporary Pier After Heavy Sea States The Defense Department is working to recover three of four vessels associated with its temporary humanitarian aid pier in Gaza after rough seas caused the motorized sections to run aground May 25, the Pentagon announced today. The vessels, which are part of U.S. Central Command's Joint Logistics, Over-the-Shore capability and which are used to stabilize the trident pier broke free from their anchors and beached ashore after suffering a loss of power, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. "As of today, one of the Army vessels that was beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon has been recovered. The second vessel that was also beached near Ashkelon will be recovered in the next 24 hours, and the remaining two vessels that were beached near the Trident pier are expected to be recovered in the next 48 hours," Singh said, adding that the Israeli Navy is assisting in the recovery efforts. The U.S is not authorizing any American boots on the ground in Gaza, and that is not hindering efforts to recover the three vessels, Singh said. In addition to the JLOTS vessels running aground, high sea states and a North African weather system caused a portion of the trident pier to detach from the pier that is currently anchored into the Gaza coastline earlier today, resulting in damage to the trident pier and necessitating a need to rebuild and repair it, Singh said. Over the next 48 hours, U.S. forces will remove the pier from its anchored position on the coast and tow it back to the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod to begin repairs. "The pier proved highly valuable in delivering aid to the people of Gaza. Thus, upon completion of the pier repair and reassembly, the intention is to re-anchor the temporary pier to the coast of Gaza and resume humanitarian aid to the people who need it most," Singh told reporters, noting that, to date, over 1,000 metric tons of aid has been delivered to the pier for humanitarian organizations to distribute to Palestinians. Meanwhile, Singh said, U.S. forces are currently loading humanitarian aid into vessels in Cyprus for transport to Gaza so that it can roll out immediately once the repaired pier is reattached to the shoreline in the coming days. First announced March 8 of this year after President Joe Biden called on the military to lead the temporary humanitarian aid operation, the JLOTS pier became operational May 17. When questioned as to whether the pier is durable enough to complete its mission, Singh said DOD is optimistic. "I think, unfortunately, we had a perfect storm of high sea states and ... this North African weather system also came in at the same time, creating not an optimal environment to operate the JLOTS," Singh said. "But we believe that given the time of year we will be able to re-anchor this pier; and it will be able to be operational; and, hopefully, weather conditions won't hinder it anymore." When further pressed as to whether the pier, which is budgeted at roughly $300 million, is worth the cost, Singh reiterated how much aid the pier was able to get into Gaza in just a short period of time. "... [I]t's pretty important for the people that are suffering right now that are in a dire humanitarian situation to get whatever aid they can, by whatever means," Singh said. "We want to do everything possible to help; and it is our forces our men and women who are running toward the problem and doing everything they can to find a solution." Centcom anticipates repairs to the pier to take approximately one week. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 28, 2024 By Jim Garamone, DOD News U.S., Angolan Defense Leaders Discuss Deepening Cooperation Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed Angolan Defense Minister Joao Ernesto dos Santos to the Pentagon today to continue talks begun when Austin visited the African nation in September. Austin said Angola is a U.S. strategic partner and a regional leader. He said the ties between the two nations are growing deeper and have tremendous potential. The outreach to African nations follows the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which was hosted by President Joe Biden in 2022. At the summit, the president said, "Africa's success is the world's success." Since that meeting, the United States has continued high-level dialogue with African partners to advance the goals the leaders agreed upon. Austin became the first defense secretary to visit Angola. "I traveled to Angola because of the importance of our defense partnership," he said at the meeting. "I'm proud of all that we've done together to deepen our partnership, from maritime security to peacekeeping to defense policy and more." The military-to-military relationship between the two nations has the potential to grow, Austin said, and he specifically talked about strengthening cooperation in cybersecurity, as well as Angola's potential participation in the Defense Department's National Guard's State Partnership Program. "We're eager to work together to seize this historic opportunity to promote peace, security and responsible rules-based governance," Austin said. "And the Department of Defense looks forward to continue the cooperation with Angola as you restructure and modernize your armed forces." Angola is a leader among the nations of the continent. "The geostrategic and the geopolitical space in which Angola is inserted requires special attention due to the deep historical, geographical, economic and cultural complexities of the community," dos Santos told the secretary through a translator. "The Republic of Angola is ... focused on an agenda of conflict prevention and resolution by peaceful means in interstate dialogue." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security and Defence: EU and Norway sign new partnership European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.05.2024 EEAS Press Team On 28 May, the EU and Norway signed a Security and Defence Partnership. The declaration was signed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on behalf of the European Union and by the Norwegian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence. The new Security and Defence Partnership reflects the strong bilateral relations between the EU and Norway, its most closely associated partner. The partnership takes EU-Norway relations to the next level, contributing to collective security benefitting both Norwegian and EU citizens. It covers existing areas of cooperation such as our common continued support to Ukraine, Norway's participation in EU CSDP missions and operations, and its involvement in EU defence initiatives. It also boosts our practical cooperation in areas like maritime security, cyber security and fighting foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation and introduces new consultations on peace mediation. The partnership also identifies new opportunities for joint actions, for example on the resilience of critical infrastructure and the protection of underwater infrastructure. It also fosters cooperation on the ground between EU Delegations and Norwegian Embassies. Background The EU is enhancing its partnership toolkit on security and defence through new Security and Defence Partnerships with selected bilateral partners. The development of tailored and mutually beneficial partnerships is a key pillar of the EU security and defence work, as highlighted in the EU Strategic Compass. This new instrument builds on our longstanding partnerships. It is a tailored non-binding political framework of cooperation for selected partners, and it structures our broad and deepening relations across the full spectrum of peace, security and defence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Affairs Council: Press remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell upon arrival European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.05.2024 Brussels Press and information team of the Delegation to UKRAINE Check against delivery! Good morning. These are being intense days, with the discussion on the Middle East. You know that yesterday, we had several meetings to discuss that. First, the [Ministerial International Partners Meeting on Palestine] called by the Norwegian Minister [Espen Barth Eide], and after [a second meeting, co-organised by Saudi Arabia that was] the continuation of the discussions in Riyadh. This morning, we will receive five Arab partners. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs plus the Secretary-General of the Arab League will join the Foreign Affairs Council to continue discussing about Gaza and the Middle East. We will hear their vision on how to support Palestine and the Palestinian Authority, and how to revitalise the political process. A lot of things have happened in the last days, in particular: the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sending to the Court warrants against [Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin] Netanyahu and [the Defence Minister of Israel, Yoav] Galant, and three leaders from Hamas. That is an important decision from the Prosecutor, and I want to say that we have to respect the work of the International Criminal Court. We have to respect the work of this institution and let the Court - without intimidation - decide what they think about this initiative of the Prosecutor. Unhappily, that is not the case. The Prosecutor and the Court have been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism - as always when anybody, anyone does something that Netanyahu's government does not like. I think that the accusations of antisemitism against the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court are completely not acceptable. The word "antisemitic" is too heavy. It is too important, in order to use it in these occasions. Then there is the still more important ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the core of the international justice in order to act above the national level. It is at the core of the United Nations Charter. And here, again, we have to express not only respect but ask for the implementation of the decisions of the Court. And unhappily, what we have seen in the immediate hours, is that Israel continues the military action, that it has been asked to stop. Also, Hamas is launching rockets against Israel. So, both sides do not respect the ruling of the Court. This morning, unhappily, more than 30 people have been killed in a refugees' camp, in an attack. This is really a dilemma: how can the international community make "implementable", can enforce the implementation of the decisions of the International Court of Justice? I suppose that today, we are going to discuss about it. Certainly, we will listen to the Arab partners. The Member States also will discuss about how to support the implementation of the Two-state solution, and more urgently, how to deal with the situation in Gaza - from a humanitarian point of view and from the point of view of the implementation of this ruling of the ICJ. From my side, I will put on the table a proposal to relaunch our civilian border assistance mission EUBAM Rafah, if it is useful. We have been asked to do that. If we could, we will do it - but taking into account that everything has to be in the direction of having the Palestinian Authority to take responsibility on Gaza. And then, on Ukraine. In Ukraine, the situation is also very dire on the frontline. Russia also escalates the bombings of Ukrainian civilian targets and population. The death number is increasing on both fronts. The number of people being killed by military action is increasing - if you could say that this is "a military action" to bomb a supermarket and to bomb civilian infrastructure when they are full of civilians. The attack on the [DIY] hardware store in Kharkiv on Saturday is another example of war crimes and Russian atrocities. But we have to use the same approach, and to consider on the same basis, what is happening in one war and in the other. That is why, I called the Foreign Affairs Ministers of some Arab countries to discuss with us. Then, Georgia. This will be the first moment in which the Ministers will assess the situation in Georgia. It is clear that the government is derailing from the European track, and [EU Foreign] Ministers will have to decide what to do. Do not forget about the situation in Syria. After the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, we will have the annual [Brussels] Conference on "[Supporting] the future of Syria and the region". We will use the presence of so many Ministers from Europe, and Arab [Ministers], here in Brussels to hold this Conference at the highest level and increase our commitment to the Syrian people and the countries that have been affected by the Syrian crisis and are hosting the Syrian refugees. So, an intense - almost dramatic - moment in both frontlines. Let's see what the Ministers can discuss and decide about how the European Union can react with respect to the crisis in Ukraine, in the Middle East and Georgia. Q&A Q. Are you going to suggest the Preparatory Peace Conference, to convene it soon, after this morning talking to the Arab countries? [On EUBAM Rafah,] I expect the political discussion today to shed light about how we can implement this mission. But it is not only us who have to decide - the Egyptians, the Palestinians, the Israelis. We have been asked to [re]activate this mission, which is still there, but we need to increase the number of staff and we need to have an agreement with everybody involved. We will not go there without a strong commitment from the Palestinian Authority. And yes, yesterday it was said that an international conference has to take place, in order to push for the implementation of the Two-state solution. Because everybody says that we need a Two-State solution but in the end, while people say that the settlers are occupying more and more land in the West Bank, the violence continues, and the Two-State solution looks every day more difficult to reach. So, we should start talking about it and start doing something. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is certainly the priority, but the political solution - if we want to really obtain this solution, we have to engage more on that. The Arab [partners] have proposals, we want to listen to them. You know that this is an issue on which the EU Member States have different approaches. Let's see what we can do together with the Arab [partners] and other members of the international community. Q. When do you expect a decision on EUBAM in Rafah? Today, we can have a political decision and then, it will have to be implemented technically. Q. On Georgia, what is on the table? Which are the proposals? The point about Georgia is not a full point on the agenda. It is a first assessment of the situation at the level of Ministers. Q. You said that Israel has to uphold the ruling of the International Court [of Justice], but how will you make sure that Israel will uphold this? Well, we do not have magic powers, but the important thing is what is the position of the Member States of the European Union with respect to the implementation of this ruling of the Court. Everybody agrees that the rulings of the International Court of Justice are binding, and they have to be implemented. Let's see what do we think about it and how we - the Member States - want to react. I cannot tell [you] before the meeting what is going to happen in the meeting. Q. Do you expect any sanctions regarding Georgia today, and not only an assessment? I said about Georgia [that] it is a first assessment of the situation. It is a first assessment of the situation at the level of Ministers. Q. On the European Peace Facility, how do want to convince Hungary to agree to the disbursement of the eighth tranche? It is not something which is on the agenda today. We will discuss tomorrow at the level of the Defence Ministers. Q. Today, there will also be the Foreign Minister of Iraq [Fuad Hussein]. How can you do something about the refugees, because right now, more than 1 million refugees from Syria and other countries are in Iraq. This will be discussed today at the Syria Conference. I hope that the donors will be providing resources also for the countries who are hosting these refugees, in particular [also] Iraq. Q. Do you expect a discussion on the recognition of the state of Palestine? It will be part of the discussion. Obviously, it will be part of the discussion. This is one of the things that has happened those [last] days. Some Member States have decided to recognise the State of Palestine, others not. Others are still in the process of thinking about it. There are divergences of points of views about [whether it] is the right moment, or not. Some decided yes, the others decided [it was] not. We will share the point of views of the different Member States. Q. What is your personal opinion? It does not matter. Q. A few months ago, you said that you are working directly for the peace process in the Middle East. Now, after months, the situation is even harder and harder. Can you explain to us why did we arrive to this point, and how can we get [out of it]? That is what the Ministers will be discussing today. I cannot tell you what is happening in the meeting before the meeting takes place, [only] after. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-257375 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Affairs Council (Defence): Press remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell upon arrival European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.05.2024 Brussels, Belgium Strategic Communications Check against delivery! Good morning, We had important discussions about Ukraine yesterday at the Foreign Affairs Council. Today, we will continue [with] the Defence Ministers. Together with the Defence Ministers, we will receive a visit from Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, who has been doing important announcements in the last days. Also, we will get in touch with Minister [Rustem] Umerov, Defence Minister of Ukraine. You know that the situation on the battlefield is reaching a critical stage. It is not a secret. Russia has opened a new front in the North and fighting, trying to advance towards Kharkiv. At the same, [they are] bombing systematically civilian targets - not only in Kharkiv, but also in the direction of Kyiv. This situation makes our military assistance [even] more important. Crucial. Critical. It can make the difference. That is why today, with the Defence Ministers, we will see how we push [to] overcome all the difficulties that prevent us from mobilising fully and quicker the resources of the European Peace Facility (EPF). We have seven legal acts, pending approval to mobilise about 6.6 billion - apart from the revenues coming from the frozen assets.. For that, we have not [yet] discussed the legal acts, [which] could make us ready to use these funds once we get [them]. But the funds we already have. There are seven legal acts that [are] still pending to be approved. Everybody knows what Ukraine needs. Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs [of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba], and I suppose today Minister [Rustem] Umerov will remind us [of] which are the critical needs for the Ukrainians. So, we have to provide them. We have the resources - that is the sad thing. We have the cash. We have the capacity, but we are still pending decisions to implement the recently approved Ukraine Assistance Fund. On the other [hand], to have a strong capacity to support Ukraine, we need a stronger defence industry. On that, we are working for the European Council [meeting] in June where proposals to finance the European defence will be presented. In the meantime, we had the EU-Ukraine Defence Industries Forum at the beginning of May, and we continue working to open the Innovation [Office] in Kyiv. I think the important thing is to put the basis for a better funding of the European defence development. We need more private funding and more public funding. We are exploring with the [European] Commission the possibilities and the ways to increase this capacity. Now, everybody agrees on that. Some months ago, when I presented the Strategic Compass, it was not so clear the will to invest and to push at all levels to increase our defence capacity. Today, it is obvious, it is clear. It will be the big issue [of] the European politics in the coming months. Before the Council [for Ministers of Defence], we will celebrate 20 years of the European Defence Agency. I will chair the board of the Defency Agency - 20 years [old]. The Ministers will approve a new strategic approach for the Agency's work for the next 5 years. It [will give] the Agency more strength, more capacity, [and] more ambitious targets. The Agency has been doing a very important job that was silent until the war, until the Versailles meeting. Nobody was paying very much attention to the annual report of the Agency warning about the gaps, the defaults [in] the European capacity to defend [itself] because of the multiplication of armies' capacities - diversity, fragmentation, not enough funding. The Agency has been saying that in the last 10 years. I hope that now with this new strategic approach, the [European] Defence Agency will be taken much more into consideration when we go to the defence problems in Europe. Q&A Q. Do you know why Hungary is blocking the disbursement of the European Peace Facility? Well, they have concerns which are not related exactly to the defence issue, about the way the Hungarian firms have been dealing with problems with Ukraine. Also, the way Ukraine is dealing with the Hungarian minorities on its territories. We are doing our best to solve these problems. But they have nothing to do with defence - it is a matter of defending their national interest. Everybody defends its national interest. They have the right to do so, but there has to be a certain proportionality in the way you defend your national interest and the consequences of the decision that you are blocking. Q. Greece and Poland suggested a European air defence shield financed by an EU program. What do you think about this initiative? Everything that is being done in a community approach, I am much in favour. In fact, it is my role as High Representative [Foreign Affairs and Security Policy]. My role is to build a common defence policy. What is a common defence policy? It is putting in common initiatives to increase the defence capacities. And this is being done by the proposals from the Member States or from my own proposals. So, I welcome that Member States say that to defend our airspace, why should we look at that in a fragmented manner? "This is my airspace; this is your airspace." Internal market is something that belongs to the Member States - all of them, together. Why not an "internal airspace"? Why not consider the airspace of the EU Member States as a unique airspace? You cannot say to a rocket: "Oh no, you are entering the airspace of the Czech Republic. Now, you are entering the airspace of Italy." The airspace of Europe is the airspace of Europe. So, to protect it in a community manner, perfect. But the devil is in the details. Then, we start thinking: where will these air defences be put? At the border - which border? With which capacities? With which funding? You know that the EU budget cannot buy arms. At least it has been, until now, the agreed doctrine. Until now, this was the doctrine, and I think it is the right interpretation of our Treaty. That is why we invented the European Peace Facility, to have an "off-budget" - something which is not part of the budget, not submitted to constraints. Not under the control of the [European] Court of Justice, not being voted by the [European] Parliament. Just a ''pot'' created by Member States. If Member States want to create a tool to develop a common air defence, it would be fantastic. The Ministers of Defence should talk about it today. I am sure they will. We can create perfectly a specific fund - a governmental fund - to, all together, create a common defence capacity. Do it inside the European Peace Facility, or do it wherever you want. They have the capacity of doing that, they have done it. I will open the door to discussions today about this. Q. Did you get briefed yesterday - or will you get briefed - on the sabotage and arson attacks that are taking place across Europe? Arson attacks [on] shopping centres, warehouses that are put on fire, with a suggestion that Russia may be behind them. I cannot say what I do not know. Maybe, yes, maybe not. I cannot blame someone without having strong evidence. Q. Do you have any concerns that the delivery of weapons from the Czech initiative, and from America, is slower than expected? Well, the Czech President [Petr Pavel] recognised the other day that, certainly, it is slower than expected. You know, unhappily, everything is slower than expected. The initiative was announced [at] the end of February, at the Munich [Security] Conference. We are at the end of May - it means three months. For the time being, we are talking about 80,000 (correction - around 46,000) [rounds of] ammunitions that could reach the battlefield by the end of June. It shows that between the 'saying' and the 'doing', all of us, we face some difficulties. In any case, this initiative should be able to complement others in order to give more ammunition to Ukraine. Everything that could do that is good. But sometimes, we anticipate big figures [in the] short-term. In fact, the terms are longer because everything has [some] difficulty. Maybe Russia has been doing [what] they [can] to prevent this supply of ammunition [from] happening. Q. Are you in favour of setting new goals for the training mission to Ukraine? Could it be possible to train 100,000 troops until the end of the year? Well, the training mission [EUMAM Ukraine] has been very successful. [Over 50,000 soldiers have been trained]. It is a matter of resources. If Member States want to continue training Ukrainian troops, I will open the funding of the European Peace Facility. And certainly, if Ukraine wants to increase the conscription, wants to increase the number of troops - a soldier without training is useless. A soldier without training is just a matter of killing people without any kind of support to the fighting. And training becomes more and more complicated because it is not the classical war where you have to know the basics. This war is complicated. It requires electronic warfare. There is a lot of problems with mines. So, the soldiers have to be trained. The training of a soldier to participate in this war is a matter of weeks - it is longer than that. All Member States have been participating. Today, we will see if we are - I hope we will [be] - ready to increase the number. This is a matter of saving lives. You send a soldier to the front line without adequate training and [they] will be in a very dire situation. Then there is the issue of [whether] we allow the arms to be used to target out of the Ukrainian soil, as Jens Stoltenberg proposed the other day. Do we allow our arms to be used, further, in Russian territory? Well, some Member States have started deciding that - taking this constraint out. Another important thing to discuss today. Q. Is it necessary, from your view? Well, according [to] the law of war, it is perfectly possible. There is no contradiction. I could retaliate or I could fight against the one who fights against me from [their] territory. [The] risk of escalation, I am sure, will be put on the table by some. But you have to balance the risk of escalation and the need for Ukrainians to defend [themselves]. Certainly, you cannot go where the attacks are coming from. You are [in a] completely asymmetric situation. More and more it becomes crucial, because the attacks to Kyiv will come from the Russian territory. Q. Putin is offering peace negotiations, can this be taken seriously? Peace negotiations? Everybody is putting a lot of pressure on everybody for the June [Ukraine Peace] Conference [to] be a success. Russia is doing the same thing. They have called a meeting of the BRICS in Moscow to put pressure on them, [to] not go to the conference. If they do not want people going to the conference, it means that the conference is important. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-257874 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO's Logistics Committee discusses how to further strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defense posture NATO's top logistics body convened at NATO Headquarters in Brussels from May 21-22, 2024, to discuss the efficient movement of forces and equipment for effective deterrence and defense. By NATO Stuttgart, Germany May 28, 2024 The NATO Logistics Committee, NATO's principal high-level body dealing with logistics, met at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 21-22 May 2024. Allies' discussions focused on how to implement NATO's defence plans, which will ensure that NATO can continue to deter and defend by moving forces and equipment to the right place and at the right time. Effective logistics underpins credible deterrence and defence. This has always been true for military planning and operations, and it has been made even more clear in the current security context. Allied forces must continue to be fully enabled with all the logistics necessary to deter aggression against - and, if needed, to defend - every inch of NATO territory. In this context, NATO's National Logistics Directors discussed NATO's action plan on logistics, including the immediate measures required to support the Alliance's defence plans. The Logistics Committee will support the implementation of the action plan and ensure timely delivery of functional advice to the North Atlantic Council (NATO's decision-making body) and the NATO Military Authorities. Allies also discussed key lessons learned from exercise Steadfast Defender 2024. This is NATO's largest exercise in decades, with over 90,000 troops from all 32 NATO Allies participating. It has tested NATO's logistics network from the Arctic to the Alliance's southern flank, including the deployment of large-scale reinforcements from North America to Europe. The National Logistics Directors emphasised the importance of working with civil agencies and industry to deliver critical support to military forces at scale and speed. Allies' efforts to further improve their defence production capacity, including through the use of collective solutions and innovation, will ensure that NATO maintains its strategic advantage in logistics. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU allocates 201 million in humanitarian aid for Sahel and Africa's Lake Chad countries European Commission Press release 28 May 2024 Brussels The Commission is providing 201 million in EU humanitarian funding to address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. The announcement comes on the occasion of the Senior Officials Meeting on Sahel and Lake Chad, attended today by Commissioner Janez Lenarcic in Brussels. The funding will support food security and assistance for malnutrition, health care and protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter and education activities, as well as the transportation of humanitarian workers and supplies to remote and inaccessible locations. The EU humanitarian aid response will continue to focus on the countries and areas directly affected by ongoing insecurity and conflict, including West Africa's coastal countries already impacted by the spill-over from Central Sahel.The overall funding will support humanitarian projects in: - Burkina Faso (26.9 million); - Cameroon (21 million); - Chad (57.9 million, including the newly allocated 8.7 million in response to the consequences of the conflict in Sudan to the neighbouring countries and another 3.1 million to support an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation in the East, in addition to the initial 45.3 million announced by Commissioner Lenarcic during his visit to the country at the end of January 2024); - Mali (24 million); - Mauritania (5.7 million, including the reinforcement of 3 million allocated in January 2024 in response to the increasing number of Malian refugees in Mauritania); - Niger (24.6 million); - Nigeria (31.5 million). The funding also supports the response to epidemics and population movement, through the allocation of 2.4 million through the Emergency Toolbox, an instrument to assist in sudden-onset crises specifically dedicated to emergency response for vulnerable people outside the EU. Background The humanitarian situation faced by the population in the countries of Sahel and Lake Chad regions is alarming. More than 35 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2024 across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. This represents one in five people in the Central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger) countries. Despite this, this crisis remains largely underfunded: in 2023, humanitarian appeals for the three Central Sahel countries received only about one third of funds required. Insecurity and violence are the main causes of the humanitarian crisis, with multiple consequences in terms of protection of the people affected, but also on their food security, on forced displacement, or on the functioning of basic services. The food and nutrition crisis is one of the major negative consequences of the on-going armed conflicts. In the two regions, more than 46 million people are projected to be in food crisis between June and August 2024. The worrying trend is both on the scale of the food crisis and on its severity, with a 105% increase of the number of the population falling in food crisis, compared to the average over the last 5 years. Another worrying dimension of the humanitarian crisis is the number of people forced to flee their place of origin: the countries of Sahel and Lake Chad regions are now hosting more than 10 million internally displaced persons and refugees. The numerous attacks on civilians have led to increased forced displacement and also affects education. By March this year, more than 12 000 schools were closed due to insecurity, affecting more than 2.2 million children. The delivery of aid and the access to local populations in conflict-affected areas remain limited. Rules imposed by non-state armed groups and by regular armed forces often result in denial of access, restrictions in the movement of civilians, bureaucratic impediments, arbitrary detentions of humanitarian staff, abductions and other forms of retaliation. The humanitarian community is still present, but the humanitarian assistance provided is not sufficient to cover the needs and the capacity of humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving assistance is in some cases also hindered by national regulations. Needs will have to be addressed by both humanitarian aid and development assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China-Vietnam government delegations convene for border negotiations in Kunming Global Times By Global Times Published: May 29, 2024 02:32 AM Chinese and Vietnamese government delegations convened for border negotiations in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Tuesday. Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the representative of the National Boundary Commission under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the chief representatives' work meeting of the China-Vietnam Land Border Joint Committee. Relevant central and local departments from both countries also attended the meeting. The meeting was held in a friendly, candid and pragmatic atmosphere. Both sides conducted in-depth exchanges of views on commemorating the 25th anniversary of the delimitation of their territorial boundaries, a historic border treaty between the two countries that sends a clear message that neighboring countries can resolve disputes without external influence. They also discussed the celebration marking the 15th anniversary of the implementation of three legal documents on the land border signed between the two countries, as well as the construction of the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall, China's first cross-border tourism attraction. Broad consensus was reached on these issues. Both sides agreed to continue effectively utilizing the joint committee mechanism, carefully prepare for the 11th meeting of the joint committee, and further deepen border management and cooperation between the two countries, in a bid to ensure a clear and stable China-Vietnam border and the prosperity and peace of the border areas, properly manage border and maritime disputes, and make a positive contribution to building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future of strategic significance. The China-Vietnam Land Border Joint Committee was set up in 2009 to manage the border, land markers and border gates in accordance with relevant provisions of the China-Vietnam Land Border Demarcation Protocol. On November 18, 2009, the signing ceremony of China-Vietnam land board demarcation documents was held in Beijing, marking the completion of land border demarcation between China and Vietnam after 10 years of efforts of both countries. The two sides signed the China-Vietnam Land Border Demarcation Protocol and its appendix map, the China-Vietnam Land Border Management System Agreement and the China-Vietnam Land Border Port and Management System Agreement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel urged to end attack amid intl outcry over Rafah strike Global Times Calls for cease-fire grow as 3 countries formally recognize Palestinian state By GT staff reporters Published: May 28, 2024 08:45 PM China is seriously concerned about Israel's attack on Rafah and strongly urges Israel to listen to the international community's calls and stop the attacks, a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after an Israeli attack on a Rafah tent camp stirred another wave of international condemnation and rage. Chinese experts said Palestine's plight is laid bare by the latest attack from Israel, and such exposure may lead to more international support in the near future. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is expected to be discussed by foreign ministers from China and Arab countries during the upcoming ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing. Experts predicted that thanks to the high degree of trust from Arab countries toward China, China and these Arab countries will likely form a common proposal regarding the Palestine issue that can be promoted in the UN, to help promote cease-fire and alleviate the humanitarian disaster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a "tragic mistake" was made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people. There was another strike by Israel on Tuesday and it also caused civilian casualties in Rafah. The Xinhua News Agency reported that at least 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday in an Israeli bombardment of displaced persons' tents in the Al-Mawasi area in the west of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security and medical sources. China expresses serious concern over Israel's military operation in Rafah, Mao Ning, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday. Mao pointed out that the UN International Court of Justice has for the third time delivered the order for provisional measures on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and for the first time explicitly asked for ceasing the military offensive in relevant region. This reflects the world's consensus on and strong call for an urgent cease-fire, protection of civilians and deescalation of the humanitarian crisis. Relevant provisional measures should be effectively implemented as soon as possible. China opposes any action that violates international law, including international humanitarian law and asks all parties to protect civilians and civilian facilities, and strongly urges Israel to heed the call of the international community and stop the offensive on Rafah. The world needs to work together to deescalate and end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mao said. The strike only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its conflict with Hamas. "There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres posted on social media. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths pointed to the widespread warnings of civilian deaths that circulated ahead of Israel's incursion into Rafah, saying in a statement: "We've seen the consequences in last night's utterly unacceptable attack," AFP reported. The European Union's foreign policy chief said he was "horrified by news" of the strike, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged," and a United States National Security Council spokesperson said Israel "must take every precaution possible to protect civilians," media reported. Call for ending attacks Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday, despite an angry reaction from Israel following their announcement of the decision last week. The three European countries' move has been hailed by Chinese experts as representing an overdue correction of "a previously skewed balance," while bringing the Palestinian question, which had intentionally been obscured before, back to the center stage. Palestine's plight was laid bare by the latest round of conflicts with Israel, mainly due to Israel's attack on Rafah, Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Zhu noted that such exposure of Palestine's suffering will likely lead to more international support for Palestine in the near future. Israel is currently not only becoming increasingly isolated diplomatically, but also facing more and more consequences. This trend indicates that the moral and legal standards of the international community on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are becoming clearer, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times. Liu said in the recent round of conflict between Israel and Palestine, especially the military actions in Rafah, a greater humanitarian disaster is looming. In this situation, the international community's support and attitudes toward Palestine and condemnation against Israel's actions are becoming increasingly clear. Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Reuters reported. Against international trend, the Biden administration, however, is still assessing whether an Israeli strike that killed at least 45 displaced Palestinians at the tent camp in Rafah on Sunday is a violation of President Biden's "red line," Axios reported on Mondy, citing two US officials. As the world's largest superpower and leader of the Western camp, the US opposition to the elevation of Palestine's status and biased attitude on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will discount the effectiveness of other countries' effort of promoting two-State solution, Tian Wenlin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times. However, divergencies between Europe and the US on the Middle East issue are increasing, and even gradually drifting apart. The US continued support for Israel will eventually bind Washington together with Israel to bear the increasing international pressure, said Tian. Joint efforts From Tuesday to Saturday, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Tunisia's President Kais Saied, and the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay state visits to China and attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and foreign ministers from those Arab countries will continue to discuss the Palestine issue in depth, forming a common voice at the conference, Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li told a press briefing about the conference on Monday. Deng said the goal is to end the Gaza conflict as soon as possible, achieve peace, and promote the international community to implement the two-State solution with greater determination and concrete actions, ultimately achieving long-term stability in the Middle East. Currently, all parties within Palestine and Arab countries have high degree of trust toward China, Zhu Weilie, the director of the Middle East Studies Institute of the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times. During this conference, China and the Arab countries will seek to reach a basic consensus, and then form a common proposal regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that can be promoted in the UN Security Council. In light of the recent conflict, especially Israel's attack on Rafah, China and these Arab countries will both adhere to some traditional positions on the Palestine issue at this conference; and also propose specific new initiatives, especially regarding the current conflict, such as cease-fire, humanitarian assistance, to prevent a bigger humanitarian disaster, said Zhu. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Norway recognises Palestine today Government of Norway News story | Date: 28/05/2024 'For over 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates of a Palestinian state. Norway's recognition of Palestine as a state today represents a milestone in Norwegian-Palestinian relations,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. The Minister of Foreign Affairs presented a document with the formal recognition to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa at a meeting in Brussels on Sunday 26 May. 'It was important to be able to present a formal document to Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa in person. He greatly values Norway's engagement and our efforts to promote a two-state solution. Norway's recognition of Palestine as a state is a clear message of support to the moderate forces in both countries,' said Mr Eide. Mr Eide led two meetings in Brussels on 26 May where the crisis in Palestine and the need for a two-state solution were discussed. 'I am confident that the Palestinian Government will continue the challenging reform efforts and lay the foundation needed to govern in the West Bank and Gaza once a ceasefire is in place. During the meetings in Brussels this weekend, Prime Minister Mustafa presented his plans for reforming and strengthening the Palestinian Authority, and these were favourably received by the partner countries. It is regrettable that the Israeli Government is showing little willingness to engage constructively in the process. The international community must increase its political and economic support to Palestine and continue to work towards a two-state solution,' Mr Eide said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Elena Kadvany has been a reporter on the Chronicles Food & Wine team since 2021. She covers the ins and outs of the Bay Area food industry, from breaking news about the latest restaurant openings to investigative stories into wage theft and workers rights. In 2024, her food writing portfolio won second place in the Society for Features Journalism Excellence-in-Features awards. Previously, she covered restaurants and education for the Palo Alto Weekly; her work has also been published in Bon Appetit and the Guardian, and her reporting has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She can be reached at Elena.Kadvany@sfchronicle.com. Opening statement by Minister Eide at meeting on implementing the Two-State solution Government of Norway Speech/statement | Date: 28/05/2024 By Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide Opening statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Espen Barth Eide at meeting on 'Efforts to Implement the Two-State solution, including the question of recognition', Brussels, 26 May 2024. Very pleased to welcome you all to this meeting here in Brussels today, which I have the honour to host together with my dear friend His Royal Highness Prins Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and with EU High Representative and Vice-President Josep Borrell Fontelles. Today's meeting is a sequel to the meeting in Riyadh a month ago. A group of ministers came to see some of us Northern European ministers already back in December. What has emerged since then is an even more dramatic situation in Gaza, with the terrible loss of life, fear and starvation. It is a really serious situation. There is also a clear evolution into an increasingly detrimental situation in the West Bank. And people in Israel live in fear and shock after what happened on 7 October. What we have seen is the emergence of a spiral of violence, which, if it is allowed to continue, will take us from bad to even worse. We need to get out of this dire situation. Many of us were just a few hours ago in the international partners meeting with the Prime Minister of Palestine and most of the key donors. The Prime Minister will join us in a few minutes, but we heard a very credible and solid presentation of the extremely difficult situation for the Palestinian economy. The Palestinian Authority is financially very weak. Israel is undermining its banking stability by holding back money which pertains to Palestine. This is actually Palestinian money. I think we all came out of that meeting with a strong sense of, on the one hand, what has not yet happened in the West Bank, because of some kind of control in the attitudes of people. The way people have been behaving can easily move into a much worse situation than we are in. If we are not in trouble now, which I think we are, it will be real trouble. On the other hand, we have a new Palestinian government, 7 weeks old. They are presenting, in my view, and I think the view of most donors, credible and sincere plans for how to strengthen the capacity of delivering key services to the people, for necessary reforms, and also with ideas about how to govern in Gaza in the long run. So this was the meeting we just had. When I organized my own thoughts about the situation in Palestine and in the Middle East more broadly, I try to group the issues into three: Firstly, there is the issue of ceasefire, how do we stop the fighting, the dying, the killing, but also the rockets coming into Israel as we heard about even today. How can we stop the actual war and the deaths and the killing in Gaza. That's one cluster of issues which requires urgent attention of course, including the release of hostages. Secondly, there is another cluster of important issues relating to humanitarian support. Both humanitarian support right now while things are as they are, but also what can happen after a ceasefire. Together with Sameh Shoukry of Egypt and Ayman Safadi of Jordan, the UN Secretary General, and many others, we're also working on that set of issues. Thirdly, there is a set of issues pertaining to how to get to a credible political settlement, how to get to a two-state solution. If there is one piece of good news in this horrible situation, it's that the belief, the understanding, the recognition, that there is no credible alternative to a two-state solution, has grown. It has grown because new countries are taking that position. It has also grown because countries that did have that position but maybe did not do very much to promote it, are now more forthcoming and more willing to actually promote a two-state solution. A two-state solution requires a Palestinian state. There is already an Israeli state. But this is unfinished business actually for 76 years, at least since the Oslo Accords. Some of us; Spain, Ireland, and Norway, and I would in that context thank for the good cooperation with Ireland, but also remember that the Oslo process came out of the Madrid meeting of 1991. There was a link already then, trying to set this on the track to go to Oslo. Some of those countries who were quite active then are now thinking that we need to go beyond that. There are different views about that particular issue. But when we left each other those of us who were together in Riyadh three weeks ago, I used a metaphor which I will repeat, and I hope it's understandable. I think of a regional peace in the Middle East, a credible peaceful solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live peaceful lives in their own state and with each other. It is like a big puzzle and it is a puzzle where many of the pieces are known, or you can actually see what the puzzle will look like in the end, more or less. But there are some critical pieces that have not been laid, because I might have one and you might have one and a third party might have one and everybody has been waiting for somebody else to put that piece first. I think what we've seen working with our very close friends in the OIC-Arab group is that there are ideas that are not necessarily brand new, but they are put together in 2024 fashion. Some ideas about how we can actually have a combination of a series of different moves where there is something for everyone in it, and then these pieces at some point will have to be laid so that the puzzle is complete. I believe that we are either on the doorstep of some gradual improvement of the situation, by creating a new hope for the moderate forces in the region, in Palestine, and also in Israel; or we are looking into an abyss which is even darker and deeper than what we have seen even now. And I really believe that this is now. This choice has to happen now. That is what brings us together here. So I co-host this meeting again with my good friend His Highness Prince Faisal, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia. I will now turn over to him. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rafah massacres will speed up Israel's collapse: Nasrallah IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- The secretary general of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has strongly condemned the Israeli regime's new massacres in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the crimes will speed up the fall of the occupying entity. "The Zionist regime has informed the people of Rafah that certain areas are safe, but then moved to bomb them in those same areas," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Tuesday. "The crime of the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Gaza is indicative of the savagery, perfidy and cowardice of the occupying regime," he added. Israeli forces attacked another tent camp in western Rafah on Tuesday, killing at least 21 displaced Palestinians. The strike came two days after an Israeli airstrike set off a blaze in a tent camp in Rafah and killed dozens of Palestinians, including many children. Nasrallah said the horrific crimes by the Israeli regime must wake up the international community from their negligence. The Hezbollah chief stressed that the new massacres in Rafah have removed all the masks the occupying regime had put on its face to present itself as "civilized". "I see no future for this Nazi regime in the region," he said. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At least 20 killed in new Israeli strike on Rafah tent camp IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- A fresh Israeli strike on a tent camp in a designated humanitarian area in Gaza's southern city of Rafah have killed at least 20 displaced Palestinians. The Tuesday strike targeted al-Mawasi in western Rafah, an area where tents have been set up for the displaced, Palestinian media reported. Israeli authorities had previously told Palestinian civilians caught in its brutal attacks on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city bordering Egypt, to flee to the zone for safety. Gaza's Civil Defense said four tank shells hit a cluster of tents in al-Mawasi, killing 21 people, 12 of them women. The shelling came two days after an Israeli airstrike set off a blaze in a tent camp in western Rafah, killing at least 45 people and prompting global condemnation. The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Rafah following the Sunday massacre. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that more than 1 million Palestinians have fled Rafah since Israeli forces invaded the city three weeks ago. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A ship attacked in Red Sea off Yemen coast IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- A missile attack has damaged a ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, the private security firm Ambrey reported. The attack on Tuesday has reportedly caused the vessel to take on water. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike. The attack is said to have happened off the port city of Hodeida in the southern Red Sea, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links it to the Gulf of Aden. Ambrey said the vessel reported by radio of having sustained damage to the cargo hold and was taking on water. 9341**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli spy chief allegedly threatened ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- The former Director of Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, reportedly threatened the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a series of secret meetings aimed at pressuring her to abandon a war crimes investigation. The Guardian has revealed this information, shedding light on the covert actions of Mossad's former Director Yossi Cohen in his attempts to influence Fatou Bensouda, the former prosecutor of the ICC. The meetings between Yossi Cohen and Fatou Bensouda took place over several years prior to her decision to initiate a formal investigation into alleged war crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories. This investigation, which was launched in 2021, reached a climax last week when Karim Khan, Bensouda's successor, announced that an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being sought due to Israel's actions during the Gaza war. Israel's military and political establishment had long feared such an outcome in the ICC case, which dates back to 2015 when Bensouda initiated a preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine. The purpose of her inquiry was to assess the allegations of crimes committed by individuals in Gaza and the West Bank. The Zionist regime vehemently opposed Bensouda's decision, as it feared that Israeli citizens could face prosecution for their involvement in operations within Palestinian territories. The Israeli government openly expressed its opposition to the ICC and refused to recognize its authority, with some ministers going as far as promising to dismantle the court. Between 2019 and 2020, Mossad actively sought compromising information on Bensouda and even targeted her family members. The objective was either to compromise the prosecutor or recruit her as someone who would cooperate with Israel's demands. Sources confirm that Bensouda shared details of Yossi Cohen's attempts to sway her with a small group of senior ICC officials. Concerns about the increasingly persistent and threatening nature of Cohen's behavior led to these disclosures. It was alleged that Cohen told Bensouda, "You should help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family." Individuals briefed on Cohen's activities described his tactics against Bensouda as "despicable" and akin to "stalking". Mossad not only showed a keen interest in Bensouda's family, but also obtained transcripts of secret recordings of her husband. Israeli officials then attempted to use this material to discredit the prosecutor. These revelations form part of an upcoming investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine (an Israeli-Palestinian publication), and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, which aims to expose the covert decade-long "war" waged by multiple Israeli intelligence agencies against the ICC. The disclosure of Mossad's efforts to influence Bensouda coincides with the recent warning from the current chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. He emphasized that any attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence ICC officials will not be tolerated. According to legal experts and former ICC officials, the actions taken by Mossad to threaten or pressure Bensouda could potentially constitute offenses against the administration of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court. While an ICC spokesperson declined to comment on specific allegations, they acknowledged that the prosecutor's office had experienced "several forms of threats and communications that could be viewed as attempts to unduly influence its activities." Khan's decision to seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant last week was the first instance of the court taking action against leaders of a country closely allied with the US and Europe. The alleged crimes, including directing attacks on civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare, are connected to the eight-month war in Gaza. 3266**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah launches missile strike against Israeli military base IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has carried out a missile attack against an Israeli base in the northern parts of occupied Palestine. In a statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah announced that it targeted the Ramya military base located in the northern parts of the occupied territories, inflicting damage to it. As a result of the Lebanese resistance movement's retaliatory operations, some 930 buildings in 86 settlements of the Zionists have been damaged. The Zionist Army Radio announced that Hezbollah fired 90 rockets toward the northern areas of occupied Palestine since Monday morning. So far, tens of thousands of Zionists have left the settlements near the Lebanese borders out of fear of resistance attacks. 7129**4354 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Resistance drones target Israeli positions in occupied territories IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Iraq's Islamic Resistance and Lebanon's Hezbollah Movement have launched fresh drones toward Israeli military and other targets in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to the Palestinian Samaa news agency, the Iraqi Islamic Resistance in a statement announced that in support of the Gaza Strip, it attacked the military targets of the Zionist regime in the occupied port of Eilat with a drone on Monday night. It was the second such attack on Eilat in the past 24 hours. The umbrella group emphasized that it will continue its attacks on Zionist positions. Over the past seven months, the group has conducted hundreds of rocket and drone strikes on Israeli targets as well as those of the United States for supporting the regime's genocidal war on Gaza. Also on Monday night, Lebanon's Hezbollah Resistance Movement announced in a statement about a drone attack on the Zionist military base in northern occupied Palestine. According to a Palestine news agency, the Hezbollah statement said the strike was in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza and in response to the Zionist regime's attacks on southern Lebanon. The drone was said to hit newly established positions of Israel's Artillery Battalion in the east of Nahariya where Israeli officers and soldiers were present. Also, the Zionist Army Radio announced that Hezbollah fired 90 rockets toward the northern areas of occupied Palestine since Monday morning. So far, tens of thousands of Zionists have left the settlements near the Lebanese borders out of fear of resistance attacks. Meanwhile, news sources said that the Israeli military has carried out fresh airstrikes on areas in southern Lebanon. According to Al-Manar new channel, Israeli warplanes struck areas in the towns of Al-Khayam, Aita al-Shaab and Mis al Jabal. The Zionist army and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost on a daily basis since the regime launched its war on Gaza. Hezbollah has largely targeted Israeli military bases and surveillance systems but the Israeli regime targets residential areas in southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of civilians there. 4399 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zionist regime faces int'l condemnations over Rafah massacre IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- International reactions and condemnations keep pouring in over Sunday's massacre of displaced Palestinians by the Zionist regime in a refugee camp in the city of Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. Top EU diplomat: Attack on Rafah horrible According to IRNA's Tuesday morning report, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell wrote on his X media about Sunday's massacre of civilians in southern Gaza: "Horrified by news coming out of Rafah in Israeli strikes, killing dozens of displaced person, including small children. I condemn them in the strongest terms" Continuing his message, he expressed concern about the safety of civilians and reminded the recent rulings by the International Court of Justice that called Israel to immediately stop its invasion of Rafah and respect international human rights laws. "There is no safe place in Gaza. These attacks must stop immediately. ICJ [International Court of Justice] orders and IHL [international humanitarian law] must be respected by all parties," Borrell added in his post. More than 40 Palestinians, including women and children, were martyred and dozens of others were injured by the Zionist regime's attack on a refugee camp in Rafah on Sunday night. Germany: Strike on Rafah unbearable Germany, which has been a staunch supporter of Israel for decades also reacted angrily to the recent crime of the Zionists in Rafah, with the foreign ministry posting a message on X saying: "The images of charred bodies, including children, from the airstrike in Rafah are unbearable." The message adds: The exact circumstances must be clarified and an investigation by the Israeli army into the airstrike in Rafah must begin immediately. The civilian population must be better protected. According to IRNA, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also told reporters on Monday ahead of the European Union Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels that the ruling by the International Court of Justice that calls Israel to immediately stop its military attacks in Rafah is binding and should be respected. Belgium: War crimes must be stopped Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Petra De Souter said that she was horrified by the Zionist regime's air attack on the Rafah refugee camp. "Indiscriminately killing civilians, killing children, is against international law and severely violating the ICJ order to stop the Rafah invasion", she wrote on her X account on Monday night, adding that "We must bring these war crimes to a full stop". Turkiye: Zionist regime's ugly face revealed President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his statements denounced the killing of more Palestinians in Gaza. This massacre, which occurred after the order of the International Court of Justice to stop the attacks, "once again revealed the ugly face of terrorist Israel", IRNA cited the Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying on Monday night Netanyahu and those with him will not escape punishment and will meet the fate of Hitler and others, the Turkish president said. UN chief: Horror must stop United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, while condemning the recent Israeli attack on the Palestinian refugee camp in Rafah called for end to such crimes. "I condemn Israel's actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict", the UN chief wrote in a message on his X social media account, according to IRNA's Tuesday morning report. In continuation of this message, Guterres stated that "there is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop." UN rights chief: No safe place in Gaza Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement while that there is no safe zone in Gaza. According to IRNA's report from Al Jazeera on Tuesday morning, Volker Turk, while reacting to the latest crime committed by the Zionist regime, said that the images of the Rafah bombing show no obvious change in Israel's war methods. Sunday night's aerial attack on Rafah proved once again that there is no safe zone in the Gaza Strip, and we were horrified by the killing of Palestinians in the refugee camp in Rafah, he added. 4399 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zionist war cabinet agrees to stop Rafah invasion: Media IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Reports by several Israeli media outlets claim that the members of the Zionist regime's war cabinet have reached a consensus to stop the military incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah and rather focus on the prisoner exchange negotiations. According to the Palestinian Samaa news agency, Channel 12 of the Zionist regime said on Monday night that Israel's war cabinet and security institutions agreed to stop the Rafah offensive and give priority to the exchange of prisoners with the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas. According to the same report, the regime has also submitted its response to a ceasefire proposal to the mediators as part of efforts to resume negotiations, and the mediators are expected to deliver it to Hamas on Tuesday. The Israeli regime under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not issued any official statement yet on the halt to the ongoing deadly Rafah offensive or the resumption of peace talks. More than seven months have passed since the Zionist regime invaded the Gaza Strip and incessantly bombarded the besieged territory through air, sea and land. But several top Zionist officials and military personnel as well as media have acknowledged that the regime did not achieve anything other than crime, massacre, destruction, war crimes, violation of international laws, bombing of relief organizations and famine in the besieged strip. Meanwhile, some Zionist media sources said Netanyahu has been preparing to dissolve the war cabinet following Benny Gantz's warning to leave the cabinet. Earlier, Gantz had set a deadline for Netanyahu asking him to must define a new strategy by June 8th that will guarantee the return of captives and reduce the power of Hamas. He had warned that he would leave the war cabinet if Netanyahu did not meet the specified demands. 4399 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Our forces target US destroyers: Yemeni Army ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 28 May 2024 / 11:33 In support of the Palestinian people and response to the American-British aggression against Yemen, the naval forces and the missile forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out three joint operations, according to a statement read by the military spokesman General Yahya Saree. Tehran -ISNA- The first targeted the American ship (LAREGO DESERT) in the Indian Ocean. The second targeted the Israeli ship (MSC MECHELA) in the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the third targeted the ship (MINERVA LISA) in the Red Sea for violating the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine, based on his statement. "And with the help of Allah Almighty, the Air Force carried out two specific operations targeted two American military destroyers in the Red Sea, and the operations have successfully achieved their goals," he said. The Yemeni armed forces would continue to triumph over the oppression of the Palestinian people until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted, General Saree affirmed. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Bay Area has become a hotspot for influenza A viruses, with moderate to high increases in nearly all the regions wastewater facilities. But so far, there have been no confirmed cases of bird flu among cattle or people in California. Charlie Litchfield/AP An increase in flu viruses detected at wastewater treatment plants in California in recent weeks has sparked concern that the H5N1 bird flu may be spreading more rapidly than anticipated, potentially putting the states 1.7 million dairy cows at risk for infection. Health officials have observed multiple spikes in influenza A viruses, which include the H5N1 avian flu strain that has killed millions of birds worldwide and infected dozens of dairy cow herds across nine U.S. states. The Bay Area, in particular, is a hotspot for flu activity, according to data from approximately 700 sites published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all monitored facilities in the region show moderate to high increases in influenza A viruses. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While the presence of bird flu has not been confirmed, it remains a possibility. A spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health told the Chronicle that they are investigating the surge, which is not following human influenza trends, as it is not reflected in general population illness reports. Normally, the circulation of influenza A the type that more commonly causes flu in adults diminishes significantly after the peak of the winter flu season. However, the current increase suggests otherwise. Though the avian flu poses minimal risk to humans, its spread among livestock could disrupt food supplies and potentially lead to a pandemic if it mutates to enable human-to-human transmission. As of now, no cases of infected herds have been reported in California, the leading milk-producing state in the U.S., with around 1,300 dairy farms. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The CDPH is collaborating with the CDC, local health departments, and wastewater utilities to investigate these increases, including testing specifically for evidence of H5N1 in multiple sewer sheds throughout the state, the agency said. Thus far, no human cases of H5N1 infection have been detected in California. While existing wastewater monitoring methods can detect the presence of influenza A viruses, they cannot identify their specific subtype. This limitation means that while they can detect avian influenza H5N1 viruses, they cannot distinguish them from other subtypes of influenza A viruses. Although avian flu viruses typically do not infect humans, there have been documented cases of human infection. According to the World Health Organization, between 2003 and 2024, there were 889 reported cases of avian flu globally, with a mortality rate of approximately 50%. Whether there were additional asymptomatic infections during this period remains uncertain. Individuals who work on dairy and poultry farms face a higher risk of infection due to direct contact with chickens and dairy cattle. While avian flu has been detected in various mammalian species, including sea lions, cows are of particular concern due to their frequent contact with humans and their significance in the food supply chain. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The exact mode of transmission of avian flu to or among cattle is not fully understood. It could occur through infected feces, including when feces are aerosolized in dust. Additionally, there have been reported cases of cats becoming infected after consuming raw milk from sick cows. The current strain of avian flu emerged among birds in 2022 and was first detected in dairy cows in the United States in late March, marking the first known instance of bird flu viruses in cows. Since then, it has spread to 49 herds of dairy cattle across nine states: Texas, Michigan, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Ohio, according to the Department of Agriculture. There have been only three reported cases of avian flu infection in people in the United States. One case occurred in Colorado in 2022 and involved an individual who worked closely with infected poultry. The other two cases were more recent one in Texas in March and one last week in Michigan involving people employed at dairy farms. In the latest case, there was a notable change in the viruss genetic makeup that makes it more adaptable to mammalian hosts, according to an update from the CDC published Friday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In both earlier cases, the individuals experienced mild symptoms such as fatigue and conjunctivitis and eventually recovered. The third is too recent to know what symptoms the infected individual may experience. We continue to investigate and when we have something to report, we will let you know, the CDPH said. Chronicle staff writer Catherine Ho contributed to this report. Iraqi Resistance drones target Eilat once again ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 28 May 2024 / 11:33 The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced on Tuesday the carrying out of an attack targeting a vital Israeli target in occupied Umm al-Rashash [Eilat] in southern occupied Palestine. Tehran -ISNA- In a statement, the group said one-way drones were used in the operation, which took place on Monday. The Resistance emphasized that the operation came in response to the Israeli massacres against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, affirming that its fighters would continue to strike enemy strongholds. The Iraqi group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack on a vital site in the Port of Eilat on Friday evening. It had also launched on the same day a one-way drone toward the Israeli-occupied Haifa Port, an essential site that oversees the majority of the occupation's trade. A statement published then by the Resistance's Military media explained that the operation came in line with the second phase of operations, which sought to hinder the passage of goods to the Israeli regime. The Iraqi Resistance's attacks on Israeli sites have increased in frequency in the past few weeks, concurrently with the Israeli invasion of Rafah. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PM Netanyahu visited IDF Northern District Intelligence Branch base Israel - Prime Minister's Office Press Releases The 37th Government 28.05.2024 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited IDF Northern District Intelligence Branch base, together with Intelligence Branch Commander Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva and Unit 8200 Commander Brig.-Gen. Y. The Prime Minister was briefed on the intelligence picture and the threats in the northern sector. He also spoke with officers and soldiers serving at the base and heard from them about their service and their sense of making a contribution at this time, in which they are taking a direct and significant part in all aspects of the fighting - from assisting the forces taking part in operations to the decision-makers. Prime Minister Netanyahu then went to a post on the northern border where he met with Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit fighters. Golani Brigade Commander Col. Adi Ganon and Reconnaissance Unit Commander Lt.-Col. David Cohen briefed the Prime Minister on their operational activity in the sector, in the context of which they are fighting and thwarting Hezbollah terrorists on a daily basis by identifying them in the field. The Prime Minister also spoke with the fighters and was impressed by their desire to engage the enemy as well as their determination to restore the residents of the north to their homes. Prime Minister Netanyahu to the fighters [translated from Hebrew]: "I am here with the soldiers of the Golani Brigade and the Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit, a splendid unit that is fighting in Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, and now here on the northern border. They have lost friends but have an exceptional fighting spirit and marvelous achievements, together with their fellow soldiers. We are visiting here in the north the day after the Government passed a decision on a plan for NIS 3.5 billion in immediate aid for the residents of the north, for rebuilding the communities and for assisting them, and another NIS 3 billion in 45 days. Our hand is still extended afterwards because we are committed - in both the civilian and military spheres - to returning the residents safely to their communities and their homes. This commitment is one of the objectives of the war and we are not conceding it. I want to tell you that I am here together with you. I hear you and I see your determination. I see the fire in your eyes and I would tell the citizens of Israel: This is the iron wall of the State of Israel. Together with these amazing fighters and their friends, we will achieve this objective. Thank you very much. I salute you. The entire people of Israel salutes you. Well done." The Prime Minister was accompanied by his Chief-of-Staff, Tzachi Braverman, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi and his Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address It is in everyone's shared interest to strengthen the European defence industry, says Minister of National Defence L. Kasciunas Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2024-05-28 International cooperation Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasciunas attended the European Foreign Affairs Council (Defence), Brussels, which focused on strengthening European defense capabilities, defence cooperation and EU assistance to Ukraine. The meeting began with a Steering Board of EDA (European Defence Agency, responsible for assisting European member states to develop military capabilities and providing support to defence cooperation projects) which took stock of the Long Term Review update. "We must continue the dialogue with NATO, especially concerning classified information exchange, as well as to make good use of the Administrative Arrangement between EDA and Ukraine and to update it according to Ukraine's needs. I welcome the progress made in implementing capability development priorities and cooperation options that match our own national interests, primarily, air defence, drones and land force capability development," said Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasciunas. Minister underscored the importance of strengthening the European defence industrial base because it represented a shared interest of all members and would not only contribute to assistance to Ukraine but would also improve own defence capabilities. . EDA is involved in joint 155 mm ammunition acquisitions as requirement coordinator and in compounding the request. Currently Russia produces three times the amount of shells Europe and U.S are supplying Ukraine with. That is a strong call for decisions regarding the Ukraine Assistance Fund and the 8th assistance package under the European Peace Facility. Another important result is the agreement on the use of revenues generated by the frozen Russian assets. According to L. Kasciunas, it must be used to finance Ukraine's urgent needs: air defence systems, artillery ammunition, drones. Minister of National Defence also noted for the Foreign Affairs Council that Lithuania planned to sign an agreement with Ukraine on committing 0.25 percent of GDP for Ukraine's security and defence every year. The meeting also addressed the EU Innovation Office opening plans in in Kyiv to bridge EU start-ups and innovators with Ukraine's industry and armed forces. The office will transfer data on technological breakthroughs potentially meaningful in terms of battlefield developments and create opportunity for the Ukrainian defence industry to integrate with the European defence system. Minister L. Kasciunas met with Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Jana Cernochova in Brussels and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on procuring artillery ammunition to Ukraine. Lithuania has adhered to the Czech-led international initiative for ammunition procurement and contributed EUR 35 million. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Secretary General: Ukraine can count on NATO for the long haul NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 28 May. 2024 NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana chaired a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Tuesday (28 May 2024), urging Allies to dig deeper into their stocks and deliver more military aid to Ukraine. Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, updated Allies on the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine's most urgent needs. NATO Allies acknowledged the urgency of providing additional military support, and discussed plans to put support on a firmer and more enduring basis at the Washington Summit in July. Speaking at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia on Monday, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "I strongly believe that we need a firmer, stronger institutionalized structure for the support. Ad-hoc, short term, voluntary announcements are good, but in the long term, we need more predictable, stronger support for Ukraine." He added: "I hope that Allies can agree a multiyear financial pledge because the Ukrainians need more long-term knowledge, more predictability to plan and to invest, to ensure that they have the forces they need to defend against the Russian invaders, but also in the future to deter against future Russian aggression." Mr Geoana commended Ukraine's work in implementing the requirements of the adapted Annual National Programme, and Kyiv's progress in pursuing reforms, saying that these will bring Ukraine closer to its future in NATO. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Arab League's chief slams Israeli bombing on camp in Gaza's Rafah People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:44, May 28, 2024 CAIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (AL) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Monday criticized Israel for bombing tents for the displaced Palestinians in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. In a post published on social media platform X, Aboul-Gheit called the bombing, which took on Sunday, a "war crime" and urged "the international courts to bring those responsible to international justice." Meanwhile, Egypt also condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli forces' bombing of tents, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The bombing that left hundreds of casualties was a "blatant violation" of the International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention of 1949 over the protection of civilians during the time of war, the statement added. Egypt called on Israel to comply with its legal obligations as an occupying force and to implement the measures issued by the International Court of Justice for the immediate halt of military operations and any other measures in the Palestinian city of Rafah. On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired about eight rockets toward the tents in a newly established camp crowded with thousands of displaced people near the warehouses of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), leaving at least 40 people killed. Israel confirmed on Sunday that it launched the attack to kill two senior Hamas leaders. On Monday, Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, the IDF's chief prosecutor, acknowledged that the bombing of the Rafah camp was a "very grave" incident. "The details of the incident are still under an investigation, which we are committed to conducting to the fullest extent," Yerushalmi told a conference. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mideast countries, Islamic body condemn Israel's strikes on Rafah camp People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:03, May 28, 2024 CAIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Countries in the Middle East on Monday strongly condemned Israel's airstrike on tents housing displaced civilians in northwestern Rafah of the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians and injuries to numerous others. The Israeli airstrike targeted on Sunday evening the tents in a newly established camp for the displaced civilians in the southernmost Gazan city, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. Local security sources said the area was supposed to be safe based on the classification by the Israeli army. In response to the attack, Hamas has informed mediators that it will not participate in any negotiation for a ceasefire in Gaza or a prisoner exchange deal, a source in the movement said on Monday. The Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a strong-worded statement condemning the attack as a severe violation of international laws that would worsen the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave. It also expressed deep concern that the operation would complicate ongoing mediation efforts and hinder progress toward an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The ministry called on the Israeli authorities to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s decision to end military attacks on Rafah, urging the international community to take immediate action to prevent further atrocities and protect civilians. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the Israeli attack has led to another "horrendous" killing of Palestinian civilians, especially women and children. In a post on social media platform X, he said the strike was a flagrant instance of "war crimes" and "in conspicuous violation" of the ruling by the ICJ ordering Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah. Kanaani said whenever Israel faced "humiliating defeats" in the field, it would resort to committing such "insane war crimes" against Palestinian civilians. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called the deadly strike in Rafah a "massacre." The operation, which took place amid the ICJ's call for a halt to the attacks in Gaza, "once again exposed the bloody and treacherous nature of the terrorist state," he said on social media platform X. The Turkish leader also accused the Israeli government of resorting to further bloodshed in a desperate bid to extend its political tenure. "We will do everything in our power to hold these murderers accountable," he said. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said that "the attack was a crime against humanity and systemized state terrorism requiring accountability by international criminal law," according to WAFA. The OIC reiterated its call for the international community to assume its responsibilities in obliging Israel to implement the ICJ orders to immediately stop the Rafah offensive. The targeted displacement camp in Rafah is located near the warehouses of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said that an IDF aircraft, "using precise munitions based on precise intelligence ... struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating." The attack came hours after Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas armed wing, launched a large rocket barrage from Rafah towards the coastal city of Tel Aviv in central Israel for the first time in months. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel confirms "shooting incident" at Egyptian border People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:00, May 28, 2024 JERUSALEM, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed a "shooting incident" occurred "on the Egyptian border," after Israeli media reported an exchange of fire erupted between Israeli and Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah crossing on Monday. "A few hours ago there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, the [incident] is under investigation, and dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side," the IDF said. Israel's Jerusalem Post reported that an Egyptian soldier was killed in the exchange of fire, while the Israeli Channel 14 said there were no casualties. Israel's Maariv daily newspaper quoted sources in the IDF as saying that Egyptian soldiers fired first at Israeli soldiers, who returned fire. However, the Al Araby, a news outlet headquartered in Qatar, cited an Egyptian source as saying that the IDF started the fighting, Israeli Channel 13 reported earlier on Monday that an "unusual incident" occurred between the Israeli and Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah crossing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palestinian presidency says ready to work on reopening Rafah crossing People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:53, May 28, 2024 RAMALLAH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian presidency expressed on Monday its readiness to immediately work on reopening the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. In a statement carried by the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, the presidency said that the Palestinian side is ready to immediately work on reopening the Rafah crossing under the agreement signed for the management of crossings in 2005. It came in response to statements by the European Union (EU)'s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who announced earlier that the EU agreed to reactivate its border assistance mission in Rafah. Borrell said during a press conference in Brussels that the border mission's revival will require support from Egypt, Palestinians, and Israel. Borrell's statements came as the Rafah crossing, a main entry point for aid to Gaza, has been closed for nearly three weeks since Israeli forces took control of it from the Gazan side. The border assistance mission, deployed by the EU to Rafah in 2005, has suspended its operation since 2007 following the control of Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister Sikorski meets International Special Envoy for the Implementation of EU Sanctions David O'Sullivan Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland 28.05.2024 Today's talks focused on domestic initiatives to combat the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its aggression against Ukraine as well as on exchanging information on the latest ways in which third countries are circumventing sanctions. Also discussed were possible ways of strengthening the EU response to these actions. Minister Sikorski outlined steps taken by Poland to tighten the sanctions regime nationally at legislative, coordination, and operational levels. He also announced a step-up in sanctions-related cooperation during the forthcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, both with the Special Envoy for the Implementation of Sanctions and with the European Public Prosecutor's Office. For his part, David O'Sullivan discussed the conclusions of his recent trip to South-East Asia and presented an action plan for the coming months. The talks also provided an opportunity to discuss the emerging trade practices related to the circumvention of sanctions by third countries. The interlocutors agreed on the need to continue efforts to curb them, using existing national and EU mechanisms. The head of the Polish MFA declared his support for the Special Envoy's activities. He stressed that restricting Russia's access to goods of military significance precipitates its defeat in the war against Ukraine and works to restore peace in Europe. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US to suspend Gaza aid deliveries by sea after pier suffers damage: Report Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 6:35 PM The US military has suspended aid deliveries by sea to Gaza after bad weather damaged the temporary pier it had set up on the besieged territory's coast, US media reports say. NBC said in its report, which cited a United Nations official, that the US military was expected to make the announcement later on Tuesday. Bad weather and high tides caused significant damage to the freaky structure. The US military earlier said four army vessels supporting the Gaza pier mission were affected by heavy sea states. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two of the vessels were anchored on the beach near the pier and the other two were beached near Ashkelon in the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories. Videos have gone viral showing parts of US vessels and the pier itself floating in different areas. Last week, three US service members were injured during pier operations with two suffering minor injuries. The third trooper was medically evacuated to an Israeli hospital for further treatment and is in critical condition. President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier in what US officials said was a bid to "surge" assistance to the Palestinians. The construction of the $320-million floating pier was completed in mid-May to provide aid to the Gaza Strip. The structure had failed to have any meaningful impact on the Palestinian population in Gaza. The aid delivered had fallen significantly short of the requirements outlined by the United Nations. This has raised concerns among US lawmakers and critics, who question the project's effectiveness. The construction of the project was criticized as an attempt to distract attention from Israel's deliberate blockade of land crossings to Gaza and its using starvation as a weapon against 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the area. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Market Street near the McRoskey Airflex Mattress building is repaired in 1949. The building is part of the Market Street Masonry Landmark District. Joe Rosenthal/The Chronicle 1949 An initial artists depiction shows the proposed building at 1687 Market St. in San Francisco that would offer 100 units of affordable housing tailored for artists and their families. Artists Hub on Market/Mercy Housing Regarding Exclusive: S.F. nonprofits secure $100 million gift for affordable artist housing on Market Street (Real Estate, SFChronicle.com, May 10) and Is this affluent S.F. neighborhood downtowns new epicenter? (Real Estate, SFChronicle.com May 22): News that the historic McCroskey building on Market Street in San Francisco will be torn down and replaced with a generic glass and concrete complex for affordable housing was followed by a report that Jackson Square has become the citys hottest real estate market. There is no surprise here. People are attracted to San Francisco for its historic vintage buildings and human-scale neighborhoods. Replacing historic buildings with bland nondescript blocks will destroy what makes San Francisco unique. Why not use some of the empty office buildings downtown for housing? It must be cheaper to renovate them than to construct new buildings. If we need new buildings, there are plenty of nondescript buildings to tear down or parking lots and empty lots to use. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We should not destroy the distinctive charm that draws people to San Francisco. Do we want to become another Sunnyvale or San Jose with Hills? Jonathan Pritikin, Mill Valley Murals offend all Regarding S.F. artists pro-Palestine murals keep getting defaced. Heres why he continues to repaint them (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, May 27): In an otherwise diligently reported story, Connor Letourneau put an unfortunate positive spin on the Palestinian muralist who has painted a mural accusing Israel of genocide and painting an Israeli flag with a dollar sign. Jewish Americans are justifiably offended that someone would express these sentiments immediately after the terrorist killings and kidnappings of Oct. 7. But so are many non-Jewish Americans, a point missing in a story that repeatedly cited Jews as the only opponents of the painters work. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Katherine Ellison, San Anselmo Images worth discussing Regarding S.F. artists pro-Palestine murals keep getting defaced. Heres why he continues to repaint them (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, May 27): I am a Noe Valley resident and a Jew with family ties to Israel. I have often passed one of the murals discussed in the article and have found it disquieting but not objectionable. In particular, Jewish Community Relations Council CEO Tyler Gregory refers to the depiction of a falling bomb with a Jewish star and a dollar sign labeled made in the USA as evidence of antisemitism and blood libel. This symbol reflects that these bombs, made in the U.S. and funded by American tax dollars, are being dropped on civilians by Israel. I am not qualified to determine whether Israels actions are technically genocide. I do feel great sadness at Israels slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom were never supporters of Hamas and its terrorism. The collective punishment is contrary to the basic precepts of Judaism. It also seems more likely to radicalize Palestinians than it is to root out the last remnants of Hamas. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust; my European relatives and those of my schoolmates were slaughtered. Israels behavior has served to alienate world opinion, exposing Jews like me to more antisemitism. The murals might not be totally balanced, but it is an understandable response. It belongs in the public sphere. Marvin Feldman, San Francisco POW bracelets objectified Regarding I found a POW bracelet at an antiques shop. Heres what it taught me (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, May 27): POW/MIA bracelets are not fun little trinkets to be brandished on display by civilian antiques collectors who never knew the soldier, let alone never served in the military. This shows just how detached the veteran community is from the rest of the world we are forced to occupy. Advertisement Article continues below this ad About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies Paul Loya writes, I thought about how Van Renselaar should be remembered, displays a baffling level of aloofness and grandiosity as if it is somehow in his power to influence this soldiers legacy. Realizing that the bracelet wasnt really his is probably a genuine feeling, but one that should have registered the moment Loya laid eyes on this item so personal, it should have never been for sale in the first place. Israel's ex-Mossad chief 'threatened' ICC prosecutor over war crimes case Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 5:09 PM Former chief of the Israeli Mossad spy agency Yossi Cohen has "threatened" Fatou Bensouda, a chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), over a 2021 war crimes probe, pressuring her to drop the case, a report says. In a report on Tuesday, The Guardian said that Cohen engaged in "threats and intimidation" in a series of secret meetings with Bensouda, pressuring her into abandoning a war crimes investigation against the leaders of the occupying regime. The investigation culminated last week when Bensouda's successor, Karim Khan, announced that he was seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant over the regime's brutal war in the besieged Gaza Strip. Khan said he had "reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear "criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity." According to the British daily newspaper, Cohen covert contacts with Bensouda took place between 2017 and 2021, when the then chief ICC prosecutor finally launched the probe into war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Tel Aviv regime. Citing unnamed Israeli and ICC officials, the report added that Cohen, who served as the chief of Mossad from 2016 to 2021, had frequent and increasingly threatening communications with Bensouda during the said years that amounted to "stalking." Israeli sources told The Guardian that Cohen was allegedly approved "at a high level" to act as Netanyahu's "unofficial messenger" trying to compromise Bensouda or get her to comply with Tel Aviv's demands. "You should help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family," Cohen had allegedly told Bensouda, according to sources. Israel's barbarous campaign in Gaza began in early October. It has now driven virtually 80 percent of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. The regime's savagery has caused considerably vast destruction in towns and cities. Israel has also killed at least 36,050 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 7, 2023. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel attacks another tent camp as its tanks intrude into Rafah Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 4:35 PM The Israeli regime has carried out another attack on a tented camp in Rafah, killing at least 21 displaced Palestinians. The city is still reeling from the horrifying massacre of May 26 that fueled global outrage. Gaza health authorities said the strike on an evacuation area west of Rafah killed at least 21 people on Tuesday. At least 12 of the dead were women, according to medical officials. Meanwhile, the regime's tanks and armored vehicles reached the heart of Rafah, according to witnesses. Locals said Israel's tanks were "stationed on the Al-Awda roundabout in the center of the city of Rafah." A Palestinian security source confirmed tanks were in the center of Rafah a city deemed a "safe zone" for displaced Palestinians to flee to when the regime started its barbarous campaign in early October. The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas warned in a statement on Tuesday that the city "is being subjected to indiscriminate barbaric Zionist bombing, affecting homes and tents of displaced people in various parts of the city." The Palestinian resistance movement called on the UN Security Council "to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities in the face of the criminal Zionist entity's disregard" for the the International Court of Justice decision. The World Court on Friday ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah. Israel has come under intensifying pressure to halt the military offensive in Rafah. '72 displaced Palestinians killed' The Gaza Media Office said in a statement on Tuesday that the regime's military had killed 72 displaced people within 48 hours. "The occupation has a premeditated intention to continue committing more massacres against civilians and displaced people," it said. The Tuesday strike also came in an area where displaced civilians were sheltering in tents. Over the past three weeks, the regime's invasion of Rafah has sent nearly a million Palestinians fleeing the city across a wide area. Most have already been displaced multiple times so far. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 1 million Palestinians have fled Rafah in 3 weeks: UNRWA Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 3:34 PM The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says virtually one million people have fled the southern city of Rafah in the past three weeks. In a statement released on Tuesday, UNRWA said the flight from Rafah "happened with nowhere safe to go and amidst bombardments, lack of food and water, piles of waste and unsuitable living conditions." Providing assistance and protection is becoming nearly "impossible," the agency stated. The small city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip had been sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled Israeli assaults on other parts of the besieged Palestinian territory. Since early May, Israel's military has been carrying out a deadly offensive, which has targeted civilians and dismantle infrastructure in Rafah. It has told civilians to go to an "expanded humanitarian zone" some 20 kilometers away. Many Palestinians have complained they are vulnerable to Israeli attacks wherever they go and have been moving up and down the besieged strip in the past few months. The US-Israeli genocidal war continues for the 235th day, with the focus of the killing and destruction now on the southern city of Rafah. Israel's overnight strikes have killed at least 16 Palestinians over the past few hours. The new attacks came despite an International outcry over Israel's massacre of over 50 Palestinians who were taking shelter in tents and camps in Rafah. Residents said in Tal as-Sultan in western Rafah, the scene of Sunday's deadly strike, was still being heavily bombarded. "Tank shells are falling everywhere in [Tal as-Sultan]. Many families have fled their houses in western Rafah under fire throughout the night," one resident was quoted as saying. The southern city was considered a relatively safe area. Streets of other Gazan cities and towns are also strewn with rubble and burnt vehicles as a result of nearly eight months of a savage Israeli campaign of death and destruction. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spain, Ireland, Norway formally recognize State of Palestine Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 2:46 PM Spain, Ireland and Norway have recognized a Palestinian state, deepening the Israeli regime's isolation. In a coordinated attempt to exert added international pressure on the regime to stop its genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, the three major western European nations on Tuesday joined dozens of countries that have already recognized a Palestinian state. The joint declaration had already been announced the previous week. The trio is the first major Western powers to officially recognize Palestine. Spain, Ireland and Norway's recognition marks a significant accomplishment for the Palestinian nation, confirming the international legitimacy of the State of Palestine. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain said the move will bring peace to the region. "This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace." Sanchez told Spanish lawmakers last week that Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu was putting the so-called two-state solution in danger with his policy of "pain and destruction" in the besieged Gaza Strip. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the move as an important decision to keep up hope for peace. "This is an important moment and I think it sends a signal to the world that there are practical actions you can take as a country to help keep the hope and destination of a two-state solution alive at a time when others are trying to sadly bomb it into oblivion," Harris said at a cabinet meeting in Dublin to formally sign off on the decision. Norway's foreign minister said the European country has been supporting Palestinian statehood for three decades. "For more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates for a Palestinian state. Today, when Norway officially recognizes Palestine as a state, is a milestone in the relationship between Norway and Palestine," Espen Barth Eide said in a statement. The announcement by Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognize Palestinian statehood triggered an angry response from Israeli officials, summoning the countries' ambassadors. More than two-thirds of the United Nations, approximately 140 countries, already recognize a Palestinian state. Palestine's history exceeds thousands of years. It was recognized in ancient times as a Syrian and later Ottoman Empire province. Britain gained control of the region via the Palestine Mandate with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. It had been approved on July 22, 1922 at a private meeting of the Council of the League of Nations at St. James's Palace in London. On November 15, 1988, the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasser Arafat, declared "the State of Palestine in our land of Palestine, with [AL-Quds] Jerusalem as its capital." But the usurpers of the land of Palestine never retreated. The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023 against the usurping regime in retaliation for its intensified atrocities. Israel has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since that October day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's acting FM urges Muslim elite's pressure on Israel to end Gaza brutalities Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 11:15 AM Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has called upon scholars in the Muslim world to explore all available avenues and exert more pressure on the Israeli regime in order to stop its onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Bagheri Kani made the appeal during a meeting with former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in Tehran on Monday evening,. During the meeting, the Iranian diplomat pointed to the strategic changes and developments that have taken shape at regional and international levels following Operation al-Aqsa Storm launched by Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups on October 7 last year, and Operation True Promise, through which Iran made Israel pay the cost of the criminal attack against its embassy in the Syrian capital. On April 1, the Israeli regime carried out terrorist airstrikes on the consular section of Iran's embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed two IRGC generals, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, as well as five of their accompanying officers. In retaliation, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the occupied territories on April 13 with a barrage of missiles and drones. The retaliatory strikes, dubbed Operation True Promise, inflicted damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied Palestinian territories. Bagheri Kani underlined that prominent thinkers and elites of the Muslim world must play much greater role, and heap pressure on Israel and its sponsors, above all the United States, so that the occupying regime would stop its crimes and genocide in Palestinian territories. The acting Iranian foreign minister also emphasized the outstanding and undeniable role that late top Iranian anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani, late President Ebrahim Raeisi and late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian played in supporting the Axis Of Resistance, and reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran will unwaveringly continue the principled approach. The two sides also discussed a wide range of international and regional issues, including the crimes and genocide of the occupying regime in Palestine and the moral and human responsibilities of Muslim governments in this regard. Abdul-Mahdi visited Tehran to offer condolences on the passing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, who lost his life alongside seven others in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran on May 19. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Most cruel abomination': UN blasts Rafah carnage as EU weighs sanctions on Israel Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 7:44 AM The United Nations humanitarian chief has hit out at Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for claiming that the recent deadly aerial assault in the southern Gaza Strip was a "mistake," saying the carnage was possibly the "most cruel abomination." UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths made the remarks on Monday, one day after the Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced Palestinians in the city of Rafah and killed at least 50 people and wounded 200 others. Terrifying scenes of tents in flames and burned victims, many of whom were women and children, sparked an international outcry. However, Netanyahu called the air raid a "tragic mistake" and claimed that Israel was investigating the incident. "Whether the attack was a war crime or a "tragic mistake," for the people of Gaza, there is no debate. What happened last night was the latest - and possibly most cruel - abomination," Griffiths said in a statement. "To call it 'a mistake' is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives." The UN relief chief also pointed to the widespread warnings of a slaughter ahead of Israel's incursion into Rafah, saying, "We've seen the consequences in last night's utterly unacceptable attack." He further noted that no shelters, hospitals and so-called humanitarian zones are safe in Gaza. The Rafah carnage came two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to "immediately" halt its military offensive in Rafah. The occupying regime began a ground offensive in the overcrowded Palestinian city on May 7, defying calls from the international community, including the United States, not to proceed. Rafah, situated on Gaza's southern border with Egypt, is home to about a million displaced Palestinians who have fled from the rest of the besieged territory amid a genocidal Israeli war. EU ministers discuss anti-Israel sanctions Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, meanwhile, said the European Union has for the first time engaged in a "significant" discussion on sanctioning Israel over its Gaza onslaught. He said the imposition of EU sanctions was discussed as a possible measure to be taken if Israel does not comply with the ICJ's ruling to halt its attack on Rafah, Irish public broadcaster RTE reported. "Certainly, if compliance isn't forthcoming, then we have to consider all options," he added. Martin also said that a number of EU foreign ministers had raised the prospect of bans against Israeli officials who were aiding and abetting violent settlers in the occupied West Bank. Israel unleashed its US-backed war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a surprise operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 36,050 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 81,026 others. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 27: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 7:19 AM By Press TV Website Staff Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 36,100 Palestinians so far, 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 Monday, May 27, are as follows: AL-Qassam Brigades' operations on May 27: Bombed a gathering of Israeli forces at the Civil Administration site east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, using mortar shells. Targeted a special Israeli military force fortified in a home with a 107mm rocket east of the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Seized a spying drone east of the city of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Bombed a group of Israeli troops advancing east of the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip with mortar shells. Al-Aqsa Brigades' operations on May 27: Targeted an Israeli military Merkava tank with an RBG-85 shell, hitting it directly on the axis of advance in the Tabet Zari area, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Targeted a gathering of advancing Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles east of Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip with a barrage of heavy-caliber mortar shells. Al-Quds Brigades' operations on May 27: Targeted the "Enab" occupation checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem with a heavy barrage of bullets. Bombed a group of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles invading the vicinity of Salah Al-Din gate in southern Rafah with standard 60-caliber mortar shells. Mujahideen Brigades' operations on May 27: Targeted an Israeli military tank with an RPG shell in the Jabalia camp axis of advance, northern Gaza Strip. Bombed a gathering of Israeli forces stationed in the "Netzarim" axis south of Gaza City with a barrage of mortar shells. Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades' operations on May 27: Targeted a gathering of Israeli forces in the Saad Sayel barracks east of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza with several mortar shells. Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces' operations on May 27: Targeted the settlement of "Sderot" from the axis of advance in the north of the Gaza Strip with 107mm short-range rockets. Targeted an Israeli military Merkava tank with an RPG-85 shell in the Tabet Zari area east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Hezbollah's operations on May 27: Eastern sector: At around 8:25 local time, a military building in the Margaliot settlement was targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 12:25 local time, surveillance equipment at the Miskaf site was targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 12:40 local time, Israeli soldiers and Iron Dome platforms at the Beit Hilal base were targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 17:00 local time, Israeli soldiers in the Metulla settlement were targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 18:30 local time, Kiryat Shmona was targeted with dozens of Katyusha and Falaq rockets. At around 18:15 local time, the Al-Samaqa site in Lebanon's Kafr Shuba was targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 18:15 local time, the Zibdin barracks in Lebanon's Shebaa were targeted with appropriate weapons. Western sector: At around 23:30 local time, Israeli soldiers at the Al-Malikiyah site were targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 8:30 local time, the Al-Malikiyah site was targeted with guided missiles, artillery shells, and drones. At around 16:50 local time, the settlements of Meron, Safsofa, and Tasfa'un were targeted with Katyusha rockets. At around 21:30 local time, the 411th Artillery Battalion, east of Nahariya was targeted with a barrage of drones. Yemeni military's operations on May 27: Targeted the American ship LAREGO DESERT in the Indian Ocean with naval missiles. Targeted the Israeli ship MSC MECHELA in the Indian Ocean with naval missiles Targegetd the ship MINERVA LISA in the Red Sea for violating the decision to ban entry to the ports of occupied Palestine. Islamic Resistance in Iraq's operations on May 27: Targeted a vital military site in the occupied "Eilat" (Umm al-Rashrash)" with a barrage of drones. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi resistance strikes vital Israeli target, military sites in Eilat Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 6:48 AM The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched two separate drone strikes against a strategic target and military installations in the southernmost part of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories, in support of Palestinians amid the Tel Aviv regime's onslaught against Gaza. The resistance group, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, in a statement published on its Telegram channel on Tuesday, claimed responsibility for the attack on the "vital" site in the Port of Eilat on Monday morning. It said the drone strike was carried out in continuation of the struggle against the occupying Israeli regime, in support of Palestinians in Gaza, and in retaliation for the massacres that the usurping Zionist entity is perpetrating against women, children and elderly people in the besieged territory. The group noted that it will continue to target and destroy important installations across the occupied lands. Earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced in a statement that it had employed three kamikaze drones to strike military targets in Eilat. The coalition has been staging many such attacks on Israeli targets since the occupying regime launched a genocidal war on Gaza in early October. Israel waged the atrocious onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship after Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7. At least 36,050 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, and another 81,026 individuals have sustained injuries. More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during the war as well. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cambodia, China 'rescue hostages' at the end of joint naval drills 14 warships including 3 from China took part in the naval stage of annual Golden Dragon exercise. By RFA Staff 2024.05.28 -- The Cambodian and Chinese navies have wrapped up their largest joint drills to date in the Gulf of Thailand which included a mock hostage rescue, Cambodia's defense ministry said. This is the first time the two militaries held naval drills on the high seas as part of the annual Golden Dragon exercise, the ministry said in a statement. Fourteen vessels, including three from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) took part in the exercise. The Chinese ships were the landing dock Qilianshan (Hull 985) and two corvettes - Bazhong (625) and Wenshan (623) - which have been in Cambodia since December, 2023. During the naval section of Golden Dragon 2024, Chinese and Cambodian ships conducted a formation movement training session and sessions on ship communication, damage control and battlefield medical care. For the first time, they also practiced an operation to "rescue hostages from a cargo ship kidnapped by a terrorist group" in the waters around Koh Tang and Koh Rong Sanloem, islands in Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province. The Chinese defense ministry said the joint exercise helped hone the troops' military skills and enhanced their coordination and cooperation. The land section of the exercise continues in the province of Kampong Chhnang until May 30. This year is the sixth iteration of the Golden Dragon joint exercise between China and Cambodia and is also the largest with more than 1,300 Cambodian troops and more than 700 Chinese personnel. The two countries have been holding the annual exercise since 2016, the same year Cambodia held its last joint military drills with the United States. The annual U.S.-Cambodia drills Angkor Sentinel began in 2010 but Cambodia called them off in 2017, citing domestic reasons, and they have not been held since. The suspension of exercises with U.S. forces came as Cambodia built closer ties with China. 'Inseparable relationship' Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen on Monday, describing relations with China, said the two countries were "inseparable." The former prime minister, who has retained much political power, said during a meeting with outgoing Chinese ambassador Wang Wentian that bilateral relations had grown to an "inseparable level with mutual trust," according to a release from the ruling Cambodian People's Party. Hun Sen reassured the ambassador that even though he was no longer prime minister, his son had succeeded him and Cambodia's stance on relations with China will not change. Hun Manet took over as prime minister in 2023. "China's assistance to Cambodia not only helps socio-economic development but also strengthens Cambodia's political independence," the Senate president said. For his part, ambassador Wang was quoted as saying that China and Cambodia were "old and ironclad friends." Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok Chenda Sophea has just visited Beijing where he met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. China is Cambodia's biggest source of investment and is involved in numerous development projects, including the planned Funan Techo canal that connects Phnom Penh with the Gulf of Thailand. The project is expected to be launched later this year and will cost an estimated US$1.7 billion. 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 cracks down on Tibetans during holy month Authorities are preventing worshipers from visiting temples and performing religious rites. By Pelbar and Sonam Lhamo for RFA Tibetan 2024.05.28 -- Chinese authorities have instructed Tibetan students, government workers and retirees to refrain from engaging in religious activities in Tibet's capital Lhasa during the Buddhist holy month of Saga Dawa, four sources said. The Saga Dawa festival occurs during the fourth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar and runs from May 9 to June 6 this year. For Tibetan Buddhists, it marks the period of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana the state entered after death by someone who has attained nirvana during their lifetime. During the holy month, thousands of religious pilgrims visit temples and walk sacred kora routes around Lingkhor and Barkhor streets in Lhasa, encircling the revered Jokhang Temple. The ritual kora making a circumambulation around sacred sites or objects as part of a pilgrimage holds immense significance for Tibetan Buddhists who believe that virtuous deeds performed during Saga Dawa are magnified based on their location. A video obtained by Radio Free Asia showed heavy police presence surrounding the Barkhor area the heart of the capital with its famed pilgrimage circuit on May 22, the eve of the 15th day of the fourth month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, considered one of the holiest days during Saga Dawa. Since the start of Saga Dawa, Chinese police have tightened security around key religious sites, including Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and the Barkhor area, the sources told RFA. The measures illustrate the deterioration of religious freedom in Tibet under the Chinese government's suppression and Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism a policy that seeks to bring the religion under the control of the Chinese Communist Party. Police everywhere While devotees were seen on pilgrimage on the other days of Saga Dawa, the 15th day on May 23 saw heightened restrictions, with police stationed along the pathways leading to the Sera, Gandhen and Drepung monasteries, said the sources who declined to be named out of fear of retribution by authorities. "There isn't any place where you don't see police and interrogation stations," one of the sources told RFA. The Chinese government has increased the number of police checkpoints in and around Lhasa, and authorities have been interrogating Tibetans spontaneously, the person said. Individuals who do not have a shenfenzhang, or Chinese resident identity card, are prohibited from visiting temples, leading to the heightened restrictions now in effect, said a second source. "During our visits to circumambulate the holy sites, Chinese police regularly inspect everyone's identity cards and engage in arguments," said a third source. "Having to engage in disputes with the Chinese police takes an emotional toll on us, and this is one of the reasons why many are afraid of engaging in religious activities as often as they'd like," he said. Facial recognition technology is pervasive at key pilgrimage sites and authorities regularly frisk Tibetans making pilgrimages, said a fourth source. Flag-raising festival Additionally, during the Ngari Flag Raising Festival in Purang county, called Pulan in Chinese, of Ngari Prefecture in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, Chinese authorities increased security as people gathered on May 23 for the annual ceremony, and banned the use of drones during the event, according to the sources. The annual tradition of hoisting a large central prayer flag pole in front of Mount Kailash in Tibet began in 1681 during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. In a government notice dated May 16, the Pulan County Public Security Bureau in Talqin said the use of drones and other aircraft during the Saga Dawa flag raising festival was prohibited and that violators would be punished. Tibetans who attended the event were subjected to extensive questioning and coerced into agreeing to uphold social order and refraining from causing discord, said one of the sources. Police instructed people not to share photos or videos of the festival on social media, he said. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan and by Roseanne Gerin 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 On Wednesday, OpenAI announced it has inked separate licensing and product development deals with Vox Media and the Atlantic. Drew Angerer/AFP/TNS OpenAI has new secured partnerships with several media companies, enabling the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence firm to train its engines and integrate content from major news organizations into its ChatGPT chatbot, which responds to users questions. On Wednesday, OpenAI announced it has inked separate licensing and product development deals with Vox Media and the Atlantic. This move follows a similar arrangement with News Corp. last week, granting the artificial intelligence company access to current and archived content from publications like the Wall Street Journal, Barrons and the New York Post. We believe that people searching with AI models will be one of the fundamental ways that people navigate the web in the future, Nicholas Thompson, the Atlantics CEO, said in a statement. Were delighted to partner with OpenAI, to make The Atlantics reporting and stories more discoverable to their millions of users, and to have a voice in shaping how news is surfaced on their platforms. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While the specific terms of the deals were not disclosed, most collaborations between OpenAI and news publishers involve compensation arrangements for content. Under the agreement with Vox Media, OpenAI gains access not only to content from publications such as Vox, the Verge, Eater, New York Magazine, the Cut and Vulture, but also serves as a discovery tool for its affiliate commerce product, the Strategist Gift Scout. Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, said the goal of these partnerships is to drive forward with innovation while amplifying the work of journalists. Furthermore, Vox Media plans to leverage OpenAIs knowledge base to enhance its data platform, Forte, launched in 2019. Under its new agreement with Vox Media, OpenAI gains access not only to content from publications such as Vox, the Verge, Eater, New York Magazine, the Cut and Vulture, but also serves as a discovery tool for its affiliate commerce product, the Strategist Gift Scout. Richard Vogel/Associated Press This agreement aligns with our goals of leveraging generative AI to innovate for our audiences and customers, protect and grow the value of our work and intellectual property, and boost productivity and discoverability to elevate the talent and creativity of our exceptional journalists and creators, Jim Bankoff, co-founder, chair and CEO of Vox Media, said in a statement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In addition to Vox Media, the Atlantic and News Corp., OpenAI has secured licensing agreements with other media giants including the Associated Press, Axel Springer in Germany, Prisa Media in Spain, Frances Le Monde and the Financial Times based in London. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said last week these deals represent a new frontier for media and technology. Together, we are setting the foundation for a future where AI deeply respects, enhances and upholds the standards of world-class journalism, he said in a statement. However, not all media entities are embracing partnerships with artificial intelligence firms. In December, the New York Times filed a major lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement. The case is expected to set a precedent for future legal battles involving artificial intelligence and media companies. Amid US flirtation, Cambodia stresses 'steel' ties to China Days before US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit, Hun Manet and Hun Sen met with China's ambassador. By RFA Khmer and Alex Willemyns 2024.05.28 -- Just days before a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen said Tuesday his son's new government will maintain Phnom Penh's "steel" ties to Beijing. After attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this week, where he will hold talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, Austin will on Saturday travel to Phnom Penh, where he is set to meet with Prime Minister Hun Manet, who succeeded his father in office in August. The 46-year-old Hun Manet graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and received a master's in economics from New York University in 2002, leading some pundits to predict he might be more open than his father to cordial ties with the United States. But in a post to Facebook on Tuesday, Hun Sen called the close relations to China that he fostered over the last decade of his 38 years in office "a historic long-term relationship that cannot be broken." He said he and Hun Manet had reiterated as much to China's outgoing ambassador to Phnom Penh, Wang Wentian, in a meeting Tuesday, and that the ambassador had likened their relationship to "steel." "Although there was a reshuffle of the cabinet, there's been no change in the policy about Cambodia-China relations, which is to maintain the Cambodia-China friendship eternally," Hun Sen wrote in the post. "The relationship has earned the two countries political trust," the former premier added. "Chinese aid not only helps social development but also strengthens Cambodia's political independence." Lloyd Austin A statement released by the Pentagon on Friday said that Austin hopes to build on meetings he had with senior Cambodian officials when he last visited Phnom Penh for a summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers in November 2022. But it also seems likely Austin, who himself graduated from West Point in 1975, will attempt to sway Hun Manet's government from the close embrace of Beijing to instead consider a more neutral stance. Speaking to the Financial Times over the weekend, an anonymous U.S. official said the defense secretary would see what's possible. "We remain clear-eyed about some of our concerns in Cambodia, but at the same time we see the arrival of the new leadership allowing us to explore new opportunities," the official told the newspaper. The United States has criticized a Chinese-led expansion of the Ream naval base near the port city of Sihanoukville, which Washington says has the appearance of a permanent Chinese naval base and would allow Beijing to project power across the Gulf of Thailand. Phnom Penh denies China is building a permanent base, which would violate Cambodia's 1993 Constitution, but repeated naval drills by the countries' navies has done little to dissuade its critics. Em Sovannara, a Cambodian political commentator, said that Cambodia benefited from its ties to China but still had a closer trading relationship with the United States, to which many of the country's garment exports go. He said that was reason enough for an official stance of neutrality. "We benefit from the U.S. markets - we profit from the United States," he said. "We have more economic benefit from the West, so Cambodia should be neutral for the sake of development." 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 Georgian Parliament Votes To Override Presidential Veto Of 'Foreign Agent' Law By RFE/RL's Georgian Service May 28, 2024 TBILISI -- Georgian lawmakers approved an override of President Salome Zurabishvili's veto of the so-called "foreign agent" law, angering protesters gathered outside parliament and jeopardizing the country's drive toward the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party, as expected, pushed through the override on May 28. Its alliance with the Democratic Georgia party holds 84 of the chamber's 150 seats. A simple majority of 76 votes was needed to cancel Zurabishvili's veto. Lawmakers then voted 84-4 to pass the bill. Most opposition deputies had walked out of the chamber ahead of the vote. The approval came despite last-minute appeals from the European Union and several member states to Georgian lawmakers not to override the veto of a law frequently referred to as the "Russian law" because of its resemblance to legislation introduced by the Kremlin to silence opposition and free speech. The law now goes back to Zurabishvili to be signed. If she refuses, the speaker of parliament, Georgian Dream member Shalva Papuashvili, can sign the law and publish it. Hundreds of mostly young protesters chanting "No Russian law!" and "Slaves!" while waving Georgian and EU flags massed peacefully at the back entrance of the legislature amid a heavy presence of riot police. Further protests were expected later in the day. Zurabishvili told the crowd not to let the 84 parliamentarians who voted for bill have the final say. The 84 deputies who voted for the law are "nobody compared to those who are here today -- the new Georgia, the Georgia of the future," she said, encouraging demonstrators to save their anger and energy for nationwide elections in October. "We must now do everything we can to prepare for October 26, which will be our answer to today. Are you angry today? Get angry, but let's get down to business," she said, calling for a campaign to collect signatures for a referendum. A referendum isn't possible, however, because it would have to be held across all Georgian territory, and currently 20 percent is occupied by Russia. A plebiscite would be possible, but it's not binding. The law requires civil society and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of funding from foreign sources to submit to oversight that could encompass sanctions for as-yet-undefined criminal offenses. Critics have said the legislation was introduced by Georgian Dream, founded by Russia-friendly Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, in order to cement the party's grip on power ahead of elections later this year seen as crucial for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic path. Georgian Dream has insisted that it remains committed to joining Western institutions and the law was only meant to increase transparency on NGO funding. Georgia's civil society has for years sought to move the country away from the influence of Russia, which still maintains thousands of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgian regions that Moscow recognized as independent states following a five-day war with Tbilisi in 2008. Both the United States and the European Union have warned Georgian Dream that ignoring criticism and cracking down violently on protesters will have negative consequences. After the party pushed the bill through, a U.S. State Department spokesman said the United States condemns the parliament's decision and told reporters that Georgian Dream's actions and anti-Western rhetoric threaten the country's democratic trajectory. The European Union said it "deeply regrets" the decision to override Zurabishvili's veto. "The EU has stressed repeatedly that the law adopted by the Georgian Parliament goes against EU core principles and values. Its enactment leads to a backsliding on at least three out of the nine steps (on disinformation; on polarization; on fundamental rights and involvement of Civil Society Organizations) set out in the Commission's recommendation for candidate status endorsed by EU leaders and will negatively impact Georgia's EU path," the statement said. "We urge the Georgian authorities to reverse this trend and to return firmly on the EU path. There is still time to change the dynamics -- but a strong commitment by the governing authorities is needed," the statement said. It also said its member states "are considering all options to react to these developments." Georgia obtained the coveted status of EU candidate country in December, but it has yet to start actual accession talks, which could last for years. There had been hope such talks could start later this year, but Brussels has warned that the "foreign agent" law could endanger the path toward Europe. Parliament speakers from seven EU member countries -- the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Netherlands, and Poland -- on May 27 issued a joint statement calling on the Georgian lawmakers to scrap the legislation. The statement addressed to Papuashvili says recent developments in Georgia are "disturbing" and the Georgian government's actions contradict the values and principles that Georgia undertook to respect. "The spirit and content of the Law on Foreign Transparency adopted by the Parliament of Georgia are incompatible with European norms and values. The law as it stands seeks to silence media and civil society organizations that play a vital role in a democratic society and are instrumental in helping Georgia on its path to the EU," the statement said. "We urge you to withdraw this law and engage in a meaningful and inclusive dialogue with organized civil society and citizens. We also urge you to respect the fundamental values by upholding the rights of people to assembly and discontinue the use of violence and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on May 27 that the bloc had started weighing options should Georgia enact the law. He said a decision will be made next month. Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani also warned on May 27 that the law needs changes to limit the damage it will bring to civil society. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/foreign-agent-law- zurabishvili-tbilisi/32966576.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 Bosnian Serbs Withdraw 'Foreign Agent' Law From Assembly Agenda By RFE/RL's Balkan Service May 28, 2024 The government of Republika Srpska has withdrawn a controversial proposed "foreign agent" law from the agenda of the National Assembly. The move on May 28 came on the same day that lawmakers in Georgia overrode the president's veto of similar legislation and then voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill despite mass protests against it in recent weeks. The withdrawal of the bill in Republika Srpska, the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Milos Bukejlovic, who is also justice minister, without explanation. The proposed "agents of foreign influence" bill is aimed at NGOs and other organizations that deal with political activities or that attempt to influence public opinion and those that "violate the integrity and constitution of the Republika Srpska." The draft law calls for the surveillance of NGOs and other organizations funded from abroad and requires registration, financial reporting, and a ban on political activities. It was included in the agenda at the beginning of the assembly session on May 22 despite a written request from 46 NGOs to deputies not to vote for the law. The NGOs expressed concern that under the draft law everyone "who fights for human rights and against corruption" would be attacked. The government of Republika Srpska considered the foreign agent law proposal on May 22, but no details were announced afterward. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also warned last week that the bill contradicts the constitutions of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and the country's international obligations to respect human rights. The law was announced in 2022 by Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian president of Republika Srpska, who is also the leader of the largest party in parliament. Dodik is under sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain for his efforts to undermine the Dayton agreement that brought an end to the 1992-95 Bosnian War. The draft law was referred to the National Assembly on March 28 just days before the legal deadline. Research conducted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty showed that the draft law is close to one that has been in effect in Russia for more than a decade. The U.S. Embassy previously told RFE/RL that the draft law was "repressive and undemocratic" and, if implemented, would drastically violate the rights and freedoms of people living in Republika Srpska. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) to Bosnia also asked for the withdrawal of the draft law from the parliamentary schedule, saying it aimed to scare civil society organizations into submission. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/republika-srpska-foreign- agents-draft-law-withdraw/32967576.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 Spain Says Its Decision Not To Recognize Kosovo Unchanged After Deciding To Recognize Palestinian State By RFE/RL's Kosovo Service May 28, 2024 Spain's position on recognizing Kosovo's independence from Serbia remains unchanged, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said May 28 after announcing Madrid's decision to recognize a Palestinian state. The ministry told RFE/RL that it viewed the two situations as very different. "Recognition of the state of Palestine does not affect Israel's territorial integrity, as this territory has never been legally part of the state of Israel," ministry spokeswoman Elena Aljarilla Cortezon said in response to an inquiry from RFE/RL. "Spain's decision to recognize the state of Palestine aims to uphold international law, the principles of the UN Charter, and the resolutions of the UN Security Council," Aljarilla Cortezon said. Spain joined Ireland and Norway on May 28 in formally recognizing a Palestinian state. Israel has slammed the decision as a "reward" for Hamas, which has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. More than 140 countries of the 193 in the UN General Assembly have now recognized Palestine as an independent state. Spain, Ireland, and Norway said they believed their initiative has strong symbolic impact that is likely to encourage others to follow suit. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is not only a matter of historical justice, with legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, but is also an imperative to achieve peace," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on May 28. "It is the only way to realize the solution we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve the future of peace -- a Palestinian state that coexists alongside the state of Israel in peace and security," Sanchez said. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognized by more than 110 states, including many EU-member countries and the United States. Serbia, Russia, and China are among those that refuse to recognize it along with EU-member states Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, and Slovakia. The issue of the recognition of Kosovo by Spain in the light of it recognizing Palestine came up during a meeting of foreign ministers on May 27 in Brussels. Sources told RFE/RL that there was an open spat between Germany and Spain. While Germany was "very convincing" on Kosovo recognition, "Spain was defensive, arguing that Kosovo was not on the agenda." Spain's former ambassador to Belgrade, Raul Bartolome Molina, said last year just before Madrid took over the presidency of the European Union that his country's position is not to recognize Kosovo's independence, while supporting EU efforts to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. "This position has not changed, nor will it change, and all our allies know it very well," Bartolome said on June 30, 2023. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/spain-kosovo-serbia- recognition-palestine-israel/32967388.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 Forces Rescue Chadian Soldiers From Militant Captivity in Joint Operation Sputnik News 20240528 The Chadian Defense Minister thanked Russia for its role, emphasizing its reliability as an African partner unlike France, the UK, and the US, which he claimed solely sought to exploit African nations. Russian soldiers successfully liberated 21 Chadian soldiers who had been held captive by illegal armed groups for nine months in a joint operation with colleagues from the Republic of Chad, the Russian Defense Ministery said. "In Central Africa, Russian military personnel conducted a joint operation with colleagues of the Republic of Chad to liberate Chadian soldiers from captivity of militants of illegal armed groups," the statement said. The soldiers had been captured by Islamic militants during a mine-clearing operation at an airport in the Tibesti region. They were held in inhumane conditions and tortured while held at the camp. Following the rescue operation, all of the prisoners were first brought to a temporary base where they received medical care from Russian medics and underwent surgery to remove shrapnel. Subsequently, under the supervision and escort of Russian soldiers, the liberated soldiers were evacuated back to their homeland. Chad's defense minister expressed gratitude to Russia for its role in the operation, highlighting Russia's reliability as a partner to African states unlike France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which, according to him, only sought to benefit from African nations. In January 2024, official meetings were held in Moscow between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Chad, as well as the heads of their respective defense ministries, aimed at enhancing interdepartmental cooperation between the two countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ex-Mossad Chief Threatened Ex-ICC Prosecutor Over Probe Against Israel - Reports Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Yossi Cohen, during his capacity as the director of Israel's Mossad, has allegedly tried to pressure the International Criminal Court's prosecutor at the time, Fatou Bensouda, into dropping a war crimes investigation in occupied Palestinian territories, The Guardian reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Cohen was at the helm of Mossad (Israel's foreign intelligence agency) from 2016 to 2021. The Gambia's Bensouda served as ICC prosecutor from 2012 to 2021. In 2021, she launched the formal probe into war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by Israel in occupied Palestinian territories. Cohen reportedly was involved in a plot, authorized by the Israeli government, where he was supposed to hold multiple secret meetings with Bensouda and dissuade her from launching the official probe against Israel. Joseph Kabila, a former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, purportedly had a supporting role and setting up Cohen's meeting with Bensouda in New York in 2018. The ex-prosecutor informed a small group of ICC officials that the former Mossad head attempted to influence and intimidate her, four sources were cited as saying. Cohen's tactics allegedly evolved from attempts to charm Bensouda to "threats and manipulation," including addressed against members of her family. Two sources were cited as saying that the Mossad chief showed Bensouda photos and transcripts of secret recordings of her husband, apparently meant as a tool for discrediting the ICC official. Israeli authorities rejected the information as false, while Bensouda declined to comment, the newspaper said. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan's announcement last week that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials is widely seen as the culmination of his predecessor Bensouda's probe. On Friday, the UN International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its military operation in Rafah. Earlier that week, ICC's Khan filed requests for arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh and the leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Masri, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since October 2023 based on evidence collected and examined by his office. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel Tells US That Precision Munition Was Used in Strike on Gaza's Rafah - Reports Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel informed US President Joe Biden's administration that it had used a precision munition to hit a target in Rafah in the strike that caused deaths in a camp for displaced Palestinians, but the explosion from the strike ignited a fuel tank and caused fire in the camp, CNN reported, citing a US official. Israel struck a camp for displaced Palestinians northeast of Rafah on Sunday. The Palestinian civil defense service said that at least 40 people died and dozens were injured as a result. "We can't confirm that but it's what Israel shared with us," the official was quoted as saying on Monday. The official also said that "we assume we will learn more once Israel completes its investigation." On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike on the refugee camp a "tragic mishap," adding that an investigation is underway. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it used "precise munitions." On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 36,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Borrell in Favor of Poland's Proposal of Common EU Air Defense Shield Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that he supports the proposal put forward by Poland to create a common European air defense system. Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the Polish and Greek governments are preparing an appeal to the European Council and the European Commission on the creation of a common European air defense system. "Everything that is being done in a community approach, much in favor. In fact, [it] is my role as the high representative for security and defense. The role is to build a common defense policy," Borrell told reporters ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on defense. Earlier, military experts told Sputnik why the so-called "drone wall" initiative is likely nothing more than political posturing by the countries involved and an attempt to demonstrate "their toughness against Russia and the [alleged] Russian threat". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Argentine President Appoints New Prime Minister Sputnik News 20240528 BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Argentine President Javier Milei has accepted the resignation of Nicolas Posse from the post of prime minister and appointed Interior Minister Guillermo Francos as the new head of the country's government, the presidential press service said on Tuesday. Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported that the decision to resign the prime minister was motivated by differences in criteria and expectations regarding the progress of the government and the tasks assigned to it. "The office of the President informs that Nicolas Posse has resigned from the post of head of the Cabinet of Ministers. The post of Prime Minister will be taken over by Guillermo Francos in order to give more political weight to the leadership of the government," the office said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wednesdays high temperatures in the Bay Area are forecast to reach the upper 60s to mid-70s near the bay shoreline and the upper 70s to mid-80s inland. Baron/Lynx A warming trend is expected throughout the Bay Area for the final days of May as an area of high pressure strengthens over California. This high-pressure system will steer turbulent weather toward the Pacific Northwest, leaving California under strong late May sunshine. Wednesdays warming trend will be subtle. Temperatures are expected to be near to slightly above normal, but a shallower marine layer and weaker sea breeze will result in the warmest day in a week along the bay shoreline. Downtown San Francisco should flirt with 70 degrees and Oakland is expected to approach the mid-70s. The high-pressure system will push down on the lower atmosphere, making the marine layer a shallow region of ocean-chilled air just above the surface only a few hundred to a thousand feet deep. In contrast, the marine layer was more than 2,000 feet deep Saturday, which resulted in drizzle showers along the coastal range and in the East Bay hills. When the marine layer is shallow, sunshine is able to burn off stratus clouds quickly, often before 10 a.m. in San Francisco. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In addition to a shallower marine layer, the overall air mass will be drier Wednesday and Thursday, with the dew point temperature forecast to drop to the 30s and 40s. During the cloudy, drizzly weather Friday and Saturday, dew points were close to 50. In order for fog and clouds to form, the actual temperature must match the dew point temperature. With nights in the 50s and days in the 70s and 80s, low clouds and fog are unlikely to form the next two days, aside from at the immediate coast in the early mornings. San Francisco and Oakland should again hit 70 degrees Thursday, and a few inland cities such as Santa Rosa, Fairfield, Antioch and Concord could hit 90 degrees. Temperatures are forecast to hold steady Friday before a minor, but brief, weekend cooldown. Wednesday breakdown San Francisco: Patchy fog is possible in the morning, especially near Ocean Beach and Lake Merced, but it should burn off by noon for a mostly sunny afternoon. Highs are forecast to reach the low 60s west to Twin Peaks, the mid-60s in the Marina and Pacific Heights, the upper 60s in Potrero Hill, downtown and Visitacion Valley and near 70 in the Mission District. Westerly gusts of 15 to 25 mph are expected from 2 to 7 p.m. Lows will be in the low 50s. North Bay: Scattered low clouds may extend into Sonoma County in the early morning, but skies should be quick to clear throughout the North Bay. A chilly sea breeze will keep temperatures near normal in west Marin County, around 60, but highs in Wine Country are expected to be about 5 degrees above normal. Advertisement Article continues below this ad San Rafael, Petaluma and Vallejo are expected to reach the upper 70s, Napa should top out in the low 80s, while Santa Rosa and Fairfield will hit the mid-80s. Vacaville should even eclipse the 90-degree mark. A clear night is expected, with lows in the low to mid-50s, except for east Solano County where a warm north wind will keep temperatures close to 60 degrees. East Bay: A strengthening high-pressure system will push down on the marine layer, making it difficult for stratus clouds to reach the East Bay. Aside from a few passing high clouds in the afternoon, sunny skies should prevail. The days highs are forecast to reach the low to mid-70s along the bay shoreline, which would make it the warmest day in a week in Oakland. Fremont should reach the upper 70s. Highs will be a few degrees above normal inland, in the low to mid-80s along the delta and in the Tri- and San Ramon valleys. Lows will be in the low to mid-50s. Pacific Coast and Peninsula: Fog is expected to be less extensive than in recent mornings and may burn off completely at the coast by the early afternoon. Highs are forecast to reach the low 60s in Pacifica, mid-60s in Daly City, Half Moon Bay and South San Francisco, upper 60s to low 70s in San Mateo and the mid-70s in Redwood City. Northwest gusts of 20 to 30 mph are possible in the afternoon through the San Bruno Gap. Lows will be in the low 50s with mainly clear skies. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Houthis Attack 3 US, Israeli Ships in Red Sea, Indian Ocean - Spokesperson Sputnik News 20240528 DOHA (Sputnik) - Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, attacked three US and Israeli merchant ships, as well as two US destroyers, in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said. "The naval and missile forces of the Yemeni armed forces conducted three joint operations. The first was against US ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second against Israeli ship MSC MECHELA in the Indian Ocean, and the third against MINERVA LISA in the Red Sea for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine," Saree told the Almasirah broadcaster. He added that the movement used drones to "successfully attack" US destroyers in the Red Sea. Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the US to form a multinational coalition, which includes the United Kingdom among others, to protect shipping in the area of the Red Sea, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Blinken's Call with Sudanese Armed Forces General Burhan US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson May 28, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone today with Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Secretary Blinken and General Burhan discussed the need to urgently end the conflict in Sudan and enable unhindered humanitarian access, including cross border and cross line, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people. The Secretary also discussed the resumption of negotiations in the Jeddah platform and the need to protect civilians and deescalate hostilities in El Fasher, North Darfur. 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 28 May 2024 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Guest I have a few things to share with you and then our colleague and friend Juliette Touma [Director of Communications of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)] will have a few more things to share with you about UNRWA and what is going on in Gaza, and she will be briefing from Jordan. ** Gaza I will start with a statement on the situation in Gaza. As you have seen, the Secretary-General has condemned in the strongest terms the 26 May air strikes by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Rafah, which hit tents sheltering displaced people. The Secretary-General is heartbroken by the killed and injured, including many small children. As he has said before, the horror and suffering must stop immediately. The Secretary-General grieves for the over 36,000 Palestinians and some 1,500 Israelis killed in the relentless violence, including the gruesome acts of terror in Israel on 7 October 2023, the devastating Israeli assault on Gaza, and the continued indiscriminate rocket launches towards Israel from Gaza. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now compounded by the unconscionable prospect of a man-made famine. The Secretary-General reiterates his demand for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be respected. The Secretary-General calls on the Israeli authorities to allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of all humanitarian supplies assistance to those in need and all crossing points must be open, in line with Security Council resolution 2720 (2023). Humanitarian organizations must have full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to reach all civilians in need across Gaza, in line with [Security Council] resolution 2712 (2023). We must work expeditiously to restore security, dignity and hope for all of the affected population. This will require urgent efforts to support and strengthen the new Palestinian Government and its institutions, including for preparing the Palestinian Authority to reassume its responsibilities in Gaza. We must also move forward with tangible and irreversible steps to create a political horizon. The devastation and the misery of the past seven months have reinforced the absolute need for Israelis, for Palestinians, for States of the region and the broader international community to take urgent steps that will enable the parties to re-engage on the long-delayed political path to achieve a two-State solution. The United Nations will continue to support all such efforts. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory On the ground, our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders have displaced more than 940,000 people from Rafah in the past three weeks, alongside 100,000 who have been displaced in northern Gaza. That is according to estimates by UNRWA and OCHA and Juliette, I am sure, will have a lot more. Attacks on Rafah have continued unabated, and civilians displaced by hostilities lack shelter, they lack food, they lack water and other supplies essential to their human survival. Health facilities there continue to face dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies while having to cope with a rising influx of casualties due to injuries and burns. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that while the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open in principle, it is extremely difficult for aid organizations to access from the Gaza side due to the hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures. However, I can tell you that, as of yesterday, we were able to access 43 trucks at the Kerem Shalom site. In addition, access constraints continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid inside Gaza. Between 1 and 26 May, 137 humanitarian aid missions to areas that require coordination across Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 86 were impeded after getting a green light or denied access to begin with, and 43 were cancelled by the organizers, the humanitarian organizers. ** Lebanon Moving up North: Our peacekeeping colleagues in southern Lebanon report that the Force Commander and Head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Aroldo Lazaro, visited Sector West of the Blue Line over the weekend to assess the situation on the ground. He noted that the dedication and efforts of peacekeepers to de-escalate tensions, patrol, and support the Lebanese Armed Force and local communities continue, despite over seven months of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line. We reiterate the importance of returning to a cessation of hostilities under the framework of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and to avoid any acts that may further escalate the tensions over the Blue Line. ** Democratic People's Republic of Korea Moving to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, I have a statement on that: The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attempted launch of another military satellite using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Any launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions. The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions and to swiftly return to dialogue without preconditions to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. ** Secretary-General's Travel Turning to the Secretary-General, as you know, he is in Antigua and Barbuda, taking part in the fourth Conference on Small Island Developing States. Today, he spoke at an event on resource mobilization, and said that while financing is the fuel of development, many Small Island Developing States are running on empty. Too often, island nations are unable to make the investments they need in sustainable development as precious resources are diverted to recovery from disasters and to debt service. And when they turn to the global financial system for assistance, they come, often, empty-handed. He underscored that in its current form, the global financial architecture fails to deliver for developing countries in general and small island [developing] states in particular. He outlined three steps to change this, which include relieving the burden of debt for these countries, transforming lending practices, and increasing inclusivity across international financial institutions. Later today the Secretary-General will have a conversation with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, on the call to action for small islands and the Bridgetown initiative. And you will have seen that, yesterday, he spoke at the opening of the Conference and said that the international community has a duty to support small island developing states, which have been the world's conscience in the climate crisis. "The idea that an entire island state could become collateral damage for profiteering by the fossil fuel industry, he said, or competition between major economies, is simply obscene". He told small island leaders that we need to hear their fierce voices, now more than ever. All of the material he did over the weekend, we shared with you. He will be on his way back to New York shortly. ** Syria A quick note on Syria: you will have seen that the eighth edition of the conference entitled "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" took place in Brussels yesterday. In a video message, the Secretary-General stressed that three in every four people in Syria that's nearly 17 million need humanitarian assistance this year, and that 5.6 million Syrian men, women and children remain refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkiye, across Europe and beyond. The Director for Coordination for OCHA, Ramesh Rajasingham, also addressed the conference. We shared those remarks with you. And also, just a programming note that Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, will be in New York on Thursday to brief the Security Council. And he has promised to answer each and every one of your questions at the stakeout, or at least a few. And you will have somebody else here as well. So there is a lot of stuff going on, but he will be at the stakeout and will answer your questions. ** Ukraine Turning to Ukraine, our Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, visited Kharkiv over the weekend. That was following the deadly attack on shopping mall on Saturday, an attack which she strongly condemned. The attack caused a massive fire, making it difficult for rescue services to work. Local authorities report that at least 18 civilians were killed, including a child, and 48 more were injured. On the same day, another strike in Kharkiv City reportedly resulted in 25 civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure. That's also according to what local authorities are telling us. Humanitarian workers and first responders provided first aid, psychosocial support and emergency assistance to affected people. These deadly attacks come on top of intensified fighting in the border areas of the Kharkiv region with the Russian Federation, which, as we have mentioned, have triggered displacement over the last two weeks. Humanitarian partners continue to support people fleeing hostilities. Over 10,000 people received immediate aid at the transit centre in Kharkiv City. That includes food and water, clothes, mattresses, as well as cash support. ** Papua New Guinea Turning to a humanitarian disaster in the Pacific and that is in Papua New Guinea: You will have seen that over the weekend, the Secretary-General expressed his deep sadness at the reported loss of hundreds of lives in a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expressed his solidarity with the people and Government of Papua New Guinea. We, along with our partners are supporting the Government's response efforts and stand ready to do more. The Government has requested international assistance, and we are coordinating the response efforts of all partners on the ground. Immediate needs include clean water, food, clothing, shelter items, kitchen utensils, medicine and hygiene kits. We, along with our partners, in coordination with the local emergency response teams, are going to provide relief supplies including emergency health kits, tents and psychosocial support, and hygiene kits. ** South Sudan Moving to the African continent: I have a quick update from South Sudan, where our peacekeeping colleagues there tell us about the successful conclusion of a mobile court deployed in Mayom county in Unity state. Over six weeks, this collaborative effort, supported by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Embassy of Norway, handled 31 cases, resulting in 24 convictions and the release of 22 prisoners. Several cases heard by the court involved sexual and gender-based violence, underscoring the significance of addressing such crimes. In remote regions such as Mayom, which have lacked a formal judiciary since the nation's independence, mobile courts provide much-needed access to justice. A similar court is expected to be deployed to Tonj in Warrap state in a few weeks. ** Sudan In neighbouring Sudan, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that hundreds of thousands of civilians in El Fasher in north Darfur are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. Many parts of the city have been left without electricity or water. A growing proportion of the population has limited access to necessities and essential services, including food and health care. We are also receiving deeply worrying reports that medical facilities, displacement camps and critical civilian infrastructure have been impacted by the hostilities. Our friends at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimate that the conflict has displaced nearly 58,000 people from El Fasher since 1 April. Many more people, including children and elderly people, are unable or are being prevented from moving to safer areas. ** Security Council Back here, the Security Council held an open debate on the role of women and young people in maintaining peace and security. Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Council, saying that gender equality and recognizing aspirations of young people are essential for sustainable peace and security around the world. She spoke about her recent visit to Afghanistan, where women and girls in Kabul told her about their dreams, mainly to get the same education as men and equal employment opportunities. For her part, Sima Bahous [Executive Director of UN Women], underscored that women and girls face a double discrimination for their gender and their age, and this is intensified during conflicts. ** Bangladesh In Bangladesh, prior to the anticipated landfall of a cyclone in the southern parts of Bangladesh, the World Food Programme (WFP) swiftly dispatched cash assistance to families most at risk. A total of 30,000 families, that is about 150,000 people, received assistance. This is part of one of WFP's flagship programmes, entitled "Anticipatory Action". Act before the incident. ** International Day of UN Peacekeepers Abdelhamid, you were asking about Thursday. On Thursday, 30 May, we will be observing the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Today, some 76,000 women and men are serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The day will be marked here with a few events. The Secretary-General will lay a wreath to honour all UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council, during which Dag Hammarskjold Medals will be awarded posthumously to 64 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag, including 61 who died last year. Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General will present the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Radhika Sen, a military officer from India, who served with peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And, on Thursday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN Peacekeeping, will be here in this seat, which he had reserved before Geir Pedersen, to answer your questions. ** Questions and Answers Spokesman : I see Juliette's face on the screen, but I will take some questions before. Edith? Question : Thank you, Steph. In relation to the Israeli air strike that hit the tent camp in Gaza, has the Secretary-General made any phone calls to significant people in the Middle East and to anyone in the Biden administration? Spokesman : You know, unfortunately, it's my bad. I didn't see his call list this morning. I do know that our colleagues in the region have all been in touch with the relevant parties. Question : And as a follow-up to what you said about the Secretary-General's appeal to have the Palestinian Authority restored to power in Gaza, what specifically is the United Nations doing to try and make this happen? Spokesman : Well, this will have... I mean, at some point, this conflict will end. We hope it will end sooner rather than later. And there will be at some point a need for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza. And frankly, the issue of political reconciliation within the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian lands is something we have been working on for quite some time. And part of that is doing whatever we can to support and help capacity-build the Palestinian institutions. Amelie, then Benno. Question : Thanks, Steph. You mentioned the ICJ [International Court of Justice] ruling and the fact that it is binding, but obviously it's been ignored. It's not the first time in high profile rulings, like for Ukraine. How worried is the Secretary-General that it could become a habit from Member States to disregard the rulings of the ICJ? And how does that undermine the credibility of the top UN court? Spokesman : I think you're stating facts. It is, I think to anyone who observes the international landscape over the last few years, we have seen a breakdown of international law, of respect for international law, respect of international humanitarian law, respect for human rights. The Member States created this court when they created the Charter and when they signed onto it. We do expect Member States to abide by the orders of the International Court of Justice. Benno? Correspondent : Thank you. Steph. About Gaza and the SG's condemnations yesterday and today, I know you said it often that you use the language that you use, but normally you stick to your language and it's consistent. Yesterday the SG tweeted, he condemns Israel's actions. Today you talk passively about the air strikes and you're not mentioning directly the IDF. Spokesman : I think I did, in what I just, in the words that I just used in the briefing. Correspondent : Not in the first three sentences. Spokesman : I think those were the words that came out of my mouth. I talked about the air strikes by the Israeli Defence Force. Those were exactly what I said. Correspondent : The Secretary-General has condemned in the strongest terms the 26 May air strikes on Rafah, hitting tents sheltering displaced people. Spokesman : I just said it. I mean, you could check the tape. Correspondent : Okay. Spokesman : Dezhi, then Mike? Question : Yeah, follow up. Obviously, we heard the condemnation from the Secretary-General on the 26 May attack. After that, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said it's a tragic mistake. Yet today it's been reported there's new fresh air attacks by Israeli air, targeted in Al-Mawasi, which killed 21 people. Does the Secretary-General have anything to say on the new attack? Spokesman : We want this to stop. Whether it applies to today, yesterday, the day before. We have been very consistent in our call for a ceasefire for the release of the hostages, for greater humanitarian access. Question : Does the Secretary-General believe there should be consequence or responsibility on this kind of...? Spokesman : There will need to be like in any conflict, there will need to be accountability. Question : Does he have the confidence that there will be responsibility? Spokesman : At some point, there will need to be accountability; that goes beyond the institutions that he directly controls. Question : Okay, let me switch the topic to the humanitarian aid. We know that there's incident happened to the floating dock that might impact some of the humanitarian deliveries. How's the delivery from the floating dock by WFP now? Spokesman : I didn't get an update today, but again, I mean, I think it shows the... we are extremely grateful for the US having built this floating pier, which is an additional route. It cannot replace opening up of all the crossings. And we see it. I mean, you saw the vulnerability not only in terms of security, but in terms of safety, having to do with this. So just repeating what we've already said. Question : Then back to my question I have asked; $320 million for a floating dock that operates less than two weeks and need to be repaired. Do you think there should be a better way to spend those money? Spokesman : It's not the UN's money. If it brought in, and I think last number I had at the end of last week was 97 trucks that went in. That's 97 trucks of aid that people will receive, right? More than they would have received if the floating dock had not been created. But it's just a small add to what we actually need. Mike? Question : Sir, just to be clear, the Secretary-General is calling for the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza. Is that correct? Spokesman : What the Secretary-General has called for, and this goes back before, is for return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza. Question : Has the UN run that proposition by Hamas? I mean, have you talked about it with Hamas? Spokesman : The Palestinian Authority is recognized as our counterpart in terms of the Palestinian people. And I think the Secretary-General's position is well known to all. Question : In terms of the capacity-building, the institution-building, the UN has used those phrases. The US has used those phrases. They're very general, very abstract. What does that mean in practice, in getting the Palestinian Authority actually prepared to resume responsibility? Spokesman : That means offering the help that they asked for, that they need in terms of assistance to line ministries, whatever we can help with. It also means that the Israeli Government should ensure that the tax receipts they collect on behalf of the Palestinian Authority should be turned over to the Palestinian Authority. And I can give you more details on those, on those kind of granular capacity building. Correspondent : Thank you. Spokesman : Margaret Besheer. Sorry, Michelle. Question : Has the Secretary-General spoken to anyone in Israel about this bill that the Knesset is going to have a preliminary vote on tomorrow that would name UNRWA a terrorist organization if it's adopted? And how would these affect relations with the United Nations? I mean, how can one of your agencies have this designation? Spokesman : It's not the Secretary-General's modus operandi to get involved in what is the legislative process. We understand it's a bill. A lot of governments have bill floating around. I think it should be clear to all the Secretary-General's unconditional and unwavering support for UNRWA and the fact that he's underscored, over and over again, the critical role that it plays. Question : Do you have some sort of contingency planning going on for this? Spokesman : There is no alternative to UNRWA. So if there's no alternative to UNRWA, if UNRWA no longer is able to operate in Gaza or the occupied West Bank, the Israeli authorities, as the occupying power, will have to take responsibility for a lot of those operations. Question : And are you concerned that their facilities would become military targets? Spokesman : Of course, because we seen the demonstrations and attacks on UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem. You may return the mic to Michelle, and then we'll go to Abdelhamid. Question : Thanks, Steph. Just following up, you said 43 trucks entered through Kerem Shalom yesterday; that's correct? Spokesman : Yes, I mean, it's correct in terms that I said it and I hope it is also correct. Question : Right. So, yeah, just because it's not the website, the wheels have fallen off the website, so to speak. But just wanted to sort of get your UN assessment on this new agreement where aid from Egypt will enter through Kerem Shalom. Is that working? Spokesman : Look, every little bit helps, but sometimes I feel we're just creating workarounds and additional workarounds to work around the reality on the ground, which is that the conflict and the fighting is continuing. The best solution is for a humanitarian ceasefire. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Stephane. Yesterday there was exchange of fire between Israelis and Egyptians. One Egyptian was killed and another was wounded. Do you have any comment? Spokesman : I mean, my understanding, at least from reading the media, is that this is being dealt with on a bilateral basis. Question : Okay. My second question about recognizing Palestine by some European countries; three of them already did that. Does the Secretary-General welcome these developments that will wait in favour of peace in the Middle East? Spokesman : I think the question was already asked. These are bilateral issues. Governments, states recognize each other on a regular basis. For the Secretary-General, he will continue to work towards a two-state solution. Okay, go ahead. Question : One more? Okay. Isn't the Secretary-General frustrated with the behaviour of a rogue state like Israel, defying every call the ICJ, the UNRWA, the appeals by every humanitarian organization, and yet they continue with their massacres? Spokesman : I think reading or listening to what I've just read, beginning... one could detect the Secretary-General's frustration at the situation as a whole and the continuing disregard of human life. Ahmed then Dennis. Sorry. Question : Thank you, Steph. With regard to the evolving situation in Gaza and the occupied territories, does the Secretary-General have any ideas or strategy to bring international accountability, since it is a threat to the very existence of this organization in the face of a defiant state, that its representative shredded the UN Charter in front of all Member States and on the air for the whole...? Spokesman : Sorry, say again. Question : Does the Secretary-General have any ideas or strategy or an initiative to bring international accountability to the situation, since this is hitting at the core of the United Nations? Spokesman : There are already multiple institutions that Member States have created that can help us bring accountability to conflict. We hope that those institutions are respected. Dennis? Question : I want to ask about a different topic. So on Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, told that Taliban represents real power in Afghanistan and the possible exclusion from list of terrorist organization reflects recognition of reality. So does UN SG think that the time has come to change the course of relation with de facto Afghanistan authorities, considering the fact that sanctions affect the socioeconomic situation in Afghanistan? Spokesman : Look, we continue on the same path in terms of Afghanistan, which is engaging with the de facto authorities because they are the de facto authorities in Afghanistan. We also continue to push them constantly and continuously on the issue of the rights of women and girls, which are their rights to have, which they are being denied on a daily basis, almost across the board. We continue to push for greater humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan who have suffered and who continue to suffer. The Secretary-General, as you will recall, we've invited envoys on Afghanistan to attend a meeting in Doha at the end of this month in order to bring some clarity and consistency to the way the world deals with the situation in Afghanistan, while continuing to put human rights of women and girls at the forefront. Okay. Alright, I won't ask twice. Sorry... I think 29 May. Nabil. Then we'll go to Juliette, who's eager to speak to you. Question : Yeah, maybe. Quick question. Yeah, maybe answer. Has the SG had any contact with Mr. Donald Trump or his campaign? Spokesman : No. On that note, Juliette, if we could put our guest on the screen. We're delighted to be joined by our friend Juliette Touma, who is briefing us from Amman. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Briefing Notes- Press Briefing- Office of the UN Secretary General- Juliette TOUMA, UNRWA Director of Communications/ Amman, Jordan UNRWA 28 May 2024 More than 1 million have fled Rafah only in the past three weeks (since 6 May). The displacement continues including today. People in Rafah have been displaced several times already. Heavy bombardment continued overnight in the area including in Tal Al Sultan (north of Rafah) where the UN main offices in Gaza are. Most of our staff could not make it to work today. They are packing up and moving. They are terrified. People are fleeing to Al-Mawasi and the middle areas including Deir Al-Balah which are already crammed and crowded. On humanitarian supplies: just over 200 trucks with humanitarian supplies were picked up in the last three weeks as people's humanitarian needs continue to immensely increase. This is due to several factors: Heavy movement restrictions, ongoing Israeli Forces airstrikes and the expansion of the military operation, Recent launch of rockets by Hamas, delays and limitations on the routes that can be used. Fuel coming in by far not enough to support the humanitarian operation. UNRWA is running out of medical supplies and basic medicines. There is little to no electricity with very patchy internet as the telecommunications network continues to be interrupted. And people continue to move, in search for safety that they never find. Because no place is safe in Gaza and no one is safe or spared. The UNRWA Commissioner General has just issued a statement on his official X account (previously known as Twitter) where he described the situation in Gaza as "An endless horror show, except it's real". He added: "Two million people are living in a hellhole. This is Gaza at the world's watch". I spoke to our teams in Gaza today several times. The aftermath of the harrowing attack on Sunday on the displacement site is huge. Among those reported killed in that attack were women and children. The attack added to their fear of death. People are seeing so much death around them. A colleague who recently returned from Gaza told me: "people are dying inside. Everywhere they look, there is death and it's as if people have accepted that death is their fate". One colleague who has moved this morning from Rafah to Al-Mawasi after debating for weeks now asked: "What's the point of moving yet again if I'm going to be killed anyway?". It is a chance here to pay tribute to all UNRWA team members who were killed since the war began: there are 192 of them to date. One colleague killed is one colleague too many and the Agency will never be the same without them. In closing: UNRWA reiterates the call of the UN Secretary-General for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages to end the suffering of civilians. UNRWA echoes the Secretary General's dismay by the lack of implementation of the recent order of the International Court of Justice regarding Rafah. The decisions of the Court are binding. The military operation in Rafah must immediately end and the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza must improve without further delay. Thank you ENDs- Background Information: UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on. UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With Rising Conflicts Worldwide, Human Rights Rollbacks, Women, Youth Must Have Greater Participation in Peacebuilding Efforts, Speakers Tell Security Council Meetings Coverage Security Council 9637th Meeting* (AM) SC/15709 28 May 2024 From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan and Afghanistan, women, youth and children are bearing the brunt of conflicts, war and an ever-increasing global rollback of human rights, the Security Council heard today, as speakers outlined best practices to improve the participation of women and young people in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, informed the 15-nation organ that more than half of the recorded incidents of political violence against women occur in conflict-affected countries. With many regions ignoring or reversing commitments to gender equality, she cited the Secretary-General's call in "A New Agenda for Peace" to address structural inequalities and dismantle patriarchal power structures. "Ultimately, it comes down to a simple vision of overcoming obstacles that deny the full contribution of women," she said. The death of 49 female human rights defenders over the past year, noted Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), is a painful reminder of the realities of war for women and girls. In particular, "women and girls are bearing the brunt of [the war in Gaza]," she stated, drawing attention to the killing of women and children yesterday in Rafah. Noting that in Gaza, girls and boys have been out of school since 7 October 2023, 19 million children in Sudan have not been in classrooms, and 1.1 million girls are without schooling since the 2021 ban in Afghanistan, she asserted: "There is no second chance at childhood." Amid rising conflicts worldwide, one out of every four young people live in conflict-affected countries, reported Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. "From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan, the death toll since 2022 has reached its highest level in 28 years," he noted. Yet, young people are continuing to create their own movements, demonstrating their growing agency and leadership worldwide. "They are rekindling hope in Syria, mobilizing for peace in Sudan and supporting community engagement in refugee camps in Chad," he said. However, despite advancements in institutionalizing young people's meaningful engagement within the United Nations system such as the establishment of the UN Youth Office he emphasized that "more needs to be done to translate policies into tangible action". Simone Mbode Diouf, African Youth Ambassador for Peace for the West Africa Region, spotlighted the work of young African women peacebuilders, detailing the efforts of these activists who are addressing challenges across Africa, including climate change, resurgence of conflict, sexual violence and lack of economic opportunity. Nonetheless, while "the commitment of young women across the African continent is undeniable, political leaders must play their part," she pointed out. Women must be economically and socially empowered to have the resources, capabilities, and confidence to be agents of change, as well. "When you invest in young women, they give back to the community, starting a virtuous rather than vicious circle," she stated. In the ensuing discussion, numerous speakers identified synergies between the women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas, noting that neither operates in a vacuum but in fact are complementary. Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique and Council President for May, spoke in her national capacity to highlight young people's leading role in the fight against terrorism, extremism and other forms of violence. She also detailed her country's efforts in implementing its National Plan on Women, Peace and Security through the training of over 700 Government and civil society employees in assisting victims of gender-based violence and 3,000 police and armed forces members in gender equality. The representative of Brazil, speaking for the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, underscored that women's efforts to overcome violence must be leveraged for long-term peace. However, he emphasized that young men's inclusion is also crucial to stopping the reproduction of patriarchal power structures that hinder gender equality. His counterpart from Malta also stressed that a gender perspective on youth, peace and security will prevent a new generation from reproducing patriarchal power structures and called for engagement with young men and boys whose identities are informed by gender norms. She further cautioned that adolescent girls become more susceptible to early and forced marriage and pregnancy during- and post-conflict, while minorities within this group young lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are at heightened risk. Noting that the lack of access to education and employment is one of the primary reasons some young people and women are lured into joining armed groups and terrorist organizations, China's representative urged the international community to increase their access to schools and jobs so that youth and women can become "the masters of their own destiny" and a major force for social stability and development. "This is the most effective means of conflict prevention and the peace project with the highest returns," he emphasized. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation's delegate questioned the effectiveness of developing strategies and institutions for women and youth in conflict resolution particularly in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. By doing so, the UN is "multiplying bureaucratic structures" that neither prevent nor resolve conflicts, she asserted. Further, donor countries should refrain from making the participation of women and youth a strict condition for assisting poor countries, she observed, citing "such new colonial practices" as "unacceptable". Still, the representative of the United Kingdom, noting that women's full, equal and meaningful participation as leaders, negotiators and peacebuilders dramatically enhances the chances of long-lasting peace, stated: "By amplifying the voices of those most affected by conflict, we can better address and mitigate its impacts." In that vein, Finland's delegate, also speaking for Jordan and the Group of Champions of Youth, Peace and Security, declared: "The role of decision-makers is to work not only for the youth, but also with them. They do not need our voices to speak on their behalf. They need to get on the stage to speak for themselves." MAINTENANCE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY: THE ROLE OF WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Briefings ROSEMARY DICARLO, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs , noting that women bear the brunt of the global rollback of human rights, cited Afghanistan as a "crying example" where women and girls are systematically denied rights and dignity, particularly in education. Women in Kabul aspire to the same opportunities as men and seek international support to realize their rights and contribute to their country's future. With many regions ignoring or reversing commitments to gender equality, she cited the Secretary-General's call in "A New Agenda for Peace" to address structural inequalities and dismantle patriarchal power structures. "Ultimately, it comes down to a simple vision of overcoming obstacles that deny the full contribution of women," she said. Pointing out that armed conflicts exacerbate structural obstacles to women's equality, with institutional failures and impunity exposing women to aggravated risks, she noted that more than half of the recorded incidents of political violence against women occurs in conflict-affected countries. For this reason, addressing structural gender inequalities is crucial for equity and improving the success of peace and political processes. She went on to highlight the efforts of special political missions to promote women's rights and meaningful participation in peace processes, citing Yemen as an example where women's mediation efforts have supported UN-led negotiations. Turning to the women, peace and security agenda, she stressed the importance of national action. With over 100 countries having developed national plans to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), she called for more countries to commit to specific measures to advance women's leadership, including as mediators. On the role of young people, she stressed that young people deserve the opportunity to shape their future. "They are not 'adults in the making'," she said, emphasizing their hopes, aspirations and energy. Spotlighting young people's growing mistrust in governance institutions and electoral processes, she underscored that national action plans for youth, peace and security are essential for meaningful youth participation and require dedicated resources and capacities. Therefore, the United Nations has supported relevant regional efforts, like those of the African Union and the League of Arab States. Environmental peacebuilding is another area in which young people are demanding a role, she continued, urging the international community to recognize and advance the role of young women and men as environmental defenders, community leaders, mobilizers and peacebuilders. Noting that there are "no quick fixes to entrenched power politics, patriarchal attitudes, or unequal social structures," she emphasized that transformative changes rely on national action, involving all segments of society. "Through its meetings and decisions, the Council can reinforce that women, along with men, are responsible for building peace and prosperity in their societies," she underscored. Likewise, the Council can promote recognition of young people as important agents of change. SIMA SAMI BAHOUS, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), recalled a story published by UN-Women in 2023 on Amani, a psychotherapist in Rafah specializing treating patients traumatized by living in conflict. She, along with her four children were killed on 7 May, just one of more than 10,000 women killed in the past seven months. Detailing the killing of women and children yesterday in Rafah, she reiterated the importance of demanding a permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, the release of all hostages and the determined pursuit of a two-State solution. "This war must stop because women and girls are bearing the brunt of it," she stressed. Sounding the alarm over 300 human rights defenders who were killed over the past year, 49 of whom were women, she also detailed several specific cases including Mursal, a former member of Parliament in Afghanistan shot and killed in her home, and Halima, a journalist killed while covering the war in her native Sudan adding that such deaths are a painful reminder of the realities of war for women and girls where disproportionate harm is inflicted on women during conflicts not of their making. Further, resolution 1325 (2000) as a global norm remains a distant reality, she said, urging the Council to continue listening to and augmenting women's voices. Noting the Secretary-General's report on youth, peace and security, she shared examples of good practices such as capacity-building initiatives for youth participation in peace processes in Georgia and transitional justice initiatives in Lebanon, as well as UN-Women's interagency collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support 79 women and youth-inclusive peacebuilding processes across 17 countries. UN-Women will continue to break down barriers to inclusion by encouraging the creation of spaces for inter-generational dialogue in conflict-affected countries and for equal representation of women and young women across decision-making bodies, she continued. Scalable solutions exist to achieve those goals but the international community is not implementing them. It is crucial that women and girls' education, their autonomy and their freedom to decide on all their choices in life must be protected. Meanwhile, 1.1 million girls are without schooling since the 2021 ban in Afghanistan; in Gaza, girls and boys have been out of school since 7 October 2023, and 19 million children have not been in classrooms in Sudan; and around 40 per cent of children in Ukraine do not have continual access to education, to name a few. "There is no second chance at childhood," she warned. Highlighting priority areas that require the international community's attention, she emphasized that lip service to women's meaningful participation should be condemned; commitments to quotas, temporary special measures or other concrete measures must be implemented; and the international community must combat hate and disinformation, most notably online. Further, as less than 1 per cent of parliamentarians globally are young women, they must enjoy better representation. This year's opportunities must be seized upon to place young women at the core of gender-equality action, she said, citing the Summit of the Future, the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the twenty-fifth anniversary for resolution 1325 (2000). "Young women are the leaders of tomorrow and the change-makers of today... they have a right to a world free from violence and fear, a world where their dreams can flourish, where they can ascend to their full potential. And protecting and promoting their rights is our duty," she declared. FELIPE PAULLIER, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs , presenting the Secretary-General's third report on youth, peace and security, reported that the world is witnessing the greatest number of conflicts since the Second World War, affecting young people worldwide. "From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan, the death toll since 2022 has reached its highest level in 28 years," he stated, adding that one out of every four young people globally live in conflict-affected countries. Concurrently, youth distrust of institutions is deteriorating, which, in turn, exacerbates inequalities and instability. Recalling his recent visits to countries such as Benin, Ethiopia and the Philippines, he said that the message from young people is loud and clear: the multilateral system must intensify efforts and put in place concrete mechanisms to involve them meaningfully in policy-making and decision-making spaces. He underlined that young people are calling and mobilizing for peace as they continue to create their own movements, demonstrating their growing agency and leadership across the globe. "They are rekindling hope in Syria, mobilizing for peace in Sudan and supporting community engagement in refugee camps in Chad," he said. However, despite growing political momentum for the youth, peace, and security agenda, this commitment has not resulted in greater investment to sustain youth-led peacebuilding and meaningful youth participation. Additional resources and age-disaggregated data are essential to fully support their engagement in decision-making processes. Spotlighting advancements in institutionalizing young people's meaningful engagement within the United Nations system such as the establishment of the United Nations Youth Office he underscored that "more needs to be done to translate policies into tangible action". Among the many challenges facing young people, digital threats are on the rise, he cautioned, noting that they have increased the spread of hate speech, misinformation and sexual harassment. Young women and girls especially those with disabilities and from marginalized communities are at a heightened risk of violence. To address these protection concerns, UN Peacekeeping Operations have focused on establishing Community Alert Networks with youth leaders in countries such as the Central African Republic, thus enhancing early warning capacities and community-based protection mechanisms. Nevertheless, the momentum on the Council's youth, peace and security agenda slowed in 2022 and 2023, he observed, noting the decrease in the references to young people in Council resolutions. "It is concerning to see a decline in the number of young people briefing both the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission between 2022 to 2023, compared to prior years," he added. Outlining recommendations, he said that holding an annual Council open debate on youth, peace and security is crucial to ensure sustained engagement and momentum for the agenda. As well, it is pivotal to increase opportunities for young people to participate in Council deliberations and country visits. The Council must also continue strengthening concrete youth, peace and security elements as part of mandate renewals of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, he stressed. SIMONE MBODE DIOUF, African Youth Ambassador for Peace for the West Africa Region , said that she is living proof that international and regional institutions can choose to trust the expertise of young women by putting them on the global stage. Spotlighting the work of young African women peacebuilders, she shared the story of four young Congolese women who led the National Technical Secretariat on their Government's resolution that institutionalizes resolution 2250 (2015). Through these women's endeavours, the Democratic Republic of Congo created its first national action plan on youth peace and security in 2022. Two of the women, coordinators of "Jeunes Femmes Leaders pour la Paix", brought the Agenda, through data collection and drafting strategic documents, to their local communities despite a challenging security context marked by war. Underlining that such examples are not isolated, she said that many young women across Africa are addressing challenges such as climate change, resurgence of conflict, sexual violence and lack of economic opportunity; they are key to maintaining peace in their countries. Hailing resolution 2535 (2020), she said that the resolution highlights the intersectional needs of different groups of young people while calling on Member States and other peace actors to promote the women and youth agendas. The African Union's Continental Framework on Youth Peace and Security encouraged sensitivity to stereotypes through programmes including the Youth Ambassadors for Peace, the FemWise network, Youth Caucuses of African Women Leaders Networks and the Young Women's Mentoring Initiative. She also detailed other young women's efforts that embody the intersection of the United Nations and the African Union's agendas and their complementarity in the creation of inclusive security policies. Both frameworks recognize that conflict, war and violence impact youth and women differently and highlight that their crucial contributions to peace and humanitarian responses are overlooked, she noted, adding: "The commitment of young women across the African continent is undeniable, but political leaders must play their part." Young women need to be economically and socially empowered to have the resources, capabilities, and confidence to be agents of change she stressed, pointing out that "when you invest in young women, they give back to the community, starting a virtuous, rather than vicious, circle." It is important to see young women as political actors, she emphasized, citing Sibila Ouedraogo, the youngest candidate in Burkina Faso's recent legislative elections. However, progress cannot be made without political will, which will be particularly important during the Summit of the Future, reporting that, in the latest version of the Summit's Pact for the Future, all language related to the youth, peace and security and women, peace and security agendas has been removed. Urging for the reversal of this trend, she underscored that women peacebuilders must be protected. While some young women speak out despite threats, many are silenced through fear. Combatting hate speech and gender-based violence through technology is essential in creating safe civic space. She called on the Council to implement, fund and institutionalize the two agendas as requested by 400 young people in the Cotonou Youth Action Agenda, to highlight best practices and lessons learned from young women peacebuilders working for sustainable peace and to encourage collaboration and dialogue between young women and other stakeholders to bridge generational and gender gaps. Statements VERONICA NATANIEL MACAMO DLHOVO, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique and Council President for May, spoke in her national capacity, stressing that today's meeting offered an important opportunity to identify best practices, gaps, challenges and the way forward to improve the participation of women and young people in conflict-prevention and peacebuilding. Recognizing that the effectiveness of peace and security policies hinges on understanding the experiences of violence, injustice, and exclusion faced by young people and women, Mozambique has placed them at the forefront of decision-making processes, she reported. This has been achieved by ensuring gender parity in the Government and by increasing the representation of women and young people in legislative and judicial bodies. Detailing her country's efforts implementing its National Plan on Women, Peace and Security, she highlighted the training of over 700 Government and civil society employees in assisting victims of gender-based violence and the training of 3,000 police and armed forces members in gender equality. Also pointing out young people's leading role in the fight against terrorism, extremism and other forms of violence, she spotlighted her country's "holistic approach", which includes economic and social initiatives targeting young people and the establishment of the National Youth Council. Urging Member States "to raise awareness among their political leaders to prioritize the agenda on women and youth" in their different interventions, she underscored the importance of involving of civil society organizations and community media that encourages grass-roots level contributions in drafting and implementing national action plans on women and youth. She also called on Member States to prioritize resource allocation from national budgets and partners, applying a gender perspective in budgeting. The representative of Sierra Leone emphasized that "the prosperity of a nation cannot be divorced from the prosperity of its women and youth populations". Recognizing the critical constituencies of women and youth in Africa, the African Union Strategy on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and the Continental Framework for Youth, Peace, and Security seeks to strengthen women's and youth's agency on the continent. Furthermore, the African Union has since established a network of African women in conflict prevention and mediation, which provides a platform for strategic advocacy, capacity-building and networking to enhance the implementation of commitments to women's inclusion in peace-making in Africa. The world today is home to 1.8 billion young people the largest generation in history and to 4.04 billion females, he reported, underscoring that "the voices and actions of women and youth as peacebuilders, decision makers, human rights defenders and agents of change are fundamental to the durability of peace." The representative of Guyana said that the women, peace and security and the youth, peace and security agendas cannot be addressed in silos. Their goals will not be achieved without capitalizing on their synergies. Though the adoption of resolution 2250 (2015) was an important step, the international community must ensure that no category of youth, notably women, is left out. Targeted action must ensure their participation in both civil society and Government. In addressing root causes of poverty, unemployment and internal displacement, the importance of quality education must be underscored. Moreover, attention must be paid to hate speech, misinformation, racism and unwanted sexual advances online affecting young people. Education in this regard on responsible online behaviour must implemented and perpetrators must be held accountable. The Council should continue strengthening the two agendas into mandate renewals of peacekeeping operations with adequate resourcing for the empowerment and participation of women and youth built into mandates with strong monitoring mechanisms to measure implementation and efficiency. The representative of the Russian Federation , highlighting women's integral role in conflict resolution, along with the innovative contributions of young people, spotlighted the vulnerability of women and youth as victims of conflict, particularly in Gaza. However, she questioned the effectiveness of developing strategies and institutions for women and youth in conflict resolution particularly in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict accusing the United Nations of "multiplying bureaucratic structures" and "formally preparing and updating plans of actions" that neither prevent nor resolve conflicts. Acknowledging the increasing participation of women and young people in peace processes, she warned that such involvement must be a natural part of societal evolution and a constant conscious choice rather than "a priority imposed from the outside". She further criticized donor countries for making the participation of women and youth a strict condition for allocating assistance to poor countries, adding that "such new colonial practices are unacceptable". She also voiced concerns about the participation of children in political activities given their physical and mental immaturity. The representative of Switzerland , noting the progress made on both agendas, pointed out that gaps still remain. For women, the doors to peacebuilding are cracked open, but seem to be closing, and for young people, the situation is no better. While some initiatives have been implemented to remedy this in countries, including Colombia and Yemen, young people suffer violence disproportionately and are rarely involved in peace processes often losing trust in public institutions. Offering networking as a possible solution, she hailed the FemWise-Africa network for its approach to mutual learning and knowledge transfer. Moreover, policymakers must use these networks to establish partnerships. Peacebuilding is too great a process to do without women and Member States must keep firm their promises made almost 25 years ago, she stressed, adding that Switzerland will continue to ensure that the voice of women and young people is heard in the Council. The representative of the United States , observing that the youth, peace and security and women, peace and security agendas are mutually reinforcing, declared: "When we lift up young people, we lift up women; when we lift up women, we lift up young people; and when we lift up both, we empower entire communities". However, young people and women are disproportionately impacted by conflict, she pointed out, stressing that violence disrupts their education and diminishes their job prospects, limiting their access to civic spaces. In this regard, she said that the children of Gaza are unable to pursue their education through no fault of their own. Likewise, girls in Afghanistan are denied access to education, restricted by the Taliban. "We have seen young people respond to these challenges and become the architects of their futures," she noted, urging Member States to do everything in their power to uplift women and young people and promote their safety in physical and digital space. Sustainable peace and stability are only possible through inclusive decision-making processes, she added. The representative of China , spotlighting the toll of the war in Gaza on women and children, urged the Council to promote a ceasefire. He further called on parties to the conflict "to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to refrain from using women and youth as military targets". The international community must fully leverage the advantages of quick thinking, understanding and tolerance of women and youth to encourage them to contribute their ideas to conflict prevention. Noting that lack of access to education and employment is one of the major reasons some young people and women are lured into joining armed groups and terrorist organizations, he called on the international community to increase their access to such opportunities so that youth and women can become "the masters of their own destiny" and a major force for social stability and development. "This is the most effective means of conflict prevention and the peace project with the highest returns," he emphasized. The representative of France underscored the importance of the women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas working in tandem to prevent conflicts and to construct more inclusive and resilient societies. His country supports these goals through its feminist diplomacy and its concrete actions, such as training female officers on gender issues in peacekeeping operations. However, despite progress in the agendas, it is not enough. In this regard, he condemned all measures restricting civic space for women, such as in Afghanistan, calling on Member States to support the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) recommendations on women's' participation in decision-making processes. Condemning the disproportionate amounts of violence that women and girls face in situations of conflict, he said that France will support initiatives to include them in peace processes. The representative of Japan emphasized that holistic approaches on conflict prevention involving women and youth lead to strengthened social resilience and national ownership of sustainable peace. Citing the Secretary-General's report, he underscored the need to foster inclusive economic and employment opportunities as a key to youth empowerment in post-conflict settings. Integrating youth and women into security frameworks requires long-term national and international efforts, he noted, urging the international community to draw lessons from the women, peace and security agenda to support the implementation of the youth, peace and security agenda. Further, the Council must continue to strengthen and mainstream youth, peace and security agenda elements in its resolutions, as well as incorporate youth perspectives into its meetings, including through the invitation of briefers. The representative of Ecuador said that the Pact for the Future provides an opportunity to address the challenges facing young people, including access to new information, communication technologies and artificial intelligence. Women and young people tend to be the most exposed to these risk factors due to greater exposure to the dissemination of online hate messages and political violence. Further, the escalation of violence associated with conflict endangers the lives of young people, he said, noting that young women are disproportionately affected by forced displacement, sexual and gender-based violence and human trafficking. Against this backdrop, he underlined the importance of guaranteeing that the victims of these atrocities have full access to full and equitable participation in political processes and peacebuilding. It is also vital to strengthen the joint efforts among Member States, regional bodies and UN agencies to promote the participation of youth and women. The representative of Malta said that to address young peoples' underrepresentation in peace processes and their security in a context of shrinking civil space, the Council must first understand their lived experiences in conflict-affected countries. Data collection from peacekeeping missions should include age, sex and gender-responsible analysis and gender-responsive investments in youth-centred peacebuilding efforts must be expanded. This cannot be achieved without the engagement of young men and boys whose identities are informed by gender norms and power relations, she said, calling on the Council to create safe opportunities for youth to participate in meetings. Further, adolescent girls become more susceptible to early and forced marriage and pregnancy during- and post-conflict while minorities within this group such as young lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are at heightened risk. In that vein, Malta welcomes a gender perspective to youth peace and security that will prevent a new generation from preproducing patriarchal power structures that limit gender equality. The representative of Algeria underlined the crucial role women and youth play in managing and resolving conflicts, despite facing significant challenges and transnational threats such as armed conflict, terrorism and trafficking. These challenges hinder their effective inclusion and obstruct peace, security and sustainable development. This complex dilemma cannot be tackled by Member States alone, he said, underscoring the importance of international partnerships and cooperation as well as financial and technical support. "Only sustainable development can engage youth in building their community and the economies of their countries," he added, highlighting the importance of using the technological and digital skills of youth to enhance the synergy between the youth, peace and security and women, peace and security agendas. Turning to the war in Gaza, where women and youth "are being exterminated," he emphasized that achieving peace is meaningless without the immediate cessation of all forms of killing, persecution, and marginalization, and without enabling Palestinian youth to enjoy their rights within an independent State. The representative of the United Kingdom underlined that women's full, equal and meaningful participation as leaders, negotiators and peacebuilders greatly enhances the chances of long-lasting peace. Reporting that his country recently launched a programme of over $900,000 that supports women peacebuilders, including those in South Sudan, he stated: "By amplifying the voices of those most affected by conflict, we can better address and mitigate its impacts." He also highlighted the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, which prioritizes the voices of survivors and puts them at the heart of decision-making. For children who grow up in war, the impacts of conflict, including conflict-related sexual violence, extend into their youth and beyond. In this context, he pointed to his Government's Platform for Action Promoting the Rights and Wellbeing of Children Born of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, which is dedicated to addressing the urgent challenges faced by this vulnerable group. The representative of Republic of Korea said that his country remains committed to implementing the two agendas. The role of women and young people must be central in peace processes. Further, young people and women must be economically empowered, he said, noting that all too often women and youth are driven into sexual exploitation or armed groups for lack of opportunity. This is a reminder that economic need becomes a bargaining chip for those affected conflicts. Empowering young women allows the international community to leverage their unique position to address generational efforts in peacebuilding while applying a gender lens in the youth peace and security agenda can help prevent new generations from replicating power structures. The Security Council should not only repeat moral imperatives, he emphasized. Rather it must fully embrace the mandate to make the voices of women and young people integral in the maintenance of peace and security. The representative of Slovenia emphasized that conflicts had a lasting impact on the development and prospects of youth by depriving them of family ties and education and limiting their access to health care, gainful employment and social services. The experiences of youth in conflict are often influenced by their gender, she pointed out, calling for more active engagement of young women in conflict prevention and resolution, including by leveraging more access to funding. Therefore, such partnerships with international and regional financial institutions, as well as inclusion in conflict resolution, should be strengthened. In addition, young people in conflict-affected areas, especially young women at high risk of sexual violence, need a survivor-centred response. Noting that conflict often deprives entire generations of access to education, she stressed the importance of prioritizing educational and vocational opportunities with a gender perspective, "as these enable young people to rebuild their lives and reclaim their roles in post-conflict societies". The representative of the European Union , speaking in its capacity as observer, underscored that none of the objectives of women, peace, and security agenda could be realized without women's full, equal, and meaningful participation. It is encouraging that political commitment to the youth, peace and security agenda has grown over the past two years, she said, noting the need to "sustain this momentum through concrete actions". The bloc is at the forefront through its Youth Action Plan, which contributes to the implementation of resolution 2250 (2015) by promoting youth leadership and participation, including in conflict situations worldwide. She also said that youth engagement must be integrated more systematically into the UN system, adding that establishing the UN Youth Office was an essential step in this regard. An intersectional lens on peace and security is crucial, she continued, stressing that while the youth, peace and security and women, peace and security agendas are pivotal in their own right, "neither operates in a vacuum". Young women must be at the table of discussions, as their experiences and vision bring unique perspectives on conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction, the promotion of gender equality and the building of more inclusive and resilient societies. Also, youth participation in decision-making should never become a mere box-ticking exercise. In the context of the increasing number of conflicts worldwide and a shrinking civic space for young persons both offline and online, she emphasized that it is critical to protect the achievements made so far. The representative of Brazil , speaking for the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries , said that while women and girls are disproportionately affected by sexual violence in armed conflict, they are also deeply committed to peacebuilding, including as community leaders, mediators, security officials, members of parliament or the judiciary. Women's efforts to overcome violence must be leveraged for long-term peace. In that vein, the Group has prioritized the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda within the framework of their Action Plan for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. Similarly, the Group has chosen "Youth and Sustainability" as its theme for the current presidency (2023-2025). Young men's inclusion is also crucial to stop reproducing patriarchal power structures that hinder gender equality and prevent young people from becoming instruments in the hands of leaders who choose violence over the democratic and peaceful treatment of disputes and problems, he pointed out. Prepared to work with all relevant partners including the Peacebuilding Commission, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries reaffirms its unwavering commitment to peace, justice, and equality, he said, adding: "Together, let us endeavour to build a safer, more peaceful world for both present and future generations." The representative of Denmark , also speaking for Finland , Iceland , Norway and Sweden , noted that while young people, including young women, play a vital role in addressing challenges and fostering peace in their communities, they are also disproportionately affected by violent conflict. "Inclusivity is key to sustaining peace," he stressed, calling for ensuring the "full, effective, meaningful and safe" participation of youth in their diversity at all levels of decision-making and peacebuilding processes. He further warned against treating women and youth as having the same needs and agency, adding that "women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas are different, yet complementary". Accelerating the implementation of the two agendas is possible by providing accessible and flexible funding for local peacebuilding networks, promoting young women's participation in peace processes, as well as engaging young men in discussions on gender equality. Similarly, Member States can support national and regional frameworks and integrate the two agendas into the peace and security chapter of the Pact for the Future. Expressing support for the Secretary-General's call to action outlined in his report, he strongly encouraged the Council to regularly convene an open debate on this topic and to increase opportunities for youth to participate in its deliberations. The representative of Luxembourg , speaking also on behalf of Belgium and the Netherlands and aligning himself with the European Union, said that, instead of discussing the respective agendas in silos, "we must integrate the women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas where possible and build on the synergies between them". States must equip young women with the right tools and allow them to develop to their fullest potential by reinforcing relevant social policies for conflict prevention and post-conflict situations. Concretely, this implies ensuring their access to equal opportunities to technical and vocational education and training and decent jobs and universal health care. He observed that young women and girls are disproportionately impacted by security challenges posed by climate change, armed conflict, digital threats and shrinking civic space. In this regard, increasing youth and young women's meaningful participation in policy, programming and decision-making processes has catalytic potential for efforts to prevent, mitigate and recover from conflict. He also underscored the need to integrate and strengthen youth, peace and security elements as part of mandate creations and renewals of peacekeeping operations and special political missions. As young people represent the most populous demographic in the world, he emphasized that their seat at the table must be guaranteed, including by ensuring opportunities for young peacebuilders to brief the Council. The representative of Finland , speaking also on behalf of Jordan as co-chairs of the Group of Champions of Youth, Peace and Security , emphasized that constructive youth participation is key to building more resilient societies. To sustain the youth, peace and security agenda, she called on the Council to double its efforts in listening to the voices of young people and give the agenda the political attention it deserves, including holding an annual open debate on resolution 2250 (2015). Meaningful youth engagement must remain central in achieving the agenda's goals, and safe dialogue between generations will inspire trust between youth and decision makers. In that regard, Member States are responsible to facilitate meaningful youth participation. Finland's National Action Plan and Jordan's Youth, Peace and Security are two such good examples, she said, adding that the Group of Champions will call on other States to share their efforts in New York. While several national and regional action plans are in development, the upcoming Pact for the Future must reflect this important work. Further, investment in youth has great financial potential, she noted, recalling a study from Kenya showing that for every dollar spent on youth, the overall social return was from $5 to $10. To that end, more innovative thinking on how to finance the agenda is needed, such as the exploration of public-private partnerships. "The role of decision-makers is to work not only for the youth, but also with them. They do not need our voices to speak on their behalf. They need to get on the stage to speak for themselves," she said. Preparations for the Summit of the Future and its Pact must take this into account. IFIGENEIA KONTOLEONTOS, Permanent Observer for the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie to the United Nations , speaking on behalf of Louise Mushikiwabo, the Organisation's Secretary-General, voiced support to the full participation of women and youth in crisis prevention and management, calling for their meaningful and equal involvement at all levels of conflict resolution and the need for their protection. Stressing the importance of integrating multilingualism and cultural diversity into international actions to promote peace, as outlined in the Bamako Declaration, she underscored the importance of local stakeholders in implementing the two agendas. She went on to detail the Organization's efforts in establishing diverse networks of expertise focusing on peace, democracy, and human rights, complemented by international youth and gender equality networks. The Organisation has developed an original approach to support the women, peace, and security agenda's implementation, including an online training program launched in 2023 in collaboration with the Senghor University of Alexandria. This program aims to operationalize national action plans for the agenda in French-speaking countries, particularly in Africa. With a focus on key stakeholders and gender focal points, it is designed to strengthen national stakeholders involved in the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and bring together a community of practitioners. DANIEL DEL VALLE BLANCO, Permanent Observer for the International Youth Organization , highlighting the International Youth Organization's New Youth Agenda, which focuses on peace and security as a main pillar, emphasized that preserving peace requires a comprehensive approach. This goal can only be achieved with significant participation of the youth, which for a long time were excluded from peace building processes. He urged the Council to ensure that young people are "full-fledged partners in the peace process" rather than "passive recipients" of its decisions. Underscoring that the concept of peace can vary depending on the circumstances, he called for unique measures to achieve lasting peace. He went on to call for the gap between national plans and actual implementation for youth and women's agendas to be urgently bridged. As well, Member States should commit to youth communities at the national and local levels and promote safe dialogue spaces. This commitment will build trust between young people and those in leadership positions as well as facilitate effective intergenerational dialogue. He also emphasized the need for data collection and information on youth issues, advocating for the establishment of youth observatories to inform policymaking. __________ *The 9636th Meeting was closed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US urges Israel to fully investigate deadly strike in Rafah camp By VOA News May 28, 2024 The United States expressed "deep concern" Tuesday over an apparent Israeli airstrike Sunday that killed at least 45 Palestinians sheltering in a refugee camp in Rafah and wounded 200 others. The U.S. said it has urged Israel to conduct a full investigation. "Those images were heartbreaking," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. He said while Israel has a right to go after Hamas, Israel has an obligation to do everything possible to minimize civilian harm while it carries out its operations. "We will continue to emphasize to Israel their obligation to comply fully with international humanitarian law, minimize the impact of their operations on civilians and maximize the flow of humanitarian assistance to those in need," Miller said, adding Israel's military had promised a swift, comprehensive and transparent investigation. "We will be watching those results closely," he said. Israel's military said it is looking into the possibility that weapons stored in the area hit by the Israeli strike may have sparked a deadly fire at the refugee camp Sunday. A military spokesman said Tuesday the munitions used in the Israeli strike were too small to set off a big blaze. The Gaza Health Ministry said the attack ignited tent fires in an area sheltering displaced people. Israel said it killed two senior Hamas militants in the attack. "I think this speaks very clearly to the challenge of military airstrikes in densely populated areas of Gaza, including Rafah, because of the risk of civilian casualties," national security communications adviser John Kirby said of the initial Israeli findings of the fire being caused by a secondary explosion and not the initial strike. The U.N. Security Council met Tuesday afternoon in a closed session requested by Algeria to discuss the attack. After the meeting, Ambassador Amar Bendjama told reporters that Algeria plans to circulate a draft resolution shortly on Rafah. "A short text. A decisive text to stop the killing in Rafah," he said. The Algerian text, seen by VOA, "Decides that Israel, the occupying Power, shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah." It also demands an immediate cease-fire "respected by all parties" and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Speaking before the meeting, French envoy Nicolas de Riviere told reporters that Israel must stop its operation in accordance with the International Court of Justice ruling, and Palestinian groups must stop rocket attacks on Israel. "This is a matter of life and death," he said. "This is a matter of emergency." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement Tuesday that the "relentless violence" must stop and reiterated his call for a humanitarian cease-fire and the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages. Gaza medical personnel and residents reported new Israeli airstrikes Tuesday in the area of al-Mawasi on the enclave's coast, where thousands of people have fled to what Israel has said is a designated "safe zone." The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 20 civilians were killed. The Israel Defense Forces denied striking the area. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Tuesday that more than 940,000 people have fled Rafah in the past three weeks amid Israel's offensive. Another 100,000 have been displaced by fighting in northern Gaza. U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths issued a statement late Monday calling the Rafah attack "utterly unacceptable." He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's explanation that what happened was a "tragic mistake." "Whether the attack was a war crime or a 'tragic mistake,' for the people of Gaza, there is no debate," Griffiths said. "What happened last night was the latest and possibly most cruel abomination. To call it 'a mistake' is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives," he added. "Despite our best effort not to harm those not involved, unfortunately a tragic mistake happened last night. We are investigating the case," Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel needs to carry out an offensive in Rafah to achieve its goal of ensuring Hamas cannot operate in Gaza and threaten Israel in the future. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Monday the attack could complicate efforts to mediate stalled cease-fire talks and the return of the hostages held in Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials, and led to the capture of about 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent counteroffensive has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, a death toll that includes both civilians and combatants, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara and United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. 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 Spain's prime minister says recognizing Palestinian state only path to peace By VOA News May 28, 2024 Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state Tuesday, joining more than 140 other nations in a step sharply criticized by Israel. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called on the international community to work toward a two-state solution, while praising the Palestinian Authority for working on reforms and faulting the Israeli government for showing "no signs of engaging constructively." Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday that recognizing a Palestinian state is aimed at "contributing to achieving peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians." "It is the only way to realize the solution that we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve a future of peace, that of a Palestinian state that coexists alongside the state of Israel in peace and security," Sanchez said. Spain, Norway and Ireland first announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state last week. Israel responded last week by calling the move a gift to Hamas and recalled its ambassadors from all three countries in protest. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz added Tuesday that Spain's government was "being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes." Sanchez said Tuesday the decision to recognize a Palestinian state "reflects our absolute rejection of Hamas, a terrorist organization who is against the two-state solution." He further said the move is "not against anyone, least of all Israel." Sanchez said Spain's position supports 1967 borders, unless changes are agreed to by Israel and the Palestinians, and a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and East Jerusalem as a capital. "We had wanted to recognize Palestine at the end of a peace process, however we have made this move alongside Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive," Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said in a statement. The Palestinian flag was raised outside Dublin's Leinster House, where the Irish parliament meets. None of the prominent Western powers and more than two-thirds of the United Nations do not recognize a Palestinian state. Harris said Tuesday that the European Union should consider economic sanctions on Israel. "Europe could be doing a hell of a lot more" to bring about a cease-fire, he said. The decision comes nearly seven months after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages, prompting Israel's offensive. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taliban push for normalizing male-only higher education By Akmal Dawi May 28, 2024 In coming weeks, tens of thousands of students in Afghanistan are set to sit for university entrance examinations. Notably absent from the list of candidates will be females. The upcoming exams are expected to determine the admission of about 70,000 students to public academic and professional institutions this year. Last week, when officials from the Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education unveiled the specifics of the upcoming exams, they conspicuously omitted any mention of the exclusion of female students from university admissions. Despite facing widespread domestic and international criticism for their prohibition of women from educational and professional opportunities, the Taliban have persisted in enforcing discriminatory gender policies. "The exclusion of women from higher education significantly limits the country's economic potential, as half the population is unable to contribute effectively to the workforce," David Roof, a professor of educational studies at Ball State University, wrote to VOA. In December 2022, the Taliban suspended nearly 100,000 female students enrolled in both public and private universities across Afghanistan. With the nation already grappling with some of the most dire female literacy rates globally, Afghanistan has failed to produce any female professionals over the past two years. According to aid agencies, the absence of female medical professionals, compounded by other restrictions, has contributed to the deaths of thousands of young mothers in Afghanistan. The United Nations reports that over 2.5 million Afghan school-age girls are deprived of education. "The interruption in education can result in a generational setback, where entire cohorts of women remain uneducated and unqualified for professional roles," Roof said. 'Hermit kingdom' The elusive supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, purportedly responsible for the ban on women's education and employment, has never publicly clarified his directive. Initially, when secondary schools were shuttered for girls in March 2022, Taliban officials said the action was "temporary," insisting that the Islamist leadership did not fundamentally oppose women's education. However, more than two years later, Taliban officials have provided no rationale for the continued absence of girls from classrooms. "They have normalized gender-apartheid," said an Afghan women's rights activist who did not want to be named in this article, fearing the Taliban's persecution. "This is a new norm in Afghanistan, however insane and destructive it may look in the rest of the world," she added. In January 2022, the U.S. Department of State appointed Rina Amiri as the special envoy for Afghan women, aiming to garner international backing for Afghan women's rights. Amiri has actively engaged with Muslim leaders, emphasizing the importance of women's rights in Islam, in hopes of influencing Taliban leaders. Despite these efforts, there has been no indication from Taliban leaders of any intention to abandon their discriminatory policies against women. "There is no indication this will subside," Amiri told a Congressional hearing in January. Senior U.S. officials have also warned the Taliban that there will be no normalization in their relations with the international community unless they allow women to return to work and education. Thus far, the Taliban's response has been that they value depriving women of basic human rights more than having normal relations with the rest of the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ruto declares ironclad support for Haiti in exclusive interview By Hubbah Abdi May 28, 2024 Kenyan President William Ruto says Nairobi has met all legal and constitutional requirements to deploy troops to Haiti to help the Caribbean nation out of political and socioeconomic turmoil. In an exclusive interview with VOA's Hubbah Abdi shortly after concluding his state visit to the United States last week, Ruto said the East African nation "will show up in Haiti'' as it has historically done for more than a dozen other countries to support peace efforts. "Haiti is not going to be an exception,'' he noted. The Kenyan leader also addressed criticisms surrounding the cost of his recent U.S. trip, which some media organizations said was $1.5 million. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: You suggested that developing countries, especially in Africa, need support to offset debts. But Kenya has borrowed about $6 billion since former President Mwai Kibak's administration that ended in 2013. What are you expecting from the United States in terms of help on this debt burden? Kenyan President William Ruto: The conversation that we had with the United States is that they will lead, and they will champion. And we appreciate that everybody has now come to agree that we need a fairer international financial architecture. It is the reason why the United States [has] committed $250 billion, and specifically, $21 billion to the concessionary window of the World Bank under the IDA [International Development Association] so that we can reach the target we set in Nairobi of $120 billion that will support developing countries ... like Kenya [to] access concessionary financing so that countries do not spend more in debt repayment and in managing the effects of climate change. But they will spend more in development, in health, education, and social services. And I am very proud of the outcome of my meeting with President [Joe] Biden and by extension, the U.S. government. Both President Biden and the senators, congressmen have agreed to double U.S. contribution to IDA so that we can be able to do more with our resources and be able to access more concessionary funding for the development of our countries." VOA: Your government defended spending $1.5 million for this trip. But Kenyans at home say you overspent, while asking them to tighten their belts to help the economy recover. How do you respond to this? Ruto: The numbers being bandied around are ridiculous, to say the least. I think the expenditures on my trip are completely exaggerated. I am very careful about the resources that I spend. In fact, I have cut down on funding to my office. I have cut down on funding to different government agencies. I have reduced by 30% recurrent expenditures in this budget so that we can live within our means, as I have said, and we can push more resources to the realm of development, education, providing help and doing the things that matter like cash transfers to citizens. VOA: Would you like to see more changes to the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which was created to improve economic relations with the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries? Ruto: I think AGOA is working pretty well, even in its current form. For example, last year, Kenya exported $544 million close to 70 to 80 billion [Kenyan shillings] worth of goods to the United States quota free, duty free. I think last year, we added 12,000 jobs under this program. ... We're making huge progress in making sure that Kenyan products can have access to American markets the same way we have negotiated the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union to facilitate trade and access to market for goods from Kenya. VOA: The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Kenya to deploy troops to Haiti. But the U.S. and other countries have refrained from sending their troops there. In Kenya, there's an active case in court regarding this deployment. Why are you still determined to send troops to Haiti? Ruto: The deployment of our security officers to Haiti has been endorsed by the Cabinet. Both houses of parliament have ratified it. We have met all international requirements, and in fact, we have complied with the very court order you're referring to. The court asked us to have an agreement signed between Kenya and Haiti specifically to facilitate this deployment. The prime minister of Haiti [Ariel Henry] traveled to Kenya, and we jointly witnessed the signing of that agreement. Beyond that, I have also asked the Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti to ratify and confirm that they recognize the agreement that was signed between Kenya and witnessed by the former prime minister and myself. I have it in writing that they confirm that the current administration recognizes that agreement. So, we are very clear, and I am very clear in my mind that Kenya has satisfied all legal, constitutional and international obligations to facilitate the deployment of this police contingent. We believe that the responsibility in Haiti belongs to all countries and all people who believe in self-determination, democracy, the rule of law and peace. We will show up in Haiti the same way we have done in other countries. Kenya has been in 47 other countries supporting peace, and Haiti is not going to be an exception. This story originated in VOA's English to Africa Service, with contributions from Ignatius Annor. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Georgian parliament overrides veto of controversial foreign agent law By Ani Chkhikvadze May 28, 2024 Georgia's parliament on Tuesday overrode the president's veto of a controversial foreign agent law, despite protests at home and criticism in Western capitals, including a U.S. threat to impose sanctions. The new measure is officially called the "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence." However, opponents have dubbed it the "Russian law," a reference to Russia's foreign agent law, which requires anyone who receives support from outside Russia, or is seen as acting under "foreign influence," to register as a foreign agent. "I was watching the live broadcast of the vote with my mother. Till the last moment, we still had a hope. We hoped that their consciences wouldn't allow it. But it happened, and I am really saddened. However, what gives me hope are the demonstrators," said Nana Jikia, a student. "We want European future; we do not want to be a Russian province." The Georgian law requires civil society organizations, media and other entities receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign interests. The law primarily targets U.S. and European Union democracy assistance programs. President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the legislation on May 18, but it was widely expected that the ruling Georgian Dream party's parliamentary majority would override the veto. "There's only one way forward for Georgia. For its sovereignty and freedom and liberty, and that is to remove this government democratically through next elections, to continue this protest, to have an overwhelming moral majority and, like 30 years ago in 1990 when communists were defeated even before elections, they have to accept that they have to give up power," Giga Bokeria, head of the opposition European Georgia party, told VOA. Georgian Dream reintroduced the law in April, a year after it abandoned in March 2023 after it sparked mass protests. Protesters view the law as a move by the government to tilt the country toward Moscow, even though polls show more than 80% of Georgians support Georgia's path toward EU membership and 73% endorse the country's bid to join NATO. General elections in October will determine whether the Georgian Dream party remains in power for a fourth term. Georgian nongovernmental organizations say the foreign agent law may hinder international organizations' ability to observe the October vote. While the government claims the law promotes transparency, local NGOs and Georgia's Western partners view it as targeting Western funding for Georgian civil society. "Having no chances of victory in the upcoming general elections in October if they are conducted freely and fairly, [Bidzina] Ivanishvili" Georgian Dream's shadow leader "is tightening his grip on power through harsh authoritarian measures and is openly driving the country into Russian influence," former Georgian ambassador to the United States David Sikharulidze told VOA outside the parliament building in Tbilisi. "It's very much in line with Putin's tactics," he said. "This law is a Russian law in essence and spirit, which contradicts our constitution and all European standards," Zourabichvili said in her veto statement. Zourabichvili, whose election as president in 2018 was supported by Georgian Dream, has increasingly found herself at odds with the party. Apprehension over the domestic and foreign policy trajectory of Georgia's government has grown since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Official Tbilisi refused to side with Ukraine publicly or to join sanctions against Moscow, while attacking Ukrainian officials publicly and echoing anti-Western rhetoric. In addition, U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about Georgia's role in helping Russia evade Western sanctions. For more than a month and a half, tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets to protest the foreign agent law, the largest protests the country has seen since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. "Georgian people have erupted in protest. They deserve more than just statements from the Western partners," Sikharulidze said. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions against those "responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia." "The Department of State is implementing a new visa restriction policy for Georgia that will apply to individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members," Blinken said in a statement. "This includes individuals responsible for suppressing civil society and freedom of peaceful assembly in Georgia through a campaign of violence or intimidation." Georgian Dream officials dismissed the visa restrictions as interference in Georgia's internal affairs. "The blackmail with visa restrictions are nothing but a crude attempt to limit the independence and sovereignty of Georgia," the Georgian Dream party said in a statement, labeling the move "anti-Georgian." For their part, European Union officials have warned that adopting the foreign agent law would jeopardize Georgia's bid for EU membership. "The law of foreign influence is not in line with EU values. If the law is enacted, it will impact Georgia's EU path," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Georgian officials have dismissed the critical voices in Washington and Brussels as part of what they call the "Global War Party," which one Georgian Dream MP described to a British podcaster as a "'force akin to the Freemasons." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mexico to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 29, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Mexico filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa's genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), The Hague-based world court announced on Tuesday. "On 24 May 2024, Mexico, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)", according to the press release available on the ICJ's official website. Based on Article 63 of the Statute, in addition to relevant countries to the case, any other country can enter the court proceedings. "In accordance with Article 83 of the Rules of Court, South Africa and Israel have been invited to furnish written observations on Mexico's declaration of intervention", the ICJ said in the press release. Mexico's move places it on a growing list of countries willing to join the case accusing Israel of violating the UN's 1948 Genocide Convention. South Africa brought its case against Israel in January, accusing the regime of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza where more than 36,000 people, mostly women and children have been killed since launched it war on October 7, 2023. The top UN court issued an interim ruling that found there was a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza and ordered Israel to take a series of measures, including preventing any genocidal acts from taking place. The court rejected a second South African application for emergency measures in March over Israel's threat to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah which is overcrowded by Palestinians displaced elsewhere in the besieged strip. But last week, the ICJ on yet another plea from South Africa, issued a legally binding order for Israel to halt its invasion of Rafah after the regime reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble and forcefully displaced hundreds of thousands of people. 4399 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 21 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Rafah displacement tents People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:17, May 29, 2024 GAZA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday in an Israeli bombardment of displaced persons' tents in the Al-Mawasi area in the west of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security and medical sources. Security sources told Xinhua that Israeli artillery bombed tents for the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area on the seashore west of Rafah. Al-Mawasi was a humanitarian zone where residents in Gaza used to take refuge based on the Israeli army's order. Local medical sources told Xinhua that the Israeli bombing led to the killing of at least 20 people, including women and children, and dozens of injuries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Iron Swords - Day 235 - 28 May 2024 At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to surrender and release every hostage. Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) Contrary to reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not attack the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. Medics say that Israel bombed the tents of displaced families in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The authorities in Gaza said on Tuesday that new Israeli raids on a tent area housing displaced persons west of Rafah caused deaths and injuries, while the Israeli army denied carrying out this strike. Reuters quoted medics and residents as saying that the new Israeli raids targeted the tents of displaced families in the designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi (..). On the other hand, the Israeli army denied this information. The army said in a brief statement: Contrary to reports received in the past few hours, the IDF did not launch an attack in the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The Israeli army has always said that its strikes only target militants and the infrastructure of armed groups. The Al-Alam News Channel [Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting] correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that the Israeli army has been carrying out violent raids in the last hours in the Al-Mawasi area, far west of the city of Rafah, and targeted a number of tents, leading to the death of more than 20 Palestinians. The area was also targeted earlier today and the day before yesterday. He added that there were a large number of martyrs and wounded, because the targeting was directly at the tents of the displaced, with artillery and air strikes, noting that most of the martyrs were children, women and the elderly. He explained that entire Palestinian families were killed within moments, in areas where the Israeli army asked residents to be present as safe areas, namely the Rafah and Khan Yunis waterways. He stressed that the occupation, through these crimes, wants to evacuate the city from east to west, which is evident through the advance of the occupation forces and tanks from several axes, including the Philadelphia axis and the Al-Awda Mosque. The Palestinian News Agency reported on Tuesday that the Israeli army committed a new massacre targeting displaced people in the Rafah suburbs, south of the Gaza Strip, leaving dozens dead and wounded, the majority of whom were children and women. Fierce clashes and violent bombing in Rafah and destruction of residential neighborhoods in Jabalia and northern Gaza. Wafa Agency reported, quoting local sources, that the occupation aircraft launched raids during which at least several missiles were launched, targeting the tents of the displaced in the Al-Mawasi area in Rafah. The agency added, according to a source in the Civil Defense, that there were more than 21 martyrs as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted the tents of displaced people in Mawasi Rafah, while the Rafah Emergency Committee said: The occupation committed a new massacre of war and genocide that targeted the tents of the displaced in the safe areas of Mawasi. "Wafa" indicated that "the occupation forces killed 72 displaced people within 48 hours by bombing tents in allegedly safe areas west of Rafah." War Termination There is a disagreement among the members of the War Cabinet regarding Hamas's demand to end the war, it was announced this evening (Tuesday), in the evening news at Khan 11. Some ministers believe that this clause can be negotiated, but Prime Minister Netanyahu and his entourage continue to claim that agreeing to the demand is surrender to Hamas. A document presenting Israel's position on the outline of a kidnapping deal was handed over to the mediators. Egypt and Qatar presented it to Hamas after the tripartite summit held in Paris over the weekend. The mediators presented Israel's updated position, in which they are willing to be flexible regarding the number of abductees to be released in the first phase, which is defined as a humanitarian phase. It was also published in the evening edition that an Israeli official involved in the negotiations said that this is "the last chance to return the abductees and make a deal". According to him, "Both we and the mediators understand this. If there is no deal, the IDF will enter Rafah and the abductees will not be released. In the meantime, the kidnapped are dying, and it could get worse." Last night it was published in the edition that Israel handed over the proposal document approved by the war cabinet to the mediators. The proposal is defined in Israel as "realistic and has a chance". Western officials involved in the negotiations conveyed the message to Israel that Hamas understands that it will not control the Gaza Strip the day after the war, as N12 TV News published this evening (Tuesday) in the "Main Edition". The same sources also told Israel that it should challenge the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, and put on the table a comprehensive proposal, in which Israel would refer to a long-term ceasefire, the restoration of the Strip, a governing alternative to Hamas and the exile of the leaders of the murderous terrorist organization. This, to test Sinwar's response. Despite this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not at all ready to discuss these issues. Israel submitted an updated "far-reaching" offer to Hamas through the mediators, which includes Israeli readiness to discuss a long-term ceasefire already at the end of phase one of the deal. The Chief of Staff Major General Herzi Halevi also supports this position and believes that the abductees should be returned, and that the army will know how to return to fighting afterwards. At the same time, the security establishment has a great desire to take advantage of the intense operation in Rafah to exert pressure on Sinwar. Officially, Hamas says it will not negotiate while fighting in Rafah, but in Israel there is appreciation and hope that the mediators know how to contact the murderous terrorist organization's senior officials behind the scenes. The mediators are supposed to deliver the Israeli proposal to Hamas. In the war cabinet, there is an agreement of the ministers and the heads of the defense establishment that it is right to end the activity in Rafah and give priority to the hostage deal, but Prime Minister Netanyahu opposes. The supporters of the process believe that Israel should enter the first phase of a deal and thus promote a dynamic for agreement later on. In a conversation with the parents of the abducted soldiers and female soldiers, the Chief of Staff clarified that the ultimate goal is indeed the dissolution of Hamas, but at this stage there is a chronological priority for the release of the abductees. Referring to Hamas's demand to stop the war, Halevi said that the IDF will know how to return and fight. The Chief of Staff also emphasized that the military pressure has a lot of meaning now, and added - if we take the pressure off completely, it will be difficult to reach an agreement. At the beginning of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu reprimanded: "The leaks coming out of the negotiation team are a scandal. We agreed on confidentiality. I have always expanded the mandate at your request when necessary. The briefings against me are false, you are harming the negotiations." Netanyahu made a similar public statement on the podium of the Knesset when he claimed that he had already approved the expansion of the mandate five times. Operational Update In a brief comment on the Rafah strike, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said, "The word tragic doesnt even begin to describe it." Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari stressed that the air strike alone could not have caused the deadly fire. He said: "Our ammunition alone cannot start a fire of this size." He added that the army launched two projectiles carrying 17 kilograms of "explosive materials" at a site that targeted two senior Hamas leaders. According to the initial findings of the IDF investigation, the fire ignited 100 meters away from the target of the attack, and ignited due to shrapnel hitting a fuel tank. An American source confirmed this morning (Tuesday) the information he received from an Israeli source on the ABC network. According to the same source, the United States announced that it is still in the process of understanding what happened, and is waiting for Israel to conduct its own investigation and determine what action to take. According to the military investigation, the Air Force carefully selected missiles to fit the mission. The Israeli bombing of a camp for displaced people northwest of Rafah, causing a fire to break out, killing 45 people, and wounding 249 others, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announced that it had opened an investigation into the raid. He announced that he had targeted a Hamas compound and killed two leaders in the raid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as a "tragic incident." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure to stop military operations in Rafah, and this pressure has increased after the recent raid on a camp for displaced people in the densely populated area. The raid, which caused the burning of tents and the killing of dozens of displaced people, confirmed the fears that preceded the invasion of Rafah on May 8 about civilian casualties in an area to which about 2.3 million people have already been displaced. The Israeli invasion of Rafah forced thousands of Palestinians to flee the city, to which about half of the Strip's population was displaced. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Tuesday that about one million people had fled the city during the past three weeks, warning that it had become almost impossible to provide support and protection to these people. Following the raid, an Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Egyptian forces on both sides of the Rafah crossing, which Israel took control of after the invasion. Egypt warned that the Israeli incursion into Rafah could threaten the peace treaty signed between the two countries decades ago. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz considered, in an analysis of the situation, that the incident reflected the intensity of tension with the meeting of the three borders, which intensified significantly with the Israeli armys incursion into Rafah. After international condemnation that followed Sunday's raid that killed 45 people and injured 249 others, it was announced, on Tuesday, that at least 21 people were killed in a new Israeli raid on a camp for displaced people west of the city of Rafah. Reactions continued denouncing the raid carried out by Israel in a camp for displaced people in Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip, on Sunday, after civilians were killed in the raid. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced, on Monday, that the death toll from the Israeli bombing in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in northwest Rafah had reached at least 45 people, and 249 others were injured. The two raids came in the wake of a decision by the United Nations International Court of Justice demanding that Israel stop its military attack on Rafah, and open the Rafah border crossing to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the Strip without hindrance. The UN Security Council decided to hold a closed emergency session on Tuesday afternoon regarding the situation in Rafah at the request of Algeria, the Arab representative in the Council. As international pressure mounted, Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin announced that European Union foreign ministers held for the first time an important discussion about imposing sanctions on Israel if it does not adhere to international humanitarian law, according to what was reported in the American magazine Politico. There was a very clear consensus on the need to support international humanitarian legal institutions, Martin told reporters, on Monday, after the European Union Foreign Affairs Council held. The last two raids raised questions about the extent of their impact on the future of Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition, and about the possibilities that they might lead to a change in government policy and an eventual cessation of the war. For his part, the Israeli army announced on Monday that it had opened an investigation into Sunday's raid, after it said it had targeted Hamas officials with "precision munitions," while the Prime Minister described the strike as a "tragic accident," indicating that his government was "investigating it." The Military Advocate General said, on Monday, at an Israeli Bar Association conference in Eilat that the allegations against Israel regarding the deliberate killing of civilians are baseless. He revealed that since the beginning of the war, about 70 military police investigations have been opened into suspicions of criminal behavior by soldiers, including investigations related to the treatment of Palestinian detainees at the Sde Timan base. Haaretz newspaper said that it was possible that fragments from one of the bombs that fell in Sunday's raid had drifted into the camp, causing a large fire there. Army sources denied to Haaretz that some reports said that seven bombs, each weighing one ton, were dropped on the site. She said: "Two bombs were dropped in the attack." The Israeli government's Foreign Press Department said that before the raid in Rafah, "an assessment concluded that there would be no unforeseen harm to civilians." It added that the Fact-Finding and Evaluation Mechanism of the IDF General Staff is investigating the circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area after the raid, and that the IDF regrets any harm caused to non-participating civilians during the fighting. In a previous statement to Al-Hurra website, Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, who served as deputy director of the Palestinian office in the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, said that Israel did not target, on Sunday evening, a camp for the displaced, but rather a building in which there was a camp. Hamas terrorists used it as a military compound, and therefore, according to international law, it is a legitimate military target, according to his statements to Al-Hurra website. Michael added that the Israeli army "took all precautionary measures to ensure that any collateral damage is prevented." An expert on Middle East affairs at the International Crisis Group, Joost Hiltermann, said in new statements to Al-Hurra website, on Tuesday, that after Sundays raid, Netanyahus position may become more and more unacceptable as his justifications for Israeli atrocities in Gaza accumulate, which leads to the erosion of support for his country from Western capitals, and increasing pressure from Israels allies and from within the local political system. Israeli affairs expert, Jalal Banna, points out the increasing international pressure, especially American pressure, on Israel, which is troubling the security apparatus, especially with regard to the continued supply of equipment and weapons to Israel. Bana, who lives in Israel, believed that the decisions of the International Court put Netanyahu in a dilemma because the consequences would be great for him in the future. What Netanyahu is trying to do, according to Bana, who spoke to Al-Hurra website, is to continue security and military operations in Gaza in an attempt to prolong the life of his government, which will fall. Immediately after the end of the war was announced. In statements to Al-Hurra website, Israeli political analyst Eddie Cohen said that he does not believe that "the so-called massacre will lead to stopping the Rafah operation. On the contrary, we saw tanks approaching the center of Rafah and we confiscated a huge amount of weapons." Cohen says that there is "pressure on Israel and everyone denounced Netanyahu, but he will continue the war even if it becomes a second or third massacre. Netanyahu is determined to eliminate Hamas and confiscate all weapons." Political analyst Hassan Mneimneh, based in Washington, does not believe that there is great pressure on Netanyahu, but only a great deal of media noise. In an interview with Al-Hurra website, Mneimneh believes that Netanyahu will insist on continuing the Rafah operation, especially since Washington does not reject what Israel is doing despite the issuance of statements expressing dissatisfaction and crossing the red line. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote in its editorial analysis: The killing of civilians in Rafah may force Israel to cease fire even without the hostage deal. She added, "The question now is whether this incident, which occurred two days after the International Court of Justice's decision, would increase international pressure aimed at a ceasefire, even without it being conditional on a deal to release the hostages." On Monday, government minister Gadi Eisenkot, from the National Unity Party, said in a closed session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset that the escalation of fighting in the Gaza Strip created a narrow window of time, estimated at about a week, to move forward with the peace process. Even before the Rafah raid, there was an internal warning from the families of the hostages that Israel would be forced to reach an agreement in which it would make concessions. The Times of Israel quoted a statement by the mother of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza during their participation in a weekly demonstration on Saturday: We must understand once and for all that the conditions for reaching an agreement have not changed. There will be no agreement without the end of the war. She continued, saying: If you do not reach "The government has reached an agreement now, and Israel will eventually be forced to end the war without the hostages returning." Haaretz said that the forced evacuation did not solve the problem of fighting in a densely populated area (Rafah), as Rafah remained crowded with about 350,000 people remaining, and because of the basic difficulty of the Rafah operation, in addition to the operation that is scheduled to end soon in Jabalia, north of Gaza, it is not related to "On the internal front, but rather by the accumulated pressure on the fighting forces." This may lead to an inflection point for the Israeli public, which bears the burden as the war continues in the Gaza Strip and the towns on the northern border with Lebanon are exposed to heavy fire on a daily basis from Hezbollah. In his statements to Al-Hurra website, Cohen believes that what matters to Netanyahu is the American position, which carries half rebuke and half condemnation, and in the end, Washington confirmed that Israel does not commit war crimes and demanded that Israel do what it wants, and American representatives are wondering why it let Russia do what it wants. "It wants in Ukraine while Israel is rebuked for its behavior in Gaza." Cohen says that, given the American position, Netanyahu can withstand the enormous pressure he is exposed to, as he derives his strength from Washington. As for the Europeans, their position is ineffective and they only issue statements expressing condemnation in the strongest terms, and for more than 20 years they have been denouncing the construction of settlements. What really matters to Netanyahu is the American position, which is a good position for him. Patrick Clawson, a senior researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who spoke to Al-Hurra, believes that Netanyahu does not feel that he is under much pressure to change course. Clawson adds that he is under internal pressure from the left and right to either take a more aggressive path or a more flexible path, and in this way he was able to maintain his position, so he will continue his approach despite international pressure. He believes that Rafah is a complex urban war, and Netanyahu will continue to make all kinds of changes and tactics in order to isolate Gaza. Mneimneh says that Netanyahu is ready for Israel to pay a price for its international reputation, but in terms of support, according to opinion polls, he has the support of the majority of the Israeli public. Mneimneh points out that there are voices working to conclude a deal for the hostages, but they are unable to attract the majority of the street. There is sympathy for the hostage issue, but it will not lead to stopping the war to recover them. He added: We did not hear any influential voices regretting the killing of tens of thousands in Gaza, and the systematic destruction of the Strip. All the voices demanding a change in tone say they want to destroy Hamas, but let us recover the prisoners first, while the majority say that it is not permissible to delay in order to eliminate Hamas even before recovery of prisoners. He asserts that Netanyahu is "a controversial figure, and many accuse him of various kinds of accusations, but he enjoys the support of the right, and if the center opposes Netanyahu, he can tolerate that." Mneimneh says: There is no truth in talking about great pressure. There is a lot of media noise around him, but the elements that allow him to insist on his approach are still great, which are: popular support and Washingtons support. He believe that Netanyahu's government failed to achieve the goals of the war, as it "did not occupy Gaza and only control its crossings as it had for nearly 20 years, and it did not achieve the first declared goal, which is to overthrow and eliminate Hamas." He added: "Israel is struggling with its place. It was unable to return the kidnapped people except a small number. In return, it tried to exploit time by continuing negotiations, and was unable to establish security for its citizens, even in Tel Aviv." Banna added: What Netanyahu is trying to do is procrastinate, but the biggest challenge he faces is the major crisis in the northern region and the fear that a war will start with the Hezbollah organization, which has so far managed, through marches and missiles, to remove tens of thousands of Israeli citizens from their homes and towns. He believed that, "In the end, Netanyahu will have no choice but to complete the prisoner deal with Hamas, declare an end to the war, and agree and perhaps contribute to rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The Israeli security services, Mossad and Shin Bet, will continue to pursue Hamas leaders and try to liquidate them." The "Israeli Eye" program [ Alalam News Network. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting] highlights the comments of analysts and experts in the Hebrew media studios about the Rafah massacre and about field and political developments in the Israeli entity, including the specific Jabalia camp operation and the missile attacks on Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip. The program shed light on the conduct of communications regarding ceasefire negotiations and the exchange of prisoners, and on the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation in the displaced persons camp in Rafah and the killing of an Egyptian soldier at the border by the occupation forces, as Israeli military censorship imposed a ban on publishing details of what happened. Regarding the Israeli goal of committing the Rafah massacre at this time and putting pressure on the course of the negotiations, and about the reason why the occupation media treated it with such disdain, as Netanyahu considered it a disastrous mistake that is being investigated, Samer Karaki, an observer of Israeli affairs, confirmed that there is no response to all the victories of the resistance, especially after the seizure of power. The initiative taken by the resistance, whether in Gaza or in southern Lebanon, only led to the continuation of more massacres, especially in the last field situation of the occupation army, which was Rafah. Karki pointed out that the Zionist entity has no choice but to continue the policy of massacres, but there is an almost formal change after the visit of William Burns, director of the CIA, but the Israelis are trying to circumvent the clauses in these clauses that are carried out by mediators under American sponsorship, and he has no choice but to continue these massacres. And circumvent these terms. Karki noted that Benjamin Netanyahu clearly said in the War Council that there are new visions, but the new visions from which he starts are a process of circumvention related to the second and third phases. The second phase that the mediators began with relates to the exchange of prisoners of Israeli officers and soldiers with Palestinian prisoners, and talk about the end of War or a sustainable end to the war, and the third stage is the exchange of bodies, as the Israelis clearly want there to be an exchange of prisoners and talk about the end of the war and the beginning of the third stage in order to continue it. Further to the warnings in the Metula area: this is a false identification. Further to the warning that was activated in the level area, this is a false identification. Following the warning about the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the north of the country a short time ago, this is a false identification. Following the alert that was activated in the area of Kfar Giladi, this is a false identification. The Home Front Command's hazardous materials exercise will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in Nesher. During the exercise, a warning will be issued that will be sounded by horns about dangerous substances. The alert will also be distributed in the Home Front Command application, along with the caption "Exercise". If a true warning is activated, a rising and falling alarm will sound and a true warning will be disseminated through the supplementary warning means. More information can be found at the home front command center at 104, via WhatsApp messages at 052-9104104, at the national portal at: oref.org.il and on social networks. Operational Update - Gaza The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that about one million civilians were displaced from Rafah city after Israeli orders to evacuate. The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said on Tuesday that the military naval pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip will be removed for repairs, and will be returned as soon as they are completed. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a press conference that the repair of the naval pier will take a week, and will take place in the Israeli port of Ashdod. The floating dock, which the United States began building last month, at a cost of at least $320 million, aims to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where it began operating earlier in May. Two American officials told Reuters on Tuesday that part of the pier that the US army had established off the Gaza Strip was separated and temporarily taken out of service, in the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. The two officials, who requested that their names not be published, added that it is believed that bad weather is the reason for the separation of this part. The two officials did not disclose the size of the separated section or how long the pier would need to resume its operations. Last March, US President Joe Biden announced for the first time plans to establish a floating dock in light of Israels obstruction of the delivery of aid by land, which exacerbated the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The mechanism provides for the transfer of aid primarily from Cyprus on commercial ships to the floating platform that the US military has completed construction. The aid is then transferred to smaller ships that deliver it to the pier attached to the coast, and eventually to land, after loading it into trucks for distribution. A spokesperson for the UN World Food Program reported that 137 trucks carrying the equivalent of 900 metric tons of aid have been transported from the pier to Gaza. In the last month, the Carmeli Brigade (2) has been fighting in the Gaza Strip under the leadership of Division 99. The brigade operates in the area of the corridor and took part in the operation that took place in the Zeytun neighborhood where the forces eliminated close to a hundred terrorists and destroyed hundreds of terrorist targets. Locating a large anti-aircraft missile and destroying a rocket launch complex: documentation of the Nahal TSA war in Rafah. As part of the 98th Division's activity in the northern Gaza Strip, the paratroopers' brigade combat teams, 460 and 7, eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the area. In the past day, the fighters have destroyed dozens of terrorist infrastructures in the Jabaliya area, including underground shafts, observation posts, a military depot, and a military building from which the terrorist organization Hamas conducted its fighting. In one of the activities, the forces of the division directed Air Force fighter jets that closed a circle and eliminated a terrorist squad that fired mortars at the fighters operating in the area. The brigade combat teams of the 162nd division, joined by the Tsakh and Bislah, continue their activities in the Rafah area. The forces of the combat teams of the 401 and Nahal brigades operated during the night on the Philadelphia axis against terrorist targets and infrastructures and are operating in the field precisely and following intelligence information indicating the presence of terrorist targets in the area. The activity is done with efforts to avoid harming those not involved. The forces are conducting battles with terrorists, locating underground shafts in the area, alongside weapons and other terrorist infrastructure. The forces of Division 99 led by the combat team of Brigade 679 are expanding their activities in the center of the Gaza Strip. During the last day the forces identified terrorists staying in the building next to them, a short time later a fighter jet attacked the building and eliminated the terrorists. At the same time, the forces continue targeted raids on terrorist targets in the area. In one of the raids that were completed, the forces located an Amalah warehouse. Israeli tanks have reportedly reached the center of Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued its operation in the Palestinian city on Tuesday. The armored vehicles could be seen near Al Awda mosque, a city landmark, Reuters reported, citing witness accounts. Operational Update - Judea-Samaria The security forces arrested 8 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria tonight. In Burka in Benjamin, dozens of suspects were interrogated and incendiary materials were confiscated. In Gilzon, in the brigade's sector, a wanted man was arrested and means for making explosives were confiscated, and in Kfar Aqab, in the brigade's sector, the forces arrested another wanted man. In Samou in Yehuda, the forces located and confiscated an "M16" type rifle along with other weapons and arrested two wanted persons. In Harsa and Dahariya in the brigade's sector, the forces arrested two wanted persons and in Beta, in the brigade's sector, the forces located weapons. In Kalkilia in the Ephraim Brigade, the forces arrested a wanted person and in Deheisha in Zion another wanted person was arrested and many suspects will be interrogated. The wanted persons who were arrested and the means of warfare that were confiscated were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to Israeli forces. The Israeli army stormed various areas in the West Bank and arrested a number of Palestinians, using machinery and bulldozers, and also deployed snipers on rooftops. The occupied West Bank was not immune to incursions and raids into various areas, in parallel with the Israeli operation that continued for more than 7 months on the Gaza Strip. Incursions included confrontations between resistance fighters and occupation forces, in addition to settler attacks on Palestinian citizens and their property. Two Palestinians were taken to the hospital after being injured in an attack carried out by settlers in Hebron, amid a campaign of incursions by the occupation army that targeted the village of Kharsa, the city of Al-Dhahiriya, and the town of Al-Samu, south of Hebron, and a citizen was arrested. The Israeli army, armed with military vehicles and bulldozers, stormed Balata camp, east of the city of Nablus in the West Bank, and also deployed snipers on the roofs of houses. On the other hand, Palestinian resistance fighters responded to the invading forces by shooting them and planted explosive devices in the path of the vehicles, which led to the damage of an Israeli bulldozer. In the Dheisha camp, east of Bethlehem, the Israeli forces raided dozens of homes and arrested eight Palestinians. In the Kafr Saba area, the far north of the West Bank, the Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes and arrested two young men amid confrontations that took place between the invading forces and Palestinian resistance fighters. The Israeli forces stormed the village of Burqa, near Ramallah, and arrested four young men after beating them and tampering with the contents of their homes. In the town of Al-Issawiya, east of occupied Jerusalem, the Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian boy after raiding his familys home. The Israeli army also closed the entrance to the town of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah, while its forces stormed the Jalazoun camp in the north and arrested the citizen Ola Ibrahim Dalaysha, her son Walid Maher Dalaysha, and a young man from the camp. The Israeli forces also imposed strict military measures on the Israeli military Hamra checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley area in the occupied West Bank, causing a stifling traffic jam. The Israeli's violations did not stop with the repression campaigns and raids carried out by the army. Rather, Homesh settlers in the northern West Bank contributed to the attacks and burned agricultural crops and a sheep barn in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus. Operational Update - Lebanon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the IDF Northern District Intelligence Branch base on Tuesday, stressing the state's unwavering commitment to ensure that evacuated residents can safely return to their homes. He was joined by Intelligence Branch Commander Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva and Unit 8200 Commander Brig.-Gen. Y. During his visit, Netanyahu received a detailed briefing on the intelligence picture and the threats in the northern sector. He spoke with officers and soldiers about their service and their significant contributions during this critical period. The Prime Minister commended their involvement, noting, "I hear you and I see your determination. I see the fire in your eyes and I would tell the citizens of Israel: This is the iron wall of the State of Israel." Air force fighter jets attacked several terrorist targets of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Among the targets that were attacked, a munitions warehouse in the area of ??Miss al-Jabal and military buildings of the organization in the areas of Aita al-Sha'ab and al-Khyam. Three anti-tank missiles were detected that crossed Lebanese territory towards the Shetula area, there were no casualties. A Hebrew report stated that 930 rockets and shells had fallen on northern Israel since the beginning of the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel (following the Hamas launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7). According to the Northern Horizon Directorate of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah has launched more than 3,000 rockets, shells and drones towards the northern Israeli towns, causing severe damage in the area and all its residents were evacuated. According to the directorate, these bullets have so far caused material damage in 86 localities. Israeli Channel 12 quoted security officials who pointed out the catastrophic situation in the north, and that residents who were evacuated from the most affected towns and villages in the region will not be able to return to live there until about a year after the end of hostilities, which is the time needed for rehabilitation. Homes. It was noted that in Kibbutz Manara, 130 homes out of 155 were destroyed, in addition to many public buildings. Data from the Northern Horizon Directorate stated that about 450 private homes and 200 public buildings in the region were damaged, and that this damage does not include major damage to infrastructure. According to the report, most of the damage (70%) in the north was caused to private homes, then to public buildings (18%), and the rest was damage to infrastructure and other property (13%). About a quarter of it was caused by Israeli army forces during operational movements, while the rest was caused by Hezbollah fire. God, especially anti-tank missiles. Of the 930 property damages, 318 were classified as moderate to major. The directorate stated that 80,000 residents of northern Israel have been evacuated since October 7 and transferred to hotels or hosting homes. Many say they do not want to return to live in the region after the war, because of the continuing threat posed by Hezbollah. It is worth noting that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant ordered the establishment of this directorate against the backdrop of the escalation on the northern border. The directorate will work to enhance security and establish civilian infrastructure in the northern towns, expand reserve teams, provide ammunition, and rehabilitate centers that were damaged during the war. And increasing the protection of towns nine kilometers from the Lebanese border. Operational Update - Syria / Iraq IDF stated : "Following the alerts that were activated in the Eilat area, a fighter jet together with the air defense fighters successfully intercepted two drones that made their way to the territory of the country from the east. There were no casualties. We emphasize that the vessels did not cross into the territory of the country." Operational Update - Yemen British maritime security company Ambrey reported that a commercial ship was damaged as a result of being targeted by three missiles off the coast of Hodeidah, western Yemen, noting that water began to seep into its hull. "A commercial ship reported being targeted by three missiles at a distance of about 54 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah," Embry said in a note. She added that the ship issued a distress call stating that it had suffered damage to the cargo hold and was leaking water, stressing that according to the distress call, the ship was running aground. No party immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which coincides with a campaign launched by the Houthis against ships they believe are linked to Israel, Britain and the United State Maps All maps are lies. Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential, wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness. Bystanders Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said "We have said repeatedly that no place is safe in Gaza. Not shelters. Not hospitals. Not the so-called humanitarian zones. We have also warned that a military operation in Rafah would lead to a slaughter. Weve seen the consequences in last nights utterly unacceptable attack. Whether the attack was a war crime or a tragic mistake, for the people of Gaza, there is no debate. What happened last night was the latest and possibly most cruel abomination. To call it a mistake is a message that means nothing for those killed, those grieving, and those trying to save lives." Foreign ministers and representatives of about 40 Arab, Islamic and European countries and international institutions met on Monday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. This coincided with the official recognition by three European countries of the State of Palestine on the borders before June 7, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The meeting was attended by foreign ministers and representatives of Jordan, Spain, Germany, the UAE, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Bahrain, Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, the League of Arab States, Algeria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Palestine, Finland, Qatar, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Egypt, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Austria, Greece. Two analysts who spoke to Al-Hurra website considered that communication at this level represents great importance in light of the European Unions possession of pressure cards on Israel, whether economic or security. The American magazine "Politico" quoted statements by Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin, in which he said that European Union foreign ministers held "for the first time an important discussion about imposing sanctions on Israel if it does not abide by international humanitarian law." Martin told reporters, on Monday, after the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting There was a very clear consensus on the need to support international humanitarian legal institutions. Professor of Political Science at Al-Quds University, Ayman Al-Raqab, said that meetings with the European Union are necessary, as the Europeans have a pressure card represented in partnering with Israel on security or economic files, noting in his interview with Al-Hurra website that European countries have become aware of the It is time for the extreme right in Israel, headed by (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, to spoil every effort at a solution. Al-Raqab added that the meetings focused on the two-state solution, without which the region will enter hell. Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin announced on Monday that European Union foreign ministers held for the first time an important discussion about imposing sanctions on Israel if it does not adhere to international humanitarian law, according to what was reported in the American magazine Politico. On Friday, the United Nations International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its military attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and to open the Rafah border crossing to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the Strip without obstacles. Before the bloc's foreign ministers' meeting, the European Union's foreign affairs official, Josep Borrell, stressed on Monday the necessity of implementing the International Court of Justice's decision calling for stopping the military attacks on Rafah. But Israel continued to escalate its attacks on Rafah, and its tanks reached the city center, according to what Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday. This was preceded by an air strike on a camp for the displaced, west of the border city with Egypt, in the far south of the Gaza Strip, killing 45 people, according to estimates by the health authorities in the Strip, causing widespread international condemnation of the strike, which the Israeli army said targeted leaders of the Hamas movement. The Israeli army announced, on Monday, that it had opened an investigation into the raid, after it said, on Sunday, that it had targeted Hamas officials with precision munitions, while Netanyahu described the strike as a tragic incident, stressing that his government was investigating it. In a related context, political analyst, Abdul Mahdi Mutawa, confirmed in statements to Al-Hurra website that the Arab-European meetings are very important to create a position far from Israel and the United States. He added: "The European Union is Israel's first economic partner. I believe that any steps from these countries will have an impact on Israel, even if the Netanyahu government tries to deny it. Every recognition represents a deduction from Israel's credit and credibility and confirms the rights of the Palestinians to an independent state." He continued that the European position "increases pressure on the United States when the issue of a Palestinian state is raised in the Security Council again," referring to the increase in the number of countries that recognize the State of Palestine and call for granting it full membership in the United Nations, instead of its current observer status. On Tuesday, Spain, along with Ireland, officially recognized the State of Palestine. Norway informed Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa of the decree recognizing the Palestinian state on Sunday. The European Union's foreign affairs official, Josep Borrell, confirmed on Monday that the decision of the International Court of Justice calling for stopping the military attacks on Rafah must be implemented, before a meeting of the European bloc's foreign ministers and a number of Arab countries in Brussels. In response to the Spanish decision, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of complicity in incitement to exterminate the Jews after his country recognized a Palestinian state. Katz addressed the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, through his account on the X platform, saying: You are complicit in incitement to exterminate the Jews, likening the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Diaz, to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, and the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as they all call for the establishment of a Palestinian Islamic terrorist state from the river to the sea, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse. The three European countries, two of which are members of the European Union (Spain and Ireland), hope that their symbolic initiative will prompt other countries to join it. Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz accused the Spanish Prime Minister of complicity in incitement to exterminate the Jews after his country recognized a Palestinian state. The issue raises profound differences within the European Union, as other member states, such as France, believe that the time is not appropriate now, while Germany does not consider such recognition except as a result of negotiations between the two parties, according to Agence France-Presse. For his part, Al-Raqab pointed out that the continuation of the Israeli occupation will continue to create hatred for Israel, not only in Gaza, but this will extend to all Palestinian territories and abroad, and the matter has reached Europe and America. He continued: "The more delay there is, the worse things will get." While Mutawa explained that these discussions and confessions are so important that Israel fights them with all its might. Transforming the status of Palestine from an observer state to a full membership means that everything within the 1967 borders is occupied land and all the facilities on it represent a war crime and open a wide door. To be pursued, he said. European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell announced, on Monday, that the bloc is seeking to reach an agreement in principle in order to move forward with the revival of its designated border assistance mission in Rafah, adding that all parties must agree to that step. The European Union is considering reviving its border assistance mission, known as EUBAM, in Rafah, which has been suspended since 2007, when Hamas took complete control of Gaza, according to Reuters. The Rafah crossing is the main point for entering aid from Egypt, and it has been closed since Israeli forces took control of it from the Palestinian side about three weeks ago. They gave me approval, the green light politically, to reactivate EUBAM, our mission in Rafah, Borrell told reporters at Mondays meeting, which was also attended by prominent Arab ministers. This could play a useful role in supporting the entry of people into and out of Gaza. He added, "But this must be implemented in agreement with the Palestinian Authority, the Egyptians, and of course Israel. We will not do this alone. We will not be assigned to carry out the security mission on the border. We are not a security company." He added that the Union is currently preparing technical plans. For his part, Mutawa stressed that the Arab-European meetings resulted in this European acceptance of renewing the presence of his mission at the Rafah crossing, which may lead to arrangements to open it again with a European presence, in addition to the encouraging position that the Palestinian Authority should supervise the Gaza Strip with the aim of reaching a political solution. The war broke out in Gaza following the unprecedented attack by Hamas (classified as a terrorist group in the United States and other countries) on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to the Israeli authorities. In response to the attack, Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas, and has since carried out a bombing campaign followed by ground operations since October 27, resulting in the deaths of about 36,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to what the health authorities in the Strip announced. Axis of Resistance The head of the Iranian Islamic Shura Council, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, considered that the bombing crimes targeting the displaced and defenseless children would only be committed by Satan, stressing that the world is fed up with the Zionists massacres. This came in a blog post published by Qalibaf, today, through his account on the X social media platform. Commenting on the recent massacres committed by the criminal Zionist entity against the displaced in the city of Rafah , he stressed that "the world is fed up with these massacres." The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament also called on all countries, especially Islamic countries, to take consistent steps with their people and other free people around the world, in order to put an end to the genocide in the Palestinian territories. In follow-up to the latest developments, in Rafah today, Tuesday, it was reported that 21 Palestinians were martyred and others injured, in a new massacre committed by the Israeli occupation army, by bombing a camp for displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area in Rafah. This is the third targeting of displaced persons tents within 48 hours in areas that the occupation has always claimed are safe and possible to move to. The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, through a statement, condemned these brutal massacres. Calling on the international community, the Security Council and the International Court of Justice to take urgent action and take a clear and decisive decision to stop the flagrant violations of international laws by the Zionist entity. Allied for Democracy U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has reiterated the Biden administration's deep sorrow over the tragic loss of life resulting from an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike in Rafah, which killed dozens of Palestinian civilians sheltering near a targeted compound. "The pain that those families are suffering through must be unimaginable, especially those whove lost children and those who have lost family members a repeated number of times," Miller stated. "As we have said before, Israel has a right to go after the Hamas terrorists responsible for the cold-blooded murder of civilians as appears to have been Israels aim here and Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians in Gaza. But Israel also has the obligation to do everything possible to minimize civilian harm as it carries out its operations," he said. Miller noted the IDF's explanation that it used one of its smallest bombs to target senior Hamas commanders, causing a secondary explosion that sparked a deadly fire. The British newspaper " The Guardian " said that the former head of the Israeli intelligence service "Mossad", Yossi Cohen, "threatened" the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, "more than once during secret meetings, to pressure her to abandon the investigation into crimes." War in the Palestinian territories. The newspaper quoted an informed Israeli source as saying, The Mossads goal was to bargain with the Public Prosecutor by threatening or cooperating with regard to Israels demands. While another source said that Cohen was the "unofficial messenger" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This information comes as part of a journalistic investigation conducted by The Guardian in cooperation with the Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972 and the Hebrew-language magazine Local Call, which reveals how Israeli intelligence agencies conducted a secret war against the International Criminal Court for nearly a decade. According to what the British newspaper reported. According to the Guardian, the meetings between Cohen and Bensouda took place in the years preceding her decision to open an official investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in 2021, an investigation that reached its peak, a week ago, after the announcement of Bensoudas successor, the current Attorney General, Karim Khan. He is seeking to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Four sources told the newspaper that Bensouda informed a small group of senior ICC officials about Cohens attempts to influence her. Three of those sources were aware of Bensoudas official disclosures to the International Criminal Court on this issue, which they said revealed that Cohen had put pressure on her on several occasions not to proceed with a criminal investigation into the Palestine issue before the International Criminal Court. According to accounts shared with ICC officials, Cohen allegedly told her: "You should help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to get involved in things that could jeopardize your security or the security of your family." According to the British newspaper, the Mossad was also interested in members of Bensoudas family, and obtained copies of secret recordings made with her husband, according to what two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, explaining that Israeli officials tried to use these materials to discredit the prosecutor. The newspaper pointed out that "Israel received support from the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, who played a role in the process of pressuring Bensouda." Commenting on this, a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Ministers Office said in contact with the Guardian, The questions submitted to us are filled with many false and baseless allegations aimed at harming the State of Israel. Cohen did not respond to a request for comment. Bensouda declined to comment. The International Criminal Court seeks to issue arrest warrants against leaders of the Hamas movement, led by Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the October 7 attacks on Israel and the war that followed. On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called for the issuance of arrest warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, along with three leaders of the Hamas movement, on the grounds of committing war crimes. The Prosecutor, Karim Khan, issued a statement in which he asked the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants in connection with the situation in the State of Palestine. These requests included, in addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Muhammad Diab (the guest). The statement added that the latter trio "bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the territories of Israel and the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) as of at least October 7, 2023." Khan continued in the statement: Based on the evidence collected and examined by my office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Galant, Minister of Defense of Israel, bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine. (In the Gaza Strip) as of at least October 8, 2023. Regarding Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan indicated that the crimes for which he believes they are responsible are starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime, and intentionally causing great suffering, serious injury to body or health, or cruel treatment as a war crime. And also premeditated murder or killing as a war crime, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime, extermination and/or willful killing, including in the context of death resulting from starvation, as a crime against humanity, and persecution as a crime against humanity. Regarding Netanyahu and Gallant, the statement continued, The crimes against humanity with which they were charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population in accordance with state policy. These crimes continue, in our assessment, to this day. The Prosecutor argued that the evidence he collected proves that Israel deliberately and systematically deprived the civilian population in all areas of Gaza of materials indispensable for their human survival. The Attorney General's statement continued, "Israel has the right to take measures to defend its population, as do all states. However, this right does not absolve Israel or any state from its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law. Regardless of any military objectives Israel may have, The methods it has chosen to achieve these objectives in Gaza - namely, intentionally causing death, starvation, severe suffering and serious injury to body or health among the civilian population - are criminal. Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers 1,900,000 IDPs in Gaza 81,136 Gazans injured, 28% adult male 70,000 tons of explosives dropped on Gaza 70,000 Gaza housing units completely destroyed 70,000 Israeli IDPs from Lebanon border 45,000 bombs dropped in Gaza 45,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble 36,096 Gazans martyred 33,000 Gaza targets attacked 20,528 Palestinians in Israeli prisons [Haaretz, 20 Mar 2024] 15,140 Israelis injured [i24 TV] 15,000 terror operatives killed in Gaza [Israeli officials] 15,000 rockets launched from Gaza 14,520 Gazan children martyred 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12] 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF] 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023 10,000 Gazans missing under the rubble 9,920 Gazan women martyred 9,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons 9,000 IDF needing psychological assistance 8,890 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th 7,209 IDF injured admitted to rehabilitation [IDF] 6,800 IDF officers and soldiers injured [Channel 12] 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS] 5,500 IDF wounded [reports] 5,000 West Bank Palestinians wounded 4,700 sites targetted in Lebanon 3,850 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria 3,600 administrative detainees 3,188 IDF wounded [IDF] 2,100 Gazan women are missing 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day 1,650 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas 1,160 Israelis killed on the first day 635 Israeli officers and soldiers killed since the start of the war 518 West Bank Palestinians martyred 364 people [including fighters] killed in Lebanon 283 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza 240 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers 86 living hostages in Palestinian custody 70 civilians killed in Lebanon 39 dead hostages in Palestinian custody 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire" 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel Not every number is reported every day, so sudden jumps generally reflect reporting artifacts rather than actual upticks. Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation. This list records the highest number reliably reported for each matter, under the theory that reality with catch up with reports, as is relentlessly the case. Some reports claimed that the UN cut in half its earlier estimates of women and children killed in Gaza. Initially, they reported 9,500 women and 14,500 children killed, but later revised it to 4,959 women and 7,797 children on 08 May 2024. The UN acknowledged its inability to independently verify casualty figures. The seeming discrepancy is that HAMAS had about 10K KIA bodies on hand for which they do not have positive ID. It is possible to report the gender and approximate age [ie, juvenile] without knowing the name of the deceased. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 28 May 2024 - Day 825 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. "To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal] The UK Ministry of Defence reported that the Russian MOD's main political directorate issued Politruk, a new journal for political instruction for the Armed Forces on 22 May 2024. The journal is intended to help political instructors in the Armed Forces in their political education of soldiers. An introductory article by Deputy Defence Minister Gen-Col Viktor Goremykin, who heads the Main Political Directorate of the Armed Forces, makes clear that the new journal draws heavily on the legacy of Soviet era military publications aimed at the political education of military personnel. A Main Political Directorate was set up in the MOD in 2018, as it was felt then that it was necessary to re-introduce political education into the Armed Forces. Goremykin cites Stalin on the importance of political education of soldiers and the need to mortally hate the enemy. The journal emphasises that the enemy in Ukraine today is the same as the enemy the Soviet Union was fighting, namely the Nazis. A map of Ukraine published in the journal is used to support arguments, casting doubt on the authenticity of Ukrainian statehood, and hence to justify the invasion. The magazine reflects the politicised use of history that has become a prominent feature of Russian educational policy in recent years, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine, and continues to peddle the false narratives that Russia has been using to influence its military personnel and population more generally. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the situation on the front remains tense but controlled. Defense Forces continue to decisively oppose attempts by Russian forces to advance deep into Ukrainian territory, directing efforts to disrupt the Russian occupiers' execution of their offensive plans. So far, about 110 combat clashes have taken place. Russian zagarbniki try to use advantage in live force, technique and support from the air. Ukrainian soldiers give fight to the Russian enemy, and in individual directions - themselves carry out effective active actions to improve defense resilience. During the day, Russian forces launched three missiles on the territory of Ukraine with the use of four missiles and 38 aviation strikes with the use of 57 cabiv, took 435 kamikadze drones. Also, Russian forces carried out 2,849 shelling on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements using different types of weapons. Seven combat clashes occurred in the Kharkiv direction. Defense Forces units repelled four assault actions of Russian occupiers in the regions of Staritsa and Vovchansk. The situation is tense, but controlled by Ukrainian troops. At the moment, the fight is ongoing in the area of vovcans ka. Ukrainian defenders are actively countering and causing casualties to Russian forces. Previously, Russian loss since the beginning of the day in this direction amounted to 68 people. Three artillery systems, 12 cars and three special equipment units were destroyed. Two tanks, three artillery systems, seven cars and one special equipment were damaged. 19 combat clashes took place in the Kupians komu direction. The Defense Forces successfully repelled 16 Russian attacks in the areas of settlements of Sinkivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Druzhelyubivka, Novoegorivka and Nevsk. Another combat clash is ongoing in the areas of Petropavlivka and Nevsky. 16 boezitknen took place in the Lyman direction. Attempts by Russian occupiers to advance in the areas of Terniv, Torsky and Serebryanskogo Forest were not successful. Despite Russian activity, the Ukrainian military is taking measures to strengthen the front edge of defense. In the Siversky direction, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions near Bilogorivka eight times, where he tried to infiltrate the combat order of Ukrainian units. The situation is intense. The defenders of Ukraine are making their best efforts to prevent the advancement of Russian occupiers into the depths of Ukrainian territory. In the Kramators komu direction, the Russian aggressor six times tried to attack Defense Forces units in the areas of Grigorivka, Klishchyivka and Andriyivka. All attempts were unsuccessful. Losing Ukrainian positions is not allowed. Intense Russian attack of Ukrainian defenders in the Pokrovsky direction. Here throughout the day, somewhere air-supported podiums, deploying CABs, the Russian aggressor carried out 25 assault operations and attempted to increase significant fire control efforts virtually along the entire line of collision. In some areas, Russian forces has partial success. The Defense Forces are taking measures to stabilize the situation and prevent Russian forces from advancing. The previous Russian losses in this direction were more than 220 invaders killed and injured. Six combat armored vehicles, four cars and one PTUR were destroyed. One combat armored car, one cannon and two mortars were damaged. There are nine combat clashes in the Kurakhiv direction at this time of the day. Zagarbniki are trying to advance in the areas of populated areas of Krasnogorivka, Konstantinivka and Vodyane. Defense Forces units repel Russian attacks and reinforce the resilience of the defensive borders. In the Vremivsky direction, Russian occupiers do not leave trying to suppress Ukrainian defenders from occupied positions. Six Russian attacks on Ukrainian warriors were repelled in the area of Staromayors kogo. Yet another one is going on. Defense forces are under control. Three combat clashes occurred in the Orihiv direction. Russian occupiers failed to push Ukrainian units away from small tokmacki. In the Pridniprovsky direction, the Russian occupiers do not abandon trying to knock out the Defense Forces from positions on the left bank of the Dnieper. 10 combat clashes significant changes in the environment on this area have not been made. Ukrainian military continues to control the situation, loss of Ukrainian positions is not allowed. Ukrainian soldiers inflict tangible losses to the occupiers, actively apply the tools of fire on the Russian enemy's live force and equipment. Measures to improve the tactical position are taken in designated directions. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that units of the Sever Group of Forces continue advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences. Units of AFU 42nd mechanised, 57th mechanised infantry, 3rd tank, and 125th territorial defence brigade were hit near Petropavlovka and Liptsy (Kharkov region). Five counter-attacks of enemy assault groups were repelled close to Volchansk and Staritsa (Kharkov region). The AFU losses amounted to up to 285 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles. In the course of the counter-battery warfare, two 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery systems, one 155-mm U.S.-made M777 howitzer, one 155-mm French-made Caesar howitzer, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, four 122-mm Grad BM-21 MLRS and one Czech-made RM-70 Vampire MLRS were eliminated. The Zapad Group of Forces' units captured more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on formations of AFU 57th mechanised, 95th air assault brigades near Kupyansk (Kharkov region) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic). Three counter-attacks launched by assault groups of AFU 115th mechanised, 31st national guard brigades were repelled near Belogorovka and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to up to 160 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, one 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 155-mm U.S.-made M777 howitzer, one 155-mm Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, as well as two 122-mm D-30 howitzers. TheYug Group of Forces' units improved the situation along the front line, inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of AFU 54th mechanised, 46th airmobile brigades near Ivano-Daryevka, Krasnogorovka, and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to more than 700 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and one 105-mm U.S.-made M119 gun. The Tsentr Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation, defeated units of AFU 47th mechanised, 109th territorial defence brigades close to Yevgenovka, Sokol and Karlovka (Donetsk People's Republic). Six attacks launched by units of AFU 23rd, 24th, 47th mechanised, 144th infantry, 25th airborne brigades were repelled close to Shumy, Ocheretino, Novoaleksandrovka, Novopokrovskoye, Solovyovo, and Umanskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses were up to 405 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, to include one Bradley, and six motor vehicles. In the course of the counter-battery warfare, two 155-mm U.S.-made M777 howitzers, two 152-mm Msta-B howitzers, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer were eliminated. Units of the Vostok Group of Forces took more advantageous lines, as well as inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of AFU 58th mechanised infantry and 128th territorial defence brigades near Urozhaynoye and Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic). The AFU losses amounted to up to 165 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, two Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery systems, and one UK-made FH-70 towed howitzer. Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces hit manpower and hardware of the AFU 35th Marine Brigade close to Tyaginka (Kherson region). The AFU losses amounted to up to 45 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer. Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 118 areas during the day. Russian air defence means have shot down one Mig-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force, 39 unmanned aerial vehicles, one U.S.-made ATACMS operational-tactical missile, seven French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, and one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile. In total, 604 airplanes and 274 helicopters, 24,739 unmanned aerial vehicles, 524 air defence missile systems, 16,182 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,322 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 9,914 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 22,060 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bulgaria strengthened its preventive framework to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism, says Council of Europe body Council of Europe Strasbourg 28 May 2024 Bulgaria has improved its measures for tackling money laundering and combating financing of terrorism, concludes MONEYVAL in a follow-up report released today. The report found Bulgaria to have improved its compliance with ten of the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) Recommendations, namely those on national cooperation and coordination, politically exposed persons, money or value transfer services, internal controls and foreign branches and subsidiaries, designated non-professional business and professions (DNFBPs) customer due diligence, transparency and beneficial ownership of legal arrangements, regulation and supervision of financial institutions, powers of supervisors, on cash couriers, as well as on statistics. Since the adoption of its mutual evaluation report in May 2022, Bulgaria has taken numerous steps to strengthen its anti-money laundering and combatting terrorist financing systems, MONEYVAL notes. It is now compliant with Recommendations 14 (on money or value transfer services) and 32 (on cash couriers). Only minor deficiencies remain for other Recommendations concerning the areas described above, where Bulgaria was previously rated "partially compliant", and now saw the rating upgraded to "largely compliant". Bulgaria has reported some progress also on the Recommendations 13 (on correspondent banking) and 15 (on new technologies), but its rating here remained "partially compliant". All in all, out of the 40 applicable FATF Recommendations that the MONEYVAL looked at in this report, Bulgaria currently is rated as: i - Compliant or largely compliant with 27 Recommendations; and i - Partially compliant with 13 Recommendations. There are no recommendations on which Bulgaria is non-compliant. Bulgaria is expected to report back to MONEYVAL within one year's time on progress to strengthen its implementation of measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. Moneyval and Bulgaria * * * The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) is a monitoring body of the Council of Europe entrusted with the task of assessing compliance with the principal international standards to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the effectiveness of their implementation. MONEYVAL evaluates 33 states and territories and makes recommendations to national authorities in respect of necessary improvements to their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing systems and to counter proliferation financing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address San Marino strengthened its sanctions for breaches of application of some of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of terrorism measures Council of Europe Strasbourg 28 May 2024 San Marino has improved its measures for tackling money laundering and terrorist financing, concludes MONEYVAL in a follow-up report released today. The report found San Marino to have improved its compliance with the Financial Action Task Force's Recommendation 35 (sanctions). The amendments introduced in 2023 to its anti-money laundering legislation have largely addressed the deficiencies previously identified regarding the sanctions' regime. As a result, the country has been re-rated on this recommendation from Partially Compliant to Largely Compliant. Overall, San Marino has made progress in addressing the technical compliance shortcomings identified in its 2021 Mutual Evaluation Report. Out of the 40 Recommendations, San Marino currently has: a 18 Recommendations rated Compliant a 18 Recommendations rated Largely Compliant a 4 Recommendations rated Partially Compliant, and a 0 Recommendation Non-Compliant. San Marino is expected to report back in May 2028 to MONEYVAL on further progress made towards strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing system. MONEYVAL and San Marino * * * The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) is a monitoring body of the Council of Europe entrusted with the task of assessing compliance with the principal international standards to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the effectiveness of their implementation. MONEYVAL evaluates 33 states and territories (*) and makes recommendations to national authorities in respect of necessary improvements to their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing systems and to counter proliferation financing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 28, 2024 By Joseph Clark, DOD News National Guard Prepared to Support Local Communities as Hurricane, Wildfire Seasons Approach The National Guard remains at the ready to support local communities as states prepare for natural disasters and extreme weather events, officials said today. Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Robert F. Paoletti, the director of the joint staff for the California National Guard, and Lt. Col. Blake Heidelberg, director of military support for the Florida National Guard, briefed reporters ahead of the summer's peak wildfire and hurricane seasons. Both officials said there is little down time for National Guard troops who prepare year-round for anything Mother Nature may throw at them. "We have a saying in Florida that you're either in hurricane season, or you're preparing for hurricane season," Heidelberg said. Florida's National Guard troops are a key component of the state's ability to remain resilient in the face of recurring storms. Last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service forecasters from the Climate Prediction Center predicted above-normal activity for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The forecasters expect between 17 to 25 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher this season. Of those, between eight and 13 are expected to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher. The forecasters expect a portion a between four and seven a of those storms to become major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher. Regardless of the forecast year-to-year, Heidelberg said National Guard troops must remain ready to support state officials and help local communities recover. He said the Florida Guard takes a deliberate approach to supporting domestic operations while at the same time being ready to deploy in support of contingencies around the globe. That deliberate approach includes devoting a drill period every year specifically to hurricane response and domestic operations training. "We look at it, we plan and we assign tasks to specific units, because we know that hurricanes are not only our most likely course of action, but they're also our most dangerous course of action," Heidelberg said. "So, it allows us to really focus on that." In California, the National Guard has, for years, played a vital role in responding to the perennial threat of wildfires throughout the state. While fires remain possible throughout the year, peak wildfire season normally begins in late spring and runs through October. The California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing is one of only four units throughout the country to field C-130s outfitted with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems. Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service in the 1970s, the MAFFS douse wildfires with thousands of gallons of fire retardant with each overhead pass. The California Army National Guard has also long fielded troops during the height of fire season. They've assisted local and state officials at check points and evacuation areas and formed hand crews to assist with forest management projects during the off-season. In 2019, California stood up Task Force Rattlesnake comprising soldiers and airmen who serve on full-time crews alongside the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CAL FIRE. In the offseason, those crews work to clear debris from forested areas throughout the state to mitigate the risk and devastation posed by wildfires. The Florida and California Guards' support to their local communities is a reflection of the critical role units play across the nation in responding to extreme weather events. In 2023, National Guard units across 23 states dedicated more than 50,000 person-days to responding to severe weather events. Those events included six hurricane-type storms in 13 states and territories, winter storms in seven states, floods in three states and tornadoes in two states. National Guard units also supported containment and mitigation efforts for 53,685 wildfires across 23 states in 2023. Those figures reflect the unique role each state's National Guard plays in supporting their local communities a a particular point of pride for those who serve. "I'm very proud of the fact that California has made significant investment over the last few years more towards prevention rather than just reaction to California wildfires," Paoletti said. Paoletti added that in addition to remaining ready to respond to wildfires, guardsmen in California prepare to support their local communities across a range of potential natural disasters. "In today's changing world [...] we have to be ready for more than just wildfires," he said. "We responded the last few years to floods and California's first hurricane. I know that Florida is much more experienced with those than we are, but we stand ready to uphold the National Guard motto of 'Always Ready, Always There!' to respond to the needs of Californians when they need it most." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Leader and Lead Assassin Extradited from Mexico to the United States on Drug Importation, Murder, Kidnapping, Firearms, and Money Laundering Charges Tuesday, May 28, 2024 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader and lead sicario, or assassin, NAstor Isidro PArez Salas, also known as El Nini, 32, of Mexico, was extradited on May 25 from Mexico to the United States to face charges contained in two indictments. "Today, El Nini joins the growing list of cartel leaders and associates extradited to the United States and held accountable in an American courtroom," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "We allege El Nini was one of the Sinaloa Cartel's lead sicarios, or assassins, and was responsible for the murder, torture, and kidnapping of rivals and witnesses who threatened the cartel's criminal drug trafficking enterprise. This includes killing a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential source and killing others in retaliation for the confidential source's cooperation. We also allege El Nini was a part of the Sinaloa Cartel's production and sale of fentanyl, including in the United States. I am grateful to our Mexican government counterparts for their extraordinary efforts in apprehending and extraditing El Nini. The Justice Department will always be relentless in its pursuit of the cartels responsible for flooding our communities with fentanyl and other drugs." The first indictment, filed in the District of Columbia by the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), charges PArez Salas with cocaine and methamphetamine importation, firearms offenses, and conspiracy to obstruct justice through murder. The second indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), charges PArez Salas with leadership of a continuing criminal enterprise resulting in the deaths of numerous victims, including a confidential source for the DEA, fentanyl importation and trafficking, obstruction of justice by murdering an informant, kidnapping resulting in the deaths of eight people, including a minor boy, firearms, and money laundering offenses. PArez Salas was arrested in Culiacan, Mexico, by Mexican authorities on Nov. 22, 2023. PArez Salas was presented on the charges contained in the SDNY indictment today at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang. According to court documents, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico and is responsible for a substantial portion of the fentanyl that is manufactured and imported for distribution in the United States. Fentanyl is a dangerous synthetic opioid that is more than 50 times more potent than heroin and is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. In recent years, the cartel has been led, in part, by the sons of the cartel's notorious former leader, Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, also known as El Chapo, and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopezaknown collectively as the "Chapitos." Like their father, the Chapitos have used violence and rely on a sophisticated security apparatus to maintain control and to protect themselves and their operations as they traffic massive quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, to the United States. PArez Salas is allegedly one of the senior leaders of the Chapitos' security apparatus. Under PArez Salas' direction, armed enforcers for the Chapitos, known as sicarios, have allegedly used rampant violence to protect the Chapitos' operations and to demolish unsupportive businesses, capture contested territory, intimidate civilians, and attack and murder law enforcement members who resist their efforts. In part under the direction of PArez Salas, the sicarios allegedly regularly used military-grade firearms and explosives, including machineguns and rocket launchers, to kidnap, torture, and kill anyone who opposed the Chapitos. According to court documents, PArez Salas is allegedly a leader and commander of the "Ninis," a violent group charged with providing security for the Chapitos. From at least 2012 until February 2021, PArez Salas allegedly conspired to distribute and manufacture cocaine and methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States, used a firearm in furtherance of the alleged drug-trafficking offense, and killed, attempted to kill, threatened, and caused bodily injury to another to intimidate a government witness and informant. PArez Salas has also allegedly committed brutal acts of violence to advance the Chapitos' trafficking operations. For example, in or about 2017, PArez Salas, with two of the Chapitos, allegedly captured, tortured, interrogated, and killed two Mexican federal law enforcement officers. In or about May 2017, PArez Salas, with two of the Chapitos and others, allegedly captured three members of a rival drug cartel, Los Zetas, and tortured them before interrogating and killing them. Also, in or about 2017, PArez Salas and others allegedly conspired to kill and retaliate against a witness and informant. And in or about 2022, PArez Salas and another sicario allegedly tested the potency of their fentanyl on individuals. In addition, PArez Salas has allegedly participated in the negotiation and sale of fentanyl. More specifically, in or about the summer of 2022, PArez Salas and other associates allegedly sold fentanyl (later seized by the DEA) in Los Angeles. Finally, in or about October 2023, PArez Salas and other sicarios acting at his direction, allegedly kidnapped a confidential source and 10 other victims in Mexicoaincluding a U.S. citizenawhom PArez Salas believed worked for or were related to the confidential source. PArez Salas and his sicarios allegedly killed eight of the kidnapped victims, including the confidential source, and a 13-year-old boy. PArez Salas allegedly kidnapped and killed these victims in retaliation for the confidential source's provision of information to law enforcement in connection with the investigation of PArez Salas and his associates in the Southern District of New York. PArez Salas is charged in the District of Columbia indictment with (i) conspiring to import cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; (ii) using, carrying, and possessing machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the cocaine and methamphetamine conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; and (iii) conspiracy to obstruct justice by retaliating against a witness and informant through murder, which carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison. PArez Salas is charged in the SDNY indictment with: (i) participating in a continuing criminal enterprise resulting in death, which carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison; (ii) conspiring to import fentanyl into the United States, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; (iii) conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; (iv) using, carrying, and possessing machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the continuing criminal enterprise and the fentanyl importation and trafficking conspiracies, which carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison; (v) conspiring to use, carry, and possess machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the continuing criminal enterprise and the fentanyl importation and trafficking conspiracies, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; (vi) conspiring to launder money, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (vii) obstruction of justice by retaliating against an informant through murder, which carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison; (viii) conspiring to obstruct justice by retaliating against an informant through murder, which carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison; (ix) kidnapping resulting in death, including of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison; and (x) conspiring to commit kidnapping resulting in death, including of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The DEA's Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from multiple DEA offices throughout Mexico, as well as the assistance of the U.S. Department of State Rewards for Justice Program and U.S. Marshals Service. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition PArez Salas. The Justice Department also thanks Mexican authorities for their role in securing the arrest and extradition of PArez Salas. NDDS Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich, Kate Naseef, Samantha Thompson, and Tara Arndt and SDNY Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Sarah L. Kushner, Alexander N. Li, David J. Robles, and Kyle A. Wirshba are prosecuting the case. The case is supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Indictment Topics: Drug Trafficking Firearms Offenses Components: Office of the Attorney General Criminal Division Criminal - Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section Criminal - Office of International Affairs Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces USAO - New York, Southern U.S. Marshals Service Press Release Number: 24-673 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treasury Sanctions a Cybercrime Network Associated with the 911 S5 Botnet U.S. Department of the Treasury May 28, 2024 WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three individuals, Yunhe Wang, Jingping Liu, and Yanni Zheng, for their activities associated with the malicious botnet tied to the residential proxy service known as 911 S5. OFAC also sanctioned three entitiesaSpicy Code Company Limited, Tulip Biz Pattaya Group Company Limited, and Lily Suites Company Limitedafor being owned or controlled by Yunhe Wang. ""These individuals leveraged their malicious botnet technology to compromise personal devices, enabling cybercriminals to fraudulently secure economic assistance intended for those in need and to terrorize our citizens with bomb threats," said Under Secretary Brian E. Nelson. "Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement colleagues and international partners, will continue to take action to disrupt cybercriminals and other illicit actors who seek to steal from U.S. taxpayers." The 911 S5 botnetwas a malicious service that compromised victim computers and allowed cybercriminals to proxy their internet connections through these compromised computers. Once a cybercriminal had disguised their digital tracks through the 911 S5 botnet, their cybercrimes appeared to trace back to the victim's computer instead of their own. The 911 S5 botnet compromised approximately 19 million IP addresses and facilitated the submission of tens of thousands of fraudulent applications related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act programs by its users, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars to the U.S. government. The 911 S5 service enabled users to commit widespread cyber-enabled fraud using compromised victim computers that were associated to residential IP addresses. The IP addresses compromised by the 911 S5 service were also linked to a series of bomb threats made throughout the United States in July 2022. Today's action was taken in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement, as well as partners in Singapore and Thailand. 911 S5: A Key RESOURCE FOR CYBERCRIMINALS Cybercriminals covet stolen residential IP addresses to obfuscate malicious activity, particularly when carrying out credit card theft. 911 S5 is a residential proxy botnet that allows its paying users, often cybercriminals, to select the IP addresses through which they connect to the internet using intermediary, internet-connected computers that have been compromised without the computer owners' knowledge. 911 S5 essentially enables cybercriminals to conceal their originating location, effectively defeating fraud detection systems. Yunhe Wang is the primary administrator of the 911 S5 service. A review of records from network infrastructure service providers known to be utilized by 911 S5 and two Virtual Private Networks (VPN) specific to the botnet operation (MaskVPN and DewVPN) showed Yunhe Wang as the registered subscriber to those providers' services. Jingping Liu was Yunhe Wang's co-conspirator in the laundering of criminally derived proceeds generated from 911 S5, mainly virtual currency. The virtual currency that 911 S5 users paid to Yunhe Wang were converted into U.S. dollars using over-the-counter vendors who wired and deposited funds into bank accounts held by Jingping Liu. Jingping Liu assisted Yunhe Wang by laundering criminally derived proceeds through bank accounts held in her name that were then utilized to purchase luxury real estate properties for Yunhe Wang. OFAC is designating Yunhe Wang pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(D) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, a cyber-enabled activity identified in section 1(a)(ii)(D) of E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757. OFAC is designating Jingping Liu pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Yunhe Wang, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757. Yunhe Wang's luxury properties Today's sanctions designations illustrate illicit finance and money-laundering risks associated with the real estate industry. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's 2024 National Money Laundering Risk Assessment warns that purchases of high-value assets such as real estate through shell companies - particularly when conducted with cash and no financing - can be an attractive avenue for criminals to launder illegal proceeds while masking their identities. Yanni Zheng acted as the power of attorney for Yunhe Wang and his company, Spicy Code Company Limited. In addition, Yanni Zheng participated in numerous business transactions, made multiple payments, and purchased real estate property on behalf of Yunhe Wang, including a luxury beachfront condominium in Thailand. OFAC is designating Yanni Zheng for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Yunhe Wang, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757. Spicy Code Company Limited was utilized to purchase additional real estate properties by Yunhe Wang. Spicy Code Company Limited is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Yunhe Wang. Tulip Biz Pattaya Group Company Limited and Lily Suites Company Limited were both purchased by Yunhe Wang. Tulip Biz Pattaya Group Company Limited and Lily Suites Company Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757,for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Yunhe Wang. The three individuals sanctioned today are Chinese nationals. All three entities sanctioned today are based in Thailand. sANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of a blocked or designated entity. In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the entity designated today may themselves be exposed to designation. 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. For information on complying with sanctions applicable to virtual currency, see OFAC's Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Virtual Currency Industry here. For more information on the individuals and entities designated today, click here. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DPRK: Statement by the Spokesperson on the attempted satellite launch European External Action Service (EEAS) 28.05.2024 EEAS Press Team The EU strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launch using ballistic military technology that occurred on 27 May. This launch constituted a clear and flagrant violation of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. The DPRK's disregard for its international obligations continues to threaten regional and international peace and security. The EU calls on the DPRK to cease all actions that raise tensions and instead take up offers of dialogue by the main parties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former China politics lecturer slams curbs on university research Wu Qiang is now unable to move around Beijing freely, while contact with foreigners is 'dangerous.' By Song Danyang and Qian Lang for RFA Mandarin 2024.05.27 -- Since he published an open letter criticizing "Cultural Revolution-style" ideological controls of China's higher education system, former Tsinghua University politics lecturer Wu Qiang has found it a little harder to move around Beijing. Wu, whose former school is the fictional location for the gruesome Cultural Revolution political 'struggle session' scene that opens Liu Cixin's popular science fiction trilogy The Three-Body Problem, told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview that he is now regarded as a "sensitive person" by the country's state security police, which means restrictions on his day-to-day activities. "The Beijing police stop me from entering the embassy district because I have a lot of contact with foreign journalists and diplomats," Wu said. "I get identified through facial recognition technology, then my ID card gets checked at the next intersection, and I'm told to leave." "Ten minutes after that, I may get a call from state security police telling me not to remain in the area," he said. Wu studies mass protests and demonstrations, a highly sensitive topic termed "mass incidents" by the increasingly security-obsessed ruling Chinese Communist Party. He was suspended from his lectureship at Tsinghua University in 2015 for researching the 2014 Occupy Central pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, as well as protests and land-related campaigns in the rebel Guangdong villages of Taishi and Wukan. Since the Chinese Communist Party enshrined Xi Jinping's personal brand of ideology -- Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era -- into the party charter in 2017, colleges and universities have scrambled to launch research programs and institutes to study "Xi Jinping Thought." Stepped up surveillance In January, RFA reported that the ruling party was taking more direct control over colleges and universities, with the ongoing mergers of university-level Communist Party committees with university presidents' offices, something that didn't even happen during the political turmoil of the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution. It is also using technology to step up surveillance and monitoring of anyone deemed a potential threat to state security, including Wu Qiang. Just a decade ago, it usually took the authorities at least a few days to put an end to Wu's research activities, Wu told RFA. "Now it takes them just 10 minutes," he said. "Even normal communication with foreigners has become dangerous, even though I have no access to any secrets -- the system is highly sensitive." The increased restrictions came after Wu penned an open letter in March to newly appointed Tsinghua University President Li Luming calling on him to drop a lawsuit against him which the school is pursuing despite its having been rejected by a Beijing court in 2021. Wu, who was placed under house arrest around the same time, also took the opportunity to note that many former politics lecturers and professors at top schools in Beijing, Shanghai and across China have fled overseas to escape the political repercussions of doing their jobs. Intimidation A friend of Wu's who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals said he believes the lawsuit against Wu is a form of intimidation. "I believe that the plaintiff is trying to make an example of Wu Qiang by repeatedly suing him, so as to tame other Tsinghua lecturers," the friend said. A former colleague who gave only the surname Hu for fear of reprisals said the authorities have targeted Wu entirely due to his academic interests. "Tsinghua University blacklisted Wu Qiang in the spring of 2020, and continues to do so to this day," Hu told RFA Mandarin. "They have banned him from living on campus, and they are demanding so-called liquidated damages of more than 1 million yuan." "A court has already ruled that the school has no jurisdiction, but Tsinghua University just keeps filing these trumped-up lawsuits, which means that this a form of persecution," he said. The school has also targeted Wu's colleagues, including the outspoken sociology professor Guo Yuhua, who was last year stopped by border guards while trying to leave China, and former law professor Xu Zhangrun, who was fired from his post in July 2020 after he called online for political reforms. 'Truth has been ripped to pieces' Wu has continued with his research despite being banned from lecturing, but is finding it more and more difficult to make headway, something he blames on an overriding obsession with the political security of the regime under Xi Jinping. "There is no regular field research happening any more," Wu said. "Everything is performance-based from top to bottom." "Just as communities were locked down during the three years of zero-COVID, China has been shut off from the rest of the world, and the truth has been ripped to pieces," he said. "Isolation is what is happening to China, and it's also what's happening to me." Wu started studying social movements for his PhD in political science at Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen, and was able to continue fieldwork for a few years on his return to China, although the authorities began obstructing his work as early as 2003 in various ways. "It became increasingly difficult to obtain that kind of material [first hand]," he said. "I was followed by police while carrying out fieldwork and had them carry out checks on me in the middle of the night at my hotel." "I even got expelled from one city," said Wu, who studies popular protest and resistance to the government, including spontaneous mass demonstrations and long-running attempts to redress grievances through official channels by petitioners. Xia Ming, a professor of political science at New York's City University, confirmed Wu's account. "Major universities in China are all infiltrated and tightly controlled by the state security police, the regular police, the political security police ... and so on," Xia said. He described Wu as a rare and professional scholar capable of facilitating communication between China and the rest of the world. Yet that's precisely what makes him a target. "What Tsinghua has done to Wu Qiang is an indicator for the tightening of controls over colleges and universities in China generally," said Xia, who has previously worked at Fudan University in Shanghai. "Influential universities in China are always subject to selective control by the Chinese Communist Party." "Very active and influential academics with international academic connections are monitored, warned, and eventually heavily persecuted," 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 2nd round of China-US maritime affairs consultations held Global Times US urged to stop supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces By Chen Qingqing Published: May 28, 2024 11:42 AM China and the US held the second round of China-US maritime affairs consultations via video link on Friday, according to a readout issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. The Chinese side urged the US to genuinely respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, stressing that the US should immediately stop supporting and condoning "Taiwan independence" forces and fulfill its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence." Maritime affairs between China and the US require better communication and related differences need to be actively managed to enable a more predictable and stable relationship in maritime affairs between the two countries, experts said. The latest round of consultations comes at a critical time that helps both sides further clarify their positions and send clear signals, experts said, noting that China has made clear to the US about its red lines and bottom lines, warning the US not to continue playing with fire and moving in the wrong and dangerous direction on some matters like the Taiwan question. The second round of consultations was held via video link chaired by Hong Liang, director-general of the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs and Mark Baxter Lambert, US State Department China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. The two sides exchanged views on the maritime situation and related issues, agreeing to maintain dialogue and communication, avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments, and manage maritime risks. China expressed serious concern over US infringement and provocative actions in waters surrounding China, urging the US to genuinely respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, to refrain from interfering in maritime disputes between China and its neighbors, to avoid forming cliques to contain China by sea, and to not undermine regional peace and stability, according to the readout. China emphasized that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations and an important basis for maritime dialogue. "Taiwan independence" is the biggest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, according to the readout. The US should immediately stop supporting and condoning "Taiwan independence" forces and fulfill its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence." The first round of consultations on maritime affairs between China and the US was held in Beijing on November 3, 2023. The second round of maritime consultations was held against the backdrop of the US' increasing encouragement for the Philippines to provoke China on the South China Sea issue. Meanwhile, it has continued to send wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" secessionists, which is the biggest threat to the stability of the Taiwan Straits. "If the US makes concerted efforts with China in maritime affairs, the bottom lines and the red lines that the US should adhere to are, first, the US should not intervene in disputes between China and other countries; and second, it should not cross the red line on the Taiwan question," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. If the US can respect, value or follow these two points, then the environment for communication and consultation on maritime affairs between China and the US will also improve, Li said. "And the foundation for consultation on maritime affairs between the two countries will be in place." Following the highly provocative "Taiwan independence" remarks by Taiwan's regional leader Lai Ching-te, a US Congressional delegation visited the island, pledging so-called support for it militarily, diplomatically and economically, US media reported on Monday. The US State Department also issued a statement claiming its concerns over the just-concluded large-scale joint exercise conducted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army around the island of Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference. The US has no right to make irresponsible remarks on it. The US has been indulging "Taiwan independence" separatist forces for some time, and even during the so-called inauguration of Lai, it sent a delegation and after the inauguration, the US continued releasing such dangerous, negative and extreme signals, supporting the separatist forces through various means, which is obviously very dangerous, Diao Daming, a professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times. "The Taiwan question, the most important political foundation of China-US relations, is the first red line. If the US uses the question to contain China, it will not be conducive to maintaining the stability of China-US relations," Diao said. Although there are disagreements and even disputes between China and the US, they must ultimately return to dialogue and cooperation, experts said, noting that the US should not condone or incite disagreements, but rather manage and resolve them. "The US needs to reflect on its approach in handling disputes with China and return to sincere communication and cooperation," Li said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, Equatorial Guinea elevate partnership, to inspire more in West Africa Global Times By Zhang Han and Zhang Yuying Published: May 28, 2024 11:10 PM Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in Beijing on Tuesday, and the two heads of state announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. This opens a new chapter for the two countries to bridge development plans, deepen cooperation and pursue common growth, setting a model for more cooperation between China and other West African states, analysts said. During the meeting, Xi said China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust, Xinhua News Agency reported. China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path, he said. China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries' traditional friendship, Xi said. After their meeting, Xi and Obiang witnessed the signing of cooperation documents including on investment, economic growth, digital economy, green development and implementation of the Global Development Initiative. Song Wei, a professor with the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the elevation of ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation marks a new page in bilateral relations. By defining the relationship as comprehensive and strategic, the two countries can bridge their development strategies, such as the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Equatorial Guinea's programs, and better respond to the development needs of both countries, Song said. The two countries will also enhance coordination on each other's core interests, issues of common concerns and key international affairs, the expert said. Obiang said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency published on Friday that "Over the past 54 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Equatorial Guinea have steadily advanced major cooperation projects in infrastructure construction, technical assistance and other areas. Projects, such as the port of Bata on the Gulf of Guinea and the Djibloho Hydropower Plant, built or aided by Chinese enterprises, have brought tangible improvements to the life of local people." Speaking of the outcomes achieved under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the BRI, Obiang said cooperation in fields such as health, agriculture, commerce and technology has greatly boosted Equatorial Guinea's economic and social development. Song noted China's role in improving Equatorial Guinea's infrastructure and intra-connectivity, as well as its industrialization, as the country has rich natural resources. "Bilateral cooperation will not only bring about immediate benefits to the African country, but also boost the country's development capability, diversifying its economic structure and strengthening its economic security," Song said. Equatorial Guinea relies heavily on resources exports, such as oil and gas, an industry operated mainly by Western companies. Timber ranks second among its economic pillars while the traditional agriculture and fisheries sectors have shrunk in its economic structure amid the expansion of oil exploration and export. The government is seeking to revitalize them while also pushing forward industrialization, per an investment guidebook co-released by Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. Equatorial Guinea is situated in the Gulf of Guinea, a pivotal area in West Africa. Against the backdrop of some unrest in the region, as well as escalating international power struggles, Song believes "the partnership between China and Equatorial Guinea will serve as an inspiration for fostering relations between China and other countries in the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa." The US has withdrawn troops from West Africa's Chad and Niger, according to media reports. The Associated Press claimed that "The reversals have prompted concern that US influence in Africa is losing ground to overtures from Russia and China." China's ever-growing cooperation with African countries and other Global South nations is based on a shared aspiration for development and prosperity, and the US should understand and acknowledge that most countries in the world are not interested in taking sides or forming confrontational camps, analysts said. Demonizing China's cooperation with others or hyping "China threat" will not help the US win partners, they said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on May 28, 2024 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2024-05-28 20:03 At the invitation of the government of El Salvador, President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy and Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli will attend the inauguration of the second term of El Salvador's President in San Salvador on June 1. CCTV: At the ninth China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting held yesterday, the three countries issued the joint declaration of the meeting. How does China see this outcome? Mao Ning: Yesterday, the China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit Meeting was held in Seoul after a hiatus of more than four years. The meeting adopted the Joint Declaration of the Ninth China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit. It sent a message of East Asian countries working together to strengthen solidarity, deepen cooperation and promote economic integration in the region, and injected stability and positive energy into a turbulent and rapidly changing world. The joint declaration gave a positive assessment of the significance and role of the trilateral cooperation, identified key cooperation areas, and set some new ambitious targets, all of which shows the strong demand and internal driving force for the trilateral cooperation. China, Japan and the ROK reaffirmed commitment to implementing the Trilateral Cooperation Vision for the Next Decade adopted at the trilateral summit meeting in 2019. The three countries agreed to deepen trade and economic cooperation, discuss speeding up negotiations for a trilateral FTA and encourage accelerated discussion on the accession procedures of new membership to RCEP. They reaffirmed their commitment to keeping markets open, decided to strengthen supply chain cooperation, continue communication in the field of export control and work to ensure a global level playing field. The three countries agreed to promote cooperation in science and innovation and in digital transformation, recognized the importance of communication on AI, and agreed to strive to resume the Trilateral Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting and the Trilateral ICT Ministers' Meeting. The three countries agreed to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and designated 2025-2026 as the Year of Cultural Exchange among the three countries. We will strive to increase the number of people-to-people exchanges among the three countries to 40 million by 2030. China, Japan and the ROK will also maintain close communication in the UN, on East Asian cooperation and within other multilateral frameworks where all three countries participate. In addition to the joint declaration, the meeting also issued two outcome documents, namely the Joint Statement on a 10 Year Vision for Trilateral IP Cooperation, and the Joint Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. China-Japan-ROK cooperation has embarked on a new journey of all-round growth. Going forward, China will work with the ROK and Japan to deliver on those outcome documents and deepen friendly exchanges and practical cooperation in various areas, so as to give a stronger boost to the development of the three countries, bring benefit to the people in the region, and uphold peace, stability and prosperity of Northeast Asia and beyond. Yonhap News Agency: I have two questions. First, the DPRK's launch of a reconnaissance satellite yesterday ended in failure. Analysts say that the DPRK notified other countries of its plan to launch a reconnaissance satellite on the early morning of the day of the ROK-China-Japan trilateral summit meeting to throw cold water on the trilateral cooperation. Other analysts say that the launch violates UN Security Council resolutions. What is China's position on this? Second, the Joint Declaration of the Ninth ROK-China-Japan Trilateral Summit does not include the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula which was mentioned in previous meeting documents. Some media reports say that this is due to China's opposition. What is China's position on this? Mao Ning: On your first question, China noted the developments on the DPRK's satellite launch, including the DPRK statement and the response from other parties. We believe that ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and advancing the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue serves the common interests of all parties, and we call on all parties to make constructive efforts to this end.a On your second question, China's basic position on the Korean Peninsula issue remains unchanged. Dragon TV: Last weekend, the China-Europe Railway Express (CRE) registered over 90,000 trips in total, shipping freight worth over USD 380 billion. For the past 10 plus years of its development from scratch to what it is today, how do you think of the role of the CRE in China-Europe and global trade? Mao Ning: Congratulations on the new record. As a flagship project and signature brand of Belt and Road cooperation, the China-Europe Railway Express (CRE) has reached 223 cities in 25 European countries, and linked more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries. For the past 8 years, the annual trips have increased from 1,702 to over 17,000 with the value of annual freight up from USD 8 billion to USD 56.7 billion. The CRE has no doubt opened a "golden channel" for trade in Eurasia. Transport leads to prosperous industries. What the CRE carries are goods, but what it brings are opportunities and hope. The CRE not only makes it faster and more convenient for Chinese and European goods to reach each other's market, but also keeps fostering new logistic services, industries, business centers and industrial parks. It now serves as a bridge for mutually beneficial trade. We will work with countries along the lines to promote high-quality development of the CRE, inject more stability to the world economy and provide more driving force for common development. TV Asahi: The DPRK's foreign ministry said in a statement released last night that some content in the Joint Declaration of the Ninth China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit constitutes gross interference in the DPRK's internal affairs and that the DPRK strongly condemns it. What's the Foreign Ministry's comment? Mao Ning: The ninth Trilateral Summit Meeting among China, Japan and the ROK was held in Seoul yesterday, and the three countries issued a joint declaration. The three parties reaffirmed that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia serves the common interest and is the common responsibility of the three countries. They reiterated positions on regional peace and stability, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the abductions issue, respectively. They agreed to continue to make positive efforts for the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue. We hope relevant parties will firmly uphold peace and stability on the Peninsula and promote the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue. Reuters: Also on the joint declaration by China, South Korea and Japan. What steps will China take to meet this commitment to the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula? And will China's bilateral relations with North Korea risk decline? Mao Ning: Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and working for the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue serve all parties' interests, and require constructive efforts from all parties. On China-DPRK relations, China's position is consistent. Antara: Israeli air attack on tents housing displaced people in Rafah, Gaza killed more than 40 Palestinians, including many children. Some global leaders urge the implementation of International Court of Justice order to halt Israel's assault. How Chinese government can support humanitarian assistance for Gaza and also the implementation of the ICJ order? Mao Ning: China is gravely concerned over Israel's military operation in Rafah. We noted that the UN International Court of Justice has for the third time delivered the order for provisional measures on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and for the first time explicitly asked for ceasing the military offensive in relevant region. This reflects the world's consensus on and strong call for an urgent ceasefire, protection of civilians and deescalation of the humanitarian crisis. Relevant provisional measures should be effectively implemented as soon as possible. China's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is consistent and clear. We oppose any action that violates international law, including international humanitarian law. We ask all parties to protect civilians and civilian facilities, and strongly urge Israel to heed the call of the international community and stop the offensive on Rafah. The world needs to work together to deescalate and end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ukrinform News Agency: Last time, China often calls for deescalation in the Russia-Ukraine war but does not name the countries to whom such calls are addressed. Russia, for more than two years, has continued invasion in neighboring Ukraine. So, earlier this month, Russia opened a new front in the eastern Ukrainian Kharkiv region, and last week, it launched a series of airstrikes on civilian objects in Kharkiv city. Can you specify whether the Chinese side's calls for deescalation are addressed to Russia or not? Mao Ning: China believes that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the Ukraine crisis. Parties need to all be committed to deescalating the situation and seeking political settlement of the crisis. This position has been clear and consistent. Phoenix TV: It's reported that the spokesperson of the US State Department issued a statement last weekend and expressed "concern over the People's Liberation Army joint military drills around Taiwan." What's your comment?a Mao Ning: The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference. The US has no right to make irresponsible remarks on it. Our joint drills around the Taiwan island are a resolute punitive response to the provocation for "Taiwan independence" made by the leader of the Taiwan region in his May 20 speech and a serious warning to external forces that connive at and support "Taiwan independence" and interfere in China's internal affairs. It is a just move to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and is necessary, legitimate and fully consistent with international law and common practices. After coming into office, the Taiwan region's leader did not even wait before laying bare his true identity as a separatist for "Taiwan independence." His speech on May 20 is a declaration of his agenda for "Taiwan independence," which fully reveals his nature as a "worker for Taiwanese independence." What has happened shows once again that the most dangerous change to the cross-Strait status quo and the biggest source of damage to cross-Strait peace are the separatist moves for "Taiwan independence" and connivance and support from US-led external forces. In disregard of China's firm opposition, the US is the one that acted wrongly first by sending a delegation and issuing a congratulatory statement by the Secretary of State on the so-called "inauguration ceremony," which sent a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The groundless accusation the US then made against China's lawful and legitimate steps to uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity just compounded its mistake. We urge the US to fully recognize the fundamental nature and dangerous ambition of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and the grave harm and enormous risks of "Taiwan independence" separatism to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and to China-US relations, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs, honor the commitment made by US leaders on the Taiwan question and stop emboldening and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in any form.a Our resolve to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity will not waver. Our determination to oppose external interference in China's internal affairs will not change. "Taiwan independence" will lead nowhere and anyone who play with fire by supporting "Taiwan independence" will get burned. Anyone who seeks to challenge the one-China principle will invariably fail.a Reuters: A few countries have already sent relief teams to Papua New Guinea after the deadly landslide. What practical help will China offer or has offered? And will China send a relief team to Papua New Guinea? Mao Ning: China is closely following the situation and maintains close communication with Papua New Guinea. We will provide assistance in light of the situation and the needs for disaster relief. Beijing Youth Daily: It is reported that Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina publicly criticized in her speech US interference in her country's internal affairs, saying that she was offered a hassle-free reelection by a white man of a foreign country if she allowed that country to build an airbase in Bangladesh. And she also said that it was not the first time the country made offers to her and she would never "come to power by renting part of the country or handing it over to another country." What's your comment?a Mao Ning: We noted Prime Minister Hasina's speech that demonstrates the Bangladeshi national ethos of pursuing independence and not being intimidated by foreign pressure. Certain country, in order to seek its selfish interests, wantonly uses other countries' elections as a bargaining chip, blatantly interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, and undermines regional security and stability. It fully shows the hegemonic, domineering and bullying nature of that country. China firmly supports Bangladesh in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, firmly supports it in pursuing an independent foreign policy, and firmly supports it in opposing foreign interference to jointly safeguard regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.a Macau Monthly: It was reported that the recent flooding in northern Armenia has affected dozens of settlements and close to 4,000 people, with four people dead, many more injured, and 17 bridges and many roads damaged. What is your comment on this? Mao Ning: China noted that the flooding in northern Armenia has resulted in multiple fatalities, injuries and loss of property. China expresses sympathies to Armenia. We believe the Armenian people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes. China is, as always, ready to do everything we can to help. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hong Kong police arrest six people for 'seditious' Facebook posts Tiananmen vigil organizer Chow Hang-tung is among the arrestees, the first under the Article 23 security law. By Edward Li for RFA Cantonese and Chen Zifei for RFA Mandarin 2024.05.28 -- Police in Hong Kong on Tuesday arrested jailed human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung and five other people a the first arrests to be made under the recently passed Article 23 security law a for making social media posts with "seditious intent" ahead of the anniversary of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre. National security police in the city arrested five women and one man aged between 37 and 65, for suspected violations of Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which deals with offenses related to "seditious intent," according to a statement on the government website. The events of the spring and early summer of 1989 are still a hugely sensitive topic in China, where public discussion is heavily censored and public mourning for victims is banned. Tuesday's arrests suggest that similar political sensitivities are now being applied to Hong Kong. Secretary for Security Chris Tang later confirmed to journalists that Chow, who is currently awaiting trial at the Tai Lam Centre for Women under a separate security law, was among the arrestees. When asked to clarify whether it's now illegal under the Article 23 security legislation to mention the anniversary or the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, Tang claimed it wasn't, and that only mentions deemed to "incite hatred" of the authorities would be regarded as criminal. However, neither he nor any of the journalists present at the briefing mentioned June 4, 1989, or the Tiananmen massacre by name, referring to it as "the sensitive date." The police statement said the arrests were based on "seditious" social media posts. "Police investigations revealed that a woman who is currently in custody, through the other five arrested persons, has been anonymously posting seditious posts on a social platform page since April 2024, taking advantage of a sensitive date that is approaching, with the intention of inciting hatred among the public against the Central Government, the [Hong Kong] Government and the Judiciary, and intending to incite netizens to organize or participate in illegal activities," the police statement said. Police also searched the homes of the five people accused of helping Chow make the posts, which Tang said were posted to the Chow Hang-tung Club Facebook page. "The general public must ... not be deceived by false and distorted content or even incited to take part in illegal activities and behaviors that could threaten national security," the police statement said. Photos and memories Since April, Chow's Facebook page has displayed a different set of photographs and memories relating to commemoration of the 1989 pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square and the subsequent crackdown by the People's Liberation Army on unarmed protesters and civilians, using machine guns and tanks, each day. The arrests came after the latest post showed the "Goddess of Democracy" statue a a replica of the one seen on Tiananmen Square in 1989 a referring to its prominent display in 2010 outside the Times Square shopping mall, on several university campuses and at Victoria Park, where the now-banned candlelight vigils for the massacre victims were held for more than three decades. "Dedicated to the students on hunger strike in the square and to the pro-democracy movement, the Goddess of Democracy is a symbol of the student protest movement," the post said. "Once upon a time, the Goddess of Democracy could be seen [in parks and universities], but today she has disappeared." "Another goddess of democracy wearing a gas mask appeared in Hong Kong in 2019," the post said in a reference to the Lady Liberty effigy that came to symbolize the 2019 protest movement against the erosion of Hong Kong's rights and freedoms. "That has also disappeared," the post said, referring to a citywide crackdown on public dissent, including symbols and images of the protest movement, under the 2020 National Security Law. Behind bars since September 2021, Chow faces a potential 10 years in jail if convicted of "inciting subversion of state power" in a trial that is expected to begin in late 2024. She has already served a 15-month jail term relating to the 2021 vigil. The overseas-based Hong Kong Democracy Council said via its X account that the arrests are the first under the Article 23 legislation. It said Chow's Facebook page has been "making daily posts about #June4 in HK down through the years since Apr 30" across 35 days, one for every year that has passed since the massacre. "If HK national security police believe the posts to be "seditious," why've they waited a month to act?" the group wanted to know. The hugely controversial Article 23 legislation prompted global protests and warnings of an extended crackdown from rights activists when it was passed on March 23. Hong Kong lawmaker Paul Tse, who was among dozens of pro-government legislators who voted in favor of the Article 23 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, removed posts from his Facebook page for fear that comments he had posted there earlier could be used to prosecute him under the new law. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content 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 Don't talk to media, Tiananmen massacre families warned ahead of June 4 anniversary State security police place dissidents, activists under guard or take them on enforced 'vacations.' By Chen Zifei for RFA Mandarin 2024.05.28 -- Chinese authorities have ordered relatives of those who died in the 1989 Tiananmen massacre not to give media interviews, while veteran activists who took part in the pro-democracy movement that year are slapped with restrictions as part of a nationwide "stability maintenance" operation ahead of the 35th anniversary of the bloodshed, Radio Free Asia has learned. A security guard has been posted outside the home of Zhang Xianling, a founding member of the Tiananmen Mothers victims group whose 19-year-old son died in the military assault on Beijing, group spokesperson You Weijie told RFA Mandarin. "Most of the victims' families haven't been placed under guard for the 35th anniversary this year," You said. "Only Zhang [Xianling] has -- there are guards outside her door." "We have all been told not to give interviews to journalists in our homes because the anniversary of June 4 is nearly here," she said. The move is part of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's "stability maintenance" system that aims to control the words and movements of anyone they think might cause some kind of trouble for the authorities on politically sensitive dates. Public mourning for victims or discussion of the events of spring and summer 1989 are banned in China, and references to June 4, 1989, are blocked, filtered or deleted by the Great Firewall of government internet censorship. Hunger strike Xu Guang, a former student leader of the 1989 protest movement at Hangzhou University stood trial in the eastern province of Zhejiang in April 2023 for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used to target peaceful critics of the Communist Party, after he refused food and drink in detention to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. You said the group plans to lay offerings to their lost loved ones at the cemetery privately, as they have on past anniversaries, under the watchful eye of state security police. She said Zhang and group founder Ding Zilin are elderly, with age-related health issues, but "aren't doing too badly." Meanwhile, former 1989 student hunger-striker and rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang has been taken out of Beijing on an enforced "vacation" by state security police ahead of the anniversary, a person familiar with the situation told RFA. Dissident journalist Gao Yu could soon follow suit, the person said. A Beijing-based rights activist who gave the pseudonym Mr. Qin for fear of reprisals said it's hard for anyone with ties to human rights activism or the pro-democracy movement to go anywhere at this time of year. "The atmosphere in Beijing is very tense right now," he said. "It's hard to get together for a meal with friends if you're on the list of so-called sensitive figures." "They will stop people from getting together to cook and eat together in their homes, even if they're not on the list," Qin said. "Naturally, it's more sensitive here in Beijing, because that's where [the massacre] happened." "I think a lot of people in Beijing will be taken on 'vacations' this year," he said. Taken out of town Ji Feng, an independent commentator who led student protests in the southwestern province of Guizhou in 1989, said he is also being taken out of town ahead of the anniversary, despite no longer living in Beijing. "Every anniversary ending in 5 or 0 is a bigger one, and there will be quite an uproar overseas this year, for the 35th anniversary," Ji told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview. "This year, we're not allowed to mention the anniversary or June 4, and we're not allowed to go far," Ji said. "In the past, they would take me anywhere, even around Beijing." "Now, we have to stay in the vicinity of Zunyi city," he said, adding that the local authorities seem less willing to spend money on "stability maintenance" measures this year. "Maybe finances are tight, and they have no money," Ji speculated, in a reference to recent reports of cash-strapped local governments. In Shanghai, rights activist Shen Yanqiu said she has been called in to "drink tea" with state security police almost daily in the run-up to the anniversary, and warned off going anywhere or meeting anyone. "Rights defenders and dissidents alike are under tight surveillance around June 4," Shen said. "We can't arrange anything because they're afraid we'll contact foreign media organizations or hold citizen gatherings." "It's basically because the authorities are afraid," she said. Shen said she had postponed plans to try to visit pandemic citizen journalist Zhang Zhan following her May 13 release from Shanghai Women's Prison, because she expects Zhang to be under particularly tight surveillance. 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 China Urges US to Respect Sovereignty of Neighboring Nations Amid Tensions Sputnik News 20240528 BEIJING (Sputnik) - Beijing has urged the United States to avoid interfering in maritime disputes between China and its neighboring countries and creating regional blocks aimed at deterring China at sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. On May 24, China and the United States held the second round of bilateral consultations on maritime issues via a videoconference. The consultations were attended by Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hong Liang and US State Department China Coordinator Mark Lambert. "[The United States] should not interfere in maritime disputes between China and neighboring countries, should not create small circles with the aim of 'using the sea to control China,' should not undermine regional peace and stability," the statement read. China has also expressed serious concern about US "provocations" in the waters surrounding China, and called on Washington to respect China's territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests, the statement read. Moreover, Beijing called on Washington to stop pandering to those advocating alleged "Taiwan independence," and pointed to the One China principle that is the political basis of China-US relations, the statement added. China has been engaged in decades-long disputes with several Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines, over the territorial affiliation of a number of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Significant oil and gas reserves have been discovered on the continental shelf of those islands, including the Paracel Islands, Thitu Island, Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, with the Whitson Reef being part. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China dismisses activists' calls for US Congress to close Hong Kong offices By Yihua Lee May 28, 2024 China's Embassy in Washington has dismissed calls by Hong Kong activists for the city's economic and trade offices to be closed in the United States. Hong Kong activists at a congressional roundtable on May 23 called on U.S. lawmakers to pass legislative measures as soon as possible to close the three offices in Washington, San Francisco and New York, describing them as "arms of the propaganda machine" in Beijing. In a Friday evening emailed reply to VOA, attributed to spokesman Liu Pengyu, the Embassy said, "As overseas economic and trade organizations set up by the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government, HKETOs (Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices) have run smoothly, which is win-win to the economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and relevant countries and regions. Currently, there are more than 1,200 US companies investing and operating in Hong Kong, and almost all major US financial companies operate in Hong Kong. To politicize the relevant issues will only harm the interests of both sides." Activists who attended the discussion Thursday, hosted by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, urged the passing of the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office Certification Act. The bill has been approved by the Foreign Affairs Committees of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but it is unclear when it will be voted on. If voted into law, it would require the U.S. executive branch to certify whether the three Hong Kong offices are worthy of extending the diplomatic privileges, exceptions and immunities they currently enjoy within 30 days. If the White House removes the diplomatic rights, the offices would be forced to cease operations within 180 days. If the government allows them to continue to function, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade offices' rights would be extended for one year or until the next time an assessment is conducted. Francis Hui, policy and advocacy coordinator at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, argued, "Since Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, the Chinese Communist Party should not have two diplomatic representations in the United States. "They (the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices) have been promoting some untrue stories about Hong Kong all over the world. They will say that Hong Kong is very developed, charming and bright. They also say that we are an international financial center. Come and trade with us. In fact, they are whitewashing the fact that they are committing some human rights violations and undermining the rule of law in Hong Kong," she told VOA. Joey Siu, a former legislator of Hong Kong, said, "[Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices] are the extended branches of the CCP. ... They are the arms of the propaganda machine. They are the overseas police stations of the Hong Kong government that surveils and spies on Hong Kong activists and American citizens." Both Hui and Siu are on the Hong Kong government's wanted list, accused of inciting secession, inciting subversion and colluding with foreign forces. Siu is an American citizen born in the U.S. Members of Congress from both parties at the roundtable expressed concerns about the deteriorating rights situation in Hong Kong. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican Chairman of the committee, opened the meeting by stating that many people may be curious: "With so much happening in the world, why should Americans care about Hong Kong? Why should we worry about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is doing?" He then replied, "The answer is that the core values of the American people are at stake. When the CCP breaks its word to respect the freedom of Hong Kong through one country, two systems, it is breaking its word to the entire world." One country, two systems was the political structure Beijing agreed to uphold when Hong Kong's colonial ruler, Britain, transferred the city back to China in 1997. Critics say Beijing has violated that deal in forcing harsh security laws on Hong Kong that have seen independent media shut down or leave the city, and dissidents arrested or flee abroad. Beijing says Hong Kong's 2020 National Security Law was needed to maintain stability, but has used it to arrest, jail and try hundreds of pro-democracy activists, stifling Hong Kong's once vibrant civil society and tradition of public speech. Illinois Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi criticized Beijing for breaking its commitment to Hong Kong. "We were promised one country, two systems. Instead, what we see is one country, one system, one party, one ruler: (President) Xi Jinping. One man has decided that Hong Kong is no longer going to abide by what was promised to the rest of the world," he said. Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu also dismissed those concerns, in the Embassy's reply to VOA. "Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the principles of 'one country, two systems,' 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and 'Hong Kong enjoying a high degree of autonomy' have been effectively implemented," it read. "Hong Kong has a solid position as an international financial, shipping and trading center, and enjoys rapid development of innovative and technological industries, great freedom and openness, and a world-class business environment. The achievements in the practice of 'one country, two systems' are globally recognized." In March, Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously and quickly approved their own sweeping national security law known as Basic Law Article 23, strengthening the government's ability to silence dissent. The law supposedly aims to combat "treason, rebellion, sedition, theft of state secrets, espionage, sabotage, and foreign interference" with punishment of up to life imprisonment, if found guilty. But critics say authorities will use the national security measures to further restrict Hong Kong's freedoms at Beijing's behest. On Tuesday, Hong Kong authorities made the first arrests under Article 23, charging six activists with "incitement with intent." Jonathan Price, one of the lawyers for imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, attended the Thursday roundtable. He said, "A robust rule of law and free media are essential for Hong Kong's future. ... Hong Kong can seek to demonstrate these values by releasing Jimmy Lai immediately, and that's what we call upon it to do." Lai, the 76-year-old founder of Hong Kong's Next Media, was charged under the Hong Kong version of China's National Security Law with "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces" and "conspiracy to publish incitement" for supporting Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy movement. If found guilty, he could be sentenced up to life in prison. Lai, who is also a British citizen, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith and New York Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi introduced a bill in April to rename the short section of the street in front of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington, D.C. to Jimmy Lai Way to honor Lai. Separately, Britain on Friday charged the manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, 63-year-old Chung Biu Yuen, and another man with spying for Hong Kong and set a trial date for next February. A third suspect also charged in the case was found dead Sunday in a park. British police have indicated they are investigating it as a suicide. China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin, at a regular briefing May 24 in Beijing, lambasted the charges as Britain's attempt to vilify China in the name of national security. VOA's Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hong Kong police arrest six on seditious intent charges By VOA News May 28, 2024 The Hong Kong national security police on Tuesday arrested six people for alleged seditious intent under a new security law. The group includes five women and one man. According to Security Secretary Chris Tang, the individuals allegedly used Facebook to promote "hatred" against the judiciary and governments of Hong Kong and China. Tang stated that Chow Hang-tung was one of the individuals arrested, and the Facebook group the "Chow Hang-tung Club," is focused on her work. Chow is a well-known lawyer and pro-democracy activist. Since September of 2021, she has been behind bars in a maximum-security women's prison. In March, Hong Kong's pro-Beijing legislature passed the new national security measure, "Safeguarding National Security Ordinance." The decision came with criticism from countries including the United States, which stated that the laws could negatively impact Hong Kong's international financial hub credentials. Countries in the European Union, Japan, and Britain have been critical of the law. An ongoing crackdown since 2020 has quieted dissenting parties, closed liberal media outlets, shut down NGOs, and hurt the city's economy. The crackdown comes after a series of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests throughout the streets that occurred in 2019. The governments of Hong Kong and China have said that the new laws have restored stability. This week, Hong Kong's high court will issue a verdict in the case of 16 prominent Hong Kong democrats, who may be jailed for allegedly plotting against the government. Hong Kong Security Secretary Tang's statement said that Chow allegedly used the five other individuals to "publish posts with seditious intent" focused on an "upcoming sensitive date" and that the group had the "intention of inciting netizens to organize or participate in illegal activities in a later period." The sensitive date may be June 4, according to local media, the anniversary of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in China in 1989. Tuesday's arrests appeared "to showcase that any public -- including online -- discussion or opinions... could be deemed seditious or endangering national security," said Eric Lai, a legal scholar at Georgetown University. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US announces measures to help over 11,000 Cuban small businesses By Nike Ching May 28, 2024 The United States announced regulatory changes on Tuesday to increase support for the Cuban people and independent private sector entrepreneurs. The changes will enable more U.S. financial support for small private businesses in Cuba, enhance internet-based services on the island and broaden access to financial services. The new U.S. measures come as the communist-run island faces a social and economic crisis, including severe shortages of food, fuel, electricity and medicine. A senior administration official stated that the new authorization allows Cuba's independent private sector entrepreneurs to open and remotely access U.S. bank accounts, including through U.S. online payment platforms. As of 2021, Cuban entrepreneurs can establish small and medium private enterprises under Cuban law. By the latest count, there are over 11,000 registered private businesses in Cuba. "It's important to note that the new definition for independent private sector entrepreneurship excludes prohibited officials of the Cuban government, such as National Assembly members, Cuban military officers, certain ministry staff, regime propagandists and prohibited members of the Cuban Communist Party," the senior official told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday. New U.S. regulatory measures will benefit the Cuban people while continuing to minimize resources to the Cuban government, said another senior official in President Joe Biden's administration. "We believe that the growth of an independent entrepreneurial private sector in Cuba is fully aligned with our values and is the best hope for generating economic development and employment in Cuba," said the senior official. The Treasury Department said that Tuesday's regulatory changes will allow Cuban nationals to open, maintain and remotely use U.S. bank accounts, including through online payment platforms, to conduct authorized or exempt transactions, whether the independent private sector entrepreneur is physically located in the United States, Cuba or another country. Earlier this month, the U.S. removed Cuba from its list of countries "not cooperating fully" in the fight against terrorism. However, Cuba remains on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The cooperation against terrorism list, which the State Department is required by law to provide to Congress, is not the same as the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. U.S. officials declined to comment on whether the State Department has begun a formal review of Cuba's presence on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government, its military intelligence and security services remain in place. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Korea blames 'new-type engine' for satellite launch failure The North's rocket carrying a spy satellite exploded after takeoff, state media reported. By Taejun Kang for RFA 2024.05.28 -- North Korea's latest attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite was unsuccessful because of a problem with the reliability of a new rocket, which led to a mid-air explosion during the first-stage flight, state media reported on Tuesday. The launch came just hours after leaders of South Korea, Japan and China reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in their first summit in five years, in Seoul. North Korea had earlier notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite sometime before June 4, in violation of U.N. sanctions, and designated three areas where rocket debris could have fallen. The rocket carrying the satellite exploded after its takeoff from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station on North Korea's northwest coast on Monday, said the vice general director of the North's National Aerospace Technology Administration, or NATA, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported. "The launch failed due to the air blast of the new-type satellite carrier rocket during the first-stage flight," the NATA official was quoted as saying. A preliminary examination by experts from the North's launch preparatory committee concluded that the "accident" was attributable to the operational reliability of a new "liquid oxygen plus petroleum" engine, said the official, adding that other causes of the failure would also be examined. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command criticized North Korea's rocket launch, saying it was assessing the situation in close coordination with allies and partners. "We are aware of the DPRK's May 27 launch using ballistic missile technology, which is a brazen violation of multiple unanimous UNSC [U.N. Security Council] resolutions, raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond," the command said in a statement, using an acronym for the North Korean state. At a press briefing, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also slammed the failed launch, saying the aatechnologies used satellite "are virtually identical to those used in its unlawful ballistic missile program" that violate "multiple" U.N. Security Council sanctions. Russian support The launch came amid speculation that deepening military cooperation with Russia might have helped North Korea advance its space rocket launch capabilities and other military programs. A senior South Korean government official told the media on Sunday that a large number of Russian experts had entered North Korea to help with its spy satellite efforts after Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to support such a program last year. A South Korean military official told reporters on Tuesday that Russia may have provided the first stage propellant for the new launch vehicle. "We have to keep open the possibility of technical assistance at all levels," said the official. "I think we have to look at the time frame, whether it was just technical assistance, whether they provided parts, and so on." The official added that unlike during the two failures last year, the North has not announced plans for additional launches and has said that they have reached only preliminary conclusions about the cause of this failure, so further launches are likely to take some time. North Korea successfully launched its first satellite in November. Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said it appeared Pyongyang tried to use a mixture of liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellant. That mixture has been used by NASA for moon missions, he noted, and is still used by Russia to propel its Angara and Soyuz-2 rockets. "It is possible that Russia has helped North Korea to some extent. The rocket that Kim Jong Un viewed during his meeting with Putin uses liquid oxygen and kerosene," Lewis told Radio Free Asia. "The North Korean statement implies that aerodynamic forces tore the rocket apart. This could have been caused by a structural deficiency in the rocket or by a loss of control that contorted the missile," he said. Markus Schiller, a North Korean missile expert from Germany-based ST Analytics, also pointed the finger at Russia. "North Korea had shown no indications that they were pursuing this technology, not to mention mastering it. It takes many years and hundreds, or thousands of static engine tests to get a new engine for a satellite launcher up and running," Schiller told RFA. "Therefore, one has to assume that North Korea got some help here. By whom, and what kind of help, remains unknown so far. My guess though would be that Russia shipped over some of their engines," he said. 'Unusual move' North Korea also condemned the trilateral summit declaration on the denuclearization of the peninsula as a "grave political provocation and sovereignty violation," which South Korea's Ministry of Unification said was an unusual reaction. "While [the North's criticism] was focused on South Korea, it was unusual for it to publicly malign a meeting attended by China," a ministry spokesperson told reporters in Seoul on Tuesday. It was hard to find a precedent for public North Korean criticism of a summit attended by China, the official said, with the exception of a 2015 China-South Korea summit. At Monday's summit, the three neighbors' first since 2019, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida denounced the North's planned satellite launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban its use of ballistic missile technology. Chinese Premier Li Qiang called on all "related countries" to exercise restraint to mitigate tensions, without referring to North Korea directly. Edited by Mike Firn. Updated to include comments from analysts and the U.S. State Department spokesperson. 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 Following North Korea's failed satellite launch on 27 May, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson gave a statement. 28 May 2024 An FCDO spokesperson said: North Korea's failed satellite launch on 27 May is another breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). Unlawful launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula. The UK strongly urges North Korea to stop such provocations, return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation. North Korea sends poop-filled balloons into South, media report By William Gallo May 28, 2024 North Korea appears to have made good on its threat to float feces-carrying balloons into South Korea, according to local media reports. The Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea's military early Wednesday detected about 90 balloons, some of which carried apparent propaganda leaflets and other items that were scattered in two South Korean border provinces. "It was reported that some of the balloons that fell had sewage hanging in bags, which although difficult to confirm, was presumed to be feces due to its dark color and odor," Yonhap reported. Earlier this week, North Korea vowed "tit for tat action" after a prominent human rights activist launched balloons carrying anti-North Korea pamphlets and USB flash drives filled with South Korean pop culture content into the North. "Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK, and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them," said Kim Kang Il, North Korea's vice minister of national defense, in comments published in state media on Sunday. Early Wednesday, text message alerts warned some South Korean residents in border provinces to refrain from outdoor activities because of unknown objects presumedly from North Korea. The notification, which did not mention feces, advised residents to contact their local government if they find any of the objects. It is not the first time North Korea has sent balloons carrying feces into the South. In 2016, South Korean residents near the border reported finding balloons containing cigarette butts, compact discs, and used toilet paper, among other things. North Korea's totalitarian government has for years complained about South Korean activists who float anti-Pyongyang materials and other items into the North. The leaflets often criticize North Korea's human rights record or mock North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and are sometimes packaged with items of value, such as dollar bills or USB flash drives. Earlier this month, Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector and outspoken human rights activist, sent about 20 large balloons into the North. It was Park's first launch since South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down a law banning such launches. South Korean officials have cited national security considerations to prohibit or outlaw the launches. In 2014, North Korean border guards tried to shoot down some of the balloons, resulting in an exchange of gunfire with the South. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, South Korea defend joint drills against Russia's criticism supporting North Korea By Christy Lee May 28, 2024 Washington and Seoul defended their joint military drills as crucial for maintaining security in East Asia, pushing back against Russia's criticism of the exercises in support of North Korea. "Our longstanding bilateral and trilateral military exercises with the ROK and Japan are intended to maintain force readiness and preserve regional security," said a State Department spokesperson, using South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK). "We also reject disingenuous claims that the DPRK's missile launches are merely a response to our bilateral and trilateral military exercises," the spokesperson, who requested anonymity, told VOA's Korean Service on Thursday. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea's official name. On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department told VOA's Korean Service that it condemns North Korea's launch of a spy satellite. The satellite, launched shortly after a trilateral summit ended in Seoul on Monday among Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing, exploded in midair about two minutes after its launch. North Korea has said its reconnaissance satellite program is aimed at monitoring military activities of the U.S. and South Korea. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the joint military exercises are critical measures to defend against North Korea. "South Korea-U.S. joint drills and South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral exercises are defensive measures to protect the life and safety of our people in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesperson told VOA on May 23. The comments were made in response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's criticism of the joint drills that the U.S. has been conducting with its allies. Lavrov said the drills are aggravating the security situation of the Asia-Pacific region "to the point of its transition to a hot phase." He made the remark at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 20, according to Russia news agency TASS. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental group whose members, including China, Russia and some Central Asian countries such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan, focus on military and economic issues. Lavrov also said that North Korea has "recently expressed its gravest concern over provocative actions by the United States and its allies in this region." The U.S. and South Korea hold regular exercises, and the two allies have been staging trilateral drills with Japan since their three-way summit at Camp David in August 2023. The three countries held their third aerial drills in April that were defensive in nature, according to the U.S. Forces Korea. Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea foundation chair in Korea Studies at Brookings Institution, said, "Lavrov is countering accusations that Russia, China, and North Korea are the cause of growing instability in the region," and instead, "placing the blame on the U.S., Japan, and ROK." Lavrov's remarks came as Moscow deepens its ties with Pyongyang and Beijing, its two partners that the U.S. says are supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Pyongyang has been engaged in arms transactions with Moscow while China provides "overwhelming support to Russia's defense industrial base." Blinken made the comments at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 21. Lavrov's criticism reflects Moscow's efforts to cast itself as "a victim" and "echoes Chinese and North Korea propaganda about 'containment' and 'hostile forces,'" said Daniel Russel, vice president for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). North Korea has been critical of regular joint drills conducted by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. In April, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, blamed "the U.S.-led hostile forces' ceaseless military moves" as throwing the region into "a dangerous vortex." Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Chair at Hudson Institute, said compared with Russia's offenses in Ukraine, "routine alliance drills on and off the peninsula are clearly an effort to keep the peace and maintain deterrence." Cronin said, "Russia's foreign minister once again seeks to divert attention from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine." Daniel DePetris, a fellow at Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities, said Lavrov's comments "reflect Russia's new stance, not only on the Korean Peninsula but on matters pertaining to the Asia-Pacific writ-large - the U.S. and its allies, not North Korea, are the principal antagonists." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Pays Congratulatory Visit to DPRK Academy of Defence Sciences Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, May 29 (KCNA) -- The Academy of Defence Sciences of the DPRK, entrusted with the honorable mission to dynamically propel the defence industry revolution in the new era as a comprehensive scientific research base which has firmly guaranteed the Workers' Party of Korea's great cause of building a military power with the steadfast revolutionary spirit, outstanding patriotism and matchless scientific and technological capability, has greeted its 60th founding anniversary in the course of its proud development. Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, visited the Academy of Defence Sciences on May 28, the 60th anniversary of its founding, and congratulated and encouraged the defence scientists. All the scientists, technicians and officials, who had the boundless honor and happiness of greeting the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un at the Academy of Defence Sciences for whom they had been longing so much on its 60th founding anniversary to be specially recorded in the history of the WPK's revolutionary leadership over the defence sciences which pioneered the great historic cause of building a rich country with strong army out of firm independent faith and determination and ardent heart and passion, shouldering the destiny of the country and its people, were filled with great emotion and joy. When Kim Jong Un arrived, enthusiastic cheers broke out. The defence scientists extended the highest tribute and glory with loud cheers to Kim Jong Un , the power of Juche Korea and ever-victorious banner who provided a perfect shortcut and springboard to the defence development of our own style and defends the prestige and safety of our state and people with his far-sighted wisdom, outstanding leadership ability, strong offensive power and tough courage in the vanguard of indomitable frontline journey for bolstering up the national defence capabilities. He received a salute from the president of the Academy of Defence Sciences. An official and a researcher of the Academy of Defence Sciences presented bouquets reflecting the boundless trust and reverence of all the defence scientists. He warmly acknowledged the reliable defence scientists significantly commemorating the founding anniversary of the academy amid the brilliant honor and distinguished feats of upholding the great military and strategic plan of the Party Central Committee with the most thoroughgoing and perfect research successes in the core strategic fortress for building a powerful state and the advance base for modernizing the Korean People's Army and bolstering up the military capabilities for self-defence. He was accompanied by Ri Pyong Chol, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK, Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Jo Chun Ryong, secretary of the C.C., WPK, Kim Jong Sik, first vice department director of the C.C., WPK, and Jang Chang Ha, director general of the Missile Administration of the DPRK. He made a significant speech in celebration of his congratulatory visit to the Academy of Defence Sciences. In his speech, he expressed his pleasure over his visit to the patriotic talents' mother base, which is leading with science and technology the highly honorable defence industry that has grown stronger, regarding the revolutionary character of the WPK as its own quality, on the significant 60th founding anniversary. On behalf of the Party Central Committee and the government of the Republic, he extended warm congratulations to all the scientists, technicians, workers and officials of the DPRK Academy of Defence Sciences who have contributed with scientific and technological capabilities to bolstering up the might and dignity of our state in every way in the long journey of revolution. He referred to the pride of our Party which could win the ever-victorious high prestige and honor at every step thanks to the great role of the defence science talents faithful to the WPK and the heroic contribution of the defence scientists who laid the foundation for the development of the ordnance industry and created the noble tradition with their firm patriotic faith. He paid high tribute to the feats of the scientists, technicians and officials in the field of national defence who have become a solid cornerstone of the fighting capability of our army which is guaranteeing the ever-victorious history of our Republic with arms. Referring to the grave security environment of the state created on the way to development of our defence industry revolution which has advanced rapidly through changes and miracles and all the issues urgently arising in bolstering up the military capabilities, he severely analyzed and appreciated the danger and recklessness of the U.S. imperialists and their stooges' political and military provocations getting more and more violent. He said that the present situation requires further bolstering up the war deterrence in every way and steadily developing the DPRK's armed forces into an entity of super-powerful and absolute strength. He stressed the importance of the role of the think tank of science and technology in the second revolution of the national defence industry and indicated the militant tasks and ways facing the Academy of Defence Sciences in the new era of struggle presupposing a fresh leap forward in bolstering up the defence capabilities. He expressed his belief that all the scientists and officials of the Academy of Defence Sciences would achieve greater innovative successes in the research and development of ultra-modern military hardware, united more firmly with the intention and will of the Party Central Committee, and always remain faithful to the sacred responsibility and duty they have assumed before the revolution and the people while demonstrating to the full the dignity and might of a powerful country. When he finished his speech, the defence scientists broke into stormy cheers of "Hurrah!" with a firm confidence in our Party's invariable will to build defence capabilities for guaranteeing the eternal dignity and honor of the country and its people and in the great new changes to be made by the will in bolstering up the self-reliant defence capabilities and the preparations for war. He encouraged the defence scientists full of the passion to rapidly and resolutely attain the cutting-edge goals for bolstering up the defence capabilities set forth by the Party Central Committee with their redoubled efforts and inexhaustible resources and wisdom, bearing deep in mind the creed that the powerful defence capabilities that are steadily developing and improving precisely mean the genuine dignity and name of a powerful state, and durable peace and rosy future. He went round the revolutionary museum. He said that the brilliant history of the Academy of Defence Sciences is associated with the noble life and immortal patriotic exploits of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il who organized the country's first ordnance science institute in the days of the hard-fought war to proclaim the establishment of Juche-oriented defence science, developed it into a unified defence science institute capable of carrying out our Party's policy on defence science most accurately in the 1960s and provided an eternal foundation for the development of defence science with their far-sighted wisdom and outstanding leadership. It is the eternal truth that can never change or be decolorized that the development and success of the Korean revolution would be unthinkable without the top-priority bolstering up of the defence capabilities, he said, calling on the defence scientists to add brilliance to their legendary name and history of having consolidated the cornerstone of the Republic under the leadership of the Party by always remembering the supreme responsibility and duty they assumed for the revolution and future and continuously putting indomitable spurs to carrying out the Party's strategy for developing national defence. He went round the exhibition hall of the academy, guided by a leading official. He said that the ultimate goal of our revolutionary cause to firmly defend the dignity and sovereignty of the state and its people is to hold fast to the strongest strategic strength in the world and the absolute power unprecedented in the century. The world-class powerful defence capabilities unprecedented in our nation-building history is the inexhaustible power that can be linked only with the letters Juche, which has given eternal viability to the name and flag of our country and rapidly raised our national prestige and the power of truth that can be won only by the genuine patriots who have vigorously covered the proud and glorious road before the country and the younger generation and by the communists who accomplish the most just cause, he said. He gave precious instructions that would serve as guidelines for the academy to regard the plan and determination of the Party Central Committee to further develop the power of the DPRK's armed forces into the strongest one without a moment's stagnation as the requirements of the revolution and people and to research and develop more cutting-edge military hardware corresponding to the goal of modernization of our army and its demand in keeping with the changed subjective and objective conditions and environment of our revolution and the trend of the development of defence sciences which is steadily evolving in the new century. He had a photo session in commemoration of his congratulatory visit to the Academy of Defence Sciences. All the participants expressed their heartfelt thanks to him, looking up with tears of emotion to him, the great teacher and benevolent father, who puts forward them as the best heroes and patriots and as the unit under the command of the Party Central Committee and repeatedly shows love and benevolence to be conveyed to posterity. He expressed expectation that the scientific research camp of the Academy of Defence Sciences would continuously achieve great successes in the vanguard of the sacred struggle for steadily bolstering up the national defence capability and thoroughly guaranteeing the reliable and solid security environment for the comprehensive development of socialism with their more courageous stamina, full confidence and peculiar and strenuous creative ability, firmly united under the red flag of the Workers' Party of Korea. Raising stormy cheers of " Kim Jong Un " and "Death-defying defence", the defence scientists who were honoured to receive the deep love and trust from the great leader made a firm will to go all out toward the higher goal of bolstering up the national defence capabilities, the greatest patriotism, and thus steadily develop and complete the Juche-based cutting-edge weapons with our ideology and technology. The sacred leadership of Kim Jong Un at the DPRK Academy of Defence Sciences will be recorded in the history as a significant occasion which added fresh vitality to the struggle for fully bolstering up the invincible self-defence capability, the root of the state's existence and the fundamental guarantee for prosperity and development and as a crucial milestone for the development of the Juche-oriented defence sciences. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian Authorities Ratchet Up Crackdown On Critics After Raisi's Death By RFE/RL's Radio Farda May 27, 2024 Rights groups say Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on posts made by social media users following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19. Raisi, who along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others died in the helicopter crash in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran, had been accused of serving as a prosecutor for an "execution committee" that sent thousands of political prisoners and regime opponents to their deaths in the late 1980s. He is often referred to by critics as "Ayatollah Execution" or "Ayatollah Massacre" due to his alleged role in mass executions during 1988. The crash was mocked by many users of Persian-language social networks. In turn, Iranian security and judicial agencies have responded vigorously to the online activities of citizens and media activists. The Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran highlighted an example of the crackdown with a report saying that factory owner Ali Reyhani Kajvar was detained and charged with "propaganda against the system and insulting Ebrahim Raisi" for his online posts regarding Raisi's death. It was not clear which comments the charges referred to. Similarly, human rights media outlets said Akbar Yousefi, a resident of Malekan in East Azerbaijan Province, is said to have been arrested on charges related to his social media commentary on the crash. Others have been charged, rights groups say, for "spreading lies and insulting the sanctity of service martyrs," for their comments on Raisi's death. Reza Babarnejad, whose brother was a casualty in the Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head scarf violation, was also arrested for his reactions to the incident. Others say they have been warned by authorities for their online activities. The Judiciary Information Center of Kerman province announced that 254 individuals received telephone warnings for posting "offensive" content, while eight people faced judicial summons. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-crackdown-critics-raisi- death/32966025.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 The main contenders to replace Raisi in Iran's snap presidential election By Michael Lipin May 27, 2024 With a month to go before Iran's snap presidential election to replace ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a May 19 helicopter crash, a clearer picture is emerging of other conservatives who may become the only approved candidates in the race. The Iranian government set the presidential election for June 28, with prospective candidates invited to register during a five-day period beginning Thursday. All candidates must be vetted by the Guardian Council, an unelected body stacked with loyalists of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In reports published Sunday, Iranian state media said the council will announce the approved candidates about two weeks before the vote. Raisi was elected president in a 2021 vote marred by a record low turnout, with many Iranians disinterested after the Guardian Council barred his most prominent rivals from running. Some observers saw the election of Raisi, a protege of the 85-year-old Khamenei, as a sign of the supreme leader favoring Raisi to become his successor. One possible candidate for next month's race for is acting President Mohammad Mokhber, who had been Raisi's first vice president and was next in line to assume the presidency upon the president's death, according to the terms of Iran's Islamist constitution. Jason Brodsky, policy director for U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and a longtime observer of Iranian politics, said he has seen mixed signals about whether Mokhber will register as a presidential candidate. He discussed other likely contenders in an interview for the Monday edition of VOA's "Flashpoint Global Crises" program. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: What signals should we be looking for regarding whom Supreme Leader Khamenei wants to be the next president? Jason Brodsky, UANI policy director: We have to look at which candidates the Guardian Council disqualifies. In this round of presidential elections, there are a few announced and potential candidates who are being spoken about in Iranian media. I'll list them briefly. One is Saeed Jalili, a hard-line figure who was formerly the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and currently is Khamenei's representative in the council. Jalili has been in favor of aggressive moves in advancing Iran's nuclear program [which Tehran says is peaceful and Western powers fear it is aimed at developing nuclear weapons]. He already has announced his presidential candidacy. Another contender is Ali Larijani, who seems to have a personal desire to run, but is unsure of getting a green light for his candidacy from the ruling governmental system. That is because of his baggage from the 2021 presidential race, when he was disqualified in an embarrassing manner after having served as the speaker of Iran's parliament. Larijani is probably the most qualified potential presidential candidate on the field in terms of the number of positions he has had in the Islamic Republic's bureaucracy: culture minister, head of state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Supreme National Security Council secretary and speaker of parliament. Among other figures seen as presidential contenders is Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iran's minister of roads and urban development. He is an alum of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration. Prior to that, Bazrpash was a member of a student Basij militia organization. He is part of this young generation of "hezbollahis" [fervent supporters of the Islamic Republic] that Khamenei has been cultivating. Parviz Fattah, another contender, is head of the state-owned enterprise Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO). He also is a former official of Iran's top military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a former head of several state foundations and enterprises linked to the economy. For example, Fattah led the Mostazafan Foundation charitable trust and the IRGC Cooperative Foundation. He is under multiple U.S. sanctions designations. VOA: What qualities or qualifications do you think Khamenei is looking for in his next president? Brodsky: I think Khamenei is laser focused on succession in the Islamic Republic. That is his largest priority. He wants to install someone in the presidency who is a trusted pair of hands during a sensitive moment in the Islamic Republic's history. Let's not forget that the next Iranian president will be in office for a full four-year term. So, Khamenei is making a long-term placement in this office, and he wants to make sure the presidential office is occupied by someone who will not cause problems for his priorities during a succession process. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Qalibaf reinstated as speaker of Iran parliament IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 28, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- The legislators of the new Iranian parliament have reinstated Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as the parliament speaker. The first session of the 12th term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly was held at the parliament building in downtown Tehran on Tuesday, May 28. Qalibaf, Mojtaba Zolnouri, and Manouchehr Mottaki had run for speaker of this round of the Iranian parliament. After balloting, Qalibaf was elected as the speaker of the parliament with 198 votes out of 287. Zolnouri got 60 votes followed by Mottaki with only 5 votes. and there were also 24 invalid votes. The 2024 legislative elections were held in Iran in two rounds on March 1 and May 10. 4208**4354 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran: Strong bonds among neighbors will lead to expulsion of outsiders from region ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 28 May 2024 / 11:51 Iran's Interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani says stronger bonds and ties among the neighboring states are the only way to expel foreigners from the West Asia region. Tehran-ISNA- Bagheri Kani made the remarks in a joint press conference with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi, who arrived in Tehran on Monday to express his country's solidarity with Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash last week. "Today, we are consolidating friendly and fraternal relations and promoting multilateral ties with our neighbors," Bagheri Kani said. He added that the Islamic Republic is determined to prevent any gap in its cordial relations with the neighboring states. Bagheri Kani noted that he and the visiting Omani foreign minister discussed the Israeli regime's ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and stressed the need to make more serious efforts to end the crimes and send humanitarian aid to the war-stricken people of Palestine. Iran and Oman will promote cooperation in this regard, he said. The interim foreign minister thanked Omani authorities for their messages of condolences over the tragic incident in Iran and the participation of an Omani delegation in the memorial ceremonies. He noted that foreign policy had a special position in the doctrine of Raisi's administration which included the expansion of political ties with the neighboring countries and enhanced trade cooperation. Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and six others were killed on May 19, when their helicopter crashed in foggy weather in the mountains near the northwestern border with Azerbaijan. Their bodies were found the following day after a massive search operation. The Omani foreign minister, for his part, said he exchanged views with Bagheri Kani on issues of common interest concerning the region, particularly Israel's massacre and destruction in Gaza. He said considerable efforts are underway to put an end to the Israeli regime's acts of aggression. He emphasized that international will to establish the Palestinian state will be realized. The top Omani diplomat hailed his country's growing relations with Iran and noted that the two sides will strive to implement the agreements already reached between Tehran and Muscat. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Qalibaf re-elected as Iran's parliament speaker Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 8:31 AM Iran's parliament has re-elected Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf as its speaker for a one-year period. He was reinstated with 197 votes out of 287. The election came a day after the parliament's inaugural session and oath taking ceremony of the 290 newly-elected members. Qalibaf's reinstatement comes ahead of early presidential vote as a snap election has been set for June 28 following the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raeisi in a helicopter crash on May 19. The new parliament started its four-year term on Monday with a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. In his message, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called the parliament, known as Majlis, manifestation of religious democracy continuity in Iran, and told the lawmakers to preserve the country's national interests. Iran's parliamentary elections were held in March. 245 candidates won the race in the first round of balloting. The final make-up of the legislative body was determined after a run-off held on May the 10th. A trained pilot, Qalibaf was a commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the Iraqi imposed war in the 1980s. He also served as the head of the IRGC's construction arm, Khatam al-Anbia, the commander of the IRGC's air force, the police chief and the mayor of Tehran. Qalibaf also ran presidential campaigns in 2005, 2013 and 2017. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US renews rhetoric against Iran's nuclear program IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 29, 2024 New York, IRNA -- The United States has renewed its rhetoric against Iran over the country's peaceful nuclear program, saying Washington continues to pressure Tehran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. According to IRNA reporter, Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, in his press conference on Tuesday local time, rejected a Wall Street Journal's report that the administration of President Joe Biden is "pressing European allies to back off plans to censure Iran for advances in its nuclear program". "This report is not correct. We have not lobbied any country to vote against or abstain from any resolution in that regard. We are actively increasing pressure on Iran through a combination of sanctions, deterrence, and international isolation to counter their destabilizing behavior and prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon," Miller said in response to a question whether the US is trying to prevent anti-Iran statement by the UK and France at the International Atomic Energy Agency. At the same time, the American media quoted an unnamed State Department spokesperson as saying that Washington is concerned about the increase in Iran's uranium reserves but is grateful to the IAEA's extensive efforts "to interact with Iran regarding Its safeguard obligations." During his recent visit to Tehran, IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami reached on a consensus to continue with March 2023 statement issued by the two sides. According to the agreement, Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is within the framework of the Convention on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and safeguards. Iran has repeatedly said that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, stressing its nuclear technology is solely for civilian purposes. The IAEA, in its numerous reports, have verified that there is no proof Iran has been seeking nukes, acknowledging that even the regional tensions have not disrupted the agency's monitoring of Iran's nuclear sites. Iran scaled back its commitments under a 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in several phases after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord and re-imposed its sanctions on Iran. In May 2019, a year after the US withdrawal, Iran started to take "remedial measures" by reducing its commitments under the deal after the European troika failed to fulfill theirs. Tehran has repeatedly said its moves, including uranium enrichment to the purity level of 60%, are reversible depending on the actions by other parties to the agreement. 4399 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN launches probe into burning alive of 2 rebel fighters in Myanmar It wants the junta to detail circumstances of the victims' detention and the identities of those responsible. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.28 -- The United Nations' investigative unit has called on Myanmar's ruling junta to provide information about two young men in Magway region who were burned alive by junta forces, to build a criminal case against the perpetrators. In February, a video of the burning deaths of rebel fighters Phoe Tay, 23, and Thar Htaung, 22, was widely viewed by Burmese people on social media. The two young men were captured Nov. 7, 2023, in fighting between pro-junta forces and guerillas at Myauk Khin Yan village in Magway region's Gangaw township. On Monday, the U.N.'s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar sent a request to the military for details of the capture and killing of the two as part of a probe seeking accountability for their deaths. The body was created by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect and analyze evidence of serious international crimes and other violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. In an accompanying statement, Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, urged the military to "fully cooperate" with the request by giving his unit access to the country and sharing requested information. "The mechanism is conducting an impartial and independent determination of the facts surrounding this incident, including the identity and affiliation of the perpetrators," Koumjian said. "As part of this investigation, the mechanism has asked the Myanmar military to share with it any information about the units in the area and their commanders, the circumstances of the victims' detention and treatment, and the persons seen committing the torture and killings." Since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, reports of torture, beheadings and burning of corpses by junta forces have become commonplace, but the graphic nature of the Nov. 7 video has triggered a wave of revulsion in Myanmar and beyond - and sympathy for the dead. The video showed the two alleged members of the anti-junta Yaw Defence Force fighters in shackles as they were interrogated by armed men. They were then dragged to a nearby tree where they were suspended as a fire was set underneath them. The two young men screamed as flames rose up and engulfed them. The video was taken by a villager who fled Myauk Khin Yan in December, according to a local official from the administration of the shadow National Unity Government. It's unclear who first posted the video that began circulating in early February. A chance to respond RFA Burmese contacted a resident of Gangaw township who said that his community was glad to hear the case is under investigation and wants a resolution as soon as possible. "They [the perpetrators] burnt two young men alive and threw their bodies into the water," said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. "It happened upstream from our village. We witnessed it and were outraged. They were brutally killed." The families of the two young men are currently sheltering in the jungle as internally displaced persons. In February, their parents told RFA that they were proud of the sacrifices their sons had made for Myanmar and its people. Human rights lawyer and legal expert Kyee Myint said that the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar's request has given the junta the chance to clarify the details of the case. "The junta has supported its militia members in killing people and this act was carried out by its Pyu Saw Htee militia, so it was indirectly committed by junta troops," he said. "The Mechanism has asked the junta to name the preparators, otherwise it will proceed with the case to a U.N. court." Junta has 'never confessed' Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the prime minister's office of the shadow National Unity Government - made up of former civilian leaders in exile or hiding - told RFA that the junta was unlikely to respond to the mechanism's request. "They [the junta] have committed mass killings, war crimes, brutal beheadings, and arson attacks all over the country," he said. "However, the junta never confessed to any of the crimes it committed. Instead, it accuses rebel forces ... and ethnic armed groups of committing such crimes." Nonetheless, it is "impossible to hide such cases" in today's age of technology, he added. Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Htun and Myo Myint, the junta's social affairs minister and spokesperson for Magway region, for a response to the Mechanism's request went unanswered Tuesday. In his statement, Koumjian noted that the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has made numerous requests to the military for information related to "the many serious crimes" it is investigating, including those allegedly committed by Myanmar security forces and by armed groups. "To date, the military has not responded to any of these requests," he said. Translated by Aung Naing. 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 Myanmar's junta kills 4 villagers following mass arrest Nineteen were released with injuries indicative of torture, residents said. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.28 -- Junta troops and members of an affiliated militia killed four civilians in central Myanmar shortly after they and 19 other people were rounded up in a sweep as troops hunted for insurgents battling to end military rule, residents told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. The villagers were detained and taken away for questioning in the Sagaing region's Pale township as they headed to nearby farms on Friday. The group of men and women, mostly residents of Ywar Thit village, were taken to In Ma Htee village about 3 km (2 miles) away and tortured, said one Pale resident, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals. Witnesses reported that four of the detainees were killed. The villager identified one of the dead as Tun Naing from In Ma Htee, who was in his thirties. "He had been on the run for a long time because he did not want to join the Pyu Saw Htee," the villager said, referring to a pro-junta militia made up of supporters of the military, Buddhist nationalists, and army veterans that is frequently accused of terrorizing villages. "But now, he's been arrested and killed. Those who were freed also had injuries from the beatings and are now being treated." Nineteen people were released on Monday, he added. He identified the other dead men as Thint Zaw Oo, 25, Tun Naing Linn, 24, and Kyaw Khaing, who was in his fifties. The bodies had not been returned to their families, he said. RFA phoned the Sagaing region's junta spokesperson, Nyunt Win Aung, for more information on why villagers were arrested but he did not return the call by the time of publication. The military has faced unprecedented opposition in Myanmar's central heartlands, which are dominated by members of the majority Burman community, since seizing power from an elected government in early 2021. While ethnic minority groups have battled for autonomy in border hills for decades, central areas like Sagaing had been peaceful until the coup triggered outrage and an insurgency waged by pro-democracy activists in league with the ethnic minority rebels. Junta troops have cracked down harshly on communities in response to the uprising, aiming to root out supporters of the activists' People's Defense Forces. According to a tally compiled by the independent media outlet Burma News International and its Myanmar Peace Monitor, junta forces have killed 1,446 civilians in the past two years in massacres, which the group defines as five or more people killed at the same time. Thousands of people were killed when the security forces crushed mass protests against the 2021 coup and thousands have been killed in fighting across the country since then. The Sagaing region has faced more attacks by the military than any other region or state, the monitoring group said in a statement on Monday. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan arrests 11 involved in attack on Chinese nationals People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:35, May 28, 2024 ISLAMABAD, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's National Counter-Terrorism Authority Coordinator Muhammad Tahir Rai said Sunday that security forces have arrested 11 suspects accused involved in an attack on Chinese nationals in March this year. Addressing a joint press conference here with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, he said the arrested are in police custody on physical remand, adding that they would face trial in local anti-terrorism court where charge sheets would be submitted after completing legal formalities. Naqvi said that foreign land had been used to attack Chinese nationals in Pakistan, which is a "matter of great concern for Pakistan." The authorities have all the evidence that the attack was planned and operated from Afghan soil by the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the minister said, adding that "the adversary intelligence agencies" funded them heavily for the attack. Pakistan has raised this issue with the Afghan interim government, he added. No official response has been made by the Afghan side. On March 26, a suicide bomber riding on an explosive-laden vehicle attacked a convoy of Chinese nationals heading towards a hydropower project, killing five Chinese and their Pakistani driver in the Besham area of Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Council of Regions of Russia and Uzbekistan President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the first meeting of the Council of the Regions of the two countries. May 27, 2024 18:15 Tashkent President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, colleagues, friends, We are very pleased (by "we" I mean the President of Uzbekistan and myself, we discussed this on our way here) to see in this wonderful hall so many responsible executives who make decisions that not only apply to the industrial sectors but have a regional dimension as well. The overall success of our, without a doubt, noble cause which is designed to expand Uzbekistan-Russia relations will largely depend on your effective work. The Council of the Regions of Russia and Uzbekistan will undoubtedly take into account the positive experience gained over the years of holding the Forum of Regions of the two countries. Most importantly, the new format should be different not only in name, but in substance as well. In particular, I am confident that the central authorities from both countries will pay greater attention to inter-region cooperation. We have done so at the suggestion of the President of Uzbekistan. In fact, we have combined the visit with the work of a representative delegation of the Russian Federation Government in Tashkent, and a meeting of regional leaders. Indeed, regions play a key role in strengthening relations of comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Uzbekistan and make a significant contribution to expanding the entire range of our relations. The meeting of the Council in Tashkent brought together representatives from different regions, including 22 Russian governors and 14 Uzbek akims, heads of ministries, agencies, lawmakers, representatives of business, scientific and civic circles. In other words, everyone who in practice promotes neighbourly Russian-Uzbekistan relations, including trade and the economy. The agenda of the Council of the Regions is quite extensive. It includes such topical issues as the deepening of industrial cooperation, cooperation in agriculture, as well as introduction of innovations and digital technology. Overall, 78 out of the 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are engaged in mutually beneficial partnership with regions of Uzbekistan. These direct contacts, active and proactive joint efforts of the regions and authorities, regional management teams and business circles are filling Russia-Uzbekistan cooperation with specific content and engaging more and more participants in it. The contractual and legal framework of interregional cooperation and interaction is being continuously expanded and supplemented. The governments of the two countries' regions have several dozen agreements. Over 20 agreements and commercial contracts, including those aimed at developing trade and mutual investment, are ready for signing in the Council. During the past talks with the President of Uzbekistan, we noted with satisfaction that trade is confidently on the upsurge. Last year, it increased to almost $10 billion. My colleague just said how many contracts are to be signed, for what amount and what investment is planned. You said this is equal to 45 billion in US dollar equivalent. No doubt, this will produce a very good effect, an impetus to the development of our trade and economic ties. E-commerce is making rapid headway. Thus, in 2023, the total amount of products traded by salespeople from Uzbekistan at the Russian Wildberries internet platform grew by 93 percent to reach US$418 million. Suppliers from Uzbekistan may soon enter another big Russian marketplace - Ozon. Over 3,000 companies with Russian participation are already operating in the Uzbekistan market. Mr Mirziyoyev has just mentioned this as well. This is every fifth company out of companies with foreign capital operating in the country. To fund promising projects implemented in Uzbekistan with the participation of the two countries' regions, they are establishing a special investment fund with a total amount of US$500 million. This has just been mentioned as well. The Russian side is ready to put in its share that amounts to US$400 million. The assets have been allocated and prepared. It only remains to deal with technical details. This work will be completed in the next few days. These funds will be channelled into the most diverse areas of the republic's real economy sector. In April, Tashkent successfully hosted the 4th INNOPROM. Central Asia International Industrial Trade Fair. Many Russian regions showcased their expositions featuring numerous joint projects with Uzbekistan. Thus, companies from Tatarstan are helping their colleagues to modernise heating systems in the Tashkent Region and provide specialised equipment for medical universities in Uzbekistan. I visited Tatarstan and saw for myself that it produces top level medical equipment. It has every right to be proud of it. It is a good partner for Uzbekistan. Companies from the Ivanovo Region buy high quality Uzbek raw materials for producing cotton products and textiles. The Chelyabinsk Region supplies the republic's oil-and-gas sector with automated equipment. In turn, companies from the Novosibirsk Region are exporting to Uzbekistan equipment for mining and processing rare earth metals and gold. Rostov's Rostselmash organised assembly of agricultural equipment in Uzbekistan. Russian combine harvesters manufactured at Uzbekistan plants are also highly sought-after in third countries' markets. We maintain diverse regional cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian area. Every year musical festivals and concerts, theatre guest performances, film screenings and museum exhibitions take place with the regions' participation. The holding of Cross Days of Culture has become a good tradition. Thus, this year Tashkent will host Days of Moscow. In addition, the St Petersburg Trading House will open in the capital of Uzbekistan. Naturally enough, the regions' cooperation is giving an additional boost to the development of tourist exchanges between the two countries. The tourist flow doubled last year to reach 1.2 million trips. Russians are eager to visit historical and cultural centres of Uzbekistan - Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Tashkent is developing rapidly and turning into a wonderful city. It was a great city but a lot had to be done since the Soviet times, and the President is paying enormous attention to this. We have just been to the Victory Park. I advise our tourists to go there as well when they visit Uzbekistan, including Tashkent. In conclusion, I would like to emphasise once again that Russia-Uzbekistan interregional cooperation and interaction has very broad and promising prospects. Together with the President of Uzbekistan, we will support your constructive initiatives and new joint projects. I would like to cordially wish success and good results to the participants in the Council of the Regions meeting. I am sure they will achieve them. Thank you. <...> NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU adopts new sanctions regime against repression in Russia Government Offices of Sweden - Ministry for Foreign Affairs 28 May 2024 The EU has adopted a new sanctions regime in response to increasing political repression in Russia. In light of the decision, 19 natural persons and one entity have been added to the sanctions list. "I welcome the fact that we were able to swiftly reach an agreement yesterday by adopting the new sanctions. Following Alexei Navalny's death, Sweden took the initiative to establish a new sanctions regime to respond to increasing political repression in Russia. This will send a strong political signal to Moscow that the country's repression has consequences," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias BillstrAm. Since Russia's aggression began over 10 years ago, the link between its domestic repression and external aggression in Ukraine has become evident. This is noticeable through increasingly severe attacks on political opposition, independent media and Russia's civil society. "Alongside the new sanctions, the EU and Sweden will continue to support Russia's civil society, human rights defenders and independent media in and outside Russia. We are closely following domestic political developments in the country," says Mr BillstrAm. New sanctions regime against repression in Russia In light of the deteriorating and serious situation in Russia, restrictive measures have been imposed against persons, entities or bodies responsible for serious violations or abuses of human rights, oppression of civil society and the democratic opposition, and undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia, and against persons, entities or bodies associated with them. In addition, export restrictions have been imposed on products that could be used for internal repression purposes and products primarily intended for monitoring or interception. This is the first sanctions regime against Russia that is not connected to its aggression against Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Analysts say South Africa's election won't be business as usual for the African National Congress By Mariama Diallo May 28, 2024 While some voters know who they'll be casting their ballots for on Wednesday's elections in South Africa, others are still undecided. One voter on the streets of Johannesburg told VOA he wants continuity and will cast his ballot for the African National Congress, the party that has been governing in South Africa since 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president following the end of apartheid in the early 1990s. "Thirty years of democracy is probably 30 years of policy. We need another 30 years of implementing those policies and seeing them come through to fruition," Thabo Molobi said. But for Karam Ezzideen, the ANC has not delivered on its promises. "Enough is enough," he said, adding that he'll vote for the Democratic Alliance because "that party is all about change." Analysts told VOA that parties like the DA, the IFP [Inkatha Freedom Party], and a few others have strong core support bases in certain ethnic groups and certain regions. Many of the opposition candidates have accused the ANC of being corrupt and lacking a strategic vision for the country, which they said is in crisis and needs to be rescued. In a promo video released earlier in the campaign, ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa, who's seeking a second term, said they've made progress in meeting the basic needs of the people of South Africa. "We are putting South Africa to work by investing in our people to ensure that no one is left behind," he said in the video. And in a televised address to the nation Sunday, Ramaphosa reiterated the steps his administration has taken to improve the country's economic prospects. Those prospects were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the world at a global level and exacerbated high levels of inequality in South Africa, Lloyd Kuveya from the University of Pretoria told VOA earlier this year. Daryl Glaser, associate professor in political studies at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg said this year's election is going to be the closest since the era of inclusive democracy began in South Africa three decades ago. "All the opinion polls are suggesting there's a very serious chance the ANC is going to fall below 50% of the vote and that it's going to be forced into some kind of coalition," he said. That, he said, would be exciting for those who feel the ANC has mismanaged the country, but he notes South Africa has not had good experiences with coalitions at a local level. Glaser, Kuveya and other analysts told VOA that anger over power outages, allegations of corruption, and disunity within the ANC - the liberation movement that once led the struggle against racism and oppression by the country's white minority rule - have helped the opposition gain ground. That includes the Economic Freedom Fighters party led by Julius Malema, a former ANC youth leader, and a newly formed party, for which former president Jacob Zuma has been campaigning. "Zuma's party uMkhonto we Sizwe or MK has been a completely unexpected surprise. It arrived on the scene quite late in the run up to the elections and completely scrambled everything... The EFF certainly appeals to a certain audience, and it's been growing ... In some ways, MK is much of a threat to the EFF as it is to the ANC because it's capturing some of the discontented," Glaser said. Nine days before the election, South Africa's top court ruled that Zuma was not eligible to run for parliament because of a past criminal conviction. The ruling came two days after Zuma told thousands of supporters at a rally in Soweto that his MK party would help ease joblessness among other issues if it won. South Africa's unemployment rate has reached 32% according to the World Bank, making it issue No. 1 for many voters, including Kathryn Defenn, who told VOA, "our biggest challenge as a country is our rate of unemployment, which is one of the biggest in the world." Another voter, Oupa Muhadi will be voting for "Action SA because it's a party that has got what we want in the country. Right now, we have a problem with crime... there is no work." Kurmola Manilall is still undecided, but for her, the problems facing her country that matters the most are poverty and joblessness, plus "the lack of maintenance of infrastructure is another pressing issue," she said. Nearly half of the country's 62 million people have registered to vote, said Thabo Masemola, an Independent Electoral Commission official. "We have the highest voters' roll since the voter's roll was established in 1999. The certified voter's roll is currently sitting at 27.7 million and we use the voter's roll as the basis to prepare and plan for the elections. So, all the relevant materials are in place." He said the IEC has accredited 160 organizations, both domestic and international, to observe the election and ensure its transparency. South Africans in the diaspora have already voted in 111 missions abroad, he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada reiterates its commitment to people of Syria amid ongoing crisis Global Affairs Canada News release May 27, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada March 2024 marked 13 years of the Syrian crisis, and humanitarian needs have reached unprecedented levels. Over 16 million people, approximately 70% of the country's population, urgently require assistance. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and TArkiye collectively host more than 6.8 million Syrian refugees. Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced $55.4 million in humanitarian assistance funding, which brings Canada's total commitment to $147.15 million in international assistance funding to Syria and neighbouring countries for 2024. Canada remains actively involved in supporting the region and is committed to working with international partners and the people of Syria to put an end to this crisis through a sustainable political solution. Canada's humanitarian assistance will be delivered in Syria and the region through experienced humanitarian partners and will help provide food; protection services, including the prevention, mitigation and response to gender-based violence; water, sanitation and hygiene services; and health services, including the provision of and right to access sexual and reproductive health care. Development assistance funding is allocated through existing projects in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon that benefit Syrian refugees living in these countries and strengthen these countries' ability to welcome more Syrians who have been displaced. Quotes "The prolonged conflict in Syria has left millions of people requiring urgent assistance, a need further exacerbated by the devastating natural disasters that struck the region in February 2023. Canada stands in solidarity with the people of Syria and those in neighbouring countries affected by this ongoing crisis, and we will continue to work with international partners to address this dire humanitarian crisis." - Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development Quick facts Of the $147.15 million in international assistance funding to Syria and neighbouring countries for 2024, $91.75 million has been previously announced. This includes $26.75 million in humanitarian assistance funding to Lebanon and $65 million in other development assistance funding in the region. In 2023, Canada committed $179.5 million in funding for humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region. Working through partners, including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Canada ensures that the specific needs and priorities of vulnerable and marginalized individuals and groups are addressed. Since 2016, Canada has committed more than $4.7 billion in funding for Syria and the region, including significant humanitarian, development and stabilization assistance. On May 27, 2024, in Belgium, Canada participated in the eighth Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region. The conference focused on addressing the critical needs of millions of people across the region and supporting a lasting political resolution to the Syrian conflict. The Brussels Conference reaffirmed the international community's solidarity with countries and communities hosting Syrian refugees and acknowledged the challenges refugees are facing, paying particular attention to those faced by Syrian women. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Syria US Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson May 27, 2024 Today, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power announced nearly $593 million in U.S. humanitarian assistance for Syria at the Brussels VIII Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region." The announcement brings the total U.S. government humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region to nearly $2 billion since the beginning of FY 2023 and more than $17.8 billion since the start of the 13-year crisis. This life-saving assistance from the American people includes nearly $360 million through the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and more than $233 million through the United States Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The United States remains committed to assisting the Syrian people and encourages other donors to continue their support for Syrians who face severe challenges from years of war, terrorism, and natural disasters. The assistance announced in Brussels will address humanitarian needs arising from historic levels of displacement, with more than 16.7 million Syrians in need within Syria and nearly 6 million Syrian refugees across the region. In her statement, Administrator Power expressed concern about the deteriorating situation for refugees in the region, including increased anti-refugee rhetoric, and reaffirmed that any return of Syrian refugees should be safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable. Humanitarian assistance announced at the Ministerial includes: Assistance provided through international organization partners to meet the needs of the most vulnerable refugees, internally displaced people, and host communities, including emergency shelter; food assistance; access to health care and education; water, sanitation, and hygiene supplies; support for livelihoods; and protection for those in situations of vulnerability, including women, children and youth, LGBTQI+ individuals, and persons with disabilities. Support through partnerships with international and local non-governmental organizations as they work with governments around the region to provide life-saving support and protection to host communities, refugees, and asylum seekers. Administrator Power emphasized that a political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 remains the only way to end the suffering of the Syrian people. She also stressed the United States will continue promoting respect for the dignity and human rights of all Syrians and continue supporting Syrian civil society in pursuing justice and accountability for human rights violations and abuses. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brussels VIII Conference renews international support for Syria and the region raising more than 7.5 billion European Commission Press release 28 May 2024 Brussels On 27 May, during the eighth edition of the Brussels Conference on 'Supporting the future of Syria and the region' hosted by the European Union, the donor community pledged a total amount of 7.5 billion.This strong commitment showsonce more the willingness of the EU and the international community to mitigate the impact of the Syrian crisis; and support the populations both in Syria and in neighbouring countries. The total amount of pledges includes 5 billion of grants and 2.5 billion of loans for 2024 and beyond. The overall figure includes the 2.12 billion pledged by the EU for 2024 and 2025, announced during the conference by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell. The total amount pledged by the EU and its Member States amounted to almost 6 billion, reaffirming them as the largest donor to the Syria response. The Ministerial meeting brought together representatives from EU Member States, neighbouring countries, other partner countries, international organisations, including the UN, and international financial institutions to mobilise vital financial support to address the most pressing needs of Syrians and their host communities in the region. The event concluded with the announcement of the global pledge amount by Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic. Since 2011, the European Union and its Member States have been the largest donors of humanitarian and resilience assistance to Syria and the region providing to date over 33 billion in response to the Syrian crisis. This funding is instrumental in aiding those in need within Syria and in neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. The European Union will continue mobilising all the tools at its disposal to support the Syrian people in reaching a negotiated political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and help create the conditions for a brighter future for all Syrians. The Ministerial meeting built upon the conclusions of the 'Day of Dialogue', held on 30 April. The over 600 participants of 'Day of Dialogue' - from Syrian civil society organisations from Syria, neighbouring countries, and the diaspora; the UN; EU Member States; partner countries and international NGOs - exchanged views during six thematic panel discussions, focusing on: the political process and UN Security Council Resolution 2254; early recovery and resilience; health and education; livelihood opportunities; and the issue of missing persons and accountability. The key takeaways from the Day of Dialogue were conveyed during the Ministerial meeting by three rapporteurs from Syrian the civil society. Preparations for the Conference included online and in-country consultations with civil society organisations active in the Syrian crisis. Moreover, around 50 side events took place in the margins of the Conference, in addition to a rich cultural programme showcasing Syrian arts and voices in Brussels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Swiss Life Asset Management AG / Key word(s): Half Year Results/Capital Increase Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties: increased income and low vacancy rate in the first half of the 2023/2024 year. Capital increase of around CHF 610 million pla 29-May-2024 / 07:00 CET/CEST Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Zurich, 29 May 2024 Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties: increased income and low vacancy rate in the first half of the 2023/2024 year. Capital increase of around CHF 610 million planned for July 2024. Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties invests in residential properties in Swiss cities and their suburbs as well as in centrally located commercial premises. At the half-year mark on 31 March 2024, the fund had 157 properties with a market value of around CHF 2505 million. Half-year results as at 31 March 2024 In the first half-year, net income of CHF 21.31 million or CHF 1.32 per unit was generated. In addition, the sale of three properties in Lausanne and one property in Zurich realised a capital gain of CHF 3.39 million. The net asset value was CHF 1820 million or CHF 112.34 per unit. On a like-for-like basis, the target rental income as at 31 March 2024 was 2.0% higher than at 30 September 2023. The vacancy rate was maintained at the already low level of 1.3%. The fund opeRating expenses rate GAV (TER REF GAV) fell by 4 basis points compared to the same period in the previous year to 0.70%. Since its launch in November 2015, the Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties has posted an annualised performance of 5.92% based on its exchange price, which is 1.33% higher than the reference index (SXI Real Estate Funds TR Index: 4.59%). Capital increase in July 2024 A capital increase of around CHF 610 million is planned for July 2024. The aim of the capital increase is to acquire a real estate portfolio worth around CHF 700 million that will make a positive contribution to the net income of the Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties. The portfolio will be acquired from Swiss Life Ltd, subject to approval by FINMA, and will mainly consist of residential properties in well-connected suburbs. As well as being used to purchase the portfolio, the capital raised will be invested in the renovation and densification of existing residential buildings. In addition, the borrowing ratio will be reduced. The issue will take place on a commission (best-effort) basis as part of a public subscription offer in Switzerland. Three (3) subscription rights entitle the holder to purchase one (1) new unit. The subscription period for the issue is scheduled to run from 2 July until 12 noon CET on 12 July 2024. In total, a maximum of 5 400 000 new units will be issued. Any unsubscribed units will not be issued, which may reduce the amount of the issue. The actual number of new units to be issued is to be announced on 16 July 2024, with payment under subscription planned for 17 July 2024. The issue price is expected to be announced on 19 June 2024 and is based on the net asset value as at 31 March 2024 plus the purchase of current income and the incurred issuing commission of 1.5% (of which 0.5% will be allocated as incidental costs to the benefit of the fund). You can find the half-year report and a factsheet on the capital increase on our website. Fund information Name: Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties ISIN / security no. of fund: CH0293784861 / 29378486 Income: Distributing Legal form: Contractual real estate fund Fund domicile: Switzerland Circle of investors: Non-qualified and qualified investors Fund management and administrator: Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Portfolio management: Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Custodian bank: UBS Switzerland AG, Zurich Market maker: Bank J. Safra Sarasin AG, Zurich The issue at a glance Issue volume: Approx. CHF 610 million Planned subscription period: From 2 July to 12 July 2024, 12:00 p.m. (CET) Issue price per unit: Announcement expected on 19 June 2024 Subscription ratio: Three (3) subscription rights entitle the holder to one (1) new unit Planned subscription rights trading: From 2 July to 10 July 2024 on SIX Swiss Exchange Planned payment under subscription: 17 July 2024 Circle of investors: The circle of investors is not restricted ISIN / Security no. subscription rights: Share certificate: CH0293784861 / 29378486 Subscription right: CH1355290185 / 135529018 Type of issue: The issue will take place on a commission (best-effort) basis as part of a public subscription offer in Switzerland. Use: The issue proceeds will be used to acquire a real estate portfolio worth around CHF 700 million from Swiss Life Ltd and for the renovation and expansion of existing residential buildings. Information Media Relations Phone +41 43 284 77 77 media.relations@swisslife.ch Investor Relations Phone +41 43 284 52 76 investor.relations@swisslife.ch www.swisslife-am.com Swiss Life Asset Managers Swiss Life Asset Managers has more than 165 years of experience in managing the assets of the Swiss Life Group. This insurance background has exerted a key influence on the investment philosophy of Swiss Life Asset Managers, which is governed by such principles as value preservation, the generation of consistent and sustainable performance and a responsible approach to risks. Swiss Life Asset Managers offers this proven approach to third-party clients in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the UK, Italy and the Nordic countries. As at 31 December 2023 assets under management for third-party clients amount to CHF 111.8 billion. Together with insurance mandates for the Swiss Life Group, total assets under management at Swiss Life Asset Managers stood at CHF 255.7 billion. Swiss Life Asset Managers is a leading real estate manager in Europe1. Of the assets totalling CHF 255.7 billion, CHF 85.4 billion is invested in real estate. In addition, Swiss Life Asset Managers, in cooperation with Livit, manages real estate totalling CHF 21.2 billion in value. Total real estate assets under management and administration at the end of December 2023 thus came to CHF 106.7 billion. Swiss Life Asset Managers employs more than 2200 people in Europe. Self-determined Life Swiss Life enables people to lead a self-determined life and look to the future with confidence. Swiss Life Asset Managers pursues the same goal: We think long-term and act responsibly. We use our knowledge and experience to develop future-oriented investment solutions. This is how we support our customers in achieving their long-term investment objectives, which in turn also take account of their clients needs so they can plan their financial future in a self-determined manner. 1 INREV Fund Manager Survey 2023 (AuM as of 31.12.2022) Disclaimer This announcement has been produced with the greatest possible care and to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, we do not accept any liability for losses resulting from the use of this information. This publication is not intended as a solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell investment instruments, but only serves to provide information. Prior to subscribing or acquiring fund units on the stock exchange, investors should obtain and carefully read the detailed information on the fund contained in the regulatory documentation (prospectus with integrated fund contract, PRIIPs KID and the latest annual and semi-annual reports) that serve as the sole legal basis for the purchase of fund units. These may be ordered free of charge in electronic or printed form from the fund management company, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd, General-Guisan-Quai 40, 8002 Zurich. Past performance is no indication of current or future performance The performance data do not include commissions and costs incurred when issuing and redeeming fund units. Both Swiss Life Ltd and the other members of the Swiss Life Group are entitled to positions in this fund and to purchase and/or sell them. Swiss Life Asset Managers funds may not be offered for sale or sold in the US or on behalf of US citizens or US persons residing in the US. Swiss Life Asset Managers is the brand for the asset management activities of the Swiss Life Group. More information is available at www.swisslife-am.com. Source: Swiss Life Asset Managers (unless stated otherwise). All rights reserved. Contact: info@swisslife-am.com. Additional features: File: Media release (PDF) End of Inside Information European countries, allies express support for Taiwan as WHA opens ROC Central News Agency 05/28/2024 04:05 PM Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Taiwan's diplomatic allies and a number of European countries spoke up in support of its inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its opening day Monday. Taiwan is not participating in the WHA, the decision-making body for the World Health Organization (WHO), for an eighth straight year. The WHO, as a United Nations specialized agency, does not recognize Taiwan as a member, and it was not separately invited to take part. Greg Lee (), deputy head of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Department of International Organizations, said at a MOFA briefing Tuesday that Taiwan's 11 diplomatic allies that are official members of the WHO jointly submitted a proposal to the WHO Secretariat to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA. The Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan, has 12 diplomatic allies worldwide but its only ally in Europe, the Vatican, is not a member to the WHO but a permanent observer. Aside from the support of its allies, according to Lee, officials from Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany all spoke up in support of Taiwan on the first day of the annual meeting, which runs until June 1. Mark Butler, Australian health and aged care minister, said Canberra recognizes "the importance of working with all partners, including Taiwan. We're committed to equity and inclusion." "Health is a human right shared by all regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious beliefs, economic status or ability. Equity must be the cornerstone of our health systems." French Health Minister Frederic Valletoux, German Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach and British Health Minister Nick Markham shared similar comments in their respective addresses Monday. Valletoux reiterated Paris' support of Taiwan's participation in the WHA, while Lauterbach stressed the importance of including expertise from around the world in the face of global challenges. "The WHO organization needs less bureaucracy, more flexibility, and needs to be more, even more efficient. I think with this investment round, we can achieve all of these goals. We need to stand together, using everyone's expertise, including Taiwan's, to master the challenges ahead of us," Lauterbach said. Markham said the U.K. believes Taiwan "should once again become an observer to this assembly, and to be granted meaningful access to all relevant technical meetings, as was the case until 2016." That year was the last time to date that Taiwan, under the moniker "Chinese Taipei," was invited to join the WHA as an observer. Meanwhile, officials from Belgium and the Netherlands also called for inclusion in the WHA, showing support for Taiwan even though they did not mention Taiwan by name, Lee said. Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, the permanent representative of Belgium to the U.N. Office at Geneva, said the WHA should play a role in collaborating all international actors from around the world for an effective system, "leaving nobody and no region of the world behind." Dutch Medical Care Minister Pia Dijkstra said her country supports the WHO to "promote, provide and protect health for all, leaving no one behind." "We support the meaningful participation of all who contribute valuable expertise and knowledge to world health," she said. The ROC was expelled from the WHO in 1972 after losing its U.N. seat to the People's Republic of China due to the issue of "China's representation." Taiwan was allowed to attend the WHA as an observer under the designation "Chinese Taipei" from 2009 to 2016, when cross-Taiwan Strait relations were warmer under the then Kuomintang government. Since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party took power in 2016, however, Taiwan has been blocked from attending every WHA assembly since 2017. (By Joseph Yeh) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WHA rejects Taiwan-related proposal again, proving 'Taiwan independence' is a dead end Global Times By Global Times Published: May 28, 2024 12:45 PM The fact that World Health Assembly (WHA) has rejected Taiwan-related proposal for eight consecutive years has repeatedly proved that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said on Monday. Chen made the remarks after the WHA, the highest decision-making body under the World Health Organization (WHO) decided on Monday not to include in its agenda a proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer, adding that political maneuvering on Taiwan-related proposal in the WHA is unpopular, and that any challenge to the one-China principle will ultimately fail. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. These are all facts recognized by the international community and brooks no distortion or provocation. The one-China principle is a prerequisite for Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHA, and this is a fundamental principle reaffirmed in UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1, Chen said. The WHA's rejection of the Taiwan-related proposal reflects the broad consensus of the international community in defense of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations. Chen emphasized that recently a vast majority of countries in the international community have reaffirmed their commitment to UNGA Resolution 2758, firmly supporting the one-China principle and opposing Taiwan's participation in the WHA. However, a small number of countries and the Taiwan authorities are standing in opposition to the majority of members of the international community and trying to hollow out the one-China principle, which is a wanton violation of international justice and a serious breach of international rules and order, and will definitely be strongly condemned by the international community, Chen said. Tinte Itinteang, Kiribati's Minister of Health and Medical Services, stated that a very small number of countries have repeatedly hyped Taiwan-related issues at the WHA over recent years, making the assembly's decision to reject Taiwan-related proposals crucial. He reiterated Kiribati's firm commitment to the one-China principle, emphasizing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, according to Xinhua News Agency. Carlos Saenz Torres, Secretary General of Nicaragua's Ministry of Health, also noted that the vast majority of countries in the world support the assembly's decision and firmly back the one-China principle. Helder Jorge Vaz Gomes Lopes, Guinea-Bissau's ambassador to Belgium, affirmed Guinea-Bissau's strong support for the WHA's decision, describing it as natural and just. He stated that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is a part of China. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities of the Taiwan island have stubbornly stuck to their separatist position of "Taiwan independence," so that the political basis for the Taiwan region's participation in the Assembly no longer exists, Chen said. The Chinese central government has made appropriate arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs under the one-China principle. There is an International Health Regulations Contact Point in the Taiwan region for it to smoothly access health information from the WHO, and health experts from the Taiwan region can also participate in WHO technical activities in their personal capacities, according to media reports. Prior to the current Assembly, senior officials of some countries made public statements advocating Taiwan region's participation in the WHA, which in essence is to support and encourage the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence," and China strongly condemns and firmly opposes, Chen added. In their deliberate attempts to play the "Taiwan card," these countries are not genuinely concerned about the health of the people in Taiwan region, but they are trying to achieve their political goals of containing China by sacrificing the interests and well-being of the compatriots in the Taiwan region and their bright future. China urged individual countries to abide by the one-China principle and their political commitments to China and to stop interfering in China's internal affairs. According to a previous report, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said on Monday that China's position on Taiwan-related issues at the WHA is widely understood and supported by the international community. Over 100 countries explicitly expressed support for China's position by writing to the WHO Director-General and through other means. This fully demonstrates that the one-China principle is where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends, and must not be challenged. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World Health Assembly once again rejects Taiwan-related proposal People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:23, May 28, 2024 GENEVA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), decided on Monday not to include in its agenda a proposal on Taiwan's participation in the annual assembly as an observer. Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said in his statement that China's position on the Taiwan region's participation in the WHA is consistent and clear. The issue must be handled under the one-China principle, which is also a fundamental principle endorsed in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stubbornly stuck to the separatist position of "Taiwan independence," so that the political basis for the Taiwan region's participation in the assembly no longer exists, he said. Chen pointed out that the Chinese central government has made proper arrangements for the Taiwan region's participation in global health affairs under the one-China principle. There is an International Health Regulations Contact Point in the Taiwan region for it to smoothly access health information from the WHO, and health experts from the Taiwan region can also participate in WHO technical activities in their personal capacities. The past year saw the participation of 21 batches of health experts from the Taiwan region, according to Chen. Chen emphasized that a vast majority of countries in the international community have reaffirmed their commitment to UNGA Resolution 2758, firmly supporting the one-China principle and opposing Taiwan's participation in the WHA. The theme of the 77th WHA, convened in Geneva on Monday, is "All for Health, Health for All." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan May 28, 2024 ROC Ministry of National Defense 2024/05/28 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Dateis 6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Monday to Tuesday, May 27-28 2.PLA activitiesis 3 PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels, and 4 CCG vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 3 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US refutes China's characterization of UN Resolution 2758 By Nike Ching May 28, 2024 The United States said on Tuesday that United Nations Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971, does not endorse the People's Republic of China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan, following Taiwan's exclusion from this week's World Health Assembly sessions. World Health Assembly The WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, began its annual meetings on Monday in Geneva, where member states, delegates and health experts gather to discuss global health priorities and security. "We have repeatedly made clear that we think Taiwan should be able to participate in WHO sessions. When they were participants, they brought meaningful expertise that enriched the discussions and debates, and we want them to be allowed to participate in future sessions," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a Tuesday briefing. Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations because of the objections by the People's Republic of China, which considers the self-governed democracy its territory. Chinese officials often cite U.N. Resolution 2758 to assert Beijing's "one China principle." "No, it does not," Miller told VOA when asked if the resolution endorsed China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan. On October 25, 1971, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's formal name) with the People's Republic of China as a permanent member of the Security Council. But it did not mention Taiwan's sovereignty status. U.S. officials have said the resolution does not preclude Taiwan's meaningful participation in the U.N. system and other multilateral forums. "Beijing mischaracterizes the resolution by falsely conflating it with China's one-China principle and wrongly asserts that it reflects an international consensus for its one-China principle," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Lambert, who also heads the State Department's China House, at a recent event. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said U.S. support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international forums aligns with Washington's one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. US policy, China's principle The U.S.' one China policy differs from the PRC's one China principle, which Washington said it does not subscribe to. Delegates from Taiwan attended the WHA as nonvoting observers from 2009 to 2016, during a period of relatively warm ties between Beijing and Taipei. However, Beijing has blocked Taiwan's representation at WHO meetings since the self-ruled democracy elected Tsai Ing-wen, a China skeptic, as Taiwan's president in 2016 and again in 2020. Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reject Beijing's condition that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong under one flag. The two sides have been separately ruled since the 1940s. "We would like to make it clear to the DPP authorities: the abiding commitment of the international community to the one-China principle is unshakable," a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. Without naming names, the spokesperson urged "certain countries" to stop "politicizing health issues" and "interfering in China's internal affairs." "Using Taiwan to contain China will only end in failure," the spokesperson added. Several countries, including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany and Japan, issued a joint statement on Friday supporting Taiwan's participation in the WHA annual meetings. Chinese military drills Meanwhile, following the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, China conducted a two-day, large-scale military exercise last week, deploying 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels around Taiwan. Over the weekend, the U.S. expressed deep concern over the Chinese People's Liberation Army's joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. The U.S. State Department strongly urged Beijing to act with restraint. "Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for decades," said the State Department in a statement. Last week, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the United Nations has been following developments in the Taiwan Strait closely and urged restraint. "On the issue of China, we are guided by the General Assembly resolution of 1971," said Dujarric. He was referring to U.N. Resolution 2758. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan's parliament passes controversial bills seen as limiting government's mandate By By William Yang May 28, 2024 Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has passed a set of legal amendments granting lawmakers greater investigative power to scrutinize the government under President Lai Ching-te, who took office on May 20. Despite days of protests that have attracted hundreds of thousands of people since May 17, the two opposition parties, the China-friendly Kuomintang, or KMT, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party, or TPP, used their combined majority to push through the deal on Tuesday. The bills still require the president's signature to become law. While the KMT and TPP have repeatedly argued that the bills would ensure checks and balances and give the legislature more power to target corruption, their attempt to pass the bills has triggered widespread concerns in civil society and the academic community. "Now that Taiwan's legislature has passed the bills, lawmakers will uncover all corrupt officials and all kinds of malpractices in the future," Fu Kun-chi, the KMT legislative caucus convenor, told journalists on Tuesday. Fu said the opposition parties will form a "special investigation team" to start looking into corruption cases. As lawmakers were voting on the legislative amendments, thousands of protesters chanted slogans and passed around a giant white ball bearing the phrase "rejecting Chinese political interference." Some protesters criticized the opposition parties for undermining Taiwan's democratic system by fast-tracking the legislative amendments through parliament without thorough negotiations among all political parties. "There is a democratic negotiation mechanism in Taiwan's parliament but the opposition parties' insistence on pushing the bills through the legislature without proper deliberation has violated the regular democratic practices," Liao Yan-cheng, a 78-year-old retiree, told VOA at the mass demonstration outside the legislature. Other young protesters said they are worried that the opposition parties will turn Taiwan's parliament into a tool to undermine the Lai administration's governance in the next four years. "Since the opposition parties will maintain control over the legislature for the next four years, they can ramp through this controversial bill without following the proper legislative process," Max Wang, an 18-year-old student, told VOA at the protest. The reforms passed on Tuesday grant lawmakers the power to require the president to deliver annual reports and answer questions from lawmakers. Government officials could also be fined or jailed for behaviors deemed "contempt of parliament" by lawmakers. Additionally, the legislature now has more power to control government budgets and investigate government projects, including the power to ask the military, private companies, or individuals to disclose information deemed relevant to parliamentary investigations. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, which advocates for Taiwanese sovereignty, said the reforms would undermine Taiwan's democracy because the laws may constitute an overreach of power. However, the KMT argues that the amendments could help the legislature rein in the president's power, which they said has been too extensive. Dozens of legal scholars and two major bar associations in Taiwan have expressed concerns about potential violations of the constitution of the Republic of China a Taiwan's official name. They argued that the reforms could create many disputes about its applicability in the future. Huang Cheng-Yi, a legal expert at Academia Sinica in Taiwan, told VOA that since the Republic of China's constitution doesn't require the president to be questioned by lawmakers, part of the reform may eventually be viewed unconstitutional by justices when the DPP brings the case to the constitutional court, as the party is expected to do. In the meantime, some analysts worry that the opposition parties will use the amendments to target the Lai administration. "The legislators' enhanced power to investigate government officials could make it easier for the opposition parties to explore possible scandals in the previous government under former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen or the current government under Lai Ching-te," said Austin Wang, an expert on Taiwan politics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He told VOA that these investigations could slow down the Lai administration's policy implementation and "harm" his government's legitimacy as well as Taiwan's national security. "Some KMT legislators have been accused of leaking sensitive defense information to China, and this investigation power will be a loophole to help the legislators access more sensitive information," Wang added. Wang predicts that Lai, who is facing both domestic division and growing pressure from China, would choose to exercise his constitutional power to ask legislators to reconsider the reforms. "I don't think Lai will easily back down," he told VOA. And since no political party enjoys a majority in parliament, Wang said Taiwan will likely experience political gridlock over the next few months. "The gridlock may influence defense spending in Taiwan and it will stay there until all three parties agree on some social welfare policies," he added. Huang at Academia Sinica worries that if political gridlock becomes the defining feature of Taiwan's politics over the next four years, it may eventually paralyze the island's democratic system. "If all three political parties repeatedly resort to mobilizing supporters to clash with each other, it may ultimately cause Taiwan's democratic system to cease functioning properly," he told VOA. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Estonian Minister of Defence: Europe must be ready to increase training for Ukrainians to 100,000 fighters Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence 28. May 2024 At the meeting of European Union defense ministers held in Brussels today, discussions focused on military support for Ukraine and Europe's defense readiness. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also participated in the discussion. During the discussion on military support for Ukraine, EU member states provided an overview of their recent contributions and discussed the possibilities for expanding the training of the Ukrainian armed forces. "By the end of the summer, Europeans will have trained up to 60,000 Ukrainian fighters, but the readiness of the EUMAM training mission must increase to 100,000 to meet Ukraine's needs," explained Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, who attended the meeting. "In addition, the main focus remains on ammunition - over 50% of the targeted one million shells have already been sent to Ukraine, and additional supplies have come from the Czech initiative, but this need will not diminish in the near future. When Putin talks about negotiations, it is a sign that we need to step up and provide Ukraine with the assistance it most needs - ammunition and air defence." The discussion on defence readiness covered topics such as the implementation and funding of the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). "Our position is clear - additional funds must be found for defence readiness, whether through bonds, changes to the European Investment Bank's mandate, or frozen assets. Our own defence readiness and military support for Ukraine are two parallel directions that essentially require the same capabilities: air defence, long-range fire, and ammunition. The defence industry in Europe has gained momentum, but it is in all our interests to invest more," said Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur. Additionally, defence ministers received an overview of activities within the framework of the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, missions, and the state of rapid response capabilities. European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, who attended the meeting, provided an overview of the implementation of the defence industry strategy. After the meeting of defence ministers, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur also attended the Ukraine Security Forum conference and the Schuman Security Forum in Brussels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New energy package to strengthen Ukraine's resilience Government Offices of Sweden - Ministry for Foreign Affairs 28 May 2024 Today, the Government is presenting a new energy package to Ukraine in the amount of SEK 650 million. This support will help secure Ukraine's energy supply to ensure that fundamental public services, such as schools, hospitals, transport, water supply and businesses, can continue to run. "Access to energy is crucial to maintaining Ukraine's society, economy and businesses. Sweden's support to Ukraine is strong and long-term. Russia is increasingly attacking Ukraine's energy system with the aim of disabling crucial social infrastructure. We are now increasing our support in the area of energy to strengthen Ukraine's resilience," says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade Johan Forssell. Sweden provides Ukraine with political, military and humanitarian support and support to reconstruction, businesses and development. Ukraine is now the largest bilateral recipient of Swedish development assistance. Sweden's new support to energy infrastructure is funded through the development assistance budget and will be managed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency on behalf of the Government. The new support consists of two parts: SEK 500 million through the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund; SEK 150 million through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Ukraine Energy Support Fund compiles support from governments, international organisations and finance institutions to support the most urgent needs related to Ukraine's energy supply, such as purchasing technical equipment. The fund is led by the Energy Community, an international organisation. Support through UNDP will fund urgently needed reconstruction of energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The need for technical equipment and other resources for energy production, such as generators, transformers, installations and personnel training, is immense. Kharkiv will be prioritised because of its acute needs, but other parts of Ukraine, such as Odesa, Kyiv and Mykolaiv, will also be eligible for support. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Landsbergis: "We must immediately redirect profits from frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine's military defence" Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2024-05-28 Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels and discussed the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. "Western fear and moderation look like an invitation for Russia to escalate the situation, both in Ukraine and in the EU and NATO member states. We must allow Ukraine to strike back if Russia escalates. We must join the initiatives of real assistance to Ukraine and implement them as soon as possible," the head of Lithuania's diplomacy said. Lithuania has expressed public support for initiatives by France, Germany, and the Czech Republic to support Ukraine. In addition, Lithuania has taken concrete steps to aid the country devastated by Russia as soon as possible. "We must immediately redirect profits from frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine's military defence," Landsbergis noted, urging his counterparts to pass the EU legislation on military support to Ukraine without further delay. During the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Landsbergis shared his insights after the joint visit of the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, and Lithuania to Georgia. Together with all his EU counterparts, Landsbergis discussed the situation in this country after the adoption of the 'Foreign Agents' law, the repression of Georgian civil society, and the EU's response to it. "This law is only one example of Georgia's greater democratic erosion, turning away from European values and the path to the EU. The EU must review its relations with Georgia in this light," Landsbergis said during the discussion. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Netherlands spearheads initiative to jointly deliver Patriot system for Ukraine, calls on other European nations to contribute Netherlands Ministry of Defence News item | 28-05-2024 The Dutch government proposes to quickly assemble a Patriot air defense system in close cooperation with several partners and deliver it to Ukraine. The Netherlands will contribute core components and parts from its stock and invites European countries to add components from theirs. The Netherlands has identified which countries could offer additional Patriot parts and munitions. Dutch defense minister Kajsa Ollongren calls on them to contribute these from their existing stocks, like The Netherlands has decided to do. "We are engaged in talks with partners to compile a Patriot system, including training for Ukrainian crews. With our offer, and consulting with partner countries providing several key parts and munitions, we can provide Ukraine with at least one fully operational system in a short time frame." The Dutch government acknowledges that Patriot systems are scarce, but points out that Ukraine is also fighting Europe's fight, and that the country's war fighting capability, energy production and vital infrastructure are under daily attack. "The NATO secretary general recently said that as NATO countries, we can temporarily move below the alliance's capability targets. So the room for creativity is there. Industrial suppliers have pledged to speed up production and delivery of replacement systems. We are counting on that", Ollongren added. The Netherlands aims to have the Patriot system operational in Ukraine as soon as possible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 28, 2024: The Chinese Navy has 78 submarines but 90 percent of them are conventional diesel-electric designs. China has some nuclear powered attack and SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) submarines. In contrast the U.S. Navy has 63 submarines in service, all nuclear powered and 18 of them are Ohio Class SSBNs (Ballistic Missile Carrying submarines). The rest are SSNs (Nuclear powered attack submarines). The United States is in the midst of building over sixty new Virginia class SSNs and preparing to build a new class of SSBNs. The U.S. Navy has established and maintains high standards for officers and sailors on its nuclear subs. Americans submarines remain at sea much longer than Chinese submarines. China is trying to catch up but is finding that serving on submarines is not a popular career choice for Chinese Naval officers. As a result the submarines officers are low quality and would rather not be serving on submarines. Because of this China has had a lot of problems with its submarines. Their submarines are poorly designed and built. The crews are often poorly trained and supervised. Back in 2003 this led to an incident where 70 officers and sailors aboard a Chinese submarine suffocated and died. The sub did not sink, it just drifted for weeks until the Chinese Navy searchers found it and all the dead personnel on board. To remedy this situation the Chinese Navy has been ordered to improve crew training and demonstrate the success of that by keeping the subs at sea longer while operating as they would in wartime. This means the U.S. Navy is encountering Chinese submarines in areas of the central Pacific where Chinese subs had rarely been seen. This has put a strain on Chinese submarines and their crews because neither has operated this far into the Pacific before. The Chinese government ordered its submarines to regularly patrol the central Pacific, and not just along the Chinese coast as they had in the past. The Chinese are new to operating on the high seas, otherwise known as far out in the open ocean. The Americans have long been out there because the United States has no local enemies on the north and south American continents. The Americans and Chinese are both dependent on seaborne imports and exports. Thousands of ships regularly operate out of American and Chinese ports because these two countries are the largest importers and exporters in the world. Keeping those ocean sea routes safe is important for both countries. Enemy submarines are the major threat to those commercial transports and its been eighty years since there has been a threat to commercial sea lanes. The U.S. Navy exists to protect American seagoing trade and threaten that of its enemies. The only potential enemy now is China but the Chinese are also heavily dependent on trade by sea, both for imports to keep the Chinese population fed and supplied with all manner of goods. The U.S. is the largest exporter in the world and the American economy is dependent on that trade to maintain the high standards of living Americans have become accustomed to. For both China and the United States, control of seaborne trade is essential in wartime. American submarines have operated off the Chinese coast since World War II when the Americans began mining the waters around Japan to block essential food imports from Japanese occupied northern China. In the 21st century China is dependent on imports of food and other goods. So are the Americans, but not to the extent the Chinese are. America can survive without seaborne trade but modern China cannot. Before the 20th century China used seaborne trade to bring in luxuries, not essentials. That has changed and China is scrambling to build a navy that can protect its trade routes. Currently the Americans are able to threaten those trade routes and China is having a difficult time coping. Chinese submarines in the central Pacific and even along the American West coast are a possible solution but one that is very difficult to achieve. At the moment China is trying to build submarines and train crews that can operate on the high seas and threaten U.S. Navy operations in the western Pacific and off the Chinese coast. Ukraine will acquire F-16 fighter jets 'very soon': Defense minister Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 6:52 PM Ukraine will receive US-made F-16 fighter jets "very soon"' but half of the assistance package is being delivered late, the defense minister says. Rustem Umerov said Kiev expected its Western allies to provide it with US-made F-16 fighter jets "very soon" but some half of its desperately-needed foreign military aid is arriving late. He said Russia was boosting the front with more manpower and equipment and that its forces were trying to open a new front in the north. "Their objective is to open a new front in the north to start using all their manpower, firing power, against us, they are continuing with their objective to destroy the nation," Umerov said in an interview with Reuters on Monday that was published on Tuesday. "We are withstanding, but of course we need more weapons, we need more firing power, we need long-range missiles, not to allow them to enter our state." Earlier this month, Russia launched an offensive against the northeastern Kharkiv region but Ukraine claims it had managed to stabilize the new front there. "Time is super-crucial and, to repel the attacks, we need to have [the deliveries] on time in place," Umerov said. Ukraine, due to decreasing manpower and ammunition shortages, is struggling to fend off advancing Russian ground troops. The country has for months been repeatedly asking from the West for more military hardware, long-range missiles and advanced warplanes. The United States and its Western allies have been providing huge military and financial support to Kiev since the onset of the war in February 2022. Moscow has repeatedly warned that any shipment containing weapons and ammunition for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On the bandwagon: EU's Borrell joins NATO chief to back Ukraine right to strike Russia Iran Press TV Tuesday, 28 May 2024 11:01 AM European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has backed Ukraine's use of Western arms to strike targets in Russian, a day after a similar suggestion by the NATO secretary general. "According with the law of war, it is perfectly possible and there is no contradiction," Borrell said at the start of a meeting with European Union defense ministers on Tuesday. "I could retaliate or I could fight against the one who fights against me from his territory," he added. He asked countries to "balance" the risk of escalation against what he called Ukraine's need to defend itself. This acme a day after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said "the time has come" for allies to consider lifting restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons in attacks on the Russian territory. Stoltenberg claimed on Tuesday that his suggestion would not make NATO and its members part of the conflict. The Kremlin on Monday stressed that NATO was already in direct confrontation with Russia, and that the US-led military alliance was escalating the conflict in Ukraine with military rhetoric. The issue of providing Kiev with longer-range, more powerful arms that could strike targets deep inside Russia is controversial as some states fear this could escalate tensions and risks dragging Europe into a wider war. In February 2022, Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine partly to prevent NATO's eastward expansion after warning that the military alliance was following an "aggressive line" against Moscow. Russia has said that Western countries have been fueling the flames of the war with their unchecked delivery of weapons to Ukraine, warning that such a flow of weapons to Kiev will only prolong the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 5 European Allies Meet In Prague To Discuss Czech Munitions Drive, Air Defense For Ukraine By RFE/RL May 28, 2024 The leaders of five European NATO states reaffirmed their support for Ukraine on May 28 at a meeting in Prague where the main focus was a Czech plan to procure up to 800,000 artillery shells from countries outside the European Union and provide them to Ukraine. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Ukraine can expect the first delivery of tens of thousands of 155-millimeter shells in the next few days. Fiala hosted the working dinner attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina and said they would also meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. At a news conference ahead of the dinner, Fiala said the officials would discuss how their countries can help Ukraine "at this critical stage of its defense from Russian aggression." They also would discuss to what extent the existing initiatives to arm Ukraine are working and what more could be done beyond the Czech initiative and a German initiative on supplying air defenses. Under the Czech initiative, Czech government officials and private companies have worked to source ammunition rounds from around the world. Fifteen EU and NATO states have pledged around a1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) to fund the project. The leaders said in a joint statement after the meeting that with the current financing, they "expect to ensure the donation of half a million rounds of artillery ammunition before the end of the year." They added that they would continue the initiative as long as needed. Duda pledged to support the transport of the artillery shells and described the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian front as difficult. He said Russia has the initiative in the war and is preparing another major offensive, and artillery will play a key role in defense. "We need it (the ammunition) at the front lines as soon as possible," said Shmyhal, who also spoke about the initiative to provide Ukraine with air defense systems to secure its skies. "We need, [at] a minimum, seven Patriot systems and modern combat aircraft also as soon as possible," he said. Fiala also commented on Ukraine's request to use weapons supplied by its Western allies against targets inside Russia. "I see this as fully logical. Ukraine is a country that defends itself from Russian aggression. It needs to protect its territory and civilian population. Being a country under attack, it definitely has the full right to use all means for its defense." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and others have endorsed letting Ukraine use weapons on Russian targets, saying concerns that the use of Western weapons inside Russia would implicate the alliance in the war are unfounded. With reporting by Reuters and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-czech-munitions- fiala/32967594.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 Belgium Pledges $1 Billion In Military Aid, 30 F-16s For Ukraine By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 28, 2024 Belgium will deliver 977 million euros ($1 billion) in military aid and 30 F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine under a 10-year bilateral security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on May 28 in Brussels. The agreement is the second of its kind signed by Zelenskiy in as many days as he continues a whirlwind tour to secure more military aid for Ukraine's outgunned and outmanned troops as they struggle to fend off a Russian offensive and relentless strikes on civilian targets in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. "For the first time, such an agreement specifies the exact number of F-16 fighter jets -- 30 -- that will be delivered to Ukraine until 2028, with the first arriving already this year," Zelenskiy wrote on X, formerly Twitter. De Croo said at a joint news conference that Brussels will do "everything possible" to deliver the first fighter jets by the end of the year. Asked by RFE/RL to specify how many warplanes will be delivered this year, De Croo did not answer, saying just that efforts of the aircraft coalition for Ukraine were ongoing. De Croo stressed that the planes are to be used only above the territory of Ukraine. "The security agreement stipulates that military equipment will be used by the armed forces of Ukraine and on the territory of Ukraine," he said. The Belgian prime minister added that training was already under way for Ukrainian pilots on Belgian F-16s. "Today, our planes are used to train new Ukrainian pilots. Our technical teams are used to provide technical support to keep aircraft in the air. Our teams are training Ukrainian technicians how to perform [technical support]," he said. Zelenskiy, asked by RFE/RL about the progress of negotiations with partners on obtaining permission to strike targets on the territory of Russia, replied that he was "confident of a positive result both from some partners and from our production." Ukraine has been frustrated by the lack of permission from some of its allies, mainly the United States and Germany, to hit military targets inside Russia with Western weapons systems. The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has backed Kyiv's request. "According with the law of war, it is perfectly possible and there is no contradiction. I could retaliate or I could fight against the one who fights against me from his territory," Borrell told journalists ahead of a meeting with EU defense ministers. "You have to balance the risk of escalation and the need for Ukrainians to defend," he said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has also thrown his weight behind Ukraine's plea, saying concerns that the use of Western weapons inside Russia would implicate the alliance in the war are unfounded. "Ukraine's use of weapons supplied by its Western allies against targets inside Russia would not make NATO and its members part of the conflict," Stoltenberg said in Brussels on May 28. French President Emmanuel Macron added his voice, saying on May 28 that Kyiv should be allowed to "neutralize" Russian military bases from which Moscow troops have fired missiles into Ukraine. "We think that we should allow them to neutralize military sites where missiles are fired," Macron said on a state visit to Germany. He stressed, however, that Ukraine should not be allowed to hit other targets in Russia or civilian facilities. But the White House on May 28 again rejected ending restrictions on Kyiv using U.S.-supplied arms to strike Russian territory. "There's no change to our policy at this point. We don't encourage or enable the use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned earlier on May 28 that hitting Russian soil with Western-supplied long-range weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path. Speaking to reporters while on a trip to Uzbekistan, Putin said the use of such weapons would rely on Western intelligence data and imply the involvement of NATO military personnel. "Representatives of countries that are NATO members, particularly in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with," Putin said, adding that "countries with small territory and dense populations" should be particularly careful. With reporting by AP and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-belgium-zelenskiy- military-aid/32966513.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 NATO Members Divided on Ukraine's Plans to Hit Russia With Western Weapons Sputnik News 20240528 Western powers, who initially supplied Kiev with weapons for defense, now suggest using them to strike deep into Russia. Who favors such attacks: Last week, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the bloc's members who supplied weapons to Ukraine to stop barring Kiev from using these weapons to attack Russia. Stoltenberg's sentiment was recently echoed by Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics who announced that he sees no reason to impose such restrictions on Ukraine. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala claimed that Ukraine has the right to use Western weapons to attack Russia, arguing that it is "logical." Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said he hopes every country who provided Ukraine with weapons would allow Kiev to attack Russia with this gear. Dutch Defense Minister Kasja Ollongren said that the situation where Ukraine would strike inside Russia should not even be a matter of discussion. The opposition: Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo insists that all military gear his country provides to Ukraine should be used on Ukrainian territory. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani also argued that Western armaments provided to Kiev should be used within Ukraine's boundaries. Ambiguous: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Kiev "will have to make its own decisions" about conducting attacks beyond Ukraine's borders, even as the Biden administration officially prohibits the use of US-supplied weapons such as ATACMS missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory. Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said that her country is "militarily neutral according to our constitution". Moscow warns that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using Western-supplied military hardware could lead to direct conflict with NATO. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin on Zelensky's Illegitimacy: Ukraine's Constitution Extends Power for Parliament, Not President Sputnik News 20240528 Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that a serious and thorough analysis is needed regarding the legitimacy of the Kiev government, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for reflection regarding the expired mandate of the current Ukrainian government during his trip to Uzbekistan. "As for the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government: indeed, such a serious, thorough analysis is necessary," Putin said at a press conference following his visit. "The law of Ukraine... on the legal status of the martial law, states that presidential elections are not held during the period of martial law. But that doesn't mean they are extended. They are not held. But who said they should be extended? There is nothing about this in the Constitution," he added. The president noted that the Ukrainian Constitution only provides for the extension of powers for the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), with no mention of extending the president's powers. "The Constitution of Ukraine provides for the extension of powers, but only for the Rada. There is nothing in the Ukrainian Constitution about extending the president's powers," Putin said. He suggested that the intent of Ukraine's owners may be to shift the burden of unpopular decisions onto the current Kiev authorities. "I think, and this is not related to the Constitution, that perhaps the intent of today's masters of Ukraine, who are overseas, is to burden the current executive branch with the responsibility of making all unpopular decisions," Putin said. He noted that among such decisions is the further lowering of the conscription age. The president also remarked that Russia and Ukraine would have reached an agreement long ago if those who lead Ukraine were guided by national interests rather than the interests of their masters. "We would have resolved this conflict long ago, to mutual satisfaction. We would have found solutions with Ukraine. If Ukraine were currently led by people who were guided by national interests rather than the interests of their masters in Europe or overseas," Putin said. Putin emphasized that the interests of the Ukrainian people are not being protected; the rulers of Ukraine do not care about their own people. "Today's rulers of Ukraine do not care about these people; they do not consider them their own. That is the problem with Ukraine's tragedy today. They do not regard these people as their own; they do not protect the interests of the Ukrainian people today. And I hope that people will eventually feel this," Putin said. On Foreign Mercs in Ukraine Similarly, Putin stated that Russia is aware of the presence of Western mercenaries in Ukraine, under whose guise military instructors are also present. "As for the possibility of mercenaries being in Ukraine, yes, we are well aware of this. There is nothing new here. What the military in Ukraine is now talking about, that they may appear, they have long been there. We hear English, French, Polish speech on the airwaves. We know they are there," Putin said. He emphasized that military instructors are also present there under the guise of mercenaries. However, Western mercenaries are suffering losses in Ukraine, and the West finds it increasingly difficult to conceal this. "There was a question about long-range precision weapons. And who operates this weapon, who services it? Of course, these very instructors under the guise of mercenaries. That's it. They exist and suffer losses. Perhaps such a statement is related to the fact that it is becoming more and more difficult for them to conceal these losses," Putin said. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that "Ukraine has the right" to attack "military targets on Russian territory." Stoltenberg also said that "some allies" have lifted corresponding restrictions on strikes, and he believes that "it is time to lift other restrictions" as well. On Strikes Inside Russia Putin went on to say that Russia is closely monitoring statements about strikes deep into its territory. Earlier, Latvian President Egils Levits stated that he saw no reason to prevent Kiev from striking Russian territory with Western weapons. "NATO representatives, especially in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with. They should remember that this is usually a state with a small territory and a very dense population. This factor they should consider before striking deep into Russian territory," Putin said during a press briefing following his visit to Uzbekistan amid discussions about allowing Kiev to strike Russia. The head of state recalled that six months ago, he publicly stated that if they continued to strike residential areas, Russia would be forced to create a buffer zone. "We have moved to this," Putin concluded. On Peace Talks The Russian president once again highlighted that it was not Russia that stopped negotiating on the situation in Ukraine. "We did not stop negotiating. They told us, 'That is it, we will not negotiate with you anymore'," Putin said. Russia is ready to continue the negotiation process on Ukraine, but it is not known what will be on the table, the president added. "We have never refused and are ready to continue the negotiation process, but we do not know what and who, bearing in mind here and the legitimacy of the representative of the Ukrainian government, will be offered to us at some other stages," Putin said. On Relations With Afghanistan Putin admitted to the press that problems in Afghanistan exist and they are well known to everyone, but it is necessary to build relations with the current government in the country. "There are problems in Afghanistan, they are unconditional, they are well known to everyone. The issue of how to build relations with the current government is another question. But they must be built somehow, these are the people who control the country, control the territory of the country. They are the authorities in Afghanistan today," Putin said. It is necessary to proceed from the realities and build relations accordingly, Putin added. On Relations With Uzbekistan President Putin said that the Central Asian nation's accession to the five-state Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) would be a win-win for all. "If an economy of the likes of Uzbekistan were to join the union, I think the Union would benefit from this. The Uzbekistani economy would also win. But this requires a complicated negotiating process," he said in Tashkent. Putin said the Russian and Uzbekistani economies were growing closer together. As objectives for bilateral cooperation become clearer, so will outlooks for Uzbekistan's integration with regional organizations, the Russian president said. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Use of Chemical Weapons Became Systematic With US' Silent Consent - Russian MoD Sputnik News 20240528 The use of poisonous substances and chemical riot control agents by Ukrainian forces has become systematic with the tacit approval of Washington, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical and biological defense troops, said on Tuesday. "With Washington's tacit approval, the use of poisonous substances and chemical riot control agents by Ukrainian militants during their special operations has become systematic," Kirillov said at a briefing. "Numerous cases of the Ukrainian side using the irritant substance chloropicrin, often mixed with chloroacetophenone, have been recorded in the Donetsk region, in the settlements of Bogdanovka, Gorlovka, Kremenovka, and Artyomovsk (Bakhmut)," he added. Kirillov emphasized that while chloroacetophenone is classified as a chemical riot control agent, chloropicrin is listed in Schedule 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Kirillov recalled that Ukrainian neo-Nazis first used the dangerous substance chloropicrin against Euromaidan opponents during the siege of the Trade Union House in Odessa on May 2, 2014. "There are grounds to believe that the action carried out in Odessa was premeditated, meticulously planned to exploit the effects of the toxic substances used, aimed at inflicting maximum casualties," Kirillov added. He noted that Russian law enforcement agencies conducted an investigation that identified the perpetrators of the terrorist act. According to Kirillov, the use of this toxic substance was indicated by the militants' possession of pre-prepared filtering gas masks, the appearance of characteristic yellow-green smokefire broke out at the Trade Union House , and attempts to mask the use of toxic chemicals with the aftermath of the fire. Recently, Kiev used gas grenades containing the irritant substance CS against Russian servicemen. "The Russian side has recorded and confirmed cases of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using munitions not only loaded with chloropicrin but also with other chemical irritants. Gas grenades of American production containing the substance CS were employed against Russian servicemen in the Krasny Liman and Boguslav regions," Kirillov said. "Hand grenades with chemical irritants, labeled Teren-6, were dropped from Ukrainian UAVs onto positions of Russian troops, and a stash containing these munitions was discovered in the territory of Donetsk. According to testimony from Ukrainian prisoners of war, assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are equipped with such grenades," the official added. CS is an irritant chemical. It is a white, solid, slightly volatile crystalline substance with a pepper-like odor. It is sparingly soluble in water, moderately soluble in alcohol, and freely soluble in acetone and chloroform. Under combat conditions, it is dispersed as an aerosol. CS at low concentrations is irritating to the eyes and upper respiratory tract, while at high concentrations it causes burns to exposed skin areas and in some cases paralysis of the respiratory and circulatory systems leading to death. The Ukrainian armed forces also used the chemical agent BZ against Russian servicemen. "Ukrainian armed formations also use other listed chemicals. We refer to cases of use of the combat chemical agent BZ against Russian servicemen in August 2022 and silyl acid in February 2023," he said at the briefing." Kirillov noted that Ukrainian Armed Forces also use other other listed chemicals. "We are referring to instances of using the combat chemical agent BZ against Russian servicemen in August 2022 and silyl acid in February 2023," he explained. "The statements from Ukrainian military representatives about their possession of phosphorus organic compounds, including analogs of the combat chemical agent Tabun (GA), raise particular concern," Kirillov added. He added that Ukraine is requesting antidotes and gas masks in excessive quantities, indicating plans for the use of toxic substances. "The requests from Ukraine for the supply of antidotes, gas masks, and other personal protective equipment in volumes that are clearly excessive testify to plans for large-scale use of toxic substances," Kirillov said. In addition, Ukrainian nationalists continue in their attempts to destroy chemically hazardous facilities in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. "The attempts by Ukrainian nationalists to destroy chemically hazardous facilities in the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics persist, thereby creating a threat of chemical contamination to the civilian population of the regions," Kirillov said. He recalled that industrial facilities such as Zarya in the city of Rubezhnoye, Azot in Severodonetsk, and the Koksokhim plant in Avdeyevka have repeatedly been subjected to massive rocket attacks. US Continue to Develop New Chemical Weapons The Pentagon continues to develop new and upgrade existing non-lethal chemical munitions and other chemical weapons delivery systems. "According to available information, the Pentagon continues to develop new and upgrade existing non-lethal chemical munitions and other chemical weapons delivery systems, such as 120mm mortar rounds, 155mm artillery shells, and 120mm tank rounds," Kirillov said at the briefing. "No less than $10 million is allocated annually for their procurement for use in combat zones," he added. OPCW turns a blind eye to the fact that the US is still storing highly toxic reactive masses in chemical weapons destruction facilities. "I would like to draw your attention once again to the fact that according to the deadlines set by the OPCW, the United States should have completed the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpiles by 2007. However, despite the economic potential, they did not achieve this until 2023, twice postponing the deadline, citing financial, organizational, and technical difficulties. The United States still retains highly toxic reactive masses at chemical weapons destruction facilities. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons does not seem to notice this fact," he said. The US has also developed a legal framework that regulates a wide range of scenarios for the use of chemical agents by the US armed forces, Kirillov added. "Washington has not only not renounced the use of chemical agents, but has also enshrined the possibility of their use at the legislative level. Thus, the United States has adopted a combined arms manual on the use of non-lethal weapons," Kirillov told reporters, adding that it defines the procedure for the use of non-lethal chemical weapons by military units during special, humanitarian, anti-terrorist and peacekeeping operations. If previously the US talked about using such weapons only in response to the enemy chemical aggression, an important aspect of the new rules is the ability to use toxic chemicals unilaterally," the official said. "Thus, the United States has created a legal framework that regulates a wide range of scenarios for the use of chemical weapons by the armed forces," Kirillov said. The United States allocates at least $10 million annually to purchase non-lethal chemical munitions for use in combat areas, the official said, adding that the Pentagon continues to develop new and modernize existing non-lethal chemical munitions. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Borrell Admits 'Escalation Risk' If Ukraine Strikes Targets in Russia With Western Weapons Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - EU defense ministers will discuss on Tuesday Kiev's strikes on the Russian territory with the use of Western weapons, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, saying that there is "risk of escalation." On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine's right to self-defense includes the right to strike legitimate military targets outside the country. Stoltenberg also confirmed that he favors lifting restrictions on the use of Western weapons on "legitimate targets" on the territory of Russia. "Do we allow our arms to be used further in Russia directly ... another important thing to discuss today," Borrell said ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on defense, adding that "according with the law of war ... there is no contradiction ... you have to balance your risk of escalation and the need for Ukrainians to defend." A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Poland Not Excluding Sending Troops to Ukraine in Future - Foreign Ministry Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Poland did not send troops to Ukraine, but does not rule out such an option in the future, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said on Tuesday. "Poland has repeated many times that we are not sending troops to Ukraine, but at the same time it is impossible to exclude such a situation in the future, because we do not know how this situation will unfold. There is currently no sending of troops to Ukraine," Wronski told reporters. Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron made several hawkish statements about the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin suggested in an interview that there was "an element of resentment" from Macron, answering a question whether the French president took an anti-Russian stance in order to take revenge for loosing influence in Africa to Moscow. However, Putin underscored that Russia "did not squeeze France out of Africa" and that African people simply preferred to work with Russian "economic operators" instead of French ones. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belgium to Supply Ukraine With 30 F-16 Jets by 2028 - Foreign Minister Sputnik News 20240528 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belgium will supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028, with the first aircraft expected to arrive before the end of this year, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on Tuesday. "Belgium pledges to transfer 30 of its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2028," Lahbib told the RTL radio broadcaster, adding that the first aircraft may be delivered by the end of 2024. Earlier in May, media reported that the first batches of F-16 fighter jets from Western nations would be delivered to Kiev regime by June or July. In a conversation with military pilots that took place in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored that the supply of F-16s would not change the situation on the battlefield. Ministry of Defense officials believe that Russian air defense will need about 20 days to down first batch of F-16 fighter jets. Nevertheless, Moscow stressed it would treat the jets as nuclear-capable assets. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 28, 2024: North Korea continues its economic decline and risk of political collapse. More North Koreans are malnourished and starvation deaths are increasing. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un faces multiple problems with his military forces. More than half North Korean military age men are avoiding conscription and most are getting away with it. Many potential recruits and their parents know that the situation for new recruits has gotten worse over the last few years with a growing number of new soldiers dying during their first year of service. A major cause of the increased deaths is the adoption in the North Korean army of the Russian custom of Dedovshchina. This involves the beating of new soldiers by older soldiers with more time in service. Often described as hazing, it currently leaves some new soldiers severely injured or dead. Since Dedovshchina has been outlawed, victims are described as killed by accidents. Many parents know better because their son has written home about the bad treatment he was receiving. The growing problem with Dedovshchina is made worse when the new soldiers are older men in their mid-20s who delayed their military service until they completed their university studies. That means less educated but veteran younger soldiers have even more reason to use Dedovshchina on men who can look forward to a more prosperous post-military life. These younger but veteran soldiers also have a more difficult time training the older, better educated recruits. These problems have led to a major increase in soldiers evading their mandatory military service. It wasnt just Dedovshchina, there were also growing food shortages for soldiers and civilians alike. Several poor harvests and no money for food imports has led to less available food for most North Koreans. Families of senior officials, the secret police and military commanders get enough food but thats not enough to halt the collapse of government control over the entire country. With fewer soldiers and low morale among troops that are in service, the government refuses to make needed changes. Currently about 30 percent of GDP is devoted to the military and other defense related matters, like the nuclear weapons program. More prosperous countries, like South Korea, spend 2.5 percent of GDP on defense while Japan spends one percent, China 1.6 percent, Russia 8.7 percent and the United States three percent. Russia and North Korea are spending too much on military matters and their economies are suffering as a result. The United States has the largest economy in the world and China is second. Russia and North Korea are near the bottom of the list when it comes to economic activity. While North Korea is not officially at war, it has been preparing for an attack on South Korea since the 1960s. Russian subsidies helped, until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the subsidies ceased. In North Korea the 1990s were known as the decade of difficulties. Without the Soviet subsidies, there was widespread hunger and starvation. Over five percent of the population starved to death. Worse, it was in the 1990s that the more prosperous South Korea became a valuable trading partner with China. South Korea had become a world leader in the development and production of new technologies that China needed. China regarded North Korea as a charity case, kept alive by Chinese aid because another ally, Russia, insisted on such support for the country Russia has been supporting since the Korean War of 1950-53. It was Russia that ordered North Korea to attack South Korea in 1950, telling the North Koreans that South Korea was weak and had no allies. The weakness was real, but the Russians misjudged the degree of foreign support South Korea would quickly receive from the United States and eventually most western nations. As a result, China sent three million soldiers and civilian workers to North Korea. This was to prevent North Korea from losing the war to the advancing South Korean and American troops, who were reinforced by soldiers from American allies. China lost nearly 200,000 soldiers during the war and the last Chinese soldiers did not leave North Korea until 1958. North Korea suffered heavier military and civilian losses and the North Korean economy was devastated. North Korea has never recovered from the damage suffered during the war. South Korea has, largely due to its democratic form of government and market economy. North Korea long told its people that they were better off than the southerners, who were slaves to the Americans. It took several decades for North Koreans to realize that the South Koreans were much wealthier and not slaves to the Americans, but trading partners with the United States, Japan, China, and nations worldwide. On a per capita basis, South Koreans were twenty times wealthier than North Koreas. The discovery by North Korean civilians of South Koreas higher standard of living seems to have been precipitated by the invasion of North Korea by South Korean soap operas via ultra-cheap imported surplus Chinese CD players, made obsolete by DVDs, featuring pirated CD versions of South Korean soap opera episodes. While China is still communist, it adopted a free market economy in the 1980s and has prospered. North Korea refused Chinese suggestions that they do the same. North Korean leaders feared that more prosperous North Koreans would be more difficult to rule. North Korea remains an impoverished communist monarchy with leaders that refuse to change. North Korea did develop nuclear weapons, and that bothers the Chinese because they tried and were unable to persuade North Korea to drop the nuclear weapons program and devote those resources to the North Korean economy. The result has been a lot of hungry, angry, and nuclear armed North Koreans. Portugal's Participation in Defense Initiatives Helps Ukraine Withstand Russian Strikes - the President President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 21:38 The negotiations between Ukraine and Portugal were focused on the development of the partnership between the two countries and the support of the people. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a meeting with Prime Minister of Portugal LuAs Montenegro in Lisbon. The Head of State expressed his gratitude for the support of Ukraine and Ukrainians. He emphasized that the Ukrainian community is one of the largest in Portugal. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that the signed Security Agreement defines specific areas of defense and political cooperation. "I would like to emphasize the participation of Portugal in defense initiatives that help us withstand Russian strikes, as well as the work on training our pilots for the F-16s. I am also grateful for the support to Ukraine in European and Euro-Atlantic institutions," the President said. During the meeting, the parties discussed preparations for the Peace Summit and steps that could bring the end of the Russian invasion closer. "We expect different nations, different states, all continents at the Peace Summit, so that everyone can show their leadership in protecting common values and peace," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. LuAs Montenegro emphasized that the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal will attend the Global Peace Summit. "Portugal will continue to help in all efforts, with contacts at all levels to encourage more countries to participate in this meeting," he said. The Prime Minister stated that Portugal will always support Ukraine and condemn Russian aggression. LuAs Montenegro also mentioned Portugal's participation in the Artillery Coalition. The country also has plans to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Has Signed a Bilateral Security Agreement with Portugal President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 19:05 In Lisbon, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Portugal LuAs Montenegro signed a bilateral Agreement on Security Cooperation. The agreement enshrines Portugal's commitment to support Ukraine in restoring its territorial integrity within the borders of 1991, including the territorial sea. Portugal will provide at least a126 million in military support this year. It also reaffirms its participation in the F-16 Coalition, the International Maritime Capability Coalition, and the large-caliber ammunition procurement program, demining efforts, and maritime security. Specific provisions of the agreement are devoted to bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, the intelligence sector, the fight against organized crime and propaganda, and countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks. Ukraine and Portugal will coordinate and strengthen joint efforts to support our country on its way to NATO membership. The section on political cooperation includes support for the Ukrainian Peace Formula, bringing the aggressor to justice, strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation, and working together to establish a mechanism to compensate for loss, damage or injury caused by Russian aggression. Portugal also commits to continue its participation in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and to contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in the Framework Document of this Coalition. Portugal has become the 12th country to sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine in furtherance of the G7 Joint Declaration adopted in Vilnius on July 12 last year. Previously, Ukraine has signed bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, Spain, and Belgium. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Agreement on Security Cooperation between Ukraine and Portugal President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 19:02 Preamble 1. Ukraine and Portugal (hereafter jointly referred to as "the Participants") condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation's illegal, unprovoked, unjustified and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to international peace and security and a blatant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, and the Charter of Paris. 2. Portugal is unwavering in its support for Ukraine's freedom, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders as of 1991, including the territorial sea, and recognises Ukraine's inherent right of self-defence, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. 3. The Participants strive for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the Ukraine's Peace Formula, in line with international law. 4. The Participants acknowledge that progress in the implementation of Ukraine's ambitious reform programme will strengthen Ukraine's security and prosperity, which are key to accomplish its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including in its path towards European Union and NATO membership. 5. Together they recognise that Ukraine's defence, recovery, reform, and European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations are mutually reinforcing and should be approached in a synergetic and complimentary manner. 6. The Participants underline their willingness to further strengthen their standing bilateral relations, including in the political, defence, security, economic, scientific and cultural fields. 7. This Agreement builds upon the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine adopted in Vilnius on 12 of July 2023 by the G7 Leaders, European and international partners. Part I: Scope 8. The Participants have decided to affirm, deepen, and expand their cooperation and partnership, based on their common interests in the defence of international law and order, peace, and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. 9. The Participants reaffirm that Ukraine's security is integral to Euro-Atlantic and global security and that Ukraine's future membership of NATO would make an effective contribution to peace and security in Europe. The Participants will coordinate and strengthen joint efforts to support Ukraine's path towards its future accession to NATO. 10. Portugal will provide unwavering support in order to enable Ukraine to: a. exercise its legitimate right of self-defence and resistance against future armed attacks; b. protect and restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; c. strengthen its economic stability and resilience, including through recovery and reconstruction, creating the conditions conducive to promoting Ukraine's economic prosperity; and d. pursue the implementation of reforms which are essential to realising its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including in its path towards European Union and NATO membership. 11. The Participants have, therefore, committed to strengthen their security cooperation by pursuing bilateral and long-term security commitments. 12. Portugal is committed to continue to provide medium and long-term military, political and financial support, as well as humanitarian assistance and civil protection support to Ukraine, which shall be determined in detail through consultations between the Participants and take into account Ukraine's contingent needs. Part II: Security and Defence Cooperation Defence Cooperation 13. In 2024, Portugal has committed to provide Ukraine with at least 126 million EUR of military support, including in-kind and financial contributions. Portugal has already committed 100 million Eur to the Czech initiative for ammunition purchase in support of Ukraine. Portugal will further contribute to additional military support to Ukraine, including to be agreed in the framework of the European Union, NATO and other relevant international fora. 14. Since 2022, Portugal has comprehensively supported Ukraine bilaterally and through the European Union and NATO, inter alia by providing lethal and non-lethal military equipment, including Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks, UAV systems, M113 armoured personnel carrier vehicles, M113 and M577 armoured rescue and medical evacuation vehicles, and other military equipment. Portugal is also part of the F16 Coalition and the International Maritime Capability Coalition and the large calibre ammunition joint procurement programs led by Czech Republic and the European Defence Agency. 15. The Participants will work together, and with other Partners, to ensure that the security and defence forces of Ukraine are able to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders as of 1991, as well as to contribute to their modernization, in order to enhance their ability to repel any possible armed aggression and their interoperability with NATO forces. 16. Underpinned by the Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and Ukraine Concerning Military Cooperation signed in 2008, the Participants will cooperate on ensuring a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring future aggressions. To this end, Portugal will support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and will provide Ukraine with timely security assistance, military equipment, and other key capabilities, across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains according to its possibilities, as required by present and future circumstances. 17. The Participants will cooperate on coordinating activities focusing on the modernisation of the security and defence forces of Ukraine with the aim of providing Ukraine with a credible deterrent against future foreign aggression and to enhance interoperability with NATO forces. This includes the development of a modern defence sector in Ukraine, and a pathway to a future in NATO. 18. The Participants propose to establish cooperation enabling Ukraine to develop comprehensive military capabilities, inter alia, in the following fields: a. Structural support for reform of the defence sector, including support work on defence governance and policies to support the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine in a structural manner; b. Training of the Ukrainian security and defence forces, in a national capacity and in the European framework, including train-the-trainers programmes; c. Support in addressing hybrid threats, including cyber-defence and resilience initiatives; d. Assistance to the Ukrainian system of medical support for the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian service persons; e. Support to the development of the Ukrainian security and defence forces, including enhancing interoperability with NATO standards; f. Military equipment, including through industrial cooperation, armament, defence equipment and products across land, air, sea, cyber and space domains, prioritising Ukraine's key capability needs. 19. Portugal will continue to provide military support to Ukraine on a bilateral basis and through multilateral instruments, including via NATO's Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), the European Union's Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) under the European Peace Facility (EPF), and through other Capability Coalitions. Portugal, alongside fellow international partners, will continue to participate and actively engage in international formats such as the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) to closely coordinate international military support to Ukraine. Ukraine's Future Defence Forces' Capabilities 20. Portugal supports Ukraine's Future Defence Forces' Capabilities and will continue to take part, bilaterally and with partners (e.g. within the European Union, NATO and the UDCG), in the international endeavour to support the modernisation of the Defence Forces of Ukraine, including its non-military security components, to improve its interoperability and accelerated transition to NATO standards. 21. Portugal will continue to support plans and governance structures in the framework of the UDCG, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of its Capability Coalitions. 22. Portugal will contribute to building and strengthening Ukraine's Air Force and air defence as a member of the Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC). Portugal, within its means, capabilities and possibilities, will support efforts aiming at securing a holistic F-16 capacity through the AFCC, including with training, maintenance and donation of equipment. 23. Portugal will co-lead a line-of-effort in the International Maritime Capability Coalition and will consider participating in other capability coalitions, as appropriate and on a case-by-case basis. 24. The combined effect of these efforts will contribute to improving the interoperability of the Defence Forces of Ukraine as it moves closer to NATO standards. The combined effect of these efforts will contribute to developing Ukraine's Future Defence Forces' Capabilities across all domains and enhance its interoperability with Euro-Atlantic partners. Training and Exercises 25. Portugal will continue and expand, as appropriate, its support in strengthening the capacity of Ukraine's security and defence forces personnel, including through the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) and the Advisory Mission (EUAM) in support of Ukraine. 26. Portugal will provide individual and collective training to the security and defence forces of Ukraine including train-the-trainers programmes, particularly on weapon systems supplied by NATO Allies. The training will also promote increased interoperability with Euro-Atlantic partners. Training will be provided in close cooperation with partners within the European Union and NATO and in compliance with applicable national, European Union and international law. 27. Portugal, whenever possible, will seek to promote the participation - as observers or full participants - of Ukrainian security and defence forces personnel in its security and military exercises. 28. Ukraine and Portugal will share lessons learned on systems and tactics. 29. The Participants, through the respective Ministries of Defence, will engage in cooperation to develop Ukraine's system of military education to align it with NATO principles and standards. Defence Industry Cooperation 30. The Participants recognise the importance of continuing the cooperation between their defence industries and will strive to identify opportunities for closer defence partnerships and examine ways to encourage and facilitate engagement of their defence sectors along the industrial value chains, including through the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). 31. The Participants commit to continue working in support of the development of Ukraine's defence industrial base, and to identify the opportunities for defence and security industry capability development and investment in Ukraine. 32. The Participants will consider ways to enable Ukraine's defence industry to contribute effectively to restoring its territorial integrity, acting as a major driver in economic recovery and to contribute to effective deterrence of future aggression, as well as the alignment of standards and improving interoperability with Euro-Atlantic partners. 33. Portugal will support, where possible, Ukraine's efforts to integrate its defence industry into NATO and the European Union defence standards and security frameworks. 34. Bilateral cooperation in this specific field can include, among others: a. Education and training, in accordance with the needs and possibilities of the Participants on technology and defence industry; b. Development, creation, modernization, reparation and provision of other military-technical products and services; c. Transfer of technology and provision of technical support in establishing production of armament and military material; d. Support for the development of supply chains for key materials and components required for Ukraine's defence product manufacture; e. Exchange of information and experiences on standardisation, certification and quality control of defence products for the implementation of joint programs; f. Protection of transferred technologies and intellectual property rights for results and objects of intellectual property related to design and production of armament, ammunition and military material. 35. Portugal will work with Ukraine to identify funding sources required to enable development of Ukraine's defence industrial base, which will include, within its means and possibilities, investments and financial assistance, in particular in the time of war and post-war recovery. Demining 36. Portugal, within its means and possibilities, can assist combat demining efforts, thereby contributing to the complete clearance of the entire territory of Ukraine from mines and explosive devices and substances. Maritime Security 37. The Participants will seek to coordinate their efforts on strengthening international cooperation in the domain of maritime security in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international legal instruments. They will work on options for the development of Ukraine's naval capabilities, including to improve the interoperability of Ukrainian and NATO Navy forces. Part III: Cooperation in the Event of Future Armed Attack 38. In the event of a future armed attack in violation of the United Nations Charter by the Russian Federation, at the request of either of the Participants, bilateral consultations between the Participants would take place within 24 hours to determine appropriate next steps. 39. Portugal affirms that in those circumstances, and acting within its means and capabilities and in accordance with its respective legal and constitutional requirements and with international and European Union's rules and law, it would provide Ukraine, as appropriate, with swift and sustained support in the field of security and defence, and economic assistance, seek agreement in the European Union to impose economic and other costs on the Russian Federation and consult with Ukraine on its needs as it exercises its inherent right of individual self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. 40. In order to ensure the widest and most effective collective response to future armed attacks, the Participants may amend these provisions so as to align them with any mechanism that they may subsequently agree with other international partners, including the subscribers of the G7 Joint Declaration of 12 July 2023. Part IV: Other Military and Non-military Security Threats Hybrid Threats 41. The Participants will cooperate in countering hybrid attacks from Russia and its proxies. 42. The Participants reaffirm their commitment to defending their open and democratic societies against these malign activities. The Participants remain united in their efforts to defend themselves against and counter hybrid threats. Portugal will continue to support initiatives to counter hybrid threats within the European Union, NATO and relevant international coalitions. The Participants intend to continue to learn from each other and support each other to strengthen resilience in the face of hybrid challenges. Cybersecurity 43. The Participants will work together to enable Ukraine to detect, deter and counter any hostile states' cyber operations, including cyber espionage and sabotage, including through greater cyber resilience and critical infrastructure protection. This will be achieved through information sharing, conducting joint operations and providing technical assistance to Ukraine, within the legal boundaries and upon the availability of information and expertise. 44. The Participants will work towards deepening Ukraine's cooperation with NATO structures on cybersecurity. Countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Risks 45. The Participants will work towards developing cooperation to strengthen their resilience against Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons related risks. Portugal intends to explore avenues of support to Ukraine in developing its civil protection capabilities and resilience against CBRN-related risks. Combating Information Manipulation and Propaganda 46. The Participants will work to strengthen their cooperation to counter information security threats, including propaganda and other forms of foreign interference, primarily emanating from the Russian Federation. The Participants will strive to mutually support each other in countering those threats and strengthening resilience. 47. The Participants will enhance cooperation to improve Ukraine's capabilities to counter foreign interference and manipulation of information, primarily Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns. Intelligence and Security Cooperation 48. The Participants will continue to enhance their cooperation in the field of intelligence and security. This will be achieved through intelligence sharing and cooperation, including in the field of counterintelligence and counterterrorism, and improving the channels for the swift strategic intelligence exchange concerning national security threats and early warning. 49. Portugal will contribute to supporting the enhancement and reform of Ukraine's security and intelligence architecture capabilities through the exchange of experience, best practices and lessons learned, including the development of joint educational and training programmes for their respective intelligence. Cooperation in the sphere of combating serious and organised crime (SOC) 50. Where security and safety conditions permit, the Participants will take actions to counteract the activities of serious organised crime, in particular individuals and groups that are trying to infiltrate across Ukrainian society, have criminal influence in certain regions, including the temporarily occupied ones, and are actively used as a tool of hybrid warfare to counteract the processes of recovery and reconciliation in Ukraine. Strengthening Resilience and Protection of Critical Infrastructure 51. Portugal will continue to support Ukraine to enhance protection, reconstruction and the resilience of critical infrastructure on the bilateral base and within the European Union, NATO and relevant international coalitions. The Participants intend to explore areas for enhanced international cooperation with a view to exchanging knowledge and best-practices in the realm of critical infrastructure capabilities in various sectors. Part V: Humanitarian aid, Recovery and Reconstruction Humanitarian Aid 52. The Participants reaffirm that, as Ukraine begins early recovery and reconstruction, they will ensure the continuation of well-coordinated life-saving humanitarian aid where it is needed. The Participants will work together to ensure a better prioritised, targeted humanitarian response which delivers to those most in need, including in hard-to-reach areas. Recovery and Reconstruction 53. Portugal, together with international organisations and partners, is committed to supporting Ukraine throughout its path from early to long-term recovery, in line with Ukraine's European perspective and its status as a European Union candidate country. 54. Portugal is committed to provide support to Ukraine in the field of reconstruction, namely of the education sector. The Participants intend to stimulate the participation by their respective private sectors in the recovery and reconstruction efforts. The authorities of Ukraine will ensure that the support received for the purposes of recovery and reconstruction is used in a manner that is efficient, transparent and accountable. Part VI: Political Cooperation Comprehensive, Just and Sustainable Peace 55. The Participants recognize that neither Ukraine nor the whole of Europe will be secure until Ukraine's territorial integrity is fully restored within its internationally recognized borders and a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace, that respects Ukraine's rights under international law, including the United Nations Charter, is put in place. 56. Portugal will continue to participate committedly in global outreach efforts, in cooperation with Ukraine and other partners, to ensure the widest possible international support for the key principles and objectives of Ukraine's Peace Formula and participation in the high-level meetings in this framework. Accountability 57. The Participants reaffirm their commitment to holding the Russian Federation accountable for causing losses or damage to individuals and entities, as well as to the state of Ukraine, as a result of its internationally wrongful acts in Ukraine or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the United Nations Charter. 58. The Participants reaffirm that there must be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities and that the Russian Federation must bear the legal responsibility, including making reparation for any damage caused by such acts, which will also help deter future attacks and support Ukraine's recovery. 59. The Participants will seek to hold to account those responsible for war crimes and other international crimes, committed in or against Ukraine in the context of the Russian Federation's illegal war of aggression, consistent with international law, including by supporting the work of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the International Criminal Court to ensure allegations of war crimes are fully and fairly investigated by independent, effective and robust legal mechanisms. 60. The Participants share the conviction of the need to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and will continue their engagement in the "Core group on options for the establishment of a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine". 61. Portugal will support Ukraine to ensure the immediate release and return of all unlawfully detained, forcibly transferred and illegally deported civilians, primarily children. The Participants will contribute to international efforts to bring those responsible for organising the illegal deportation and displacement of Ukrainian children to justice according to the norms of international law and the decisions of international judicial institutions. 62. Portugal is committed to continuing its participation in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children led by Ukraine and Canada, which was launched on 2 February 2024, and contributing to the achievement of the objectives set out in this Coalition's Framework Document. Compensation for Losses, Injuries and Damages caused by the Russian Aggression 63. The Participants reaffirm that the Russian Federation is to be held accountable for the damages inflicted in or against Ukraine. The Participants reaffirm that, also in view of the reconstruction of Ukraine, the Russian Federation is liable for compensation and must be held accountable for the damage, loss or injury arising from internationally unlawful acts committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including the act of aggression. Russian sovereign assets should remain immobilised until the Russian Federation has paid for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. Portugal, working with its partners, will continue to explore all lawful routes consistent with applicable contractual obligations and in accordance with European Union and international law through which extraordinary revenues stemming from Russian assets could be used to support Ukraine. 64. The Participants recognise the need to work together towards establishing a mechanism to provide compensation for damage, loss or injury caused by Russian aggression, as also envisaged by the Statute of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, adopted by the Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe CM/Res (2023). In this regard, the Participants will explore appropriate options for the financing of a compensation mechanism to provide prompt and adequate compensation to victims of aggression. Sanctions 65. The Participants recognize the value of sanctions in restricting the Russian Federation's and other aggressor-states' access to the finance, goods, technology and services it is utilising in its aggression, in bearing down on Russia's revenue streams, and to deter future attacks. The Participants will continue to work to ensure that the costs to Russia of its aggression continue to rise, including through sanctions and export controls. 66. As a European Union Member State, Portugal is committed to continue to support the approval and implementation of robust and legally sound sanctions to impede the Russian Federation's ability to pursue its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine by cutting it off from key markets and technologies and by curbing revenue streams. Portugal is further committed to preventing the circumvention of sanctions through third countries and to ensuring their enforcement domestically for as long as Ukraine's territorial integrity is not restored. 67. The Participants will provide each other with up-to-date information on the grounds for sanctions and other relevant information, in compliance with relevant obligations. Part VII: Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic Aspirations 68. The future of Ukraine and its people lies within the European family in the European Union. Portugal strongly supports Ukraine's accession process and its efforts in implementing related reforms for its future European Union membership. 69. Portugal will continue to support Ukraine in establishing conditions for enhanced economic and trade relations leading towards Ukraine's gradual alignment with the European Union Internal Market with the overall goal of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. 70. Portugal will continue to support Ukraine on its path towards European Union membership and to offer practical guidance. 71. The Participants recall that Ukraine's future is in NATO. Ukraine has become increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance. The Participants recognize that Ukraine has made substantial progress on its reform path and will join NATO in the future, when Allies agree and conditions are met. 72. The Participants will cooperate in helping Ukraine make the necessary reforms on Ukraine's path towards its future NATO membership. Part VIII: Implementation of Cooperation 73. The Participants will implement this Agreement in accordance with their international and national obligations, as well as Portugal's European commitments. 74. The Participants will, if necessary, designate authorised bodies for the development and implementation of bilateral agreements in accordance with the areas of cooperation specified in this Agreement, including through holding annual senior-level Strategic Defence and Security Policy Dialogue. 75. The authorised bodies of the Participants can conclude executive and technical agreements on specific areas of cooperation within the framework of the implementation of this Agreement. Part IX: Final Provisions Status of the Agreement 76. The Participants recognize and accept that this Agreement does not have the status and the nature of the instruments referred to in Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, and is thus not susceptible to be registered with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Timeframe 77. This Agreement is valid for 10 (ten) years from the date of its signature. 78. The Participants can jointly decide to extend this Agreement through notification no later than 6 (six) months prior to the lapse of the 10-year period. 79. At the same time and in accordance with the G7 Joint Declaration of 12 July 2023, the Participants intend this Agreement to remain valid as Ukraine pursues its path to future membership in the Euro-Atlantic community. 80. In the event Ukraine becomes a member of NATO before the expiry of this Agreement, the Participants will decide on its future status. 81. The provisions of this Agreement will come into effect immediately upon signature. 82. Any difference between the Participants in the interpretation and/or implementation of this Agreement will be resolved amicably through consultation between the Participants. Termination 83. This Agreement may be terminated by either Participant by giving written notice of such intention to the other Participant. 84. This Agreement shall be terminated 6 (six) months from the date of receipt of such notice. 85. The termination will not affect the implementation of ongoing activities or projects decided upon prior to the date of its termination, unless the Participants decide otherwise. Amendments 86. Amendments to this Agreement, including annexes thereto, may be made at any time as mutually decided by Participants in writing. Expenses 87. Any expenses incurred under this Agreement depend on the budget availability of each participant and are carried out in accordance with the laws governing its organisation and structure, as well as in compliance with the respective national law. Signed in Lisbon on 28 May 2024, in duplicate, in Portuguese, Ukrainian and English languages, all texts being equivalent. In case of any divergence, the text in English shall prevail. For Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy For Portugal: Prime Minister Luis Montenegro NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At the Melsbroek Air Base, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Got Acquainted with the Process of Training for the F-16 Aircraft Use in Ukraine President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 18:09 During his working visit to Belgium, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Melsbroek military base. He viewed F-16 fighter jets and talked with Belgian pilot instructors and Ukrainian military personnel training there. The Head of State was informed in detail about the combat characteristics and technical specifications of the aircraft, as well as about the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s. The Belgian pilot instructors noted the high motivation of their Ukrainian colleagues. In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are undergoing training in fighter jet maintenance. They told him that they have experienced instructors, receive all important information and want to return to Ukraine as soon as possible to perform combat missions and speed up our victory. "I wish you a good completion of your training. Thank you very much, we are counting on you, and we are waiting for you at home," the President said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Almost a1 Billion in Aid and the First F-16 Aircraft Coming This Year: Results of the Meeting between the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Belgium President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 13:50 Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in relations between Ukraine and Belgium. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo. Ukraine and Belgium have signed a bilateral security agreement clearly stipulating the delivery of 30 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine by 2028. The document also includes defense support. This year, Belgium will provide almost a billion euros in military aid. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the support for Ukraine on its path to the EU and NATO, sanctions against Russia and the fair use of Russian assets enshrined in the agreement. "Today we have discussed that this year Ukraine may receive one billion seven hundred million euros from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. There is also a solution for reconstruction - Belgium will allocate funds for the restoration of our Chernihiv region," the President noted. The Head of State also thanked Belgium and the Prime Minister for the principled support of the Global Peace Summit. "There are only two scenarios: either real peace or further expansion of the war. We see that Russia is doing everything for the second scenario and is trying to disrupt the Peace Summit. I am grateful to every leader, every state that understands this and does everything to ensure that the Peace Summit can truly become a coercion of Russia into peace," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo noted that his country will continue training the Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces in the naval sector, mine clearance, and F-16 fighter jet operations. He added that Belgium's goal is to deliver the first aircraft to Ukraine this year. "The current agreement provides Ukraine with the necessary modern military equipment and support for its defense industry. In this agreement, we mainly focus on military needs for the protection of the population - air defense, artillery, defense equipment and, of course, F-16 fighter jets," he emphasized. Alexander De Croo also expressed hope that the 14th package of sanctions would be adopted under the Belgian EU Presidency. "Although Russia's invasion has turned into a war of attrition, the EU and Belgium will continue to stand side by side with you in this war. It is our duty to help you win. Our support remains unchanged and steadfast. The outcome of this war is crucial for our European interests, values and security," the Belgian Prime Minister summarized. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine and Belgium Signed an Agreement on Security Commitments President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 10:36 In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo signed a bilateral Agreement on Security Cooperation and Long-Term Support. Belgium will allocate at least a977 million in military aid to Ukraine this year. This commitment, as well as the readiness to support our country over the ten-year term of the agreement, is enshrined in this document. For the first time, such a security agreement contains a specific number of military aircraft to be provided to Ukraine - 30 F-16s by 2028. And the first fighter jets are to be delivered this year. Belgium guarantees that it will provide timely security assistance, modern military equipment and weapons, taking into account Ukraine's air force and air defense needs, naval security, mine clearance, as well as within the artillery ammunition coalition. It will also facilitate military training. Separate blocks of the document focus on bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, support for the Ukrainian Peace Formula, strengthening sanctions, compensation for damages, bringing the aggressor to justice, using confiscated Russian assets for Ukraine's needs, and assistance in economic recovery and reconstruction. Cooperation in the areas of intelligence, cybersecurity, and countering disinformation will be deepened. In the agreement, Belgium clearly reaffirms its support for Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO. Belgium is the 11th country with which Ukraine has signed a bilateral security agreement in furtherance of the G7 Joint Declaration adopted in Vilnius on July 12 last year. A total of 32 states have already joined the declaration. Prior to that, Ukraine signed bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, and Spain. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Agreement on Security Cooperation and Long-Term Support between the Kingdom of Belgium and Ukraine President of Ukraine 28 May 2024 - 10:27 The Kingdom of Belgium, hereinafter referred to as "Belgium", and Ukraine, hereinafter referred to collectively as "the Participants" or "Belgium and Ukraine", Reaffirming their enduring solidarity in the face of the armed aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act, and the Charter of Paris. Reaffirming Ukraine's inherent right of self-defence, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Recognizing that Russia's illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a threat to international peace and security and a flagrant violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. Recalling Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has caused immense destruction and civilian casualties with monumental consequences for Ukraine, the whole of Europe and the international community. The return of war to the European continent is a stark reminder of Russia's expansionist and aggressive behaviour in direct violation of international law and the European security order. Reiterating their unwavering commitment to the strategic objective of an independent, democratic, and sovereign Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders as of 1991, including the territorial sea, entitled with the sovereign right of each State to freely choose its security arrangements, and capable of defending itself and deterring any future aggression. Recognising the importance of the fundamental principles for a just and lasting peace laid out in Ukraine's Peace Formula, in line with international law. Reaffirming their profound commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, good governance, respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights. Acknowledging Ukraine's pathway towards future integration within the Euro-Atlantic community and its commitment to continue implementing reforms regarding good governance, anti-corruption, transparency, and modernisation of the defence sector, are conducive to Ukraine realising its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, including towards European Union and NATO membership. Recalling the historic decisions of the European Council of 23 June 2022 and 14 December 2023 granting Ukraine candidate status to the European Union and opening accession negotiations between the European Union and Ukraine, underlining that enlargement is a geo-strategic investment in peace, security, stability, and shared prosperity. Considering the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine adopted in Vilnius on 12 July 2023 by the G7 Leaders, which 25 additional countries, including Belgium, have since endorsed as of 1 March 2024. Recalling the long-standing diplomatic relations and friendship between both countries since Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, the Participants have jointly determined to deepen their bilateral security cooperation and partnership by pursuing the long-term commitments set forth in this Agreement, which are based on common interests in the defence of international peace and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Have reached the following agreement: INTRODUCTION 1. Belgium, together with the 26 other EU Member States, immediately supported the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine of 12 July 2023 (hereinafter the 'G7 Declaration'), adopted by the Group of Seven (G7) and the EU on the margins of the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023. Belgium reiterated its support for the G7 Declaration and agreed to start bilateral negotiations with Ukraine on security commitments to be formalised in close coordination with EU, NATO and G7 Allies and partners. Belgium hereby formalises its long-term bilateral security commitments to Ukraine. 2. Belgium stands united with its European partners in bolstering Ukraine's resilience and capacity to defend itself and will continue to support Ukraine, as long as it takes to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, as well as to prevent the escalation of the ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Belgium and the EU are committed to lock in support for Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, rebuilds its economy, protects its citizens, and advances its reform agenda, as it pursues its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. 3. Belgium's security commitments to Ukraine seek to complement the bilateral and multilateral contributions from other participants of the G7 Declaration, and most notably the support delivered by the EU Member States and NATO Allies with the purpose of bolstering Ukraine's defensive fight against Russian aggression. 4. Belgium's security commitments to Ukraine are aligned and closely coordinated with Allies' and partners' efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defence, resilience, and reform path. The commitments set forth in this Agreement reflect a strategic choice and involve comprehensive support to Ukraine's inherent right of self-defence against Russia's war of aggression and deterrence of future Russian aggression. Any extension of the security commitments will occur in dialogue between the Participants, and in close coordination with EU Member States and NATO Allies. 5. Belgium will continue to provide long-term military support to Ukraine's self-defence, resilience, and deterrence of future Russian aggression. Belgium's Ukraine Fund, or other funds established for this purpose, resourced amongst others through the Belgian corporate taxation levied on windfall profits stemming from the immobilisation of Russian assets held with the Belgian based central securities depository Euroclear, serves for ongoing military and civilian support for Ukraine. Ultimately, together with EU and G7 partners, Belgium wants to ensure that immobilised Russian assets, as well as revenues from them, will be used as much as possible to provide long-term financial support to Ukraine, either as direct budget support or through a support vehicle to be determined by the EU and/or the G7, and/or for compensation for damage, loss and injury to individuals and entities, as well as to the state of Ukraine, as a result of Russia's internationally wrongful acts in Ukraine or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations. 6. As of 30 April 2024, Belgium has provided Ukraine with a total of 1.072 million euro in assistance, of which 898 million euro in military support. In 2024, Belgium will allocate at least 977 million EUR in military support on behalf of Ukraine. 7. Belgium will continue supporting Ukraine for the ten-year duration of this Agreement. PART 1. MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND LONG-TERM SUPPORT TO UKRAINE'S DEFENCE, RESILIENCE, AND DETERRENCE AGAINST RUSSIAN AGGRESSION 8. The Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) was set up among Allies as a critical cooperative "pooling and sharing" platform aimed at enhancing Ukraine's deterrence in the years ahead. In that context, Belgium currently supports and actively participates in six of the ten capability coalitions set under the UDCG, including on air force capability, air defence, ammunition, maritime capability, mine clearance and cyber security. Belgium commits to pursue and amplify its efforts in those different domains, in the framework of the UDCG or of any subsequent mechanism created with the same aim. Defence and military support 9. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Belgium has supported the Ukrainian forces. Belgium has been a committed and responsive contributor of military support to Ukraine and has pledged to enhance this level of support. Furthermore, Belgium has joined European efforts to form an international coalition providing Ukraine with fighter jet capability. Belgium will continue its efforts to improve the capability of the security and defence forces of Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression now as well as to deter further aggression in the future, and to enhance interoperability of Ukrainian capabilities with NATO standards. 10. It is the policy of Belgium to assist Ukraine in preserving its qualitative defence and military edge amid rapid, uncertain and challenging regional political and security transformation. 11. Ukraine will ensure that Belgian military assistance, including weapons and military equipment, is to be used exclusively by Ukrainian security and defence forces for the sole defence of its territorial integrity against the Russian invasion and in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law. Ukraine will respect end-user commitments and prevent any diversion or illegal circulation of the Belgian military assistance provided to Ukraine. 12. Belgium's support will include short-term military needs as well as the long-term capacity building of Ukraine's Future Defence Forces, including exploring options for assistance in the constituting of strategic stockpiles. This will be achieved through the provision of continuous military support across land, air, sea, space, and cyber-electromagnetic domains in close coordination and cooperation with relevant international partners and institutions. 13. Belgium, in accordance with national legislative and constitutional requirements, will provide Ukraine with timely security assistance, modern military equipment (and weapons) in all areas, considering Ukrainian needs in the framework of future defence forces (including "war" format), as well as other comprehensive economical support. a) Air Force and Air Defence 14. Belgium is committed to contribute to collective efforts aimed at strengthening and enhancing the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Through its participation in the Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC), Belgium will support efforts in securing a Ukrainian F-16 capacity, in particular with aircraft, ammunition, training of pilots and technicians, as well as long-term maintenance of the fighter jets and the establishment of proper facilities in Ukraine. Belgium wants to play a leading role in the F-16 sustainability group, focussed on the maintenance of F-16s, the designation of personnel and airports, etc. 15. In 2024, the Belgian Government decided to deliver Belgian F-16s as quickly as possible to strengthen Ukraine's defence capacity and defend its airspace and territory against Russian military targets. Belgium will do everything possible, in consultation with its allies and partners of the F-16 coalition, to accelerate the first delivery, if possible before the end of 2024, without endangering its security and the operationality of its air capacity and taking into account the delivery of the F-35s to the Belgian Air Component and subsequent decommissioning of the F-16s. The estimated total delivery by 2028 includes 30 aircraft, which will be flown by Ukrainian pilots. This additional assistance is intended to enable Ukraine to strengthen its capacity to defend its people, its security and defence forces, its airspace and its territory. In addition, the Belgian Federal Government will supply Ukraine with F-16 ordnance and air defence munition, including through the Immediate Action on Air DAfense initiative. b) Maritime security 16. Maritime security in the Black Sea is essential to the sustainability of the national security and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as a key factor for securing global food flows. In this respect, Belgium will contribute to strengthening Ukraine's resilience and security in the maritime domain, in cooperation with Allies and partners, through capacity-building efforts, training efforts, as well as donations. Belgium has joined the UDCG's Demining Clearance Coalition and will supply Ukraine with one mine hunting vessel. c) Demining 17. Belgium's mine clearance Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) expertise is internationally recognised. Since the start of Russia's full-scale war of aggression in 2022, Belgium has provided support to combat and humanitarian mine clearing action in Ukraine. Russia's massive contamination of Ukrainian soil through ammunition, mines, and other explosives remnants of war, being unexploded and abandoned ordnance, forms a threat to civilian safety and undermines food security and economic sustainability. Given the scale of the challenge, Belgium aims to continue and expand demining EOD efforts in Ukraine by providing training efforts, donations of equipment and support in developing and sustaining international demining standards. Ukraine will facilitate demining assistance by enhancing institutional capacity in mine clearing action. This support to Ukraine will be coordinated with Allies and partners. d) Urgent needs 18. Belgium will continue to provide Ukraine with military donations and to contribute actively to joint ammunition procurement efforts with Allies for the benefit of Ukraine's security and defence forces, such as through the participation in the group purchase of artillery ammunition within the UDCG's Ammunition Coalition framework. Belgium is contributing with 200 million euro in a Czech-led initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukrainian security and defence forces. e) Training and exercises 19. In addition to supply and procurement, enhancing training efforts is considered by Belgium and Ukraine as a critical value adding function to enhance Ukraine's long-standing effort to fully restore and sustain its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders as of 1991. Belgium will therefore continue its efforts to train Ukrainian security and defence forces' personnel, with around 2,200 already trained by the Belgian Armed Forces as of April 2024. 20. Belgium will continue to contribute to the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in Ukraine by supplying personnel and training modules, as appropriate. At the same time, the Belgian Participant will carry on specific and specialised training (including train-the-trainers programmes) on a bilateral basis, in close coordination with EUMAM in Ukraine and the Security Assistance Group - Ukraine (SAG-U). In particular, in the areas of the fight against chemical, bacteriological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, mine clearance and the development of Ukraine's underwater drone capacity. As soon as the situation allows, on request of the counterpart, the Belgian Participant will examine the possibility to conduct combined exercises to better support the process of standardisation and interoperability of the security and defence forces of Ukraine. 21. By combining and synergising these actions with Allies and partners, Belgian military support will contribute to the modernisation of the security and defence forces of Ukraine and ensure a greater degree of interoperability with NATO standards. This includes, inter alia, the provision of equipment, infrastructure, and training (including train-the-trainers' programmes) required to effectively address battlefield demands and for greater interoperability with NATO standards. 22. As an essential part of its support, Belgium will continue to channel military assistance to Ukraine through multilateral instruments, including the planned EU's Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) within the European Peace Facility (EPF), the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), and NATO's Ukraine Multi-Year Comprehensive Assistance Package (MYCAP). In that context, Belgian bilateral military assistance to Ukraine is also articulated as an integral and complementary part of these instruments. 23. The Participants will seek to ensure that in the event of external military aggression against Belgium, Ukraine's military capabilities are sufficient for the provision by Ukraine of effective military support to Belgium. The terms, format and scope of such support will be determined by the Participants. 24. To ensure the above-mentioned objectives, the Participants will hold annual senior-level Strategic Defence and Security Policy Dialogue. Defence industry cooperation 25. Belgium will support Ukraine's efforts to integrate Ukraine's defence industry into EU and NATO defence and security frameworks. Belgium and Ukraine are committing to enhance their Defence industry cooperation to meet military needs and to preserve and enhance Ukraine's military edge necessary for self-defence against Russia's aggression. 26. Belgium supports the strengthening of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) for the benefit of both national operational readiness and military support to Ukraine. Belgium and Ukraine will promote the integration of Ukrainian defence industries with the EDTIB, while leveraging EU initiatives where and when relevant. Enduring European military support for Ukraine is directly related to the strengthening of EDTIB, backed by a strong defence industry able to deliver quickly, increasing production capacity and avoiding fragmentation. In this respect, the European Commission initiative for developing and scaling up a comprehensive industrial strategy for European defence, is timely. 27. In accordance with the Memorandum of understanding signed on 29 January 2024 between the Belgian Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Ministry for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, Belgium will contribute to the development of Ukraine's defence industrial base and identify opportunities for closer partnerships while working with Ukraine to reduce existing barriers for cooperation, and encourage and support its Defence Industry to invest, in particular exploring opportunities for joint production, and implement joint projects aimed at increasing the potential and production volumes of the Ukrainian defence industry. 28. The Participants will work to identify funding sources required to enable development of Ukraine's defence industrial base, which will include providing investments and financial assistance, particularly in the time of war and post-war recovery. Belgium will allocate an annual amount of funding to support Ukraine's defence industry development. Belgium will work with Belgian defence industries to seek opportunities to mitigate existing defence supply chain bottlenecks and expand Ukraine's defence industry capacity to meet its urgent needs. 29. Belgium will develop strategic cooperation in the defence industry and identify opportunities for closer defence industrial partnerships and collaboration, especially in the area of innovative technologies. 30. Belgium and Ukraine will implement joint projects aimed at increasing the potential and production volumes of the Ukrainian defence industry. They will jointly identify priority investment areas, strengthen efforts to reduce existing barriers for cooperation, eliminate bottlenecks in the supply chain of defence materials, as well as encourage and support investments. 31. In this context, Belgium supports the operators of its defence industrial and technology base in their current and future efforts to cooperate with Ukraine through the Ukrainian Defence Industry Compact initiative, including potential technology transfer, partnerships, establishment of joint ventures and investments' opportunities. 32. The Participants will work together to ensure the protection of any transferred technologies and intellectual property rights. Cyber security, Cyber Defence, and countering disinformation 33. Belgium and Ukraine will cooperate to enable Ukraine to protect and defend itself against Russian cyber aggression, cyber espionage, hybrid warfare, and FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference), including through greater cyber resilience and critical infrastructure protection. This will be achieved through information sharing, conducting joint operations and providing technical assistance to Ukraine, within the legal frameworks and upon the availability of information and expertise. 34. The Participants will work towards deepening Ukraine's cooperation with NATO structures on cybersecurity. 35. Belgium and Ukraine will continue cooperation in the field of countering Russian and any other external actor of disinformation. They will jointly promote the development of capabilities to counter hybrid threats, Russian and any other malign propaganda and disinformation campaigns affecting national security. This will be achieved by regular expert workshops, sharing of lessons learned and experience as well as the development of joint educational and training programs. Intelligence, Counterintelligence and Security cooperation 36. The Participants will enhance their intelligence and counterintelligence cooperation, in accordance with bilateral agreements, in order to detect, prevent, and deter any aggression and hybrid warfare from Russia or other hostile state or non-state actors to secure Belgium and Ukraine from such malign activities. This will be achieved through, but not limited to, intelligence and experience sharing, as well as cooperation between intelligence and security agencies of the Participants, including pursuing joint initiatives and trainings. 37. The Participants will seek to conclude a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) between their respective countries that will facilitate greater information sharing between various government agencies of the Participants. Countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) risks 38. The Participants will deepen cooperation in order to strengthen their resilience against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons-related risks. Belgium will explore avenues of support to Ukraine in developing its civil protection capabilities and resilience against CBRN-related risks. PART II. CIVILIAN SUPPORT, RESILIENCE AND RECONSTRUCTION Humanitarian aid, civilian assistance, and resilience 39. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war of aggression, Belgium has contributed in a decisive and timely manner to the provision of critical civilian support for sustaining and strengthening Ukraine's resilience, with respect for critical aspects in the delivery of basic services, humanitarian relief of war-affected communities, and the rehabilitation of social infrastructure and services. This Agreement on security commitments acknowledges and includes a continuation and a scaling up of such efforts with multi-year funding for civilian assistance, and reconstruction cooperation to support Ukraine's war alleviation, resilience, recovery, and reconstruction. 40. Belgium will continue to support Ukraine to enhance protection, reconstruction, and the resilience of critical infrastructure on a bilateral base and via the European Union, NATO, and other relevant international frameworks. The Participants intend to explore areas for enhanced international cooperation with a view to exchanging knowledge and best practices in the realm of critical infrastructure capabilities in various sectors. 41. A pluri-annual assistance programme will be designed and implemented by the Belgian Development Agency Enabel from May 2024 onwards, in close partnership with the authorities of Ukraine, the city of Chernihiv and Chernihiv Region to support reconstruction, resilience and reforms, focusing on the education and health sectors in particular, and with special attention to energy efficiency. Financial stability and economic cooperation 42. Belgium will continue to work actively within the EU to ensure macro-financial support to Ukraine and to further European and international coordination. Belgium will support private sector cooperation including through the facilities for Ukraine under the Belgian Export Credit Agency Credendo and the Belgian Investment Company BIO. Since December 2023, Belgian Export Credit Agency Credendo has earmarked a budget of 100 million euro to intervene in short- and long-term commercial transactions on behalf of the Belgian state with a view to provide Belgian companies with guidance to identify concrete avenues, partners, and financing opportunities in and for Ukraine. In addition to this, the Belgian Investment Company BIO has earmarked a budget of 10 million euro for the years 2024-2025 to support the resilience and the recovery of the local economy. 43. Belgium commits to supporting reconstruction and resilience geared towards addressing both urgent, medium- and longer-terms needs of Ukraine and creating the foundation for sustainable development of a resilient post-war Ukraine aimed at a just and lasting peace. Belgium's commitment to support the reconstruction of Ukraine will continue to be agile and responsive with strong emphasis on local capacity building and public-private partnership. Belgium and Ukraine concur that the recovery and reconstruction process needs to be transparent and accountable to the people of Ukraine and the international community. Belgium will assist Ukraine in creating a reliable legal and institutional framework in order to attract private investments and to that end, the Participants recognize that a combined effort of public and private sector stakeholders is vital. 44. In the context of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) Constituency, and in particular with the appointment of a Belgian Executive Director in November 2024 for the next four years, Belgium will ensure that the IMF and its staff remain closely engaged with the Ukrainian authorities. Continued and strong IMF support is essential to help Ukraine to support its balance of payments, to sustain economic and financial stability and to implement reforms that support Ukraine on its path towards future Membership of the EU. PART III. POLITICAL SUPPORT, SANCTIONS AND COMMITMENT TO REFORMS Ukraine's Peace Formula 45. Belgium and Ukraine will continue to work together for a just and lasting peace with broad global support, based on the "Ten Points" of Ukraine's Peace Formula for a Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine. Belgium will continue its diplomatic efforts to promote the implementation of Ukraine's Peace Formula, in particular its Peace Summits, among its partner-states worldwide. This Formula will provide the framework for Belgian actions and funding in a transition phase from crisis response to more strategic long-term plans (as clearly reflected in the EU opening negotiations with Ukraine, the Ukraine Facility, and the Ukraine Assistance Fund). 46. Along with a strong political and diplomatic commitment to the realisation of the necessary conditions for the full implementation of Ukraine's Peace Formula, Belgium is actively involved through various support measures to the works of the thematic working groups elaborated of Ukraine's Peace Formula, such as endorsed in the G7 Declaration. 47. Within this framework, Belgium focusses on energy supply and energy security, nuclear safety, the protection of critical infrastructure and the release of all prisoners and deportees, with a special focus on fulfilling the terms, conditions, and objectives of the signed Declaration of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to Ukraine as commitment to Ukraine's leading initiative on the safe return of these minors. Sanctions 48. Belgium and Ukraine recognise the value of sanctions in restricting Russia's access to finance, goods, technology, and services that are utilised in its war of aggression, for bearing down on Russia's revenue streams, and therefore for deterring Russia's capacity to sustain its war effort and to unleash future attacks. 49. Belgium has worked with resolve and ambition to uphold maximal sanctions on the Russian Federation and will continue to advocate and work in support for the strongest possible EU sanction regime when it comes to curtailing Russia's war effort by all means available. Belgium remains open for further additional sanctions and export controls, while ensuring the effectiveness of all existing packages, toward this goal. 50. Considering that EU sanctions' effectiveness depend on the EU's ability to implement them in a harmonised and economically and socially sustainable manner, as well as the EU's ability to fight sanction circumvention, Belgium will continue to take determined action through the EU to uphold sanction pressure on the Russian Federation and to tackle all forms of sanctions circumvention as long as Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues and Ukraine's territorial integrity is not restored. Belgium supports the enhancement of export restrictions to third-country companies that help circumvent EU sanctions by transiting battlefield goods to the Russian Federation. Belgium will remain committed, in the European framework, to pursuing robust sanctions against relevant sectors of the Russian economy and those who are actively supporting the war, or assisting in sanctions circumvention in third countries. 51. Belgium and Ukraine will provide each other with up-to-date information on the grounds for sanctions and other relevant information, in compliance with relevant obligations. Mindful of the political context, Belgium advocates for solid listings respecting rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Ukraine, for its part, commits to strengthen transparency and accountability measures regarding partner support, and to continue political and economic reforms. Fight against impunity and compensation for losses, injuries and damages caused by Russian aggression 52. The Participants reaffirm that there must be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities and that the Russian Federation must bear the legal responsibility, including making reparation for any damage caused by such acts, which will also help deter future attacks and support Ukraine's recovery. 53. Belgium and Ukraine attach the utmost importance to the fight against impunity, to ensure that war crimes and other international crimes committed in and against Ukraine do not go unpunished. They therefore reaffirm their commitment to ensuring accountability for international crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, including the crime of aggression. Belgium and Ukraine will continue their work, including in the Core Group, to establish a tribunal to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. 54. Belgium focusses in particular on the position of women and children. Belgium thus supports efforts by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Belgium supports combating sexual violence and supporting women's rights through various UN agencies and funds and the Global Survivors Fund or the UN Children's Fund for the defence of the rights of children in armed conflict. Belgium is also active in the Core Group for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression. 55. Belgium will continue to support Ukraine in conducting effective domestic investigation and the prosecution of international crimes committed by Russian invasion and occupation troops in Ukraine, in particular by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and will continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court. 56. Belgium and Ukraine strongly reaffirm that the Russian Federation is to be held accountable for causing losses or damage to individuals and entities, as well as to the state of Ukraine, as a result of its internationally wrongful acts in Ukraine or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations. Russian sovereign assets should remain immobilised until the Russian Federation has paid for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. Belgium, working with EU and international partners, will continue to pursue all lawful routes through which immobilised Russian assets and revenues from them could be used as much as possible to support Ukraine, including to compensate for damage, loss and injury to individuals and entities, as well as to the state of Ukraine, in accordance with EU and international law and taking into account relevant legal, financial and economic risks. 57. Belgium will continue to support the work of the Register of Damage. As a priority, Belgium and Ukraine will continue to work together along with like-minded partners towards the establishment of a compensation mechanism to provide compensation for damage, loss or injury caused by Russia's aggression, as envisaged by the Statute of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine adopted by the Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe CM/Res (2023)3. In this regard, the Participants will explore appropriate options for the financing of a compensation mechanism consistent with international law in order to provide prompt and adequate compensation to victims of aggression. PART IV. COOPERATION IN THE EVENT OF A FUTURE ARMED ATTACK 58. In the event of a future Russian armed attack against Ukraine, Belgium and Ukraine, at the request of either Participant, will consult within 24 hours, in order to determine appropriate next steps needed to counter or deter the aggression. 59. Belgium affirms that in those circumstances, and acting within its means and capabilities and in accordance with its legal and constitutional requirements along with European Union law and international law, it will provide Ukraine with swift and sustained assistance in the field of security and defence, defence industry, cross-domain military capability development, and humanitarian and economic assistance, as well as seek agreement in the EU to impose economic and other costs on the Russian Federation, and consult on Ukraine's needs as it exercises its right of self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. 60. To ensure the widest and most effective collective response to any future armed attack, Belgium and Ukraine may amend these provisions in order to align with any mechanism that they may subsequently agree with their other international partners, including the participants in the G7. PART V. EUROPEAN AND EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION 61. Belgium recognizes the considerable progress made by Ukraine, amid extremely adverse conditions and existential threats to its security and territorial integrity over the past two years, in implementing reforms towards future European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Ukraine reiterates its continued commitment to implementing reforms including in the areas of governance, anti-corruption, transparency and defence and security. Furthermore, Ukraine commits to continue implementing reforms to support and protect Ukraine's democracy and rule of law. 62. Belgium commends Ukraine for all the efforts already made in adopting the de-oligarchizing measures related to strengthening the anti-corruption apparatus and the independence of the judiciary and encourages Ukraine to continue with the implementation of EU requirements in order to establish a solid record of accomplishment in wide consultation with civil society. 63. Acknowledging the paramount importance of democratic control and a strong, independent and efficient justice system in tackling effectively corruption and organised crime and fostering public trust in the rule of law as essential pillars of a democratic Ukraine, Ukraine commits to further advancing reforms aimed at improving governance through strengthening institutional controls and the independence of the judiciary, as well as promoting and supporting anti-corruption efforts at all levels of society, including by focusing on further improving oversight and transparency across defence and security institutions. 64. Ukraine commits to implement reforms as defined by the EU, IMF and NATO covering inter alia governance, transparency, anti-corruption and democratic control over the security and defence forces. Ukraine's implementation of these reforms is essential and univocal for its EU and NATO aspirations. 65. Provided that Ukraine continues to implement these reforms to support and protect Ukraine's democracy and rule of law, Belgium will support Ukraine's reform efforts on its path towards future membership of the EU and NATO. Ukraine belongs to the European and Euro-Atlantic family and has a future in the EU and NATO. 66. Belgium acknowledges Ukraine's efforts to strive for the implementation of necessary reforms under extremely challenging circumstances. Belgium and Ukraine recall the merit-based nature of the EU accession process. They reaffirm their commitment to work constructively on Ukraine's progressive integration towards the Union, with a view to its future Union membership. 67. Belgium reaffirms that the security of Ukraine is integral to Euro-Atlantic and global security. Belgium is dedicated to supporting Ukraine's reform efforts on its path towards future NATO membership by, but not limited to, advancing practical and political cooperation through NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package, Ukraine's adapted Annual National Programme and the newly established NATO-Ukraine Council. 68. Belgium remains fully convinced that continued solidarity and united support from NATO Allies towards Ukraine is necessary in the long term. Euro-Atlantic support in the security and defence domain contributes to the rapprochement of Ukraine with NATO. 69. Belgium will continue to provide technical and financial resources to support Ukraine's merits-based pathway toward future membership in the EU and NATO. PART VI. CONSULTATION, COORDINATION AND REVIEW 70. In order to facilitate the implementation of this Agreement and to ensure an ongoing strategic dialogue, appropriate consultation formats will be arranged. 71. Belgium and Ukraine will, if necessary, designate authorised governmental bodies for the development and implementation of bilateral agreements in accordance with the areas of cooperation specified in this Agreement. 72. The competent governmental authorities of Belgium and Ukraine may conclude executive and technical agreements on specific areas of cooperation designated within the framework of implementation of this Agreement. 73. The commitments under this Agreement are subject to ongoing review in order to monitor progress on implementation with a special focus on ensuring adherence to accountability and transparency. FINAL PROVISIONS 74. This Agreement will come into effect immediately upon signatory by Belgium and Ukraine. It is valid for a ten-year period from the date of its signature. Belgium and Ukraine may jointly decide to extend the duration of this Agreement for a period they both agree upon, through written notification no later than 6 months prior to the lapse of this ten-year period. 75. The Participants will conduct a comprehensive review of this Agreement within three (3) years after the signature of this Agreement, to update and make any amendments as necessary, and the Participants will continue such reviews on an ongoing basis, as necessary. 76. In accordance with the G7 Declaration, the Participants intend this Agreement to remain in effect as Ukraine pursues its path to future membership in the Euro-Atlantic community. 77. This Agreement may be terminated by either Belgium or Ukraine by giving written notice of its intention to terminate the Agreement to the other Participant. This Agreement shall be terminated 6 months from the date of receipt of such notice. The termination will not affect the implementation of ongoing activities or projects, which have been decided prior to the date of its termination, unless Belgium and Ukraine decide otherwise. 78. In the event that Ukraine becomes a member of NATO before the expiry of this Agreement, Belgium and Ukraine will decide on its future status. 79. Any differences arising out of the interpretation and/or implementation of this Agreement will be settled amicably and exclusively through negotiation or consultation between Belgium and Ukraine. 80. This Agreement may be amended and supplemented by mutual agreement, including by adding annexes thereto, at any time by the written consent of both participants. Signed in Brussels on 28 May 2024, in duplicate in the English and Ukrainian languages, all texts being equally authentic, the English version of which shall prevail in the event of any discrepancy. For Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy For Belgium: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskyy insists Biden attend peace summit in Switzerland By VOA News May 28, 2024 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden should attend a peace summit next month in Switzerland to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. Speaking at a joint news conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels, Zelenskyy said the peace summit, scheduled for June 15 and 16 at the Buergenstock Resort near Lake Lucerne, will be "organized by the whole world," and other leaders will be looking to the U.S.'s response. Zelenskyy said 90 countries have now committed to the summit, and that Putin fears it because he never believed so many nations would support it. "He [Putin] disrupted this summit and continues to do so. And that is why he is now thinking of setting up a parallel platform," Zelenskyy said, adding that Putin would applaud Biden's absence at the summit. Zelenskyy sent a video on Sunday appealing to Biden to attend the summit. The Ukrainian president recorded the video in a burned-out printing house in Kharkiv that was destroyed last week by Russian missiles. The White House has been noncommittal about Biden's attendance. He is the only leader among the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that has not accepted the invitation. During a briefing last week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that said while he planned to attend the summit, he "had no statement" on Biden's attendance. Zelenskyy was in Brussels on Tuesday, following a trip to Spain, to secure more than $1 billion in new military aid from Belgium in an agreement that includes delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets. He was also visiting Portugal on the three-nation trip. The Ukrainian leader said the 10-year agreement included cooperating with Belgium on intelligence, cybersecurity, countering disinformation and the defense industry. European Union defense ministers are also meeting Tuesday in Brussels seeking to overcome Hungary's objections to providing billions in military aid to Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch Putin ally, is reportedly blocking about $7 billion in assistance. The defense ministers expect to hear Tuesday from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who suggested Monday that restrictions on Ukraine should be eased to allow it to use Western weapons on targets outside its borders. Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday's meeting, Stoltenberg maintained that once again, there are legitimate targets outside Ukraine's borders that can be fired upon as part of its self-defense. He said using NATO-supplied weapons to fire on those targets would not make the alliance part of the conflict. "We have the right to support Ukraine without becoming a part of the conflict, because we are helping Ukraine to uphold the right for self-defense," Stoltenberg said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the West is risking a direct confrontation with Russia and a subsequent global war, should it allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with Western weapons. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Press. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chicago, May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The display market is expected to reach USD 187.8 billion by 2028 from USD 157.8 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2023 to 2028.The major factors driving the market growth for displays include surging adoption of OLED displays in various applications, increasing use of LED displays for video walls, TVs, and digital signage applications, increasing applications of displays in automotive and healthcare industries, and growing popularity of interactive displays. To know about the assumptions considered for the study Download the PDF Brochure Major Display Companies Include: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (China), LG Display Co., Ltd. (South Korea), AUO Corporation (Taiwan), and Innolux Corporation (Taiwan). Display Companies - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. (China) & LG Display Co., Ltd. are the Leading Manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd . is a leading manufacturer and provider of display panels globally. The companys display products are ideal for a wide range of applications, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, television sets, and automotive displays. Samsung has established a brand reputation and a widespread network of distributors and channel partners across the world. The company is renowned for advanced and innovative display technologies, such as OLED and QD-OLED displays, backed by the companys high R&D expenditure, which highlights its strong focus on product innovation. Samsung also has strong geographic footprint, with the US, South Korea, Europe, Asia & Africa, and China contributing significantly to its revenue. BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd . adopts both organic growth strategies, such as product launches, and inorganic growth strategies, such as collaborations and partnerships, to strengthen its position in the display market. For instance, in May 2022, BOE launched high-end LCD technology solutions, ADS pro, and f-OLED which is a high-end flexible OLED technology solution. However, the company also focuses on inorganic growth strategies, for instance, in February 2023 BOE collaborated with HONOR to launch HONORs Magic5 series and Magic Vs series which is empowered by BOEs power efficient OLED solution. Moreover, BOE has also increased its investment in research and development activities, which will drive product innovation and the launch of new and effective display solutions. LG Display Co. Ltd . focuses on product launches, partnerships and collaborations to strengthen its position in the display market. The company drives product advancements and technological innovations by prioritizing substantial investment in research and development activities. In January 2023 company launched 3rd generation OLED TV display integrated with META technology and automotive displays utilizing its OLED and LTPS LCD, which uses two organic light emitting layers to offer greater brightness and durability than single-layered OLED. In recent years, the company has formed several collaborations and partnerships to expand its reach and capabilities, leverage the expertise of other industry players, and develop innovative solutions that address evolving market demands. LG Display Co., Ltd. fosters product innovation by spending extensively on R&D activities, through which it has been able to produce displays that are thinner, lighter, and provides better image quality. Key Opportunity: The display market is poised for significant growth, driven by a variety of key opportunities. The increasing adoption of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, along with advancements in automotive display integration, are opening new avenues for high-resolution and immersive display technologies. Flexible and foldable displays are creating innovative product categories in consumer electronics, while smart wearables and smart home devices demand efficient, low-power consumption displays. Advancements in MicroLED and OLED technologies promise better performance and energy efficiency, crucial for high-end and professional applications. The healthcare sector's need for high-precision displays for medical imaging and telemedicine, combined with the rise of e-learning and remote work, further enhances the market potential. Additionally, industrial applications require rugged, high-performance displays, and emerging markets offer substantial growth potential due to increasing consumer electronics adoption and urbanization. Shanghai, China, May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- China Eastern Airlines is taking Zootopia to the sky as a Zootopia-themed airplane of the company was unveiled on May 24. It is the sixth Disney-themed aircraft to join the fleet of China Eastern Airlines, and also a collaboration between the company and Shanghai Disney Resort, echoing the world's first Zootopia land that opened in Shanghai last year. The DisneyZootopia Express has now become China Eastern Airlines first Disney-themed aircraft to feature three-dimensional images on its exterior through custom aircraft livery decal, as it zooms across the sky, the Zootopia friends all become wind-swept from the speed of the plane. Zootopia-themed elements can be found everywhere in the cabin, including images of Zootopia animals on luggage containers, as well as fold-out trays featuring a map of the Zootopia land. A special unveiling ceremony was held for the plane at a bespoke Zootopia-themed "airport" constructed within a hangar in Shanghai. Residents and children from Cangyuan and Shuangjiang counties in Lincang, Yunnan Province, two counties that receive pair assistance from China Eastern Airlines, were invited to experience the "dreams and wonders" of the plane together with Judy and Nick. Besides, China Eastern Airlines has opened a designated Disney section on its mobile application, allowing passengers to get the schedules of all its six Disney-themed planes three days in advance. It is reported that Shanghai, as an important gateway for China's inbound tourism, has recently launched a Shanghai Pass to provide a more convenient travel experience for foreign tourists. Travelers can apply for the pass at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and service outlets for transportation cards. The Shanghai Pass not only covers all transportation scenarios in Shanghai, including buses, subway, taxis, and ferries, but can also be used to take public transportation in over 330 cities at the prefecture level or above nationwide, including almost all major tourist cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Qingdao, Chengdu, Sanya, and Xiamen. Company: China Eastern Airlines Website: http://www.ceair.com/ Contact: fangying TEL: 00862122331470 Email: fangying@ceair.com City: Shanghai Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. May 29, 2024: For over fifty years Israel has been developing ballistic and air-to-surface missiles for its own military as well as export. These include ballistic missiles that can be launched from fighter-bombers. Rampage is a 14.7 meter-long, 570 kg, air-to-surface missile with a 150 kg warhead. Range is 150 to 250 kilometers. The missile includes GPS/INS navigation systems. Speed is subsonic and varies between 700 and 900 kilometers an hour. Rampage is based on Elbits EXTRA ground-launched rocket. Delilah is a 187 kg helicopter or fixed wing aircraft or surface launched loitering cruise missile (LACM) with a range of 250 -300 kilometers. The missile costs about half a million dollars. The surface launched version uses a rocket booster to get airborne. A small turbo jet makes possible several hours of loitering time to search for enemy radars or other ground targets or moving ships at sea. A remote human controller decides which target to attack. Delilah was developed in the 1980s and entered service in the 1990s. EXTRA (Extended Range Artillery) is a 570 kg 306mm GPS-guided rocket with a range of 150 km and a 120 kg warhead. Each missile costs about $120,000. EXTRA entered service in 2016 and uses a variety of launcher vehicles and is similar to the Americans HIMARS and its GMLRS missile. Gabriel is an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM). The latest version, Gabriel 5, entered service in 2020. The first version of Gabriel appeared in 1973 as a 430 kg anti-ship missile similar to the later (1977) American Harpoon but with a shorter range of 20 kilometers. Gabriel 2 appeared in 1976 and Gabriel 3 in 1978 with a range of 36 kilometers and 30 percent heavier than Gabriel 1. Gabriel 3 was also available for use from aircraft, which gave it a range of 60 kilometers. These early models sank nine enemy ships in the 1970s and were rightly feared by Israels enemies. Israel did not need an anti-ship missile with a long range, like Harpoon which could travel 120 kilometers, because Israel had a coastal navy that might have to fight neighbors like Egypt to the south or Lebanon to the north. From the start Gabriel had a system which allowed the missile to move along a few meters above the water, making it difficult to detect. Gabriel 4 was different as it had a range of 200 kilometers and a small turbojet, similar to cruise missiles, for sustained flight. Gabriel weighed 960 kg which made it similar to a cruise missile. The Gabriel 4 warhead was much larger but the multiple guidance systems were similar to the earlier Gabriels. It took nearly two decades for the larger and much more capable Gabriel 5 to appear. The three guidance systems were upgraded but remained fire and forget, or fire and update, via an encrypted data link, midway to the target. Finally, there was fire and onboard radar update as the target area was approached. The guidance system could detect the desired target and head for it. Gabriel 5 has more countermeasures for enemy electronic defenses and each missile costs $5 million. Gabriel has been exported to 14 countries and survives because it was developed by a country that was constantly under threat of attack and is quicker to modify their weapons to better deal with a threatening neighbor. LORA is a 1.6 ton ballistic missile with a range of 430 kilometers and a 570 kg warhead. The guidance system includes GPS, INS, and a TV camera for making sure the target is hit in the intended location. With just GPS/INS the missile will land within five meters of the aiming point. LORA can be fired from a variety of truck mounted launchers. Israel does not use LORA but two export customers, India and Azerbaijan do. India recently began manufacturing LORA under license. Jericho 1: A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with a range of 500 kilometers. Jericho 2: A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a range of 1,500 - 3,500 kilometers. Entered service in 1989. Jericho 3: An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a range of 4,800 - 6,500 kilometers. Entered service in 2011. Currently active Jericos are all solid fuel ballistic missiles and currently include the 26-ton, two-stage Jerico II with a range of 1,500 kilometers and the 30-ton, two or three stage Jerico III with a range of 6,500 kilometers. The third stage is used when the missile is used as a satellite launch vehicle (SLV). Israel manufactures is own satellites. Production of the 6.5-ton Jerico I began in 1965. This missile was retired in the 1990s but over fifty of these missiles are still operational and maintained in storage, just in case. Israel never revealed how many of the Jericho missiles it built, except for those used as SLVs. Eventually modified Jericho missiles known as Shavit were built for SLV operations. Shavits weigh from 30.5 to 70 tons and has four stages. The last stage uses liquid fuel rockets for precise positioning of satellites into orbit. Israel does not export Jericho missiles. One exception was South Africa which manufactured versions of the Shavit SLV/ICBM in the 1980s until 1993. In 2023 Israel used Shavit to launch Ofek (Horizon) 13, the latest version of its Ofek surveillance satellites. Israel has built and launched its own military satellites since 1988. Before Ofek 13, the most recent surveillance satellite launch was in July 2020 when another photo satellite, the Ofek 16 was put into orbit. Ofek 16 was described as an upgrade of the Ofek 11 design, which first went up in 2016. At the time Ofek 11 was described as an upgraded Ofek 10, which went up in 2014. Beyond that the Israelis offer few official details of Ofek and other intelligence gathering satellites. Israel was the eighth nation to develop and build its own satellite launch capability. Israel uses only its own launchers for military satellites. Since these launchers are based on Israeli Jericho ballistic missile designs, it was cheaper using foreign launch services for commercial satellites. For example, Israeli communications satellites are now put into orbit by American SpaceX rockets, which have the cheapest prices as a result of SpaceX innovations, notably reusable first stages that land under their own power after separating from the second stage carrying the satellite. Ofek satellites have proved very reliable and are now built to recover from problems that often lead to the loss of satellites from other nations. For example, in late 2016 Israel launched Ofek 11. While the satellite achieved orbit it soon lost communications with ground control. The Ofek was built with fail-soft self-repair software and it was hoped whatever was wrong could be fixed. After nine days ground control regained contact, Ofek 11 was sending back digital images. Since then, Ofek has remained fully functional but it is still unclear if it will remain that way for eight years, the designed useful life of this Ofek. In addition to photo satellites, Israel also has a military-grade radar satellite called TekSar. One of these, in 2008, was launched using an Indian launcher. This was more of a good-will gesture towards a new ally and major purchaser of Israeli defense technology. That use of an Indian launcher for a military satellite was a one-time event and the Indians were eager to show the world their satellite launch capability. In addition to Israeli-built Ofek and TekSar birds, Israeli intelligence also uses Israeli-built Eros B and Eros A civilian photo satellites for some military needs. The first Ofek went up in 1988 and the last few have been incremental upgrades of the Ofek 9 which entered service in 2010. The Ofek 9 weighed about 300 kg and used a new generation of sensors that were able to see objects as small as 55 cm. Ofek 10 was a little heavier with new electronics providing better resolution and Ofek 11 was more of the same. Ofek 16 has higher resolution cameras, which can apparently get below 50 cm resolution as well as providing higher quality photos using more capable software. All the Ofek spy sats are mainly for keeping tabs on Iran and what Iran is doing in Syria and Lebanon. There have been failures. In 1998 Ofek 4 failed and in 2004 so did Ofek 6. This led to design changes that included the fail-soft capabilities that saved Ofek 11. Each of the failed launches cost Israel about $100 million, which includes the cost of the satellite and the launcher, which are based on the Israeli Jericho ballistic missile. The satellite launcher version of Jericho is called Shavit. The first two stages of the Shavit are also used for the Israeli Jericho 3 IRBM. With a range of nearly 5,000 kilometers, the Jericho 3 can drop a nuclear warhead anywhere in the Middle East. Jericho is a 30-ton, solid fuel, two stage missile with a one-ton payload. There are several dozen Jericho 3s in service, mainly as a nuclear deterrent that can be launched from underground silos. Israel has often used its spy satellite capabilities for diplomacy. In 2012 Israel built and launched a photo spy satellite for Italy that cost $182 million for the satellite and launch, which was carried out in 2015. This was part of a deal where Italy agreed to buy an equal value of Israeli military gear as part of a deal where Israel bought $993 million worth of Italian jet trainers. Italy managed to cover this with the purchase of two AWACs and a spy satellite from Israel. In 2014 it was revealed that Israel had quietly and anonymously contributed some vital targeting information for the air campaign against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq, and possibly Syria as well. It wasnt that the U.S. doesnt have spy satellites that could have provided this, but the Israeli fleet of spy satellites does not have worldwide responsibilities, spend most of their time over Middle Eastern nations and have been doing so for many years. The Israelis had satellite data immediately that it would take weeks, months or longer for American satellites to compile. The Israeli contribution was kept quiet and the data provided had been scrubbed to remove any evidence that it was from Israel. But none of the Arab nations contributing warplanes to the operation were surprised and, except for Iran, which openly insists ISIL is an invention of the Americans, British and Israelis, no one complained. In 2021 Israel sold Vietnam a military surveillance satellite that Israel built and launched. The satellite was the latest version of the Ofek with a resolution of 50cm. This is accurate enough to show buildings, roads, and vehicles. Israel has at least two of the latest Ofeks in orbit and has exported them for nearly a decade. Some of these export customers prefer not to be identified. In terms of resolution and other known factors, Ofek is little different from the many commercial photo satellites that provide unclassified photos to the media and general public. Beijing, China, May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 15, 2024, on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and China,Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda, OFR, the minister of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in China, appointed Professor Lingyun Xiang, an economist residing in the United States, as the Financial and Economic Advisor to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This appointment was made in recognition of Professor Xiang's efforts in promoting economic and trade exchanges and development between the two countries The Federal Republic of Nigeria, located in southeastern West Africa, has a land area of 923,768 square kilometers and a population of 227 million (as of 2024). With over 250 ethnic groups. Abuja is the capital city, and the country is divided into one Federal Capital Territory and 36 states. Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the sixth-largest oil exporter in the world. It is a member of several international organizations, including the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States. As Africa's largest economy, Nigeria's GDP in 2022 was $477.3 billion, with a per capita GDP of $2,237 and a GDP growth rate of 3.3%. The People's Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Nigeria established diplomatic relations on February 10, 1971. Since then, bilateral relations have developed smoothly. In 2005, the heads of state of China and Nigeria reached a consensus on establishing a strategic partnership. In 2009, the two countries held their first strategic dialogue. Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda, OFR, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu, extended congratulations and gratitude to Professor Lingyun Xiang on his appointment as the new Financial and Economic Advisor to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Professor Lingyun Xiang, the Financial and Economic Advisor to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, one of the members of the Royal Society of St. George, the Recipient of the King's Order of Merit, a lifetime Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a lifelong full-time professor of the European Union University, a lifelong professor (doctoral supervisor) of the National University of Maryland, a distinguished professor of Peking University, a guest professor of the School of Applied Science and Technology of Beijing Union University, a visiting professor at Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, an international accountant (FAIA), an international certified public accountant (IAAP), a certified legal accountant (FCPA), a senior public accountant (FIPA) of the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), a senior financial accountant (FFA FIPA) of the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA), and an international certified Internet financial manager (ICIFM). He is also a special economic advisor to the Central African Republic, chief economic advisor to the Republic of Haiti, special economic advisor to the Republic of Liberia, special economic advisor to the Republic of Zimbabwe, special financial and economic advisor to the Republic of Madagascar, the financial and economic advisor to the Republic of North Macedonia, chief financial and economic advisor to the Republic of Ghana, envoy for economic and cultural exchanges to the Republic of Guinea Bissau, ambassador for international public welfare and charity of the Republic of Mali, and honorary member of the China Organizing Committee for the 35th International Science and Peace Week of the United Nations, Economic Advisor to the Danzhai County Government and Expert Consultant to the Standing Committee of the Jiaozuo Municipal People's Congress. He has authored numerous books published at home and abroad, including the ChatGPT's Future Has Arrived, The Way of the Metaverse, The Logic of Blockchain, A Practical Guide to Equity Incentives, Private Equity Investment Solutions, Blockchain: A Technological Revolution Empowering the Real Economy, Winning Financing - Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, Global Visual Economics, Industrial Economics, International Trade and Economic Management, Logistics and Warehouse Management and E-commerce, Investment Risk and Operation Management, etc. CompanyEmbassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Beijing Contact Person:Israel Ishaku Kapio Minister (Public Communication & Education) Email:nigeria.Beijing@foreignaffairs.gov.ng Website:https://beijing.foreignaffairs.gov.ng/ City2, Dong Wu Jie San Li Tun Chaoyang District Beijing, 100600 Peoples Republic Of China Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Washington, DC, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For US labor markets to operate at peak potential, the skills of a local areas workforce must align with the needs of its industries. Yet in most US labor markets, the supply of middle-skills credentials is greatly misaligned with the projected job demand. As the latest report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) demonstrates, in half of local labor markets nationwide, at least 50% of all middle-skills credentials would need to be granted in different fields of study to fully align middle-skills credential production and projected labor demand through 2031. The Great Misalignment: Addressing the Mismatch between the Supply of Certificates and Associates Degrees and the Future Demand for Workers in 565 US Labor Markets examines the extent to which middle-skills providers are awarding credentials in fields that align with local workforce needs. As of 202021, there were almost 4,800 middle-skills providers nationwide, spread unevenly across the 565 local labor markets described in the report. These providers, primarily community colleges, often explicitly design their programs to serve local workforce needs, but pressure to meet these needs continues to grow. Middle-skills workers are vital to the American economy and to their local communities, and we need to do a better job of ensuring that middle-skills providers are meeting the needs of their local labor markets, said Jeff Strohl, lead author and CEWs director. Roughly 30% of annual job openings through 2031 will go to workers with an associates degree, a certificate, or some college credit but no degree. But the current distribution of certificates and associates degrees across programs of study differs significantly from the expected distribution of job openings for middle-skills workers. One major factor contributing to misalignment is the large proportion of credentials that have little or no direct connection to a specific occupation. More than 25% of all middle-skills credentials are granted in programs with no direct occupational match, including programs in liberal arts, general studies, and humanities. People may pursue these credentials for reasons other than workforce preparation, such as anticipated transfer to a four-year institution. Higher levels of misalignment at the local level are also associated with fewer middle-skills providers operating in a geographic area. Overall, urban areas have stronger credentials-to-jobs alignment than rural areas because the larger number of providers in urban areas can award a more diverse mix of middle-skills credentials. On average, very rural labor markets are served by two providers offering middle-skills programs, compared with an average of 26 providers in very urban labor markets. CEW researchers identified two possible reasons for stronger alignment in labor markets with more providers: direct competition and complementarity. Our analysis indicates that complementarity plays a bigger role than direct competition in improving credentials-to-jobs alignment. We find stronger alignment at the community level than at the institution level, which suggests that institutions with different but complementary strengths are working together to address the labor markets needs, said Zack Mabel, report co-author and director of research at CEW. Credentials-to-jobs alignment is also strongest when middle-skills education and training are delivered by a mix of institutions primarily conferring certificates, associates degrees, or bachelors degrees. Urban areas are more likely than rural areas to have enough providers to achieve a strong institutional mix, even within the same state. In Michigan, for example, the difference in credentials-to-jobs alignment is stark between the Detroit metro area and the sparsely populated Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet Counties. To achieve perfect alignment with future occupational demand in the area, the 51 institutions in and around Detroit would need to collectively redistribute 44% of the certificates and associates degrees granted across programs of study. In contrast, North Central Michigan College, the lone provider for Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet Counties, would need to redistribute almost two-thirds (65%) of its middle-skills credentials. While urban areas experience stronger credentials-to-jobs alignment overall, there is substantial variation in alignment among urban areas. For example, the level of credentials-to-jobs misalignment is more than 70% higher in Los Angeles than in Atlanta. Part of this disparity can be attributed to the share of credentials conferred in each labor market in programs with no occupational match, which is twice as high in Los Angeles (36%) as in Atlanta (18%). Geography also plays a significant role in racial/ethnic gaps in access to middle-skills providers and in credentials-to-jobs alignment. American Indian/Alaska Native adults are four times as likely as working-age adults in other racial/ethnic groups to live in an area with no middle-skills service provider, and living on tribal lands explains only some of this difference. However, 71% of American Indian/Alaska Native adults who do have access to local providers reside in communities with relatively strong alignment. Nearly 75% of Black/African American adults live in communities with relatively strong credentials-to-jobs alignment, the highest proportion of any racial/ethnic group. In contrast, only 58% of Hispanic/Latino adults live in communities with high levels of alignment. This proportion is significantly lower than that of all other racial/ethnic groups. The report concludes with policy recommendations to help middle-skills providers respond to the needs of their students and local economies. These recommendations include strengthening coordination and cooperation across local providers, improving data practices so efforts to boost credentials-to-jobs alignment are well-informed, investing in counseling and programmatic efforts that improve pathways to careers, and improving career preparation and transfer pathways to bachelors degree programs in fields with no direct occupational match. To view the full report and an online searchable tool to assess your local labor markets credentials-to-jobs alignment, visit: https://cew.georgetown.edu/greatmisalignment. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) is a research and policy institute within Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the links between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. For more information, visit https://cew.georgetown.edu/. Follow CEW on X @GeorgetownCEW, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Medium. CellEDIT Service represents a novel workflow leveraging FluidFM-mediated intranuclear nanoinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 components into single cells. Control of the amount and stoichiometry of RNP complexes could boost efficiency, particularly when targeting multiple loci simultaneously. Demonstrated preservation of general cell characteristics and functionality post-editing in both single and multiple KO clones in CHO-K1 cells. GLATTBRUGG, Switzerland, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytosurge AG, a biotech company pioneering innovative single-cell biopsies and cell engineering solutions, today announced the open-access publication of its CellEDIT workflow in the peer-reviewed journal Biotechnology Journal. Titled Accelerated generation of gene-engineered monoclonal CHO cell lines using FluidFM nanoinjection and CRISPR/Cas9 , the manuscript introduces CellEDIT as a novel approach to cell engineering that leverages intranuclear delivery of CRISPR components to single cells through Cytosurge's proprietary FluidFM OMNIUM Platform technology. The study focuses on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, widely used in biopharmaceutical production, particularly for monoclonal antibody manufacturing. However, the non-human glycoprofile of CHO-produced antibodies can affect product quality and therapeutic efficacy, posing challenges to traditional glycoengineering approaches due to their time-consuming and labor-intensive nature. In this proof-of-concept study, Cytosurge's CellEDIT workflow was utilized to engineer CHO cells by delivering CRISPR components simultaneously targeting three genes (BAX, DHFR, and FUT8) directly into single-cell nuclei, resulting in the generation of monoclonal triple knockout CHO-K1 cell lines. Notably, nanoinjection of RNP complexes with FluidFM offered exceptional control over cargo delivery, likely reducing off-target editing and enhancing editing efficiency compared to standard methods. In the world of cell engineering, precision is paramount. Our CellEDIT technology, validated in this peer-reviewed publication, offers meticulous control over gene targeting, stated Tobias A. Beyer, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Cytosurge and co-author of the publication. Our CellEDIT Service is already assisting life sciences and biology researchers worldwide by providing high-quality gene editing in cellular models, addressing the growing demand for reliable manufacturing of cell lines. CellEDIT demonstrated to facilitate the development of both single and multiple KO clones in CHO-K1 cells. Subsequent analyses confirmed targeted genetic disruption and altered protein expression in the knockout CHO-K1 clones, which exhibited sustained gene editing across passages. We are proud of this translational research work between our academic lab and Cytosurge as an industry partner. I believe that the blended innovation of intranuclear nanoinjection and CHO cell genetic engineering will pave the way for the rapid generation of advanced biologics, added Justin S. Antony, PhD, Junior Group Leader at the University Childrens Hospital of Tubingen and first author of the paper. I extend my gratitude to the entire team and the Mezger Lab from the University Children's Hospital Tubingen who contributed to this project, commented Pascal Behr, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Cytosurge. Now, we aim to continue applying the CellEDIT workflow to serve researchers and organizations to generate cellular models in fundamental research, disease modeling, and drug discovery to advance scientific research. Our collaboration with Cytosurge has yielded exciting results in the realm of cellular engineering, added Markus Mezger, MD, Group Leader at the University Childrens Hospital of Tubingen and Lead author of the paper. Finally, the study demonstrated the compatibility of engineered CHO cells with industry-recommended chemically defined medium and equivalent transgene expression to parental clones. About Cytosurge Cytosurge AG is a biotechnology company that develops innovative research solutions based on the FluidFM technology for high precision single cell manipulation. FluidFM combines microfluidics and force microscopy, which enables gentle interactions with cells. With the capabilities of FluidFM, we seek to advance the comprehension of intricate cellular processes, thus fostering new dimensions in cellular analysis. CellEDIT Service: high-quality genetically engineered cell lines The FluidFM CellEDIT Service offers high-quality cell lines for research. In the CellEDIT workflow gene editing reagents are injected directly into the nucleus of single cells. Using the FluidFM technology for intra-nuclear injection, exact amounts of CRISPR RNPs can be delivered to the nucleus of single cells. Thereby edits are introduced with high control and minimal impact on the cells. For more information about the CellEDIT Service Workflow, please visit https://www.cytosurge.com/solutions/services/fluidfm-celledit . Sequence your cells while keeping them alive with the FluidFM OMNIUM Platform The single-cell biopsy solution on the FluidFM OMNIUM Platform provides a unique workflow for extracting a part of the cytoplasm from individual living cells while preserving their viability. These cytoplasmic biopsies can be used for subsequent highly sensitive, low-input RNA-seq analysis to characterize single cells multiple times throughout their lifetime. More than 100 researchers worldwide have already chosen to work with the FluidFM technology. For additional information, please visit www.cytosurge.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook for updates. About AG Mezger, University Childrens Hospital, Tubingen Our research lab focuses on developing advanced therapies for different pediatric diseases including -hemoglobinopathies, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma, metachromatic leukodystrophy and immunodeficiencies. We have expertise in techniques including CRISPR/Cas9, Prime Editing, viral vectors (AAV & LV), mRNA Therapeutics, Lipid Nanoparticles, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, engineered CAR-T cells and engineered NK-cells. For additional information, please visit https://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/de/das-klinikum/mitarbeiter/profil/582 Contact Cytosurge AG Sabina Packeiser, PhD, Head of Marketing Phone +41 43 544 87 00 Email media@cytosurge.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5095b232-9a7a-4692-8460-c8eec1de59b3 RESTON, Va., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regulas digital collections of specimens of identity and vehicle documents, as well as banknotes and coins, known as the Information Reference System (IRS), has recently received a major update. With Liberia's passport added, this system is now the only one in the world that covers all countries and territories to the fullest extent. In total, Regulas IRS comprises detailed descriptions and over 337,000 images of 12,000+ unique document specimens from 225 states, dependent territories, and international organizations to assist with their examination. Regulas Information Reference System is designed to help border control officers, forensic experts, law enforcement authorities, financial organization employees, and other document examination specialists investigate and verify a document's authenticity through manual examination. Comprising scrutinized samples of passports, ID cards, visas, banknotes, coins, drivers licenses, and vehicle documents from all over the world, Regulas IRS provides an indispensable and reliable reference to compare against, even for the rarest documents. Capture: Regula places special effort in attaining a high-resolution capture and meticulous description of up to 80 security features in every document in its Information Reference System. Here a general view and detailed fragments of a passport of the Republic of Seychelles issued in 2022. The most detailed and comprehensive database Since its impossible for anyone to know all the security features of all the identity documents and banknotes that are currently circulating around the world, Regula places special effort in attaining a high-resolution capture and meticulous description of up to 80 security features in every document in its IRS. All the images of document pages, as well as close-ups, are captured in perfect laboratory conditions with the help of advanced forensic devices, such as the high-resolution photospectral scanner Regula 8880 . This allows for 2400 DPI or higher (for some document zones) optical resolution in the captured images (the maximum for existing reference systems) to highlight even the slightest nuances of document security features and their printing techniques. For holograms and other optically variable features, Regulas IRS contains animated GIFs to show how they change visually. It is also important that all the images are captured in different light sources: white (incident and transmitted), ultraviolet (365, 313, 254 nm), infrared (870 nm), and IR and anti-Stokes luminescence, so that an expert can thoroughly check a document under various lights. Plus, Regulas IRS is the only database that contains magnetic ink patterns with images and descriptions. All 337,000+ images of document security features are enhanced with detailed descriptions containing information about their type, location, printing technique, etc. Non-stop updates and transparency Regulas IRS is being constantly updated. Usually, it takes around two weeks to examine, capture, and describe a new document before adding it to the collection. The companys experts add new documents, banknotes, and coins as soon as they are in possession of them. In some cases, new versions of documents, like a U.S. visa or a Korean passport, become part of the IRS even before they have been put into official circulation. Regula prevents the duplication of identical IDs for a specific country and its dependent territories since they share the same layouts and security features. Also, the company allows users to monitor the exact number of documents in the reference system in real time. Ease of use Regulas Information Reference System provides convenient search mechanisms. Users can find a specific reference by document type, issuing country, ICAO code, printing techniques, security element, light source, and more. The IRS can be natively integrated with Regulas advanced forensic devices , solutions for border control , and identity document readers . This allows for quick and convenient visual comparison of a questioned document with the relevant reference streamlining and enhancing the whole process of document examination. "We are immensely proud to announce that our Information Reference System now encompasses an unmatched global range, with over 12,000 documents and banknotes from every corner of the world. This achievement not only sets a new standard in the industry, but also reinforces our commitment to supporting the critical work of border control officers, forensic experts, and other specialists everywhere. By providing the most comprehensive and detailed data available, we ensure that these experts have the tools they need to accurately identify and verify documents, further enhancing global security measures," says Arif A. Mamedov, President and CEO at Regula Forensics, Inc. If you are interested to learn more about how Regula creates its Information Reference System, find the details in this blog article . About Regula Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the largest library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies in document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security or speed. Regula was repeatedly named a Representative Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Identity Verification. Learn more at www.regulaforensics.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/00a596b4-89ca-4fe1-9984-48e17896b8b3 Dublin, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Africa & Middle East Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Databook - 75+ KPIs on Embedded Lending, Insurance, Payment, and Wealth Segments - Q1 2024 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Embedded Finance industry in Africa & Middle East is expected to grow by 36.4% on annual basis to reach US$ 13.43 billion in 2023. The embedded finance industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 27.5% during 2024-2029. The embedded finance revenues in the region will increase from US$ 13.43 billion in 2024 to reach US$ 45.22 billion by 2029. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is experiencing a surge in embedded finance adoption. Embedded finance integrates financial services like payments, lending, and insurance within non-financial platforms. This creates a seamless user experience and removes friction from traditional financial processes. High smartphone penetration and young, tech-savvy population: The MEA region boasts a rapidly growing smartphone user base, particularly among young adults. This creates a fertile ground for adopting mobile-first financial solutions. According to GSMA Intelligence, there will be an estimated 535 million unique mobile subscribers in the MEA region by 2025, representing a penetration rate of 65%. Underbanked population: A significant portion of the MEA population remains unbanked or underbanked. Embedded finance offers financial inclusion by providing access to financial services through familiar platforms. The World Bank estimates that 31% of adults in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and 41% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa lack an account at a formal financial institution. Growing e-commerce and on-demand services: The rise of e-commerce and on-demand services like ride-hailing creates a natural fit for embedded finance solutions, offering seamless payment and financing options within the platform. According to Jumia, a leading e-commerce platform in Africa, the continent's online sales are expected to reach $180 billion by 2025. Increased focus on financial inclusion: Governments in the MEA region is actively promoting financial inclusion initiatives. Embedded finance aligns with these goals by providing alternative access to financial services. The World Bank's Global Findex Database reports that the percentage of adults with a mobile money account in Sub-Saharan Africa has grown from 21% in 2,014 to 34% in 2021. Key Trends of Middle East & Africa Embedded Finance Market Rise of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): BNPL solutions are gaining traction, allowing consumers to spread purchase costs across installments. This trend is expected to continue as embedded finance facilitates integration of BNPL options within various platforms. Open Banking adoption: Open Banking regulations are gradually being implemented in some MEA countries. This fosters collaboration between financial institutions and fintech companies, driving innovation in embedded finance solutions. Emerging technologies: Integration of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain can personalize financial offerings and enhance security within embedded finance solutions. Major Deals and Innovation of of Middle East & Africa Embedded Finance Market Qashio and CredibleX (2024): Qashio and CredibleX have partnered on an initiative to provide financing to businesses in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The new Qashio Financing solution provides immediate approvals and disbursements, competitive rates, and a user-friendly application process for Qashio's customers. Souqalmal (MENA) Partnership (2023): Souqalmal, a price comparison platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, partnered with several banks in 2023 to offer embedded loan options within their platform. This allows users to compare prices and seamlessly apply for financing for desired products directly through Souqalmal, streamlining the shopping experience. Tabby Funding (UAE, 2024): Tabby, a leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider in the UAE, raised a significant $950 million in funding in 2024. This substantial investment highlights investor confidence in the potential of embedded finance, particularly in the BNPL segment, within the MEA region. In 2024, OmniRetail plans embedded finance expansion in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire. In 2023, CredibleX, MENA's pioneering embedded finance platform, has announced its launch after being granted regulatory licenses from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). These licenses provide a robust regulatory framework for its launch, bringing confidence and trust to CredibleX's partners and customers. It has also announced partnerships with ADGM as the first fintech partner of its SME financing platform, Numou; as well as with partners in FMCG and financial services. Competitive Landscape: The MEA embedded finance space is witnessing a rise in competition, with established financial institutions partnering with fintech startups to leverage their expertise. Global tech giants are also eyeing the market, offering embedded finance solutions alongside their core services. Established Financial Institutions: Standard Bank (South Africa): A leading African bank offering embedded finance solutions for businesses, including payment processing and merchant cash advance options. Emirates NBD (UAE): A prominent bank in the UAE that has partnered with fintech companies to offer embedded financial services, including BNPL solutions and in-app payments. National Bank of Egypt (Egypt): A major player in the Egyptian market, exploring embedded finance solutions through partnerships with e-commerce platforms and telecommunications companies. Fintech Startups: Thriive (Kenya): A Kenyan fintech startup providing embedded financial solutions for businesses, focusing on micro-loans, payments, and savings accounts. Telda (South Africa): A South African fintech company offering embedded insurance solutions for on-demand services and e-commerce platforms. Mpesa (Kenya & East Africa): While not strictly an embedded finance player, Mpesa's mobile money platform serves as a foundation for embedded financial services in the region, facilitating payments and potentially integrating other financial products in the future. This report provides a detailed data-centric analysis of the embedded finance industry, covering lending, insurance, payment, wealth and asset based finance sectors market opportunities and risks across a range of different sectors. With over 75+ KPIs at the country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of embedded finance market dynamics, market size and forecast. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 1125 Forecast Period 2024 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $13.4 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $45.2 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 27.5% Regions Covered Africa, Middle East A bundled offering, combining the following 9 reports Africa & Middle East Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Egypt Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Israel Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Kenya Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Nigeria Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Saudi Arabia Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities South Africa Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities Turkey Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities United Arab Emirates Embedded Finance Business and Investment Opportunities For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/iwn9bj 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 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Fish Farming Market: Analysis by Environment, By Fish Type, By Region Size and Trends with Impact of COVID-19 and Forecast up to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global fish farming market value in 2023 stood at US$323.02 billion, and is likely to reach US$444.38 billion by 2029. The global fish farming market value is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.46%, during the forecast period of 2024-2029. In terms of production, the total number of fish farmed in 2023 stood at 66.56 million tonnes. One of the key drivers behind the growth of fish farming is growing global population and increasing demand for fish protein. As the global population continues to expand, with projections indicating nearly 10 billion people by 2050, the demand for fish food is expected to rise substantially. This demand surge has led to a shift towards aquaculture as a sustainable solution to supplement dwindling wild fish stocks. Various other factors driving the growth of fish farming include rising awareness of health benefits associated with consumption of fish, rising per capita income, urbanization, declining wild fish stock, etc. Asia Pacific fish farming market enjoyed the highest market share in 2023 and is the fastest growing region as well. Asia Pacific countries, such as China, India, and Indonesia, have long-standing traditions and expertise in aquaculture practices. These countries have extensive coastlines, rivers, and inland water bodies that provide abundant resources for aquaculture operations. Additionally, the region's large population base and rising disposable incomes drive demand for seafood products, stimulating growth in the fish farming sector. Moreover, government policies and initiatives aimed at promoting aquaculture development, improving infrastructure, and providing financial support to fish farmers further bolster growth in the region. India is expected to be the fastest growing country within the Asia Pacific region due to country's vast water resources, including rivers, canals, ponds, reservoirs, and brackish water areas. Additionally, the transition from capture-based to culture-based fishing has opened the way for a stable blue economy, supporting the livelihoods of millions of people along the value chain. India's extensive coastline, exclusive economic zone, and marine resources provide a conducive environment for marine fisheries and aquaculture, contributing significantly to fish output. Furthermore, the fish farming market is predicted to grow due to technological advancements like Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) and genetic tools optimizing production efficiency and environmental sustainability, integration of AI and machine learning in aquaculture sector, heightened environmental concerns and a focus on sustainable practices, etc. Competitive Landscape and Recent Developments Fish farming industry exhibits high fragmentation, with numerous players contributing to a diverse landscape. The market is characterized by many companies offering a wide range of quality products, creating a competitive environment. The key players are constantly investing in strategic initiatives, such as adoption of new technologies, introducing their products to emerging markets and more, to maintain a competitive edge in this market. For instance, in March 2024, Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) and FAI announced a new partnership to launch the Tilapia Welfare Project in Egypt. Egypt is the top tilapia producer in Africa and the Tilapia Welfare Project aims to show Egyptian producers not only how to measure and assess tilapia welfare on farm, but also the financial and production benefits of doing so. Also, in November 2023, Bakkafrost planned to build a new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) smolt hatchery in Skalavik, Faroe Islands, with a total capacity of 28,600 m3. Market Segmentation Analysis: By Environment: Freshwater segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2023 and is the fastest growing segment because of the diversity of fish species suitable for cultivation in freshwater, including popular varieties like tilapia, carp, catfish, and trout, enables a broad range of products and market opportunities within this segment. Additionally, freshwater environments offer abundant and accessible resources, and freshwater fish farming generally entails lower production costs compared to marine or brackish water farming, driven by factors such as reduced land and operational expenses and simpler infrastructure requirements. By Fish Type: Salmon acquired majority of share in the market in 2023 as salmon is highly valued in international markets for its taste, texture, and nutritional benefits, making it a preferred choice among consumers. Additionally, salmon farming techniques have seen substantial advancements in recent years, allowing for efficient and sustainable production on a large scale. Technologies such as sea-cage farming and land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have enabled salmon farmers to meet market demands while addressing environmental concerns. While, tilapia segment has been experiencing rapid growth in the global fish farming market because of its adaptability to various environmental conditions, lower production costs and reduced risks for farmers. Additionally, tilapia has gained popularity among consumers due to its mild flavor, white flesh, and versatility in culinary applications, making it a sought-after choice in both domestic and international markets. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 158 Forecast Period 2024 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $340.66 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $444.38 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.4% Regions Covered Global Market Dynamics Growth Drivers Increasing Consumption of Fish Growing Population Declining Wild Fish Stocks Rising Awareness of Health Benefits Government Support and Regulations Challenges Disease Outbreaks Feed Sustainability Habitat Degradation Market Trends Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) IoT Devices and Sensors Plant-based Feed Biofloc technology Genetics and Breeding Programmes Digitalization and E-commerce Key Players Stolt-Nielsen Limited (Stolt Sea Farm) P/F Bakkafrost Austevoll Seafood ASA Mowi ASA SalMar ASA Cermaq Group AS Nordic Aquafarms Cooke Inc. Australis Aquaculture Blue Ridge Aquaculture AquaBounty America's Catch For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ellmy7 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 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Beyond Bytes: Data Center Evolution For Peak Performance" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The analyst's Innovation Radar report, "Beyond Bytes: Data Center Evolution for Peak Performance," provides a comprehensive look at the latest trends in data center infrastructure. It explores advancements aimed at improving efficiency, scalability, and sustainability. The report emphasizes the role of technologies like AI, edge computing, and advanced cooling solutions in creating resilient and eco-friendly data centers. With strategic insights and real-world applications, this report is essential for businesses looking to leverage the latest data center technologies for a competitive edge. Innovations: presents real-world innovation examples related to the data center challenges and their solutions. It casts light on key players utilizing various technologies for managing specific aspects of data centers. Scope Innovation Insights: innovation examples by key data center challenges and their solutions to present key trends. Reasons to Buy No surprise that technology has been a driving force in business transformation for years, but the term 'emerging technologies' has all of a sudden become the key catalyst to drive the next wave of innovation across sectors. The sense of urgency weighs differently across different sectors, where the direct customer-facing sectors are at the forefront compared to other capital-intensive sectors. Companies in one sector can take cues from successful innovations in other sectors to either draw analogies with existing products, services, and processes or transfer strategic approaches for a revolutionary transformation. Against this backdrop, enterprises need to understand which emerging technologies are impacting their sector and how various companies are implementing them to meet various challenges. The innovation landscape report on innovations in data center construction, management and operation, published by the analyst as part of an ongoing series, covers some real-world examples to advance the development and implementation of the technology by some of the key enterprises as well as startups in various sectors. Key Topics Covered: 1. Market potential 2. Key drivers 3. Mega trends 4. Challenges and solutions 5. Real-world innovations 6. Outlook A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to: ABB Aligned Data Centers Avant Cadence Chemours Chindata Cisco DataDirect Networks Delta Power Solutions Digital Power Optimization (DPO) Digital Reality DXN Eaton ECL Exide Exowatt ExxonMobil Fervo Firmus Flexnode Google Infineon Intel Jones Lang LaSall (JLL) Kaytus Lightelligence Liquidstar Meta Mitsubishi Modul Data Center NTT Data Prose Tech Rackspace Rambus Schneider Electric Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) Supermicro Tencent Varanium Vertiv For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kesr8i About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Dublin, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Power System Simulation Software Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, Product, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global power system simulation software market is projected to reach $3.31 billion by 2033 from $1.45 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 7.57% during the forecast period 2023-2033. The global power system simulation software market is growing rapidly due to increasing electricity demand driven by urbanization and industrialization. These software solutions help engineers and operators simulate, analyze, and optimize power systems for better management and decision-making. They also support the integration of renewable energy sources by addressing variability challenges. Advances in AI and machine learning enhance simulation accuracy, while R&D investment fosters market growth. Favorable policies and regulatory frameworks promoting energy efficiency and renewable integration further drive market expansion. Enhanced capabilities like real-time data processing and predictive analytics reduce project time and costs, leading to faster returns on investment and lower operational expenses. Companies investing in simulation software gain substantial benefits in efficiency and cost-effectiveness, ensuring market competitiveness. The market faces challenges from high investment and deployment costs, which can be prohibitive for many organizations. Procuring high-performance computing systems and customized software involves substantial expenses and specialized training. However, these investments can result in long-term savings and operational efficiencies. Data security is also a critical concern due to the sensitivity of the data and increased IoT integration. Robust cybersecurity measures, including encryption, secure coding, and regular audits, are essential. Cloud-based solutions introduce additional security challenges, requiring advanced protocols and employee training. Prioritizing data security is crucial for maintaining the reliability of power systems and national infrastructure stability. The rise of smart energy infrastructure, including smart grids and cities, presents significant opportunities. Simulation software optimizes complex networks, enhances reliability, and improves efficiency by predicting and managing electricity flow. It also supports renewable energy integration by handling variability and unpredictability, modeling scenarios, anticipating issues, and devising mitigation strategies. Additionally, simulation tools optimize the placement and operation of renewable energy assets and forecast energy production. With the global push to reduce carbon emissions and increase renewable energy use, the demand for advanced simulation tools is rising. Companies can capitalize on this by developing innovative software that manages renewable energy integration, supporting the transition to sustainable energy solutions. Market Segmentation Segmentation 1: Application Power Industrial Others Power to Lead the Market (by Application) The power sector is a major driver for the growth of the power system simulation software market. As global focus intensifies on energy efficiency, grid optimization, and the integration of renewable energy, the demand for advanced simulation tools is surging. Power utilities, which are crucial to the energy ecosystem, are increasingly using these tools to improve grid reliability, optimize asset utilization, and reduce operational risks. This influence extends across various industries, driving widespread adoption of simulation software. Segmentation 2: by Module Type Power Flow Short Circuit Device Coordination Arc Flash Dynamic State Studies Module Renewable Energy Integration Energy Storage System Modeling Others Power Flow to Hold the Largest Share in the Market (by Module Type) In the evolving power system simulation software market, power flow, or load flow analysis, stands out as pivotal, poised to capture the largest market share due to its essential role in grid analysis and optimization. This fundamental simulation technique determines the steady-state operating conditions of power systems and is widely used due to its versatile applications. Power flow analysis is crucial for grid planning and design, enabling power utilities and engineering firms to assess voltage and power flow under various conditions. It also plays a key role in the real-time monitoring and control of grid operations. Segmentation 3: Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World North America Region to Lead the Market (by Region) North America leads the global power system simulation software market, fueled by its advanced technological infrastructure and a proactive approach to renewable energy integration and grid modernization. The region's technological expertise allows for the creation of innovative simulation tools that meet the changing needs of the energy sector. The rapid adoption of renewable energy, driven by environmental goals and regulatory requirements, demands sophisticated software for optimizing grid operations and ensuring stability. This need is further supported by extensive grid modernization projects backed by government funding and incentives, boosting the demand for these technologies. As North America continues to pioneer sustainable energy initiatives, its dominant position in the simulation software market is solidified. Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis The companies that are profiled in the global power system simulation software market have been selected based on input gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration. Some of the prominent companies in this market are: Siemens OPAL-RT Technologies, Inc. DIgSILENT PowerWorld Corporation IncSys Inc. Manitoba Hydro International Ltd. RTDS Technologies Inc. The MathWorks Inc. ABB General Electric Company Schneider Electric Plexim GmbH DNV GL Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. CYME International PGSTech Companies that are not a part of the aforementioned pool have been well represented across different sections of the report (wherever applicable). Developments in the Global Power System Simulation Software Market In July 2023, General Electric Company's energy consulting division unveiled its redesigned positive sequence load flow analysis (PSLF) software, allowing clients to simulate their power systems with increased speed and efficiency compared to previous versions. In September 2023, Schneider Electric introduced ETAP, a novel integrated digital twin platform that expedites the digitization process throughout the entire lifespan of power systems. In November 2022, DNV GL announced its acquisition of Power System Dynamics (PSD Consulting Engineering Pty. Ltd.), a renowned grid consulting firm based in South Africa. PSD is globally recognized for its expertise in modeling the dynamic behavior of high-voltage power systems. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 128 Forecast Period 2023-2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $1.46 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $3.32 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.5% Regions Covered Global For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dnmkbp 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 KEY HIGHLIGHTS: Resumes drilling with 1,500 m at the Aljo Mine Target (Aljo) to follow-up on high-grade gold intercepts of 3.65 grams of gold per tonne (g/t Au) over 6.3 metres (m), 13.35 g/t Au over 3.6 m and 6.58 g/t Au over 4.3 m. Discovers compelling new gold target within Pen Gold Project, Muskego, with sonic drill test intercepting significant mineralization in bedrock. Conducted regional black spruce bark sampling across Goldarm Project with 800 samples as first pass surface exploration program in areas of no historic work completed. Preliminary data from regional till sampling on Dore outlines new gold and base metal targets. SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GFG Resources Inc. (TSXV: GFG) (OTCQB: GFGSF) (GFG or the Company) announces that it has initiated its 2024 drill program of approximately 6,000 m testing multiple targets across the Goldarm Property (Goldarm) and to test a new target within the Pen Gold Project (Pen) called Muskego. Drilling is planned to start next week at Aljo with a Phase 1 drill program consisting of approximately 1,500 m. In addition to the drill programs, the Company has initiated regional surface exploration programs across its 800 square kilometre Timmins land package (see Figures 1- 5). As we move forward following our successful financing and the recent proposed sale of our Rattlesnake Hills project, we are excited to ramp-up our 2024 exploration program in Timmins, stated Brian Skanderbeg, President and CEO of GFG. Our primary focus remains the advancement of our target pipeline across all three properties, with Phase 1 drilling centered on the high-grade gold Aljo Mine target. We are set to begin drilling in early June, with a strategic approach that includes direct step-outs from both our own and historical drilling, which have yielded promising high-grade results beneath and proximal to the historic Aljo Mine. Furthermore, our thorough review of the historical exploration work at Pen and the recent regional till sampling at Dore have outlined priority drill targets, such as Muskego, that will be a key focus for advancement this year. The results at Muskego and the compelling Dore till results, coupled with the opportunities at Goldarm, have provided the Company with a robust pipeline of high-quality targets to progress upon. We are excited about the potential that lies ahead and are committed to unlocking the full exploration potential of our properties. Aljo Drill Program GFG will commence drilling operations at Aljo in the upcoming days. The drill program will consist of approximately 1,500 m, with a focus on targeting broad centers of gold mineralization known to host up to five discrete parallel zones of high-grade mineralization (see Figure 3 and Table 1). These zones are characterized by significant visible gold found in quartz veins that are associated with strong alteration halos. The primary objectives of the drill program are to test the continuity of quartz veins and gold mineralization with step-outs of around 75 m along the strike and at depth beneath the historic Aljo Mine. Additionally, the program aims to expand on the newly discovered high-grade Aljo Footwall Zone, which was identified in drill hole ALJ-23-004 which returned impressive gold grades, including 13.35 g/t Au over 3.6 m, which included 32.94 g/t Au over 1.4 m from a depth of 350.5 m (see news release dated February 15, 2024). Furthermore, the drill program will investigate the relationship between gold mineralization and newly modeled feldspar porphyry dykes in the Aljo Mine area. Previous observations have shown high-grade gold mineralization with visible gold in quartz veins occurring within, on the margins of, and in proximity to these porphyry dykes. The success of this drill program will play a crucial role in determining the level of focus and investment that GFG will allocate to Aljo during the Q3-Q4 drill program. In addition to the significant opportunity at Aljo, GFG will test other high-potential targets, such as the Carr Porphyry, which exhibits similar high-grade gold and copper mineralization from historic drill intercepts. Montclerg Gold Project Update GFG is currently advancing the geological model at Montclerg Gold Project (Montclerg) to identify areas for resource expansion and additional stand-alone targets. The Lower Footwall zone has shown very strong down-dip continuity evidenced by the most recent and deepest drillhole intercept to-date (see news release dated December 5, 2023) grading 4.79 g/t Au over 12.8 m from 424.2 m including 10.05 g/t Au over 4.3 m. This remains a very exciting expansion target for GFG and will be the focus of future drill programs driven by refinement of the exploration model. In addition to modelling, the Company plans to complete further metallurgical tests. Surface Exploration Program at Goldarm GFG launched a property-wide black spruce bark sampling program at Goldarm in Q1-2024, with the objective of identifying new gold and base-metal anomalies. The collection of approximately 800 samples, covering a significant portion of the property marks a crucial step in GFGs initiative to expand and define new drill targets. Given the substantial till cover present across the Goldarm Property, GFG views this method as a cost-effective means of conducting initial testing for gold and base-metal mineralization, offering advantages over base-of-till drilling. The resulting targets will be evaluated and ranked within GFG's growing target pipeline, with the most promising targets slated for further exploration in Q4-2024 and early 2025. In addition to drilling at Aljo, the Company plans to complete summer field activities including prospecting, channel sampling, and mapping. A particular emphasis will be placed on delineating folded and faulted porphyry dykes, which are intricately linked to high-grade gold mineralization in the Aljo region. Efforts will also be directed towards developing a robust alteration within the Aljo system, believed to signify intersection-controlled gold zones that may extend well beyond the historical Aljo Mine boundaries. These concerted efforts underscore GFG's commitment to advancing exploration activities and unlocking the full potential of the Aljo area. Pen and Dore Gold Projects After conducting a thorough review of the 2022 sonic drill base-of-till sampling program on the west side of the Pen property, GFG has identified several new gold targets that warrant further exploration. These targets exhibit gold +/- copper anomalism in bedrock and basal till beneath the 30 square kilometre Muskego region. The Muskego area has no outcrop, which has historically impeded significant exploration efforts. The compiled anomalous data align with conceptual target areas developed by GFG and are situated between the Slate Rock target and the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone. These newly identified targets will be the focus of upcoming first pass drill programs within the next 12 months. The potential of these targets highlights the opportunities of unlocking the mineralization potential within the Pen property. Gold grain data are now being received for the regional till survey carried-out at Dore in Q4-2023. Although the results are preliminary in nature, they outline gold-in-till anomalies in several target areas across the property. A number of base-metal targets have also been identified from the results that correspond to known trends hosting semi-massive to massive sulphide lenses. GFG has already begun following-up on these results focusing on prospecting along major crustal-scale features directly up-ice from the new gold and base-metal basal till anomalies. Additional till sampling within the eastern block at Dore has also begun given that this area hosts intriguing copper-gold mineralization in stock-work style quartz veins in regionally extensive magmatic breccia zones. Till-sampling was not completed in this area due to poor access and snow-cover late in 2023 and is now being prioritized. Anders Carlson, Vice President of Exploration, stated, The next 12 months will be very exciting for GFG as we advance high-priority targets at all three of our Timmins properties. Our goal over the past year has been to streamline our technical team while identifying true value in our existing portfolio. The new Muskego target at Pen is a perfect example of why these efforts are so important. We believe this style of target has the power to transform our business and underpins why were all-in on the Abitibi. Outlook In 2024, the Company is optimistic about the progress and new opportunities unfolding at each of our three regional-scale Timmins properties. For the remainder of the year, the Company plans to drill approximately 6,000 m of drilling over two stages with a particular focus on Aljo, Carr, Montclerg, Muskego and other drill ready targets. At the Pen and Dore gold projects, the Company is engaged in identifying and implementing new strategies to progress these properties. The goal is to fully explore the extent of the geological formations present, not only for gold, but also volcanogenic massive sulfide and nickel-copper mineralization. With a focus on both developing existing drill targets and identifying new ones, the Company is confident in the potential of these properties to host significant gold systems similar to those found in the prolific Timmins region. On May 9, 2024, the Company announced the sale of its 100% owned Rattlesnake Hills Gold Project in Wyoming, U.S. (see news release dated May 9, 2024) to Patriot Gold Vault Ltd. (Patriot) for an aggregate consideration of approximately C$3.3 million. Currently, GFG and Patriot are advancing towards the definitive agreement and anticipate signing the agreement by June 26, 2024. Table 1: Highlighted 2022-2023 Aljo Mine Target Assay Results Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Zone VG ALJ-22-002 62.1 75.0 12.9 3.03 Aljo Mine VG incl. 67.5 68.1 0.6 59.80 VG and 79.0 93.9 14.9 1.32 VG incl. 85.3 86.2 0.9 10.90 VG and 101.0 105.3 4.3 6.58 VG incl. 103.2 104.2 1.0 27.40 VG ALJ-23-004 6.5 20.8 14.3 0.95 Aljo Mine and 34.0 42.9 8.9 1.14 incl. 34.0 35.5 1.5 3.44 and 45.7 54.9 9.2 0.94 and 58.2 67.0 8.8 0.67 and 89.7 97.8 8.1 0.68 and 125.7 132.0 6.3 3.65 VG incl. 130.9 132.0 1.1 18.4 VG and 142.0 143.2 1.2 7.17 incl. 142.7 143.2 0.5 16.2 VG and 157.2 159.1 1.9 4.42 VG and 262.7 264.7 1.9 4.29 VG incl. 264.2 264.7 0.5 14.8 VG and 350.5 354.0 3.6 13.35 VG incl. 350.5 351.9 1.4 32.94 VG ALJ-23-005 173.9 188.0 14.1 0.36 Aljo Mine ALJ-23-009 59.7 60.2 0.5 20.3 Aljo North ALJ-23-011 4.5 15.6 11.1 0.57 Aljo West and 19.7 37.2 17.5 0.33 and 59.6 78.6 19.0 1.39 VG incl. 59.6 60.4 0.8 9.11 VG and 86.2 103.7 17.5 1.86 VG incl. 88.4 92.0 3.6 4.98 VG also incl. 95.8 97.5 1.7 4.43 *Drill intercepts are presented using a 0.20 g/t Au cut-off and as drilled length with a minimum 0.5 gram-metre product. Composites include internal dilution of up to 3 m at grades less than 0.2 g/t Au. Included intervals are calculated using a 3 g/t cut-off at a minimum 5 gram-metre product unless otherwise stated. True width is estimated to be 50 to 90% of drilled length. Figure 1: Regional Map of GFG Gold Projects in the Timmins Gold District Figure 2: Goldarm Property Plan View Map Figure 3: Aljo Mine Target Plan View Map Figure 4: Dore Gold Project Surface Exploration Results Figure 5: Pen Gold Project Muskego Target About GFG Resources Inc. GFG is a North American precious metals exploration company focused on district scale gold projects in tier one mining jurisdictions, Ontario and Wyoming. In Ontario, the Company operates three gold projects, each large and highly prospective gold properties within the prolific gold district of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. The projects have similar geological settings that host most of the gold deposits found in the Timmins Gold Camp which have produced over 70 million ounces of gold. The Company also owns 100% of the Rattlesnake Hills Gold Project, a district scale gold exploration project located approximately 100 km southwest of Casper, Wyoming, U.S. For further information, please contact: Brian Skanderbeg, President & CEO or Marc Lepage, Vice President, Business Development Phone: (306) 931-0930 Email: info@gfgresources.com Website: www.gfgresources.com Stay Connected with Us X (Twitter): @GFGResources LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gfgresources/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GFGResourcesInc/ Footnote: (1) Drill intercepts are historical and GFGs QP has not verified the laboratory accreditation, analytical method, sample size or QA/QC procedures utilized for the historic drill results. True widths have not been estimated. Sampling and Quality Control All scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared under the supervision of Brian Skanderbeg, P.Geo. President and CEO of GFG, a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. Drill core samples are being analyzed for gold by Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Timmins, Ontario. Gold analysis consists of the preparation of a 500-gram pulp and an assay of a 50-gram aliquot by Pb collection fire assay with an Atomic Absorption Spectrometry finish (Package 1A2-50). Samples assaying above 5 ppm Au are routinely re-run using a gravimetric finish (Package 1A3-50). Mineralized zones containing visible gold are analyzed by a screen metallic fire assay method. Selected samples are also undergoing multi-element analysis for 59 other elements using a four-acid digestion and an ICP-MS finish (Package MA250) by Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. in Vancouver, British Columbia. Quality control and assurance measures include the monitoring of results for inserted certified reference materials, coarse blanks and preparation duplicates of drill core. Drill intercepts are presented using a 0.20 g/t Au cut-off and as drilled length. Composites include internal dilution of up to 3 m at grades less than 0.2 g/t Au. True width is estimated to be 50 to 90% of drilled length. Sampling protocols, quality control and assurance measures and geochemical results related to historic drill core samples quoted in this news release have not been verified by the Qualified Person and therefore must be regarded as estimates. 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. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Companys future exploration plans with respect to its property interests and the timing thereof, the prospective nature of the projects, future price of gold, success of exploration activities and metallurgical test work, permitting time lines, currency exchange rate fluctuations, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of exploration work, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims and limitations on insurance coverage. Generally, these forward-looking statements 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 the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results, may, could, would, will, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved or the negative connotation thereof. All forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions, including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, the assumed long-term price of gold, that the Company will receive required permits and access to surface rights, that the Company can access financing, appropriate equipment and sufficient labour, and that the political environment within Canada and the United States will continue to support the development of mining projects in Canada and the United States. In addition, the similarity or proximity of other gold deposits to the Companys projects is not necessary indicative of the geological setting, alteration and mineralization of the Rattlesnake Hills Gold Project, the Goldarm Property, the Pen Gold Project and the Dore Gold Project. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of GFG to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: actual results of current exploration activities; environmental risks; future prices of gold; operating risks; accidents, labour issues and other risks of the mining industry; availability of capital, delays in obtaining government approvals or financing; and other risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties and the additional risks described in the Companys most recently filed annual and interim MD&A are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive. Although GFG has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There 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. In addition, forward-looking statements are provided solely for the purpose of providing information about managements current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of our operating environment. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and GFG assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b81caaa1-d74d-4db5-8bc9-1df21b665a85 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bb0693ee-37d7-4694-9fde-504864b7f722 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/68e16e9f-d0ae-4408-991d-3ce447a0e31e https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0294cd4e-364c-4948-a75e-a941126b65e6 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14d9fe1e-a19b-4102-a294-70be9a3ef238 DENVER and AUSTIN, Texas, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spectora, North Americas leading home inspection software provider, and LaunchPad Home Group (LaunchPad), the nations premier provider of home inspection and residential services, are excited to announce a multi-year partnership providing LaunchPad brands with Spectoras full suite of report writing and business tools. The exclusive adoption of Spectora software across LaunchPads inspection companies is a strategic move to standardize all inspectors reporting, automation, and back-office tools. The move is intended to enhance the quality and consistency of home inspection reports, benefiting homebuyers and real estate professionals alike. Known for their usability and actionability, these reports are gaining recognition among real estate agents for facilitating transparent client experiences. This partnership supports LaunchPads aggressive growth goals by providing a scalable software platform for future brands joining the LaunchPad ecosystem. LaunchPad Home Group is a family of regional home inspection and services brands sharing relationships, support systems, best practices, and capital base for the mutual growth of their brands. LaunchPads mission is to create lifelong relationships by simplifying home ownership at every stage of the journey, from inspections to remodeling to day-to-day safekeeping and maintenance. Scott Swayze, CEO of LaunchPad, said: One of our biggest obstacles has been finding a software solution capable of meeting the constantly growing challenges of our business. Our focus on innovation and the vast scale of our services and territories make it difficult for technology partners to keep up with us. Spectora already offers a best-in-class reporting solution, and with the rapidly growing improvements on the scheduling and business management platform, we are excited about the efficiencies gained by implementing their software into the LaunchPad ecosystem, he added. Spectoras dedication to our mutual success has been evident. Were fully aligned in our commitment to an exceptional inspection experience. We are thrilled to have been chosen by LaunchPad as their exclusive report writing and business tools software partner for their home inspection brands, said Michael Wagstaff, CEO and co-founder of Spectora. Spectoras core platform, along with our Advanced features, not only provides better functionality and faster workflows for LaunchPads home inspectors, but also consolidates their software stack and allow them to have one best-in-class support team to rely on. We truly believe this partnership better enables both companies to continue redefining the inspection industry. Spectora has always been focused on helping home inspectors save time and make more money, said Kevin Wagstaff, President and co-founder of Spectora. Our partnership with LaunchPad further validates that Spectora is not only the right choice for thousands of single operator and multi-inspector companies but also provides the tooling, functionality, and customer support needed to enable a multi-brand, enterprise organization to scale. Were delighted to work with industry-leading brands, inspectors, and the team at Launchpad. LaunchPads future brand acquisitions will be able to take full advantage of this partnership, as well as current brand partners in their portfolio: About Spectora Spectora is the industry-leading provider of home inspection software, powering over 9,000 inspectors across the United States and Canada. Currently, one of every three homebuyers in North America uses Spectoras user-friendly web-based inspection reports to make buying and owning a home easier, helping them better understand the home, negotiate their purchase, and shop for contractors and home services before, during, and after the move. Visit https://www.spectora.com. About LaunchPad Home Group LaunchPad Home Group is a family of regional home inspection and services brands sharing relationships, support systems, best practices, and capital base for the mutual growth of our brands. LaunchPads mission is to create lifelong relationships by simplifying home ownership at every stage of the journey, from inspections to remodeling to day-to-day safekeeping and maintenance. For more information, visit www.launchpadhomegroup.com. Today, with the help of private equity investor RFE Investment Partners, LaunchPad is the fastest growing residential inspection company in the U.S. and provides a full suite of services to assist customers in their home ownership journey. May 29, 2024: In another first, SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) launched one of its reusable Falcon 9 SLVs (Satellite Launch Vehicles) for the 21st time on May 17th. This launch delivered 23 more Starlink Internet satellites to orbit. This Falcon 9, in 20 previous launches, has put over 530 satellites, most of them Starlinks, into orbit. This was the 51st orbital mission this year. With the latest launch SpaceX has carried out 83 lunches from the Kennedy Space Center. That is one more than the prior 82 Space Shuttle launches that took place over a thirty year period. The rocket launched was a Falcon 9 Block 5. This model was designed to be used ten times. But now SpaceX believes these Block 5 Falcon 9s can be used for up to 40 launches. This Block 5 Falcon 9 has proved capable of carrying out a launch, then landing and carrying out another launch without refurbishment. As of now SpaceX has about 5,935 operational Starlink satellites in orbit out of a total of 6,350 launched to date. SpaceX plans to carry out 150 launches by the end of the year. A smaller number of launches take place at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Thats where the classified Starshield satellites are launched for the U.S. Space Force. Back in 2019 that the first sixty Starlink satellites were put into orbit. The goal was for SpaceX to eventually have 30,000 Starlink satellites up there. This would provide the entire planet with low-cost, high-speed Internet access via a multiple-satellite ISP (Internet Service Provider) system. Users needed a small ground station consisting of a small satellite dish and a special modem, costing $600 for standard use with a $90 a month service charge. In large quantities these stations cost about $100 each. High Performance Starlink service costs $2,500 a month. Some nations will not allow their citizens to access Starlink while others seek to regulate what portions of the Internet users can access. This has been the experience of major competitors like ViaSat and HughesNet. When all the Starlink satellites are in orbit, Starlink will be the planets major provider of satellite Internet service. Starlink expects to be profitable in 2024, with 3.8 million fee paying customers. Thats up from 2.3 million Starlink customers in 2023. The original gen1 Starlink system was designed to expand to over 40,000 satellites if demand by paying customers was large enough to justify and pay for it. Starlink gen2 is designed to provide so much more customer bandwidth (data transmission) that far fewer Starlink satellites will be needed. That could be up to 90 percent less than gen1. Gen2 is designed to operate more efficiently over countries that outlaw Starlink as an ISP. Nearly half the Internet users on the planet live in countries that heavily censor Internet use. Starlink makes it much more difficult to censor Internet users. Originally designed to provide affordable high-speed Internet use to those in remote areas, Starlink discovered it had gained a lot of new customer interest because of its experience in Ukraine. The gen2 satellites are described as nearly ten times more capable than the original gen1 Starlink satellites. Gen2 are designed to work with gen1 satellites and gradually replace them. Gen1 satellites are designed to last about seven years. At that point the satellite gradually loses altitude until it burns up reentering the atmosphere. The true capabilities of gen2 wont be known until some of them are in orbit. Gen1 satellites proved more effective than expected but the list of suggested improvements indicated that a larger gen2 satellite would be the way to go. Eventually this will mean fewer Starlink satellites in orbit but there will still be thousands of them. The main function of Starlink is to provide cheaper, more powerful, and globally available access to the Internet or any other communications network that can pay for the use of the Starlink network. That includes military users that are friendly to Starlink and not considered a threat. The threat nations include China, Russia and several smaller countries like Iran, North Korea and Cuba that are hostile to Internet access they cannot control. China estimates that Starlink is able to increase the speed and throughput of military communications over a hundred times what it is now. Starlink is not the only multiple-satellite ISP system. There are similar efforts underway in several countries, including Russia and China. These efforts have fallen far behind Starlink in terms of numbers and capabilities. Starlink is unique in that it was the first to enter service and quickly proved it could do what it was designed to do. That included quickly adapting to the needs of military users. This was demonstrated in Ukraine where Starlink was activated over Ukraine days after Russia invaded in February 2022. The first of thousands of free user kits were delivered in less than a week. Currently there are over 42,000 user kits in Ukraine, most of them serving as small, local ISPs by adding an inexpensive router. As long as the Ukraine War continues, SpaceX and the U.S. government will pay for the service in Ukraine. In 2022 SpaceX announced a new subsidiary called Starshield with enhanced versions of Starlink technology on larger earth-imaging satellites with sensors to provide whatever sensing capabilities a national security customer wants. This includes photos, real-time video, and all manner of data which U.S. military-grade satellite sensors can collect. Potential users include the NSA, CIA, and equivalent agencies of American allies. While Starlink has achieved market dominance in space-based communications for personal and commercial users, that largely consists of high-speed Internet datalinks and inexpensive ground links that can be stationary or moving in a vehicle or ship. Starshield plans to do that same with classified data government agencies presently collect. Starshield satellites are designed to accept many types of capabilities provided by user-supplied modules designed for compatibility with the Starshield interface. Starshield data and control links use much more robust encryption. Starshield will use larger SpaceX SLVs to put new Starshield satellites in orbit. Currently Russia is actively seeking ways to disrupt Starlink service. These attacks are nothing new, because government and military users of space-based communications systems have long worked on improving security. Starshield was organized to take business away from commercial firms like Blacksky and Maxtar that already have billions of dollars in government contracts to provide persistent imaging, including real-time video, of specific areas on earth. The United States provides these specialized imaging services to Ukraine and that provides superior satellite data on Russian forces than what the Russians can provide to their own troops. Ukrainians were impressed by the potential for Starlink and rapidly came up with new uses, some of them military. This gave Starlink a realistic test under very adverse conditions. So far this has been a success even though Russia, apparently with some help from China, is seeking ways to shut down or disrupt Starlink. Failing at that, Russia captured some Starlink terminals and purchased some on the black market. When the Ukrainians discovered this, they asked SpaceX to disconnect the illegal Russian Starlink terminals. Another advantage of Starlink was the rapidity of upgrades or modifications to deal with problems, including Russian efforts to jam or disrupt performance in Ukraine. Not only were the Russians unable to disable Starlink, but they found its encrypted signals far superior to communications Russian troops had to use in Ukraine. Worse for the Russians was the Ukrainian ability to rapidly integrate Starlink with Ukrainian communications and fire control systems. Before Gen2 satellites were ready, SpaceX pointed out that it could put additional Starlink satellites into orbit faster and more cheaply than Russia or anyone else could destroy them. This capability was part of the Starlink design that not only allowed satellite and user software to be quickly updated, but new Starlink satellites often had new features added to improve performance and that included more resistance to hacking and jamming. Complaints that Starlink satellites would become so numerous that they would be a hazard for other satellites are unproven and even less likely once the gen2 satellites are operating. Starlink operates in LEO (low earth orbit) between 300 and 600 kilometers from earth, where there is already a lot of space junk too small to quickly fall back into the atmosphere and burn up. Any plans to destroy a lot of Starlink satellites would make the situation worse without shutting down Starlink services. If left alone, the gen1 and gen2 Starlink satellites, when no longer operational, are designed to eventually de-orbit and move low enough to allow gravity to pull them towards earth and burn up in the atmosphere. China sees Starlink as a serious threat to its current government Internet censorship and control over the population, as well as the political reliability of its military. Thats no speculation because its already happening, often live on TV, in Ukraine. China has not yet come up with a workable plan to disrupt or destroy Starlink and considers Starlink a major obstacle to China eventually becoming the most powerful military force on the planet. That was supposed to happen before 2050. With Starlink it may take longer. Starshield also aims to provide users with a dominant position in space-based sensing. Starshield is meant to be cheaper and more responsive than any existing competitor in providing a wider array of earth sensing capabilities. SpaceX has not revealed the schedule for lifting Starshield satellites into orbit, and some may already be there testing the services Starshield will provide. Starshield activities will be less public than Starlink, which is how intelligence agencies like it. TORONTO, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Casey House a hospital unlike any other providing care to those living with and at risk of HIV today announces the launch of its latest advocacy campaign, Stigmavir. This initiative aims to reach health care practitioners and introduces a fictitious anti-viral drug named Stigmavir, designed to treat HIV stigma. Stigma in health care is harming people living with HIV, with one in five people living with HIV being denied. The campaign includes an upbeat musical public service announcement (PSA), set to a musical adaptation of the iconic song "I Will Survive with rights provided by Gloria Gaynor herself. Even in spaces run by people educated about health, HIV stigma persists. The Stigmavir campaign marks the next chapter in our longstanding Smash Stigma initiative to eradicate HIV stigma, says Joanne Simons, Casey House CEO. Stigma remains a significant barrier for individuals living with HIV seeking access to health care. This year were inviting other health care providers to join us in the mission to create positive health care spaces that are informed, sensitive, inclusive, and inquisitive rather than assumptive. Everyone deserves health care that meets their needs, treats them with respect and maintains confidentiality. For people living with HIV, stigma is one of the most reported barriers to accessing health care. Disclosure to medical professionals can result in stares, micro-aggressions, and even denial of care, particularly during vulnerable moments like emergency or mental health care. Experiences of prejudice, discrimination, and stigma can cause patients to internalize this negativity, leading to a higher risk of depression and worse health outcomes, such as a delayed diagnosis. Despite the scientific advancements in health care and increased knowledge of HIV, unfortunately stigma still exists, says Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos Medical Officer of Health who is recognizing the hospitals Stigmavir initiative for its innovative approach. Health care leaders like Casey House play a crucial role in educating Canadas health care providers on what stigma-free care truly involves. Initiatives like Stigmavir not only raise awareness of overlooked issues but also empower health care providers with the essential tools and resources to offer compassionate care to their patients. Casey House is leading the charge against HIV stigma in health care by inviting health care practitioners to join the movement in creating compassionate spaces for those living with or at risk of HIV. While Stigmavir is fictitious, it is an invitation to think about the way everyone in health care engages with people living with HIV; to reconsider how small actions can impact the people receiving care. What does health care look like without HIV stigma? Patients can build a trusting relationship with a health care provider, look forward to consistent treatment, and feel safe as they pursue good health. Casey House has also created a campaign website that offers health care providers additional resources on delivering compassionate care to those living with or at risk of HIV. People still dont like having positive people around, and also it's hard that were still facing stigma from health care practitioners, says Yasir, a documentary participant involved in the project. This message is important because it not only invites health care providers to provide compassionate care and recognize unconscious biases, but also shares stories from HIV+ individuals and their experiences of receiving equitable care. Additionally, Casey House has created an HIV Stigma-Free symbol, similar to LGBTQ+ signage seen in the windows of businesses, available for download by health care practitioners. This symbol, accompanied by a toolkit of resources, will signify their efforts to provide stigma-free care for individuals living with HIV. Join us. Consider whether Stigmavir is right for you and help Casey House improve health care experiences for people living with HIV. Spread awareness by sharing on social media using #smashstigma and stigmavir.ca to learn more. To access the video PSA and high-res photography, please visit: LINK To book an interview with any of our following spokespeople or for more information about the Stigmavir campaign please contact: Aaron Short Aaron.short@narrative.ca 905-442-1923 Spokespeople available for interviews include: Joanne Simons, CEO of Casey House Dr. Ed Kucharski, Chief Medical Officer of Casey House Our HIV+ documentary participants About Casey House: Casey House is unlike any other hospital. We are a specialty hospital in Toronto providing ground-breaking care to people living with and at risk of HIV. Together with our clients, staff, peers and volunteers, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe. We offer a growing mix of inpatient, and outpatient services that meet clients where they are in their individual journeys of health and wellness and actively dismantle barriers to care and safe living. As a hospital that strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, were also tackling the deeply ingrained stigma associated with HIV. With bold ideas and brave partners, we make the humanity of each client the heart of everything we do. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e816fa6-900a-4702-9b9b-148d22cf0848 Dublin, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Car as a Connected Living Ecosystem Market - Forecast to 2035" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global car as a connected living market is expected to grow from USD 8 billion in 2023 to USD 1.5 trillion by 2035 at a CAGR of 54.5% The report covers the global car as a connected living ecosystem market for connected living solutions in terms of market trends, OEM developments, market potential, and future outlook. It also covers the competitive landscape of the major players in the connected living ecosystem. Connected cars have evolved considerably over the last decade from telematics systems to in-car connectivity with access to third party apps. However, the idea that customers are adopting connected vehicles only for in-car convenience is gradually expanding to offer a wide range of support services ranging from safety, home, and workplace, to health. While the concepts are enticing, given the nascency of the market, there are several unanswered questions in terms of service offerings, packages and pricing, customer perception, and industry developments. The growing convenience of market trends such as electrification and autonomous mobility add layers of complexity to this landscape. In-car connectivity will have the largest share of the digital connected living solutions In-car connectivity features are expected to constitute ~90% of the total market; with a total market potential of ~$500 billion by 2035. This is evident from the connected car strategies of leading Chinese OEMs such as BYD, Xpeng, Nio, and Leap Motors that are aggressively focused on international expansion, especially Europe. Leap Motors has revealed its future vehicles will have over 500 connectivity features. Connected aftermarket will be a critical part of connected living solutions to ensure optimal vehicle health and increased vehicle relevance over vehicle lifetime Traditionally, the primary relationship between OEMs and its customers ended at the point of sales. This dynamic has started to evolve now. OEMs are increasingly making their presence felt in the aftermarket service space such as digital and connected repair and maintenance services, metaverse based real time fault identification and repair services, digital service lanes, online auto parts and used car marketplaces and connected car insurance features. Consequently, OEMs are connected with their customers at every point in the vehicle journey; helping customers optimally navigate vehicle maintenance. Connected energy offers strong business case for OEMs Through connected EVs, OEMs are making it very easy for customers to manage their energy needs. Digital charging management has become very common and offered by almost OEMs such as Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, and Nio amongst others, offering service such as charging status monitoring, charging scheduling, charging and battery swapping station locator, and payment integration. Connected EVs are not just limited to offering these digital charging services - the wider ecosystem of charging infrastructure offers new revenue streams for OEMs. OEMs such as Tesla, GM, and Hyundai offer services such as renewable energy generation for vehicles and homes, energy storage, and vehicle to grid (V2G) services. Key Benefits of the Report: The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the connected living solutions. This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. The report provides insights on the following pointers: Analysis of key drivers (advanced technologies, customer propensity to adopt), restraints (cost of technology development), challenges (undertaking strategic partnerships), and opportunities (first mover advantage). Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product & service launches in the connected living space. Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the future of connected living solutions through the car. Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products & services, recent developments, and investments in the connected living space. Competitive Assessment: Competitor benchmarking to understand key industry connected living service offerings. Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 52 Forecast Period 2024 - 2035 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $8 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2035 $1500 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 54.5% Regions Covered Global Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction to Connected Living 2. Enablers for Connected Living to 2035 3. Defining Connected Living 4. Concept of Car as a Connected Living Ecosystem 5. Car as a Connected Living Ecosystem 6. Key Elements of a Connected Car - Mapping Connected Living Elements from Pre-Buying to End-Of-Life Management Digital Retailing Vehicle Ownership In-Car Experiences Connected Home Connected Work Connected Health Connected Lifestyle Connected City Connected Energy Connected Aftermarket Connected Mobility Connected End-Of-Life-Management 7. Evolution Potential of the Car's Connected Living Ecosystem 8. Connected Living Through the Connected Car - Target Timelines 9. Leading Industry Examples 10. Car as a Connected Living Ecosystem - Market Potential 11. Total Addressable Market Digital Connected Living Services - Market Potential Digital Connected Living Ecosystem Services - Market Potential 12. Business & Financial Case Pricing Models High Growth Segments Data Monetization Opportunities 13. Car as a Connected Living Ecosystem - Competitive Landscape 14. OEM Comparative Analysis 15. Customer Analysis 16. Service Adoption Potential 17. Technology Requirements 18. Conclusion & Recommendations Companies Featured Mercedez Benz BMW VW Stellantis Hyundai Toyota GM Ford Nio Xpeng For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xbxmci 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 MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX and NYSE) (Gildan or the Company) today announced that the eight director nominees, being all of the existing directors of the Company following the resignation on May 23, 2024 of the prior members of the board of directors, were elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year by an overwhelming majority of the votes cast by shareholders, in-person, and by proxy, at its annual meeting of shareholders held on May 28, 2024 in Montreal. As a result of the prior directors having all resigned in advance of the annual meeting and their decision not to present themselves for election, only eight director nominees were presented for election at the annual meeting. A majority of the votes cast by shareholders were in favour of the non-binding advisory vote on Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) and the reappointment of its auditors. A majority of the votes cast by shareholders were against the shareholder proposal. Gildan also notes that the Say on Pay was submitted to the Companys shareholders in the context of a proxy solicitation contest, and that the result reflects the shareholders views in respect of compensation decisions made by the prior members of the board of directors in such context. The voting results are detailed below: FOR WITHHELD/AGAINST Number % Number % Resolution 1 Appointment of Auditors 129,803,676 95.35% 6,330,249 4.65% Resolution 2 Election of Directors[(1)] Michael Kneeland 114,088,449 85.37% 19,552,254 14.63% Glenn J. Chamandy 111,752,888 83.62% 21,888,991 16.38% Michener Chandlee 113,396,554 84.84% 20,260,388 15.16% Ghislain Houle 113,368,568 84.83% 20,272,127 15.17% Melanie Kau 114,129,217 85.39% 19,531,050 14.61% Peter Lee 110,678,904 82.82% 22,958,401 17.18% Karen Stuckey 132,484,543 99.00% 1,341,050 1.00% J.P. Towner 132,448,127 98.98% 1,358,969 1.02% Resolution 3 Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation 96,994,211 73.77% 34,481,778 26.23% Resolution 4 Shareholder Proposal 17,778,970 13.52% 113,679,318 86.48% About Gildan Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel. The Companys product offering includes activewear, underwear and socks, sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms and to global lifestyle brand companies. The Company markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands including Gildan, American Apparel, Comfort Colors, GOLDTOE, and Peds. Gildan owns and operates vertically integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean, North America, and Bangladesh. Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour, environmental and governance practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive ESG program embedded in the Company's long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its ESG practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com. New York City, NY , May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The cryptocurrency market is renowned for its volatility and the rapid shifts in value that can either make or break investors. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), two of the most prominent cryptocurrencies, have recently shown strong bullish signs, leading many to wonder if this momentum could lift emerging tokens like Furrever Token (FURR) to new heights. This article explores how the bull run of Bitcoin and Ethereum might positively impact Furrever Token, driving significant gains and broader market recognition. Bitcoin and Ethereum: Leading the Charge Bitcoin and Ethereum have long been the stalwarts of the cryptocurrency market. Their market movements often set the tone for the entire crypto space. Recent analysis suggests several reasons to be bullish on Bitcoin, including its current position in a consolidation zone, favorable on-chain metrics, and technical indicators like the golden ratio multiplier and the MVRV Z-score. These metrics indicate that Bitcoin might be undervalued and poised for a significant upward movement. Ethereum, on the other hand, is anticipating the approval of its ETFs by the SEC, which could attract a wave of institutional investment. This potential influx of capital is expected to drive ETH prices higher, further solidifying its market position. Additionally, Ethereum's robust ecosystem, which includes decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), continues to grow, attracting both retail and institutional investors. Furrever Token: The New Contender Furrever Token is an emerging cryptocurrency that stands out with its unique, cat-themed approach designed to make the crypto experience fun and engaging. Operating on the BNB-20 blockchain, Furrever Token has a total supply of 9 billion tokens and has already raised over $1.1 million in its presale. The token's appeal lies in its community-driven approach, integrating cute cat-themed stickers, emojis, and visuals to create a delightful user experience. Potential Impact of Bitcoin and Ethereum's Bull Run When Bitcoin and Ethereum enter a bull run, they tend to boost overall market confidence. Investors often feel more secure and optimistic about the potential returns from other cryptocurrencies when the market leaders are performing well. This positive sentiment can extend to emerging tokens like Furrever Token, encouraging more investors to explore and invest in these newer opportunities. A bull run in Bitcoin and Ethereum generally brings higher liquidity to the cryptocurrency market. Increased trading volumes and capital inflows into BTC and ETH can spill over into other cryptocurrencies. For Furrever Token, this could mean more active trading, greater price stability, and the potential for significant price appreciation as it becomes more accessible to a broader audience. As Bitcoin and Ethereum dominate headlines with their price surges, the overall interest in the cryptocurrency market grows. This increased attention can drive more people to explore other cryptocurrencies, including Furrever Token. The unique value proposition of Furrever Token, with its cat-themed ecosystem and community engagement, can attract investors looking for novel and enjoyable investment opportunities. The approval of Ethereum ETFs is expected to bring substantial institutional investment into the crypto space. This influx of capital can create a favorable environment for other cryptocurrencies. Institutions looking to diversify their crypto portfolios might consider investing in promising new projects like Furrever Token, particularly if it demonstrate strong community support and innovative features. Furrever Tokens Unique Value Proposition Furrever Tokens approach to creating a fun and engaging user experience is its standout feature. The integration of cat-themed stickers, emojis, and visuals transforms everyday interactions within the crypto ecosystem, making it appealing to a broad audience. The project also encourages active community participation through regular challenges and events, fostering a warm and friendly environment. Moreover, Furrever Token's presale success, raising over $1.1 million, indicates strong initial interest and support. The project's roadmap includes plans for exclusive cat content and further community-driven initiatives, which could enhance its attractiveness as a long-term investment. Conclusion The bullish trends in Bitcoin and Ethereum present a unique opportunity for emerging tokens like Furrever Token. As BTC and ETH drive market confidence and liquidity, Furrever Token stands to benefit from increased attention, higher trading volumes, and potential institutional interest. With its unique, engaging approach and strong community support, Furrever Token could indeed be propelled to new heights by the ongoing bull run of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Join Furrever Token Presale Now: Furrever Token Official Website Visit Furrever Token Presale Join Official Telegram Group Follow Official X Account Media Contact: Robert Smith https://furrevertoken.com/ support@furrevertoken.com Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kintavar Exploration Inc. (the Corporation or Kintavar) (TSX-V: KTR), is pleased to provide a corporate update detailing the Corporations objectives with the Mitchi-Wabash copper-silver properties, its plans to further exploration usings internally generated cashflow with limited dilution to shareholders and details on the upcoming Annual General and Special Meeting (AGSM) including the introduction of the Omnibus Incentive Plan and the proposed slate of directors. Mitchi-Wabash Copper-Silver Projects The Mitchi-Wabash sediment hosted copper-silver properties continue to be the Corporations flagships projects. Since the discovery of these two mineralized basins in 2017, significant amount of geological information collected helped better target the mineralization, identify numerous pockets of mineralization on surface and ultimately led to the maiden resource estimation on the Sherlock zone in 2023 (Measured & Indicated resource of 2.99Mt @ 0.4% Cu and 4 g/t Ag, see July 31, 2023 press release for further details). An internal scoping study on the Sherlock deposit and the hub and spoke model allowed to evaluate the possibility of developing the Mitchi-Wabash properties. The conclusions of the study suggested that to further derisk and successfully develop the small-scale mining operations at the various zones using the hub and spoke model would require additional zones to be brought to the resource estimation level. After a thorough internal scoping study to evaluate the Sherlock zone and the hub and spoke model, it became clear that additional resources are needed to be demonstrated on the Mitchi-Wabash properties before we can move forward with development. Although targets are abundant, each one needs to be thoroughly explored, drilled and evaluated with the proper 43-101 approved practices and methods before mining development can be undertaken. We have a lot of dedicated shareholders from the regions surrounding the properties that want to see these projects develop into mines and we wholeheartedly believe that time will come for mine development in this region, especially considering the need for copper and new deposits in the world. We believe that our approach of increasing cashflow opportunities will help preserve current shareholder value and ultimately create value, growth and stability for the Corporation. commented Kiril Mugerman, President & CEO of Kintavar. The Mitchi-Wabash properties present great opportunities to further add additional zones to the resource estimation, which will further derisk the project for development. The global copper market has shown in 2024 once again that new mines would need to be developed to keep up with growing demand for copper. Furthermore, to have a sustainable supply chain, deposits would need to be developed outside of the traditional copper mining regions. The lack of discoveries and construction of new mines, together with demand for copper, have led to the copper price hitting an all time high in 2024. Focus on Exploration with Limited Dilution The Corporation understands that discovering additional zones and bringing them to resource estimate level will require time and additional funding. In order to avoid enormous dilution and to protect current and future shareholders, the Corporation has focused on adding various cashflow opportunities since 2019. The purchase of the Fer a Cheval outfitter and securing contracts for workers lodging in the region served multiple purposes: cashflow, providing employment within the region, providing lodging and center of operations for Kintavars exploration activities on the Mitchi and Wabash properties and developing stronger relationships with the local and the First Nations communities. The Corporation then proceeded with optioning out its non-core exploration assets in 2020 and used this for efficient managements of its exploration personnel. Several transactions have been completed that allowed the Corporation to preserve its highly trained staff during non-active periods at the Mitchi-Wabash properties by providing turn-key exploration solutions and in parallel generating cashflow. Considering the difficult market conditions for junior mining exploration companies over the past 10+ years, the Corporation believes that increasing cashflow opportunities to self fund the exploration activities is the best way to advance the Mitchi-Wabash properties and preserve and grow shareholder value. Therefore, the corporation intends to grow its cashflow opportunities within the mineral exploration industry and is regularly evaluating opportunities. For this purpose, the Corporation will be adding both a project generator aspect and turn-key exploration solutions to its activities which will help increase cashflow, will help develop a diversified equity and royalty portfolio and ultimately bring more diversified revenue streams. The Fer a Cheval outfitter will continue generating cashflow from its traditional activities while in parallel providing significant synergies to the exploration of the Mitchi-Wabash properties and to the exploration services portfolio. Omnibus Incentive Plan The Corporation is pleased to announce that it has obtained conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange for the adoption of a new omnibus equity incentive plan (the Omnibus Plan). The Corporation has included the Omnibus Plan in the circular that will be sent to obtain shareholders approval at the upcoming AGSM. As of June 26, 2024, the Omnibus Plan will replace the Corporation's current stock option plan that was last reconducted on June 16, 2023 (the Previous Plan). The board of directors determined that it is desirable to have a wide range of incentive awards, including stock options (Options), restricted share units (RSUs), performance share units (PSUs), and deferred share units (DSUs) (collectively, the Awards) to attract, retain and motivate employees, directors, executive officers and consultants of the Corporation. The aggregate number of common shares reserved for issuance pursuant to Awards granted under the Omnibus Plan (including the options currently outstanding under the Previous Plan) shall not exceed 10% of the Corporations total issued and outstanding common shares from time to time. Annual General and Special Meeting & Slate of Directors Kintavars next AGSM will take place on Wednesday June 26, 2024 at 10 a.m. (Eastern Time) at McMillan LLP 1000, Sherbrooke W, Suite 2700, Montreal, Quebec. Shareholders are invited to attend in person or by joining remotely by registering for the online event here. The Notice of Meeting and Management Information Circular relating to the meeting will be mailed to shareholders on May 30th and will be filed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The proposed slate of director nominees will consist of 4 individuals: Guy Le Bel, Genevieve Ayotte, Maxime Lemieux and Kiril Mugerman. Mark Billings and David Charles wont be standing for re-election as directors. Kiril Mugerman, President & CEO of Kintavar added: I would like to thank Mark Billings for his contributions and leadership during his time as Chair of the Board. I would also like to thank David Charles for his contributions to the board during his tenure as director. Their assistance and guidance since the creation of Kintavar in 2017 are greatly appreciated and I wish them luck in their future plans and endeavours." About Kintavar Exploration & the Mitchi Wabash Properties Kintavar Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration Corporation engaged in the acquisition, assessment, exploration and development of gold and base metal mineral properties. Its flagship project is the Mitchi Wabash copper-silver district (approx. 39 000 hectares, 100% owned) located 100 km north of the town of Mont-Laurier and 15 km East of the town of Parent in Quebec. Both properties cover an area of more than 300 km2 accessible by a network of logging and gravel roads with access to hydro-electric power already on site, major regional roads including railroad and a spur. The properties are located in the north-western portion of the central metasedimentary belt of the Grenville geological province. The projects primarily focus on sediment-hosted stratiform copper type mineralization (SSC) but include Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and skarn type targets. Osisko holds a 2% NSR on 27 claims of the southern portion of the Mitchi property, outside of the sedimentary basin. Kintavar also has exposure in the gold greenstones of Quebec by advancing the Anik Gold Project in a partnership with IAMGOLD and several early-stage projects that were optioned by Gitennes Exploration. Kintavar supports local development in the Mitchi-Wabash region where it owns and operates the Fer a Cheval outfitter (www.feracheval.ca), a profitable and cashflow generating operation where it employs local workforce. It as well works with local First Nations to provide training and employment. For further information contact: Kiril Mugerman, President and CEO Phone: +1 450 641 5119 #5653 Email: kmugerman@kintavar.com Web: www.kintavar.com Forward looking Statements: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking information or forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information and statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, costs, objectives or performance of the Corporation, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such as may, would, could, will, likely, believe, expect, anticipate, intend, plan, estimate target and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, including additional closings of the private placement referred to above, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Corporation will derive. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or management's good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Corporations control. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described under Risk Factors in the Corporations managements discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca; they could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation does not intend, nor does the Corporation undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws. ARLINGTON, Va., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two Six Technologies, a high-growth, technology-focused provider of products and expertise to U.S. national security customers, hosted an opening ceremony to celebrate its new office in Herndon, Virginia. The new office, part of the Coppermine Commons complex at 13865 Sunrise Valley Drive, includes more than 27,000 SF of offices, labs, and specialized equipment that was custom designed for Two Sixs teams. This new office highlights Two Sixs trajectory of rapid growth and strategic expansion, especially in support of Intelligence Community (IC) customers in Northern Virginia. Im delighted to celebrate the opening of our new facility at Coppermine Commons in Herndon, said Joe Logue, CEO of Two Six Technologies. Thanks to the great work by our internal team and excellent partners, this unique facility confirms both our dedication to supporting the missions of our IC customers and our investment in the talented people of Two Six. The opening celebration included a ceremonial ribbon cutting and Two Sixs appreciative acknowledgement of the Two Six teams and project partners who executed the successful project, including Cannon Hill Capital Partners, JLL, Bognet Construction, Structur Management, OTJ Architects, NASK Inc., and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Two Six, which operates more than 25 facilities in 8 different states, already plans further investment in Coppermine Commons, including the build-out of an additional 28,000 SF of offices and labs later this year. About Two Six Technologies Two Six Technologies is a high-growth technology company dedicated to providing innovative products and expertise for defense, intelligence, public safety, and national security customers. The company solves complex technical challenges in five focus areas that are key to missions on the modern battlefield: cyber, information operations, electronic systems, analytics, and secure solutions. The company offers a robust suite of sole source contract vehicles with more than $1.0 billion of combined contract ceiling; a family of operationally deployed products including IKE, M3, Pulse, SIGMA, TrustedKeep and CircuitRE; and a global operational footprint that includes technical access in more than 100 countries coupled with native proficiency in more than 20 languages. Two Six supports national security customers across the Department of Defense, including U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Cyber Command and DARPA; Department of State; the Intelligence Community; and civilian agencies. Two Six was formed in February 2021 by global investment firm The Carlyle Group. Two Six is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and employs more than 800 professionals working in 36 states across the country. For more information, visit twosixtech.com and Two Six Technologies on LinkedIn . Media Contact David Leach Vice President of Corporate Development david.leach@twosixtech.com 703-782-9473 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4422681e-c45f-4e4b-9b13-f204b8f06050 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/426a34d0-8921-4982-a947-aaabe5400fe3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0d1c03fa-826c-4ccc-abdc-5f78804e2987 Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Dear Shareholders and Investors, Highlights: Ninety day periods offer a short-term snapshot of a company, but it is also important to view the long-term picture. The values of our assets have seen a significant increase over the past years. The direction of NAT is unquestionably upward, with further room to grow. The first quarter of 2024 continued at a strong pace with healthy earnings. The Net Profit for the first quarter of 2024 came in at $15.1 million which is similar to the previous quarter (4Q23) with a Net Profit of $17.5 million. For the first quarter of 2024 the dividend is 12 cents ($0.12) per share. This is our 107th consecutive quarterly dividend. The dividend is payable July 18, 2024 to shareholders on record as of June 28, 2024. The average Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) for our spot vessels during the first quarter of 2024 came in at $34,320 per day per ship. Including vessels on term contracts, the total average NAT TCE was $33,570 per day per ship. The daily operating costs per ship are about $9,000. Going forward, we clearly see strong demand for our vessels. The supply-demand dynamics in the market for the fleet of NAT are favorable. The NAT fleet of versatile suezmax tankers offer flexibility in loading and discharging ports. Through careful voyage planning and adjustment of speed of our vessels, we reduce emissions. Each individual ship in the NAT fleet is of excellent technical quality, as demonstrated in the vetting performance, the score board undertaken by the Oil Companies. NAT has one of the lowest debt levels among publicly listed tanker companies. Sincerely, Herbjorn Hansson Founder, Chairman & CEO Nordic American Tankers Ltd. www.nat.bm CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, will, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the tanker market, as a result of changes in OPECs petroleum production levels and worldwide oil consumption and storage, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the prospectus and related prospectus supplement, our Annual Report on Form 20-F, and our reports on Form 6-K. Contacts: Bjrn Giver, CFO Nordic American Tankers Ltd Tel: +1 888 755 8391 Alexander Kihle, Finance Manager Nordic American Tankers Ltd Tel: +47 91 724 171 Attachment Glen Rock, N.J., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC Pink Markets: RSPI) (RespireRx or the Company), focused on the discovery and development of innovative and revolutionary treatments to combat diseases caused by disruption of neuronal signaling, is delighted to announce that the Department of Defense (DOD) has approved a $1.8 million translational research award to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to fund a two stage Phase 2A and 2B clinical study in order to determine the safety and efficacy of CX1739, its lead clinical AMPAkine, to improve bladder function and motor activity in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This grant award supports the ongoing collaboration among scientist teams led by Milap Sandhu, PT, PhD, research scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a rehabilitation research hospital in Chicago, and Dr. Arnold Lippa from RespireRx and Dr. David Fuller from the University of Florida. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, in support of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), is the awarding and administering acquisition office and this work will be supported by the Department of Defense, in the amount of $1,793,411, through the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program under Award No. HT94252410497. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs or the Department of Defense. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has been ranked number one in rehabilitation by U.S. News & World Report since 1991 and cares for patients with the most severe, complex conditions, including SCI. As the Principal Investigator, Dr. Sandhu will conduct the clinical trials at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Dr. Sandhu and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have been allocated $1.8 million to conduct the actual clinical study of which RespireRx has been allocated $252,200 to manufacture and formulate the clinical material, as well as update and submit the CX1739 investigational new drug application (IND). Budget projections have determined that these amounts should be sufficient to pay for manufacturing and clinical costs and the plan is to begin testing in patients by the 4th quarter 2024. The trial will consist of two stages, the first being a Phase 2A will be an ascending single dose safety and efficacy study and the second Phase 2B will consist of a double blind, placebo-controlled study in which participants will be given CX1739 or placebo twice daily for a total of seven days. As we have disclosed in an earlier press release and peer review publications, traumatic SCI often results in neurogenic bladder dysfunction that produces a plethora of urological complications leading to reductions in the quality of life and an increased risk of premature death. Restoration of bladder function is ranked as one of the highest priorities by individuals with SCI (Bourbeau et al., Spinal Cord 58:12161226; 2020). Current treatment approaches usually require interventions such as catheterization for urinary voiding, which have their own set of potentially significant risks and complications. World-wide incidence rates range from 12 to 59 cases per million depending on the country (Amidei et al., Spinal Cord 60:812-819; 2022) and of these 70 - 84% showed neurogenic bladder dysfunction (Kumar et al., World Neurosurgery 113:e345e363;2018). I am delighted and grateful for this government funding that now allows us to extend Dr. Fuller's preclinical studies into the human domain. If CX1739 produces the same effects in humans that it has produced in animals, it potentially represents a novel and needed treatment for SCI, said Dr. Sandhu. Dr. Arnold Lippa, CEO and CSO of RespireRx, commented that, CX1739 has successfully completed multiple Phase 1 safety trials and Phase 2 proof of concept trials demonstrating target engagement. With this new non-dilutive funding, we have begun planning to conduct translational, Phase 2 studies in SCI patients late this year. We believe that this research has the potential to represent a breakthrough in the treatment of SCI, where it is badly needed. He added that, It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. Fuller, a long-time RespireRx collaborator, and his team of scientists. In a series of important studies funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and published in a number of peer reviewed articles, he has demonstrated the ability of RespireRxs lead AMPAkines to improve motor nerve activity and muscle function in a number of animal models of SCI, including respiration and bladder functions. About RespireRx Group RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its subsidiaries and business units (RespireRx Group) are discovering and developing medicines for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders, with a focus on treatments that address conditions affecting millions of people, but for which there are few or poor treatment options, including epilepsy, pain, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), recovery from SCI, certain neurological orphan diseases and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The RespireRx Group is developing a pipeline of new and repurposed drug products based on our broad patent portfolios for two drug platforms: (i) neuromodulators, which include GABAkines and AMPAkines, proprietary chemical entities that positively modulate (positive allosteric modulators or PAMs) GABA A receptors and AMPA-type glutamate receptors, respectively, and (ii) pharmaceutical cannabinoids, which include dronabinol, a synthetic compound that acts upon the nervous systems endogenous cannabinoid receptors. The RespireRx Group holds exclusive licenses and owns patents and patent applications or rights thereto for certain families of chemical compounds that claim the chemical structures and their uses in the treatment of a variety of disorders, as well as claims for novel uses of known drugs. EndeavourRx: Neuromodulators AMPAkines . Through an extensive translational research effort from the cellular level through Phase 2 clinical trials, RespireRx has developed a family of novel, low impact AMPAkines, including CX717, CX1739 and CX1942 that may have clinical application in the treatment of CNS-driven neurobehavioral and cognitive disorders, SCI, neurological diseases, and certain orphan indications. Our lead clinical compounds, CX717 and CX1739, have successfully completed multiple Phase 1 safety trials. Both compounds have also completed Phase 2 proof of concept trials demonstrating target engagement, by antagonizing the ability of opioids to induce respiratory depression. AMPAkines have demonstrated positive activity in animal models of ADHD, results that have been extended translationally into statistically significant improvement of symptoms observed in a Phase 2 human clinical trial of CX717 in adult patients with ADHD. Statistically significant therapeutic effects were observed within one week. We believe AMPAkines may represent a novel, non-stimulant treatment for ADHD with a more rapid onset of action than alternative non-stimulants, such as Straterra (atomoxetine), and without the drawbacks of amphetamine-type stimulants. In a series of important studies funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and published in a number of peer reviewed articles, Dr. David Fuller (University of Florida), a long-time RespireRx collaborator, has demonstrated the ability of CX1739 and CX717, RespireRxs lead AMPAkines, to improve motor nerve activity and muscle function in a number of animal models of SCI. The DOD has recently approved a $1.8 million grant to fund a Phase 2A/2B clinical study of CX1739 in individuals with SCI. GABAkines . Under a License Agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Research Foundation, Inc. and on behalf of its EndeavourRx business unit, RespireRx has in-licensed rights to certain selectively acting GABAkines because of their ability to selectively amplify inhibitory neurotransmission at a highly specific, subset of GABA A receptors, thus producing a unique efficacy profile with reduced side effects. Preclinical studies have documented their efficacy in a broad array of animal models of interrelated neurological and psychiatric disorders including epilepsy, pain, anxiety, and depression in the absence of or with greatly reduced propensity to produce sedation, motor-impairment, tolerance, dependence and abuse. EndeavourRx currently is focusing on developing KRM-II-81 for the treatment of epilepsy and pain. KRM-II-81 has displayed a high degree of anti-convulsant activity in a broad range of preclinical studies, including in treatment resistant and pharmaco-resistant animal models. Not only was KRM-II-81 highly effective in these models, but pharmaco-resistance or tolerance did not develop to its anti-convulsant properties. These latter results are particularly important because pharmaco-resistance occurs when medications that once controlled seizures lose efficacy as a result of chronic use and it is a principal reason some epileptic patients require brain surgery to control their seizures. In support of its potential clinical efficacy, translational studies have demonstrated the ability of KRM- II-81 to dramatically reduce epileptiform electrical activity when administered in situ to brain slices excised from treatment-resistant epileptic patients who underwent surgery. In addition, KRM-II-81 has displayed a high degree of analgesic activity in a broad range of preclinical studies. In intact animal models of pain, the analgesic efficacy of KRM-II-81 was comparable to or greater than commonly used analgesics. At the same time, KRM-II-81 did not display side effects such as sedation and motor impairment, but even more importantly, it did not produce tolerance, dependence, respiratory depression or behavioral changes indicative of abuse liability, which are produced by opioid narcotics and are at the heart of the opioid epidemic. ResolutionRx: Pharmaceutical Cannabinoids. ResolutionRx Ltd (Australian Company Number a/k/a ACN 664 925 651) was formed in Australia on January 11, 2023 by RespireRx as an unlisted public company. RespireRx has contributed by sublicense and license with ResolutionRx, its sleep apnea drug development program subject to certain liabilities. ResolutionRx now engages in the research and development (R&D) associated with that program, initially for the development of a new formulation of dronabinol for use in a Phase 3 clinical trial and the filing of regulatory approval for the treatment of OSA. The current total budget for that program over the next several years is approximately US$16.5 million, most, but not all of which is expected to be eligible for the Australian R&D Tax Incentive (R&DTI). The R&DTI in the case of ResolutionRx is anticipated to be approximately 43.5% of qualified R&D expenditures. Dronabinol, an endocannabinoid receptor agonist, has already demonstrated significant improvement in the symptoms of OSA in two Phase 2 clinical trials. OSA is a serious respiratory disorder that impacts an estimated 90 million people in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany and that has been linked to increased risk for hypertension, heart failure, depression, and diabetes. There are no approved drug treatments for OSA. Because dronabinol is already FDA approved for the treatment of AIDS related anorexia and chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, RespireRx and ResolutionRx further believe that its repurposing strategy would only require, in the United States, approval by the FDA of a 505(b)(2) new drug application (NDA), an efficient regulatory pathway that allows the use of publicly available data. Additional information about RespireRx and the matters discussed herein can be obtained on the RespireRx website at www.RespireRx.com or RespireRxs filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) at www.sec.gov. Additional information about ResolutionRx and the matters discussed herein can be obtained on the ResolutionRx website at https://www.resolutionrx.com.au . Not a Securities Offering or Solicitation This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sales of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale of securities would be unlawful before registration or qualification under the laws of such jurisdiction. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. These might include statements regarding the Companys future plans, targets, estimates, assumptions, financial position, business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations, and assumptions and predictions about research and development efforts, including, but not limited to, preclinical and clinical research design, execution, timing, costs and results, future product demand, supply, manufacturing, costs, marketing and pricing factors. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by words including assumes, could, ongoing, potential, predicts, projects, should, will, would, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, expects, plans, contemplates, targets, continues, budgets, may, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words, and such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) future research plans, expenditures and results, (ii) potential collaborative arrangements, (iii) the potential utility of the Companys product candidates, (iv) reorganization plans, and (v) the need for, and availability of, additional financing. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time the statements are made and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. These factors include but are not limited to, regulatory policies or changes thereto, available cash, research and development results, issuance of patents, competition from other similar businesses, interest of third parties in collaborations with us, and market and general economic factors, and other risk factors disclosed in Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as filed with the SEC on April 17, 2023 (the 2022 Form 10-K). We have not yet filed our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. You should read these risk factors and the other cautionary statements made in the Companys filings as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this press release. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate and therefore current and prospective investors, as well as current and potential collaborators and other current and potential stakeholders, are encouraged not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. You should read this press release completely. Other than as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, even though our situation may change in the future. We caution current and prospective investors, as well as current and potential collaborators and other current and potential stakeholders, not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement that speaks only as of the date made and to recognize that forward-looking statements are predictions of future results, which may not occur as anticipated. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and from historical results, due to the risks and uncertainties described in the 2022 Form 10-K, in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, in our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC and in this press release, as well as others that we may consider immaterial or do not anticipate at this time. These forward- looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the Companys business and technology, which involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future scientific, economic, regulatory and competitive conditions, collaborations with third parties, and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the Companys control. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether our expectations will prove correct. Our expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions that we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties, including those described in the 2022 Form 10-K, in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, in our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC and in this press release. These risks and uncertainties are not exclusive and further information concerning us and our business, including factors that potentially could materially affect our financial results or condition, may emerge from time to time. For more information about the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, see Item 1A. Risk Factors in our 2022 Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any statements to reflect new information or future events or developments. We advise current and prospective investors, as well as current and potential collaborators and other current and potential stakeholders, to consult any further disclosures we may make on related subjects in our annual reports on Form 10-K and other reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC including but not limited to our most recent Form 10-Q as of September 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on November 17, 2023. As noted above, we have not yet filed our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Company Contact: Toronto, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SHEIN, the leading global fashion e-retailer, is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated collaboration with Marika Sila, an influential Inuvialuk actress and activist. Together, they are set to unveil an exclusive collection of women's apparel that embodies the essence of style, strength, and sustainability. This partnership is a testament to SHEIN's commitment to empowering women and embracing diverse identities. Launching on May 31, the much-anticipated SHEIN x Marika Sila Collection celebrates the fusion of Marika's vibrant personal style and her Indigenous heritage with SHEIN's renowned versatility. This curated collection encompasses a wide array of options, including women's apparel, sportswear from the GLOWMODE line, and eco-conscious pieces from the evoluSHEIN by Design collection. It is specifically designed to allow individuals to express their unique identities with confidence. At SHEIN, community support is a top priority. To demonstrate their dedication, 10% of proceeds from the collection made between May 31 and June 30 will be donated to Spirit North, a Canadian non-profit organization focused on improving the health and well-being of Indigenous youth. In addition to donating back to the community, customers can receive 15% off of the entire collection using the code "MS" at checkout. SHEIN firmly believes in women's power to inspire positive change, uplift communities, and embrace their individuality. In collaboration with Marika, SHEIN is proud to amplify the style and strength of Indigenous women, encouraging self-care, nurturing well-being, and fostering success in all aspects of life. SHEIN and Marika invite fashion enthusiasts, supporters of Indigenous culture, and sustainability advocates to explore the captivating collaboration. Celebrate the beauty of diversity, honour the strength within, and embrace sustainable fashion with the SHEIN x Marika Sila Collection. About SHEIN SHEIN is a global online fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering SHEIN branded apparel and products from a global network of vendors, all at affordable prices. Headquartered in Singapore, SHEIN remains committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, promoting its industry-leading, on-demand production methodology for a smarter, future-ready industry. To learn more about SHEIN Canada, visit ca.shein.com . About Marika Sila Marika Sila is an Inuvialuk actress, influencer and stunt performer from Yellowknife, NWT, with over half a million followers across Instagram and TikTok. She is the owner of RedPath Talent Inc. , which is an emerging Indigenous talent agency and production company named after the Indigenous phrase, "Walking the red road" known as walking a path dedicated to sobriety, health and wellness. Marikas aim is to create a platform where she can use her voice to promote healing throughout the world. In all the work Marika does, she does it for her family, her loved ones and her community. About Spirit North Spirit North is a national charitable organization using sport and land-based activities to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous youth. Through these connections, children learn, grow, thrive, and eventually contribute to the health, strength and vibrancy of their communities. Working in partnership with schools and communities, Spirit North delivered programs to over 13,500 Indigenous youth in 102 communities and 180 schools, across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Northwest Territories and were just getting started. Spiritnorthxc.ca Campaign Microsite | LINK Instagram | @shein_ca #SHEINxMarikaSila Attachments NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. (or "Ascend") (CSE: AAWH-U.CN) (OTCQX: AAWH), a multi-state, vertically integrated cannabis operator, announced that John Hartmann, Chief Executive Officer of Ascend will participate in a fireside chat with Matt McGinley, Sell-Side Analyst at Needham at the KCSA Cannabis Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com and co-sponsored by KCSA Strategic Communications, on June 5th. DATE: June 5th TIME: 11:30am Eastern LINK: https://bit.ly/3QVIu08 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 online 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 About Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. AWH is a vertically integrated operator with assets in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. AWH owns and operates state-of-the-art cultivation facilities, growing award-winning strains and producing a curated selection of products for retail and wholesale customers, AWH produces and distributes its in-house Common Goods, Simply Herb, Ozone, Ozone Reserve, Tunnel Vision, and Royale branded products. For more information, visit www.awholdings.com 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. CONTACTS: Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. Rebecca Koar EVP, Investor Relations & Strategy IR@awholdings.com (617) 453-4042 ext. 90102 Company Reconfirms RMR Run Rate Increase of 505%, Significant Device Deployments, and Strategic Advancements in AI Security Solutions: Positions for Optimized Capital Raising with Form S-3 Filing Detroit, Michigan, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., ( OTCPK:AITX ), a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions for enterprise clients, filed its annual report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its fiscal year 2024 ended February 29, 2024. AITX is a full SEC reporting company that files detailed annual and quarterly reports. Other companies on the OTC often have lower disclosure requirements under Alternate Reporting requirements. The Company has also filed a Form S-3 with the SEC aimed at optimizing its capital-raising efforts. This filing allows AITX to raise funds with potentially better share pricing compared to an S-1, resulting in less dilution for shareholders while providing the Company with the required capital for operations and inventory. The S-3 filing provides AITX with the flexibility to manage the number of shares sold over time, enabling more strategic funding based on market conditions. This also attracts long-term investors looking for registered shares. Steve Reinharz, CEO/CTO of AITX, stated, Our recent market cap increases in May allowed us to be eligible to file the Form S-3. I believe investors will appreciate that the S-3 gives us the flexibility to fund our operations and growth initiatives at the best possible value at this stage in our company lifecycle. The Company confirms that there are no changes to the financials that were previously released in its audited financial statements for FY 2024 on May 10, 2024 . Highlights from the financial statement include: Recurring Monthly Revenue : Over $500,000. : Over $500,000. Gross Profit Increase : $1,096,457 in FY2024, up 68% from $653,883 in FY2023. : $1,096,457 in FY2024, up 68% from $653,883 in FY2023. Q4 FY2024 Deployment : 104 units deployed, the largest quarterly deployment to date. : 104 units deployed, the largest quarterly deployment to date. Production and Supply Line Efficiencies : Achieved through improved solution designs, production coordination, and supply chain improvements. : Achieved through improved solution designs, production coordination, and supply chain improvements. RMR Contribution : RIO contributed $143,686 in the final month of FY2024. : RIO contributed $143,686 in the final month of FY2024. R&D Expenses : Reduced from $3,625,468 in FY2023 to $2,878,134 in FY2024. : Reduced from $3,625,468 in FY2023 to $2,878,134 in FY2024. Team Growth: 97 full-time equivalent members across the U.S., Canada, and overseas as of May 7, 2024. Reinharz continued, The Company is working as hard as possible to make FY 2025 an incredibly significant year as we project that we will become operationally profitable this fiscal year. We are building sustainable strong demand, making careful strategic alliances, creating strong technical innovations, and successfully deploying our solution set. Our goal is to propel AITX into a well-recognized, significant supplier of AI-driven solutions, enhancing human capabilities and addressing the increasing need for automation as many roles become harder to fill with human resources. RMR is money earned from customers who pay for a subscription to a service or product. The Companys solutions are generally offered as a recurring monthly subscription, typically with a minimum 12-month subscription contract. AITX, through its subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD) , is redefining the $25 billion (US) security and guarding services industry through its broad lineup of innovative, AI-driven Solutions-as-a-Service business model. RAD solutions are specifically designed to provide cost savings to businesses of between 35%-80% when compared to the industrys existing and costly manned security guarding and monitoring model. RAD delivers these tremendous cost savings via a suite of stationary and mobile robotic solutions that complement, and at times, directly replace the need for human personnel in environments better suited for machines. All RAD technologies, AI-based analytics and software platforms are developed in-house. About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX) AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-R, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai , www.radsecurity.com , www.stevereinharz.com , www.radgroup.ai , www.raddog.ai , and www.radlightmyway.com , or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz . CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS The information contained in this publication does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy securities of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the Company). This publication contains forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance and may involve subjective judgment and analysis. As such, there are no assurances that the Company will meet its expectations with respect to its future sales volume, becoming cash flow positive, ARR or RMR. The information provided herein is believed to be accurate and reliable, however the Company makes no representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. The Company has no obligation to provide the recipient with additional updated information. No information in this publication should be interpreted as any indication whatsoever of the Companys future revenues, results of operations, or stock price. ### Charleston, SC, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The challenging subjects of witnessing domestic violence and coping with repressed memories are at the heart of Jill Shtulmans debut novel, Lost in a Masquerade. The narrative revolves around an accomplished advertising man and the three women who love him. The prevalent issue of abuse demands exploring: at least one-third of children are exposed to psychological or emotional domestic violence as well as physical aggression by one parent against the other, according to the Resource Center of Domestic Abuse. In a twist, Shtulman explores the sensitive subject not from the view of a female character but from that of a successful and self-doubting male. Lending credibility to her male protagonist, Shtulman draws from thirty-five years of experience as an advertising and marketing creative director and secondhand knowledge of childhood trauma. Brimming with psychological insights, meticulously researched, and authentic to its New York City circa 1980s setting (with some scenes in Phoenix and Las Vegas), the book examines how feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt can lead to imposter syndrome. This book is really a deep dive into the masks we wear to hide our vulnerabilities, Shtulman says. Written as a boldly hopeful story of self-discovery, Lost in a Masquerade tells the story of Danny Monahan, a rising star at a top Madison Avenue advertising firm whose life begins to spin out of control after years of burying childhood trauma. With the birth of his son and the pressure on his marriage mounting, he is desperate to keep up the act but instead falls into the arms of a beautiful but similarly self-protective sales rep he meets in the boardroom. Torn between a love affair and the complexities of his role as a husband and father, Danny remains in denial, lost in a masquerade of his own making until the day he meets an insightful client. Narrated by Danny and the women who love him his faithful wife, who strives to reinvent and save him; his lover, who adores him but cant break down his walls; and his client, who sees beyond the carefully engineered facade the story weaves the negative impact of a dysfunctional and abusive family with the restorative power of love, as Danny confronts his past and sheds his outer defenses like a Matryoshka doll. Appealing to book clubs and readers who love plot twists, Shtulman unveils a protagonist worth rooting for. Lost in a Masquerade is available for purchase on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. About the Author: Jill Shtulman is a former Vice President/Associate Creative Director at Rapp Collins. She is the founder of JSA Creative Services, a marketing and communications business serving an array of nationally recognized clients for over three decades. She has attended the Iowa Writers Workshop and the Aspen Writers Workshop. She resides in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, Leigh Page, a particularly energetic mini goldendoodle named Josie, and two spirited cats. Media Contact: Jill Shtulman Jsacreative415@gmail.com Available for interviews: Author, Jill Shtulman Attachment LONDON, Ontario, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For several years, Lisa and Dennis Carroll have dedicated their lives to honouring the memory of their daughter Rachel. Their journey is marked by showcasing the exceptional care delivered by the trauma team at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and offering generous donations in return. Lisa and Dennis Carroll have generously pledged $1,000 annually for the next 10 years to establish the Rachel Carroll Wellness Award. This award is dedicated to the memory of their daughter, a young woman who possessed a zest for life and a passion for travel. Rachel's accident and her subsequent hospitalization at LHSC was life-altering for her, said her father Dennis and stepmother Lisa. Her recovery, though painful and long, was aided by countless compassionate doctors, nurses and staff. A trauma social worker by the name of Karen Pierre was instrumental in helping Rachel in her recovery along with helping us navigate successfully through this journey. Rachel's transformation post-recovery was profound. She embraced a simpler life, focused on health, family and spiritualitya true embodiment of Pura Vida*. Rachel's life took an unexpected turn when she suffered traumatic injuries in a car accident while travelling in Costa Rica. The trauma team at LHSC played a pivotal role in her recovery, inspiring her to embark on a new path focused on healing and spirituality. Tragically, Rachel passed away from a brain aneurysm in October 2019, just as she was about to begin another adventure. Amy Maskish, a trauma nurse practitioner at LHSC, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Carroll family. Receiving this generous donation is a reminder that even the simplest gestures to a health care provider leave lasting impressions on patients and families, Maskish says. This donation reaffirms the well-being of both healthcare professionals and survivors matters. Rachel's memory, forever remembered in this award, serves as a symbol of gratitude from patients and families to those that provide them care. This year's award winners are Valorie White, a physiotherapy assistant and Amy Gale, a charge nurse on the ortho trauma unit, who will be awarded $1,000 each. Their outstanding contributions were celebrated during the annual Trauma Survivors Night on May 28, an event that holds great significance for the Carroll family. The Rachel Carroll Wellness Award aims to recognize individuals who, like Rachel, demonstrate a love for learning and a commitment to helping patients heal from trauma. It is a testament to Rachel's spirit and the profound impact the trauma team had on her life. * Costa Rica's unofficial national slogan meaning pure life symbolizing a simple, cheerful outlook and lifestyle Interviews are available upon request with the Carroll family and Amy Makish, Trauma Nurse Practitioner at LHSC. About London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF): As the charitable arm of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) , we at London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF ) strive to enhance the standard of care for patients at our hospital. With donor generosity, we support the development of critical initiatives such as ground-breaking research, state-of-the-art equipment, specialized care with personalized treatment options, and the education of our next generation of clinicians. Through the hope and kindness of our donors, the health and lives of patients at LHSC are improved today and tomorrow. We honor our donors' compassion with gratitude, steward with respect, and report with honesty, transparency, and accountability. As a Canada Revenue Agency registered charity accredited by Imagine Canada, LHSFs donors enable discovery and innovation in research, education, and patient care. To see how donations make extraordinary care possible, visit lhsf.ca . For further inquiries, please contact: Jenn Basa Communications Officer, Media and Internal Communications London Health Sciences Foundation Jennifer.Basa@lhsc.on.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1555abb-0c67-45cc-8637-c8e0efe8b31c OTTAWA, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colonnade BridgePort, a leading full service real estate investment and management company, along with building-owner Fiera Real Estate, recently completed the replacement of the gas-powered HVAC system at 450 March Road with electric resistance heaters, virtually eliminating CO2 emissions and earning the Zero Carbon Building - Performance Standard certification from Canada Green Building Council. The complex project at the five-storey, 97,500 sq.ft. building involved over 18 months of planning, with removal and installation of the roof-top units successfully completed in July 2023. Analyzing results through summer and winter months, calculations indicate an annual reduction of approximately 94 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Colonnade BridgePort is committed to partnering with clients to meet sustainability goals for their properties, said Vice President Innovation, ESG and Advisory Services Brandon Malleck. We are incredibly proud to have been a part of such an environmentally significant achievement at 450 March Road. Congratulations to Fiera Real Estate for their efforts to make their buildings more sustainable for future generations. With project objectives to source an HVAC system that does not use gas, recovers heat energy, and requires minimal roof space; as well as several key considerations including electrical and structural capacity, contractor selection, and tenant impact; Colonnade BridgePort drew on its 35+ years of commercial real estate expertise to ensure each phase of the project was executed seamlessly. Eliminating fossil fuels from heating systems is a foundational part of our decarbonization pathway and this project advances the Fiera Real Estate CORE Fund towards its goal of net zero emissions by 2040. Its only through collaboration with our property managers that makes these projects possible, said Jag Singh, Fiera Real Estates Director, Sustainable Investing. The significant reduction in greenhouse gases earned 450 March Road a Zero Carbon Building - Performance Standard certification an award for buildings that are highly energy-efficient and minimize greenhouse gas emissions from building materials and operations. The building is also BOMA Best Sustainable certified. See project case study and video here. About Colonnade BridgePort Colonnade BridgePort is a full-service real estate company, offering property management and leasing services, acquisition, development, investment management and asset management for commercial and residential properties. We take the time to understand our clients objectives and then apply our real estate expertise and market knowledge to drive better performance. Colonnade BridgePort is headquartered in Ottawa with offices in Mississauga, Toronto, Dartmouth and Fredericton. colonnadebridgeport.ca About Fiera Real Estate Fiera Real Estate is a leading investment management company with offices in North America and Europe, and a team of over 100 employees. The firm manages over C$9.4 billion of commercial real estate globally through a range of funds and accounts as at March 31, 2024. The highly diverse nature of its portfolio geographies and asset types combined with a range of high-quality strategies provides investors with opportunities to diversify their exposure and customize their investment experience within the real estate asset class. Fiera Real Estate is wholly owned by Fiera Capital Corporation, a leading independent asset management firm with more than C$165.2 billion in assets under management as at March 31, 2024. ca.fierarealestate.com About Canada Green Building Council The Canada Green Building Council supports the building sectors transition to green buildings. Green buildings are powerful tools for positive change. By unlocking the value and potential of green buildings, Canadas real estate sector can significantly reduce carbon emissions, eliminate environmental impacts, future-proof assets, and contribute to healthier and more resilient communities. CAGBC works with Canadas real estate and building sector to provide the market insights, expertise and practical solutions they need to push their sustainability efforts further and faster. cagbc.org Media Contact Rachal Fleury Manager, Marketing and Communications rfleury@colonnadebridgeport.ca | 343.633.5129 Disclosure The information presented is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any investment product. The information presented in this document, in whole or in part, is not investment, tax, legal or other advice, nor does it consider the investment objectives or financial circumstances of any investor. This document may contain forward-looking statements which reflect the current expectations of Fiera Capital and/or its Affiliates. These statements reflect current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions with respect to future events and are based on information currently available. Although based upon what Fiera Capital and its affiliates believe to be reasonable assumptions, there is no guarantee that actual results, performance, or achievements will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. There is no obligation for Fiera Capital and/or its Affiliates to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2e1aed38-7f66-4186-aa84-06d3a5205f9b MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genetec Inc. (Genetec), a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, today announced the opening of several new R&D hubs, Experience Centers, and the expansion of several offices around the world. New R&D hubs Underscoring its commitment to innovation, Genetec is expanding its global footprint with the establishment and expansion of new research and development hubs in strategic locations worldwide. Located in Vienna (Austria), Krakow (Poland), and Orleans (France), these R&D centers will complement the company's existing Montreal-based campus and its other R&D centers in Quebec City and Sherbrooke (Canada), Paris (France), and Bruges (Belgium). These new offices serve as innovation hubs, fostering collaboration amongst our developers as they build the forward-thinking technology that Genetec is known for. Our newest R&D centers will bolster existing initiatives and new capabilities such as intelligent automation, said Christian Morin, Vice President of Product Engineering, Genetec Inc. Not surprisingly, to meet the growing demand for Genetec innovation, we've grown our R&D team by 50% in the past five years." New Experience Centers and office expansions Genetec has also recently opened three new state-of-the-art Experience Centers in Washington D.C. (USA), Sydney (Australia), and Dubai (UAE), in addition to its existing flagship Experience Centers in Montreal (Canada), Paris (France), the City of London (UK), Singapore, and Mexico City (Mexico). Genetec also continues to grow its Montreal headquarters campus, recently adding over 100,000 square feet including two subsidized bistros for its Montreal-based employees. The company has also significantly expanded its offices in London, Paris, Vienna, and Sao Paulo (Brazil). By launching new experience centers and offices in these strategic locations, we're not just expanding our global presence; we're scaling to meet the increasing demand for Genetec solutions across the globe. Our goal is to provide customers, channel partners, and prospects a hands-on encounter with our innovative technology, and an unforgettable brand experience," said Michel Chalouhi, Vice President of Global Sales, Genetec Inc. Since 2020, the company has grown its total headcount by 52% and currently has over 2,100 employees located in 20 offices across four continents. As part of its ongoing efforts to accommodate its organic growth, the company is currently recruiting to fill over 80 new positions, including over 30 openings in R&D across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions. For more information about Genetec innovation and to see our open positions, visit: https://www.genetec.com About Genetec Genetec Inc. is a global technology company that has been transforming the physical security industry for over 25 years. The companys portfolio of solutions enables enterprises, governments, and communities around the world to secure people and assets while respecting individual privacy and the demand for operational efficiency. Based on an open architecture, and built with cybersecurity at their core, Genetec solutions can be implemented on-premises, in the cloud, or in hybrid deployments. The companys flagship products, Genetec Security Center and Genetec Security Center SaaS, unify core physical security functions, such as access control, video surveillance, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), intrusion detection, communications, and analytics. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Genetec serves its customers via an extensive network of certified channel partners and consultants in over 159 countries. For more information about Genetec, visit: https://www.genetec.com Genetec Inc., 2024. Genetec, and the Genetec logo are trademarks of Genetec Inc. and may be registered or pending registration in several jurisdictions. Other trademarks used in this document may be trademarks of the manufacturers or vendors of the respective product. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43c1776b-d61b-4e48-ae34-22173684f20d Ramsey, NJ, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Laura Blackmer, President, Dealer Sales to its 2024 Power 100 list, a subset of influential executive leaders chosen from the annual CRN Women of the Channel list. The Power 100 list honors some of the most powerful women of the channel, chosen by the CRN editorial team based on their contributions, expertise and channel advocacy. This select group of distinguished female leaders from channel-focused IT vendors has shown incredible dedication and leadership going above and beyond with unwavering channel commitment inspiring their peers and driving the success of partners, customers and the entire IT channel. Blackmer joined Konica Minoltas executive leadership team in December 2017 as Senior Vice President, Dealer Sales, and was promoted to President, Dealer Sales in 2022. She is responsible for the sales and management of the companys extensive dealer network that represents and sells its award-winning products and managed IT Services. Her notable experience includes various roles in both sales and executive leadership within the technology industry. This honor represents Blackmers sixth time on CRNs Women of the Channel list. She is also a four-time honoree of CRNs Channel Chiefs list and has been named a Top 100 Influencer in Managed Print twice by Tigerpaw Software. Thank you to CRN for this recognition and continuing to support female leaders in this industry, said Laura Blackmer, President, Dealer Sales, Konica Minolta. I am fortunate to do a job I love, working alongside some amazing people in the channel. We have built our relationships on mutual trust and loyalty, facing challenges together, and that makes it all the more fulfilling to be part of their success. We are so pleased to see Laura recognized once again for her strong leadership and industry expertise that contributes to the success of our dealer partners, said Sam Errigo, President and CEO, Konica Minolta. Laura is an influential force both internally in the way she leads her sales teams and among our dealer community, who she guides and supports by creating opportunities for them to excel and grow their businesses. Congratulations to Laura and all the 2024 Women of the Channel honorees. It is a great privilege to honor the remarkable achievements of these women leaders in the IT channel, said Jennifer Follett, Vice President, U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. Each woman on the list has demonstrated a deep commitment to innovation and leadership that advances their organizations and drives transformation and success across the IT channel. CRNs 2024 Women of the Channel and Power 100 lists are featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at CRN.com. About Konica Minolta Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.'s (Konica Minolta) journey started 150 years ago, with a vision to see and do things differently. The company innovates for the good of society and the world. The same purpose that kept it moving then, keeps it moving now. Konica Minolta aims to partner with clients to Give Shape to Ideas by supporting their digital transformation through its expansive Intelligent Connected Workplace portfolio. Its business technology offerings include IT Services, intelligent information management, video security solutions and managed print services, as well as office technology and industrial and commercial print solutions. Through its ongoing work, the company is fortunate to be continuously recognized for its products and services. This includes, but is not limited to being included on CRNs MSP 500 list numerous times; named a finalist in the IT Software Category by The World Technology Awards; recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys and presented with Keypoint Intelligences BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Awards for its bizhub i-Series. For more information, please visit Konica Minolta online and follow its accounts on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. # # # # # Attachment HIGHLIGHTS Liatam intends to spend ~A$6 million during 2024 to progress lithium exploration at the Quartz Hill Joint Venture intends to spend ~A$6 million during 2024 to progress lithium exploration at the Exploration to date extended known lithium mineralisation at the Lepidolite Fields LCT pegmatite swarm target with best results from surface sampling by Liatam of: 2.71% Li 2 O, and 828 ppm Cs 2 O 2.37% Li 2 O, 303 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 883 ppm Cs 2 O 2.14% Li 2 O, 615 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 1,195 ppm Cs 2 O 1.98% Li 2 O, 277 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 882 ppm Cs 2 O 1.64% Li 2 O, 651 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 2,390 ppm Cs 2 O 1.24% Li 2 O, 722 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 1,722 ppm Cs 2 O LCT pegmatite swarm target with best results from surface sampling by Liatam of: ~9,000 m RC Drilling planned to test the ~ 6 km long and 0.8 km wide Lepidolite Fields LCT pegmatite swarm in H2 2024 planned to test the ~ 6 km long and 0.8 km wide LCT pegmatite swarm in H2 2024 A second LCT pegmatite swarm was identified at Quartz Hill West and The Gap with best surface results of: 2.45% Li 2 O and 589 ppm Cs 2 O 2.23% Li 2 O, and 1,290 ppm Cs 2 O 1.22% Li 2 O, 181 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and 780 ppm Cs 2 O and with best surface results of: Commenting on the JV with Liatam, Mike Spreadborough Executive Co-Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer said Novo is pleased that Liatam continues to progress the Quartz Hill Joint Venture with ~A$6 million to be spent on exploration during 2024 and that plans are underway to identify further lithium bearing pegmatites at Quartz Hill. Activities to date have validated the exciting potential of the area and we look forward to providing updates as exploration continues. Novos ongoing exposure to future exploration and discovery success on battery metals projects via JV agreements is a core component of delivering long-term shareholder value. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (ASX: NVO) (TSX: NVO) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to provide an update on the exploration activities carried out and forward exploration program at the Quartz Hill Joint Venture in the Eastern Pilbara, Western Australia by the Companys JV partner Liatam Mining Pty Ltd (Liatam). The Quartz Hill Joint Venture is an 80% / 20% unincorporated joint venture between Liatam and Novo relating to battery minerals. This joint venture was formalised on 20 December 20231, when Liatam exceeded the required earn-in expenditure amount. Liatam is the owner of the included tenements and manager of the joint venture. QUARTZ HILL JOINT VENTURE The Quartz Hill Joint Venture comprises five granted Exploration Licences and eighteen Prospecting Licences, covering approximately 702 sq km (Figure and 2). Field based exploration to date confirms the area is highly prospective for LCT-style (lithium-caesium-tantalum) pegmatite hosted lithium mineralisation. Exploration activities at Quartz Hill commenced in April 2023. Work conducted to date includes fact mapping, collection and assay of 2,068 soil samples and 3,181 rock samples (float2), and analysis of 25 petrological samples. Detailed geological mapping and surface sampling has delineated numerous pegmatite swarms within two key exploration areas over strike lengths of several kilometres; both areas are considered prospective for further exploration including drilling by Liatam (Figure 3). Figure 1: Photo of pegmatite swarms at the Lepidolite Fields LCT Target (looking southeast) _______________ 1 - Refer to the Companys news release 20 December 2023. 2- Float - The Traditional Owners of the Quartz Hill Project area have requested to not physically crack rock samples from outcrop prior to completion of a heritage survey. However, they are comfortable with the collection of representative loose rock samples lying on the ground for the purpose of geochemical analysis. Figure 2: Quartz Hill Joint Venture tenement map identifying primary LCT pegmatite targets on 1:100,000 GSWA interpreted geology map. Figure 3: Lepidolite Fields and Quartz Hill West exploration areas identified through mapping and surface sampling. Lepidolite Fields The Lepidolite Fields LCT pegmatite swarm is 6 km long, 0.8 km wide and is defined by highly anomalous float rock samples with encouraging surface assays (Table 1). The target is located approximately 10 km from the Golden Eagle mine site. Mapping has identified lepidolite bearing pegmatite swarms hosted by the Golden Eagle Orthogneiss and minor amphibolite enclaves. The Lepidolite Fields pegmatites are typically medium grained, consisting of feldspar (albite and microcline), quartz and lesser muscovite with lepidolite, tantalite and cassiterite. Lepidolite up to 30% in outcrop has been observed. Amblygonite and to a lesser extent eucryptite are identified through petrology as alteration minerals. Table 1: Lepidolite Fields selected rock float results Sample ID Northing Easting Li 2 O Cs 2 O Ta 2 O 5 SnO 2 Nb 2 O 5 GDA94 Z50 GDA94 Z50 % ppm ppm ppm ppm PILRK001330 212,183 7,567,528 2.71 828 45 141 70 PILRK002857 214,609 7,568,120 2.37 883 303 79 100 PILRK002791 214,957 7,568,173 2.14 1195 615 56 124 PILRK000682 213,353 7,567,591 2.02 436 78 240 77 PILRK000908 214,845 7,568,135 2.02 797 218 63 67 PILRK000890 214,768 7,568,197 1.99 560 160 178 80 PILRK002788 214,826 7,568,190 1.98 882 277 58 94 PILRK001413 211,716 7,567,282 1.97 419 24 154 60 PILRK002806 214,622 7,568,167 1.9 1056 517 61 119 PILRK000889 214,663 7,568,181 1.74 961 582 55 117 PILRK002790 214,816 7,568,149 1.72 1045 492 60 117 PILRK002784 214,954 7,568,190 1.72 1165 433 53 102 PILRK002787 214,853 7,568,191 1.67 1074 443 58 100 PILRK002639 216,203 7,568,624 1.64 2390 651 25 149 PILRK002691 216,142 7,568,618 1.57 1988 564 <10 126 PILRK002643 216,145 7,568,609 1.55 2072 553 <10 130 PILRK000742 216,198 7,568,624 1.41 2059 613 18 133 PILRK000745 216,082 7,568,353 1.37 413 216 42 24 PILRK002526 210,971 7,567,738 1.35 1709 511 391 73 PILRK002731 215,880 7,568,582 1.32 2240 625 20 134 PILRK002758 215,358 7,568,509 1.31 1067 652 19 157 PILRK002734 215,683 7,568,573 1.24 1722 722 <10 166 PILRK002759 215,340 7,568,506 1.23 1879 695 15 129 The above results are not necessarily representative of mineralisation across the district. A full list of results is included in Appendix 1. The pegmatites at Lepidolite Fields are typically stacked, with thickness ranging from 0.1 m up to 5 m. The thicker pegmatites are shallow dipping towards the south while the thinner pegmatites generally dip steeply towards the north to northwest. Detailed mapping and sampling have identified five priority drill targets in the Lepidolite Fields target area. Quartz Hill West and The Gap Targets Quartz Hill West is located approximately 8 km to the west of Lepidolite Fields (Figure 2). The target is defined by float samples anomalous in lithium, collected from numerous pegmatite swarms, with encouraging surface assays (see Table 2). Table 2: Quartz Hill West and The Gap selected rock float results Sample ID Northing Easting Li 2 O Cs 2 O Ta 2 O 5 SnO 2 Nb 2 O 5 GDA94 Z50 GDA94 Z50 % ppm ppm ppm ppm PILRK001157 206,764 7,565,681 2.45 589 39 408 170 PILRK003389 208,506 7,567,304 1.22 780 181 119 59 PILRK003390 208,538 7,567,290 2.23 1290 103 109 56 PILRK003028 208,593 7,566,707 2.06 1754 6 89 17 The above results are not necessarily representative of mineralisation across the district. A full list of results is included in Appendix 1. Mapping has identified pegmatite swarms over a strike length of 3 km (open along strike to the east and west) and the swarm is up to 0.5 km wide. Mineralised pegmatites have also been identified over 2km strike at The Gap (Figure 2). Pegmatites are stacked, with thickness ranging from 0.1 m up to 3 m and are hosted by foliated amphibolite with sedimentary interbeds. The Quartz Hill West pegmatite composition is typically feldspar (albite and microcline), quartz and muscovite. Accessory minerals include lepidolite. The Quartz Hill West pegmatites are richer in quartz and muscovite in comparison to the lepidolite-rich pegmatites at Lepidolite Fields. Forward Exploration Program Helicopter supported heritage and ethnographic surveys are anticipated to commence in H2 2024 contingent on weather conditions and heritage considerations. Reconnaissance mapping and surface sampling is planned to fill sampling gaps from the 2023 exploration campaign. This will include areas to the east of Lepidolite Fields where pegmatite swarms are identified in geophysical data sets but do not outcrop. A regional, conventional soil sampling program is designed to assist in identifying buried pegmatite swarms in areas of no or poor outcrop at Cadjuput Creek, Quartz Hill West / Lepidolite Fields, and regional targets. On completion of the required heritage and ethnographic surveys clearances, and advanced geochemical targeting, RC drilling is scheduled for H2 2024 to test high-priority targets identified within Lepidolite Fields. Various pegmatite swarms are to be drill tested targeting potential spodumene mineralisation below significant Li 2 O float surface samples returned in 2023. A drilling contractor has been identified to undertake approximately 9,000 m of RC drilling over the key Lepidolite Fields targets, contingent on heritage and ethnographic surveys. Helicopter supported reconnaissance and mapping will continue to allow access to the more remote parts of the Quartz Hill Project areas and prioritise further follow up sampling and mapping of pegmatites prior to drill testing. Authorised for release by the Board of Directors. CONTACT Investors: Mike Spreadborough +61 8 6400 6100 info@novoresources.com North American Queries: Leo Karabelas +1 416 543 3120 leo@novoresources.com Media: Cameron Gilenko +61 466 984 953 c.gilenko@morrowsodali.com Sampling & Analytic Methodology Rock chip samples collected by Liatam were approximately 1 to 3kg and were dried, crushed and pulverized (80% passing 75 microns). Prepared samples are fused with sodium peroxide and digested in dilute hydrochloric acid (Sodium Peroxide Fusion- Labcode FUSNLi - Na2O2 fusion). The resultant solution was analysed by ICP by Jinning Testing and Inspection Laboratory in Maddington, Perth primarily for Be, Cs, Fe, Li, Nb, Rb, Ta and Sn using ICP-OES finish including majors in addition to Lithium and ICP-MS finish from same digest solution for key trace elements. Jinning Testing and Inspection Laboratory in Perth used Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) and/or in house controls, blanks, splits, and replicates which are analysed with each batch of samples. These quality control results are reported along with the sample values in the final report. CRMs including STD samples were inserted by Liatam Mining. The insertion rate for the field CRMs and blanks was 1 in 50 for float samples. This is considered as industry standard. All data was verified without limitation by a qualified person by reviewing analytical procedures undertaken. QP STATEMENT Mr Iain Groves (MAIG), is the qualified person, as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Mr Iain Groves is Novos Principal Geologist Technical and Generative. JORC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT The information in this news release that relates to exploration results at the Quartz Hill Joint Venture is based on information reviewed and approved by Mr Iain Groves, who is a full-time employee of Novo Resources Corp. Mr Iain Groves is a Competent Person who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr Iain Groves has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and the type of deposits under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Mr Iain Groves consents to the inclusion in the news release of the matters based on her information in the form and context in which it appears. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and Australian securities law and regulations. In this news release, such statements include but are not limited to planned exploration activities and the timing of such. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novos annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2023 (which is available under Novos profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.asx.com.au) and in the Companys prospectus dated 2 August 2023 which is available at www.asx.com.au. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. ABOUT NOVO Novo is an Australian based gold explorer listed on the ASX and the TSX focused on discovering standalone gold projects with > 1 Moz development potential. Novo is an innovative gold explorer with a significant land package covering approximately 7,000 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. Novos vanguard Project is the Egina Gold Camp, where De Grey is farming-in at Becher and surrounding tenements through exploration expenditure of A$25 million within 4 years for a 50% interest. Significant gold mineralisation has also been identified at Nunyerry North, this area is part of the Croyden JV (Novo 70%: Creasy Group 30%). With a dedicated and disciplined acquisition program in place to identify value accretive opportunities and via its exposure to non-core minerals and metals through joint partnerships, Novo is focused on building further value for shareholders. Appendix 1: Pegmatite float rock assay results from Quartz Hill Project Area is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/e41f91f4-4e2c-4929-8f8b-9e748272ecc6 Appendix 2: JORC Code, 2012 Edition Table 1 is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/80bec153-83c1-4e31-923f-38d72df0c745 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0ed47497-04dc-4bb7-819c-fc8f737c72c8 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/095d9b45-8f1d-44df-9606-a2b4963ce6a5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f33afb7-36c0-4b8b-9cdf-f3c95bde163a New York, NY, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mount Sinai is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Launched with support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, the Center created a new model of integrating music and medicine in patient care and has served patients and families in various settings throughout the Mount Sinai Health System and overseas. The Center provides continuity of care for patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings, and has launched a research lab through AMEND (Assessment of Music Experiences in Navigating Depression) which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Carnegie Hall's Weil Music Institute. The Center held a commemorative conferencePearls of Wisdom: 30 Years of Music and Medicineto mark 30 years of practice and impact that discussed influential trends in disease management such as the inclusion of healing breath, oncology, AI, and diversity. Conference Chair Kristen Stewart, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, the Centers Assistant Director, joined other experts, including a keynote by Brian Harris, director of Med Rhythms, and a research overview by Sheri Robb, PhD, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported researcher at Indiana University who has been studying music therapy in children with cancer for many years. Conference sponsors include the Renee Fleming Foundation, Marshalls Speakers, the MJS Foundation, and the International Association for Music and Medicine. Joanne Loewy, DA, is a Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Center. The clinic's Medical Director, Stephan Quentzel, MD, oversees psychiatric care and provides supervisory support to the Armstrong team of music therapists, including Andrew Rossetti, PhD, LCAT, MT-BC; Christopher Pizzute, MA, LCAT, MT-BC; and Samantha Sancho, MA, MT-BC, LCAT-LP. "We are one of the only Centers in New York City that provides integrative care for patients and musicians of all professions and calibers," says Dr. Quentzel, who partners with the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center to refer patients in need of psychiatry care, services, and evaluation. The clinic serves patients of all ages and diagnoses, while providing graduate students with the opportunity to provide direct patient care with guidance from experienced, licensed music therapists who guide them in caring for vulnerable populations such as musicians, neuro-divergent children, teens with depression, and aging adults with multiple social stressors and mental health needs, says Dr. Loewy. Students quickly learn how to leverage hospital and community resources implementing music with medicine in a care-model that emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach says Ms. Stewart. The clinic provides a rich training ground for graduate students who complete 1,080 hours of clinical training as part of their second year graduate studies. The music therapists also extend music therapy services to children in the New York City public schools through the Asthma Initiative Program. Since its inception in 1994, the Centers music therapists have co-authored numerous papers in leading academic journals along with doctors and nurses who play a significant role in the care continuum. The research encompasses topics relevant to the health care needs of the most vulnerable patient populations, such as newborn babies and patients in medical intensive care units. The research has focused on strategies for mitigating the chronic burden of stress among their patients. This year, thanks to NIH funding, the Center will study the impact of music therapy in metabolomic pathways that indicate chronic stress in Black pregnant women during their first trimester. Additional focus is given to practice development such as population-based care in neonates and pediatrics, older adults and clinic-based mental health population. 178,000tpa of spodumene concentrate production (5.5% Li 2 O) 14-year mine life After-tax NPV 8 of US$1.3B; IRR of 40% All-in operating costs of $444/t SC5.5 *All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted TORONTO, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Ionic Corp. (TSXV: LTH; OTCQX: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) (Lithium Ionic or the Company) is pleased to announce the results of a Feasibility Study (FS or Study) for its 100%-owned Bandeira Lithium Project (Bandeira or the Project) located in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Bandeira claims span 157 hectares, which represents only about 1% of Lithium Ionics extensive 14,182-hectare land package in Brazils 'Lithium Valley', a region of global significance for hard-rock lithium production. Highlights of the Feasibility Study for the Bandeira Project: Mine Life & Production: 14-year underground mining operation producing an average of 178,000t of high-quality spodumene concentrate grading 5.5% Li 2 O (SC5.5). 14-year underground mining operation producing an average of 178,000t of high-quality spodumene concentrate grading 5.5% Li O (SC5.5). Strong Project Economics: After-tax net present value (NPV8%) of US$1.3 billion and after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 40% at average SC5.5 price of $2,277/t. After-tax net present value (NPV8%) of US$1.3 billion and after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 40% at average SC5.5 price of $2,277/t. Industry-leading Operating Costs: All-in LOM OPEX of $444/t of SC5.5 All-in LOM OPEX of $444/t of SC5.5 Low Capital Intensity: Total capital expenditure (CAPEX) of US$266 million (including a 15% contingency) with after-tax payback of 3.4 years. LOM sustaining costs of US$ 81 million. Total capital expenditure (CAPEX) of US$266 million (including a 15% contingency) with after-tax payback of 3.4 years. LOM sustaining costs of US$ 81 million. Minimal Land-use Footprint: The development plan contemplates an underground mining operation with a simple processing circuit to optimize recoveries while minimizing the impact on the environment and local communities. The development plan contemplates an underground mining operation with a simple processing circuit to optimize recoveries while minimizing the impact on the environment and local communities. Responsible Tailings Management: For safety and environmental reasons, the mine will utilize dry stacking waste disposal, which among other benefits will reduce water usage and facilitating site rehabilitation. For safety and environmental reasons, the mine will utilize dry stacking waste disposal, which among other benefits will reduce water usage and facilitating site rehabilitation. Local Social & Economic Contributions: Total estimated taxes payable of $915 million, a peak local workforce of ~870 direct employees, and an estimated $677 million procuring goods and services within Brazil over the life of mine. Total estimated taxes payable of $915 million, a peak local workforce of ~870 direct employees, and an estimated $677 million procuring goods and services within Brazil over the life of mine. Construction Permits on Track for mid-2024: The LAC license application submitted in November is currently under review by the state agency. Approval is expected in early Q3 2024. Blake Hylands, P.Geo., Chief Executive Officer of Lithium Ionic, commented, This study marks an important developmental milestone, confirming the strong results from our PEA in late 2023 and solidifying our path to becoming a near-term lithium producer. Furthermore, it outlines the significant positive impacts Bandeira will have through employment, tax contributions, and local procurement. While we are very pleased with the results of the study, the Company intends to move project engineering forward to the basic engineering phase where a value-add process will take place to further optimize and streamline capital and operating costs. Several opportunities identified in the feasibility stage will be subjected to trade-off studies, prior to entering the detailed engineering phase to ensure the project value and operational efficiencies are maximized. We look forward to continuing to rapidly advance Bandeira towards production, recognizing that this will deliver the most value to our shareholder, however we are very excited by the growth opportunities and development potential at our other regional properties which could present significant future scale opportunities for the Company. Bandeira Definitive Feasibility Study Results The Feasibility Study for the Bandeira Project, completed by Atkins Realis (formerly SNC Lavalin), is the culmination of over 12 months of comprehensive work involving the expertise of all engineering disciplines as well as market studies. This includes detailed planning for the mine, process design, plant layout, infrastructure, and product logistics. The study supports a robust project with strong economic viability, featuring a minimal footprint underground mine, an efficient and straightforward processing circuit, and a safe, sustainable dry stack tailings facility. The FS builds on and confirms the strong results from the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) completed in October 2023. Table 1. Bandeira FS Summary of Key Results and Assumptions Project Economics Post - Tax NPV 8 $1.31 B Post - Tax IRR 40% Pre - Tax NPV 8 $1.57 B Pre - Tax IRR 44% Annual Revenue LOM Average $417 M Average Annual After-Tax Free Cash Flow (after repayment of initial capital, years 4-14) $286 M Payback 41 months Production Profile Total Project Life (LOM) 14 years Total LOM production (ore mined) 17.2 Mt Total SC5.5 production (LOM) 2,493 kt (338.3 kt LCE) Nominal Plant Capacity 1.30 Mtpa Average plant throughput 1.23 Mtpa Run-of-Mine grade, Li 2 O (mine diluted) 1.16% Average Annual Production of Spodumene Concentrate @ 5.5% Li 2 O 178 ktpa (24.2 ktpa LCE) Metallurgical Recovery (SC5.5% Li 2 O) 68.9% CAPEX & OPEX Initial Capital Costs $266M Sustaining CAPEX $81M Operating costs (FOB / t SC5.5) $444/t Economic Assumptions & Parameters Spodumene Concentrate Price (5.5% Li 2 O; LOM Avg) $2,277/t Exchange rate (USD:BRL) $1.00: $5.07 Discount Rate 8% Project Location and Infrastructure The Bandeira property covers 157 hectares, representing only approximately 1% of the Companys large 14,182-hectare land package in the northern region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, within the renowned "Lithium Valley" (see Figure 1). This area is recognized for its significant concentration of lithium-bearing pegmatites, making it one of the most promising lithium-producing regions globally. The Project benefits from excellent local infrastructure, which is critical for the efficient development and operation of the future mining activities. The Bandeira site is well-connected via major highways, facilitating the transport of materials and personnel. The project site is approximately 570 kilometers from the port of Ilheus in Bahia, which serves as a key logistical point for exporting lithium concentrate to international markets, including Shanghai, China. The proximity to Aracuai provides access to essential services and amenities, enhancing operational efficiency. A key infrastructure component for the Bandeira Project was secured in October 2023 through an agreement with Cemig Distribuicao S.A. (Cemig). This agreement facilitates the construction and electrification of essential power infrastructure, including three kilometers of new transmission lines and a new substation adjacent to the future Bandeira mine and will ensure that the Project will be powered by low-cost, renewable hydroelectric power, aligning with the Companys commitment to operating sustainably. Figure 1. Bandeira Project Location View Figure 1 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/292fd9e3-464e-4594-9846-0b8d3bc160f1 Mining Operations The Bandeira project is designed to incorporate dual underground mining operations, ensuring efficient extraction of its deposits. The primary orebodies, representing approximately 83% of the total deposit, will be mined using a bottom-up sublevel stoping method (Bandeira Sublevel Mine, or BSL Mine). Concurrently, the secondary southeast orebody, which comprises approximately 0.98 million tonnes, will be mined using the room-and-pillar technique (Bandeira Room and Pillar Mine, orBRP Mine). Figures 2 and 3 present the annual mine production plan and the annual plant feed along with the Li 2 O grade, highlighting the project's robust production capabilities. Figure 2. ROM to Plant Feed and Li 2 O grade, % View Figure 2 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c62c719b-e95c-43cb-a87a-d81498287171 Figure 3. Annual Production of Spodumene Concentrate grading 5.5% Li 2 O View Figure 3 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6e174968-c2e0-43ba-8bc2-0bebba4af38b Mineral Processing The mineral processing flowsheet for the Bandeira project is designed to maximize lithium recovery and quality. It features a two-stage crushing circuit, which includes a Jaw crusher and a Gyratory Cone crusher, followed by dry screening classification. The coarse and mid fractions undergo ore sorting and Dense Media Separation (DMS) to produce a final SC5.5 Li 2 O concentrate. See Figure 4 for a visual representation of the process flowsheet. The underground mine is expected to produce ore with an average Li 2 O grade of 1.16% over the Life of Mine (LOM), considering a mined dilution rate of 17.0%. The ore sorting process will enhance the ore quality by removing undesirable dilution materials, mainly schist, and non-lithium-bearing minerals such as feldspar and muscovite. This process improves the lithium oxide grade to approximately 1.50%, providing a higher-quality feed for the DMS while rejecting barren uneconomical waste. Based on Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) bench scale test work completed by the Company, ore sorting and DMS pilot plant operations, the overall Li 2 O recovery is projected to reach 68.9%. This efficient mineral processing approach ensures that we can maximize lithium recovery while maintaining the highest product quality. A higher quality chemical grade spodumene results in lower conversion costs therefore could potentially be sold at premium prices. Figure 4: Bandeira process flow diagram View Figure 4 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/599b88e7-4263-4690-bb7f-b549c16fe9c9 Capital Costs Initial capital costs for the Bandeira Project are estimated at $266 million, which includes a 15% contingency of $33.7 million. The sustaining capital over the 14-year mine life is projected at $81.4 million. A breakdown of the capital costs is presented in Table 2. Table 2. Project Capital Costs (CAPEX) Breakdown Initial CAPEX $266.1M Mine $50.5M Plant $102.7M Engineering Service $26.6M General Infrastructure & Others $41.9M Pre-operation $10.8M Contingency (15%) $33.7M LOM Sustaining CAPEX $81.4M SUDENE Federal Tax Incentive (%, reduction in Corporate Income Tax) 75% *Discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects. Operating Costs The operating costs of the Bandeira Project are estimated to be US$64.30 per tonne of ore processed. Total operating costs are estimated at US$444 per tonne of 5.5% Li 2 O spodumene concentrate produced, placing it in the first quartile of the global lithium industry. A breakdown of the operating costs is presented in Table 3. Table 3. Project Operating Costs (OPEX) Operating costs (per tonne of ore processed) $64.3/t Mining $36.7/t Processing $24.6/t SG&A $3.0/t Operating costs (per tonne of 5.5% Li 2 O spodumene concentrate produced) $444/t Mining $253/t Processing + Tailings handling $170/t SG&A $21/t Transportation costs to customer destination (Project Mine Site to Shanghai Port, China) $112.50/t *Discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects. Project Economics and Sensitivities The after-tax NPV 8 for the Bandeira Project is $1.3 billion and IRR is 40%, assuming a 5.5% spodumene concentrate (SC5.5) price of $2,277/t. At an elevated price of $3,416/t, the NPV increases to $2.4 billion with an IRR of 62%, underscoring the projects strong potential to benefit from rising lithium prices (see sensitivity analysis in Table 4). Sensitivity analyses completed as part of the FS demonstrate that the Project's value is strongly influenced by the selling price of spodumene concentrate. As demonstrated in Figure 5, while capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs impact the Net Present Value (NPV), their effects are relatively minor compared to concentrate price fluctuations. Given the expected increase in lithium demand, Bandeira is well-positioned to capitalize on favourable market conditions and benefit from rising spodumene prices. Figure 5: Sensitivity Analysis for Spodumene 5.5% Li 2 O price, CAPEX and OPEX estimation View Figure 5 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/50bdb0c1-09eb-47b8-b540-684fbe5dba21 Table 4. After-Tax NPV and IRR Sensitivity to Spodumene Price Low Case Base Case High Case LOM Avg Spodumene Price (SC5.5) $1,822/t $2,277/t $3,416/t NPV $864 M $1.31B $2.41B IRR 32.5% 40.3% 62.2% Payback 4.3 years 3.4 years 2.2 years Lithium Market Outlook & Spodumene Concentrate Price Forecast A long-term spodumene concentrate price of US$2,277/tonne (5.5% Li 2 O grade) was used in the Feasibility Study. This long-term price forecast was obtained by Fastmarkets, one of the leading providers of global commodity pricing and market intelligence, in a report issued in April 2024. The conservative spodumene concentrate selling price forecasts in the early years of the Bandeira mine life of $1,000-$1,600/t for the years 2026 to 2028 resulted in an increased payback period of the project compared to the PEA results from October 2023 (41 months compared to 14 months). Fastmarkets forecasts a higher long-term price based on strong demand and supply fundamentals, which is expected to benefit the Project's overall economics in the future. Lithium has emerged as a critical component in the global energy transition, with an annual consumption growth rate exceeding 25% over the past four years. Despite the supply of lithium compounds surpassing demand in 2023, the demand remains robust due to the increasing market penetration of electric vehicles (EVs). According to industry expert reports from Fastmarkets, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the International Energy Agency (IEA), this trend is expected to continue as EV adoption accelerates globally. Bandeira Mineral Resource Estimate On April 12, 2024, the Company reported an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Bandeira of 23.68 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.34% Li 2 O (783kt lithium carbonate equivalent, LCE) in the Measured and Indicated (M&I) category, with an additional 18.25Mt grading 1.37% Li 2 O (617kt LCE) in the Inferred category. This estimate was based on 233 drill holes, or 50,760 metres, drilled between April 2022 and March 2024. The Bandeira FS proven and probable reserves, however, utilizes an NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate with an earlier data cut-off of November 13, 2023, which includes 186 drill holes (41,831 metres). This study mine plan is therefore based on a smaller estimate of 20.95Mt grading 1.35% Li 2 O (697kt LCE) M&I, in addition to 16.91Mt grading 1.40% Li 2 O (584kt LCE) Inferred (see Table 5). The inclusion of the larger April 2024 MRE, as well as the additional drilling completed after the March 2024 data cut-off represents important future upside to the Project. The mine plan will be updated to incorporate the expanded mineral resource estimate in the next phase of project development. The MRE was completed by independent Brazilian consultancy, GE21 Consultoria Mineral Ltda ("GE21"). Table 5: Bandeira Mineral Resource Estimate (base case cut-off grade of 0.5 % Li 2 O) Category Resource (Mt) Grade (% Li 2 O) Contained LCE (kt) Measured 3.42 1.39 117.61 Indicated 17.52 1.34 578.92 Measured + Indicated 20.95 1.35 696.52 Inferred 16.91 1.40 583.53 Notes related to the Mineral Resource Estimate: The spodumene pegmatite domains were modelled using composites with Li 2 O grades greater than 0.3%. The mineral resource estimates were prepared by the CIM Standards and the CIM Guidelines, using geostatistical and classical methods, plus economic and mining parameters appropriate to the deposit. Mineral Resources are not ore reserves or demonstrably economically recoverable. Grades reported using dry density. The effective date of the MRE is November 13, 2023. Geologist Carlos Jose Evangelista da Silva (MAIG #7868) is the QP responsible for the Mineral Resources. The MRE numbers provided have been rounded to estimate relative precision. Values cannot be added due to rounding. The MRE is delimited by MGLIT Bandeira Target Claims (ANM). The MRE was estimated using ordinary kriging in 12m x 12m x 4m blocks. The MRE report table was produced using Leapfrog Geo software. The reported MRE only contains fresh rock domains. The MRE was restricted by RPE3 with grade shell using 0.5% Li 2 O cut-off. To convert percentage lithium (Li) to percentage lithium oxide (Li 2 O), multiply by 2.153; to convert Li to lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ), multiply by 5.323. To convert a percentage of lithium oxide (Li 2 O) to lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ), multiply by 2.472. Project Advancement & Optimization Opportunities Lithium Ionic is committed to progressing the Bandeira Project towards production, aiming to become a leading lithium producer in Brazils Lithium Valley. This goal is supported by the following ongoing activities: Permitting Process and Government Engagement: The Company continues to advance the permitting process and actively engage with governmental agencies. The next major permitting milestone, the approval of the Licenca Ambiental Concomitante (LAC), is expected by early Q3 2024. Next Phase of Engineering: The Bandeira Project will proceed to the next phase of engineering, focusing on implementing the optimization opportunities identified during the feasibility stage. This phase will include an expanded mineral deposit, which among other positive impacts could potentially extend the mine life. Significant opportunities have also been identified to streamline capital and operating costs, enhancing overall efficiency and optimization of the Project. Feasibility Study Contributors and Methodology Lithium Ionic engaged AtkinsRealis (formerly SNC Lavalin) to coordinate the Feasibility Study, which covers engineering, process design, mine layout, risk assessment, and logistics for transporting the concentrate from Aracuai, Minas Gerais, to the port of Ilheus, Bahia, and then to Shanghai, China. The certification of mineral resources was conducted by GE21, with geologist Carlos Jose Evangelista Silva serving as the qualified professional for the estimation. Underground mine studies were led by mining engineer Rubens Mendonca from Planminas, who signed off as the qualified professional for this discipline. The mineral processing studies were consolidated and defined by Tony Lipiec, Process Engineer and Vice President Global, Minerals & Metals Processing at AtkinsRealis. Environmental studies were reviewed by Branca Horta from GE21, who signed off as the qualified professional for this area. The economic and financial model was validated by L&M Advisory, with Joao Augusto Hilario de Souza as the qualified professional. The Feasibility Study considers Mineral Resources categorized as Measured and Indicated, converting 71% into Mineral Reserves. Mineral processing methodologies were developed based on extensive test work, including ore sorting and dense media separation using core drill samples in bench scale (HLS Heavy Liquid Separation), ore sorting and DMS pilot plant tests at Steinert and SGS Geosol, respectively. Cost estimates for mine and plant equipment were based on vendor quotations, while power and FeSi prices were obtained through commercial consultations with Centrais Eletricas de Minas Gerais (CEMIG) and Washington Mills in the USA. The owners' team costs were projected for 21 employees during the engineering and construction phases. This comprehensive and collaborative approach ensures that the Feasibility Study encompasses all critical aspects, providing a robust foundation for the successful development and operation of the Project. Report Filing The complete NI 43-101 technical report associated with the FS will be available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under the Companys issuer profile, as well as the Companys website at www.lithiumionic.com within 45 calendar days. Qualified Persons The FS is prepared by independent representatives of AtkinsRealis, GE21, Planminas and L&M each of whom are Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Each of the QPs are independent of Lithium Ionic and have reviewed and confirmed that this news release fairly and accurately reflects, in the form and context in which it appears, the information contained in the respective sections of the Bandeira FS for which they are responsible. The affiliation and areas of responsibility for each QP involved in preparing the Bandeira FS are provided below. Mineral Resource Estimate: Carlos Jose Evangelista, Geologist from GE21 Underground mine studies: Engineer, Rubens Mendonca from Planminas The mineral processing studies were consolidated and defined by Tony Lipiec, Process Engineer and Vice President Global, Minerals & Metals Processing at AtkinsRealis Environmental studies: Branca Horta from GE21 Tailings Disposal systems: Porfirio Cabaleiro from GE21 The economic and financial model was certified and validated by Joao Augusto Hilario de Souza from L&M Advisory, as the qualified professional. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Lithium Ionic Corp. Blake Hylands Chief Executive Officer, Director 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. Investor and Media Inquiries: +1 647.316.2500 info@lithiumionic.com 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 Project, the economic viability of the Project, future spodumene prices, the Companys ability to obtain financing, the Companys ability to develop the Project, the Companys ability to obtain the requisite permits and approvals to develop the Project, 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. TORONTO, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two of the largest unions in the province and the largest unions at the University of Toronto are seeking to intervene in the injunction application by the university against demonstrations. The United Steelworkers union (USW) and OPSEU/SEFPO are seeking intervenor status in the injunction application by the university which would allow administrators to end protests. The unions are working together to protect the freedom of expression and freedom of association by workers at the university. We will defend workers right to their freedom of expression. The university cannot deny workers or students their rights as outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because they are inconvenient, said Myles Sullivan, USW District 6 Director (Ontario and Atlantic region). We will defend the right to protest on public property, like the University of Toronto and ensure Charter rights are not trampled. As far as we are concerned, the protest has the right to stay and workers have the right to participate. The USW represents 10,000 workers at the University of Toronto as well as workers at other university campuses. University campuses are precisely the places where our community debates the most pressing issues of the day. Above all, its where we find common ground, and if necessary, we disagree, but we do so without violence, said JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO. So to threaten to forcibly remove a peaceful encampment which is simply an expression of political opinion, where students and workers and other members of the University community are asserting their Charter rights is an abdication of the Universitys very reason for existence. A ruling like this has the potential to threaten the Charter protected right to the freedom of association (Section 2 (d)) so we take this very seriously indeed, concluded Hornick. OPSEU/SEFPO represents workers on the University of Toronto campus as well as workers on other University campuses and also represents workers on every public college campus in Ontario. For more information, please contact: Shannon Devine, USW Communications 416-938-4402 sdevine@usw.ca Kim Johnston, OPSEU/SEFPO Communications 416 550 4665 kjohnston@opseu.org Washington, D.C., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agencys (DCHFA) 2024 Todd A. Lee Scholarship has extended its application deadline to July 12, 2024, and expanded the criteria to reach a larger number of students. The scholarship is now open to 10 qualifying majors and can result in awards of at least $5,000. The Agency prioritizes education. We attract, educate, and develop the future leaders of tomorrow through our scholarship and internship programs. Welcoming more majors and extending the Todd A. Lee Scholarship into the Summer, where students will have more time to apply, is an intentional way to create a wide diverse-student network within the affordable housing industry, stated Christopher E. Donald, Executive Director/CEO DCHFA. Expanded eligibility requirements for the Todd A. Lee Scholarship are: The applicant must have completed at minimum their sophomore year of college at an accredited university or be enrolled at minimum in a three-quarter or full-time undergraduate/graduate program. The applicant must be matriculating in a Bachelors or Masters of Science or Arts program at an accredited four-year university. Must have declared a major or course of study in Real Estate Development, Real Property Management, Mortgage Finance, Business, Engineering, Architecture, Computer Science, Community Development, Economic Development and/or Construction-related field. The Applicant must be a resident of the District of Columbia or demonstrate prior long term District residency providing an official transcript that reflects residency, school attendance and graduation from a high school in the District of Columbia. Selected recipients will be notified during the end of summer. For complete eligibility criteria and to apply for the Todd A. Lee Scholarship,visit https://www.dchfa.org/todd-lee-scholarship/. The Todd A. Lee Scholarship portal will close on July 12. In Honor of Todd A. Lee Todd A. Lee was the Executive Director and CEO of DCHFA from 2016 to 2020. During his lifetime, his career focus was innovation, infrastructure/process, and financing in real estate. He came to DCHFA to create an impact in the city through the preservation and construction of affordable and workforce housing in the District of Columbia. As an extension of the Lee Legacy, DCHFA launched the scholarship in 2020 for students who aspire to have a career in the field of affordable housing. Since its inception, eight recipients (including repeat awardees) have been awarded. The District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is an S&P AA- rated issuer, serving Washington, D.C.s residents for 45 years. The Agencys mission is to advance the District of Columbias housing priorities; the Agency invests in affordable housing and neighborhood development, which provides pathways for D.C. residents to transform their lives. We accomplish our mission by delivering the most efficient and effective sources of capital available in the market to finance rental housing and to create homeownership opportunities. The Agency operates from a core set of values: Leadership*Excellence*Community Focus*Integrity*Collaboration*Innovation Attachment Minneapolis, MN, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Its high school graduation season a time for tossing caps in the air and making college packing lists. While grads are busy contemplating dorm room decor and mini-fridges, they might not realize the importance of a more crucial item: health insurance. Today, healthinsurance.org explains why college students shouldnt wait until theyre on campus to consider their healthcare and choose coverage. "It's vital for students to think about their health insurance options and select a plan now, before they get that first sore throat, twist an ankle or need to fill a prescription," said Louise Norris, a health policy analyst for healthinsurance.org. "Waiting until theyre on campus can lead to a gap in coverage, additional expenses and unnecessary stress." Most colleges and universities in the United States require their students to have health insurance. Fortunately, college students have many options for coverage, Norris said. Below are some common insurance choices. Students can explore their choices in more detail with healthinsurance.orgs newly updated online guide, Health insurance for college students and graduates. Stay on a parents plan. Young adults are allowed to stay covered by a parents health insurance plan until the age of 26. This is a common coverage option for college students, particularly those who stay close to home. However, students who are moving to a different state may find that a parents plan doesnt cover the doctors and pharmacists in their new location. Some students also prefer the privacy of having their own health insurance plan. Enroll in a college plan. Some colleges and universities offer a student health insurance plan. In many cases, these plans are regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are required to cover specific health benefits. Not all plans marketed to students are ACA-compliant, though, so its important to understand the benefits covered by any college plan youre considering. Shop on the Marketplace. The Marketplace offers plans that are all ACA-compliant. Students may qualify for income-based subsidies on the Marketplace that help cover a portion or in some cases all of the monthly premium costs for their health plan. There are restrictions for when consumers can enroll in a Marketplace plan, though. For example, a person can enroll after they move to a new location, or during the open enrollment period each year, which is Nov. 1 through Jan. 15 in most states. Timing is such an important consideration when youre enrolling in a health insurance plan, said Norris. Thats why graduates need to get an early start this summer, so they dont unintentionally limit their options by missing out on important enrollment deadlines. Students who miss their special enrollment window triggered by a qualifying life event such as a move to a new area may need to wait until the next open enrollment period, and that can cause a gap in coverage. Plans that are available outside of the Marketplace may not guarantee the same benefits as ACA-compliant plans, and coverage may be limited for people with pre-existing medical conditions. With health insurance, its always beneficial to be proactive, so nows the time for graduates to start considering their coverage options, said Norris. Remember to consider more than just a plans price; coverage details are also important. Even if a plan costs more, it might be worth the expense if it pays for whats important to you, like specific medications, doctors or specialists, or things like birth control, maternity care and travel. Healthinsurance.org provides online resources for consumers about individual and family health insurance. Healthinsurance.org, owned by HealthInsurance.org, LLC, has been providing consumer information about health insurance and health reform for over 25 years. Brussels, May 29, 2024 - The Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders' Meetings of Solvac held exceptionally on May 28, 2024 taking into account the date of the Ordinary Shareholders Meeting of Solvay and Syensqo. The shareholders meetings took place face-to-face and digitally at the Event Lounge, Boulevard General Wahis, 1030 Brussels. All the resolutions of these Meetings have been adopted by the shareholders. In particular, the Ordinary General Meeting approved the payment of the total dividend per share at EUR 5.81 gross for the fiscal year 2023, increased by 4.1 % compared to 2022. During this meeting, the shareholders also approved: The re-election of Mr Jean-Marie Solvay as independent Board Member for a period of 4 years, until May 2028, The re-election of Mrs Olivia Rolin as independent Board Member for a period of 4 years, until May 2028 The Extraordinary General Meeting approved the proposed statutory changes in article 10 relating to the renewal of the authorized capital and in article 11 to acquisition of own shares. Detailed resolutions, voting results and presentations are available on the website of Solvac at the address https://www.solvac.be/fr/gouvernance/assemblees-generales/ Key dates for financial communications August 2, 2024: Results from the first half of 2024 and announcement of the first interim dividend for financial year 2024 August 27, 2024: Payment of the first interim dividend for financial year 2024 December 18, 2024: Announcement of the second interim dividend for financial year 2024 December 31, 2024: Payment of the second interim dividend for financial year 2024 Solvac is a public limited company under Belgian law founded in 1983 and listed on Euronext Brussels under the ISIN code BE0003545531 (SOLV). Its assets consist exclusively of a stake of more than 30% in the capital of Solvay SA and Syensqo SA. Its shares are exclusively nominative. They may be freely held by natural persons or, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, by legal persons or assimilated, to the conditions set out in its accreditation policy. At December 31, 2023, its market capitalization was 2.7 billion. For additional information, please contact: Solvac S.A. Investor Relations Champs Elysees Street, 43 B-1050 Brussels Tel. : +32/2/639 66 30 Mail : Investor.relations@solvac.be Attachment FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SOCIETE BIC Annual General Meeting May 29, 2024 Payment of 2.85 euros ordinary dividend per share and 1.42 euros extraordinary dividend per share Renewal of Societe M.B.D and Marie-Aimee Bich-Dufour as Directors Appointment of the company Grant Thornton as Statutory Auditor in charge of certifying the sustainability-related information Clichy, France, May 29, 2024 SOCIETE BIC's Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in Paris, at the Cloud Business Center and was broadcasted live. A replay of the event and presentations are available on BIC's website. Chaired by Nikos Koumettis, Chair of the Board, the meeting was also attended by Gonzalve Bich, Chief Executive Officer. All the resolutions were adopted, including: the approval of the statutory accounts and consolidated accounts for the fiscal year 2023 and the payment of an ordinary dividend of 2.85 euros per share and an extraordinary dividend of 1.42 euros per share; the renewal of the mandates of Societe M.B.D and Marie-Aimee Bich-Dufour as Directors for a term of three fiscal years; the appointment of Grant Thornton as Statutory Auditor in charge of certifying the sustainability-related information for a term of three fiscal years; the remuneration of the Corporate Officers for the fiscal year 2023; the remuneration policy for the Corporate Officers for the fiscal year 2024; the authorizations to be granted to the Board of Directors to trade in the Company's shares; the authorizations to be granted to the Board of Directors to grant free shares to Group employees and Corporate Officers. ABOUT BIC A world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, BIC brings simplicity and joy to everyday Life. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable, essential products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as BIC Kids, BIC FlexTM, BodyMark by BICTM, Cello, Djeep, Lucky Stationary, Rocketbook, Soleil, Tipp-Ex, Us. TM, Wite-Out, Inkbox, and more. In 2023, BIC Net Sales were 2,263 million. The Company is listed on Euronext Paris, is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It has received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bic.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. CONTACTS Investor Relations team investors.info@bicworld.com Brice Paris VP Investor Relations +33 1 45 19 55 28 brice.paris@bicworld.com Isabelle de Segonzac Image 7, Press Relations contact + 33 6 89 87 61 39 isegonzac@image7.fr 2024 Agenda All dates to be confirmed 2nd Quarter and 1st Half 2024 Results July 31, 2024 (post market close) 3rd Quarter and 9 Months 2024 Results October 23, 2024 (post market close) Attachment SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A need for more sustainably produced food products calls for crops and innovative processes that positively affect the environment and reduce GHG emissions. To leverage this opportunity, Protein Industries Canada is co-investing into a new project with Blue Sky Hemp Ventures Ltd., Virtex Grain Exchange and Thar Process to advance Canadas protein processing technology, create new high-protein ingredients, and support the commercialization of hemp and canola ingredients. Using cutting-edge, sustainable, solvent-free technology, combined with Blue Skys unique whole plant utilization model, the partners will produce high-protein canola and hemp ingredients for applications in food products that are expected to have a negative carbon footprint. These developments are expected to open new markets for truly sustainable baking products, plant-based dairy and meat alternatives. "This project, led by Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, is a great example of how Protein Industries Canada is helping establish this country as a leader in sustainable processing technology and a supplier of high-quality ingredients," said the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. "The commercialization of hemp and canola ingredients in a sustainable and cost-effective way is creating new economic value, and support for the project will help attract investment from international markets." Canada is a leader in agricultural technology development. This innovative project will help to provide Canadians with more sustainably produced food choices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the growth of our ingredient and value-added manufacturing sector, said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. The project focuses on demonstrating the commercial viability of this novel approach to recover the vast majority of oil without using potentially harmful chemicals such as hexane. By avoiding high temperatures and chemical treatments, the resultant meal can be fractionated into high-quality proteins and gluten-free flours at relatively low cost all while sequestering CO2 through Blue Skys whole plant utilization model. Working with strategic partners, the project will develop commercial-ready products customized for use in the alternative dairy, meats and baking sectors. This advancement of new canola and hemp processing will create new economic opportunities for Canada. There is massive economic potential for Canada in ingredient manufacturing. Through the development of new and sustainable technologies, such as this one, Canada will advance our ingredient manufacturing sector and reach our $25 billion opportunity, Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. The Global Innovation Clusters de-risk Canadian innovation to help establish Canada as a leader in sustainable technology and a supplier of high-quality ingredients. More than $5.9 million is being invested into this project, with the partners investing $4.2 million, and Protein Industries Canada investing the remaining $1.6 million. The project will scale up CO2 extraction technology, with the project lead, Blue Sky, working to improve the process by testing the oils and assessing the technical and economic impact from hemp and canola crop inputs. Blue Sky is excited to commercially demonstrate this high-value project. We truly see this project as a win for farmers by adding more value to canola and hemp crops, to consumers by developing a new range of nutritious and environmentally sustainable ingredients, and to the planet by sequestering CO2 through our whole plant utilization model, Andrew Potter, CEO of Blue Sky Hemp Ventures said. Virtex processes and refines canola of which these processes are easily adaptable to hemp. Virtex has been working closely with Blue Sky for several years on refinery projects and will be providing high-fat canola meal for further processing regarding protein extraction. Virtex is massively happy and excited to be significantly involved on this project because of the positive, impactful and beneficial options that it offers to our environment and the Canadian food sector. We believe that this project will answer some questions surrounding crop sustainability and offer some solutions to issues related to adding value to canola and hemp, Stanley Chukwukelu, Quality Assurance / Quality Control Manager of Virtex Grain Exchange said. Thar will be providing the initial equipment for the project and will be working closely with Blue Sky to design a larger-scale system for deployment to large-scale oilseed crushing facilities as an economic alternative to current processes. "Canada is leading the way in moving beyond hydrocarbon solvents and into upcycled technologies like supercritical CO2 extraction and we are humbled to play our role with our friends at Blue Sky and Virtex," Todd Palcic, President and Chief Revenue Officer of Thar Process said. Protein Industries Canada is one of Canadas five Global Innovation Clusters. Protein Industries Canada and its members are working to embrace the $25 billion opportunity presented by Canadas ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-product sector. Projects such as these add value to, and create new markets for, Canadian crops, generating local jobs and supporting new economic development in locations across Canada. More information can be found at theroadto25billion.ca. For more information: Celeen George Protein Industries Canada celeen@proteinsupercluster.ca 204-295-7925 About Blue Sky Hemp Ventures Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, founded in 2017 in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, is a private Canadian company at the forefront of whole plant utilization for hemp ingredients, cannabis extracts, and sustainable industrial products. Committed to sustainability and innovation, Blue Sky delivers high-quality wholesale hemp and cannabis products across North America and globally, contributing to a Better World, Fuelled by Hemp. About Virtex Grain Exchange Virtex Grain Exchange was founded in 2009, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and is a corporation owned by over 80 farmers. Virtex is a value-added venture in which farmers grow, process and market non-GMO expeller pressed canola oil for the health food market in North America. Virtex also sells high-fat canola meal into the North American and Chinese markets. Its facility can process 2,500 tonnes of canola per month and is comprised of 45,000 square feet while operating a fleet of 21 railcars for oil distribution across North America. It prides itself on being the only farmer-owned corporation in North America that is fully integrated from farm to table with non-GMO canola to oil. About Thar Process Aquareyn through its subsidiary Thar Process, is a platform technology company that has been developing and designing applications and equipment solutions based on supercritical CO2. From extraction to purification to drying to remediation - Aquareyn / Thar Process has done it all for the world's most innovative pharmaceutical, food, CPG and chemical companies. The company is based in a 78,000 ft2 Pittsburgh facility but provides service and support globally. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/97bb1794-009c-4674-9428-2b79b7241808 Philadelphia, PA, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the mathematics landscape continues to evolve, this Astroscale mathematician emphasizes how the journey of mathematical progress has led to tackling important societal challenges and will dictate the future of society. Dr. Caoimhe Rooney, Flight Dynamics Engineer at Astroscale UK, will deliver the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) 2024 I. E. Block Community Lecture, which is open to the public and intended to encourage public appreciation of the excitement and vitality of science. Equipped with an undergraduate degree in pure mathematics from Trinity College Dublin and a DPhil in applied mathematics from the University of Oxford, Dr. Rooney began her career as a Research Scientist at NASA. Her research focused on applying mathematical modeling techniques to study exoplanets' electromagnetic spectra, aiming to understand their composition and potential for life. She then joined Astroscale, motivated by a passion for ensuring the accessibility of space for future exploration, and works on the design, development, and operation of in-orbit servicer spacecrafts to remove space debris. The role of mathematics in the worlds greatest discoveries and inventions is often overlooked or unappreciated by the general public, said Dr. Rooney, who will be presenting this free and livestreamed public lecture on July 10 as part of the 2024 SIAM Annual Meeting. Mathematics is an exciting and innovative tool that is a crucial part of our everyday lives and has been used to pioneer world-changing breakthroughs, she added. In her upcoming presentation entitled Go Boldly Where No Math Has Gone Before, Dr. Rooney will bring you on a journey of mathematical progress and share with you the reasons she believes that math is important, exciting, and innovative. She will discuss and celebrate the multitude of ways that applied mathematics has helped solve the worlds greatest challenges and introduce you to some of the mathematicians who have championed these groundbreaking innovations. She will continue the discussion as it relates to space exploration, describing her role as a mathematician pioneering the future of space sustainability. Dr. Rooney was honored on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for Science and Healthcare (2022), and co-founded Mathematigals (2020), an educational initiative to make math accessible and promote representation of women in STEM. Learn more about Dr. Rooney. The July 10 presentation is free for the public and media to attend. Please email Becky Kerner if you plan to attend and/or would like to interview Dr. Rooney following the talk. You must email SIAM in advance to attend in-person; press credentials will be required. The lecture will be livestreamed and posted to SIAMs YouTube afterwards. Information on how to watch the livestream will become available in the coming weeks. Visit the 2024 SIAM Annual Meeting webpage for details. Go Boldly Where No Math Has Gone Before Featuring: Caoimhe Rooney Astroscale and Mathematigals Wednesday, July 10, 6:15 7:15 p.m. ET Hall C Spokane Convention Center 334 West Spokane Falls Boulevard Spokane, Washington 99201 About SIAM Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of 14,000 individual, academic, and corporate members from 85 countries. SIAM fosters the development of applied mathematics and computational methodologies needed in various application areas. Through publications, conferences, and communities like student chapters, geographic sections, and activity groups, SIAM builds cooperation between mathematics and the worlds of science and technology to solve real-world problems. Learn more at siam.org. Attachment NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ExGen Resources Inc. (TSX.V: EXG; OTC: BXXRF) (ExGen, the Company) is pleased to provide an update in respect of Phoenix Copper Ltd.s (Phoenix) exploration and development activities at the Empire Mine Project in Custer County, Idaho, USA, further to Phoenixs news release of May 15, 2024. ExGen owns 20% and Phoenix owns 80% of Konnex Resources, Inc. (Konnex), which holds the leases and claims to the Empire Mine Project, which includes all of the Navarre Creek claim block. ExGen further owns 1,330,000 common shares of Phoenix. Jason Riley, CEO of ExGen commented: I am encouraged that seven holes in Target 1 encountered a continuous zone/band of low-grade gold mineralization at shallow depths and open along strike and down-dip. The drilling results are representative of a relatively shallow, near-surface portion of the mineralized system. I look forward to further testing down-dip and further along strike. On May 23, 2024 Phoenix announced the drilling results from the 2023 Navarre Creek exploratory drilling program in Idaho, USA and an update on feasibility engineering activities at the Empire Mine and noted the following highlights: 28 reverse-circulation drill holes into four target areas within 4,000 acre (16.18 sq km) claim block Two of four target areas identify mineralization of significance All seven drill holes into the Lehman Creek target identify a continuous zone of anomalous, low-grade gold mineralization ranging from 4.5 meters to 22.9 meters thick Mineralized zone is open along strike and down-dip 20 unpatented mining claims totaling 400 acres staked on the southwest end of the contiguous Navarre Creek claim block Ryan McDermott, Chief Executive Officer, said, "Further to our announcement on 24 October 2023, I am pleased to confirm that we have now received and assessed the assay results from the 28 exploratory reverse-circulation drill holes completed at our Navarre Creek project in 2023. Navarre Creek is a vast exploration zone, multiple times larger than the Empire Mine open- pit area. We initially selected four target areas, and it is very encouraging to note that two of those areas have returned mineralization of significance, worthy of further follow-up. "Holes NC23-01 through NC23-07 were drilled to test Target Area 1 on the southwest end of the claim block specifically targeting the mineralized Lehman Creek fault Holes. NC23-08 through NC23-11 were drilled in Target Area 2, 4.77 kilometers northeast of Target Area 1. Target Area 2 tested a surface geochemical anomaly identified during previous field mapping and surface sampling in 2020. Target Area 3, holes NC23-12 - NC23-18, tested a gold-antimony geochemical anomaly identified during field mapping, and Target Area 4, holes NC23-19 - NC23-28, tested a jasperoid exposure identified during field mapping. "I am pleased to report that all seven of the Target Area 1 holes encountered a continuous zone/band of low-grade gold mineralization. Each of the drill holes NC23-01 to NC23-07 were angled and drilled perpendicular to the strike of the Lehman Creek fault and cross dip. The seven holes were widely spaced at various angles along 580 meters of the fault. The mineralized zone was encountered between 19.2 meters and 44.2 meters true vertical depth along strike, indicating that the zone is open along strike and down-dip. The mineralized zone is clearly defined geochemically, and the consistency along the strike is important in that it demonstrates the fault as a conduit for gold-bearing fluids and at least one volcanic unit in the hanging-wall as a suitable host for mineralization. The drilling results are representative of a relatively shallow, near-surface portion of the mineralized system. I am very much looking forward to further testing down-dip and further along strike. The initial drilling results in Target Area 1 were considered significant enough that we expanded the Navarre Creek claim block to the southwest by an additional 400 acres, bringing the total claim block size to 3,977 acres (16.09 km). "The assay results from the four drill holes NC23-13 through NC23-16, which targeted an area with a gold-antimony surface anomaly identified during field work, returned anomalous low-grade silver and silver-antimony. 1.5 meters of 1.10% (10,100 parts per million ('ppm')) antimony was present at a depth of 4.6 meters. Antimony can be an important trace element in mineralized systems as it can be associated with precious metals. While the four drill holes tested a relatively small area, we now have a better understanding of the subsurface geology and mineral potential in that specific area. The remainder of the 28 drill holes showed little to no significant gold mineralization. "The Navarre Creek project covers nearly 4,000-acres. As we have reported in the past, surficial evidence of mineralization is widespread and pervasive. While the overall gold assay grades were low, the presence, location, depth, and host lithology of the mineralization is important and will be used as a tool for further stages of exploration. The activities at Navarre Creek are very much grassroots, very early-stage exploration, not development drilling, and we are satisfied to initially encounter this low-grade mineralization early in the program as we continue to develop an understanding of the dynamics of the system and explore for more substantial quantities of mineralization. "Given the latest bond funding news, we are clearly focusing our resources on the development of the open-pit and will be for the foreseeable future. However, our Idaho team will continue field work at Navarre Creek, Redstar, and the Horseshoe area for the purposes of developing drill targets. We will update as appropriate as to progress on our exploration programs. "In addition to reporting the Navarre Creek drilling results, I would like to provide a brief update on the feasibility engineering for our Empire Open-Pit Mine. We recently reported that the Company's corporate copper bond issue has been fully subscribed for a principal value of US$80,000,000, which will be drawn down and used for the construction of the open pit mine and processing facility. While this funding will not have an impact on the mineral reserve estimate or the metallurgical and design engineering completed to date, it will provide the Company with the opportunity to outfit the open pit operation with lower-cost, pre-owned equipment. Much of this equipment has already been identified and is currently located within a 550-mile radius of the Empire Mine. The purchase of this equipment is expected to have a material impact on overall initial and sustaining capex, as well as on certain aspects of the process design detail, construction logistics, and the overall equipment procurement schedule. We have already procured pre-owned ball mills, assay laboratory equipment and disk filtration units, at an estimated capex reduction of US$8 million. These items all form an important part of the feasibility work, which is now being updated accordingly." Gold Mineralised Zone Tables 1a - 1g highlight a consistent zone of gold mineralisation evident in each of the seven reverse-circulation drill holes, NC23-01 through NC23-07, completed in the southwest Target Area 1 along approximately 580 metres of the Lehman Creek fault. In each of the seven angled drill holes, a distinct zone of low-grade gold mineralisation was consistently encountered in the hanging-wall of the fault. While the individual gold values in the mineralised zone are low- grade, the zone itself is clearly defined and appears to be laterally continuous along strike and open down dip. Table 1a Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 33.5 33.5 <0.01 NC23-01 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.6 NC23-01 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.13 0.9 NC23-01 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.14 1.2 NC23-01 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.09 0.6 NC23-01 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.05 0.7 NC23-01 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.10 0.9 Below mineralised zone 42.7 61.0 18.3 <0.01 NC23-01 Summary of Intercept 33.5 42.7 9.1 0.10 0.82 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1b Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 36.6 33.5 <0.01 NC23-02 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.02 0.5 NC23-02 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.02 0.25 NC23-02 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.04 0.25 NC23-02 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.12 0.8 NC23-02 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.04 0.5 NC23-02 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.02 0.25 Below mineralised zone 45.7 62.5 16.8 <0.01 NC23-02 Summary of Intercept 36.6 45.7 9.1 0.04 0.43 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1c Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 47.2 33.5 <0.01 NC23-03 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.06 0.5 NC23-03 48.8 50.3 1.5 0.14 1.1 NC23-03 50.3 51.8 1.5 0.04 0.25 NC23-03 51.8 53.3 1.5 0.02 0.25 Below mineralised zone 45.7 73.2 27.5 <0.01 NC23-03 Summary of Intercept 47.2 53.3 6.1 0.07 0.53 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1d Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 38.1 33.5 <0.01 NC23-04 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.10 1.0 NC23-04 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-04 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.02 1.0 Below mineralised zone 42.7 65.5 22.8 <0.01 NC23-04 Summary of Intercept 38.1 42.7 4.5 0.05 1.00 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1e Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 54.9 33.5 <0.01 NC23-05 54.9 56.4 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-05 56.4 57.9 1.5 0.08 1.5 NC23-05 57.9 59.4 1.5 0.02 1.0 NC23-05 59.4 61.0 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-05 61.0 62.5 1.5 0.04 0.7 NC23-05 62.5 64.0 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-05 64.0 65.5 1.5 0.07 1.7 Below mineralised zone 44.2 80.8 36.6 <0.01 NC23-05 Summary of Intercept 54.9 65.5 10.7 0.05 1.09 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1f Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 27.4 33.5 <0.01 NC23-06 27.4 29.0 1.5 0.06 0.8 NC23-06 29.0 30.5 1.5 0.07 0.6 NC23-06 30.5 32.0 1.5 0.06 0.5 NC23-06 32.0 33.5 1.5 0.15 1.5 NC23-06 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-06 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.15 1.1 NC23-06 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.14 1.6 NC23-06 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.20 1.3 NC23-06 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.08 0.9 NC23-06 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.09 1.2 NC23-06 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.05 0.7 NC23-06 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.23 1.3 NC23-06 45.7 47.2 1.5 0.10 1.2 NC23-06 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.05 0.25 NC23-06 48.8 50.3 1.5 0.06 0.25 Below mineralised zone 50.3 76.2 25.9 <0.01 NC23-06 Summary of Intercept 27.4 50.3 22.9 0.10 0.93 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1g Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 30.5 33.5 <0.01 NC23-07 30.5 32.0 1.5 0.11 1.9 NC23-07 32.0 33.5 1.5 0.08 1 NC23-07 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-07 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.03 0.25 NC23-07 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.06 0.9 NC23-07 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.11 2 NC23-07 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.08 1.8 NC23-07 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.10 1.4 NC23-07 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.11 1.2 NC23-07 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.12 1.1 NC23-07 45.7 47.2 1.5 0.10 1.2 NC23-07 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.07 0.8 Below mineralised zone 44.2 106.7 62.5 <0.01 NC23-07 Summary of Intercept 30.5 48.8 18.3 0.09 1.19 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Figure 1 Figure 1 is a cross-section illustrating the mineralised zone described in tables 1a-1g. Cross- sections represented by individual drill holes can be seen at https://phoenixcopperlimited.com/NavarreCreek. Tables 2a to 2d highlight anomalous silver + antimony values above a 0.25 ppm detection limit. There is geological evidence suggesting that elevated silver and antimony values are hosted within a specific geological unit located in the central portion of the Navarre Creek claim block. The geological unit is capped by younger rocks on the west and south, limiting surface exposure. Further geochemical characterisation and study is warranted to the west and south to determine, if possible, the source of mineralisation. Table 2a Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Sb Above mineralised zone Surface NC23-13 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.01 1.9 453 NC23-13 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.01 1.9 600 NC23-13 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.01 1.9 666 NC23-13 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.02 2.2 10100 NC23-13 6.1 7.6 1.5 0.005 0.25 468 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2b Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Sb Above mineralised zone Surface NC23-14 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.01 1.9 1930 NC23-14 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.01 1.2 612 NC23-14 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.01 1.7 489 NC23-14 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.01 1.4 343 NC23-14 6.1 7.6 1.5 0.005 0.25 92 NC23-14 7.6 9.1 1.5 0.005 1.2 140 NC23-14 9.1 10.7 1.5 0.01 1.5 272 NC23-14 10.7 12.2 1.5 0.01 2.2 619 NC23-14 12.2 13.7 1.5 0.02 2.5 485 NC23-14 13.7 15.2 1.5 0.02 2.1 450 NC23-14 15.2 16.8 1.5 0.02 1.3 218 NC23-14 16.8 18.3 1.5 0.01 0.5 109 NC23-14 18.3 19.8 1.5 0.02 0.8 140 NC23-14 19.8 21.3 1.5 0.01 0.25 55 NC23-14 21.3 2.29 1.5 0.16 0.25 42 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2c Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag NC23-15 129.5 131.1 1.5 0.05 0.25 NC23-15 131.1 132.6 1.5 0.53 4.3 NC23-15 132.6 134.1 1.5 0.26 1.7 NC23-15 134.1 135.6 1.5 0.16 2.8 NC23-15 135.6 137.2 1.5 0.02 0.25 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2d Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag NC23-16 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.03 4.2 NC23-16 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.06 4.7 NC23-16 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.04 3.3 NC23-16 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.005 0.5 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Assay results for the remainder of the 28 drill holes showed little to no significant gold mineralisation. Background on Navarre Creek During the 2021 field season, Phoenix contracted Magee Geophysical Services to acquire approximately 169 line-kilometres of total field magnetic measurements at the Company's Navarre Creek project and SpecTIR, LLC of Reno, Nevada to complete an airborne hyperspectral survey of the same Navarre Creek area to identify prospective exploration targets in an area, many of which are largely concealed by glacial till. The ground magnetics survey looked specifically for magnetite and magnetic-bearing minerals, some of which have been identified in limited outcroppings, while the hyperspectral imaging helps to identify alteration minerals often associated with precious metal deposition. Hyperspectral imaging incorporates a small airplane with mounted infrared lights and sensors to detect a wide range of wavelengths, mineral absorption and reflectance within the target area. The wavelength data collected in this survey are VNIR (Visible and Near- Infrared), SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared), and LWIR (Long-Wave Infrared). The human eye can detect wavelengths (colours) from 390 nanometers ('nm') to 700nm. The VNIR and SWIR sensors collected wavelength data from 390nm to 2,450nm, while the LWIR sensors ranged from 8,000nm to 12,000nm. The Navarre Creek project is located within an intrusive dome complex, where the magnetic components in overlying volcanic lithologies are destroyed by silicic alteration associated with steam-heated, acidic, and oxidised hydrothermal fluids. The survey highlighted several such areas including the Lehman Creek fault, one or more porphyry plugs, and several contacts/faults. The survey identified volcanic-associated alteration that is both acidic and of fairly high temperature as evidenced by pyrophyllite and dickite. As would be expected in the Challis Volcanic Field, the white mica is Al-rich (paragenetic) and also shows zoned crystallinity patterns, typical of intermediate-to-high sulfidation systems, and is likely proximal to a magmatic heat source. The presence of iron oxide associated with some of these zones adds prospectivity. The alteration pattern is useful in developing an exploration model to optimise future drill targets. During the summer of 2020, Konnex Resources' exploration team previously mapped and sampled the Company's Navarre Creek gold property, which was then comprised of 2,420 acres of unpatented mining claims, located approximately 5km north-northwest of the Empire Mine. 90 rock chip and grab samples were collected in the hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks that make up the Navarre Creek claims and sent to ALS Laboratories in Reno, USA for geochemical analysis. Of the 90 samples, 53 were above the detection limit for gold with a high of 0.569 grammes per tonne ('g/t'), and 25 above the detection limit for silver. The Navarre Creek claim block now covers 3,977 acres (16.09 km), representing over 6 km of prospective strike length, including an area of secondary alteration thought to be epithermal in nature, with over 2.5 km of highly brecciated, west trending jasperoid intersecting argillically and silicically altered Eocene Challis volcanics Qualified Person The foregoing technical information in this news release has been reviewed and verified by Dennis Thomas, ACSM, FIMMM,FGS, CEng, Eurlng, co-founder of Phoenix Copper Limited and Member of the Company's Advisory Board. Mr. Thomas has held both executive and non-executive roles in a number of international private and public natural resources companies and is a chartered mining engineer from the Camborne School of Mines. He is a Qualified Person under the AIM Rules and consents to the inclusion of the information in the form and the context in which it appears. Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling was conducted by Midnight Sun Drilling, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, and was supervised by the Konnex exploration team. All assays reported are uncut unless otherwise stated. Samples reported herein were assayed by ALS USA, Inc. of Reno, Nevada which is independent of Phoenix. All Reverse Circulation assays reported were obtained using a four-acid digestion and ICP-AES finish with overruns completed on values exceeding 10,000 ppm for Cu, Zn, and Pb and 100 g/t for Ag. The only exception being that Au assays reported were obtained using a fire assay with AA-finish or using gravimetric finish for values over 100 g/t Au. Intercepts cited do not necessarily represent true widths, unless otherwise noted, however, drilling is generally intersecting interpreted mineralised zones at angles between 30. True width determinations are not estimated due to the irregular shape of the skarn mineralisation. QUALIFIED PERSON Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and verified the technical information provided in this release. ABOUT EXGEN RESOURCES INC. ExGen, formerly Boxxer Gold Corp, is a project accelerator that seeks to fund exploration and development of our projects through joint ventures and partnership agreements. This approach significantly reduces the technical and financial risks for ExGen, while maintaining the upside exposure to new discoveries and potential cash flow. The company intends to build a diverse portfolio of projects across exploration stages and various commodity groups. ExGen currently has 6 projects in Canada and the US. For more information on ExGen please contact ExGen Resources Inc. Jason Tong Chief Financial Officer Email: jason@catapultgroup.ca Phone: 604-889-7827 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains certain forward-looking information. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to: the observations made on drill core from the diamond drilling program on the Empire Mine Project; the further exploration and development of the Empire Mine Project; the exploration and development strategy of the Empire Mine Project, including the exploration program, drilling, mine development, and permitting. The results of the sampling and geophysical survey at Navarre Creek, the markers of Carlin style deposits and the potential for such deposits to exist at Navarre Creek. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. There can be no assurance that the development of the Empire Mine Project will be completed, and if development is completed, that such development will result in a producing mine. In the forward looking information contained in this news release, ExGen has made numerous assumptions, based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with the mineral industry. In addition, ExGen has assumed: the continued market acceptance of its joint venture partnership model; the ability of ExGen and its partners to raise future equity financing, if needed, at prices acceptable to ExGen or its partners; ExGen's current and initial understanding and analysis of the Empire Mine Project; the ability of ExGen or third parties to discover viable exploration targets and the results of exploration on the Empire Mine Project; the ability of Phoenix to explore and develop the Empire Mine Project; the cost of exploration, including sampling, drilling and assaying, on the Empire Mine Project, the costs of developing the Empire Mine Project and the costs and the ability of Phoenix to produce a feasibility study in compliance with NI 43-101; and ExGen's general and administrative costs remaining sustainable. While, ExGen considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause ExGen's observations, actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: the possibility that the analytical results from future core sampling does not return significant grades of copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead or any other molybdenum by-products; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology; continuity and grade of mineralization; there is no certainty that the ongoing work programs will result in significant or successful exploration of the Empire Mine Project or development of the Empire Mine Project into a producing mine; uncertainty as to the actual results of exploration and development or operational activities; uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; ExGen may not be able to comply with its ongoing obligations regarding its properties; the early stage development of ExGen and its projects, and in particular, the Empire Mine Project; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; capital market conditions and market prices for securities, junior market securities and mining exploration company securities; commodity prices, in particular copper, gold, silver, and zinc prices; competition; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents and other risks inherent in the mining industry; lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting ExGen; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. A description of additional assumptions and risk factors used to develop such forward-looking information that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in ExGen's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although ExGen has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. ExGen does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d5f2d603-e55a-481a-8820-15c2134e91a5 MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- True North Mortgage is excited to announce the grand opening of its newest store at Square One Shopping Centre this Sunday, June 2 with cookies, swag, and colouring sheets offered from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Its located in the mall right across from Fresh Market Restaurant, and both True Norths CEO, Dan Eisner, and Director of National Sales, Winston Leung, will be on hand to greet visitors along with their expert brokers. Now with 12 physical locations across Canada, True North Mortgage is proud of their latest addition. This store has an inviting, friendly atmosphere and gives local home shoppers and owners access to lower rates and exceptional mortgage service at convenient hours, including evenings and weekends. A mall store also allows a stop-in while running errands without having to worry about parking. Dan Eisner, True North Mortgage Founder and CEO, explains, We do everything possible to bring mortgage savings to where our clients are, in ways that best suit their busy schedules. Banks have short hours and dont specialize in mortgages. We can provide better, more experienced face-to-face help in making mortgage decisions or when a fast pre-approval is needed. Considering that True Norths team of highly trained, salaried, and non-commissioned mortgage brokers specialize in lower mortgage rates and can often get you a better rate from your own bank it makes sense to stop in to see what they can do for you. On your behalf, they quickly check with several accredited lenders and thousands of products to secure your best deal by passing along their volume rate discount. Plus, their personalized, stress-free process is free, with no obligation, and often comes with fewer fees than the big banks. They must be doing something right they also have over 15,000 5-star client reviews, the most in the industry by far. Bagging the right mortgage fit could help you save thousands. Stop in for a helpful chat during mall hours, or get the same convenient True North experience online, over the phone, or through a Mobile Broker who can come to you. True North Mortgage is a one-stop savings solution for your best mortgage fit. Square One Store Photo: https://truenorthmortgage.imgix.net/content-images/Square1-Photo.png HSINCHU, Taiwan, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The renowned International Volunteer Team of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan is set to embark on its 15th mission, heading to Kenya, Malaysia, and Indonesia to promote IT education and cultural heritage preservation. The Kenya team has set new records with 170 donated computers and 21 student volunteers. NTHU's International Volunteer Team will embark on its 15th summer mission abroad this year. Founded in 2007, the NTHU International Volunteer Team has ventured overseas every year except during the pandemic. They have served in eight countries, including Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ghana, Belize, Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia, enabling 700 NTHU students to engage in overseas service. NTHU Vice President Nyan-Hwa Tai and Dean of Student Affairs Hong-Lin Chan presented the representative flags of each team to the 46 volunteers, highlighting the valuable learning experiences they gained from fundraising and refurbishing computers. Vice President Chen-Fu Chien expressed gratitude to the ASUS Foundation for their generous donation of second-hand computers, enabling the student volunteers to help those in need. Expansion of the Kenya Volunteer Team Due to political unrest in Tanzania, volunteers initially assigned there will join the Kenya team. They will serve at 14 schools in Nyeri and Kisumu, teaching IT courses, training teachers, and setting up computer labs. Kenya team leader Yu-Chen Chou highlighted the need for more computers, noting past challenges with limited equipment. This year, they are donating 20 laptops and five projectors to improve teaching and classroom flexibility. To boost motivation, the team will organize an inter-school programming competition, showcasing the practical applications of coding. Kenya volunteer team student leader Ting-Hui Liao shared a success story where a Kenyan student's newfound interest in programming led her to stay in school and become the president of the IT club. Despite not visiting Tanzania, the team has gathered equipment for Tanzanian schools, which will be delivered by Fr. Raymond Joel Riziki. Another important mission for the Kenya team is to send a six-member advance group to Eswatini after they complete their service in Kenya, as they plan to launch their first service mission to Eswatini next summer. First Mission to Jakarta, Indonesia Earlier this year, NTHU's international volunteer teams conducted a scouting mission in Jakarta, Indonesia. This summer, they will embark on an official two-week service trip to Glodok, Jakarta's largest Chinese community. Indonesia team leader Chen Ching Hei Arthur outlined plans to teach Mandarin, introduce AI applications, and create a digital map of the community. The goal is to bridge cultural gaps and enhance communication among Chinese-Indonesian youths and elders. NTHU alumna Lee-Lan Wong, leader of both the Malaysia and Indonesia teams, revealed that the Indonesia team will also visit local attractions and businesses. They will utilize ArcGIS geographic information software to create a digital map of the Glodok community, similar to a non-commercial version of Google Maps. Wang noted that as Indonesia is the home country of many of Taiwan's social welfare migrant workers, she hopes that the NTHU Volunteer Team's efforts in Indonesia will help strengthen Taiwan-Indonesia relations. Malaysia team leader Yun-Chien Chen, announced the teams continued efforts in Pekan Nanas, including the production of a local magazine and documentary, and the hosting of a mobile photography camp to inspire youths to engage in cultural preservation. Holly Hsueh NTHU (886)3-5162006 hoyu@mx.nthu.edu.tw A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8008e40c-9341-4e43-8632-5fe07e0ca3a4 Luxembourg 29 May 2024 Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a super-major1 contract by Petrobras, after winning a competitive tender, for the development of the Buzios 9 field located approximately 180 kilometres off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at 2,000 metres water depth in the pre-salt Santos basin. The contract scope includes engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation, and pre-commissioning of 102 kilometres of rigid risers and flowlines for the steel lazy wave production system. Project management and engineering will commence immediately at Subsea7s offices in Rio de Janeiro and Paris. Fabrication of the pipelines will take place at Subsea7s spoolbase at Ubu in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, and offshore operations are scheduled to be executed in 2026 and 2027. Yann Cottart, Vice-President Brazil said: This new award strengthens our diverse portfolio of projects in Brazil and affirms our position as a trusted contractor of Petrobras. Subsea7 looks forward to continuing this strong, collaborative relationship as we work together to successfully deliver the Buzios 9 project. (1) Subsea7 defines a super-major contract as being over $1.25 billion. ******************************************************************************* Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry. We create sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. Subsea7 is listed on the Oslo Brs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568 ir@subsea7.com Contact for media enquiries: Tracey Miller Group External Communications Manager Tel +44 1224 265 733 tracey.miller@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Forward-Looking Statements: This document may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; (xvii) global availability at scale and commercially viability of suitable alternative vessel fuels; and (xviii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange release was published by Katherine Tonks, Investor Relations, Subsea7, on 29 May 2024 at 20:40 CET. Attachment NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIIs (NYSE: HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division joined elected officials and community leaders today at a groundbreaking ceremony for the 22nd Habitat for Humanity home sponsored by the shipyard since 2002. The groundbreaking marks the start of construction on the home, which shipyard volunteers are joining forces with Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg to build. In keeping with shipbuilding heritage, NNS designates a sponsor for each home. David Horne, vice president of trades, is the sponsor for the 22nd home. Construction is a science and an art, whether youre building a ship or a house, Horne said. The tools and materials may be a little different, but the builders dedication and pride is the same. Our shipbuilders are proud to support our Navy sailors and were proud to build this home. Horne also recognized the family of the late Jim Cochran in attendance at the groundbreaking. Cochran, a retired shipbuilder who dedicated more than 40 years to the shipyard, was a longtime Habitat for Humanity volunteer. NNS is dedicating the build of the home in his memory. The three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot home will take shape in the Southeast community of Newport News on land donated by the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Photos accompanying this release are available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-breaks-ground-for-22nd-habitat-for-humanity-home-sponsored-by-newport-news-shipbuilding/ At a time when the demand for affordable housing is greater than ever, we couldnt be more thrilled to start construction on this home, said Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Through the unwavering support of Newport News Shipbuilding, weve changed countless lives since this partnership began. Latesha, a mother of five daughters who is currently working on her masters degree, has been selected as the homebuyer by Habitat for Humanity. She will be required to maintain steady employment and good credit and provide 400 hours of sweat equity to help build the home. Once construction is complete, she will purchase the home from Habitat with a 30-year, no-interest mortgage, which illustrates Habitats objective to give families a hand up rather than a hand out. The payments will cycle back into the community so more homes can be built for qualifying families. Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg is a non-profit organization serving the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson and Williamsburg and the counties of Charles City, James City, New Kent and York. For more information, visit www.HabitatPGW.org. About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HIIs mission is to deliver the worlds most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nations largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/ HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII Contact: Todd Corillo Todd.T.Corillo@hii-co.com (757) 688-3220 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2760003-4687-4cec-adf9-1802e4937c6b NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZoomInfo Technologies (ZoomInfo or the Company) is a Delaware company headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. ZoomInfo is a subscription-based software company that sells access to its database of information about businesspeople and companies to sales, marketing and recruiting professionals. ZOOMINFO INVESTIGATION ZoomInfos express and implied representations governing their ZoomInfo Lite (f/k/a Community Edition) program guarantees that ZoomInfo will not view, read, or otherwise inspect the contents of users email communications and only extract business information like business contacts and company names from users email by selectively focusing on address books, email headers, and email signatures. Lowey Dannenberg is investigating whether ZoomInfo among other things, has (i) unlawfully and intentionally intercepted, accessed, viewed, read, and/or scanned individuals personal information contained within their electronic communications without knowledge or consent, (ii) subsequently unauthorizedly used, disclosed, disseminated, and/or sold those electronic communications to third parties including marketers, recruiters, and advertisers; and (iii) engaged in false and deceptive representations that ZoomInfo does not access, view, read, or scan personal information contained in users electronic communications. If you are a resident in the State of California and wish to know more about this investigation, please contact our attorneys at (914) 733-7256 or via email at investigations@lowey.com. About Lowey Dannenberg Lowey Dannenberg is a national firm representing institutional and individual investors, who suffered financial losses resulting from corporate fraud and malfeasance in violation of federal securities and antitrust laws. The firm has significant experience in prosecuting multi-million-dollar lawsuits and has previously recovered billions of dollars on behalf of investors. Contact: Lowey Dannenberg P.C. 44 South Broadway, Suite 1100 White Plains, NY 10601 Tel: (914) 733-7256 Email: investigations@lowey.com SOURCE: Lowey Dannenberg Greensboro, NC, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Family, an entity of Childrens Home Society of NC (CHS), presented its second annual Family Champion Awards on April 26 at The Duke Endowment in Charlotte, NC. Social workers and family advocates from across North Carolina gathered to honor social workers for the vital role they play in promoting family well-being. The events keynote speaker, Victor Armstrong, MSW, Vice President for Health Equity and Engagement for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, highlighted how social workers have the influence to play a pivotal role in someones story. Im extremely hopeful today to all of you, who through your work and your stories, give families hope, Armstrong said in his address to attendees. Those who received Family Champion Awards were: Amy Gunter, Medical Social Worker, Medi Home Hospice Kielana Ham, Street Outreach Resource Coordinator, Ripple Effect Group Katherine Lamb, Permanency Planning Social Worker, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Youth and Family Services Patricia Massey, Social Work Supervisor III, Children and Family Services, Gaston County Department of Health & Human Services Roger Suclupe, Clinical Assistant Professor, UNC Charlotte Emilie Taylor, Permanency Planning Social Worker, Harnett County, North Carolina, Department of Social Services Angel Thomas, Director of Mental Health, Partners in Learning Latisha Watson, Care Manager CMHRP and CMARC Programs, Orange County, North Carolina, Health Department Steven Yates, Social Worker IA&T Investigations, Burke County, North Carolina, Department of Social Services Whether its providing a healthy and safe space for clients to feel at home, or motivating and supporting colleagues by always offering a smile and inspiring staff to be the best versions of themselves, or supporting grieving parents and connecting them with one another all are examples of the actions of these Family Champions their dedication forms the backbone of every resilient family, said Claudia Perry, CHS Institute for Family Director. The Institute for Family advocates for family well-being in North Carolina and across the nation. The Institute is grounded in listening to families, trusting their lived expertise, and working with them to inform and inspire policies and practices that value families. The Institute capitalizes on Childrens Home Societys 120-year history of providing direct services for families associated with the child welfare system. The Institutes impact extends beyond the limits of traditional programs to address the broader conditions facing families that lead to child maltreatment. Children's Home Society is dedicated to its mission to promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe, and loving family by providing top-quality, evidence-based programs and services to children and families throughout North Carolina. Our education and child welfare staff provided services to more than 20,000 individuals last year, educating and preserving families, supporting children and families through transitions, and creating new families. About Childrens Home Society of North Carolina Childrens Home Society offers a network of services and support throughout North Carolina to help establish and sustain healthy, loving relationships in every family. For 120 years, Childrens Home Society has provided a broad spectrum of programs and services including adoption, foster care, parenting education, family preservation, and teen responsibility. Childrens Home Society believes in the importance of family, not only in the life of a child but also in the foundation of a community. For more information, visit www.chsnc.org. Attachment OTTAWA, Ill., May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ottawa Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: OTTW) (the Company), the holding company for OSB Community Bank (the Bank), announced today that the Companys Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of 127,332 shares, or 5%, of the Companys outstanding common stock. Stock repurchases will be conducted through open market purchases, which will include purchases under a trading plan adopted pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b5-1, or through privately negotiated transactions. Repurchases will be made from time to time depending on market conditions and other factors. The Companys stock repurchase program will terminate upon the completion of the purchase of 127,332 shares or on February 10, 2025 if not all shares have been purchased by that date. About Ottawa Bancorp, Inc. Ottawa Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for OSB Community Bank which provides various financial services to individual and corporate customers in the United States. The Bank offers various deposit accounts, including checking, money market, regular savings, club savings, certificates of deposit, and various retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio includes one-to-four family residential mortgage, multi-family and non-residential real estate, commercial, and construction loans as well as auto loans and home equity lines of credit. OSB Community Bank was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Illinois. For more information about the Company and the Bank, please visit www.myosb.bank . Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements in this release that are not strictly historical are forward-looking and are based upon current expectations that may differ materially from actual results. These forward-looking statements, identified by words such as will, expected, believe, and prospects, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made herein. These risks and uncertainties involve general economic trends and changes in interest rates, increased competition, changes in consumer demand for financial services, the possibility of unforeseen events affecting the industry generally, the uncertainties associated with newly developed or acquired operations, market disruptions, our ability to pay future dividends and if so at what level, our ability to receive any required regulatory approval or non-objection for the payment of dividends from the Bank to the Company or from the Company to stockholders, and our efforts to maximize stockholder value, including our ability to execute any capital management strategies, such as the repurchase of shares of the Companys common stock, and our ability to execute any controlled growth and balance sheet strategies designed to lower the cost of funds and enhance earnings and liquidity. Ottawa Bancorp, Inc. undertakes no obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements publicly to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unforeseen events, except as required to be reported under applicable law. TORONTO, May 28, 2024 - May 28, 2024 - Pasinex Resources Ltd. (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) (the "Company" or "Pasinex"), is providing a further update on the status of a voluntary management cease trade order (the "MCTO") granted under National Policy 12-203 ("NP 12-203") by the British Columbia Securities Commission ("BCSC") on April 30, 2024. As a reminder, the MCTO prohibits all trading in the capital of the Company, whether directly or indirectly, by the Company's CEO and CFO. The MCTO does not affect the ability of other shareholders to trade in the securities of the Company. As previously announced on April 22, 2024 (the "Announcement"), the application for the MCTO was made by the Company in order to secure additional time for the Company to file its audited annual financial statements and the related management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, (the "Annual Filings"), which were due on April 29, 2024. The Company and its auditors continue to work diligently toward completing the Annual Filings as soon as possible. The Company currently expects to file the Annual Filings by May 31, 2024, as announced in the status update provided on May 13, 2024. On May 24, 2024, the Company also announced a delay in filing its interim financial statements and accompanying management's discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (the "Interim Filings"), which are due on May 30, 2024 (the "Filing Deadline"). The Company applied to the BCSC and other applicable securities regulators for another voluntary management cease trade order, but its application was rejected on May 27, 2024, due to the existing default in connection with the Annual Filings. The Company expects to be issued a Cease Trade Order ("CTO") by the BCSC as a result of not filing the Interim Filings by the Filing Deadline. The Company is working diligently to ensure the Interim Filings are filed as soon as possible. Once complete, a news release will be issued indicating that the Interim Filings have been submitted. Upon remedying the default within 90 days of the date of the CTO, the filing of the Annual Filings and Interim Filings, including all other filings and certifications that subsequently become due, constitutes the application to revoke the CTO. In the interim, the Company continues to operate normally and without disruption. The Company confirms that since the date of the Announcement: (i) other than as described above, there has been no material change to the information set out in the Announcement that has not been generally disclosed; (ii) other than as described above, there has been no failure by the Company in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203; (iii) there has not been any other specified default by the Company under NP 12-203; and (iv) there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. The Company will continue to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the above-noted filing requirements. About Pasinex Pasinex Resources Ltd. is a Toronto-based mining company that owns 50% of Horzum Maden Arama ve Isletme Anonim Sirketi ("Horzum AS"), through its 100% owned subsidiary Pasinex Arama ve Madencilik Anonim Sirketi. Horzum AS holds 100% of the producing Pinargozu high-grade zinc mine. Horzum AS sells directly to zinc smelters and or refiners through commodity brokers from its mine site in Turkiye. The Company also holds a 51% interest, with an option to increase to an 80% interest of a high-grade zinc exploration project, the Gunman Project, located in Nevada. Pasinex has a strong technical management team with many years of mineral exploration and mining project development experience. Pasinex Resources Ltd. mission is to explore and extract high grade ore to drive growth and wealth for all of its stakeholders including shareholders, employees and the communities of our operations, meeting all requirements in safety, health and the environment. Visit our website at www.pasinex.com. For more information, contact: Andrew Gottwald Chief Financial Officer Phone: +1 416.861.9659 Email: info@pasinex.com Evan White Manager of Corporate Communications Phone: +1 416.906.3498 Email: evan.white@pasinex.com The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements, including those relating to the timing of the filing of the Annual Filings and Interim Filings, the timing and occurrence of the CTO, the revocation of the CTO and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Pasinex believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, including the accuracy of the timelines communicated to the Company from the component auditors, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, May 28, 2024 - American Future Fuel Corp. ("AMPS" or "American Future Fuel") (CSE: AMPS, OTCQB: AFFCF, FWB: K14, WKN: A3DQFB) and Premier American Uranium Inc. ("PUR" or "Premier American Uranium") (TSXV: PUR, OTCQB: PAUIF) are pleased to announce the voting results of the special meeting of shareholders of American Future Fuel held today. Shareholders of AMPS in attendance at the meeting voted in favour of the Plan of Arrangement (the "Arrangement") involving American Future Fuel and Premier American Uranium by 99.997%.Colin Healey, CEO of PUR commented, "We appreciate the confidence shown by the shareholders of American Future Fuel in our vision. By joining us, they are helping expand our strategic portfolio of high-quality uranium assets in premium U.S. jurisdictions. With the acquisition of the Cebolleta project, PUR will secure prominent positions in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado-three states renowned for their rich uranium mining history."Mr. Healey added, "As we near the completion of the arrangement, it coincides with a transformative period for the U.S. uranium sector. In less than 90 days, the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act will take effect, a landmark law passed on May 13th, 2024, with overwhelming Congressional bipartisan support. This legislation not only bans the importation of Russian nuclear fuel but also unlocks $2.7 billion in funding to bolster U.S. domestic nuclear fuel production. Through this, and several other initiatives, the U.S. continues to demonstrate its commitment to the pursuit of energy independence and leadership in nuclear energy and technology. Furthermore, this change comes amid the most robust uranium demand-supply fundamentals I've witnessed in my career, with a persistent supply shortfall poised to drive uranium prices higher. Premier American Uranium stands at the forefront of this resurgence, offering investors unparalleled leverage to the revitalized U.S. nuclear sector and the promising global market, while being backed by a highly experienced team and supportive strategic shareholders to execute our strategy."David Suda, CEO and Director of American Future Fuel commented, "I want to thank our shareholders for their overwhelming support for the arrangement with PUR. As we move forward with the imminent closing, I am optimistic for the future and the value we will drive. With the recently completed financing by PUR, the combined company is well funded to advance projects, particularly Cebolleta. This exciting new chapter is a testament to the hard work and dedication of both teams, and I am confident that together, we will achieve great success in the coming weeks and beyond."Completion of the Arrangement remains subject to receipt of the final order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The application for the final order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia is scheduled for May 30, 2024. Subject to satisfaction or waiver of these closing conditions, the parties expect to complete the Arrangement prior to the end of the second quarter of 2024.American Future Fuel Corporation is a Canadian-based resource company focused on the strategic acquisition, exploration, and development of alternative energy projects. AMPS holds a 100% interest in the Cebolleta Uranium Project, located in Cibola County, New Mexico, USA, and situated within the Grants Mineral Belt, a prolific mineral belt responsible for approximately 37% of all uranium produced in the United States of America. Premier American Uranium Inc. is focused on the consolidation, exploration, and development of uranium projects in the United States. One of PUR's key strengths is the extensive land holdings in two prominent uranium-producing regions in the United States: the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming and the Uravan Mineral Belt of Colorado. With a rich history of past production and historic uranium mineral resources, PUR has work programs underway to advance its portfolio. Backed by Sachem Cove Partners, IsoEnergy and additional institutional investors, and an unparalleled team with U.S. uranium experience, PUR's entry into the market comes at a well-timed opportunity, as uranium fundamentals are currently the strongest they have been in a decade. For More Information, Please Contact: American Future Fuel Corp. David Suda, CEO and Director info@americanfuturefuel.com www.americanfuturefuel.com Premier American Uranium Inc. Colin Healey, CEO info@premierur.com Toll-Free: 1-833-572-2333 Twitter: @PremierAUranium www.premierur.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the Arrangement are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to activities, events or developments that AMPS and PUR expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future including, but not limited to, the timing and outcome of the Arrangement and the timing and outcome or satisfaction of any closing conditions of the Arrangement. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including assumptions regarding PUR following the closing of the Arrangement, including receipt of required regulatory, court and stock exchange approvals, the ability of the parties to satisfy or waive, in a timely manner, the other customary conditions to the closing of the Arrangement, and other expectations and assumptions concerning the Arrangement. Although the assumptions made by AMPS and PUR in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management of, as applicable, AMPS and PUR at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: the failure to obtain regulatory, court or stock exchange approvals in connection with the Arrangement, material adverse change in the timing of completion and the terms and conditions upon which the Arrangement is completed, inability to satisfy or waive all conditions to complete the Arrangement as set out in the arrangement agreement, and failure to complete the Arrangement. Although AMPS and PUR have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by 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 forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. AMPS and PUR undertake no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. H.R.1042 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act | Congress.gov | Library of CongressBarrasso Calls on Senate to Send Bipartisan Bill to Ban Russian Uranium Imports...Prohibiting Imports of Uranium Products from the Russian Federation - United States Department of StateUranium Markets - World Nuclear Association (world-nuclear.org) SUDBURY, May 29, 2024 - SPC Nickel Corp. (TSXV: SPC) ("SPC Nickel" or the "Company"), is pleased to report high-grade channel sampling results from a recent trenching program conducted on the Company's West Graham Project located in the world-class Nickel-Copper mining district of Sudbury, Ontario. The channel sampling program was completed on two separate surface exposures of the large West Graham Ni-Cu Deposit (Figure 1), where the Company recently announced a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) (refer to SPC Nickel press release dated January 17, 2024). SPC Nickel collected a total of 139 samples at 1.0 metre intervals within 8 continuous channels totalling 138.5 metres in length. Trenching focused on two separate outcrop exposures of mineralized norite along the contact between the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and the surrounding footwall granite. In 2023, SPC Nickel completed a fence of shallow drill holes immediately down-dip of the sampled surface outcrops that all returned broad intervals of high-grade Ni-Cu sulphide mineralization. Highlights included hole WG-23-063 that intersected 59.0 metres at 0.71% Ni, 0.38% Cu from 2.0-61.0 metres (refer to SPC Nickel press release dated November 20, 2023). Highlights CH-05E: 0.94% Ni, 0.44% Cu over 17.0 metres. CH-06E: 0.62% Ni, 0.31% Cu over 38.0 metres. Several narrow intervals of high-grade massive sulphide were encountered including 2.87% Ni, 0.15% Cu over 1.0 metres (CH-05E). The surface channel sample result correlated well in both grade and thickness to the previously reported down-dip drill intersections (Figure 2). Grant Mourre, CEO and President of SPC Nickel commented, "We are very pleased with the excellent results from our recently completed channel sampling program. When combined with our 2023 drill results, today's news further highlights the potential on the Property for a low-strip ratio, higher-grade starter pit as part of a staged development of the West Graham Resource. The strong correlation between surface channel samples and down-dip intersections underscores the continuity and quality of the mineralization at West Graham. These findings reinforce our confidence in the project's ability to deliver significant shareholder value and future development potential. We are extremely optimistic about continued exploration at West Graham and look forward to results from the promising drill season currently underway (refer to SPC Nickel press release dated May 7, 2024)." Assay Results Table 1: Reported assay results from the channel sampling program on the West Graham Project. SAMPLE ID From (m) To (m) Length (m)1 Ni (%) Cu (%) Co (%) Pt (g/t) Pd (g/t) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Estimated True Width % CH-01W 0.00 13.00 13.00 0.20 0.25 0.01 0.03 0.02 0.02 1.68 70 CH-02W 0.00 6.00 6.00 0.14 0.09 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.70 70 CH-03W 0.00 15.00 15.00 0.28 0.29 0.01 0.04 0.02 0.03 1.76 70 CH-04E 0.00 6.50 6.50 0.42 0.26 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.09 1.26 70 CH-05E 0.00 17.00 17.00 0.94 0.44 0.04 0.05 0.02 0.02 2.33 70 CH-06E 0.00 38.00 38.00 0.62 0.31 0.02 0.04 0.02 0.01 1.43 70 CH-07E 0.00 13.00 13.00 0.21 0.18 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.00 1.30 70 CH-08E 0.00 13.00 13.00 0.64 0.34 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.01 1.90 NA Notes: 1. Length refers to surface length. Estimated true width is expressed as a percentage of total channel sample length. Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Qualified Persons The technical elements of this news release have been approved by Mr. Grant Mourre, P.Geo. (PGO), CEO and President of SPC Nickel Corp. and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. SPC Nickel follows rigorous sampling and analytical protocols that meet or exceed industry standards. Core samples are stored in a secured area until transport in batches to the ALS facility in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sample batches include certified reference materials, blank, and duplicate samples that are then processed under the control of ALS. All samples were analyzed in Vancouver by ALS Chemex. Platinum, palladium, and gold values were determined together using standard lead oxide collection fire assay and ICP-AES finish. Base metal values were determined using sodium peroxide fusion and ICP-AES finish. Silver values were determined using an aqua regia digestion and an AAS finish. A Certified Reference Material (CRM) standard, blank or duplicate is inserted on every 10th sample in the following order: CRM, blank, CRM, duplicate. The cycle repeats every 40 samples, thus ensuring that 10% of samples submitted are control samples. About the Lockerby East Property The Lockerby East Property is located in the heart of the Sudbury Mining District where nine mines are currently in operation and two more are in the development phase. The region benefits from its proximity to well-developed transportation infrastructure including roads, railways, and electrical grid. In addition, the Property is situated close to processing, smelting and refining assets which include two mills, two smelters and one nickel refinery. Local operators include global mining corporations Vale, Glencore and KGHM. 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. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information 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. 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. SOURCE SPC Nickel Corp. Autoren Amann, Frank Aschoff, Heiko Baader, Roland Balzer, Horst Dr. Bandulet, Bruno Dr. Barbera, Frank Barisheff, Nick Baudzus, Roman Bauernfeind, Reinhard Dr. Bergold, Uwe Dr. Bernecker, Hans A. Blaschzok, Markus Bock, Robert Dipl.-Kfm. Bocker, Hans J. Prof. Dr. Boehringer, Peter Bogner, Stephan Bonner, Bill Borg, Gregor Prof. Dr. Bozicevic, Falko Brkan, Tiho Brockmann, Claus Browne, John Buchenberg, Wal Buchwalder, Rene Buntrock, Christian Butler, Theodore Buttner, Jurgen Barligea, Ralph Chapman, David Christenson, Gary E. Clark, Jeff DAF Daughty, Richard Dennin, Torsten Dr. Deutsch, Reinhard dottore Droke, Clif DZ Bank AG Eibl, Christoph Eichelburg, Walter K. Eliseo, Jordan Elitebrief Engdahl, F. William Faber, Marc Dr. Feiten, Marco Fekete, Antal E. Prof. Fietkau, Claus-Peter Fischer, Andre Fischer, Martina Flierl, Ralf Foellbach, Paul Dr. rer. nat. Friedrich, Marc Fritsch, Rudy J. Fugger, Horst Furst, Christian Gan, Heiko Gasteiner, Michael Gburek, Manfred Gehrt, Ronald Geyer, Christoph Gilburt, Avi Gleason, Mike Gleason, Stefan Goldberg, Martin GoldMoney Graf, Hans-Wolff Grandt, Michael Dr. h.c. Grass, Claudio Greyerz, Egon von Grummes, Florian Haase, Daniel Hahn, Alexander Hamer, Eberhard Prof. Dr. Hamer, Eike Dr. Hamilton, Adam Hansen, Ole Hartmann, Robert Hedrich, Werner Heibel, Stephan Heidkamp, Bjorn Hell, Sebastian Hellmeyer, Folker Hellwig, Sonia Hemke, Craig Hera, Ron Heuschuch, Oliver Hewitt, Mike Hirsekorn, Alexander Hirt, Walter Hochreiter, Gregor Mag. Hoffman, Andrew Holmes, Frank Hommel, Jason Hook, Captain Hoose, Andreas Hopf, Philip Hurtz, Armin Huster, Hannes Hufner, Martin W. Dr. Hommel, Jason Kagels, Karsten Kamber, Kurt W. Kestermann, Oliver Kilbach, Michael King, Eric Klude, Carsten Klumpp, Frank Kneist Jan Jan, Jan Koning, John Paul Kosares, Michael J. Kuner, Jurgen Kammerer, Christian Kolz, Wilfried Lange, Friedrich A. LBBW Lechner, Christian Leuschel, Roland Lewis, Jeffrey Dr. Lips, Ferdinand Lorch, Matthias Lorenz, Michael Dr. habil. Lundeen, Mark J. Maa, Rudiger Mack & Weise Mahnert, Jorg Malisch, Ralph Manly, Ronan Martenson, Chris Dr. Martin, Paul C. Dr. Mauldin, John Maund, Clive May, Thomas Mayer, Walter Mayr, Richard Meier, Rainer Merk, Axel Meyer, Frank Mezger, Markus Minenportal.de Mittermaier, Christoph Dr. Morgan, David Mross, Michael Muratovic, Tea Muchler, Frank Mullenmeister, Hans Jorg Muller, Johannes Muller, Jurgen Dr. Mohrer, Christian Nef, Rolf Nieuwenhuijs, Jan Nitzsche, Marc Norcini, Dan Nowacki, Jurgen RohstoffRaketen Otte, Max Prof. Dr. OByrne, Mark Paulick, Steffen Pento, Michael Petch, David Pfauntsch, Uli Piepenburg, Matt Polleit, Thorsten Prof. Dr. Proettel, Thorsten Puplava, Jim Porschmann, Thorsten Rabe, Jens Radomski, Przemyslaw Rakhimov, Sean Redaktion Rethfeld, Robert Rettinger, Detlef Dr. Reymann, David Richardt, Florian Richebacher, Kurt Dr. Rickards, James Riemenschneider, Volkmar Dr. Rohstoff-Spiegel Rohstoff-Welt.de Roos, Hubert Roy-Byrne, Jordan Russell, Richard Saiger, Johann A. Salomon, Stefan Savage, Gary Saville, Steve Schall, Lars Schallenberger, Frank Dr. Schiff, Peter Schilbe, Stefan Schiml, Markus H. Schmidt, Mirko Schroder, Robert Schulz, Hans-Dieter Dr. Schafer, Henning P. Senf, Bernd Shedlock, Michael Shepherd, Ceri Siebholz, Dietmar Dr. Siegel, Martin Silberman, Greg Singer, Klaus Smart Investor Smeding, Nadine Smith, David Sobolev, Boris Speck, Dimitri Sprott, Eric St. Angelo, Steve Stahl, Markus Dr. Stanzl, Jochen Steffens, Jochen Steininger, Marius Stemper, Ralph W. Storfner, Sebastian Strehk, Marko Streitmayer, Sven Stoferle, Ronald Peter Mag. Suchecki, Bron Summa, Benjamin Taggart, Adam Taylor, Jay The Gold Report Theuerzeit, Thomas Tiggre, Lobo Todd Stein & Steven McIntyre Torney, Marcel Tschol, Egon Turk, James Ullmann, Werner Vartian, Christian Mag. Vermeulen, Chris Vertrauliche Mitteilungen Vitye, Robert Vogel, Gabor Vogt, Claus von Belang, Nicht Vorndran, Philipp Vronsky, I.M. Waldenberger, Karl-Heinz Warmbein, Uwe Watson, Roland Weber, Wolfgang Weinberg, Eugen Weiner, Keith Dr. West, James Weygand, Harald Williams, Kelsey Williams, Lawrence Willie CB, Jim Wolff, Ernst Wolter, Manfred Wright, Scott Wrzesniok-Robach, Wolfgang Zihlmann, Peter Zimmel, Manfred Zipfel, Hannes Boring Monaco will not work for F1's future says Marko The current format of the Monaco GP "will not work in the long run", according to Red Bull's F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko. Monaco GP 2024 Red Bull Sunday's slow and processional race in the Principality came at an awkward time, as Liberty Media is pushing organisers for a higher race fee as the current contract expires next year. Opinions in the paddock are divided as to whether Monaco is still suitable for modern Formula 1. The tradition is still there, former F1 driver Christian Klien told Servus TV. "I can't really imagine a season without Monaco. But the cars are too big, too long and too wide. You simply can't overtake. They were up to eleven seconds (per lap) slower as they tried to finish the race on the hard tyres. However, there were those who still enjoyed the 2024 Monaco GP - like former tyre engineer Kees van de Grint. I watched the 78 laps with fascination, the ex-Bridgestone and Ferrari engineer told Viaplay. How the top four drove with such concentration, staying so close to each other with such focus and error-free. It was also exciting because (Charles) Leclerc drove so tactically. So yes, I enjoyed it. But others are now busily coming up with ideas as to how to fix the problem for subsequent years. For example, the harbour chicane could be moved further back, which would give more space for overtaking, said Alex Wurz, who since retiring as an F1 driver is now involved with track design. I know of some other tricks too, the Austrian added. Red Bull's Marko is adamant that something must be done, because a slow process distorts F1 and the show and will not work in the long run . They have to come up with something, either in terms of the track or the pitstops, he told Osterreich. For example, you could make everyone use all three types of tyres. (GMM) Marko not ready to decide own future in F1 Dr Helmut Marko says he will not decide his next move in Formula 1 "until the time comes". Helmut Marko, Monaco GP 2024 Red Bull Even despite the outbreak of a leadership power struggle and the Christian Horner scandal, Red Bull appeared to have maintained its position of dominance as the 2024 season began. However, renowned technical guru Adrian Newey has now scaled back his involvement and will leave the team completely early next year - just as Red Bull is now struggling at certain tracks and often being beaten by Ferrari and McLaren. When asked about the ongoing internal conflict at the team, consultant Marko told Osterreich newspaper: "Max (Verstappen) has disengaged himself from it and is concentrating on racing. He's doing a very good job of that. But Marko, 81, admits that the turmoil surrounding team boss Horner remains, with a female staff member now in the midst of an internal appeal process. It is something that we have to put aside, the Austrian insists, "especially in a situation where we are so challenged as a team technically. We need everyone to pull together. Marko's current contract, which is with Red Bull GmbH rather than the Formula 1 team, is not set to expire until 2026. And he's not ruling out signing a new one with a rival team - with Toto Wolff keen to entice both Marko and his protege Verstappen to Mercedes. But at the moment everything is focused on Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Marko insists. Former Red Bull driver Christijan Albers, who has been critical of Horner amid the 2024 power struggle, says he was confronted by his former team boss at Monaco. At the beginning he had the feeling that he could intimidate me, Albers, who is now a broadcaster and pundit, told De Telegraaf. "That didn't quite work. "I said to him 'You can't make your problem my problem'. But I also said the English press takes bits from wherever they can find quotes and blows them up. Eventually it was over, I asked him a question on the grid, and it was all fine, the Dutchman added. (GMM) Perez decision to be taken soon A decision regarding Sergio Perez's future at Red Bull will be taken "soon". Sergio Perez, Monaco GP 2024 Red Bull That is the news from the mouth of the team's F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko, amid reports the decision will be made ahead of the Spanish GP late next month. As Formula 1 gathered in Monaco last week, reports suggested Perez, 34, had done enough this year to at least secure a new one-year deal. But the Mexican then had a miserable weekend on the Principality's streets - qualifying a dismal P16 and then sitting in a wreck on lap 1 - with Marko estimating the damage of his crash with Kevin Magnussen at up to 3 million euros. Marko, 81, thinks Magnussen should have been penalised by the stewards, but not everyone in the paddock is putting the sole blame on the embattled Haas driver. If you want to blame someone, I lean more towards Perez than Magnussen, said Chinese-Dutch racing driver Ho-Pin Tung, in conversation with nu.nl. "Of course Magnussen was optimistic, but the stewards also look at how much space a driver is left. Perez wanted to stay on the ideal line, but there was still a lot of space on the left. On the onboard, you can also clearly see Perez looking in his right mirror. He might not have known that Magnussen was there, but perhaps he should have. Perez didn't have to cut him off like that, Tung added. He also thinks Perez contributed to the crash by qualifying so poorly. When you're so far back, the risk of being caught up in something like that is high. He really has to improve on that, Tung said. Marko admits that Perez needs to ensure he is consistently closer to Verstappen in the sister car. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for Sergio to perform at Max's level, he said. "But he does have to be closer. We need to analyse how things went so wrong, Marko told Sky Deutschland. Team boss Christian Horner agrees that with Ferrari now just 24 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings, it is extremely important for us that both cars earn points . Marko told Osterreich newspaper that a decision regarding Perez will be taken soon , taking into consideration how Ferrari and McLaren have dramatically closed the gap. We are now in the third year of the current regulations, and the others are copying us - some are copying better, and you see the result now at McLaren, he said. But Ferrari has also constantly developed. Marko admits, however, that Perez was not totally to blame for his poor Monaco GP weekend. Our two drivers came to Monte Carlo enthusiastically, saying the car handled the kerbs really well in the simulator, he said. But as soon as they were in the car, they said 'undriveable!'. (GMM) 3 Dollar Bill. Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Brock Colyars late-night dispatches are back for the summer, but this time, its just for our subscribers. Sign up to get are u coming? delivered directly to your inbox. Clandestino (35 Canal St.) is the bar at the center of the Dimes Square microscene where youll have to fight with the citys young socialite clout chasers for a table on the street. When you arrive and theres nowhere to sit, you can always go next door to Le Dive (37 Canal St.), where there are dance parties in the basement at night. If both of them are full, which is very often the case, just head around the corner to Bar Valentina (85 Orchard St.), which is quite possibly a better bar and serves a delicious melon martini. 169 Bar (169 East Broadway) is a dive-ier backup. The most Instagram-friendly spot to get an overpriced cocktail in the neighborhood is the Swan Room (54 Canal St.) at the Nine Orchard hotel, located in what used to be a bank. You might see Jeremy O. Harris at any of these places. The Lower East Side is teeming with natural-wine bars these days, and I usually opt for the Ten Bells (247 Broome St.) because the music is sort of clubby. Close Up (154 Orchard St.) is a new jazz club with Venezuelan snacks, and everyone, for some reason, is also into jazz clubs right now. A short walk away, in Chinatown, is the River (102 Bayard St.), a faux upstate dive from the creators of the clothing brand Bode; sometimes theres a guy named Shy on the sidewalk out front who cooks up burgers. Rays (177 Chrystie St.) is the Cousin Greg bar; it also has an outpost in Greenpoint (905 Lorimer St., Brooklyn). You might see Evan Mock at the the Flower Shop (107 Eldridge St.), where things are always on the verge of getting a little bit too messy; this summer its running a rooftop pop-up at the Walker Hotel (77 Walker St.). Attaboy (134 Eldridge St.) is a craft-cocktail throwback; theres no menu and theyll make you a drink based mostly on vibes. Your friend visiting from out of town would love it. Walk up to the East Village and you can try to get a seat at the bar at the French bistro Lucien (14 1st Ave.), where Julia Fox throws birthday parties for herself and her toddler. . Someone famous is always staying at the Bowery Hotel (335 Bowery), and even if youre not a guest you can go have a cocktail at the bar in the back of the lobby. The definitive clubstaurant of the moment is Jeans (415 Lafayette St.); the hostess is an actual model, and theres a nightclub downstairs. If you cant get into any of the citys private clubs, the Nines (9 Great Jones St.), a piano bar with a caviar-topped baked potato on the menu, might as well be one. Tigre (105 Rivington St.) serves a cigarette martini. On that note: Heres a ranking of the citys reigning alt-tinis; Im partial to the tomato-y caprese tini at Jacs on Bond (26 Bond St.). If I were looking for somewhere discreet and sexy to meet someone after midnight, Id try to get past Disco at Temple Bar (332 Lafayette St.). If youre uptown, just go to Bemelmans (35 E. 76th St.). Down near Rockefeller Center, theres Pebble Bar (67 W. 49th St.), which sometimes plays host to SNL after-parties. I prefer the old-school Knickerbocker (33 University Pl.); the martinis come with a sidecar, and I enjoy listening to the bartender regale the graying regulars with stories of her youth. Fanelli Cafe (94 Prince St.) is one of the citys oldest bars, but its especially popular with young fashion types; they also happen to have some of the best bar food in town (get the chicken tenders). If you really want to tempt fate, the influencer-y American Bar (33 Greenwich Ave.) has a breakfast martini on its brunch menu. If you think youre Carrie Bradshaw, you can do something shed never do and head over to Brooklyn for a cosmo from the man who invented the cocktail at the Long Island Bar (110 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn). If you think youre Patti Smith, get a drink in the lobby of the Hotel Chelsea (226 W. 23rd St.). You might spot the Swiss nightlife doyenne Susanne Bartsch leaving her apartment on her way out to the club. . When I want to get cringe and dance under a disco ball to Dancing Queen, I go to ACME (9 Great Jones St.); if you miss the clubs friendly but imperious door guy Frankie, you can find him in the Financial District at Laissez Faire (10 Theater Alley) under the Beekman Hotel. If you wind up in Alphabet City and want to dance, go to Joyface (104 Ave. C) or Dingaling (116 Ave. C). I once saw Drake getting a table at the underground nightclub Loosies (145 Bowery); I appreciate that the restroom attendants sometimes sell vapes. Upstairs, theres a piano bar called Silver Lining Lounge. The straightest, most corporate people I know go get their flirt on at the Spaniard (190 W. 4th St.) The junior consultants are, of course, at Phebes Tavern (359 Bowery). The Box (189 Chrystie St.) is still the club everyone wants to get into, where you can watch a troupe of freaky performers commit a variety of not quite horny, mostly shocking acts on stage (like sewing up their vaginas) while spending thousands of dollars on a table. Taylor Swift threw her birthday party there last year. It now has a sister club in Columbus Circle called the Stranger (311 W. 57th St.). Le Bain (444 W. 13th St.) will always be my favorite club in Manhattan because if you get too wasted and lose your inhibitions, you can take a swim in the hot tub, which is on the dance floor. The Public Hotel also has a scenic rooftop club, called the Roof (215 Chrystie St.). The new spot everyone is chattering about is Silencio (303 W. 57th St.), which just arrived in Midtown from Paris and where It boy Jonah Almost mans the door. If you can get into Socialista (376 W. Broadway), you can usually smoke inside. In Tribeca, theres the equivalently tricky-to-get-into Pauls Baby Grand (2 6th Ave.), which is owned by Chloe Sevignys brother, Paul. I hope you brought lots of girls with you. vivo is making the S19 and S19 Pro official tomorrow, on May 30, at 7 PM local time in China. Ahead of the unveiling, the company has released a constant stream of teasers on its Weibo account, and today is no different. The S19 will have a 6,000 mAh battery, but even so it will be just 7.19mm thin. It's also advertised to come with "the first studio level full focal length portrait" camera according to Google's machine translation. vivo S19 teasers The S19 series will work without an issue even in temperatures of -20C and you can listen to music continuously for 145 hours. The S19 Pro is expected to pack a slightly smaller 5,500 mAh battery, and both models will have 80W fast wired charging. They will both have the same 6.78-inch 120 Hz "1.5K" OLED screen, but whereas the S19's will be flat, the S19 Pro will employ a curved-edge panel. The S19 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, while the S19 Pro will go with the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+. The S19's rear camera setup comprises of a 50 MP main shooter and an 8 MP ultrawide. The Pro gets a 50 MP main snapper with the Sony IMX920 sensor, an 8 MP ultrawide, and a 50 MP 2x telephoto camera with the Sony IMX816 sensor. The duo will run Android 14 underneath vivo's Origin OS 4. For now there's no word on whether they'll launch outside of China. Source (in Chinese) | Via The Guam Waterworks Authority cant ignore its responsibility to pay landowners for the use of ancestral land that the Northern District Wastewater Treatment Plant sits on, attorneys for Core Tech International argue. Core Tech does not want the ongoing $220 million lawsuit over the Dededo land to be appealed to the Supreme Court of Guam. GWA would have the People of Guam accept that whenever a public entity breaks the law, it can ask the Court to merely overlook its misdeeds in the name of the public interest. All private landowners would be in jeopardy, according to documents filed before the court this week. Core Tech, through its attorneys, is asking the court to deny GWAs request for appeal. Appealing the ongoing lawsuit before it moves to trial in the Superior Court would only take up more of the courts time, and would not protect GWA from any injury, documents state. Potential catastrophe GWA, which has operated the treatment plant since 1997, wants the Guam Supreme Court to reverse decisions made by Superior Court of Guam Judge Elyze Iriarte that favor Core Techs claim to the treatment plant land. The waterworks authority filed a request for interlocutory appeal to the appeals court earlier this month. GWA General Manager Miguel Bordallo has stated that there would be major harm to ratepayers, the waterworks authority, and even the Department of Defenses mission on Guam if Core Tech is found to be the rightful owner of the treatment plant land, or if GWA has to pay out the $220 million in damages Core Tech is seeking. GWA attorneys referred to the possibility of Core Techs victory as a potential catastrophe. But Core Tech attorney Vanessa Williams on Wednesday told the Pacific Daily News that the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, GWA, and the Legislature are trying to incite a public panic over the possibility that GWA could be removed from the treatment plant property. Thats not possible. The government can take any property they want at any time through eminent domain, Williams said. Documents filed Wednesday argue that GWA has already taken the property the plant sits on, and there is no risk of that being undone. To begin with, the remedy for public expropriation of property is just compensation, not possession, documents state. Failed to plan Core Tech, which owns certificates of title for the property and is seeking $220 million in a lawsuit over inverse condemnation, wants the lawsuit to proceed to trial before Iriarte. At issue is whether GWA properly completed a survey map for the treatment plant land, as required by a 1997 deed for the property. Iriarte found that GWA did not, and because of that, the land reverted to GovGuams ownership in 2009. Whether GovGuam owned the Dededo land, and could therefore legally transfer it back to the estate of ancestral landowner Jose Martinez Torres in 2006, is one of the main contentions in the case. The Torres estate sold the property, and it ultimately landed in the hands of Core Tech in 2015, for $178 million. GWA wants the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings from Iriarte that found the land reverted to GovGuam, and that certificates of title that Core Tech owns are protected under the law. GWA asks the Court to ignore the past because GWA did not plan for the future. Asking the Court to forgive its mistakes because it failed to plan is not in the public interest. GWA ignored Legislative mandates and conditions and covenants in a deed in order to properly reserve ancestral lands for public use, documents filed by Core Tech this week state. Guam law was clear that when ancestral land is not returned to landowners, the government must pay landowners for its use, Core Tech asserts. GWA was clearly mandated to complete a survey map of the property back in 1997, or else lose it, and was also mandated to comply with all laws dealing with compensation of ancestral land owners, filings state. The requirement for just compensation was clear, the companys attorneys argue. GWA broke its covenants and the law, filings state. The waterworks authority is seeking to interrupt the trial courts ability to decide matters in the six-year-old lawsuit, Core Tech argues. GWA could appeal any final judgment from the trial court, once it was issued, filings state. After about a day of deliberations, a jury found Timothy Tedtaotao Serebour not guilty on four of the five counts he was charged with related to a March incident at the Oka Pay-Less Supermarket parking lot in Tamuning. The jury found Serebour guilty of carjacking as a first-degree felony. The jury also found him guilty of burglary to a motor vehicle, as a lesser charge of armed carjacking, and third-degree robbery, as a lesser charge to second-degree robbery. Serebour, 25, was found not guilty of possession of a firearm without a firearms ID, and not guilty of possession of a schedule II-controlled substance. The jurys verdict was read out on Tuesday in the Superior Court of Guam after going into deliberations starting last Friday in Judge Vernon P. Perezs courtroom. It was very obvious the case was overcharged and the jury saw this, hence the verdicts, said defense attorney Peter J. Santos from the Alternate Public Defenders office. They did an excellent job as jurors. They were fair and looked at everything. Serebour also faced a special note of a commission of a felony while on felony release. His sentence will be announced at a later date. Serebours charges are related to an incident in March in the parking lot of the Oka Pay-Less Supermarket in Tamuning. He and another man told a family of three to exit a Toyota Tacoma truck and to leave the keys inside. Serebour, along with former co-defendant John Peter Babauta Jr., was arrested and charged on counts of carjacking, second-degree robbery, drug possession, and possession of a firearm without proper ID. Babauta faced charges of complicity in all but the gun charges. Babauta was seen on video, driving the truck away from the scene. He and Serebour were apprehended hours later outside of a Tamuning apartment. Babauta signed a plea agreement with the government a few days ago, and last Wednesday testified against Serebour. During closing arguments Friday, government prosecutor Sean Brown told the jury that although Babauta was the one who drove the truck away from the supermarket, it was Serebour who allegedly got the victims to exit the truck by brandishing an alleged gun. Santos asked the jury to question the credibility of Babauta, whom he said would be getting a sweetheart deal from the government. Brown earlier shared that Babauta pleaded guilty to theft, among other charges, and would be sentenced anywhere from six to 60 months in jail come July. Robert Underwood is the former president of the University of Guam and Guams former delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Florida attorney and local commercial celebrity, John Morgan, is known to some as the godfather of Floridas medical marijuana amendment but now hes putting his considerable commercial cache towards another goal legalizing recreational marijuana across the state. On Wednesday, Morgan officially endorsed Smart & Safe Florida and declared his support for Amendment 3, which, if passed by Florida voters on the upcoming November ballot, will pave the way for the legalization of adult use marijuana in the state of Florida. Morgan, founder of personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, has dominated local television airwaves with his commercials for years. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, last year alone, his firm spent nearly $240 million on television ads and another $40.3 million on digital ads. In January, he even hinted at the idea of running for governor of Florida in a post to X, noting that, We will all be smoking legal weed at the inauguration. Morgan is also the founder of United for Care, an organization that was dedicated to getting medical marijuana legalized in Florida. To do so, the group had to collect 683,000 signatures from 14 of Floridas 27 congressional districts, just to get the initiative on Floridas 2016 ballot. In the end, they surpassed that number by 10,000 signatures and that year Florida voters overwhelmingly supported the constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana in the state, with more than 70% in favor, paving the way for a significant number of Floridians to access medical cannabis. As of May 24, 2024, the state had 882,407 registered medical marijuana patients. Now, in the campaign to legalize adult use marijuana, in addition to his endorsement, during a news conference Wednesday, Safe & Smart Florida also announced that Morgan will be featured in three new radio campaign advertisements, titled, Finish, They Lied and Fight Real Crime. Smart & Safe Florida spokesperson, Morgan Hill, said, there are few, if any, individuals more knowledgeable about responsible adult use marijuana in Florida than John Morgan. We are energized to have his support, Hill said. Johns endorsement is monumental to this campaign, and we look forward to adding to our growing coalition between now and Election Day, showcasing the diverse array of viewpoints who agree that legalized, tested and safe adult-use marijuana is the best path forward for Florida. For his part, Morgan said he is putting his name and his heart into passing Amendment 3, because he believes, Now is the time to treat marijuana the same as we treat beer, wine and spirits. Passing Amendment 3 will create tens of thousands of new jobs, generate hundreds of millions for our state each year and save taxpayers money by not having to pay to prosecute simple crimes for possession, Morgan said. I encourage Florida voters to join me in standing up for freedom, for common-sense laws, for the people and for Amendment 3. Haiti - News : Zapping... 10 employees of the Varreux oil terminal kidnapped Kidnapping at the Varreux Terminal : Around ten employees of the Varreux terminal were kidnapped at the beginning of the week, on Haile Selassie Avenue, commonly known as the "Route de piste" as they were returning home. The kidnappers demand $500,000 in ransom for the release of the hostages. Gang Choice : Prison or Death Denis Hankins, Ambassador of the United States in Port-au-Prince, declared on the airwaves of a TV in the capital "Gang members will have to choose between prison and the cemetery." Contingency plan for the UEH The resumption of activities at the State University of Haiti (UEH) is paralyzed. In question 6 faculties attacked and looted (Agronomy and veterinary medicine https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41869-haiti-ueh-catastrophic-partial-assessment-of-the-looting-of-the-famv.html , Sciences https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-41889-icihaiti-ueh-the-faculty-of-sciences-attacked-vandalized-and-looted.html , Medicine and pharmacy hhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42178-haiti-flash-the-faculty-of-medicine-and-pharmacy-vandalized-and-looted.html , Law and economic sciences https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42403-haiti-news-zapping.html ) and considerable losses to which are added the premises of the Ecole normale superieure partly burned https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42026-haiti-security-the-ecole-normale-superieure-in-the-downtown-set-on-fire.html and those of the Linguistic Faculty occupied by displaced families. A contingency plan is being developed to assess the minimum needs for more or less normal operation... CPT : National Conference The Presidential Advisor, Leslie Voltaire specified on the creation of the national conference, that it will be established in the ten departments of the country, including the diaspora and will serve as a space for collecting information on all the needs of population. Curfew renewed In order to restore order and take appropriate measures to regain control of the situation, the Government once again renews the curfew throughout the territory of the West Department, from Tuesday May 28 to Monday 3rd June 2024 between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. This measure does not apply to law enforcement officers on duty, firefighters, ambulance drivers, health personnel and duly identified journalists. HL/ HaitiLibre (CNBC) Jan Leike, one of the lead safety researchers at OpenAI who resigned from the artificial intelligence company earlier this month, said on Tuesday that he has joined rival AI startup Anthropic. Leike announced his resignation from OpenAI early on May 15, days before the company dissolved the superalignment group that he co-led. That team, formed in 2023, focused on long-term AI risks. OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever announced his departure in a post on X on May 14. To read this article: Stubb was asked at a press conference why the country has yet to align itself on the issue with other Nordics. Ireland, Norway and Spain recognised the Palestinian state yesterday, in accordance with coordinated announcements their heads of state issued on 22 May. PRESIDENT Alexander Stubb indicated in Tallinn, Estonia, on Monday that Finland will ultimately recognise the statehood of Palestine, reports STT. Finland will recognise Palestinian statehood at some point, according to Stubb. Its a question of when its appropriate for a country like Finland to recognise Palestine, he said at the press conference organised on the first day of his three-day visit to Estonia. The Palestinian state has been recognised by at least 140 members of the United Nations, according to the BBC. Missing from the list are the likes of Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Baltics, the United Kingdom and the United States. Stubb on Monday also estimated that the key steps toward resolving the conflict between Israel and Hamas are a ceasefire, the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries, a peace mediation process between the Arab states, and political discussions about a two-state solution between the current administrations of Israel and Palestine. Aleksi Teivainen HT The woman has been charged with several counts of preparation of an aggravated offence against life or health over what the prosecution painted as a fully fledged-out plan to carry out a school shooting in Isokyro, Ostrobothnia, in mid-March. A 23-YEAR-OLD WOMAN stands accused of planning a school shooting for two years in a trial that got underway at the District Court of Ostrobothnia in Vaasa on Monday, 27 May. According to Helsingin Sanomat, the prosecution pointed out on in the opening arguments that the suspect had purchased a pistol, searched for information on past school shootings, selected her target, and shot videos to tell about her motives and world view. One of videos was shot only moments before she drove up to the school, armed with the handgun, seven loaded magazines, 190 bullets, a gun belt, a speedloader, earmuffs and a petrol bomb. She did not abandon the plan until arriving at the school and determining that the pupils were too young to be a suitable target. Helsingin Sanomat on Monday also reported that surveillance camera footage shows the woman walking from the school parking lot toward the main entrance at 10.52am on a Tuesday in March. She was captured by the cameras again eight minutes later, still walking in the school yard. The prosecution is demanding that the suspect be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and be stripped of her military rank. She should also be ordered to undergo a psychological examination. The defence largely did not dispute the narrative but emphasised that the defendant abandoned the plan voluntarily after seeing the pupils and receiving a phone call from a family member. The defendant, they added, had begun questioning the plan earlier in March. The charges of preparing an aggravated offence against life or death should consequently be dropped, they argued. Police were notified of her intentions as she was already at the school by a person who followed her on social media, after they had seen the video she posted on what was to be the day of the shooting. The woman was taken into police custody shortly before 1pm as she was returning home from the school. If she had squeezed the trigger, she wouldve had the time to do all sorts of things at the school, the prosecution noted. While the woman had acquired the pistol legally for recreational shooting, the prosecution argued that the acquisition was made specifically with the plan in mind. The prosecution also drew parallel between the case and previous school shootings, identifying a feeling of being wronged and idolisation of violence as common underlying factors. A persons mind changes so that they think this is a way to start a discussion. In reality the victims are randomly chosen pupils who went to school in the morning. They got nothing to do with the big question that humanity is doomed except for in the perpetrators mind, they characterised. The prosecution drew attention to a number of features of the videos and writings published by the woman, including her remark she made on the video that she would be pleased if she managed to remove a few TikTokers. This kind of message is similar to what weve had in other school shootings, they said. The core issue in the trial is whether you can abandon such an act. The defendant had also published a lengthy manifesto to, in the view of the prosecution, spotlight what is wrong with the world and explain why people carry out school shootings. She, for example, professed her hatred for superficial and useless people and criticised consumerism, selfishness and individualism for destroying the environment. Not many would be worth saving if it came to that. I tried to like people, but then I realised I had no reason to, she wrote. Aleksi Teivainen HT Edwards seeks grant for Etowah-Horse Shoe EMS station U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards announced that he has requested nearly $38 million from the House Appropriations Committee to assist rural and underserved communities and law enforcement in Western North Carolina, including $2 million for a new EMS substation to serve the Etowah-Horse Shoe community. The facility would provide a lifesaving base for emergency response in a growing part of the community, significantly improving response times in the Etowah Horse-Shoe Fire District, which serves 14,005 people. Edwards identified 15 projects across Western North Carolina, the maximum number allowed by the Appropriations Committee. The priorities, known as Community Project Funding requests, would benefit some of the most economically distressed and underserved areas in the 11th District. In the last appropriations cycle, Edwards, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, secured nearly $19 million for Western North Carolina. The Appropriations Committee will review the requests and decide whether each project will be funded and if so, at what level. The projects would be funded in fiscal year 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025, and would tangibly improve the lives of taxpayers throughout our mountains. Edwards prioritized funding requests that would benefit rural areas of need in Western North Carolina, especially water and sewer projects, in addition to supporting law enforcement and emergency response needs in larger cities. Requests included funding for rural hospitals, fire departments, police and water and sewer upgrades in counties across the 11th Congressional District. The Mandi parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh (HP) is set for an electoral battle between Bollywood actress and BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut and Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh, easily making it one of the most high-profile contests in the state. It will not be an easy battle for Ranaut who is aiming for her first electoral victory. Her opponent Singh, a scion of the Bushahr royal family, is the son of former six-time HP chief minister Virbhadra Singh and sitting Mandi MP Pratibha Singh: Given his family background, Singh has a strong support base in the constituency. Singh, the incumbent PwD minister in the state, is also the richest candidate in the fray in Himachal while his rival is a close second in terms of personal assets. Spread over six districts Mandi, Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Shimla the Mandi parliamentary constituency is one of the countrys largest by area. Nestled in the heart of Himachal, the constituency boasts starkly contrasting landscapes ranging from hot and humid lush green valleys to towering mountains. While Singhs campaign has focused on local issues, Ranaut has mostly made her campaign Modi-centric and focused on BJPs achievements at the Centre in the last 10 years. From the abolition of triple talaq to the passage of the Women Reservation Bill in parliament last year and schemes like Ujjwala Yojana, she has frequently highlighted schemes Modi launched in her campaign. Ranaut also ran a high-pitched campaign against Congress at the national level and has frequently criticised party leader Rahul Gandhi. She has pitched herself as Mandi Ki Beti (daughter of Mandi) to negate the criticism of being an outsider. Singhs campaign, on the other hand, has been full of promises, one of which is to make Mandi (city) a smart city and improve road and connectivity infrastructure including the construction of tunnels across the parliamentary constituency. Intense verbal duels The Mandi parliamentary constituency has witnessed a bitter verbal duel between the two since their candidature was announced. For example, in a recent swipe, Singh said Ranauts recent remarks were providing strong competition to comedian Kapil Sharma. He has also attacked her for defaming the deity culture, even going on to say that the temples visited by her needed to be cleaned. In response, Ranaut has said Singh was only working to instigate peoples religious sentiments against her. The Congress leader has maintained that his opponent lacks vision for Mandis development and was only resorting to personal attacks during the campaigning. Notably, Ranaut has called Singh a spoiled prince (bigda hua shehzada) who received ancestral inheritance besides targeting both Singh and his mother, Pratibha Singh, for being addicted to power. The Congress party recently filed a complaint against her to the Election Commission for using derogatory remarks against Singh from public platforms. Close fight on the cards in Mandi The contest between Singh and Ranaut is turning out to be the most closely tracked-fight in the state. Professor Ashutosh Kumar from the political science department at Panjab University, Chandigarh, called the contest in Mandi fierce, close and interesting to watch. Kangana Ranaut is a famous actress; her popularity, charisma and connection with women may work in her favour. She will also encash on the Modi factor. On the other hand, Vikramaditya Singh comes from a Royal background and Mandi is his family stronghold and his work during the disaster last year may work in his favour. He has done quite well as a minister in the state, Kumar, who is also the first visiting professor to the TN Seshan Chair at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi, said. Kumar said Ranaut has been vocal on social media and has a history of using strong language against the liberal left. While Kangana Ranaut has largely campaigned on national issues, Vikramaditya Singh has focused mainly on local issues. He is not a weak candidate and Virbhadra Singhs legacy will help him as well. All these factors make it an interesting contest to watch, he said. What do voters say? Mandi was among the worst affected areas when heavy rain-triggered landslides struck the state, claiming the lives of over 500 people, last year. According to government estimates, the state suffered a loss of around 12,000 crore. As the first election after the disaster occurred last year, it is clearly a major poll issue. Deshraj, an advocate and resident of the Tungal area in Mandi, said, We have noticed that local issues are missing from Kangana Ranaut's campaign. She does not seem to be a serious candidate. The biggest poll issue is the disaster that struck Himachal last year, with Mandi being the worst affected. The Centre did not provide the necessary assistance to the state and did not meet the aspirations of the people. Hari Singh Dogra, retired principal chief conservator of forests, who is a resident of Mandi town said that the people of Mandi are educated and are politically aware. Both the candidates are popular here and enjoy the legacy of their forefathers. Kangana seems strong in areas around Mandi city while Vikramaditya given his background has an edge in areas like Rampur, Kinnaur, Anni, Lahaul-Spiti and Bharmour, he said. Last years disaster will also play a part during the elections and those who stood by people during tough times will have an upper hand, he said, adding that Mandi residents, when choosing a candidate, will also think about the leader who will remain accessible after the election. Mandis electoral history and its royal connections Since 1952, the Congress has won in Mandi 13 times with both Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh winning thrice. From 2004 to 2021, there have been four general elections and two by-elections in Mandi and the Congress has had a significant presence in these elections, winning four times. Mandi parliamentary constituency is often dubbed a battleground for the royalty. Amrit Kaur, Indias first health minister belonged to the royal family of Kapurthala. She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi in 1952. The 1957 election saw a high-stakes battle between the eighth ruler of Mandi and Congress candidate Joginder Sen Bahadur and another royal, Anand Chand, the scion of the erstwhile Bilaspur state. The former won the battle. In 1971, Virbhadra Singh, who later went on to become one of the tallest political figures in state politics, made his way to the Parliament from the seat. Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in 1998 but won in 2004 when her husband was the chief minister. In 2009, Virbhadra won from Mandi but resigned in 2012 to become the CM again, and his wife won the by-election in 2013. She lost to BJPs Ram Swaroop in 2014. After the death of Ram Swaroop, who had won from Mandi again in 2019, in March 2021, Pratibha Singh won the by-election in November 2021. Renowned real estate developer Sameera Group and Vedaanta Senior Living, one of the country's fastest-growing senior care organizations, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Chennai on May 25, 2024, to invest over 500 Cr. in senior living spaces. This will be invested over 5 years to create around 1000 senior living homes across South India. This strategic partnership brings together Sameera's extensive experience in land development and Vedaanta's deep understanding of the senior care industry. The collaboration aims to create high-quality senior living communities that cater to the growing needs of the elderly population in South India. Senior Living Industry is poised to grow to a $12 Billion Industry from the current level of $ 3 Billion in the next 5 years. Sameera Lands & Constructions has been a cornerstone in the real estate industry in South India for over four decades. Headquartered in Chennai, the company has completed more than 45 real estate projects in Tamil Nadu and distributed over 10 million square feet of land with over 1 lakh satisfied customers. Aside from Land development, Sameera is also into education and hospitality sectors through their partnership with Fitjee Global School and GRT group of hotels. Through this new joint venture, they also enter into the senior living space. The company's vision is to assist customers across South India in finding their perfect home, contributing significantly to India's growth story. Vedaanta Senior Living was founded in 2015 with a vision to offer superior care and comfort to seniors at an affordable cost. In just six years, Vedaanta has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the senior living sector, with more than six communities under its belt. Vedaanta currently has projects in Coimbatore, Chennai, Hosur, Bangalore, Cochin, Guruvayur. Projects are under development in Trivandrum, Kottayam, Hyderabad & Trichy. Through this MOU, senior living communities are expected to be developed in various tier 1 and tier 2 cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Vellore, Kanchipuram, and many more. The first project through this MOU is proposed at Kanchipuram, a 60-acres township. This will be a villa project with 1 and 2 BHK villa options. Independent living retirement communities are becoming increasingly popular and sought after in the current times. Cities like Chennai and Bangalore are experiencing a huge demand for such units. These communities will typically cover all aspects of services for seniors such as nutritious food, medical care, security, housekeeping services, and so on within the premises so that seniors can live a hassle-free life. India's population is aging rapidly, and the demand for senior living solutions is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. This joint venture between Sameera and Vedaanta is well-positioned to address this growing demand by providing high-quality, affordable senior living options across South India. Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 is just a couple of weeks away, with this year's WWDC expected to be one of the biggest yet, offering developers and attendees a closer look at new software upgrades and AI advancements that Apple has been developing over the past few years, LiveMint reported. Apple (Representative Photo) The conference will start on June 10 and continue until June 14, being held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The main keynote event is scheduled for Monday, June 10, at 10 AM PT (10:30 PM IST for viewers in India). The event can be watched live via the official website of Apple, the Apple Developer app, or the Apple YouTube channel. The keynote event is expected to feature the unveiling of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS updates, and the latest version of the macOS. Apple is also likely to publicly address its AI developments, possibly for the first time. Also Read | Samsung mocks Apples destructive iPad Pro ad with its UnCrush promo The company is reportedly working on its own version of GenAI features that will be integrated on-device for the new iPhone 16 models. iOS 18 is expected to be the most significant upgrade in years, including further options to customize the home screen and a new version of Siri. Apple is also said to be in discussions with OpenAI and Google regarding a potential deal to run their AI apps on iPhones, which could also be confirmed at the event. Were so excited to connect with developers from around the world for an extraordinary week of technology and community at WWDC24, said Susan Prescott, Apples vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful. Also Read | Google, Amazon, Apple lobby group opposes India's EU-like antitrust proposal Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani is reportedly in talks to buy a stake in One 97 Communications, which operates Paytm. A report in the Times of India claimed, citing people in the know, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma met Gautam Adani at the latter's office in Ahmedabad on May 28 to finalise the contours of a deal. In case the deal is finalised, the Adani Group would enter the fintech sector competing against Google Pay, PhonePe and Mukesh Ambani's Jio Financial. Gautam Adani speaks during an interview in Ahmedabad.(Reuters) In a clarification issued on the bourses, Paytm said, "We hereby clarify that the abovementioned news item is speculative and the Company is not engaged in any discussions in this regard. We have always made and will continue to make disclosures in compliance with our obligations under the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015." Currently, Vijay Shekhar Sharma owns about 19 per cent in One 97 directly and holds another 10 per cent through a foreign entity Resilient Asset Management. Both are listed as public shareholders. Other significant shareholders of One 97 are Saif Partners (15%), Antfin Netherlands (10%) and the company's directors (9%). One 97 has a market cap of 21,773 crore and started out as a recharge platform before moving its payment and merchant acquiring business to Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) which faced action by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). What report claimed on Gautam Adani-Paytm deal? The report claimed that talked between Gautam Adani and Vijay Shekhar Sharma have been going on for a while. Gautam Adani is also in talks with funds from West Asia to bring them as investors in One 97, it added. Katalyst Advisors' executive director Binoy Parikh said as per TOI, With the financial strain and regulatory bottlenecks that Paytm is facing, aligning with Adani Group would provide the robust financial backing needed to address regulatory compliance issues and stabilise its operations. For Adani, integrating Paytm's established digital payments platform into their diverse business portfolio would enhance their digital footprint and accelerate their ambition to become a leading player in the fintech space. China's gross domestic product (GDP) could be 18% higher over a 15-year period with good reforms, an official with the International Monetary Fund said in Beijing on Wednesday, citing IMF research findings. A participant stands near a logo of IMF at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank annual meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.(Reuters) China should continue with economic reforms to boost productivity, level the playing field among all types of firms, and create a good business environment that is market orientated and law-based, the official said. Paytm share price today: Shares of One 97 Communications (Paytm) hit 5 per cent upper circuit limit today (May 29) after it was reported that Gautam Adani is eyeing stake in the company. The Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led fintech major said the reports are speculative and the company is not engaged in any discussions with the Adani Group. Paytm share price: A QR code for the Paytm digital payment system at a store in Mumbai, India.(Bloomberg) In a clarification issued on the bourses, Paytm said, "We hereby clarify that the abovementioned news item is speculative and the Company is not engaged in any discussions in this regard. We have always made and will continue to make disclosures in compliance with our obligations under the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015." Following the report, Paytm shares traded 5 per cent higher at 359.55 on BSE. What report claimed on Gautam Adani- Paytm talks? Times of India reported that Gautam Adani was considering buying a stake in Paytm's parent company. He met with Vijay Shekhar Sharma at his office in Ahmedabad to finalise the contours of a deal, the report added. Adani was engaging with West Asian funds to attract them as investors in One 97 Communications, it claimed citing people in the know. This comes after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) from several transactions. Paytm reported as 549.60 crore loss in the March quarter which was from 219.80 crore in the December quarter. Tesla is offering its Chinese customers a chance to win a tour of its factory in Fremont, California, due to slowing sales and increasing competition. A Tesla logo seen outside a showroom of the carmaker in Beijing, China.(Reuters) Customers who take delivery of their Teslas between May 25 and June 30 would be eligible for the contest. According to the EV makers post on Chinese social media site Weibo, The company will cover the winners air tickets, transportation costs, and insurance. Additionally, the customers could also win 10,000 kilometers of free mileage on the company's Supercharger network. Also Read | Elon Musk pushes plan for China data to power Tesla's AI ambitions: Report Tesla said the winners would be chosen via a lucky draw, but didn't specify how many would be picked. This came just a day after it said customers could win a free two-day, one-night trip for two to Gigafactory Shanghai if they took a test drive from any Tesla store in China before June 30. Teslas revenue growth slowed down to 3% after years of strong growth, with the company shedding $80 billion in market cap after CEO Elon Musk warned of the slowdown, according to a Business Insider article. Also Read | Musk opens up about his biggest fear and hope Rising competition in the form of Chinas EV giant BYD also contributed to the new sales tactic as BYD overtook Tesla in sales, selling more than 526,000 EVs in the last quarter of 2023, as reported by the Wall Street Journal Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday defended his statement that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Congress president D K Shivakumar should not finalise party candidates for upcoming MLC polls on their own, saying there was nothing wrong in it. K'taka Home Minister Parameshwara defends his statement on MLC candidates Noting that he suggested setting up a screening or a high power committee comprising senior party leaders to select the candidates, the Congress leader said it is too late now as the selection process seems to have reached the final stage, while the matter has reached the party high command in New Delhi. The senior Congress leader had said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, should not unilaterally decide on the MLC candidates. Also Read - Prajwal Revanna to leave Germany tomorrow, books flight ticket to Bengaluru: Report His statement comes against the backdrop of the leaders' trip to New Delhi, to discuss with the party high command candidates for biennial election to 11 seats in Karnataka Legislative Council. "There is no need to interpret my statement wrongly. What I said is there is a process of consulting everyone. I'm someone who has worked as the party President, consult is what I have said. No one can say what I have said is wrong. What will happen if consulted? We are not saying give tickets only to people we suggest," Parameshwara said. Speaking to reporters here, he said there are criteria to give tickets, all these things will be considered. "Let them follow it, no problem. But, there are several people with experience of having served the party, consult such people. This is what I have said, there is nothing wrong in it," he added. Reacting to Parameshwara's remarks, Shivakumar on Tuesday said, "Surely, we will consult them (senior leaders)." Biennial elections to 11 seats of Karnataka Legislative Council to be elected by Members of Legislative Assembly will be held on June 13. As per the existing strength of parties in the Assembly, the Congress can win 7, BJP can win three and JD(S) one seat. To a question whether he referred any names for the MLC elections, Parameshwara said, "When I have not been asked, how can I refer?" Asked why the CM and state Congress chief did not consult a senior leader like him, the minister said, "I don't know about it. I have said what I have to." In response to a question, Parameshwara said with too many aspirants he had suggested forming a screening committee or a high power committee to decide on candidates, but it is too late now, as the CM and KPCC chief have already gone to Delhi. "I don't know how many applications have come (from ticket aspirants). I saw in the newspapers our Presidents saying that more than 300 have come. It is difficult for them (leadership) too for screening. So I suggested forming a screening committee, a high power committee and discussing with them, each one will give suggestions. Probably it is late now, because after taking a flight to Delhi, different things will happen there... Let's see in the future," he said. Karnatakas Hassan MP and fugitive Prajwal Revanna who is accused in sexual harassment and kidnap cases is set to return to Bengaluru on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. A flight ticket has been booked from Germanys Munich to Bengaluru and he is likely to reach Kempegowda International Airport during the early hours of Friday. Prajwal Revanna to leave Germany tomorrow, books ticket to Bengaluru: Report Also Read - Prajwal Revanna to appear for SIT investigation on May 31. Depressed, he says The suspended MP of the JDS already announced that he is going to attend the SIT probe on May 31 in Bengaluru. Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said that the state police will arrest him as soon as he lands in Bengaluru and the vigil at Kempegowda International Airport has already been increased. In a video released by the accused, he said that his foriegn trip is pre-planned and he only learned about allegations after leaving the country a month ago. Prajwal Revanna said, After Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, spread rumours against me, I went into depression, and I isolated myself. A political conspiracy is going on to finish my career, and I will face it, Prajwal added. Obscene videos allegedly showing Revanna sexually abusing several women surfaced in April, days before Hassan constituency in Karnataka voted during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. He reportedly travelled to Germany the same month using his diplomatic passport. The first FIR against Revanna, who was later suspended by his party, was filed on April 28, after a victim came forward, and three more FIRs of rape have been filed against him since then. The Congress is up for a dual challenge in Himachal Pradesh that goes to the polls on June 1. Besides the four Lok Sabha seats the party hopes to wrest from the BJP, the outcome of six assembly byelections will be critical for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government that narrowly survived a topple bid in February when its MLAs rebelled and are now fighting as BJP candidates. Sukhu, who is campaigning hard against the rebels, four of who are contesting from his home turf in Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, put up a brave face to tell Hindustan Times in an interview in McLeodganj that his party will emerge stronger with public support. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu narrowly survived a topple bid in February when six Congress MLAs rebelled and are now contesting the assembly byelections as BJP candidates. (HT file photo) What are your governments achievements since you took charge in December 2022? The big achievement for us has been 20% increase in the economy. The states coffers were empty when we took charge, but we have generated an extra revenue of 2,200 crore. Despite financial constraints, we disbursed old pension to 1.36 lakh government employees. We are the first state in India where, under the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Aashray scheme, orphans have been declared children of the state and the Himachal Pradesh government will take care of them till they turn 27 years old. We have rolled out the 1,500 a month scheme for women above 18 years. Despite the BJPs attempts to stop us, the Election Commission has allowed the filling of forms of beneficiaries. We have made a 800 crore budget provision and soon the women will receive instalments of April and May. The state government is raising loans to meet liabilities. Has this impacted your development agenda? How will you generate resources? We have laid the foundation through fiscal improvement. In five years, the economy will be back on track. Himachal Pradesh will be the countrys richest state by 2032, we are dedicated towards that vision. We have chalked out ways to generate resources. Priorities will be to tap tourism, hydropower generation, green energy, food processing and information technology. We have already started working on these areas. Read Here | BJP will do anything to grab power: Priyanka Gandhi in Himachal Your government has been targeted for failing to deliver on guarantees made before the election. People know what we have done and they will decide accordingly. Money power will be defeated. They (the BJP) could not win by votes, but they tried to topple the government with money power. That is murder of democracy. People have to win so that in future no political party dares to buy legislators. How crucial are the six byelections for the survival of your government? Can your party reclaim the seats? Our government survived despite them (the BJP) conspiring for a month. Those who went to the BJP have been labelled sold-out MLAs by people. We wont face any problem as we still have 34 MLAs, while they (the BJP) are only 25. Even if they win the six byelections, their strength will only be 31. The independent MLAs who are resigning should give in writing that they will not contest for the next three-and-a-half years. Why are they wasting public money? People have already elected them for five years. It means they have also sold their conscience. Thats why I say people have to contest and win these elections so that their votes importance is safeguarded. We are hopeful of winning all six bypolls and four Lok Sabha seats with public support. The rebellion had its epicentre in Hamirpur, your home turf. The party doesnt matter for those who can sell their conscience. For them, the other party also does not matter. They change sides for their selfish interest. These six byelections are not a contest between the Congress and the BJP, rather the fight is between the public and the BJP. People voted for us in 2022 and they will again vote for those who they elected for five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused your government of mismanaging the flood relief sent by the Centre last year. Did he say how much money the Centre has given to the state? The answer is no. When he reveals the amount, Ill respond. Election authorities in Kashmir have registered an FIR against former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for violating the model code of conduct, officials said on Wednesday. PDP Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha candidate Mehbooba Mufti along with party workers holding a sit-in at Bijbehara in south Kashmir while polling was underway on May 25. (AP file photo) The FIR has been registered against Mehbooba for violating Section 144 after she and her party workers held a protest sit-in in the Bijbehara area of south Kashmirs Anantnag district, the officials said. The PDP president termed the registration of the FIR against her amusing. Amusing to find an FIR filed against me for apparently flouting MCC. This is the price the PDP has paid for speaking truth to power. Our protest was against the GOI (Government of India) in cahoots with the local administration for detaining hundreds of PDP polling agents and workers in the hours leading up to voting, she said. Still not satisfied, the same administration went on to launch cordon and search operations in traditional PDP stronghold areas to terrorise our voters and prevent them from exercising their right to vote. Ulta chor kotwal ko daante (Pot calling the kettle black), Mehbooba posted on X. Read Here: Mehbooba Mufti faces a tough battle for political survival in hotly contested Anantnag-Rajouri The officials said that the protest was a gross violation of the model code of conduct. The huge group of PDP workers also blocked the main road and staged a protest at the main stop Bijbehara (for) more than one hour which amounts (to) violations of the Section 144, CrPC, which was imposed in the constituency, the FIR said. The election authorities had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC from 6pm on May 23 till 6pm on May 25 due to polling in the constituency. The prohibitory orders ban unlawful assembly or procession or rally to prevent any law and order problem. Iltija cries foul Later Muftis daughter, Iltija Mufti, who is also advisor to the PDP president, in a press conference said police had taken their young workers and polling agents into custody before the polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat. All this happened 10 to 12 hours before polling. Even the army started cordoning and carrying out search operations in the areas which are strongholds of the PDP. Our workers were declared as overground workers, she said, adding, Our workers kept the flag of Indian democracy flying in Jammu and Kashmir. We tried to contact the local administration during the night but there was no response. Workers play a very important role to mobilise voters. They [administration] created fear in our strongholds as they wanted people shouldnt come out to vote, she added. The patient care has been hit at the emergency in the civil hospital as it has only seven medical officers against a sanctioned strength of 15, and of those seven, four work as specialists in the outpatient department (OPD). The emergency ward at civil hospital caters to over 150 patients every day. (HT Photo) The emergency at the districts biggest government hospital sees over 150 cases every day. The lack of doctors, as evidenced by only three medical officers available at all times, often leads to negligence. In April, there was a huge uproar after a dead body was allegedly found lying in a bed with another patient. As per a report by the civil surgeon, The patient, who had been admitted to the hospital for at least five days, was prescribed X-rays and other scans, but no diagnosis was made. A senior doctor at the hospital, on condition of anonymity, said, There were some doctors who were appointed as emergency medical officers, but preferred to work as specialists. He alleged that this meant that while there were more doctors deployed on paper creating an impression that the ward was decently staffed, the situation was different in reality. They have merely occupied the posts. Since they have been appointed at the ward, the department thinks that we have the necessary strength and can manage without new postings, he added. Questioned by the shifts at the emergency worked by the listed doctors, senior medical officer Dr Mandeep Kaur Sandhu said, We do not have any data. She added, There is a shortage of staff at the hospital. The emergency medical officers, who also happen to be specialists, also look at patients in the OPDs. Another senior doctor said on condition of anonymity, This hospital caters to huge rush. We do not have enough doctors. The emergency needs new postings. We want the government to fill the sanctioned posts at least, if not increase the posts. The hospital, initially a 100-bed facility, not has over 300 beds, but the staff strength has not been bolstered accordingly, staff members said. The Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested an ESIC Hospital staffer and his accomplice on graft charges. Sukhbir Singh posted at ESIC Hospital and Navneet Kumar, a resident of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar were arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of 25,000. The accused in VB custody in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (HT Photo) An official spokesperson said the accused were arrested following a complaint by Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Phullanwal village. The complainant approached the VB and informed that found out about a vacancy for a laboratory technician on contract basis in the ESIC hospital, Bharat Nagar Chowk. He met Sukhbir Singh of the HR Branch, who asked him to send his education documents on his WhatsApp number, he added. The complainant alleged that after a few days, an unknown person called him to meet him at Samrala Chowk and told him that Sukhbir Singh had demanded 1,10,000 bribe for the job. The spokesperson added that after a preliminary inquiry, the VB team laid a trap and arrested accused Sukhbir while accepting a bribe of 25,000. Navneet Kumar was later arrested from Samrala Chowk. A first-information report (FIR) under sections of the of Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the accused at the VB police station. Civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended all four cabin crew on a Delhi-Varanasi IndiGo flight that was evacuated on May 28 minutes before take-off following a bomb hoax, officials said on Wednesday. A crew member helps an elderly passenger evacuate the aircraft through the emergency door on Tuesday. (ANI) DGCA said it took action against the airline crew for violating rules during the evacuation when they left the jet using the emergency slides with their bags. Passengers and crew were evacuated safely. However, due to deficiency observed regarding bags in hands during the evacuation process, the DGCA has taken the cabin crew off the roster, pending investigation, a civil aviation ministry spokesperson told HT. Each airline has its a specific list of evacuation SOPs that are instructed by them to all their crew. Around six people have been put off the roster following the incident. The incident took place at 5.10am, when the IndiGo flight 6E 2211 from Delhi to Varanasi was taxiing for take-off and the pilot announced that the aircraft was returning to the bay due to security reasons. Read Here: IndiGo allows female flyers to choose seats next to other women for safety A tissue with bomb at 5.30 written on it was found in one of the lavatories of the aircraft. The spokesperson cited above said that the cockpit crew was being taken off the roster in coordination with the wet-lease company as the operations control is with a foreign agency. The A320 aircraft registered as 9H-SLH is wet-leased from an airline based in Malta. In the case of wet-leased aircraft, the aircraft, its cockpit crew and engineering support is provided by the company from which the jet is leased. The safety oversight in these cases lies with the state registry of the operator, which in this case is Malta. According to a passenger on board at the time of evacuation, the pilot had not mentioned that the crew found a bomb threat in one of the lavatories. After being taken to isolation bay 803, the passengers were asked to disembark using the slides. The crew announced that the passengers were to deboard the aircraft using the slides along with our cabin baggage. They also told the passengers with pointed heels to take off their footwear, the passenger added, asking not to be named. Read Here: Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport receives fresh hoax bomb threat, triggers panic It took around 10 minutes for all of us including the crew to deboard and leave the bay, said another passenger, who also did not wish to be named. A former airline official said the evacuation was successful. But there were flaws in the evacuation SOPs (standard operating procedures) which I am sure the DGCA and the airline will look at, the official said. Commenting on the matter, an IndiGo spokesperson said: Safety is our prime concern and our crew acted accordingly. In the best interest of our customers safety. As with all safety and security events, our flight safety team will be reviewing this as well. Both crew members and passengers descended the emergency slide with their luggage which is a clear violation of safety protocol. Moreover, they were seen sliding wearing heeled footwear which is a major violation as these can cause injuries, added this person. Maybe there was insufficient time for the crew to brief the passengers well, but at least the crew themselves should have known and removed their shoes/heels, a second airline official said, asking not to be named. Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Wednesday suspended the officer on special duty (OSD) to health minister, Dr RN Das, with immediate effect in connection with the Vivek Vihar fire incident that left six infants dead, according to an order signed by the vigilance special secretary. The site of the Vivek Vihar fire. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo) As per the suspension order, the OSD will not be able to leave Delhi without permission and will be entitled to subsistence allowance at an amount equal to his leave salary. Officials at the LG office said that the immediate cause for suspending the officer was over a complaint filed against a private nursing home in Shahdara that operated without a valid registration when Das was the medical superintendent of the nursing home cell. The official said that the Vivek Vihar facility that caught fire on May 25 was also registered under Das watch. Das, in response to the suspension, said, I am totally dismayed, daunted. Shocked and shattered. I have full faith in the Almighty. Delhi infant deaths: 29 PCR calls made about fire in 2-3 minutes, says police In an official Delhi government statement, health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the LG was deliberately obstructing his ministrys work, by systematically removing officers from his department. He said cases were being filed against his officers as part of a larger conspiracy to cripple the Delhi government. Officials in the LG office quoted above said that the suspension was based on an inquiry by the Delhi governments health and family welfare department. The case was later transferred to the anti-corruption branch of Delhi government. However, Bharadwaj cried foul, seeking proof for suspending the officers. The LG first fired all my advisors, fellows and consultants who came from reputed national and international backgrounds. Then, officials are being suspended by investigating old cases that are not even from my tenure as health minister. The idea is not to establish their guilt but to stop work of the health department. Several other OSDs and advisors of mine related to irrigation, DUSIB, urban development, water and health were removed earlier, Bharadwaj said. Earlier in the day, the minister posted a question to the LG on X, which read: When I requested you multiple times to suspend the professor who molested two MBBS students in Delhis Medical College, I was told that power to suspend is not with LG. My ecretary Health was absconding and not responding to calls and messages. However, u have suspended my OSD. Was that an effort to save the molester then? (sic) Temperatures in India's capital surged to a record-breaking 52.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This extreme heat was recorded in the Delhi suburb of Mungeshpur, marking the first time the temperature has breached the 50C threshold in the city's history. Delhi heat: The weather station in Mungeshpur recorded 52.3 degrees Celsius temperature.(HT Photo/Praveen Kumar) The weather station in Mungeshpur recorded 52.3 degrees Celsius temperature, while Narela recorded 47.9 degrees Celsius at 2.30pm. On Tuesday, the weather station in the northwest Delhi locality recorded 49.9 degrees Celsius. An IMD official told PTI, this is the highest-ever maximum temperature recorded so far in Delhi. IMD regional head Kuldeep Srivastava said the city's outskirts are the first areas to be hit by hot winds from Rajasthan, reported PTI. "Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds," he said. Mahesh Palawat, the vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, "In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot." "When wind blows from the west, it affects these areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly," Palawat added. The IMDs forecast paints a grim picture for the coming days, predicting "heat wave to severe heat wave conditions at most places over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, at many places over Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh." Warm night conditions are expected to persist in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh, providing little relief from the intense temperatures. The IMD alert warns there is a "very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages", with "extreme care needed for vulnerable people". The IMD issued heatwave warnings, advising people to stay indoors during peak hours and stay hydrated. In areas under red alert, the likelihood of heat illnesses and heat strokes is very high across all age groups, according to IMD. The Met department has advised extreme care, especially for vulnerable populations such as infants, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases. New Delhi authorities have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in headache-inducing heat, cutting supplies to some areas. Delhi water minister Atishi has called for "collective responsibility" to stop wasteful water use. When can residents expect some respite from the blistering heat? Residents in Northwest and Central India can expect some respite as the prevailing heat wave conditions are forecasted to gradually reduce from May 30. The IMD has predicted a gradual fall in maximum temperatures by 3-4C over the next 3-4 days in these regions. A reduction in the intensity of the heat wave is expected to begin from tomorrow in Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Although the severe conditions will ease, heat wave conditions may persist in isolated areas until June 1. With inputs from agencies The India Meteorological Department said the maximum temperature of 52.9C recorded by Delhi's Mungeshpur Automatic Weather Station could be due to error in the sensor of the local factor which IMD will examine. Earth Sciences minister Kiren Rijiju took to X and said the temperatures were not official. "Temperature of 52.3C in Delhi is very unlikely. Our senior officials in IMD have been asked to verify the news report. The official position will be stated soon," Rijiju wrote. Delhi's Mungeshpur witnessed a record temperature of 52.9C the highest ever recorded in the national capital.(PTI) Follow Delhi weather live updates The record came amid an ongoing phase of sweltering heat in the national capital with the mercury remaining above 44C for the past few days. A brief respite followed the heat as it rained in parts of Delhi in the afternoon. IMD DG M Mahapatra said the temperature looked abnormal comparing with all other stations. A team has been sent to the AWS to check the data. The reading of Safdarjung centre is considered the official temperature of Delhi which stood at 46.8C. AWSs are automatic weather stations where the observations are made and transmitted automatically. No other AWS, including Pragati Maidan, IGNOU, Ayanagarm Pitampura, Najafgarh, on Wednesday reported 50+ temperature. "The maximum temperature over Delhi NCR varied from 45.2 to 49.1C in different parts of city, Mungeshpur reported 52.9C as an outlier compared to other stations. It could be due to error in the sensor or the local factor. IMD is examining the data and sensors," the IMD clarified in a press statement. Temperatures recorded at all Delhi weather stations on Wednesday. "Maximum temperature of today, i.e. 29th May, 2024 has fallen over Delhi at many places compared to yesterday. It has rained at many places in Delhi in the afternoon resulting in further fall of temperature. Heat wave conditions will reduce during next 2 3 days due to gradual fall in temperature in association with approaching western disturbance, rainfall/thunderstorm and southwesterly wind blowing from Arabian Sea to northwest India," it said making a general observation about Delhi's temperature. Skymet's Mahesh Palawat said observation by AWS may not be always correct and for Delhi temperature Safdarjung in the benchmark. What was Delhi's temperature today? Going by Delhi's primary weather station Safdarjung observatory, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 46.8C which was the highest in 79 years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed that Delhi's maximum temperature was 46.7 degrees Celsius on June 1945. Delhi rain: Delhi-NCR experienced a much-needed respite from the sweltering heat as rain showers brought relief to the region after the national capital recorded its highest-ever temperature. Delhi-NCR witnessed thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain the day city recorded its highest temperature ever.(HT Photos/Vipin Kumar/File) On Wednesday, Mungeshpur, a locality in northwest Delhi, logged an unprecedented maximum temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius, the highest ever recorded in the capital, officials confirmed. This scorching heatwave follows Tuesday's extreme temperatures, where the same weather station in Mungeshpur recorded 49.9 degrees Celsius. Read: Delhi water crisis deepens, 2,000 fine for these activities | 8 points The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), meanwhile, has announced significant progress in the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon, with conditions highly favourable for the monsoon to onset over Kerala within the next 24 hours. This development is expected to trigger further advancement into additional parts of the South Arabian Sea, the remaining parts of the Maldives and Comorin area, some parts of the Lakshadweep area, as well as more regions of the Southwest and Central Bay of Bengal, Northeast Bay of Bengal, and parts of the Northeastern states. A fresh western disturbance is likely to cause isolated to scattered light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh from May 29 to June 2, and over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad from May 29 to 31. The plains of Northwest India may experience isolated light rainfall from May 30 to June 2, while duststorms are very likely over Rajasthan from May 31 to June 2. A cyclonic circulation currently over northeast Assam and its neighbouring areas is expected to cause fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next seven days. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next five days. Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura are expected to receive heavy rainfall on May 29 and 30, with extremely heavy rainfall predicted over Meghalaya today. Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall is forecast for Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Odisha over the next five days. This rainfall will be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds from May 31 to June 2, signalling the spread of pre-monsoon showers in these regions. The Delhi high court on Wednesday granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in a sedition case filed against him for allegedly giving inflammatory speeches at various places in the Capital and at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA in 2019-2020. Sharjeel Imam will not walk out of prison as he is currently in custody in connection with a conspiracy case for allegedly instigating the February 2020 Delhi riots. (PTI) A bench of justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain allowed Imams plea challenging a city courts February 17 order denying him bail. Appeal is allowed, the high court said. However, Imam will not walk out of prison as he is currently in custody in connection with a conspiracy case for allegedly instigating the February 2020 Delhi riots. To be sure, the same bench of the high court is also seized of Imams plea seeking bail in the conspiracy case. Read Here | From IIT-B to JNU to Shaheen Bagh: Who is Sharjeel Imam? Delhi Police arrested Imam on January 28, 2020. While the crime branch had initially booked him for the offence of sedition, they had later also invoked section 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA for allegedly instigating the February 2020 riots. In a charge sheet filed in July 2020, police claimed Imam gave speeches inciting hatred, contempt and disaffection towards the central government, and instigated the people which led to violence near Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019. In January 2022, a city court had framed charges against Imam under Indian Penal Codes (IPC) sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion), 153B (assertions prejudicial to national integration), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), and section 13 of UAPA. On February 17 this year, the court rejected Imams bail plea, stating that the student activists speeches and activities had mobilised the public, might be the main reason for the outbreak of riots. In his petition before the high court, Imam, represented through advocates Talib Mustafa and Ahmad Ibrahim, claimed that he was in custody since January 28, 2020 and had already undergone four years of imprisonment out of the maximum sentence under the UAPA offence. A vehicle allegedly part of BJP Lok Sabha candidate Karan Bhushan Singhs cavalcade mowed down two people and injured a third person in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning, police said, triggering a political row. Police personnel near the wreckage of the SUV that allegedly hit a bike, in Gonda on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) Karan is the son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by the countrys top wrestlers last year. Thirty-year-old Karan was fielded by the BJP from his fathers seat, which went to the polls in the fifth phase on May 20. Luv Kush Srivastava, the driver of the vehicle, which is a Toyota fortuner, was arrested later in the day on charges of reckless driving, among others. According to the police, the deceased Rehan (17) and Shehzad (24), both of whom were cousins were travelling on a motorbike when they were hit by the vehicle near Baikunth Degree College on Katra Bazar road around 9am. Both Rehan and Shehzad were run over by the car and died on the spot. The vehicle also lost control and further hit a 60-year-old woman, who was walking on the roadside. The woman, identified as Sita Devi, has been admitted to a hospital and is undergoing treatment, Karnal Ganj station house officer (SHO) Nirbhay Narayan Singh said. The deceaseds relatives said they were told by local residents that the car was a part of Karan Bhushan Singhs convoy of four to five vehicles and that the BJP leader was present in one of them at the time of the accident. They also said that the vehicle that mowed down the deceased was the last in the cavalcade. Read Here: BJP drops Brij Bhushan, but gives ticket to his son Rehan and Shehzad were on their way to Katra Bazar when they were run over by the vehicle around 5km from their village Nidhura. After I reached the spot, local residents told me the vehicle was part of Karan Singhs convoy. They said the cavalcade comprised four to five vehicles and that the politician and his supporters were inside them at the time of the incident, Rehans uncle Farman Khan said. Local residents also said the vehicle that ran over the deceased rammed into an electric pole after hitting the elderly woman. After its airbags opened, the occupants of the car moved to another vehicle in the convoy, which later proceeded towards Huzurpur, he added. While there was no official confirmation from the police on whether the vehicle was a part of Karan Singhs convoy and whether the BJP leader was present inside one of them at the time of the accident, an officer, who did not wish to be identified, said: There were four vehicles in the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, also the president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association, who was sitting in the first vehicle. HT reached out to Karan Singh and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for a comment but did not get one immediately. The officer also said the vehicle that hit the motorcycle was at the end of the convoy. The speed of the vehicles in the convoy was above 100 kmph, the officer, who inspected the accident spot, said. Read Here: Ensuring son-rise no cakewalk for Brij Bhushan This vehicle was also fined 2,000 for violating traffic rules on December 21 and the penalty is yet to be paid. Police escort was written on the rear windscreen of the vehicle, the officer added. The vehicle was registered in the name of Nandini Educational Institute in Lucknow, a police officer, who did not wish to be identified, said. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is the chairman of the institute while his elder son and Gonda MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh is the director, the officer added. A case under sections 279 (reckless driving), 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 427 (loss to others property) of the Indian Penal Code and section 184 (dangerous driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act has been registered and a probe is underway, Gonda superintendent of police (SP) Vineet Jaiswal said. Enraged over the incident, locals and the deceaseds families staged a protest and demanded justice. It was not until senior police officers arrived at the spot and assured them of swift action in the case that they dispersed. Read Here: Ticket to Brij Bhushans son may put BJP in tight spot in Haryana The accident triggered a political row as opposition parties accused the BJP of treating citizens like dispensable pawns. In a post on X, Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said: Shocker. . A car in BJP candidate Karan Bhushan Singhs (son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) convoy mows down two children and injures another. Recall how BJP minister Ajay Mishra Tenis son Ashish Mishra mowed down protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in 2021. The lawmaker was referring to the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on October 3, 2021, when a vehicle allegedly belonging to Union junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni mowed down four farmers while they had gathered to protest against the now-repealed farm laws. Ajays son, Ashish, is the main accused in the case. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP. Former cabinet minister and veteran Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, languishing in Sitapur jail at present, has been convicted on Wednesday by the Rampur MP/MLA court in the fourth case relating to the demolition of houses of Dungarpur Asra Awas Yojana colony, in Rampur, in 2016, when there was an SP government in the state, said government prosecution officers. Veteran Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan (HT File Photo) They said that Khan is already sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in another case related to the same incident earlier on January 31, 2024, while acquitted in two other cases related to it. The cases were registered against him and others in 2019 after the BJP government came to power in the state in 2017 and the court was on trial for the past four years. It is the third case in which Khan has been convicted since July 2023. Earlier, he was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a hate-speech case by Rampur MP/MLA court on July 15, 2023. District government advocate MP/MLA court, Seema Rana, said that the court convicted Azam Khan in an eight-year-old case of forcibly vacating a house, beating the owner and looting valuables. She said Khan appeared before the court via videoconferencing. She said the court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. Khans lawyer Vinod Sharma too confirmed that the Rampur court has found Khan guilty in the case. He said that the retired circle officer Barqat Ali has also been convicted in the case. In the incident, the victim, Abrar, filed a complaint against Khan and retired CO Barkat Ali for forcibly entering his house, damaging property and thrashed him to get him to vacate the house in December 2016. The case had been registered under IPC sections including 392 for loot, 452 for criminal house trespass, 504 for assault, 506 for criminal intimidation as well as 120-B for criminal conspiracy. Tazeen Fatima released from jail Meanwhile, former MLA Tazeen Fatima, wife of Azam Khan, has been released from Rampur District Jail. She was lodged in Rampur Jail from October 18, 2023, after the Rampur MP/MLA Court sentenced the former MLA, Azam Khan and their son, Abdullah Azam Khan, in a fake birth certificate case. Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan are lodged in Sitapur and Hardoi jail respectively. After spending 6 months and 11 days in jail, Tazeen Fatima told the media, Injustice has been defeated and somewhere justice is alive, and justice has been delivered through the court. The Allahabad high court had on Friday granted bail to Mohammad Azam Khan, his son Abdullah Azam Khan and wife Tazeen Fatima. Mohammad Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan have not yet been released from jail due to not getting bail in other cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modis Varanasi constituency has had an array of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavyweights making frequent visits for one final push for the crucial Lok Sabha seat, which is among the 13 going to the polls in Uttar Pradesh in the seventh and last phase of the general elections on June 1. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal campaigning in Varanasi. (Sourced) Modi is seeking a third consecutive term from the constituency and is up against the INDIA blocs candidate Ajay Rai, who lost to Modi from the same seat in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. Other contenders for the seat include BSPs Athar Jamal Lari, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi)s Gagan Prakash Yadav, Yug Tulsi Partys Koli Shetty Shivkumar, and two Independents Sanjay Kumar Tiwari and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. With Poorvanchal going to the polls on June 1, the party has pushed key leaders to tackle particular segments in Varanasi with Union home minister Amit Shah conducting the entire electoral exercise, party president JP Nadda moving in and out of Varanasi and cabinet minister for women and child development Smriti Irani coming to the holy city on Wednesday to woo the women voters in the constituency, people familiar with the matter said. Leading the partys campaign, Shah stayed in Varanasi on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday and held meeting with a few top leaders of BJP Kashi region and took feedback about ongoing poll campaigning in Varanasi, said a senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity. NDA ally and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar met Shah in Varanasi. Read Here | Modi juggernaut vs INDIA bloc: Kashi poised for tug of margin Shah is likely to stay here till May 30, a senior BJP leader familiar with the matter said. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, who has been camping in the city for the past two days meeting entrepreneurs and traders, said that the NDA was on course to achieving its target of crossing the 400-seat mark in the elections. He said while Modi will win Varanasi with a record margin, the party will bag more seats in UP as compared to 2019. The atmosphere is superbly in favour of the BJP and the NDA all over the country and there is no anti-incumbency against the Modi government, he said. On Monday, BJP chief Nadda had tea at a roadside stall and interacted with workers and supporters in Varanasi. He also held a meeting with party workers and took feedback about the campaigning at the grassroots level, Kashi region BJP spokesperson Navratan Rathi said. Read Here: Hindutva, pro-dev, anti-mafia image make UP CM Yogi Adityanath crucial in final poll round On Tuesday, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya participated in a programme at Jhule Lal Temple in the Laksa area of Varanasi while minister in-charge, Varanasi, and UP tourism minister Jaiveer Singh addressed a voters awareness programme in the city. On Monday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath held an interaction with lawyers where he hailed the central governments developmental work. Modi ji has also started the campaign of Nation First. On one side, there are Nation First people and on the other there are Family First people, he said. On May 26, external affairs minister S Jaishankar held meetings with educationists and members of the Tamil community in Varanasi. Talking about the situation on the ground, BJP worker Rajkumar Das said: Grassroots workers like me are working with the goal of abki baar 10 lakh paar for Modiji to ensure that he wins by a record margin of over 10 lakh votes. Political analyst Professor Kaushal Kishore Mishra, former dean, faculty of social science at BHU, said the BJPs entire exercise is aimed at making Modi win Varanasi with the highest number of votes. The mercury is rising and therefore... senior ministers and leaders are holding smaller meetings to connect with the locals to seek their support, he said. The state government has initiated a probe against two members of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) who are accused of showing too much leniency in giving bail to the 17-year-old teenager who killed two young techies after crashing his Porsche Taycan into their bike in Pune. The state has formed a five-member committee headed by deputy commissioner, women and child development department which is expected to submit its report by next week. State Women and Child Development Commissioner Dr Prashant Narnaware confirmed the development. The JJB is a three-member board. (HT Photo) We have appointed a five-member committee on May 22. It has been asked to look into the conduct and activities of two members who were appointed by the state government. The committee was asked to submit the report in 15 days, which we are expecting by next week, Dr Narnaware stated. The probe report would be submitted to the government for further action. The report will be submitted to the high court as well, he informed. The JJB is a three-member board. Two of the members are appointed by the state government and one is a principal magistrate appointed by the judiciary. The probe committee will investigate the conduct of government-appointed members only. Dr Narnaware refused to share details because of the strict provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. Pune Porsche crash: Police to recreate accident scene using digital technology There was a public uproar after when the juvenile justice board granted bail to the accused on lenient conditions such as writing an essay on the accident and working with the traffic police of Yerwada for 15 days. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home department, rushed to Pune and directed the police to take necessary action. The police action led to a new twist in the case when they found out the involvement of two doctors Dr Ajay Taware and Dr Shrihari Harnol from the Pune-based Sassoon Hospital who helped the accused by changing his blood samples by taking a bribe. This was the reason no trace of alcohol was found in the blood report of the accused. Dr Taware, who is heading the forensics department of the hospital and Dr Harnol, chief medical officer, have been arrested by the police for their roles in destroying the evidence. The Pune Porsche crash case has become a full-blown crisis for the Mahayuti government. In the backdrop of attempts to influence the probe, the opposition is trying to link the accused with the ruling party leaders by dragging names such as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and his party MLA Sunil Tingre. They pushed the government into a corner despite attempts by the deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to defend the government and make it clear that the guilty would face the consequences Ajit Pawar himself defended his side and tried to show that the probe has not been sabotaged which did not yield the desired results thus far. Porsche crash blood sample swap: Two Sassoon docs, staffer suspended; dean sent on leave Chief minister Eknath Shinde also tried to show how serious they are about the case by talking to the commissioner of police, Pune Amitesh Kumar on the phone and directing him to take the strictest action against the accused irrespective of their social status. After public outcry, the juvenile justice board on May 22 cancelled the minors bail and sent him to an observation home till June 5. The Pune City police arrested the bar owner and the bar manager who served liquor to the minor accused on the night of the accident. It also arrested the father of the minor accused in the Pune car accident case. Soon it was found that NCP MLA Sunil Tingre visited the Yerwada police station to allegedly influence the probe on behalf of the accused after the mishap. On Monday, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad posted a letter from Tingre in which he was found to have recommended the state medical education minister Hasan Mushrif to appoint Dr Ajay Taware as medical superintendent of the Sassoon Hospital. NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule demanded a five-year white paper on the performance of Sassoon Hospital, state Congress president Nana Patole sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter claiming that a son of an MLA was also involved in the case who was accompanying the accused on that fateful night of the accident. NAGPUR: A 32-year-old woman who ventured into the Devada jungle in the Tadoba-Andheri Tiger Reserve (TATR) to collect firewood was killed by a tiger on Tuesday, people aware of the matter said. She is the 12th person in the district to die due to tiger attacks this year. Moharlis range forest officer Santosh Thipe said Chandra Chikrams husband has been given ex-gratia assistance of 50,000 (FILE PHOTO) The incident took place in the Moharli forest range when Chandra Chikram (32) from Devada village in Chandrapur district went into the jungle to collect firewood. Moharlis range forest officer Santosh Thipe, who travelled to the location where the woman died, confirmed that the woman was killed in a tiger attack. Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Thipe said the womans husband has been given an ex-gratia assistance of 50,000 and villagers have been cautioned to stay away from the jungle. A group of village youth have been formed as the primary response team to monitor predator activity near the village. Camera traps have also been set up in the vicinity of the attack site to identify the tiger responsible for the fatal encounter. Forest officials said 22 fatalities were reported in 2023 due to predator attacks as compared to 53 casualties in 2022 of which 46 were attributed to tiger attacks and 7 to leopard attacks. Wildlife expert SSN Rao said there was an increase in the frequency of such man-animal conflicts and underlined that steps should be taken to minimise such unfortunate incidents in the future. TATR, one of the countrys oldest national parks, spanning 1,727 sq km, has garnered attention recently for its commendable efforts in big cat conservation, with over 30 tiger cubs born last year alone. Apart from being home to around 140 tigers, it also has wild dogs, leopards, sloth bears, bison, hyenas, and jungle cats. The tiger reserve was also in news recently over 150 tourists, drivers, and guides in 20 safari vehicles inadvertently cornered a tigress named Roma (T-114), prompting the authorities to suspend 10 wildlife guides and 10 safari vehicles. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also took a dim view of the incident. . MBABANE A 52-year-old Vietnamese businesswoman has been arrested for allegedly molesting her 6-year-old son. Nihanyu*, currently residing at Queens Gate, in Mbabane, is alleged to have fondled the minors private parts. The ordeal is said to have occurred in May 2023, and the veracity of the allegations is yet to be tested in court. The accused is currently staying with the alleged survivor. Nihanyu was formally charged for contravening the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act No.15 of 2018. She is alleged to have contravened Section 36 (1)(a) of the SODV Act by molesting her biological son and exposing the child to physical harm. Before the accused entered the court, she was accompanied by two women who had come to give her moral support. The accused then cried inordinately when another woman gave her a hug. Explained When appearing before Magistrate Innocent Motsa yesterday, her right to legal representation was explained to her by the Crown, and she elected to hire the services of an attorney. The accuseds counsel, identified as Masilela, informed the court that her client would plead not guilty to the charge when the trial commences. Masilela further told the court that her client had been in the country for over 20 years and in that regard, she was not a flight risk. The accused has businesses in the country. We, therefore, humbly apply that she be admitted to bail fixed at E1 000, taking into consideration that she is the one taking care of the said minor, Masilela said. The counsel further told the court that the accused would not interfere with the State witnesses, in the event she is admitted to bail. The accused is said to have been in custody since last Friday. As a result of the arrest, the minor is said to have missed school for two days. Education The childs right to education and his well-being is being interfered with. The accused also has no criminal record. May the court then grant the mother of the child bail, said the counsel. The Crown did not object to Masilelas plea. The accused was later granted bail fixed at E1 500, with conditions. The conditions include that she should not interfere with the witnesses, not commit a similar offence and stay with her friend, while the matter is still pending in court. She was further informed to submit her travel document to the police, while still waiting for the finalisation of the matter. Worth noting is that the accused was first presented before Magistrate Chazile Thwala late on Monday afternoon. During her appearance on Monday, the accuseds attorney told the court that her client suffered a minor stroke while in custody. She was taken back to custody before getting the opportunity to move a bail application. She was then remanded until August 8, 2024 for trial. *Not her real name to protect the minor. Noida, Five people, including a Chinese national, were arrested for allegedly duping people on the pretext of better investment opportunities, police said on Wednesday. HT Image The police received information regarding the bulk purchase of SIM cards, some of which were active in foreign countries and were being used to run social media accounts on different platforms, they said. "Five people, including a Chinese national, who were part of a group duping common people through social media platforms have been arrested," Deputy Commissioner of Police Vidya Sagar Mishra said. "A total of 21 mobile phones, 223 SIMs including 94 new SIM cards, two laptops, seven Aadhaar cards, etc have been seized from their possession," Mishra said. The accused were identified as Tenzin Kalsang, Krishna Murari, Tsering Dhondup, Shobhit Tiwari and Chinese national Zhu Junkai, he said. Junkai has a visa that is valid till August this year, he added. "The Chinese man worked as a facilitator for the fraud and was a link between other accused involved in the case," the DCP said. "He had been frequently travelling to Dubai, India and China, where he is a permanent resident," he said. ACP Shavya Goyal, who led the investigation in the case, said the accused used "mule accounts" for the transaction of the funds. "It's a recent modus operandi wherein thugs take bank accounts of some gullible people in exchange for some money for every transaction. These accounts are known as mule accounts," Goyal added. She said a single transaction of 51 lakh from one such mule account recently brought the group's activities under police radar, leading to their arrest. According to police, for every transaction done through mule accounts, the accused paid 3,000 for a savings account and 20,000 for a corporate account. The police said they are investigating the case further and checking the entire money trail in the case. An FIR has been lodged at the Expressway Police Station under Indian Penal Code sections 420 , 120B , 467 and 468 , the police added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Panaji: Days after a speeding bus killed four people sleeping in the roadside shanties and injured five others on Saturday, the survivors of the incident all construction labourers hailing from Bihar have demanded the arrest of their employer for setting them up in unsafe conditions and ignoring safety norms, people aware of the matter said. (Representative Photo) The labourers, who were working on a road project within Goas Verna Industrial Estate, were housed in huts made of corrugated metal set up right beside a road when a speeding bus crashed into three huts killing four and injuring five others late on Saturday night (May 25). The labourers have been living at the site for the past fourteen months and were engaged in constructing a stormwater drain by Kudroli Constructions Pvt Ltd. The labourers were residing in temporary huts for the last 14 months along the national highway which is itself illegal and in contravention of the law. We demand the immediate arrest of the owner of Kudroli Constructions Pvt Ltd, Olencio Simoes, who spoke on behalf of the workers, said. The bus was ferrying employees belonging to Rosenberger Interconnect Private Ltd, a telecommunications equipment manufacturing and supply company. None of the occupants of the bus were injured. Simoes stated that the workers were not registered with the labour department which itself violates the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 & Rules 1971. Following the incident, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant promised penal action against the company for safety norms violation. On Tuesday, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the death of four labourers. Deeply saddened over their death, who were from East Champaran district of Bihar and died in a road accident in Goa. Wishing speedy recovery of the injured persons, Kumar posted on X. Caste, family prestige and old political rivalry is what the battle is all about in Patliputra parliamentary constituency, where RJD chief Lalu Prasads eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti, 47, is making a third attempt to win the seat after two successive defeats at the hands of BJPs Ram Kripal Yadav, 66, a former loyalist of her father seeking a third straight term. Misa Bharti campaigns at Danapur on Wednesday. (HT PHOTO) Despite the high-pitched campaign from both sides on development, jobs and different takes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there are indications that caste would be the overriding factor in the constituency where Yadavs, along with other OBCs , upper caste Bhumihars, Brahmins and Muslims, form a sizeable vote bank. There is support for both sides. it will be a close fight, says Collector Rai, a resident of Maner, who does not have much to complain against the sitting MP, but claimed there is a wind of change blowing in the constituency. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Ram Kripal had defeated Misa Bharti by around 39,000 votes. To be sure, young voters are vocal about lack of jobs and migration. In some assembly segments, farm related woes are also a factor. I work at a dairy unit in Pune. I have no job here, so I had to go outside the state. There should be more factories and job opportunities so that youth like us do not have to migrate, says Sanjit, 20, at Maner, who has been home for a few months and would vote for the first time. Satyam from Naubatpur in Bikram assembly segment hope to join the Army as an Agniveer. Otherwise, where is any work here? he says. Like Sanjit, Satyam is also a first-time voter in the constituency, where the total number of voters is 20.80 lakh. At Alipore village in Paliganj assembly segment, about 35 km from Patna, Vijendra Yadav, a marginal farmer, rues how the Sone canal does not get much water during sowing season for rice or wheat for irrigation while farm produce returns are very low. Law and order is an issue too. We still remember those days when people used to fear venturing out even during the day and incidents of loot and murder were common. Now, it is peaceful. That is a big thing, says Mohammed Azad of Paliganj, which was once infamous for naxalite activity. The Patliputra parliamentary constituency, which has witnessed urbanisation as part of Greater Patna with an IIT (at Bihta) and an AIIMSup, was carved out of Patna Sahib seat after delimitation in 2008. RJD chief Lalu Prasad unsuccessfully fought for the seat in 2009, losing to friend-turned-foe Ranjan Yadav, who was then in JD(U). Recently, Ranjan joined the RJD, which could to consolidate Yadavs in favour of RJD. In 2014, Ram Kripal contested the LS polls from the seat on a BJP ticket after leaving RJD and defeated Misa Bharti. I am working for development . I am son of a poor family and I have not earned millions. The so-called social equations of INDIA bloc have all failed, Yadav recently told reporters. In her campaign, Misa has accused Yadav of ignoring development in the constituency for the last 10 years and not allowing any other Yadav leader to progress. There are area-specific issues in each of the assembly segments and we have a plan for each area, if elected as MP. We will work on roads, water supply, drainage and also on drawing investment. In last 10 years, the constituency has not witnessed any kind of development. One can see how roads have become dilapidated and people are complaining about poor water supply, she says. AIMIM has fielded one Mohammed Farooq Raja. We are not trying to eat into anybodys vote bank. Has RJD been winning Patliputra seat since it was carved out in 2008. Muslims are not anybodys captive vote bank, said Abdul Hassan, spokesperson of AIMIM. On Monday last, AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi held a rally at Paliganj, hours before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi canvassed for Misa in the same assembly segment. Patliputra votes on June 1. The Bihar government on Tuesday constituted a three-member team to visit Bhopal to study the scope of imparting medical education in Hindi, a health official said. Bihar government to explore imparting medical education in Hindi The team has been asked to submit its report by June 5, after a two-day visit to Bhopal, where it would meet officials concerned and explore the different aspects of imparting medical education in Hindi, said the order issued by Pratyaya Amrit, Bihars additional chief secretary, health, and seen by the Hindustan Times. Read: Medical education dept takes charge of medical superintendent appointments The team comprises Rajesh Kumar, human resources in-charge of the State Health Society, Bihar, Dr Mithilesh Pratap, academic dean of the Bihar Health Sciences Medical College, and Dr Devendra Prasad, head of the department of clinical pathology, Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH). The order, however, erroneously mentions the clinical pathology department of the PMCH as medical pathology. Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan has declared the Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 on May 29, 2024. Candidates who have appeared for the Rajasthan Board Class 10 examination can check the results through the official website of RBSE at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. RBSE 10th Result 2024 Live Updates Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 has been declared. Check pass percentage here. This year a total of 93.03 students have passed the Class 10 exam. Check marks on HT Portal A total of 10,60,751 students registered for the exam, of whom 10,39,895 appeared. The pass percentage of boys is 92.64 per cent and the pass percentage of girls is 93.46 per cent. The Class 10 board examination across the state was conducted from March 7 to March 30, 2024. The exam was held in single shift from 8.30 am to 11.45 pm. RBSE Class 10, or Madhyamik CWSN examination was conducted from March 7 to March 27, 2024, in a single shift- from 8.30 am to 12.45 pm. Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024: How to check All the candidates who have appeared for RBSE 10th board examination can check their marks by following the steps given below. Visit the official website of RBSE at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. Click on Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 link available on the home page. A new page will open where candidates will have to enter the login details. Click on submit and your result will be displayed. Check the results and download the page. Keep a hard copy of the same for further need. For more related details candidates can check the official website of RBSE. RBSE 10th Result 2024 Highlights: The Rajasthan board (RBSE) Class 10th result has been declared. The RBSE 10th result 2024 will be published on rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in, DigiLocker and the HT portal. Students can check it using roll numbers. RBSE 5th, 8th result live updates (results on May 30) ...Read More RBSE 10th Result 2024: Date and Time Date: May 29, 2024 Time: 5 pm Here are the steps to check marks on the HT Portal for candidates to easily follow and get their mark sheets. Check RBSE 10th result on HT portal Direct link to check RBSE 10th Result on official website How to check scores on the HT Portal Visit the official website of Hindustan Times Digital at hindustantimes.com. Go to the Education page and click on the board exam page. A new page will open where candidates will get the names of all boards. Click on Rajasthan Board and again on Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 A new page will open where candidates will have to enter the required details and submit Check the result displayed on the screen. Screenshot the page and keep a hard copy of it for further need. Rajasthan board 10th result 2024: How many students appeared for the RBSE 10th exam? This year, 10,62,342 students appeared in the RBSE 10th final exam. Students waiting for the Rajasthan board 10th result can register on the HT Portal by providing their information. After the result link is active, they will get alerts on their mobile phones. In the press conference for RBSE 10th result, the Rajasthan board will mention the overall pass percentage, district and gender-wise result, number of students, etc. Last year, 10,41,373 students appeared in the RBSE 10th exam and 9,42,360 passed. The pass percentage was 90.49. RBSE Rajasthan board 10th result live updates below The Board of Secondary Education (BSER), Rajasthan declared the RBSE 10th Result 2024 on May 29, 2024. Candidates who have appeared for the exam and wish to check their results may visit the official website at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. Along with the Class 10 results, officials also shared information on the overall pass percentage, gender-wise pass percentage and other information. (HT file) Along with the Class 10 results, officials also shared information on the overall pass percentage, gender-wise pass percentage and other information. Apart from the official websites, students can also register on HT Portal to check their results. RBSE Rajasthan 10th Result 2024 LIVE Updates RBSE Rajasthan 10th Result 2024: How to check on official website Visit the official website of RBSE at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. Click on the Main exam result 2024 link available on the home page. A new page will open where candidates will have to click on the Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 link. Enter the login details as asked and click on submit. Check the results and download the page. Keep a hard copy of the same for further need This year, 10,62,342 students appeared in the RBSE 10th final exam across the state. The RBSE Class 10, or Madhyamik CWSN examination, was conducted from March 7 to March 27, 2024, in a single shift- from 8.30 am to 12.45 pm. Candidates can also check their scores on the HT Portal by following the below-mentioned steps: Visit the official website of Hindustan Times Digital at hindustantimes.com. Go to the Education page and click on the board exam page. A new page will open where candidates will get the names of all boards. Click on Rajasthan Board and again on Rajasthan Board 10th Result 2024 A new page will open where candidates will have to enter the required details and submit Check the result displayed on the screen. Screenshot the page and keep a hard copy of it for further need. For more information, visit the official website. More than 100 students, including some teachers, fainted due to intense heatwave conditions during classes and assembly prayers at separate schools in different districts of the state, as the government schools reopened on May 16 after summer vacation. The matter has taken heavy political overtones. Bihar: Over 100 students faint due to heat; schools closed till June 8 Despite Governors direction to extend the vacation in view of reports of difficulties to students, teachers and parents, the government schools, which are mostly devoid of even badic facilities and dont even have adequate space to accommodate all the students enrolled, have been functioning, though the private schools are mostly closed. The reports of students and teachers fainting have come from Aurangabad, Motihari, Siwan, Sheohar, Patna, Begusarai, Munger, Jamui, Banka--on Wednesday. The incidents have sparked widespread concern and criticism of the state governments handling of the crisis. The temperature in most of the cities of Bihar has crossed 45 degrees while it has reached 48 degrees Celsius in the Aurangabad district. According to IMD bulleitin, 17 out of 38 districts reported above 40 degrees celsius temperature. "Severe heatwave condition is expected to prevail in south Bihar including Gaya, Buxar, Nawada, Rohtas and Aurangabad today and tomorrow. 'Orange' alert is issued in these districts. From Friday, there will be some relief as the temperature will slightly dip but humidity will remain high," said IMD scientist Ashish Kumar to ANI on heatwave conditions. Keeping the life safe safe should be the first concern. The schools run for the students and the teachers are the main component. The s schools should not be used by officers to prepare their report card. In the extreme heat wave, this is impractical, said former MP and teachers association president Shatrughan Prasad Singh. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav lambasted the government, saying, "There is no government and democracy in Bihar but only bureaucracy. The CM is so weak that no one listens to him, even regarding the school timings. The temperature is 47 degrees, there is heatwave, but the officers are issuing orders from their air-conditioned chambers, sparing not even little children. The infrastructure of schools in Bihar is not hidden from anyone... But, there is nothing in the CM's hands." LJP-R chief Chirag Paswan also drew the attention of the CM and the government towards the torture of students in extreme heat wave. The students are fainting but the officers seem unconcerned, issuing arbitrary orders. This is nothing less than torture and the government should immediately close schools and the officer should be made to listen, he added. Reports from Sheikhpura said as many as 12 students of separate schools fainted due to the heatwave at High school located at Mankol village under Ariari block. As school started, seven of the girl students in the school fell unconscious during morning prayer. Two students have been taken to Sadar Hospital and are in serious condition. "The students fainted when the assembly prayers were going on, due to extreme heat. We tried to provide first aid. Students are facing a lot of difficulties due to rising temperature," said Suresh Prasad, headmaster of Middle School "The students admitted here are stable now," said Dr Rajnikanth Kumar of the Sadar Hospital, adding that students should always be hydrated in this extreme weather condition and avoid moving out. In Patna rural areas, the health of six female students deteriorated in the Kurmichak middle school of Ghoswari block. The treatment of one of the students is going on. Dr Nawal Kishore Baitha of Ghoswari primary health centre said that remaining students were released after treatment. In Begusarai also, more than 41 students of Matihani middle school, AN High school (Matihani), Vivekanand Public school (Balia), Higher secondary school (Mohanpur) suddenly fainted. In the unconscious state, the students were picked up from the place and admitted to Matihani PHC and referral hospital for treatment where all the students are undergoing treatment. "Due to heatwave students were fell ill and all the students out of danger," said Begusarai DM Raushan Kushwaha, adding that he directed all BEOs to arrange firs aid kit in the school premises. Hearing about the incident, the parents of the children reached the school and pleaded with the school authorities to close the institutions. In Bihar, poor infrastructure I. Schools has been highlighted in various reports, including the annual status of education report. Many schools dont have functional fans or ventilated rooms. Even if the classes register half attendance, they are crammed for space. Imagine what would happen if there is pre-fab structure used for classrooms. We had heard about plan to build pre-fab structure in view of shortage of space. That would turn fatal, as the classrooms have already become gas chambers. Officers sit in air-conditioned rooms and cars, not teachers and children of the poor, said a teacher who did not want to be quoted. Some of the students in Aurangabad demanded that air-condition be installed in the classrooms as copies and books are usually used as hand fans in this heat. The fan cannot cover the entire entire class even if electricity is there, they added. The children demanded the government install AC. Fans are running in the classrooms of the school but the children are not able to study and are seen using books and copies as fans. The children are demanding from KK Pathak that it is not possible to study in such heat, so either install AC or close the school. Days after Israel's attack on Rafah, several A-list Bollywood celebrities have come out to show their solidarity with Palestine. These include Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan among others. (Also Read: Mahira Khan and more Pakistani celebrities show solidarity with Palestine after Israel's attack on Rafah) Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor show solidarity with Palestine What Alia posted Alia took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday and re-shared a post by @themotherhoodhome which read, All children deserve love. All children deserve safety. All children deserve peace. All children deserve life. And all mothers deserve to be able to give their children those things (red heart doodle). Alia wrote in the caption, #AllEyesOnRafah. Alia and her actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor gave birth to daughter Raha Kapoor in November 2022. Alia's sister-in-law Kareena Kapoor also took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to re-share a post by the official Instagram handle of UNICEF, which Executive Director Catherine Russell condemning the killing of children and families in Rafah, calling the act unconscionable. Actor Varun Dhawan also took to his Instagram stories to share the All Eyes on Rafah image doing the rounds on social media in protest of Israel's latest attack. Other actors who joined them in solidarity included Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Samantha Prabhu, Dia Mirza, and Swara Bhasker. Israel-Palestine conflict Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians. Israel's assault on Rafah, launched May 6, spurred more than 1 million people to flee the city, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees said Tuesday. Most were already displaced multiple times in the nearly eight-month war between Israel and Hamas. Families are now scattered across makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas. A spokesperson for the World Health Organisation said the casualties from Sundays strike and fire absolutely overwhelmed field hospitals in the area, which were already running short on supplies to treat severe burns. The United States and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city, with the Joe Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. The Ambani family is preparing to host yet another pre-wedding celebration for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant between May 29 and June 1. On Wednesday, a host of Bollywood celebs were spotted at Mumbai airport as they made their way to Italy for the cruise festivities. Also read | Radhika Merchant leaves for her pre-wedding European cruise party with celebs: Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, Dhoni Kareena Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan and Ananya Pandey spotted at Mumbai airport on Wednesday. (Pics: Varinder Chawla) Among them were Kareena Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Pandey, Karan Johar, Disha Patani and Karisma Kapoor. Celebs at Mumbai airport A couple of days after the first batch of celebrity guests Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and others were spotted at Mumbai's private airport as they jetted off to Italy for the Ambani pre-wedding cruise, more celebs are on their way to attend the grand celebrations. Actors Kareena Kapoor and Ananya Pandey were spotted in casual blue denim airport looks as they arrived solo to catch their flights. Actor Sara Ali Khan made her way inside the airport gate with her brother Ibrahim. Karisma Kapoor and filmmaker Karan Johar bumped into each other at the airport gate and posed together for paparazzi. They both sported black outfits. Actor Disha Patani also flew out of Mumbai in the morning for the Ambani celebrations. As did Janhvi Kapoor; she was joined by father Boney Kapoor. Anant and Radhika's 2nd pre-wedding bash Following their lavish three-day celebration in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in early March, which reportedly cost a whopping 1259 crore, the couple is gearing up for a luxurious cruise. Between May 28 and June 1, around 800 guests will be treated to a series of parties and events aboard a luxury cruise liner during a picturesque journey from Italy to the South of France, spanning 4,380 kilometres. Orry has been sharing photos from the trip on Instagram Stories. The itinerary And in true Ambani style, the itinerary is full of opulent festivities. On May 29, the celebration will kick off with a welcome lunch, followed by a 'Starry Night'- themed evening gala. On May 30, the guests will land in Rome for a touristy day out, followed by a dinner party and an after-party that begins at 1 a.m. On May 31, after a morning of festivities on the cruise, the guests will land in Cannes for a masquerade bash. The festivities will end on June 1 in Portofino, Italy. Orhan Awatramani (Orry) has been sharing pictures from the cruise and all the pit stops that the wedding party is making in Italy. MBABANE Civil servants cannot be penalised or discriminated against on the basis of their political affiliation. This was said by TUCOSWA Secretary General (SG) Mduduzi Gina, following the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Simanga Mambas comments that they would deal with government employees who are pushing a political agenda. TUCOSWA is an acronym for Trade Union Congress of Swaziland. Unfair Gina said this was unfair and could result in serious unfair labour practices on the part of government, to penalise workers merely on the basis of their political affiliation. According to Gina, by nature, civil servants worked for the political system. The SG wondered why civil servants were to be disciplined just because they believed in a different administration of the State. He made an example of teachers, saying they taught learners about the countrys political system. He said these teachers even went beyond the call of duty to promote the system. Gina said government needed to respect the fact that the issue of freedom of association was a fundamental right that was enshrined in the Bill of Rights, which is in the Constitution. The SG said the Bill of Rights had not excluded anyone from exercising that right. Gina said he disagreed with the fact that workers could be punished on the basis of their political alliance and not work performance, as such would be against the Constitution. Such, he said would be against a number of conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), specifically Convention 87. According to the convention, parties to the convention are obliged to ensure the right of both employers and employees to join an organisation of their choice and free from any influence of authorities, which belongs to the core principles. Discriminated Workers cannot be discriminated in any manner whatsoever on the basis of their political affiliation, Gina said. The SG said workers could only be judged on the basis of their failure to perform, irrespective of whatever reason. Meanwhile, Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) SG, Lot Vilakati, said for now, their name had not been singled out, hence they would not delve much into the issue. Vilakati said should the CSC chair mention the name teacher, they would get closer to him. He said CSC and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) were recruiting agents of the Ministry of Public Service. Vilakati said the ministry was the employer and not the recruiting agent, hence they could never be above the former. It is the ministry that can address us and not the recruiting agents. Vilakati said civil servants could not divorce politics as it was part of them, adding that once employed, they dealt with trade union politics. He said Mamba should explain the politics he was talking about. Last year, they were encouraging people to participate in politics of the country. Vilakati said they would only comment on trade union politics and not any other. Actor Kareena Kapoor graced an event hosted by the high-end luxury brand Bvlgari. Styled by Rhea Kapoor, she exuded Hollywood glamour in a shimmering off-shoulder dress. Kareena, who was delighted to participate, shared stunning pictures from the event on her Instagram. (Also Read: Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Varun Dhawan extend support to Palestine after Israel's attack on Rafah) Kareena Kapoor looked gorgeous at a recent event for Bvlgari. Kareena at Bvlgari event Kareena attended the launch of Bvlgari Allergra, their new perfume range. Sharing pictures taken at the event, she wrote on Instagram, Delighted to be a part of @bvlgari as a friend of the brand for the iconic launch of the high-end #BvlgariAllegra and #LeGemme. Thank you @bvlgari for an incredibly indulging sensorial afternoon. Lets toast to their high-end collection launch! One picture shows Kareena standing against a wall of flowers with the Bvlgari sign in the background. A few others show her showing off couture by Vivienne Westwood and glowy makeup done by Savleen Kaur Manchanda. One of the pictures shows her posing with the brands team, apart from cutting a ribbon to launch the collection. Kareena looked so stunning that fans flooded her comments section with heart emojis. Queen, wrote one fan, while another simply wrote, Gorgeous. One fan thought she looked like her character from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, writing, Shes still giving Poo vibes. Another wrote, Disney needs to cast tou as a Princess asap so that you can be ur natural self. Kareena heads to Ambani gala Numerous Bollywood celebs were spotted at the Mumbai airport earlier on Wednesday, flying to Italy for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's second pre-wedding bash. Kareena was also spotted heading to Italy to participate in the cruise that will sail across Italy and France. The festivities will take place between May 29 and June 1. Sara Ali Khan, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Pandey, Karan Johar, Disha Patani and Karisma Kapoor were also spotted heading for the event. The 'All Eyes On Rafah' social media campaign gained momentum after an Israeli airstrike triggered a fire, killing dozens of Palestinians in a camp in Rafah on Sunday. Among the Bollywood celebs that amplified the viral 'All Eyes On Rafah' post in support of Palestine was Madhuri Dixit. However, she soon deleted her Instagram Stories and was criticised by a section of social media users for the same. Also read: Pooja Bhatt reacts as Boycott Bollywood trends again after stars extend support to Palestine Madhuri Dixit was lowkey trending on X for deleting her 'All Eyes On Rafah' post. Reactions to Madhuri's now-deleted post Taking to the comments section of an Instagram Reels the actor shared of herself in a pink lehenga on Monday, a person wrote on Wednesday, "Posting and deleting because of what some people think is even more pathetic. Very disappointed." Another wrote, "Ma'am you deleted post after facing backlash..." Sharing a screenshot of Madhuri's deleted Instagram Stories on X, someone tweeted, Madhuri Dixit too deleted her propaganda story. Fans commented on Madhuri Dixit's recent Instagram video. What is 'All Eyes On Rafah'? Israeli strikes that killed over 40 Palestinians, including many children, in Gaza's Rafah and have drawn condemnation from many countries and human rights organisations. As visuals of bodies and Palestinians with severe injuries emerged on social media, an image with text 'All Eyes on Rafah' started trending. The social media campaign aims to draw attention to the southern city of the Gaza Strip, where people have been forced to live in cramped camps with no humanitarian aid. The image shows tents at a camp arranged to form 'All Eyes on Rafah', urging people not to turn a blind eye to the situation in Rafah, where over a million people are seeking refuge after fleeing Israeli strikes. Celebs who shared 'All Eyes On Rafah' post Among the Indian celebrities who posted the 'All Eyes On Rafah' photo on Instagram, and did not delete it, were Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha, Dia Mirza, Dulquer Salmaan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ileana D'Cruz and Nora Fatehi, among others. Actor Vijay Varma called out Pune-based Film and Television Institute of Indias (FTII) former chairman, Gajendra Chauhan, for claiming hes proud of filmmaker Payal Kapadia after her Cannes win for her film All We Imagine As Light. He took to his Instagram stories to share a post about a recent comment Gajendra made on Payal. (Also Read: Ali Fazal slams FTII for celebrating Payal Kapadia's Grand Prix win at Cannes Film Festival: Just dont') Vijay Varma hit back at Gajendra Chauhan for not supporting Payal Kapadia while she was at FTII.(Instagram/Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP/PTI) Vijay Varma calls out Gajendra Chauhan Vijay shared a post on his Instagram stories in which Gajendra claims he was proud to be the chairman at FTII when Payal was studying there. It was a statement he had given to PTI. He told them, Congratulations to her and I feel proud that I was the chairman at the time when she was doing the course there. Vijay shared a meme that reads, Karwali bezzati? (Got insulted?), adding, Sir ye chup rehne ka time tha (Sir this was the time to stay silent), with a giggle emoji. Since Payal won the Le Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for her film, people have called out FTII for claiming her as an alumnus. A screen grab of Vijay Varma's Instagram stories. Payal at FTII In 2015, Payal was one of the students who took part in a protest after Gajendras appointment as FTII chairman. She stopped going to classes in protest and had her scholarship taken away. Later, when her short film Afternoon Clouds made it to Cannes, FTII changed its mind and supported her. Gajendra told PTI, That protest was not against me, it was against the director and the administration. This year, she made history when her film, All We Imagine As Light, won the much-coveted award. This was the first time in 30 years that an Indian movie had competed at the festivals main competition. Payal and her actors Chhaya Kadam, Divya Prabha, and Kani Kusruti attended Cannes. Gajendra on Payal Talking to Times Now, Gajendra claimed he was proud of Payal for her achievements. He also claimed that there was a vast difference between talent and discipline. He told them, I would just like to say, we are all very proud of her. Id like to congratulate her for her achievement. There is a vast difference between being talented and being disciplined. Talent is all very fine but being disciplined is also very important. He also added that he was proud of what (he) achieved at FTII. In the last few months, there have been rumours of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopezs relationship hitting a rough patch. Now, Jennifer Garner has given her comment on the matter, as per a new report by People. The source quoting Jennifer Garner said that she "wants the best for" ex-husband Affleck. (Also read: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck figuring out tension in their marriage: Report) Jennifer Lopez has reacted to the split rumours involving Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. What the report added As per the source, Jennifer has added, She wants him happy and healthy so he can be the best dad possible. The source also added, "(She) likes that (Jennifer Lopez) lives a healthy lifestyle and supports Bens sobriety. Jen wants that for Ben." Garner's comments arrive at a point where there is widespread speculation that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are heading towards divorce. More details Jennifer Garner was married to Ben from 2005 to 2018, and shares three kids together: Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12. Ben was spotted recently as he arrived at his daughter Violet's graduation ceremony on Monday. On the other hand, Lopez walked the red carpet of her Netflix movie Atlas alone. Last week, while in Mexico, Lopez was seen scolding a reporter, saying, You know better than that, when repeatedly asked about her relationship status. Ben was seen without his wedding ring, which added to the chatter. Meanwhile, at the Met Gala earlier this month, Lopez was seen by herself. Her interaction with a reporter that evening also attracted a lot of stir on social media, where she was called out for being rude and showing an unwarranted attitude. Jennifer and Ben first got together in 2002 after filming Gigli as co-stars. Thereafter, they were engaged for some time but broke up two years later in 2004. The two rekindled their romance 20 years later as they again got engaged, and then got married in July 2022 in a Las Vegas wedding ceremony. By Miguel Gutierrez Spanish fan shows off his Taylor Swift 'sanctuary' before Madrid gig MADRID - Roberto Santos, 55, stands out among other "Swifties" for his decades-long devotion to American pop icon Taylor Swift and a plethora of gifts the Spaniard has received from her team in recognition of that - enough to fill up an apartment room he calls a sanctuary. As Swift, 34, was preparing to play her Eras Tour gigs in Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday, Santos, who runs a dental prosthetics lab in Spain's capital, solemnly displayed the items, including Swift's limited-edition platinum disk award, signed photos, recordings, and sneakers bearing both their names. "Sometimes I wake up at night, turn on the light and look a little, and say to myself: 'What are you doing?'... I just look, it gives me calm, and I go back to sleep," Santos said in an interview. "For me she means everything; I've been following her since before 2011... I had the gut feeling that she was going to be big. If I had the same intuition with the lottery, I'd be rich," Santos said. He said going to see her perform in Dublin in 2018 made him the only person to have travelled twice from Spain for a Swift show. Her management team then added Santos and his wife Inmaculada to an exclusive fan list, and sent them gifts and invitations, including an all-paid trip to Los Angeles last year, Santos said. "If I was 18 or 20, I imagine I could go a bit crazy... but now everything feels more mature and calm," said Santos, who has Swift-themed tattoos on his arms and ankle. He has yet to meet her in person. A planned meeting in Oslo was cancelled due to the pandemic. Santos is particularly thankful to Swift and her team for thinking about older fans, and for "the values she has transmitted" through her art. Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour has boosted local economies. In Madrid, hotel occupancy rates have climbed to 90% on average for the concert dates. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Murdered General Hospital actor Johnny Wactors former fiance has blasted his killers, breaking down after his death. In an Instagram video, a distressed Tessa Farrell said the killers shot the wrong guy. Johnny Wactors ex-fiance Tessa Farrell breaks down in tears after his murder (tessafarrellxo/Instagram, Scott Kirkland/ABC via AP) If the person who did this, if youre watching, Im sorry, but you shot the wrong guy, Farrell said in a video posted to Instagram. You can get a real job. I know the job markets hard but were all in it together. You dont have to steal especially take a life over it. Farrell went on to make an emotional plea, demanding that changes be made as a community regarding the rising crime spree. These criminals cant keep being on the street and they cant keep being sent back and have no repercussions for their actions, Farrell said. Its not ok, this cant keep happening. So many lives are being lost, just us not being smart we have to be smarter as a community. Wactor was shot dead while protecting a female co-worker during an armed robbery. The robbers reportedly shot the 37-year-old star dead for his cars catalytic converter. In the video, Farrell sent her condolences to the co-worker who saw Wactors murder. I am so sorry youre in this situation, Farrell said. I cant even imagine what its like to have been the one right there. You must be so scared and so sad. But if you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. Farrell captioned the video, Please vote YES/NO in this poll Do you want better laws to reduce the escalating crime and theft rates in California? She added, If you have ANY info on the criminals responsible for his death please contact the LAPD at 877-275-5273 or their anonymous tip hotline at 877-527-3247. If youd like to donate to help Johnnys family with his memorial, please do so here:https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-johnny-family-support. Johnny Wactor and Tessa Farrells relationship Wactor and Farrell met in 2013, and dated for several years. They eventually got engaged, but ultimately had to let each other go romantically, Farrell said. It was rushed. We were too young and kids and healing but Im just so proud of the man hes become and its so sad that crime in LA had to do this, Farrell said. Its so sad that, you know, that this is how he had to get taken from us because he cared so much about doing the right thing and earning things. He taught me that, she added. Farrell further said that after they broke up, Wactor found sobriety. She even helped him decide to attend AA meetings after that. It was a historic night for India at the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light clinched the Grand Prix, the second-most prestigious prize of the festival. A somber, gentle drama about two nurses in the city of Mumbai, the film wowed Cannes after the World Premiere where it earned an 8-minute long standing ovation. (Also read: Indian cinema had a watershed moment at Cannes Film Festival 2024. Is the industry watching?) Payal Kapadia, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Kani Kusruti during the photo call following the awards ceremony at the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP/PTI)(AP05_26_2024_000234A)(AP) In this exclusive interview, Hindustan Times caught up with lead actor Kani Kusruti, who plays Nurse Prabha in the film, fresh after the historic win at Cannes. The actor, who returned to India and landed straight on a shoot, gushed about her experience at the festival- from dancing on the red carpet with her co-stars Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam; to watching the film for the first time at the premiere itself. (Excerpts) Massive congratulations to you on the win for All We Imagine As Light. The last few days must have been a whirlwind; with all the press, screening and then the win! Has the feeling sunk in yet? (smiles) Yeah! Yes! Finally it did! I think when they called Payal [Kapadia] on stage itself I think when we got selected in the category is when it took a lot of time to exactly believe it, but I think then it kind of prepared us for a month of probabilities or the possibilities! So, when they first told that the film would compete for the Palme d'Or was that took some time to believe! But I think Payal really deserved the win, so I think I was really happy. Hence, I think I could take in that thought immediately! (smiles) You had mentioned earlier that the cast will watch the film at the premiere itself. Tell me about that experience, when you watched the film for the first time with everyone. Ideally, I wanted to watch the film before so that I can take in the response of the people more than me getting to watch it for the first time. It still was very amazing because I, as an actor, hadn't had such an opportunity before. I generally don't go for screenings. Only once for a Malayalam film has it happened to me. Otherwise I am either always watching it on my own alone, and I don't really go in public to watch it with them. So, for me it was very rare. I liked it in terms of how the audiences were quiet and gently receiving it. After the film, every tiny thing that was happening in the theatre I could feel it. That was really nice, but to me, it was also a discovery. I was like, Oh, this is how it was edited! Oh, this has come here! When you read a script and then you shoot you have an idea. Then after the grading and the sound, you get what has happened. There were surprises, there were places where I was like, No! That cant be cut!' So yeah, it was a mix of all those feelings. Did you get time to explore the other films at Cannes? Unfortunately, we didn't have any time. I wanted to watch [Paolo] Sorrentino (whose film Parthenope was in Cannes), [Yorgos] Lanthimos (whose film Kinds of Kindness played in the same section) they are my favourite directors. Everything happened so quickly. We had a photo call, and interviews. We had to get ready, and I don't want to go like that to watch a film. Anyway, I was already coming from a shoot so I was very tired. I had started shooting for a Malayalam web series since last month and they had to give me time to attend Cannes, and I was still shooting on the day I left! So, I was quite tired in that way and I knew I could not do too much or else I would be even more tired when I come back. So I took it as light as possible. But you must have got a chance to meet some filmmakers or actors who attended the festival Yeah, my problem is that I am very bad at recognising names and faces! I don't even know who I met and who talked to me I have no idea! (laughs) That is the truth! Except some actors who I knew or if someone like Sorrentino if I met I would have known! But otherwise, I don't think I would have recognized anyone! I am very bad at it! (laughs) Most of my crew, they all knew! They were like, That director came! That actor is here! I was so bad at this and I was like, Who? Oh, I didn't know. I am bad at this. (smiles) We also saw you all dancing on the red carpet at the premiere of the film. Even the playlist was so much fun! We did not make a playlist! Payal gave one song that we have in the film, this old Hindi song. So, we can choose one song while we walk on the red carpet. So we knew that. The festival only played some other Hindi songs, and we were so happy and excited that we started moving with the music. We just ended up dancing. So the dance was all impromptu? Yes, completely impromptu! We had no idea! (laughs) It was fun! We were happy and we were taking it very light. We were really happy to be there, in that particular moment. In the film also there is this same song where the other two actors are dancing, so we anyway used to dance when the song used to play while we were shooting it. So naturally we ended up dancing there at Cannes! (smiles) What an incredible year you are having! There was Killer Soup, Poacher, and also the film at Sundance, Girls Will Be Girls. With All We Imagine As Light and Girls Will Be Girls, you are also part of these projects made by female filmmakers, and I was wondering whether you have any reflection on these features, and now that they have been recognized at a global stage? Killer Soup and Poacher were also great experiences. Abhishek Chaubey and Richie Mehta were wonderful directors to work with. Even the actors were excellent with whom I got to work with it was such a great opportunity. Working with Payal and Suchi [Talati] were some of the best experiences that have happened to me actually. Both of these directors are extremely kind and generous and democratic. But in their own unique way. They both are extremely different in the way they direct but both felt ideal in a way. I kept thinking there are so many ideal ways, not just one. I was so happy to discover that feeling. For Girls Will Be Girls the number of females in the crew was very high. So, the DoP, the focus puller all were run by women. Which was such a great experience. No shouting, nothing. It was all quiet, happy and there was an amazing feeling in that space. Payal's film had, on the other hand, had such a wonderful sense of collaboration; where everyone was just focused on the craft and working together. That was also really amazing to see, honestly. Girls Will Be Girls happened first. I was about to start it when I auditioned for Payal. Till the time Girls Will Be Girls finished, after a few months, All We Imagine As Light started. Both were such amazing experiences. Even after decades in the film industry, Mammootty is pushing the envelope when it comes to original stories. The actor opened up in a new interview with Khalid Al Ameri, a United Arab Emirates-based YouTuber, about whether he ever wants to quit acting, thinking that he has done enough. He said that quitting will be his last breath and how he does not expect everyone to remember him. (Also read: Turbo movie review: Weak, jaded script hampers this Mammootty ride) Mammootty is a leading Malayalam actor celebrated for his excellent performances. What Mammootty said The snippet from the interview has surfaced on X and in it, Mammootty shares his thoughts on whether he wants to quit acting. He said, No. I dont feel exhausted. It (quitting) will be my last breath. When he was asked how he wants the world to remember him, he replied, But how long will they remember me? One year? Ten years? Fifteen years? Finished. Dont expect people to remember you till the end of the world. That wont happen to anybody. Great people are remembered very, very, very less. Only very few people are remembered. I am one among thousands of actors. How can they remember me for more than a year? Theres no hope for that. Once you are not in the world, how will you know about you? Everybody thinks that they are going to be remembered till the end of the world. No. More details Mammootty has been part of a number of exciting films recently, including Kathaal: The Core, Bramayugam, and last week's Turbo. In Jeo Baby's Kaathal - The Core, the Malayalam superstar received universal acclaim for his performance as a queer character going through an ordeal. Mammootty has acted in over 400 films, and won three National Film Awards for Best Actor. Adiyozhukkukal, Mathilukal, Aavanazhi, Valsalyam, Ponthan Mada, and The King among many others are some of Mammoottys best films. Actors Chiranjeevi and Ajith Kumar had a delightful reunion in Hyderabad while shooting for their respective films, Vishwambhara and Good Bad Ugly. The meeting was filled with shared memories, which Chiranjeevi later shared on Instagram through pictures. (Also Read: Chiranjeevi says Teja Sajja fulfilled his dream by starring in HanuMan) Chiranjeevi and Ajith Kumar met each other in Hyderabad. I was so delighted In the pictures shared by Chiranjeevi, he is dressed in a dark shirt paired with a t-shirt and a gold chain his look for the upcoming film. Ajith is dressed in his trademark style of a shirt and chinos. Had a surprise Star guest on the sets of #Vishwambhara last evening. The very affectionate Ajit Kumar whos shooting next doors visited & we spent some great time chatting up and fondly recollecting the time of his debut film Prema Pustakam whose music launch was done by me, wrote Chiranjeevi. He also shared how they reminisced when Ajiths wife Shalini played a child actor in Chiranjeevis 1990 hit film Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, which starred Sridevi. He wrote, And whats more,his better half, Shalini acted as one of the endearing kids in my film Jagadekaveerudu Atilokasundari. Clearly there were memories galore to cherish. I was so delighted at the peaks of stardom Ajit has attained over the years and yet how he remained a beautiful soul at heart! Ajith rides after work Ajith is an avid biker, often taking long rides on his bike with fellow two-wheeler enthusiasts. He was recently spotted by fans taking a ride back to his hotel room after shooting at Ramoji Film City. Dressed in full biking gear, complete with a jacket and helmet, Ajith could be seen riding through Hyderabad traffic even as the fan who spotted him continued taking his video until he reached the hotel. Fans were thrilled to see the actor riding to work and back while in Hyderabad also. Upcoming work Chiranjeevi is shooting for Mallidi Vassishtas Vishwambhara with Trisha Krishnan, Meenakshi Chaudhary and Ashika Ranganath. The film will be released for Sankranthi next year on January 10. Ajith is shooting for Adhik Ravichandrans Good Bad Ugly in Hyderabad. He has wrapped up shooting for Magizh Thirumenis Vidaa Muyarchi, which also stars Trisha. The release date for both films are yet to be announced. After the unexpected pause in shooting for Vanderpump Rules Season 12 due to the 'Scandoval' incident, the cast was taken by surprise with a sudden episode twist that aired on Tuesday. In the wake of the brutal Season 11 reunion and Ariana Madixs sharp remarks aimed at co-stars Tom Sandoval and Lala Kent, fans speculate whether this heated confrontation signals the possible end of Madix's time on the show as a Vanderpump OG. Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval during Vanderpump Rules Season 11 Reunion.(Bravo) Vanderpump Rules 11 reunion The Bravo stars were surprised when the producers chose to withhold the final few minutes of the finale, allowing the cast to watch it together and witness their real-time reactions to the dramatic San Francisco scene. Typically, episodes are shared with the stars beforehand, but this unexpected twist caught everyone off guard. The reunion included Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Lala Kent, and other cast members. The internet erupted after Madix was seen shedding tears in response to the scathing comments directed towards her by Tom Sandoval, and Lala Kent who claimed she failed to fulfill her responsibilities. Also read: Netflix mocked for trying to profit off highly popular K-drama after ignoring it when released Ariana Madix on moving on from Scandoval The co-stars were seen accusing Madix of "selectively filming scenes and being dishonest on camera. After host Andy Cohen asked her about her ability to have a normal relationship with Sandoval, she said, "No, I don't feel comfortable with it. Addressing all moving on remarks by fans she said, The only way I was ever going to get anywhere is to fully process and let myself feel it. Last summer was really difficult. And I felt like -- as much as people were coming from a place of care, I felt like I was being pushed to be further along than I was ready for. For the unversed, Vanderpump Rules Season 11 featured the infamous Scandoval incident, where Tom Sandoval was revealed to have cheated on his girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix. What made the situation worse was that the person he cheated with was none other than her best friend, Raquel Leviss. Also read: Jennifer Lopezs Vegas dream teeters: $90M residency at risk, Ben Affleck MIA, ticket sales slump Ariana Madix fires back "I just want you away from me," Madix was heard telling Sandoval during the May 28th episode. "I just want you gone and I don't want to be in a position where I'm being forced..." She continued. Following a row of heated exchanges between them, Sandoval tried apologising for his past deeds again only to get a fiery response from his ex-partner. "You also brought a f--king person into both or our lives in a very f--ked up way," she continued lashing out, and this b---h has to f--king talk about me all the time. And you did that. You did that! And I just want to be away from you. Referring to their legal feud over a co-owned home, Madix claimed, We'll figure everything out. We have our lawyers, don't worry about it. I understand. Also read: Michael Cohen plans to run for Congress, spill Trump secrets in new book after Hush Money verdict Meanwhile reacting to Lala Kents remark which she never expected, the Bravo star in tears spoke her heart out. "It hurts my feelings a lot," she said, "It really does because I was trying so hard and then I feel like it's our job to live our lives and I'm living authentically by walking away from that. I could have done it for the show, but I don't think our show thrives when things aren't fully real and that would not have been real on my part." NGABEZWENI - His Majesty King Mswati III yesterday shared memories he had with the then Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, during his visit to the country. The King shared these memories when dispersing the regiment in the presence of Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini at Ngabezweni Royal Residence. Worth noting is that the weeding and harvesting of royal fields form part of the Eswatini culture. The King disperses the warriors in honour of their good work, after the completion of the royal assignment. Participate The King said the then Zulu King used to participate in Eswatini cultural activities during his lifetime. He said the then Zulu King used to attend Butimba, which he described as a process where emaSwati reduced overpopulated wildlife in the game parks. The King said the then Zulu King continued the long-lasting relationship, which was started by King Somhlolo and the founder of the Zulu Nation, King Shaka Zulu. Worth noting is that Shaka was the most feared King during the Mfecane wars, which took place during the formation of the African nations, including the Zulu and Eswatini nations. However, Shaka became harmless to Eswatini after King Somhlolo fostered the relationship which has lasted until now. The Monarch shared the history after having commended the warriors for their continued commitment to upholding culture, which was demonstrated by their participation in the harvesting of the royal fields. He said culture was vast, therefore, no one could claim to know better than the other. The King said culture encouraged cooperation. He said it was through cooperation that Eswatini could have sufficient food and surplus for sale. I have been told that pupils were here in numbers before schools reopened for the second term. It is pleasing to see the participation of young people in what we inherited from our forefathers, the King said. The King also commended the warriors for being faithful and loyal to culture, despite the cold. He encouraged continued cooperation, as warriors would be harvesting the remaining royal fields in the regions and royal kraals across the country. Three days before the single-phase Lok Sabha polls in Punjab the state has 13 parliamentary seats AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that his party's alliance with the Congress is not permanent. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. (PTI) The AAP is not in a permanent marriage with the Congress, Kejriwal told India Today in an exclusive interview, adding that for now, the arch-rivals aim to defeat the ruling BJP, and end the current regime's dictatorship and goondagardi." It is important to save the country. The AAP and Congress came together wherever an alliance was needed to defeat the BJP by putting up a joint candidate. The BJP has no existence in Punjab, the Delhi chief minister stated. As members of the wider INDIA bloc, both parties contested together in Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Goa, and Gujarat. In Punjab, however, where the AAP ousted the Congress from power in March 2020, local units of the two parties had strongly opposed any potential union in the state. In the previous 2019 national elections, the Congress won eight Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, while two each were bagged by then allies BJP and Akali Dal. From the AAP, on the other hand, only one candidate was victorious. Saturday's polling will mark the seventh and last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, and will be held on as many as 57 parliamentary segments. In the first six phases, voting was conducted on April 19, 26, May 7, 13, 20, and 25. The BJP is seeking its third straight term at the Centre, and a third consecutive single-party majority. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, is looking for a hattrick of terms in the country's top office. Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, is out on interim bail in the Delhi excise policy case. Arrested on March 21, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 to campaign for the elections. He has to surrender on June 2, two days ahead of the counting of votes. Three more days before the polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha election comes to an end in this gruelling summer. The seventh and final phase would be crucial for parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Janata Dal-United (JDU), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in New Delhi. (ANI Photo) Both NDA and the INDIA camp leaders, however, have not waited for the final phase to declare victories for their respective sides. A section of the Opposition also claims that if the BJP can be reduced to less than 250 seats, it too would be a political and moral victory for the INDIA bloc. Aiyer stokes fresh controversy, Congress distances itself from his statement One can always trust Mani Shankar Aiyer to start a controversy when there is none. After the chaiwala jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, which was promptly used by the BJP to wage a commoners battle against the elitist Congress, Aiyer said that China allegedly invaded India in 1962. As a purported video of an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday, where Aiyar made the statement, started circulating on social media, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that his party colleague had subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term alleged invasion mistakenly, and that the party distances itself from the original phraseology. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, however, hit out at the Congress over the remarks. Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC during the launch of a book called Nehrus First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as alleged. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism, Amit Malviya wrote on X (formally Twitter). Its Modi vs Didi in the last phase of West Bengal PM Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee clashed during the campaign trail on Tuesday as the two leaders addressed multiple rallies and held road shows to canvass voters ahead of the final phase of the general elections on June 1. Speaking at two rallies in Baruipur and Barasat, Modi accused the TMC government of appeasement politics and deceiving young people from other backward classes (OBC), pointing to a recent Calcutta high court ruling that scrapped OBC certificates to 77 groups since 2010. He also held a road show in north Kolkata Hours later, Banerjee, who held two marches cutting through the heart of Kolkata and addressed a rally, hit back as she reiterated her opposition to the controversial court order and accused Modi of lying to the people of India. The verbal war came ahead of the seventh phase of the general elections on Saturday, when nine seats in state capital Kolkata, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas are scheduled to go to the polls. This is a crucial phase for both the BJP, which performed impressively in other parts of the state but drew a blank here in 2019, and the TMC, which is looking to defend its fortress in south Bengal. Kejriwals Atishi next prophecy after minister gets defamation notice AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday reacted to a courts summons to AAP leader Atishi in a defamation case, saying the Delhi minister will be arrested next. In a post on X, he said if Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister again, all Opposition leaders will be put behind bars. I had said earlier that they will arrest Atishi next. They are planning to do so now. Complete dictatorship. In completely flimsy, frivolous and false cases, they are arresting ALL leaders of AAP one by one. Every single opposition leader will be arrested if Modi ji comes back to power. AAP is not imp. Saving our dear country from dictatorship is imp, Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X. Atishi was summoned by a Delhi court on June 29, in connection with a defamation case filed by BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor. In April, the BJP issued a defamation notice to Atishi after her allegation that she was asked to join the party or face the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Reacting to the summons, BJPs candidate from the New Delhi constituency, Bansuri Swaraj, accused the AAP of having what she called the habit of shooting and scooting. AAP cannot make defamatory statements against the BJP repeatedly and not be held accountable. Atishi ji will now have to appear before court to present her side, she added. No urgent hearing for Kejriwals bail extension The Supreme Courts vacation bench on Tuesday refused to grant an urgent hearing on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals plea for an extension of his 21-day interim bail by one week on medical grounds, emphasising that it would be more appropriate for the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to take a decision on the matter given that proceedings in Kejriwals petition have already been closed for judgment. The AAP chief, who was released from judicial custody on May 10 to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, has been directed by the top court to return to jail on June 2. The results of the elections will be announced on June 4. To be sure, Kejriwals plea has made no allusion to that. On Tuesday morning, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, mentioned the extension plea before the vacation bench comprising justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, highlighting the need for immediate medical examinations, including PET-CT scans and Holter monitoring, to assess potential serious health issues. Arguing about the urgency of the situation, Singhvi pressed for a hearing on Wednesday, adding the plea does not prejudice anyone. However, the bench pointed out that the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on Kejriwals petition challenging his arrest by the ED on May 17. Congress seeks CBI probe into Dalit womans death The death of a Dalit woman, who had filed a sexual harassment complaint against some members of upper caste Rajput community in 2019 hours after her uncle was beaten to death in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar district, has sparked a political row, with the Congress on Tuesday demanding a CBI probe in the incidents. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday assured all possible support to the womans family, who belong to the Ahirwar community, a Scheduled Caste, and promised to meet them. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari, who met the victims family in Barodia Nonagir village, called up Gandhi on the mobile phone and connected him with the womans brother. New Delhi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday reviewed the situation arising in his state in the wake of heavy rains and landslides that took place after the landfall of cyclone Remal, officials said. Assam CM reviews situation arising in Assam after cyclone Remal Sarma, who was in the national capital, held a video conference with top officials of the state government and cyclone-affected districts, and instructed all concerned to be on alert to respond to exigencies at the quickest possible time in view of India Meteorological Department forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall. The chief minister directed district authorities to leave no stone unturned to reach out to the affected people and extend all possible help and assistance. So far, four people have died and 18 others have been injured in Assam due to heavy rains and storm in the aftermath of the cyclone that left a trail of destruction. The chief minister asked the district commissioners to pay ex-gratia immediately to the next of kin of those killed, an official said. Sarma instructed the DCs of cyclone-affected districts to ensure all necessary assistance to affected families and timely treatment to the injured. As the counting date of the Lok Sabha election is approaching, he directed the DCs to constitute separate teams for carrying out relief and rehabilitation operations. The chief minister asked the senior officials of the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited to work on war footing for restoration of electricity supply in all cyclone-affected areas. He also asked the National Highways Authority of India for restoration of surface communication between Harangajao and Jatinga once rainwater subsides. Sarma asked the DCs of three districts of the Barak Valley to keep sufficient stock of foodgrains and other food items in view of the rising water level of rivers in Assam and neighbouring states of Manipur and Mizoram. He asked Chief Secretary Ravi Kota to ensure that the DCs of Barpeta, Chirang and Baksa take up with their respective counterparts of Bhutan to provide advance information in the event of release of water from the Kurichhu hydropower plant in the Himalayan kingdom. The chief minister asked the chief secretary and other officials to make proper assessment of the full and partial damage infrastructure and properties caused by cyclone Remal, the official said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. At least 17 bodies, including of two children, were recovered after a stone quarry collapsed in Mizoram capital of Aizawl, as heavy rainfall and strong winds brought on by Cyclone Remal, killed at least 32 people across four northeastern states, officials said on Tuesday. At least ten people were killed in other adverse weather-related incidents in Mizoram, three in Assam, one in Meghalaya, and one in Nagaland. Rescue work underway at the site of the quarry collapse in Aizawl on Tuesday. (PTI) Severe Cyclone Remal, which battered the coast of West Bengal and Bangladesh after making landfall on Sunday night, weakened to a cyclonic storm as it moved inwards lashing northeast India with strong winds and heavy rainfall. In Mizoram, the heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides across the state and claimed the lives of 27 people. Cyclone Remal has claimed 27 lives in Aizawl district following landslides. Electricity and water supply will be stifled due to damage to infrastructure. Mizoram CM has announced 15 crore for State Disaster Relief Fund. 4 lakh announced as ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased, said the DIPR Mizoram on X. Cyclone Remal updates: 22 dead in India, Bangladesh; power cuts in West Bengal A stone quarry in Melthum area of Aizawl collapsed around 6am and, the director general of police (DGP), Mizoram, Anil Shukla said, a massive rescue operation was launched immediately, mobilising the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Assam Rifles and local police. Officials were able to rescue several individuals and a child. Media reports said at least 21 people had been buried under the debris. District disaster management authorities, in a 7pm update, said the death toll had risen to 17 with the victims being mostly labourers from different states, but also including a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. At least five locals and 2-3 non-locals were reportedly missing. Aizawls Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar told PTI news agency that the search operations will continue till the entire site is cleared. The number could go up. There was an abandoned stone quarry and not functional for the last three decades. Houses near the quarry collapsed, Mizoram Director General of Police Anil Shukla told PTI , adding that heavy rain was affecting the operations. President Droupadi Murmu condoled the deaths in Mizoram. Saddened to learn about the loss of lives in a stone quarry collapse near Aizawl in Mizoram. My condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the success of rescue and relief operations and wish a speedy recovery of the injured, Murmu wrote one X. Read Here | 8,000 t-shirt': Bengal BJP slams TMC's Abhishek Banerjee after Cyclone Remal relief camp visit Authorities said heavy rainfall in the state had begun on Monday with the onset of Cyclone Remal, intensifying on Tuesday. We are taking appropriate measures to handle the situation, Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma said. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said three individuals, including a 17-year-old student died in the state as a result of the storm till Tuesday evening. Till now, three persons have died in storm in the last 24 hours, one each in Morigaon, Kamrup and Kamrup Metro district. Further details are awaited, ASDMA said. In Morigaon district, college student Kausik Bordoloi, 17, on his way to Gurugul Junior College was killed on Tuesday morning after a tree fell on the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in, officials said. Lavanya Kumari, 60, from Rajapukhuri Village in Kamrup district, was killed after a tree fell on her house, according to District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) said. In Guwahati city, a 19-year-old student, Mintu Talukdar, was killed when a tree fell on his house in Nabajyoti Nagar. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said educational institutes on Wednesday would be closed in the areas where a red alert was in effect for heavy rainfall. Cyclone Remal: Watch stunning video of cloud formation over Bay of Bengal In light of the Red Alert for Nagaon, Hojai, West Karbi Anglong, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Dima Hasao, Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj, all educational institutions in these districts will remain closed on May 29, 2024, he said on X. Several top education institutes, including Assam University Silchar and Guwahatis Cotton University, cancelled examination and classes scheduled for May 29. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 60 to 90mm rainfall were recorded in various parts of Assam and the state has received 450.2mm of rain in last seven days. Dima Hasao was one of the worst affected districts according to DDMA reports. Landslides in several areas in the district disrupted road connectivity between the three districts of Barak Valley and the rest of the state. Flight operations at Guwahatis Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) were also impacted by the weather. Several flights were cancelled on Tuesday, especially the Aizawl, Agartala and Silchar-bound flights, according to the authorities. Flooding was also been reported in Guwahati, Silchar and other cities. More than 50% of the Silchar town is under water and many schools, offices and households were inundated, according to DDMA, Cachar officials. Cyclone Remal impact: 394 flights affected In Meghalaya, one person was killed when a wall caved in on their house on Tuesday morning at Sutnga village in East Jaintia Hills district, while four people were injured in a landslide in Mawkynroh Bypass in East Khasi Hills district, according to a bulletin by the state disaster management authority, which also said 17 villages in the state have been affected by cyclonic storm. Several low-lying areas of the state capital of Shillong witnessed flooding on Tuesday. A 73-year-old man was crushed by a wall that collapsed in Pfutsero under Phek district in Nagaland and damage to public infrastructure, houses, agricultural fields and road blockages due to mudslides was reported on Tuesday across several districts. Officials of Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said damage reports were still being compiled at the time of filing this report. The effects of heavy rainfall and strong winds were reported from other northeastern states, including Manipur, where cyclone Remal triggered heavy rainfall resulting in widespread flooding in the low-lying areas and landslides in hill areas, severely impacting normal life, official reports said on Tuesday. As a precautionary measure, the state government directed schools to remain closed till May 31. In Tripura, heavy rainfall was reported in several areas on Tuesday. According to IMD, maximum rainfall was recorded in Unakoti district (252.4mm) while lowest rainfall was recorded in South district (168 mm) from May 27 morning till May 28 morning. In Arunachal Pradesh, IMD issued red alert in four districts, West Kameng, East Kameng, Papum Pare and Changlang with prediction of heavy rainfall across the state in the next few days. IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall till June 2 in Assam. Thunderstorms followed by heavy rainfall has also been forecast for Mizoram for next three days. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday targeted the Congress party over Mani Shankar Aiyars China allegedly invaded India in 1962 remark and said that the comments were an attack on the integrity of India and an insult to every soldier who sacrificed their life for the Tricolour. Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. (HT File Photo) Mani Shankar Aiyar says that in 1962 China allegedly invaded India. Can this happen without the approval of Rahul Gandhi and Maillikarjun Kharge? Why are they silent? We all know the relationship between India and China. India has been standing strong with pride and showing China its place. This shows the anti-India mindset of the Congress party, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said. This is an attack on the integrity of India and an insult to every soldier who sacrificed their life for the Tricolour, he added. Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia in Delhi recently, Aiyar referred to the 1962 India-China war as alleged Chinese invasion. In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India, Aiyar said at the event as per a purported video circulating on social media. Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for mistakenly using the term. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed, party leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X. Bhatia further attacked Aiyar and said, Nearly 1,400 of our soldiers sacrificed their lives in the 1962 war. They fought till their last breath. These traitorous words are of Mani Shankar Aiyar, but this thought is of Rahul Gandhi. Just a few days ago, Mani Shankar Aiyar had said that Pakistan has the atomic bomb... Our army is our pride. Why are signals being given to both enemy countries by the Congress? Is this happening because the Congress knows that it is about to be wiped out? Bhatia asked. On June 4, those seeking wishes from Pakistan wont be able to get even 40 seats, Bhatia added. For the last leg of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are going all out to ensure that the party bags a substantial number of the 57 seats where elections will be held on June 1. In both states, the party has been working diligently to expand its footprint and strengthen its hold over the polity. (Representative file photo) On Wednesday, PM Modi will address four rallies, one in West Bengal and three in Odisha. In both states, the party has been working diligently to expand its footprint and strengthen its hold over the polity. In 2019, the BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal, which was perceived as a big win for the party which had little presence on the ground. Also Read: NDA set towards 400 seat mark, BJP to top-up in UP: Piyush Goyal The BJP then set out to aggressively campaign in the state against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and pitch itself as an alternative. The high voltage campaign that began in 2019 helped the party perform well in the 2021 assembly polls in the state and went on to win 77 seats. The high point of the election was the BJP candidate Suvendhu Adhikari, a former aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee defeating her in her pocket borough of Nandigram. Adhikari, who was considered a trustee lieutenant of Banerjee, is being credited with helping the BJP gain strength in the state which was considered to have little affinity with the BJPs ideology, owing to the state being a hotbed of communism. Having emerged as the principal opposition in the state, the BJP now has set its sights on increasing its Lok Sabha tally, which will set the stage for the assembly polls in 2026. In Odisha too, the BJP is hopeful of not only doubling its Lok Sabha tally; it won 8 of the 21 seats in 2019, but also asserting that it is in the position to form government in the state. As in West Bengal, where the Congress and the Left parties are no longer perceived as formidable opponents, in Odisha too, the BJP has positioned itself as the alternative to the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The BJD has won the assembly elections for the last five terms and is confident of an encore. AirAsia Launched another flight to India this week. It connected Kuala Lumpur - its hub with Bhubaneshwar. Come August this year, 17 destinations from India will be connected to Kuala Lumpur. This is three more than what the connectivity was in December 2019, before COVID started impacting tourism in China, South East Asia and then the whole world. Indian carriers have tried connecting Kuala Lumpur to their network multiple times. ABHIJIT BHATLEKAR/MINT The India - Malaysia connectivity will be at 211 weekly flights each way as compared to 233 pre-COVID. However, the spread is higher than before. The reduction has come led by IndiGo which operates 14 fewer flights per week now, a sharp drop of 66% as compared to its pre COVID operations. The data has been sourced from Cirium - an aviation analytics company, exclusively for this article. Who is leading the charge? AirAsia Bhd, which once had a subsidiary in India in the form of AirAsia India (49% stake) is leading the charge with 94 frequencies a week as compared to 90 pre-COVID. The airline is spreading to places like Calicut, Guwahati, Jaipur and other Tier II cities which are part of open skies to ASEAN countries. Malaysia Airlines will see 68 weekly frequencies as compared to 60 pre COVID. This includes starting new flights to Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Trivandrum. Batik Air Malaysia (erstwhile Malindo) has shrunk, with a reduction of 20 frequencies a week, coming down from 55 weekly to 35 weekly. India to Kuala Lumpur Airline Origin Flights/ Week Weekly Seats AirAsia AMD 4 744 Malaysia Airlines AMD 4 696 AirAsia X ATQ 4 1,236 Malaysia Airlines ATQ 4 696 Batik Air Malaysia ATQ 3 540 AirAsia BBI 3 540 AirAsia BLR 4 744 Malaysia Airlines BLR 10 1,614 Batik Air Malaysia BLR 3 486 Malaysia Airlines BOM 10 2,510 Batik Air Malaysia BOM 7 1,260 AirAsia CCJ 3 540 AirAsia CCU 7 1,260 AirAsia COK 12 2,160 Malaysia Airlines COK 7 1,218 Batik Air Malaysia COK 4 648 AirAsia X DEL 4 1,468 Malaysia Airlines DEL 10 2,552 Batik Air Malaysia DEL 11 1,980 AirAsia GAU 3 540 AirAsia HYD 8 1,446 Malaysia Airlines HYD 7 1,218 AirAsia JAI 4 744 IndiGo MAA 7 1,302 AirAsia MAA 14 2,520 Batik Air (Indonesia) MAA 7 1,134 Malaysia Airlines MAA 12 1,948 AirAsia TRV 4 720 Malaysia Airlines TRV 4 696 AirAsia TRZ 17 3,060 Batik Air Malaysia TRZ 7 1,134 AirAsia VTZ 3 540 Indian carriers have failed Indian carriers have tried connecting Kuala Lumpur to their network multiple times. Back in the mid 2000s, Air India operated to Kuala Lumpur twice a week with the A310. These were supplemented with flights from Chennai by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways. The connectivity at the start of 2000 comprised just 14 flights, nine by Malaysia Airlines and five by Air India & Indian Airlines combined. Jet Airways and Air Sahara joined in when they got approval to fly international in 2005. The competition from the Malaysian side became intense after the entry of AirAsia in 2009. Gradually airlines from India started pulling out, with Air India, Indian Airlines, Air Sahara, Jet Airways all vacating the route while the last one Air India Express vacating the market in 2016. IndiGo entered in 2019, but has kept a token presence with a single daily to Kuala Lumpur from Chennai, long moving out of Delhi and Bengaluru markets. Will Indian carriers make a dent? Malaysia is one of the handful of countries where there is such a large tilt. While there is more traffic to Dubai or Thailand or Singapore, there is a great deal of Indian presence and at times it is equal. News reports and airport listings have shown flights to Kuala Lumpur by airlines from the Tata group. The formal announcements have not happened but if and when they do, the focus will not be on the traffic between the two countries but competing with the likes of Emirates and Malaysia Airlines to Europe and North America. While this means leaving out the high volume Origin - Destination (O-D) market to the Malaysian carriers, it will be a wise strategy to avoid the cut throat market in current times of supply chain constraints. IndiGo has signed an MoU with Malaysia Airlines to implement a codeshare and partnership in future. If and when that happens, will the airline mount additional flights to Kuala Lumpur. IndiGo shifted to Terminal 1 (KLIA) from KLIA 2 where it was operating from when it launched flights, which will help seamless transfers. Tail Note The traffic between the two countries stands at close to 4000 passengers each way non-stop, there remain additional numbers which travel via Singapore or Thailand and club work or holidays with neighbouring countries. In terms of capacity, Thailand and Singapore see their local carriers and Indian carriers being neck to neck. Malaysia, which lies in the middle of these two has been a tough nut to crack. Will Indian carriers do so in future? New Delhi, Acting on the orders of the Supreme Court, the CBI has taken over the probe into the mysterious death of a Manipuri woman at her residence here years ago, officials said Wednesday. CBI registers FIR into into mysterious death of Manipuri woman in Delhi 11 years ago The 25-year-old woman was staying at a rented accommodation in Chirag Delhi where her body with face disfigured and nose broken was found on May 29, 2013, they said, adding blood was found spattered on the floor and a blood-soaked bedsheet was recovered. The CBI took over the case on the orders of the Supreme Court and re-registered the Delhi Police FIR as its case against unidentified persons. The Delhi Police had started the investigation, taking it as a case of suicide, but later added sections related to murder in the case, the officials said. An autopsy was done by a senior resident of AIIMS, who underlined that serious wounds found on the body were post-mortem in nature but could not determine the cause of death. A second autopsy was done by a panel of doctors from Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital but still the cause of death could not be ascertained. The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea of the victim's cousins seeking a CBI probe as the involvement of two suspects who were landlords could not be proved in a lie-detector test. Also, the semen found on the undergarment of the victim was not that of suspects, the alleged boyfriend remained absconding, and cause of death could not be ascertained. The cousins of the deceased approached the Supreme Court, which on March 22 directed a probe by the CBI. "Apparently, there seems to be no reason for a young girl of 25-years of age to commit suicide. Prima facie it does not seem to be a case of suicide. The crime scene shows that blood was spattered on the floor and the bed sheet was completely drenched in blood. It appears to be a homicidal death and therefore the culprits must be apprehended," a bench of justices JK Maheshwari and Sudhanshu Dhulia held while setting aside the Delhi High Court order. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. The death of a Dalit woman, who had filed a sexual harassment complaint against some members of upper caste Rajput community in 2019, hours after her uncle was beaten to death in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar district has sparked a political row, with the Congress on Tuesday demanding a CBI probe in the incidents. Congress seeks CBI probe into MP Dalit womans death Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday assured all possible support to the womans family, who belong to the Ahirwar community, a Scheduled Caste, and promised to meet them. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari, who met the victims family in Barodia Nonagir village, called up Gandhi on the mobile phone and connected him with the womans brother. The woman died on Sunday night after falling off from an ambulance which was carrying the body of her 24-year-old uncle, who was allegedly beaten to death by some people on Saturday, police had said. The woman had lodged a sexual harassment complaint against one Vikram Singh and his family in 2019. On August 24 last year, her brother was beaten to death by some people, following which Singh and his eight family members were arrested. Her uncle was a key witness in the murder case, ASP Sanjeev Uike had said. A woman is molested, then her brother is killed, and later her uncle was also killed while seeking justice... and now the complainant woman too is killed. This is the situation in Madhya Pradesh. It appears jungle raj prevails here, Patwari told reporters. I have come to meet the family on the request of Rahul Gandhi. The Congress is with the family. We demand a CBI probe as these two deaths are linked with previous years case of murder of her brother. Chief minister Mohan Yadav is likely to meet the victims family on Wednesday, a BJP leader said, refusing to comment further. Delhi water crisis: The Delhi government on Wednesday said wasting water amid a water crisis and intense heatwave in the national capital would invite a 2,000 penalty. People collect drinking water from a tanker on a hot summer day at Vivekanand camp in New Delhi on May 28.(PTI) The announcement was made by Delhi minister Atishi, who also urged residents to use the water rationally. There is an acute heatwave in Delhi and a shortage of water supply since Haryana is not releasing Delhi's share of water. Under these circumstances, the conservation of water becomes extremely important, an order signed by the Delhi minister said. "However, it has been seen that there is serious wastage of water in many of Delhi. There are also illegal connections taken by construction sites and commercial establishments, from water supply meant for domestic use. There is a need to crack down on this misuse of water," it added. Also Read | Delhi govt rationalises water supply to city The Delhi government said that it directed the Delhi Jal Board CEO to deploy 200 teams across Delhi to crack down on car washing with pipers, water tank overflows, and the use of domestic water supply for construction or commercial purposes. "These teams shall be deployed from 8 am tomorrow (May 30) and shall impose a fine of 2,000 on anyone found wasting water and shall disconnect any illegal water connection on construction sites or commercial establishments," the government added. Delhi water crisis: Here's what you need to know The ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in New Delhi has accused the BJP-ruled Haryana of not releasing Delhi's share of water since May 1. of not releasing Delhi's share of water since May 1. The Delhi government said it could approach the Supreme Court if the city's supply of Yamuna water does not improve in the coming days. On Tuesday, Delhi water minister Atishi said that many areas in Delhi are grappling with water shortage and that the Delhi government is constantly talking to Haryana about the issue. A view of Yamuna River at Vikas Marg in New Delhi on May 27.(Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) "Haryana has stopped the release of Delhi's share of water. The water level at Wazirabad was 674.5 feet on May 1. This is the average level that should be maintained. Last year, in April, May, and June, the minimum level was maintained at 674.5 feet," Atishi said. She also issued an appeal to the people saying that it is the responsibility of all Delhiites to save water. LOBAMBA Parliament is expected to today order the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, to release the E30 million budget allocation to The Luke Commission (TLC) within seven days. This is according to the House of Assembly Order Paper, dated Wednesday May 29, 2024. Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo will move a motion of urgent public importance and he will be seconded by Maseyisini MP Nokuthula Dlamini. Facilitate The MP is expected to move that the Minister of Finance facilitate the payment of the budgetary allocation amounting to E30 million to TLC within seven days, as it was approved by Parliament in the Appropriation Act, 2024. All impediments, originating either from the Ministry of Health or any other source, that results in the delay or militating against the funds from being paid to the entity, should be dealt with separately, without using them as a means of stalling or frustrating the funds, because human life is at stake since our citizens, especially the elderly, can no longer be accommodated due to the astronomical levels of patients inflow. reads the notice paper. MP Khumalo will further move for the appointment of a select committee of seven members, that will investigate the genesis of the bottlenecks and disharmony between some officials in the Ministry of Health and TLC, and report back to the House, with recommendations, within 14 days. Utilised Noteworthy, government financial year commenced on April 1, 2024, which means the new budget has started being utilised since this is the first quarter of the financial year. The 2024/25 annual budget came with the E30 million allocation for TLC. Usually, government allocations come in four folds, which are divided according to the financial quarters. During the Public Account Committee (PAC) sessions, government ministries, including that of Health, told the PAC that the Ministry of Finance took forever to release the appropriated budget, which frustrates operations. The Ministry of Health was being questioned on the E180 million budget appropriation for medical drugs that was not utilised. The issue was that the budget came towards the end of the financial year, which implied that they could not procure medical drugs on time. Further, late last year, TLC Executive Director, Echo VanderWal blamed the former administration of the Ministry of Health for the challenges the health facility was faced with. She said the challenges started widening in the last three years, when the country and the entire world were battling COVID-19 pandemic. The executive director said during the pandemic, the mismatch between funding and the services offered was too obvious. VanderWal said what pained her the most was that there was E100 million available to the country for COVID-19, but none was directed to TLC. She noted that this occurred at a time when TLC built an oxygen plant that saved many lives and the outcomes were noted in the third wave, but unfortunately, it was not embraced. Following the challenges, MPs and Cabinet ministers visited the facility and pleaded with government to assist. The MP is also expected to move five questions for oral answers. Khumalo is expected to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Pholile Shakantu, to inform the House why the embassy staff in the Republic of South Africa was found wanting, yet it was a very busy multilateral station that has had added responsibilities over the years. The minister will also be asked to state whether she was aware that the staff complement remained the same in the last 50-plus years. The Minister of Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, is expected to inform the House if he is comfortable with the fact that many pupils remained at home, because of financial challenges and some completed school five years ago, without having access to their certificates, because of non-payment of examination fees. Disadvantaged If he is not aware, he will be expected to state how he is planning to address this continuous problem, including collecting data on disadvantaged pupils. The MP will also require answers from the minister of Defence and National Security, on why the yearly annual budget of E50 million was recently reduced to E40 million. It was meant to construct army barracks, but has never been utilised for that purpose, as confirmed by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. Instead, budget requests for mobile tents are made. A man walks towards the Raisina Hills in New Delhi on May 29, 2024. Delhi Weather highlights: Delhi on Wednesday recorded a maximum of 52.3 degrees Celsius, the highest ever in the city. The record high temperature was recorded in the Delhi suburb of Mungeshpur as an unprecedented heat wave continues to adversely affect northwestern India. The announcement about the record-breaking heat was followed by a sudden change in the weather as light rainfall was reported from several part of the national capital....Read More On the record temperature in the capital, An IMD official explained that the city's outskirts are the first areas to be hit by hot winds from Rajasthan. "Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds," he said. Meanwhile, authorities in New Delhi have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in record-high temperatures. Delhi water minister Atishi has called for "collective responsibility" to stop wasteful water use and also announced a fine of 2000. Governor RN Ravi on Tuesday described Savarakar as an inspiration for building a united India while paying tributes on the Hindutva leaders birthday anniversary. This comes months after Tamil Nadu speaker M Appavu accused the governor of being a descendant of Nathuram Godse and Savarkar after the latter refused to read the customary speech during the first assembly session in January. Tamil Nadu guvs tribute to Savarkar on his birth anniversary fans row Humble tribute to the great son of Maa Bharati, Swatantraya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, on his birth anniversary, Ravi posted on X with a photo of his paying tributes at the Raj Bhavan in Ooty. He was a staunch freedom fighter who suffered the most atrocious physical and mental torture at the hands of the British for over 10 years in Andaman Cellular jail and 16 years in Ratnagiri prison. He added that Savarkar was a visionary nationalist leader who inspired countless freedom fighters whose sacrifices shall continue inspiring all the Indians for building a united, developed and strong Bharat with pride in her heritage. Tamil Nadus ruling DMK has accused the governor of being an agent of the BJP and its ideological parents, RSS. The governor is repeatedly showing that he is an agent of Hindutva, DMK spokesperson A Saravanan told HT. He is using his office to reiterate his ideology which goes against the oath he has taken. As an individual he can have his own beliefs and ideology, we have no problem with that. But when he is holding a constitutional post, he cannot openly profess his ideology. It is condemnable. Appavu was not available for a comment. Earlier in January, the governor skipped his entire customary speech at the start of the budget session of state assembly, saying he disagreed with numerous passages on moral and factual grounds and walked out even as the speaker was reading out the Tamil version of his speech. The speech running 48-pages long, which the governor refused to read, was critical of the BJP-led union governments policies such as the goods and services tax (GST) that was impacting the states fiscal autonomy, central funds not being released for projects such as the Metro Rails phase 2 in Chennai, and the states stance to never allow the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The speech also highlighted Tamil Nadus achievements, welfare schemes and its economic growth. The speaker noted that though they are ideologically different, the Tamil Nadu government led by chief minister MK Stalin has been treating the office of the governor with respect and there would be no change in it. The people of Tamil Nadu are not any lesser than those who follow the path of Godse and Savarkar, the speaker had said at the time. With campaigning for Lok Sabha elections at its peak, the Doaba region is bracing for a tough electoral battle in the Dalit-dominant Jalandhar (reserved) parliamentary constituency. The Congress has fielded former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after being ditched by its sitting MP, has gone with former Akali MLA, Pawan Kumar Tinu. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poached the sitting AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku who is the partys candidate in the polls while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has placed its bets on former Congress MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has nominated Balwinder Kumar as its candidate. Party-hopping candidates have spiced up the electoral battle further as three candidates including Rinku switched to BJP from AAP, Kapyee joined Akali dal after snapping ties with the Congress party and Tinu was inducted into AAP after leaving Akali Dal. For a long time, Jalandhar was known to be a Congress bastion with the party winning 10 out of the 16 Lok Sabha elections. But AAPs impressive win during the 2023 Jalandhar by-poll altered the political discourse. The Congress has MLAs in five segments of Jalandhar Adampur, Phillaur, Jalandhar North, Jalandhar Cantt and Shahkot, while the AAP has in three Nakodar, Kartarpur, and Jalandhar Central; AAP four, but Sheetal Angural, AAP MLA from Jalandhar West joined the BJP along with Rinku. Considered a politically sensitive seat, the key to Jalandhar lies with its sizeable Dalit population (39%) and the influential Dera Sachakhand Ballan. (Dera broadly means a congregation.) The Dera, which doesnt have any apparent political leaning, tends to impact voting trends in the seat. Political parties have brought up Dalit issues in their campaign narratives including the bungling of funds of the post-matric scholarship scheme during the Congress regime and the failure of the AAP government in fulfilling its promise to appoint a Dalit deputy chief minister to woo voters here. Channi enjoys Dalit face value and the influence of the Chaudhary family Punjabs first Dalit chief minister, Channi, has run his own campaign as his candidature ruffled the feathers of the influential Chaudhary family, which has been associated with the Congress for over 100 years and exerts significant influence over Dalit voters in certain areas. Star campaigners from his party including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi did not canvass for him in the runup to polls. After the two-time Congress MP from Jalandhar Santokh Singh Chaudhary died of a cardiac arrest during Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra in January 2023, the party fielded his wife, Karamjit Kaur, in the by-poll but she lost to AAPs Rinku by over 58,000 votes. This time, however, the party put its faith in Channi, who was promptly dubbed an outsider by his detractors as he had to shift base from Chamkaur Sahib. Santokh Chaudharys son, Vikramjit Singh, who is the MLA of Phillaur, openly rebelled against Channi and even made derogatory statements, inviting suspension orders from the party. His mother, meanwhile, joined the BJP. Channi is now banking on his own image as a prominent Dalit leader and proximity with the deras to turn the tide in his favour. Even during the Jalandhar by-election, Channi camped in the city and spent time in different socio-religious congregations. Prestige battle for AAP After bringing in Rinku from the Congress to fight the 2023 by-poll, the AAP was forced to bring in another turncoat, Pawan Kumar Tinu, from the SAD, for the polls. The party had initially announced Rinku as its candidate on March 14, but he jumped ship to the BJP on March 28, leaving AAP embarrassed. The party tried to persuade Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh to contest but he was reluctant, fearing anti-incumbency against the state government. For the AAP, the battle for Jalandhar is a battle for its own prestige. During a recent visit, chief minister Bhagwant Mann had told party workers and leaders to win this seat at any cost. Both Mann and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal toured the constituency twice to boost the partys campaign. Challenges galore before others Looking for better political prospects, sitting MP Rinku joined the BJP from AAP but found that he had little to show in terms of work. The saffron party itself is in choppy waters here as its candidate during the 2023 by-poll, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, ended up losing his deposit. However, the party did manage a lead in the Jalandhar central and north segments during the by-poll. Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Jalandhar on May 24 has seemingly boosted his campaign in urban areas. In rural areas, however, it is facing stiff resistance from farmers outfits, which are furious over the Centres action during their agitation. Meanwhile, for SAD, it is battle of its existence as it is banking upon former congress MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee. NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out raids at 13 locations in Punjabs Rupnagar district to unearth illegal mining on land attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2015 in a drug trafficking case, people familiar with the development said. Enforcement Directorate During the searches, the agency seized 3.5 crore in cash. The original probe pertains to a multi-crore synthetic narcotics racket unearthed in Punjab in 2013-14, known as Bhola drug case, in which wrestler-turned-policeman-turned-drug mafia Jagdish Singh alias Bhola is alleged to be the kingpin. He was arrested in 2014 and is currently facing trial in the case. The federal agency had taken up the narcotics case in March 2013 based on a Punjab police first information report (FIR). Later, seven more FIRs were clubbed in the probe. It was alleged that the accused indulged in the manufacturing and smuggling of narcotics and synthetic drugs on a large scale. A senior ED officer, who didnt want to be named, said Unexplained properties worth 95.53 crore were attached, and seven persons were arrested at that time in the case. A charge sheet against Jagdish Singh Bhola was filed in March 2014 while six more supplementary charge sheets were filed against 67 other accused. Anoop Singh Kahlon, one of the key accused, skipped bail and is suspected of having skipped out of the country. A red notice was issued against him by Interpol on ED, said this officer. Besides, lookout circulars were issued against 18 other accused. During the investigation, the role of non-resident Indians based in Canada and the UK also surfaced. Some of them have already been named in the charge sheets. We have also sent letters of request (LRs) in respect of 16 persons based in Canada and 2 persons based in the UK, which have already been forwarded to the concerned authorities in respective countries authorities. Regular follow-up is also done to know the status of LR requests, said a second ED officer. Detailing the illegal mining being carried out on the land attached by ED under PMLA, the first officer cited above said the agency received inputs that an FIR was registered at police station - Nangal, Rupnagar, Punjab alleging that illegal mining has been done in the land/site and gravel to the tune of 8,09,860 cubic feet has been illegally mined/excavated without permission and license. We found that site on which illegal mining was taking place was attached by us in March 2015. Therefore, a fresh money laundering case was registered, and raids have been carried out on one of the accused Nasib Chand and others, who are part of mining mafia in Ropar, said the second officer. Standing outside an imposing gurdwara in Nijjar village on the outskirts of Amritsar, Gurdeep Singh is visibly irritated. In his late seventies, wearing a white kurta-pyjama and a blue turban, he is irked by the searing heat that bites through the cotton fabric; by the constant noise of traffic that upends any quiet as he prays; but most of all, by the electoral discourse around him that forces him to engage with a question he thought Khadoor Sahib had long left behind who wants Khalistan? A poster is put up in Jallupur Khera in support of Amritpal Singh, the independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib seat. (Sameer Sehgal/HTPhoto) As Singh both asks and answers the question, framing his response are memories, now unfortunately refreshed. Memories of violence that plagued Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s, when Nijjar, just 30km from the international border with Pakistan, lived with fear in its heart. It was an emotional time; when religiosity, separatism, national security, and terror dominated Punjabs everyday. As Union and state governments attempted to quell the growing influence of separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered forces to enter the sacred Golden Temple in Amritsar as part of the controversial Operation Bluestar, resulting in a shoot-out that left Bhindranwale dead. Punjab, and India, was quickly in ferment. 145 days later, on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, prompting one of Indias worst riots in recorded history; angry mobs hunting Sikhs across North India leaving at least 3,500 dead. In Punjab, there was alienation and hurt, wounds that have only healed by a combination of time and a fierce crackdown against separatism. Gurdeep Singh does not want to return to those days. Navey jawana ney ugarwaad de kaley din nahi dekhey (The young have not seen the black days of separatism). There was an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and the worst hit were border areas like ours. The peace must not be broken, Singh said. The reason for Singhs anger and concern is just one man 32-year-old Amritpal Singh. A man who was a complete unknown even two years ago; who went from being a transporter in Dubai to stunning security agencies with his meteoric rise in Punjabs villages; who fed off the discontent that stemmed from the farmer protests that roiled north India for a year; who fashioned himself on Bhindranwale and seemed to generate pockets of support for the misguided argument that Sikh values were incompatible within India; who played hide-and-seek with the Indian security apparatus for months even as they were convinced that he was fermenting unrest at the behest of foreign forces; who on April 23,2023, after a 35-day manhunt, was arrested under sections of the National Security Act and, in a tacit admission of his influence, was shifted to a prison in Dibrugarh, Assam. A man who, even from behind bars, is now seeking to upend Punjabs politics by fighting the polls as an independent candidate. In Punjab, the broader battle for crucial 13 Lok Sabha seats is a battle between the Aam Aadmi Party which is the incumbent state government, the Congress which is desperate to hold on to its eight seats in 2019, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP. But in Khadoor Sahib, much of the conversation revolves around independent candidate Amritpal Singh. In Jallupur Khera, 2km from Nijjar and Singhs ancestral home, there is evidence of support and conviction. At 7.30am, men in saffron and blue turbans swarm the village, small groups of people readying themselves for the days campaign, large SUVs at the ready. One young man, 29 years old, who lives in Canada but has returned just to campaign, says, Whatever people might think, I believe he [Amritpal] will win. Campaign run by parents It is 11.30am, and in a blazing 44 degrees Celsius, a group of 150 men, women and children sits in a group, braving the sweltering heat in Khabe Rajputtan village. Framing the group are at least two dozen vehicles, some sedans but mostly SUVs. From one of these, Balwinder Kaur emerges in a salwar kameez, a black patka, and a dupatta that she uses to wipe the sweat off her brow. Amritpals mother, Balwinder has helmed her sons maiden electoral campaign for two months, slowly sharpening her oratory. She speaks commandingly, and tells the group that Amritpals symbol is a microphone, and he is number 12 on the electronic voting machine that will be in front of them on June 1. She speaks quickly and gives very few interviews; there is little time she says. There are 10 public meetings lined up for the day, and other arrangements to be made. At every meeting, she tells the audience that her son will take their voices to Parliament, and every speech is bookended with religiosity. Importantly, she tells people to vote for her son not for civic issues, but for Punjabiyat. Please do not come to us for galliyan and nalliyan (roads and drains). We have larger issues to address. Vote for us to save Punjab and Punjabiyat, to save our youth from falling prey to drugs. This emphasis on Punjab and Punjabiyat is key, because it carries within it Amritpals imagination of the state as separate from the Indian Union. For the brief few months that he dominated national headlines, Amritpals utterances espoused a permanent solution to Punjabs problems from the erosion of Sikh culture, to water disputes, to the rampant drug abuse problem that has engulfed the hinterland. Khadoor Sahib, on the India-Pakistan border, has always been a so-called panthic seat with a smattering of traction for Khalistan due to local villages being at the centre of the violence that cleaved Punjab in the four decades ago. The Lok Sabha seat cuts across the districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Kapurthala. These are the districts where the wave of support for Amritpal seemed to emanate; where his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala, demanding the release of an arrested aide in February 2023; where he was appointed the head of Waris-De-Punjab, an organisation once headed by actor Deep Sidhu in Bhindranwales village of Rode; and where groups of young men, all dressed in Bhindranwales likeness, swarmed the villages rousing support. There is also recent electoral evidence that issues of broader nationalism get more traction in Khaddor Sahib than in other parts of Punjab. In 1996, Jaswant Singh Khalra, who campaigned for years on the alleged quiet cremation of unidentified bodies by the state police during militancy, mysteriously disappeared from his Amritsar home. The Central Bureau of Investigation probed the case, and in November 2005, 10 Punjab Police officers were prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison. In 2019, Paramjit Singh Khalra, his widow, contested the Khadoor Sahib seat, and finished third behind the Congress and the SAD candidates on a Punjab Ekta Party ticket, winning over 20% of the vote. This time, Khalra is backing Amritpal, and her demands now headline his campaign. Tarsem Singh, Amritpals father, said that while his son was initially reluctant to fight the elections, he changed his mind at the insistence of the sangat (Sikh community). If elected, my son will seek the release of Bandhi Sikh (Sikh detenues who have completed their jail terms), Tarsem said. But in Khadoor Sahib, there are many who believe these conversations should be relics of the past; that elections must be won and lost on developmental planks; that an aspirational Punjab must look forward and not behind. In Dyalgarh, 50-year-old Manjit Kaur, the mother of two teenage boys, said, His (Amritpals) campaign can exist, but we need our issues to be addressed. We need better amenities better power supply, better education and health. Our children should have the tools to study and be successful, not brandish swords. The politics The Khadoor Sahib seat was born out of the delimitation exercise in 2008, and in the three Lok Sabha elections since then, the SAD has won twice -- in 2009 and 2014 -- while the Congresss Jasbir Singh Gill won in 2019. But in 2017, Punjabs politics saw the entry of a new player the Aam Aadmi Party, which first became the principal Opposition, and five years later, in 2022, breached the SAD-Congress duopoly by forming the government. In the 2019 elections, the AAP finished a distant fourth, its candidate Manjinder Singh Sandhu winning just 1.3% of the vote. Three years later in assembly elections, reflective of a broader rise in the rest of the state, the party won seven of Khadoor Sahibs nine segments. In 2024, the Congress and AAP candidates for the Lok Sabha are both experienced politicians from the area; the formers Kulbir Singh is the MLA from Zira, and the latters Laljit Singh Bhullar is the legislator from Patti. Both parties have kept their election campaigns far away from any mention of Amritpal. Our focus is our governments development programmes since we formed the government in March 2022. Khadoor Sahib has been left backward after the partition in 1947, and we will ensure a surge of development, one AAP leader said, asking not to be named. Rana Inder Singh, the Congresss Kapurthala MLA, said, All our party leaders and workers are united and supporting the party candidate. Our campaign strategy is clear; what the region needs is development and education for the youth so they do not fall into the trap of separatism. Experts, however, say that there are encouraging signs in Amritpals tilt towards electoral democracy. The constitutional mechanisms in our country are powerful, and have brought back many who showed signs of deviating. If Amritpal Singh wants to be a part of the mainstream, it is a good sign, said Amanpreet Singh, professor of politics at Delhi Universitys Khalsa college. Even within groups that once fought Indias security apparatus four decades ago, there is confusion on Amritpal. Tarlochan Singh, 65, is among those known locally as a dharmi fauji, an army jawan who deserted the forces in protest against Operation Bluestar, serving 14 years in prison for the crime. His brother, Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, once headed the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan, and was killed in 1993 in an encounter. Amritpal Singh should tread with caution, and should not be going as fast as he is. Once someone is elected democratically, there is no need to hide in the jungles. I am for Amritpal Singh, but cannot campaign because of my health, he said. Back in Jallupur Khera, 40-year-old Gurjit Kaur is irate, almost dismissive of Amritpal Singhs credentials to espouse Punjabiyat. He is too young, too inexperienced, and has no battle scars. Gurjit Kaurs husband, Gurdeep Singh Khera, 65, is called a bandhi sikh in the village, but on record, he is a man convicted in two different cases under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA) in 1996. He has been in jail since then. Amritpal Singh, in comparison, has faced nothing. He is a nobody. He is not a bandhi Sikh, no charges have been framed and he has not been convicted. He has only spent a year in jail. My husband suffered for 40 years, she said. As she talks, Gurjit Kaurs voice begins to crack, tears beginning to flow. Her husband may be feted in some quarters every time he is released on parole, but she is clear of its futility. Everyone needs to be vigilant so the youth of the state is not pushed into war again. Our family is an example, he said. The black days of militancy are a curse that we have not been able to leave behind.We are stuck in time. (This is the 32nd in a series of election reports from the field that look at national and local issues through an electoral lens.) NEW DELHI: The European Union (EU) has provided 250,000 (more than 2.26 crore) to help people affected by a hailstorm and heavy rain in the northeastern state of Manipur in early May, and the aid is expected to benefit more than 1,500 most vulnerable families. On 5 May, a severe hailstorm struck large swathes of Manipur, causing extensive damage to more than 48,000 houses, several infrastructure projects, and agricultural lands and crops across 16 districts (ANI) The aid will be delivered by the EUs humanitarian partner, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), to those most affected in some of the worst-hit areas, the EU said in a statement on Wednesday. Priority will be given to distributing food and emergency shelter kits to help affected people whose livelihoods and houses were damaged by the storm. This will help communities to cope with the impact of the storm on their livelihood and to restore their houses. On 5 May, a severe hailstorm struck large swathes of Manipur, causing extensive damage to more than 48,000 houses, several infrastructure projects, and agricultural lands and crops across 16 districts. The storm lasted 15 minutes, with hailstones measuring four to five inches, and its intensity resulted in major flooding in urban areas and widespread power outages. The EU and its member states are among the worlds leading donors of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need around the world, the statement said. The EU funding is being made available through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation (ECHO) department of the European Commission. The EU, with headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, helps victims of conflict and disasters every year, providing aid to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs. Investigators have recovered pieces of flesh from the septic tank of the apartment in New Town in West Bengals North 24 Parganas where Bangladeshi lawmaker Md Anwarul Azim Anars body was allegedly skinned and chopped into pieces after his murder. Md Anwarul Azim Anar was reported missing on May 18. (PTI) Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch chief Harunor Rashid on Tuesday said the flesh has been preserved and would be sent for forensic analysis and DNA test. Only then we would be able to confirm whether these belong to the murdered MP [member of Parliament], he said. He said they could match the DNA with that of Anars brother and daughter, Mumtarin Ferdous Doreen, who was expected in Kolkata in the next few days Rashid said they have the main killer in custody in Dhaka and he was given a lot of information. We requested the [West Bengal Police] CID [Criminal Investigation Department] to help check the sewerage line and septic tank of the flat. The CID, which is jointly probing the murder with Dhaka Metropolitan Police, last week arrested a Mumbai-based butcher, who allegedly skinned Anars body and chopped it into pieces. The bones and flesh were segregated before they were disposed of. Bangladesh Police have arrested three people, including a woman, for their alleged involvement in the murder. Those arrested in the case told investigators that Anars flesh was flushed down the commode of the apartment. Azim, a three-time ruling Awami League lawmaker, was reported missing on May 18 from Baranagar in North 24 Parganas near Kolkata six days after he arrived in West Bengal. On May 22, police in India and Bangladesh confirmed Anars murder. The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) said the process of granting citizenship under the new Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA has now commenced in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand with the first set of citizenship certificates handed over to the eligible individuals by the empowered committees in the states on Wednesday. The MHA began handing over the first set of citizenship certificates on May 15 in Delhi. (File Photo) The development comes as the seventh phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections is set to take place on June 1 in the constituencies of Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar parliamentary constituencies across West Bengal. After notifying Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, on March 11 this year, the MHA began handing over the first set of citizenship certificates on May 15 in Delhi, handing over around 300 citizenships on the first day. Under the CAA, citizenships are granted to the persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The process of granting citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 has now commenced in the state of West Bengal, where the first set of applications from the State were today granted citizenship by the Empowered Committee, West Bengal. Similarly, the Empowered Committees of the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand have also granted citizenship today to the first set of applicants in their respective States, under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, MHA said in a statement on Wednesday. CAA was passed in December 2019, but the underlying rules were not framed. Its passage resulted in protests that petered out only with the COVID-19 pandemic and a clutch of petitions that remain before the Supreme Court. CAA is in keeping with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s promise in its 2019 manifesto but was criticised by Opposition parties who linked it to the elections. A number of opposition leaders, such as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, have said that they oppose CAA because it curtails constitutional rights. Union home minister Amit Shah said on May 14 that Mamata Banerjee wont be able to stop CAA implementation. The CAA rules have a provision that states that refugees from six minority communities from the three countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) applying for the grant of citizenship by registration or naturalisation will have to submit an application, an affidavit verifying the correctness of the statements made in it, a second affidavit from an Indian citizen testifying to their character, and a declaration that they are familiar with one of the languages specified in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. The rules say that the application will have to be submitted in electronic form to an empowered committee through the district-level committee, which may be notified by the central government, and be supported by documents such as copy of passport issued by Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh governments birth certificate, an identity document of any other kind, land or tenancy records, or any document that shows that either of the parents or grandparents or great grandparents of the applicant were a citizen of one of the three countries. The rules state that these documents will be admissible even beyond their validity period. Applicants also have to provide proof that they entered India before December 31, 2014, which can take the form of either a visa and immigration stamp, registration certificate from the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), or slip issued by the Census enumerators in India, government-issued licence or certificate or permit in India (including Driving License, Aadhaar number, ration card, or marriage certificate issued in India etc). Bombay: The body of veteran film actor, Prithviraj Kapoor, who died this morning, after prolonged illness, was cremated at the Santa Cruz crematory in north Bombay late this evening. He was 66. HT This Day: May 30, 1972 -- Veteran film actor Prithviraj Kapoor dead (HT) His eldest son, Raj Kapoor, lit the pyre. Earlier, thousands of film fans flocked to the residence of the late Prithviraj Kapoor and at the funeral ground police had a tough time in controlling the crowd. The funeral procession started from his residence at Juhu. Several film stars joined the procession. Wreaths were placed on the body on behalf of Governor Ali Yavar Jung and the Maharashtra government. There were no funeral orations. Prithviraj Kapoor is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter. The Governor of Maharashtra called on him at the hospital this morning before Prithviraj died. Prithviraj was born in Peshawar in 1906. In recognition of his contribution to the drama and cinema world, he was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms consecutively. Prithviraj entered the film line in the silent days. He first appeared as an extra in Challenge. Later in 1933, he entered the famous New Theatres and worked there for seven years. His own theatre unit, Prithvi Theatres, delighted the Indian audiences for over 16 years through noted plays including Pathan, Deevar, Ghaddar, Ahooti and Kalakar. His earlier films include Vidyapati, Manzil, Sikandar, Awara, Sita, India Today, Vish Kanya and Pagal. His last film, Kal Aaj Aur Kal, was directed by his grandson Randhir Kapoor. Prithviraj led a cultural delegation to the Peoples Republic of China in 1955. He led several film delegations to the Soviet Union and the United States. Prithviraj was great as an actor, said all those who had seen him on the stage and the screen. But those who knew him personally realise that he was greater as a man. A God-fearing and religious man, he had a charitable disposition. He had provided help to many families and used to send money orders to needy patients in far-off hospitals. He had helped to collect more than 5 lakhs for charitable causes. He was a socialist to the core. Co-workers recalled how he used to dine with them in the same kitchen and travel with them in the third class. The road to stardom was a tortuous one for Prithviraj but he was optimistic and he donned the role of a bearded Arab and acted gratis. But he had made his debut on the stage which took him to the pinnacle of glory. The Government of India honoured him with a Padma Bhushan in 1969. The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr V. P. Naik, described Prithviraj as the uncrowned king of the Indian film world. President V. V. Giri today sent a message of condolence to the Governor of Maharashtra on the death at Prithviraj Kapoor. The message says: I am grieved to learn of the passing away of the veteran film and stage actor, Mr Prithviraj Kapoor. Kindly convey my condolences to the bereaved family. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi described Prithviraj Kapoor as an artiste with a social conscience who had become a father figure of the dramatic profession in our country. His powerful plays did much to strengthen our secular fibre and to inspire young people to work for the idea of equality, she said. India and Bangladesh on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks focusing on issues relating to visas, mutual legal assistance and extradition cases. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hand with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. (HT/File) The two sides met for the fourth round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue in Delhi and reiterated their commitment to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges. They held "wide-ranging discussions on mechanisms to strengthen coordination and cooperation on consular issues, visa matters, repatriation, MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) and extradition cases, etc," the external affairs ministry said. "The two sides also agreed to further strengthen the bilateral Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA) to facilitate movement of nationals from both sides," it said in a statement. The India-Bangladesh consular dialogue mechanism was instituted in 2017 with an aim to strengthen people-to-people contacts by having a regular channel of communication on issues relating to consular, visa and mutual legal assistance. "Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges and agreed to hold the next round of the dialogue in Dhaka on a mutually convenient date," the ministry said. Dr. Aman Puri, Joint Secretary (consular-passport-visa division) at the ministry, led the Indian delegation at the talks. The Bangladeshi team was headed by Rokebul Haque Director General (South Asia), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MBABANE We cannot allow the president to be controlled by an individual. This statement was made by Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo, who said there can only be one president of the movement for now, Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane. Silolo was asked to respond to the allegations being levelled by the former SWALIMO trusted member Sydney Maseko, who has since left the organisation. Silolo said Maseko, at one stage, worked closely with the president of the organisation and sought to then control him (Simelane) through decision-making. Silolo said: This red flag was identified and he got so infuriated such that he is firing salvos from all cylinders since he no longer has the control. The spokesperson mentioned that they could not allow their president to be controlled by an individual; hence the movement eventually untangled the stronghold on him, resulting in his anger now. Silolo said they still believed Maseko could be a member of the organisation if he wanted to and was willing to act like all members and not a commander. However, he stated that Maseko was one of the leaders they treasured for his commitment to the building of the organisation. Silolo said Masekos contribution could never be watered down; hence they salute him richly for that. Unfortunately, he said they did not want to agree with his dissenting claims, that in the movement he had been bullied and his freedom of expression watered down. All freedom of expression is applauded here, but we have structures and processes that must be followed. No gate-crushing. He added that debates were according to agreed protocols. Furthermore, he stated that since Maseko had been very critical in different roles of building the movement, he then developed an untouchable position. Silolo said Maseko would not want to be opposed on anything, undermining all other leaders as he wanted his opinion to be final, wielding educational credentials as an attorney. Silolo said Maseko would always remind leaders of the movement that he was a legal professional and no layman could be able to challenge an intellectual opinion of an academic. He said their decision-making process centred around decisions developed by leaders of the organisation, including the strategic roadmap, which they followed. Asitifaki nje emeneni, he said. The Janavadi Mahila Sangathan (JMS) has filed a formal complaint demanding a thorough investigation into the suspicious death of a woman who had lodged a sexual harassment case against former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. JMS seeks probe into death of woman who filed sexual harassment complaint against Yediyurappa State vice-president of JMS Gauramma led the effort by lodging a complaint with the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) South East. She urged a comprehensive probe into the circumstances of the womans death at Nano Hospital under Hulimavu Police Stations jurisdiction. The deceased woman had accused Yeddyurappa of sexually assaulting her 17-year-old daughter, filing a case against him. However, Yeddyurappa has not been arrested, contrary to the typical protocol following the registration of a Pocso case, the complaint alleged. Facing immense pressure to withdraw the case, the woman sought the support of the Janavadi Mahila Sangathan. Senior Criminal Advocate S Balan was approached and agreed to provide pro bono legal assistance to support her quest for justice. The woman passed away on Sunday at Hulimavu Hospital, due to prolonged illness. Questions have been raised about the circumstances of her death, including the swift removal of her body from the hospitals back door by individuals claiming to be relatives, who had previously shown no concern for her. Additionally, the absence of a post-mortem examination has fuelled further doubts. In response to these concerns, JMS is demanding a thorough investigation into the womans death to uncover the truth and ensure justice. We have received a petition from Janavadi Mahila Sangathan and are verifying it, South-East DCP CK Baba told HT. We will take steps according to the law and ensure justice, he added. The complainant died under mysterious circumstances, Gauramma said. She added that allied womens organisations would meet with the Commissioner of Police on Wednesday and would also file a private complaint in court to demand a thorough probe into the matter. Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid was denied bail for the second time by a Delhi trial court on Tuesday. Khalid, who has been in custody since September 2020, is facing charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, in connection with the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020, which claimed 53 lives and left hundreds injured. The February 2020 riots in the Capital occurred amid a months-long protests against a contentious citizenship law. Khalid is facing charges under the stringent UAPA, in connection with the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020. (Sonu Mehta/HT Archive) Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday chided the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for not filing its conclusive charge sheet in the alleged land-for-jobs scam despite the court repeatedly giving it time. CBI logo at the agencys headquarters in New Delhi. (File photo) We are directing you to file the conclusive charge sheet. At times, the court has to use its power, special CBI judge Vishal Gogne told the CBI, expressing his displeasure with the central agency for seeking time during every hearing. Refusing CBI's request, Justice Gogne directed the agency to file the conclusive charge sheet by June 7, the next date of hearing. In doing so, he also rejected request from the counsels of the parties to give a date for July. The counsels may join through video conferencing, he said. The CBI has been seeking time since the beginning of the year. Ex-Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members are among the accused in the alleged scam. The case has reached the stage of scrutiny of documents filed, along with charge sheet against former Bihar chief minister Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi (also a former CM of the state) and their son Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar's ex-deputy chief minister. The case The CBI's main allegation is that Lalu Prasad Yadav, as the Union Minister of Railways during the period of 2004-2009, received financial advantages in the form of the transfer of landed property in the name of his family members, etc., in lieu of the appointment of substitutes in Group "D" posts in various zones of the Indian Railways. The beneficiaries, who were residents of Patna, sold their land situated in the Bihar capital to the Yadav family, and a private company controlled by the family. In October last year, the court granted bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and others in relation to a fresh charge sheet in the case. (With ANI inputs) Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 is set to take place on June 1, Saturday. Today is the second-last day of campaigning for political parties before the Lok Sabha election 2024 come to an end, and the results are declared on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on a two-day visit to West Bengal, and will address a poll rally in Diamond Harbour, which is a stronghold for the Trinamool Congress. TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is the sitting member of Parliament, is contesting from that seat. PM Modi is also expected to hold a roadshow in Kolkata on Wednesday, two days before the seat goes to polls in the general elections....Read More After concluding his visit to West Bengal, PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold three rallies in Odisha today. He will address public meetings in Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Kendrapada. It must be noted that along with the final phase of the general elections, Odisha's assembly election will also conclude on June 1. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi conducted a joint rally with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Varanasi on May 28, which is set to go to polls on Saturday. PM Modi is contesting the elections from Varanasi seat, with Congress fielding Ajay Rai against him. Rahul Gandhi said in Varanasi on Tuesday, I am telling you with a guarantee that after June 4, Narendra Modi ji will not be the prime minister of this country. "The contest between the two is intense and in this contest, Ajay Rai may win," he said. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the latter used money-power to become a leader, hours after Modi warned of a political upheaval in the country in the next six months in which he said political parties, which thrive on dynasty-politics, would disintegrate. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee (File Photo) A national leader should be secular and humane. But Modi became a leader by fluke using money-power. After becoming a leader, he has become arrogant. I have never seen a liar like him. It is not possible for such a liar to run a country. Such a liar cant even run a family, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said while addressing an election rally from Metiabruz in the southwestern fringes of Kolkata. Metiabruz is one of the seven assembly constituencies in the high-profile Lok Sabha constituency of Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas where election is scheduled in the last phase on June 1. The campaigning for the polls ended on Thursday afternoon. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee on Narendra Modis sent by God remark: Well build you a temple, offer dhokla TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is a two-time MP from the seat and is seeking a third term. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Abhijit Das against from Diamond Harbour. This is not just the election to strengthen the hands of Mamata Banerjee. For those who stopped all funds, deprived poor people of the state, and resorted to divisive and communal politics, the time has come to lodge a protest and take revenge against them. Chot ka jawab vote se dena hai, Abhishek said at the rally. The BJP fielded Abhijit Das against Abhishek from Diamond Harbour. Das, 54, popularly known as Bobby, contested from Diamond Harbour in 2009 on a BJP ticket. Earlier in the day, Modi while addressing a rally from Kakdwip in the adjacent Lok Sabha constituency of Mathurapur sharpened his attack against the TMC-led government over multiple fronts, including the recent attack on monks, opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, (CAA), alleged appeasement politics and not allowing central funds to reach the grass root. Infiltrators are snatching away the opportunities of youths in West Bengal. They are usurping your land and properties. The entire nation is concerned. The demography of the bordering areas has been changed. Why did they (TMC) oppose the CAA and are spreading lies and rumours? They want the illegal infiltrators to settle in West Bengal, Modi said while campaigning for Das. While it was Modis last rally in the eastern state, it was also the first Banerjee who was campaigning for her nephew before the high-octane battle for this Lok Sabha seat. Earlier known to be a Communist Party of India (Marxist) fortress, the TMC first breached the constituency in 2009 when Somen Mitra won the seat by 151,000 votes. In 2014, however, the TMC fielded Abhishek Banerjee for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls and he won the seat by a margin of around 71,000 votes defeating the CPIMs Abul Hasnat. BJPs Das came in third. In 2019, Abhishek won the seat by a margin of 320,000 votes defeating Nilanaja Roy of the BJP. (Abhishek) Banerjee will win hands down. But we have to see whether he manages to defeat the BJP candidate by four lakh (400,000) votes as he has been claiming. The CPIM and Congress have been washed away here, said Iqbal Haider, a local resident. Also Read: PM Modi steps up attack on Mamata Banerjee, asks if TMC will unleash goons on judges Locals said that the Indian Secular Front (ISF) has, however, made some impression in Diamond Harbour over the past few years which has around 38% of the Muslim population. This year ISF chief and the partys lone legislator Abbas Siddiqui triggered some flutter when he showed interest in contesting against Abhishek. He, however, changed his mind and instead fielded Maznu Laskar. This took away much of the steam out of the anti-TMC contest. Even though the TMC named all its 42 candidates on March 10, the BJP came up with the name of its Diamond Harbour candidate more than a month later. The BJP camp had come under attack from the ruling TMC for taking so much time to field a candidate against Abhishek. The party named Das as the candidate on April 16. A social activist and legal advisor, Das is known for his organisational prowess and has a stronghold in the BJPs ranks and columns in the district. TMC workers and even a section of the partys leaders often proudly flaunt Diamond Harbour as a model constituency and hail the MPs efforts in development. I dont think there is any need to introduce Abhishek.Be it rain or sunshine, he always thinks about his constituency. I often say that there none can look after a constituency like Abhishek. Vote for him and make him victorious once again, Mamata said as she held her nephews hands in the rally. The BJP, however, alleged that the Diamond Harbour model is that of intimidation, violence, and malpractice in the constituency, particularly during polls. (Abhishek) Banerjee doesnt allow a free and fair election here. He has created an ambience of terror in which police and criminals have formed a nexus. Whosoever contests against him is attacked. I was seriously wounded in 2014 when I contested against him. Many would say here there would be a bipolar contest and some would say there would be a three-pronged contest or four-pronged fight. But here the fight is primarily to restore democracy, said Das. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent sent by God remark saying God should not be in politics or instigate riots. West Bengal Mamata Banerjee addressing a public rally in South 24 Parganas district. (HT Photo) One says he (PM Modi) is the God of the gods. One leader says Lord Jagannath is his devotee, Mamata Banerjee said at a rally in Barasat. "A person who is God should not be in politics. God should not instigate riots. We will make a temple for him and offer him prasad, flowers, sweets and if he wishes, we will even offer him dhokla." Banerjee's remark came in the backdrop of PM Modis interview with a national TV channel where he reportedly said, Until my mother was alive, I used to think I was born biologically. After her demise, when I look at my experiences, I am convinced that I was sent by God. This strength is not from my body. It has been given to me by God. Im nothing but an instrument that God has sent. BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra also sparked controversy last week by saying that Odisha's most revered deity "Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi". He, however, later clarified that it was a slip of the tongue and he wanted to mean that the prime minister was an ardent 'bhakt' (devotee) of Lord Jagannath. Read: BJP aims to make inroads in West Bengal, Odisha in last phase of Lok Sabha polls Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also been taking potshots at Narendra Modi over his "sent by God" remarks. On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi was sent by his "parmatma (his God)" to help industrialists, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani and not poor. Addressing a rally in Deoria, Rahul Gandhi said that the God in whom PM Modi has faith hadn't sent him to serve farmers and labourers. "Everyone else is biological but Narendra Modi ji is not biological. Modiji uper se tapak kr aai hai. Unko parmatma ne Hindustan bheja hai. He has been sent by his 'parmatma' to help Ambani and Adani but 'parmatma' has not sent him to help the farmers, labourers and poor people. If 'parmatma' had sent him then they (parmatma) would have asked him to help the poor and the farmers. Yeh kaise 'parmatma' hain? Yeh Narendra Modi ji wale 'parmatma hain (What kind of God is this? This is PM Modi's God)," Rahul Gandhi said. Mani Shankar Aiyar News: Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior Congress leader, triggered a fresh controversy after he referred to the 1962 Indo-China war as an alleged Chinese invasion. As a purported video of an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday, where Mani Shankar Aiyar made the statement, started circulating on social media, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that his party colleague had subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term "alleged invasion" mistakenly, and that the party distances itself from the original phraseology. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.(ANI) Jairam Ramesh also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of giving the Chinese a clean chit for their incursions in May 2020. In the video clip from an event the book launch of 'Nehru's First Recruits' Mani Shankar Aiyar is heard sayin, "...In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India." Later, in a brief statement, Aiyar said, "I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word alleged before 'Chinese invasion' at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening." BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, however, hit out at the Congress over Aiyar's remarks. Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehru's First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as 'alleged'. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism, Amit Malviya wrote on X (formally Twitter). "Nehru gave up India's claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhi's UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory," he alleged. What explains Congress's love for the Chinese? Amit Malviya asked. Amid the controversy, Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, "Allowances must be made for his (Aiyar's) age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology." "The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 40 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed," Ramesh wrote. "The outgoing PM, however, gave a clean chit publicly to the Chinese on June 19th 2020, seriously weakening our negotiating position. 2000 sq km of territory including Depsang and Demchok remain out of bounds for Indian troops," Ramesh added. The Congress general secretary also reposted his old remarks in which he had accused PM Narendra Modi of giving a clean chit to China. Mani Shankar Aiyar recalls IFS exam episode At the event, Mani Shankar Aiyar also recalled an episode from the time when he had taken the examination for the Indian Foreign Service. "On the day, Tawang fell, the Foreign Service exams began in London. When it was over...I was prominent in politics, and the newspapers used to make reference to me as being very left-wing, being a communist. After I passed the foreign service exam, and I had done very well. I found I was not finding any kind of admission letter. So, I wrote to the ministry of external affairs, that I have not received the joining letter," Aiyar said. "I got the reply through Telegram stating 'Regret to inform you, that you have been rejected from all services' and I immediately realised what this was about...The Intelligence Bureau had a very important source of information on Indian students studying in foreign universities...it was called Yellow Rats... They came to the conclusion that since I am a communist and since I raised money for the Chinese. I was not able to raise money for my dinner, how will I raise money for the Chinese? I was removed from the list and rushed back to India," Aiyar added. Mani Shankar Aiyar's recent controversies The former Union minister has been no stranger to controversies. Earlier this month, Aiyar courted controversy after an interview clip of his went viral, wherein he could be heard saying that Pakistan is a "respected nation" that also possesses an atom bomb so India must enter into a dialogue with them. He added that there have been no efforts from India to reach out to Pakistan in the last ten years. In February, the Congress veteran sparked another row after coming out in praise of Pakistani people and terming them as the "biggest asset of India". Speaking at the session titled 'Hijr Ki Rakh, Visaal Kay Phool, Indo-Pak affairs' in Lahore, Aiyar shared his affection for Pakistan and its people, saying he had never been to a country where he had been welcomed with such open arms as he was in Pakistan. Amid videos of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaiks shivering hands going viral on social media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the well-wishers of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader were worried over his health, and they believed that there might be a conspiracy behind it, invoking immediate rebuttal from Patnaik. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (PTI/ANI Photos) Addressing a public meeting in Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district, Modi wondered if a lobby, who is enjoying power in Odisha behind curtains, were involved in the conspiracy, and assured that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is voted to power in the state, a special committee will be formed to ascertain why Patnaiks health got deteriorated. The well wishers and those who were close to Naveen babu are worried over the fact that his health has deteriorated significantly in the last one year. Whenever they meet me, they say that he is unable to do anything on his own. They believe that there might be a conspiracy behind the incident, Modi said. Is there any conspiracy? The people of Odisha have the right to know the truth. Is the lobby, who is enjoying power in Odisha behind curtains, involved in the matter? If the BJP is voted to power in Odisha, our government will form a special committee after June 10. The committee will ascertain as to why Naveen babus health deteriorated, he said. Patnaik immediately hit back at Modi, saying he was hurt by Modis comments. The PM in a public meeting has said that I am in bad health and that he wants to institute an inquiry. If he is so concerned about my health and he has stated publicly before that I am a good friend of his, all he had to do was to pick up the telephone and ring me up about my health. I understand a number of people of BJP in Odisha and Delhi have been spreading rumours about my health for the last 10 years. Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health, and I am campaigning in the state since last month. If he were to form a committee, I suggest he from a committee to look into people who are spreading such rumours, Patnaik told journalists at his residence Naveen Niwas. On Tuesday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had shared a video on X in which BJD leader and Patnaiks close aide VK Pandian was purportedly seen hiding the shivering hand of the chief minister behind the podium while he was addressing a meeting. Shri VK Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen Babu. I shudder to imagine the level of control a retired ex-bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu is currently exercising over the future of Odisha, he said. He further alleged that Patnaik himself does not sign any document. I suspect that Pandian ji misuses his digital signature. My request is that as soon as the BJP government is formed, this matter should be investigated, Sarma said. Addressing another meeting in Kendrapara, Modi said Odisha wants to get rid of those who are looting it. Odisha wants to get rid of the group that wants to keep Odia culture and Odisha government hostage. Today, the people want to put a full-stop to the 25 years of BJD rule. The entire Odisha is saying that its chief minister should be an Odia, he said. The people of Odisha want Modi Guarantee. Odisha has decided to instate a double-engine government this time. Not only Odisha, but the entire country has decided to form a Majboot Sarkar for the third time. Today, I have come here to give you one thing and take one thing from you. I have come here to seek your blessings and also to extend invitation for the June 10, as it will be on this date that a BJP CM will take oath in Odisha, he added. Modi said the people of Odisha have trusted BJD for 25 years, but it betrayed them in every possible manner. BJD has tried to snatch away the land of triabls. This BJD Govt has looted mineral resources. The Modi government formed district mineral fund and gave thousands of crore money to Odisha. But BJD did corruption in it also. People are saying that money looted from Odisha is being stashed in foreign soil. No matter where they hide the money, it is Modis Guarantee that it will be taken out. Those who have looted people will have to return the money and pay for it by spending the rest of their lives in jail. There is no sympathy for those who are looting people. This is necessary in the country, he said. Raising the issue of Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple, Modi alleged that the BJD government did the biggest fraud with Lord Jagannath. The people across the globe want to know what happened to the keys of Ratna Bhandar? What happened to the investigation report and whose name is in it, asked PM Modi. Whatever the BJD is hiding, the BJP will expose all after forming government in Odisha, he said. In his address at Baripada town of Mayurbhanj, Modi said earlier Mayurbhanj was known for women pulling the chariot of Maa Subhadra during the annual Rath Yatra festival. Now, Mayurbhanjs daughter Droupadui Murmu is the leader of 140 crore people and leading the country. As the President of India, she is commanding three armed forces. Its a matter of pride of every person of Odisha, he said. Predicting a big storm in politics in next six months, Modi said in the six months after June 4, the country will catch a new pace of development. Today is the last of election campaigning in Odisha and it is certain that a stable Modi government will be formed as it is visible from the excitement, which is visible, be it in Jharkhand, West Bengal or here in the state. In the next six months there is going to bring a big storm in politics. Disappointment is at its peak among the workers of all the family parties. People of their own are questioning the family leaders who have failed repeatedly. Therefore, in the next 6 months, we will see a new disintegration in the family parties, he said. He further said that in the next five years, people will see India becoming Atma Nirbhar (self-reliant) in various sectors. There will be a massive transformation in infrastructure, railways and highways. This will benefit Odisha and other states, he said. As the campaign comes to an end on May 30, political experts in Odisha said Modi attacking Patnaik may create some impact on voters mind about Patnaiks wellbeing. There have been some videos on social media about the CMs health. The PM talking about it may cause some impact. But more than that anti-incumbency and the apprehension of Pandian succeeding CM would have a bigger impact on BJDs electoral prospects, said political commentator SP Dash. New Delhi: Monsoon is expected to make onset over Kerala and some parts of northeast India during the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its Wednesday bulletin. The development is also expected to bring relief to the prevailing heat wave conditions over northwest and central India from Wednesday. According to the IMD, the normal monsoon onset over Kerala is June 1 (Representative Photo) Gradualfall in maximum temperatures by 3-4C very likely over Northwest & Central India during next 3-4 days, the IMD said. The IMD said that the conditions are expected to become favourable for further advancement of the southwest monsoon into some parts of the South Arabian Sea and the remaining parts of Maldives and the Comorin area, some parts of Lakshadweep area, some more parts of the Southwest & Central Bay of Bengal, and Northeast Bay of Bengal during the same period. Last year monsoon onset was delayed by a week on June 8. Also Read: Monsoon above normal but hot, humid June ahead: IMD According to the IMD, the normal monsoon onset over Kerala is June 1 and thereafter it advances northwards and then to the rest of the country around July 15. Monsoon normally advances over northeast India around June 5. But, during some years when the Bay of Bengal arm of the monsoon is active, the monsoon advances over northeast India at the same time The Bay of Bengal arm of the monsoon is very active due to severe cyclone Remal which has pulled the monsoon flow over the region. There has been extremely heavy rainfall over northeastern states during the past two days. Moreover, all monsoon onset criteria are being met over Kerala also during the past two days, said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD. The onset of the monsoon over Kerala is declared on the second day if after May 10, at least 60% of 14 stations Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu and Mangalore report rainfall of 2.5mm or more for two consecutive days , provided the wind pattern is south-westerly and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) is low. OLR represents the total radiation going to space emitted by the atmosphere or the extent of cloudiness. Monsoon is likely to make onset over Kerala on May 31, with a model error of +/-4 days, IMD had forecast on May 15. IMDs operational forecasts of the date of monsoon onset over Kerala during the past 19 years (2005-2023) were proved to be correct except in 2015, IMD said in a statement. Kerala has been hit by heavy rains this week, with scores of houses suffering damage, roads submerged, trees uprooted, flood water entering houses and trains running late as steady downpours continued to lash the state. Earlier this week, the IMD sounded a yellow alert in seven districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam. A yellow alert indicates heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm. The weather department predicted isolated heavy rain in these districts in the coming hours. The advance of the southwest monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterising the transition from a hot and dry season to a rainy season. According to Indias agriculture ministry, 51% of farmed areas, accounting for 40% of production, are rain-fed, making the monsoon critical. With 47% of the countrys population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood (according to this years Economic Survey), a bountiful monsoon has a direct correlation with a healthy rural economy. A cyclonic circulation is lying over northeast Assam and the neighbourhood in lower and middle tropospheric levels. Under its influence, widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during next seven days, said IMD. Also Read: Delhi sizzles near 50C: Why such scorching heat? When can we expect a respite? FAQs answered Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next five days and isolated heavy rainfall over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on May 30, it further said. Moreover, isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall over Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Odisha during the next five days and accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) likely over the region from May 31 to June 2. A shear zone hear zone is running over south peninsular India in middle tropospheric levels. Strong westerly winds are prevailing along the Kerala coast. Under its influence, widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) likely over Kerala & Mahe, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands; isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Karnataka during next seven days and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema during June 1 to 4, read the IMDs bulletin. Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Kerala & Mahe during the next five days, over Andaman & Nicobar Islands from May 31 to June 2, Tamil Nadu and South Interior Karnataka on June 1 and 2, it said. Meanwhile, a fresh western disturbance is expected to impact the Western Himalayan region on May 30. Under its influence, isolated to scattered light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning is very likely over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh from May 30 to June 2 and Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-GilgitBaltistan-Muzaffarabad from May 30 and 31, the IMD said. This is expected to reduce the intensity of heat over the Western Himalayan region during the next two days, Mohapatra said. MBABANE I have been abused by SWALIMO. The aforementioned statement was shared by former Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) member Sydney Maseko, who has officially left the organisation. According to Maseko, the organisations President Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane was allegedly being worshipped by the members of the political formation. Maseko alleged that Simelane was an emotional person and did not want to be challenged. The former SWALIMO member said he had been attacked by the members for speaking anything against the president; they were told that the organisation was not about them but the leader, hence they were following him. He said he had been attacked by the organisations leadership and some members for raising concerns in the manner they were led. Maseko stated that at times when he posted, Simelane would grab the post and repost it in other groups setting him up with the membership which was very wrong. Comment How can a president screen grab a post and make an opposing comment without engaging with the person who has posted? Maseko questioned. He added that instead of behaving in such a manner, the president should have at least privately engage with him. Also, he stated that he was sidelined by the organisation for being against the idea to start preparations for the 2028 elections. Maseko said in a post which was made by SWALIMO Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo, he made it clear that he was not in support of the idea. He said he was against the preparations and stated the reasons behind, which he said was that the State had not started and was busy with other things. This, he said, the very same government, which they were opposing, had not even started talking about the elections. I told them the idea was offside and a contradiction for them to be excited about the 2028 elections. Maseko said this was the reason for being sidelined by the organisation, as he voiced out his opinions that preparing for the elections would be creating job opportunities for few individuals and not a political strategy. The former SWALIMO member said the issue of supporters was a challenge, as people tend to focus on individuals and question any opinion that is raised by members. In the SWALIMO issue, the other members just tell you that they joined the party for one person, who is Magawugawu. Situations Maseko said his crime was raising the manner in which they were led and more often had been told that the president was God-ordained and could tell situations before they happened. He said such was a serious problem because other members would then attack persons who raised opposing opinions. Explaining what fuelled his resignation, Maseko said he was removed from the social platforms for having an opinion which was opposed by the president. He said through the secretariats actions, he decided to leave, as he felt unwanted by the organisation. Maseko said by virtue of not having access to any of the platforms, he realised that he was no longer a member, because he could not talk to anyone on the social platforms of the political formation. I am currently in the diaspora and the only communication is through the social platforms and if removed, it meant automatic termination of membership, he said. Maseko said after a confrontation with Simelane, where he was called and questioned about his submissions to the national executive committee (NEC) secretariat, a structure used by the organisation for anyone who had concerns to forward, he decided to step aside. He said he then wrote to the NEC, informing them of the reason why he had stepped aside, stating that following the confrontation with Simelane, he realised that he was actually the highest authority in the structure, hence his stepping aside. Structure I wrote to the higher structure where the president sits and in response, they called a meeting inviting all members with the aim of giving direction on where they could take their grievances, Maseko said. He said he was also invited on the side to raise his grievances. He said they promised to respond to the grievances in a weeks time, something that never happened to date. On Sunday, Maseko said he wrote to the secretariat, informing them about his decision to leave the organisation and further made the post public on Monday. This, he said, was to shed light to some of the SWALIMO members who attacked him, trying to clarify his position. He said some of the members had no idea what had transpired, but were making comments. Maseko noted that whenever they did not see eye to eye with Simelane and when trying to raise a point, those things would be taken personally. Furthermore, he said the clash with the president would sometimes emanate from the group chats, where he would then be attacked by other members who were not called to order. These, he said, were concerns that touched upon the organisation, which is why he did not call the president directly, but opted to raise them on the group platforms. Prior to the failing relationship, Maseko stated that he raised his concerns with the president and they did not reach common ground. We had a meeting with the national executive committee, a structure used by the organisation for anyone who has concerns and I raised same, said Maseko. However, he stated that he was called by Simelane following the meeting, confronting him of the concerns that had been raised, which he felt was unprofessional. Maseko said it was unfortunate that it was the presidents son who reported the discussions after the meeting, yet following the meeting, the submissions were to be taken up to another structure to be dealt with. He said it was unprofessional then for the president, to whom the concerns were directed, to call and confront him of same. Maseko said he tried reasoning with Simelane, trying to understand why he decided to question him on the concerns but he heard none of it. He stated that the only thing which Simelane could state was that he was sorry. Next to a whitewashed lilac wall, Reshmi Biswas is hard at work. The crackle of sizzling oil in a large pan of frying fish is wafting into the cubbyhole where the 23-year-old sits, a jumble of mouldy files in front of her and a stack of discount mattresses behind. In that cramped room, she is one of four people behind a desk, the tables arranged diagonally to make the most of the precious real estate. Reshmi Biswas, 23 (HT Photo) Evening is falling outside the three-room office that Biswas shares with 10 other staffers of the non-governmental organisations office in eastern Kolkata. The cacophony of e-rickshaw horns and auto drivers arguing raucous alerts her to the late hour. There is still one bulging file left to process, then a sweaty bus ride to Sealdah station and a two-hour train journey to her home in Nadia districts Kalyani town. Its a sapping routine that recurs every day, but Biswas has no complaints. If this is the only way I can work for people like me, so be it, she says. A history graduate, Biswas works with a NGO that helps transgender people with survival, safety and livelihood. Work days can stretch beyond 12 hours and emergencies lurk around the corner (the mattresses behind her are meant to house trans people suddenly rendered homeless by hostile relatives). Its a draining schedule that leaves Biswas time for very little else. But this week is special. She has spent countless hours poring over her voter identity card and supporting documents. At the end of the week is her ultimate test voting for the first time in an election, a privilege that most of her fellow Indians take for granted but one that has been denied to her twice before due to trivialities and bias. More than anything else, itll affirm my right as a full citizen. I cannot wait, she says. Biswas is part of a cohort of 18 million people who will exercise their franchise for the first time in the ongoing general elections, their aspirations and concerns shaping the battle for the 18th Lok Sabha. But for her, the privilege is even more special, given the bitterness that transpeople such as her battle, not just on the streets or in drawing rooms, but also in polling booths. 2 Growing up in a two-bedroom middle-class dwelling with two siblings, Biswass problems with bias began early. In her co-ed school, young boys didnt take kindly to her mannerisms and gait, needling her for having more female friends than male. Trips to the washroom were imbued with fear as classmates would hurl expletives. They would climb over the partition and scream, show us what you have. I could neither tell the teachers because theyd laugh, nor understand why it was happening, she says. Her only friend through this ordeal, an effeminate boy she remembers with shaggy hair and shiny bracelets,dropped out of school before the Class 10 board exams. He couldnt take the name calling and abuse anymore, but I knew that education was important for me, she says. Biswas enrolled in a local college and graduated with an honours degree in history. Straight out of college, she landed a job in a private company a rarity among her peers in small-town Bengal. I was very proud, she says. Aware that her gender expression could complicate her standing at the workplace, Biswas took pains to appear plain. She eschewed make-up, lipstick and doing up her nails. But every time she picked up the phone the company employed telecallers who offered loans or marketed products the firm worked on her voice betrayed her. I could hear whispers behind and people trying to suppress laughter. Things came to a head one day when the manager humiliated me for my clothes, calling me ladies and homo,she says. She never went back. In a society where transpeople are often stereotyped as beggars and vilified as abductors, jobs were difficult to come by. Biswas spent two pandemic-struck years watching her friends from the community sink deeper into financial ruin and emotional turmoil. Many turned to sex work, and yet others to ritual dancing at events in the hinterland a risky and dangerous profession that forced community members to often experience sexual assault and violence because their paymasters were the perpetrators. A nights performance would typically last five hours, and earn the troupe 3,000. And for that, we had to fend off village chiefs, and men from the village pawing at us or worse. I survived because of my luck. Others werent as lucky. she says. 3 The Election Commission first allowed transgender people to vote in 1994 following a petition by transgender activist Shabnam Mausi. Three decades later, Biswas found out that the process was just as uphill. She wanted to vote last year in local body polls but her dead-name (the name she was given by her parents at birth) posed a problem. Biswas spent weeks making the rounds of local government and party offices, imploring them to help her change her documents to the correct gender and name. But all I got were jokes and people throwing slurs at me. Some even didnt let me enter the premises, she says. Denied a first time, she steeled herself ahead of the general elections. She ignored the jibes about her long hair and changes in her face, diligently checking every box in a long to-do list to vote as a transgender person. I tried everything, from flirting with the officer to shouting at them and finally bribing them. I couldnt let anything stop me, she says. She is lucky; most transpeople cannot change their documents because their ties to the natal family that holds their documentation has snapped. And landmark steps such as the Supreme Courts 2014 ruling in Nalsa vs Union of India that affirmed transgender rights, or the 2019 transgender rights act come up short against inimical social attitudes. What can you do when officials laugh at you and say, werent you a boy before? she asks. The run-up to the 2024 general elections saw almost every party make promises to advance transgender rights. But Biswas is certain that her vote will be for a candidate who is focussed on the small things ensuring a transgender certificate, building toilets that transpersons can use safely, and working out a system that allows them to access health care not as male or female, but as full transgender citizens. I could have a PhD but theyd still call me slurs. Whether it be police or doctors, we have to change their behaviour, she says. The traffic outside the office is thinning now as night gathers around her. Biswas has to scram otherwise shell miss the last train to Kalyani its the part of the commute she looks forward to the most because it affords her the chance to catch up on a daily quota of Hindi songs and some sleep. But she is mindful to gently gather her identity documents and voter card, and put them in a special compartment of her bag before heading out. I dont care what party comes, but I want to be counted as an Indian citizen, she says as she runs behind an auto to take her to the railway station. No one else will understand what it will mean for me to vote. Because they can. Varanasi: Amidst hectic campaigning by the top BJP leadership for the last phase on June 1, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the NDA was well within the target to cross the 400-seat mark in the 2024 elections. Commerce, Industry, Consumer Affairs and Textile Minister meeting entrepreneurs in Varanasi.(HT Photo) He said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win Varanasi with a record margin, the party will bag more LS seats in UP as compared to 2019. The atmosphere is superbly in favour of the BJP and the NDA all over country and there is no anti-incumbency against the Modi government, he added. Minister Goyal, who also holds the consumer affairs and textile portfolios, has been camping in the city for the past two days meeting entrepreneurs and traders. With Poorvanchal going to polls on June 1, the party has pushed key leaders to tackle particular segments in Varanasi with Home Minister Amit Shah conducting the entire electoral exercise, Party President JP Nadda is moving in and out of Varanasi and Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani coming to the Holy City today to woo the women voters in PMs constituency. The fact is that PM Modi is expected to win Varanasi hands down, with the current focus only on the vote margin of victory. The smooth BJP electoral machinery is evident in the city with key ministers and leaders targeting specific segments with remarkable efficiency. The public on its part is all for PM Modi for the third term as the city has improved dramatically in the past decade with excellent roads and across the board economic growth. Talking to Hindustan Times, Minister Goyal said that the business community in the city was very happy with the GST and the rapid mitigation of their grievances by both the Center and State governments. When asked about his own election from Mumbai North and the NDA's performance in Maharashtra, he said he was very confident about the NDA's doing well in his home state. He also added that the BJP will trump up its performance in West Bengal so muchthat the public will be amazed at the results. While no BJP leader will tell you the NDAs final performance, it is quite evident that they all are convinced that the BJP will add at least a score seats more than the last time with UP contributing some 70 seats to BJPs kitty. Minister Goyal refused to go into numbers and was clear that the NDA will breach the 400 mark. Talking on specific issues, he said that India will negotiate the FTA with Britain only after the new government is formed post July 4. He said the FTA with Canada is stuck till the time the Justin Trudeau government makes conducive atmosphere for talks. India will do FTAs with other countries based on its interests and will not be forced to make any concessions, he added. With only two days left before the final phase goes into silent mode, the BJP leadership is confident of a strong undercurrent in favour of PM Modi for the third time. The Supreme Courts vacation bench on Tuesday refused to grant an urgent hearing on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals plea for an extension of his 21-day interim bail by one week on medical grounds, emphasising that it would be more appropriate for the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to take a decision on the matter given that proceedings in Kejriwals petition have already been closed for judgment. AAP National Convenor and chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal in Zirakpur on Tuesday (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who was released from judicial custody on May 10 to campaign during the Lok Sabha elections, has been directed by the top court to return to jail on June 2. The results of the elections will be announced on June 4. To be sure, Kejriwals plea has made no allusion to that. On Tuesday morning, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, mentioned the extension plea before the vacation bench comprising justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, highlighting the need for immediate medical examinations, including PET-CT scans and Holter monitoring, to assess potential serious health issues. Arguing the urgency of the situation, Singhvi pressed for a hearing on Wednesday, adding the plea does not prejudice anyone. However, the bench pointed out that the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on Kejriwals petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 17. Read Here | Nothing exceptional in bail to Arvind Kejriwal: Supreme Court Wasnt this a matter heard and reserved on May 17? Its a heard and reserved matter. Probably we are not supposed to do anything in such a matter... We will refer it to Honble CJI. Let the CJI take a decision, the bench replied. Singhvi reiterated the urgency of the matter, citing Kejriwals recent health complications and the necessity of the diagnostic tests. I am asking for an extension of only seven days, he is supposed to surrender on June 2. I am saying let me return on June 9, he said. But the bench maintained its stance, directing that the matter be brought to the attention of the CJI for a decision on whether to list the plea for an urgent hearing. Something is required in propriety. So, we will only refer it to the CJI...It would be appropriate to place this matter before the CJI for appropriate orders, the court held. The court on Tuesday asked Singhvi why he did not seek an urgent hearing of his plea from a vacation bench, led by justice Dipankar Datta, which sat last week. It was a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Datta that had granted interim bail to Kejriwal. Why didnt you mention it last week when justice Datta was here? One of the learned members of the regular bench was available last week. You should have mentioned it before him, the bench told Singhvi. Read Here | Arvind Kejriwal bail: What Supreme Court said on timing of AAP chief's arrest Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21, 2024, in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. After his challenge to the ED arrest was nixed by the Delhi high court on April 9, the CM moved the Supreme Court. The top court on May 10 granted Kejriwal temporary bail till June 1, rejecting EDs argument that his release for political campaigning would imply preferential treatment for politicians, and highlighting the significance of elections in a democracy. The bench of justices Khanna and Datta, however, continued hearing Kejriwals petition demanding invalidation of his arrest and reserved its judgment on May 17. The Supreme Court is currently closed for summer break and will reopen on July 8. While vacation benches continue sitting throughout the break, the verdict on Kejriwals petition is expected only after the regular functioning resumes in July. In his petition before the top court, the Delhi CM also painted a picture of a politically motivated witch hunt orchestrated by the ruling BJP at the Centre and emphasising the wider implications of his arrest for democratic governance and the rule of law in India. Kejriwal was the third AAP leader arrested in the excise policy case. Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia was arrested in this case on February 23, 2023, and remains incarcerated. AAP MP Sanjay Singh was however released on bail on April 2. On May 16, when the Supreme Court on May 16 heard Kejriwals petition challenging his arrest, it firmly refuted EDs contention that granting interim bail to Kejriwal and agreeing to examine the legality of his arrest was an exceptional exercise, emphasising that all individuals, irrespective of their status, are entitled to pursue the same legal recourse and remedies. Stating that the right to seek judicial review of an arrest are fundamental legal entitlements available to every citizen, the bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta maintained that the Constitution gave people right to approach constitutional courts directly assailing arbitrary or illegal detention. At the same time, the court reiterated its May 10 order, clarifying that Kejriwal will have to surrender on June 2 after the completion of the 21-day interim bail granted to him for campaigning. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to embark on a 45-hour meditation on Vivekananda Rock Memorial starting on Thursday with the conclusion of the campaigning for the last phase of the election, arrangements are being put in place for the major event. Around 2,000 police personnel and security agencies will be posted to maintain a tight vigil as PM Modi meditates. Starting from May 30 evening he will meditate to the evening of June 1. The place has been chosen because Swami Vivekananda was believed to have received his divine vision there. PM Modi will meditate at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial starting on Thursday evening.(PTI) 'PM's Kanyakumari retreat violates poll code': Congress moves Election Commission against Modi No tourists to be allowed on the beach for two days The beach will be out of bounds for tourists from Thursday to Saturday and private boats will not be allowed to ferry, PTI reported. PM Modi will reach there in a helicopter and a trial of a helicopter landing has been conducted at the helipad. According to reports, PM Modi will first reach Thiruvananthapuram and from there take an MI-17 helicopter to Kanyakumari, his estimated landing time being 4.35pm. He will witness the sunset and then sit in meditation. He will return from Kanyakumari on June 1 at 3.30pm. Why Vivekananda Rock? According to BJP leaders, the rock that PM Modi chose for meditation had a major impact on Vivekananda's life and holds a similar significance in the monk's life as Sarnath for Gautam Buddha. It was here that Vivekananda arrived after wandering across the country, meditated for three days and had a vision for a developed India. "Meditating at the same place shows Prime Minister Modi's commitment to bringing Swami ji's vision of a Viksit Bharat to life," a BJP leader said, as quoted by PTI. The place is also referred in holy texts as the site of Goddess Parvati's meditation for Lord Shiva, the leader said. "Prime Minister Modi is giving a signal of national unity by going to Kanyakumari," a leader said, adding that it also shows his deep commitment and affection for Tamil Nadu that he is visiting the state even after the elections are over, PTI reported. (With PTI inputs) Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday took a jibe at PM Narendra Modi claiming that no data given by the Prime Minister has received international recognition. He said that he was ready for a debate as the data was in Congress' favour. Tharoor also claimed that from 2004 to 2014 when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre, more than 140 million people were lifted out of poverty. Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor (File photo) "If we look at the figures, the BJP does not have a leg to stand on. The Congress takes pride that from 2004 to 2014, more than 140 million people came out of poverty. World Bank, United Nations and other international institutions agreed with this. Any data from PM Modi has not received international recognition... Does PM Modi have the right to say that he removed poverty?... Ask the people if their condition has improved... I am ready for a debate. The data is in our favour...," said Tharoor in an interaction with news agency ANI. ALSO READ| Modi raises concerns about Naveen Patnaiks health; Odisha CM calls it rumour Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Election 2024, PM Modi in his campaign rallies, has been claiming that his government lifted 25 crore Indians out of poverty. PM Modi has also been enumerating other achievements under his government, including, India's GDP growth, infrastructure development, India's massive Covid vaccination drive etc. What NITI Aayog report on poverty alleviation under Modi government says According to a NITI Aayog report in January 2024, 24.82 crore people came out of multidimensional poverty in last nine years. As per the report, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh registered the largest decline in poverty. Of the 24.82 crore people who came out of poverty, 5.94 crore people were lifted out of poverty in Uttar Pradesh followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore and Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore. Multidimensional poverty in India declined from 29.17 % in 2013-14 to 11.28 % in 2022-23, showing a reduction of 17.89 percentage points, the report said. A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi retreats to Kanyakumari on a three-day meditation break, the Congress on Wednesday approached the Election Commission, saying that the PM's move constitutes a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an interview with ANI.. We told the Election Commission that during the silence period of 48 hours, no one should be allowed to campaign, directly or indirectly, senior Congress leader told Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters after meeting Election Commission officials at the poll body's office in Delhi. Singhvi, however, clarified that the grand old party is not against whatever any leader may do. The PM's meditation, on the other hand, will be a violation of the Model Code as the silence period would be from 7am on May 30 till June 1, he added. The retreat is a tactic by the Prime Minister to either keep campaigning or to "keep himself in the headlines," Singhvi remarked. We have asked the Election Commission that the PM should postpone his maun vrat (vow of silence) by 24-48 hours to the evening of June 1. But if he insists on beginning this tomorrow, the media should be directed not to telecast it, the senior Supreme Court advocate stated. In 2019, too, Prime Minister Modi had visited the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines ahead of the declaration of results of that year's Lok Sabha elections, when he got elected to serve a second consecutive term. The senior BJP leader and former Gujarat chief minister is seeking a hattrick of wins from Varanasi, from where he contested his maiden Lok Sabha election in 2014. The constituency in Uttar Pradesh will vote in the seventh and final phase on Saturday. The Lok Sabha election results are due on June 4. Campaigning for the seventh phase will end at 5pm on Thursday. (With ANI inputs) Police are prepared to arrest suspended JD(S) Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual abuse charges, upon his arrival at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, acting on an arrest warrant issued earlier this month. Prajwal has booked a flight to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30 and is expected to land in the early hours of Friday. A Special Court for Public Representatives issued an arrest warrant for Prajwal Revanna On May 18.(Reuters) He has booked a flight from Munich to Bengaluru by Lufthansa Airlines. The flight will leave Munich on Thursday afternoon and land in Bengaluru at 12.05 am on Friday, PTI quoted an official as saying. Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed on Wednesday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is vigilant and ready to arrest the tainted JD(S) MP. All necessary measures have to be taken, as a warrant has been issued against him (Prajwal). He has to be arrested. SIT is waiting, they will arrest him and will take his statement, and their (SIT) process will start, Parameshwara told reporters. Asked if Prajwal would be arrested at the airport on landing, he said, "It (arrest) has to be done there (at airport), as a warrant has been issued. So he will have to be arrested." Read: Prajwal Revanna to leave Germany tomorrow, books flight ticket to Bengaluru: Report Obscene videos allegedly showing Prajwal Revanna, a two-time MP from Hassan, sexually abusing several women surfaced in April, days before his constituency voted during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. He fled abroad on April 27 using his diplomatic passport soon after news broke that the Karnataka State Commission for Women had urged chief minister Siddaramaiah to investigate the matter. Two days ago, the Hassan MP released a video message in which he promised to appear before the SIT on May 31 and cooperate with the inquiry. Parameshwara said on Tuesday that the next procedure to bring back Prajwal Revannan would commence if the suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader failed to appear for a probe on May 31. I dont know what prompted him to release that video... We will see what happens on May 31. If he doesnt turn up (before SIT), the next procedure will start, Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru. Prajwal cancelled the flight ticket from Germany twice in the past, reported PTI quoting people aware of the matter. As a last-ditch attempt to avoid arrest, the Hassan MP moved a special court for public representatives seeking anticipatory bail, but was rejected on Wednesday. Bengaluru, Suspended JD MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual abuse charges, has booked a flight to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30 and is expected to land in the early hours of Friday, after a special court for public representatives rejected his anticipatory bail plea on Wednesday. The police are on the alert to execute the arrest warrant against the absconding JD leader as soon as he lands at the airport. According to sources in the Special Investigation Team, the 33-year-old grandson of JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda is expected to land in Bengaluru in the small hours of May 31. He has booked a flight from Munich to Bengaluru by Lufthansa Airlines. The flight will leave Munich on Thursday afternoon and land in Bengaluru at 12.05 am on Friday, an official said. The SIT is maintaining vigil at the Kempegowda airport here to arrest him as soon as he lands, they said. The MP, who is seeking re-election as the NDA candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, fled to a foreign country on May 27 soon after news broke out that the Karnataka State Commission for Women requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order an investigation into the huge cache of explicit videos showing several women being sexually assaulted allegedly by him. So far three cases of sexual assault have been registered against Prajwal, police sources said. Two days ago, the Hassan MP released a video message in which he promised to appear before the SIT on May 31 and cooperate with the inquiry. The MP cancelled the flight ticket from Germany twice in the past, the sources added. Meanwhile, the SIT conducted searches at Prajwal's residence in the district headquarter town of Hassan on Tuesday, which went on till late in the night. "Some incriminating materials have been seized," they said. As a last ditch attempt to avoid arrest, the Hassan MP moved the Special Court for Elected Representatives here through his counsel on Wednesday seeking anticipatory bail, but it was rejected. On May 18, the special court had issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the SIT. Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said Prajwal will be arrested as soon as he arrives at the airport here. Addressing reporters here on Wednesday, Parameshwara said, "All necessary measures have to be taken, as a warrant has been issued against him . He has to be arrested. SIT is waiting, they will arrest him and will take his statement, and their process will start." Asked if Prajwal would be arrested at the airport on landing, he said, "It has to be done there , as a warrant has been issued. So he will have to be arrested." The SIT arrested his father and JD MLA H D Revanna, who is allegedly involved in kidnapping a woman. Currently, he is out on bail. Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna too has filed an anticipatory bail in the Special Court for Elected Representatives fearing arrest in the kidnap case linked to her husband. The SIT filed objections to granting the anticipatory bail to her and also sought to cancel the interim anticipatory bail issued to H D Revanna in the same case. Bhavani Revanna's anticipatory bail order is reserved for May 31. To a question on the arrest of two persons by SIT in connection with the pen drive circulation case, the home minister said whoever is involved in the case will be arrested, irrespective of party affiliation. "Already 11-12 people have been arrested. Whoever they feel are involved in the case, during investigation, they will arrest them and question them," he added. Police on alert to arrest Prajwal who is expected to land in the early hours of Friday Pune Porsche car accident news updates: Two young IT professionals were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy, in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar area in Pune. According to the Pune Police, the teenager was drunk at the time. On Monday, Pune Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar claimed that the teen's blood samples were discarded and replaced with another person's samples which showed no traces of alcohol. A video had earlier emerged in the Pune Porsche crash case in which the 17-year-old boy was seen in a bar. The Pune Police has arrested Dr Ajay Taware, head of the Sassoon General Hospital's forensic medicine department, Dr Shrihari Halnor, the chief medical officer, and a staffer, Atul Ghatkamble, who works under Dr Taware. They were remanded in police custody till May 30. News18, citing unnamed sources, reported the sequence of events that led to the manipulation of the blood sample of the teen driver. What happened after Pune Porsche accident On May 19 at 11am, a blood sample from the minor accused was taken to Sassoon General Hospital. Vishal Agarwal, the teenager's father contacted Dr Ajay Taware. Dr Ajay Taware asked Dr Shrihari Halnor to switch the samples, after which a different person's blood sample was sent to the forensic lab. Sassoon General Hospital doctors reported that the minor accused had not consumed alcohol. Police took another blood sample from the juvenile accused for DNA testing at a different government hospital. The second blood sample matched both the minor accused and the father. The blood sample from Sassoon General Hospital did not match the accused. During police interrogation, the doctor admitted to switching the blood sample. The Pune Police suspects that a lab technician or attendant assisted the three arrested individuals. Pune car crash: Panel visits Sassoon Hospital A three-member committee conducting an inquiry into the alleged manipulation of the blood samples of the juvenile driver involved in the Porsche car crash on Tuesday visited the Sassoon General Hospital and also met police officials who are probing the case. In a related development, a local court remanded the father of the 17-year-old in police custody till May 31 in the case of `kidnapping' of the family driver. The committee headed by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of the Grant Medical College and JJ group of hospitals, arrived at the Sassoon hospital earlier in the day. The committee also visited the office of the Pune crime branch which has taken over the accident case. "We will submit our observations to the state government and it is the prerogative of the government as to what action it wants to take," said Dr Sapale. "We have been directed by the government to submit the report at the earliest," she added. (With inputs from PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a veiled jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modis assertion that the world did not know about Mahatma Gandhi until the release of Richard Attenborough's 1982 biographical film "Gandhi." Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a public meeting in Patna, Bihar. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times) In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote in Hindi, Only a student of 'Entire Political Science' would need to watch the film to know about Mahatma Gandhi, taking an apparent jibe at Modi's Masters degree. Read: 'PM Modi's Kanyakumari retreat violates Model Code': Congress moves Election Commission In an interview with TV news channel ABP, Modi claimed that the world was not aware of Mahatma Gandhi and asked whether it was not the nation's responsibility to get Gandhi a level of global recognition in the last 75 years. "Mahatma Gandhi was a great soul in the world. In these 75 years, was it not our responsibility to inform the world about Mahatma Gandhi? No one knew about him. Forgive me, but the first time there was curiosity about him in the world was when the film 'Gandhi' was made. We did not do it," the prime minister said during the interview. If the world knew Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi was no less than them and you have to accept that. I am saying this after travelling the world Modi added. Read: Naveen Patnaik reveals health condition after Modi's 'conspiracy' attack: 'Could have just...' The prime ministers remarks sparked a major backlash, with many pointing out Gandhi's already well-established global legacy prior to the film's release. Congress leader Pawan Khera took a swipe at the BJP leader, saying, It is good that before Modi ji became the prime minister, statues of Mahatma Gandhi were installed in dozens of countries around the world, otherwise Modi would have been getting statues of Ben Kingsley installed. Veteran British actor Ben Kingsley played the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1982 movie. Jairam Ramesh, senior Congress leader in charge of communications, said, If anyone has destroyed the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, it is the outgoing prime minister himself. It is his government that has destroyed Gandhian institutions in Varanasi, Delhi, and Ahmedabad. MANZINI One of the warders who left the country at the height of the political unrest and was wanted by the police, has come back to tell it all. The former officer of His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) was on Monday afternoon presented before the Manzini Principal Magistrate, David Khumalo, where he recorded a confession. In the confession, he detailed how they operated, who recruited him and how they committed some of the crimes, which resulted in the death of some members of the public. The name of the former warder has been concealed as investigations are reportedly still ongoing and is due to be formally charged. The former warder, according to insiders, has been in the country since October 2023. The insiders claimed that at some point he was regularly seen around Dvokolwako. However, the insiders supposed that after a few weeks, he was taken by one of the State security forces who had kept him since then. The sources purported that the State security forces kept him for almost six months. Protection This publication has it in authority that during his stay under the protection of one of the State security forces, the former warder was sheltered in some of the lodges within the townships in Manzini. He is said to have been lodged at the pay-per-day complex until recent weeks. Some of the people engaged around the area claimed that they had been curious about the high level of security which frequented the area. The residents claimed that in recent weeks, a number of foreign registered Toyota Hilux GD 6 vehicles, frequented the lodge. They claimed that in one instance, there was seemingly a clash between the security personnel who were frequently seen at the lodge and some senior police officers. The insiders claimed that this resulted in the owner of the lodge also showing up to try and diffuse the situation. However, insiders claimed that in this instance, the former Correctional officer left with the police officers. He was said to have later returned to the lodge. The insiders claimed that days later, he was seemingly relocated. However, on Sunday, insiders claimed that he was at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters, before being presented at the Manzini Magistrates Court to record a confession. Insiders supposed that the ex-HMCS officer in his confession shared information on how he was recruited into fighting the State he had sworn to protect and serve. It is worth noting that two ex-HMCS officers, Bheka Brian Magagula of Nkambeni and Phakamani Gravel Magagula of Dvokolwako, disappeared from their duty stations on August 29, 2022. They left with a service assault rifle. Also, another warder, Wandile Mpumelelo Gina, disappeared from his workstation Sidwashini, on October 20, 2022, after being allegedly involved in the shooting and killing of his then colleague, Bheki Mike Mtsetfwa of KaBhudla, who was stationed at the Sidwashini Correctional Services Facility. Mtsetfwa was also robbed of his service rifle. Sources supposed that the former warder also shared the roles played by various individuals at the height of the political unrest. They alleged that the former warder was, along with others, assigned to assist in the stealing of guns from the HMCS. Killing It is worth noting that at the height of the political unrest, the modus operandi of those dubbed the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF) was killing, among other things, those who represented the State, including police officers, warders, soldiers and traditional authorities. The SISF was a group that carried out terrorist activities around the country and in engaging in its activities, it also stole guns to use in its quest. Among the guns stolen was an R4, which was taken from two traffic police officers who were shot and killed at Woodmasters, Manzini. The officers were Sifiso Ivin Mthembu and Sonnyboy Dlamini. They were killed on October 18, 2022. The firearms allegedly used in the murder of the officers were an R4 rifle and an R1 rifle. According to the police, it was the same firearms that were used in the murder of a soldier at Mahlabatsini, the murder of a game ranger at Nsubane Farm, the murder of police officer Thulani Mthembu at Ngculwini and during the kidnapping and robbery of a head teacher at Nyakatfo High School, together with three staff members. It is worth noting that events that culminated in the political unrest experienced in the country in June/July 2021 led, according to the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) in a report titled Kingdom of Eswatini Conflict Insights, by the end of June 28, 2021, about 28 protesters had been shot and by July 6, 2021, it was supposed 45 people were killed allegedly by security personnel in the country. Following the unrest, there were constant bombings and arson attacks which were also accompanied by the killing of 10 security forces personnel since May 2022. The 10 security forces personnel were shot dead in different instances by gunmen, who at times disarmed them and left with their service weapons. These guns were suspected to have also been used in the commission of other criminal activities. From May 24, 2022, five officers had been killed from the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), two from His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) and two from the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF). No one knew of Mahatma Gandhi globally before a film on the father of the nation was made, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a possible reference to 1982 British biopic by Richard Attenborough, sparking a political controversy. In a television interview aired on Tuesday, Modi blamed his predecessors for ignoring Indias cultural heritage and not leveraging Gandhis legacy. (ANI) In a television interview aired on Tuesday, Modi blamed his predecessors for ignoring Indias cultural heritage and not leveraging Gandhis legacy. Mahatma Gandhi was a noble soul of the world. Was it not our responsibility that in these 75 years people in the world know about Gandhi? No one knew about Gandhi. When the Gandhi film was made, for the first time there was curiosity in the world about him, he told ABP news. The job of this country was that if the world knew of Martin Luther King, South Africas Nelson Mandela, then Gandhi was in no way less than them. I am saying this after travelling across the world, he added. To be sure, both the American civil rights icon, who was killed in 1968, and the South African anti-Apartheid crusader, who started his agitation in 1952, publicly declared Gandhi to be their inspiration. Read Here | Rahul Gandhi jabs at Narendra Modi's degree after PM's claim on Mahatma Gandhi: Only a student of Gandhi and because of him, India should have got the leverage. Today, Gandhi is part of the solution to many global problems, but we didnt do it. We have lost out on a lot, Modi said. Richard Attenboroughs film, Gandhi, received international acclaim. It won eight Academy Awards in 1983, including best actor for Ben Kingsley who portrayed Gandhi on screen, and best director and best picture for Attenborough. The movie also won five BAFTA awards. Modis comments sparked a political row. Mahatma Gandhi is the sun that gave strength to the whole world to fight against darkness.In the form of truth and non-violence, Bapu showed the world a path that gives courage to even the weakest person to stand up against injustice, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a video shot in front of the famous Dandi march statue on Delhis Mother Teresa Crescent road. People whose world views are shaped up in shakhas (RSS branches), they will not be able to understand Gandhi ji. They can understand (Nathuram) Godse and adopt the path shown by Godse. Gandhi ji was an inspiration for the entire world. Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein they all got inspired by Gandhi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of lying. Read Here: PM Modi to lead groundbreaking ceremony for 1,200 cr Sabarmati Ashram project Those whose ideological ancestors were involved in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi along with Nathuram Godse, can never follow the path of truth given by Bapu. Now the lie is going to pick up its bag and go away, he said in a post on X. Godse, right-wing activist, shot Gandhi dead on January 30, 1948. Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury also condemned the remark. Its shocking to hear PM Modis claim that the world only learned about Mahatma Gandhi after the 1982 film Gandhi. Father of the Nation, Gandhi never needed anybody to promote his unparalleled legacy as a symbol of peace and non-violence! Before Modi was born Gandhi was nominated five times for the Nobel Peace prize! He was never awarded as India was a colony under Pax Britannica!he said. Gandhis great-grandson Tushar Gandhi contested the PMs claims. When Bapu visited England for the Round Table Conference. (American actor) Sir Charles Chaplin requested to meet Bapu and Went to Kingsley Hall to meet Bapu. Dont believe me search for the photographs and Videos. This was much before Sir Richard Attenborough started making films, he said on X, tagging the prime ministers official account. Experts also underlined that Gandhis global legacy was established long before the 1982 movie. Associate professor at Gandhi Research Foundation, Ashwin Zala, said that though movies helped people, especially the young, connect with Gandhi, his ideals had an impact on people beyond Indias borders. The movie was shot in 1982, the statement doesnt have a ground reality. Gandhis ahimsa [non violence] was studied by more than 90 countries and championed human rights, justice, and achieved freedom on the basis of Gandhis ideals...Before the release of the movie, more than 100 countries had released postal stamps, coins, statues on Gandhi. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose quipped on X, Nobody knew about #MahatmaGandhi until Richard Attenborough made a film, says @narendramodi. Not surprising. Those obsessed with Nathuram Godse naturally dont know anything about Gandhi. The BJP did not official comment on the matter. A speeding SUV registered in the name of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singhs educational institute crushed two people to death after a head-on collision with a motorcycle at Chataiyapurwa in Uttar Pradeshs Gonda on Wednesday. An elderly woman was critically injured in the accident. Police said Rehan, 17, and Shehzade, 24, were killed on the spot. (PTI) Gonda police superintendent Vineet Jaiswal said Rehan, 17, and Shehzade, 24, were killed on the spot. He added the SUV was seized and a case has been lodged against an unidentified driver. Jaiswal said Rehans mother Chanda Begum lodged a First Information Report under Indian Penal Codes Section 304A (causing death due to reckless driving). He said police were trying to trace the SUV owner through its registration number. A second police officer cited the preliminary probe and said the SUV was registered in Lucknow in the name of Nandini Educational Institute, whose chairman is Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He said the eyewitness told police that the SUV was part of a convoy and four people had a narrow escape when it rammed into an electric pole after hitting the motorcycle. The officer said the occupants of the SUV were shifted to another vehicle after the accident. The SUV was left on the spot. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singhs son, Karan Bhushan Singh, is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradeshs Kaiserganj in place of his father. A six-time lawmaker, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh faces sexual harassment charges. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who headed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for 12 years, was charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC)s Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354A ( Sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) last year after top wrestlers accused his of sexual harassment and camped at New Delhis Jantar Mantar for 38 days demanding his immediate arrest. The Delhi High Court has agreed to hear a plea on Friday challenging the arrest of Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM's residence earlier this month. Delhi Police personnel and Bibhav Kumar leave Arvind Kejriwal's house in New Delhi on Monday. (PTI) Kumar's plea was mentioned before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora. Kumar's lawyer urged the court to list the plea for an urgent hearing on Thursday, arguing that the arrest was made in violation of Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). However, the court decided to schedule the hearing for Friday. Read: Drama in Delhi court as CM Arvind Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumars custody extended In his petition, Bibhav Kumar sought a direction to declare his arrest as illegal and in gross violation of the provisions of Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure and against the mandate of the law. He also sought "appropriate compensation" for his "illegal" arrest and initiation of departmental action against the erring officials who were involved in the decision making of his arrest. Kumar was arrested on May 18 and he was sent to police custody for five days the same day by a magisterial court, which observed that his anticipatory bail plea had become infructuous post-arrest. Read: Swati Maliwal assault case: NCW calls for probe into Arvind Kejriwal's phone records, claims Bibhav called after Last Friday, Kumar was sent to four-day judicial custody. On Tuesday, a court granted three days to Delhi Police for custodial interrogation of Bibhav Kumar. The court said Delhi Police cannot be "deprived of its right" to recover the mobile phone which he was carrying at the time of the alleged assault at the chief minister's official residence on May 13. "The presence of the accused in a room where NVRs (network video recorders) are installed is not denied by him or his lawyer. To the mind of this court, the reason for remaining there for a sufficient time is obviously a question which needs to be investigated for which custodial interrogation is necessary," Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal said. An FIR was lodged against Bibhav Kumar on May 16 under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe, and attempt to commit culpable homicide. With inputs from agencies The Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) of Telangana police had snooped even on high court judges, advocates, journalists, leaders of various student unions and caste organisations by tapping their phones during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime, a senior police officer formerly associated with the SIB has claimed in a confession statement. Telangana SIB under KCR govt snooped on HC judges, lawyers, says ex-SP The confession statement of N Bhujanga Rao, who was posted as additional superintendent of police in SIB during the BRS regime, was made before the investigating officer of Panjagutta police in April. It came to light on Tuesday, a day after a similar statement by retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer P Radha Kishan Rao, a former Hyderabad task force DCP who was associated with the SIB, surfaced. In his statement, Radha Kishan Rao alleged that SIB had tapped phones of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and trapped them in the BRS legislators poaching case so that former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, could bargain with the BJP national leadership to bail out his daughter K Kavitha in the Delhi excise case. Radha Kishan Rao has been lodged in judicial custody since his arrested in the telephone tapping case on March 23. In the latest confession statement, reviewed by HT, Bhujanga Rao has claimed that a special operations team (SOT) was created within the SIB in 2017, exclusively to keep surveillance over activities of leaders from opposition parties, their families, besides traders and critics of the BRS. The SOT which was directly supervised by former inspector general of police (IGP) T Prabhakar Rao who was heading the SIB also used to monitor the movements of student leaders, journalists and leaders of various caste organisations who were critical of the KCR government, the confession statement said. Even high court judges like Justice Sarath Kaja and advocates who were handling important cases of government and party leaders were under the surveillance of the SOT to find out more details about their personal lives and their activities so that they can be influenced or countered at appropriate times, Bhujanga Rao has claimed. He also confessed to having helped BRS leaders in settling their civil disputes as well as disputes of various firms and business people. The SOT had also tapped the phones of BJP leader K Venkat Ramana Reddy, who contested the assembly polls from Kamareddy in November last year, and incumbent chief minister A Revanth Reddys brother Kondal Reddy during the electioneering, the confession statement added. So far, five police officers have been arrested in connection with the telephone tapping case, registered at the Punjagutta police station on March 10. The sensational case came to light after the BRS, which headed the government in Telangana since its formation in 2014, lost the assembly polls in November last year to the Congress. Mekala Tirupathanna, another additional SP who was part of the SIB during the BRS regime, has also confessed to having snooped on BJP and Congress leaders in Kamareddy during the previous assembly polls so as to reduce the flow of funds to the opposition, particularly the Congress. Tirupathanna has also admitted to having destroyed the old hard disks in the SIB systems after replaced them with new hard disks, so as to erase the records of illegal phone tapping. HT reached out to several BRS leaders for a comment on the latest confession statements of former SIB officers, but none spoke on the matter. It has been almost two years since a statue of Colonel John Pennycuick was erected in his hometown of Camberly, in northwest Surrey, England. The late British engineer was a forgotten hero in the neighbourhood until the MK Stalin-led DMK government in faraway Tamil Nadu (TN) contacted the municipality and expressed its desire to donate a statue of the personality revered across the state. For the southern Indian state, Pennycuick built the inter-state Mullapperiyar Dam to address the drinking water and irrigation needs of a vast and arid region spread across five districts, now aged 128 years. The statue, on which the TN government spent 92 lakh, has turned into a rare token of appreciation, transcending linguistic and geographic boundaries. In the Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts of TN, Pennycuick has many memorials, including statues, bus stands, school buildings, and even a temple. However, in the Idukki district of Kerala, where the dam is situated, Pennycuick is a controversial figure. Most residents feel he was instrumental in plundering their once-abundant water resources. Kerala and TN disagree over the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam and the rights to the water it holds. Kerala is pushing for a new dam to replace the one Pennycuick built while TN believes the dam is secure and only requires routine maintenance. Despite being in Kerala, Tamil Nadu owns and runs the dam. Kerala insists that the current dam threatens people living downstream and advocates for constructing a new, stronger dam. However, TN is concerned that a new dam would reduce the water it receives from the Periyar River, the largest river in Kerala. The two states have fought over this issue with TN asserting that the existing dam has considerably improved living standards in the region and remains well-maintained. On the other hand, Kerala fears that the current dam is unsafe and could trigger a major accident. The central environment, forests, and climate change ministry was supposed to discuss the feasibility of the new dam this week under acute pressure from the Kerala government. Still, the meeting was cancelled, giving Tamil Nadu an advantage in the ongoing dispute. Kerala had planned to submit a detailed project report (DPR) for the new dam at the meeting, but it is yet to be determined when the committee will reconvene. The meeting, seemingly planned under pressure from Kerala, evoked resentment, leading to protests in TN, particularly among farmers who benefit directly from the dam. Roshy Augustine, Keralas Irrigation minister, emphasised the need to decommission the old dam and construct a new one downstream and the dire consequences that could result from the old dam's failure. According to Ashok Kumar Singh, secretary of Kerala's water resources department, Kerala seeks to persuade TN and the Supreme Court by drawing parallels to decommissioning a similar dam in Australia. "In April 1990, the Victoria Dam in Australia, constructed in the 19th century, was removed. A new dam has been constructed in its place, and it now supplies the city of Perth with drinking water. We can take similar steps here," he said, emphasising that the new dam will protect the interests of both states. Experts are concerned about the dam's location in a seismic zone III area. The significant changes in the rainfall pattern in Idukki since 2018 are adding to these concerns. Water specialist S Janakarajan expressed concern about building a new dam in the same seismic zone and highlighted the potential environmental impact, particularly on the Periyar Tiger Reserve close to Mullaperiyar. He suggested creating smaller storage facilities in TN and redirecting excess water from the dam to these facilities as a more effective approach. Kerala is required to investigate the demand for a new dam in light of the newly developing reality. It is anticipated that decommissioning and construction activities will occur within a seismic zone located within a tiger reserve, which is renowned for its abundant biodiversity and secure conservation. Constructing dams might increase the risk of earthquakes, landslides, and rockfalls, according to the experiences gathered from many world regions, he said. This method would prevent the need to hold huge amounts of water in the lime concrete structure built in the 19th century. According to him, the dam could be preserved for many decades by reducing the amount of water stored in it and by carrying out regular maintenance. Environmental scientist V S Vijayan said that building major new dams is no longer considered an environmentally sound proposal. Tamil Nadu has requested an increase in the storage capacity of the dam's reservoir to 152 feet (46 metres) in front of the Central Water Commission and the Supreme Court. Currently, the reservoir's capacity ranges between 136 feet (41 metres) and 142 feet (43 metres). When the storage level is increased to its maximum capacity, Tamil Nadu can store 438 million cubic metres (mcm) of water, requiring an additional 138 millimetres of water. Environmentalists like Sreedhar Radhakrishnan argue against constructing a new dam in the Western Ghats, stating that it would significantly disrupt the local wildlife population. They also mentioned that Kerala's Water Resources Department may need to contact the dam's construction department as they may need more time to complete the project. Radhakrishnan has highlighted the concerns about the existing Mullaperiyar dam, stating that its unique construction makes it challenging to assess its structural integrity. He mentions that the proposed new dam will submerge 50.5 hectares of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. C.P. Rajendran, an adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, suggested forming an independent group of experts to analyse existing technical reports and collect data to determine the dam's future stability prospects. In the meantime, anti-dam activists in Kerala said the government and the dam lobby are pushing for the new dam, seemingly eyeing the huge funds it involves. "The last dam was built about half a century ago in Kerala. So, the greedy dam lobby is campaigning for a new dam unmindful of the environmental and livelihood risks it involves,'' Kusumam Joseph of the National Alliance of People's Movements said. Delhi chief minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted there was no evidence against him in the alleged liquor policy scam. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (PTI) "Why was I arrested, if PM is saying there is no evidence against me?" said Arvind Kejriwal in Jalandhar, reported news agency PTI. Kejriwal has been asserting that PM Modi's remarks in a recent interview indicate that the Delhi excise policy scam case was unfounded, as no recovery of the alleged money involved had been made. "The PM was asked in an interview that Kejriwal was saying that no evidence has been found in the case. The PM said no money was found because Kejriwal is an experienced thief. He accepted that no recovery was made," Kejriwal had said. "To hide it, he said Kejriwal is an 'anubhavi chor'. This is just an excuse to prove the wrong arrests right. When you have accepted that excise scam is wrong, please release those who have been arrested," he added. ALSO READ| AAP-Congress not in permanent marriage, says Arvind Kejriwal ahead of polling in Punjab Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case associated with now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Later, he was imprisoned in Delhi's Tihar Jail. The Delhi CM is currently out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court, allowing him to campaign for Aam Aadmi Party in the Lok Sabha election 2024. The apex court has asked Kejriwal to surrender on June 2. Ahead of his surrender, Kejriwal recently put a plea for the extension of his interim bail by seven days on medical grounds in the Delhi excise policy case. However, the Supreme Court's Registry on Wednesday refused to accept an urgent hearing request on the matter. The AAP national convenor had sought an extension of one week time, stating that he needed to undergo diagnostic tests, including a PET-CT Scan. In his application, Kejriwla said recent medical tests revealed elevated blood glucose and ketone levels, which may cause potential kidney-related complications and damage. New Delhi, The Delhi Police has arrested a 38-year-old former civil defence employee who impersonated a "courier boy" and allegedly tried to rob her neighbour in southwest Delhi's Chhawla area, an officer said on Wednesday. Woman tries to rob neighbour disguising as 'courier boy' in southwest Delhi; held Police recovered a courier bag, one toy pistol, gloves, two ropes, an umbrella, and a helmet from the possession of the accused, identified as Rekha, a resident of Somesh Vihar in Chhawla. According to police, Rekha, a former civil defence worker, had been unemployed for some time and was finding it tough to run her household. On May 23, police got a call regarding an attempted robbery. The complainant reported that around 11.30 am, a courier boy came to her house and asked for a pen to sign on a delivery paper, a senior police officer said. She said that when she went inside to get the pen, the person followed her caught her and hit her several times with the toy pistol that made her face bleed, the officer said. The victim said the person had his face covered with a towel and was wearing a helmet and gloves in his hands. The person, however, had to flee when the complainant shouted for help, the officer said. On May 24, police got information that the accused was hiding in Somesh vihar. Later, on the basis of this CCTV footage, Rekha was arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ankit Singh said. According to Singh, Rekha zeroed-in on the woman in her neighbourhood for she was rich and stayed alone during the day. As per the plan, on May 23, she disguised herself as a courier boy, covering her face with a towel and wearing a helmet. She carried a toy pistol, gloves, rope and clothes in her backpack, a courier bag in her hand, and an umbrella over her head, they said. After her plan to rob the woman scuppered, she ran away and changed her clothes on the stairs of a neighbouring house, police said. After some time, she returned to the victim's house and joined the people gathered there so that no one could suspect her, they said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. The Andhra Pradesh high court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to YSR Congress Party lawmaker Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy from Macherla assembly constituency in Palnadu district in three more cases filed against him by police, people familiar with the matter said. YSRCP MLA, who smashed EVM, gets bail in 3 fresh cases The MLA was granted bail on Thursday in a case pertaining to toppling of an electronic voting machine inside a polling booth on May 13. Justice Venkata Jyothirmayi passed interim orders, directing police not to take any action against the MLA till 10 am on June 5, a day after the declaration of results for the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state. She asked Reddy not to intimidate opponents and threaten witnesses. She directed him to stay in district headquarters of Narsaraopet and not to enter Macherla town till June 6, when the model code of conduct comes to an end. The judge asked him to appear before the superintendent of police at Narasraopet everyday till June 6. The court, however, permitted him to go to the counting station on June 4. It asked him not to speak to the media about the cases and said police and the Election Commission should keep a watch on the movements of the MLA. On Monday, Ramakrishna Reddy filed a fresh petition in the high court seeking anticipatory bail in the wake of the police filing three separate cases against him, though he got relief from the court in the EVM case. The MLA alleged police were trying to implicate him one case or the other so that he would be in jail at the time of counting of votes on June 4. Police filed three more cases against Ramakrishna Reddy on Saturday following fresh complaints. A Telugu Desam Party worker, Namburi Seshagiri Rao, filed a complaint alleging that he was attacked by the MLA when he was trying to prevent the latter from damaging the EVM at Palwaigate polling station on May 13. Rentachintala police booked a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code against the MLA. Police also booked another case against Ramakrishna Reddy under sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting a womans modesty by abusing) of the IPC, besides Section 131 of Representation of Peoples Act, based on a complaint from another woman, Cherukuri Nagamani, in the same incident. Karampudi police also booked a case against the MLA under section 307 of the IPC for attacking and injuring local inspector of police T P Narayana Swamy. Finding the perfect office chair is crucial for maintaining comfort and productivity throughout your workday. Whether you're working from home or in a corporate setting, the right chair can make a significant difference in your posture, focus, and overall well-being. The best office chairs to ensure you work in comfort. (Pexels) Our top 7 office chair picks combine ergonomic design, comfort, and utility to help you work efficiently and stay comfortable for hours. These chairs are selected based on their ability to support proper posture, reduce fatigue, and provide durability. Each option is crafted with high-quality materials and designed to fit seamlessly into any office environment, blending functionality with style. Investing in a good office chair isn't just about luxury; it's about ensuring you have the right support to prevent long-term health issues and enhance your productivity. Explore our top picks to find the best chair that meets your needs and enhances your work experience. The SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair is designed for ultimate comfort and support during long hours of work. It features adjustable lumbar support, 3D armrests, and a high back, all covered in skin-friendly mesh to keep you cool and comfortable. The adjustable headrest and backrest adapt to your needs, making it ideal for various work positions. This chair is perfect for office workers, students, and anyone needing a reliable and comfortable seating solution. The sleek black design fits seamlessly into any office decor, making it a thoughtful gift for colleagues or friends setting up a home office. Specifications of SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair Material: Mesh Colour: Black Special features: Adjustable Lumbar, Ergonomic Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Designed for ergonomic comfort Some users mention noise issues Adjustable lumbar support and 3D armrests Mixed feedback on space and adjustability What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers appreciate its quality, ease of assembly, and classy appearance but have mixed feelings about noise and space. Why choose this product? choose this product as it is designed for ergonomic comfort and supports long hours of productive work. The beAAtho Verona Mesh Mid-Back Ergonomic Home Office Chair offers adjustable height and a tilting mechanism for customised comfort during office work or study sessions. Made in India, this chair features a solid back with ergonomic nylon support and a breathable mesh design to keep you sweat-free. The heavy-duty metal base ensures durability, while the moulded foam seat adds extra comfort. Ideal for professionals, students, and anyone in need of a reliable office chair, it also makes a thoughtful gift for setting up a home office. This chair is easy to assemble, with a user-friendly manual and video instructions. Specifications of beAAtho Verona Mesh Mid-Back Ergonomic Home Office Chair Material: Nylon Colour: Multicolour Special features: Adjustable Height, Swivel Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Ergonomic design with adjustable features Some users mention concerns about durability Made in India with a solid back and mesh design Mixed feedback on space and adjustability What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers praise its comfort, lumbar support, and overall reliability, along with appreciating clear assembly instructions. Why choose this product? Choose this as it is ergonomic and comfortable and ensures a productive and pleasant work experience. The SAVYA HOME Apollo High Back Ergonomic Chair is perfect for office work, study, or home office use. It features a 2D adjustable headrest and lumbar support for enhanced comfort and ergonomic support. The chair's black contoured mesh back and 2-inch-thick padded seat provide day-long comfort, while the chrome-plated metal base ensures stability. Ideal for professionals and students alike, this chair is also a great gift option for anyone setting up a home office. The chair includes a 120-degree tilt and lock mechanism and pneumatic seat height adjustment for customisable seating positions. Assembly is straightforward with the provided toolkit and instructions. Specifications of SAVYA HOME Apollo High Back Ergonomic Chair Material: Co-Polymer, Mesh Colour: Black Special features: Adjustable Headrest, Lumbar Support Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Affordable with an adjustable headrest and lumbar support Mixed feedback on tilt mechanism and durability Comfortable mesh back and thick padded seat What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers appreciate its value, quality, ease of assembly, and comfort, though some note concerns about durability and the tilt mechanism. Why choose this product? Choose this as it is affordable and comfortable and offers essential ergonomic support for daily use. 4. CELLBELL C190 Berlin Office Chair The CELLBELL C190 Berlin Office Chair offers superior ergonomic support with its high back mesh design, making it ideal for office work or home office setups. Featuring adjustable armrests, lumbar support, and a tilt lock mechanism, this chair ensures comfort for extended sitting periods. The breathable contoured mesh back and padded seat provide excellent support and comfort, while the sturdy metal base adds durability. Suitable for professionals and students, this chair is perfect for enhancing productivity and comfort. Its sleek grey-white design fits seamlessly into any office decor, making it a thoughtful gift option for colleagues or friends setting up their workspace. Specifications of CELLBELL C190 Berlin Office Chair Material: Metal, Mesh Colour: Grey-White Special features: Adjustable Lumbar, Reclining Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Comfortable with adjustable lumbar support Some users mention concerns about durability Sleek grey-white design and easy assembly What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers commend its comfort, support, easy assembly, and quality, noting its excellent ergonomic design and clear instructions. Why choose this product? Choose this as it is ergonomic and adjustable and ensures comfort and support for long working hours. Also read: Best massage chairs in India 2024: Top 6 picks for maximum relaxation at home or office 5. Da URBAN Merlion Office Chair The Da URBAN Merlion Office Chair is designed for ergonomic comfort and support, making it ideal for long hours at the desk. This high-back chair features a breathable mesh back, thick moulded foam cushion seat, and adjustable armrests for a comfortable sitting experience. The adjustable headrest and lumbar support ensure proper posture, while the tilt lock mechanism allows for relaxation with a 135-degree recline. Perfect for office workers, students, and home offices, this chair combines modern style with functionality. Easy to assemble with a user-friendly manual, it's a practical and thoughtful gift for anyone setting up a home office. Specifications of Da URBAN Merlion Office Chair Material: Mesh Colour: Blue Special features: Adjustable Lumbar, 360 Degree Swivel Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Ergonomic design with adjustable lumbar support Might not be as sturdy as other brands 360-degree swivel and sleek design What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers praise its comfort, adjustability, sleek design, and ease of assembly, noting it's a solid choice for ergonomic support. Why choose this product? Choose this as it is designed for comfort and functionality and supports long sitting sessions effectively. 6. ASTRIDE Ace Mid Back Office Chair The ASTRIDE Ace Mid Back Office Chair is a reliable choice for work-from-home setups or study spaces. Its ergonomic design features a bionic curve backrest, providing natural support for the spine. Made with commercial-grade components and BIFMA certification, it offers stability and durability for long-term use. The chair's adjustable height ensures customisable comfort, while its modern design fits seamlessly into any workspace. Easy to assemble in just 10 minutes with no extra tools required, it's a convenient and practical seating solution. Customers appreciate its back support, ease of assembly, and overall comfort, making it a smart investment for home offices or study areas. Specifications of ASTRIDE Ace Mid Back Office Chair Material: Nylon Colour: Black Special features: Adjustable Height Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Reliable choice with a bionic curved backrest Mixed opinions on size Ergonomic design with adjustable height What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers praise its sturdy construction, back support, and ease of assembly, though opinions vary on size. Why choose this product? Choose this for its design and solid construction and the fact that it offers comfort and stability for long hours of work or study. Also read: Work in style: Top picks for chic and practical computer desks for your home The Green Soul Vienna Leatherette Office Chair offers superior luxury and comfort for long hours of work. Its premium thread-stitched diamond pattern provides sophistication and extra comfort. Featuring contoured, segmented ultra-plush padding and breathable bonded leather, it ensures all-day back support and prevents pain during extended desk work. This high-back chair includes an integrated headrest and padded arms for added comfort and support. With a heavy-duty tilt mechanism and 360-degree swivel base, it offers flexibility and focused work options. Easy to assemble with a detailed instruction manual included, it's praised for its back support, comfort, and performance, making it an excellent choice for office professionals. Specifications of Green Soul Vienna Leatherette Office Chair Material: Wood, Leather Colour: Brown Special features: Adjustable Height, Tiltable Reasons to Buy Reasons to Avoid Premium make with contoured comfort Mixed feedback on the tilt mechanism Integrated support with adjustable features What are buyers saying on Amazon? Buyers appreciate its ease of assembly, back support, and overall comfort and performance, though opinions vary on the tilt mechanism. Why choose this product? Go for this for its premium materials and ergonomic design and also because it ensures luxury and comfort for long hours of productive work. Also read: Best rolling chairs: Explore top 6 options for better posture and maximum comfort during long working hours What is the importance of understanding ergonomics while buying an office chair? Understanding ergonomics when buying an office chair is vital for comfort, health, and productivity. Ergonomic chairs support natural body posture, reduce strain on muscles, and alleviate discomfort during long periods of sitting. With adjustable features and proper support, these chairs promote spinal alignment, enhance focus, and minimise the risk of work-related injuries. What is the correct chair height for a desk? The correct chair height for a desk is crucial for maintaining proper posture and comfort while working. Ideally, when seated, your feet should rest flat on the floor or on a footrest, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Your thighs should be parallel to the ground, and your arms should rest comfortably on the desk without straining. Adjust the chair height so that your elbows are at the same height as the desk surface or slightly lower. This setup helps prevent strain on your back, shoulders, and arms, promoting better ergonomics and reducing the risk of discomfort or injury. What material fabric is most comfortable for an office chair? When it comes to comfort, breathable and soft materials are key for an office chair. Mesh fabric is often preferred for its breathability, allowing air circulation to keep you cool and comfortable during long periods of sitting. Additionally, high-quality foam padding or cushioning provides plush support, enhancing overall comfort. Look for chairs upholstered in materials like mesh, fabric, or leatherette, as they offer a balance of comfort, durability, and style for prolonged use in the office. Top 3 features of the best office chairs: Best office chairs Chair back Material Special features SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair High back Mesh Adjustable Lumbar, Ergonomic beAAtho Verona Mesh Mid-Back Chair Solid back Nylon Adjustable Height, Swivel SAVYA HOME Apollo High Back Chair High back Co-Polymer Adjustable Headrest, Lumbar Support CELLBELL C190 Berlin Office Chair High back mesh Metal Adjustable Lumbar, Reclining Da URBAN Merlion Office Chair High back Mesh Adjustable Lumbar, 360 Degree Swivel ASTRIDE Ace Mid Back Office Chair Mid back Nylon Adjustable Height Green Soul Vienna Office Chair High back Wood, Leather Adjustable Height, Tiltable Best value for money office chair: SAVYA HOME Apollo High Back Ergonomic Chair The SAVYA HOME Apollo High Back Ergonomic Chair for Office offers affordability and comfort, making it an ideal choice for professionals, students, or anyone in need of reliable office seating. Its adjustable headrest, lumbar support, and tilt mechanism enhance comfort and ergonomic support, while its chrome-plated metal base ensures stability. Easy to assemble and suitable for various work environments, it provides essential features at an affordable price point. Best overall office chair: SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair The SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair is designed to prioritise ergonomic comfort and support for long hours of work. With adjustable lumbar support, 3D armrests, and a high back covered in skin-friendly mesh, it ensures comfort and adaptability for various work positions. Its sleek black design seamlessly fits any office decor, making it a thoughtful and practical choice for professionals, students, or anyone needing reliable and comfortable seating. How to pick the best office chairs? Assess Ergonomic Features: Look for chairs with adjustable lumbar support, armrests, and seat height to ensure proper posture and comfort during long hours of work. Consider Material and Build Quality: Opt for chairs made of durable materials like mesh or leatherette, with sturdy frames and bases to ensure longevity and stability. Evaluate Comfort and Support: Test chairs for cushioning, backrest contouring, and overall comfort to ensure they provide adequate support and prevent fatigue. Check Adjustability: Choose chairs with multiple adjustment options such as tilt, recline, and swivel to accommodate different body types and preferences. Review User Feedback: Read reviews from other users to gauge factors like assembly ease, durability, and customer service, helping you make an informed decision. More articles for you: Best sofa sets for your living room: 10 noteworthy options Best wooden cupboards for clothes: Stylish and durable designs, top 10 options Best wooden wardrobes in India: Stylish and durable designs, top 10 picks FAQs: The best office chairs 1. What features should I prioritise in an office chair? Focus on ergonomic features like adjustable lumbar support, armrests, and seat height for optimal comfort and posture support during extended periods of sitting. 2. How do I know if an office chair is the right size for me? Ensure the chair's seat depth and width provide ample support and allow for comfortable sitting. Check if the chair's height is adjustable to align with your desk height and maintain proper posture. 3. Are mesh or cushioned office chairs better? Both options have their advantages. Mesh chairs offer breathability and flexibility, while cushioned chairs provide extra comfort and support. Choose based on personal preference and comfort needs. 4. What should I consider when purchasing an office chair for a home office? Besides comfort and ergonomics, consider factors like space constraints, design aesthetics, and ease of assembly. Look for chairs that blend seamlessly with your home decor and offer functional features tailored to your work style. 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. Pulmonary tuberculosis or TB is a bacterial infection that mainly impacts the lungs and it is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacteria that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, making it extremely contagious. In other words, Pulmonary tuberculosis is a very contagious respiratory disease which primarily affects the lungs and is a major public health concern worldwide. Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Understanding symptoms, risks, treatment and prevention of TB (Photo by Vecteezy) In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Pratibha Dogra, Senior Consultant - Pulmonology at Marengo Asia Hospital in Gurugram, explained, Pulmonary tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease that spreads via the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks, generating tiny and minute droplets containing TB bacteria. Anyone in close proximity may inhale these droplets, potentially resulting in illness. Though anybody can get pulmonary TB, but certain groups are more vulnerable, including those with compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Signs: Dr Deepak Prajapat, Senior Consultant - Pulmonology and Critical Care at Metro Hospital in Noida, shared that symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis can vary but typically include - 1. Persistent Coughing 2. Fever 3. Unintentional Weight loss 4. Night sweating 5. Breathlessness and shortness of breath 6. Hemoptysis (blood or blood-stained sputum) Dr Pratibha Dogra elaborated - 1. Persistent cough: Pulmonary tuberculosis is frequently characterized by a persistent cough which lasts for around three weeks or more, with an accumulation of phlegm or blood. 2. Chest pain: The infection may also produce chest discomfort while coughing or inhaling heavily. 3. Fatigue and weakness: People with pulmonary tuberculosis may feel extremely tired and lack energy everytime. 4. Weight loss: The condition can cause an sudden and unexplained decrease of appetite and substantial weight loss. 5. Fever and night sweats: Common symptoms include a low-grade fever and profuse perspiration, especially at night. 6. Difficulty breathing: As the disease advancess, lung damage may cause severe breathing issues. Risk factors: Dr Deepak Prajapat revealed, Numerous variables increase the likelihood of developing pulmonary TB. Diabetes, a disorder that hinders immune system function, makes people more susceptible to tuberculosis infection. Malnutrition, which reduces the body's ability to fight against bacterial invaders, also contributes to the higher risk. He added, Furthermore, continuous close contact with someone who has an active tuberculosis infection increases the likelihood of being exposed to the infectious agent that causes the disease. Also, immunocompromised states, such as HIV/AIDS or the use of immunosuppressive medications, increase susceptibility to tuberculosis infection and its consequences by weakening the immune system's defense systems. Bringing her expertise to the same, Dr Pratibha Dogra said, Several factors increase the chance of getting pulmonary TB, including a weakened immune system caused by diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, malnutrition, which can hinder the body's capacity to fight the TB bacterium. Prolonged close contact with someone who has active tuberculosis also raises the risk of transmission. Living or working in high-risk environments such as crowded place to live, nursing homes, and specific jobs like as healthcare professionals who are exposed to tuberculosis patients can increase the risk. Furthermore, substance abuse, including alcohol and narcotics, can damage the immune system and increase the risk of acquiring tuberculosis. Treatment: Dr Deepak Prajapat informed, Antitubercular medicines, or antibiotic combinations, are typically used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis. These drugs are generally given for several months in order to completely eliminate the bacteria from the body. Furthermore, supportive care is required to maintain proper nutrition and overall health throughout the treatment process. Doctors must closely monitor patients to ensure that treatment is effective and to control any potential medicine adverse effects. Prevention: Dr Pratibha Dogra advised, To prevent the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis, vaccination with the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is suggested for newborns and children in high-risk locations. This vaccine offers protection against severe forms of the disease. Early detection and fast, adequate treatment of active tuberculosis cases is also critical to preventing future spread. Infection control techniques such as appropriate ventilation, face mask use, and isolation of active tuberculosis patients in hospital settings can all help to lower the risk of transmission. Furthermore, using contact tracing to identify and screen persons who have had intimate contact with active tuberculosis patients is critical for early detection and treatment in order to avoid disease spread. Kashmiri students in Kyrgyzstan safe, air connectivity to India operational: JKSA Srinagar, May 29 (UNI) All Kashmiri students studying in Kyrgyzstan are safe and air connectivity to India is operational, Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has been conveyed by the External Affairs Ministry in response to a letter on Wednesday. The External Affairs Ministry here on Wednesday has responded to the letter of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association regarding the safety of Kashmiri students in Kyrgyzstan, stating that the situation in Bishkek is now stable and Manas International Airport is accessible with direct flights to India operational, said National Convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, in a statement here today. The Association had earlier requested External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar for the evacuation of Indian students following mob attacks and violence in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Intense downpour accompanied by gusty winds on Tuesday wreaked havoc in central and south Kerala, as landslides, widespread water-logging and the destruction of houses forced several people to shift to relief camps. Tourist centres have been closed in many districts, including Kottayam and Thiruvananthapuram and a night travel ban has been imposed in the hilly areas of Idukki district. Two men who were riding a two-wheeler take shelter outside a closed shop during a heavy rain in Kochi, southern Kerala state, India. The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast an early onset of monsoon with an above-average rainfall. Kerala: Tourist centers closed, night travel ban imposed as heavy rains trigger landslides (AP Photo/ R S Iyer) The landslide caused widespread destruction in the Chokkallu area of Bharananganam village in Kottayam. In Ernakulam district, particularly Kochi city, extremely heavy rainfall lasted for hours, submerging roads in many areas. Experts said cloudbursts could be the reason for the heavier-than-usual rainfall that pounded various parts of the port city of Kochi, especially the Kalamassery locality, where flood water entered hundreds of houses. Both Kottayam and Ernakulam districts were placed on red alert by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday. With the weather agency predicting heavy rainfall in the coming hours, the district administration banned tourists from entering famed holiday destinations like Illikkal Kallu, Ilaveezhapoonchira, Marmala stream in Kottayam and Ponmudi eco-tourism centre in Thiruvananthapuram. As the water level in the Meenachil River in Kottayam and Killiyar in Thiruvananthapuram steadily rose, authorities urged local people living on its banks to pay extra vigil and shift to safer places if necessary. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, warned that the extremely heavy rainfall is likely to trigger dangers such as landslides, mudslides, flooding, and so on. He said that the chances of waterlogging and inundation are high in low-lying areas and along riverbanks. The CM also advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and urged them to remain in safer places. Officials said shutters of dams like Aruvikkara and Malankara dams were raised at particular intervals. Several families were shifted to relief camps, especially in rural and coastal areas in various districts, they said. South and central districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, and Ernakulam mainly bore the brunt of the continuous downpour, which caused waterlogging, damage to houses, trees to be uprooted, and tiny water bodies to overflow, cutting across towns and villages. Earlier in the day, many narrow lanes and busy roads in Kochi city and adjacent areas were submerged due to continuous downpours. People could not venture out of their homes in many areas of the port city as roads were flooded. Vehicles were seen moving at snail's pace on highways following the rain. Normal life was hit in the Kakkanad-Infopark, one of the IT hubs of the state, and Aluva-Edappally areas due to waterlogging. An uprooted tree fell on a state-run KSRTC bus at Thoppumpady in Kochi. Luckily, passengers escaped unhurt. Intense rains caused mudslides and disrupted traffic on Erattupetta and Vagamon roads in Kottayam district. The city and rural areas of the capital district of Thiruvananthapuram have witnessed heavy rains since Monday night. In nearby Neyyattinkara, a house was severely damaged after an uprooted tree fell on it during heavy rains accompanied by winds. Nedumangad, Neyyattinkara, Kattakkada, and Amboori areas, located in the high ranges of the district, received widespread rainfall. According to the local residents, a portion of a hill behind the famous Bali mandapam at Papanasam in nearby Varkala caved in because of heavy rains. High tides and rough seas were witnessed in coastal areas, posing a threat to fishing vessels. Two incidents of boat capsizing were also reported off the coasts of Muthalapozhi fishing hamlet, located about 30 kilometres away from here. In one incident, a fisherman died after his boat overturned due to high tidal waves this morning. Three others, who also fell into the sea, were rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital, police said. State Revenue Minister K Rajan said the central Kerala region witnessed heavier rainfall, and the Palluruthy region in Ernakulam district alone received 95 mm of rainfall in one-and-a-half hours, which has been rare in recent times. Kalamassery received 57 mm of rainfall in one-and-a-half hours, he pointed out. Rajan said steps have been taken to open 3,597 relief camps in the state, in view of the situation arising out of the rains. Preparations are underway to set up camps that can accommodate over five lakh people during emergencies, he said. An orange alert was sounded in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Idukki, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode were placed under a yellow alert, as per the latest IMD update. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm. Indias declaration of a day-long State mourning and the lowering of the national flag to half-mast to commemorate the unexpected deaths of Irans President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was a rare gesture. In recent years, such honour was accorded by India when Sultan Qaboos of Oman and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed. The symbolic respect accorded to Raisi now is in recognition of Iran as a valued partner. India recently signed a 10-year contract to operate the Chabahar port in Iran and further expand its investments in this strategic outpost on the Gulf of Oman. It was a bold signal from New Delhi that it will forge ahead in pursuit of its long-term national interests despite geopolitical headwinds. Given the extreme tensions flaring up between Iran and its regional rivals, Indias move carried risks but demonstrated its firm determination to manage its multiple strategic partnerships and extract the most from all of them. India decided to double down on its stakes in Chabahar at a time when Iran has been embroiled in a near-warlike confrontation with Israel. Tehran and Tel Aviv have crossed previous red lines and engaged in direct missile and drone attacks against each others territories, and the two antagonists have upped their proxy wars in the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has indicated unambiguously that every sensitive critical infrastructure installation belonging to Iran is in its crosshairs. But even as the gloves have come off in the undeclared Iran-Israel war, Indias assets in Chabahar are not likely to be directly imperilled. This is because India has a robust strategic partnership with Israel and Tel Aviv does understand New Delhis compulsions and motivations for developing Chabahar, which doesnt conflict with Israeli interests. Container bulk cargo shipments to and from Chabahar are helping to reify Indias core vision of bypassing Pakistan as a land transit country and creating alternative multi-modal pathways for two-way trade among India, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Eurasia. With the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) agreement also having ambitious plans for transit via the Gulf of Oman up to the port of Haifa in Israel, India is co-creating a wide-ranging trans-regional connectivity architecture as it seeks to regain its place as a major commercial power across and beyond the Indian Ocean. Due to regional enmities and sensitivities in West Asia, Chabahar is not formally integrated into the IMEC. But pivotal strategic partners of India like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, who are integral to IMEC, are not averse to pragmatically engaging with Iran. Jeopardising Indias vantage point in Chabahar is in the interests of Pakistan whose tensions with Iran have been rising and China, which has built and runs the Gwadar port on Pakistans southwestern coast close to Chabahar. But Israel and Gulf countries are not inclined to throw a spanner in the works of Indias presence in Chabahar. The other risk factor that India has to reckon with when it comes to deepening its strategic partnership with Iran is the shift in the United States (US) foreign policy priorities. Due to its opposition to American preferences, Iran has the distinction of being one of the most sanctioned countries in the world. India has been forced to scale down its imports of Iranian oil since 2019 due to tough sanctions imposed by Washington DC and the resultant difficulties in arranging shipping, insurance and payments. Yet, it is noteworthy that India negotiated with the US to secure a carve-out for its Chabahar investments from the maximum pressure American sanctions campaign against Iran. As Indias comprehensive global strategic partner, the US has been made to understand that Indias rise rests on its expanded footprint across both sides of the Indo-Pacific. For stabilising and moderating Afghanistan and for checking the Chinese juggernaut in West Asia and Eurasia, India must have the freedom to manoeuvre and gain access to strategic locations such as the Gulf of Oman. Just as India has not buckled under western pressure on the question of sanctions against Russia, insulating itself from western pressures over Iran is a litmus test of its success in juggling its multiple strategic partnerships and proving its indispensability to all sides. Chabahar is more than a metaphor for Indias strategic autonomy. It augurs Indias rise as a leading power that can persuade or compel other countries to accommodate its national interests. The departures of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian will not alter the basic alignment of national interests between India and Iran, and New Delhi will look to consolidate this partnership come what may. Sreeram Chaulia is professor and dean, School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University. The views expressed are personal First, political parties, it seems, have become truly professional and the idea of winnability has been accepted as an unwritten norm of electoral engagement. The ticket distribution mechanism is no longer guided by any ideological commitment. Instead, caste/religious configuration at the constituency level is taken as a point of reference to identify suitable candidates. It has become practically difficult for any serious regional and national party to give a ticket to a Muslim candidate only for the sake of political correctness. In fact, Muslim candidates are fielded tactically to divide votes in Muslim-majority constituencies to create a winnable balance. Second, the emergence of Hindutva-driven nationalism as the dominant narrative of politics has forced the non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties to avoid any direct reference to Muslim identity, especially in political terms. The BJP has been successful so far in creating a popular perception that Muslims have been appeased by Opposition parties in the past and that has undermined Hindu interests. Even the question of socio-economic backwardness of Muslims has become a communal issue. Against this backdrop, no party would like to be recognised as pro-Muslim. These practical aspects of electoral politics, however, should not be overemphasised. Muslim political representation is a multifaceted phenomenon, which cannot merely be understood by counting numbers. One must pay attention to the sociological diversity of Muslims as well as the legal-constitutional framework to work out a possible explanation for the political marginalisation of Muslims in contemporary India. The idea of political representation in the Indian context rests on two considerations: The composition of the community that claims representation and the institutional architecture where representation is sought. The post-colonial State under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru was clear about this. It was keen to get rid of the communal politics that had led to Partition while recognising and protecting Muslims as a constitutional minority. An unwritten norm of politics was evolved to deal with this seemingly conflicting issue. A secular conception of representation was established to define an imagined political community of citizens as voters. The Representation of People Act 1951 says religion must be separated from electoral processes. This secular imagination of voters created a possibility, at least theoretically, that Muslim voters are not expected to vote only for Muslim candidates. In other words, the Nehruvian State strongly discouraged any kind of separate Muslim representation in elected legislative bodies. This does not mean, however, that collective Muslim interests were ignored. Two important mechanisms were adopted to recognise the Muslim presence in secular India. First, the Rajya Sabha and state legislative councils were recognised as possible avenues to induct Muslim leaders into legislative bodies. This became an accepted practice for the entire political spectrum in later years. In fact, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and BJP also used the Rajya Sabha route to accommodate their Muslim leaders until recently. Second, Muslim presence was appreciated as an inseparable aspect of secular Indian culture. It went well with the provision of minority rights given in the Constitution. The State evoked Muslim culture and heritage to represent the secular ethos of the country. The equation between a denial of separate Muslim representation in elected bodies and the portrayal of positive Muslim presence in public life was very delicate. Political parties were guided by electoral calculations and it was inevitable they would evoke collective Muslim interests as an electoral issue. This is exactly what happened after the death of Nehru. Indira Gandhi began a new active politics of religion, which completely disregarded the subtle balance between Muslim representation and Muslim presence. The debate on Muslim representation found a new lease of life after the publication of the Sachar Commission report in 2006. This was a completely different context. Muslim exclusion and backwardness emerged as acceptable policy issues, while the template of social inclusion was the guiding narrative of electoral politics. The intermixing of Muslim inclusion and Muslim representation created an impression that constitutional secularism is all about protecting a separate Muslim political identity. This unclear position strengthened the Hindutva critique that any discussion on Muslim backwardness and inclusion would eventually lead to separatism. The BJPs electoral campaign in 2024 is clearly a manifestation of this line of reasoning. The question arises: How should we talk about Muslim political representation, especially now when Muslim identity has become a political problem even for non-BJP parties? I propose a different framework to deal with it. First, there is a need to democratise the idea of representation itself. Any discussion on Muslim representation should acknowledge the concerns and issues of Muslim Dalits, Muslim women, and poor Muslims. In other words, Muslim sociological diversity must be accepted as a principled position. The contribution of Pasmanda politics is very significant in this regard. Second, the democratisation of the wider institutional apparatus. We should not only look at Parliament and state assemblies as possible sites to evaluate Muslim representation. Instead, we must pay attention to the internal making of political parties to assess their inclusive character. Do they have any set mechanism to include marginalised groups, in this case, Muslims? How do they decide on candidates to contest polls? Do they have regular internal party elections? These questions are very crucial because political parties have become highly centralised and there is no discussion on their democratic and secular credentials. Finally, we must adhere to the constitutional principle of democratic secularisation. Indias Constitution envisages a political culture where the pain, suffering, and marginalisation of a group should become serious concerns for the entire society. This is exactly what Mahatma Gandhi argues on the minority-majority question. Our political history shows how non-Muslim leaders have stood for Muslim concerns and anxieties until recently. This healthy tradition should be further strengthened. Common Muslims, we must remember, do not necessarily want to be represented only by Muslim MPs and MLAs. However, they would like to be heard and recognised as dignified citizens as well as Muslims. Hilal Ahmed is associate professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The views expressed are personal The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has issued a list of 20 residential buildings in South Mumbai that are extremely dangerous and required to be vacated immediately. The MHADA has appealed to citizens of these 20 buildings to vacate the buildings ahead of the monsoon. MHADA has issued a list of 20 residential buildings in South Mumbai that are extremely dangerous and required to be vacated immediately. Along with this, the Mumbai civic body, also known as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had also declared a total of 188 dilapidated buildings where residents have been issued notices to vacate immediately. Dilapidated buildings in Mumbai In all, there are more than 10,000 dilapidated buildings in the city. However, these also include the number of buildings that are repairable. What is pre pre-monsoon audit of MHADA? Every year before the monsoon, the state housing authority carries out a pre-monsoon audit, and based on the outcome, notices to vacate are issued to residents of these dangerous buildings. Also Read: Mumbai real estate market: Heres why listed realtors are making a beeline for redevelopment projects The MHADA offers option of transit tenements built by it to these residents. However, several residents refuse to vacate their homes due to location preference and other social issues. The redevelopment of dilapidated buildings in the Mumbai real estate market is a major issue in the city, and time and again there have been incidents of building collapse during Mumbai monsoon. Also Read: BMC identifies 188 dilapidated buildings in city Where are the 20 most dangerous buildings located? According to MHADA officials, the list of 20 most dangerous buildings are in areas such as Girgaum, Kalbadevi, Khetwadi, Kamathipura, and are more than 80 years old. There are 494 residents and 217 non-residents who are tenants in these 20 high-risk buildings. Also Read: IMD predicts monsoon arrival in Mumbai likely around June 10-11: Report In a statement, the MHADA said, "Regular pre-monsoon survey of old and dilapidated cessed buildings in Mumbai City under MHADA's Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) has been completed and this year 20 buildings have been found to be extremely dangerous. These include four buildings which were declared as high-risk last year in 2023." Meanwhile, of the 188 dilapidated residential buildings in the city issued by BMC, more than 110 are in the western suburbs and others are spread across South Mumbai, Central Mumbai and Central suburban Mumbai. Godrej Properties Limited (GPL), a listed real estate developer, was recently in the news after defence authorities raised objections to a housing project undertaken by it in Mumbai and demanded that construction work be halted. Defence authorities had red flagged the project, known as Godrej Reserve, as it was located close to the Central Ordinance Depot (COD) complex at Kandivali. Godrej Properties Limited (GPL), was recently in the news after defence authorities raised objections to a housing project undertaken by it in Mumbai and demanded that construction work be halted (Representational photo) (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo) The Godrej project is not the only project in Mumbai to have faced the heat from defence authorities. There are several localities in Mumbai where there are curbs on construction either due to presence of defence facilities or aviation signaling radars in the vicinity. In some cases, there are also environmental restrictions, especially in coastal regulation zones (CRZ). Also Read: After over 70 years, 25 buildings in Sion-Koliwada set to be redeveloped Godrej Properties' Kandivali project issue In a note to the Mumbai civic body, also known as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the defence ministry had sought a stop work notice against the project by Godrej Properties as it was located within 500 metres of the Kandivali area. The defence authorities, in a note to BMC, had said that construction of up to a maximum of four storeys (ground plus three) is only permissible within a distance of 100 to 500 meters after obtaining a no objection certificate for the same from the defence department. Any construction activity within 500 meters radius from the perimeter wall of an army establishment without obtaining NOC from the defence department is contrary to the existing rule as envisaged in the guidelines. Hence, the construction by the private builder is an unambiguous violation of Government orders/guidelines and is therefore illegal, the note had said. Godrej Properties' response GPL has maintained that it has not received any communication from any concerned authority citing any non-compliance on its part. Also Read: Godrej Properties sells homes worth 2,690 crore in its new project in Mumbai "We wish to submit that we have not received communication from any concerned authority citing any non-compliance on our part. As a responsible developer, all our projects commence post grant of appropriate and necessary approvals from concerned authorities. In case of project Godrej Reserve also, we have taken all requisite approvals from the concerned authorities for development of the project, and we are certain that all approvals related to the project are intact," GPL said in a Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) filing on May 24. Also Read: Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd sells office space near Mumbai for 157 cr to Godrej Industries Ltd Areas in Mumbai where there are restrictions on construction activity According to the government of India guidelines of May 2011, construction activities are not permitted within 100 metres radius of Defence Establishment perimeter wall. Further, construction of up to a maximum of four storeys (ground plus three) is only permissible within 100 to 500 mtrs of distance after obtaining No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the same from the Defence Department. Kandivali and Malad The Kandivali and Malad areas are in close proximity to the Central Ordnance Depot (COD) of the Defence Authorities and owing to this there are height restrictions in the vicinity. The redevelopment of several old buildings is also stuck in the two areas owing to these restrictions, developers active in these areas told HT Digital. Juhu Owing to restrictions by Defence Authorities, redevelopment projects or revamp of old buildings worth around 20,000 crore is either stuck or has not take off in the Juhu area of Mumbai. Also Read: Mumbai real estate market: Heres why listed realtors are making a beeline for redevelopment projects The Juhu Wireless Affected Residents Association (JWARA), representing over 20,000 families in the Juhu area of Mumbai, had also written to the Mumbai Civic Body, also known as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), for obtaining redevelopment approvals that have not come through for almost two decades. Dahisar Since January 2021, the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) new construction height restrictions for 2-km radius around Dahisar toll naka area in Mumbai are in force, according to BMC officials. This has resulted in a reduction in allowable building height, which is impacting apartment redevelopment and new developments in certain locations. According to real estate developers active in the area, projects with a potential of almost 7,000 crore are stuck due to these height restrictions. Ghatkopar and Colaba The Indian Navy had imposed restrictions on constructions falling within 50 metres of highly sensitive installations. These projects continue to require an NOC from the Defence authorities. The fall out of this is that we are not issuing permissions to developers for construction in vicinity of the Indian Navy establishment, according to civic officials. Mahim Owing to Coastal Regulations Zone (CRZ) norms, there are several restrictions on construction in place, especially in locations located close to the sea. The CRZ norms were put in place to protect coastal ecology and environment. However, there have been amendments from time to time owing to redevelopment of old buildings in the city getting hampered. Also Read: Victory for Navi Mumbai residents as NGT rejects CIDCOs petition to sell CRZ plot In Mumbai, areas like Mahim, Charni Road are located close to the sea owing to which construction or redevelopment of several old buildings has remained hampered. A civic official said, "The Central government had a year ago issued several relaxations on CRZ regulations after which redevelopment has picked up pace in areas of South Mumbai and Central Mumbai." This is what legal experts have to say According to legal experts, the only way to resolve the issue of stuck redevelopment projects is to either relocate the residents or to relax the regulations. "I would not say that things are really bad and all redevelopment is stuck, but yes there are a handful of cases where redevelopment of old buildings is affected. We have to understand that in cases of defence, aviation there are national interests involved. Also, these conditions have been in place for a long time and are not new," said Nilesh Gala, a Mumbai-based lawyer. Courts cannot interfere in administrative decisions. But from a solution point of view, I feel the Central and state government can have a policy in place for project affected people (PAP) units. We can sit with people whose old buildings' redevelopment work is stuck and see if they can be relocated into PAP units. Ultimately, we have to serve the purpose of both the parties affected and also keep national interests in mind." Mexico's federal archaeology agency on Monday accused the conservative-governed city of Guanajuato of mistreating one of the countrys famous mummified 19th century bodies. Mummies are displayed in the Mummy Museum in Guanajuato, Mexico. (AP) The National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH, said that during recent renovations at the museum where the mummified bodies are on permanent display, the arm of one of the mummies, well, came off. One might think the complaint is all about the dignified treatment of corpses buried around the early 1800s and dug up starting in the 1860s, because their families could no longer pay burial fees. But in fact, the mummies have been on a somewhat grisly display in glass cases in a museum in Guanajuato, the capital of the state of the same name, and toted around to tourism fairs for decades. Some were exhibited in the United States in 2009. What appears to be at the root of the latest dispute is a turf battle between the INAH, which believes it has jurisdiction over the mummies because it says they are national patrimony, and Guanajuato, which considers them a tourist attraction. The state and city are governed by the conservative National Action Party, which the Morena party which holds power at the federal level considers its arch enemy. On Monday, the institute said it would demand an accounting of what permits and procedures were followed during the museum renovations. These events confirm that the way the museum's collection was moved is not the correct one, and that far from applying proper corrective and conservation strategies, the actions carried out resulted in damages, not only to this body, the institute wrote in a statement. It did not say what, if any, other bits of mummies had fallen off. It appears that this situation is related to a lack of knowledge about proper protocols and the lack of training of the personnel in charge of carrying out these tasks, it continued. The Guanajuato city government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified when they were buried in crypts in a dry, mineral-rich soil environment in the mining state of Guanajuato. Some still have hair, leathery skin and their original clothing. The institute appeared to be miffed because personnel in Guanajuato, not the institute's own staff, is in charge of the approximately 100 mummies. In part because they were mostly dug up before the institute was founded in 1939, they remain under local control, something that has rankled federal officials in the past. In 2023, experts from the institute complained that a traveling display of mummies could pose a health risk to the public, because one of the mummies appeared to have fungal growths. It is not the first time that the extremity of a long-dead person becomes a national political issue. In 1989, the Mexican government weathered a wave of criticism after it removed the arm of revolutionary Gen. Alvaro Obregon severed in battle in 1915 after being displayed in a jar of formaldehyde in a marble monument for a half-century. Visitors said it had become unsightly,' and so the arm was incinerated and buried. In 1838, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who served as president of Mexico 11 times, lost his leg in battle, and had it buried with honors. By 1844, an angry crowd that accused him of treason dragged the leg through the streets of Mexico City and apparently destroyed it. As the country deals with circular debt, a young man in Pakistan, who runs a mobile charging shop in a Sukkar village, started using solar panels to get power as the problem of electricity shortage rises across the nation, reported ARY News. A man who charged mobile phones using solar panels said he had to depend on this way to run his business due to the lack of electricity in Pakistan (Representational image). (Unsplash/@publicpowerorg) Wahab Tunio found a way to overcome the electricity shortage problem in his area, making it a lifeline for him as well as others in the community. Wahab Tunio, a resident of Qureshi Goth in Sukkur and running a small business, started using solar panels to get the required power, according to ARY News. Also Read: Student in Pakistan handed death sentence over WhatsApp messages He is getting solar power to charge mobile phones and power his desktop computer to run his business. Tunio said that he had to rely on solar panels to run his business due to the lack of electricity in the locality. Other people residing in the same area, who are also dealing with the same issue, get their mobile phones charged for 20-30 which has become a source of income for Wahab Tunio, as reported by ARY News. Tunio stressed that due to the lack of electricity, solar panels have become a necessity for him. He further asked the Pakistan government to not impose a tax on solar panels, adding that it would become unaffordable for him and others. He feared that the imposition of tax would affect his business, ARY News reported. The country is struggling with electricity shortage as the federal government failed to clear due payments of electricity supplying companies, leaving people without electricity in this extreme heatwave. Last week, electricity supplying company, K-Electric issued a stern warning to cut off power supply to the departments of the Sindh government over remaining dues amounting to billions of rupees, reported ARY News, citing sources. According to the sources close to the development, the Sindh government and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) have not cleared any payments to K-Electric since January. The non-payment of dues has led to a financial crisis for K-Electric, causing significant difficulties in network maintenance. Earlier this month, K-Electric sent five letters to remind immediate payment of the remaining dues. K-Electric has warned that if payments are not made soon, the network could fail, leading to prolonged power outages in the metropolis during the extreme heatwave. A passenger onboard the worlds largest cruise ship - Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas - has jumped to death. According to the reports, the man jumped off the cruise ship on the first night of his seven-day voyage. The man jumped to death from the world's largest cruise ship after it departed from Florida. (REUTERS) The New York Post reported that the man jumped from the 1,200-foot-long and 20-deck-high cruise ship after it departed from Florida for a week-long cruise around the Caribbean, with the first stop in Honduras. 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members were onboard when the incident happened. Soon after the fatal jump, the rescue operation started. The cruise ship deployed one of their rescue boats, located the man and brought him back aboard, the New York Post quoted the Coast Guard as saying. The man was brought back on the cruise ship in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries. The outlet reported that the US Coast Guard was not involved in the incident except for assisting in the search for the unidentified man. The ship stopped for about two hours while crew members helped the Coast Guard accomplish its search and rescue mission. The ships crew immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard and launched a search and rescue operation. Our Care Team is actively providing support and assistance to the guests loved ones during this difficult time, the New York Post quoted Royal Caribbean as saying. About the worlds largest cruise ship - Icon of the Seas by Royal Caribbean The cruise ship, which offers a variety of vacation experiences, embarked on its first voyage in January this year from the Port of Miami. It has six Category 6 waterslides and the Crowns Edge experience at 47 meters above the ocean. Icon of the Seas has seven pools, including the first suspended infinity pool at sea, providing ways to relax and chill. The cruise ship offers more than 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges. Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission to deliver the world's best vacation experiences responsibly, Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said in January. He added, She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board. A Melbourne-bound Virgin Australia flight had to turn around after a male passenger allegedly ran naked on it and knocked a crew member to the floor. According to reports, the incident happened after the flight took off from Perth. Australia: After a naked man ran through a flight from Perth to Melbourne and knocked a crew member to the floor, the airline issued an apology. (REUTERS) Australian federal police officers were alerted by airport staff about the incident. Upon the flights arrival in Perth, they apprehended the man at the airport, The Guardian reported. Passengers on the Melbourne-bound flight recount horror While talking to The Guardian, a passenger said that an hour into the flight, he saw a naked man running up the aisle and charging towards the front of the plane. The 23-year-old mining engineer flying to Melbourne for his university graduation added, Initially, you think, God forbid, it could be an attack. Its really distressing being on a plane in that situation. He further told the outlet that an individual from the business class intervened and was joined by others who pinned him down. He was then handcuffed and taken to the back of the plane. Another passenger told Melbourne radio station 3AW that after the man went bananas running up and down the aisle and bashing on the cockpit door, two air marshals restrained him until the flight landed. What did the Virgin spokesperson say? Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to a disruptive passenger who was offloaded by police, The Guardian quoted Virgin spokesperson as saying. The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we sincerely apologise to guests impacted, the spokesperson said. Daily Mail reported that the man was taken to the hospital for assessment and will appear before Perth Magistrates Court on June 14. The charges against him have yet to be finalised. Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph shared his definition of success in a post on X. Randolph, who co-founded six other companies in addition to Netflix, expressed that success to him is maintaining the right balance between personal and professional life. Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph shared his definition of success in a post on X. (X/@mbrandolph) Ive worked hard, for my entire career, to keep my life balanced with my job. In my book, I write about my Tuesday date nights with my wife. For over thirty years, I had a hard cut-off on Tuesdays. Rain or shine, I left at exactly 5 pm and spent the evening with my best friend. We would go to a movie, have dinner, or just go window-shopping downtown together, wrote Randolph on X. He mentioned that for the past 30 years, he has always avoided scheduling meetings after 5 pm on Tuesdays because he takes his wife out on a date on Tuesday evenings. If you had something to say to me on Tuesday afternoon at 4:55, you had better say it on the way to the parking lot. If there was a crisis, we are going to wrap it up by 5:00. These date nights, Randolph said, kept him sane over the years and put his work into perspective. Concluding his definition of success, he said, I resolved a long time ago to not be one of those entrepreneurs on their 7th startup and their 7th wife. In fact, the thing I'm most proud of in my life is not the companies I started, its the fact that I was able to start them while staying married to the same woman; having my kids grow up knowing me and (best as I can tell) liking me, and being able to spend time pursuing the other passions in my life. Take a look at the entire post here: Randolphs definition of success resonated with many, who flocked to the comment section of the post to share their thoughts. An individual said, Not losing value for family while building is the biggest test of a successful founder. Glad you aced it, Marc! I love this definition of success and it aligns closely with my own. Ive said sarcastically many times that my goal has been to be successful and happy and these components of a personal partnership and family and time for them and myself is key to that happiness for me, said another. A third commented, This is the only definition of success - hands down. Police raid European Parliament offices in Russian interference investigation - Reports Moscow, May 29 (UNI) Police raided European Parliament offices in Belgium's Brussels and France's Strasbourg on Wednesday on suspicion that a staffer helped promote what federal Belgian prosecutors described as "Russian interference." "These searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and participation in a criminal organization related to indications of Russian interference," the prosecutors office said in a statement quoted by multiple Belgian media. The Belgian judiciary alleged that members of the European Parliament, which has its seat in Strasbourg, were "approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda" via Voice of Europe, an English-language news website that the EU accused last week of pushing pro-Russian narratives. A group of doctors in Tamil Nadu is receiving tons of praise from social media users after the news of them saving a 14-year-old girl went viral. The doctors performed Bronchoscopy to extract a needle lodged in the teens lung. The image (L) shows the needle inside the teens lung, and the photo (R) shows it after extraction. (X/@PTI_News) PTI took to X to share a video along with a brief description. Doctors of a private hospital in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur have set a record by removing a four-cm-long needle from a 14-year-old girl's lung without using a knife in three and a half minutes. The girl had swallowed the needle while dressing. Doctors of the hospital used a modern technology called Bronchoscopy to remove the needle, they wrote. Take a look at the video here: Since being shared, the video has collected close to one lakh views - and the numbers are increasing. The share has further accumulated nearly 400 likes. People posted varied comments, including reacting to the video with thumbs-up emoticons. What did X users say about this video? Very good job, I salute all the doctors, wrote an X user. Salute to the doctors, posted another. They are the unsung heroes who heal with their hands and hearts. Salute to these modern-day Gods in white coats for their never-ending commitment to saving lives! praised a third. This is great news, joined a fourth. What is Bronchoscopy? According to a blog published by John Hopkins Medicine, it is a procedure to look directly at the airways in the lungs using a thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope). The bronchoscope is put in the nose or mouth. It is moved down the throat and windpipe (trachea), and into the airways. A healthcare provider can then see the voice box (larynx), trachea, and large and medium-sized airways, the blog further explained. Kate Middleton has been named the royal family's greatest asset and jewel in the crown as she receives worldwide support for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Calls for Princess Kate Middleton's swift recovery amid global outpouring of love (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)(AP) Kate's cancer diagnosis news has touched everyone in the country, irrespective of their classes, from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to a cab driver. When I got the news of her illness, even the taxi man had to pull aside because he was crying, royal commentator Lizzie Cundy told GBNA. Thats how much she means to people. Thats how much shes in our lives. The Princess of Wales is currently staying at the royal Sandringham Estate with the Middleton and Welsh families, as she continues her recovery and preventive chemotherapy ALSO READ| Prince William and Kate Middletons 'never-seen-before image' surfaces from surprise local stay Kate is returning to public life any time soon Vanity Fair reported earlier this Wednesday that Kate has turned a corner and is tolerating chemotherapy medication. Earlier this year, Kate shared her cancer diagnosis through a video on March 22. Since then, she has not attended any public engagements. Despite her absence, the outpouring of love and concern for her well-being has not waned. Buckingham Palace is flooded with tens of thousands of get-well-soon cards and gifts from fans. GBN Americas host, Nana Akua, said it was a good sign for the royal family that Kate was seen out and about with Prince William and their children. But that does not an indication that she is returning to public life any time soon. A royal also backed Kate saying, No one wants to put any pressure on Catherine. The only thing that matters at the moment is her getting better. She has been through an ordeal this year, per Daily Mail. Echoing Akua's sentiment, commentator Cundy said it was fantastic news that Kate was seen out and about. ALSO READ| Kate Middleton's parenting inspired by Princess Diana's 'golden rule' as she battles cancer; What is it? Kate is Royal Familys greatest asset Globally, everyone is asking how is Catherine? Everyone loves her, everyone is worried about her. So a glimpse of just seeing her out and about is a wonderful thing, Cundy told GBNA while discussing about the Princess. Cundy expressed that the Princess was taking her time to come back to public service, and it gave her joy. She knows that the whole worlds eye is going to be watching her, and she needs to be fully well, Cundy said. I think its a great thing. It just shows how worldwide shes actually loved. Everyone wants the best for her and cant wait to see her. Akua shared that even the younger generations also love her. Its true. Even my daughter rolls her eyes when I say what do you think of Meghan Markle? When I say what about Princess Catherine?, she goes, oh, we love Catherine, shes amazing, shes so cool. And so the younger generation love her, she really is amazing. ALSO READ| Wounded Prince William bracing from a second Prince Harry memoir, claims royal author The admiration for the Princess of Wales extends beyond her personal charm and Cundy didnt hesitate to express this, claiming that Kate is the greatest asset for the monarchys future. We all wish her well. She is the Royal Familys greatest asset. She is the jewel in the crown, she remarked. The commentator concluded, We feel we actually know her. We miss her, we love her, we want her back. But its really great news that shes out and about, its great news for everyone. As many as 45 people, including children, were reportedly killed at a refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in Israel's airstrike. The incident triggered a global outrage, with celebrities from across the world condemning Israel's action, as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East. Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, as seen from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, (Reuters)(REUTERS) Most of the people killed in the Israeli airstrike were staying in tents at a refugee camp. The same area was hit by Israeli shelling days ago, triggering a massive fire in the shelter. The tent camp inferno has drawn widespread international outrage, including from some of Israels closest allies, over the militarys expanding offensive into Rafah. Israel's series of attacks against Rafah was launched on Sunday, hours after Hamas launched multiple rockets into Tel Aviv, most of which were intercepted by the country's intricate defence systems. Israel's airstrike in Rafah: Top updates Israel military's airstrikes and shelling near Rafah claimed 45 civilian lives, Gaza's government officials confirmed on Tuesday. The airstrikes were launched on Sunday, leaving hundreds of refugees with shrapnel and burn wounds. The attack by Israel came days after the International Court of Justice ordered the country to halt its operation in Rafah, drawing global outrage and condemnation from its close allies. Israel, in its statement, called the loss of civilian life a tragic accident, and said that the massive fire in the refugee camp was not caused by the airstrikes alone. The Israeli military suggested Sunday's blaze in the tent camp may have been caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants' weapons. They said that Israeli munitions were too small a source to cause the fire. Soon after the airstrikes, millions of social media users including celebrities, sportspersons, actors and politicians, posted an image captioned All eyes on Rafah. The image showed shelter tents in Rafah, where are many as 1.4 million civilians are seeking refuge. The strikes over the past few days have hit areas west of Rafah, where the military had not ordered civilians to evacuate. Israeli ground troops and tanks have been operating in eastern Rafah, in central parts of the city, and along the Gaza-Egypt border. As per the health ministry of Gaza, only one medical facility in Rafah is operational due to the constant attacks and shelling by Israeli forces. They also said that all the main aid routes into the territory have been cut off. (With inputs from AP) A man was arrested after he was accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight. The man was arrested at the airport by the police on Tuesday after he allegedly knocked down a flight attendant while running naked through the aisle of the flight. A man ran naked through a Virgin Australia plane (Reuters)(REUTERS) The incident happened early in what was scheduled to be a 3-hour and 30-minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast. Due to the incident, the flight was forced to turn back and return to the airport. Flight VA696 returned to the Perth Airport shortly after taking off due to a disruptive passenger, an airline statement said. Virgin Australia's official statement said that Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane, and the disruptive guest was offloaded" shortly after the incident. Police said officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor". The police statement said, The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains. The police are likely to summon the man to appear before a court in Perth on June 14. What charges he will face have yet to be finalized. It is not clear how, where or why the passenger removed his clothes on the plane. The airline apologized to guests impacted, adding the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority. Both the airline and police declined to comment beyond their statements. Witness accounts from the flight said that there was a lot of yelling and screaming, and the man charged towards the front of the plane without no clothes on. Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that it understood nobody was injured during the incident, while a flight attendant was knocked down while the man ran down the plane aisle. The flight continued on its course after the man was offboarded, and landed in Melbourne 28 minutes late. (With inputs from AP) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva relocated Brazils ambassador from Israel to another post after months of diplomatic tensions over the countrys military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during an emergency ministerial meeting convened to discuss new measures to support cities affected by floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on May 13, 2024.(AFP) Lulas government said in an official decree that it had appointed Ambassador Frederico Meyer, who it had previously recalled to Brazil in February, to a role in Geneva, Switzerland. The move marks a further cooling of relations between the two nations. Brazil has not had an ambassador in Tel Aviv since Meyer left amid a spat over Lulas comments comparing Israels military actions to the killing of the Jewish population during the Holocaust. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Lula unwelcome in the country and demanded apologies from both the president and Meyer. But Lula has yet to go as far Colombias Gustavo Petro, a fellow South American leftist who cut off diplomatic ties with Israel after accusing it of genocide earlier this month. Petro last week ordered his government to open an embassy in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah. The official decree does not name a replacement for Meyer. Brazils charge daffaires to Israel will lead the embassy for an indefinite period. European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi met on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, amid requests by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor for arrest warrants against them over alleged war crimes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AP/File) "Honoured to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss pressing issues in our bilateral relations, the war with Hamas, humanitarian assistance for the people in Gaza and strategic challenge for the region from Iran", Varhelyi said on social media platform X. Asked whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had approved the meeting, a spokesperson said commissioners do not require prior approval for such a meeting. "The president trusts that he is conveying the EU position on all bilateral and regional issues to his interlocutors", the spokesperson added. Varhelyi's cabinet did not immediately respond to a request for comment. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Rapid changes in the gravitational force led to a 178-feet altitude drop of a Singapore Airlines flight that left one passenger dead and many others who were not buckled up injured in extreme turbulence last week, a preliminary investigation by Singapores Transport Ministry said Wednesday. Gravitational changes, 178-feet drop caused injuries on Singapore Airlines jet that hit turbulence A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after the Boeing 777, which was flying from Londons Heathrow airport to Singapore on May 21, ran into turbulence that hurled people and items around the cabin. The plane, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Singapore's Transport Ministry said investigators, including those from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, had compiled a chronology of events based on the preliminary analysis of the flight's data and cockpit voice recorders. Early findings showed the aircraft was passing over the south of Myanmar at 37,000 feet feet when it began to experience vibration due to changes in the gravitational force, the ministry said. The plane then climbed to an altitude of up to 37,362 feet and increased speed possibly due to an updraft, it said. The plane's autopilot then sought to pitch the jet downwards to its earlier altitude. The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G ... this likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne before falling back down later, the ministry said. The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 second duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 feet ... this sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers. During the turbulence, it said a pilot was heard calling out saying the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on. It said recorded data indicated the pilots manually controlled the plane for 21 seconds to stabilize it before reengaging the autopilot. The plane made a normal, controlled descent and didn't encounter further turbulence until it landed in Bangkok almost an hour later, the ministry said, adding that investigations are ongoing. Passengers have described the sheer terror of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane. Twenty-six people remained hospitalized in Bangkok on Wednesday. Hospital authorities earlier said injuries included spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs. It was unclear what caused the turbulence. Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air. According to a 2021 report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for 37.6% of all accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018. The Federal Aviation Administration has said there were 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. ON MAY 6TH Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), travelled to Tehran and met Hossein Amirabdollahian, Irans foreign minister. Less than two weeks later, on May 19th, Mr Amirabdollahian was dead, killed in a helicopter crash that also took the life of Ebrahim Raisi, Irans president, among others. FILE PHOTO: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, Iran, May 6, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS (via REUTERS) Their deaths throw Irans sclerotic theocracy into a moment of confusion and uncertainty, one with far-reaching implications for the countrys nuclear programme. Mr Grossi, fresh from his trip to Iran, recently spoke to The Economist about the Iranian nuclear file, as well as the other items on his forbidding to-do list, from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear-power plant in Ukraine to the growing attraction of nuclear weapons worldwide. The Vienna-based IAEA has two jobs, both enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968. One is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The other is to ensure that using such energy does not lead to countries developing the bomb. And the country of principal concern today is Iran. Bold plans Irans nuclear programme is expanding rapidly in size and sophistication. It has 27 times as much enriched uranium as was permitted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multinational nuclear deal abrogated by Donald Trump in 2018. It is now an empty shell, says Mr Grossi, who was speaking prior to Mr Raisis death. That stockpile, some of which is enriched to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, is enough for about three bombs (see chart 1). Along with Irans use of newer and faster centrifuges, these developments have completely superseded the JCPOA, he says. The result is that Iran could produce a bombs worth of weapons-grade uranium in just a week and enough for seven over a month, according to research by the Institute for Science and International Security, an American think-tank. When Mr Grossi visited Iran in March 2023 the country promised to co-operate more fully with the IAEA, including by reinstalling surveillance equipment it had removed earlier. That progress quickly stalled, says Mr Grossi, with both sides talking past each other. He has said that the IAEA has lost continuity of knowledge about, among other things, Irans production and stockpiles of centrifuges, heavy water and uranium-ore concentrate. These could be used to reconstitute a nuclear-weapons programme in secret, rather than using known facilities that could be bombed. On May 7th Mr Grossi returned to see whether he might break the impasse. There had been hopes that Iran would slow down its accumulation of 60% enriched uranium by downblending it to lower levels. But there was no such commitment, says Mr Grossi. Iran seems to have been stringing everyone along throughout. He is also concerned by a growing number of statements by senior Iranians that the country might be more open to a bomb. In April, as Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps unit responsible for the safety of nuclear sites hinted that Iran might rescind a fatwa against nuclear weapons issued by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the countrys supreme ruler, in 2003. In May Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Mr Khamenei, issued the same threat twice within days. This is unacceptable, says Mr Grossi, unless the country would choose to denounce or leave the NPT. There is no consensus among experts and Western officials on whether these statements are signals that Iran intends to build a bomb or whether it simply wants to shore up deterrence against America and Israel at a tense time. Mr Grossi says he is consoled by the fact that neither the late Mr Amirabdollahian nor Mohammad Eslami, Irans vice-president and head of the countrys Atomic Energy Organisation, had repeated these statements. He says a new agreementa JCPOA rebooted or a JCPOA 2.0is imperative. Yet the death of Mr Raisi is likely to shake up the system and complicate the matter in several ways. A vulnerable and isolated regime could be tempted to develop nuclear weapons for more security. It could also affect decision-making. Mr Raisis ideological allies have no obvious successor in his mould. Reformists were shut out of Irans sham elections for the presidency in 2021 and parliament in 2024, and could be again: under the constitution, a presidential election is due 50 days after a presidents death. Its possible that a more pragmatic, conservative candidate could become the next president, making negotiations over a new nuclear deal possible, if not probable. Moreover, Mr Raisi was a candidate to succeed the ailing Mr Khamenei. His death improves the chances of Mojtaba Khamenei, the latters son, taking over instead and could strengthen his allies in Irans Revolutionary Guardsthe driving force behind the nuclear programme for almost 40 years. These issues may dominate a meeting of the IAEAs board of governors between June 3rd and 7th. Some Western countries want to refer Iran to the UN Security Council (UNSC). In the past, the veto-wielding P5 countries had a common denominator on Iran, agreeing on sanctions, says Mr Grossi. Now that would not happen, he acknowledges, in light of deep splits between America, Britain and France on one side, and Russia and China on the other. That great-power gridlock, in turn, means that Iran can proceed with relative impunity. Mr Grossi warns that an Iranian bomb would have far-reaching consequences. The Korean peninsula had very circumscribedparameters that made a domino very, very difficult in that circumstance, he says, referring to North Koreas acquisition of nuclear capabilities in 2006. I think the Middle East is completely different. Here, you would have a situation which would lead to more countries, if not openly seeking nuclear weapons, trying to get latency and trying to get closer to that because they would feel that the system is failing. In September Muhammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto leader, reaffirmed that the kingdom would seek a bomb if Iran developed one. It is seeking permission to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuelsteps that would allow it to produce fissile materialas part of a broader energy and defence pact with America that is under intense discussion. Mr Grossi is circumspect when asked about that, saying only that he intends to work very closely with the kingdom. But he clearly worries about nuclear proliferation. I think it would spread beyond the Middle East, he says. Unfortunately, what we see is a trend, a growing attraction, the lure of nuclear weapons is there. We cannot deny it. It is very, very regrettable. Keep the lights on The threat of nuclear conflict in the Middle East is not the only terrifying problem on Mr Grossis agenda. Russia has also said it intends to restart the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which it has occupied and militarised. The plant has repeatedly come under attack from shells and drones, most recently in April. Mr Grossi, who visited the site in February and met Vladimir Putin in Moscow the next month, says that talks over the restart are ongoing and very delicate. He argues that the IAEA has played a vital role. When the invasion began, he says, no one asked the agency, or Mr Grossi personally, to visit Zaporizhia; had he asked permission, he says, he might well have been rebuffed. With the support of America, Britain and FranceMr Grossi singles out Emmanuel Macron for his supporthe chose not only to go, but to stay. I went there to visit and I forgot a group of people, he quips, referring to inspectors who remained behind and are still present there and at every other Ukrainian nuclear site. And then we were there, and who is going to kick us out? That enduring presence has allowed the IAEA to maintain a technical dialogue with the Russian operators of the plant and to serve as a source of ground truth. You may have seen that when it comes to Zaporizhia, theres almost no fake newswe have an update every day. Despite attacks, he says, both parties have broadly respected his demands to avoid turning the plant into a military target. Until this warends without an accident, we will not be able to say mission accomplished. But I think it has been a good example of what can be done. Ukrainian officials are more sceptical, believing that Russia has pulled the wool over the IAEAs eyes. If Iran and Ukraine were not enough, the agencys job is growing. In March, for the first time in 13 years, Mr Grossi visited Damascus, where he had a frank conversation with Bashar al-Assad, Syrias president. In 2007 Israel bombed an incomplete reactor in the east of the country, believing it to be part of a Syrian nuclear weapons programme. It had not been declared to the IAEA. Mr Grossi accepts that the agency will get few answers on thatthat piece of infrastructure was disposed of, to put it mildlybut he wants the Syrians to open up on related facilities. He is cagey on whether that will happenwe are working on having a possibility to access these placesbut the dialogue is a start. The IAEA has no contact with North Korea, but Mr Grossi warns that the programme is growing in every direction and with a huge question mark on nuclear safety. In the coming years, the agency will also have to safeguard a deluge of nuclear-energy projects (see chart 2). Theres going to be more nuclear in the world, in developing countries, in other places, says Mr Grossi. The agency expects a 30% rise in the number of countries operating power plants by 2035. At least 59 are under construction, some in countries with no nuclear experience. Many are being built by Russia or China, which have tended to impose weaker safeguards on clients than does America. Mr Grossi is also in discussions with America, Britain and Australia over the AUKUS deal, which will see Australia, a non-nuclear country, operate submarines with reactors powered by highly enriched uranium. Technology increasingly helps to keep tabs on nuclear material. The agency has developed simply amazing means to detect enriched uranium in the past few years, he says. You can build a supermarket on top of a place where 35 years ago there was uraniumwere going to find it. Moving on up? Mr Grossi says that his Russia-Ukraine shuttle diplomacy is an indication, in these times of enormous scepticism about multilateral organisations, of the role these organisations can play. The IAEAs stock has risen accordingly. In a change from the past, says Mr Grossi, the UNSC wants to hear from us, they want to know what is happening. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he is mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general in two years. The conventional wisdom is that the next secretary-general will need to be a woman. Some in the UN are aggrieved at what they see as Mr Grossis very public role in Zaporizhia, says Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group, a think-tank. His candidacy is rather intimately tied to [Zaporizhia] being intact in 2026, and the Iranians not having a bomb, says Mr Gowan. Neither of which is fully assured. Editors note (May 22nd 2024): This piece has been amended so as to include a reference to research by the Institute for Science and International Security. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Londons nearly 200-year-old Evening Standard newspaper plans to abandon its daily print publication, switching to a weekly edition, according to a memo sent to staff, following a tough period for free UK newspapers. London Evening Standard Cuts Daily Paper for Weekly Publication to Stem Losses The company blamed home working and widespread Wi-Fi on London trains for reduced readership and said it has to look for ways to stem unsustainable losses, according to an email to staff on Wednesday, which was seen by Bloomberg News. The memo didnt map out job losses, and said it would go through a consultation period with staff. A representative for the Evening Standard didnt respond to a request for comment. Read more: Londons Free Newspapers Battle to Survive After Covid The Evening Standard, handed out for free at bus and train stations across the city, was once a staple of the London commute. However, the pandemic meant more people worked from home and caused advertising income to plunge. Circulation fell to about 300,000 last year from more than 1 million on some days before lockdowns began. The newspaper is led by editor Dylan Jones, who previously ran the British edition of GQ magazine. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne also led the paper from 2017 to 2021, after he left the Conservative government following the Brexit vote in 2016. The Evening Standards circulation had jumped after it turned free in 2009, under the new ownership of Russian-born tycoon Evgeny Lebedev and his oligarch father Alexander. Lebedev sold a 30% stake in the holding company that owns the Evening Standard in 2019 to Saudi investor Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel. However, in recent years, the publication has been reliant on funding from Lebedev, who is also the largest shareholder in another British news outlet, the online-only Independent. Other free publications have also suffered. The assets of City AM, a newspaper aimed at City of London workers, were bought last year by fitness and health business THG Plc in a rescue deal that prevented it from shutting. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Palestinian Authority chief Mahmud Abbas to "implement necessary reforms", offering the "prospect of recognition of the state of Palestine" during a phone call Wednesday, his office said. Macron urges Abbas to 'reform' Palestinian Authority with 'prospect of recognition' Macron "highlighted France's commitment to building a common vision of peace with European and Arab partners, offering security guarantees for Palestinians and Israelis", as well as "making the prospect of recognition of a state of Palestine part of a useful process", Macron's Elysee Palace said. The readout of the call with the chief of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank follows Tuesday's official recognition for a Palestinian state by fellow European nations Spain, Ireland and Norway, which drew ire from Israel. Macron's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne earlier Wednesday accused France's neighbours of "political positioning" ahead of June 9 European elections, rather than seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Macron had said Tuesday that he would be prepared to recognise a Palestinian state, but such a move should "come at a useful moment" and not be based on "emotion". France supports "a reformed and strengthened Palestinian Authority, able to carry out its responsibilities throughout the Palestinian territories, including in the Gaza Strip, for the benefit of the Palestinian people", Macron told Abbas on Wednesday, according to the Elysee Palace readout. Abbas's office said in a statement that he expressed the Palestinian government's commitment to "reform" during the talks with Macron. He called on "European countries that have not recognised the state of Palestine to do so". Current fighting in Gaza, controlled by the PA's rival Hamas, was sparked by the militant group's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel. That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the Israeli army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. Macron called civilian casualties "intolerable" and offered his "sincere condolences to the Palestinian people" for the bombing of a displaced people's camp in Rafah in southern Gaza. He told Abbas that Paris was "determined to work with Algeria and its partners on the UN Security Council" so the body "makes a strong statement on Rafah". Algeria's draft resolution calls on Israel to immediately halt military action in Rafah. fff/tgb/rlp/imm This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Over 100 rockets fired from Lebanon into N Israel: IDF 11 Oct 2024 | 10:01 PM Jerusalem, Oct 11 (UNI) More than 100 rockets and missiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel Friday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported, with about 80 launches occurring within a four-minute span. see more.. Trump says Obama will vote for him because of Harris Low IQ 11 Oct 2024 | 7:58 PM Washington, Oct 11 (UNI) Former US President Donald Trump expressed confidence on Friday that his predecessor Barack Obama would vote for him in the upcoming presidential election because Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris has "low IQ." "I think Obama will be voting for me because he doesnt like the fact that Kamala is an extremely low IQ person!" Trump said on Truth Social. see more.. FAO urges use of technology to transform agri-food system in Africa 11 Oct 2024 | 7:47 PM Nairobi, Oct 11 (UNI) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Friday called for the use of technology to transform agri-food systems in Africa. see more.. Japan HC rules ban on dual nationality constitutional 11 Oct 2024 | 6:52 PM Tokyo, Oct 11 (UNI) A Japanese high court has upheld a lower court's ruling that the country's prohibition of dual nationality is constitutional, dismissing a claim by a Japanese-born U.S. citizen, local media reported on Friday. see more.. A royal biographer has revealed that Meghan Markle has been feeling very low after facing criticism over her new business venture. Angela Levin made the revelation during a conversation on GB News, where she discussed the Duchess of Sussexs new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard. Meghan Markle very low after criticism over her new brand, has been crying a lot,' a royal biographer said (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)(AP) Levin said that Meghan is thin-skinned and finds it difficult to deal with criticism of her venture. The Duchess announced her new business venture in March. Shes been crying a lot, Levin said. "Shes absolutely, very low. Shes very thin-skinned. Anybody who criticises her, she goes mad, Levin added. She cant stand it. She cant cope with it. Levin said that Meghan is still eyeing up a potential career in politics, adding that her so-called thin skin does not bode well with that. I dont think shell ever make it as a politician, Levin said. I heard she was crying the other day because of criticism of American Riviera Orchard. If you want to be a politician, you need to have very thick skin, she added. Meghan was in tears Royal author Tom Quinn, too, previously told The Mirror that Meghan was in tears over the criticism of her new brand. The one fly in the ointment is Meghans new internet brand, America Riviera Orchard. Meghan was in tears when the brand launched and her new jam was widely mocked for being expensive and nothing special, Quinn said. She has reached the point now where she thinks that anything and everything she does will be unfairly criticized. Like her husband, she feels that people are unfairly picking on her she cannot understand why people dont admire her work, Quinn added Meghan gifted 50 jars of strawberry jam to influencers across the United States to soft launch her brand. While she had previously deactivated her Instagram account, she returned to the social media platform during the initial announcement. Meghans brand pays a tribute to her home in Santa Barbara, California. The name is a reference to how the sunny coastal region is called the American Riviera. Syria's defence ministry said an Israeli air strike Wednesday killed a girl and wounded 10 civilians on the coast, as a war monitor reporting another raid killed three pro-Hezbollah fighters. The Britain-based Observatory also said the Israeli strike on central Syria killed three Syrian fighters working with Lebanon's Hezbollah group. (AFP) "The Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of Lebanon, targeting a central site and a residential building in Baniyas city in the coastal region, killing a girl and wounding 10 civilians," a ministry statement said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the girl was killed and 20 civilians wounded in the Israeli strike, after earlier reporting she died when an Israeli missile and Syrian air defence missile exploded and then fell on the coast. The Britain-based Observatory also said the Israeli strike on central Syria killed three Syrian fighters working with Lebanon's Hezbollah group. "Three Syrian fighters working with the Lebanese Hezbollah group were killed in an Israeli strike targeting a military site... in the eastern countryside of Homs," said the monitor which has a wide network of sources inside Syria. Earlier on Wednesday, state media had said air defences intercepted Israeli "targets" over central Syria, and the Observatory reported an Israeli attack on a military site. "Syrian air defence intercepts enemy targets in the skies of the city of Homs," the official SANA news agency reported. The Observatory said the Israeli strikes targeted "at least one military site... in the eastern countryside of Homs, causing plumes of smoke to rise". The monitor said the area also housed members of Iran-backed groups including Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement. On Saturday, an Israeli drone strike in central Syria, near the border with Lebanon, killed two Hezbollah fighters, the Observatory had said. Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence there. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in its northern neighbour, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Hezbollah. The strikes have increased since Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, when the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions more since it erupted in 2011 after Damascus cracked down on anti-government protests. aya/srm Not only have Republican party colleagues joined Donald Trump to Manhattan criminal court on several occasions during his ongoing hush money trial in New York, but so has his son Eric. While the former president's hush money trial started six weeks ago, he was joined by his daughter Tiffany, sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric, and daughter-in-law Lara Trump as he listened to final arguments on May 28. Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump, along with her only son Barron, are yet to join the court hearings in New York, where Trump has pleaded not guilty.(AFP) The Tuesday session brought attention to absence of Trump's wife and eldest daughter, Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump, as it was the greatest gathering of family support since his trial began. However, their absence was not surprising given that Ivanka and Melania, along with her only son Barron, are yet to join the court hearings in New York, where Trump has pleaded not guilty. Trump is accused of manipulating business records in connection with hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star, to hide her alleged affair and sexual encounter with the GOP leader ahead of presidential elections in 2016, when Melania was pregnant with Trump's child. He is facing 34 charges of fraud in connection with payments to Daniels. Former U.S. President Donald Trump passes family members, Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump and Lara Trump, as well as real estate investor Steve Witkoff on his way into the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, U.S., May 28, 2024. Julia Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS(via REUTERS) Will Melania and Ivanka join Trump's hush money trial? Melania, who rarely accompanies her husband publicly, has not seen alongside Trump during his election rally. She was last seen with Trump in Florida, where the couple attended their son Barron's graduation ceremony. When asked if she expects to accompany Trump during the remaining days of his trial, a representative for the Trump campaign declined to comment, as per CNN. Many close aides of the GOP leader are not surprised by Ivanka's absence at the Manhattan trial, given her and Kushner's outward distance from Trump's November presidential campaign. However, a source close to the Trump campaign did not rule out the couple appearing together before the verdict. Both were prominent aides to Trump during his presidency, but Ivanka declared that she will not participate in the 2024 campaign, claiming a desire to spend more time with her family. I love my father very much, Ivanka said in a statement. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. Also Read: Dennis Quaid declares he will vote for most investigated person Trump, hails him for defeating ISIS in three weeks Trump mocked over Melania and Ivanka's absence as netizens ask where are they? Meanwhile, netizens on X were quick to grill Trump over the absence of Ivanka and former first lady Melania, with one asking, Where is his Precious Daughter? Brought 3 of his kids for the jury to see but still no Melania, another X user wrote. Meanwhile, a parody account of Donald J. Trump trolled him writing, Today I am joined in NYC by my son Don Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Tiffany Trump, Michael Boulos, Steve Witkoff, Will Scharf, and Deroy Murdock. And no, Ivanka, Melania and Barron did not come. But my whole family is here to support me unlike RFK Jr whos family hates him! Tiffany is the only one to acknowledge Trump. Are Eric and @DonaldJTrumpJr too scared to move? Probably because they know and have been included in most of his illegal activities. Where's Melania? I guess her and Ivanka are not on Trump's side, a third user wrote. Well, Jr., Daddy trump could have a rally outside the courthouse too. The problem is, in six weeks, he hasnt been able to get anyone to show up! Think about it, how many days have his own kids (you) shown up? Or wifey? BTW, where are Melania & Ivanka? one more reacted. Trump laments isolation caused by his court appearances Earlier, Trump has blasted at the isolation caused by his court appearances, both privately and publicly, stating that his loyalists had not made their presence inside the courtroom. Following this, Republican politicians, potential vice presidential candidates, and his several allies flocked to the Manhattan courtroom. Eric Trump, who was the first family member to attend his father's trial, apologised to the jury on Tuesday. While defending his father in the court, he declared, "This has been the greatest colossal waste of time." A lawsuit filed on Wednesday by three Black men accuses American Airlines of blatant and egregious race discrimination after they were removed from a flight without any valid reason, based solely on their race. An American Airlines airplane is seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York City, U.S. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo(REUTERS) The suit, representing Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, Xavier Veal, and five other Black male passengers, stems from an incident on American Flight 832 from Phoenix to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on January 5, 2024. The complaint alleges that an American Airlines representative approached each of the men before takeoff and ordered them off the plane, which they complied with. (O)nce they reached the jet bridge, they saw that several other Black men were also being removed from the plane. In fact, it appeared to Plaintiffs that American had ordered all of the Black male passengers on Flight 832 off the plane, the lawsuit reads. ALSO READ| American Airlines cuts some 2Q financial forecasts, says chief commercial officer is leaving Three black passengers removed without valid reason The airline representatives allegedly cited a complaint about body odour as the reason for their removal, although none of the plaintiffs was personally informed of having offensive body odour and in fact none of the Plaintiffs had offensive body odor. The complaint also alleges that at least one American representative agreed with the plaintiffs when they suggested they were singled out because of their race. Footage captured the chaotic scene as the men questioned the airline's actions. One man remarked, So this is discrimination, to which a woman, seemingly an airline employee, responded, I agree, I agree. Another video showed a man expressing disbelief at the situation: Were the only ones getting taken off the plane, he expressed, Look at us. Despite not knowing each other before the flight and not being seated together, the plaintiffs were eventually allowed back on the plane after about an hour. The lawsuit reads, Plaintiffs then had to reboard the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay. They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading. ALSO READ| FAA reveals deadly fault in 300 Boeing planes across US that could cause jets to EXPLODE mid-air American Airlines responded to the allegations, stating, We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people The plaintiffs seek declaratory relief, just compensation for their pain and suffering, a punitive damage award sufficient to deter American from discriminating against Black passengers in the future, along with litigation charges. Donald Trump mocked Robert De Niro in a Truth Social post after the actor warned people about the dangers of re-electing the former president. De Niro made the comments outside the Manhattan courtroom where Trump is on trial. Donald Trump calls Robert De Niro pathetic and sad (AP/PTI, Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) In a post, Trump wrote, I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was. Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left - MAGA. Robert, whose movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden, looked so pathetic and sad out there. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio!!! Trump added in the post. (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social) What did Robert De Niro say about Donald Trump? De Niro slammed Trump as someone who can destroy the world. "The Twin Towers fell just over here, just over there. This part of the city was like a ghost town, but we vowed we would not allow terrorists to change our way of life. ... I love this city. I don't want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and eventually he can destroy the world," De Niro said at the conference. "I don't mean to scare you. No, no, wait maybe I do mean to scare you," he added. "If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted. And elections forget about it. That's over; that's done. If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave." After his remarks, De Niro clashed with pro-Trump protesters, who called him a wannabe, "paid sell-out" to the Democratic National Committee, a "nobody" and a "little punk" whose "movies suck." De Niro hit back at them, calling them gangsters. NEW YORK Manhattan prosecutors told a judge Wednesday they are evaluating more claims of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein and could potentially seek a new indictment against him before his scheduled retrial on rape and sexual assault charges. Harvey Weinstein may face new charges as more accusers come forward, New York prosecutors say Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said during a court hearing that additional people have come forward with assault claims and prosecutors are currently assessing which fall under the statute of limitations. She said some potential survivors that were not ready to step forward during Weinsteins first New York trial may now be willing to testify. When asked by Judge Curtis Farber whether there was a possibility of prosecutors filing a new indictment, Blumberg replied: Yes, your honor. Blumberg said prosecutors would be in a better position to update the court on the direction of the case at the end of June. Farber set the next hearing date for July 9. The retrial on the rape charge is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labor Day. Weinsteins lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing that his client was confident no additional accusers would be found to bolster the prosecutions case. He knows hes never done anything like this, Aidala said of Weinstein. Weinstein, appearing in the same New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial, entered the court in a wheelchair, as he has during other recent court hearings since his 2020 conviction was tossed out. Weinstein has suffered from medical problems throughout his time in jail, his lawyers have said. He is currently at the city's Rikers Island jail complex. Earlier in the hearing, Farber addressed a letter from prosecutors last week requesting the court to remind Weinsteins lawyers not to discuss or disparage potential witnesses in public ahead of the retrial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office argues that Aidala made statements earlier this month that were meant to intimidate Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant who Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting. Aidala, Weinsteins lawyer, apologized to the judge, saying he didnt intend to intimidate anyone. But he said his client is also entitled to a vigorous defense, and that it is the defenses position that lies were told at the last trial, and will be told at this one. Aidala argued lawyers for Weinsteins accusers have been holding press conferences criticizing Weinstein throughout his legal ordeal. Who gets to stand up for Harvey Weinstein? he asked in court. Who gets to be his voice? Farber, in response, directed both sides to refrain from pandering to the press, saying the case will not be decided in the court of public opinion but in the court of justice. Haley didnt attend Wednesdays hearing and has expressed reluctance about going through the trauma of testifying again. Her lawyer Gloria Allred said outside the courthouse that her client hasnt made a decision yet about whether shell participate in the retrial. But Allred called on Aidala to apologize to Haley for the unwarranted, vicious and false attack on her, made in the courtroom earlier Wednesday. Aidala declined, speaking to reporters later. Speaking outside of court on May 1, Aidala said Haley lied to the jury about her motive in coming forward and that his team planned an aggressive cross-examination on the issue if she dares to come and show her face here. Weinsteins original trial was held in the same courtroom where Trump is on trial now, but the two men were unlikely to bump into each other. Weinstein is in custody and was brought to and from the courtroom under guard. He appeared in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial. At his 2020 trial, Weinstein was convicted of raping Jessica Mann, an aspiring actor, and of sexually assaulting Haley. But last month New Yorks highest court threw out those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that werent part of the case. Weinstein, 72, has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as both Haley and Mann have. The New York ruling reopened a painful chapter in Americas reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Former US President Donald Trump just sat back and listened to the New York hush money case judge as he began instructing the jury on what could potentially be detrimental to his defence. Jurors in Trump's hush money trial begin deliberating today on whether to return the first criminal conviction of a former president -- a momentous decision that could upend the November presidential election. (Photo by Jabin Botsford / POOL / AFP)(AFP) Judge Juan Merchan, directing the jury, said that while the prosecution is required to prove the case against Trump, it cannot be legally argued that Trump must testify for the jury to determine whether he is guilty or not beyond a reasonable doubt. Merchan clarified that the jury does not need to agree on what specific crime Trump allegedly attempted to conceal by falsifying documents. While listening to instructions from within the courtroom, Ukraine-born George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley remarked, Merchan just delivered the coup de grace instruction. Merchan said that the jurors can disagree on what the crime was among the three choices suggested by the prosecutors, Turley stated these as violation of tax laws, other business records and the Federal Election Campaign Act. Thus, this means that they could split 4-4-4 and he will still treat them as unanimous, he further said. ALSO READ| Trump guilty or innocent? Know what's at stake for former US President as hush money trial nears its end Michael Cohen's testimony requires corroboration, judge tells jury While Merchan noted that the jury has to be unanimous in deciding the case on any count of falsification in business records, the legal minds in the room opined that they do not apparently see much room for a split verdict or a situation whereby Trump is found guilty or not guilty of the set charges. Thirty-four guilty verdicts or 34 not guilty verdicts or a hung jury, said former federal prosecutor Trey Gowdy. I cannot foresee a verdict with some counts as guilty and others as not. Merchan defined the concept of reasonable doubt for the usage in trial to the jurors explaining there are very few things in this world that are known without some uncertainty, but it is not sufficient to conclude the defendant is probably guilty. The judge also mentioned the witnesses produced by the prosecution in the case, including Michael Cohen, the former attorney of the president who funnelled the money that was used to make the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels through an alleged business record forging. ALSO READ| When will verdict in Trump's hush money trial be out? Jury begins deliberating outcome of historic case Merchan explained that Cohen is seen legally as an accomplice in Trumps case and that the jury may not convict Trump solely on Cohen's word. Our law is especially concerned about the testimony of an accomplice particularly when the accomplice has received, expects, or hopes for a benefit in exchange for their testimony, Merchan said. So even if jurors find Cohens testimony to be genuine, despite his prior conduct of perjuring himself in court, they may not convict the defendant solely based on that testimony unless you find it is corroborated by other evidence. A new bombshell book has claimed that King Felipe of Spain was left crushed and destroyed by his wife's infidelity. The Spanish Royal Family was left shocked by Jaime Penafiel's allegations. In his latest book titled Letizias Silences, released Wednesday, the 91-year-old journalist claimed that the King knew that Queen Letizia was cheating on him during a trip to New York in 2011. King Felipe of Spain was left 'destroyed' by his wife Queen Letizia's alleged 'infidelity', royal author claims(AFP) Bombshell new book claims Queen of Spain cheated on the King Penafiel alleged that the King was aware that his wife was cheating on him in real time as his bodyguards were obligated to notify him about the Queen's whereabouts. The royal author noted that she was accompanied by her rumoured lover Jaime del Burgo during her overseas travel. The 51-year-old reportedly dated him before meeting King Felipe in 2002. That day [in New York], she was accompanied by her faithful escorts, who, without a doubt, any, they would pass a report to the Ministry of the Interior or [the Palace of] Zarzuela, Penafiel wrote in his book, per Daily Mail. The royal author added that the Spanish monarch was plunged into hell by his wife's alleged betrayal and wants to get out. Queen Letizia's rumoured lover, who is the son of former politician Jamie Ignacio del Burgo, was married to her sister Telma from 2012 to 2014. The 54-year-old entrepreneur is currently based in the UK. The outlet adds that del Burgo contributed to Penafiel's scathing tell-all book. He further alleged in the book that everything in Letizias world has been broken due to her deceit, adultery and betrayals. The reporter, who has been covering the Spanish royals for decades, also criticized the Spanish Queen's character, calling her cold, indestructible, and determined. Penafiel alleged that she often resorts to silence as a way of controlling and punishing other people. The criminal trial of Donald J. Trump has been extended until Wednesday as jurors are expected to begin their deliberations after hearing extensive closing arguments from both parties, which presented the case in stark contrast on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to Trump and a key figure in the case, was seen enjoying a good day in the Hamptons over Memorial Day weekend, seemingly relishing the spotlight and fame. Special Counsel Robert Mueller took the rare step of denying a media report about his Russia investigation, rejecting a story by BuzzFeed News saying that President Donald Trump instructed his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress.(Reuters Photo) Following his explosive testimony against his former boss, Cohen plans to reveal more in an upcoming tell-all book. Additionally, the former President's "fixer" may also be considering a run for Congress. Also read: Adult film star Stormy Daniels faces 'death threats amid Trump Hush money trial; wanted to die.. Michael Cohen plans to run for Congress Multiple sources told PageSix that Cohen is planning to run for Congress, his next move following the trials verdict. Insiders claim that he was seen attending numerous parties and visiting major hangout spots over the weekend, with some describing him as a "walking reality show". During Tuesday's hearing, Trump's lawyer branded the key witness a "GLOAT". While the lawyers didn't hold back in calling him "literally the greatest liar of all time," sources who observed him over the weekend found him thoroughly enjoying the fame he was receiving. Also read: Ben Affleck looks gloomy attending daughter's graduation alone amid JLO split rumours An insider told the outlet, He lit up like a Christmas tree when strangers approached him and wanted to shake his hand. He stood up and chatted with people and was treated like a celebrity. He is parading around like he doesnt have a care in the world, and is very proud of himself. The now-disbarred attorney, who admitted to stealing Trumps organisation money, was spotted dining at 75 Main where he was overheard discussing his plans to "run for Congress." At a high-profile party he attended, Cohen reportedly received an offer of a massive cheque from a New York socialite if he chose to run for the position. Cohen was strutting confidently around the Hamptons as if he were the biggest star. Another source remarked. Also read: Michael Cohen admits he stole money from Donald Trump's company Michael Cohen plans on a new book After his first book, "Disloyal: A Memoir; The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J.," reports indicate that the former Trump 'fixer' is eyeing yet another bombshell book, potentially revealing more secrets. The magazine cited a source stating, "Cohen hinted hed be writing another book once the trial has been decided from his point of view." It added, "Cohen is clearly enjoying every minute of his fame, and infamy, now that hes off the stand." Tucked away in the archives of a charming Welsh bed and breakfast lies a hidden beauty of the Royal Family: a never-before-seen photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton. During a surprise visit to Wales last year, the royal couple opted for a cosy stay at a local place. B&B took a moment to share a glimpse into their time away from the spotlight. This comes amid Princess Catherine's cancer treatment and her disappearance from public view. Multiple reports cited that the Princess of Wales might not be back in the spotlight for the rest of the year. Prince William and Kate Middleton's official Christmas card for 2022. (Instagram) 'Never Seen before image' of Kate and William "It's been 1 year since we welcomed William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, to Duffryn Mawr!" The B&B stay posted the picture with a caption reflecting on their overnight stay. "We were delighted to welcome William and Kate for a night here when they visited The Brecon Beacons. So kind and friendly, it was a pleasure to have them stay here." It added. Also read: Prince Harry's big statement confirming Meghan's romance quietly deleted by Royal Family Kate and Williams 2 days visit to Wales in 2023 The Royal couple visited the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team headquarters in Merthyr Tydfil and participated in activities like abseiling and a mock rescue. The two-day visit required an overnight stay and thats how they ended up spending some time away from the hustle and bustle at Duffryn Mawr Country House. The picture shared captured the parents of three smiling brightly with the staff members. Next, they visited Aberfan to pay tribute to the victims of a 1966 mine disaster. Official photos from their last visit also showed them visiting Dowlais Rugby Club, where they were spotted interacting with the locals, hands full of pizzas. On April 28, 2023, Kate Middleton and Prince William were photographed at Duffryn Mawr Country House. (Pic credit: DUFFRYN MAWR COUNTRY HOUSE via FACEBOOK) Also read: Goodbye Vanderpump? Ariana Madix in tears blasts Sandoval & Kent after brutal season 11 reunion Where is Kate Middleton now? The Princess, who underwent abdominal surgery back in January, announced her cancer diagnosis in an official video after reports of her complete disappearance from public view caused a global stir. Not long before, King Charles was also diagnosed with cancer, confirmed by the Palace. Since then, Kate has been residing at Windsor with her three kids, George, Charlotte, and Louis, undergoing preventative chemotherapy, while William is managing to juggle his royal and husband duties. Amidst his straining ties with King Charles and other Royal family members, Prince Harry has found support from his late mother's relatives. According to an ex-Royal Butler, Princess Diana has made one major prediction about her sons and it has become true as there has been no indication of any easing of tension between Harry and his estranged brother Prince William. Princess Diana with King Charles and their two sons.(AP ) Harry and Meghan Markle have been facing backlash from the Royal family's fans since they stepped down from their duties and moved to the US with their kid Archie. Their rock bottom relationship with The Firm intensified after making a series of shocking charges against them. Even when Harry arrived in the UK earlier this month, he didn't meet with the monarch or Kate Middleton amidst their cancer battle. What was Princess Diana's major prediction about her sons? Despite his frosty relationship with his own family, he is being supported by Earl Charles Spencer and Lady Jane Fellowes, who are siblings of the late Princess Diana. Speaking at Diana's funeral, Spencer pledged to always stand by Harry as well as Prince William, stating that their blood family will protect the brothers and also "arm them spiritually and emotionally". Paul Burrell, former Royal Butler, has stated Diana would be devastated if she understood how serious the royal conflict had become. Burrell told Bella Magazine that if Diana was still alive, the conflict would not have begun. She would have seen this starting and she would have stopped it. He went on to say that Princess Diana would have played the role of mediator and made Harry apologise to his father. Remembering her as a peacemaker, he said she intended the four of them to remain together. It broke her heart when that disintegrated. She would have predicted that once that disintegrated, William and Harry would have had problems of their own and that has come true, Paul stated, adding that it's a lost cause without Diana's intervention. Also Read: Awkward situation King Charles is dealing with ahead of upcoming State Visit Spencer family joined Harry in UK It is to mention that Harry met with Earl Spencer and Lady Jane Fellowes during his recent UK visit. Commenting on it, Royal expert Tom Quinn stated that Spencer family has always shown where their loyalties lie as they arrived to back Harry at his Invictus Games. Diana's brother Earl Spencer was a vocal critic of the Royal family's treatment of his sister, particularly when it comes to King Charles, Quinn stated. He added that he became uncomfortable with the Royals after the death of Diana. Tom stated that there is still a lot of bitterness around and that the Spencers' decision to back Harry is crucial. The fact that the Spencers were out in force for Harry on this visit speaks volumes about where their loyalties lie. Like Harry, the Spencers still see the Royal Family, to some extent, as the enemy, he explained. Back in 2018, Prince William's late grandmother Queen Elizabeth provided a rare insight into the relationship between his three kids -- Prince George and Louis and Princess Charlotte. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, are presently enjoying their school break till June 3. (Getty Images) The Queen spoke about her great-grandchildren when William and Kate Middleton's elder son George was four and their daughter Charlotte was just two. During an engagement, she revealed how Charlotte, despite being the youngest sibling, cared for her older brother, George. In January 2018, Queen Elizabeth awarded Emily Clay, a ten-year-old student, a personally signed Bible, which she received as part of a religious education project. While presenting the book to Clay, the Queen asked her if she "looked after" her younger sister Hadleigh. The 10-year-old student's mother, Ellen, quickly replied: "It's the other way around." Responding to her, the Queen said, It's like that with Charlotte and George. Charlotte, now 9, is well-known for her confidence and ability to look for her brothers at royal engagements. She was pictured holding her younger brother's hand in May 2023 as the brother-sister strolled down Westminster Abbey and seated in the front row. Also Read: Kate Middleton and Prince William issue rare joint statement over incredible sadness Know more about warrior princess Charlotte Earlier this month, royal analyst Charles told GB News that Kate and William's daughter puts her brothers in their place. She's not only third in line to the throne, but she's quite a feisty little girl, he said. Without any hesitation, she keeps advising George, who will one day be king, and Louis whenever she has to. The royal commentator described Charlotte, who was given the title of the warrior princess during her nursery school, as sweet and nice. Charlotte turned 9 this year on May 2. She celebrated her birthday by posing for a fresh, smiling photo captured by Kate Middleton. Kate's kids enjoying school break till June 3 Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, are presently enjoying their school break till June 3. Kate and William usually take time off from their royal duties during their kids' school holidays to spend family time with them. However this year, Kate is already out of the public eye following her cancer diagnosis, while William has postponed his royal engagements until the general election in the United Kingdom on July 4. Meanwhile, citing sources, PEOPLE reported that the Princess of Wales has recently been "spotted out with her family and solo running errands". Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claims that Buckingham Palace has received thousands of messages and gifts from well-wishers for the Catherine. A news conference was held by Joe Bidens campaign outside the Manhattan courtroom where former president Donald Trump is on trial. At the conference, actor Robert De Niro warned people about the dangers of re-electing Trump. But on the way back to his car after the conference, De Niro clashed with pro-Trump protesters. Robert De Niro heckled by pro-Trump protesters outside Manhattan courtroom, actor calls them gangsters (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)(AFP) The protesters screamed that De Niro was a wannabe, "paid sell-out" to the Democratic National Committee, a "nobody" and a "little punk" whose "movies suck." "You're not going to intimidate," De Niro responded. "That's what Trump does. ... We are going to fight back. We're trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters. You are gangsters!" When one protester yelled, "You're washed up, De Niro shot back, "F--- you. What did Robert De Niro say at the conference? At the conference, De Niro slammed the former president as someone who can destroy the world. "The Twin Towers fell just over here, just over there. This part of the city was like a ghost town, but we vowed we would not allow terrorists to change our way of life. ... I love this city. I don't want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and eventually he can destroy the world," De Niro said. "I don't mean to scare you. No, no, wait maybe I do mean to scare you," De Niro added. "If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted. And elections forget about it. That's over; that's done. If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave." The best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor Later, the Trump campaign also held a news conference where the Biden campaign's enlistment of De Niro was mocked. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt blasted "elitist out-of-touch Hollywood actors like Robert De Niro who have no idea the real problems that people in this city and across this country are facing." Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said, "The best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor. As Donald Trump's hush money trial comes closer to its conclusion, attorneys have offered sweeping, hours-long closing statements in the criminal prosecution of the former US President. Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 29, 2024. (AFP) Trump is accused of illegally concealing hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to hide their alleged affair ahead of the US presidential elections in 2016, when Melania Trump was pregnant with their son Barron. All eyes are on a 12-member jury, which may make a judgment on Wednesday, April 29, or in the coming days, on whether Trump will become the country's first former president to be convicted of a crime, a landmark decision that could upend the 2024 US presidential elections. A deeper look at Trump's case Trump has been charged with 34 misdemeanor counts of manipulating business documents in connection with a $130,000 hush-money payment made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to Daniels. During the ongoing trial, the prosecution has attempted to show that the fabrications were part of a larger conspiracy hatched by Trump to illegally affect the 2016 presidential election and stop Daniels from making any public statement about their sexual encounter. However, Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee for 2024, has strongly rejected all these allegations and pleaded not guilty. He has even described the entire trial as a political attack and accused Biden of conspiring against him ahead of the November elections. For the criminal accusations against Trump to stand, jurors have to concur with prosecutors' assertions that the deceptions were done with the purpose to conduct or hide another crime. Also Read: Donald Trump calls Robert De Niro pathetic and sad after actors NYC press conference When will Trump's hush money verdict get delivered? On Wednesday, when jurors started deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, gave comprehensive instructions outlining the particular legal questions at the heart of the case. He also informed that which details they should and should not consider when deciding if Trump is guilty in the case. Notably, not a single jurors looked at Trump while entering the courtroom to begin deliberations. Moreover, Merchan instructed Trump to remain at the Manhattan courthouse for the deliberations. While the jury is expected to announce a verdict as early as Wednesday afternoon, it could also take days or even a week to arrive at a decision. Judge is obliged to accept a verdict only if Jurors, who will have a full access to all evidence provided in the case so far, will also be able to inquire about questions of the judge. Following this, Merchan will consult with prosecutors and defense attorneys before determining how to respond. The judge is obliged to accept a verdict only if all 12 jurors unanimously agreed on all 34 counts. However, if they fail to do so, the trial will end in a deadlock or hung jury, with Merchan declaring a mistrial. The judge will summon both sides to the courtroom when the jurors notify the court that they have arrived at a verdict. He must still uphold the verdict and render a final judgment. Either party may also ask him to essentially bypass the jury. In pictures taken before Tuesdays continuation of former US President Donald Trump's hush money trial, the former president was seen with his hands on two yellow sticky notes. Former U.S. President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York, U.S., May 28, 2024. Julia Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS(via REUTERS) On one note, he scribbled in thick black marker, in what appeared to be the former presidents handwriting, This case should be dismissed by the judge, but its totally corrupt. This image resurfaced on the Reddit website and was also photoshopped to make Trump appear more orange. The note caused mixed reactions, with many people arguing that maybe Trump had to write a message that he was ranting this whole time. LOL at needing a handwritten note that says the case should be dismissed by the judge, one wrote. Another piped in, He had to write that down to remember to say it, after only repeating it 10 million times. However, Getty Images featured the image in their pool, where the Picture credits show: (Photo by Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images) following the caption, Closing Arguments Begin In Former President Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial. ALSO READ| Dennis Quaid declares he will vote for most investigated person Trump, hails him for defeating ISIS in three weeks So, it is evident that the picture is not AI-generated or doctored. One user debunked the possibility of AI, saying, No, this is neither some AI fakery nor is it photoshopped. This is pure Trump intelligence at work. Some Redditors suggested that Trump did it intentionally He wrote it down because he knew hed be photographed and get your attention, one user pointed out. Another quipped, He had to write that down to remember to say it, after only repeating it 10 million times. Thats not for him to read, its for us to read. They wanted those notes photographed, one Redditor commented. Another questions, As a non-american, how is this guy real? And a candidate for presidency? How can a large number of the population look at that and think, 'That's my guy' ALSO READ| Are Melania and Ivanka next to visit New York for Trump's hush money trial in show of family solidarity? Trump cannot speak about the hush money case outside the court premises because the judge slapped him with a gag order. This order also bars him from expressing views on the jurors, prosecutors, witnesses, court staff, and their families. Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial, has fined Trump $10,000 for contempt of court for repeatedly disregarding this order. The closing arguments in the trial concluded on Tuesday, with jury deliberations set to begin on Wednesday. MIDDLETON, Wis. Two people died when a house exploded and caught fire in southern Wisconsin, and authorities believe gunfire reported by neighbors happened when flames set off ammunition stored inside the home. Wisconsin house explosion kills 2 and authorities say reported gunfire was likely ignited ammunition One person was found dead in the home's ruins after it exploded around 11 p.m. Tuesday just outside the city of Middleton, and a second body was found Wednesday afternoon, said Middleton Fire Chief Aaron Harris. No additional people were at the home, but Harris said a dog that survived the explosion was found alive, checked out at an emergency veterinary clinic and determined to be in good shape. Harris said the Dane County Medical Examiners Office would release the names of the two people following autopsies. Images posted by local media show the ruined home in flames after the explosion, which left a window and other debris scattered nearby. The house was down immediately following the explosion and there was a large debris field, Harris said. There was a very large fire following the explosion. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, said Harris and Elise Schaffer, a spokesperson for the Dane County Sheriffs Office. Harris said the home that exploded is in a rural area nearly 4 miles north of downtown Middleton. That city is about 6 miles northwest of Madison. The sheriffs office said in a news release that the fire may have set off ammunition inside the home, leading some nearby residents to report the sound of gunfire. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. The body of a Chase bank employee has been found after a natural gas explosion ripped through a building in downtown Youngtown, Ohio. Seven other people are injured after the Tuesday afternoon blast. A woman who was believed missing was not in the building at the time of the explosion, authorities told WFMJ-TV. An explosion ripped through the Realty building at 2:45 p.m. Security camera footage showed the entire front of the building blowing out into the street. 19 News obtained dramatic surveillance video showing the moments the Chase Bank building in downtown Youngstown exploded this afternoon. I just spoke with the fire chief a minute ago and he tells me they're still searching for people in the rubble. @cleveland19news pic.twitter.com/AAGo76uHXS Kelly Kennedy (@KellyEKennedyTV) May 28, 2024 The blast collapsed the first floor of the building into the basement, Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley said. The Youngstown Police said the man who died was at work in the bank and was seen right before the blast. Mercy Hospital, a local hospital said one of the injured was listed in critical condition, WOIO-TV reported. Enbridge Gas Ohio released a statement: "Our thoughts are with those impacted by today's incident in Youngstown. Enbridge crews are assisting emergency responders, area is secure, gas to surrounding block is off as a safety precaution." Our thoughts are with those impacted by todays incident in #Youngstown. Enbridge crews are assisting emergency responders, area is secure, gas to surrounding block is off as a safety precaution. Enbridge Gas Ohio (@EnbridgeGasOhio) May 28, 2024 It said it was helping the state fire marshall in investigating the cause of the blast. The downtown area remained closed early on Wednesday and police urged people to stay away. The leader of an identity theft ring that operates on the dark web has claimed responsibility for the attempted scam foreclosure auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland. The scam was laid out in an email exchange between the Nigeria-based scammer and the New York Times. The identity thief told the paper that his ring preys on "the dead, the unsuspecting and the elderly." How Does The Nigerian Scam Work? They use birth certificates and other documents with personal information to develop their scheme. The scammer says they came up with an idea to target the estate of Lisa Marie Presley, who died last year. In September, a mysterious company named Naussany Investments and Private Lending LLC filed papers in a California court for what it claimed was a multi-million dollar debt from a loan Presley had taken out in 2018 with Graceland as collateral. Naussany Investments said it would settle for $2.85 million from the Presley family trust. But the trust, led by Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's daughter, didn't think the debt was legitimate. Naussany Investments claimed it had the right to auction off Graceland and took out an ad in a Memphis paper giving notice that it planned the auction. Keough fought the foreclosure and a judge put the auction on hold. No one from the company was at the court hearing. Naussany Investments then quickly appeared to give up on the plan. Mark A. Sunderman, a real estate professor at the University of Memphis said the scammers picked the wrong property because of its fame. "If this had not been such a high-profile piece of property, they might have gotten away with it," Sunderman told the New York Times. From Nature: Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy where a patients T cells are engineered to fight cancer works well against blood cancers in young people, that success drops dramatically for older patients. The impact of ageing on an older patients T cells, so-called cell fitness, could be the problem.1 By measuring key markers of cell health and metabolic state it should be possible to determine whether CAR-T cells are developing correctly, says James Cali, director of research for the assay design department at Promega, a biotechnology company in Madison, Wisconsin. By providing assays for those markers, we hope to help scientists understand the fitness of CAR-T cells for their intended therapeutic purpose. For CAR-T cells and other applications, scientists would like to track the health of cells in real time. Most cell health assays are endpoint assays, often including a reagent that kills the cells. As a result, these assays provide just one reading, and tracking the time course of changes in cell health requires multiple experiments say, one at 30 minutes after a treatment, another at 60 minutes, and so on. With a kinetic assay, cells stay alive, and scientists can continuously monitor their health over a single experiment, saving time and resources. More here. Eric Hoel at The Intrinsic Perspective: Imagine that in every business school students were told, in all seriousness, that they were in training for being a billionaire. Imagine it was heavily implied that the natural conclusion of their careerswhat making it in business meantwas legit billionaire-status. Judged from the outside, such a situation would appear the enactment of a collective pathological delusion. And yet an equivalent, at least of a kind, occurs every year in the arts, in writing, and in music. Functionally, at least. For when it comes to certain creative fields, while there are other tangential options than simply becoming very famous (like working for a non-profit, or teaching creative writing at a university) there is an incredibly steep, punishingly steep, impossibly steep, beyond-Pareto-distribution-steep curve wherein only a vanishingly small fraction of people make a living via their artistic efforts alone. More here. Michael Eisenstein in Nature: Some 60,000 years ago, Neanderthals in western Eurasia acquired strange new neighbours: a wave of Homo sapiens migrants making their way out of Africa, en route to future global dominance. Now, a study1 of hundreds of ancient and modern genomes has pinpointed when the two species began pairing off and has found that the genetic intermingling lasted for only a short time, at least on an evolutionary scale. The high-resolution analysis also allowed the authors to track when certain Neanderthal DNA sequences appeared in the H. sapiens genome and determine whether they were retained. More here. Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve , the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the Middle East was unveiled today on Ummahat Island in the tranquil waters of The Red Sea. The private island retreat is nestled within the captivating Blue Hole cluster of islands, where pristine coral reefs thrive beneath the surface and the celestial canopy above paints an endless tapestry of stars. Nujuma - inspired by the meaning of 'stars' in Arabic - invites travellers to embark on an unchartered journey to one of the world's most secluded and protected archipelagos. Here, amidst the azure expanse, guests are beckoned to explore and immerse themselves in the region's culture and traditions. The Red Sea, one of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's luxury regenerative tourism destinations on the west coast of the country, is surrounded by the world's fourth-largest barrier reef system with an archipelago of more than 90 untouched islands. From this enchanting setting, guests can embark on extraordinary snorkelling and scuba diving adventures to uncover seldom visited sites beneath the waves. Teeming with vibrant coral reefs that have thrived for over five thousand years, the barrier reef is home to fascinating ecosystems including over 165 endemic reef fish, dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays, and Napoleon wrasse. The island's shores are fringed by rich mangroves, known to be one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, and within this lush habitat visitors can spot a variety of sea birds, marine invertebrates and havali guitarfish. Beyond the turquoise waters, guests can discover the beauty of the coastal mainland through guided trails across majestic desert dunes. Designed by Foster and Partners, Nujuma's sweeping shell-inspired architecture and elegant interiors are crafted with natural materials imbued with calming sea and sand tones, and geometric patterns reminiscent of the region's design motifs. Arabic artifacts, traditional ceramics, woven Saudi patterned rugs and intricate wall hangings celebrating local craftmanship flow through the canopied interiors. Lush landscaping of indigenous plants elegantly frame the pathways between the pavilioned spaces and villas. Accessed by chartered boat or seaplane, Nujuma features 63 overwater and beach villas, offering one-to-three-bedroom accommodation, spacious living areas and private pools overlooking the sea. Guests can marvel at the limitless starry night skies from the comfort of their villa through telescopes positioned on each deck. Perched above the cerulean-blue sea and connected by an elevated ring walkway, the overwater villas offer panoramic views and direct access to the sea. Nestled on undisturbed soft white sand, the beach villas are secluded retreats flooded with natural light and the sea's refreshing breeze. Each villa enjoys the services of a dedicated personal host, who will take care of every detail and guide guests through all the enriching experiences this destination has to offer. Opportunity to gain unique insights into the Saudi Arabian culture, traditions and the destination are presented by a team of local experts dedicated to preserving and sharing their heritage. Honouring the legacy of nomadic exploration and learning, the Conservation House is an integrated space for creative pursuits to expand knowledge and foster a sense of community. Through hands-on activities hosted by resident sustainability, environmental, and cultural experts, guests of all ages can cultivate a deep connection with the destination. Nujuma's dining philosophy is inspired by the Arabian tradition of gathering at one's home to share stories of good fortune, poetry, philosophy and science. Each of the Reserve's five culinary experiences honour the generations of fishermen from the Umluj region whose lives have been deeply intertwined with the area for over 50 years. Guests are warmly welcomed to Tabrah, a modern interpretation of a fisherman's home, to share a menu of seafood specialities including, 'The Luckiest Catch', a communal celebration of the sea's daily bounty that has nurtured the fisherman's family through the ages. Jamaa is a relaxed alfresco space serving light dishes prepared in an open kitchen and over a wood-fire grill to the resort's outdoor pool and beach lined with plush cabanas. As the sun dips below the horizon, Maia is an intimate place for astrology inspired refreshments prepared by expert mixologists, including 'Gemini', a citrus mocktail named after the constellation, known as al-Taw'aman in Arabic, that can be seen from Saudi Arabia's capital all year. Designed to celebrate the wonders of the night's sky featuring telescope and star design elements, the open-air terrace is a place to gaze above while Nujuma's astrologer shares insights into the evening's constellation. Inspired by vibrant bazaars, all day dining venue, Sita, is a spacious French-style patisserie and a Levantine restaurant under three woven-wood pavilions, a design nod to the tradition of leaf weaving. Guests are greeted by the aroma of freshly baked bread exuding from a traditional clay oven, paired with fresh hummus and dishes seasoned from the resort's vast spice library. Neyrah Spa is a tranquil sanctuary dedicated to holistic wellness to rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. The serene indoor and outdoor oasis invites guests to nourish the body and soul through ceremonies and methods from around the globe while connecting with regional ingredients including the enchanting scent of oud and moringa peregrina tree oil sourced from the AlUla region. Wellness experts design bespoke journeys to rebalance and relax, and guide guests through breathing techniques, meditation, lunar yoga and sound healing therapy. The sea's breeze and gentle sounds of waves flow through five sea-facing treatment rooms and three outdoor treatment cabins. The space also features vitality and lap pools, a hammam and a fitness centre. Designed as a voyage, bespoke treatments encourage guests to reflect on the past, live in the present, and step into the future with clarity and energy. Hotel website Spanish hotels recorded a robust increase in revenue per available room during Q1 2024, surpassing the same period last year by 17.1% In line with recent reports, indicators for the hotel industry continue to trend upwards with occupancy of 68.5% during the first quarter, a rise of some 4.9% over the figure for January-March 2023. Strong demand is driving both average daily rates and RevPAR (revenue per available room), the latter growing by 17.1%. The fact that Easter fell during the first quarter improved the results of destinations with greater holiday demand, the Canary Islands topping the RevPAR table with a figure of 144.40, followed by Barcelona at 107.30 and Malaga with 104.70. Taking advantage of one of its high seasons, the Canary Islands recorded an occupancy rate of 84.3%. Produced jointly by STR and Cushman & Wakefield, the Hotel Sector Barometer confirms the upsurge in tourism and hotel activity in Spain, with outstanding results across all indicators showing growth over the figures for the first quarter of 2023. Spains hotels achieved occupancy of 68.5% between January and March (+4.9% compared to the same quarter in 2023), with average daily rates (ADR) standing at 134.60 (+11.7%) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) of 92.10 (+17.1%). In terms of destinations, the Canaries topped the table for all three indicators. Given that the first three months of the year represent high season for the islands, occupancy understandably reached 84.3%. For their part, ADR hit 171.30 and RevPAR 144.40. These figures represent significant growth over the figures for the first quarter of the preceding year, amounting to 16.7% with respect to ADR and 22.2% in terms of RevPAR. The fact that the Easter holidays fell in March enabled the Canary Islands to add domestic tourism to the usual international visitors that come during the winter months. Occupancy grows by 4.9% throughout Spain Alicante and Marbella recorded the greatest year-on-year growth in occupancy during the first quarter of 2024, amounting to 15.3% for both. These were followed by Bilbao with 9.4% and Cordoba, with growth of some 8.7%. The only destinations to see a slight softening in occupancy were Granada (-4%) and the Balearic Islands (-1.1%). In absolute terms and with growth of 4.7% on the figure for the preceding year, the Canaries topped the ranking with an outstanding 84.3%. Maintaining the strong performance of the previous year, Malaga took second spot with 76.2% and Valencia achieved 75.1%. For their part, Barcelona and Madrid also grew at 1.9% and 6.6% respectively, the pair achieving occupancies of 70%. The destinations experiencing the lowest occupancy rates at the start of the year were the most holiday-oriented locations, such as Marbella (55%) and the Balearic Islands (49.2%). According to Elvira Arjona, Account Manager Spain at STR, the hotel industry is corroborating forecasts that pointed towards figures for 2024 that could even surpass those of 2023. This first quarter has provided confirmation of the upsurge in occupancy and, consequently, outstanding ADR and RevPAR levels for a part of the year that represents low season in many regions. According to Albert Grau, Partner and Co-head of Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality Spain, the trend over the first quarter and bookings recorded for the summer campaign make us optimistic with respect to 2024 as a whole. The foregoing, together with excellent operational management in terms of resource optimisation, point towards a highly positive close of year concerning returns for the sector". Key Hotel Markets - Market Occupancy Comparison Source: Cushman & Wakefield Led by the Canary Islands, Marbella and Barcelona, the ADR reached 134.50 during the first quarter Since getting back to normal activity following the effects of the pandemic, average room rates in the Spanish market have grown consistently throughout 2022 and 2023 and it appears that this trend will continue during 2024. The ADR grew by some 11.7% for the country as a whole, going from 120.50 in the first quarter of 2023 to 134.60 this year. At 21.9%, the biggest boost in prices was recorded in Malaga, followed by Bilbao with 18.8% and the Canary Islands with 16.7%. In absolute terms, the Canaries boasted the highest ADR during the first three months of the year (171.30), followed by Marbella (168.40) and Barcelona (154.10). The most economic hotel rates in Spain between January and March were found in Zaragoza (71.60) and Cordoba (91.60). In the opinion of Bruno Halle, Partner and Co-head of Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality Spain, although demand is proving to be particularly strong and prices may continue to rise throughout 2024, it would be logical to see some moderation already in this quarter in the absence of the Easter effect. The good news of a clear low season improvement confirms the trend towards reduced seasonality in many destinations. Key Hotel Markets - ADR Comparison Source: Cushman & Wakefield Spanish hotel RevPAR grew by 17.1% during the first quarter Revenue per available room (RevPAR) hit an all-time high of 92.10 during the first quarter, some 17.1% up on the figure of 78.70 for the same period the preceding year. The growth was especially noteworthy in destinations such as Marbella (+31.4%), Bilbao (+30%) and Alicante (+26.1%). Occupancy growth over the figure for the preceding year also exceeded 15% in Alicante and Marbella, explaining the highly positive upswing in revenue. In absolute terms, the highest revenue of 144.40 was achieved by the Canaries, coinciding with the high season for these islands. This was followed up by Barcelona (107.30) and Malaga (104.70). With a figure of 101.20, Madrid was the fourth and final Spanish destination exceeding RevPAR of 100 during the first quarter. At the lower end we find Zaragoza at 49.90 and the Balearic Islands with 45, the latter figure being dragged down by low occupancy. Key Hotel Markets - RevPAR Comparison Source: Cushman & Wakefield The Hotel Sector Barometer brings together data from 1,200 hotels and around 150,000 rooms on the Iberian Peninsula. The study is the product of an alliance between STR, a worldwide provider of benchmarking, analytics and market knowledge specialising in the hotel sector, and Cushman & Wakefield Spain, the world leader in real estate services. About Cushman & Wakefield Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 52,000 employees in nearly 400 offices and 60 countries. In 2023, the firm reported revenue of $9.5 billion across its core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, and valuation and other services. It also receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability and more. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com Bruno Halle Partner - Co-Head of Hospitality Spain Cushman & Wakefield View source TPG Hotels & Resorts, one of the nation's premier hospitality management firms, announced today it has been selected to manage two upscale independent properties in Washington DC. The Glover Park Hotel and The Graham Hotel, both located in the Georgetown neighborhood, will be managed within the INTERA Collection by TPG Hotel and Resorts. These exceptional assets are set to redefine upscale hospitality by offering unparalleled experiences that embody the history and uniqueness of their surroundings. "We look forward to deploying our sophisticated management systems, strategic marketing, and robust revenue management strategies to enhance the value of the assets and drive performance ahead of their competitive set in the market. Adding these properties into our growing portfolio of third-party managed assets aligns perfectly with our strategy to seek high-quality third-party management opportunities for both branded and non-branded independent assets throughout the United States. Ben Perelmuter, President of TPG Hotels & Resorts The Graham Hotel offers 57 spacious and chic guestrooms and suites, some featuring private decks and terraces. Situated in the heart of Georgetown, it offers easy access to downtown Washington DC, the Potomac River, iconic M Street, Washington Harbor, and the National Mall. Guests can explore all the attractions, shops, restaurants, bars, and beautiful scenery DC has to offer. Alex Speakeasy and Craft Cocktail Cellar, a cozy speakeasy paying homage to the 1920s and prohibition era, presents a modern cocktail menu, delectable bites from the Chef, and unique telephone-themed decor that honors Alexander Graham Bell. This exclusive venue is accessible only using a special keyless entry code. The Glover Park Hotel features 154 rooms and is a boutique destination with immense Washington DC history. Offering breathtaking views of the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, the property is located in the heart of Georgetown, a unique residential neighborhood close to Embassy Row. It is a short distance from many notable landmarks, including the National Mall, the Smithsonian Zoo, the National Monument, and the White House. The property features a fitness center, spa, approximately 1,800 square feet of meeting space for smaller meetings, a rooftop bar, and Glover Park Grill. TPG Hotels & Resorts has decades-long market experience managing multiple branded and non-branded hotels in the Washington DC and the surrounding areas. Earlier this year the firm was also selected to manage The Hotel Nell Union Market at the entrance to the famous Union Market District. About TPG Hotels & Resorts TPG Hotels & Resorts is a premier operator of hospitality assets across all chain scales including luxury, full service and select service, as well as the firm's upscale boutique and independent operations division - the INTERA Collection. The firm's historical resume spans over four decades and includes over 600 branded and independent hotels and marinas comprising more than 65,000 guestrooms in 42 states. TPG Hotels & Resorts is a vertically integrated organization actively engaged in hotel and marina operations, development, acquisitions, and asset repositionings across the country. For more information, please visit www.tpghotelsandresorts.com. Waramaug Hospitality, in a joint venture with Franklin Real Asset Advisors, announced today it acquired the Austin Marriott North, a 295-key full-service hotel located in Round Rock, Texas, with close proximity to downtown Austin. The Austin Marriott North perfectly aligns with our vision of investing in premium-branded hotels in high-growth markets. This acquisition further solidifies our commitment to delivering exceptional hospitality experiences while maximizing returns for our partners and investors. Ferit Ferhangil, Chief Executive Officer of Waramaug The 2019-24 mandate of the European Parliament and European Commission was marked by a marked shift towards emphasising sustainability in all areas, including transport. As a new mandate looms, the expectation is that the institutions will shift their focus towards competitiveness. Digitalising travel procedures would help cut down on red tape and save travellers time when arriving in Europe. This is why we're looking forward to the swift implementation of ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) from 2025. Similar to ESTA in the United States, ETIAS will provide a new way for EU Member States to conduct pre-travel screening to assess security and migration risks before issuing a Schengen visa, that gives travellers access to the 29 European countries that make up the borderless Schengen area. Business travellers will benefit from improved travel safety, easier border control processes, as well as a reliable and early indication of their admissibility into the Schengen area. Similarly, we welcome the Entry/Exit System (EES) which will digitalise passport stamps and allow for the automatic monitoring of the border-crossing of third-country nationals, reducing queues and bureaucracy at the border. 2. Mobility is all about rights Since its inception, one of the European Union's main missions has been to define rights across borders. From landmark court-cases to foundational Treaties, the Union has worked to guarantee its citizens the protections they need to be at home in any Member State. It only makes sense that it does the same to guarantee Europeans are equally as protected while they are travelling through the Union's borders. As travel is recovering from the slump brought on by Covid-19, this is a crucial time to rebuild travellers' confidence as such, we welcome the Commission's proposed review of passenger rights regulations. The EU should promptly approve and implement these new regulations and ensure that clear information is always accessible to passengers. Additionally, obtaining refunds in the event of cancellations should be made easier if not automatic. Furthermore, during emergencies like a pandemic, Member States should improve coordination of measures affecting travel to provide certainty to citizens. A stronger passenger rights framework will enhance citizens' mobility, enabling seamless connections and fostering business growth. 2024 NYU Conference Location Spotlight: New York City Hotel Development Lodging Econometrics (LE) releases the latest on hotel development for the New York, NY market, prior to the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference (NYU Conference). In the Q1 2024 LE Market Trend Report for the New York market, analysts report the market has a total of 78 projects/13,549 rooms in the hotel construction pipeline, the tenth largest pipeline by projects of any market in the U.S. Of the top 50 markets in the U.S., the New York market leads with the greatest number of hotels presently under construction standing at 47 projects/7,655 rooms. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months total 8 projects/1,079 rooms, and those in early planning account for 23 projects/4,815 rooms. Within the New York market, the three market tracts (submarkets) with the largest hotel construction pipelines are the New York City area, which includes Brooklyn East, the Bronx, and Staten Island, with 25 projects/2,096 rooms; the Midtown South area with 11 projects/2,535 rooms; and the Midtown West/Times Square area with 10 projects/4,131 rooms. These three market tracts combined account for 59% of the projects and 65% of the rooms in the markets total construction pipeline. The market tracts with the most projects presently under construction are the New York City area with 16 projects/1,261 rooms, Midtown South with 7 projects/1,515 rooms, and the JFK airport/Jamaica area with 7 projects/851 rooms. During the first quarter of 2024, the New York market outpaced all others in the U.S. with the highest number of new projects added; with 12 projects totaling 1,660 rooms. The New York market also was the leading market for construction starts in Q1 2024. The market, at the end of Q1 2024, also has a noteworthy amount of conversion and renovation activity, ranking as the third largest market in the U.S. by project volume for a combined renovation and conversion total of 30 projects/8,020 rooms. In Q1 2024, the New York market ranked seventh among the top 50 markets in the U.S. for the number of newly opened hotels. Looking ahead, forecasts indicate that it will lead the nation in hotel openings throughout the remaining three quarters of the year. LEs total forecast for new hotel openings in the New York market in 2024 are 26 projects/2,910 rooms. In 2025, the market will rank sixth in forecasted new hotel openings, with 17 projects/2,409 rooms. For more information on the New York market or any other market or region globally, please contact Lodging Econometrics at +1 603-431-8740 Ext. 0025 or info@lodgingeconometrics.com. Hospitality for Society: Managing Hotels in Times of War Insights from a recent EHL panel event on 'Managing Hotels in Times of War', where the spotlight shone on hospitality from a different perspective. What changes for a hotel General Manager when a crisis situation hits? What emerges in terms of new leadership roles and operational requirements? Dr. Ines Blal recounts the highlights from this moving and illuminating panel discussion with seasoned professionals in war zones. Introducing 'Hospitality for Society' Since Covid-19, the debate on the working conditions and role of hospitality in society has gained traction. The cyclical nature of the business, its long and constraining working hours and conditions have dominated the discussion. Amid this heated debate, we have tended to forget the passion, engagement, and dedication often encountered in the sector. Generally, we also tend to overlook the 'school of life' and the humanity-centric skills that the industry can develop in an individual. For that purpose, we decided to launch the 'Hospitality for Society' initiative. Its purpose is to give voice to hospitality workers who positively impact society. We aim to go beyond the superficial luxury haze and connect to the environment and community by welcoming others differently. Hoping to inspire new narratives on how hospitality can support positive social contexts, we organized a special panel event called 'Managing Hotels in Times of War'. What really emerges in a crisis environment? This spring, we held a panel discussion on managing hotels in times of war at EHL Campus Lausanne. In the company of Mr. Guy Lindt, GM of the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem [in French], Mr. Artem Prykhodko, GM of the InterContinental hotel in Kyiv [in French], and Mr. Nicolas Vout, Head of Digital Transformation & Data at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), we delved into the technicalities and implications of managing hotels in war zones. Mr. Lindt, EHL alumnus, shared the story and mission of the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem and its unique ties with neutral Switzerland. Mr. Prykhodko described how he has managed the hotel in Kyiv since the first attacks in February 2020. Mr. Vout, also an alumnus of EHL, detailed the methods of the ICRC in zones of tension and conflict, and the logistical support offered to hotels in these situations. Wars and crises are, unfortunately, part of the environment in which we are evolving. While we hope never to experience them, these situations can teach us about adaptation, resilience and management. Given the subject, the best way to be informed is firsthand from those who have experienced it. We were surprised that the subject triggered the interest of a large audience of students, professionals and the press. As we prepared for the panel and discussed during the Q&A, it became apparent that the conversation was about far more than just managing hotel operations. The subject highlighted how hoteliers can display unique traits of leadership and crisis communication and, above all, make incredible human contributions to their staff, guests and society. What changes for a hotel General Manager in times of war? 1. A change in client profiles and client needs Mr. Lindt and Mr. Prykhodko reported a before and after business approach. The American Colony Hotel had been fully booked with leisure customers, but the situation changed overnight after October 7th. The tourists interrupted their stays for emergency repatriation. Similarly, the InterContinental Kyiv was busy catering to its usual business clientele until the unrest of February 2020. Both narrate how, within 24 hours, the clientele shifted to a majority of media journalists, diplomats and NGO representatives. This sudden change in the client base not only had an effect on the general atmosphere but also on the hotel's operations. These new customers came with different needs. Journalists, for instance, have to leave early to cover the field and, when arriving late in the evening, must work on their reports. Mr. Prykhodko and Mr. Lindt explained how they adapted their F&B offerings and operations accordingly. Mr. Vout detailed how the ICRC react to the tensions in war zones by collaborating with the hoteliers in the region to reinforce their field operations. 2. A constant state of anticipation of needs and solutions Both hoteliers explained how they focused on maintaining upscale and luxury standards during difficult times. This entailed stocking food, finding new supplies, innovating to sustain drinkable water, putting in place generators for electricity, and maintaining internet services. At the InterContinental Kyiv, managing a 3-week long back and forward to the underground shelter, where clients, staff and their families gathered. What stemmed from the exchanges with the three panelists is the different stand these situations call for when managing their staff and clientele. All three panelists alluded to the security and calming feeling they needed to convey. Both hoteliers focused on offering a haven for the people around them. They apply strict security procedures (from booking, to check-in to daily operations and the management of a security team) but also deliver their upper-scale hotel offerings to convey this sense of normality despite the challenges happening outside the hotel. 3. Preparation and flexibility All three panelists referred to risk and security procedures that they enforce. We discussed the need for training for these procedures and a balance in the number of methods to address the risk needs and reactiveness. What stood out from the discussion is the apparent leadership attribute of focusing on operations, concentrating on the essentials to keep the operations going, and avoiding getting distracted from essential information and activities. Mr. Vout explained the need for the preparation and how the ICRC liaises with hoteliers to get ready for crisis situations. He gave examples of the passive security that their protocol requires, such as taping windows with anti-blast film to avoid further injuries in case of explosion, or anti-intrusion measures to delay building penetration in case of attack. As for the management of staff, it required a different, more flexible approach. The people management aspect included the psychological distress of the employees, the shifting working hours, staff availability on-site, and scheduling and strategies to deploy to ensure stable operations amid the turmoil. All three panelists stressed the staff's critical need for professional psychological support. The communication during the crisis needs to be regular and transparent to avoid unnecessary additional mental distress. For financials, again, flexibility is critical. When hotels might be privileged with a new business mix, expenses are fluctuant and unexpected, and cash prevails, with a strong demand for hard currencies. Therefore, regarding the budgeting question, all three panelists responded that it was replaced by weekly and monthly cash-flow monitoring. 4. Focus on the fundamentals of well-being Mr. Prykhodko shared his unique experience during the first three weeks of attacks. They turned the underground parking lot into a bunker which became, over these weeks, the hotel's focal point. They made provisions for staff to sleep on-site with family members, closed the hotel to look empty from the outside, and created playrooms for kids. To maintain their morale and appearance, they brought in a psychologist, hairdresser and barber. While these may seem frivolous gestures, they proved essential for the positivity and humanity of the people. Well-being takes on a different meaning in those circumstances. Main insights from these experiences These unique circumstances challenge our management capabilities and call for leadership. They require remaining flexible, managing changing priorities like security, food procurement, closer ties to staff and teams, communication, and community management. These tough situations provide excellent insights into leadership so that we can be extremely valuable in more stable situations. All hoteliers who have managed peak seasons relate to the operational aspects above. Unfortunately, in times of war or pandemic, it is an accelerated and exacerbated development context in these cases from which we gathered the following main insights: Leveraging the network and client base to collect factual information. Maintaining access to the facts from the ground and distinguishing misinformation from actual events. As a consequence, a key point is to resist the social media hysteria, limiting the info flow of non-verified information. This point was also stressed by Mr. Vout, who reports the increasing role of digital communication in zones of tension and war. The importance as a hotelier of staying neutral and focusing on the service to be delivered (as opposed to encouraging heated political debates and opinions). What the event meant to me It was touching how, at the end of the 2-hour session, the shared comments from participants were all about a sense of communion and a feeling of togetherness. I suspect it is because we reverted to the fundamentals of catering and working with people. It resonated with the managerial challenges we faced during the Covid-19 crisis. In these instances, where life is threatened, we can better see hospitality's outreach to people and society. It can provide security, shelter, dignity, community and sharing. We can witness hospitality's profound link to our human needs and how it rises to the need to cater to them. Much of the event's feedback mentioned inspirational and leadership. We heard stories of survival, calmness, resilience and care, and often, humor. We learned firsthand about the difference between management and leadership. We also learned about authenticity, acting in alignment with one's values. It also allowed us to see managers of luxury hotels through a different lens. Hearing them deploying their capabilities and those of their teams in this usually luxury setting was enlightening about the skills of the hospitality industry. Dr. Ines Blal - Associate Professor at EHL Hospitality Business School Upon approval from the franchisor and completion of the brand-mandated change-of-ownership PIP, an investor can expect a new, long-term license agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). This presents a new owner with the opportunity to operate a hotel with one of IHGs most prominent limited-service products. The brands success is largely attributed to IHGs award-winning advertising campaigns and consumer awareness. Bidwell House: Exploring the History of New England Redware MONTEREY, Mass. Justin Thomas will speak about the museum's red earthenware collection. These objects will be used to tell stories about red earthenware (and some stoneware) production all over New England, spanning the seventeenth through the early twentieth century. The notion of wares made by the rural country potter during the post-American Revolution period through about 1870 will be also discussed in comparison to the urbanized industries that existed in New England before and after the Revolutionary War. The impact of the Industrial Revolution on this production will also be emphasized, as well as 275 years' worth of archaeology in New England. This talk will also relate stories about transportation and trade utilizing river ways and the Atlantic Ocean that allowed some of the area's potters to ship their wares to other parts of the region, Canada and to the south of New England. Justin Thomas is a collector, researcher and writer about American utilitarian pottery production from the seventeenth through the early twentieth century. He has studied at archaeology departments, museums and private collections across the country, publishing numerous research articles about American potteries in regional and national publications. He has been a contributor for the New England Antiques Journal, Maine Antiques Digest, Antiques and the Arts Weekly, Antiques & Auction News, and Untapped New York. He has also authored seven books, as part of his ongoing pottery book series, published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts. Justin has worked with museums, historical societies and archaeology departments all over the East Coast including the National Museum of American History, the Rochester Museum & Science Center, the New York State Museum, Old Sturbridge Village, Historic New England and Strawbery Banke, among many others. In 2021 he organized a special redware conference hosted by Historic Beverly. He currently resides in Newburyport. This lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church at 128 Main Rd in Tyringham. This will be an in-person lecture, with the option to also watch a livestream via Zoom. All Zoom participants will receive a link to access the lecture 1-2 days in advance. Tickets for Zoom attendance must be purchased in advance but in-person tickets can be purchased at the door. Attendees can register here: https://www. bidwellhousemuseum.org/event/ exploring-the-history-of-new- england-redware/ This program is supported in part by grants from the Otis and Sheffield Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. North Adams Councilor Presses for City Planner NORTH ADAMS, Mass. City Councilor Andrew Fitch urged his colleagues on Tuesday to press the need for a city planner on the mayor. The councilor had voted against recommending the Compensation & Classification plan presented to the Finance Committee because he felt it didn't beef up the Community Development Office enough. "We have had a city planner in the past, we don't have a city planner now," he said. "I'm not trying to say that the city planner is the only solution to all of our problems. However, I do believe that if we invest a little bit more in our Community Development Office that we'll be able to take on some of these large challenges that our community faces." His request was "totally out of line," said City Councilor Wayne Wilkinson, saying the newly elected councilor didn't yet understand the difference between the mayor's and council's rules and responsibilities. "You're trying to do the mayor's job for her," he said. "You didn't like what happened in committee from what I understand. And now you're trying to supersede the mayor by coming back to the council to supersede her ... "You need to understand what a strong mayor form of government is. That we're not equal." Other councilors, while not supporting Wilkinson also did not fully back Fitch's goals. Councilor Lisa Blackmer disagreed with Wilkinson's statements that the mayor stands alone. A lot has happened in the last 20 years, she noted, and the council has become much more proactive and engaged within the city's "strong mayor" form of government. "We have the right and the responsibility to advocate for what we think is important, whether or not that ends up happening while the mayor is trying to juggle every single need we have in the city, it is our role," she said. "If we feel strongly enough about something, we do have the right to bring that to attention." Fitch responded that he respected, trusted and supported Mayor Jennifer Macksey, but "I live in a world in which I think it's important to ask questions, and I fully recognize that we have a strong mayor system of government, but I also think it's our responsibilities in our jobs as councilors to advocate for change." Councilor Ashley Shade said she also recognized the need to fill positions that have gone lacking in City Hall, but not when the budget for fiscal 2025 is up by more than a million dollars. She also noted that one important role a grant writer and coordinator had been filled as a good first step. "We can't just talk about adding things to the budget without talking about how we fund them," she said. "And that's where the mayor's job and that's where her team does the research and looks into doing things." Fitch's concerns had been on the agenda and he had planned a slide presentation but the technical hookup wasn't available. "I don't need to show this presentation because you all know what our buildings look like around town. We all know what downtown looks like. You all know the challenges in our community," he said. "I think that this is a great time to invest in our Community Development Office." Councilor Peter Breen added that the city could also use a city engineer because the commissioner of public services was being spread thin trying to take that role along with other duties. "There's two positions that we desperately, desperately need is a city planner and a city engineer and they work together. I envisioned that out here in the lobby, drawings and models," he said. "We have so much going on, we have close to $600 million worth of projects if we get fire station, we got the school, we got the flood chutes, we're working with Tourists and the other developments over there. "Everyone needs help. And it has to be the city." He suggested partnering with other organizations, such as the city has with the Hoosic River Revival and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts on grants and initiatives or instituting a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program. The mayor responded that their concerns weren't falling on deaf ears but they weren't going to be addressed in this budget cycle. She had added on a third person in Community Development and the city had received a technical assistance grant for distressed communities that was doing some planning work. "So we have a group of consultants that are working behind the scenes with the whole team," she said. "They've reached out to the private sector and met with some individuals about how we can rebuild economic development. And how does government play a role in that." The mayor agreed that a planner and engineer were needed but "we're just not there yet. ... Again, in this administrative this cycle, that's not a priority." Macksey wanted to have a team approach with the councilors and "enjoyed their suggestions" but pointedly said, "I will build out my administration as I see fit." "I've had several conversations with a lot of private investors who want to fund a planner, but I don't want to be owned by anyone," she said. "I want us to kind of be able to fund with these types of things on our own." Councilor Keith Bona said he thought the way Fitch had gone about expressing the issue had been transparent and concise. "I appreciation your passion and it doesn't hurt to advocate for what you believe in. I don't want to discourage anybody if they have something that they're passionate about to bring it forward," said President Bryan Sapienza. "We do have to understand that we do have limitations with the budget, of course, and we work as a team, we're a team, we work with the mayor, we work the best we can. We may not always agree with each other but if we can, we work the best we can with each other." In other business, the council: Approved the transfer of $2,300 from Tinker Fund to Public Services' for cemetery repairs and maintenance at Hill Side Cemetery by the restoration group. The fund currently has a balance of $53,000. Confirmed the appointments to the Historical Commission of Richard Dassatti to fill the unexpired term of Christopher Wondolowski until Jan. 2, 2025; Wayne Andreatta for a term expiring Jan. 2, 2027; Gabrielle West to fill the unexpired term of Charles Felix Jr. until Jan. 2, 2026. Referred a communication from Sapienza to the Traffic Commission regarding removing the school zone on Kemp Avenue for the long closed Sullivan School and that was amended to review all school zones. The commission had already recommended a school zone at McCann Technical School on Hodges Cross Road; the council at Blackmer's suggestion referred that zone and the commission's future recommendations to Public Safety so the ordinance could published once and save money. Postponed until next month a vote on an ordinance that would have extended a Business Zone in the West End to cover a single-family home adjacent Tourists. The resort wishes to use the building for offices but is in talks with neighbors who opposed it. The council received a legal opinion that it would not be spot zoning but must be rezoned for use as a business office, which would also allow for less restrictive uses but the city solicitor suggested he could do more research. Bona questioned what the difference would be in a month. Eric Kerns, representing the resort, said Tourists was open to finding a way to assure their neighbors but had so far only seen rezoning as an option to use the structure. "We're on the same side of this concept, is there a way for that to be made manifest in a way that allows us legally to utilize [the building] and protects them in the future from somebody trying to put in a Wendy's?" he said. Incumbents Returned to Williamstown Prudential Committee WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. As expected, incumbents Lindsay Neathawk and David Moresi won re-election to three-year seats on the Prudential Committee on Tuesday. Williamstown Fire District Clerk Sarah Currie reported Tuesday morning that 27 residents turned out at the polls at Williamstown Elementary School for the district election; there were no contested races on the ballot. A small crowd of residents convened for the district annual meeting that followed the election. All articles on the meeting warrant passed unanimously. The only question from the floor came regarding Article 11, a $60,000 appropriation for design work for the new fire station. A resident asked whether that expenditure is covered in the $22.5 million bonding authority district voters approved in February 2023. 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 }} JK Rowling has said that her loved ones had pleaded with her to keep her polarising views on transgender women to herself. The Harry Potter author has been met with strong backlash in recent years over her outspoken stance on trans women, and her claims that trans women are not women. In an extract from a new book of essays, The Women Who Wouldnt Say Wheesht, published in The Times, Rowling wrote that she initially kept her thoughts on the matter to herself because people around me, including some I love, were begging me not to speak. So I watched from the sidelines as women with everything to lose rallied, in Scotland and across the UK, to defend their rights. My guilt that I wasnt standing with them was with me daily, like a chronic pain. The book is a collection of more than 30 essays and photographs from women in Scotland who claim to be on the frontline of the battle for womens rights. It includes the views of women who are opposed to the Scottish governments gender reform plans, like Rowling, who has previously argued that the proposals infringe on womens safety. Rowling first made her stance on transgender women public in December 2019 when she tweeted in support of researcher Maya Forstater, who was fired from her job at a think-tank, Centre for Global Development, over a series of tweets questioning government plans to allow people to self-identify as another gender. In June 2020, Rowling publicly criticised the term people who menstruate, writing on X/Twitter: People who menstruate. Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Rowling said her loved ones pleas held her back from publicly sharing controversial views on trans women ( Getty Images ) Individuals and organisations often use the term people who menstruate to include transgender and non-binary people, for example, a person who now identifies as a man but still menstruates. These initial remarks prompted backlash from fans of the author, who labelled Rowling a TERF an acronym that stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist a label that Rowling has said she also takes issue with. The author went on to post an essay on her website titled TERF Wars about gender identity ideology, in which she outlined five reasons to be worried about the new trans activism. The LGBT+ rights organisation GLAAD responded to Rowlings comments, explaining that the authors tweets align her with ideologies that willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans. In 2020, there is no excuse for targeting trans people. After Rowlings essay was published, stars of the Harry Potter franchise, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, condemned her comments and distanced themselves from the author and her work. Radcliffe condemned Rowlings comments ( Shutterstock / Getty Images ) In a statement shared with The Trevor Project, Radcliffe wrote: Transgender women are womenAny statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I. Rowling has denied being transphobic, but has previously stated that she would rather go to jail than refer to a trans person by their preferred pronouns. 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 Jerry Seinfeld says that his comedy shows becoming the target of pro-Palestinian protests is so dumb, adding that demonstrators should correct their aim. The stand-up comedian and sitcom star, 70, was heckled by a protester at a recent gig and also saw dozens of students walk out of his commencement speech at Duke University earlier this month. Speaking to host Bari Weiss on her podcast Honestly, Seinfeld said: I love that these young people, theyre trying to get engaged with politics. We have to just correct their aim a little bit. They dont seem to understand that, as comedians, we really dont control anything. Seinfeld has been vocal in his support for Israel in the aftermath of the 7 October terror attacks, where Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took another 250 hostage. In December Seinfeld traveled to a kibbutz in Tel Aviv to meet with family members of hostages taken by Hamas, a trip he described emotionally to Weiss as the most powerful experience of his life. He has also signed an open letter in support of Israel. Asked about how he deals with facing protests personally, Seinfeld replied: Its so silly. Its like, they want to express this sincere, intense rage. But again, a little off target. open image in gallery Jerry Seinfeld in Los Angeles, April 2024 ( Getty Images ) So thats, to me, comedic, he said. He added that he believes political parties on either side of the ideological spectrum use similar tactics to each other. Theyre mobs believing their own crap, right? said Seinfeld. Thats what a political party is: Were gonna make up a bunch of nonsense and well all agree to it. Lets print up some bumper stickers and get out there kids thats politics. He continued: Were tribal animals. Were social creatures. We look for agreement and consensus. Were driven by agreement and consensus and mob rule it gives us comfort, gives us certainty. Its all BS. On 18 May, a vocal pro-Palestinian protestor was thrown out of Seinfelds comedy gig in Norfolk, New Jersey. In video footage, at least one protester stands up at the show and shouts towards the stage as the comedian delivers his set. Other attendees are then seen surrounding and confronting the protester before he is escorted out. The crowd can be heard cheering and chanting: Jerry! Since the 7 October attacks and the launch of Israels war on Gaza, at least 35,000 Palestinian people are believed to have been killed. The United Nations and other international agencies have accused Israel of creating man-made famine conditions in Gaza something that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies. 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 Fans have defended Pete Davidson after the stand-up comedian reportedly walked off stage early at a show in Nebraska last week. Davidson, 30, was performing at Steelhouse in Omaha as part of his ongoing Prehab Tour, but abruptly left when audience members refused to quieten down and continued to shout things like: Ariana Grande! The Independent has approached Davidson and Steelhouse for comment. On Reddit, one fan recounted their experience at the show and concluded that Davidson had been in the right. Good on Pete for disciplining the petulant audience that showed up like an attention-seeking 3-year-old demanding their presence noticed while the adults talk. Wasnt the time, they wrote. Truly disappointing. Another wrote that Davidson was already coming to the end of his set by the time he left, and was still being consistently heckled. open image in gallery Pete Davidson in New York in November 2023 ( Getty Images for Hellman's ) One of the s***tier things I personally heard was when Pete mentioned he had one more joke to deliver before sending us off. At this point, some lady near my seats yelled, OH, youve got a joke?, they wrote, before adding: Shame on Omaha for this one. On YouTube, fan Katelin Stivers said shed also been at the show. She asked: Where the f*** did decorum go at events because he shouldnt have had to walk off stage because you guys dont understand that because you see crowd work on TikTok that you think every comedian needs to be heckled to the point that they leave stage with one joke left. She added: Its just absolutely absurd. Youre ruining it for the whole show. Davidson and Grandes whirlwind romance was the subject of widespread media attention. The pair got engaged in June 2018 after just two months of dating. The couple then broke up in October that same year. Davidson later said during a radio show appearance that he knew the relationship was over when Grandes ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, died. That was really horrible, and I cant imagine what that s*** is like. All I do know is that she really loved the s*** out of him and she wasnt putting on a show or anything. Davidson added that he totally got it when the couple split given the circumstances. I was like, Listen, I get it, do whatever youve got to do, Ill be here, he recalled. Davidson has gone on to date a string of famous women, including Kate Beckinsale, Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor and Kim Kardashian. 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 In the boundaryless imagination of science fiction, artificial intelligence is a story as old as the lightbulb. From Blade Runner to Battlestar Galactica, the genre has warned us time and time again about the perils of humans playing God; even Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, now more than 200 years old, was, in part, an exploration of what has become the increasingly relevant AI issue. Atlas, a new film topping Netflixs most-watched charts, is the latest sci-fi work to position AI in its crosshairs. Once there, however, it refuses to squeeze the trigger. Atlas: Sneak Peek The premise is simple enough. At the beginning of the film, planet Earth is rocked by an AI terrorist known as Harlan, played with flat plasticity by Marvel star Simu Liu. Millions of humans are killed; Harlan flees the planet with his robotic acolytes. A few decades later, analyst Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) embarks on a mission to hunt down this robotic Osama bin Laptop, who is hiding out on a distant planet. After the initial military operation goes awry, she must rely on the help of the AI system inside her mech suit referred to by the humanising (and, one must imagine, Matrix-derived) nickname of Smith. At every obstacle, it is Smith that comes to Shepherds aid; by the films end, she is a total convert, a fully-fledged apostle of the church of AI. What starts out as a kind of heavy-handed piece of fear-mongering ends up as a heavy-handed work of propaganda, a tale of overcoming prejudice in which the prejudice was, in fact, completely justified all along. Has any recent film so spectacularly failed at reading the room? Artificial Intelligence has become a mountingly debated issue; within the space of a few years, it has gone from a far-fetched science fiction concept to a troubling and evolving reality, spawning a mess of concerns around labour rights and plagiarism, particularly within the creative sphere. This has naturally started to be reflected in mainstream media. AI now regularly crops up in big-budget action films, such as Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, which pitted Tom Cruise against a nebulous AI villain known as The Algorithm, and The Creator, a sort of superior cousin of Atlas that imagines a war between the human race and AI robots. But while there have always been shades of light and dark to these films Blade Runner, for instance, posits that the artificially intelligent androids may in fact be more emotionally human than their flesh-and-blood counterparts few have tackled the subject with the blunt acquiescence of Atlas. Elon Musk, a long-term proponent of AI, inevitably springs to mind while watching Atlas. The decision to call the fictional human-to-AI interface technology Neural Link cant help but evoke him (the phrase is a glottal-stopped homonym for Neuralink, the experimental and widely condemned technology being developed by Musk, which involves a computer chip being surgically implanted into a living humans brain). Its easy to imagine Musk endorsing this film. A scene towards the end, in which Shepherd finally relents and affixes the neural link to her ear, is shown to be a life-saving decision. Theres no nuance to it just affirmation. The real-world concerns around AI namely, that it will be adopted by capitalism as a means of exploiting human labour are not even slightly touched upon. Underneath it all, however, Atlas is pretty useless as a work of techno-propaganda, thanks largely to its own dispensability. Despite topping Netflixs charts, the film has been damned by critics, many of whom slammed the CGI-heavy production, and the weak, unconvincing script. (Jokes about Atlas being written by ChatGPT were something of an open goal, given the forced and synthetic nature of Shepherd and Smiths dialogue.) Its hard to imagine someone watching Atlas and changing their opinion on much of anything, except perhaps whether or not to renew their Netflix subscription. Thats a good thing, of course. If Atlas were a better film, it might really give us something to worry about. Atlas is available to stream now on Netflix Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nicki Minaj asked for a moment of silence for her dear friend Diana, Princess of Wales while performing in Birmingham, England. The Trinidadian rapper, 41, brought her Pink Friday 2 tour to the citys Resorts World Arena yesterday (27 May). Midway through the show, she spoke to a member of the audience who told her they were from Wales. Putting on a British accent, Minaj responded: Wales? It always reminds me of a dear friend of mine... well, shes not here anymore, but the Princess of Wales. After the crowd cheered, Minaj added: Lets have a moment of silence for her. Fan-shot footage suggests the moment of silence was largely well observed. Diana, the mother of Princes William and Harry, was killed in a car crash in a Paris underpass on 31 August 1997. open image in gallery Nicki Minaj paid tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales ( Getty ) Last year Minaj appeared on a remix of fellow rapper Ice Spices single Princess Diana, a song which includes the lyric: When we come out, it look like Princess Diana on the street. The remix was a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier in the day, Minaj had apologized to fans and announced a new date for her show at Manchesters Co-op Live after her arrest at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam forced the arena to cancel the concert. She had been scheduled to perform at the arena on Saturday but was forced to cancel the gig after she was arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of exporting soft drugs. She was fined 350 (300) and allowed to continue on her journey. Minaj announced on social media that she would now perform in Manchester on 3 June and promised to make the show really special. She added that Ticketmaster would contact the fans who waited for hours at the canceled show. The rapper had livestreamed a video to her followers on Saturday showing herself being arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly carrying drugs. Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Minaj said she had pre-rolled joints in her bag that belonged to her security guard. Keep in mind they took my bags without consent. My security has already advised them those pre-rolls belong to him, she wrote on Instagram. Oh yea and the pilot wants me to take my post down. Minaj said she was able to leave for Manchester after sitting in a jail cell for 5-6 hours, which delayed her enough that she was unable to make it in time for her concert, where 20,000 fans were waiting. Fans were left fuming as they were let in at 7pm BST and were only informed that the gig was cancelled at 9.40pm, and some directed their anger at the organizers who they felt let them spend money at the venue despite knowing the concert would inevitably be canceled. Promoter Live Nation released a statement on Saturday, saying: Despite Nickis best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonights show happen, the events of today have made it impossible. We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused. 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 Game of Thrones creator George RR Martin has complained that most film and television adaptations are worse than their source material and slammed Hollywood screenwriters for their approach to developing adaptations. Martin took to his blog to discuss how he felt about adaptations by referencing a 2022 panel he spoke at with Sandman creator Neil Gaiman about how Hollywood screenwriters didnt respect the source and rarely made adaptations better. That was all back in 2022, but very little has changed since then. If anything, things have gotten worse, he wrote. Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and make them their own. It does not seem to matter whether the source material was written by Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ursula K Le Guin, JRR Tolkien, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Jane Austen orwell, anyone. No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and improve on it. The book is the book, the film is the film, they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own. They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse. Martin is no stranger to having his work adapted. Game of Thrones, adapted by David Benioff and D B Weiss, ran for eight seasons, including a widely panned final season. House of the Dragon, which is based on Martins Fire & Blood and covers the history of the Targaryen family, is currently running with its second season due on 16 June. open image in gallery Emma DArcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon ( HBO ) In the 2022 conversation, Martin questioned: How faithful do you have to be? Some people dont feel that they have to be faithful at all. Theres this phrase that goes around, Im going to make it my own. I hate that phrase. And I think Neil probably hates that phrase, too. 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 I do, Gaiman said. I spent 30 years watching people make Sandman their own. And some of those people hadnt even read Sandman to make it their own, theyd just flipped through a few comics or something. Martin, however, did say the recent FX adaptation of James Clavells novel Shogun was superb and praised the restraint the screenwriters showed when developing the show. open image in gallery Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne and Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in Shogun' ( Katie Yu/FX ) Once in a while, though, we do get a really good adaptation of a really good book, and when that happens , it deserves applause, Martin said. Must confess, I was dubious when I first heard they were making another version of the Clavell novel. It has been a long time, a long long LONG time, but I read the book when it first came out in the late 70s and was mightily impressed. And the 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain as the Anjin was a landmark of long form television, right up with Roots; why do it over again, when that version was so good? I am glad they did, though. The new Shogun is superb I think the author would have been pleased. Both old and new screenwriters did honor to the source material, and gave us terrific adaptations, resisting the impulse to make it their own. Nick Hilton of The Independentgave Shogun four stars, describing it as a brave retelling of a complex, intricate tale, drawn from a combination of Japanese history and Clavells encyclopaedic interest in the country. 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 A Chinese court has sentenced a former banker to death for taking extremely large bribes, state media reported on Tuesday. Bai Tianhui, former senior executive at one of the countrys largest asset management firms, Huarong Asset Management, was sentenced to death, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property, CCTV said. The value of Bai Tianhuis bribery crime was extremely large, the circumstances of the crime were extremely serious, the social impact was extremely bad, and it caused heavy damage to interests of the country and the people, the court said in its ruling, according to the broadcaster. Bai was convicted of accepting bribes totalling over 1.1bn yuan (119m) and for using his managerial positions to provide favourable treatments in matters including project acquisition and corporate financing. It was not clear how Bai pleaded or if he would appeal the sentencing. Bai is the second official from China Huarong to be sentenced to death for corruption. In January 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of Huarong and Bais former boss, received the same sentence from the same court, according to the South China Morning Post. Chinas top corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, initiated a major crackdown on the finance sector this year, following president Xi Jinpings directive to strengthen the countrys financial power and mitigate risks. Bais sentencing came just days after Cao Guangjing, a former senior official in central China, was sentenced to life in prison for accepting over 216m yuan (US$23.3m) in bribes and aiding insider trading. A court found that Cao used his positions at the China Three Gorges Corporation and the Hubei government from 2004 to 2022 to take bribes and help others secure business contracts. He was also convicted of leaking information about a bailout plan for a Hubei-listed company in January 2021. 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 }} Hong Kong has arrested six people under the new national security law for putting up social media posts that incited hatred against China. They were arrested on Tuesday after being accused of using a Facebook page to incite hatred against Chinese and Hong Kong governments as well as the judiciary. Five of the six accused are women and include Chow Hang-tung, a prominent barrister and activist already in jail on other charges. It was alleged that Ms Chow directed her fellow accused to post seditious content ahead of a sensitive date , 4 June, which is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The offence carries a maximum jail term of seven years. The other five accused, aged between 37 and 65, were not named. Ms Chow was a leader of the now-disbanded Alliance, which organised annual vigils for 4 June. The authorities warned that anonymity online would not protect those endangering national security. Chow Hang Tungs 1,000th day in detention on national security charges is next week on 4 June, no less and the authorities seem intent on ensuring that her fight for freedom is even longer by adding new so-called crimes to her file, Amnestys China director Sarah Brooks was quoted as saying by the BBC. Meanwhile, Hong Kongs high court is set to deliver a verdict this week against 16 pro-democracy activists in a landmark trial under the national security law. The trial is the biggest ever against Hong Kongs democratic opposition and is being closely watched internationally, with diplomats from the US, Britain and Europe having attended court proceedings. So far, 31 of the 47 democrats have admitted guilt while 16 continue to maintain their innocence. Four defendants have switched sides to become witnesses for the prosecution. 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 }} North Korea has launched a fleet of balloons reportedly filled with trash and excrement across the heavily fortified border with South Korea, sparking alarm in the neighbouring country. More than 200 balloons are on the way, the South Korean military said and advised people to stay indoors. It also cautioned people not to touch the white balloons or the plastic bags attached to them and report any sighting to the police or the military. A photograph released by the military on Wednesday showed transparent plastic bags hanging from white inflated balloons in the sky. Another appeared to show trash strewn from a collapsed balloon with the word excrement written on a bag. The trash included plastic bottles, batteries, discarded shoe parts and manure, a military official said. The military has deployed a bomb squad and chemical and biological warfare response teams to inspect and collect the fallen balloons and objects. A picture released by the South Korean Defence Ministry on 29 May shows objects thought to be North Korean propaganda material attached to balloons on a street in Chungnam province ( South Korean Defence Ministry ) The launch by North Korea seems to be a tit-for-tat response to South Korean activists sending across balloons with information about their countrys democratic society and even memory devices with K-pop music videos. North Korea on Sunday lashed out against the frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish on its soil. The countrys deputy defence minister vowed to exercise strong power for self-defence and warned that mounds of waste paper and filth would be sent to the South in retaliation for its flying dirty things to the North. The neighbours have been sending balloons and propaganda leaflets across their border since the Korean War in the 1950s. A photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry shows trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea ( AP ) South Korea introduced a ban on balloon launches by activists in 2021 but it was ruled unconstitutional by a top court which said the prohibition violated freedom of speech. The South Korean military condemned North Koreas act as a clear violation of international law. It seriously threatens the safety of our people. North Korea is entirely liable for what happens due to the balloons and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop this inhumane and crass action. Garbage balloons presumably sent by North Korea land in South Korea ( EPA ) The latest balloon incident comes amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas. North Koreas attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit on Monday ended in failure after it exploded mid-air, state media said, and the two neighbours exchanged heated words. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to take overwhelmingly stern action against South Korea for its response to his countrys launch of the spy satellite. This is a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored and a play with fire that we cannot forgive, he said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails 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 Daytime temperatures soared to nearly 50 degrees Celsius in Delhi as Indias capital continued to grapple with an extreme heatwave that has also affected turnout in the ongoing national election. The citys main weather station at Safdarjung recorded a temperature of 45.8C on Tuesday while the outskirts of Mungeshpur and Narela reported 49.9C. Najafgarh, Pitampura and Pusa sizzled at around 49.8C. These are the highest temperatures ever recorded in Delhi and are nine degrees above normal for this time of the year. In neighbouring Pakistan, temperatures rose above 52C in the southern Sindh province this week, the highest this summer and close to the countrys record high. South Asia has been reeling under intense heatwaves this year along with the rest of Asia. open image in gallery REP-CLI INDIA-CALOR-FOTOGALERIA ( AP ) open image in gallery REP-CLI INDIA-CALOR-FOTOGALERIA ( AP ) Although summers have always been gruelling in India with mercury often rising above 40C in northern and central regions, they have grown hotter in recent years. This summer, much of northern and western India including the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh that surround Delhi has been under a red alert as temperatures have stayed consistently high. A red alert implies a very high likelihood of people developing heat illness and heat stroke, and calls for extreme care for vulnerable people, according to the India Meteorological Department. In spite of record temperatures and voters complaining of heat stress, however, Indias election commission has pushed ahead with polling and turnout has slightly dropped compared to the last election five years ago. The election ends on 1 June after seven phases of polling spread over six weeks. The results are due on 4 June. open image in gallery India Hot Weather Photo Gallery ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Hot winds flowing in from the desert state of Rajasthan have been blamed for increasing the heat in Delhi in recent days. However, experts pointed out that the capital citys urban sprawl and lack of green spaces were responsible as well. In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot, Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, told The Business Standard newspaper. Delhis local government also restricted the supply of water because of the heat. It said water levels in the Yamuna River, the main source, were low. The city does not have uninterrupted water supply at any time but the Delhi government said neighbourhoods that received water for about hours two times a day would be subject to further restrictions. I appeal to all the residents that whether there is a water problem in your area or not, please use water very carefully, water minister Atishi, who uses only one name, said on Tuesday. While some Indians can afford to use air conditioners and water coolers to beat the heat, half of the countrys workforce is compelled to work outside with little to not respite throughout the day. India has recorded five deaths due to suspected heat stroke so far, but experts said the actual number could be far higher. In spite of all this, the issue of extreme weather and climate crisis have barely featured in the ongoing election campaign. 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 Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be indicted for allegedly insulting Thailands monarchy, making the influential former prime minister the highest profile citizen to face the charge. Mr Shinawatra, 74, is required to appear before the court on 18 June. He is also facing other charges that include violating a computer crime law. The complaint against the former prime minister was filed by the royalist military leaders who ousted his sisters government in 2015. Mr Shinawatra has repeatedly denied the accusation and affirmed his loyalty to the crown. Criticising the monarchy is forbidden under Thailands strict lese majeste law. Mr Shinawatra plans to seek bail, his lawyer Winyat Chartmontri told Reuters. He questioned the authenticity of the video of a 2015 interview in which the former premier is alleged to have made the insult. Mr Shinawatra, who founded the Pheu Thai Party, has remained a central figure in Thai politics despite facing multiple military coups and legal challenges over the years. His recent return from exile and brief detention have sparked speculation about a possible deal with his rivals. His allies deny such claims. The Pheu Thai Party, now led by his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is the majority ruling part of Thailand. Mr Shinawatra had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. He was released on parole in February from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offences. The news of Mr Shinawatras impending indictment comes just days after Chonthicha Jangrew, an MP with the Move Forward Party, was sentenced to two years in prison over a speech that she made at an anti-government protest in 2021. Ms Jangrew, 31, denies all charges. She was given bail pending an appeal, her lawyer said, allowing her to hold on to her parliamentary seat. Ms Jangrew, also known as Lookkate, is among a number of protest leaders and participants facing charges under Article 112 of Thailands penal code, commonly referred to as the lese majeste law. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, approximately 270 people, primarily students involved in the 2020-2021 protests, have been targeted under this provision, earning them the moniker Article 112ers. Additional reporting by agencies 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 Rishi Sunak has got me thinking about robots. In his pre-election speech, the PM suggested that while artificial intelligence can be dangerous, it can also provide opportunity for progress so much, he claimed, that its effects could be even more significant than the industrial revolution. But what would these effects look like in the home? Could these robots help with the housework? Or help me look after my children? Sunak suggested that AI is set to affect nearly 40 per cent of jobs is being a nanny one of them? I pondered how an AI robot nanny might be advertised. Are you tired of the endless search for a reliable, trustworthy and engaging childminder? Look no further! The solution to all your childcare needs is... an AI robot nanny. To be honest, I didnt mind the idea. Theres the unwavering reliability, no more last-minute cancellations, or unexpected days off. They could be available around the clock, wouldnt get tired or fed up with your kids, and could probably load the dishwasher and fold the laundry, too leaving us parents more time to spend with our children. The only big drawback? They lack emotional connection. Never mind, I think to myself, as I imagine the perks of a future with AI nannies. My children get love from me I just need backup support. Im a single mum with a six- and eight-year-old, and quite frankly, the idea of a robot nanny on tap is an absolute dream. I know, of course, that there are ethical concerns. As Nick Hawes, professor of AI and robotics in the Department of Engineering Science at Oxford University, points out: Who is responsible if you leave your child with a robot and something goes wrong? I hadnt thought of that Hawes tells me that a robot nanny is possible but its a long way off. Maybe five or 10 years. There is huge interest and a lot of money currently going into building humanoid robots, he adds. However, the autonomy and intelligence of these machines is still very limited. There are demos of robots loading a dishwasher and maybe moving some items around on surfaces and that is really state of the art, he tells me. [But] its going to be a very long way until technology can do emotional intelligence as well as a human. Presumably, an AI robot would be a one-off purchase. Or do you rent them? What could a nanny robot look like, I wonder? Beyond a humanoid shape, Hawes says, who knows? Maybe its got four legs, rather than two. Maybe its got six legs. I dont know. As a parent, I also want 10 arms and more cameras. Maybe Ive been watching too much Black Mirror, but the idea of robots living among us doesnt feel like such a big leap of the imagination for me. Ive seen the footage of Ai-Da (pronounced Ada), a realistic robot artist created and built in the UK, who makes art and poetry and talked to the House of Lords in 2022. She had a black bob, orange shirt and grey dungarees even a dimple on her chin and a strangely ethereal voice. The cybersecurity aspects are terrifying. If you get out of the shower and walk past a robot nanny with a towel on, is the robot recording that? Is that being streamed to the cloud? Nick Hawes, professor of AI and robotics For anything more complex, though, theres nothing on the market yet for parents. There are robots that can sing and dance and tell bedtime stories, and robots that can monitor your blood pressure and learn the floorplans of your home so they can move between rooms and hand things to you. But none of these creations is yet up to scratch for a job as a nanny, says Dr Emmanuel Senft, a research scientist at Switzerlands Idiap Research Institute and the head of its Human-centered Robotics and AI group. If we want a robot doing the simplest job of a nanny, for example, checking that a child is sleeping or notifying the parents if the child is crying, we are probably already there or very close, and actually a simple camera can be enough, says Senft. But if we want a robot that can cook, load a dishwasher, provide children with core values and help them to develop themselves appropriately, then we are pretty far off, and might never reach it. He admits he might be surprised by progress in the coming years, though. Its often said that what can be easy for a human can be very hard for a machine, and what can be hard for a human can be very easy for a machine, he says. For example, we only managed recently to [get a robot to] detect automatically a bird in a picture; its called computer vision. But finding the solution to complex calculations is very easy for a robot. The main challenge for creating a robot nanny, though, is that it is very hard to create one model with all the developed aspects available: mobility, perception, expression and manipulation. There are very good robots in each of these categories, for example, Atlas from Boston Dynamics has very impressive mobility, he says about the robot that is able to run, jump and execute the perfect backflip. Similarly, the Ameca robot from Engineered Arts is very expressive. It has a face able to generate expressions. However, these capabilities are still challenging on their own, and having a robot being good in all areas is even harder. open image in gallery Boston Dynamics unveiled the new Atlas robot on 17 April 2024 ( Boston Dynamics ) Getting a robot to look human is also tricky. If the robot is even slightly off, it can feel icky for the humans around it, he says. This effect [in robotics] is termed the uncanny valley. Cost is still a major hurdle, too. The more complex, the more tasks and the harder it is and more expensive. But more importantly, he adds, do we really want a society with robot nannies taking care of our childrens education and development? Personally, I think that robots could help but they should not be planned to replace humans and thats my opinion on robots in general, they should be there to augment humans, not replace them, he says. Children need social interactions for healthy development, I dont think we should rely fully on robots to provide them. While Senft believes that parents should have the freedom to decide how they want their children to interact with AI, it must support healthy development. Likewise, Hayes questions the benefits of a robot nanny both in terms of security and on an emotional level. You have to understand the technology that is in your home its equally true when you give your kids a phone and you let them install apps on it, he says. The cybersecurity aspects are terrifying. If you get out of the shower and walk past a robot nanny with a towel on, is the robot recording that? Is that being streamed to the cloud? Researchers have been expressing concerns about robot nannies for years. In Noel and Amanda Sharkeys 2010 paper The Crying Shame of Robot Nannies: An Ethical Appraisal, they raise questions about human rights, privacy, robot use of restraint, deception of children and accountability. The most pressing ethical issue they look at is the impact on the psychological and emotional wellbeing of children citing cognitive and linguistic impairment as well as attachment disorders. open image in gallery Ai-Da, the worlds first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist, talking in the House of Lords in 2022 ( Getty ) Id definitely pull the plug on the nanny if my kids started to feel love for it, when clearly it couldnt be reciprocated. But these researchers have also found that occasional use of a machine may be no more harmful than watching TV or using an iPad for a few hours, especially if the child is securely attached to their primary carer. While it seems my dream of an AI nanny will come true, it might, however, be too late. My children might have grown up and got over the intense nanny phase. But, as Hawes says: It might not benefit us as parents, but these robots will be looking after us in our old age. While it seems the idea of an AI nanny will one day become reality, it might be too late for my own needs. My children will likely have grown up and got over the intense nanny phase by then. When Im a grandmother, though, things could get interesting. Will my grandchildren need me beyond an occasional cuddle because the robots taken care of everything else? Will I worry as all grandmas do that my precious little ones are in danger from a robot gone rogue? All questions for another day. But for now, Id do just about anything to have an AI nanny at my disposal. As long as my kids understand that its not the genuine article, and incomparable to humanity its just metal and wires and a helping hand. 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 A royal photographer has opened up about what it was like to take the wedding photos for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In a recent interview with The Sun, photographer Arthur Edwards explained that six years after Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys wedding, he can now admit that the wedding was miserable for him. The day was a miserable day, Edwards told the interviewer. I can tell you now it was the worst royal wedding I ever did. Because Harry was determined to keep the newspapers away from it as much as possible. The couples wedding took place in 2018 at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Edwards noted that all of the photos had to be taken at a distance, which didnt allow for the best conditions to work with. Everything was done on long lenses. I had 800 millimeter lens photographing the guests arriving. The photographers they engaged for the job was five feet away. It was just hopeless, he said. Even the iconic shot of the couple leaving the wedding in their carriage didnt work out from a camera and photography perspective. And then the carriage shot where they went past me in the carriage they looked the other way, he recalled. So for me, it was a disaster. The interviewer went on to ask Edwards if some of these hindrances were done on purpose, saying: Was that deliberate? You were made to feel unwelcome? I felt so, Edwards replied. It wasnt just me. It was the whole of the British press, in many ways were badly treated. The Independent has contacted a representative for the Sussexes for comment. Prior to her royal wedding, Meghan was previously married to film producer Trevor Engleson from 2011 to 2014. Leading up to the wedding, many were curious about who would be designing the Suits actresss dress. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for the day, and what I wanted the dress to look like, and so what was amazing in working with Clare is that sometimes youll find designers try to push you in a different direction, Meghan said about the dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy in her Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, released in December 2022. But she just completely respected what I wanted to see for the day, and she wanted to bring that to life for me. So I knew at the onset I wanted a bateau neckline, I wanted a cropped sleeve, I wanted a very timeless, classic feeling, she said. Obviously with respect to the environment we were in and St Georges Chapel, being really modest in what it would look like, I knew that the tailoring was so key, because the dress itself would be so covered up. The gown ended up being designed in an off-shoulder style. Recently, it was revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth II didnt approve of the dress at the time. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, the late monarch thought it was too white for a woman getting married for the second time. In the monarchs view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal, Seward wrote in an extract of the book obtained by the Daily Mail. 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 A toddler has gotten so good at finger painting that his paintings have sold for thousands of dollars. Laurent Schwarz from Bavaria, Germany, is most known for his various abstract artwork that depicts animals including elephants, horses, and dinosaurs. According to the painters mother, Lisa, who spoke with The Times, Laurents fascination with art dates back to September 2023 when they were on vacation in South Tyrol, Italy. The mother recalled that her two-year-old son quickly became obsessed with a painting that was in their hotel room, to the point where they struggled to pull him away from it. There was a painting room in the hotel and we couldnt get him out of it, she told the outlet. Just before Christmas we set up a studio for him and he was in it all the time. Lisa was so proud of her sons work that she created an Instagram page called Laurents Art dedicated to her toddlers artwork. On the page, she shares photos of the paintings as well a Laurents painting process. She stated that part of Laurents creative process is mixing together his own paints and then applying to canvas using brushes, rollers, spatulas, and his fingers. However, this does often result in being covered in just as much paint as the canvas is. As of May 29, the page has almost 30,000 followers. open image in gallery The two year old loves to use color ( Red Eyes by Laurent Schwarz ) open image in gallery Laurent Schwarz paints animals including elephants and dinosaurs ( The Elephant by Laurent Schwarz ) I thought Id set up a channel because what he was painting looked so nice, Lisa said. That triggered a real hype. Because of the attention Laurents paintings were gaining on Instagram, Lisa then created a website, allowing people to purchase his art if interested. According to The Times, his paintings have gained interest from Munichs biggest art fair, ART MUC, in April, as well as buyers from both the UK and the Bahamas. Theyre abstracts and whats unusual is how he integrates discernible figures into them, which people often mention to us and which makes them so popular, Lisa said of her childs artwork. You can clearly recognize his animals, like elephants which are one of his favorite animals, as well as dinosaurs and horses. Its very important to him that its bright and colorful. Brown and other boring colors dont interest him. He has very clear ideas about the colors he mixes. Most recently, a gallery in New York has requested to display the toddlers paintings while a private viewing of his art will be happening in August near his home in Neubeuern. According to his mother, any money raised from the paintings has gone into a separate account saved for Laurent until he turns 18. Lisa also noted that Laurent is never forced to paint and can sometimes take long breaks from the activity. Its totally up to him when and what he paints, his mother said. Sometimes he doesnt feel like painting and doesnt set foot in his studio for three or four weeks but then suddenly it grabs him and he says: Mama, painting. Everything will continue as before, he is completely free to decide how he paints and whether he paints, so time will tell what happens, she continued. The extraordinary thing is that many people want his paintings and want to get to know him. We want to make this as normal as possible for him. 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 Hassie Harrison and Ryan Bingham of Yellowstone fame have tied the knot with a cowboy black tie wedding. In an interview with Vogue, the couple spoke about their Western-themed ceremony and a reception at Harrisons family home in Dallas, Texas. Hassie wore two wedding dresses - a corseted and beaded gown by Galia Lahav she wore to walk down the aisle, and a short Netta BenShabu for the reception - while her husband donned a tailored tuxedo by Kiton paired with custom-made boots by Republic Boots in Texas and a hat made by American Hat Co. I knew I wanted Western, but it had to be elegant Western, with tons of worn leather, delicate lace, and a soft, blush color palette, Harrison told the outlet. From the start, Ryan and I just really wanted to create a day that wasnt just a series of events - but a heartfelt experience that centered around emotions, comfort, intimacy and genuine moments with the people we love the most, Harrison explained. Every choice was a reflection of us, and getting to witness it all come to life was incredible. The event was planned by Nathan Johnson from Gro Floral and Event Design. Nathan, knowing me for as long as he has, was incredible at this, the actor continued. He intuitively knew which options to present that not only met our vision but elevated it. Honestly, he shaped my dream wedding better than I could have ever imagined. Their love story began while Yellowstone was on a production break, and it was Harrisons mother who nudged the pair toward each other after meeting Bingham by chance at a charity event. I wasnt there, but it just happened to be during a time when both Ryan and I were transitioning into new chapters of our lives, she said. They got to talking and discovered just how many Texas-based friends and acquaintances we had in common - so sensing an opportunity, she encouraged Ryan to give me a call. She added: It truly was one of those serendipitous moments that make you realize life has a way of bringing people together at precisely the right time and place. By the spring of 2023, the co-stars revealed that they were dating, and later bought a $5m home together in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles. At the time, fans speculated that the pair may have already tied the knot after Bingham was spotted rocking a gold band on his ring finger in an Instagram video. Before marrying Bingham, Harrison previously dated actor Austin Nichols. Meanwhile, Bingham welcomed three children with ex-wife Anna Axster, who he was married to for 12 years until they separated and divorced in 2021. 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 couple who admitted a series of dine and dash offences in a string of restaurants in south Wales have been jailed after they racked up bills totalling more than 1,100. Bernard, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, who use more than 40 aliases and 18 dates of birth between them, had visited five venues with their family and ordered food and drinks with no intention of paying for it. The pair carried out their first offence at the River House restaurant in Swansea on 9 August last year, when they spent 267 on food and drink before leaving without paying. Ann McDonagh and her partner racked up food and drinks bills with no intention of paying ( PA ) They also ordered 99.40 worth of food from the Golden Fortune takeaway in Port Talbot in January, and also racked up 276.60 at the La Casona restaurant in Skewen on 23 February. On March 27, the couple dishonestly obtained 196 of food and drink from Isabellas in Porthcawl. They committed the same offence again on April 19, taking 329.10 of food and drink from Bella Ciao in Swansea. Bernard McDonagh pleaded guilty to dine and dash offences in south Wales ( The River House Lounge & Restaurant/PA Wire ) Swansea Magistrates Court heard the five offences, which both defendants admitted, totalled 1,168.10. Ann McDonagh also pleaded guilty to four counts of shoplifting, totalling 1,017.60, relating to thefts at Tesco in Swansea as well as Tommy Hilfiger and Sainsburys at Bridgend Designer Outlet. The thefts took place between September 6 last year and February 25 this year. She stole six polo shirts and one pair of chinos worth 442 from the Tommy Hilfiger store by hiding them in her gilet jacket. She returned days later and was seen breaking security tags off items before trying to conceal them, making off in a blue Ford Transit van a motability vehicle with 49 of goods. Judge Paul Thomas sentenced Ann McDonagh to 12 months in prison and Bernard McDonagh to eight months, telling them their actions could have been motivated by pure and utter greed. Bernard, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, who use more than 40 aliases and 18 dates of birth between them ( South Wales Police ) He told them: From the autumn of last year to spring of this year, you two set out on a deliberate course of sustained dishonesty. You would go to restaurants with your own family. You would have food and drink served to you to the value of hundreds of pounds and then you would cynically and brazenly leave without paying. You would order the most expensive items on the menu such as steaks in the full knowledge that you had no intention whatsoever of paying for them. The judge said that using children to wait in the restaurants, who would then run off, while pretending to go to a cashpoint was ruthlessly exploitative. South Wales Police previously confirmed the pair had been charged with the offences in April following reports of several incidents of non-payment of restaurant bills and shoplifting. The family was caught on CCTV at Bella Ciao in Swansea ( Bella Ciao ) The case emerged after the newly opened Bella Ciao in Swansea reported a family had left without paying a bill worth 329. Writing on Facebook, the restaurant described how a woman tried to pay with a savings account card which was declined twice. She then told staff her son would wait inside while she went to fetch a different card. The post said: of course she does not return and then the son receives a phone call and says he has to go and does a runner. It described how the family had given a fake number to reserve a table at the restaurant, meaning the incident was reported to the police. To do this to anyone is disgusting but to do this to a newly open restaurant is even worse, the business wrote. The River House also posted on Facebook about the couple, stating that they had racked up a 270 bill before leaving without paying. Writing last August, the restaurant said: They run up a very hefty bill (for 5) and promised to get cash from the local cash point after their card got declined. We like to put trust in some people, but this was obviously carefully planned as they all just disappeared. Representing Bernard McDonagh, Giles Hayes said his client had brought the money with him to court in order to pay it back. He described father-of-six McDonagh as deeply embarrassed and ashamed by his actions. Andrew Evans, representing Ann McDonagh, said she had suffered family bereavements and may have carried out the frauds to try to make herself feel better. 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 15-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital after he was stabbed in broad daylight in north-west London. The victim was attacked after police heard reports of a fight in Springfield Lane, in Kilburn, at 3pm on Tuesday. He was taken to hospital where his condition is currently unknown. One resident told The Independent knife crime has become worse in the neighbourhood. They said: I feel safe but disturbed by those stabbings, and the constant presence of drug addicts on the streets in daylight. It was very upsetting to see the victims mother calling out his name. She was screaming for the police to let her know where he had been taken. She also had her younger son with her. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: Police were called to a report of an altercation on Springfield Lane, NW6. Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service. A 15-year-old boy was found with a stab injury and taken to hospital. We await an update on his condition. No arrests have been made, enquiries are ongoing. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: We were called at 3.03pm today (28 May) to reports of an incident at the junction of Langtry Road and Kilburn Priory, NW6. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and members of our tactical response unit. We also dispatched Londons Air Ambulance. Our first paramedics arrived on scene in less than five minutes. We treated a teenager at the scene before taking them to a major trauma centre. 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 Foreign Secretary has called for a swift investigation into Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah at the weekend. Lord Cameron was speaking after the deadly strikes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said were a tragic mishap and the countrys military said it was investigating. Lord Cameron said on X, formerly Twitter: Deeply distressing scenes following the airstrikes in Rafah this weekend. The IDFs investigation must be swift, comprehensive & transparent. We urgently need a deal to get hostages out & aid in, with a pause in fighting to allow work towards a long-term sustainable ceasefire. A Downing Street spokesman referred to Lord Camerons statement and the Prime Ministers previous stance on the conflict. As weve said previously, the UK would not support a major military operation in Rafah unless we see a plan to protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain there, the spokesman said, adding that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made this point to Mr Netanyahu. Our focus is on finding the fastest way to end this conflict, which is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting. And so our focus is working with international partners to get that pause in the fighting and then turn that pause into a long-term sustainable ceasefire. This is our message: that ceasefire needs to be in place, it needs to be in place straight away, and it needs to provide the space for hostages to come out Sir Keir Starmer On the campaign trail at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the scenes in Rafah as just horrifying. He said: This is our message: that ceasefire needs to be in place, it needs to be in place straight away, and it needs to provide the space for hostages to come out. There are hostages who have been held for a very, very long time. I cant even imagine the state that they will be in. I know the state their families are in, or some of them, because Ive met their families and it is horrendous. But also aid needs to get in desperately needed aid. Sir Keir added: In the end, this is only going to be resolved through a political process. That is going to require leadership from countries, including from ours if we are privileged enough to come in to serve, to create that space and dialogue as we go forward. It will require the recognition of Palestine as a viable state as part of the process, alongside a safe and secure Israel. He added: We would see it as our solemn duty for the UK to play its full part in that if we are privileged enough to come in to serve, because I think too many political leaders in the last 10 years have looked away from this problem, even though theyve known its there, not wanting to pull their weight. Some of Israels closest allies, including the United States, have criticised the country over its war with Hamas. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has said he will apply for arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Youd have to be totally detached from reality to expect that the IDF will adequately investigate Sundays attack Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK Amnesty International said the Foreign Secretary should get behind the ICC and International Court of Justices efforts to examine Israeli actions in Gaza. Youd have to be totally detached from reality to expect that the IDF will adequately investigate Sundays attack, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UKs chief executive, said. He said Lord Cameron should drop the pretence that Israeli authorities can undertake an impartial investigation of whether they have breached international law. He added: There is an alarming sense that the UK government is by being disingenuous at best supporting a wall of impunity protecting Israeli forces when they carry out human rights violations. 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 }} A business has been banned from carrying out Brazilian butt lift procedures after safety concerns from council officers. The Glasgow-based firm, which has not been named, was served the ban after environmental health officers carried out an inspection and found there were insufficient measures in place to ensure client safety while undergoing the operation. The business was also barred from using hyaluronidase, which is used to dissolve dermal lip filler. The dissolvent is a prescription-only substance, which was not being used as such by the business. The officers also found no evidence that sufficient safety measures were in place should a customer ever face an emergency, such as an infection, anaphylactic shock or an allergic reaction. The company also failed to provide sufficient evidence to confirm the competency of those carrying out the procedure or that they were aware of the risks involved. The firm has been warned it may face prosecution if it fails to comply with the ban, which could result in imprisonment, a fine, or both. It has 21 days to appeal against the decision. Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Glasgow City Councils convener for neighbourhood services, said: Our environmental health officers are carrying out inspections of aesthetics clinics across the city to help safeguard the public. After inspecting this business, officers acted swiftly to protect people from risks to their health and safety. In January this year a British mother-of-three died just days after undergoing a Brazilian bum-lift operation in Turkey. Ms Agoglia and her partner Bradley Jones, who tried to give her CPR, according to her family ( Supplied ) Demi Agoglia, 26, of Salford, Greater Manchester, died from a heart attack caused by the operation just hours before she was due to return to Manchester from Istanbul where she had the operation, her family said. Ms Agoglia, who had a seven-month-old baby boy, went back to the clinic in Istanbul for a check-up but had a heart attack in a taxi on the way to the hospital as her partner, Bradley Jones, gave her CPR in a desperate bid to save her life. Her brother Carl, 37, said Ms Agoglias family and partner had tried to convince her not to go through with the bum-lift as they were concerned for her safety. 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 }} Rishi Sunaks government has been ordered by the High Court to come clean about when the first migrants will be flown to Rwanda under the Tories flagship plan. A High Court judge made the order as part of the FDA trade unions legal action over the plans, which would see some asylum seekers deported to the east African country. The FDA, which represents senior civil servants, is concerned that government officials could be asked to break international law in order to carry out the removals. As part of the court case, government lawyers had told the High Court that the earliest possible for flights to Rwanda to begin was the week beginning 24 June. Prime minister Rishi Sunak then seemingly contradicted this the day after he called an election, telling the BBC that flights would take off in July. He told BBC Breakfast: The first flights will go in July. If Im re-elected as prime minister on 5 July, these flights will go, we will get our Rwanda scheme up and running. Rishi Sunak said deportation flights to Rwanda would happen after the election ( AFP/PA ) Pressed repeatedly on whether any deportation flights would take off before voters go to the polls, Mr Sunak said that the scheme would only get up and running after the election. Now, in an order on 23 May, published on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said: The timetable for this claim was set on the basis that removals to Rwanda would begin at the earliest on 1 July 2024. The government then changed its position, saying that removals could begin in the week commencing 24 June 2024. Following the announcement of a general election, the prime minister said that removals will begin in July. That provides insufficient clarity for the purposes of timetabling this claim. Mr Justice Chamberlain said a response was required from the government by 24 May. In a new court order issued by the High Court on Wednesday, it was revealed that government lawyers had responded to the judges direction on 28 May. They have said that the government does not intend to carry out removals to Rwanda before the general election on 4 July, confirming Mr Sunaks earlier comments. The FDAs case is currently due to be heard on 6 June at the High Court. The Independent has contacted the government for comment. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak has been dealt a huge blow after parliaments most influential committee concluded that the Home Office does not have a credible plan for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. The unanimous report by the Public Accounts Committee from a cross-party group of MPs with a Tory majority said it had little confidence in the Home Offices ability to implement the Rwanda plan. The Rwanda deportation flights have long been Mr Sunaks solution to stopping the small boats and ending the flow of asylum seekers to British shores. His early attempts to get flights off the ground to the East African nation had been thwarted by a Supreme Court ruling and he was forced to fight for months against a right-wing Tory rebellion and resistance in the Lords to get emergency legislation through to allow them to go ahead. The plan is a key plank in his attempt to see off the threat from Nigel Farages Reform Party of splitting the vote on the right in the general election. But Mr Sunak had already been damaged by having to admit that it would not be possible to send any flights before the election on 4 July. Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats a key pledge ( PA Wire ) In the new report, MPs said that the Home Office is unwilling to say how many people it is planning to relocate to Rwanda, and how it would do this. They wrote: The Home Office asserts that it has robust operational plans, which are dependent on the flow of relocations. However, we are concerned by the Home Offices inability to explain the practical details including, for example, where those people who may be subject to relocations currently are and the arrangements for escorting them to Rwanda. The committee, which has a majority of Conservative MPs but is chaired by Hackney Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, said that the Home Office had made unacceptable and avoidable mistakes when trying to set up large accommodation sites for asylum seekers. It wrote that the government had failed to protect value for money when pushing ahead with the plan to acquire larger sites, such as the former RAF Wethersfield base and the Bibby Stockholm barge. Responding to the report, Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: This damning report confirms the complete chaos behind Rishi Sunaks Rwanda con. It makes clear, as Labour has long said, that the Conservatives have no credible implementation plan. Home secretary James Cleverly defended the Rwanda plan ( Yui Mok/PA ) Rishi Sunak knows his gimmick wont work to stop boat crossings thats why he has called an election, to prevent the entire scheme from unravelling. Reform UK leader Richard Tice told The Independent that the report confirmed his criticism of a scheme designed to persuade people not to switch from the Tories to his party. He said: We know it is not working because 10,000 people have come over on small boats this year alone when they know that flights to Rwanda were a possibility. It has been a complete waste of time and hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money. But Conservative home secretary James Cleverly insisted the plan will work. He said: People will only stop coming to the UK illegally when they know they wont get to stay. Labour would strip Britain of that deterrent. The cost of housing asylum seekers will reach 11bn a year by 2026, which is why our Rwanda scheme is so important. MPs on the committee noted that the Home Offices estimates of the initial set-up costs for two large former military sites at Wethersfield and Scampton fell far short of reality. The original estimates were 5m each but this has spiralled to 49m at Wethersfield, and 27m so far at Scampton. When asked why it got the estimates so wrong, the Home Office had told the committee it was dealing with a national emergency and it needed to press on quickly to increase the stock of accommodation. This has meant that the plan to use larger sites has become significantly more expensive than using hotels, the report said. MPs cited a Home Office assessment from January 2024 that found that the larger sites for asylum seekers will cost 46m more than the hotels they were intended to replace. MPs expressed concern that many of the contracts for these large sites had not been competitive. The report also detailed how the Home Office is struggling to show that the Rwanda plan will be value for money, as this depends on a deterrent effect, which has yet to materialise. In 2022, the governments accounting officer said they could not conclude that the plan to process asylum seekers in third countries, under which Rwanda falls, would be value for money meaning a special direction from a minister was required to proceed with the policy. MPs have asked Home Office officials to show how they will assess the deterrent effect of the scheme, but this has not yet been set out. The report also hit out at failings by the Home Office to safeguard some 50,000 asylum seekers whose cases are currently stuck in limbo. The government is not processing asylum claims for tens of thousands of people who have arrived in the UK via small boats and other irregular means. The committee has told the Home Office that it needs to write to MPs by the end of July to explain how it is ensuring the wellbeing of people pending relocation and what plans it has to provide clarity for their future. A Home Office spokesperson said: We have updated parliament on a number of occasions concerning costs relating to the Migration and Economic Development Partnership. We have followed standard processes regarding procurement, including of large sites, and as the permanent secretary has made clear, the department continues to evaluate and learn lessons from procurement exercises and our Large Sites Programme." Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The first week of Britains six-week election campaign has seen frenetic activity but not much movement. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks surprise decision to call a July 4 election set off a scramble by political parties to finalize candidate lists, arrange photo opportunities and send leaders off to key battlegrounds around the country. The parties have also begun making campaign promises to British voters. Here are five lessons from the campaign so far: WHAT ARE THE POLLS SAYING? The left-of-center Labour Party remains favorite to win the most seats in the 650-seat House of Commons and return to power after 14 years of Conservative government. While major pollsters give varying figures, all show a double-digit Labour lead, with little change since Sunak called the election on May 22. Anand Menon, director of political think-tank U.K. in a Changing Europe, said that while polls may change as the campaign goes on, so far theres been a consistency to them that has been staggering. LABOUR IS BEING CAUTIOUS Labour leader Keir Starmer has been likened to a man carrying a priceless vase across a polished floor. He is desperate not to trip up. He has told voters they can trust his Labour Party to safeguard the countrys economy, borders and security trying to overturn a perception that Labour is weaker on defense and security and more profligate with taxpayers money, than the center-right Conservatives. Policies announced so far are cautious: Starmer says a Labour government will cut health care waiting times, get a grip on migration but ditch the governments controversial plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda and build an economy that is simultaneously pro-worker and pro-business. Labour dont seem to have any great surprises in the campaign to wow us with. Menon said. I think they and the (smaller opposition) Lib Dems are counting on anger at the Tories getting people out to vote. Labours strong lead has kept Starmers internal critics quiet for now, but he is mistrusted by many on Labours left wing, who consider him too centrist. Many of them have been angered by the partys treatment of Diana Abbott, a Labour lawmaker since 1987 who was the first Black woman elected to Parliament. Abbott, 70, was suspended by Labour last year for comments that suggested Jewish and Irish people do not experience racism all their lives. She was reinstated this week, but says party leaders have barred her from running for reelection. Starmer insists no such decision has been made. THE CONSERVATIVES ARE WOOING OLDER VOTERS Sunaks party has focused on shoring up its vote by targeting the group most likely to vote Conservative: over-65s. Campaign promises include a boost to the state pension and a plan to make all 18-year-olds undertake a year of civilian or military national service. Polls suggest that idea is extremely unpopular with young people, but is supported by older voters. The Conservatives are expending much of their energy trying to stop supporters switching to Reform, a hard-right successor to the anti-EU Brexit Party. Reforms honorary president is Nigel Farage, the populist firebrand whose anti-immigration rhetoric helped swing Britains 2016 European Union membership referendum in favor of leave. Farage, who has unsuccessfully run for Parliament seven times, is not standing for election, but is popping up to support Reform candidates and make life difficult for the Conservatives. BREXIT IS ON THE BACK BURNER Britains departure from the EU was the U.K.s biggest step or, to opponents, misstep in decades, with huge implications for the economy and society. Brexit was approved by a vote of 52% to 48% in the referendum, and remains a divisive topic that few politicians want to talk about. Sunak was a Brexit supporter, but doesnt want to discuss the economic downsides to the decision to leave the pan-continental trading bloc. Starmer was a strong backer of remaining in the bloc, but now says a Labour government would not seek to reverse Brexit. Critics say that shows a lack of political principle. Supporters say its pragmatic and respects the fact that British voters have little desire to revisit the divisive Brexit debate. The pro-independence Scottish National Party, which wants to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom and back into the EU, is the only major party using relations with Europe as a campaign issue. POLITICIANS SHOULD BEWARE OF WATER Sunak ruined an expensive suit by making his election announcement while standing in the rain. He said he endured the downpour because its British tradition for prime ministers to announce elections in front of 10 Downing St., come rain or shine. Starmer scoffed at that explanation. I would have had an umbrella, he said. I think almost anyone in the country would have had an umbrella. The leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, got a soaking when he invited journalists to watch him paddleboarding on Lake Windermere to highlight the issue of sewage discharges into the famous beauty spot. He toppled into the water losing his dignity but gaining valuable media coverage for a party that often struggles to draw public attention away from its bigger rivals. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Arch Brexiteer and Reform UK leader Richard Tices bid to block Labour plans to charge VAT on private school fees has backfired because of Brexit. Mr Tice has said he will get Labours proposal ruled illegal in the courts on the grounds of discrimination. But a leading tax expert says Tices move is doomed because leaving the EU means UK Government decisions can no longer be challenged. Tax guru Dan Neidle, who played a key role in the downfall of ex-chancellor Nadhim Zahawi over his tax affairs, has mocked Mr Tice over the matter on social media. Labour wants to end the charity status of private schools, meaning that parents will have to pay 20 per cent VAT on top of annual fees which, according to financial advisers St James Place, averaged 20,480 for day pupils and 34,790 for boarders in 2022. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was a social democrat when asked if she was a socialist ( PA ) Mr Tice told The Daily Telegraph that his party will pursue legal avenues to stop what he believes is a discriminatory policy. He said he would use every legal avenue to block Labours plans. Mr Tice went on: All charities, of any form, get business rates relief. To target only independent schools on business rates relief and VAT on fees is deeply discriminatory. The Reform UK leader also questioned why Labour would only apply VAT to private school fees and not university tuition fees, suggesting that it was discriminatory. Leader of Reform UK Richard Tice speaking during a campaign launch ( PA ) He said: I will be actively spearheading a legal campaign in conjunction with lawyers and Kings Counsels to stop the VAT on school fees and business rates relief based on this discrimination relative to universities. But Mr Tices hopes seem to have been thwarted already because of the fact that Britain has left the EU something he campaigned for. In a thread on Twitter/X, Dan Niedle, founder of think tank Tax Policy Associates, wrote: Some free legal advice for Richard Tice. Here is a complete list of the ways a court can overturn tax legislation: 1. EU law challenges. Thats it. Theres no other way to overturn primary tax legislation. And when I last checked, EU law challenges werent a thing anymore. He went on: A successful ECHR/Human Rights Act challenge can result in the court politely asking parliament to think again (a declaration of incompatibility). But the law remains in force. He pointed out that Mr Tice had also wanted the UK to leave the ECHR. Mr Niedle added: If Labour decide to impose a 100bn tax on everyone called Richard Tice, Im pretty certain it would be against the ECHR. But hed still have zero chance of obtaining an injunction to stop it. Back in the real world, heres a complete list of all the UK tax rules that have been found to be contrary to the ECHR/HRA: Nothing! But Mr Tice dismissed the attack: He [Niedle] is a Labour man so of course he would say that! He is wrong: the HRA overrides everything. There are believed to be around 615,000 children in the UKs 1,300 independent schools, some 7 per cent of all British school-age children and 18 per cent of pupils over the age of 16. Some estimates suggest that if schools are forced to close down or parents can no longer afford fees then it will cost the state sector 4.2bn a year to educate them dwarfing the 1.6bn Rachel Reeves hopes to get from the tax raid. 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 }} A cross-party group of 50 influential politicians have urged foreign secretary Lord Cameron to end the UKs punitive and unfair ban on direct flights to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The letter was sent to the foreign secretary as last ditch effort before Parliament is dissolved for the general election but had the support of Labours Jack Straw and Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith among others. The move comes as Cyprus divided island is set to mark 60 years since the crisis which saw them split into rival parts and is still to be resolved. While the move is too late to influence the current government policy of not allowing flights or recognising the elected government in the TRNC, MPs, former MPs and peers hope that it will be a prompt for whoever wins the next election. Jack Straw supports direct flights to the TRNC As Labours foreign secretary Jack Straw oversaw the failed talks on the Annan Plan in 2004 which would have reunited the island but failed despite the north voting in favour because the Greek Cypriots in the south rejected the proposals in a referendum. He has spoken of his regret of the UK allowing Cyprus into the EU a week later when the Annan Plan had been a condition of entry. The parliamentarians past and present wrote to Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, raising serious concerns over the treatment of the TRNC and calling for the commencement of direct flights from the United Kingdom to Ercan International Airport - the largest airport on the island of Cyprus. They want the foreign secretary to end one of the most restrictive policies of any country in Europe when it comes to air travel to Ercan. MP and peers wrote to Lord Cameron (Lucy North/PA) ( PA Wire ) They point to the UK allowing flights to non-UN member states such as Kosovo, and to countries that it doesnt recognise such as Taiwan. The question is why not to northern Cyprus? They claim that air travel to the TRNC is not a risk and there is no history of poor safety. They claim that Ercan Airport abides by international aviation security standards, and safely hosts hundreds of thousands of passengers each year. But the parliamentarians from across parties have also warned that if the UK continues to fail to engage with the TRNC, it will risk letting countries such as Russia and Iran do so instead - fundamentally challenging the UKs strategic foothold in the eastern Mediterranean. The letter follows a call for action from the 300,000 strong Turkish Cypriot diaspora and comes as a new general election has been announced. Turkish Cypriots, their friends and families, will also be putting pressure on both the government and other major parties to commit to ending this unjust situation. The campaign has been spearheaded by TRNC president Ersin Tatar who has also led calls for a two state solution. Chet Ramadan, founder of Freedom and Fairness for northern Cyprus, said: It is time that the UK ends their regressive ban on flights to the TRNC. This is something that was promised 20 years ago and has yet to be fulfilled. Around 300,000 Turkish Cypriots live in the UK, and 15,000 British expats live in Northern Cyprus. The onerous and unnecessary flight rules only create a cruel burden for those wishing to visit family members or go on holiday. UK parties must commit to allowing direct flights to restart and we will repeat this call to whoever forms the next government. Such a move, though, will fiercely be resisted by the Cypriot government on the south of the island which is the recognised state and could threaten repercussions with the UKs relationship with the EU. The events six decades ago are still angrily disputed with Turkish Cypriots accusing the Greek Cypriots of starting the conflict with a military coup which aimed to unite Cyprus with Greece. This followed with what has been described as an attempt at ethnic cleansing with attacks on the Turkish Cypriot communities. Both sides had heavy losses in the conflict which followed with Greek Cypriots accusing Turkey of invasion and subsequent occupation of its territory in the north. The authorities in the TRNC insist that the Turks intervened to prevent Turkish Cypriots from being massacred and have remained as a protection force. Numerous attempts to bring the island, which gained independence from Britain in 1960, back together in a federal system have failed. Turkeys President Recep Erdogan now supports the TRNC demand for a two state solution, which is opposed by Cyprus, the UK and EU. 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 Hackney resident has vowed to not vote Labour at the general election for the first time in her life because of the disgusting way she say said the party had treated Diane Abbott. Mignol Gregory, 78, was among Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituents reacting to the row over the future of their MP on Wednesday, as Ms Abbott vowed to represent them for as long as it is possible at a rally in the evening. Veteran left-winger Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday following her suspension, but whether or not she will be able to stand as a candidate for the party in the 4 July general election remains mired in uncertainty. Retired chef Ms Gregory said she had voted Labour in the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency for 60 years, voting for Ms Abbott as the partys candidate since she was first elected as the areas MP in 1987, becoming Britains first black female MP. However, the 78-year-old said she will not be voting Labour at the 4 July general election - but instead will actively abstain after Ms Abbott had told news outlets the partys ruling national executive committee (NEC) had banned her from standing for Labour. The reported decision, denied by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, comes more than a year on from her suspension after an investigation into comments she made about racism. Speaking about Ms Abbott, Ms Gregory told The Independent: When I heard the news I went potty ... Its disgusting what theyve done to her. I feel very strongly about it. Shes been unfairly treated. Shes given Stoke Newington 40 years of her life and done a lot for the Black community here ... Im not voting Labour because of the way they treated her. Im not voting at all. Veteran left-winger Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday ( PA Wire ) Standing on Stoke Newington Road with a group of her friends, including retired nurses and carers, she accused Sir Keir of racism as she directly blamed him for the bad treatment of Ms Abbott and the other women, who also live locally, chimed in to agree. The constituency has always been a Labour stronghold, with many residents holding liberal and left-leaning views, and Ms Abbott taking a 33,188 majority in the 2019 general election for Labour. However, constituents seem to have connected specifically with Ms Abbott as an individual beyond the party she represents, following her decades-long tenure as the areas MP. This relationship shone through in conversations among residents up and down the main thoroughfare running through her constituency on sunny Wednesday morning. Walking along Stoke Newington High Street with her young daughter, Sarah Gray, 44, described Ms Abbott as an MP who cares, citing the multiple personal responses from the MPs office to letters she has sent over the war in Gaza. Retired chef Mignol Gregory (centre) says she has voted Labour in the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency for 60 years ( The Independent ) The 44-year-old said she had always voted for Ms Abbott and that it would be a shame if the MP was banned from standing for Labour at the general election. There are a lot of MPs out there who have done far worse, she argued. However, Ms Gray said she will still be voting for Labours candidate on 4 July in the hope of forcing the Conservatives out of government. Jack, who only wanted to give his first name, said he has lived in the area his whole life and always voted for Labour. He called for Ms Abbott to be allowed to stand for the party at the upcoming general election. Walking along Stoke Newington High Street with her young daughter, Sarah Gray, 44, described Ms Abbott as an MP who cares ( The Independent ) Ms Abbott had the Labour whip suspended in April 2023 pending an investigation after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice but not racism in a letter she wrote in The Observer. The former shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn immediately apologised over her comments and said the letter had been an initial draft. Diane Abbott addresses her supporters and the media on the steps of Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday ( Getty Images ) It emerged on Tuesday that the investigation into Ms Abbott had concluded in December, despite Sir Keir insisting this month that it was still ongoing. Despite the restoration of the whip on Tuesday, Ms Abbott appeared to believe she had been barred from standing in her seat on 4 July I am very dismayed that numerous reports suggest I have been barred as a candidate, she said. However, the Labour leader told reporters in Worcester its not true that Ms Abbott had been barred. No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott, he said. Addressing a crowd outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday evening, Ms Abbott vowed to be the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington as long as it is possible. She said: You have always stood with me in good times and bad and I will always stand with you. 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 }} Diane Abbott has vowed to stay on as the MP for her London constituency as the row over her future threatens to derail Labours important announcements on health and the economy. In her first public speech on the escalating situation on her selection, which has sent the partys election campaign into turmoil, Ms Abbott told supporters she intended to stay on as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for as long as it is possible. The future of the trailblazing MP, who was the first black woman to be elected to parliament, was thrown into confusion when she revealed she had been barred from standing again for Labour despite having the party whip restored following months of suspension. But within hours, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisted that Ms Abbott had not been barred from standing as a candidate as he tried to promote Labours policy on cutting NHS waiting lists. Diane Abbott spoke to supporters outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday evening ( Getty Images ) Addressing supporters outside Hackney Town Hall on Wednesday evening, Ms Abbott said: You have always stood with me in good times and bad and I will always stand with you. So I promise you that as long as it is possible, I will be the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. According to the BBC, she also accused the Labour party of not giving her a reason for banning her, adding: They just want me excluded from parliament. Shortly after, ex-Labour Jeremy Corbyn revealed he had sent a message of support to Ms Abbott as he launched his own campaign as an independent in Islington North. His support came as trade unions demanded that Ms Abbott, who had been suspended over a letter she wrote to The Observer suggesting that Jews and travellers did not suffer from racism in the same way as people of colour, should be allowed to stand again. Ms Abbott told supporters she intended to remain as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington ( Getty Images ) The row saw friends of Ms Abbott and political opponents question Sir Keirs honesty after he claimed just last Friday that the investigation into her had still not concluded when in reality it was completed in December. Additionally, it was suggested that Ms Abbott had been in talks with Labours chief whip, who answers to Sir Keir, about retiring when the whip was restored before party sources briefed out claims she had been barred from standing on Tuesday evening. The issue descended into farce later on in the day when shadow chief secretary Darren Jones was forced to insist he had not called an emergency press conference on the Tories spending plans to distract from the Diane Abbott row. He said the emergency press conference, highlighting what he claimed was a 71bn black hole in Tory spending promises, was planned yesterday. Reflecting growing anger over the situation, Ms Abbotts friend Jacqueline McKenzie, an immigration lawyer at Leigh Day, told Radio 4s Today programme, that the tawdry affair had left serious question marks about Sir Keir. Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure ( PA Wire ) She said: I think Dianes really shocked. She has been for a very long time because this investigation has gone on for 13 months. I think those around her were quite surprised yesterday to learn that the investigation had concluded in September. It is not clear to me that she knew the investigation had concluded but I certainly saw some surprise in some of her exchanges. But I think what was really astonishing about all of that was the fact that just this week we saw Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, as well as senior officials saying that an investigation was still underway. I think it is really incumbent upon them to explain have they been honest about this process. I think thats what is really shocking. She added that Ms Abbott wants the opportunity to make the decision on whether to stand, noting that as Britains first black female MP she is a hugely important figure. Ms McKenzie said that claims she is antisemitic is total nonsense and that she is truly sorry for the offensive letter she wrote. But the Labour leader insisted no decision had yet been taken about whether Ms Abbott who was elected to parliament in 1987 would be allowed to defend her seat. She had the Labour whip suspended in April 2023 pending an investigation after she suggested Jewish, Irish and traveller people experienced prejudice but not racism. The whip was restored on Tuesday but Ms Abbott appeared to believe she had been barred from standing in her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat on 4 July. I am very dismayed that numerous reports suggest I have been barred as a candidate, she said. Sir Keir told reporters in Worcester its not true that Ms Abbott had been barred. No decision has been taken to bar Diane Abbott, he said. The process that we were going through ended with the restoration of the whip the other day, so shes a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and no decision has been taken barring her. The decision on whether she can stand will ultimately be taken by Labours ruling national executive committee (NEC). Crossbench peer Lord Woolley of Woodford, founder of the Operation Black Vote campaign, said Labour risked delivering a slap in the face for Britain's African and Caribbean communities over the row. He told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme: This is a very big moment, I would argue, for the Labour Party, and Diane, and Britains black communities, and I think they have about 48 hours to get this right. He added: I think theyre in danger of not only disrespecting one of the most popular MPs in modern times, but also if they get this disrespectfully wrong, itll also be a slap in the face for Britains African and Caribbean communities. Six unions affiliated with Labour Aslef, TSSA, Unite, NUM, CWU and FBU called for Ms Abbott to be allowed to stand. Labour former frontbencher Jess Phillips told Times Radio: I think that Diane should be allowed to stand. And I think that the delay has been unedifying. The whole thing has been unedifying. Ms Abbott said she was delighted to have the Labour whip restored and to be a member of the PLP. In an indication she would not follow her ally Mr Corbyn and stand as an independent, she said: I will be campaigning for a Labour victory. Prime minister Rishi Sunak said Labour has to be transparent about Ms Abbotts position while Tory chairman Richard Holden wrote to Sir Keir demanding answers about the process. 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 }} When Rishi Sunak took the podium to deliver his prime ministers speech at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester last October, there was little he could say that hadnt already been leaked to the media. But he did have one secret weapon, in the form of his wife, Akshata Murty. Taking to the stage in a bright coral suit and heels, the fabulously wealthy daughter of an Indian tech billionaire stepped into the limelight and gave Sunak perhaps his best moment in an otherwise difficult party conference season. Now, the Tory leader, who trails by 27 points, hopes to repeat this trick again with Mrs Murty taking to the campaign trail solo to help turn the tide in his favour. The heiress and businesswoman visted a Royal British Legion care facility in Ripon, North Yorkshire on Wednesday to bolster support for her husbands campaign. Akshata Murty, the wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meets with residents during a visit to a Royal British Legion care facility ( PA ) While it is the norm for the wives of US presidents to be at the forefront of political life, it is not a tradition for prime ministers partners in the UK. Ms Murty was pictured at Lister House, which provides expert care including respite and daycare for former members of the armed forces, as well as a home for others. The prime ministers wife pours the tea ( PA ) The Ripon facility is a home for ex-service personnel and their partners ( PA ) The visit came after she welcomed children into her own home last week to commemorate the Normandy landings. Ms Murty greeted an excited group of children outside Number 10 before giving them a tour and a lesson on the role of Winston Churchill. Ms Murthy greeted an excited group of children outside Number 10 last week ( PA ) As she rallied the troops in the north of England, Mr Sunak turned his attention to the southwest, as he paid Cornwall and Devon a visit. The couple have had their fair share of controversy including the 2022 revelation that Ms Murty had 11.6m in dividends from Indian firm Infosys but was not liable to pay tax in the UK due to her non-dom status. According to this years Sunday Times Rich List, the couple are officially wealthier than the King, as their wealth surged more than 120m over the last year. The couple are richer than the King, adding 120m to their pot in the last year ( Chris J Ratcliffe ) At a train depot in Cornwall on Wednesday morning, Mr Sunak explained details of his apprenticeships plan. Speaking at a train depot in Cornwall, he said: University is great and it makes a fantastic option for young people, but its not the only option. Im not someone who believes that you have to go to university, and all the apprentices Ive been talking to this morning are proof of that, describing it as the best decision they ever made. He said a new regulator would look at the progression and drop-out rates of university courses to determine whether they are underperforming. Rishi Sunak during his visit to the GWR railway traction maintenance depot in Penzance ( PA ) Its the latest youth-focused policy announced by the Conservatives. On Sunday, Mr Sunak announced that 18-year-olds would be made to do national service if the Tories win the general election. The policy proposal would see young people given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year volunteering in their community. It was the Conservatives first major policy proposal since Mr Sunak hastily announced the general election in the pouring rain, with his party now scrambling to find some 190 candidates amid a post-war record exodus of Tory MPs. 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 }} Sir Keir Starmer has broken his silence after a morning of fevered speculation about the future of Diane Abbott as a Labour MP. The veteran left-winger had the Labour Party whip restored on Tuesday, but whether or not she will be able to stand in the general election remains mired in uncertainty. She confirmed to various news outlets that the partys ruling national executive committee (NEC) has banned her from standing for Labour - more than a year on from her suspension over controversial comments about racism. Sir Keir Starmer has broken his silence over the Diane Abbott row ( Reuters ) But she went on to say she was dismayed" at the prospect she could be banned from standing and said she was upset about "numerous reports" suggesting that she was. Questioned about Ms Abbott while campaigning in the West Midlands, the Labour leader said she has not been barred from standing as a Labour candidate. He told Sky News: The whip has been restored to diane abbott as you know so she is a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and no decision has been taken to bar her going forward Obviously my whole focus is on the election campaign and we are very happy to be out campaigning here today talking about what we are going to do in relation to the NHS to drive down those waiting lists, but the factual situation is as I have set out. Ms Abbott was suspended last April over a letter she wrote in The Observer suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities. The former shadow home secretary under Jeremy Corbyn immediately apologised over her comments and said the letter had been an initial draft. But she was suspended by chief whip Alan Campbell and placed under investigation. It emerged on Tuesday that the investigation into Ms Abbott had concluded in December, despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisting this month it was still ongoing. She then had the party whip restored, meaning she can retire as a Labour MP, but will not be able to stand for the party in the general election. She told the BBC: Although the whip has been restored I am banned from standing. In the letter which saw her suspended, Ms Abbott suggested Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities. It stated that Jewish, Irish and traveller communities have experienced prejudice, but added: This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable. Ms Abbott had added: It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. 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 }} South Africans have begun voting at schools, community centres and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their countrys most important in 30 years and its seventh since apartheid. At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of apartheids brutal white minority rule in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. After casting his vote, president Cyril Ramaphosa said he had no doubt his ANC would win with a majority and remain in government. Africas most advanced economy has some of the worlds deepest socio-economic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32 per cent. Cyril Ramaphosa votes at Hitekani Primary School, Soweto on Wednesday ( Getty ) The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all. I take voting as something serious because as communities, it is difficult to complain about services when you have not voted, said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the queue at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Mr Ramaphosa voted. Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs. We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem, said Mr Ratshalingwa. Voters queue up in Cape Town on Wednesday ( AP ) After winning six successive national elections, several polls have the ANCs support at less than 50 per cent ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the most seats. The ANC won 57.5 per cent of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70 per cent of the vote 20 years ago. Mr Ramaphosa, leader of the ANC, has promised to do better. A voter in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa ( AP ) The 71-year-old sat alongside other voters in Soweto, where he was born, before voting. He said he was certain South Africans would give the ANC a firm majority. Any change in the ANCs hold on power could be monumental for South Africa; if it loses its majority, the ANC is likely to face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to stay in government and keep Mr Ramaphosa as president for a second term. The ANC has always had a majority in parliament since 1994. Final results are expected by Sunday. Opposition to the ANC in this election is fierce but fragmented. The two biggest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), are not predicted to increase their vote by anything near enough to overtake the ANC. People watch as ex-president Jacob Zuma votes Nkandla, Kwazulu Natal ( AP ) Disgruntled South Africans are moving to an array of opposition parties; more than 50 will contest the national election, many of them new. One is led by South Africas former president Jacob Zuma, who has turned against his former ANC allies. The ANC says it is confident of retaining its majority and analysts have not ruled that out, given the partys unmatched grassroots campaigning machine. I woke up at 4am this morning, took a bath and made my way, said 68-year-old Velaphi Banda, adding he has voted for the ANC since 1994 and would do so again. Memories of the era of apartheid, and the defining election that ended it in 1994, still frame much of everyday South Africa. But fewer remember it as time goes on, and this election might give voice to a younger generation who were not born when apartheid fell. Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema casts his vote in Polokwane on Wednesday ( AP ) South Africa has since held peaceful and credible elections. It will deploy nearly 3,000 soldiers across the country to ensure a peaceful election. While 80 per cent of South Africans are black, it is a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage and others. There are 12 official languages. It is the diversity that Nelson Mandela, South Africas first black president, highlighted by referring to his country as a rainbow nation. 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 }} Two US military veterans who served at top-secret Area 52 said that they were exposed to toxic substances which made them sick - but that they cant get federal medical benefits because the government wont acknowledge they were there. Air Force Technician Mark Ely inspected Soviet fighter jets that had been secretly obtained while Dave Crete worked as a military police officer, according to CBS News. Mr Ely said that he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to work on the base. He participated in a classified mission at the Tonopah Test Range, about 140 miles outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr Ely, 63, said that when he started his job he was physically fit. Now, the men are suffering from physical ailments that they say stem from tests conducted near the site. The US military conducted nuclear bomb tests near Area 52 in the mid-1980s. According to CBS News, the tests scattered toxic radioactive material nearby. Two military service members, who served at Area 52, say they sustained illnesses they believe stem from radioactive activity at the site ( James Galli/Sandia National Laboratories via AP ) Mr Ely alleges that radiation from the tests scarred his lungs, caused cysts on his liver and left him with tumors which needed removed. Mr Crete said he struggles with breathing issues, chronic bronchitis and had a tumor removed from his back. Mr Crete also said that hes heard about other types of cancers that his former colleagues believe stemmed from the site, and has been working to track down some of the men also employed at Area 52 to find out if they suffer from medical conditions. Some federal benefits have been made available to veterans that served in the area but they dont apply to the men, they said, because the government wont acknowledge they were there. The federal government has made $25.7bn available to employees who primarily worked for the Department of Energy. Upholding the national interest was more important than my own life, Mr Ely said. Theres a slogan that people say: Deny deny until you die. Kind of true here. The Department of Defense confirmed that the men served but did not confirm at which location. Despite the missions classified status, the public is becoming aware of the mission because of illnesses suffered by service members. 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 body of a 27-year-old Chase Bank employee has been recovered from the rubble after a gas explosion destroyed the first floor of a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio. The body was found in the Realty Buildings basement on Wednesday morning around 12.30am, Mayor Tito Brown said at a press conference on Wednesday. The worker has been identified as Akil Drake, 27, by the Mahoning County Coroners Office. Its a tough part when you have to tell a mother that her son got up yesterday to go to work and he did not come home, Mayor Brown said during the conference, adding that the community needs to wrap our arms around bank staff and residents who were near the explosion. Officials did not confirm the name of the deceased man, nor the other seven who were injured. An autopsy will be carried out by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office. Fire Chief Barry Finley said that the most severely injured person is currently a woman on a ventilator in surgical intensive care. The others have varying levels of injuries. The Youngstown Police Department said in a statement that detectives were called out to assist with a missing person, and after a brief investigation, they determined the missing person was an employee of Chase Bank, where the natural gas explosion had occurred just before 3pm. It was also discovered that he was at work and was observed inside the building right before the blast, the department wrote. During their rescue efforts, the Youngstown Fire Department recovered that missing person, who was unfortunately deceased. The police extended their condolences to the family of the deceased employee. Firefighters assess the damage after explosion in Youngstown ( RON FLAVIANO via REUTERS ) Chief Finley added that the fire department, along with other agencies, made sure every person had been accounted for by taking on the dangerous task of searching the building room by room, floor by floor, to make sure it was clear. The officials said at the press conference that they would not be speculating on what caused the explosion at this time, as the investigation is in very early stages, with state fire marshals still on scene as of Wednesday morning. Chase Bank released a statement after learning about the death of its employee. The JPMorgan Chase family mourns the loss of our colleague. Our hearts go out to their family as well as our injured employees, their families and other affected by this tragedy, they said, according to the outlet. We will continue to work with local officials to support them. Smoke riseing from a JPMorgan Chase & Co. floor Realty Building on Tuesday after explosion ( RON FLAVIANO via REUTERS ) Security footage from a camera across the street from the explosion captured the moment the 13-story buildings storefront blew out, sending concrete, glass and other debris spilling onto the street. Individuals in the downtown area said they heard a loud boom and saw a smoke cloud when the explosion occurred, WKBN reports. Those living in the 23 apartment units above the bank were evacuated after the explosion as were those in the International Towers apartment building across the street. Please AVOID downtown Youngstown. Major explosion from possible natural gas leak with injuries, the Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters labor union posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Youngstowns fire chief, Barry Finley, told WFMJ that an evacuation order was issued for every building adjacent to the Realty Building. During Wednesdays press conference, Youngstowns Deputy Directory of Public Works Chuck Shasho said that roads are still blocked off downtown, and while they will be erecting barricades around the building, the public should avoid the area in case of any loose debris. The Independent has contacted the Mahoning County Coroners Office for further information. 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 Christian lifeguard in Los Angeles who took down three Pride flags and asked not to work near any of the hanging flags for last years Pride month has claimed he has been religiously discriminated against. Jeffery Little, a devout evangelical Christian who has worked for Los Angeles County for more than 22 years, filed a lawsuit on Friday claiming that he took down three Pride flags that were hoisted in support of LGBTQ+ residents because he did not want to work in these conditions. He said in the suit, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, that after this, he was suspended from his role with the departments background investigation unit, which investigates emergencies on the beach and also received a death threat after he took down the flags. Mr Little is being represented by attorneys from the Thomas More Society, which the outlet describes as a conservative Catholic legal group that has, in the past, worked on lawsuits against abortion rights and same-sex marriage. As Pride month approaches in the United States in June, which is a time dedicated to celebrating and commemorating LGBTQ+ pride and honoring the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, many local jurisdictions will support their LGBTQ+ residents by organizing events or hoisting Pride flags. For last years Pride, the county board of supervisors voted to require government buildings to fly the Progress Pride flag throughout the month, including on lifeguard facilities. This included Will Rogers Beach, that includes a historically LGBTQ+ friendly strip of the beach that has been given the name Ginger Rogers Beach and has been a refuge and a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community for decades, the countys fire department stated, who oversees the lifeguards. Mr Little, a captain with the countys lifeguard division, however, told officials last June that he wanted to be exempt from raising the Pride flag because he adheres to traditional Christian beliefs regarding the moral illicitness of same-sex activity, the immutability of sex regardless of gender identity, and the view that all people are children of God regardless of their skin color, he reportedly stated in the lawsuit, the outlet said. He added that the views the Progress Pride flag represented were in direct conflict with religious beliefs. The county officials last summer allegedly came to an agreement with Mr Little and said he could be stationed in areas of the Pacific Palisades where the flags were not flown because they did not have the right flag poles, the outlet said. When Mr Little arrived on Dockweiler Beach on 21 June, one of the areas he alleged was not supposed to have the Pride flag, he said he found the flag hoisted at three nearby facilities, ordered by a chief to be flown, according to the complaint obtained by the outlet. According to the suit, Mr Little proceeded to take down the flags with the permission of the Ocean Lifeguard Specialists at his station. The following day, he was given a direct order to ensure the Pride flag was flown throughout June by Fernando Boiteux, the chief of the lifeguard division. The lifeguard claims he has been the subject of religious discrimination and retaliation by fire officials, among other allegations, during and after lowering the flags, as well as telling them he did not want to work near the Pride flags. Mr Little has asked again this summer that he has accommodations to not work near a Pride flag, but reportedly claims in his lawsuit that the county has not substantively engaged with him and has warned him he would be subject to discipline and eventual termination for failure to raise the Progress Pride flag. The lifeguard is asking the judge for damages due to a claimed severe emotional distress, among other items, as well as asking them to order the county to give him a standing exemption from raising the Pride flag. In a press release from the Thomas More Society, the law group said that the lawsuit comes as a result of the Fire Departments continued failure to accommodate Littles religious beliefs, as required by the United States Constitution, federal, and state civil rights law. The verified complaint seeks damages, a temporary restraining order, and a permanent injunctionprotecting Littles religious rights during Pride Month. The Los Angeles County Fire Department told The Independent that they cannot comment on personal issues, or any ongoing litigations. Pride representation in the Pacific Palisades also made headlines last year after two lifeguard towers were painted in Pride colors in celebration of Pride month on Ginger Rogers Beach. The painting of the towers and placard installation celebrates the historic beach, the LGBTQ+ community, and honors its advocates and leaders, the LA County Fire Department wrote in a release at the time. However, days after they were unveiled, the LAPD launched a hate crime investigation after the towers had been vandalised, leaving both residents and tourists in shock and disappointment with the vandalism. The Independent has contacted the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 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 Massachusetts fugitive dubbed the Bad Breath Rapist was apprehended by US Marshals in California on Tuesday, after nearly 17 years on the run. Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the arrest of Tuen Kit Lee, 55, including the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, as well as Massachusetts State Police and Quincy Police Department. Lee is accused of fleeing his trial in September 2007 before he was due to be sentenced for kidnapping and raping a woman in 2005. Authorities claim that he raped a waitress from the restaurant owned by his family in Quincy after breaking into her home on 2 February 2005. During the crime, the attacker wore a mask and held the victim at knife point before zip-tying her to the bed and sexually assaulting her, investigators say. She was found several hours later by her boyfriend, bound to the bed, after he returned home because he was unable to reach his girlfriend by phone. The victim later identified Lee as the perpetrator after she identified him by his bad breath, which led to media outlets calling him the Bad Breath Rapist. Lee was found guilty of kidnapping and rape by a jury in 2005 after two days of deliberation but fled the state before he was due to be sentenced, with investigators unable to track him down for almost 17 years. Authorities put hundreds of hours into attempting to locate him, running multiple media campaigns, including several appearances on Americas Most Wanted, and offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that led to his arrest. But their efforts ultimately did not yield any results. Until now. Marshals said they were finally able to locate him after the Massachusetts State Police received a tip that he was possibly living in Diablo, California. State police then contacted US marshals in northern California to investigate the tip and were able to verify he was in the area, living at a multi-million dollar residence owned by a female flower shop owner. He was taken into custody on Tuesday morning after surveillance officers observed a man and woman leave the residence in Diablo and enter a vehicle, Massachusetts State Police said. State police added that Danville Police officer conducted a vehicle stop, with Lee initially providing a fake name before confessing when pressed about his true identity. Fingerprints confirmed his identity, police said. His female companion, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was, according to Massachusetts State Police. As the almost 17-year search came to an end, acting PSWRFTF commander, chief inspector Sean LoPiccolo, said he hoped Lees arrest would bring peace of mind to the victim and her family. There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions, chief inspector LoPiccolo said. Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family. 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 }} Three dead bodies. Found on Chad Daybells property. Its how Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Lindsey Blake began her closing arguments in the self-proclaimed prophets death penalty trial on Wednesday. The impactful words followed a snippet of a recorded jail phone call between Mr Daybell and Lori Vallow in June 2020 while authorities searched his backyard where they would later find the mutilated bodies of her children buried in shallow graves. Two of them are children. His mistress kids, Ms Blake told the jurors in the Ada County courtroom in Boise, Idaho. Tammy Daybell was found dead in their marital bed. And for what? Money, power and sex. Thats what the defendant cared about, she added. Prosecutors say it was Mr Daybells desire for sex, power, and money that led to the killings of Tammy Daybell, and Vallows children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua JJ Vallow. The bodies of Joshua JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were found buried on Chad Daybells property ( AP ) In October 2019, the first of those three bodies on Mr Daybells property was his then-wife Tammy, who was found dead in her room of what was initially believed to be from natural causes. It was only after Vallows children were reported missing and authorities began delving into Mr Daybell and Vallows bizarre cult beliefs that questions began being asked about Tammys death too. In December 2019, investigators exhumed her body for an autopsy and it was determined that she had died from asphyxiation, not of natural causes. Just two weeks after Tammys death, Mr Daybell and Vallow were married on a beach in Hawaii, raising suspicion among local law enforcement officials. It was all part of the plan to rid their life of the obstacles that stood in their way of being together, Ms Blake told the court on Wednesday as she laid out the case. The religious book author who wrote about the End Times, used his extreme religious beliefs to justify the crimes and his affair with Vallow was led by his desire for sex, the prosecution argued. This was about sex, Ms Blake said, pointing to the James and Elena story Mr Daybell created that mirrored the couples affair. This is about his boundless lust for Lori. He never intended to divorce Tammy. But he wanted to be married to Lori. They would advance together as translated beings. Investigators searched Daybells Idaho backyard in June 2020, nine months after the children vanished ( Post Register no sales no mags ) During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from Vallows niece, Melani Pawlowski, who said the couple believed that people could be possessed by evil spirits, rendering the person a zombie. They said that zombies would eventually be overcome by the dark spirit and die, she said. Her testimony echoed that given last year by another friend of the couple, Melanie Gibb. Gibb testified during Vallows trial that she heard Vallow call the two kids zombies before they vanished. They were also presented with dozens of cellphone records and messages between Mr Daybell and Vallow, including one in which Mr Daybell allegedly told her that JJ was barely attached to his body and that there is a plan being orchestrated for the children. In closing, Ms Blake told the jury that all Mr Daybell had to do was advise, encourage, plan the murder to be found guilty of the murder charge. Photos of the victims appeared on a screen as family members in the courtroom wiped tears from their eyes. They all became dark and we know what happened, Ms Blake said. All three victims were gone too soon. Mr Daybells defense attorney John Prior, however, has argued that there simply isnt enough evidence to conclusively tie Mr Daybell to the deaths, or even to prove that his late wife, Tammy, was killed instead of dying from natural causes. He said his client was manipulated by Vallow who he described in opening statements as a voracious and very sexual woman who lured him to do her bidding. This beautifully stunning woman named Lori Vallow comes up and she starts giving him a lot of attention, Mr Prior said of the couples first meeting at a religious convention in October 2019. She pursued him. She encouraged him. The defense said Daybell was manipulated by Vallow who he described in opening statements as a voracious and very sexual woman who lured him to do her bidding ( AP ) Last year, Vallow was convicted of the three murders and sentenced to life in prison. Jurors heard how she, Mr Daybell and Vallows late brother Alex Cox were fuelled, in part, by their bizarre cult beliefs. Cox died of natural causes during the investigation and was never charged. In Mr Priors closing arguments on Wednesday, he pinned the murders on Alex Cox and Lori Vallow and said the plan was to have Cox knock Daybell off later so Vallow could get more life insurance money. There has not been any evidence saying were gonna kill the kids. Were gonna kill Tammy, Mr Prior said. Prior said it wasnt a plan to kill, but it was a plan to gather, referring to the couples belief that the world would end in July 2020 and that they would lead a group of 144,000 people who would be saved during the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, according to previous witness testimony. He called Daybell a gatherer of the 144,000 people and said he only wanted to gather people the sick, the elderly, the children, the impoverished, those that cant handle for themselves. It doesnt matter if you agree with Chad, death percentages, light and dark - it doesnt matter. Chad is entitled to his beliefs, he added. Mr Prior told the jury that the state needed to prove that there was an agreement between Mr Daybell, Vallow and Cox to carry out the murders, and that there was no such thing. You have to have an agreement. Do not speculate as to any other case involving the co-conspirators, he said. We do not speculate, we do not guess. Tammy and Chad Daybell were married in 1990. He is now accused of conspiring with Lori Vallow to kill her ( Facebook ) During the states rebuttal, Ms Blake hammered home her point that Mr Daybell was the one orchestrating the entire plan. Lori and Alex werent the ones labeling people dark in the messages. Lori and Alex werent the ones assigning death percentages, Ms Blake said. Chad was. The plan involved scaling light and dark spirits and calling the shots on who needed to be killed, she said. Chad made the decisions and Alex Cox believed and followed his orders 100 percent. Ms Blake told the jury that there does not have to be a written agreement to commit a crime, like Mr Prior had suggested in his closing argument, it can be implied. Chad is the one who determined if someone was dark, he is the one who determined death percentages, she said. The kids were buried on his property. New video shows Chad Daybell discussing finances with daughter as he tells her Im not coming back Over the past two months, jurors at the courthouse have listened to testimony from dozens of witnesses that, at times, turned bizarre and gruesome. There were 67 witnesses called for the prosecution, six of whom were called back, while the defense called 11 witnesses, including two of Mr Daybells adult children. Six rebuttal witnesses were also called. Mr Daybells son, Garth Daybell, and his daughter Emma Daybell Murray, both testified that their mother had been fatigued and sickly before she died. Garth told jurors he was home the night his mother died and that he heard no disturbances from his bedroom next to his parents room, but later only heard Mr Daybell snoring. He said he later felt like police officers and prosecutors were trying to pressure him to change his story, even threatening him with perjury charges at one point. In his testimony on the stand, Garth told the court that if there had been a struggle or fight, he would have heard it. But he said he heard nothing. The next morning, his father called him to help and he rushed to the room to find his mother halfway off the bed and not breathing. I felt she was cold and stiff and gray, he recalled. I realized she had been not breathing. Chad Daybell trial: Prosecution gives closing argument in capital murder case However, rebuttal witness Jason Abegelen, who worked with Garth at a haunted house, recalled a different story. He told the court that Garth told him how he found his mother dead in the bedroom and that his father was not there. Defense witnesses also included Dr Kathy Raven, a forensic pathologist who reviewed reports from Tammy Daybells autopsy and said she believed the cause of death should have been classified as undetermined. Daybell has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Like Vallow, Mr Daybell himself never took the stand in his own defense. If convicted, he 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 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 Florida father was arrested after he allegedly left his 9-year-old daughter and two other young children -aged 10 and 11- alone on an island even though he was supposed to be supervising their camping trip. Leonard Nile, the father, was reportedly tasked with watching the children during a Memorial Day trip. He allegedly left the three children on Samson Island, where a pair of Good Samaritans eventually found them screaming for help late Saturday night. The children were alone for approximately four hours in Satellite Beach, Florida. Robin Suzanne, the mother of the 9-year-old girl, said she spent all day crying on Sunday after she learned of her daughter's harrowing experience the day before. "I cried so much Sunday that I cant cry anymore. Now, I just want answers," she told Fox35. She said the children became frightened after being alone and eventually went to the dock where they started yelling for help. Leonard Nile, 51, was arrested at Satellite Beach, Florida, after he allegedly left three young children on Samson Island, unsupervised, and without food, water, or shelter for several hours ( Brevard County Sheriffs Office ) "I couldnt get there fast enough to make sure my daughter was okay," she told the outlet. According to Ms Suzanne, Mr Nile told the little girl that he needed to grab something from his truck - which was the last time the children saw Mr Nile. Mr Nile was eventually arrested and charged with three felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. At one point, Mr Nile called 911 and said he had lost contact with the children. Responding officers said Mr Nile was emotional when they arrived, and that his mood was fluctuating wildly. They describe him yelling and even crying while discussing the missing children. One officer also noted he could smell alcohol on Mr Nile's breath and suspected he was intoxicated. Mr Nile told police that he and a woman he was with, Kayla Campbell, were planning to camp that evening, and he had returned home to pick up his camping gear. He also mentioned that he left two not three children on Samson Island with a dog, the Space Coast Rocket reports. He and Ms Campbell drove out to the island to help a responding officer find the children. The responding officer said it was difficult to gather a comprehensible statement from the pair due to their suspected intoxication. He also noted that both seemed convinced that only two children were out on the island, when there were actually three. The Good Samaritans who helped the children confirmed to police there were three youngsters left on the island. The police report claims Mr Nile admitted to smoking marijuana, using cocaine, and drinking beer before he met with police on the night of the children's disappearance. He also had medicine that one of the children needed sitting in his truck, separated from the child. A judge set his bond at $7,500. 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 woman in Florida who was caught having sex on a pier in Naples tried to flee police by leaping off into the water, according to law enforcement officials. Allyssia Razo, 20, did not make it far as police took her into custody as soon as she made it to shore and charged her and a man in connection to the incident. The Naples Police Department responded to the scene around 4:30pm Monday after receiving multiple reports that a man and woman were having sex behind the pier's locked gate. The beach was busy with folks enjoying their holiday, WFLA reports. Zadok Westfield, 23, was the second party involved in the lewd act, and was just as surprised as Ms Razo when police showed up to break up their illicit rendezvous. Allyssia Razo, 20, left, and Zadok Westfield, 23, were arrested by Naples police after they allegedly jumped a gate at a locked pier and had sex in public on Memorial Day. Ms Razo allegedly tried to flee police by leaping off the pier and swimming away, but was caught ( Collier County Jail ) The two reportedly scrambled to get dressed, after which Ms Razo allegedly leapt off the edge of the pier into the water. Officers allegedly commanded her to stay put, but claim she did not. The man did not flee and was taken into custody without incident. Mr Westfield told police the two had intended to simply go to the end of the pier and jump off for a swim, but wound up having sex instead. One witness was put in a tough spot when her four children, ages 7 to 15, spotted the couple and began "asking questions about what the subjects were doing," according to police. The couple have both been charged with trespassing for hopping the locked gate and for disturbing the peace by having sex in public. Ms Razo was also charged with resisting arrest without violence. Both were arrested and released from the Collier County Jail on bond the same day. 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 23-year-old man from Minnesota has been accused of killing his pregnant sister and dismembering her body because she was no longer innocent. Jack Joseph Ball was charged Thursday with two counts of second-degree murder for the killings of 30-year-old Bethany Ann Israel of Bloomington and her unborn child, who was four months along, according to Lakeville police. Ball was arrested late Thursday in Rosemount, about five miles northeast of the homicide scene, and had a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat. He has been in hospital since, and was only charged on Tuesday. He was arraigned and bail was set at $2 million. According to a criminal complaint, Ball was arrested after police arrived at a house near 172nd Street and Encina Path at around 11 pm where they found a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor under the sink and sink cabinet. Officers said they found a bloody saw, hatchet and large bloody knives in the home. As they moved through the house, officers said they saw a knife on the living room floor near the staircase. As they searched, police found several dismembered body parts they believed were Israels. Officers later found Ball covered in blood with a slash wound to his throat in the backyard of a neighboring home, where his car was also parked. He was found by officers after they recieved a 911 call from a Rosemount resident reporting they saw a man through their security camera who appeared to place a body part on their front step. An undated photo of Bethany Ann Israel and her husband, Josh Israel. Beth Ann Israel was found murdered and dismembered in a Minnesota home last week and her brother has been arrested in connection to her killing. ( GoFundMe ) The complaint noted that, despite his injury, (Ball) was able to communicate with officers and accurately told them the date, time and name of the current president. Police then searched the area and found several dismembered body parts believed to be those of Israel. After finding Ball and taking him into custody, officers later found journals and other papers belonging to him where he wrote that he was angry Israel was pregnant and no longer innocent, according to court documents. The Hennepin County Medical Examiners Office ruled Israels cause of death as complex homicidal violence. She was between 17 and 18 weeks pregnant, officials said. The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific words cant describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation, said Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena. My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims family. Assistant Dakota County Attorney Stacy St. George added that journal entries indicate the killing may have been premediated. This is a disturbing murder of the defendants sister and her unborn child, he told the court on Tuesday while asking for the high bail amount. Journal entries indicate that this may have been premediated. As the complaint describes, the defendant murdered, then dismembered the body and placed various body parts in different locations in Dakota County. Ball does not have a criminal history, court records show, and the complaint did not note any mental illness issues in his past. However, Rosemount Police Chief Mikael Dahlstrom said Ball used to live in Rosemount, and his department has had previous interactions with him. Most recently, Rosemount Police responded to a mental health call for Ball in 2022, local outlet TwinCities reported, citing comments made by Dahlstrom. Following her death, Israel was remembered as a cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother who was also a beloved figure in the volleyball community. Her love for life, her family, and the friendships she nurtured are the legacies she leaves behind, a GoFundMe page reads. As a beacon of warmth and generosity, Bethanys absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. 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 former South Dakota mayor has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder over a triple slaying in the area that he used to represent. Jay Ostrem, 64, was arrested following the deaths of three victims on Monday night. He was detained by the Turner County Sheriffs Office, where he had also reportedly once served as a detective. The incident was reported at around 10pm on 27 May at a residence in the city of Centerville. Jay Ostrem has been arrested and charged with three counts of First Degree Murder, and law enforcement has secured the scene, said Attorney General Marty Jackley. There is no further threat to the public. Mr Ostrem worked in law enforcement for more than two decades in Wyoming and South Dakota, media reports said. He served as mayor of Centerville about a decade-and-a-half ago, but the exact dates werent immediately available. The names of the three victims, aged 21, 26 and 35, have not yet been released by police pending notification of next of kin. It is understood that two of the men were brothers. Jay Ostrem, a former mayor of South Dakota city Centerville, has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder ( Sioux Falls Live/ Turner County Sheriffs Office ) According to the state attorney generals office, Mr Ostrem is being held on a $1m cash only bond in the Minnehaha County Jail, following the incident. Authorities did not list a motive for the crime. However, in a complaint filed on Tuesday, obtained by the South Dakota Searchlight, Mr Ostrem justified his actions by claiming it was in retaliation to a sexual assault on his wife. One of the three men killed was the alleged perpetrator of the sexual assault, the complaint stated. Another was a relative of that man, who called police to report the shooting before being shot himself. A man had called 911 to report that his brother had been shot by a guy from across the street, and that the gunman had returned home. Police said the man remained on the phone with a dispatcher when a gunshot rang out and then yelled that he was shot. After that, police said, he went silent. After some time on the phone with the dispatcher, the male calling party then reported he had been shot, the affidavit said, reported by Sioux Falls Live. Shortly after he reported he had been shot, the male stopped communicating with the dispatcher. A third man was also found dead in the home, though his relationship with the brothers was not specified. The affidavit stated that Mr Ostrems wife told police that the fatal events came after her disclosure to him that one of the victims had sexually assaulted her at their home on Thursday evening as he slept. The man lived across the street from the Ostrems. Per The Searchlight, upon learning of the incident Mr Ostrem got up and went raging out of the house. His wife stayed inside until police arrived, which happened shortly after Mr Ostrem was found walking near his home with an AR-style rifle and a .380 pistol. A South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks conservation officer was the first to encounter Mr Ostrem after the shooting, the affidavit said, who noticed an odor of consumed alcohol. He complied with the officers commands to stop walking, and he told the officer he had a pistol in his pocket. The date for Mr Ostrems initial appearance on the Turner County charges has yet to be set. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A woman wanted by Interpol on murder charges was nabbed in a tiny, rural Texas town - though details about her crime and her hideout spot remain murky. Leo Acosta Sanchez was taken into custody in Splendora, Texas, a town of less than 2,000 people in southeastern Texas, during a traffic stop on May 24. The young woman, who police say was illegally residing in the country, was known to travel between Splendora and her home in Terrenos, a nearby neighborhood. That information helped lead police to an arrest, Lieutenant Troy Teller told The Independent. After spotting her vehicle, Splendora officers called for backup. After additional officers arrived, Splendora police and the Department of Homeland Security arrested Ms Sanchez. Leo Acosta Sanchez, pictured, was arrested in a small Texas town after Interpol said she was a fugitive facing murder charges ( Splendora Police Department ) Splendora Police commends the swift and effective collaboration with our Federal partners in ensuring the apprehension of this dangerous individual, the Splendora Police Department said in a statement. Lt Teller was unable to provide The Independent with specific details about the charges Ms Sanchez faces. However, Lieutenant Teller said she is wanted by Interpol on murder charges out of Mexico. Leo Acosta Sanchez, pictured during her arrest, is wanted for murder in Mexico, a Lieutenant Teller told The Independent ( Splendora Police Department ) The Independent has contacted Interpol for comment. Interpol often sends red notices that is, a request to law enforcement officials to find and arrest someone pending extradition to local offices. Just last week, Interpol issued a red notice for an author and her teen son after they allegedly fled to the US from Turkey after a fatal car crash in Istanbul. Then, earlier this month, an Israeli private investigator was arrested in London after Interpol issued a red notice. Amit Forlit was wanted in the US for allegedly carrying out a cyberespionage campaign with an American PR firm. 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 Tennessee teenager was fatally shot a day after she celebrated her high school graduation, with the suspect claiming he wasnt aware the gun was loaded. Lily Basil, 18, was pronounced dead on Saturday night after she was struck in the right shoulder by a bullet from a rifle, police said. The shooting happened just one day after she graduated from Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee. Lily Basils smile lit up every room she entered, her high school principal said ( Family Handout ) Matthew Roufail, also 18, was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with criminal homicide, WZTV reported, citing a police affidavit. Police have arrested Matthew Roufail, 18. Hes charged with criminal homicide. His bond is set at $150,000, Franklin Police announced Sunday. Police believe this was an isolated incident. The investigation is ongoing. The suspect was met by police after arriving at Williamson County Medical Center, believing it was the hospital where Basil had been taken, the affidavit added. He had graduated from Ravenhood High School, located ten miles away from Page High School, on the same day as Basil, according to the Williamson Herald. He was bonded out on Tuesday, WKRN reported. Matthew Roufail, 18, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide ( Franklin Police Department ) Following the shooting, he allegedly admitted to shooting Basil, but told police he did not know the AR-15-style rifle was loaded. One of the witnesses who attempted to drive Basil to the hospital told police he saw Roufail shoot the graduate with a .22 caliber rifle. The gun had been in the trunk of the witness car where the teens had been hanging out before the shooting, the affidavit said. Police did not disclose how Basil and Roufail knew each other. Following the news of Basils death, her high school principal released a statement describing her as a kind student whose smile lit up every room she entered. The Page High family mourns the loss of 2024 graduate Lily Basil. Lily was a light; she was kind, sweet and extremely respectful. Her smile lit up every room she entered, school principal Katie Hill said in a statement. Police have not said if Lily and her alleged killer knew each other ( Family Handout ) Though she was newer to the Page community, she quickly embraced the Patriot spirit and was a friend to everyone she met. Page faculty, staff and students will dearly miss Lily, and we are committed to honoring her memory by sharing her light. Several memorials are scheduled to honor the teenager, with her funeral scheduled for Friday morning. In addition to the services, community members were also asked to shine a light on Friday at sunset, as part of Page High Schools Light the Night Memorial: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Lily Basil. Help us honor Lily and celebrate the light she brought to our lives by lighting a candle, a luminary or by turning on a porch light that evening, Hill said. 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 United States ranks among the top five countries in the world with the most executions in 2023, according to a new report from Amnesty International. The US carried out 24 death sentences last year with only China (1,000+ executions), Iran (853+), Saudi Arabia (172), and Somalia (38+) using the death penalty more often. Its not the first time the US has received this dubious honor - it was also in the top five in 2022. The new report captures the halfway status of the death penalty in America. At the end of last year, 23 states had abolished the death penalty, and others, like California, havent carred out executions in years, despite keeping capital punishment on the books. Nonetheless, the rate of executions is little changed since the mid-1990s, and a small handful of states like Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri and Alabama continue to carry out executions. A select number of US states demonstrated a chilling commitment to the death penalty and a callous intent to invest resources in the taking of human life, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a statement to The Independent. The report points to specific examples of executions in the US as representative of the flaws in the capital punishment system, such as the August killing of Johnny Johnson in Missouri. Johnson, who was convicted of murdering a six-year-old in 2002, had been diagnosed with numerous mental illnesses throughout his life including schizophrenia, major depression, psychotic disorder, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. He was in an actively psychotic state when he committed his crime, according to officials. He was executed without a hearing over whether he had the mental function to understand his punishment. On the eve of his execution, the US Supreme Court refused to intervene, prompting liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson to argue in a dissenting opinion that the decision paves the way to execute a man with documented mental illness before any court meaningfully investigates his competency to be executed. They added: There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world. The Amnesty report also singles out the October execution of Michael Duane Zack, who was convicted of the 1996 murder of a woman in Escambia County, Florida. He was executed before courts could consider the building scientific evidence that his lifelong diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is equivalent to an intellectual disability. Joe Biden, despite being the first US president to openly oppose capital punishment, has continued to preside over the federal executions process. In July 2023, Robert Bowers, who shot and killed 11 people at Pittsburghs Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, was sentenced to death, though this was a holdover case from the Trump years. This January, the DOJ sought its first Biden-era execution, for Payton Gendron, the then-18-year-old who killed 10 Black shoppers at a New York supermarket in 2022. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage 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 woman is suing a Florida Sheriff over claims that she was forced out of her home naked on two occasions in front of her 14-year-old son and six-year-old daughter while search warrants were being executed at her property. LaTanya Griffin, 46, filed a lawsuit at a federal court on Monday and named the defendants as Sheriff Eric Aden and Grady Carpenter, a now-retired deputy who was at the scene of both warrants at her home. Mr Aden heads the same police department already under scrutiny over another controversy the fatal shooting of an Air Force airman. Ms Griffin claims she was not arrested or charged after either warrant, but alleges that her Fourth Amendment rights, which forbid any unreasonable searches and seizures, had been violated when she was forced outside of her home while she was not dressed, a civil lawsuit obtained by The Independent states. She is seeking damages of more than $1m for a continuing list, including medical care, loss of income, as well as relocation expenses for the current claim. Her attorney stated to NBC that she was not the target of the warrants when she was forced outside her home fully naked on 29 August 2019 and 28 May 2020. During the first incident, which she has previously sued the sheriffs office deputies for, Ms Griffin alleges that deputies used a battering ram to enter her home during a search warrant. She says she was woken and made to leave her bedroom naked. She claims she was then ordered at gunpoint to walk downstairs and outside in front of the officers and her two children. The recently filed lawsuit describes the second incident in 2020, in which Ms Griffin claims that Mr Carpenter was present and provided direction and oversight on both occasions for the deputies operations. The May 2020 incident was allegedly carried out during the execution of an arrest warrant, again using a battering ram, before daybreak at Ms Griffins home in a residential community close to a public roadway, the suit claims. With striking similarity to the August 29th seizure, Ms Griffin was allegedly again ordered outside of her residence naked, despite objecting to being unclothed as she did in the previous incident. Once outside, the lawsuit said that Ms Griffins children watched her during her naked detention for a substantial amount of time, while she was zip-tied or handcuffed from behind. Deputies eventually placed a tank top over her head, providing partial covering but not concealment of her genitalia, the lawsuit alleges. Ms Griffins attorney, Kevin Anderson, told NBC News, who were the first to report on the matter, that the deputies took no precautions to preserve her dignity. She was humiliated and made to do what they wanted her to do. She was treated like an animal, he added, saying that his client has since moved from Okaloosa County to a northern part of the state. Ms Griffin alleges in the complaint that Mr Carpenter failed to exercise his authority to stop constitutional violation. Ms Griffin has claimed in the lawsuit that she suffered a loss of liberty and freedom, as well as physical discomfort, emotional distress and injury to her reputation. In the first lawsuit, which was filed back in August 2023, the sheriffs offices legal response was that their actions were consistent with established, reasonable, and generally accepted police procedure and actions made by the two deputies named in the initial complaint were made in good faith and while they were acting within the course and scope of their employment as deputy sheriffs with the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office, NBC reports. This first lawsuit is still in the discovery phase, Ms Griffins attorney told the outlet. In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for the Okaloosa County Sheriffs office said that the events alleged in this lawsuit would have taken place prior to Sheriff Aden taking office. Therefore, he is unable to provide comments about this matter. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Florida issued this press release in 2021. Their office executed the search warrant related to Ms. Griffins lawsuit, the spokesperson added. The Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office was present at the time and its deputies conducted themselves with professionalism throughout that encounter. We look forward to receiving service of Ms. Griffins lawsuit and to fully addressing her claims in court. The sheriffs office has also recently come under fire for the fatal shooting of an Air Force airman at his Florida home after his family alleged that an officer responded to the wrong address. US Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot on 3 May 2024 by a deputy from the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Chantemekki Fortson, mother of Roger Fortson, holds a photo of her son during a news conference ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Speaking at a news conference, Sheriff Aden maintained that the deputy did knock on the correct door and that any statements made by the family and Ben Crump, the famed civil rights attorney retained to represent them, are inaccurate. The Independent has contacted Mr Anderson for comment. 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 }} Harvard University announced on Tuesday that leadership will no longer make public statements on controversial issues, months after its president resigned following backlash over a statement she made on the Israel-Hamas war. A faculty-led Institutional Voice working group made the decision that leaders will not to issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the universitys core function. University President Alan M Garber accepted the recommendation, which was also endorsed by the Harvard Corporation, the universitys governing body, The Harvard Crimson reported. The policy will apply to administrators, governing board members, deans, department chairs and faculty councils. Graduating students hold Palestinian flags and chant as they walk out in protest over the 13 students who have been barred from graduating due to protest activities, during commencement in Harvard Yard ( AP ) There will be close cases where reasonable people disagree about whether a given issue is or is not directly related to the core function of the university, the working group said. The universitys policy in those situations should be to err on the side of avoiding official statements. Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned from her post in January following a statement she made on Hamas October 7 attack on Israel. In a statement, signed by Ms Gay and 17 other Harvard officials, administrators said they were heartbroken by the death and destruction caused by the Hamas attack. The administration was criticized by some who said the statement didnt go far enough to condemn the Hamas attacks and antisemitism. According to the student newspaper, the university is hoping to avoid a similar situation with the new guidelines. Mr Garber, the universitys new president, has also established groups to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias. Going forward, the university should clarify that leaders who choose to speak out about current affairs do not speak on behalf of the university, the working group stated. There are concerns that conflicting viewpoints could cause communities within the institution to become alienated. Because few, if any, world events can be entirely isolated from conflicting viewpoints, issuing official empathy statements runs the risk of alienating some members of the community by expressing implicit solidarity with others, the group said. Harvard employees were notified of the changes in an email from Mr Garber and signed by 17 other top administrators on Tuesday. According to the Harvard Crimson, the administration did not address decisions on divestment and investment. Students across the country, including at Harvard, have built encampments and protested on campus in recent months, demanding that their universities divest from companies supplying the Israeli military in light of the war. Hundreds of students have been arrested, including two Harvard graduate students who are facing misdemeanor assault and battery charges following a confrontation with an Israeli student at a pro-Palestine protest in October. 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 }} Harvey Weinstein is set to to appear before a judge on Wednesday afternoon in the same courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial. Weinstein is awaiting a retrial on rape charges after his 2020 conviction was thrown out. Wednesday's court hearing will address various legal issues related to the upcoming trial, which is tentatively scheduled for some time after Labor Day. Weinstein's original trial was held in the same courtroom where Trump is on trial now, but the two men are unlikely to bump into each other. Weinstein is in custody and will be brought to and from the courtroom under guard. He will be appearing in a courtroom on a different floor than where Trump is currently on trial. Weinstein was convicted of rape in the third degree for an attack on Jessica Mann, an aspiring actor, and of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley, a former TV and film production assistant. But last month New Yorks highest court threw out those convictions after determining that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that werent part of the case. Weinstein, 72, has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual. Former President Donald Trump returns from a break as closing arguments continue during his criminal hush money trial ( AP ) The New York ruling reopened a painful chapter in Americas reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. Last week, prosecutors asked Judge Curtis Farber to remind Weinsteins lawyers not to discuss or disparage potential witnesses in public ahead of the retrial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office argued that Weinsteins lead attorney, Arthur Aidala, made statements meant to intimidate Haley earlier this month. Speaking outside of court on May 1, Aidala said Haley lied to the jury about her motive in coming forward and that his team planned an aggressive cross-examination on the issue if she dares to come and show her face here. Aidala didnt respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday about Bragg's request. Haley has said she does not want to go through the trauma of testifying again, but for the sake of keeping going and doing the right thing and because it is what happened, I would consider it. Her attorney, Gloria Allred, declined to comment until after she attends Wednesdays proceedings. Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. 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 Massachusetts man gave his pregnant girlfriend abortion medication under the guise of iron pills and vitamins, causing her to miscarry, prosecutors say. Robert Kawada, 43, is now facing criminal charges of attempted poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. One of the pills he is accused of giving the victim is believed to be misoprostol, which is used in combination with mifepristone to end a pregnancy. Mr Kawada was arraigned in Waltham District Court on Tuesday. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and the judge set his bail at $100,000. During Tuesdays arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Jacob McCrindle said Mr Kawada and the victim began dating in January after meeting on a dating app. The two went on several in-person dates and engaged in consensual sex on three occasions, The Boston Globe reported. After learning the victim was pregnant, Mr Kawada ended their relationship. However, the two met in person to discuss the pregnancy. The victim claims Mr Kawada assured her about the pregnancy and shared his experience with his ex-wifes pregnancy. Robert Kawada, 43, gave his pregnant girlfriend, abortion medication under the guise of iron pills and vitamins, prosecutors say. He has now been charged in connection to the case. ( WCVB Channel 5 Boston / YouTube ) On one of those occasions they met, the victim alleges Mr Kawada gave her homemade raspberry leaf cookies which caused her to feel unwell. Prosecutors explained that raspberry leaves are sometimes used to start labor but can be potentially harmful during the first trimester. On another occasion, Mr Kawada gave the victim pills but she went to the bathroom and spat them out. She later saved them in a Ziplock plastic bag. Before their final meeting, prosecutors say Mr Kawanda orchestrated a call from a fake nurse to advise the victim she should take iron pills due to her blood levels. Mr Kawanda then showed up at the victims home with the supposed iron supplements. Mr McCrindle alleges Mr Kawanda checked her mouth by pulling on the victims cheeks to ensure she had consumed the pills. The victim later went to sleep feeling cold and shivering and woke up with very bad cramps. She later miscarried. The victim called the nurse but soon discovered it was an internet-based phone number and became suspicious it was a fake number from a fake nurse. After informing her family of the incident, the victim called the police and provided the previous pills Mr Kawada gave her. Prosecutors say that when questioned by police, Mr Kawada said he gave her vitamin C and iron pills. Cell phone web searches from Mr Kawandas phone show searches for misoprostol dissolved and 9-week aborted fetus pics. Prosecutors say Mr Kawanda also called an online pharmacy that sells misoprostol which is only available in the state through a prescription. Mr Kawada is expected to return to court on July 23 for a probable cause hearing. 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 }} Social media users are mocking Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late US Senator John McCain, for a tweet talking about the right way to raise a nepo baby. Sometimes the absolute best thing a famous parent can do for their nepo baby child is simply tell them no, Ms McCain, a podcast and former host of The View, wrote on X on Tuesday, using a slang term thats short for nepotism baby. It was unclear if she was refering to any particular nepo child, and the comments left some online were puzzled, given that Ms McCains rise in the political media world was undoubtedly aided by her famous family heritage. Omg you are a nepo baby! political strategist Rachel Bitecofer wrote in response. I guess your parents did you wrong! added Monika Nemeth, a former local official in Washington, DC. The Independent has contacted Ms McCain for comment. Ms McCain, who, at least according to her social media bios, self-identifies as a nepo baby, has frequently weighed into the perennial nepo baby discourse online. Last year, she publically threatened to bring legal action against members of The View, after co-host Ana Navarro accused Ms McCain of influence-peddling off her famous name, an accusation she also leveled at Joe Bidens son Hunter. I have never been accused of a crime in my life and am a patriotic American - I would never and have never influenced peddled in my life, let alone with foreign adversaries, Ms McCain wrote on X at the time. Not all politicians children are the same - and I am no Hunter Biden. Around that time, Ms McCain claimed on her podcast that she hadnt struggled with the same issues as other children of famous political figures. But I am the exception, she said. A lot of nepo babies, particularly in politics, they struggle, they have addiction issues, theres a lot of darkness. I am very proud of the fact that I never went down that road. In 2021, Ms McCain also pushed back against those who see her as lazy due to her connection to the senator. "Look, I can only speak for myself, but every single door Ive ever walked in my entire life, people automatically assume that youre going to be a lazy, spoiled brat that wont contribute to anything because you have famous parents," she said on The View. "Its something I have dealt with my entire life. I no longer care," she continued. "I think my work ethics speaks for itself, but I think people think when you have a famous family or a famous parent, everything is just given to you and things are really easy." 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 owner of a tiny blind and deaf dog in Sturgeon, Missouri, is suing the city and one of its police officers for $1million after the defenseless animal was shot dead earlier this month. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, alleges that the city failed to properly train, supervise, and discipline the officer who used unnecessary lethal force. The suit was filed on behalf of Teddys owner, Nicholas Hunter, who is seeking compensation in excess of $1m for violation of his rights under the 4th Amendment. Teddy, a 13lb shih-tzu, escaped from his backyard in Sturgeon on May 19, when officers were called to recover him. Five-year-old Teddy was born deaf and lost his sight around two years ago, Mr Hunter said. Police bodycam footage showed an officer, identified by the lawsuit as Myron Woodson, chasing Teddy around a large field and making several unsuccessful attempts to catch him. The City of Sturgeon later claimed the officer believed Teddy had been infected with rabies. The City of Sturgeon being sued for $1m after Teddy, a 13-pound disabled Shih Tzu, was shot dead by a police officer ( Nicholas Hunter/KOMU ) The lawsuit, which is being partially funded by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), described Mr Woodsons warrantless seizure of Teddy as unnecessary, callous, and egregious. At no time during the encounter between Teddy and Defendant Woodson did Teddy show any aggression towards Defendant Woodson, the lawsuit, obtained by The Independent, stated. Teddy never barked, growled, or even moved towards Defendant Woodson. Instead, the small, blind and deaf dog simply kept trying to walk away, oblivious to the danger that Defendant Woodson posed to him. The complaint alleges that the police officer told Mr Hunter that he had not felt threatened by Teddy at any point. Indeed, the small Teddy could not have harmed the much larger and stronger Defendant Woodson even if he had been so inclined, it stated. The officer from the Sturgeon Police Department, in Missouri, claimed he believed that Teddy was rabid. His behaviour was due to the fact that he was deaf and blind ( City of Sturgeon/ Facebook ) The police officer reportedly walked back this claim and said he believed that Teddy was injured, acknowledging that he simply had no idea whether Teddy was injured or not and Teddy, in fact, was not acting in the manner as would an injured dog. The lawsuit, filed at the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri, also highlighted the officers alleged incompetency, and the fact that he appeared to be unable to use the most common and simplest of animal control devices his animal capture pole. The officers decision to shoot the animal sparked fury online. People on the small towns Facebook page to describe the local police as a joke, as well as disgusting and disappointing after attempting to justify the officers actions. Many called for the officers resignation. The backlash intensified when officials determined the officer had committed no wrongdoing. UNACCEPTABLE!!!!! Sturgeon Police force is seriously a joke, one user wrote on Facebook. Another went further, writing: This is a disgrace. The officer involved needs to be immediately removed from duty and charged with felony animal abuse. I pray the owner sues the city, the mayor, the officer and the department. I will be filing a complaint with the state attorney generals office. The entire city council should resign after hiring this man. Mr Hunters lawsuit alleges that the police officers actions violated rights under the 4th Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Unfortunately, these types of shootings occur all too frequently. Contrary to the common misconception that its just a dog, every federal circuit to have addressed the issue has held that the unreasonable killing of a companion animal by law enforcement violates the owners most fundamental rights as secured by the Fourth Amendment, said attorney Daniel J Kolde. According to the ALDF, the Department of Justice estimates that each year as many as 10,000 dogs are shot and killed by police. This is such an unnecessary, and preventable problem, said ALDF executive director Chris Green. It all comes down to providing police officers with adequate training and then holding all involved accountable. The goal is to prevent these tragedies from ever happening in the first place. 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 California sheriffs department caused 20 students to fall ill after conducting a training exercise with decades-expired tear gas near their elementary school. The students and one teacher at Portola Elementary School in San Bruno, California became ill last Tuesday, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. Their symptoms were caused by tear gas from a tactical training class at an isolated area of the San Francisco County Jail, located less than one mile from their school. Deputies were using gas that may have expired decades ago, according to the Chronicle. When asked by the newspaper if the tear gas was indeed expired, Tara Moriarty with the San Francisco Sheriffs Office said that question is part of what were going to look into as part of our review, making sure that it doesnt happen again. Obviously we are always concerned that theres something expired or out of commission, to how we dispose of that, Ms Moriarty told the outlet. Emergency crews responded to Portola Elementary School, pictured, after expired tear gas from a nearby police training exercise caused 20 students and a teacher to fall ill ( KTVU ) The students reported burning in their eyes, noses and throats, the Chronicle reports. Several emergency medical crews responded to the school as the incident unfolded. High winds in the area likely caused the gas to waft towards the school, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told local outlet KTVU last week. Officials said deputies have used an isolated area of the jail for the training exercise for decades, CBS News reports. This is an unprecedented situation that we take very seriously, Ms Moriarty told CBS News Bay Area. We sincerely apologize to Portola Elementary School, its faculty and students, and their families for this unforeseen event which must have been especially scary for children. John Nazar, Portola Elementary Schools interim principal, told KTVU the incident was very challenging. The San Francisco Sheriffs Office has now paused all future training that will involve chemical agents as they continue to investigate the incident, CBS News reports. 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 year on from the Titan submersible disaster, a US billionaire is launching a new $20m submarine project to prove that the Titanic wreck site can be explored safely. Larry Connor, 74, a real estate tycoon from Ohio, plans to travel 12,400 feet to the bottom of the North Atlantic in a two-person submersible, made by Triton Submarines. This comes after five people lost their lives including OceanGate founder Stockton Rush in a similar sub when it suffered a catastrophic implosion around an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the Titanic wreck site. OceanGate, which charged $250,0000 for trips to the site, subsequently suspended all its operations, pending an investigation that is still ongoing. I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way, Connor told the Wall Street Journal. Connor is working with Patrick Lahey, an experienced diver and submersible designer, who co-founded Triton Submarines. They will make the journey in a sub known as the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer one of a range of submersibles produced by the company. Larry Connor plans to visit the Titanic wreck ( @theconnorgrp/YouTube ) Already advertised on the Triton Submarines website, Connor said the vehicle utilises new technology that wasnt available as recently as five years ago. Patrick has been thinking about and designing this for over a decade. But we didnt have the materials and technology, Connor said. You couldnt have built this sub five years ago. According to the company website, the Triton is the worlds deepest diving acrylic sub, and it is advertised as having unmatched capabilities. [He said], you know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption, Lahey said. It is not currently known when Connor and Lahey plan to make the voyage to the Titanic wreck site. The billionaire was previously critical of the late OceanGate founder Stockton Rush and described his approach to deep sea exploration as predatory. On 18 June 2023, Rush was instantly killed alongside Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet in the Titan submersible. The sub is reported to have imploded under enormous water pressure as a result of structural weakness or an issue with its hatch. The Independent has reached out to Trion Submarines for further information. 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 Biden campaign mocked Donald Trumps mumbling and use of an emotional support paper to deliver a speech outside his New York hush money trial, repurposing a frequent line of attack on Joe Biden, who sometimes speaks with a stutter. Mr Trump, who often offers lengthy tirades outside the Manhattan courthouse where hes on trial for allegedly concealing hush money payments during the 2016 campaign, launched into a familiar diatribe on Tuesday ahead of closing arguments. The former president read from a packet of paper containing favorable press clips and supportive quotes from various commentators, stumbling as he once again claimed that he didnt violate any federal laws in doling out hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Biden-Harris HQ, the rapid response wing of the Biden campaign posted part of the speech on X, describing the scene as A doddering Trump struggles to read off his emotional support paper outside the courthouse. Age and communication ability have been part of the criticisms of both candidates ahead of Novembers election. Former President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, arrive at Manhattan criminal court for closing arguments in Trump's criminal hush money trial in New York, on 28 May 2024 ( AP ) Joe Biden is the oldest person to ever occupy the White House, a distinction he took over from Donald Trump, the previous record-holder. Mr Trump, for his part, has frequently mocked Joe Bidens faculties, dubbing him Sleepy Joe during the 2020 campaign, and mocking the presidents stutter during recent 2024 campaign events. These attacks are probably not the first thing on either candidates mind though. Closing arguments are nearly done in the hush money trial, and jury deliberations could begin as soon as Wednesday. If hes convicted, Mr Trump could serve up to four years in prison for each of the 34 felony counts against him. In Bidenworld, meanwhile, insiders are reportedly experiencing a freakout over polling showing Mr Trump leading the incumbent in most of the swing states that will decide the election. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Just days after Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good traveled to a Manhattan courtroom to show support for Donald Trump, the former president has endorsed his Republican primary opponent. The ex-presidents insertion into the Republican primary race playing out in Virginias 5th congressional district is a sign of the heightened level of loyalty GOP members of Congress are now expected to show to their partys presumed nominee for president, despite (or possibly due to) the onslaught of criminal charges Mr Trump now faces. Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday of the man who had personally journeyed miles to seek his favor just a few days ago. He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and loving Endorsement - But really, it was too late. The damage had been done! In the same post, Mr Trump wrote he was endorsing John McGuire, a Republican running against Mr Good in Virginias 18 June primary. Mr McGuire, somewhat awkwardly, had joined the former president in New York on the same day as Mr Good as the two seemingly auditioned for the endorsement. Mr Trump faces more than 30 felony charges in New York, where he is accused of repeatedly falsifying business records to hide hush money payments made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels. John, who fought the Cartels on the Front Line, and then came home and fought the drug dealers in Virginia, will ALWAYS PUT AMERICA FIRST, wrote Mr Trump of the candidate, whom he said had his total support. The former president is not likely to schedule a last-minute trip to Virginia to boost Mr McGuire as he did in Ohio, where his loyalist supporter Bernie Moreno received a much-needed boost of support at a rally hosted by Mr Trump the weekend ahead of the primary. But news of Mr Trumps support may still trickle its way down to voters in the 5th district through right-wing media ahead of the primary, which is likely to be highly competitive. Virginia as a whole is once again set to be a major battleground in 2024; the state chose a Republican governor during Mr Bidens first year in office, but in the months and years since has taken a bluer direction, especially in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe vs Wade. Mr Good is chair of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives in the House of Representatives. Under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the group has pushed for stricter cuts to government spending. They have continued lobbying for such cuts under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson in the GOP-controlled House through 2023-24, but have been stymied by Mr Johnson on some of their demands due to a lack of leverage. Complicating their efforts to secure such cuts: The Senate remains in Democratic control and is unlikely to sign on to drastic cuts in exchange for crucial votes on measures to avert government shutdowns or debt limit hikes, the group members typical strategy. Virginia Rep Bob Good speaks to reporters while flanked by other Republican members of Congress outside of a Manhattan courtroom in New York where Donald Trump is on trial for a hush money scheme ( Getty Images ) But despite his conservative record, Mr Goods supposed crime was obvious. The Virginia congressman endorsed Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, in his ill-fated bid for the White House last year even as Mr DeSantis failed to lock up members of his own states congressional delegation. The governors campaign would go on to quickly sputter out after barely finishing second in the Iowa caucuses. Mr Good tried to make amends with the former president; in January, mere minutes after Mr DeSantis announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 race, the Virginia congressman switched his endorsement to Mr Trump. It was not enough. Thank you to President Donald J. Trump for endorsing my campaign for Congress!, John McGuire said in a statement obtained by news affiliate KDVR. Ive been with Trump since he came down the escalator and when Im in Congress, Ill back his agenda and put America First! 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 }} Donald Trump and his fellow MAGA Republicans reacted hysterically over jury instructions in the former presidents hush money trial, spreading misinformation about the process and branding it a sham. After sitting in court to listen to Justice Juan Merchan read the instructions to the jury on Wednesday, he jumped on Truth Social to post false claims about what had actually been said. IT IS RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN that the highly Conflicted, Radical Left Judge is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me brought by Soros backed D.A. Alvin Bragg, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after 1.30pm on Wednesday after jury deliberations began. A THIRD WORLD ELECTION INTERFERENCE HOAX! Mr Trump faces 34 counts of having falsified business records to cover up reimbursements to his former attorney Michael Cohen, who allegedly was directed by Mr Trump to pay off Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about her story about having sex with Mr Trump a decade earlier. A jury of seven men and five women began deliberating the first-ever criminal case of an American president shortly before 11:30am on Wednesday. In order to find him guilty, jurors must determine that Manhattan prosecutors have proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he falsified business records with the intent to commit or conceal a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election. All 12 jurors must be unanimous in delivering a verdict. The jury must agree that Mr Trump personally or by acting in concert with a person or other persons, made or contributed to false invoices and did so with the intent to defraud, and that he conspired to influence the election by unlawful means. Donald Trump walks toward the press to speak after the 12 jurors in his criminal trial began deliberating at Manhattan Criminal Court on 29 May ( EPA ) The unlawful means includes violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the falsification of other business records, and violations of state and federal tax laws. Jurors do not have to be unanimous about which of those unlawful means were involved. They must be unanimous that he falsified records as part of that election conspiracy by using unlawful means. In his jury instructions, Judge Merchan also added that you need not be unanimous on whether the defendant committed the crime personally, or by acting in concert with another, or both. Although you must conclude unanimously that the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were, he stated. This means that jurors do have to be unanimous that Trump falsified records as part of that election conspiracy by using unlawful means, but not what those means were. Mr Trumps legal team even agreed with this version of events. This didnt stop a right-wing meltdown over the jury instructions, led by Mr Trump and quickly followed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who wrote on X: Judge in Trump case in NYC just told jury they dont have to unanimously agree on which crime was committed as long as they all at least pick one. And that among the crimes the can pick from are ones Trump WASNT EVEN CHARGED WITH!!! This is exactly the kind of sham trial used against political opponents of the regime in the old Soviet Union. John Roberts of Fox News wrote that Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict. Four could agree on one crime, four on a different one, and the other four on another. He said he would treat 4-4-4 as a unanimous verdict. Attorney Bradley Moss responded: People keep harping on this but are missing the context. They have to be unanimous that Trump falsified the records and did so with the intent to commit another crime. They do not have to be unanimous on what the other crime was: thats the rule under NY law. John. Retire. You just butchered this, broadcaster Keith Olbermann said. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wrote on X that Judge Merchans jury instructions are a direct violation of Richardson v. US, a decision that LIBERAL Justice Breyer wrote and CONSERVATIVE justices like Scalia and Thomas agreed with. Totally RIGGED trial! Mr Moss was quick to call this claim another red herring. He added: Richardson dealt with a specific FEDERAL statute. Not a state crime. 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 }} Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has had her law license suspended for three years in her home state of Colorado for the lies she spread as part of an effort overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The agreement was approved on Tuesday by the Colorado Supreme Court. Ellis could have been disbarred after pleading guilty in October to a felony in Georgia. A prosecutor in the case told the Georgia court that Ellis aided and abetted two Trump lawyers when they baselessly told Georgia state senators that tens of thousands of votes in the state were illegal. The governing body for lawyers in Colorado had already censured Ellis after she made false statements regarding the election, according to The Denver Post. While disbarment is the presumptive sanction for Respondents misconduct, it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal, the agreement states. Ellis also wrote a letter of remorse, saying that she turned a blind eye to the notion that Trump campaign lawyers were pushing falsities in their cynical Stop the Steal campaign. Jenna Ellis reads a statement after pleading guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings on 24 October, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia ( Getty Images ) She also wrote that having accepted her suspension, I will hopefully encourage others who may still believe that the election was stolen to consider changing their position. Everything that has come out since has not proven that claim. Her attorney, John Michal Richilano, told The Denver Post that unlike others in the Trump orbit, she stepped forward and took responsibility and told the truth. He added: She did this at considerable personal cost, having received threatening emails, texts and tweets, also of the obscene variety She gratefully accepted suspension of her license understanding her role and realizing, after the fact, that there was a lot of untruths being advanced on behalf of the former president. The agreement goes on to say that, The evidence surrounding her plea reflects that she aided and abetted the false statements at issue through her presence at the Georgia Senate Subcommittee meeting, but did not otherwise contribute to drafting or preparing the false statements. She has also expressed remorse and has recognized the harm caused by her misconduct, it states. 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 }} Documentarian Ken Burns put his longstanding attempt at neutrality aside to issue a stern warning about presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as he spoke at a commencement. There is no real choice this November, Burns told Brandeis University graduates last week. The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems, he said. Burns warned students that the United States is at an existential crossroads in political and civic lives. Without using direct names, he told students, The choice could not be clearer. His comments quickly spread online and garnered strong rebuke from the MAGA faithful with one labeling his comments highly inappropriate. Ken Burns warned graduates of Brandeis University there is no real choice this November ( Brandeis University / The Independent ) The documentarian is a known Democratic supporter though he told students that he had consciously tried to maintain neutrality to preserve the integrity of his documentaries messages. But when it comes to the potential outcome of the November election, Burns felt compelled to tell students that taking the other route will lead to a chaotic decline that will engulf and destroy us. Do not be seduced by easy equalization, there is nothing equal about this equation, Burns added. Several Trump allies lashed out at the filmmaker, calling his address a disgrace and condemning him for pushing his political views on graduates. Attorney Jonathan Turley created three posts on X, questioning Burns for making a political call during the commencement address. There was a time when such partisan speeches were considered highly inappropriate, Mr Turley wrote. He added: In a country divided down the middle, universities expect graduates with opposing views to just sit there and listen to political diatribes at their commencements. Jeff Clark, a former US assistant attorney general who was indicted alongside Mr Trump in the Georgia election interference case, said Burns speech is a disgrace. He shouldnt be pumping the Brandeis students full of his political views. Students should get to make their own choices, Mr Clark said. Brandeis should lose all of its federal funding for allowing this blatant politicking to happen. Vernon Jones, a former Georgia state representative and Trump ally, said Burns should be ashamed of himself. His attempt to steer graduates to vote for [Joe Biden] wont save Americas future. However, Burns disgraceful speech will add to Bidens already successful efforts to further divide this country, Mr Jones added. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Just hours after former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone stood outside of Manhattan criminal court and called Donald Trump an authoritarian, his mothers home was reportedly swatted. Mr Fanone told NBC News that his 78-year-old mother opened her door to law enforcement officers and SWAT team members on Tuesday night after an individual sent a fake manifesto posing as Mr Fanone threatening to harm others and claiming he killed his mother. The email, viewed by NBC News, included Fanones mothers home address in Virginia. How dangerous is it to send law enforcement to an address in which you essentially are describing an active shooter, in which the only person present is a 78-year-old f***ing woman, Mr Fanone told the news outlet. Earlier in the day, Mr Fanone joined actor Robert DeNiro, fellow retired police officer Harry Dunn and members of President Joe Bidens campaign to denounce Mr Trump. Former DC police officer Michael Fanone outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024 in New York City ( Getty Images ) Mr Fanone invoked his experience being assaulted by rioters at the Capitol on January 6 to tell people Mr Trump will not serve the public if he is re-elected. This election is about Donald Trump and his vision for the office of the president of the United States, not as a public servant who answers to the people who elected him, but as an authoritarian who answers to and serves only himself, he said. Mr Fanone believes his anti-Trump rhetoric inspired someone to create the fake manifesto and email it to several, including email addresses associated with the high school he attended for one year. This is the reality of going up against or challenging Donald Trump, Mr Fanone told NBC News. These swatting calls are incredibly f***ing dangerous, especially when the target is somebody like my mom. The Independent has reached out to the FBI and Alexandria Police Department for comment. Swatting is the criminal act of falsely reporting an emergency to law enforcement or other emergency services and directing them to a persons address. Over the last few years, the US has seen an increase in swatting incidents in connection to a politician or political event. Earlier this year, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley said her elderly parents were swatted and around that time the White House was swatted after someone called with reports of a false fire. Representative Majorie Taylor Greene reported her home was swatted in December. But many of the swatting incidents have been in connection to Mr Trump. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the former presidents federal election interference case, was swatted in January. Mr Trump repeatedly attacked Judge Chutkan on social media. Similarly, the Maine Secretary of State who briefly disqualified Mr Trump from the states ballot was swatted in January. Mr Trump accused her of being biased in that case. Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who brought charges against Mr Trump in his classified documents and federal election interference case, had a swatting attempt in December. The judge who oversaw the civil fraud trial against Mr Trump was also swatted after the former president railed against him. Mr Fanone told NBC News that police received more than two dozen calls in connection to Tuesdays swatting incident. He said his father also was a target but he was out of the country. 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 }} Senior White House officials are refusing to say whether American-made bombs were used in a deadly airstrike in Gaza this week - despite an investigation which appeared to confirm remnants of US munitions at the scene. An Israeli airstrike on a tent camp for the displaced in Rafah killed 45 people on Sunday including women and children, and left at least 200 injured, the Gaza health ministry reported. The attack on the city, where millions of Palestinians have taken refuge during the Israel-Hamas war, caused international outrage. But the US said that the deadly strike did not constitute a breach of the red line set by President Joe Biden that would cause him to reconsider his support for Israel. Fragments of US-built weapons are shown in this screen grab of video footage from Rafah, according to video footage from the scene ( hamz0831/Telegram/ ) Analysis published by CNN on Wednesday revealed video footage from the scene of the Rafah strike that showed fragments of munitions with printed serial numbers. It appeared to be a GBU-39, a small-diameter bomb made by Boeing, according to the report. Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosives expert, told CNN that he had seen a distinct piece of wreckage identifiable as a warhead section and an extremely unique part which he called the guidance and wing section of the bomb. I saw the tail actuation section and instantly knew it was one of the SDB/GBU-39 variants, Mr Ball said. The US is Israels largest arms supplier. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demurred when asked whether US weapons were used in the Rafah tent camp strike. Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 27, 2024 ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) We have to see what the investigation shows, he said, while on a trip to Moldova. Mr Blinken described the attack as horrific but added that, even if it is assumed that US-made weapons were used, it is evidence that it was a limited, focused, targeted attack meant to deal with terrorists who killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said he could not confirm whether a GBU-39 was used and instead referred questions to the Israeli military, during a press briefing on Wednesday. Palestinians put out a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024 ( REUTERS ) I can only point you to what the IDF said therefore I cannot confirm whether or not it was a GBU 39 that delivered the payload on that bomb. Youd have to really talk to the IDF about that, he 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 }} The Biden administration said it would continue to support Israels war in Gaza following an Israeli airstrike on a displaced persons camp in Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians on Sunday and prompted global outrage. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said that the deadly strike, and reports that Israeli tanks were moving into center of the city on Tuesday, did not constitute a breach of the red line set by president Joe Biden that would cause him to reconsider his support. This is an air strike. Its not a major ground operation, he said, adding that the US would await the result of an Israeli investigation. Graphic videos and photos shared online from the aftermath of the strike showed a person appearing to be burned alive, bodies of women and children who had been burned, and a man holding up the body of a baby who had been seemingly decapitated. At least 50 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in the attack that targeted an area filled with tents, many of which caught on fire, according to the Gaza health authorities. Witnesses said a further 37 people were killed on Tuesday by Israeli shelling and airstrikes, most of them while they were sheltering in tents in the same area where the deadly strikes on Sunday killed dozens. They also said Israeli tanks had moved into the centre of Rafah. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was deeply saddened by the initial strike, adding that the US has reached out to Israel to demand an investigation and raise concerns. The [Israeli army] is continuing to investigate this matter and has promised that its investigation will be swift, comprehensive and transparent. We will be watching those results closely, he said. That statement stood in stark contrast to a wave of immediate global condemnation from world leaders, aid groups and concerned citizens over the past few days, while the White House remained largely silent. French president Emmanuel Macron said he was outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons in Rafah. These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians, he added, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip. ( Associated Press ) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was similarly forceful in his response. I condemn Israels actions which killed scores of innocent civilians who were only seeking shelter from this deadly conflict, he said on X. There is no safe place in Gaza. This horror must stop. The charity ActionAid said its activists witnessed the attack, which it described as an inhumane and barbaric act. Moamen, 27, who is displaced from the very north of Gaza and was in the camp that was targeted on Sunday, said most of those in the area had been told it was in the humanitarian zone and they had no money to go anywhere else. I heard three missiles and a huge, very powerful explosion that shook the place. It appears that the rockets used were incendiary, as fires broke out in the area, he said. It was a terrifying scene. I saw dismembered body parts and charred bodies, very large destruction in the tents of the displaced over a wide area, he added. The strike came just two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah in a landmark emergency ruling that invoked the Genocide Convention. The attack is likely to increase pressure on Mr Biden to reevaluate his support for Israels war in Gaza, after vowing to withhold offensive weapons from the longtime US ally if it launched a major operation in Rafah. Mr Biden has repeatedly expressed his strong opposition to a major offensive in Rafah, which had become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians who had fled from the war raging in other parts of Gaza. It is also where most aid agencies are operating. In a March interview with MSNBC , when asked whether an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a red line for him, he replied: It is a red line but Im never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. His officials have repeatedly said the US would not support a major military operation in Gazas southern city without a credible ... executable plan to protect civilians. Mr Kirby was repeatedly pressed by reporters at a briefing on Tuesday to clarify what would constitute a breach of Mr Bidens red line. Large units, large numbers of troops in columns and formations in some sort of coordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground. That is a major ground operation, he said. He also defended the Israeli operation in Rafah as being consistent with a precise and targeted offensive against Hamas that Mr Biden had called for, claiming that the bomb used in Sundays deadly attack was not a big bomb. Israelis have said they use 37-lb bombs, precision-guided munitions, he said, adding that it was indicative of a limited operation. The Israeli army quickly claimed response for the attack on Sunday, claiming its air force had struck a Hamas compound with precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence, killing two Hamas officials in the process. But the next day, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a tragic mishap in an address to Israels parliament and promised an investigation. The Israeli army said Tuesday that it was investigating the possibility that a secondary explosion caused by weapons stored near where the strike occurred may have set tents ablaze. At his briefing, Mr Miller echoed that claim from Israeli forces while explaining that he could not say for sure if it was accurate, or whether Israeli forces could either. 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 wife of Justice Samuel Alito has maintained a relatively low profile ever since her husband joined the highest court in the land in 2006. But that all changed earlier this month, when The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag favored by election deniers was flown outside the couples home and Justice Alito blamed the debacle on his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. So who is the Supreme Court justices now-infamous spouse? In a 2006 interview with The Sunday Star-Ledger, she was described as a former Libertarian who focused most on her family. For the most part, we all recognize that everyone has the right to say as they wish. The most amazing part is, why do people care about our life? she told the paper about the scrutiny at the time. I have friends who have serious family and health issues, so for us, this was something that had to be endured, she added. It was not a big issue for us, it was going to happen positively or negatively. Those were the only two choices. God consoled us and supported us and provided us love. That was a really important part of what got us through. God and our family we are a very small, close family. One of the most talked-about moments of Justice Alitos confirmation hearings was when she burst into tears and left the room. On the third day of the hearings, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina mocked the aggressive questioning of Justice Alito, asking if he was a closet bigot, adding an apology to his family for having to sit here and listen to this. It was very spontaneous, Ms Alito told The Sunday Star-Ledger. And it was simply that one can endure blows, but when tenderness comes into the mix, your reserves are pretty much shot, at least for me. Martha-Ann Alito with her husband Justice Samuel Alito and President George W Bush in 2006 ( Getty Images ) Eighteen years later, Ms Alito is back in the spotlight. The New York Times reported that the upside-down American flag was seen outside the Alitos home in Alexandria, Virginia, only days after the Capitol riot in January 2021. The symbol of the turned-over flag has been embraced by election deniers. Ms Alito told The Washington Post that the flag was an international signal of distress and that it had been raised in response to a disagreement in the neighborhood. When the Alitos were set to move to Washington from New Jersey for Justice Alito to join the top court, their children were heading off to college. Ms Alito said she was pleased with the change after having left her career as a librarian to take up homemaker duties full-time, according to The New York Times. When Ms Alito has spoken in public, she has often criticized the scrutiny her family faced in the lead-up to and during Justice Alitos confirmation hearings. Justice Alito and his wife Martha-Ann stand during a private ceremony for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court on 23 September, 2020 ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) The two months preceding were the horrible part of our life, she said as she introduced her husband at an awards ceremony in 2007. Fortunately, I was not in Washington, so I did not have to read the papers or look at the blogs or look at the computer, and I have continued that standard I no longer read except when I choose to pick up a book. Her father was an air traffic controller in the Air Force, which often moved the family between postings in Texas, Florida, Maine, and Portugals Azores islands. Her mother worked as a librarian at the military bases. She attended the University of Kentucky, earning a bachelors degree in comparative literature in 1976 and a masters in library sciences the following year. Ms Alito became a librarian at a public library in New Jersey, and later at the US Attorneys office in Newark and the Department of Justice. She met Justice Alito in the law library when he served as an assistant US attorney and they married five years later in 1985. Since coming to Washington, she has mostly worked on apolitical issues and for charities. Until the flag incidents at her Alexandria home and their New Jersey beach house, Ms Alito drew little attention. She faced some scrutiny when she and her husband had a meal with a couple who subsequently said that they had been made aware of the decision of a pending case, and when she inherited stocks and mineral interests from her father, which raised some concerns about conflicts of interest for the justice, The Times noted. More recently, following the flag incident, it was also reported by the paper that a young liberal couple called the police claiming to be harassed by Ms Alito, adding that she had spat at their car amidst an argument that lasted for weeks. 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 wife of embattled Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito allegedly spat at the car of a neighbor with whom she had become embroiled in a weeks-long argument. A young couple living near the Alitos residence in Fairfax County, Virginia, ultimately rang the police, claiming that they were being harassed by Martha-Ann Alito, according to a new report from The New York Times. It comes after several reports from the newspaper, which detailed how flags used by supporters of Donald Trumps Stop The Steal campaign had appeared at two properties owned by the right-wing justice and his wife. The Alitos had reportedly flown an upside-down American flag on the front lawn of their Virginia property in late 2020 and early 2021, in the days after Joe Biden took office. Mr Alito previously said the inverted American flag was flown for a short time by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors, and he had no part in it. On Tuesday, The Times reported that a couple living down the street from the Alitos, had called police on 15 February 2021, with claims of repeated hostile encounters with Ms Alito. Martha-Ann Alito, right, allegedly spat at her neighbors following a lengthy disupte between them in late 2020 and early 2021 ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Somebody in a position of authority needs to talk to her and make her stop, said the man making the complaint, according to a recording of the call reviewed by the outlet. The call to authorities was placed following a series of interactions which had reportedly worsened, between the young, liberal couple, and the wife of the conservative judge. However, Emily Baden, whose boyfriend, and now-husband, had contacted the police, said she had no knowledge of the controversial upside-down flag despite Justice Alitos reference to her in his explanation. I never saw the upside-down flag, never heard about it, she told the newspaper. Ms Baden admitted to being rude to Ms Alito with vulgar words placed on a sign. Justice Alito later elaborated on the arguments, telling a reporter from Fox News that on one occasion: There were words between Mrs Alito and a male at the home with the sign, the network reported. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has come under fire over flags seen flying outside his homes in Virginia and New Jersey ( AP ) The judge said the man used vulgar language, including the C-word, After that exchange, Mrs Alito was distraught and hung the flag upside-down, according to the reporter. The Baden family disputed the version of events, stating that Ms Alito had been the instigator of the conflict, The New York Times reported. A specific incident recalled by the Badens occurred on the day of Joe Bidens presidential inauguration, which the Alitos like former president Trump did not attend. Per the Badens, Ms Alito happened to be standing outside her house as they drove past. According to messages they sent to friends at the time, the couple claimed Ms Alito ran toward their car and yelled something they did not understand. They claimed they had continued driving and as they passed the Alito home again to exit the cul-de-sac, Ms Alito appeared to spit toward the vehicle. People carry an Appeal To Heaven flag as they gather at Independence Mall to support President Donald Trump during a visit to the National Constitution Center to participate in the ABC News town hall, September 15, 2020, in Philadelphia ( AP ) The upside down flag that until now has been the source of the controversy surrounding the Alitos was visible up to 17 January 2021, the newspaper reported, 11 days after the violent insurrection in Washington DC, and three days before Mr Bidens inauguration. The traditional military distress symbol was repurposed as a political symbol to indicate rejection of the legitimacy of Mr Bidens election victory. The outlet also reported last week that another flag carried by January 6 rioters was seen flying outside the Alitos beach home in New Jersey on multiple occasions last year. The Appeal to Heaven flag, which was carried by rioters during the pro-Trump attack on the US Capitol in 2021, was flown outside the Alitos vacation home during the summer of 2023. Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War. Three photos obtained by the newspaper, along with accounts from a half-dozen neighbors and passers-by given to the outlet, confirmed that the Appeal to Heaven flag was flying at the Alitos home on Long Beach Island in July and September of 2023. The Independent previously contacted the Supreme Court for comment about the flag outside the Alitos New Jersey property. Justice Alito declined to comment to the Associated Press. 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 }} Hours before a jury begins deliberations in his hush money trial, Donald Trump falsely claimed that the judge presiding over the case prevented him from mounting a legal strategy that pins responsibility for allegedly criminal acts on the advice of his attorneys. In an all-caps post on his Truth Social on Wednesday, he called the proceedings a BIDEN PUSHED WITCH HUNT, blasted the KANGAROO COURT and CORRUPT Justice Juan Merchans refusal to accept his reliance on counsel defense. The advice-of-counsel defense can be invoked when a defendant believes they should not be held responsible for actions they took based on reasonable reliance on the advice of their counsel. But the former presidents lawyers previously said they didnt want to raise a formal advice-of-counsel defense in an apparent attempt to avoid having to turn over communications and waive attorney-client privelege, as required. Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court ( POOL/AFP via Getty ) And last week, his team tried to once again raise that defense after calling it a presence of counsel, which Judge Merchan said he had never heard of. There was no such thing, he said on 21 May. This is an issue thats been going on for a very, very long time, he added. He called Mr Trumps attempts disingenuous. I heard it the first time, and I heard it the second time, Judge Merchan said. What Im saying is, this is an argument youve been advancing for many, many months... Its denied. Its not going to happen. Please dont raise it. Yet the former president still raged about the defense of counsel defense on his social media platform on Wednesday, Mr Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money scheme to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels from speaking about having sex with Mr Trump. Mr Trump is accused of directing his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay her $130,000 weeks before Election Day in 2016. Then-President Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of checks in 2017, in what prosecutors have described as an effort to conceal a conspiracy to influence the election. Prosecutors will need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Trump had a hand in falsifying those records to hide a conspiracy to influence the election for jurors to convict 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 }} A jury of seven men and five women began deliberating the first-ever criminal case of an American president shortly before 11:30am on Wednesday. Jurors must determine that Manhattan prosecutors have proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Donald Trump falsified business records with the intent to commit or conceal a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election. Before their deliberations began, New York Justice Juan Merchan spent an hour instructing the jury on the laws governing the charges against the former president. Those instructions, largely adapted from dry statutory language, provide jurors with a crucial roadmap for understanding the evidence and determining Mr Trumps guilt. He explained the definitions of key terms and phrases like intent and proof beyond a reasonable doubt and walked jurors through each of the 34 counts against the former president, including how each of those counts relate to documents shown in evidence to jurors. The judge reminded jurors that they alone are responsible for weighing the evidence and testimony, and that their verdict must not be based on speculation, prejudice, sympathy, or an attempt to quickly avoid an unpleasant duty after six weeks of sitting in the courthouse. The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up reimbursement payments to his attorney Michael Cohen, who testified that his former boss directed him to make a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels to stop her from speaking publicly about having sex with Mr Trump. He has pleaded not guilty. The Russian nesting doll of crimes and cover-ups alleged in the case Under New York law, a misdemeanor charge of falsifying business records is stepped up to a felony if tied to another crime. To find him guilty, jurors must determine that Mr Trump not only had a hand in falsifying records but did so in order to commit or conceal another crime specifically, that he violated state law against conspiracy to influence an election by unlawful means. Those unlawful means include violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the falsification of other business records, and violations of state and federal tax laws. Donald Trumps speaks to reporters in a criminal courthouse in Manhattan on May 29. ( Getty Images ) Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Trumps hush money arrangements with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker amounted to unlawful campaign contributions, made for the purpose of influencing an election. For those other falsifications, Judge Merchan is allowing jurors to consider Cohens bank records that set up shell companies to wire hush money, records of that wire transfer, and 1099 tax forms that Mr Trump issued to Cohen. Merchan also instructed jurors that it is unlawful to knowingly supply or submit materially false information to tax authorities, even if it does not result in the underpaying of taxes. A verdict must be unanimous All 12 jurors must be unanimous in delivering a guilty or not guilty verdict. In order to find him guilty, the jury must agree that Mr Trump personally, or by acting in concert with another person or persons, made or caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise and that he did so with intent to defraud that included an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof. But they do not have to unanimously agree to what those unlawful means are. And Trump did not object to unanimity over those unlawful means Last week, Mr Trumps attorneys agreed that juror unanimity is not typically required when it comes to unlawful means. And they havent disputed that since. A courtroom sketch depicts Justice Juan Merchan instructing jurors on May 29 while Donald Trump and attorney Todd Blanche watch from the defense table. ( REUTERS ) Cohen is an accomplice Mr Trumps one-time fixer is an accomplice under New York law, Judge Merchan noted. Even if jurors find Cohens testimony to be believable, they may not convict Mr Trump solely on Cohens testimony unless its corroborated by other evidence. Jurors will remain in court The jurors and a handful of alternates will remain at the courthouse with a laptop that includes all evidence from the case through their deliberations, until theyre excused in the late afternoon. Lunch is provided, their phones are handed over to court officers, and they can only deliberate if theyre all together. Juror 1 serves as the jury foreperson, who will offer up notes to the court, including questions to the judge and an announcement of a verdict. The foreperson will also deliver the verdict. If a juror wishes to speak with the judge, he may respond by speaking to the entire jury to ensure that each and every juror is there at the exact same time, and so that jurors arent hearing word from the judge from other jurors. This story was first published on May 29 and updated with developments 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 }} New York Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, one of several prominent GOP figures currently jostling to be Donald Trumps running mate, has filed a misconduct complaint against Judge Juan Merchan, alleging that his appointment to Mr Trumps ongoing Manhattan hush money trial was not random at all. The House Republican Conference chairwoman wrote to Kay-Ann Porter Campbell, inspector-general of the New York State Unified Court System, calling for an investigation to determine whether the required random selection process was in fact followed when Judge Merchan was handed the case brought against Mr Trump by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg last spring. Ms Stefanik posted the full text of her complaint on X/Twitter, introducing it by alleging that the justice is a Biden donor whose daughter is fundraising millions off his unprecedented work, an allusion to Loren Merchans work as a political consultant for a number of well-known Democratic politicians, a smear Mr Trump has also used to attempt to discredit the case against him. In the complaint itself, the representative questions what she refers to as the repeated assignment of Acting Justice Juan Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to criminal cases related to President Donald J Trump and his allies. She notes that the judge has presided over a previous criminal trial involving the Trump Organization as well as the current hush money case, and will next hear a case against Mr Trumps former White House strategist Steve Bannon. On the appointment of justices by a process of random selection, Ms Stefanik writes: If justices were indeed being randomly assigned in the Criminal Term, the probability of two specific criminal cases being assigned to the same justice is quite low, and the probability of three specific criminal cases being assigned to the same justice is infinitesimally small. New York representative Elise Stefanik has been spoken of as a possible vice presidential pick for Donald Trump ( AP ) And yet, we see Acting Justice Merchan on all three cases. One cannot help but suspect that the random selection at work in the assignment of Acting Justice Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to these cases involving prominent Republicans, is in fact not random at all. Whether Ms Porter Campbell takes her up on her demand for an inquiry into the appointment of Judge Merchan remains to be seen. As to her point about the justices donations to Joe Bidens presidential campaign, The New York Post reports that he did contribute $15 to the Biden for President campaign on 26 July 2020 and then $10 each to the Progressive Turnout Project and Stop Republicans groups the following day, citing Federal Election Commission records. However, Judge Merchan was cleared of misconduct over the combined $45 in donations by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct in July 2023. Mr Trump has complained almost daily since his hush money trial began both outside the courthouse and on Truth Social that the case against him is a scam and a Biden witchhunt cooked up to discredit him in the eyes of the electorate and keep him away from the campaign trail, although it has certainly garnered plenty of free publicity for his latest presidential run since its onset. Judge Juan Merchan in his chambers in New York ( AP ) Routinely referring to Judge Merchan as highly conflicted, he has also claimed, without evidence, that a jury of 12 Manhattanites are likely to be prejudiced against him, despite making his name as a luxury real estate developer in the borough, and has been fined $10,000 to date by the justice for violating the terms of the gag order placed upon him to protect jurors, witnesses and court staff. After closing arguments wrapped on Tuesday, the jury was expected to begin its deliberations on Mr Trumps fate on Wednesday. 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 gas explosion rocked Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday morning, causing multiple injuries, according to reports. Emergency crews rushed to Federal Street, the central business corridor in the downtown area, after an explosion destroyed the first floor of the Realty Building, WFMJ reported. At least seven people were injured and two people remain missing. Security footage from a camera across the street captured the moment the 13-story building's storefront blew out, sending concrete, glass and other debris spilling onto the street. Individuals in the downtown area said they heard a loud boom and saw a smoke cloud when the explosion occurred, WKBN reports. The building has a Chase Bank on its first floor, and apartments on the upper floors. Those living in the apartments were evacuated after the explosion as were those in the International Towers apartment building across the street. There were no reports of fatalities but multiple people were transported from the scene to hospitals. The first floor of a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio is destroyed by an explosion on 28 May, 2024. Seven people were injured in the blast ( screengrab/WFMJ ) Mercy Health Hospital confirmed to Cleveland 19 that seven victims were taken to the hospital and that one person was in critical condition. "Please AVOID downtown Youngstown. Major explosion from possible natural gas leak with injuries," the Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters labor union posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Youngstown's Fire Chief, Barry Finley, told WFMJ that that an evacuation order was issued for every building adjacent to the Realty Building. He told WYTV that one man believed to have been at the bank was unaccounted for and that crews were searching for him. Youngstown State University, close to the Chase Bank Building, issued an alert to students and staff warning them to be aware of potential gas in the downtown area. After the explosion, gas was shut off to the area, WFMJ reports. A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson told Cleveland19 that representatives were checking on employees at the bank and would later assess the damage. Right now, we are in close contact with local officials to check on the safety of everyone in the building and area. After that, well work to determine what happened and to assess the damage, the spokesperson said. Youngstown is approximately an hours drive from Pittsburgh and Cleveland near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. This is the second major incident to impact the region in just over a year. Last February, a Norfolk-Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals that were then burned, kicking of a massive clean up effort and causing ongoing health issues. East Palestine is approximately 20 miles south of Youngstown. 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 }} Sweden has become the third country in as many days to pledge more than $1 billion (785m) in additional military aid to Ukraine as president Volodymyr Zelensky concluded a three-day tour of Europe. The package, announced by defence minister Pal Jonson, is the largest single tranche of support donated by Sweden since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, valued at 13.3 billion Swedish crowns (981m). It comes at a vital time for Ukraine as Russian forces, emboldened by an advantage born from a US military package delayed by more than six months, advance across the 640-mile frontline. The Swedish aid will include tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and vital artillery ammunition that has been in short supply for months in Ukraine, as well as financial support for Kyiv to purchase additional materials. Most importantly, the Swedish package will include two Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890), which will allow Ukrainian air forces to more easily identify long-range targets and will help Ukraine with the planned introduction of F-16 fighter jets donated by other Western countries. The package capped off a whistle-stop tour for the Ukrainian leader through Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Mr Zelensky secured a 1bn (851m) aid package from Madrid on Monday and another $1bn in military aid from Brussels the following day, which included 30 US-made F-16 fighter jets. Later, he secured an additional 107 million from Portugal. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo sign a bilateral security accord in Brussels ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images ) A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraines 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region ( Reuters ) Having cancelled an earlier European tour to focus on the developing situation in Kharkiv - Ukraines northeastern region on the border with Russia - Mr Zelensky has frantically sought to shore up further support from Kyivs western allies as Putins troops advanced in that attack. Ukraine looks to have stabilised that battle but Russian forces now hold an additional 65 square miles of territory in Kharkiv, while further assaults to the southeast, in the Donetsk region, continue to stretch Kyivs forces. Mr Zelensky said he was profoundly grateful for the Swedish package, adding in a separate message that Ukraine and its Western allies were always stronger together. Today, I am glad to express my profound gratitude to Prime Minister Kristersson, his government, and all Swedes for Swedens largest military aid package announced thus far, totalling nearly 1.2 billion, he wrote. Ukrainian author Illia Ponomarenko, the countrys most followed journalist, wrote: Today is the day of Sweden in Ukraine, undoubtedly. Ukraine has long called for the F-16s, seeing them as integral to countering Russias aerial threat, and the addition of more than two dozen of the jets, as well as the ASCs, will be crucial not only for defensive purposes but for offensive capabilities as well. In the past few months, Russia has introduced explosives known as glide bombs into its armoury, which are essentially modified dumb bombs, fixed with wings and a navigation system, that are capable of levelling multi-storey buildings. Hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been killed by glide bomb attacks this year. Ukrainian military officials maintain that the most effective way to counter this threat is with F-16s that could strike the Russian jets firing the glide bombs from afar. The ASCs meanwhile would effectively act as a force multiplier for the F-16s, Mr Jonson wrote on X, extending their ability to strike Russian positions as well as pilots. 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 }} Fighting in Gaza is set at least until the end of the year, an Israeli official has predicted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus national security adviser signalled that his country was not ready to agree a ceasefire with Hamas and to exchange Palestinian prisoners for the Israeli hostages held by the militants. The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war, said Tzachi Hanegbi, reiterating that the aim was to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop it and its allies attacking Israel. He added: The army is achieving its objectives but (it) said from the first days it was presenting its plan to the cabinet that the war will be long....they have designated 2024 as a year of war. Palestinians have been fleeing Rafah amid advancements from Israeli troops ( Reuters ) Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah for a second day on Wednesday, despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, where many Palestinians had taken refuge from bombardment. The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said they confronted the invading forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs, as well as blowing up previously planted explosive devices. The Israelis retreated to positions near the border with Egypt. Palestinian health officials said several people were wounded by Israeli fire in the eastern area of Rafah, where they also said several aid stores were set ablaze. Some residents reported seeing what they described as unmanned robotic armoured vehicles opening fire from machine guns. Israeli tanks pressed further into Rafah ( Getty Images ) The Palestinian health ministry said several hospitals in areas where the army was operating had stopped functioning. Washington had said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that US officials have warned Israel to avoid. The Palestinian health minister has urged the United States to pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing, which is used to bring in humanitarian and medical supplies. Israel said its military controlled three-quarters of the buffer zone on the border and aimed to control all of it to prevent Hamas smuggling in weapons. Rafah was a major entry point for humanitarian relief before Israel stepped up its military offensive on the Gaza side of the border earlier this month and seized control of the crossing. Malnutrition is widespread after aid deliveries slowed to a trickle. There is no indication when they want to open it, said Palestinian minister, Majed Abu Ramadan. However, I would expect all our friends and the international community to press hard, and especially the United States of America. He said the crossings closure made the situation really very, very catastrophic. The World Health Organisation says the border closure has significantly affected delivery of medical supplies into the Gaza Strip, which has been targeted by an Israeli offensive following the 7 October attacks by Hamas in southern Israel. Around a million people have fled from bombardment in the city in three weeks, according to the UN Palestinian refugee agency. Israel continued it attack on Rafah for a second day ( Reuters ) The Israeli military said three soldiers were killed in Rafah on Tuesday. It reportedly happened when a booby trap exploded. At least 290 soldiers have been killed since October, according to military figures. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it had evacuated a field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area, a designated civilian evacuation zone. One of its staff was killed in an Israeli air strike on his house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, workers added. His death brought to 30 the number of staff killed since 7 October, at least 17 of them killed on duty. In the city of Khan Younis, an Israeli air strike killed three other people overnight, including a former senior Hamas police officer, doctors and Hamas media said on Wednesday. Israels military denied striking a tent camp in a designated civilian evacuation zone on Tuesday. Nearly eight months since the war started, the two sides continued to be far from reaching a deal to cease fire and exchange hostages. Israel has delivered its latest ceasefire and hostage release proposal to Qatar, and Qatar was to provide it to Hamas on Tuesday, a source said. Hamas says talks are pointless unless Israel ends its Rafah offensive. 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 }} Israeli tanks have pushed into the centre of Rafah for the first time, as Israeli forces bombard the Gaza border city where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering. It came as the UK called for swift and transparent full investigation into an airstrike and subsequent blaze that killed at least 45 people in a tent camp in the city on Sunday. The strike on the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, which the Palestinian Red Crescent said is partially located in a designated humanitarian zone, has led to an international outcry. More than half of the dead are said to be women, children and the elderly. Palestinian officials claimed on Tuesday that at least another 21 people were killed in tank shelling that hit another tent camp in al-Mawasi in western Rafah. However, the Israeli military denied this. Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not strike in the Humanitarian Area in al-Mawasi, a statement said. In an earlier statement, the Israeli army said that an initial investigation by their own forces into the strike on Sunday found that the blaze near the tent camp was caused by a secondary explosion. Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said it was still unclear what set off the blaze, but that the military fired two 17kg munitions targeting two senior Hamas militants. He said the munitions would have been too small to ignite a fire on their own and the military is looking into the possibility that weapons were stored in the area. The fire could have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the densely populated camp, where people were sheltering under little more than tarpaulin and cloth. Britains foreign secretary, David Cameron, described the scenes from the strike as deeply depressing and urged Israeli military to conduct a swift, comprehensive, and transparent probe. Children look on, as Palestinians travel on foot along with their belongings to flee Rafah ( Reuters ) A Downing Street spokesperson said Britain would not support a major military operation in Rafah without a plan to protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain there. Mr Netanyahu has called the deadly strike on Sunday a tragic mishap. Meanwhile, Israeli tanks pressed ahead with their offensive into Rafah. Tanks and armoured vehicles mounted with machine guns were spotted near al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, witnesses told Reuters. Since May, Israel has mounted a ferocious ground assault into Rafah causing nearly a million people, most of them displaced multiple times, to flee. They are now seeking refuge in squalid tent camps with dwindling water, food and medical supplies in other war-ravaged strip. In places such as Khan Younis, which is further north and largely destroyed, civilians said they were struggling to find water. The United States, the UK and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city, with the Biden administration saying that would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to halt its Rafah offensive and reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. Israel has continued its Rafah operation, saying the court ruling grants it some scope for the action. Palestinians search for food among burnt debris in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Rafah ( Reuters ) Israel launched its most ferocious bombardment of Gaza ever in retaliation for the 7 October attack by Hamas on southern Israel, during which they killed around 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage. Since then, Palestinian officials say Israels bombing has killed more than 36,000 people, the majority women and children. The focus has, in recent months, been Rafah. Palestinian health ministry officials told The Independent the city was being pounded with ferocious air strikes and tank fire, and that new strikes in the Tel al-Sultan district the district where Sundays strike hit killed at least 16 Palestinians. The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area, without commenting on reported advances into the city centre. There are also concerns about the health system. Most of Gazas hospitals are no longer functioning. Medics at the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah told The Independent it shut down on Monday after a strike near its entrance killed two health workers. Palestinian health ministry officials in Gaza said two medical facilities in Tel al-Sultan are out of service because of intense bombing nearby. A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said casualties from Sundays strike and fire absolutely overwhelmed field hospitals in the area, which were already running short on supplies to treat severe burns. Moamen, 27, who is displaced from the very north of Gaza and was in the camp that was targeted on Sunday, said most of those in the area had been told it was in the humanitarian zone and they had no money to go anywhere else. I heard three missiles and a huge, very powerful explosion that shook the place. It appears that the rockets used were incendiary, as fires broke out in the area, he said. It was a terrifying scene. I saw dismembered body parts and charred bodies, very large destruction in the tents of the displaced over a wide area, he added. Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday, deepening Israels international isolation over the war. The three countries have said they hope their decision will accelerate efforts towards securing a ceasefire. 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 Every six seconds, in a factory on the northern fringes of Stockholm, a top secret printer is spewing out sheets worth thousands of euros apiece. Each one contains 108 miniature solar cells that will soon find their way into everyday gadgets from keyboards to headphones that will fundamentally change how we interact with technology. According to their creator, they will even force us to rethink our relationship with light. Sweden may seem an unlikely location for a solar revolution, but the lack of light during the winter months was one of the reasons for Exeger co-founder Giovanni Fili to look beyond the Sun as the sole source of power for a photovoltaic cell. His companys breakthrough tech can harvest electricity from virtually any light source, from direct sunlight to candlelight. It can even generate a charge from moonlight, though it would take a while for it to be of much use. Like the algae on the bottom of the ocean where its almost pitch black, we can make efficient use of very few photons, Fili tells The Independent. The t-shirt he wears describes his companys technology as world-changing, capable of simultaneously addressing the global need for energy and some of our planets greatest environmental challenges. open image in gallery The Powerfoyle solar cell is durable enough to be embedded in bike helmets, while also versatile enough to imitate leather and brushed steel to fit in bags and speakers ( The Independent ) Indoor solar panels have been around for decades. Solar-powered calculators were first introduced in the 1970s, but the limitations of the amorphous silicon cells they rely upon mean they are too low power, too fragile and too rigid to be integrated into other products. The latest innovation stems from a discovery made in 1988 relating to dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC). A pair of scientists from UC Berkeley in California invented a low-cost, high-efficiency cell that was both semi-flexible and semi-transparent, which offered a pathway for commercial development of the technology. Just over 20 years later, Fili and fellow Exeger co-founder Henrik Lindstrom came up with a new electrode material that offered 1,000 times better conductivity. The breakthrough formed the basis of their Powerfoyle cells that are now being produced at a commercial scale. Exegers Powerfoyle solar cells offer a radical departure from the traditional glass-covered panels, eliminating the need for the silver lines you see on them that serve as conductors. They are also not sensitive to partial shading, which drastically reduces the efficiency of photovoltaic panels. The patented skin-like material can even morph into almost any material to allow for seamless integration into a huge range of products, while remaining waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. It works in any light condition, its more durable than any other solar cell in the world, its easy to manufacture, and it can imitate any surface leather, carbon fibre, wood, brushed steel. Its also beautiful, Fili says. So we can integrate into products that are already selling in the billions of units per year. Exegers Stockholm facility has the capacity to produce 2.5 million square metres of solar cells each year, making it the largest factory of its kind in Europe. Speaking at the factorys opening in 2021, Fili predicted that Exegers technology will touch the lives of a billion people by 2030 open image in gallery Exeger says its Powerfoyle solar cell is the most durable in the world ( Exeger ) The Powerfoyle solar cells have already found their way into seven on-the-shelf products including headphones, wireless speakers and a bike helmet while a further six have been announced. Customers include Adidas, Phillips and 3M, while they are also rumoured to be in talks with LogiTech and Apple. A battery-free future Exeger is one of several startups pioneering the commercialisation of indoor solar panels, with the promise of clean, endless power attracting both researchers and entrepreneurs. US-based Ambient Photonics was drawn into the space by the magic potential of the smart home, as well as the hope that it would be possible to eliminate the need for disposable batteries. The scale at which smart electronics are able to be deployed has been limited by battery life and the use of traditional batteries, which require continuous charging, stagnate product design, and have negative environmental consequences, Bates Marshall, co-founder and CEO of Ambient Photonics, told The Independent. open image in gallery Billions of disposable batteries are thrown away every year ( Getty Images ) TV remotes alone are responsible for 3.1 billion disposable batteries being thrown away each year, according to estimates from Samsung . The Korean electronics giant has made switching from alkaline batteries to photovoltaic energy a priority in order to reach sustainability targets, claiming it could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 6,000 tons per year. Every advancement in the power density of our product brings us closer to a future where the need for disposable batteries is significantly reduced, if not entirely overcome, Marshall says. Ambient Photonics DSSCs have so far been integrated into remote controls, though limitations with the amount of heat and light they can be exposed to mean the technology is currently limited to indoor applications. The versatility and durability of Exergers Powerfoyle means the only limitations are energy-intensive devices like laptops and smartphones although they could provide a significant boost to their battery life of 50-100 per cent. Exeger is also exploring a solar-powered tablet cover that could provide enough power for infrequent users to never need to charge. Our grandchildren will laugh that we had cables, Fili says. open image in gallery Prototypes of products embedded with Exeger's Powerfoyle solar cells include tablets, bags and even curtains ( Exeger ) One trend Fili has noted is that users of Powerfoyle products have become much more aware of their surroundings and the presence of light in their lives. We are making people light conscious, he says, because light is power. Fili is driven by the belief that the Powerfoyle is an era-defining technology. Exeger is the first to commercialise the technology at this scale, though it remains relatively nascent given that Fili views everyone on the planet as a potential user. Others appear confident in his claims, with Forbes likening him to figures like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Elon Musk. The tech behind Exegers solar cells, like the printers that produce them, is a closely guarded secret. Even the purpose of the thousands of Powerfoyles currently being printed each minute at the Stockholm factory is not yet public knowledge. (The elongated shape of them strongly hints that they will be used in a product most of us use every day one that this article is being typed on.) This is really, really huge, Fili says. We have just secured a contract with one of the worlds largest suppliers of keyboards and mice, and have already partnered with some of the biggest companies and brands on the planet. This technology is going to take over the world. 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 The 25-year-old designer behind the double-decker plane seat which sparked widespread criticism has debuted a first-class model at an aviation show in Germany. Alejandro Nunez Vicente, the founder of Chaise Lounge, built the latest invention with his girlfriend and business partner, Clara Service Soto. It differs from the economy class concept by having one seat on the bottom, and two on top. The economy class model has three seats on the top and bottom rows. Mr Nunez Vicente calls the new design elevated class. The more expensive option is secluded, has a lie-flat bed and lots of legroom. He showcased the new design at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this month. Its the same place where he announced the economy version of the seats last open image in gallery Alejandro Nunez Vicente presents the economy version of his double-decker airplane seat design ( Alejandro Nunez Vicente/Instagram ) Mr Nunez Vicentes company started as a college project after too many uncomfortable flights, he explained. The founder is 6ft 2in and has struggled to sleep on cramped airplanes. Speaking to CNN, the innovator said that a handful of big companies are interested in implementing the technology but declined to name them. Any further development of the project will happen behind closed doors, he told the outlet. Now that we know economy works, and now thats moving forward, we thought, Why not go to the other end of the cabin and do a business-class/first-class hybrid? he said. open image in gallery The new Chaise Lounge double-decker first-class seat was shown at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this month ( CNN ) Mr Nunez Vicente said that his goal with the company is to make flying better for the general public. To make more space for more seats in the airplane, he said. But also give the passengers an even better experience than they get today in business or first class. The economy versions of the seats went viral in 2022 and were widely ridiculed. One social media user commented: As if being on a plane isnt miserable enough already with another noting: fresh hell just dropped. But the designer has taken the criticism on the chin. To be honest, theres no such thing as bad publicity, he said at the time. 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 Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Three Black men are suing American Airlines claiming they were kicked off a New York-bound flight after a white flight attendant complained of body odor. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday. The men, identified in the suit as Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal, claim the airline engaged in blatant and egregious race discrimination when they and five other Black male passengers were kicked off their flight from Phoenix, Arizona without a valid reason shortly before takeoff on 5 January 2024. The complainants say that a representative for the airline approached them and ordered the men off the plane. As the men moved to get off, they noticed other Black male passengers were being removed from the aircraft, in what they thought to be an effort to remove all Black male passengers from the plane. The complaint states that the men were not seated together. open image in gallery Three Black men are suing American Airlines alleging that they were forced off a January flight by a white flight attendant ( Getty Images ) Back at the gate, the men demanded an explanation and were told that the flight attendant had complained about body odor. None of the passengers were told that they personally had offensive body odor, the court documents state. The plaintiffs stated that it appeared that they had been kicked off the flight because of their race and said that the white flight attendant had treated them differently. At least one representative echoed their remarks and replied I agree. I agree, the complaint states. The men were then told they would be booked on another flight. Airline representatives worked to handle the situation for about an hour, causing a significant delay to the flight. During that time, the pilot had alerted travelers that the delay was caused by a concern about body odor. Only when it became apparent that there were no other available American flights that evening, they were allowed back on the plane. Plaintiffs then had to reboard the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay, the complaint states. They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating and degrading. The white flight attendant served Mr Jackson and Mr Veal during the flight. The men said he continued to act in a rude and discriminatory manner toward them. In a statement responding to the accusations, a spokesperson for American Airlines said: We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, and the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people. The claimants are seeking a jury trial in the civil matter to determine damages that would compensate them for the discrimination they experienced, including damages for fear, humiliation, embarrassment, mental pain, suffering and inconvenience. The men are also seeking an award for damages that would punish American Airlines for its malicious, willful, wanton, callous and reckless conduct and effectively deter defendant from engaging in similar conduct in the future. This isnt the first time the airline has faced accusations of racism. The NAACP issued a travel advisory warning its members against flying with the airline, claiming they might be exposed to discriminatory, disrespectful or unsafe conditions. The advisory stated that the airline had a pattern that could not be dismissed as normal or random. Last month, NPR and other outlets reported that a Black retired judge from Chicago had filed a complaint with American Airlines saying she was blocked from using a first-class bathroom on a flight even though she had a first-class ticket. In separate incidents last year, track and field star ShaCarri Richardson and musician David Ryan Harris, who are Black, said on social media that they were falsely accused of wrongdoing by American flight attendants. Richardson said she was removed from a plane for allegedly harassing an attendant, and Harris said he was suspected of child trafficking while traveling with his biracial children. The airline apologized to Mr Harris and said Ms Richardson was booked on a different flight. After landing at JFK airport close to midnight, Mr Jackson asked to speak with someone about the incident. The flight attendants ushered him off the plane and told him he could speak to a representative at the terminal. But when he disembarked, there was no one there to assist him. With additional reporting from the AP. 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 passenger has died after jumping overboard from the worlds largest cruise ship after it set sail from Florida. The male passenger, who has not been identified, reportedly jumped, according to the New York Post, from the 20-deck high Icon of the Seas after it left a Florida port on Sunday to embark on a seven-day cruise around the Caribbean, first stopping in Honduras. The Coast Guard, which said it did not have much involvement in the incident beyond assisting in the search for the man, told the New York Post that the cruise ship deployed one of their rescue boats, located the man, and brought him back aboard. The man has since been pronounced deceased, the Coast Guard added. The worlds largest cruise experience was approximately 300 miles away from PortMiami, and around 30 to 40 miles north of Santa Lucia, Cuba, at the time of the incident, which occurred in the morning, according to Cruise Hive. The Royal Caribbean, which operates the Icon of the Seas along with other groundbreakingly large cruise ships, told the outlet in a statement that their ships crew immediately notified the Coast Guard in the US and launched a search and rescue operation. open image in gallery The incident occurred on the Icon of the Seas, a 1,196ft-long and 20-deck high cruise ship ( AFP via Getty ) Our care team is actively providing support and assistance to the guests loved ones during this difficult time, the cruise company added. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share. The ship, which holds way over 5,000 guests and only made its maiden voyage in January of this year, had embarked on the cruise on Saturday, but after the incident on Sunday, the cruise halted and stayed put for around two hours while the search continued, the outlet said. open image in gallery The ship cost approximately $2bn to build ( AFP via Getty ) According to CruiseMapper tracking data, the Icon of the Seas is continuing with the cruise, with its next stop in Coco Cay in the Bahamas on Friday. Zachary Normandian, 31, told The New York Post that the atmosphere on board the ship has been dystopian after people have been carrying on with their holiday aboard the ship after the tragedy. It just seemed like more people would have been like Oh my gosh, whats going on, but no, people were just going about their day, he said. The passenger recalled the moment that the man who went overboard was brought back to the ship, after he claimed that the captain informed the ship that the missing person had been found. Everyone in the dining room clapped, Mr Normandian told the outlet. We assumed that the guy was fine. At that point, however, they did not know that he had passed away. The incident comes over a month after a similar tragedy on another Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Liberty of the Seas when a 20-year-old man identified as Levion Parker is thought to have gone overboard during a trip around the Bahamas. The cruise line immediately launched a search and rescue mission along with the US Coast Guard, but it was suspended after five days due to not being able to find him. However, the cruise company has also witnessed some successful rescues in recent months, such as being able to recover a passenger who fell overboard from the Symphony of the Seas back in October. The cruise, which had just left Barcelona at the time, said the guest was successfully brought back on board after falling shortly after it left the port. The Independent has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prospective guests at one of Londons most prestigious hotels will be relieved to learn that Booking.com promises toilet roll is included in the price. Rooms at The Ritz are selling for 999 for the night of Wednesday 29 May through the giant online travel agency, with the bathroom essential among a number of amenities that Booking.com lists for the five-star lodging in Mayfair, alongside a lift for rooms on upper floors, heating and a socket near the bed. Breakfast, however, is not included and will cost a couple an extra 56. The nearest Pret a Manger is a two-minute walk away. Guests who book direct with The Ritz which calls itself The Best Hotel in London can pay 11 per cent less than Booking.com, at 890 a night. Toilet paper is still included in this rate. But a discretionary 5 per cent service charge is added by The Ritz, increasing the cost to 934 unless the guest asks for the fee to be deducted. Loo roll is also an amenity promoted by Booking.com at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City, overlooking Central Park. Carpeting and a streaming service (like Netflix) are also included in the 986 quoted by the online agency. Toilet paper is listed as free at the five-star Peninsula in Hong Kong, too. Bizarrely, Booking.com warns there is an extra fee for towels/sheets. This is not believed to be the case, but helicopter transfers to the hotels private helipad from Hong Kong airport cost 2,250 extra. Across in Dubai, guests in the penthouse suite on the 72nd storey of the worlds tallest hotel, the Gevora, will not need to lug their bags up the stairs. Booking.com promises: Upper floors accessible by elevator. A spokesperson for Booking.com said: Amenities vary property to property, from hotels with a private bathroom to those with a shared bathroom or a home rental. So any items listed which are available for the use of guests are simply there to provide a comprehensive guide to travellers to ensure they know what to expect from their accommodation and are listed directly by the hotel owners. Booking.com is believed to be the worlds most valuable travel firm, with a market capitalisation worth around 100bn. 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 Cross-border tourism between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has tripled in a decade, a report has found. The joint study by Ulster University and Dublin City University found there were differences in the economic impact in Ireland compared with Northern Ireland. There were more than 1.3 million cross-border visits made to Northern Ireland in 2023, compared with almost 400,000 in 2013. International visits in the period 2013-2019 grew by 33% in Northern Ireland and 46% south of the border. The authors said that notwithstanding some public commentary that many people from the Republic of Ireland never travel to NI, the number of trips from south of the border to Northern Ireland has increased dramatically over the past decade. In 2013, on average less than 100,000 cross-border trips were made per quarter, a figure that has grown to over 300,000 in 2023. In the years following the pandemic, over 200,000 trips per quarter have been recorded, it said. The study found that all visitors to Northern Ireland are more likely to be visiting friends or relatives than on holiday or a business trip, and of that number almost half will stay with them - considerably reducing the earned income from accommodation. Visitors from Great Britain are crucial to both parts of the island, the study found, but the scale is different, making up two thirds of visitors to Northern Ireland compared with one third in Ireland. The report found people stay in Northern Ireland for fewer nights, particularly long-haul visitors. It also found a buoyant and resilient tourism industry across both Northern Ireland and Ireland, with strong evidence of a bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. It said Ireland had approximately 4.3 times as many trips by international visitors compared with Northern Ireland in 2019, but 7.6 times as much expenditure. The scale of domestic tourism trips within Northern Ireland, at roughly two million per annum, remained static in the decade from 2011. South of the border, the scale of within-state tourism increased from 6.5 million to 11 million trips in the same period, probably reflecting the stronger economic performance. open image in gallery Belfast city centre ( PA Archive ) Ana Desmond, senior economist at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, said the tourism sector across the island of Ireland has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in recent years. This research has shown how the international and domestic visitor market has both grown and diversified with recent significant findings including the sharp and sustained increase in domestic cross-border visits to NI since the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourism growth and development is a natural area for co-operation across the island and has been ongoing for many years. The sector has demonstrated that it can adapt to external challenges and recover strongly. It will need this quality to tackle the current challenges which have been identified by businesses both sides of the border, which include labour market shortages and concerns over the cost of doing business. Professor John Doyle, vice president for Research at Dublin City University, said the research highlights a real opportunity for economic growth, for businesses to grow their income and profitability, and for better wages in the sector. Co-operation will benefit both parts of the island, but given the more developed tourism industry in the Republic, it should benefit Northern Ireland to a much greater extent. In order to close the gap with the Republic, public policy needs to move beyond the current levels of co-operation, to build a single tourism offering, in marketing, visa requirements, tax and regional development policy and, perhaps most crucially, in the perception of the visitor. Johnny Wactors ex-fiancee Tessa Farrell has posted a message to his killers, telling them they shot the wrong guy. In a recorded message posted on Instagram on Tuesday (28 May), Ms Farrell is in tears as she says: If you are watching this and you did this, you got the wrong guy. The General Hospital star was shot dead at around 3am on Saturday by three men who were trying to steal a catalytic converter from his vehicle, the Los Angeles police department said. The suspects fled in a vehicle and no arrests have yet been made. The investigation is ongoing, police said. A suspended driver shocked a judge in the US by joining his court via a Zoom call while parking his car. Judge Cedric Simpson was gobsmacked when defendant Corey Harris appeared on screen in his Michigan court and explained that he was pulling into his doctors office. I dont even know why he would do that, the judge said, perplexed. The defendant is to turn himself into the Washtenaw County Jail by 6pm today, he added. Oh my God, Mr Harris replied, looking skyward in disbelief. Data Protection Commission says concerns were raised over amount of information that was publicly available The aviation authority is required to keep a register of aircraft owners in Ireland The names and addresses of the owners of Irish-registered aircraft are no longer appearing in an online register, following an intervention by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). In its annual report published today, the privacy watchdog reveals that it engaged on the issue with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) after concerns were raised by the owner of one private aircraft. This individual was required to register their aircraft with the IAA and was concerned about the amount of information contained in its register of aircraft owners, which it makes publicly available on its website, the DPC report says. The aviation authority is required to keep a register of aircraft owners in Ireland, which the public can inspect, and owners must provide their names and addresses when registering. The DPC took the view that while the authority was right to collect the personal data, publication of it online appeared to go beyond what was specifically required by legislation. Doing so meant that the names and addresses of private aircraft owners were publicly searchable on search engines, representing a significant invasion of their privacy. The DPC says that following its intervention, the IAA agreed to redact the names and residential addresses of private individuals on the aircraft register posted online. Read more Pepper boss to leave firm that services vulture-owned mortgages The aviation authority confirmed than as of October 2023, it had stopped doing so. Should a member of the public wish to view the aircraft register, they may do so for a fee and by appointment, it said. While most of the 1,377 planes registered in Ireland are owned by airlines or charter companies, hundreds of them are in private hands, including wealthy business people. For example Larry Goodmans Anglo Irish Beef Processors registered a Eurocopter in 2008 that is still on the register. The number of flights being taken by private aircraft, and the carbon they emit, have been coming under closer scrutiny globally. The private planes of celebrities such as Elon Musk and Taylor Swift have been tracked by university student Jack Sweeney, who calculates how much pollution their air travel is producing. This is set to become more difficult as the US government is giving private aircraft owners the right to anonymise their registration details. Asked if the right balance is being struck in Ireland between owners privacy and the publics right to know, Dale Sutherland, a commissioner for data protection, told the Irish Independent: We felt some of the information being published was not necessary for the purposes of the register. You look at what is the purpose of the register, what is the legal basis on which its been established, what does it intend to do. And then if you have information being published that is beyond what is necessary for the purpose of the register, it is hard to find a lawful underpinning from a data-protection point of view. He said the deletion of the names and addresses of aircraft owners from the online register did not affect the integrity of the database. It simply acknowledges that you have to strike a balance between what should be in the public domain and what shouldnt. There was a significant increase in complaints dealt with by the DPC last year, according to the annual report, with record fines issued, including the 1.2bn levied on Meta and the 345m on TikTok. Both are being challenged in the courts. The DPC said it processed 11,200 new cases last year, a 20pc increase on the figure for 2022. The total number of valid GDPR breach notifications received in 2023 was 6,991, also up 20pc. The most frequent cause of complaint was that correspondence had been sent to the wrong recipients. Public-sector bodies and banks accounted for the top 10 organisations with the highest number of breach notifications recorded against them. UK fast-fashion retailer Boohoo has scrapped plans to pay three of its top executives 1m each in bonuses, following complaints from shareholders. Boohoo said in a statement that the executive directors had opted to waive their entire bonus entitlement for the retail groups most recent financial year. The directors include Offaly-born chief executive John Lyttle, as well as co-founders Carol Kane and Mahmud Kamani. Ms Kane is now an executive director at the group, while Mr Kamani is executive chairman. A number of shareholders had been unhappy with the planned bonuses following the companys 160m loss for the year ended February 29, according to a report in The Times. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 The three executives were not entitled to a bonus in the most recent financial year as financial targets had not been met, the annual report stated. However, the remuneration committee opted to pay the bonuses due to the fact that the formulaic outcome is not an accurate reflection of the excellent work carried out during the year. The planned 1m bonus included a 300,000 payment and 700,000 in shares. Mr Lyttles salary for the year is now 713,175, down from 1.3m in the groups previous financial year. A number of shareholders had indicated that they would vote against the planned bonuses at the companys annual general meeting (AGM) next month. Shareholders were also set to vote on a resolution regarding the companys incentive plan at the meeting. However, in its statement, Boohoo said it would move to cancel the vote. Boohoo said it had engaged with certain shareholders regarding the incentive plan, and decided not to implement the incentive plan at this time. It will consider further engagement with shareholders in relation to the plan in the the future. Boohoo had looked to change the existing remuneration policy by combining the annual bonus scheme and long-term incentive plan into one plan which features a blend of time and performance-based awards. Mr Lyttle has led Boohoo Group since 2019. Prior to this, he was chief operating officer for eight years at Primark. Revenue at the DAA, which controls Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, soared 35pc to just over 1bn last year the first time turnover at the semi-state company has ever breached that figure. It generated a profit after tax of 176m last year, which was 80pc higher than the 98m it recorded in 2022. The company, headed by CEO Kenny Jacobs, has also announced that it will pay a 31m dividend to the Exchequer. DAA chief financial officer Peter Dunne said that while the groups businesses performed strongly last year, leaving the company with 805m in cash on its books, the group also has 1.6bn in debt. Thats more than twice what it had before the pandemic, and the majority of it matures between 2028 and 2032, he added. Companies typically refinance by issuing fresh debt to repay maturing debt. But the DAA has a near 2bn capital programme that also needs to be financed. In addition to refinancing the existing facilities over the coming years, additional debt funding will be required to support the significant investment in sustainable infrastructure needed to provide passenger capacity at Irelands two busiest airports in Dublin and Cork, according to Mr Dunne. The DAA has maintained its investment grade rating at ratings agency S&P, at A-/A-2. An investment grade rating enables a company to source finance from a much broader suite of potential lenders and investors. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 Dublin and Cork Airports welcomed 36.3 million passengers between them last year. The DAA said the total that passed through Dublin Airport was 31.9 million, which it said is below the 32 million passenger cap currently imposed on the gateway and which is impeding its growth. That passenger cap was attached as a condition nearly 20 years ago to the planning permission granted for Dublin Airports T2 terminal. The DAA is currently seeking permission for an expansion plan that would include allowing Dublin Airport to handle 40 million passengers a year. However, the DAA has been criticised by airlines including Aer Lingus and Ryanair the two biggest airlines operating out of Dublin for not applying for interim permission to raise the passenger cap while it awaits a decision on those plans. Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton has previously called on the government to intervene. DAA has sought planning permission to cater for up to 40 million passengers per year so Dublin Airport can continue to be an engine for Irelands growth, bringing jobs, investment and tourism, said Mr Jacobs. We are a small, open, island economy and stalled growth at our national airport sends a negative signal about investment in Ireland, he added. While we await the outcome of the planning process, DAA is making every effort to restrict growth to stay within the cap and continues to work with the IAA [Irish Aviation Authority] as slots regulator and our airline customers with a view to managing capacity at Dublin Airport. Mr Jacobs said the DAA is concerned about cost headwinds. We are concerned about cost headwinds in Ireland while the regulated charges at Dublin are less than half the average of EU capitals and we are not able to respond to the airline demand to add more routes because of the cap at Dublin Airport, he said. Some essential connectivity will be lost as airlines are already prioritising growth at hubs outside Ireland. Unit of investment giant Starwood opposed efforts by Martin Ferris The liquidator of an Irish company who has been seeking the return of 56m (66m) paid by the firm to a connected Cyprus entity more than two years before he was appointed has failed in the High Court to have the transaction reversed. Ireland-based Redefine Australian Investments was placed into voluntary liquidation in 2018. The company was a unit of Brightbay Real Estate Partners, part of investment giant Starwood Capital. Redefine Australian Investments had been established as part of a tax-efficient scheme to invest in property securities in an Australian property fund, the Cromwell Property Group. KPMG provided advice in 2010 that if the investments in the Cromwell Property Group were structured in a certain way, no Australian capital gains tax consequences should arise. But Redefine Australian Investments was hit with a total A$29m (18m) tax demand from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) in early 2018. The review of the companys tax affairs was started by the ATO in October 2016. Read more KBC appoints liquidator to wind up its former Irish bank The liquidator, Martin Ferris, claimed he was unable to pay the A$29m demand on behalf of Redefine Australian Investments because the firm had transferred 56m to Redefine Cyprus in 2015. Redefine Cyprus was the sole shareholder in Redefine Australian Investments. Redefine Cyprus gave a 100m loan to the Irish firm to fund its investment activities. The loan was structured so that the Irish firm paid any profit it made as interest on the loan. In September 2015, after a successful investment in Cromwell Property Group, Redefine Australian Investment paid 56m to Redefine Cyprus. Mr Ferris claimed that was a fraud on the creditors in circumstances where the ATO subsequently issued its assessment against Redefine Australian Investment. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 Brightbay Real Estate Partners and Redefine Cyprus sought to strike out the liquidators motion to reverse the transaction. The primary basis on which they sought to do so was that the liquidators claim was an indirect attempt to enforce a claim by a foreign tax authority. They contended that there was a long-established rule that it was impermissible to bring an action in an Irish court for the recovery of tax owed to a foreign tax authority. The High Court dismissed the liquidators claim on grounds including that his application was an application to indirectly enforce a foreign revenue debt. KBC Bank has appointed a liquidator to wind up what was its main Irish corporate entity, Exicon DAC, which was previously KBC Bank Ireland. A filing made to the Companies Registration Office shows James Anderson, a partner at Deloitte, was appointed as liquidator of Exicon DAC on May 15. Exicon DAC was previously KBC Bank Ireland and before that was known as Irish Intercontinental Bank (IIB). It was originally created in 1973. A series of filings made on the same day also include a declaration of solvency for Exicon and confirmation of a special resolution to wind up, which together confirm that the solvent liquidation is part of an orderly winding up of the former bank, which handed back its Irish licence in April. Today's News in 90 seconds - 28th May 2024 It means there is no financial risk to anyone who is owed money by KBC Bank Ireland or believes they may have funds still on deposit with the bank, but confirms the former lender is now in the final phase of shutting down its Irish business. The solvent liquidation is understood to be expected to take up to nine months, and any surplus of funds will be returned to KBC Group in Belgium. Liquidation will mean what was the main KBC Bank entity here ceases to exist, but the lender has a continuing operation, KBC Bank NV Dublin Branch, which remains available to support any queries from customers, who retain their legal and regulatory protections. It is understood that dormant accounts and some cases where borrowers had been in dispute with the bank or who the bank had been unable to engage with prior to shutting its main operations, make up some of the remaining customers here. KBC Bank Ireland returned its banking licence to the Central Bank of Ireland on April 30, formalising its long-flagged exit from the market here. The vast bulk of KBC Bank Irelands business has been sold or transferred to Bank of Ireland under a deal that was agreed in October 2021 and completed last year. Bank of Ireland gained around 150,000 KBC customers from the deal. Following the deal with Bank of Ireland, in May last year KBC agreed to transfer any remaining accounts and servicing activity of KBC Bank Ireland to KBC Bank NV Dublin Branch, which is licensed in Belgium and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. That transfer includes any unidentified and identified residual customer or regulatory claims or liabilities of the former Irish bank. The bank said last year it intended to give its shareholders all of the estimated 1bn to be taken out of Ireland once its operation here is completely wound down. The exit of KBC and rival Ulster Bank from the Irish market has hit competition and boosted profits at remaining lenders AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB. Ironically, KBC confirmed the date of its bank licence handing back on the same day Spains Bankinter confirmed plans to launch a digital bank here. Families will save close to 150 on electricity a year The new announcement will benefit around a quarter of a million electricity customers and 90,000 gas customers. Photo: Alamy SSE Airtricity has announced a second reduction this year in electricity and gas prices for households. It is the third time the supplier has cut charges since the energy crisis began in 2022. The move puts pressure on its main rivals Electric Ireland, Bord Gais Energy and Energia to announce more cuts. They have each announced two reductions in the past year. The latest SSE reductions will not take effect until the start of July, but the cut will save a typical family 150 a year on electricity and 105 on gas. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 Electricity and gas prices are being cut by 10pc each. SSEs standing charge will remain unchanged. The new electricity unit rate will be just over 30c per kilowatt hour, excluding VAT, and just over 9c, excluding VAT, for gas. It is the third price reduction from SSE Airtricity, with previous cuts taking effect last November and in February this year. The supplier reduced its electricity prices in February by 12.8pc and its gas prices by 11.5pc. The new announcement will benefit around a quarter of a million electricity customers and 90,000 gas customers. The supplier said a dual-fuel household, paying by direct debit and receiving bills electronically, will save close to 1,000 a year as a result of the three price reductions. Wholesale electricity prices were nearly 30pc lower last month compared to the same month last year, data from the Central Statistics Office shows. The figures show wholesale electricity prices are now 77.2pc lower than the peak experienced in August 2022. SSE Airtricity said all domestic customers on variable rates in the Republic of Ireland will have the reduced rate automatically applied to their bills from July 1. Klair Neenan, managing director of SSE Airtricity, said the company was happy it was able to announce a price decrease. She said the company was committed to passing on reductions as soon as it is possible to do so. Ms Neenan encouraged any customers experiencing difficulty with their bills to contact the supplier in confidence. Daragh Cassidy, head of communications for Bonkers.ie, said: This is obviously welcome news and comes at a time when many households are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures and high energy prices. He said he expected all the other major suppliers to follow suit over the coming weeks. However, despite the latest price drop, SSEs electricity prices are still around 70pc higher than they were before the energy crisis broke out while its gas prices remain around 80pc higher, Mr Cassidy said. This means households will still be paying around 1,000 a year more for their gas and electricity than they were only a few years ago. He added that it was hard to see prices for households falling much further in the short term. The latest SSE Airtricity price reduction announcement comes just weeks after new supplier Yuno introduced an electricity price plan that is cheaper than its previous plans. The newest supplier in the market has introduced a fixed-rate deal for new customers that is 6.14pc lower than its previous rate. It said 23.69c per kilowatt hour, including Vat, is the cheapest unit rate on the market. The plans were laid out in a presentation to investors of Musks AI startup xAI Elon Musk has reportedly claimed that he wants to build a 'gigafactory of compute'. Photo: Reuters Elon Musk is planning to build the worlds most powerful artificial intelligence supercomputer to power his controversial AI chatbot Grok, according to reports. The head of Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) intends to acquire 100,000 Nvidia semiconductor chips, The Information reported, with plans to have it running by next year. The plans were laid out in a presentation to investors of his AI startup xAI this month, with Mr Musk reportedly claiming that he wants to build a gigafactory of compute. Using Nvidias flagship H100 graphics processing units (GPUs), the proposed machine would be at least four times bigger than the biggest GPU clusters that currently exist. The report of the multi-billion dollar initiative coincides with a multi-billion dollar funding round for xAI, which the start-up announced on Sunday. In a blog post detailing the $6 billion Series B funding round, xAI said its primary focus is on the development of advanced AI systems that are truthful, competent, and maximally beneficial for all of humanity, referencing its Grok model. xAI will continue on this steep trajectory of progress over the coming months, with multiple exciting technology updates and products soon to be announced, the blog stated. The funds from the round will be used to take xAIs first products to market, build advanced infrastructure, and accelerate the research and development of future technologies. xAI launched Grok in November 2023 as an anti-woke alternative to the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, built by OpenAI, and Googles Bard. Mr Musk said at the time of its unveiling that it allowed X users to ask it spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems, such as recipes for Class A drugs like cocaine. Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, a blog post announcing its launch noted. Please dont use it if you hate humour! In its latest blog post announcing the new funds, xAI concluded: The companys mission is to understand the true nature of the universe. ( The Independent) Melinda French Gates says she will be donating $1bn (920m) over the next two years to individuals and organisations working on behalf of women and families globally, including on reproductive rights in the United States. Jeremy Allen White returns to the kitchen in The Bear season three teaser (Disney+/PA) The third season of The Bear will see expectations at an all-time high as Jeremy Allen Whites character strives for perfection and a Michelin star. The TV series, about top chef Carmen Carmy Berzatto (Allen White), who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother, swept the TV awards season this year. The fast-paced trailer for the third season sees Carmy introduce a list of non-negotiables for his staff, as he bids to match the best restaurants, including vibrant collaboration and no repeat ingredients. If its not perfect, it doesnt go out, Carmy says. The trailer also sees Carmy offer chef Sydney Adamu, played by Ayo Edebiri, an official partnership agreement so that you can push me and I can push you, he says. Allen White and co-star Edebiri won awards in the comedy series category at the Emmys, Golden Globes, the SAG awards and the Critics Choice Awards, while the show won best ensemble in a comedy series at all four ceremonies. The Bear season three will premiere on June 27 on Disney+ in the UK, with all 10 half-hour episodes available at the same time. The third season will follow protagonist Carmy alongside Sydney and Richard Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they attempt to elevate The Bear, their beef-stand-turned-fine-dining establishment, to the highest level while trying to stay in business. It will see Carmy push himself harder than ever while demanding new levels of excellence from his crew. The series will also star Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colon-Zayas, as well as Oliver Platt and Molly Gordon in recurring roles. Spread around Ireland, these bed and breakfasts, and camping sites are the perfect escape from the city for those looking for some peace and quiet The Irish countryside has plenty to offer for anyone looking to spend their summer in the company of nature and the peace and quiet of rural life. From glamping sites nestled in between fields and restored barns to historic farmhouses that have been renovated for the modern traveller, weve put together some farm stays around the country that offer the perfect taste of farm life. Exclusive | Nicola Hanney book extract: Paul stormed down after me like a robot from Terminator. Open the door, you f**king bitch, he said, hammering his fist on the windscreen Ahead of the local and European elections on June 7th, we guide you through the voting system with important advice on how to avoid spoiling your vote. So whats PR and STV again? The electoral system is the set of rules used to convert votes cast at the election into seats. Elections in Ireland are conducted using an electoral system called Proportional Representation by the Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV). The system has been used at elections since 1922 and is enshrined in the 1937 constitution. It is an unusual system and the only other country in Europe which uses it for general elections is Malta. The use of the word proportional in the name of the system is the critical part. In practice, the system does not work out as perfectly proportional, no system does. But it is generally agreed that the system is fair. When you vote in an election in Ireland, you are asked to give your vote in order of preference. After the first count, your number preferences are distributed (in decreasing value) until all candidates either pass the quota or fill the seats available. Irelands voting system whats PR and STV again? How secret is a secret ballot? Your vote is secret. When you have finished marking your ballot, you should fold it over and place it in the ballot box. No selfies! There are no specific laws about taking selfies but it is an offence to reveal the content of your ballot in the polling station so no posing with it, no matter how much you want to. For the same reason, voters should not write any messages or slogans on their ballot. Again, it may reveal the identity of the voter and could result in the vote being deemed invalid and thus excluded during the counting process. Voters have sparked a big trend on social media by bringing their dogs with them to vote. The electoral law in Ireland does not cover dogs at polling stations but health and safety could strike so best to check whether your dog is welcome before you arrive together. How do I vote? Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. A polling card is not required to vote but voters may be asked for identification so it is important to have some with you. Voting under the PR-STV system is a straightforward process. Each voter will be given a ballot paper for their constituency. There is a lot of information on the ballot to help voters. A photograph of each candidate is included along with information on any political party affiliation, their address and occupation. Each voter ranks the candidates in order of their preference by placing 1, 2, 3. in the box alongside the candidate. The number of candidates on the ballot will vary from one constituency to the next. The great advantage of PR-STV is that it is an intuitive system allowing the voter to express an opinion on all of the candidates if they want to. It is often said, that whilst a person has one vote, they can offer many choices. How do I avoid spoiling my vote? Many voters choose to express only a few preferences, often voting from 1 to 5. The important thing is to express a clear preference. If you would like to vote for just one candidate, put the number 1 next to their name. Returning officers usually accept a single X next to a candidates name as a clear preference. But you should not put multiple Xs on the ballot as this will result in your vote being spoiled. The same would be true if you put the number 1 next to a few candidates. The vote cannot be counted as the returning officer cannot be sure about the order of the preferences and it will be deemed invalid. A version of this article was first published in 2016 Records seen on TikTok post The video, posted on the social media platform, shows scores of boxes of confidential patient files in a building at the old St Conals psychiatric hospital in Letterkenny. The Data Protection Commission has launched an inquiry into the HSE after the leak of thousands of personal health records, some of which have featured in a video on TikTok. The inquiry will examine how the HSE has been keeping sensitive personal data in paper records at external storage facilities. The data watchdog has been told about breaches of security at two such buildings. The breaches notified to the DPC related to two specific locations which were accessed by unauthorised third parties, and the circulation of videos taken from these locations showing paper medical records, according to a spokesman for the privacy watchdog. Last November, a video posted on TikTok featured a large number of historic patient files in a disused Donegal hospital. The records, including X-ray results and medical notes, were at the former St Conals psychiatric hospital in Letterkenny. The person who shot the video claimed they got into the building via an unlocked door. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 Last night, the HSE confirmed that it had just received a notice of commencement of an inquiry from the DPC into two separate data breaches in 2023. We will co-operate fully with this inquiry, it said. The HSE takes all breaches of data protection seriously, and manages all breaches in line with data-protection legislation and HSE policy. The DPC was first notified of a breach by the HSE late last year, and has been interacting with the health service since. Des Hogan, a commissioner with the DPC, said: We were dealing with that and more information came to light, including videos which were circulating online of some of the material in these storage facilities. This ramped up our concern. We have decided on [that] basis to start an inquiry, and we will be looking at all HSE storage facilities. The video shows scores of boxes of confidential patient files at the old St Conals psychiatric hospital in Letterkenny. The DPC said it does not have precise information on how many patients records are affected by the data breach, but the number is significant, and it would be safe to say thousands are involved. It will look at what level of security the health service has in place to safeguard medical records. Mr Hogan agreed that looking at all the HSE storage facilities would be a huge job, but would be done piece by piece. In its new annual report, the DPC says it issued 19 finalised decisions last year resulting in fines totalling 1.55bn, as well as reprimands and compliance orders. The fines included 1.2bn on Meta after a GDPR inquiry into data transfers from the EU to America, and 345m on TikTok after an examination of the processing of personal data relating to children. Last year, the DPC imposed fines ranging between 15,000 and 750,000, on five organisations. The largest was on Bank of Ireland for data breaches on its 365 app. Centric health was fined 460,000 following a ransomware attack affecting patient data held on its system. Some 70,000 patients were affected. In the case of 2,500 of them, their data was deleted and no back-up was available. Overall, the DPC received 11,200 new complaints from individuals last year. It concluded a total of 11,147 cases. Dubliner Andy Kavanagh with heart transplant nurse Tomcy Baby (left) and consultant cardiologist Emer Joyce at the Mater Hospital in Dublin. Photo: Conor McCabe A Dublin grandfather is celebrating the 38th anniversary of getting a new heart. Andy Kavanagh, from Coolock, was 19 when he received his transplant in the Mater Hospital, where he was operated on by renowned surgeons Maurice Neligan and Freddie Wood. Mr Kavanagh (57) has beaten the odds the median survival after a heart transplant is around 15 years. He is now just one year behind the longest survivor. Only a few heart transplants had been carried out when he had his life-saving surgery in 1986. The An Post worker has since also had a kidney transplant, and went on to become a dad and grandad. Mr Kavanagh said he is grateful every day to donor David who was killed by a drunk driver and his family. David was the same age as I was when he died, and I was lucky enough to meet his family a year after my transplant, he said. I put an advertisement in the paper on the one-year anniversary to thank him and his family and then they contacted me. If it wasnt for their decision, I might not be here today organ donation saves lives. Mr Kavanagh was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy after a flu-type illness attacked the muscles of his heart when he was 18. He has faced other life-threatening health battles he was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and had to have a kidney removed. Because of the anti-rejection medication he was taking for his heart, his other kidney soon failed and he needed a kidney transplant, which was carried out in 2006. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 The Mater Hospital began its heart transplant programme in 1985, and it continues to be the national centre for heart and lung swaps. More than 400 transplants have been performed there. In the last 10 years, the programme has been expanded and now includes mechanical heart pumps, which can be implanted in patients awaiting transplants. Dr Emer Joyce, a consultant cardiologist at the Mater, said: Andy is one of the first of the more than 400 recipients who have received the gift of life via their organ donors through the Maters heart transplant service. Considering the prognosis now for heart-transplant patients is much better than it was when Andy received his donor heart in 1986, his journey is remarkable, especially given other obstacles he has had to overcome, including undergoing a kidney transplant. A man was arrested this afternoon after attempting to climb the railings of Leinster House in a bid to allegedly remove the Palestinian flag. Ireland formally recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a joint move with Norway and Spain. The Palestinian flag was flown over Leinster House, and four hours were set aside in Dail to hear TDs statements. At about 6pm a man was spotted by gardai climbing the railings to the grounds of Leinster House near Merrion Square. Asked about the intruder detained at the read of the building, a spokeswoman for the Houses of the Oireachtas said: "We dont comment on security issues." A garda spokesperson said: Gardai arrested a male in his 50s earlier this afternoon near Merrion Street in Dublin. "He is currently detained at a Garda Station in Dublin. Earlier, Taoiseach Simon Harris said there is an onus on every country and on the European Union to use every lever at our disposal to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. Taoiseach Simon Harris says onus is on every country and EU to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza I welcome the decision of the Belgian presidency to convene a meeting on the EU-Israel Association Agreement, he said. The human rights clauses in that agreement are and must be meaningful and when theyre not being adhered to, that too must have consequences. He added: Formal recognition of the State of Palestine here today is an act of powerful, political and symbolic value. I hope it sends the Palestinian people a message of hope that in this, their darkest hour, Ireland stands with them. New legislation will allow pubs to apply for extended hours until 2.30am. Photo: PA Pubs will not be able to open all night under new laws despite recent claims to the contrary, TDs have been told. In a letter to politicians, vintners groups said a new streamlined system would mean pubs can open until 12.30am every night, with the possibility of seeking a late-night permit until 2.30am. The Licensed Vintners Association and the Vintners Federation of Ireland hit back at claims made about all-night opening. They said the proposals relating to pubs have been confused with the fact that nightclubs would be able to serve alcohol until 5am. Currently, pubs can open from 10.30am until 11.30pm from Monday to Thursday, from 10.30am until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays and from 12.30pm until 11pm on Sundays. The new legislation allows pubs to apply for extended hours until 2.30am. A new nightclub permit would allow venues to serve alcohol until 5am and open until 6am. The vintners groups called on the Government to publish the legislation as a matter of urgency. We also note that some media commentary has wrongly characterised the proposed nightclub permit as facilitating all pubs being open all night, the letter said. This will clearly not be the case as the requirements of the nightclub permit are extremely demanding requirements that we fully support. The overwhelming majority of pubs in Ireland will continue to trade in their usual trading hours, and the sector will continue to be tightly regulated. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the terms of this Bill are currently being finalised and the Minister hopes to publish it in the coming months, and it is expected to be enacted this year. Sacked Prof Philip Nolans new job in doubt amid fallout over bullying allegations Research agency board decided to terminate former Nphet mans employmentSimon Harris directly appointed Nolan to new quango Who is Philip Nolan? Fionnan Sheahan Wed 29 May 2024 at 03:30 Returning to work after over a month on medical leave, Professor Philip Nolans first act was to send an email to all his staff saying he looked forward to working with them all over the coming weeks and months. Group of activists protesting for climate change during covid19 - Multiracial people fighting on road holding banners on environments disasters - Global warming concept Second level students are worried that schools are displaying reluctance to offer the new Leaving Cert course on climate change. Just 40 of the countrys 722 secondary schools will offer the Climate Action and Sustainable Development course as a subject choice when it is rolled out from next year. Shari Irfan, president of the Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU) and a member of the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment, which has developed the course, said he was aware of hesitancy among schools about adding it to the timetable. Thats natural with a new subject, he said, but he said it also came at a time when schools were struggling with staff recruitment and retention. He said students were concerned that there would not be enough teachers trained to deliver the course which will be a full exam subject. Teachers need training in the subject to effectively teach it, especially if its going to be graded in Leaving Cert, he said. He said while ISSU fully supported the creation of a dedicated Leaving Cert exam subject, students were also keen that climate change have a wider reach in schools. It is crucial that our climate discussions are practical and reach across all aspects of the curriculum, he said. Whether that is with students studying business who need to understand that uncapped consumption isn't an option or students in engineering learning how to make repairs rather than throwing things away, Climate Action and Sustainable Development cannot just exist as a stand alone subject but must be a crucial part of all aspects of our lives. He also called for greater resources for schools to help students with eco grief. Its a very doom and gloom feeling, he told the Oireachtas Education Committee. You sit and wonder will I ever have a family, a home, a life? He said formal education on climate action would help ease anxiety by helping students to feel more empowered but the crisis was still hard for many to cope with. Does every school have a guidance counsellor? No. A counsellor trained for this? No. He was one of five second and third level students who addressed TDs and senators on bringing climate into the classroom and lecture halls. The meeting also heard that free public transport, more school buses, grants for bicycles and on-campus student accommodation would help cut education-related transport emissions. This new interactive experience coming to Dublin is all about inspiring children to get into STEM subjects The new exhibit will open this summer in Dublins Theatre of Light Dream Tomorrow Today started in Canada. Photo: Vanessa Velazquez Photography Saoirse Hanley Wed 29 May 2024 at 03:30 Theres never been a more important time to get children interested in the world around them. Whether its climate change, the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence or the threat of another pandemic, there are myriad ways the next generation will need to be engaging with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.) A new interactive experience in Dublin is going to encourage exactly that. Our wine expert picks some of her favourites for al fresco drinking One of my favourite memories of summer is waking up to that delicious hazy-morning promise of a beach-friendly day. Whats rare is wonderful, and it was always a wonder to come down to the kitchen to discover that my mother had already filled a large, tray-sized tupperware with her trademark triple-decker sandwiches, and was ready to throw the picnic basket in the car and hit the coast early to nab a sheltered spot in the sand dunes. My mother was a practiced picnic opportunist. She paid close attention to the weather forecast and took full advantage of positive predictions. Irish picnics are hard to plan ahead without a high degree of optimism (plus back-up brollies). More typically, they are impromptu affairs, maybe committed to the day before but more often in the heat of a blue-sky moment. If we do get a stretch of sunny weather, it can be a special pleasure to dust down the basket and plan an al fresco feast, complete with something cold and delicious to wash it down. If it happens to coincide with a bank-holiday weekend, say, it feels like the gods are smiling. But an unexpected end-of-workday picnic in a sunny park or by a stretch of water can be just as joyous, when its less about the contents of the picnic than the sheer miracle of seizing the moment. A deli salad box can do very nicely, and a chilled wine spritz can feel positively luxurious. Indeed, any wine at a picnic feels like a party, so no need to bring out your finest bottles. Thats not to say its not worth treating yourselves to something special, as long as its a wine that doesnt take itself too seriously. Many of the wines recommended in the last couple of weeks would be suitable, from pretty pink roses (OBriens is now offering 25pc off some of its favourites, through to September) to lighter, chillable red wines or, of course, your favourite screwcap white would do nicely. To really embrace the fun of picnics, though, a frothy drop of fizz is just the job; bonus points if its low in alcohol while high in charm. Todays recommendations include a cheeky can of spritz rose at just 6.5pc and a summertastic northern Italian lightly sparkling red at 5.5pc, perfect for a daytime tipple that wont see things unravelling. Ive included good-value options from Aldi and OBriens respectively (or the refreshing organic Sorra Blanca Brut Cava is currently 16.76 in OBriens), and a classy Cremant de Loire made in the traditional method used in Champagne. Consider investing in some reusable plastic wine glasses and a wine cooler sleeve that you can store in your freezer, ready for those blue-sky moments. Wines of the week Contero Brachetto dAcqui DOCG 2022 Contero Brachetto dAcqui DOCG 2022, Piemonte, Italy, 5.5pc,23.95 A speciality of Acqui in northern Italy featuring the local Brachetto grape fermented to just 5.5pc before interruption (leaving about 100g/l residual sugar), this delicately sparkling sweet red wine is bursting with ripe raspberry, cherry pop and crushed rose petal aromas, balanced on the palate by lots of tangy acidity and a bittersweet cherry finish to ensure theres nothing cloying. Serve well-chilled from a cool box or cold stream, with (or instead of) berry pavlova or Black Forest gateaux. Gorgeous. The Corkscrew, Baggot Street Wines, DrinkStore; drinkstore.ie Djuce Rose Spritz Djuce Rose Spritz, Organic, Italy, 6.5pc, 5.95 (187ml can) Just the thing to grab en route to a beach or a bench, this thirst-quenching, low-alcohol spritz is salmon pink in colour, with pretty floral and summer pudding aromas, light refreshing spritz and smashable juicy fruits on the palate. Think sandwiches, salads, quiche or dips n chips. Lennox Street Grocer, MacCurtain Wine Cellar Montelvini Collezione Promosso Frizzante Montelvini Collezione Promosso Frizzante, Veneto, Italy, 11pc, 10 A lightly sparkling Chardonnay-Trebbiano blend, and great value for an impromptu park picnic to go with a falafel or salad box or whatever else you can rummage up. Clean orchard fruit character with refreshing citrus and apple acidity on the finish. From 12.95 until June 16. OBriens Wine; obrienswine.ie Specially Selected Fleurs dEau Sparkling Brut Rose Specially Selected Fleurs dEau Sparkling Brut Rose, France, 11.5pc, 13.99 An unusual blend of Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Bobal and Muscat grapes, this pale pink fizz is classified Brut in sweetness levels (with 12g/l residual sugar, making it dry but rounded and edging towards off-dry), full of red berry and ripe nectarine notes with a little creaminess and a light frizzante spritz. Aldi Bouvet-Ladubay Excellence Rose Brut Cremant de Loire Bouvet-Ladubay Excellence Rose Brut Cremant de Loire, France, 12.5pc, 25 A classy choice for a romantic picnic, popping with Cabernet Francs redcurrant fruit and leaf notes, a twist of hibiscus and thyme, a fine mousse and creamy texture finishing dry, mineral and elegant. Risk the best glasses you can with a posh picnic of dainty sandwiches, crab salad and goat cheese quiche. Whelehans Wines From Taylor Swift to Coldplay, concert travel is striking a chord and bringing in millions of euro Taylor Swift performs at the Paris Le Defense Arena as a part of her Eras Tour concert in May. Photo: AP/Lewis Joly That was the take of a recent story in Skift, the travel news website. It looked at travel through the lens of Swiftonomics at how the barnstorming Eras Tour has brought millions of euro to hotels, airlines, restaurants and other businesses in cities it visits. Are we witnessing the strange death of Tory England in the current British general election? All the indicators are that the Conservative Party will lose massively in the July 4 poll (and Labour will emerge with a majority of well over 300 seats). The shock divorce of presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford has left viewers wonderingwhere did it all go wrong for the TV double act? The pair, who had been together for over a decade and previously co-hosted This Morning, confirmed last weekend that they are to split. Belfast-born Holmes (64) began working with GB News in 2022 and presents the channels breakfast show. In 2021, he suffered with chronic pain due to a trapped sciatic nerve and had to undergo spinal surgery in September 2022. Two months later, he broke his shoulder and was pictured using a wheelchair. Friends of the couple have reportedly said that Langsford (64) wanted to announce the split but Holmes was in denial and never believed Ruth would take the steps to move on. Its not the first showbiz conflict Holmes has been involved in, after he was one of the loudest voices to be heard amid Phillip Schofield's high-profile ITV departure. Today on The Indo Daily, Tabitha Monahan is joined by Aine Toner, Features Editor with the Belfast Telegraph, to discuss the break-up of one of TVs most prominent couples and some of Holmess controversial opinions that have found a home on GB News. Primary and secondary students attended a dress rehearsal of the festivals headline opera on the grounds of Lismore Castle Pictured are Liz Oakham and Ann Mannix Glanmire secondary school attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Alexander Meek, Sophie Hackett, Kayla Harris, Lia Galvin and Robert O Halloran Glanmire Community school attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Allie Nolan, Isabelle Donovan and Roisin O Connor Glanmire secondary school attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Catherine Dunwoody teacher with her pupils from Kilrossanty National school attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Margo McGann, Mags and Alva Ormond, Bella Buckley, Madeline Hearn, Laura Murphy, St Augustines Dungarvan and Cappoquin National School attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are pupils from Ardmore National school attending the dress rehearsalof the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd june, John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Sandra and Rachel Willoughby and Margie and Mary Rose O Connell Cairde Services Dungarvan attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Barry Murphy, Peter Adlovu and Bradon O Mahony Park National School attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are Nora Nagys, Issie Boylan, Cara McDermot and Lilly Power Newtown Waterford school attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Pictured are students Ramona Zamora, Joseph Oakham and Carlotta Saiz Pedro Blackwater Community School attending the dress rehearsal of the Giulio Cesare by G. F. Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle Co Waterford as part of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024, the festival runs until 3rd June. John D Kelly Photography Over 400 primary and secondary students from counties Cork and Waterford attended the Schools Night of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival ahead of its official opening. The lucky students attended the dress rehearsal of the festivals headline opera Giulio Cesare by G.F Handel on the grounds of Lismore Castle in Waterford ahead of the festival officially opening on Monday. This special event offered a rare glimpse into the final preparations of a professional opera production, a social media post from the festival said. Thank you to all the cast, crew, and, of course our wonderful audience for a successful dress rehearsal! Were looking so much forward to welcoming audiences again at our opening night this Wednesday! Bravo tutti! It was an incredible opportunity to inspire the next generation of opera lovers! The opening of the festival, which runs until June 3, was opened at a gathering led by Mayor of Waterford, Joe Conway, and festival director, Eamonn Carroll, at the Millenium Park in Lismore. The event featured a variety of musical performances which entertained all those in attendance. Labour Party councillor Eoghan Kenny has claimed that Mallow is being left behind in terms of securing funds for urban development and the relief road. Cllr Kenny who is a councillor for the Kanturk-Mallow Municipal District has criticised the distribution of the Town Centre First grant provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development. It was announced on Tuesday, May 28 that Macroom, Mitchelstown and Bantry will each benefit from 10,000 in funding to help address vacancy and dereliction. The funding, provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Town Centre First Town Team Support Fund, will be used to further develop Town Teams in each location. These teams are supported by the County Councils Town Regeneration Office and play a role in helping communities access departmental funding under various schemes. Cllr Kenny has subsequently written to the Chief Executive of Cork County Council Valerie OSullivan, where he outlined his hopes for funding to be allocated to Mallow to help tackle dereliction and vacancy. In the letter to Ms OSullivan he queried if Mallow has ever been spoken about regarding access to the Town Centre First funding. Cllr Kenny also sought advice on the process of applying and receiving the Town Centre First grant, how it is distributed and who makes the final decision on that distribution. Cllr Kenny said Mallow town requires funding to help tackle vacancy and dereliction. Following the distribution of 10,000 each to the towns of Bantry, Macroom and Mitchelstown, to regenerate the town centres and tackle the issues of dereliction and vacancy, its hard not to feel that Mallow as a whole is being left behind in terms of addressing the serious, ongoing issue of dereliction and vacancy on our main street. Mallow town is the heart of Munster, Cllr Kenny said. However the vibrancy and viability of our main street is in serious danger. It is very evident that our main street is in very serious need of funding, to address in particular, dereliction and vacancy. If we want to see our main street as a hub of activity, if we want to attract big industry to Mallow, if we want to see new housing developments, we need to start seeing Cork County Council and central government prioritising Mallow town, he added. The new beds will be provided to four hospitals located across Cork It has been announced that 472 additional hospital beds will be provided across four Cork hospitals. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly revealed on Wednesday that 342 new beds will be put in place in Cork University Hospital while 82 additional beds will be supplied for Mercy University Hospital. Bantry General Hospital will get 24 new beds and another 24 will be provided in Mallow General Hospital. Minister Donnelly also announced a plan to deliver 3,352 new beds (2,997 net new hospital beds + 355 replacement beds, in addition to the 1,015 hospital beds under construction and/or committed to), bringing the total number of new beds to be delivered by 2031 to 4,367. According to Fianna Fail TD Aindrias Moynihan, the Government has delivered 1,218 net additional acute hospital beds since 2020. Deputy Moynihan, who represents Cork North West, welcomed the news that additional beds will be provided in Cork hospitals. These new beds are much needed and I know they will be of enormous comfort to families in the region. Delivering healthcare for everyone is a cornerstone of Fianna Fail's approach in government, Deputy Moynihan said. "We are improving access to health services, with reductions in waiting times and waiting lists, lower costs for treatment, more entitlement to free GP services than ever before, and Irelands first ever Womens Health Strategy. "Weve cut the amount of money families need to spend on healthcare, abolished hospital charges, introduced free contraception, reduced monthly medicines bills and rolled out free IVF. "Today's announcement is further evidence that Fianna Fail is committed to tackling the issues we are facing in our healthcare system head-on." The works will ensure that lorry drivers have easier access to the Macroom bypass Works are to be carried out at Millstreet Cross in Macroom to ensure that trucks have easier access to the N22 bypass and less traffic passes through town, according to a local councillor. Councillor Ted Lucey, who is Cathaoirleach of the local Municipal District council, told The Corkman that design proposals for work to be done on the Millstreet Cross are at an advanced stage. Cllr Lucey said that once completed, the works will ensure that trucks, particularly those coming from the Killarney side of the cross, will be able to safely take the turn towards Millstreet leading to the N22 bypass. The Fine Gael representative said that this will result in less lorries driving into Macroom as currently many drivers of articulated trucks choose to pass through town rather than take the sharp turn for the bypass at Millstreet Cross. Its very hard for them to turn up so they are coming back through the town all the time, Cllr Lucey said. This holds up the flow of traffic and just brings trucks back through the town unnecessarily. The works will be the part of the jigsaw thats missing at the moment for the bypass, because the trucks wont be trying to come down through town rather than turn up left on to the bypass. Cllr Lucey said that proposals to revamp the design of Millstreet Cross are currently being worked on by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in conjunction with Cork County Council. The official said that funding will soon be applied for once a decision is made on what shape the works will take. I would be hopeful that it will come to a conclusion and something will happen there in the near future, Cllr Lucey said. The inability of Uisce Eireann to provide proper water infrastructure in Cork towns and villages was met with vociferous criticism at last Mondays full council meeting with Mayor OFlynn calling for the company to be disbanded. Numerous councillors complained that the lack of urgency from the state owned water utility company in installing waste water treatment plants is thwarting the development of houses throughout the county. The criticism of Uisce Eireann arose after the local authority received correspondence back from the company after they initially sent a letter requesting that Carrignavar be seriously considered for urgent works for a waste water treatment plant for the village and surrounding areas. In a reply to Cork County Council, Uisce Eireann confirmed that Carrignavar was not included in Cork County Councils list of prioritised sites for upgrade under the Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme under the current Investment Plan (2020-2024) and Cork County Council currently have Carrignavar ranked at number 12 in the list of candidate settlements. In the correspondence they also added that schemes ranked 1 to 7 on the candidate list in County Cork are progressing at present. Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard suggested writing to Minister Darragh OBrien to make him aware of the situation. Nothing can progress in Carrignavar without this wastewater treatment plant being upgraded. We are held at ransom. We now have a derelict site with a number of houses because we cant hook up to a wastewater treatment. We are in a housing crisis and this is what we are dealing with in regards to Uisce Eireann. It is important that we as a council respond and say this response is not satisfactory and maybe also write to the minister. Fine Gael councillor John Paul OShea was equally scathing in his criticism of Uisce Eireann. We put forward 35 villages that need improvements. The first seven were approved in 2019. Irish Water have done nothing to bring them to fruition. Not one of them has gone for a planning application. We have one in Castlemagner and we are fighting for it to go to planning and construction. Irish Water are at fault here, not Cork County Council. We have listed Carrignavar and others to progress to the next phase. Irish Water have dozens and dozens of staff and consultants. They need to get up and get going to make sure those planning permissions for those seven villages come in and progress on to the next stage then, he added. It is like killing by stealth our villages and some of our towns, said Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson. You can see it now in the primary schools, if you havent the young families coming in the numbers go. It is a vicious circle of killing off wonderful communities. We have to fight this and find solutions as it is detrimental to our communities. Fianna Fail councillor Deirdre OBrien warned that developers will leave the market if the present situation is not rectified. Glanworth village is getting a new plant at the moment but it is only going to service the size of the village that is there. There is a development on the way. The developer has to apply for planning permission to put in his own treatment plant. It makes no sense. Developers will leave the market. In a passionate address the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn called on the government to admit they got it wrong when they created Irish Water. Will the minister and the government make a call to abolish Irish Water? It is not working. Mitchelstown and Glanworth is an absolute disgrace. We have a developer waiting 2.5 years to start building houses. The minister promised to come down but he never arrived. We are told there are 250,000 houses of a deficit. Will the government do something before it is too late? They are not listening in Kildare Street. The planning regulator has destroyed this country. He is responsible to no-one. People want to build a house where they were born, reared and went to school. It is never too late to make the right decision and admit they got it wrong in setting up Irish Water. Maybe the new council can send a deputation to meet the minister, he added. The Chief Executive of Cork County Council Valerie OSullivan provided the councillors with planning permission figures in Cork County. Between the years 2022 and 2023 the planning system was working because we granted more or less 8,000 permissions for housing units in those two years. Around 3,500 were complete. There is a gap between the planning system and the deliveries. Water infrastructure, water services and wastewater treatment is a massive shortfall in bringing forward those 8,000 units to the market. Every opportunity that comes up for most agencies we can find agility within our systems to work together to make something happen for citizens except Uisce Eireann. There is no agility, she added. Fianna Fail councillor Bernard Moynihan said the plant in Ballydesmond needs to be upgraded. They wont build a plant big enough for Castlemagner which is a fantastic place. They are building it for 450 people. The projected population of Castlemager is 700. We have the same situation in Ballydesmond. The plant needs to be upgraded. We can build another 20 or 30 houses in Ballydesmond. The infrastructure is in place. These boys cannot get it together, Cllr Moynihan said. I am really concerned for my communities in Duhallow. It is incredible they wont listen to logic or public representatives. If you are going to have 700 people you build a plant for 700 people. It was agreed that a letter would be sent back to Uisce Eireann on behalf of Cork County Council outlining the councillors concerns at the lack of urgency in installing proper water infrastructure in Cork County. It was also agreed that a letter will be sent to Minister Darragh OBrien outlining the councillors concerns about Uisce Eireann. Pictured at the Crann Ard Development in Fermoy is the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O 'Flynn. Pic : Brian Lougheed Two social and affordable housing developments that will deliver new homes in Fermoy and Cobh continue to make good progress. Cork County Council is working towards the completion of two social and affordable housing developments that will ultimately deliver 151 new homes in Cork County. The Crann Ard development in Fermoy is a 48-unit social housing development with a mix of two, three and four bedroom properties that will be made available for letting in phases later this year and during 2025. The Cluain Ard Development in Cobh is a 103-unit development, consisting of 54 social and 49 affordable homes, with a mix of two and three bedroom properties expected to be complete this summer. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn said he is delighted to see works recommence in Fermoy. Cork County Council, in partnership with the developers look forward to progressing these projects to help address the shortage of high-quality new homes available. I am delighted to see works recommence in Fermoy. I look forward to seeing the development progress over the coming months. I also look forward to residents moving into these turnkey properties in the near future. The Crann Ard scheme in Fermoy will see the completion of an unfinished estate and is being developed in partnership between Cooleeney Developments Ltd and Cork County Council. The project will also see the construction of the necessary infrastructure to open up the adjoining 18 acres of zoned lands for future development. An associated company VB Developments Ltd will shortly be lodging planning permission for 300 homes through the LRD process, which will deliver further social and affordable housing in Fermoy. The Cluain Ard scheme in Cobh will also see the completion of an unfinished estate, which is being developed in partnership between Sirio Homes and Cork County Council. The 49 affordable homes are being sold to approved purchasers, with all sales being subsided by a 75,000 subsidy per house provided from the Affordable Housing Fund under the Governments Housing for All plan. The on-site infrastructure in Cobh has been delivered by the Housing Infrastructure Services Company (HISCo), a joint venture between Cork County Council and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) established to support the development of new homes across Ireland. The CEO of HISCo, Niall Morrissey said: This project builds on our successful projects that are ongoing across the country. The project would not be possible without our shareholders, Cork County Council and ISIF, for having the foresight and courage to establish HISCo; the HISCo Board and the professional advisors that have brought us this far. HISCo provides an innovative solution to the provision of both on-site and off-site infrastructure that is hindering the delivery of residential development throughout Ireland. The unique aspect of HISCos Model is that the fee is calculated on a per unit basis and is only payable as each unit is sold or first leased, he added. Cork County Council is committed to delivering social and affordable housing, throughout the county, said the Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie OSullivan. The progression of these new homes in Fermoy and Cobh is a key part of our Housing Delivery Action Plan which sets ambitious targets for the delivery of housing between 2022 and 2026. These developments build on recently completed schemes in Mallow, Doneraile, Macroom, Carrigaline, Bandon and Courtmacsherry. Couple facing eviction to move out after being offered council home to rent James O'Toole has been campaigning for Tathony House residents over the past 18 months. Pic: Frank McGrath The last remaining residents of Tathony House in Dublin 8 are to move out in the coming weeks, bringing an end to their 18-month eviction battle. James OToole and Madeleine Johansson were due to be evicted on July 25 and faced the prospect of living separately in emergency accommodation. However, after 18 months of stress and campaigning alongside fellow residents, they have now been offered a choice based letting property by Dublin City Council. We were three weeks away from the end. There were two other tenants, but one is leaving this weekend, and the other is leaving on June 4, Mr OToole told the Irish Independent. From this weekend, were the only people living in the flats, theres 33 empty apartments. When the place was full and the eviction struggle began, our main thought was to defend the other tenants and ourselves and challenge the eviction. But then it became clear wed soon be the last ones left, particularly after the flood earlier in the year. The people that remained were saying they just wanted to get out here, and didnt want to fight to stay in a building that was falling apart. Once it became clear that we were going to be the last ones here, we applied for choice based letting where the Council advertises properties and if youre on the housing list you can apply. We started applying because 15 years on the housing and the valid eviction notice for July 25 adds a bit of urgency to it. Part of the ceiling collapsed after flooding at Tathony House last winter Its such mixed emotions though, because I was delighted to get a lifeline and get out of here, particularly with the building deteriorating since the floods in the winter. Its creepy and weird being the last people in the building, James added. On Sunday night, the rain was coming in the inside of our kitchen window and Id to put two buckets down which were filled with the rain. I thought to myself, Im glad Im getting out of here. The constant adrenaline and stress of the last 18 months has caught up with me. I almost didnt allow myself to give in. Weve been protesting once a month for 18 months. Its hit me now, how tired I am after all of this. It makes me think that housing is so vital to your mental and physical well-being. Once you get the call that says youve got a council flat and your rent will be 15pc of your income, youve just got that stability. More people should be getting this lifeline. The amount of people who are crucified paying rent. In my diary, I wrote down the countdown to the eviction and to start contacting TDs and counsellors. It was so satisfying to put an X through all those diary entries. Weve been through so much stress that the whole thing still feels a bit surreal. Palestinian restaurant owner of Shaku Maku says Ireland's recognition of the Palestinian state is a historic moment. Adnan Shabab, owner of Shaku Maku in Rathmines says its an amazing day for Palestinians, after he was one of the people who campaigned for the recognition of Palestine 13 years ago. The Palestinian restaurant owner believes that Ireland's recognition of the Palestinian state is a historic moment. Ireland has officially recognised the state of Palestine, and for Palestinians in Dublin, it represents a national symbol of support. Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe who have this understanding because of its history, Mr Shabab told the Irish Independent. Ireland has fought for its independence and freedom. Theyve a good understanding of being under occupation. They understand the need for liberation and fighting for independence. Ireland recognising Palestine as a State is a major step. Irelands role is vital, its creating a more peaceful world. Its a positive political statement. We wanted Ireland to take a leap and inspire other nations to take that step further. Its a step that could revive peace in our region and all over the world. I was one of the people who campaigned for the recognition of Palestine 13 years ago. Adnan Shabab (far right), owner of Shaku Maku in Rathmines, with his family We collected loads of signatures calling for the Irish government to recognise the State of Palestine. Seeing this happen, its a great day, an amazing day for Palestine and for Ireland as well taking the leap. In 1948 Adnans family was forced to Gaza and Jordan. His parents were from the south of Palestine. Its been a journey and its the same story for many Palestinians. We lived as refugees, he added. We lived in Gaza, we still have family there, theyve to move to the south, its constant and continuing. It was always temporary, we lived temporarily for most of our lives. The situation in the camp isnt easy, youre living basic, sometimes you dont even have rights. The mural, by artist Emmalene Blake, outside Shaku Maku restaurant in Rathmines Then youre uprooted, its tough. For us, and my parents, we started our lives from nothing. We had hopes, raised a family, got our education, and stayed positive. Ive been living in Ireland for 26 years. My kids were born here, in Dublin. I make my life here. Were very happy, settled, were more Irish now than Palestinian. We carry Palestine in our heart, even though were not living there, especially with whats going on at the moment, its continuous. FIVE men and a teenager have denied the murder of a father of seven who suffered fatal injuries while attending the funeral of a friend in Kerry. Thomas Dooley (43) died after suffering critical injuries while attending the funeral of a family friend at New Rath cemetery outside Tralee on October 5 2022. Six defendants went on trial on Wednesday for the murder of Mr Dooley at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork, with Ms Justice Ellen Ring being told the hearing could last for up to two months. All six, who range in age from 18 to 42 years, formally denied the murder charge when arraigned. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) indicated that the hearing will conclude before the end of the current court sessions on July 31 next. Under the Jury Act, the DPP has also ruled that a jury larger than the normal 12 individuals be sworn in given the potential duration of the trial which is expected to be at hearing throughout June and July. Mr Dooley of Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, Co Kerry suffered fatal injuries minutes after he entered New Rath cemetery to attend the burial of a neighbour. The father-of-seven was grievously injured in the incident and received emergency medical treatment at the scene before being rushed by ambulance to nearby University Hospital Kerry (UHK). Such were the serious nature of his injuries that doctors were unable to stabilise his condition and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Gardai immediately launched a murder investigation and a number of arrests were made over the subsequent weeks and months. Mr Dooley was buried after a Requiem Mass in Tullamore, Co Offaly where his wife, Bernadette Siobhan Dooley nee McDonagh, is originally from. The 43 year old was a well-known figure in Killarney and was the father of three sons and four daughters. Five men and a teenager pleaded not guilty to Mr Dooley's murder when they were formally arraigned before the jury panel. The defendants are Daniel Dooley (42) of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry; Thomas Dooley Snr (42) and Thomas Dooley Jnr (20) both of the Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; Michael Dooley (28) of the Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; Patrick Dooley (35) of Arbutus Grove Killarney, Co Kerry and a male teenager. Thomas Dooley Jnr has also denied a second charge of recklessly causing serious harm to Siobhan Dooley on October 5, 2022 at New Rath cemetery in Tralee. The Central Criminal Court has previously heard that there was "a clear interest" in the deceased's family being able to attend the trial with Cork chosen as the venue as a result. Up to 200 witnesses could potentially be called to offer evidence during the trial. Ms Justice Ring adjourned the matter until next week after seven jurors, six men and one woman, had been sworn in. "We are not able to make any more progress today," she said. "There will not be a new jury panel until Tuesday morning." Ms Justice Ring adjourned the case until 10.30am next Tuesday when the remaining jurors will be selected. Legal counsel for the six defendants include Brian McInerney SC, Tom Creed SC, Vincent Henaghan SC, Ray Boland SC, Brendan Grehan SC and Jane Hyland SC. Solicitors instructed in the case include Padraig O'Connell, Pat Mann and Frank Buttimer. The funeral of 36-year old Gerard Kennelly who died following an assault in the rural village of Knockanure will take place this Friday. Mr Kennellys tragic death took place in the early hours of Monday morning leading to a garda investigation into the fatal assault. One man has been charged with manslaughter. Mr Kennelly, who is from Gortdromagowna, Knockanure was a father of one and will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his heartbroken family, his mother Sheila, father Jerry and his partner Anne, daughter Miya, brothers Thomas and John and sisters Mairead and Julie, his death notice reads. He is also survived by uncles Paddy and Tom, aunts Marguerite, Kathleen and Joan, brothers-in-law Ger and Shane, sister-in-law Gina, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and many friends. He will repose at at Lyons Funeral Home, Derry, Listowel, this Thursday evening, May 30, from 5pm to 7.30 pm. Funeral arriving to Corpus Christi Church, Knockanure, on Friday morning at 11.15 am, with the Requiem Mass for Gerard being celebrated at 11.30 am, followed by burial afterwards in Ahavoher Cemetery, Moyvane. Tributes have been made to Mr Kennelly and to his family. He is well-known in the village and his parents both live in the area. It is understood he had spent time in Australia and he has several siblings living there. Councillor Robert Beasley said Mr Kennelly is from a very respected and well-known family. He offered his condolences to the family. It's devastating for the local population. They're a hard-working family. I knew them all my life. It's just a very unfortunate situation, said Mr Beasley. I wouldn't have known him personally but I just know from his family that he came from very well got people in the locality. It's very sad. It's not something you expect out in the country. When you hear about things like this, you never expect it to happen on your own doorstep. I'd also like to offer my condolences to the family and to the entire community as well because they will be very shaken by this. Another local described Mr Kennelly as a fellow with a heart of gold. Another local councillor Jimmy Moloney also offered his condolences to the family. "There's a sense of shock and sorrow in a normally peaceful community. All of our condolences and thoughts are with the family of the victim." Caherdaniel National School held a culturall day at the Derrynane Hotel last week to celebrate the arrival of new nationalities to the school in particular Ukrainian refugees. Photo by Michael Donnelly. Ukrainian children Varvara Liakhosta and Veronika Baranchikova with their mothers Anastasiia and Karina at the Caherdaniel National School Cultural Day last week. Photo by Michael Donnelly. Aibhie Cullen Bain on fiddle and Niamh Galvin on concertina at the Caherdaniel National School Cultural day in the Derrynane Hotel. Photo by Michael Donnelly. Staff of Caherdaniel National School who organised a cultural day at the school to celebrate the different nationalities at the school. Front from left:-Emma Lee, Ava Haines, Maria Maunsell (Principal),Laura Ahearn and Bernie Gleeson. Back row from left: Kevin O'Sullivan, Emma Breen, Jacinta O'Shea,Trish Donnelly, Jacintha Kirby and Lorraine Murphy. Photo by Michael Donnelly. Since the war broke out in the Ukraine in 2022 the rural village of Caherdaniel has become home to well in excess of 100 Ukrainian refugees. Many live in the former Derrynane Hotel now providing accommodation for those fleeing the war but there are also many families who are living in pledged homes too. Their arrival to a small community in South Kerry has had in many ways a significant impact not least to the local rural school who because of the increase in student numbers will now have a sustainable future. In fact since May 2022 Caherdaniel National School has enrolled 80 pupils from Ukraine and currently almost half of the 57 pupils are from the Ukraine. With this in mind the school community decided to host an cultural day last week to celebration the arrival of the Ukrainians to the school and the community but also to celebrate the various cultures that exist in the rural school with students from Estonia, the Czech republic, and Germany as well as a staff member from France. The day was held in Derrynane Hotel where most of the Ukrainians live and the community was invited to attend the school celebration to celebrate all the cultures and strengthen bonds with the Ukrainian community said Principal Maria Maunsell. "Our school enrolment was in decline before the Ukrainians came. Since they came we have gained an extra mainstream classroom teacher and a new classroom There are 11 people working in our building every day now, she said. "I think our school and local community is a positive example of a rural community welcoming in Ukrainian refugees. Quite a few of the Ukrainians that came initially have found jobs, houses and Irish partners since they came. The children played a huge part in the celebration with music and dance performances from the Ukrainian and Irish students as well as art work and foods from various countries. Speakers on the day included Fr Gerard Finucane and Anne Boland from the Board of Management as well as the Principal and representatives of the Ukraine community. "Today our aim is to strengthen and build stronger connections with our Ukrainian community. We want you to know you are welcome addition to our school and community, said Ms Maunsell. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has refused to be drawn on calls by a local election candidate in Kerry running for a far-right party that he should be excommunicated from the Catholic Church for having visited a mosque in Killarney in the past. National Party candidate Jacob Sweeney posted a message on his X account that he emailed Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne ordering that Deputy Healy-Rae be excommunicated as he caused serious offence to God and was blasphemous in visiting the mosque. Deputy Healy-Rae said the video is from a while back and features people from the Bangladesh community, some of whom have been living in Kerry for over 30 years. The video shows Michael Healy-Rae speaking as a guest at the mosque where he said members of the Muslim community were the fabric of Killarney and Kerry. We were glad to support you and do our work in helping you [build a mosque], he said. But it was down to yourselves. It is a beautiful building and a building for the future, Michael Healy-Rae added. He spoke of the contribution made to Kerry by Muslims and that if they had not made a decision to come to Kerry and raise their families, we would have been denied the right of having those children in this county, he said. We are delighted that the mosque [Killarney] is going so well. It is a credit to each and everyone of you and your families who worked so hard and saved up money. It couldnt be here only for work and money. You did that yourselves. You didnt have to get any grant or help. What you needed was the goodwill, Deputy Healy-Rae stated. But Jacob Sweeney said he is against what he termed the Islamification of Ireland and hoped Bishop Browne would be righteous in his decision and excommunicate Deputy Healy-Rae. The Islamic Cultural Centre in Killarney was granted planning permission to extent its premises at New Street Car Park on Beech Road in May 2023. Permission was granted to construct an extension to the existing cultural centre by adding a prayer room, and three-bedroom apartment. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and Cllr Maura Healy-Rae were both listed as having submitted representations to the council on behalf of the Islamic Cultural Centres application. There was music, dance and food at the Africa Day event at the Model. Celebrating Africa Day at an event in The Model on Saturday, the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Declan Bree with Mabel Chah of the Sligo Gospel Choir. Mabel is a former recipient of the Sligo County Council Cathaoirleachs award for Arts and Culture. More than 300 members of the African community in Sligo along with locals came together to celebrate Africa Day at The Model on Saturday. The annual event is part of the international Africa Day celebrations established to commemorate the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. Africa Day itself falls on 25th May every year while the celebrations take place for the whole week around Ireland. Mabel Chah, from Cameroon who came to Sligo 11 years ago, has been working closely with The Model for years. She has been a part of Sligo Global Kitchen since the start and hosted the Africa Day event on Saturday. She said: Its the first time that we brought together different African communities that are registered in Sligo. The Cameroonian community of Sligo, Erimoja Womens group and Sligo Gospel Choir came together, only because of the support of The Model and its staff. For an African its a celebration of freedom of all African countries from colonialism. But now it has become a celebration of diversity of different cultures of Africa. It is now celebrated worldwide with the African diasporas. I would like to thank and appreciate the efforts of Sligo Gospel Choir, who put in so much effort for this event. Its great to see the local community come in and support the diasporas. I am also thankful to the Sligo County Council for their help and support. The event was full of activities like dance workshops, braiding demonstrations, face paintings, a fashion parade to Queen Maeve Square and a feast of traditional African cuisine by Sligo Global Kitchen. A GoFundme page set up to raise money for the family of a Sligo man who passed away suddenly abroad has raised almost 6,000. At the time of going to print, a gofundme page for the late Geoffrey McManus had raised 5,867. Mr McManus passed away suddenly in Bulgaria last week while on holiday. The family are fundraising to bring Geoffrey home and to lay him to rest. The fundraiser, set up by Geoffreys nephew Brandon Mills explained: Firstly, on behalf of the McManus & McMorrow family, we cant express how much we appreciate the love and support that we have received since Geoffrey has passed away. It has been overwhelming and both of my grandparents cannot thank you all enough. We are seeking help from the community with this go fund me. Geoffrey, unfortunately passed in another country, Bulgaria. In order for Geoffrey to be released and finally get home to his family where he will be laid to rest my Grandfather has to fly over and speak with legal representatives. Myself and my Aunt Jennifer will be coming along with him for support. Every cent raised will go towards this process and whatever is left will go towards funeral cost and his headstone. We do appreciate that times are tough, so absolutely anything or even a share would be much appreciated. Funeral details will be announced at a later date. Geoffrey McManus is survived by his children Khiya, Lincoln and Jaxon, parents Gerry & Maisie, siblings Georgina, Chantel, Jennifer, Patrice & Gregory and will be sadly missed by his loving family: aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, relatives and friends. Sligo County Council worker Angelo bids farewell to the job he loved so well for 45 years Angelo Finnegan is a familiar face around Sligos streets and retires this week after 45 years Angelo Finnegan at Rockwood Parade, Sligo on Tuesday, days before his retirement. Neha Kumari Sligo Champion Wed 29 May 2024 at 06:00 Popular Sligo County Council worker Angelo Finnegan says he is grateful for the life the council has given him over the years, as he retires from the job this week after 45 years.. The Prestige (2006) BBC1, 11.40p.m. Intriguing mystery thriller set in Victorian London, starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as stage illusionists who develop a deadly hatred for one another when a performance ends in tragedy. The pair Robert Angier and Alfred Borden embark on a bitter personal and professional rivalry, taking increasingly brutal measures to sabotage each others acts. But when one performs a seemingly impossible trick, the other goes to insane lengths to learn the secret. As the bitterness between them intensifies, it leads to doom for one and misery for the other, but will either of them give an inch? Its must-see viewing for fans of the leading players and director Christopher Nolan. THURSDAY, MAY 30 Oliver! (1968) Film4, 12.40p.m. Charles Dickens gets a musical makeover in director Carol Reeds hugely enjoyable take on the classic tale of an orphaned boy who falls in with a group of child pickpockets on the streets of London. Young Mark Lester doesnt have to do much more than look angelic in the title role (his singing voice was dubbed by Kath Greene, the daughter of the movies music arranger), but theres colourful support from Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger, Oliver Reed as the menacing Bill Sikes and Ron Moody as Fagin, who steals the movie along with the odd purse. Lionel Barts terrific score includes Food Glorious Food, Youve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two, and As Long as He Needs Me. FRIDAY, MAY 31 Dunkirk (2017) BBC1, 10.40p.m. Christopher Nolans drama is a stunning mosaic of personal stories of hard-fought triumph and agonising defeat set against the sprawling backdrop of the largest evacuation of allied forces during the Second World War. Young British soldier Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) escapes a hail of German bullets and races to the beaches of Dunkirk, where more than 300,000 exhausted men await rescue. On the other side of the Channel, sailor Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) answers Winston Churchills impassioned call for civilian boats to rescue our boys. At sea, he fishes out a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy) from the hull of an overturned vessel and witnesses a dogfight between German fighter planes and Royal Air Force spitfires piloted by Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden). SATURDAY, JUNE 1 Meet Me in St Louis (1944) BBC2, 1.40p.m. Set in 1903 in wait for it St Louis, Vincente Minnellis enchanting musical follows a year in the life of the close-knit Smith family. The clans happiness is threatened when the head of the household announces theyre all moving to New York so he can take up a new job. His children are left fearing theyll miss out on all the excitement of the upcoming Worlds Fair and teenage Esther (Judy Garland) worries about the future of her romance with the boy next door. Garland gets one of her best roles, as well as the chance to belt out classics such as The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. However, the film is very nearly stolen from her by the extraordinary Margaret OBrien, who plays her morbid little sister Tootie. SUNDAY, JUNE 2 Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) BBC1, 4.50p.m. The 2013 feel-good computer animation Wreck-It Ralph gets an imaginative and deeply satisfying sequel, which warms the cockles of our hearts then breaks them in tiny pieces with a sob-inducing finale. Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) abandons her Sugar Rush arcade game when a young girl accidentally sheers off the steering wheel during a race. A replacement part is too costly for arcade owner Mr Litwak (Ed ONeill) and he turns off the machine. Ralph (John C Reilly) and Vanellope find a steering wheel on an auction website and have 24 hours to raise just over $27,000 to honour their outlandish bid. Ralph raises funds as an internet meme star on the Buzzztube channel, while Vanellope puts the pedal to the metal in a Grand Theft Auto-esque game called Slaughter Race. MONDAY, JUNE 3 Gangs of New York (2002) Film4, 9p.m. Martin Scorseses lavish epic is set on the mean streets of 19th-century New York and follows the Irish-born Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he joins forces with Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), the leader of the gang who killed his father. Amsterdams ultimate aim is to avenge his dads death, but as he rises up the ranks, he finds himself bonding with his new mentor. Their already volatile relationship is complicated by a beautiful pickpocket (Cameron Diaz), a new influx of Irish arrivals, and the enforced drafting of men to fight in the Civil War. The sheer scale of the film means some of the characters get lost, but theres no missing Day-Lewis in a charismatic, gloriously over-the-top turn. TUESDAY, JUNE 4 Plan B (2021) Film4, 10.50p.m. The prospect of unplanned pregnancy propels two teenagers on a ramshackle road trip in director Natalie Morales comedy. While her mother is out of town on business, teenage Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) follows the advice of pal Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and throws a party. Sunny hopes the shindig will impress the object of her affection, Hunter (Michael Provost). Alas, Hunter pairs off with another girl and a dejected Sunny abruptly transfers her focus to devoutly Christian friend Kyle (Mason Cook). They have sex and instantly regret the coupling. The next morning, Sunny makes a discovery that suggests she might become pregnant, so Lupe accompanies her to a nearby pharmacy in search of the morning-after pill but getting hold of it proves more difficult than they anticipated. Wexford garda recounts night he thought he would die in line of duty I can never forgive him Young Dublin man sentenced to four years for his role in incident where garda was dragged alongside stolen BMW, suffering life-changing injuries The Gorey-based garda suffered life-changing injuries following the incident with the stolen car. Photo: Stock image. David Medcalf Gorey Guardian Wed 29 May 2024 at 03:30 A Gorey garda injured in the course of his duty re-lived the night he thought he was going to die as he was dragged beside a stolen car. A 78-year-old Wexford woman has been forced to travel to Dublin for her dental appointments due to the lack of available services in her home county. Ann Marron, who lives in Scar, Duncormick, is a medical card holder and, as a result, has been unable to source a dentist locally. "We had a dentist in Wexford town but he must have left because when we called the surgery to make an appointment we were told it's now a private practise, Ann says. Then I rang 13 dentists in Wexford and not one would take a medical card. I contacted the HSE to explain my situation and they provided me with details for 15 more dentists, it was the same thing again, they wouldnt accept medical cards, and the ones that did said they were full and couldnt take any more patients. Gardai in Greystones have issued an alert to owners of Japanese imported cars following a recent spate of car thefts with one stolen car later found in the Blanchardstown area of Dublin. Three arrests have subsequently been made in Dublin Gardai said that an analysis of the reported incidents suggests thieves are specifically targeting Toyota Vitz (Yaris) and Toyota Aqua models, as it appears these particular models have poor security measures and car thieves know this, adding that in the last week, we have noticed Nissan vehicles have also been of interest to criminals. An appeal has been launched for owners of these cars to consider additional security measures. It comes as three people were arrested in Dublin regarding the theft of some of the reported stolen vehicles in the Farrankelly Road area of Greystones, with two cars stolen on May 17 from the car park of an apartment block, one of which was later found in Blanchardstown, while on May 19, an attempt was made to steal another vehicle in the same area. While gardai said the arrests of were good news and hope it puts them off returning to Wicklow for the foreseeable future, advice has been issued for car owners, particularly owners of susceptible Japanese imports and Nissan models, to consider deterrents, such as installing immobilisers and alarms, tracking systems which can greatly help in recovering vehicles that have been stolen, as well as vehicle etching. Etching the car registration number is advised on all glass surfaces windscreen, rear window, side windows and headlamps. This can help to deter thieves as it makes it more difficult and costly to sell or off-load the vehicle. It is also a good idea to place a small sticker on windows to indicate that these glass surfaces have been etched. Other advice is never to leave keys in the ignition at any stage, in open view on kitchen or hall tables, window sills, counter tops or on wall hooks etc, particularly within reach of the front door. Daisy Ridley attends the gala screening of Young Woman And The Sea at the Curzon Mayfair in London (Ian West/PA) British actress Daisy Ridley has spoken about her joy at shining a light on a determined and resilient woman whose achievements have been forgotten. Ridley plays competitive swimmer Gertrude Trudy Ederle in Young Woman And The Sea, which follows her journey to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926. It feels amazing to play someone who has been forgotten, Ridley, 32, told the PA news agency at the UK gala screening in London. We all know there are many women who have been forgotten to history who have done amazing things, so to be able to tell the story of at least one of them is amazing. To play someone who was so determined and resilient 100 years ago, told from all sides that she couldnt do it and she did it and then the psychological barrier that she broke for other women to think it was possible to. Its hard to overstate her importance in sport and the fact that she had the biggest parade ever in New York, and its never been seen again. (left to right) Sian Clifford, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Jerry Bruckheimer, Daisy Ridley and Jeanette Hain attend the gala screening of Young Woman And The Sea at the Curzon Mayfair in London (Ian West/PA) Director Joachim Ronning said the film was 10 years in the making. I was very clear from the beginning of this projectI wanted to do this as real as we could, to go out on the ocean and have Daisy Ridley swim in the real ocean, he told PA. Making movies is challenging but it adds complexity to it when youre out there and what Im hoping is it somehow informed us, just a little bit, how it truly felt. Obviously, we were not out there risking our lives but I hope that the audience can somehow feel that we did it as real as we could. Joachim Ronning, Daisy Ridley and Jerry Bruckheimer attend the gala screening of Young Woman And The Sea (Ian West/PA) Ronning also said he didnt know the story before embarking on the project, which is based on the book titled Young Woman And The Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered The English Channel And Inspired the World by Glenn Stout. I think that was the thing that baffled me, that such a seismic event when it happened, has been completely lost in time, 51-year-old Ronning told PA. I almost felt the responsibility to tell this remarkable story to my daughters, to a modern audience, and somehow bring her back as best I could. The film also stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston and Jeanette Hain. Young Woman And The Sea will be released in select cinemas on Friday. There is much for music fans to look out for in the programme (Yui Mok/PA) Musicians and artists from all around the world will flock to Glasgow this September for an unmissable highlight in the citys cultural calendar. Sonica 2024 launches on September 19 and runs for a total of 11 days, with various venues across the city hosting a range of talent from Scotland as well as acts from countries including Australia, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The event launches with with Alessandro Cortini, touring member of American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, who will perform the Scottish premiere of his Nati Infiniti project. Other live highlights across the 11 days includ3e the RSNO performing the Scottish premiere of John Luther Adamss Pulitzer Prize-winning Become Ocean with kaleidoscopic live visuals from legendary coder Alba G Corral a pay-what-you-can live concert at the Burrell Collection. The first ever UK performances from Myanmars cosmic electronic artist and genre film aficionado Heft and Dutch queer warped classical-pop duo No Plexus will also perform at the festival. There will also be a triple bill of Quebec artists from Montreals renowned MUTEK Festival, and a cyborg pop concert of the future from Danish music ensemble NEKO3 and German multimedia composer Alexander Schubert. Organisers say the festival is a celebration of 30 years of Cryptic a Glasgow-based creative company known for audiovisual art. Cryptics founding artistic director Cathie Boyd said: Sonica 2024 will be the culmination of our celebration of an incredible 30 years of Cryptic, which began life in Glasgow in 1994. It showcases everything that Cryptic has gone on to become known for: bringing cutting-edge, internationally-renowned artists to Scottish audiences and giving an ambitious platform for Scottish artists to stand alongside them. She added: With all festival installations completely free to experience and some live events pay-what-you-can, I urge everyone to come and experience Sonica 2024 and celebrate 30 years of Glasgows very own Cryptic for themselves. Whether its a virtual reality tour that will make you see Glasgows history in a whole new light, a sideways grand piano that plays itself using passing traffic or a mind-expanding visual trip on Scotlands biggest screen, this is a unique chance to see some of the worlds most inventive artists right on your doorstep. Glasgow Life senior projects and programmes manager Katie Duffy, said: The Sonica 2024 programme features an exciting, eclectic showcase of works by an incredible line-up of outstanding homegrown talent and some of the worlds most innovative music and audio-visual producers. Offering a wealth of unique multimedia experiences, stand-out performances, premieres, and international collaborations, the festival is set to be an unmissable highlight of Glasgows cultural calendar this year. All installations are free and unticketed, with other live events either being pay-what-you-can or within the price range of 8-30. Book online at sonic-a.co.uk, in person at City Halls, Glasgow Royal Concert Halls and Tramway or by phone on 0845 330 3501. Full listings are available at sonic-a.co.uk The raids took place less than two weeks before polls on June 6-9 to elect a new EU parliament (Aaron Chown/PA) Police carried out searches at the residence of an employee of the European Parliament and at his office in the parliaments building in Brussels over suspected Russian interference, Belgiums federal prosecutors office has said. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo stand next to an F-16 fighter jet at Melsbroek air base, near Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Reuters Russian president Vladimir Putin warned the West yesterday that Nato members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. More than two years into the deadliest land war in Europe since World War II, as the West considers what to do about Russian military advances, Putin is increasingly evoking the risk of a global war, while Western leaders play it down. The jury of seven men and five women was sent to a private room just before 11.30am (4.30PM Irish) to begin weighing a verdict in the first criminal trial of a former US president. LATEST | Israel denies strike on camp near Rafah that Gaza officials say killed 21 people Twenty one dead after shells hit tent camp, say Gaza officialsIsrael says 'contrary to...reports', it did not strike campIsraeli tanks advance to Rafah's centre for the first timeUS reiterates its opposition to major offensive in RafahThe International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calling for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip A woman sits with a child amid the carnage in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. Photo: Reuters Nidal al-Mughrabi and Karen Lema Wed 29 May 2024 at 07:20 Israel's military denied striking a tent camp west of Rafah on Tuesday after Gaza health authorities said Israeli tank shelling had killed at least 21 people there, in an area Israel has designated a civilian evacuation zone. Democratic insiders are becoming more and more concerned about US president Joe Bidens polling, with some of them now worried that his loss may lead to the end of American democracy. Prosecutors accuse Donald Trump of corrupting the 2016 election on final day of hush-money trial Lawyers have made their closing arguments in the case Former president Donald Trump returns from a lunch break at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York yesterday. Photo: Reuters Jack Queen Wed 29 May 2024 at 03:30 A New York prosecutor told jurors that Donald Trump engaged in a conspiracy to corrupt the 2016 election and then tried to cover it up, as lawyers made their closing arguments in the former US presidents criminal hush-money trial yesterday. Photo courtesy: File image by Lakshmisreekanth via Wikimedia Commons New Delhi/IBNS: Both Adani Group and Paytm on Wednesday dismissed recent media reports claiming Gautam Adani was likely in talks with Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder chairman and managing director of Paytm's parent company One97 Communications, to acquire stake in the Indian fintech major. Times of India recently reported that Gautam Adani was considering acquiring a stake in One97 Communications, Paytm's parent company, and Adani met with Vijay Shekhar Sharma at his office in Ahmedabad to finalise the contours of a deal. The report also claimed, citing sources, that Gautam Adani was engaging with West Asian funds to attract them as investors in One97 Communications. After the report was published, One 97 Communications (Paytm)'s shares hit 5 percent upper circuit limit on Wednesday (May 29). Reacting to the development, Paytm said the media reports regarding the stake talks were speculative and the fintech company was not engaged in any discussions with the Adani Group. "We hereby clarify that the abovementioned news item is speculative and the Company is not engaged in any discussions in this regard. We have always made and will continue to make disclosures in compliance with our obligations under the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015," Paytm said, in a clarification issued on the bourses. A spokesperson of the Adani Group also categorically denied the news report that claimed the company was going to buy a stake in digital payments major Paytm. "We categorically deny this baseless speculation. It is totally false and untrue," the spokesperson said. Bengaluru: New York and Bengaluru Co-headquartered Tech and IT Services firm MD Chocko Valliappa has been inducted into IAOP Leadership Hall of Fame. He has now joined the ranks of six Indian IT industry veterans -- NR Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani, Dewang Mehta, Raman Roy and Tiger Thyagrajanwho have made to this list since 2008. The induction by IAOP, the global organization dedicated to shaping the future of business, recognizes Chocko Valliappas contribution in shaping the future of the outsourcing industry and setting the highest standard of quality, according to Debi Hamill, CEO of IAOP. The award was presented to Chocko Valliappa, a fourth-generation entrepreneur, by Mark Voytek, Chief Advisor at IAOP at the IAOP convention OWS24 on May 21 in Chicago, USA following a global nomination and selection process by the Hall of Fame Induction Review Committee comprising distinguished inductees. The IOAP Leadership hall of fame has humbled me as its puts me in the league of some stalwarts in the Outsourcing industry and reflects the hard work and dedication that 15,000 strong and committed professionals at the Sona Group, Vee Technologies and Vee HealthTek, said Chocko Valliappa, founder and MD at Vee Technologies. This honour spurs me to inspire the next generation of leaders, academics and young learners engaged with the Sona Group to innovate and solve mega challenges by providing equal opportunities at work, classrooms, research labs and in the community, adds Valliappa who also serves as Vice Chairman, Sona College of Technology, Salem, whose research teams supply stepper motors for ISROs space missions. HireMee presented the Impact Sourcing Award Indias Talent assessment platform HireMee founded in 2017 to discover diamonds from deep interiors of India was presented the Global Impact Sourcing Award (GISA) by IAOP, in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation, in recognition of its significant contributions to impact sourcing. HireMees commitment to creating positive social and environmental impact within their communities was an important criterion for IAOP to pick HireMee. HireMee has worked closely with nearly 7000 colleges accredited by AICTE; National Career Service of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment; Tamil Nadu governments upskilling program Naan Mudhalvan and Karnataka governments Digital Economy Mission and over 2000 companies, among others. IMF's First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath with Peoples Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng in Beijing. (Image Courtesy: x.com/GitaGopinath) Beijing: The IMF on Wednesday revised its projection for China's economic growth to 5 percent in 2024, up from its previous estimate of 4.6 percent, media reports said. However, it warned of a likely slowdown, predicting a contraction to 3.3 percent by 2029 due to an aging population and sluggish productivity growth. Delighted to return to Beijing for our 2024 China Article IV consultation. Had very constructive policy discussions with Peoples Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng. We discussed Chinas economic outlook and policy priorities going forward. pic.twitter.com/agWqX3OtAM Gita Gopinath (@GitaGopinath) May 29, 2024 The IMF suggested boosting productivity through ongoing economic reforms to counteract these challenges. The 5 percent growth adjustment by the IMF is in line with the target set by the Chinese government for the world's second-largest economy. China is currently experiencing a slowdown, driven by challenges such as the property sector crisis and industrial overcapacity. "China's economic growth is projected to remain resilient at 5 per cent in 2024 and slow to 4.5 per cent in 2025," IMF's First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath told the media here after the IMF's annual review of China's economic policies. Amidst the downturn in its property market and subdued domestic demand, the Chinese economy expanded by 5.3 percent in the first quarter. "The revisions of 0.4 percentage points for both years compared to the April projections are driven by strong Q1 GDP data and recent policy measures," Gopinath noted. Gita Gopinath joined the policy discussions and met with Peoples Bank of China (PBoC) Governor PAN Gongsheng, Ministry of Finance (MOF) Vice Minister LIAO Min, Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Vice Minister WANG Shouwen, and Chinese banks to discuss the state of China's economy. "Over the medium term, growth is expected to decelerate to 3.3 per cent by 2029 due to ageing and slower productivity growth," she said. China's property sector, which has been a key driver of the country's economy in recent years, continued to be a major worry, leading to a widespread crisis. Earlier this month, after prolonged indecision, China took decisive action to address the near collapse of its massive property sector. To address the problem, China allocated billions of dollars to repurchase unsold homes and unused land, with the aim of revitalizing the struggling real estate sector, which has historically been a cornerstone of China's economic growth. The People's Bank of China has established a 300-billion-Yuan re-lending facility, equivalent to nearly USD 42.25 billion, aimed specifically at government-subsidized housing projects. Gopinath said, "The ongoing housing market correction, which is necessary for steering the sector towards a more sustainable path, should continue." Achieving high-quality growth will require wide ranging structural reforms, IMF noted, adding that key priorities include rebalancing the economy towards consumption by strengthening the social safety net, liberalizing the services sector, and scaling back distortive supply side policies that support the manufacturing sectors. The IMF's assessment of the Chinese economy precedes the upcoming meeting of the ruling Communist Party of China's plenum, which will focus on strategies to enhance the country's economic prospects. Major Radhika Sen. Photo Courtesy: MONUSCO An Indian peacekeeper deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who helped establish networks for local people to voice their security and humanitarian concerns, is the winner of the 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, announced on Tuesday. Major Radhika Sen served in eastern DRC with the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of the Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion. She will receive the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a ceremony on Thursday (May 30, 2024). A credit to the UN Guterres congratulated Major Sen for her service, describing her service as a true credit to the United Nations as a whole. In an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls, he explained, noting that she earned their trust with humility, compassion, and dedication. Supporting peace and diversity Upon receiving news of the Award, Major Sen expressed gratitude for being selected and reflected on her peacekeeping role. This award is special to me as it gives a recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC, she said. Gender-sensitive peacekeeping is everybodys business not just us, women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity! Creating community platforms Major Sen led mixed-gender engagement patrols and activities in a volatile environment, where many people, including women and children, were fleeing the conflict. The Community Alert Networks she helped create in North Kivu served as a platform for community leaders, young people and women to raise their security and humanitarian concerns, which she would in turn help address together with her colleagues at MONUSCO. Promoting safe spaces As a Platoon Commander, she fostered a safe space for men and women to operate together and quickly became a role model for both women and men peacekeepers. She also ensured that peacekeepers under her command engaged in a manner sensitive to gender and socio-cultural norms. Major Sen facilitated English classes for children, and health, gender and vocational training for displaced and marginalized adults. Her efforts directly inspired womens solidarity, providing safe spaces for open dialogue. Amplifying womens voices As a gender advocate, she encouraged women in the village of Kashlira to address issues collectively, advocate for their rights and amplify their voices within the community, in particular in local security and peace discussions. Major Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive the award, following Major Suman Gawani, a co-recipient for 2019. Other past honourees were from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, South Africa and Zimbabwe. India is currently the eleventh largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the UN, with 124 now deployed. Photo courtesy: Arvind Kejriwal Facebook New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court has refused to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail plea seeking an extension of the interim bail- expiring on June 2- granted to him, media reports said. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case on March 21, was granted an interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 1, which marks the last date of polling in the Lok Sabha polls. The Supreme Court registrar said Kejriwal was given permission to move the trial court for regular bail, hence rejected the plea for extension. The central investigative agency asserts that he played a central role in the scam and was directly implicated in soliciting kickbacks from liquor barons. The Supreme Court said that Kejriwal would not be permitted to carry out his official responsibilities due to "may have a cascading effect" even if he is granted interim bail while in jail. In his first public comments after leaving jail, Kejriwal had thanked "all the judges of the top court". Photo courtesy: X/@BJP4India Kolkata/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sharpened his attacks on the Trinamool Congress over the pot boiling OBC quota issue ahead of the last round of voting for the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a mass gathering in Mathurapur, Modi accused the TMC, spearheaded by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of violating the ideals of the Constitution. Modi said, "TMC is openly violating the ideals of our Constitution. Our Constitution provides reservations for the marginalized sections of society. TMC overnight granted OBC status to the entire Muslim community, thereby transferring the reservations meant for SCs, STs and OBCs to Muslims." "The Calcutta High Court has quashed this decision of the Bengal government. TMC cannot go against the Court orders, yet is willing to lie to the Muslims for the sake of appeasement," he added. Modi's remark comes more than a week after the Calcutta High Court cancelled all Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, calling them "illegal". The court struck down a reservation for several communities as Other Backward Classes under a new law of the state government passed in 2012. Mamata Banerjee, a fierce opponent of BJP and PM Modi, said she doesn't accept the court order claiming it was manipulated by the saffron party. "PM Modi had claimed that Muslims after winning will cancel the reservations for Tapashilis. It was a divisive agenda again. And this is what they got the court to do today. I respect the courts. "But I do not accept the judgment that says Muslims should be kept out of OBC reservation. OBC reservations will continue. We will go to a higher court if need be," Mamata said. Hitting out at specific judges of the High Court without naming, the Chief Minister said, "One judge is saying, 'I am an RSS person', another one joins the BJP How can you be a judge this way and preside over courts?" The seventh and final phase of elections will be held on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4. Image Credit : Unsplash The Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) are now fighting Pakistan's centralised control and command to export terrorists as the region braces for a series of events and a vibrant tourist season. Sources in the security forces said there have been reports of Pak-controlled terrorist movement in different areas of Jammu and Kashmir, mainly in Poonch and Rajouri, almost daily. Citing top-level officials deployed in J&K, News18 reported that Pakistan has been trying to push terrorists from launch pads since the third week of April, although there is no official data on infiltration this year. The weather is one factor that provides favourable conditions for infiltration, but it is the pressure that is forcing terror groups to target anyone, including tourists," a senior official was quoted as saying by the news channel. "Unlike in the previous years, terrorists have targeted tourists, which shows the desperation of terror outfits to demonstrate their efforts to their masters in spreading terror in J&K, the official added. Officials involved in intelligence gathering in J&K said that there has been a change in the terrorist infiltration process as the Pak-controlled terror-related movements are getting centralised due to the multiple events scheduled in the union territory. As per officials, terror handlers in Pakistan, who used to send terrorists during infiltration-prone seasons, have shifted focus from Kashmir area to Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu due to changes in J&K, and they are also instructing the launch pad operators not to send terrorists independently to avoid getting eliminated by security forces. According to reports, everything related to Pakistan's terrorist export is now centralised, and the actual masters decide everything resulting in low infiltration. Besides changes in infiltration method and routes, a shift in the target of terrorists has also been noticed in J&K as a former sarpanch was killed and a tourist couple from Rajasthan was injured in two separate firing incidents by militants recently. They prove that security forces are not their only targets. Not only in J&K, Pakistani handlers, using their centralised terror model, are plotting attacks in other states of India as well and they are pushing terrorists through completely different routes. Recently, four suspected ISIS terrorists -- all Sri Lankans, who were arrested from Ahmedabad airport by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS)- told the investigators that their Pakistan-based handler was going to give them the exact location and time to carry out the attack after collecting the weapons dropped for them in the city. They reached Ahmedabad from Colombo via Chennai. They took flight and travelled along with other passengers. Officials in the intelligence unit said they are tracking all possible routes using which Pakistan can export terrorists to India. This is not the first time terrorists are being pushed into India through a non-Kashmir route -- the 2008 Mumbai attack (26/11) is one of the biggest examples of this. Unlike exporting terrorists from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)'s launch pads, 10 highly trained and heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were exported to India from Karachi via sea route to carry out India's one of the deadliest terrorist attacks. According to a column published by Homeland Security Today magazine, Pakistan has been becoming a new safe haven for ISIS and Al-Qaeda along with its homegrown terror groups. The magazine wrote in the editorial, citing Global Terrorism and Trends Analysis Center (GTTAC) Records of Incidents Database (GRID), that since the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, the number of terrorist attacks more than doubled in Pakistan itself, rising from 320 attacks in 2021 to 695 in 2023. Pakistan is itself paying the price of its material and moral support to radical groups and terrorists while continuing with its nefarious plans on India. As per GRID records, 25 terror organizations carried out as many as 2,344 terrorist attacks from 2018 to 2023 in Pakistan. According to the column, the operational capacities of ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates in the South Asian nation rings bells not only for Pakistan but for regional and global security as the current radicalization trends bring more recruits to these terror groups and pave the way for the emergence of new jihadist organizations in Pakistan, which has been included in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist many times for its financial support to terrorist activities. Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS Kolkata/IBNS: The Kolkata Uttar or Kolkata North Lok Sabha seat of West Bengal has turned out to be a turf of fierce contest between the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party after a crossover charged up the saffron party's campaign in the constituency, which is held by TMC for several terms. In a big push to the party's prospect in the seat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief campaigner for the BJP, held about 2-km roadshow in a vehicle from the iconic Shyambazar 5-point crossing, paying floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's statue and continued till Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house in Simla Street. Modi paid floral tributes to Vivekananda's statue to mark the end of his Kolkata North campaign, which began paying a visit to Maa Sarada's house in Bagbazar. Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS Modi's roadshow has assumed significance as the BJP smells a chance to register its win in 1 of the 9 Lok Sabha seats in Greater Kolkata region, the urban belt which is a stronghold of the TMC. In the last Lok Sabha elections held in 2019, the TMC had swept all 9 seats despite its tally going down from 34 to 22 facing the BJP's meteoric rise. The BJP has garnered some influence and spirit after veteran politician Tapas Roy dumped the TMC and joined the saffron party just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha poll commencement. Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS Flanked by Roy, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, Modi greeted a thick crowd of people waving at him with joy on two sides of Bidhan Sarani, a lane which is famous for the roadside market, with 'Namo Namo' song and 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan charging up the poll atmosphere. In a counter, Mamata walked the distance from Netaji's statue to Vivekananda's house waving at a reasonable crowd on two sides of the road, occasionally shaking hands with women and even enthusiastically lifting a child in her arms with TMC's theme song 'Jonogoner Gorjon' playing in the background. While Modi's roadshow was all about visuals, Mamata marked hers with a direct attack on her opponent saying, "The Prime Minister could come to pay floral tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Shyambazar 5-point crossing for publicity during elections but couldn't declare Netaji's birth anniversary as the National Holiday." Mamata, who held a roadshow in the same stretch from the other way round even in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is perhaps facing some competition in the seat, which is held by veteran TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS When it is said competition, the genesis of it lies in occasional murmurs within the TMC camp with its former chief spokesperson Kunal Ghosh resigning from the post in a vent out against Sudip Bandyopadhyay, whom he accused of being involved in the alleged coal scam. Kunal was also removed from the party's general secretary post after he shared a non-political dais with Roy, who is now fighting his former camp. However, the rebel Kunal Ghosh is still in TMC fold and also walked the roadshow on Wednesday but at a sufficient distance from his supremo. Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS In another embarrassment, TMC councillor from Ward No. 49, Monalisa Bandyopadhyay, had started a sit-in protest against Sudip Bandyopadhyay for hours. Monalisa's reason was that she faced hurdles in discharging her duties. Be it TMC infighting or not, BJP is aiming to make a splash in the Greater Kolkata belt with at least the Kolkata North seat. BJP national vice president and Burdwan-Durgapur candidate Dilip Ghosh made it clear on Tuesday. "We have taken a pledge to win Kolkata and adjoining seats. CPI-M ran the government by winning seats from the rural belt but has never been able to win Kolkata," Ghosh, who led BJP to win an unprecedented 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, said. Kolkata North will go to polls in the seventh and final phase of voting on June 1. The results of all Lok Sabha seats across the country will be declared on June 4. (Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS) In images Pune teen drinking at a bar and crash vehicle/ courtesy: Videograb from X Pune/IBNS: Giving mileage to allegations of political interference, the dean of Pune's Sassoon Hospital has claimed that one of the doctors accused of replacing the blood samples of the teenager behind the Porsche accident was made the head of the forensic department at the insistence of a state minister and an MLA. The legislator, Sunil Tingre, was also accused of visiting the Yerwada police station after the crash, in which two techies were killed, and pressuring officials to go easy on the case. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the hospital's dean, Vinayak Kale, said Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and Tingre had written a letter and asked for Dr Ajay Tawade to be made the head of Sassoon Hospital's Forensic Medicine Department. Both Mushrif and the MLA are from the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, which is in power in Maharashtra in an alliance with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. Hours after the press conference, Dr Kale was sent on compulsory leave by the Maharashtra government for failing to take the case seriously and not taking proper decisions as the dean. The Pune Crime Branch arrested Tawade and Dr Shrihari Harnor, the Chief Medical Officer of Sassoon Hospital on Monday for allegedly helping replace the teenager's blood samples with those of a doctor to ensure that no alcohol was detected in them. A peon, Atul Ghatkamble, who acted as the middleman and allegedly collected the Rs. 3 lakh bribe meant for the two doctors from the realtor's family, was also taken into custody. Kale said Tawade and Ghatkamble have been suspended while the contract of Dr Harnor has been terminated. "The committee formed for the investigation at the state level conducted the probe for the whole day yesterday (Tuesday). I have taken action at my level," he said. The committee, set up by the Maharashtra Government to probe the alleged manipulation of the blood sample, is chaired by Dr Pallavi Sapale, the dean of Grant Medical College and JJ group of hospitals. What has happened so far? The minor, allegedly speeding at 200 km per hour after heavy drinking, has been placed in an observation home until June 5 while the Juvenile Justice Board reviews the police request to treat him as an adult. The teen's father, a prominent real estate developer, was arrested under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. The teen driving the Porsche hit the motorcycle, ridden by two engineers, Ashwini Kostha and Anish Awadhiya, from behind in a drunken state. Both the riders died on the spot. Despite the severity of the situation, the teenager was granted bail within 15 hours of the accident. He was asked to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, cooperating with traffic authorities for 15 days, and undergoing counselling for his alcohol consumption. However, following widespread public outrage, the Juvenile Justice Board revised its decision and placed him in the observation home. Photo Courtesy: UNDP The United Nations continues to assist authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with search and rescue efforts four days after the massive landslide in Enga province, where some 2,000 people are feared dead and accessing survivors remains a challenge. Six bodies have been recovered so far and the number is expected to increase, the UN Country Team (UNCT) said on Tuesday. The total affected population, including those in need of possible evacuation and relocation, has been estimated at 7,849 people, or 1,427 households, with most under the age of 16. A total of 150 structures are estimated to have been buried. Bridge collapse Although security in the remote northern province is affected by tribal fighting, aid delivery currently is not directly threatened. The UNCT reported, however, that a bridge on one of the main thoroughfares in the mountainous area collapsed on Tuesday morning, complicating access and disrupting communication between Enga and the rest of the region. The alternative road to Enga is through another highway which can add up to three more hours to the journey, so the Defense Force is examining solutions to fix the bridge as soon as possible. More disaster fears Rescue efforts are also complicated by fears that the waterlogged ground could shift again, and as heavy rains continue, UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. We dont want a disaster on top of the current one, said Itayi Viriri, IOM regional spokesperson for Asia and the Pacific, speaking via Zoom from Bangkok on Tuesday. The landslide occurred at 3 AM on Friday, local time, when most people were probably sleeping, he told journalists in Geneva, burying homes, infrastructure and farmland under up to eight metres of soil and debris. A lot of the people who have been affected by this landslide actually moved to this area after escaping tribal conflicts in other parts of the province of Enga. So these are people who are already displaced who are now having to move to other locations, he added. Drinking water concerns IOM warned that with so many bodies still to be recovered from beneath the rubble, concerns arise over whether underground water flowing down the mountain will contaminate local drinking water sources. What is needed now, obviously, is access to clean water; quite a lot of the water that normally the community would access is already under rubble, Mr. Viriri said. So, providing that along with, food, of course, clothing, shelter items, kitchen utensils, anything that will try and alleviate the hardship that the people are facing right now. Request for assistance The National Disaster Centre has formally written to the UN Resident Coordinator in PNG to request international assistance. All partners are also urged to collaborate and coordinate assistance through the Centre and provincial disaster management bodies. Immediate needs include clean water, food, clothing, shelter items, kitchen utensils, medicine and hygiene kits and psychosocial support. Provincial authorities have also requested the international community to immediately deploy geotechnical engineers to carry out a geohazard assessment. The UN has been supporting the authorities since the onset of the disaster, including in the search and retrieval operations, establishment of emergency centres, and with initial and immediate needs assessments. UN on the ground Staff from IOM and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are on the ground, alongside the UN Humanitarian Coordination Advisor. The UN is also coordinating the response efforts of all partners, both at the national and provincial levels, in addition to supporting the Government in addressing immediate needs. IOM, UNDP, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women will provide relief supplies and psychosocial support, in coordination with the local emergency response team. UNICEF is intensifying its emergency response and has so far distributed a quantity of hygiene and dignity kits, containing buckets, jerrycans and soap as well as reusable sanitary pads, multipurpose cloth and other items which had been prepositioned with the local Provincial Health Authority. We are working closely with Papua New Guinean authorities and community organizations to provide vital support to the survivors of this terrible disaster, UNICEF Representative Angela Kearney said on Tuesday. Its now clear that over 40 per cent of those impacted are children under the age of 16 who have been deeply traumatised by the loss of their families, homes, and livelihoods. All Eyes on Rafah trends on social media. Photo Courtesy: Viral Images on Instagram An image, presumably created with Artificial Intelligence, has gone viral on social media platforms over the past several hours, aiming to alert people on the plight of Gazans with Islareli forces conducting a massive ground operation in Rafah. The phrase 'All Eyes on Rafah' is currently flooding the internet with celebrities and common netizens sharing it to stand beside the Palestinians. With 126,043 posts, the phrase is trending on Instagram like wildfire. What happened in Rafah? According to reports, Israeli shelling and airstrikes in Rafah over the weekend left 45 people dead. Celebrities including Priyanka Chopra, Ali Bhatt, and Rashmika Mandanna, among others, joined to voice their support for Palestinians by posting the phase on Instagram along with the trending picture which showed tents in a camp arranged to spell out the words All Eyes on Rafah". What is the importance of the social media trend? The trend of posting All Eyes on Rafah has been something that has been building for a little while, Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, told NBC News. Weve seen quite a lot of influencers and celebrities and widely followed people on multiple platforms, not just Instagram, that are sharing the sentiment of this message or an almost identical version of it, which will amp up the reach and visibility across many platforms. Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of Middle East studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar who studies misinformation, told the news channel that the image definitely looks AI-generated. UN expresses concern As fighting continues in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that he was heartbroken by images of people killed and injured in airstrikes on Sunday that hit tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah. Guterres repeated his longstanding call for a ceasefire in the embattled enclave and the release of all hostages. He is heartbroken by the images of the killed and injured, including many small children. As he has said before, the horror and suffering must stop immediately, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The Secretary-General had taken to social media the previous day to condemn Israels actions in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The statement said the UN chief also grieved for the more than 36,000 Palestinians and some 1,500 Israelis killed in the relentless violence. This includes the gruesome acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023, the devastating Israeli assault on Gaza, the continued indiscriminate rocket launches towards Israel. He noted that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now compounded by the unconscionable prospect of a man-made famine. The UN chief reiterated his demand for an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and conditional release of all hostages. He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be complied with, the statement said. On Friday, the UNs top court issued new provisional measures that order Israel to immediately halt military operations in Rafah, located in southern Gaza, which have forced roughly a million people to flee elsewhere. In image Israeli army during war with Hamas | courtesy: X/IDF At least 45 people, including children, were killed at a refugee camp in Gaza's Rafah after an Israeli air strike. The incident occurred just days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its operation in Rafah, triggering international outrage over the war in Gaza. Israel launched the attack on Rafah late Sunday, hours after Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets at the Tel Aviv area, most of which were intercepted. Israeli forces attacked the border town - once seen as the territory's last refuge - despite an order last week from the top UN court to halt its operation there. 'All eyes on Rafah', a phrase that refers to the ongoing genocide in this Gaza city, is currently trending on social media as global support poured in for the Palestinians affected by the Israeli strikes. Several celebrities have shared support messages with the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah. The phrase has picked up steam as a call for awareness of the ongoing war. Rafah was a major entry point for humanitarian aid before Israel stepped up its military offensive on the Gaza side of the border earlier this month and seized control of the crossing. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay At least 28 people, including women and children, died after a bus fell into a ravine in Pakistan's Balochistan region on Wednesday. The mishap reportedly left 22 others injured. Speaking to Dawn News, Basima Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ismail Mengal said the accident occurred when a tyre of the vehicle got burst, which led to the bus crashing into a hill and then plunging into a ravine. Mengal said three women and three children were also among the deceased. He said the bus was probably carrying 45 to 50 passengers. It was reportedly travelling from Turbat to Quetta overnight when the accident occurred. The bodies of the deceased and the injured were rushed to Basima Civil Hospital. Conditions of some of the injured passengers are said to be critical. Those critically injured patients have been shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Khuzdar. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has consoled the loss of lives in the tragedy. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay Beijing: A Chinese court has sentenced Bai Tianhui, the former general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), to death for accepting bribes amounting to USD 151 million, media reported. The verdict was delivered by the No 2 Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin on Tuesday, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Bai was also stripped of his political rights for life, with all personal property confiscated. The court ruled to recover his illegal gains and allocate them to the state treasury. Exploiting his position, Bai facilitated acquisitions and project financing in exchange for substantial bribes, the court stated. The verdict highlights the level of Bai's crimes, noting the huge financial losses incurred and adverse societal impact. Despite providing information on other cases, Bai's actions did not warrant leniency, according to the court. China has pursued an aggressive anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping. According to the report, death sentences are rare in China, and many officials have been allowed to opt for confessions and receive suspended sentences or lengthy prison terms. CHIH, a subsidiary of China Huarong Asset Management (CHAM), underwent restructuring in January, becoming China Citic Financial Asset Management under Citic Group ownership, reported the South China Morning Post. Bai's sentencing follows that of Lai Xiomin, former CHAM chairman, who was executed in January 2021 for similar charges, including accepting bribes amounting to 1.79 billion yuan (USD 247 million), embezzlement, and bigamy. In image Pro-Palestinian encampment/ credit: X/@mykalla40 Toronto/IBNS: The University of Toronto has sought court injection to remove protesters who refuse orders to leave a pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campus earlier this month. A notice of motion in court aimed to bring an end to the demonstration has been filed by the university saying irreparable harm to the institution has been caused by the encampment. Among the relief sought, the university asked for an order authorizing police to arrest and remove persons, objects and structures who violate the terms of a court order to prevent protesters from blocking access to university property or setting up fences, tents or other structures on campus. Ignoring a Monday morning deadline set in a trespass notice issued last week, the protesters refused to leave the site, adding they are prepared to fight back with their own legal team. While also continuing to negotiate with protesters, U of T president Meric Gertler had asked for an expedited case conference. In addition to pursuing this legal avenue to return Kings College Circle to the university community, we continue to engage in discussions with students representing those in the encampment, he wrote in a statement. We remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement and bring the unauthorized encampment to an end. As the trespass deadline passed, the protesters, who set up tents in a large green space on May 2, at the heart of the universitys downtown campus were joined yesterday by faculty and labour groups for a rally outside the nearby Convocation Hall. As a drizzle on Monday which turned to heavier rain during the rally, demonstrators huddled under umbrellas and held up flags. Protesters tried for months to get the university to listen to their demands, said Sara Rasikh, an encampment spokesperson and told the crowd that they only received acknowledgement after setting up the encampment. Presenting a counter-offer during a meeting between demonstrators and university administrators, the protesters had called on the school to disclose public investments in companies profiting from Israels offensive in Gaza. They also asked the school to establish a joint working group, and let them be a part of it to examine private investments as well as cut ties with two specific Israeli academic institutions. Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop had said she supported clearing the encampment at the University of Toronto. We want to ensure this is cleaned up and dealt with right away, Dunlop said. Convocation is coming up and this is a safety issue. We want to ensure that families feel safe going on campus and not intimidated to attend the services. With similar encampments on university campuses having been cropped up across Canada in recent months, several schools are considering or taking legal action against the protesters. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Photo courtesy: Toronto Police Facebook page Toronto/IBNS: Toronto Police has made an arrest in a Child Sexual Abuse Material investigation. As part of an investigation into the downloading of child sexual abuse material, members of ICE executed on Tuesday a Criminal Code search warrant in the Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue West area. Following this, John Bilokrely, 35, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with two counts of possessing child pornography, two counts of accessing child pornography, and making child pornography available. During the search, a quantity of child sexual abuse material was located with the investigation being continued. On Tuesday, he was scheduled to appear at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre, 2201 Finch Avenue West. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-8500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com. Recognizing that parents and caregivers are the frontline when it comes to protecting children on the Internet and electronic devices, the Toronto Police Service encourages them to remain vigilant in their efforts. The safety tips outlined below are recommended for children of any age. Reporting of any online exploitation can also be made at Canadas National Tipline for Reporting the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children at cybertip.ca. A grant from the Ministry of the Solicitor General has made this project possible. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health resources are also available for those who have a sexual interest in children. The new Talking for Change program provides national and all-ages assistance for those concerned about their risk to use child sexual exploitation material or offend sexually against a child. (Reporting by Asha Bajaj) Panchayat 3 just hit the screens, and everyone's thrilled! The new season brings back familiar faces like Jitendra Kumar as Abhishek Tripathi, alongside Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik, and more talented actors. Fans could not be happier as the show returns to entertain them once again. Panchayat 3 is already stealing hearts with its fantastic storyline and brilliant acting, with some reviews about it taking a political turn. Among the amazing cast, there is one actress who shines the brightestthe one playing Rinki, Abhishek's love interest. Meet Sanvikaa, The Rising Star Behind Rinki In Panchayat 3: Sanvikaa, also known as Rinki, has become quite a sensation since her debut in the second season of Panchayat. Her chemistry with Jitendra Kumar on screen has caught everyone's attention and sparked many conversations online. Originally from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Sanvikaa has an engineering degree. But she decided to follow her passion for acting. She took a bold step, convincing her parents that she was going to Bangalore for a job, but secretly, she headed to Mumbai to chase her acting dreams. Where Is Jabalpur In India? Jabalpur, nestled in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, India, is a city brimming with historical significance, cultural diversity, and stunning natural vistas. Resting along the banks of the majestic Narmada River, one of central India's prominent waterways, Jabalpur boasts breathtaking landscapes adorned with verdant greenery and serene water bodies that adorn its surroundings. Also Read: From Gangs of Wasseypur To Panchayat Season 3, Inspiring Story Of Faisal Malik AKA Prahalad Pandey Still From Panchayat S3/Prime Video Jabalpur serves as an important economic centre in Madhya Pradesh, with industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing. The city is known for its production of goods such as textiles, electrical goods, and limestone. Sanvikaa's big break came with Panchayat, and since then, she has gained a huge following on Instagram. You can find her there with the username 'iamsanvikaa,' where she has over 205k followers. Besides Panchayat, she has also appeared in other OTT shows like Lakhan Leela Bhargava and Hajamat, leaving her fans eagerly waiting for her next project. You can watch Sanvikaa's latest work in Panchayat streaming on Prime Video. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. In case you have not completed watching Panchayat season 3, don't worry there are no spoilers here. The much-awaited show that explore the lives and challenges of the residents in the rural village of Phulera promises to deliver more humorous and heartfelt moments. The show also digs deeper into character developments and fresh storylines that reflect the quirks and complexities of rural life in India. But why is it reminding everyone of Mirzapur season 3? Is Phulera turning into Mirzapur? X Some of the fans binge-watched the entire show in a day and they all felt as if there was a crossover with Pankaj Tripathi-Ali Fazal's Amazon Prime show Mirzapur. "Panchayat is turning out like Mirzapur. Violence with fun," one of the fans wrote. "Panchayat ki ending dekh ke laga ab yahi se Mirzapur ka next season start hoga," said another one. Also Read: Panchayat 3 Out Now: Is Phulera A Real Village? Where Is It? X Panchayat season 3 ending in particular reminded fans of the action crime thriller television series. "Panchayat S3 tha ye ki Mirzapur S3," asked another fan on X, while another user added, "Who let Mirzapur writers in the writers' room of #Panchayat? What a travesty of a season." Another user said, "Panchayat ko Mirzapur bana diya iss baar. Still a very enjoyable watch". Also Read: Panchayat Season 3 Cast Fee: Here's How Much Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta & Others Were Paid Fans are also loving Prahlad Pandey aka Faisal Malik's performance in the third season X Faisal Malik who essays the role of Prahlad Pandey in the show is winning hearts after the release of season 3. In their review on X, a lot of people are praising Malik for melting their hearts with his outstanding performance. "Panchayat S3 again rock and this time Prahlad Cha stolen the showemotional touch," said a fan. "Prahlad ji star of the show. What a character development, great acting. Less fun elements, more emotions and seriousness. But it's for good. Panchayat story continues and becoming more engaging With all character development. Loved it," wrote another fan. When is Mirzapur season 3 releasing? Now that people have watched Panchayat 3, they are eagerly waiting to know Mirzapur season 3 release date. While there has not been any official announcement on it as, the OTT platform teased the announcement on social media leaving fans even more impatient. If reports are to be believed, the third season will likely be released in July. Also Read: After Mirzapur 3 Release Date, Here's When The Trailer Of Amazon Prime Video Show Will Be Released For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. We often hear about the wealth and influence of the Ambani family, especially after the grand ceremonies that the family hosted during their children's weddings. Now that the youngest kid in the family, Anant Ambani, is getting married to his sweetheart, Radhika Merchant, in July, let's have a look at how it all started. The Ambanis now live in the famous 27-storey, 570-feet-tall, 400,000-square-foot mansion called Antilia in Mumbai. We have seen the extravagant weddings of the Ambani children, but few know about the humble beginnings of Mukesh Ambani and Nita Dalal's wedding when they were not among the richest families in the world. Pics Of Mukesh And Nita Ambani's Simple 1984 Wedding Here are some photos from the wedding ceremony of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, which took place in 1984. Picture Of Nita Ambani From Her Wedding/Pinterest Nita Ambani, born Nita Dalal, came from a middle-class Gujarati family in Mumbai. Her parents were Ravindrabhai Dalal and Purnima Dalal. She earned a bachelor's degree in commerce and pursued Bharatanatyam from an early age, eventually becoming a professional dancer. Picture Of Nita Ambani As Bride/Pinterest Also read: Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant Cruise Pre-Wedding Bash: Here Are Things We Know So Far Picture Of Mukesh-nita Ambani From Their Wedding Day/Pinterest Nita met Mukesh Ambani when she was teaching at school. They got married after Mukesh's father, Dhirubhai Ambani, saw Nita performing at a dance event and thought she would be a good match for his son. Even after their wedding, Nita continued to work as a teacher for a few years. Nita Ambani With Mukesh Ambani During Their Wedding Ceremony/Pinterest Picture Of Nita Ambani As Bride/Pinterest Those who attended their wedding probably didn't realise they were witnessing the beginning of a significant chapter in history. The above photos from their simple wedding give us a glimpse into the early days of one of the world's most powerful couples. Now, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are gearing up for their wedding, but before that, they are hosting another pre-wedding bash on a cruise with guests from around the globe. Earlier this year, their first pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat, drew attention from Bollywood, sports, and business stars. Also read: Anant Ambani And Radhika Merchant Opt For Space Theme In Second Pre-Wedding Festivities? Know Here The anticipation is high for the next round of festivities, expected to start today, May 29. DNA reports suggest that the July wedding of Anant Ambani and his fiancee, Radhika Merchant, could range in cost from Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 crore. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. Apple WWDC 2024: Every year, tech enthusiasts and developers from around the world eagerly await a special event that showcases the future of technology Apples Worldwide Developers Conference, or Apple WWDC. As we look forward to Apple WWDC 2024, the excitement is undeniable. Imagine a virtual stage where Apples top experts come together to reveal groundbreaking innovations and updates. This isnt just a conference; its a global gathering where ideas ignite, creativity flourishes, and the future of technology unfolds. Imagine a digital arena filled with thousands of developers, all keen to learn about Apple's latest developments. A vibe of excitement and wonder permeates the air as screens all throughout the world come to life, bringing people together through a shared passion for invention. Leading this event is Apple CEO Tim Cook, who revealed what the tech giant has been working on. This years Apple WWDC promises to be more exciting than ever. With rumors of new AI features, deeper integrations, and smarter tools, anticipation is at an all-time high. From the iconic keynote address to the informative technical sessions, Apple WWDC 2024 will offer an in-depth look at the next generation of Apples software platforms. Whether youre an experienced developer or just love technology, this event has something for everyone, aiming to inspire and empower the global developer community. Apple | Photo: AP Join us as we explore the full schedule of events, learn how to watch the live keynote, and discover the innovative features you can expect from Apple WWDC 2024. This is more than just an event its a journey into the future of technology, driven by Apples continuous pursuit of excellence. Get ready to be part of a transformative experience that will shape the tech world for years to come. Also Read: Who is Muneeb Amin Bhatt? After Apple Now The Indian Techie Entered NASAs Hall of Fame Apple WWDC 2024 Apple has officially released the schedule for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. This highly anticipated event, known as Apple WWDC, is a free online conference designed to unite Apples global developer community. The conference will provide deep insights into the latest developments in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Apple WWDC 2024: Kickoff and Keynote Address Apple | Photo: Reuters The five-day Apple WWDC 2024 will start on June 10 and conclude on June 14, featuring a keynote address that is eagerly awaited by tech enthusiasts worldwide. Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with Craig Federighi, Apples Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, will reveal new features and updates across all Apple platforms. The keynote, starting at 10 am PDT (10:30 pm IST), can be streamed live on Apples official website, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. Full Schedule and Technical Sessions at Apple WWDC 2024 Apple WWDC 2024 is a developer-centric event with over 100 technical sessions planned throughout the week. These sessions are designed to give developers the opportunity to learn directly from Apple engineers, designers, and experts about the latest technological tools and frameworks. A major highlight is the Swift Student Challenge. This year, 50 winners have been recognized for their impressive submissions and will be invited to Apple Park for a special three-day experience filled with unique activities aimed at inspiring and engaging them. Also Read: Chennai Hospital's Tech Revolution! Doctors Use Apple Vision Pro Headsets For Advanced Surgeries How to Participate in Apple WWDC 2024 For those who cannot attend in person, Apple ensures extensive coverage and accessibility. The event can be watched live on Apples official website, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. What to Expect at Apple WWDC 2024 Apple is poised to showcase its latest AI innovations at Apple WWDC 2024. According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, these AI features may not be as visually striking as those from Google, Microsoft, or OpenAI, but they will offer practical applications such as transcribing voice memos and auto-generating emojis. An exciting announcement anticipated at Apple WWDC 2024 is a partnership with OpenAI, which will integrate ChatGPT more deeply into Apples operating systems. Additionally, Apple is in talks with Google for integration with its Gemini AI and is negotiating with Anthropic. New AI Features to Look Out For One of the most significant features likely to be introduced at Apple WWDC 2024 is a smart recap tool. This tool will summarise missed texts, notifications, and various media, including web pages, news articles, and documents, to help users manage their iOS notifications more efficiently. Also Read: Watch: Apple Faces Backlash Over iPad Pro Ad, Hollywood Celebs Call It 'Destructive' & 'Tone Deaf' The Voice Memo app is also expected to receive AI-generated transcription capabilities. This enhancement will build on existing features like voicemail transcripts and system-wide captions, making it easier for users to access and manage their voice memos. Apple WWDC 2024 promises to be an enriching event, offering developers in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with Apples upcoming technologies. Through the various sessions and interactions with Apples experts, developers will gain valuable insights to innovate and enhance their applications across all Apple platforms. Dont miss out on the opportunity to be part of this exciting event. Tune in to the live keynote on June 10 and explore the full slate of events at Apple WWDC 2024. WWDC kicks off on Monday Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote has just concluded, revealing a slew of exciting announcements. The most groundbreaking news is Apple's significant push into artificial intelligence, branded as Apple Intelligence. One of the key highlights is the integration of OpenAIs ChatGPT with Siri, offering users a more versatile and intelligent virtual assistant experience. Apple Intelligence: A New Era of AI Integration At the forefront of Apple's announcements was Apple Intelligence, a robust AI initiative aimed at enhancing user interaction and productivity across Apple devices. This move signals Apple's commitment to leveraging advanced AI technologies to deliver more intuitive and powerful user experiences. ChatGPT Comes to Siri: Enhanced Interaction and Functionality In an unprecedented move, Apple announced that Siri will now be able to tap into OpenAIs ChatGPT when needed. This integration is designed to give users access to the expansive capabilities of ChatGPT without the need for a separate account. When using Siri, users will have the option to share their queries with ChatGPT, which will then provide suggestions and responses crafted by the AI model. Seamless Integration Across Devices The integration of ChatGPT will be available on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year. This system-wide incorporation means users can benefit from AI-enhanced writing tools across their Apple devices. For example, you can create a bedtime story complete with images generated by ChatGPT, making creative tasks easier and more enjoyable. Privacy and Convenience Apple has highlighted that using ChatGPT through Siri will be both free and private. Users won't need to create an account, and their requests and information won't be logged, ensuring a secure and hassle-free experience. Developer and Public Previews Apple will release developer versions of its new software starting Monday, with a public preview slated for next month. The final versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia are expected to be available to all users in the fall, bringing these advanced AI features to the wider public. Future AI Integrations In addition to ChatGPT, Apple hinted at future integrations with other third-party artificial intelligence models, further expanding the capabilities and versatility of its ecosystem. Apple WWDC 2024 Highlights: Big announcements made by Apple At WWDC24, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system, along with exciting new features for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and tvOS 18. They also unveiled visionOS 2, which offers powerful new ways to interact with Apple Vision Pro. This years keynote showcased Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system combining generative models with users personal contexts, integrated into iPhone, iPad, and Mac for highly relevant and useful intelligence. Major updates include the biggest-ever redesign of the Photos app, new productivity tools, and more ways for users to express themselves and customise their devices. visionOS 2 brings new interaction methods with Apple Vision Pro and updates to spatial photos and Mac Virtual Display, while tvOS 18 enhances Apple TV+ films and shows with useful information on users biggest home screens. Starting this month, Apple Vision Pro will be available in more countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. Next month, it will come to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. Apple Unveils Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence leverages the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, perform actions across apps, and utilise users personal contexts to simplify and speed up everyday tasks. A key feature is on-device processing, which provides personal intelligence without collecting users data. Private Cloud Compute sets a new standard for privacy in AI, allowing computational capacity to flex between on-device processing and larger, server-based models running on dedicated Apple silicon servers. iOS 18: More Personal and Intelligent With iOS 18, users can arrange apps and widgets freely on the Home Screen, customise buttons on the Lock Screen, and access more controls in Control Centre. The redesigned Photos app automatically organises photo libraries into a new single view, with helpful collections keeping favourites easily accessible. New text effects in iMessage bring conversations to life with dynamic, animated appearances, and users can now communicate via satellite in the Messages app even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Apple Unveils Apple Intelligence | Apple iPadOS 18: Next-Level iPad Experience iPadOS 18 makes the iPad more versatile and intelligent, with new features and apps designed for Apple Pencil. The Calculator app now includes Math Notes, allowing users to type or write mathematical expressions and see them instantly solved in their own handwriting. New handwriting tools in Notes, including Smart Script, make handwritten notes more fluid and easier to read. Apple Unveils Apple Intelligence macOS Sequoia: New Ways of Working and Intelligence macOS Sequoia enhances Continuity between iPhone and Mac with iPhone Mirroring, allowing full access and control of iPhone from Mac. Safaris new Highlights feature simplifies information discovery while browsing. Gaming is more immersive with Personalized Spatial Audio, and Apple Intelligence offers new ways for Mac users to enhance their writing, create playful images, and more. Apple Intelligence fully utilises the power of Apple silicon and its Neural Engine, supported by every Mac with an M-series chip. watchOS 11: Health, Fitness, and Personalisation watchOS 11 offers new health and fitness insights and greater personalisation. The new Vitals app highlights key health metrics, the ability to measure training load enhances workout experiences, and Activity rings are more customisable. The Smart Stack and Photos face provide more individualisation, and the Health app on iPhone and iPad offers additional support for pregnant users. New features like Check In, the Translate app, and double tap gesture capabilities add convenience to Apple Watch. Apple Unveils Apple Intelligence visionOS 2: New Spatial Computing Experiences visionOS 2 enhances Apple Vision Pro with new spatial computing experiences, including new ways to create spatial photos, intuitive hand gestures for accessing important information, and updates for Mac Virtual Display, Travel Mode, and Guest User. New capabilities like Follow Your Breathing in the Mindfulness app, SharePlay for Photos, and multiview in the TV app are also introduced. Home and Audio Updates tvOS 18 introduces intelligent features like InSight and updates to Enhance Dialogue and subtitles, improving cinematic experiences. Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, and FaceTime capabilities are enhanced on the largest home screens. The Home app gains new features with iOS 18, such as guest access and hands-free unlock with home keys, providing effortless and secure home access. AirPods software updates transform how users respond to Siri, take calls, and enjoy games. FAQs for Apple WWDC 2024 Q. What is Apple WWDC 2024? Apple WWDC 2024, or the Worldwide Developers Conference, is Apples annual event aimed at developers worldwide. This free online conference provides deep insights into the latest advancements in Apples software platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Q. When and where is Apple WWDC 2024 taking place? Apple WWDC 2024 will take place from June 10 to June 14. The event will be conducted online, making it accessible to developers globally. The keynote address will be streamed live from Apple Park on June 10 at 10 am PDT. Q. How can I watch the Apple WWDC 2024 keynote live? You can watch the Apple WWDC 2024 keynote live on Apples official website, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. The keynote starts at 10 am PDT (10:30 pm IST) on June 10. Q. What can developers expect from Apple WWDC 2024? Developers can expect over 100 technical sessions led by Apple engineers and experts, providing in-depth knowledge about the latest technological tools and frameworks. Key highlights include the Swift Student Challenge and announcements about new features and updates across all Apple software platforms. Q. What is the Swift Student Challenge? The Swift Student Challenge is an annual competition that recognizes talented student developers who create innovative projects using Apples Swift programming language. This year, 50 winners have been selected and invited to Apple Park for a three-day experience filled with special activities. Q. What are some of the anticipated announcements at Apple WWDC 2024? At Apple WWDC 2024, Apple is expected to unveil new AI innovations, including practical applications for transcribing voice memos and auto-generating emojis. Announcements may also include a partnership with OpenAI for integrating ChatGPT into Apples operating systems, as well as potential collaborations with Googles Gemini AI and Anthropic. Q. How will the new AI features benefit users? The new AI features are designed to enhance user experience by offering practical tools like a smart recap tool, which summarises missed texts, notifications, and various media, and AI-generated transcription capabilities for the Voice Memo app. These enhancements aim to make it easier for users to manage their communications and information efficiently. Q. Is there a cost to attend Apple WWDC 2024? No, Apple WWDC 2024 is a free online event, open to all developers worldwide. By offering the event online, Apple ensures that developers from around the globe can participate and benefit from the sessions and keynotes. Q. Can non-developers attend Apple WWDC 2024? While Apple WWDC 2024 is primarily designed for developers, anyone interested in Apples latest technological advancements can tune in to the keynote and other publicly available sessions through Apples streaming platforms. Q. How can I stay updated with the events and announcements from Apple WWDC 2024? To stay updated with the latest events and announcements from Apple WWDC 2024, you can visit Apples official website, follow the event on the Apple Developer app, or subscribe to Apples YouTube channel. Additionally, following Apples social media channels will provide real-time updates and insights. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events. I can't sew at the age of 30 and this 8-year-old guy from the US is already making strides in the glamourous world of fashion. Yes, that's right! https://couturetothemax.com/ Max Alexander, an 8-year-old fashion designer Meet Max Alexander, a young fashion star from the Los Angeles who's shaking up the fashion scene, all thanks to social media and his incredible skills. With a whopping 2.8 million followers on Instagram (@couture.to.the.max), he's being hailed as the "youngest fashion designer" online. Max's journey into fashion began at the tender age of four when he began to sew, purely from a dream he had. Despite having no prior exposure to fashion, he dove right in and started designing. Now, at just eight years old, he's wowing everyone with his stunning creations and even scoring commissions from celebrities like Sharon Stone! Max Alexander is 7 years old and he's a fashion designer. Max announced to his family in 2020 that he was a dress maker. Encouraged by his mother, also an artist, Max began designing, draping and sewing, and launched his Couture to the Max label in 2021. pic.twitter.com/XZBTlhkqVA Double (@ozidiicongo) March 12, 2024 Story of the "youngest fashion designer" Max's mom, who helps him manage his Instagram, shared how it all began. One evening, at the age of four, Max declared over dinner that he was a dressmaker and needed a mannequin. So, his mother made him his first mannequin using a cardboard. With just some scraps from his mom's studio, he crafted his first big dress, leaving everyone amazed. In interviews, Max has shared his dreams of becoming a famous designer, even likening himself to luxury brand Gucci. I knew I was Gucci, he opened up about his dream. By age five, he was already strutting his stuff with his very own fashion show. Max learned to sew from his mom and local professionals, and his skills have only flourished since then. We know we're going to be seeing Max Alexander's designs on runways in the near future! This 7-year-old fashion designer started sewing at age 4. pic.twitter.com/8UiAWLChRY Tamron Hall Show (@TamronHallShow) September 20, 2023 Now, Max's designs are selling all around the world, with fans clamoring for more. Despite his young age, he's proving that talent knows no bounds. Max's story is one of determination, passion, and a whole lot of creativity. And as he continues to soar, there's no telling where his fashion journey will take him next! For more on lifestyle, fashion, astrology and health from around the world please visit Indiatimes Lifestyle. Does hearing the word circus bring a nostalgic sparkle to your eye? Are you someone who actually likes clowns? Then we've got good news for you! On popular demand, Rambo Circus is back in Delhi! And this time you can enjoy all your favourite classic acts along with several new and enthralling ones in the comfort of an air-conditioned auditorium. Here's all you need to know to book your ticket for an amazing night with your family and friends. X Rambo Circus In Delhi Creating history, Rambo Circus is the first Indian circus to take their act indoors, according to a press release and after a gap of almost 20 years, Rambo Circus made a comeback in Delhi last year at the International Circus Festival. Completing reinventing the show to perform in an auditorium, the theatrical performance now features several international artists along with Indians. Also Read: World Laughter Day: 21 Funny Things To Say To Make Everyone Laugh Today X While the show champions all the classic performers synonymous with a circus such as aerialists, sword balancers, acrobats and jugglers, it also includes multiple comedic elements, like clowns and jokers who entertain the audience with their mimicry and comical stunts. The show has something to appeal to everyone, whether you are a fan of just good old-fashioned comedy or it's the acrobats and aerialists that fancy you. X Also Read: Celebrity Homes You Can Book On Airbnb, From Janhvi Kapoor To Gauri Khan Book Your Tickets The show is being performed at Siri Fort Auditorium from 31st May to 9th June. Each show is approximately one and a half hours long, featuring 22 different acts. The tireless and enthusiastic troupe is performing four times a day, giving you the option to select timings from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm. The tickets are priced at INR 350 and can be booked from the comfort of your home through the BookMyShow. A high-energy and entertaining theatrical performance is what awaits you once you step through the doors and will leave you with memories that will stay with you long after. So what are you waiting for? Book your tickets now to immerse yourself in a magical world and step back into your childhood! Also Read: Summer Vacations: 9 Exciting Activities To Keep Your Kids Busy For more on lifestyle, astrology and health from around the world please visit Indiatimes Lifestyle. In a remarkable feat, 49-year-old Police Inspector Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe has become the first female officer from the Maharashtra Police Force to scale Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. Dokhe reached the summit on Wednesday at 4:10 am, where she spent a few minutes singing the national anthem and waving both the Indian tricolour and the Maharashtra police flag. The Maharashtra police's official X handle shared photos capturing her journey. Maharashtra Police flag waving with pride on Mt. Everest. No challenge is too big for our Police Inspector Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe as she ascended the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest. #ProudMaharashtraPolice#MountEverest #ProudMoment pic.twitter.com/l0fucy5mcp - Maharashtra Police (@DGPMaharashtra) May 29, 2024 No challenge is too big for our Police Inspector Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe as she ascended the worlds highest mountain, Mount Everest, read the caption with her photos. Speaking to the Times of India (TOI), Dokhe revealed that she dedicated her climb to her late parents, stating, My sole aim in scaling Mount Everest was to pay tribute to them. Who is Vishwanath Dokhe? Hailing from Srirampur in Ahmednagar district, Dokhe joined the police force as a sub-inspector through direct recruitment in 2006. An avid climber since 2016, she is currently a Cybercrime Instructor at the Nashik Police Academy. Her fascination with Everest was sparked in 2022 after reading the book 'Saad Deti Him Shikhare'. X As reported by the Marathi daily Sakal, Dokhes journey began on March 24, 2024, when she arrived in Kathmandu. Under the guidance of Lakpa Sherpa, she started her ascent from Everest Base Camp on May 17 and reached the summit on May 22. She carried a photo of her parents to the peak as a tribute. After a previous unsuccessful attempt due to health issues, Dokhes determination led her to rigorous training, ultimately achieving her goal. Vishwanath Dokhe's rigorous training regimen To prepare for her Everest expedition, PI Dokhe adhered to an intense training schedule. This included running 15 km three times a week, walking on a treadmill with a 60-degree incline while carrying over 210 kilograms on her back for two hours daily, and repeatedly climbing the stairs of an eight-story building every other day. Also Read: 'Someone Gift Me This': Pani Puri Bouquet Captivates Foodies Online She also incorporated full-body workouts into her regimen. Besides her climbing achievements, Dokhe imparted her knowledge of cybercrime at the Maharashtra Police Academy and was honoured with a Marathi book about glaciers during her tenure at the Pune police commissioner. Phunjo Lama becomes fastest woman to scale Everest AP Also Read: UK Village Tormented By 100 Rampaging Feral Chickens, Causing Sleepless Nights Meanwhile, on May 23, Nepali climber Phunjo Lama set a new record by becoming the fastest woman to ascend Everest. As reported by CNN Travel, Lama completed the climb from Everest Base Camp to the summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, with the entire journey, including descent, taking 23 hours and 49 minutes. She started at 3:52 p.m. and reached the summit at 6:23 a.m. the following day. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. India's most iconic family, the Ambanis, are set to begin the second leg of their pre-wedding celebrations. Before Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tie the knot later this year, the entire Ambani clan is ready to party the night away on a cruise ship. For those who don't know, following their Jamnagar festivities, the Ambanis are hosting another pre-wedding event, this time on a cruise ship traveling from Italy to France. An invite with the full schedule has been going viral online as they prepare to embark on their journey today, March 29. Indias wealthiest couple, Mukesh and Nita Ambani Indias wealthiest couple, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, recently spent over Rs 1250 crore on their youngest son Anant Ambani's pre-wedding celebration with Radhika Merchant. However, this is not the first time the couple has hosted a lavish celebration that exceeded everyone's expectations. In the past, Mukesh and Nita Ambani have showcased what a 'big fat Indian wedding' looks like by hosting grand events for the weddings of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal in 2018 and Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta in 2019. In this article, we explore how much the Ambanis have spent on the wedding celebrations of their three children Akash, Isha, and Anant Ambani. Do You Know How Much Mukesh And Nita Ambani Spent On Akash, Isha, And Anant's Weddings? | ET Discover how many crores Mukesh and Nita Ambani spent on the lavish weddings of Akash, Isha, and Anant Ambani. READ ALSO: From Rs 15,000 Crore Antilia To Rs 2000 Crore US Hotel: A Glimpse Of Mukesh Ambani's Posh Properties Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal (2018) Cost: According to the GQ report, Approximately $100 million (Rs 830 crore) According to the report, Approximately $100 million (Rs 830 crore) Invitation Card: Around Rs 3 lakh per piece Around Rs 3 lakh per piece Performance: Beyonce, costing $4-6 million (Rs 33-50 crore) Beyonce, costing $4-6 million (Rs 33-50 crore) Engagement Location: Lake Como, Italy Lake Como, Italy Pre-wedding Location: Udaipur Udaipur Wedding Location: Antilia, Mumbai Antilia, Mumbai Famous Guests: Priyanka Chopra, Hillary Clinton, Arianna Huffington, Bollywood A-listers Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta (2019) Cost: Not specified, but believed to be substantial Not specified, but believed to be substantial Pre-wedding Event: St. Moritz, featuring The Chainsmokers and Chris Martin of Coldplay St. Moritz, featuring The Chainsmokers and Chris Martin of Coldplay Wedding: Three-day event in Mumbai Three-day event in Mumbai Guests: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, billionaire Lakshmi Mittal Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, billionaire Lakshmi Mittal Invitation Card: Valued at around Rs 1.5 lakh Valued at around Rs 1.5 lakh Performance: Maroon 5 Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant (2024) Pre-wedding Cost: Approximately 120 million (Rs 1260 crore) Approximately 120 million (Rs 1260 crore) Event Duration: March 1st to 3rd, 2024 March 1st to 3rd, 2024 Location: Jamnagar, Gujarat Jamnagar, Gujarat Guests: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump Services: Chartered flights, wardrobe services, world-class chefs, luxury vehicles Chartered flights, wardrobe services, world-class chefs, luxury vehicles Expected Wedding Date: July 2024 July 2024 Second pre-wedding bash duration: May 29 to June 1, 2024 READ ALSO: Mukesh Ambani's Rs 592 Crore UK Hotel: The Stunning Wedding Venue For Anant Ambani And Radhika; Check Pics Pics Of Mukesh And Nita Ambani's Simple 1984 Wedding Here are some photos from the wedding ceremony of Mukesh and Nita Ambani, which took place in 1984. Nita Ambani, born Nita Dalal, came from a middle-class Gujarati family in Mumbai. Her parents were Ravindrabhai and Purnima Dalal. She earned a bachelor's degree in commerce and pursued Bharatanatyam from an early age, eventually becoming a professional dancer. Pics Of Mukesh And Nita Ambani's 'Simple' 1984 Wedding That Are Different From Their Children's Extravagant Ceremonies/Pinterest Nita met Mukesh Ambani while teaching at a school. They got married after Mukesh's father, Dhirubhai Ambani, saw Nita performing at a dance event and thought she would be a good match for his son. Even after their wedding, Nita continued to work as a teacher for a few years. Those who attended their wedding probably didn't realise they were witnessing the beginning of a significant chapter in history. The photos from their simple wedding give us a glimpse into the early days of one of the world's most powerful couples. Now, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are gearing up for their wedding. Before that, they are hosting another pre-wedding bash on a cruise with guests from around the globe. Earlier this year, their first pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat, drew attention from Bollywood, sports, and business stars. The anticipation is high for the next round of festivities, expected to start today, May 29. Reports suggest that the July wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant could cost between Rs 1200 and Rs 1500 crore. READ ALSO: Meet Mukesh Ambanis Neighbour With Indias 2nd Most Expensive House Worth Rs 6000 Crore Disclaimer: Please note that the details provided may be subject to change as they are based on information available online. For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here Felice Bisleri: When people start copying you, it's a sign of success! The story of the water bottle company Bisleri is a perfect example of this. Bisleri is currently the most popular water bottle brand across the country. Due to its huge success, many other companies have tried to copy its water bottles. So, when you buy a bottle of Bisleri, be careful. You might end up with Belsri, Bilseri, Brislei, or Bislaar instead of Bisleri. This is why Bisleri's tagline is: Har paani ki bottle Bisleri nahi hoti! (Not every bottle of water is Bisleri) When travelling, many of us have asked a shopkeeper Bhaiya, Ek Bisleri Dena when all we wanted was a bottle of water. Sometimes, we might have received another brand when asking for Bisleri. Have you ever wondered about Bisleri's success story? Holding a 60 per cent share in the water bottle industry and becoming synonymous with water, what led to its success? Heres everything you need to know about Bisleri - one of the most popular brands for bottled water. Felice Bisleri: The Visionary Behind India's Most Trusted Water Brand | X.com The Beginning of Bisleri Bisleri was founded by an Italian businessman, inventor, and chemist named Signor Felice Bisleri. Born on November 20, 1851, in Verolanuova, Felice initially developed Bisleri as an alcohol remedy made from cinchona, herbs, and iron salts. After Felice Bisleri passed away on September 17, 1921, his family doctor and close friend Dr. Rossi took over the Bisleri company. READ ALSO: Bengaluru Tailor To Rs 10,814 Crore Mogul: Irfan Razack's Journey To Leading Prestige Estates The Man Behind Bisleri in India Dr. Rossi had a close friend who was a lawyer and legal advisor for the Bisleri company. This friends son, Khushroo Suntook, also a lawyer, played a key role in bringing Bisleri to India. After India gained independence, there was a growing demand for new businesses. Rossi saw potential in the water business, despite the widespread availability of water. He realized the need for clean and mineral water and started working on his business plan, with support from Khushroo Suntook. First Water Plant in Thane, Mumbai Rossi's idea took off in 1965 when Khushroo Suntook established the first 'Bisleri Water Plant' in Thane, Mumbai. At that time, selling water in India seemed crazy, but Rossi and Suntook pressed on and began producing bottled water. The drinking water quality in Mumbai was poor. While the poor and middle class managed, rich families and foreign tourists struggled. Bisleri's clean water was a boon for them, and Dr. Rossi was confident about the businesss success. READ ALSO: Mukesh Ambani's Rs 592 Crore UK Hotel: The Stunning Wedding Venue For Anant Ambani And Radhika; Check Pics Felice Bisleri: The Visionary Behind India's Most Trusted Water Brand | Facebook From Five-Star Hotels to Common Homes Bisleri entered the Indian market with mineral water and soda. Initially, these products were available only in five-star hotels and expensive restaurants. Rossi and Suntook knew they needed to reach the common people to succeed, so they gradually expanded their market. In 1969, just four years after starting, Khushroo Suntook sold Bisleri to the 'Chauhan Brothers' of the 'Parle Company' for Rs 4 lakh. Parle's Role in Bisleris Success Bisleris growth surged after 1969 when Parle started producing various products, including beverages, soft drinks, and soda. The brand became famous across India and expanded overseas. They introduced soda in carbonated and non-carbonated categories, boosting mineral water production in India. Bisleri's Popularity Over the Years Bisleri introduced many products over the years, enhancing its popularity and customer base. In 2006, they changed their bottle labels from blue to green to stand out from competitors. Despite increasing competition, Bisleri holds a 60 per cent market share in packaged drinking water. The company uses marketing strategies to keep consumers satisfied and grow its customer base. Bisleri's drinking water is now found in public places like railway stations, bus stations, and roadside dhabas. Consumer-Friendly Marketing Strategy Bisleri has used various promotional activities, including TV ads, print ads, billboards, posters, and hoardings. Their first advertisement with the famous one-liner Biasleri is veri veri extraordinari captured many consumers' attention. Campaigns like one nation, one water and Har Pani ki bottle Bisleri Nahi have given the brand great exposure. Bisleri has dominated the Indian market for over two decades and has expanded overseas with 103 plants in India and neighbouring countries. The green-capped bottle is found in almost every store in India. In 1969, the brand was acquired by the Parle Group, controlled by the Chauhan family. Jayantilal Chauhan bought the company for around Rs 4 lakh, and today, it is valued at around Rs 7,000 crore. Bisleris growth from 1969 to 2021 is remarkable. Its expanding customer base and ability to maintain its industry lead highlight the brands success. READ ALSO: Exploring Hardik Pandya And Natasa Stankovic's Collective Net Worth For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here Katrina Kaifs net worth, houses, and car collection: In the colourful world of Bollywood, where dreams are beautifully woven into tales and displayed on screens, the performances of Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif in 2023 shined brilliantly. With his roles in "Sam Bahadur" and "Dunki," Vicky fascinated audiences, and Katrina impressed us with her skill in the thriller "Tiger 3." Along the way to becoming well-known, they have amassed an immense fortune. Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal: A Bollywood Power Couple Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal are two of the biggest stars in Bollywood, the Indian film industry. They got married in December 2021 and have been in the news ever since. Lovebirds of Bollywood Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal | Photo: BCCL Their relationship has been followed closely by fans. They are often seen together at events, looking like a happy couple. In interviews, they have spoken about their deep connection and how they appreciate each other for who they are. Rumours and Speculation Recently, there have been rumors that Katrina might be pregnant. This was sparked by a video of them in London where some fans thought they saw a baby bump. The couple has chosen to keep their personal life private, so there has been no official confirmation. Individual Success Both Katrina and Vicky are successful actors in their own right. Katrina is one of the most popular actresses in Bollywood, known for her roles in many hit films like Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Dhoom 3 (2013), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), and many more. Vicky is a talented actor who has won awards for his performances such as National Film Award - Best Actor (2019) for URI: The Surgical Strike, Filmfare Awards (2019) for Best Supporting Actor in Sanju (2018), Filmfare Critics Award (2022) for Best Actor for Sardar Udham(2021). Katrina Kaif vs. Vicky Kaushal: Who Reigns Supreme in Wealth? A peek into their financial realm reveals intriguing details. As per reports by Times Now, Vicky Kaushal boasts an estimated net worth of an impressive Rs 41 crore. Meanwhile, Katrina Kaif stands tall with a staggering net worth estimated at Rs 224 crore. Together, their combined wealth reaches a monumental Rs 265 crore. Earnings from the Silver Screen: Breaking Down the Figures Diving deeper into their earnings, Vicky Kaushal commanded Rs 12 crore for his special appearance in "Dunki" and Rs 10 crore for his role in "Sam Bahadur," as reported by ABPLive and Financial Express. On the other hand, Katrina Kaif, renowned as one of India's highest-paid actresses, rakes in between Rs 15 crore to Rs 21 crore per project, notably for her role in "Tiger 3." The Luxurious Abodes: Peeking into Their Homes After tying the knot on December 9, 2021, amidst grandeur, the couple settled into a lavish sea-facing apartment in Juhu, Mumbai, graced with the presence of esteemed neighbors like Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Spanning 7,000 sq. ft., their abode boasts a monthly rent ranging between Rs 8-9 lakh and a hefty security deposit of Rs 1.75 crore, according to India Today. Expanding Their Property Portfolio Beyond their Mumbai haven, Katrina Kaif possesses multiple high-value properties, including a 3BHK apartment in Bandra valued at Rs 8.20 crore, a Lokhandwala property worth Rs 17 crore, and a grand estate in London valued at Rs 7 crore, as per Lifestyle Asia. Before joining Katrina, Vicky resided with his family in an apartment in Andheri West, Mumbai. Cruising in Style: Their Luxe Car Collection Their penchant for luxury extends to their car collection, featuring elite models like the Range Rover Autobiography LWB, Range Rover Vogue, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7, and BMW 5GT, as reported by Cartoq and DNA India. Katrina Kaif's Business Ventures and Income Sources Kay Beauty: Katrina Kaif In 2019, Katrina Kaif launched her cosmetic brand, Kay Beauty, with Nykaa. The brand quickly grew, reaching an annual sales value of over Rs 100 crore in just three years, offering a wide variety of beauty products. Business Investments: Before starting her own brand, Katrina invested Rs 2.04 crore in a partnership with Nykaa in 2018. By 2021, this investment had grown to Rs 22 crore, showing her skill in business beyond acting. Private Events: Besides movies, Katrina Kaif earns around Rs 3.5 crore for performing at private events like weddings and parties, making this a profitable side income. Instagram Promotions: With over 80 million followers on Instagram, Katrina reportedly earns between Rs 72.8 lakh to Rs 1 crore per promotional post, leveraging her large social media presence. Brand Endorsements: Endorsing top brands such as Lakme and LOreal, Katrina Kaif earns about Rs 6 crore to Rs 7 crore per endorsement, contributing significantly to her overall income. In the realm of Bollywood, where dreams meet reality, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif stand as shining examples of talent, hard work, and opulence. Their journey from rising stars to influential figures not only captivates audiences but also leaves an indelible mark on the glamorous landscape of Indian cinema. For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here Chinu Kala, the Director of Rubans Accessories, embodies the power of resilience and hard work. Her journey from adversity to success serves as a compelling testament to perseverance. At just 15 years old, Chinu left home with only Rs 300 and a bag of clothes due to family challenges. Enduring hardships, including spending two days sleeping at a Mumbai train station, she remained steadfast in her determination to succeed. So how did this womenpreneur build her multi-crore fashion jewellery brand Rubans Accessories? Let's find out. Theweekendleader After leaving home as a 15-year-old, she spent the first night at Mumbai central railway station. The next day, a woman helped her get a salesgirl job wherein she earned 20 daily, as per a report in The Weekend Leader. Her earnings were so low that she could afford to eat just one meal a day most of the days. After around two years of working as a door-to-door salesperson, she found a job in an apparel store at Ghatkopar as a salesgirl in 2000. In the evenings, for about six months, she also took up a job as a waitress in a local restaurant. The big break came when she did a makeup artist course at Bharat & Dorris, Mumbai in 2006. Thats when she came to know about Gladrags Mrs India beauty pageant and gave it a shot in 2007. Chinu Kala: From Earning Just Rs 20 Daily To Building A Rs 40 Crore Jewellery Brand She was among the top five finalists and that achievement landed her modelling opportunities. Despite starting a corporate merchandising firm in Bengaluru in 2008, her heart was still searching for a magic venture that would give her complete satisfaction. That is how she zeroed in on jewellery and invested Rs 3 lakh to start Rubans Accessories from a 36 sq ft at Phoenix Mall, Bengaluru in 2014. The business was a success from day one. I would make about Rs 1 lakh sales in a day, she says. She reinvented the business model during the Covid lockdown and started selling her products online - through her website and also on e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Myntra and the sales skyrocketed! Chinu Kala began selling her goods online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her sales took off. According to a DNA report, Rubans Accessories is a fashion jewellery firm with a revenue of Rs 40 crore. READ ALSO: Felice Bisleri: The Visionary Behind India's Most Trusted Water Brand Theweekendleader "So far we have sold one million pieces of accessories," she says. She wants her brand to garner 25% of the (estimated Rs 21000 crore) fashion jewellery market share in India, as per her interview with The Weekend Leader. Chinu Kala in Shark Tank India Season 2 Kala appeared on Shark Tank India S2 and left the judges impressed with her story. Her business also received an investment of 1.5 crore from sharks Namita Thapar (executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals) and Vineeta Singh (co-founder, Sugar Cosmetics). Also Read: 10 Hollywood Movies Every Young Entrepreneur Must Watch For the latest and interesting financial content, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. Secretary of State, voiced his concerns regarding Turkeys decision to transform the Chora church, a recognized UNESCO world heritage site, from a museum into a mosque. Speaking at the 4th International Conference of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Tuesday, Pompeo emphasized the churchs significant historical and spiritual status The Chora is not merely an edifice; it is a site of immense historical and sacred importance, Mr. Pompeo remarked. He criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans actions, suggesting they could pressure Turkish citizens to forsake their religious heritage and sacred sites. He then recounted an incident where there was disagreement within the U.S. State Department about issuing a statement on the matter. Mike, this is not our business, its an internal ecclesiastical issue between Russia and Ukraine, they said. But no. America had an obligation to do so. Mr. Pompeo expressed hope for Turkeys future leadership, emphasizing the importance of religious freedoms. This month, President Erdogan proceeded with plans to convert the Chora Monastery into a mosque. This is a divisive move that will cause further religious strife. It is a sacred place, a historic site, a unique UNESCO monument. There is no reason for this, he said. He added, This action is a provocation, and President Erdogan himself is a provocation. I hope that, at some point, the people of Turkey will elect authoritiespresidents and mayors in Ankara and Istanbulwho will respect religious freedoms. This is a significant challenge, Mr. Pompeo stated. iefimerida.gr The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his comment about the one year in office of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Information Nigeria reports that in a statement on Tuesday, Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the nations economy has worsened under Tinubu. The former vice-president said, despite high hopes when Tinubu took over as President, the country is worse off. Advertisement Abubakar said Tinubu has embarked on a cocktail of policies with no concrete plans to achieve the remodelling of the economy he promised. Reacting in a statement, Felix Morka, APCs spokesperson, said the former Vice-Presidents comment belittling Tinubus policies shows primordial political envy and crass desperation for power. According to him, Atiku is willfully blind to the pace of progress of the country under Tinubus administration. He added that Tinubus administration has attracted over $20 billion into the economy in the last one year. The statement read: Atikus self-serving efforts to minimise the bold, genuine and metamorphic policies and interventions of the present administration only smack of primordial political envy and crass desperation for the power that Nigerians have so wisely denied him. READ ALSO: Buhari Celebrates Tinubus One Year In Office, Calls For Supports, Unity Among Nigerians The former Vice President lives in an alternate reality of prejudice and unpatriotic desire for Nigerias failure so he may scavenge his way to an even more elusive presidency. Quite contrary to Atikus claim, President Bola Tinubus administration has, in its first year in office, attracted over $20 billion into the economy while the stock exchange has ballooned from N18.12 billion in Q1 of 2023 to N93.37 billion in Q1 of 2024, representing an increase of over 400 percent with an annual economic growth rate leaping from 2.5 percent to 3.46 percent. Key sectors of manufacturing, telecommunications, oil and gas, solid minerals, e-commerce, and fintech have continued to attract increased and ceaseless flow of foreign direct investments (FDIs). Yet, Atiku remains willfully blind to the pace of progress that is so self-evident. President Tinubu set an audacious target of building a $1 trillion economy in the next few years and has put together a bevy of experts and professionals, and introduced far-reaching policies and programmes to drive the actualization of this desirable economic target. The President needs the support and encouragement of Nigerians, not the bile-filled pessimism of partisan Atikus. Atikus false alarm of an imminent food scarcity boldface ignores the widely acknowledged proactive measures already introduced by President Tinubu to guarantee food security in the country. In December 2023, the federal government set a target for the cultivation of 500,000 hectares of land across the federation. Cultivation of rice, maize, wheat and cassava on over 246,231 hectares of land in 30 states of the federation is in progress in addition to approving massive grants and other incentives to farmers. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, summoned all Judges involved in the Kano Emir tussle, causing uncertainty in the state over their conflicting orders. INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Ariwoola invited Judge of the Federal High Court, and the Chief Judge of Kano State High Court. Recall that the Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice S. A. Amobeda, issued an order for the eviction of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II from the Kofar Kudu Palace, reinforcing the authority of the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. Advertisement READ MORE: Kano Court Orders Police To Evict Emir Bayero From Palace On the other hand, the States High Court, under the jurisdiction of Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu, issued an injunction to protect Muhammadu Sunusi and other key figures from potential harassment by state authorities. Meanwhile, these conflicting orders have led to significant confusion regarding the rightful authority and protection of the emirs in Kano. The State High Courts case is set for further hearing on June 13, while the Federal High Court has adjourned its case to June 4. Angry protesters stormed some parts of Kano city over the state governments reinstatement of Sanusi II as the Emir of the state. The aggrieved agitators were spotted in Gaya and Nasarawa communities, on Sunday, kicking against the return of Sanusi. It was gathered that some residents of Gaya, also protested against the dissolution of the its Emirate by the state government. Gaya Emirate is among the emirate councils recently dissolved by the Governor Abba Yusufs led administration after the states Emirates Council Law of 2019 was amended. Aralola Olamuyiwa, also known as Ara, a famous talking drummer and cultural ambassador for the Ooni of Ife, has recalled how people tried to stop her from playing the talking drum. Ara, Africas first female talking drummer, revealed that she was warned that playing the talking drum might hinder her from having children, but she defied the curse. Advertisement She appeared on the latest episode of the Terms And Conditions podcast, which was shared on Instagram on Tuesday. READ MORE: I Regret Knowing Portable, Hes Still A Boy Ex-manager, Ijoba Danku She said, There are some drums females cannot play. I started with the traditional drums. But I evolved over the years. I played different instruments like bass guitar, keyboard, and set drums. But I wanted something different, so I started learning how to play the talking drum. People I asked to teach me were skeptical about teaching me because I am a woman. So I am self-taught. Although at some point, I was afraid. I was like, what could happen to me? They were like, you might not be able to have kids. Its a traditional thing but I broke that jinx. Ara has a son with her ex-husband, Prince Nurudeen Olalekan Saliu. Watch the interview below Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, the former Minister of Education, has stated that she will not return to the old national anthem, which was signed by President Bola Tinubu earlier today as the countrys new anthem. On Wednesday, Ezekwesili revealed this in a post on her X account. She noted that no one can suppress her right to dissent from what she described as an obnoxious law repugnant to all who are of good conscience in Nigeria. Advertisement READ MORE: I Was Told Playing Talking Drum Would Make Me Infertile, But I Proved Them Wrong Ara The Drummer The ex-minister said, Let it be known to all and sundry that I, Obiageli Oby Ezekwesili, will, whenever asked to sing the Nigerian National Anthem, sing: 1. Arise, O compatriots, Nigerias call obey To serve our fatherland With love and strength and faith The labour of our heroes past Shall never be in vain To serve with heart and might One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity. She added, 2. Oh God of creation, direct our noble cause Guide our leaders right Help our youth the truth to know In love and honesty to grow And living just and true Great lofty heights attain To build a nation where peace and justice reign. This is my own National Anthem and let it be known that no one can suppress my right to dissent an obnoxious law that is repugnant to all that is of good conscience in Nigeria. Whatever else is #NotMyNational Anthem. SEE POST: Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr has denied being aware of the feud between her bandmates Asake and Seyi Vibez. While Asake and Seyi Vibez have never had a public feud, there has always been a stalemate between their fan bases, particularly on social media. In an interview with The Beat FM Lagos that went viral on Tuesday, Ayra Starr was asked if her decision to collaborate with both men on her sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21, was intentional because of their rivalry, to which she denied knowledge. Advertisement She said she chose to work with them because she admires their sonic abilities. READ MORE: Harrysong Bed Wets, Is A Product Of Incest; His Mum Gave Birth To 6 Children For 6 Different Men Alexer Peres Replies Ex-Husband She said, I didnt put Asake and Seyi Vibez on my album because of their rivalry. I didnt know about the rivalry between Asake and Seyi Vibez. I just love both of them as artists. Im really big on sonics; what would sound good sonically. My team is always thinking of the business side but Im just thinking of who would be sonically compatible with me. And Ive been listening to Seyi Vibezs Different Pattern for a very long time. So I decided to work with him. When I sent the record to him, he sent his verse almost immediately. They were very quick with it. Asake, too, he sent me his verse in three days. Watch the interview below Aisha Yesufu, a Nigerian activist, has called for the prosecution of the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, and former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over the controversial Nigeria Air. Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged and arraigned the former minister, his daughter Fatima, his son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma, and a company called Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. The EFCC charged Sirika with giving his brother and his company, Enginos Nigeria Limited, an unfair advantage. Advertisement The contracts for which the funds were paid for were also alleged to be undone, with no evidence of work completed to date. Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, characterised the disputed Nigeria Air project presented by the Buhari administration on Monday as a fraud. He said that it remained suspended. The Minister stated that the national carrier, which was supposed to be an indigenous project and a source of hope for Nigerians, was defective due to a lack of transparency and fraudulent activity. READ MORE: Actress Regina Daniels Celebrates Five Years Of Marriage To Senator Nwoko However, in a post on her X account on Tuesday, Yesufu stated that prosecuting Sirika alone would constitute selective prosecution. Prosecuting Hadi Sirika without prosecuting Muhammadu Buhari is selective prosecution, she wrote. SEE POST: Yul Edochie, a Nigerian actor, has been dragged online after congratulating his colleague Regina Daniels and her husband, Ned Nwoko, on their fifth wedding anniversary. It should be noted that Regina Daniels, a movie star, went online to honour the fifth anniversary of her marriage to the lawmaker. Advertisement The pair, who have two children, married on May 28, 2019, despite the fact that the billionaire had five other wives, all of whom have children. Yul Edochie, who calls himself a polygamist, took to Instagram on Tuesday to congratulate the couple on their achievement. He prayed that joy, serenity, and growth would continue in their household. He wrote, Big Congratulations on your 5th wedding anniversary. Senator princenednwoko @regina.daniels Wish you many more happy years together. May joy, peace and progress never seize in your home. READ MORE: Actress Regina Daniels Celebrates Five Years Of Marriage To Senator Nwoko His post elicited diverse comments from social media users, with some expressing their unhappiness with him. See some reactions below maiii_cci commented: This is the dream u wanted as broke as you are but am glady Queen May put u in ur place oma_frederick penned: Nawao lol. This guy is really not busy with his life. justice_for_judy_kpekus_ remarked: See the life you wanted but sapa said no amu bingo hones_tyoo1 stated: No go warm eba, when u sef go do aniversary Abi dem band am for ur side? pengiclaire wrote: Werey man since wey u marry this ur second wife you just dey do low budget blogging. Na everyday u dey wish wish. U can never be like Ned even if u like make u sing for tinubu 30 days and 40 night ur political career is de@d SEE POST: The Indigenous People of Biafra has insisted that the May 30 sit-at-home remains sacrosanct across the South-East zone. The group urged all resident in the region to stay in their various houses, in commemoration of Biafra Heroes Day. Recall that IPOB had earlier ordered the West African Examination Council and the authorities of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka to shift their respective engagements earlier scheduled for the day, while declaring the day as a day to celebrate its fallen heroes during the civil war between 1967 and 1970. Advertisement In a statement released by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Tuesday, said that the remembrance of all those who fought for Biafra freedom and sovereignty remains imperative, and no government or security agency has any authority to harass any innocent person during the event. Powerful added that markets, schools, banks, government, and private businesses are not allowed to open, adding that the entire South-East would be on lockdown from 6am to 6mm on that day. READ MORE: Biafra Heroes Day: IPOB Declares Sit-At-Home Warns WAEC, UNIZIK Over Scheduled Activity The statement partly reads: The global family IPOB wishes to remind every person resident in Biafra territory that 30th May 2024 sit-at-home in commemoration of Biafra Heroes Day is sacrosanct and we oblige everyone to abide by this order, its only one day, only Thursday, May 30, 2024 no other day. As long as Biafra Land is concerned, IPOB remains a very important state actor on the issues concerning Biafra. The remembrance of all those who fought for Biafras freedom and sovereignty remains imperative, and no government or security agency has any authority to harass any innocent person during that event. We are urging all state governors in Biafra Land to ensure the safety of persons and properties on that day. The students for WAEC on that day must put on their school uniform to identify themselves as WAEC candidates. We are not involved in criminal activities going on and we cannot stop our children from taking their exams. The Federal Government must understand that they cannot slaughter our heroes and, at the same time, stop us from mourning or remembering them. Those who died in the defence of our land from the extermination agenda of the Nigerian and British governments during the genocidal war of 19671970 are worthy to be remembered and celebrated. Conflicting statements issued by Bayo Onanuga and Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokespersons, about President Bola Ahmed Tinubus activities marking his one year in office have caused confusion. Magaji Tambuwal, Clerk of the National Assembly, had on Tuesday said Tinubu would deliver an address on the state of the nation at the joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Advertisement He had said the President will also inaugurate the National Assembly library. Onanuga, Special Adviser to Tinubu on Information and Strategy, corroborated Tambuwals statement, noting that Tinubus address at the parliament is part of the activities to mark his one year in office. He said: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not make a broadcast to the nation on Wednesday to celebrate his first anniversary as the leader of Nigeria. Instead, the President will address a joint session of the National Assembly, which has lined up a programme to commemorate 25 years of the nations democratic journey at both the executive and legislative levels. READ ALSO: Senate Pardons, Recalls Suspended Senator, Ningi President Tinubus speech will dwell on the achievements of his administration and Nigerias democracy since the military ceded power in 1999. Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, former speaker of the House of Representatives and now President Tinubus Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, are all lined up to address the parliament. Also lined up to speak is the former military ruler, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who handed over power to civilian administration in 1999. At the end of the speeches, President Tinubu will commission the National Assembly Library and Resource Center, now to be known as the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Building. Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, May 28, 2024. However, in another statement same day, Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said Tinubu will not address the national assembly, describing Tambuwal and Onanugas statements as false. In view of public commentary concerning the President delivering a speech before a Joint Sitting of the National Assembly tomorrow, May 29, 2024, it is important to state that this information is false and unauthorized as the Office of the President was not involved in the planning of the event, Ajuri said in a statement. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Keystone First, the largest Medicaid plan in the region, said they reached a deal for a new, multi-year contract, ending months of negotiations. Read more Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and Keystone First, the largest Medicaid plan in southeastern Pennsylvania, announced late Tuesday that they had reached a deal for a new, multiyear contract. The deal ends months of negotiations that had left families on edge about potentially losing access to the CHOP doctors or Medicaid benefits they rely on to care for children with complex medical needs. Advertisement Providing patient, members, and families with access to high quality care is a shared priority, and we are proud to continue our efforts to serve our regions most vulnerable children, CHOP and Keystone First said in a joint statement late Tuesday. The organizations planned to notify families of the deal this week. READ MORE: Families with medically vulnerable children caught in the middle of a CHOP-Keystone Health insurance standoff The existing contract, which enables families with Keystone First health plans to see CHOP doctors in-network, expires at the end of June. Earlier this spring, CHOP notified patient families by text and through a webpage that the health system would no longer accept Keystone insurance beginning July 1, if the two were unable to make a deal. Families informed of the news by a reporter Wednesday morning said they were relieved. I felt like I could breathe a little deeper, that things were a little less constricted, said Karen Yosmanovich of Feasterville. Her 4-year-old son, Alex, has a rare genetic disorder, and relies on CHOP doctors and benefits from Keystone First. The pending contract expiration date had been on Yosmanovichs mind, almost like a computer process, running in the background and taking up space. When youre a family with complex medical needs, theres always something on the horizon, and youre just trying to manage what you need to put the most attention to right now. This was becoming that thing. Health-care dollars at stake Large insurers and health systems often play hardball while negotiating over contracts, which typically center on how much is paid for health-care services. Health systems often argue their highly specialized care requires higher reimbursement rates, while insurers say tighter budgets are needed. CHOP is seeing fewer patients with private insurance. Medicaid now accounts for half of its patients, a shift in payer mix that has put significant financial pressure on the nonprofit health system. Medicaid, which is funded by state and federal governments, pays less than private insurance. Keystone First is run by AmeriHealth Caritas, a Delaware County-based subsidiary of Independence Health Group and one of the largest Medicaid insurers in the country. AmeriHealth Caritas posted a profit of $368 million in 2023, up 31% from the year before. But executives have signaled that this years earnings could be affected by an ongoing decline in the number of patients on its plans, as states resume checking whether families still qualify for Medicaid post-pandemic. AmeriHealth Caritas had 887,715 Medicaid plan members in Pennsylvania in March, down from over a million a year before. CHOP reported a profit of $23 million in its most recent fiscal year, which ended June 30 well below its typical earnings and an 85% drop from its $154 million profit the previous year. Sana, Apollo, 4, and Zach Garner play in Apollos room at their home in Ardmore. Apollo receives treatment for cerebral palsy at CHOP. Read more Editors note: Late Tuesday night, after publication deadline, CHOP and Keystone First issued a joint statement that they had reached a new, multi-year contract, and said they planned to notify families this week. Providing patient, members, and families with access to high quality care is a shared priority, and we are proud to continue our efforts to serve our regions most vulnerable children, the organizations said in a joint statement. By the time baby Apollo was a year old, Sana and Zach Garner knew their son with cerebral palsy would need support from a highly specialized medical team to reach developmental milestones like holding a toy or bringing a sippy cup to his lips. Advertisement So they moved their family of three from New York City to Philadelphia to seek care at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Apollo, now 4, has a form of cerebral palsy that affects his arm and leg movement, making it hard for him to feed himself or walk independently. At CHOP, his 15 doctors share notes and ideas to figure out how to help Apollo live his best life. Now, a big money standoff has the Garners worried about losing vital resources that have enabled their family to thrive most recently in Apollos world of alien make-believe. The regions leading pediatric health-care system is locked in a contract dispute with Keystone First, the largest Medicaid provider in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Families qualify for coverage based on their income or if they have a child with a disability. If the two health-care giants cannot agree to a new contract by June 30, the Garners will be among thousands of families who will have to make a wrenching choice between losing access to CHOP doctors they trust with their childrens lives, or risking hard-won insurance coverage for nursing and medical devices. Its common for large insurers and health systems to cry foul as they haggle over contract terms. Such negotiations typically center around the rates paid for health-care services. Health systems say they need more money to provide highly specialized care, while insurers argue for tighter budgets to be good stewards of public money. READ MORE: Philadelphia Medicaid assessment program could expand to childrens and cancer hospitals CHOP and Keystone declined to discuss their negotiations, but the battle has nonetheless become public. In March, CHOP sent text messages and launched a webpage dedicated to making sure families were aware of the stakes: Families with Keystone First insurance will no longer have in-network access to some of the countrys leading pediatric health experts. Publicly airing such a dispute usually means that things are not going well, and one or both parties think that public attention will give them additional leverage, said Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. CHOP and Keystone First both say they are fighting for families and hope to reach a deal before the current contract expires at the end of June. This leaves Apollos parents and many others waiting out the stressful uncertainty. If negotiations fail and they need to make significant changes, either choice finding new doctors or switching insurance will have negative consequences. This isnt just zeros at the end of a contract, Sana Garner said. These are real lives, real families affected. CHOP and Keystone negotiations are nearing the deadline CHOP and Keystone say their talks are ongoing, as their June 30 deadline approaches. We are having productive conversations with Keystone First and hope to reach an agreement soon, said Lindsay Torriero, senior director of brand communications at CHOP. We are committed to continuing our partnership and hope that CHOP chooses to remain in-network with Keystone First, said Michael Chesney, a spokesperson for the insurer. Both health operations are big businesses with national profiles. Keystone First is run by AmeriHealth Caritas, a Delaware County-based subsidiary of Independence Health Group and one of the largest Medicaid insurers in the country. AmeriHealth Caritas posted a profit of $368 million in 2023, up 31% from the year before. But its earnings could suffer this year from an ongoing decline in the number of patients on its plans, as states resume checking whether families still qualify for Medicaid post-pandemic. AmeriHealth Caritas had 887,715 Medicaid plan members in Pennsylvania in March, down from over a million a year before. READ MORE: Thousands have lost Medicaid as post-pandemic renewals begin in Pa., N.J. CHOP reported a profit of $23 million in its most recent fiscal year, which ended June 30 well below its typical earnings and an 85% drop from its $154 million profit the previous year. CHOP is seeing fewer patients with private insurance. Medicaid now accounts for half of its patients, a shift in payer mix that has put significant financial pressure on the nonprofit health system. Medicaid, which is funded by state and federal governments, pays less than private insurance. The business dispute is personal to families. I literally have nightmares that we have moved to another state, away from CHOP thats how important CHOP is, said Karen Yosmanovich, of Feasterville. Yosmanovichs 4-year-old son, Alex, has a genetic syndrome so rare it has been studied in just 40 people. The condition affects his vision, hearing, ability to walk, and gross motor development. He has a team of 22 CHOP doctors, including an audiologist, ophthalmologist, orthodontist, pulmonary sleep specialist, and developmental pediatrician. Yosmanovich cant imagine starting over, assembling a care team at a different health system it took over a year to get an appointment with some of Alexs more niche specialists. This is hurting families that are already hurting, she said. Families could face the difficult decision between doctors and insurance Families could switch insurance; CHOP is in network with five other Medicaid plans available in the area. But for some, switching insurance to keep CHOP doctors could risk losing other essential medical services. Lauren and Adam Rizzo feel committed to doctors at CHOP who specialize in their 5-year-old daughters rare genetic neurological disorder, Rett syndrome. But they count on their coverage from Keystone First to provide the stair lift, power wheelchair, communication aides, and other medical devices Eva needs. The insurer recently agreed to pay for 24-hour nursing for Eva, which doctors say is critical for her safety. Children with Rett syndrome often experience breathing irregularities, which can cause their oxygen levels to drop dangerously low while they sleep. Eva uses special devices to make sure she gets enough oxygen at night, but is still at risk of an episode that could be deadly, if medical help isnt readily available. Every time she falls asleep I risk her dying, Lauren Rizzo said. Eva started having seizures earlier this year, and has been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at CHOPs King of Prussia hospital five times in the past five months, as her team of specialists continue to troubleshoot a medication regimen that should keep her more stable. The experience has proven to the Rizzos the importance of their proximity to some of the preeminent Rett syndrome specialists in the world. The King of Prussia hospital is 15 minutes from their house less by ambulance and Eva has spent so much time there that they know her by name, and know exactly what to do when she arrives. The prospect of losing either their insurance or their doctors is terrifying, so they are trying to stay focused on Eva and not dwell on negotiations they have no control over. Its exhausting. Its maddening, Rizzo said. As a medical family, all we do is plan. But when everything is out of our hands, its very hard to develop any sort of plan. A game of chess and waiting The ordeal has left the Garners, who relocated to call themselves a CHOP family, frustrated and stressed. Keystone approved a home health aide for Apollo, but the family struggled to find someone for the role. Instead, Sana got certified as a home health aide and is paid as Apollos caretaker through insurance, a valuable source of income because shes unable to work due to his demanding schedule. Applying for a home health aide through a new insurer would take months, if approved at all. Still, they are reluctant to walk away from doctors who have helped Apollo grow into the cheery, imaginative boy he is. Its such a game of chess and waiting, Garner said. Garners face relaxes when she walks in the front door of her Ardmore home and sees Apollo perched on her husbands lap, his arm in the air to greet her. Apollos mind knows what he wants, but cant send the right messages to make his limbs move. He needs help holding utensils, sitting down, and moving around. At 32 pounds, he can still be lifted by his parents into a chair or up the stairs. Zach and Sana are not sure what happens when he gets too big to carry. Arm down, Apollo instructs Zach, who lowers Apollos arm to his lap. Hes eager for his parents to play along with his alien imagination game. Welcome to my spaceship, Apollo says. Do you want to see my toys? Sana, Apollo, 4, and Zach Garner play in Apollos room at their home in Ardmore. Apollo receives treatment for cerebral palsy at CHOP. Read more Today, we bring you a late-breaking announcement that a long-running contract dispute between CHOP and a major Medicaid insurer is over. Plus, theres news on a Penn-developed avian flu vaccine, the regions newest micro-hospital, and doctors who specialize in clearing out inboxes for overwhelmed medical practices. Got tips, questions, or suggestions? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us. Advertisement If someone forwarded you this newsletter, sign up here. Aubrey Whelan and Abraham Gutman, Inquirer health reporters, @aubreywhelan and @abrahamgutman. Late last night, CHOP and the Medicaid insurer Keystone First announced the end of their months-long contract fight: The pediatric health-care giant and Southeastern PAs biggest Medicaid provider have reached a deal in a dispute that had left families in the lurch. The organizations said theyve reached a multiyear agreement and plan to notify families of the resolution this week. No further details were released. For CHOP families insured through Keystone First, the drawn-out contract resolutions have been agonizing. If a new deal wasnt reached by June 30, families would have had to either forgo care at CHOP or switch to another Medicaid provider. Our colleague Sarah Gantz spoke to families who spent months terrified that they would have to leave a health system where theyve built trust with doctors who fine-tuned their childrens care. Or, they weighed switching Medicaid providers and possibly losing coverage for devices and at-home care. Some families panicked at the prospect of losing care that they specifically relocated to Philly to access. The Garner family, pictured above, moved here from New York to get care for their son Apollo, who has a form of cerebral palsy. Read Sarahs feature on CHOP families to learn about the contract dispute, how CHOP is seeing more patients with Medicaid, and how families coped amid the uncertainty. And follow Sarah and The Inquirer tomorrow for follow-ups to this developing story. The latest news to pay attention to Prime Healthcare, the California-based health system that owns Suburban Community Hospital, is downsizing the East Norriton hospital into a micro-hospital and closing its behavioral health unit. Harold Brubaker details how the micro-Suburban will include at least 10 beds and an emergency department and advances a growing trend in the region. Tower Health reported lower operating losses for the first nine months of 2024, an improvement for the struggling health system. But its cash reserves, Harold reports, are still extraordinarily low. Rothmans ill-fated push into New Jersey with failed partnerships with two health systems there has now resulted in the orthopedics giant suing both of them. This weeks number: 103%. That is how much sicker patients are at the Philadelphia-area hospital treating the most complex patients, compared to the least. We got that number by calculating the percentage change of a measure called the case-mix index, or (CMI), a score based on the diagnoses of hospitalized Medicare patients in 2024. Penns flagship Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania receives the most acutely ill patient population in the region. HUPs 2.917 CMI is followed by Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (2.608) and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (2.511), all in Philadelphia. Holy Redeemer sees the least complex population of hospitalized patients (1.438), followed by Pottstown Hospital (1.484) and Jefferson Lansdale Hospital (1.501). All are in the Philadelphia suburbs. Severely ill patients may seek care at smaller community hospitals, but they are increasingly transferred to larger institutions. Harold recently took a deep dive into how Penn has incorporated such transfers into its business model. Heres a chart showing how area hospitals stack up. Each week, we highlight the results of various hospital inspections in the region. Up this week: Fox Chase Cancer Center. State inspectors did not conduct any on-site investigations between September 2023 and February 2024 at the Philadelphia cancer treatment center. Electronic patient portals help patients communicate with health providers, but they have also swamped doctors with messages to the point of causing stress and burnout not to mention the difficulty of quickly responding to all patients. Enter inboxologists, or clinicians who specialize in clearing out overwhelmed inboxes and responding to patient concerns. Internist Jeffrey Millstein of Penn Primary Care explores the phenomenon and how practices can scale up these roles. Making moves Caron Treatment Centers, an addiction treatment and behavioral health-care system that provides services in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, and New York, has promoted Adam Scioli to serve as its chief medical officer. Scioli previously served as the corporate medical director and head of psychiatry at Caron. Scioli is a UPenn grad and, during his psychiatry residency training, served as chief resident at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. A correction: The Making Moves section in last weeks newsletter incorrectly described the role of Julia Puchtler, the incoming CFO for the entire University of Pennsylvania health system. Penn researchers have developed an mRNA vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu building on the same techniques used to create the COVID-19 vaccines also developed at Penn. The vaccine is effective against the virus in mice and ferrets, according to a study published last week in Nature Communications. Avian flu has affected millions of birds across the country, including in Pennsylvania, and has been found in dairy cattle herds in at least nine states. It is not currently considered a major threat to people, though two cases were identified in U.S. agricultural workers. But its better to be safe than sorry, said Scott Hensley, a Penn professor of microbiology and the studys corresponding author. Its important to do a lot of these early clinical studies with viruses that pose a pandemic risk now, instead of in a pandemic, he said. Thats all for this week! As we sign off, we would be remiss if we did not recommend this health-related story from our colleague Wendy Ruderman on the accidental stoner canines of greater Philadelphia. A nationwide rise in dogs accidentally eating cannabis is coming as a shock to many including Wendy and her own dog, Beau. (Dont worry eating THC can be unpleasant for a dog, but is not deadly, and all pups interviewed for this story are fine.) Have you seen an uptick in accidental cannabis ingestion cases in humans in your work? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us here. By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirers Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10. An Ocean City police officer weaves his way, through throngs of young people, on the Ocean City boardwalk at 10:13 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 26, 2024. Read more OCEAN CITY, N.J. It was supposed to be just another night on the Ocean City, N.J., boardwalk with her family: husband, their 6-year-old son, and a set of grandparents reliving a ritual that has gone on in the family for generations. But this year, said Kari, of Dutchess County, New York, their adored Shore town was not the same resort. (She and her husband did not want their last name used, given the nature of the topic.) Advertisement The family found themselves huddled on a bench at the bottom of the 10th Street ramp as droves of kids ran by them leaving the boardwalk, where there had been a stabbing. It wasnt the same feeling weve had coming here, Kari said, standing outside Steels Fudge store in the relative quiet of the Tuesday after a hectic Memorial Day weekend, as her son and husband went inside for a treat. Its very unsettling, very disappointing. We hope they come up with some solution. Up and down the Jersey Shore, it was a weekend that saw huge crowds of teenagers on boardwalks from Wildwood to Seaside Heights, multiple fights, a stabbing near 10th Street on the Ocean City boardwalk and the total shutdown of the Wildwood boardwalk from midnight Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday after officials cited civil unrest. A new Shore season After weekends filled with rain, and a holiday that coincided with prom and senior weeks, Shore towns were inundated with visitors to begin the 2024 season. Aside from the chaos on boardwalks, there were other, less dramatic, signs of towns being at or near the breaking point: hours-long waits for lattes, thousands of bagel orders, a line outside TacoCat in Margate that stretched around the block. The overall level of commotion left shop owners, officials, and visitors uneasy. There were similar incidents in Seaside Heights, and even in resort towns in Massachusetts. READ MORE: Laws for teens at the Jersey Shore: Curfews, backpack bans, and beach closures Shore towns have enacted curfews and backpack bans and employed various strategies in recent years to deal with unruly teens. But local officials contend that state laws changed in 2020 to address unnecessary punishing of juveniles have left local police departments without the tools to keep control. Gov. Phil Murphy and juvenile justice reform advocates contend that the laws are necessary to alleviate disparate racial and socio-economic outcomes in the criminal legal system and to address substance use matters with an approach focused on public health. This year, he declined to sign legislation that included a $50 fine for underage drinking, saying it ran counter to his efforts at reform. He contends that police have the tools they need, and that the law has been tweaked to help support their efforts. On Tuesday evening, Murphy spoke on News 12s Ask the Governor segment and said, We take all of those incidents very, very seriously as I know the communities do. He said that his administration would conduct a post-mortem to see what we as a state can do to help out. Murphy downplayed reports of widespread chaos. The weekend was overwhelmingly a successful weekend, including even in those towns, he said. The Shore did not have a chaotic weekend. There were three serious incidents. Local officials weigh in We will not tolerate this, said Len Desiderio, the mayor of Sea Isle and the director of the Cape May County Commissioners, adding that troublemakers would not be allowed to steal summer from our families, our businesses, and our visiting friends, He said he would be meeting with the county prosecutor and sheriff to talk about how county resources can be utilized to supplement local law enforcement effort. He said current New Jersey laws regarding teenagers and alcohol, though somewhat tightened since last summer, still hamstring police officers in fully keeping control. Brian Reed, a Realtor in Wildwood, said that although he wondered whether using the term civil unrest, was necessary, he believed that police were being prevented from doing their jobs by the current laws. Murphy and others say the towns still have the tools they need. I think that it comes down to government allowing police to do their job, Reed said. Its really difficult. Reed said he was not worried about the Memorial Day weekend chaos prompting people to not want to come down to the Shore or buy real estate. The one thing lacking in all the Shore towns is inventory to sell, he said, noting that a version of the weekends events had been going on for years. If you were to tell me that people are going to sell, Ill tell you Ill flip it. I should be shouting from the roof tops that you might want to sell. A stabbing in Americas Greatest Family Resort In Ocean City, there was heightened concern. Hordes of teens fighting, stampeding off the boardwalk at 9:12 p.m., a stabbing this is not at all what people associate with Americas Greatest Family Resort, as the dry town refers to itself. READ MORE: Teen stabbed, multiple arrests made in Ocean City boardwalk chaos on Memorial Day weekend The stabbing occurred outside the Allcampus cap shop near 10th Street. People flooded into the store for safety, including the 15-year-old victim, a witness said. The teen was taken to a hospital in Atlantic City with non-life threatening injuries, according to police. Other business owners reported getting into scuffles with teens rushing for their cash registers in the mayhem. It hurts our business, and it hurts the city, said one boardwalk store owner, who did not want to be identified. Its not a good look. Im sad as a business owner and a civilian. These kids are not being arrested. Theyre not having any consequences. If youre a family, why would you be up here anymore at night? he said. READ MORE: Police chief: Ocean City's curfews, beach closings sent teens to other parts of town. Others in Ocean City on Tuesday said they did not notice the moments of chaos, despite being on the boardwalk in the general vicinity. I did see it on TikTok, said one mother of 14- and 17-year-old daughters. I still love Ocean City. ... I still feel like its a safe area. A local disaster emergency Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said officers made multiple arrests Saturday night and were able to quickly restore order to the boardwalk once the teens involved in these incidents were removed. He said the city will not tolerate continued incidents. In Wildwood, city officials said they were responding to an irrepressible number of calls on Saturday evening, most related to the extremely large number of young adults and juveniles that were in the city for the Memorial Day weekend. Shortly after midnight, unable to keep up with service calls in the city, Police Chief Joseph Murphy declared a local disaster emergency and closed the boardwalk. This allowed the city to effectively address numerous incidents of civil unrest and ensure the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors. The state of emergency was lifted at 6 a.m. On Tuesday, city officials still had not detailed the number and type of arrests, or described any specific injuries or incidents that prompted the extraordinary actions. Ocean City Councilman Jody Levchuk, owner of Jillys Arcade on the boardwalk, said Ocean City remains wildly safe. Wes Kazmarck, the owner of the Surf Mall and head of the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants, said the weekend was the first decent weather at night all spring. There was pent-up enthusiasm for a night on the boardwalk, he said, and hes hopeful the Shore season will settle down. Memorial Day weekend lined up this year with a really wet cold spring, Kazmarck said. You didnt have to be in this business for a long time to not expect it to be seriously crowded. We always brace ourselves. I think Ocean City is very, very aware that the resort business drives the economy, he said. The boardwalk is a big part of that. Well make sure it continues to be a safe environment. Theyll make sure of that. A sign advises diners not use the water-blended fountain soda in a center city restaurant on Sunday March 26, 2023 after Philadelphia officials suggested residents switch to bottled water to avoid ingesting chemicals spilled into a tributary of the Delaware River in Bucks County Friday night. Read more When thousands of gallons of chemicals spilled into the Delaware River last year, it led to panic-buying of bottled water across the Philadelphia region. Now, those who bought water due to public notices asking residents to avoid drinking tap water, may be eligible for a $25 payout. Late on a Friday night last March, an equipment failure at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical plant in Bristol dumped more than 8,000 gallons of latex solution into a Delaware River tributary that flows into a Philadelphia water processing plant. That weekend, a public notice advised residents to avoid drinking tap water and to switch to bottled water to avoid contamination. A wave of panic-buying ensued at Acme, Wawa, Giant, ShopRite, Fresh Grocer, and Rite Aid. At neighborhood markets, some business owners were ordering four times their usual amount of water. It wasnt until the following Tuesday evening that then-Mayor Jim Kenney declared the citys water safe to drink. Advertisement The city maintains that no contaminants were found in Philadelphia water systems. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, due to the latex solution being diluted in water, the risk of direct exposure to the chemicals remained relatively low. Currently, there are not any known long-term effects of these chemicals, the organization noted. A customer loads water into their vehicle at ShopRite in Port Richmond on Sunday, March 26, 2023. Philadelphia residents were advised to drink bottled water due to a chemical spill in Bucks County. Read more Courtesy of Chris Buretta Soon after, a class-action lawsuit (docket number 240100060) was filed against the chemical plant for economic damages incurred by local residents and businesses impacted by the chemical spill. A settlement of $2.7 million has been reached. Heres how to claim $25 or more from the Delaware River chemical spill class-action lawsuit. How to file a claim for the Delaware River chemical spill lawsuit The first step is to visit phillywatersettlement.com. Here, read over a summary of the settlement, get answers to frequently asked questions, and submit a claim to get your $25, if eligible. To file a claim online, click on the Submit Claim tab at the top of the page or visit phillywatersettlement.com/submit-claim. The claim form can also be download and mailed to: Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch St., Suite 2210, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103. Advertisement If youve already been mailed a notice with a Notice ID and Confirmation Code, use that information on the webpages log-in screen. If no notice was received, you can start a claim application on the same page. Proof of residence in an area affected by the chemical spill is required. Acceptable documents include a drivers license, lease agreement, mortgage, utility bill, credit card statement, deed, pay stub, or insurance bill showing residence at the time. To collect the base payout of $25, no supporting documentation of economic loss, such as receipts or income statements, is necessary. To claim additional money, supporting documentation that proves economic loss due to the chemical spill is required. This includes receipts for buying bottled water, transportation costs, or business interruption losses. Acceptable documents include receipts, invoices, checks, credit card statements, expense records, or business income and revenue statements showing economic loss. Shoppers stock up on bottled water following a chemical spill into the Delaware River upstream from Philadelphia, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Health officials in Bucks County, just north of Philadelphia, said Sunday that thousands of gallons of a water-based latex finishing solution spilled into the river late Friday due to a leak at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Read more Matt Rourke / AP Who is eligible? Anyone or any business that suffered economic loss due to the chemical spill, including panic-buying water. Those who resided in the ZIP codes listed below may be eligible for a payout: Advertisement 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, and 19154. When is the deadline to submit a claim? Aug. 16, 2024, at 11:59:59 p.m. Customers line up to buy water at a 7-11 on Ridge Avenue in Manayunk on Saturday, March 26, 2023. Philadelphia residents were advised to drink bottled water due to a chemical spill in Bucks County. Read more Erica Palan / Staff How much money can I receive? The base payout is $25. However, if documentation proving additional economic loss is provided, more can be received. When will I receive my settlement payment? The wheels of justice turn slowly. The settlement payments will only be sent out once the settlement agreement is approved, so theres no definitive pay out date. A final approval hearing will take place on Sept. 23, 2024, but there can be appeals to the ruling. Check phillywatersettlement.com for updates. Smoke from Canadian wildfires last June hung over the Philadelphia skyline. The city recorded its worst air quality on record that month. Read more At the heart of the Clean Air Act lies a promise: Everyone in the United States, no matter where they live, deserves to breathe clean, healthy air. But while air pollution levels have dropped nationwide, the full measure of this promise has been denied to Black communities, including those in Philadelphia. Indeed, like other metropolitan areas, Black neighborhoods in Philadelphia are more likely to breathe toxic air pollutants, with particulate matter commonly known as soot being one of the deadliest. This insidious pollutant causes heart attacks, strokes, asthma, low birth weight, and infant mortality. Advertisement Soot comes from tailpipes, smokestacks, and power plants. The placement of many of these pollution sources in Black neighborhoods is no accident. They are the product of decades of bad policy choices like redlining and so-called urban renewal, which devalued Black communities and surrounded them with major pollution sources. Unsurprisingly, Black Americans are 300% more likely to die from particulate matter pollution than their white counterparts. Equally unsurprisingly, North and West Philadelphia and the Lower Northeast the citys Black neighborhoods are where childhood asthma rates remain the highest, according to the most recent Health of the City report. Finding solutions to Black and Hispanic communities disproportionate exposure to particulate matter pollution has been elusive for the country, especially in Philadelphia, for years. But in an admirable move, the Biden administration made tackling air pollution inequality one of its top goals. And in February, after relentless advocacy from groups across the country, the Environmental Protection Agency strengthened the annual air quality standard for particulate matter. This new standard will force states to reduce particulate matter pollution from industrial and mobile sources, like cars and trucks and in doing so, it will prevent some 800,000 asthma attacks and save more than 4,500 lives annually by the time the standard is fully implemented in 2032, according to the EPA. This reduction in mortality from particulate matter pollution isnt simply an abstract number on a spreadsheet. Anyone who has lost a loved one to heart disease or respiratory illness can understand the grief and trauma of loving and losing someone to chronic illness. But despite the major lifesaving benefits of this new standard for particulate matter, polluting corporations and some conservative members of Congress decry it as a job killer. In Pennsylvania, groups like the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry have argued that the new rules will, among other things, diminish the prospects for expanding industries in areas of the state that fail to meet the new standards. And in March of this year, national industry groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers filed a lawsuit to stop this new rule, arguing that it would make the U.S. less competitive globally. If it werent for the fact that some policymakers take these claims seriously, this familiar refrain would be easy to dismiss as a cliche. But some members of Congress are listening, and they are now seeking to overturn the strengthened standard via the Congressional Review Act, a GOP invention of the Newt Gingrich-era that allows lawmakers to kill federal agency rules after they have been promulgated. With many of Pennsylvanias own elected lawmakers likely to face significant lobbying by industrial polluters, they have failed to indicate how they will vote on this issue. Members of Congress from Pennsylvania, however, should be skeptical of trade groups and corporations slick language. The facts simply do not support the talking points that have been repeated ad nauseam since the EPA began regulating air pollution in the 1970s. Particulate matter standards have saved 230,000 lives and prevented more than 17 million lost workdays. For one, pollution limits arent job killers. On the contrary, studies have shown that as emissions of major pollutants decreased by 74% between 1970 and 2018, the nations gross domestic product increased by 275%. Meanwhile, over the past five decades, particulate matter standards have saved 230,000 lives and prevented more than 17 million lost workdays from health-related air pollution effects. Given the stellar results of clean air safeguards, it is worrisome that many elected officials still want to listen to polluters mistaken rhetoric and subject their communities, and Black communities in particular, to the well-known harms air pollution poses. Especially because we are living at a time when the climate crisis which is driven by emissions from tailpipes, smokestacks, and industrial power plants fuels unprecedented wildfires that cause increasing pollution not just in the West, but in the Midwest and East now, too. Just last June, Philadelphia experienced its worst air quality day since the EPA began collecting particulate matter pollution data, as wildfire smoke from Canada blanketed the Northeast of the continental U.S. And while the strengthened particulate matter standard doesnt directly address wildfires, it improves overall air quality, offering relief on days marred by smoke-filled skies. A stronger standard means cleaner air, healthier communities, healthier kids, and healthier ecosystems. These are things we should expect our lawmakers in Harrisburg and Washington to uphold and defend. The health of our communities, and particularly Black communities, must not be sacrificed so that corporations can continue to pollute with impunity in the pursuit of profit. Marvin C. Brown IV is a senior attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Earthjustice, the nonprofit public interest environmental law organization based in San Francisco. After initially signaling his support for Lifeline Scholarships, Gov. Josh Shapiro vetoed the plan during last year's contentious budget negotiations. Educational freedom need not be a prolonged political fight, David Hardy writes. Read more It takes guts to do what State Sen. Anthony H. Williams did. During a recent state Senate Education Committee meeting, Williams delivered a fiery sermon about the sad state of affairs in his districts public schools, sharing the frustrated pleas of parents seeking better opportunities for their kids. Advertisement Williams testimony was in support of Senate Bill 795. This bill, sponsored by school choice champion State Sen. Judy Ward, will codify Lifeline Scholarships, referred to as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success, or PASS, Scholarship Program, into law. If approved, SB 795 will provide scholarship accounts to thousands of students in Pennsylvanias lowest-performing schools. Parents can use these restricted-use accounts to afford a better education for their children. Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, was the only member of his party to vote for SB 795. If I look like Im voting different from my party, so be it, said Williams. Rather than caving to his partys interests, Williams is doing what a public servant should do: represent his constituents. Williams said he stood with the people who are struggling in this country, adding that many people in this community do not have a public school that is providing a quality education. The senator challenged his colleagues to visit the schools in his district and listen to his constituents demands for expanding educational opportunities. Williams and his constituents arent alone. Nearly eight out of 10 Pennsylvanians support Lifeline Scholarships. Moreover, the backing is bipartisan. Polling shows 78% of Democrats, 68% of independents, and 61% of Republicans support Lifeline Scholarships. Yet, last year, despite this overwhelming bipartisan voter support, lawmakers still couldnt make Lifeline Scholarships a reality during the 2023-2024 budget negotiations. Pennsylvania House Democrats dug in their oppositional heels, leading to a six-month impasse. Nearly eight out of 10 Pennsylvanians support Lifeline Scholarships. Lacking the courage to stand up to his party, Gov. Josh Shapiro couldnt (or wouldnt) get the Democratic-controlled House to hold a vote on Lifeline Scholarships. Ultimately, Shapiro vetoed the budget item, negating months of good-faith negotiations. Ironically, what started the budget impasse educational choice also ended it. In December, lawmakers passed a $150 million increase for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs, which support private donations to K-12 scholarships via tax credits. Once implemented, this unprecedented bump will provide scholarships to an additional 35,000 children, especially those in low-income households. Indeed, educational freedom doesnt need to be another prolonged political fight. Instead, Shapiro and the Democrats can finally deliver what so many Pennsylvanians demand, but only if they dont allow partisanship to get in the way. Expanded school choice is inevitable in Pennsylvania. The proverbial genie is out of the bottle, poking its head out when Shapiro supported Lifeline Scholarships on the campaign trail and in office. Despite the claims of some lawmakers that a deal involving Lifeline Scholarships isnt possible, the Shapiro administration signaled otherwise. Pennsylvania Education Secretary Khalid Mumin, in April, said, The doors not closed on it. To Shapiro, Lifeline Scholarships remain unfinished business. While lawmakers prepare to debate the 2024-2025 budget, countless families demand better educational opportunities. If money werent an issue, most Pennsylvanians would choose a private school for their kids. In fact, only one in five parents would send their children to their local district school. Some might ask, But what about those left behind? Sadly, this question is more of an admission, suggesting that some public schools are sinking ships. If so, lets use everything at our disposal to give a lifeline to as many of our underserved kids as possible. [Students] need a different path, a different opportunity, just like it was presented to me, said Williams during his closing comments. And that path will lead to success stories across this country. Lifeline Scholarships are that different path. All it takes is more courageous lawmakers to carve that path for the commonwealths most vulnerable kids. David Hardy is president of Girard College and a distinguished senior fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation. The verdict in Donald Trump's hush money trial will prove whether there is one justice system for the former president and another for the rest of us, Solomon Jones writes. Read more Now that the jury has begun its deliberations in the hush money trial of Donald Trump, America has no choice but to wait. For most of us, the wait will center on the guilt or innocence of a former president who has been accused of falsifying business documents in furtherance of a crime. And while the story includes allegations of an extramarital affair and an adult-film star, and includes a purported hush money payment facilitated by a Trump acolyte turned foe, the case is ultimately about paperwork. Advertisement Will the documents convince the jury that Trump committed a crime, or will the jurors view the evidence through the lens of reasonable doubt? That is the question most Americans are asking, and whatever our political bent, we are eagerly awaiting an answer. For me, however, the wait is about something else entirely. Im waiting to see if our Pledge of Allegiance is true. Does America truly provide liberty and justice for all, or only for a select few? Is American jurisprudence grounded in the rule of law, or is it built on a foundation of lies? Will the special treatment Trump received during the trial extend to the verdict, or will the evidence of allegedly falsified documents ultimately result in his conviction? I must admit that even as I wait, I have my doubts because while the pledge tells me we are one nation, we appear to be living in a place thats been divided in two and thats been the case for a long time. Those who doubt need look no further than the words of the Kerner Commission the body convened by President Lyndon B. Johnson to examine the root causes of the racial justice uprisings that took place across the country in 1967. Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal, the commission wrote in its report. That prediction appears to have come true with the rise of Trumps political movement a movement that I believe leans strongly on white grievance, racial division, and the ever-looming threat of political violence. We saw that threat realized with the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. It was a day of violence that took place after Trump lost the 2020 election and told a crowd of thousands to descend on Capitol Hill. Trump has since been accused in a federal indictment of conspiring to defraud the United States while trying to overturn the results of the election. Judge Tanya Chutkan, the federal judge assigned to that case, employed the same strategy other judges have used to rein in Trumps verbal and social media attacks on witnesses, prosecutors, and judges: She put a gag order in place, warning that Trump couldnt engage in a smear campaign against prosecutors and court employees. No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and Im not going to allow it in this case, Chutkan said, according to the Hill. No other criminal defendant would be allowed to push the boundaries as Trump did. That is the point. No other criminal defendant would be allowed to push the boundaries as Trump did during the hush money trial the only criminal trial he couldnt successfully delay. We watched Trump violate Judge Juan M. Merchans gag order 10 times and avoid jail time. We saw Trump engage Republican politicians to make the statements that the gag order precluded Trump from uttering himself. In both civil and criminal cases in New York, we saw Trump engage in the same kinds of smear campaigns Judge Chutkan said would not otherwise be allowed. Its as if there is one criminal justice system for Donald Trump and another for the rest of us. Perhaps thats why I doubt the Pledge of Allegiance is correct. Our nation professes that there is liberty and justice for all. Yet, as Ive watched Trump defy the very criminal justice system he once swore to uphold as president, the only reasonable conclusion one could possibly reach is that there is, in fact, only liberty and justice for some. If cheesesteaks are important in Philadelphia, they are absolutely essential in Delaware County. For Gia Miller, co-owner of long-time Delco staple Phil & Jims, theres no better business. Cheesesteaks are a staple here, Miller explained. Families out here dont do pizza night, they do cheesesteaks and hoagies. We cater cheesesteaks for all the occasions: baby showers, bridal showers, graduations, weddings, all of it. We have more regulars than I can count. This high-volume business ensures that cheesesteak quality across the county is top-notch, certainly meeting the standards of Philadelphias renowned establishments, if not exceeding them. But the Delco cheesesteak experience is unique: many of the best spots are sit-down restaurants where pizzas, salads, and, of course, hoagies are also on the menu. While you might encounter lines, the vibe is more about community favorites than the hype-driven spots of Philly. Like many Philadelphia institutions, the specifics of Delcos cheesesteaks are shrouded in mystery. What cut of meat are you eating? Where is it from? These details are closely guarded secrets. But one thing is clear: everyone claims theirs is the best. So, here are the true Delco greats. There are three locations of Delco Steaks, but locals will tell you that the best is in Broomall. Cheesesteaks can be dry, but these are juicy and generously portioned, with the option to order in 8-, 12- or 24-inch sizes. Part of the appeal here is their use of local meat and dairy products, with a standard offering of a seeded roll with sliced not chopped steak (though theyll serve it to you chopped or on an unseeded roll if you ask). 2567 West Chester Pike, Broomall, Pa. 19008, 610-356-1192, delcosteaks.com No long-standing Philadelphia-region business is complete without a somewhat convoluted story of family ownership changing hands repeatedly over decades. The short story here is that Jims Steaks in Springfield evolved from the same business as Jims South Street Steaks, but the two are no longer connected. The Springfield location opened in 1999 and has carried on the tradition of serving some of the best cheesesteaks in the county. They are on the small side but well-seasoned and generously topped with whiz. Larger chunks of fried onions add texture and flavor. 469 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, Pa. 19064, 610-544-8400, jimssteaks.com Delcos Original has some of the largest cheesesteaks in the county. Theyre noticeably hefty and impossible to eat in one sitting. The rolls from Sarcones Bakery in South Philly are packed with finely chopped meat, allowing the whiz to penetrate better, seasoning every bite while acting as a sort of glue to keep the meat inside the roll. Even a small is large enough for two meals; a large would be great for a family. 152 Painters Crossing, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317, 610-558-8289, delcosoriginalsteak.com While cheesesteaks are generally associated with the Italian immigrants who came to the Philly region in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Drexel Hill Style Pizza was opened in 1968 by Ernie Sioutis, who had Greek roots. Drexel Hill Style Pizza feels like a classic: the cheesesteak is not so overstuffed its difficult to eat, but balanced. Just a lightly toasted, unseeded bun filled with well-seasoned sliced meat, fried onions, and enough whiz to taste, but not enough to be overwhelming. Its the kind of cheesesteak you could eat regularly. 2585 West Chester Pike #2501, Broomall, Pa. 19008, 610-356-7773, drexelhillstylepizza.com When it comes to a nostalgic experience that feels particular to Delco, the Original Thunderbird is unmatched. Tucked in a low-slung building just off West Chester Pike, in a space that feels somewhere between a pizza parlor and a diner, the Greco family has been running this spot since 1956. Brothers Bill and Tom are carrying on the family business. Cheesesteaks come piled high with sliced steak and American cheese, but theyve also got all the requisite options, including the Thunderbird special, which adds grilled ham to a classic cheesesteak an unusual addition that works well. 2323 West Chester Pike, Broomall, Pa. 19008, 610-356-9969, theoriginalthunderbird.com Phil & Jims is arguably more famous for their Italian hoagies, which were named Best Hoagies on Earth by the Food Network in 2022, but their cheesesteaks are also excellent. Open since 1962 and currently owned by Gia, Dan, and Costa Miller, the shop is beloved for its friendly service and high-quality steak, imported from Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia. I dont think I want to tell you that, Gia said, laughing, when asked what cut of meat it was. What I will tell you is that its fresh, and its really good. Opt for the classic cheesesteak, which comes on a Conshohocken Italian Bakery roll topped with Cooper Sharp for an extra twist, get it with mushrooms, which is how Gia prefers her steaks. 2905 Edgmont Ave., Brookhaven, Pa. 19015, 610-872-9472, philandjims.com Cole, with a 25-year tenure in the marine industry and a decade at AXA XL, steps into the role with significant expertise. Previously, he had served as global head of underwriting management and deputy chief underwriting officer for marine since 2020. His career also includes positions at XL Group, Zurich Insurance, and Starr Companies. The findings show 29,427,987 attempts of phishing in Australia alone, emphasising the widespread threat posed by this type of attack. Phishing remains a persistent threat, and with the emergence of new technologies, it is crucial organisations understand the best practices to protect against phishing threats. The findings show a proactive zero trust approach with advanced AI-powered capabilities is imperative to address evolving threats, said Eric Swift, area vice president, ANZ at Zscaler, as reported by Security Brief. Joining Relation enables us to better serve our clients, Wagner said. She also noted that Relations specialized expertise and broad network of carrier relationships would offer clients better coverage options tailored to their needs. We consider Mercurys umbrella policy the Goldilocks of coverage because it offers a very specific amount of extra protection that fits customers needs, which is really important for anyone who wants to safeguard their future against unexpected expenses and legal liabilities, Minnich said. This enhancement will transform the limited coverage of the FAIR Plan into a true HO-3 policy, it said, offering liability, theft, water damage coverage, and other named perils. The program is available on non-admitted paper in Oregon, and retail brokers can quote, bind, and issue policies using One80s online platform, Access One80. Patrick Bernasconi, chairman of the board of directors, highlighted the strategic progress made during the year. He mentioned that the newly constituted board, which includes experts in reinsurance, insurance, and economics, is confident in the general management's ability to implement its business plan. What led to the adverse opinion? It was suggested that if Multivir Inc had been consolidated, many elements in the financial statements would have been materially affected. The effects on the consolidated financial statements of this omission have not been determined, it was stated. According to the Financial Times, insurers executed at least 6 billion in funded reinsurance deals in 2023, up from 1.9 billion in 2022. Leading the transactions was FTSE 100 insurer Legal & General with 3.2 billion, followed by Phoenix Group with 1.2 billion, and the privately owned Pension Insurance Corporation with 1.3 billion. Over the last two decades, our dedicated and talented team has helped us grow into the force we are today, and we look forward to extending that growth with NSM, Rolland said. NSM has the prowess and proven track record to help our business grow by expanding our distribution channels further enhancing our technology platforms and expanding our global market reach. We are confident that NSM will help lead us to a bright future filled with growth, development and success. A federal court in Vermont recently ruled that the First Amendment does not protect a construction firm and its officials using social media to retaliate against employees who exercise their rights under federal labor law. The decision by the U.S. District Court for Vermont came in litigation between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Vermont contractor Bevins & Son Inc. involving overtime pay, an employee who was fired after complaining about unpaid wages, and social media posts by the company. The district court rejected the employers First Amendment defense and denied its motion to dismiss a DOL lawsuit that alleges it retaliated against employees through social media. The FLSA makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any employee because the employee has filed any complaint or triggered any proceeding under the FSLA. The court concluded that an employers speech is not protected by the First Amendment if it is an adverse employment action taken against an employee who engaged in conduct protected by the FSLA. Bevins & Son had argued that its Facebook posts involve true statements about a former employee and do not qualify as an adverse employment action. The companys officers also maintained that their Facebook comments were an expression of their sentiments and grievances concerning the DOLs Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation and are therefore protected by the First Amendment. However, the employer did not dispute that the employee who was fired had engaged in activity protected under the FSLA. According to the DOL, the Vermont opinion is one of the first by a federal court to outline the relationship between the First Amendment and the anti-retaliation provision of the FSLA. The courts opinion is a significant development in Fair Labor Standards Act anti-retaliation law, as it makes clear that employers cannot use speech as a mechanism for retaliation and then rely on the First Amendment to shield themselves from liability, said DOL attorney Maia S. Fisher in Boston. Background In May 2023, DOL announced a settlement with Bevins & Son to recover about $28,000 in back pay and damages after investigators with the DOLs Wage and Hour Division (WHD) determined the company unlawfully fired an employee because the employee complained about unpaid wages and said he would inform the labor board. Bevins also paid 17 other employees $17,356 in unpaid overtime wages and liquidated damages as part of the settlement. Riley Bockus sometimes worked more than 40 hours per week for Bevins & Son, entitling him to overtime pay under the FLSA. Bryan Bevins, president of the construction firm, took issue with how Bockus calculated his time worked, and Bockus vowed to bring the issue to the attention of the labor board. One day in September 2022, Bevins omitted one and one-half overtime hours from Bockus paycheck. After a dispute over the pay, Bevins fired Bockus, who then filed a complaint with the WHD as he had vowed to do. The settlement agreement also contained a provision in which Bevins & Son promised not to discriminate against or discharge any employee for participating in any proceeding or asserting any rights guaranteed to an employee under the FLSA. A DOL press release on the settlement (without names) was picked up by local news station WCAX-TV, which aired a TV news segment and published an online story concerning DOLs investigation, also without using names. Tiffany Creamer, secretary and treasurer for Bevins & Son, then posted the following on Facebook: To anyone who saw and watched the WCAX news cast on our business. All we are going to say is please google the disgruntled employee whom was fired and contributed to the story Riley Bockus (his word and character will be seen). Thats not the whole story & thats not what the findings were WCAX did NOT and has not reached out to us in regards to the bullshit story they just aired. Lawyers are involved All that know Bevins & Sons knows what kind of business we run and what we stand for! Thank you for supporting us. . . . We are still hiring [emoji] & ALWAYS do your do diligence when hiring someone. Multiple people responded to Creamers Facebook post, including one who included a screenshot of a Google search showing that Bockus had engaged in criminal activity. Creamer responded point made to this comment. Several other comments also alleged that Bockus engaged in criminal activity. Bevins and Creamer liked several of these comments. DOL argued that since the point of the post was to disparage Bockus, it qualifies as an adverse employment action under the FLSA. Another Facebook commenter inquired whether the employees who received the $17,000 were wrong. Bevins replied to this comment with the following: [T]rue story, I did have to pay that $17,000. And all those employees were already paid for all those hours driving a truck. I just didnt have record of them driving. Lets just say that my employees are great and most of that money came back to me! DOL alleged that with this post Bevins intended to create an impression that employees who received back wages and damages under the settlement agreement had returned that money to Bevins because Bevins wanted to upset Bockus. First Amendment Few courts have addressed the narrow issue of when the First Amendment protects employers speech from FLSA retaliation claims but the Vermont federal district court noted that the U.S. Supreme Court addressed a similar issue in NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co. in 1969. There the high court held that while employers have a First Amendment right to speak on unionism and benefits of specific unions, they may not engage in coercive or retaliatory tactics. If the speech is retaliatory under the FLSA, it is not protected by the First Amendment. Gissel established that only limited categories of speech could be prosecuted as unfair labor practices, namely those that contain a threat of reprisal or force or promise of benefit. The fact that retaliation comes in the form of speech does not entitle it to special protection, the Vermont court stated. However, if the speech does not discriminate against an employee because that employee has engaged in conduct protected by the FLSA, the employer is entitled to the robust protections typically afforded by the First Amendment. Guided by the Gissel framework, Vermonts federal district court found that the special media posts by the Bevins & Son officials were retaliatory against Bockus who was exercising his rights under the FSLA and thus they were not speech protected by the First Amendment. The court found that Creamers Facebook post qualifies as an adverse employment action for two reasons. First, public disclosure of Bockus identity as the FLSA complainant especially when not otherwise revealed by public documents, such as the settlement or WCAX news story might dissuade a reasonable worker from making or supporting similar charges and might plausibly tarnish Bockus reputation and make it more difficult for him to find employment. Second, Creamers post did more than simply identify Bockus; it also invited readers to investigate his background. When another commenter replied with a screenshot indicating that Bockus previously engaged in criminal activity, Creamer responded point made, indicating that the point of the post was to highlight Bockus criminal record. The court concluded that DOL plausibly alleged that the effect of the post was to disparage Bockus, which qualifies as adverse employment action under the FLSA. Bevins characterizes Creamers Facebook post as making true statements about a former employee and argues that this does not qualify as an adverse employment action. But the federal court found the issue is not that Creamer made true statements about a former employee but that she did so about a former employee who filed an FLSA complaint without that employee being otherwise implicated in coverage of the underlying settlement, and without that employees criminal background being relevant to the settlement or news story. Furthermore, the court noted, even a true report of unlawful conduct can be considered unlawful retaliation under the FLSA. Topics Vermont The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports it has reached a settlement agreement with a New Jersey contractor after a worker suffered a fatal fall at a Bayonne worksite in October 2023. The settlement followed an OSHA inspection of Granite & Marble Services of Linden after the Bayonne Police Department alerted the agency that a worker had suffered fatal injuries at a multi-unit residential building under construction. OSHA said its inspectors determined a 39-year-old worker had stepped onto an elevated platform to unload materials and fell from the buildings fifth level. OSHA found that the employer did not secure the work platform fully to prevent it from tipping or from being dislodged from a telehandlers forks. According to OSHA, Granite & Marble Services also failed to provide legally required fall protection and used the work platform without the prior written approval from the telehandlers manufacturer. The agency cited the contractor with four serious violations. After receiving its citations on April 25, 2024, the Granite & Marble Services requested an informal conference with OSHAs area director and reached the settlement agreement with the agency. The agreement affirms the companys four serious violations, and requires the company to pay a $13,500 penalty, implement further enhanced abatement measures and develop a safety program and fall protection plan. As part of its fatality investigation, OSHA said it also initiated an inspection of ARC NJ, operating as ARC Building Partners, and the general contractor at the Bayonne construction site. OSHA cited the company for two serious violations for its failures to ensure the platform was secured to the forklift and for not getting the manufacturers written approval before attaching the working platform to the telehandler. Proposed penalties total $22,584. ARC Building Partners has submitted a notice of contest to the independent OSHA review commission. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,069 construction workers died on the job, including 395 related to falls from elevation. Topics Contractors New Jersey PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP lost five Chinese clients in May alone, adding to a list of more than a dozen firms its stopped auditing in the country in the last two years. China Taiping Insurance Holdings Co. said on May 27 it appointed KPMG as its auditor for 2024 after PwC retired, just as China Merchants Bank Co. replaced it with Ernst & Young. China Railway Group, China Electronics Huada Technology Co. and Eastroc Beverage Group are among the others that changed auditors. China Evergrandes Alleged $78 Billion Fraud Is Among Worlds Worst The latest business losses underscore the challenges for PwC as regulators examine its auditing role for China Evergrande Group. The firm has come under intense scrutiny after China launched one of the biggest investigations into financial fraud in history. The five companies contributed to about 107 million yuan ($14.8 million) in fees, based on their annual filings. Authorities said Evergrandes main onshore unit, Hengda, overstated its revenue by 564 billion yuan in the two years through 2020. Chinese government authorities are probing PwCs involvement as a former auditor for the real estate giant, people familiar said in March. A representative for PwC declined to comment on Wednesday. In recent years, PwC resigned as an auditor from at least 10 Chinese property companies, including Sunac China Holdings Ltd., Shimao Group Holdings Ltd., Sino-Ocean Group Holding Ltd. and Agile Group Holdings Ltd. Photograph: Signage at the lobby of PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia office in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Photo credit: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg Related: Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics China This edition of International People Moves details appointments at aviation specialist Itasca MGA Ltd. and DUAL Group, Howdens MGA subsidiary. A summary of these new hires follows here. Specialist Aviation MGA Itasca Names John as CEO, Succeeding Zolotusky Itasca MGA Ltd., the London-based specialist aviation managing general agent, announced the appointment of Gareth John as chief executive officer and director. Itasca MGA was created in 2023 by Pine Walk Capital Ltd., the specialist MGA platform and wholly owned subsidiary of The Fidelis Partnership, and Castlelake, a global alternative investment manager. Itasca sits within the Pine Walk platform and specializes in underwriting, structuring and managing risk associated with secured commercial aviation financing on behalf of The Fidelis Partnership and Itasca Re Ltd., a Bermuda-licensed reinsurance company. Itasca Re, which was established by Castlelake, specializes in insurance-backed financing solutions for buyers and owners of commercial aircraft assets. John succeeds Kostya Zolotusky, who will retire from the business at the end of the month. Zolotusky served as CEO of Itasca MGA at its founding. John assumes this role in addition to his position at The Fidelis Partnership, having initially joined in April 2024 as head of Bespoke Economic Lines, and brings significant experience across investment banking in the aviation market. He previously served as the global head of Aviation for Natixis, and as the head of Transportation Finance Americas at Deutsche Bank. Alongside his new role as CEO of Itasca MGA, John will continue to support The Fidelis Partnerships economic lines of business, including across portfolio credit, mortgage, and political risk insurance, as well as asset-backed finance. Since its launch in 2017, Pine Walk Capital Ltd. has established eight MGAs providing custom underwriting and operational and regulatory frameworks to support specialist and innovative underwriting offerings. Wed like to thank Kostya for his leadership of Itasca MGA, which has helped to further expand Pine Walks distribution into the specialised aviation sector. We wish him all the best for a long, happy, and fulfilling retirement, commented Rinku Patel, group COO of The Fidelis Partnership and CEO of Pine Walk. Im also delighted to welcome Gareth to the Pine Walk platform, where his deep industry experience and network will help to expand our overall reach, capabilities and capacity across commercial aviation financing. Gareth Johns appointments are subject to regulatory approval. *** DUAL Group Appoints Allianzs Sayce as Group Head of Emerging Products DUAL Group, the specialist underwriting arm of Howden Group Holdings, announced the appointment of Scott Sayce in the newly created role of head of Emerging Products. Sayce joins the MGA on Sept. 1 and will be based in London, reporting to David Harries who joined DUAL as group director of Underwriting in January 2024. Sayce is the latest addition to DUAL Groups leadership team. Sayce brings more than two decades of specialist lines insurance experience including several global leadership roles. These include group head of Financial Lines & Cyber at AXA Group; head of Cyber, Technology and Life Science at CNA Hardy, and, most recently, global head of Cyber at Allianz Commercial. Scott has a proven track record of bringing innovative and complex products to market. In this newly created role in DUAL, Scott will be working closely with our CEOs and expert underwriting teams in each of our regions and combining this with the insights we gain from our global network of over 11,000 broker partners, helping to ensure we deliver better outcomes for their clients, commented Harries. Established in 1998, today DUAL has over 1,700 people in 21 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, and is one of Lloyds largest international coverholders. Topics Trends Aviation Insurance Wholesale Allianz CHICAGO (AP) A Chicago man convicted of murder based in part on testimony from a legally blind eyewitness is suing the city and the police department. A judge convicted Darien Harris in 2014 in connection with a fatal shooting at a South Side gas station in 2011. He was 12 years into a 76-year prison sentence when he was freed in December after The Exoneration Project showed that the eyewitness had advanced glaucoma and lied about his eyesight issues. Harris was 30 years old when he went free. Harris filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in April alleging police fabricated evidence and coerced witnesses into making false statements, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday. He told the newspaper that he is still struggling to put his life back together. I dont have any financial help. Im still (treated like) a felon, so I cant get a good job. Its hard for me to get into school, he said. Ive been so lost. I feel like they took a piece of me that is hard for me to get back. A message The Associated Press left on the citys Law Department main line seeking comment Monday wasnt immediately returned. The department provides attorneys for the city, its departments and its employees. Harris was an 18-year-old high school senior when he was arrested. The legally blind eyewitness picked Harris out of a police lineup and identified him in court. The eyewitness testified that he was riding his motorized scooter near the gas station when he heard gunshots and saw a person aiming a handgun. He also added that the shooter bumped into him. Harris trial attorney asked the witness if his diabetes affected his vision. He said yes but denied he had vision problems. But the mans doctor deemed him legally blind nine years before the incident, court records show. A gas station attendant also testified that Harris wasnt the shooter. The Exoneration Project has helped clear more than 200 people since 2009, including a dozen in Chicagos Cook County in 2023 alone. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Bayer AG Chief Executive Officer Bill Anderson said the wave of lawsuits over its Roundup weedkiller is an existential threat to the company and farmers, ratcheting up the stakes as it considers a controversial legal maneuver. The glyphosate litigation topic is an existential topic for our company because it does threaten to remove our ability to continue to innovate for farmers and for food security, Anderson said in a speech at the Executives Club of Chicago on Thursday, referring to Roundups key ingredient. Bayer is considering whether to use a legal tactic dubbed the Texas Two-Step bankruptcy, in an attempt to settle tens of thousands of US lawsuits claiming Roundup causes cancer, people familiar with the companys thinking told Bloomberg in March. Bayer has vigorously defended its claim that glyphosate and glyphosate-based formulations are safe, and the chemical remains in widespread use across much of the world. The CEOs comments show that Bayer is trying to broaden its defense beyond the courtroom, where it has lost a number of US cases from users of the herbicide who claimed it caused cancer, which the company has steadfastly denied. The company argues that without such products, the world will be unable to feed a growing population. Andersons predecessor, Werner Baumann, generally stopped short of warning that the companys existence was threatened, even as the legal woes mounted. Bayer has set aside $16 billion to resolve Roundup suits. About $10 billion of that reserve has been spent so far, a company spokesman said. Texas Two-Step The Texas Two-Step gets its name from the use of a state law that lets companies split their assets and liabilities into separate units, then place the part loaded with liabilities into bankruptcy to drive a global settlement. Such a move, if successful, could permit other parts of Bayer, a major pharmaceutical and consumer health company, to keep operating normally. But courts have rejected the tactic by 3M Co. over suits targeting faulty hearing protection devices for US soldiers and by Johnson & Johnson in litigation tied to its talc-based baby powder. Related: Bayer Weighs Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Filing Over Roundup Bayer agreed to transition from the glyphosate-based version of Roundup to new active weed-killing ingredients in the US consumer market by the end of last year. The company still sells glyphosate-based herbicides for agricultural markets, however, and the European Union late last year authorized sales for another decade. Anderson in his speech called the glyphosate lawsuits without merit and bad for the company and the employees who have lost their jobs as a result. The chemical conglomerate is spending more on lawsuits than the 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) a year spent on R&D, the CEO said. He said Bayer is the largest R&D investor in agriculture, and the legal issues put at risk the progress needed to feed an exploding world population by mid-century with less water and land. Farming Costs This is actually something very serious for American agriculture, Anderson said. Its been estimated that the cost of groceries for the average family of four in the US would go up by more than 40% if glyphosate were removed from the agriculture system. Crops genetically modified to withstand the application of glyphosate weedkiller account for almost all of the corn and soybean plantings in the US and Brazil. Anderson said that despite the USs scientific and regulatory communities giving a green light to glyphosate, the company is still subject to billions of dollars every year in lawsuits. Bayer inherited the Roundup lawsuits through its 2018 purchase of agriculture behemoth Monsanto for $63 billion. The German companys shares have lost more than 70% of their value since the Monsanto purchase, and they were down a further 1.3% early on Friday in Frankfurt. Investor concern has grown about Bayers liability, eventually leading to the departure of Baumann. In addition to the legal woes, the company has been grappling with other problems including a weak drug pipeline and high debt. Photo: Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits Texas The insurance industry came in sixth in a ranking of 10 major industries based on current AI risk, and seventh based on future risk, with health care replacing IT as the most exposed sector in the next 10 years. The rankings appeared in a new white paper from Swiss Re institute titled Tech-tonic shifts: How AI could change industry risk landscapes, which highlights the opportunities for insurers to cover AI risks of those industries more exposed today and in the 2032-2034 time frame with existing policies and with new products targeting specific AI risks such as algorithmic underperformance. Providing AI risk solutions is a significant opportunity for the [insurance] industry. It is also a potential vulnerability, particularly when AI risks accumulate unseen within insurers portfolios, says the white paper, which shows the insurance industrys own AI risk ranking moving only slightly and in a favorable directionfrom a sixth-place ranking currently to seventh place in the next decade. Meanwhile, AI risks will grow for many sectors they cover, such as mobility and transportation and health care, the analysis shows. The table below, summarizing Swiss Res AI Risk rankings at a high level, shows that only the IT and other services (retail/hospitality/legal) sectors exhibit more favorable ranking changes than insurance in the future. The white paper itself provides much more detail, indicating severity and frequency risk rankings for each of the 10 industry groups. In addition, for six of the industries analyzed, the white paper shows the contribution of each of six specific risks related to the use of artificial intelligence: data bias, cyber, algorithmic and performance risk, ethical lapses, intellectual property and privacy risks. Key findings include these: Across industries, while risks such as ethics, bias and privacy are prominent in the short term, over the longer term, performance risk will grow in importance in terms of frequency. IP risks are currently the most severe loss categorylikely associated with the use of generative AI and copyright materialbut over the longer term, Swiss Re expects the single most severe risk to be one of performance as AI becomes embedded across a wide range of industries. Think vehicles, manufacturing plants, crop modeling, consumer chatbot interfaces or any manner of other uses when gauging potential future performance risk, the white paper suggests. Frequency risk is currently concentrated in a few sectors, with the IT sector in the lead, followed by the government and education sector and then media. Currently, more than half of the risk flow (55 percent) falls to the technology sector, which is reflective of the sectors first mover status in developing AI technology and putting it to use. Within the next 8-10 years, when AI is being used extensively across a range of industries, frequency risk will be more evenly distributed, but the health and pharma sector will edge out IT slightly in terms of frequency and overall risk. Severity of incidents is currently highest in the energy and utilities sector, reflecting the critical nature of infrastructure, even though frequency is low (ranked ninth out of the 10 industries). Thats set to change with the energy sectors severity ranking falling to fifth place in the next decade, but frequency risk is growing as smart grid technologies powered by AI increasingly come on stream to support net zero transition, Swiss Re said. The white paper indicates a third-place overall and frequency risk rank for the sector in the 2032-2034 time frame. Health and pharmaceuticals is the second most severely impacted sector today, and AI risk severity will remain high for the sector in the next decade (with potentially high-dollar losses for bodily injury and professional liability). This will be exacerbated by a rise in frequency, Swiss Re Institute says, noting that a high number of applications across the health care value chain could use AI in the future, pushing the sector up to the first-place spot on all three scoresfrequency, severity and overall. Bias in pharmaceutical development as well as AI diagnoses (performance risks) are among the specific risks to watch when covering insureds in this sector, the white paper notes. Self-driving cars are set to drive AI risk rankings higher for the mobility and transportation sector, the white paper notes. Contributing to a higher risk rankinga second place overall risk ranking for the next decade vs. a fifth place ranking todayis a 66 percent jump in the severity score for algorithmic and performance risk calculated by Swiss Re. Coverage Insights A detailed loss severity matrix for all 10 industry sectors shows that the financial and insurance services sector will have lower severity scores for every risk type in the future vs. the current level of risk. In both periods, algorithmic, IP and bias risks are the top three contributors to AI risk severity scores for financial and insurance companies. Meanwhile, the insurance industry has an important role to play in addressing AI-related risks and helping build the digital trust needed to harness the full potential of emerging technologies. Providing risk protection products and services for those vulnerabilities potentially created by AI is the business of insurers, the white paper states. The newest coverages to address AI risks are AI performance guarantees including offerings from Armilla Assurance. Armilla Assurance offers verification and assessment of AI model quality and since late 2023 has been offering performance warranty products backed by Swiss Re, Greenlight Re and Chaucer, indemnifying the performance of AI models. But there may also be coverage under existing policies, the paper suggests, noting that AIs failure to perform could spill over into property damage, for example. As for other risks, IP infringements may fall under professional lines, and data bias may fuel liability claims. The white paper later references silent AI risk, noting that when traditional insurance lines neither specifically include nor exclude coverage for AI-triggered events, this could have potentially serious consequences for accumulation risks in insurance portfolios. (The white paper promises more information on silent AI risk as the focus of an upcoming Swiss Re Institute publication.) The paper also notes that while cyber insurance already exists as a possible coverage of cyber risks related to AI, cyber risk scored lowest in terms of both frequency and severity across industries in the current environment and for severity in the future environment. We only have limited past experience of AI-targeting attacks, the paper says, providing one explanation, also adding our forward-looking data does not include illegal activity. If cyber criminals come to target AI systems in the same way they target non-AI digital systems, the risk could be significantly higher, the paper suggests. One can imagine the damage that could be caused by, for example, hacking the AI of an autonomous car fleet, let alone the use of AI as a hostile attack weapon. Methodology for Scores and Rankings To develop the rankings, Swiss Re isolated six specific risks related to the use of artificial intelligence: data bias, cyber, algorithmic and performance risk, ethical lapses, intellectual property and privacy risks. Using a text mining approach, Swiss Re mined data on historical events from the OECD AI Incidents Monitor (which identifies AI incidents in global media sources) and forecasted forward-looking views for each industry referencing the PATENTSCOPE database of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The paper notes that Swiss Re Institute analysts used a combination of 22 AI technology terms along with industry-specific keywords to classify the patents by relevant industries, resulting in a total of 41,742 AI-relevant patents (granted between January 2022 and March 2024) being used for the analysis. For its investigation of the current risk landscape, Swiss Re notes that the OECD AI Incident Monitor provided a database of 13,398 incidents since 2014 available after cleaning the data. Topics InsurTech Liability Data Driven Artificial Intelligence The latest community left with shattered homes and no power was the tiny Kentucky town of Charleston, which took a direct hit Sunday night from a tornado that the governor said appeared to be on the ground for 40 miles (64 kilometers). Its a big mess, said Rob Linton, who lives in Charleston and is the fire chief of nearby Dawson Springs, hit by a tornado in 2021. Trees down everywhere. Houses moved. Power lines are down. No utilities whatsoever no water, no power. Further east, some rural areas of Hopkins County hit by the 2021 tornado around the community of Barnsley were damaged again Sunday night, said county Emergency Management Director Nick Bailey. There were a lot of people that were just getting their lives put back together and then this, Bailey said. Almost the same spot, the same houses and everything. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has traveled to the area where his father grew up for ceremonies where people who lost everything were given the keys to their new homes. The visits came after a series of tornadoes on a terrifying night in December 2021 killed 81 people in Kentucky. It could have been much worse, Beshear said of the latest storms. The people of Kentucky are very weather aware with everything weve been through. More than 400,000 customers across the eastern U.S. were without power Monday afternoon, including about 125,000 in Kentucky. Twelve states reported at least 10,000 outages earlier in the day, according to PowerOutage.us. In Alabama, an EF-1 tornado was confirmed in Cherokee County in the northeastern part of the state. At least one tree fell onto a house, causing damage, but no one was injured, WBRC TV news reported. A Mountain Brook woman, age 79, was killed when a tree fell on her apartment Monday morning. Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, said a persistent pattern of warm, moist air is to blame for the string of tornadoes over the past two months. That warm moist air is at the northern edge of a heat dome bringing temperatures typically seen at the height of summer to late May. The heat index a combination of air temperature and humidity to indicate how the heat feels to the human body neared triple digits in parts of south Texas on Monday. Extreme heat was also forecast for San Antonio and Dallas. In Florida, Melbourne and Ft. Pierce set new daily record highs Monday. Both hit 98 F (36.7 C). Miami set a record high of 96 F (35.5 C) on Sunday. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Windstorm Alabama Kentucky A jury has awarded more than $1.1 million to an Idaho drag performer who accused a far-right blogger of defaming him when she falsely claimed that he exposed himself to a crowd, including children, during a Pride event in June 2022. The Kootenai County District Court jury unanimously found that Summer Bushnell defamed Post Falls resident Eric Posey when she posted a doctored video of his performance with a blurred spot that she claimed covered his fully exposed genitals, the Coeur DAlene Press reported. In reality the unedited video showed no indecent exposure, and prosecutors declined to file charges. The judicial system did what needed to be done, Posey said after the verdict. Jurors awarded Posey $926,000 in compensatory damages for defamation. Because Posey proved that Bushnell knew her allegations were false when she made them or that she made the accusations with reckless disregard for the truth, the jury awarded $250,000 in additional punitive damages. Posey, who uses the stage name Mona Liza Million, performed three times at the Pride in the Park celebration wearing a long-sleeve leotard, black shorts and tights, with a shiny metallic boa around his waist. He did not remove clothing. The Pride event made national news at the time not because of Poseys performances, but because 31 members of a white supremacist group called Patriot Front were arrested nearby and charged with conspiracy to riot. Bushnell posted a video that day of herself discussing the mass arrest as well as footage from Poseys performance. Why did no one arrest the man in a dress who flashed his genitalia to minors and people in the crowd? she said. No one said anything about it, and theres video. Im going to put up a blurred video to prove it. The next day Bushnell published the edited version of the video, which she obtained from a local videographer. It garnered many thousands of views, sparking national news coverage and a police investigation. She suggested he had committed a felony and urged people to call police and have him arrested. Bushnell was expressionless as she hurried out of the courtroom Friday. Her attorney, Colton Boyles, told jurors that his clients allegations were close to the line but not defamatory. He maintained that Bushnells honest belief was that Posey exposed himself, though she admitted on the witness stand that she never saw the fully exposed genitals she described to others. After hearing the verdict, Posey burst into tears and embraced his lawyers and friends. The jurys verdict demonstrates a clear message to this community that you have to be truthful, said Wendy J. Olson, one of his attorneys. Posey said he has faced death threats and harassment, and the edited images became the symbol of a national movement against drag. Experts have warned that false rhetoric against drag queens and LGBTQ+ people may inflame extremists. Posey said he has been helped by support from his friends. Imagine being in a dark hole where you have nobody and you felt the whole world turn their back on you, he said in court Thursday. But somehow, you were surrounded by warriors, true people of Idaho not transplants, true people of this soil. I am fortunate to say I have people like that around me, people that lifted me up. The jury deliberated for about three and a half hours Friday after a five-day trial. Before returning the verdict, jurors asked the court if they could direct Bushnell to take down her posts about Posey and publicly apologize to him. First District Judge Ross Pittman, who presided over the trial, indicated they could not do so. As of Friday evening, the videos remained on Bushnells website and Facebook page, the Coeur DAlene press reported. Following the verdict, jurors approached Posey outside the courthouse to shake his hand or hug him. Im so sorry you went through this, one told him. In a statement the North Idaho Pride Alliance, which organized the event where Posey performed, expressed gratitude to the jurors and affirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of North Idahos LGBTQ+ community. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) is one of the most recognizable brands globally and is best known for its namesake carbonated cola beverage. The first glass of Coca-Cola was served at Jacobs Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta on May 8, 1886. The cola was the creation of a pharmacist named Dr. John Pemberton, whose partner, Frank M. Robinson, was given credit for naming the beverage and designing the distinct stylized script that is still used today. Sales of Coca-Cola averaged just nine servings per day in Atlanta during that first year, but by 2023, the company sold 2.2 billion beverage servings per day globally bearing its trademark. The company posted $10.71 billion in net income on $45.75 billion of revenue during 2023. It had a market capitalization of $265.19 billion as of May 2024. For decades, Coca-Cola has faced intense competition from PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) and its rival cola beverage. But while PepsiCo has expanded into the snack food market, Coca-Cola has stuck to beverages. That hasnt stopped Coca-Cola from diversifying away from its traditional drink. The company has made a number of acquisitions to expand into all corners of the beverage market, especially as soda consumption has declined in recent decades. Bottled water and energy drinks have been key drivers of new growth, along with products for the expanding ranks of health-conscious consumers. There is one exception to Coca-Colas strictly beverage-focused strategy: The company acquired Columbia Pictures in 1982 for $750 million but later sold it to Sony Corp. for $3.4 billion, a more than 350% markup. Below, we look at five of Coca-Colas most important acquisitions in more detail. Minute Maid Type of business: Fruit beverages Acquisition price: Stock swap worth $59 million Acquisition date: Dec. 30, 1960 Minute Maid orange juice was first produced by Vacuum Foods Corp. in 1946. It was the first frozen concentrated orange juice product in the United States. In 1949, Vacuum Foods renamed itself Minute Maid Corp. Just over a decade later, Coca-Cola acquired the company in 1960 in a stock deal worth $59 million. Prior to the deal, Coca-Cola had begun to manufacture a soft drink syrup and concentrate under the trademark Fanta, to be used for making fruit-flavored sodas. The acquisition thus eliminated any potential rivalry with Minute Maid. The deal helped Coca-Cola branch out beyond its traditional cola, and Minute Maid now boasts a suite of more than 100 flavors and varieties of juices, lemonades, and punches. Costa Coffee Type of business: U.K.-based coffeehouse chain Acquisition price: $5.1 billion Acquisition date: Aug. 31, 2018 The origins of Costa Coffee can be traced back to 1971, when the very first cup of Costa coffee was poured in London. Seven years later, brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa opened their first coffee shop on Londons Vauxhall Bridge Road. After expanding outside the United Kingdom into major cities like Dubai in 1999 and Moscow in 2008, the coffeehouse chain was acquired by Coca-Cola in 2018. At the time of the acquisition, Costa had nearly 4,000 retail outlets with highly trained baristas, a coffee vending operation, for-home coffee formats, and a state-of-the-art roastery. The acquisition added a leading brand to Coca-Colas portfolio with two key attributes: Costa specialized in hot beverages and already had an established global presence. Energy Brands Inc. (Glaceau) Type of business: Bottled and enhanced water Acquisition price: $4.1 billion Acquisition date: May 25, 2007 Energy Brands, also known as Glaceau, was founded in 1996 by J. Darius Bikoff. That idea spawned the company, which focused on producing nutrient-based drinks without the excess sugar and artificial ingredients that are typical of the water-alternative market. In May 2007, Coca-Cola acquired Energy Brands for $4.1 billion. The company boasts a line of popular brands, including smartwater, fruitwater, and vitaminwater. The acquisition strengthened Coca-Colas expansion into lifestyle beverages, including brands catering to more health-conscious consumers. Type of business: Energy drinks Acquisition price: Coca-Cola acquires 16.7% stake by making net cash payment of $2.15 billion, among other steps Acquisition data: June 12, 2015 Monster Beverage Corp. traces its origins to a juice company started by Hubert Hansen and his sons in the 1930s. The company started out as Hansens Juices Inc., selling fresh non-pasteurized juices in Los Angeles. In 2012, what had become Hansen Natural Corp. was renamed Monster Beverage Corp. In 2015, Monster signed a long-term strategic partnership deal with Coca-Cola, which gave Coca-Cola a 16.7% minority stake in the company. As part of the deal, Coca-Cola transferred ownership of its worldwide energy drinks business to Monster, and Monster transferred its non-energy drinks business to Coca-Cola. Monster is the maker of a line of popular energy drinks, with the most well-known being Monster Energy. While the partnership helped Coca-Cola establish its presence in the global energy drink market, the company branched out to offer an energy drink of its own: Coca-Cola Energy. It marked the first non-soda beverage ever produced under the Coca-Cola brand label. In May 2021, Coca-Cola said it will discontinue by year-end its U.S. and Canada sales of Coca-Cola Energy, which it introduced in early 2020 to expand sales in the energy drink market. The product competed directly with products produced by Monster, but it failed to gain significant market share. Coca-Cola Energy will still be sold in Europe. Honest Tea Type of business: Bottled organic tea Acquisition price: $43 million for initial 40% stake; transaction price not disclosed for remaining 60% stake Acquisition dates: Feb. 5, 2008 (initial 40% stake); March 1, 2011 (remaining stake) Honest Tea was founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman and his then-Yale School of Management professor, Barry Nalebuff. Part of the mission, as laid out in the original business plan, was to offer customers a bottled tea that tastes just like tea. Honest Tea grew to $38 million in sales by 2008, when Coca-Cola acquired a 40% stake in the organic bottled tea company for $43 million. Coca-Cola acquired the remaining 60% stake in 2011. In addition to bottled tea, Honest Tea offers an array of lemonades and organic juice drinks. The company also has an Honest Kids line of juice beverages. The acquisition is another example of how Coca-Cola has expanded its line of non-soda beverage options to appeal to the health food market. Coca-Cola Diversity & Inclusiveness Transparency As part of our effort to improve the awareness of the importance of diversity in companies, we have highlighted the transparency of Coca-Colas commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility. The chart below illustrates how Coca-Cola reports the diversity of its management and workforce. This shows if Coca-Cola discloses data about the diversity of its board of directors, C-Suite, general management, and employees overall across a variety of markers. We have indicated that transparency with a . The MD of Supermac's, Pat McDonagh has hit out at red-tape after revealing that he has spent well in excess of 1.5m on professional and legal fees to date on his stalled 10m Barack Obama style Supermac's motorway plaza for Co Clare. In an interview, Mr McDonagh said that he has been waiting nine and a half years to get the go-ahead for the project close to Ennis serving the M18 Limerick to Galway motorway with no ground broken yet. Mr McDonagh first lodged plans for the motorway plaza on a site in December 2014 and finally secured planning permission at his third attempt from An Bord Pleanala in October 2022. However, the project has since stalled after Co Clare-based chartered civil engineer Michael Duffy took a High Court judicial review challenge to the An Bord Pleanala permission. Mr McDonagh said that the planned Ennis project is a prime example of red tape in Ireland stagnating projects. He said: I can't say too much about it because it is going to go to the courts. He said: For any future projects, I wouldn't like to be caught up nine years and spent well in excess of 1.5m in costs on it to get what should be a fairly straight-forward grant of permission. Mr McDonagh said that the 1.5m plus has been spent on fees on architects, engineers, surveys and legal costs. He said: Our feeling is that we will keep fighting until we get there. He said that when operational, the plaza will employ between 120 to 140. Mr McDonagh said that the plaza will be in place in 2025 if we are lucky enough to be successful". There is so much red tape attached to things today that it slows down the whole process and unless there is leadership and guidance put into it, it will stagnate the country before very long. There seems to be an attitude that it is a free for all to object to anything that is happening. Asked if he wished to comment on Mr McMDonaghs remarks, Mr Duffy declined to comment. Mr Duffy has claimed that the Appropriate Assessment, which assesses potential adverse effects of projects on Special Areas of Conservation (SCA), lodged with the Supermac's planning application is flawed and therefore planning permission should not have been granted. A previous Supermac's plaza application for the site was mired in controversy after it emerged in 2018 that bogus letters of support were lodged with Clare Co Council. At the time, Supermac's stated that it was horrified to learn about the bogus letters from the media and disowns the actions taken and wants to distance itself completely from them. The December 2014 application was turned down by An Bord Pleanala in 2016 and Clare County Council granted planning permission for the current scheme in December 2020 and this permission was upheld by An Bord Pleanala in October, 2022. More than 8% of candidates in this years local elections in Munster are listed as working in farming or agriculture. The public takes to the polls on Friday, June 7, with farmers bringing their concerns about recent policy changes, especially environmental regulation, along with the costs of running their businesses. Some farmers have taken it a step further in having their voices heard and are seeking to be elected to county councils right across Ireland. While it is certain many others running have strong connections to farming, agriculture and rural life, 42 of 497 local election candidates across Munster have their occupation listed as farmer, farm worker, agri-contractor, mart manager, and agriculture officer in their county's notice of poll. This makes up about 8%. Around 11% of the 122 candidates running for Cork County Council have listed farm-related work as their occupation. For farmers voting in the upcoming elections for Cork County Council, these candidates are spread across 10 electoral areas, with nominees hopeful of securing one of the 55 seats available to them. The 10 electoral areas in Co Cork are: Bandon-Kinsale (six seats); Bantry-West Cork (four seats); Carrigaline (six seats); Cobh (six seats); Fermoy (six seats); Kanturk (four seats); Macroom (six seats); Midleton (seven seats); Mallow (five seats); Skibbereen-West Cork (five seats). In Kerry, seven of the 77 candidates running across the county have listed a farming-related role as their occupation, making up about 9% of total candidates. Thirty three elected members of Kerry County Council represent six local electoral areas. The number of seats available in each local electoral area are: Listowel (six); Tralee (seven); Kenmare (six); Castleisland (four); Corca Dhuibhne (three); Killarney (seven). Co Clare has the highest percentage of candidates that are listed as farmers nine, making up about 15% of the 59 total candidates that will contest. Waterford City and County Council has 79 total candidates in the running, with 32 seats for the taking across six electoral areas. Only three candidates here have farming listed as their occupation. In Limerick, four of the 90 candidates for the City and County Council have farming listed, however, a number are connected in some way to farming, as is also the case in other counties. In Tipperary, of the 70 candidates running, five said they are in farming. This year has been marked by a series of protests by farmers in Ireland and across Europe sparked by their frustration with 'overregulation' and a number of issues including the rising costs of inputs, late scheme payments, cheaper food imports, and concerns around generational renewal. Picture:Gareth Chaney/Collins Across the country, farming and rural matters are likely to be key voting issues in many electoral areas. This year has been marked by a series of protests by farmers in Ireland and across Europe sparked by their frustration with overregulation and a number of issues including the rising costs of inputs, late scheme payments, cheaper food imports, and concerns around generational renewal. Farmers this year targeted county council meetings in particular to protest. Irish Farmers Association president Francie Gorman said the message for politicians was that enough is enough. In late February, Cork farmers raised their concerns with councillors, giving a letter to the county mayor outlining same. Munster IFA chairman Conor O'Leary said farmers were "tied up in a bureaucratic mess". "Weve issues around nitrates, payment system failures, measurement of emissions, and frustration around unworkable regulations," Mr O'Leary said. Were in a situation where we can't plan, we have no generational plan, we have no pathway forward that we can see where farmers can go and its a really concerning issue. A particular focus of the protests this year was the nitrates derogation reduction from 250kg of nitrogen per hectare to 220kg and the impact this is having on Munster farmers, who are having to obtain more land or reduce stock numbers to comply with the new rules. With councillors up for election, agriculture is a "huge industry in Cork and we need them to stand up for us", Mr O'Leary added. Growers are living in hope that the fine weather spell forecasted for this June Bank Holiday materialises as they near the end of planting their potato crops. A shortage of Irish potatoes will soon become apparent to consumers especially as they could face higher prices as growers battle a "nightmare" for the last 12 months that has been the culmination of delayed plantings and harvests, and reduced yield. While early potato varieties should be planted early in the spring and harvested in June/July, as a result of continued wet weather, growers encountered difficulties in doing so and instead, the planting of these early crops came at much the same time as planting of the main crops. Irish Farmers' Association potato chairman Sean Ryan said that farms in the midlands and parts of Leinster such as Meath are nearly finished up planting and overall have gotten on better in recent weeks due to more reasonable weather, while more southern counties such as Wexford and Cork are around 70% of the way there. "With the forecast coming there now we'd be hoping most of them will be finished planting towards the end of next week," Mr Ryan estimated. Potatoes should have been planted in March and into April and "this year we're at the first week of June and still not finished - that is going to affect yields that are going to come off those crops". Flooding and frost impact A reduced availability of Irish potatoes will be visible from now on, as Mr Ryan explained that last year around 700 acres were lost between flooding and frost, and overall the yield was poor then too. "The old season potatoes are not there, usually the old season would be there until the new season comes in, but they're not so it's a double whammy really," he said, as the new season potatoes were not planted on time there will be a delay and more limited supply for sale in the coming months. "There will be some new season in the middle of June but it won't be a lot. It will be maybe six or eight weeks later than normal," he added. Colin Buttimer, a third-generation potato grower at Rockvale Farm in Sheepwalk, Fermoy, is situated in the "heart of Irelands prime potato growing land, the Blackwater valley in north county Cork. Potato grower Colin Buttimer in one of his fields where he has planted Markies at Rockvale Farm, Fermoy. Picture: David Creedon The farm, which also grows grain and has beef cattle, specialises in chipping potatoes, with its main varieties being Markies and Rooster, Mr Buttimer explained. He told the Irish Examiner that the farm has 125 acres for potatoes this year, and annually tries to grow between 120 and 150 acres, "but it just depends on land availability". The farm works with tillage farmers in the area and rotates with them, but many of these farmers have come under pressure for ground as a result of the nitrates derogation reduction, with dairy farmers taking in more land. The impact of bad weather started around a year ago, Mr Buttimer recalled. "During the summer it didn't affect us that badly because potatoes like a bit of water during the growing season. Coming up to harvest, we were hoping we might get a decent spell in the autumn but that never came. Harvesting was a nightmare, we were struggling all the time. "We never got a dry spell at all really, all the way through the autumn and into the spring and we still haven't gotten that dry spell." The farm doesn't sow early crops, and it would normally be towards the end of March before planting would start. However, this year, they were a month late in starting, and the process has been on and off ever since, with a few days of this work taking place in between spells of bad weather. Picture: David Creedon "Trying to get a week's work into three or four days is hard stuff," Mr Buttimer said. "We've never been planting this late before, I don't know about other growers around here but we've always been finished earlier than this. Read More Comprehensive Vat guidelines on way "In saying that, last year was a late year as well but we finished the bulk of it last year around May 20 - but that was a lot later than normal too. We don't have much left, we have about 10 acres left now so we're nearly there. "Sometimes this time of year we'd be trying to bag potatoes as well but we're basically sold out now." Colin Buttimer using a 24m sprayer with a pre-emergence spray on his Markies potatoes. Picture: David Creedon The weather has made work that "doesn't need to be that difficult, very difficult", Mr Buttimer added. "When nature works with you and things are ok, there's no better job in the world," he said. "But when nature goes against you, it really can make things difficult." Payment Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue announced recently that to give confidence to farmers to plant crops this year and to give them confidence in the future of their industry, he would work to deliver a 100 per hectare payment for every horticulture and tillage farmer that puts seed in the soil for the 2024 harvest year. My department is considering the next steps, including the state aid and other approvals and the identification of appropriate funding. I am committed to our potato sector and despite the constraints of my existing budget, I will work to deliver this support for these farmers, Mr McConalogue said. The IFA's Sean Ryan said that this level of funding is a "kick in the teeth" when it's "costing 5,000 to grow an acre of potatoes" currently. Read More How many local election candidates in Munster are farmers? Mr Ryan warned of the reducing number of potato growers in Ireland. "Back around 10 years ago we had 700 growers, we're down to 160 growers now," he said. "Most of the smaller growers have got out. You'd just be afraid of the potato sector ending up like the veg sector." One of the biggest issues is below-cost selling, Mr Ryan said. Seeing their produce selling for so little at times is "disheartening to growers" after they spend all year "nurturing crops and trying to get them in good conditions". Mr Ryan said the retailers are "making little of their produce", and "it is coming back to haunt them now". Blight Mr Ryan said that with growers getting planting out of the way, the "next challenge" is looking after the crop against things like blight. Teagasc this week organised potato crop walks as it warned that cases of blight are beginning to emerge. Along with covering EU43, a new threat to potatoes in Ireland, the events are featuring new guidelines on controlling blight and developing robust blight control programmes for 2024. Teagasc crops and potato specialist Shay Phelan said that the identification of the EU43 strain of potato blight in Ireland last year is potentially one of the most serious developments in potato growing in recent times. This strain is causing many problems in Europe and growers in many countries are struggling to control it, Mr Phelan said. The presence of this strain in the Irish population will result in a significant change in how we approach disease control over the coming years. Comprehensive guidelines being prepared by the Revenue Commissioners will clarify the position regarding the VAT 58 scheme, which allows VAT refunds to unregistered farmers for certain farm expenditures. Farmers say that some items, for which they previously received VAT refunds, are no longer eligible. The IFA has made a submission to the Revenue Commissioners on why bulk milk tanks, automatic calf feeders, meal bin, and cubicle and slat mats should qualify for a refund, pointing out that they are an integral part of farm building structures. IFA also raised VAT refund issues relating to the installation of water systems and water troughs. Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has explained that the VAT refunds to farmers unregistered for VAT are only for the construction, extension, alteration or reconstruction of farm buildings or structures; fencing, draining or reclamation of farmland; and construction, erection or installation of qualifying equipment for the micro-generation of electricity for use in the farm business. Responding to a Dail question from Tipperary Fianna Fail TD Jackie Cahill, the Minister said the refund order was originally introduced in 1972, but the agricultural sector, particularly the dairy sector, has evolved significantly since 1972. New products have come onto the market, and there are important differences from a VAT perspective. "Revenue will continue to monitor refund claims for new and innovative products as they are received, but can only refund expenditure that is within the scope of the legislation." Claims processed He said 37,368 claims were processed in 2023, and Revenue only selects claims for manual review on the basis of risk. Where a manually reviewed claim is deemed ineligible, such claims are refused, and Revenue ensures that any similar ineligible claims are also identified and refused. Claimants may appeal decisions to refuse claims within 30 days. Revenue has met with the ICMSA and IFA several times to discuss the VAT refunds and says that an updated guidance document will be issued this month. "It is always open to a farmer to elect to register for VAT in respect of their farming business, and claim a full deduction for the VAT they incur on their business costs, subject to rules on deductibility," said the Minister. The Chairman of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, Niall Cody, said the VAT 58 refund scheme is based on the typical farm of 1972, when he addressed a recent Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform debate. "We have a scheme that is essentially 50 years old. In the intervening period, farming has changed radically. It is not as labour-intensive, and there are no farm labourers. It is highly automated. The area where most of the challenges are, the dairy sector, has gone highly mechanised and highly robotic." He said the landscape for farming has fundamentally changed. "The VAT 58 scheme was brought in in 1972 to reflect the fact that farmers at that stage were putting up hay barns or slatted sheds. "During the period of expansion of dairy farms, which involved the construction of milking parlours and the installation of milking machines and bulk tanks, all the expenditure that was entailed as part of the development of a dairy operation tended to be allowed. "There is a real challenge about expanding the order. The challenges will be the European Commission, and the possibility of state aid, because the flat-rate scheme provides compensation for unregistered farmers, and the facility exists for all farmers to register. "We have taken a very liberal view of the regulation, but we are constrained in what we can do." Second-hand He cited the example of second-hand, reconditioned bulk tanks for sale. "This calls into question whether they were ever fixtures in the first place. These are the challenges we have." Bulk tanks being replaced with new ones do not come under construction or reconstruction, he said. "The purchase of the new bulk tank is not refundable under the VAT 58 scheme because it is not construction. In fact, some of the stuff we have seen would suggest that the original should never have been allowed. "I have seen cases where the suppliers of some of this machinery say it will be deductible. They are not in a position to give tax advice. "There have been submissions from the farming organisations setting out the nature of whatever products, such as slurry bags. Slurry bags became a subject of discussion. "That day, I simply looked up slurry bags, and found an article in the Irish Farmers' Journal which talked about how convenient slurry bags were, in that they allow the farmer to move the slurry bag around within his or her farm. "This is not a fixture. This is not a construction process. Part of the challenge is that modernisation involves huge convenience and flexibility. That does not fit in with the legislation the Revenue has to operate under." On farmers registering for VAT, he said: "As dairy farming becomes more intensive and capital-intensive, there is a question about whether the flat-rate scheme is the perfect model for them, but that is a decision for themselves. "For unregistered farmers, there is what is known as a flat-rate scheme, where there is a flat-rate addition on sales by unregistered farmers. The purpose of the flat-rate scheme is to compensate farmers for VAT incurred in the course of their business. "One of the issues that is surprising when we look at some of the claims for farm expenditure is that some large corporate entities are unregistered farmers for VAT purposes and eligible for VAT 58 and the flat rate scheme." Transport Minister Eamon Ryan is set to introduce legislation to allow for random searches of aircraft coming through Ireland that could potentially be carrying weapons for Israel. The Green Party leader said that existing legislation expressly prohibits aircraft to carry munitions through Ireland without an exemption. However, it does not allow for random checks. "No airport in Ireland, or Irish sovereign airspace, is currently being used to transport weapons directly to Israel, despite claims otherwise," said Mr Ryan. The announcement came in response to an earlier debate in the Seanad which saw a bill that would restrict the transit of weapons through Ireland to Israel shelved for a six-month period. This period will allow for "watertight" legislation to be developed to allow for random aircraft searches, said Mr Ryan. No airport in Ireland, or Irish sovereign airspace, is currently being used to transport weapons directly to Israel, despite claims otherwise. Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) May 29, 2024 Independent senator Alice-Mary Higgins said that current legislation allows for checks to be carried out and such inspections have been carried out previously so there is nothing preventing the Government from stepping up the number of checks immediately. 'No inspections' She said no inspections have been carried out on any aircraft potentially carrying weapons through Ireland since 2020. She said we should not need to ask the US whether it minds if we stop the odd plane to check it. Pointing to Ireland's recognition of the state of Palestine, Mr Ryan said that the Government clearly stand up for the right of nations to exist peacefully "but the strength of our position internationally is that we follow international rules and laws". Mr Ryan said that there have been no applications for exemptions nor have any been granted in 2023 or to date in 2024. As one of the four senators who introduced the bill, Ms Higgins said that the six-month delay means that the bill would not happen as is would take us to the next election. She noted that Israel's national security adviser said Israel would continue its bombardment of Gaza for at least another seven months. She said when history looks back on this time, people will not only ask whether Ireland did enough to help the people of Palestine but whether it was done on time. Speaking earlier, Independent senator Eileen Flynn said that not supporting the bill on Wednesday "means killings tomorrow". She said that more than 10,000 Palestinian children would die in the six-month period that the bill is set to be delayed, branding the decision a cop-out. Green Party senator Roisin Garvey cited Ireland's strong position on the issue in comparison to other EU countries but said that no matter what is done with the bill at this time, it will not end the war. As the Gazan city of Rafah recovers from an Israeli airstrike which killed 45 people in a tent camp on Sunday, social media has been awash with a viral All Eyes on Rafah image. Whilst the image, which has over 42 million shares on Instagram, was intended to raise awareness around the implications of war in Gaza, it has been met with widespread criticism. The seemingly AI-generated image depicts tents in a camp arranged to spell out the phrase All Eyes on Rafah against a desert backdrop. Since it gained momentum on social media, activists have been quick to condemn the trending image. They are questioning why an AI-generated image has gained so much traction, as opposed to the real and often distressing footage from the ground in Gaza footage that journalists are putting their lives on the line to capture in order to document the devastation of war. Some of the worlds leading celebrities, including Galway native and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, and model Bella Hadid, are among the millions who have re-shared the post. The image has been compared to a black tile which went viral following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020. Back then, Black Lives Matter activists claimed that the #BlackoutTuesday movement diluted a hashtag which once shared meaningful resources. The phrase All Eyes on Rafah was derived by the director of the World Health Organisations office of the occupied Palestinian territories, Rick Peeperkorn. Back in February, Mr Peeperkorn said all eyes are on Rafah days after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan to be drawn up of the city, ahead of attacks to eliminate militant group Hamas. The phrase has now been echoed by humanitarian organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children in their online campaigns. Photo via Instagram At the time, Mr Peeperkorn warned against the invasion of Rafah, as it was now home to thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter in tents. He said it would expand the humanitarian disaster beyond all imagination. The phrase has now been echoed by humanitarian organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children in their online campaigns. Mr Netanyahu said the Israeli strike on Sunday, which triggered a fire in the tent camp in Rafah, killing 45 people mainly women, children and the elderly was not intended to cause civilian casualties. He said: Something unfortunately went tragically wrong". The deadly bombardment came just days after an International Court of Justice order to immediately halt military offensive in Rafah. So far, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, Gazas health ministry says. Israel launched the operation after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023. It is "absolutely clear" that the State has failed to meet its international obligations to meet the basic needs of asylum seekers, a human rights body has argued in the High Court. Lawyers for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) submitted that the court should grant orders requiring the Government to bring "to an end" the current situation of leaving asylum seekers homeless. The court has begun hearing the IRHECs action challenging the lack of material reception conditions for many adult male international protection applicants. This is the first time the commission has used its powers, under the 2014 IHREC Act, to bring representative proceedings concerning others human rights. It was announced on December 4 that the State could no longer provide shelter to all newly arrived men. The IHRECs senior counsel, Eoin McCullough, told the court on Wednesday that 1,715 applicants were still awaiting an accommodation offer as of May 10. A lack of resources cannot be relied upon as an excuse for failing to provide asylum seekers with accommodation, as required by article 1 of the European Unions Charter of Fundamental Rights, he said. The State argues it is doing its best and for various technical reasons IHRECs request is not appropriate, but the commission seeks to demonstrate it is, in fact, incumbent on the court to grant the orders it seeks, he said. The obligation on the State is not one of best efforts but is a legally binding obligation, he said. The failure to accommodate these men and to protect their physical and mental health is a breach of their rights, he added. The commissions case follows on from a High Court decision in April 2023 that ruled that the Minister for Integration breached his obligations to accommodate an Afghan asylum seeker who had to resort to begging after arriving in the State. The court said a 28 Dunnes Stores voucher and the addresses of private charities does not come close to what is required. Since then the State has increased the weekly payment to those left homeless by 75 per week and has formal arrangements with charities to provide them with food and hygiene facilities. The Minister for Integration, the Attorney General, and Ireland are contesting the commissions case and deny Ireland is failing to meet its duties. Mr McCullough said the 113.80 weekly allowance is insufficient and clearly does not enable the men to source their own shelter. The financial increase and other changes do not bring the State into line with its obligations, he said. He added that there are real risks to the mens security and health while sleeping rough. The three-day case continues before Mr Justice Barry ODonnell on Thursday, when the State is due to begin its defence. A Cork man accused of slashing a Polish man with a knife when the injured party was visiting Cork city centre for a dance competition has been remanded in custody. Judge Mary Dorgan remanded him in custody until June 18, on the application of Sergeant Gearoid Davis at Cork District Court. Shane Dineen, 30, of no fixed address, appeared by video link from prison and consented to the three-week adjournment. His solicitor Frank Buttimer said the accused should have had his High Court bail appeal heard by then. If successful, the defendant will be required to appear in court on June 18 in person. Detective Garda Maurice Hickey objected last week at Cork District Court to bail being granted to Dineen on a charge of assault causing harm to the Polish man on Monday, May 20. The detective said one of the grounds for objection was the seriousness of the alleged offence. At 2.50am on May 20, the injured party was outside the Premier Inn on Morrisons Island with six of his friends who were all over from Poland for a dance competition. Shane Dineen and a female companion approached the group and asked a female friend of the injured party for a cigarette, to which she replied that she didnt smoke." The detective told the court that the woman who asked for the cigarette "then slapped her across the face" before the man with the woman who was slapped "intervened by pushing the assailant away, resulting in her falling to the ground". "Shane Dineen and his female companion are then seen going towards the man. Shane Dineen then produces a knife that he had on him and threatens the people at the scene by waving it recklessly and menacingly towards them. It is alleged that he slashes the injured party on the right hand and forearm." The detective added that CCTV allegedly shows that "he then continues to threaten the other people and kicks at them, all the while brandishing the knife in his hand". "The injured party flees to the hotel for safety. Shane Dineen attempts to follow him in, getting as far as the lobby, where he again brandishes the knife, Det Garda Hickey said. Dineen testified that if granted bail, he could reside with a friend at Hillsboro, off Old Blackrock Road, Cork, and sign twice a day at a Garda station if necessary. Judge Mary Dorgan said that in all the circumstances bail was being refused. A woman in her 80s was left waiting almost 50 minutes for an ambulance after she collapsed in an arts venue in Cork City. The paramedics tasked to the incident at the Triskel had to drive from Millstreet, about 50kms away, to treat the woman. Tony Sheehan, Triskel's artistic director, praised them for their compassion and professionalism when they finally arrived. But he said he was shocked an elderly person in need of medical attention had to wait for almost an hour for an ambulance. Its a city centre venue. It was a Monday night, a fairly quiet night usually in the city centre and still it took almost an hour for an ambulance to arrive. So if it was like that on Monday, whats it like at weekends? Its just not acceptable, he said. The incident began to unfold at the Triskel on Tobin St shortly after 8pm on Monday. The woman and her two daughters were among some 140 people at a screening of the Pat Collins film, That They May Face The Rising Sun, when she collapsed about 10 minutes into the film. One of her daughters raised the alarm. Mr Sheehan said they were concerned she was having a stroke so he dialled 999, and requested an ambulance urgently. Mr Sheehan said onlookers helped, that people were patient and kind, but the woman needed paramedics and an ambulance. The Mercy University Hospital (MUH) is just three minutes away, so we had to decide do we move the woman and take her to MUH, or do we wait for the ambulance?," he said. It looked serious, the woman had collapsed so we decided to call in the experts. The woman regained consciousness before the paramedics arrived. They checked her vitals and took her to MUH for assessment. Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle, chair of the city councils arts committee, described the wait time as "disturbing". As a representative for this area, I want to see more people living in the city centre, and more active use of its services and facilities, but when that level of ambulance cover is whats provided on a Monday night, its deeply worrying. Its just not an acceptable level of service, he said. He plans to raise the issue with his party colleagues in government and with the HSE directly. In a statement, the HSE said it cannot comment on individual cases when to do so might reveal information in relation to identifiable individuals, breaching the ethical requirement on us to observe our duty of confidentiality. The Environment Minister says the Government will be pressing the go button very soon on the development of multi-million offshore renewable energy facilities at the Port of Cork despite ongoing uncertainty over a 70m funding gap. Eamon Ryan said the Government wants and will see the Port of Cork developing as a deployment port for renewable power, with the required infrastructure in place within two to three years. However, talks to bridge a 70m funding gap are ongoing with warnings that unless the issue is resolved urgently, the delivery of the required port infrastructure at its Ringaskiddy deepwater facility is at risk. The Port of Cork is the only Irish port with planning permission in place to build out its infrastructure to help facilitate the development of the offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector. The planning expires in October 2025. Ireland has a target of 37GW of offshore wind by 2050 so there is an urgency to complete major infrastructure projects as Ireland aims to utilise offshore wind power to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB But the Port of Cork went public on its funding concerns for its expansion last month after it emerged that logistics firm, the Doyle Shipping Group, opted against proceeding with the redevelopment of its Verolme dockyard facilities in Cork Harbour to service the ORE sector amid its own concerns about the commercial viability of that project in the absence of State grants. The Port of Cork, a semi-State company which cannot avail of State aid, has warned that the expansion of its Ringaskiddy facilities to service the ORE sector was at risk unless a 70m funding gap was bridged before its planning expires. Intense talks are underway between department officials and the Port of Cork about a possible funding package from the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF). But any package that is agreed is money the port company would have to borrow at commercial rates. When Mr Ryan was asked if the government would bridge the funding gap, he said: We want and will see the Port of Cork developing as a deployment port for renewable power. It also needs to be the port where the power comes ashore, which it will, and well see very significant industrial development using that clean power in a really clever way. We need port facilities to make that happen. He said he is very confident that the ports ORE plan will go ahead and will be in place in the next two- to three-year period. He said further long-term developments will take place towards the end of this decade, at the Port of Cork, and at Rosslare and Waterford ports too. So the Port of Cork is going to be central to the renewable energy transition, he said. First up has to be the building in that Ringaskiddy site where we have planning permission, where the port is ready to go. We will be pressing the go button very soon. Last month, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said ISIF is engaging intensively with the Port of Cork on a possible funding package. An elderly farmer was fatally injured by his bull ahead of a cattle test, with the jury at his inquest now recommending that health and safety watchdogs look at mandatory exit points in cattle pens. Joseph Shorten of Castletown-Kinneigh near Enniskeane in Co Cork was discovered lying on his side in the yard of his farm at Ardkitt by the veterinary surgeon who was coming to read the cattle test. Mr Shortens body was some 30 yards away from a pen where his Hereford bull was held. The inquest at Bandon District Court into Mr Shortens death heard that his chest was in bits and that he must have managed to crawl out of the pen before collapsing. Gardai ruled out the involvement of a third party and having spotted blood on the bulls head and fibres from the bull on Mr Shortens jumper the investigation focussed on whether the bull had attacked the farmer, who was in his seventies. The incident occurred on April 14 last year, with the initial cattle test having been conducted three days previously. Dr Jim Kelleher, a vet with the Riverview Practice in Bandon, arrived as scheduled at 3.35pm and found Mr Shorten. In his statement read out at the inquest the vet said Mr Shorten's trousers had been loosened and were around the top of his wellingtons. He was not breathing and was cold, with blood on his nose. Dr Kelleher called the emergency services and was advised to begin CPR. In his statement, Dr Kelleher said Mr Shortens chest felt soft and brittle. The emergency medic who pronounced Mr Shorten dead said it seemed his chest was in bits. The vet said he noticed the Hereford bull was separate from the herd in a pen, which was not the case at the initial test when he was mixed in with the cattle, and that he also appeared to be lame. Coroner Frank OConnell heard evidence that gardai later requested the vet to take a hair sample from the bulls head, which also had blood on it. Dr Kelleher said that it might have been that Mr Shorten who another witness had seen at a shop in Enniskeane shortly beforehand may have tried to separate the bull from the herd so his leg could be looked at during the reading of the test and that might have annoyed the animal, who appeared agitated. Dr Kelleher said that in 99% of situations involving cattle in enclosed spaces there are no escape points, leaving people to climb over a gate. Instead, he said, safe spaces involving vertical bars could help. He said I think it should be mandatory where every situation where cattle are penned that there should be two escape routes. The vet said cattle were unpredictable. Following questioning from the coroner he said an angry bull would seek to knock someone down and then apply the weight of either their head or front legs on them. The bulls head is probably 100 kilos, he said, adding that the bull in question weighed some 600 kilos. Post-mortem findings given by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster showed Mr Shorten had experienced severe blunt force trauma to his chest and abdomen including multiple fractures to his ribs and damage to his sternum as well as the collapse of both lungs and a laceration of the spleen. She said this was consistent with an attack by a bull and that Mr Shorten would have lapse into unconsciousness. Even if somebody had been there there would have been no hope, she said. Verdict As the case involved an occupational fatal injury a six-person jury considered the verdict and the recommendation from the veterinary surgeon. They returned a verdict of occupational accident on a farm involving an attack by a bull which led to haemorrhage and shock due to severe blunt force trauma to the mans chest and abdomen. The jury also said they believed that as many as four escape routes should be considered for those working in close proximity with cattle and Mr OConnell said he would write to the Health and Safety Authority in the next two days advising them of the verdict and the recommendations. Who is running? Lorna Bogue, Rabharta Des Cahill, FG Michelle Cowhey-Shahid, SF Mary Rose Desmond, FF Susan Doyle, Soc Dems Tony Field, non party Deirdre Forde, FG Peter Horgan, Labour Rachel Hurley Roche, The Workers' Party Honore Kamengi, Green Kieran McCarthy, non-party Barry OBrien, FG Chris OLeary, SF Michael ORiordan, The Irish People's Party Terry Shannon, FF Shannon Wright, non-party Local Electoral Area information Population: 45,400 Seats: Six Population per councillor: 7,566 Outgoing councillors: Des Cahill (FG), Lorna Bogue (An Rabharta Glas), Mary Rose Desmond (FF), Kieran McCarthy (Ind), Terry Shannon (FF), Deirde Forde (FG) What you need to know All six sitting councillors in this large suburban local electoral area (LEA), with a population of just over 45,000, are seeking re-election where Fianna Fail and Fine Gael won two seats each in 2019, with an Independent the outgoing Lord Mayor and a then Green Party candidate taking the other two seats. With an electorate of just over 32,000 and a turnout in 2019 of almost 50%, the highest turnout of all five of the city's LEAs, Fine Gaels party leader on Cork City Council Des Cahill topped the poll at the last local election. The two Fianna Fail candidates, Terry Shannon and Mary Rose Desmond, performed strongly, with a combined 25.84% of the first-preference vote, followed closely by the two Fine Gael candidates, Mr Cahill and Deirdre Forde, who accounted for almost 24.5% of the vote. This LEA also has the highest female representation of any of the citys five LEAs, with half of the seats held by women. One of them, Lorna Bogue, who ran as a Green Party candidate in 2019 and won the second seat with just shy of 14% of the first-preference vote, resigned from the party in October 2020 after a falling out with its leadership over a range of policies, and joined Rabharta Glas, the Green left, which has since registered itself as Rabharta, the party for workers and carers. That registration came too late, however, for candidates to include it on their election literature so Ms Bogue will appear on posters and election literature as a non-party candidate. She is also running in the European elections in Ireland South. She says she has a working arrangement with another candidate, Rachel Hurley Roche, so it remains to be seen if her green vote will stay with her on June 7. Sixteen candidates have declared to run in this LEA, including all six sitting councillors, one of whom is the outgoing lord mayor, so competition will be intense. The field also includes a former city councillor and lord mayor who lost his seat in 2019, and a minority far-right Irish People Party candidate who gives his home address as on the northside. The LEA stretches from the Marina in the north to Moneygourney in the south, and from Victoria Road and the citys south docklands in the west, to Mahon and the Jack Lynch Tunnel in the east. Corks busiest road, the N40 South Ring Road, runs east to west right through the middle, with the suburbs of Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Blackrock and Mahon, to the north, and Douglas, Maryborough, Rochestown to the south. Another key road, the N28, runs north-south through the bottom half of the LEA, from the Bloomfield interchange towards the northern outskirts of Carrigaline, with the LEAs eastern boundary near Passage West. On the city side, the south docklands are earmarked for major housing development, with work already under way on a massive apartment scheme on the former Live at the Marquee site. Work should start on several more over the lifetime of the next council to help the city meet ambitious population targets. The LEA is home to Pairc Ui Chaoimh, which hosts big games and concerts, but which most agree needs better traffic management and public transport arrangements for big events, the Marina promenade, which is undergoing a major revamp, and Marina Park, where work is ongoing to develop a major eco-park. It is home too to the Marina Market and the Black Market both of which are now firm city destinations. Millions has been spent, and millions more is earmarked for active travel infrastructure, with work ongoing on the development of the Blackrock to Passage greenway, and on Corks first neighbourhood bike scheme in Mahon. The LEA is home to Mahon Point shopping centre and the nearby business parks, all of which are major employment hubs and generators of huge volumes of traffic. The Dunkettle Interchange has been upgraded, but tailbacks on the N40 are still an issue at peak times, with traffic chaos ensuing in the event of a crash at any point along the N40, leading to traffic impacts city-wide. The N28 is being upgraded to motorway status work which should be largely complete during the lifetime of the next council. Several new housing estates and large new schools are planned in the southern area of the LEA. And while there are major plans for various strategic transport corridors (STCs) as part of Cork BusConnects, traders in Douglas, a notorious traffic blackspot, are opposed to elements of the routes in and through the village. A contentious road plan over the Mangala woodland in Douglas is also set to be a contentious issue over the lifetime of the next council. So with traffic, public transport and housing already major day-to-day issues here, they are set to become even bigger issues over the lifetime of the next council. There was very little between the first four past the post in 2019, with Mr Cahill topping the poll, and reaching the quota on the first count with 20 votes to spare, taking 14.42% of the first-preference vote. Ms Bogue took the second seat with 13.99%, followed by former county councillor, Fianna Fails Mary Rose Desmond, who stood for the first time in the city in 2019 following the city boundary extension, taking 13.32% of the first-preference vote, with her veteran party colleague, Terry Shannon, taking the fourth seat with 12.52%. Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy (10.8%) and Fine Gaels Deirdre Forde (10.06%) took the last two seats. Ms Forde was lord mayor from June 22 to the middle of 2023, followed by Mr McCarthy over the last 12 months, which means he goes into this election with a high profile off the back of his year in office. There is a strong field of challengers this year, including former Sinn Fein councillor and former lord mayor, Chris OLeary, who lost his seat in 2019 despite his impressive handling of the politically tense city boundary extension process in the years running up to the last local elections. He polled just under 7% of the first-preference vote and lost out on the last seat to Ms Forde by just over 400 votes. The Mahon-based candidate has been very vocal in his criticism in recent months of the rollout of Corks first neighbourhood bike scheme in the suburb a significant investment in new bike lanes, footpaths and bus shelters. But after some initial concerns, the work is continuing without issue and there is a sense locally that he may have picked the wrong issue. His running mate is Douglas-based Michelle Cowhey Shahid. Labours Peter Horgan, from Maryborough, a parliamentary assistant to Labour TD Sean Sherlock, polled well in 2019 with just over 5.6% of the first-preference votes. File picture: Eddie O'Hare This LEA elected two Sinn Fein councillors in 2014 but if a week is a long time in politics, a decade is an eternity. Labours Peter Horgan, from Maryborough, a parliamentary assistant to Labour TD Sean Sherlock, could be one to watch here. He polled well in 2019 with just over 5.6% of the first-preference votes, finishing 484 votes behind Mr OLeary. He has been very outspoken for the last two years or so on a range of issues in the LEA, such as anti-social behaviour, planning, water quality, and BusConnects, but also on important city issues including the Cork event centre saga and the proposed light rail system, unearthing important information through Freedom of Information requests. But he would need to double his vote to be in with a shout of a seat. Completing the line-up here are Douglas-based Social Democrats candidate, Susan Doyle, a solicitor; Douglas-based non-party candidate Tony Field, a retired sales and marketing executive; the Green Partys Honore Kamegni, who works with An Post; Fine Gael candidate Barry OBrien, a recruitment consultant from Douglas; the Irish Peoples Party candidate, Farranree-based Michael ORiordan, who describes himself as a house husband; and Blackrock-based home maker, Shannon Wright, a non-party candidate. Are you curious about what the European Union does and why the upcoming elections are so crucial? Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Paul Hosford hosts a five-part podcast series that shines a light on the EU, its institutions, and the people who make it tick. Episode 1: What does Europe do and why does this election matter? What are the differences between the European Council, Parliament and Commission? Gary Murphy joins Paul to explain what Europe does and doesnt do. You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Episode 2: What does an MEP do, how much do they get paid, and what's their life like? We will send 14 people to Brussels in the June elections, what will they do there? Former MEP and current Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy discusses. You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Episode 3: Why would you leave this gig? Deirdre Clune has been an MEP for the Ireland South since 2014, however, she will not contest the 2024 elections. The departing MEP talks about the job, its pressures and the work. You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Episode 4: The outsiders insider Ireland has three MEPs who consistently find themselves at odds with the consensus. Why do they do it and can they get anything done being outside the tent? Luke Ming Flanagan joins Paul for this episode. You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Episode 5: Looking ahead What is the EUs future, what can it do for people at this stage and why does it matter? Shona Murray joins Paul to take a glimpse into the future. You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. After the International Criminal Courts (ICC) top prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister and top Hamas officials, the Israeli leader accused him of being one of the great antisemites in modern times". As protests roiled college campuses across the US over the Gaza war, Netanyahu said they were awash with antisemitic mobs". These are just two of the many instances during the war in which Netanyahu has accused critics of Israel or his policies of antisemitism, using fiery rhetoric to compare them to the Jewish peoples worst persecutors. But his detractors say he is overusing the label to further his political agenda and try to stifle even legitimate criticism, and that doing so risks diluting the terms meaning at a time when antisemitism is surging worldwide. Not every criticism against Israel is antisemitic, said Tom Segev, an Israeli historian. The moment you say it is antisemitic hate... you take away all legitimacy from the criticism and try to crush the debate. There has been a spike in antisemitic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, according to researchers. And many Jews in North America and Europe have said they feel unsafe, citing threats to Jewish schools and synagogues and the pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations in the US, although organisers deny antisemitism drives the protests. The war has reignited the long debate about the definition of antisemitism and whether any criticism of Israel from its militarys killing of thousands of Palestinian children to questions over Israels very right to exist amounts to anti-Jewish hate speech. Netanyahu, the son of a scholar of medieval Jewish persecution, has long used the travails of the Jewish people to color his political rhetoric. And he certainly isnt the first world leader accused of using national trauma to advance political goals. Netanyahus supporters say he is honestly worried for the safety of Jews around the world. Many Jews in North America and Europe have said they feel unsafe, citing threats to Jewish schools and synagogues and the pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations in the US, although organisers deny antisemitism drives the protests. Picture: AP /Andres Kudacki But his accusations of antisemitism come as he has repeatedly sidestepped accountability for not preventing Hamas October 7 attack. Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people and took 250 hostage, which many in Israels defence establishment acknowledge they shoulder the blame for. Netanyahu has continued to face criticism at home and abroad throughout the war, which has killed 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between fighters and noncombatants. The fighting has sparked a humanitarian catastrophe, and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has accused Netanyahu and his defence minister of using starvation as a method of warfare, among other crimes. Segev, the historian, acknowledged there was a rise in violent hate toward Israel and, speaking from Vienna, said he wasnt sure if speaking Hebrew in public was safe. But he said Netanyahu has long used Jewish crises for his political benefit, including invoking the Jewish peoples deepest trauma, the Holocaust, to further his goals. At the height of the campus protests, Netanyahu released a video statement condemning their unconscionable antisemitism and comparing the mushrooming encampments on college greens to Nazi Germany of the 1930s. Whats happening in Americas college campuses is horrific, he said. In response to Karim Khan seeking the arrest warrants, he said the ICC prosecutor was callously pouring gasoline on the fires of antisemitism that are raging across the world, comparing him to German judges who approved of the Nazis race laws against Jews. Netanyahu has compared accusations Israels war was causing starvation in Gaza or that the war is genocidal to blood libels unfounded centuries-old accusations that Jews sacrificed Christian children and used their blood to make unleavened bread for Passover. These false accusations are not levelled against us because of the things we do, but because of the simple fact that we exist, he said at a ceremony marking Israels Holocaust Remembrance Day earlier this month. Netanyahu previously made repeated allusions to the Holocaust while trying to galvanize the world against Irans nuclear program. Israeli leaders and the countrys media also made such comparisons about October 7, describing the Hamas attackers as Nazis, comparing their rampage to the historic violence inflicted on Eastern European Jews, and referring to the images of Jewish victims burned bodies as a Shoah the Hebrew word for Holocaust. Israelis have been jarred by the global rise in antisemitism, and many view the swell of criticism against Israel as part of the rise. They see hypocrisy in the worlds intense focus on Israels war with Hamas while other conflicts get much less attention. Moshe Klughaft, a former adviser to Netanyahu, said he believed the Israeli leader was genuinely concerned over rising antisemitism. Many Israelis view the war in Gaza as a just act of self-defence and are befuddled by what many think should be criticism directed at Hamas blaming the group for starting the war, using Palestinian civilians as human shields and refusing to free the hostages. Picture: AP /Abdel Kareem Hana It is his duty to condemn antisemitism as prime minister of Israel and as head of a country that sees itself as responsible for world Jewry, he said. Many Israelis view the war in Gaza as a just act of self-defence and are befuddled by what many think should be criticism directed at Hamas blaming the group for starting the war, using Palestinian civilians as human shields and refusing to free the hostages. The ICC warrant requests have likely bolstered such feelings. When Netanyahu leans on accusations of antisemitism, he is doing so with the Israeli public in mind, said Reuven Hazan, a political scientist at Jerusalems Hebrew University. Hazan said Netanyahu had leveraged the campus protests, for example, to get Israelis to rally around him at a time when his public support has plummeted and Israelis were growing impatient with the war. He said Netanyahu had also used the protests as a scapegoat for his failure so far to achieve the wars two goals: destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. He deflects blame from himself, attributing any shortcomings not to his foreign policies or policies in the [Palestinian] territories, but rather to antisemitism. This narrative benefits him greatly, absolving him of responsibility, Hazan said. Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, rejects the notion Netanyahu stifles criticism by calling it antisemitic, pointing to just how much criticism the country receives. But he said using the antisemitic label to achieve political ends could cheapen it. Id be more selective than the government of Israel in choosing the people and bodies they tag antisemitic, he said. Associated Press While welcomed by many, Irelands recognition of a Palestinian state this week was an emotive and unwelcome move for Jewish people in Ireland. The October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel have sparked an ongoing traumatic period, according to Irelands Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder. The recognition of the state of Palestine, which saw the Palestinian flag raised outside Leinster House, comes at the wrong time according to Rabbi Wieder who is clear to point out that the Israeli flag was not flown after October 7. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Rabbi Wieder said the Jewish community feels huge pain and anguish over every innocent civilian life thats the lost. When we see the images coming out of Gaza, we feel the same pain, but we just see that as the responsibility of Hamas. Strongly supporting the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, he says: I think if you look at, if you compare the ratios of civilians to terrorists casualties in this war, its a very good ratio compared to other wars historically. So there definitely are things that Israel could have done better, but overarchingly, yes, its the responsibility of Hamas. Israeli soldiers drive a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, on Wednesday. Picture: Tsafrir Abayov/AP The Israeli Defence Force has previously stated that, for every one Hamas militant killed, two civilians have also died. Aid agencies and political leaders, including Tanaiste Micheal Martin, have been strong in their condemnation of Israel for preventing independent observers and media into Gaza. We may have to wait until the dust settles, as Rabbi Wieder puts it, to uncover all that has gone on in the enclave over the past seven months. Palestinian authorities say 36,200 people, an overwhelming majority of them women and children, have now been killed in Gaza. Rabbi Wieder says when people move to so-called safe areas, Hamas has followed. They moved to places where Hamas then went, and then again hid behind them, what Hamas is doing to their people the Palestinian people is horrific. Its often portrayed as if there are heroes and villains, and the Israeli regime is the evil apartheid, genocide regime, and that is such a gross oversimplification. Its almost comical to hear it depicted that way. Rabbi Wieder understands that some people may not accept his view. At the end of the day, were creatures of emotion. We see pictures coming out of Gaza, the bloodshed, and of the people dying, and that pains us deeply. I would challenge them to try to look at the bigger picture, and try to hear the other side of the story. If I was only seeing the images that are being shown on Irish media or on social media platforms, I would think the same way. Its only because Im aware of the context and Im looking at the bigger picture that I see through this lens. It is put to him that the only images now being shown are of Gaza, because this is where the daily bombardment continues to kill civilians. In response, he stresses that Israel has shown time and again that they are willing to make concessions for the sake of peace. I think it would be fantastic if politicians, whether its here or elsewhere, gave constructive advice to Israel on what they think they can do to further minimize civilian casualties. If Irish politicians or politicians anywhere have better ideas ... to keep the civilian casualty ratio lower, then Israel would welcome and appreciate that. What would happen if tomorrow Israel laid down its weapons? Hamas would carry on bombing, would carry on bombarding. They would run across Israels borders again and do what they did in October 7, but a lot worse, the religious leader says. At a rally in Dublin over the weekend, Rabbi Wieder doled out strong criticism of President Michael D Higgins. The President had denounced as irresponsible claims made by the Israeli ambassador about the level of antisemitism in Ireland. Encouraging fear amongst the Jewish community in Ireland is deeply irresponsible, and is simply a PR exercise by an administration that is guilty of breaching international law in Gaza, the President has told the Irish Examiner. I think the Israeli ambassador has been deliberately suggesting that all people of Jewish belief are now at risk and are being threatened, and there is no evidence for this, President Higgins said. However, the newly appointed Chief Rabbi, who is originally from London, says Jewish people in Ireland feel anxious at the moment. A lot of Jews who have gone out identifiably as Jewish have had people shout things on the street at them such as Free Gaza or Zionists out of Ireland, and similar things to that effect, maybe a little bit less polite. Online the rhetoric is worse, he said, stating that many social media post incite violence. Perhaps adding to the feeling of being isolated is the fact that the Jewish Community in Ireland remains relatively small. There are around 2,000 Irish Jewish people whose families now go back eight or nine generations, having come here predominately from Russia and Lithuania. However, in recent years there has been somewhat of a renaissance and the community has been bolstered by more than 1,000 Jewish people. Its been an interesting challenge to the community to integrate the transient families that are moving and newcomers with the old established families. But actually, the community has done that really well. Read More 41404160 /readmore] A PRIME Munster River Blackwater sporting and salmon fishing property, the Fortwilliam Estate near Lismore on almost 400 acres has come for sale for 12 million. At the guide, it's just a fraction of the 35-40 million paid by one of Britains richest men, inventor and multi-billionaire James Dyson, who bought the Ballynatray Estate near Youghal on a larger 850 acres earlier this year. James Dyson in 2023 The Fortwilliam Estate comprises a 1836 period home of over 10,000 sq ft, with four cottages, parkland, four kms of walks, 2.5 miles of double bank fishing rights, and top land, suitable for a stud farm, tillage or other agricultural uses. Gilded finery at 1830s Fortwilliam House Used by its family owners as a fishing and accommodation business plus farm, Fortwilliam is offered this week in two lots, totalling 12m via agents Michael H Daniels and Knight Frank. A Blackwater catch With the current allure on the Blackwater, it will have an international appeal and cachet, as well as to the likes of home-grown billionaires and major stud farm owners, with an unseemly legal row continuing on the c 22.5m sale of Co Tipperarys Barne Estate on 750 acre. The Barne Estate, Clonmel Might this be a suitable, substantial substitute to swoop on? Meanwhile, on more melodic dramatic stakes, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival brings an elite audience to Lismore two miles downriver of the Fortwilliam Estatee, with tonights 8pm performance aptly titled Of Emperors, Kings and Queen, with the festival based in and around the Duke of Devonshires Lismore Castle. Fortwilliams private family owner is of Welsh origin, whose own knighted father was an industrialist and brewery owner, while downriver Ballynatrays new owner James Dyson is said to own more land than King Charles, at some 35,000 acres across vast estates in the UK, France and, now, Ireland. Ballynatray House. Said to be worth up to 20bn, Ballynatrays new master James Dyson has already started considerable additional works on his costly Irish Blackwater buy: its the countrys largest private residential purchase ever (bar Sean Dunnes D4 Walford purchase at 58m in 2005 for redevelopment), as exclusively reported by the Irish Examiner earlier this year. Local sources say helicopter visits by the Dysons at weekends are frequent and that work crews are in and out with all contractors and professional crews subject to non-disclosure agreements - as the period estate on the Waterford-Cork border gets a 21st century upgrade. One local speculation is that it was bought for one of Dysons adult children: he and his wife Deirdre have two sons and a daughter. Billiards room at Fortwilliam's basement level Other well-known River Blackwater property owners along the 105 mile long river noted for salmon angling include entertainer Michael Flatley at Castlehyde, which he has tried to sell for up to 30 million, and the Forte family of hotel renown. Upwardly mobile at Fortwilliam, a 10,000 sq ft home designed by the Pain brothers in the 1830s Now, the chance to buy into an uber-elite stretch of gilded river banks, with ghillie fishing at the Blackwaters 19th century Fortwilliam with equally gilded interiors at 120 for two persons for two hours angling, has come to the open market. The Fortwilliam Estate last sold for 7-8 million in 2012 to the current owners, in a deal done by 2024s joint agent Michael H Daniels, and he says apart from its salmon fishery appeal that it's very possible that it would appeal as a stud farm, as it's a large tranche of top quality limestone grass land which is equally suited for tillage crops, and straw. With Knight Frank in London and KFs Guy Craigie in Dublin, Mr Daniels guides the Fortwilliam Estate on 289 acres at 10m (Lot 1), with a further 2m for an additional 101 acres (Lot 2), or c 20k an acre for good farmland. Mr Daniels sold the Kerry fishery the Owenmore under the Connor Pass to the State within in the past year, for c 2m to form part of a new National Park, and also sold Cork Harbours water-fronting Cuskinny Estate in lots, for a total of c 4m. Cuskinny Estate, Cork Harbour made 4m in lots The riverside 1830s home at Fortwilliam near Glencairn Lismore was designed by the Pain Brothers, responsible for Adare Castle (now owned by JP McManus), Dromoland Castle and Strancally, also on the Blackwater River, and previous owners include the Gumbletons who commissioned its design, British MP Henry Drummond Wolfe, and US socialite Mrs Murray Mitchell who ran a donkey sanctuary on the lands. Horses for courses at Fortwilliam Estate Coincidentally the current owners have ponies grazing at Fortwilliam from the My Lovely Horse Rescue Charity: might they soon be rubbing flanks with thoroughbreds? DETAILS: michaelhdaniels.com. knightfrank.com Thai prosecutors have said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted for defaming the monarchy, three months after he was freed on parole on other charges. He will not be immediately arrested after filing a postponement request on Wednesday after contracting Covid-19. Prayuth Bejraguna, spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, said at a news conference that officials had verified that he was ill. Thaksin Shinawatra pictured one year after being ousted from office (Gareth Fuller/PA) The attorney generals office has a new appointment scheduled for Thaksins indictment on June 18, adding that the former Thai leader will also be indicted for violating the Computer Crime Act. Thaksin had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. He was released on parole in February from a Bangkok hospital, where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offences. He was moved almost immediately from prison to the hospital on grounds of ill health. About a week later, King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year. The former prime minister was granted parole earlier this month because of his age he is 74 and ill health, leaving him free for the remainder of his one-year sentence. After the return, the attorney generals office said it had revived an investigation into whether Thaksin had violated the law against defaming the monarch almost nine years ago, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Thaksin was initially charged in 2016 with violating the law for remarks he made to journalists in Seoul, South Korea, a year before. Officials said the investigation could proceed only after he was presented with the charge in person in the hospital in January. He denied the charges and submitted a statement defending himself. Whether we will win the case, it's up to the court's discretion based on the evidence Mr Prayuth said there is enough evidence for the attorney general to indict Thaksin. He said the prosecutors had prepared their statement and documents to present to the court next month. Thaksins lawyer Winyat Chatmontree said he is confident he has a strong defence for his client. We have been working on this for several months, since we submitted the statement of defence, he told The Associated Press. But whether we will win the case, its up to the courts discretion based on the evidence. Mr Winyat also claimed that the video of Thaksins comments that investigators used as evidence might have been manipulated. South Africans have begun voting in an election seen as their countrys most important in 30 years and one that could put their young democracy in unknown territory. At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of apartheids brutal white minority rule in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. A man assisted by an electoral worker casts his ballot at a polling station in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, South Africa (Themba Hadebe/AP) Africas most advanced economy has some of the worlds deepest socioeconomic problems, including one of the worst unemployment rates at 32%. The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all. After winning six successive national elections, several polls have the ANCs support at less than 50% ahead of this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the most seats. Support has been fading. The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date. People queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Johannesburg (Denis Farrell/AP) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, has promised to do better. The ANC has asked for more time and patience. Any change in the ANCs hold on power could be monumental for South Africa. If it does lose its majority, the ANC is likely to face the prospect of having to form a coalition with others to stay in government and keep Mr Ramaphosa as president. The ANC having to co-govern has never happened before. South Africans vote for parties, not directly for their president. Voters line up to cast their ballot for general elections in Alexandra (Themba Hadebe/AP) The parties then get seats in parliament according to their share of the vote and those legislators elect the president after the election. The ANC has always had a majority in parliament since 1994. The election will be held on one day across South Africas nine provinces, with nearly 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday. Mr Ramaphosa was due to cast his vote in the morning at a primary school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, where he was born and which was once the epicentre of the resistance to apartheid. There, Samuel Ratshalingwa was among the first few people in line in the chill of South Africas early winter. Voters line up to cast their ballot in general elections in Soweto (Jerome Delay/AP) I take voting as something serious because as communities, it is difficult to complain about services when you have not voted, he said. Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs. We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem. The opposition to the ANC in this election is fierce, but fragmented. The two biggest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters, are not predicted to increase their vote by anything near enough to overtake the ANC. Instead, disgruntled South Africans are moving to an array of opposition parties; more than 50 will contest the national election, many of them new. One is led by South Africas former president Jacob Zuma, who has turned against his former ANC allies. A voting official prepares a voting box at a polling station in Cape Town (Nardus Engelbrecht/AP) Mr Zuma has been disqualified from standing as a candidate for parliament but his party is still contesting and is the wildcard. He was due to vote in a rural part of his home KwaZulu-Natal province. The ANC says it is confident of retaining its majority. Mr Ramaphosa has pointed out how South Africa is a far better country now than under apartheid, when black people were barred from voting, were not allowed to move around freely, had to live in certain areas and were oppressed in every way. Memories of that era, and the defining vote that ended it in 1994, still frame much of everyday South Africa. But fewer remember it as time goes on. An election official prepares the ballots for the general elections in Soweto, South Africa (Jerome Delay/AP) This will be the seventh time that South Africans of all races, from all walks of life, from all corners of our country, will go to vote for national and provincial government, Mr Ramaphosa said in his last speech to the country before the election. We will once again assert the fundamental principle that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people. Mr Ramaphosa outlined some of his ANC governments polices to boost the economy, create jobs and extend social support for poor residents. The speech sparked a furious reaction from opposition parties, who accused him of breaking an electoral law that stops those in public office from using the office to promote a party. The vote will showcase the countrys contradictions, from the economic hub of Johannesburg labelled Africas richest city to the picturesque tourist destination of Cape Town, to the informal settlements of shacks in their outskirts. Millions will vote in rural areas still seen as ANC heartlands and analysts have not ruled out that the party might cling on to its majority, given its decades of experience in government and an unmatched grassroots campaigning machine. Voters in Alexandra line up to cast their ballot (Themba Hadebe/AP) While 80% of South Africans are black, it is a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage and others. There are 12 official languages. It is the diversity that Nelson Mandela, South Africas first black president, highlighted as a beautiful thing by referring to his country as a Rainbow Nation. It is a diversity that, with the emergence of many new opposition parties, also might now be reflected in its politics. Israels military said that it has seized control of a strategic corridor that runs along the length of Gazas border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah, where Israeli forces have been fighting recently. The capture of the area, known as the Philadelphi corridor, signals that Israel has deepened its offensive in southern Gaza, even as calls for restraint have rang out surrounding recent civilian deaths. The move could complicate relations with Egypt, which has complained over Israels advance toward its border, including when Israeli forces captured the Rafah border crossing, the only one between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border (Tsafrir Abayov/AP) The corridor is part of a larger demilitarised zone along both sides of the entire Israel-Egypt border. Under a peace accord, each is allowed to deploy only a tiny number of troops or border guards in the zone. At the time of the accord, Israeli troops controlled Gaza until Israel withdrew its forces and settlers in 2005. The narrow corridor about 100 meters wide in parts runs the 14km (8.6-mile) length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Smuggling tunnels that run between Egypt and the Gaza Strip are known to stretch under the area. Israels military had no further details about the move. A top official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through to the end of the year (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Earlier Wednesday, a top Israeli official said that Israels war with Hamas is likely to last through the end of the year a grim prediction for a conflict already in its eighth month that has killed tens of thousands, deepened Israels global isolation and brought the region repeatedly to the brink of a wider conflagration. National security adviser Tzachi Hanegbis remarks were made as Israel was expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which has been the scene of intense fighting over recent days that has killed dozens, including displaced Palestinians. The military said three Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday. Israeli media reported they were killed in a blast inside a building. Mr Hanegbi told Kan public radio that he was expecting another seven months of fighting to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. The army is achieving its objectives but (it) said from the first days it was presenting its plan to the Cabinet that the war will be long, he said. They have designated 2024 as a year of war. Mr Hanegbis remarks raise questions about the future of Gaza and what kind of role Israel will play in it. Already, top ally the United States has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decide on a post-war vision for the Palestinian territory and his defence minister and a top governing partner has warned that he must take steps to ensure that Israel isnt bogged down in Gaza indefinitely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been told to decide on a post-war vision for Gaza (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool) The war has already devastated Gazas urban landscape, displaced most of the territorys population and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger. It has opened Israel up to international legal scrutiny, with world courts faulting it over its war-time conduct, sparked disagreements with the White House and prompted three European nations to recognise a Palestinian state against Israels wishes. Israel says it must dismantle Hamas last remaining battalions in Rafah. It has also said it will seek indefinite security control over the Gaza Strip, even after the war ends. Israel has yet to achieve its main goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in the October 7 attack that triggered the war. Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza that the military said it wrested control of months ago potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. The fighting in Rafah has displaced 1 million people, the United Nations says, and Palestinians on Wednesday reported heavy fighting in different parts of the city. Most of the people who had been in Rafah had previously been displaced from elsewhere in Gaza. Thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting in Rafah (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Residents said fighting was underway in the city centre and on the outskirts of Tel al-Sultan, a north-western neighbourhood where an Israeli strike over the weekend ignited a fire that swept through an encampment for displaced people, killing dozens. The military says it is investigating the strike and said the blaze may have been caused by a secondary explosion. An expensive floating pier built by the US to surge aid into the territory was meanwhile taken out of service by bad weather, in another setback to efforts to bring food to starving Palestinians. Gazas land crossings are now entirely controlled by Israel. Palestinians in Rafah said thousands were still streaming out of the city, joining a mass exodus bound for crowded tent camps and areas devastated by earlier rounds of fighting. Many have already been displaced multiple times since the start of the war. Overnight and into Tuesday, Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents outside Rafah, according to witnesses and health officials. The strikes occurred in the same area as the tent camp inferno, which has drawn widespread international outrage. All land crossings into Rafah are entirely controlled by Israel (Staff Sgt Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP) The Israeli military suggested Sundays blaze in the tent camp may have been caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants weapons. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said the munitions used targeting what the army said was a position with two senior Hamas militants were too small to be the source of the blaze. The strike or the subsequent fire could also have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the camp. The blaze killed 45 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Mr Netanyahu said the fire was the result of a tragic mishap. The strikes over the past few days have hit areas west of Rafah, where the military had not ordered civilians to evacuate. Israeli ground troops and tanks have been operating in eastern Rafah, in central parts of the city, and along the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk through a makeshift tent camp in Rafah, Gaza (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) The US and other allies of Israel have warned against a full-fledged offensive in Rafah, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. On Tuesday, US state department spokesman Matthew Miller gave no indication the administration sees Israel as crossing any of the red lines for Rafah, saying the offensive is still on a far different scale than assaults on other population centres in Gaza. Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africas case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel vehemently denies. A proposed UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to Rafah fighting was being circulated by Algeria on Tuesday, with plans to potentially bring it to a vote this week. The US has vetoed multiple Gaza ceasefire resolutions. The war began when Hamas and other militants burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on October 7, killing some 1,200 civilians and taking around 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israels offensive in response to the attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. Israel says it has killed 13,000 militants. RADISSON HOTEL GROUP CONTINUES ITS EXPANSION IN OMAN WITH THE OPENING OF LEVATIO SUITES MUSCAT, A MEMBER OF RADISSON INDIVIDUALS Radisson Hotel Group proudly announces the opening of Oman's first hotel under the Radisson Individual brand. RADISSON HOTEL GROUP CONTINUES ITS EXPANSION IN OMAN WITH THE OPENING OF LEVATIO SUITES MUSCAT, A MEMBER OF RADISSON INDIVIDUALS Radisson Hotel Group proudly announces the opening of Oman's first hotel under the Radisson Individual brand. Oman - Industry economy - Hotel opening This is a press release Category: Middle East This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2024-05-29 Radisson Muscat Panorama, the Group now has 12 hotels in operation and under development in the country. Situated in the bustling Bawshar commercial district, Levatio Suites Muscat, a member of Radisson Individuals, is centrally located near many of Muscats exciting attractions. Bawshar is well-known for its high-end stores, restaurants, and nearby shopping centers, including Panorama Mall, Oman Mall, and Oman Avenues Mall. Additional must-see attractions include the Royal Opera House and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, one of the citys most important cultural sites and emblematic landmarks. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque features an impressive glistening Swarovski crystal chandelier and the second largest handmade Iranian rug in the world, which reportedly took 600 women over four years to weave. Levatio Suites Muscat, a member of Radisson Individuals consists of 134 tastefully designed studios and apartments which harmoniously blend contemporary design and authentic Omani charm. The suites offer an abundance of natural light and panoramic city views from the hotels expansive windows, making every stay a picturesque and memorable experience. The hotel's strategic location ensures guests can reach the hotel in approximately 15 minutes by car or taxi from the airport, making it an ideal choice for international business and leisure travelers. Al Muzen, the hotel's flagship multi-cuisine restaurant offers a selection of Middle Eastern dishes combined with global flavors. Al Muzen is the perfect choice for both locals and international travelers seeking an exceptional dining experience. The hotels holistic wellness facilities stand as a testament to luxury and relaxation. The spa is equipped with premium amenities such as a soothing whirlpool, invigorating steam rooms, and specialized Thai massages by seasoned professionals. For those who prioritize fitness when traveling, the gym boasts state-of-the-art equipment. The hotels outdoor pool awaits those looking to enjoy a refreshing dip under the Omani sun. "Muscat Levatio Suites is more than just a hotel. It is a sanctuary that blends modern comforts with Omani traditions to ensure every guest experiences the soul of Oman, expressed Mohammed Keshreh, General Manager of Levatio Suites Muscat, a member of Radisson Individuals. Tim Cordon, COO, MEA & SEAP, Radisson Hotel Group, said We are thrilled to introduce Levatio Suites Muscat, a member of Radisson Individuals to our growing portfolio in Oman. This marks the debut of our Radisson Individuals portfolio and the introduction of our 5th brand to Oman. This venture embodies our commitment to delivering upscale hospitality and celebrating the region's rich culture." About Radisson Individuals Radisson Individuals is a brand that allows hotel properties to maintain and promote their unique characteristics and personalities by focusing on one-of-a kind locations and experiences, whilst meeting the high standards of quality and service that guests have come to expect from the Radisson Hotel Group. It is a complement brand to the other existing brands in the portfolio, and an ideal first step for individual hotels with strong service scores who may be considering transitioning to one of the other successful core brands at a later stage. Radisson Individuals properties are located in key business and leisure destinations. Guests and professional business partners can enhance their experience with Radisson Individuals by participating in Radisson Rewards, an international loyalty program offering exceptional benefits and rewards. Radisson Individuals is a part of the Radisson family of brands, which also includes Radisson Collection, artotel, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels. About Radisson Hotel Group Radisson Hotel Group is an international hotel group, operating in EMEA and APAC with over 1,350 hotels in operation and under development in +95 countries. The international hotel group is rapidly expanding with a plan to significantly grow the portfolio. The Groups overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos. The Radisson family of brands portfolio includes Radisson Collection, artotel, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial umbrella brand Radisson Hotels. Radisson Rewards is Radisson Hotel Groups international rewards program that delivers unique and personalized ways to create memorable moments that matter to its guests. Radisson Rewards offers an exceptional experience for its guests, meeting planners, and travel agents in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral. At Radisson Hotel Group we care for people, communities and planet and aim to be Net Zero by 2050 based on the approved near-term Science Based Targets. With unique solutions such as 100% carbon neutral Radisson Meetings, we make sustainable hotel stays easy. To facilitate sustainable travel choices, all our hotels are becoming verified on Hotel Sustainability Basics. The health and safety of guests and team members remain a top priority for Radisson Hotel Group. All properties across the Groups portfolio are subject to health and safety requirements, ensuring we always care for our guests and team members. [ Levatio Suites Muscat, a member of Radisson Individuals ] [Website of the company which publishes this press release] An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo ( Florida Phoenix ) -With some parts of the country already facing heat waves, the organization in charge of setting reliability standards for the American electric grid is warning that a scorching summer could lead to a shortage of power generation in some regions. The warning comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says theres a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the five warmest years on record and 55% chance it will be the hottest on record. Overall, though, the analysis by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation painted a rosier picture than last years report, in part because of a surge in solar power development. The nation has enough energy supply to handle normal peak demand, called load in the electric industry, largely because of 25 gigawatts of new solar power capacity at full capacity thats the rough equivalent maximum output of 25 large fossil or nuclear power plants. (The number of homes that can be powered from one gigawatt of solar can vary widely across the country). But the new panels have helped move some areas from what NERC calls elevated risk of power shortfalls in last years analysis to normal risk this year. Resource additions are providing needed capacity to keep up with rising peak demand in most areas, Mark Olson, the organizations manager of reliability assessments, told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week. New power transfer agreements, growth in demand response programs, which incentivize customers to reduce power usage during times of grid stress, and delayed power plant retirements are also contributing to an overall improved resource outlook for the upcoming summer, NERC says. A solar surge A separate FERC staff presentation said solar will make up 10% of overall national electric generation capacity by the end of this summer, with natural gas providing 42%, coal providing 14% and wind power at 13%. Solar power is growing fast across the country, with the U.S. hitting five million total solar installations (most of them residential), per the Solar Energy Industries Association. Reaching that milestone took 50 years, but the industry group projects that hitting 10 million solar installations will only take six years. Solar power for the first time accounted for more than half of new electric generation capacity added in 2023, the group noted. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects a record addition of new utility-scale solar power this year, with about 36.4 gigawatts projected to be installed. More than half of that new capacity is planned for Texas, California and Florida. A solar and battery storage development operated by Entergy in Searcy, Arkansas. Solar power growth is expected to help some parts of the country meet electric demand this summer. (Robert Zullo/ States Newsroom) The Gemini facility scheduled to begin operation this year near Las Vegas, with a planned solar capacity of nearly 700 megawatts and battery storage capacity of up to 380 megawatts, is expected to become the nations largest solar project. Battery storage is also growing rapidly, with more than 14 gigawatts expected to be added this year, according to the EIA. Batteries complement solar generation well, since solars peak production doesnt generally line up with peak demand on the grid, which happens later in the day. Batteries allow excess solar power to be banked for when its needed. But a changing power mix also comes with new challenges and risks, NERC warned. In his presentation to FERC, Olson said that while the overall summer electric reliability outlook has improved, some regions are seeing what he described as growing risks during extreme weather. Shortages could occur when demand is high and solar, wind or hydro output are low, he said. Those regions include parts of the Midwest and South in the grid area managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, New England, Texas, much of the Southwest and California. Grid operators, though, are becoming increasingly adept at planning and running electric grids with large amounts of intermittent resources. Its refreshing to finally get the recognition that renewables can help with reliability, said Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association. Shifting seasons and climate change While most of the country has historically been summer-peaking, meaning regions hit their highest demand for electricity during the summer months, some areas are increasingly seeing demand spike in winter, a trend that is expected to continue as result of heating electrification, other decarbonization policies and more extreme, protracted cold weather events. Indeed, the majority of recent electric grid failures have been during severe winter weather, such as Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, which caused blackouts in several southern states and Uri in 2021, which caused a catastrophic collapse of the Texas electric grid that caused an estimated 246 deaths. But summer heat still poses risks, NERC says, contributing to both high demand and power plant outages, such as at natural gas power plants. Last summer brought record temperatures, extended heat waves and wildfires to large parts of North America, the organization said. And though energy emergency alerts were few and no electricity supply interruptions happened as a result of insufficient power resources, grid operators faced significant challenges and drew upon procedures and protocols to obtain all available resources, manage system demand and ensure that energy is delivered over the transmission network to meet the system demand. Utilities and state and local officials in many areas also used mechanisms and public appeals to lower customer demand during periods of strained supplies, NERC added. Christy Walsh, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Councils Sustainable FERC Project, said the reliability reports show how climate change is central to the pressures facing the electric grid. And it needs to be at the center of our solutions too, she said in a statement to States Newsroom. Earlier and more intense hurricanes brought on by increasing sea temperatures are a new and noteworthy concern, and this underscores the need for more large-scale transmission and connections between regions. Most of the new additions were wind, solar and storage, and last summer especially we saw just how crucial these resources can be during extreme heat events. We need to make sure we have a grid that can withstand the weather and move resources around during times of stress. By Francis Dupuis-Deri, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) | (The Conversation) A new conceptual tool is required to fully understand the most recent rhetorical strategies of far-right activists and politicians, including former U.S. President Donald Trump. This is precisely what the concept of intersectionality of hate aims to do. Analysts and academics have been talking about the intersectionality of hate for several years now. In doing so, they draw on the notion of intersectionality developed by African-American law professor Kimberle Crenshaw to designate a reality shaped by sexism, racism, classism and other categories (there are some 30 in all). Crenshaw points out that African-American women have always been aware of this complex reality. Mary Church Terrell, a Black suffragist, declared around 1920 that a white woman has only one handicap to overcome, that of sex. I have two: sex and race. While researching anti-feminism and discourses of mens victimhood related to a so-called crisis of masculinity, I became aware of how the new concept of intersectionality of hate makes it possible to understand the interweaving of hateful discourses. The French historian Christine Bard, with whom I have the good fortune to collaborate, rightly points out that anti-feminism practises intersectionality, but its the intersectionality of hate, which brings together sexism, racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and homophobia. This interweaving of hate speech can also be viewed from different points of view, for example, from the racist and xenophobic or anti-gender and transphobic movements. Conceptual innovation The popularity of the concept of intersectionality no doubt explains the synchronous appearance of the intersectionality of hate on both sides of the Atlantic. The article How Trump Made Hate Intersectional appeared in New York magazine on November 9, 2016, the day after Trumps election. It was signed by the African-American intellectual Rembert Browne, who explained how the Republican candidate federated voters. Trump won the presidency by making hate intersectional. He encouraged sexists to also be racists and homophobes, while saying disgusting things about immigrants in public and Jews online. Hatred is mixed here with the fear of being robbed of ones country, institutions and personal achievements, and with anger at not having what one thinks one is entitled to simply by virtue of being a heterosexual white male. This attitude is reminiscent of that of the Angry White Men that was much talked about just a few years ago: it is no longer limited to blaming a single group for real or imagined personal problems but blames all minority groups. That means there is no longer a single scapegoat, but a whole herd. At the same time, in France, Bard, who has shown that anti-feminism and lesbophobia are intertwined and mutually reinforcing, analyzed 1,367 articles dealing with women, gender and sexuality published in the far-right weekly Minute. MSNBC: Hes broke: AOC roasts Trump for hosting a campaign rally in the Bronx She found that the intersectionality of hate is practised, associating feminism, homosexualism, Islamism and immigrationism. She notes that political and media figures are targeted with particular intensity if they are women, and also if they are Jewish, Muslim or of African origin. The historian concludes that this intersectionality of hate runs counter to any egalitarian or inclusive perspective. Attacks on progressives Shortly afterwards, the journal Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture, and Social Justice devoted a short special report to the intersectionality of hate, associating it with the far right, which attacks progressives and accuses them of imposing their values and defending minorities. In addition to racist and sexist attacks, there are also virulent accusations against cultural Marxists (or wokes) who allegedly control the State in order to develop positive discrimination programs and influence the education system to be able to indoctrinate young people with political correctness. Each attack is an opportunity to point out that the essence of the United States is European, Anglo-Saxon, Christian, heterosexual, capitalist and meritocratic. The attacks also serve to distract attention from the elite that really dominates the country, which is made up of multi-billionaires in the White House, as well as heads of big business and media. The intersectionality of hate is disseminated by influential traditional (Fox News) and web (Daily Stormer and Daily Wire) media, think tanks like the National Policy Institute and polemicists like Christopher Rufo and Ben Shapiro. Terrorism The notion of intersectionality of hate is taken up again in the analysis of hate speech and those associated with terrorist attacks. For example, a study in Europe, Intersectional Hate Speech Online, concludes that Women remain the group of people most often targeted by intersectional hate speech [], for example Muslim women, Roma women or Women of Colour. [] Another target group for intersectional hate speech is women in public positions. Europol also mentions the intersectionality of hate in its 2020 Terrorism Situation and Trend Report. The agency presents a list of attacks motivated by anti-feminism, racism and xenophobia. It gives the example of the one perpetrated in 2011 in Norway by the Nazi Anders Breivik, who claimed in his manifesto to be defending Christian European civilization, and who massacred 76 young socialists. Europol also mentions Elliot Rodger, who committed one of the first mass murders associated with involuntary celibates in California in 2014, and who also expressed sexist and racist hatred in his manifesto. I was anti-everything, answered a former French gendarme when the court asked him if he was homophobic, during a trial for having planned attacks on several targets. The defendant had also written a neo-Nazi manifesto celebrating Breivik. Other Islamophobic attackers had planned to attack feminists. The one who targeted the Quebec mosque in 2017 was interested in feminist groups at Laval University, and the one who decimated a Muslim family in Ontario, in 2021, had scouted abortion clinics. Finally, British journalist Helen Lewis points out in her article The Intersectionality of Hate, published in The Atlantic, on a mass killer who targeted Buffalos African-American community in 2022, that his manifesto included antisemitic cartoons. Victim rhetoric So, the intersectionality of hate works by superimposing similar analytical frameworks that systematically deduce the same dynamics from reality, and always lead to the same conclusion: the white heterosexual male is a victim of minorities he must resist. This rhetoric helps to legitimize even the most obvious abuses, such as voting for the would-be dictator for a day Trump, or imposing ones vision of things through terrorist violence. The intersectionality of hate also targets progressives and reflects the refusal to recognize that the majority of white heterosexual men is, in reality, a minority whose claim to superiority, or even supremacy, is well and truly contested in the name of social justice. Francis Dupuis-Deri, Professeur, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) Ireland joined Spain and Norway on Tuesday in formally recognizing Palestine as a sovereign and independent state in Gaza and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, inside 1967 borders. The prime minister or Taoiseach of Ireland, Simon Harris, proclaimed, Irelands decision is about keeping hope alive. It is about believing that a two-state solution is the only way for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace and security. The Irish government called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In his speech to parliament or the Dail, Harris said, Last week, I expressed that recognition sends a message to those in Palestine who advocate and work for a future of peace and democracy. We fully respect your aspirations to be living freely in your own country, in control of your own affairs under your own leadership. In lockstep with our European colleagues, we aimed to be bearers of hope. We wanted to reaffirm our belief that peace is possible, justice is achievable, and that recognition of both states, Palestine and Israel, is the only cornerstone upon which that peace must be built. You cannot have a two-state solution without two states. We have long recognized the State of Israel and its right to exist in peace and security within internationally agreed borders. Today, we equally recognize the State of Palestine and its right to exist within internationally agreed borders. So, I want to conclude today by reiterating my statement from last week to the people of Palestine in the West Bank, in Gaza, in refugee camps, in exile, and those who joined us in the Dail today and around the world. Here in Ireland, we see you, we recognize you, we respect you, and today Ireland formally recognizes the state of Palestine. Thank you. The center-right Irish government usually defers to the United States in foreign policy and it had repeatedly refused to impose sanctions on Israel for its long term occupation of the Palestinians. It is clear that the Israeli total war on Gaza for the past nearly 9 months, and the way in which the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly thumbed its nose at international legal institutions, was what changed Irish minds. Harris went so far as to broach sanctions on Israel in reaction to Sunday evenings bombing of a refugee tent camp in what had been declared a safe zone, which set fires that devoured some 45 persons, according to the BBC: Overnight we have seen Israel attack a displaced person centre, a place where parents were told to flee with their children, and they bombed it. In relation to sanctions, I dont think anything can be off the table when it comes to Israel, particularly with what were seeing currently happening in Rafah now, when were seeing the international community being ignored, when were seeing international courts being ignored. PM Harris also condemned rising violence by Israeli squatters on Palestinian land against the indigenous population in the occupied West Bank, saying, In todays West Bank we see an extreme form of Zionism fuel settler violence and appropriation of land, illegal actions that largely go unchecked. The idea of sanctioning Israel had been earlier pushed by the opposition left wing party, Sinn Fein. Member of Parliament Matt Carthy, speaking a few days ago, had said, The state that we will now officially recognise has long endured oppression, occupation and apartheid. Today the people of Gaza face a relentless genocide . . . Israel must be held to account and meaningfully sanctioned for the ongoing gross violations of international law in Gaza and across Palestine. It is an impressive achievement for Netanyahu to have brought the whole spectrum of Irish politics, from the center right to the left, together. The deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Micheal Martin, said, according to Euronews, Todays decision by the Government represents our conviction that a political way forward is the only way to break the cycle of dispossession, subjugation, dehumanisation, terrorism and death that has marred the lives of Israelis and Palestinians for decades. Martin also excoriated Israel for the Rafah tent strike, calling it barbaric, according to the BBC: I condemn the violence . . . The rockets that were struck at Tel Aviv and the heinous attack on the Rafah tent refugee camp where innocent children and civilians were killed. What we witnessed last night is barbaric. Gaza is a very small enclave, densely populated conurbation. One cannot bomb an area like that without shocking consequences in terms of innocent children and civilians. Martin predicted that more member states of the 27-state European Union will join in recognizing Palestine. Prior to Tuesday, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria had recognized Palestine; for the eastern Europeans, that step was taken when they were Socialist states. Slovenia and Belgium are already weighing this decision. Countries get enormous pressure, and threats, from Israel and the United States to keep the Palestinians stateless and helpless and to de facto perpetuate the Apartheid situation imposed by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a formal statement posted to X, Martin said, Todays Government decision authorises the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the State of Palestine. Subject to the formal request from the Palestinian authorities, the Government will upgrade the status of the Palestinian Mission in Ireland to that of an Embassy, and authorise the appointment of an Ambassador from the State of Palestine to Ireland. Our decision today also authorises the upgrading of the current Representative Office of Ireland in Ramallah to an Embassy. Recognition of Palestine is not the end of a process; it is the beginning. We are deeply committed to the pursuit of peace and support for Palestinian state-building. Ireland has reaffirmed this commitment over many decades, through intensive diplomacy and our long-standing development cooperation programme. It is vital that the Palestinian Authority is given the full backing of the international community in its reform and service delivery efforts and we will redouble our energies to this end. In recent days, I have held substantive discussions on the path ahead with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and engaged with European and Arab partners on the Arab Peace Vision as a meaningful way forward in achieving peace. Ireland will continue to work closely with the Palestinian Authority, and our EU and international partners, in creating a political path that can stop this horrific conflict and humanitarian disaster, ensure the release of all hostages, and realise the vision of a sovereign, independent Palestinian State existing alongside the State of Israel in peace and security. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Bear Creek Mining Corporation (TSXV: BCM) (OTCQX: BCEKF) (BVL: BCM) ("Bear Creek" or the "Company") reports its interim condensed consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 ("Q1 2024"). This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's interim condensed consolidated financial statements and management discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three months ended March 31, 2024, which are available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.bearcreekmining.com). Monetary amounts in this news release are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated and all capitalized terms herein have the same meaning as defined in the Q1 2024 financial statements. Highlights Key milestones that occurred during and subsequent to the end of Q1 2024 include: Production of 12,228 oz of gold and 44,040 oz of silver; Closing the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm Gold Ltd. ("Sandstorm") on January 22, 2024 which included: Restructuring the Mercedes metal streams, reducing gold deliverables from 600 to 275 ounces per month and silver deliverables from 100% to nil until April 2028 and increasing the cash payments for both to 25% of spot prices; Amending the terms of the $22.5 million Sandstorm Convertible Debenture entered into on December 16, 2021, and extending its maturity date; Granting a net smelter return ("NSR") royalty on the Corani asset; and Issuing share consideration to Sandstorm. Continuing to make substantial technical changes at Mercedes to improve operating performance; Enacting measures to overcome historical geotechnical challenges and development deficits at Mercedes; Appointing Zoya Shashkova to the position of Chief Financial Officer effective March 18, 2024; and, Receiving final approval for the Restructuring Agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") on April 30, 2024. Selected Q1 2024 Financial and Production Results Bear Creek's Mercedes gold mine, located in Sonora, Mexico, produced 12,228 ounces of gold and 44,040 ounces of silver during the three months ended March 31, 2024. During this period 12,679 ounces of gold were sold, of which 825 ounces of gold were delivered under streaming arrangements. Cash cost and all-in-sustaining cost ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold were $1,183 and $1,588, respectively. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures", below. Mercedes Operating Highlights Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Gold ounces produced 12,228 Silver ounces produced 44,040 Gold ounces sold 12,679 Cash costs per gold ounce sold (1) $1,183 AISC per gold ounce sold (1) $1,588 Tonnes mined 106,365 Tonnes processed 109,280 Average gold grade mined (g/t) 3.83 Average gold grade processed (g/t) 3.69 Recovery rate gold 94% Average realized gold price (2) $2,052 Development (meters) 2,781 Financial Results (thousands of dollars, except share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Revenue $27,532 Comprehensive earnings (loss) after taxes $(17,289) Comprehensive earnings (loss) per share (3) $(0.08) Adjusted earnings (loss) after taxes (1) $(4,100) Adjusted earnings (loss) per share (1)(3)(4) $(0.02) Cash generated from (used in) operating activities $6,623 Cash generated from (used in) investing activities $(4,500) Cash generated from (used in) financing activities $327 Weighted average shares during period 220,619,381 Shares issued and outstanding at end of period 227,575,785 (1) Non-GAAP Measure. Please see "Non-GAAP Measures" below for further information. (2) Inclusive of final settlement adjustments on sales for non-streamed ounces. (3) Per share amounts are based on weighted average shares during the period. (4) Adjusted earnings excludes non-cash items that are significant but not reflective of the underlying operational performance of the Company and are a useful metric as they are an important indicator of the strength of operations and the performance of the Company's core business. Additional information is provided in the Company's Q1 2024 MD&A. Eric Caba, President & CEO, states, "Significant progress was made at Mercedes this quarter across a number of initiatives. Production and operating results from the Mercedes mine in Q1 2024 demonstrate a continuity of the improvements realized in the final quarter of 2023, including gold and silver ounces produced, average gold grade mined and processed, and development meters achieved. We also closed the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm during the quarter and the resulting reduction in our stream deliverables has provided us with increased exposure to recent improvements in metal prices. While we have seen positive results in the last two quarters from our optimization initiatives over the past year, there are still challenges ahead of us to overcome that are likely to cause fluctuating production results throughout 2024. While a one-time non-cash charge reflecting the accounting cost of the Restructuring Agreement impacted our Q1 2024 earnings, the financial performance of the Mercedes mine is improving and our optimism for Mercedes' ability to generate consistent, reliable quarterly production results and steady free cash flow has not wavered." Restructuring Agreement During Q1 2024 the Company closed the Restructuring Agreement with Sandstorm, which received final approval from the TSX-V subsequent to the end of the quarter. The Restructuring Agreement increases the Company's participation in the sale of gold and silver produced at Mercedes (the "Stream Amendments") and extends the maturity date of the $22.5 million Sandstorm Convertible Debenture and Promissory Note (the "Debt Amendments"). Details regarding the Restructuring Agreement, including the Stream Amendments and Debt Amendments are available in the Company's news releases dated September 28, 2023 and January 22, 2024, in its MD&A and Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023, and its Q1 2024 MD&A, each of which is available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+. Mercedes Mine, Mexico The Mercedes mine is a fully mechanized, ramp-access operation that produces gold and silver. Eleven individual deposits have been mined or are in production. Seven additional deposits have been identified and are in the early exploration or drill definition stage. Additional mineralized zones proximal to existing workings have been identified and are at the exploration or drill definition stage. Exploration A greenfield exploration drilling program that commenced in late 2023 continued during Q1 2024 and focused primarily on targets with limited previous drill testing including the Marianas Deep, San Martin Displacement and Klondike Displacement targets. Expenditures on this limited program during Q1 2024 totaled $0.7 million. Development The Company's focus on improving mine development continued through Q1 2024 with 2,781 meters of development advancement achieved during the period. This is in line with the development meters achieved in Q4 2023 after steady quarterly improvements over the course of the past financial year, from 1,044 meters in Q1 2023. Mining progress within San Martin benefitted from significant advances in infrastructure development including installation of a vent raise that is scheduled to be fully operational in Q2 2024. The Company pivoted away from the primary vertical ramp in Marianas in December of Q4 2023 due to poor ground conditions which were causing significant cost overruns and delays. Marianas development work was moved to a new lateral ramp into better quality rock. Production Mercedes' Q1 2024 production was comprised of contributions from four main deposit areas: San Martin (the primary contributor), Marianas, Diluvio and Lupita, and totaled 106,365 tonnes of ore mined at an average mining grade of 3.83 g/t gold, with 109,280 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 3.69 g/t gold processed during Q1 2024. The gold grade of both mined and processed ore during Q1 2024 increased substantially in comparison to the same period a year earlier (2.93 g/t gold mined and 2.91 g/t processed during Q1 2023). San Martin is expected to continue to contribute meaningfully to Mercedes' gold production through the remainder of 2024. The Mercedes Mine had no lost time incidents and no reportable environmental incidents during the three months ended March 31, 2024. Outlook Work on a new geological and block models continued to progress during Q1 2024 and are being prepared for review by external experts, which is expected to occur during Q2 2024. The continued focus on development as well as delineation and exploration drilling, combine to support the Company's plans for medium and long-term production. Additionally, specialized technical resources are being applied to better understand the complex geological environment at Mercedes and more precisely guide the exploration efforts. Updates to estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources are tentatively expected before year end, pending completion of the first phase of the exploration and infill drilling campaign and approval of the models described above. As a result of anticipated variability in Mercedes' production rates for the remainder of 2024, Bear Creek is not providing 2024 production guidance for the Mercedes Mine. Corani Project Activities at the Corani Property during the three months ended March 31, 2024 focused primarily on community support initiatives and on progressing a geometallurgical test program. The Company maintains and continues excellent working relationships with local communities. The Corani geometallurgical program, which commenced in 2023, involved drilling 9 holes totaling approximately 1,231 meters, and logging, sampling and assaying the drill core. Assay results were substantially in line with the existing Corani block model. A selection of samples for metallurgical test work were shipped to Base Metallurgical Laboratory in Canada in late 2023 and results are expected to be received in late Q2 or early Q3 2024. The purpose of the geometallurgical program is to establish updated data as the Company prepares to resume Corani project financing efforts. Pending receipt of the results of the geometallurgical test program, and if and as Peruvian investment conditions improve, the Company will restart its efforts to seek the funding necessary to construct the proposed Corani mine. In the meantime, the Company is investigating a number of opportunities to add value to the Corani project and is continuing to focus on maintaining the Corani permits and the project's strong social license. Overview of Results of Operations, Liquidity and Capital Resources The Company recorded revenue of $27.5 million from the sale of gold and silver during the three months ended March 31, 2024 (compared to $24.3 million for the comparative period of 2023). The cost of goods sold was $16.8 million and depletion, amortization and depreciation amounted to $7.4 million during Q1 2024. The Company recorded a gross profit from operations of $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (compared to a gross loss of $1.3 million the same period a year earlier). Mercedes' operating costs are incurred primarily in Mexican pesos and strengthening of the Mexican peso against the US dollar negatively impacted labor and contractor costs associated with mine development during Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. These cost increases were partially offset by lower material costs, lower cement consumption and lower maintenance costs stemming from the Company's cost reduction efforts. Spending on the Corani property totalled $2.1 million during the three months ended March 31, 2024, an increase of $0.5 million from the same period a year earlier as a result of the geometallurgical test work program that commenced in mid-2023. The Corani expenditures comprise both direct project expenditures and corporate overhead costs. As the Restructuring Agreement represented substantial modifications of the Company's previous debts, the Company derecognized deferred revenue associated with the Sandstorm Gold Stream and determined the fair value of the Restructured Sandstorm Gold Stream, the Restructured Silver Stream, the NSR royalty on the Corani asset and of the share consideration issued to Sandstorm as a part of the transaction as at the January 22, 2024 closing date of the Restructuring Agreement. The Company also derecognized the existing Sandstorm Convertible Debenture and other secured debt, that upon restructuring were combined into the five-year convertible Promissory Note on the same terms as the Convertible Debenture, determined the fair value of these convertible debts and recognized new instruments on the January 22, 2024 closing date. All components of the Restructuring Agreement have been further revalued at fair value on the Q1 2024 reporting date. For the quarter ending March 31, 2024, the Company recorded a $8.3 million loss on the Restructuring Agreement (Q1 2023: $nil). After operating expenses, other income and expenses, tax expenses and recoveries the Company recorded a comprehensive net loss of $17.3 million ($0.08 per share) for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (Q1 2023: $11.6 million and $0.08 per share). The increase in loss of $5.6 million in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023 was primarily due to the $8.3 million loss on the Restructuring Agreement offset by higher gross profit of $3.3 million. At March 31, 2024 the Company held cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $6.4 million, an increase of $2.4 million from December 31, 2023. During Q1 2024 the Company had a cash inflow from operating activities of $6.6 million (March 31, 2023: inflow of $4.0 million). Investing activities, related primarily to payments for mine development at Mercedes, resulted in a cash outflow of $4.5 million, and financing activities resulted in an inflow of $0.3 million primarily due to $1.1 million in drawdowns from the Sandstorm interim credit facility offset by $0.7 million in interest paid during Q1 2024. The Company's interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 were prepared following accounting principles applicable to a going concern, which assumes the Company will be able to continue operations for at least twelve months from March 31, 2024 and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As at March 31, 2024, the Company had a working capital (current assets less current liabilities) deficiency of $88.2 million (December 31, 2023: $89.7 million), which was impacted by the amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements, requiring reclassification of equity-settleable convertible notes and warrant liabilities totalling $73.0 million (December 31, 2023: $47.4 million) from non-current liabilities to current liabilities. Non-GAAP Measures This news release includes disclosure of certain financial measures or ratios, as such terms are used in National Instrument 52-112 - Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure, including Cash Cost, All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") and Adjusted Earnings. These Non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized financial measures under IFRS Accounting Standards ("IFRS") and might not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. The Company believes that these measures and ratios provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the prospects of the Company as they provide additional information related to operating performance and are widely used in the mining industry. For further information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures including reconciliations of these measures to the applicable costs items as reported in the consolidated financial statements for the respective periods, please see the information under the heading "Cash Cost and All-in-Sustaining Cost ("AISC") for Mercedes" in the Company's MD&A for the three months ended March 31, 2024, available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Eric Caba President and CEO For further information contact: Barbara Henderson - VP Corporate Communications Direct: 604-628-1111 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.bearcreekmining.com Subscribe to Bear Creek Mining news NI 43-101 Disclosure Unless otherwise indicated, scientific and technical information in this news release is based on work programs and initiatives conducted under the supervision of, and/or has been reviewed and approved by, Andrew Swarthout, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist, a director of the Company who is a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined in NI 43-101. Additional information related to the Mercedes Mine and the Corani Project, including the Quality Assurance and Quality Control measures applied to the Company's sampling and assaying practices, is available in its Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023, available on its website and on SEDAR+. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding: the ability of the Mercedes mine to generate free cash flow and expectations regarding the deployment of free cash flow if and when generated; plans to re-initiate Corani project financing discussions; plans regarding additional advancements at the Corani project; the expected outcomes and benefits of increasing drill density at the Mercedes mine; completion of, and third party review of, a new geological model, revised reserve block model, mining methodology optimization and mine sequencing for the Mercedes mine; the potential for additional mineralization, yet undiscovered, within the Mercedes property; the Company's interpretation of geological evidence; ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of mining methodologies at various Mercedes workings; outcomes related to permit applications; contingency plans for the future disposal of tailings at the Mercedes mine; the timing and outcome of results from geometallurgical test work at the Corani property; and expectations regarding the maintenance of Corani permits and social license. These forward-looking statements are provided as of the date of this news release and reflect predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events based on the Company's beliefs at the time the statements were made, as well as various assumptions made by and information currently available to them. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to: that the Company will be able to meet its debt and stream obligations; that unforeseen factors will not impede the anticipated performance of the Mercedes mine; that development work at Mercedes will continue as planned and result in contributions to production as anticipated; and that exploration drilling plans will transpire as and when predicted. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and the risk exists that estimates, forecasts, projections, and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions on which they are based do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the expectations expressed in them. These risk factors may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions expressed above do not occur, but may include additional risks as described in the Company's latest Annual Information Form, and other disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+. The foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on behalf of the Company, except as required by law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 29, 2024) - Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) ("Blackrock" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced "bought deal" public offering of 32,343,750 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.32 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of $10,350,000 (the "Offering"). The completed Offering includes the full exercise of the over-allotment option by the Underwriters (as defined herein) for the sale of 4,218,750 Units for proceeds of $1,350,000. Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd, a corporation beneficially owned by him, participated in the Offering with a lead order of $4,000,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.48 per Common Share at any time on or before May 29, 2026. Andrew Pollard, President & Chief Executive Officer of Blackrock, commented: "With a significant lead order from Eric Sprott, and the participation of a number of new as well as existing shareholders, proceeds from this Offering will see the drills return to Tonopah West this summer for our much anticipated resource conversion and expansion program. Roughly 20,000 metres (m) of drilling (8,000m of reverse circulation and 12,000m of core) is planned to convert inferred resources to M&I (measured & indicated) on our Merten and Bermuda veins that run along the southern edge of our DPB deposit. The program will crystalize further expansion potential across the 1km vein corridor in an effort to bridge the gap between the DPB and NW Step-out areas." The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration, resource expansion and conversion drilling, working capital and general corporate purposes. The Offering was completed pursuant to an underwriting agreement dated May 23, 2024 entered into among the Company and a syndicate of underwriters led by Research Capital Corporation as the lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters, including Canaccord Genuity Corp., Red Cloud Securities Inc. and Ventum Financial Corp. (collectively, the "Underwriters"). The Offering was completed pursuant to a prospectus supplement of the Company dated May 23, 2024 (the "Prospectus Supplement") to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated August 4, 2023 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus"), in each of the provinces of Canada (except Quebec), and in the United States on a private placement basis pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and applicable state securities laws and other jurisdictions. The Offering remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX-V"). Copies of the Prospectus Supplement and the Base Shelf Prospectus are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Mr. Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him, acquired 12,500,000 Units for $0.32 per Unit for a total consideration of $4,000,000. Prior to the Offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owned or controlled 12,631,819 Common Shares representing approximately 5.6% of the outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis. Following the completion of the Offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owns and controls 25,131,819 Common Shares and 6,250,000 Warrants representing approximately 9.8% of the outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted basis and 12.0% on a partially-diluted basis assuming the exercise of such Warrants. The Units were acquired by Sprott for investment purposes. Mr. Sprott has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities of the Company including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities of the Company including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. A copy of Sprott's early warning report will appear on Blackrock's profile on SEDAR+ and may also be obtained by calling Mr. Sprott's office at (416) 945-3294 (1106-7 King Street East, Toronto, ON, M5C 3C5). In connection with the Offering, the Company paid to the Underwriters a cash commission of $618,177 and issued to the Underwriters 1,931,805 Common Share purchase warrants (the "Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.32 per Common Share at any time on or before May 29, 2026. This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification or registration under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements and applicable U.S. state securities laws. About Blackrock Silver Corp. Backed by gold and silver ounces in the ground, Blackrock is a junior precious metal focused exploration company driven to add shareholder value via the drill bit. With 6.12 million tonnes grading 508.5 g/t silver equivalent[1] at its Tonopah West project, and a new bonanza-grade gold discovery at its Silver Cloud project, the Company has a proven track record of exploration success. In addition to its gold and silver project portfolio, the Company is credited with a lithium discovery, the Tonopah North project. Anchored by a seasoned Board of Directors, the Company is focused on its 100% controlled Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation, epithermal gold and silver mineralization located along the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada. For more information, please contact: Andrew Pollard, President & Chief Executive Officer Blackrock Silver Corp. Phone: 604 817-6044 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release includes certain statements and information that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to the use of proceeds from the Offering, including the Company's planned resource conversion and expansion program at its Tonopah West project, and the receipt of final approval from the TSX-V. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors, including the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation and uncertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. 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. [1]Technical information relating to the Tonopah West project is based on and derived from the National Instrument 43-101 technical report prepared for Blackrock entitled "Technical Report for Updated Estimate of Mineral Resources, Tonopah West Silver-Gold Project, Nye and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada, USA" effective October 6, 2023 and dated November 8, 2023 authored by Jeffrey Bickel, C.P.G. (the "Technical Report"). The Technical Report outlines 6.12 million tonnes at a block diluted grade of 242 grams per tonne (g/t) silver (Ag) and 2.9g/t gold (Au) for a total inferred mineral resource of 47,738,000 ounces Ag and 570,000 ounces Au, or 508.5 g/t silver equivalent (AgEq) for 100.04 million oz AgEq. AgEq equivalent grade is based on silver and gold prices of US$22/ounce and US$1,850/ounce, respectively, and recoveries for silver and gold of 87% and 95%, respectively. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 /Arras Minerals Corp. (TSX-V:ARK) ("Arras" or the "Company") announces today that due to further strong demand from existing shareholders, the previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") has been increased to up to C$5.2 million (the "Additional Upsizing"). The Company announced on May 21, 2024 that it had arranged a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 7,692,308 units of the Company ("Units") at a price per Unit of C$0.26 (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$2 million. On May 28, 2024, due to strong demand, the Company announced an upsizing to C$4.5 million. Following the Additional Upsizing, the Offering will now comprise of up to 20,000,000 Units at the Offering Price for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$5.2 million. Under the Offering, each Unit shall be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) additional Common Share at a price of C$0.40 for a period of (3) years from the closing of the Offering (the "Expiry Date"). In the event the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") meets or exceeds C$0.60 for fifteen (15) consecutive trading days at any time after four months and one day following closing of the Offering, the Company shall have the option, but not the obligation, at any time thereafter to accelerate the Expiry Date to a date that is thirty (30) days following the date of issuance of a press release by the Company announcing the acceleration of the Expiry Date. The Offering is scheduled to close on or about June 4, 2024 and is subject to the approval of the TSXV. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period in Canada and will be subject to U.S. resale restrictions under U.S. securities laws as applicable. The securities to be sold in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act"), or any state or other applicable jurisdiction's 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 U.S. Securities Act and applicable state or other jurisdictions' securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Qualified Person: The scientific and technical disclosure for this news release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Matthew Booth, Vice President of Exploration, of Arras Minerals Corp., a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. Mr. Booth has over 19 years of mineral exploration experience and is a Qualified Person member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (CPG 12044). On behalf of the Board of Directors "Darren Klinck" Darren Klinck President and Director INVESTOR RELATIONS: +1 604 687 5800 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Further information can be found on: the Company's website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals or or follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/arrasminerals About Arras Minerals Corp. Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue). In December 2023, the Company entered into a strategic alliance with Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") in which Teck will sole fund a US$5 million generative exploration program over a portion of the Arras license package in 2024-2025 focusing on critical minerals. The Company's shares are listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "ARK". Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Offering, future events and Arras' future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the Offering, the participation in the Offering by Teck Resources Limited, the amount of securities that may be sold and proceeds raised by the Company from the Offering, timing of closing of the Offering, the terms to the securities offered under the Offering, the receipt of TSXV and other required regulatory and third party approvals in respect of the Offering, exercise of the Company's acceleration right in respect of the Warrants (or the satisfaction of the acceleration condition in respect thereof), and plans and expectations of the exploration program Arras is in the process of undertaking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras' exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras' management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continues," "may," variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control, including investor interest in the Offering and perception of the Company and its business and assets, regulatory approval of the Offering, changes to the market price for the Company's securities, changes to economic conditions, changes to metals and commodity prices, price of inputs, expected costs and timelines to achieve the Company's goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner, financing will be available when needed on economically reasonable terms, undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ on February 28, 2024 and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 28, 2024 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. VANCOUVER, BC, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - Foran Mining Corporation (TSX: FOM) (OTCQX: FMCXF) ("Foran" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Marie Inkster to its Board of Directors (the "Board") as an Independent Director. Ms. Inkster brings extensive mining executive experience to Foran's Board, developed over 20 years working in the mining industry. Marie Inkster, Director of Foran commented "In addition to being an exciting emerging producer of critical minerals, Foran prioritizes responsible mining, with values of Care, Integrity, Innovation and Collaboration. I am delighted to be joining the Board and look forward to contributing to Foran's growth and development." Dan Myerson, Executive Chairman & CEO, commented: "We are thrilled to announce the addition of Marie Inkster to our Board of Directors. Marie's extensive expertise in critical mineral mining and her deep understanding of capital markets significantly strengthens our Board while her leadership in managing producing assets and financial strategies aligns seamlessly with our strategic goals. Marie's addition is another step in enhancing our governance and driving value across our operations, while focused on our core goal of maximizing risk-adjusted returns for shareholders." Ms. Inkster held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer at Lundin Mining Corp. from October 2018 until October 2021, following a 10-year tenure as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this, she occupied senior roles at various publicly traded companies, including Vice President and Controller at LionOre Mining International Ltd., until its acquisition by Norilsk Nickel in July 2007. Additionally, she was a member of the Board of the International Zinc Association from 2018 to 2022, where she served as Chairperson from November 2020 to January 2022. Ms. Inkster served as a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Lucara Diamond Corp. from 2014 to 2024 and was a member of the Compensation Committee from 2020 to 2024. Currently, Ms. Inkster serves as a Director, Audit Committee Coordinator and member of the Capital Allocation and Projects Committee for Vale S.A. About Foran Mining Foran Mining Corporation is a copper-zinc-gold-silver exploration and development company, committed to supporting a greener future, empowering communities and creating circular economies which create value for all our stakeholders, while also safeguarding the environment. The McIlvenna Bay Project is located entirely within the documented traditional territory of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, comprises the infrastructure and works related to pre-development and advanced exploration activities of the Company, and hosts the McIlvenna Bay Deposit and Tesla Zone. The Company also owns the Bigstone Deposit, a resource-development stage deposit located 25km southwest of the McIlvenna Bay Property. The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is a copper-zinc-gold-silver rich VHMS deposit intended to be the centre of a new mining camp in a prolific district that has already been producing for 100 years. The McIlvenna Bay Property sits just 65km West of Flin Flon, Manitoba and is part of the world class Flin Flon Greenstone Belt that extends from Snow Lake, Manitoba, through Flin Flon to Foran's ground in eastern Saskatchewan, a distance of over 225km. The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is the largest undeveloped VHMS deposit in the region. The Company announced the results from its NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report on the Feasibility Study for the McIlvenna Bay Deposit (the "McIlvenna Feasibility Study") on February 28, 2022, outlining that current mineral reserves would potentially support an 18-year mine life producing an average of 65 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. The Company filed the McIlvenna Feasibility Study on April 14, 2022, with an effective date of February 28, 2022. The Company also filed a NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Bigstone Deposit resource estimate on January 21, 2021, as amended on February 1, 2022. Investors are encouraged to consult the full text of these technical reports which may be found on the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca. The Company's head office is located at 409 Granville Street, Suite 904, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C 1T2. Common Shares of the Company are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol "FOM" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "FMCXF". CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or to the future performance of Foran Mining Corporation (the "Company") and reflect management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release or as of the date of such forward looking statement. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited, statements regarding our objectives and our strategies to achieve such objectives; our beliefs, plans, estimates, projections and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events; as well as specific statements in respect of our ability to grow and develop; our strategic goals; our ability to enhance our governance and drive value across our operations; and our core goal of maximizing risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date specified in such statement. Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, estimates, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors include management's belief, expectations and in certain cases, management's response with regard to the following: the Company's reliance on the McIlvenna Bay Property; and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ available at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The forward-looking statements contained herein reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and should note that the assumptions and risk factors discussed herein are not exhaustive. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement. 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 may be required by law. Additional information about these assumptions, risks and uncertainties is contained in our filings with securities regulators available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. VANCOUVER, BC, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - NexGen Energy Ltd. ("NexGen" or the "Company") (TSX: NXE) (NYSE: NXE) (ASX: NXG) is pleased to announce drilling at Patterson Corridor East ("PCE") has intersected mineralization in RK-24-193 over 67.5 metres (m) (383.5 to 451 m) across various intervals including up to 7,500 cps over 1.5 m (Figures 1 to 4, Table 1). RK-24-193 is located 275 m southwest along strike of RK-24-183 (discovery hole) and at approximately the same depth below surface. In addition, assays from RK-24-183 confirm high grade uranium veins across a 20 m interval with several intersections totalling 13.5 m at 0.78% U 3 O 8 including 0.5 m (348.0 to 348.5 m) at 10% U 3 O 8 and another 0.5 m (356.5 to 357 m) at 6.23% U 3 O 8 (Table 2). For reference, the Arrow discovery hole RK-14-21 assayed 5.75 m at 0.37% U 3 O 8 , including 0.25 m at 5.77% U 3 O 8 . Collectively, these results of multiple narrow intersections of mineralization in two holes represent a current strike length of 275 m at PCE, suggesting a potential upper edge to mineralization highly analogous to the early holes at Arrow (Figure 1). Consequently, the summer drilling program has been expanded to 4 drill rigs and targeting 22,000 m at PCE (Figure 2). Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Our team has assessed the geological similarities between RK-24-183 and RK-24-193 and the upper areas of Arrow, which indicates the high prospectivity of an additional mineralized system 3.5 km east of Arrow. Consequently, the growing potential of this latest discovery will drive the focus of the summer exploration program to determine the potential size and extent of mineralization. Efficient and bold testing of the overall system is the first priority. It is an exciting time at NexGen with the Company recently advancing the Federal Environmental Assessment process for the Rook I Project through the submission of responses to the remaining Information Requests, as well as advancing detailed engineering and exploring a new discovery in parallel." RK-24-193 This new hole intersected elevated radioactivity over 67.5 m (Table 1) with mineralization style and alteration intensity strongly resembling up dip projections that were seen during the early discovery holes at Arrow. In addition, drill results further south in RK-24-180, RK-24-192, and RK-24-194 indicate a possible repetition of prospective structure that correlates well with the local gravity low, a typical indicator of potential hydrothermal alteration. Numerous brittle reactivated structures and associated intense alteration within these three drillholes highlight a potential supplementary uranium-bearing trend within the same system. This has doubled the size of the system to be tested this summer with an approximate extent of 1.5 km long by 1.2 km wide (Figure 2). Potential remains in most directions within this highly prospective area. Summer Drilling Focus of the expanded summer program is on assessing the broad hydrothermal system at PCE (Figure 2) and expanding the mineralized footprint. Robust analysis and interpretation processes will be utilized to actively assess potential while efficiently testing priority targets. Over 22,000 m of diamond drilling is planned for the PCE system utilizing four drill rigs. This represents a near tripling of drilling from the winter to summer program. Optionality exists with planning underway to increase the total based on drill results. Targets will primarily be tested between 400 and 700 m below surface to test potential depth extensions, as is present at Arrow. Summer drilling will significantly advance the investigation of PCE while highlighting geological relationships that can be applied elsewhere within NexGen's exploration portfolio (Figure 5). Table 1: 2024 Spectrometer results to date Drillhole Unconformity Depth (m) Handheld Spectrometer Results (RS-125) Hole ID Azimuth Dip Total Depth (m) From (m) To (m) Width (m) CPS Range RK-24-179 310 -70 462 138 141 141.5 0.5 <500 - 1,100 150 151 1 <500 154 155 1 <500 - 560 156.5 157 0.5 <500 RK-24-180 310 -70 366 102.3 No Significant Intersections RK-24-181 310 -70 573 115.7 191.5 192 0.5 <500 RK-24-182 310 -70 411 N/A No Significant Intersections RK-24-183 310 -70 501 125.3 347.5 350 2.5 500 - 52,000 350 351 1 <500 - 1,200 351 354 3 700 - 16,200 354 355 1 <500 - 570 355 358 3 1,300 - >61,000 358 358.5 0.5 790 - 2,100 358.5 362.5 4 <500 - 680 362.5 363 0.5 <500 - 1,070 363 365 2 <500 365 365.5 0.5 800 - 7,700 365.5 367 1.5 <500 367 367.5 0.5 <500 - 28,000 RK-24-184 280 -70 534 137.7 No Significant Intersections RK-24-185 310 -70 396 N/A 312.5 313.5 1 <500 335 335.5 0.5 <500 RK-24-186 310 -70 440 128.2 181.5 182 0.5 <500 - 700 211 212 1 <500 - 600 RK-24-187 310 -70 501 116.8 163 164.5 1.5 <500 191 191.5 0.5 <500 - 830 RK-24-188 310 -70 510 120.5 338 340 2 <500 410.5 412.5 2 <500 418.5 421.5 3 <500 RK-24-189 310 -70 537 130 No Significant Intersections RK-24-190 310 -70 547 123.8 No Significant Intersections RK-24-191 310 -70 402 N/A 266 267 1 <500 - 700 RK-24-192 310 -70 444 108.5 No Significant Intersections RK-24-193 310 -70 621 N/A 383.5 384.5 1 <500 - 820 389.5 390 0.5 <500 - 1,330 393.5 394 0.5 <500 401.5 402.5 1 580 - 640 413 413.5 0.5 <500 417.5 418.5 1 <500 419 420.5 1.5 <500 - 7,500 423 425 2 <500 - 700 426.5 428 1.5 <500 - 1,100 428.5 429 0.5 <500 430 430.5 0.5 <500 - 3,100 432 434 2 <500 - 2,850 435 437 2 <500 442 443 1 <500 - 510 449 451 2 <500 - 2,700 RK-24-194 310 -70 420 98.8 190.5 191 0.5 <500 All depths and intervals are meters downhole, true thicknesses are yet to be determined. "Off-scale" refers to >61,000 cps total readings by gamma spectrometer type RS-125. Unconformity of 'N/A' denotes a lack of visible contact between Athabasca sandstone and basement rock. Maximum internal dilution 2.0 m downhole. Minimum thickness of 0.5 m downhole. All depths and intervals are metres downhole, true thicknesses are yet to be determined. Resource modelling in conjunction with an updated mineral resource estimate is required before true thicknesses can be determined. Table 2: 2024 Assay results to date Drillhole Unconformity Depth (m) SRC Geoanalytical Results (Cutoff 0.01%) Hole ID Azimuth Dip Total Depth (m) From (m) To (m) Width (m) U 3 O 8 (wt%) RK-24-179 310 -70 462 138 No Significant Intersections RK-24-180 310 -70 366 102.3 No Significant Intersections RK-24-181 310 -70 573 115.7 No Significant Intersections RK-24-182 310 -70 411 N/A No Significant Intersections RK-24-183 310 -70 501 125.3 347.5 361 13.5 0.78 including 348 348.5 0.5 10.0 including 356.5 357 0.5 6.23 362.5 363 0.5 0.07 365 365.5 0.5 0.55 367 367.5 0.5 1.42 369.5 370 0.5 0.01 RK-24-184 280 -70 534 137.7 No Significant Intersections RK-24-185 310 -70 396 N/A 312.5 313.5 1 0.01 335 335.5 0.5 0.05 RK-24-186 310 -70 440 128.2 No Significant Intersections RK-24-187 310 -70 501 116.8 No Significant Intersections RK-24-188 310 -70 510 120.5 412 412.5 0.5 0.02 418.5 419 0.5 0.01 419.5 420 0.5 0.01 422.5 424 1.5 0.01 RK-24-189 310 -70 537 130 No Significant Intersections RK-24-190 310 -70 547 123.8 No Significant Intersections RK-24-191 310 -70 402 N/A No Significant Intersections RK-24-192 310 -70 444 108.5 No Significant Intersections RK-24-193 310 -70 621 N/A Assays Pending RK-24-194 310 -70 420 98.8 No Significant Intersections All depths and intervals are meters downhole, true thicknesses are yet to be determined. Unconformity of 'N/A' denotes a lack of visible contact between Athabasca sandstone and basement rock. Maximum internal dilution 2.0 m downhole. Minimum thickness of 0.5 m downhole. Cutoff grade 0.01% U 3 O 8 . All depths and intervals are metres downhole, true thicknesses are yet to be determined. Resource modelling in conjunction with an updated mineral resource estimate is required before true thicknesses can be determined. About NexGen NexGen Energy is a Canadian company focused on delivering clean energy fuel for the future. The Company's flagship Rook I Project is being optimally developed into the largest low cost producing uranium mine globally, incorporating the most elite standards in environmental and social governance. The Rook I Project is supported by a NI 43-101 compliant Feasibility Study which outlines the elite environmental performance and industry leading economics. NexGen is led by a team of experienced uranium and mining industry professionals with expertise across the entire mining life cycle, including exploration, financing, project engineering and construction, operations, and closure. NexGen is leveraging its proven experience to deliver a Project that leads the entire mining industry socially, technically, and environmentally. The Project and prospective portfolio in northern Saskatchewan will provide generational long-term economic, environmental, and social benefits for Saskatchewan, Canada, and the world. NexGen is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "NXE" and on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol "NXG" providing access to global investors to participate in NexGen's mission of solving three major global challenges in decarbonization, energy security and access to power. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with its primary operations office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Technical Disclosure* All technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jason Craven, NexGen's Manager, Exploration, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101. Natural gamma radiation in drill core reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Radiation Solutions Inc. RS-125 gamma spectrometer. The reader is cautioned that total count gamma readings may not be directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured; they should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive minerals. A technical report in respect of the FS is filed on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml ) and is available for review on NexGen Energy's website (www.nexgenenergy.ca ). Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors This news release includes Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources classification terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada and the Mineral Reserves and the Mineral Resources estimates are made in accordance with NI 43-101. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. These standards differ from the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") set by the SEC's rules that are applicable to domestic United States reporting companies. Consequently, Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources information included in this news release is not comparable to similar information that would generally be disclosed by domestic U.S. reporting companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. Forward-Looking Information The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws and regulations and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, the 2021 Arrow Deposit, Rook I Project and estimates of uranium production, grade and long-term average uranium prices, anticipated effects of completed drill results on the Rook I Project, planned work programs, completion of further site investigations and engineering work to support basic engineering of the project and expected outcomes. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Statements relating to "mineral resources" are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment that, based on certain estimates and assumptions, the mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about NexGen's business and the industry and markets in which it operates. Forward-looking information and statements are made based upon numerous assumptions, including among others, that the mineral reserve and resources estimates and the key assumptions and parameters on which such estimates are based are as set out in this news release and the technical report for the property , the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price and market supply of uranium, the cost of planned exploration activities, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment, supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct NexGen's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward looking information or making forward looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate in the future. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performances and achievements of NexGen to differ materially from any projections of results, performances and achievements of NexGen expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others, the existence of negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of the availability of additional financing, the risk that pending assay results will not confirm previously announced preliminary results, conclusions of economic valuations, the risk that actual results of exploration activities will be different than anticipated, the cost of labour, equipment or materials will increase more than expected, that the future price of uranium will decline or otherwise not rise to an economic level, the appeal of alternate sources of energy to uranium-produced energy, that the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the U.S. dollar, that mineral resources and reserves are not as estimated, that actual costs or actual results of reclamation activities are greater than expected, that changes in project parameters and plans continue to be refined and may result in increased costs, of unexpected variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates or other risks generally associated with mining, unanticipated delays in obtaining governmental, regulatory or First Nations approvals, risks related to First Nations title and consultation, reliance upon key management and other personnel, deficiencies in the Company's title to its properties, uninsurable risks, failure to manage conflicts of interest, failure to obtain or maintain required permits and licences, risks related to changes in laws, regulations, policy and public perception, as well as those factors or other risks as more fully described in NexGen's Annual Information Form dated February 24, 2023 filed with the securities commissions of all of the provinces of Canada except Quebec and in NexGen's 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and Edgar at www.sec.gov . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or statements or implied by forward-looking information or statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ExGen Resources Inc. (TSX.V: EXG; OTC: BXXRF) (ExGen, the Company) is pleased to provide an update in respect of Phoenix Copper Ltd.s (Phoenix) exploration and development activities at the Empire Mine Project in Custer County, Idaho, USA, further to Phoenixs news release of May 15, 2024. ExGen owns 20% and Phoenix owns 80% of Konnex Resources, Inc. (Konnex), which holds the leases and claims to the Empire Mine Project, which includes all of the Navarre Creek claim block. ExGen further owns 1,330,000 common shares of Phoenix. Jason Riley, CEO of ExGen commented: I am encouraged that seven holes in Target 1 encountered a continuous zone/band of low-grade gold mineralization at shallow depths and open along strike and down-dip. The drilling results are representative of a relatively shallow, near-surface portion of the mineralized system. I look forward to further testing down-dip and further along strike. On May 23, 2024 Phoenix announced the drilling results from the 2023 Navarre Creek exploratory drilling program in Idaho, USA and an update on feasibility engineering activities at the Empire Mine and noted the following highlights: 28 reverse-circulation drill holes into four target areas within 4,000 acre (16.18 sq km) claim block Two of four target areas identify mineralization of significance All seven drill holes into the Lehman Creek target identify a continuous zone of anomalous, low-grade gold mineralization ranging from 4.5 meters to 22.9 meters thick Mineralized zone is open along strike and down-dip 20 unpatented mining claims totaling 400 acres staked on the southwest end of the contiguous Navarre Creek claim block Ryan McDermott, Chief Executive Officer, said, "Further to our announcement on 24 October 2023, I am pleased to confirm that we have now received and assessed the assay results from the 28 exploratory reverse-circulation drill holes completed at our Navarre Creek project in 2023. Navarre Creek is a vast exploration zone, multiple times larger than the Empire Mine open- pit area. We initially selected four target areas, and it is very encouraging to note that two of those areas have returned mineralization of significance, worthy of further follow-up. "Holes NC23-01 through NC23-07 were drilled to test Target Area 1 on the southwest end of the claim block specifically targeting the mineralized Lehman Creek fault Holes. NC23-08 through NC23-11 were drilled in Target Area 2, 4.77 kilometers northeast of Target Area 1. Target Area 2 tested a surface geochemical anomaly identified during previous field mapping and surface sampling in 2020. Target Area 3, holes NC23-12 - NC23-18, tested a gold-antimony geochemical anomaly identified during field mapping, and Target Area 4, holes NC23-19 - NC23-28, tested a jasperoid exposure identified during field mapping. "I am pleased to report that all seven of the Target Area 1 holes encountered a continuous zone/band of low-grade gold mineralization. Each of the drill holes NC23-01 to NC23-07 were angled and drilled perpendicular to the strike of the Lehman Creek fault and cross dip. The seven holes were widely spaced at various angles along 580 meters of the fault. The mineralized zone was encountered between 19.2 meters and 44.2 meters true vertical depth along strike, indicating that the zone is open along strike and down-dip. The mineralized zone is clearly defined geochemically, and the consistency along the strike is important in that it demonstrates the fault as a conduit for gold-bearing fluids and at least one volcanic unit in the hanging-wall as a suitable host for mineralization. The drilling results are representative of a relatively shallow, near-surface portion of the mineralized system. I am very much looking forward to further testing down-dip and further along strike. The initial drilling results in Target Area 1 were considered significant enough that we expanded the Navarre Creek claim block to the southwest by an additional 400 acres, bringing the total claim block size to 3,977 acres (16.09 km). "The assay results from the four drill holes NC23-13 through NC23-16, which targeted an area with a gold-antimony surface anomaly identified during field work, returned anomalous low-grade silver and silver-antimony. 1.5 meters of 1.10% (10,100 parts per million ('ppm')) antimony was present at a depth of 4.6 meters. Antimony can be an important trace element in mineralized systems as it can be associated with precious metals. While the four drill holes tested a relatively small area, we now have a better understanding of the subsurface geology and mineral potential in that specific area. The remainder of the 28 drill holes showed little to no significant gold mineralization. "The Navarre Creek project covers nearly 4,000-acres. As we have reported in the past, surficial evidence of mineralization is widespread and pervasive. While the overall gold assay grades were low, the presence, location, depth, and host lithology of the mineralization is important and will be used as a tool for further stages of exploration. The activities at Navarre Creek are very much grassroots, very early-stage exploration, not development drilling, and we are satisfied to initially encounter this low-grade mineralization early in the program as we continue to develop an understanding of the dynamics of the system and explore for more substantial quantities of mineralization. "Given the latest bond funding news, we are clearly focusing our resources on the development of the open-pit and will be for the foreseeable future. However, our Idaho team will continue field work at Navarre Creek, Redstar, and the Horseshoe area for the purposes of developing drill targets. We will update as appropriate as to progress on our exploration programs. "In addition to reporting the Navarre Creek drilling results, I would like to provide a brief update on the feasibility engineering for our Empire Open-Pit Mine. We recently reported that the Company's corporate copper bond issue has been fully subscribed for a principal value of US$80,000,000, which will be drawn down and used for the construction of the open pit mine and processing facility. While this funding will not have an impact on the mineral reserve estimate or the metallurgical and design engineering completed to date, it will provide the Company with the opportunity to outfit the open pit operation with lower-cost, pre-owned equipment. Much of this equipment has already been identified and is currently located within a 550-mile radius of the Empire Mine. The purchase of this equipment is expected to have a material impact on overall initial and sustaining capex, as well as on certain aspects of the process design detail, construction logistics, and the overall equipment procurement schedule. We have already procured pre-owned ball mills, assay laboratory equipment and disk filtration units, at an estimated capex reduction of US$8 million. These items all form an important part of the feasibility work, which is now being updated accordingly." Gold Mineralised Zone Tables 1a - 1g highlight a consistent zone of gold mineralisation evident in each of the seven reverse-circulation drill holes, NC23-01 through NC23-07, completed in the southwest Target Area 1 along approximately 580 metres of the Lehman Creek fault. In each of the seven angled drill holes, a distinct zone of low-grade gold mineralisation was consistently encountered in the hanging-wall of the fault. While the individual gold values in the mineralised zone are low- grade, the zone itself is clearly defined and appears to be laterally continuous along strike and open down dip. Table 1a Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 33.5 33.5 <0.01 NC23-01 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.6 NC23-01 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.13 0.9 NC23-01 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.14 1.2 NC23-01 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.09 0.6 NC23-01 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.05 0.7 NC23-01 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.10 0.9 Below mineralised zone 42.7 61.0 18.3 <0.01 NC23-01 Summary of Intercept 33.5 42.7 9.1 0.10 0.82 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1b Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 36.6 33.5 <0.01 NC23-02 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.02 0.5 NC23-02 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.02 0.25 NC23-02 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.04 0.25 NC23-02 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.12 0.8 NC23-02 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.04 0.5 NC23-02 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.02 0.25 Below mineralised zone 45.7 62.5 16.8 <0.01 NC23-02 Summary of Intercept 36.6 45.7 9.1 0.04 0.43 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1c Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 47.2 33.5 <0.01 NC23-03 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.06 0.5 NC23-03 48.8 50.3 1.5 0.14 1.1 NC23-03 50.3 51.8 1.5 0.04 0.25 NC23-03 51.8 53.3 1.5 0.02 0.25 Below mineralised zone 45.7 73.2 27.5 <0.01 NC23-03 Summary of Intercept 47.2 53.3 6.1 0.07 0.53 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1d Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 38.1 33.5 <0.01 NC23-04 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.10 1.0 NC23-04 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-04 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.02 1.0 Below mineralised zone 42.7 65.5 22.8 <0.01 NC23-04 Summary of Intercept 38.1 42.7 4.5 0.05 1.00 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1e Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 54.9 33.5 <0.01 NC23-05 54.9 56.4 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-05 56.4 57.9 1.5 0.08 1.5 NC23-05 57.9 59.4 1.5 0.02 1.0 NC23-05 59.4 61.0 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-05 61.0 62.5 1.5 0.04 0.7 NC23-05 62.5 64.0 1.5 0.03 1.0 NC23-05 64.0 65.5 1.5 0.07 1.7 Below mineralised zone 44.2 80.8 36.6 <0.01 NC23-05 Summary of Intercept 54.9 65.5 10.7 0.05 1.09 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1f Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 27.4 33.5 <0.01 NC23-06 27.4 29.0 1.5 0.06 0.8 NC23-06 29.0 30.5 1.5 0.07 0.6 NC23-06 30.5 32.0 1.5 0.06 0.5 NC23-06 32.0 33.5 1.5 0.15 1.5 NC23-06 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-06 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.15 1.1 NC23-06 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.14 1.6 NC23-06 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.20 1.3 NC23-06 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.08 0.9 NC23-06 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.09 1.2 NC23-06 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.05 0.7 NC23-06 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.23 1.3 NC23-06 45.7 47.2 1.5 0.10 1.2 NC23-06 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.05 0.25 NC23-06 48.8 50.3 1.5 0.06 0.25 Below mineralised zone 50.3 76.2 25.9 <0.01 NC23-06 Summary of Intercept 27.4 50.3 22.9 0.10 0.93 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 1g Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Above mineralised zone 0 30.5 33.5 <0.01 NC23-07 30.5 32.0 1.5 0.11 1.9 NC23-07 32.0 33.5 1.5 0.08 1 NC23-07 33.5 35.1 1.5 0.06 0.7 NC23-07 35.1 36.6 1.5 0.03 0.25 NC23-07 36.6 38.1 1.5 0.06 0.9 NC23-07 38.1 39.6 1.5 0.11 2 NC23-07 39.6 41.1 1.5 0.08 1.8 NC23-07 41.1 42.7 1.5 0.10 1.4 NC23-07 42.7 44.2 1.5 0.11 1.2 NC23-07 44.2 45.7 1.5 0.12 1.1 NC23-07 45.7 47.2 1.5 0.10 1.2 NC23-07 47.2 48.8 1.5 0.07 0.8 Below mineralised zone 44.2 106.7 62.5 <0.01 NC23-07 Summary of Intercept 30.5 48.8 18.3 0.09 1.19 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Figure 1 Figure 1 is a cross-section illustrating the mineralised zone described in tables 1a-1g. Cross- sections represented by individual drill holes can be seen at https://phoenixcopperlimited.com/NavarreCreek/. Tables 2a to 2d highlight anomalous silver + antimony values above a 0.25 ppm detection limit. There is geological evidence suggesting that elevated silver and antimony values are hosted within a specific geological unit located in the central portion of the Navarre Creek claim block. The geological unit is capped by younger rocks on the west and south, limiting surface exposure. Further geochemical characterisation and study is warranted to the west and south to determine, if possible, the source of mineralisation. Table 2a Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Sb Above mineralised zone Surface NC23-13 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.01 1.9 453 NC23-13 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.01 1.9 600 NC23-13 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.01 1.9 666 NC23-13 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.02 2.2 10100 NC23-13 6.1 7.6 1.5 0.005 0.25 468 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2b Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag Sb Above mineralised zone Surface NC23-14 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.01 1.9 1930 NC23-14 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.01 1.2 612 NC23-14 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.01 1.7 489 NC23-14 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.01 1.4 343 NC23-14 6.1 7.6 1.5 0.005 0.25 92 NC23-14 7.6 9.1 1.5 0.005 1.2 140 NC23-14 9.1 10.7 1.5 0.01 1.5 272 NC23-14 10.7 12.2 1.5 0.01 2.2 619 NC23-14 12.2 13.7 1.5 0.02 2.5 485 NC23-14 13.7 15.2 1.5 0.02 2.1 450 NC23-14 15.2 16.8 1.5 0.02 1.3 218 NC23-14 16.8 18.3 1.5 0.01 0.5 109 NC23-14 18.3 19.8 1.5 0.02 0.8 140 NC23-14 19.8 21.3 1.5 0.01 0.25 55 NC23-14 21.3 2.29 1.5 0.16 0.25 42 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2c Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag NC23-15 129.5 131.1 1.5 0.05 0.25 NC23-15 131.1 132.6 1.5 0.53 4.3 NC23-15 132.6 134.1 1.5 0.26 1.7 NC23-15 134.1 135.6 1.5 0.16 2.8 NC23-15 135.6 137.2 1.5 0.02 0.25 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Table 2d Drill Hole Intersection Metres g/tonne Number From To Interval Au Ag NC23-16 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.03 4.2 NC23-16 1.5 3.0 1.5 0.06 4.7 NC23-16 3.0 4.6 1.5 0.04 3.3 NC23-16 4.6 6.1 1.5 0.005 0.5 *drilling is measured in feet, multiplied by 0.3048, and reported in metres to one significant digit Assay results for the remainder of the 28 drill holes showed little to no significant gold mineralisation. Background on Navarre Creek During the 2021 field season, Phoenix contracted Magee Geophysical Services to acquire approximately 169 line-kilometres of total field magnetic measurements at the Company's Navarre Creek project and SpecTIR, LLC of Reno, Nevada to complete an airborne hyperspectral survey of the same Navarre Creek area to identify prospective exploration targets in an area, many of which are largely concealed by glacial till. The ground magnetics survey looked specifically for magnetite and magnetic-bearing minerals, some of which have been identified in limited outcroppings, while the hyperspectral imaging helps to identify alteration minerals often associated with precious metal deposition. Hyperspectral imaging incorporates a small airplane with mounted infrared lights and sensors to detect a wide range of wavelengths, mineral absorption and reflectance within the target area. The wavelength data collected in this survey are VNIR (Visible and Near- Infrared), SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared), and LWIR (Long-Wave Infrared). The human eye can detect wavelengths (colours) from 390 nanometers ('nm') to 700nm. The VNIR and SWIR sensors collected wavelength data from 390nm to 2,450nm, while the LWIR sensors ranged from 8,000nm to 12,000nm. The Navarre Creek project is located within an intrusive dome complex, where the magnetic components in overlying volcanic lithologies are destroyed by silicic alteration associated with steam-heated, acidic, and oxidised hydrothermal fluids. The survey highlighted several such areas including the Lehman Creek fault, one or more porphyry plugs, and several contacts/faults. The survey identified volcanic-associated alteration that is both acidic and of fairly high temperature as evidenced by pyrophyllite and dickite. As would be expected in the Challis Volcanic Field, the white mica is Al-rich (paragenetic) and also shows zoned crystallinity patterns, typical of intermediate-to-high sulfidation systems, and is likely proximal to a magmatic heat source. The presence of iron oxide associated with some of these zones adds prospectivity. The alteration pattern is useful in developing an exploration model to optimise future drill targets. During the summer of 2020, Konnex Resources' exploration team previously mapped and sampled the Company's Navarre Creek gold property, which was then comprised of 2,420 acres of unpatented mining claims, located approximately 5km north-northwest of the Empire Mine. 90 rock chip and grab samples were collected in the hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks that make up the Navarre Creek claims and sent to ALS Laboratories in Reno, USA for geochemical analysis. Of the 90 samples, 53 were above the detection limit for gold with a high of 0.569 grammes per tonne ('g/t'), and 25 above the detection limit for silver. The Navarre Creek claim block now covers 3,977 acres (16.09 km), representing over 6 km of prospective strike length, including an area of secondary alteration thought to be epithermal in nature, with over 2.5 km of highly brecciated, west trending jasperoid intersecting argillically and silicically altered Eocene Challis volcanics Qualified Person The foregoing technical information in this news release has been reviewed and verified by Dennis Thomas, ACSM, FIMMM,FGS, CEng, Eurlng, co-founder of Phoenix Copper Limited and Member of the Company's Advisory Board. Mr. Thomas has held both executive and non-executive roles in a number of international private and public natural resources companies and is a chartered mining engineer from the Camborne School of Mines. He is a Qualified Person under the AIM Rules and consents to the inclusion of the information in the form and the context in which it appears. Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling was conducted by Midnight Sun Drilling, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, and was supervised by the Konnex exploration team. All assays reported are uncut unless otherwise stated. Samples reported herein were assayed by ALS USA, Inc. of Reno, Nevada which is independent of Phoenix. All Reverse Circulation assays reported were obtained using a four-acid digestion and ICP-AES finish with overruns completed on values exceeding 10,000 ppm for Cu, Zn, and Pb and 100 g/t for Ag. The only exception being that Au assays reported were obtained using a fire assay with AA-finish or using gravimetric finish for values over 100 g/t Au. Intercepts cited do not necessarily represent true widths, unless otherwise noted, however, drilling is generally intersecting interpreted mineralised zones at angles between 30. True width determinations are not estimated due to the irregular shape of the skarn mineralisation. QUALIFIED PERSON Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and verified the technical information provided in this release. ABOUT EXGEN RESOURCES INC. ExGen, formerly Boxxer Gold Corp, is a project accelerator that seeks to fund exploration and development of our projects through joint ventures and partnership agreements. This approach significantly reduces the technical and financial risks for ExGen, while maintaining the upside exposure to new discoveries and potential cash flow. The company intends to build a diverse portfolio of projects across exploration stages and various commodity groups. ExGen currently has 6 projects in Canada and the US. For more information on ExGen please contact ExGen Resources Inc. Jason Tong Chief Financial Officer Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 604-889-7827 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains certain forward-looking information. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to: the observations made on drill core from the diamond drilling program on the Empire Mine Project; the further exploration and development of the Empire Mine Project; the exploration and development strategy of the Empire Mine Project, including the exploration program, drilling, mine development, and permitting. The results of the sampling and geophysical survey at Navarre Creek, the markers of Carlin style deposits and the potential for such deposits to exist at Navarre Creek. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. There can be no assurance that the development of the Empire Mine Project will be completed, and if development is completed, that such development will result in a producing mine. In the forward looking information contained in this news release, ExGen has made numerous assumptions, based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with the mineral industry. In addition, ExGen has assumed: the continued market acceptance of its joint venture partnership model; the ability of ExGen and its partners to raise future equity financing, if needed, at prices acceptable to ExGen or its partners; ExGen's current and initial understanding and analysis of the Empire Mine Project; the ability of ExGen or third parties to discover viable exploration targets and the results of exploration on the Empire Mine Project; the ability of Phoenix to explore and develop the Empire Mine Project; the cost of exploration, including sampling, drilling and assaying, on the Empire Mine Project, the costs of developing the Empire Mine Project and the costs and the ability of Phoenix to produce a feasibility study in compliance with NI 43-101; and ExGen's general and administrative costs remaining sustainable. While, ExGen considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause ExGen's observations, actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: the possibility that the analytical results from future core sampling does not return significant grades of copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead or any other molybdenum by-products; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology; continuity and grade of mineralization; there is no certainty that the ongoing work programs will result in significant or successful exploration of the Empire Mine Project or development of the Empire Mine Project into a producing mine; uncertainty as to the actual results of exploration and development or operational activities; uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; ExGen may not be able to comply with its ongoing obligations regarding its properties; the early stage development of ExGen and its projects, and in particular, the Empire Mine Project; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; capital market conditions and market prices for securities, junior market securities and mining exploration company securities; commodity prices, in particular copper, gold, silver, and zinc prices; competition; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents and other risks inherent in the mining industry; lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting ExGen; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals. A description of additional assumptions and risk factors used to develop such forward-looking information that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in ExGen's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although ExGen has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. ExGen does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. TORONTO, May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) (McEwen) is pleased to announce it has priced a public financing to fund continued exploration and development at the Fox Complex in the Timmins region of Ontario, primarily focused on exploration drilling and the development of an underground access ramp from surface to mine the gold resources of Stock East and West. This represents the next area of production growth at the Fox Complex. The proceeds of this financing will be used exclusively for qualifying Canadian Exploration Expenses (within the meaning of subsection 66.1(6) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (CEE) and Canadian Development Expenses (within the meaning of subsection 66.2(5) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (CDE), including: Part 1 (CEE) of the financing consists of a US$10.0 million (Cdn$13,650,890) offering of 643,000 flow-through common shares at a price of US$15.56 (Cdn$21.23); and Part 2 (CDE) of the financing consists of a US$12.0 million (Cdn$16,384,900) offering of 890,000 flow-through common shares at a price of US$13.49 (Cdn$18.41), (Part 1 (CEE) and Part 2 (CDE) together being the Offering). The Offering of 1,533,000 flow-through common shares for aggregate gross proceeds of US$22.0 million (Cdn$30,035,790) is expected to close on June 14, 2024 (the Closing) and is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Total proceeds from the Offering net of placement agents fees is expected to be US$20.9 million (Cdn$28,534,000). Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is leading a syndicate of placement agents for the Offering. The Offering is being made pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333- 275324) that was previously filed by McEwen in the United States and subsequently declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on January 2, 2024 and also pursuant to a preliminary and final multi-jurisdictional disclosure system prospectus (the Canadian Base Shelf) in Canada. McEwen will file a final prospectus supplement with the SEC in connection with the Offering and will file a Canadian final prospectus supplement to the Canadian Base Shelf under the northbound multi-jurisdictional disclosure system with securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada other than Quebec (collectively, the Prospectus Supplement). The Offering is being made only by means of a prospectus, including a prospectus supplement, forming a part of the effective registration statement. The Base Shelf Prospectus is, and the Prospectus Supplement will be (within two business days from the date hereof), filed with the SEC and will be available on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov or by visiting the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.com. Copies of the Prospectus Supplement, when available, may also be obtained in the U.S. by contacting Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 110 East 59th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or in Canada an electronic or paper copy of the Base Shelf Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, and any amendment to such documents may be obtained without charge by contacting Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 181 University Avenue, Suite 1500, Toronto, ON, M5H 3M7 by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by providing the contact with an email address or address, as applicable. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the Company) estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results, including but not limited to the expected use of proceeds of the Offering and the timing of the closing of the Offering. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to the calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption Risk Factors, for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement. The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc. ABOUT MCEWEN MINING McEwen Mining is a gold and silver producer with operations in Nevada, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. In addition, it owns approximately 47.7% of McEwen Copper which owns the large, advanced stage Los Azules copper project in Argentina. The Companys goal is to improve the productivity and life of its assets with the objective of increasing its share price and providing a yield. Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner has personally provided the Company with $220 million and takes an annual salary of $1. CONTACT INFORMATION 150 King Street West Suite 2800, PO Box 24 Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 1J9 Relationship with Investors: (866)-441-0690 Toll free (647)-258-0395 Mihaela Iancu ext. 320 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Lee Jung Jae revealed the process that he went through to get the role of Jedi Master Sol in the Star Wars series "The Acolyte." One of the most renowned South Korean stars, the 51-year-old veteran actor is making a name for himself in Hollywood through his first international project. Following the hit Netflix series "Squid Game," Lee Jung Jae is set to take the international scene by storm as he joins Dafne Keen, Carrie-Anne Moss, Amandla Stenberg, Jecki Lon, Jodie Turner-Smith, and more in "The Acolyte" cast lineup. In an interview, the top star dishes on his experience before officially joining the much-awaited sequel as one of the cast members. How Lee Jung Jae Bagged the Role of Master Sol in 'Star Wars: The Acolyte' According to "The Acolyte" director Leslie Headland, the first time he saw Lee Jung Jae was in "Squid Game," and thought that he was a perfect match for the role of Master Sol. "I watched 'Squid Game' when I was working on the character of 'Master Sol'. As soon as I saw actor Lee Jung-jae, I immediately thought he was Sol." READ MORE : Jung Woo Sung Involved in Gay Rumors With Lee Jung Jae for THIS Hilarious Reason The South Korean superstar flew to London and auditioned in front of 30 production crew members, "I came out after doing the audition, and there were three more candidates in total, including actors who were famous." The award-winning actor added that he was particularly impressed by the audition set, and said that it allowed him to fully immerse himself in his character. Did You Know? Lee Jung Did Action Training for 2 Months Before getting his own lightsaber, Lee Jung Jae underwent rigorous training. He said that he dedicated days and nights preparing for his role. The South Korean top star also shared that he exercised a lot because Master Sol was good at martial arts, and to perfectly portray it, he had to improve his combat skills. "Even on days when I wasn't filming, I exercised twice a day. I trained in martial arts with the actors and stunt team in the morning, and then did weight training in the afternoon." Star Wars' "The Acolyte" is Lee Jung Jae's Hollywood debut. It is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on June 4, 2024, airing its first two episodes. As for the succeeding episodes, they will be released weekly. 'Squid Game' Season 2 Details Meanwhile, viewers will get to see Lee Jung Jae reprise his role in "Squid Game." Returning as Seong Gi Hoon, Lee Jung Jae re-joins a mix of returning and new cast members of "Squid Game" Season 2. Slated to air in the second half of 2024, the Netflix series also features the comeback of Lee Byung Hun, who played the role of game master Hwang In Ho, and his brother, Hwang Jun Ho, played by Wi Ha Joon. Adding to the list of returning cast members is Gong Yoo, who played the role of a mysterious salesman. As for the new cast members, Im Siwan, Park Gyu Young, Kang Ha Neul, Park Sung Hoon, T.O.P, Lee Jin Wook, and more will be joining the much-awaited sequel. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Flores As the beloved K-drama "Lovely Runner" came to a heartwarming conclusion, lead actress Kim Hye Yoon shared her experiences and reflections on the filming process, her personal growth, and her professional relationship with co-star Byeon Woo seok during a candid interview. "Lovely Runner," which captivated audiences with its blend of romance and heartache, has left a lasting impression on both its cast and viewers. In the interview, Kim Hye Yoon opened up about the emotional journey she underwent while portraying her character as Im Sol. She revealed that she cried frequently during the filming, attributing her ability to convey such raw emotions to the supportive presence of Byeon Woo Seok, who played as the male lead, Ryu Sun Jae. "He has the charm of a friendly boy-next-door, like a supportive older brother. He brings a warm and approachable energy. He was always a shining actor, but I think this work made him shine even more. Watching him grow feels like seeing a son grow up. It makes me proud, like a mother." Because of the chemistry between the two onscreen, the "Lovely Runner" stars sparked rumors of a real-life romance. But Kim Hye Yoon was quick to set the record straight. Lovely Runner had a beautiful storyline until the end, but I have to say that Byun Woo-seok & Kim Hye-yoon took their chemistry to a whole other level It's truly a heartwarming drama that will remain in your heart forever#LovelyRunner#LovelyRunnerEp16pic.twitter.com/G5551aEXyg Jarin (@Jtc613) May 28, 2024 When asked if she ever felt genuine romantic feelings towards her co-star, she straightforwardly denied the dating rumors. Instead, she talked about how touched she was as her character Sol. "There was a moment when I felt Sun Jae's charm." It was during a scene where Sol urgently needed a bathroom, and Sun Jae stopped the bus, showing his reliability and thoughtfulness. "I was touched that he [Sun Jae] sacrificed everything for me. I thought he was dependable while filming." However, Kim Hye Yoon clarified that their relationship off-screen is more akin to friendship. "However, our relationship in real life is more like comradeship. I think it would be more accurate to say that we rely on each other in difficult circumstances." "Lovely Runner" has been a significant project for both actors, marking a period of growth and deepened professional respect. The mutual support and understanding between Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok have not only enriched their performances but also provided a foundation for a solid friendship. As fans bid farewell to "Lovely Runner," they can take solace in knowing that the bond formed between its leading stars will endure beyond the series. Kim Hye Yoon's heartfelt reflections offer a glimpse into the dedication and emotional investment that went into creating a drama that touched the hearts of many. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Joan Cabigas Jung Ryeo Won talks about her fashion choices and the similarity of her personal style to her character in "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon." The Korean-Australian actress returns to K-drama with a romance series, along with Wi Ha Joon, as she takes on a challenging role. Taking on the character of senior instructor Seo Hye Jin, she gets reunited with her former star student, Lee Jun Ho, played by the "Squid Game" star. As the drama series enters its second half, Jung Ryeo Won compares her character Seo Hye Jin to her previous characters. During her interview with Allure Korea, the 43-year-old beauty shared her honest thoughts about today's fashion and revealed the trend that she will surely skip. Jung Ryeo Won Explains Her Fashion Choice As seen on Jung Ryeo Won's Instagram, she often posts candid shots that tell a lot of stories. From her current and upcoming projects, to her endorsements and even with her family, she often shares them with her 1 million followers. In addition to this, Jung Ryeo Won's fashion style leans toward a comfortable, simple yet chic look. The actress told Allure Show she "prefers things" that she could use and "wear frequently in her daily life." For her, the fuss-free and best look that could make you seem put together are tracksuits. "I often wear tracksuits on set. They are like workwear for me." When it comes to new trends, she might skip "underwear fashion" or those with micro short shorts that looked like undergarments. "Underwear should be worn inside. I guess that makes me old-fashioned," she said, adding, "These days, I see friends who look good wearing modern styles, but I tend to dress more classically. I might try it for a photoshoot, but I'm too scared to wear it casually. I just can't do it.". For Jung Ryeo Won, her personal style looked like her character in "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon." It is simple but not boring, minimalist but definitely timeless. According to her, out of all the characters she played, Seo Hye Jin's fashion style looked most like hers. "These are my casual clothes," she said, referring to her styling for the drama. "Few of my coats, and I wore my scarves. And this time I had to carry a lot of big bags. So I rotated a few of my own bags and mixed a lot of my own clothes into the drama's wardrobe," the actress added. In "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon," her character, Seo Hye Jin, mostly wears button down shirts, paired with vests and trousers. She also adds a simple cardigan and a great collection of shoes to make her look more stylish. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Flores Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Thugs broke into a PlayStation shop in Mlolongo on 18th May 2024 at night and made away with two PlayStations, Two 55-inch TVs and several pads. The suspected thugs arrived at the business premises in the middle of the night driving a Subaru. They parked the car next to the PlayStation, broke in, and stole the equipment. It is alleged that the Subaru car used by the thugs during the robbery incident belongs to a flying squad officer. The video footage obtained from a nearby building was handed over to Mlolongo police station for further investigations. Cases of police officers engaging in criminal activities are rampant. Watch the footage. PlayStation Shop Ransacked in Daring Mlolongo Robbery Hi Nyakundi. This is my first-time expose. On the 18th of May 2024, a group of thieves broke into a PlayStation shop on Police Road in Mlolongo and made away with two PlayStations, two 55-inch TVs and several pads. The pic.twitter.com/mEuAODZVxL Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) May 28, 2024 The Kenyan DAILY POST. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) has told President William Rutos government to abandon its current strategy of collecting taxes, raising concerns that it primarily affects a small pool of taxpayers. While making its submissions before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, the association proposed for the tax bracket to be widened to accommodate more Kenyans. They pointed out that the taxman only collects taxes from 6.3 million Kenyans while many more are eligible, meaning the tax burden is not shouldered equally. Further, the association raised concerns over the higher deductions on salaried workers, indicating that it caused a ripple effect on the government's revenue collection. They argued that higher deductions reduced taxpayers' spending and in turn, decreased the amount the government can collect in the long run from indirect taxes. ICPAK also called for fiscal consolidation measures to aid in increasing revenue collection by reducing government deficits and debt accumulation. This would be anchored by implementing stronger legal frameworks to prevent tax evasion and avoidance as well as increasing tax audits and modernising tax systems. The accountants also called for avenues of corruption within the market to be sealed to encourage accountability for every coin spent. In conclusion, the stakeholders called for the National Treasury to inform the public of the revenue impact of each proposed tax measure to assess its worthiness and institute corrective measures in the required areas. The Kenyan DAILY POST Tuesday, May 28, 2024 - 89-year-old Hollywood legend, Judi Dench has revealed that she might stop acting due to poor eyesight. Dench who showed up at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, disclosed this when a journalist asked if she had any projects on the horizon. Dench reportedly replied, No, no. I can't even see. While her response may come as a shock to some it's no secret Dench has been losing her eyesight for years. Back in 2012, she was diagnosed with advanced macular degeneration, a disease that can result in severe loss of central vision. In 2021, the Oscar winner revealed that she calls her friends to read her lines out loud to assist her in her movie roles. While appearing on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2023, Dench revealed she was having a very hard time reading her lines in her movie scripts. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 President William Ruto may have made a deal with the devil in the name of the United States of America. After picking Kenya to lead the peace-keeping mission in the war-torn and gang-riddled Haiti that sparked uproar among Kenyans, the U.S. has picked Kenya for yet another dangerous mission. The U.S. and European Union picked Kenya to deal with Houthi rebels despite not provoking Kenya. Kenya will now join Seychelles to prosecute maritime suspects along the Indian Ocean. This is after several countries raised alarm over threats posed by Houthis rebels in Yemen and Somali-based pirates. According to the EU Naval Force, Kenya will join the war in assisting to handle the suspects due to the surge in the cases along the Coast threatening trade ties between many countries. Spanish ambassador to Kenya, Christina Diaz stated that the attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels are a major cause of concern that need to be addressed promptly. Her sentiments were echoed by Italian ambassador to Kenya Roberto Natali who reaffirmed that the Houthi rebels have staged numerous attacks in the past three months, resulting in the rerouting of vessels along the Indian Ocean to a longer route through the Cape. Houthi rebels have caused devastating chaos in Yemen by seizing the northern part of the country, launching over 30 attacks on ships operating the Red Sea. Armed forces from the United States, and the United Kingdom have received support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands to fight against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. This has been through the deployment of strikes against the Houthi-controlled areas. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 It appears President William Rutos charm offensive to woo more American investors to Kenya during his last weeks state visit to the U.S. did not impress everyone. This is after US-based Global Aerospace Company, Boeing, turned down Kenyas bid to host its Africa headquarters despite numerous efforts to court the company. Kenya missed out on a lucrative deal after Boeing selected Ethiopia as the preferred country to host its African headquarters. Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia were in the race to host the continental offshoot but the American giant eventually settled on Ethiopia for its aviation safety record, which places it amongst the best in Africa. In preparation for the move, the US aerospace company had appointed Henok Shawl to lead its Africa division. Shawl, who formerly served at Ethiopian Airlines, was picked for his vast experience in the aviation and telecommunication sector. His rich experience in Africa also counted in his favour. "Africa's abundant natural resources and burgeoning young workforce are poised to drive significant growth in air traffic and airplane demand over the next two decades," read the statement in part. Boeing is a leading aerospace company that designs, manufactures and services commercial planes. The company projects that African carriers will require an estimated 1,030 new aircraft in the next 20 years to uphold international standards. Ethiopia now gains a significant reputation as a key diplomatic hub in the continent as it already hosts the African Union's (AU) headquarters. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - A TV news anchor in Boston appeared to swallow a fly live on the air but instead of making a big fuss about it, she swallowed the fly and kept it going. A video which has gone viral on social media, showed Boston 25 News reporter Vanessa Welch leading a newscast late last week when something seemed to fall right into her mouth and down her throat in a flash. On its face, it looks to be a bug of some sort, likely a fly, but some have suggested it was something else entirely; maybe an eyelash. Watch the video below Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - A section of Kapseret Constituency residents has ganged up against their MP Oscar Sudi, accusing him of being useless for missing parliamentary sessions. On Monday, Sudi admitted that he never attends parliamentary sessions because he is busy looking for money. Following his admission that he never stepped into Parliament, some residents angrily called for his resignation, arguing that he had failed them. They called on the lawmaker to stop moving around the country and participating in Harambees, yet his constituency was suffering. "We are asking Oscar Sudi, you admitted that you have not been attending parliament sessions. For the last 12 years, what have you been doing? "You should step aside if you find it difficult to work for the people of Kapseret," a resident said. Another resident said they have realized they made a mistake in electing a leader who cannot properly represent them in the National Assembly. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Legendary boxer, Mike Tyson has broken his silence following a medical scare just weeks before his showdown with Jake Paul. The 57-year-old became nauseous and dizzy on a recent flight, forcing airline staff to ask passengers if there was a doctor on board. Paramedics later boarded the plane to treat Tyson after it had touched down in Los Angeles. The incident sent doubt over his July 20 fight, but on Tuesday Tyson wrote on social media: 'Now feeling 100% even though I dont need to be to beat Jake Paul.' The pair will meet in a controversial fight, broadcast on Netflix, on July 20 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tyson's representatives had previously insisted the former heavyweight champion was 'doing great' after 'an ulcer flare-up 30 minutes before landing.' 'He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him,' they told the New York Post. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Mombasa County Governor Abdulswamad Shariff has spoken after goons from the Kenya Revenue Authority raided his coast-based station, accusing him of evading taxes. Speaking on Wednesday after the raid, the governor said he would not be intimidated and linked the raid to the recent ban on Muguka in his county. "Here on the coast, if it's not the issues of drugs, it muguka. "This won't end, no matter how much we discuss it, and intimidation will not work. "You can take away everything, but you will never ever strip our dignity from us, Abdulswamad said "You came here, and everyone I have spoken to says they are not aware of any arrears. "If you have been sent to harass us, we are going to take this matter even further. "If it's muguka causing these issues, to make you think we will be intimidated, we will continue, Abdulsawamad added. But KRA said they raided the station because the governor had not paid tax in accordance with the KRA act. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Former Machakos County Senator, Johnson Muthama, has weighed in on the recent fallout between President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua. In a statement on Wednesday, Muthama who is a former UDA chairman, appealed to President William Ruto to seal the cracks in the ruling party and avoid washing their dirty linen in public. According to Muthama, UDA was founded on a strong political foundation that was devoid of political deceit. He thus argued that the recent public spats are washing away the key tenets of the party. "The Kenya Kwanza administration was formed on the foundation of national unity devoid of political deceit and President William Ruto, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and other leaders came together for the sake of achieving this," Muthama stated. To prevent the party from sliding into total anarchy, Muthama pleaded with President Ruto and Gachagua to use internally agreed mechanisms to solve the disputes. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai has castigated Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi for belittling MCAs while responding to United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala. In a statement on Wednesday, Malala warned Sudi over what he termed as indiscipline for attacking Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. "I have been deeply concerned by reports of indiscipline amongst a section of elected leaders within our party, UDA. "My attention has been drawn to the fact that certain individuals continue to show blatant disrespect to the party leadership," Malala said In his response, Sudi laughed off Malala's warning, terming him as an 'elevated MCA suffering from illusory superiority'. While responding to Sudi's remarks, Alai urged him to respect MCAs. According to Alai, MCAs should not be held in low regard since they are more competent than many Members of Parliament. "Tell Oscar Sudi not to hold MCAs in low regard. "Kindly respect the MCAs. "They are more competent than you and many other MPs. "Dont belittle the MCAs," Alai said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Actor Robert De Niro had a tense run-in with supporters of former U.S President Donald Trump outside a courthouse in downtown Manhattan, New York City on Tuesday, May 28. Upon being spotted, some of Trump's supporters shouted "F*** you," and called him a traitor to America and Italians and Jewish people. Other obscenities made mention of Robert's mother. The actor who was surrounded by security guards as he made his way through the crowd, stopped at one point to yell back, "We're trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters! F*** you!!!" Robert was in court on Tuesday on behalf of current U.S President, Joe Biden. He and two former Capitol Police Officers were dispatched to address the media outside the trial. For his part, De Niro made it clear he'd rather not be there, but feels passionately that it's his civic duty to be there to speak out against Trump. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - The Rongo University fraternity is mourning the sudden demise of Benjamin Baraza, a Third-Year student who went missing on May 7, 2024, and his body found dumped in Ruaka. In a letter signed by the Dean of Students, identified as B Asugo, the institution said that Baraza's body was found in Ruaka on May 23, 2024. The deceased was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management in the School of Arts, Social Sciences, and Business. Baraza left his house and told friends that he was going to deposit money in a nearby M-Pesa shop. He had Ksh 15,000 in cash. He left the house, telling friends he was going to the M-Pesa to deposit cash. He had KSh 15000 with him, a friend revealed. His trousers and crocs were found outside his house but he remained missing. All his lines were also off, prompting his family to report the matter to the police. Detectives have launched investigations to unravel his mysterious death. Barazas sister has taken to social media to mourn and revealed that he died a painful death. The young man, a budding poet, was only 24 years old. Check out his sisters emotional post on Facebook. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - President William Ruto has come clean as to why he stopped the automatic funding of university students by the government. Speaking during a meeting with Vice Chancellors at State House yesterday, Ruto justified the government's push to have the new funding model for higher learning institutions in place, insisting that is the only way to end the debt crisis plaguing public universities. According to Ruto, the new model is expected to deliver the varsities from debt within three years. The vice-chancellors confirmed that the financing model is working and in 3 years will sort out the financial challenges facing our universities, stated Ruto. This new funding framework initiated in 2023 for varsities eliminates automatic government sponsorship for students who attain the cut-off points to join public universities. Instead, it mandates that students once placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, will apply for a government scholarship if in need of funding. Placement by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service will now be based on merit and choice. Students will apply separately for financial assistance, including government scholarships and loans explained the PS for the State Department of Higher Education and Research, Beatrice Inyangala. The new funding model also stipulates that university students will be allocated scholarships and funding which will be calculated based on the cost of the programme of study. Similarly, the funding model also prioritizes a students financial need. The principal secretary further explained that the model classifies students into five categories based on the level of household income. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is a man under siege following his bitter fallout with President William Ruto. This is after it emerged that the president has resorted to bullying Gachagua and demeaning him and his office with the help of some State House operatives. This was revealed by Gachagua's close aide, Gilbert Kiptalam, who accused certain State House officials of being behind the tribulations facing the deputy president. In a statement, Kiptalam called on Ruto to crack the whip on his staff and political allies' demeaning and bullying Gachagua if he ever wants peace. He accused State House officials of fostering discord between Ruto and Gachagua through social media platforms. "On multiple occasions, State House blogger Dennis Itumbi and his associates have disseminated negative information via WhatsApp groups and Facebook, aiming to undermine the Deputy President," Kiptalam said. He criticised State House bloggers, likening them to aspiring MCAs who are more focused on competition than on their duties of promoting the accomplishments of the two principals. Kiptalam alleged that Itumbi had instructed all State House bloggers to avoid posting about Gachagua since the 2022 elections, despite the deputy president's bloggers promoting content for the president. He urged the president to address this issue before it gets out of hand. "When will his staff stop fighting the Deputy President? Mahali tumefika, ni Rais atuambie ukweli wa mambo aliongezea!" he added. He also called on the people of Mt. Kenya to unite behind Gachagua and reject leaders who oppose him, warning that these divisive politics could spell trouble for the Kenya Kwanza alliance if they continue. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Thailands former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted on charges of insulting the monarchy, the countrys attorney-general has said. The case, filed by police, alleged Thaksin violated Thailands notoriously harsh royal insult law during an interview he gave in 2015 to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo. The attorney general has decided to indict Thaksin on all charges, spokesperson Prayuth Bejraguna, told reporters Wednesday. Thaksin will need to appear before the Office of the Attorney General on June 18, after which he will be taken to court. He could not appear at Wednesdays hearing due to a Covid-19 infection, the spokesperson said. Thaksin has denied the charges, according to the spokesperson, and has repeatedly pledged loyalty to the monarchy. He is the most high-profile figure to face charges under Thailand's notorious lese majeste law, which has been used extensively against political dissidents. Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006, made a dramatic return to Thailand last August after 15 years in self-imposed exile and was taken into custody. Some experts believe Thaksin may have struck a deal with the countrys powerful conservative and royalist establishment for his return given his court convictions and the charges against him. Thaksin has denied the claim. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for conflict of interest, abuse of power, and corruption during his time in power, though his sentence was later reduced to one year. In February, the 74-year-old was released from detention after being granted parole, having served just six months in a police hospital. Thailand has some of the worlds strictest royal defamation laws, and criticizing the king, queen, or heir apparent can lead to a maximum 15-year prison sentence for each offense. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - The leaders of France and Germany have said that Ukraine should be permitted to strike military sites within Russia from which missiles were being fired at Ukrainian territory, but not any other targets. On Tuesday, May 28, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed their opinions at a joint news conference held for the first time following a Ukrainian attack on a Russian military installation in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West earlier on Tuesday , May 28 that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. Since the war in Ukraine started, the US has warned Ukraine to not use US made weapons to strike Russian territory. A Ukrainian drone targeted a long-range radar deep within Russia on Sunday, marking a second such strike on Russian military infrastructure within a week. And I think I can say that, factually, we are not escalating by doing this, since it is Russia that is organizing itself in this way, Macron said at Meseberg castle in Gransee, Germany. Scholz said he agreed with Macron and that as long as Ukraine respected the conditions given by countries that supplied the weapons, including the United States, and international law, it was allowed to defend itself. On the war in Gaza, with Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognizing the existence of a Palestinian state on Tuesday, the French President reiterated that he had always defended two states as the political solution. Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz also unveiled the broad outlines of their economic strategy for Europe, calling in particular for the creation of a European savings product at a time when 300 billion ($325.6 billion) is invested in American companies every year. Both endeavored to demonstrate unity and also made a clear claim to leadership in the EU. The German-French tandem is very important in this respect, said Scholz. We always come to an agreement, he emphasized. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - A US luxury real estate billionaire and a deep-sea explorer are planning to travel in a submersible to explore the Titanic nearly one year after the OceanGate Titan submersible implosion. The private submersible industry was rocked after five people were killed when a vessel built by OceanGate imploded en route to the Titanic last year. Despite the implosion that rocked the world, Ohio tycoon and adventurer Larry Connor and Patrick Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines, say they want to take a sub to a depth of around 3,800m (12,467ft) to see the shipwreck in the North Atlantic Ocean. I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way, Connor said. Patrick has been thinking about and designing this for over a decade. But we didnt have the materials and technology. You couldnt have built this sub five years ago. A spokesman for Mr. Connors company said on Tuesday that the proposed voyage would only take place once a vessel was fully certified by a marine organisation. There is no timeframe for the planned expedition. But the objective of their expedition is to demonstrate that deep-sea explorations can be conducted without peril, even after the disastrous implosion of the Titan submersible in June. Recall that on June 18, 2023, the implosion of the Titan resulted in the deaths of all five passengers, including the Chief Executive Officer of OceanGate, Stockton Rush. The Titan was en route to the Titanic site when it suffered a catastrophic failure on June 18, leading to the deaths of Rush, billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, French Titanic authority Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood along with his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Kileleshwa Ward Member of County Assembly, Robert Alai, claims that President Ruto is behind Rigathi Gachaguas recent political woes. Taking to his X account, Alai said Ruto didnt want a permanent political marriage with the Mt Kenya region, despite the residents turning up in large numbers to vote for him. He reportedly fixed Gachagua by using him to fight former President Uhuru Kenyatta and other key leaders in the Mt. Kenya region. Alai said Gachagua is isolated and warned him that he might be impeached. Gachagua berating others and fighting Uhuru and everyone in Mt.Kenya was by design. The man is isolated and can even be impeached and no one will mourn his loss. It was by design, he tweeted. The vocal MCA also cautioned the embattled Deputy President to stop using police choppers for his own safety. The last mistake Gachagua made was to accept police choppers. He should ditch them ASAP or we will forget him too soon, he added. Last weekend, Gachagua accused some close allies of President Ruto of being arrogant and sponsors of division in the Mt Kenya region. The seemingly angered Gachagua went bare-knuckles, revealing that President William Ruto's allies are already holding meetings in the Mt. Kenya region to craft 2032 succession politics to his disadvantage. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas attack on Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi has not gone down well with Marakwet elders, who have warned the second in command never to try it again or else there will be consequences. The elders declared their support for Sudi, pointing out that he is their son and they are proud of his achievements. They revealed that they had watched him work hard to become a respected MP from a tout in the area. The elders stated that they were surprised when the second in command decided to engage Sudi in a public exchange of words. According to the elders, an attack on Sudi was a direct aggression towards the Marakwet community. "We were surprised to see the Deputy President attacking Sudi, accusing him of walking around with stolen money and disrupting people's constituencies. "We were very shocked because how could the DP respond to Sudi, a relatively minor figure, instead of confronting people of his own stature? We were astonished and felt that the attack on Sudi was an attack on us as Marakwet. Imagine someone going so far as to tell us to go back to our homes when we are in Uasin Gishu. "Uasin Gishu is cosmopolitan, a place for everyone. Everyone has the right to run for office anywhere, yet someone is telling us not to trouble the Nandi and to go back to our own place," they said. The elders urged Gachagua to discuss his issues with President William Ruto rather than attack Sudi, whom they described as his underling. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - A 33-year-old South African woman has been arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly shot and killed her husband during an argument over his alleged infidelity. The police disclosed that the woman accused her husband of cheating on her with a woman living in the same premises as them. She then shot the man with his own gun as he tried to flee while being confronted about his alleged cheating. Spokesperson for Limpopo police, Col Malesela Ledwaba, said police and paramedics were called to the scene on Monday morning and found the 32-year-old man lying in a pool of blood. Both husband and wife were teachers at different schools in the area. Ledwaba said; According to the preliminary information, the violence ensued after the suspect found out about her husband's infidelity which was taking place on the same rental premises. She then fetched her husband's licensed firearm and started firing several shots at him while he was trying to escape. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old victim was shot and he collapsed on the street. "Upon arrival at the scene, police and emergency medical services found the victim lying in a pool of blood and he was certified dead. The firearm, believed to have been used to commit the crime, was found on the scene and was confiscated for further investigation. The provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe has highlighted the continuous struggle against gender-based violence in the province, urging communities to seek professional help to resolve relationship issues instead of resorting to violence. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has chosen to 'sacrifice' her people just to impress Mt. Kenya. This is after she vowed that Kwale County will not initiate a ban on muguka like Mombasa, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta. However, she emphasized that the county will put in place proper regulations for its use. Taita Taveta, Kilifi, and Mombasa imposed bans on muguka, citing that the substance caused more harm than good. As the leadership of this county, we join the rest in fighting the misuse of muguka. Of course, we will not ban the use of muguka because of legal issues. However, we are also following the stipulated legalities to ensure that the use of muguka is regulated, she commented. Similarly, she went ahead to reiterate that Kwale County residents should be wary of the health effects that come with consuming muguka. I urge everyone, including those consuming muguka, hard drugs and alcohol that its everyone's personal initiative to take good care of their health, she added. The issue of the muguka ban made Mt. Kenya leaders hot under the collar, with the residents of Embu, led by their Governor Cecily Mbarire seeking Rutos help and swearing to challenge the matter in court, which has since suspended the ban until the case is hard and determined. After a meeting with Ruto at State House on Monday, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi declared the bans effected by the 3 counties null and void. The Kenyan DAILY POST I have been writing for a while about how the DEA will run out of targets for opioid prosecutions because most doctors are too terrified to treat pain, and now it looks like it has happened. Three doctors in Tennessee were recently convicted of prescribing controlled medications outside the usual practice of medicine and not for a legitimate medical purpose. The interesting thing is that these doctors werent treating pain; they were treating an addiction. All three were working at a company called EHC Medical, focusing on opioid addiction treatment, with offices in Jacksboro and Harriman, Tennessee, about an hour or so from the Kentucky border. The main medication prescribed by these doctors was Suboxone. Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone and is the most common treatment for substance use disorder. It is a Schedule III medication. Buprenorphine by itself is prescribed generically or as Subutex for mild pain or addiction. Buprenorphine is a partial opiate agonist that binds and weakly activates the mu G protein-coupled receptors most associated with the euphoric and reward-seeking behaviors related to addiction. By binding them strongly but activating them partially, this medication can prevent withdrawals without generating euphoria in most people, allowing them a better chance to recover, about three times better by most accounts. Naloxone is Narcan, an opiate-blocking medication. Naloxone does not displace buprenorphine but does displace other opiates, like morphine or even fentanyl, which are pushed away from the receptors, protecting the patient from overdose if they relapse. Its used in the ER for overdose. This combination of medications is lifesaving, with a ceiling on respiratory suppression, meaning it would be extremely difficult for someone to overdose on this medication. It reaches a maximum effect and extra taken is just wasted. The allegations were that EHC Medical was not a legitimate addiction clinic but a machine to maximize profits without regard to the medical needs of each patient. I would say welcome to the world of corporate medicine in America, but that would be cynical. It is wrong for any physician or associated business not to care about the welfare of their patients. That being said, doctors are not Shaolin monks who wander the streets treating the ill with a bowl. Making a good income should not be a crime. The DEA alleged that the offices gained a reputation as a place where it was easy to get drugs. By drugs, they mean medications, so I guess to be safe, your clinic needs a reputation as a place where it is hard for those with addiction to get treatment. The authorities complained that the clinic performed inadequate physical examinations. Again, this is confusing to doctors. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by telemedicine or even by phone call. No physical exam is required. The article notes that while Suboxone is a legal drug used to treat addiction, it goes on to say that it can be abused by self-medicating against withdrawal or to get high. First, medicating against withdrawal is the very purpose of Suboxone. I assume they mean self-medicating by someone other than the person the medication was prescribed for. This is not uncommon as drug users often share resources, but it is a crime. For the drug user, not the doctor prescribing it. Second, it would be exceedingly rare to find any opiate drug abuser who got high off buprenorphine. It simply is not a strong enough agonist, even for a medication-naive person. When someone becomes addicted and seeks treatment, they have usually been using much stronger agonists for years, causing their opiate receptors to downregulate and cytochrome P450 enzymes like 2D6 and 3A4 to upregulate. 3A4 is the main metabolizer of buprenorphine, with a little help from 2C8, so no. Not likely. The next complaint was that the doctors continued to treat patients who failed drug screens or showed other signs that they were abusing or diverting drugs. Thats kind of the definition of addiction. The uncontrolled use etc. So, you cant continue treating someone with addiction if they have clear symptoms of the very condition you are treating? That sounds like a Catch-22. I guess they need to be cured with the first treatment dose. The complaints include that two Kentucky drug dealers acknowledged in guilty pleas that they used EHC as a source for drugs. OK. Book em, Dano, as they used to say. Was there a taped conversation proving that the doctors knew these guys were diverting their medications? All someone has to do is lie to the doctor and take something like heroin once to get a positive initial screen, then sell all their medications except a dose to use the day before the next visit so its in their system. The doctor will never know. The funny thing is, the people testing positive for other stuff and sometimes negative for their medications may be even more likely to actually have addiction than the perfect patient who never does either. Addiction is a tough thing to fight, and most true addicts will relapse many times before succeeding. Selling their medications to get high. These criteria mean a doctor can be prosecuted if they dont fire an addict as soon as they make a mistake. Which would be almost all true addicts. The papers go on to say that carloads of patients would drive in from nearby states, so about an hour away in this case. It is common in rural states to drive several hours to get medical treatment, so this is a false metric the DEA uses to make clinics look illegitimate. The carloads is also a false metric. No doctor stands in the parking lot noting who drove in with whom, and even if patients come in the door together, they are seen one at a time in a steady stream. This is the usual practice of medicine. The business was founded in 2013 and operated through 2018 by the supposed founder of this drug ring, Robert Taylor. He pleaded guilty, along with three other doctors and an office manager, and was given a sentence of thirty months and a $200,000 fine but also forfeited $13.8 million to the government. Not to imply that a good payoff helps, but three other doctors, Herrell, Grenkoski, and Cirelli, were not so fortunate, being convicted at trial and getting 10, 9, and 4 years, respectively. The papers say that Harrell pocketed $3.7 million, Grenkoski $2.3 million, and Cirelli $903 thousand but it doesnt say over what period of time. If that were ten years, it would not be unusual; if it were over three years, that would be uncommon for someone who did not own the clinic. Context matters, which we hope journalists will start providing. Im interested in seeing what the jury was told by the governments paid expert witnesses and if they had any evidence of true mens rea. The Supreme Court said in Ruan that physicians must know that their actions are illegal and choose to do it anyway to be culpable. In true cases of drug-dealing doctors, the medications are sold per pill: $300 for 30, $600 for 60, etc. Simply charging for a patient visit is not the same. Suboxone doses dont vary as much as other types of medication might, so this could be harder to disprove. Also, were jurors told that physical exams were mandatory? Or that other medications should not be combined? This can be very effective, but it is not true. Xanax is mentioned, and its very reasonable that some addicts will suffer from panic disorder. My advice to addiction medicine providers would be to not prescribe them. Benzodiazepines can blunt some of the protective effects of buprenorphine. Let a psychiatrist deal with that. Two, I do not recommend that you profit from the labs you order, especially at addiction clinics. It may be legal, but that wont stop them from putting you away for it. Different doctors have different opinions on these matters, and as these are medical opinions, not crimes, by enforcing one over the other, the federal government is trying to influence the practice of medicine. Itself a crime, according to 42 USC 1395, which makes clear that the authority to regulate the practice of medicine is reserved to the states. For all the good that actually does. The only people who could arrest them are other federal agents, and theyre too busy helping the DEA arrest doctors to care. So, the lesson to learn here is: Dont treat addicts who cant control their behavior; since thats all addicts, I guess theyre done for. Dont make money running your clinic; if you do, put back a big chunk for the federal payoff. Dont treat anyone who crosses state lines. Addicts and doctors in border cities are also done for. Leave. Dont treat anyone who drives over a certain distance. 45 miles in some prosecutions but 25 in others. And, I guess you need to make it hard for your patients to get treatment so you wont be too easy. Good luck. L. Joseph Parker is a distinguished professional with a diverse and accomplished career spanning the fields of science, military service, and medical practice. He currently serves as the chief science officer and operations officer, Advanced Research Concepts LLC, a pioneering company dedicated to propelling humanity into the realms of space exploration. At Advanced Research Concepts LLC, Dr. Parker leads a team of experts committed to developing innovative solutions for the complex challenges of space travel, including space transportation, energy storage, radiation shielding, artificial gravity, and space-related medical issues. He can be reached on LinkedIn and YouTube. The minister of information and national guidance Dr. Chris Baryomunsi has welcomed the censure motion against Parliament Commissioners. He has described the move by a section of MPs collecting signatures to censure four commissioners for alleged abuse office as a healthy process since parliament needs to be accountable to the public. His statement comes after his colleague in cabinet, Persis Namuganza asked Ugandans to vote against any minister or Member of Parliament who refuses to sign the censure motion. Baryomunsi has told journalists this morning that since MPs represent the masses in the house, it is good to have checks and balances within parliament. so if there is section of MPs who are not satisfied with the way the parliamentary commission handled or handles the affairs i think it is ok for them to move and the rules of procedure parliament provides for it he said. Three of the commissioners targeted by the censure motion subscribe to the ruling NRM party, while one is from the opposition. They are Esther Afoyochan, Prossy Akampurira Solomon Silwany, and National Unity Platform (NUP)s Mathias Mpuuga. The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party Whip, Yusuf Nsibambi has led his colleagues in appending signatures to the petition for a censure motion intended to recall the four Commissioners of Parliament from office for allocating themselves Shs1.7Bn in Service Awards. Nsibambi who doubles as the Mawokota South MP told journalists after signing the motion that their move is intended to give the accused colleagues an opportunity to account to Ugandans on how they have been conducting business in Parliament. Ugandans deserve to know exactly what happened and the basis of these awards, he said. Agnes Taaka, Bugiri Woman representative who also appended her signature to the petition says it is intended to hold the embattled Commissioners accountable and have them explain the various allowances they have been drawing as members of the Parliamentary Commission. Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County) who is leading the collection of signatures commended Nsibambi and team for joining the cause against corruption. Members of Parliaments Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have today learnt with shock that that Naguru China Friendship hospital has operated for three years without a CT scan. The Executive Director of Naguru Hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Tugaineyo, has told the MPs that they have been turning away patients seeking such services. He attributed this situation to the absence of a legal instrument defining the hospitals status, which has left administrators grappling with meager funds, staff shortages, and inadequate equipment. When we went to the Ministry of Public Service, they said they needed that instrument that elevated the facility to a national referral hospital, before getting a new structure for staff and other essential equipment, he told MPs during an interface. Gorretti Namugga, the PAC Vice Chairperson wondered how the hospital had operated without a CT scan for such a long time, asking the ministry of health to act on the matter swiftly. The absence of a CT scan at a such a facility makes health care very expensive for patients, as they have to go to Mulago and come back and queue again at Naguru, spending more money and time that is necessary, said Ms Namugga. By Busain Samilu A section of students from various Universities including; Makerere, Kyambogo, Makerere University Business school (MUBS), under their Students Against EACOP Uganda grouping have, petitioned the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, asking the House to prioritise and discuss environmental issues being raised on the negative impact of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop). Led by Martha Amviko from Kyambogo, John Otule from Makerere and Yuda Kaye from MUBS, the students yesterday marched to the House while shouting stop Eacop before Parliament police intercepted them near the main gate and engaged them. The three leaders were then escorted to deliver their petition to the Parliament leadership. In their petition, the students say the construction of the 1,443km heated pipeline from Hoima to Tanga, in Tanzania poses existential consequences to most of the regions natural resources especially Lake Victoria where a third of it passes, forests and rivers. The project threatens biodiversity loss where hundreds of wildlife will be displaced once constructed as this passes through most of the prominent national parks like Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, reads part of the petition. Eacop once constructed threatens the regions biodiversity as it passes through the regions national parks and greatly contributes to mass extinction of the most endangered species like the great apes and hugely puts at risk their survival as the oil pipeline would escalate the level of carbon emissions and hence contributes to a growing frustration and justification for an urgent need to protect the endangered species, it adds. Their petition comes about six months after the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) dismissed a case that had been filed by civil society organizations opposing the construction of the pipeline. Like the students arguments, the activists in their 2020 lawsuit informed the EACJ that the project will harm fragile ecosystems in areas rich in biodiversity as well as the livelihoods of tens of thousands of local people. Five judges in their ruling said that the activists had filed the case late and therefore it could not be adjudicated upon for having been filed outside the time period prescribed The project also nearly faced a setback in September 2022 when the European Union Parliament called for its halting over allegations of human rights violation which was later cleared after it was realised that it was not true. Eacop is a 1,443km crude export pipeline system that will be constructed to transport crude oil from Kabaale Hoima District in Uganda to a maritime port facility on the Chongoleani peninsula Tanga in Tanzania. It is being constructed by four partners including Total Energies who owns 62 percent shares, China National Offshore Oil Company (Cnooc) with 8 percent, Ugandan and Tanzanian governments each with 15 percent shares. The pipeline will pass through 10 districts of; Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera; 27 Sub-counties, threeTown Councils and one hundred seventy-one (171) villages. Ms Amviko said that the pipeline construction has resulted in the displacement of thousands of Ugandans from their ancestral lands making them lose their properties. French giant Total Energies and Cnooc have since then promised to compensate the victims but testimonies that have widely been shared on the internet prove that a biased compensation process that has entirely excluded a number of the persons affected by the pipeline was conducted leaving these people frustrated and starving and some have been displaced to refugee settlement camps, she said. Government and oil companies have on several occasions denied harassing locals and claims that the project has environmental dangers. This was the first time the students have been escorted to submit their petition to the Parliament leadership. The previous attempts police have been arresting them from outside Parliament. In their petition, the students want Parliament to order an immediate reinstatement of people who were evicted off their land, table a motion that will safeguard Ugandans safety, and unveil efforts towards safeguarding the environment Our humble plea is for you to prioritize the will of ordinary Ugandans against a few individuals that want to reap big from the suffering of Ugandans by registering record profits. We will remain committed to complying with anything as long as it meets the above demands and puts the government at the right side of history, they said in the Households can now apply to rent one of the 25 new Cluid Cost Rental homes in the Cluain Glasan estate in Kilkenny City, after they were officially opened by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OBrien TD, today. The 25 two and three-bed Cost Rental houses were delivered by Cluid Housing, in partnership with Kilkenny County Council, the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Agency and the Housing Finance Agency, and are located in Glenveaghs Cluain Glasan development, close to the historic city of Kilkenny. They are the first Cost Rental properties in the county. Cost Rental is a new type of housing, designed for people whose income means they are not eligible for social housing or other support such as HAP, but who still struggle to rent on the open market. The rent for a two-bedroom Cost Rental house in Cluain Glasan will be 1,238 per calendar month, with a three-bed house renting for just 1,350 a 27% saving on the average market rent for the area. Members of the public who are interested in living in one of these stunning A-rated homes can apply online now via the Cluid Housing website (www.cluid.ie/cost-rental) or Daft.ie. Applications open at 9am on Wednesday 29 May and will close at 5pm on Wednesday 5 June. All eligible applicants will be entered into a lottery to allocate the new Cost Rental homes. The homes are unfurnished, but come with white goods, flooring and blinds. To be eligible to rent one of these new Cost Rental homes, applicants must be able to prove: Their net household income is below 59,000 per year They are not receiving any social housing supports, such as HAP or Rent Supplement They can afford the rent They dont own a property The household is the correct size for the house The homes are advertised on Daft.ie and you can find out more, or apply to rent one of the homes, on Cluids website www.cluid.ie/cost-rental Households can only make one application for a specific Cost Rental home. Niall O Ceallachain, Chief Operations Officer of Cluid Housing, said "Im absolutely delighted to be opening applications for the 25 more Cost Rental homes here in Kilkenny today the first in the county." "The A-rated homes will provide the new residents with secure, high-quality homes close to the city, and with rents 27% cheaper than the average in the area," he added. "Cluain Glasan is a wonderful mixed tenure estate, and Cluid is excited to support our new Cost Rental residents, and our social residents, as they contribute to the wider community here." During his visit to Kilkenny City, Minister OBrien also visited the new social, affordable and private ownership homes at Nyne Park, where he met with the Cluid residents who had recently moved in. "Im delighted to be here in Kilkenny City today to see two fine examples of mixed tenure housing developments," he said. "Cost Rental has huge potential to shape the private rental sector, so Im delighted to see the first Cost Rental homes opening in Kilkenny. These secure, high-quality, affordable homes are truly life-changing. "In Kilkenny, there were 469 new home commencements in first four months of this year, which is a record for this period. This hugely positive momentum wouldnt be possible without a strong input from our delivery partners such as Cluid." Versatile actor embraces personal transformation, competes against herself By KTimes Actress Chun Woo-hee, 37, plays polar opposite roles in two recently released dramas. Her performances have drawn praise, with her audiences wondering how can one person deliver such powerfully contrasting performances. This spotlight on her acting skills comes as she celebrates her 20th anniversary in the industry. Both "The 8 Show" and "Atypical Family" have climbed to the top two spots in Netflix's Korean drama ratings, creating the rare spectacle of Chun competing against herself. In the Netflix's series "The 8 Show," Chun plays Song Se-ra who finds amusement in others' suffering, eagerly proposing arson by saying, "It would be fun." In JTBC weekend drama "Atypical Family," she plays Do Da-hae, a character who survived a major fire disaster and is unable to approach a gas stove flame because of her trauma. "I'm so happy that both roles in such different projects are being well received. It gives me the strength to approach any role with confidence and responsibility," said Chun during an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. Chun is known for her intense characters, such as a delinquent inhaling glue and acting bizarrely in the film "Sunny" (2011) and the desperate North Korean illegal immigrant repeatedly making extreme choices in "Idol" (2019). However, playing Se-ra in "The 8 Show" was a challenge even for her. Se-ra, who is incapable of empathy and driven solely by instinct and amusement, is a different level of insanity. "I told people around me that I leave my brain and heart at home and come to the set, focusing only on Se-ra's instincts," she said. Exploring various roles The character Do Da-hae in "Atypical Family" is also not an easy role. Chun meticulously portrays the pain of a fire disaster survivor while convincingly playing a con artist forced into the role due to her father's debts. Viewers have empathized with her portrayal of PTSD, commenting that they "felt suffocated," and her ability to change her expression in each scene has been highly lauded. Chun wasn't always serious about acting. Initially, she took on minor roles as a part-time job. Her decision to fully commit to becoming an actress came while filming "Sunny" (2011). "In real life, I was living as a good daughter, but on set, I was given the identities of 'Chun Woo-hee' and 'actress.' I really liked that role. Seeing everyone on set doing their best at their jobs made me think about taking acting seriously." Chun won the Best Actress award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for the independent film "Han Gong-ju" (2014), which dealt with the infamous case a middle school girl being gang raped in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. She beat prominent actresses of the time, such as Kim Hee-ae, Son Ye-jin, and Jeon Do-yeon. Her tearful acceptance speech, where she struggled to continue, saying, "For such a small film, and for someone as unknown as me to receive such a big award..." remains memorable to this day. Even after becoming a "top star" through films like "The Wailing" and dramas like "Be Melodramatic," Chun continued to explore various genres, acting in short films like "Girls on Top" (2017) and independent films like "Maggie" (2018) and "Vertigo" (2019). One of her criteria for choosing projects is "solidarity and empathy." She said, "I want to support and bring attention to things that can be empowering. I believe that experiencing different works as an actor can broaden my perspective." From homebody to adventurer Chun is also famously known for being a "homebody." After immersing herself in a project, she would recharge at home, retreating from outside activities, before starting the next job. While she appears energetic on screen, she admits that she is not as energetic in real life, focusing solely on acting. When feeling emotionally drained, she prefers to write in her journal and quietly reflect rather than socialize. Recently, however, Chun began to look beyond her home. The physical and emotional burdens from overlapping drama shoots in 2022 changed her. "Actors need to express humanity well, but I questioned if I was living my life well. It seemed I wasn't. I took time to focus on myself and wanted to live my daily life well." Last month, she obtained a scuba diving certification in the Philippines and decided to resume playing the cello, which she had quit for eight months due to a project. She also set a goal to travel every month until her next project. "I'm thinking of going to Mongolia to see the Milky Way. I want to have adventures. Both in acting and traveling, I want to keep exploring uncharted territories." This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times. By Park Jin-hai Kim Hye-yoon, the star of the recently concluded tvN romance drama, "Lovely Runner," attributes the show's global success to its unique blend of storytelling. A key factor of the narrative's appeal, according to Kim, is its shifting perspectives between Im Sol (Kim) and her love interest Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok), departing from the traditional romantic comedy format, which usually focuses primarily on the female lead. The buzz surrounding the drama began after the drama narrates from the perspective of the male protagonist, Sun-jae. Rom-com dramas in many cases normally unravel the story from the perspective of the female lead, so this change of perspective must have given drama fans a heart-fluttering moment, Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday, a day before the airing of the final episode, adding that the popularity still feels as a sudden and pleasant surprise to her. The 16-part drama intricately weaves together the perspectives of Sol and Sun-jae, providing viewers with a multifaceted understanding of both characters. This approach allows audiences to connect with them on a deeper level, delving into their motivations and emotions as they navigate the complexities of their relationship. Another biggest attraction of this drama is the theme of mutual 'rescue romance' as the leads save each other, both emotionally and physically, she said. The series centers on Sol, a huge fan of the K-pop idol Sun-jae. Sol, who aspired to be a movie director, became paralyzed after an accident and finds comfort in Sun-jae's music. Then, disaster strikes again when top star Sun-jae dies in a tragic accident, leaving his fan Sol heartbroken. In a twist of fate, Sol travels back in time and wakes up back in high school, 15 years in the past before her accident and Sun-jae's death. Seeing this as a miracle, Sol decides to use this chance to save her idol and rewrite their destinies. The 27-year-old actor, debuted on the KBS drama Samsaengi (2013) playing a supporting character, became a recognizable face through the mega-hit JTBC series Sky Castle (2018). With Lovely Runner, Kim is experiencing the highlight of her career. She said the script of the drama, adapted from web novel Tomorrow's Best, was so much fun and even made her worried about her acting. "The script was as much fun as the original web novel. I was laughing and crying along the way. The story was so captivating that it made me feel even more pressure. I hoped that I could express it well enough for the viewers to experience the same range of emotions. I was really worried about whether I could do it," Kim said. Another challenge she faced was portraying her character, Sol, across different life stages, from her teens to her 30s, through various time jumps in the drama. "The time-slip element was challenging because it required me to portray a 30-something woman who returned to her teenage self. So I had to carefully choose words and expressions that teenagers would not typically use, she explained. Kim also paid attention to visual details such as hairstyle and clothes to differentiate Sol's appearance at various ages throughout the drama. For younger Sol, I wore fake bangs, while for older Sol in her 30s, (I opted for a) more mature hairstyle. Wardrobe has been youthful and vibrant in her teens and early 20s, but a more sophisticated style for adult Sol, she said. When asked about how much similarity she as a person shares with her character, Kim responded "50 percent." "Sol is a very emotional person, often shedding tears in extreme situations. However, in real life, I am not someone who cries easily. I would say that I share about 50 percent of Sol's personality traits. Like Sol, I am cheerful and have a great sense of humor, which makes it easier for me to portray her character," she said. "However, Sol is the type of person who bounces back immediately from difficult situations, never giving up or dwelling on them. In contrast, I do experience moments of discouragement, self-doubt and hesitation. While Sol's resilience is something I admire and hope to learn from." Kim expressed her openness to taking on more teen romance roles, stating that she is willing to continue embracing such characters as long as she can. "Instead of working hard to try to shed school uniforms or break away from teen image, I want to embrace it and let it be. Time will come when I look awkward to wear school uniforms in dramas. Until that time, I am happy to wear them," she said. However, unlike Sol, Kim has no desire to revisit the past, even if given the opportunity to travel through time. "I has given much thought about what time period I would go back to if time travel were possible. But I think I would choose not to go back to the past even if I could. I believe I made choices in the past and they were the best choices that I could make at the time. I have no regrets about it. In fact, those choices I made led me to where I am today," Kim said with a smile. By Yi Whan-woo Representatives of Koreas top private equity (PE) firms had a meeting with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to industry sources, Wednesday, prompting speculation over widened cooperation between the two countries on investment capital. The speculation comes as the meeting, according to the sources, was held at the request of the UAE president on the sidelines of his first state visit to Korea, where the PE market grew to 136 trillion won ($99.68 billion) as of last year. The president met three executives Lee Hae-joon, head of global growth at IMM PE; Hahn Sang-won, CEO of Hahn & Co.; and Chai Jin-ho, head of PE at STIC Investments on the first day of his two-day trip, Tuesday. The three are crucial in managing funds that attract global limited partners, including those from the UAE. The meeting took place at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul. Representatives of SBVA and Signite Partners here, both venture capital firms, also attended. The participants briefly introduced their respective company to the president, who, in a friendly gesture, told them to let him know if he can be of any assistance, a source said on condition of anonymity. Another source said the meeting was where there was a sense of atmosphere to open working-level discussions very soon on relevant issues. A third source said UAE sovereign wealth funds are anticipated to explore investment opportunities aggressively in the Korean market on the heels of Tuesdays meeting. The source pointed out that the UAE president was accompanied by delegates of Mubadala Development Co. during his Korea visit. A public joint stock company of the government of Abu Dhabi, Mubadala Development Co. forms the emirates three sovereign wealth funds along with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and ADQ. According to data from the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI), the three collectively manage about $1.46 trillion in sovereign wealth capital. ADIA manages $984 billion alone, making it the worlds fourth-largest sovereign wealth fund, while Mubadala Development Co. accounts for another $276 billion and ADQ for remaining $199 billion. Hahn & Co. was at the top of the Korean PE industry in 2023, with a total committed capital of 13.6 trillion won. IMM PE had 9.2 trillion won, and STIC Investments had 6.26 trillion won. Meanwhile, the UAE president met Tuesday with leaders of major Korean conglomerates, including Samsung, SK and Hyundai Motor. Commissioner seeks more ODA in Africa in line with upcoming Korea-Africa Summit By Lee Yeon-woo There are many ways to offer official development assistance (ODA) to another country, but not many people know that statistical know-how can be one of those ways. Its effectiveness, has already been proven in Korea. In the 1960s, Korea heavily relied on the shared expertise of foreign countries, as it lacked professionals and statistics infrastructure in the aftermath of the Korean War. This assistance led to the establishment of the first Statistics law in 1963, and helped the country conduct a national census for population and housing. Subsequent efforts to develop its own statistical methods contributed to establish a series of Five-Year Economic Plans, helping it to achieve rapid socioeconomic development. Now, the country is seeking to give back to the international community. Statistics Korea's ODA projects began in 2012 with Mongolia and Vietnam and have gradually expanded to countries in Latin America and Africa. As of this year, it has implemented statistical ODA projects in a total of 12 countries, including the seven countries currently being supported. "Korea's leading statistical brand, the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS), has been transplanted to several recipient countries," said Lee Hyoung-il, commissioner of Statistics Korea, in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "It gave birth to MONSIS in Mongolia, ASIS in Azerbaijan, and TANSIS in Tanzania, establishing a Korean-influenced Statistical Information System." Helping to build statistical infrastructure like KOSIS is one of the three ODA methods provided by Statistics Korea. The institution also offers consulting tailored to the recipient country's statistical environment and works to strengthen human resource capabilities. "We focus on ensuring that the assistance is not one-sided support, but rather provides sustainable infrastructure so that the recipients can become independent," Lee said. The next step is to expand ODA initiatives to Africa, particularly in alignment with the upcoming Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled from June 4 to 5. Lee noted that establishing a "Korean-style statistical information highway" in Africa is under consideration, with Ethiopia being the country of priority. This follows several MOUs signed with the African Development Bank (AfDB) last September and the Ethiopian Statistics Service this February. If implemented, the initiative will include developing a comprehensive statistical system that encompasses data transmission and management, including sensitive data, and the development of visualization techniques to promote data utilization. "Currently, ODA projects are being implemented in Tanzania and Tunisia, with plans to expand to other developing countries in Africa, such as Ethiopia and Senegal, in the future," Lee said. "To regularly monitor and support the smooth implementation of agreements from the upcoming summit, we plan to establish and operate high-level consultative bodies such as the Korea-Africa meeting of heads of statistical offices," Lee added. With such efforts bearing fruit on the international stage, Korea has secured the opportunity to host the World Statistical Congress of International Statistical Institute, often referred to as the Olympics for the statistics profession, here in 2027. "We aim to share our 26 years of experience on the global stage. This event will undoubtedly contribute to advancing the field of statistics and the data industry," Lee said. Seeking international cooperation can yield additional benefits beyond enhancing Korea's global presence. Various statistics obtained from other countries can help domestic companies pursue overseas expansion and increase exports, according to Lee. To meet domestic companies' needs, Statistics Korea has operated an online platform where corporations can request specific statistical data. With recent MOUs signed with the UAE, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia, the institution can now provide tailored statistical data from these countries to domestic corporations. "Overseas statistics and data provision services have often lacked timeliness or have been scattered, making it difficult for export companies to find the necessary trade information promptly. We aim to assist export companies more effectively by providing customized and timely statistical and data services to meet their specific needs," Lee said. Lee said there has been a surge in demand for cooperation from developing countries for Korea's advanced statistical innovation techniques. To meet this demand and efficiently implement ODA projects, Statistics Korea plans to expand cooperation with international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the AfDB. These organizations are well-acquainted with the regional circumstances of each continent, making them ideal partners, rather than responding solely to the needs of individual countries. "Statistics Korea is focusing on the national task of 'strengthening Korea's role as an advanced statistical nation in the international community,' and continuously reinforcing its leadership through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as ODA projects," Lee said. "Korea has achieved economic growth in such a short time, like a miracle, rising from the ashes of the Korean War. The country has quickly transformed itself from an ODA recipient to a contributor," Lee added. Who is Lee Hyoung-il? Lee is renowned as one of the foremost macroeconomic and policy experts among economic officials here, having served at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He has held several key positions, including assistant vice minister. As assistant vice minister, he led the development of the annual and mid-year economic policy direction for 2023, and is credited with outlining the framework for private sector-led economic revitalization envisioned by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Lee was also inducted into the hall of fame after being selected three times as "role model supervisor," an award given annually by employees of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Born in 1971, he graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics and earned his Ph.D in economics at Texas A&M University in the U.S. Reports of NK soldiers in Ukraine may show Russia's 'profound' desperation: US official Irene Yoo's Orion Bar pours Korean American flavors into every glass By Kwon Mee-yoo NEW YORK "I think soju is just starting to gain traction in America," said Irene Yoo, a Korean American chef and content creator behind Yooeating. Yoo's Instagram Reel demonstrating iconic Korean soju rituals, from conjuring a "tornado" in the bottle to rolling the glass on its face before finally drinking it, has amassed over 16.3 million views as of May 2024, highlighting the booming global fascination with this clear distilled spirit from Korea. With her innovative approach to Korean American cuisine, Yoo has carved a niche for herself in the food industry. Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in California, her culinary journey is deeply rooted in her Korean heritage, shaped by Korean dishes her mother prepared at home and summers spent in Korea. As she ventured into adulthood away from home, the nostalgia for her mother's cooking grew, steering her toward a path that would eventually lead to Yooeating. "She was a very good cook, but she taught herself how to cook everything she wanted to cook, all the foods that she missed. I was always very inspired by that," Yoo said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Brooklyn, April 24. This longing inspired her to revisit and share the flavors of her childhood as Korean American comfort food. The concept for Yooeating materialized as a series of pop-ups in Brooklyn around 2015, where Yoo aimed to intertwine Korean cuisine with other food traditions she had explored, such as Italian, Vietnamese, Cuban and Hawaiian. "For example, trying Cuban food for the first time, I was like, Oh, this pork dish is very similar to a Korean pork dish, Yoo said. Then, when I was doing more research looking into the history, I realized that both countries have more similarities, such as they are both countries next to water and went through wars. They share a lot more of a similar history than you would think, even though they seem so different." As she tried to illuminate the connections between seemingly disparate cuisines, creating an experience of shared histories and flavors across different cultures, a variety of hybrid dishes came out, including Kimchi Carbonara. "Italian food was something I ate a lot of when I was going to college and carbonara was actually one of the first dishes I taught myself how to cook," Yoo said, explaining how her experiment with pasta and kimchi adding a spicy and tangy twist became a crowd favorite. Another popular offering was the Cubana, a sandwich inspired by Cuban cuisine but with a Korean twist, featuring Spam, kimchi, pickles and cheese. "From there, I explored different facets of Korean food like 'naengmyeon' (cold noodles), 'anju' (food consumed with alcohol) or 'bunsik' (snack), which are parts of Korean foods that are very unique to Korea and so I wanted to try and make my own versions of that," Yoo said. As her culinary creations gained popularity, Yoo expanded her reach online. "When COVID hit, I decided that I wanted to share a lot of the recipes that I had made for pop-ups," she said. This led to the launch of the Yooeating YouTube channel, which provided a platform for a wider audience to explore her Korean recipes. Yoo also collaborated with her friend and fellow food content creator, James Park, to establish KA KA Studio. Together, they began sharing stories about Korean and Korean American food, culture and travel. Inventive soju cocktails To further her effort, Yoo is set to open Orion Bar in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, slated for mid-June, aiming to redefine how Americans enjoy soju, breaking it free from its traditional pairing with Korean barbecue. Yoo's vision is to create a space where soju can be savored on its own or as a key ingredient in inventive cocktails. "In Korea, you mostly drink (soju) with food, but we want to bridge that gap. Maybe you just want to be at a bar and share soju with your friends," she said during an interview with The Korea Times, April 24. Yoo shares the creative process for the cocktail menu that marries classic mixology with flavors of Korea with her husband and bar partner, Nick Dodge. "Nick has a lot of great ideas from a cocktail perspective. We started with the classics, thinking about how we can infuse them with distinctive Korean flavors," Yoo said. At Orion Bar, customers can look forward to trying soju flights, exploring the nuances between different soju varieties, and enjoying inventive cocktails such as the Soju & Tonic, which replaces traditional gin with soju and features a homemade tonic infused with yuzu and kkaennip (perilla leave), and a Martini with dasima (kelp) and shiitake mushroom, adding a refreshing twist to the familiar cocktail. The menu also features other drinks such as Whiskey Sour, enhanced with hallabong (sweet tangerine from Jeju Island), persimmons and "misutgaru" (Korean grain powder), bringing a Korean twist to another classic. For those looking for something more unique, the bar offers playful, nostalgia-inspired cocktails such as the Melona, a frozen concoction blending makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and flavors reminiscent of Korean melon ice cream bars. "We also have a drink called Space Spam," she said. "It doesn't have actual Spam in it, but its sort of a tiki cocktail inspired by the flavors of Spam, using rum, 'gochugaru' (chili powder) and 'jocheong' (rice syrup). Its about starting with something classic and seeing how we can interpret it through a Korean lens, Yoo explained. What completes the drink experience at the Orion Bar is a tantalizing anju menu crafted by Yoo to perfectly pair with the bar's diverse soju and cocktail selections. The menu includes an array of unique dishes, each bringing a creative twist on typical Korean drinking snacks. "I'm really excited about the anju," Yoo said. "The original idea stemmed from just wanting to eat ramyeon (instant noodles) with soju, which is a simple pleasure in Korea but less common in the U.S. So I want to recreate that experience here. To capture this essence, Orion Bar will serve two types of noodles. Spicy Ramyun, which is Shin Ramyun with egg, scallion and an option to add cheese, and Savory Ramyun, featuring Chapagetti noodles with brisket and a touch of truffle oil. The menu highlights include Shrimp Chips with Myeongnanjeot Dip, pairing the popular Korean shrimp snack with the umami-rich flavor of myeongnanjeot (fermented pollack roe) dip; Jogaetang, a spicy clam stew with "sujebi" (hand-pulled dough), reminiscent of a staple at Korean "pojangmacha" (street stalls); and Kimchi Carbonara, a hit from Yoo's pop-up days. Evolution of Korean food The rise of Korean cuisine in the U.S. has been meteoric, with K-dramas and K-pop amplifying interest in Korean food. "When I started doing the Yooeating pop-ups, it was just when people were starting to understand what kimchi is or what gochujang is without having to explain. 'Oh, kimchi is fermented cabbage or gochujang is red chili paste.' Now, it has progressed even more beyond the standard bibimbap or bulgogi. People are starting to understand and explore different parts of Korean culture regionally and that it's a huge diaspora of food and culture, Yoo reflected on the evolution of this trend. "Every time I go to H Mart, I see more and more products. I see more (Korean) shows and movies on Netflix that are popular. I hear more of my non-Korean friends watching things like 'Single's Inferno' or 'The Devil's Plan,' regardless of it being a Korean show or something from Korea. I think it's been more integrated into pop culture here. The increase in visibility and integration of Korean culture in the U.S. is shown through a significant rise in Korean dining establishments in New York and beyond. "It's really amazing (to see how these developments) connect with the Korean community, she added. Yoo is set to elevate the soju culture with her forthcoming book, "Soju Party," slated for release in fall 2025. As enthusiasm for Korean culture surges across America, driven by K-movies, K-dramas, K-pop and K-food, Yoo sees a ripe opportunity to introduce the nuances of Korean drinking traditions to an American audience. "This is the right time people are really excited about it," Yoo said. The book aims to serve as a comprehensive guide, offering insights into the history of popular Korean alcoholic beverages such as soju, beer and makgeolli. "(The book will feature) how to drink soju the rules and the etiquette, drinking games, poktanju (bomb cocktail) as well as different cocktails you can make using soju and makgeolli and other Korean alcohols," she said, adding that the book will bring the vibrant spirit of Korean drinking culture to the forefront, inviting readers to embrace the full K-drinking experience. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to take "overwhelmingly stern" actions against South Korea's show of force in response to the North's spy satellite launch attempt, denouncing it as a "very dangerous" provocation, state media reported Wednesday. Kim made the remark during his visit to the Academy of Defence Sciences on Tuesday to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the agency, one day after North Korea's launch of a military spy satellite ended in failure, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North's leader defended the possession of a spy satellite as an "inevitable" choice to protect the country's sovereignty and denounced South Korea's military for demonstrating its show of force against its satellite launch attempt. South Korea's military staged an air exercise involving around 20 fighter jets Monday near the border with North Korea, hours after North Korea informed Japan of a plan to launch a satellite by June 4. "This is a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored and a play with fire that we cannot forgive," Kim said, calling it a blatant infringement upon North Korea's sovereignty. He vowed to take "absolute and overwhelmingly stern actions" against South Korea's rash decision to demonstrate a show of force against the North's satellite launch plan, according to the KCNA. "We need to overwhelmingly perpetuate our will and capability to stage a war so that hostile forces cannot even think about use of force," he said. North Korea launched a new rocket carrying a spy satellite, named the Malligyong-1-1, on Monday night. But the rocket exploded during the first-stage flight shortly after takeoff, the North's state media said. In November last year, the North successfully placed a military spy satellite into orbit after two failed attempts in May and August, respectively. North Korea earlier said it will launch three more spy satellites in 2024 in a bid to monitor what it called military threats from South Korea and the United States. In a rare move, Kim publicly acknowledged that this week's attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite ended in failure, stressing that Pyongyang can develop by learning from failure. "Though we've failed to achieve the goal, we will not shrink with fear over the failure. Rather we will try harder," he said. "We can learn more from failure and that's the way we could further develop." The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper targeting the domestic audience, carried reports of Kim's speech on the first and second pages of Wednesday's edition. When North Korea's two attempts to launch a spy satellite ended in failure last year, the paper did not carry any related reports. The South Korean military said Tuesday that engine combustion problems are behind North Korea's botched space rocket launch and Pyongyang would need "considerable time" to prepare for its next spy satellite launch. The latest botched launch came as North Korea and Russia have been deepening military cooperation following the summit between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Pyongyang is suspected of having provided weapons to Moscow for use in the war in Ukraine in return for Russia's possible transfer of weapons technology and food aid. (Yonhap) A U.S. State Department spokesperson reiterated the need Tuesday for China to play a "productive" role in countering North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, after South Korea, China and Japan did not include the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a shared goal in their joint summit statement. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, made the remarks during a press briefing in response to a question regarding the outcome of the rare trilateral summit that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held in Seoul on Monday. "I will just speak for the United States and say that we have made clear, including in our direct engagements with the People's Republic of China, that we would welcome them playing any kind of productive role in countering the DPRK's unlawful WMD programs," Miller said. "We will continue to make that clear." DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. After Monday's three-way summit, the leaders issued a joint statement in which they reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia, but fell short of stating the complete denuclearization of the peninsula as a common goal. The threats from the North's military programs gained renewed attention on Monday as Pyongyang launched a space rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite under its plan to launch three satellites this year. The North admitted that the launch failed due to the air blast of the rocket during the first-stage flight. "We condemn the DPRK's May 27 launch, which incorporated technologies that are virtually identical to those used in its unlawful ballistic missile program," he said. "This launch was in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions." He added that the U.S. has been in close consultation with South Korea and Japan regarding the latest launch. "We urge all countries to condemn the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs and press the DPRK to engage in serious dialogue," he said. (Yonhap) South Korea's military said Tuesday it is vetting objects assumed to be propaganda leaflets distributed by North Korea. "The military is taking measures after unidentified objects assumed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets were found in border areas in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a notice sent to the press. The JCS advised residents in the areas to refrain from accessing the objects and report to nearby military or police authorities in the event they discover such objects. Earlier, North Korea warned of taking "tit-for-tat action" against the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets in border areas. "Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them," Kim Kang-il, the North's vice defense minister, said in a statement released via state media, using the acronym for South Korea's official name. For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have sent balloons carrying leaflets critical of the North's leader Kim Jong-un into North Korea. Pyongyang has bristled at the propaganda campaign amid concern that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to the Kim regime. (Yonhap) North Korea has launched hundreds of balloons carrying trash and waste across the inter-Korean border, Seoul's military said Wednesday, after the North warned of "tit-for-tat action" against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by the South's activists. As of 4 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected some 260 balloons sent from the North since Tuesday night, which fell in various locations across the country, including border areas, Seoul and even the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang. It marked the largest number of North Korean balloons sent into the South, compared with previous similar instances between 2016 and 2018, the JCS said, noting that none of the balloons were still floating in the air. The fallen balloons appeared to have carried various pieces of trash, such as plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and even manure, a JCS official said, with no damage being reported so far. The military deployed personnel from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response teams and bomb disposal units to collect the objects for a detailed analysis. "These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our people's safety," the JCS said. "(We) sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar act." According to regional authorities, a series of suspected North Korean balloons were found and reported in many parts of the South, including as far south as the southeastern county of Geochang, 218 kilometers south of Seoul. A vineyard owner in Yeongcheon, about 250 km from the border, reported to police early Wednesday morning that he heard a thumping sound and went out to find a heap of plastic waste and filth, which had damaged a plastic greenhouse on his farm. Earlier in the morning, a plastic bag filled with waste paper and plastic bottles was found dangling from two floating balloons in a rice field in Geochang. Police in the southern county of Muju were alerted about a balloon stuck between utility pole cables, carrying a similar plastic bag. Such plastic bags found elsewhere overnight reportedly contained manure, batteries, pieces of shoes and other waste. Police were trying to determine whether the retrieved materials were those sent by North Korea. The JCS advised residents in the areas not to touch the objects and to report them to nearby military or police authorities upon their discovery, and cautioned of possible damage from the balloons, citing property damage due to such balloons in 2016. It said that it will come up with safety measures with the police and the government, noting that it is cooperating with the U.S.-led U.N. Command overseeing activities in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. On Sunday, North Korea said it will scatter "mounds of wastepaper and filth" over the border areas in a "tit-for-tat action" against the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets. For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have flown the leaflets to the North via balloons to help encourage North Koreans to eventually rise up against the Pyongyang regime. North Korea has bristled at the propaganda campaign amid concern that an influx of outside information could pose a threat to its leader Kim Jong-un. North Korea has repeatedly called for an end to the leafleting campaign. The issue has long been a source of tension between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Meanwhile, the South's military also detected attempts by North Korea to jam Global Positioning System (GPS) signals near the de facto inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea early Wednesday, another JCS official said, noting that they did not impact the military's operations. The North's moves came amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang's botched attempt Monday night to launch its second military spy satellite into orbit. The launch failed due to the explosion of the rocket during its first-stage flight, according to the North's state media. South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned the latest launch, calling it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning the North from any such launches using ballistic missile technology. (Yonhap) The unification ministry said Wednesday it plans to take legal actions against North Korea if Pyongyang expands its unauthorized use of the now-shuttered joint industrial complex in the North's border city of Gaesong in a full-scale manner. The move is part of the government's 2024 basic plan for the development of inter-Korean relations. The ministry sets up a yearly execution plan for a broader five-year blueprint on the government's policy on North Korea. Under the plan, the ministry said it could take legal steps against the North's unauthorized operations of South Korean assets at theGaesong complex, when certain "occasions" take place. "The government could consider lodging a compensation suit against the North when our damages have become clear, in such cases as when North Korea expands its unauthorized use of the complex on a full scale, or abolishes related legislation and forfeits assets (of South Korean firms)," a ministry official said. The government said in December that North Korea had been running some 30 South Korean-owned factories at the complex without authorization. The ministry estimated damages incurred from North Korea's illegal use of the South's assets at around 400 billion won ($293 million). In June 2023, the ministry filed a 44.7 billion won compensation suit with a Seoul court against the North blowing up a joint liaison office in the Gaesong complex in 2020. Meanwhile, the ministry said it will focus on raising public awareness of North Korea's "inhumane and anachronistic" acts, such as the country's human rights violations and its idolization of leader Kim Jong-un. It will also analyze North Korea's psychological warfare targeting South Korea and map out response measures. Touching on North Korea's human rights situations, the ministry plans to analyze rights abuses case by case and set up a database centering on human rights violators. On the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, the government said it plans to establish a digital archive to systemically manage records on their lives. (Yonhap) The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is expected to convene a session later this week to discuss North Korea's launch of a military spy satellite, a Seoul official said Wednesday. South Korea, currently serving as an elected member to the UNSC, has requested a meeting, alongside the United States and Japan, following Pyongyang's unsuccessful launch of the spy satellite late Monday, the official said. "As for now, we expect the meeting will take place on the 31st (New York time)," the official said on condition of anonymity. The North said it launched a new rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite from a launching site on its northwest coast Monday. The launch failed due to the air blast of the rocket during the first-stage flight. North Korea is banned under multiple UNSC sanctions from carrying out any such launches using ballistic missile technology. Launching a spy satellite requires the same kind of technology as the one used for missile launches. But the prospects for a united response from the UNSC appear dim as China and Russia two of the five permanent UNSC member states with veto power have been uncooperative in taking action against the North's provocations. (Yonhap) Allegations arise of media and police bias amid investigation into women's community over sexual defamation By KTimes The coincidence of two online groups distributing sexually exploitative and defamatory material is spiraling into a gender conflict. As recent social controversies increasingly pivot to issues of gender equality, there are growing concerns that the simmering gender conflict may flare up once again. In one case, referred to in the media as the "Seoul National University (SNU) Nth Room case," male alums from the university created and distributed sexually exploitive content involving dozens of female alums. In the other, a major women's online community has seen some users disseminate sensitive personal information of men they met through dating applications. This has led to complaints that the media and police are neglecting the case because women are involved. According to the police on May 27, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Unit is conducting a preliminary investigation into a case of sexual defamation involving a women's online community. This comes after the National Police Agency ordered a comprehensive investigation into the related incidents on May 20. The case involves users of a large women's community, with over 840,000 members, who allegedly disseminated personal information of men using dating apps, including U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea. Reverse discrimination The community members are also accused of posting photos suspected to be illegal recordings, including those of minors, and making obscene comments about the men's bodies. This has prompted accusations of "reverse discrimination" from male community users. They argue that the case is receiving less public attention and weaker investigative efforts compared to the "SNU Nth Room" case. In the incident being referred to as the SNU Nth Room case, reminiscent of the notorious "Nth Room" case disclosed in 2019 where perpetrators blackmailed victims into providing explicit content for distribution, two SNU alumni were arrested early last week for producing and distributing pornographic material containing images of female SNU alumnae in Telegram chatrooms since 2021. Male community users argue that the case involving the female online community case shows that women can also be perpetrators, yet it is receiving less attention compared to the "SNU Nth Room" incident. "We are concerned that the female perpetrators will receive lenient punishment," one male community user said. There are also allegations that "journalists avoid publicizing information unfavorable to women." "Female Nth Room" draws political attention Politicians have also responded. On May 16, Rep. Huh Eun-ah, leader of the New Reform Party, posted on social media, calling it a "clear case of the second Nth Room incident" and expressed hopes for severe punishment comparable to that of the original Nth Room perpetrators. Rep. Na Kyung-won, a newly elected member of the People Power Party for Dongjak District, Seoul, also weighed in, calling it a "serious sexual crime" and urging for "strict punishment for crimes of the same nature committed against men." Experts believe that those responsible for disseminating personal information in the recent women's community defamation case are likely to face punishment. The photos shared within the community were mostly taken from dating apps or social media, where the men had voluntarily posted them. However, if community users shared these photos alongside personal details or made sexually harassing comments, it could indeed constitute defamation. If any of the shared photos are confirmed to be illegal recordings, and especially if they include nude images of minors, the severity of the punishment could increase significantly. Attorney Jang Yoon-mi noted, "There is a possibility of punishment under the Information and Communications Network Act for defamation," emphasizing that the issue is highly condemnable regardless of gender. Difference between female community incident and Nth Room case Some legal professionals argue that the female community incident cannot be equated with the Nth Room case. The Nth Room case involved the production and distribution of sexual exploitation material of minors over an extended period, and the severity and sentencing are significantly different. Attorney Lee Eun-eui, specializing in sexual violence cases, said, "The deepfake pornography used in the SNU incident is a clear example of sexual exploitation material, and if proven, the charges could be more severe than defamation." She added, "The long-term harassment and threats by the perpetrators in the Nth Room case set it apart from the community incident." As gender equality standards are increasingly applied to sexual exploitation crimes, there are growing concerns that the gender conflict, which had somewhat subsided during the COVID-19 pandemic, might resurge. Renewed gender conflict concerns Prof. Seo Yi-jong of the Sociology Department at Seoul National University commented, "The gender conflict that accumulated over the 2010s was momentarily suppressed due to external factors like COVID-19. Given that a significant number of men feel strongly about reverse discrimination, there is a possibility that the conflict could intensify." A report titled "2023 Public Conflict Awareness Survey of Koreans," conducted by the Korean Society Conflict Resolution Center and Korea Research, revealed that the perception of gender conflict increased from 29.0 percent in 2013 to 53.1 percent last year. The survey included 1,000 men and women aged 19 and older nationwide. Beyond incidents similar to the Nth Room case, gender elements are also being emphasized in other social controversies. Recently, star dog trainer Kang Hyung-wook faced allegations of workplace abuse. The situation escalated into a "feminist controversy" when it was revealed that the employees who reported the abuse allegedly used misandristic terms. In the conflict between Ador and HYBE, allegations arose that Ador CEO Min Hee-jin made anti-feminist remarks, turning a corporate management dispute into a gender conflict issue. Need for focus on core issues of individual crimes Experts stress the importance of focusing on the core issues of individual crimes rather than dividing all incidents along gender lines. Prof. Heo Chang-deok of the Sociology Department at Yeungnam University said, "The flaw of binary logic is that it pushes crucial discussions to the background. In the case of the Seoul National University Nth Room incident, discussions should focus on victim protection and measures to prevent recurrence, but currently, only unproductive debates are being repeated." This perspective highlights the need to address the fundamental aspects of each crime, ensuring that the discourse does not get derailed by gender-based arguments, and instead prioritizes victim protection and effective prevention strategies, experts said. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times. Korea's health ministry said Wednesday the number of junior doctors working at hospitals has been gradually rising, although the increase is small, as the walkout protesting the government's plan to raise the number of medical school freshmen entered its 100th day. About 12,000 trainee doctors have remained off the job since Feb. 20 in protest of the plan to raise the medical school admissions quota by 2,000, causing disruptions at general hospitals and emergency rooms. "Although still a few, the number of junior doctors returning to worksites has been gradually increasing," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a briefing. Park noted that as of Tuesday, the number of junior doctors working at 100 training hospitals had come to 699, rising from 577 tallied a month earlier. "Nothing can be achieved through collective action. The government plans to make efforts to minimize penalties on junior doctors who have returned," Park said, noting the government will clearly distinguish between those who returned and those who did not. The ministry has been warning of measures, including suspension of licenses, for defiant trainee doctors. Last week, the Korean Council for University Education, an association of university presidents, approved an increase in next year's medical school admission quota despite strong protests from trainee doctors, effectively completing the process. The Korea Medical Association, the country's largest doctors' organization, plans to hold nationwide rallies Thursday, calling for the government to scrap the reform plan. A Seoul appellate court rejected an injunction filed by doctors to suspend the medical reform last week, paving the way for authorities to proceed with the reform. Local doctors claim the government should hold the reform until the top court delivers the final verdict. (Yonhap) Bilateral relations between South Korea and China should not be influenced by "third-party factors," Beijing's top envoy to Seoul said Wednesday, stressing that the two countries have to make their own decisions about their relationship. Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming made the remarks at a forum, apparently referring to the U.S.-led moves to coalesce its allies like South Korea and like-minded countries into smaller groupings for cooperation in regional security, supply chains and other issues. "We need to address third-party factors in an appropriate manner," Xing said during the forum hosted by the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation, a Seoul-based think tank. "The development of the friendly cooperation between China and South Korea and making sure that it benefits the peoples of the two countries are something that we have to decide on our own," Xing said. Xing's remarks also came after South Korea and China agreed to further boost their strategic partnership, including holding a security dialogue and resuming negotiations to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement, during the one-on-one talks between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier this week. The talks took place on the sidelines of the rare trilateral summit the two countries held with Japan on Monday. Highlighting that South Korea is an important neighbor and trustworthy partner for China, Xing called on Seoul to "not separate" the relationship with Beijing "based on values." "We hope that South Korea is wary of small anti-China groups and continues the partnership to facilitate the mutual development as we respect each other's common interests," Xing said. The tripartite partnership among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan has also been seen as one of those values-sharing minilateral groups, along with the AUKUS security partnership of the U.S., Australia and Britain. Xing also said that South Korea's alliance with the United States and its relations with China are equally important to Seoul. "South Korea's efforts to develop ties with the U.S., and also with China, do not go against one another," he said. Also speaking at the forum, Wi Sung-lac, a lawmaker-elect who has served as South Korea's top nuclear envoy, suggested that Beijing should acknowledge the fact that Seoul is a U.S. ally when it comes to managing its bilateral ties with Seoul. Wi also called for China's more proactive role in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. (Yonhap) Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed to expand bilateral exchanges Wednesday, encompassing a wide array of areas from energy to investment, as the two countries aim to strengthen their relationship. The signing ceremony of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) held in Seoul came around seven months after the two countries struck the deal in October, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The event came in line with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's two-day visit to Korea, which started the previous day, for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol. The CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that emphasizes a broader scope of economic cooperation and exchanges in addition to market opening. It marks the first time Korea has clinched a free trade agreement with a Middle Eastern nation. Under the agreement, the two countries will lift tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods traded over the next 10 years. The UAE will especially lift tariffs on Korea's major export goods, including cars, auto parts, defense items, fruits and instant noodles. The government anticipates that the free trade agreement with the UAE will significantly boost Korean carmakers' presence in the Middle East. Korea's automobile exports to the UAE reached $483 million in 2023, marking a 43 percent increase from the previous year. The CEPA will gradually eliminate the 3 percent tariffs on crude imports from the UAE over the next 10 years. The UAE currently accounts for 11 percent of Korea's total crude imports. The agreement is expected to help Korea secure a stable supply of crude, enhancing the price competitiveness of oil refiners as well. The UAE also agreed to open its market to online gaming content and medical services. The two countries are anticipated to bolster exchanges in the energy, supply chain, digital and biotechnology sectors to seek future-oriented economic cooperation through the CEPA, the ministry added. In a separate agreement, the finance ministry also inked a memorandum of understanding with Mubadala Investment, a sovereign wealth fund of the UAE, to seek joint opportunities in future-oriented business fields. Under the MOU, Korea will support Mubadala's efforts to explore new investment opportunities in the country, including those in future technologies and small and medium-sized enterprises. "The Republic of Korea remains one of the world's most vibrant and dynamic economies, with a wide range of investment opportunities that offer compelling financial returns," Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak said in a statement, referring to Korea by its official name. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok noted that the agreement "underscores the robust and flourishing partnership" between the two countries and that it will "enhance the continuity and sustainability of bilateral investment cooperation." The UAE stood as Korea's 14th-largest trade partner as of 2023. Following Saudi Arabia, it is the second-biggest partner for Asia's fourth-largest economy in the Middle East. (Yonhap) Yoon-Li meeting was more symbolic than substantive, experts say By Lee Hyo-jin A high-stakes trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan failed to completely mend strained relations between Seoul and Beijing, according to observers who believe the relationship between the two Asian neighbors will continue to walk a tightrope. The three-way meeting of President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took place in Seoul on Monday, marking the resumption of the long-stalled trilateral summit. On the sidelines of the event, Yoon also held separate bilateral meetings with Li and Kishida on Sunday. Much attention was focused on whether the Yoon-Li meeting would lead to a breakthrough in the tense relationship between South Korea and China, particularly given that this was Li's first visit to Seoul since he took office in March 2023. Key takeaways from the bilateral talks include an agreement to establish a high-level diplomatic and security dialogue, known as the 2+2 dialogue, and to resume the second stage of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which had been stalled since 2017. However, diplomatic observers regarded these outcomes as disappointing. "The summit has done little, if anything, to bridge the divergent positions between the two sides. It was more symbolic than substantive," said Chung Jae-heung, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute. "I don't consider the agreement to resume talks on the second stage of the FTA a significant achievement of the summit, as such agreements could have been reached through meetings between top economic officials, without the need for a leaders' summit." During the bilateral meeting, talks focused on trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while the two leaders tiptoed around key regional issues such as the Taiwan Strait and North Korea's military threats. "Both sides merely reiterated their basic positions on security issues. Plus, the summit revealed that China is reluctant to actively engage in addressing Pyongyang's nuclear threats, as China is focused on maintaining its diplomatic relationship with North Korea, while closely watching the burgeoning ties between Pyongyang and Moscow," said Lee Sang-man, a China expert at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. A joint declaration announced after the trilateral summit read, "We reiterated positions on regional peace and stability, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the abductions issue, respectively." The three leaders fell short of declaring the complete denuclearization of the peninsula as a common goal, presumably due to China's opposition, Lee explained. Additionally, there appeared to be a slight diplomatic standoff between Seoul and Beijing regarding Taiwan. According to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry, during the bilateral talks with Li, Yoon affirmed his support for the One China principle. However, the phrase was notably absent from the South Korean foreign ministry's press release. The "One China" principle is a position held by China that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and should not be recognized as a separate state. The South Korean government has so far taken the position that it respects the concept of "One China," avoiding the use of the word principle" in any diplomatic talks. Some critics attribute the limited agenda of the bilateral meeting to the fact that China was represented by Li, its No. 2 official, rather than President Xi Jinping. "Yoon's diplomacy with China will be put to the test again in the coming months, as managing relations with China while forging closer ties with like-minded nations such as the United States and Japan requires a careful balancing act," Chung said. In July, the South Korean leader is expected to participate in a NATO summit in Washington. Yoon's possible attendance at the NATO summit could upset Beijing, as the U.S.-led defense group has been increasingly taking an anti-China stance. By Kim Hyun-bin The ASEAN-Korea Centre hosted a reception to commemorate the inauguration of its sixth Secretary-General Kim Jae-shin and to welcome the visit of the Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn. The event brought together 120 distinguished guests, including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic corps and media, as well as business, cultural and academic leaders. Kim was appointed during the 16th annual meeting of the Council of the ASEAN-Korea Centre in February. "As far as I know, the ASEAN ambassadors here in Seoul are known for their active diplomatic engagements. The ASEAN ambassadors and guests present today are the pillars on which the ASEAN-Korea Centre relies the most. I hope we will continue to cooperate closely as friends and partners," Kim said. At the inauguration reception, Kim outlined his vision for enhancing ASEAN-Korea relations, particularly during this milestone year marking the 15th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the 35th Anniversary of ASEAN-Korea Dialogue Relations. Kim highlighted three key priorities for the ASEAN-Korea Centre over the next three years, including supporting sustainable and mutually beneficial ASEAN-Korea economic cooperation initiatives, facilitating tourism and cultural exchanges through capacity-building programs and enhancing solidarity and collaboration between ASEAN and Korea by fostering communication and raising awareness. "ASEAN and Korea mark a significant milestone as this year is the 35th Anniversary of the Dialogue Relations. To commemorate and continuously develop these relations, preparations are underway to elevate our relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership at the ASEAN-Korea Summit scheduled for this October," he said. Following the reception, an official dinner was held in honor of Kao Kim Hourn. The dinner provided a platform for discussing strategies to advance ASEAN-Korea relations and reinforce collaboration between the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the ASEAN Secretariat. Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup had multiple phone calls with the presidential security service chief while a military probe was under way into the on-duty death of a Marine conscript last year, communication records showed Wednesday. The records, obtained by Yonhap News Agency, come as the anti-corruption investigation office is conducting an inquiry into allegations that the presidential office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the investigation into the Marine's death. After Cpl. Chae Su-geun was swept away and killed during a risky search mission for victims of heavy downpours in the central county of Yecheon in July last year, the Marine Corps launched an internal investigation. Col. Park Jung-hun, former chief investigator of the Marines, drew up a report accusing a Marine division commander and seven other military officials of professional negligence resulting in Chae's death and then submitted the report to the police. The report was, however, immediately retrieved from the police by the defense ministry, while Park was dismissed as chief Marine investigator and was placed under a military investigation for alleged disobedience. According to the communications records, Lee had phone calls or text messages with Kim Yong-hyun, chief of the Presidential Security Service, on eight occasions between August 4 to 7, either by initiating or receiving the communication. The communication took place a few days after Park's investigation report was retrieved from the police on Aug. 2. Lee was also found to have received several calls from President Yoon Suk Yeol, then National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo in the week since Aug. 2. On Aug. 9, the defense ministry ordered that Chae's case be referred to the ministry's investigation unit for reconsideration. Earlier, suspicions surfaced among Marine reservists that Lim Seong-geun, the accused then commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, might have attempted to evade police investigation using his personal connections, including the presidential security chief, who previously served as an operational chief at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Yonhap) Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Wednesday to come up with measures to prevent a recurrence of cases similar to last week's death of a trainee soldier following a disciplinary session. Han spoke separately with Shin ahead of a Cabinet meeting and gave the instruction after being briefed on the details of the incident, according to his office. "Our military personnel are people who have joined the Army in order to fulfill their duty of national defense, and every one of them is a child of our people who raised them through hard work," Han was quoted as saying. "It is the state's responsibility to do its best to ensure no unnecessary sacrifices while they are dedicating themselves to the nation." The conscript, who joined the Army on May 13, died Saturday, two days after collapsing during a disciplinary session at a unit in Inje County, 126 kilometers northeast of Seoul. He was reportedly ordered to run around the unit's training ground in full combat gear, although discipline training rules only allow soldiers to march in such equipment. He was also reportedly instructed to do push-ups in full gear, when regulations only allow soldiers to be ordered do so without wearing equipment. The prime minister instructed the police to determine the cause of death and those responsible without leaving any suspicions, while ordering the defense ministry to sincerely comfort the bereaved family and fully support the funeral arrangements. (Yonhap) An annual international peace forum kicked off on the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday, with discussions focusing on key security challenges from geopolitical uncertainties and climate change to supply chains. The 9th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, set to continue through Friday, comes amid growing geopolitical risks, with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip posing fresh challenges to the global security environment, along with the expanding military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Under the theme of "Acting Together for a Better World," the forum brings together prominent foreign policy experts and former and incumbent figures from the government and private sectors, its organizer said. More than 3,000 participants from some 30 countries and 30 international organizations will take part in the three-day event. In a special world leaders' session, former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will join former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others to discuss international solidarity and cooperation in the face of complex security issues. Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will join the opening session virtually. Former South Korean foreign ministers, including Song Min-soon and Yun Byung-se, will sit down for discussions on South Korea's foreign policy achievements and ways to address the current and future challenges as a "global pivotal state," an initiative being pushed for by the incumbent government of President Yoon Suk Yeol. A "future forum" on the South Korea-Japan bilateral relations will bring experts and South Korean and Japanese college students together to talk about efforts to move the relationship forward amid the warming of the bilateral ties. The forum will also feature a session on addressing the roles of provincial governments in foreign policy. Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hun will invite Liu Xiaoming, governor of China's Hainan Province, and Teruya Yoshimi, vice governor of Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, to discuss cooperation efforts to bolster substantive exchanges at the regional government levels. "I hope that the 19th Jeju Forum will be a meaningful event that solidifies the international community's will for a better world," Oh said. "This forum will serve as an opportunity for us to expand the horizons of regional diplomacy ... and to bring about cooperation and responses from the international community toward sustainable prosperity and an era of carbon neutrality," Oh said. (Yonhap) By Jung Da-hyun The inaugural Korea Glocal Education Fair kicked off in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. Under the theme of "Education for Coexistence and Sustainable Future," the five-day event, running through Sunday, aims to foster discussions on future education policies, share global educational practices and address evolving challenges in the digital era. The term "glocal," a combination of the words global and local, underscores the significance of regional characteristics within the broader context of globalization. Co-hosted by the South Jeolla Province Office of Education, the Ministry of Education, South Jeolla Province and the North Gyeongsang Province Office of Education, the fair is dedicated to exploring a new educational paradigm known as glocal education. The event sees the participation of 22 countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada, Vietnam, India and Australia, with attendance expected to surpass 160,000 visitors, according to the South Jeolla Province Office of Education. Spanning five sections, the fair features a future education conference, a glocal future classroom, a future education exhibition, cultural and art exchanges and a future education festival. These programs aim to showcase diverse future education directions, such as personalized learning support and international cooperation focused on multicultural families. The future education conference features lectures from renowned experts, including Michael Sandel, a Harvard University professor and author of the bestseller Justice, who discussed the concept of education of coexistence on Wednesday. Additionally, the conference will host a Korea-OECD international seminar focusing on innovation in education during the digital transition era. The glocal future classrooms demonstrate customized learning through AI-based analysis and international cooperation using digital technology. Over 137 teachers from South Jeolla Province are conducting project-based classes for kindergarten, elementary and middle school students, totaling 59 hours of instruction for 1,100 students over five days. Students from Bogil Elementary School in Wan Island, South Jeolla Province and Ulleung Elementary School in North Gyeongsang Province are participating via Zoom, along with schools in Shanghai in China, Osaka in Japan and Uzbekistan. These future classrooms are equipped with AI platforms, electronic blackboards, LED monitors, personal devices and learning support robots. Visitors can observe classes through transparent walls, access teaching and learning plans via QR codes and view real-time learning information on installed screens during the fair. It also showcases future classroom models from schools in South Jeolla Province that actively use these advanced systems, providing a firsthand look at the future classrooms. The exhibition space, prepared by the education ministry, each provincial education office nationwide and over 100 domestic and international companies and institutions from 22 countries, offers immersive experiences in future education. In addition, the fair includes a variety of future education festivals, including cultural and artistic exchanges, bilingual speaking competitions and robot competitions, with participation from over 400 students from seven countries. "South Jeolla Province aimed to address the current educational challenges and inspire hope for the future through this fair," said Kim Dae-jung, the governor of education for South Jeolla Province. "We seek to introduce a new education paradigm that integrates regional relevance, practical applications, and future-focused strategies that can serve as a global model." Criticism rises for ambiguous phrasing that caused anxiety and confusion By Jung Da-hyun An abrupt emergency alert regarding North Korea's propaganda leaflets targeting South Korea left residents of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces in a state of deep anxiety and confusion late Tuesday night. The issuance of the emergency alert sparked a wave of controversy, not only questioning its necessity but also scrutinizing the appropriateness of the English phrasing "Air raid preliminary warning," which caused some recipients to panic. The anxiety was particularly high as the Kim Jong-un regime has recently escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula, launching a military spy satellite the previous night. According to Gyeonggi Province the next day, the emergency alert was sent out around 11:32 p.m. on Tuesday to 13 cities and districts within the province. It cautioned residents about unknown airborne objects that were presumed to be carrying propaganda leaflets from the North and advised them to remain indoors while reporting any discoveries to local authorities. Alerts were also issued in Yanggu and Inje in Gangwon Province just after midnight. The move came after the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced its detection of the objects, which were later found to be balloons. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than 260 such balloons were found in South Korea, some of which even made it far beyond the border regions to the Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces. The number was the highest single-day total ever recorded compared to similar cases in 2016 and 2018. The fallen balloons contained various pieces of trash and and even animal manure, according to the South Korean military. Critics have highlighted the confusion sparked by the use of the term "air raid," which typically refers to enemy airstrikes and bomb drops. Foreign residents have voiced their anger and perplexity online, criticizing the use of the term. Some shared anecdotes of the extreme shock they experienced upon receiving the alert, with a few expressing they almost had heart attacks and others saying they began preparing to evacuate. Some compared it to a previous incident in which Seoul citizens received an emergency evacuation alert early in the morning of May 31, 2023, in response to a North Korean rocket launch. According to a Gyeonggi Province official, the Capital Corps requested the provincial office to send the emergency alert around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. After an internal review, the alert was sent, with its content closely aligned with the message issued by the military. The official clarified that the English translation of the alert was generated automatically by the national disaster management information system. The term "air raid" was paired with "aircraft" from a list of optional items, reflecting the unidentified objects believed to be carrying propaganda leaflets targeting the South. The official further explained that the selection options for the alert terminology also included ballistic missiles and reconnaissance satellites. However, aircraft was deemed the most appropriate term for describing the objects. Questions have also arisen regarding the necessity of the emergency alert. I was talking to a friend on the phone and was so surprised when the alert rang. The message was quite ambiguous, making me more frightened, so I looked it up on the internet, said Yoo Seung-min, an office worker living in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Citizens also criticized the alert message for its lack of precise information, arguing that it heightened public fear unnecessarily. It would have been better to specify what exactly people should be cautious about, said an office worker surnamed Kim in her 30s residing in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. I saw news reports about potential dangers, including the possibility of biological or chemical weapons, but the alert only mentioned unknown objects from North Korea without providing further details. The JCS explained that the decision to issue the emergency alert was based on the potential risk to residents. They determined that falling objects could pose a significant hazard, especially if they land on roads where they could cause accidents or damage to vehicles and pedestrians at night. President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed four contentious bills Wednesday, including one requiring the government to support victims of home rental scams, in his 11th to 14th vetoes of a bill since taking office two years ago. Yoon exercised his veto power by endorsing motions demanding the National Assembly reconsider the bills, which the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed Tuesday despite objections from the ruling People Power Party (PPP). Yoon had been expected to veto the bills before the end of the current National Assembly's term at midnight, as a bill that has been vetoed during an outgoing Assembly's term cannot be put up for a revote by the incoming Assembly. The bills will now have to be scrapped. "As a government with the duty to defend the nation and the interests of all people, we cannot help but think deeply about the fact that bills causing enormous financial burden and with the potential to create considerable social conflict and side effects have been passed unilaterally," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at the start of an extraordinary Cabinet meeting where the motions were passed. "That is because, in the event these bills are enforced, the harm will be passed on wholly to the people." Still, the Cabinet promulgated a fifth bill, also passed by the parliament Tuesday, extending support for victims of the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol. Political watchers had expected the government to reject all five bills. The Sewol bill calls for extending the period of medical expense support for the disaster victims by five years. A total of 304 people, mostly high school students on a field trip, were killed when the 6,800-ton ferry sank off the southwestern coast in April 2014. The other four bills include a revised special measure aimed at assisting victims of a series of home rental scams, which calls for the state to pay victims their deposits before recovering the money from the landlords. The DPK has pushed for the revision to provide victims with better support measures, but the ruling PPP has argued the state should not use other taxpayers' money to settle damage resulting from transactions between individuals. Another contentious bill is the Democratic Merit Act, which proposes benefits for former pro-democracy activists who have not yet been designated as national merit awardees. The PPP argues that this bill is problematic as it could recognize controversial figures, including those who violated the National Security Act, and extend benefits to their descendants. The remaining two bills call for supporting farmers of the premium "hanwoo" beef cattle and laying the legal foundation for the establishment of a representative group for farmers and fishermen. The DPK has vowed to push for other contentious bills, including a special counsel probe into a Marine's death, in the upcoming 22nd National Assembly. (Yonhap) Veterans Minister Kang Jung-ai said Wednesday she will ask President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto a bill that gives benefits to former pro-democracy activists as she expressed regret over its parliamentary passage. Kang made the remark a day after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea railroaded the contentious bill, which gives benefits to former activists who have not yet been designated people of national merit, at the opposition-controlled parliament. "As there are no clear standards for selecting such people of merit, there is a possibility that inappropriate figures may be recognized," Kang said in a press conference. Ministry officials said the lack of such standards may raise issues on fairness as the bill gives benefits not only to those who have been recognized as people of merit but their descendants as well. A total of 911 people are expected to be eligible to apply for a review process to become awardees, according to a white paper published by a committee handling compensation for former pro-democracy activists. The ruling People Power Party has also called for a reconsideration of the bill, saying it could recognize controversial figures, including those who violated the National Security Act, as beneficiaries. (Yonhap) By Shin Freedman At this time of year, the campus is almost empty. The students have gone home, the faculty are looking forward to their summer engagements, and the university staff are ready for a slower summer work schedule. All the challenges of the past academic year are over. As usual, I find myself reflecting on my experiences. I remembered a special person who I dont often think about but who had a big impact on my life. He was my unsung hero, from my life in Korea; someone I want to recognize after all these years of silence. His name was professor Cheon, the chairperson of the English department at my college. He was an expert in British literature, and besides being the chair of the department, he was fun to be with and a generous, considerate person. I received an academic scholarship for my tuition from the university, and this is where my story begins. The story goes back to when I was about to become a junior. It was a long time ago, but I recall it as if it happened yesterday. On the last day at the dormitory, a few of us who remained in the dorm gathered around and had a party on campus. I dont recall it being a wild party by anyone's standards we had a few bottles of wine, some snacks and sang a few songs. I vaguely remember that someone knocked on the door and asked us to be quiet even though there were few students remaining in the dorm. Nevertheless, we had as pleasant a time as 19-years-old can have in the 1960s and the next morning we all said goodbye to our dorm friends and went back to our homes until the new semester started. When I arrived back on campus to start my junior year, the university notified me that my scholarship had been revoked. I was devastated and felt a deep shame. Although I earned some money by tutoring students, it wasnt nearly enough to cover my tuition. This was a time when no one had heard of student loans, government subsidies, or the low tuition rates of community colleges. What frustrated and shocked me was that my university did not explain the situation. I concluded that someone must have reported our party to the university authority. But why? What could I have done that caused such a serious reaction? With great trepidation, I went to see professor Cheon to inform him of my situation and that I had to quit being a student due to the loss of my scholarship. He listened to my story carefully. Then when I finally finished, he asked me to accompany him to the university's business/finance office. I went along with him not exactly knowing what would happen next. There, he asked the finance officer to authorize the payment of my tuition directly from his personal account. I did not know how to react given his total generosity and trust in me. I must have mumbled to him that I would pay him back with the money I earned from tutoring. With a smile on his face, he tapped my shoulder to say that I could pay him back whenever I could no hurry. I was completely surprised by this conversation. As class president, I had gone to see the chairperson of my department to say goodbye and drop out of college. Instead, without any question, he supported me with his own money from the depth of his heart. I will never forget how grateful I was for his thoughtfulness and unconditional generosity. With every penny I earned, I saved it first to pay back professor Cheon. I diligently paid him back every month for the next 24 months. He trusted and believed in me. I graduated from college successfully and worked diligently every moment, never wasting time or repeating my past mistakes. Upon graduation, I took a rigorous test to qualify as an instructor to go abroad to America. I left Korea for America one fine October. Overall, I remember vividly how generous he was to lend such a considerable sum of money without any question. I became what I am now in part because he believed in me. He was the unsung hero in my life. Shin Freedman (shinfreed@gmail.com) is an author, educator and writer. By Malinda Meegoda While the Asia-Pacific region continues to inch towards conflicts on multiple regional fronts, risking broader regional instability, there is a structural shift taking place in the arms race dynamics of the region with the increasing proliferation of missiles and associated technology. This shift is significant for two reasons. Firstly, several countries are seeking to acquire new missile systems with more advanced capabilities. Secondly, many of these countries are not satisfied with merely importing missile technology; they are actively working to bolster their domestic military-industrial capabilities for national security reasons and are also aspiring to become exporters in their own right. The numbers are quite revealing. For example, Japan plans to double its defence spending as a percentage of GDP to 2 percent by 2027. Earlier this year in January, Tokyo purchased 400 Tomahawk missiles from the United States in a deal reportedly worth $1.7 billion. Japans Defence White Paper, published in 2023, prominently outlined the development of its own anti-ship missile, the Type-12, as a key priority alongside the acquisition of American Tomahawks. While North Koreas missile program dominates the news, South Korea has also been building up its missile systems over the years through numerous acquisitions, primarily from the United States, and has been quietly developing its indigenous variants such as the Hyunmoo-3 Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM). These developments raise important questions: Why are Northeast and Southeast Asian countries developing a greater appetite for acquiring these weapons? What risks do they pose to broader proliferation concerns in the region? Can existing regulatory regimes moderate state behaviour in the region? While the sale of the BrahMos missiles to the Philippines garnered considerable attention, symbolising a milestone in India's Make in India defence program, other noteworthy acquisitions received comparatively less notice. One example is the Indonesian Navy's procurement of the Turkish anti-ship cruise missile, the Atmaca. These developments suggest that the main motivation behind this recent surge in acquiring missile capabilities is the belief in the effectiveness of these weapons as deterrents in maritime settings. This explains why many countries in the region have placed emphasis on anti-ship missiles, viewing them as potential deterrents in an area marked by numerous maritime disputes. As the dual-use nature of certain delivery systems increases, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulatory regimes, like the 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), in preventing both the horizontal and vertical proliferation of ballistic missiles. Unlike treaties governing nuclear weapons, there is no specific treaty regulating ballistic missiles themselves; instead, they fall under voluntary frameworks like the MTCR and codes of conduct such as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC). Furthermore, it is important to note that the HCoCs Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and other guidelines only cover ballistic missiles and exclude cruise missiles. Another point worth considering is whether MTCR's current categorisation of export controls based on payload and range provides sufficient safeguards against proliferation concerns. For instance, while the export version of the BrahMos system acquired by the Philippines falls within the MTCR's range limit of under 300 km, one of Indias other BrahMos variants has been tested to reach distances of up to 900 km. These varying capabilities of the same platform could potentially blur compliance lines in the future. India's ability to adhere to export control requirements for sensitive technology is evident. However, it is essential to question whether these standards are sufficient for all actors. While it may appear logical to perceive these advancements positively as a means to counteract hegemonic influences and bolster strategic autonomy, such decisions could have long-term impacts on the ability to curtail similar actions among pariah states and even potentially non-state actors. Especially worrisome is how these developments might influence the region if states traditionally viewed as outliers in the international system, such as Myanmar, choose to pursue similar paths. Myanmars current situation in particular merits serious concern, as it is reported to be engaging in defence cooperation with North Korea. It is not inconceivable that Myanmar could be an exporter of missiles in the future if adequate steps are not taken to prevent such an outcome. Additionally, evidence suggests that when countries attempt to reverse engineer an acquired missile, they frequently aim to extend its range and other capabilities gradually. These tendencies are part of the broader pattern of how missile technology is transferred, replicated, and subsequently re-exported to other countries. For example, Turkey's Bora missile, with a range of 260 km, originates from the Chinese B-6 missile it acquired from China. Subsequently, Turkey agreed to provide the Khan variant to Indonesia in 2022. As tensions between the United States and China persists and China's maritime ambitions in the region grow, the Asia-Pacific region is poised to become highly volatile. Urgent attention is needed to prevent arms races from escalating and overshadowing economic, environmental, and humanitarian concerns. Regional organizations like ASEAN will need to play a crucial role in developing new norms to manage the missile threat in the region, as well as broader existential risks such as the threat of nuclear weapons. Malinda Meegoda is a former Research Associate at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (APLN). Meegoda currently works in the Economics team at Verite Research a multidisciplinary think tank based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This essay is published in cooperation with the APLN (www.apln.network). Prudent and nuanced approaches needed to address global affairs By John Merrill One of the less commented-on aspects of the Russo-Ukrainian war is that the conflict also serves as a proxy struggle between the two Koreas. North Koreas military aid to Russia has been widely publicized, with the shipment of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow. Less well-known is Seouls aid to Ukraine, which has taken the form of delivering 155-millimeter artillery shells to Poland which then passes them on to Ukraine. This transaction is meant to avoid its self-imposed ban on supplying weapons to combatants in a foreign war. More importantly, the Russo-Ukrainian war has served as a catalyst in solidifying the links of the two Koreas with emerging rival superblocs. North Korea is cementing its ties within what might be called the Eurasia bloc, which also includes China, Russia and Iran. Meanwhile, South Korea has strengthened its relations with the U.S. and its allies, including the NATO countries and Japan. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol became the first Korean president to attend a NATO summit. Seoul and NATO have also launched a new partnership program to strengthen cooperation in areas such as arms control, counterterrorism and cyber defense. Although the Russo-Ukraine war has little direct bearing on Koreas national security, Yoons outreach to NATO reflects his goal of making Korea into a global pivotal state that would boost its influence in shaping the international order. North Korea so far seems to be reaping most of the benefits from its involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Moscow is already proving that it is willing to use diplomatic heft to watch Pyongyangs back. It recently vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N. Panel of Experts that monitors the international sanctions regime against North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs. This would make it easier for Pyongyang to avoid the impact of sanctions. There are reports that Russia is aiding North Korea in the areas of satellite and missile technology in return for Pyongyangs arms supplies. Russia is seen as encouraging closer ties between energy-starved North Korea and oil-rich Iran, which is also supplying weapons to Moscow. The Kremlin recently said it intended to develop ties with Pyongyang in all possible areas amid reports that it was shipping refined petroleum to North Korea in excess of limits imposed by the U.N. sanctions. There are suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Pyongyang by the end of 2024. The situation for South Korea in relation to the Ukraine conflict is more ambiguous. On the one hand, Seouls role as an arms supplier to NATO and Ukraine highlights its ambition to become a leader in the global defense industry. One reason why South Korea has been able to supply artillery shells to Ukraine is that it operates the largest force of self-propelled 155-millimeter artillery guns in the world. But supplying Ukraine with weapons also marks a departure from Seouls traditional foreign policy of not becoming embroiled in conflicts that do not affect the country directly, while trying to conserve arms stockpiles to counter a potential North Korean invasion. The Ukraine conflict represents a potential drain on Koreas military resources if it continues for a long time. The war has settled into a stalemate and Putin appears ready to commit to a long-term strategy of gradually nibbling away at Ukraine piece by piece, knowing that Russia enjoys an advantage in terms of manpower. Seoul may eventually decide that supplying arms to Ukraine is not worth the price in a war of attrition, if not a losing one. Meanwhile, Moscow has warned that any supply of weapons by Seoul to Kyiv would be considered an act of anti-Russian hostility. Yoon has said he wants to maintain amicable relations with Russia in the hope that it would try to moderate North Koreas actions. But that is unlikely if South Korea continues to send arms to Ukraine. The issue of arms shipments to Ukraine raises questions about Seouls ability to undertake active engagement and intervention in other controversial international disputes from Taiwan to the Middle East as suggested by Yoons global pivotal state policy. As a prosperous liberal democracy, Yoon may believe that Korea should play a role in countering Russias violation of what it regards as the rules-based international order. But he must also take into account that any foreign policy should also reflect the national interest. Military support for Ukraine may fall short of that goal. John Merrill (jmerrill05@gmail.com) is a visiting scholar at the Institute of Korean Studies at George Washington University. He is a guest editorial writer of The Korea Times. Korea's major mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it has officially launched its artificial intelligence (AI)-based veterinary care assistance service X Caliber in Australia and Indonesia. It marks the first official launch of X Caliber outside of Korea, SK Telecom said, adding the company will work to expand the service in the United States and Europe within this year. X Caliber is an AI-based veterinary X-ray image diagnosis assistance service launched in Korea in 2022. SK Telecom signed a partnership with Australia's ATX Medical Solutions in November last year to promote the product in the country with a 69 percent household pet adoption rate, the company said, citing data from the Animal Medicines Australia. With the service launch in Indonesia, the company said it also expects to expand its foothold in the Southeast Asian pet market. (Yonhap) Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics said Wednesday they plan to stage a collective action in protest against stalled wage negotiations with the management, with a full-fledged strike potentially on the horizon. The management of the Korean tech giant and the company's biggest union, the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), have held several rounds of talks and negotiations since January but failed to narrow their differences. The NSEU is the biggest labor union in Samsung Electronics with nearly 28,000 members, accounting for 22 percent of the company's 125,000 employees. The union said it plans to start its actions with a coordinated one-day use of collective leave by members on June 7 as a preliminary step toward a potential general strike. "It may appear to be a passive walkout, but we are taking it one step at a time," a union spokesperson said. "While it could lead to a general strike, which could fail in the end, the initiation of our first collective action is significant." If the NSEU stages a strike, it would mark the first-ever walkout by workers at the Korean tech giant. Samsung Electronics has not had a strike since its founding in 1969. After failing to reach a deal on wage hikes, the NSEU secured the legal authority to proceed with a strike following a mediation process by the National Labor Relations Commission and a subsequent vote among its members. (Yonhap) By Park Jae-hyuk POSCO Group is expected to restore its relations with the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, as company Chairman Chang In-hwa has been invited to a series of recent events hosted by the president, unlike his predecessor, according to industry officials, Wednesday. Chang joined Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo for a banquet hosted on Sunday by President Yoon Suk Yeol to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, both of whom visited Seoul for a trilateral summit. This was the second time for the POSCO Group chairman to attend a meeting hosted by the president, since he was appointed the head of the nations fifth-largest business group in March. Chang was also invited last Thursday to Yoons meeting with businesspeople from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at the presidential office, which the heads and senior executives of Samsung, LG, Hanwha, HD Hyundai and Shinsegae attended. The POSCO Group chairman sat next to Kim Joo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. It remains uncertain whether Chang had a conversation with Yoon during the event. Last year, former POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo was absent from the event for SMEs. Choi was also excluded from business delegations accompanying Yoon on his overseas trips, as well as from the presidents New Years greeting events with businesspeople in 2023 and 2024. After the launch of a police investigation late last year into the use of company funds for lavish overseas trips by senior executives of the POSCO Group, the Yoon administration was observed attempting to replace Choi, who was appointed during the preceding Moon Jae-in administration. Although POSCO was privatized in 2000, the government has continued to exercise influence over the steelmaker and its affiliates through the National Pension Service, the state-run pension fund which is the largest shareholder of POSCO Holdings. POSCO Group has exercised caution in interpreting its new chairman's participation in events led by the president as indicative of the government's efforts to enhance cooperation with the company. Industry officials, however, expect POSCO Group to resume playing major roles for Koreas economic policies. Since his inauguration, Chang has been considered the right person to improve relations with the Yoon administration, an industry official said. The government will take a different stance on POSCO Group under Changs leadership. Company aims to increase market share to 20% By Lee Min-hyung The latest meeting between heads of Hyundai Motor Group and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to help the Korean carmaker gain a huge impetus for its expansion in the lucrative Middle East market, according to industry officials and experts, Wednesday. The outlook came in response to the closed-door meeting held Tuesday in Seoul between Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. As Chung has displayed his strong affection to the Middle East as a land of opportunity for the group's sustainable growth, the meeting between the two figures is in itself widely expected to build momentum for the company to accelerate its expansion in the territory in a number of ongoing and future businesses, according to Kim Pil-soo, a professor of automotive technology at Daelim University College. "As competition remains very fierce against Hyundai Motor's rivals in key overseas auto markets in the United States and Europe, the Middle East is definitely a great place for the carmaker's expansion for new revenues," he said. "But the Korean company is advised to build a somewhat different strategy there due to the geopolitical characteristics of the region." The expert pointed out that the carmaker needs to place more strategic focus on the localization of its vehicle lineup there. "For instance, the carmaker is urged to build a sales portfolio focusing on premium models there, as customers have bigger spending power there than those from any other regions," the expert said. The head of Hyundai Motor Group has reiterated the Middle East's importance for sustainable growth. Last year, he shared the group's vision to increase its market share in the region to more than 20 percent by 2030. To that end, the group also set a specific annual growth target of 6.8 percent each year until then. Other experts also shared a similar view, saying that the carmaker needs to strengthen its premium brand identity for Genesis to appeal more to customers there. "The group's move to expand in the region is a step in the right direction due to the region's growth potential," said Lee Ho-geun, an automotive engineering professor at Daedeok University. "But customers in the region prefer luxury and high-end vehicles to any typical cheaper models. As Genesis' brand power still remains weaker than its major overseas counterparts, the company has to come up with ways to attract customers there by possibly launching much more expensive high-end models worth more than 200 million won ($146,600)." An official from the carmaker said the company will keep expanding its business portfolio in the Middle East. "Hyundai Motor Group will continue to proactively diversify its business areas and seek new opportunities in the Middle East," the official said. Some employees question timing and intention of walkout By Park Jae-hyuk The largest union among several Samsung Electronics labor groups declared plans, Wednesday, for collective action, including the first-ever strike in the companys 55-year history. The plan, however, is causing an internal feud among employees over the intention behind the move, according to company and union officials. Following unsuccessful wage negotiations with Samsung Electronics' management the previous day, the Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) issued a threat, stating that its 28,000 members will collectively utilize their annual paid leave on June 7 as the initial step in their collective action. The union also vowed to stage a sit-in protest in front of the company's building in southern Seoul for an indefinite duration, emphasizing that they might escalate to a full-fledged walkout if their demands are not addressed. We are declaring a strike due to the managements attitude of disregarding the workers, the NSEU said. After the union's announcement, Samsung Electronics stock price plunged 3.09 percent from the previous session to close at 75,200 won ($55). We have no comment on this issue at this moment, a Samsung Electronics spokesman said. The date of the planned collective action is June 7, the Friday that falls the day after the June 6 Memorial Day holiday. Most major conglomerates here plan to ask their employees to take their annual leave on that day, to save costs for monetary compensation for remaining holidays. Some employees of Samsung Electronics therefore questioned the effectiveness of their coordinated use of annual leave. It may appear to be a passive walkout, but we are taking it one step at a time, an NSEU spokesperson said. We may go on a general strike. Another union comprised of the employees of Samsungs five affiliates regarded the NSEUs declaration to strike as a preliminary step to shift to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU). Among the two umbrella unions, the KCTU is considered to be more militant and political than the FKTU. The purpose of the strike looks uncertain, as it seems to be intended to join the KCTU, instead of improving working conditions, the Samsung Group United Union (SGUU), another of the company's multiple labor groups, said. Although the NSEU falls under the FKTU, 200 KCTU members were invited to a concert-like rally that the Samsung union held last Friday, which featured performances by entertainers. Some Samsung Electronics employees complained about using their union membership fees to hire entertainers. The SGUU also criticized the NSEU on Tuesday for damaging Samsungs brand value and defaming other unions. The NSEU should focus more on wage talks for Samsung employees, the SGUU said. The NSEU has called for a 6 percent hike in wages and an additional day of paid leave. In March, Samsung Electronics labor-management council decided to increase salaries this year by 5.1 percent, nearly two times more than the rate of consumer price growth. In 2023, Samsung Electronics suffered 15 trillion won in operating losses at its semiconductor business. In a bid to overcome the crisis, the company replaced the head of its semiconductor business last week. It also recently asked its executives to work six days a week and ordered high-ranking officials at the networks business division to fly economy during their business trips. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. More than two years into the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two, Putin has increasingly spoken of the risk of a much broader global conflict as the West grapples with what to do about the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Economist that alliance members should let Ukraine strike deep into Russia with Western weapons, a view supported by some NATO members but not by the United States. "Constant escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin told reporters in Tashkent. "If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, bearing in mind our parity in the field of strategic weapons?" "It's hard to say do they want a global conflict?" Putin said Ukrainian strikes on Russia with long-range weapons would need Western satellite, intelligence and military help so the West would be directly involved. He said sending French troops to Ukraine would be a step towards a global conflict. Speaking of NATO members in Europe, Putin said that small countries there "should be aware of what they are playing with", as they had small land areas and very dense populations. "This is a factor that they should keep in mind before talking about striking deep into Russian territory," Putin said. Russian advances trigger debate in west Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine touched off the worst breakdown in relations with the West for 60 years, and the crisis is escalating into what diplomats say is its most dangerous phase to date. The invasion has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, driven millions to flee abroad, and reduced neighborhoods and whole cities to rubble. Russia, which controls 18 percent of Ukraine, is advancing and has opened a new front in the Kharkiv region, triggering a debate in the West about what else it can do after giving Kyiv hundreds of billions of dollars in aid, weapons and intelligence. Western leaders and Ukraine have played down Russia's warnings about the risk of a broader war involving Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, and NATO, the world's most powerful military alliance led by the United States. Ukraine says it should be able to hit behind Russian lines, including against Russian sovereign territory, to fight back. But Russian officials say Moscow's patience is wearing thin after repeated Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities, oil refineries, and, in recent days, even against elements of its nuclear early warning system. Asked by Russian state television about the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin said the only legitimate authority in Ukraine now was parliament, and that its head should be given power. Zelenskyy has not faced an election despite the expiry of his term due to martial law which was imposed after the invasion. (Reuters) The Biden administration said on Tuesday it was closely monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called tragic, but that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any U.S. red lines. "The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House, when asked about whether the events over the weekend qualified as the type of "death and destruction" U.S. officials have warned could result in the withholding of more aid to Israel. The U.S. doesn't have "a measuring stick here or a quota," Kirby said. "We've also said we don't want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet," he said, noting that Israel's operations were mostly in a corridor on the outskirts of Rafah. Asked if he was saying the recent ground operations in Rafah would not prompt a U.S. withdrawal of more military aid, Kirby said "I believe that's what I've been saying here." Recent deaths in Rafah have tested President Joe Biden's promise to withhold weapons from Israel if the U.S. ally made a major invasion of Rafah that put displaced persons there at risk. Speaking at a ceremonial event in Washington, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said, "The word tragic doesn't even begin to describe" an Israeli airstrike on Sunday that triggered a fire in a tent camp in the Gaza city of Rafah, killing 45 Palestinians. Harris's remark, in response to a reporter's question, also followed what Gaza health authorities described as Israeli tank shelling of a tent camp in an evacuation area west of Rafah that killed at least 21 people on Tuesday. Israel said that "something unfortunately went tragically wrong" in Sunday's airstrike while its military denied shelling the tent camp on Tuesday. Israel said it had targeted two senior Hamas operatives in Sunday's operation and had not intended to cause civilian casualties. Hamas issued a statement celebrating the martyrdom of two fighters in the strike on Sunday, Kirby said, an indication that Israel was trying to go after Hamas in a "targeted, precise way." "The Israelis have said they used 37-pound bombs, precision-guided munitions," Kirby said. "If it is in fact what they used, it is certainly indicative of an effort to be discreet and targeted and precise. Now, obviously this had tragic results, and obviously that needs to be investigated. Asked whether Israel's strikes could put Biden in a difficult position, Kirby told reporters Tuesday that instead there was a real danger that Israel could become further isolated from the international community with the manner in which it is conducting operations. "So this is of concern, clearly, because it's not in Israel's best interest," Kirby said. "And it's not in our best interest for Israel to become increasingly isolated on the world stage." The U.S. administration's response was criticized earlier Tuesday by human rights and Arab American groups. "Sadly, because of President Biden's insistence on sending more bombs to enable Netanyahu's war crimes in Rafah, this is now as much an American genocide as it is an Israeli genocide," said Nihad Awad, executive director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Israeli and U.S. officials have denounced the use of the term genocide to describe events on the ground in Gaza. The State Department said on Tuesday that as soon as it saw reports of Sunday's Rafah incident, Washington expressed deep concern to Israel and urged an investigation, which Israel has promised. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington will be closely watching Israel's probe but Israel's military operations so far in Rafah have not been as large-scale as those in central or northern Gaza. Global leaders have expressed horror at the fire in a designated "humanitarian zone" of Rafah where families uprooted by fighting elsewhere had sought shelter. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, Gaza's health ministry says. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. (Reuters) Korea will provide $300,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to Brazil to help with relief efforts in the wake of a catastrophic flood in its southern region, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The floods from heavy rains since late April have devastated Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, leaving more than 160 people dead and some 800 others injured. So far, 85 people have gone missing and over 580,000 people have been displaced. "The government hopes that the humanitarian aid to Brazil will support the recovery of the affected areas and help residents in those areas swiftly return to their daily lives," the ministry said. (Yonhap) Beijing will return giant pandas to Washington's National Zoo by the end of the year, US First Lady Jill Biden and officials said Wednesday in a surprise announcement signaling a new era of panda diplomacy between the two superpowers. "We are excited for children near and far to once again enjoy the giant pandas' adorable and joyful adventures at our @NationalZoo," the first lady posted on X. China will send a new pair called Bao Li and Qing Bao under a 10-year breeding and research agreement, the zoo said in a statement, hailing a "historic moment" that demonstrated the benefits of its partnership with Beijing. "We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, DC," said Brandie Smith of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. "This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what's needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat." Amid soaring tensions between Washington and Beijing, only a handful of the iconic black and white bears remain in the United States, with three having left the national zoo in Washington six months ago. But President Xi Jinping said after meeting President Joe Biden at a summit in California last November that China could send new pandas as "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American people." (AFP) NEW DELHI - Temperatures in India's capital soared to a national record-high of 52.3 degrees Celsius (126.1 Fahrenheit) Wednesday, figures from the government's weather bureau showed, as it warned of dangerous heat levels in the sprawling megacity. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported "severe heat-wave conditions", published the temperature automatically on its website after it was recorded by a station in the Delhi suburb of Mungeshpur on Wednesday afternoon. However, IMD meteorologist Soma Sen Roy cautioned that officers were "checking out" whether the station had recorded it correctly. The recording not only broke the landmark 50C measurement for the first time ever in the city, but smashed the previous national record in the desert of Rajasthan by more than one degree Celsius. The IMD has issued a red alert health notice for Delhi, which has an estimated population of more than 30 million people. The alert warns there is a "very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages", with "extreme care needed for vulnerable people". As people sought relief from the scorching temperatures, the electricity grid groaned under a record peak power demand of 8,302 megawatts, according to official data. Delhi city authorities on Wednesday also warned of dire water shortages and ordered teams to clamp down on wastage. The temperature was more than 11 degrees higher than expected on the second day of intense record-breaking heat. The previous national record was 51C, set in 2016 in the region of Phalodi on the edge of Rajasthan's Thar Desert. 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. People on the streets of Delhi said there was little they could to do avoid the heat. "Everyone wants to stay indoors," said snack-seller Roop Ram, 57, adding he struggled to sell his savoury fritters. Ram, who lives with his wife and two sons in a cramped house, said they had a small fan but that did little to cool them down. They were counting down until the rainy season arrives in July. "I am not sure what else we can do to cope," he said. "We are just waiting for the monsoon." Rani, 60, who uses only one name, travels by bus for two hours each morning to sell jewellery to tourists at a makeshift street stall. "It is definitely hotter, but there is nothing we can do about it," she said, gulping water from a bottle she brought from home. "I try to refill the bottle from anyone around." New Delhi authorities have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in headache-inducing heat. Delhi Water Minister Atishi, who only uses one name, said supplies had been halved in many areas to boost flow to "water-deficient areas". Atishi on Wednesday ordered state authorities to "immediately deploy 200 teams" to crack down on construction sites or commercial properties using domestic pipes to stem a "serious wastage of water". Delhi relies almost entirely on water from neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, both farming states with huge water demands. (AFP) Bunnies were worried seeing the idol in her current state. Netizens gathered in an online community Instiz to discuss the status of NewJeans' youngest member Hyein, who is currently on a hiatus due to foot injury. On the forum, the author uploaded a photo, showing Hyein in public. However, the idol was also seen with crutches on for support, breaking the hearts of Bunnies. The comments section was immediately filled by concerned netizens and fans. Read their reactions to the photo below: "Baby..." "Don't be hurt, it must hurt right after taking off the cast. Please promote after you've recovered fully." "My baby, get well soon." "Don't be hurt." "Oh my..." "She must have gotten hurt badly." "It's worse than I thought." International fans also joined the thread to relay their supportive messages for Hyein. Some were also saddened by Hyein's present status and absence from NewJeans' upcoming activities. "Wishing that she will recover soon. Baby Hyein fighting! We love and support you." "Legs injuries are the worst. hope she recovers well." "No, she's just a kid, I hope she recovers quickly." "Poor baby. I hope she recovers fully soon you can tell missing out on this comeback is hurting her and I really can't imagine Tokyo Dome without her." "I think she'll be sitting at the Tokyo Dome concert if it's this bad. Get well soon Hyein." "Hyein, get well soon! take care of yourself, we miss you, and the rest of NewJeans are doing a great job promoting too." "Get well soon girl, I want to see you perform for this comeback so much!" "Hoping for a smooth and quick recovery." "Oh, poor girl." NOOO hyein still has to use crutches to walk my hyein.. pic.twitter.com/tfQmxsKrJV hyeinster (@hyevuitton) May 26, 2024 HYEIN STILL HAS HER CRUTCHES.. MY HEART ACHES FOR HYEIN GOD PLS HELP HER HEAL FAST pic.twitter.com/yxDPvI0bfe sage HOW SWEET (@tokkidior) May 26, 2024 she's still walking using crutches i'm praying for her to fully recover soon, hyein's an angel and doesn't deserve this pic.twitter.com/AQZpAZvwaP ' (@HYEINstar) May 26, 2024 Shes still using crutches get well soon hyein :(( https://t.co/EzUjrPWkJG May 26, 2024 babie on crutches we miss you so much hyein https://t.co/S1uqqX0pvl zee (@bbangjeanz) May 26, 2024 Earlier on May 8, ADOR officially announced that Hyein would be extending her hiatus. The statement declared that Hyein had visited the hospital due to feeling pain in the foot and that a microfracture had been found. Ever since her extended hiatus, Hyein has been focusing on her recovery. The decision was made according to the advice of medical professionals and consequently, this led to Hyein's absence in NewJeans' 'How Sweet' promotions. "In April, Hyein experienced pain in the top of her foot during practice," ADOR shared. "She went through an examination, which showed that a microfracture in her foot was discovered." The agency continued, "Hyein would be focusing on her treatment and recovery. Doctors have advised her to minimize any movement that may inflict unwanted strain on the area." Wishing Hyein a speedy recovery! For more K-pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: NewJeans Hyein Cancels Participation In 'How Sweet' Promotions Due To Injury + Official Statement KpopStarz owns this article Written by Israel Monte SHINee recalled the story behind late Jonghyun's viral "crying" moment, and Taemin made members laugh with his hilarious side comments. On May 27, SHINee's official YouTube channel released a vlog, titled "Ep.5 Our Memories (Aside)," in commemoration of their 16th debut anniversary on the 25th. In the video, the members decided to reminisce the past SHINee moments by watching scenes that they wanted to look back on one by one. At the time, Taemin had a unique reason for choosing the scene where SHINee bagged their first music show win with "Juliette." "Back then, we were like... the moments we were awarded 1st place, it felt like a reward for our hard work, in numbers. I loved our performances for 'Love Like Oxygen' and loved when we were at Tokyo Dome, too." In the photo he chose, Jonghyun was seen crying while in Minho's arms. Taemin said: "Especially that moment, I remember Jonghyun hyung cried so much. He cried a lot." ALSO READ: SHINee Taemin Makes Shawols Emotional After Revealing Group's Plan to Have THIS Item With Late Jonghyun Minho recalled that moment and added: "Actually, this was... I was surprised that this was the day of our comeback. We got 1st on the day we were back. So we were even more shocked." Amid the heartwarming memory, Taemin made viewers laugh as he justified that there was another reason he really wanted to see the photo. The maknae shared: "This photo was actually on our dorm wall. I remember, when we got to our dorm, there was the hallway. This (photo) was on the wall." Minho, who was also in the photo, remembered complaining at the time. "I asked why did you put this there? and no one admitted that they put it there. But I was like, why this one? I was so unsure. Why do they always have this photo up?" Just then, Taemin's creative imagination kicked in and guessed: "So this is my thought. Normally, when you visit someone's house or any house, they put a wedding photo on their wall. Like that, we had this." Key then complained: "But doesn't this look too sad for that?" Taemin continued: "But to me, that photo looks like Minho confessed to Jonghyun with (rose) flowers and he was too touched, cried. Every time." Meanwhile, Jonghyun suddenly left the physical world on December 18, 2017. Despite that, SHINee continuously attests to Shawols that they will "always be five" by constantly mentioning Jonghyun and celebrating his birthday in the present tense, just like when he is still here. Recently, Taemin revealed that the group is planning to get matching rings as a sign of their unrelenting friendship, and they will have it together with Jonghyun. Furthermore, during their solo concert, "SHINee WORLD VI [PERFECT ILLUMINATION: SHINee's BACK]" held at Inspire Arena in Incheon for three days from the 24th to the 26th, the quintet did not forget to relive their moments with Jonghyun during their performance and ment. Watch SHINee's latest vlog here! READ MORE: EXO Suho Reveals He Wrote THIS Song With Late SHINee Jonghyun in Mind: 'I Cried A Lot' For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Eunice Dela Cruz Amid ADOR vs. HYBE's conflict, frustrated Bunnies accused the parent company of trying to sabotage NewJeans' comeback. On May 24, NewJeans' much-awaited comeback took place with the release of their new EP, "How Sweet," comprising a same-name title track and a b-side, "Bubble Gum." Without any special promotion, the MV immediately exceeded 8.6 million views in just four days after its release, showing its high popularity. However, the problem started to surface one by one after the song, "How Sweet," was suddenly subject to age restrictions. Immediately, HYBE received massive criticism for allegedly imposing it, but the parent company refuted this and explained: "HYBE does not set an age limit when uploading music videos to YouTube. YouTube classifies content as age-restricted according to its own standards. We already requested YouTube headquarters to confirm the exact facts and what criteria the viewing age was restricted." Still, Bunnies (NewJeans fandom) raised conspiracy theories that HYBE is actually doing this to the group because of its conflict with ADOR's CEO Min Hee Jin. ALSO READ: Did HYBE Really Restrict NewJeans MV? The Internet Reacts In fact, some netters claimed that they contacted YouTube directly and received a response that HYBE put the age restriction themselves. Some fans also noticed that comments under the "How Sweet" MV were being deleted especially those that contained criticism about HYBE. As of May 29, the age restriction for the MV has been lifted. However, the conspiracy theory that the label is neglecting NewJeans continued after a netizen opened up in an online community, saying: "NewJeans album is supposed to sell at least 1 million copies, not 810,000, but the delivery invoice for the quantity purchased from Weverse Shop did not arrive even a few days after the release date. It's so funny that HYBE, who pushes things, doesn't send out only NewJeans albums." The OP added: "The current series of actions are dirty and vicious." In a recent conversation shared between Min and founder Bang Si Hyuk, the latter proposed an album "pushback" to break aespa's highest first-week album sales record. Amid these complaints, other fans of HYBE indirectly defended the label but also added to the frustration that it is a common problem among HYBE artists. Here are some of the comments: "Its not just NewJeans, but it's always been like that for HYBE artists. "The album I ordered for BTS member RM hasnt arrived yet, too." "All HYBE artists have been like this." "This is a problem we have been experiencing since 2022 " HYBE's work handling is the problem, not just NewJeans problem." "HYBE's work handling method needs to be improved. READ MORE: NewJeans Hyein Spotted Walking In Crutches + Bunnies Heartbroken Over Idol's Current State For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Eunice Dela Cruz VMPL New Delhi [India], May 29: A legal guide for a common man by MJ Sir, "Apne Vakil Khud Bane" was launched in Indore on 23rd May 2024, on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Poornima. Also Read | Anupriya Goenka Birthday: Most Stylish Instagram Pics of the Actress. The book launch event was market by the esteemed presence of LK Bhargav sir (Retd Judge) and was hosted by young lawyers and civil judge aspirants. Yamini Gupta, a young lawyer took charge of the event as the host and anchored the event in the presence of Vineet Gupta (Country Head, Integrity Education) and Kaushalendra Sharma (Chief Editor) and other prominent lawyers. Addressing the audience, Bhargav sir in his speech said- "This book will not only prove to be beneficial to the common man, but it will act as a handyman's guide or all-time pocket book for law students, young lawyers and other law professionals. Since it provides information about those most common legal questions that a person in society often ponders, such as - What action can a person take if FIR has been lodged against himself?, What if someone has been arrested without disclosing reasons? What remedies does a person have under civil law, if they are dispossessed from their property by someone else? and many such questions. Also Read | Elon Musk Attacks Microsoft-Owned Professional Network LinkedIn, Says Platform Is 'So Cringe It Will Make Your Toenails Curl'. The Director of Integrity Education India (Publisher) expressed- "The author had an ultimate object to provide the best legal advice in a pocket friendly book in which other qualities of the book should not be compromised." "Apne Vakil Khud Bane" book is penned by renowned Law scholar and author Dr. Manmohan Joshi popularly known among students as 'MJ Sir' is written with a motive to help people understand law, and to have the power to bring about change for themselves and others. MJ sir's work has been recognised by many International and National platforms and he has penned more than 30 books on law, which are bestsellers and quite popular among students, advocates, judges and law fraternity. MJ sir is Legal Head of Kautilya Academy and founder of "Vidhik Shiksha" with more than 2 million subscribers in his you tube channel @vidhikshiksha and millions of viewership which provides free legal education and awareness. He is also the "World Record Holder" for taking the longest session of law (25hr30min). His humble beginnings couldn't deter his spirit, a native of Jagdalpur (a small town in district Bastar) from Chattisgarh, MJ sir is the youngest son of Shail Joshi (homemaker) and Narayan Prasad Joshi (Rt. Railway officer). He has completed his Law degree from Pandit Ravishankar University, Raipur (CG). After which he started working at a young age to fund his education and even played "Tabla" in Gurudwara to buy his law books. He is the first Law graduate in his family and has served in various courts including MP and Rajasthan High courts. Even after writing numerous books in law, he had a burning desire to write a Law book that can be helpful for the common man. When our correspondent talked to him, he said "The credit of this book should go to my wife Komal Joshi and son Mreidul." We congratulate MJ Sir for writing this insightful and comprehensive book which will prove to be helpful for everyone. This book will turn out to be an eye opener and an honest read among people. We just want to share that while writing this news article "Apne Vakil Khud Bane" is in Amazon top 1 ranking within 48 hours of its release. It not only caught the eyes of media but is also a matter of discussion amongst the lawyers, judges and law students. "Apne Vakil Khud Bane" is published by- IntegrityPublications, London. Available online at Amazon https://amzn.in/d/dxBlu5D (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) VMPL New Delhi [India], May 29: Event is happening Hyderabad at Green Park Hotel. Chennais Amirta Group of Institutions, a leading name in hospitality education for 14 years with over 25,000 placements, expands its horizons with two exciting MoUs. The institution hosted a press meet to share the success of global connections to benefit its students with international exposure and earnings. R. Boomeenaathan, the Chairman of Chennais Amirta Group of Institutions proudly shared the details of the Groups two recent international MoUs titled Forging Global Ties with University College of Aviation Malaysia (UniCAM) and Birmingham Academy Singapore. Also Read | Phalodi Satta Bazar Prediction for Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Results: Know How Many Seats BJP, Congress and SP May Win as per Matka Players. About the MoU with UniCAM Chennais Amirta has ventured into aviation education by launching an international aviation college by the signing of an MoU with the University College of Aviation Malaysia (UniCAM). The MoU was signed between R. Boomeenaathan, the Chairman of Chennais Amirta and Prof. Dr Capt. Ab Manam Bin Mansoor, the Chairman of UniCAM on May 17, 2024, during a press conference held at The Residency Towers in Chennai. The aviation college offers undergraduate programs (B.Sc. Air Transport; B.A. Aviation; and Diploma in Aviation & Tourism Management) alongside several value-added courses. The curriculum boasts international exposure with a two-year study stint at Chennais Amirta International Aviation College and a one-year study and practice at UniCAM, where the students will be offered internships at the international airport, Malaysia. This unparalleled program aims to equip students with practical skills, global perspectives, and hands-on experience in the dynamic aviation industry. Also Read | Most Romantic Destinations in the World in 2024: A Travel Guide for Couples Who Want To Experience the Magic of Love. Value Added Benefits Opportunity to study within a high-tech infrastructure of 40,000 Sqft that perfectly simulates an international airport in the heart of Chennai, providing an authentic and immersive learning environment. Potential to earn while studying with part-time positions offering of Rs. 8,000 15,000 per month during the course of the study. Benefit from the add-on courses on Personality Development; Personal Grooming; IATA Training; Spoken English and Hindi. Opportunity to gain work experience at an international airport while pursuing their studies. Job opportunity as Airport Manager, Ground Staff Manager, Air Traffic Controller, Cargo Manager, Aerodrome Officer, Security Officer, First Officer, Flight Attendant, Baggage Handler, Customer Service Executive, Ground Staff, etc. in 60 different departments. About the MoU with Birmingham Academy Singapore: R. Boomeenaathan, the Chairman of Chennais Amirta shared about another landmark international MoU that was signed by him and Ng Joon Peng, the Chairman of Birmingham Academy Singapore at the Taj Club House in Chennai on May 18, 2024. Tri-nation Study: Key Aspect of the Course The MoU between Chennais Amirta and Birmingham Academy Singapore offers the students a unique opportunity to pursue their studies in Hotel Management across 3 countries. During the first year, the students get to study at Chennais Amirta in Chennai to get a Diploma from Birmingham Academy. During the second year, the students get to study at Birmingham Academy in Singapore along with a paid internship of up to SGD 1,500 per month - approximately one lakh INR as internship stipend to get an Advanced Diploma, paving the way for several degree options abroad. During the third year, the students get into the degree programme in the UK for one year at De Montfort University where the students also gain work experience through a paid internship in the UK to earn up to 2,000 per month - approximately two lakhs INR per month as internship stipend. R. Boomeenaathan, the Chairman of Chennais Amirta said that the two partnerships represent a significant leap forward in Chennai Amirtas commitment to delivering world class aviation and hospitality education. Rajesh Gopalakrishnan, the Assistant Vice-President Operations of Marigold & the Green Park Hotels, Hyderabad commended Chennais Amirta for its exceptional offerings and praised its students for their professional excellence. Chennais Amirta College of Aviation and Hotel Management Chennais Amirta is a leading institution in hospitality education with five campuses in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Khairatabad and Vijayawada, known for its rigorous curriculum and strong industry connections. In a remarkable achievement, Chennais Amirta students secured 3 Gold, 6 Silver & 1 Bronze at the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics - Germany, marking a historic first for India in the competition's 124-year history. Recently the students of Chennais Amirta made history once more by securing 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 6 Bronze medals at the Emirates International Salon Culinaire held in Sharjah, UAE, where their works were presented before approximately twenty juries. India has won this gold medal for the first time in 27 years in the history of Emirates International Salon Culinaire. The press meet was graced by the presence of the dignitaries from Chennais Amirta Group of Institutions: Kavitha Nandakumar, CEO; Leo Prasath, CAD; Dr T. Milton, Dean; Banumathi, Head - University Affairs and Tamarakolanu Chandra Mohan the Principal of Hyderabad Campus. For further details contact: 9393100600 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, recently took to social media platform X to share insights from his meeting with Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan. The discussion was held during the Ambassador's visit to the Mundra Port and the site of the world's largest Hybrid Renewable Energy Park in Khavda. Also Read | ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Complete Schedule For Free PDF Download Online: Get All Fixtures, Time Table With Match Timings in IST and Venue Details of Mens Twenty20 Cricket WC. "Had a very engaging discussion with Amb Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan. We are grateful for his visit to our Mundra Port and to Khavda where we are building the world's largest Hybrid Renewable Energy Park of 30 GW capacity. The Ambassador's appreciation for India's culture, the value he places on our partnership and his tremendous support for India are truly inspiring. @HiroSuzukiAmbJP," Adani Group chairman said in a post on X on Wednesday. In his post, Adani expressed gratitude for Ambassador Suzuki's visit to these key locations, emphasizing the importance of their partnership in driving forward innovative and sustainable initiatives. Also Read | POCO M6 Plus 5G Spotted on BIS Certification Website, Launch Expected Soon in India; Check Rumoured Specifications and Features. The planned 30 GW capacity Renewable Energy Park represents a step towards achieving renewable energy goals, and Adani underscored the value of Ambassador Suzuki's support in this endeavour. Furthermore, Adani highlighted the Ambassador's appreciation for India's rich cultural heritage and emphasized the importance of fostering strong partnerships based on mutual respect and shared goals. The positive sentiments exchanged during the meeting serve as a testament to the growing cooperation between India and Japan in the realm of renewable energy and sustainable development. Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki's visit to the Mundra Port and the Khavda project site signifies Japan's interest and support in India's renewable energy sector. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) PNN Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 29: Krystal Integrated Services Limited (KISL), a market leader in facility management services across India has reported its best-ever results in a financial year on the back of strong operational and financial performance for the Q4 and FY24 ended March 2024. Company has continued to better its business performance and profit margins over the years with focused growth strategies and business expansion plans. Company has recommended a dividend of 15%, Rs 1.50 per share on the face value of Rs 10 per share for the FY 2023-24. Also Read | Delhi: Man Shot Dead in His Shop by Unidentified Assailants in Kabir Nagar, Probe On. Net profit of the company during FY24 reported a growth of 45.2% Y-o-Y to Rs 49 crore (PAT margin 4.8%) as against the net profit of Rs 33.8 crore in FY23. Company reported EBITDA of Rs 68.7 crore in FY24, rise of 37.8% as compared to EBITDA of Rs 49.8 crore in FY23. Total Revenue during FY24 was reported at Rs 1,026.8 crore, higher by 45.1% over previous fiscal's same period total income of Rs 707.6 crore. KISL is One of India's leading integrated facilities management services (IFMS) companies, with a focus on healthcare, education, public administration, airports, railways and metro infrastructure and retail sectors. It provides a comprehensive range of service offerings which include Integrated Facility Management, Staffing & Payroll Management, Private Security & Manned Guarding and Catering, providing a one-stop solution to its customer including government organisations. Company has reported a robust growth rates from FY21 to FY24 - Revenue CAGR of 29.6%, PAT CAGR of 71.7%. Also Read | Odisha Horror: Drug Addict Man Strangles Sleeping Father to Death in Bheden. Company has a strong business network with 41,061 on site employees, 28 branches, 369 customers and 2,487 locations served. Major revenue contributors in FY24 includes - Healthcare segment 29.06%, Education segment 20.13%, Airport, Railway and Metro Infrastructure - 5.4% Commenting on the performance, Sanjay Dighe, CEO & Whole Time Director, Krystal Integrated Services Ltd, said, "I am pleased to share that the company has performed better than expectations, closing the fiscal year on a strong note. In FY24, our top line has grown 45.1% year-on-year to Rs 1,026.8 crore, crossing the Rs 1,000 crore mark for the first time. EBITDA and PAT increased 37.8% and 45.2% to Rs 68.7 crore and Rs 49.0 crore, respectively. The growth mainly came from a robust increase in our order book as we continued to secure new contracts. We are strategically diversifying our business by expanding our corporate partnerships to reduce our reliance on government contracts. Concurrently, we are broadening our service offerings to include a more comprehensive portfolio. Overall, we have entered the new fiscal year on an optimistic note and aim to sustain this momentum in the coming quarters. I would like to thank the entire team at Krystal and all our stakeholders for their continued support." For Q4 ended FY24, company reported net profit of Rs 15.7 crore (PAT margin 5.4%) as against net profit of Rs 9.2 crore in the corresponding period last year, growth of 70.3%. Revenue for the Q4FY24 was reported at Rs 292.2 crore, higher by 52.0% over previous fiscal's same period income of Rs 192.2 crore. Company reported EBITDA (Excluding other income) of Rs 18.8 crore in Q4 FY24, rise of 97.7% as compared to Rs 9.5 crore in the corresponding period last year. Krystal Integrated Services Limited: https://krystal-group.com/ KISL (BSE: 544149; NSE: KRYSTAL), one of India's leading integrated facilities management services companies, specializes in sectors such as healthcare, education, public administration--including state government entities, municipal bodies, and other government offices--airports, railways, metro infrastructure, and retail. The company offers a comprehensive range of integrated facility management services across these varied sectors. Additionally, KISL provides staffing solutions and payroll management, private security and manned guarding services, and catering services. (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) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) PNN New Delhi [India], May 29: For decades, studying abroad has been a cherished dream for countless Indian students for a brighter future, unlocking doors to global careers and enhanced knowledge. According to the Indian Student Mobility Report 2023, nearly 13 lakh Indian students have participated in the study abroad programmes. The US (69%) topped other popular choices like the UK (54 per cent), Canada (43 per cent), and Australia (27 per cent), stated the second edition of Oxford International's Student Global Mobility Index report. However, with countries enforcing stricter immigration policies and increasing scrutiny of foreign students, Indian students who aspire to study abroad are facing numerous challenges. Also Read | Most Romantic Destinations in the World in 2024: A Travel Guide for Couples Who Want To Experience the Magic of Love. What are the Factors Driving the Education Abroad Trend? Diversity of Academic Programs: Foreign universities boast a rich tapestry of academic programs, encompassing both traditional subjects and emerging fields. They also offer a plethora of niche specialisations within broader disciplines that help Indian students to delve deeper into specific areas of interest to thrive in a globalised world. Also Read | Delhi Rains: Drizzle in Delhi-NCR Brings Respite From Heatwave After Temperature Hits Record High of 52.3 Degrees Celsius (Watch Videos). Global Exposure: Students get to interact with people from different backgrounds, and learn new languages and cultures. The exposure to different cultures ultimately boosts confidence and enhances skillsets as per global standards. Availability of Scholarships: A multitude of scholarships and financial aid options are offered by foreign universities, significantly covering a portion of tuition fees. Some of the most sought-after scholarships include Merit-Based Scholarships, Need-Based Scholarships, Subject-Specific Scholarships, Government Scholarships, etc. This allows students to gain global exposure while offsetting high educational costs. Access to Advanced Technology and Innovation: Students believe that studying at universities abroad specialise in state-of-the-art technology and innovation, which can give them an edge in their chosen field of study. Anuj Gupta, CEO of Youngrads says, "The study abroad trend sets a multitude of benefits for students like global network building, international exposure, enhanced employability, etc. Students can embrace the opportunity to demonstrate their strong academic credentials and gain international exposure by immersing themselves in a new culture." The Shifting Visa Landscape: In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the visa policies of several key destination countries, including: Australia: The Australian government's recent changes include higher English proficiency test scores. The Temporary Graduate visa score has increased from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5, and for a student visa, from IELTS (or equivalent) 5.5 to 6.0. Financially, students must show evidence of $29,710 to be eligible for a student visa, a 17 percent hike from previous levels. The Genuine Student Test has replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement. Canada: Canada has capped the number of student visas at 360,000, a 35 percent drop as compared to last year. Open work permits are only available to spouses of overseas students pursuing Masters or doctoral programmes. Student permit applications now require a letter of attestation from a Canadian province confirming its capacity to accommodate the applicant. United Kingdom: The UK visa fees have surged from 363 to 490, an increase of 35%. There have also been revisions in the Immigration Health Surcharge from 675 to 1,035. The UK has also announced that international students from 2024 will be restricted from bringing in dependent family members with them as they pursue their studies. United States of America: The US embassy has declared that all F, M, and J student visa applicants must use their own passport information while creating a profile and scheduling visa appointments. F or M visa applicants must enrol in a school or program certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Students applying for a J visa need sponsorship from a US State Department-approved organisation. "The visa norm changes have diverse implications for Indian students planning to pursue overseas education. The modified visa regulations require additional academic documentation or verification processes, increased financial considerations and academic qualifications. It is crucial for Indian scholars to consider the impact of these changes on their educational goals in the long run and to take proactive steps by planning strategically.", suggests Anuj Gupta. How to Navigate the Complexities? As Indian students navigate the dynamic landscape of study visa changes, long-term educational planning becomes a critical aspect of their academic journey, including: Students must constantly stay updated on alterations in study visa regulations to make informed decisions about their academic pursuits. Indian students can reassess their long-term educational objectives and align them with the revised visa prerequisites. Engaging with reputable educational consultants or advisors specialising in international student applications who can offer valuable insights. The stricter norms in top countries like Australia including Heightened English Language Requirements, Genuine Student Test, Limited Visa Sanctions, etc. lead to a higher rejection rate for Indian students and might restrict their exposure. For Instance, the Temporary Graduate visa programs in Australia, effective from July 1, 2024, aims to realign the visa streams with the levels of study undertaken by applicants. Adapting to the modified visa prerequisites involves careful planning and proactive measures to ensure a seamless transition into international educational institutions. By remaining updated on visa regulations and accessing valuable support networks, students can navigate the evolving study visa landscape effectively, ultimately realising their aspirations for global academic pursuits. (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) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bollywood superstar and co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, celebrated the team's recent win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final match of Indian Premier League 2024 with a heartfelt post. Taking to his Instagram account on Wednesday, Khan shared a picture with the entire KKR team, proudly holding the IPL trophy. The team, radiating joy and excitement, posed alongside the actor. 'My Champs'! Shah Rukh Khan Pens Heartfelt Note Lauding KKR's Win This IPL Season, Shares Happy Pic With Trophy. The picture also featured SRK's wife Gauri Khan and their children - Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and AbRam Khan. Along with the picture, the actor added a long caption praising the entire team. It read, "To my boys my team my champs 'these blessed candles of the night' My Star of KKR I cannot do a lot of things and you cannot do them all either...but together we manage most of them. That's what @KKRiders stood for. Simply being together." Speaking about Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, Shreyas Iyer, Tendo, Bharathi Arun, Nathan Leamon, and David Crowe's contribution, Khan wrote. "GG said if u can't support a single vision as a team...u are leading to a division in the team. Each player understood that. Young and old. The Trophy is not a testament of having the best players in the team." Khan went on to thank KKR fans and wrote, "Boys you are all made of Star stuff!! Love you all and don't let the dancing stop! Also, so happy and thankful for each and every KKR fan and I hope all around the world youngsters learn that Tough times don't last. Finally Tough and Happy teams do! Korbo...Lorbo Jeetbo....Always. See u all at the stadia in 2025." Shah Rukh Khan Accidentally Confirms His Next Project King Co-Starring Daughter Suhana Khan; Heres the Proof! (See Pic and Watch Video) Shah Rukh Khan's Post View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) KKR's third title celebrations began at the same ground Chepauk where they lifted their title in 2012 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. They scripted an encore to lift their third trophy. The KKR bowlers left the Sunrisers dumbstruck to restrict the free-scoring SRH batting line-up at 113. In reply, KKR chased the total in 10.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): A 22-year-old married woman was allegedly strangulated to death in Vasant Kunj in southwest Delhi, police said on Wednesday. According to the police, "Prima facie matrimonial dispute seems to be the reason for murder. From the initial examination of the body, the death is due to strangulation." Also Read | Death Threat to T Raja Singh: Telangana BJP MLA Complains to Amit Shah About Receiving Threat Calls. On May 29 at 12:38 PM, a police control room call was received regarding murder at Vasant Kunj South police station, police said. Upon receiving the call, the police personnel immediately rushed there. At the scene of the incident, the lady was identified as Pooja, wife of Abhishek Yadav, a resident of Rajokri. Also Read | Sanju Techy Arrested: YouTuber From Kerala Held for Setting Up Swimming Pool Inside Moving Car (Watch Video). The police said that the inquiry revealed that Pooja and Abhishek had married for the second time two months ago, on April 22. Abhishek had no children from his first marriage, while Pooja had a son from her first marriage. Police said the forensic science laboratory team and crime team have inspected the spot. A case is being registered under appropriate sections, and multiple teams are working to nab the husband. Further investigation is underway, they added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Sheikhpura, May 29: At least 50 students fainted on Wednesday morning at Mankaul Middle School in the Ariari block of Sheikhpura district of Bihar, due to extreme heatwave conditions, as the temperature is soaring between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius in the district. Initially, six students lost consciousness, but subsequently, many more students started collapsing. The incident began after the students attended an assembly for prayers and then proceeded to class. The whole matter created chaos in the school and the village. The unconscious students were provided with water and electrolytes and were immediately rushed to the district's Sadar hospital on bikes, tempos and e-rickshaws after the ambulance didn't arrive. School Headmaster Suresh Prasad promptly informed the public health department about the incident and requested an ambulance. However, the delayed arrival of the ambulance outraged the villagers, who then blocked the road and protested against the administration. Heatwave in Bihar: Panic Grips Sheikhpura School as Several Girl Students Faint Due to Extreme Temperatures, Rushed to Hospital (Watch Video). 50 Students Faint at School in Shiekhpura It is extremely hot in #Bihar these days. The situation is such that 16 students of a school in Middle School #Mankaul located in #Shekhpura district fainted due to the scorching heat. After this incident the entire school administration was shocked. pic.twitter.com/ttJg6JbXHX Shivaji Mishra | (@08febShivaji) May 29, 2024 Headmaster Prasad narrated the incident and said, "Students from the 8th grade started fainting in class after attending the assembly. We provided them with water and electrolytes and called for an ambulance. When it didn't arrive, we used private vehicles to take them to the hospital." Satyendra Kumar, a doctor at Sadar Hospital, said, "There is a severe heatwave in the state. The whole incident occurred due to dehydration, as students came to school early in the morning without breakfast or water bottles. He further suggested parents ensure their children have breakfast and water bottles so that they can drink water if they feel thirsty. Heatwave Alert: IMD Forecasts Heat Wave Across Most Parts of India in June. Reports of children fainting due to the heatwave have also emerged from other schools and districts. In Begusarai district, six students at Matihani Middle School also fainted due to the heat after which they were taken to Matihani PHC hospital for treatment. The matter pertains to Matihani Middle School of Matihani police station area in the Begusarai district of Bihar. The temperature in the district has soared to 45 degrees Celsius, intensifying the heatwave conditions. The administration and teachers of Matihani Middle School criticised the Bihar government for keeping schools open during such severe heat. They specifically blamed KK Pathak, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, for the decision to operate schools at 6 am despite the heatwave. Teachers expressed their frustration, stating, "This order has caused distress for both students and teachers. The government's 'Tughlaqi farmaan' to keep schools open in such weather is unacceptable, and KK Pathak has ignored the issue." According to the data of the India Meteorological Department, on Tuesday, the maximum temperature in the state ranged between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius. The Met Department has also issued a warning for heatwave-like conditions in the state. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kolkata, May 29: The West Bengal CID is planning to visit neighbouring Nepal in search of a person who allegedly helped the prime suspect in the murder of Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar engage a butcher, an officer said on Tuesday. The officer claimed that the prime suspect, Anar's childhood friend and business partner, now a US citizen, was in Kolkata when the MP was killed in a flat in New Town near here. After the murder, the friend, identified as Akhtaruzzaman, fled to Nepal and then to the USA via Dubai, he said. An arrested person, who police claimed is a butcher by profession, allegedly chopped the body of the Awami League lawmaker into 80 pieces and mixed them with turmeric before disposing them off at different locations including a canal around New Town. Bangladesh MP Murder Case: West Bengal Police Suspect Anwarul Azim Anar Honey-Trapped Before Murder by Contract Killers, One Detained. The butcher is a Bangladesh national who entered India illegally. Investigators suspect that one person named Siyam, who had helped Anar's friend get the butcher employed to chop the body, also fled to Nepal and has been hiding there, the officer said. "We are mulling the option of visiting Nepal where Siyam may be hiding. He is an important part of the investigation. The arrested butcher has admitted that it was Siyam who had helped him enter India using fake documents and then stay in the New Town flat," the CID officer told PTI. Anwarul Azim Anar Death: Video of Two Hitmen Leaving With Luggage After Allegedly Killing Bangladeshi MP in Kolkata Surfaces, Police Recover CCTV Footage of Apartment. Investigators of the state CID on Tuesday claimed to have recovered a few pieces of flesh and strands of hair from the septic tank of the New Town flat, where Anar was suspected to have been murdered. They also collected blood specimen from that flat. The investigators are planning to conduct DNA tests on those specimens and match the results with one of the family members of Anar to confirm the identity of the deceased, he said. As a part of it, the daughter of the Awami League MP is likely to come to the city, the CID officer said. The Disaster Management Team of the Kolkata Police on Wednesday resumed search in the Bagjola canal adjacent to an amusement park near Rajarhat to locate the MP's body parts as well as the tools used to chop the body, he added. A three-member team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch is in the city to investigate the death of Anar. The team is being led by the Detective Branch chief Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid. The search for the missing MP, who reportedly arrived in Kolkata on May 12 to undergo medical treatment, began after Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar in north Kolkata and an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician, filed a complaint with the local police on May 18. Anar had stayed at Biswas's house upon arrival. In his complaint, Biswas stated that Anar left his Baranagar residence for a doctor's appointment in the afternoon of May 13 and that he would be back home for dinner. Biswas claimed that the Bangladesh MP went incommunicado on May 17, which prompted him to file a missing complaint a day later. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jammu, May 29 (PTI) The Border Security Force personnel fired several rounds to shoot down a suspected Pakistani drone near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, officials said on Wednesday. The drone activity from across the border was picked up by the alert border guards in Khanetar garrison at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday, the officials said. Also Read | Assam Rains: Three Dead Across State As Heavy Rains Pound North East in Cyclone Remal Whiplash, Causes Flooding; Red Alert Issued for Ten Districts. They said the troops fired over three dozen rounds on the drone to bring it down. An alert was sounded and the whole area was put under strict cordon, the officials said, adding that a massive search operation was launched this morning to sanitise the area. Also Read | Bus Overturns on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Near Rajasthans Dausa: Live News Updates Today. The Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh to anyone informing about a drone flown from across the border with a purpose to drop weapons and narcotics, leading to the recovery of the material. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29: A major fire broke out at a parking lot in Delhi's Madhu Vihar area on Wednesday morning, which gutted 19 vehicles, said officials. The incident occurred at around 1:17 am near the Mandawali police station in East Delhi. Upon receiving the alert, the Fire Service Department swiftly dispatched nine fire tenders to the scene. Delhi Fire: Massive Blaze Erupts at Eye Hospital in Paschim Vihar, No Injuries Reported (Watch Video). According to the officials, the blaze was brought under control during the night, but many four-wheeled vehicles parked in the area were completely burned. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, with officials working to determine what sparked the sudden conflagration. Further details are awaited. Delhi Hospital Fire: Seven Newborns Die After Massive Blaze at New Born Baby Care Centre in Shahdara(Watch Videos). 19 Vehicles Gutted in Fire in Delhi #WATCH | Several cars were gutted in a fire at a parking lot near police station Mandavali in the Madhu Vihar area of Delhi. The fire which broke out last night around 1:17 AM has been brought under control. pic.twitter.com/9x2uadJbAL ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2024 Earlier, a massive fire broke out at a warehouse in the Shahdara area on Tuesday. According to officials, "the fire erupted at a warehouse in Khera Khurd village in Delhi's Shahdara area. Four fire tenders arrived at the spot to conduct the dousing operations." No casualties have been reported in the incident. New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) The Delhi Congress on Wednesday appealed to the Haryana government to release more water into Yamuna from the Tajewala barrage to help the national capital overcome the severe water shortage it is facing. State party chief Devender Yadav said that due to the heat wave, the city has been experiencing a severe water shortage and agencies must join forces and work on a war footing to tide over the crisis. Also Read | Double Suicide in Jalaun: Two Friends Die Suicide After Listening to Sermons by Osho, Posted Death Is Only Truth on WhatsApp Status. "Due to the unprecedented heat wave sweeping the national capital, the city has been experiencing severe water shortage. Various concerned agencies should join hands to tackle water shortage on a war footing, and people should also use water judiciously without wasting a drop of drinking water," Yadav said in a statement. According to a report by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), he said, the daily water supply in the national capital has come down to 969 million gallons per day (MGD) against the requirement of 1,290 MGD, as he urged the Delhi government to take immediate steps to increase the supply and invest in the rain-water harvesting. Also Read | Amarnath Yatra 2024: Online Helicopter Booking for Annual Yatra To Start From June 1. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) India and Bangladesh on Wednesday held wide-ranging talks focusing on issues relating to visas, mutual legal assistance and extradition cases. The two sides met for the fourth round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue in Delhi and reiterated their commitment to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges. Also Read | Pune Porsche Car Crash: Police Planning 'Digital Recreation' of Accident Scene With AI Tools for Evidence Appreciation. They held "wide-ranging discussions on mechanisms to strengthen coordination and cooperation on consular issues, visa matters, repatriation, MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) and extradition cases, etc," the external affairs ministry said. "The two sides also agreed to further strengthen the bilateral Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA) to facilitate movement of nationals from both sides," it said in a statement. Also Read | Delhi Temperature Today: Record 52.9 Degrees Celsius in Mungeshpur Was 'Error in Sensor', Says IMD. The India-Bangladesh consular dialogue mechanism was instituted in 2017 with an aim to strengthen people-to-people contacts by having a regular channel of communication on issues relating to consular, visa and mutual legal assistance. "Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges and agreed to hold the next round of the dialogue in Dhaka on a mutually convenient date," the ministry said. Dr. Aman Puri, Joint Secretary (consular-passport-visa division) at the ministry, led the Indian delegation at the talks. The Bangladeshi team was headed by Rokebul Haque Director General (South Asia), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, May 29: At least nine people were injured in an explosion of an LPG cylinder at a food stall in the Dombivili area of Mumbai on Wednesday. According to Dombivili Fire Brigade officials, two among the nine injured have sustained critical injuries. Mumbai Cylinder Blast: Eight Injured After Fire Breaks Out Due to LPG Gas Cylinder Explosion in Bandra. "First, a fire broke out at the stall and then an explosion occurred in the LPG cylinder at the stall," they said. More details are awaited. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Aizawl, May 29 (PTI) Mizoram's Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena has urged the Election Commission of India to allow 1,047 police personnel to cast their votes as they were away on poll-related duties in other states. The police personnel failed to cast their votes at the time of elections to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram held on April 19 as they had gone to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on poll duty. Also Read | Delhi Weather Forecast: National Capital Sizzles Under Searing Heatwave As Minimum Temperature Nears 30 Degree Celsius. Vanlalvena in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said that currently 15 companies of Mizoram Armed Police comprising 1,047 personnel are on election duty in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He alleged that the police personnel were denied their legitimate right to exercise their franchise. Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Heatwave: Use of Animals To Draw Vehicles, Carry Load Restricted During Afternoons; Local Official Cites Ongoing High Temperatures in Region. The Mizoram MP said that the Mizoram police nodal officer had requested the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to make the necessary arrangements earlier, which was duly conveyed to the Election Commission. However, the poll panel conveyed its regret to the state CEO that the police personnel could not be allowed to cast their votes citing 'technical reasons,' he said. Meanwhile, the state election department said the CEO office on March 28 had written to the EC asking about the possibility of sending postal ballots to 12 companies of the State Armed Police Force (SAPF) at their duty places in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The CEO office also sought permission for opening of felicitation centre for another 3 companies of SAPF, who were bound to leave for Madhya Pradesh on April 4, it said. The Election Commission sent its reply on April 6 and said that postal ballots were not allowed to be sent to the police personnel at their duty places outside the state as they were required to exercise their franchise in a facilitation centre in their native state, it said. Although the EC told the state election department to arrange facilitation centres for the personnel, no such arrangement could be made for 12 companies of SAPF due to the date of induction fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 1. As the date of induction was fixed on April 1, the 12 companies have to leave for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on March 28 and March 29, it said. Subsequently, the state election department wrote to the Election Commission on April 23 requesting it to arrange voting facilities for 1,047 police personnel before June 4. However, the poll panel rejected the request and informed the CEO office that the police personnel would not be able to exercise their voting rights as polling for Mizoram Lok Sabha seat was already held on April 19, the election department said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Rampur (UP), May 29 (PTI) Tazeen Fatima, wife of Samajwadi Party leader Mohd Azam Khan, was on Wednesday released from Rampur district jail after getting bail from the Allahabad High Court last week. The Allahabad High Court had on May 24 granted bail to Azam Khan, his wife Fatima and son Abdullah Azam Khan in the fake birth certificate case. Also Read | Delhi Weather: National Capital Records Its Highest Ever Temperature, Mungeshpur Bakes at 52.3 Degrees Celsius. The three family members were convicted of forgery by a Rampur court. However, Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan will have to remain behind bars as several other cases are also going on against them. Also Read | Prajwal Revanna Sex Scandal: Suspended JDS Leader Files Anticipatory Bail Plea in Rape Case. Fatima was in jail since October 28 last year after conviction by the local court. Seven years' imprisonment was awarded to them by the Rampur Sessions Court in a forgery case related to Abdullah's birth certificates. The case dates back to January 3, 2019, when Akash Saxena, who is now the BJP MLA from Rampur, lodged a complaint alleging that Azam Khan and his wife got two birth certificates made for their son. Subsequently, the court found the trio guilty under various sections, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code. Since the conviction, Azam Khan, a 10-time MLA who was also elected as an MP from Rampur, is lodged in Sitapur Jail. Abdullah Azam is in Hardoi jail while Fatima was in Rampur jail. Talking to reporters Fatima said, "Injustice was defeated and the court has kept justice alive." When asked about husband Azam Khan and son Abdullah, Fatima said, "We were convicted due to a well-planned conspiracy in which police, government and I have complaint even with the media that it did not take up the matter." Terming her release as the "start of justice", Fatima said she wanted to tell supporters that the truth will ultimately win. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The National Tele-Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS) in India has reached a significant milestone, receiving over 10 lakh calls on its Tele-MANAS toll-free number, averaging 3,500 calls per day, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Launched by the Government of India in October 2022 to enhance mental health service delivery nationwide, the programme operates 51 Tele-MANAS cells across all states and union territories. Also Read | Bihar Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 7: Fate of Prominent Candidates To Be Decided in Final Phase of Polling on June 1. The Tele MANAS toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 offer multi-language support and have been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals. "Reflecting increased awareness and utilization of mental health services in the country, the Tele-MANAS helpline has seen a steady increase in the number of callers, growing from around 12,000 in December 2022 to over 90,000 in May 2024. This increase in engagement also underscores the importance of continued investment and expansion of mental health initiatives to ensure that everyone has access to the support they need," the press release said. Also Read | Goa Statehood Day 2024 Date: Know History and Significance of Goa Foundation Day Ahead of 37th Anniversary of States Formation. To ensure ongoing care and support for those accessing mental health services, the platform incorporates callbacks for follow-up. By linking existing mental health resources and establishing a comprehensive digital network, Tele-MANAS has become an essential platform for addressing the nation's mental health needs. "The government's dedication to expanding mental health services, particularly targeting vulnerable populations, represents a significant milestone in India's ongoing efforts to combat the mental health crisis and ensure support for all individuals and households across the country," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare added. Moving forward, integration with initiatives like e-Sanjeevani will further enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of the platform. By continuing to promote awareness and accessibility, Tele MANAS can further contribute to addressing the mental health challenges facing the nation. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he was withholding Rs 7,000 crore of paddy procurement funds to West Bengal and if the CBI case against Suvendu Adhikari has got "washed away" in the BJP's washing machine. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked if the prime minister prioritised his PR over vaccines and funds under the National Health Mission. Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir Heatwave: Use of Animals To Draw Vehicles, Carry Load Restricted During Afternoons; Local Official Cites Ongoing High Temperatures in Region. "Today's questions for the outgoing PM's West Bengal visit: Is the outgoing PM withholding Rs 7,000 crore of ration funds so that his face is plastered on ration shops? Did Suvendu Adhikari's CBI case get washed away in BJP's washing machine? Does the PM prioritise his PR over vaccines for India's children?" he asked in a post on X. He posed the questions on a day the prime minister is campaigning in West Bengal for the last phase of elections on June 1. Also Read | Delhi: Woman Allegedly Molested and Thrashed by Belisario Club Bouncers At Shangri-La Hotel, Case Registered (Watch Video). "In an incredibly petty move, the Centre has been withholding National Food Security Act funds from West Bengal for not displaying the outgoing PM's face on ration shops. In an attempt to coerce the state government into displaying sign boards and flexes featuring the outgoing PM's photos, the Centre has withheld Rs 7,000 crore of paddy procurement funds," Ramesh charged. He said this could seriously hinder the state's paddy procurement and the availability of rice for the public distribution system. "Why has the outgoing PM so callously neglected the health and wellbeing of the people of West Bengal? Is his publicity more important than people's daily food?" the Congress leader asked. He said in April 2017, the CBI filed an FIR against then TMC MP Adhikari in connection with the Narada scam. In April 2019, the CBI sought sanction from the Lok Sabha speaker to prosecute him and in December 2020, Adhikari joined the BJP, and the CBI never received the Lok Sabha speaker's sanction. Similarly, he said, TMC leader Tapas Roy was raided by the ED in January this year in connection with a money laundering case and by March, he had also joined the BJP. Just a few months prior to his joining, Adhikari had alleged that Roy was involved in a municipal recruitment scam but this allegation also "disappeared" once Roy joined the party, he alleged. "The PM's 'Bhrashtachar Hatao' slogan is shamelessly plastered all over the country even as his party is busy handing tickets to corrupt politicians. "Can the outgoing PM shed any light on why CBI and ED action against these leaders has been stalled? How can the BJP make pretensions to eradicating corruption when their 'washing machine' is clearly at full spin in West Bengal?" Ramesh asked in his post. He also alleged that the government has blocked the National Health Mission funding to over 11,000 sub-health centres in West Bengal. These sub-health centres form the first line of defence for India's poor - they are staffed by nurses and provide vaccines for children, tablets, and medicines for common fever, malaria, TB, and other infectious diseases, he claimed. While the sub-centres are supposed to be called Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, the state government had named them Sushasthya Centres, he claimed, adding that in a letter on November 25 last year, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) wrote to states, ordering them to rename sub-centres "Ayushman Arogya Mandir" and paint them orange. The medical community has criticised this attempt by the BJP to "saffronise" medical centres, and the state government has refused to implement it, he said. "In a petty and vindictive move, the Modi Sarkar seems to have blocked funds just because the state government refused to paint sub-centres a different colour. This comes after the Centre has already blocked state funds to MGNREGA and a Central housing scheme. "In their vindictiveness, why is the BJP denying essential health services to the poorest communities in the state? Does the outgoing PM prioritise his PR over vaccines for India's children?" Ramesh asked. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) Five shops were damaged in a fire that broke out in the Chandni Chowk area in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. No one was injured in the incident, they said. Also Read | Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Death Anniversary 2024: Know Date, Significance About the Day That Marks the Punyatithi of Indias First Prime Minister. According to a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official, five shops located near Fatehpuri Masjid caught fire. A call regarding the blaze was received at 3.12 am and eight fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire was doused by 5 am, he said. Also Read | Kendrapara Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJPs Baijayant Panda Takes on BJDs Anshuman Mohanty, Congress Sidharth Swarup Das Amid Key Issues of Unemployment and Migration in This Constituency. In another incident, 17 cars were gutted by fire that broke out at a parking lot in east Delhi's Madhu Vihar area around midnight, the officer said. The incident was reported at 1.17 am and nine fire tenders were pressed into service and they controlled the blaze in four hours, he said, adding that no one got injured in the incident. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) Adani Energy Solutions will seek shareholders' approval to raise Rs 12,500 crore in its annual general meeting on June 25. The company is looking to raise funds by way of qualified institutions placement (QIP) to eligible investors through issuance of equity shares and/or other eligible securities. Also Read | Goa Statehood Day 2024 Date: Know History and Significance of Goa Foundation Day Ahead of 37th Anniversary of States Formation. The board of Adani Energy Solutions on Monday approved the proposal to raise up to Rs 12,500 crore through issue of equity shares on QIP basis or other modes. According to the notice for the AGM, the company will seek the approval of the shareholders at the ensuing annual general meeting scheduled to be held on June 25, 2024. Also Read | Rules Changing From June 1 in India: From New Driving License Rules to Aadhaar Card Update and LPG Cylinder Price Revision, Know List of Changes To Come Into Effect From Next Month. The company will also seeks shareholders' approval of a resolution to appoint a director in place of Gautam Adani, who retires by rotation and being eligible offers himself for re-appointment. The board of directors had approved the raising of funds by way of issuance of such number of equity shares having a face value of Rs 10 each and/or other eligible securities or any combination thereof, for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 12,500 crore by way of qualified institutional placement or other permissible mode in accordance with the applicable laws, in one or more tranches. The company is expected to utilise the proceeds for expansion and to increase its portfolio. The AESL had earlier said it is exploring several areas and has applied for parallel distribution licence in several geographies like Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, Greater Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) in Uttar Pradesh, and Mundra sub district in Gujarat. The company is also ramping up its smart metering business with an aim to become India's leading smart metering integrator with an order book of over 22.8 million meters. On May 16, AESL acquired the entire stake in Essar Transco Ltd after obtaining requisite regulatory and other approvals for an enterprise value of Rs 1,900 crore. The share acquisition is pursuant to definitive agreements signed in June 2022. Part of Adani Group, Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) is India's largest private transmission and distribution company having presence across 17 states of India and a cumulative transmission network of 21,182 ckm and 57,011 MVA transformation capacity. Shares of the company ended 0.16 per cent down at Rs 1,087 apiece on the BSE on Wednesday. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) India should seek easy visa norms in bilateral agreements with different countries for its semi and unskilled workers as it would help increase flow of remittances, and higher wages to labourers, trade experts said. They said easy visa norms will also help contain illegal entry of Indian labourers into developed and rich nations. Also Read | Goa Statehood Day 2024 Date: Know History and Significance of Goa Foundation Day Ahead of 37th Anniversary of States Formation. Normally in a free trade agreement, two trading partners seek greater market access for its skilled professionals. India, too, asks for easy provisions for its IT and other skilled workforce. "Now, India should start talking for its semi and unskilled workforce also in the proposed free trade agreements. We should take this as a binding commitment. It will help stop illegal entry of labourers from India into developed nations. India provides low customs in trade agreements, so in lieu of that we can seek greater access for our labours," international trade expert Biswajit Dhar said. Also Read | Rules Changing From June 1 in India: From New Driving License Rules to Aadhaar Card Update and LPG Cylinder Price Revision, Know List of Changes To Come Into Effect From Next Month. He said that wages in other countries, particularly developed, are high and Indian laborers from sectors like agriculture and mechanical would get advantage from that. "We have so many unskilled and semi-skilled labourers in India. Easy visa norms for them will also help India get huge remittances," Dhar added. India has received over USD 111 billion in remittances in 2022, the largest in the world, becoming the first country to reach and surpass the USD 100-billion mark, the United Nations migration agency has said. According to the report's data, India was the top country receiving remittances in 2010 (USD 53.48 billion), 2015 (USS 68.91 billion), and 2020 (USD 83.15 billion), with the remittances crossing the USD 100-billion mark to reach USD 111.22 billion in 2022. Three countries in Southern Asia --? India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- rank among the top-ten recipients of international remittances in the world, underscoring the significance of labour migration from the subregion. Inflow of remittances has a positive impact on the balance of payments of the country. Economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Founder Ajay Srivastava said it will be hard for India to get access for semi-skilled and unskilled workers in partner countries through FTA negotiations and the most effective strategy is to negotiate bilateral agreements with individual countries to secure access for unskilled workers. "Bilateral talks based on each country's needs are more effective. India's labourers and unskilled workers going to the Gulf are the best example of this approach," Srivastava said. While access for skilled professionals is negotiated through the Mode-IV services provisions of FTAs (free trade agreements), access for semi-skilled and unskilled workers is generally handled through bilateral agreements, he said. Srivastava added that given the tough employment conditions globally, it is challenging to secure commitments from FTA partners to admit skilled or unskilled professionals. "India is also cautious about granting reciprocal access. The most effective strategy is to negotiate bilateral agreements with individual countries to secure access for unskilled workers. "This approach addresses the complex dynamics of global labour markets and ensures that both parties can manage their employment needs and economic priorities effectively," he added. Securing access for its professionals, technicians, and other skilled workers into the partner country markets on short term assignments remains one of the top priorities for India in FTA negotiation. However, Srivastava said most countries are reluctant to allow access. "Thus, while India's FTAs with Japan, Korea, ASEAN, Singapore, UAE, and Australia, contain provisions facilitating entry for skilled professionals, this access comes with many restrictions like labour market test, certification requirements, long duration in visa processing or local language proficiency requirement. There is no data on how many Indian professionals have benefited from these provisions," he said. He added that India's FTAs with the UAE, Malaysia, and Japan include general provisions on labour mobility, potentially allowing access for semi-skilled and unskilled workers. However, these FTAs typically lack explicit details on the number of semi-skilled and unskilled workers allowed or specific visa quotas. Implementing these provisions requires negotiation and cooperation between governments and industries, focusing on mutual benefits and addressing specific sectoral needs. Generally entry for semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the partner country is handled through bilateral agreements rather than within the FTAs themselves. Gulf and Southeast Asian countries often use such agreements to facilitate the entry of Indian workers of various skill levels, he said. Srivastava added that almost all countries are hesitant to grant access to foreign skilled or unskilled workers as they worry that increased access for foreign workers could displace domestic workers or put downward pressure on wages. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, May 29 (PTI) Almost 67 per cent employees of startups, who took part in a survey, said they are looking for a transition to established firms, a report released on Wednesday said. The CIEL Works Startup Report 2024 is based on the data and analysis of 1,30,896 employees across 70 startups across the country, along with 8,746 job postings sourced from various job portals. Also Read | Goa Statehood Day 2024 Date: Know History and Significance of Goa Foundation Day Ahead of 37th Anniversary of States Formation. Around 67 per cent of the surveyed workforce are open to transition to established firms with job security and the promise of better pay being given as the top two reasons, CIEL HR Services' recent survey on the hiring and recruitment trends has revealed. The report further revealed that job security ranks high on the list of concerns for employees in the startup sector, with 40 per cent of the respondents expressing unease about this aspect within startup roles. Also Read | Rules Changing From June 1 in India: From New Driving License Rules to Aadhaar Card Update and LPG Cylinder Price Revision, Know List of Changes To Come Into Effect From Next Month. Moreover, 30 per cent of respondents are lured by the promise of better pay offered by established firms, underlining the importance of financial stability in career choices, said the report. Additionally, 25 per cent of participants mentioned a lack of work-life balance as a significant factor influencing their inclination towards established companies, it added. The report also revealed that attrition continued to be a challenge for the sector marked by an average median tenure of merely 2.3 years, considerably lower than other industries. "In the rapidly evolving environment of India, startups play a vital role as key catalysts for growth, fuelling innovation and generating employment in diverse sectors. With 65 per cent of companies planning to increase hiring in the coming months, the future looks promising for the start-up ecosystem, we expect this ecosystem to revive by the end of this year," CIEL HR Services Managing Director and CEO Aditya Narayan Mishra said. However, start-ups need to prioritise employee retention and provide comprehensive value propositions that prioritise employee well-being, career advancement, and work-life balance, which will help employees regain their confidence in start-ups and reduce attrition, he added. The report further highlighted that early-stage funding, which started at USD 151.22 million in January 2023, experienced a gradual decline over time, however, it has shown a consistent increase since November 2023. Software development roles are the most in-demand, constituting 18 per cent of job requirements in the startup sector, closely followed by various sales roles, including pre-sales, retail sales, and enterprise sales, reflecting the need for skilled professionals to drive technological and commercial growth, the report added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) United Nations, May 29: Major Radhika Sen, an Indian peacekeeper who will be honoured by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with a prestigious gender advocate award here, has said it is a matter of honour and privilege to represent India at the multilateral forum. Major Sen, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), will receive the prestigious 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award' from Guterres on May 30 on the occasion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers. This is indeed a matter of honour and privilege for me that I get to not just represent my team but all the esteemed colleagues of mine, the peacekeepers in MONUSCO, and especially my home country India, Major Sen told PTI in an exclusive interview here on Tuesday. "Representing the country at such an international forum is a feeling beyond description, she said. International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2024 Date, History and Significance: Know About the Global Event That Honours UN Peacekeepers. Major Sen, who served in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of MONUSCO's Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion (INDRDB), will be awarded by the UN chief during a formal ceremony at United Nations Headquarters here. She is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive the prestigious award after Major Suman Gawani, who had served with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and was honoured in 2019. Major Sen also met with India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj at the Indian mission. In a post on X, the Indian envoy said: Major Radhika Sen will be honoured with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on May 30th for her outstanding service in DR Congo. Her dedication and bravery highlight the invaluable role of #women peacekeepers in building a better world. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and inspired by her commitment to peace and equality. UNGA Approves Resolution Granting Palestine New Rights and Reviving Its UN Membership Bid, India Votes in Favour. Born in Himachal Pradesh in 1993, Major Sen joined the Indian Army eight years ago. She graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing her Master's degree from IIT Bombay when she decided to join the armed forces. She was deployed to MONUSCO in March 2023 as the Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion and completed her tenure in April 2024. Congratulating Major Sen for her service, Guterres said she is a true leader and role model. Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole. He said that in an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls. She earned their trust, doing so with humility, compassion, and dedication. Major Sen said that the main motto of being an engagement platoon commander was to inspire people to do something different. In any conflict area, it's always the women and girls who are disproportionately affected, she said adding that her endeavour as well as that of her team was always to reach out to them, get to know their problems and try to address them. Among the measures they took was to educate and encourage them to speak out against any human rights violations and discrimination. She added that it is very important in today's world that women support each other, and fight discriminatory norms that exist in society. "Employment also has a very big role to play when it comes to empowering women, she said. At the same time, it is very important for the men to support women, women leadership in every sphere, she said. She said that apart from the mission mandate, she and her contingent were involved in creating situational awareness for the people as well as getting to know the security concerns of the local populations, including men, women, the elderly and children. We tried to educate women about what their rights are, especially with respect to gender-based violence, the importance of education, and employment for women. We focused a lot on the health issues of women, which included childcare, health and hygiene. Focus was also given on training the youth as well as skill development cadres, including baking and tailoring for women and self-defence and English training for children. Major Sen led mixed-gender engagement patrols and activities in a volatile environment, where many people, including women and children, were leaving everything behind to flee the conflict. The Community Alert Networks she helped create in North Kivu served as a platform, including community leaders, young people and women to voice their security and humanitarian concerns, which she would in turn help address together with her colleagues in the Mission. Major Sen facilitated English classes for children, and health, gender and vocational training for displaced and marginalised adults. Her efforts directly inspired women's solidarity, providing safe spaces for meetings and open dialogue. As a gender advocate, she encouraged women in the village of Kashlira, near Rwindi town, to organise themselves to address issues collectively, advocate for their rights and amplify their voices within the community, in particular in local security and peace discussions. India is currently the 11th largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the United Nations with 124 now deployed. India has traditionally been among the largest troop and police-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions. In January last year, a platoon of women peacekeepers had been deployed in Abyei as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA), India's largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN Mission since it deployed the first-ever all women's contingent in Liberia in 2007. On the importance of ensuring enhanced role and participation of women peacekeepers in UN missions, Major Sen said that in any conflict, the majority population that gets affected are women and girls. Once you increase the number of women peacekeepers, you increase a reach-out to that section of the society. If you increase and employ women in the right role, I think that will help us in reaching out and then addressing the problems of all those who are in conflict, she said adding that we also can act as a role model for the society, where people can see how women and men, they work together to bring a positive change in the society. Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 29 (ANI): Flesh found in the septic tank of the Kolkata housing complex where Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar was allegedly killed earlier this month will be sent for forensic tests, the neighbouring country's police detective department chief said. The Bangladesh Detective Department chief Harun-or-Rashid, who arrived in India on Sunday said that any development in the case could only be confirmed once results on the flesh samples are recieved. Also Read | Samsung Labor Strike: Unionised Workers Plan To Go on Strike With Company Amid Stalled Wage Negotiations. "We have opened the sewage line and septic tank of that duplex flat (murder site) with the help of West Bengal CID and found flesh there," Harun-or-Rashid told media persons. "It will be sent for forensic and DNA tests, and only after that, something can be said...Only after forensic and DNA tests can we tell whose flesh it is..." he said. Also Read | Israel-Palestine War: Nikki Haley Writes 'Finish Them' on Israeli Shell, Picture Surfaces. The Chief of the Bangladesh Detective Department is currently in India to investigate the murder case of Bangladesh MP Anar. "We also got many digital evidences and we will also record the statement of the accused butcher. After interrogation, we matched the statement with our accused in Bangladesh. We also got circumstantial evidence and we are matching it..." he had said earlier. Harun-or-Rashid arrived with a police team in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon and described the killing of Anar as "cold-blooded, barbaric murder." He had stated that he had never seen such a heinous planned murder. He said that he is in India, to collaborate with Interpol and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to intensify efforts to apprehend the prime suspect behind the Bangladesh MP's murder. He said that the prime suspect in the murder case was identified as Akhtaruzzaman and they suspect he could have probably escaped to the United States via Dubai from Kathmandu. Bone-chilling details surrounding the murder of the member of parliament from Bangladesh, who had been missing since May 13 just a day after his arrival in Kolkata had come to the fore. According to the findings, the MP was allegedly killed in an apartment in Kolkata, where his body was chopped and suspects proceeded to dispose of the remains by packaging them in multiple plastic bags. The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said that one of the suspects in the case, a Mumbai-based butcher confessed during interrogation that he had taken off all the skin from the Bangladeshi MP's body, chopped it up and minced the cut parts in a bid to destroy its identity. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the killing of the Bangladeshi MP. Earlier this week, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, in a news conference in Dhaka said that Anar, a three-time Awami League MP, was killed in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters at his residence on Wednesday, the minister said that Bangladesh Police have arrested three persons in this connection. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tokyo [Japan], May 29 (ANI): The recent military exercises of China around Taiwan "looked like a rehearsal" for an invasion, said US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Wednesday in an interview given to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo. According to Taiwan News, days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan's President on May 20, China launched two-day-long military drills on May 23, surrounding Taiwan in what it called "punishment" for so-called "separatist acts," CNN reported. Also Read | Bangladeshi MP Murder: West Bengal CID Plans To Visit Nepal To Trace Conspirator in Anwarul Azim Anar Murder Case. Admiral Samuel Paparo became the top military official in the Indo-Pacific Command in early May and oversees the day-to-day operations of US joint forces in the region. Further, Paparo mentioned that, "The US government charges me with being ready today, tomorrow, next month and next year, in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act," which elaborates that US will help Taiwan to increase its self-defence strategies and capabilities. Also Read | Earthquake in Myanmar: Quake of Magnitude 5.6 on Richter Scale Jolts Country, No Casualties Reported. He also emphasized that the US defence forces have closely monitored and analysed these Chinese drills. He also stated, "We watched it. We took note. We learned from it, and they helped us prepare for the future." If shooting did break out in the region, Paparo said he is confident the US and its allies and partners would "prevail in a conflict." Asked about the possibility of China invading Taiwan, Paparo stressed, "What matters is [China's] own assessments," warning that Beijing continues to "build capability at an alarming rate." The report further mentioned that Japan will establish a joint operations command within the Self-Defense Forces by 2025, a body set up for coordination between the US and Japan's military. The operations command will be responsible for facilitating the joint operations. Regarding the rising tensions in the South China Sea, where Chinese ships have been harassed by the ships of the Philippe Navy, Paparo stated, "We're monitoring the situation, and we stand ready to come to the aid of our treaty ally, the Philippines. He also stated that the Netherlands, Italy and Germany will enhance deterrence in the South China Sea through efforts such as dispatching vessels. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed Manish Chauhan as India's next Ambassador to Jordan. At present, Chauhan is posted as India's Ambassador to Portugal. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to the MEA press release. Also Read | Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Welcomes US's Shipping and Supply Chain Giant United Parcel Services To Manufacture in India. In a press release, MEA stated, "Shri Manish Chauhan (IFS : 1994), presently Ambassador of India to Portugal, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." Previously, Manish Chauhan has been on several diplomatic assignments, including formal postings in Indian Missions in Beijing, Tehran and Hong Kong, according to Indian Embassy in Portugal statement. He has also served in MEA, New Delhi in different capacities, handling responsibilities related to neighbourhood, external publicity, West Asia and North Africa Division, Administration and Personnel, Right to Information, as well as multilateral work. Also Read | Las Vegas Alien Video Mystery Deepens: 8-to-10-Foot-Tall Alien Real! Analyst Claims Video of Otherworldly Being in Video To Be Genuine. Notably, India's relations with Jordan have been characterized by warmth and goodwill based on mutual respect. The first bilateral agreement for cooperation and friendly relations was signed in 1947 and was formalised in 1950 when the two countries established full-fledged diplomatic ties, according to the Indian Embassy in Jordan press release. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, May 29 (AP) Melinda French Gates says she will be donating USD 1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organisations working on behalf of women and families globally, including on reproductive rights in the United States. It's the second billion-dollar commitment French Gates has personally made in the past five years. In 2019, she pledged over ten years to expand women's power and influence. Also Read | Pakistan Road Accident: Eight Members of Family Killed After Jeep Falls Into Deep Ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier this month, French Gates announced she would step down from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and vowed to focus on women and families. As a part of leaving the Gates Foundation, French Gates received USD 12 billion from Bill Gates for her philanthropy going forward. French Gates, one of the biggest philanthropic supporters of gender equity in the US, said on Tuesday in a guest essay for The New York Times that she's been frustrated over the years by people who say it's not the right time to talk about gender equality. Also Read | Papua New Guinea Landslide: India Announces Aide of USD 1 Million for Landslide-Hit Nation. "Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone," she wrote. French Gates said over the last few weeks she's started directing what will total USD 200 million in new grants through her organisation, Pivotal Ventures, to groups working in the US to protect women's rights and advance their power and influence. The grants are for general operating support, meaning they are not earmarked for specific projects. The groups include the National Women's Law Centre, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Centre for Reproductive Rights. Teresa Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, who also received a grant, has long called on donors to give unrestricted, multi-year funding to organizations. She praised French Gates' new commitment as a part of a larger trend of major women donors giving generously to nonprofits. If philanthropy took lessons from the way that women are moving money, we would see more money in the field having greater impact, Younger said. Her organisation learned of the grant, which is the first they've received from Pivotal Ventures within the last week, and Younger said there was no application process. She declined to disclose the amount of the grant but said it would help expand their work with organisations in the South and Midwest. The nonprofit MomsRising Education Fund also received a grant that will extend to the end of 2026, with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, its executive director and CEO, saying, We're deeply honored and enormously grateful that Melinda French Gates is stepping up for women and families in a time when the rights of our daughters may be significantly less than of ourselves or our own mothers. French Gates also pledged to give 12 individuals USD 20 million each to distribute to nonprofit organisations of their choice before the end of 2026. Those funds will be managed by the National Philanthropic Trust, one of the largest public charities that offers donor-advised funds, a spokesperson for Pivotal Ventures said. In total, French Gates announced $690 million in commitments out of the promised USD 1 billion, which also include an open call for applications that the organisation Lever for Change will administer this fall. French Gates said USD 250 million will be awarded to fund organisations working to improve women's mental and physical health globally. French Gates' Pivotal Ventures is a limited liability company that also manages investments in for profit ventures, so there is little public information about its grantmaking or the assets it manages. Pivotal Ventures has focused on a number of avenues to increase women's economic and political participation and power, like closing the wage gap, compensating care work often done by women, and encouraging women to run for political office. Pivotal Ventures said it has committed USD 875 million of the USD 1 billion that French Gates pledged in 2019 to a mixture of venture and philanthropic funding. Additionally, the Gates Foundation has funded research and interventions to improve maternal mortality and women's health more broadly for years. In 2020, it hired its first president for its gender quality division and in 2021, the foundation pledged USD 2.1 billion to gender equity efforts convened by UN Women. In her essay Tuesday, French Gates touched upon the high maternal mortality rates in the US, noting that Black and Native American mothers are at the highest risk. Women in 14 states have lost the right to terminate a pregnancy under almost any circumstances. We remain the only advanced economy without any form of national paid family leave. And the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade high, she said. French Gates will be leaving the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation next week. She helped co-found the organisation nearly 25 years ago. The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce and state governments from Pivotal Ventures. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will change its name to the Gates Foundation. It is one of the largest philanthropic organisations in the world. As of December 2023, its endowment was USD 75.2 billion, thanks to donations from Gates and the billionaire investor Warren Buffett. While it works across many issues, global health remains its largest area of work, and most of its funding is meant to address issues internationally rather than in the US. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad, May 29 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court has written a letter to British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, urging the United Kingdom to rectify its past mistakes, according to a media report on Wednesday. The letter was sent by the Registrar of the Supreme Court on the directive of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Also Read | Bangladeshi MP Murder: West Bengal CID Plans To Visit Nepal To Trace Conspirator in Anwarul Azim Anar Murder Case. The top court noted that High Commissioner Marriott spoke about democracy and open societies at the recently held Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, highlighting that the UK should take a leaf out of the book of Pakistan's Supreme Court which rectified its mistakes. "The Supreme Court of Pakistan has addressed its mistakes, and it is imperative that the UK also acknowledges and rectifies its own," the letter stated, adding that the 1953 coup in Iran and the establishment of the state of Israel through the Balfour Declaration were historical errors. Also Read | Earthquake in Myanmar: Quake of Magnitude 5.6 on Richter Scale Jolts Country, No Casualties Reported. "Let us be honest and acknowledge past mistakes with a spirit of openness. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has recognised its past errors, addressed them in detail, and taken steps to ensure they are not repeated," it stated. The Supreme Court called for moving away from colonialism's racial superiority. "Let us all stand for equality, peace, and humanity," the letter urged. The letter highlighted High Commissioner Marriott's passionate speech at the Asma Jahangir Conference, where the British diplomat emphasised the importance of democracy, elections, and open societies. "The interest shown by the British government is welcome, the letter stated. It also mentioned that the elections in Pakistan were delayed beyond 90 days because the president and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could not agree on who had the authority to announce the election date, the letter explained. "The Supreme Court resolved this matter within 12 days, and general elections were held across Pakistan on February 8, 2024," it added. The letter concluded by noting, "As King Charles III's government emphasises the need for open societies and democracy we express our sincere hopes and good wishes for the openness and democratic aspirations of your country's people." The letter urged the UK to revisit its mistakes but it failed to refer to the horrendous wrongs committed in the undivided India by the British Empire when it committed crimes like the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the systematic mistreatment meted out to the locals. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, DC, May 29: National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby condemned the recent Israel Defence Forces (IDF) strike in Rafah, expressing profound sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, including children. In a statement, Kirby said, "These devastating images and reports coming out of Rafah over the weekend following an IDF strike that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians, including children. You've all seen the images and they're heartbreaking. They're horrific." He emphasised the need to prevent any innocent casualties in the conflict, stressing, "There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict." Israel-Palestine Conflict: Amid Growing International Condemnation, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Calls Civilian Deaths in Rafah 'Tragic Mishap'. While recognising Israel's right to target Hamas, Kirby underscored the imperative for Israel to prioritise the protection of civilians. He stated, "But as we've also said many times, Israel must take every precaution possible to do more to protect innocent lives." Kirby revealed that the strike had targeted two senior Hamas terrorists but reiterated the importance of avoiding civilian casualties. Addressing concerns about a potential major ground operation in Rafah, Kirby stated, "...We still don't believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted." He expressed apprehension about large-scale military actions, stating, "We still don't want to see the Israelis, smash into Rafah with large units over large pieces of territory." Israel-Palestine War: Death Toll in Gaza Rises To 35,903, Reports Health Authorities. Kirby assured that the US government was closely monitoring the situation and engaging with Israeli defence forces to gather more information. He concluded by emphasising the tragic nature of every loss of innocent life, stating, "I want to just end this answer by making it very clear that regardless, every single loss of innocent life is tragic, and every single loss of innocent life should be prevented as much as possible." The White House affirmed on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden's policy towards Israel remains unchanged despite a deadly strike in Rafah on Sunday that resulted in the deaths of over 45 individuals, CNN reported. This suggests that the incident has not yet crossed a red line that would prompt alterations in American support. Palestinian authorities reported that at least 29 people were killed on Tuesday in two Israeli strikes on displacement camps in southern Gaza. Eyewitnesses informed CNN that Israeli tanks were observed in central Rafah for the first time, indicating that Israel's assault persists despite global criticism. Furthermore, US officials disclosed that the temporary pier constructed by the US military to deliver aid into Gaza collapsed in heavy seas on Tuesday, posing a significant setback to the American-led initiative to establish a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies, CNN reported. Jaipur, May 29: One person died while over 22 were injured when a sleeper bus en route to Jaipur from Haridwar fell off a culvert and turned turtle after jumping off the divider near Dausa on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway on Wednesday. The incident occurred at around 5.30 a.m. as the driver of the bus dozed off resulting in the bus jumping off the divider and falling off the culvert. Sangli Road Accident: Six of Family Returning From Birthday Party Killed As Car Falls Into Canal Near Tasgaon, Video Surfaces. Dausa Accident The locals rushed to the accident site and informed the police. The injured were rushed to Dausa Hospital. The deceased was identified as Ankita (19), a resident of Tonk. Details are awaited. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2024 02:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Bengaluru, May 29: Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, on Wednesday moved a Special Court here seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case registered against him. According to official sources, Prajwal has booked a return flight ticket to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30, and is expected to land in the city in the small hours of May 31. His advocate filed an anticipatory bail application in the Special Court for cases involving MPs/MLAs. Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, is accused in an alleged rape and sexual harassment case involving a 47-year-old woman. He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan LS seat went to polls, and is still at large. Prajwal Revanna Sex Scandal: Court Grants Bail to JDS MLA HD Revanna in Sexual Assault Case. A Special Court for Elected Representatives has issued an arrest warrant on May 18 against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the SIT. However, later the SIT arrested his father and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who is allegedly involved in kidnapping the woman. All eyes are on Kempegowda International Airport where Prajwal is expected to arrive on May 31, and the SIT is likely to arrest him the moment he lands. Meanwhile, Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna has filed an anticipatory bail in the special court for elected representatives fearing arrest in the kidnap case linked to her husband. Prajwal Revanna Sex Video Scandal: Special Court Issues Arrest Warrant Against JDS Hassan MP in Sexual Assault Case. The SIT filed objections to granting the anticipatory bail to her and also sought to cancel the interim anticipatory bail issued to H D Revanna in the same case. Bhavani Revanna's anticipatory bail order is reserved for May 31. Panaji, May 30: Goa, India's smallest state by area and a popular tourist destination, celebrates its Statehood Day on Thursday, marking the anniversary of its transition from a union territory to the 25th state of the Indian Union on May 30, 1987. Goa Statehood Day marks the 37th anniversary of Goa becoming India's 25th state on May 30, 1987. Celebrations honour Goa's liberation from Portuguese rule in 1961 and its rich cultural heritage. Events include music, dance, and cuisine, reflecting on the significance and history of this milestone. Sikkim Day 2024 Date: Know the History and Significance of Sikkim Foundation Day That Marks the Formation of the 22nd State of India. Goa Statehood Day 2024: Date Every year, Goa Statehood Day is observed on May 30. This year, Goa Statehood Day falls on a Thursday. Maharashtra Day 2024 Date, History and Significance: Know All About Maharashtra Din, the Day That Marks the Formation of the State of Maharashtra. Goa Statehood Day 2024: History Originally a Portuguese colony for over 450 years, Goa was liberated by India in 1961. Following its liberation, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, was designated a union territory. However, in 1987, Goa was granted statehood, with Panaji declared the capital and Konkani as the official language. Goa Statehood Day 2024: Significance Goa Statehood Day is celebrated with great pomp and grandeur across the state. Cultural events, music, dance, and special Goan cuisine mark the occasion, showcasing Goa's rich heritage. The day also commemorates the sacrifices made by Goans during their long struggle for liberation from Portuguese rule. The government and various organisations honour individuals and groups for their contributions to the states development and cultural preservation on Goa Statehood Day. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2024 05:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). The Karakat Lok Sabha constituency is considered a hot seat in Bihar with a triangular contest expected after the appearance of Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh. When the election began in Bihar, people thought it would pan out between the NDA and the Grand Alliance candidates. US Republican leader and former envoy to the UN Nikki Haley has been photographed writing 'Finish Them' on an artillery shell of the Israeli Army. The pictures were shared by Israel Parliament Member Danny Danon, who accompanied Haley on her visit to the sites near the northern border with Lebanon. Almost two months after that infamous raid in the Mexican Embassy, Ecuador wants to re-establish communications with Mexico and even reach a solution to that diplomatic rift that landed the South American country in hot water with a lot of its neighbors in the Americas, particularly countries with close ties to Mexico like the US. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld recently sat down for an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday and stated that they are "ready" for dialogue with Mexican officials with the only nonnegotiable matter being the "release from prison of Ecuador's former Vice President Jorge Glas," the target of that infamous raid. Sommerfield also reiterated that they have already accepted Mexico's request for a third country to "help as a diplomatic communication channel." However, she declined to say which country it would be. Before that though, Mexico's own Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena stated in a different interview that the third country will "most likely" be Switzerland. The raid by the Ecuadorian government, which led to both countries cutting ties with one another, happened after Ecuador did a raid on the Mexican Embassy to find the fugitive former Vice President Glas. However, the Mexican Embassy in Quito is considered to be on Mexican soil and the raid violated Mexico's sovereignty. As a consequence, not only was the raid met with condemnation from Mexico, but also from many other countries and international organizations. This also led to Mexico filing a suit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Ecuador, with Ecuador also filing its own countersuit. Sommerfeld also admitted to the increasing number of Ecuadorians fleeing the country in recent years, many of whom are trying to go to Mexico and then to the US and seek asylum there. She told the AP that this is all because of the safety issues and lack of opportunities in Ecuador. READ MORE: Mexico Elections: Claudia Sheinbaum Continues To Lead But Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's Shadow Continues To Loom Over Her Mexico Vs. Ecuador ICJ Case Will Likely Take Years As for the case the two countries have against one another in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the case will likely take years to resolve. However, it is moving as the top UN court recently rejected Mexico's petition to order Ecuador to protect Mexican diplomatic property. "The court highlighted, among other things, that Ecuador has given repeated assurances that it would provide full protection and security to the premises, property, and archives of the Mexican Embassy in Quito. Ecuador stands by its assurances," said Ecuador's ambassador to the Netherlands, Andres Teran Parral, welcoming the ICJ decision. AeroMexico Suspends Flights to Ecuador Capital Quito as Row Continues Meanwhile, as the two countries try to re-establish relations, AeroMexico announced that it will be suspending its daily service between Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City and Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. According to Live and Let's Fly. the suspension is mainly due to the Ecuador-Mexico feud over the Mexico Embassy raid. The suspension will happen starting July 1 and is expected to last for about 5 months. READ MORE: Ecuador Files Lawsuit Vs. Mexico in ICJ Over Granting Asylum to Former VP Jorge Glas This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Mexico accuses Ecuador of violating international law by storming Mexican embassy in Quito - Associated Press The Venezuela election is heating up as Nicolas Maduro continues his repression campaign to try and hold onto power. His latest act is barring the EU from observing the July vote. The decision was apparently made by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE). Elvis Amoroso, the head of the CNE, announced that the country has revoked its invitation for the European Union to send election observers this July and the reason for this is because of the sanctions the European organization has levied against Venezuela. The EU did remove individual sanctions against Amoroso, but the Venezuelan official rejected this and stated that all sanctions against Venezuela should be removed. Shortly after, the country's legislature, which is loyal to the Maduro regime, approved a measure to ask the CNE to revoke the invitation for EU election observers, according to the Associated Press. As part of its deal with the various opposition parties and the United States to conduct free and fair elections, Venezuela agreed to allow international observers to witness the election process and ensure that the democratic process is free and fair. This led to the Maduro regime inviting the EU as one of the independent observers. However, Venezuela has been breaking its promises in its pact, with this barring of EU observers being the latest. Previously, Venezuela broke its promise to allow all disqualified candidates to run when the Maduro-aligned Supreme Court upheld the ban on opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado. "They are not worthy people to come to this country ... while they maintain sanctions," said Amoroso in a statement, calling the EU sanctions as "coercive, unilateral, and genocidal." READ MORE: Venezuela Election: Opposition Candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Holds First Rally Which International Observers Are Left for the Venezuela Elections After the EU Was Barred? This begs the question of which international observers are left after the EU was booted out. According to Amoroso himself, there are still a few others and these are the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a panel of experts from the United Nations, the African Union, and the Carter Center. Reuters noted that the US has reimposed its sanctions against Venezuela, citing that Nicolas Maduro's regime has not done enough to ensure free and fair elections in July. The sanctions were reimposed shortly after Machado's disqualification was upheld. What Will Happen Should Nicolas Maduro Lose the Venezuela Election? With Machado disqualified, it is now up to little-known diplomat, former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez, to challenge Maduro's 11-year rule that has seen Venezuela plunge into instability. If the election is fair, Gonzalez stands a chance to win as he currently leads the dictator in the polls. As AS/COA noted, the election will be consequential, with Venezuela possibly entering a cycle of re-institutionalization and democratization should Maduro be voted out of office. This might also mean economic recovery and stability for the country as sanctions would be lifted, and many citizens who ran away from the country would return. READ MORE: Venezuela Troop Build-Up Near Border Violates International Law, Warns Guyana This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Venezuela Elections 2024: Thousands rally in support of President Maduro | Race To Power - WION Garry Conille was named as the new Haiti prime minister on Tuesday evening. This came nearly a month after a fractured transitional council had chosen a different candidate. The decision comes amid escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince, where gangs are attacking neighborhoods and destroying police stations and prisons. Council member Louis Gerald Gilles told The Associated Press that six of seven voting council members chose Conille earlier on Tuesday. One member, Laurent St. Cyr, was not in Haiti and did not vote. Conille, UNICEF's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, served as Haiti's prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012. He replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, who served as interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned in late April. READ NEXT: Haiti Transition Council Reverses PM Nomination Amid Ongoing Gang Attacks Council Tasks and Future Elections Edgard Leblanc, who is serving as de facto president, leads the transition council, which has some presidential powers, said Reuters. They are responsible for organizing elections before Feb. 7, 2026, as Haiti's constitution requires. "After discussions within the transition council and interviews with prime minister candidates, Dr. Garry Conille was chosen by consensus to lead the government," Leblanc announced on social media. Conille's appointment marks progress in Haiti's political process. This follows Prime Minister Ariel Henry's resignation in March after leaving Haiti to seek support for a Kenyan security mission and being unable to return. Haiti has not had a president since Jovenel Moise's assassination in 2021. "My sincerest congratulations," said business leader Alix Didier Fils-Aime, another candidate for the role. "I still believe in this country. Long live Haiti!" Conille now faces the challenge of addressing rampant insecurity, with more than 360,000 people displaced due to gang violence, mostly in Port-au-Prince, according to UN estimates. Political Deal and Selection Controversy The deal to create the transitional council was made on March 11 during a meeting of Caribbean leaders in Kingston, Jamaica, with help from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to Miami Herald. Haitian leaders attended via video conference due to gang attacks suspending all flights in and out of Port-au-Prince. Council members agreed to appoint a new prime minister to replace Henry, who was ousted under U.S. pressure. The council is tasked with forming a new government and preparing for the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission to help the Haiti National Police combat gangs. They are also responsible for securing general elections by February 2026. The selection process faced criticism for perceived corruption and lack of transparency. The US Embassy in Port-au-Prince urged a transparent process to choose a prime minister based on merit and impartiality. Initially, the council limited the process to 15 applicants, but 68 applications were received. A five-member committee narrowed this to five finalists, including Conille. A public debate was announced but later replaced by interviews due to accusations of neglecting responsibilities. Critics, including former Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin, voiced concerns over the council's actions, questioning their ability to govern effectively and organize elections. "The council members' actions show that political solutions alone cannot address Haiti's problems," Lapin said. "This will likely be another waste of time, similar to Prime Minister Henry's government." In an interview with radio station Magik 9, the head of the Haitian Tet Kale Party accused the council of improvisation and called for transparency in the selection process for the new prime minister. READ MORE: Haiti's Barbecue: The Country's Most-Feared Gang Leader This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Haiti PM resigns amid political infighting - From Al Jazeera English In a bid to bolster private businesses on the island, the Joe Biden administration has made significant strides by lifting certain financial constraints imposed on Cuba, according to Al Jazeera. This move, unveiled on Tuesday, marks a pivotal shift, allowing independent entrepreneurs in Cuba access to US-based online banking services to fortify their ventures. Alongside this initiative, additional measures are being rolled out to enhance internet-based services and broaden the scope of financial transactions available to private enterprises. According to a statement released by the US Department of the Treasury, these regulatory adjustments are geared towards fostering internet freedom in Cuba, supporting the burgeoning independent Cuban private sector, and facilitating wider access to essential financial services for the Cuban populace. READ NEXT: Cuba Removed from US State Department's List of Non-Cooperating Countries in Counterterrorism Efforts Policy Changes to Aid the Cuban People In a concerted effort to extend support to the Cuban populace, the Joe Biden administration embarked on a series of policy reforms in 2022, CNN reports. These reforms, which included the reinstatement of the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program and enhancements in consular services, underscored a commitment to uplift the lives of Cubans. The latest step taken by the Treasury Department in amending Cuban asset control regulations further solidifies this commitment. The timing of this announcement, arriving approximately six months before the US presidential elections, holds significance, especially considering Biden's prior electoral performance in Florida. During the 2020 election campaign, Trump's recurrent assertions that a Biden presidency would steer the US towards socialism struck a chord with Cuban Americans, amplifying the political weight of Biden's decisions regarding Cuba. A senior administration official underscored the dire economic situation in Cuba, attributing it to the mismanagement of the country's economy by the Cuban government. Despite these challenges, the private sector emerges as a beacon of hope, with over 11,000 registered Cuba small businesses poised to capitalize on the policy changes being introduced. Expanding Opportunities for Cuba Small Businesses Under the revamped rules instituted by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), small-scale Cuban enterprises stand to benefit significantly, per The Hill. They will gain access to a myriad of online services such as video conferencing, social media platforms, and maps, while US-based entities will be permitted to offer cloud-based services to bolster their operations. Furthermore, OFAC is broadening the definition of "self-employed individual" to encompass "independent private sector entrepreneur," thereby extending the purview of companies eligible for reduced sanctions. However, to qualify for these benefits, businesses must adhere to specific criteria, including a cap on the number of employees and the exclusion of government officials or Communist Party members from their ranks. In addition to these measures, eligible Cuba small businesses will gain access to US bank accounts and payment platforms, including facilitating "U-turn" transactions through the US financial system. Despite the anticipated economic alleviation these measures may bring, their impact on tourism remains uncertain. Cuba's inclusion on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list has presented challenges for the tourism sector, particularly in terms of European travelers' access to the island while maintaining US visa exemptions. The State Department's decision to remove Cuba from the noncooperation list on terrorism while retaining its status as a sponsor has sparked criticism from Cuban officials, who question the rationale behind these designations. Responding to queries regarding Cuba's presence on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, Joe Biden administration officials emphasized the differing processes involved in the creation of these lists. While the State Department conducts an annual review for the inclusion or removal of countries from the cooperation list, the sponsorship list is determined by statutory criteria established through ad-hoc review. READ MORE: Ohio Governor Guarantees Joe Biden's Presence on Ballot, Calls Special Session This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Cuba's private businesses now able to use U.S. banks. What this means for Cuban Americans - From CBS Miami The trial officially known as The People of New York V. Donald Trump is nearing its end as both sides delivered their closing arguments. However, Donald Trump uncharacteristically left without talking or complaining to the media as he usually does. According to NBC News, the former president abruptly left the Manhattan courthouse after the trial was adjourned and did not even do his usual whining session in front of the press. He only raised his fist as he left, which was just before 8:00 PM ET. Closing arguments went longer than expected, with prosecutor Joshua Steinglass having a lengthy closing argument that lasted over four hours, summarizing what happened and pointing out the various flaws in the defense's arguments, including defense witness Robert Costello being caught lying under oath and former Trump aide Hope Hicks delivering a "devastating" testimony against her former boss. Meanwhile, Trump lead defense attorney Todd Blanche's closing argument was relatively short, only arguing that star witness Michael Cohen was a known liar. However, he did not tackle the evidence and other testimonies that corroborated Cohen's testimony. As NBC News noted, the trial is expected to resume at 10:00 AM tomorrow, with Judge Juan Merchan saying he will give the jury their instructions for about an hour. After this, it will be the jury who will decide Donald Trump's fate. Merchan noted that he expects proceedings to end at around 4:30 but he will be open to continuing proceedings for the rest of the week if needed. Meanwhile, New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, a possible Donald Trump vice presidential candidate, issued a complaint letter today to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and an inspector general for the New York State Unified Court System. She requested an investigation into why Judge Merchan was chosen to oversee the trial. This is a continued effort by Trump's allies to undermine the credibility of whatever decision the jury will give and ignores a previous ruling that Merchan did not need to recuse himself over issues raised by Trump's supporters. READ MORE: Donald Trump Suffers Humiliating Defeat With Only 6 Votes as Libertarian Party Rejects Him Robert DeNiro Watched Donald Trump Trial and Did Not Mince Words Against Ex-POTUS A lot of people watched the Donald Trump trial's closing arguments in person, including Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, a stern critic of the former president. He spoke to the media during one of the trial's various recesses. "This is my neighborhood, downtown New York City. I grew up here and feel at home in these streets," said "The Godfather Part II" actor, adding that "he doesn't belong in my city," before calling Trump "just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot." Judge Juan Merchan Scolds Donald Trump's Defense Attorney During Closing Remarks During Blanche's closing argument. the Trump lawyer suggested to the jury Tuesday that Trump could go to jail if they convicted him. This remark got him reprimanded by Judge Merchan, calling the suggestion "outrageous." "That was outrageous, Mr. Blanche. Someone who's been a prosecutor as long as you have, someone who's been an attorney as long as you have knows that is highly inappropriate," he told the Trump attorney. "It is simply not allowed, period. It's hard for me to imagine how that was accidental." READ MORE: Donald Trump Savagely Booed During Libertarian Convention, Called 'Wannabe Dictator' This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Trump fan HECKLES Robert DeNiro... INSTANTLY regrets it - Brian Tyler Cohen An American man, Tyler Wenrich, escaped a potential 12-year sentence and a significant fine in Turks and Caicos after he was found with ammunition, which violated the island's strict gun laws, ABC News reports. Wenrich, a 911 operator and emergency medical technician from Richmond, traveled to Grand Turk on a cruise ship for a bachelor party in late April. During a routine security check, authorities discovered ammunition in his possession. He remained on the island following his arrest and pleaded guilty on May 21 to two counts of possession of ammunition, related to two 9 mm rounds. A judge sentenced Wenrich, American man, to three weeks in prison, which equated to time served given his time in custody since his arrest. Additionally, he was fined $9,000 and allowed to return home. Wenrich, accompanied by his wife during the sentencing, expressed relief after the verdict. "I feel very, just relieved," he said after the sentencing. "A weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and my wife." READ NEXT: Turks and Caicos: American Father Detained and Pleads Guilty for Carrying Stray Ammunition Advocates Pleased with Outcome Republican Virginia Representative Bob Good expressed satisfaction in a statement on Thursday, stating he is "pleased" with Wenrich's outcome, per FOX News. He noted Wenrich's sentence of a fine and time served, allowing him to return home and reunite with his family, friends, and community. Good highlighted their efforts during a recent trip to Turks & Caicos, where they met with government officials to advocate for the release of American detainees facing lengthy prison terms for non-threatening offenses. "This is the result we were seeking on my trip with congressional colleagues last week to the Turks & Caicos," Good said. Specifically, in Wenrich's case, Good mentioned that it involved stray ammunition found in his backpack. He extended gratitude to everyone who supported Wenrich's cause. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who recently sent a letter urging the release of Wenrich and two other Americans in Turks and Caicos, thanked his fellow governors and Democratic Virginia Senator Tim Kaine for their support in resolving the matter. Youngkin expressed his satisfaction with Wenrich's imminent return to his family in Virginia, attributing it to their unwavering efforts in seeking his freedom. "Tyler will soon be returning to his loving family in Virginia, thanks to their relentless efforts in seeking his freedom," Youngkin said. Strict Laws and Other Cases Turks and Caicos implemented a minimum 12-year sentence for firearm-related offenses at the end of 2022 due to a rise in homicides associated with international crime syndicates, gangs, firearms availability, and drug trafficking, according to BBC. Despite this, as of Tuesday, no US citizen besides Wenrich had received the mandatory minimum sentence for such offenses. However, in addition to Wenrich, four other American tourists have faced similar circumstances in recent months. Officials found 20 rifle rounds in the checked bag of Bryan Hagerich, a tourist from Pennsylvania, in February. Hagerich was fined $6,700 and given a one-year suspended sentence upon his return to the US. Ryan Watson from Oklahoma and Sharitta Grier from Florida are also awaiting legal proceedings for ammunition possession. Additionally, a fifth American was recently allowed to return home due to unspecified medical reasons. READ MORE: Turks and Caicos Detains American Tourists Over Discovered Ammunition in Luggage This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: 2nd American freed after arrest in Turks and Caicos over ammunition in luggage - From ABC News The royal family's recent archival actions have sparked intrigue and concern among followers of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. A notable omission from the royal website, Prince Harry's 2016 statement defending Meghan Markle from racist abuse, has reportedly been removed, though still searchable via the site's search function, E! News reports. This move has drawn attention as it symbolizes a significant shift in how the royal family archives historical statements. READ NEXT: Archewell Foundation, Founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Suspended Over Delayed Tax Returns A Defiant Stand Prince Harry's 2016 statement, a pivotal moment confirming his relationship with Meghan Markle and denouncing the harassment she faced, has been scrubbed from the royal family's official website. Originally released in November 2016 by Harry's communications secretary, the statement highlighted the disturbing levels of abuse and harassment directed at Markle. Prince Harry's decision to publicly address the issue was unprecedented and demonstrated his unwavering support for his then-girlfriend in the face of intense media scrutiny and public backlash, according to Time. This move has drawn scrutiny and criticism from various quarters, with many questioning the timing and motivations behind the removal of such a significant statement. Despite its absence from the royal website, the statement remains accessible through external search engines, suggesting that it has not been completely erased from digital records. This raises questions about the transparency and accountability of the royal family's archival practices, especially concerning sensitive and controversial topics. Controversy and Speculation News outlets, including E! News, have extensively covered the disappearance of Prince Harry's statement, fueling speculation about the reasons behind its removal. Some commentators have suggested that the royal family may be attempting to rewrite history or distance themselves from past controversies, while others argue that it reflects broader tensions within the monarchy regarding privacy, media relations, and familial support. The removal of such a significant statement raises broader questions about the royal family's commitment to transparency and accountability in its public communications. Prince Harry has consistently defended Meghan Markle against media scrutiny and mistreatment. His decision to release the 2016 statement, despite advice to remain silent, underscored his commitment to protecting his then-girlfriend and challenging the culture of abuse and harassment perpetuated by certain sections of the media and public, InStyle noted. The statement detailed disturbing incidents, including legal battles, invasion of privacy, and bribery attempts targeting Markle, shedding light on the extent of the abuse she faced. According to reports, the statement was available on the royal website until early December 2023, after which it became inaccessible through direct links on the site. This removal coincided with ongoing discussions about the couple's public image and their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. The timing of the statement's removal has fueled speculation about the motives behind the royal family's actions and their implications for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship with the monarchy. READ MORE: Jimmy Kimmel's Son Undergoes Third Open Heart Surgery, Reveals Talk Show Host This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Royal Website REMOVES Prince Harry's Meghan Markle Romance Statement - From E! News The parenting style of a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Legislature and her husband has touched off a social media storm after he was described as striking their toddler in a profile published in a British newspaper over the weekend. Simone Collins, 36, her husband, Malcolm, and their four young children live in a farmhouse in rural Montgomery County outside Philadelphia, where they run their various businesses, operate the Pronatalist Foundation, and record their Based Camp podcast and YouTube videos. Collins is challenging Democratic Rep. Joe Webster in the 150th House District race in November. Guardian journalist Jenny Kleeman paid the couple a visit to examine their pronatalist views, an ideology that encourages people to have children to address declining fertility rates. But it was Malcolm Collins slap to the face of his 2-year-old son that has set the online world ablaze with harsh criticism coming from some corners and support for the family in others. In her article, Kleeman described a scene in a Thai restaurant with Malcolm Collins and his son, Torsten, when the child bumped a table with his foot and caused it to almost topple before it righted itself. Immediately like a reflex Malcolm hits him in the face, Kleeman wrote. It is not a heavy blow, but it is a slap with the palm of his hand direct to his two-year-old sons face thats firm enough for me to hear on my voice recorder when I play it back later, she said. And Malcolm has done it in the middle of a public place, in front of a journalist, who he knows is recording everything. Kleeman wrote that Torsten whimpered as his father admonished him by saying, In a restaurant, you gotta be nice. I love you but you gotta be nice in restaurants. She wrote that the incident and Malcolm Collins casualness about it left her speechless. Although the lengthy profile delved into the couples pro-natal beliefs, disregard for Christmas (the atheist family celebrates Future Day instead), aversion to heating their home in the winter and disdain for parents who dote on their childrens every want and desire, the slap became the viral talking point. I have never an a reporting experience quite as unsettling as my day with the Collins family in Pennsylvania https://t.co/1nTjspEQIk Jenny Kleeman (@jennykleeman) May 25, 2024 Asked on Tuesday by PennLive if she was surprised about the backlash, Simone Collins replied, Not even remotely. It makes perfect sense. Collins, 36, said there is a large contingent of progressives on X/Twitter that are quick to attack people with whom they disagree. Progressive culture views any action that would cause in-the-moment displeasure as being evil and horrible and thats why we have trigger warnings, thats why we have the healthy-at-any-size movement, she said. No matter how deleterious an action may be in the long run, it is seen as imperative that no one ever be made uncomfortable, ever. Simone Collins, who was not at the restaurant, described her husbands actions as a gentle swat or wrist flick as opposed to a slap. She said Kleeman dramatized the incident, which is part of a parenting philosophy to reorient a childs attention that Malcolm Collins said his wife observed among tigers in the wild with their cubs. Its a very gentle action. It does not hurt. Its more just like, Wake up! Nope, nope, dont do this, or, Knock it off, Simone Collins said, kind of like the way people will boop their dog on the nose if its about to take a bite out of roadkill that might be rabid. Its gentle and just like, Whoa, stop. Collins said she and her husband, though, are not mad about the article. In fact, they are happy that the story is spreading online because it means more people are learning about pronatalism and their concerns over falling fertility rates, as well as their non-profits and podcast. Kleemans initial X post on Saturday had more than 6 million views by Tuesday afternoon, had been liked 12,000 times and shared nearly 3,000 times. Jenny actually did us a huge favor by sensationalizing this and putting it at the very end of the article after all of the veggies, you know, hats off to her, Collins said. She did our nonprofit advocacy a huge favor. Republican state House candidate Simone Collins, right, and her husband Malcolm pose with their daughter, Titan.Submitted There is one regret that Collins shared after saying that she enjoys a sick burn as much as anyone else. I wish that people insulted me a little more articulately, she quipped. Whether this helps Collins, who hold a masters in technology policy from the University of Cambridge in England and a bachelors in business from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in her first political run remains to be seen. Webster won 58.5% of the vote in the 150th District in 2022 in a county that Gov. Josh Shapiro won with almost 70 percent of the vote. By late Tuesday afternoon, Webster had not addressed the Guardian story on his X or Facebook pages and his campaign did not respond to a message seeking comment. Politically, Collins said she supports cutting bureaucracy and increasing transparency for government and elected officials. She also supports school choice the couple plan to homeschool all their children and cultural sovereignty, which Collins said includes not telling parents how to raise their children, or people how to live their lives or get healthcare. On abortion, Collins said she would back reasonable limits after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A new South Dakota policy to stop the use of gender pronouns by public university faculty and staff in official correspondence is also keeping Native American employees from listing their tribal affiliations in a state with a long and violent history of conflict with tribes. Two University of South Dakota faculty members, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her husband, John Little, have long included their gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their work email signature blocks. But both received written warnings from the university in March that doing so violated a policy adopted in December by the South Dakota Board of Regents. I was told that I had 5 days to remove my tribal affiliation and pronouns, Little said in an email to The Associated Press. I believe the exact wording was that I had 5 days to correct the behavior. If my tribal affiliation and pronouns were not removed after the 5 days, then administrators would meet and make a decision whether I would be suspended (with or without pay) and/or immediately terminated. The policy is billed by the board as a simple branding and communications policy. It came only months after Republican Gov. Kristi Noem sent a letter to the regents that railed against liberal ideologies on college campuses and called for the board to ban drag shows on campus and remove all references to preferred pronouns in school materials, among other things. All nine voting members of the board were appointed by Noem, whose remarks in March accusing tribal leaders of benefitting from illegal drug cartels and not properly caring for children has prompted most South Dakota tribes to ban her from their land. John Little sits for a portrait in 2022 at the Solis Photography Studio in Sioux Falls, S.D. Two University of South Dakota faculty members, Little and his wife Megan Red Shirt-Shaw have long included their gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their work email signature blocks. But both received written warnings from the university in March that doing so violated a policy adopted by the South Dakota Board of Regents in December. (Solis Photography via AP)AP South Dakotas change comes in the midst of a conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards around the country, with about one-third of the states taking some sort of action against it. Policies targeting gender pronoun use have focused mainly on K-12 students, although some small religious colleges have also restricted pronoun use. Houghton University in western New York fired two dorm directors last year after they refused to remove gender pronouns from their work email signatures. But some fear the South Dakota policy could signify a creep of such efforts into public colleges and universities. Quite frankly, this is the first Ive heard of a state university choosing to use branding standards to eliminate what obviously had become a practice of including pronouns and tribal affiliations to emails, said Paulette Grandberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. But Im not surprised, given the current climate were in. Grandberry Russell referred to the conservative push limiting transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as a testing ground to see if discriminatory laws will be tolerated. It is a steady progression, she said. This comes in the form of communications and branding standards. Is that going to be the next frontier in sanitizing the realities of our differences? " The college faculty advocacy group American Association of University Professors is not aware of any other faculty at a public university in the U.S. being required to drop their preferred pronouns in official correspondence, spokesman Kelly Benjamin said. Anecdotally Ill say, because I live in Florida and have seen whats happened with all the anti-wokeness and targeting of education here, I know this is part and parcel to a longer-term agenda, Benjamin said. A spokeswoman for the University of South Dakota declined to answer questions about whether its administrators or the University Faculty Senate had been consulted before regents adopted the policy, referring questions to the Board of Regents. Shuree Mortenson, a spokeswoman for the regents, said all six universities under the regents board umbrella were given the opportunity to review the policy, but ultimately, the Board of Regents made this decision. She declined to say whether other faculty at any of the five other schools had received warnings about not using gender pronouns, tribal affiliation or other identifiers, but defended the new policy as providing consistency to safeguard the brand. Mortenson did not answer questions about whether the inclusion of tribal affiliation in official public university signature blocks had been considered by the regents before adopting it or whether tribal leaders in the state had been consulted. When the policy was announced to faculty in January, Little said he and Red Shirt-Shaw asked schools administrators how the new policy would impact the inclusion of tribal affiliations. It was clear that they had not considered that this would impact Native employees, Little said. The U.S. had long tried to eradicate Native American communities and cultures through warfare, assimilation and other means before recognizing tribes inherent right to govern themselves. Indigenous children, for example, were taken from their communities and forced into Native American boarding schools, which systematically abused students. Red Shirt-Shaw said in social media posts that being told she could not list her tribal affiliation as part of her signature felt like further erasure of Native people in South Dakota. The ability to share my tribal affiliation as well as gender pronouns signals that I am a person who values the lived experiences of others, she said. Both she and Little have begun listing their tribal affiliation and pronouns in the body of their emails, which the university currently is allowing. The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said it has heard from faculty and students at the University of South Dakota who are concerned about the new policy. The ACLU is considering next steps to address it. Maybe their intent was to suppress pronoun usage in email signatures, but as is often the case with any limitation or suppression of free speech, theres always unintended consequences, said Samantha Chapman, an advocacy manager for the ACLU South Dakota. There is also a component here of double erasure. There are plenty of queer Indigenous folks in South Dakota. ___ By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press. Associated Press journalist Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report. A cruise passenger on the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas cruise jumped overboard, prompting a search and rescue mission where the passenger ultimately was found dead. The passenger jumped from the 1,200-foot-long ship shortly after it left Miami, Florida, for Honduras Sunday morning, according to a statement from the Coast Guard obtained by The New York Post. Once people noticed the emergency, the ship immediately halted its operations and the 2,350-person crew conducted a search-and-rescue mission. The ship stayed put for two hours, according to Cruise Hive. The passenger was brought back onboard in critical condition. He eventually died of his injuries. It is unclear what caused the man to jump, although his identity is being kept secret for the privacy of the deceased individual and his family. The Icon of the Seas, which is the worlds largest cruise ship, took its maiden voyage in January 2024. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. Portlaoise headquartered company Certa Ireland has been recognised by Guaranteed Irish for the ways in which it supports the local community in Laois. Certa, which is part of DCC plc, operates Irelands largest network of pay@pump forecourts and home heating depots, and employs 370 people nationwide. The Guaranteed Irish symbol was awarded to Certa in recognition of its commitment to creating sustainable jobs, promoting Irish provenance and supporting the local community across county Laois. Certas community support in Laois goes well beyond job creation and extends to volunteering, sponsorship, donations and fundraising, all of which was examined as part of the qualifying criteria for the Guaranteed Irish symbol. The company has developed a series of community-based CSR initiatives including its Volunteering Day Programme which allows Certa workers in the county to take a paid day out of the business each year to volunteer and give back to their local communities. Certa has also partnered with the Open Doors Initiative to provide opportunities for some of the most marginalised members of society in Laois through the creation of pathways to work, training, education, employment and entrepreneurship. Orla Stevens, Managing Director, Certa Ireland said: Certa is very proud to be a homegrown Irish brand that operates at the heart of the local community in Laois. We are delighted to be awarded the Guaranteed Irish symbol which helps consumers and businesses to identify products and services that are an altogether better choice for the life of their community. Certa is committed to supporting the local community in Laois and to continually enhancing the service that we offer to domestic, commercial and industrial customers as we continue to pursue our vision of becoming Irelands most progressive energy company. We look forward to promoting our Guaranteed Irish credentials as we continue that journey. Brid OConnell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish said: We are delighted to welcome Certa as a member of Guaranteed Irish. The Guaranteed Irish symbol is a national symbol of trust that is only awarded to companies in Ireland that support sustainable jobs, contribute to our local economies, and are committed to Irish provenance. This has been at the core of Certas development as an Irish company over the past 35 years and we look forward to working with Certa as it continues to grow and enhance the service that it provides in communities across Ireland. A suspended sentence was handed down to a man who told a garda he hoped they died in a car crash. Hughie Nevin (25) of 112 Hillview Drive, Portlaoise admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner at Hillview Drive on March 6, 2021. Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said gardai were called to the area due to reports of people fighting at 2.30am on the date in question. He said the defendant became irate when gardai arrived and he called a detective an effing pig and a prick and told the detective, I hope you die in a car crash. He told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court that the man had 53 previous convictions and was serving a prison sentence. Solicitor Michael Byrne said his client had a dispute with a neighbour earlier in the night. He was still very irritated and unfortunately he took it out on the gardai who arrived, he explained. Judge Andrew Cody granted legal aid and imposed a two month prison sentence which he suspended for three years. Number of Midlands' children on CAMHS waiting list has risen by 20%. The HSE have confirmed with Independent TD Carol Nolan that the Midlands now hold the second highest waiting list for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Ireland. This area currently has 764 children waiting to be seen by CAMHS, with 124 of these children on the waiting list for over a year. In contrast, the number of children on a waiting list in March of 2023 was 605. The Midland's Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) is known as CHO Area 8, which encompasses Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath. CHO Area 8 area has the second highest waiting list nationally with only CHO Area 4 (Cork, Kerry) having recorded more children (974) on its CAMHS waiting list. Nationally there was 3,819 children on the waiting list for community mental health services. PICTURED- CAMHS waiting list data by area. Independent TD Carol Nolan expressed her concerns in a press release. I know that the staff in our mental health service providers are under extraordinary pressure, but so too are the parents and children who are absolutely desperate for even minimal levels of intervention and assessment that they are clearly not receiving, said Deputy Nolan. I find it totally unacceptable that once again CHO area 8 is near the top of the list in terms of waiting times for essential services. It was confirmed to me only recently that CHO area 8 also has the highest number of people on its waiting lists for Speech and Language Therapy (3,962)," she said. When these numbers are combined then the level of service deficit becomes startling clear. Our children are being failed at a local and national level, with children in midland counties the worst affected in many cases. Independent TD Carol Nolan. Clearly something is deeply, deeply broken when CHO area 8 is recording almost 800 children waiting for CAMHS but in at least five other HSE areas that number is well below 300 children. Why are our numbers so high? That is a question I am demanding answers to from the minister and indeed the HSE. We cannot allow this breakdown in services to continue. It is potentially causing irreparable developmental delay in so many children and causing untold frustration among parents who only want the best for the kids, Deputy Nolan concluded. Laois food appeal charity Ken Smollen Family Rescue Team in Portarlington/Mountmellick has announced that it has been forced to temporarily close. The voluntary service, which aims to help families in need, will close from July 1. In a statement, the Portarlington/Mountmellick-Ken Smollen Family Rescue Team said: "It is with a very heavy heart and regret that we wish to inform our supporters and services users that June will be the last delivery for The moment. Our service will temporarily close from July 1st. This is out of our control and we hope to resume our service as soon as possible. We will continue to collect donations for the month of June and will provide as much food as possible to our families out what we have in storage. "Thank you everyone for your support. Particularly Dempsey's Gala store, coffee shop and Inver fuel station McLoughlin's Supervalu Daniels Centra Portarlington Kanes convenience To all contributors to our food appeal thank you so much.. Hopefully in time we will be back stronger than ever. From the Portarlington/Mountmellick - Ken Smollen Family Rescue Team and Ken Smollen thank you and we're very sorry we've come to this decision." A Mixed Material Arts fighter attacked his grandfather, mother and grandmother, it was claimed at Naas District Court. The mans grandad and another family relative sought court protection under family law legislation. The grandfather alleged the man is very violent and gets into rages. Hes an MMA fighter and he is very strong and dangerous." The court heard that the man wrecks the house, has punched holes in the walls and damaged doors with his fists. He had his grandmother by the throat, he said. Read more Kildare news The mans uncle described him as violent and abusive, adding he thinks he has mental health issues. The man was not present and not represented. He said he is abusing substances and is taking testosterone and steroids. The court was also told that he threatened to burn cars. Judge Desmond Zaidan spoke of a case where someone who killed his wife got away with the crime because it was deemed to be caused by cannabis-induced psychosis. He said this was accepted as a defence and not a peep out of anyone about it. The judge granted an interim protection orders to both applicants. Kildare County Councils Climate Action Office and Maynooth Community Council are pleased to announce that following the success of last years event, Picnic in the Park will return for a second year, in Harbour Field, Maynooth on Sunday, June 16 from 2pm to 5pm. The theme of the family friendly event is climate change and sustainability and there will be various performers, workshops and information stalls as well as food vendors to make the event even bigger and better. The younger attendees will enjoy activities such as a willow kite making workshop, seed planting, eco-printing, constructing an insect hotel, face painting while the adults can enjoy comedy, poetry, song, a circus performance or even have a caricature drawn of themselves if brave enough! Information stalls will offer advice on topics such as energy usage, composting, active travel, biodiversity and new projects/initiatives in the area. We are excited to welcome the Circus of Climate Horrors to this event. Built and run by researchers at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) Institute at Maynooth University, this interactive experience aims to educate the audience in a fun filled way. In line with sustainable festivals guidelines there will be a water refill station on site, so people are encouraged to bring reusable bottles. There will be an accessoloo on site for those with access need. We would encourage everyone attending to leave the car at home if possible and use public transport or walk/cycle. Picnic in the Park which is funded through the Local Property Tax, is a free event and promises to be a fun filled day for all ages. A man aged in his sixties was attacked by four other males during an incident which took place near Castledermot earlier this week. Commenting on the matter was Detective Garda Shona Nolan, who discussed the incident with KFM. She said that on Monday, May 27 last, a man residing between Maganey and Castledermot was approached by four other males, who proceeded to assault him. "He sustained a number of injuries to his face," Det Gda Nolan said: "He had some items stolen from his caravan." She concluded by urging anyone with information can contact Castledermot Garda Station on 059 914 4112 or Athy Garda Station on 059 863 4210. When asked about the incident by the Leinster Leader, a garda spokesperson had this to say: "Gardai are investigating an assault that occurred in Maganey, County Kildare in the early hours of Monday morning, May 27, 2024. "A male (aged in his 60s) was injured during the course of the incident; his injuries are understood to be non-life threatening." The spokesperson added: "Investigations are ongoing at this time." Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, Patrick O'Donovan, TD, officially opened three significant developments at Atlantic Technological University's Sligo campus yesterday, Tuesday, 28 May. The substantial extensions and refurbishments, part of the universitys response to growing demand, were funded under Project Ireland 2040 through the Higher Education Authority. L-R: Joanne Harmon (ATU), Dr Breda McTaggart (ATU), Dr Jerry Bird (ATU), Henry McGarvey (ATU), Una Parsons, Head of College at ATU Sligo, Minister Patrick O'Donovan TD, Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU, Gavin Glinch (ATU), Elizabeth McCabe (ATU), Ciaran McCaffrey (Head of Capital Funding, HEA), and Deputy Frank Feighan TD at the official opening of 35m new development at ATU. Photo: James Connolly The developments feature a new four-storey, circa 4,000 square meter extension, designed to accommodate advanced research, science, and IT facilities, including computer laboratories and a state-of-the-art clean room. Additionally, the North Campus now boasts a new 112-seat theatre and performance space and an arts and design building which will become a beacon of culture for the west and northwest region. In total, over 8,600 square meters of space have been developed and refurbished to the latest energy standards, with all three projects having been successfully delivered within budget. Speaking at the launch, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, Patrick O'Donovan, TD, said, Today marks a significant investment and enhancement of education facilities for Sligo and the North West to greatly improve the learning experience of students in this region. The new EO1 project along with the refurbishment of blocks K & L represents a key phase of ATUs Sligo campus development. Id like to thank Mr Ciaran McCaffrey and all the team in the Higher Education Authority for their dedication and hard work on this project and also for their support to the institute. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan TD, cuts the ribbon at the official opening of 35m new development at ATU with Una Parsons, Head of College at ATU Sligo and Dr Orla Flynn, President of ATU. Photo: James Connolly President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn said it was a milestone for the university, "These new developments funded under Project Ireland 2040, through the HEA, mark a significant milestone for Atlantic Technological University. "The state-of-the-art facilities will greatly enhance our research, science, and IT capabilities, and offer a space for the creative arts by providing our students and staff with the resources they need to excel. We welcome Minister O'Donovan to ATU and thank him for officially opening our new facilities." Ciaran McCaffrey, Head of Capital Programmes in the HEA added, Todays opening of the newly refurbished Yeats Academy Buildings and new Academic Building is an exciting development for ATU and the wider North Western region. This project is being delivered under Project Ireland 2040 which recognises that investment in education is central to achieving a strong, future-proofed economy, balanced across the regions, and a just society in which all citizens are enabled to fulfil their potential. Accommodation within the new main campus facility comprises a mix of teaching and research spaces, including undergraduate and postgraduate science laboratories, clean rooms, PC laboratories, project rooms, classrooms, research facilities, online learning spaces, as well as staff and ancillary accommodations. It also includes a Maker Space, funded via the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) which will support project-based learning and facilitate STEM outreach to schools. These works were carried out by contractors Tracey Brothers, with the building designed by Taylor McCarney Architects. The two newly refurbished buildings, part of ATUs Yeats Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture (YAADA), includes Block K, which has been transformed into a creative hub, designed to foster collaboration among art and design students. Adjacent to this development, Block L, includes a 112-seat theatre, two "Black Box" performing arts centres, a dance studio, art and design studios, classrooms, office space, and a canteen for students and staff. These works were carried out by contractors Boyle Construction and designed by Taylor McCarney and Vincent Hannon Architects. These developments mark a significant milestone in the ongoing growth and modernisation of Atlantic Technological University, ensuring that it continues to provide state-of-the-art facilities for its students and staff. Cllr Felim Gurn said the recent High Court decision against Leitrim County Council for the relocation of international protection applicants to be located in a shared living space in the former hotel in Dromahair will ultimately have a huge impact on services in the village. Speaking at the Manorhamilton municipal district meeting, he said it "is clear that the government is not listening to the community and I ask that this municipal district write to the Minister expressing our dissatisfaction with this outcome which is ultimately due to the government's failed approach to emigration policy at the expense of Irish homeless people and people on council housing waiting lists for years." A letter has recently been sent by a local committee called 'The Concerned Citizens of Dromahair' calling for clarification from the Department over the judgement. Cllr Mary Bohan said the "situation was handled really badly" and continued that due to a high demand on local GP services, she was aware of "two people in their eighties living a couple of hundred yards away from the doctor's surgery in Dromahair and they have to come to Drumkeeran; there's another couple, who don't drive, who have to get a taxi to Drumkeeran to attend a GP. For the department to say they are going to put 155 people into a building that is not fit even for those residents is not fair on them either. There are schools and everything else as well." She said that "people are getting annoyed that they are not being listened to and they need to take a tougher stance; people that need to get housed, need to get housed and no one disagrees with that but there are a lot of people coming and we know there are people who come across the border who are not here because of war but are economic migrants. "Allowing them to come in is having a serious effect on people who do need to come in from war-torn areas. I think the department have handled it very badly. And to say that there is a Community Engagement Team is a joke," she concluded. Cllr Padraig Fallon said that "we need a system that functions" adding that "it doesn't seem that anything has been learned from anything that took place prior in other parts of the country; we need a plan." He said that "with regard to the border aspect of it, I don't think we should have a border on the island of Ireland" with Cllr Bohan quickly responding that that was not her suggestion. Immigration controls on the border have come into sharp focus since comments from Minister for Justice Helen McEntee earlier this month that 80 per cent of asylum seekers are now coming over the border from Northern Ireland. The number of people applying for international protection in Ireland has risen sharply in 2024. More than 6,000 people had applied for asylum by April 12. More than 2,000, a third of those, are Nigerian. Cllr Fallon said there has to "be an obligation on the UK to check the identity of individuals coming to this island and this is what we need to see done." He noted that tens of thousands of people cross the border for work every day and the "vast majority of those are Irish citizens". Cathaoirleach Cllr Justin Warnock said that "it is a mess and we are getting abused about it" adding that "the last thing I want to see on this island is a border but there are those at the moment, who'd rather see a border and deal with the situation than not. The government has to get a grip on this; and I can't understand people coming in and next thing there are these tents; the whole thing is picked up and everything is wasted. That kind of waste is wrong." He said that there has been an issue with healthcare in the country before the influx of Ukrainian migrants. "It's nearly impossible to see a doctor for the last 12 months; it's not due to people coming in, it's just that the service isn't there and the population in the country has gone from five million to six and a half million." Cllr Sean McDermott said that "Dromahair is a welcoming village and the people there would try and work out a solution. The services never kept pace with the increasing population in Dromahair and that was during the boomtime so finding a solution is not easy but it must be worked out. It is a peaceful community in Dromahair." Cllr Bohan said Ireland has welcomed "thousands of people" and "we couldn't manage without some of the people working in our hospitals and all the areas you can think of; they are making a major contribution." She continued the committee in Dromahair "would and have welcomed a number of families; It's just the numbers and the services that are available. The people I've been dealing with on the committee in Dromahair are doing their best and have been very reasonable." There is overwhelming evidence that the state is failing in its clear and undisputed obligation to provide accommodation to thousands of international protection applicants, the High Court has been told. The court in Dublin heard the opening statements in a case taken by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) against the state over its failure to provide adequate accommodation to people seeking asylum in Ireland. The IHREC wants the court to make declarations that the state has failed its obligations and is breaching applicants rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. On December 4 last year, the Government stated that it could no longer offer accommodation to men seeking international protection. It is the first time that the IHREC has taken legal action in its own name to defend the human rights of others. The Minister for Children Roderic OGorman is listed among the defendants in the hearing and will outline arguments in the case on Thursday. The court was told today that as of May 10, more than 2,800 people who were entitled to be offered accommodation have not been provided with accommodation from the state. These include the men who had been living in tents on Mount Street and on the Grand Canal in recent months. Eoin McCullough, counsel for the Commission, said there are four provisions under the charter which are key to the case. First, is that the state is under an obligation pursuant to Article 1 of the charter to provide accommodation whether in kind or otherwise, Mr McCullough said. The second is that it is a mandatory obligation. Any lack of resources is not to be relied upon. He told the court that while the position of the state in providing accommodation may be difficult, the obligations still must be met. Mr McCullough said that the state has failed to provide accommodation to 2,807 since December last year, and up until two weeks ago, some 1,750 international protection applicants were still awaiting an offer of accommodation. He is asking the court to say that the states failure to offer accommodation to those who are entitled to it is unlawful. He said: I hope to demonstrate that in the presence of a clear and undisputed obligation and in the presence of overwhelming evidence, that it is not being met, (and) it is incumbent on the court to make an order. Anything else would offend rule of law. He added that the proposition of the states obligations cannot be in dispute. Mr McCullough said that the state failed to provide material reception conditions to asylum seekers, such as housing, food and hygiene facilities. He said that the state is under an obligation to provide applicants with an adequate standard of living which protects their physical and mental health, and any failure to do so is in breach of the applicants rights. The court was told that the obligations set out under the charter are not one of reasonable endeavours but are mandatory obligations which is required to secure the dignity of the people concerned. Mr McCullough said that in the states affidavit, there was an emphasis on street homelessness and the contention that only the international applicants are homeless living in those tents in the city centre. He said, however, that there is no satisfactory evidence that there are not other street homeless people among the asylum seekers. The court was told that the state is under an obligation to provide housing, food and clothing which can be done so in kind or as allowances or vouchers as well as the provision of the Daily Expenses Allowance. The senior counsel said that if the state does not provide physical accommodation, then it must be done so through financial allowances. He added: Ultimately, the next question is this: Is that obligation met by the state doing two things which is by paying an allowance of 113.80 euro per week and also entering into agreement with four named charities to provide food and some hygiene facilities. Mr McCullough said said the evidence shows that it is not possible to find accommodation for 113.80 euro per week. The court heard that some of the international applicants were able to live precariously with fellow countrymen, while others slept in a mosque. Mr McCullough referred to a previous case from April last year, involving an Afghan asylum seeker, in which the High Court said that the state has breached the charter by failing to provide him with accommodation, food and basic hygiene. He told the court that the state in this case does not accept it is failing to meet material reception conditions because of a change to the weekly allowance paid to unaccommodated international applicants, which was increased by 75 euro. Mr McCullough said that the position now is more acute than it was last year due to the rise in unaccommodated asylum seekers. He also said there is evidence showing that the level of risk facing the group of unaccommodated applicants has significantly heightened. The court was told that there are real risks to their physical security and their mental health arising from the circumstances. The case will continue on Thursday. At the 2024 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows, PR Newswire Boosts Impact for Exhibitors BEIJING, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The April 2024 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows recently concluded at AsiaWorld-Expo, affirming their status as a key platform for international trade and sourcing. Held biannually in April and October, the shows are organized into three phases, each spotlighting different product categories. This April, the exhibition featured over 5,000 suppliers and displayed more than 360,000 items across 9,000 booths, including the latest advances in their sectors and complementary ecosystem products, underscoring Asia's pivotal role in the global market and its capacity to innovate. As the events' communication service partner, PR Newswire was instrumental in disseminating information about the exhibitors' offerings. Through multiple press releases that highlighted anticipation for the shows, key moments during the events, and reflections afterward, PR Newswire significantly extended the influence of the latest products and the stories behind the brands. Some highlights: 1. AUKEY Raih Berbagai iF Design Award dan Red Dot Design Award AUKEY presented award-winning products recognized by the iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award, emphasizing their design excellence. 2. HAVIT's Innovative Audio Products Shine at International Electronics Trade Shows HAVIT highlighted their innovative audio products, showcasing core advancements in smart technology. 3. Allprostar to Showcase its New Camping Series at Hong Kong Global Sources Sports & Outdoor Show 2024 Allprostar introduced a new camping range, focusing on the outdoor sector's needs and providing location details to enhance visitor engagement. 4. DELUX to Showcase its M600 and M900 Series at Hong Kong Global Sources Consumer Electronics Show 2024 DELUX celebrated its 30th anniversary by exhibiting the M600 and M900 gaming mice, inviting stakeholders to explore their themed booth. 5. ACEFAST's latest products at Global Sources Hong Kong Show 2024 ACEFAST returned for their third time as exhibitors at the event, showing new products and aiming to expand into major markets such as Europe and the USA. 6. Gyroor Kids E Suitcase "GNU" A Fairy Tale Reimagined for Innovative E Mobility will be unveiled at Global Sources Mobile Electronics 2024 Gyroor launched a product inspired by a fairy tale, blending innovation with mobility, including insights from their CEO about the company's values. 7. KOSPET's First GPS Rugged Military Smartwatch will be unveiled at Global Sources Mobile Electronics 2024 KOSPET debuted their first GPS rugged military smartwatch, highlighting advanced technology and future communication strategies. 8. Baseus Unveils its Key Series at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics 2024 Event Baseus introduced its Key Series earphones, leveraging third-party perspectives to enhance product appeal. 9. PISEN Brand Completely Upgraded, Releasing Natural Energy with Icebergs at 2024 Global Sources Consumer Electronics Show PISEN revealed significant brand updates and new products, sharing the narrative behind their brand evolution. 10. CE-LINK Unveils the Game-Changing SFX Power Supply: Small Size, Mega Power CE-LINK showcased a compact yet powerful SFX power supply, designed to transform the gaming experience. 11. INMOTION Debuts Innovational 2-in-1 Self-balancing Vehicle E20 at Global Sources HK Show 2024 INMOTION unveiled a 2-in-1 self-balancing vehicle, highlighting the technology and innovation behind it and summarizing the event's success. The April 2024 edition of the Global Sources Hong Kong Show reaffirmed the event's status as an essential international business destination, attracting an impressive array of exhibitors and buyers from across the world. PR Newswire contributed significantly to this success, utilizing its expertise in corporate communications to ensure that exhibitors captured the attention of a global audience and to highlight the show's critical role in international trade dynamics. About PR Newswire PR Newswire, a Cision company, has long been a pioneer in corporate communications, leading the way in the corporate press release distribution industry since 1954. Serving over 70,000 businesses and organizations worldwide, PR Newswire assists clients in disseminating their latest text, image and video content to target audiences in more than 40 languages daily. Additionally, PR Newswire offers global media monitoring and analysis services, supplying clients with valuable data and technical support for their daily communication initiatives. About Global Sources Hong Kong Shows The Global Sources Hong Kong Shows are the premier events for the world's sourcing professionals. They take place every April and October, divided into three phases. These events cover a wide variety of industries, including consumer electronics, electronic components, mobile electronics, smart home, security products and home appliances, home products and kitchenware, lifestyle, fashion, sports, and outdoor equipment. Exhibitors at the show enjoy a professional platform to showcase their products, while buyers gain access to high-quality products from around the world. With a focus on sustainable development, the shows aim to assist buyers in sustainable sourcing practices, enabling them to make informed and responsible sourcing decisions, and setting a new standard for professional trade platforms. SOURCE PR Newswire 29 may 2024 at 03:19 News published onand distributed by: TINONE ANNOUNCES DRILL PROGRAMS AT THE ABERFOYLE AND GREAT PYRAMID PROJECTS IN TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA TSX.V: TORC OTCQB: TORCF VANCOUVER, BC, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - TinOne Resources Inc. (TSXV: TORC) (OTCQB: TORCF) (Frankfurt: 57Z0) ("TinOne" or the "Company") is pleased to announce plans for upcoming drill programs at its 100%-owned Aberfoyle and Great Pyramid projects, located in the tier-one mining jurisdiction of Tasmania, Australia. Highlights Inaugural drill program at the Guinea Pig prospect : A series of systematic short reverse circulation (" RC ") holes designed to test the near-surface lithium-tin mineralization potential of the broad zones of greisen alteration. : A series of systematic short reverse circulation (" ") holes designed to test the near-surface lithium-tin mineralization potential of the broad zones of greisen alteration. Follow-up RC drilling program planned for Great Pyramid: A series of short RC holes designed to test for structurally-controlled high-grade tin mineralization as well as to verify historical drill data. "We are very excited to commence drilling at our highly prospective Aberfoyle and Great Pyramid projects," commented Chris Donaldson, TinOne's Executive Chairman. "At Aberfoyle, our work to date has identified numerous occurrences of strong lithium-tin mineralization hosted in highly altered granite. This style of lithium mineralization has yet to be explored at depth and this program represents the first drill test for greisen-related lithium mineralization in northeast Tasmania. At Great Pyramid, our drilling is aimed at defining the scale potential of near-surface, high-grade tin mineralization as well as to verify historical data to inform a mineral resource estimation upgrade." Drill Program An RC drill program across two projects (Aberfoyle and Great Pyramid) in Northeast Tasmania (Figure 1) has been designed to systematically test for near-surface tin lithium mineralization. Details are as follows: Aberfoyle The Company plans to drill approximately 500 metres in six RC drill holes to test the lithium-tin mineralization potential of widespread greisens at the Guinea Pig prospect, Aberfoyle Project (Figures 2 and 3). Holes will be collared across a 200 metre trend targeting out-cropping zones of strong lithium-tin mineralization (Figure 3). Surface sampling to date has defined an area of approximately 12 hectares where numerous rock samples returned results of >0.20% Li 2 O (Figure 3). Preliminary interpretations indicate that the higher-grade mineralization occurs in NNW-trending parallel zones of up to 250 metres in strike length, although the true strike-extent is not presently known. The planned drill program is designed to investigate the near-surface orientation and scale of the mineralized zones at the Guinea Pig prospect. The Guinea Pig prospect is an old working, which along with the Triabunna workings was previously reported as the Dead Pig prospect. Great Pyramid A 350 metre RC drill program (Figure 4) is planned at the Great Pyramid tin project with two primary objectives: Five holes are designed to replace and verify early percussion drilling (Figure 4). These new data will increase the data confidence from historical drill programs, as recommended by the mineral resource estimate consultants, Mining Associates (see October 30 th, 2023 news release). The Company believes that an increase in confidence will underpin a re-estimation of a significant part of the current Inferred Resource to a higher status. No significant track access or pad preparation work is required as the holes will be drilled on pre-existing sites. Five holes are designed to test for the presence of high-grade, fault-related tin mineralization (Figure 4) associated with the project-scale Pyramid Hill Fault, which transects the project through at least 400 metres of favourable sandstone. The fault dips steeply to the southwest. Very few historical holes have drilled through the Pyramid Hill Fault as it trends orthogonal (at right angles) to the strike of the mineralised joints and veinlets. Most previous drilling at Great Pyramid was therefore parallel to the fault rather than across it. The Company interprets that the very high tin grades in 22GPRC012 ( 78m @ 0.51% Sn incl. 23m @ 1.09% Sn, see September 22, 2022 news release) are hosted in the Pyramid Hill Fault, which was intersected at a relatively shallow angle. No past explorers have targeted high-grade tin mineralization at Great Pyramid. Timing The multi-project drill program is set to commence in mid-June with the drill to mobilize first to Aberfoyle. The Company anticipates the program to be completed within a month and results to be reported once assays have been returned from the lab and have been compiled and interpreted. About the Aberfoyle Project The Aberfoyle project area straddles the boundary between the Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sedimentary rocks and the Devonian Ben Lomond Granite. The historic Aberfoyle (tin) and Storeys Creek (tin-tungsten) mines as well as other vein systems are hosted in the sedimentary rocks and occur as strike extensive systems of sheeted and stockwork veining. Elevated lithium has not previously been reported from the project area. Historic records and drilling indicate the mineralized vein system at Aberfoyle is up to 60 metres wide, 800 metres in length and extends approximately 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Lutwyche prospect occurs approximately 1 kilometre northeast of Aberfoyle and is comprised of two sets of mineralized veins which can be traced along strike for approximately 750 metres. An additional sediment-hosted vein system, the Kookaburra, is located 200 metres southwest of the main Lutwyche vein system and is known to be approximately 40 metres wide with an along strike extent of at least several hundred metres. Mineralization at Storeys Creek is hosted within a 30 to 50 metre wide, north-northwest striking sheeted vein array which dips to the southwest. The system can be traced along strike for 300 metres and extends 400 metres in the down dip direction. The Ben Lomond Granite crops out approximately 1km west of the mine and has been identified at depth at 180 metres below the surface. Additional poorly known sediment-hosted vein systems occur at Brocks, Eastern Hill and elsewhere in the tenement. Granite-hosted occurrences are developed throughout the exposed areas of granitoid outcrop and consist of vein, disseminated and breccia style occurrences with associated greisen style alteration. These have given rise to historic small scale hard rock and more extensive alluvial production in the Gipps Creek, Rex Hill, Ben Lomond, Royal George and other areas. The Company interprets that both sediment- and granite-hosted systems have developed in structural corridors of multi-kilometre extent and that historic exploration has not systematically explored these corridors. TinOne believes systematic exploration of these prospective corridors will result in the definition of high-quality drill targets. About the Great Pyramid Project The Great Pyramid deposit is located around a topographical feature known as Pyramid Hill and is hosted by Silurian to Devonian Mathinna Supergroup sandstones. The mineralization is formed by closely spaced sheeted northeast trending, cassiterite (SnO?) bearing veins associated with silicification and sericite-pyrite alteration. The deposit style and regional comparisons suggest that a tin-fertile granite exists at depth below the deposit, however this has not been encountered in drilling and the deposit is open at depth. Geological interpretation indicates that certain sedimentary units within the folded Mathinna Supergroup sediments are more favourable hosts and diamond drilling being undertaken by the Company during the current campaign, combined with numerical modelling, will assist in developing a deeper understanding of controls on grade for follow-up drilling. In 2023, a mineral resource estimate (MRE) was prepared in accordance with Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves adopted May 19, 2014, and in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Table 1. Great Pyramid tin deposit inferred Mineral Resource1,2,3,4,5 Cut Off (Sn %) Tonnes (Mt) Grade (Sn %) Metal (Sn kt) Classification > 0.10 8.39 0.17 14.40 Inferred 1. Near surface mineral resources are reported at a Sn cut-off grade of 0.10% inside a domain based on geology and grade and considering a ) Sn price of US$24,978t and 80% recovery for tin. 2. Mineral resources are reported within a conceptual pit shell. 3. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. 4. All numbers have been rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate. 5. Discrepancies may occur due to rounding of values. About TinOne TinOne is a TSX Venture Exchange listed Canadian public company with a high-quality portfolio of tin, tin/tungsten and lithium projects in the Tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Tasmania and New South Wales, Australia. The Company controls some of the most important tin districts in Tasmania, including Aberfoyle, Rattler Range and Great Pyramid and is focussed on advancing its highly prospective portfolio. TinOne is supported by Inventa Capital Corp. Qualified Person The Company's disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Russell Fulton, VP Exploration for TinOne. Mr. Fulton is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. 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. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release includes certain "Forward?Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward?looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of the Company's projects; future mineral exploration, development and production; and the release of exploration results. Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of TinOne, future growth potential for TinOne and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; TinOne's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. These statements reflect TinOne's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and TinOne has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on early stage mineral projects; metal price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Australia; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in TinOne's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although TinOne 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 anticipated, estimated or intended. TinOne does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law. SOURCE TinOne Resources Corp. 29 may 2024 at 08:00 News published onand distributed by: Qcells Brings San Diego County's Largest Utility-Scale Solar Project Online Qcells has commissioned the Ocotillo Wells Solar project in Borrego Springs, CA. The 50 MW solar and 200 MWh energy storage project is monumental as San Diego County's largest utility-scale renewable project and an economic growth opportunity for the community. IRVINE, Calif., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Qcells is thrilled to announce the completion and start of commercial operation for the Ocotillo Wells Solar project. The project is located in Borrego Springs, California, and combines solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a 50 megawatt (MW) solar and 200 MWh battery storage capacity. We're excited to accomplish the Ocotillo Wells Solar project. Completing this project reflects our dedication to providing energy solutions supporting American energy. We are honored to contribute to the energy landscape and execute another clean energy project that aids America's energy transition. The Ocotillo Wells Solar project is a testament to Qcells' expertise in providing turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services to utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. In addition to the EPC team designing and constructing the solar and energy storage, the project also boasts over 113,000 of its modules. By combining solar (PV) power generation and advanced battery storage capabilities, this innovative design ensures the grid has a reliable and sustainable energy supply. Utility-scale solar projects create hundreds of direct and thousands of indirect jobs in logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, and construction. During peak construction, this project created nearly 250 jobs. The project impacts the local economy and highlights Qcells USA's role as a job creator within the communities it serves. This project is a milestone for Qcells and is vital in driving the clean energy transition throughout the United States. Renewable energy from the project will be purchased by Meta, one of the world's largest renewable energy buyers. Since 2020, Meta's global operations have been supported by 100% renewable energy and have reached net zero emissions. The company also has an ambitious goal to reach net zero emissions across its value chain in 2030. The successful construction and commissioning of the Ocotillo Wells Solar project is a milestone for Qcells and a success for the county by securing a sustainable and resilient grid. Mr. IP Kim, President of Qcells USA, expressed his pride in the project's success, stating, "We are excited to accomplish the construction of the Ocotillo Wells Solar project. Getting to the finish line on a project like this reflects our dedication to providing energy solutions that support the growth of American energy. We are honored to contribute to the energy landscape and execute another clean energy project that aids America's energy transition." Qcells is revolutionizing the energy sector with its integrated approach, offering turnkey solutions for solar and energy storage development, EPC services, and module sales. About Qcells USA Qcells USA provides complete utility-scale turnkey solutions through the entire project lifecycle from modules, solar and energy storage project development, and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) services to the US utility-scale market. With a track record that includes 8.4 GW of sustainably produced module manufacturing capabilities in Georgia and nearly 2 GW of developed, constructed, and operating projects, Qcells USA is a dependable partner throughout the entire project lifecycle. Qcells USA is a flagship company of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 firm and a Top 7 business enterprise in South Korea. For more information, visit www.QcellsUSA.com and on LinkedIn. Safe-Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and Qcells' operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, QCELLS does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact: Qcells USA Corp., Media Representative E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 619-750-5712 Twitter, LinkedIn SOURCE Qcells USA Corp. 29 may 2024 at 10:00 News published onand distributed by: CAE's SkyAlyne joint venture awarded C$11.2-billion, 25-year contract for Canada's Future Aircrew Training Program MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) ? CAE announced that its SkyAlyne joint venture was today awarded a C$11.2-billion, 25-year contract for Canada's Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program. "CAE has proudly worked alongside the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for more than 75 years to design and deliver training, services, and technologies that support the mission readiness of Canada's aviators," said Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Today's announcement regarding the Future Aircrew Training Program is a significant achievement in the ongoing modernization efforts of Canada's defence forces. FAcT is a transformational win for SkyAlyne and CAE, laying the groundwork for training technologies and processes enabling mission readiness. As an industry leader in civil and defence simulation training and critical operations, CAE is proud to be part of the future of aircrew training to Canada." This transformative initiative reimagines training for the RCAF, consolidating three aircrew training operations under SkyAlyne and Canada's joint management. SkyAlyne, a partnership with KF Aerospace of Kelowna, BC, was selected in July 2023 as the preferred bidder for FAcT after a rigorous process. The FAcT Program is a significant step forward to prepare Canadian military Pilots, Air Combat Systems Officers, and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators for tomorrow's challenges. Under the FAcT Program, SkyAlyne ? in collaboration with the RCAF ? will design, develop, and deliver a comprehensive training and support system, including live flying, simulation, ground school training, and a suite of in-service support functions. Centrally managed from Ottawa, the FAcT Program will revamp and expand upon current training services currently provided by CAE and KF Aerospace, with operations set to continue at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Southport (Portage la Prairie) and 17 Wing Winnipeg. The program includes the establishment of a complete training enterprise at all three operating locations helping ensure the RCAF maintains the highest standards of excellence and innovation. A photo is available at CAE's Multimedia Centre. About CAE At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees in more than 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firsts?the highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we'll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter. Read our FY23 Global Annual Activity and Sustainability Report. About SkyAlyne Truly Canadian Training | SkyAlyne brings together two Canadian companies with unmatched experience and capabilities in delivering innovative pilot and aircrew training in Canada. Currently, CAE and KF Aerospace deliver all phases of pilot training to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) through the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program managed by CAE, and the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program managed by KF Aerospace. Website. About Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) The Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program combines Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot and aircrew training. Website CAE Contacts: General Media: Samantha Golinski, Vice President, Public Affairs & Global Communications, +1-438-805-5856, [email protected] Investor Relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management, +1-514-734-5760, [email protected] Trade Media: Wendy Stough, Director, Marketing and Communications,+1-813-233-6409, [email protected] SOURCE CAE Inc. 29 may 2024 at 13:58 News published onand distributed by: V3Gate Ranked #62 on CRN's 2024 Solution Provider 500 List V3Gate, a leading provider of IT solutions, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named V3Gate on the 2024 Solution Provider 500 list at #62. This marks the 5th consecutive year V3Gate has been recognized on this list. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- V3Gate, a leading provider of IT solutions, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named V3Gate on the 2024 Solution Provider 500 list at #62. This marks the 5th consecutive year V3Gate has been recognized on this list. "V3Gate continues to reach new heights, and this accolade is not just a reflection of our company's success but also a celebration of our strong partnerships and the hard work of our exceptional employees." The Solution Provider 500 recognizes North America's largest solution providers by revenue, serving as a benchmark for success within the channel. This year's list represents a combined revenue of over $501.2 billion, showcasing the industry's top influencers and driving momentum in the IT sector and global technology supply chain. V3Gate's continued presence on the CRN 500 list reflects an unwavering commitment to quality and innovation. By providing tailored solutions and exceptional service, V3Gate has broadened its offerings to government customers and the company remains dedicated to leading industry trends to meet evolving market demands. "We are honored to once again be recognized on CRN's Solution Provider 500 list," stated Oscar Valdez, CEO of V3Gate. "V3Gate continues to reach new heights, and this accolade is not just a reflection of our company's success but also a celebration of our strong partnerships and the hard work of our exceptional employees." "Ranking on CRN's 2024 Solution Provider 500 recognizes the service innovations and market responsiveness of the list's leading technology integrators, managed service providers, and IT consulting firms," said Jennifer Follett, VP, U.S. Content, and Executive Editor, CRN, The Channel Company. "These companies have shown an unflagging commitment to business agility, continued growth, and future success through a period of rapid IT channel change, including the expansion of Everything as a Service and GenAI disruption. Our congratulations go to each company named to this year's Solution Provider 500!" The full CRN 2024 Solution Provider 500 list is available online at https://www.crn.com/sp-500/sp2024. About V3Gate Founded in 2007, V3Gate is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) serving the U.S. Public Sector. The company specializes in emerging technologies that help customers simplify their infrastructures, reduce costs, and create more secure and agile IT environments. V3Gate is ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001, ISO 20000, OTTPS 1.1.1 (ISO/IEC 20243:2018), and CMMI Maturity Level 3 certified and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 and Vet100 lists of fastest-growing private companies, the CRN Solution Provider 500, the Washington Technology Top 100, and as a Great Place to Worktm. Learn more at http://www.v3gate.com. About The Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 40 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. http://www.thechannelcompany.com Media Contact Shannon Mulhern, V3Gate, 4106102299, [email protected], https://www.v3gate.com SOURCE V3Gate 29 may 2024 at 15:00 News published onand distributed by: French police have arrested 15 people for drug trafficking near the athletes' village built for the upcoming Olympic Games north of Paris, police sources said on Wednesday, May 29. They arrested the suspects at their homes early on Tuesday and took 14 of them into custody, one of the sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Police and customs officers seized just under 10 kilos of herbal cannabis and cannabis resin, 20,000 ($21,700) in cash and 48 mobile phones, the source said. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in early May that she expected a spike in crimes during the Olympic Games in Paris. "There will be many more tourists," she told Franceinfo radio. "This means that the criminals will attack these tourists," she said, pointing to pick-pocketing, housing scams and other crimes. Read more Subscribers only France faces a growing, multi-faceted terrorist threat The operation close to the Olympic village targeted a dealing point that police have been monitoring in the run-up to the Olympic Games, which begin on July 26, said another police source. Over the past months police have stepped up operations in Seine-Saint-Denis, where the athletes' village is located. More than 14,000 people will be living in the Olympic Village, comprising 82 buildings in the municipalities of Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and Ile-Saint-Denis, north of Paris. The village is the single biggest new-build Olympics project, located on a site by the river Seine that is a focus for regeneration efforts in the economically deprived suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. In a report published in mid-May, a Senat committee of enquiry warned of the growing influence of drug trafficking in France, marked in particular by an upsurge in violence linked to competition between criminal gangs. According to the senators, drug trafficking in France generates between 3 and 6 billion euros ($3.2 billion and $6.5 billion) annually. Read more Subscribers only French senators warn that France is 'submerged by drug trafficking' French President Emmanuel Macron urged Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas to "implement necessary reforms," offering the "prospect of recognition of the state of Palestine" during a phone call on Wednesday, May 29, his office said. Macron "highlighted France's commitment to building a common vision of peace with European and Arab partners, offering security guarantees for Palestinians and Israelis," as well as "making the prospect of recognition of a state of Palestine part of a useful process," the Elysee Palace said. The readout of the call with the chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank follows Tuesday's official recognition of a Palestinian state by fellow European nations Spain, Ireland and Norway, which drew ire from Israel. Read more Which countries officially recognize a State of Palestine? French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejour earlier Wednesday accused France's neighbors of "political positioning" ahead of June 9 European elections, rather than seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Macron had said Tuesday that he would be prepared to recognize a Palestinian state, but such a move should "come at a useful moment" and not be based on "emotion." France supports "a reformed and strengthened Palestinian Authority, able to carry out its responsibilities throughout the Palestinian territories, including in the Gaza Strip, for the benefit of the Palestinian people," Macron told Abbas on Wednesday, according to the Elysee Palace readout. Current fighting in Gaza, controlled by the PA's rival Hamas, was sparked by the militant group's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel. That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the Israeli army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry. Macron called civilian casualties "intolerable" and offered his "sincere condolences to the Palestinian people" for the bombing of a displaced people's camp in Rafah in southern Gaza. He told Abbas that Paris was "determined to work with Algeria and its partners on the UN Security Council" so the body "makes a strong statement on Rafah." Algeria's draft resolution calls on Israel to immediately halt military action in Rafah. Read more Subscribers only Israel continues striking Rafah, despite outrage over deadly bombing of refugee camp Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon poses on stage after she and the rest of the female cast was awarded with the Best Actress Prize for their part in the film "Emilia Perez" during the Closing Ceremony at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 25, 2024. VALERY HACHE / AFP The first transgender woman to be awarded Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 29, filed a legal complaint over a "sexist insult" from a far-right politician after her win. Karla Sofia Gascon and co-stars jointly received the accolade on Saturday for their performances in French auteur Jacques Audiard's dazzling narco musical Emilia Perez. In the film, the 52-year-old Spanish actress who lived as a man until she was 46 plays a Mexican drug trafficker both before and after gender reassignment surgery. French far-right party Reconquete! party's Marion Marechal posted on X after the prize was announced: "So a man has won Best Actress. Progress for the left means the erasure of women and mothers." Read more Subscribers only Cannes 2024: From New York to Tehran, winners worthy of a lush festival Gascon, through her lawyer, told Agence France-Presse (AFP): "We need to stop such comments." Her lawyer Etienne Deshoulieres said she had filed a legal complaint for "sexist insult on the basis of gender identity." Gascon, who has a wife and daughter, dedicated her win in Cannes to "all the trans people who are suffering." Earlier during the festival, she urged others to stop labeling people like her. "Being trans is unimportant. A trans person is someone going through a transition. Once they have transitioned, that's it. They are what they are," she said. Emilia Perez earned particular praise from critics for not fixating on the gender transition, but moving beyond to explore themes of family, love and the victims of Mexico's gang violence. Securing an hour in James Manyika's ultra-packed schedule is like making an appointment with several people simultaneously. As the senior vice president in charge of research, technology, and society at Google, he oversees projects related to quantum computing, nuclear fusion, and a large portion of artificial intelligence. Born fifty-eight years ago in Zimbabwe, he reflects on the impact of this research on society. Capable of eradicating repetitive tasks, detecting certain pathologies, and preventing natural disasters, AI is shaping up to be a hurricane that will upend the future of work and geopolitics. This is a subject that fascinates James Manyika, who has long led the McKinsey Global Institute. Le point du soir Tous les soirs a partir de 18h Recevez linformation analysee et decryptee par la redaction du Point. Votre adresse email Votre adresse email n'est pas valide Veuillez renseigner votre adresse email Merci ! Votre inscription a bien ete prise en compte avec l'adresse email : Pour decouvrir toutes nos autres newsletters, rendez-vous ici : MonCompte En vous inscrivant, vous acceptez les conditions generales dutilisations et notre politique de confidentialite. This technology also has the appearance of a narcissistic wound for mankind. How should humans react when their creation surpasses them in a growing number of cognitive tasks ? What happens when AI is giving wrong answers and hallucinations ? As a member of the Aspen Institute and holder of a master's degree in artificial intelligence from Oxford, Manyika also advises the UN on the subject. Above all, whereas a seminal research paper had been written by several of the researchers who were then working for the company, Google can no longer remain idle. The search engine, long cautious about this technology prone to biases and errors, must now face competition from Chinese companies like Baidu, Microsoft, and even startups such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity, which are innovating with smaller teams at an unprecedented pace. Le Point : To what extent does the advent of artificial intelligence represent a milestone in human history ? James Manyika :AI is revolutionary, first because it can be used in all areas of society and the economy. Second, because it is the first technology capable of accomplishing cognitive tasks that we believed were reserved for humans, such as intuitive reasoning and creativity. This is a major historical advance ! As such, it will have a broader and deeper impact than electricity and the steam engine. In what field is this revolution already palpable ? Take biomedicine. In just the last three weeks, at Google, we have revealed major innovations. We first introduced Med-Gemini, a language model specially tuned for medical reasoning, capable of cross-referencing a patient's data with complex medical corpora and self-improvement. The following week, we announced AlphaFold 3, an AI model that allows modeling of almost all molecular shapes, from proteins to DNA, by analyzing RNA and their interactions. Previous versions of this AI model are already used by more than 1.8 million scientists worldwide. And finally, last week, the Google Research Connectomics team released work, conducted notably with researchers from Harvard, that resulted in the most advanced 3D reproduction of synapses and neurons in the human brain. The team published an article in the journal Science on the detailed reconstruction of a brain region, highlighting new neuronal structures that will help researchers understand certain neurological disorders.A LIRE AUSSI Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens) versus Yann Le Cun (Meta) on artificial intelligence Can these programs be considered truly intelligent ? Your question leads us to reflect on what human intelligence is. However, our perception of intelligence has evolved over time. In the past, being intelligent meant being able to do mental calculations quickly. This was the case when I was a child in Zimbabwe. The arrival of calculators disrupted this view. Next we valued memorization. People who could remember a lot of information were seen as intelligent. Nowadays, we place more emphasis on critical thinking, the ability to analyze, reason and argue. We often use essays to assess students' intelligence, as they must show that they are able to structure their ideas. However, with current advances, even this definition of intelligence is being challenged since. AI systems are now capable of writing coherent essays. Silicon Valley, is passionate about "artificial general intelligence" (AGI), an AI capable of surpassing human cognitive functions. Sam Altman, co-creator of OpenAI, is a proponent. This can be scary... There are two ways to consider AGI. The first, as an intelligence capable of accomplishing a wide range of human tasks, such as reasoning, problem solving, natural language understanding or creativity in poetry. This means that AI could perform any cognitive task that we can do, as efficiently as we can. We are very close to that today. The second definition includes capabilities for self-improvement, autonomous learning, or even making independent decisions. That is the ability to define one's own goals and choose what to work on. Some even mention consciousness, although this is a highly debated and complex concept. For them, AGI implies autonomous behavior that goes beyond simply performing a variety of tasks. If you consider this definition, I believe we are still a long way off, and additional scientific breakthroughs will be required. What are these scientific challenges ? We need to improve reasoning, memory, planning, and the ability of AI to perform "out-of-distribution" reasoning tasks, i.e., tasks for which it has not been specifically trained. In other words, AI must be able to apply its skills to totally new and unknown contexts. This is an area where current systems still show limitations, as they are often dependent on the data they were trained on. Finally, AI systems must be able to understand and interact with their environment in a more natural and intuitive way. This includes sensory perception, object manipulation, and navigation in physical spaces. Progress in this area requires advances in robotics, computer vision, and natural language processing to enable smoother and more efficient interaction with the real world. A LIRE AUSSI Voici a quoi pourrait ressembler l'intelligence artificielle du futur This is what Yann LeCun, the head of artificial intelligence at Meta, aims to do with the JEPA model, which wants to give machines a grip on the outside world... Yes, we need to work on models that better understand context and can adapt to new or unforeseen situations. Many intellectual professionals fear seeing their jobs disappear... It reminds me of my doctoral years in artificial intelligence, already twenty-eight years ago... Fifteen years ago, when you asked this question to a researcher or an economist, they would answer, "Oh yes, AI and automation will be great because they can perform all the repetitive tasks, the ones for which we can write precise instructions. But they will never be able to access intuitive reasoning, creative work." But look where are we now ! A LIRE AUSSI De Google a Open AI, les verites de Demis HassabisNo one seems safe from having their work replaced by machines, not even Google, which recently carried out layoffs... Yes, we have restructured. We need to ensure that our teams have the necessary skills to work alongside AI and use these tools effectively. This involves continuous training. Some tasks will be automated, new jobs will be created, and the nature of many jobs will change thanks to AI. Problem-solving skills and the ability to work together will also be fundamental in the future. Some also fear that the machine will turn against humans... It is important that the goals of AI correspond to our goals, to us humans. This is what is called alignment. It is crucial that humans can control these systems. It is also crucial to find solutions for professions where wages could be pulled down. I understand these concerns, but it is important to note that AI will also bring many benefits. A LIRE AUSSI Grace a l'IA, elle transforme les pensees en dessins AI, which requires great computing power, consumes a lot of energy... AI models, especially those based on Transformer models [a language understanding tool that has enabled text generation, Editor's note], consume a lot of energy. This is due to the fact that the complexity of the calculations increases quadratically with the size of the models and the amount of data used to train them. We are working on smaller, more efficient models to reduce this consumption. For example, Gemini exists in four sizes, including Nano, and we are trying to invent even smaller versions. Could nuclear fusion help solve some of the energy challenges ? Yes, and paradoxically, it is AI that is helping us develop this energy of the future ! We have conducted research on plasma confinement in tokamaks, a technology that allows the fusion of two atoms by creating more energy than was consumed, as was recently the case in Switzerland, where Google DeepMind and the Swiss Plasma Center at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) are working together. Thanks to AI, we have been able to show that it is possible to confine a high-energy plasma field more efficiently. This could have major implications for the future of energy. Will quantum computing allow us to meet the growing computational power needs of AI in time ? Quantum computing will provide faster and more efficient computations. We have defined six technical milestones to arrive at a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer. We reached the first one in 2019: it consisted of showing that the quantum computer can solve infinitely more complex problems than any architecture based on Turing-Von Neumann, who laid the foundations of current computing as early as 1945. We did a simulation in 2019. And last year, we demonstrated error correction. That was the second milestone. We still have milestones three, four, five, six. Some of these milestones are engineering challenges. Others are scientific breakthroughs. It will happen in a period that I estimate to be between five years and... a century. Mastery of AI gives an immense strategic advantage, but it is crucial that this mastery be shared to avoid overly large global imbalances To what extent is AI defining a new world order ? In 2017, Vladimir Putin stated that the country that masters AI will be the ruler of the world... Within the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, we formed a group of 39 members from 33 countries. What is striking is that the countries of the Global South are much more optimistic than Europe or North America... AI is seen there, for example, as a way to solve the shortage of teachers or medical practitioners. However, the development, deployment, and use of AI are largely dominated by a few Northern countries, through a few large companies. To answer Vladimir Putin's prediction, yes, mastery of AI gives an immense strategic advantage but it is crucial that this mastery be shared to avoid overly large global imbalances. Isn't Africa the big forgotten continent of artificial intelligence ? Lack of access to resources such as data, computing power, and advanced models is a major concern on the African continent. The same goes for access to electricity. To correct this, it is essential to create policies that allow all regions of the world to participate in this technological revolution. Where does France stand in this technological race ? French researchers impress me ! In fact, we have many of them in Google's ranks. Some French people are at the origin of extraordinary adventures, such as Mistral AI or Hugging Face. We must create the conditions for them to take off ! Video generators are becoming more and more impressive, such as Google's Veo or OpenAI's Sora. The distorted perception of truth can be dangerous for democracies... It is essential to ensure transparency about the origin of AI-generated content. Techniques such as watermarking [a technology that allows depositing an imperceptible watermark in a video, Editor's note] can help distinguish between machine-generated and real content. In addition, clear regulations are essential to ensure that all stakeholders follow the same rules. Society must adapt and learn to discern the truth in a digital world, by developing discernment skills and relying on critical thinking, as is sometimes the case on social networks. James Manyika, Senior Vice President for Research, Technology, and Society at Google-Alphabet Frederic Neema/LAIF-REA / LAIF-REA / Frederic Neema/LAIF-REA POUR LE POINT Manyika "Open source in AI is complex" For some eminent researchers, such as Yoshua Bengio, Turing Prize winner, allowing everyone to have access to software in "open source" amounts to spreading the recipe for the atomic bomb... Open source has always been at the heart of technological innovation. At Google, this has resulted in projects like Android, which allows innovators to develop, test, and improve the functioning of mobile phones. For this reason, we have open-sourced parts of our state-of-the-art AI model Gemma, which offers state-of-the-art performance on various tasks such as answering questions. That said, the question of open source in AI is complex. On the one hand, this approach is great because it allows researchers and entrepreneurs to access the tools needed to innovate. On the other hand, what will happen if it falls into the hands of malicious actors ? For now, we don't see any major risks. But I emphasize for now ! This could change as the technology progresses... What should be taught to children to prepare them for the future ? It all depends on their age ! It is important to teach science, mathematics and the arts. Emphasis should also be placed on understanding concepts and creativity. Problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and collaboration will also be crucial. Regarding programming, it depends. My son is 22 years old, and I have always encouraged him to learn to program. But if he were 3 years old, I might answer this question differently... Because programming is becoming easier and easier for machines. So, if my daughter or son seemed to be an average programmer, I might tell them not to focus on that. It is important to note that current systems can handle programming relatively simple tasks, but for more complex tasks, they are not quite at that level yet. Deep human understanding is still needed. So, if they were of the caliber of Jeff Dean [Google's Chief Scientist, Editor's note], I would tell them to learn to program, because they could go beyond the current capabilities of AI systems. A LIRE AUSSI Aravind Srinivas, l'homme qui defie Google Competition has never been so fierce... Anthropic has just launched its Claude model in Europe, and OpenAI made multiple announcements the day before your annual developer conference... As Sundar Pichai [Google's CEO, Editor's note, see below] pointed out, we advance at our own pace and we think long-term. For us, the real race is the one where we get the best results and develop the technology responsibly. It's about making the technology as useful as possible to society while properly managing the risks. That's the race we want to win. What more do you expect from AI ? AI can accelerate research in genomics, materials science and physics. A great challenge is to see if AI can solve scientific problems that are considered unsolvable or create mathematical theories, I find that exciting ! Mapping neurons Google Connectomics, the branch of Google Research specialized in mapping brain connections, has generated the most detailed 3D reproduction to date of synapses and neurons in a human brain. This structure works notably with the Max Planck Institute and Harvard. In the long run, this tool could help researchers better understand and treat neurological disorders. Modeling proteins Google An artificial intelligence software based on Google's deep learning tools, AlphaFold3 is capable of predicting what a protein will look like from its sequence alone and drawing its 3D structure. It can also predict the structure and interactions of almost all molecules. This tool is already being used by some laboratories to accelerate drug development. Ultra-personalized assistant Imagine an AI that finds your mug, corrects computer code written on a board, or suggests the name of a stuffed animal... These are some of the capabilities of Project Astra, presented at Google I/O, an annual conference reserved for its developers. This new conversational agent in natural language, based on Gemini (see below) and still in prototype stage, relies on videos filmed by your smartphone to provide its responses. Vision. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, has restructured the company's artificial intelligence division. Guillaume Grallet/SP Manyika -Guillaume Grallet/SP The battle intensifies among conversational agents GeminiThe Versatile One Google's generative and multimodal AI service, specialized in deep learning, exists in four sizes, including a Nano version that can run offline on smartphones. PerplexityThe Outsider The little thumb of AI wants to stand out from the industry giants by focusing on the most comprehensive possible research, scientifically credible and with listed sources. Claude The Literary One Claude 3, the new version of the American company Anthropic's chatbot, is now accessible in Europe and offers three power models: Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus. LLaMA The Discreet One Facebook's parent company has just released version 3 of its language model, available in two sizes according to the number of parameters used (up to 70 billion) in its responses. Grok The Rebel Developed at the initiative of Elon Musk and accessible in France, Grok is a generative AI linked to the social network X. With an offbeat tone, the tool is available in "fun" or "classic" mode. ChatGPT The Creative One Unveiled on May 13, the new software from OpenAI amazed users with its capabilities. The chatbot converses and translates in real-time while integrating an emotional dimension into the voice. LIMERICK Chamber has issued a call to action to the Department of Justice, highlighting the urgent need for more visible policing in the city centre. The group, which represents more than 400 business people across the region, has raised concerns over a rise in anti-social behaviour and criminal activity which are making an already challenging business environment yet harder for traders. The Chamber has urged Justice Minister Helen McEntee to intervene, following on from a meeting with her back in October. Chamber chief economist and policy director Sean Golden said: "The safety of residents and the viability of Limerick city centre as a thriving business hub are our top priorities. We have a fantastic relationship with our local gardai, who do a tremendous job under difficult circumstances. However, they need more support from outside Limerick to ensure our city centre is safe and welcoming for everyone." OUT NOW!: Exciting lifestyle magazine for Limerick Mr Golden said Chamber has concerns over the rise in crime bringing "potential long-term damage" to the reputation of the city. "We cannot afford to let the progress we've made be undone by inadequate support from Dublin," Mr Golden added. In addition to policing, Chamber highlighted what it believes is a need for increased social services to address issues related to homelessness and addiction. Chamber also called for expedited processing of Irish Residence Permits by civilian personnel, as current delays are diverting garda resources from essential duties. "We are eager to work with the Department of Justice to find solutions to these critical issues," said Mr. Golden. "The business community and residents of Limerick deserve a safe and vibrant city centre." CLICK NEXT FOR MORE PHOTOS SOME of Europes brightest young engineers were in Limerick for a special summit. The European Young Engineers (EYE) were in the area for their annual conference. It was held in collaboration with the Engineers Ireland Thomond Region, the industry group representing professionals in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. The event in Limerick coincided with the 30th anniversary of EYE, which is an international not-for-profit group representing around half a million young engineers from 20 European nations. Their conference began on Thursday evening with a meet and greet at Dolans Bar in the city centre, where attendees enjoyed live Irish music and traditional dance performances. The next day saw a series of company site visits, starting with the famous ESB power station at Ardnacrusha. The site continues to generate renewable energy through hydroelectric power. Staying in Clare, the engineers headed for Shannon, where they explored Jaguar Land Rover, with staff there designing some of the most advanced forms of transportation. They also visited Atlantic Aviation Group and the Future Mobility Campus Ireland in Shannon, where they learned about innovations in aircraft maintenance, drone navigation, and autonomous vehicles. On Saturday, the conference moved to the newly opened TUS campus at Coonagh, on Limericks northside which specialises in engineering. Speakers included college president Prof Vincent Cunnane, council digital boss Alan Dooley and Wassim Derguech, the founder of Shannons Future Mobility Campus. A gala dinner attended by Mayor Gerald Mitchell at the Limerick Strand Hotel brought things to a close. See our gallery for more pictures. ONE OF the candidates in the race to become Limericks first directly elected mayor says its been the nastiest election shes been a part of. Social Democrats councillor, Elisa ODonovan, says there has been sabotage of candidates. She herself saw the WhatsApp instant messaging service on her mobile phone disabled. It came after people reported her mobile number to be spam to WhatsApp, whose representatives acted to block her from accessing it. She posted about the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter. In response to a user of X who questioned whether it could be sabotage, Cllr ODonovan wrote: Of course. Its been happening throughout this campaign behind the scenes. The nastiest election I have ever been a part of with sabotage of other candidates. Her comments come in a week when the 15 hopefuls to become Limericks first directly elected mayor were under the national spotlight, thanks to an RTE Upfront special, broadcast live from the Lime Tree Theatre at Mary Immaculate College in the city. A spokesperson for the State broadcaster said Monday nights show reached a television audience of 343,000 people. On top of this, almost 5,000 people had streamed the debate online on the RTE Player. READ MORE: Taoiseach hits out at 'disgusting' threats against Limerick mayoral candidate Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris has condemned the actions of those who attempt to intimidate or threaten candidates seeking election to political roles. Mr Harris - whose own home has been targeted in the past - was in Limerick on Sunday to campaign with Fine Gaels mayoral election hopeful, Cllr Daniel Butler. Gardai are investigating harassment directed at the Raheen councillor, who has admitted he had considered pulling out of the mayoral race as a result. I think the threats made against Daniel Butler and his family and his family home are disgusting and an attack on democracy. "I have full solidarity to Daniel, to his family and children, said Mr Harris. How dare these thugs behave in such a fashion, he added. MINISTER for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has announced that Limerick hospitals are to get 310 acute beds, as part of a national plan. The majority will go to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) with 268, while St Johns Hospital in the city centre will get 42 acute beds. This is part of a national plan for 3,352 acute beds - of which 355 are replacement beds. If the hospital beds currently under construction are added into the mix, this means that the total number of new hospital beds to be delivered around the country by 2031 is 4,367. READ MORE: Limerick Leader reporter shortlisted for Justice Media Award Fianna Fail Minister and Limerick TD Niall Collins welcomed the announcement. He said: "In total in the HSE Mid-West area, a total of 156 new beds are planned between 2025 and 2028 and a further 42 are planned between 2028 and 2031, bringing the total to 198. These new beds are much needed in the county and I know they will be of enormous comfort to families in the region. "Delivering healthcare for everyone is a cornerstone of Fianna Fail's approach in government. We are improving access to health services, with reductions in waiting times and waiting lists, lower costs for treatment, more entitlement to free GP services than ever before, and Irelands first ever Womens Health Strategy. "Weve cut the amount of money families need to spend on healthcare, abolished hospital charges, introduced free contraception, reduced monthly medicines bills and rolled out free IVF. "Today's announcement is further evidence that Fianna Fail is committed to tackling the issues we are facing in our healthcare system head-on." Minister Stephen Donnelly said: I initiated and developed this plan as I recognise that we need to increase our bed capacity to meet the healthcare needs of our growing and ageing population. Delivery of this plan will result in the equivalent bed capacity of six large hospitals opening and will be a gamechanger for patients and healthcare workers. Stock Market News USA Stocks - London stocks fall as US yield spike renews rate worries 29-05-2024 01:49 Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk PricewaterhouseCoopers will become the largest customer and first reseller of OpenAIs enterprise product, as part of a new deal the two companies announced Wednesday. PwC said it would roll out ChatGPT Enterprise, the version of ChatGPT aimed at large companies, to its 75,000 U.S. employees and 26,000 U.K. employees, totaling over 100,000 licenses for the artificial intelligence product. Both companies declined to share financial terms of the deal. The accounting and consulting giant last year announced plans to invest $1 billion in generative AI, the technology behind ChatGPT, in its U.S. operations over three years. Wednesdays deal is an evolution of that, said Joe Atkinson, PwC U.S.s vice chair and chief products and technology officer. A PwC spokesperson said the OpenAI agreement is part of the initial $1 billion investment. Over the past year, PwC has focused on teaching its staff how to use AI, building its own AI tools and providing them to clients, and using AI to update its consulting technology platform and operations, Atkinson said. Consulting firms are some of the early winners of the generative AI boom as companies seek help in using the new technology. Accenture, KPMG and Ernst & Young have also invested billions in generative AI to expand their work with clients through the technology. As this continues to evolve, I expect that billion dollars to grow across our network, Atkinson said. But generative AI isnt ubiquitous in business. Most enterprises are cautiously using ittackling uses like automating customer service and summarizing emails with help from vendors or consultants before customizing their own models. Businesses worldwide are expected to spend $1.52 trillion on information technology services this year, up 9.7% from 2023, driven by planning for generative AI, according to market research and consulting firm Gartner. With enterprises falling behind IT service firms in attracting talent in areas like AI, they have spent more IT dollars on consulting than internal staff for the first time, Gartner said. PwC sees using ChatGPT Enterprise as a way to test and apply the technology internally before passing on firsthand learnings to clients. So far, 95% of PwCs U.S. workforce has spent over 360,000 hours on generative AI activities and learning, it said. This is more of an assistant thats available to you than it is a search bar, Atkinson said. PwC also developed a chatbot called ChatPwC, built on OpenAIs GPT-4 model, which more than 100,000 employees are using globally. Employees using tools like ChatPwC have reported a 20% to 40% increase in productivity, it said. Both ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatPwC will be available to employees, Atkinson said, though many will start using ChatGPT Enterprise as it rolls out. For OpenAI, working with PwC represents one of its first efforts in selling its technologies to enterprises with a partner outside of Microsoft, its largest backer. Since the public release of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI has ramped up its enterprise sales, which Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap described as increasing focus on enterprise for us, given the demand that we see. ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Team make up what OpenAI calls its business products. ChatGPT Enterprise is aimed at companies with more than 100 employees and priced based on the number of users. ChatGPT Team is geared toward firms with fewer than 100 employees and costs $30 a month for each user, according to OpenAI. In April, OpenAI said 600,000 individuals pay for its ChatGPT business products, and 92% of Fortune 500 companies are using ChatGPT in some form. The San Francisco-based company said it has a team of about 200 people including sales and technical staff to help directly sell its AI technology to companies. PwC, obviously, has much broader reach, been around longer, so theres real partnership just in their ability to help us look at and go to market, Lightcap said. In training GPT-4o, OpenAIs newest model that can interact with people by voice and better digest images and video, Lightcap said the company responded to feedback from enterprises looking for models that can process images and video as well as text. OpenAI announced a safety and security committee Tuesday after becoming embroiled in a legal battle over its new voice assistant in GPT-4o. OpenAI has also worked with consulting firms including Bain, though its partnership with PwC is the first of its kind, with a reseller component and dedicated investment, the company said. Lightcap said OpenAI will likely work with other partners, but is currently focused on tapping PwCs experience with enterprises and working with it to develop AI solutions for specific industries. So far, PwC has seen the greatest AI adoption among financial services and healthcare firms, plus sectors that rely heavily on customer service, Atkinson said. PwC said it is actively engaged in generative AI with 950 of its top 1,000 U.S. consulting clients. PwC also works with other technology providers like Microsoft, Amazon and Google, which have their own generative AI platforms and tools. The firm will provide objective advice to clients on which AI solutions to use, Atkinson said. By continuing to roll out ChatGPT internally, Atkinson said PwCs goal is to save clients from any of the challenges or scars that we might have. Wall Street Journal owner News Corp has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI. Engineers India Q4 Results Live : Engineers India announced their Q4 results on 28 May, 2024, revealing a decrease in revenue by 8.52% and a decline in profit by 39.25% compared to the same quarter last year. In comparison to the previous quarter, the company saw a 7.2% drop in revenue but a significant 82.36% increase in profit. The Selling, general & administrative expenses showed a 5.8% decrease quarter-on-quarter and a 1.42% increase year-on-year. Operating income witnessed a remarkable 60.41% increase from the previous quarter, but a substantial 58.25% decrease from the same quarter last year. The Earnings Per Share (EPS) for Q4 was reported at 2.05, marking a 39.23% decrease from the previous year. Engineers India's stock performance in the last week resulted in a -2.88% return, while it has delivered impressive returns of 84.57% in the last 6 months and 54.53% year-to-date. The company currently holds a market capitalization of 14891.31 Cr, with a 52-week high/low of 289.9 & 106.25 respectively. Analysts covering Engineers India have provided mixed ratings, with 4 analysts suggesting a Hold rating, 1 analyst recommending a Buy, and 1 analyst advocating for a Strong Buy. The consensus recommendation as of 29 May, 2024, was to Buy the stock. Engineers India Financials Period Q4 Q3 Q-o-Q Growth Q4 Y-o-Y Growth Total Revenue 805.14 867.64 -7.2% 880.1 -8.52% Selling/ General/ Admin Expenses Total 244.91 259.99 -5.8% 241.48 +1.42% Depreciation/ Amortization 10.72 8.46 +26.7% 7.09 +51.19% Total Operating Expense 738.4 826.03 -10.61% 720.26 +2.52% Operating Income 66.74 41.6 +60.41% 159.84 -58.25% Net Income Before Taxes 117.07 71.44 +63.88% 204.28 -42.69% Net Income 115.52 63.35 +82.36% 190.18 -39.25% Diluted Normalized EPS 2.05 1.13 +81.42% 3.37 -39.23% NEW DELHI : Did Indias second-largest maker of electric buses use Chinese parts and wrongfully claim subsidies under the Union governments flagship scheme to promote faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles? One government-accredited vehicle testing agency insists the company wrongly availed subsidies under the FAME scheme, while another says it is compliant with the rules. The ministry of heavy industries has now formed a team for a second probe into the allegations against PMI Electro Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the development. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) in its audit report to the ministry in November said it had found evidence of PMI using imported auto parts in its electric buses, which would make it ineligible to avail subsidies under the FAME scheme. PMI Electro Mobility is likely to have received subsidies to the tune of 500 crore so far under the FAME scheme, as per Mints estimate, considering electric buses typically receive 35-50 lakh as subsidies under the scheme depending on specifications such as length and battery size. PMI has disputed ARAIs findings. The company, in response to Mints queries, said it had received fresh certification for FAME compliance in March from the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT). Both ARAI and ICAT are government-backed vehicle testing agencies and affiliated with the ministry of heavy industries. Now, a formal report is awaited from the ministrys committee, which comprises members from both these agencies, the officials mentioned earlier said, requesting not to be identified. We have asked both the agencies to jointly study the localisation at PMI and the joint report will be considered," said one of them, a senior government official. In response to a query from Mint, PMI said it has not received any communication from MHI in this regard". The ministry, ARAI and ICAT did not respond to requests for comment. Complaints, and an earlier audit The 10,000-crore second phase of the FAME scheme (FAME-II) was designed to promote local manufacturing of electric vehicles in India. To avail the sops, companies had to comply with some strict riders, including on buying parts locally. The scheme was introduced in April 2019 for three years, and later extended up to 31 March, 2024. Also read | FAME-3 is coming; and here is what changes for EVs 0n 23 September, the ministry of heavy industries asked ARAI to examine the FAME-II certification granted to PMI by ICAT on 8 October 2021. Such a certification is necessary for EV makers to avail the subsidy under FAME, and is granted by authorized vehicle testing agencies. This ministry ordered the audit after it received complaints that PMI violated FAME guidelines, ARAI states in its audit report that it submitted to the ministry in November. Mint has seen a copy of this audit report. ARAI executives visited the manufacturing plant of PMI and its key suppliers to inspect their equipment, documents and certificates, the agency stated. From the manufacturing plant visit report, it is amply evident that, as alleged by the complainant, M/s PMI are using imported PMP components... in the manufacturing of their electric buses," ARAI said in its report. PMP refers to the governments Phased Manufacturing Plan that stipulated staggered deadlines for localising key components to continue availing subsidies under the FAME scheme. Also read | Will electric cars miss out on incentives in Fame III? PMI imported parts used in its buses such as traction motor, traction battery modules, DC charging inlet, vehicle control unit, and even basic components such as lighting switches and interior covers, ARAI stated in its audit report. FAME-II eligibility assessment including PMP compliance assessment done by ICAT is not as per CMVR and FAME-II guidelines," it added. CMVR refers to Central Motor Vehicles Rules. ARAI also stated that although PMIs CMVR certificate mentioned that its vehicles used imported components, when the same test vehicle was assessed for FAME compliance, it was reported to have been fitted with indigenous parts and systems. The agency recommended the ministry may take suitable action against M/s PMI, as deemed fit, including de-registration of PMI Electric Bus models under FAME-II." Quite Abrupt" PMI Electro Mobility has denied the allegations. In response to Mints queries, the company said the audit conducted by ARAI was quite abrupt" and did not follow any standard operating procedures. Even to date, we could not understand the reason for the so-called audit and haste in making the report, especially without asking us any query/clarification," a spokesperson for PMI said over email, adding that the company had responded to the ministrys subsequent queries in detail. Post our response, MHI informed us that the report was being kept in abeyance till further notice," the spokesperson said, adding that ICAT had renewed its FAME-II compliance certificate in March. Also read | JSW Group doubles down on EVs with plans for e-buses and e-trucks Over 7,000 electric buses have been sold in India since 2020, as per vehicle registration data. PMI is the second-highest seller in the country, with over 1,400 of its buses plying on Indian roads, lagging only Tata Motors Ltd. FAMEs infamy While the jury is out on whether PMI actually used imported parts, this is not the first instance of such allegations under the FAME scheme. Last year, the government found around seven electric two-wheeler makers wrongfully claiming FAME subsidies and issued recovery notices to the tune of about 500 crore. Experts tracking the sector said policymakers are also to blame. The government set an aggressive timeline for localisation of parts of EVs under the FAME II scheme even before sales could gather enough momentum to support development of a local components ecosystem. Localisation of EV components like PMSM motors is extremely difficult as there is no existing ecosystem in the country, nor are there sufficient volumes to justify the large investments it requires," said Hemal Thakkar, senior practice leader and director of transport, logistics and mobility sector at Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics. Even today, if we have to make PMSM motors in India, magnets will have to be imported largely from China." Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) are high-efficiency motors preferred for use in EVs. These motors require strong permanent magnets as a key component, which to this day are available almost exclusively in China. Also read | Electric vehicle stocks in India get another boost with the EMPS Scheme: Top EV stocks to benefit Now, we are seeing reasonable localisation in two-wheeler components for EVs, but it remains an uphill task to localise components for segments like buses, wherein technological intensity in a few parts is high and they need a high level of expertise, a lot of precision, and involve very small volumes," Thakkar said. The FAME-II scheme ended on 31 March and a new Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024 was rolled out in April for a four-month period. EMPS 2024, with a total outlay of 500 crore, is meant to be a bridge scheme before a successor to FAME-II is formulated. Mumbai: Almost a year after calling off the deal, Amazon.com, Inc has resumed talks to acquire Times Internet-owned cash-strapped video streaming platform MX Player, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Mint . The deal had fallen through last time due to a valuation mismatch after Amazon, the US multinational with interests across e-commerce, streaming, cloud computing to online advertising, conducted due diligence, a process of audit and verification of a potential target company to confirm financial information and all other relevant facts for the OTT service. Times Internet had asked for over $100 million for MX Player, while Amazons internal team had valued it at around 500 crore ($60 million). The value has gone down further, one of the persons said. The two parties have resumed talks and are close to a deal. The valuation has gone down because MX Player is in bad shape. However, the company, which has over 2,500 crore in debt, will have to settle it on its own and Amazon will not take it on its books," said the person. Queries sent to Amazon and MX Player CEO Karan Bedi remained unanswered till press time. Amazon owns a paid subscriber video-on-demand (SVoD) service, Prime Video, as well as an ad-supported OTT service Amazon miniTV in India. Amazon launched miniTV in May 2021 as a free service available within the Amazon shopping app for android phone users, which was later extended to iPhone users as well. Also read: Streaming platforms deepen focus on family dramas as smart TV penetration grows Prime Video targets the higher SECs (socio-economic classes) and is bundled with the Prime subscription, which also gives users access to free shipping on eligible items and ad-free music apart from Prime Video content. However, for miniTV, there is no subscription required and it is targeted at the masses with smartphones and data connections. The addition of MX Player will give a boost to Amazons AVoD (advertiser video-on-demand) business. MX Player was initially developed by a South Korean app developer as a media player for downloaded videos. In 2018, Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL)-owned Times Internet, acquired MX Player for 1,000 crore (around $140 million at that time), to mark its entry into video streaming, after a couple of failed attempts, including BoxTV. MX Player was later relaunched as an ad-supported video streaming app. The biggest advantage the player had, was that it was already present in over 100 million users smartphones and was clocking 50 million daily users at that time. Today, MX Player claims over 300 million users globally. However, the company, which last raised around $111 million in a funding round led by Chinese internet giant Tencent, has not been able to generate enough cash for a while to fund expansion and Times Internet has been selling off some of its businesses. In February last year, the company sold its short-video platform MX Takatak to Temasek-backed ShareChat. In May 2022, Times Internet sold Dineout to Swiggy in a stock deal, while later in December it sold lifestyle publicationsMensXP and iDivaand an influencer marketing firm Hypp to Mensa Brands. In December, a new company registered in Michigan: American Lidar. Its planned home would be an easy drive from the big three U.S. automakers. The company behind American Lidar, and not mentioned in its registration, is China-based lidar maker Hesai Group, which the U.S. has labeled a security concern. It is a familiar playbook: a company facing regulatory or reputational problems sets up a subsidiary or affiliate with a different name. Chinese firms trying to buffer themselves from Washingtons anti-China policies are rebranding and creating U.S.-domiciled businesses to sell their wares as the Biden administration expands the government entity lists that restrict Chinese companies business dealings in the U.S., say policymakers and national-security experts. The blacklisting has also created opportunities for American entrepreneurs who want to work with Chinese companies that are popular with U.S. consumers. Chinese firms take a blow but then adjust business strategy and are able to move in another direction," said Derek Scissors, a former commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. TikTok spent years trying to distance itself from its China-based parent, ByteDance, by establishing a U.S. headquarters and exploring ways to rebrand in America. Despite the moves, the video app faces a possible ban under a new law. TikTok has sued the U.S. government, accusing it of violating First Amendment rights. Chinese companies efforts to shift production, rebrand as American or set up subsidiaries with new names are legal, lawyers say. Still, such moves irritate regulators who cant enforce laws when it isnt clear who is behind a company. As the U.S. government turns to blacklists as a means of identifying problematic Chinese companies and as a means for imposing restrictions, the shell game is going to intensify," said a House of Representatives aide researching Chinese companies in the U.S. A Massachusetts affiliate of Chinese biotech company BGI Group recently rebranded, striking BGI" from its name. SZ DJI Technology, the worlds largest drone maker, struck a deal with an American startup to sell drones in the U.S. ahead of a possible ban. Years ago, Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies set up an American subsidiary, Futurewei, ahead of U.S. sanctions on the company. Lidar debate Lidar maker Hesai became a target in the U.S.-China tech trade war after allegations that its laser sensors, which are important to the U.S. auto industry and military, could be used to collect sensitive American data. Lidar allows cars to recognize their surrounding environment, enabling features such as lane keeping and automatic braking. A month after it set up American Lidar to be its manufacturing facility in the U.S. heartland, Hesai was added to the Defense Department list that designates companies as Chinese military entities operating in the U.S. Its stock fell 30% in a day after the list was published and hasnt recovered. Almost one-fifth of Hesais revenue comes from the U.S. The Pentagons designation prohibits the U.S. military from buying Hesai products. Automakers and other private companies can remain buyers. Hesai says its lidars dont pose a threat because they cant store or transmit images wirelessly. A Hesai spokeswoman said the name American Lidar was a placeholder, but the company wanted to communicate that the products would be made and sold in the U.S. Hesai has since paused plans for the American Lidar facility, blaming the fallout from being labeled a Chinese military entity. Hesai filed a lawsuit this month against the Defense Department, asserting it should be removed from the list because it has no affiliation with any military and isnt controlled by the Chinese government. BGI Genomics, part of Chinas BGI Group, was added to the Pentagons list of Chinese military companies in 2022. A year ago, one of its subsidiaries in Massachusetts changed its name to Innomics from BGI Americas. In an April statement, a congressional select committee said the name change was an attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny" and asked the Pentagon to add Innomics to its Chinese military-entity list. BGI Group said it doesnt do work for the military and its subsidiaries in the U.S. dont have access to Americans personal data. Innomics said it doesnt belong on the Pentagons list because it has no connection with the Chinese military and no operations in China. National-security experts and lawyers say singling out individual Chinese companies invites rebranding and obfuscation. You should not be sanctioning individual firms, you should be sanctioning technology sectors," said Scissors, the former commissioner who is also a senior fellow at the think tank American Enterprise Institute, which advocates for assertive policies to deal with China. A business opportunity A new proposed ban from Congress targets Chinese drone maker DJI. The legislation is, in effect, a broad prohibition on the use of DJI drones by consumers as well as governments. The U.S. has warned that DJI might be sending data from its drones to Beijing and that its drones aid in human-rights abuses in China. DJI says these allegations are false. For Randall Warnas, the proposed bill presented an opportunity. Early last year, he struck a deal with DJI to license its technology for at least two drone models and sell them in the U.S. through a new startup, Anzu Robotics. Warnas is an American citizen and Utah resident who previously worked for DJI and Autel Robotics, another large Chinese drone maker. Warnas said he got the blueprints from DJI for a licensing fee. He hired a manufacturer in Malaysia to assemble the drones. Anzus drones use DJI software. Warnas said his startup answers concerns about data-sharing with Beijing by storing data from the drones in the U.S. The whole intention was to comply with the United States request to not have Chinese drones operating in the U.S.," he said. Some in Washington are worried that DJI is using the deal to get around sanctions. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), an architect of the bill to ban DJI drones, called it a desperate attempt." DJI and all of its shell companies will be held accountable," she said. DJI said it gets frequent requests for collaboration, including licensing agreements, that allow it to continue making its drones widely available to users. Write to Heather Somerville at heather.somerville@wsj.com Goldman Sachs Asset Managements alternative investment platform raised more than $20 billion for senior direct lending in its latest fund targeting private-equity backed global businesses. The fund, West Street Loan Partners V, is the latest in a series of flagship large-cap senior direct lending vehicles for Goldman Sachs Alternatives, the asset manager said Wednesday. Loan Partners V is managed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives private-credit business. We think the addressable market is growing," said James Reynolds, the asset managers global head of direct lending. This is the largest dry powder there has been in private equity. So we think this is an excellent backdrop to create attractive opportunities." Goldman Sachs has already invested $4 billion across 37 portfolio companies from the fund since the fundraise began. Loan Partners V closed with $13.1 billion in total capital raised from existing and new investors, as well as commitments from Goldman Sachs and its employees. The asset manager also closed on more than $7 billion in large-cap senior direct lending managed accounts and $550 million of co-investment vehicles. Institutional investors include U.S. and international pension plans, insurance companies and sovereign-wealth funds. The previous Loan Partners fund raised roughly $7 billion. The fundraise comes amid a significant opportunity in senior direct lending, driven by an expected pickup in merger-and-acquisition activity as private-equity dry powder is at a record high and sponsors seek to return capital to investors, Goldman Sachs said. Were starting to see, over the last few quarters, a pickup in M&A activity," Reynolds said. And thats across all our regions. Thats across North America, Western Europe as well as Asia." This backdrop creates what Goldman Sachs sees as an attractive opportunity for alternative direct lending sources that can provide size, structural flexibility and certainty of execution to borrowers, according to a company news release. Goldman Sachs Alternatives private-credit business was launched in 1996 and has invested $185 billion since its inception across investment strategies, including senior direct lending, mezzanine, hybrid capital and asset finance. Write to Isaac Taylor at isaac.taylor@wsj.com Amid the ongoing protest by hundreds of Indian students against a change in the provincial laws related to immigration in Canadas Prince Edward Island (PEI) province, some students have threatened to go on a dry hunger strike. A dry hunger strike usually means people do not ingest liquids, which accelerates the danger to their health more than if they stop taking in solid food. Due to changes in provincial laws, hundreds of Indian students are facing deportation from Canada. The protesting Indian students have been on a hunger strike for the past four days. Their stir began on May 9. During the agitation, 60 protestors carrying posters and banners demonstrated in front of the Colest Building at the PEI legislature. Jaspreet Singh Sivia, one of the protesters, has blamed the government for disrupting the lives of people who were already in the process of getting permanent residency (PR) in Canada, reported CBC. There have been no actions taken. It looks like the government has become deaf, said Sivia. Two Indian students also testified against the policy on immigration cuts in Prince Edward Island's Parliament. The protesting students are mulling to intensify their stir if the government refuses to accept their demands. Demands of Indian students The affected Indian students claimed that their opportunities were being taken away. The Indian students are demanding that those who came before July 2023 should be exempted from the immigration cuts. Around 50 Indian students had already left Canada because of the new immigration rules, CBC reported citing an Indian student. Rupinder Pal Singh, one of the protesting students, told CBC that some people were harassing the Indian students by throwing glasses and cans at them and throwing water while they were asleep. According to Canadian news portal True North, Rupinderpal Singh said that as an immigrant, he had to suffer even after he had spent three times more on his education in Canada than Canadian students. And my friends who work here paid $2500 for the same course. For two semesters. How fit is that sir? This is where I come from. This is what I paid extra. How interesting is that, Rupinderpal Singh said. Altogether, I paid around $30,000 for my tuition. For the same schooling fee, a person born and raised in Canada paid around $10,000, Singh said. An extra $20,000 for the same thing, and still suffering. How unfair is that? PEIs new laws Recently, the Prince Edward Island government announced its decision to slash the number of workers for permanent residency from around 2,100 to 1,600 in 2024. It also decided to cut the number of people from other nations who have been nominated for permanent residency in Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The number of nominees will also be slashed by 25 per cent this year. Lok Sabha elections 2024: After a video of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's aide VK Pandian grabbing his trembling hand during an election rally went viral, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the BJP would inquire into the reason behind the BJD chief's deteriorating health. Addressing an election rally in Odisha, PM Modi said, If the BJP forms the government in Odisha after the ongoing assembly elections, it would constitute a committee to ascertain the reason behind the deterioration of Patnaik's health." Also read: Odisha me pehali baar double engine ki sarkar: PM Modi expresses confidence of thumping victory in state The prime minister also questioned if there was a conspiracy behind Patnaik's deteriorating health. Is there any conspiracy behind the deterioration of CM Naveen Patnaik's health? Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for the sudden deterioration of his health condition? PM Modi asked. The 77-year-old CM's hand has been trembling for at least five years now. However, what stood out in the video was how Pandian grabbed Patnaik's trembling hand and tried to conceal it. Also read: No use remembering Odisha during elections..: Naveen Patnaik, attacks Modi on language, culture and election promises PM Modi said, "Entire Odisha wants an Odia chief minister," likely in reference to Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu. "People of Odisha have decided to put a full stop to the 25-year rule of the BJD in the state," he added. Who is VK Pandian? VK Pandian was born in Tamil Nadu, studied in Delhi, and started his career as a Punjab cadre IAS officer. However, after marrying an Odia woman, he shifted to the Odisha cadre. He is considered Patnaik's heir. The BJP has been calling him an "outsider" in Odisha's politics. Also read: PM Modi throws unique challenge at Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik: Name all district and their capitals without. BJP attacks Pandian over viral video BJP, once an ally of Biju Janata Dal, has been attacking its leader VK Pandian ever since the video surfaced online and has claimed that his act was symbolic of his power grab. BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter), and said, This is a deeply distressing video. Shri VK Pandian ji even controlled the hand movements of Shri Naveen Babu. I shudder to imagine the level of control a retired ex-bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu is currently exercising over the future of Odisha! Also read: Naveen Patnaik will take oath as Odisha CM for 6th term on June 9, says VK Pandian after PM Modi's expiry day remark Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell head, suggested that Patnaik's tenure should gracefully end due to his "current indisposition". "Naveen Patnaik ji had a memorable tenure as Chief Minister. But now he is indisposed. It is, however, unfortunate how he is being pushed to keep up a facade. Odisha realises it. A graceful farewell to the veteran politician and BJD, in these elections, would be a befitting tribute," Malviya wrote on X. Also read: PM Modi interview: Tsunami of Jan Samarthan for BJP seats to significantly increase in West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala Naveen Patnaik reacts to BJP's claims In a video message, Naveen Pataink hit back at the BJP and called their claims mere distraction. The BJD supremo distinctively put up his left hand (the same hand) on the podium, before making his statement. "I believe the BJP, which is known to make the non issues to issues are discussing my hands," Naveen Patnaik said on Tuesday. Iran keeps making substantial progress in its brisk walk to an atomic weapon, a United Nations report leaked Monday suggests, and what are they going to tell us nextthat theres gambling at Ricks? Yet the Biden Administration wants to hide this scary truth from the world in this election year. An International Atomic Energy Agency report has concluded that Iran has increased its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium to 142.1 kilogramsan increase of 20.6 kilograms since the IAEAs last estimate in February. This will be enough for three warheads once Iran completes the technologically straightforward process of enriching its hoard to 90% from 60%. We say will" rather than would" since there isnt serious dispute that Iran intends to join the nuclear-weapons club. But one does need to include the caveat that this is only the enriched uranium the rest of the world knows about. Tehran for years has thwarted the IAEAs best efforts to fully inspect the nuclear program the mullahs insist they dont haveone of the great flaws in Barack Obamas misbegotten 2015 nuclear deal. Youd think the U.S. would want the IAEA news to be released to pressure the regime. But the Journal reports that the Biden Administration has asked European allies to avoid censuring Iran for these violations of the 2015 pact when the IAEA board meets in June. Tehrans nuclear progress has become so alarming it worries France and the United Kingdom, which were enthusiastic participants in the Obama negotiations. But the Administration wants to disguise the truth in order not to provoke Iran by challenging the mullahs on their nuclear program. The White House doesnt want another new international crisis before the November election. But what is it that the U.S. fears? That Iran unbound could arm Hamas and Hezbollah to launch genocidal attacks on Israel, or could launch its first-ever direct missile strike against that American ally? That Tehran could arm the Houthi fighters in Yemen as they disrupt global shipping through the Red Sea? Or that the mullahs could send missiles and drones to Russia for use in Ukraine? Or give Shiite militias the green light to attack U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq and Jordan? Iran has already done all of that in the last year, nuclear censure or no. Downplaying Irans nuclear progress doesnt make the problem go away. President Biden claimed to be better at foreign policy than Donald Trump, who withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, a pact that faced consistent, bipartisan opposition in Congress. But Mr. Bidens strategy, if you can call it that, is to let Tehran escalate, escalate and escalate, and then appease, appease and appease. The significance of the IAEAs latest report is that while Mr. Biden stalls until November, Tehran wont. Expect the pace of enrichment to continue. The next Administration, whether led by Mr. Biden or someone else, will inherit an emboldened Iran with more enriched uranium on hand. One of the Obama pacts most serious flaws was that it left Tehran free to sprint to a bomb when the deal expired. Thanks to the Biden Administration, the mullahs may now not even need to break a sweat as President Biden allows them to trot toward a nuclear weapon at a pace of their choosing. Irans regime is richer than it was when Mr. Biden took office and stopped enforcing sanctions; more aggressive than it was as Mr. Biden has failed to respond to its terrorism; and much closer to having a nuclear weapon. Its hard to imagine a more complete policy failure. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Indias rulemaking body on global trade, deferred new norms on permissible wastage for jewellery and gem exports to July 31, after a prominent industry body argued that the new norms would hurt micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said it held an ad-hoc meeting with the DGFT to defer the enforcement of new norms on wastage in the export of gold, silver, and platinum products, Indias third-largest export commodity. The revised norms would have a disproportionate impact on MSMEs, which account for 85% of jewellery exporters, the GJEPC said. Suggestions sought The DGFT has given stakeholders time till 31 July to provide more suggestions on Standard Input Output Norms (SION). The government announced a change in policy on 27 May after consultations with the industry in March this year on the subject. Soon after, the DGFT said it had put the new norms on hold till industry stakeholders proposed changes to SION. By putting the revised wastage norms on hold till 31 July to provide detailed inputs on wastage in various jewellery categories, DGFT through its immediate action, has avoided an immediate standstill of exports, said Vipul Shah, chairman, GJEPC. Rise in jewellery exports Jewellery exports, which make up nearly 16% of Indias outgoing trade, have risen in the first three months of 2024, according to the ministry of commerce and industry data. Despite this growth, Indias jewellery exports in FY24 fell marginally compared with the last fiscal year. Also Read: Golds complicated move, and the rising appeal of silver The DGFT will now wait till 31 July to tighten wastage norms. In its 27 May amendment to export policy, the government reduced the wastage limit on gold and platinum jewellery to 0.5% from 2.5% and on silver jewellery to 0.75% from 3.2%. This means artisans working on export-quality items will need to cut down on the wastage of precious metals. Meanwhile, wastage limits on jewellery manufactured by the mechanical process were reduced to 0.2% from 0.9%. The government has also reduced the wastage limits on gold and gold-studded idols and coins made of precious metals. The Standard Input Output Norms in the existing jewellery export policy says the wastage limit is 2% for objects that are not mentioned in the rules, and if manufacturers need to extend it, the DGFT will decide on it on a case-by-case basis. Stakeholders have to come up with changes to this rule before 31 July. Shares of Brigade Enterprises, one of Indias leading property developers, jumped 8.66% to reach a historic peak of 1,331.45 apiece in early morning trading today, driven by the company's robust performance for Q4 and the full fiscal year (FY24). On Tuesday, the company reported a 233% surge in its consolidated profit to 210 crore for the March quarter as compared to a net profit of 63 crore in the same period last year. Its revenue from operations soared to 1762 crore, an improvement of 100% compared to 872 crore in Q4 FY24. Also Read: Concord Biotech share price surges 20% as Kotak upgrades the stock to an add The company achieved a pre-sales volume of approximately 2.72 million square feet in Q4 FY24, representing 61% growth over Q3 FY24. The sales value reached 2,243 crore in Q4 FY24, marking a 47% increase from Q3 FY24. Currently, there are ongoing projects covering 21 million square feet, with 1.82 million square feet launched during Q4 FY24. Collections during the March quarter stood at 1,838 crore as compared to 1,463 crore in Q4 FY23. During the 202324 fiscal year, Brigade Enterprises' net profit rose to 451.61 crore from 291.41 crore the previous year. Revenue from operations increased to 5,064.15 crore from 3,563.21 crore in the 202223 fiscal year. The average realization stood at 7,968 per square foot during FY24, a 23% increase over FY23. Also Read: IRCTC share price declines 5% post Q4 results on tepid net profit growth In FY24, the real estate business registered revenues of 3,662 crore, a 51% increase over FY23. The leasing vertical grew by 25% over FY23, with revenues of 938 crore and an overall occupancy rate of 97%. The hospitality portfolio grew by 18% over FY23, generating revenues of 464 crore, with an occupancy rate of 72% and an average room rate (ARR) of 6,483 during FY24. Total collections stood at 5,915 crore, reflecting a 9% growth over FY23. Net cash flow from operations was 1,575 crore. Commenting on the groups performance, Pavitra Shankar, Managing Director, Brigade Group, said, All verticals of the company contributed significantly to our growth in FY24 on the back of robust demand. Upcoming projects The company holds a total land bank of 519 acres, with 66% located in Bangalore. Other major cities with land holdings include Chennai, Hyderabad, Mysuru, Gujarat, and Kochi. The total value of this land amounts to 3,343 crore. In the next four quarters, the company plans to launch approximately 12.61 million square feet of new projects. This includes 11 residential projects in Bangalore, 3 residential projects in Chennai, 1 residential project in Hyderabad, and 1 residential project in Mysore, as per the company's Q4 investors presentation. The Board of Directors has recommended a final dividend of 2 per equity share (20%) of 10 each for the financial year 202324. Shares of Campus Activewear surged almost 14 percent in intra-day deals on Wednesday after the company reported strong earnings for the quarter ended March 2024 (Q4FY24). In the March quarter, the company posted a 42.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) jump in its net profit at 32.7 crore as against 23 crore in the same period last year. Meanwhile, its revenue rose 4.6 percent YoY to 364 crore versus 345 crore in the year-ago period. Sequentially, the company's net profit grew 31.5 percent from 24.9 crore in the December 2023 quarter (Q3FY24) whereas revenue fell 23 percent QoQ from 471 crore in Q3FY24 due to seasonality effect. Read here: Paytm clarifies Vijay Shekhar Sharma is not selling stake to Adani; stock up 5% On the operating front, EBITDA rose 16 percent YoY to 66.4 crore in Q4FY24 as compared to 57.1 crore in Q4FY23. It was up 15.3 percent sequentially. EBITDA margin also increased to 18.3 percent in the quarter under review from 16.4 percent in the year-ago period and 12.2 percent in the December quarter. The stock rose as much as 13.7 percent to its day's high of 284.45. Post today's rally, the stock has now advanced 33.6 percent from its 52-week low of 212.80, hit on March 28, 2024. Meanwhile, its is still over 17 percent away from its 52-week high of 344, hit on May 30, 2023. Read here: IRCTC share price declines 5% post Q4 results a net profit misses estimates The stock has shed 30 percent in the last 1 year and is up 1.6 percent in 2024 YTD. It has risen over 14 percent in May so far, extending gains after an over 15 percent jump in April. However, it was in the red in the first 3 months of the year, down 12 percent in March and February each; and 1.5 percent in January 2024. For the full financial year 2023-24 (FY24), the company's net profit declined 23.7 percent to 89.4 crore versus 117 crore in FY23. Meanwhile, its revenue also fell 2.4 percent to 1,448.3 crore from 1,484.2 crore in FY23. Read here: Stock Market: What sectors will benefit from monsoon 2024? "We would like to perceive FY24 as a transitionary year. Campus Activewear made a strong comeback in H2FY24 with a vigoured focus on trade distribution and new launches. The Company was successful in grabbing customers mindshare and wallet shares from its prudent investment in the brand for its R&D-enabled products. Campus Activewear continued to expand its geographical footprint in FY24. The Company added 66 stores in Western, Southern, and Eastern states of India taking the total EBOs to 250+ during the year. Despite of the challenging business environment, we remained committed to strengthening our balance sheet. The Company repaid its borrowing of INR 156 Crore in FY24, thereby achieving net-debt-free status during FY24. Additionally, we have made significant improvement in our working capital days from 108 days in FY23 to 79 days in FY24 led by lower inventory and conscious trimming of receivable days," said Campus Activewears CEO Nikhil Agarwal. Read here: Sagar Doshi of Nuvama recommends these three stocks today Post the earnings release, brokerage house Motilal Oswal has retained its buy call on the stock with a target price of 295, implying an upside of 17 percent. " Our channel checks depict: 1) prolonged macro headwinds, particularly in the value segment, in the northern belt, as evident from the performances of all players, and 2) increased competitive intensity as other players are offering low-ASP products and high channel commissions, which have led to distributor churn. Campuss premiumization strategy, focusing on the INR1,000-2,000 ASP segment, could see headwinds in the current weak environment, where we see down-trading across discretionary categories. The ongoing weak environment, coupled with the churn in distributors and decline in O2O business partners, has hurt revenue growth. However, soft growth in the TD channel offset the O2O/B2B business declines. Elevated SG&A expense will be a headwind for EBITDA margin improvement," it said. Read here: Concord Biotech share price surges 20%; Kotak upgrades the stock to an add The brokerage broadly maintained its estimates, factoring in 14%/35% revenue/PAT CAGR over FY24-26. The stock has corrected sharply; however, Campuss strong market position and a long runway for growth should result in market recovery in 2HFY25E. Lok Sabha election-related nervousness has kept the Indian stock market on a bumpy track over the last few weeks, and experts believe this trend may continue until the election outcome on June 4. On Wednesday, May 29, Indian stock market benchmarks fell almost a per cent each in intraday trade as investors remained in the 'wait-and-watch' mode. Nifty 50 has been in the negative since last Friday. The index hit its all-time high of 23,110.80 on Monday, May 27, but succumbed to profit booking at higher levels due to fragile underlying sentiment in the run-up to the election outcome. Volatility index India VIX has surged 90 per cent in May so far. Experts say that although the market remains hopeful for the return of the BJP-led NDA, investors are keen to see whether the alliance will secure a sufficient majority to continue policy reforms and to execute policy decisions confidently. "The nervousness in the market continues with uncertainty regarding the election results. An important sustaining trend during this uncertain phase is the continuous buying by DIIs (domestic institutional investors), which has reached around 45,000 crore so far this month. This can be interpreted as reflecting the expectation of political stability after the election results. However, it appears that retail and HNIs are in a wait-and-watch mode," said Dr V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services. The market is expected to remain volatile for the next few days. However, experts still see opportunities across sectors as they recommend buying quality stocks on dips. Here are six stocks that experts believe can give healthy double-digit returns in the next 1-3 months. Take a look: Expert: Ruchit Jain, Lead Research, 5paisa.com Exide Industries | Last traded price (LTP): 509.80 | Target price: 585 | Stop loss: 440 | Upside potential: 15% The stock has been forming a higher top and higher bottom structure and is in an uptrend. In the recent move, the volumes were much higher than the average and low during the correction. The RSI oscillator is hinting at continuing this trend, and hence, traders can look for buying opportunities in this stock. "Positional traders can buy around the current market price of 494 and look to add on any dips towards 475 for potential targets of 550 and 585. The stop loss on long positions should be placed below 440," said Jain. Mphasis | LTP: 2,399.25 | Target price: 2750 | Stop loss: 2270 | Upside potential: 15% IT stocks have gone through a corrective phase over the last few months, and Mphasis has seen a price-wise correction along with the sector. However, the stock recently formed a strong support base of around 2,200 and has given a breakout from a falling wedge pattern, usually seen at the end of the corrective phase. The volumes have started picking up gradually, and the RSI oscillator on the daily and weekly charts hints at positive momentum. "Positional traders can buy the stock around the current market price of 2,440 and add on any dips towards 2,370 for potential targets of 2,600 and 2,750. The stop loss on long positions should be placed below 2,270," said Jain. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) | LTP: 157.05 | Target price: 198 | Stop loss: 145 | Upside potential: 26% The stock has broken out from its consolidation phase, supported by good volumes. The RSI oscillator is positive and hints at bullish momentum. The 40 DEMA at 146 is good short-term support, and until prices are trading above this average, it has the potential to rally higher. "Positional traders can look to buy the stock in the range of 164-160 for a potential target of 198. The stop loss on long positions should be placed below 145," Jain said. Expert: Milan Vaishnav, CMT, MSTA, the founder and technical analyst of Gemstone Equity Research and ChartWizard FZE TCS | LTP: 3,840 | Target price: 4,500 | Stop loss: 3,600 | Upside potential: 17% The stock staged a multi-year breakout when it moved past 3,975 level early this year. However, it is seen consolidating following a retracement. The IT space is currently underperforming the broader markets on relative terms. However, it is seen improving its relative momentum. "Over the coming months, the stock, which has support at 3,600 level, can test all-time highs. The levels of 4,400--4,500 can be expected," said Vaishnav. ITC | LTP: 428.90 | Target price: 490 | Stop loss: 400 | Upside potential: 14% The stock is currently seen resisting its 200-DMA. On the weekly charts, it is seen resisting its 50-week moving average after coming from its high point and forming a lower top. The FMCG space has shown a strong spike in its relative momentum against the broader Nifty 500 index. The markets are expected to see traditionally defensive space doing well over the coming months. "ITC, which has support at 400, can rise and test 461 and 490 levels over the coming weeks," said Vaishnav. HDFC Bank | LTP: 1,530.50 | Target price: 1,760 | Stop loss: 1,490 | Upside potential: 15% The stock has been in a broad trading range for the last few years. Apart from forming an incremental high in July last year, the stock has practically stayed in a trading range without achieving a breakout. On the weekly charts, the stock has managed to hold a 200-week moving average and is currently resisting its 50-and 100-day moving averages. It is showing improvement in its relative strength; this may well continue over the coming months. "With support in the 1,470-1,490 range, the stock is well poised to go above 1,725-1,760 levels over the coming months," said Vaishnav. Read all market-related news here In the realm of stock investing, the trajectory of shares is far from linear, as various factors ranging from global economic shifts to domestic policy changes and regulatory updates can swiftly influence stock prices. Even the most promising stocks are not immune to fluctuations, potentially leading to periods of decline followed by the possibility of sustaining such trends in the ensuing months. Despite fluctuations in the market, the shares of Cummins India, one of the leading power solution providers, have consistently exhibited a robust upward trajectory. Out of the last 24 months, the stock has only recorded losses in five, and those losses were minor. During this period, the shares have grown from 1,030 apiece to the current market price of 3,834 apiece, resulting in massive gains of 272%. In the current year so far, the stock jumped 95.25%, the largest yearly gain since 2009. Additionally, the stock is trading 1270% higher compared to its 2020 low of 280 per share. On May 18, it reached a new all-time high of 3,895 per share. Cummins India is a leading manufacturer of diesel and natural gas engines. The company is engaged in the business of manufacturing, trading, and selling engines and allied activities. It presently operates in three business segments: engines, power systems, and distribution. The demand across all segments continues to show strength. Specifically, the power generation segment is receiving support from data centers, commercial real estate, residential real estate, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors. Analysts anticipate that these demand drivers will persist as there has been an increase in data center capacity, as well as in the launch of residential and commercial projects over the past three years. In the industrial segment, demand is bolstered by the government's ongoing focus on infrastructure development. Additionally, in the distribution segment, increased service offerings, enhanced penetration across different cities and segments, and reconditioning offerings are contributing to demand growth, according to analysts. The company sold 3,000 CPCB IV+ gensets during 3QFY24 in regions where stringent emission norms are in place. With the implementation of CPCB IV+ norms in July 2024, analysts expect a better price recovery for CPCB IV+ products. In mid-April, Japanese brokerage firm Nomura expressed optimism regarding India's capital goods companies, projecting that they would sustain their positive earnings momentum. Nomura cited the confluence of government and private capital expenditures as a key factor contributing to this outlook. According to Nomura, private investment is on the rise, with momentum building, and this uptick is further supported by a surge in the business assessment index, indicative of improved demand conditions. Also Read: Why is Indian market breaking record highs in May despite FPI outflows? For the quarter ending in December, the company reported strong financial results, surpassing analysts' estimates. The profit after tax (PAT) surged 26% year-on-year to 455 crore. Revenue from operations for the quarter reached 2,502 crore, marking a 17% increase compared to the same quarter last year and a 34% rise compared to the previous quarter. PNB Housing Finance, a registered housing finance company with the National Housing Bank (NHB), saw its shares tumble 8.12% in today's intraday trade, hitting a 2-week low of 724.55 apiece. This downturn in shares came after 6.96 million shares, or 2.68% of the total equity of the company, changed hands in a block deal window today, according to a CNBC-TV18 report. The buyers and sellers, however, were not known immediately. Earlier, CNBC-TV18 reported that General Atlantic Singapore Fund FII Pte Ltd. and Asia Opportunities V (Mauritius) Limited would sell shares worth 500 crore in PNB Housing Finance in a block deal on Wednesday. The floor price for the block deal was fixed at 717 per share, which represents a 9% discount to Tuesday's closing price of the stock, according to the report. According to Trendlyne's shareholding data, General Atlantic Singapore Fund FII Pte Ltd. held a 9.82% stake in the company and has maintained a stake above 9% consistently since June 2018. Asia Opportunities V (Mauritius) owned a 9.88% stake in the company as of Q4 FY24. General shareholders held the largest stake in the company at 40%, while Punjab National Bank held a 28.1% stake at the end of the March quarter. The company's shares have been on a downward spiral since hitting a six-year high of 913.95 in January. Considering the current market price, they are down 19% from that peak. Looking at the company's financials, it reported a 57% improvement in net profit during Q4, driven by steady demand for home loans and a decline in bad loans. For FY24, profit after tax increased by 44% year-over-year (YoY), reaching 1,508 crore compared to 1,046 crore. Disbursements during FY2324 grew by 17% YoY to 17,583 crore. For Q4 FY2324, disbursements stood at 5,574 crore, marking an increase of 24% YoY and 35% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ). Assets Under Management (AUM) grew by 7% YoY and 4% QoQ to 71,243 crore as of March 31, 2024. Retail loan assets grew by 14% YoY to INR 63,306 crore as of March 31, 2024, comprising 97% of the total loan assets. Rating upgrades On Monday, CRISIL upgraded the company's long-term debt instruments and bank facilities to 'CRISIL AA+/Stable' from 'CRISIL AA/Positive.' The rating for the short-term bank facilities and debt instruments was reaffirmed at 'CRISIL A1+.' CRISIL stated that the rating upgrade reflects the company's improving profitability and asset quality metrics. The company's strong capitalisation and increased granularity, with most of the legacy portfolio having been provided for, also support its overall credit profile. Earlier, CARE Ratings upgraded PNB Housing's rating to 'AA+' from 'AA,' with a 'stable' outlook, changing from the previous 'positive' outlook. Similarly, ICRA raised PNB Housing Finance's debt instrument rating to 'ICRA AA+ (Stable)' from 'ICRA AA (Positive).' Like CRISIL, ICRA attributed the upgrade to consistent enhancements in the company's credit profile, driven by improvements in asset quality metrics and a strengthened capitalisation profile. In the highly competitive mortgage finance sector, ICRA emphasised the importance of PNB Housing's ability to sustain its net interest margin, enhance operational efficiency, and manage credit costs effectively from a credit standpoint. Schneider Electric Infrastructure, a prominent player in the heavy electric equipment industry, has seen its shares hit the 5% lower circuit limit for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday. During this period, the shares have fallen from 916 apiece to the current level of 746.30, marking an 18.52% decline. This recent drop has also led the stock to correct 22% from its recent all-time high of 954.35. The downturn followed the company's Q4 earnings, which failed to meet market expectations. Despite the recent sell-off, the stock boasts a multibagger return of 215% in the past year and an impressive 611% over the last five years, showcasing its consistent performance. The company on May 23 released its March quarter numbers, reporting a 92.7% decline in the net profit to 3.28 crore, primarily due to a sharp increase in operating expenses, which rose to 398.54 crore from 349.55 crore in Q4 FY23. Additionally, finance costs jumped to 32.38 crore from 14.34 crore in Q4 FY23. Revenue from operations for the quarter increased by 15% YoY, reaching 471.75 crore from 410.51 crore. Despite the quarterly setback, the company's net profit for the full fiscal year (FY24) improved to 172 crore from 124 crore in FY23, while revenue from operations rose to 2,207 crore from 1,777 crore, according to the company's Q4 investor presentation. Earlier, global brokerage firm Goldman Sachs maintained a cautious outlook on the stock, citing the sharp rise in share value in recent years. The brokerage initiated a 'Sell' rating on the stock, setting a 12-month target price of 470 apiece, due to perceived expensive valuations. However, the brokerage remains optimistic about the company's future prospects, believing it will benefit significantly from the Indian government's Revamped Distribution System Scheme (RDSS), which is part of power distribution sector reforms. With expectations of driving a US$37 billion capital expenditure (capex) in distribution system expansion and strengthening over the next five years, the RDSS holds immense potential. Currently, projects worth US$14 billion have been sanctioned under the scheme, the brokerage said. Also Read: PE ratio ineffective for valuing certain sectors and stocks in India: Kotak Meanwhile, over the weekend, Capgemini and Schneider Electric announced a new collaboration focused on energy optimisation. Schneider Electric, headquartered in India, specialises in power distribution, manufacturing, designing, and servicing advanced products and systems for electricity distribution. These include distribution transformers, medium voltage switchgear, protection relays, and various electricity distribution and automation equipment. Tata Steel, on Wednesday, announced that the board has recommended a final dividend of 3.60 per share of face value 1 each along with fourth quarter financial results. Recommended a dividend of 3.60 per Ordinary (Equity) Share of face value 1/- each (360%) to the shareholders of the Company for FY2023-24, the company said in an exchange filing. The dividend announced is subject to shareholders approval. The dividend recommended by the Board of Directors of the Company is subject to the approval of the shareholders at the ensuing Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Company scheduled to be held on Monday, July 15, 2024, it added. If approved by the shareholders at the AGM, the dividend will be paid subject to deduction of applicable tax at source, on and from Friday, July 19, 2024. The company has set July 21, 2024 as the record date of the final dividend. Pursuant to Regulation 42 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Board has fixed Friday, June 21, 2024, as the Record Date for determining the Members entitled to receive the dividend for the financial year ended March 31, 2024, it said. Tata Steel Q4 results Tata Steel, on Wednesday, announced a 64 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit for the quarter ending March 2024, amounting to 611 crore, down from 1,705 crore in the same quarter the previous year. This profit figure was below D-Street's estimate of 991 crore. Additionally, the revenue from operations for the reporting quarter decreased by 7 per cent year-on-year to 58,687 crore. The company's board has approved a proposal to inject up to $2.11 billion ( 17,407.50 crore) into its wholly owned foreign subsidiary, T Steel Holdings Pte Ltd, by subscribing to equity shares in one or more tranches during FY25. Stock Market Today: Tata Steel share price having risen more than 60% in the year is also trading near 52 week high of 177.70 , it scaled on 27 May. The investor confidence on Tata Steel Share Price remains high looking at strong domestic demand and rising commodity prices, with China demand also expected to rebound. The Tata Steel Share Price however remains in spotlight ahead of Q4 results today. Tata Steel share price was trading 0.5% lower at 174.05 on a day when benchmark indices also was down more than 0.6%. Tata Steel performance in the quarter ending March 2024 is expected to see the impact of soft domestic steel prices, even as volume growth stays strong. The rising coal prices and iron-ore price is also likely to have some bearing on the operating performance and more on the European operations Strong Volume growth Tata Steel domestic sales volume as per the provisional data released by the company, at 5.41 million tonne (mt) at standalone level are likely to grow more than 5% over 5.15 mt in the year ago quarter and 10% sequentially. Domestic Steel production at 5.38 mt also improved well over 5.15 mt in the year-ago quarter and 5.35 mt sequentially. Tata Steel Europe for its Netherland operations has seen sales volume at 1.40 mt improving over 1.3mt in the previous quarter, though is lower than 1.48 mt in the year ago quarter. Tata Steel UK sales volume at 0.69 mt, also are likely to improve slightly from 0.64mt in the December quarter and 0.76mt in the year ago quarter. Lower steel prices to limit revenue growth The steel price in the country however decline 4-5% sequentially for flat and long steel products as per analysts. Analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities say that they expect standalone steel realizations to decrease by 3% sequentially ( up 0.2% year-on-year) led by lower domestic prices during the quarter. Kotak analysts expect Tata Steel standalone revenues to decline 6.1% sequentially though rise 6.9% year-on-year. Analysts at Phillip Capital also estimate Tata Steel standalone revenues at 37,281 crore to rise only 7.5% sequentially despite almost 11% rise in sale volume sequentially. On year on year basis revenue may rise 8.8%. Profitability may decline The Earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation at 7601.2 crore as per PhillipCapital estimates is expected to decline 7.9% sequentially and 6.5% year-on- year for the domestic operations. The Ebitda per tonne thereby as per PhillipCapital estimates is expected to decline 16.9% sequentially and 13% year-on year to 14,050. Analysts at Kotak also expect India Ebitda per ton to decrease by 15% sequentially (15% yoy) to 14,319 mainly led by lower realizations, partially offset by operating leverage. The coking coal costs is expected to rise by $ 15-25 a tonne sequentially as per PhillipCapital estimates , whereas the iron ore prices have increased by 400-450 a tonne. European losses to decline Tata Steel Europe revenues at $2,532 million as per PhillipCapital estimates are likely to rise 16% sequentially though still down 5.5% yoy. Ebitda loss at $182 million is expected to almost half from $335 million in the previous quarter and $ 200 million in the year ago quarter as per their estimates. Key monitorable Management commentary on European operations is critical a per analysts Also analysts will be watchful on the Management guidance on annual Selling price and Cost of Production across geographies. Capex timeline will also be a key monitorable. In addition analyst await an update on the Blast Furnace status in the Netherlands Kamal Kishore Khosla, a middle-class man residing in Delhi, invests the hard-earned savings from his provident fund account to buy land on the outskirts of the national capital. Later, when he visits the site to plan the construction of a new house, he is greeted by a wall. The struggle he faces to get back his property is the plot of the 2006 Anupam Kher-starrer, Khosla ka Ghosla . In real life, too, its not uncommon to uncover issues related to properties after youve seemingly made a rightful purchase. Sometimes a property is sold twice, to different parties, or the title deed is not clear, or relatives might come into the picture. In fact, National Crime Records Bureau data shows that more than 7,000 such cases relating to land issues were recorded in India in 2022 alone. View Full Image Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj Such problems can get compounded when buying land in an area youre less familiar with, say, for example, someplace 200km from where youre staying. Youre greatly increasing the chances of your getting cheated as well. Amrit Kabra, a 30-year-old chartered accountant residing with his family in Kolkata, invested in property in Bengalurus Whitefield area. To avoid the usual legal hassles, he used an easy fix. His family applied for a loan of 25 lakh from HDFC Bank even though they were ready to pay the full amount upfront. The logic was simple: banks do their due diligence on the property before sanctioning a loan, and he would get to know of any pending issues beforehand. He also structured the loan such that he could claim the maximum tax deductions on the home loan. Even if you dont need to, you can get a small loan so that the headache is lifted," said Kabra, who now lives in Mumbai. To be sure, while the family eventually didnt end up taking the loan as the bank wanted a personal guarantee, it had done its due diligence and was willing to sanction the loan, thereby assuring Kabra that there were no pending litigation issues. The property was bought in the name of the family office along with other associates. Swapnil Gholap, 37, did something similar. He wanted a bigger house for his family and so bought land in Maharashtra, for which he took a 50 lakh loan in 2015. Rather than you running for due diligence, the banks can help you understand if there is any pending issue with the plot," said Gholap. But is that enough? Banks have their incentives, say experts. Apart from due diligence, they also need to worry about meeting their loan targets in a cut-throat industry. This makes them more willing to issue loans if the basic requirements are met. After all, the onus of paying the equated monthly installments (EMIs) remains on the borrower even if the property goes into contention. Banks want to catch borrowers as they need to fulfill their targets," said a public sector banker, requesting anonymity. No one wants to reject a loan if the basic due diligence is met, given they dont already have too many pending loans." Not foolproof Rahul Lakshmanan took a loan from a public sector bank in 2018 to buy an under-construction apartment in Mumbai. After getting the loan, it turned out there was an issue with the land ownership and the buyers did not receive the occupation certificates. Although the land was registered in the builders name, the government had marked the land as reserved for playgrounds. Next, the governing body for the area changed from a jila parishad to a municipality. The matter of the land ownership is now pending before the high court, while Lakshmanan has to keep repaying the loan. I am not very optimistic about ever getting the apartment," said Lakshmanan. I think the bank saw that the land was registered in the developers name and hence did not foresee an issue." Kunal Sharma, a partner at Singhania & Co, said an advocate should ensure that the building plan is approved by the local municipal corporation per the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, or RERA. Even if a bank conducts its due diligence through its lawyers, the need to get an independent advocate is indispensable," he added. The banks primary concern at the time of undertaking due diligence would be to secure the loan repayment. Therefore, the scope of the banks advocate while undertaking it would be limited to minimizing the banks risk and ensuring that the property serves as adequate collateral, whereas an independent advocate will undertake legal due diligence with the primary intent of securing their clients interest. Therefore, an independent advocates scope of work will be much wider, and it will focus on ensuring there is a clear title, the property is free from encumbrances, and there are no legal issues that could impact your ownership in the future." Finding a good advocate Vidhan Vyas, the founder of Vyas Legal, said buyers can approach lawyers in the local/district courts whose offices are on the premises of the sub-registrar, adding that they are well-versed with land records and have their connections in the registry to help sort out any issues. Any land dispute would be instituted in the court of the local jurisdiction, and they would know about it. For commercial properties, its advisable to get the services of a law firm as the matter can get complicated." Vyas added that if you are buying an apartment from a builder, you can check the developers registration and details on the RERA website. If youre buying land on the outskirts or in a small district, you can check with the local municipal corporation or the relevant authority and ask for documents like utility bills. The lawyers can then easily do their due diligence based on the documents. That said, the due diligence ultimately depends on the kind of land and for what purpose. Each one will have their unique requirement," said Vyas. In terms of costs for doing simple due diligence on a home or an apartment in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), Vyas says the typical charge would be 40,000 to 50,000. He added that it varies from lawyer to lawyer, and from place to place. Chennai and Mumbai might be 20% cheaper, but it depends on case to case." Penny-wise, pound-foolish Buying a house is a once-in-a-lifetime exercise for many, and usually takes up the bulk of ones savings. Trying to save money by not taking an independent advocate and relying on the bank for due diligence is not advisable. Although banks do their checks, taking extra precautions is advisable as the amount involved in real estate transactions can be huge. Dont miss out on the big picture to save on the little costs. To borrow a phrase from the 17th century Oxford scholar Robert Burton in his book The Anatomy of Melancholy: avoid being penny-wise, pound-foolish. (Adds more details, FAA comment) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - Boeing said on Wednesday it was making progress on developing a permanent solution to address an issue with the 737 MAX engine anti-ice system that has delayed certification of the smallest model, the MAX 7 and the largest, the MAX 10. The issue with the anti-ice system could lead to it overheating and potentially causing an engine failure. A source told Reuters that Boeing plans to conduct flight testing on the anti-ice fix later this year and said certification of the MAX 7 could slip to mid-2025. Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said in January the anti-ice fix could be addressed "within a year." Boeing has 35 MAX 7 and MAX 10 planes in inventory. Boeing, under scrutiny over its safety record after the mid-air blowout of a cabin panel on a MAX 9, in January withdrew a request it filed with the Federal Aviation Administration last year seeking an exemption from a safety standard for the MAX 7 over the issue, which pushed potential certification into 2025. The Air Current, an aviation trade publication, reported earlier on Wednesday that the fix Boeing has settled on will result in delaying certification of the MAX 7 and 10 deep into 2025 at the earliest. The FAA, which has repeatedly declined to put any timetable on approval, said on Wednesday it "will thoroughly review any design Boeing submits." Senator Tammy Duckworth in January had urged Boeing to abandon the exemption request, saying the issue could "cause the engine nacelle to break apart and fall off. This could generate fuselage-penetrating debris, which could endanger passengers in window seats behind the wing." Boeing said there have been no safety incidents observed in service stemming from overheating in the engine inlet. The planemaker issued guidance to airlines last June to follow established procedures when using the MAX's engine anti-ice system to address potential overheating, and the FAA last August mandated the existing procedure to turn off the engine anti-ice system when it is no longer needed. Southwest Airlines, the MAX 7's biggest buyer, said in January it no longer expected to take deliveries of the model this year. Boeing has said it must first win approval from the FAA for the MAX 7 before it can get the larger, better-selling MAX 10 certified. (Bloomberg) -- The veteran MP Diane Abbott has had the Labour Party whip restored after it was suspended over a racism controversy, though it is unclear whether she will be allowed to stand for the party at the upcoming general election. Abbott, the first black woman elected to Parliament, has been sitting as an independent MP in the House of Commons since last year after writing a letter in the Observer newspaper that appeared to downplay the racism faced by Jewish people, for which she had the whip removed. The whip has now been restored, a person familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The treatment of Abbott is a difficult issue for Labour leader Keir Starmer given her popularity on the left of the party and with grassroots activists, yet she is also a close ally of former leader Jeremy Corbyn from whom Starmer has tried to distance himself and his leadership. The Times newspaper reported late Tuesday that Abbott will not be allowed to stand at the upcoming general election on July 4 despite her having the whip restored, citing unidentified Labour sources. Labour and Abbott did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Times report. If Abbott is not allowed to stand, Starmer risks a blowback from her backers within the party, an internal rift that would be an unwelcome distraction from the election campaign. Labour currently enjoys a strong poll lead over the governing Tories, in part because Starmer has so far managed to maintain party unity. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Bloomberg) -- The European Central Bank is set to take the unprecedented step of imposing fines on several lenders for their protracted failure to address the impact of climate change. As many as four lenders face penalties after not meeting deadlines set by the ECB for assessing their exposure to climate risks, according to people familiar with the matter. The amounts arent final yet and may be largely symbolic, the people said, who asked not to be named as the move isnt public. A spokeswoman for the ECB, which directly oversees more than 100 banks, declined to comment. The imposition of fines still marks an unusually harsh step toward forcing banks to comply with the ECBs views on how they should manage climate risks. The move comes after years of pressure, with former banking supervision head Andrea Enria stating in a September interview with Bloomberg that the ECB would resort to such sanctions as an alternative to higher capital requirements. Read More: Top ECB Bank Watchdog Outlines Biggest Revamp Yet as Tenure Ends The fines rack up every day and can amount to as much as 5% of a lenders daily average revenue. For a bank with annual revenue of 10 billion ($10.9 billion), for example, that would suggest daily penalties of as much as 1.4 million in the toughest scenario, although the actual fines imposed may be much smaller. The banks singled out for penalties are now accruing daily fines for as long as the deficiencies persist, the people said. Mitigating factors may be taken into account as well, meaning some fines could be reduced or even negated, said one of the people. The ECB has repeatedly warned that lenders arent doing enough to prepare for the fallout of extreme weather shocks on asset values, or the risk that clients with big carbon footprints might go out of business. The watchdog has said it initially threatened 18 banks with penalties, implying that ECB pressure is leading to results for most firms. European regulations require banks to assess whether they are or will be exposed to material risks, and that they reflect that in their capital reserves. The ECB has said lenders typically need to understand all the relevant drivers of climate and environmental-related risk and how these are affected given their exposures. The rigor with which the ECB is pushing banks to manage their climate risk stands in contrast to the approach taken by the Federal Reserve, with Chairman Jerome Powell saying the Fed has narrow, but important, responsibilities regarding climate-related financial risks. Banks in Europe have warned that the schism in regulatory environments risks putting them at a competitive disadvantage to their US peers. Read More: Fed Blocks Tough Global Climate Rules for Wall Street Banks Frank Elderson, a member of the ECBs Executive Board, has shown little inclination to slow down European efforts on climate. In a May 8 blog post, he wrote that a materiality assessment is not just a nice to have knowing your risks is a precondition for being able to address them. While some banks have started to set aside capital to cover climate-related risks and improved their risk management, Elderson listed several deficiencies, including: More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com In a shocking incident reported on Tuesday from Agra, a woman was killed after she jumped on the railway track and was hit by a train. The 38-year-old woman, identified as Rani, jumped onto the railway track to scare her live-in partner. The incident occurred around 11:08 pm on Monday at the Raja Ki Mandi railway station in Agra. Before the incident, Rani had a heated argument with her live-in partner, Kishore. Both partners argued over Kishores drinking habits, and as the verbal fight escalated, Rani threatened to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train. During the argument, Rani led Kishore to Raja Ki Mandi railway station, where they both sat on chairs at platform No 2. Later, in a dramatic turn of events, the woman jumped on the railway tracks and threatened to commit suicide. She did not see the Kerala Express train coming on the tracks in time and, while trying to climb back onto the platform, got stuck between the train and the platform. Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel immediately swung into action, pulled Rani out from under the train, and rushed her to SN Medical College, where she succumbed to her injuries during the treatment. Her body had been sent for a post-mortem. Rani was in a relationship with Kishore for more than a year. According to an India Today report, Inspector Samar Bahadur, in charge of the GRP Cantonment, said that Kishore told them that Rani had a troubled past, including the death of her ex-husband due to his excessive drinking habits. As of now, no formal complaint has been lodged, but further action will be taken once a complaint is received, Inspector Bahadur said, as per the report. Rani had three sons from her previous marriage. Intense storms with damaging winds and heavy rain since Monday evening in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal have killed 27 people in various areas in Mizoram, including Melthum, Hlimen, Falkawn, and Salem Veng, within the state capital, Aizawl, officials said on Tuesday. According to the Directorate of Information, Public Relations (DIPR), Mizoram, 27 bodies have been found so far as search and rescue operations continue, with State Disaster Response Force personnel teaming up with Melthum Local Council and YMA. Many of the victims lost their lives in landslides. "The death toll may rise further as rescue works continue, said an official. As reported by PTI, Chief Minister Lalduhoma has announced a 15 crore allocation to the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and extended 4 lakh as ex-gratia for the deceased. The CM, along with DM&R Minister K Sapdanga, will provide 2 lakh to the families of the deceased in Hlimen, with the remainder to be disbursed later, following SDRF guidelines. Both officials, accompanied by government representatives, were present at Melthum to assess the situation firsthand. Power and Electricity (P&E) and Public Health Engineering (PHE) departments have issued notices stating that electricity and water supply will be disrupted until further notice as landslides and floods have damaged electric lines and water pumps. According to reports from Mizoram DIPR, the cyclone's toll stands at 14 fatalities in Melthum, four in Hlimen, three in Salem, two each in Falkawn and Aibawk, and one each in Lungsei and Kelsih areas within Aizawl district, ANI reported. The cyclone crossed Bangladesh on the night of May 26 and caused a deep depression. On Tuesday, it crossed Meghalaya's Shillong and Jowai regions and is gradually weakening. Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha is trying to ensure that people get all the help they need from the administration. The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) regional centre in Guwahati has predicted widespread light to moderate rainfall across Mizoram on Wednesday. Additionally, isolated areas in the hill state may experience thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph speeds. In response to the weather advisory, the Mizoram government has instructed closing all offices and public sector units on Wednesday, except for those engaged in disaster management and essential services. Meanwhile, the Aizawl Deputy Commissioner reported that over 50 families were relocated to safer locations. The overflowing Tlawng river inundated their homes at Sairang village, approximately 21 km from Aizawl. Furthermore, in the aftermath of cyclone Remal, around 150 houses have been demolished, numerous trees and electric poles uprooted, several roads blocked, and over 50 residential units submerged across Mizoram, leaving a path of destruction. More than 40 have been cancelled after wagons of a goods train derailed at Palghar in Maharashtra, the Western Railway said on Wednesday. These trains are Dahanu Road-Panvel-Vasai Road, Vasai Road-Panvel-Vasai Road and Vasai Road-Panvel-Dahanu Road train. Dahanu Road-Panvel-Vasai Road, Vasai Road-Panvel-Vasai Road and Vasai Road-Panvel-Dahanu Road trains are fully cancelled after wagons of a goods train derailed at Palghar. The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted, the Western Railway said. The West Railways also said, Due to the derailment, some trains have been affected along this route, with 41 trains being cancelled while 18 trains were partially cancelled 9 trains diverted and 22 trains rescheduled till now. Mumbai Suburban locals to and from Dahanu Road have been cancelled till 12 noon. The upline of the affected Mumbai-Surat section at Palghar Yard will be restored soon, it added. Several trains, including Mumbai Central - Amritsar and Bandra Terminus - Delhi Sarai Rohilla, have also been rescheduled due to derailment at Palghar. Due to the derailment of a goods train at Palghar, the following trains have been rescheduled: Train No. 12925 Mumbai Central - Amritsar (Date: 29.05.2024)New Departure Time: 13:25 hrs Original Departure Time: 11:25 hrs; Train No. 22949 Bandra Terminus - Delhi Sarai Rohilla (Date: 29.05.2024)New Departure Time: 13:30 hrs Original Departure Time: 12:15 hrs, the railways said. Goods train derailed near Palghar Seven wagons of a goods train derailed at Palghar railway station in Maharashtra on Tuesday evening, affecting the traffic of Mumbai-bound trains coming from Gujarat, a railway spokesperson said as quoted by PTI. He said the incident occurred around 5.10 pm and no casualties were reported. The goods train, which had 43 wagons and carried iron coils, was heading to Karambeli in Gujarat from Visakhapatnam. Due to the impact of the derailed wagons and coils, the tracks and overhead equipment suffered major damage, and the full restoration of traffic on the busy Mumbai-Delhi trunk route was likely to take several hours, railway sources added. The traffic of both long-distance and the Western Railway's suburban trains in the Mumbai region was affected, causing inconvenience to thousands of commuters. The 12936 Surat-Mumbai Intercity train was terminated at Vapi, while 16505 Gandhidham-SBC (KSR Bengaluru) Express, 12432 Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express and 19260 Bhavnagar-Kochuveli Express were diverted via Surat- Udhna- Jalgaon-Kalyan route on Tuesday. Helpline numbers The DRM-Mumbai Central also issued an helpline numbers. For Vapi, 02267649545 is the helpline number and that of Surat are 02267641204 and 02612401797. Check other helpline numbers here: Valsad: 02632241903 Udhna: 02267641801 Virar: 02267639025 Palghar: 02267649706 Vapi: 02602462341 Surat: 02612401797 Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's use of the word "alleged" to describe the 1962 Indo-China war sparked a political debate on Tuesday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it a "brazen attempt at revisionism." Aiyar, speaking at an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Delhi on Tuesday evening, was quoted narrating an anecdote, saying, In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India. However, he later apologised for using alleged in a brief statement. I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word 'alleged' before 'Chinese invasion' at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening. BJP leader Amit Malviya slammed the Congress over Aiyar's remarks. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Malviya wrote, Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehru's First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as 'alleged'. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism. Nehru gave up India's claim on a permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, he said. "based on them, Sonia Gandhi's UPA opened up the Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs, and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory. What explains Congress's love for the Chinese? the BJP leader asked. Responding to the BJP's criticism, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Aiyar had subsequently apologised "unreservedly" for using the term "alleged invasion" mistakenly. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of giving the Chinese a clean chit for their incursions in May 2020. "Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term "alleged invasion" mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology," he wrote on the microblogging site. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed, he said. The Pune Porsche crash case, in which a 17-year-old boy killed two young motorcycle-borne engineers while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, has been making headlines since the incident on May 19. New developments continue to emerge in this hit-and-run case. Here are the top updates on the case. 1) In Maharashtra, the Woman and Child Development Department formed a five-person committee on Wednesday, May 29, to investigate whether the Juvenile Justice Board (JJ Board) members followed the correct legal procedures when granting bail to the teenager involved in the car accident case. 2) The JJB granted bail to the teenager hours after the incident. It also asked him to write a 300-word essay on road accidents, an order that drew an onslaught of criticism. 3) The committee has been appointed and has started its work. A report is expected next week, and once the report is submitted, I will also make a remark on this and submit it to the Maharashtra government for further action, said Prashant Narnawre, Commissioner of the Women and Child Development Department in Pune, as quoted by ANI. 4) The Crime Branch Unit of Pune Police, which is investigating the high-profile case, continued questioning the two doctors arrested in connection with the case. The district court has ordered both doctors to remain in police custody until May 30. 5) Pune police on May 27 arrested the doctors, Dr Ajay Taware, HOD of the forensic medicine department, and Chief Medical Officer Dr Srihari Halnor, along with another staff member, Atul Ghatkamble. The trio was arrested for manipulating blood samples taken from the minor accused after the incident at Sassoon Hospital. 6) Another three-member committee appointed by Medical Education Commissioner Rajiv Nivatkar on May 27and chaired by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of Grant Medical College and JJ Group of Hospitals, is conducting an inquiry into the alleged manipulation of the juvenile driver's blood samples. On Monday, police claimed the juvenile's blood samples were discarded and replaced with another person's samples, which showed no traces of alcohol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview that nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi earlier, and it was only after the release of the movie 'Gandhi' that the world became curious about him. In an interview with ABP News on May 29, PM Modi said, "In the last 75 years, wasn't it our responsibility to make Mahatma Gandhi known across the world? Forgive me, but nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi. The curiosity about him grew in the world after 'Gandhi' film was first made." "The role of this nation was if the world knows Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, Gandhiji was no less than them. Gandhi and India should have been given importance through Gandhi," the Prime Minister said. 'Gandhi' film released in 1982 Gandhi, the biographical movie based on the journey of the Father of the nation, the was released in 1982. The film spans 56 out of Gandhi's 79 years. The movie captures the "life of the lawyer [Gandhi] who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of non-violent protest". 'Gandhi' won eight Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards in 1983. Film director Richard Attenborough also won BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Best Direction. The historical epic remains BAFTA's most nominated film with 16 nominations, of which it won five. He received a BAFTA Fellowship in 1983. Was Gandhi not known before 1982? In 1953, Gandhi was the subject of the American feature documentary 'Mahatma Gandhi: 20th Century Prophet'. In 1937, A. K. Chettiar started work on the documentary, IMDB said. In 1963, British-American thriller-drama film 'Nine Hours to Rama' was released. It was directed by Mark Robson. The story follows a "fictional narrative" of Nathuram Godse's plan to kill Mahatma Gandhi. In 1968, a documentary titled 'Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 18691948' was made on the life of Gandhi was directed by Vithalbhai Jhaveri. Some famous and old statues of Gandhi across world 1. A Gandhi World Peace Memorial was built in 1950 inside Lake Shrine, California, USA, by the spiritual retreat's founder Paramahansa Yogananda. It was reportedly the "first monument in the world to be erected in honour of Mahatma Gandhi". It comprised a thousand-year-old Chinese sarcophagus, in which, a portion of Gandhi's ashes are kept in a brass-silver coffer. 2. One of the oldest statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Europe is located in Park Marie Josee in the Commune of Molenbeek in Brussels houses. The statue, sculpted by the renowned Belgian artist Rene Cliquet, was installed in 1969 to mark the 100th Birth Anniversary of Gandhiji, as per the information on the website of Indian Embassy in Belgium. 3. A statue of "UCL alumnus" Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in Tavistock Square in London on May 17, 1968, by then Prime Minister Harold Wilson. According to the UCLA website, the statue, by British sculptor Fredda Brilliant, was gifted to London by the Indian High Commissioner in Britain in 1967 and unveiled by Wilson. 4. A statue of Gandhi was constructed close to the source of the Nile, in Jinga, Uganda in Africa, to mark his death and legacy. According to reports, in 1948, part of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were divided up to be scatter in several of the world's great rivers, including the Nile in Uganda. The memorial stands near that place. The bust was installed in 1997. (Bloomberg) -- The new CEO of Brazils Petrobras tried to soothe investor concerns about ramping up investments during her first public appearance at the helm of Latin Americas biggest oil producer. Magda Chambriard was formally appointed to the role last week at a time of growing unease from investors about government intervention in Petroleo Brasileiro SA. Her predecessor was fired due to a dispute over the amount of dividends the company paid instead of using the money for investments. Petrobras is perfectly capable of guaranteeing returns for its shareholders, whether private or governmental, Chambriard said Monday in her first public comments as CEO. I understand we need to make a profit. Investors appeared to welcome the tone set by the new company chief. Petrobrass preferred shares rallied at the market open in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, rising as much as 1.9%. In many ways, she hinted at a similar strategy to the one followed in recent years, where economic coherence will prevail, Banco BTG Pactual SA analyst Pedro Soares wrote in a note to clients. However, our upbeat stance on the name is based on the companys ability to continue distributing bulky dividends. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made it clear that he would like state-controlled Petrobras to spend more money on expanding in sectors including refining and creating jobs. The government controls the oil producers board through a majority of voting shares. Under Lula, Petrobras has already shifted from the previous administrations focus on streamlining operations to cut costs. The company has called off a program to sell a group of refineries and may even buy back some of the facilities that were sold under previous management. Read More: Petrobras Approves Chambriard as CEO to Ramp Up Investment Chambriard a former head of Brazils oil regulator said the company needed to accelerate exploration off Brazils coast, including the Pelotas Basin and a region known as the equatorial margin near the border with French Guiana. She has criticized licensing delays for drilling at an environmentally sensitive site in the equatorial margin, saying they are leaving the nation without a source of growth after its top-oil producing basin, the pre-salt, declines. We have to be very careful with replenishing reserves, unless we want to accept the fact that we could become importers again, she said. Read More: Petrobras CEO Faces Showdown Over Amazon Oil: Energy Daily On domestic fuel costs, Chambriard said that Petrobras will continue to work to shield consumers from short-term dips and swings in oil prices. After Lula took office in 2023, Petrobras changed its pricing policy to focus more on production costs rather than international price levels. What is most undesirable? Bringing price instability to the Brazilian society each day, she said. Petrobras has always ensured stability. --With assistance from Beatriz Amat and Leda Alvim. (Adds market reaction, analyst comment and additional Chambriard comments from fourth paragraph.) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Updates with road to bill passage in paragraphs 1, 18-20; adds comments in paragraphs 14-15, 21, 22) By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK, May 29 (Reuters) - New York state lawmakers have only a few days before the legislative session ends for the year, and with no committee meetings left the fate of a controversial debt restructuring bill is now in the hands of the legislature leadership. Hundreds of billions of dollars in bond contracts globally are on the line. Below are facts about the proposal and potential ramifications. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Unlike corporations or individuals, countries cannot declare bankruptcy and the current process of a debt restructuring can be costly both in time and money. The proposed bill looks to "provide effective mechanisms for restructuring sovereign and subnational debt" and the rewrite of this state law would retroactively affect sovereign debt contracts and its holders across the world. A stronger, yet simpler international architecture for restructurings is needed, proof of which are attempts put together over the past decades by various stakeholders, most recently the Group of 20's Common Framework for Debt Treatments. The International Monetary Fund recently endorsed a key reform to promote its own "capacity to support countries undertaking debt restructurings." The bill was repeatedly discussed during last month's meetings of the IMF and World Bank, with some stakeholders concerned about the implications of its eventual passage. THE BILL'S INTENT The bill aims to strengthen "the role of New York State as a primary location for the issuing and trading of sovereign debt." It also looks to discourage creditor holdouts - sometimes called vulture funds - by limiting their protection in state courts. If enacted, it would empower countries eligible for debt relief initiatives to opt between a set mechanism for restructuring or a process that would limit bondholders' claims to those the United States would receive if it were a bilateral lender. THE CONTROVERSY While proponents and their backers see the bill as a straightforward way to skirt the complications of debt restructurings, its detractors say unintended consequences will make it even costlier for poor countries to borrow. Trang Nguyen, London-based global head of emerging markets credit strategy at BNP Paribas, said earlier this month that upending the sovereign debt architecture without the input of the IMF, the Paris Club and others could be "quite detrimental." "There is significant value in limiting how much a creditor can collect in a legal proceeding against a low-income country participating in a consensual debt-workout process," said in a blog post for the World Bank Lee Buchheit, who in 2012 led the legal teams advising Greece in the largest sovereign debt restructuring to date. "The goal of the law should be to link the maximum permissible amount to the amounts recovered by other creditors under the Common Framework," he added, noting that the current bill is "light on detail" and too broad. The bill could also trigger legal challenges and lead to the migration of sovereign debt away from New York to other jurisdictions according to law firm Cleary Gottlieb, which has advised both sovereigns and creditors in debt restructurings. WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE BILL Usually, a bill is initially discussed in committee, a small group of lawmakers in both the State Senate and Assembly. If passed, it would be separately discussed and voted by the full chambers. With the state legislature, however, closing on June 6, committees will not meet again this year. The only way for it to proceed now is for the leadership in both chambers to take it out of committee, and put it to a floor discussion and vote. The office of Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The office of State Senator Gustavo Rivera, the bill's sponsor, said he was "working with the Senate Majority's leadership and stakeholders on potential movement for the bill." Shashi Tharoor, the eloquent Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, responded on Tuesday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commendation of filmmaker Payal Kapadia's victory at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. He urged the BJP-ruled Centre to withdraw the case against Payal Kapadia and fellow FTII students protesting against the governments arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman. The Congress leader, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), said, "Modi ji, if India is proud of her, should your government not immediately #WithdrawTheCases against her and fellow FTII students protesting against your governments arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman?" Also read: Cannes 2024: Payal Kapadia becomes first Indian to clinch Grand Prix award for All We Imagine as Light PM Modi took to X to appreciate Payal Kapadia's achievement, which marks the first Indian entry in the festival's main competition in 30 years. She was awarded the coveted Grand Prix for her debut feature film All We Imagine as Light. PM Modi's post dated May 26 read, India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work All We Imagine as Light. He added, An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers. Also read: Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light is 1st Indian film to win at Cannes in 30 years; internet says proud moment' Payal Kapadia, the first Indian filmmaker to win Grand Prix and a former film direction student at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from 2015 to 2018, faces legal challenges along with other fellow classmates after they staged protests in 2015 to oppose actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhans appointment as the president of FTII. This agitation at FTIIs Law College Road campus in Pune marked one of the longest protests, spanning 139 days, in FTIIs history. Thirty-five students, including Payal Kapadia, who boycotted classes and all other academic activities, have their next hearing in Pune Sessions court on June 26. Students were also charged with rioting and wrongful confinement of the institutes then-director, Prashant Pathrabe, in his office. (Bloomberg) -- The finance industry met a key target to process US securities trades faster on the first day of new one-day settlement rules, although there were some delays to overnight systems. Some 92.76% of transactions were affirmed a mandatory step before settlement by 9 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. data published Wednesday showed. That surpasses the DTCCs target of 90%, a level it has said is necessary to maintain market efficiency and help avoid an increase in failed trades as the settlement cycle is halved from two days to one. The results are an early indication that the industry has sped up its processes to conform with the new Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Yet the transition to whats known as T 1 which is intended to reduce risk in the financial system hasnt been without the teething problems some analysts predicted from a major overhaul of Wall Streets financial plumbing. There were processing delays to some of DTCCs overnight systems. Those issues have been resolved and we are processing transactions normally, a DTCC spokesperson said in response to Bloomberg News questions. Financial firms across the globe have been preparing for the shift to T 1 for months by relocating staff, adjusting shifts and overhauling work flows. Company officials have said they are confident in their own readiness, though some expressed anxiety over whether every other counterparty and intermediary is similarly organized. The SEC said last week the transition may lead to a short-term uptick in settlement fails and challenges to a small segment of market participants. Read More: Wall Street Returns to T 1 Stock Trading After a Century Some evidence of firms preparations may be playing out in money markets. Funding pressure in US repo trading was heavier than expected on Tuesday, which might reflect heightened precautionary demand for liquidity in the transition to T 1 settlement, Wrightson ICAP economist Lou Crandall wrote in a note. While the DTCC affirmation data is encouraging, challenges remain. Wednesday is a so-called double settlement day, when T 2 trades from Friday and Tuesdays first batch of T 1 trades need to complete at the same time. Thats a challenge for trade-processing teams, though its a well-flagged risk they have been war-gaming for months. The DTCC has been conducting regular industry tests since last year, some of which have examined firms ability to handle a double-settlement day. After that, theres MSCI Inc.s index rebalancing at the end of the week, when funds around the world tracking its gauges will be shuffling holdings at the same time. We are encouraged by the feedback from the industry, said Tom Price, managing director and head of technology, operations, and business continuity for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. The transition is moving forward. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com (Adds ICI comments, DTCC issues) By Carolina Mandl and Davide Barbuscia NEW YORK, May 29 (Reuters) - The transition to a faster trade settlement cycle in the U.S. has so far gone smoothly, according to market participants and new data on Wednesday. On Tuesday, U.S. trading of equities, corporate and municipal bonds and other securities moved to a one-day securities settlement cycle (T 1) from two days (T 2), to comply with a rule change adopted last February by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (Sifma) said it was optimistic about the progress of the transition to faster trade settlement, while the Investment Company Institute said in a statement that "all T 1 implementation activities have been completed and appear to be operating normally." "The first day of trading under T 1 settlement went smoothly," said William Coleman, head of U.S. ETF Capital Markets at Vanguard. "While there may be some increased risk of failed trades as firms continue to adjust to the new settlement regime, we expect most trades will settle successfully today." An early indication came from data on trade affirmations - or when trade participants verify and agree on the trade details. The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation said that as of Tuesday evening the rate of total trades being affirmed was 92.76%, higher than Friday's 89.59%. The higher the affirmation rate is, the more likely trades are to be successfully settled. Settlement is the process of transferring securities or funds from one party to another after a trade has been agreed. It takes place after clearing and is handled by the Depository Trust Company, a subsidiary of DTCC. Still, Stephane Ritz, a managing principal at consultancy Capco, said there were delays overnight in processing and preparing some trades for settlement at the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a subsidiary of the DTCC. Ritz said that the issue had been addressed and orders had now caught up. "There's no true real impactful issue there ... they addressed the issue on a very timely fashion," said Ritz. DTCC did not immediately comment on the matter. The shift to a faster settlement in the world's largest financial market is aimed at making market infrastructure more resilient, but it has put investors and regulators on alert for increased trade failures and other hiccups. Wall Street is undergoing its first big test on Wednesday, when trades executed last Friday, when T 2 was still in place, and trades from Tuesday, the first day of T 1, are being settled. This is expected to lead to a rise in volume. Market participants expect to see an increase in trade failure as the industry adjusts to the faster settlement cycle. Research firm ValueExchange said on average market participants expect the fail rate to increase to 4.1% after T 1 implementation, from 2.9%. The U.S. follows Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Jamaica, which implemented T 1 on Monday. "All eyes on Rafah" massively trended on social media after Israel pounded Rafah, a southern city in war-torn Gaza, last Sunday. Social media users widely shared and reposted an "AI-generated" graphic that read "All eyes on Rafah" to condemn the killing of over 40 Palestine civilians in Rafah. Israel has now countered the "All eyes on Rafah" social media trends with the phrase "What your eyes fail to see". The Netanyahu-led country highlighted the Palestinian militant group Hamas taking Israeli men, women, and children as hostages and keeping them "in horrible conditions". The Israel Foreign Ministry reposted a tweet made by the Embassy of the State of Israel in India that read: "What your eyes fail to see is the cries of 125 Israeli men, women, children, and elderly currently held hostage by Hamas in horrible conditions deep in the tunnels of Gaza." "This is why the conflict began. Knowing the full story is important before making any comments. We will not rest until EACH AND EVERY ONE of the hostages is home," the embassy posted on X on Wednesday. The Israel embassy was referring to Hamas's surprise attacks in parts of Israel on October 7 last year, that prompted Israel to wage a war against the militant group. As per reports, around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, had died in the October 7 attacks. Militants allegedly took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead, news agency AFP reported. What does 'All Eyes on Rafah' mean? Iran's Embassy in India had posted on X on Tuesday that "All eyes on Rafah" is a phrase that refers to the "ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, with over 1.4 million Palestinians seeking shelter". Social media hashtags like "#AllEyesOnRafah" and "#RafahOnFire" trended after an Israeli strike targeting two Hamas leaders allegedly ignited a massive fire at a camp housing in Rafah for displaced people. At least 45 civilians were killed and 200 others were injured in the attack. Israel has reportedly been pounding Rafah since May 7. The United Nations had earlier warned that up to 1.4 million people were sheltering in the city. Since then, one million have fled the area, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday. Israel had launched the strikes on Sunday despite an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) directing it to stop its operations in Rafah and withdraw from the enclave. The ICJ had ruled on Friday, Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah Governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part." Before launching strikes in Rafah, the Israeli Defence Forces claimed that a "barrage of rockets was launched from Rafah toward central Israel moments ago". What Israel said as Rafah offensive continues The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied hitting the Rafah tents in a video message released late Tuesday. Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended...Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite," an IDF spokesperson said. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, "In Rafah, we have evacuated about one million civilians. Tragically, despite our immense efforts to avoid harming non-combatants, an incident occurred yesterday. We are investigating it thoroughly and will learn from it, as is our policy and longstanding conduct." By Curtis Williams May 29 - British oil major BP and Trinidad and Tobago's state energy firm NGC have received a two-year license from the U.S. Treasury Department to negotiate and develop the Cocuina-Manakin gas fields with Venezuela, Trinidad's energy minister said on Wednesday. Washington last month did not renew a broad license that had allowed Venezuela to freely export its oil and receive investment, but it has since issued individual authorizations to companies trying to do business in the South American country. BP and NGC will be allowed to plan an ambitious project involving an offshore gas reservoir that extends from Venezuela to Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea, minister Stuart Young said in a Port of Spain media briefing. The authorization is the second issued by the U.S. for energy projects between the two countries, following a license in early 2023 to Shell and NGC for development of the Dragon gas field in Venezuela. That project would export gas to Trinidad under a licence recently extended through October 2025. "It's the same terms as Dragon, where we can pay in U.S. currency," Young said, referring to the license, which would allow customers to pay for the gas in hard currency as an exemption to U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. A spokesperson for BP had said earlier this month that the company had suspended negotiations for Cocuina-Manakin, which on Venezuela's side belongs to the Plataforma Deltana project, until receiving a new U.S. authorization. By Gergely Szakacs and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk BUDEST, - Hungary's central bank told OTP Bank on Wednesday to curb its Russian exposure further and take several precautionary measures that the Hungarian financial supervisor will monitor on an ongoing basis. Central Europe's largest independent lender has gradually decreased its footprint in Russia since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, though its exposure is still third-highest among European banks, behind Raiffeisen Bank and UniCredit, based on a tally by Morningstar DBRS. Hungary's central bank said risks may arise regarding OTP's Russian activity and payment transactions due to Western sanctions imposed on Russia as well as differences between Russian and European Union rules on the prevention of money laundering, the financing of terrorism and compliance measures. "The compliance department of the parent bank should draw up and continuously update a set of criteria approved by OTP Bank's top management regarding international payment transactions deemed as carrying an acceptable level of risk for the group," the central bank said. The central bank also said OTP should wind down its corporate loan stock in Russia, keep its retail loan stock stable and reduce its stock of retail deposits. "The measures can contribute to the banking group's continued stable, profitable and reliable operation," the central bank said. It also told OTP to draw up an action plan approved by its board of directors and report regularly on its implementation. OTP said the fulfillment of the Hungarian central bank's recommendations would not have an impact on its group-level management expectations for 2024. "Based on data from the first quarter of 2024, the local credit market share of the Russian subsidiary of OTP Group is only 0.14%, and its share within the entire OTP Group is 4.2sed on total assets," the bank said in a statement. OTP says its corporate loan stock in Russia fell by 85% since the start of 2022, while the size of its Russian branch network shrank by 39%. "OTP Group has already significantly limited its international payment services from and to Russia," it said. "As part of this, for example, it has completely cancelled its services related to customer transactions in U.S. dollars involving Russia." Israel probably wont be able to defeat Hamas before the end of the year, its national-security adviser said, underscoring the difficulty the country faces in achieving its stated aim of crushing the Islamist group in Gaza. We have another seven months of fighting to deepen the achievement and attain what we define as the destruction of the governmental and military capabilities of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, Tzachi Hanegbi said Wednesday in an interview with state broadcaster Kan. Islamic Jihad is a separate anti-Israel militant organization that also has fighters in Gaza. Hanegbi reiterated Israels position that the near eight-month war in the Palestinian territory is justified and necessary to preserve national security after the attacks by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, which killed about 1,200 people and abducted 250 others. The resulting conflict amounts to a battle with Iran, he said, which supports Hamas among other Islamist groups around the Middle East. Read More: How Iran-Backed Groups Provoke Wider Mideast Conflict: QuickTake Iran is a superpower that has sent its proxies to surround us in a sort of chokehold, in order to exhaust us, Hanegbi said. They know they are not going to conquer Tel Aviv, but they want to break us, they want us to lose our way of life. They want people to stop moving to Israel and want others to leave the country. His comments will do little to raise the spirits of mediators from the likes of US and Qatar who would like Israel and Hamas to hammer out a cease-fire deal. Talks have been deadlocked for months, with the two sides far apart in their respective demands. Meanwhile, more than 35,000 Palestinians have died since the war began, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza, while much of the enclave has been devastated by aerial and ground bombardments. Israel says it has eliminated around 15,000 Hamas fighters during the campaign, but as many as 8,000 remain in the city of Rafah. Israeli tanks entered the center of the southern Gazan town this week, part of a long-planned incursion. Hamass most senior figures including its leader, Yahya Sinwar, and his military chief, Mohammed Deif are at large and fighters have managed to regroup in parts of Gaza that the Israel Defense Forces cleared months ago. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never set a timeline for what he calls total victory, and Hanegbi said the army always stated 2024 would be a year of fighting, many analysts believe Hamas has been more resilient than the Israeli army expected. Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, operates in a vast tunnel network that Israeli forces have struggled to destroy and is able to fire rockets into Israel, albeit with far less frequency than in the early days of the conflict. The war has inflamed the region and led to widespread criticism of Israel. The International Court of Justice published a ruling last week that many countries interpreted as ordering a halt to military activities in Rafah. And the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as leaders of Hamas. Days after the global outcry over Israel's operation in the Gazan city of Rafah on Sunday night, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement saying that they launched "targeted strikes" in Rafah to eliminate two senior Hamas terrorists. IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari said late Tuesday that following the airstrike, a large fire ignited "for reasons that are still being investigated". However, the munition used by Israel to target the Hamas leaders "alone could have ignited a fire of this size," Hagari said in a video statement. The IDF spokesperson also shared satellite images to explain and clarify that they had targeted "a closed structure [in Rafah] which was away from the tent area". Before launching strikes in Rafah, the Israeli forces informed that a "barrage of rockets was launched from Rafah toward central Israel moments ago". At least 45 people were killed and 200 others were injured after the Israeli airstrike reportedly set ablaze a crowded tent camp housing in Rafah for displaced people. About half of Gaza's population have been living in Rafah, the southernmost post of exit from Gaza city bordering Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Israel's operation in the Gazan city of Rafah on Sunday night prompted a global outcry, with millions by posting "All eyes on Rafah" graphics on social media. So, what caused the fire? The IDF spokesperson said the 17-kilogram munitions used in the strike were believed to be too small to have set off such a big fire. He said a team is investigating all options, including the weapons stored in the compound next to the Israeli target, "which we did not know of, may have ignited as a result of the strike". "We are looking into the possibility of secondary explosions from a Hamas ammunition warehouse near the civilian compound and over 100 meters away from the strike site causing the fire that tragically took civilian lives," the IDF said. The spokesperson added, "It should be noted that Hamas has been operating from this area [in Rafah] since October 7". The Palestinian militant group Hamas had launched surprise attacks on parts of Israel on October 7 last year, that had killed around 1,200 Israelis. He further claimed that "contrary to Hamas' lies and misinformation", the Israeli strike did not take place in the Humanitarian Area or the safe zones. Israel Defence Force express grief: We did not expect The IDF spokesperson said, "Our war is against Hamas and not against the people of Gaza. And that is why we convey deep sorrow for this tragic loss of life." He said this was a "devastating incident that we did not expect". "Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended...Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite," the spokesperson added. On the killing of two Hamas leaders, the IDF spokesperson said they were responsible for orchestrating and executing terror attacks against Israelis and "were meeting inside the specific structure" that Israel we targeted. "They were actively commanding operations that could have killed even more Israelis... Their death saved live," the IDF said. What's happening now? On Wednesday, Israeli tanks conducted a second day of probing attacks across Rafah after the US said the Sunday's assault did not amount to a major ground incursion of the southern Gazan city that US officials had told Israel to avoid. The US, Israel's closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah but said on Tuesday it did not believe such an operation was underway. According to Reuters, Israeli tanks advanced to the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday after a night of heavy bombardment. With this, Israel is said to have defied an appeal from the International Court of Justice to end its attack on the city, one of the last places of refuge in Gaza. Meanwhile, Rafah residents said Israeli tanks mounted raids into Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating to positions near the border with Egypt. The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said they confronted the invading forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs, as well as blowing up previously planted explosive devices. The Israeli military said three soldiers were killed and three others were seriously wounded in combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted that his country violated a peace agreement with India in 1999. This disclosure came as Sharif assumed the Pakistan Muslim League's (Nawaz) presidency, six years after being disqualified by the country's Supreme Court. On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and agreed with us. But we violated that agreement... it was our fault, Sharif said. What was the Lahore Declaration? The agreement referred to by Sharif was the Lahore Declaration signed by him and then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 21, 1999. The declaration aimed to promote peace and stability between India and Pakistan. Here is an excerpt from the peace agreement. Pakistan and India have agreed that their respective Governments: 1. Shall intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. 2. Shall refrain from intervention and interference in each other's internal affairs. 3. Shall intensify their composite and integrated dialogue process for an early and positive outcome of the agreed bilateral agenda. 4. Shall take immediate steps to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons and discuss concepts and doctrines to elaborate measures for confidence building in the nuclear and conventional fields aimed at prevention of conflict. 5. Reaffirm their commitment to the goals and objectives of SAARC and concert their efforts towards realising the SAARC vision for the year 2000 and beyond, with a view to promoting the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improving their quality of life through accelerated economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. 6. Reaffirm their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and their determination to combat this menace. 7. Shall promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. How did Pakistan violate the Lahore Declaration? However, shortly after the signing, Pakistani troops infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the Kargil War. Kargil War The Kargil War stemmed from Pakistan's infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and militants into Indian-administered territory in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir. Cross-border terrorism Pakistan continued to support and facilitate cross-border infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir despite the commitment in the Lahore Declaration to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means. This support for insurgency and terrorism undermined efforts to stabilize the region and exacerbated tensions between the two countries. Terrorist Attacks Pakistan-based terrorist groups carried out several attacks on Indian soil, including the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. As South Africans head to vote on Wednesday, May 29, the country is facing a crucial election that could end the African National Congress (ANC)'s 30-year dominance, according to an AFP report. The ANC is South African independence movement leader Nelson Mandela's political party. Polls opened at 7 am local time and will close at 9 pm local time today at 23,292 voting stations, as per a Bloomberg report. The country will see close to 28 million registered voters elect a new parliament, which will then select the president. Political Sphere As many as 70 political parties and 11 independents are competing for seats in parliament and the nine provincial legislatures. The president will be elected at the first meeting of the new National Assembly, which must occur within 14 days after the results are announced, Bloomberg report added. More than a third of the 2,545 registered voters surveyed indicated that no party represents their views. This supports findings from other polls showing that many people are undecided on who to support and might choose not to vote, Bloomberg said. Also Read | Paytm share price jumps 5% on clarification that Vijay Shekhar Sharma is not selling stake to Gautam Adani Here is all you need to know about this historic elections Threat to ANC's Majority: For the first time since 1994, the ANC risks losing its majority and may need to form a coalition. Aleix Montana, an analyst at Verisk Maplecroft told AFP the election is a "watershed moment" in South Africa's political history. Under Mandela, the ANC ended apartheid, built a democracy, and lifted millions out of poverty with social welfare programmes, the report added. For the first time since 1994, the ANC risks losing its majority and may need to form a coalition. Aleix Montana, an analyst at Verisk Maplecroft told AFP the election is a "watershed moment" in South Africa's political history. Under Mandela, the ANC ended apartheid, built a democracy, and lifted millions out of poverty with social welfare programmes, the report added. Dissatisfaction Among Voters: Many of South Africa's 62 million citizens have expressed frustration with high unemployment (32.9 percent), crime, corruption, power cuts, and water shortages, the report noted. The economy grew only 0.6 percent in 2023. It's now time to make my vote count and kick them out, said Busisiwe Mthethwa, 62, from Umlazi, who voted early as one of 1.6 million "special voters." Special voters consist of the elderly and essential workers who were allowed to cast their ballot early on Monday and Tuesday (May 27 and 28). Many of South Africa's 62 million citizens have expressed frustration with high unemployment (32.9 percent), crime, corruption, power cuts, and water shortages, the report noted. The economy grew only 0.6 percent in 2023. It's now time to make my vote count and kick them out, said Busisiwe Mthethwa, 62, from Umlazi, who voted early as one of 1.6 million "special voters." Special voters consist of the elderly and essential workers who were allowed to cast their ballot early on Monday and Tuesday (May 27 and 28). Ramaphosa Seeking Second term: President Cyril Ramaphosa, seeking a second term, defended his record in a speech, citing progress in fighting corruption and fixing electricity issues. We cannot afford to turn back. There is more work to be done, he said, promising universal credit and health coverage. But, polls suggest the ANC could win as little as 40 percent of the vote, down from 57 percent in 2019, the report added. If the ANC has fewer than 201 seats, Ramaphosa will need to negotiate with opposition parties and independents to form a government. Also Read | SC rejects Arvind Kejriwal's plea for bail extension in excise policy case: Will have to surrender on June 2 American politician and former Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has caught a barrage of angry reactions on social media after being photographed writing 'Finish Them' on an Israeli rocket shell. In a photo posted to the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) by Israeli parliament member and former United Nations ambassador Danny Danon, Haley can be seen writing her message of a shell with a purple marker. Finish Them America <3 Israel. Always, Nikki Haley, can be seen written by the former American diplomat in the photo. Israel's latest bombardment of civilian tents in the Rafah safe zone, which killed at least 37 people the majority of them women and children, has led to wide condemnation and criticism by countries and on social media. The new photo showing Haley's support for the Israeli offensive has thus been ed negatively on social media sites, including X and Instagram. Israel Offensive in Rafah Israeli shelling and airstrikes overnight and on May 28 killed at least 37 Palestinians sheltering in tents outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The number of injured is at least 200. As reported by AP, the inferno at the tent camp has sparked widespread international condemnation, with even some of Israels closest allies expressing outrage over the militarys expanded offensive into Rafah. Furthermore, as a sign of Israel's increasing isolation on the global stage, Spain, Norway, and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday. Social Media Users Rally for Palestine All eyes on Rafah" the phrase flooded social media on May 28 as several people from across the world came out in support of Palestinians residing in the Rafah city located in war-torn Gaza. 'All eyes on Rafah' is a phrase that refers to the ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, with over 1.4 million Palestinians seeking shelter," Iran's Embassy in India posted on X. About half of Gaza's population, or over a million people, have been living in Rafah, bordering Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Most Gazans fled there after Israel launched what it called a limited incursion in southern Gaza earlier this month. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has notably said there is no such thing as a safe place in Gaza. UNRWA on Tuesday in a post on X on Tuesday, said they were unable to establish full communication with their team in Gaza and said, "Gaza has become hell on earth. Families continue to seek refuge, trying to escape war, but there is no such thing as a safe place in the Gaza Strip. Anger Over Haley's Photo Twitter users reacted angrily to Haley's photo, especially given the timing where civilians are the majority casualties in Israeli attacks in Gaza. Criticism came from global users, Americans and even Jewish and Israeli user on the social media platform, who called out unconditional support for Israel as immoral. All eyes on Rafah: While Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel pounds southern Gaza's Rafah with incessant airstrikes, killing over 45 people in the tiny strip of land, a more pertinent question comes to mind where are the millions of Palestinians fleeing? When Israel started the genocidal mission in retaliation to a Hamas attack on October 7, Palestinians were asked to move to South Gaza. Palestinians had started making the move to southern Gaza to survive. Only months later, Israel continued its airstrike and ground operation in central and south Gaza every time asking Palestinians to move further south. Israel has defended their operation by stating that their mission 'only' aims to destroy Hamas fighters. However, over thirty thousand Palestinians have lost their lives in the airstrikes, including thousands of children. Some of those Palestinians have managed to survive the months of airstrike and are making the eighth move, with what little is left of their belongings and life to survive. On Tuesday, the phrase, 'All eyes on Rafah', flooded social media as several people from across the world came out in support of Palestinians residing in the Rafah city located in war-torn Gaza. Israel airstrikes the last left safe zone- Rafah Rafah, a city near the Palestinian territorys southern border with Egypt, has been under Israeli ground assault since early May. Israel launched an air strike on the so-called safe area in Rafah. It was inflicted on an encampment of makeshift shelters just north of Rafah city, in an area called Tal as-Sultan. The Gaza Government Media Office said Israel dropped seven 900kg bombs as well as missiles on the displacement camp. Refugees were left looking for their loved ones, digging through ash, as civilians sheltering in the Tal as-Sultan area were burnt alive in those shelters. Where are Palestinians from Gaza fleeing? Largely, Palestinians have fled or been displaced from various areas in Gaza. Many have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, according to local media reports. Additionally, some have migrated further afield, seeking asylum or resettlement in Europe, North America, and other regions. However, since Israel inflated its attacks on Gaza, making it genocidal, Palestinians in Gaza have had one question on their minds where to go? North Gaza to South Gaza to Rafah to..? Hundreds of people braved roads in Rafah in southern Gaza as they fled Israels expanding ground assault, with increased shelling, tanks in the city centre, and forces positioned on higher ground. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that around one million civilians had fled Rafah since the ground attack went ahead despite a chorus of international warnings. ALSO READ: UN Security Council convenes emergency meeting after deadly Israeli strike on Gaza camp kills 45 AFP reporters have seen people carry their belongings and flee western Rafahs Tal as-Sultan, where a strike that Israel said targeted Hamas killed 45 people Some were seen transporting piles of mattresses and blankets and dozens of children on the back of trucks. Others carried what they could in rubbish bags or walked with rolled-up mattresses on their heads. Palestinians carry aid boxes after storming trucks loaded with humanitarian aid brought in through a new US-built pier, at the beach road of Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. In the southern city of Khan Younis, AFP reporters saw piles of pillows, mattresses and bags of clothes covering a sandy area where people fleeing Rafah had settled. Is this Nakba 2.0? "Exist, resist, return!" A chant that roared at events this month to mark Nakba Day on May 15 seems to have made a return with Israel's airstrikes on Gaza. Nakba Day commemorates the displacement of at least 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 during the founding of Israel. There is a buzz in India todaya sense of limitless possibilities. India has just overtaken its former colonial master, the UK, to become the worlds fifth-largest economy. If it maintains its current growth rate of 6-7% per year, it will soon overtake stagnant Japan and Germany to take over third place. But by 2050, Indias workforce will start shrinking, owing to demographic ageing. Growth will slow. That means India has only a narrow window in which to grow rich before it grows old: with per capita income of just $2,500, the economy must grow by 9% per year for the next quarter-century. That is an extremely difficult task, and the current Lok Sabha elections may well determine whether it remains possible at all. The China model: In pursuit of rapid growth, the Indian government intends to follow a tested road map: the same path that Japan took in the immediate postwar decades and that China took after the death of Mao Zedong. During the first stage of the journey, labour flows out of the traditional agriculture sector as employment increases in low-skilled manufacturingtypically stitching garments or assembling components into electronic goods. This output is then exported to the developed world to capture the benefits of producing at scale. Cheap labour helps compensate for a countrys other deficiencies, such as excessive bureaucracy, unreliable power (especially electricity), or poor roads. As firms profit from exports, they invest in equipment to make workers more productive, and as workers are paid more, they can afford better schooling and health care for themselves and their children. Tax revenues also grow, providing the resources to upgrade the countrys infrastructure. The result is a virtuous cycle, because higher-skilled workers and better infrastructure enable firms to make more sophisticated, higher-value-added products. That is how China has moved from assembling components to producing world-leading electric vehicles (EVs) in just four decades. Unfortunately, the same strategy is unlikely to work for India today. Why China surged ahead: It is no accident that India failed to join China in shifting its economy to export-oriented manufacturing, even though the two countries were similarly poor in the late 1970s, when China started on that road. Even low-skilled factory employment requires a minimum level of education and skills. At the time, many Chinese workers met this standard, whereas most Indian workers did not. Foreign employers found China and its cheap-but-capable workers more attractive. Moreover, Chinas factory workers acquired skills on the job and their education allowed them to pick up the basic accounting needed to launch their own small enterprises making products like screws and door handles. This explosion of smaller firms contributed immensely to Chinese growth. China had other advantages, too. Despite the outward perception of centralized rule by the Communist Party of China, provincial and municipal bosses have wielded a great deal of power. Mayors, hoping to be promoted for generating growth, helped local firms navigate the countrys otherwise-stifling regulations, overriding a rule here and overlooking one there in the name of results. By contrast, Indian bureaucracy in the same period was neither decentralized nor incentivized to promote growth, so it instead became an additional burden on Indian business. Finally, autocratic China could always favour manufacturing in ways that democratic India could not. For example, the Chinese government appropriated land for commercial purposes where necessary; pressured unions to limit wage demands even as labour productivity grew; paid depositors in state-owned banks minimal returns so that the funds could be lent out cheaply to firms; and kept its exchange rate undervalued to support local firms international competitiveness. In India, attempts to do any of the above would have met fierce democratic resistance. Wrong way: Nonetheless, the current Indian government wants to board the manufacturing bus. With many others looking to diversify away from producing in China, Indian economic policymakers see an opportunity to make up for lost time. Moreover, Indian infrastructure has improved markedly. Among other things, the country now boasts many world-class airports and ports, increased renewables capacity to bridge power deficits, and an excellent highway system. But impediments remain. Over the decade that the Narendra Modi administration has been in office, Indias garment exports have grown by less than 5%, while Bangladeshi and Vietnamese garment exports have grown by over 70%, such that their exports are now multiples of Indias. Recognizing these drawbacks, New Delhi has begun offering subsidies to incentivize production in India as well as raising tariffs on imports (like cellphones) to enhance the profits of manufacturers selling their wares in Indias large and now-protected market. While it is still early days, one should be sceptical of this strategy. Production-linked subsidies might induce manufacturers to assemble in India, but those firms still will need to import most components. Moreover, margins will be small, because Indian workers now compete with modestly paid Bangladeshi and Vietnamese workers, not with well-paid workers in industrialized countries, as in the past. With little profit for firms to reinvest (and with less tax revenue, net of the subsidy) the virtuous circles needed to move India up the value chain will be much harder to achieve. Worse, even if the government were to scale up manufacturing, the world is not ready for another China-size export powerhouse. Given the widespread shift toward factory protectionism and growing concerns about environmental sustainability, the governments emphasis on Chinese-style factory-led development seems incompatible with where the world is headed. 2024/project syndicate This is the first of a two-part series on Indias elections and its economy. The market for driverless cars has been through a reckoning. Efforts by Apple, Ford Motor Company and Uber to make AI-driven vehicles have mostly failed, while chronic overhype by Elon Musk and tougher regulatory scrutiny in the US all suggest the industry is stalling. But not all hope is lost. Googles Waymo, General Motors Cruise and some Chinese firms are still pursuing driverless projects. Now, the UK is racing forward too. London-based startup Wayve has raised $1 billion to put its self-driving software into modern cars. The funding mostly came from existing investors including Microsoft, Nvidia and Softbank, and it came just days before the UK also passed a comprehensive law that will let driverless cars onto British roads by 2026. The regulations are the first to address one of the industrys big problems: exaggeration. The UKs Automated Vehicles Act has a section titled, Communications likely to confuse as to autonomous capability," which bans companies from creating confusion over whether their cars can drive themselves. Its a sharp but subtle policy that the industry has long needed, given how much puffery has raised expectations that the industry has failed to deliver on. Among his many pronouncements, Musk once tweeted that Tesla cars would self-drive as well as humans by 2021, the same year Ford also predicted it would sell cars without steering wheels. Both were wrong. How you set and meet expectations to the customer is really important," says Alex Kendall, Wayves chief executive officer. Kendall, whos originally from New Zealand, co-founded the company in 2017 while studying at Cambridge University for his PhD in deep learning, an approach to building artificial intelligence. Cambridge has a legacy of AI breakthroughs from scientists like Alan Turing, but like the rest of the UK, its spin-offs have struggled to commercialize cutting-edge research in the same way Silicon Valley has. Wayves mega funding round, which was the biggest-ever for an AI company in Europeeven more than that of French AI hotshot Mistralsuggests Britains market for deep-tech startups may be starting to get the late-stage financing they need to grow. This raises hope for the likes of Oxa, a driverless car spinout from Oxford University that sells self-driving software to enterprise customers like grocery delivery and mining companies and raised $140 million last year. Neither Wayve nor Oxa have disclosed their most recent valuations. Wayve also focuses on building software rather than making cars and is capitalizing on hardware being built into forthcoming cars. Kendall tells me that many vehicles that were made last year by leading carmakers are already equipped with the necessary equipment to drive autonomously, including powerful computer chips and plenty of cameras facing the vehicles front and back. Hence why Wayve doesnt require expensive retrofits," according to Kendall. While other autonomous driving efforts have relied on expensive lidar sensors and high-definition maps to drive, the startup uses its own large neural network which can see through cameras and also take voice commands, to drive. Kendall says Tesla pivoted to this approach late last year, which allows an AI system to drive different types of vehicles, or traverse new cities that it hasnt been driven in before. Kendall has an animal-kingdom analogy to explain this approach: The mantis shrimp is technically the creature with the best eyes (sensors), but humans capitalize on eyesight best thanks to our superior intelligence (Wayves AI). To enhance that technology, Wayve takes footage collected from cameras on its test-driven cars and plans to collect more through its licensing deals with car manufacturers. Kendall declined to name the carmakers hes partnering with. Britains new law should help his efforts as well as those of Oxa and others in the country. The regulatory environment, if anything, has accelerated our ability to develop this tech," Kendall says. The UK is still smarting from the slow demise of its car-making industry since the 1990s and the acquisition of marques like Rolls-Royce, Jaguar and Bentley by foreign companies. Car production in the UK has halved since 2016. Should Wayves partnerships pan out and its peers capitalize on the new regulations, they could perhaps spark a modern-day revival with autonomous-vehicle technology. While Chinese companies are closing the gap with America on autonomous cars, a friendly regulatory environment in the UK coupled with AI expertise from some of the worlds finest universities means the Brits are emerging as viable contenders in that race too. bloomberg SeoulAn unusual sight drifted into South Korean skies on Wednesday: Large white balloons carrying plastic bags of North Korean trash. Some contained something even more vile. The air deliveries from North Korea were detected the prior evening, Seouls military said, triggering emergency warnings around 11:30 p.m. to border-town residents to avoid going outdoors because of suspicious objects" floating in the sky. All told, around 260 balloons were found scattered across a country roughly the geographic size of Indiana. Some journeyed more than 180 miles. One landed gently on a streetthe pair of balloons and a clear plastic bag left intact. Another crashed through the greenhouse roof of a local grape farmer. Many others broke apart and spilled their contents onto sidewalks and streets: shreds of pink, blue and white paper, an empty laundry-detergent bag and dark clumps that looked like excrement. Asked what the bags contained, South Koreas defense ministry offered up only o-mul"which can mean either trash" or excrement" in Korean. There was no doubt the sender was Kim Jong Uns regime. Just days earlier, a North Korean vice defense minister vowed the country would soon heap mounds of waste paper and filth" onto its southern neighbors, state media reported. South Korea should directly experience how much effort is required to remove" the balloons, the vice minister said. Pyongyang was seething over the recent unwelcomed arrival of a swarm of balloons cast off by a South Korean activist group, which sent 300,000 antiregime leaflets and thousands of USB drives containing K-pop music from the likes of boy band BTS. Kim, the 40-year-old dictator, has sought to crack down on foreign-media consumption since glimpses of the outside world threaten to show his people how poor life is inside North Koreaa threat to his leaderships legitimacy. And few issues enrage Pyongyang more than the leaflet-carrying balloons, which the regime condemns as psychological warfare and occasionally attempt to shoot down. In 2022, North Korea blamed the balloons for starting its first Covid-19 outbreak, claiming people had become infected after touching alien things." Park Sang Hak, a North Korean defector who heads the activist group that sent the antiregime balloons, said his launches can reach cities more than 250 miles over the inter-Korean border. The leaflets, among other messages, call for the North Korean people to rise up against Kim Jong Un. We send medicine and leaflets carrying the truth," said Park, of the Seoul-based Fighters for Free North Korea. How inhumane is it that they send filth in return?" Pyongyang and Seoul have been at loggerheads for years, though ties have worsened recently with Kim declaring South Korea his countrys No. 1 enemy in January. Since then, North Korea has continued conducting weapons testsincluding a failed satellite launch late Mondaybut hasnt opted for direct military confrontation. Instead, the Kim regime, as it roots out any ties to the South, has opted for more symbolic expressions of displeasure. That includes tearing down streetlights that once lined inter-Korean roads or adopting a new logo for the countrys flagship airline that once used an image of the entire Korean Peninsula. The two Koreas have long dropped strategic messaging from the skies to gain a psychological edge. During the 1950-53 Korean War, the two countries collectively distributed more than two billion propaganda leaflets, according to U.S. military estimates. Often dropped from jet fighters, the North touted the merits of socialism; the South promised protection should soldiers surrender. The information campaigns evolved over the decades. It was common in the 1980s for South Korea to airdrop leaflets showing young women clad in swimsuitsan attempt to make North Koreans envious of their capitalist neighbor. But now, South Koreas offerings tend to highlight the Kim regimes human-rights atrocities. North Korea, which until the 1970s was more economically prosperous than the South, has stopped touting itself as a socialist paradise. Instead, its leaflets sought to insult South Korean leaders, changing the Korean-language spelling for president" to include the word for poop. Now printed material poses less of a threat than South Korean activists K-pop-filled USB drives. The Kim regime had last sent trash and excrement in balloons in 2016. At the time, one of the bags fell and broke through a cars roof in South Korea. A North Korean compact disc that fell from the sky featured a photo of its missiles and a slogan that read: A confrontation with us means destruction!" The North Korean regime feels threatened more than ever due to rising attempts by its residents to watch smuggled South Korean content, which it fears could trigger a shift in ideology and diminished loyalty toward the regime, said Kang Dong-wan, a professor at South Koreas Dong-A University, who has interviewed numerous North Korean escapees. Foreign content from South Korea has become the primary threat for the Kim regime," Kang said. Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi said in an interview that nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi the Father of the Nation in post-colonial India until a movie was made about him. The PM was talking about British director Richard Attenborough's Academy Award-winning 1982 magnum opus Gandhi. During a pre-Lok Sabha Elections 2024 interview with a news channel, PM Modi had commented that Mahatma Gandhi was an eminent Indian, but the world was not aware of him. The PM further commented that it was the responsibility of Indian political leaders in the 75 years post-independence to ensure that the world was aware of the great leader. In the video clip of the TV interview that has gone viral on social media, PM Modi suggests that Mahatma Gandhi's global recognition was significantly influenced by cinematic portrayals of his life and principles. Flagging a 'durdasha' (sad state of affairs) in post-Independence India, PM Modi said that when the movie was made of Mahatma Gandhi, did the world get 'curious' about Gandhi? PM Modi further emphasises that if Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela had been well-known figures worldwide, India should have 'worked' better to make Mahatma Gandhi a world-renowned figure. "Main duniya ghumne k baad ye kehe raha hoon, ki Gandhi ko tawajjo milni chahiye thi (After going around the world, I am saying that Mahatma Gandhi should have been made the focus of attention) PM Modi, however, also claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had the 'solution to several problems in India'. PM Modi also highlighted his redevelopment plan, which was announced in March 2024 on the anniversary of Dandi March. Earlier, PM Modi had launched a master plan for the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram redevelopment project in Ahmedabad. Modi emphasised his role as prime minister of India in the past 10 years by saying that he had created 'tirth sthan' (pilgrimage spots) for BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution. Gandhi The movie "Gandhi," an epic autobiography, was released in 1982. The movie chronicles the life of Mahatma Gandhi, a pivotal figure in India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule in the 20th century. This epic biographical film, a collaborative effort between India and the United Kingdom, was directed and produced by Richard Attenborough. John Briley penned the screenplay. At its heart, the film showcases Ben Kingsley's remarkable portrayal of Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, in 1869, Mahatma Gandhi is an enduring symbol of leadership in India's quest for freedom. Renowned for his unwavering commitment to nonviolence and tireless advocacy for civil liberties, his legacy remains etched in the annals of history. PM Modi's statements that went viral Several of PM Modi's statements have gone viral amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. These include him stating that after his mother's death, he felt that he was not a 'biological being' but one sent by God to fulfil divine wishes. MEXICO CITYClaudia Sheinbaum, a Jewish woman with a Ph.D. in energy engineering, is expected to become the first female president of Mexico, a historic ascent in a largely Catholic country. Sheinbaums commanding lead in polls ahead of Sundays election is rooted in her endorsement by Mexicos popular nationalist leader, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who shepherded Sheinbaums career over the past two decades. She has given him years of unflinching loyalty in return. At a symbolic and widely heralded event at a Mexico City restaurant last year, Sheinbaum accepted an eagle-headed ceremonial baton of command from Lopez Obrador at a gathering of his ruling party, Movement of National Regeneration. It was a gesture to Mexicos indigenous cultureand to votersby a president whose approval ratings have never fallen below 60%. He gave me the baton, and the authority as well," the 61-year-old Sheinbaum said during a recent TV appearance. Sheinbaum, who as former mayor of Mexico City was known for her reserved and disciplined manner, proclaims at every campaign stop that her administration will be a continuation of Lopez Obradors. She echoes her mentors message that the government should keep a tight grip on the energy industry and guide the economy for the benefit of the poor. Former and current Mexican officials and diplomats expect that a Sheinbaum administration would differ in style from Lopez Obradors but not in substance. There is no daylight between them," said Jorge Castaneda, a former Mexican foreign minister. Sheinbaum occasionally signals she will be independent of her popular mentor. She has a data-driven view of governance, relying on analytics rather than charisma to continue the vision and policies of Lopez Obrador, who operates more on gut instinct. We share a lot of principles, but it will be Claudia who will govern," Sheinbaum told Mexican TV, speaking of herself in third person. The silver-haired leader, who like all Mexican presidents is limited to a single 6-year term, has said he will retire to his country home in the jungles of southern Mexico. Many voters say they dont believe he is willing to give up his influence when his term ends on Sept. 30. She has been Lopez Obradors obedient daughter," said Denise Dresser, a political scientist and one of Sheinbaums critics. For the past six years, Lopez Obrador has polarized Mexico, hammering opponents as rich traitors and oppressors, sometimes disclosing their confidential income and tax records. Sheinbaum has defended Lopez Obrador against human-rights groups critical of his verbal attacks on independent media and political activists. Lopez Obrador is thin-skinned and angered by dissent, his opponents say. Sheinbaum is bilingual, lived in the Bay Area in her 30s and is comfortable interacting with U.S. officials and investors, according to diplomats and former and current Mexican officials. Lopez Obrador doesnt speak English and has little interest in affairs outside of Mexico. If elected, Sheinbaum will have to navigate often prickly bilateral relations with the U.S., including management of Mexicos side of the nearly 2,000-mile border separating the two countries. It is the worlds busiest in the movement of trucks and people. She also will face the threat of powerful organized-crime groups that control the flow of U.S.-bound drugs and illegal migration, a top issue for U.S. voters. Criminal gangs are terrorizing towns and villages, the No. 1 concern of Mexican voters. Organized crime has benefited from Lopez Obradors more lenient hugs, not bullets" law enforcement policies, his critics say. The presidents administration disagrees, despite statistics to the contrary. Mexicos next president will have to decide in 2026 whether to continue or revise the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, the trade pact that propelled Mexico to become the U.S.s biggest trading partner. We need to keep it, protect it and ensure that it becomes one of the main pillars of Mexicos development," Sheinbaum told Mexican bankers during a speech in April. Lopez Obrador forged a working relationship with the Trump and Biden administrations with efforts to slow U.S.-bound migration, which Sheinbaum is expected to continue, according to security analysts and former officials. Yet for U.S. officials, Sheinbaum remains an enigma, said Shannon ONeil, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Is she a true believer in Lopez Obradors policies or does she have differences," ONeil said. I dont think anyone knows." Life abroad Sheinbaum grew up in a leftist, upper-middle class home in Mexico City, studying ballet and French. Her mother was a biology professor. Her father worked as a chemical engineer. Sheinbaums grandparents were Lithuanian and Bulgarian Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Europe in the early 1900s. Sheinbaum said she celebrated Jewish holidays at her grandparents houses as a girl, but her upbringing at home was secular. Her Jewish background hasnt emerged as a campaign issue. Sheinbaum accompanied her first husband, leftist student leader Carlos Imaz, to live in San Francisco from 1991 through 1995. She joined a group of about a dozen young graduate students who campaigned for the right for Mexicans living abroad to vote in Mexicos elections, said Gaspar Rivera, another activist. Mexico granted that right in 2005, and more than a quarter million Mexicans living outside their country, mostly in the U.S., will be able to cast ballots in the June election. Rivera recalls meetings with Sheinbaum and other activists at the janitors union offices in San Francisco. She would bring her two kids to the gatherings, which were more like graduate seminars than political meetings," he recalled. Sheinbaum also helped organize Mexican migrant cherry pickers in California. During Sheinbaums years in the Bay Area, she took graduate-level courses on energy efficiency at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. She also conducted postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Imazs political career ended after the release of a video in 2004 showing him accepting bundles of cash from a businessman with Mexico City government contracts. At the time, Lopez Obrador was the Mexico City mayor, Sheinbaum was the citys environmental chief and Imaz was an elected official who represented a Mexico City borough. He was later exonerated. The couple divorced in 2016, and Sheinbaum married a college friend, Jesus Maria Tarriba, who works at Mexicos central bank. Her daughter, Mariana Imaz, studied philosophy and comparative literature in Spain and California. Her stepson, Rodrigo Imaz, is a filmmaker. Sheinbaum, who received her Ph.D. at Mexicos national university, likes to be addressed with the honorific Dr." She is reserved, writes her own speeches and favors PowerPoint presentations. On the campaign trail, Sheinbaum has been mocked by opponents for seeming to imitate the presidents Tabasco drawl. Lopez Obrador, the son of a provincial shopkeeper, is comfortable giving rambling, improvised news conferences. Polls show Sheinbaum with a double-digit lead over Xochitl Galvez, a senator and rags-to-riches businesswoman of indigenous background. Galvez, who is running as the candidate of a three-party opposition coalition, refers to Sheinbaum as the Ice Lady." A spokesman for Sheinbaum said she has a great sense of humor. Deadliest cities Organized-crime groups control about a third of Mexico, according to U.S. Northern Command. More than 200 gangs extort businesses and run drug-trafficking and human-smuggling routes, terrorizing residents and killing thousands caught in the crossfire of internecine warfare. The six deadliest cities in the world are in Mexico, said Eduardo Guerrero, a security consultant who served in Mexicos federal security ministry. Sheinbaum has defended Lopez Obradors security strategy, calling the war on drugs launched by Mexicos previous presidents a disaster. Lopez Obrador has curbed the operation of U.S. law enforcement officers in Mexico and accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for fabricating drug charges against Mexicos former defense minister. Diplomats say that as mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum showed her independence from the president. Her senior security officials developed a close working relationship with U.S. law enforcement agencies. Mexico City police used intelligence from the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agency to seize 1.6 tons of cocaine two years ago, U.S. officials said. It was a record seizure in Mexicos capital, which is a transshipment hub for U.S.-bound drugs. Security analysts credit Sheinbaum with slashing the number of homicides and other crimes in Mexico City by boosting public-security spending. She improved police training programs, increased the number of police officers and raised salaries. Mexico Citys murder rate stood at 8.45 per 100,000 inhabitants last year, similar to the rate in Los Angeles, said Guerrero, the security consultant. Sheinbaum said her security achievements can be replicated across the country if she becomes president. Party control Lopez Obrador cobbled together his party, Morena, a decade ago from leftist groups and went on to win the 2018 presidential election. Morena is an acronym that refers to Mexicos dark-skinned religious patron, the Virgin of Guadalupe. It now governs 23 of Mexicos 32 states, an echo of Mexicos single-party rule that ended in 2000. The presidents opponents call him an authoritarian and question whether Sheinbaum will be able to control the party after his departure. Sheinbaum has backed proposed constitutional overhauls that many Mexicans said would hobble the countrys democracy. One proposed change would dismantle Mexicos electoral institute, which has played a large role in transforming Mexico from a one-party state. Another constitutional change would have voters elect federal judges including to the Supreme Court, putting their independence at risk. Mexicos political pluralism is at stake," said Ricardo Becerra, the president of the Institute of Studies for a Democratic Transition, a Mexico City think tank. Sheinbaum has the opposite view. A campaign spokesman said the proposed overhauls aim to strengthen Mexicos democracy and the judiciary. To expand Mexicos economy, Sheinbaum wants to develop 100 industrial parks and attract manufacturing plants leaving China. That might be impossible if she continues to support Lopez Obradors energy policies restricting foreign and private investment. Sheinbaum favors state-run companies. She also seeks to reduce dependence on imports through self-sufficiency. The time of privatization is over," Sheinbaum has said. Never again." Yet she hopes to attract billions of dollars in private investment for solar and wind farms, with the government keeping control and a majority share in the electricity market, a Sheinbaum adviser said. Lopez Obrador sought to reverse the opening of the energy industry to foreign and private investment carried out under his predecessor. He has halted renewable energy projects that were almost completed. Lopez Obrador pushed laws to favor the state-run oil and electricity companies, but many of the changes were blocked by Mexican courts. Lopez Obradors hostility to foreign investment in energy has led to trade tensions with the U.S., which has been largely unwilling to press the issue given the Biden administrations overriding interest in obtaining Mexicos help in containing the flow of illegal migrants, diplomats and analysts say. Polls show that Morena is unlikely to win a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress required to change the constitution. That might give Sheinbaum a better chance to set her own path. An overwhelming victory in the congress would be Lopez Obradors victory," said Alejandro Schtulmann, a Mexican political analyst. The legislators would be beholden to him. Her agenda would be limited to Lopez Obradors agenda." Write to Jose de Cordoba at jose.decordoba@wsj.com and Santiago Perez at santiago.perez@wsj.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent TV interview, stated that Mahatma Gandhi was unknown to the world until the 1982 movie Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley, was released. The statement comes ahead of the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024. PM Modi, sharing his observations from his world tours, revealed that the world's recognition of Mahatma Gandhi was significantly influenced by Richard Attenborough's movie 'Gandhi'. He also pointed out that while figures like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr were globally renowned, the Indian government could have done more to promote Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, which has resonated across the world. However, the stalwarts of activism that PM Modi mentioned during his TV interview had made several statements on Gandhi, even before the 1982 movie was released. Let's take a look: Martin Luther King Jr After the arrest of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King led the 381-day boycott that would make him famous. Of the nonviolent direct action technique, he said, Christ showed us the way, and Gandhi in India showed it could work. On January 30, 1958, Dr Martin Luther King Jr wrote an article for the Hindustan Times. In our struggle against racial segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, I came to see at a very early stage that a synthesis of Gandhis method of non-violence and the Christian ethic of love is the best weapon available to Negroes for this struggle for freedom and human dignity. It may well be that the Gandhian approach will bring about a solution to the race problem in America, he stated in the article. Martin Luther King Jr emerged as a towering figure in American history, distinguished by his role as a Christian minister, activist, and visionary political thinker. Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela was celebrated as a stalwart of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle. The first president of South Africa had said that Mahatma Gandhi was a sacred warrior. Mandela said Mahatma Gandhi combined ethics and morality with a steely resolve that refused to compromise with the oppressor, the British Empire. Albert Einstein In 1939, eminent scientist and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein wrote a letter to Mahatma Gandhi. In the letter, Einstein used various adjectives and phrases to praise Gandhi, such as unsupported by any outward authority, and the convincing power of his personality. I believe that Gandhis views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil, Einstein had written in the letter. Einstein called Mahatma Gandhi's pacifism an instinctive feeling based only on his deepest antipathy to every kind of cruelty and hatred, rather than any intellectual theory. His politics often paralleled those of fellow intellectual giant and anti-war activist Bertrand Russell. Hyderabad The monsoon is predicted to reach Andhra Pradesh in the first week of June, according to an IMD official as well. The monsoon is predicted to reach Andhra Pradesh in the first week of June, according to an IMD official as well. Credit : Unsplash Crews are repairing about 44 miles of Washington State Route 23 between Steptoe and Sprague, along with around 21 miles of Washington State Route 194 between Pullman and Almota, according to a news release from the department. Multiple state routes in Spokane, Lincoln and Pend Oreille counties will also be receiving work, according to the news release. Motorists can expect delays and reduced speeds through work zones. Flaggers will be directing intermittent single-lane closures and alternating one-way traffic, according to the news release. The leadership of CCI/Speer's parent company, Vista Outdoor, continues to back a plan where the Czechoslovak Group would acquire its ammunition manufacturing plants following months of negotiations with a firm that has proposed a different approach. Vista Outdoor has rejected an unsolicited indication of interest from Dallas-based MNC Capital for a second time, according to one of two news releases issued Tuesday by Vista Outdoor. MNC Capital is seeking to acquire Vista Outdoors ammunition plants as well as its recreational product segment called Revelyst, which includes brands such as Camelbak and Camp Chef. MNC Capital is offering $37.50 per share for all of Vista Outdoor in an all-cash transaction. In March, Vista Outdoor declined an offer from MNC Capital for $35 per share, which was also an all-cash transaction. We firmly believe that our pending transaction with (Czechoslovak Group), which now includes an increased purchase price, and the separation of Revelyst as a standalone public company is the best path to drive greater value for our stockholders, said Michael Callahan, chairperson of Vista Outdoors board in a news release issued Tuesday. The new offer from Czechoslovak Group, among other things, increases the base purchase price payable by (the Czechoslovak Group) for the acquisition of (the ammunition) business by $50 million from $1.91 billion to $1.96 billion and increases the cash consideration payable to Vista Outdoor stockholders by $3.10 per share of Vista Outdoor common stock from $12.90 to $16 in cash, a 24% increase, according to a Vista Outdoor news release. Based on the amended merger agreement with (Czechoslovak Group), Vista Outdoor stockholders will receive at the closing of the transaction one share of common stock of Revelyst and $16 in cash, in each case, per share of Vista Outdoor common stock, according to a Vista Outdoor news release. With its deal with the University of Idaho in limbo, the University of Phoenix could begin entertaining new offers. Phoenixs owners, Apollo Global Management, have floated the idea of non-exclusivity. Apollo and UI would continue to discuss a $685 million purchase that has been in the works for more than a year. In exchange, Apollo would have the go-ahead to negotiate with other would-be buyers and possibly pay UI breakup fees if its deal doesnt come to fruition. The Phoenix-UI affiliation was thrown into jeopardy in March, when the state Senate rejected a bill designed to restructure the purchase and alleviate lawmakers concerns. Since then, the parties have said little publicly about a possible purchase. But they have been quietly talking about non-exclusivity for at least a month, according to State Board of Education emails, obtained by Idaho Education News through a public records request. April 21: In an email to board members, State Board Executive Director Matt Freeman recapped a closed-door discussion involving UI President C. Scott Green, general counsel Kent Nelson, State Board member Kurt Liebich and Matt Reiber, an aide to Gov. Brad Little. The email elaborates greatly on Greens public comments at the State Boards meeting that week in which he said UI has a couple different paths to keep the deal afloat: A strawman proposal being considered is that Apollo would extend the deadline to close on the transaction by 9-12 months. In return, we would drop exclusivity. If Apollo ended up selling Phoenix to another buyer, there would be a breakup fee paid to UI. If the asset was never sold, there would be a breakup fee of a lesser amount paid to UI. The breakup fee would help offset due diligence costs incurred by UI. May 3: Freeman wrote about a May 1 meeting with Little and a couple of his staff members: We agreed we need state policy leaders to signal whether they even want to move forward with the underlying transaction or not. The governor is going to have some informal conversations and follow up with us. Littles office and the State Board did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Phoenix confirmed its interest in negotiating with other parties but said it wants to continue talking with UI. We are optimistic that we can find a path forward with the University of Idaho and look forward to continuing discussions with leaders in the state. In a statement Tuesday, UI struck a similar tone. Jane A. Clear, 65, of Clarkston, passed away Sunday, May 12, 2024. She was born Feb. 27, 1957, to Garald and Odetta (Marvin) Clear, in Clarkston. Jane graduated from Clarkston High School in 1977 and left home to attend college that same fall. Jane graduated from Huntington College in 1981 with a degree in sociology and Christian education. While in college, she enjoyed working at the college library. She attended Good Shepherd United Brethern Church where she enjoyed working in the childrens program puppet ministry. After graduating college, she worked at Bowen Center as a substance abuse counselor. It was there she met her husband Denny Bigelow. They married July 28, 1990, in Indiana. Jane later changed jobs to accept a counselor position at Chain OLakes Correctional Center. A few minutes after having prayed the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary with her four children gathered around her, Theresa Funke, 94, passed away Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Clarkston. Theresa Frances Schumacher was born on March 26, 1930, on her parents farm in Greencreek. The midwife who assisted at her birth was her maternal grandmother Philomenia (Nuxoll, Schmidt) Jansen. She was the youngest of the 10 children of Anton and Frances (Schmidt) Schumacher. By the time Theresa was 7, her three older sisters had all married and started their own families; her nephew Herb Stubbers is older than she, and her niece Amelia (Stubbers) Frei was her classmate. So, Theresa grew up with her five older brothers. Theresa attended grade school in Greencreek and graduated from Greencreek High School, Class of 1948; she was the last survivor of her class. Through her school years and after graduation she lived on the family farm and was her mothers right-hand man, assisting with the work in the home and farm. In 1946, Theresa met the love of her life, Donald Funke, at a barn dance on the Lustig Stock Creek Ranch. Four years later, on Oct. 11, 1950, they married in St. Anthony Church in Greencreek. During their 63 years of marriage, they raised four children. Theresa was quite the cook, and after a meal Don was frequently heard to say, Thanks for another great dinner. At the end of each supper, the family prayed the rosary. In 1959, Don and Theresa with Dons brother John formed Funke Brothers Farm; Johns wife Mary joined the venture in 1965. They farmed together south of Ferdinand for over 50 years. Through the years, they milked cows, prayed for rain and harvested the crops. Theresa was a homemaker; her realm was the family home and yard. She was a good cook pies and buns were two of her specialties a seamstress, and through the years crocheted numerous afghans for her family, friends and parish raffles. She gave special care and attention to her pie-cherry trees in the front yard of the house, and over the years picked and provided many boxes of cherries for family and friends. Elders have made it a popular sport to trash young people for their supposed lack of political knowledge and disengagement from our democracy. The more generous among the detractors typically lay the blame for this on inadequate civic education in the schools and the poisonous effects of social media. Having taught at university for two decades, I reject this indictment as untrue. My classrooms have been full of deeply committed, public-minded students on all sides of politics searching for effective ways of repairing the world. Whats fair is a critique of the education system for doing precious little to encourage young Americans to learn from the experience of political engagement to discover the joys and struggles of organizing their fellow citizens, listening to them and trying to change their minds. Universities devote a lot of thinking to preparing students for the world of work, even if the results are far from perfect. They do much less to prepare them for democratic citizenship. It can be done, and a small, distinguished college has provided a model that other universities should study and adapt. Since 2008, Occidental College in Los Angeles has offered students a chance to join a Campaign Semester, in which they dedicate themselves to a political campaign of their choice in presidential and midterm years. Students spend 10 weeks working their hearts out in the field and then the rest of the semester reflecting on what they learned and engaging in the academic study of elections. The program is the creation of Peter Dreier, an Occidental professor for more than 30 years who spent much of his pre-academic life in federal, state and local politics. Along with professor Regina Freer, Dreier supervises students independent study projects and runs the seminar they join after their return to campus. Its origin owes a lot to former President Barack Obama, who attended Occidental before transferring to Columbia University. Obamas 2008 campaign inspired a lot of young people, especially Oxys students, many of whom approached Dreier to learn how they might work on the campaign. Dreier suggested they take a semester off, as he did to work on Robert F. Kennedys 1968 presidential effort, but quickly discovered that parents and many students were committed to a four-year college schedule. Campaign Semester was born out of a desire to square this circle. The idea, he said, was a study abroad program where the students get a full semester of credit for studying off campus, but instead of going to South Africa or Argentina or, Belgium or China, they go to rural Virginia or they go to Florida or they go to Wisconsin or they go to Nevada to work on a battleground race. Gaelscoil Longfoirt is launching a new fundraising campaign, its own lotto, An Lato Scoile, to raise funds to improve the education experience of the children in the school. Since opening its doors in 1998, Gaelscoil Longfoirt has been a very prominent part of life in Longford town, starting out as a small 20 pupil school, developing into the very successful and inclusive school that it is today. Gaelscoil Longfoirt strives to provide the best education for all pupils in the school. Most recently we opened our first Autism class and two sensory rooms to meet the needs of the pupils in our school, explained Muinteoir Andree, the school principal. We understand the importance and also the huge benefits of having these resources and many other facilities to provide the best education possible for our pupils, she went on to add. The cost of providing educational resources is rising and any grants from the Department can only cover so much. Also read: Landmark Longford pub 'over the moon' as it celebrates Leinster and All-Ireland success Cairde na Scoile, the schools parents committee, are committed to supporting the school in whatever way possible and have taken on this new fundraising venture to help provide vital funds for the school. First on the wish list is sensory equipment for use throughout the school. The school is appealing to families, friends, past pupils, members of the local community and supporters of the school to get behind the monthly lotto. To be in with the chance of winning the monthly jackpot or even one of the many spot prizes, there is the option of 2.50 per line or three lines for 5. To sign up go to the schools website www.gaelscoillongfoirt.ie and click on the fundraiser tab. Bigi linn agus go n-eiri libh sa tarraingt gach seachtain! If youre not in you cant win! Also read: Blow to hospitality sector in Longford with closure of Coffee House 45 ITV has confirmed that Love Island: All Stars will return in 2025 for its second series. The spin-off sees previous islanders come back to the Villa for a second chance at love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Love Island (@loveisland) First season winners Molly Smith and Tom Clare found love in South Africa despite having Molly's ex-boyfriend in the Villa Callum Jones. Confirming the news to fans, a spokesperson for ITV confirmed on the offical Love Island Instagram page said: "All Stars Series 2." Fans have been very excited in regards to the news, one user said: "I really enjoyed the series." Fans have also called for Longford Love Island legend Maura Higgins to return: "Bring Maura back, I loved her. We need it." There is no date yet confirmed for the new series, however if you are looking for your Love Island fix the summer series will be back on your screens on Monday, June 3. You can stream the new series of Love Island on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media Player. A leading addiction expert has warned that young men are having "suspicious thoughts" after vaping a drug which is being sold legally in Ireland. Head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital, Prof Colin O'Gara, told RTE's Prime Time programme on Tuesday about the dangers of the drug which is subject to a nationwide warning. Professor O'Gara said "this is not a benign drug," adding, "we're seeing young men in particular vaping the drug and they're becoming addicted. I'm an addiction specialist so that's why they're being referred to me. These young men are having suspicious thoughts, they feel people are talking about them. These are what we call ideas of reference and sometimes these thoughts can be held with complete conviction. That would be the definition of delusion." The news comes amid a HSE warning over the new substance and the mental health risk it poses for young people. The HSE said it is concerned about the use of cannabinoids, particularly the newly emerged substance HHC, for which there is limited information. Professor Eamon Keenan, HSE Clinical Lead, Addiction Services, said: "We have on-going concerns about the health impacts associated with current use patterns, in particular mental health reactions we have observed. Through our work last year, we are aware of adverse physical and mental issues from substances such as MDMA, ketamine and cocaine at events. "In addition to this, we are now also concerned regarding vapes, and cannabinoids such as the newly emerged substance HHC, which there is limited information on from a health perspective. Concerningly, we are observing increases in adolescent presentations to addiction services for young people experiencing mental health problems from reported use of this substance. "This is not a benign drug." Head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital Prof Colin O'Gara tells @miriamocal about the dangers of the HHC drug, which is legal and sold in vape shops. @rtenews | #rtept pic.twitter.com/MAe8sGsI5y RTE Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) May 28, 2024 "Last summer we provided 76 hours of outreach at three events to support festival attendees and following the analysis of 220 surrendered drugs, we identified a number of trends of concern and issued eight risk communications about high strength MDMA, cocaine and ketamine which is an indication of current trends. The HSE will now carry out "back of house" testing of drugs at big summer events and festivals. For more information, visit www.drugs.ie/festivals or follow the conversation @drugsdotie or #HSESaferNightlife. Motor fuel hikes are being kept under review, the Taoiseach has said. Simon Harris has refused to say whether a rise in the price of petrol and diesel in August will go ahead, as he hinted the current reduced rates of excise duty could be rolled over. A reversal of a reduced rate of excise duty on petrol and diesel is planned for August, while a carbon tax increase has been proposed for October. Mr Harris said: We want motorists to know that, as a Government, we keep this under review and have great form in this regard. Reversals on reductions that were due to come into place as far back as August 2022 have been rolled over. Mr Harris was responding to Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald who urged the Government not to proceed with the measures which would raise the price of fuel. Ms McDonald accused the Taoiseach of talking a big game nine days out from local and European elections, noting that the measures would come into effect after polling day. Ms McDonald said: If the Taoiseach is genuinely concerned about struggling families, why would he make them struggle more? He must know that raising the cost of petrol and diesel again and again will hurt these families, so he should not do it. If he is serious about tackling the cost of living, he should start by scrapping plans to hike the price of petrol and diesel in August and October. Mr Harris said there were inconsistencies in Ms McDonalds approach. First, she travels the globe, most recently to Massachusetts, talking to the next generation about the importance of climate change, he said. Yet, she comes in here and I think many of the opposition would agree with me on this refuses to take every single opportunity she has to show leadership on climate. She opposes every single measure put forward while telling young people across the globe that she wants to address the climate emergency. Mr Harris accused Ms McDonald of misleading people on what he described as a hypocritical position. He said that when Sinn Fein published its alternative budget last year, it had proposed restoring fuel excise for petrol and diesel by April. The Taoiseach said: Stop trying to cod people. The people are not thick. They can see through this single gear Sinn Fein has, which is to sow outrage, shout and roar, go rah rah rah and stick a video up on Twitter. Ms McDonald said Mr Harris insulting her did not take away from the reality of cost-of-living pressures experienced by the public. However, the Taoiseach replied: The deputy must not be a sensitive soul. When I talk about holding her to account for what she said, it is not insulting. I would never insult her. I have great respect for her as a person. Ms McDonald raised the fuel hikes during Leaders Questions in the context of a report by childrens charity Barnardos. She said nearly half of parents who responded to the Barnardos report say their children have gone without food or that they have had to cut back on basics over the past six months, including clothes, medicine, electricity and heat. Some 47% of parents say they are forced to cut back on social activities for their kids, she said. The vast majority of those surveyed say they worry about not being able to provide the daily essentials for their children. Mr Harris said he was very grateful for the Barnardos report but added: Objectively, Ireland is making progress when it comes to child poverty. The consistent poverty rate for children is now lower than it has been at any other time since measurements began in 2004. Similarly, the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children is now lower than at any other time since we started measuring it in 2004. A kayaker has said he is determined as he hopes to break a Guinness World Record by paddling 2,000 miles around Britain in less than 40 days in memory of his late mother. Mike Lambert, 32, told the PA news agency that his greatest challenge will be the weather creating rough sea conditions as he bids to average 51 miles a day. The physiotherapist and former GB under-23 canoe sprinter said: Ive been tracking the forecast over the winter and you can see waves of 25, 30 foot you sit on the floor outside and you look up at the roof of a two-storey house and thats about the experience that youd have sitting at a bottom of one of those waves. He is taking on the challenge as a means of coping after the death of his mother due to a rare heart disease and the end of a five-year relationship. Mr Lambert said it will be really nice to feel detached from the General Election campaign as he will be returning from his challenge after July 4. He is hoping to set off from West Wittering in Chichester in early June, kayaking along the South Coast towards Penzance, before crossing the Irish Sea, skirting along the coast of Ireland and Northern Ireland. From there, Mr Lambert will travel around Scotland, and aims to finish back in West Wittering. Im excited, Im anxious, but Im determined, and thats probably my overriding feeling at the moment, he said. Ive lost about a fifth of my body weight since I started and its been so hard to get to this point where I could even consider going for this record attempt, so my biggest feeling that I have about this is that I just want to get it done. Mr Lambert, based in Walton-on-Thames, north-west Surrey, is expecting to encounter a variety of wildlife during his 39 days on the water and recounted seeing a minke whale while training in the Irish Sea. When youre in a kayak, all of a sudden these marine creatures do seem absolutely huge and imposing, he said. As you sit there, its only coming out of the water just a little bit but the hump of the whale, even though its not breaching or anything, is way, way higher than you are in your boat. He was preparing to have formal land support for his journey, with a truck carrying supplies and following his route, but this support has pulled out due to changes with a sponsor. Ive gone from catered land support where I could sleep in the truck and have all my kit on the truck, to now Im having to take everything on the kayak and camp on a beach, he said. As part of his world record attempt, he must film two minutes every hour and get two signatures at each landing. He is using the challenge to raise money for Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust and Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland in memory of his mother. The NHS district nurse collapsed at a gym from an acute Type A aortic dissection, which is when the main blood vessel from the heart tears. I want people to be aware that aortic dissections exist, and that there are clinical pathways that are there that can support them, he said. Mr Lambert is also raising funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), as he was assisted by the organisation when he was hit by a large wave during stormy conditions off the South Coast in 2019. His relationship of five years broke down a week before his mothers funeral and Mr Lambert is eager to champion mens mental health, as preparing for the challenge helped him through a difficult period. My personal experience is that when you go through hard times, the advice people will give you is, you need to take care of yourself, sometimes you need to be selfish, put yourself first, he said. For me, self care has been getting out early in the cold, in the dark, in the wet, and breaking myself down physically to help regain my mental health. Mr Lambert is registering to vote in the General Election by proxy as he will be on the water on polling day, July 4. He said: I think the world will look very different and I think Im going to feel very different. Having the separation from the rigmarole of British politics, I think, will just be really quite refreshing. To donate to the fundraiser, visit www.givewheel.com/fundraising/1921/circumnavigation-of-mainland-uk-in-kayak/ One of Auckland's most iconic department stores on Queen Street could be shutting shop for good. Staff of Smith & Caughey's were informed today about a proposal to close its Queen Street, Newmarket, and online operations in early 2025, affecting the jobs of 240 employees. The New Zealand company was founded in 1880 by Marianne Smith, who was later joined by her husband William Smith and brother Andrew Caughey. The store has remained a family business since then and, in more recent times, is best known for its extravagant Christmas display windows each December. In a statement released by chairman Tony Caughey, the fourth-generation director of the company, he acknowledged the "deeply emotional time" it was for people "connected to this historic establishment." "However, over the last five years, we have experienced a 40 percent decline in revenue from our physical stores due to factors largely outside our control. As a result, the company is trading at a significant loss, which is unsustainable," Tony Caughey said to Newshub. "Sadly, we do not believe sales can be restored to levels necessary to continue operating." Followers of Smith & Caughey's took to social media to share their disappointment about losing an 'Auckland institution'. "You've weathered two world wars and depressions, Wall Street crashes, our free-trade agreement with China, Covid..." wrote one 'heartbroken' fan. "Visiting your Queen Street 'palace' has always been such a treat. The old-world charm of the building is like none other in this country." "Christmas will not be the same without you!" Tony Caughey also said the company was mindful of its role in family Christmas traditions, which is why the store would close in the new year. "Whatever the outcome of the consultation process, our intention is still to offer our traditional experience of inspiring world-class Christmas windows, Santa's Enchanted Forest, and Santa Claus himself." The consultation period is expected to last five weeks. 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. Fiona Lali recently shot to prominence, and stunned former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, when she publicly branded Suella a war monger and a liar for her support for the genocide in Gaza. Fionas words chimed with millions of workers and youth who have seen this clip, and who are sick and tired of this rotten imperialist system, of the hypocrites who run it, and of the commentators, media and opposition that do nothing to challenge it. In this exclusive interview, Fiona presents the communist approach to war and imperialism, and explains why we need to kick out not only individual Tory politicians, but the whole capitalist system. Fiona Lali is national campaigns coordinator of the Revolutionary Communist Party (the British section of the International Marxist Tendency), which will be holding an important national online meeting this Thursday, to coordinate the immense wave of student protests sweeping British universities. Register for the event here: https://communist.red/palestinemeeting If youre a communist in Britain and you agree with Fiona, join the RCP today in the fight against the war mongers in Parliament and the system they represent: https://communist.red/ For those beyond Britain, the IMT is a worldwide, fighting, communist organisation, and this June, we are founding a new Revolutionary Communist International (RCI). You can join us! Sign up to attend the founding conference of the RCI, which you can join online at: https://schoolofcommunism.com/ Finally, we recommend listeners check out the podcast of the RCP in Britain, where Fiona will be hosting daily news updates starting tomorrow: https://communist.red/category/marxist-voice/ Listen and subscribe below Youtube Spotify Apple Podcasts Marxist.com Podcasts: https://podcast.marxist.com/2024/05/20/interview-with-fiona-lali-suella-is-a-symptom-capitalism-is-the-disease/ After Harvard University faced the brunt of backlash after Oct. 7 related to the Israel-Hamas war, the institution declared it would no longer issue statements that are outside of the universitys core function. The decision came from one of two working groups that were announced in April by interim president Alan Garber and interim provost John Manning in order to address: How to create better engagement across differing viewpoints and whether the institution should speak on public issues. The group on institutional voice wrote that the university should only speak out to protect its core function, which they defined as cultivating an environment where members can research, teach and learn. Let us be clear: the university is not a neutral institution. It values open inquiry, expertise, and diverse points of view, for these are the means through which it pursues truth. The policy of speaking officially only on matters directly related to the universitys core function, not beyond, serves those values. It should enable the university to endure and flourish, providing its unique public good even and especially in times of intense public controversy, the work group said. The group said if the university were to speak out on issues not related to its core function, the integrity and credibility of the institution would be compromised and there would inevitably come under intense pressure to do so from multiple, competing sides on nearly every imaginable issue of the day. Harvard University has been at the center of media attention and ongoing controversy when Harvards former president, Claudine Gay Ph.D., testified at a congressional hearing in December about campus antisemitism. She was joined by presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the hearing, each president equivocated over a question about whether calls for genocide violated their code of conduct. Each said that those calls would depend on the context. Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill apologized and later resigned. The U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee later subpoenaed Harvard for its failure to produce priority documents related to the antisemitism investigation. Harvard has also received a failing grade in the Anti-Defamation Leagues campus antisemitism report. The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit in federal court against Harvard on May 22 claiming the institution has ignored and tolerated antisemitism on campus. The lawsuit was filed after Harvard students ended their pro-Palestinian encampment on May 14, which they had established several weeks earlier on the colleges Cambridge campus. Harvard administrators agreed to retract suspensions of student protesters as a pre-condition of ending the encampment. At the same time, the day before graduation, school officials announced that 13 Harvard student protesters would not be able to receive diplomas, stating that the students violated the universitys policies by their conduct during the encampment protest. The decision came after a recommendation by faculty members to allow the students to graduate. The lawsuit filed by the Brandeis Center is not the first against Harvard. In January, several Jewish students filed a lawsuit against the institution, accusing it of becoming a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment. The working group on institutional voice wrote that if the university adopts an official position on a matter, it can be understood as taking sides with one perspective, which may alienate community members. In a university that draws on the whole country and the entire world, almost any significant national or global event is likely to affect someone in our community personally. Yet in issuing official statements of empathy, the university runs the risk of appearing to care more about some places and events than others, the group wrote. That being said, faculty members are able to speak about their areas of expertise but dont represent the university. The institution will also dedicate resources to training staff and helping affected community members based on the situation at hand. The university is not a government tasked with engaging the full range of foreign and domestic policy issues, and its leaders are not, and must not be, selected for their personal political beliefs, the group said. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has announced her 27-show farewell tour that will stop in Boston, MA on July 29 at the Wang Theatre. This summer, the 66-year-old comedian will take a lap around North America on a 27-show tour, titled Ellens Last Stand Up. This will be the last opportunity for fans to see the former talk show host in her final comeback to comedy. A ticket presale will start tomorrow, Thursday, May 30 at 10 a.m. with code CHICKEN and a general sale will be on Friday, May 31. Fans who dont want to wait can shop around for tickets now on reliable third-party ticket websites such as StubHub, VividSeats and SeatGeek. *New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats can get $20 off a $200+ ticket order by using the promo code MassLive20 at checkout.* As of Wednesday, May 29 the cheapest tickets for the Boston, MA show are $127 on StubHub, $136 on VividSeats and $140 on SeatGeek. DeGeneres posted the tour announcement on Instagram on Wednesday saying Here it is! These are the cities and dates for my final stand-up tour. The long-running series, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, concluded in 2022 after 19 seasons. The tour will kick off on June 19 in San Diego, CA and will wrap up in Minneapolis, MN. The final two dates of the tour will be a taping for Ellens upcoming Netflix special. A federal grand jury in Springfield has indicted an Adams man who is already facing over 50 child sexual abuse-related charges in a new case where he is accused of sexually exploiting a child to produce child sexual abuse images, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office. Brian Warner, 38, was arrested Tuesday after being charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child, the U.S. Attorneys office said in a press release. The charge stems from accusations that, between July and December 2016, he employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse images. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield on Tuesday, Warner was held without bail pending a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The charge of sexual exploitation a child provides for a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Last month, the Berkshire District Attorneys Office announced that Warner had been charged with 26 counts of posing or exhibiting a child in a sexual act, 13 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years, three counts of rape of a child with force, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years and two counts each of rape and abuse of a child and possession of child pornography. He was previously arraigned in North Adams District Court last year, and several charges were added in April following an investigation. During Warners arraignment, the judge said the case was one of the worst cases of alleged child sexual abuse hed ever seen, the district attorneys office said. The judge then intentionally set Warners bail at an amount he believed would be higher than Warner could post, but Warner posted bail anyway and was fitted with a GPS monitor. If Warner is found guilty on the charges filed by the district attorney, he would face multiple life sentences. The Boston Police Department is mourning the death of active duty Officer Bernard Doyle a second-generation policeman who served in four different neighborhoods over several decades, according to the police department. Doyle died Friday, May 24, the department said in a press release Tuesday. It is unclear how he died. Officer Doyle was highly regarded by those he worked with, his supervisors and all who knew him, both within the Department and by those he served, the department wrote in the release. Doyle was appointed to the Boston Police Department in November 1987 as a cadet, according to the department. He served in this position until he was recruited by the Boston Police Academy in 1993. After Doyle graduated from the academy, he served as a probation officer in Mattapan and Dorchester for eight years, according to the department. In 2002, Doyle was reassigned to work in the Hyde Park and Roslindale. When Doyle died, he was part of the Boston Police Departments Medically Incapacitated Section, according to an internal personnel memo. This unit consists of officers who are on long-term medical leave but still employed by the department, according to WBUR. It is unclear how long Doyle has been on leave. Doyle received numerous commendations for his dedicated service during his career. The commendations were both internal and external, including two as a Police Cadet, one for assisting with the arrest of a bank robbery suspect, being commended by the FBI Bank Robbery Task Force and another as a Police Officer apprehending violent wanted suspects. All commented on his professionalism and dedication to duty, the department wrote. An Attleboro man accused of stabbing his brother to death is facing a murder charge after the Bristol County District Attorneys Office added the charge Wednesday afternoon. James McCormick, 51, is accused of fatally stabbing his brother 47-year-old North Attleborough resident Richard McCormick outside a home at an Attleboro trailer park early Monday morning. He pleaded not guilty to charges of armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon during his arraignment in Attleboro District Court Tuesday afternoon. The prosecution alleges that James McCormick stabbed his brother up to 10 times following a drunken argument that turned physical. But his defense lawyer, Attorney Frank Camera, claims his clients actions constitute a quintessential self-defense case. The district attorneys office had to wait for the Chief Medical Examiners Office to finish autopsying Richard McCormicks body and declare his death a homicide before it could charge his brother with murder. The autopsy results came back on Tuesday and found that Richard McCormick had 10 stab wounds five on his head, four on his abdomen and one on his wrist, according to court documents. James McCormick is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Bristol County Superior Court on the murder charge on Friday. The upgraded charge was expected. The fact remains that Mr. McCormick defended himself against his brother and we look forward to his exoneration, Camera said in a statement to MassLive Wednesday evening. What does the prosecution allege happened that night? James McCormicks girlfriend told police that the stabbing happened outside 6 Melissa Drive around 3 a.m. on May 27 after the brothers returned home from fetching a truck that Richard McCormick had planned to borrow, according to court documents. After being gone for hours, the two brothers argued loudly near the truck, and upon hearing them, the girlfriend went out to try to diffuse the situation and quickly noticed that they were intoxicated. After initially giving a slightly different account of how the fight started, the girlfriend ultimately told police that Richard McCormick accidentally punched her as she tried to separate them, according to court documents. After that, the brothers argument became physical, and James McCormick stabbed his brother who appeared unarmed, she said. He then dropped the knife used to stab his brother which his girlfriend had seen him carry on previous occasions on a table, and she put it in a bathroom cabinet, according to court documents. Detectives later found a knife in the bathroom of the home that matched the description given by the girlfriend. Police responded to the scene around 3:25 a.m. after receiving 911 calls about yelling outside the home and found Richard McCormick unresponsive and lying in a pool of blood, according to court documents. They provided medical aid and rushed him to a hospital, but he was declared dead a little before 4:10 a.m. Officers also overheard James McCormick pleading with his girlfriend to support his claim to self-defense when they first arrived at the scene, according to court documents. He was arrested at the scene. Why did James McCormick kill his brother? In multiple unprompted statements to police, James McCormick claimed he stabbed his brother in an attempt to defend his girlfriend after his brother physically attacked her, according to court documents. James then stated that he did what he did and he would do it again, the cases statement of facts reads. But outside the courtroom Tuesday, Camera asserted that Richard McCormick became aggressive during the argument with his brother and even attacked his brothers girlfriend. He described Richard McCormick as raging during the fight. Its a sad situation any way you cut it. Theyre biological brothers. But there was liquor involved excessive amounts from what I can gather, he said. There was a stab that occurred in order to protect and ward him off, and that was unsuccessful and he continued to go at my client. Camera added that there was no known conflict between the brothers prior to the stabbing, but said he did not know what the brothers had argued over that night. His client is struggling to digest what happened but is remorseful, he said. Court records indicate that James McCormick was previously charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor twice once in 1999 and once in 2002. He only pled guilty to the offense in the case from 2002. His most recent case out of Attleboro District Court prior to the new charges was in 2005, according to court records. The case concluded with him pleading guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. A former Massachusetts physical therapy clinic owner who submitted over $1 million in health insurance claims for fake appointments has been sentenced to over two years in prison, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office. Chang Goo Yoon, a 62-year-old South Korean national who lives in New York City, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release in federal court last week after being convicted of two counts of healthcare fraud in January 2024, the U.S. Attorneys office said in a press release Tuesday. He was also ordered pay restitution, but the amount has yet to be decided. Between 2014 and 2018, Yoon owned and operated physical therapy clinics in Brookline, Waltham and Bostons Allston neighborhood, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. During this time, he billed patients and their insurance companies over $1 millions for fake appointments and reaped more than $300,000 in fraudulent money. Approximately $150,000 of the claims were billed for dates when he was traveling to places such as South Korea, Los Angeles and Toronto, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. Another $50,000 were billed for dates on which he was gambling at casinos such as MGM Springfield, Twin River Casino in Rhode Island and Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. Yoon also billed $30,000 in claims for his own treatment after he was involved in three car accidents most of which falsely listed one of Yoons employees as the physical therapist, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. The remaining claims listed himself as both the patient and the physical therapist. Yoon pressured his employees to participate in the fraud, Acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in the release. Levy also noted that fraud such as this drives up healthcare costs. FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen added that Yoon was not licensed to practice physical therapy in Massachusetts. This long-running scheme appears fueled by sheer greed, and the FBI and our partners are committed to bringing medical professionals like Chang Goo Yoon, who choose to betray their oath and get involved in fraud, to justice, she said in the release. Yoons website indicates that he still has a location in Hartford, Connecticut. That location is still listed on Google, but its unclear whether it is still operating. Yoons bio on his website states that he was a professor of physical therapy at Yeongdong College in South Korea from September 1991 to August 1997. Since 2001, hes practiced in Colorado, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. and is licensed to practice in Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York and Virginia, it says. The website also claims he has a doctorate in physical therapy from Bostons Northeastern University. Northeastern did not return an enrollment verification request on Wednesday. Five people were injured in a fire at a Chelsea apartment building Saturday after an electric scooter battery exploded while charging and set the building ablaze, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services. On Saturday, Chelsea firefighters responded to 32 Carmel St. around 12:40 a.m. for reports of a fire, the fire services department said in a Wednesday press release. At the scene, firefighters saw smoke and flames coming from the first floor towards the back of the building. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire before it spread further, but four residents were taken to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the department said. The rest escaped without injury. Local and state fire investigators later determined that an electric scooter battery had caused the fire, the department said. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery been left charging in an apartment for several hours and eventually caught fire and exploded. Lithium-ion batteries can hold a lot of energy, which means that when they fail, the result is more violent, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said in the release. Overcharging, overheating and physical damage can cause them to fail rapidly, so its important to be careful when using and handling them, he said. Many everyday items use lithium-ion batteries, Chelsea Fire Chief John Quatieri added. Fire officials recommend buying these batteries from companies that have tested their products with respected lab companies such as Underwriters Laboratories or Intertek/ETL. Fire Officials Lithium-ion Battery Safety Tips: Follow the instructions for use, charging and storing provided by the batterys manufacturer Use the charging equipment provided by the manufacturer Plug battery chargers directly into a wall outlet, not a power strip or extension cord Dont leave the battery unattended while its charging Charge the battery on a hard, stable surface, not a bed, couch or pillow Disconnect the battery from its charger soon after it finishes charging Only use the battery with the item it was intended to be used with If you notice swelling, punctures, excess heat, strange odors or hear hissing popping sounds when using an object charged by a lithium-ion battery, stop using the object immediately Avoid using or storing items lithium-ion batteries in hot or freezing locations Keep items that use lithium-ion batteries away from direct sunlight and items that catch fire easily Recycle the battery when you need to dispose of it. You can find locations at https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/ For more information about lithium-ion battery safety, visit the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services website. Editors note: This story includes a description regarding the rape. A Massachusetts man known as the Bad Breath Rapist was found in California after more than 16 years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshalls office. On Feb. 2, 2005, officials said a man named Tuen Kit Lee had broken into the home of a waitress at Kagawa, his familys restaurant in Quincy, and held her at knifepoint. He was wearing a mask, police said. The suspect zip-tied the woman to a bed face-down, then raped her, police said. He left her zip-tied to the bed and she was not found until several hours later by her boyfriend, who went to her house after he wasnt able to reach her by phone, police said. The woman had told police the man who raped her had foul breath, police said, which was among officials evidence establishing Lee as the rapist, and he was subsequently known as the Bad Breath Rapist. Lee testified at trial in Norfolk Superior Court in 2007, police said, but did not return to court for closing arguments and had been facing a life sentence if convicted. In his absence, police stated the man had been convicted of the rape. He remained on the run for more than 16 years. In 2023, Massachusetts State Police announced it was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Lees arrest. The U.S. Marshalls office said Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section recently got information that Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, California. Investigators went to northern California to work with Danville Police Department. Together, officials were able to confirm Lee was in the area. He was arrested Tuesday. There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions, said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force commander. Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family. If you are a victim of sexual assault, you are not alone. Rape Crisis Centers in Massachusetts offer free, confidential services for adolescent and adult survivors as well as their loved ones. Crisis centers operate a 24/7 toll-free hotline for phone counseling, questions and referrals. For a full list of regional crisis centers, click here. SafeLink offers a 24/7 toll-free hotline: College students from Boston to the Berkshires might have closed their books and finished their final exams weeks ago, but Bay State lawmakers still have some serious legislative heavy-lifting to do before they all can start their summer vacations. And as to-do lists go, the one confronting lawmakers is a big one. Legislative negotiators already have been meeting behind closed doors for months, trying to hammer out agreements on big-ticket items that run the gauntlet from gun law reform and wage transparency to an effort to ban revenge porn, according to a scorecard compiled by State House News Service. Now, with last weeks state Senate vote, you can throw the state budget onto the pile. And, waiting in the wings for likely conference committee action, theres Democratic Gov. Maura Healeys $4.1 billion housing bond bill, her sprawling economic development proposal, and health care reform measures brought on by the implosion of Steward Health Care. And, just like the end of term, lawmakers face a deadline of their own: Formal sessions for the state Legislature end on July 31 and do not resume until January. And because its an election year, its a sure bet that theyll want to have solid accomplishments in hand before they go home to face the voters. Ive been at this for 40 years, and Ive never seen anything like this, veteran Western Massachusetts political consultant Tony Cignoli told MassLive. Speaking to lawmakers last week, Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, foreshadowed the heavy schedule ahead. I urge you all to take some time everybody thats here, you all have worked so hard take time for yourself when you can. If you dont do it, nobody else is going to do it for you, the Ashland Democrat told senators and staffers around midnight last Thursday as the Senate finished work on its spending plan, State House News Service reported. Come back refreshed, Spilka said. Rank-and-file lawmakers will have plenty of time to exhale in this holiday-shortened week. Both the House and Senate are meeting in informal sessions, according to State House News Service. But theyll face their first hard deadline at midnight on June 30, when the state closes the books on the 2023-24 budget year. A replacement spending blueprint is supposed to be in place for the new fiscal year that starts at 12:01 a.m. on July 1. But even that deadline can sometimes end up as little more than a suggestion: Healey didnt sign a new budget, her first at the helm, until last August. Meanwhile, two of the bills now before those joint House and Senate negotiating committees the ones on gun reform and revenge porn have the potential to be transformational. Right now, Massachusetts is only one of two states that doesnt have a law criminalizing revenge porn, according to WGBH News. Survivors and their advocates have spent years pleading the case for the legislation, the station reported. And if theyre finally approved, tweaks to the states gun laws, already among the toughest in the nation, would clamp down on so-called ghost guns and expand the list of people who can petition the court to take away someones guns if they are deemed dangerous, MassLive previously reported. But it was not clear Tuesday when a negotiated version of those two bills might see a vote. A spokesperson for Rep. Michael Day, D-31st Middlesex, a House negotiator for both bills, declined MassLives request for comment, saying the panels are now in executive session. A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr, R-1st Essex/Middlesex, a Senate negotiator on the gun reform bill, similarly declined to comment. But Tarr opposed the vote to move the committee into executive session, citing the need for public transparency, the spokesperson added. And that transparency is critical, Cignoli noted especially at a time when public faith in institutions has cratered. The public has a right to know whats going on, he said. The Massachusetts State House, despite having a reputation for being liberal and open ... its not the case with the majority of these issues. Its also not clear when Healeys housing bill, which has been touted as a quantum leap toward solving a crisis of affordability and supply that was driving people out of the Bay State, will see a floor vote. Ditto for the economic development bill. Healey has called passing the housing bill job one, describing it as the fulcrum on which the states future economic health and competitiveness turns. And while lawmakers agree on the principle, theres far from a consensus on the solution. Housing is one of the foremost issues that I hear about from members and constituents alike, and it is a challenge the Senate is committed to addressing to support Massachusetts residents, families, and businesses, Spilka, the state Senate president, told MassLive earlier this month. But with a little more than six weeks to go, its difficult to foresee how all of this happens, Cignoli told MassLive. You have so many projects, items and amendments that are so important to so many members of the Legislature. They really want to get stuff done, Cignoli continued. And, he stressed, they kind of need to. Bostons Northeastern University has announced that it is pursuing a merger with Marymount Manhattan College a small, private liberal arts college in New York City. The decision by both schools governing boards to approve the merger plan follows concerns about declining enrollment at Marymount and the increasing challenges faced by small American colleges, the university said in a Wednesday morning message to the community. If the merger is approved by state and federal regulators, Marymount will change its name to Northeastern University New York City and become Northeasterns 14th campus, and Northeastern will assume all of Marymounts assets and liabilities. As always, our guiding principles for building the global university system remain, President Joseph Aoun said in the release. Enhanced mobility for undergraduates; industry-aligned lifelong learning opportunities; and unparalleled opportunities for faculty to globalize their teaching and research. Under the merger plan, Marymount students will still be able to pursue their current degree paths, but will become Northeastern students, Northeastern said. Current Marymount students also wont be subject to tuition hikes as a result of the merger, and any existing financial aid will be honored. Similarly, all Marymount staff would become Northeastern staff, but full-time faculty would only receive one-year contracts, according to Northeastern. They would then be considered for available positions once the year is up. Which positions Northeastern offers will be based on the demand to support the mission and operations of Northeastern University New York City, which are expected to grow over time, the university said. It is unclear what Northeastern has planned for staff who arent full-time faculty. I want to thank the leadership of Marymount Manhattan College for their partnership, Aoun said. Their foresight and dedication to the well-being of their students is both admirable and increasingly necessary as the higher education landscape continues to shift. Marymount enrolled about 1,500 students in 2023 and is best known for its performing arts programs, according to Northeastern. It also has a desirable location for students, high quality academics and deep connections to the New York City arts and theater ecosystem. The merger would allow Marymount students and faculty access to Northeasterns global university system, which includes campuses in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, experiential learning programs in 149 countries and partnerships with more than 4,000 industry partners, Northeastern said. For Northeastern students and faculty, it would offer additional learning program opportunities out of a major global metropolitan hub. MMC and Northeastern are natural partners, Marymount Interim President Peter Naccarato said in the release. The institutions reflect each other in many ways, including how we foster meaningful engagements with our communities and create opportunities for our students to take advantage of the resources of world-class cities to find an edge in career and life. In the announcement, Northeastern emphasized that it will shape the new campus in a way that reflects the strengths and traditions of the former college. The university also said it would maintain Marymounts current prison education programs and keep the names of certain spaces on the colleges campus. In an FAQ about the merger, Northeastern said Marymounts governing board decided to go ahead with the plan after a thoughtful, deliberative, and thorough process that explored ways to preserve MMCs mission as an institution of higher learning for the long term. The university also highlighted that, just in New York, five colleges have closed recently, and that one report from April found that American colleges are closing at a rate of one per week. Approval of the merger by regulators is expected to take months, but theres no set timeline, according to Northeastern. A truck crashed into the side of a 1700s Norwell home only a few weeks before the owners wedding. The Norwell Fire Department said the truck crashed into the home and that the driver was stuck inside. They were able to extricated the driver and take them to the hospital. The fire department also shared photos from the crash, showing the truck inside the home. Crews responded to Central st for a reported car into a building. A9/E2 arrived on scene and reported the solo vehicle... Posted by Norwell Fire Department on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 The homeowners werent home at the time of the crash. However, they have people planning to stay with them ahead of their wedding in three weeks, NBC Boston reported. Our wedding is in three weeks, Brandon Hall told the news outlet. So we had people coming here to stay with us, people that are coming in from out of town, Im from the South, so I have a bunch of family and friends coming in, so this is just a big stress to have to deal with right before another very stressful time of your life. Halls fiance, Cara Sacchetti, told NBC Boston that this was her dream home and that she had really wanted to buy an antique house. A plaque on the side of the house states it was built in 1706. Officials have not stated if the driver will face any charges or why they lost control. Eight Massachusetts school districts will share in $1.7 million in state grant money intended to support their efforts to add or expand access to pre-kindergarten programs, according to the Healey administration. The infusion from the states Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grant program will benefit the Chicopee, Gloucester, Haverhill, Holyoke, Hoosac Valley (which covers Adams and Cheshire, Mass.), New Bedford, Taunton, and Westfield public schools, adding a total of 259 seats across the state. The money can be used to support districts in building partnerships with local community-based early education and care programs, developing a leadership team, conducting a needs assessment, and drafting a strategic plan, the administration said in a statement. The cost of childcare in the Bay State is among the highest nationwide, running $15,095 a year for 4-year-olds, or $1,743 a month, according to 2023 data compiled by the Economic Policy Institute. The Bay State is ranked second out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the most expensive infant care, that same analysis showed. Read More: Healey administration funds expansion of early education access Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey announced a new effort to address the high cost of care across the states 26 Gateway Cities. Healeys $58 billion budget plan calls for delivering universal, high-quality preschool access for four-year-olds in those cities by the end of 2026. We know that the high cost of child care is holding back our families, our providers, and our economy from their full potential. Thats why we have been focused on expanding access to affordable, high-quality preschool, creating new seats for children in Gateway Cities and rural communities across the state, Healey said in a statement her office released Tuesday. The state already has delivered $16.4 million in support of such efforts. And with the new round of funding, the administration is making the necessary investments to reach more kids in more communities, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in the joint statement. This is not just an investment in our children and families, early childhood educators, and local communitiesits a downpayment on the future success of our state, Tutwiler continued. The grant program has [transformed] Gloucesters approach to early childhood education and care, the districts superintendent, Ben Lummi, said. The North Shore school district has partnered with several groups, including the Cape Ann YMCA, to deliver those services. Those groups are set to receive $279,949 in grant money to expand their offerings, according to the administration. Our work together is making sure Gloucesters youngest students are getting the high-quality curriculum and services they need at the program that is the best fit for their family, Lummi said. In Westfield, district officials similarly have teamed up with the local Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA to expand pre-kindergarten programs in the western Massachusetts community. The community organizations will share in $250,000 in grant money, according to the administration. We know that students who are able to attend preschool have significantly improved learning outcomes, district Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said in the joint statement. Elsewhere, the Chicopee and Taunton districts each will receive $50,000 grants for new programs, while Haverhill ($250,000); Holyoke ($138,000); Hoosac Valley ($328,0000; New Bedford ($330,000), and Westfield ($250,000), will receive money to expand their existing efforts, according to the administration. We are glad that six additional districts are receiving expansion grants to add classrooms and serve additional families across the state, state Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw said, adding that her agency looks forward to working with the Chicopee and Taunton school districts, and their partners, to support them in planning and implementing universal access to pre-k in their districts through our diverse mixed-delivery system. SPRINGFIELD The sounds of summer are officially returning to Western Massachusetts as the Springfield Parks Department will host the Forest Park Concert Series throughout the month of June. The series is set to begin on June 6 with a rock and pop performance by local favorite Jake Manzi. Other scheduled shows include Alex Rohan Band on June 13, Dee Reilly on June 20 and Floyd Pattersons Hipptown to close the series on June 27. SPRINGFIELD State gambling regulators facing their own tightening budget toured Tuesday the Hampden County sheriffs Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center that the state Gaming Commission has supported with casino revenue for the past nine years. Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi explained that the 145-bed facility for men and women convicted of crimes but at the same time seeking recovery from drug and alcohol addiction has no bars, no fence, no locks on the doors. SPRINGFIELD An appeals judge has denied an appeal filed by the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council, and the $325 million West Parish Filters Water Treatment plant will be built without a project labor agreement mandating that contractors hire union workers. Associate Justice Sabita Singh of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals sided last week with Hampden Superior Court Judge Michael K. Callan, who ruled that the union-only agreement ran counter to state open bidding laws. Ever since he was a child, Alijandro Ian Mendoza of Worcester has enjoyed studying and researching anything he finds interesting including helping his father find a practical solution to move heavy boxes and breaking apart a Nerf gun to see what was inside. My dad and I would have these little excursions where we had to move this heavy box so we had to make a contraption to do so, Mendoza said. This is like using my brain. This is fun. This passion for problem-solving led to Mendoza, now 19, receiving the honor of U.S. Presidential Scholar from the Department of Education during his senior year at Worcester Technical High School in 2023. According to the departments website, this honor is awarded to graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding efforts in academics, leadership, visual, creative or performing arts or accomplishments within the technical and career fields. While some graduates of Worcesters high schools have been nominated for the honor, Mendoza is the first alumnus from the city to receive the award, according to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Alumni Foundation & Associations database. In commemoration of this milestone for both Mendoza and Worcester, a celebration hosted by city officials and Mendozas teachers was held at Worcester Tech on May 15. Dichawn Belcher, Mendozas teacher for junior and senior year, told MassLive the ceremony recognized Mendozas research and studies in Worcester Techs biotech program as well as his accomplishment for receiving a 4.7 grade point average upon graduating in 2023 4.0 is an A average, but that can be exceeded with grades of A+ and weighted courses such as Advance Placement and dual enrollment classes. During the ceremony, Mendoza was honored for his dedication and work and received a key to the city from Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty. Sarah May Mendoza, Alijandros twin sister, told MassLive that she and her parents are immensely proud of her brothers achievement. As the children of parents who immigrated to Worcester from the Philippines, Mendoza said her brothers passion for studying proves that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve academic excellence. Growing up, I always knew he was really smart, Mendoza said about her brother. I thought he was just another smart kid but to do what he does was so unexpected. For Alijandro Mendoza, who is now attending Columbia University on a full-ride scholarship, the award is not about him but rather the time and work he has put into his studies and research. I enjoyed what I did, I was passionate in what I did, he said. I didnt expect to win anything. They gave me a medal, they sent me this really cool letter. It wasnt just a win for me it was a win for my teachers, my school and all the schools in Worcester. A drive to keep going Mendoza said his passion for learning and studying came from his parents, who inspired him to go above and beyond regarding schoolwork. Mendozas parents immigrated to Worcester from the Philippines in the 1990s, seeking better opportunities in the United States. As a child, Mendoza said he and his family faced challenges such as learning English as a second language. I was in ESL for a long time, Mendoza said. I think I turned out well though. In addition to learning English, Mendoza said that, on occasion, he dealt with bullies in middle school. Even though he faced some struggles, Mendoza said his parents were there to inspire him to work hard and pursue his passions to learn more about the world around him. He told MassLive how he was inspired by his mother, who learned how to do her taxes without help and how his father would teach him problem-solving skills whenever a challenge was presented. Belcher, who also served as Mendozas advisor, said his parents offered constant support in his life, such as buying books he was interested in reading about or helping him with extracurricular activities such as chess club. He would line up his books in categories, Belcher said about Mendoza. They were his coveted prizes. Belcher said Mendozas desire to work hard and study was always constant in the classroom. Belcher said Mendoza was always focused on projects and subjects related to class. She said Mendoza was able to meet challenges and tasks handed to him with no problem and would not give up on the task regardless of its difficulty. He was very proud of what his parents sacrificed to give him and his sister the opportunities that they have, Belcher said. Sophia Zoghbi, a close friend of Mendoza, told MassLive that this passion for problem-solving extended beyond the classroom as he dedicated his studies to his chess club and math competitions. Zoghbi said Mendozas attitude exemplifies what it means to be a U.S. Presidential Scholar and praised him for all his hard work in and out of school. This thirst for knowledge and self improvement is what makes him so deserving of the Presidential Scholar Award, Zoghbi said. He embodies a pursuit of excellence in everything he does. From Worcester to Columbia and beyond Though he loved to study biotech and took part in internships at MIT and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mendoza told MassLive he decided to study astrophysics at Columbia University. Mendoza said he always had an interest in math and the universe, deciding he wanted to pursue these passions. He acknowledged that he would likely make more money in the biotech field but Mendoza said he wanted to keep studying. I want to be in academia, Mendoza said. Even though money is always there, I want to teach undergrad. I want to have a research group that is interested in research not money. Even though he is currently in New York City, Mendoza told MassLive he plans to return to Worcester someday. As for his family, his twin sister says she knows her brother will go farther than he will imagine. If hes doing this at this age, who knows what he will do beyond, she said. The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) today announced the appointment of Patrice Matchaba, MD, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), starting June 10, 2024. He succeeds the current CEO, Emilio Emini, PhD, who recently announced his retirement, effective on June 30, 2024. Dr. Matchaba began his career as a physician in South Africa before working for more than two decades in the pharmaceutical industry. In his time with Novartis Global Pharmaceuticals in the US and Switzerland, Dr. Matchaba gained expertise in drug development, global product registration, and market access. Prior to joining the institute, his most recent roles were President of Novartis U.S. Foundation and Novartis Group Head of Global Health. Before joining Novartis, Dr. Matchaba was a Senior Research Scientist at the Cochrane Centre based at the South African Medical Research Centre in Cape Town, which he joined after practicing as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Durban. He also worked as a medical doctor in the mines of Botswana for three years, where he saw the ravages of tuberculosis (TB) firsthand. He was born in Zimbabwe and is a citizen of South Africa and the US. After an extensive global search, we are delighted to announce that Dr. Matchaba will lead the Gates MRI, said Trevor Mundel, Board Chair of the Gates MRI and President, Global Health, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Matchaba has seen every aspect of global health drug development in his 23 years at Novartis, most notably in his work to build sustainable partnerships to treat sickle-cell disease in Africa and Chagas disease in South America. His extensive experience in global health will help the Gates MRI as it progresses candidate therapeutics, supplements, and vaccines through clinical development and ultimately, into manufacturing and distribution. Dr. Matchabas experience in harnessing the power of medical innovationfrom research through to distribution and patient accesswill serve us well, said Dr. Emini. As we continue the clinical studies on potential interventions to fight the diseases that disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries, we need continued leadership that can leverage the capabilities of current partners while building new collaboration models. Tuberculosis, malaria, diarrheal diseases, and maternal and child health are public health challenges that impact communities in low- and middle-income countries, said Dr. Matchaba. The Gates MRI was founded to help address these intractable concerns and to save lives. I look forward to joining with new colleagues and research partners in this critically important work. In March of this year, the Gates MRI launched a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis vaccine candidate. The institute is conducting a number of additional clinical trials, evaluating potential therapeutics, vaccine candidates, and a probiotic candidate to reduce the burden of illness in low- and middle-income countries globally. Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, has recognized both IAT Insurance Group and their strategic transformation partner, Coforge, with the 2024 Standard of Excellence Customer Award winner at Formation 24 in Dallas. The Duck Creek Standard of Excellence Customer Awards recognizes customers who have achieved the highest level of excellence through their implementation of Duck Creek solutions and who are reimagining the future of insurance. IAT Insurance Group, a leading specialty insurance company providing property, casualty, and surety products for niche markets, earned the Standard of Excellence Customer Award for the transformation of 7 diverse business segments that includes General Liability, Property, Management Liability, Excess, Inland Marine, and Commercial Auto lines of business. Moving key product lines onto the Duck Creek system has helped streamline the property and casualty insurers internal operations, improve user experience, and improve access to data and analytics. Manish Chawla, CIO, IAT Insurance Group said, We are honored to receive the Standard of Excellence Award. Our vision for transformation is deeply aligned with our business priorities and our commitment to serving our customers better. We believe in leveraging technology to create solutions that not only meet but exceed our customers expectations. This journey of transformation has been made possible through our strategic partnership with Coforge. Our shared vision has been instrumental in helping us turn our vision into reality, enabling us to deliver superior value to our customers. As part of a large, multi-year, multi-million-dollar business transformation initiative, IAT Insurance transitioned multiple lines of business onto the Duck Creek Full Suite, covering 50 states. This effort, supported by Coforge, was designed to modernize legacy systems, enhance scalability, and ensure regulatory compliance across IATs diverse portfolio of insurance products. Rajeev Batra, Executive Vice President, Insurance, Coforge, said, As a Premier Delivery Partner for Duck Creek Technologies, with 1000+ Duck Creek SMEs globally, Coforge is proud to be a part of IAT Insurance Groups transformation journey. The synergy between Coforge, IAT Insurance Group and Duck Creek Technologies exemplifies flawless teamwork and collaboration. Its a great honor to be recognized with the Standard of Excellence Award. Our focus has been on leveraging innovative solutions to drive digital transformation for IAT Insurance Group. Our collaborative efforts have led to the successful transition of multiple business units onto a modern platform, enhancing scalability and regulatory compliance. There is nothing like an election or, at the present time, a series of them to concentrate political minds. The immigrant crisis may have caught the Government by surprise, but there is little doubting the intent to stem the rising public resentment, merited or not, at what is unfolding. The Fianna Fail euro hopeful, Barry Cowen, has observed that while at the start of his campaign, the issue arose on only one in eight doorsteps, it is now raised on every second. When Ireland opened its doors to the first wave of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland in 2022, we offered support more generous than any of our peers. An open-ended promise of accommodation, full social welfare payments, medical care and education were ahead of what other, more cautious states were offering. Little did we realise then that not only would there be 100,000 Ukrainians in the country, but that in addition, an estimated 50,000 asylum seekers would be applying for refuge by the end of this year. The result has seen the rolling back of the welcome mat and a more hardline approach designed to reduce the pull factor, or the attractiveness of Ireland as a refugee destination. Since March, new arrivals have been restricted to accommodation for 90 days, with a weekly allowance of 38.80, as against the full social welfare payment of 232. That policy change seems to have worked, with a noticeable reduction in the number of new arrivals. But the problem for the Government was that this was only one side of the coin. The recent arrival of more asylum seekers given impetus by the British Rwanda policy has seen the unsightly appearance of a tented Dublin shanty town on the leafy banks of the canal, simply because there is no accommodation to house them. And each attempt at a clean up results in a mushroom like re-emergence of new tents and new migrants in days. The Government solution is something of a crude one. From next month, the 27,000 Ukrainians still in State accommodation will have their benefits reduced to 38.80, to be restored to 232 when they find their own accommodation. Quite how they are expected to do so in the middle of a housing crisis is not explained, but the strategy seems to be to free up State accommodation to house the currently homeless international protection applicants. The proposal has drawn severe criticism from both the UN and the home-based humanitarian groups whose remit it is to care for Ukrainian refugees. Their fear is that the end result will be the forced return to Ukraine of the most vulnerable the elderly, women and children who have little hope of sourcing new accommodation. The current migration system is, by common consent, a total mess. It may well be a case of our own misplaced generosity coming back to bite us. It took a particular form of complacency to grant protection to some 80 percent of applicants when the European average was half that. And when we threw open the doors in 2022, we hardly thought that the rate of applications from Georgia, already declared a safe country, would go from 300 to 2,700. Few could have predicted, even five years ago, that immigration could become an Irish electoral issue. But a perfect storm of international displacement, a domestic housing crisis and a hardening of attitudes in Britain has left us with few answers. Our only response has been to roll up the welcome mat. It is a strategy that goes against the grain of our national instincts. But as of now, it is the only strategy we have. Senator Lisa Chambers has welcomed todays announcement of 96 additional beds at Mayo University Hospital, a 36 percent overall increase. This comes as part of the Acute Inpatient Hospital Bed Expansion Plan, which aims to deliver 4,367 acute hospital in-patient beds nationally by 2031. The European election candidate in the Midlands North West called the increase fantastic news for the hospital and the wider community. The current number of beds is 267, and this significant enhancement will bring the total to 363 over the next seven years, however this timeline is not set in stone and can potentially be accelerated. "There is no reason this can't happen sooner. The expansion can be expedited by Mayo University Hospital, ensuring that our healthcare system can meet the growing needs of our population more swiftly," she said. The Fianna Fail candidate added: "Increasing the bed capacity by 36 percent will greatly enhance the hospital's ability to provide high-quality care to patients." Senator Chambers highlighted the urgent need for additional hospital beds to address current capacity issues and improve patient outcomes. She called the increase in beds crucial to reduce wait times, improve patient care, and relieve the strain on healthcare workers. The people of Mayo and the surrounding regions deserve timely access to hospital services, and this expansion is a critical step towards achieving that, she continued. The announcement comes just days after Independent councillor, Michael Kilcoyne, said figures released by the HSE surrounding the number of patients who died in Mayo University Hospitals emergency department raised serious questions. The figures showed that 117 people died in the hospitals emergency department between 2019 and 2023, a figure the local election candidate described as frightening. In a response issued to The Mayo News on the matter, the efforts of the hospital, including efficient bed management appear to be working as Saolta explained that a 27 percent drop in the number of patients waiting on trolleys has been recorded so far this year, despite a 19 percent increase in attendances. Minister of State, Alan Dillon TD, also welcomed the news, explaining the increase in beds follows the recent granting of planning permission at the hospital for an expanded accident and emergency unit, as well as a new Acute Medical Admissions Unit. The project will be delivered in several phases. Temporary and relocated prefabricated accommodation will be necessary during the works. "The people of Mayo are deserving and in need of improved healthcare services and this significant expansion of our acute hospital beds will be reflective of that, commented Minister Dillon. Senator Chambers has urged all stakeholders involved to work collaboratively and efficiently to complete the much-needed expansion as quickly as possible. Our community cannot afford to wait seven years for these additional beds, she concluded. The development of a marina in Westport Harbour has been described as the last big thing that Westport and Mayo is missing by Westport Marina Working Group. A marina for Westport has been included in the Westport Local Area plan after local councillors affirmed their support for the project at the monthly meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District. THE transformation of Westport Harbour has moved one step closer to realisation after a marina was included in a master plan for the development of Roman Island. Councillors from the Westport area reaffirmed their support for the development of a marina at the harbour at their recent meeting after a presentation from Westport Marina Working Group. The monthly meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District was told that Westport Harbour was under-utilised as an amenity but that a marina had the potential to attract large numbers of extra visitors. Proposals to develop the harbour would be completed in two phases; the first involving the construction of a marina along the Quay Wall and Carrowbeg River, and the second seeing the construction of a larger recreational lagoon in front of The Towers bar and restaurant. Damien Cashin, Mayo Sailing Club Development Officer, said building a marina was the last big thing that Westport and Mayo was missing. He explained that the first phase of the development would be a straightforward build, with a lock gate and hoist with minimal impact on the environment and foreshore. Dredging will not be required. The proposed marina was included in the Roman Island Master plan when councillors approved amendments to the new Westport Local Area plan at a special meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District Council last Monday. The Roman Island Master Plan has proposed the development of new recreation facilities, a lido and urban beach, a nature reserve, a perimeter loop walk, boat parking and a summer car park area. Including the marina in the master plan will allow future access to various funding avenues to finance its development. Mr Cashin described Mayos coast as an untapped resource in terms of marine infrastructure, tourism, industry and fisheries. A report on the development of new facilities at Westport Harbour was commissioned as far back as 2005 with the publication of the Marina Westport Quay Report. We even came across one map from around the 1800s of a mooted development for Lord Altamount Harbour Plans, so it goes to show that people were thinking the same way about developing this area a long time ago, added Mr Cashin. Local county councillors reiterated their support for the marina, with Cllr Christy Hyland describing it as a must happen for the town. Cllr Peter Flynn said the municipal district could look back with pride at the development which had taken place at Westport Harbour in recent years, but said that the marina offered huge potential. It really would put Westport and Mayo on the map, he said. The Fine Gael councillor said the marina would be one of his top three priorities if re-elected in the upcoming local elections. Independent councillor Christy Hyland said that the marina was a must-happen for Westport, which he said was standing still since the abolition of the town councils. This project could really bring the bounce back into our area again, for businesses and employers, because the town has gone a bit tired looking and we need a bit of resurgence, he said. Cllr Brendan Mulroy (Fianna Fail) also backed the project, as did Independent councillor John OMalley who said he would support it in every way possible if re-elected. Several groups and organisations have supported the development of a marina at Westport Harbour, including Westport Tourism Organisation, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Westport Coast Guard - RNLI, Westport House, Mayo Sailing Club, Quay Residents Association and Destination Westport. The Westport Marina Working Group has also met Ministers of State Jack Chambers, and Dara Calleary, who are both said to be very supportive of developing a marina at Westport Harbour. Minister Chambers visited Westport Harbour earlier this year when he performed the official sod-turning on the new Westport Coast Guard station. APPROXIMATELY 200 people gathered outside the Belmont Hotel in Knock to voice concerns over proposals to accommodate Ukrainian refugees at the building. Local election candidates Paul Lawless (Aontu), Geraldine Kelly (Independent), Aaron Kelly (The Irish People Party) and European election candidate for the Midlands North West constituency, James Reynolds (The National Party), addressed the meeting, which was organised by Mr Lawless. Concerns were expressed by some speakers about the lack of services in the area to provide for refugees at the 65-bedroom hotel. Some locals were also among those who addressed the gathering outside the hotel, which has fallen into a dilapidated state after closing in 2010. The Mayo News revealed yesterday (Tuesday) that Mayo County Council's Director of Services, Tom Gilligan, had liaised with Mr Bobby Carter last July regarding using the hotel to accommodate refugees from Ukraine. Mr Gilligan told The Mayo News that it was planned to renovate the hotel in two phases. Works have recently taken place at the exterior and interior of the building, formerly known as the Orena Hotel. Following recent changes to government policy, Ukrainian refugees can reside in state accommodation for a maximum of 90 days before having to find their own accommodation. Mr Lawless told The Mayo News today (Wednesday) that a committee will be established to engage further with the issue. He also criticised sitting county councillors for not disclosing details of a letter sent by Mr Gilligan to councillors last summer regarding the use of the Belmont Hotel as potential refugee accomodation. There were no sitting county councillors or TDs at the gathering at the Belmont Hotel last night (Tuesday). by Colin Kirkland , May 28, 2024 The creator economy continues to grow. Goldman Sachs predicts that it could reach half a trillion dollars by 2027. However, consumer habits are shifting and brands working with creators to reach their desired audiences may need to pivot. Its no longer enough for brands to forge partnerships with creators based solely on follower count. In a media landscape plagued with endless promotions and product placements (and a world plagued by a loneliness epidemic), consumers are gravitating toward authenticity in their online relationships, both to the creators they choose to follow and interact with and the brands those creators represent. In other words, community is king. advertisement advertisement By choosing to build business around specific communities, brands may be able to tap into longer-term relationships with consumers, with the chance to showcase their personality by blending digital and real-world engagement. Amrapali Gan, founder of ad agency Hoxton Projects and the former CEO and CMO of adult creator platform OnlyFans, sat with MediaPost to discuss why the creator economy is out and community is in, how brands can adapt by forging relationships with micro-influencers, how creators may be influenced by a TikTok ban in the United States, and more. MediaPost: How have your experiences at OnlyFans informed your outlook on the creator economy? Amrapali Gan: I learned how to put myself in their position and understand that they are entrepreneurs. Creators are small businesses. Their strategy depends on their community and where their audience is. They have to be hyper-organized. They are collaborating with other creators, with brands, and trying to foster authentic communication among community members. Its about forging true long-term relationships. MP: As a brand, what does it mean to prioritize the community economy over the creator economy? Gan: While both stem from a creator ecosystem, there are differences in engagement. Community focuses on meaningful, deep levels of engagement and creator engagement is only coming from one source where youre getting content from an individual creator versus the value coming from interaction experiences in a community. MP: How do they compare in terms of the relationship they have with consumers? AG: Community is about long-term, authentic connections while a creator-driven strategy is becoming more transactional between influencers and their audience because they are relying on paid components like brand deals and partnerships. Creators are also more focused on monetization and thats through subscriptions, sponsorships and brand deals. But community is more about a shared ethos and shared values while still having monetization opportunities. MP: Like what? AG: I see a huge future in IRL components, whether its through events, meetups -- bringing communities together. There is a loneliness epidemic, which means there is a real need for people to come together across niche communities, versus a one-sided relationship between a creator and their fans. MP: Do you know any brands utilizing this community strategy? AG: There's this app called Communia that's designed for anyone who identifies as a woman -- primarily targeting Gen Z millennials -- to have a safe place to bond over shared experiences. They're starting to translate their audience into IRL events and small meetups. I'm also noticing organizations like Gold House, which I'm a member of; they do a lot to create experiences around the Asian Pacific Islander community by including actors, directors, different business and thought leaders in IRL events. I feel there's a real need for that. All types of organizations and businesses can create experiences that are going to drive engagement interest from a specific audience. MP: When did you start to see the shift into community-focused brand strategies? AG: Over the past year or so. Having been so focused on OnlyFans, my new business is pushing me to sharpen my tools in the creator-consumer landscape. Ive noticed that, overall, people are looking for authentic connections, which social media has ironically instigated. But theres something slowly shifting in response to that. MP: How can a brand incorporate a community-driven campaign? AG: Well, I think perfection is out and humor and imperfection are in, meaning that brands should be more real and authentic to drive deeper engagement with their audience. Its all about creating their own community. Like Reformation, for example, have incredible content and give a wide variety of creators exposure on their platforms while operating under their own ethos. Brands also have an opportunity to connect with micro-influencers and their communities if they align with the ethos of the brand. Small groups typically have more engagement. These community conversations work to create brand trust and credibility. MP: What are consumers fed up with? AG: Consumers are fatigued with changing your brand logo to a rainbow in June. They want to know what a brand is doing year-round to support a community. How are specific communities part of your content, your campaigns, and your business? MP: TikTok has a strong hold on the creator economy. How would a U.S. ban affect creator communities? AG: Ive been thinking about how brands and creators would adapt to a missing platform. If you remember Vine, when that folded communities of creators actually came together and started taking similar content and putting it on other platforms. Newer platforms will also find new opportunities that could be tailored to niche audiences. There is no shortage of TikTok alternatives. Its really about what platform is going to be the most authentic for the creators. by Ray Schultz , May 28, 2024 Googles new AI Overviews offering is drawing heated criticism for its perceived impact on publishers. The New/Media Alliance has written to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, urging them to investigate Googles monopolistic expansion through generativeAI. Google has steadily introduced more and more detailed snippets of publishers content, until it reached the point of misappropriation, the letter alleges. Not only has this misappropriation protected Googles monopoly in search, it has also starved publishers of traffic by eliminating consumers incentive to click-through to view publishers content. Moreover, Google has now announced plans to deploy its GAI products nationwide, the letter continues. The prominent placement of AI Overviews at the top of Googles search results page will reduce click through to publishers websites even further and thus further strengthen Googles monopoly. advertisement advertisement The result: Googles AI Overviews will significantly reduce publishers ability to monetize their content through advertising, subscriptions, and affiliate links, and instead drive that monetization directly to Google, the letter adds. AI companies and news publications should coexist, but one-sided, forced offerings without the ability to opt out does not achieve that goal, says Danielle Coffey, president and CEO of the News/Media Alliance. Google claims that this new product will result in increased traffic, but one of many studies estimates that 90% of users will never leave Googles search results page. by Ray Schultz , May 28, 2024 The New York Times is launching a series on the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) to popular culture, funded by a grant from The Asian American Foundation. The project will include immersive articles on how filmmakers, authors and other creators are depicting AAPI life. Were excited to explore how Asian American and Pacific Islander artists are crafting new American narratives through music, food, literature, film and television. said editor Veronica Chambers, who is overseeing the project. Also working on the series is Miya Lee, editor of Modern Love projects at the Times. The first piece, Found in Translation: Asian Languages Onscreen, covers the use of Asian languages in American movies and TV. It features a visual design by Alice Fang, a New York Times graphics editor. advertisement advertisement The Times notes that Asian Americans are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. and that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders are the third. The best way to fight anti-Asian hate is to create belonging and there is no better way to do that than through storytelling, says Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation. Trusted Source Does Drinking Coffee Reduce the Incidence of Parkinson's Disease? Go to source Trusted Source High caffeine intake impacts brain imaging results but offers no symptomatic benefits for Parkinsons patients. #parkinsonsresearch #caffeineeffects #medindia Impact of Caffeine on Dopamine Function and Disease Progression in Parkinsons Patients High Caffeine Intake Offers No Symptomatic Benefits and Complicates Imaging in Parkinsons Patients Advertisement Does Drinking Coffee Reduce the Incidence of Parkinsons Disease? - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9883660/) A new international study led by the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland has found that regular high caffeine consumption impacts dopamine function in patients with Parkinsons disease . Additionally, caffeine intake before undergoing diagnostic brain dopamine imaging may influence the imaging outcomes ().Previous research has indicated that regular caffeine consumption is linked to a decreased risk of developing Parkinsons disease. However, there is limited research on how caffeine affects the progression of the disease in individuals already diagnosed with it.A follow-up study led by the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital (Tyks) in Finland examined how caffeine consumption affects brain dopamine function over an extended period in patients diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. The dopamine function of the brain was assessed with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to measure dopamine transporter (DAT) binding."The association between high caffeine consumption and a reduced risk for Parkinsons disease has been observed in epidemiological studies. However, our study is the first to focus on the effects of caffeine on disease progression and symptoms in relation to dopamine function in Parkinsons disease, says Valtteri Kaasinen, Professor of Neurology at the University of Turku and principal investigator of the study.A clinical study compared 163 patients with early-stage Parkinsons disease to 40 healthy controls. The examinations and imaging were conducted on two occasions for a subsample, with an average interval of six years between the first and second imaging session. Changes in brain dopamine transporter binding were compared with patients caffeine consumption, which was assessed both by a validated questionnaire and by determining concentrations of caffeine and its metabolites in blood samples.The findings revealed that patients with a high caffeine consumption exhibited a 8.315.4% greater decrease in dopamine transporter binding compared to those with a low caffeine consumption. However, the observed decline in dopamine function is unlikely to be due to a greater reduction in dopamine neurons following caffeine consumption. Rather, it is more likely to be a downregulatory compensatory mechanism in the brain that has also been observed in healthy individuals following caffeine and other stimulant use.While caffeine may offer certain benefits in reducing risk of Parkinsons disease, our study suggests that high caffeine intake has no benefit on the dopamine systems in already diagnosed patients. A high caffeine intake did not result in reduced symptoms of the disease, such as improved motor function, says Kaasinen.Another significant finding of the study was the observation that a recent dose of caffeine, for example in the morning of the imaging session, temporarily increases the persons DAT binding values. This could potentially complicate the interpretation of clinically commonly used brain DAT imaging results. The research results suggest that patients should refrain from consuming coffee and caffeine for 24 hours before undergoing diagnostic DAT imaging.Source-Medindia An Air Force test pilot was sent to the hospital in serious condition Tuesday afternoon after the F-35B Lightning II they were flying crashed near Albuquerque, New Mexico, service officials and the aircraft's manufacturer told Military.com. Several fire departments responded to reports of the crash just before 2 p.m. local time, and a spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue said that the pilot of the jet was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The jet was en route to Edwards Air Force Base in California from Fort Worth, Texas, when the incident occurred, according to a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, which builds the fifth-generation fighter jets. The F-35 crashed after a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, just outside of the Albuquerque International Sunport, an airport. Read Next: US Soldiers Were Stuck in Beached Boats Along Gaza After Storms Broke Apart Aid Pier "The pilot safely ejected," the Lockheed spokesperson said in a statement to Military.com on Tuesday evening. "Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol." In an update Wednesday, the spokesperson said that the jet had been transferring to the California base before the crash for additional test equipment modifications after it had been worked on in Fort Worth. The F-35 was a test aircraft, a defense official told Military.com on Wednesday. It was the Marine Corps variant of the aircraft -- the F-35B -- but was being flown by an Air Force pilot, the Air Force confirmed. "A U.S. Air Force pilot, assigned to the Defense Contract Management Agency, was injured after ejecting from a Lockheed Martin F-35B en route to Edwards Air Force Base May 28," Department of the Air Force spokesperson Rose Riley told Military.com. "The member was transported to a local hospital, where they remain in serious but stable condition." Two civilians were assessed at the scene, a fire official said, but were not transported for care. ABC News reported that fire at the crash site had been extinguished. Tuesday's crash marks the latest incident with an F-35B. A pilot ejected from an F-35 over South Carolina in September, and the jet subsequently went missing for a day before being located. In late December 2022, an F-35B crashed on the runway of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth during a vertical landing attempt. That pilot, an Air Force major doing tests on behalf of the Defense Contract Management Agency, was sent to the hospital and was later released after healing from minor injuries. That incident prompted F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office officials to ground some models of the F-35 and pause deliveries of the aircraft. It also prompted them in February 2023 to identify a "rare system phenomenon" in F135 engines, which they noticed during inspections. They resumed deliveries the following month. A representative from the Joint Program Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Military.com. Related: After Daylong Search, Likely F-35 Debris Found After Jet Went Missing in South Carolina Troops at Colorado Space Force Base Will Have to Bring Their Own To-Go Boxes for Dining Hall While the initiative is aimed at reducing waste on base, the spokesperson added that they hope it will give troops on base... Newly released police records and phone calls from a Florida sheriff's department raise more questions over how the deputy who shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson in his home this month was led to the apartment by bystanders. The original audio of the 911 nonemergency call shows that a person who works at the building was relaying secondhand information on the apartment number where the alleged disturbance was happening. Additionally, a subsequent 911 call from a neighbor details reaction to the shooting. Fortson, 23, a senior special operations airman stationed at Hurlburt Field, was shot multiple times within seconds of answering the door to his Fort Walton Beach apartment on May 3. The deputy responding to the call of a disturbance saw Fortson had his legally owned firearm held to his side and immediately opened fire, giving the airman no time to respond. Read Next: US Soldiers Were Stuck in Beached Boats Along Gaza After Storms Broke Apart Aid Pier The sheriff's office released the heavily redacted information to Military.com on Tuesday. The records include the initial 911 call, another 911 call around the time of the shooting, and the incident report completed at the time of the shooting, as well as dispatch notes. Dispatch call history sheets provided by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office to Military.com identify two apartment numbers that were not Fortson's, "Unit 1101" and "Unit 1404." The other two units are written in the logs, and it was not immediately clear why they were mentioned. "Florida statutes dictate what information can be made publicly available at this time as the investigation into this tragic incident remains ongoing; therefore, the records will be released in a redacted format with the statutory exemption cited," the sheriff's office said in a press release. "This remains an incredibly difficult time for everyone in Okaloosa County." The deputy who shot Fortson has been placed on leave and is facing an administrative investigation, as well as a state probe into the matter. The name of the officer involved was redacted in the police reports provided to Military.com. Witness names and evidence collected were also redacted. The call for the reported disturbance came into the Okaloosa County Sheriff's nonemergency line May 3 from a woman working at the front desk of the leasing office for the residential complex. The woman provided 911 with information on the disturbance that she received from someone else and told dispatch the apartment number was 1401 -- Fortson's unit. "I literally just got off the phone with her," said the woman, whose name was redacted from the records and phone call. "She said that it's been going on for like 15 to 20 minutes. ... When she called me, she said that she was calling me because it sounded like it was starting to get out of hand. OK ... she said that it sounded like it's sort of getting physical, so I'm not really sure." The dispatch officer then asks, "Is there any way you're able to hear or see them?" The woman from the leasing office walks over to the area and says, "I'm right outside of the unit, but I can't hear. They're on the fourth floor, so I can't hear anything from here as of right now." The leasing office employee also relayed a story to the dispatch officer on May 3 about how a few weeks prior she heard a disturbance between a man and a woman while walking on the sidewalk and said, based on the call she received from the tenant, that it was possible it was the same unit. "I was hearing like someone, like, a guy yelling at a girl saying like, 'Shut the f--- up ... you stupid b----' or something like that, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from," the woman said on the call. "So, by what she's saying, that might have been them." Other records from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office obtained by Military.com earlier this month showed that, since the beginning of 2023, there had been 10 police calls to another unit in Fortson's building -- apartment 1412 -- for welfare checks, disturbances and an emergency medical service call for a hemorrhage. There had been no calls to Fortson's apartment, 1401, within that same time period. "This further shows that the deputies got the wrong apartment, contrary to what the sheriff continues to assert," said Natalie Jackson, an attorney for the Fortson family. According to attorneys for Fortson's family, as well as the body camera footage of the shooting itself, the senior airman was home alone with his dog and on a FaceTime video call with his girlfriend when the police officer arrived at his door. Jackson said Fortson did not argue with his girlfriend during the chat. After the deputy knocked on the door twice and announced himself, Fortson opened the door while holding his handgun to his side; the fatal shooting occurred within about three seconds. The deputy told Fortson to step back and then just seconds later began firing at him, the police body camera footage shows. The deputy told the airman to drop his legally owned firearm only after Fortson was lying on the floor of his apartment, fatally shot. Meanwhile, a subsequent 911 call on May 3 provided to Military.com by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office was placed from another resident of the building, who said, "They've been arguing for almost an hour now" and then reported they heard gunshots. "I just heard, what sounded like, three or four gunshots, and a bunch of running and screaming," the caller tells dispatch. "I know there's a kid up there, and that's why I'm freaking out." The individual's name and unit number were redacted from the audio of the call. "The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office remains committed to transparency and accountability, as we work to determine the facts and to take appropriate action," the department said in a press release. The sheriff's office said it is proceeding with an administrative internal affairs investigation of the shooting, alongside a criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Related: 'He Was Great Before He Came to Us': Air Force Leaders Speak at Funeral of Florida Airman Killed by Police CHISINAU, Moldov U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday pledged $135 million in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation as the Western-leaning nation struggles to blunt Moscows push for influence that's been buoyed by recent successes in its war in neighboring Ukraine. Blinken opened a short visit to Eastern Europe with a stop in Chisinau, Moldova's capital, where he announced the assistance at a news conference with President Maia Sandu. America's top diplomat said $85 million would go to bolster energy infrastructure and $50 million was aimed at overhauling the energy and farming industries and deterring disinformation. That in turn will bolster the ability of Moldovans to resist Russian interference, to hold free and fair elections, to continue down the path to the European Union and Western integration, to create more economic opportunity, Blinken said. He planned to travel to the Czech Republic later. Before Wednesday, the U.S. had provided Moldova with $774 million in financial aid since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. Some $300 million of that was earmarked for energy security. Blinkens trip, organized around a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague, the Czech capital, comes amid concerns that Moldova and Georgia, another former Soviet republic, are facing renewed threats from Russia. Blinken visited Ukraine two weeks ago to reassure Kyiv of Washingtons support in the face of increased Russian attacks in its north. There are also signs Russia may be considering new actions in Moldova, where it has 1,500 troops stationed in the disputed territory of Transnistria, and is behind anti-Western moves in Georgia that the U.S. believes run counter to Moldovan and Georgian aspirations to join the European Union. Both countries have candidate status to eventually join the 27-nation EU bloc. Theres not a direct military threat that we see at this time, but theres ongoing Russian influence operations, and that is of concern, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, James O'Brien, said last week. Moldova has repeatedly accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war against the country, meddling in local elections and running vast disinformation campaigns to try to topple the government and derail its path toward joining the EU. Russia has denied the accusations, but the Moldovan government is wary of Moscows intentions, particularly after Transnistrian authorities appealed to Moscow in February for protection due to what they said was increased pressure from Chisinau. In Georgia, those fears intensified on Tuesday when the country's parliament overrode a presidential veto of a foreign agents bill that has prompted weeks of massive protests by critics who say it will restrict media freedom and obstruct Georgias chances of joining the European Union. The bill that was approved by the parliament earlier this month requires media, nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofit groups to register as pursuing the interests of a foreign power if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The legislature, controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, dismissed the veto of President Salome Zourabichvili, an independent. The president now has five days to endorse the bill. If she doesnt do so, the parliament speaker will sign it into law. Zourabichvili, who is increasingly at odds with the governing party, vetoed the bill on May 18. She has accused the governing party of jeopardizing the countrys future and hindering the path toward becoming a full member of the free and democratic world. Blinken last week announced that the U.S. would impose travel bans on Georgian officials who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members." Blinkens announcement did not identify anyone who has already been targeted, but it said the U.S. would also undertake a comprehensive review of U.S.-Georgia cooperation. It remains our hope that Georgias leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nations democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, he said. As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgias actions in deciding our own. The situations in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will all be on the agenda at the NATO ministerial meeting in Prague on Thursday and Friday that will be the alliances last major diplomatic get-together before leaders meet at a summit to celebrate NATOs 80th anniversary in Washington in July. ___ Lee reported from Prague. Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath contributed from Sighisoara, Romania. As a female war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn was not allowed to accompany the Allied invasion force that stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. A less ambitious reporter might have just accepted that edict, but Gellhorn intended to be there -- and nothing was going to stop her. All Gellhorn needed was a good plan, and so, the night before the invasion, she finagled a spot on a hospital ship by telling military police she was there to interview nurses. Once aboard, Gellhorn found a bathroom, locked the door and hid until the ship was on its way to France on June 6, 1944. I followed the war wherever I could reach it, Gellhorn said years later, according to a 2022 article on the National World War II Museums website. I had been sent to Europe to do my job, which was not to report the rear areas or the womans angle. The risk that Gellhorn took proved well worth it. While some might know Gellhorn primarily as Ernest Hemingway's third wife -- they were married for five years until their tempestuous union ended in divorce in 1945 -- she was so much more, and she proved it yet again by her actions on D-Day. Gellhorn is widely believed to be the only female correspondent to land on the beach that fateful day, and the result of her risk-taking was revealed in a Collier's Weekly magazine article in August 1944 headlined "The Wounded Come Home." In this Nov. 22, 1941, photo, Ernest Hemingway is shown with his 3rd wife, foreign correspondent Martha Gellhorn. (AP Photo) The ship on which Gellhorn surreptitiously secured passage to Normandy made its voyage during the day, and as it drew closer to the French coast, dance music was played on a nearby landing craft tank, or LCT, as mines exploded on the beach. While the music might have provided a slight distraction, it was all too brief. Over the next 1 days, Gellhorn bore witness to the extraordinary conditions imposed upon the ship's four doctors, six female nurses and roughly 14 orderlies -- all Americans -- as they scurried to tend to the wounded. Their vessel was equipped with 422 hospital beds and six water ambulances, which could be lowered from and lifted to the ship to transport wounded service members requiring care. Gellhorn claimed a spot on one of those landing crafts to go ashore at Omaha Beach and assist medics as they transported the wounded back to their ship. Beginning with the first patient -- a German prisoner of war "closer to being a child than a man, dead-white and seemingly dying," Gellhorn wrote -- the flurry of activity was intense. Medics rushed to redress wounds, perform blood transfusions and administer drugs or oxygen. Operations went on throughout the night. Gellhorn recalled that the wounded Allies troops who came aboard were identified not by their name, but by their face and injuries. Medical personnel did whatever they could to make patients more comfortable, lighting cigarettes for those who could not do it themselves and serving coffee to injured service members, their mouths barely exposed through a slew of bandages. Despite their circumstances, Gellhorn was impressed by the injured troops. "They were a magnificent, enduring bunch of men," she related. "Men smiled who were in such pain that all they really [could] have wanted to do was turn their heads away and cry, and men made jokes when they needed their strength just to survive." Gellhorn discussed meeting two Americans who inquired about the condition of an injured French teenager and told of a severely wounded lieutenant who, after discovering a German was in the bunk behind him, said softly, "I'd kill him if I could move." The war correspondent mentioned a U.S. soldier who never complained despite battling a severe head wound and a POW, concerned he never would see home again, who uttered a rhetorical question. "Why have we ever fought one another?" the prisoner said, his eyes brimming with tears. Water ambulances were dispatched to the beach overnight, all the while attempting to avoid sunken vehicles or mines on their journey to the beach. A soldier generously offered Gellhorn's group space in his foxhole whenever the air raid started, and she recalled watching "altogether too much flak for comfort." On the shore, U.S. soldiers fought with little to no sleep or food as they navigated a path, marked by white tape, to avoid mines. "Everyone agreed that the beach was a stinker, and that it would be a great pleasure to get the hell out of here sometime," Gellhorn wrote. American assault troops approach Omaha Beach on D-Day on June 6, 1944. (U.S. National Archives photo) As Gellhorns ship made its return to England, some moaned in pain in their sleep while those with less severe injuries talked in hushed tones. When the wounded first departed the ship, finally back on English soil, its chief medical officer offered a two-word goodbye: "Made it." Through it all, only one patient died on the ship, and according to Gellhorn, he had come aboard as a hopeless case. After her return, British military police arrested Gellhorn and dispatched her to a training camp for nurses outside London. Never one to accept her fate, Gellhorn went AWOL and continued her coverage of the war, later reporting on the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. By the time that she died on Feb. 15, 1998, at the age of 89, Gellhorn had covered a dozen wars but always maintained a special fondness for the medics she worked alongside on D-Day. "If I seem to insist too much in my admiration for these people, understand that one cannot insist too much," Gellhorn wrote of the ships medical staff in "The Wounded Come Home." "There is a kind of devotion, coupled with competence, which is almost too admirable to talk about; and they had all of it that can be had." Want to Know More About the Military? Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. SpaceXs first successful launch occurred on July 12, 2008, when it launched its first operational spacecraft, the Dragon spacecraft, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (when was space x launch) In this historic moment, SpaceX founder Elon Musk and his team successfully launched their second rocket into orbit, carrying the first stage of the Dragon spacecraft towards the International Space Station (ISS). The first launch was just the beginning of SpaceXs journey to become one of the leading aerospace companies in the world. Since then, SpaceX has continued to make groundbreaking achievements, launching numerous satellites, rockets, and even private spaceflights. One of SpaceXs most notable achievements is the development of reusable rockets, which have greatly reduced the cost and risk associated with launches. This innovative technology has allowed SpaceX to become a major player in the global space industry, and has paved the way for future missions to Mars. Another important achievement of SpaceX is its reusable rocket technology. Unlike traditional rockets that can only be used once before being discarded, SpaceXs rockets can be re-launched multiple times, reducing the cost of launches and making them more environmentally friendly. In addition to these technological advancements, SpaceX has also made significant progress in developing advanced spacecraft and habitats for human habitation. The companys Dragon spacecraft, for example, has been used by NASA to transport astronauts to the ISS, while its Perseverance rover is currently on an ambitious mission to search for signs of ancient life on Mars. (when was space x launch) Overall, SpaceXs first successful launch in 2008 marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration and commercial transportation. Since then, the company has made numerous groundbreaking achievements, continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible in space. The last successful launch by NASAs Space X from Cape Canaveral was on April 29, 2018. (when was the last space x launch from cape canaveral) On that day, the first stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which was used for the demonstration mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from Launch Pad 37A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. The mission began after a highly elliptical trajectory that included the south Atlantic Ocean and a coast of Australia. After several stages, the Falcon Heavy rocket reaches its maximum weight, propelling it into orbit around the Earth. The spacecraft is equipped with advanced technologies such as advanced heat shield materials and systems for managing and protecting against gravitational pull and radiation. The first stage of the Falcon Heavy launches from Cape Canaveral on Monday, April 26, 2018, just three days before the first launch attempt by SpaceX from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The successful launch of the first stage set a new record for the shortest time ever spent in orbit by a rocket of that size and capacity. Since then, SpaceX has continued to make strides in developing reusable rockets and achieving milestones in deep space exploration. The companys mission is to revolutionize space transportation by making it possible for humans to visit Mars and beyond. (when was the last space x launch from cape canaveral) In conclusion, the last successful launch by NASAs Space X from Cape Canaveral was on April 29, 2018. This launch marked a significant milestone in the history of space exploration and paved the way for further advancements in the field of rocket technology. Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes for Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Todays Birthday (05/29/24). This is your lucky year. Persistence and determination realize your professional dreams. Share team support with summer transitions, before an autumn professional flowering phase. Follow your heart in a new direction this winter. Enjoy domestic comforts with family next spring. Imagine, dream and envision perfection. To get the advantage, check the days rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 9 Teamwork propels shared actions for victory. Youre more powerful together than you think. Bold possibilities inspire bold advances. Strategize and coordinate for tight collaboration. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is a 9 Crazy professional dreams seem newly possible. Study recent developments. Polish your portfolios and marketing materials. Grab a lucky opportunity. Your excellent work gains respect. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Today is an 8 Take a dreamy trip. Explore new territory to unveil a mystery. Investigate a fascinating curiosity. Beautiful revelations abound. Share your incredible discoveries far and wide. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Today is a 9 Pursue an interesting suggestion. Make financial determinations together. A lucrative possibility is worth investment. Take action to provide whats needed. Profit through collaboration. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is an 8 Collaborate and coordinate with your partner for dreamy results. A crazy idea could actually work. Creative inspiration and disciplined action are a winning combo. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is a 9 Practice your physical moves. Follow a captivating beat. Get into a productive rhythm. Youre building strength and endurance. Enjoy beautiful nature for extra gain. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 9 Share dreams with someone inspiring. Speculate and fantasize about beauty, fun and delight. Find simple ways to realize romantic ideas. Discuss passions, interests and inspiration. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is an 8 Nurture your roots and shoots. Share beloved family traditions and stories. A relatives fantasy may be easy to realize. Share delicious moments together. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 9 Express yourself. Plant seeds of possibility and nurture them in conversation. Share an inspiring dream. Write it down. Build a persuasive case. Discuss potential solutions. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 9 Go for a lucrative opportunity. Your past work reflects you well. It pays to advertise. Conserve resources. A penny saved is a penny earned. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is a 9 Pursue a personal ambition. Listen to someone who loves you. They can see where youre blind. Set aside old fears. Youve got this. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7 Contemplate mysteries. Listen to your intuition, heart and spirit. Organized planning realizes long-term dreams. Write mission statements, schedules and declarations. Imagine the possibilities. Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Blacks legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like todays Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com. 2024 Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI -- A house fire left one person dead Wednesday morning and investigators are now hoping to determine what caused the blaze. According to Fox 2 Detroit, crews were dispatched to a home on Lacrosse Avenue around 2:45 a.m. The Lathrup Village Police Department says the home was fully engulfed when crews arrived on scene. Firefighters from the Southfield Fire Department were informed that someone was trapped inside the house, but they were unable to get into the home quickly. Once inside, they discovered the deceased victim. Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee said the house was full of various items, but could not say for certain that the items caused the delay in getting into the house. MANISTEE, MI This Up North beach on the shore of Lake Michigan has been named the best beach in the state by USA Today, beating a neighbor and a list of other spectacular spots. The USA Today 10Best Readers Choice award for best beach in Michigan goes to First Street Beach in Manistee. First Street Beach won over Stearns Park in Ludington, Manistees neighbor to the south, which came in second. Others in the top 10 include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Oval Beach in Saugatuck, and Hunters Point Park in Copper Harbor. RELATED: Top 10 Michigan beaches list reveals we all prefer this Great Lakes sandy shores If you are looking for a family-friendly beach, a dog park or breathtaking, panoramic views of Lake Michigan, First Street Beach is the best place in the state to experience your perfect beach vacation, Manistee Mayor Jermaine Sullivan said in a statement. The First Street Beach/Douglas Park complex also features a pavilion, concessions, four playgrounds, multiple baseball and softball diamonds, basketball and tennis courts, a gazebo, picnic tables, charcoal grills, an 18-hole disc golf course, a boat launch and fish cleaning station, a dog beach and other amenities. Its all connected to the historic downtown by the picturesque Manistee Riverwalk. The Hampton Inn & Suites Manistee Waterfront opened across from the beach last year, adding even more for travelers to enjoy. Seen here is a view of First Street Beach from the balcony of a guest room at the Hampton Inn & Suites Manistee Waterfront, 101 S. Lakeshore Drive in Manistee, Mich., on Friday, June 30, 2023.Justine Lofton | jlofton@mlive.com Manistee County is situated along 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and has 10 beaches on the Great Lake. Its really special one of our beaches is named in such high regard across all beaches in the state. A lot of people work really hard to make our beaches an experience where families, travelers, locals, anyone who goes there, can create special memories that last a lifetime, Manistee County Tourism Authority executive director Sammie Lukaskiewicz said in a statement. Concerts, festivals, fireworks, fishing tournaments and more take place at First Street Beach throughout the year. Parking at the beach is free. The beach is ADA-accessible and has a life vest and safety station. Use of the boat launch is $5. Heres the top 10 beaches in Michigan as determined by USA Today 10Best Readers Choice 2024: First Street Beach, Manistee Stearns Park, Ludington Silver Beach County Park, St. Joseph Hunters Point Park, Copper Harbor South Beach, South Haven Pere Marquette Park, Muskegon Oval Beach, Saugatuck P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, Muskegon Tawas Point State Park, East Tawas Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire An expert panel nominated their 20 must-visit beaches in the state, then readers voted for their favorites to arrive at the top 10. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A man has been charged with attempted murder stemming from a domestic argument that turned violent. Vaughn Lowe Smith was arraigned on Wednesday, May 29, and charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of felony firearms, and a single count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. An Ottawa County district judge ordered Smith, 35, be held on a $5 million cash/surety bond. RELATED: Teen stops man after he allegedly shot woman in their home The charges stem from a May 23 altercation at a home on 96th Avenue near Winans Avenue in Robinson Township. The violent episode began with a domestic argument, police said. Ottawa County sheriffs deputies responded that morning to a report that a 35-year-old man, armed with a handgun, was shooting at a woman, 34, and a child. The investigation showed the man, later revealed as Smith, allegedly shot the woman at least two times. A 16-year-old who was one of five children in the home intervened with a knife during the incident in an effort to stop Smith. The woman was hospitalized with gunshot wounds while Smith was hospitalized with a stab wound. None of the children were hurt. Smith, who remains lodged in the Ottawa County Jail, is scheduled to appear in court next on June 14 for a probable cause conference. Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter. GRAND RAPIDS, MI A long-vacant grocery store on Bridge Street NW would be demolished and replaced with a five-story apartment building containing 150 units and ground-floor commercial space under a plan being pitched by a metro Detroit developer. Ryan Talbot, owner of Talbot Development, said he has secured an agreement to purchase the former Duthlers Family Food store, 648 Bridge St. NW, and is seeking state and local incentives to help fund the project. The grocery store, a fixture in the West Side neighborhood for two decades, closed in 2017. Located amid a bustling stretch of Bridge Street, where a host of apartments, bars, restaurants and more have opened over the past decade, Talbot called the location a perfect fit for high-density, multi-family housing. The housing shortage in GR is unbelievable, he said. What Im trying to do is put as many units on the site as I can. Rental rates for the 150 apartments, 95 of which would be studio apartments, have not been finalized. But the units would be priced at the market rate, Talbot said. In addition to the 95 studios, there would be eight two-bedroom units, and the remainder would be one-bedroom apartments. This is a rendering of a proposed five story, 150-unit apartment project at the site of the former Duthler's Family Foods location on Bridge Street NW. (Rendering provided by Talbot Development)Courtesy The proposed apartment building replaces another concept, a food truck court and bar yard, that was pitched for the Duthlers property but did not come to fruition. David Meikle, the developer behind the food truck concept, is now asking the Grand Rapids Planning Commission to approve the concept at a different Bridge Street property. The Bridge Street project would be Talbots second major project in Grand Rapids. The Birmingham resident is the developer of The Current, a four-story, 72-unit mixed use development on the corner of Plainfield Avenue and Quimby Street NE in Grand Rapids Creston Neighborhood. The building is expected to open this fall. Talbot said the Bridge Street project will have many similarities to The Current. The philosophy of this building is also to copy and paste as much of this DNA from the Creston project as I can, he said. That is to streamline the pre-development process as much as I can. So, its the same project team, the same design language, similar unit mix. Its going to be the same architect and general contractor, Pinnacle Construction Group. Overall, the project is expected to cost about $31 million, Talbot said. The project is still in the conceptual phase. But if everything goes according to plan, and if the project receives incentives from the city of Grand Rapids and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, demolition on the Duthlers building could begin by the end of the year. Construction of the five-story apartment building would follow. Im saying late spring of 2026, Talbot said, when asked how long it would take to complete construction. Moving forward, Talbot said he expects to seek site-plan approval from the Grand Rapids Planning Commission in July. Once that is secure, he said he plans to apply for Brownfield tax increment financing and a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax cut from the city of Grand Rapids. He said he also plans to seek a low-interest loan from a Michigan Economic Development Corporation program. The neighborhoods have been really great and helpful to work with, Talbot said, referring to neighborhood associations such as the West Grand Neighborhood Organization and John Ball Area Neighbors. Ive met some really helpful people, and theyve had good ideas. The apartment building will have an emphasis on sustainability, Talbot said. Its going to be an all-electric building, he said. No gas is runs into the building at all. Its going to have solar panels. It will have probably about 10 EV (electric vehicle) chargers on day one, and then conduits under the parking lot to expand that number as adoption increases. There are also plans for a rooftop deck. Youll have great views of the soccer stadium, the downtown skyline and sunsets, he said, referring to a proposed 8,500-seat soccer stadium proposed on the West Side near the David D. Hunting YMCA. A ground-floor commercial space is expected to house a cafe, though there is no tenant identified for the space at this time, Talbot said. There will also be a lobby and fitness area on the ground floor, he said. More on MLive: Ruby Garcias death became a national story. Heres what we know about her accused killer. Prosecutor to release decision in death of teen struck by sheriffs patrol car Vision for new $8.5M covered bridge park, trail system unveiled in Ada JACKSON COUNTY, MI Nobody can say with 100% certainty how or why 2-month-old Tristan Glaspie died while in the care of his father Michael Delmar Glaspie five years ago. A plea deal in April avoided what would have likely been days of expert testimony from numerous medical professionals giving their opinions on what caused the infants death during what was expected to be a lengthy trial. Abiding a sentencing agreement, Jackson County Circuit Judge Susan Jordan sentenced Glaspie on Wednesday, May 29, to one year of probation following his plea of no contest to involuntary manslaughter for the 2019 death of his son. Everything that needs to be said has been said this morning and it is now time for everyone to be able to move on and heal because regardless of the outcome in the criminal justice system whether its a trial, an acquittal or a guilty verdict, the criminal justice system always fails to address the grief your family is dealing with, Jordan said. Glaspie, 33, was arraigned June 28, 2019, and charged with felony murder and child abuse. He was accused of killing his son following an investigation by the Jackson County Sheriffs Office. The boy was admitted June 8 to what is now known as Henry Ford Jackson Hospital. From there, he was airlifted to C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor, where he was pronounced dead three days later. Police and prosecutors contended the boy died as a result of an abusive act or acts. Glaspie, his family and the childs mother, Brianna Worthy, argued the boy died of medical complications, noting he was underweight at birth and had some underlying breathing issues. This has been a contentious case from the get-go, Jackson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kelsey Guernsey said. We knew this was going to be a battle of the experts. Tristian cannot tell us what happened to him. He just cant. We are reliant on our experts and in these cases that proves to be, at times, a challenge. Washtenaw County Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen testified during Glaspies preliminary examination that the childs death was caused by traumatic brain injury from blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was homicide. An autopsy revealed Tristan had 24 rib fractures, in various stages of healing, as well as skull and femur fractures. Glaspie, speaking at his sentencing, said he still mourns the death of his son and wished he understood what happed to him. I cannot express enough how much I was looking forward to guiding, teaching my son through life. Unexpectedly his life was cut short and I may never understand how or why, he said. I do take comfort in knowing how he knew how hard I tried and fought for him over the past five years. Losing Tristan has brought and caused an unfortunate divide among both sides of his family. I choose to leave that in Gods hands to help us all heal. In the time since the childs death, both sides of the family have been at odds, accusing each other of being involved in the boys death, according to information presented in court. Worthy has not been charged with any crime associated with her sons death, court records show. Worthy and her mother, Michelle Edwards, declined to appear in court for the sentencing, wishing to avoid contact with Glaspies family, Guernsey said. You entered a plea to manslaughter with indicating facts that an accident happened while Tristan was in your care, not mine. Therefore, take this plea and own it. Tristans life mattered. He deserved to be seen taking his first steps. He deserved to be heard saying his first words. He deserved to grow up with his siblings. He deserved to be graduating from preschool this year and he deserved to be here enjoying his life, Worthy wrote. In Edwards victim impact statement, she noted Worthy had been supportive of Glaspie throughout the investigation, believing her son died from medical issues, not because of his dad. (Glaspie) was deemed unintentionally responsible for the death of his child, Chief Deputy Public Defender Kevin Rogers said. Hes going to have to live with that for the rest of his life as well as the people on both sides of this family. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A man who traveled to Kalamazoo to abuse a 12-year-old girl and then left the country has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Western District of Michigan. Kristian Ignacio Feliz, 24, of Connecticut, was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced on Wednesday, May 29. KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI The driver of a semitractor-trailer was killed Tuesday, May 28, in a crash on I-94 near Galesburg. The victim was a 57-year-old man from Canada. His name was not released. The crash was reported at 8:18 p.m. on eastbound I-94 near the 85-mile marker in Comstock Township, Kalamazoo County sheriffs deputies said. The investigation showed that occupants of two passenger vehicles were on the freeway shoulder changing a flat tire when the semitruck drifted over and sideswiped both vehicles. The truck left the road and crashed into trees in a heavily wooded area, sheriffs deputies said. The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Neither occupant of the passenger vehicles was injured. Comstock Township firefighters assisted sheriffs deputies at the scene. Eastbound I-94 was closed from roughly 11:10 p.m. until 1:45 a.m., according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. SAGINAW, MI An Illinois man allegedly drove more than 300 miles to Saginaw to open fire on his ex-girlfriend at a Memorial Day gathering she was attending. He then took the woman from the house and allegedly killed her when surrounded by police. Hes now held in the Saginaw County Jail without bond and charged with murder. If convicted, he may never return to his home state. BAY CITY, MI Earlier this month, Mary Johnson, founder and lead pastor of Bay Citys Great Lakes Dream Center, vowed not to come down from the centers rooftop until she raised $75,000 in funds and awareness for homelessness. Then, at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, her Rooftop Survivor challenge was over, as she met her goal some 15 grueling days later. Earlier that afternoon, she was still about $11,000 short of the lofty goal. Related: Bay City pastor living outside on roof to raise $75K for homelessness Although Johnson has a sunny disposition, she had to weather all conditions on the rooftop. The weather is typically the No. 1 concern when youre unhoused, she said. Im either cold, wet, or hot. Those are the three states of being in May here in Michigan. Being wet is no fun, and theres not really a good way to get dry, so youre waiting for the heat and the sun to dry you off. Before you know it, you feel like youre going to pass out if you dont have something to drink. With the help of her friends and those passing by, shes received plenty of donated water bottles but knows not everyone who is unhoused is so lucky. Johnson was met with a lot of support from the community, but was also greeted with a couple disheartening comments. Every once in a while, Ill have people drive by, and flip me the bird or yell profanities, Johnson said. I keep thinking, Why do they care that Im up here? Im not affecting them. Thats kind of sad that theres angry people that Im on the roof volunteering my time to raise money to help people in this community, but what can you do? Johnson was excited to see the people come through the Dream Centers doors for recovery groups and seeking pantry items because it reminded her of the goal. Thats the whole point, so its cool that Im actually on site seeing the people were helping as Im doing this, Johnson said. The last time the pastor lived up on the rooftop was November 2021, and she raised $57,000 in just three days. This go-around, things moved slower, which is in part, due to the economy, Johnson said. Businesses who gave in the past have literally called me and said, We just dont have the money, and we feel so bad. We can share it on Facebook but cant give the money. I think thats why we also have more people coming for help than we did last time, which is why we wanted to raise more money. The cost of all the pantry items, diapers, and car seats has also gone up in the past couple years. As awareness of the Dream Centers mission and resources increases, so does the communitys need for those resources. Thats why Johnson said reaching her goal was so important because theres a significant demand in the community seeking help. Since she had been up on the roof for two weeks, Johnson said folks were starting to ask more questions about the challenge, instead of just calling it weird. People are wondering more what it is Im actually doing and why Im up here, she said. Ive heard from people that have said Oh, shes asking for too much money or she wont last that long. Ive had people say, I cant believe youre still up there. I couldnt do it. Youve gone two weeks without a shower, thats dedication. She also hopes this effort encourages people to be more caring and loving to their neighbors, who are unaware of their stories and struggles. The No. 1 comments Ive gotten that have helped inspire me to keep going are from the people that have come to me and said, I was homeless, Johnson said. Theyll say, I stayed in my car for like three months, or I would go into the bathrooms at a gas station to wash my hair. I think the average person would be shocked by how many of their friends, family, and neighbors in this community have had moments where they were homeless. Johnson said she hoped she wouldnt have to be up on the roof for longer than five days, but was willing to do whatever it took to reach her goal. We raised $75,000, she said. It only took 15 days, rain storms, hot weather, and some sleepless nights, but Bay City came together, did their best and we raised it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our community is amazing. Donations trickled in from the website, rooftopsurvivor.org, via check, from those driving by, and from the drop box in front of the center. Im really proud of Bay City for coming together, Johnson said. We had one person come in and give the change in their pocket. Weve had people give online from as little as two dollars, and as much as $4,000 or $5,000. Its been heartwarming to see everyone coming together and making a huge difference. Donations of dry goods and canned goods are still being accepted, as well as new items like baby wipes, diapers, shampoos, laundry soap, coats and blankets. The Dream Center also appreciates volunteers donating their time and talents in furthering the centers mission. All donations will benefit the Great Lakes Dream Center directly. Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. SAGINAW, MI Four years after a Saginaw activist was arrested and tased while protesting police brutality, prosecutors have dismissed their felony charges against him. Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello on May 15 signed an order dismissing the prosecutions case against Cornelius E. Neil Phelps III. Phelps had been charged with two counts of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police, punishable by up to two years imprisonment. Phelps on the afternoon of July 26, 2020, led a demonstration against police brutality under The Ghost of George Floyd banner in a grassy area near the Fraternal Order of Police lodge at 1120 S. Niagara St. Video posted on social media showed Phelps talking to police outside the FOP building about whether the protesters were on private property. After a brief scuffle with officers, Phelps was wrestled to the ground and subsequently stunned with a stun gun after he did not put his hands behind his back as police ordered, the video showed. Phelps was released from jail the following day after dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Saginaw County Governmental Center in solidarity. Among the protesters were several Saginaw city councilmembers. City attorneys charged Phelps with a misdemeanor count of trespassing. A jury acquitted him of that charge in February 2023. Defense attorney Joseph A. Albosta said county prosecutors were essentially left with trying the same case. We already had a jury decide he was not on FOP property, Albosta said. Mr. Phelps had the public right of way. To prove this, Albosta hired D&M Site Inc. to conduct surveys on the disputed land to ascertain if Phelps was in fact trespassing. Based on their findings and testimony from officers that Phelps was two to three feet off the FOPs parking lot when they asked him to leave, the jury concluded he had not been trespassing. Prosecutors confirmed the prior acquittal was a factor in their decision to dismiss the felony matters. Albosta said he and Phelps were thrilled prosecutors came to the correct conclusion. While Phelps criminal matters have been resolved, he has a civil lawsuit pending in federal court. Phelps in May 2023 filed suit against the city of Saginaw, Saginaw Police Department officers Vincent Jackson, Terrance Moore, Desirae Kzinowek, and Detective Sgt. Oscar Lopez, and Fraternal Order of Police Associates Ray Janni Lodge Inc. Phelps is seeking damages exceeding $75,000. In the suit, attorney Jack W. Schulz alleged the officers actions against Phelps were retaliatory for him exercising his First Amendment rights to call for law enforcement accountability. The city itself failed to train its officers in constitutional responses to peaceful demonstrations, he added. The suit contains the following eight counts: Violation of civil rights under the First Amendment Excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment Arrest without probable cause in violation of the Fourth Amendment Two counts of malicious prosecution in violation of the Fourth Amendment Conspiracy to violate civil rights Municipal liabilitydeliberate indifference to unconstitutional customs, policies, and practices by systematic failure to hire, train, supervise, monitor, investigate, report, and discipline officers in violation of the Fourth and 14th amendments Assault and battery Phelps lawsuit is set for trial on May 13, 2025. SAGINAW, MI In a rare move, the victim of years-spanning sexual assault asked a judge not to incarcerate her abuser. Despite her wishes, the judge indeed sent the convicted sex offender to prison. Daniel J. Harvey, 35 of Grand Rapids, appeared for sentencing on May 28, having two months previously pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson asked Harvey if he had anything to say for himself as he stood beside attorney James F. Gust. Harvey heaved a heavy sigh and seemed to consider speaking, before shaking his head in the negative. Before Jackson imposed sentence, Harveys victim, now in her early 30s, addressed the court. I know he did wrong but I would like to see him get counseling, she told the judge. I still loved him, and it would hurt so bad if he goes to jail. Jackson was not moved to free Harvey. Its not my job to make everybody happy, and he is going to jail, the judge said. In fact, he sent Harvey to prison for two to 10 years, with credit for 14 days already served. He also ordered Harvey to register as a sex offender. Harvey was free on bond at the time of the hearing and was remanded to the sheriffs custody before he could be transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections. As deputies led him from the courtroom, Harvey turned to supporters in the gallery and told them he loved them. When Harvey pleaded, the prosecution dismissed two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a mentally disabled person, which is a life offense. The case began in August 2020, when a 29-year-old woman went to a Saginaw hospital the day after she had been raped. A rape kit was conducted, during which DNA was recovered from the woman, Saginaw Police Detective Sgt. Matthew Gerow said. The woman indicated Harvey, a relative, had raped her at her home on Saginaws East Side. She also said the abuse began when she was 13, Gerow said. Police responded to the hospital and began investigating. However, their probe ended in December 2020 without charges being filed due to the woman being afraid to participate, Gerow said. Detectives reopened the case in July 2022. They interviewed Harvey, who voluntarily agreed to provide a sample of his DNA via a buccal swab. In October 2022, analysis at the Michigan State Police Crime Lab indicated Harvey was a contributor to the male DNA recovered from the woman, Gerow said. With a warrant issued for Harvey, police arrested him in Kent County on Aug. 23, 2023. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Summertime has arrived in Michigan. Its welcome news for most, but it also means the return of hazards when it comes to swimming in the Great Lakes. With that in mind, the National Weather Service has issued an advisory letting the public know that dangerous waves and currents are expected in Lake Michigan throughout Wednesday. Winds from the north will increase to 15-20 mph causing waves on Lake Michigan to build to 3 to 5 feet. Beaches in Manistee, Ludington, Pentwater, Muskegon, Grand Haven, Holland, Saugatuck, South Haven and St. Jospeh are impacted. Beaches from South Haven to Holland have the highest risk, the NWS said. There is a moderate swim risk with waves of 2-4 feet, but isolated waves up to 5 feet are possible, according to the NWS. The largest waves are expected Wednesday afternoon and evening with north side of piers becoming especially dangerous. On May 29, 2024, commencing at 0:40 pm, for approximately 15 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during his visit to Japan. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows. Samir Jain is a Jaipur-based astrologer who has over 28 years of experience in the field of Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry and Vastu Shastra. He is also an expert in Jain Temple Vastu and Jain Jyotish. For more details, visit planetsastro.com, call/WhatsApp +91 8696930617 or email jainksamir@gmail.com. Follow us on: AAP, Congress not in permanent marriage, says Arvind Kejriwal on Lok Sabha poll alliance Follow us on: Election wrap: Kejriwal on AAP's alliance with Congress, PM Modi hints at conspiracy behind Naveen Patnaik's health, & more You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK Meghna Mittal MEGHNA MITTAL is Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com Follow us on: Why PM Modi chose this iconic Kanyakumari rock memorial for meditation after end of Lok Sabha campaign USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), the production of which is believed to have impacts such as: Increases in IGF-1 production Increases in muscle cell development Increases in bone density Furthermore, some researchers have considered combining CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin may potentially increase the efficacy of GH stimulation. After reading this article, researchers will better grasp the similarities and differences between Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 their research applications, and possible action mechanisms. We will also cover Internet sources for research-grade Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, and CJC-1295/Ipamorelin blends. CJC-1295 Peptide: What is it? The first 29 amino acids of the natural growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) N-terminus comprise the research peptide CJC-1295. These 29 amino acids form the shortest GHRH analog, considered to stimulate the anterior pituitary gland to secrete GH. One of the many perceived pharmacokinetic improvements to CJC-1295 is the stabilization and efficacy of the peptide, which has been purportedly enhanced by replacing four amino acids in the original 29-amino acid chain: Substituting D-alanine for L-alanine at position 2 increases resistance to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), an enzyme considered to be essential for the inactivation of several peptide-based antibiotics. Glutamate takes the role of asparagine at position eight. Histidine is replaced with alanine at position fifteen. Leucine is substituted for cysteine at position twenty-seven. A further modification to CJC-1295 is the addition of a drug affinity complex (DAC) consisting of N-epsilon-3-maleimidopropionamide to the peptide's C-terminus. This DAC may prolong CJC-1295's half-life to eight days. The Canadian company ConjuChem Biotechnologies first produced CJC-1295 in the course of research on Lipodystrophy development via HIV/AIDS infections. Lipodystrophy is characterized as adverse effect of antiretroviral exposure, resulting in uneven fat cell distribution, with less fat in the extremities and more in the abdomen and visceral regions. Ipamorelin Peptide: What is it? The five-amino-acid research peptide Ipamorelin (NNC 26-0161) has been hypothesized to activate the pituitary gland's ghrelin receptors, which are growth hormone secretagogue receptors, and hence promote the secretion of GH. Several systems and organs have ghrelin receptors; these receptors increase hunger and are also considered to prevent low blood sugar by boosting the release of GH. The brain is one of these organs and systems. The following information on Ipamorelin is crucial for researchers: Novo Nordisk and Helsinn Therapeutics created and patented Ipamorelin in 1994. It was engineered with the intention of mimicking the effects of ghrelin in the intestines, particularly to enhance peristalsis. Preliminary animal model research suggested it may be useful in alleviating post-operative ileus. Some initial positive results were suggested in phase 2 clinical trials; however, after 710 days of exposure, the results were not statistically significant enough to warrant further research. Research indicates that because it only stimulates GH synthesis in the anterior pituitary gland and appears to have no effect on the release of other hormones like prolactin and ACTH, Ipamorelin may potentially be a selective GH secretagogue. It appears to take just 40 minutes after a exposure of Ipamorelin for GH levels to spike dramatically. While GH effects may be active for a even two hours after exposure, Ipamorelin is believed to only stay in the organism for two hours at most. Research is ongoing on the possible action of Ipamorelin in gastrointestinal function, bone density, and muscular growth. A Thorough Comparison of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin Although both Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 may possibly increase GH production, the two peptides do so in distinct ways. It seems that CJC-1295 may raise mean GH levels for long periods, but Ipamorelin may potentially cause temporary supraphysiological increases in GH production. Two prominent studies that detail the impacts of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin on GH increase are these: The findings of this investigation purported that GH levels appeared increased, pulsatility seemed maintained, and peak levels remained within normal limits following CJC-1295 exposure. The single exposure was hypothesized to increase mean GH levels by around 150%, while a single concentration appeared to have increased 24-hour mean GH levels by 300%. By day 28, the impacts of this regimen, which included presentation twice in 14 days, seemed to have consistently increased mean GH levels. Studies suggest that Ipamorelin, on the other hand, may possibly induce substantial GH pulses, especially at larger concentrations. One study purported that Ipamorelin may have considerably increased GH; even at lower concentrations, GH levels were reported to be elevated. Furthermore, even at an even lower concentration, the same investigation suggested statistically significant increases in GH. Synergistic Impacts of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin Combining ghrelin receptor agonists like Ipamorelin with GHRH analogs like CJC-1295 is a topic of intense attention in the scientific community. Compared to isolated singluar peptide exposure, some research suggests that certain blends may have synergistic impacts, leading to even more statistically impactful results. Despite the great interest in this prospective combination, no published study has suggested whether CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin have synergistic impacts when combined together. Still, plenty of scientists are considering using combinations of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin in their experiments because of the synergistic potential that has been suggested. Because they appear to act on separate receptors, Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 are believed to work synergistically to increase the pituitary cells' response and initiate GH release. Scientists interested in research peptides are encouraged to navigate to the Core Peptides website for the highest-quality, most affordable research compounds. References [i] Petersenn, S., & Schulte, H. M. (2000). Structure and function of the growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor. Vitamins and hormones, 59, 3569. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0083-6729(00)59003-7 [ii] . Ishida, J., Saitoh, M., Ebner, N., Springer, J., Anker, S. D., & von Haehling, S. (2020). Growth hormone secretagogues: history, mechanism of action, and clinical development. JCSM Rapid Communications, 3(1), 25-37. [iii] Knoop, A., Thomas, A., Fichant, E., Delahaut, P., Schanzer, W., & Thevis, M. (2016). Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 408(12), 3145 3153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-9377-3 [iv] Chapter, M. C., White, C. M., DeRidder, A., Chadwick, W., Martin, B., & Maudsley, S. (2010). Chemical modification of class II G protein-coupled receptor ligands: frontiers in the development of peptide analogs as neuroendocrine pharmacological therapies. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 125(1), 39 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2009.07.006 [v] Sackmann-Sala, L., Ding, J., Frohman, L. A., & Kopchick, J. J. (2009). Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects. Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society, 19(6), 471477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ghir.2009.03.001 [vi] Beck, D. E., Sweeney, W. B., McCarter, M. D., & Ipamorelin 201 Study Group (2014). Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. International journal of colorectal disease, 29(12), 15271534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-014-2030-8 [vii] National Library of Medicine (US). Safety and Efficacy of Ipamorelin Compared to Placebo for the Recovery of Gastrointestinal Function. Identifier NCT01280344. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01280344 [viii] Raun, K., Hansen, B. S., Johansen, N. L., Thgersen, H., Madsen, K., Ankersen, M., & Andersen, P. H. (1998). Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. European journal of endocrinology, 139(5), 552561. https://doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1390552 [ix] Teichman, S. L., Neale, A., Lawrence, B., Gagnon, C., Castaigne, J. P., & Frohman, L. A. (2006). Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 91(3), 799805. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2005-1536 You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Tuolumne, CA District Three Tuolumne County Supervisor Anaiah Kirk has authored a new myMotherLode.com blog where he explains his recent opposition to a Friends of the Animal Community (FOAC) project planned on Yosemite Road. Last week, the board voted 3-1 to allow the project to move forward, with several conditions attached. Many neighbors nearby voiced several concerns during a public hearing, with the most common issue being a potentially increased amount of noise. In the opening sentence of the blog, Kirk writes, The day after the board approved allowing a dog kennel in a residential zone, a house down the street fell out of escrow with an offer reduction of $180K directly due to the FOAC conditional use permit (CUP) approval. Kirks blog is entitled Dog Kennel Impacts On Property Values. All of the supervisors are invited to submit blogs as way to speak directly to constituents about recent votes or issues facing the community. Supervisor Kirks District Three covers the area of Tuolumne, Twain Harte, and up the Highway 108 corridor. Sacramento, CA A proposed state ballot measure related to transgender students, which was in the midst of a legal battle with the Attorney Generals Office, will not go before California voters in November. The measure, if it had passed, would have required schools to notify parents if students want to use a different gender identification. In addition, it would have prevented male students who transitioned to females from participating in girls sports, and barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors in most cases. The group campaigning for the measure announced that it fell approximately 150,000 signatures short of the 546,651 required to put it on the November ballot. They had proposed calling it the Protect Kids of California Act. However, California Attorney General Rob Bonta instead named it the Restrict Rights of Transgender Youth initiative. The ballot proponents argued that Bontas title was biased and it made it harder for them to collect signatures. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge sided with the Attorney General and ruled that the title was accurate. The group had planned to appeal. Some Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento, opposed to the ballot measure, announced the introduction of a separate bill last week that would ban school districts from being required to notify parents about gender identification changes, and would create legal protections for transgender athletes wanting to participate in womens sports. US Navy Logo View Photo By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach MILLINGTON, Tenn. Ensign Seth Myhre, a native of Twain Harte, California, recently graduated from the U.S. Navys Officer Candidate School (OCS) on May 10. Myhre, a 2013 graduate of Summerville High School, joined the Navy less than a year ago. Additionally, Myhre is a 2020 graduate of California State University, Chico. I joined the Navy because I yearned for adventure in a departure from my lucrative career as a mechanical engineer, said Myhre. The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Twain Harte. Growing up in a tight-knit community taught me the value of teamwork, perseverance and work ethic, which has been paramount in my success in the Navy, said Myhre. OCS is one of four officer accession programs operating at Officer Training Command Newport, Rhode Island. This is the final step in a sailors transition into the Naval Officer Corps. This course is comprehensive, intense and designed to reinforce understanding of the responsibilities of a naval officer. Myhre has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service. My proudest accomplishment is graduating from Officer Candidate School, said Myhre. It symbolizes my willingness to step out of my comfort zone, make sacrifices and support my countrys mission. it signifies a transformative journey of personal growth, dedication and commitment to service. I am immensely proud to have undertaken it. Myhre serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nations prosperity and security. Serving in the Navy and graduating from Officer Candidate School means blending my prior civilian leadership principles with the Navy Core Values, added Myhre. Its about imparting these lessons to junior sailors, foreseeing excellence, mentorship and teamwork for success at sea and beyond. Laugh it out: Can humor ease tension in polarizing times? MPR (Chuck L) Something Strange Happens to Wolves Infected by an Infamous Mind-Altering Parasite ScienceAlert (Chuck L) Charles Taylors Sublime Shortcomings Chronicle of Higher Education (Anthony L) Here Be Monstrous Architects: On Joshua Comaroff and Ong Ker-Shings Horror in Architecture Los Angeles Review of Books (Anthony L) A Teacher Did All He Could to Keep Kids Off Phones. Hes Quitting in Frustration. Wall Street Journal (Paul R) Farmworkers Face High-Risk Exposures to Bird Flu, but Testing Isnt Reaching Them KFF Health News #COVID-19 China? No surprise, it found that coverage of China is systematically negative across all mainstream media outlets, with an "almost total lack of any positive This is a very interesting study by King's College London on the coverage of China in British media. https://t.co/Jeny5fVWLE And without EUV machines that the US prevented Netherlands from selling to China. #Huawei and SiCarrier (also Chinese) have patents. The process will take a little bit more time and money, but who cares! https://t.co/em8oz7Spgs Climate/Environment [1]NORTH AMERICA HEAT WAVE-RECORDS HOT NIGHTS TMINS HOTTEST NIGHT EVER NICARAGUA:29.0 Puerto Cabezas HOTTEST MAY NIGHT IN COLOMBIA:29 Providencia HOTTEST MAY NIGHT IN GRENADA:28.5 Point Salines 29 Roatan HONDURAS MEXICO 29.2 Monclova 28.6 Coatzacoalcos 28.2 Tampico 27.9 Ylang pic.twitter.com/AGCWBRdSka BRUTAL HEAT IN AFRICA SENEGAL Matam min 32.4 max 47.2 MALI Yelimane min 35.7 max 47.0 ALGERIA In Guezzam min 34 max 46 Extraordinary 40.7C at Tamanrasset 1377m asl, May record destroyed Middle East:48C Oman and UAE Ditch Brightly Colored Plastic, Anti-Waste Researchers Tell Firms Guardian. This has been know for, wellie, probably since attempts to recycle plastic began. So why a stink now, and why act as if this is a novel issue? I have long been upset when supposedly eco-friendly brands use plastic containers, and worse one that are neither white nor clear. European Disunion How the far right is winning over young Europeans Financial Times Gaza Israeli and Egyptian Forces Exchange Fire on Border Amid Air Strikes on Rafah Refugee Camp Military Watch Col. Douglas Macgregor: Escalation at Israels Borders Judge Napolitano, YouTube. Macgregor argues this is a Big Deal and states Egyptians on the street are resigned to war. Israel-Hamas war: No major ground operation in Rafah US DW. If you believe this, I have a bridge Id like to sell you. There are reports of tanks in Rafah: Gaza live: Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah as death toll mounts Middle East Eye The Rafah Tent Massacre Daniel Larison Spying, hacking and intimidation: Israels nine-year war on the ICC exposed Guardian. For those who actually read the footnotes in the South Africa case with the ICJ, South Africa had first sent multiple diplomatic notes to the ICC asking it to get out of bed with respect to war crimes in Gaza. Then it filed the ICJ case and used the petitioning to the ICC as part of its proof that Israel had been put on notice of the existence of a controversy. Now we know why the ICC was initially unresponsive. Surveillance and interference: Israels covert war on the ICC exposed 972 (guurst). From the partner in the ICC investigation. Former UN envoy writes finish them on Israeli shell amid 36,000 Palestinian civilian deaths Anadolu Agency. As in our very own Nikki Haley. How Israeli prison doctors assist in the torture of Palestinian detainees Mondoweiss Yves here. The fast, determined, and aggressive response to widespread campus protests against genocide demonstrates how our purported leaders are so insecure in their hold on power that they over-react against perceived threats when they have the ability to do so. It was gratifying to see students en masse rise up against reprehensible injustice in which very very few had any personal stake. And this was after a protracted period of only few and feeble protests, as if the combination of student debt, the surveillance state, an over-time worsening environment for getting established in a career, housing, and a solid relationship, and pervasive propaganda had successfully sapped the life out of demonstrating. But the coordinated 17-city paramilitary crackdown against Occupy was a precursor to the clearing and cordoning of campuses this year. This post argues that the homeland security campus was underway even before then. Note the mention of the NYPD at the close of this piece. In the days of Occupy, Mayor Bloomberg bragged about having the seventh largest army in the world. Oh, and even then, some of its members trained with the IDF. By Michael Gould-Wartofsky. Originally published at TomDispatch The academic year that just ended left Americas college campuses in quite a state: with snipers on the rooftops and checkpoints at the gates; quads overrun by riot squads, state troopers, and federal agents; and even the scent of gunpowder in the air. In short, in the spring semester of 2024, many of our campuses came to resemble armed camps. Whats more, alongside such brute displays of force, there have been congressional inquisitions into constitutionally protected speech; federal investigations into the movement for divestment; and students suspended, evicted, and expelled, not to speak of faculty disciplined or simply dismissed. Welcome to Repress U., class of 2024: a homeland security campus for the ages. But dont think it all only happened this spring. In reality, its an edifice thats been decades in the making, spanning the George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden administrations. Some years ago, in the wake of Occupy Wall Street, I wrote a step-by-step guide to how the original homeland security campus was created. Let me now offer an updated manual on the workings of Repress U. in a newly oppressive era. Consider the building of just such a homeland security campus a seven-step process. Here they are, one by one. Step 1. Target the movement for divestment. As a start, unconditional government support for the state of Israel triggered a growing movement of student dissent. That, in turn, came to focus on the imperial entanglements and institutional investments of this countrys institutions of higher learning. Yet, instead of negotiating in good faith, university administrators have, with a few exceptions, responded by threatening and even inviting state violence on campus. Nor, in a number of cases, did this offensive against the student left start, or end, at the campus gates. For instance, a targeted campaign against Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) kicked off in October, when the State University System of Florida, working with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, announced that based on the National SJPs support of terrorism the student chapters must be deactivated. Private universities would soon join in with their own public displays of intolerance. Brandeis, Rutgers, George Washington, and Harvard all imposed similar sanctions on student groups. Columbia broke new ground by suspending not only SJP but also Jewish Voice for Peace after its student chapter held an unauthorized event that included threatening rhetoric. Over the course of the academic year, the student movement has been elevated, at least rhetorically speaking, to the level of a national security threat one which has figured prominently in White House briefings and House Republican hearings. And by far the greater part of the threatening rhetoric overheard in recent weeks has been directed not by the movement, but at the movement. We have a clear message, said House Committee on Education and Labor Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) in announcing the latest round of congressional inquisitions. American universities are officially put on notice that we have come to take our universities back. No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced, campus greens are being captured, or graduations are being ruined. Held on May 23rd, the hearings were an exercise in twenty-first-century McCarthyism, with House Republicans going on the warpath against radicalized students and so-called university leaders. President Biden, when speaking of the student movement, has struck a hardly less belligerent tone, declaring that vandalism, trespassing shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations none of this is a peaceful protest and that order must prevail. Step 2. Censor pro-Palestinian speech. For all the talk of free speech and the right to protest, pro-Palestinian advocacy and antiwar activism have, in these last months, come to represent a notable exception to the rule. From the words of commencement speakers to the expressive acts of student occupiers, outright censorship has become the order of the day. Take the case of Asna Tabassum, a graduating senior scheduled to give this months valedictorian address at the University of Southern California. When, on social media, Tabassum dared link to a page denouncing racist settler-colonial ideology, she was subjected to an organized smear campaign and ultimately barred from speaking at commencement. Across the country, the cancellations have piled up. The Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd was banned from speaking at the University of Vermont. The artist Samia Halaby saw her first American retrospective cancelled by the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University. And a group of Jewish students seeking to screen a film critical of Israel were denied space at the University of Pennsylvania. Again, the trail of repression leads all the way back to Washington, D.C. Over the course of the past year, since the White House released its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have shown an increasingly active interest in policing what can and cant be said on campus. According to the latest White House fact sheet, dated May 7th, FBI and DHS have taken steps to expand and deepen engagements with campus law enforcement and others. Such engagement has been evident for all to see in the recent crackdowns on campuses like Columbias, where the administration bragged, in a leaked internal memo, about coordinating with the FBI. Step 3. Punish student protest. It was not enough, however, for certain university administrators to ban Students for Justice in Palestine or censor pro-Palestinian speech. It was also imperative that they make students pay. The punishments have varied, ranging from interim suspensions to permanent expulsions to evictions from campus housing. What they have in common is a logic of retribution for even distinctly nonviolent student protests. It became common practice for administrations to demand that students leave their on-campus encampments or be barred from graduating. In Harvards case, the Corporation went ahead and struck 13 pro-Palestinian students from the rolls anyway, just days before commencement. Expulsions have also proliferated in the wake of the occupation of administration buildings, from Columbias Hamilton Hall to Vanderbilts Kirkland Hall. In justifying the expulsions, Vanderbilts chancellor helpfully explained, My point of view had nothing to do with free speech. Last but not least, student dissidents have been the victims of doxxing, with their names and faces prominently displayed under the banner of Leading Antisemites on billboards in public places and on websites belonging to a far-right organization, Accuracy in Media. The group was recently revealed to be bankrolled to the tune of nearly $1.9 million by top Republican megadonors. Step 4. Discipline faculty dissent. Students have not been the only targets of such repression. They have been joined by faculty and other employees of colleges and universities, who have also faced disciplinary action for standing up for the rights of Palestinians. By one count, more than 50 faculty members have been arrested, while hundreds more have been disciplined by their employers. The backlash began last fall with the suspension of two educators at the University of Arizona, then ramped up with the summary firing of two teaching assistants at the University of Texas at Austin. Their offenses? Sharing mental health resources with Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students, who had specifically requested them in the wake of October 7th. Further controversy attended the suspension of a tenured political science professor, Abdulkader Sinno, at Indiana University following an unauthorized event held by the schools Palestine Solidarity Committee (which Sinno advised). Then came the removal of a noted Palestinian-American artist and activist, Amin Husain, from his adjunct position at New York University. The University of Florida, for its part, circulated a directive threatening that employees will be separated from employment should they be found responsible for engaging in prohibited activities, including disruption, indoor demonstrations, or outdoor encampments. And Washington University in St. Louis, in April, placed six employees on leave after they were accused of participating in a Gaza solidarity protest and allowing unauthorized persons onto campus. That same day, another Palestinian-American professor, Steve Tamari, of Southern Illinois University, had nine ribs fractured and one of his hands broken while exercising his right to film the police. Step 5. Lock the community out, but let the vigilantes in. In the face of sustained student protest, universities have converted themselves into heavily guarded, gated communities, each with its private security force, and each with its own laws to enforce. Harvard Yard will be closed today, read a typical text, in bold red letters hanging from Johnston Gate. Harvard affiliates must produce their ID card when requested. Other schools have responded to the encampments with a new architecture of control, extending from the metal barricades erected around George Washingtons University Yard to the plywood walls now surrounding New York Universitys Stern School of Business. Still others, like Columbia, went as far as to cancel their major commencement ceremonies, given security concerns. At the same time, the private firms entrusted with the publics safety on college campuses have failed to intervene to keep far-right agitators out. Instead, as seen at the University of California, Los Angeles, and elsewhere, they have allowed vigilante violence to run wild. At UCLA, on the night of April 30th, a gang of anti-Palestinian militants, wearing white masks and bearing blunt instruments and incendiary devices, were permitted to terrorize the schools Palestine Solidarity Encampment for more than three hours before public officials felt compelled to take action. At least 16 serious injuries were reported. Not one of the attackers was detained. At first, I couldnt understand why, reported one eyewitness to the bloodshed. But an hour in, and then two hours in, and then three hours in, it just reached the point where I was like, UCLA knows this is happening, and they dont care enough to protect their students. I thought I was going to die, recalled another. I thought Id never see my family again. Step 6. Call the cops. Incite a riot. Again and again, administrators have turned to the baton-wielding arm of the law to sweep Gaza solidarity encampments off school grounds. In calling the riot squads out on their own students, they have launched the most wide-reaching crackdown on campus protest in more than half a century, with some 3,000 arrests and still counting. The military-style raid on Columbias Morningside campus, on April 30th, was just one case in point. It was one I watched unfold with my own eyes a few paces from occupied Hamilton Hall (or Hinds Hall). It started with a group of students linking arms and singing We Shall Not Be Moved, and ended with 112 arrests and one gunshot fired from an officers Glock 19. First, I watched three drones surveil the protesters from above, while a veritable army of beat cops, clad in riot gear, surrounded them on all sides. Next, I saw paramilitary squads with names like Emergency Service Unit and Strategic Response Group, backed by an armored BearCat, stage an invasion of the Columbia campus, while their counterparts laid siege to nearby City College. In the end, law enforcement unleashed a full use-of-force continuum on students and workers, including that live bullet that unintentionally discharged from a sergeants service weapon into the office they were attempting to gain access to. Said one officer to another: Thought we fucking shot someone. And Columbia was but the tip of the spear. A similar pattern has played out on campuses across the country. At Emory University, a Gaza solidarity camp was met with stun guns and rubber bullets; at Indiana and Ohio State universities, the police response included snipers on the rooftops of campus buildings; and at the University of Texas, gun-toting troopers enforced Governor Greg Abbotts directive that no encampments will be allowed. Step 7. Wage information warfare. In most, if not all, American cities and college towns with such protests, the police, pundits, and elected officials alike have doubled down on their defense of Repress U., while vilifying the student movement in the media. In doing so, theyve engaged in the kinds of coordinated information activities typical of a classical counterinsurgency campaign. It began with House Republicans like Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who dubbed the student protesters a pro-Hamas mob, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who called them lawless agitators and radicals. Donald Trump took it a step further, claiming that many of them arent even students, and many of them come from foreign countries. Thousands and thousands are from foreign countries Im like, Where did these people come from? Novel conspiracy theories, blaming the outbreak of campus protests on groups ranging from Hamas to Antifa (or even Jewish billionaire George Soros), have reverberated across the echo chambers of the right. But the agitprop didnt stop at the far-right fringe. Democratic officials have since taken it up, too, with New York Mayor Eric Adams leading the charge: What should have been a peaceful protest has been coopted by professional outside agitators. Within 24 hours of the raids on Columbia and CCNY, the New York Police Department had, in fact, produced its own live-action propaganda from the scene of the crime, concluding with these words of warning: To any other individuals that wanna protest If youre thinking about setting up tents anyplace else think again. Well come there. Well strike you. Take you to jail like we did over here. This is the future envisioned for Americas college campuses by the partisans of Repress U. Its a future where what passes for homeland security takes precedence over higher learning, where order prevails over inquiry, and where counterinsurgency comes before community. Then again, the next generation the one behind the Peoples University protests may well have other plans. Yves here. As John Helmer mentions below, many Collective West leaders (wellie, if you can call Kaja Kallas a leader), pundits and spokescritters have been making all sorts of threats to Do Something so Ukraine can win, like sending in their own forces. Theres been a bit of a climbdown as some NATO leaders have voiced opposition. For instance, Germanys Olaf Scholz, who normally Could be browbeaten into supporting US escalation, has been holding firm for some time and just said that Germany has no more weapons to send. Nevertheless, Ukraine (almost certainly with little green men assisting) has taken to lobbing drones at some very important Russian defensive assets, over the horizon monitoring systems designed to provide early warning of ICBM, as in potentially nuclear, strike. The lack of any sign of Russian emergency meetings is consistent with claims on Russian Telegram that these drone attacks did only very minor damage. Nevertheless, Russia could easily treat these strikes as a very big escalation. By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears In war, exaggeration is a killer. In the media, exaggeration is a bestseller. In the current war there is a dearth of military and political analysts who for truth or money will tell the difference. Instead, when the mentality of the war fighters is a combination of racial superiority and spetsnaz derring-do, what you get is the conviction that with one more brilliant operation and one more super-weapon, victory can be snatched from every indicator of defeat because the adversary will be persuaded to accept negotiations as he loses his nerve. This is the meaning of the Anglo-American publicity which burst over the long Bank Holiday and Memorial Day weekend, as summer campaigning began in earnest for the July and November elections in the UK and US with the incumbent in the former running 21 points behind, and the incumbent in the latter trailing on an approval margin of minus-16 points. The Reuters propaganda agency, based in New York, is claiming to have found four Russians from a senior level in the political and business worlds to be talkative about what they say they know of the Kremlins end-of-war plans. [President Vladimir] Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire to freeze the war Putin would, however, be ready to settle for what land he has now and freeze the conflict at the current front lines, four of the sources said. Putin will say that we won, that NATO attacked us and we kept our sovereignty, that we have a land corridor to Crimea, which is true, one of them said, giving their own analysis. With just one more successful push from the Ukrainian side, Reuters and its four Russians believe, Putin will agree to give up his war. This push, which the western media have been amplifying this week, is the drone attacks on Russian radar stations for early warning of nuclear missile attack at Armavir, Krasnodar, and Orsk, Orenburg. Although Russian military sources claim these attacks were pinpricks, and the second of them was shot out of the sky before detonation, western media are reporting that it is now the battle strategy of the US, the British, and the Ukrainians to provoke Putin into retaliation, crossing the red line of tactical nuclear warfare. Thats a red line, the allies are calculating, which Putin would rather negotiate end-of-war terms than cross. A retired Moscow military analyst warns against the exaggeration, not of the attacks themselves, but of Putins power to decide end-of-war terms over the opposition of the General Staff and the new Defense Ministry. It is obvious the Ukrainians have had a string of successful breakthroughs, the source acknowledges, against ships, airfields, refineries, and now this radar site. We also understand it is not the Ukrainians: all target selection, identification, guidance, and the hardware are American or European. Where the command control of these launch sites is, we do not know but it might well not be in Ukraine. But the Russian response will not be nuclear. That is impossible. There are a thousand options between doing nothing and going nuclear, and we can be sure the General Staff are working on all of them. So when people say this is provocation for a nuclear strike and that [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky is provoking it, we understand that, first, NATO planners know Putin will not go nuclear because he and his generals are too rational and sane. And second, Zelensky is not the one making the provocations. So the real red line now is not the nuclear arms provocations from the NATO side. Thats a fantasy of theirs. Just so, in response, I think its time Putin stops making threats and strikes at the source of these operations. When desperate weakness triggers battlefield fantasies, call this the Popski Syndrome. Popski was the call sign and unit nickname assigned by the British Army headquarters in Cairo to a tiny unit of behind-the-lines special forces operating against the Italian and German armies in the Libyan deserts from late in 1941 until September 1943, when the war moved on to Italy, taking Popski with it. Popskis unit numbered 24 men to start in Libya; in Italy, by the wars end, it had reached 80. Vladimir Peniakoff was Popski, born to wealthy Jewish Russians who fled the Revolution to install their aluminium business and themselves in Belgium, then the UK. With London publisher Jonathan Cape, Peniakoff imagined he could turn his small guerrilla war in the Libyan and Tunisian deserts into something approaching the bestsellerdom of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E.Lawrences story of the war of the Arabian peninsula tribes against the Turks between 1916 and 1918; first published in 1926. Only Peniakoffs wisdom turned out to be a combination of cynical racism towards his Arab allies; fondness for his German enemies; and exaggerated self-importance in commando or special forces operations, whose strategic rationale Peniakoff accepted enthusiastically without a second thought. But that thought does appear in the very last lines of the book after Popskis Private Army as it was called at the time, and on the book jacket had manipulated, then betrayed the Libyan Arab and Berber tribes; promoted General Bernard Montgomerys reputation for military genius; and drew the tender ministrations of New Zealand and Canadian girls working in the rear casualty hospitals where Peniakoff lost first a finger and then his left hand. Left. Vladimir Peniakoffs book; Right: Peniakoff (front) in action. At first establishment in March 1942 Peniakoffs Popskis Private Army (PPA) comprised 24 men, including Peniakoff. Most of the troops were Libyan Arabs. According to Peniakoff, he told a conference of sheikhs of the Obaidi tribe: My Government wants your help, and they want to help youI told them that my Government had solemnly undertaken never to let their country come again under Italian rule after the victorious conclusion of the war. This was a cynical lie. At the Potsdam Conference of the US, UK, and Soviet leaders in July 1945, the British and Americans were so nervous at the rise of the Communist Party in Italy, and of the parallel rise of Arab nationalism in Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, they offered to restore Italys colonial administration in Libya until Stalin insisted on a Soviet trusteeship of the territory to prepare the Libyans for independence. This story has been told in The Jackals Wedding, American Power, Arab Revolt Chapter 7. A new history of Libya based on the records of the Obaidi tribe is being prepared. Popskis betrayal of the Obaidi was the common Anglo-American policy in Libya until Muammar Qaddafis revolution of September 1, 1969. Peniakoffs last lines describe himself in his jeep in the train of a British cavalry unit on an Austrian alpine road crowded with German troops begging to surrender before the Russian Army, advancing a few kilometres away, caught up with them. Peniakoff, who could also speak fluent Russian, Arabic, French, Italian, and German, was stopped in the road by the mass of a tank ahead of me, covered with a red Soviet flag. According to Peniakoff, the tank commander delivered a speech. He ended: There is nothing that can destroy our solidarity. Peniakoff doesnt report what he told the Russian in reply at the time. Instead, he concludes his book with this rumination and threat. The war was over, I thought, I might now well see to that. This was Peniakoffs personal fantasy of continuing his war-fighting. But there was no role for him, or the 80 men his unit had grown to in Italy, to play as lightly armed demolition raiders against the Red Army. It didnt occur to him that in his three years of fighting in Arab North Africa, then Italy, he had betrayed, not only the Obaidi tribesmen of Libya, but also the Italian Communist and Socialist partisans who had fought with him, also on his post-war promises. Turning his back on them, Peniakoff was ready to go to war with Moscow until a brain tumour stopped him in 1951, the year after he had published his story. But the Anglo-American idea of war with Russia is alive and kicking this week, as its the Ukrainian troops who are running away from the advance of the Russian Army. The idea of Popskis Private Army against Russia which Peniakoff was gung-ho to fight is now on the edge of nuclear attacks first by Ukrainian artillery on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, and since that has failed to generate a radioactive explosion, drone attacks on Russian radar stations at Armavir and Orsk whose job it is to detect nuclear armed missile launches and trigger Russian nuclear retaliation. Post-attack pictures of the damage at the Armavir radar station in Krasnodar. Russian military assessment of the drone attack is in marked contrast to the hype of western reporting. "We may be talking about partial shrapnel damage to the high-voltage power lines of the transceiver modules. At the same time, the blocks of transceiver modules themselves (together with amplifiers, phase shifters and cooling circuits) could receive minimal damage, as indicated by the absence of traces of direct hits from drones into active antenna arrays. Considering the modular design of Voronezh-DM (and all stations of this type), we can expect a prompt restoration of the complex and its return to combat duty The station serves as a means of monitoring ballistic missile launches at a distance of 6 thousand km and also detects high-altitude hypersonic aerodynamic means of aerospace attack. What kind of drone could be used to attack the radar? Initially, it was believed that for the strike on Voronezh-DM, the Main Intelligence Directorate simulated a complex low-altitude flight route for drones of the Lyuty or UJ-26 Beaver type, skirting the radar viewing sectors of the Russian Aerospace Forces anti-aircraft missile systems. However, later information appeared that British-Portuguese Tekever AR3 drones were used for the strike. Interestingly, this drone is designed using VTOL (vertical take-off) technology and could be deployed near the radar, probably several kilometres away. However, launch from the territory of Ukraine is not excluded. To build routes bypassing air defence systems, reconnaissance information from the US Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk drone could be used. Let us recall that for several months now the focus of attention of the US Air Force RQ-4B data has been shifted specifically to the Krasnodar Territory, as can be seen from the flight route. What conclusion can be drawn? The strike on the Armavir station (and a likely attempt to hit another Voronezh-type radar 25 km from Orsk) may be part of a single operation to inflict painful media attacks. The use of British-Portuguese drones in this case may be the fundamental point since it is the British who are considered the architects of many GUR [Ukrainian military intelligence] actions: attempts to land in Crimea and other campaigns in which the planned result was never achieved. A veteran US military observer is not sanguine about the rationality of the US and British officers directing Ukrainian operations. He warns that the British, and also the CIA, have an inordinate faith in special operations to turn the tide, and in their own cleverness to think them up. What were seeing with Israel, too, according to this source, is years of impunity resulting in an epic, murderous tantrum thats having the opposite of its intended effect. Its certainly not beyond either of them to play nuclear chicken. Most people would say that if you do that, youre insane. But they think a special operation playing nuclear chicken with the Russians is clever, potentially effective. And so I think theres going to be a nuclear war. The people who run things in the West have made up their minds that if they cant rule, there will be nothing to rule. I guess we must figure now whether British and Ukrainian madness will prevail over US cowardice. Wedged between Russia, Iran, and Eastern Europe the Caucasus are considered a crossroads in more ways than one. That can be an uncomfortable place to be nowadays as great power games pick up steam. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and if we throw Turkiye in here as well, are all struggling in their own ways to navigate the pressure cooker. While Armenia is allowing itself to be used by Western powers to destabilize the region, Georgia is attempting to stop Western meddling. Turkiye, too, is now considering clamping down on foreign interests in the country while Azerbaijan looks sturdy for now. Armenia For now, Armenia, whose government appears to have abdicated in favor of Western interests, looks to be the least stable and the most likely source of regional turmoil. Whats happening there is either the result of sheer incompetence or there are ulterior motives at hand. The latest from the West-led peace process has Armenia giving up more occupied land to its neighbor Azerbaijan with nothing in return, which continues a recent trend. Many Armenians are predictably enraged by the deal, and large protests led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan are continuing into a second month and demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Their complaints: During a massive rally on May 12 in Yerevans Republic Square, which was filled with tens of thousands of supporters, Archbishop Galstanyan articulated the movements stance, stating, We are not opposed to peace, delimitation or demarcation. However, what is currently happening, with unilateral concessions forcing us to our knees, is unacceptable. There is no precedent for repeatedly giving in without guarantees against war, especially under the threat of force. We seek definitive peace, a peace that is worthy and lasting. We have now arrived at the point that was obvious months ago. Pashinyan government, led by the West, has humiliated itself by ceding contested lands with nothing to show for it, which is generating mass public outrage. The same happened with the region of Nagorno-Karabakh last year. Against the backdrop of the new Cold War, mediating countries began to compete for the status of the main moderator of the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations. Yerevan began to favor the West, and talks mostly moved to Western platforms. It was during those meetings that Armenia agreed to officially recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. Once Armenia did so (and PM Pashinyan declared so publicly), the die was cast. The region was (and is) recognized as Azerbaijani territory by the international community but was overwhelmingly populated by ethnic Armenians. Roughly 100,000 of them fled to Armenia after Azerbaijan blockaded the region for months and then moved militarily to assert control in September an operation that resulted in hundreds of deaths. Despite moving the negotiation process under the guidance of the West and publicly recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, the Pashinyan government has sought to lay all the blame for its loss at the feet of Russia. And Pashinyan now largely refuses to participate in summits with Russia. There has also been a step-by-stp poisoning of ties with Russia from Armenias side, including freezing its participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, not allowing the head of the Russian Society for Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia into the country, and joining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The ICC, which much of the world views as no more than a political tool of the West, has an outstanding arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. That now means that if Putin were to visit Armenia he should face arrest there. Moscow called the ratification by Yerevan a hostile act. Its certainly interesting timing on Armenias part considering the statute came into effect all the way back in 2002. The souring of ties culminated in Russia recalling its ambassador to Armenia on May 24. As negotiations continue on disputed territory, Armenia is negotiating from a position of severe weakness. Azerbaijan enjoys military superiority, Armenia has thrown away its Russian security blanket, its new friends in the West dont have the capabilities to effectively intervene and theyre also reliant on Azerbaijan natural gas. And so we have a Western-led peace process in which Azerbaijan demands more and gets it. The result is a humiliated, angry population in Armenia while the government tries to shift all the blame onto Russia. That seemed to work for a time in the aftermath of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenians by and large are no longer buying it. This much is obvious: The miserable career of Nikol Pashinyan only makes sense if you see his employers as being the US imperialists. His only real mission is to create problems for Russia in the region and if Armenia is destroyed in the process the imperialists will barely blink. Any Armenians who https://t.co/VgcjEycmse Marx Engels Lenin Institute (@MarxEngelsLnin) April 28, 2024 To what end, though? Just to set another bonfire in Russia (and Irans) backyard? The fears of other countries are that the Wests ultimate designs are to make a bloody mess of logistics through the Caucasus that are playing a major role in Asian integration. Both China-led East-West routes and Russia- and India-led North-South routes rely on passing through the Caucasus. That course of action would be suicide for Armenia, which is surrounded by countries interested in seeing those trade routes developed. Armenia was dependent on Russian for protection, and its economy is also mostly dependent on Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union and has been doing quite well acting as a reroute point around sanctions. Armenias imports from Russia have gone from around $100 mn per month before the invasion to $1.2 tn per month now. There is no other country across all of the Caucasus and across all of Central Asia that has recorded anything remotely close to this rise in imports from Russia pic.twitter.com/y9xnPi7hWy Robin Brooks (@robin_j_brooks) May 26, 2024 The protests in Armenia are led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, a senior cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its unclear if Galstanian has enough support to force a change in government. A few rallies he headlined have reportedly drawn about 30,000 people. Galstanian was educated in the U.K. and Canada and in recent years has risen to prominence due to his opposition to any land deals with Azerbaijan. He has the support of much of the political opposition, as well as the Sasna Tsrer organization, an extra-parliamentary force that is anti-Russian, pro-West, and has perpetrated political violence in the past. So, while Galstanians opposition is clear to the course Pashinyan has the country on, where he would take Armenia should he gain more power is unclear. For example, I have yet to see Galstanian direct any criticism at Pashinyans puppet masters. Archbishop Bagrat stated that he asked Head of Armenian Apostolic church to freeze his spiritual service His primary task will be the organization of new parliamentary elections, while he will not pursue any political position after those elections https://t.co/Es0WnVxHko Yeghia Tashjian #FreeArmenianPOWs (@yeghig) May 26, 2024 Under the Pashinyan government, Armenia has remained on bad terms with Azerbaijan and Turkiye, and relations with Russia have gone down the drain. The country is somewhat allied with Iran, but that is being strained by Armenias opening the doors to meddling from the West including hosting military drills with the US last year. What exactly is the strategy here if theres one at all? So far all thats happening is a slow motion car crash in Armenia; meanwhile its neighbors (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkiye, and Russia) strengthen ties in order to fend off the Western foothold in the region. Speaking of Georgia and Turkiye, both countries are pursuing variations of a foreign agents law intended to squash foreign meddling in the countries politics and prevent an Armenia-like situation or color revolution attempt. Turkiye New legislation in Turkiye would jail journalists and researchers working for foreign interests. According to Turkish Minute, that would apply to anyone who carries out or orders research on (Turkish) citizens and institutions with the aim of acting against the security or the political, internal or external interests of the state, on the orders or in the strategic interests of a foreign organization or state. Those convicted would face three to seven years in prison. Since the 2016 coup attempt in Turkiye, tens of thousands of people suspected of links to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen have been arrested, more than 140,000 fired or suspended from their jobs and nearly 3,000 sentenced to life in jail. The US has refused to extradite Gulen who has always denied involvement in the coup attempt. The newly proposed foreign interests law could be a sign that despite the massive crackdown on Gulenists, Turkish officials still fear that Western NGOs are attempting to destabilize the country. The latest coup intrigue in Turkiye revolves around high-ranking police officials allegedly attempting to ensnare members of Erdogans ruling coalition in graft probes. Of course, the possibility exists that the politicians are indeed corrupt and labeling any investigation of them as a coup attempt and arresting the officers is a way to make the investigations go away. In recent years Gulenists have frequently been accused of targeting officials by eliciting fabricated statements from eyewitnesses. Turkiye joins a handful of other countries and breakaway regions also working towards foreign agents laws: apparently also #Turkiye is to introduce the foreign agents lawSo within the last 6 months these countries/entities introduced similar laws,upgraded it, or are discussing it in their Parliaments: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republika Srpska, Georgia, Slovakia, Abkhazia, Turkiye https://t.co/mckjITpsQn Jan Cingel (@JanCingel) May 9, 2024 The usual criticisms are being aired about Turkiyes proposed law that it would be a blow to rights and freedoms and take a toll on press and civil society. That take isnt necessarily wrong; the law could be used to crack down on legitimate criticism. At the same time, what is government expected to do when a certain country or bloc of countries use this openness to fund foreign organizations to destabilize the country from within and attempt color revolutions? Georgia Thats whats happening in Georgia, which just passed new restrictions on NGOs. Despite the laws enactment, the tense situation is far from over as Western governments and NGOs are now expected to double down on efforts to topple the government in Tbilisi, and chances are it will get even uglier than it already is: This bill is a declaration of war against Georgia. https://t.co/7WeT6OkObd Sopo Japaridze (@sopjap) May 25, 2024 PM Kobakhidze posted an official statement saying that he was being routinely blackmailed by high ranking foreign politicians, but was particularly aghast during the phone conversation with an unnamed EU Commissioner, who listed the range of measures that western politicians pic.twitter.com/gtHgaSHhCr Civil.ge (@CivilGe) May 23, 2024 The presidency of Georgia is largely ceremonial, not executive. This French woman (yes, look it up) playing a Georgian president is calling for regime change. Thats treason. https://t.co/AZexw15Zyg Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) May 27, 2024 Zourabichvili is also promising to hold a referendum on the pursuit EU membership. We must prepare a real referendum. This energy that is in you today should be spent on collecting signatures and bringing them to me. I will sign the order for the referendum do we want a European future or Russian slavery, she said. The Georgian law requires NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to register as organizations carrying the interests of a foreign power. It should be noted that the US has its own Foreign Agents Registration Act, and that Georgias law does not mean that these NGOs cannot operate; they just must register. Tens of thousands of Georgians have protested over the governments new law for days, claiming it is part of a pattern of assault against human rights in the country. Proponents say it is necessary to preserve the countrys sovereignty from constant meddling from the West. The Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili who is a major kingmaker in Georgian politics says that the global party of war interferes with Georgias interests. One of Ivanishvilis fiercest critics is the incarcerated former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, who accuses Ivanishvili of having him arrested. In 2008, Saakashvili who was backed by the western NGOs and believed Georgia was soon to join NATO and that the alliance would have his back, started a war by bombing the breakaway region South Ossetia. Russia intervened and in five days Georgia was driven out of Ossetia. Georgia is still mending ties with Russia, and as the West accelerates its efforts in former USSR countries, politicians and the oligarch Ivanishvili likely dont want a repeat of 2008. That being said, they dont claim to be anti-West; they just dont want to be used as a battering ram against Russia. Even Ivanishvili has said, with sovereignty and dignity intact, by 2030, Georgia will join the EU. Yet, that begs the question: on those terms, would the EU even want them? Delegates from Allied nations met in Tampere, Finland from 21 to 24 May 2024 to discuss enhancing resilience through civil preparedness key to NATOs deterrence and defence. Participants received updates on strategic developments in shipping, civil aviation and surface transport systems, as well as the impact of the global security situation on different modes of transport. These were provided by representatives from Allied Command Operations, Joint Support & Enabling Command, NATO Support and Procurement Agency, NATO Shipping Centre, Multinational Sealift Steering Committee, the Finnish Defence Forces, and multiple commercial transport operators. With critical assets and infrastructure increasingly targeted by hostile actors, enhancing resilience through civil preparedness - including in the commercial transport sector - is an important aspect of taking a whole society approach to security. The findings of these meetings will help improve cooperation between civil and military authorities on resilience. Finlands Minister of Transport and Communications, Lulu Ranne addressed the gathering saying it would help firmly integrate the strengthening of Finland's transport infrastructure into NATO's broad, overall transport planning. Australian parliament passes digital ID law to enshrine the globalist control matrix down under The House of Representatives in Australia voted to adopt the Australian Digital ID Law (Digital ID Bill 2024) this week in an 87-56 vote, this after it already passed the Senate. The plan is to eliminate all forms of physical identification and replace them with digital ID schemes that will put everyone's most sensitive personal information in one centralized source controlled by the government and private interests. (Related: Late last year, Brussels rolled out a digital ID prison for Europeans, complete with a Digital Identity Wallet for easy tracking and control.) A security and privacy catastrophe in the making, the scheme will also aim to digitize and centralize all government services, people's health insurance plans, tax records and anything else they can cram in there. The cost to Australia for all this is nearly $200 million, and this is just for the launch. After that, the costs will continue indefinitely, draining taxpayers of even more of their labor. Australia is becoming a censorship hell Members of the Liberal-National Opposition party, which voted against the bill, say their constituents are deeply worried about the privacy implications of the scheme, not to mention their freedoms in general. They also worry that the government will use the digital ID framework to probe their personal lives even more deeply than it already does. Those in favor of the digital ID framework insist it will add "convenience" to everyone's lives, but is it really worth it to give up every remaining semblance of freedom and privacy? 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. For now, participation will remain optional, but that is likely to change in time. These kinds of things always start out this way only to become mandatory once they reach their intended outcome. The bill as it currently stands will allow people to open bank accounts without digital IDs "by going to the nearest branch," but what happens when there are no longer any physical bank branches to visit? Physical bank locations are disappearing quickly as they, too, go digital. Liberal Senator Alex Antic warned about this in discussing the bill's draconian implications, which combined with the Online Safety Act and the eSafety program will making living in Australia an Orwellian nightmare. Australia's censorship matrix exists to "protect the children," or so we are told, but the reality is that it exists solely for the purpose of allowing the government to decide which content is okay to share online and which is "harmful." A new $6.5 million pilot program embedded within Australia's federal budget will also create an online age verification method called "age assurance technology" that will make accessing certain content online even more difficult. While such a method is good for protecting children from smut and other inappropriate content, it can also be used by the government to restrict other things. Then there is the "emerging online threats" portion of the federal budget. A total of $43.2 million has been set aside in the budget's communication package to fight this category of online content, while the eSafety Commissioner's office will receive $1.4 million over the next two years for its censorship agenda. Australia is also going after X, ordering the Elon Musk-owned social media platform to remove video footage of the recent stabbing incident at a Sydney church. X geo-blocked the content within Australia but the eSafety commissioner was not satisfied with just this. A temporary court order was obtained from an Australian federal court to block the video everywhere. Will the people of the world ever fight back against their tyrannical overlords, or will they just roll over and die? Find out more at Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: ReclaimTheNet.org NaturalNews.com TheFire.org Bannon: Conservative leaders lack the fing balls to stop cultural collapse of the West (Article by Jamie White republished from InfoWars.com) The reason why this country and the West is in the shape that its in is because the conservatives who talked a good game about doing better, didnt have the fking balls to sit there and fight and say no, Bannon told GB News America. 'The reason were winning in the United States, is were not depending on a conservative elite who are gutless and feckless!' Steve Bannon accuses conservative leaders of not having the f*cking balls to stop the cultural collapse of the West'. pic.twitter.com/0mtMXG2zBD GBN America (@GBNAmerica) May 25, 2024 The reason were winning in the United States, is were not depending on a conservative elite who are gutless and feckless! Were depending on mothers and fathers in school boards, were depending upon working-class people who are taking their extra time to go do precinct strategy, he went on. Because they said hey, were prepared to stand and fight and not let our country be taken. And thats whats important. Everything else is just conversation." You have to have the political will and the muscle to sit there and say, they can call me a racist, they can call me a nativist, they can call me a xenophobe, a sexist, a homophobe, all of it. When they get to that name-calling that means they lost the argument and were winning. The War Room host continued, Youve got to lance the boil and draw that pus from the system, and conservatives arent prepared to do that. Theyll curl up in the fetal position because theyre not going to be accepted at the club. They only mouth the principles of conservatism; they dont realize you also have to fight for those values! he added.. Bannon discussed much more in the hour-long interview, including the Ukraine and Israel wars, the UK elections, JFKs assassination, and lessons from former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. Watch the full Bannon interview: Read more at: InfoWars.com Rep. Paul Gosar blasts Biden admin for funding gender transition procedures for underage family members of government employees Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) slammed the administration of President Joe Biden for funding the underage gender reassignment procedures of family members of government employees without maintaining records of who received the treatments. Gosar raised this concern during a May 21 hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. He interrogated Rob Shriver, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) during the hearing about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) contracting with insurers who have health plans that offer surgical and chemical castration procedures for children with gender dysphoria. In response, Shriver explained that "the health plans that participate in the FEHB decide on the benefit packages that they make available." He added that the OPM had no authority over the specific benefits of FEHB plans. Shriver also addressed Gosar's demand for increased transparency and data collection on the number of children undergoing gender transitions through FEHB health plans. He noted that former OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, who recently resigned due to health and family issues, had previously resisted calls to mandate reporting on the services provided. However, Gosar pointed out that the FEHB had actually mandated coverage for gender transitions in a 2016 program carrier letter. He argued that this effectively allowed harmful practices to continue unchecked. Gosar could not help but express his dismay, given that other countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark, England, Finland, Norway and Sweden are moving away from such practices due to increasing evidence of their medical risks while the United States is doing otherwise. (Related: Gender transition indoctrination is extreme child abuse, warns psychiatrist.) 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. "I thought the U.S.A. was better than that. I thought we were the leaders in science, not followers. I find it disgusting that you still sit there and hide behind that when children are being mutilated," Gosar stated. Biden administration keeps ignoring fact that gender reassignment has negative consequences for children Gosar was angered by the fact that the Biden administration keeps on ignoring all evidence that gender reassignment can have serious negative consequences, especially for children. In a 15-year-period study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, Dutch researchers from the University of Groningen have found that "most" gender-confused children outgrow such feelings by the time they reach adulthood. Every three years, from March 2001 to 2015, researchers asked children who were originally 11 years old up until their mid-20s to respond to the same statement at six different points throughout the years: "I wish to be of the opposite sex." Participants will only choose from three options: "0 - Not True," "1 - Somewhat or Sometimes True" and "2 - Very True or Often True." Additionally, participants rated their feelings regarding their physical appearance and self-esteem to evaluate their self-worth. Initially, the study found that about 11 percent of children experienced varying degrees of "gender non-contentedness," a dissatisfaction with their biological sex alignment, during puberty. But as they reach the age of 25, the figure significantly decreases to four percent. Thus, the study concludes that fluctuations in gender non-contentedness were associated with lower self-worth, more behavioral problems and increased emotional struggles, particularly among females. Findings also suggest that doubts about one's gender identity during adolescence tend to diminish with age. In turn, experts warn their colleagues that rushing children and adolescents into gender "affirming" treatments like hormones and surgical interventions does not effectively address their mental health issues. But despite all these claims, the Biden administration continues to support various aspects of the LGBT agenda, including advocating for underage gender transitions. The administration has taken several contentious steps, such as reopening the military to recruits with gender dysphoria, promoting gender ideology within the military and condemning state laws that restrict underage transitions. Visit GenderConfused.com to read more stories like this. Watch a mother of six destroy gender activists in speech at One Million March for Children. This video is from Pool Pharmacy channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Study: Most gender-confused children OUTGROW gender dysphoria during adulthood. Jennifer Bilek: Gender ideology paves way for TRANSHUMANISM. GENDER-AFFIRMING BRAINWASH: The term gender-affirming care is NOT care at all, but mutilation, and affirming is NOT medicine, just delusion and child abuse. Court blocks school district from enforcing ludicrous gender identity policies. Texas enforces BAN on gender-related medical procedures for teens. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com InfoWars.com DailyMail.co.uk Brighteon.com Just like with 9/11, the BRAINWASHED American sheeple cant grasp that the U.S. government was deeply involved in the makings of the COVID PLANDEMIC The eugenicist billionaires are currently working on exterminating at least half the worlds population, and though Fauci and his Wuhan cohorts have all but admitted to planning the whole pandemic, the ever-increasing hard evidence, their backpedaling of narratives and recent confessions lead straight to their mass-murdering culpability So will the brainwashed Americans who watch fake TV news and read the contrived-news newspapers daily ever follow the bouncing ball of guilt and evidence so far that they see the whole pandemic was actually a planned scamdemic, including creating billions of DIRTY mRNA VACCINES that were all but administered at gunpoint? Probably not. Still, let's take a close look at guilt admissions and cover-ups we do have on record though, so Americans who are on the fence (not sure they want to follow the communist Democrat Party anymore) might hear or read the words 'hashtag walk away', and actually try it. The mass-murdering scientists of the COVID scamdemic scrambled to cover up all their planning and conspiring by deleting thousands of emails Yes, the roaches will run for cover when you turn the lights on. A new swath of emails have been discovered and released by the House Select Subcommittee showing how top researchers conspired to modify bat coronaviruses in laboratories so they could infect humans, thus CREATING a pandemic that would have otherwise never have happened at all. The conspiring mass-murderers scrambled to delete the email evidence once they realized it could implicate them by proving the origins of the whole operation to infect billions of humans with a "novel" virus. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. From top NIH advisor Dr. David Morens (of NIAID and NIH) and Dr. Peter Daszak (head of EcoHealth Alliance), Peter Hotez, Dr. Francis Collins (NIH), on down to the scum of the earth "disease expert" and CNN talking head Anthony "Fraudulent" Fauci, the insidious plot has now been completely revealed. Their attempt to dodge records requests failed miserably, and the criminals who plotted the plandemic should be tried for treason, mass murder and more. In those emails, the plandemic planners talk about hiding the evidence, never letting anyone see their "smoking guns," and remembering to delete talk about it all, but it was just too much guilt and evidence to cover up. There was talk admitting to illegal kickbacks from EcoHealth, deleting emails that lead to the origin of the disease, and even admitting they would all go to 'federal prison' or 'Chinese re-education camp' if caught. These virus-creating freaks are being exposed by 30,000 pages of emails between each other, all but admitting to violating criminal law. Why else would these scientists at the heart of "gain of function" research try to delete thousands of emails after catching wind that they were being investigated regarding the origins of the "novel" Wuhan virus that supposedly infected several billion people? It's like serial killers trying to bleach the floors where they murdered their victims after the police figure out where the crimes occurred, and start looking for criminals' fingerprints and DNA. Folks, it's time to start demanding a lengthy, in-depth Nuremburg-style trial for these criminals, who may be responsible for literally killing not hundreds, or thousands, or millions, but BILLIONS of people worldwide before it's all over, and not just with the virus they gave the ability to spread from animals to humans, but for the DIRTY VACCINES they created to kill even more humans. Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental gene therapy injections that conspiring mass-murderers covered up the origins of in order to infect the whole world with Long-Vax-Syndrome. Sources for this article include: Pandemic.news NaturalNews.com ZeroHedge.com Oversight.House.gov Connecticut claims religious exemptions to mandatory child vaccinations somehow pose a threat to public health Back in 2023, We The Patriots USA (WTP), a non-profit organization focused on preserving and expanding Americans' freedom, appealed the district court's judgment dismissing claims against the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Development, challenging Public Act 21-6. The measure revised the Connecticut General Statutes to repeal religious exemptions from state immunization requirements for schoolchildren, college and university students, and childcare participants. The district court earlier granted the motions of defendants to dismiss certain plaintiffs' claims against the state agencies as barred by the Eleventh Amendment, dismiss the organizational plaintiffs' claims for lack of standing and dismiss all counts of the complaint for failure to state a claim. According to a recent post by WTP on its website, defendants in the lawsuit to restore religious exemptions for schoolchildren in Connecticut have already filed their briefs in response to the 2023 appeal. The state and three school board defendants twice requested extensions of time to file, moving the deadline from March 6 to May 20. The main point of the state's legal argument was that there was a public health crisis in Connecticut caused by the rising number of religious exemptions, which necessitated the removal of the said exemption. The exemption had been in place since 1959. As per the state, these exemptions posed such a threat to public health that even if they were required to demonstrate a compelling state interest in removing the religious exemption under strict scrutiny analysis, they would be able to prove that one existed. We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance. The non-profit organization disagreed. "We were denied the opportunity to participate in discovery which would have compelled the state to provide actual data to prove that the religious exemptions were rising to the extent that they posed any threat at all to public health in Connecticut," WTP pointed out. "We are confident that, were we given that opportunity, the evidence would demonstrate the opposite." Connecticut maintained that its repeal law was neutral since it applied equally to people of all faiths. It claimed that the move was not hostile to any particular religion. "But this is inaccurate since the law targeted those with religious beliefs opposed to vaccinations by denying them an education on that basis while leaving the doors to the schoolhouse wide open to anyone who does not hold such beliefs," WTP argued. Moreover, the state emphasized that the Supreme Court has consistently held that the state possesses police power to issue vaccine mandates. WTP believes that this point is a red herring since they are not challenging those rulings in the case. Its point is that CT's elimination of the religious exemption in 2021 ran afoul of the Constitution, not that the state has no power to enact a school vaccine mandate. WTP is already working on the reply brief to rebut the state's arguments, which is expected to be filed by May 31. "If the Justices vote to grant our petition, our case will be scheduled for oral argument before the Court, which would take place in October at the earliest. We are hoping the Court will decide by the end of June, in which case we will immediately notify all of our followers and subscribers," the group said. Alabama Senate bill to grant religious exemptions without too much fuss Meanwhile, in Alabama moves have been made to make it easier to receive a religious exemption from school vaccination requirements. State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) recently introduced SB 246. Said proposal indicated that a "parent or guardian may not be required to explain the reason for the exemption, certify the exemption with any third party, or otherwise receive approval from the local board of education or any other entity." It would also provide that a public institution of higher education must provide religious and medical exemptions to vaccination requirements. "This would prevent people from having to go explain their religious exemption motivations or their religious beliefs to government bureaucrats at the health department," Orr said in an interview back in March. The current mandate is that parents seeking an exemption must go to the county health department and get a certificate of religious exemption. They would have to file a written objection and receive information about the consequences of not immunizing their child. "It ought to be simple: If we're going to have a religious exemption, we ought to have a religious exemption. We shouldn't have parents having to explain their religious beliefs when it comes to vaccinations," Orr added, pointing out that people shouldn't have to go to the government "to validate their religious beliefs." Meanwhile, critics have already expressed "concern" about the said move. Mark Jackson, executive director of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, said they have not taken a position on Orr's bill but expressed concerns with exemptions. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rate in Alabama was under 94 percent in 2022-2023, down from 95 percent for the 2021-2022 school year. The agency argued that at least 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated against measles to create herd immunity. Visit HealthFreedom.news for news related to this. Watch the video below where WTP's Brian Fiesta talks about the organization's battle to restore religious exemptions at the SCOTUS. This video is from the We The Patriots USA channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Too late and no apologies: Hospital begs fired workers who refused mRNA vaccines to come back to work 2 years later. Sources include: WeThePatriotsUSA.org AlabamaReflector.com ALISON.Legislature.State.al.us Brighteon.com G7 inching closer to final resolution on seizing frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine Finance officials from the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies have announced progress on a proposal by the United States to generate more funds for Ukraine using Russian assets frozen in their respective countries We are making progress in our discussions on potential avenues to bring forward the extraordinary profits stemming from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to the benefit of Ukraine, stated a draft communique, without elaborating on specifics. Progress on the proposal was made during a G7 meeting with finance ministers and central bank governors in Stresa in northern Italy. However, the ultimate decision on how to utilize the assets located in each respective nation will be made by their leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, at their annual summit in Fasano, southern Italy, in June. Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko joined the finance ministers and central bank heads at their concluding session on Saturday, May 25. I am satisfied with the progress, he told journalists afterward, noting that the G7 ministers are working very hard to find a reliable construction for Ukraine. While the U.S. Congress has passed legislation allowing the Biden administration to seize approximately $5 billion in Russian assets located in the U.S., European countries have significantly more influence, as most of the $260 billion Russian central bank assets frozen globally after the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, are held in their jurisdictions. 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. European officials, citing legal concerns, have hesitated to outright confiscate the money and hand it to Ukraine as compensation for the destruction caused by Russia. Instead, they plan to use the interest accumulating on the assets, which amounts to around $3 billion a year about one months financing needs for the Ukrainian government. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is advocating for borrowing against the future interest income from the frozen assets, potentially providing Ukraine with as much as $50 billion immediately. However, this proposal has raised concerns among European members about legal complexities and the risk of Russian retaliation against Western companies and individuals still holding assets in Russia or against the Euroclear securities depository in Belgium, where the bulk of the funds are held. (Related: Yellen wants frozen Russian assets to be given to Ukraine a move that could drive away nations from Western banks.) Kremlin to seize U.S. assets in Russia in retaliation In response, the Kremlin has issued a decree from President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, May 23, allowing the confiscation of U.S. companies' and individuals' assets as compensation for any Russian assets seized in the United States. The decree allows Russia to confiscate property, real estate, securities and stakes in Russian companies owned by American companies and citizens to compensate for Russian losses from seizures by Washington. Russian state media claims the Kremlin has identified around $290 billion in U.S. and allied assets in Russia that could be targeted, though this hasn't been independently verified. Russia has already seized assets from several Western companies and millions of dollars held by European banks. Watch this Feb. 23 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as host Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, warns about how the G7's plan to seize frozen Russian assets will end up destroying the American dollar. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: EU to give Ukraine weapons and aid using profits from frozen (stolen) Russian assets. Russian central bank governor: Western seizure of frozen assets wont affect Russias financial stability. If U.S. tries to steal Russian assets for Ukraine, the American economy and western financial system will CRUMBLE. Schizophrenic world order: The West is willing to destroy its financial system to punish Russia. CONTORTIONIST ACT: G7 experts claim that seizing frozen Russian assets is legal given Russias unlawful conduct toward Ukraine. Sources include: RT.com APNews.com Brighteon.com German LGBT politician caught licking public toilets on video claims to be victim of blackmail as pedophilia allegations emerge Disturbing video of German far-left politician Martin Neumaier, a local candidate in the Free Democrat Party (FDP), licking public toilet seats in an act of brazen LGBT degeneracy has gone viral throughout the world, but allegations of blackmail and pedophilia are making this lurid story even more bizarre. (Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com) According to a report translated from the German news network Sudwestrundfunk, Neumaier has filed a criminal blackmail complaint over the release of the depraved videos while not denying their authenticity. Neumaier has since left the FDP in disgrace but will still appear as their candidate in upcoming June 9 elections in the city of Aalen. We are still shocked and horrified by the content and formally distance ourselves from it, the FDP branch in Aalen-Ellwangen stated in response to the videos release. However, the blackmail claim may be an attempt for Neumaier to get ahead of serious allegations that he is engaged in pedophilic actions soliciting children for sex over the internet. A report from The Publica contains alleged screenshots between Neumaier and an unnamed individual that appears to implicate Neumaier in a child sex trafficking operation. The alleged conversation shows Neumaier attempting to procure a child as young as 6 years of age for the purposes of sexual gratification. The information was initially shared by Rene Dierkes, a Member of the Bavarian State Parliament from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party, in a post on X that was later deleted. Dierkes clarified in a follow-up post on X on why he deleted the post as a police report is filed and an investigation is pending. The screenshots were made public to raise awareness of what was supposedly going on. To show that a supposedly funny but disgusting meme had become something very dangerous. And because the screenshots were already circulating in various Telegram groups. We think it is relevant if a chat, which we still believe to be authentic and the evidence that it is real has even increased, contains such content and comes from a public figure, Dierkes wrote in a post translated to English. Big League Politics has reported on how more and more outspoken LGBT activists are turning out to be vicious pedophiles: An investigation from Townhall has indicated that a prominent LGBT activist couple ran a large-scale child pedophilia ring in the Georgia suburbs, all the while the predators were being lauded by leftists and given children by adoption agencies who they pimped out to perverts. Not only did the married men allegedly rape the two boys who were adopted through a Christian special-needs adoption agency, they were pimping out their children to nearby pedophiles in Atlanta-area suburbs, Mia Cathell with Townhall stated. The indictment obtained by Townhall showed that the adoptive dads allegedly performed oral sex on both boys, forced the children to perform oral sex on them, and anally raped their sons. In at least one instance, the anal rape injured the older Zulock child, who just turned 11-years-old in mid-December. Court records indicate that the child sexual abuse stretches back to as early as late 2019 and intensified in January 2021, March 2021, and December 2021, as the offense dates are listed. According to a sworn affidavit, one of the predators admitted to forcing an 11-year-old boy to perform acts of oral sex on him. The other predator was reportedly a voyeuristic camera man who recorded the heinous acts. They also reportedly pimped out their children to area pedophiles who they networked with through social media. Whether the shocking allegations against Neumaier are proven to be legitimate, it is clear that far-left movements are pushing degeneracy that will lead to widespread, legalized pedophilia before long. These movements must be crushed in Germany, in the United States, and the rest of the world, or civilization will be doomed. Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com U.S. government working overtime to grant special protections to one ethnic group: Jews As Israel presses forward with its highly controversial offensive in Rafah, a city where more than a million displaced Palestinians are currently sheltering, the U.S. government continues to work overtime to keep criticism of Israel at bay. This time, theyve hosted an event that united an assortment of Big Tech firms with government officials to figure out how they can stop people from speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. Weve seen it time and time again lately: anyone who dares to say anything against Israels actions in Gaza is automatically slapped with an antisemitic label and their words suddenly become hate speech all so they have an excuse to suppress criticism. The Symposium to Combat Online Antisemitism, which was held on May 23, was hosted by U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt. Her Canadian and Israeli counterparts also participated, along with the Deputy Chief of Mission for Germany. The forum, which the State Department described as an enriching and productive exchange of ideas, was attended by representatives from X, TikTok, Meta, Google and Microsoft. A press release by the State Department said that the tech firms will be considering independent actions to address antisemitism on their respective platforms. Although they were cryptic about what that would entail precisely, they did mention that there would be dedicated expert positions on policy teams, along with training on antisemitism for some employees and public reports on antisemitic content trends. Of course, the subtext here is that there will probably be plenty of censorship as well. 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. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said: "The Symposium was a critical effort to make some headway in a space that desperately needs attention. Online antisemitism cannot go unchecked. Governments around the world are rightfully focusing their attention on this issue and we are hopeful that Ambassador Lipstadt's initiatives in this space will have lasting impact." It is interesting to note that unlike many occasions in the past, they did not try to make this seem like it was aimed at all types of hate speech. They are no longer trying to hide the fact that they are more concerned about people talking badly about one ethnic group in particular: Jewish people. They held an entire meeting with representatives from the White House, Big Tech and diplomats from other nations with one purpose: protecting Israel from criticism. Officials are bracing for rising criticism as Israel presses forward in Rafah Is it really any surprise that they would go to such lengths? After all, Congress recently passed legislation that effectively bans criticism of Israel and Jews. Under the Antisemitism Awareness Act, simply accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel than their own nations or claiming that the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavor is considered criminal. Some argue that it could even be interpreted as criminalizing the Gospel because part of its definition of antisemitic speech is claims of Jews killing Jesus, which is something that is directly stated in the Bible. Weve also seen how quick law enforcement was to step in and crack down on pro-Palestine protests at college campuses throughout the nation, many times at the behest of prominent Jewish billionaires and donors. Its no wonder theyre working so hard at this; with the death toll in Gaza at the hands of Israeli soldiers quickly approaching 36,000, most of whom are said to be women and children, even Americans who started out supporting Israels right to defend itself are becoming increasingly horrified by the needless loss of life. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com InformationLiberation.com Musk slams Zelenskys refusal to hold elections as he extends his rule by martial law In an interview with the news outlet Reuters on May 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will continue serving as president of Ukraine due to the replacement of civilian government by military rule a decision that has been met with widespread criticism. "My five-year term is not over yet," he said. "It is continuing due to martial law." The comedian-turned-war leader also said that "it is difficult to assess my activities during these five years" and that "it would not be that ethical now." (Related: Zelensky's presidential term has EXPIRED, but he still remains as Ukraine's de facto chief executive.) Zelensky signed into law the extension of martial law and general mobilization from May 14 to August 11. If the martial law had not been rolled out, the presidential election would have been held on March 31 and Zelensky's term would have ended on May 20. The Martial Law Act explicitly bans presidential, parliamentary and local elections. Veteran Navy intel officer Jack Posobiec posted on X, formerly Twitter, that even though Zelenskys term was over, he had extended his term based on the said act. Social media platform X CEO and tech mogul Elon Musk replied to the thread questioning the point of the United States' mission in Ukraine which is to make sure democracy is practiced. "But I thought we were there to 'uphold democracy?'" Musk posted. Posobiec immediately replied: "In democracy 2.0 the demos are replaced by the kratia," sarcastically explaining that the Greek term "demos" or people is thrown away in favor of "kratia," which means "rule." Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Speak freely without censorship at the new decentralized, blockchain-power Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. Another X user commented: "Their new excuse for not holding elections is only when they recapture all of their territory, which means Zelensky remains President as long as the U.S.A. funds the war. The only question now is, which country will he flee to in exile once his regime is ousted." But this may still be far-fetched, as the Ukrainian president wants to still be in position until the very end of the war or until the U.S. and Western allies are still funneling taxpayers money to fund this conflict. "They [Ukrainians] were fighting for what was close to their hearts. But it is not over and this is not the end of the story. I believe we need to be moving forward together till the end, the victorious end," Zelensky said. He also warned last year that Ukrainian elections would not be held until the war with Russia was over. The president also bluntly admitted that the elections would be held only if the U.S. and Europe still gives him money despite the country being under martial law. In November, he reiterated that it was "not the right time for elections." Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a recent trip to Kyiv that there would be elections at such time as all Ukrainians could vote, even those who have fled the nation amid the ongoing war. Meanwhile, Zelensky's critics claim that the country's constitution does not authorize extending his presidential term under martial law and that his legitimacy as president stops on May 20. However, some constitutional lawyers dispute this, saying that the Constitution allows such an extension. Zelensky: Partner states are fully informed of Ukraine's current situation In a video released by his office, Zelensky reported that everything happening in Ukraine, even on the front lines, is being reported to its partner states. Zelensky said he has discussed with the president of Romania the cooperation on security and stability in the region and the entire Europe. He also talked with the president of Angola about the possibilities of bilateral cooperation and even invited him to visit Ukraine. He also spoke with the prime minister of Iraq and tackled the need for maximum stability in the world. "I also spoke today with the President of Azerbaijan about the situation in the energy sector in our country and cooperation between our countries in this field. Today [May 21] I also met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany. I thanked her for all the support provided," he reported. "Every new connection of Ukraine with the world, every strengthened communication and cooperation means additional opportunities for all of us to protect the lives of our people, our cities and communities, to ensure the strength of our army, and to bring real peace closer." He then thanked everyone who fights and works for Ukraine and its people and those who enhance our defense capabilities meaning its Western allies. Check out Tyranny.news for similar stories. Watch the video below that talks about Zelensky becoming a dictator. This video is from the CONSERVATIVE POLITICS & NWO channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russian officials designate Zelensky a WAR CRIMINAL and legitimate military target. Zelensky blames the world for Russian offensive in Kharkiv, but Ukrainian troops beg to differ. Moscow ridicules Zelensky's claim about God and Ukraine. Russia declares Ukraine an "illegal entity," puts Zelensky on ARREST list. Ukraine petitions Council of Europe to cancel elections, suspend human rights protections in order to "stop Russia." Sources include: YouTube.com KyivIndependent.com HumanEvents.com President.gov.ua Brighteon.com NATO is a global criminal cabal pushing pedophilia and trans agendas under the threat of economic sanctions and kinetic bombings In case you did not know, the entire purpose of NATO's existence is to spread instability throughout the world via the military-industrial complex and this is according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who spilled the beans in a recent tweet. On X, Stoltenberg wrote that the alliance is committed to pushing LGBTQ perversion and expanding the limits of that perversion in the future. If it is anti-family and anti-God, then NATO is all about promoting it, Stoltenberg said. Believe it or not, there is actually a designated day now called the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia that, contrary to what its name suggests, is actually about pushing these perversions on the next generations while honoring all the LGBTQ evils that have already infiltrated society. "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is committed to spreading degenerate values abroad," wrote Jose Nino for Big League Politics about Stoltenberg's revealing tweet. "With Russia seemingly making major gains against NATO-backed Ukrainian forces in Eastern Ukraine, NATO leaders have been engaging in bizarre virtue signaling to divert attention away from the abject failure of this proxy war against Russia." (Related: As predicted, Ukraine has decided to join NATO, which means World War III with Russia is imminent.) When NATO is ended, it'll be a beautiful day Since the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, NATO and Stoltenberg in particular has been strangely obsessed with all things LGBTQ. Looking at the guy's photo, it is really not a surprise pay close attention to his eyes, which are a window to the soul (or lack thereof). 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. "Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg has been particularly vocal about NATO's values and why it's an institution that has to be trusted despite its long track record of causing instability abroad from Serbia all the way to Libya," Nino further wrote. If you think this is conjecture, read Stoltenberg's tweet for yourself and see what you think the following message conveys to the world: "NATO exists to defend 32 nations, and our peoples' right to live freely & in peace. On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia, and every day: all love is equal. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect & dignity, and I am proud to call myself your ally." In other words, NATO is about perverting the word love and turning it into every possible form of wickedness imaginable, and then some. And Stoltenberg is "proud," his word, to be a part of that disgusting world of debauchery and evil. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has worked feverishly to remake the world in the image of, as Nino beautifully puts it, "America's increasingly dysfunctional image." "Its interventions in the Balkans all the way to Libya have brought nothing but harm and instability," he added. NATO is partnered with an array of Marxist and Cultural Marxist nonprofit organizations that promote "values," if you can even call them that, that are antithetical to everything that is good and decent in the world. "Why do they promote ideas so destructive of society?" asks Leo Hohmann on his Substack. "Because they know no nation can survive for long without moral restraints and some sort of devotion to a higher authority above that of carnal man." Nino put it even more graphically, but also aptly, by explaining that any nation that gets in bed with NATO "catches the STD of multiculturalism, sexual degeneracy, and societal decay." "More importantly," he adds, "NATO is an entangling military alliance with a crusading ideology that is a threat to world peace." The sooner NATO is abolished the better. Learn more at Collapse.news. Sources for this article include: LeoHohmann.substack.com NaturalNews.com South Carolina judge upholds six-week heartbeat abortion ban Judge Daniel Coble of South Carolina's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court has upheld the state's six-week "heartbeat" abortion ban . This marked a significant setback for Planned Parenthood, the states primary abortion provider. In a comprehensive ruling issued on May 16, Coble dismantled the abortion industry's third attempt to challenge the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection for Abortion Act, which safeguards unborn children whose heartbeats are detectable at or before the sixth week of gestation. (Related: Florida's six-week "heartbeat" abortion ban took effect on May 1 after a year of legal battles.) Coble reiterated the court's role in discerning legislative intent and ensuring legislative actions remain within constitutional bounds, emphasizing that personal opinions should not dictate legal outcomes. Citing numerous instances, Coble highlighted the South Carolina General Assembly's consistent recognition of fetal heartbeat detection around the sixth week of gestation, along with multiple references from the State Supreme Court and circuit courts regarding the law's six-week limit. Brandon Chrochak, a spokesperson for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, hailed the court's decision as a victory for the state's heartbeat law, reinforcing the commitment to protecting life. South Carolina's Fetal Heartbeat & Protection from Abortion Act Enacted in May 2023, South Carolina's Fetal Heartbeat & Protection from Abortion Act imposes restrictions on abortions, prohibiting most procedures once a fetal heartbeat is detectable, typically around six weeks into pregnancy. The law includes exceptions for cases of rape and incest up to 12 weeks, as well as for medical emergencies, though mental health conditions or fetal anomalies deemed fatal are not considered valid reasons. 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. McMaster signed the bill on May 25, 2023 while acknowledging the anticipated legal challenges against it. He asserted the state's commitment to defending the law, emphasizing the preservation of the right to life and that his administration "stand[s] ready to defend this legislation." Following its enactment, the law faced legal opposition, resulting in a temporary block. However, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the law twice, once on Aug. 23 and another time on Nov. 27. Despite these rulings, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic pursued further legal action, this time with federal courts, which is how the case landed on Coble's desk. According to legal documents, Planned Parenthood stated that within the initial five months of the revised law, three-quarters of women seeking abortions in South Carolina were denied abortions due to their pregnancies being too advanced. Of those affected, 86 percent could have undergone the procedure if abortions were permitted for up to nine weeks. Planned Parenthood's legal actions resulted in a 12.5 percent increase in abortions in South Carolina in 2023, although these figures may decline in 2024. In its latest lawsuit, Planned Parenthood argued that its abortion services in South Carolina decreased by 75 percent due to the six-week abortion ban. They contended that since the fetal heart doesn't fully develop until the ninth week of gestation, abortion should remain legal until that stage. Visit Abortions.news for more stories about abortion restrictions in the United States. Watch this video about arguments related to the six-week abortion ban. This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Missouri governor signs HB 2634 into law, banning Medicaid reimbursements for abortion providers. Dallas church with link to Planned Parenthood faces backlash after opening pro-abortion pregnancy resource center. "D.C. Nine" group of jailed pro-life activists could be sentenced up to 11 years in prison. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signs legislation repealing abortion ban with help of 5 GOP state lawmakers. Newsom calls on Florida women to come to California for abortions after passage of six-week abortion ban in Sunshine State. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com 1 NRLC.org SCStateHouse.gov LifeSiteNews.com 2 LifeSiteNews.com 3 WISTV.com Brighteon.com State Departments travel advisory reveals most of Western Europe is UNSAFE for Americans An examination of the United States Department of State's extensive list of worldwide travel advisories shows that the American government believes a substantial portion of the world, including much of Europe, is unsafe for Americans. The advisories classify over 200 nations into four risk levels, which range from Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) to Level 4 (Do Not Travel). (Related: State Department issues rare worldwide caution advisory for Americans abroad as Middle East tensions grow.) Americans are to "exercise increased caution" in earlier safe countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. Level 4 advisories caution against travel to nations considered extremely dangerous for Americans because of high crime, civil unrest and incidences of terrorism. As of May 2024, the American government advises against travel to the Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Israel and the occupied West Bank, Myanmar and Russia. With serious threats of terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul stopped operations in August 2021 after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine and the presence of Russian military forces place critical dangers in Belarus. Areas in the East and Sahel regions of Burkina Faso are confronting continuous terrorism and violent crime Restricted government control and rampant violent crime in Central African Republic has made travel extremely unsafe. Kidnappings and violent crime in Haiti have caused the evacuation of non-emergency American personnel from the Port-au-Prince embassy in July 2023. Operations in the main airport only resumed recently. We are building the infrastructure of human freedom and empowering people to be informed, healthy and aware. Explore our decentralized, peer-to-peer, uncensorable Brighteon.io free speech platform here. Learn about our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Every purchase at HealthRangerStore.com helps fund our efforts to build and share more tools for empowering humanity with knowledge and abundance. The continuing Israel-Hamas conflict and terrorist activities present extreme risks in Israel and the West Bank. The 2021 military coup in Myanmar has led to continuous armed conflict and civil unrest. The conflict in Ukraine, together with reports of random detentions and harassment of American citizens, makes travel extremely dangerous in Russia. Countries under Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) advisories are deemed high-risk, where non-essential travel should be reviewed. Countries in this category include Colombia, Lebanon, Mexico and Sudan. In Colombia, violent crime and the presence of armed militants are considered ordinary in some areas. In Mexico, states like Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas in Mexico are specifically dangerous. In Lebanon, the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon and the presence of dangerous militants in most of the country put specific regions as notably unsafe for Americans. Meanwhile, an ongoing civil war in Sudan has brought forth massive civil unrest. Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) advisories suggest numerous risks where travelers should be specifically watchful. Noteworthy examples include France, Spain, Germany, the U.K. and the Netherlands, all of which are on the list due to terrorism concerns. Western European countries such as Germany and the U.K. have seen a serious invasion of Muslim immigrants in the past decade. Several of these immigrants and their children maintain extremist beliefs and are supportive of terrorism. State Department releases security alerts and travel advisories for Americans overseas The State Department has also issued a security alert recently because of the "potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or 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 LGBTQ+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution," the alert said. American citizens abroad are asked to stay alert in areas visited by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues attended by LGBTQ+ people. A spokesperson for the State Department said in a recent statement that the department is committed "to provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions" but did not indicate if the officials know where the possible threat is more evident. Watch the video below about the State Department issuing a "worldwide caution" alert amid Middle East tensions. This video is from the SavingHealthMinistries channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: American tourists getting hurt in crossfire as drug cartels vie for control of Mexico's lucrative tourism industry. Security warning and travel advisory issued by U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas following 18 murders reported in January. Travel insurance industry launches new scheme to exploit irrational climate change fear among travelers. Travel advisory issued by advocacy group warning parents to avoid "trans refuge" states. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com FoxNews.com NBCNews.com Brighteon.com Transgender surgeon promotes castration of teenagers as an adventure for young people According to a study published by the JAMA Network in August 2023, there has been a significant increase in the number of young people, including children, receiving synthetic hormones that further their gender dysphoria and distort their biological reality. Young teenagers are now prescribed puberty blockers that interfere with their healthy reproductive development. These young people are then subject to gender-affirming surgeries that make them infertile and cause medical complications for life. This rise in transgender services has been partly driven by organizations like Planned Parenthood and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Between 2020 and 2022, Planned Parenthood experienced approximately a 125 percent increase in transgender services. These services include pumping cross-sex hormones into patients as young as 16. Surgeons with WPATH are advocating for castrations for people as young as twelve. Transgender surgeon has no shame castrating teenagers and distorting their biological reality The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) has brought to light a number of alarming practices among medical professionals providing so-called "gender-affirming" interventions to young patients. Some of these patients are as young as 12 years old. Videos obtained by the DCNF via FOIA requests reveal the shocking callousness of these professionals, raising significant ethical concerns. The abhorrent reality is that the people working in this predatory industry do not have their patients best interests at heart. 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. At the center of this controversy is a surgeon named Dr. Alex Laungani. This Mayo Clinic-trained Canadian plastic surgeon specializes in genital-mutilating procedures, which involve the creation of synthetic organs meant to mimic the genitalia of the opposite sex. This surgeon described such surgeries as an "adventure for young people," reflecting a disturbingly casual attitude toward these serious and life-altering procedures. In the videos, this surgeon recounted operating on a 14-year-old patient, questioning rhetorically, "Why wouldnt I operate on him if hes 14?" Further investigative reporting reveals that some medical professionals accept complication rates up to 80 percent for a sex-change surgeries. Such high rates of medical error and iatrogenic harm are only allowed for critical surgeries for patients who have little to no chance of survival. In these cases, healthy young teens and young adults in their 20s are having their futures destroyed, for no medical reason whatsoever. The complications described are often gruesome and horrifying, underscoring the severe risks involved. World Professional Association for Transgender Health exploits the most vulnerable, turning them into cash cows for life At the forefront of this investigation is the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). During a series of 2022 panel presentations, doctors were filmed advocating for experimental medical interventions on young people. These needless, predatory interventions often can have devastating, irreversible complications. Many of the sex change procedures are conducted on patients who are autistic or who are struggling with severe mental health issues. In fact, the individuals who are subjected to these synthetic hormones and needless surgeries have a suicide rate that is nineteen times higher than the general population. These individuals are not being counseled or guided properly. Instead, a predatory industry full of sick-minded individuals is preying on their struggles, to turn them into a medical cash cow for life. Young people are having their genitalia and breasts removed and their faces contorted to fit either a more female or male image. For boys, these surgeries can involve breast implants, castration and vaginoplasty creating a replica of female genitalia using penile or bowel tissue. For girls, the procedure known as phalloplasty involves removing the entire reproductive system and constructing synthetic male genitals often using tissue from their thigh or forearm. These surgeries irreparably sterilize children and necessitate lifelong medical follow-up. WPATH currently dictates the standards of care for this new field of transgender medicine, helping inform policy statements from major medical and professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychological Association and the Endocrine Society. The private insurance companies and taxpayer-funded insurance plans are also tied to the criteria set forth by WPATHs guidelines, allowing the sex reassignment industry unlimited funds so individuals and children can be easily experimented on at the hormonal and genital level. Sources include: JAMANetwork.com Lifesitenews.com DailyCaller.com BadDoctors.news NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov Former high-ranking U.S. diplomat says Russian bases should be FAIR GAME for Ukraine to target with U.S.-supplied missiles Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland has asserted that Russian bases should be "fair game" for Ukraine to target with missile strikes. This statement comes amid a heated debate about lifting the prohibition on Ukraine using American weapons against targets inside Russia. "I think theres also a question of whether we, the United States and our allies, ought to give them more help in hitting Russian bases, which heretofore we have not been willing to do," Nuland stated during an interview on ABC News's "This Week." When asked if Ukraine should launch missile strikes against Russian bases, Nuland responded: "I think if the attacks are coming directly from over the line in Russia, those bases ought to be fair game, whether they are where missiles are being launched from or where troops are being supplied from." Recently, Russia has launched an offensive against the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from the neighboring Belgorod Oblast in Russian territory. Several Ukrainian officials have argued that these attacks could have been thwarted if they had been permitted to strike targets in Belgorod. On May 19, Nuland contended that the attacks on Kharkiv have demonstrated that it is time for the U.S. to assist Ukraine in targeting Russian bases. I think its time for that, because Russia has obviously escalated this war, including attacking Ukraines [second-largest] city, Kharkiv, which is not on the front lines, and trying to decimate it without ever having to put a boot on the ground, Nuland remarked. So I think it is time to give the Ukrainians more help hitting these bases inside Russia. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. 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. Ukrainian leaders have been particularly vocal about how their own weapons systems are not as effective at targeting military objectives in Russia as American-manufactured weapons. This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked Nuland why she believes attacking Russian bases is a good idea. Nuland replied, Because its Russia that has escalated this war. Russia has learned how to pull its forces back out of the range where we have allowed Ukraine to use our weapons and get our support. So, they are getting a direct advantage in this war from our hesitation, and they have escalated massively. Nuland also argued that the months of delays in American aid to Ukraine have contributed to Russias recent gains on the battlefield. After over a year of stalemate in Congress, elected officials passed a national security bill in April, sending $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine. I think [Ukraine] can certainly turn this around, Martha. But the six-month delay certainly made a difference. The front line for Ukraine needs the artillery that we are sending, Nuland stated. They need more air defenses. They need to be able to stop these Russian attacks that are coming from bases inside Russia. Nuland making dangerous undiplomatic statements following retirement Nuland stepped down from her position in the administration of President Joe Biden on March 22. She has faced criticism from anti-war and non-interventionist activists for her role in the Euromaidan Revolution of 2014, which set the stage for Russias special military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. She is considered to be a "war hawk" and part of the more extreme elements of the neoconservative and neoliberal interventionist movement. (Related: Victoria Nulands RESIGNATION spells BAD NEWS for Ukraine.) Nuland, a career foreign service officer, served as Assistant Secretary of State for Europe during the administration of former President Barack Obama, and returned to the White House as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs under Biden. She had been acting deputy Secretary of State but lost out to Kurt Campbell for the permanent role. Nuland's career highlights include serving at the U.S. embassy in Moscow during the 1990s, being U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and acting as the State Department spokeswoman under Hillary Clinton. She gained notoriety for her strong defense of Ukraine, especially after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised her for her three and a half decades of service and her pivotal role in shaping U.S. policy, particularly regarding Ukraine. Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how both Nuland and Blinken are responsible for pushing for the conflict in Ukraine to escalate into nuclear war. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Ukraine "a classic failed state," says former Russian President Medvedev. White House moves toward lifting ban on Ukraine striking targets deep inside Russia with U.S. weapons. Russian officials designate Zelensky a WAR CRIMINAL and legitimate military target. Blinken eats at Ukrainian pizza joint known for pro-Nazi symbols that celebrate tyranny and death. Sources include: BigLeaguePolitics.com APNews.com Brighteon.com Arizona Senate pushes for ballot measure allowing local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants The Arizona Senate has approved a proposed ballot measure that would grant local law enforcement officers the authority to arrest illegal immigrants House Concurrent Resolution 2060 (HCR 2060), known as the Secure the Border Act, would make it a state crime to enter Arizona's southern border from anywhere outside an official port of entry. The resolution, which passed on a party-line vote on May 22 with 16 Republicans in favor and 13 Democrats against, would grant local law enforcement officers the authority to arrest individuals who cross the border illegally. Under HCR 2060, state judges would be allowed to order illegal immigrants to return to their home country after serving a term of incarceration or imprisonment. The court may also dismiss a pending charge if the individual agrees to voluntarily return to their home country. (Related: ICE Boston arrests three illegal immigrants suspected as child predators.) The bill also seeks to enhance verification processes and penalties related to immigration and public benefits. State agencies would be authorized to use a federal database to verify the validity of documents provided by individuals applying for public benefits. Moreover, the measure seeks to increase punishments for those convicted of selling fentanyl, addressing the rising concerns over drug trafficking in the state. HCR 2060 cites "weaknesses in immigration enforcement" as a contributor to the "public safety crisis" in Arizona. These are all in response to the lax Democratic response to the ongoing immigration crisis. 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. "Democrat legislators, [Arizona Gov.] Katie Hobbs and [President] Joe Biden are failing Arizona. We share your concern," the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus posted on X, formerly Twitter. "You will have the opportunity to take border security matters into your own hands this November with the Secure the Border Act. HCR 2060 passed the Senate and now heads to the House for final approval before hitting the ballot." Hobbs and other advocacy groups oppose passage of HCR 2060 As expected, Hobbs and different advocacy groups have strongly opposed the recent passage of HCR 2060. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona has labeled it an "anti-immigrant" proposal. "This bill ignores key parts of federal law, stripping away basic safeguards that ensure people fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries have access to asylum," Noah Schramm, border policy strategist for the Arizona ACLU, said in a press release. "It opens the door to unlawful policing and invites racial profiling, threatening communities across the state." Having vetoed a similar bill in March, Hobbs criticized the Senate's actions as a politically motivated maneuver rather than a genuine attempt at solving the state's border issues. "The Senates vote to pass HCR2060 is a stunt to score cheap political points," Hobbs stated on X. "This ballot referral will kill jobs, demonize our communities, and make it harder for law enforcement to keep us safe. I urge the House to do the right thing and oppose this measure." But Hobbs has been putting the blame on both the Democratic and Republican administrations for the ongoing crisis. "When my fellow Arizonans gave me the honor of this office, I pledged to not play the same old political games that created this crisis, and that have continually hurt communities, families, and our state," she stated. "No one understands the misguided efforts of the past more than our neighbors, sheriffs, small business owners, and local law enforcement near the border who work every day to offer solutions where the federal government has failed." Follow Migrants.news for more stories about illegal immigrants entering the United States. Watch the video below to learn how the CBP One app is being used by human traffickers. This video is from the HALOROCK channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Venezuelan illegal immigrant paroled by Biden ARRESTED by ICE in Chicago for allegedly FUNDING TERRORISM. MOBS of Chinese illegal immigrants SWARM California border. Sector of northern border sees record-breaking wave of illegal immigrants apprehended. Feds SUE developers of massive "Colony Ridge" illegal immigrant community in Texas. 95.8% of ILLEGAL ALIENS using CBP One app released into the U.S. Sources include: NTD.com Twitter.com Brighteon.com BURGLARY TOURISM: Chilean gangs entering U.S. under visa waiver program responsible for wave of HOME BURGLARIES Highly-trained criminal gangs from the South American nation of Chile are responsible for a wave of sophisticated burglaries targeting high-value homes, yielding millions in stolen goods. Oakland County, Michigan Sheriff Mike Bouchard disclosed this to NewsNation, adding that the federal government's Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows the Chilean criminals to enter easily. Over 40 homes in his county, which lists executives and CEOs of the big-three auto manufacturers as some of its residents, have been burglarized by the gangs. Large stores of cash, jewelry and luxury items are among the items being stolen. Given this, the sheriff has sounded the alarm on so-called "burglary tourism." Bouchard explained the situation and the perceived connection of this scheme to the VWP in a May 13 town hall at the Christ Church Cranbrook where he was joined by Capt. Tom Van Simaeys of the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety and Bloomfield Township Police Chief James Gallagher. "We believe that there has to be some kind of training camp because they come so well-trained, so equipped and so knowledgeable about how to move and how to attack a home. They do a lot of pre-op surveillance. They determine as best they can when someone won't be in a home. They go very quickly to a home, they break a window. They go through it, not opening a door or window. They have an electronic jammer," Bouchard said. Bouchard: Only national policy will stop the Chilean burglars The sheriff added: "They're very focused on high-end jewelry like watches, cash, high-end purses things that are highly valuable and disposable. And out they go and they move on. They usually hit a number of homes in our area, and then they move on to another part of the country, and then another crew will come in. And it's been a cycle." 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 gangs he described are reportedly working in approximately 100 different crews with members of between three to six. They operate all over the country from New York to California. Aside from Chileans, there have also been reports of Venezuelans and Colombians being part of these burglary gangs as well. Bouchard said his department has sought assistance from the federal government to bring the situation under control. He explained: "We're not going to stop it as a local agency or even with state and federal partners. Its got to be stopped by national policy." The sheriff isn't alone in this predicament, as Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer a Republican has been warning about the issue since last summer. He dubbed the burglaries by Chilean gangs, which also targeted homes in Southern California, "carefully calculated and planned." (Related: South American gangs exploiting tourist visa program to burglarize wealthy San Diego neighborhoods.) Spitzer filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for failing to respond to public records requests involving documentation on the issue. He has also called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to use his powers to strike Chile from the VWP. In a statement, a spokesman from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the increase in sophisticated burglaries by Chilean gangs and said they are working with authorities in Santiago to address the problem. "DHS and our federal partners have actively engaged with all levels of the government of Chile to address this issue and have communicated the urgency of the situation. Chilean officials have responded by improving operational cooperation with DHS offices in efforts to detect, deter and prevent travel to the United States by known criminal actors," the spokesman wrote. Bouchard isn't satisfied with Washington's response, however. "They're aware of the fact that we're having these crimes all cross the country. But that this point, they've not shown any inclination to shut that program down, or even pause it," he said. "They usually issue a standard statement saying they're aware and they're working closely with the Chilean government to try to increase information cooperation. That doesn't help us. Our house is on fire with these burglaries." Visit NationalSecurity.news for similar stories. Watch this clip about Chilean gangs returning to target luxury homes in Michigan after victimizing California neighborhoods. This video is from the Justin Barclay channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Organized migrant gangs now targeting luxury homes in Los Angeles, Scottsdale. Latin American gangs use security jammers to break into U.S. homes. MS-13 and Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gangs could form ALLIANCE, warns FBI agent. Sources include: LawEnforcementToday.com Brighteon.com Trump says Nikki Haley could have a place in his administration Just one day after former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley announced her intention to vote for former president Donald Trump in the upcoming November election, the former president stated he is pretty confident Haley will be in his administration if he is reelected During a major rally in the Bronx on May 23, a News 12 reporter asked Trump whether he would include Haley, his former Republican primary opponent, in his administration if reelected as president. "I think she's going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts," Trump told the News 12 reporter. "I appreciated what she said. You know, we had a nasty campaign, it was pretty nasty. But she's a very capable person, and I'm sure she's going to be on our team in some form, absolutely." Haley, who suspended her presidential campaign in March, voiced her support for Trump during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., on May 22. Haley said that as a voter, she puts her priorities on a candidate who will "have the backs of our allies and hold our enemies to account. Who would secure the border, no more excuses. A president who would support capitalism and freedom. A president who understands we need less debt, not more debt." (Related: Nikki Haley just disqualified herself during a live CBS interview shes done) "Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I've made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So I will be voting for Trump," she said. "Having said that, I stand by what I said in my suspension speech. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they're just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does that." 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. Haley's support for Trump is due to her personal and political interest Haley's endorsement came after a series of pointed criticisms directed at Trump, whom she previously described as too old, chaotic, and "unhinged" to serve as president again. "I feel no need to kiss the ring," Haley said in February before suspending her primary campaign. "My political future is of no concern." She spent months offering only restrained criticisms of Trump, who attempted to overturn the 2020 election. Like other GOP candidates, she struggled with the dilemma of opposing a still-popular ex-president without alienating his base. When she finally turned against Trump in New Hampshire, it was a last-ditch effort as her path to the nomination closed. In a Feb. 1 interview, Haley noted Trump had exhibited some "confused moments" recently and criticized him for a "temper tantrum" following his New Hampshire primary win, when he tried to push her out of the race. In Columbia, South Carolina, Haley asked: "Do you really think he is going to win against Joe Biden when he is spending that much on legal fees? He is not." On Feb. 12, she said Trump was "completely unhinged" and accused him of siding with Putin over NATO members. In turn, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, who has said that Trump should not be let anywhere near the White House again, expressed disappointment with Haley. I think she has obviously made a political calculation that it is in her interests to support Donald Trump," Bolton said. "A lot of Republicans are making the same calculation because the performance of the Biden administration has been so appalling." Visit VoteRepublican.news for more stories about Trump and Haley. Watch Nikki Haley blasting Vice President Kamala Harris' "embarrassing" response to the border crisis in this Fox News interview. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Nikki Haley asks for Secret Service protection following spike in THREATS. Nikki Haley: Prospect of Kamala Harris presidency "sends chills down every Americans spine." Nikki Haley drops out of presidential race, refuses to endorse Trump, violating her own pledge. Nikki Haley bows down, kisses feet of Bill Vaccine King Gates in bizarre X post. Nikki Haley finally DROPS OUT of Republican presidential race after burning through huge donation war chest. Sources include: ThePostMillenial.com 1 MSN.com 1 ThePostMillenial.com 2 MSN.com 2 Brighteon.com EU head calls for new brain-bending vaccines to shield peoples minds, protect democracy If re-selected to lead the European Commission (EC), President Ursula von der Leyen is promising to crack down on "wrongthink" with the use of mind-altering "vaccines" that "shield" people's minds and protect "democracy." In various "campaign" ads she has appeared in across social media, von der Leyen tries to appeal to voters by promising to erect a "Democracy Shield" once the powers that be reinstall her into office. To better "detect disinformation and malign interference," von der Leyen says she hopes to "make our societies more resilient" by going after and removing "content, including [artificial intelligence] deepfakes." Even though she is an unelected bureaucrat who does not even get voted in by European people, von der Leyen is pretending as though she is a running candidate who needs popularity among voters in order to "win." "'Democracy' in the case of this 'Democracy Shield' is really just a euphemism for censorship," writes RT's Rachel Marsden. "Because what does this 'shield' really protect Europe from, that more free speech can't achieve, other than inconvenient facts? Or from Queen Ursula and the rest of the European establishment having to defend their own ideological lunacy and explain to citizens why the narratives they peddle often don't jibe with reality." (Related: Last fall, von der Leyen called for global implementation of what sounds a whole lot like the biblical Mark of the Beast.) "Vaccinating" the public mind with pre-bunking Von der Leyen's "Democracy Shield" is what we mean by a "vaccine" of the mind. She wants to micromanage everything that gets said and spread online to ensure that only approved "rightspeak" makes it in front of the public eye. 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. To call it a "propaganda shield" would be incorrect because at no point has von der Leyen indicated that she actually wants to spread a different message. No, instead she simply wants to censor the messages that we the people are sharing online, also known as "pre-bunking." Earlier this month, von der Leyen spoke at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit about how pre-bunking "is more successful than de-bunking" because it keeps the wrongthink from appearing in the first place. "Pre-bunking is the opposite of de-bunking," she said. "In short, prevention is preferable to cure." "Think of information manipulation as a virus. Instead of treating an infection once it has taken hold, that's the de-bunking, it is better to vaccinate, so that our body is inoculated. Pre-bunking is the same approach." In other words, von der Leyen wants to "vaccinate" people against "disinformation" by keeping it from reaching them in the first place, that way they do not have any chance to think about it and determine for themselves whether or not it is believable. No longer will there be any open debate or discussion about anything because that could result in some people catching the wrongthink "virus" and becoming "infected." The best approach, according to von der Leyen, is to simply keep a lid on all such debate and discussion right out of the gate. Von der Leyen is calling her forced compliance protocols "societal resilience," which sounds a whole lot more palatable in that it implies a collective resistance to some kind of enemy threat, in this case free speech. "It's not just fakes or fabricated content," von der Leyen argued in an announcement about her Democracy Shield. "It's also buying influence and causing chaos. We have seen far-right politicians and lead candidates from AfD in Germany in the pockets of Russia. They are selling their souls on Russian propaganda outlets and videos." The globalists want to inject you and your family with every chemical possible to keep you in line with their agenda. Find out more at Globalism.news. Sources for this article include: RT.com NaturalNews.com Fact checkers scrambling to stop photo of Obama with Sean Diddy Combs from circulating The Democrats weaponized fact checkers are desperately attempting to debunk a photo of Barack Obama with disgraced rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs to stop it from spreading on social media. (Article by Nick R. Hammilton republished from SlayNews.com) At the time of writing, fact checkers MSN.com and Snopes claim that theres Research In Progress regarding an image of Obama posing with Combs. Combs is currently embroiled in controversy over an ongoing sex trafficking investigation and multiple allegations of violent sexual assault. If hes guilty of even half of what hes being accused of, Diddys life could be over. At the very least, his career is probably close to over anyway. The first time the photo may have been seen was late in March 2024. It emerged when federal agents executed a search warrant and raided Combs homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation. The media doesnt want you to see this, so you know what to do, a social media post claimed back then. Here is President Obama throwing his support behind a pedophile, another commenter said. The media doesn't want you to see this, so you know what to do. pic.twitter.com/svdbnFhOAO TaraBull (@TaraBull808) March 29, 2024 Another user pointed out that Obama was also pictured with Democrat megadonor and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. Does the media want us to see this one? pic.twitter.com/rzzbpqwMMy Dimitri Belobrova (@DimitriBelobrov) March 29, 2024 Despite the images appearing to be clearly genuine, leftist fact checkers are stalling by claiming they are conducting months-long investigations into their authenticity. The report on MSN, which appears to be syndicated from Snopes, is not yet willing to say if the photograph is authentic or not. Nevertheless, they are still willing to defend the image by arguing that it doesnt matter either way. According to corrupt fact-checking organization Snopes: However, contrary to what social media users suggested, the photo itself did not indicate any involvement in or connection to the specific controversies facing Combs on Obamas part. Social media users also underscored that the rapper has been photographed with various other prominent figures, including former President Donald Trump, they reported. In short, despite the widespread circulation of the photograph, we have not found any reliable sources confirming or denying its authenticity. However, the existence of previous photos of Combs and Obama together, as well as the rappers support for Obamas presidency, suggests that the latest image could be authentic. Because of that, we have rated this claim as Research in Progress,' their assessment read. Snopes/MSN claims to have reached out to the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama and the Obama Foundation for a comment, but does not appear to have received a response. Its worth noting that Snopes insists that Diddy was photographed with Trump while claiming to be investigating the authenticity of the Obama photo. Isnt it strange that there was no Research in Progress for the claims about Trump? Read more at: SlayNews.com The how and why of the CIAs secret effort to take control of social media The latest Twitter Files drop shows that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) led a massive effort during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "pandemic" to seize control of then-Twitter's (now X) content management system. Independent journalists Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi and Alex Gutentag put together an in-depth report about their latest findings, which reveal that the CIA acted well outside its jurisdictional bounds in trying to control the trajectory of social media particularly between 2021 and 2022 when the world was distracted by the "virus." A member of the Board of Trustees at InQTel, the CIA's mission-driven venture capital firm, teamed up with "former" intelligence community (IC) and CIA analysts to basically try to co-opt the entire Twitter platform for its own purposes, which were then centered around trying to keep a lid on the COVID narrative. According to "thousands of pages of Twitter Files and documents," the CIA and friends sought to micromanage every piece of content that passed through Twitter under the guise of fighting "misinformation" and so-called "foreign propaganda" efforts. Shellenberger et al. explain in their expose that a sizable cohort of government-linked individuals and organizations went to great lengths during that time to control free speech because they claimed it was a national security issue. They include: 1) A longtime IC contractor and senior official of research and development (R&D) at the Department of Defense (DoD) who spent years developing technologies to detect whistleblowers, whom they referred to as "insider threats," like Edward Snowden and other leakers at WikiLeaks 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. 2) Nina Jankowicz, the proposed head of the now-dissolved Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who helped the United States military and NATO "hybrid war" operations in Europe 3) Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) General Counsel Jim Baker, who helped start the Russiagate hoax while acting as Deputy General Counsel at Twitter, Baker also played a role in convincing social media executives to censor the New York Post story about Hunter Biden (Related: Did you catch our earlier report about how the CIA, in partnership with the World Economic Forum [WEF] and other deep state entities, controls the entire mainstream media empire?) GoDaddy, AWS and PayPal: an unholy trinity of censorship Also known as "Scary Poppins," Jankowicz remains an aggressive promoter of online speech restrictions, which she says are necessary to counteract "rampant disinformation." Rather than let the chips fall where they may, Jankowicz worked alongside Baker to restrict certain types of speech online, including that which is considered "politically sensitive." It appears as though Jankowicz et al. spent much of their time focusing on Twitter and other social media platforms where ideas go to spread, but we also know that entire websites were also targeted by the likes of domain host GoDaddy, as well as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and PayPal. This trio of companies are mentioned in the report as colluding with one another under the direction of the CIA and FBI to de-platform and financially de-incentivize both people and entire organizations deemed to be a threat against the IC and its global control and censorship operations. "This approach represents a significant escalation in the use of corporate cooperation to achieve what might essentially be considered censorship under the guise of national security," explains Zero Hedge about the matter. Jankowicz, by the way, is also buddies with Christopher Steele, the brainchild behind the infamous Trump-Russia dossier as funded by two-time failed presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton. Jankowicz was also a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center where she advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in partnership with the Fulbright-Clinton Public Policy Fellowship. Jankowicz also, we now know, oversaw the Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute so she has had her hand in a lot of things pertaining to speech and the free expression of it. The First Amendment is too much for Jankowicz who believes that online speech needs to be regulated. Anything less is comparable to the lack of government regulation of automobiles back in the 1960s, she argued while calling for a "cross-platform," public-private approach to controlling what gets said online. If this means that major search engine platforms like Google have to be censored, along with top social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, then so be it, according to Jankowicz, who believes that the U.S. should emulate Europe in terms of controlling what gets said online. "Germany's NetzDG law requires social media companies and other content hosts to remove 'obviously illegal' speech within 24 hours or face a fine of up to $50 million," Jankowicz is quoted as saying in a complaint to U.S. lawmakers. "Congress has yet to pass a bill imposing even the most basic of regulations related to social media and election advertising." Jankowicz wrote a book, published in 2020, that praises a NATO cyber security expert for creating a "Center of Excellence," which came up with the now-failed Disinformation Governance Board that Jankowicz headed up during its brief period of existence. A year after that brief stint, Jankowicz went on to work at an "anti-disinformation" consulting firm called Alethea Group that, you guessed it, was staffed by "former" analyst spooks from the CIA and FBI. Althea targets independent media Alethea, as you may recall, went after independent media outlets like Zero Hedge for reporting about the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse in a way that allegedly "increased online panic." Althea "shop[ed] a 'dossier' around," according to the Hedge, that made these and other false allegations about independent media. The Hedge was eventually dropped from inclusion on the dossier, which an operative dropped on Twitter only to be mocked relentlessly for spreading obvious propaganda. The public is apparently wising up to the CIA's tricks, and this kind of crusading behavior against free speech is not all that popular among We the People. You mean a financial newsblog published a number of stories about a significant bank failure? How dare they!! Reason and analytics in Dallas (@DallasAnalytics) March 17, 2023 It should also be noted that Alethea secured a massive $20 million Series B financing package for Google Ventures at a time of "ongoing investment drought" when very few cyber security companies have been able to raise the cash they require to operate. Former CIA analyst Cindy Otis also hails from Alethea, Otis having also written a book that in her case praises notorious hacker Pieter "Mudge" Zatzo who was hired by Twitter to "tackle everything from engineering missteps to misinformation." Jankowicz spoke about her and Otis' "full time employment" at Alethea, which allegedly occurred at separate times. Jankowicz says she started there on Sept. 13, 2021, while Otis left before that and "to my knowledge ... has not been employed with Alethea since that time." "My work with Alethea Group as a consultant (summer 2021) was narrowly focused on my subject matter expertise related to Russia," Jankowicz is quoted as saying. "I conducted Russian language translation and provided cultural analysis. When I joined Alethea as an employee (fall 2021) my work was entirely focused on public products: Changes to Alethea's website, editing public reports, liaising with media, etc." Who's telling the truth? Shellenberger et al. say that Jankowicz's claims and timeline do not pass muster. Their investigatory work found that Jankowicz had a different job title at Alethea while the company was partnered with Twitter to manage "misinformation" during the contentious 2020 election. Alethea's Statement of Work contract with Twitter lists her as "Technical Research Director" but company founder Lisa Kaplan claims that Jankowicz "was never given the title Technical Research Director." "That is a reference to a labor category for a contract," Jankowicz said. "We respect client confidentiality and do not discuss relationships with our customers. In reviewing Nina's timesheets, she did provide support to one client that I cannot disclose, however I can confirm that while she was employed as the Director for External Affairs, Nina never conducted work at Alethea on behalf of Twitter." When Jankowicz was presented with documented evidence listing her as "Supplier Personnel," she denied having ever seen such a document and offered up a spiel arguing that these titles were not set in stone and allowed for contractor "flexibility." The Statement of Work, though, is a formal contract between two firms that is very specific in its terms. In fact, the contract specifically stipulates that "any changes to the above listed Personnel must be approved by Twitter in writing." In other words, it was pretty set in stone so who is lying and who is telling the truth? Jankowicz spoke to Public, Shellenberger's official Substack, claiming that she was friends with Otis before working on this project, but that this happened so far in the past that it does not constitute a "relationship" with the intelligence community. Those pushing Alethea on Twitter had ties to U.S. intelligence You may recall that in July 2020, Twitter suffered a phishing attack that resulted in the official accounts of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg and Elon Musk all being hacked. The hack resulted in the accounts tweeting messages asking followers to send Bitcoin to a private crypto wallet address, which was later tied to 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark, who was arrested. Three months after this phishing attack, Jack Dorsey, the old CEO of Twitter, wrote in an email that "Mudge signed," referring to Zatko, the hacker who ended up being hired by Twitter, and who was thanked by Jankowicz's friend Otis in her book for his work at the social media platform. Zatko was barely at Twitter for even three months when he made his first big recommendation to Twitter executives that they "hire the Alethea Group" to conduct an "external investigation" into "the disinformation angle." Twitter ended up authorizing Zatko's request, which then led to Alethea being brought in to investigate the January 6 "insurrection" at the U.S. Capitol and how it began, according to these deep state insiders, as a result of "the initial 'Stop the Steal' narratives" that emerged out of the stolen 2020 election. We can draw a straight line between the initial Stop the Steal narratives and organizing to what ended up happening on the 6th. Aletheas assessment of Twitter reflects the view of its CEO, Kaplan, that online misinformation leads to violence. On March 11, 2021, the same pic.twitter.com/h0UunuhUGX Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) May 23, 2024 Zatko turns into a whistleblower In a Feb. 4, 2021, email, Zatko described Alethea as "a boutique consultancy that specializes on disinformation and counter-messaging operations." He also revealed that the company was working with not only himself but also Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of Trust and Safety. "The organizations and people behind this recommendation have the connection [sic] to get this in front of the right people in the administration," Zatko wrote in another email correspondence on March 21, 2021, that also contained a 12-page report co-authored by the Aspen Institute's Vivian Schiller that pushed for even more government-led censorship of social media. Schiller, by the way, led the "pre-bunking" of the Hunter Biden laptop story. She also has ties to Hamilton68 hoax author Clint Watts and boasts work published by the Mossaver-Rahmani Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. It would then come out not long after all this that Zatko "had engaged with members of U.S. intelligence agencies," with Shellenberger et al. noting that "[a]ttitudes toward Zatko would be quite different two years later" once he became a whistleblower, sued the company, and settled for a cool $7.75 million. "He then filed a complaint with the Justice Department, SEC, and FTC, alleging Twitter executives had misled the government, been negligent in protecting user data, and had violated a 2011 consent decree with the FTC," Public reports. "Somebody leaked Zatko's complaint to the Washington Post, which reached out to Twitter for comment on August 19, 2022 ... In a shared Google Doc, dated August 21, 2022, called 'Comms Statements / Tracking,' Twitter executives fine-tuned the language for responding to the news media about Zatko's allegations." Twitter would ultimately deny any knowledge of wrongdoing between Zatko and the IC he formally agreed to work with "that would allow him to work with them and provide information to them." Later towards the end of 2022, Alethea took in $10 million from Ballistic Ventures which has as its general partner Ted Schlein, who "provides counsel to the U.S. intelligence community, serves on the Board of Trustees at InQTel [the CIA's mission-driven venture capital firm] and was recently named as a board member of the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee." That same year, IQT published a report about its "Disinformation Workshop" that made recommendations about activities similar to those offered by Alethea, including services that "track the confluence of bad narratives." Schlein is playing dumb about all this, claiming he does not know Zatko, Jankowicz or Otis. He claims he is unaware of any relationship between Alethea and the IC, and says he merely serves on Alethea's board. The CIA clearly has its filthy hands in so many things the public relies on for communication. Learn more at DeepState.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com Public.substack.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com EnvironmentalProgress.org MUTINY: Israeli soldiers plan REVOLT if war on Gaza ends before complete victory If something or someone stops Israel from achieving "complete victory" in Gaza, then an unidentified masked soldier believed to be an Israeli reservist is promising a mutiny The following video shows the man explaining that he will not obey orders by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to give Gaza back to the Palestinian people because he wants to annihilate them: The man, along with "100,000 reservists," is refusing to give Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, or any other "Arab entity." The only thing he will accept is total control of Gaza by Israel. "Yoav Gallant: you can't win the war resign," the man said. "You can't win this war. You can't command us. I am telling you, Mr Yoav Gallant, if we do not continue until victory, 100,000 reservists will remain on the fence and we will call residents of the State of Israel to come to Gaza under our protection." (Related: Protesting the war is no longer allowed in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott decided to turn every college and university throughout the Lone Star State into a thought police enforcement zone.) Israeli military rejects masked man's plea, opens investigation Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reportedly opened an investigation into the video, claiming the behavior of the man is a "serious violation" of the Israeli army's orders and values. He could end up being charged with a suspected criminal offense, Israeli media reported. 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. A military spokesperson told Haaretz that the chief of staff has convened an "immediate command meeting" to address the video and the claims made by the man. Haaretz did not confirm whether or not the man in the video is actually a soldier. The man was dressed in an Israeli military uniform and appeared to be speaking from an abandoned building in the Gaza Strip, this according to the Times of Israel. A video has circulated on Israeli social media featuring a soldier who recorded an announcement backing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. In the recording, the soldier warned of a military coup if Gallant didn't continue the war. pic.twitter.com/KT4BYjRhut Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 25, 2024 The video was addressed directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this after it was revealed that Gallant is at odds with Netanyahu over the "post-war plan" for Gaza. Earlier in May, Gallant publicly rejected a plan for open-ended Israeli governance over Gaza, instead demanding that all civilian affairs in the Strip be handled by a Palestinian body. Netanyahu, meanwhile, wants Israel to be in charge. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this video is intended for you, we are reserve soldiers who do not intend on passing the keys of Gaza to any entity; be it Hamas, PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] or any other Arab entity," the masked man added in his video address. "The reserve soldiers are behind your back, and we want to win. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You have 100,000 soldiers that are ready to give their souls to the People of Israel ... We will stay here until the end, until victory." The man concluded his message with a statement that he and the other reservists will only take orders from Netanyahu, not Gallant or the chief of staff. He also claimed that Israeli soldiers want to "tear to pieces whoever is left here," referring to the remaining people living in Gaza. "No one will stay alive, whoever hurt the people of Israel, whoever hurt our brothers, the Jews, the Druze, the Bedouins, we want to annihilate them," he said. Rafah is Israel's last stand in Gaza will the Zionists win in the end? Find out more at WWIII.news. Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net NaturalNews.com BOMBSHELL: Netanyahu received at least FOUR WARNINGS from Israeli military intelligence before the October 7 attack Israeli media outlets, citing members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), are now reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been alerted at least four times that Hamas was planning to attack southern Israel. According to Israeli Channel 13, Netanyahu received at least four warnings from Aman, the Military Intelligence Directorate, before Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7. The reports highlighted that Israel's adversaries were exploiting internal divisions to prepare for potential military actions. Netanyahu, however, denied prior knowledge, insisting that all intelligence indicated Hamas was deterred and seeking a settlement. (Related: Bombshell: Israel KNEW of the Hamas attack over a year ago but did nothing to stop it.) Despite multiple intelligence warnings suggesting Hamas' intentions to breach Israeli settlements and military bases surrounding Gaza, higher-level Israeli officials reportedly ignored these alerts. Some Israelis speculate that Netanyahu and other intelligence and military officials welcomed a Hamas attack, using the events of Oct. 7, which included false claims of Hamas atrocities, as justification for Israel's subsequent actions. Israel's response included heavy airstrikes and ground military operations, prompted by calls from far-right religious elements within Netanyahu's government for a war on Gaza to forcibly expel its population and establish Jewish settlements in its place. Current estimates suggest that Israeli attacks on Gaza have already killed over 36,000 Palestinians. 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. Netanyahu's government had more than a year to prepare for the Hamas attack Last December, a New York Times report said Israeli officials obtained a document detailing Hamas' battle plan for the Oct. 7 attack more than a year in advance. The 40-page document, known as "Jericho's Wall," cited documents, emails and interviews but did not provide a specific date for Hamas' operation. However, it did outline an incursion that Israeli military officials note Hamas precisely executed, including overwhelming the border defenses surrounding Gaza, capturing nearby Israeli settlements and targeting IDF bases. Despite the detailed plan, Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed it, believing Hamas could not execute such a complex operation. This dismissal has been viewed as a significant intelligence failure. This complex operation resulted in the deadliest single-day attack on Israel since its founding in 1948, with over 1,200 Israelis killed and hundreds taken hostage. Following the attack, Netanyahu faced sharp criticism for accusing security chiefs of not warning him about the impending attack, a claim he later retracted. In a recent interview, Netanyahu declined to take responsibility for the oversight. He stated, On the contrary, all the defense officials assessed that Hamas was deterred. The "Jericho Wall" document was reportedly circulated among military and intelligence leaders and, according to recent revelations, was also brought to the attention of Netanyahu and other top Israeli politicians. In the weeks and days leading up to Oct. 7, multiple intelligence reports from agencies both in Israel and the United States indicated an increased risk of escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On Sept. 28, a U.S. intelligence update warned of potential escalations by Hamas, and on October 5, a Central Intelligence Agency wire cautioned Israel about the increasing likelihood of violence. On Oct. 6, mere hours before the beginning of Hamas' strike, U.S. officials noted unusual Hamas activity in Gaza. Watch this report saying the Hamas attack was an inside job. This video is from the Deception By Omission channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Here's what REALLY happened on October 7 (Hint: Israel is LYING). Israeli Knesset approves bill to IMPRISON those who "deny," "downplay" Israel's version of what happened on October 7. Israel KNEW about Hamas' attack plan more than a year before Oct. 7 massacre but failed to act on it. Israel using Hamas FALSE FLAG attack to commence second great genocide first was the COVID vaccine genocide. Did Israeli government issue a stand-down order during Hamas attack? Sources include: TheCradle.co AA.com.tr CNN.com Brighteon.com Putin ready to end conflict with Ukraine if Russia gets to keep territories it currently controls Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to end the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire, provided that Moscow gets to keep territories it has annexed from Kyiv Four Russian sources disclosed this development to Reuters, with three of them familiar with discussions within Putin's inner circle. According to them, the Russian leader reportedly expressed frustration with what he perceives as Western attempts to obstruct negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to engage in talks. The sources indicate the Putin is ready to continue fighting if Kyiv and the West do not respond positively. "Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but he is also ready for a ceasefire to freeze the war," said one senior Russian source with knowledge of high-level Kremlin conversations. (Related: Putin 'tried everything possible' to make peace Ukrainian diplomat.) Reuters interviewed five individuals with senior-level ties to Putin in the political and business realms. While the fifth source did not comment on freezing the war at the current frontlines, the others spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter. During a news conference in Belarus, when asked about the Reuters report, Putin stated that peace talks should resume, emphasizing that negotiations should be based on "the realities on the ground" and prior agreements, not merely one side's demands. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded on X, accusing Putin of using his entourage to send "phony signals" about a supposed willingness to halt the war to disrupt a Ukrainian-initiated peace summit in Switzerland. 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. Kuleba asserted that only a united global front could compel Putin to choose peace. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak claimed Putin wanted Western democracies to accept defeat. Peskov: Russia doesn't want "eternal war" Despite the appointment of economist Andrei Belousov as Russia's new defense minister, which some analysts saw as preparation for a prolonged conflict, sources suggest Putin would prefer to leverage the current momentum to end the war. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia does not want "eternal war." According to two sources, Putin believes the gains so far could be presented as a victory to the Russian public. However, further significant advances would require another nationwide mobilization, which he seeks to avoid due to its unpopularity. The possibility of a ceasefire seems distant as Zelensky has ruled out peace on Putin's terms and has vowed to reclaim lost territories. One source predicted no agreement would be reached while Zelensky remains in power unless a deal is struck directly with Washington, though U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed doubts about Putin's interest in serious negotiations. The upcoming Swiss peace summit, initiated by Zelensky, aims to unify international opinion on ending the war. However, Russia's exclusion has led Moscow to dismiss the talks' credibility. The U.S. State Department emphasized that any peace initiative must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, and described Russia as the primary obstacle to peace, highlighting that Moscow has shown no meaningful interest in ending its aggression. Both Russia and Ukraine fear that the other side would use any ceasefire to re-arm. Ukraine and its Western allies rely on substantial U.S. and European military aid to counter current challenges, including ammunition shortages and recruitment struggles. Putin's insistence on solidifying battlefield gains in any deal is non-negotiable, with four sources indicating he would accept freezing the conflict along current lines, leaving Russia in control of parts of four Ukrainian regions, albeit not fully. Peskov reaffirmed that there could be no discussion of returning these regions, which Russia now considers permanently part of its territory. The ongoing conflict risks creating social tensions within Russia as battle-hardened veterans return dissatisfied with post-war prospects. Without a ceasefire, Putin aims to capture as much territory as possible, leveraging Russia's larger population and substantial financial incentives for recruits. He believes this strategy will pressure Ukraine to negotiate, counting on the West's insufficient support to eventually demoralize Kyiv. Visit RussiaReport.news for more similar stories. Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin saying Russia is ready to end the Ukraine war if Moscow can keep the land it now controls. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Putin reportedly willing to end war with Ukraine, sit down for PEACE TALKS. Putin denies Bidens claim that Russia plans to attack NATO, calls it COMPLETE NONSENSE. Putin warns the west that Russia is ready for nuclear war. Sources include: Reuters.com Brighteon.com The US submarine force is sunk When you look at the larger disaster of American arms and readiness, all the services are in the hazard of being mission ineffective. The US Navy surface fleet has been an unmitigated building debacle with the Little Crappy Ships, Zumwalt class and the USS Ford carrier not performing up to speed for any of the anticipated mission sets assigned to these failed programs. (Article by Bill Buppert republished from LibertarianInstitute.org) Ive often thought that the sole discriminator for the US military apart from the aging and decrepit USAF nuclear land-based missile forces and bomber organizations that sets the US apart is the submarine force and now the more I discover about the state of contemporary nuclear submarine construction, maintenance, readiness and improvements, the less convinced I am of the efficacy of the US submarine forces. Jerry Hendrix wrote a disturbing essay on the state of the force and predictably, it is a hot mess. His indictment is well-researched, terribly disconcerting and a dim prognostication for future strength. of the submarine force already in commission, sixteen of those forty-nine boatsor nearly a third of the Navys premier offensive forceare in dry-docks or tied to piers, lacking required dive certifications. These submarines cannot get underway due to a three-year maintenance backlog in the U.S. Navy. The bottom line is that the American submarine force, the point of the spear of American power, upon which so many military plans depend, is unprepared to meet the current threat environment, and there are no quick fixes. It has taken decadesand a sequence of bad assumptions and poor decisionsto fall into the current state of unpreparedness, and it will take years, as well as significant investments in both new ship construction and submarine repair capacity, to recover. Thanks to CDR Salamander for introducing me to the splendid Hendrix essay. He opines: Back to the effects of bad assumptions. The issue really isnt the bad assumptions. In all human institutions, you have imperfections and bad assumptions that dont survive for long in the wild. The key is how fast you can notice the error, and then take corrective action. If you quickly execute bad assumptions, but then in an accretion-encumbered, happy-talk laden, and bureaucratically inept manner slow-roll the correction, well, you find yourself here. I am less optimistic and think we have reached the point of no return; there is no recovery from this. Read more at: LibertarianInstitute.org Trump and RFK Jr. fail to win over Libertarian Party during chaotic convention Former President Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both faced hostile receptions as they attempted to woo members of the Libertarian Party during their Libertarian National Convention on May 25 in Washington, D.C. The atmosphere turned tumultuous as Trump took the stage, with the crowd divided between jeers and boos and supportive chants. Libertarians clashed with pro-Trump attendees, which resulted in multiple people being removed from the main hall. The situation turned chaotic when several individuals interrupted and heckled Trump during his speech. "You can either nominate us and give us the position, or give us your votes," Trump declared, only to be met with a chorus of boos. His frustration was evident as he retorted, "Keep getting your three percent [of the national vote] every four years. Maybe you don't want to win." (Related: Trump and Biden have different strategies to deal with RFK Jr.) In a bid to resonate with the Libertarian audience, Trump advocated for the commutation of Ross Ulbricht's life sentence. Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, was convicted for multiple felonies related to the black market website. This stance aligns with the Libertarian Party, which advocates for the release of Ulbricht. However, the 2024 campaign announcement by Trump had previously called for the death penalty for drug dealers, which created a stark contradiction. Meanwhile, on May 26, Kennedy, who faced a warmer reception than Trump, promoted his promise to pardon Edward Snowden, the government whistleblower exiled in Russia, and to drop the espionage charges against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. These figures are highly regarded within the Libertarian community. Kennedy also accused Trump of constitutional violations through lockdowns and travel restrictions during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 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. But despite all the cheers during his proposals, some Libertarians questioned his authenticity as a candidate for their party. Trump and RFK Jr.'s invitation to the Libertarian National Convention faces backlash Trump and Kennedy's invitations to the convention intended to allow party members to engage with prominent figures who might influence the upcoming presidential election. The decision sparked a fierce backlash among delegates. Arielle Shack, a Libertarian voter who traveled from New Jersey, attended Kennedy's speech in protest, which coincided with the rowdy business session. "We don't want people that are not Libertarians here. If they don't have our principles, we're not going to vote for them," Shack said. "You're not gonna see Libertarians coming in, voting for a Kennedy, a Kennedy Democrat. He didn't get the Democratic [candidacy], so now he wants to be independent. But I think we can see right through that." Another New Jersey delegate named Richard Edgar echoed Shack's sentiments, calling the invitation to Trump and Kennedy a "slap in the face" to Libertarian voters. He expressed disappointment that the convention, anticipated as a platform for Libertarian candidates, was overshadowed by non-Libertarians. Michael Reeves, a 25-year Libertarian Party member from Daphne, Alabama, who initially saw a silver lining from the invitations, remained skeptical about both candidates. He cited disappointment in Trump's first term and found Kennedy's speech lackluster. He even argued that both major parties were steering the country toward greater collectivism and authoritarianism. "I thought he had an opportunity to really make some changes in D.C., and he didn't," Reeves said about Trump. "The best we can say is that he didn't start any new wars, and that's a pretty low bar. To me, they represent essentially the same thing, the things that they disagree about are kind of minor compared to the things that they do agree about. And they make all the wrong calls on the things that they do agree about." Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle tried to explain their motives behind the invitations before the event. "For 50 years, weve been trying to get our candidates on the main stage with major party POTUS candidates and weve finally succeeded in bringing one to our stage. We will do everything in our power to use this incredible opportunity to advance the message of liberty," McArdle said. Watch this Fox News report about the three-man race in the November 2024 presidential election. < This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: New poll: RFK Jr. takes 22 percent of voter support in a three-way race with Biden and Trump. Poll: RFK Jr. running as independent would help Trump, hurt Biden. Super PAC raises more than $10M to support RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign. Trump 'clearly hasn't learned from his COVID-era mistakes,' RFK Jr. says. Major Trump donor also backing RFK Jr.s presidential run, FEC filings reveal. Sources include: CBSNews.com NTD.com Brighteon.com POLL: Trump still favored to win presidential race despite indictments A recent national poll reveals that former President Donald Trump is still leading President Joe Biden, even though "Biden-Bragg-Colangelo" prosecutions against the latter have dominated the headlines over the past few months. For 234 years, no American president or former president had been indicted until 2023 when Trump faced multiple charges in four criminal cases. He faces accusations of falsifying business records to pay Stormy Daniels, a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him, to prevent a potential sex scandal in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. Michael Cohen, the personal attorney of Trump, paid Daniels $130,000 in October 2016. In turn, prosecutors accused Trump of violating New York law by reimbursing Cohen through a series of payments disguised as corporate legal expenses during his presidency. Local prosecutors also charged Trump with 34 felony counts in violation of New York's corporate record-keeping laws. Meanwhile, Justice Juan Merchan issued a gag order on Trump to prevent him from publicly commenting on potential witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case. But after the trial commenced on April 2024, the judge twice held Trump in criminal contempt, fined him $10,000 for ten violations of the gag order and warned of potential jail time for future breaches. These indictments accuse him of criminal activities before, during and after his presidency. But most voters believe these are all politically motivated. According to the McLaughlin and Associates poll, conducted among 1,000 likely voters from May 9 to 15, Trump leads Biden by 47 percent to 43 percent, despite the intense media scrutiny and multiple indictments against Trump and his associates. This reveals a growing sentiment among the electorate over the alleged politicization of legal actions against the former president. (Related: Poll: 55% of independents find Trumps indictment politically motivated because IT IS.) 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. Moreover, the poll found that 66 percent of voters believe the indictments are politically motivated, while 59 percent think Biden has directly played a role in these legal actions. Another 53 percent suspect that Biden intended to prevent Trump from winning the election by jailing him, but 33 percent of respondents disagreed. Another McLaughlin and Associates poll shows similar results The results reflect a similar McLaughlin and Associates poll conducted in March. Two months ago, 56 percent of voters thought Biden sought to prevent Trump from winning the presidential election by trying to imprison him. A whopping 86 percent of Republicans agreed with the sentiment, alongside 50 percent of independent voters. However, only 32 percent of Democrats concurred, while 48 percent did not share the same view. The March poll also revealed that 58 percent of respondents thought Biden played a role in driving the investigations against Trump, with 40 percent labeling his involvement as "major." Additionally, 58 percent of voters stated they would support Biden stepping back from the legal battles and allowing the elections to proceed without interference, but 34 percent opposed the idea. Furthermore, the March poll showed that Trump expanded his lead over Biden 49 percent to 43 percent, up from a 47 percent to 43 percent in February. Read more news stories about former President Donald Trump at Trump.news. Watch Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) telling former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon that the federal indictment against Trump is a distraction from the GOP corruption probes against Biden. This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: The deep state finally got the indictment they have been wanting: Trump hit with 37 federal counts over handling of classified documents. Lawyer who lost 'Clinton sock drawer' case says Trump has every right to the classified docs he had at Mar-a-Lago. Former federal prosecutor finds numerous problems with indictment documents against Trump. Trump could face 100 YEARS in prison if convicted of federal charges, including espionage. Donald Trump Jr. on father's indictment: 'We're living in 3rd world Banana Republic.' Sources include: JusttheNews.com Politico.com Newsmax.com MSN.com Brighteon.com U.S. accused of taking out Russian nuclear missile early warning system in latest escalation Fears are growing that a major escalation could be on the horizon in the Russia-Ukraine conflict following a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian radar station for tracking nuclear missiles that some Russian officials believe the U.S. was behind This week, Ukraine hit the high-tech Armavir radar station in the border area of Krasnodar. The system provided Russia with conventional air defense but also played a key role in its nuclear warning system. It has also been used to track the long-range ATACMS missiles that the U.S. supplied to Ukraine. Officials in Kiev have already acknowledged their responsibility for the attack, confirming over the weekend that they targeted the facility. A senior researcher for the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, Mauro Gilli, said that he believes the move was a tactical success because it means Russia will have to redeploy its air defense systems. It also sent a message that no military site in Russia is untouchable. However, many other analysts in the West have expressed reservations about the move and believe that Ukraine should not target any Russian nuclear infrastructure. Federation of American Scientists nuclear arsenal expert Hans Kristensen said: Not a wise decision on the part of Ukraine. Norwegian military analyst Thord Are Iversen agreed, saying that the move was not a particularly good idea especially in times of tension. Its in everyones best interest that Russias ballistic missile warning system works well. Russian senator does not believe Ukraine could have carried out attack without U.S. help Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian senator and member of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, believes the U.S. should be considered directly responsible for the hit. He said that it is very unlikely that Ukraine could have carried out such a strike on its own without any involvement from the U.S., adding that military superiority over Russia is something the U.S. has sought for many years. 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. He said that attacks like this one on key elements of Moscows nuclear umbrella could cause the entire worldwide nuclear security architecture to collapse. Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he said that the U.S. has commissioned a crime by hiring an irresponsible bandit to attack what he described as a nuclear early warning system. The radar station has been in operation since 2013 and can detect incoming ballistic and cruise missiles at a range of 6,000 kilometers, keeping track of as many as 500 targets at once. He said that the U.S.s deep involvement in the armed conflict and total control over Kievs military planning means that the version that the U.S. does not know about Ukrainian plans to strike Russias missile defense system can be discarded. Russia has not yet made any official comments about the attack, which came not long after it started carrying out tactical nuclear missile exercises in the Southern Military District, which includes Russian regions bordering Ukraine as well as Crimea. The drills are widely being interpreted as a warning to Western officials who are increasingly implying they could deepen their involvement in the war. Meanwhile, the U.S. has not backed down on its insistence that Ukraine avoid using Western weapons for cross-border strikes, although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently hinted that a change of policy on this particular matter could be forthcoming. Some Ukrainian military commanders have complained that Russia is building up its forces just across the border knowing that Ukraine would not be able to strike them. Sources for this article include: RT.com Yahoo.com APNews.com In the icy expanse of the Antarctic, where frigid waters conceal mysteries beneath their surface, a groundbreaking study has revealed the hidden lives of Antarctic minke whales (AMWs). These elusive krill specialists, equipped with pioneering animal-borne camera tags, have unveiled their social flexibility and intricate foraging behaviors. Dive into this captivating exploration of the ocean's enigmatic giants. Fission-Fusion Dynamics: The Whales' Social Symphony The AMWs, it turns out, are not solitary wanderers but rather social beings with a penchant for companionship. Researchers led by Dr. Jenny Allen (Griffith University) and Dr. Ari Friedlaender (University of California Santa Cruz) embarked on a quest to decode the whales' social structure. Their findings? A mesmerizing dance of "fission-fusion" dynamics. Intriguingly, AMWs frequently switch companions, forming short-term associations that defy traditional boundaries. These social bonds transcend mere foraging partnerships, encompassing both feeding and non-foraging activities. Larger individuals, it seems, are more likely to engage in these social rendezvous. But here's the twist: social interaction correlates with a noticeable reduction in feeding efforts, regardless of dive depth. It's as if the whales trade solitude for camaraderie, sacrificing some sustenance for the sake of connection. Synchronized Symphony: Group Foraging Strategies Picture this: a trio of tagged whales gliding through the icy depths, their movements synchronized like a harmonious symphony. These groups-12 instances documented during the study-employ coordinated spatial movement and diving behaviors. Their purpose is to forage as a group. AMWs collaborate to optimize their feeding efficiency, a revelation that challenges our preconceptions about these enigmatic creatures. During these synchronized forays, 67.5% of associated dives and 64% of associated feeding lunges occur in unison. The whales have seemingly mastered the art of collective dining, leveraging their social bonds to secure a bountiful krill feast, according to the study's results. Also Read: Baby Minke Whale Had to Be Euthanized After Getting Stranded at Thames River How can we protect these whales in a changing climate? As the icy realms of Antarctica face unprecedented shifts due to climate change, safeguarding Antarctic minke whales becomes crucial. These elusive giants, with their unique adaptations, require thoughtful conservation efforts. Here's how we can protect them: Mitigating Anthropogenic Threats Whaling: While some minke whale populations still face commercial whaling, global efforts must continue to enforce whaling bans and protect these creatures. Entanglement: Fishing gear poses a risk. Implementing whale-safe fishing practices and monitoring gear deployment can reduce entanglement incidents. Ship Strikes: AMWs are vulnerable to collisions with vessels. Implementing speed limits in whale habitats and raising awareness among mariners can mitigate this threat. Noise Pollution: Reducing underwater noise from shipping, construction, and other human activities can minimize stress on these sensitive animals. Understanding Their Behaviors Research Advances: Leverage cutting-edge technologies like passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and machine learning-assisted photo-identification. These tools provide insights into minke whale behavior, migratory routes, and winter distributions. Population-Specific Approaches: Recognize that different minke whale populations (e.g., North Atlantic, Southern Hemisphere, North Pacific) inhabit distinct environments. Tailor conservation strategies to their specific needs. Climate-Resilient Habitats Sea Ice Preservation: AMWs often frequent areas near seasonal sea ice. Protecting these ice edges ensures their access to prey and shelter. Predictive Models: Use species distribution models (SDMs) that consider local adaptation. These models account for niche differentiation among populations, providing more accurate habitat projections. Emperor Penguins: As AMWs share habitats with emperor penguins, safeguarding sea ice becomes critical for both species As climate change continues to reshape the Antarctic ecosystem, understanding the sociality and group foraging behaviors of AMWs becomes paramount. These top krill predators play a vital role within their fragile habitat, and their flexible social structures offer hope for adaptation in an ever-changing world. So next time you glimpse a minke whale's sleek form breaking the icy surface, remember: beneath those waves lies a complex society-a symphony of survival. Related article: Minke Whale Trapped in Fishing Nets for 2 Weeks Calls Out Rescue The United Kingdom finds itself teetering on the precipice of a meteorological maelstrom. As the Met Office issues a series of yellow warnings across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, citizens brace for a tempest that threatens both life and property. This unique and harrowing weather event demands our attention, as the skies darken and the rain falls. The Perfect Storm Unleashed The east of Northern Ireland, southernmost parts of Scotland, and sections of northern England are ground zero for this atmospheric showdown. Here, rainfall accumulation of 20 to 30 mm is anticipated, accompanied by frequent lightning, hail, and gusty winds. The Met Office's yellow warnings underscore the risk of fast-flowing or deep floodwater, a peril that could prove fatal. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant, as the elements converge to create a perfect storm. While Yorkshire and the east of England may experience less severe conditions, the Met Office cautions that thunderstorms will break out in some areas, moving swiftly eastward. In these localized pockets, rainfall could reach 15 to 30 mm within an hour, with additional hazards such as lightning and hail. The unpredictability of these storms underscores the importance of staying informed and heeding official advice. Scotland's Double Whammy Scotland faces a dual threat: a second yellow thunderstorm warning looms for Wednesday. From Edinburgh to Inverness, citizens are urged to brace for heavier showers later in the morning. These slow-moving and prolonged storms could bring 15-20 mm of rain within an hour, potentially escalating to 30-40 mm over a few hours. The Met Office advises vigilance and preparedness as the nation grapples with the dual threat of thunderstorms and flooding. Unsettled Skies: A Delicate Balance As the UK navigates this meteorological tightrope, the delicate balance between safety and chaos hangs in the balance. The unpredictability of weather patterns underscores the need for robust infrastructure, community resilience, and individual responsibility. While the Met Office, armed with cutting-edge technology and a wealth of data, strives to provide timely and accurate forecasts, the nation's emergency services stand ready to respond. Also Read: UK Weather: Flooded Roads and Railways Cause Travel Chaos Nature's Fury Knows No Bounds In this dance between clouds and earth, the safety of lives and livelihoods hinges on our collective awareness. The yellow warnings serve as a stark reminder: nature's fury knows no bounds, and our preparedness can make all the difference. From flood defenses to early warning systems, the nation's resilience is tested anew. As the storm clouds gather, the nation holds its breath. Will we weather the tempest unscathed, or will we be swept away by the deluge? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the skies remain unsettled, and our fate hangs in the balance. The Human Impact The human toll of these weather events is palpable. In Newquay, three people were injured when part of a balcony collapsed due to the storms. Sheffield saw emergency street repairs after flash flooding, while homes were flooded and roads blocked in Totton, near Southampton. Residents in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, had to have their homes pumped out due to the rising waters. Related article: UK Weather: Heavy Rain Triggers More Than 150 Flood Alerts People with travel plans can expect a much-awaited cooler air this week, bringing relief from intense heat. The latest weather forecast reveals that the below-average temperatures are likely this week. In other areas, a National Weather Service (NWS) report on May 29 reveals that scattered strong storms are likely in the central and northern High Plains. The primary risks are large hail and strong winds. Meanwhile, a forecast by the NWS Storm Prediction Center warns of an enhanced risk of severe weather in central Texas, with potential severe wind gusts, and very large hail. In New York, the advisory reveals seasonably warm temperatures this Wednesday, reaching the middle to upper 70s. However, a risk of non-severe thunderstorms and showers is still likely. A Special Weather Statement was present in portions of Long Island, southern CT, and Lower Hudson Valley. Motorists should watch out for low visibilities this week, including a dense fog outlook. Travelers should be extra cautious, considering the weather this late week. Weather in the Northeast: What can people expect this week? According to a weather report published on May 29, the forecast monitors a potential cooler air in the Northeast this week. Recently, the region experienced a warming trend, signaling the unofficial arrival of summer. Unusual heat occurred in other portions of the country, including southern portions. However, homeowners can expect a temporary relief from hotter temperatures this week. From Wednesday to Thursday, residents can anticipate the blast of cool pockets and temperatures this week, which could dip from five to 15 degrees Fahrenheit below average. In terms of humidity, it will remain low. Areas with a cooler temperature outlook are likely in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Charleston, Buffalo, Washington, New York, and Burlington. In Boston, a recent weather advisory warns of potential brief spot showers this week, with a risk of thunderstorms and small hail on Interstate 95. However, residents can experience dry weather, with lows reaching 55 to 60. Pittsburgh residents should expect potential isolated storms on Wednesday. Lows are expected to be milder, with a potentially rainy outlook. Temperatures can reach five to ten degrees below normal. On Wednesday, the latest weather report noted that showers and thunderstorms can unfold in the following areas: Detroit Buffalo Columbus Pittsburgh Charleston Washington New York Boston Portland Burlington For Thursday, the widespread cooler and less humid weather outlook can occur in Buffalo, New York, Washington, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Columbus, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Also Read: Texas, Jacksonville Forecast: Hotter Temperatures to Bring Heat-Related Health Concerns Next Week Weather in the Southern U.S: Where will challenging heat unload? In the Southern U.S., the latest report reveals that hotter temperatures are likely in Houston, Corpus Christi, San Angelo, Montgomery, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, Charleston, and Wilmington. For homeowners, it is important to watch out for signs of heat-related health concerns, such as heat stroke and heat fatigue. When unnecessary, it is advisable to avoid or limit outdoor activities to prevent prolonged exposure to scorching heat. Related Article: Central States Forecast: Destructive Tornadoes, Torrential Downpours Likely Midweek For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News. A National Weather Service (NWS) advisory is monitoring the potential development of a late spring weather pattern that could cause heavy rains and localized flooding in Oklahoma and Texas. This May, Oklahoma, and Texas have been battered by rounds of severe weather, which have caused significant damage to properties and lives. Texas also recorded challenging heat concerns. As severe weather threatens portions of the south-central U.S., people should keep up with the latest weather information, particularly in Texas and Oklahoma. When travel plans are unimportant, and there is a potential for severe thunderstorms, it is best to reschedule until the weather improves. Oklahoma and Texas weather outlook this week According to an NWS advisory, residents in the central U.S. can anticipate a weather pattern this week, which could cause flash floods and heavy rains. Additionally, thunderstorm conditions are likely in Southern Plains, Oklahoma, and Texas. The report warns of severe thunderstorms in the region, including South Central Texas, Austin, and San Antonio. Residents can anticipate thunderstorms and showers moving to the east, and severe storms and hail are also risks. Commuters should watch out for thunderstorm watch this week. Impactful thunderstorms are also possible in nearby areas, including Kansas, northern Texas, and eastern Nebraska. Homeowners should monitor possible severe thunderstorms and heavy precipitation. In Kansas, the recent forecast warns of chances of showers and thunderstorms on Friday. There is a marginal risk of thunderstorms in Little Rock on Wednesday. Portions of central west and southern Arkansas may experience damaging winds and large hail. Meanwhile, low temperatures can reach in the upper 50s to upper 60s. In southern Texas, residents can anticipate hot temperatures, including in Florida. There is also a record-high chance in the South and coastal Texas on Wednesday or Thursday. In the Northern to Central High Plains, the forecast monitors the potential strong frontal boundary. Meanwhile, a potential thunderstorm outlook can occur in northeast Colorado, eastern Wyoming, and eastern Montana. Also Read: Northeast Weather Forecast: Much-Awaited Cooler Air to Bring Relief from Recent Intense Heat Weather in other parts of the U.S: Threats of heavy rains and flooding The forecast reveals the likelihood of increasing heat in the late week in the valleys of California. On the other hand, a widespread scattered shower on Tuesday can occur in Lower Lake into the Ohio Valley on Wednesday. On Thursday, a weather report on May 29 raised concerns about a poor weather outlook, with a risk of hail and flooding downpours. A severe thunderstorm threat is expected in the following areas: Fargo Rapid City Sioux City Kearney Wichita Oklahoma Lubbock Dallas Another aspect of the weather is the risk of flooding. People or communities near flood-prone areas should be aware of a rapid rise in waters. Additionally, motorists should be careful when driving on flooded commutes or slippery roads. Related Article: New York, Pennsylvania Weather Forecast: Heavy Rains Packed with Thunderstorms Likely This Week For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News. Migratory fish populations, including salmon, trout, eel, and sturgeon have dropped by more than 80% since 1970. Deafening Wake-Up Call The study examines 284 freshwater fish species' population trends. Researchers pointed out that although there was little evidence, there might have been significant drops before 1970. All across the world, populations are dropping, but in South America and the Caribbean, where the abundance of these species has decreased by 91% in the last 50 years, this decline is occurring at the quickest rate. The greatest freshwater migrations in the world occur in this region, yet river ecosystems are being destroyed by dams, mining, and human water diversion. In Europe, migratory freshwater fish populations have decreased by 75%, as per the most recent update to the Living Planet Index. Researchers noted that many species in Africa encountered several stresses, but there was not enough data to quantify population fluctuations in that region. Some migratory freshwater fish are born at sea and migrate back into freshwater, or they are partially or completely dependent on freshwater environments. In certain instances, they have the ability to swim across entire continents before returning to their birthstream. "The catastrophic decline in migratory fish populations is a deafening wake-up call for the world. We must act now to save these keystone species and their rivers," said Herman Wanningen, founder of the World Fish Migration Foundation, one of the organisations involved in the study. The loss and degradation of habitat, which includes the division of rivers by dams and other obstacles and the conversion of wetlands for agricultural purposes, pose the greatest threat to migratory fish populations, with overexploitation coming in second. In addition to providing food for millions of people worldwide and supporting a huge network of species and habitats, migratory fish are essential to the cultures of many Indigenous peoples. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that 25% of freshwater fish species face extinction, with migratory fish being disproportionately affected. Previous studies have discovered comparable "catastrophic" decreases. The most recent report's authors demand improved long-term monitoring, the restoration and protection of waterways, and the elimination of impediments to migration. Read Also: The Strange Sense of Direction of Migratory Animal Species Conservation Effort Benefits There is some good news in the report. The number of monitored species has increased by nearly one-third, indicating the potential benefits of conservation efforts and better management. Promising tactics encompass enhanced and/or species-specific fisheries management, habitat restoration, dam removal, establishment of conservation sanctuaries, and legal safeguarding. For instance, thousands of dams, levees, weirs, and other river obstacles have been eliminated in Europe and the US in recent decades, and support for similar acts is growing. Europe eliminated a record 487 barriers in 2023, a staggering 50% more than the previous peak noted in 2022. Meanwhile, along the Klamath River in California and Oregon, the biggest dam reductions in American history are currently taking place. Dam removals can be cost-effective, job-producing solutions that help reverse the worrying trend of biodiversity loss in freshwater systems as well as solutions that increase river health and resilience for people, too In addition to safeguarding and rehabilitating healthy rivers, there is an immediate need to bolster monitoring programs, gain deeper insights into the life-history, migration, and behavior of fish species, broaden international collaboration by including more freshwater migratory fish species in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and encourage increased public and political involvement. Related Article: Migratory Species Almost 50% in Decline, Over 20% Threatened with Extinction Mainly Due to Overexploitation and Habitat Loss [UN Report] For the first time, highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as bird flu, has been identified in alpacas, according to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories of the US Department of Agriculture. The alpacas was founcd to have tested positive on May 16 and they were detected at an Idaho farm. Infection Of Alpacas The previous infection at the farm is one of the reasons why this detection is not unusual, according to the agency. Nonetheless, alpacas-members of the camel family that are native to the Andes and cultivated mostly for their fleece-are the first animals in which the virus has been discovered. Dairy cows are considered as among the over 50 animal species in the US where the H5N1 strain has been found in the recent weeks. The viruses recovered from the alpacas had a gene sequence that indicates a close relationship to the H5N1 viruses that are now plaguing dairy cattle, according to experts. The Alpaca Owners Association has already reported that there are over 264,000 registered alpacas in the United States. For almost twenty years, scientists have been closely monitoring the H5N1 virus and it was found that it has mostly impacted birds throughout that time. But over the last two years, the virus has been affecting a greater range of wild and domesticated species, which has sparked worries that it may be getting closer to becoming a disease that people may contract from one another. Read Also: Bird Flu Outbreak in Seals Causes Urgent Mitigation Efforts to Slow Down the Virus Spread Human Transmission It was discovered that two agricultural workers had avian flu, albeit with very mild symptoms. Over the years, there have been rare reports of human cases all over the world, including three in the US; however, there has been no information about person-to-person transmission in the ongoing US cow outbreak. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated this week that while it still believes there is little risk to the general public, it does anticipate an increase in cases. Even though human cases of avian flu are still uncommon, experts are concerned about the increasing number of mammals contracting the disease. Although there is currently no proof of human-to-human transmission, health experts are concerned that if the virus were to proliferate significantly in the future, it might mutate into a form that could be transmitted between people. Following the discovery of a bird flu case at a big egg farm, the state of Iowa declared that more than 4 million chickens would have to be killed. Following the detection of the disease at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, crews are currently slaughtering around 4.2 million chickens. Almost 1.4 million chickens were also killed when the virus was identified at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. According to the US Department of Agriculture, since the outbreak started in 2022, a total of 92.34 million birds have been killed. Related Article: US Bird Flu Alert: Epidemiologists Warn US is 'Unprepared' for Potential Widespread Outbreak Global charities launch awareness campaign to protect cheetahs in Somalia T wo international conservation charities have joined forces to launch an awareness campaign in Somaliland, northern Somalia, to educate the public about the critical issue of wildlife trafficking, with a specific focus on the cheetahs of the Horn of Africa. The campaign, organised by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and the Wild Africa Fund, is aimed at combating the illegal wildlife pet trade in cheetahs from the Horn of Africa, , Xinhua News Agency reported. The charities highlighted the innovative media strategies employed by the Wild Africa Fund to reduce poaching of African elephants and rhinos, which will now be extended to address the trafficking of cheetahs in the Horn of Africa. "The initiative underscores a significant step towards protecting Somaliland's wildlife and raising global awareness about the devastating impacts of illegal wildlife trade," the CCF said in a statement. The campaign comes amid reports that more than 200 cheetahs have been trafficked into the Middle East annually, out of a regional population of about 400 individuals in the Horn of Africa. The awareness programme, developed in collaboration with Somaliland's two relevant ministries, included interviews with key government officials and influential social media personalities, who pledged to use their platforms to advocate for the conservation of wildlife in Somaliland. The CCF is currently caring for 97 cheetahs rescued from the illegal wildlife pet trade at its Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Center (CRCC) in Geed-Deeble in Somaliland. The world population of cheetah is less than 7,000 individuals, and this regional subspecies has recently been uplisted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to "Endangered." Global charities launch awareness campaign to protect cheetahs in Somalia Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! A Tennessee agency that is supposed to hold accountable and grade the nation's largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly awards full credit on dozens of quality-of-care measurements as long as it reports any value regardless of how its hospitals actually perform. Ballad Health, a 20-hospital system in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, has received A grades and an annual stamp of approval from the Tennessee Department of Health. This has occurred as Ballad hospitals consistently fall short of performance targets established by the state, according to health department documents. Because the state's scoring rubric largely ignores the hospitals' performance, only 5% of Ballad's final score is based on actual quality of care, and Ballad has suffered no penalty for failing to meet the state's goals in about 50 areas including surgery complications, emergency room speed, and patient satisfaction. "It doesn't make any sense," said Ron Allgood, 75, of Kingsport, Tennessee, who said he had a heart attack in a Ballad ER in 2022 after waiting for three hours with chest pains. "It seems that nobody listens to the patients." Ballad Health was created six years ago after Tennessee and Virginia lawmakers waived federal anti-monopoly laws so two competing hospital companies could merge. The monopoly agreement established two quality measures to compare Ballad's care against the state's baseline expectations: about 17 "target" measures, on which hospitals are expected to improve and their performance factors into their grade; and more than 50 "monitoring" measures, which Ballad must report, but how the hospitals perform on them is not factored into Ballad's grade. Ballad has failed to meet the baseline values on 75% or more of all quality measures in recent years and some are not even close according to reports the company has submitted to the health department. Since the merger, Ballad has become the only option for hospital care for most of about 1.1 million residents in a 29-county region at the nexus of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Critics are vocal. Protesters rallied outside a Ballad hospital for months. For years, longtime residents like Allgood have alleged Ballad's leadership has diminished the hospitals they've relied on their entire lives. "It's a shadow of the hospital we used to have," Allgood said. And yet, every year since the merger, the Tennessee health department has reported that the benefits of the hospital merger outweigh the risks of a monopoly, and that Ballad "continues to provide a Public Advantage." Tennessee has also given Ballad an A grade in every year but two, when the scoring system was suspended due to the covid-19 pandemic and no grade issued. The department's latest report, released this month, awarded Ballad 93.6 of 100 possible points, including 15 points just for reporting the monitoring measures. If Tennessee rescored Ballad based on its performance, its score would drop from 93.6 to about 79.7, based on the scoring rubric described in health department documents. Tennessee considers scores of 85 or higher to be "satisfactory," the documents state. Larry Fitzgerald, who monitored Ballad for the Tennessee government before retiring this year, said it was obvious the state's scoring rubric should be changed. Fitzgerald likened Ballad to a student getting 15 free points on a test for writing any answer. "Do I think Ballad should be required to show improvement on those measures? Yes, absolutely," Fitzgerald said. "I think any human being you spoke with would give the same answer." Ballad Health declined to comment. Tennessee Department of Health spokesperson Dean Flener declined an interview request and directed all questions about Ballad to the Tennessee Attorney General's Office, which also has a role in regulating the monopoly. Amy Wilhite, a spokesperson for the AG's office, directed those questions back to the health department and provided documents showing it is the agency responsible for how Ballad is scored. The Virginia Department of Health, which is also supposed to perform "active supervision" of Ballad as part of the monopoly agreement, has fallen several years behind schedule. Its most recent assessment of the company was for fiscal year 2020, when it found that the benefits of the monopoly "outweigh the disadvantages." Erik Bodin, a Virginia official who oversees the agreement, said more recent reports are not yet ready to be released. Ballad Health was formed in 2018 after state officials approved the nation's biggest so-called Certificate of Public Advantage, or COPA, agreement, allowing a merger of the Tri-Cities region's only two hospital systems Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System. Nationwide, COPAs have been used in about 10 hospital mergers over the past three decades, but none has involved as many hospitals as Ballad's. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that hospital monopolies lead to increased prices and decreased quality of care. To offset the perils of Ballad's monopoly, officials required the new company to agree to more robust regulation by state health officials and a long list of special conditions, including the state's quality-of-care measurements. Ballad failed to meet the baseline on about 80% of those quality measures from July 2021 to June 2022, according to a report the company submitted to the health department. The following year, Ballad fell short on about 75% of the quality measures, and some got dramatically worse, another company report shows. For example, the median time Ballad patients spend in the ER before being admitted to the hospital has risen each year and is now nearly 11 hours, according to the latest Ballad report. Thats more than three times what it was when the monopoly began, and more than 2.5 times the state baseline. And yet Ballad's grade is not lowered by the lack of speed in its ERs. Fitzgerald, Tennessee's former Ballad monitor, who previously served as an executive in the University of Virginia Health System, said a hospital company with competitors would have more reason than Ballad to improve its ER speeds. "When I was at UVA, we monitored this stuff passionately because and I think this is the key point here we had competition," Fitzgerald said. "And if we didn't score well, the competition took advantage." Midwest correspondent Samantha Liss contributed to this report. The stalled Chennai port to Maduravoyal elevated expressway project, which was initiated in 2009, began construction in January this year. But, as per recent developments, the construction work has been put to a halt again. According to TOI, the National Highways Authority of Indias (NHAI) Rs 5,885-crore port-expressway corridor is in trouble after the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (TN WRD) directed the central agency to halt ongoing Cooum river work. They also The National Green Tribunal is now reviewing the project, which has already faced a decade of delays. The next hearing is set for July 26.filed complaints in at least four police stations around the city. In addition, a case is underway before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The project came under fire after NHAI began dumping rubble into the Cooum River to create access for its rig machinery. As per studies, if Cooums flow is restricted in this manner, hitherto untouched neighbourhoods in Chennai may also be flooded during the monsoon. On May 28, WRD authorities, led by its chief engineer, met with NHAI officials, requesting a formal commitment from the highway body to restore the river after construction, collaborate in flood response, redress damages and protect public safety. The project has been stopped now. Only after the NHAI provides an undertaking in a bond can the project proceed. They have agreed to give the undertaking in two days, WRD chief engineer S Ashokan told The Times of India. According to Ashokan, NHAI must fund the whole cost of implementing flood response recommendations from Anna Universitys Centre for Water Resources, as well as restore the river to its former width to compensate for the pillars area used. They have agreed to all the conditions, he added. The water resource department also filed police complaints against NHAI at several stations within the 20.9-kilometre corridor jurisdiction. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is currently reviewing the expressway project, which has already been delayed by a decade and the next hearing on this matter is scheduled for July 26. Petrol and Diesel Prices On May 29, 2024: Petrol and diesel prices for Wednesday, May 29, have been released. The daily fuel prices in the country are decided based on international crude oil prices. Because of this, the effect of change in crude oil prices is seen in petrol and diesel prices in the country. Government oil marketing companies release fresh petrol and diesel prices every day at 6 am in the country. Today, there has been no change in the petrol and diesel prices in the countrys capital Delhi and other metros. Companies like Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation of India release the prices of petrol and diesel on their websites. Let us know the new fuel prices. Petrol Diesel Price Today In India (Check city-wise rate list below) Mumbai Petrol & Diesel Price As of May 29, the price of petrol in Mumbai continued to exceed the Rs 100 mark, reaching Rs 104.21 per litre, while diesel was priced at Rs 92.15 per litre. Delhi Diesel Price Today As of May 29, the cost of diesel is priced at Rs 87.62 per litre. Delhi Petrol Price Today As of May 29, the cost of petrol in Delhi is Rs 94.72 per litre. Check city-wise petrol and diesel prices on May 29: In Noida today, petrol is Rs 94.65, while diesel is being sold at Rs 87.75. Today in Agra, petrol is being sold at Rs 94.70, while diesel is being sold at Rs 87.79 per litre. Today in Lucknow, petrol is Rs 94.65, while diesel is Rs 87.76. Today, the petrol price in Ghaziabad is Rs 94.65, while diesel is being sold at Rs 87.75. Today, the petrol price in Muzaffarnagar is Rs 94.63, while the price of diesel is Rs 87.72. Today, the petrol price in Meerut is Rs 94.43, while the price of diesel is Rs 87.49. Today in Dehradun, petrol is priced at Rs 93.48, while diesel is being sold at Rs 88.34 per litre. Today, in Chandigarh, petrol is priced at Rs 94.24, while diesel is being sold at Rs 82.40 per litre. Today, the petrol price in Jodhpur is Rs 104.70, while diesel is being sold at Rs 91.20. Today, the petrol price in Jaipur is Rs 104.88 and diesel is Rs 90.36. Today, the petrol price in Patna is Rs 105.18, while the price of diesel is Rs 92.04. Know the price of petrol and diesel through SMS You can also find out the latest petrol and diesel prices in your city through SMS. If you are a customer of Indian Oil, then you will have to write RSP along with the city code and send it to 9224992249. If you are a customer of BPCL, then you can get information about the new price of petrol and diesel by writing RSP and sending it to 9223112222. Whereas, if you are a customer of HPCL, then you can find out the price of petrol and diesel by writing HP Price and sending it to 9222201122. The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday launched three major initiatives, including a mobile app, to enable retail investors to participate in the government securities (G-Secs) market. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das launched the initiatives, namely the PRAVAAH portal, the Retail Direct Mobile App and a FinTech Repository. PRAVAAH Portal The central bank launched the PRAVAAH portal for any individual or entity to apply online for various regulatory approvals in a seamless manner. PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation and Authorisation) portal is a secure and centralised web-based portal for any individual or entity to seek authorisation, license, or regulatory approval on any reference made by it to the Reserve Bank. Sharing features of the portal, the RBI statement said, 60 application forms covering different regulatory and supervisory departments can be submitted online. On the portal, an entity can track/monitor the status as well as RBI can send a decision related to a specified application in a time-bound manner. More application forms would be made available as may be required, it said. Mobile Application for RBI Retail Direct portal The retail direct portal was launched in November 2021 to facilitate retail investors to open their Retail Direct Gilt accounts with the Reserve Bank of India under the Retail Direct Scheme. The scheme allows retail investors to buy G-Secs in the primary auctions as well as buy and sell G-Secs in the secondary market. With the launch of the retail direct mobile app, retail investors can now transact in G-Secs using the mobile app on their smartphones. The mobile app can be downloaded from the Play Store for Android users and App Store for iOS users. Fintech Repository The third initiative Fintech Repository, will be a data storehouse of Indian FinTech firms for a better understanding of the sector from a regulatory perspective and facilitate in designing appropriate policy approaches. The FinTech Repository aims to capture essential information about FinTech entities, their activities, technology uses, etc. FinTechs, both regulated and unregulated, are encouraged to contribute to the repository. Simultaneously, a related repository for only RBI-regulated entities (banks and NBFCs) on their adoption of emerging technologies (like AI, ML, Cloud Computing, DLT, Quantum, etc.), called EmTech Repository, is also being launched. The FinTech and EmTech Repositories are secure web-based applications and are managed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of RBI. The repository would enable the availability of aggregate sectoral-level data, trends, analytics, etc., that would be useful for both policymakers and participating industry members. Reserve Bank of India encourages the FinTechs and Regulated Entities to actively contribute to the repositories, it said. Government schools are open in Bihar amidst the scorching sun and the havoc of heat waves. Children are in bad condition amid the scorching heat in Bihar. The temperature in most of the cities of Bihar has crossed 45 degrees while it has reached 48 degrees Celsius in the Aurangabad district. Schools were closed in Bihar due to extreme heat and have reopened after 10 days. As many as seven students fainted due to the heatwave at a school in Sheikhpura. However, as school started, some of the girl students in school fell unconscious during morning prayer. Agitated parents have now demanded the closure of schools once again. The incident happened at a school located in Mankaul village of Ariyari block. Two female students have been taken to Sadar Hospital and are in critical condition. On hearing about the incident, the parents of the children reached the school and pleaded with the school to remain closed. Furthermore, it is alleged that there is no exit fan inside the school room, due to which the heat increased in the whole room and it was filled with gas and thus the condition of the students deteriorated. #WATCH | Bihar: Several students fainted due to heatwave conditions at a school in Sheikhpura. The students were later admitted to a hospital. pic.twitter.com/Mv9Eg3taCJ ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2024 Meanwhile, about 60 female students have fainted due to the scorching heat in government schools in different districts of Bihar. The children demanded the government install AC. Fans are running in the classrooms of the school but the children are not able to study and are seen using books and copies as fans, reported News18 Hindi. The children are demanding from KK Pathak that it is not possible to study in such heat, so either install AC or close the school. Due to the scorching heat, the health of 6 female students has deteriorated in the Barh area of Patna district. The treatment of the girls is going on. In Begusarai also, more than a dozen students suddenly fainted amidst the rising heat. In the unconscious state, the students were picked up from the place and admitted to Matihani PHC for treatment where all the students are undergoing treatment. This entire incident is of Matihani Madhya Vidyalaya of Matihani police station area. After falling unconscious, the school teachers hurriedly admitted the students to Matihani PSC for treatment. The whole of Bihar including Gaya is in the grip of heat waves these days. The scorching heat in Bihar has broken the record of 12 years this time. The highest temperature has been recorded in Gaya, Aurangabad, and Arwal districts. The highest temperature was seen in the Aurangabad district of Bihar, where the temperature reached close to 48 degrees, while the temperature in Arwal reached 46.9 and in Gaya, it reached 46.8 degrees. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. There is great news for all those waiting for a teacher recruitment announcement in Chhattisgarh. The recruitment process for 33,000 teachers will soon begin in the state. The State Education Minister Brijmohan Agarwal said that the notification for the recruitment of teachers will be issued once the code of conduct is lifted. The minister also said that the department officials have received instructions for the recruitment of teachers. According to the Education Minister in February, out of the more than 33,000 vacancies for teachers, 2,524 posts are for lecturers, 8,194 posts for teachers and more than 22,000 posts for assistant teachers. At that time, he had said that the recruitment notification would be issued before the elections. However, this did not happen. Now, after the elections, there will be a flood of jobs for the educated unemployed of Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh Professional Examination Board (Vyapam) has issued a job advertisement for 12,489 vacancies of Lecturers, Teachers and Assistant Teachers. Applications for the same have been invited since May 6. The last date for application is June 6, 2024. Graduates, Post Graduates, B.Ed. and D.Ed. graduates, female and male candidates can apply for these posts. Besides, the Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC) is set to recruit 4,108 assistant professor positions. Interviews are about to start for the recruitment at the 13 state universities. It is expected that after this recruitment, the shortage of teachers in the universities of the state will be removed to a great extent. As soon as the Patna High Court gives the go-ahead for reinstatement, the Commission announces the date of the interview. According to the official information, the interview for recruitment will start on May 24. Through this, candidates from different subjects will be interviewed for a total of 4,108 vacancies, out of which 755 are backlog vacancies. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. Delhi University has started the admission process for the 2024-25 academic session for undergraduate courses. This years academic session is expected to begin in August 2024. While there are no major changes in the admission policy this year, the university has introduced reservations for single girl children in all courses as part of the supernumerary seats for the first time, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said in a media report. Delhi University officials on Tuesday announced that they will introduce the quota for single girl children in various courses under its supernumerary category. Under this quota, one seat in each course in all colleges will be given to a single girl child based on merit. This quota refers to the seats created in addition to the seats already sanctioned for a college. Last year, DU introduced a supernumerary category to allow admission to orphans; one male and one female child in each course in each college. The university has launched the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) for admission to undergraduate courses in 69 colleges and various departments with 71,000 seats on offer. According to authorities, 5,911 applications were received on the CSAS website within three hours of the launch, reported PTI. The admission process will be in two phases. The first phase of the admission process will be simple. Students will have to provide their personal details and Class 12 marks along with the CUET registration number while registering. In the second phase, seats will be allotted after the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) results are declared. Applicants from unreserved classes, other backward classes, and economically weaker sections will have to pay an application fee of Rs 250. Applicants belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or Persons with Disabilities will have to pay a fee of Rs 100. For applicants who do not register in CSAS, there is an option of interim entry for which a fee of Rs 1,000 is payable and such applicants cannot claim seats allotted to another applicant who applied in the first phase. The university will start admitting applicants for the School of Open Learning (SOL) next month and the portal for registration will be operational from June 3 the Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB) admission process began on Tuesday. Admission to the undergraduate courses under SOL and NCWEB will be done solely based on marks in Class 12. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. The BJP has hit upon a new campaigning slogan for Bengal which was seen widely in the vibrant roadshow led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Kolkatas Shyambazar Five Point Crossing on Tuesday Bangalir Mone Modi or Modi Is In the Heart of Bengalis. The slogan is seen as an effort on the part of the BJP to establish an emotional bond between PM Modi and Bengalis, countering the TMCs campaign of painting the BJP and the Prime MInister as outsiders to Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly elections, too, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee repeatedly referred to the BJP as bahari (outsider) party, while portraying herself as Bangla Nijer Meyeke Chae (Bengal Wants Its Own Daughter). Attempting to counter the TMC narrative, the BJP infused a lot of Bengali sentiments and symbols into PM Modis campaign in the state for Lok Sabha elections. The PM himself used more Bengali phrases in his speech than before and it seems to have struck a chord with the people, the party said. This time, Modi ji did many public meetings in Bengal and, in each one, we saw a huge number of Bengalis greeting him in different ways. We realised that Modi ji has got this space in the heart of Bangalis. That is why we came up with this slogan which is already a big hit. Modi is in peoples heart, BJP state president Sukanto Majumdar told News18. Political observers say the BJP has a stronger touch of Bangaliana (culture of Bengalis) in its campaign this time. The new slogan is a major part of that outreach ahead of the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in Kolkata, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas, the areas more commonly associated with Bangaliana. The PMs roadshow on Tuesday in support of BJP candidate Tapas Roy started from Shyambazar Five Point Crossing and culminated at Simla Street, known for the ancestral residence of Swami Vivekananda. Modi stood atop a decorated vehicle, resplendent in saffron hues and adorned with flowers, images of the PM and BJPs election symbol, the lotus. As the convoy made its way through the bustling streets, Modi waved at the crowd, which gathered on both sides of the street. Women supporters, dressed in saffron saris, also participated in the colourful procession. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website The Congress alleged on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to circumvent the silence period restrictions with his 48-hour meditation trip in Kanyakumari from May 30 and urged the Election Commission to ensure it is not aired by the media as it violates the model code of conduct. A delegation of Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Abhishek Singhvi and c met the Election Commission and handed over a memorandum in this regard along with 27 other complaints of alleged model code violations by the BJP in the last few days. The Congress claimed that the meditation programme by the prime minister in Kanyakumaris Dhyan Mandapam was a clear violation of the silence period ahead of the June 1 voting in Modis Varanasi constituency and other seats. It was also in breach of the Model Code of Conduct and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the opposition party claimed. It said that on May 28, several news agencies reported on the trip that Narendra Modi would be taking to Kanyakumari, where he would undertake 48 hours of meditation starting on May 30. The said trip would be widely televised and would therefore be shown during the 48-hour silence period in Varanasi, the constituency from which Shri Narendra Modi is contesting, the Congress memorandum to the EC said. Through the meditation trip, Shri Narendra Modi is attempting to circumvent the 48-hour silence period and unfairly leverage the ethnocultural significance of the chosen location in an attempt to bolster his campaign and maximise his vote share in violation of the Representation of the People Act, as well as Model Code of Conduct, the party also said. It was also against the orders related to Dos and Donts during the election period that political parties and their candidates are required to adhere to, the memorandum said. The PM will start his meditation on the evening of May 30 and we have complained about that. We all know that the silence period will begin on May 30 and thus his declaration is a violation of the MCC. The PM can start his meditation after 24-48 hours, which is from the evening of June 1. Otherwise, if he wants to meditate from May 30, then the ECI should ensure that this is not broadcast by the TV or print media, Singhvi told reporters after the delegation met CEC Rajiv Kumar and other ECs. We hope that the ECI will take immediate steps to ensure that the live telecast of the meditation of the sarva-ghoshit Bhagwan (self-styled god) at the Vivekananda Memorial does not take place since this is a brazen and clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign on May 30, BJP leaders had said. He will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about Bharat Mata, BJP leaders said. The Congress leaders also complained against the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for granting a waiver to Renewable Energy Plants located in SEZs and EOUs from complying with the mandatory guidelines prescribed for onshore wind power projects. Such a waiver possesses significant potential to skew the level playing field in the ongoing elections, the party said. The Congress also complained of alleged model code violations by the prime minister and other BJP leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The opposition party alleged that the statements by the PM at a poll rally in Patiala, Punjab, were violative of MCC as he made several allegations about the Congress in order to weaken the image of the opposition party. He also levelled baseless allegations about the INC being responsible for the Partition and that INC was opposed to granting of citizenship to members of the Sikh community under CAA 2019 in an attempt to outrage, mislead and unduly influence the electorate to refrain from voting for the INC, it alleged. The Congress also accused Himanta Biswa Sarma of making explicit appeals to vote on the basis of religion, while falsely portraying the INC as communal, biased, and as a political party which does not adhere to the Constitution in letter or spirit. The opposition party also alleged that Home Minister Shah, during his election speech at Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, reiterated the narrative of the BJP and its allies being Ram Bhakts (devotees of Lord Ram), simultaneously claiming that the INC and its allies were Ram Bhakton par Goli Chalane Waale (those who open fire on devotees of Lord Ram. Amit Shah made other statements which prejudicially referred to members of a particular religious minority as ghuspathiye (infiltrators), the Congress said. It alleged that the BJP leader reiterated baseless claims about the INC taking away reservations from members of the SC, ST and OBC communities with the intention to give it to members of a particular religious community for securing its vote bank. The Congress also accused the BJP of misusing the state machinery in Uttar Pradesh by deploying state government buses to transport supporters to the venue of a poll event. Such use of governmental resources by the party in power violates provisions of the model code as well as the doctrine of level playing field, the opposition party alleged. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website An Artificial Intelligence-generated phone conversation between AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee is being shared on social media as a real conversation between the two. In the viral clip, Maliwal can be heard explaining to Rathee how she was assaulted in front of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita Kejriwal, and also requesting Rathee not to make a video on it. The two then goes on to discuss whether Rathees payments were coming in time. BOOM consulted with two different AI detection tools Itisaar and Contrails with both confirming to us the audio going viral has been generated using AI, and is not a genuine conversation between Maliwal and Rathee. On May 13, Maliwal, in a complaint to Delhi Police, alleged that she was attacked by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals aide, Bibhav Kumar, inside the CMs residence. Kumar has denied the allegation and written to the Delhi Police for registering an FIR on his complaint too. The Delhi police arrested Kumar on May 18, 2024, and he currently remains in police custody. Following this, YouTube Dhruv Rathee made a video on the incident, and alleged that Maliwals complaint was spurious. The viral audio recording is being shared in this backdrop. A user on X shared the AI-generated audio with a Hindi caption, which translates to English as, Delhi. Video of Swati Maliwal and Dhruv Rathi goes viral. Swati Maliwal asked Dhruv Rathee not to make the video on your request. The beating happened at the behest of Kejriwal and Sunita. Dhruv makes videos on the agenda of the opposition. Click here to view an archive of the tweet. The same claim was also shared on Facebook, and can be viewed here. Fact Check BOOM listened to the audio closely, and found a few discrepancies that suggested at the possibility of it being synthetic in nature. At the 0:09 mark, where Maliwals voice can be heard saying that she was hit in the presence of both Arvind and Sunita Kejriwal, there is a jump-cut with her voices being overlaid on top of each other. Taking cue from this, we ran the audio clip through deepfake detection tool Itisaar, created by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. The results from the tool suggested with a very high confidence that the audio was a deepfake. BOOM also sent the audio clip to deepfake researchers at Contrails, who further confirmed to us that the viral phone call is an AI audio spoof, and added that, Both speakers have clear patterns of AI voice cloning. (This story was originally published by BOOM, and republished by News18 as part of the Shakti Collective) Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. It comprises the following assembly segments: Jakhanian (SBSP), Saidpur (SP), Ghazipur Sadar (SP), Jangipur (SP) and Zamania (SP). Voting for Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat will take place in the final phase of polls on June 1 while the counting of votes will take place on June 4. Current MP: Afzal Ansari (BSP) Top Contenders: Afzal Ansari (SP), Paras Nath Rai (BJP), Umesh Singh (BSP) Political Dynamics Samajwadi Party in the Lead, Thanks to Caste In 2019, the SP and BSP were contesting the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh as part of an alliance. Now, the BSP is out of the picture, and has been replaced by the Congress. Not only is the BSP out of the picture, but its sitting MP, Afzal Ansari is now contesting the election from Ghazipur on a Samajwadi ticket. In 2019, Afzal Ansari defeated senior BJP leader and incumbent MP Manoj Sinha by over 1.19 lakh votes. The Muslim-Yadav-Dalit combine made for an easy contest as far as Afzal Ansari was concerned. Five years since, not much has changed on the ground in terms of caste arithmetic, which remains tough for the BJP to crack. Yadavs, the largest voting bloc here and numbering close to 4 lakhs are a dedicated vote bank for the Samajwadi Party. Add to that, there are about 2 lakh Muslims here. This alone provides the SP with a solid support base of close to 6 lakh voters. Besides, Afzal Ansari is a big leader, and it would not be an overstatement to call him a strongman of sorts. He also happens to be the brother of gangster Mukhtar Ansari, who died recently. While he has the entire SP machinery here working overtime to canvass votes, there is also chatter of the BSP cadre working in his favour. This, despite Mayawati fielding Umesh Singh from Ghazipur on a BSP ticket. The Samajwadi Party is also expected to get a considerable chunk of the youth vote, since this demographic is dissatisfied with the Modi governments performance on the job front and the inability of BJP governments at both the Centre and State to prevent repeated exam paper leaks. Not only is the SP relying on the Muslim-Yadav vote bank, whose support it is assured of, but is also trying to make inroads among the Dalits. There are approximately 3.8 lakh Dalit voters in this constituency. The fight is also on for getting considerable votes from the Binds, Bhumihars, Rajputs and other smaller castes and communities. Overall, this paints a rosy picture for the Samajwadi Party. The SP is also expected to gain owing to a sense of fatigue setting in among voters. There are several local issues, which although were not very palpable in 2019, are now beginning to emerge on the horizon. There is pent up disappointment against the local administration and anger over the lack of proper services for the people. Although this anger is not directed at either Modi or Yogi, the BJP can expect a degree of negative impact. This is because there is no clear distinction between the administration per se, and the government. There is a degree of uncertainty as well. In 2019, the SP and BSP had proved to be a formidable alliance here in Ghazipur. This time, the Congress is fighting the election alongside the Samajwadi Party. However, Congress does not have much presence or influence here. As such, Afzal Ansari has quite a task on is hands, and is expected to harness all his influence to win the election. Meanwhile, Afzal Ansaris candidature itself hangs in the balance. Ansari faces a four-year sentence for his involvement in gangster activities. Hearing for the same is ongoing in the Allahabad High Court, and the Supreme Court has stipulated that the HC decides on the stay application of Ansari by June 30. Chances are that the High Courts verdict could come before polling takes place, which would essentially spill water over Ansaris prospects if the stay were not granted. BJP No Lightweight Either The Samajwadi Party may have the lead, but that in no way means that the BJP can written off as a serious contender in Ghazipur. The elections of 2014 and 2019 have shown that the saffron party has a dedicated support base of about 4 lakh voters here. In 2014, the BJP got 3.06 lakh seats and won, while in 2019, despite getting 4.46 lakh votes, lost out to the SP-BSP alliance. If the SP is relying on the Yadav-Muslim combine, the BJP is hopeful that the other castes Binds, Bhumihars, Rajputs, Baniyas, among others will support its candidate Paras Nath Rai. Speaking of the BJPs candidate, Paras Nath Rai is not a well-known face in Ghazipur, and in many ways, has ventured into untested waters. In 2019, a leader of Manoj Sinhas stature was defeated by Afzal Ansari. Suffice to say, the fight is extremely tough for Paras Rai as well. The BJP, as has become its custom now, is relying disproportionately on the Modi and Yogi factor. What could work in the BJPs benefit is that Ghazipur has seen significant developmental activities since 2014. New infrastructure and institutions have come up, and development is visible to the people of this constituency. Many voters say that those who deliver development will get their support. Despite the INDI alliance localising the election in Ghazipur, the voters have not forgotten the work which has been done by the Modi and Yogi governments so far. Besides, there is no anger against either PM Modi or CM Yogi. The BJPs biggest drawback is that it has no local leaders worth their name who can canvass votes or bring their own support bases to the BJPs consolidated kitty. Also, the saffron party does not have a single MLA among the assembly segments of Ghazipur. This, at a time when the Samajwadi Partys MLAs are actively campaigning for Afzal Ansari. The momentum of the BJP campaign is expected to pick pace after PM Modi addresses a rally in Ghazipur on 25th May. There could be a considerable consolidation of votes in favour of the BJP. However, PM Modi had also campaigned here in 2019, and the BJP ultimately lost the seat to Afzal Ansari. The defining feature of the election in Ghazipur could well be the labhaartis and women. Ground inputs suggest that there are a significant number of beneficiaries of Modi governments biggest flagship schemes, many of whom are expected to vote for the BJP. Besides, a larger trend being seen in UP is that of women voters favouring the BJP overwhelmingly. Together, these two blocs of voters could help the BJPs break SPs caste advantage. Key Issues Paper Leak There are not many options for employment in Ghazipur and people depend on government services for their employment. However, issues of paper leak in the UPPSC have angered the people. Students are incensed and are calling for a retake of the RO and ARO exams that was held on February 11th. The controversy erupted in an exam centre at SMN Inter College in the Muhammadabad area of Ghazipur. Students protested against the examination centre as papers with their seals broken were brought to the examination hall. Students have also alleged that there were no invigilators present even after the exams started raising suspicion. The issue spread like wildfire across the state and has turned into a major election campaign for the opposition. Unemployment and Emigration Unemployment is a major issue in Ghazipur, the region is bereft of big industries, and even those that do exist have failed to cater to the rising employment needs of the population. Agriculture in the region is peppered with several issues which does not make it desirable for the youth who are aiming for a better standard of living for themselves. As a result, people move out towards urban centres in the state or towards Maharashtra and Gujarat to seek better employment opportunities. Civic Infrastructure The civic infrastructure in the region is under distress. While road upgradation has taken place in the urban centres there is a lack of all-weather roads in the rural areas, making intra-connectivity a major issue. Moreover, inadequate sewage infrastructure, streetlights, congestion and encroachment in the urban centre are major issues for the residents. Health Infrastructure While health infrastructure is available in Ghazipur, its management has let the people down. Despite having a medical college in the region, healthcare centres are often being run without the presence of a doctor or sometimes even a nurse. There is a major shortage of doctors and even with advanced equipment patients are referred to other hospitals which causes major inconvenience to the people. Moreover, there is a in issue of doctors giving more time to their private practice which overlaps on their time that they have to spend at the public health clinics. Educational Infrastructure There are many colleges in Ghazipur providing higher education, but none are up to standard. Students have complained about the regular absence of professors. Classes are not taken on time and students have rued about the lack of infrastructure at colleges. As a result, many students pursuing higher education move to Delhi, Varanasi, Allahabad or Kanpur for better educational institutes in these regions. Welfare Schemes Welfare schemes will play a big role in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. There is widespread implementation of PM Awas Yojana and the CM Samuhik Vivah Yojana. In January this year it was reported those who had applied for the mass marriage scheme will be able to avail it on January 31st. This has come as a massive relief for poor and needy parents of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, Minority Category and General Category. 211 couples tied the knot at the event. Infrastructure Development Medical College In 2021, PM Modi inaugurated 9 medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh. These colleges were constructed at a cost of Rs. 2329 Crore. The medical college in Ghazipur was named after Maharishi Vishwamitra. Purvanchal Expressway It is a 341 km long expressway which will pass through 9 districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur. Purvanchal Expressway will start from Chandsarai village on Lucknow Sultanpur Highway and end at Haldaria village in Ghazipur district. It is being built at a cost of Rs. 22,494 Crore. Railway Infrastructure The provision of passenger amenities at various stations, augmentation and upgradation of stations like Ghazipur City, Sadat, Dullahapur, Syedpur, and Aunrihar, the provision of a train display board, GPS based digital clock and auto announcement system at Mahpur and Nardganj stations, and the construction of various foot over bridges at different stations. The constituency also saw ongoing works such as the provision of FOB at Sadat and station approach road on the other side of Dullahapur station, raising and extension of platform no. 1 at Ankushpur and Taroon station, improvement of platform no. 1 & 2 and provision of a lift at Ghazipur City, augmentation and upgradation of Ghazipur City, improvement of platform surface and provision of lean-to-shed with benches at various stations, extension of existing FOB at Zamania station, doubling of Aunrihar-Jaunpur and Ballia-Ghazipur City, and the construction of various ROB/RUBs in lieu of level crossings. Amrit Bharat Ghazipur City station is set for a makeover as it is selected in the centres Amrit Bharat scheme which aims to develop railway stations on par with airports, improve passenger amenities and develop them into high volume cargo centres. Ghazipur-Manjhi Ghat Greenfield Expressway Project The project involves development of 118 km long greenfield expressway connecting Ghazipur and Manjhi Ghat bridge and construction of two-lane bridge adjacent to Jaiprabha Setu at Manjhi Ghat on the National Highway (NH)-31 in the state of Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 million. Voter Demographics Total Voters: 1867712 SC: 382,881 (20.5%) ST: 13,074 (0.7%) Geographical Composition Urban Voters: 1,707,089 (91.4%) Rural Voters: 160,623 (8.6%) Religious Composition Hindu: 89.4% Muslim: 10.17% Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website At a sleepy cafe, Kasahara, in Shantiniketan, a bunch of young students share their mixed feelings. Proud of being Bengalis, many moan the fact that they may be forced to leave their state for job opportunities. We see many from our age group working at Google, Amazon and other MNCs. We wish we had the chance, they say. Not that West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is unaware of this. In fact, she has been pushing for investor summits, inviting and getting bids for investment. But is Bengal an ideal business investment attraction? ALSO READ | Bangalir Mone Modi: Decoding BJPs Crowning Pitch for Lok Sabha Elections in Bengal In an exclusive interaction with News18, PM Narendra Modi listed his dream for development of Bengal saying: Bengal has given leadership to the country. The state used to drive the nations economy. It had the heritage and the talent. But investors ran away as first the Communists scared them away. Now, the TMC is following the same path. They are turning investors away. Uttar Pradesh is getting investment because their law and order and bureaucracy are good. The government has to change the attitude here in Bengal. Give me five years and I will change Bengal. In this interview with @CNNnews18s @_pallavighosh, I speak about the corruption, bullying and misgovernance of TMC. Have also highlighted what we will do for the people of West Bengal. https://t.co/xivBAAYjgt Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2024 In fact, the PM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have linked the lack of development in Bengal despite investment summits and Banerjees promise of bringing big business ventures, including foreign investment, to the law and order issue and corruption. PM told News18: Thats why I stress on women safety. If the women are safe and law and order is good, people will invest in Bengal. The BJP has linked it to the Sandeshkhali issue, where TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh is facing allegations of land grab and sexual assault of women. The party says with the state and TMC shielding people like Sheikh, allowing them to go scot-free, women, who are more than 50% voters, feel intimidated. In such a scenario, how can Bengal develop, they ask. The BJP is counting on the fact that the voting pattern in the state and Lok Sabha polls is different. While the TMC may have swept the assembly polls, in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, under the PM and his development pitch, could spring a surprise with a good performance like 2019. Behind the Bangla Moner Modi (Modi in the mind of Bengal) slogan is the pitch for development. Hoshiarpur is one of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab. It comprises the following assembly segments: Sri Hargobindpur (AAP), Bholath (Congress), Phagwara (Congress), Mukerian (BJP), Dasuya (AAP), Urmar (AAP), Sham Chaurasi (AAP), Hoshiarpur (AAP) and Chabbewal (vacant). The constituency will vote in phase seven on June 1. Sitting MP: Som Parkash (BJP) Key Candidates: Anita Som Parkash (BJP), Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal (AAP), Yamini Gomar (Congress) POLITICAL DYNAMICS BJP Eyes a Hat-trick: The BJP has held Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency since 2014, as its candidates rode the Modi wave to secure wins here. In 2019, sitting MP Som Parkash won the seat by a margin of over 48,000 votes. This time, the saffron party has fielded his wife, Anita Som Parkash, who is squaring off against the Congress and AAP in a triangular contest. Som Parkash has been dropped by the BJP amid anger against him across the constituency for vanishing after winning the 2019 election and not taking any initiative to interact with his constituents, address their issues or maintain a healthy relationship with them. It remains to be seen whether his wife can win the seat despite the anger against her husband. On the campaign trail, she is being confronted by voters who probe her as to why Som Parkash has been invisible from the ground since 2019. The BJP candidate is also facing protests from farmer groups, especially in rural areas of the constituency. The BJPs house is not in order here in Hoshiarpur. Former BJP MP Vijay Sampla, who had openly conveyed displeasure over being denied a ticket this time, and former Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna are not campaigning for her. Anita Som Parkash is highlighting Hoshiarpurs potential as a tourism hub and the need for infrastructure development to address issues such as wildlife management, farmers issues and unemployment, besides turning her focus on education. When campaigning in Hindu-majority areas, she also raises issues such as the abrogation of Article 370 from Kashmir and the realisation of the Ram Mandir dream at Ayodhya. Hoshiarpur is a Hindu-majority constituency. Hindus comprise 58.9% of the population, while Sikhs form 38.8% of the electorate. The seat also has 34.3% Scheduled Caste (SC) voters. The saffron party is banking entirely on the Hindu voter in this election, especially after its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has fallen apart. The demography of the constituency is giving the BJP an edge, as the voters opposed to it get split between the Congress and AAP. A BJP victory will only be possible if there is a significant Hindu vote consolidation in its favour. Ground inputs suggest that the BJP has been able to achieve the same to an extent, but PM Modis campaign here will be crucial in closing the circuit and solidifying the partys chances. AAP A Victim of Anti-Incumbency: Since 2019, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as a force to reckon with across Punjab, a lot has changed on the ground. For starters, significant anti-incumbency has crept in against the state government led by CM Bhagwant Mann. There is considerable anger among a vast section of the electorate, especially women and those living in rural areas. Many feel that the state of civic infrastructure and law and order has only deteriorated under the AAP governments watch. Voters are looking for an alternative. In Hoshiarpur, the AAP has parachute-dropped a former Congress leader to take on the BJP and Grand Old Party. In March, senior Congress leader and MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal joined the AAP, after which he was fielded from Hosiharpur. Chabbewal is banking on the Mann-led states governments policies, including 300 units of free electricity to each household, to woo voters. He has also been taking on the BJP for its divisive politics, while making development one of his primary poll planks. The AAP is also optimistic because Chabbewal had polled 3,72,790 (37.59%) votes in the previous elections, which is only 4.9% less than BJPs incumbent Som Parkash. However, that was on a Congress ticket. Moreover, there is no guarantee that those who voted for either the Congress or AAP will support these parties again, given the polarisation among Hindus in favour of the BJP. Several AAP workers and local leaders are also irked by the fact that the party has fielded a Congressman from Hoshiarpur instead of picking a candidate from its own ranks. Congress in Decline: The Congress has a serious problem at hand. Its candidate, Yamini Gomar, is not a political heavyweight and does not have the kind of ground-connect required to win parliamentary elections. Ground inputs suggest not many even know about the Congress candidate in Hoshiarpur, in what promises to be the biggest challenge for the Grand Old Party here. She is also combatting lack of resources and organisational manpower. As such, she is hopeful of support from die-hard Congress voters who vote for the party irrespective of the candidate. During her campaign meetings, she speaks of the need for more industries and infrastructure to address the problem of unemployment. She interacts with women voters and tells them that Congress is committed to gender equality and women emancipation. In fact, gender equality and political representation for women have emerged as big poll planks for the Congress candidate. Gomar points out that during the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections, the AAP had promised to transfer Rs 1,000 per month into the account of every woman aged 18 or above, if voted to power. Now that is has failed to fulfil that promise, Gomar is attacking the Mann-led government. Gomar also questions the AAPs commitment to gender equality, highlighting the absence of a woman candidate in all 13 Lok Sabha seat nominees announced by the party. The Congresss prospects do not look very promising. In a three-way fight in which the anti-BJP vote splits while the pro-saffron support base widens, the BJP has an advantage. KEY ISSUES Unemployment and migration: There has been no progress on the industrial front in Hoshiarpur over the past 10 years. As a result, unemployment in the region has increased and people are visibly disappointed. Agriculture remains the biggest source of employment in the region, but due to issues faced by the farmers, is not appealing to the youth. This has led to migration which affects a number of households in the region as people, especially the youth look towards Delhi, Gurgaon and other urban centres for better employment opportunities. Farmer Issues: The demand for increase in MSP and losses faced by farmers due to crop loss are among the major issues. According to reports, farmers in parts of Mukerian in Hoshiarpur faced substantial losses due to floods in July last year. Such scenarios lead to major financial losses for farmers and increases their debt burden. In addition, the rising prices of fuel, electricity, fertilisers and pesticides has also increased the cost of production which eats into the farmers profits. Farmers have been demanding a rise in MSP for over a year, and in May this year protested against the BJP candidate asking him why a law on MSP has not been passed by the Centre. Drinking Water: According to reports, drinking water has become a major issue in Hoshiarpur district with reports in 2022 showcasing cancerous levels of selenium in the groundwater in almost half of the district. High concentration of selenium poses a serious threat to human health, crops and animals. In addition, many rural areas still do not have access to piped water and as a result residents travel for kilometres to fetch usable water for drinking and other daily uses. Agniveer: The Agnipath scheme, which limits Army recruitment to a four-year tenure, has sparked significant discontent in Hoshiarpur and Punjab. The scheme has been met with opposition from unemployed youth, who traditionally saw the Army as a major employment opportunity. The Congress has capitalised on this sentiment, integrating it into their election campaign as a strategy to challenge the BJPs hold on the state. Lack of Civic Amenities: Overall, there is a general lack of civic amenities in the region. Rural areas face dilapidated hospital and education infrastructure. Lack of better roads exacerbate these issues. There is also an issue of a shortage of doctors in the rural health centres, with some running without a doctor. Roads: Ground reports from the region paint a deplorable condition of roads in the region. Roads in the city are peppered with potholes and have been bereft of any maintenance for years. Rural areas are no better as people have complained about the lack of all-weather roads which hampers intra-regional connectivity. The demand for better roads has been raised time and again, to no avail. DEMOGRAPHICS Total Voters: 15,79,618 SC: 526,013 (33.3%) Geographical Composition Urban Voters: 1,219,465 (77.2%) Rural Voters: 360,153 (22.8%) Religious Composition Hindu: 56.6% Sikh: 39.84% Muslim: 1.39% Christian: 1.64% Infrastructural Development Upgradation of Mahilpur-Jaijon and Mahilpur-Phagwara road projects: These projects are underway. They were announced by the PWD Minister in August last year. The cost of construction is Rs 250 million. Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur-Chintpurni road: The 39-km-long road will help pilgrims travelling to places like Mata Jawala ji, Mata Chamunda Devi ji, Mata Chintapurni ji and other temples in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. The state government had sanctioned Rs 13.74 crore for it. Phagwara-Hoshiarpur Connectivity Upgrade: A new four-lane highway, including bypasses around Phagwara and Hoshiarpur, was announced this year. This will provide a higher speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour between the two towns, reducing travel time to 30 minutes from the current one hour. The new road will improve connectivity and potentially reduce traffic congestion in urban areas. Amrit Bharat: Hoshiarpur station has been selected by the Centre as part of its Amrit Bharat station scheme. It will lead to an overall modernisation of the passenger facilities in the station and help transform it into a logistical hub. Railway Infrastructure: Key upgrades include providing toilets at Phagwara and Hoshiarpur railway stations, improving the water supply network in Mukerian, constructing limited height subways at unmanned level crossings and installing steel benches at waiting areas. A water facility was also developed for trains and a water tank constructed to improve water supply. At Nasrala station, the platform level was raised, a new goods was shed constructed, and the platform was raised at a cost of Rs 82 lakh. With inputs from Amirk Kumar West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Trinamool Congress will complain to the Election Commission if Prime Minister Narendra Modis meditation in Kanyakumari is televised, claiming that it would be a violation of the election Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Modi is scheduled to meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, in Kanyakumari following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign on May 30, according to BJP leaders. We will complain. He can meditate, but it cannot be aired on television, she said, claiming that this will amount to violation of the MCC. Does anyone have to get cameras for doing meditation? she asked, claiming that it was a way of canvassing during the silence period between the end of campaign and the poll date. According to BJP leaders, Modi will meditate from May 30 evening to June 1 evening at Dhyana Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about Bharat Mata. Speaking at an election meeting on the same ground where the PM held a rally on Tuesday in favour of Jadavpur constituencys BJP candidate, the Trinamool Congress chief claimed that Modi goes into meditation for 48 hours before the final phase of polling in every election. The Prime Minister had undertaken a similar meditation exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 election campaign. If they (BJP) return to power this time, there wont be any political party, elections, independence, religion, humanity or culture, she said. The TMC supremo sought to dismiss Modis claim that the BJP will achieve the best results in Bengal this election, asserting, This means they have lost; they will get rosogolla (zero) in Bengal. She said the TMC will support the opposition INDIA alliance in forming a government in Delhi and urged the people not to vote for the CPI(M) or Congress in Bengal. That will help the BJP, she said, in the campaign meeting at Baruipur before the seventh phase election to nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. Had I not come out of the Congress and formed the Trinamool Congress, then even today we would not have been able to defeat the CPI(M) in Bengal, she said. Asserting that she fought against the CPI(M) for 34 years to oust its government from Bengal, she said, If we could achieve that, we can also defeat the BJP, and we will do it. Banerjee alleged that the CPI(M) and BJP have entered into a tacit understanding in some constituencies for the ongoing polls. Explaining that she decided to hold this campaign meeting here to respond to the comments made by Modi on Tuesday at the same location, Banerjee emphasised that people of all castes and creed were her brothers and sisters. I will not accept the judgment on OBC reservation, she said, reiterating her stand over a Calcutta High Court order striking down the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted from 2010, finding that such reservations to vacancies in services and posts in the state were not in consonance with the provisions of law. She claimed that people of all religions will be affected by the judgment. Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of appeasement politics, Modi, addressing a poll meeting earlier in the day in Kakdwip, said, Reservations were looted in West Bengal and false OBC certificates were issued to Muslims. He also claimed that the TMC was misleading Muslims by spreading false information regarding the courts verdict. Accusing the BJP of embarking on a slander campaign against the TMC, Banerjee claimed that her party has had to fight against Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT). The Chief Minister said the CBI has sent a notice to TMC MLA from Canning Purba, Saokat Molla, to appear before it on Wednesday itself. Amid the elections, the CBI has asked Saukat to come and meet its officials, she said. The TMC MLA had earlier been summoned by the CBI in 2022 for questioning in connection with a case of alleged coal theft from the mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted that Pakistan violated the Lahore agreement that he and Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed in 1999, and indirectly referred to the Kargil misadventure by General Pervez Musharraf as his countrys fault. In a meeting with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) general council, Sharif admitted, On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that, [then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari] Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreementit was our fault. The Lahore Declaration, signed on February 21, 1999, was a significant step to thaw the frosty ties between India and Pakistan. The agreement was born out of the summit in Lahore. However, a few months later, Pakistani intrusion in the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir led to the Kargil War. What Lahore Declaration Aimed At The main objective of the Lahore Declaration was to promote peace and stability between India and Pakistan. The Prime Ministers of the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, sharing a vision of peace and stability between their countries, and of progress and prosperity for their peoples, convinced that durable peace and development of harmonious relations and friendly cooperation will serve the vital interests of the peoples of the two countries, read the text of the declaration. New Delhi and Islamabad also agreed to take immediate steps to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, and other confidence-building measures. The agreement stressed on: Resolution of Kashmir Issue: Both nations agreed to intensify their efforts to resolve all issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorism: Both leaders reaffirmed their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expressed their determination to combat this menace. Nuclear Weapons: India and Pakistan committed to taking immediate steps to reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons. The declaration emphasised the importance of mutually agreed confidence-building measures to improve the security environment. The two countries also reiterated their commitment towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Focus on Dialogue: It was agreed to intensify the dialogue process for an early and positive outcome of the agreed bilateral agenda. SAARC Goals: The declaration reaffirmed their commitment to the goals and objectives of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The aim was to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and improve their quality of life through accelerated economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. Protection of Human Rights: The declaration also committed both nations to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. How Pakistan Violated the Pact Shortly after the Lahore Declaration was signed, Pakistan forces, led by Pervez Musharraf infiltrated on Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, and took over the Indian Armys winter vacated posts, as part of Operation Badr. The plan was to cut the link between Kashmir and Ladakh to isolate the Indian Army on the Siachen Glacier, and force India to negotiate a settlement of the Kashmir dispute. The Indian Airforce was sent to the winter-vacated posts to push back the intruders, who included members of the Pakistani Army. This was followed by Operation Vijay led by the Indian Army. The war came to an end on July 26, 1999. It is the only instance of a conventional war fought between India and Pakistan two nuclear armed countries. The Kargil conflict resulted in significant military casualties and heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The breach of the Lahore Declaration derailed the peace process and deepened the mistrust and hatred that has long cast a spell on the India-Pakistan relationship. The Lahore Declaration of 1999 is a testament to a moment when India and Pakistan came close to forging a new path towards peace. While its violation led to conflict and mistrust, its objectives remain as relevant as ever. In fact, in 2017, then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, had asked for the Lahore pact to be revived. What Else Did Sharif Say? On the day Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests, Sharif also mentioned that former US President Bill Clinton had offered $5 billion to Pakistan to stop it from carrying out the nuclear tests. Had (former prime minister) Imran Khan-like person been in my seat he would have accepted Clintons offer, he said. Sharif said he was removed from the office of the prime minister in 2017 on a false case by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar. He claimed all cases against him were false but all against Imran Khan were true. He also alleged that the ISI had a role to play in bringing Imran Khan to power. He asked Khan to not blame them for being patronised by the army but to declare whether General Islam had any role in bringing his party to power. He also claimed that General Islam asked him to resign from the post of prime minister in 2014, but he refused. He said that the general then threatened to make an example out of him. (With agency inputs) A 38-year-old woman was mowed down by a train at the Raja Ki Mandi station in Agra after getting into a heated argument with her live-in partner. She reportedly jumped onto the railway tracks only to scare him, but ended up getting crushed. A CCTV footage of the incident has been going viral. According to police, the deceased has been identified as Rani, who was living with Kishore in Barf Wali Gali in Lohamandi area. A report in India Today stated that Kishore, who works as a chow mein vendor, had returned home around 10 pm on Monday in an inebriated state. Within minutes, the duo began arguing over his drinking habits, which escalated when Rani threatened to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train. While Kishore tried to dismiss Ranis threats, she led him to Raja Ki Mandi station. Local reports stated that after reaching station platform number one, the live-in partners sat on a bench, and continued their argument. Around 11:30, Rani got up from the bench and leaped onto the tracks to scare Kishore, unaware that Kerala Express travelling from Agra Cantt to New Delhi was approaching. Rani tried to climb back onto the platform, but unfortunately couldnt make it on time. The train hit her as she tried to escape, and she got stuck between the train and the platform. According to IT report, RPF outpost in-charge Laxman Pachauri, along with constables, swiftly responded and rushed Rani to SN Medical College after pulling her out from under the train. But she succumbed to her injuries during treatment at the hospital. The report quoted inspector Samar Bahadur, in-charge of the GRP Cantonment, as saying that Ranis live-in partner revealed that she had a troubled past, including the death of her former husband, Dharmendra, due to excessive drinking. Rani had been in a relationship with Kishore for over a year, the report stated. The publication further quoted deceaseds father Vinod, who told police that Rani had three sons from her previous marriage. Two of her children lived with her, while the eldest son lived separately, the report stated, adding that the body had been sent for post-mortem. As of now, no formal complaint has been lodged, but further action will be taken once a complaint is received, inspector Bahadur was quoted. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website A big setback to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as Supreme Court Registry refused to accept his plea seeking seven-day extension of his interim bail. The apex court registry refused to accept the application, saying since Kejriwal was given liberty to move the trial court for regular bail, the plea is not maintainable. On Tuesday, a vacation bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the chief minister, and said the decision on the listing of the interim plea can be taken by the CJI as the judgement has been reserved in the main matter. Kejriwal had sought extension of his interim bail by seven days to undergo a host of medical tests, including a PET-CT scan in view of his sudden and unexplained weight loss, coupled with high ketone levels, which are indicative of kidney, serious cardiac ailments and even cancer. The chief minister, in his fresh plea filed on May 26, said he will surrender before jail authorities on June 9 instead of June 2, the scheduled date for his return to prison. The top court had on May 10 granted 21-day interim bail to the chief minister, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy scam, to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed that Kejriwal shall surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll gets over. The matter relates to the alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governments now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. (With inputs from PTI) Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to raise 35 new battalions, News18 has learnt. According to a top-level official, the proposal, sent a few weeks ago, is under active consideration. If the government approves the proposal, the total strength of the CRPF will go up by almost 35,000 troops. Primary focus would be on having more specialised units with particular emphasis on Jammu and Kashmir, sources told News18. Since Naxalism is shrinking, it is expected that the governments focus would shift to wiping out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. The proposal talks about raising new General Duty Battalions, a senior official familiar with the proposal told News18. Sources added that many proposals are already in the pipeline, awaiting decisions at the ministry level. Former DGs, too, had sent in multiple proposals that are pending. A senior official said that CRPF D-G Anish Dayal chaired a meeting on Tuesday during which he spoke about the possibility of getting 35 new battalions, which would strengthen the CRPF in the future. The force is facing a major stagnation issue, wherein officers at the Assistant Commandant level have not seen a single promotion despite serving for more than 14 years. Many of them have left the job due to lack of growth prospects and joined the private sector. In November last year, the Government of India approved the establishment of two Signal Battalion Headquarters for the CRPF, marking the first expansion in this capacity since 1988. The decision, based on a comprehensive proposal, aims to strengthen CRPF operations in the Northeast, specifically in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), after receiving a well-drafted proposal from the CRPF, forwarded the recommendation to the Ministry of Finance. The proposal outlines the creation of two Signal Battalion Headquarters and the augmentation of the existing five Signal Battalion Headquarters, involving the creation of 832 posts across various ranks. According to the CRPF, the force comprises four zonal headquarters, 21 administrative sectors, two operational sectors, 39 administrative ranges, 17 operational ranges, 43 group centres, 22 training institutions, four composite hospitals (with 100-bed facilities), 18 composite hospitals (with 50-bed capacities), six field hospitals, three central weapon stores, seven ammunition workshops, 202 general duty battalions, six VIP security battalions, six mahila (women) battalions, 15 rapid action force (RAF) battalions, 10 CoBRA battalions, five signal battalions, and one Special Duty Group (SDG). Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Dr Ajay Taware, head of the state-run Sassoon hospitals forensic medicine department, spoke to builder Vishal Agarwal, Pune Porsche accident accuseds father, at least 14 times over phone. The police suspect that the calls were to discuss the change of blood sample as the conversations took place during the collection of samples for testing. Taware along with hospitals chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff member Atul Ghatkamble have been arrested for allegedly throwing away the minors blood samples, taken after the accident on May 19, and replacing them with the samples of another persons blood which had no traces of alcohol. Two IT professionals were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar area in Pune. The blood report is a key piece of evidence as police claim the teenager had visited two pubs prior to the incident. Officials told News18 that the first call between Taware and Agarwal took place around 8:45 am, following which 14 calls were made till 11 am. These conversations happened over WhatsApp, Facetime and normal calls. Dr Ajay Tawares Residence Searched According to officials, some documents related to earlier cases, where Dr Taware is under scanner, was recovered from his home during Pune polices search. Sources said that the police is trying to ascertain the amount that was promised or given to Taware by Agarwal family. The staff of Sassoon hospital has reportedly complained to the vigilance committee that Dr Taware used to ask his employees to get alcohol to the hospital. A three-member committee conducting inquiry into alleged manipulation of the blood samples of the juvenile driver visited the Sassoon General Hospital on Tuesday, and also met police officials who are probing the case. Sources said the committee members visited the casualty department and also understood the process of blood sample collection, its preservation and dispatch to the forensic science laboratory. On Tuesday, Judicial Magistrate First Class A A Pande remanded Vishal Agarwal in police custody till May 31 in a case where he and his father Surendra Agarwal are accused of putting pressure on the familys driver to take blame for the accident to shield the boy. Surendra Agarwal, the minors grandfather, was already arrested in this case for allegedly kidnapping the driver and putting him in illegal confinement. On Tuesday, Magistrate Pande extended his police custody till May 31. Vishal Agarwal (50) was earlier arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act for allegedly exposing the minor to danger by giving him a car. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website In a major crackdown in Pune Porsche accident case, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday removed the two doctors from their posts for allegedly trying to change the blood sample of the 17-year-old accused. A staff member involved in the case was suspended. News18 had earlier in the day reported that action against Dr Ajay Taware, head of the state-run Sassoon hospitals forensic medicine department, chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and staff member Atul Ghatkamble will be taken after enquiry committees preliminary report, which sources said will be submitted by afternoon. Of the three, Dr Taware is a class one employee. His clearance will have to come from chief minister Eknath Shinde, sources added. Dr Halnor and Ghatkamble will, however, be suspended with immediate effect after the preliminary report. Taware, Halnor and Ghatkamble were arrested for allegedly throwing away the minors blood samples, taken after the accident on May 19, and replacing them with the samples of another persons blood which had no traces of alcohol. A three-member committee conducting inquiry had visited the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune on Tuesday. We will examine the sequence of events after the accident. The probe will be conducted as per the rules, and a report will be submitted to the government, Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of the Grant Medical College and J J group of hospitals, had said. Sources said the committee members visited the casualty department and also understood the process of blood sample collection, its preservation and dispatch to the forensic science laboratory. Two IT professionals were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar area here. The blood report is a key piece of evidence as police claim the teenager had visited two pubs prior to the incident. Earlier on Wednesday, sources told News18 that Dr Taware spoke to builder Vishal Agarwal, Pune Porsche accident accuseds father, at least 14 times over phone. #BreakingNews: Pune Porsche Probe Widens As Maharashtra Govt Takes Action: All Three Accused Suspended News18's @vinivdvc with latest updates | JamwalNews18 #PunePorscheAccident #PuneCrashCase pic.twitter.com/6xWOrJVuL9 News18 (@CNNnews18) May 29, 2024 The police suspect that the calls were to discuss the change of blood sample as the conversations took place during the collection of samples for testing. Ever since his name cropped up in the case, Dr Taware has been in the spotlight for his checkered past. Dr Ajay Tawares name was reportedly mentioned in connection with a kidney racket in 2022. He was asked to step down in April of that year when the illegal organ transplant case was exposed at Ruby Hall Clinic the previous month. The alleged racket came to light after a woman filed a complaint alleging she was promised Rs 15 lakh in exchange for a kidney. Besides Taware, another top name in spotlight is of Ajit Pawars MLA, Sunil Tingre, who recommended the doctor for the position of medical superintendent at the state-run hospital in Pune. Tingre was also alleged to have ensured the juvenile gets favourable treatment from police. Top sources in Ajit Pawar-led NCP told News18 that Tingre has been asked to clarify his stance in front of the media. Accordingly, Tingre is likely to hold a press conference in Pune in a day or two. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Amid the ongoing probe into the Pune Porsche crash, a three-member committee report into the accident has been officially submitted to the Maharashtra government on Wednesday, sources informed CNN-News18. As per the preliminary report, lapses have been found on the part of Dr Taware, Dr Holnur and the wardboy. A three-member committee conducting an inquiry into the alleged manipulation of the blood samples of the juvenile driver involved in the Porsche car crash on Tuesday visited the Sassoon General Hospital and also met police officials who are probing the case. The committee is headed by Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of the Grant Medical College and JJ group of hospitals. Pune Doctors, Staff Member Suspended Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday removed the two doctors Dr Ajay Taware, head of the state-run Sassoon hospitals forensic medicine department, and chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor from their posts for allegedly replacing the blood sample of the 17-year-old accused. A wardboy, Atul Ghatkamble, involved in the case was also suspended. According to sources, it was also learnt that Dr Taware spoke to builder Vishal Agarwal, the Pune Porsche accident accuseds father, at least 14 times over the phone. It is suspected that the calls were made to discuss the change of blood sample. Digital Recreation of Crime Scene Amid the ongoing probe, the Pune Police will digitally recreate the crime scene as the accused is a minor and cannot be taken to the spot, sources told News18. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is in touch with authorities and is closely monitoring the updates in connection to the case. The Chief Minister is also reportedly in touch with Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, who is currently investigating the case. The statements of the two minors, who were sitting in the backseat of Porsche, have been recorded. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday clarified that his former personal assistant arrested at Delhis IGI airport with 500 grams of gold is a 72-year-old retiree, who was retained on a part-time basis on compassionate grounds. Tharoor added that he fully supports the authorities, and will not accept any wrongdoing. Sources told News18 on Wednesday that Tharoors personal assistant, identified as Shiv Kumar Prasad, was caught taking gold from a person who had returned from an international tour. The PA had reportedly come to the airport to receive a person who had arrived from Dubai. Both of them were arrested when the passenger was trying to hand over around 500 grams of gold to Prasad. The gold is estimated to be valued at over Rs 35.22 lakh. Prasad has aerodrome entry permit card that allows him access to airport premises. He entered the airport premises and receiving a packet when he was held along with the passenger, customs officials were quoted by ANI. Sources said that police have launched an investigation into the matter. Reacting to the development, Tharoor posted on X: While I am in Dharamshala for campaigning purposes, I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been rendering part-time service to me in terms of airport facilitation assistance. He is a 72 year old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis and was retained on a part-time basis on compassionate grounds. I do not condone any alleged wrongdoing and fully support the authorities in their efforts to take any necessary action as may be required to investigate the matter. The law must take its own course. Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was quick to react, and called Congress and the CPM an alliance of gold smugglers. First CM Secy involved in Gold smuggling, now Cong MP aide/PA detained for Gold smuggling. CPM and Cong both INDIA alliance partners alliance of gold smugglers, BJPs candidate from Thiruvananthapuram wrote on X. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Theres no one like Malaika Arora. It has been years since she continues to rule the fashion charts and it seems there is no stopping anytime soon. Her every look is noteworthy, compelling fashion enthusiasts to bookmark them for style inspiration. Having said that, she recently made a statement in a strapless co-ord set which she grabbed from the shelves of Spanish clothing brand Isabel Sanchis. Malaikas stunning ensemble came in shades of bright rose pink. Her top featured a fitted bodice and a massive structured bow on its border flowing downwards to form a side trail. Displaying her styling prowess, she picked a pair of slim-fit matching trousers to complete her look. Additionally, a pair of tan Louboutins added an edgy touch. Malaikas accessories game was also on point. Her dramatic yet subtle monochrome outfit got its share of bling through a few bracelets and a pair of drop earrings. The actresss makeup added neutral glam, complemented by dramatic winged eyeliner with a dash of shimmer. Not to forget her side-parted curled tresses cascading down her back, that finished off her look. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leepakshi Ellawadi (@leepakshiellawadi) Not long ago, Malaika added stardust to the grand opening of the Italian luxury fashion brand Valentinos flagship store at the Jio World Plaza in Mumbai. The diva made heads turn at the event in a sleek black shimmery mini dress with intriguing details like eye-catching white trims along the neckline, sleeves and pocket hem. Further, her A-line fitted silhouette and flared A-line skirt added the oomph factor. Her choice of dress perfectly blended with the vibe of the event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Malaika Arora (@malaikaaroraofficial) Malaika rocked it with her accessories for her ensemble that included a pair of minimalistic gold logo Valentino earrings. She also carried a white mini bag and wore a pair of black pointed pumps, encapsulating the essence of her unique style. She finished off her look with a stunning hairdo comprising of a sleek centre-parting. We must say that Moving In With Malaika star pulled off the look with utmost confidence and grace. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has left his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchans fans upset after he did not mention the actress on his recent post about the iconic song Kajra Re which featured him, his actor-son Abhishek Bachchan and the former Miss World. On May 27, Amitabh quote retweeted a post, shared by Abhisheks fan page, on his official X account and wrote, The song became so popular that it still regenerates attention and love and the best moments with the song, Bhaiyu, were when we performed this live on stage. The original post featured an official poster of Kajra Re song from Bunty Aur Babli to mark the films 19th anniversary and talked about how it was the first film to feature both Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan together, with special appearance by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. While the poster had Aishwarya right in the middle and Amitabh and Abhishek on either sides, Amitabh didnt mention anything about the actress on his post, and simply recalled the best moments of performing Kajra Re live with Abhishek on IIFA stage. This has irked Aishwaryas fans, who are calling him out for sidelining the actress. One user said, Sorry to say but Kajra Re was all about Aishwarya. Both of you were just supporting dancers in that song. Another one said, This Song also had Aishwarya in it. Why wouldnt you or @juniorbachchan tag her? It is sad to see how you and your family sideline her. She is so talented. This song became iconic because of your daughter-in-law, a third user said. A user on Reddit also pointed out how Amitabh skipped mentioning Aishwarya on his post. This Song also had Aishwarya in it. Why wouldnt you or @juniorbachchan tag her? It is sad to see how you and your family sideline her. She is so talented. Peace & Unity (@mawal_alka) May 29, 2024 The song became iconic because of your Daughter in Law. Priyanka Jain (@Priyank46021978) May 29, 2024 Last year, Amitabhs daughter, Shweta Bachchan, grabbed headlines after netizens claimed that she skipped tagging her sister-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai, on her Instagram post celebrating Navya Naveli Nandas ramp debut at Paris Fashion Week. The event was also attended by Aishwarya, who walked the runway for the same brand. The first teaser for Wolfs, a forthcoming thriller from Columbia Pictures and Apple Original Films, features Brad Pitt and George Clooney together. They last appeared on screen together sixteen years ago, in Burn After Reading (2008). The first peek video, which was posted on Sonys official X (formerly Twitter) handle, shows Pitt and Clooney stranded in a car together. The teaser for the upcoming film reveals a palpable tension between Clooney and Pitt, with an awkward calm pervading the scene. The only audible sounds are the gentle drip of rain and the repetitive swish of the windscreen wiper clearing the screen. The clip hints that the full trailer will be unveiled on Wednesday, May 29. Earlier reports suggested that the actors would portray lone-wolf professional fixers who find themselves assigned to the same task. However, the names of their characters remain undisclosed at this time. In September 2021, Wolfs was initially announced. George Clooney and Brad Pitt were signed to act and produce, while Jon Watts was slated to write and direct the thriller picture, which at the time had no title. Most notably, Watts directed the three Spider-Man films produced by Sony and Marvel Studios: Homecoming (2017), Far From Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021), which starred Tom Holland in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Wolfs will star Austin Abrams from Euphoria and The Walking Dead, Poorna Jagannathan from Never Have I Ever and Amy Ryan from Murders in the Building in a supporting role. There isnt much information available regarding the characters that these cast members will play. Wolfs production, which started in January 2023 in New York City, was temporarily put on hold in July because of the SAG-AFTRA strike but was subsequently put back on track once the strike ended. Following the acquisition of the films rights, Apple TV+ and Sony collaborated to release Wolfs in theatres. GQ reports that the film will open in theatres on September 20. In December 2023, Clooney told Deadline that he, Watts, and Pitt were already talking about a sequel for Wolfs, praising the films great shoot. Clooney and Pitt have shared several on-screen appearances together in the past. The two also featured together in the Oceans franchise, in addition to Burn Before The Reading. Jackie Shroff has issued a statement thanking the Delhi High Court for protecting his personality rights. In his statement, Jackie shared that he is grateful of the court and talked about why it is important to prevent the misuse of a celebritys attributes. Recently, the High Court issued an injunction against those misusing Shroffs name, image, voice or any other personal attributes. I am immensely grateful to the judiciary for passing an order that safeguards my personality rights, including my name, image, likeness, voice, and other unique attributes. For a long time, celebrities had little to no recourse against the misuse of their persona. However, I am heartened by the fact that courts have progressively recognized and protected these rights, as demonstrated in landmark cases involving Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Anil Kapoor. These precedents have been very encouraging and motivated me to assert my rights, Jackie Shroff said in his statement. In todays rapidly evolving technological landscape, particularly with the advent of digital media, it is crucial to control any unauthorized use and misuse of celebrity attributes. Celebrities wield significant influence, and such abuse can mislead the public regarding a celebritys association with certain goods or services. The misuse of celebrity personas not only dilutes our brand equity but also misguides the public at large, the statement continued. The Delhi High Court appreciated our case and recognized the necessity of protecting the personality rights of celebrities, given our wide reach to the masses. The court has upheld my personality rights and issued an injunction against those misusing my name, image, likeness, voice, and other personal attributes. This protection extends to all forms of media, including digital platforms, and specifically prohibits the use of AI, deep fakes, GIFs, AI chatbots, and similar technologies to exploit my persona without my explicit permission, it added. Jackie concluded his statement by mentioned that it is important to protect his personality rights so that his fans arent misled. Protecting my personality rights is essential to preserving the authenticity and respect associated with my lifes work. It also protects my fans from being misled by unscrupulous elements of society. I thank the judiciary for their support in this regard, he said. This is not the first time a Bollywood actor sought permission to protect his personality rights. Last year, Anil Kapoor had also approached the court to protect his personality rights. The actor won the case in January this year. The victory resulted in the protection of his name, voice, image, likeness, manner of speaking and gestures, and even the jhakaas catchphrase. Kareena Kapoor Khan is a fashion icon and there is no doubt about it. Each time the actress makes a public appearance or drops a photo of herself on social media, she leaves everyone gasping for breath. On Wednesday too, Kareena took to her Instagram handle and shared a series of pictures from her recent appearance at the Bvlgari event. In these latest clicks, Kareena Kapoor was seen posing in a gorgeous pink sequin off-should gown. The actress accessorised her look with a silver ring, matching earrings and a bracelet. She opted for glam makeup with nude-shade lipstick. Needless to say, Kareena looked gorgeous as ever in these photos. Check it out here: Soon after the pictures were shared online, Kareenas fans rushed to the comments section to shower love on their favourite actress. While some called her hottie, others dropped fire emojis. Among others, producer and Anil Kapoors daughter, Rhea Kapoor also dropped red-heart emojis in the comments section. Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena Kapoor was recently seen in Crew. Released in March this year, the film also starred Tabu and Kriti Sanon in the lead. The Crew is set in a financially struggling airline sector and follows the lives of these three flight attendants in-flight supervisor Geeta Sethi (Tabu), senior flight attendant Jasmine Rana (Kareena Kapoor) and junior flight attendant Divya Bajwa (Kriti Sanon). However, their destiny places them in terrible situations and they get entangled in a web of lies and deception. Next, Kareena will soon be seen in Rohit Shettys much-awaited Singham Again, which will also star Ajay Devgn, Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff in key roles. Recently, Bebo talked about the movie while speaking to Variety when she shared that both her and Deepika Padukones characters play important roles in this big Bollywood masala entertainer. Karisma Kapoor is one of those actresses in Bollywood who seems to be aging like a fine wine. Although she isnt too active in films at the moment, she definitely knows how to steal the spotlight with her stunning style choices. Recently, Karisma attended the launch event of Coca-Cola Foodmarks in Delhi, along with Janhvi Kapoor to honour her grandfather and the legendary actor Raj Kapoor. The actress has now shared a bunch of pictures and a video on Instagram and expressed that it was a particularly special day for her. The first few pictures show the actress posing in a black dress. Her dress is adorned with tiny pearl beads and features a side cut out at the waist and a round neckline. She completed her look with pearl earrings, cat-eye sunglasses, a mini handbag and black pumps. To add a vintage touch, she styled her hair into a side-parted high ponytail. Meanwhile, the video shows the actress arriving for the event at the Embassy restaurant in Connaught Place in Delhi. She strikes elegant poses in front of the Embassy. The video also features Karisma and Janhvi Kapoor playing games, posing and enjoying Coca-Cola together. Alongside the photos, she penned a heartfelt note, This was such a special day celebrating my grandfather Raj Kapoor with Coca-Cola India. Soon after, fans and followers of the actress showered love on her post. One user wrote, All-time favourite, while another user commented, Looking too beautiful mam. During her appearance on Indian Idol 14, Karisma Kapoor became emotional while remembering her grandfather Raj Kapoor. She was deeply moved by the performance of contestant Mahima, who dressed as a joker inspired by Raj Kapoors character Raju from the film Mera Naam Joker and sang Jeena Yahan, Marna Yahan. Karisma said, Ye gaane ke jo shabd hain (the lyrics of this song) is what we are. On the professional front, Karisma was last seen in director Homi Adajanias comedy film Murder Mubarak alongside Sara Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Vijay Varma, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Kapoor and more. She will be soon gracing the OTT screens in the TV series Brown. The series revolves around a detective investigating the murder of a young woman from a well-connected family. It also features Surya Sharma, Helen and Surya Sharma in pivotal roles. Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was stranded in Israel after the October 7 attacks by Hamas prompted a full-blown war, has been facing a massive backlash on social media for posting the viral phrase All Eyes On Rafah on her Instagram story. The phrase All Eyes On Rafah is being wildly shared on social media following a deadly Israeli airstrike on the southern Gazan city of Rafah which killed at least 45 Palestinians. Nushrratt, who is currently vacationing in Italy, is being dubbed as a hypocrite for conveniently forgetting about the October 7 terrorist attacks and how she managed to return India safely from Tel Aviv with the help of Indian and Israeli governments. One user wrote on Nushrratts recent Instagram post that featured her pics from Positano, Where were your eyes on October 7? Another one commented, Girl you were in Israel only when Hamas attacked them still youre posting this is unbelievable. Double standards woman, a third user said. Several Indian celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Kriti Sanon, Kareena Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Rashmika Mandanna, Sonakshi Sinha, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Triptii Dimri, Dia Mirza and Richa Chadha among others have expressed their solidarity with Palestinians by sharing All Eyes On Rafah on their respective Instagram stories. Alia re-shared a post by an Instagram page the motherhood home on her story and wrote #AllEyesOnRafah. The post talked about how all children deserve love, safety, peace and life. Priyanka Chopra, who often faces backlash for being silent about Palestine despite being a global Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF, also took to her Instagram account and added All Eyes On Rafah template to her story. While the Israeli military said its air force struck a Hamas compound in Rafah and the strike was carried out with precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that a tragic mistake had been made. Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mishap, Netanyahu said Monday in an address to Israels parliament. We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy. Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 attack on southern Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages. Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean Diddy Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN signalling the US Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs. Possible witnesses have been notified by investigators that they could be brought in to testify in front of a federal grand jury in New York City, according to one source. Bringing individuals who have filed civil lawsuits against Combs before a grand jury would mark a significant escalation in the governments ongoing investigation involving the producer and Bad Boy Records founder. Combs has been named in eight civil lawsuits since November seven directly accusing him of sexual assault. One of the eight lawsuits, filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, has been settled. Another lawsuit accused his son Christian Combs of sexual assault, and Sean Combs is accused of aiding and abetting. A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Investigations agency (HSI) declined to comment on the existence of a grand jury but noted the investigation remains ongoing. These potential witnesses have not yet been prepped for testimony, both sources told CNN, cautioning that HSI investigators are still in the process of gathering evidence and questioning potential sources of information in their federal probe into Combs. One source said investigators are being thorough and taking their time to ensure that an indictment, should there be one, is bulletproof. Grand juries comprised of ordinary citizens are critical tools used by prosecutors, providing both an investigative function in approving the subpoenaing of documents and witnesses, and a vote on whether to criminally charge suspects. The use of a grand jury signals a particular case has moved beyond the preliminary stage where investigators generally assess whether possible violations of the law are believed to have been committed. Feds have interviewed multiple Combs accusers Combs homes in Los Angeles and Miami were searched back in March. At that time, CNN reported that the rapper and entrepreneur was the target of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, and the ongoing investigation included a focus on sex trafficking, according to law enforcement sources. Now, additional sources told CNN that the majority of the plaintiffs who have filed civil suits against Combs have been interviewed by federal investigators. Combs has vehemently denied claims from many of the civil suits but has not responded to all of the allegations. In December 2023, after four lawsuits had been filed against him, Combs posted a fierce denial on his social media, writing that sickening allegations had been made by accusers looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. CNN previously reported in March, per a law enforcement source, that the investigation stems from many of the sexual assault allegations put forth in several of the civil lawsuits against Combs. CNN has learned that the scope of the investigation is much larger, focusing on sex trafficking, money laundering and illegal drugs. In addition to human trafficking, HSI also investigates narcotics smuggling and other organized criminal activity. Its much bigger than just these lawsuits, one of the sources familiar with the scope of the investigation said. Federal investigators are now digging deeper, and some of the accusers have been questioned numerous times, a source said. A second source corroborates this current state of the investigation. Accusers who have spoken to federal agents during the investigation have been actively cooperating with investigators, with some handing over evidence they believe may be helpful in the probe, one source said. Investigators are also bringing in new individuals for questioning, including corroborating witnesses of accusers. Evidence includes video from Combs residences Federal agents are in possession of video taken inside of Combs recently searched residences, a source said. Its unclear whether the video was seized during the raids, or whether investigators obtained video from individuals they have been questioning. They are contacting people that theyve found on the tapes, a source told CNN. At least one male sex worker, who claims he has been victimized by Combs, has been questioned during the investigation, one source said, adding that this individual was seen in footage that is in possession of the federal investigators. In some of the lawsuits against Combs, accusers have alleged that they were informed, after the fact, that they were recorded having sex without giving their consent to be filmed. Combs has not responded to this specific accusation, but he dismissed all alleged wrongdoing in a blanket denial he posted in December 2023. In some of the civil suits, Combs is alleged of drugging multiple accusers. In the two most recent lawsuits filed against Combs within the past week, former fashion student April Lampros and former model Crystal McKinney both accused Combs of drugging them. In Lampros suit, she claims that Combs forced her to take ecstasy and then demand she have sexual intercourse with one of his former girlfriends before raping her. Combs has not responded to CNNs requests for comment since these two lawsuits were filed. Combs was also accused in a civil suit filed last November of intentionally drugging and sexually assaulting Joi Dickerson-Neal back in 1991, when she was a college student. Though his legal team has filed a motion to dismiss portions of this suit, Dickerson-Neal also accused Combs of revenge porn, claiming that Combs secretly recorded the sexual assault. Days later, a male friend revealed to Dickerson-Neal that he had viewed it, according to her claim. Combs team did not respond to specific allegations of drugging or secret recordings, but a spokesperson at the time said the complaint was made up and not credible, discrediting the accusations as purely a money grab. In their motion to dismiss, which is still pending, attorneys for Combs called Dickerson-Neals allegations false, offensive, and salacious. As summer arrives in South Korea, universities are gearing up for their annual festivals, which attract large crowds. In a festive atmosphere, Hanyang University has been criticized for imposing severe regulations on festival attendees. Imagine the surprise when fans who had arrived early to claim perfect seats were told by the staff that there would be no toilet breaks after 7:30 AM and action would be taken against those found violating the rules. The matter escalated when reports indicated that even women who were menstruating were not relieved from these restrictions. This decision caused controversy, while the university hasnt made any official comment, Seventeen member Hoshi is raising his voice against the rule and supporting the attendees. One individual, who had been waiting in line since late at night, shared their shock upon staff informed that festival attendees wouldnt be allowed to use the bathroom after a certain time. Although the staff didnt physically prevent anyone from going to the restroom, the user stated that those who did go after the designated time were asked to rejoin the queue from back. As the issue escalated, Hoshi spoke out against the bathroom restrictions on Weverse, stating, You should drink a lot of water. We all need to go to the bathroom. Taking their frustration on social media platforms, many argued that these policies not only violate basic human rights but also show that the university lacks kindness. What was even more surprising was that they were selling tickets for 10,000 KRW (approximately Rs 650) to outsiders. Many questioned Hanyang Universitys intentions and criticized their treatment of the attendees. As of now, the University has not yet stated in response to the backlash. Surprisingly, the university not only imposed restrictions on bathroom breaks but also placed bans on nearly everything except mobile phones. According to Korea Boo, the restricted items include all food and drink, any items that obstruct the view (such as umbrellas and light sticks), anything that could disrupt the performance (like whistles, tents and folding chairs), all disposable items, selfie sticks, dangerous items and high heels. Reportedly, any other items that the staff believe are unsafe will also be taken away. If anyone is found with a prohibited item after entering, they will be asked to leave the venue. Meanwhile, during the Day 2 of the festival at Hanyang University, CRAVITY, Choi Yena and BSS, delighted fans with their energetic performances. Shraddha Kapoor is one of the most celebrated and versatile actresses. She has carved a niche for herself among the audience. One of her many talents is that she can speak in multiple accents. The actress had made this revelation earlier on Kapil Sharms show. However, her skills were on full display in a new ad. The viral ad features Shraddha speaking in American, English, French and Russian accents while she promotes lipstick. The video has gone viral across social media, with fans appreciating her skills and even asking someone cast her in a comedy film. Check out the video here: The actress has also been in the headlines for her rumoured relationship with Rahul Mody. While the duo havent confirmed their relationship, a picture has sparked speculations that they were on a vacation together. Almost a month back, Shraddha Kapoor had taken to her Instagram handle and shared a picture of herself sitting on a couch with a picturesque mountain as the backdrop. However, the eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice a picture shared by Rahul Modys sister Sonika on her handle. It featured Rahul with a similar background. However, a source told Hindustan Times that Shraddha and Rahul might not be making their relationship official anytime soon, They are not afraid to be photographed with each other, but that doesnt mean they will make their relationship official anytime soon. They are both private people and want to keep their relationship out of the limelight. As per the latest reports, the actresss next film will be backed by Rahul Mody. Mid-Day claimed in its report that details are still under wrap. Midday quoted a source saying, The talks are in the nascent stage, so it cant be determined whether this will be her next project. But Shraddha has liked the central idea. She plans to co-produce it along with Rahuls production house. On the work front, Shraddha Kapoor recently revealed that her upcoming projects will be based on time travel and mythology. Shraddha will be next seen in director Amar Kaushiks highly anticipated comedy horror film, Stree 2, alongside Pankaj Tripathi and Rajkumar Rao. Urfi Javed, better known for her fashion sense, has once again set the internet on fire with her latest innovative dress. Fans are in awe of her creativity and have been praising her on social media. Well, today Urfi Javed also dropped a BTS video in which she is showing fans how she made the dress. The actress shared the video on her Instagram handle and wrote, Lil bit of Cinderella , lil bit of maleficent. Outfit @shwetagurmeetkaur x @metalbenderstudio, Hair @ranisahu6840, Assisted @pallavi.sakhare.581 @sk_.click. In the video, Urfi is seen wearing dress with the help of others. Her dress is a black colour and has bird shaped fans. Fans lauded the creativity. One of the fans wrote, Creativity At Its Peak. Another wrote, You go gal ! setting a different standard of fashion. Take a look here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uorfi (@urf7i) Janhvi also praised Urfis fashion sense. Recently, Urfi stunned in a magical butterfly-themed gown, when she was spotted in town. The video went instantly viral. Urfi wore a flowing black gown adorned with leaves and flowers, from which tiny butterfly motifs would shake off whenever she clapped, creating a mesmerising effect. She looked pretty as she struck her poses. Meanwhile, on the work front, director Dibakar Banerjee had revealed that Urfi Javed will be stripping down in Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2. The actress will have a cameo in the film. Speaking about the scene, Banerjee said that it is an uncut scene and added that he loves the scene. Speaking with Zoom TV, the filmmaker said, I love Urfis virtual avatar. She challenges you up front. The way she dresses, the way she exposes and hides her attitude, I like it. I held a meeting with her then. It seems like no one has ever said these things to her. She has a guest appearance in the film but I am sure she will get lead roles someday. But I love Urfis personality. Opening up about the scene, the director added, We had this scene and Urfi was in a different mood that time. Its a long scene with no cuts and Urfi is just stripping. That will be worth seeing. I love that scene. Although Urfi played a crucial role in the film, Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 is headlined by Paritosh Tiwari, Bonita Rajpurohit, and Abhinav Singh. Xi Jinping, after a significant hiatus of half a decade, recently visited Europe, meeting with the leaders of France, Hungary, and SerbiaEmmanuel Macron, Viktor Orban, and Aleksandar Vucic, respectively. In addition, he participated in a trilateral dialogue with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Macron. This visit, his first since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, signals potential political shifts, particularly as it involves Europes most resolute ally of Russia. Although President Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope that China would leverage its influence to quell Russias aggressive actions against Ukraine, the meetings yielded no substantial outcomes. Its also crucial to acknowledge the growing tensions between Europe and China, with Europe increasingly focusing on reducing its dependency on China amidst the ongoing US-China trade conflict and disruptions in global supply chains following the Covid pandemic. Changing Facets of Europe-China Relations China and Europe are each others largest trading partners, yet the relationship is marked by a significant trade imbalance, favouring China. Recent data from the European Union reveals a staggering 300-billion Euro deficit in trade with China. In 2019, the European Union labelled China a systemic rival, a relationship further strained by the pandemic. This tension is fuelled in part by the ongoing trade war between the US and China and in part by the stark contrast between Chinas labour and trade practices and those upheld by the EU. The European Union, the worlds largest and most influential trading bloc, champions democracy, human rights, and transparency as its core values. Committed to fair trade, the EU advocates for dignified wages for all workers. In stark contrast, China operates under an authoritarian regime that shows scant regard for human rights and fair labour standards, facing allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang. Attracted by low labour costs and high returns, Western investors have made China a pivotal node in the global supply chain, alongside other Asian powerhouses like Japan and India. Numerous experts have described Chinas economic ascent as a peaceful rise, yet this perception has shifted under Xi Jinpings leadership. Following the initiation of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, China has found itself embroiled in several conflicts with neighbouring countries and Western nations. Notable among these are the South China Sea dispute and border tensions with India. Europe acknowledged its dependence on China belatedly and is now striving to be an active player rather than merely a playing field. This shift is evident in the EUs Indo-Pacific strategy, which is conspicuously cantered around ASEAN and India, causing discomfort in China. Integrating the Indo-Pacific into its strategic framework was crucial for Western, especially European powers, as their reliance on trade with China had become problematic. Things to Watch Out For France has consistently championed European unity and strategic autonomy, advocating for Europe to emerge from under the USs shadow, although various factors complicate this ambition. Xi Jinpings recent visit to France might not explicitly signal the US, but it certainly sends a clear message to the Transatlantic alliance from Beijing. Notably, the landscape has shifted for China since Xis last visit to Europe; Italy, once a BRI partner and the only G7 country to join, has since distanced itself. It is essential to note that aside from France, the other destinations selected by Chinese President Xi JinpingSerbia and Hungaryare not aligned with European ideals of liberal democracy and human rights. Following his visit to France, Xis itinerary included Serbia, where his arrival coincided with the 25th anniversary commemorations of NATOs bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, providing an opportunity for China to criticise the West. Serbia, not yet an EU member, maintains strong ties with China and ranks among the top purchasers of Chinese military equipment, according to SIPRI. Xis journey concluded in Budapest, where he was welcomed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a vocal admirer of authoritarian regimes, including China. In his remarks after meeting with Orban, Xi hailed the relationship between Hungary and China as a golden voyage. The EU faces challenges in managing its intricate relationship with Hungary, which continues to be an anomaly within the bloc. It is crucial to acknowledge that Chinas strategy of exploiting divisions within Europe raises concerns that may threaten the continents unity. The French president has consistently emphasised that European unity is essential for the vitality of both the European Union and the broader European context. Nonetheless, Chinas approach to managing its relationships with nations such as Hungary and Serbia could pose long-term challenges for the EU. Europeans vividly remember Chinas reaction when Lithuania sought to open an unofficial diplomatic office in Taiwan. China resorted to coercive measures, such as trade bans and attempts to disrupt essential supplies, while also launching numerous cyberattacks against the Baltic state. This aggressive response underscored Chinas determination to enforce its One-China policy and deter any challenges to its authority. The incident highlighted the complexities of international relations and the tensions surrounding Taiwans status. It also served as a reminder of the potential consequences for countries that deviate from Beijings stance on sensitive diplomatic issues. While some may perceive a normalisation in Europe-China relations following Xis visit, the reality is far from it. Certain European nations, including Italy, the Baltic, and Nordic states, have recognised this, while others are gradually coming to terms. In fact, Xis recent visit laid bare the fractures within European unity, necessitating urgent attention. Returning to China cannot serve as a sustainable solution for Europe, given the stark ideological disparities between the two entities, evident in their respective actions. Europe must adhere to the path it charted post-Covid, diversify its markets, foster global ecosystems, and mitigate hegemonic ambitions. The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. The state of Punjab has been in the political spotlight for more than half a century, initially for the green revolution and concomitant prosperity. In the last decade, it has been in the spotlight, unfortunately, due to the agrarian crisis, high levels of unemployment including youth, failed industrial policies and fiscal crisis. These reasons assumed centrality in the ongoing election campaign. Interestingly, these issues fall in the domain of the state. In understanding and addressing issues, the primary sector of Punjab should take precedence for it ensures the food security of India. As a result of ensuring Indias food security, Punjab enjoys a high share of rice and wheat procurement in the central pool. The state, which is also known as the food bowl of India, is staring at a collapse of MSP-induced, cereal-centric crop husbandry due to stagnation in productivity, dangerous pace of depletion of water tables and deterioration of soil health. It must be mentioned that the dangerous pace of depletion of water tables is driven by promises of free power from past and current governments. Similarly, the deterioration of soil health stems from the unchecked use of pesticides and subsidised fertilisers. The Punjab farmers have not yet come to terms with the impending collapse triggered long ago by assured procurement. Instead of addressing this core issue, they are demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). It is not only inappropriate for the problem at hand but it would turn the impending collapse into an immediate one. The Modi governments decade-long focus on peasant farmers and sustainability initiatives offers hope for resolving Punjabs agrarian crisis. Timely access to agricultural inputs, including mechanisation and services, has been ensured at stable prices through programs like PM Kisan and subsidised agricultural credit with interest subvention. Irrigation and warehousing infrastructure are being ramped up. Furthermore, initiatives like soil health cards and a dedicated mission mode focus on organic and natural farming are addressing soil deterioration while minimising input costs. The marketing landscape is also being broadened through continuous support for farmer-producer organisations and food processing. Leveraging these initiatives in conjunction with the Modi governments thrust on crop diversification, Punjab farmers can shift to pulses, oil seeds, millets, vegetables and fruits. In the course, water tables would be restored. They can also derive additional income from the livestock, fishing and aquaculture sub-sectors as their share in the agriculture and allied activities witnessed an increase between 2013-14 and 2022-23 nationally. To address climate change and increase productivity, India is also witnessing the rapid deployment of technology in agriculture which can reverse the Punjabs youth disinterest in agriculture and partly address their unemployment. When the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) series began, Punjab had the fifth-highest unemployment rate among larger states and the ninth-highest youth unemployment rate. However, the latest PLFS reveals a concerning trend: Punjab now has the second-highest unemployment rate overall, a position mirrored in its youth unemployment figures. This descent into crisis is a result of culmination of many factors. Punjabs economic challenges are multifaceted. First, the state grapples with an inverted economic structure, where agriculture and industry contribute roughly equal shares to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Second, the services sector lags behind the national average. Third, Punjabs growth rate has trailed national figures over the past decade. Fourth, industrial and business development policies have failed to ignite significant economic activity. Fifth, successive state governments have shown a lack of commitment towards improving the ease of doing business and fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Sixth, populist measures have led to unproductive fiscal expenditure. Finally and most perhaps importantly, non-BJP leadership has lacked the vision, direction, and political will to address these challenges effectively. Why did the industrial policy fail and fiscal management descend into crisis the last two of the election issues which otherwise would aid a higher economic growth rate, address the high unemployment and partly, the agrarian crisis? First, according to a popular analysis, the Punjabs industrial policies of 2013, 2017 and 2022 failed to predict which industries would thrive. Second, they displayed a bias towards large-scale capital investments, neglecting the micro-enterprises crucial for generating widespread employment. Third, these policies did not derive support from the availability of proper infrastructure. This infrastructural deficit highlights poor fiscal expenditure choices, with all three Punjab governments over the last decade prioritising populist measures over essential development. The fiscal crisis has been an unfortunate outcome. A similar situation reflecting the issues of Punjabs election campaign except the agrarian crisis was staring at Narendra Modi when he took the baton in 2014 plunging growth rates; weak external sector and banking sector; non-transparent and unproductive fiscal expenditure; declining labour market indicators; dearth of supportive ecosystem for corporates, MSMEs and startups; lack of price stability, policy stability and investor confidence; and the absence of a clear economic vision. In effect, he was greeted with an economy waiting to collapse. A decade later, India has emerged as the worlds fastest-growing economy for three consecutive years. Fiscal and labour market indicators have shown marked improvement, alongside sectoral growth in banking, external trade, manufacturing, and MSMEs. Both global and domestic investors are now reaping the benefits of improved ease of doing business and promising growth prospects. To sustain this momentum and achieve even higher long-term growth, India is finalising its Vision 2047 document, building upon the successes of initiatives like Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Indias potential to remain the fastest-growing major economy until 2030 and contribute 18 per cent to global growth over the next five years hinges on the growth of its individual states. Given that the combined GSDP of states forms a significant portion of Indias GDP, Punjabs growth is crucial to national progress. For Punjab to contribute meaningfully, it must break free from its vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle and eventual prosperity. Its important to remember that just four decades ago, Punjab boasted the highest GDP per capita in India. To reignite this economic engine, the electorate could consider electing more representatives aligned with Modis vision. Sandeep Vempati is an Economist & Columnist with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. In a recent seminar that I attended, a speaker mouthed off a familiar homily: the torrid regime of Lalu Prasad Yadav was merely an expression of the bad behaviour of a class of people who had been oppressed for centuries. It rekindled a rush of memories both personal and public of the national climate prevailing in the tumultuous 1990s. Bihar was the poster state of that decade of all-encompassing horror and Lalu was its poster boy. In practical terms, his dusty road to power and his consequent success was gravelled by the legacy AIM complex academia, intelligentsia and media. In the aftermath of the 2015 Assembly elections, the nation witnessed a cheerleading parade of prominent English media journalists who openly celebrated Lalu Yadavs impressive comeback this when he was not even a pale shadow of his former glory. Just two years later in 2017, a shocking news expose in the form of audio tapes revealed that Lalu Yadav was taking orders from his trusted decadal aide, the notorious mafia don-turned-politician, Mohammad Shahabuddin. Shahabuddin died in 2021 but his grim record continues to outlast him. It is a putrid study in the theory and practice of political criminalisation. In the 1990s, almost no day began without the nation being revolted by the ghastly headlines emanating from Bihar. The undeniable patron saint of this full-blown criminalisation of politics was Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Chief Minister of Bihar, ably assisted by the self-same Mohammad Shahabuddin. Journalist Sankarshan Thakurs book, The Making of Laloo Yadav: The Unmaking of Bihar is perhaps the most definitive work on both the era and the man, Lalu. Asks Thakur, What do we say of Bihar? What do we say of a state itself so punched and blown it is not even supposed to feel pain? What do we say of a state so inured to wretchedness it refuses now to convey it or complain? Yeh Bihar hai. Yahan sub kuch chalta hai. Instead of despairing and being appalled at how Lalus brand of politics razed Bihar on a daily basis, the aforementioned AIM complex actually celebrated it as some sort of a victory of the oppressed classes while arguing for a classless society in the same breath. A minuscule of people in the millennial generation are even aware of the infamous Lalu jokes that were wildly popular in the 1990s. How Lalu would solve the Kashmir problem by giving Bihar free of cost to Pakistan, or how he once told Japans Prime Minister that he would convert Japan into another Bihar in just three months or how Bihars roads were as smooth as Hema Malinis cheeks. That an ongoing crime saga of epic proportions and a colossal tragedy had been reduced to this sort of humour is a travesty that defies definition. It was casual cruelty. The whole nation revelled in these jokes. Likewise, veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha noted in India Today, that in the 2000 Bihar Assembly polls, Lalu stunned everyone by trouncing the combined might of the Opposition comprising the BJP-JD(U)-Samata Party. When the usual allegations of booth capturing are accounted for, one fact stands out. Misrule, corruption, fraud, betrayal of promises no longer matter to Bihars people according to a Bihar State Intelligence Bureau report, suppressed in 1997 by Governor A.R. Kidwai and Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, Laloo was the patron saint of a third of the 120 or so dacoit gangs active in the state. (Emphasis added). Its not an exaggeration to say that Lalu Yadav holds the singular distinction of being an elected representative who mocked, derided and destroyed democracy with impunity on such an extensive scale for so long. The phrases kidnapping as economic development and Jungle Raj applied to his regime connote precisely this. The law of the jungle, while it appears heartless, is actually just. In its own way, it guarantees the survival of every species and balances creation. Lalus Jungle Raj was the rule of the all-devouring ogre. Another notorious face of his Jungle Raj was the meteoric emergence of Mohammad Shahabuddin whose savage criminal history needs a thorough revisiting. Shahabuddin catapulted himself into the national limelight in the outrageous gunfight that he and his private militia had with the police on March 16, 2001. The PUCL fact-finding and eyewitness bulletin of October 2001 on the incident makes for a spine-chilling read and observes how Shahabuddin is a history-sheeter with a 16-year-long record of crimes, which include murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, possession of illegal arms and explosives and a number of other crimes. In the police dossier maintained by Hussain Ganj police station, his name figures under Class A. The patronage and de facto immunity from legal action offered to him by the RJD government gradually made him a law unto himself and gave him an aura of invincibilitythe policeturned a blind eye to his criminal activities and allowed him to turn Siwan district into his fiefdom where his fiat ran Shahabuddins reign of terror has been so complete that nobody dared depose against him in cases in which he was an accused. His sway was made complete by posting servile officers willing to act as his stooge. As Rajya Sabha MP, Arun Shourie in 1999 reproduced intelligence reports on Shahabuddin, which leave nothing in doubt: [Shahabuddin is] a Mafia don having an estimated strength of 100 armed followers. He virtually runs a parallel administration in the districtEquipped with automatic and semi-automatic weapons like AK series rifles (15), carbines (20), pistols/revolvers (160), Mausers (5), and hand grenades (80), the gang of. operates in Siwan and its adjoining districts. The gang is responsible for political killings, collecting ransom from kidnapping rich traders/industrialists, extorting money fromcontractors, smuggling of arms, synthetic drugs, etc. The gang is reported to have relations with the Daud Ibrahim gang presently based at Dubai (Emphasis added). The extent of Shahabuddins macabre criminality can also be gauged in the grotesque case where he and his henchmen drenched Girish and Satish Raj in acid before shooting them dead. Also well-known is the story of how he contested the 2004 MP elections from jail and emerged victorious. Shahabuddins infamy found a place in Bollywood in Prakash Jhas Apharan. In the movie, Nana Patekars character, Tabrez Alam, the mafia don, kidnapper, gunrunner and extortionist MLA and minister eerily resembles him. Ultimately, a sense of history tells us that Mohammad Shahabuddin is the untameable Frankensteins monster created not by Lalu Yadav but by the spurious brand of secularism concocted and practiced by the Congress for decades. And so, if Lalu took orders from Shahabuddin, the roots of this malaise must be traced back to Congress secularism. One can detect parallels in another phenomenon. For more than two decades, the so-called Shahi Imams of Delhis Juma Masjid had held sway over at least two Congress prime ministers, both belonging to Nehrus stock. We can close this by recalling a significant episode from the 1990s that best illustrates how the Lalu government had openly made a travesty of the Indian Parliament. In 1998, the then President K.R. Narayanan returned a Union government resolution recommending the imposition of Presidents rule in Bihar following unimpeachable evidence of a complete breakdown of governance and law and order. Five months later, the Central government passed the same resolution. The President acceded it again. The state government was removed. However, the resolution was not ratified by one House of Parliament where the government didnt have the numbers. But those who did have the numbers stood solidly behind Lalu Yadav. Their reasoning was supplied by CPI leader, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, who declared, We have decided to put all our differences on the backburner The top priority is to oppose and overthrow the BJP-led government. What was left unsaid: it doesnt matter that theres Jungle Raj in Bihar. Thats how Lalu Prasad Yadav was saved by secularism. This partial dossier only reinforces the point about the scary threat that Lalus brand of politics continues to pose for Indian democracy. The political scenario has vastly changed from the 1990s and while Lalus power has concomitantly diminished, it has not fully gone away. It is an opportunity waiting for revival. And even as we speak, Lalu Yadav, convicted for life, miraculously remains a free man. The author is the founder and chief editor, The Dharma Dispatch. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Mount Everest towers at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) above sea level, exposing climbers to the extreme altitude of the Himalayas. The notorious jet stream above Everest's summit can reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour, posing a significant hazard to climbers. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of spreading lies about funds being provided to the state and challenged the PM to prove his claim. Addressing back-to-back rallies at Metiabruz in Diamond Harbour constituency and Kalighat in South Kolkata constituency, the Chief Minister said the change of regime at the Centre is imminent and Modi would cease to be the Prime Minister of the country after June 4, the day Lok Sabha poll results would be announced. The TMC supremo said she is ready to sacrifice her life but wouldnt allow divisive politics of the saffron camp such as the CAA, NRC and UCC in the state. Prime Minister while addressing rallies in Bengal said the Centre had sent funds for the state which were siphoned off and looted by the TMC. The PM is lying. I challenge him to prove that the Centre had released funds for the state. This is a blatant lie, she said. Claiming that the BJP will pay for their arrogance in the polls, Banerjee said the PMs recent remarks that the BJPs best results will come from Bengal is actually an admission that the party will face a rout in other parts of the country. So does that mean that the BJP will lose elections in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar? It seems the saffron party has conceded defeat even before the polls are over, she said. Banerjee said, After June 4 he (Modi) wont be the Prime Minister. He is there for just few days as he and his party will be defeated. Reacting to Banerjees remark, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, The Prime Minister has only tried to highlight the corruption during the TMC regime. It is a well-known fact that the TMC is neck-deep in corruption. The remarks by the Chief Minister reflect that she is rattled after being exposed. The CM alleged that the BJP has been spreading canards through misleading advertisements. As part of Modi Babus guarantee, they were publishing misleading advertisements in newspapers against us. We lodged multiple complaints but there was no action. Yesterday, the high court also said it is illegal. They dont release MGNREGA funds but spend crores on conspiracies, to buy votes and spread propaganda, she said. Expressing skepticism about the BJPs ambitious target of achieving 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, she said people will reject them. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. It is the TMC which will show the way after the elections, Banerjee said. The TMC had walked out of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January but asserted that she would continue to be part of the opposition bloc at the national level. Banerjee urged people not to vote for anyone other than the TMC in Bengal as the state CPI(M) and Congress are working as BJPs agents. The CPI(M) here is transferring its votes to the BJP and in the assembly polls it will be vice-versa. This is the deal between the CPI(M) and the BJP, she said. Vowing not to allow the implementation of the CAA and NRC in the state, she said, If people do not want divisive CAA, NRC or UCC that will erase our diversity, they must vote against the BJP. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has kicked up a fresh political row after saying the Chinese allegedly invaded India in 1962, with both his party and the BJP reacting to his remarks. The veteran leader, who is known to make controversial statements, later apologised unreservedly for his mistake, even as his party said it has distanced itself from the original phraseology and the BJP calling it a brazen attempt at revisionism. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Aiyar had subsequently apologised for his remarks and allowances must be made for his age. He said the party has distanced itself from his original phraseology. But, he also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of giving a clean chit to the Chinese for their incursions into India in May 2020. Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has subequently apologised unreservedly for using the term "alleged invasion" mistakenkly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology.The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for https://t.co/74oXfL1Ur2 Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 28, 2024 According to a purported video of an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Tuesday evening (May 28), Aiyar, while narrating an anecdote, said, In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India. He made the remarks at the launch of the book Nehrus First Recruits. Later, in a brief statement, he said, I unreservedly apologise for having mistakenly used the word alleged before Chinese invasion at the Foreign Correspondents Club this evening. The BJPs IT department head, Amit Malviya, slammed the Congress over Aiyars remarks. Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehrus First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as alleged. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism, the BJP leader said on X. Nehru gave up Indias claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhis UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory, he alleged. He asked: What explains Congresss love for the Chinese? Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during launch of a book called Nehrus First Recruits, refers to Chinese invasion in 1962 as alleged. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism.Nehru gave up Indias claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul pic.twitter.com/Z7T0tUgJiD Amit Malviya ( ) (@amitmalviya) May 28, 2024 The BJP held a press conference on Wednesday, where it alleged that Aiyars statement was a reflection of Congress leader Rahul Gandhis thought process. National spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said this is an insult to soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country. On the one side, PM Modi is among the people with our (BJP) report card and, on the other, there are such statements against the country. Mani Shankar Aiyars statement is not an ordinary one, it is an insult to all those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. 1,400 soldiers were martyred in the 1962 war. Isnt this an insult to our soldiers? And Mani Shankar Aiyar is saying there was an alleged attack. Though this is a statement of Mani Shankar Aiyar, it is the thought of Rahul Gandhi, he said. (With PTI inputs) Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday reacted strongly after Jitendra Awhad, leader of the National Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar, stirred a major controversy and tore down the poster of Babasaheb Ambedkar during a protest against the inclusion of a verse from Manusmriti in the curriculum. However, after drawing widespread condemnation, Awhad issued an unconditional apology to the people of Maharashtra for hurting their sentiments. While protesting against Manusmriti in a spirit of emotion, I tore down the poster as the word Manusmriti was written on it. I did not realise Babasahebs photo was on it. The opposition will play politics on it. I made a mistake. I apologise for being too absorbed! Awhad said explaining the incident. BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar Faction) Hits Back Condemning Awhads action, the BJP attacked the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction and said, They tore down posters of Babasaheb. This is not just an insult to Ambedkar but to the entire Dalit community. Meanwhile, the NCP-led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar demanded a criminal case against Jitendra Awhad for tearing the photo Ambedkar, sources reported. NCP chief spokesperson Umesh Patil demanded that Awhad should be arrested at the earliest and the state government should immediately file a case against him for tearing down Dr BR Ambedkars portrait and trampling upon it. In the name of burning the Manusmriti, Bhagendra (Jitendra) Awhad tore down Babasaheb Ambedkars statue and trampled it, Patil added. Patil further asked Sharad Pawar to answer Ambedkarites about what action he is going to take against Awhad. He also said that Awhad should be expelled from the party. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal said that the political alliance with Congress, as part of the INDIA bloc, is temporary, stating that they only came together to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this Lok Sabha election. Its not like we have married. This is not an arranged or love marriage. We have come together to save the country and fight this election till June 4, Kejriwal said in an interview. The AAP chief stated that the aim is to defeat the BJP for now and end the dictatorship and goondagardi of the present regime. The Delhi Chief Minister further noted that AAP and Congress joined forces wherever necessary to challenge the BJP. It is important to save the country. AAP and Congress came together wherever an alliance was needed to defeat the BJP and put up one candidate. The BJP does not have any existence in Punjab, he added. Kejriwal claimed that the AAP would win at least 15 out of 22 seats in the national capital in this general election and added that the INDIA bloc would also win at least 300 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. The Delhi CM made these comments in an interview with TV broadcaster India Today, which aired on Wednesday. No question of resigning as Delhi CM During the interview, Kejriwal made it clear that he will not resign as Delhi Chief Minister even after his interim bail ends on June 1 in the money laundering case related to the excise policy scam. My going back to jail is not an issue. This countrys future is at stake Let them jail me for as long as they want, I will not be cowed down. There is no question of resigning as Delhi Chief Minister only because the BJP wants me to, he stated. The Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal 21 days of interim bail on May 10, requiring him to surrender on June 2. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase, Results Date, Exit Poll And Much More At News18 Website A total of 17.1 million online accounts were breached in India in the first quarter of 2024, translating to 132 per minute, up from six in Q4 2023, according to a report by global cybersecurity company Surfshark. The United States (US) saw 90 million accounts breached, and the United Kingdom (UK) 5.7 million in the same period. According to Surfsharks analysis, India is the eighth most breached country globally since 2004, with a staggering 320.5 million leaked accounts. The top seven countries are the US (3 billion), Russia (2.4 billion), China (1.1 billion), France (521.6 million), Germany (486.7 million), Brazil (354.2 million), and the UK (321.9 million). The analysis highlights that of the 320.5 million compromised accounts, 88 million are unique email addresses. On average, each email address is leaked with 3.8 additional personal records, amounting to a total of 1.2 billion personal records exposed over the last two decades. Furthermore, 162 million passwords were leaked, along with these accounts, putting 50 per cent of breached users at risk of account takeover. This increases the potential for identity theft, extortion and other cybercrimes. In the most recent quarter, India experienced 13.3 times more breaches than Bangladesh (1.3 million) and 4.1 times fewer breaches than China (70.6 million). Among the publicly known data breach incidents in India from January to March 2024 is the case of Cutout Pro, which is an AI-powered platform specializing in image and video editing, which caused a leak of 8.1 million emails. According to separate reports, there was a significant data breach, which affected the Indian consumer wearable brand called Boat. It was said that the breach exposed the personal data of over 7.5 million users, exposing information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and customer IDs. Additionally, a cybersecurity company, CloudSEK, has confirmed a major data breach from an Indian mobile network database. According to reports, a threat actor, identified as CyboDevil, was selling a 1.8-terabyte database comprising 750 million peoples personal information on the dark web. The hacked data contained names, phone numbers, addresses and Aadhaar information, impacting about 85 per cent of the population. Lina Survila, a spokesperson at Surfshark, emphasised the persistent threat of data breaches worldwide. Surfsharks extensive monitoring of data breach trends over the past two decades reveals an alarming digital reality: data leaks persist as an ongoing global threat. Since 2004, a staggering 17 billion user accounts have been leaked worldwide, with 400 million occurrences recorded at the start of this year, Survila stated. Of the 17 billion leaked user accounts globally, 38 per cent are unique email addresses. In total, 60.9 billion data points have been exposed (with 17.2 billion being email addresses). On an average, each email address is leaked with three additional data points. The data breach statistics were compiled by Surfsharks independent partners, who collected data from 29,000 publicly available databases. Each breached or leaked email address, considered a separate user account, was analysed along with associated information such as passwords, phone numbers, IP addresses and more. The data was anonymised and statistically analysed by Surfsharks researchers. Microsoft is ready to battle Meta AI with its own Copilot chatbot now moving to one of the popular messaging apps, Telegram. The company has basically introduced an official Copilot bot for Telegram users who can do basic AI tasks like answering questions, summarise articles and documents that can be tedious and even generate code for various computer languages. Most of the tasks offered by Copilot on Telegram are text-based, so you cannot use the AI chatbot to create images with prompts, at least for the time being. Copilot AI in Telegram: How To Get Started So, how can you activate the Microsoft AI chatbot in the messaging app and what all do you need to get started with the bot for your tasks. First up, search for the Microsoft Copilot bot in Telegram and make sure you click on the right version with the blue badge next to its icon. Now, the messaging app will ask for your mobile number to verify the user and probably to make sure the user is not a bot themselves. Were not sure if this process is really needed, especially when Telegram claims to be a privacy-focused messaging app, and the person using the bot through the platform has already signed up using their number in the first place. Once the messaging app verifies the number, it will share a list of tips that can help you make use of the Copilot chatbot. Heres a list of things that Copilot offers on Telegram for users as of now: Answer questions Creative writing Code generation Translations Summarisations Maths and equations Recommendations and more Copilot on Telegram is free so Microsoft has put a daily limit of 30-turn exchanges which includes the back-and-forth messaging interaction between the user and the bot. More AI Chatbots Coming to Messages Microsoft isnt the first to bring its AI chatbot to a messaging app. Meta has already done it with its own chatbot for WhatsApp and Instagram users earlier this year. Some of the features are still in beta but you can already use the AI chatbot on WhatsApp to generate AI images and soon, it will support AI images for profile photos as well. Similarly, Google is taking its Gemini AI chatbot to the native Messages app which comes pre-loaded on most Android phones but selectively used by people. Microsoft clearly realises the need to tap into more platforms for its AI push and bringing Copilot to PCs, and mobile is one thing but baking it into a popular messaging app allows the bot to expand its reach further and quickly. Over the past year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been surrounded by a number of controversies, including his brief removal from the company in November 2023. Altmans removal and subsequent re-hiring created much stir in Silicon Valley as people speculated over the exact reasons for his removal in the first place. Now Helen Toner, the former board member of OpenAI, has made some revelations regarding his ouster last year. She revealed that the board was not briefed about the launch of ChatGPT by Altman and instead, they got to know about it when they saw it on X. Helen Toners revelation has once again sparked discussion about Altman and his real plans with OpenAI. Helen Toner attended a podcast show called The Ted AI Show podcast and accused Altman of withholding information and even outright lying to the board members. The Australian researcher said, Sam had made it really difficult for the board to actually do that job by, you know, withholding information, misrepresenting things that were happening at the company, and in some cases, outright lying to the board. She added that Altman never told them that he was also the owner of the OpenAI Startup Fund and always claimed that he was an independent member with no financial interest in the company. Helen Toner further added that Altman gave board members inaccurate information about the small number of formal safety processes the company had in place. This made it impossible to determine the adequacy of the safety measures. She also added that the board had many discussions in October last year regarding Altmans ouster. In the podcast, Toner said that two OpenAI executives informed the board of the toxic work culture proliferated by Altman. She described the nature of Altmans abusive work environment, They were really serious, to the point where they actually sent us screenshots and documentation of some of the instances they were telling us about. The researcher who is known for her involvement in the effective altruism movement, reportedly fell out of favour with Altman after she co-wrote a research paper that raised safety and ethics issues related to the launches of ChatGPT and GPT-4. Her paper was published in October 2023, a few weeks before Altman was ousted. In response to Helen Toners allegations, OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor provided a statement to the The Ted AI Show podcast that said, We are disappointed that Miss Toner continues to revisit these issuesThe review concluded that the prior boards decision was not based on concerns regarding product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAIs finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners. An Indian-origin woman recently shared her experience navigating Amazons return policy in Canada. Posting on Instagram, Dr. Selena Khosla recounted the differences between returning items in India and Canada. In Canada, customers must handle returns themselves, unlike in India where a delivery person picks up the return. Dr. Khosla detailed the process: packing the item, printing the return label, and taking it to the post office. Frustrated by the cumbersome process, Dr. Khosla expressed her surprise, saying, One of the cultural shocks I encountered after moving to Canada is that, unlike in India, where Amazon offers a 30-day return policy and the delivery person picks up the item, here you have to pack it yourself, print the label, and find a printer because no service delivers printouts to your home like Swiggy does in India! Also Read: I Was Scammed: Amazon Customer Orders Laptop Worth Rs 1 Lakh, Receives This Instead Holding her return package, she continued, You then have to go to Canada Post. Even in India, people who work in the post office rarely visit it, but here, everyone has to go there for Amazon returns. I now have immense appreciation for the systems in India and the Amazon delivery people who make returns so convenient. In her video, Dr. Khosla also shared her experience of searching for the post office in the summer heat, following Google Maps to its new location. When she finally dropped off her package, she told the postal worker, In India, someone comes to take it from us, to which the worker reacted with disbelief. Even if its just a bottle of shampoo, they come and collect it. Were privileged in that way, she said, expressing her love for India. However, her post, titled Amazon India vs Canada. Huge respect for every delivery associate in India who makes this possible, even in extreme temperatures, didnt sit well with everyone as some accused her of promoting worker exploitation in India. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Selene Khosla (@selenekhosla) She is like, Why cant we exploit workers here in the West like we do in India? one user commented. Another added, My cousin is a delivery worker in Bihar and gets 16 rupees for a delivery, in this scorching heat of 45C. The same companies dont have the guts to exploit the working class in Canada. Watch this and read comments to see how the rich of this country are insensitive monsters. A third summed it up, A developed country will simply not have cheap labour as most people have access to good education, enough jobs to go around. Free e-commerce/food delivery/returns, household help are viable in India simply because there are many poor people wholl work at that price point. Also Read: Amazon Delivers More Than Packages: 23-year-old TikToker Buys Foldable Home Online Since being posted, the video has garnered over 4 million views on the site. TVFs feel-good show Panchayat received immense love and acclaim from the audience and critics upon the release of its first season in 2020. Moving forward to 2024, it is one of the most-loved shows in India. Given the response to its first two seasons, the makers have now released the much-awaited third season recently. As Panchayat Season 3 takes the Internet by storm, a video has surfaced on social media. The video featured an intriguing trailer cut of the web series as a horror show, leaving netizens impressed. Recently, a fan reimagined the web series as a horror show and dropped an edited trailer of the show to showcase it as a horror flick. The clip starts with Jitendras character from the show arriving at village Phulera on a bus. It cuts to a scene where he is alone in a dark room with no light. Then, we can see him trying to unfold a mystery with the iconic lauki scene taking centre stage. As the video progresses, he gets introduced to Banrakas whom we all know for his popular dialogue Dekh Rahe Ho Binod? Further, his attempts to leave the village have been edited in a way to give it a horror twist to the trailer. It ends with a captivating note as the protagonist confronts an unknown identity and asks, Kaun? The fan also replaced the melodious background music of the series with a thriller and spooky one, compelling netizens to stay glued to the trailer. Sparking curiosity among the series lovers, he attached the edited trailer with a question asking What if Panchayat was a Horror show? Trailer edit #Panchayat #PanchayatOnPrime Impressed netizens were quick to react and highlight the importance of music to add the required thrill to the clip. Reacting to the trailer edit, a user mentioned, Its all a game of background music!!! Another individual added, You understand the sheer power of video editing here: the quick cuts, the lighting background scenes added with that background score And the Hindi font is fire too! Leaves a lasting impression. Panchayat season 3 marks the return of Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Faisal Malik and Chandan Roy besides the additional cast playing pivotal roles in the series. On Tuesday, Rohit Sharmas wife, Ritika Sajdeh, shared a story on her Instagram account in support of Palestinians residing in Gaza. Instagram users were posting and sharing All Eyes On Rafah posts to show solidarity with the people of Palestine, and Ritika joined in by sharing the same post on her story. However, as her post gained traction on social media, especially on X, it attracted criticism. Some accused her of ignoring Indian issues, while others mocked her, suggesting she knew nothing about Rafah or its location and was merely following a trend. Meet Ritika Sajdeh, wife of Rohit Sharma.Did she ever talk about Kashmiri Pandits?-No Did she ever talk about the volence happening by a specific community in India?-No Did she ever raise her voice for Hindus being persecuted in Pakistan and Bangladesh?-No Did she pic.twitter.com/SFNrMHOtAM Mikku (@effucktivehumor) May 28, 2024 Reportedly, the story has since been deleted. Meanwhile, several A-list Bollywood celebrities have also shown their support for the people of Palestine. Some of these celebrities include Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Tripti Dimri, Samantha Prabhu, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Swara Bhasker, and Dia Mirza. Also Read: Rohit Sharma Fans Furious After Ritika Sajdehs Comment on MI Captaincy Swap Goes Viral In the related incident, hours after Hamas launched rockets at the Tel Aviv area, Israel retaliated with an airstrike on Rafah, a southern city in Gaza. The strike devastated a tent camp for displaced people, resulting in 45 deaths and over 200 injuries. As per reports from the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, approximately eight rockets were launched by Israeli forces towards the tents within a recently formed camp, densely populated with thousands of displaced individuals. This camp is situated near the warehouses of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This action sparked a global outcry, with many, including Iran, rallying around the phrase All Eyes on Rafah. Irans Embassy in New Delhi posted on their official X handle, All eyes on Rafah is a phrase that refers to the ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, where over 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking shelter. For context, Hamas, which governs Gaza, is currently at war with Israel. On October 7 last year, the group launched a significant assault, crossing Gazas border into Israel, killing hundreds and taking numerous hostages. In the midst of the recent turmoil, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Monday that a tragic mistake had been made in the Rafah strike and investigations were ongoing. A 26-year-old Indonesian man was left stupefied to discover that his newly-wed bride was a man. According to the South China Morning Post, this man, who used the alias AK realised this after 12 days into his marriage. AK had been conned into dating this man who wanted to scam him for money. This revelation shocked the people with many observers left astounded that the couple had dated in person for a year before tying the knot in April. AK hails from Naringgul, a region on the island of Java. He met the woman, Adinda Kanza, 26, on social media in 2023. As per reports, they both struck a bond online and then quickly made plans to meet in person. AK told SCMP that Kanza wore traditional Muslim attire covering her entire face when they met. According to the Indonesian man, she would claim herself to be a devout Muslim. AK added that the niqab did not bother him and viewed it as a sign of her devotion to Islam. Both individuals started planning their wedding. Amid the preparations, Kanza mentioned she had no family to attend the wedding. Following this information, the couple decided to opt for a modest ceremony at AKs home on April 12. She also brought 5 grams of gold as dowry but the couple did not officially register their marriage certificate. Troubles started simmering in for the couple only 12 days after the marriage. The Indonesian man noticed that his bride showed reluctance in communicating with his family members. She also continued to wear her veiled attire at home. Kanza also frequently avoided getting intimate with AK, citing reasons ranging from her menstrual cycle to feeling unwell. This prompted the 26-year-old man to investigate more about her and he managed to find her family address. It was then he discovered that his bride was not an orphan as she had claimed. Instead, her parents were both alive and well. He also learned that Kanza was a man, identified as ESH, who has been cross-dressing since 2020. In a first, a 49-year-old female police officer set a record for ascending Mount Everest, the worlds highest peak. Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe is the Maharashtra Police Forces first female officer to accomplish this remarkable achievement. On Wednesday at 4:10 am, she reached the summit and stayed there for 7-8 minutes, singing the national anthem and waving the tricolour and the Maharashtra police flag. The official X handle for the Maharashtra police posted slides of Dokhes photos taken while climbing Everest. The caption said, No challenge is too big for our Police Inspector Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe as she ascended the worlds highest mountain, Mount Everest. Maharashtra Police flag waving with pride on Mt. Everest.No challenge is too big for our Police Inspector Dwarka Vishwanath Dokhe as she ascended the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest. #ProudMaharashtraPolice#MountEverest #ProudMoment pic.twitter.com/l0fucy5mcp Maharashtra Police (@DGPMaharashtra) May 29, 2024 Speaking to the Times of India (TOI), Dokhe stated that her parents had passed away and that her sole aim in scaling Mount Everest was to pay tribute to them. Dokhe, a native of Srirampur in Ahmednagar district, enlisted in the police force through a direct recruiting service in 2006 as a police sub-inspector. Dokhe has been successfully climbing snow-covered summits since 2016, and she is currently working as a Cybercrime Instructor at the Nashik Police Academy. She reportedly developed a fascination with climbing Everest in 2022 after she came across a book called Saad Deti Him Shikhare and eventually made the Everest climbing her goal. The Marathi-language daily Sakal reports that on March 24, 2024, she arrived in Kathmandu. The quest began under the direction of Lakpa Sherpa, the head of the Everest climbing company. He stayed with Dokhe till the end of this mission. She began her ascent from Everest Base Camp on May 17. On May 22, they arrived at the peak of Everest. She held the picture of his parents as a tribute, by the decision she had made. After 54 days of continuous battle, she set a record for conquering Everest. But this wasnt her first go at it. Last year, she was forced to return from Base Camp 2 due to failing health. Remaining persistent, she began training to climb the highest peak in the world. To prepare for the gruelling journey, Dwarka underwent an intense training routine that included carrying over 210 kilogrammes on her back every day, walking on a steeply inclining treadmill and jogging 15 km three days a week. She also committed to doing full-body exercises and often climbed an eight-story buildings stairs. Even with setbacks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dokhes resolve never faltered. The All Eyes on Rafah slogan has emerged as a global rallying cry on social media, with huge support for the Palestinians from people in India and across the globe amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The comes in the wake of war which began when Hamas and other militants burst into southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct 7, killing some 1,200 civilians and abducting around 250 hostages. Israel responded to the attack with a massive air, land and sea offensive that has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry. What is the All Eyes on Rafah Campaign? The All Eyes on Rafah slogan urges people worldwide to focus on Rafah, where around 1.4 million people have taken refuge from the violence in Gaza. Despite the large civilian population, Israel continues its offensive in the region. This campaign comes in the wake of a weekend Israeli attack that claimed over 40 lives in Rafah. The strike only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest allies expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Several Bollywood celebrities have also come forward to express support for the people of Palestine. Some of celebrities include Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Tripti Dimri, Samantha Prabhu, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Swara Bhasker, and Dia Mirza. Who Coined The Term The All Eyes on Rafah phrase originated from a comment by Rick Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organisations Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In February, Peeperkorn said, All eyes are on Rafah, days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an evacuation plan for the city, targeting what he claimed were the last strongholds of a militant group. READ MORE: Rohit Sharmas Wife Ritika Sajdeh Trolled for All Eyes on Rafah Story on Instagram, Deletes it Later Viral AI Image and Its Origin After activists and humanitarian groups launched a social media campaign to spotlight the dire conditions in a Gazan city, an image depicting tents arranged to spell out the slogan went viral on the internet. US media outlets reported that the image was first shared on Instagram and spread widely in less than 24 hours. However, doubts have been raised regarding the authenticity of the image. Some experts have suggested that the image could be one of the first instances of AI-generated viral activism pictures. An associate professor of Middle East studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar who studies misinformation said the image definitely looks AI-generated, NBC reported. Signs that the image was AI-generated include its lack of photorealism, unusual shadows, and the unnaturally sprawling and symmetrical tent camp. Counter of All Eyes on Rafah Amid the Rafah activism, a counter-campaign has gained momentum on social media. Critics of this movement argue that anti-Israel activists are solely concentrating on the countrys military campaign and overlooking the actions of Palestinian groups like Hamas, who are accused of large-scale brutality. Dear All Eyes on Rafah Influencers. All of these girls and women were brutally slaughtered on October 7th. 320 women and girls were killed. 100 women and girls kidnapped. Where were your Instagram posts? Were your eyes shut? said one of the pro-Israel users on X. Dear Instagram Influencers, have you ever said a word about the thousands of Palestinians whom invaded Israel, burned families alive, butchered children, shot anyone on sight and shot babies in their cribs? Hypocrites, all of them. I am sick of this Eye on Rafah, wrote another one. New Woke Project What Some Indian Users said After a host of Indian celebrities expressed support for the All Eyes on Rafah campaign, some social media users were outraged. Suddenly all eyes on Rafah is trending in India. Some Indian so-called youth icons who criticised #Kasmir_Files and called it a propaganda film! Today they are supporting the terrorist group #Hamas! Toolkit gang activated, said one of the users on X. Make no mistake 99% of Wokes of India posting this All Eyes on Rafah might not even heard this name before today. They dont even know what has happened but they are posting it because these Bollywoodiyas & Celebs have put up story on Instagram. New Woke project, read another critical post on the campaign. What Israel Said Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border, as its Western allies have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that a tragic mistake had been made, referring to the Israeli strike in Rafah. Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mishap, Netanyahu said Monday in an address to Israels parliament. We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needed a post-war plan as soon as possible after a senior Israeli official predicted that fighting in Gaza would last until the end of the year. In the absence of a plan for the day after, there wont be a day after. And this is where we need to go, and (what) we need to get, as quickly as possible, Blinken told reporters on a visit to Moldova. Such a plan would ensure that Israel is not in control of Gazas security in the long term, he said. If it is, it will simply have an enduring insurgency on his hands for as far as one can see into the future, Blinken said. Or if not, Hamas will be left in charge, which is not acceptable. Or if not, well have chaos, lawlessness and a vacuum that eventually will be filled again by Hamas or maybe something, if its possible to imagine, even worse jihadists. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said earlier that the military would need another seven months to consolidate our success against Hamas. President Joe Biden has supported Israels response to the October 7 Hamas attack but has called on Israel to do more to protect civilians and has faced growing pressure as he seeks re-election in November. Blinken said that a weekend Israeli strike that ignited an inferno in a displacement camp outside Rafah, killing 45 people according to Palestinian officials, was horrific. Anyone who has seen the images cannot be deeply affected by them, just on a basic human level, Blinken said. We have been very clear with Israel on the imperative in this instance as in other instances to immediately investigate and determine exactly what happened and why it happened, and if accountability is necessary to make sure that there is accountability, Blinken said. He said he could not verify a report that US weapons were used in the attack. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territorys health ministry. Hollywood icon Robert De Niro on Tuesday had a face-off with the supporters of Donald Trump in New York when he called the former US President a clown and a dictator outside the courtroom where the latters hush money trial was underway. Flanked by retired Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were special guests of Joe Bidens campaign, De Niro didnt hold back in his criticism of the former president despite the crowds objections and branded him as a clown with ambitions to destroy the world. JUST IN: Actor Robert De Niro gets into a shouting match with a guy wearing a MAGA hat across the street from the Trump trial.De Niro could be seen having a meltdown after a Trump supporter was heard calling him washed up. De Niro joined the Biden campaign on Tuesday to pic.twitter.com/nR7wgTTLBh Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 28, 2024 When Trump ran in 2016, it was like a joke. The only way to preserve our freedoms and hold on to our humanity is to vote for Joe Biden for president, the legendary actor was quoted as saying by AFP. If he gets in. I can tell you right now, he will never leave, De Niro said. Is that the country we want to live in? Do we want him running this country and saying Im not leaving? Im dictator for life? he added. De Niro On Jan 6 Capitol Riots The Goodfellas actor accused Trump of directing an angry mob to storm the US Capitol after his 2020 election defeat to Biden, adding that the Republican ran and hid in the White House during the violence. Joined by retired officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were wounded in the January 6, 2021 insurrection, De Niro launched to halt the certification by Congress of Bidens victory. Dunn is one of three officers who defended the Capitol who will campaign for Biden in key battleground states ahead of the presidents first election debate against Trump, slated for June 27. Trump Supporters Hit Back At De Niro De Niros remarks were criticised harshly by Trump supporters leading to an embarrassing face-off between the actor and the crowd. Amidst a chorus of F*** Joe Biden chants from Trump supporters, De Niro continued his retort describing the former Republican President as a grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot and a two-bit playboy who lied his way into the tabloids. https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1795478984932893009 Despite facing backlash from the crowd, De Niro didnt stop or waver in his condemnation of Trump. In response, Trumps spokesperson Jason Miller dismissed De Niro as a washed-up actor, a sentiment echoed by an irate Trump supporter who labelled De Niro as washed up. GENEVA: More than 30 countries condemned Israels attacks on hospitals in Gaza and demanded more scrutiny of its role in the enclaves health crisis at a World Health Organization meeting on Wednesday, and some blamed Israel for a growing risk of famine. The WHO has recorded hundreds of attacks on health facilities in the occupied Palestinian territories, which includes Gaza, since the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war began, but does not attribute blame. In the latest phase of the conflict this month, Israel launched a military operation against Rafah in south Gaza, blocking patient transfers, all but cutting off medical supplies and threatening its last functioning hospital. A group of countries are backing a proposal at the WHOs annual assembly in Geneva that would mandate the U.N. health agency to boost documentation of the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and report on starvation amid U.N. warnings of famine and disease after nearly eight months of conflict. The motion is supported by over 30 countries, mostly from Africa and the Gulf region but also Russia, Turkey and China, but even more spoke in favour of it. A vote had been due on Wednesday, but further debate delayed it to Thursday. The healthcare system of Gaza is devastated. Israel has targeted hospitals in Gaza, completely destroying treatment facilities. This also means a war against the fundamental right to health, said Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. He also accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war and said its actions against hospitals amounted to a war crime. Palestinian ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi urged countries to support the motion. We cannot allow Israel to destroy everything, to destroy health care facilities and to allow this to happen, he told the crowded meeting room. Israels ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar blamed Hamas for deliberately putting the safety of patients at risk by using health facilities for military purposes. It submitted an amendment to include a reference to the 250 hostages seized during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, and to condemn the use of hospitals by armed groups. That amendment passed on Wednesday evening. Israel denies responsibility for delays in getting aid into Gaza and says the U.N. and others are responsible for its distribution once inside. Ireland was one of just a handful of countries to call for the release of the hostages in a speech where it also asked Israel to cease its Rafah operation. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor SEOUL:North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile, the Japanese government said on Thursday. The projectile has already fallen into sea, according to the Japanese coast guard. South Norths Yonhap News Agency also reported that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile off its east coast, citing South Koreas military. The North Korean missile appears to have landed outside Japans exclusive economic zone, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported citing multiple defence ministry officials. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor The Israeli military said three soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday, as it pressed ahead with its offensive in Rafah. Three more soldiers were badly wounded in the same incident, the military said, though it provided no further details. Israels public broadcaster Kan radio said they were injured by an explosive device set off in a building in Rafah. Defying an order from the International Court of Justice, Israeli forces have kept up their offensive in Rafah, where they aim to root out the last major intact formations of Hamas fighters and rescue hostages. International unease over Israels three-week-old Rafah offensive has turned to outrage since an airstrike on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in a western district of the city, killing at least 45 people. Israel said it had been targeting two senior Hamas operatives and had not intended to cause civilian casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that something unfortunately went tragically wrong. The Israeli military said it was investigating the possibility that munitions stored near a compound targeted by Sundays airstrike may have ignited. Israel told around one million Palestinian civilians displaced by the almost eight-month-old war to evacuate from Rafah before launching its incursion in early May. Around that many have fled the city since then, according to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. On Tuesday, the United States, Israels closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah but said it did not believe such an operation was underway. CHISINAU:U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that American weapons being delivered to Kyiv were helping stabilise the front line in Ukraine amid intensifying Russian attacks and that Washington would adapt and adjust its support. The top U.S. diplomat travelled to the Moldovan capital Chisinau, holding talks with pro-Western President Maia Sandu on the first stop of a brief European tour aimed at solidifying support for Kyiv among NATO allies and neighbouring countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of a global conflict if Kyivs Western allies allow it to use weapons they have supplied to strike inside Russia, something Ukraines government is urging its partners to permit. The U.S. has said it does not encourage or enable the use of U.S. weapons for direct attacks on Russia, but Blinken said it would adjust and adapt, when asked at a press conference about Washingtons current position on the matter. I think what youve seen over the two plus years, as the nature of the battlefield has changed, as the locations, the means that Russia is employing changed, weve adapted and adjusted to that Thats exactly what well do going forward, he said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby also noted that U.S. support for Ukraine has evolved with battlefield conditions. And thats not going to change, he told reporters in Washington. But, right now, theres also no change to our policy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the Western military alliance this week to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons to allow Ukraine to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia. The U.S., which is Kyivs most important supplier of weaponry, passed a $61 billion aid package in April following months of delay that exacerbated shortages of artillery shells. Blinken said the U.S. weapons supplies were now having a real effect and that Putin had not been able to achieve his goals in the Kharkiv area in northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces launched an offensive this month, opening a new front. On the contrary, I think what we see, again, stabilisation of the front and a failure in terms of Putins objectives, he said. MOLDOVAN AID Speaking alongside president Sandu on Wednesday, Blinken pledged $50 million in aid for Moldova and lasting U.S. support, saying the country had shown an extraordinary resilience in the face of Russian bullying and interference efforts. Under Sandu, Moldova has staunchly condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine and set its sights on joining the European Union. Sandu said Blinkens visit was a strong sign of support for Moldova. Through unity and with the support of our partners, we will stand by our people and move forward. Moldova, which is due to hold a referendum in October to cement its bid to join the EU into its constitution, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine and sees its own security as closely tied to Kyivs ability to hold back Russian forces. Support for Ukraine equals support for Moldova, but it also works the other way round. Supporting Moldova strengthens Ukraine because Ukraine needs a strong, democratic Moldova and a supportive neighbour because we share a 1,200-km border, said Olga Rosca, Sandus foreign policy adviser. Blinken will travel to Prague on Wednesday to attend an informal gathering of NATO foreign ministers, which will focus on advancing preparations ahead of a July summit of the alliance in Washington. The U.S. has been working with European allies to help Ukraine build its long-term force, efforts that would bring Kyiv closer to NATO. Individual members including the U.S. are working to reach bilateral agreements with Ukraine. More than two years into the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances and Putin is increasingly evoking the risk of a global war. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor Donald Trump came down heavily on Robert De Niro, branding the Hollywood veteran a wacko and mocking his involvement in a Biden campaign outside the New York courthouse where the former US President is on trial. I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was, Trump railed in a Truth Social post. Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left MAGA, the US former president said in response to Academy Award winner actor. I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was. Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater pic.twitter.com/NDadWMAF5M Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 29, 2024 Robert, whose movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden, looked so pathetic and sad out there. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio!!! the post continued. This sharp reaction comes after De Niro called Trump a clown who is bent on destroying American democracy outside the New York City courtroom where the Republican presidential candidates hush money trial is being held. De Niro, a longtime Democrat, attended a Biden campaign event outside the Manhattan courtroom. He was accompanied by two former law enforcement officers, Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were at the US Capitol when it was attacked on Jan. 6, 2021. De Niros remarks are part of the Biden campaigns attempt to use wall-to-wall media coverage of the Trump trial to push their own message. Referring to Trumps successful 2016 run for president, De Niro said Trumps candidacy was initially laughed off as a joke. Weve forgotten the lessons of history that showed us other clowns who werent taken seriously until they became vicious dictators, he said. With Trump we have a second chance and no one is laughing now. This is the time to stop him by voting him out once and for all. If Trump returns to the White House, he said, Americans could see the civil liberties they take for granted evaporate as well as the end of elections. Ill never watch Goodfellas again without thinking what a little bitch DeNiro is.An iconic actors legacy destroyed by a terminal case of TDS. pic.twitter.com/c5GvU4VTcM Eric Matheny (@ericmmatheny) May 29, 2024 If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave, said DeNiro. Fanone and Dunn delivered emotional remarks, saying violence at the Capitol was fueled by Trumps lies that the 2020 election was stolen. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot, a two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids, he said. A clownNo one took him seriously. They take him seriously now. Trump campaign officials said the De Niro event showed desperation in the Biden camp. (With agency inputs) The United States said on Tuesday it was monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called tragic but added that the recent deaths in Rafah didnt qualify as a major ground operation, crossing any of its red lines. Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border, as its Western allies have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city. Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people overnight on Tuesday, according to multiple agencies. The strikes pummeled the same area where strikes on Sunday triggered a deadly fire that engulfed tents in a camp for displaced Palestinians, killing 45 people. The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a White House briefing when asked about whether the events in Rafah are the type of death and destruction US officials have warned could result in the withholding of more aid to Israel. The US doesnt have a measuring stick here or a quota, Kirby said. RED LINE CBS News @edokeefe asks at White House press briefing about Israels deadly explosion in Rafah: The whole area is densely populated. How does this not violate the red line that the president laid out?John Kirby, WH National Security Council spokesperson: As I said, we dont pic.twitter.com/prshMWC7yW CBS News (@CBSNews) May 28, 2024 Major ground operation Weve also said we dont want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet, he said, noting that Israels operations were mostly in a corridor on the outskirts of Rafah. Asked if he was saying the recent ground operations in Rafah would not prompt a US withdrawal of more military aid, Kirby said I believe thats what Ive been saying here. Recent deaths in Rafah have tested US President Joe Bidens promise to withhold weapons from Israel if the US ally made a major invasion of Rafah that put displaced persons there at risk. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israels offensive, Gazas health ministry says. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages. READ MORE: Israeli Tanks Enter Heart of Rafah, UN Security Council To Discuss Deaths Of Civilians In Airstrike Tragically wrong Israel said that something unfortunately went tragically wrong in Sundays airstrike while its military denied shelling the tent camp on Tuesday. Israel said it had targeted two senior Hamas operatives in Sundays operation and had not intended to cause civilian casualties. Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintendedOur investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite.Watch the full statement by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel pic.twitter.com/fzaRSnpgbE Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 28, 2024 Asked whether Israels strikes could put Biden in a difficult position, Kirby told reporters Tuesday that instead there was a real danger that Israel could become further isolated from the international community with the manner in which it is conducting operations.So this is of concern, clearly, because its not in Israels best interest, Kirby said. And its not in our best interest for Israel to become increasingly isolated on the world stage. The State Department said on Tuesday that as soon as it saw reports of Sundays Rafah incident, Washington expressed deep concern to Israel and urged an investigation, which Israel has promised. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington will be closely watching Israels probe but Israels military operations so far in Rafah have not been as large-scale as those in central or northern Gaza. (With agency inputs) UPDATE May 28, 2024 5:22 PM CDT A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a retired New York Police Department officer's conviction and 10-year prison sentence for assaulting a police officer during the Capitol attack. A three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected Thomas Webster's claims that he was convicted by a biased jury, the AP reports. Webster, a 20-year NYPD veteran, argued that the entire jury pool in Washington, DC, was "presumptively prejudiced" against him. But the panel, which included two judges nominated by Donald Trump, found no evidence that the jury pool had any preconceived notions about Webster, "or even knew who he was." May 2, 2022 6:30 PM CDT A federal jury on Monday convicted a New York Police Department veteran of assaulting an officer during the Capitol riot, rejecting his claim that he was defending himself when he tackled the officer and grabbed his gas mask. Thomas Webster, a 20-year NYPD veteran who retired in 2011, was the first Capitol riot defendant to be tried on an assault charge and the first to present a jury with a self-defense argument, the AP reports. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before they convicted Webster of all six counts in his indictment, including a charge that he assaulted Metropolitan Police Department officer Noah Rathbun with a dangerous weapon, a metal flagpole UPDATE May 31, 2024 5:56 AM CDT An 81-year-old man accused of being a "serial slingshot shooter" died Wednesday, days after his arrest on charges including felony vandalism. Authorities say Prince King, who had been ordered to stay 200 yards away from his home in Azusa, California, was found dead from natural causes at a private residence in the city, the BBC reports. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office listed the cause of death as heart disease, reports NBC News. Investigators say King broke neighbors' windows and windshields over the course of 10 years, apparently motivated only by "malicious mischief." He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and had been due to return to court on June 17. May 28, 2024 7:24 PM CDT Royally ticked-off neighbors in Azusa, California, are relieved that 81-year-old Prince King has been arrested. Police in the Los Angeles County city said in a Facebook post that after receiving reports of a "quality of life" issue, they "conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that during the course of 9-10 years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter." They said King was arrested last week after they executed a search warrant at his home and found ball bearings and a slingshot, USA Today reports. Nine days after the New York Times reported about the political symbolism of an upside-down American flag that flew at the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, the Washington Post acknowledged it had the same story more than three years ago and decided not to publish it, the AP reports. The Post's story was both an extraordinary example of journalistic introspection and an illustration of how coverage of the Supreme Court has changed since the incident itself, shortly after the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. That day, some of the demonstrators who marched in support of former President Trump carried the upside-down flag. Both newspapers reported that the same symbol was displayed outside of Alito's home in Fairfax County, Virginia, before President Biden's inauguration. It was even hotter on Wednesday in New Delhi than experts had predicted it would be, and those temps led to a new record: 50.5 degrees Celsius, or nearly 123 degrees Fahrenheit, the Indian capital's hottest day ever, reports the Guardian . The mercury-busting stat was recorded in the suburb of Mungeshpur, according to the India Meteorological Department, which reported "severe heat-wave conditions." The agency says its reading was about 9 degrees (Celsius) higher than they'd anticipated. The Indian Express reports an even higher IMD reading on Wednesday afternoon: 52.3 degrees Celsius, or about 126 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though the heat has been bad in India for weeks now, residents were still taken aback at just how hot this week has been. "Having a shower is almost a waste of time," one local chemistry teacher tells the Guardian. "You come out of it and instantly you are a sweaty mess again." Meanwhile, a welder says he can't work for hours during the most sweltering parts of the day, because "the metal rods I'm working with are too hot to touch." NBC News reports that the IMD has issued a "red alert" to residents in and around Delhi, warning there's a "very high likelihood" that people will get heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses and calling for "extreme care" for the most vulnerable. CNN notes the water shortages that are plaguing the area as well, leading to water rationing throughout Delhi. The city already restricts water within its limits, but now, areas that typically receive water twice a day will receive that supply just once a day, so that it can be funneled to neighborhoods in even more dire straits, per a Delhi official. The IMD says the heat wave should start to subside by Thursday. (More Delhi stories.) A Michigan State Police trooper has been charged with murder in the April death of a 25-year-old man whom he struck with an unmarked squad car during a police chase. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday said Det. Sgt. Brian Keely, 50, would be charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Samuel Sterling. "Det. Sgt. Keely's actions that day were legally, grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, which could have otherwise been prevented," Nessel said. If convicted, the charges carry sentences of up to life and 15 years, respectively. Keely and a state police fugitive task force had been trying to arrest Sterling, "a probation absconder who was wanted on several felony warrants," per NBC News, on April 17. He was sighted at a gas station outside of Grand Rapids and fled. Sterling was pursued by officers in cars and on foot "when the unmarked vehicle D/Sgt Keely was driving turned and struck Sterling in a nearby fast-food restaurant parking lot," per the attorney general's office. Body camera footage shows an injured Sterling calling out in pain. He died hours later, with his death certificate citing "multiple blunt force injuries," reports WOOD-TV. A lawyer for Sterling's family told WOOD that Keely "clearly used a police car as a deadly weapon, knowing full well that Samuel was right there, and by steering into him, by going up and over a curb ... to try to cut him off, he knew that he certainly could hit him." "Some would say he intentionally hit him, which it looks like to me on the film, on the video," Ven Johnson added. story continues below A lawyer for Keely described the trooper as a religious man who was "broken-hearted" for Sterling's family. He characterized the charges as such: "It is unfortunate that in this time of political correctness, Michigan's attorney general has chosen to ignore the facts of this incident and rely on political pressure." Further, the "accident could have also been avoided if Mr. Sterling would have simply complied with the commands of the detectives." (More Michigan stories.) Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon spa was evacuated once again Wednesday as a volcano erupted, spewing a wall of lava 165 feet upward from a long fissure. Deutsche Welle reports that around 750 visitors were at the geothermal spa when a state of emergency was declared. The few residents that had returned to the nearby town of Grindavik since an initial eruption in December were also evacuated, the BBC reports. Authorities said there was "intense earthquake activity" before the eruption began. The volcano is also spewing clouds of ash, but authorities say air travel is unlikely to be affected. Israel's military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israel's relations with Egypt, which has previously complained about Israel's advance toward its border, the AP reports. Israel says the corridor is awash in tunnels that have funneled weapons and other goods for Hamaseven under a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. "The Philadelphi Corridor served as the oxygen line of Hamas through which Hamas carried out weapons smuggling into Gaza on a regular basis," said the military's spokesperson. Egypt has said that any increase in troops in the strategic corridor would violate the countries' 1979 peace accord. It has already complained about Israel taking over the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The first day of the jury's deliberations in the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president ended without a verdict Wednesday. The New York jurors were dismissed just after 4pm, with Judge Juan Merchan asking them not to discuss the hush-money case with anyone, NBC News reports. He also told the jurors not to read news reports of the case or search for information online. The jury began its deliberations just before noon. At around 3pm, jurors sent their first note to the judge, asking to rehear four pieces of testimony, three from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and one from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, the Washington Post reports. Jurors are not given transcripts, so the testimony has to be read back to them in the courtroom. While New Zealand has never had a group arrival of asylum seekers, the Immigration (Mass Arrivals) Amendment Bill aims to correct shortcomings in existing provisions identified in a 2019 review of the Immigration Act. The main amendment of the Bill, which passed in Parliament on Tuesday, was to increase the time for a warrant of commitment to be granted to large groups of asylum seekers. The past law allowed 96 hours - this will now be extended to seven days but gives the authority to judges to further extend it to 28 days if needed. If a warrant is granted, people can be detained in custody. National previously opposed the amendment to the Bill, which was introduced by the previous Labour Government, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying it was "a solution looking for a problem". However, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has proposed four changes to the Bill which ensures the asylum-seeking group would not be detained in a prison or police station, but rather in a premises approved by the Chief Executive. An immigration officer would then have to establish why any proposed detention was necessary and report to the court weekly. The judge can also order the location of the proposed detention to be changed. Stanford said the Bill's amendments will enable New Zealand to safely and securely manage a mass arrival should one ever occur. "[It ensures] we are prepared to respond to a potential mass arrival in a safe and secure way, and in a manner which preserves the human rights of vulnerable migrants," Stanford said. "During the consultation process it was clear a number of submitters mistakenly believed the changes would enable New Zealand to breach our international obligations or the human rights of those involved. This was never the case. "However, to provide certainty, this Bill puts in place explicit safeguards on how human rights will be upheld." The Bill was supported by National, Labour, ACT and NZ First. Green Party immigration spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said the Bill unfortunately follows in the footsteps of Australia, which has been widely criticised for its immigration detention centres. "Australia is not a country that has a good track record on how they uphold the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. If anything, New Zealand had a chance to actually led the way in ensuring we're genuine around upholding the human rights of people escaping the most unimaginable situations one could ever think of." Menendez March said "detention is a political choice" and feedback from submitters were that we should think of alternatives before resorting to detention. The Greens want the Government to instead fund additional resources for settlement centres and better resources for the courts to process the asylum seeker claims. Such control would prevent Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said earlier. Fighting in Gaza will continue throughout 2024 at least, he added, signalling that Israel was not ready to end the war as demanded by Hamas, as part of a deal that would see the exchange of hostages it holds for Palestinian prisoners. "The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war," Hanegbi said, reiterating that the aim was to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop it and its allies attacking Israel. But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday Israel needed to craft a post-war plan for Gaza and that without it, lawlessness, chaos and a Hamas comeback in the enclave could ensue. The United States, Israel's closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major ground offensive in Rafah on Tuesday while saying it did not believe such an operation was under way. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's Gaza offensive, the enclave's health ministry said. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Ceasefire negotiations struggle on Mediator Qatar was expected to give Israel's latest ceasefire and hostage release proposal to Hamas on Tuesday, a person familiar with the issue said. There was no immediate word on Wednesday from Hamas, which has said talks are pointless unless Israel ends its offensive on Rafah. The armed wing of Hamas and that of allies Islamic Jihad said they confronted invading forces in Rafah with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs and blew up explosive devices they had planted, resulting in numerous successful hits. The Israeli military said three Israeli soldiers were killed and three badly wounded. Public broadcaster Kan radio said an explosive device had been set off in a Rafah building. Palestinian health officials said several people were wounded by Israeli fire and stores of aid were set ablaze in eastern Rafah, where residents said Israeli bombardment had destroyed many homes in an area Israel has ordered evacuated. Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra called for immediate safe pathways for fuel, medical aid and medical teams to Rafah and northern Gaza, where he said there was no help for the wounded. Around a million Palestinians who had taken shelter in Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip have now fled after Israeli orders to evacuate, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA reported on Tuesday. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it had evacuated its medical teams from its field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area, a designated civilian evacuation zone, because of continued bombardments. In the nearby city of Khan Younis, an Israeli air strike killed three people overnight, including Salama Baraka, a former senior Hamas police officer, medics and Hamas media said. Another killed four people, including two children, medics said. In northern Gaza, Israeli forces shelled Gaza City neighbourhoods and moved deeper into Jabalia, where residents said large residential districts were destroyed. Malnutrition has become widespread in Gaza as aid deliveries have slowed to a trickle. Reuters TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Direct flights between Bahrain and Iraq are set to resume on June 1, 2024, marking the end of a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The national carrier, Gulf Air, will operate the first flight, with 11 weekly flights scheduled to various Iraqi cities. Gulf Air will operate daily flights to Najaf at 10:25 AM, and four weekly flights to Baghdad on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 9:40 AM. Booking website The airlines official booking website shows ticket prices starting from BD104 for economy class and reaching BD505 for Falcon Gold class. Prices vary depending on the date, duration, and type of ticket, with higher prices expected during the Eid Al-Adha holiday. Iraqi Airways is also expected to resume direct flights between Bahrain and Iraq on June 5, 2024, although the airline has not yet officially announced its flight schedule. The resumption of direct flights is expected to boost economic relations and strengthen social ties between the two countries. It will also provide a convenient travel option for passengers from neighboring countries who can connect to Iraq via Bahrain. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Filipino Writers Circle (FilWrite), in collaboration with Philippine Embassy Manama and Migrant Workers Office (MWO) Bahrain, has announced an exciting opportunity for all creative-minded Filipinos to participate in the On the Spot Essay Writing and Poster Making contests to showcase their talents on the theme that revolves on freedom, love of country and future aspirations. The event, part of the 126th Philippines Independence Day celebration, will be held on 8 June 2024 at the Philippine Embassy. According to Cecil Ancheta, president of FilWrite, Both contests will celebrate the artistic talents of the participants to express their hopes and ideas for the future of the country through words and art. She added: It will serve as an educational platform for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to reflect on and honor the journeys and sacrifices of our heroes as one way of celebrating Independence Day with creativity and vision. The winning candidates will receive certificates of awards, plaques and cash prizes. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Medical University of Bahrain hosted a ceremony to celebrate the winners of the Health Awareness Art Competition 2023-2024, in the presence of Dr Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council, Professor Sameer Otoom, President of RCSI Medical University of Bahrain, and invitees from both institutions. The minister congratulated the winners and commended RCSI Medical University of Bahrain for continuing to organise this competition in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Professor Sameer Otoom, President of RCSI Medical University of Bahrain, commented, RCSI Medical University of Bahrain extends its appreciation to Dr Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council, for his keen support of the competition and for forging collaborations between all educational institutions in Bahrain for the benefit of all students.. During the award ceremony, Dr Farzana Abdullah Al-Maraghi, Assistant Secretary-General at the Higher Education Council, addressed the attendees, and stated, This years competition was elevated with the participation of university students which enriched the competition and allowed for diversity in the artistic works created by the students in each academic category. Commending the students for their creative efforts, Professor Kathryn Strachan, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery/Community Engagement Pillar Lead, stated in her address to the attendees, The students contributions are invaluable to our ongoing mission to enhance health education and awareness. Together, let us continue to foster a culture of health that values informed discussion, creative expression and collective action. 42 students from various public schools and private universities were nominated to participate in the competition to create art pieces for a selection of health-related themes. The winners were selected by a judging panel consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Education and RCSI Medical University of Bahrain. The 13 winners were awarded by the minister at the end of the ceremony. Agencies | Gaza City The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a strong condemnation of the air strikes on Rafah, which struck tents housing displaced individuals on Sunday. The statement, delivered by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, emphasised the Secretary-Generals dismay at the attack. Guterres reiterated his demand for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be complied with. France called for an immediate ceasefire in Rafah and called on the UN Security Council to fulfil its mandate and take immediate action. Briefing reporters at the UN Security Council meeting, Nicolas de Riviere, Permanent Representative of France to the UN, said France pushed a lot at the meeting for an immediate ceasefire. Algerias UN representative said the country will propose a draft UNSC resolution to stop the killing in Rafah. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has no plans to change his Israel policy but is not turning a blind eye to the plight of Palestinian civilians, the White House said yesterday. Gazan health authorities said 45 people were killed as a blaze tore through a camp for displaced people following the Sunday strike by Israel. But Washington does not believe that Israels actions in Rafah amount to a full-scale operation that would breach Bidens red lines, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Yesterday, a civil defence official in Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli strike on a displacement camp west of Rafah yesterday killed at least 21 people, after a similar strike that sparked global outrage. Israel denied carrying out the latest reported strike, which occurred ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to discuss a Sunday strike which Palestinian officials said killed 45 people. Despite mounting concerns over the civilian toll of its war on Hamas, Israel has shown no signs of changing course and international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire remain stalled. In the latest bloodshed, Gaza civil defence agency official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said 21 people were killed in an occupation strike targeting the tents of displaced people in west Rafah. Hamas said an Israeli strike on the area caused dozens of martyrs and wounded. Israels army rejected the allegations, saying it did not strike the designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. Incursion In Rafah, residents and a Palestinian security source said Israeli tanks had now penetrated the heart of the southern city Defense Update is an online defense magazine published in Israel. Editorial team: Editor in Chief: Tamir Eshel (Contact: editor @ defense-update.com) Assistant Editor, Senior Defense Systems Analyst: Lt. Col. (Ret) Dan Zeevi Assistant Editor, Photography: Noam Eshel Founded in 1978 by Col. (Ret) David Eshel (1928-2019), Defense-Update provides trusted, unbiased features written by defense professionals for defense professionals, scholars, and analysts. Defense-Update highlights defense technology programs and innovation, including land warfare covering armor, infantry and support elements, aerospace, naval, C4ISR, EW, Cyber Warfare, Intelligence, net-centric warfare, unmanned systems and robotics, and homeland defense. Written by experienced defense journalists from different nations, with the contribution by analysts specializing in various fields, Defense Update provides comprehensive coverage of particular defense-related topics, including Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV), Future Combat Systems, Aerospace and unmanned systems, as well as robotics and Precision Strike Weapons. It also covers an in-depth analysis of developing trends in Command, Control, Communications and Computing, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR). Focusing on evolving trends such as multi-domain and hybrid warfare, net-centric operations, active defense, C-RAM, counter-drone force protection, and homeland security, Defense-Update is recognized as a reliable source of updated information among international decision-makers. Besides the news and features, Defense-Update also provides an up-to-date and comprehensive list of defense exhibitions and professional events, including the US and International defense and aerospace exhibitions, professional conferences, and other events. Most of the major events are also covered in detail by our editors. All features published by Defense-Update are periodically updated to reflect the development and progress of key defense-related programs. Defense-Update is available free at www.defense-update.com Defense-Update also maintains communities at: Linkedin | Facebook | Twitter Recommended Agoda Bookings: Feel free to contact us at: editor at defense-update.com Tel: +972-544-508028 or write to: Reut 12 Harish, 3760549 Israel You are also invited to write to the editor via LinkedIn: Leading Kids' Better-For-You Frozen Food Brand with Hidden Veggies Brings First of Its Kind Products to Canada's Freezer Aisle NEW YORK, May 28, 2024 /CNW/ -- Kidfresh, the brand of kids' favorite foods with hidden veggies in every bite, is excited to announce its expansion into Canada. This strategic move marks Kidfresh's first entry into international territory, targeting the untapped Canadian market for convenient, better-for-you frozen meal options for children. Kidfresh's Wagon Wheels Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti Loops Meat Sauce, Cheese Pizza Wagon Wheels, and Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese singles-serve entrees "Our products are the first of their kind to enter the Canadian market and poised to fill the white space in the frozen kids' meal category. We're excited to bring a convenient and nutritious mealtime solution for Canadian families," said Michael Allen, CEO of Kidfresh. Kidfresh is launching with four singles-serve entrees: Wagon Wheels Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti Loops Meat Sauce, Cheese Pizza Wagon Wheels, and Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese, all containing hidden veggies. All entrees have over 9g of protein per serving. Kidfresh never uses preservatives or artificial ingredients. Every product passes the Kidfresh taste test: Kidfresh has an ongoing panel of consumers, including kids aged 6-8, who taste and provide feedback on every product. Available at Whole Foods Market, Ambrosia and other retailers starting this month. For more information about Kidfresh and its product offerings, visit www.kidfresh.com. About Kidfresh Kidfresh is the leader in frozen kids' meals packed with high-quality ingredients and hidden vegetables. Created by parents, for parents, with the help of pediatric nutritionists and top chefs, Kidfresh is the solution to today's busy parents that want convenient and better-for-you kids' meal options. Kidfresh meals are made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and are frozen immediately after being cooked to preserve the nutrients and flavors. Kidfresh is available nationwide in the United States and in Canada. For more information on Kidfresh, visit www.kidfresh.com. SOURCE Kidfresh Staci Weiner, [email protected] Iconic Festival Couches to Host Tribute to Fellini and Thirty Premieres TORONTO, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - Prepare for an extraordinary cinematic journey as the Lavazza IncluCity Festival, organized by ICFF, returns to the Distillery Historic District from June 27th to July 21st, 2024. This year's festival offers 25 days of multicultural films, concerts, and unique events, promising an unforgettable celebration of global cinema. Lavazza IncluCity Unveils 2024 Lineup at The Distillery District Post this Lavazza IncluCity Unveils 2024 Lineup at The Distillery District Iconic Festival Couches to Host Tribute to Fellini and Thirty Premieres (CNW Group/Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF)) The festival honors cinematic icons with a special tribute to Federico Fellini. The "Fellini Forever: A Journey into Fellini's Studio" will showcase never-before-seen pieces from Fellini's most famous films, including "The Voice of the Moon," "La Dolce Vita," and "Fellini's Casanova." The exhibit's Grand Opening at the Distillery culminates with the Canadian Premiere of "Finally Dawn" by Saverio Costanzo, featuring Lily James, Joe Keery, and Willem Dafoe, on June 27th. The festival proudly presents the highly anticipated Special Screening of "Space Cadet" by Liz W. Garcia, starring Emma Roberts. From the cobblestone streets of the Distillery District, audiences will be transported to the far reaches of space, and across the globe with epic tales and captivating premieres from over 15 countries, including the International Premiere of "Alles Fifty Fifty" (Germany), the North American Premiere of "Jorge of Capadocia" (Brazil), and the Canadian Premiere of "The War Machine" (Italy). In memory of the late Norman Jewison, the festival presents a retrospective titled "Jewison's Compass: Navigating Humanity Through Cinema." This tribute features classics like "In the Heat of the Night" and "Moonstruck," celebrating Jewison's legacy in elevating Canadian storytelling to global prominence. Inclusivity remains at the heart of the festival with the "Breaking Barriers" section, focusing on diversity and disability. Premieres such as "The Shadow of the Sun" (Venezuela) and "A Little Something Extra" (France) showcase stories that celebrate diverse voices and experiences. Artistic Director Cristiano de Florentiis announces a unique sustainability initiative, integrating 500-year-old wood from the Distillery District into the festival's structures. "We're blending heritage with innovation, creating a sustainable and impact-free environment that enhances both the site and the festival," says de Florentiis. The "Dark Side" program returns with a lineup of horror and thriller films, curated by Chris Alexander, author and film journalist. The program kicks off with an "In Conversation" event on June 28th, led by Academy Award-winning producer Miles Dale, followed by the special presentation of Guillermo Del toro's "The Shape of Water". Expect spine-tingling premieres like "Home Education" (UK, Italy) and "Breathing In" (South Africa), and "Spirit in the Blood" (Canada). The 2024 festival edition proudly prepares to award Rocco Papaleo the ICFF Lifetime Achievement Award. Papaleo will present his acclaimed films, including "Basilicata Coast to Coast" and "A Small Southern Enterprise," celebrating his contributions to Italian and international cinema. Beyond the screen, the Lavazza IncluCity Festival is ready to transform the Distillery District into a multicultural village. Enjoy culinary delights, drink tastings, and over 30 free concerts featuring artists from the Ivory Coast, Italy, and Indigenous musicians, making every visit a celebration of global cultures. Thanks to: The Distillery District, CIBC, Delta, Aluminum Pergola, Cityzen, Campari, Barilla, CastlepointNuma, GreatGulf, HamiltonSwatch, Empire, Christie, RAI, CHIN and BlogTO. The tickets and full lineup are available at https://icff.ca. Follow us: @icffcanada About ICFF: Inaugurated as a grassroots non-profit film festival in 2012, ICFF has developed into a multidisciplinary and multicultural organization that embraces all facets of the arts. ICFF has grown to celebrate over 20 different local communities through premieres and special events, attracting 57,000+ attendees at its summer initiative. SOURCE Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) ICFF: Donatella Zanon, Communications Coordinator, [email protected] WelivaTM Cimidona is the first product in a new line of naturally-sourced Weliva-branded solutions designed to demystify the hormonal changes that come with age MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. (Norwell) launched WelivaTM, a new women's health brand of naturally-sourced, over-the-counter (OTC) products. WelivaTM Cimidona, a Class III Natural Health Product (NHP) approved by Health Canada for the relief of multiple menopausal symptoms, is the first offering in this new line of natural solutions.[i] Weliva Cimidona (CNW Group/Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. (Norwell)) WelivaTM Cimidona contains the exclusive extract Ze 450 from Actaea racemosa, an effective and well-tolerated non-hormonal alternative that works to reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats and fatigue.[ii],[iii] Available as 13 mg tablets without prescription, WelivaTM Cimidona is indicated for adult women at any stage of menopause. "With the launch of WelivaTM Cimidona, we're expecting to help change how Canadian women think about menopause and women's quality of life," said Sabrina Davila, Women's Health Brand Manager at Norwell. "It's time to help demystify the hormonal changes that come with every age and break the cycle of silent suffering too often associated with menopause. WelivaTM Cimidona is a much-needed naturally-sourced solution for women and will serve as a powerful conversation starter." Meeting the Unmet Need in Menopause An estimated 10 million Canadian women are aged 40+ and living with either perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause.[iv] On average, a Canadian woman will spend up to half of her life experiencing menopausal symptoms, impacting their physical and psychological quality of life.[v] A national survey by the Menopause Foundation of Canada reveals almost half of women (46 per cent) feel unprepared for this stage of life and more than half (54 per cent) believe menopause is a taboo subject.[vi] Sadly, almost four in 10 women (38 per cent) also feel their symptoms are undertreated.[vii] "We're proud to be part of the movement to help normalize discussing menopause experiences openly while treating the symptoms," said Davila. "There is a great amount of passion behind WelivaTM and we're thrilled to finally launch using an approach that is rooted in empathy and understanding, supporting women at every step of their menopause journey." For more information on WelivaTM Cimidona visit, www.weliva.ca or you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook. About WelivaTM Cimidona: Understanding Ze 450 Actaea racemosa is a perennial medicinal plant traditionally used to treat various conditions, including menopause-related symptoms.[viii] WelivaTM Cimidona uses an exclusive extract, Ze 450, a root extract of Actaea racemosa, which studies have shown is an effective and safe solution for the management of menopausal symptoms. What makes this specific Ze 450 extract unique is that it is produced using a thorough process with strict control at each step of growing, cultivating, extracting and producing. This ensures consistent levels of active ingredients between batches. As Ze 450 does not mediate any estrogenic effects,[ix] it could be considered as a suitable non-hormonal alternative to Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT), especially for those at an increased risk of breast cancer. [x] Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of Cimidona and it should be used for a minimum of 6 weeks to see beneficial effects.[xi],[xii] This product may not be right for everyone. Consumers should always read and follow the label. WelivaTM Cimidona is not for use in pregnant or breastfeeding women and caution should be used in women with a liver disorder or who develop symptoms of liver trouble. For adult women struggling with the symptoms of menopause, WelivaTM Cimidona is available now at select drug stores in Canada and online at Amazon. To learn more about where to find WelivaTM Cimidona, please visit www.weliva.ca/where-to-find-products. SRP: $39.99. Disclaimer: Pricing is at the discretion of the retailer. WelivaTM is a trademark of Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. Cimidona is a registered trademark of Max Zeller Sohne AG, used under license by Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. About Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. is a stand-alone consumer health care company that has the agility and flexibility to lead growth within the OTC category. Norwell Consumer Healthcare's vision is to help Canadians manage their health and wellbeing by offering trusted, clinically proven OTC solutions to meet their under-served health and wellness needs. Norwell's brand portfolio includes brands such as Lax-A-Day, Hemovel, Cystoplus, CromolynTM, Helixia, and Rhinaris. All of Norwell's brands are trusted by its patients, consumers, Canadian health care professionals and customers. Norwell's mission is to bring these solutions with an insight-driven, focused, innovative, agile, and collaborative approach. Norwell is an affiliate of the Pharmascience family of companies, which is the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical company and has an international presence spanning 50 countries. To learn more about Norwell, visit norwellcanada.ca . Lax-A-Day, Hemovel, Helixia, and Rhinaris are registered trademarks owned by Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. Cystoplus is a registered trademark owned by Finchley Research & Development Inc. CromolynTM is a trademark of Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. [i] Weliva Cimidona Product Licence. October 17, 2023. [ii] Weliva Cimidona Product Licence. October 17, 2023. [iii] Schellenberg R, et al. Dose-Dependent Effects of the Cimicifuga racemose Extract Ze 450 in the Treatment of Climacteric Complaints: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:260301. [iv] Menopause Foundation of Canada. The Silence and the Stigma: Menopause in Canada. Available at https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MFC_The-Silence-and-the-Stigma_Menopause-in-Canada_Oct22_v2.pdf . Accessed February 18, 2024. [v] Menopause Foundation of Canada. Media Release. Available at https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/menopause-in-canada-report/. Accessed February 18, 2024 [vi] Menopause Foundation of Canada. The Silence and the Stigma: Menopause in Canada. Available at https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MFC_The-Silence-and-the-Stigma_Menopause-in-Canada_Oct22_v2.pdf Accessed February 2024. [vii] Menopause Foundation of Canada. The Silence and the Stigma: Menopause in Canada. Available at https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MFC_The-Silence-and-the-Stigma_Menopause-in-Canada_Oct22_v2.pdf Accessed February 2024. [viii] Schellenberg R, et al. Dose-Dependent Effects of the Cimicifuga racemosa Extract Ze 450 in the Treatment of Climacteric Complaints: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:260301. [ix] Garita-Hernandez, M., et al., The growth inhibitory activity of the Cimicifuga racemosa extract Ze 450 is mediated through estrogen and progesterone receptors-independent pathways. Planta Med, 2006. 72(4): p. 317-23. [x] Stute, P., R. Burki, and V. Geissbuhler, Non-hormonal treatment for menopausal hot flushes. Gynecologie suisse Expert letter no. 51, 2017. [xi] MAX Zeller Sohne AG. Cimidona Product Information. November 2021. [xii] Drewe J, et al. The Effect of Cimicifuga racemose Extracts Ze 450 in the Treatment of Climacteric Complaints An Observational Study. Phytomedicine. 2013;20:659-666. SOURCE Norwell Consumer Healthcare Inc. (Norwell) Sabrina Davila, Brand Manager, 438-355-4864, [email protected] Retail Excellence Shines Bright at RCC's STORE 2024 Conference TORONTO, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - Canadian retailers have once again demonstrated their incredible innovation and leadership, setting new standards for excellence in the retail industry. Award of Distinction Winners: Jennifer Grimm - LUX Beauty, Dr. George Soleas - LCBO, Walter Lamothe - Bentley & Co LTD - Excellence in Retailing Awards Winners on stage (CNW Group/Retail Council of Canada) This year's Excellence in Retailing Awards competition saw 65 finalists vying for the top accolades. The 16 winners of these prestigious awards were announced last night at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala, a key highlight of Retail Council of Canada's RCC STORE 2024 Conference in Toronto. Adding to the evening's excitement, three Awards of Distinction and nineteen Retail Education scholarships were also presented. The outstanding innovations recognized this year reflect the retail industry's proactive response to current challenges. From prioritizing employee mental and physical well-being, to revolutionizing store design for enhanced customer experiences, embracing sustainable practices, reinforcing loss prevention measures, and actively engaging in philanthropic initiatives to support communities, these remarkable achievements have pushed the boundaries of retail excellence. The 2024 Excellence in Retailing Awards Winners are: Award Category Winner eCommerce Experience Metro Inc. Environmental Leadership Canada Goose Environmental Leadership Goodwill Industries of Alberta Health, Safety & Wellness Walmart Canada In-Store Experience & Design Farm Boy Inc. In-Store Experience & Design Sleep Country Canada In-Store Merchandising Staples Canada Loss Prevention LCBO Omni-Channel Canadian Tire Corporation Philanthropic Leadership Best Buy Canada Philanthropic Leadership Tim Hortons Pop-Up Experience and Design Sephora Canada Retail Marketing IKEA Canada Retail Marketing Pattison Food Group Supply Chain Innovations Lee Valley Tools Talent Development LCBO "The winners of the Excellence in Retailing Awards have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to providing unparalleled customer service, adopting innovative business strategies, and showcasing exemplary leadership," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada. She added, "I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year's distinguished recipients of the Awards of Distinction: Dr. George Soleas from LCBO, Walter Lamothe from Bentley & Co. Ltd, and Jennifer Grimm from LUX Beauty. Their groundbreaking contributions have left a lasting positive impact on their employees, customers, colleagues, and communities. Their visionary guidance and remarkable business expertise have significantly elevated the retail landscape in Canada." Among the sixteen students awarded Retail Education Scholarships, three received additional honors. Hafiz Umair Islam received the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Scholarship, Ethan Drohomirecki was honored with the JRoss Recruiters Scholarship, and Glancy Macwan was awarded the John C. Williams Group Scholarship. Learn more about the Excellence in Retail Awards selection criteria, and the Retail Education Scholarship Program. About Retail Council of Canada Retail is Canada's largest private-sector employer with over 2.3 million Canadians working in our industry. This sector is a major economic contributor, generating more than $91 billion annually in wages and employee benefits. In 2023, core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) exceeded $501 billion. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members account for more than two-thirds of these core retail sales and 95 per cent of the grocery market. Our membership extends across the country, embracing over 54,000 storefronts in diverse formats such as department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers, online merchants, and quick service restaurants. As the Voice of Retail in Canada, RCC, a not-for-profit, industry-funded association, proudly represents retail businesses of all sizes, from small independents to large national chains, in communities nationwide. SOURCE Retail Council of Canada Branka Stavric, Senior Director Marketing Communications and Research, [email protected] An animal rights organization is planing a protest for Saturday to stop the killing of Canada geese at Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, urging officials to use non-lethal methods for controlling the bird population instead. Teterboro Airport has been gassing Canada geese, other bird species and mammals for decades, the Animal Protection League of New Jersey alleged on its website. The group says the airport, which is located in Teterboro and Moonachie, has an ongoing contract with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Services. With airport approval, the USDA gassed 827 geese in 2022, according to the league. In a statement, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the airport, said wildlife can pose a danger to planes and passengers. We work diligently to implement mitigation plans and risk-management strategies that minimize the possibility of severe and highly damaging bird strikes, the statement said. Although there are several non-lethal initiatives taken to mitigate risk that wildlife, such as geese, pose, it does not address the over population of resident Canada geese and pushes them to the communities surrounding our airports, the statement said, adding the agency adheres to best management practices recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. On its website and social media platforms, the Animal Protection League of New Jersey has asked members of the public to join Saturdays protest from 1 to 2:15 p.m., rain or shine, in front of Teterboros blue airport sign in the 100 block of Industrial Avenue and Route 46 East. The group has also asked to public to contact airport management to tell them to cancel the USDA contracts. The gassing of geese with carbon dioxide occurs in mid-June to early July during the molt period, when geese lose feathers and are unable to fly. The method has taken place in municipalities across New Jersey for several years, and is often met with public outcry. The USDA is hired to round up the geese adults, goslings, families during the molt period whereupon they are shoved, alive, into a gas chamber and gassed to death, which can take 15-45 minutes, the animal rights group states on its website. This is the highest level of animal cruelty. On March 5, the Peapack and Gladstone Borough Council in Somerset County voted to contract with the USDA to allow federal wildlife officials to round up and euthanize the geese with carbon dioxide at park in the town. The plan was met with public outcry and a Change.org petition decrying the method that has garnered nearly 5,000 signatures. The town later switched to using drones, repellents and relocation to deal with the birds. Alternate methods of controlling the geese population have been tried, but are not always successful, according to supporters of the gassing method. Canada geese, considered a nuisance by some who are allergic or annoyed by droppings, are thought to be a danger by others who say the birds can interfere with air travel. In January, a dead goose was found in part of the flight control system of a medical helicopter that crashed in western Oklahoma, killing all three people on the flight, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. In a 2017 study, the USDA reported that geese are responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to property, agriculture, and pose several risks to human health and safety. Other New Jersey towns have wrestled with the issue as well. In 2022, officials in Spring Lake contracted with a wildlife management company to euthanize nearly 50 Canada geese after township officials determined the growing population could not be contained any other way. In 2016, officials in Edgewater were met with criticism after contracting with the USDA for the fourth straight year to exterminate geese. In 2017, after negative publicity and public outcry, Edgewater officials announced they would stop using lethal methods to control the geese population. Editors note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. An actor from the original Jaws movie is in hot water following an unhinged rant during a recent film screening, according to reports. Richard Dreyfuss, who starred as Matt Hooper in the 1975 classic, attended a special Jaws screening at The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts. During a pre-film Q&A session, Dreyfuss made comments which members of the audience found offensive. Attendees labeled the remarks homophobic and misogynistic. Dreyfuss, 76, reportedly went on a rant that included topics like Barbra Streisand, his opinions on transgender youth and gender affirmation and the Academy Awards inclusivity rules. Footage of the tirade has not yet been released. Attendees took to social media to share comments on The Cabots Facebook page to address what occurred at the event. The post gained more than 100 comments before the theater limited comments on it. From big sharks to birthday bashes, weve got you covered over Memorial Day Weekend at The Cabot! thecabot.org ... Posted by The Cabot on Thursday, May 23, 2024 The theater released a statement Monday condemning the behavior. We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film Jaws at The Cabot. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons, the statement reads. We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views. Dreyfuss starred in movies like American Graffiti, The Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more. The actor won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in The Goodbye Girl. The actor has yet to comment on the matter. More film news Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/. She said it was love. His family said it was rape. The case of the New Jersey professor and the disabled man she pleaded guilty to assaulting is headed to Netflix. In the documentary Tell Them You Love Me, director Nick August-Perna interviews Anna Stubblefield, the former Rutgers University professor at the center of the case, and the family of Derrick Johnson, the disabled man identified as D.J. in court proceedings. Per production company Mindhouse, the film, which had its TV premiere on Sky in the United Kingdom in February and premieres in June on Netflix, promises to tell an endlessly nuanced story about communication, race and sex. Heres a recap of the case as reported by NJ Advance Media over the years. Stubblefield, a white, then-married, former chair of the philosophy department at Rutgers in Newark, was accused of sexually assaulting Johnson, who was identified as D.J. during coverage of the case. Derrick Johnson in a scene from "Tell Them You Love Me."Mindhouse Productions Johnson, a Black man who is mentally disabled, cannot speak and has cerebral palsy. A series of sexual encounters between Stubblefield and Johnson happened in her Newark office in 2011, when she was 39 and he was 29. That year, the professor told Johnsons family about the sexual activity, which she claimed to be consensual. The Newark family asked her to leave Johnson alone and reported her to Rutgers, who reported Stubblefield to Essex County prosecutors. Stubblefield, who lived in West Orange, claimed she had used facilitated communication to talk to Johnson. The controversial method involved Johnson using a keyboard with Stubblefields assistance. Johnsons brother, who was Stubblefields student at Rutgers, introduced her to him in 2009, thinking she might be able to help Johnson through the use of facilitated communication. Johnsons mother Daisy, who appears in the film alongside Johnson and his brother John, testified that he uses diapers and needs help to walk, get dressed, bathe and eat. In 2015, a jury convicted Stubblefield of two counts of first-degree aggravated assault after Johnson was found to be unable to legally consent to sexual relations with the professor. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison. I dont think Anna understood the depth of pain she caused my family, Johnsons brother said at Stubblefields 2016 sentencing. An able-bodied woman raped a disabled young man that could not consent to sex, he said. You were wrong, Anna. You committed a crime. There is no gray area. Stubblefield was ordered to pay $4 million in damages to Johnsons family in a 2016 civil case after his mother and brother sued the former professor and Rutgers in 2013. Anna Stubblefield after she was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2016. Her conviction was overturned in 2017.Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com In 2017, Stubblefields 2015 assault conviction was overturned. An appellate court determined that the former professor did not get a fair trial because the findings of an expert witness for the defense were not included in the case. Multiple experts for the prosecution testified about Johnsons impaired mental state. But Dr. Rosemary Crossley, an augmentative and alternative communication specialist, said that Johnson could communicate and read. However, Crossleys three-day video evaluation of Johnson to reach that conclusion was not brought into evidence because she had used facilitated communication as part of her methodology. The judge rejected the use of the technique because they said it was not a recognized science. Stubblefield served less than a year and six months at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County. In 2018, Stubblefield, then 48, accepted a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of aggravated criminal sexual contact, admitting that she knew Johnson, then 37, could not legally consent to sex. Stubblefield was sentenced to time served and parole supervision for the rest of her life. The former professor was required to register as a sex offender. Im not guilty of a crime, the mother of two says in a trailer for the true-crime documentary, despite her plea. August-Perna, director of Tell Them You Love Me, has co-directed documentaries including The Swell Season" (2011) and The Oxy Kingpins" (2021). Louis Theroux, a well-known BBC documentarian who co-founded Mindhouse Productions, is the executive producer. Tell Them You Love Me, which runs 1 hour and 42 minutes, will be released Friday, June 14 on Netflix. 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. Police are seeking the publics help catching the burglars who tried to break into three homes with BMWs in the driveways in an Essex County town overnight on Memorial Day weekend. The burglars were attempting to steal the cars, Fairfield police said Tuesday. We believe so, a Fairfield police spokeswoman said. The vehicles were all locked and in all three instances they attempted to gain entry into the homes through first-floor windows which were all locked. The latest trend is if the car is locked they try to gain access to the home to look for keys for the vehicles. The attempted burglaries took place in Fairfield between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on Stag Trail, Henning Drive and Kevin Terrace, police said. The burglars removed window screens but were unable to get inside the homes because the windows were locked. Video from one of the attempted break-in shows a person dressed in all black and the other wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers walking up the driveway. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, the spokeswoman said. There have been no other attempted burglaries since Saturday. New Jersey communities have seen multiple similar incidents in the past few years with overnight break-ins while residents were asleep by burglars seeking keys or key fobs to steal luxury vehicles. The pair fled in a silver colored 4-door sedan, possibly an Audi. Police identified a vehicle matching that description using automated license plate reader with a temporary New Jersey registration of C109492. The vehicle left Fairfield just after 4:20 a.m. Anyone with information is asked to call Fairfield police at 973-227-1400. Anyone with video after 3 a.m Saturday is asked to email it to detectives@fairfieldnj.org. A New Jersey man has filed a lawsuit against McDonalds in Swedesboro, claiming he was injured at the drive-thru window when a worker spilled coffee on him that he says was too hot for human consumption. Joseph Megara, 49, of Woolwich, claims in court papers he was injured and his car interior damaged about 7:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at the McDonalds in the 1700 block of Center Square Road. McDonalds did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed May 10 in Superior Court of Gloucester County. The McDonalds worker is accused of acting negligently and causing the cup of hot coffee to spill on Megaras lap, according to the lawsuit. Megara suffered severe injury and damage to the vehicles interior, the suit says. The suit seeks to hold McDonalds accountable for serving coffee heated to a temperature that was unfit for human consumption and dangerous. Megara claims he lost time from work, and incurred expenses to repair and clean the inside of his vehicle. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of claims against the fast-food chain alleging injuries due to excessively hot beverages. In January, a 58-year-old Morris County woman claimed she was injured when hot tea spilled on her at the McDonalds in the 200 block of Route 10 East in Roxbury Township. In November, a 74-year-old Essex County woman claimed she suffered burns when the lid popped off a tea cup at a McDonalds in Newark. On Sept. 25, a Hudson County woman filed a lawsuit claiming she suffered burns resulting in scarring after she purchased hot coffee at the McDonalds in the 3000 block of John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Union City. That lawsuit was filed 11 days after an 85-year-old woman sued a McDonalds in San Francisco, claiming the lid on her cup wasnt fastened properly and she was burned when the coffee spilled all over her car. In 1992, a woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico, successfully sued a McDonalds franchise when she was burned by a coffee spill. In that lawsuit, the womans attorneys successfully argued that McDonalds served its coffee up to 30 degrees hotter than other restaurants. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Authorities in Gloucester County rescued a woman Thursday about 24 hours after she went missing in a wooded area off the Black Horse Pike, officials said. Through a multi-agency effort including state, county and local authorities, the Monroe Township Police Department announced the 63-year-old woman had been found in the area of the 3000 block of South Black Horse Pike. Police were called to search for Kimberly Fitzgerald on Thursday, authorities said. Surveillance footage from about 5 p.m. the day before showed her walking into a wooded area of the Winslow Wildlife Management Area, police said. The woman was located 90 minutes after the search began, about a half-mile off the road into the forest, alive but suffering from an injury. Investigators said it was likely that she lost her way in the woods. She did not have a phone with her when she was found, authorities said, and could not walk. A Utility Terrain Vehicle was used to transport her out of the forest. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said. Monroe police Chief Ryan Borkowski declined to comment on the womans injuries Tuesday. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X. A grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges against the two U.S. Marshals who fatally shot a fugitive who charged at them with a machete. The suspect, Esteban DeJesus, Jr., 56, of Orlando, Florida, was shot by the U.S. Marshals near Jefferson Avenue in Jersey City on July 8, 2023. He later died at an area hospital, officials said. The Marshals and a state trooper were attempting to apprehend DeJesus, who had warrants out for his arrest for murder and attempted murder out of Florida, the state Attorney Generals Office said. DeJesus was accused of shooting his neighbors at an apartment complex where he lived in Orlando. Leonidas Duran, 67, was pronounced dead on the scene and her husband was critically injured, authorities said. When the U.S. Marshals located DeJesus shortly after 11 p.m., he approached them with a machete and ignored their commands to drop it, officials said. Following a presentation from investigators with the Attorney Generals office, a grand jury voted on May 20 not charge the Marshals. A 2019 law requires the state Attorney Generals Office to investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with police or while a person is in police custody. The investigation is then presented to a grand jury to determine if any officers involved will be indicted. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com. A man from Israel has pleaded guilty to conspiring with Eliyahu Eli Weinstein, the convicted Ponzi schemer who was let out of prison early by former President Donald Trump in 2021. Shlomo Erez, 56, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to obstruct justice in Trenton federal court, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey said in a news release on Tuesday. The charges accused Erez of helping Weinstein with a $35 million Ponzi-like scam while the convicted fraudster was on supervised release and helping him hide his identity. The scheme tricked investors into thinking that their money would be invested in COVID-19 masks, first aid kits for the Russia-Ukraine war and baby formula, which was scarce at the time due to supply chain issues. By Brian Bergen Governor Murphy, this is your watershed moment. Will you stand with citizens, or with everything that frustrates New Jerseyans about their government? Will you sign legislation that purports to modernize the states Open Public Records Act, which reached your desk earlier this month, or veto a bill that is a brazen attack on government transparency and accountability? In a democratic society, the free flow of information between government and the governed is essential. Transparency is not just a buzzword; it is a critical component of a functioning democracy. When government operates in the shadows, it becomes easier for corruption, abuse of power, and inefficiency to flourish. We should view any attempt to weaken OPRA with great skepticism, as it has been an essential tool in preventing or exposing these problems. Consider the long-term implications. While it may provide short-term relief to government clerks seeking to limit public scrutiny, it ultimately harms the relationship between the government and the citizens it serves. By vetoing this bill, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your dedication to maintaining a transparent government, one that respects the rights of its citizens and upholds the values of democracy. No doubt, you face a challenging situation amidst tense budget negotiations, but succumbing to pressure from lawmakers should be the least of your concerns. You have the opportunity to be a real hero. The earmarks and promises made to secure votes prior to the bills passage are insignificant compared to preserving public trust. The essence of OPRA has always been about government integrity, and the questionable manner in which this bill was pushed through underscores that point. Whole lotta politicians on this platform this Memorial Day who are thanking those who sacrificed for our freedoms, all while they just voted to gut OPRA and undermine our democracy two weeks ago. CJ Griffin (@CJGriffinEsq) May 27, 2024 Sure, OPRA needs modernizing, but you should veto this flawed bill and make the Legislature start from scratch. This time, ensure real public input by holding hearings on what should be done before drafting a new bill, rather than crafting one behind closed doors. In these modern times, we should be expanding access and making the process more efficient, not restricting it. One of the most troubling aspects of the bill is that it allows state and local agencies to sue people who request too many documents at once, essentially punishing them for seeking information. "Never mind the sophisticated, credible feedback that experts gave about the damage, and how it would allow public officials to operate in secrecy. They brushed it all aside with arrogance." #NJ https://t.co/bIMc9wKKXt Julie O'Connor (@julieoconnorNJ) May 13, 2024 Last year, the Township of Irvington sued an 82-year-old woman, claiming her frequent requests bullied and annoyed municipal officials. This is a clear example of the bills unintended consequences. Another provision eliminates the requirement for governments that lose records disputes in court to pay the requesters legal fees. Meanwhile, the bill does nothing to stop the commercial mining of government information for profit - the very issue lawmakers initially aimed to address, but failed to do. Like a bag of potato chips these days, this bill offers citizens considerably less while costing more, all supposedly in defense of taxpayers. Its a bad joke, which is why public interest groups are screaming. Some are surprised that both conservatives and progressives have rallied against the bill, but if they understood history, theyd realize it strikes at the heart of what is truly American. Those lawmakers who voted for it either flunked history or should have. Throughout your tenure, you have expressed a commitment to transparency and good governance. Vetoing this bill would be a strong affirmation of those principles. It would send a clear message that New Jersey values openness and accountability, and we will not tolerate efforts to erode the publics right to know. The OPRA reform bill is a step backward. Governor Murphy, I implore you to stand with the people of our state and veto this bill. Like it or not, this is your legacy calling. Assemblyman Brian Bergen serves New Jerseys 26th legislative district, which includes municipalities in Morris and Passaic Counties. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. When Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito explained why an upside-down American flag a symbol of the Stop the Steal campaign and the Jan. 6 rioters was flown at his Virginia home in January 2021, he said that his wife, Martha-Ann, had raised the flag in response to a nasty exchange with anti-Trump neighbors. But a report by the New York Times on Tuesday reveals that Alitos version of the events dont match the timeline of neighbors Emily Baden and her husband (who was her boyfriend at the time). Their depiction of the series of events is supported by text messages sent to other neighbors and friends at the time, and a call to police, The Times reported. The Alitos flew the flag before the insults were exchanged, the evidence suggests. According to The Times: There are some differences: For instance, the justice told Fox News that his wife hoisted the flag in response to Ms. Badens vulgar insult. A text message and the police call corroborated by Fairfax County authorities indicate, however, that the name-calling took place on Feb. 15, weeks after the inverted flag was taken down. Justice Alitos version of events was that the flag was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs, he said in a statement to The Times. Mrs. Alito, 70, who has never sought a public role, has not spoken out about the controversy. The justice later elaborated in an interview with Fox News, saying that in January 2021, a neighbor on the block displayed a vulgar anti-Trump sign, near where children wait for the school bus. Mrs. Alito complained to the neighbor. Things escalated and the neighbor put up a sign personally addressing Mrs. Alito and blaming her for the Jan 6th attacks, tweeted the Fox News reporter who interviewed the justice. But in the Baden familys version, the justices wife initiated the conflict. Aside from putting up a sign, we did not begin or instigate any of these confrontations, Ms. Baden said later. MORE POLITICS Ex-Trump attorney predicts Trump verdict and how long it will take Latest ruling for Trump could be last straw for Jack Smith Legendary actor attacks Trump like a raging bull: A cowards violence The Alitos flew a second flag associated with the Jan. 6 riot and a Christian nationalist movement at their New Jersey beach house on Long Beach Island. Alito has offered no explanation for that flag, which The Times reported on last week. The Badens put pro-Biden signs on their lawn during the campaign, they said, and after the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, they erected new signs that read Trump is a facist and You are complicit. The day after Jan. 6, the Badens said Mrs. Alito parked her car momentarily in front of their house and glared at them. On Jan. 17, the upside-down flag was flying at the Alitos home. It remained up for a few days, neighbors said. When Samuel Alito skipped President Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20 because of Covid concerns, according to a spokesperson the Badens drove past the Alito home to see what was going on. They said Martha-Ann Alito ran toward their car and screamed something. When they drove past the Alito home again to exit the cul-de-sac, she appeared to spit at their car, they said. The flag-flying has raised serious questions about Alitos objectivity in ruling on cases related to Jan. 6, including former President Donald Trumps claim for presidential immunity from any crimes while in office. Trump is arguing against any legal exposure he might have in allegedly planning the insurrection. Legal scholars and ethicists, and dozens of Democratic lawmakers have demanded that Alito recuse himself from cases related to Jan. 6. Alito also was criticized by conservative politicians, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said that displaying the inverted flag was not good judgment. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Time is running out. Quickly. A date has been set for next week that will decide whether longtime Donald Trump loyalist Steve Bannon will serve his four-month sentence after Bannon has been out free pending his appeal. The matter will be decided on June 6. BREAKING: There will be a hearing June 6th on whether to remand STEVE BANNON to prison. pic.twitter.com/q3DUQ6Y0dO Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) May 28, 2024 The four-month sentence was from a 2022 case after he defied a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Bannon was convicted in July 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols Nichols handed down the sentence after saying the law was clear that contempt of Congress is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of at least one month behind bars. Bannons lawyers had argued the judge couldve sentenced him to probation instead. Prosecutors had asked for Bannon to be sent to jail for six months. In my view, Mr. Bannon has not taken responsibility for his actions, Nichols said before he imposed the sentence. Others must be deterred from committing similar crimes. The House panel had sought Bannons testimony over his involvement in Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Bannon has yet to testify or provide any documents to the committee. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco. 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. A race that's been dubbed "the Midwests Greatest Automotive Spectacle Before the Indy 500" ran through Northwest Indiana more than a century ago. A predecessor of the Indianapolis 500, the Cobe Cup was a road race that cut through Crown Point, Lowell, Cedar Lake and the south Lake County countryside in the early days of the automobile. Every year, the Regional Streeters Car Club keeps the memory of the Cobe Cup alive by running a cruise along its original course from 1909. The auto enthusiasts who revere vintage cars, hot rods and other classic rides, retraced the route again Saturday. "It's really close to the original route," President Bob Schroader said. "There's not a lot of cruises that mimic a road race course. There are cruises like the Dixie Highway cruise that's coming up, a big hot rod cruise along Route 66 and cruises in Michigan but most go from point A to point B." The Regional Streeters, who meet at the Gary Sportsman Club in Crown Point and are open to any car enthusiasts, have been hosting the Cobe Cup Cruise for years. The recreation of the route was first done to mark Crown Point's centennial celebration and the car club took over the annual event in the mid 1980s. "The history is really neat. A lot of people know about it," Schroader said. "There's a guy at the Crown Point Antique Mall who collects Cobe Cup items and bid on a sign. A lot of folks here are aware of it even though it's not that well known." An exhibit at the Lake County Historical Museum in the Old Lake County Courthouse spells out the history. The original Cobe Cup was founded by auto enthusiast Ira Cobe who wanted to bring a version of Long Island's famed Vanderbilt Cup to Chicago. He was the president of the Chicago Automobile Club, which is the same group that holds the Chicago Auto Show today. He was hoping to replicate the excitement of the East Coast road race that took place in the early 1900s but soon found Chicago had too many heavily trafficked train tracks to allow for an unimpeded road race course. So he took his idea to South Lake County. Billed as the "Vanderbilt of the west," the resulting Western Stock Chassis Races included a 232-mile Indiana Trophy Race for smaller cars and the 396-mile Cobe Cub for larger cars. It followed a 23.37-mile course in south Lake County, which included unpaved gravel roads and small-town streets. Drivers have to navigate hairpin turns, an S curve and long straightaways near Crown Point and between Cedar Lake and Lowell. National Guardsmen lined the route and relay stations were built to relay the rankings. Grandstands were built for spectators in Crown Point and Lowell. The gargantuan 864-foot-long Crown Point grandstand could seat up to 10,000 spectators, who paid $2 to watch. Hotel rooms cost $4 a night with large crowds expected from Chicago. But the huge crowds never materialized with fewer than 50,000 people ultimately attending. The Times of Northwest Indiana initially touted the race as "the greatest thing ever seen in the west" and then later reported the grandstand held a single paying customer and a brass band. Joe Matson won the Indiana Cup, topping out at a speed of 78 mph that would go with the flow of much of the traffic along the Borman Expressway today. Louis Chevrolet, the Swiss-born mechanic the press dubbed the "Demon Frenchman," narrowly won the Cobe Cup and went on to co-found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company that still bears his name. The Cobe Cup was moved down the next year to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where it was replaced by the Indianapolis 500, which has stuck around on Memorial Day weekend ever since. But the memory lives on with the cruise, which benefits causes like the Community Health Networks after-school food program, Operation Combat Bikesaver, the Shriners Childrens Hospital in Chicago and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis as well as local American Legions and Boy Scout packs. This year it supported the Community Help Network, which works to relieve poverty and food insecurity in Sotuh Lake County. More than 90 cars like a 1978 Corvette took part this year in the Cobe Cub Cruise. "We had a good response from Crown Point and Cedar Lake," Schroader said. "The weather was good. A 1909 Buick ran the course with us. We get together for camaraderie and celebrate the history." The Regional Streeter stages other events like a car show, welcomes new members and meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at the Gary Sportsmens Club in Crown Point. About 10 years ago, as the war in Afghanistan was slowly, painfully winding down, I walked through Arlington National Cemetery with a fellow Marine veteran and a relative of mine visiting from Ireland. We passed row after row of pristine white tombs, the dead of all the just wars and unjust wars that made and remade this country, and my relative told us he found it quite moving; he hadnt been expecting that. Perhaps he thought itd be more bombastic, or obviously militaristic, and he was taken by the beauty and serenity and quiet dignity of the place. So we brought him to Section 60 to see some of the newest graves, of kids born in the 90s, and I told him the sight filled me with rage, these young lives thrown into a mismanaged war, where even their deaths, at that late stage, were mostly ignored. Just the background hum of a global superpower. A couple of years later, in 2021, the Afghan war finally ended, taking with it a few American children of the 2000s, and, in a moral failure laid on top of the military failure, leaving tens of thousands of Afghans who worked with us at risk in the now completely Taliban-controlled country. The last Marines to fall died in a suicide bombing at a gate to Kabuls airport, a blast that killed 11 Marines, one Navy medic, one soldier and about 170 Afghan civilians. The Marines were trying to manage the chaos of the poorly planned evacuation of Afghans from Kabul a humanitarian mission at heart, trying to help those we were abandoning. A week before she died, one of the Marines, Sgt. Nicole Gee, posted a photo of her cradling a baby in Kabul and captioned it, I love my job. America responded to those deaths with a drone strike against a Kabul vehicle the military claimed was transporting ISIS members who were about to carry out another attack, but that, in a twist that felt grotesquely emblematic of so many of our failures, turned out to carry an Afghan aid worker. The blast killed the aid worker and his relatives, seven of whom were children. The sort of people those Marines died trying to help. Earlier this month, NYU Langone Health bestowed an award on a labor and delivery nurse for providing compassionate care to mothers who had lost babies. But shortly after, the nurse said, the hospital fired her over the speech she gave when she accepted the award. In it, she spoke of the suffering of Palestinian women amid the Israel-Hamas war, which she called a genocide. The nurse, Hesen Jabr, is not the first medical worker to be fired at NYU Langone, a major New York hospital system, over commentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The hospital is currently embroiled in a lawsuit by a prominent cancer researcher, who was fired from his job as the director of its cancer center after he posted a variety of anti-Hamas political cartoons. Some included offensive caricatures of Arab people. A young doctor-trainee was also removed from service at an NYU Langone hospital on Long Island, according to the hospital, after being accused of posting a message on Instagram defending the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel though he was later quietly reinstated. In her speech, according to a video she posted on social media, Ms. Jabr drew a connection between her work with grieving mothers in New York and the war in Gaza. A natural gas explosion ripped the facade off a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday afternoon, killing a 27-year-old man and injuring at least seven others, one critically, officials said. The explosion happened just before 3 p.m. at the Realty Building on East Federal Street. Firefighters pulled people out of the building, which houses a Chase Bank branch, and rescued others from apartments on the top floors. The body of a Chase employee, Akil Drake, who had been reported as missing on Tuesday, was recovered at around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday and pronounced dead, officials said. Mr. Drake had been observed in the building just before the blast. Barry Finley, the Youngstown fire chief, said at a news conference on Wednesday that firefighters entered the building, despite concerns about its stability, and went room by room to ensure that everyone was evacuated. Officials said that the cause of the explosion was unknown, with the Ohio Fire Marshals Office leading an investigation. Venezuelan officials rescinded an invitation to the European Union to observe the upcoming July 28 presidential elections, another stark sign that President Nicolas Maduro is unlikely to cede power despite allowing an opposition candidate to run against him. After months of intensified repression by the Maduro government which banned legitimate challengers from the ballot, jailed political opponents and cracked down on civil society the countrys electoral authority surprised many in April when it allowed the former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez to register as an opposition candidate. The Venezuelan government has been choked by sanctions from the United States and the European Union on the countrys vital oil industry, and some experts say Mr. Maduro allowed Mr. Gonzalez to run only because it might help him sway Washington and its allies to ease up on the penalties. The president of the council, Elvis Amoroso, said in a televised broadcast that he was rescinding the invitation until the E.U. lifted the unilateral and genocidal coercive sanctions imposed on our people. Israels military said it was pressing on with its ground assault in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday despite mounting international outrage over its operations there, including an airstrike over the weekend that killed dozens of civilians. The military said its troops were engaging in close-quarters combat with Hamas fighters and that it had deployed an additional combat team to Rafah, without specifying how many more soldiers were sent to the southern city. The military has said that its strike on Rafah on Sunday which ignited a deadly fire that killed at least 45 people targeted a Hamas compound. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said it was a tragic accident that civilians in the camp, many of them displaced from other parts of Gaza, had been killed. U.S. officials said on Tuesday that the Israeli strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in southern Gaza was a tragedy but that it did not violate President Bidens red line for withholding weapons shipments to Israel. The bloodshed came after Mr. Biden warned earlier this month that the United States would block certain arms transfers if Israel targeted heavily populated areas in Rafah a warning that has been tested regularly as the war has ground on. John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, said the deaths were devastating but that the scale of the attack was not enough to change U.S. policy. We dont want to see a major ground operation, Mr. Kirby told reporters. We havent seen that. Israeli tanks were on the outskirts of the city to try to put pressure on Hamas, Mr. Kirby said. He also offered a measure of specificity about Mr. Bidens warning to Israel, which critics have said was too vague. We have not seen them go in with large units and large numbers of troops in columns and formations in some sort of coordinated maneuver against multiple targets on the ground, Mr. Kirby said. Everything that we can see tells us that they are not moving in in a major ground operation in population centers in the city of Rafah. Mr. Biden has faced pressure from advocates and members of his own party to use his power to curtail arms to Israel as a way to influence its conduct in the war. The United States is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, which raises questions about American responsibility as the death toll mounts. The East Canfield Village neighborhood of Detroit is not the most likely place to encounter a monumental sculpture of an African crown glittering with gold lowrider paint and soaring high into the trees. Yet this queenly structure, designed by the land artist and activist Jordan Weber, is fitting for one of the citys most disadvantaged and polluted neighborhoods: In place of jewels, the crown is outfitted with an air-monitoring system that will enable residents to track airborne pollutants, from Canadian wildfire smoke to emissions from a massive automotive assembly complex four blocks away. Webers sculpture, New Forest, Ancient Thrones, in the newly designed East Canfield Art Park, was unveiled May 18 in a procession led by West African drummers. The sculpture melds crowns worn by two African queens Ranavalona III of 19th-century Madagascar, who led her kingdoms resistance to French colonizers before being exiled, and Idia of Benin, whose military derring-do during her sons reign in the 16th century helped fend off tribal invaders. Webers metier is working in industrial corridors in redlined neighborhoods helping communities of color heal from the effects of environmental and social ills, often a lengthy and collaborative process. He is part of a growing movement called regenerative art, which seeks to revitalize links between communities and their ecosystems. Eleven members of Steiger Butte Drum sat in a circle around a large elk-hide drum at the front of the stage of Cincinnatis Music Hall last Thursday. Washes of sound from the orchestra behind them built and receded in grand waves. The group was the concerto soloist, of a kind, in Natural History by Michael Gordon, one of the Bang on a Can composers who infused Minimalism with rough, rebellious energy in the 1980s. A few times over the course of the 25-minute piece, Steiger Butte Drum, a traditional percussion and vocal ensemble of the Klamath Tribes of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest, broke out in a ceremonial song, the members beating the drum in fast, dramatic unison as they made a piercing, tangily pitch-bending, wordlessly wailing chant. They were joined by a full chorus, placed in the first balcony: the men on one side of the hall, the women on the other. Percussion in the upper balcony evoked woodland animals; brasses, also up there, let out joyful, squealing bits of fanfare that seemed to tumble down and join lines coming from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra onstage eventually rising to a powerful, churning finale, with all these sprawling forces, conducted by Teddy Abrams, going at once. Unsettled and unsettling, both celebratory and threatening, imposing and ultimately harmonious, this was the sound of a cultural conversation that is still, after centuries, in its nascent stages. Closing arguments in Trumps criminal trial The prosecution and the defense made their closing arguments to the jury yesterday in the first criminal prosecution of an American president. Here are live updates. The prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, said Donald Trump engaged in a fraud against the American people on the eve of the 2016 election by silencing a porn stars account of a sexual encounter with him. He said the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels was part of a conspiracy that could very well be what got President Trump elected. Steinglass, who had not yet finished his remarks at our publication time, wove a sweeping story of how Trump, with help from Michael Cohen, his former fixer, and the tabloid The National Enquirer, sought to bury negative news stories before the election. This was overt election fraud, he said, an act in furtherance of the conspiracy to promote Mr. Trumps election by unlawful means. Earlier in the day, Todd Blanche, Trumps lawyer, spent hours attacking the credibility of Cohen, calling him the G.L.O.A.T., or the greatest liar of all time. Three Black men have accused American Airlines of blatant race discrimination over its temporary removal of them and five other men from a Jan. 5 flight from Phoenix to New York, in a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday. The men said they were seated on a plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport when an airline employee went row by row asking them to get off the plane. As they exited, the passengers noticed that all the Black men on the flight, eight in total, appeared to have been removed. The men did not know one another, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on their behalf by the legal arm of Public Citizen, a liberal nonprofit group, and the law firm Outten & Golden. Once the men left the plane, they asked for an explanation from an airline employee, who said they had been removed because of a complaint about body odor, though nobody had accused the men of an offensive smell, according to the suit. An American representative told the men at the time that the complaint had come from a white flight attendant. The men said they had been singled out because of their race. When one described the removal from the plane as discriminatory, an American employee said, I agree, I agree, according to a cellphone recording that was shared with The New York Times. He later masqueraded online as a Russian tech worker with a pseudonym, BadVolf, to leak confidential information in violation of state law, fooling officials in Florida who thought they were dealing with a foreigner. He also posed as a fictional New York City heiress he called Jessica, tricking an adviser to the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office into divulging improper conduct by the department. At a two-hour drive from Riyadh, Saudi Arabias capital, rows of solar panels extend to the horizon like waves on an ocean. Despite having almost limitless reserves of oil, the kingdom is embracing solar and wind power, partly in an effort to retain a leading position in the energy industry, which is vitally important to the country but fast changing. Looking out over 3.3 million panels, covering 14 square miles of desert, Faisal Al Omari, chief executive of a recently completed solar project called Sudair, said he would tell his children and grandchildren about contributing to Saudi Arabias energy transition. Im really proud to be part of it, he said. Although petroleum production retains a crucial role in the Saudi economy, the kingdom is putting its chips on other forms of energy. Sudair, which can light up 185,000 homes, is the first of what could be many giant projects intended to raise output from renewable energy sources like solar and wind to around 50 percent by 2030. Currently, renewable energy accounts for a negligible amount of Saudi electricity generation. Analysts say achieving that hugely ambitious goal is unlikely. If they get 30 percent, I would be happy because that would be a good signal, said Karim Elgendy, a climate analyst at the Middle East Institute, a research organization in Washington. The day after Hamass brazen Oct. 7 attack on military and civilian targets in Israel, the S.J.P. and J.V.P. chapters co-signed an open letter declaring full solidarity with Palestinian resistance. The letter described the attacks as an unprecedented historic moment for the Palestinians of Gaza and a counteroffensive against their settler-colonial oppressor. It would be tantamount to asking for quiet submission to systemic violence for anyone to call for peace now, after years of Israeli violence and military campaigns against Palestinians. The groups issued a list of demands to the university divestment from companies doing business with the Israeli government, the end of Columbias affiliation with Tel Aviv University and a recognition of Palestinian existence and humanity and announced a demonstration on Oct. 12 on the steps of Low Library. They signed off: See you Thursday. The Oct. 12 demonstration appeared to be in violation of campus rules, which required student groups to give 10 days notice for gatherings in public spaces, but Columbia had not been enforcing such requirements amid the emotional responses to the Hamas attacks and Israels retaliatory bombing in the Gaza Strip. We got some pushback from the university, recalled Cameron Jones, an organizer of the J.V.P. chapter, but not insane pushback. Follow our live coverage of Trumps hush-money trial in Manhattan. Fresh off a red-eye flight from California, Cynthia Frybarger dropped off her luggage at the Margaritaville hotel in Midtown early Wednesday and boarded a downtown Q train, bound for the hottest pop-up spot in Manhattan. Her destination: Collect Pond Park, the square plot of cement and trees across Centre Street from the front doors of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where a few hours later a group of 12 New Yorkers began deliberating whether to convict Donald J. Trump in the first criminal trial of an American president. I didnt come strictly for this, but it fit in perfectly, Ms. Frybarger, 73, said, holding up the Lock Him Up!!! poster she had made back home in San Jose. As Mr. Trumps trial has unfurled through its various stages, the park has played host to a daily tableau of New York writ small gawkers and tourists, politicians and celebrities, demonstrators and protesters, all of whom have stood for hours in the baking sun and driving rain, to see and be seen. The owner of Grimaldis Pizzeria and the manager of the restaurants Manhattan location pleaded guilty to stealing more than $32,000 in wages from 18 employees by bouncing checks and sometimes by not paying workers at all, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The owner, Anthony Piscina, 63, and the manager, Frank Santora, 71, each pleaded guilty to one count of attempted scheme to defraud in the first degree. They submitted a cashiers check to the Manhattan district attorneys office on Wednesday to pay full restitution as their sentence. The plea means that 18 hard-working New Yorkers will be made whole, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said in a statement. Gerard Marrone, a lawyer representing both Mr. Piscina and Mr. Santora, said his clients had entered guilty pleas to put the case behind them and that they were merely guilty of very bad record-keeping. While the jury deliberates, its common to wait days, or even weeks, for a verdict. Prosecutors charged Mr. Trump with 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush-money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election. The jurors verdict on each count guilty or not guilty must be unanimous. During their deliberations, the jury can send back notes, signed by the foreperson, to ask questions to the court or have a witnesss testimony read back to them. Jurors also have access to a laptop containing trial exhibits that they can refer to during their deliberations. If one of the 12 jurors is unable to continue deliberating for any reason, an alternate will step in. The six alternates attended the trial and remain on site so they can join in if necessary. Mr. Trump also must remain inside the courthouse while the jury is deliberating. If the jury finds that he is guilty of even one of the counts, the judge will sentence Mr. Trump at a later date. But if they find that he is not guilty of all of the charges, Mr. Trump will be acquitted. If the jurors cannot reach a verdict, they will inform the judge, who will urge them to continue their deliberations. If they remain deadlocked, the judge could declare a mistrial, and the prosecutors would then need to decide whether to bring the case again. Pinned Its all up to the jury now. After seven weeks of legal wrangling and tawdry testimony, the first criminal trial of an American president moved to a jury of Donald J. Trumps peers on Wednesday morning, the final stage of the landmark trial. Mr. Trumps fate is in the hands of those 12 New Yorkers, who will weigh whether to brand him as a felon. It could take them hours, days or even weeks to reach a verdict, a decision that could reshape the nations legal and political landscapes. And while the country anxiously awaits their judgment, Mr. Trump will continue to campaign for the presidency. The moment that deliberations began marked a transfer of power from the experts in the courtroom the lawyers arguing the case and the judge presiding over it to the everyday New Yorkers who forfeited weeks of their lives to assess a mountain of evidence about sex and scandal. The jurors, who spent more than four hours deliberating on Wednesday without reaching a verdict, meet around a long table in an unremarkable room with unforgiving lighting and walls painted a hue best described as municipal. Located off a small hallway behind the courtroom, it is steps from the jury box and has a door at each end, outside of which a court officer stands guard. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, had invited the jurors to send him a note if they were confused about the law, or wanted to revisit testimony from the trial. And they took him up on the offer, buzzing the court officer to relay a message requesting four excerpts from the testimony. On Thursday, a court reporter will read that testimony to the jury, most of which comes from David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, who prosecutors say was part of a conspiracy to suppress unflattering stories on Mr. Trumps behalf during the 2016 election. Another portion of testimony relates to Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trumps former fixer who was the prosecutions star witness. Before the jurors began deliberating Wednesday, Justice Merchan delivered an array of legal instructions to guide their decision-making. He impressed on them the gravity of their task but also said that the defendant even a former president is their peer. As a juror, you are asked to make a very important decision about another member of the community, Justice Merchan said, referring to the defendant. The case exposed what prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorneys office described as a fraud on the American people. It is one of four criminal cases against Mr. Trump, but most likely the only one that will go to trial before Election Day. The Manhattan charges stem from a hush-money deal that Mr. Trumps fixer, Michael D. Cohen, struck with a porn star in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors charged Mr. Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, saying he disguised his reimbursement of Mr. Cohen as ordinary legal expenses. The jurors, seven men and five women, hail from different neighborhoods of the nations largest city and hold a wide variety of jobs, representing a cross-section of Manhattan. Many have advanced degrees, and the panel may be aided by the two members who are lawyers, though neither appears to have criminal experience, and one said during jury selection that he knew virtually nothing about criminal law. On Wednesday morning, Justice Merchan laid out the legal instructions to guide their discussions. He described to them the legal meaning of the word intent and the concept of the presumption of innocence. He also reminded the jurors that they had pledged to set aside any biases against the former president before they were sworn in, and that Mr. Trumps decision not to testify cannot be held against him. Then, Justice Merchan explained each of the 34 charges of falsifying business records that Mr. Trump faces, one for each document the prosecution says that Mr. Trump falsified. It was the most important guidance that the judge offered during the trial. And it was no simple task. In New York, falsifying records is a misdemeanor, unless the documents were faked to hide another crime. The other crime, prosecutors say, was Mr. Trumps violation of state election law that prohibited conspiring to aid a political campaign using unlawful means a crime they say he committed during his 2016 campaign for president. Those means, prosecutors argue, could include any of a menu of other crimes. And so each individual false-records charge that Mr. Trump faces contains within it multiple possible crimes that jurors must strive to understand. Justice Merchan explained which document each count pertained to, referring to each of the 34 records 11 invoices from Mr. Cohen, 12 entries in the Trump Organizations general ledger and 11 checks, nine of them signed by Mr. Trump. Marc F. Scholl, who served nearly 40 years in the district attorneys office, noted that jury instructions are often difficult to follow, particularly given that, in New York, jurors are barred from keeping a copy of the guidance as they deliberate. And he said that defendants are often charged with several different crimes, requiring even more elaborate instructions. Still, Mr. Scholl said, one point of complexity stood out in the Trump case: Usually you dont have this layering of these other crimes. Justice Merchan encouraged jurors, if they find themselves confused by legal arcana, to send him a note seeking clarification, and in addition to their request for testimony, they asked the judge to repeat his instructions. He recognizes its a lot to take in, Mr. Scholl said. If convicted, Mr. Trump would face a sentence ranging from probation to four years in prison although he would be certain to appeal, a process that could take years. Compared with the instructions, the trial testimony was relatively straightforward. Prosecutors called 20 witnesses as they sought to convince jurors that Mr. Trump had hatched the election conspiracy with his former personal lawyer and fixer, Mr. Cohen, and the publisher of a supermarket tabloid, The National Enquirer, David Pecker. The first witness, Mr. Pecker, testified that in a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, he had agreed to suppress unflattering stories on behalf of Mr. Trumps candidacy. He did so twice, he said. He paid a former Trump Organization doorman and a former Playboy model to keep silent after learning that both of them had damaging stories to sell about the candidate. But Mr. Pecker did not pay for the third and potentially the most damaging story that came to his attention. That story belonged to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who said that she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump 10 years earlier, a story that she repeated from the witness stand and that Mr. Trump has always denied. The final prosecution witness, Mr. Cohen, testified that Mr. Trump had ordered him to pay Ms. Daniels to keep silent. Mr. Cohen obeyed, sending $130,000 to Ms. Daniels in the days before the election. After he won, Mr. Cohen said, Mr. Trump approved the plan to falsify the reimbursement records. Defense lawyers repeatedly sought to paint Mr. Cohen as an inveterate liar out for revenge against the boss who spurned him. On Wednesday, Justice Merchan told the jury that the law considers Mr. Cohen an accomplice because there is evidence that he participated in a crime, based upon conduct involved in the allegations here against the defendant. But he also told the jurors that even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable, you may not convict the defendant solely upon that testimony, unless you also find that it was corroborated by other evidence. Justice Merchan then proceeded through each of the 34 charges count by count to explain what prosecutors had needed to prove. The knotty legal instructions were the product of intense argument between the prosecution and the defense, culminating in a hearing last week in which each side sought to persuade the judge to make minor edits that they hoped would have a major impact. The result was a compromise, with both sides securing some victories. In one important decision, the judge rejected a defense request that jurors be unanimous on which unlawful means Mr. Trump had used to aid his election win. That request would have made reaching a verdict far more difficult. Prosecutors argued that would be special treatment and that the former president should be treated like any other defendant. Mr. Trumps lawyers argued that while the law did not require such unanimity, Justice Merchan could nonetheless ask for it. What youre asking me to do is change the law, and Im not going to do that, Justice Merchan told Mr. Trumps lawyers. I saw the new Netflix documentary series Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, anticipating just some prurient garbage to half-watch before drifting off to sleep. Thats because Ashley Madison is a website for married people looking to find partners in infidelity; its tagline is Life is short. Have an affair. The documentary is about what happened in 2015 when hackers released members names, user names, addresses, phone numbers and birth dates as well as details of credit card transactions, as The Timess Daniel Victor reported, a breach that promises to roil the marital lives of its members. While the three-part series has its lurid moments, the details of the hack and the accounts of the employees who worked at Ashley Madison were the least interesting sections. The heart of the series comes from the couples who were affected. Though one couple that had an open marriage seemed unruffled by the invasion of privacy, two other families are featured that were devastated by the hack. One of those couples is Sam and Nia Rader, a Texas-based Christian vlogging couple who had gone viral a few times before the hack. They had millions following their wholesome family content on YouTube, like lip-syncing to a song from the Disney movie Frozen. For us, Sam Rader says in the second episode, vlogging was just showing other families what it looked like to live for the Lord. He had an Ashley Madison account and ultimately admits that he was cheating on his wife, going to massage parlors and strip clubs and hitting on her friends. Another featured couple has a truly tragic story: John Gibson was a minister who taught at a seminary in Louisiana and died by suicide six days after the leak. His widow, Christi Gibson, is interviewed at length. Democrats tend to do well in cities; Republicans tend to do well in rural areas. But winning back at least some rural voters is essential for Democrats to succeed in statewide elections. Farah Stockman, a member of the New York Times editorial board, found one Democrat who is trying out a new message in rural Ohio. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the audio piece. To listen to this piece, click the play button below. On the Miami River recently, a parade of gleaming white pleasure boats cruised through the city. Half-naked revelers basked on their decks, swaying to Taylor Swift anthems and waving bottles of champagne as they floated by. A few yards away, in the windowless conference room of an aging Hyatt hotel, a group of Florida Democrats was far more sober. The state may be known for careless hedonism and family pleasures, but Democrats will be spending the summer working on a very serious and nearly desperate plan to rescue the Florida Democratic Party. Nikki Fried, the last Democrat elected to statewide office in Florida over half a decade ago, as agriculture commissioner dug her heels into the carpeted floor. Its going to be women that are going to get us out of this, Ms. Fried, now Floridas Democratic Party chair, told a roomful of statehouse candidates, all of them women. The Supreme Courts recent rescue of an important federal agency from the hands of a hostile lower court was an exercise in the evolving definition of originalism. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for all seven members of a surprisingly lopsided majority, excavated precedents deep in the countrys colonial history for the funding mechanism that Congress chose for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A mechanism that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit deemed unconstitutional was clearly known to and accepted by the Constitutions framers, Justice Thomas concluded. Justice Elena Kagan wrote a concurring opinion to say that while the old history was enlightening and adequate to support the agencys constitutionality, modern practice supported it as well. All the flexibility and diversity evident in the founding period, she wrote, has continued unabated when it comes to financing government operations. Notably, two of the courts conservatives, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, in addition to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined Justice Kagans endorsement of the significance of later, even contemporary, practice when interpreting the Constitution. A true originalist would reject such evidence as irrelevant, insisting that all that matters is what the framers did and how people at the time understood their actions. (The two dissenters were Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.) To be prepared for war, George Washington said, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. President Ronald Reagan agreed with his forebears words, and peace through strength became a theme of his administration. In the past four decades, the American arsenal helped secure that peace, but political neglect has led to its atrophy as other nations war machines have kicked into high gear. Most Americans do not realize the specter of great power conflict has risen again. It is far past time to rebuild Americas military. We can avoid war by preparing for it. When Americas senior military leaders testify before my colleagues and me on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee behind closed doors, they have said that we face some of the most dangerous global threat environments since World War II. Then, they darken that already unsettling picture by explaining that our armed forces are at risk of being underequipped and outgunned. We struggle to build and maintain ships, our fighter jet fleet is dangerously small, and our military infrastructure is outdated. Meanwhile, Americas adversaries are growing their militaries and getting more aggressive. In China, the countrys leader, Xi Jinping, has orchestrated a historic military modernization intended to exploit the U.S. militarys weaknesses. He has overtaken the U.S. Navy in fleet size, built one of the worlds largest missile stockpiles and made big advances in space. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has thrown Europe into war and mobilized his society for long-term conflict. Iran and its proxy groups have escalated their shadow war against Israel and increased attacks on U.S. ships and soldiers. And North Korea has disregarded efforts toward arms control negotiations and moved toward wartime readiness. Worse yet, these governments are materially helping one another, cooperating in new ways to prevent an American-led 21st century. Iran has provided Russia with battlefield drones, and China is sending technical and logistical help to aid Mr. Putins war. They are also helping one another prepare for future fights by increasing weapons transfers and to evade sanctions. Their unprecedented coordination makes new global conflict increasingly possible. Fluctuating disease rates, innovative treatments and talk of moonshots in the White House may make cancer seem like a modern scourge. But a new discovery highlights how humans dealt with the illness and hunted for cures as far back as the time of the ancient Egyptians. Scientists led by Edgard Camaros, a paleopathologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, were studying an approximately 4,600-year-old Egyptian skull when they found signs of brain cancer and its treatment. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, because we knew what we had just discovered, Dr. Camaros said. Using a microscope, he and Tatiana Tondini of the University of Tubingen in Germany and Albert Isidro of the University Hospital Sagrat Cor in Spain, the studys other authors, found cut marks around the skulls edges surrounding dozens of lesions that earlier researchers had linked to metastasized brain cancer. The shape of the cuts indicated that they had been made with a metal tool. This discovery, reported in a study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, suggests that ancient Egyptians studied brain cancer using surgery. If the cuts were made while the person was alive, they may have even attempted to treat it. In May 2022, Jason Cooper, a commercial paleontologist, went for a walk around his property near the aptly named Colorado town of Dinosaur with a friend and found a bit of femur protruding from some rock. That femur led to a stegosaurus fossil, among the largest and most complete ever found, which has subsequently been nicknamed Apex. In July the Sothebys auction house will sell Apex at auction at an estimated value of $4 million to $6 million, making the skeleton the latest flashpoint in a long-running debate about the private fossil trade. Dinosaur fossils have fetched escalating prices at auction houses since 1997, when Sothebys sold Sue the Tyrannosaurus rex to the Field Museum in Chicago for $8.36 million. In 2020, Stan, another largely complete T. rex skeleton, sold at Christies for $31.8 million. Such pricing has raised serious concerns among academic paleontologists, said Stuart Sumida, vice president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Many of them have watched fossils that may unlock scientific mysteries get steered into the hands of wealthy private collectors rather than toward research institutions in recent decades. For the first time in many years, a teacher was correcting my handwriting. Go more slowly, Laura Edralin, a calligraphy teacher in London, told me, as she walked around a table of beginners on a recent Wednesday night, explaining how to achieve even, flowing strokes. As a breaking news reporter for The New York Times, I am not used to being told to slow down, nor am I accustomed to writing by hand. But both those new to the medium and seasoned calligraphers say the deliberate, steady nature of the practice is a huge part of its appeal one that is on the upswing. With so much digital fatigue, writing elegantly with pen and paper can be a joy. Calligraphy, a centuries-old art form, is seeing a surge of interest, including among young people more familiar with coding than cursive. At Michaels, the largest arts and crafts chain in North America, more than 10,000 customers signed up for lettering classes online between January 2023 and March 2024 nearly three times more than in the same period a year ago, when about the same number of classes were offered. An increase in calligraphy-related posts on social media and the popularity of online classes may have helped drive the trend. On TikTok, where users can find how-to videos or watch clips of experienced calligraphers at work, 63 percent more posts used #calligraphy in April 2024 than in April 2023, according to TikTok. And on Instagram, top calligraphy influencers such as Nhuan Dao in Ha Noi, Vietnam, and Paola Gallegos in Cusco, Peru, have 2 million or more followers apiece (on TikTok, Gallegos has 9 million). When Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, announced last year that his company would release an artificial intelligence system, Jeffrey Emanuel had reservations. Mr. Emanuel, a part-time hacker and full-time A.I. enthusiast, had tinkered with closed A.I. models, including OpenAIs, meaning the systems underlying code could not be accessed or modified. When Mr. Zuckerberg introduced Metas A.I. system by invitation only to a handful of academics, Mr. Emanuel was concerned that the technology would remain limited to just a small circle of people. But in a release last summer of an updated A.I. system, Mr. Zuckerberg made the code open source so that it could be freely copied, modified and reused by anyone. Mr. Emanuel, the founder of the blockchain start-up Pastel Network, was sold. He said he appreciated that Metas A.I. system was powerful and easy to use. Most of all, he loved how Mr. Zuckerberg was espousing the hacker code of making the technology freely available largely the opposite of what Google, OpenAI and Microsoft have done. Molly Sweeney can identify dozens of plants by touch, catch a lie in a familiar voice and dance ecstatically through a crowd without disturbing a hair. Because she lost much of her eyesight when she was 10 months old except, crucially, her ability to discern light from dark Molly has developed keen powers of sensory perception. Sure-footed though she is, the title character in Molly Sweeney, now running at the Irish Repertory Theater, is treated like a pawn by two men who cant see beyond their own self-interests. Thats one of several conspicuous paradoxes explored in Brian Friels 1994 confessional drama, the final installment of the theaters season devoted to the playwrights work. Like Friels more often revived Faith Healer, Molly Sweeney is told through a series of monologues addressed to the audience. All three characters, who remain onstage throughout, narrate their subjective recollections of a six-month span (the year is unspecified; the setting is Ballybeg, Friels fictional Irish hamlet). But only one of them can speak with unbiased clarity on the central occurrence: what happened when a doctor tried to restore Mollys sight. Friels extraordinary hand with vivid prose is especially evident in Mollys version of events. Played with a poised sense of wonder by Sarah Street, Molly recalls relishing in the beautiful details of a world she had no need of seeing. The idea for an eye operation came from her husband Frank, played by John Keating with the frazzled intensity of a mad scientist. A dilettante prone to colorful tangents, he sees Molly as an object of fascination and a personal cause. Mollys egocentric ophthalmologist, Mr. Rice (Rufus Collins), considers her a potential miracle patient who might revive his career. For years I had been hearing about the island of Pantelleria, the craggy, hard-to-get-to Eden with middle-of-nowhere tranquillity that sits 89 miles southwest of the island of Sicily and about 50 miles east of Tunisia. Luca Guadagninos 2015 film A Bigger Splash painted a seductive idyll of mud baths, romantic ruins and secluded swimming coves. Celebrities like Madonna, Sting and Julia Roberts visited, drawn to the striking, Africa-meets-Italy ambience, along with Giorgio Armani, a part-time resident since 1980. The fact that nobody was impressed by them added to the allure. We always tell newbies that you will either love it or hate it, said the fashion stylist Sciascia Gambaccini, who has owned a vacation home on the island for 33 years. This is not Capri. We dont have Chanel. There arent fancy resort hotels. There is constant wind. The beauty is in the slow pace and the wild landscape. A Massachusetts man who fled during his rape trial in 2007, and was convicted in absentia, had been living for more than a decade with a woman in California who had no idea he was a wanted fugitive, the authorities said. But the mans hidden past surfaced on Tuesday, when law enforcement agents in Danville, Calif., about 30 miles east of San Francisco, arrested the man, Tuen Kit Lee, 55, who was known as the bad breath rapist, the Massachusetts State Police said. Mr. Lee, who had fled just before closing arguments at his trial in Quincy, Mass., had been living with the woman, a flower shop owner, in her multimillion-dollar home in Diablo, a community of about 1,200 residents just outside Danville, the state police said. Chris Tamayo, a senior inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service in Northern California, said that Mr. Lee had initially fled to New York and had then taken a bus to San Francisco, where he met the woman who became his companion for the past 10 years. Representative Tony Gonzales, the Texas Republican who represents a large swath of the southern border, on Tuesday narrowly turned back a right-wing primary challenger who called himself the AK Guy, in a victory that could bolster his partys efforts to hold the House. Mr. Gonzales, 43, a military veteran in his second term in the House who calls himself a governing conservative, defeated Brandon Herrera, 28, a YouTube star who campaigned on gun rights, in a runoff election. Mr. Gonzales was the top vote-getter in the Republican primary in May but failed to reach the 50 percent threshold, prompting the runoff with his top challenger. He barely survived the runoff election, and was clinging to a slim margin as The Associated Press declared him the victor early Wednesday morning. The race divided House Republicans in a vivid display of the rifts that have plagued the party during a tumultuous Congress. Representative Bob Good of Virginia, who leads the House Freedom Caucus, and the prominent right-wing Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Matt Gaetz of Florida endorsed Mr. Herrera. But G.O.P. leaders rallied around Mr. Gonzales, and Speaker Mike Johnson held a major fund-raiser for him in the district in April. Between vacation photos and cookout invitations posted on their private text thread, a group of Mississippi sheriffs deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad traded pictures of rotting corpses and joked about rape and shocking people with Tasers. They did it all in front of their supervisor, who often joined in the banter. An encrypted WhatsApp group chat obtained by The New York Times and Mississippi Today provides a yearslong record of the day-to-day conversations of a patrol unit involved in terrorizing residents across a central Mississippi county for a generation. The Goon Squad came to national attention last year after Rankin County sheriffs deputies tortured two Black men in their home and shot one of them in the face, nearly killing him. Six officers, including three from the Goon Squad shift, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March. An investigation by The Times and Mississippi Today last fall revealed that nearly two dozen residents experienced similar brutality when Rankin deputies burst into their homes looking for illegal drugs. In a warehouse off Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in an industrial area outside Dallas, the future of American military ammunition production is coming online. Here, in the Pentagons first new major arms plant built since Russia invaded Ukraine, Turkish workers in orange hard hats are busy unpacking wood crates stenciled with the name Repkon, a defense company based in Istanbul, and assembling computer-controlled robots and lathes. The factory will soon turn out about 30,000 steel shells every month for the 155-millimeter howitzers that have become crucial to Kyivs war effort. Ukraine fired between 4,000 and 7,000 such shells daily for several months in 2023, according to NATOs secretary-general, before infighting among House Republicans held up further funding for Pentagon arms shipments. Large shipments of American artillery ammunition resumed in April after Congress passed an aid package that included $61 billion to Ukraine. President Biden made an aggressive push on Wednesday to head off former President Donald J. Trumps modest gains among Black voters, condemning his Republican opponent as a racist who had lied to Black Americans about what his term in office delivered them. Speaking alongside Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Philadelphia, Mr. Biden pressed home a series of arguments about why Black voters should choose him over Mr. Trump, who has been trying to court Americans of color. This is the same guy who wanted to tear-gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyds murder, Mr. Biden told the predominantly Black crowd as he and Ms. Harris announced a national coalition of Black voters working on their behalf. The same guy who still calls the Central Park Five guilty even though they were exonerated. Hes that landlord who denies housing applications because of the color of your skin. Invoking the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, and nodding to Mr. Trumps remarks about pardoning the rioters, Mr. Biden said: What do you think would have happened if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol? I dont think hed be talking about pardons. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are traveling to Philadelphia on Wednesday to announce the rollout of a new coalition aimed at bolstering support from Black voters, who are vital to their re-election but have broadcast frustration with the president in a series of polls. The president and vice president will unveil the effort, Black Voters for Biden-Harris, during a rally at Girard College, a predominantly Black college preparatory school in Philadelphia. They will be joined by several prominent Black Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Austin Davis of Pennsylvania, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and Mayor Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia. After the rally, dozens of Black leaders will embark on a nationwide week of action to mobilize Black voters in battleground states, according to the Biden campaign. The campaign also says it plans to team up with national groups to hold events, recruit surrogates and speak directly to Black communities through November. The event is only the latest attempt by the Biden campaign to win back support from Black voters, who have long been known as the backbone of the Democratic Party. The Rev. Michael McBride was an early backer of a cease-fire in Gaza, publicly breaking with President Bidens support for the war months before many other Democrats arrived in a similar place. Nearly five months before Election Day, Mr. McBride, a co-founder of the group Black Church PAC, remains critical of how the administration has stood by Israel. But he is now leading an effort, alongside other progressive Black activists, strategists and faith leaders, that would indirectly help Mr. Biden by working to defeat former President Donald J. Trump. It is one of the clearest signs yet that at least some of Mr. Bidens critics on the left will still work to stop Mr. Trump even if they are lukewarm on the incumbent president. We need to continue to push the president to shift his course on how he is addressing a number of issues, primarily which is Gaza, Mr. McBride, the lead pastor at The Way Christian Center in Berkeley, Calif., said in an interview, noting that the campaign was not an endorsement of Mr. Biden. But, he said, we cant wait for the Biden administration to change their course before we start to sound the alarm. President Biden is edging toward what may prove to be one of his most consequential decisions in the Ukraine war: whether to reverse his ban on shooting American weapons into Russian territory. He has long resisted authorizing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons inside Russia because of concern it could escalate into a direct American confrontation with a nuclear-armed adversary. Now, after months of complaints about the restrictions from Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House has begun a formal and apparently rapid reassessment of whether to take the risk. Approving further uses of U.S. weapons would give Kyiv a way to conduct counterattacks on artillery and missile sites that now enjoy something of a safe haven just inside Russia. On Wednesday, in Moldova, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken became the first administration official to publicly leave open the possibility that the Biden administration might adapt and adjust its stance about attacking inside Russia with American weapons, based on changing battlefield conditions. Ghada Redwan, a 48-year-old pharmacist in Houston, has been trying to get her parents out of Gaza for months. Their bags, packed and ready to go, have been sitting by their door in Rafah, the city where Israel is now conducting a military offensive. But Ms. Redwan has hit roadblocks at every turn. And like other Palestinian Americans desperate to get their relatives to safety, she has described a confounding bureaucratic maze involving the State Department, the governments of Israel and Egypt, politicians, advocacy groups, lawyers and more. The closure this month of the Rafah border crossing into Egypt the only way out for civilians has thrown an already complicated system into disarray, leading to calls for the United States to make a more forceful effort to evacuate the relatives of American citizens. You feel like theres nothing you can do, Ms. Redwan said in an interview. You live comfortably, you have money, youre a U.S. citizen and your parents are suffering and theres nothing you can do for them. It is just insane. The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, over allegations that he accepted bribes and committed misconduct in office, the panel said on Wednesday. Mr. Cuellar was indicted this month on federal charges that he participated in a yearslong, $600,000 bribery scheme involving Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank. After a member is charged criminally, House rules require that the Ethics Committee decide whether Congress should also investigate the lawmakers conduct. The panel voted unanimously to establish a four-member investigative subcommittee to determine whether Mr. Cuellar solicited or accepted bribes, gratuities or improper gifts; acted as a foreign agent; violated federal money laundering laws; misused his official position for private gain; and/or made false statements or omissions on public disclosure statements filed with the House. Representative Michael Guest, Republican of Mississippi and the chairman of the ethics panel, will also lead the subcommittee scrutinizing Mr. Cuellars conduct. Representative Glenn F. Ivey of Maryland will be the top Democrat. Nikki Haley, the former Republican presidential candidate and U.N. ambassador during the Trump administration, wrote Finish them on an artillery shell in Israel this week. Danny Danon, Israels former ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the Israeli Parliament, shared a photo on social media on Tuesday showing Ms. Haley signing the shell. Her visit came just days after Israel drew international condemnation for a strike that killed dozens of Gazan civilians in a camp for displaced Palestinians. This is what my friend, the former ambassador Nikki Haley, wrote today on a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border, Mr. Danon wrote, declaring of the Israeli military, The I.D.F. will win! Ms. Haley finished her inscription with a note that America loves Israel always, using a heart emoji for loves. Barry Kemp, an archaeologist whose decades of painstaking digging at the abandoned capital of a mysterious pharaoh helped revolutionize understanding of how everyday ancient Egyptians lived, worked and worshiped, died on May 15 in Cambridge, Britain, one day after his 84th birthday. The death was announced by the Amarna Project, an archaeology nonprofit where Mr. Kemp was director. It did not specify a cause or say where he died. Almost from the moment he arrived to teach at the University of Cambridge in 1962, fresh out of college, Mr. Kemp was a phenomenon. When he was just 26, he published an article in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology that greatly shifted the debate about a set of burial structures from about 3000 B.C., showing that they were most likely forerunners of the pyramids. Much of his work had little to do with the pharaohs, though. He was among the first to apply questions of social history, in which scholars explore the lives of everyday people in the past, to ancient Egypt. Papi Mazibuko, a 50-year-old library assistant, decided it was time to switch teams and vote for the Democratic Alliance, the leading opposition party in the national elections in South Africa on Wednesday. Houses on his street in the township of Evaton, south of Johannesburg, had been without power for two and a half years because of a broken transformer. The government, led by the African National Congress, or A.N.C., failed to fix it. The neighboring municipality, run by the Democratic Alliance, had a good record of delivering basic utilities. So Mr. Mazibuko rallied neighbors to a campaign event last year that featured John Steenhuisen, the partys leader, who has been met with skepticism by some Black voters because he is white. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken suggested on Wednesday that the Biden administration could be open to tolerating strikes by the Ukrainian military inside Russia using American-made weapons, saying that the United States would adapt and adjust its stance based on changing conditions on the battlefield. Mr. Blinken said that the United States had neither encouraged nor enabled such attacks. But he said that the Ukrainians needed to make their own decisions on how to best defend themselves a position he has stated before and that the U.S. government had adapted and adjusted as necessary as the war evolves. When asked by a reporter whether his words adapt and adjust meant the United States could support attacks by Ukraine with American-made weapons inside Russia, he said, Adapt and adjust means exactly that meaning those words, signaling flexibility from Washington. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has sent the Ukrainians military aid but has repeatedly asked that they not fire U.S.-made weapons into Russian territory for fear of escalating the war. A man was killed on Wednesday when he climbed into a running jet engine at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, officials said. The man was an employee of a company operating at the airport, the Dutch military police said in a statement on Thursday. The jet, it said, had just completed the pushback procedure and was about to taxi to the runway when the man, whose name was not made public, climbed into the engine. The death has been ruled a suicide, the statement said. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the flag carrier of the Netherlands, said in a statement on Wednesday that the episode involved its Flight KL1341, which had been scheduled to take off for Billund, Denmark. We are currently taking care of the passengers and employees who witnessed the incident at Schiphol, the airline said. The Netherlands will be getting a new prime minister, with the four right-wing parties that are forming a government finally naming their pick, more than six months after the elections. The parties selected a top justice official, Dick Schoof, 67, on Tuesday. They will now continue work on forming a cabinet, naming ministers and state secretaries, with the aim of finalizing a government in about four weeks. The choice of Mr. Schoof the highest-ranking official at the Ministry of Justice and Security and a former counterterrorism chief, who has no political experience or party affiliation reflects an attempt to govern the Netherlands differently after more than 13 years under Prime Minister Mark Ruttes leadership. While Mr. Schoofs name had not been widely circulated as a potential prime minister, the four parties have said they agreed to set up a government that includes political outsiders, in order to create more distance between the Parliament and the cabinet. There will be no French fries for the 15,000 athletes at the Olympic Games that open in France in July. Yes, you read that right. In what is being called the biggest restaurant in the world a 700-foot-long former electrical power plant at the heart of the Olympic Village there will be no foie gras, either, but vegetarian hot dogs and quinoa muesli will abound. Strolling the length of what is known as the nave, a light-filled vaulted space where some 45,000 meals a day will be served 24/7 throughout the Olympics and Paralympics, Stephane Chicheri and Charles Guilloy, the chefs in charge, sang the praises of vegetarian shawarma, zaatar-spiced sweet potatoes with hummus, cabbage pickles, beetroot falafel and grilled eggplant with smoked paprika. This is a far cry from the classic French cuisine of elaborate sauces and enough melted butter to thrombose a regiment, as A.J. Liebling once described a dish. The slogan All Eyes on Rafah has ricocheted across social media this week following an Israeli strike in the Gazan city that killed dozens of civilians and provoked international outrage. For months, the phrase has been a touchstone in the social and cultural dialogue around Israels war against Hamas in the region. It has periodically trended on social media, particularly as Israeli military attacks in the city located in the southern Gaza Strip, along the Egyptian border have escalated. On Wednesday, the saying was once again trending, this time through what appears to be an A.I.-generated image showing a field of refugee tents spelling out All Eyes on Rafah. One version of the graphic has been shared more than 38 million times on Instagram. The phrase may have originated in comments made in February by Rik Peeperkorn, who heads the World Health Organizations office for Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mr. Peeperkorn was speaking at a news conference as the Israeli military intensified its campaign in the southern Gaza strip. All eyes are on Rafah, Mr. Peeperkorn said at the time. The comment was almost immediately repurposed by pro-Palestinian and humanitarian groups to draw attention to Gaza and Rafah, which was one of the last remaining destinations for displaced Palestinians from other parts of the territory. Among them were Save the Children International, Oxfam and, later, pro-Palestinian lobbying groups like Jewish Voice for Peace. The saying was also heard at pro-Palestinian protests that swept across Western universities earlier this month. The deadly strike in Rafah on Sunday was quickly denounced by world leaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the attack had killed two Hamas officials, and he called the civilian deaths a tragic accident. Israels offensive in the southern city of Rafah has strained medical and humanitarian services to the breaking point, aid workers say, with only one hospital still functioning and several aid operations forced to decamp to other parts of the Gaza Strip. The health care crisis in the city has been compounded by the closure of emergency clinics and other services amid continued clashes and strikes that have killed dozens of civilians. On Sunday, a strike that Israel said was aimed at a Hamas compound set ablaze a camp for the displaced in Rafah, killing 45 people, according to the Gazan health ministry. Another strike on Tuesday in Al-Mawasi, on the outskirts of Rafah, killed 21 people and injured dozens, the ministry said. Among the aid operations that have shuttered this week are a field hospital run by the Palestinian Red Crescent, a clinic supported by Doctors Without Borders and kitchens run by World Central Kitchen. As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of improved access, while the humanitarian response is in reality on the verge of collapse, 19 aid groups said in a joint statement on Tuesday. Some of the operations that were forced to move were in Al-Mawasi, where many civilians and aid workers went because Israel designated part of the area as a humanitarian safe zone. Israels military said after the strike on Tuesday that it had not fired on that zone. Videos verified by The New York Times indicate that the strike hit near, but not inside, the zone. The Israeli military said on Wednesday night that it had taken tactical control over the Philadelphi Corridor a sensitive strip of Gaza along its border with Egypt in a move that could further tax Israels already strained ties with Cairo. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said the zone was Hamass oxygen tube and had been used by the Palestinian armed group for smuggling munitions into Gazan territory on a regular basis. He said that Hamas had also built tunnels near the Egyptian border, calculating that Israel would not dare strike so close to Egyptian territory. Israeli officials have said seizing the narrow, roughly nine-mile-long area holds crucial importance for preventing Hamas from rearming itself through cross-border smuggling. It must be in our hands; it must be closed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told reporters in December, after being asked whether Israel still intended to capture the zone. An Israeli military official, who briefed reporters Wednesday on condition of anonymity to comply with military protocol, said that troops had identified at least 20 tunnels running from Gaza into Egypt, some of them only recently discovered. But in briefing reporters later on Wednesday night, Admiral Hagari stopped short of claiming that the tunnels crossed the border. I cant say now that all of these tunnels cross into Egypt, he said. Well inspect that, pass along the intelligence to Egypt. The tunnel shafts in Gaza are located in proximity to the border with Egypt, including in buildings and homes, he added. Well investigate and take care of each of those shafts. When Hamas released video last month of Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza, it was the first sign in months that he was still alive. His wife, Aviva Siegel, couldnt bring herself to watch it. It would be too difficult for me to see the sadness in Keiths eyes, Ms. Siegel said in an interview in New York last week, where she was meeting with Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations. Ms. Siegel, 63, was held captive with her husband until late November, when she was one of 105 hostages released as part of a cease-fire deal. They were taken from their home at Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Oct. 7 during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Nearly eight months into the war, the families of hostages have grown increasingly alarmed. Mr. Siegel, who is 65, has a medical condition, and Israeli soldiers have recently recovered the remains of several hostages in Gaza. For months, Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been trying to get Israel and Hamas to accept a deal for another cease-fire and exchange of captives. Ms. Siegel understands the hostages experience like few others. Knowing what theyre going through, she said, is too much for me to handle. She said that she and her husband of over four decades were moved more than a dozen times and were kept in apartments and tunnels, which felt particularly stifling. A black and white photograph shows the structures making up Gaza city, with the minaret standing tall in the background. A black and white photograph shows the structures making up Gaza city, with the minaret standing tall in the background. A black and white image shows Gazas old town, with the minaret standing above other structures in the back. In front of the camera is a cemetery, with short structures spread out across its extents. A black and white image shows Gazas old town, with the minaret standing above other structures in the back. In front of the camera is a cemetery, with short structures spread out across its extents. A black and white photograph shows the Gaza cityscape. Camels and goats are walking in front of a tall cactus bush in a field in the foreground. The horizon is interrupted by a small minaret, the Great Omari mosques taller minaret, and a tall structure with a pitched roof. A black and white photograph shows the Gaza cityscape. Camels and goats are walking in front of a tall cactus bush in a field in the foreground. The horizon is interrupted by a small minaret, the Great Omari mosques taller minaret, and a tall structure with a pitched roof. A black and white photograph depicts Gaza, its structures, with the minaret jutting out of the horizon in the background. In the foreground, trees take up the bottom third of the image, with some branches in focus, some out of focus due to their movement. A black and white photograph depicts Gaza, its structures, with the minaret jutting out of the horizon in the background. In the foreground, trees take up the bottom third of the image, with some branches in focus, some out of focus due to their movement. A black and white photograph shows Gazas old town, its houses and palm trees. In the foreground, on the roof of a structure, a group of young children can be seen. A black and white photograph shows Gazas old town, its houses and palm trees. In the foreground, on the roof of a structure, a group of young children can be seen. A black and white photograph taken from a similar vantage point as the preceding one, shows the citys houses and structures, interrupted by trees. The mosques minaret stands above the horizon of rolling hills. A black and white photograph taken from a similar vantage point as the preceding one, shows the citys houses and structures, interrupted by trees. The mosques minaret stands above the horizon of rolling hills. A black and white photograph shows the cityscape of Gaza city. In the middle ground, the Great Omari mosque stands above the town, while another smaller minaret can be seen further away. The horizon consists of slow rolling hills. A black and white photograph shows the cityscape of Gaza city. In the middle ground, the Great Omari mosque stands above the town, while another smaller minaret can be seen further away. The horizon consists of slow rolling hills. A hand drawn illustration shows the architecture of the mosque. The rectangular facade with a pitched roof has a circular window in the middle. In the background the octagonal minaret can be seen. Sand covers most surfaces. A hand drawn illustration shows the architecture of the mosque. The rectangular facade with a pitched roof has a circular window in the middle. In the background the octagonal minaret can be seen. Sand covers most surfaces. A colored illustration shows a cactus field in the foreground, structures in the middle ground, and the mosque with its minaret in the background. A caption below the image read Gaza - The Old Town. A colored illustration shows a cactus field in the foreground, structures in the middle ground, and the mosque with its minaret in the background. A caption below the image read Gaza - The Old Town. A sepia-colored black and white photograph depicts the people in the courtyard of the mosque. The minaret stands above them. A sepia-colored black and white photograph depicts the people in the courtyard of the mosque. The minaret stands above them. A sepia-colored black and white photograph, shows cactus fields in the foreground and a minaret standing above structures in the background. A sepia-colored black and white photograph, shows cactus fields in the foreground and a minaret standing above structures in the background. A hand-drawn illustration depicts an arid landscape in which a person is mounted on a horse, traveling towards a distant city. A tall minaret can be seen rising above the skyline. A hand-drawn illustration depicts an arid landscape in which a person is mounted on a horse, traveling towards a distant city. A tall minaret can be seen rising above the skyline. A hand-drawn color illustration depicts a small fortress-like city, on a shore drawn in red and gold, surrounded by trees. In the middle of the city stands a tall minaret. Place names are written in the Ottoman Arabic script. A hand-drawn color illustration depicts a small fortress-like city, on a shore drawn in red and gold, surrounded by trees. In the middle of the city stands a tall minaret. Place names are written in the Ottoman Arabic script. The mosque site in the heart of Gaza City has been a place of worship for thousands of years, dating back, according to some accounts, to the Philistines whose temple walls were said to have been pulled down by Samson, the Israelite warrior. A Christian Byzantine church erected in the fifth century on top of the ruins of an earlier Roman temple was repurposed in the seventh century as a mosque following the Muslim conquest of Gaza. Some researchers suggest the space may have served both Muslims and Christians during this period. But that building was destroyed when Gaza fell to the Crusaders around 1100, and a church was later built at the site. Parts of the church, in particular its central nave, were repurposed as a mosque in the 12th century when Muslims regained control of Gaza. An 1873-74 survey of the mosque showed a bas relief of a menorah and Jewish ritual symbols, which remained on an interior column until the late 1970s when, during the Israeli occupation of Gaza, they were erased, possibly in protest. Palestine Exploration Fund, via Internet Archive Over the centuries that followed, the building often suffered serious damage from invaders and earthquakes. But it was constantly rebuilt and expanded, first by the Mamluks, who created a powerful Islamic empire during the later Middle Ages, and later the Ottomans. The Mamluk efforts included the addition of a stone arcade to align the eastern wall toward Mecca and the design of an octagonal minaret. The Ottoman contributions included walls added to the courtyard. Among scholars, the mosque became known for its expansive library of ancient Islamic manuscripts, including religious texts, literature and social and political commentary. The library and much of the rest of the mosque were destroyed in 1917 by a British artillery bombardment during World War I. The British said they were targeting an Ottoman arms depot inside the mosque, and they would go on to capture the rest of the area. Inside the central nave, after British bombardment partially destroyed the building in 1917. American Colony Photo Department (Jerusalem), via Library of Congress The sandstone building, including its library and minaret, was rebuilt roughly a decade later under a restoration authorized by the Supreme Muslim Council that employed the very fabric of the mosques history, such as surviving remnants from the Crusader church and the Mamluk arcade. Some researchers even suggest that the interior columns that were rescued and reused may have been ancient late Roman-era originals once used to build the Byzantine church. Others discount that, suggesting the columns were created long afterward but mimicked the Roman style. One interior column once featured a bas relief with Jewish ritual symbols, though many experts do not believe the site was ever used as a synagogue. Rather, they say, that column possibly originated in an ancient synagogue somewhere in the region and was reused during the buildings reconstruction. Over the centuries, the courtyard outside became a plaza for much more than prayer. One of the gates of the mosque leading to the Zawya market in May 2019. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times Faith-based organizations play an important role in the lives of the people, said Jehad Abusalim, a Palestinian historian who grew up in Gaza. For the exchange of ideas. Theyre not just for prayer. Theyre also places for celebrating life. People meet there and gather, he continued. And so, in a way, it was part of the life of the community. It was a community center in every sense of the word. Rachel Swanson French/West/Vaughan rehires Rachel Swanson back to the firm as SVP of integrated marketing services. Swanson was most recently VP of key accounts at TriMark Digital. She previously served at FWV as an SVP from 2018-2021 and a group account director from 2012-2015, in addition to having worked as VP of marketing at Variety Wholesalers and group director at The Zimmerman Agency. Swanson has worked with brands across such sectors as home improvement, apparel, travel/lifestyle, data/tech, spirits and QSR. In her new post, she will support a wide range of agency accounts. FWV has also hired Mabry Williams as a group account director; named Corey Adams, a former creative producer at the firm, as creative project manager; and promoted Megan Calderone to VP of social, influencer & experiential marketing. FWV employs more than 140 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts among its Raleigh, New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit offices. Lynn Girotto Qualtrics, an experience management company, hires Lynn Girotto as CMO. Girotto comes to Qualitrics from Vimeo, where as CMO, she led a shift in the video platforms strategy toward enterprise customers and applications. She previously served in senior marketing roles at Microsoft, Starbucks, Tableau and Getty Images. At Qualtrics, Girotto will lead the companys global marketing organization, including brand, communications, demand generation, field marketing, product marketing, and pricing and packaging. Lynns strategic approach and background with some of the worlds most incredible, fast-growing consumer and enterprise brands makes her the perfect addition to the Qualtrics leadership, said Qualtrics president and COO Brian Stucki. Rachel Krauss Weise Bastion names Rachel Krauss Weise president of its research and insights division. Weise was previously president, insights & strategy at Vault AI. She has also served as SVP and general manager for franchise & content strategy at MarketCast. In her new role, Weise will lead the division's efforts in providing comprehensive research, data-driven insights, and strategic guidance to clients across diverse industries. "Rachel's proven track record in leveraging data and insights to inform strategic decision-making will be instrumental in enhancing our offerings and delivering exceptional value to our clients," said Bastin CEO Dax Cornelius. Ronn Torossian Consumers may be accustomed to a certain level of flash and dazzle from brands, but the real battleground is social media, specifically Instagram, the land of food photos. Here, brands are not judged by critics, but by millions of active users who determine what's popular. A recent study by Snipp Interactive, a promotions expert, delves into America's favorite food and snack brands on this platform. The power of the post In today's digital world, brands that ignore the social media buzz risk getting left behind. The best way for brands to be able to win over the millions of online judges is to foster a passionate community of people. Here's where Oreo, the undisputed king of Instagram, shines. Hashtags, the secret weapon Snipp Interactive, along with data from YouGov, set out on a mission to discover which brands truly rule American hearts. Their secret weapon was hashtags. By analyzing the sheer number of Oreo-related hashtags on Instagram, Snipp was able to gauge which brands had the most loyal and enthusiastic fan base. Oreo reigns supreme And the winner is Oreo. With a staggering 9.7 million hashtags associated with the brand, it absolutely crushed the competition. Kit Kat, the runner-up, trailed far behind with just 3.7 million, followed by Snickers at 1.7 million. Beyond marketing magic Oreo's dominance isn't just about clever marketing ploys. YouGov data shows that a whopping 98 percent of Americans recognize the iconic cookie. That leaves a mere 2 percent who haven't encountered this childhood favorite. Brand recognition is great, but the real kicker is the fact that a phenomenal 76 percent of Americans have a positive opinion of Oreo. This widespread love translates beautifully to social media, where fans actively create and share content that celebrates their Oreo obsession. User-Generated Content (UGC) Oreo's success is attributed to user-generated content, as showcased by Snipp Interactive. Instagram users frequently encounter creative posts featuring Oreo milkshakes, cheesecakes, and artistic sculptures. Fans enthusiastically share their Oreo creations with relevant hashtags, fostering a sense of community and excitement. This organic content creation helps solidify Oreo's place in consumer's hearts and minds. Hashtags as a tool for discovery Hashtags are a powerful tool for building brand loyalty and engagement. Many U.S. snack brands benefit from millions of consumer-generated hashtags on Instagram. These hashtags help brands connect with their target audience effectively. Despite some brands dismissing hashtags as a passing trend, they are key for getting brands seen by their consumers in the age of social media. Social media engagement matters This study serves as a wake-up call for brands that haven't embraced social media engagement. Look at Oreo, Kit Kat, Snickers, Ben & Jerry's, and Hershey'sthese top contenders on the Instagrammable food scene are all leveraging hashtags strategically to connect with their audience and build a loyal following. The takeaway here is that social media is a powerful tool for brands to connect with consumers in an authentic way. *** Ronn Torossian founded 5WPR, a leading Public Relations agency. Las Cruces Plans to Hire Travel PR Partner Wed., Oct. 9, 2024 Visit Las Cruces, which is the convention and visitors bureau of New Mexicos second largest city, wants a PR firm to help position it as a premiere tourism destination. Courtney Keating Acxiom, an IPG agency that provides customer intelligence services, names Courtney Keating CMO. Keating was previously CMO at eXp World Holdings, and she has also held executive roles at GE Capital, CoreLogic and Roostify. At Acxiom, she will lead all aspects of Acxiom's global brand and marketing strategy, serving internal stakeholders and a diverse client base. Courtney's proven expertise in boosting brand performance, along with her visionary approach, reflect our company's growth trajectory. She is the ideal marketing leader for our continued momentum and the next phase of success," said Acxiom chief operating officer John Watkins. Dan Johnson R&J Strategic Communications promotes Dan Johnson to account director. Johnson has been with the firm since 2016, most recently serving as account supervisor. He was previously marketing coordinator at Weichert, Realtors and also served as district scheduler and outreach program coordinator for New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysesn. In his new role, Johnson will be responsible for leading and managing the agencys B2B account service team and will assist in setting the agencys strategic direction as a member of the senior management committee. Dans strong leadership style and strategic thinking have made him a valued asset to his clients and colleagues, said R&J Strategic Communications president Scott Marioni. Steve Munroe ProShares, an issuer of exchange traded funds that manages over $70 billion in assets, hires Steve Munroe as managing director, chief marketing officer, based in the firms New York City office. Munroe was previously head of marketing at ETF company Global X. Before that, he held marketing and research roles with Liberty Mutual Insurance and Kantar (formerly MaPS). He and I share a vision for the future of ETF distribution and the vital role that high-quality and well-executed marketing will play in elevating ProShares to the next level, said ProShares CEO Michael L. Sapir. Sarah Broberg Carabiner Communications, an Atlanta-headquartered firm, promotes Sarah Broberg to VP. Broberg has been with Carabiner as an account director since 2022. Before that, she managed the communications and marketing department at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. She has also served as deputy managing director at TRACCS Public Relations in Cairo, Egypt, and spent five years as the English editor at the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, an economic research think tank in Cairo. "Sarah brings a mix of expert insights and genuine passion to every interaction, earning her the trust of clients and coworkers alike, said Carabiner Communications founder and CEO Peter Baron. As we continue to grow, we're confident Sarah's leadership will be instrumental in propelling us forward." Hai Peng BGR Group has hired Defense Department pro Hai Peng to advise clients on geopolitical/security issues and the US-China relationship. Prior to BGR, Hai was deputy chiefChina, Taiwan, Mongolia division at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role, he served as senior military advisor to the Chairman, Defense Secretary and President by providing reports, briefings, advice and analysis on China, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific region. Earlier, he worked as senior geopolitical and military affairs specialist in the Air Forces strategic competition branch, and staffer in the Defense Intelligence Agency. Hai has more than 18 years of military service, which includes seven years of active duty in the Army, and a combat tour in Iraq. Born in China and fluent in Mandarin, Hai immigrated at the age of 17 to Brooklyn. BGR president Erskine Wells said not only can Hai speak to the U.S.s national security policy towards China, but he brings a unique understanding and perspective of the CCP reaction to these policy decisions. At BGR, Hai is senior director in the firms international & trade, and defense & critical technologies practices. MEMBERS of the Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group joined forces with environmental and community groups from across Ireland in a friendly yet determined protest outside Dail Eireann on Tuesday May 21st. The Lemanaghan Group is opposed to the proposal to develop a wind farm on its local bog which, they say, should be left untouched. The event was organised by CEPA (the Communities & Environmental Protection Alliance) and called for stringent statutory regulations governing the operation of wind farms in Ireland. The protest was called "Dail Gathering for Robust Wind-farm Regulations," and it pointed out that the implementation of statutory regulation and monitoring of wind farms is seen as a crucial step towards ensuring the sustainable and responsible operation of these renewable energy sources. Statutory regulation, consistent with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, involves establishing a set of legally binding rules and standards that wind farm operators must follow. These regulations are designed to minimize environmental impacts, safeguard wildlife, and ensure the safety and efficiency of energy production. Key aspects of the regulatory framework include requirements for regular maintenance, noise control, shadow flicker mitigation, and the protection of bird and bat populations. By enforcing these regulations, governments can promote the generation of clean energy while protecting local communities and preserving natural ecosystems. This ensures that wind farms operate within an environmentally and socially responsible framework. The need for statutory regulations for the planning and operation of wind farms in Ireland, said a statement from the Lemanaghan Bog Heritage and Conservation Group, has become increasingly evident as the country seeks to expand its renewable energy sources. Best international practices are essential to ensure that wind energy projects are developed responsibly and sustainably, addressing key concerns such as community health, environmental impacts, and the efficient use of land. The group pointed out that by establishing clear criteria for site selection, design, and operation, Ireland aims to harness the potential of wind energy while minimizing negative effects on local ecosystems and populations. This approach supports the nation's commitment to sustainable development and the green energy transition. One of the key demands of the protestors was a halt on all wind energy planning and development activities until new planning regulations and guidelines for wind energy are established. This measure is seen as necessary to safeguard the communities they aim to serve. In response to the protest, Taoiseach Simon Harris promised that new planning guidelines for wind farms would be introduced by the end of the year. He emphasised his belief in increasing wind energy but insisted that it must be done in a way that involves and benefits local communities. "We are listening, and we're going to revise the 2006 guidelines once and for all, the Taoiseach said, addressing the concerns raised during the protest. Independent TD Richard O'Donoghue highlighted the impact of wind farms on local residents, particularly the inability of newborn children and their parents to sleep due to noise. He criticised the outdated regulations, noting that permitted noise levels from turbines in Ireland are double those allowed in Australia. Galway-East TD Sean Canney urged the Government to prioritise people in any regulatory changes. "People matter," he said, "and they want a safe place for their children to live." The Lemanaghan group said the protest at Leinster House underscored the urgent need for updated, robust wind energy regulations that balance the benefits of renewable energy with the rights and wellbeing of local communities. As Ireland moves forward with its green energy goals, the group said, the voices of its citizens must play a crucial role in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future that is fair to the communities who live in these areas. Tributes have been pouring in for a Sligo dad, who died while on holiday in Bulgaria. Geoffrey McManus of Langan Drive, Cranmore, Sligo Town, died unexpected on May 21, while on holiday. His nephew, Brandon Mills, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to bring him home. "Firstly, on behalf of the McManus and McMorrow family, we cant express how much we appreciate the love and support that we have received since Geoffrey has passed away. It has been overwhelming and both of my grandparents cannot thank you all enough. We are seeking help from the community with this go fund me," Brandon explained. Geoffrey, unfortunately passed in another country, Bulgaria. In order for Geoffrey to be released and finally get home to his family where he will be laid to rest my Grandfather has to fly over and speak with legal representatives. Myself and my aunt Jennifer will be coming along with him for support. "Every cent raised will go towards this process, and whatever is left will go towards funeral cost and his headstone. We do appreciate that times are tough, so absolutely anything or even a share would be much appreciated," he said. Since the tragic news broke out, tributes have been pouring in for the dad of three. "Geoffrey McManus, you have left a lot of heavy hearts here at home. The amount of memories you have given us all, you have given us some amount of stories to tell over your 39 years on this earth, thinking of these good times we can laugh, something you never failed to make us do," paid a friend in tribute. A man has appeared in court charged with brandishing a knife in Dublin city centre. Oisin Peavoy, 38, with an address in Granby Row, Dublin 1, appeared at Dublin Metropolitan District Court on Wednesday. He was charged with two counts of producing a knife and two counts of threatening and abusive behaviour over incidents at Gardiner Street Upper and Parnell Square West on Tuesday morning. Detective Garda Paul Griffin told the court that Peavoy was arrested at 9.56pm and charged at 10.58pm. Det Gda Griffin said the accused made replies to each of the charges under caution. The detective said Peavoy objected to three of the charges and said only one was somewhat lawful. Peavoy, who denied that was his name, said he did not want to be represented by a solicitor who had been asked to appear by his family, who were present in court. He said he wanted to represent himself and added: What has occurred to me is unlawful. Peavoy said: I am a soldier in the kings army. He made reference to the legal authority of the European Union and told the court: I require the Hagues presence here. There were two incidents in the Gardiner Street and Parnell Square area at 8.42am and 9.17am on Tuesday. Asked by Judge Gerard Jones for background to the case, Det Gda Griffin said Peavoy had brandished a knife, which was shown in court. Det Gda Griffin said gardai would have objections to bail being granted but there was no such application. Judge Jones directed that Peavoy receive medical assistance. He was remanded in custody at Cloverhill Prison for a week until June 5. Russia now requires Sri Lanka Defence Ministry clearance for ex-servicemen visit visas Posted by Editor on May 29, 2024 - 6:28 pm Russia will now require clearance from Sri Lankas Defence Ministry for visit visas of ex-servicemen, says Sri Lankas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry. The Foreign Minister mentioned that he met with the Russian Ambassador in Colombo, Levan S. Dzhagaryan, today (May 29). We addressed the urgent situation of Sri Lankans being deployed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and agreed on immediate steps to resolve these issues, he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Russia will now require Sri Lanka Defence Ministry clearance for visit visas of ex-servicemen. He added that the upcoming visit by Sri Lankas State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tharaka Balasuriya, to Russia will allow further discussions to find a solution to this matter. (Image by Alexego01) Details DMCA Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia, as sought by Kyiv. Putin's warning came as French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv should be allowed to "neutralize" Russian military bases from where Kremlin troops are firing missiles into Ukraine, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the world not to tire of the war. Putin's comments came after some NATO members as well as the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg have called to allow Ukraine to use their arms to step up attacks on Russian soil, after more than two years of war. "This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin said during a visit to Uzbekistan. He went on to indirectly threaten small European countries, suggesting he could wipe them out. "In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with," he said, noting that many European countries had "small territory" and a "dense population". "And this factor, which they should keep in mind before they talk about striking deep into Russian territory, is a serious thing," he said. Was Putin suggesting he would unleash a small nuclear weapon on these countries? Or just overwhelming military force? Either way, Europe needs to sit up and get serious about military and preemptive defense. Putin made clear that even if Ukraine's forces carried out the strikes, responsibility for them would lie with Western suppliers of the weapons. Putin also threatened that further Western involvement would constitute "another step towards a serious conflict in Europe, towards a global conflict." EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said after a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels that European countries remained split on sending military instructors to Ukraine. EU countries have trained 50,000 Ukrainian troops outside the war-torn country under a bloc-wide mission set up in 2022. Countries including Germany oppose taking a step they fear could potentially drag them closer to direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia, but this is a defeatist position. Germany and other countries must link arms and stand up to Putin to prevent a global conflict. Doing the opposite would only invite such a scenario. Zelensky has been pressing Western allies to provide longer-range missiles and other material for striking deeper into Russia in a bid to cripple its military and industrial capacity. Ukraine is also asking for more weapons, especially air defense systems, which are inadequate. Russia has more weapons and troops and still has the potential to overwhelm Ukrainian forces. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Methane (CH 4 ) is a horrible destroyer of the Earth -- with 86 times the heat-trapping power of CO 2 over 20 years. But natural gas is natural, almost not really gas, actually the green solution brought to us by Guy-Who-Was-Not-Trump Barack Obama. So the fact that 97% of so-called natural gas is nothing other than methane is odd. It's like finding out that aid to Ukraine is fueling mass murder that the U.S. government has prevented Ukraine from ending. Isn't aid, you know, stuff that's helpful? Natural gas is METHANE? The clean salvation fuel is Earth-destroying cow burps? The bridge to paradise is a disastrous slow-motion explosion of greenhouse gas? It's like discovering that the most important election of your lifetime ceases to be that after a couple of years as each next one looms, always a contest between two jackasses you wouldn't trust near your pets. Natural gas is methane? How can that be? Next you'll tell me the Rules Based Order threatens the families of the staff at the International Criminal Court. This is mafia stuff, but the Sierra Club told it to me! Ten years ago, I was posting about organizing meetings to oppose putting a pipeline through Virginia. I called the stuff they wanted to use the pipeline for "fracked gas." Or I just called it a "disaster." Probably I should have called it methane. That's the lesson I take from the opening pages of a new book by Jonathan Mingle called Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America's Energy Future. The more important lesson that everyone should take from this book is Margaret Mead's about a small group and never doubting. Everyone from the U.S. President to your next-door neighbor could tell you and did tell you that filling the country with giant, disaster-prone pipelines of fossil fuels was not only the path to a clean-energy future but also inevitable regardless of what you or the whole damn country might choose to think about it. And in Virginia, everyone from the Governor to your own family members could tell you and did tell you that Dominion Power owned the state government and would get whatever it wanted. Even if what it wanted -- building a giant pipeline up and over steep rocky cliffs -- might not be possible, Dominion would still get permission to attempt it with no detailed plans required. Small, scattered groups of people made the decision to say THE HELL YOU DO. And they got together and they organized, and they educated, and they researched, and they campaigned, and they did something that everyone had proven couldn't be done -- with the proof being that it hadn't been done before: they stopped a pipeline. Oh, and they threw out the CEO of Dominion, they yanked a bunch of the state legislature out from under Dominion's thumb, and they made the state commit to ridding itself of fossil fuels entirely. Dominion started putting up windmills in the Atlantic Ocean and saying things that bordered on truthfulness. Were these changes what widely known facts required of anyone concerned with the future of life on Earth? Of course they were, but that had been true when Dominion proposed the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, just as when it cancelled it. The counties that led the way to stopping the pipeline also voted strongly for Donald Trump in 2016 -- he who would have done the Iraq War right by stealing the oil, he who would drill-baby-drill, he who to this day wants the pipelines. The fact that Trump's incompetent, rushed push for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline actually helped stop it doesn't mean that anyone voted for him with that strategy in mind. And of course not everyone in Nelson County or other key locations worked to stop the pipeline. At the core of the mass movement that saved the land was a small number of activists -- mostly retirees and lawyers -- working fulltime on what everyone told them was hopeless. But there is also at the core of this story the hard fact of NIMBYism. Some people who worked heroically to stop this pipeline will tell you themselves that they only started because of its location, or even only because of the proposal to seize their land through eminent domain, but that they learned so much through the process that they would have done the same regardless had they only known enough at the start about what pipelines do to the local environment and the world. The question that arises from this story is how to globalize it, how to generate the same dedicated activism (in shifts, since the same people can't go all-out forever) for the whole world as for one corner of it. There are a few possible foundations here for building that kind of effort. First, people may not all have been focused on protecting those distant in space but many were focused on protecting those distant in time. They were consciously and explicitly trying to provide homes to generations yet to come in their corner of the Earth. One promoter of the pipeline, quoted in the book, claimed it wouldn't leak for 40 years. A local resident asked about the time beyond 40 years, and the response was "Well, are you gonna be around after that?" Dominion had majorly failed to read the room. Second, the campaign to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline collaborated with and stood in solidarity with those working -- some successfully, some not -- to stop or at least slow other pipelines. And the parts of the world directly impacted by actual or proposed pipelines or other sacrifice-zone climate-collapse infrastructure has grown significant. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Trump courts donors at retreat with potential vice presidential picks in attendance With just six months to go until the presidential election, former President Donald Trump spent the weekend courting donors and ... (Image by YouTube, Channel: CBS News) Details DMCA Picture of former President Trump at a recent campaign stop in Florida Most assuredly former President Donald Trump despite the legal entanglements he is facing will be the Republican nominee for president in November. As to the man himself he seems to spout off on anything that comes into his head. He is to say the least the most unpredictable of any US president. Yesterday the Washington Post reported at a campaign event for donors Trump told them "he would have bombed Moscow if they would have attacked Ukraine" and attack China if they moved to assert sovereignty over Taiwan. [1] Trump's campaign dismissed the Post's report as "fake news". Trump had said earlier in his campaign "he could have put pressure on Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia by threatening to cut massive US military assistance to the country." The fear here is despite his legal entanglements even if he's convicted of a felony he'll still be able to run in November. Opposed to the "Trumpster" we have Joe Biden running for re-election even though the majority of Americans say in polls they don't want him to run. That the American people are not being served by the major party candidates is an understatement. The people are disregarded, simply a nuisance in the grand scheme perpetuated by the major parties. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). May 30 - June 2, 2024 | UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs | Online & In-Person Los Angeles, CA - The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs is proud to host the International Youth Conference 9 (IYC9), an extraordinary event bringing together young leaders from around the globe to shape a better future. From May 30 to June 2, youth will converge at UCLA and online to engage in critical Portland has long had a reputation as a city with a keen appetite for books, authors and literary culture. Now, a new event called Portland Book Week intends to join in celebrating that bibliophile passion. The first annual Portland Book Week, happening June 10-16, will showcase more than 50 independent bookstores across the Portland-Vancouver metro area. The goal of Portland Book Week is to showcase the vibrancy of our independent bookstore community, foster connections between literary-minded people across the city, and to geek out about books together, Bry Hoeg, one of the event organizers, said in a statement. Hoeg is store manager at Powells City of Books, in downtown Portland. The Portland Book Week schedule includes a bookstore crawl, raffles, giveaways, discounts, exclusive merchandise and Portland Book Week Bingo, which will offers winners bookstore gift cards, event tickets and merchandise. In addition, the 18th annual Rose City Book & Paper Fair, June 14-15 at the Lloyd Doubletree in Portland, is happening during Portland Book Week, and will feature more than 60 additional vendors. Also on tap for Portland Book Week are literary events at bookstores around the region. Among those scheduled: Melissa Febos, Kimberly King Parsons, Jules Ohman, and Caitlin Delohery will have a reading at 7 p.m., Monday, June 10, at Bishop & Wilde, in Northwest Portland; Rene Denfeld and Liz Scott will discuss their new books at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Annie Blooms Books, in Southwest Portland; Backfence PDX will offer a show built around the theme, Mistakes Were Made, which will include storytelling, humor and music, at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Powells City of Books. Bookstore participating in Portland Book Week include, Arches Bookhouse, Revolutions Bookshop, and Two Rivers Bookstore & Weird Sisters Yarn, in North Portland; Always Here Bookstore, Broadway Books, Cosmic Monkey Comic, Crooked House Books & Paper, Floating World Comics, Green Bean Books, Honeyed Words, Lost Avenue Books, Melville Books, Monograph Bookwerks, Parallel Worlds Bookshop, Rose City Book & Paper Fair, Rose City Book Pub, and Rose City Reads, in Northeast Portland; Bishop & Wilde, Daedalus Books, Grand Gesture Books, and Passages Bookshop, in Northwest Portland; Powells City of Books, in downtown Portland; Annie Blooms Books, and Chaparral Books, in Southwest Portland; Backstory Books and Yarn, Bearlyreadbooks, Belmont Books, Bingo Used Books, Books with Pictures, Dark Star Magick, David Morrison Books, Future Dreams, Powells Books Hawthorne, Third Eye Books, Wallace Books, and Word Virus Books, in Southeast Portland. Bookstores beyond the Rose City are also joining in celebrating Portland Book Week, including Jans, and Powells Books Cedar Hills, in Beaverton; Lauries Books, Maggie Maes Bookshop, Spoke & Word Books, and White Rabbit Books & Gifts, in Oregon City, Milwaukie and Gresham; Autumn Leaf Books, Birdhouse Books, Bookish, Flirting With Fiction, Literary Leftovers, The Romance Era Bookshop, Vintage Books, and White Oak Books, in Vancouver and Southwest Washington. 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 For its size, Oregon has among the most state-operated psychiatric hospital beds in the nation yet almost all of them are occupied by patients charged with or convicted of a crime. One driving reason has been well documented. The state hospital plays a key role in treating people accused of crimes but deemed mentally unfit to aid in their own defense at trial. That so-called aid and assist population is growing, and the hospital is under a court order to quickly admit, treat and discharge those patients. Rapid changes in the gravitational force led to a 178-feet altitude drop of a Singapore Airlines flight that left one passenger dead and many others who were not buckled up injured in extreme turbulence last week, a preliminary investigation by Singapores Transport Ministry said Wednesday. A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after the Boeing 777, which was flying from Londons Heathrow airport to Singapore on May 21, ran into turbulence that hurled people and items around the cabin. The plane, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Singapores Transport Ministry said investigators, including those from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, had compiled a chronology of events based on the preliminary analysis of the flights data and cockpit voice recorders. Early findings showed the aircraft was passing over the south of Myanmar at 37,000 feet when it began to experience vibration due to changes in the gravitational force, the ministry said. The plane then climbed to an altitude of up to 37,362 feet and increased speed possibly due to an updraft, it said. The planes autopilot then sought to pitch the jet downwards to its earlier altitude. The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G (gravitational force) ... this likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne before falling back down later as the plane rose and fell, the ministry said. The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 second duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 feet ... this sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers. During the turbulence, it said a pilot was heard calling out saying the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on. It said recorded data indicated the pilots manually controlled the plane for 21 seconds to stabilize it before reengaging the autopilot. The plane made a normal, controlled descent and didnt encounter further turbulence until it landed in Bangkok almost an hour later, the ministry said, adding that investigations are ongoing. Passengers have described the sheer terror of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane. Twenty-six people remained hospitalized in Bangkok on Wednesday. Hospital authorities earlier said injuries included spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs. It was unclear what caused the turbulence. Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air. According to a 2021 report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for 37.6% of all accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018. The Federal Aviation Administration has said there were 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021. WASHINGTON Half a year after the nations capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. The zoo announced Wednesday that a fresh agreement had been struck with the Chinese government, and a pair of adult pandas would be arriving from China by the end of the year. The Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said the incoming pair are Bao Li (pronounced BOW-lee) and Qing Bao (ching-BOW). Were thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., said Brandie Smith, the zoos director. This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao eats bamboo in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China, May 17, 2024. Roshan Patel | Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Giant pandas are prized in Washington and around the nation and the world. The number of pandas in American zoos has dwindled as loan agreements lapsed during diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China that remain high over economic relations, technology, trade, Taiwan and even a spy balloon. Washingtons three pandas returned to China last November. For more than five decades, the institute has created and maintained one of the worlds foremost giant panda conservation programs, helping move the panda from endangered to vulnerable on the global list of species at risk of extinction. Chinese President Xi Jinping had signaled during a trip in late 2023 that China would be sending new pandas to the United States. He called them envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. The zoo accompanied the announcement with a light-hearted video featuring Smith, Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and first lady Jill Biden. The trio in the video are gathered to discuss protocol for a reception to welcome unnamed honored guests. When Biden asks about attire and menu, Smith dryly replies that the impending guests are strict vegetarians who are partial to black and white. Last November, giant pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, went back to China, prompting a nationwide outpouring of farewell from millions of U.S. panda fans of all ages. The trios departure left only one panda family remaining in American zoos, at Zoo Atlanta, and those remain scheduled to return to China later this year. Zoo Atlanta is making preparations to return panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang along with their American-born twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, zoo officials said earlier this month. Panda cub Bao Bao hangs from a tree in her habitat at the National Zoo on her first birthday, Aug. 23, 2014.Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP Its possible that America will welcome another 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. A separate agreement was also announced to send a breeding pair of pandas to San Francisco as well. Pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing sent a pair to the National Zoo in 1 972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. When U.S-China relations began to sour in recent years, members of the Chinese public started to demand the return of giant pandas. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as Chinas national treasure, flooded Chinas social media. The National Zoo said the pandas coming to Washington are: Bao Li, a 2-year-old male whose name means treasure and energetic. He was born Aug. 4, 2021, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan to father An An and mother Bao Bao. The zoo said Bao Lis mother was born at the zoo in 2013, and his grandparents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang lived at the zoo from 2000 to 2023. It was Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, along with their cub Xiao Qi Ji, who left the zoo in November. Qing Bao, a 2-year-old female whose name means green and treasure. She was born Sept. 12, 2021. A research and breeding agreement with the Chinese runs through April 2034 and, like previous ones, says any cubs born at the zoo will move to China by age 4, according to the announcement. The zoo will pay a $1 million annual fee to the China Wildlife Conservation Association to support research and conservation efforts in China. DINO HAZELL Associated Press Melinda French Gates says she will be donating $1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organizations working on behalf of women and families globally, including on reproductive rights in the United States. Its the second billion-dollar commitment French Gates has personally made in the past five years. In 2019, she pledged over 10 years to expand womens power and influence. Editors note: This story first appeared on palabra, the digital news site by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The podcast Sold a Story is available in English and Spanish. The Spanish-language version is hosted by palabras managing editor Valeria Fernandez. By Saida Pagan | Edited by Virginia Lora From the early 1990s until recently, many American schools embraced a way of teaching reading known as balanced literacy. This methodology often involved having students figure out or guess at words according to context and pictures, rather than identifying letters and sounding out words. In the past few years, however, balanced literacys effectiveness has faced increased scrutiny with some educators, researchers and parents saying that its indirect approach may not be the best way to teach children especially those with learning disabilities or who are English Language Learners. Nowadays theres a rapid shift underway, pivoting from balanced literacy to an approach known as the science of reading. Based on a large body of scientifically-based research, including discoveries in neuroscience about how the brain functions as it processes the written word, the science of reading utilizes phonemic awareness and emphasizes teaching the sounds that letters or groups of letters represent, and word decoding strategies. In 2022, American Public Media released a podcast titled Sold a Story, which took a critical look at the balanced literacy curriculum and the educators and publishers who supported it. Today, dozens of states have moved away from the balanced literacy curriculum replacing it with more direct and explicit instructional methods. Still, the science of reading approach has not been universally adopted, and according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, several states lack strong policies to effectively bring this approach into the classroom. Sold a Story brought to light concerning statistics about literacy rates among children in the U.S. and found that, according to data released in 2022, half of Latino fourth graders were at or below basic reading levels. Poor reading skills can have negative repercussions in a childs life beyond the classroom. Difficulty reading is linked to struggling with other subjects in school, emotional and behavioral problems, dropout rates, and future involvement in the criminal justice system. Amidst the shifting landscape across the US, what can parents - especially within Spanish-speaking and Latino families do to ensure that their children are receiving high quality reading instruction? palabra sat down with Emily Hanford, the journalist who produced Sold a Story to talk about what she believes her findings mean for all students including English Language Learners. The interview has been edited for brevity, clarity and readability. Emily Hanford, producer of the American Public Media podcast Sold a Story. Photo courtesy of Emily HanfordPalabra palabra: You produced a podcast on the problems that some educators had and continue to have, with the balanced literacy teaching methodology. How did you become aware of this issue? Hanford: It started with an interest in dyslexia. Some of these students who I was meetingone student in particular told me he had dyslexia. I didnt know anything about it and started asking the question of whether or not some of the students who were really struggling with basic reading in college had learning disabilities that had never been identified or had never gotten help. (I realized) that this was more than just dyslexia. It was that a lot of kids werent getting the instruction they needed. I started to learn about a huge body of research which people are now referring to as the science of reading A few big takeaways are that reading isnt something thatour brains are wired to (do). As human beings, weve been talking to each other and getting really good at talking for a long, long, long time. But we havent actually been reading and writing for very long, and only about 5,000 years ago we started doing that. When were born, were born with brains that are sort of set and ready to acquire spoken language. But reading is not the same way. Being surrounded by books isnt enough to get most people reading. What the scientific research shows is that it requires explicit instruction. Some of us need very little. Some of us need a lot, and it doesnt have to do with intelligence. Kindergartners in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, practice reading. The district has invested in "science of reading" training for all its elementary teachers and principals. Photo courtesy of Emily Hanford/APM ReportsPalabra palabra: The students that you mentioned earlier who had problems with reading, were they from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or did the problem cut across ethnic and socioeconomic lines? Hanford: I think it does cut across socioeconomic linesbut as with all things in education, there are strong correlations between your family income and educational background and your education proficiency readiness. (Some) had all the advantages and went to school and reading was really hard for them. Thats because they had everything except that really good instruction in decoding how you read the words. palabra: Can you help us understand what balanced literacy is? Hanford: Balanced literacy came about as sort of a truce in the reading wars of the 1990s where people were fighting a lot about phonics. There was this really anti-phonics feel for a while. There was something called whole language (where) you dont need to teach a child how to read the words, you can (simply) immerse them in books and they will learn to read through that process...And then balanced literacy emerged as a kind of compromise...with the idea that you teach a little bit of phonics, too. (But) balanced literacy had retained this idea that (existed) in whole language, which is that you dont have to teach kids how to read the words they can figure it out, if you teach them all these other strategies. The problem is that when you teach little kids who are beginning to read that there are lots of strategies they can use to figure out words that they dont have to look closely at the words and sound them out you actually teach kids the habits of a struggling reader. People who never really learn how to read very well often will do a lot of looking at the first letter and just thinking of a word that makes sense, getting the gist of it, skipping a lot of words because they cant figure them out, trying to use the context to figure out whats going on. palabra: Based on your research, does balanced literacy make it difficult for all children to learn to read or is it mostly children who have dyslexia, cognitive challenges or are English Language Learners? Hanford: No, I think its making it harder for a lot of children to learn to read. Ive had teachers who said its more difficult for all kids. Some of the children can persist through it. It really doesnt matter how you teach themtheyll become pretty good readers anyway. Its hard to get a really good number on that. Some of us will learn to read pretty well no matter how we are taught. But for another 40-65% of us, instruction really matters. palabra: What have you learned specifically about how balanced literacy instruction may have impacted some English Language Learners? Hanford: A child who is still learning to speak and understand English, who is coming into school, has pretty big needs. They still need to get a lot of help and direct and explicit lessons in learning the English language how to speak it and understand it. They really need to learn the English alphabet the tricky things that the English alphabet can do, which are very different from Spanish in terms of how letters and combinations of letters represent sounds and English words. Whereas for example, in Spanish ... theres a transparent relationship between the letters and the sounds. Theres really a role for some good, direct and explicit instruction in vocabulary and language development. Balanced literacy wasnt really doing that. We need to think of ways to really make sure were reaching all kids, and were doing it efficiently and effectively and trying to get students up to speed quickly. We have a ton of research that shows that explicit and direct instruction does that. So I think that balance literacys weakness was not just in not doing enough of the word reading, but it was really missing the importance of direct instruction in lots of areas, including language comprehension. Teachers in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania use a curriculum that mixes teacher-directed whole-class phonics lessons with small-group practice. Photo courtesy of Emily Hanford/APM ReportsPalabra palabra: In your podcast you mentioned that through your investigation, you found that a third of students were reading below basic level. Was this more prevalent in urban school districts? Hanford: According to recent data, about 37% of all students struggle to read at a basic level in the 4th grade. Looking at Hispanic fourth graders, about 50% are below basic. This is more of a problem in lower-income urban districts, but its also a problem [in areas] that people (would call) really high performing. It gets masked because a lot of children get tutoring and extra help outside of school when they are struggling. palabra: Some educators from urban school districts might argue that low reading scores in urban areas with high concentrations of low-income families has been a constant for years and cannot be attributed to any one reading approach. Based on your research is there any validity to that argument? Hanford: What we know is that instruction can be powerful. Kids can be taught things and learn them really well if they are taught well. What we havent been doing for 50 years is taking what has been learned about learning, and what they need to be taught, and translating that into practice in schools. palabra: Have you come across any data that shows that students can make up for learning losses in reading? Say, people who were struggling readers, guessing at the words at (ages) 18 or 17, are they still guessing at the words at 35? And 40? Hanford: Yes, we have some research that shows that in the absence of getting good instruction, yes, most kids who are really struggling with reading in third grade are never going to become very good readers unless something happens, unless they get some good instruction along the way. The trajectory of those long term (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) studies shows that if you have a problem with reading early, you still have that problem later on, unless someone intervenes. (...) One thing I can say is that theres a lot of research that shows that you can be taught to read at any age. There are definitely people who really cant read very well at all, who can be taught in their 40s and 50s, and they can learn how to do it. palabra: What steps can parents take to ensure that the reading programs being used at their childs school align with the latest scientific research? Hanford: I think its important to ask questions specifically about how you are teaching my child to read. The really important thing for parents to recognize is if they have a gut level feeling that something might be wrong with their child in readingact on that. An overhaul of reading instruction to focus more on phonics has accelerated the reading progress of kindergarten students in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of Emily Hanford/APM ReportsPalabra palabra: What can parents, who may not speak English Spanish-speaking parents do to support their children at home? Hanford: Read to them in Spanish. Its really important to read to children in whatever language that you are confident in. Get your child really good in that language. I think that a lot of parents think that its not going to be helpful, but there is research that shows oral language proficiency in one language really does translate to learning another language. We have so much evidence that parents who get involved and read to (their children), while providing them with experiences outside of school to gain knowledge and gain understanding of the outside world and meet people those kids have such an advantage in so many ways. I think its really important, though, to recognize that not all kids are going to be in that environment, right? And theres a reason for school. Schools have a role to play here. And I think schools can do more on the instruction side than many of them have been doing (with) this reading stuff. Saida Pagan is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist. Born and raised in New York City, and of Puerto Rican heritage, Pagan has reported, anchored and produced for news organizations across the United States. She received a B.A. from the City University of New York and holds a masters degree with distinction in Strategic Communication from National University. In the past few years, Pagan has won two Golden Mike Awards, seven Los Angeles Press Club-sponsored awards for entertainment journalism and three awards from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors for her work in government television. She invites readers to follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her YouTube channel: American Stories with Saida Pagan. @SaidaPagan Virginia Lora is an independent audio producer, reporter and editor who works in English and Spanish, and dabbles in French. Born in Peru, she moved to the U.S. at age 13 and grew up in Miami, Florida. Much of her interest in stories that center the margins comes from her early-career experiences interviewing people in communities all over the country for an oral history project, and her own immigration experience. She earned a B.A. in History and French, as well as a certificate in Latin American & Latino studies from Amherst College, and trained in narrative audio at the Transom Story Workshop. @VirginiaLoraC The expansion at First Quality's facility in Macon, Georgia, will create 600 new jobs and increase capacity for baby diapers and training pants by 50%. The expansion at First Quality's facility in Macon, Georgia, will create 600 new jobs and increase capacity for baby diapers and training pants by 50%. First Quality Announces $418 Million Expansion at Macon for Production of Baby Diapers and Training Pants May 29, 2024 - First Quality has announced a $418 million expansion will take place at its manufacturing facility in Macon, Georgia, for the production of baby diapers and training pants. The expansion will create 600 new jobs and increase capacity for diapers and training pants by 50%. "In March, First Quality announced that we will be increasing our baby diaper and training pant manufacturing capacity by 50 percent, and we are excited to announce our expansion will take place in Macon," said Allen Bodford, President of First Quality's Absorbent Hygiene division. "This expansion is a testament to First Quality's innovative products and continuing commitment to the baby diaper market. "We thank Governor Kemp, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority for their continued support. We also express our deep appreciation to our dedicated team in Macon for their commitment to making top-quality, essential products that are used by families across the United States," Bodford said. First Quality has been part of the Macon community since 2008. The Macon facility manufactures diapers, youth and training pants for retail and healthcare channels. Governor Kemp commented, "We're always thankful when job creators like First Quality choose to expand in Georgia, and we'll keep working to strengthen these long-term partnerships that enrich communities in every corner of the state. More than 70 percent of last year's economic development projects were expansions of businesses already operating here in our state, and thanks to companies like First Quality, that positive trend will continue." The expanded facilities will be located at 2108 Avondale Mill Road, adjacent to First Quality's current location in Macon. The company will be hiring for executive, administrative, supervisory, and production positions. Job opportunities will be posted to the First Quality careers site as they are available. Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller, stated, "First Quality has been a strong member of Team Macon-Bibb for many years. We are proud to stand with them as they invest millions in new infrastructure in our community, meaning hundreds of jobs will be retained and hundreds more created." The First Quality Group of companies is a closely held, diversified group of companies manufacturing, selling and distributing branded and private label absorbent hygiene, paper and packaging products into the healthcare, retail, and commercial channels. SOURCE: First Quality During the Memorial Day weekend, a 19-year-old teen had a close encounter with death after falling in the High Steel Bridge accident in a Washington Canyon fall. Despite the significant fall, it was confirmed by the Mason County Sheriff's Office that the teen boy survived without battling life-threatening injuries and only walked away with minor injuries. The incident happened on a Saturday when the teen was trying to navigate the trail under the High Steel Bridge. The authorities claim that the High Steel Bridge is one of the tallest railroad bridges in the country and is a notorious spot for multiple fatalities due to its steep and slippery terrain. Teen Survives 400-Foot Fall in Washington's High Steel Bridge Tim Ripp, a Mason County sheriff's patrol corporal involved in the rescue, emphasized the danger of these trails. Ripp stated that they have told people to stay away from these trails because they are dangerous, but people either have not seen the warning signs or are disregarding them. The area around the bridge is marked with several warning signs detailing the risks, yet accidents continue to happen. The teenager, whose identity has not been released, suffered only scrapes on his arms and was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Despite the minor injuries, officials highlighted that the outcome could have been much worse, given the history of fatalities in the area. Every year, five to seven individuals fall from the bridge, most resulting in death. The steep and unstable nature of the terrain makes it exceptionally hazardous, as explained by Ripp. Challenging Rescue of 19-Year-Old from 400-Foot Canyon The rescue mission, which lasted about two hours, involved deputies and firefighters using ropes and harnesses to reach and retrieve the teenager from the canyon. West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander described the intricate operation, saying they hooked the 19-year-old teen into a harness and brought him all the way back up. Welander said he was walking down a washout that a lot of people use, and it has kind of become a trail. Welander noted that the teenager ended up at the river, illustrating the perilous descent. He also stressed the importance of respecting nature and paying attention to warning signs to prevent such accidents. "He was incredibly lucky," Welander remarked. The area has a notorious reputation for its deceptive appearance, leading many to underestimate the dangers. Despite the presence of warning signs stating, "Warning: The areas around the high steel bridge are slippery, steep, and unsafe for exploring," people continue to venture into the hazardous zones. Welander attributed these incidents to a lack of respect for the natural environment and a tendency to ignore safety precautions. Read Also: Woman Sues Disney After Brain Injury on Typhoon Lagoon Waterslide Washington High Steel Bridge Accident Welander revealed the harsh reality of rescues at High Steel Bridge. He added that they got a lot of practice hauling dead bodies out of the notorious accident spot, saying that for every person rescued alive, approximately twenty fatalities occur. Rescue teams are deployed three to five times a year, depending on the circumstances. Aside from accidental falls, the area also witnesses suicides, further complicating rescue efforts. The rescues are not only resource-intensive but also pose significant risks to the rescuers themselves. Welander recounted past incidents where rescuers were injured during operations, highlighting the inherent dangers of these missions. One notable incident involved Deputy Tim Ripp, who sustained severe injuries while recovering bodies in August 2020. Ripp shared that a boulder came down and struck another deputy in the face. He went off the cliffside, and Ripp caught him and ended up getting injured in the process. However, the deputy's injuries required an 18-month recovery period, during which he lost feeling in both arms. Ripp now warns others about the dangers of venturing off the designated trails. "Don't go off trail, it-I can speak from experience, your loved ones are going to appreciate that you don't go off the trail," he advised. A Michigan mother heroically saves her 2-year-old toddler from being struck by a ravaging jeep that went out of control in a drag race. Police authorities have confirmed the incident, stating that a mother pushed her toddler out of the way of an incoming vehicle in a park where a drag racing event took place at Silver Lake State Park Sand Dunes. The Oceana County Sheriff's Office said that the mother, Kadie Price, 33, was with her family on Sunday, May 26, to watch the drag race at the state park. Heroic Mother Saves Toddler From Jeep Accident Kadie Price, 33, met a tragic end at Silver Lake State Park Sand Dunes in Michigan. She had been attending a drag racing event with her family when a Jeep CJ lost control on the northbound drag strip. The Jeep veered off course towards the area where the Price family was situated, striking their vehicle and ultimately hitting Kadie Price herself. In a split-second decision, Price managed to push her 2-year-old daughter out of harm's way, likely sparing her from serious harm. Despite immediate efforts by emergency responders and bystanders, Price could not be saved and succumbed to her injuries at the scene. The driver of the Jeep, identified as a 64-year-old man, is currently under investigation in connection with the incident. The tragic accident has left the community shaken, prompting authorities to emphasize safety measures in recreational areas like Silver Lake State Park. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Kadie Price's untimely death are ongoing. Read Also: North Carolina Mom Goes TikTok Viral for Unique Baby Name Search in Cemetery Jeep Accident During a Drag Race Despite the immediate assistance from Silver Lake State Park rangers and others, they were unable to save Kadie Price, who was pronounced dead shortly after the incident. Her quick-thinking actions, pushing her daughter out of harm's way, likely spared the child from serious harm or worse. Authorities have confirmed that Price's heroic act shielded her daughter from severe injury, highlighting her selflessness in the face of danger. The ongoing investigation by the Oceana County Sheriff's Office aims to uncover further details about the tragic event. In a heartfelt plea, the Sheriff's Office requested support for the Price family during this difficult time. Oceana County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, "Please keep the Price family in your prayers." They refrained from disclosing the identity of the 64-year-old Michigan resident driving the Jeep, respecting the ongoing investigation process. Eyewitnesses, including off-roaders who participated in the race, expressed shock and sorrow over the accident. Bryce Straubel, reflecting on the incident, described it as one of the most distressing he had witnessed in his time at the park. The tragedy has cast a somber light on Silver Lake State Park, known for its expansive sand dunes and recreational activities along Lake Michigan's shoreline. The tragic incident at Silver Lake State Park Sand Dunes serves as a stark reminder of the unforeseen dangers that can unfold in recreational settings. Kadie Price's courageous act to protect her child, while ultimately leading to her untimely passing, exemplifies the profound sacrifices made by parents in moments of crisis. As authorities continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding this heartbreaking event, the community mourns the loss of a beloved mother and emphasizes the importance of vigilance and safety measures in public spaces. Please Hit Subscribe! If you have received benefit from this or any of my other 4,600+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (with your email address) on the sidebar to the right (you may have to scroll down a bit), above where there is an icon bar, Sign Me Up!: to receive notice when I post a new blog article. This is the equivalent of subscribing to a YouTube channel. Please also consider following me on Twitter / X and purchasing one or more of my 55 books. All of this helps me get more exposure, and (however little!) more income for my full-time apologetics work. Thanks so much and happy reading! *** Anti-Catholic Protestant apologist Jason Engwer of Tribalblog fame really outdid himself this time. He has come up with some real whoppers in his long writing career but this one (The Day Of Salvation Is Several Months From Now: 5-26-24) may take the cake. His words will be in blue. baptismal regeneration interferes with the Biblical theme of the nearness of redemption. Really? Funny, I never noticed that. I fail to see how something that the Bible repeatedly and undeniably connects to redemption and salvation can somehow interfere with redemption. The title of this post is meant to draw attention to the contrast between the Biblical theme of the nearness of redemption, such as the reference to how now is the day of salvation' in 2 Corinthians 6:2, and the absurd putting of off redemption under baptismal regeneration. Some in the early Church did indeed postpone baptism (sometimes till near death), but that is long gone. The Church from early times started routinely baptizing infants, and putting off baptism is not a biblical theme, either. It was merely an unfortunate tradition of men. Jason points out a supposed inconsistency between baptismal regeneration and how Jesus redeemed people independent of baptism in the gospels. Again, hes out to sea. This is what we know about Jesus and baptism: Matthew 28:19 (RSV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Mark 16:15-16 And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. [16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. John 3:26 And they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him. John 4:1-3 Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John [2] (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), [3] he left Judea and departed again to Galilee. Far from attempting to separate baptism from salvation or redemption, Jesus immediately mentioned baptism after referring to the making of new disciples, and connected baptism with believing, for salvation. He noted that baptism was required in order to enter the kingdom of God. He baptizes via His disciples, who represent him (Mk 16:17; Lk 10:16).The Bible refers to Jesus (i.e., His entourage) baptizing in this manner three times (Jn 3:22, 26; 4:1-2), and even baptizing more disciples than John (the Baptist). Thus, He was baptizing more than even the person (John the Baptist) whose main characteristic and function was to baptize! So how is it that Jason can remarkably and dumbfoundedly claim that Jesus redeemed people independent of baptism in the gospels? Sometimes I wonder if these anti-Catholic zealots even read the same Bible. The first thing the new disciple was to do was to be baptized. Its what St. Paul did, washing away his sins (Acts 9:17-18; 22:16); its what Cornelius and other Gentiles did, after the former was told by an angel to go see Peter, to hear what he had to say (Acts 10:22). The first thing Peter did after meeting them and seeing the Holy Spirit come down on them (10:44-46) was to encourage them to be baptized: Acts 10:47-48 Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. . . . Its exactly how St. Peter, the leader of the Church, acted on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came down (Acts 2:1-4), he preached the first sermon of the Christian age (Acts 2:14-36), and heres what happened next: Acts 2:37-41 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? [38] And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him. [40] And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. [41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Baptism was again the first thing that brand-new believers did. Note that Peter associated it with forgiveness of sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. And he says that in being baptized, the new believers would save themselves (cf. 1 Pet 3:21). Moreover, Luke the narrator casually assumes that it is baptism that adds souls to the kingdom of God. What more does one need, pray tell? Again, in the scene with the Ethiopian eunuch, right after Philip told him the good news of Jesus (Acts 8:35), he baptized him (8:38). Simon the magician believed after hearing Philp preach and was baptized (Acts 8:12-13), and many others after they believed as a result of Philips proclamation of the gospel, were baptized (Acts 8:12). It was the same again with Lydia. Immediately after The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul (Acts 16:14), she was baptized with her household (16:15). The Philippian jailer was told by Paul and Silas, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31), and it was just a mere coincidence the next thing that the text informs us of is, he was baptized at once, with all his family (16:33). Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized (18:8). Paul found some disciples who had been baptized by John the Baptist. Sure enough, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5). St. Paul directly connects baptism with justification and salvation, too: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4); For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13); For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal 3:27); and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God . . . (Col 2:12). The biblical data is overwhelming and completely consistent, and as far away from Jasons description as can be imagined. Its very difficult indeed to resist and oppose all this. Paul, like Jesus and others, thought of Abraham as the Christians spiritual father, citing Genesis 15:6 as the paradigm example of how were justified. No baptism was involved, Circumcision was not yet the sign of the covenant between God and His people. That was first mentioned in Genesis 17:10. As soon as Abraham became aware of that through Gods revelation, he was himself circumcised, at the age of 99 (Gen 17:26). This was the sign of the old covenant, and the parallel to the future baptism: the sign of the new and the entrance rite. Paul draws a comparison between circumcision and baptism: Colossians 2:11-13 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; [12] and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, there are many problems with baptismal regeneration. Its inconsistency with the Biblical theme of the nearness of redemption is one that gets discussed far less than it should. I guess it would and should be discussed rarely, since it is such a lousy and unbiblical and illogical argument, as we see above, over and over. The response to somebody like [former abortionist] Bernard Nathanson isnt to tell him to wait several months for baptism or whatever other initiatory rite or group of rites. You tell him, Your faith has saved you; go in peace. (Luke 7:50) If faith is all that is entailed, why, then, did Jesus, through His delegated disciples, baptize folks even more than John the Baptist (Jn 4:1-2)? And why does Peter, right on the Day of Pentecost, in the first Christian sermon at the beginning of the Church age and the new covenant, say that baptism saves, provides forgiveness of sins, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 40)? Lots of questions! Jason almost certainly wont interact with them, though, because he has ignored my counter-replies for 14 years now (after vigorously replying in the previous eight years). * Microsoft Word is one of the most widely used programs in the world, yet its also one that many complain about. The most common criticism? That its heavy, slow, and a typical example of feature bloat. Which is true. Word is packed with tons of features. And while some critics think that most people only use it because everyone else is using it, Word is actually quite powerful and capable. Get Word with Office 365 Microsoft Office 365 Home Read our review Its just a matter of getting to know it, and not beating it to death, so to speak. Word has some quirks that can drive a user crazy, but in most cases its a setting that can be changed or a behavior that can be circumvented with another feature or the right handling. In this guide I go through a number of more advanced or unfamiliar parts of Word, in the hope that you, the reader, will find at least a few goodies you can use. You might even start to like the program. Stop Words automatic formatting Of all the things users have found most annoying about Word, automatic formatting is probably the most common. Word tends to think it knows best, and doesnt wait for you, the user, to choose to create a real list, for example. Now it is finally possible to change how Word pastes formatted text. Now it is finally possible to change how Word pastes formatted text. Foundry Now it is finally possible to change how Word pastes formatted text. Foundry Foundry Word has always insisted on pasting text while maintaining formatting, but this spring an update has added settings to choose how you want to do it by default. This means that you can change it so that Ctrl+V pastes text only, with the same formatting as the surrounding text. There is also a new option called Merge formatting, which keeps the bold/italic/underline/overline and list formats but matches the target font, color, and size. This makes it possible to copy, for example, a formatted list from a document in Helvetica to one in Words standard font Aptos. Foundry Foundry Foundry The program also likes to automatically change, for example, a paragraph starting with a number to a numbered list as soon as you press return to create a new paragraph. You can easily change this behavior in the settings. Go to File > Options > Proofing. Click on the Autocorrect options and select the tab Auto format. Here youll find lots of tick boxes for things you might not want, like automatic bullet points. Another annoyance for many is that Word insists on highlighting whole words. For example, if you want to delete a sentence from the first letter to halfway into the fourth word, it can seem impossible to get the highlighting right so that pressing the backspace key once will delete just that bit, because as soon as you pass a space, Word starts highlighting one word at a time and not one character. Foundry Foundry Foundry This can also be easily fixed by opening File > Options > Advanced and ticking off When selecting, automatic select entire word. Just like that, Word will highlight exactly as you want. You can uncheck the Customize paragraph markup option if you dont want Word to automatically add a new paragraph mark when you select a whole paragraph, so that you can paste the paragraph into another paragraph. Change the default stylesheets Have you ever wondered why on earth Word has multiple stylesheets with blue text? Or how you can change the default fonts in new documents? These days its surprisingly easy. Right-click on a style, for example Heading 1, and select Modify. Make any changes you want, such as switching to black text or changing the font. When youre happy, click New documents based on this template, then OK to save the changes to the default template. If you make changes to the style sheet Normal it will also affect several other templates based on it: No spacing, Subheading, Quote, Strong quote, and List piece for example, have the same font as Normal. Foundry Foundry Foundry Mastering the search function As you probably know, Word has a search function. Youre probably also familiar with the slightly more advanced Find and Replace function. But Words search function is actually much more powerful than that, and you can search for things you might not have thought of. Click on Find to the right of the fonts in the Home ribbon, and then click Advanced find. The dialog box that opens has three tabs, where Replace is the usual search and replace function, and Go to is a way to quickly get to a page number or bookmark, for example. But in the Find tab, youll find the More button, which shows a bunch of settings for searches (for example, to search only for whole words, or to ignore punctuation). There are also two drop-down menus with additional search functions. The Format menu allows you to search for parts of text that, for example, use a particular font or are italicized. The Special menu is used to find, for example, special characters such as line breaks and hard spaces. Foundry Foundry Foundry Transcribing recorded calls Do you have an audio recording you dont want on paper? Word now has a built-in AI-based transcription feature that makes it easy. Just click on Dictate on the right side of the Start tab in the ribbon and select Transcribe and the feature will open in the right column. Select English if it is not already preset, and click on Upload audio to send a recording you have on file to the Microsoft server. The transcription may take a while and Word will tell you when it is ready. When it is, click on Add to document where you have four options for how the text should be formatted (with or without speakers and timestamps). The results when Ive tested it have been full of errors, so it cant be used directly in any texts. But it works well enough to understand from the context what the speakers have said and can be written cleanly if needed. The desktop version of Word now also offers transcription of audio recordings. This function is currently still completely free. The desktop version of Word now also offers transcription of audio recordings. This function is currently still completely free. Foundry The desktop version of Word now also offers transcription of audio recordings. This function is currently still completely free. Foundry Foundry Share documents with others and co-edit When Google started to take market share from Office, one of the reasons was how easy it is for multiple collaborators to co-edit a document or spreadsheet. Microsoft realized the importance of this co-editing and introduced similar features in 2013. Foundry Foundry Foundry Today, its easy to invite others to edit documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and they can edit either in the desktop applications or the web apps. To get started, make sure the document is saved on OneDrive. Then click on the Share button at the top right. There are two options here: Invite and share with selected people or create a link that anyone can use. The former is obviously a bit safer, but if you dont know what email address the person youre inviting uses for their Microsoft account, a link is easier. If more than one user has a document open for editing, everyone can see where in the document the others are working, which reduces the risk of editing conflicts that can arise if two people make changes in the same place at the same time. Should a conflict still arise, Word helps to resolve it. Read and restore older versions of documents Saving your documents on OneDrive gives you several advantages over storing them locally. Firstly, autosave is activated so that you do not have to sit and press Ctrl+S all at once. Sure, Word has a recovery function in case the program crashes, but many users can tell horror stories about large documents that they forgot to save and which disappeared without a trace and could never be recovered. Another advantage is that OneDrive saves version history so you can revert to previous versions of the document without having to save a bunch of different versions. Report_last_draft_final_final_final.docx becomes a thing of the past. Heres how to find older versions: 1. Open the document from OneDrive. 2. Click on the file name above in the Word window. 3. Select the Version history and the current version will be displayed, with a list of previously saved versions on the right. 4. Click on a previous version to view it. 5. You can restore the old version by clicking on the button Restore button in the yellow strip that appears below the toolbar, or select and copy text that you can then paste into a new document or into the last saved version to restore just that bit. Draw Word has long had features for placing images and shapes in documents, but did you know it now also has drawing tools? Microsoft added it to make Word more usable on computers and tablets with a touchscreen and/or pen, but it can also be used with a mouse or trackpad. Click on the Draw menu tab to see the different options. On the left are different pens, erasers, and two types of markers. The next button is Ruler, which places a virtual ruler over the document you can use to draw straight lines. To change the angle of the ruler, simply hold the pointer over the ruler and scroll the scroll wheel on the mouse (or drag with two fingers on the trackpad). To move it, click and drag. Other functions are not that interesting, except possibly Ink to math, which makes it easy to print formulas and equations with correct formatting. Foundry Foundry Foundry AI writing assistance with Microsoft Editor Foundry Foundry Foundry Microsoft Editor is a modern, AI-based upgrade to the classic spell and grammar checker that has been in Word for many years. Its built into Word and Outlook on Windows and Mac, but also available as an extension for Chromium-based browsers like Edge and Chrome. In Word, you can find the Editor under the Editor button on the right of the Start tab in the Ribbon, and it opens in a column on the right of the window. At the top of the Editor, a judgement of the document is displayed in the form of a percentage. As you fix the various flaws the feature has found, the percentage increases. Below the judgement you will find four sections: Corrections, which shows spelling and grammar errors; Refinements, where the program suggests changes to make the language more formal and clear; Similarity to test how similar your text is to online sources; and Insights, which is a shortcut to the old Readability Statistics feature with figures such as number of sentences per paragraph and number of words per sentence. Click on each subcategory to go through the Editors suggestions. As with the old spelling feature, you can change, ignore, or add words to the glossary, and follow or ignore other suggested changes. Best alternatives to Word There are plenty of programs for writing and processing text in different ways, to say the least. If you dont like the subscription model, or just find Word unwieldy, you have other options. Because Word can be used for so many different things, Ive categorized my recommendations by need: Simple needs? Word Online or Google Docs If you dont necessarily need a full-blown Windows program, you can get by with Word Online included in free accounts or Google Docs. Both have all the usual features you might need for word processing, and on top of that you get the ability to co-edit with others you invite. Packed with functionality? Libreoffice Writer The closest thing to a full Word clone you can get today is Libreoffice Writer. Like Word, its packed with features for all kinds of word processing, but its open source and free. Do you really want to layout? Scribus or Affinity Publisher Scribus is a powerful open source program. If you are willing to pay a bit more, Affinity Publisher is more polished and similar to Adobe Indesign, with very powerful features while being fairly easy to get started with. Are you writing a book or thesis? Scrivener The Scrivener payment program is very popular among writers, translators, journalists, lawyers, and academics, and for good reason. The program simply makes it easier to work with long texts. Arm has confirmed that it will be offering its next-gen Arm compute platform, called Arm CSS for Client, at Android smartphones. Executives also mentioned that they could be used for PCs as well. The announcement follows an earlier report that indicated that Arm might expand its traditional business model. Arm has traditionally sold CPU designs, not silicon, to partners like Qualcomm. Those companies have the freedom to adjust Arms designs depending upon their license agreement and then ask foundries like TSMC to actually manufacture the chip. Arm representatives said that Arm will offer validated and production-ready implementations of the new Arm CPUs and GPUs, basically maintaining its existing model. (An earlier version of this story said Arm would be selling its own Arm processors fabricated at foundry customers, which is not the case.) Whats new here is twofold: First, Arm is extending its services to include working with foundrieson 3nm chip designs first focused on smartphones and AI. Second, Arm is launching its next client platform, CSS for Client, led by the Cortex X925 extreme core, the Cortex A725 performance core, the Cortex A520 efficiency core, and the Immortalis G925 graphics engine with ray tracing. Arm is claiming that the new cores will offer the most performance yet, with a 36 percent boost in the Geekbench SC benchmark, running on Android. Were making it easier to build and deploy Arm-based solution and leaving nothing to chance, enabling new performance points, compute capabilities, and helping speed time to market, said Chris Bergey, senior vice president and general manager of the client line of business at Arm. Theres a twist, though. Arm is not announcing an AI core, like Qualcomms Hexagon. Instead, its providing software libraries, called KleidiAI, to target the CPU for AI workloads. Normally, the NPU is seen as the most efficient way of performing AI. According to James McNiven, Arms vice president of product management for client, the software will be enhanced for new features that well be building into the CPUs going forward. Phones first, PCs second Arm is targeting Android phones first, but executives implied that PCs are next up. The CPU is a natural first target for AI on Android devices, Bergey said. Its performance and pervasive, and for 70 percent of third-party Android ML [machine-learning] workloads, thats where they stay. Arm, of course, has been welcomed back into the limelight with the new Copilot+ PCs Microsoft just launched with its partner Qualcomm, whose Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips power them. Nvidia and Arm have also been said to be working together, with reports surfacing last week that the two may be targeting 2025 for a launch. Arm CEO Rene Haas is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the Computex show in Taiwan next week, where he may offer more details. What is Arms new CSS for Client? Not surprisingly, Arm says that the new CSS for Client is designed with AI, specifically generative AI, in mind. Its an Arm V9 architecture, which was launched in 2021 with AI-specific instructions. Arm isnt telling us how fast its new CSS platform is, which means that most of the questions an enthusiast would have cant be answered yet. When I asked about how many TOPS of AI power the CPU and its AI libraries would produce, company representatives demurred. (Arm CSS stands for Arm Neoverse Compute Subsystems, and Arm debuted the first chips for the platform for the data center late last summer.) TOPS is a high-level metric that is dependent on frequency, IP choices, and configuration, the company followed up in an emailed statement. We are confident that the capabilities offered by our CPUs and GPUs, when complemented with an appropriate frequency and configuration (e.g CSS for Client), can easily achieve the needs of AI PCs and next-gen AI smartphones. James McNiven, Arms vice president of product management for client, said that the X925 name was changed to show how different that the X925 was from its predecessors. (The 36 percent improvement in Geekbench is a combination of the instructions-per-clock (IPC) improvement and a faster, undisclosed frequency, McNiven said.) It has a wider design, with larger (3MB) private level-2 caches to increase the TOPS count by 50 percent over its predecessor. The time to generate a response in the tiny-Llama AI metric has become faster, with a 41 percent improvement. The platforms Immortalis G925 graphics engine delivers 37 percent more performance on a wide range of graphics applications, McNiven said. All told, Arm is promising that the platform will perform web browsing 23 percent faster on Android (via Speedometer 2.1), process YouTube 40 percent more efficiently through software-optimized AV1 video decode, and consume 25 percent less power while gaming. Ray-tracing performance should increase by 52 percent. The Cortex A725 will be 35 percent more efficient than the A720, McNiven said, and the Cortex A520 efficiency processor will consume 30 percent less power while gaming. So will these new CSS for Client cores be used in laptops? We cannot comment on specific customer engagements, and the mobile cadence is pretty well known, Arms Bergey said. Things like laptops will potentially be a different cadences. But I think theres considerable amount of interest around Windows on Arm and we think that this is a great solution that can be applied to that market. So stay tuned. Correction: Arm is not physically building and selling chips, as an earlier version of this story stated. It will continue to work with partners like MediaTek and Samsung. Kwabena Boamah, Managing Director of Stanbic Investment Management Services, has emphasized the importance of pensions scheme towards developing the Ghanaian economy. He shared this sentiment at the 3rd Ghana Impact Summit organised by Impact Investing Ghana at the Marriot Hotel. Speaking on a panel discussion on the topic Understanding Investor Perspectives: Key Criteria Limited Partners (LPs) Seek in Fund Managers, Mr Boamah highlighted the key role pension schemes play in the development of the Ghanaian economy. If you look at the investment guidelines for pension schemes, there's a fourth objective that requires pensions to support the development of the Ghanaian economy. We believe that there is no better way to impact the Ghanaian economy than having direct investments in the real sector. "After funding government for more than 10 years through pension schemes, there are no pension schemes clearly marked on any government project as being a key sponsor of those projects. But if you have pension schemes, investing in private equity firms, we get the opportunity to physically see where the resources are being channeled to get the impact that pension schemes are making as far as the development of the Ghanaian economy is concerned. When the management of pension funds started in 2012, significant allocations were made into government treasury bills. And as the yield curve corrected, we saw a switch into government of Ghana bonds. In 2016, we felt that there was a need to diversify the pension portfolios further and that was when the conversation around moving into alternatives started. That initiated the first investment on behalf of our pension clients in private equity investments., he added Mr. Boamah further spoke on behalf of his outfit the basic principles they look at before investing in private equity firms. He said, The basic principles we look at when investing in a private equity firm includes the following: the people, the process, performance and the pipelines. The people factor is crucial because you are putting money into a fund or an investment that will last you 10 to 12 years. "Do they have the entrepreneurial spirit that will be able to add value to the investee companies that the Fund will be investing in? We look at the track record, which we call the performance of the fund manager and how long they have been investing, what have been their success stories and what have been their failures. We also look at the processes. We believe that to be successful is important, but to be able to repeat your successes is more important. Therefore, we take a careful look at how they arrived at their former success and if they are capable of replicating it over the years. Impact Investing Ghana hosts the Ghana Impact Summit in partnership with the UN In Ghana, Global Steering Group for Impact Investing, and other partners. The summit provides a platform for the Ghanaian ecosystem (suppliers of capital, policy makers, enterprise support organizations, market builders) to make significant progress on local ecosystem-building initiatives that can increase the supply of funds for impact and drive the attainment of the SDGs. 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 Stanbic Bank Ghana has reiterated its commitment to supporting local SMEs in Ghana at the third edition of the Made-In-Ghana Bazaar in Accra - a flagship program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration held at the Accra International Conference Center. Joining a panel to discuss the topic, Equipping SMEs to take advantage of AFCFTA Lorraine Nyampong, Senior Manager, of Enterprise Banking, at Stanbic Bank, highlighted some initiatives the bank has been executing to support SMEs nationwide. She said, At Stanbic Bank, we believe that SMEs are the primary drivers of innovation and economic development in Ghana. That is why we have curated tailor-made initiatives to help our SMEs overcome certain challenges that hinder their growth. One of these is the Stanbic Incubator. This has been set up to provide SMEs with the advisory assistance they need from the start-up level through the life cycle of the business. We support local SMEs in building capacity to ensure that they have all the knowledge and skills to position their businesses to grow. And also provide training on basic marketing tools and bookkeeping, help them acquire the right certification for their business, among other things. She added that the bank through technological advancements, has made great strides in solving the SME challenge of access to funding across Ghana using behavioral data in the credit scoring process. In addition to supporting SMEs with their banking and funding needs, Stanbic Bank believes in going beyond banking to provide support that enables the growth of these businesses through innovative offerings such as The Trade Club that help entrepreneurs to access new markets digitally and internationally. Lorraine Nyampong also reemphasized the bank's support for The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to create a single continental market for Africa's 54 states and eight regional economic associations. According to her, Africa having its own seamless payment platform without relying on foreign parties is a step in the right direction, reiterating all that Stanbic Bank has been doing to equip local SMEs to benefit from the numerous opportunities it provides. The 3rd Made-In-Ghana Bazaar sought to promote Ghanaian products internationally, using the network of Ghanas diplomatic missions. The three-day event was on the theme: "Promoting Made-In-Ghana Goods and Services for Economic Prosperity," organized by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. It was in collaboration with institutions like the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the Investment Promotion Centre, the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Gas Company and the Association of Ghana Industries. 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 When women rise, we all rise! Malou Caluzas story is incredible and highly inspiring: from joining QNET company as a Junior Customer Service Officer, facing an initial discrimination that could have truncated her professional path, innovating within a challenging industry and bracing the odds to establishing processes, systems and standard operating procedure that would guide the companys global expansion and operation, beating breast cancer with faith, family and resilience and rising to lead 26-year-old QNET, one of the global leaders in the direct sellingindustry. Her story to glory strikingly qualifies to be an inspirational global corporate leadership story of a kind. In her ever-humble, but professionally tenacious disposition, she was quick to admit: None of these would not have been possible, but for God, my family and the guidance, mentorship and benevolence of our founders Dato Sri Vijay Eswaran and Joseph Bismark, who provided the enabling environment. They established and supported corporate policies that ensure diversity, gender equality and women empowerment at QNET. Malou Caluza: Her Profile and Career at QNET Malou Caluza is the Deputy Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer at QNET, a prominent lifestyle and wellness company that uses a direct selling business model to offer a wide selection of exclusive products that enable individuals to embrace a healthier, more balanced life. The award-winning global corporate executive Malou Caluza, has been honoured with many notable awards including: 2021 Female CEO of the Year in the Consumer Products Category in the 9th annual edition of the CEO World Awards, 2022 Woman CEO in Direct Selling by Social Selling News Bronze Award by Stevie Awards for Women in Business, Gold Award by The Globee Awards, among others. She was also featured in Asias 15 Over 50 publication that celebrates Asias most successful women. Malou is an impact-driven professional and catalyst for positive transformation with an unwavering passion for people, diversity, equity, inclusion,social justice and environment. Malou started her career with QNET in 1999 when she was employed as a Junior Customer Service Officer. Her initial boss, who was the Office Manager discriminated against her nationality and gender, but the ever-supporting hands of both Dato Sri Viyay Eswaran and Joseph Bismark saw her through a time of corporate harshness and discrimination. She has held many portfolios and positions within the company, rising each time to the challenges of the job and delivering in style. She worked as the chief marketing officer, chief of network success, head of operations and business development, network support head, among others. Surviving Breast Cancer Malou was diagnosed with stage-two breast cancer in 2016. Initially, she was shocked and overwhelmed by the news. Her surgery was scheduled a mere seven days after her diagnosis and she barely had time to process what was happening as the doctors put her through numerous tests before the surgery. It was scary and nerve-wracking, she recalled. After the lumpectomy surgery, doctors discovered that her lymph node also had cancer cells and they needed to be removed as well. After the surgeries, the real battle began when her treatment plan started. This included multiple cycles of chemotherapy, target therapy, and radiation therapy. Malou is extremely thankful to God, her support system, including her husband, three sons, family members, friends, bosses, co-workers and even customers of QNET who cheered her on. Now that she has recovered, she looks back with gratitude and determination to do more. QNET: Championing Gender Equality and Empowerment QNET is not just known for its exceptional products and services but also for its strong commitment to gender equality and empowerment. At the core of QNET's corporate philosophy is the belief that every individual, regardless of gender, should have equal opportunities to succeed and thrive in the workplace. QNETs management is made up of 44% females and for its general workforce, there are 47% females from over 50 countries in the world. QNET actively promotes and supports the advancement of women in leadership positions, recognizing the invaluable contributions they make to the company's success. By fostering a culture of respect and equality, QNET has created an environment where both men and women can excel and reach their full potential. Malous Blueprint for Implementing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Asked about how to build a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI, in organisations, she proffers a panacea: Companies must realise that it is essential to understand the core principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and embrace best practices in order to create inclusive workplaces and combat inequality. However, implementing DEI can be challenging and requires a strategic approach. She continued: Practice acts of inclusion by promoting everyday behaviors and gestures that invite people and their perspectives into your environment. Identify and acknowledge the DEI influencers in your company by recognize the team members who take initiative to organize events such Womens Day celebrations. Hold all leaders accountable for DEI by making it a business objective and set concrete targets for all managers. Get strategic support by engagingprofessionals within the organisation or a consultant to guide you through the process of fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace through genuine and cohesive actions and messaging.Always review and recalibrate your hiring process by diversifying your talent pools and focusing on the qualities truly needed for success, rather than a straight-jacketed list of traits and experiences. Malou: an inspiration to women around the world Malou Caluza is a true inspiration in the world of business and women empowerment. From her humble beginnings as a customer service officer, she soared to great heights in her career, breaking barriers and redefining success. Malou's journey is a testament to hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Her drive for excellence and her passion for empowering others set her apart from the rest. Malou's story is a shining example of what can be achieved through determination, hard work, and a relentless pursuit of one's goals. She is not just a CEO; she is a beacon of hope and inspiration for women everywhere, showing them that they can break through barriers and achieve their dreams. Malou holds regular empowerment sessions to train, motivate and mentor female corporate executives at QNET. QNET: Next 25 years and beyond QNET marked its 25th anniversary last year and Malou re-affirmed: At QNET, our ultimate aim is to use a customer-centric approach to empower and make a positive impact on the lives of people through our exclusive and innovative products, encouraging diversity, equity and inclusion, contributing meaningfully to communities around the world especially in Africa, and safeguarding the planet and its resources for the next generation. In the next 25 years of our existence as a company, we commit to these and more. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has launched the Long-term National Development Perspective Framework (LTNDPF) otherwise, referred to as Vision 2057, which outlines a comprehensive vision for Ghanas development at a time where Ghana would be celebrating her Centenary Anniversary of Independence. The Development Framework prescribes to every government the development over the period the document spans. In other words, the LTNDPF is a vision document that reflects the development aspirations of every Ghanaian from which current and future medium development plans will be derived. The much anticipated launch of the framework saw the light of day on May 28, 2024 at the Cedi Conference Centre within the heart of the University of Ghana, Legon. In attendance for the launch were key stakeholders, ranging from members of the judicial service, educationists, members from the business community, politicians and representatives from the private sector and the head of the civil services of Ghana, amongst others. Addressing the audience at the launch, Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, PhD, beckoned on all stakeholders and cooperate Ghana, especially the youth to embrace the initiative from the NDPC in order to move Ghana to Secondary economic state. Indeed this picks up the major headlines and also incorporated certain ideas at the Ghana at 100 and therefore there was a need to look at all this. It became even more pertinent when the Covid issue came up, the conflicts, the issue of responding to disasters and the others. We thought of looking at it in quite a comprehensive manner in coming out with goals, objectives and some proposed strategies but more importantly the results because that was what we saw from the Ghana at 100 that was very merry-much appreciated by citizen, the results that are expected so that they can hold government accountable at any given time, he said. The Director-General of the GNPDC stated that in the new document, there are key areas of emphasis which are made of goals, representing the vision of the country, adding that, there have been extensive engagements with all agencies at all levels. Dr. Mensah-Abrampa said, The good thing about this initiative is that, after every quarter, we receive report from every district, ministry, department and agency in this country and the report embraces not only the public sector but also include the functioning of the private sector, the business communities and others. So we have goals and these represent what we want to attain in 2057. The Vision of the Framework is to see Ghana as a prosperous, self-reliant, resilient nation with a strong emphasis on economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability. The Vision 2057 emphasises inclusivity, sustainability, and good governance which are necessary tools to propel the transformation that the vision seeks to have when Ghana is 100. Successfully attaining the vision and goals, according to the Director-General of NDPC, requires that key factors be prevalent to propel significant and fundamentals changes within Ghana, as captured by the Vision 2025 booklet. 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 Flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has challenged his main contender in this years elections, ex-President John Dramani Mahama, to a debate on the economy. Dr. Bawumia said that the current government has undertaken tangible and verifiable developmental projects, as opposed to those of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government led by Mr. Mahama. The Vice President, who argued with the NDC flagbearer at the 8th Ghana CEO Summit in Accra, stated that the NPP governments initiatives are not guinea fowl projects under Mr. Mahamas tenure. This came after Mr. Mahama blasted the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, claiming that Ghana had become a bankrupt, collapsed country as a result of poor leadership in the past eight years. We are all aware of our countrys current challenges and difficulties. Today, we stand at a critical and troubling crossroads, as our beloved Ghana has become a bankrupt, collapsed economy due to poor leadership over the past eight years, pushing some 8,000 of our citizens into the poverty line, the NDC leader fired. Vice President Bawumia, who addressed the CEO Summit via Zoom from Canada, quickly returned fire, challenging ex-President Mahama to a debate on the economy and performance of the two governments. He emphasised that the NPP government under President Akufo-Addo has outperformed the NDC government under Mahama, pointing out that the current governments initiatives, unlike those of the previous administration, are real and can be verified by the public. According to him, the progress achieved by the Akufo-Addo administration is not only apparent, but also has long-term implications for the countrys infrastructure and economic growth. These accomplishments, he noted, laid a solid foundation for the countrys future development, and he highlighted some of the projects undertaken by the current administration in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Vice President Bawumia emphasised that these projects were performed in line with need-based assessment and are benefiting many communities around Ghana. We have done over 200 projects in the area of Zongo Development across all the zongos in the country. You look at our investment in technical and vocational education, over GH6 billion in the last seven years, he said. The highest investment in TVET by any government in the Fourth Republic, and weve made technical and vocational education also free in that context. You see, in terms of our development authority, there are 1,609 projects completed. And under the Northern Development Authority, it has also completed over 304 projects so far, and so we are not talking about guinea fowl projects, but real projects, Dr. Bawumia snapped. 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 New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of manipulating a tape involving a conversation between a Supreme Court judge, Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame and Richard Jakpa, 3rd accused in the ambulance case. This comes after Richard Jakpa, alleged in open court that Godfred Dame approached him multiple times, seeking his assistance to implicate the first accused person, Casiel Ato Forson. Dr. Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader, has been dragged to court by the state for his alleged role in the procurement of faulty ambulances for Ghana. While dismissing the claims by the 3rd accused, the Attorney-General insisted that Richard Jakpa had, instead, sent several letters requesting a plea bargaining deal in a bid for the state to drop all charges against the accused persons. He added that the proposal has not yet been accepted. In a Facebook post on Monday, May 27, the National Organiser of the NPP, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, stated that the AG attended the meeting at the behest of Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, which occurred in his residence. Nana B indicated that the full recording would establish that the AG never requested Richard Japka to skew his testimony. We are reliably informed that NDC is trying every means to maliciously doctor the said tape to exclude portions of the conversation and particularly the voice of the Supreme Court Justice, whose invitation the AG honoured out of courtesy. The full-length recording will reveal the AG never requested Richard Jakpa to skew his testimony in any manner as bandied around by the NDC, he said. Nana B further stated that No amount of scheming by the NDC and its affiliates will exonerate any person who participated in misrepresenting ordinary vans as ambulances to the Ghanaian populace. The NDC has vowed to reveal the full details of Japkas claims at a press conference today, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Justice Kulendi was Godfred Dames senior at Akufo-Addo chambers, Adabraka. 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 Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has described the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), under the leadership of John Mahama as a scary alternative to be re-elected to govern the country. Speaking on Joy News AM Show yesterday, Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Majority Leader said that raising concerns about the potential failures of a candidate does not connote harmful motive but rather served as a reminder of past experiences. He, therefore, cautioned the electorates to assess presidential candidates before casting their ballots in order to make the right decision. Its important to remind those who are going to take the decision that this man who claims that Ghanaians should give him the chance cannot do it better. For that one, we need to make that point clear. We can no longer keep quiet. It doesnt mean that if we say so, we are saying that in bad faith. We are going into a competition and in that competition, it is yesterdays failure who is the one coming up to say that, they could not perform so give me the chance. It is important that you remind the decision-makers that the alternative is scary. The alternative is worse, he stated. 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 judge hearing the case in which former Finance Minister and Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and one other are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state over an ambulance deal, has cautioned the public to be responsible in their comments on the case. Her comments follow the numerous public discourse on the case after the businessman in the case, Richard Jakpa, had alleged that the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has been calling him at odd hours during cross-examination last Thursday. Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, who adjourned the matter to next Tuesday, June 4 to rule on an application filed by lawyers of Dr Ato Forson, observed that there was too much public commentary on the matter If anyone will make any commentary which looks like scandalizing the court in any way it will not be well, she said, cautioning both parties from the defence side and that of the prosecution. The judge, who told the lawyers that she had so far not heard anything prejudicial about discourses on the matter, it was important for persons making comments on the matter to be careful. We live in a country where a lot of us dont understand the workings of the law and the court even the most educated people may not actually understand the workings of the law and the court. At the end of the day, the public does not have a decision to make, the only person who has a decision to make is yours truly (me) so please allow me to have peace of mind to be able to make a decision, she said. She added that the legal profession was one which depends heavily on reputation, and that judges were people appointed on the basis of sound moral character and proven integrity adding: Nobody should go about casting a slur on the judiciary, we are not interested in your politics. We are not interested in your politics, were not politicians and we dont want to be, personally, we are not politicians and we dont want to be, stay in your arena and let us stay in ours, the judge said. Background The two have been accused of causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016. They have pleaded not guilty to counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act and intentionally misapplying public property. Per the A-Gs facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, the then President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service. Jakpa, who is a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai, subsequently approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for the supply of 200 ambulances to the government. Parliament approved the financing agreement between the government and Stanbic Bank. According to the facts, on November 19, 2012, Dr Anemana wrote to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) seeking approval to engage Big Sea through single sourcing for the supply of the 200 ambulances. They added that on August 7, 2014, Dr Forson wrote to the Bank of Ghana for letters of credit covering 3.95 million for the supply of 50 ambulances in favour of Big Sea. The letters of credit were accordingly released to Big Sea. The facts said 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of 2.37 million but all were found not to have met ambulance specifications and therefore not fit for purpose. Source: graphic.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame and the ruling NPP government of deliberately plotting to jail Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson. General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday said Godfred Dame "is not interested in justice, rather just jailing somebody. Torchbearer of injustice . . . he is hell-bent on securing incarceration of the Minority Leader unjustly. According to him, the Akufo-Addo government has been persecuting the Minority Leader over the purchase of an ambulance. This is political witch-hunting and persecution". In the context of repeated falsehood, deliberate misinformation, and distortion churned out by Godfred Dame and NPP propagandists, we are compelled to correct certain misconceptions about the transaction. It will be irresponsible on us to sit aloof and allow the deliberate misinformation to fester, he added. Background Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and businessman Richard Jakpa have been accused of causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016. They have pleaded not guilty to willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act and intentionally misapplying public property. Per the A-Gs facts accompanying the charge sheet, in 2009, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, the then President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, indicated that new ambulances would be purchased to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service. Jakpa, who is a local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai, subsequently approached the Ministry of Health with a proposal that he had arranged for finance from Stanbic Bank for the supply of 200 ambulances to the government. Parliament approved the financing agreement between the government and Stanbic Bank. According to the facts, on November 19, 2012, Dr Anemana wrote to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) seeking approval to engage Big Sea through single sourcing for the supply of the 200 ambulances. They added that on August 7, 2014, Dr Forson wrote to the Bank of Ghana for letters of credit covering 3.95 million for the supply of 50 ambulances in favour of Big Sea. The letters of credit were accordingly released to Big Sea. The facts said 30 ambulances were purchased at a sum of 2.37 million but all were found not to have met ambulance specifications and therefore not fit for purpose. 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 In a recent development, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has come under scrutiny following the release of a secret recording involving a conversation with Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance case. In the alleged recording, the Attorney General is heard telling Mr Jakpa that if he accepts the line of argument regarding the Letter of Credit (LC), there will be no difficulty for him. This statement has raised concerns about the integrity and fairness of the judicial process. The secret recording, which has been circulated on social media, reveals a conversation between the Attorney General, a Supreme and Mr Jakpa. The Attorney General's remarks have been interpreted by some as an attempt to influence Jakpa's testimony in the case against the first accused, Dr. Ato Forson, a former Deputy Finance Minister and the current Minority Leader. Dr. Forson is facing charges related to the procurement of faulty ambulances for Ghana. During a recent court session, Richard Jakpa alleged that the Attorney General approached him multiple times to seek his assistance in implicating Dr. Forson. Jakpa claimed that the Attorney General pressured him to align his testimony with the prosecution's narrative concerning the Letter of Credit. The revelation of the secret tape has added a new dimension to the case, prompting calls for an investigation into the conduct of the Attorney General. In response to the allegations, the Attorney General has dismissed Jakpa's claims, insisting that he never sought to manipulate Jakpa's testimony. He maintained that Jakpa had sent several letters requesting a plea bargain in exchange for the state dropping all charges against him and the other accused persons. The Attorney General argued that these requests had not been accepted, and he remained committed to ensuring a fair trial. The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, also known as Nana B, defended the Attorney General in a Facebook post, stating that the full recording would establish the AG's innocence. He emphasised that the Attorney General's attendance at the meeting was at the behest of Justice Kulendi and that there was no intention to skew Jakpa's testimony. 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 In a new development in the ongoing ambulance case, a secret tape has surfaced allegedly featuring Attorney General Godfred Dame instructing Richard Jakpa, the third accused, to obtain an excuse duty to delay the proceedings. In the recording, Mr Dame purportedly advises Mr Jakpa to use the delay to facilitate his travel plans, raising significant concerns about potential interference in the judicial process. The tape, which has been circulating widely, captures Mr Dame suggesting that Jakpa manipulated the court's schedule to his advantage. Dame in audio: "And then, even next week, the whole of next week, I'll not be around. Yes, I will be off. If you finish next week, I would appreciate it." Jakpa retorted: "Oh, no, no. I'll not finish next week. I don't think I'll be able to finish because the documents are many. So, you will surely go and come and meet me. But that will also depend upon the judge's behaviour." Mr Dame again: "You can bring one of the medical experts next week." This revelation has added a new layer of controversy to the case, which already involves serious allegations against high-profile individuals, including Dr. Ato Forson, the former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader. The leaked tape has prompted calls for an independent investigation to verify its authenticity and to understand the context of the conversation. Legal experts and civil society groups have expressed alarm over the potential misuse of power and the implications for the integrity of Ghana's legal system. They emphasize the need for transparency and accountability, urging the authorities to address the issue promptly to maintain public trust in the judiciary. In response to the leaked tape, Attorney General Godfred Dame has denied any misconduct, asserting that the conversation has been taken out of context. He maintains that his actions have always been guided by legal principles and that he remains committed to ensuring a fair and just trial. 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 Nana Akomea has asked Ghanaian electorates who may want to vote for Ex-President John Dramani Mahama in December 7 presidential elections to rethink their decision. The Managing Director of the InterCity State Transport Corporation (STC) cautioned Ghanaians against the possibility of going back for John Mahama, alluding to his underperformance while in government. Nana Akomea reminded Ghanaians of what he termed as the "bad track record" of Mr. Mahama stating how he messed up the economy which resulted in his defeat in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. This year's election is seen as unprecedented as it is the first time a sitting Vice President and a former President will be contesting for the Presidency. Also, both candidates hail from the northern sector which makes the election even more historic with some titling it the "Clash of the Northerners". But to Nana Akomea, the only alternative for Ghana is Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia stressing Ghanaians have witnessed Mr. Mahama's bad regime but Dr. Bawumia has proven beyond doubt through his works that he is best person to push Ghana forward. "If we are looking for an alternative, can it be Mahama? I don't agree because his record is also bad, when it comes to the economy, corruption, employment and so forth...The only alternative is Bawumia", the STC boss said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show. 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 A 19-year-old who pleaded guilty to shooting multiple people inside the Park City Mall in 2021 will spend up to 32 years in prison, a judge ruled Tuesday. Jeremiahs Sanchez, of Lancaster, was sentenced to 16 to 32 years in prison in connection to the Oct. 17, 2021, shooting at the Lancaster County mall, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office. HARRISBURG, Pa. A new lawsuit filed Tuesday by a constellation of left-leaning groups in Pennsylvania is trying to prevent thousands of mail-in ballots from being thrown out in Novembers election in a battleground state that is expected to play a critical role in selecting a new president. The lawsuit, filed in a state court, is the latest of perhaps a half-dozen cases to challenge a provision in Pennsylvania law that voters must write the date when they sign their mail-in ballot envelope. Voters not understanding that provision has meant that tens of thousands of ballots lacked an accurate date since Pennsylvania dramatically expanded mail-in voting in a 2019 law. The latest lawsuit says multiple courts have found that a voter-written date is meaningless in determining whether the ballot arrived on time or whether the voter is eligible. As a result, rejecting someones ballot either because it lacks a date or a correct date should violate the Pennsylvania Constitutions free and equal elections clause, the lawsuit said. This lawsuit is the only one that is squarely addressing the constitutionality of disenfranchising voters under Pennsylvanias Constitution, said Marian Schneider, a lawyer in the case and senior policy counsel for voting rights for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs lawyers including the ACLU, the Public Interest Law Center and the Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer law firm referenced a 2023 opinion in which state Supreme Court justices seemed to invite such a challenge. In it, they suggested that the free and equal elections clause would indeed prevent ballots from being thrown out for failing to comply with the date requirement. Enforcement of the dating provision resulted in at least 10,000 ballots getting thrown out in the 2022 mid-term election alone, the lawsuit said. Lawyers in the case said research shows that a disproportionate share of rejected ballots come from older voters, poorer districts and Black and Latino communities. The lawsuit names Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiros top election official, as well as the election boards in Philadelphia and Allegheny County, both heavily Democratic jurisdictions. However, Democrats have fought repeatedly to undo the dating requirement, while Republicans in the past have fought in court to ensure that counties can and do throw out mail-in ballots that lack a complete or correct date. Roughly three-fourths of mail-in ballots tend to be cast by Democrats in Pennsylvania, possibly the result of former President Donald Trump baselessly claiming that mail-in voting is rife with fraud. Shapiros Department of State did not comment on the lawsuit. But it said in a statement that it is irrefutably clear that the handwritten date serves no function in the administration of Pennsylvanias election and that it has consistently argued in court that voters shouldnt have ballots rejected for incorrectly writing it. A November ballot in Pennsylvania that likely will feature President Joe Biden and Trump at the top of the ticket also will feature a high-profile Senate contest between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick. Republicans are urging their voters to cast ballots by mail. Still, the National Republican Senatorial Committee signaled that Republicans could oppose the lawsuit, saying that Democrats are yet again attempting the change the rules at the last minute in a desperate bid to hold onto power. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the Black Political Empowerment Project, POWER Interfaith, Make the Road Pennsylvania, OnePA Activists United, New PA Project Education Fund, Casa San Jose, Pittsburgh United, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause Pennsylvania. Currently, a separate challenge to the date requirement is pending in federal court over whether it violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act or the Constitutions equal protection clause. In March, a divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the date requirement does not violate the civil rights law. Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter Story by Carter Walker of Votebeat This article is made possible through Spotlight PAs collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat Pennsylvanias free newsletters here. Voting rights groups are trying again to invalidate Pennsylvanias requirement that voters write a date on their mail ballot return envelope, following a recent defeat in federal court. The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court on Tuesday against Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, this time arguing that the Election Codes requirement that voters write the date on their ballot envelopes violates the state constitutions clause on free and equal elections. The suit marks a new front in the long-running effort by voting rights groups to invalidate the date requirement, which they argue needlessly disenfranchises too many voters each cycle. The ACLU previously argued in a years-long federal case that the requirement violated the U.S. Civil Rights Act. Under current interpretation of state law, county election officials must reject any mail ballot that lacks a date or has an incorrect date on its return envelope. Of the approximately 715,000 mail ballots returned by voters in Aprils primary election, more than 4,400 were rejected for this reason. That number could greatly increase in November, when turnout is expected to be much higher. There are thousands of voters whose ballots are at stake, said Ben Geffen, senior attorney at Public Interest Law Center. People just really dont like to think they followed the rules and, for some reason of red tape or some technicality, their vote doesnt get counted. When that happens to you, its very upsetting. Pennsylvanias state constitution affirms a right to vote The ACLU and the Public Interest Law Center are suing on behalf of the Black Political Empowerment Project, POWER Interfaith, Make the Road Pennsylvania, OnePA Activists United, New PA Project Education Fund, Casa San Jose, Pittsburgh United, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, and Common Cause Pennsylvania. A spokesperson for the Department of State told Votebeat and Spotlight PA on Wednesday that the agency was reviewing the petition, but reiterated its view that the dating requirement is unnecessary. In the years of litigation over this issue, it has become irrefutably clear that the handwritten date serves no function in the administration of Pennsylvanias election, Matt Heckel, press secretary for the department, said. As a result, the Department has consistently argued in court that voters should not be disenfranchised for failing to write or incorrectly writing a date that serves no function. The suit also named Allegheny County and Philadelphia as defendants. Because the case is being filed against Schmidt a state official Commonwealth Court will hear the case initially, and a ruling there could set a standard statewide. Given the appellate courts track record of expediting election-related cases, Geffen is optimistic that a decision could come in time for the November election. When Pennsylvania passed its no-excuse mail voting law, Act 77, in 2019, it used much of the same language as the states absentee voting statute. Both laws require voters to write a date on their return envelope, and courts have interpreted that to mean that the date must be between the day the ballot was sent out and Election Day. Counties reached varying decisions during the April primary about whether a lack of 24 in the partly pre-filled space for the year constituted an incorrect date, or if it was simply incomplete and could be counted under current case law. As the use of mail voting expanded under Act 77, so too did the number of ballots rejected for lacking a proper date on the envelope. The organizations involved in the lawsuit argue that under the state constitution, this requirement is invalid. The argument relies on a constitutional provision that says elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage. Geffen said this affirmative right to vote in the state constitution gives the challenge a better chance of success than cases brought in federal court, since the U.S. Constitution does not contain an affirmative right to vote. The state courts for decades have interpreted the free and equal election clause as overriding highly technical requirements in the Election Code that block peoples ballots from being counted, he said. I think thats exactly the situation we see here. Pennsylvanias appellate courts have already shown that they are amenable to this argument. In 2022, state and national GOP groups brought a case, Ball v. Chapman, against the Department of State over its guidance to counties that they should count undated or incorrectly dated ballots if they are received on time. Most of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices agreed that a challenge under the clause would succeed. Failure to comply with the date requirement would not compel the discarding of votes in light of the Free and Equal Elections Clause, Justice David Wecht wrote in a footnote. Derek T. Muller, an election law professor at Notre Dame Law School, said state courts have become more open to these types of challenges in recent years. However, even with provisions like Pennsylvanias that affirm a right to vote, courts still need to weigh the interest of the state in setting rules to ensure elections run smoothly against the interest of voters to easily exercise their rights. Strictly speaking, any law abridges the right to vote, Muller said. For instance, if you say you only have 12 hours [to vote] or have to be a resident of that state for 30 days prior to the election. Still, the footnote in the Ball case does seem to suggest plaintiffs have a really good shot here, he said. Commonwealth Court challenge could be last remaining option The dating requirement has been continually challenged in court since Act 77 was implemented in 2020. Aside from the Ball case, litigants, including the ACLU, have primarily challenged the law in federal courts under a provision in the 1964 Civil Rights Act that was designed to ensure that voters werent denied the right to register to vote for reasons immaterial to their eligibility. Several federal judges have sided with that argument, but in March a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against it. The ACLU, which brought that case on behalf of the NAACP and other voting rights groups, has not decided whether it will appeal that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. The ACLU is also asking the district court judge in the case to allow it to expand on another part of its argument, an equal protection claim, which the 3rd Circuit did not strike down in March. But if both fail, the ACLU and Public Interest Legal Centers new free and equal elections claim could be the only path left for legal challenges to the dating requirement, leaving only a legislative fix on the table. State lawmakers have put forward a number of proposals to eliminate the requirement, but none have made it through Harrisburgs partisan deadlock. Geffen said the organizations did not want to bring the new claim to Commonwealth Court while the NAACP case was still in the U.S. district and circuit courts. You dont go to the ultimate backstop argument if there is a different solution that is available, he said. In light of that recent decision from the 3rd Circuit, this is the last remaining option to vindicate this right. 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. Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org. The Black Keys rock group has canceled their upcoming arena tour without notice, leading fans to speculate about ticket costs and low sales. Ultimate Classic Rock reported that the cancelation initially came without announcement from the group,. Actress Elizabeth MacRae, best known for her recurring roles in General Hospital and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., has died at the age of 88. MacRae died peacefully Monday at Highland House Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she grew up. She had a wonderful life, Her nephew Jim MacRae said to the North Carolina outlet City View on Monday. She was bright and articulate. She was still getting fan mail at Highland House. Mayon Weeks, who inducted MacRae into the Fayetteville Performing Arts Hall of Fame, talked about the late actress talent. Elizabeth had the X factor that is an important part of being a performer, he told City View. She did light up the room when she was present, and that theatrical presence was in full bloom when she starred in the play, Picnic, at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. A warm and delightful person to be with, and an engaging performer in film and on stage. A treasured daughter of our Fayetteville community. MacRae was born in Columbia, South Carolina. After graduating, she pursued a career in acting and auditioned for Otto Premingers Saint Joan in 1956. She didnt land the role but continued to pursue acting and moved to New York City, where she studied with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio, and gained experience in off-Broadway productions. She eventually landed her first TV role playing a courtroom witness in CBS The Verdict Is Yours in 1958. She also appeared in Naked City, Harrigan and Son, Maverick, Surfside 6, The Untouchables, Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show and much more. MacRaes biggest acting role was in CBS Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., where she played Gomers girlfriend Lou-Ann Poovie. She also appeared in such soaps as General Hospital, where she played Meg Baldwin until 1973, when the character was killed off. MacRae also starred in other soaps like, Another World, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light, and Search For Tomorrow. MacRaes film credits include Live in a Goldfish Bowl, Everythings Ducky, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Frances Ford Coppolas The Conversation and Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! She was also featured in television shows, such as Kojak, Barnaby Jones, and Rhoda. After 30 years in Hollywood, MacRae quit acting and moved back to North Carolina with her husband, Charles Day Halsey Jr., and returned to Fayetteville. She is survived by five stepchildren: Terry Halsey, Peter Halsey, Hugh Halsey, Cate Halsey, and Alex Halsey Topper. New details surrounding the death of actor Johnny Wactor, who is best known for his role as Brando Corbin in General Hospital, have been released. Wactor was shot and killed during a suspected theft attempt of a catalytic converter in downtown L.A. on Saturday morning. He was 37. The new details about Wactors final moments are being shared by the actors mother and two brothers in an interview with NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky, per Today. They explained that Wactor was leaving his second job at a downtown bar later than he usually did with a co-worker. Thats when he spotted a man near his car. Johnny thought that he was being towed, Wactors mother, Scarlett Wactor, recalled. He said, Hey man, youre towing my car. And when the person looked up, they had on a mask. And Johnny stepped in front of the co-worker, and he was shot. As previously reported, he was shot while trying to stop three men from stealing his cars catalytic converter around 3 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One of the men began shooting, where Wactor was hit by the gunfire. The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News they received a call around 3:25 a.m. on May 26, and described the victim as a white male in his 30s but didnt confirm his identity. The three men escaped from the scene. In a May 28 press release, the LAPD identified Wactor as the victim and when he was first discovered on the scene, the actor had sustained a gunshot wound and they began to render aid. Wactor was helped by emergency medical services, who transported him to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Within the release, the LAPD described all three men as wearing dark clothing and driving a dark-colored sedan. Anyone with information should contact the LAPD. To Scarlett Wactor, after she found out the whole story of how her son tragically passed over a car part, she deduced that this person is evil. But she chooses to remember her son by his actions in his final moments, in which he chose to protect someone elses life over his own. I use the word hero, she said. Im thankful that that person is OK and that when he died, he wasnt alone, she added. Currently, no arrests have been made as the LAPD continues to search for the three perpetrators. I think they are cowards, Scarlett Wactor said. As a parent, you never expect to bury a child. Ernie Lynn has been locked in a battle against kidney failure all year, and he recently underwent what he said was a heart surgery. So, needless to say, he doesnt need any unnecessary distractions. Which brings us to a post to Facebook by his wife, Crystal Lynn, on Tuesday. As Ernie recovers, Crystal took to Facebook to ask friends and fans to report a Facebook page the Ernest Ray Lynn Fanpage which she called a FAKE PAGE that is not operated by Ernie. He only has one page, and DOES NOT send messages from it, she wrote. Please DO NOT message or communicate with the fake page and risk getting scammed. She asked that folks report the page and help get it shut down. Ernie Lynn, the 69-year-old son of late country music legend Loretta Lynn, appeared in a video posted to Crystals Facebook on Sunday to address fans for the first time since his health struggles were revealed back in January. Hey, for all yall that have been praying for me and stuff, I appreciate it and love yall for it, he said. Im getting better. I just had some heart surgery and stuff. Im getting a little better every day. Thank yall for praying for me. God bless you. This came about two weeks after Crystal Lynn announced on social media that her husband had returned to the hospital as he battles kidney failure. The world first learned that much what Ernie was up against back in January when Loretta Lynns social media accounts announced that he was heading into the hospital for a critical surgery, in the fight. And for a time in January things were not looking good for Ernie. But he made a miraculous recovery and returned home where he appeared to be doing well until two weeks ago. Crystal Lynn shared then on social media that Ernie was back in the hospital facing a couple of procedures as doctors tried to get to the bottom of some of the issues he was dealing with. It has been a rollercoaster in the days since but it appears the latest news is positive, and things are headed in a good direction. She provided an update, too, two weeks after his surgery. I know that social media has made it easy for us all to share things that we normally wouldnt, she wrote on Facebook. However in this instance Im going to keep the details of his healthy private out of respect for him, as well as because not everyone out there means well and might misuse the information. She did provide a few more details, though. That being said, Ernie continues to make small improvements each day and will hopefully be able to be discharged soon so that he may return home to continue healing, she wrote. He has a long road ahead of him, as youve seen, but he is a fighter and God is fighting for him as well, so Im confident that he will pull through these unexpected adversities. She asked that anyone who sees him out and bout please be respectful of his space as he heals. We have to be very gentle with him right now as well as keep him as healthy as possible, she wrote. Although it might not be hard on you, a simple cold, Covid, the flu, etc could be fatal to him. In addition to that, he had major surgery. He is still healing. He has open wounds so as happy as you are for him right now, a simple pat on the back or a hug could cause him to experience extreme pain right now, so again, we appreciate you respecting his space. She added that he will be surrounded by family who will carefully provide the delicate support that he needs. In closing, I thank you all for respecting our wishes and even more so, I thank you for your continued prayers and support, she continued. God is great!! He has provided life to us, and it will be life well lived that (will) not be taken for granted. Lehigh Valley residents continued Tuesday to deal with damage from last Thursdays powerful thunderstorm that cause significant property damage and cut power to tens of thousands of properties. In eastern Pennsylvanias Schuylkill County, meanwhile, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado with maximum estimated wind speeds of 90 mph occurred Monday evening in Mahanoy City, about 35 miles northwest of Allentown. Editors note: This article has been updated to include a response from Democratic state Rep. Joe Webster. The parenting style of a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Legislature and her husband has touched off a social media storm after he was described as striking their toddler in a profile published in a British newspaper over the weekend. Simone Collins, 36, her husband, Malcolm, and their four young children live in a farmhouse in rural Montgomery County outside Philadelphia, where they run their various businesses, operate the Pronatalist Foundation, and record their Based Camp podcast and YouTube videos. Collins is challenging Democratic Rep. Joe Webster in the 150th House District race in November. Guardian journalist Jenny Kleeman paid the couple a visit to examine their pronatalist views, an ideology that encourages people to have children to address declining fertility rates. But it was Malcolm Collins slap to the face of his 2-year-old son that has set the online world ablaze with harsh criticism coming from some corners and support for the family in others. In her article, Kleeman described a scene in a Thai restaurant with Malcolm Collins and his son, Torsten, when the child bumped a table with his foot and caused it to almost topple before it righted itself. Immediately like a reflex Malcolm hits him in the face, Kleeman wrote. It is not a heavy blow, but it is a slap with the palm of his hand direct to his two-year-old sons face thats firm enough for me to hear on my voice recorder when I play it back later, she said. And Malcolm has done it in the middle of a public place, in front of a journalist, who he knows is recording everything. Kleeman wrote that Torsten whimpered as his father admonished him by saying, In a restaurant, you gotta be nice. I love you but you gotta be nice in restaurants. She wrote that the incident and Malcolm Collins casualness about it left her speechless. Although the lengthy profile delved into the couples pro-natal beliefs, disregard for Christmas (the atheist family celebrates Future Day instead), aversion to heating their home in the winter and disdain for parents who dote on their childrens every want and desire, the slap became the viral talking point. I have never an a reporting experience quite as unsettling as my day with the Collins family in Pennsylvania https://t.co/1nTjspEQIk Jenny Kleeman (@jennykleeman) May 25, 2024 Asked on Tuesday by PennLive if she was surprised about the backlash, Simone Collins replied, Not even remotely. It makes perfect sense. Collins, 36, said there is a large contingent of progressives on X/Twitter that are quick to attack people with whom they disagree. Progressive culture views any action that would cause in-the-moment displeasure as being evil and horrible and thats why we have trigger warnings, thats why we have the healthy-at-any-size movement, she said. No matter how deleterious an action may be in the long run, it is seen as imperative that no one ever be made uncomfortable, ever. Simone Collins, who was not at the restaurant, described her husbands actions as a gentle swat or wrist flick as opposed to a slap. She said Kleeman dramatized the incident, which is part of a parenting philosophy to reorient a childs attention that Malcolm Collins said his wife observed among tigers in the wild with their cubs. Its a very gentle action. It does not hurt. Its more just like, Wake up! Nope, nope, dont do this, or, Knock it off, Simone Collins said, kind of like the way people will boop their dog on the nose if its about to take a bite out of roadkill that might be rabid. Its gentle and just like, Whoa, stop. Collins said she and her husband, though, are not mad about the article. In fact, they are happy that the story is spreading online because it means more people are learning about pronatalism and their concerns over falling fertility rates, as well as their non-profits and podcast. Kleemans initial X post on Saturday had more than 6 million views by Tuesday afternoon, had been liked 12,000 times and shared nearly 3,000 times. Jenny actually did us a huge favor by sensationalizing this and putting it at the very end of the article after all of the veggies, you know, hats off to her, Collins said. She did our nonprofit advocacy a huge favor. Republican state House candidate Simone Collins, right, and her husband Malcolm pose with their daughter, Titan.Submitted There is one regret that Collins shared after saying that she enjoys a sick burn as much as anyone else. I wish that people insulted me a little more articulately, she quipped. Whether this helps Collins, who hold a masters in technology policy from the University of Cambridge in England and a bachelors in business from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in her first political run remains to be seen. Webster won 58.5% of the vote in the 150th District in 2022 in a county that Gov. Josh Shapiro won with almost 70 percent of the vote. Early Wednesday afternoon, Webster issued a statement saying that, The article speaks for itself. The election is November 5th. Pennsylvanians face real issues every day and I will continue to focus on my responsibilities as a member of the General Assembly, serving the people of Pennsylvania to the best of my ability. Politically, Collins said she supports cutting bureaucracy and increasing transparency for government and elected officials. She also supports school choice the couple plan to homeschool all their children and cultural sovereignty, which Collins said includes not telling parents how to raise their children, or people how to live their lives or get healthcare. On abortion, Collins said she would back reasonable limits after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A 14-year-old Chambersburg youth was charged with making terroristic threats after an incident that led to a police investigation in the Chambersburg Area School District Tuesday. Pennsylvania State Police said they were called to assist after information about possible school shooting was developed by school district police. A PSP spokesman said Tuesday night that a follow-up investigation found no evidence of a credible threat at the school. The teen behind the threatening statement was identified, however, and turned in to Franklin County juvenile probation for further action. Senate Alexander is a living, breathing example of how a caring environment and a good education can nurture a child to overcome any disadvantage of poverty or race. Alexander is Executive Director of the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, which is about to open one of its campuses in the City of Harrisburg. He is the right person for the job. Hes a graduate of the Milton Hershey School and credits it with saving his life. Alexander shared his story recently when he served as keynote for the 2024 Torch of Global Enlightenment Award from the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg and accepted honors on behalf of the school in ceremonies at Harrisburg University. Senate Alexander accepts the 2024 Torch of Global Enlightenment Award from the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg (WACH) presented by Lindsay Bowman, head of upper and middle schools of Harrisburg Academy; and Joyce M. Davis, WACH President/CEO.Michelle Angert He was one of 11 people and organizations honored for their work in advancing global understanding, appreciation for diverse lands, cultures, languages and peoples, and for overcoming obstacles to educate and enlighten our communities. A part of the Milton Hershey School legacy, The Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is all about education and enlightenment. And the centers opening in Harrisburg in the fall of 2024 is expected to have a profound impact on the city. Almost 30 percent of Harrisburgs residents fall below the federal poverty line, more than double the rate both Dauphin County and in Pennsylvania. Its a key factor in the citys high crime rate and neighborhood shootings that have claimed too many young lives, mostly African American youth. If you could not join us yesterday you can view our 2024 Torch Awards Ceremony here: Posted by World Affairs Council of Harrisburg on Thursday, May 23, 2024 As Alexander described it, he faced many of the same obstacles sapping the futures of Harrisburg youth. He said he was destined for either death or prison, but his mother made a courageous decision that ensured his future. She enrolled him in the Milton Hershey School. Alexander moved into a new home on its lush grounds in Hershey and started a new path that would lead to his graduating from high school and college, as well as earning a juris doctorate degree. Now, Alexander is on a mission to make sure other children born into poverty have the same chance he did to escape it. The early-learning schools under his direction provide cost-free programming to children from six weeks to age 5 from economically disadvantaged and at-risk backgrounds. The school that will open in Harrisburg is one three others planned for Central Pennsylvania, including in Middletown, New Danville and Elizabethtown. A center in Hershey opened in October 2023. The Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning Harrisburg location will be open later this year for students from six weeks of age to age five. May 7, 2024. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Like Alexander, many of the honorees shared their stories of overcoming obstacles to serve their communities. The Rev. Joshua Robertson, who accepted on behalf of Black Pastors United, echoed Alexanders conviction about the power of education to save young lives. Now dedicated to helping Harrisburg youth succeed in online education, the Rev. Robertson said he graduated from high school in Harrisburg unable to read. The Rev. Joshua Robertson receives the 2024 Torch of Global Enlightenment Award on behalf of Black Pastors United in ceremonies on May 22 at Harrisburg University.Michelle Angert A mentor taught him to read after he graduated and joined him in enrolling in community college. Like Alexander, the Rev. Robertson is committed to making sure other youth get the support and nurturing they need to stay alive and out of prison. Honorees at the 2024 Torch of Global Enlightenment Awards of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg held May 22 at Harrisburg University.Michelle Angert Other honorees at the 2024 Torch of Global Enlightenment ceremonies included: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt , recognized for his dedication to upholding democratic processes and civil rights especially during the 2020 election cycle. Mireille Rebeiz , Ph.d, a professor at Dickinson College, commended for her work in promoting a peaceful world for everyone and her writings on the conflicts in the Middle East. Bridget Whitley newly elected Dauphin County Clerk of Courts, acknowledged for her leadership and commitment to justice and fairness in the face of political and bureaucratic opposition. Gary Blumenthal of InVision Human Services, celebrated for his advocacy and service to individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania. Tika Ram Dhungana , President of Shree Vaishnav Parishad Harrisburg, recognized for his leadership in the Bhutanese Community as well as his work in refugee resettlement. Samuel Pimental , Youth Awardee, whose enthusiasm and leadership is an inspiration for civil dialogue and debate. Pennsylvania Prison Society , acknowledged for its advocacy in prison reform and support for inmates rights. Capital Area Music Association , celebrated for using the power of music to bridge cultural divides and enrich the community. Wednesday Club , celebrated for its 142-year contributions to arts and culture in the Harrisburg area. MidPenn Legal Services, honored for its unwavering commitment to providing legal aid to underserved populations. Each of these individuals and organizations shared their own stories of struggle and perseverance. Our community benefits greatly from their daily work to solve problems, promote quality education, arts and culture, and to support those struggling for a better life. Joyce M. Davis is PennLives Outreach & Opinion Editor. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @byjoycedavis. Subscribe to Battleground PA podcast for the latest in the 2024 elections! Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The Minnesota Timberwolves got on the board with their first W of the NBAs Western Conference finals by taking down the Dallas Mavericks, 105-100, in a must-win Game 4 Tuesday night. That pushes the series back to Target Center in Minneapolis for a Thursday Game 5, tickets for which are available for $158-plus on secondary sites Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. The cheapest ticket for Timberwolves-Mavericks Game 5 as of PennLives most recent check belonged to SeatGeek at $158. How to get Mavericks-Timberwolves tickets: Last-minute tickets are still available for Game 5 of the NBAs Western Conference finals. The prices below are updated as of Wednesday, May 29 at midnight ET: Minnesotas Game 4 win keeps Dallas at bay for now, holding a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals, and buys the Timberwolves a chance to play another elimination game, this time in front of their home crowd. Not only that, but Minnesota would be set up to play two of the three remaining West Finals games on its home floor. But every game to capitalize on that advantage will see the Wolves facing elimination. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. DALLAS MAVERICKS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SERIES SCHEDULE, STREAMING & TICKET INFO Dallas leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 GAME 1: Mavericks 108, Timberwolves 105 GAME 2: Mavericks 109, Timberwolves 108 GAME 3: Mavericks 116, Timberwolves 107 GAME 4: Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 100 GAME 5: Thursday, May 30 - Mavericks at Timberwolves GAME 6 (if necessary): Saturday, June 1 - Timberwolves at Mavericks GAME 7 (if necessary): Monday, June 3 - Mavericks at Timberwolves By Lekan Oyekanmi and John Seewer, The Associated Press HOUSTON Power outages remained widespread in storm-weary Texas after another burst of severe weather flooded streets, uprooted trees and ripped off roofs. Authorities said a teenager was killed at a construction site while working on a home that collapsed. The severe weather Tuesday, which at one point left more than 1 million customers without electricity, was a continuation of deadly storms, some spawning tornadoes, across the U.S. over the long Memorial Day weekend that killed 24 people in seven states. The flooding and damage in Houston came just weeks after the area was walloped by a weather event known as a derecho a widespread, long-lived windstorm thats associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. That storm left eight people dead and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers. A lot of people are without power again. We just got through with derecho a couple week ago, which was extremely devastating and many are still trying to recover from, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in the county home to Houston, said in a video posted on social media late Tuesday Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was scheduled to travel Wednesday to Arkansas, where seven people died in the weekend storms, as the Biden administration continues assessing tornado damage. The potential for heavy rains, localized flash flooding and severe weather will continue Wednesday through Oklahoma and Texas. Thunderstorms are predicted late Wednesday and Thursday across eastern Montana and Wyoming and northeast Colorado before pushing into Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas. A split tree lays on a vehicle outside an Equinox gym Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Dallas. (Leah Waters/The Dallas Morning News via AP)AP Tuesdays power outages in the Dallas metro area prompted officials to extend polls by two hours in the states runoff elections after dozens of polling places lost power. The city opened respite centers, where residents could seek shelter and air conditioning after winds gusting to 80 mph (129 kph) caused extensive damage to homes. Local news footage showed several homes without roofs, with some of that damaged caused by trees ripped from the ground by the winds. City crews planned to work around the clock this week to clear downed trees, a notice on the citys website said. Social media posts showed winds pushing one American Airlines plane away from a gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The airline said in a statement that the severe weather affected several parked and unoccupied aircraft. No one was injured. Our maintenance team is currently conducting thorough inspections and will make any needed repairs, the statement said. The airport said in an email to The Associated Press that about 500 flights were canceled because of the weather. Nearly another 200 flights were canceled at Dallas Love Field Airport, according to the website FlightAware. Cars crawled through flooded highways and more than 300,000 customers were without power in the Houston area, which includes parts still recovering from the hurricane-force winds earlier this month. The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that a 16-year-old boy was killed when a home under construction began to shift and then collapsed during a thunderstorm in the Houston suburb of Magnolia. The teen was confirmed to be an employee of the construction company and was authorized to be on the site, the statement said. Magnolia Fire Department Division Chief Jason Herrman said it was one of three homes under construction that collapsed. There doesnt appear to be much relief in sight. The National Weather Service said the very active and highly impactful weather pattern will continue in the central U.S. over the next several days. Destructive storms over the weekend caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. Meanwhile in the Midwest, an unusual weather phenomenon called a gustnado that looks like a small tornado brought some dramatic moments to a western Michigan lake over the weekend. For more information on recent tornado reports, see The Associated Press Tornado Tracker. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Paul J. Weber, Ken Miller, Jennifer McDermott, Sarah Brumfield, Kathy McCormack, Acacia Coronado, Jeffrey Collins, Bruce Schreiner, Julio Cortez, Valerie Gonzalez and Mark Thiessen. Trump didnt sound confident as he left the courtroom, but instead seemed to already be trying to spin a guilty verdict. Trump said: Listening to the charges from the judge whos as, you know, very conflicted and corrupt because of the confliction, very, very corrupt. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged. The whole country is a mess between the borders and fake elections. And you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted, he cant breathe. Hes got to do his job and start for me that I can tell you its a disgrace and I mean, that Mother Teresa could not beat those charges, but well see, well see how we do. Its a very disgraceful situation. \ Every single legal scholar and expert said this is no case. It shouldnt be brought and it certainly could have been brought seven years ago, not in the middle of a presidential election. It was all done by Joe Biden. This judge contributed to Joe Biden and far worse than that. But Im not allowed to talk about it because Im a gag order far worse than that by 1000 times worse than that. The worst Ive ever heard. But I cant talk about it. Itll be talked about, but Im not allowed to talk about it, but itll be talked about in the history books. Whats happening here is weaponization at a level that nobody seen before ever. And it should be allowed to happen. So Ill stay around here. This is five weeks and five weeks of really essentially not campaigning. Video: Trump sounds like he knows that he is going to be convicted, "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged." pic.twitter.com/jS7CWMrcqG Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) May 29, 2024 After nearly a decade of Trump being a part of American politics, it is easy to see where he was going with these remarks. When he knows he is in trouble or likely to lose, Trump launches into preemptive blaming and excuse making. The points that Trump made in his remarks followed the same tone as after he lost the 2020 election. Everything is rigged. This isnt fair. Someone cheated him. Trump appears to know that he is going down, and he seems to be trying to minimize the fallout of potentially being convicted of a felony. A Special Message From PoliticusUSA If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value. [wpedon id=344887 align=center] If you have a hummingbird feeder in your yard, youre probably enjoying watching the hummers sipping nectar to fuel up for their long migration south in the coming weeks. But did you know that nectar makes up only a small percentage of a hummingbirds diet? Up to 80% of it comes from insects Read moreCommentary: Protect insects, protect birds SPARTANBURG A businesswoman, school board member and realtor all want the same thing: an open seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. With no Democrat running for the deeply red S.C. House District 34 seat, one of these three Republican candidates is all but assured a spot in the state Legislature after the June 11 statewide primary elections. Hailing from the same party, they generally agree on the big issues. They want lower taxes and smaller government, support some form of abortion restrictions, think the countys roads could be in better shape and agree the states finances could use more oversight. Theres also another clear throughline: None of them have partisan political experience. One served as a school board member, but the position is officially nonpartisan. District 34 is a rural district, covering a midwest chunk of the county with a sliver of the City of Spartanburg but mostly encompasses the rural area between the city and Duncan to the west. The candidates on how to spend the missing $1.8 billion and abortion Sarita Edgerton is a real estate agent who prioritizes education and has stances that largely align with the renegade S.C. House Freedom Caucus. She has not pledged loyalty to any caucus but has left the door open if she is elected. JoAnne LaBounty, the leader of a local meat processing company, has cited the success of her business that distributes across the country and criticized the Freedom Caucus. The Republican House Caucus endorsed her. Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this press release please contact the company added in the press release. Please do not contact pr-inside. We will not be able to assist you. PR-inside disclaims the content included in this release. PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 21:15:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 437 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 AvaTrade launches comprehensive guides and resources to empower new traders with the MetaTrader 4 platform for download, emphasizing risk management and informed trading.DUBLIN, IRELAND / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / AvaTrade, an online trading platform, announces a new initiative to support aspiring traders in navigating the dynamic world of online trading. The release of detailed guides and resources aims to demystify online trading and make it accessible to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Online trading has become an attractive option for those looking to invest in financial markets, and AvaTrade's comprehensive guides cover the fundamentals of online trading. The guides include information on different types of trading such as stocks, forex, cryptocurrencies, commodities, and indices. Designed to equip beginners with the knowledge needed to start trading confidently, these resources serve as a valuable tool for new traders.A key highlight of AvaTrade's educational offerings is the introduction of MetaTrader 4, a state-of-the-art trading platform known for its user-friendly interface and advanced features. MetaTrader 4 caters to both novice and experienced traders, providing a seamless trading experience and a variety of tools to enhance trading strategies. AvaTrade provides easy access to the MetaTrader 4 platform for download, ensuring that traders can quickly set up and start trading.AvaTrade's educational resources also emphasize the importance of risk management and staying updated with market trends. By following proven trading strategies and utilizing real-time market news, traders can make informed decisions and minimize potential losses. AvaTrade's commitment to providing the best educational resources and tools is evident in the comprehensive nature of the guides and the emphasis on practical knowledge.AvaTrade's mission is to empower traders by providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the financial markets successfully. The company continues to innovate and lead in the online trading industry, offering a wide range of trading options and ensuring that traders have access to the latest technology and resources.For more information on AvaTrade's online trading guides and resources, visit https://www.avatrade.com/ About AvaTradeFriedberg Direct is dedicated to the highest levels of security and regulation AvaTrade is a globally licensed and regulated online trading broker that offers its services in Canada through Friedberg Direct. The relationship between Friedberg Direct and AvaTrade was formed in order to allow Canadian residents access to AvaTrade's global online technology. All accounts are opened by and held with Friedberg Direct, a division of Friedberg Mercantile Group Ltd., a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).Media Info:Name: AvaTrade Support TeamCompany: AvaTradeEmail: cs@ avatrade.com Phone: +(61)272018721Website: https://www.avatrade.com/ SOURCE: AvaTrade PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 16:00:41 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 369 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Baker College sets a new standard in higher education, implementing Advising App to empower staff with sophisticated AI capabilities. This partnership promises to boost productivity and employee satisfaction, supporting Baker's commitment to an inclusive and transformative educational experience.SCOTTSDALE, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 /Canyon GBS proudly announces a significant new educational partnership as Baker College adopts the Enterprise AI Assistant in Advising App. This implementation scales advanced AI capabilities across the college, enhancing productivity, reducing the need for managerial intervention, and improving employee satisfaction.Baker College The Baker College campus in Owosso, Michigan.Baker College's adoption demonstrates its commitment to innovative tools for staff that improve service delivery for students.Joe Licata, founder and CEO of Canyon GBS, stated, "We are honored to support Baker College, an institution renowned for its transformative impact on students and the community. We are committed to providing innovative and affordable AI technology that empowers staff, helping them do what they do best - serve students. Advising App, developed by education professionals for education professionals, is tailored to meet the unique needs of institutions like Baker College." The Enterprise AI Assistant equips Baker College staff with tools to assist in research, draft communications, create and translate content, plan projects, ideate, and perform analyses, among other functionalities. This technology protects data privacy for colleges and universities and adheres to the highest standards of security, compliance, and functionality required in educational environments."At Baker College, we are committed to providing our students and staff with the most advanced tools available to support their academic and professional success. The adoption of the Enterprise AI module in Advising App represents a milestone in our ongoing efforts to innovate and improve our institutional operations. This tool will enable us to offer more personalized, efficient, and effective support to our college community, ensuring they have the resources needed to thrive. We look forward to the positive impact this technology will have across our system," said Scott Wood, Baker College Chief Information Officer.For additional information about Advising App and its AI capabilities, visit https://advising.app/enterprise-ai-assistant/ Contact InformationMedia Teammedia@ canyongbs.com 1-520-357-1351SOURCE: Canyon GBSView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 14:30:43 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 498 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Boron One Holdings Inc. ("Boron One" or the "Company") (TSXV:BONE), is providing an update to its press release dated May 6, 2024 announcing the warrant exercise incentive program. The Program is intended to encourage the exercise of up to 10,626,000 unlisted common share purchase warrants of the Company (the "Eligible Warrants") which were issued as part of the Company's private placement which closed on January 25, 2023. Each Eligible Warrant is exercisable for one common share of the Company (each a "Common Share") at a price of $0.05 per Common Share.Pursuant to the Program, the Company is offering an inducement to each holder of Eligible Warrants ("Warrant Holders") that exercises Eligible Warrants during an early exercise period (the "Early Exercise Period") consisting of one new Warrant (the "New Warrant") in addition to the common share subscribed for. Each New Warrant is exercisable at $0.07 for 30 months, subject to the right of the Corporation to accelerate expiry upon 30 days' notice if the shares of the Corporation trade on the TSX Venture Exchange at or above $0.15 for a period of 10 days.To the extent that holders of Eligible Warrants take advantage of the opportunity to exercise their Eligible Warrants early, this will fund working capital purposes. Eligible Warrants that remain unexercised following the completion of the Early Exercise Period (defined below) will continue to be exercisable for Common Shares on the original terms as they existed prior to the Program.The Early Exercise Period will commence on May 29, 2024 and terminate on June 12, 2024.The Program is subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and is subject to the receipt of all final regulatory approvals, including final approval of the Exchange. The number of Eligible Warrants to be exercised by insiders of the Company is limited to no more than 10% of the total Eligible Warrants, being 10,626,000 Eligible Warrants, and the Company will issue no more than 1,062,600 Incentive Warrants to insiders under the Program. Insiders presently hold 10.35% of the Eligible Warrants.On behalf of the Board of Directors,Tim Daniels, PresidentAbout Boron One Holdings Inc.Boron One Holdings Inc. is an international mineral exploration and development company with boron assets in Serbia. Headquartered in Victoria, B.C., Canada, Boron One's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BONE". For detailed information please see Boron One's website at www.boronone.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com For further information, please contact:Boron One Holdings Inc. Blake Fallis, General Manager Phone: 1-250- 384-1999 or 1-888-289-3746info@ boronone.comwww.boronone.com Boron's Public Quotations: CanadaTSX Venture:BONEBerlin:EKVUS: SEC 12G3-2(B) #82-4432ERVFFOTC PINK:ERVFFNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Boron One Holdings Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 19:30:45 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 927 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 EduGenie launches a new professional dissertation writing service to support students' academic success.BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / EduGenie announces the launch of a premier dissertation writing service aimed at improving students' academic performance. This service is designed to meet the needs of students seeking professional assistance in composing high-quality research papers.EduGenieis a legitimate platform with professional writers offering top-notch academic solutions. It ranks among the best dissertation writing services, prioritizing quality and professionalism while guaranteeing 100% client satisfaction.The website is appealing and uncluttered, providing a seamless and interactive user experience. Navigating the platform is easy, as the site is informative and has a straightforward interface.EduGenie strives to deliver top-tier services, supporting the academic excellence dreams of many students. According to site information, customers are guaranteed 24/7 communication, complete security, timely deliveries, and adherence to all instructions by their experts. Additionally, the company promises a 100% money-back guarantee, affordable prices, and full confidentiality.To determine if EduGenie.net is a legitimate company with real professionals, this in-depth review aims to uncover the true picture of this academic platform. The main objective is to assist potential customers in making informed decisions about using this writing service.EduGenie: Top Online Dissertation Writing Services with a Quality MarkMany students seek a balance of quality and affordability, a combination that is present at EduGenie. The company offers a professional dissertation writing service that meets the academic needs of students globally. By providing top-tier academic assistance at reasonable prices, EduGenie ensures that students receive high-quality dissertations without breaking the bank. This commitment to excellence and affordability has made EduGenie a preferred choice for students seeking reliable dissertation writing services.BenefitsHere are some pros of using EduGenie that are sure to be enjoyed with every order:A 15% special welcome offer for first-time customers. Positive testimonials on reliable review websites. Experts cover over 40+ subject disciplines. Excellent paper quality written by professionals. Open communication with the assigned writer. 100% money-back guarantee for clients. A comprehensive database of samples for guidance. Affordable dissertation writing service. Services OfferedEduGenie strives to deliver the full spectrum of top-quality writing services to its clientele, with a dissertation writing division being a particular point of pride for the team. If facing challenges with an upcoming dissertation manuscript, these experts offer the following services:Dissertation writing Dissertation - Abstract Dissertation - Discussion Dissertation - Introduction Chapter Dissertation - Literature Review Dissertation - Methodology Dissertation - ResultsIn addition to dissertations, the agency covers a wide range of academic writing needs for students at different levels. Their services portfolio includes essays, articles, reviews, case studies, business plans, research papers, term papers, proposals, speeches, and more. Regardless of the complexity of the assignment, students can rely on EduGenie's experts for assistance. With a diverse portfolio, EduGenie prioritizes the varied needs of students to ensure exceptional service delivery.Approach to ClientsEduGenie is among the top-tier writing agencies in the market, known for providing high-quality papers. The registration process on this platform is simple and can be completed directly on the homepage without requiring extensive personal information. To place an order, provide details about the paper such as the subject, word count, deadline, academic level, and other important specifics.The support aspect of EduGenie's operations is well-organized to ensure timely and competent assistance. Knowledgeable support agents guide through the ordering process, addressing all nuances and questions about working with EduGenie's writers.Upon completing the payment in accordance with the provided free quote, a professional dissertation writer is assigned within a few minutes. All writers are friendly, responsive, and maintain communication with the client on all matters, ready to clarify questions and concerns. 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Customers can choose the best available writer at no extra cost, while top and premium experts are available at an additional fee of $4.48 and $8.95, respectively. This tiered system allows customers to confidently hire dissertation writers from EduGenie and expect top-tier results.Company ReputationEduGenie enjoys significant publicity online and takes pride in the many customers who share positive experiences of working with its team. Authoritative review platforms rank the company highly, providing solid support. For instance, Sitejabber rates EduGenie at 4.9 out of 5 stars, Reviews.io at 4.8 stars, and RankMyWriter also at 4.8 stars. These high ratings indicate that the majority of reviewers on these platforms appreciate its services and are willing to recommend them to others. This positive feedback reflects the provider's impressive service, backed by genuine guarantees.Mission and GoalsJust like its well-known counterpartExtraEssay , EduGenie prioritizes content quality and professionalism, which are the main goals driving its success. EduGenie is fully committed to all customers, regardless of the complexity of their needs. With a team of highly qualified Ph.D. experts, EduGenie aims to help customers excel in their academics and achieve new levels of success. This team has a nuanced understanding of th PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 20:15:10 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 906 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ExtraEssay provides high-quality, affordable, and secure academic writing services tailored to students' diverse needs, ensuring academic success and managing personal commitments effectively.GIBRALTAR, SPAIN / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / ExtraEssayis providing crucial support for students struggling to balance academic demands with personal commitments. The company offers high-quality, human-written essays that help students manage their workload and achieve academic success. 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For premium-level dissertation writing services,Maste PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 21:00:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 401 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ROCHESTER, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Andrew Keeping, celebrated classical guitarist and CEO of FASD Awareness, unveils pragmatic initiatives fostering inclusivity in the music industry, signaling a transformative shift in neurodiversity advocacy.Andrew Keeping, known for his virtuosity as a classical guitarist, is pioneering an initiative to bring about a more inclusive environment at the intersection of music and neurodiversity. As Chief Executive of FASD Awareness and a Director of the Independent Society of Musicians, he announces practical measures aimed at reshaping the way society perceives and engages with music.Beyond his musical prowess, Andrew's two decades of fostering children with complex needs and learning disabilities led him to collaborate with therapists to develop pragmatic approaches that empower individuals with neurodivergent profiles. These initiatives facilitate improved cognitive functioning, social interaction, and personal growth, making music accessible to a broader audience.Keeping's commitment extends to creating platforms for disabled artists. He has organized inclusive music festivals and talent showcases, providing a supportive space for musicians with disabilities to showcase their talents and connect with industry professionals.In his role at FASD Awareness, Keeping has spearheaded impactful campaigns, including #BeAware, a series of educational films and case studies, a series of online webinars with many of the world's leading FASD experts, and training aimed at increasing global awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. This initiative sheds light on the science behind FASD and offers a much-needed voice to those with the "lived experience." "I believe in practical transformation," Keeping states. "Through music and advocacy, we aim to create an inclusive world where everyone has the opportunity to find their unique voice." Keeping's initiatives have gained recognition, with accolades such as the High Sheriff of Kent's Award in 2019 for FASD Awareness, Honorary Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music in 2001, and Fellowship of the ISM in 2017.About Andrew KeepingAndrew Keeping, born in London in 1969, discovered his passion for music at an early age when he attended a concert by the legendary guitarist Andres Segovia. His illustrious career spans performing for the British Royal Family and becoming a global advocate for FASD awareness. Andrew's journey is more than melodies; it is dedicated to fostering inclusivity and creating transformative experiences through the power of music.For media inquiries, please contact:Name: Andrew KeepingEmail: andrew@ keepingguitar.co.uk Website: https://www.fasdawareness.org.uk/ SOURCE: FASD Awareness PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 18:00:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 419 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NUE Taps Solar Industry Veteran for Key RolePHOENIX, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / New Use Energy (NUE), a rapidly expanding innovator in battery generator and lithium battery manufacturing, is excited to announce the appointment of John Webber as Vice President of Sales. John brings over a decade of solar industry expertise to his new role at NUE, where he will steer the company through its next phase of growth, focusing on the expansion of its cutting-edge lithium battery and solar+ battery generator lines.NUE Hires John Webber as Vice President of Sales Webber brings over a decade of solar industry expertise to his new role at NUE John has been an influential figure in the solar industry since 2012, specializing initially in renewable solutions for the RV, marine and military markets, and later expanding into residential, commercial, and telecom sectors. His efforts have bolstered renewables adoption across the West Coast of the United States, the Caribbean, and internationally. This vast experience makes him the perfect leader for NUE's sales team as they innovate in the field of portable and deployable power and energy storage solutions.Paul Shmotolokha, CEO of NUE, expressed his enthusiasm about John joining the team, stating, "NUE is thrilled to have a top talent with global solar industry experience joining our executive team. I have observed John's remarkable ability to drive significant market expansion and am confident he will supercharge the adoption of our new product lines. Customers appreciate his dedication, and his deep understanding of off-grid applications sets him apart in the industry." John also shared his excitement about his new role: "Joining NUE is a perfect fit as I am driven by my passion for developing high-quality renewable energy solutions that are not only robust but also crucial for global sustainability. The opportunity to contribute to NUE's mission of providing professional-grade power solutions is incredibly motivating." Under John's leadership, NUE aims to address the growing need for reliable, lightweight, and high-efficiency power solutions globally. His strategic vision is poised to enhance NUE's market presence and ensure the company remains at the forefront of the renewable energy industry.About New Use Energy Leading in the development and distribution of ruggedized mobile solar generator systems, New Use Energy specializes in delivering clean, renewable power for tough commercial and industrial applications. Our focus is on performance and durability, ensuring reliable power wherever it's needed most.Contact InformationPaul ShmotolokhaCEOpaul.shmotolokha@newuseenergy.com +1 (202) 285-3371SOURCE: New Use EnergyView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 14:00:41 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 504 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Omeda - a professional audience data and SaaS (Software as a Service) platform for media companies - and CredSpark - the leading provider of audience engagement and insights solutions - announced an expansion of their existing partnership to help their mutual client bases maximize their audience data investment.Omeda and CredSpark will create a deeper, real-time data integration and collaborate to develop new technologies to drive audience engagement, revenue, subscriptions, and lead generation.Joint customers will be able to pair CredSpark's interactive content with Omeda's Integrated Audience Data Platform, so they can collect more actionable audience data and engage readers through interactive polls and surveys, while driving more revenue and lifetime value for their business.CredSpark and Omeda created this initiative to help their clients deliver the immersive, interactive content experiences their audiences have come to expect."We know our customers struggle to engage their audiences, and that directly impacts their ability to monetize and generate value from their audience," said Tony Napoleone, Vice President of Client Experience at Omeda. "We're confident our partnership with CredSpark is a solution to those challenges. Together, we make it easier for professional media teams to connect with their audiences while driving revenue and growth." More than 200 media brands have used Omeda and CredSpark to collect better first-party data, drive revenue and sign-ups, and improve advertising performance.Omeda and CredSpark will help their mutual clients continue that momentum so they can build sustainable businesses while prioritizing audience experience."Omeda and CredSpark's integrated capabilities present media businesses with exciting new opportunities to build sustainable revenue and business models by creating compelling audience experiences that generate real-time, zero-party data, along with insights that can be used to better inform business and editorial decisions, improve marketing and sales targeting, and develop more innovative approaches to digital advertising. In a very challenging media landscape, this expanded partnership is a big win for the industry," said Lev Kaye, Founder and CEO of CredSpark.Clients interested in learning more about this new partnership should contact their representatives at Omeda and CredSpark.About CredSpark:CredSpark is a New York City-based audience engagement platform and services firm. The company helps clients create immersive, interactive content experiences that deepen audience engagement, assess knowledge, collect feedback and consent, surface insights from audience data, and support personalized digital experiences.Learn more about CredSpark: WebsiteAbout Omeda:Omeda is a SaaS provider delivering the platform and expertise required to maximize the value of media and publishing businesses' most critical asset - their audience. The platform of choice for B2B and B2C media professionals, Omeda, which includes a customer data platform, workflow automation, email automation, and subscription management, provides the professional tools required to maximize diverse revenue streams, power 24/7 audience development, and orchestrate precise targeting for measurable results.Learn more about Omeda: WebsiteContact InformationBarry TonoffHead of Marketing, CredSparkbarry@ credspark.com Kathleen McAuliffeContent Marketing Manager, Omedakmcauliffe@ omeda.com SOURCE: OmedaView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 15:37:50 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 950 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 /(TSXV:OGN)(OTCQX:OGNRF) Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen" or the "Company") is pleased to report a profitable quarter and positive cashflows generated from operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024.Q1-2024 HighlightsAll amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.Royalty Revenue: Royalty revenue of $1,478,699 (2023 - $1,314,066) was earned in the current quarter with 508 (2023 - 508) attributable gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") sold at average price of US$2,070 (2023 - US$1,877) per ounce, up 13% compared to the same period in 2023.Prospect Generation: The Company recorded $437,319 (2023 - $940,059) in income from prospect generation activities during the current period, down 53% compared to 2023. The challenges in the junior exploration equity market resulted in fewer transactions completed compared to 2023.Net Income from Operations: Net income was $285,647 (2023 - $632,213) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, down 55% from 2023 mainly due to lower revenue generated from prospect generation activities.G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses of $1,378,975 (2023 - $1,493,432) were incurred in the current period, down 8% compared to 2023.Cash flow: Cash flow of $893,780 (2023 - $1,162,045) was generated from operating activities in the current fiscal quarter. Cash flow generated from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital, was $422,924 (2023 - $246,032), up 72% from 2023.Working Capital: The Company has working capital of $19,002,637 on March 31, 2024, compared to $18,524,073 at the beginning of the fiscal year, an increase of $478,564. The Company has no long-term debt.Paddy Nicol, CEO of Orogen Royalties, commented, "We have delivered another profitable quarter despite the tough market conditions in the junior mining space. The prospect generation business is cyclical in nature and the demand for our projects is often directly related to capital availability. However, we have a prospective portfolio of projects with multiple analogues to the Expanded Silicon gold project, where we have a 1% net smelter royalty interest, and is operated by AngloGold Ashanti NA. We will continue to market these projects in addition to growing our project pipeline while maintaining a financially sustainable operation." For complete details of the Company's financial results, please refer to the condensed interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2024, and 2023. The Company's filings are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on Orogen's website at www.orogenroyalties.com . Please also see non-IFRS Measures at the end of this news release.Summary of ResultsKey Royalty AssetsErmitano Royalty, Sonora, MexicoFirst Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") operates the Ermitano Mine, where the Company holds a 2.0% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2024, the Company recorded $1,478,699 (2023 - $1,314,066) in royalty revenue generated from the Ermitano mine, up 13% from 2023. This represents 508 GEOs (2023 - 508 GEOs) based on an average price of US$2,070 per ounce (2023 - US$1,877), no change in GEOs when compared to 2023 and down 26% compared to the previous quarter. The reduction compared to the previous quarter was due to stope scheduling within the mine plan leading to lower mined grades. Despite the reduction, production is tracking above First Majestic's 2024 guidance.During the current quarter, the mill processed 224,394 tonnes of ore compared to 233,601 tonnes processed last quarter. Average silver and gold head grades during the current quarter were 72 grams per tonne ("g/t") and 3.16 g/t, respectively, compared to average silver and gold head grades of 106 g/t and 3.88 g/t, respectively, of the previous quarter. Silver and gold recoveries averaged 69% and 95%, respectively, compared to recoveries of 73% and 96% from the previous quarter. Both silver and gold production were lower compared to the previous quarter, and this was due to lower mill feed head grades.First Majestic spent US$2.1 million in exploration costs that resulted in the completion of 2,250 metres of underground development at the Ermitano mine. This included six drill rigs, consisting of four surface and two underground rigs that completed 9,911 metres of exploration drilling, representing a 25% increase compared to the previous quarter.1Expanded Silicon Project, Nevada, USAAngloGold Ashanti NA ("AngloGold") operates the Expanded Silicon gold project, consisting of the Silicon and Merlin deposits, where the Company holds a 1% NSR royalty. Further to the Company's Expanded Silicon update of May 1, 2024, Anglogold disclosed an additional exploration summary for its quarter ending March 31, 2024:"the drill program at Merlin continued to return very high tenor results that both confirm and extend the modelled mineralisation. At Silicon, limited geotechnical drilling took place and a piezometer hole drilled in 2023 returned a significant intercept nine hundred metres north of the defined Mineral Resource, highlighting the open potential of the mineralisation system. Ground gravity and Ambient Noise Tomography geophysical surveys were completed east of Merlin"2As of December 31, 2023, reported Mineral Resources at the Expanded Silicon gold project include:Table 1:Reported Mineral Resources at the Expanded Silicon gold project3Qualified Person StatementAll technical data, as disclosed in this press release, has been verified by Laurence Pryer, Ph.D., P.Geo., VP Exploration for Orogen. Dr. Pryer is a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.Certain technical disclosure in this release is a summary of previously released third-party information and the Company is relying on the interpretation provided. Additional information can be found on the links in the footnotes.About Orogen Royalties Inc.Orogen Royalties is focused on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisitions on precious and base metal discoveries in western North America. The Company's royalty portfolio includes the Ermitano gold and silver Mine in Sonora, Mexico (2.0% NSR royalty) operated by First Majestic Silver Corp. and the Expanded Silicon gold project (1.0% NSR royalty) in Nevada, U.S.A, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti NA. The Company is well financed with several projects actively being developed by joint venture partners.On Behalf of the Board OR PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 21:50:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 488 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Block & Leviton announces that a securities fraud lawsuit has been filed against Fastly (NYSE:FSLY) and certain of its executives. Investors who have lost money in their Fastly investment should contact the firm to learn more about how they might recover those losses. For more details, visit https://blockleviton.com/cases/fsly What is this all about?A lawsuit was recently filed against Fastly, Inc., alleging the company and its executives misrepresented to investors that new customer acquisition throughout 2023 would fuel revenue growth in calendar year 2024, when, in fact, Fastly was experiencing a significant deceleration in growth among its largest customers and was losing the market share it had gained through consolidation in 2023. On May 1, 2024, Fastly lowered its FY 2024 revenue guidance by $35 million and explained on an earnings call that "[t]he biggest factor" in the disappointing revised outlook "is a reduction of revenue from a small number of our largest customers." The Company's CFO said "the revenue declines in our largest customers [are] overshadowing the impact of new customer acquisition and product pipeline." Fastly's stock price plummeted 32% on this news.Who is eligible?Anyone who purchased Fastly common stock between February 15, 2024 and May 01, 2024 and has seen their shares fall may be eligible, whether or not they have sold their investment. Investors should contact Block & Leviton to learn more.What should you do next?The deadline to seek appointment as lead plaintiff is July 23, 2024. A class has not yet been certified, and until a certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. If you've lost money on your investment, you should contact Block & Leviton to learn more via our case website, by email at shareholders@ blockleviton.com , or by phone at (888) 256-2510.Whistleblower?If you have non-public information about Fastly, you should consider assisting in our investigation or working with our attorneys to file a report with the Securities Exchange Commission under their whistleblower program. Whistleblowers who provide original information to the SEC may receive rewards of up to 30% of any successful recovery. For more information, contact Block & Leviton at whistleblowers@ blockleviton.com or by phone at (888) 256-2510.Why should you contact Block & Leviton?Block & Leviton is widely regarded as one of the leading securities class action firms in the country. Our attorneys have recovered billions of dollars for defrauded investors and are dedicated to obtaining significant recoveries on behalf of our clients through active litigation in the federal courts across the country. Many of the nation's top institutional investors hire us to represent their interests. You can learn more about us at our website, www.blockleviton.com , call (888) 256-2510 or email shareholders@ blockleviton.com with any questions.This notice may constitute attorney advertising.CONTACT:BLOCK & LEVITON LLP260 Franklin St., Suite 1860Boston, MA 02110Phone: (888) 256-2510Email: shareholders@ blockleviton.com SOURCE: Block & Leviton LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 16:33:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 347 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Shareholder rights law firm Johnson Fistel, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of HireRight Holdings (NYSE:HRT) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to the investment funds affiliated with General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital.You can click on the following link to join this investigation:Click Here to Join the InvestigationOn February 16, 2024, HireRight announced that it had entered a deal to merge with General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital. Under the terms of the deal, HireRight shareholders will receive $14.35 per share in an all-cash offer.The investigation concerns whether the HireRight board failed to satisfy its duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for HireRight shares of common stock. Nationally recognized, Johnson Fistel is investigating whether the proposed deal represents adequate consideration, especially given analysts' projections for future earnings growth and last year HireRight shares traded over $18, just two years ago.If you are a shareholder of HireRight and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ( jimb@ johnsonfistel.com ) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number.About Johnson Fistel, LLP:Johnson Fistel, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York, Georgia, and Colorado. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonfistel.com Attorney advertising.Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.Johnson Fistel, LLP has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Frank J. Johnson is the attorney responsible for its content.Contact:Johnson Fistel, LLP501 W. Broadway, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101James Baker, Investor Relations or Frank J. Johnson, Esq., (619) 814-4471 jimb@ johnsonfistel.com or fjohnson@ johnsonfistel.com SOURCE: Johnson Fistel, LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 16:33:26 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 389 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Lighthouse Equity Research Initiates Coverage of Trinity Biotech plc (TRIB)NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Sidoti & Company, LLC ("Sidoti"), a registered broker-dealer, is pleased to announce that today its Lighthouse Equity Research ("Lighthouse") affiliate commenced operations with the release of its initiation report on Trinity Biotech plc ("TRIB"). The report, along with all other Lighthouse research, is and will be publicly available through Sidoti's website ( www.Sidoti.com) and across leading financial data outlets such as FactSet, Bloomberg, Capital IQ and Refinitiv. Sidoti's Lighthouse platform fills a critical void in the market for companies seeking to improve visibility and gain investor outreach through high-quality research - particularly those that are perceived to be hard to value by traditional metrics. Lighthouse is an extension of Sidoti's Company Sponsored Research ("CSR") program, which now accounts for 60% of Sidoti's equity coverage universe, and leverages Sidoti's 25 years of experience in covering and providing corporate access to small and micro-cap companies. Sidoti announced the formation of Lighthouse in March 2024 and has provided an independent CSR platform since 2016.About Sidoti & Company, LLCFor 25 years, Sidoti & Company, LLC ( www.sidoti.com) has been a premier independent research provider focused on small and micro-cap companies and the institutions that invest in securities with market caps of less than $5 billion. More than 60 percent of Sidoti-covered companies participate in the firm's rapidly growing Company Sponsored Research ("CSR") program and tap the benefits of Sidoti's expansive distribution network. In 2024, Sidoti established Lighthouse Equity Research as an extension of its CSR program to meet the specific needs of companies not valued using traditional metrics or that face challenges obtaining coverage due to political risks or other factors. Sister company Sidoti Events, LLC, is also a leading provider of corporate access through the eight investor conferences it hosts each year. Our small and micro-cap focused nationwide sales force, catering to 2,500 institutional relationships in North America, enables the firm to provide multiple forums for meaningful interaction for small and micro-cap issuers and investors specifically interested in companies in the sector.MEDIA CONTACT:Ally CecilSidoti & Company, LLC acecil@ sidoti.com or (212) 453-7031FOR COMPANIES INTERESTED IN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE EQUITY RESEARCH:Joseph France, CFADirector, Lighthouse Equity Research jfrance@ sidoti.com or (212) 453-7010Peter SidotiCEO psidoti@ sidoti.com or (212) 453-7000SOURCE: Sidoti & Company, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 21:32:27 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 785 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 2024 Thayer Award Recipient AnnouncedWEST POINT, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) is pleased to announce that Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, will receive the 2024 Sylvanus Thayer Award. Obama will be the fifth U.S. president to receive the Thayer Award during its 67-year history. The award will be presented on September 19, 2024, during ceremonies hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.WPAOG's Board Chairman, the Honorable Robert A. McDonald said, "As a two-term president of the United States, Barack Obama's administration understood what President Lincoln meant in his Second Inaugural Address when he directed the nation to care for those who have borne the battle.'" Obama left office on January 20, 2017, as the first American president to oversee two full terms as a commander-in-chief with combat troops deployed to hostile zones during a time of war. During his time in public service, he fought to make sure that veterans have timely and high-quality access to care, to modernize the claims process, to prevent and end veteran homelessness, and to provide resources so that the nation is serving every veteran. "His life and career have inspired countless Americans, including many cadets past and present," said McDonald. "Having President Obama forever associated with West Point through its most prestigious award speaks directly to the Thayer Award's purpose of recognizing a citizen of the United States, other than a West Point graduate, whose outstanding character, accomplishments, and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto: Duty, Honor, Country.'" "I want to thank the West Point Association of Graduates for this distinguished award," said President Obama. "I've been a longtime supporter of West Point's mission and have always admired the leaders of character it has produced for our nation." "The Thayer Award recipient is selected by the Thayer Award Committee, a 15-member nominating committee that includes representatives from numerous West Point classes spanning several decades and regions, as well as Army representatives. The committee reviews and debates the merits of approximately 25 nominations submitted by West Point Graduates. The WPAOG Board of Directors ratifies the committee's selection," stated retired Lieutenant General Guy Swan III and committee Chair.Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 with a B.A. in political science, and in 1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School. Upon graduation, he returned to Illinois to teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago and begin a career in public service, winning seats in the Illinois State Senate and the United States Senate. As a U.S. senator, he served on the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Committee on Foreign Relations. Obama's belief in America's indispensable leadership and strong, principled diplomacy helped him wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, decimate al Qaeda and eliminate Osama bin Laden and the world's most wanted terrorists, and shut down Iran's nuclear weapons program. Obama's military support and accomplishments include increasing Special Forces teams and technology during the Iraq War, which proved to be a positive forward- thinking strategy for the United States, and introducing strategies and policies that reduced the number of American casualties in the Global War on Terrorism. In 2014, Obama signed the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act (aka "VA reform bill"), making more funding available to enable better medical care for veterans. He also initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs (lowering the unemployment rate for veterans by more than half) and signed a bill to expand the availability of housing to homeless veterans.About the West Point Association of GraduatesWPAOG is among America's oldest educational alumni associations. Founded in 1869, WPAOG is a non-profit corporation whose Mission is to Serve West Point and the Long Gray Line, and Vision is to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world by serving and supporting more than 55,500 living West Point graduates. Its philanthropic pursuits maintain a Margin of Excellence for cadets attending the United States Military Academy. For more information see www.WestPointAOG.org About West PointThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college whose mission is to build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and Nation. For more information, go to westpoint.edu # # # WestPointAOG.org #DutyHonorCountry Facebook.com/WestPointAOG Media Contact:Jaye Donaldson jaye.donaldson@wpaog.org SOURCE: West Point Association of Graduates PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-29 15:45:36 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 564 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 The $16M contract and a new GMV office will establish a permanent footprint for the company in the New York Metro areaLOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2024 / Westchester County is home to a diverse population of more than 1 million people, with rail and bus connections into New York City. Following a competitive procurement, the County selected GMV to upgrade its transit technology platform to deliver more efficient service, better oversight of operations and improve the customer experience on Bee Line buses. GMV has more than 25 years of experience delivering technology solutions for buses and trains in places like Los Angeles, Barcelona, Warsaw and Sydney, and the company is excited to bring this technology to New York.Bus_Westchester_USA Bus_Westchester_USAOn each Bee Line bus, the company will install the GMV Hub, a rugged vehicle computer that is specifically designed and built by GMV for transit systems to ensure robust performance and long service life. The GMV Hub uses an open architecture to control a range of onboard systems including GPS, bus operator touchscreen, automatic passenger counters, next stop announcements and a dedicated sensor for precision tracking in indoor bus depots. The GMV Hub also functions as a digital video recorded (DVR) to store footage from security cameras on each bus. This multifunction device significantly reduces the project's equipment cost and delivers great value to the County.ITS Suite is GMV's cloud native software that delivers a suite of applications from GMV and its partners to enhance the County's visibility and control of their bus operations. Each app is focused on a key transit function, and all apps are integrated for real-time data exchange:Planning and scheduling software will generate an optimized set of routes and schedules to serve customers as efficiently as possible and reduce operating costs.Dispatch software enables control center staff to monitor the entire fleet and take quick action to keep buses moving.Garage management software will choreograph bus movements inside the depots to ensure vehicles are ready for service.Video management software enables live remote viewing of bus cameras and secure storage and playback of video evidence.GMV "plays well with others," and this philosophy enables the company to deliver best in class products from third-party partners in a single, coordinated solution. A modern technical architecture built on cloud computing, microservices, and application program interfaces (APIs) makes this collaboration possible, and GMV's project management skills ensure successful delivery.GMV's continued expansion in the United States includes opening a New York office to support Westchester County and other clients on the east coast. "Even with the best technology in the world, excellent Customer Service is what makes projects successful and builds long term relationships with our clients. Face to face, in-person collaboration with clients is critical, and we're excited to grow our presence in New York," said Ian Sephton, CEO of GMV's North American transportation business."We are thrilled to announce Westchester's Bee-Line Bus System will be getting this cutting-edge technology upgrade, which will improve customer safety, real-time operations management and efficiency. The comprehensive upgrade also supports our commitment to sustainability with zero-emission fleet integrations and will enhance the experience for the everyday rider by incorporating modern mobility solutions", said County Executive George Latimer.Contact InformationAlex Fay Chief Commercial Officeralex@ gmv.com 213 973 1209SOURCE: GMVView the original press release on newswire.com President Bola Tinubu signed the bill to revert to the old national anthem, Nigeria We Hail Thee, as part of the constitutional provisions to make it a law on Wednesday. The Senate and the House of Representatives previously passed the legislation to swap the national anthem from Arise, O Compatriots to Nigeria, We Hail Thee at separate sittings. Nigeria We Hail Thee was adopted on Independence Day, 1 October 1960, but it was dropped in 1978 by the then-military administration of Olusegun Obasanjo. Nigeria, We Hail Thee, adopted as the countrys first national anthem upon gaining independence from Britain in 1960, has been readopted. The younger generation may need to become more familiar with the story behind the newly readopted anthem and the women behind the lyrics and composition. Lillian Jean Williams Lillian Jean Williams, a British expatriate who lived in Nigeria when it achieved independence, wrote the anthems lyrics in 1959, while Frances Berda composed the music around the same period. 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 federal government launched a contest to compose an anthem, offering a prize of 1,000, which Ms Berda, a ballet musician, won. Earlier, Ms Willians had won a separate prize for writing the anthem lyrics. The late famous South African literary icon Ezekiel Mphahlele detailed the intrigues behind the adoption of Nigeria We Hail Thee as an anthem in an article titled Nigeria on the Eve of Independence in Africa Today published in September 1960. Among other details, he revealed that Nigerians criticised the choice of both women as the authors and composers of the anthems. In the name of independence, the winning entries should have been chosen from the 500 entries that came from Nigerians themselves. Others again argued that the music should have been composed first and then the lyrics fitted to it instead of the other way round, Mr Mphahleles article partly read. The famed author, a former Drum Magazine reporter, lectured at the University College (now University of Ibadan). The anthem was eventually adopted and used on 1 October 1960 to celebrate Nigerias independence. Nigeria We Hail Thee (lyrics) Nigeria, we hail thee. Our own dear native land Though tribes and tongues may differ In brotherhood, we stand Nigerians all are proud to serve Our sovereign Motherland. Our flag shall be a symbol That truth and justice reign In peace or battle honoured, And this we count as gain, To hand on to our children A banner without stain. O God of all creation Grant this our one request. Help us to build a nation Where no man is oppressed And so, with peace and plenty Nigeria shall be blessed. Arise O Compatriots Nigeria we hail thee was later dropped because it was British-brewed and did not include any Nigerian input. In 1978, John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, O Sota Omoigui and P. O. Aderibigbe wrote the lyrics of the second anthem Arise O Compatriots. In 1990, the Nigerian police band, under the directorship of B. E. Odiasse, composed the music for the second National anthem. The second anthem has been in use since 1978, or 48 years, making it Nigerias longest-serving anthem. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has lamented that health systems remain weak in many developing countries like Nigeria partly because they continue to lose their trained health professionals to developed countries that did not invest in their first professional education. Giving his remarks at the opening plenary of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) Tuesday, Mr Pate said half the worlds population is still experiencing health poverty, deprivations of access to affordable basic health care, such as immunisation, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care. The 77th WHA is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 May to 1 June. The theme for this years event is All for Health, Health for All. Hundreds of Nigerian health workers migrate annually to more advanced countries, mainly because they seek better working conditions and better quality of life. Some of the popular destinations include the UK, Canada and Saudi Arabia. Various statistics show that over 5,000 Nigerian medical doctors migrated to the UK between 2015 and 2022. According to the development Research and Project Centre (dRPC), 233 Nigerian doctors moved to the UK in 2015; the number increased to 279 in 2016; in 2017 the figure was 475; in 2018, the figure rose to 852; in 2019 it increased to 1,347; in 2020, the figure was 833 and in 2021, it was put at 932. Nigerias medical education, like most of its tertiary education in public institutions, is highly subsidised although many Nigerians believe the government is not doing enough to support tertiary institutions. 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 Global health needs According to Mr Pate, Even the significant progress made in addressing HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is looking fragile. He said there was a need to re-examine the global health compact between our countries. To ask the legitimate questions of whether the global health architecture is still fit-for-purpose and whether we have the political will to reform it for a future of greater uncertainties, he said. These are the questions that Nigeria would like members of the Assembly to ponder in the days ahead. Nigerias efforts While highlighting Nigerias efforts to strengthen its health system, Mr Pate said the theme of the 77th WHA resonates profoundly with Nigerias Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, whose goal is to save lives, reduce pain, and produce health for all Nigerians. In Nigeria, we cannot ask the global community to do what we are not willing to do ourselves, he said. We take responsibility and are striving to rebuild our national health system, improve its governance, strengthen our public health capacities, and unlock our healthcare value chains. We are increasing domestic financing, expanding primary healthcare and financial protection for the poor and vulnerable, retraining frontline health workers and increasing training quotas for new ones, stimulating local production of commodities, reinforcing core public health capacities, strengthening prevention and preparedness, and controlling various disease outbreaks. Mr Pate also called on international technical and financing health partners to match our commitments, align with our priorities, increasing shift to use our national systems that are more sustainable and responsive to the local needs. We see a strong Nigerian health system as integral to regional health security in Africa and to global health security, he added. Other recommendations The Minister also recommended the continuation of ongoing negotiations for a Pandemic Treaty and review of the International Health Regulations. He noted that Nigeria aligns with the Common African Position while negotiations are on until a fair agreement is reached and concluded at a special session before the end of the year. He said the COVID-19 pandemic had laid bare the vulnerabilities in health systems, both in developed and developing nations and has challenged countries to rethink the connection between access to health and social justice. As the world emerges from the pandemic, we would have thought that the sobering lessons of the pandemic reignite our determination to build political will, reinforce global solidarity, refocus on addressing global inequities, and invest in the global commons, he said. As no country can be an island in this hyperconnected world, facing serious threats from infectious diseases, climate change, and leadership dysfunction perpetuating devastating conflicts in too many regions, in parts of Africa, in the Middle East, and even in Europe; the gap between rhetoric and action cannot be louder at the global level. We cannot solve injustices with more injustice. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print In his inaugural speech on 29 May, 2023, President Bola Tinubu vowed to tackle the lingering insecurity in the country. Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence, the new president declared in his inauguration speech at the Eagle Square, Abuja, promising to overhaul the sector. To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture. We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide better training, equipment, pay, and firepower, he added. It was not the first time Mr Tinubu would make promises of improved security. He had in countless pre and post-election appearances made such assertions. However, one year after he assumed office as president, almost all parts of the country still suffer one form of insecurity or the other. Although one year may not be enough to judge the success or otherwise of an administration, there has been no significant improvement in the security sector from where Mr Tinubus predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, left it. Indeed, the menace continued unabated, resulting in more than 4,556 fatalities and 7,086 abductions between 29 May 2023 and 22 May 2024, according to data gathered from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a global data hub that collects real-time conflict-related data. These statistics, when compared to the previous years data, show that more people were killed across Nigeria in the first year of the Tinubu administration than in the preceding year. 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 another ACLED data analysed by PREMIUM TIMES, 2,606 Nigerians were killed while 3,523 others were abducted between 29 May 2022 and 29 May 2023. Two months after his inaugural pledge to improve national security, Mr Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the performance of the service chiefs he had just appointed barely a month earlier. We have seen that we are recording positive results in our security challenges because of your dedication, commitment and steadfastness, he told the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, and three other service chiefs at their decoration ceremony in Abuja. But killings and abductions keep making headlines. Insurgency, banditry, resources-based conflict reign in the north An analysis of the ACLED data by PREMIUM TIMES shows that the six geo-political zones, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, experienced several violent incidents within the period under review. Banditry-thorn North-west leads other regions with 1,475 deaths and 4,343 abductions. The trio of Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states prominently featured as violence hotspots, accounting for 551 out of 718 incidents recorded in the region. In the North-central, 552 incidents of banditry, farmers-herders conflict and cultism claimed at least 1,444 lives, including military and local security forces. In addition, about 1,321 abductions were recorded in the region. Insurgency, banditry and other forms of violence in the North-east also resulted in at least 819 deaths and 688 abductions. These were recorded from 408 violent incidents in the region. Cultism, militancy and other vices in the south In a total of 231 violent incidents majorly revolving around cultism and militancy, the South-south zone witnessed at least 336 deaths and 295 abductions. A similar pattern of violence, including separatist agitations and extrajudicial killings, claimed about 310 lives in the South-east where 214 others were kidnapped. In the South-west, cultism, banditry and other forms of violence killed at least 172 civilians as 225 others were abducted. Major terror incidents recorded under Tinubu Mr Tinubu had barely spent three months in office when his administration was quaked with the killings of 36 military personnel responding to terror threats in some communities in Niger State on 14 August. That same day, the terror group led by notorious Dogo Gide also shot down a military aircraft on a rescue mission, although the Nigerian Air Force said it was an accident. Three months later, Nigerians woke to shocking news from Bokkos and Mangu local government areas of Plateau State where over 100 locals were killed on Christmas eve. Violence continued in the area for a while with a series of attacks and reprisals. In March this year, armed terrorists abducted 137 students from elementary schools in Kuriga, Chikun LGA, Kaduna State. The students were set free two weeks later, after an undisclosed amount of ransom was paid. That same month, 15 military operatives consisting of two majors, one captain, and 12 soldiers of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Nigerian Army, were killed by raging youth in Okuama village, Ughelli South LGA of Delta State. The military operatives were on a mission to restore normalcy between two warring communities Okuama and Okoloba in Bomadi LGA when they were surrounded by their killers. Tinubu: Winning the security war? Although the country suffered huge fatalities within the period under review, the terrorists were not spared either. The ACLED data shows that sustained military operations and infighting among terror groups resulted in about 4,165 terrorist casualties. Speaking at a combined convocation ceremony of Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, highlighted the approaches the government was taking to end the multifaceted violence across the country. On the kinetic front, the Nigerian military is conducting numerous operations targeting insurgent groups like Boko Haram and bandits operating in Northern Nigeria, the NSA stated, adding that several operations had been launched to root out insurgents and criminals from their strongholds, dismantle their networks, and restore law and order in affected areas. Mr Ribadu added that such coordinated operations led to the death of high profile terrorists like Ali Kawaje. According to him, intelligence gathering and sharing had been prioritised as a crucial component of its kinetic efforts to address insecurity in the region. Our non-kinetic strategies and approach are driven by evidence, Mr Ribadu continued. We have strengthened the administration of criminal justice by reopening trials of Boko Haram terrorism suspects detained in Kanji and other locations across the country and prosecutions are now underway in eight different courts. Concurrently, we have significantly reduced the proliferation of arms nationwide by blocking the flows and arresting gunrunners. With new appointments at the National Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCSALW), we are poised to launch even more robust initiatives, he added. However, a security expert, Kabir Adamu, said the president has not yet addressed the root causes of insecurity in the country despite all the investment in the sector. Mr Adamu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Security and Intelligence, applauded the militarys operations against terrorists. He, however, argued that continued proliferation of arms, drug abuse, ungoverned borders, ineffective justice administration system and inability to implement adaptation measures to combat climate change are some of the root causes of insecurity that the government has not addressed. Mr Adamu also advised that state governors should be actively involved in national security arrangements. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has issued a stern warning to Nigerians against performing Hajj with unauthorised visas. This warning comes after the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced heavy penalties for Hajj visa violators. In a statement titled Heavy Penalties Await Hajj Visa Violators, Fatima Usara, assistant director of public affairs, on Tuesday, reminded the public of the warning issued by the Saudi Ministry of Interior. She said the ministry stipulated a penalty of deportation and a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals (SR) on anyone caught performing Hajj without the authorised Hajj permit. NAHCON also received a message from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja, through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, disclosing the stand of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars on the matter. The Council issued a Fatwa (a legal ruling given by a recognised religious authority) emphasising the prohibition of performing Hajj without a permit. The Fatwa urged pilgrims to adhere to rules and regulations aimed at enabling Muslims to perform the Hajj in safety and tranquility. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Other warnings NAHCON had issued several warnings in the past against Nigerians falling into the trap of scammers making false job offers for the pilgrimage season. The Saudi Ministry of Interior also advised persons against becoming victims of fictitious companies and fake accounts on social media claiming to be agents/authorities to facilitate Hajj using Umrah, Tourism, Work, Family Visit, and other types of visas at attractive rates. NAHCON Assistant Director, Ahmad Shira shared the contents of the message with all licensed Hajj and Umrah operators from the public and private sectors, to ensure compliance with the regulations. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the bill to revert to the old national anthem. President Tinubu assented to the bill on Wednesday. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this while addressing lawmakers at the ongoing joint session of the National Assembly. The bill seeks to replace the current anthem with the former one adopted as the countrys independence on October 1, 1960, but was changed in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime. The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday while the House of Representatives passed it last Thursday. In his address at the joint sitting, the senate president urged Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the new national anthem. The new national anthem was sung upon President Tinubus arrival in the House chamber for the joint session. 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 This morning, Mr President, signed into an act of Parliament the newly passed national anthem 2024, the senate president said. In our usual tradition, the deputy Senate President and the deputy speaker with the leaders will receive Mr President now and usher him into the chamber for what I call waka pass, he added. Mr Akpabio said the lawmakers will henceforth refer to themselves as brothers and not compatriots contained in the previous national anthem. Henceforth, we will not refer to ourselves as dear compatriots, we will refer to ourselves as brothers and as we go forward in battle, whether in the field of sports, in the field of politics, we must hail Nigeria and so we are all saying today that Nigeria, we Hail thee. The senate president, thereafter, urged Nigerians to see themselves as brothers and spread the brotherhood spirit among one another. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print After several confusing statements and signals, President Bola Tinubu briefly addressed the joint session of the National Assembly after initially declining to do so. The president addressed the session for about seven minutes, touching on the newly- signed National Anthem law. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who had earlier announced that the president would not address the lawmakers, appealed to him to briefly speak to them before doing a waka pass, a term used predominantly when an actor does not say anything in a movie scene but just walks by. Mr Akpabio had said the president would only address Nigerians on 12 June but would only do waka pass. Following the appeal, the president talked about the planned 2024 supplementary budget and sustaining democracy. We must not risk this democracy. Build this democracy so that the future of our children will be productive and prosperous, Mr Tinubu said. National Anthem Speaking on the national anthem, Mr Tinubu said it symbolises the countrys diversity. 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 This is our diversityrepresenting all cradles and how we play together to be brothers and sisters. Without this House, probably I may not find the path to the presidency, he said. The president called for solidarity and collaboration to help drive the country. He added that no other nation can help Nigeria. He also disclosed plans to transmit a supplementary budget proposal to the National Assembly for passage. No other institution will help us except we do it ourselves. No amount of aid from foreign countries will help us. Let us work together to build our nation. Not only for us but for generations yet unborn. charting a new path. We are walking the talk. I will soon bring the 2024 Appropriation Bill (Supplementary Budget)that is just for your information, but we must not risk this democracy, build this nation so that the future of our great ground children will be sure of prosperity and progress, Mr Tinubu stated. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print On 29 May 2023, President Bola Tinubu came into office saying his primary foreign policy objective is to promote the best possible outcomes for Nigeria in all engagements with other nations and restore peace and stability in the West African sub-region and the African continent. In his inaugural speech, Mr Tinubu promised to retool Nigerias foreign policy to more actively lead the regional and continental quest for collective prosperity. Under successive governments, Nigerias foreign policy has more often than not been crafted in thrusts with broad frameworks defining the direction in which Nigeria desires to engage with other actors in the global system. But to put some order into Nigerias foreign policy under President Tinubu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, enunciated last December what he described as the Tinubu 4D doctrine, which is anchored on democracy, developments, demography and diaspora; implying that the focus of President Tinubus foreign policy would be on these four elements. Before December, the minister had spoken about the 4D at the G-20 meeting in India in August and the 78th UN General Assembly in September. Concerning democracy, according to the minister, Nigeria would seek to consolidate democratic gains made since the return to civil rule in 1999; and continue to encourage this, both in Africa and the world. He said the unconstitutional change of government calls for proactive diplomacy in order to reverse the trend and restore peace. On development, it is planned that foreign policy would, first, be directed at working to enhance Nigerian and African development in order to halt the circle of dependency which is against the interest of Africa (and) exploit the opportunities presented by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area to facilitate the exchange of goods and services and boost trade and investment through economic cooperation. Referencing the vibrant talent and skills that (Nigerias) young population possesses, the minister indicated under demography that the countrys foreign policy would be directed at using this demographic advantage to harness its human capital resources for development. 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 On Diaspora, the minister said the Tinubu administration believes that the Nigerian Diaspora community plays a major role in the development of the country, especially concerning their remittances, which had become a significant contributor to Nigerias economic growth and development. The Diaspora community is thus expected to continue to be a catalyst for Nigerias imaging and a veritable source of direct investment. While the minister has not missed an opportunity to speak on how the administration wants to relate with the rest of the world, there is still no clarity on Nigerias positions on critical global issues under the administration. Experts also believe the 4D doctrine of Mr Tinubu appeared too broad to harmonise the countrys foreign policy aspirations with its realistic domestic power capability. Defining the thrust of Nigerias foreign policy soon after the new Tinubu government came into office was appropriate, said Femi Mimiko, a professor and foreign policy expert. Yet, as they currently stand, the four elements of democracy, development, demography and diaspora are rather too fluid in conception, too broad in scope, and too woolly in objective, thus making the entire 4D framework of little use in fathoming the exact direction of Nigerias foreign policy. Can Nigeria advance democracy in Africa and the world? To begin with, Africa has experienced seven military coups since August 2020. Experts said among others, the reason for this may not be unconnected to democracys failure on the continent to deliver on the promise of inclusivity, stability and development. However, the approximate mainstream thought is the assumption that democracy is wholly desirable as a pathway to good governance, stability, and development on the African continent. President Tinubu reiterated this on 9 July 2023, when he was elected as President of ECOWAS. While democracy may be very tough to manage, it nevertheless constitutes the best form of government, the president said. However, less than a month after he emerged as ECOWAS chair, military authorities toppled Mohammed Bazoums government in the Niger Republic. At first, Nigeria and the ECOWAS gave the junta an ultimatum of 15 days to vacate power, when they refused, a raft of economic sanctions followed. Other countries, including the United States, that had provided aid for health, security and infrastructure needs, also suspended their support. But they have had little or no impact on the ambition of the junta, which has consolidated its hold on power while millions in Niger face growing hardship. By January, Niger together with Mali and Burkina Faso decided to withdraw their membership of ECOWAS. This decision forced the West African regional bloc to lift most of the sanctions imposed on the three countries. As the Niger Republic situation has demonstrated, Nigeria in such circumstances, due to doubtful power capability, as well as profound diplomatic constraints, has little or no choice, other than to play along, hoping that the ruling junta would be agreeable to rapid re-democratisation (the transition back to civil rule), Mr Mimiko told PREMIUM TIMES. The brewing crisis in Sudan also buttressed this point. Abuja has not taken any steps to negotiate or assist in bringing back stability in the country. Nigeria is now being advised to take proactive steps on Sudans crisis because of Nigerias boundary with Chad. Chad, Sudans western neighbour, is the country most affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly since Chadian authorities intercepted dozens of vehicles carrying smuggled weapons seized from Sudanese army warehouses in July. On Nigerias placement of democracy on its foreign policy, Mr Mimiko noted that: first, there is the need for greater clarity about what exactly Nigeria seeks vis-a-vis the democratic agenda, within and outside its shores. Secondly, there is the need for Nigeria to set realistic goals in this regard, the parameters of which should be substantially defined by the nations overall power capability. As it stands, Nigeria and the Tinubu administration may not have much influence when other African countries come under the rulership of military juntas. It may also have little or no impact in terms of securing stability and welfare on the African continent. This is why Mr Mimiko thinks the 4Ds attention to realism is also rather weak, as it does little in harmonising the countrys foreign policy aspirations with its domestic power capability, and with no clear, measurable goals for evaluation purposes. On the second D, Mr Tinubus doctrine seeks to enhance Nigerias and Africas development, and by so doing halt the cycle of dependency which is against the interest of Africa, according to Minister Tuggar. They also hope to achieve double-digit growth for Nigeria by combining Agriculture, Infrastructure and Industrialisation. Attracting foreign investment in agriculture would help to close the gap between metro and rural areas and a bifurcation that contributes to Nigerias poor showing on the poverty index. Mr Mimiko, the foreign policy expert, noted that the most pressing question that arises here is whether it is appropriate, feasible and desirable for Nigeria to drive Africas, rather than its own narrow development agenda. Also, he wondered whether Nigeria has any influence on this process beyond extending diplomatic support usually of limited consequence to propositions within and outside the continent that portend positive outcomes for the economies. The Tinubu administration also hopes that the countrys foreign policy would be directed at using Nigerias demographic advantage to harness its human capital resources for development. Nigeria has a population of over 220 million and the youth accounts for the highest share of that demography. But while it is trite that a huge population, when appropriately mobilised, may suggest some potentials for development, this is neither a sufficient condition for nor guarantee of development, Mr Mimiko said. Indeed, an inappropriately mobilised (education, skill set, etc.) population could be the very recipe for sundry social crises. At any event, to the extent that what Nigeria seeks to leverage upon here is the talent and skills that our young population possesses, and not necessarily their youthfulness, methinks what should be in focus here is not age (i.e. demographic), but creativity, which is not (youth) demographic-specific. Finally, the last D stands for Diaspora. Nigeria has a large and widespread diaspora community, in Europe, America, Africa and the Middle East that plays a major role in the development of the country. Last year, Nigerians abroad remitted $20.1 billion. The Diaspora community is thus expected to continue to be a catalyst for Nigerias imaging and a veritable source of direct investment, according to Mr Tuggar. On this point, Mr Mimiko thinks it is apposite that the countrys foreign policy is among other things seeking to reach as many members of this Diaspora as possible, to organise them and sensitise them to the pathways of supporting Nigerias overall development agenda. A condition precedent to all of these, however, which the foreign policy establishment also has to mainstream is, the enhancement of the countrys foreign missions to offer effective consular services to Nigerians overseas. This is one veritable route to implanting Nigeria on the minds of the affected communities in the manner which the 4D framework orientation requires to function. Issues beyond Africa From the foregoing, experts believe Nigeria needs to review the content of the 4D framework to take note of global issues beyond Africa. As argued by Mr Mimiko, as far as these foreign policy directions are concerned, Nigeria is still going to continue to be largely Africa-focused. President Tinubu visited France and pledged a foreign policy shift aimed at reinstating Nigerias Afro-centric approach, emphasising support for African stability and development. Advocacy groups have also advised President Tinubu to push for reform of global governance institutions like the IMF and World Bank to accommodate the voices of the Global South. Nigeria is not a member of the G7 or G20. The country is not a member of BRICS and has not been a member of the UN Security Council since its last tenure in 2014/2015. But President Tinubu also appears to be mulling this idea as Nigeria considers applying to become a member of the G-20 and BRICS bloc. In an editorial last October, PREMIUM TIMES advised the president on strengthening the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies, such as the Nigeria Institute for International Affairs (NIIA). In the 1970s and through to the 1980s, the NIIA was a major instrument for the formulation of Nigerias foreign policy and it guided the path that Nigeria should take on international affairs. Under Tinubu, Nigeria should also prioritise economic diplomacy to attract foreign investment, promote trade, and diversify its economy, the editorial stated. The country should be more pragmatic by actively engaging with both its traditional partners (the West) and emerging global economies, such as China, India, and countries in the Middle East, experts said. While every country, Nigeria inclusive, must condemn big power aggression within the system, Africas largest democracy should push more for a non-aligned position, and work with other global actors to resolve evolving hostilities. Importantly, PREMIUM TIMES advised the president in its editorial to promote Nigerian culture, arts, and soft power on the global stage to foster positive perceptions and build cultural connections with other nations. Nollywood, the worlds second-largest film industry valued at $6.4 billion in 2021, offers a powerful platform. For instance, a report by Matthew Alford highlights the close relationship between the US government, Hollywood, and the influence of films in Washington DC. In conclusion, Mr Mimiko called for a review of the 4D framework that should: First, be moderated in scope; secondly, take cognisance of the countrys limited power capability, and shrinking space in the comity of nations; and thirdly, focus pointedly on the most critical issues to Nigerias overall wellbeing. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Assembly is in top gear to host President Bola Tinubu for the joint session despite the conflicting statements from two presidential spokespersons, Ajuri Ngelale and Bayo Onanuga. Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Tambawal, on Monday, announced that the President will address the joint session of the National Assembly to mark the 25 years of democracy. Later on Tuesday, Mr Onanuga issued another statement confirming that the President will address the joint session alongside former Head of State Abdulsalam Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. However, Mr Ngelale, the main spokesperson to the president, issued a counter-statement, declaring the initial statement as false. Despite the confusion, the security around the National Assembly Complex has been tightened, and a red carpet has been rolled out at the presidential entrance of the White House. Staff and legislative aides are turned back at the entrance of the complex, while journalists are subjected to more security checks at the entrance. In addition, on the Order Paper, the admittance of the president is the only item on the agenda while the red chair of the senate president has been strategically placed. 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 It is worth noting that the House chamber is the main venue used for joint sessions, while the Senate president and speaker are the co-chairmen of joint sessions. Ongoing plenary A plenary session, presided over by Deputy Speaker of the House Ben Kalu, is ongoing on the floor. Mr Kalu announced that the House is ready to admit the president into the chamber. Currently, the lawmakers in the House are debating a motion on insecurity. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, says President Bola Tinubu declined to address the joint session of the National Assembly because all activities to mark the Democracy Day will be held on 12 June. Mr Tajudeen said it was the House that goofed in inviting the president to address a joint session, stating that the lawmakers have been corrected by the president. He stated that the president will only flag off the Old National Anthem which has come into effect with the signing of the controversial National Anthem Bill. The Speaker said the president would not address the House and announced the cancellation of any address by the two presiding officers. The former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari declared 12 June as Democracy Day in 2018. Before then, democracy was celebrated on 29 May when democratic governance was restored in Nigeria. Details later Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, and the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, are among notable personalities billed to attend the unveiling of the New Nigeria Campaign by the Madiba Foundation for Good Governance, on Thursday in Abuja. Others expected at the event include the wife of the Olu of Warri, Olori Atuwase, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola, the Executive Director of Connected Development, Hamza Lawal, and the Publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi. Executive Director of the Madiba Foundation for Good Governance, Frederick Adetiba, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. He said the campaign aims to catalyse a paradigm shift in societal values and behaviours, nurturing patriotism and national pride, particularly among the youth, while fostering a sense of collective ownership and responsibility towards the New Nigeria project. The unveiling promises to be a compelling event, featuring inspiring speeches, insightful panel sessions, captivating musical renditions, and more. Additionally, students from selected secondary and tertiary institutions in the FCT will be in attendance, Mr Adetiba said. Read the full statement: Nuhu Ribadu, Dapo Olorunyomi, Olori Atuwase III Among Prominent Nigerians Unveiling the New Nigeria Campaign 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 Abuja, Nigeria 27th May 2024 FIST Africa and the Madiba Foundation for Good Governance, with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, are set to inaugurate the New Nigeria Campaign on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in Abuja. The Executive Director of the Madiba Foundation for Good Governance, Olumide Frederick Adetiba in a statement, announced the participation of esteemed figures in the unveiling ceremony. Notable personalities set to grace the occasion include Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser; Dapo Olorunyomi, the Publisher of Premium Times and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID); and Her Royal Highness, Olori Atuwase III, Queen of the Warri Kingdom, among others. Confirmed attendees also include distinguished individuals such as the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo (SAN); the Minister of Youth for State, Hon. Ayodele Olawande; Rinsola Abiola, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Hamza Lawal, the Executive Director of Connected Development, alongside other civil society actors. The campaign aims to catalyze a paradigm shift in societal values and behaviours, nurturing patriotism and national pride, particularly among the youth, while fostering a sense of collective ownership and responsibility towards the New Nigeria project. The unveiling promises to be a compelling event, featuring inspiring speeches, insightful panel sessions, captivating musical renditions, and more. Additionally, students from selected secondary and tertiary institutions in the FCT will be in attendance. For wider participation, the event will be streamed online, extending the opportunity for engagement beyond the confines of Abuja. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Two young men were, on Tuesday, killed by a yet-to-be-identified policeman who allegedly fired gunshots at some youths trying to resist the arrest of their colleagues in Ado Ekiti. Witness accounts stated that the incident happened in the Omisanjana area of Ado Ekiti at about 11 p.m. while some men of the Police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) were chasing some young men, believed to be internet fraud stars (yahoo boys). The fleeing men drove a Lexus RX car. According to reports, the young men got involved in an accident with two motorcycle riders while attempting to escape from arrest. Further accounts stated that it was when some irate youths attempted to help the fleeing men to resist arrest, by mobbing the police, that one of them fired bullets that fatally injured two boys. Though the victims were said to have been rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, they gave up the ghost at the hospital. At the moment, their bodies have been deposited in the morgue. However, a statement by the spokesperson for the Ekiti State Police Command, Sunday Abutu, a deputy superintendent of police, stated that a discreet investigation had commenced. 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 Command, upon the receipt of the information, deployed the State Traffic section to the scene to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order as well as ensure the safety of the victims. On getting to the scene, the operatives met resistance as some irate youths disallowed them from performing their lawful duty and insisted on carrying out jungle justice. This necessitated a call for re-enforcement to assist the officers on the ground. However, in the process, one of the officers accidentally fired a shot that fatally injured two persons, Mr Abutu said. The police spokesperson disclosed that the officer responsible for the shooting had been disarmed, arrested and detained, and would face disciplinary action immediately. He said the Command was already in touch with the two families of the deceased, adding that the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Akinwale Kunle Adeniran, had condoled with the families and assured them that justice shall prevail. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday led a joint sitting of the National Assembly as Nigeria returned to the old National Anthem. Senate President Godswill Akpabio had announced before the joint sitting that a return to the old national anthem would begin from today, following Mr Tinubus assent to the bill to that effect. Also, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the sitting along with Mr Akpabio, told members to Google the new anthem so they could recite it correctly. Those who are over 59 years old will know the wordings, he said. Earlier, when it was put to vote, the lawmakers agreed that the band should lead the anthem. Meanwhile, Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun) said he was not too keen on the national anthem because it was delivered by the colonial master. He added that a blend of the old and the new one would have sufficed rather than discarding the old outright. 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 Since the majority agreed that we should revert, I followed what the majority said, but in my own opinion, we could have done a blend of the two. The new national anthem was composed by a foreigner, the old one (Arise o compatriot) was composed by a Nigerian, and some of the lyrics also invoke the spirit of nationalism. This is in recognition of the sacrifice of our heroes past Also speaking, Rep. Akin Rotimi, the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, said that it was a win-win situation as the second stanza of the national anthem would now be used as the national prayer. He said the national anthem is a source of building patriotism. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has urged President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of Works and Housing, David Umahi, to order for walking out on journalists. This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of Council, Osadebamwen Osaretin and Ochiaka Ugwu, respectively, on Wednesday in Abuja. According to them, the council is appalled by the outright disregard for members of the fourth estate of the realm by Mr Umahi. The description of over 40 journalists present for an assignment, as journalists are not present, was very condescending to a news conference he had invited the media through the ministrys Assistant Director Press, Clement Ezeorah. For the avoidance of doubt, over 40 media correspondents were present for the news conference for which the ministrys invitation had scheduled for 2 p.m. and for which the minister came at 2:48 p.m. The correspondents who were present include those from The Punch, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Tribune, The Vanguard, Leadership, Daily Independent, Peoples Daily, Armed Forces Radio, NTA, Arise Television, TVC, amongst others. Describing these and others as media not present leaves much to be desired. 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 council urges President Tinubu to call the minister to order as well as direct all his appointees to demonstrate the highest civility and courtesy to journalists and the media in general, they said. The union leadership stressed that the minister owes a duty to Nigerians through the media and, therefore, should demonstrate respect and utmost courtesy. They added that, if not, the media would be persuaded to boycott his activities, they said. According to them, treating members of the media with such condescension is unbecoming of a minister appointed to serve and not be an emperor. The last time was him, trying to shout down the Arise TV Correspondent, Laila Johnson-Salami. It should be noted that the media has a constitutional role to hold the government and its officials accountable to the Nigerian people. And therefore, no amount of intemperance from any government official will erode this sacred duty, they stressed. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, a former commissioner in Ondo State, has been appointed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the head of the new media corporate services unit in the office of the national secretary. The ruling party, in a letter dated 11 March and signed by the National Secretary of the party, Ajibola Bashiru, appointed the former commissioner to the new role. Mrs Ademola-Olateju served as commissioner under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. She was first appointed commissioner for regional integration and later moved to the ministry of information, a position she held until January 2024 when Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa dissolved the cabinet. Mr Aiyedatiwa emerged as governor following the death of Mr Akeredolu in December. The governor subsequently dissolved the cabinet he inherited from Mr Akeredolu. The dissolution of the cabinet was viewed by many as a way of getting rid of Mr Akeredolus loyalists. In her new role as the head of new media, Mrs Ademola-Olateju is to leverage new technologies of communication for outreach on behalf of the APC, especially its National Working Committee (NWC). Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later In addition, the office is expected to leverage social media, blogs, virtual platforms, and streaming technologies to amplify the activities of the party. Mrs Ademola-Olateju told PREMIUM TIMES that she plans to create synergy with government agencies in order to defend the agenda of the APC. She stated that her office plans to be proactive to forestall undue criticism of the agenda of the party. I will leverage these technologies to promote the agenda, policies, and programmes of the APC as outlined in the party constitution and implemented by the National Working Committee. In this regard, my work will complement that of the National Publicity Secretary. While the National Publicity Secretary will speak to broad party agenda and decisions, as the case may be, my office will disseminate the information across various media platforms, from social media to newspapers and TV, she said. She added that, It is as important to take proactive measures to forestall criticisms of the partys agenda as it is to defend it when criticised. My office will deploy new media specialists to perform this dual function where necessary. My office will also forge a relationship with the governments media office in order to assist in propagating government projects. This is necessary because the party is more in touch with the people and can reach them faster through new media outlets. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has promised to investigate the confrontation between its officers and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) at the AYA Roundabout, Abuja VIO Office, on Friday. In a video widely circulated on social media, the officers engaged in a physical altercation, exchanged punches and struck one another with sticks amid gunshots. In a statement signed Tuesday by its spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, the service said the personnel were from the Customs Mechanical Unit stationed at Karu Barracks, Abuja. The NCS expressed deep concern and empathy for those affected by the regrettable incident and distanced itself from the actions of the officers involved. It said their behaviour was self-motivated and contrary to the values and operational standards of the NCS. It said an investigation is underway, and appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken to prevent future occurrences. It is essential to state that this incident contradicts the values and operational standards of the NCS. Such behaviour undermines one of the key policy thrusts of the Comptroller-General of Customs, which is to foster collaboration with sister security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of Nigerians and their properties. The NCS, under the leadership of CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and his Management Team, strongly condemns such conduct and does not tolerate any actions jeopardising the commitment to professionalism and inter-agency cooperation. 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 Service remains steadfast in its mission to generate revenue, facilitate trade, and suppress smuggling to support a more robust and secure economy for all Nigerians, it said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, says the synergy between the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu is yielding results. Mr Agbese stated this on Wednesday after the joint session of the National Assembly attended by President Tinubu. He noted that the proactive approach of the president has helped to maintain the cordial ties. Mr Tinubu attended the joint session of the National Assembly for the flag-off of the National Anthem. President Tinubus approach to legislative matters has fostered a collaborative environment, encouraging open dialogue and constructive engagement between the executive and legislative arms of government, Mr Agbese said. This synergy has yielded significant benefits, including the swift passage and signing of crucial bills that address pressing national issues. As a parliamentarian, I have witnessed first-hand the presidents commitment to democratic principles and his willingness to listen to diverse perspectives. 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 His door has always been open to constructive feedback and suggestions, demonstrating a genuine desire to serve the best interests of our nation, he said. Speaking on the National Anthem Act, Mr Agbese said the old anthem represents the old glory and brings a sense of nostalgia. Im particularly thrilled with the return to our old national anthem as a major step towards the countrys return to glory days. This was an era of prosperity; when the economy worked, infrastructure was in top shape, agriculture was still the in thing, and our educational system was among the best. This anthem, with its familiar lyrics and stirring melody, evokes a sense of nostalgia and patriotism in the hearts of many Nigerians. It reminds us of our history, our struggles, and our triumphs. Its return is a welcome move that resonates with citizens from all walks of life. The old national anthem is more than just a song; it symbolises our shared values and aspirations. Its lyrics speak to our collective desire for unity, peace, and progress. It reminds us of the sacrifices made by our founding fathers and the struggles of our national heroes. In a country as diverse as ours, the national anthem is one of the few things that binds us together. Its a common thread that runs through our collective fabric, reminding us of our shared identity and purpose, he said. Mr Agbese, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Tinubus party, also commended the president for the speedy passage of some of the bills passed by the National Assembly. In just one year, he said President Tinubu has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to signing bills into law in record time, showcasing his administrations responsiveness to the needs of citizens, he said. Mr Tinubu is celebrating one year in office, though he ordered a low-key celebration. PREMIUM TIMES reported that 4,500 Nigerians were killed and 7,000 kidnapped in his first year as president. Over the past one year, the National Assembly has passed dozens of resolutions on security without significant changes. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Fifteen years since it started, the Boko Haram conflict in the Lake Chad Basin has defied solutions, notably the largely military and security force-driven measures. Both factions of the group, Jamaatu Ahlis Sunna LiddaAwati Wal-Jihad (JAS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have shown their resilience to these operations. This resilience and the massive impact of violent extremism on civilians over 11 million people in the region need humanitarian aid show that alternate solutions are needed. Globally, military operations succeeded in defeating only 7 per cent of all terrorist groups operating from 1968-2006. In that period, 43% of terror campaigns were ended through negotiations. A recent study by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Researchs Managing Exits from Armed Conflict (MEAC) project shows that community members support dialogue between governments and Boko Haram. Communities are also willing to accept former Boko Haram associates as part of reintegration processes. Countries across the region have used non-kinetic strategies to resolve the conflict, such as incentivising and managing exits from both factions to weaken their fighting forces and reconstruct victims livelihoods. These non-military efforts, which also seek to address the conflicts socio-economic drivers, are part of the Lake Chad Basins strategy to stabilise the region. The ISS-MEAC project examined whether states could complement such strategies with dialogue and negotiations. The research conducted in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria was completed against the backdrop of JAS leader Abubakar Shekaus death in 2021. His demise triggered the exit of 160,000 people associated with the group or living in areas under its control. These departures presented a real opportunity for ending the conflict. Given the sensitivity of speaking with designated terror groups like Boko Haram, researchers gauged the receptiveness of crucial stakeholders in the region towards the topic. They conducted 295 interviews and 35 focused group discussions with government officials, armed forces, former Boko Haram associates, community leaders and members, non-governmental organisations and community security actors. 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 study sought to understand perceptions about both Boko Haram factions and how these may affect dialogue. It then asked various stakeholder groups about key factors in any negotiation, such as who had the authority within each group to engage in talks, and what the potential agenda would be. The research aimed to give officials a more nuanced understanding of the diverse conflict resolution tools available so as to better anticipate peoples reactions to their use. It provided insight into the viability of dialogue with Boko Haram. Previous ISS and MEAC research shows that communities have accepted former Boko Haram associates in the past. In this study, dialogue was viewed as important in addressing harm and facilitating the reintegration of former members. Other respondents highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to negotiations to address the broader conflict. They urged talks with state and militia forces to redress their violence against community members. Respondents generally believed that negotiating with JAS would be easier than with ISWAP. Shekaus death and the resulting mass exits, combined with a loss of territory, factional fighting and continued pressure from the military, make JAS more likely to negotiate. The main question is who among the faction has the authority to negotiate on its behalf. JAS current leader, Bakura Doro, was cited most often. However, in light of the groups vague structure, respondents also said that certain influential sub-commanders could play a crucial role in negotiations. Their followers were likely to listen, even if this meant standing down their units. Negotiations with ISWAP were generally viewed as less plausible given its international connection with the Islamic State, well-structured leadership system, and financial and military strength. A notable lack of trust was evident between the factions and the government based on past experiences with negotiations and highlights the need for a credible intermediary. Most respondents favoured including traditional and religious leaders who already act as mediators and peacebuilders in their communities. Their involvement would mobilise community buy-in. A point of disagreement was involving military and community security actors in negotiations. Respondents in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad were mostly in favour of the militarys involvement, while those in Niger were not. They even viewed the military as potential spoilers in negotiations. When looking at community security actors such as the Civilian Joint Task Force in Nigeria or the Comites de Vigilance in Chad, Cameroon and Niger, participants overwhelmingly felt their involvement would aid negotiations. Many had already facilitated the return home of former associates, and respondents thought they could inspire confidence in the process. Countries shouldnt view dialogue as a sign of weakness. Instead, negotiations are one of a series of tools that can complement other efforts in ending the Boko Haram crisis. They can be used alongside kinetic efforts to weaken the violent extremist group and force it to the negotiation table. Identifying entry points for dialogue through influential Boko Haram commanders, rather than relying on its leaders, is important considering the decentralised nature of the factions, especially JAS. Should the groups leadership prove elusive, multiple entry points give states more options. Malik Samuel, Researcher, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Francesca Batault, Associate Researcher, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and his deputy, Barau Jibrin, have congratulated President Bola Tinubu on the completion of his first year in office. Messrs Akpabio and Jibrin congratulated the president in separate statements issued by their Special Advisers on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh and Ismail Mudashir, respectively. President Tinubu was inaugurated as Nigerias 16th leader on 29 May 2023. The senate president and the deputy senate leader said the policies of the Tinubu administration have developed the nations economy and other critical sectors. They assured that the National Assembly, under their leadership, will continue to support President Tinubu in achieving his campaign promises. Repositioning Nigeria The senate president specifically said the policies implemented by the current administration were not to punish Nigerians but to reposition the country. 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 Akpabio commended President Tinubu for making tough decisions in repositioning the country. Mr. President, I must commend you for being a courageous and bold leader who leads from the front and does not shy away from taking responsibility. In the last one year, you have taken very tough decisions, some of which are painful but necessary and would soon translate into long-term benefits for the citizenry. Your actions and policies have clearly shown that you were prepared for leadership and have the wherewithal to transform the nation into an enclave for good governance and enduring development, he said. Tough policies The senate president congratulated President Tinubu on his achievements in the removal of petroleum subsidy, reformation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the establishment of the student loan policy, and other key achievements. I acknowledged the milestone achieved in the fight against insecurity, the removal of petroleum subsidy and the economic reforms, particularly at the Central Bank of Nigeria and other key agencies, the commitment to reposition the forex market, which are gradually pointing towards economic recovery and growth. In the educational sector, the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) and other interventions in schools at all levels stand this administration out. The prioritisation of staff welfare, driving towards a truly living wage and attainment of industrial harmony, an elaborate social welfare programme and respect for the citizenry by listening to their cries in implementing some of the policies have endeared Mr President to the hearts of millions of Nigerians. The mutual understanding and cooperation that has existed between the Executive and the Legislature is also a signal that you are prepared to go places. The National Assembly, in national interest, is willing to continue to collaborate with the Executive under your tutelage to advance the cause of our democracy and give Nigerians value for their votes. No doubt, times are hard, but it is for good as the president has shown commitment and is making deliberate efforts to make life enjoyable for every Nigerian. As you step into the second year of your tenure, I pray for continued wisdom and excellent health for you, better commitment from your team and the support and understanding of Nigerians to enable you to lead the country back to its enviable place in the comity of nations. He assured that the National Assembly will continue to support the policies of the Tinubu administration. On our part, the National Assembly will continue to support programmes and policies of your administration that will bring succour to the populace and make life better for the citizenry, he said. Endurance Mr Jibrin, in his congratulatory message, urged Nigerians to endure the current situation, assuring that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. He described President Tinubu as a great leader and a visionary of modern Nigeria. His Excellency has, no doubt, steadily navigated the once-adrift ship of the Nigerian State to safety, he said. The National Assembly, as the voice of all Nigerians, will always stand in synergy with Mr Presidents visionary administration in facilitating the achievement of the Renewed Hope Agenda to restore hope in the country, he said. Before comfort, there must be some discomfort. Let us endure. Nigeria will change for the better, Insha Allah. I, therefore, call on Nigerians of all persuasions to continue to pray for our leaders and the well-being of our country and to offer their full support to President Tinubu as he resets our dear nation for peace and socio-economic prosperity, he added. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded Chioma Okoli in prison after she was arraigned for alleged defamation against Erisco Foods Limited. Ms denied any wrongdoing when the two charges preferred against her were read to her before the trial judge, Peter Lifu, on Tuesday. She is being prosecuted under Nigerias Cybercrime Act. Mr Lifu adjourned the suit until Friday, 31 May, for ruling on the defendants bail request. He remanded the defendant in prison pending the ruling on the bail application. At the hearing of the bail request on Tuesday, Ms Okolis lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, presented a medical report, arguing that his client had a miscarriage because of the psychological trauma she slipped into because of the case. But the prosecution lawyer, Abdulrashid Sidi, prayed the judge to reject Ms Okolis bail application. He contended that the defendant might jump bail. Mr Sidi told the judge that Ms Okoli breached the terms of an earlier administrative bail the police granted her. 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 Background In September 2023, the police arrested Ms Okoli for claiming in a review that a tomato paste she bought in a market tasted sugary. The paste, Nagiko tomato mix, is manufactured by Erisco Foods Limited, Lagos. She made the comment in a post on her Facebook page on 17 September, 2023. She goes by the name, Chioma Egodi Jnr, on Facebook. In the post seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Ms Okoli said she had gone to the market on 16 September with the intention of buying Gino or Sonia brand of tomato paste but could not find them. A few days later, police operatives in Lagos apprehended Ms Okoli and flew her to Abuja for interrogation following a complaint by Erisco Foods Limited. Erisco Foods Limited described as untrue and unfounded Ms Okolis claim that its paste tastes sugary. In a statement issued by its management, the company said it was built on the vision and mission to manufacture and promote healthy and wholly made-in-Nigeria tomato products with a commitment to feed Africa, including Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, has imposed restrictions on all public gatherings intended for protest within the state. The governors spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, in a statement on Wednesday, said the directive was an exercise of the authority vested in the the governor as the chief security officer of the state By virtue of his position, the governor has directed the Police, the Directorate of State Security Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps to apprehend, detain, and prosecute any individual or group partaking in demonstrations on the streets of Kano. This decisive action is a preemptive strategy aimed at averting any potential breakdown of law and order orchestrated by adversaries of the state. We are privy to credible intelligence indicating that certain prominent figures from the opposition party in Kano have devised plans to sponsor student associations and political agitators from other northwestern states to incite chaos under the guise of advocating for the dethroned Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. The state government has explicitly outlawed protests, demonstrations, or processions of any kind, and individuals found on the streets of Kano engaging in such activities will be promptly apprehended. Through this declaration, we caution student groups against being manipulated by troublemakers who are resolute in fomenting disorder in Kano. 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 governor urged all citizens of the state to carry on with their normal activities as the state retains its tranquility, and the government will persist in vigilant oversight of the situation to promptly address any individuals or factions trying to undermine the relative peace that state presently enjoys, the statement highlighted. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian government has directed vice-chancellors of federal government-owned universities whose tenures expire soon to nominate one of their deputies to serve in an acting capacity pending the inauguration of the universitys governing councils. The directive, which came from the Ministry of Education and conveyed through the National Universities Commission (NUC), said the governing councils will commence the process of appointing substantive vice-chancellors after their inauguration. It is unclear yet if this directive voids the appointments of vice-chancellors already conducted within the period when there was no council. In April, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, for instance, appointed Sani Kunya, a professor of construction management, as the vice-chancellor. The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, promised to get back to our reporter regarding this, but she has yet to as of the time of filing this report. Directive In a letter to the universities, dated 28 May and signed by Chris Maiyaki, the acting executive secretary of the NUC, the out-going vice-chancellors were asked to nominate one of the deputy vice-chancellors that will oversee the office of the vice-chancellor in a temporary capacity. He said the deputy vice-chancellor should be nominated through the recommendation of the university senate. 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 Maiyaki noted that the governing councils will, after their inauguration, appoint acting vice-chancellors for a period not less than six months, during which they will commence the process of appointing substantive vice-chancellors. This circular takes pre-eminence over our earlier communication on the same subject, he added. Other institutions where the tenure of the vice-chancellors would end soon include the University of Maiduguri, Borno State; Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Sokoto State; and the University of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Dissolved governing councils The federal government-owned institutions have been without governing councils since President Bola Tinubus sweeping directive for their dissolution in June last year. But the development has resulted in industrial unrest at the University of Abuja, where the institutions Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on an indefinite strike after accusing the university of kick-starting the process of appointing another vice-chancellor, an activity specially reserved for the council, which is currently non-existent. The National Executive Council of ASUU had also, on 14 May, issued the government a twoweek ultimatum to reinstate councils whose tenures were yet to expire as of the time of the dissolution order and reconstitute those whose tenures had elapsed. ASUU described Mr Tinubus dissolution of the university councils as illegal, adding that it has paved the way for a series of illegalities on the various campuses. Days after the ultimatum, the education ministry released a list of five-member governing councils each for 111 tertiary institutions, including the universities. The list was instantly met with controversy as members of the public accused the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, of violating the federal character provisions. Mr Tinubu, therefore, directed the review of the list, forcing the education ministry to suspend the inauguration earlier scheduled for Thursday, 30 May. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Police Force Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) on Tuesday detained the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, and an investigative journalist with the platform, Nurudeen Akewushola, for over nine hours. Both journalists honoured the invitation of the police and arrived at the NPF-NCCC office at noon on Tuesday but were held and only released after 9 p.m. The newspaper had raised an alarm and journalists and activists immediately took to social media and berated the police, even as they called for their immediate release. A human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who accompanied the two journalists to the police alongside their lawyers, told PREMIUM TIMES that they were granted bail, adding that the police suggested that the journalists would again be invited on a later date. I was released on bail and asked to come back on June 11, Mr Akewushola told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday, adding that the police insisted on knowing his sources for his story which drew their attention. Mr Akewushola said the police claimed they had received a petition, in which he and the ICIR were accused of cyberstalking and defamation, a popular accusation Nigerian authorities have used to clamp down on journalists and activists. Close to a dozen Nigerian journalists have been detained or sued for the same accusation in the past year. Early this month, Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), spent nine days in police custody after he was slammed with similar accusations. Mr Ojuwu was abducted and initially held incommunicado before his family got wind of where he was detained. He was transferred from Lagos to Abuja. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later ICIR ordeal Like Mr Ojukwu, Messrs Aiyetan and Akewusholas ordeal began with a petition written against them for a story they published, which exposed corruption. The ICIR had in February published a story authored by Mr Akewushola detailing how two former Inspectors General of the NPF and other senior personnel of the force were accused of bribery in a shady land sale of designated police barracks. The story, according to the ICIR, was culled from affidavits and testimonies of parties in an ongoing court case involving the subjects of the story. On 17 May, one of the subjects of the story, the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Solomon Arase, a former Inspector General of Police, said he would file a lawsuit against the ICIR journalist, the editor, Victoria Bamas, and the Executive Director, Mr Aiyetan. Mr Arase announced the lawsuit through the PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani. According to Mr Akewushola, the owner of Copran International Limited, the contractor the ICIR report indicted for being used to dupe the police force, also petitioned the same police force against the ICIR. The most ridiculous of it is that the petitioner told the police that I asked him for money which is absolutely not true. I believe they just came up with that to make the petition weighty, he said. The journalist wondered why the police is more interested in harassing the journalists rather than investigating further and prosecuting the persons exposed by the report. Everything we reported was backed by legally certified documents and we expect the police to be more interested in furthering the investigation and fishing out those people who are culpable as the case may be and not going after us for basically doing our civic responsibility, he said. We have insisted that the police are an interested party in this case because it involves their superiors and they showed the sentiment in their interrogation. We were grilled and they insisted on knowing our sources for the story. Invitation, detention Two days earlier on 15 May, the ICIR received a letter from the NPF-NCCC addressed to Mr Akeuwhola and the Managing Directors of the ICIR, saying it is investigating a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character in which the journalists name featured prominently. But the letter was dated 16 April and the journalist was asked to report to NCCC on 24 April. This means the journalist was expected to report at the NCCC three weeks before the letter was delivered to him. The ICIR, therefore, raised concerns that the invitation was vague, saying it didnt state what the police were investigating and why they needed to invite the newspapers officials. The platform also worries over the growing trend of the crackdown on journalists by security operatives using the Cybercrimes Act. The NPF-NCCC delivered another letter dated 20 May and written separately to the reporter and the managing directors of the ICIR, for a fact-finding invitation on 27 May. However, both journalists were held incommunicado for hours until they were released after 9 p.m. They kept directing us from one office to another before they eventually released us, Mr Akewushola added. Amnesty International condemns Meanwhile, the rights group Amnesty International has condemned the harassment of both ICIR staffers, calling on Nigerian authorities to end a culture of impunity. In a brazen violation of due process for hours, lawyers and family could not reach them. The Nigerian authorities must end this pattern of punishing journalists who are dedicated to ending the pervasive culture of impunity that allows corrupt practices to go unpunished, the statement posted on X noted. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print As we celebrate Africa Day and look forward to the general elections in South Africa, the University of Johannesburgs (UJ) Institute for the Future of knowledge (IFK) in South Africa reflected on the state of democracy on the continent last week during a public discussion titled Democracy and Development in Africa: How Far, How Well? In light of the recent democratic retreat in Africa, evident in both successful and attempted coups, there have been debates over the success of democratic consolidation, as well as the nexus between democracy and economic development on the continent. As we celebrate Africa Day and look forward to the general elections in South Africa, the University of Johannesburgs (UJ) Institute for the Future of knowledge (IFK) in South Africa reflected on the state of democracy on the continent last week during a public discussion titled Democracy and Development in Africa: How Far, How Well? Dr Oluwaseun Tella, head of the Future of Diplomacy at IFK delivered the opening remarks and set the stage for the discussion, noting the salience of highlighting the strides made and the challenges that persist. The discussion was chaired by Professor Victoria Graham, senior director of Strategic Initiatives and Administration at UJ in South Africa, while Professor Lawrence Hamilton, SA-UK Bilateral Research chair in Political Theory at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa; Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, distinguished professor at the Wits School of Governance in South Africa; and Professor Arthur Mutambara, former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe and director of IFK were the main speakers. In her introduction, Graham provided an overview of the nexus between democracy and development in Africa, drawing particular attention to South Africas upcoming elections. She noted that while many African states have a multiparty system, they have seemingly maintained their authoritarian practices. Graham also identified corruption as a major hurdle to African democracy, noting that it erodes public trust and undermines the rule of law an important pillar of a stable democracy. He added that it is imperative for Africans to understand the shared responsibilities of both the government and its citizens in identifying their needs and formulating and implementing policies to meet them. Only then can democracy and development be defined in the context of Africa to fulfil the needs of Africans. On his part, Olukoshi argued that there is no significant qualitative change in democracy when political parties alternate power, as there is a disconnect between democratic governance and the economic policies that are formulated and implemented. He added that the electorate is limited in their exercise of democracy in that while they have the liberty to vote, they have less say in the type of policies that are selected as these are already pre-determined by an overarching system that has separated the presidency and other key ministries of government over time, making them independent of one another. 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 it is imperative for Africans to understand the shared responsibilities of both the government and its citizens in identifying their needs and formulating and implementing policies to meet them. Only then can democracy and development be defined in the context of Africa to fulfil the needs of Africans. Mutambara reinforced this view and further argued for a shared national economic vision. He stressed the need for Africa to build a capable state as a driver of development. Mutambara indicated the need for Africa to take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in order to place itself at the centre of international markets, while simultaneously using its regional capacity as a collective bargaining tool. He concluded that while South Africa may have stumbled upon a sustainability route, there is the need for a functional administrative system to propel the country in this trajectory. As South Africa heads to the polls on 29 May, it remains to be seen if the outcome of the elections will impact the countrys development and ultimately the quality of its democracy. Hamilton focused on de-development and de-growth, drawing on the case of South Africa. He argued that in the South African context, a shift towards sustainability has not been a matter of choice, but rather a consequence of de-development. Factors such as poorly maintained and failing infrastructure have resulted in the lack of the provision of basic needs, leading to the privatisation of supply mechanisms to sustain the South African economy and maintain its developmental trajectory. This is complicated by high levels of unemployment (which sits at around a third of the population), high inequality and murder rates, and the scourge of load-shedding (interruption of electricity supply). He added that South Africas roll-out of welfare programmes, while praise-worthy, also indicates the long-term de-growth and de-development. He argued that reliance on such schemes from a shrinking minority is not sustainable. While it may be necessary to meet the basic needs of all, development is not simply about meeting these basic needs. Instead, it involves expanding these needs and ultimately enhancing their freedoms and quality of life, which result in a better quality of democracy. He concluded that while South Africa may have stumbled upon a sustainability route, there is the need for a functional administrative system to propel the country in this trajectory. As South Africa heads to the polls on 29 May, it remains to be seen if the outcome of the elections will impact the countrys development and ultimately the quality of its democracy. Thandeka Nomvele is the administrator at the University of Johannesburgs Institute for the Future of Knowledge. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has taken monumental steps to enhance the security landscape of the state, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to protecting the lives and properties of its citizens. His administrations approach to tackling insecurity, particularly the rampant issues of banditry and other related crimes, has been both comprehensive and decisive. In his first 100 days in office, Governor Sani embarked on an ambitious plan to bolster local security forces. Recognising the limitations of the existing security apparatus, he recruited 7,000 vigilantes. This massive recruitment drive was aimed at augmenting the capacity of conventional security agencies, providing a much-needed grassroots presence in combating crime. These vigilantes, drawn from local communities, bring invaluable local knowledge and a vested interest in the security of their areas, making them a critical component in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminal activity. Today marks another significant milestone in Governor Sanis security initiatives as he commissions the distribution of 150 modern, sophisticated vehicles and 500 motorcycles to security personnel within the state under the newly formed, Operation Fushin-Kada. These vehicles and motorcycles, equipped with advanced technology, are designed to improve mobility and response times, allowing security forces to react swiftly to incidents and patrol vast and often challenging terrains effectively. This logistical upgrade is a game-changer, ensuring that security personnel can cover more ground and reach troubled spots with greater efficiency. The commissioning ceremony boasts the attendance of critical stakeholders in the security sector, including the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Inspector General of Police. Their presence underscores the importance of this initiative and highlights the collaborative efforts between state and federal security agencies. Governor Sanis invitation to these key figures is a testament to his commitment to fostering a united front against insecurity, ensuring that all levels of government work in tandem to protect the people of Kaduna State. Mr Sanis efforts have not gone unnoticed. His proactive measures have not only strengthened the morale of the security forces but have also instilled a sense of hope and safety among the residents of Kaduna State. The introduction of these vigilantes and the provision of 150 state-of-the-art vehicles and 500 motorcycles signify a comprehensive strategy that addresses both immediate security needs and long-term stability. 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 Moreover, these initiatives reflect Mr Sanis understanding that security is foundational to the overall development of the state. By prioritizing safety, he is paving the way for socio-economic growth, as a secure environment is essential for businesses to thrive and for citizens to go about their daily lives without fear. The ripple effect of enhanced security extends to all sectors, fostering a conducive atmosphere for education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. In conclusion, Governor Uba Sanis relentless focus on improving the security of Kaduna State through the recruitment of 7,000 vigilantes and the acquisition of 150 sophisticated vehicles and 500 motorcycles for security operations is commendable. His dedication to creating a safer environment for the people of Kaduna State deserves accolades and appreciation. It is imperative to encourage him to maintain this momentum and to explore even more innovative solutions to ensure sustained security and peace in the state. His leadership in this regard sets a benchmark for others to follow, showcasing a model of how decisive action and strategic investments in security can transform a state. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has advised Muslim clerics in Kano not to interfere in the ongoing crisis in the state arising from the deposition of five emirs. The NSCIA, through a statement issued on Wednesday by its Secretary-General, Salisu Shehu, said it noticed with concern contradictory statements from the states Council of Ulamas, stressing that the statements can only heighten tension instead of providing solutions to the problems. PREMIUM TIMES reported the Kano State Council of Ulamas warning that the emirate crisis could trigger a breakdown of law and order in the state. In a statement signed by its chairperson, Ibrahim Khalil, the council urged President Bola Tinubu to employ non-partisan measures to address the crisis. However, another group later issued another statement calling on Governor Abba Yusuf to obey the court order against the deposition of the emirs. In its intervention, the NSCIA asked the clerics, as custodians of Islamic learning, values and guidance, to exercise caution and refrain from making statements that can further exacerbate tension and polarise the Ummah. Read below the full statement from the NSCIA The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has noticed the contradictory statements emanating from some quarters of the Ulama in Kano concerning the current traditional leadership crisis in the state. 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 At this trying period for the Ummah, the Council calls on Islamic scholars, who are custodians of Islamic learning, values and guidance, to exercise caution and refrain from making statements that can further exacerbate tension and polarise the Ummah. Ulama, within and outside the state should prayerfully allow the current traditional leadership conflict in Kano to be handled and resolved by the political, judicial and customary authorities. READ ALSO: Kano court restrains security agents from evicting Sanusi Meanwhile, the Council calls on Kanos political, traditional and judicial authorities to resolve the current issue with the fear of Allah, fairness and justice. The Council calls on the people of Kano to sincerely call on Allah, remain calm and avoid taking laws into their hands. May Allah grant us sustainable peace in our dear Country, Nigeria. Signed. Prof. Salisu Shehu For: Secretary-General Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (Escoffier), the largest culinary school brand in the U.S.* and accredited provider of online and campus-based culinary training and education, today announced it was certified as a great workplace by independent analysts at the Great Place to Work research firm, for the fifth year in a row. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide as the leading benchmark for identifying outstanding employee experiences and is based entirely on current employee feedback. The independent research and consulting firm and authority on workplace culture has surveyed more than 100 million employees globally since 1992. Surveys measure employee experiences on the job through their responses to more than 60 statements and open-ended questions. Rankings are based on employees' experiences, no matter who they are, how long they've been with the company, or what they do within the organization. According to Escoffier's CEO Jack Larson, "Earning this remarkable accomplishment five years in a row is a testament to our passionate and talented employees and Escoffier's unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive and collaborative workplace culture." With campuses in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado, and support staff at the institution's headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, Escoffier's 560+ employees include a diverse mix of educators, culinary experts, and professional chef instructors from all across the U.S. In addition, Escoffier is consistently listed as a top 10 culinary institution and best online schools 2023 with programs offered at both campuses as well as online. In addition to being a great place to work, the survey revealed Escoffier employees feel welcome, have a sense of pride about accomplishments, and are given the resources and equipment needed to do their job. For more Escoffier survey details, visit results and "Great Place to Work Certification . "Great Place To Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the vice president of Global Recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasizes that Certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. "By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that Escoffier stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees." About Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the largest culinary school brand in the U.S. (based on comparable student population data currently reported in IPEDS*) . Escoffier's Boulder, CO campus is the only accredited institution in the United States to offer both fully online diploma and degree programs with culinary classes and hands-on industry externships. Escoffier's Austin, Texas and Boulder, Colorado campuses (Boulder includes online programs) were ranked number one in the U.S. by Chef's Pencil , the school's accredited programs offer the combination of a classic and contemporary approach to industry skills training as well as sustainability-centered and business-focused curriculum. Both Escoffier campuses are Great Place to Work-Certified institutions, and have been designated Military Friendly Schools , and Boulder was named a Newsweek Top Online Learning School . Escoffier in Austin offers diploma programs in culinary arts, and pastry arts, as well as Associate of Applied Science degrees in culinary arts and pastry arts. Escoffier in Boulder offers diploma programs in culinary arts, pastry arts, food entrepreneurship, and plant-based culinary arts as well as Associate of Occupational Studies degrees in culinary arts, baking and pastry, plant-based culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant operations management, holistic nutrition and wellness, and food entrepreneurship. Click for more information on Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts accreditations and degree and diploma programs . About Great Place to Work Certification Great Place To Work Certification is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work-Certified. *Based on comparable student population data for Austin and Boulder as currently reported in Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) . SOURCE Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Collaboration with Common Sense Media, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and others, will spark essential dialogues about healthy online behaviors NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aura, the all-in-one online safety solution for individuals and families, today announced its Digital Parenthood initiative, inclusive of an inaugural Summit, the launch of a free digital community and study with insights into how families today are interacting with technology. Aura will extend the conversation around Digital Parenthood by sponsoring a Parent Town Hall with NBC News. The initiative is designed to give parents the tools they need to support their kids' healthy use of technology. Technology usage is clearly having an impact on our children's health and well-being. The signs of the health impact on our kids can be seen in the increase of reported sleep deprivation and reduced physical activity, as well as even more troubling trends like the prevalence of cyberbullying on social media and gaming, the rise of online predators and increasing signs of youth mental health issues. All of these trends highlight the urgent need for improved tools to support parents as they help their children foster healthy online behaviors. Through the Digital Parenthood initiative, Aura is convening the brightest minds in research, medicine, child psychology, education and advocacy for the youth experience online to jumpstart a national conversation around healthy online behaviors and to give parents the tools they need to to raise kids who can confidently and safely navigate the online world. Inaugural partners of the coalition include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Common Sense Media, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Walton Family Foundation, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, among others. Together, these organizations will help ensure the Summit and ongoing programming meet the needs of families and help Aura to bring these important kitchen table conversations on technology into a public dialogue. "Aura's mission has always been to make the internet safe for every family and we believe that the Digital Parenthood initiative represents the next phase of critical protection," said Hari Ravichandran, Aura's Founder and CEO. "The time is now to examine the content consumed, discuss the social pressures kids face today and to support parents as they navigate this exceedingly complex risk with their children." On June 4, the company will launch a series of events and initiatives, including: Aura's Digital Parenthood Summit on Raising a Connected Generation The Summit, which will be held at The Times Center in New York City, will enable audiences to hear from today's authoritative voices on parenting, social media use, and adolescent wellbeing, including Dr. Becky Kennedy, #1 New York Times best-selling author, clinical psychologist and co-founder and CEO of Good Inside, Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and Dr. Lisa Damour, New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist, in conversation with journalist Reena Ninan, with more speakers to be announced. Through fireside chats, roundtables, workshops, and presentations, parents will hear from kids, celebrities, and experts, and will walk away with valuable advice on navigating today's toughest topics, such as cyberbullying, social pressures, and other technology-based risks. Session recordings will be made available on Aura's YouTube channel in June for all to watch and learn from. Aura's Digital Parenthood Community To further nurture meaningful conversations, Aura will introduce its Digital Parenthood Community: a free online forum providing access for parents to connect with peers and experts as they navigate safety-related issues tied to the use of technology. The Community will feature resources and encourage conversation from third-party experts like Boston Children's Hospital to provide a virtual parent support group, introducing additional features in the year ahead. "After twenty years of studying what helps young people thrive in a digital world, Common Sense Media remains firm that open communication between parents, children, and their surrounding communities is critical," said Jill Murphy, Chief Content Officer at Common Sense Media. "We support Aura for creating a safe space for these discussions and for building awareness on these important issues facing kidsand families." Aura's Report on Parenting in a Digital Age In a 2024 report, Aura insights around adolescent behaviors, coupled with findings from a National survey launched in partnership with Gallup , will reveal the state of how parents are engaging with the digital landscape today to inform healthier online behaviors to empower and support families. To mark the launch of the Digital Parenthood initiative and open the national dialogue on the subject, Aura will sponsor an NBC News Town Hall. NBC News' Town Hall: "Digital Parenting: Raising the A.I. Generation" Streaming for free on NBC News NOW on June 4 at 9:00pm ET, Aura will sponsor a special NBC News town hall featuring conversations around Digital Parenthood. Real parents will come together to discuss parenting, technology usage, and family well-being with experts and community leaders. The Town Hall will be anchored by NBC News' Kate Snow and Savannah Sellers. For more information on Aura's Digital Parenthood initiative, please reach out to [email protected] . ABOUT AURA Aura is one of the fastest growing online safety solutions for individuals and families. Whether you're protecting yourself, your kids, or your aging loved ones, Aura can meet your needs at every stage of life. Customers trust Aura's simple interface to effortlessly safeguard the things they care about most. Through real-time monitoring and alerts, Aura helps detect and mitigate emerging online threats, such as scams, predators and cyberbullying. To discover how Aura is reshaping online safety for people everywhere, visit www.aura.com . AURA'S DIGITAL PARENTHOOD INITIATIVE The Digital Parenthood Initiative is Aura's public commitment to starting a national conversation around healthy online behaviors for families. The time is now to examine the content consumed, discuss the social pressures kids face today, and give parents the tools they need to raise kids who can confidently and safely navigate the online world. This Summit, Community, and National survey are just the beginning. SOURCE Aura Bell Tower represents Bell Bank's investment in its employees and the Fargo community. FARGO, N.D. , May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bell Bank, a leading community bank, announced today the opening of its new corporate headquarters. Bell Tower, located at 520 Main Avenue in Fargo, will bring more than 300 employees to the area, contributing to downtown Fargo's economic development. Bell Bank Tower "Bell Tower serves as a state-of-the-art hub for our organization, grounded in Bell Bank's history and values," says Michael Solberg, CEO of Bell Bank. "Our new headquarters is a testament to our continued growth and our commitment to the Fargo community and our team. We're excited to offer a vibrant space dedicated to fostering our collaboration and connection." Bell Bank partnered with Fargo-based construction company Olaf Anderson Construction to develop the 14-story office space, which includes a drive-up banking structure, outdoor rooftop area, and a gathering space. The two organizations prioritized sustainable practices and local partnerships throughout the construction and design of Bell Tower. "More than 75% of the contractors, subcontractors, and vendors involved in the project hail from Fargo and the surrounding region and the majority of these are Bell Bank customers," said Laine Brantner, EVP/Chief Operating Officer at Bell Bank. "Bell Tower presented an opportunity for our organization to support local businesses and do our part to minimize waste and ensure our building operates as efficiently and responsibly as possible." Bell Bank leaders intentionally designed Bell Tower to foster innovation, community, and employee well-being. The building incorporates historical display honoring Bell Bank's founders and values. The space operates as a workplace of the future, with dedicated office spaces, meeting rooms, and common areas on each floor that connect remote and in-person team members. Bell Tower also features employee amenities including a fitness studio and wellness rooms. "Bell Tower embodies who we are: Our history, our future, and our commitment to innovation, community, and well-being," said Brantner. "We believe we've crafted more than a headquarters Bell Tower will support a thriving community." For more information about Bell Tower and Bell Bank, please visit www.bell.bank. About Bell Bank Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Fargo, N.D., Bell Bank (Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) is one of the nation's largest family- and employee-owned banks, with more than 2,000 employees and $13 billion in assets. Bell, which offers personal and commercial banking, mortgage, wealth management and insurance, has full-service bank locations in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Arizona as well as mortgage offices in multiple states. Driven by a mission of "happy employees, happy customers," Bell's award-winning culture includes giving employees money for causes they care about through its Pay It Forward program, which has donated more than $29 million to people and organizations in need since 2008. Bell was named to the Fortune list of America's 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022 and in 2023 was named to People magazine's list of 100 Companies That Care. SOURCE Bell Bank NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global biodiesel market size is estimated to grow by USD 16.71 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 7.38% 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 Biodiesel Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Application (Transport fuel, Power generation, and Others), Type (Vegetable oil, Animal fats, and Others), and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa) Region Covered APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Key companies profiled Aemetis Inc., Ag Processing Inc., Altenesol LLC, Archer Daniels Midland Co., Argent Energy UK Ltd., AVRIL SCA, Bunge Ltd., Cargill Inc., Chevron Corp., Crimson Renewable Energy LLC, FutureFuel Corp., KFS Biodiesel GmbH and Co. KG, Kotyark Industries Ltd., Louis Dreyfus Co. BV, Munzer Bioindustrie GmbH, Neste Corp., PTT Global Chemical Public Co. Ltd., RB FUELS, Vance Group Ltd., and Wilmar International Ltd. Key Market Trends Fueling Growth The biodiesel market has experienced growth due to its cost-effective and eco-friendly attributes. However, high production costs have hindered market expansion. To address this issue, manufacturers are implementing strategies such as using efficient catalysts, affordable raw materials, and advanced technologies. Notably, spent bleaching clay, which contains 25-40% oil, is now being recycled through base-catalyzed transesterification to produce biofuel at a lower cost. This trend is anticipated to boost the global biodiesel market during the forecast period. The biodiesel market is experiencing significant growth with increasing demand for renewable energy sources. Diesel and biodiesel blend usage is prevalent in various industries such as transportation, agriculture, and power generation. Key players in the market include cooking oil, animal fats, and vegetable oils. Feedsstock sources like soybean oil, palm oil, and waste vegetable oils are commonly used. The industry is driven by factors such as government policies, increasing awareness of environmental concerns, and advancements in technology. The use of biodiesel in the aviation industry is also gaining traction. The market is expected to continue growing due to its sustainability and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional fossil fuels. Market Challenges The global biodiesel market faces challenges due to higher operating costs compared to crude oil prices. This issue is particularly significant in developing countries where petrochemical products dominate as the primary fuel source. The use of various raw materials, such as soybean oil and vegetable oils, adds to the manufacturing expenses. In 2020, the average price of crude oil was USD39.68 per barrel, which decreased to USD11.24 per barrel in April. This price decline poses challenges for biodiesel adoption and growth during the forecast period. per barrel, which decreased to per barrel in April. This price decline poses challenges for biodiesel adoption and growth during the forecast period. The biodiesel market faces several challenges in its production and implementation. Feedsstock availability and cost are key concerns, with palm oil, soybean, and vegetable oils being commonly used. The production process involves the use of chemicals like methanol and sodium hydroxide, which can be costly. Additionally, the inconsistency in the quality of feedstocks can impact the final product's quality. Regulations and renewable energy policies vary, making it challenging to maintain a consistent market. Furthermore, competition from other renewable energy sources like wind and solar power can impact the demand for biodiesel. Despite these challenges, the industry continues to grow, driven by the need for sustainable energy solutions. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Download Free sample report in a minutes Segment Overview Application 1.1 Transport fuel 1.2 Power generation 1.3 Others Type 2.1 Vegetable oil 2.2 Animal fats 2.3 Others Geography 3.1 APAC 3.2 North America 3.3 Europe 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa 1.1 Transport fuel- Biodiesel is a popular alternative fuel for diesel engines, offering environmental benefits and improved efficiency in CI engines. Europe leads the biofuel market with over 80% share, driven by increasing automobile usage. India is investing in biodiesel manufacturing, with Karnataka already utilizing it for buses. The transport fuel segment's moderate growth is due to biodiesel's adoption as an alternative fuel in the transportation industry. 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 global Biodiesel Market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for renewable energy sources. Biodiesel, a type of renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled cooking oil, is a key contributor to this sector. Feedstocks used in the production of biodiesel include rapeseed oil, palm oil, and soybean oil. The market is driven by various factors such as the depletion of fossil fuels, stringent environmental regulations, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The biodiesel industry is expected to continue its expansion in the coming years, making it a promising investment opportunity in the renewable energy sector. Market Research Overview The Biodiesel market encompasses the production, consumption, and trade of biodiesel fuel worldwide. This renewable energy source is derived from various feedstocks, including vegetable oils, animal fats, and waste cooking oil. The production process involves transesterification, which converts triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality. Its applications span across various sectors, including transportation, power generation, and industrial processes. The market growth is driven by factors such as increasing environmental concerns, government regulations, and the depleting fossil fuel resources. The global biodiesel market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with major demand coming from Europe and North America. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Application Transport Fuel Power Generation Others Type Vegetable Oil Animal Fats Others Geography APAC North America Europe 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 MONTREAL, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) CAE announced that its SkyAlyne joint venture was today awarded a C$11.2-billion, 25-year contract for Canada's Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program. "CAE has proudly worked alongside the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for more than 75 years to design and deliver training, services, and technologies that support the mission readiness of Canada's aviators," said Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Today's announcement regarding the Future Aircrew Training Program is a significant achievement in the ongoing modernization efforts of Canada's defence forces. FAcT is a transformational win for SkyAlyne and CAE, laying the groundwork for training technologies and processes enabling mission readiness. As an industry leader in civil and defence simulation training and critical operations, CAE is proud to be part of the future of aircrew training to Canada." This transformative initiative reimagines training for the RCAF, consolidating three aircrew training operations under SkyAlyne and Canada's joint management. SkyAlyne, a partnership with KF Aerospace of Kelowna, BC, was selected in July 2023 as the preferred bidder for FAcT after a rigorous process. The FAcT Program is a significant step forward to prepare Canadian military Pilots, Air Combat Systems Officers, and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators for tomorrow's challenges. Under the FAcT Program, SkyAlyne in collaboration with the RCAF will design, develop, and deliver a comprehensive training and support system, including live flying, simulation, ground school training, and a suite of in-service support functions. Centrally managed from Ottawa, the FAcT Program will revamp and expand upon current training services currently provided by CAE and KF Aerospace, with operations set to continue at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Southport (Portage la Prairie) and 17 Wing Winnipeg. The program includes the establishment of a complete training enterprise at all three operating locations helping ensure the RCAF maintains the highest standards of excellence and innovation. A photo is available at CAE's Multimedia Centre. About CAE At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees in more than 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firststhe highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we'll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter. Read our FY23 Global Annual Activity and Sustainability Report. About SkyAlyne Truly Canadian Training | SkyAlyne brings together two Canadian companies with unmatched experience and capabilities in delivering innovative pilot and aircrew training in Canada. Currently, CAE and KF Aerospace deliver all phases of pilot training to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) through the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program managed by CAE, and the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) program managed by KF Aerospace. Website. About Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) The Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program combines Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot and aircrew training. Website CAE Contacts: General Media: Samantha Golinski, Vice President, Public Affairs & Global Communications, +1-438-805-5856, [email protected] Investor Relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management, +1-514-734-5760, [email protected] Trade Media: Wendy Stough, Director, Marketing and Communications,+1-813-233-6409, [email protected] SOURCE CAE Inc. BEIJING, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation during a meeting in Beijing. Hailing the friendship between the two countries, Xi said China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries' traditional friendship. Upholding mutual respect and support, the two countries have actively aligned their development strategies and enhanced bilateral relations in the new era. Mutual benefits In Equatorial Guinea, various types of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, ports, airports, power stations, and telecommunications, are often aided and built by China. Since 1971, China has sent 33 medical teams with over 600 professionals to provide medical care in Equatorial Guinea, treating more than one million patients. Aided by Chinese enterprises, the Djibloho Hydropower Plant is the largest of its kind in Equatorial Guinea and can satisfy about 90 percent of the electricity needs of the country's continental part since 2011. It is known as Equatorial Guinea's "Three Gorges Project." Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea has also provided China with assistance. During his visit to China in April 2015, Obiang announced the donation of the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Primary School to Jinping County in China's southwestern Yunnan Province. More than 2,000 children have graduated from the school in the past nine years. "China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners who treat each other sincerely," Xi told Obiang, adding that China supports Equatorial Guinea's economic and social development and its efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization. Xi called for deepening exchanges and cooperation in areas such as medicine, health, education and culture to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries and better benefit the two peoples. Stressing that cooperation between the two countries has always been based on equality and mutual respect, Obiang said his country is willing to open its door to China and welcome Chinese companies to invest and cooperate in Equatorial Guinea to help the country achieve long-lasting and sound development. A new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future Under the Belt and Road Initiative framework and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China and Equatorial Guinea have achieved a series of cooperation results. The China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, which began operating in 2023, has further enhanced the service capabilities of Equatorial Guinea's medical and health system. The new terminal of Malabo International Airport has become a new landmark, significantly promoting regional and sub-regional connectivity. In August 2023, China launched the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, supporting Africa's integration and modernization. "I appreciate President Xi's initiative to help African countries. I believe it is the most effective way for Africa to overcome all the difficulties it faces today, which we have not been able to achieve through the countries that colonized us," Obiang said during an interview with Xinhua. Noting that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever, Xi said China is ready to work with Africa to hold the new round of the FOCAC and jointly discuss plans for future development and cooperation to open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-05-28/President-Xi-holds-talks-with-Equatorial-Guinean-president-in-Beijing-1tYnHwtroTm/p.html SOURCE CGTN BOSTON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chloris Geospatial, the leading technology company measuring forest carbon from space, welcomes the Cisco Foundation and NextSTEP as investors. The two new additions join existing investors AXA IM Alts, Orbia Ventures, At One Ventures, and Counteract in a new funding round that will support the continued advancement of Chloris' mission. Forest conservation and restoration are vital solutions to the climate change and biodiversity crisis and a necessary tool to steer the global economy toward attaining net-zero emissions by 2050. Chloris' monitoring technologies enable the scaling of these solutions by allowing trustworthy assessment of their impact on the ground. Developed under the guidance of its co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Alessandro Baccini, Chloris' technology produces reliable annual estimates of biomass density and quantifies forest carbon stock and change for any area of interest by utilizing earth observation data, proprietary sensor fusion, and machine learning algorithms. Chloris' technology empowers governments, companies, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, and local communities to track all biomass dynamics including those arising from deforestation, degradation, and growth of trees from field to continental scale and understand the impact of their forest carbon projects and supply chains. The new funding round will enable Chloris to meet the evolving needs of the market, while facilitating continued commercial growth and solidifying Chloris' position as the most trusted name in remote sensing for forest carbon accounting. "We are thrilled to have secured continued support from our existing investors and extend a warm welcome to the Cisco Foundation and NextSTEP," said Chloris co-founder and CEO Marco Albani. "This investment reaffirms the confidence of our investors and their commitment to our mission of delivering high-integrity data on the impact of nature and climate action." Chloris also announced today that Adam Gibbon, Natural Capital Lead at AXA IM Alts, has joined its board of directors. "We think that Chloris' technology is a leap forward, allowing forest biomass measurement at unparalleled scale, speed and accuracy, and expect it to become the de facto standard for forest carbon projects and supply chain footprinting. This investment contributes to AXA IM Alts' mission to invest into activity and solutions that ensure the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of natural capital," said Adam Gibbon, Natural Capital Lead at AXA IM Alts. "Through the Cisco Foundation's climate investments, we strive to support early-stage climate ventures that can catalyze substantial climate impact," said Elias Habbar-Baylac, Climate Investor with the Cisco Foundation. "Our support for Chloris Geospatial is rooted in their exceptional ability to monitor forest carbon dynamics with precision and scale. Chloris' advanced sensor fusion technology and machine learning models provide essential data for robust, scalable natural carbon sinks management, aligning with Cisco Foundation's strategy to protect and scale natural carbon sinks." The Cisco Foundation was established in 1997 with a gift from Cisco. In 2021, the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over the next 10 years to fund innovative climate solutions. "Our strategic investment in Chloris, a decision made in alignment with our mission and values, reflects the critical role of trusted monitoring technologies in tackling climate change effectively," said Claudio Colombo, Managing Director at NextSTEP. NextSTEP (NextEnergy Sustainable Technology for the Planet) is an investment initiative promoted by NextEnergy Group dedicated to pre-seed and seed investments in CleanTech startups. "Nature based solutions are critical components in humanity's efforts to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. Orbia Ventures spent many months evaluating the remote sensing market before deciding to invest in Chloris. Having the best team in the industry, Chloris is the only company in the world that can cost effectively and at scale measure the carbon stocks and changes in every forest in the world since the year 2000," said Shai Albaranes, VP Innovation and Ventures at Orbia. About Chloris Geospatial Chloris Geospatial is a leading provider of trustworthy forest carbon insights, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to create innovative solutions that drive business value. The technology helps businesses make informed decisions and improve operations through scalable and cost-effective actionable insights maximizing funds for action on the ground. For more information, visit www.chloris.earth . SOURCE Chloris Geospatial Focus will be on innovative therapies to benefit patients with cancer, blood diseases or genetic disorders CINCINNATI, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Children's has begun work on an Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center, which will enable the health system to increase clinical trials of innovative drugs and biological therapeutics for patients with cancer, blood diseases or genetic disorders. The need is great as more than 300,000 children throughout the world are diagnosed with cancer every year, and an estimated 8 million are born with a birth defect. Families grappling with cancer or genetic disorders often look to Cincinnati Children's for innovative treatments. Post this The Cincinnati Childrens Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center will be based in Sharonville, Ohio. The building encompasses 111,000 square feet on a 14.6-acre site. Part of the building will be used as a supply chain distribution hub for Cincinnati Childrens three hospitals and over 40 other locations. Cincinnati Childrens, courtesy of Lee & Associates. The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center will build on the success of the Cincinnati Children's Translational Core Laboratory, which has been a leader in the development, testing and manufacturing of such drugs and therapeutics for early phase clinical trials for more than 15 years. About 100 Cincinnati Children's employees will eventually work at the new Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center, including 24 who will be recruited to fill new positions. The program, based at an existing building in suburban Sharonville, will focus on preparing gene, cell and immunotherapy products for clinical trials. "We are deeply invested in pediatric research that focuses on gene and cell therapy, which benefits children and families in our region and around the world," said Steve Davis, MD, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children's. "The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center will expand on the research efforts that have already earned our health system recognition by Fortune as one of America's Most Innovative Companies, and which also contributed to U.S. News & World Report ranking Cincinnati Children's as No. 1 in the nation for pediatric cancer care." About one-third of the health system's 19,000 employees are engaged in research to find medical treatments or cures, and every year families from all 50 states and dozens of countries travel to Cincinnati Children's to receive care for complex or rare disorders. Stella Davies, MBBS, PhD, who is co-executive director of the Cincinnati Children's Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute as well as director of the Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Immune Deficiency, noted that a handful of cellular, gene and immune therapies developed across the nation were recently licensed by the FDA for cancer, genetic and hematologic diseases. "There are many more potential treatments in development or in clinical trials," Davies said. "This program expansion will allow us to increase the cell, gene and immunotherapy clinical trials for our patients. Our center's experts will conduct both translational and clinical research on cell and gene therapy. "Children and families grappling with cancer or genetic disorders often look to us for innovative treatments, and this new commitment by Cincinnati Children's holds great potential for improved outcomes," Davies added. Tina Cheng, MD, director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, chair of Pediatrics and chief medical officer of the health system, said research conducted at the new Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center would help elevate the outstanding clinical care already provided to children and families. "Cincinnati Children's is a research powerhouse, and this commitment to advancing child health outcomes through the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center demonstrates how excellence in research remains a central pillar of our mission," Cheng said. Of the approximately two dozen new positions that will be created for the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center, about half will be scientists including biologists and those focused on quality assurance of medicinal products, which is known as Current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP. The rest of the new hires will be support staff, including those dedicated to regulatory and physical operations. Cincinnati Children's initial investment in the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center is expected to be about $60 million, including design, construction and equipment. "We are excited that Sharonville will be home to Cincinnati Children's Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center," Mayor Kevin Hardman said. "Cincinnati Children's is an award-winning research institution that does a world of good for our region and the nation, and we appreciate their investment in our community." David McCandless, Sharonville's economic development director, echoed that. "As a city, we continue to see that our strategic location and business-friendly environment pay dividends," McCandless said. "We are beyond excited to see 100 new high-paying jobs in Sharonville, and we look forward to working hand-in-glove with Cincinnati Children's on this exciting, life-saving project." The building at 10995 Canal Road, previously an auto parts distribution facility, encompasses 111,000 square feet on a 14.6-acre site. Part of the building will be home to the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center, and the rest will serve as a supply chain distribution hub for Cincinnati Children's three hospitals and over 40 other locations. The number of employees and vendors whose work will focus on the distribution hub has yet to be determined. Renovation is expected to begin in June 2024 and be completed by summer 2025, with employees transitioning to the space in fall 2025. Danis Construction Building Co., which has an office in Sharonville, is the design-builder for the project. The design team includes: BHDP Architecture; Heapy Engineering for mechanical, engineering and plumbing; Schaefer for structural engineering; and bioX for process and design engineering. Subcontractors are to be determined. About Cincinnati Children's Cincinnati Children's ranks No. 1 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 listing of Best Children's Hospitals, and Fortune has recognized Cincinnati Children's as one of America's Most Innovative Companies. Established in 1883, Cincinnati Children's is a nonprofit academic organization that is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through research, education, and innovation. About one-third of the health system's 19,000 employees are engaged in research. Additional information may be found at CincinnatiChildrens.org SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Competition Smart, a leading government contracting consulting firm, is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of its CSmart Insights product offering. This milestone marks a significant achievement in the company's ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence in government contracting. Competition Smart has assisted clients in winning government contracts since 2014. With core services encompassing initial deal strategy, price to win, competitor analysis, and color team reviews, the addition of CSmart Insights represents a pivotal evolution in the company's offerings. CSmart Insights provides clients with access to uniquely curated and organized data, statistical analyses, and insights tailored to help them secure government contracts and grants. Developed to address clients' needs for key insights and business consulting at critical junctures within the capture journey, CSmart Insights has quickly become an indispensable tool for government contractors seeking a competitive edge. "CSmart Insights has transformed how our clients approach their bidding strategies. The feedback we've received highlights the value of our data-driven insights in achieving contract wins," said Jeff Halsted, Founder and President of Competition Smart. CSmart Insights leverages Competition Smart's robust methodology, which treats each bid separately, analyzing the specific characteristics of each Request for Proposal (RFP) to devise a tailored approach to pricing and proposal writing. By delving deep into a myriad of data sources and employing proprietary algorithms, CSmart Insights delivers actionable statistical insights that drive clients' success. "Our clients appreciate the depth and precision of the insights we provide. CSmart Insights integrates seamlessly with their workflows, giving them a significant advantage in the competitive landscape," added Halsted. As the government contracting landscape continues to evolve, Competition Smart remains committed to adapting and enhancing its offerings to meet the dynamic needs of its clients. The success of CSmart Insights over the past year demonstrates the company's dedication to delivering cutting-edge solutions that drive tangible results. About Competition Smart: Competition Smart is a leading government contracting consulting firm that has helped clients win government contracts for the last decade. The company's core services include initial deal strategy, price to win, competitor analysis, and color team reviews. SOURCE Competition Smart, LLC "We are honored to have the opportunity to handle Fogelberg's amazing collections from his Maine home." Post this Best known for hit songs like, "Same Old Lang Syne," "Leader of the Band," "Longer," and the Kentucky Derby theme, "Run for the Roses." Fogelberg was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who performed a one-man show at Carnegie Hall when he was 27. With seven platinum albums to his name, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame, the Red Rocks Performers Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017 for his contributions to the music industry. "The Reach," his song about life and lobstering on the coast of Maine, is a local radio staple. Thomaston Place owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux said: "We are honored to have the opportunity to handle Fogelberg's amazing collections from his Maine home." Fogelberg's wife Jean noted: "Dan's taste in art was as diverse and eclectic as his taste in music and he collected from all over the country. As an art major at the University of Illinois, he studied American and European masters and their techniques. After his first hit records, he left Los Angeles for a ranch in Colorado and became immersed in the western and Native American cultures of the Four Corners region of the southwest. In the mid-eighties he purchased an old Captain's cottage on Deer Isle and sailed the coast of New England until the last months of his life." The sale will include outstanding examples of European marble and bronze sculpture, important European prints, finely crafted Native American woven and beaded artifacts, and decorative arts. Featured items will include: a Carrara marble sculpture depicting a young Neapolitan fisherman by Cesare Lapini (1848-1893), a circa 1652 etching with drypoint titled "Faust" by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-1669), a beautiful watercolor depicting a grey whale mother and calf by Robert Wyland (1956- ), a 19th Century Sioux Native American beaded and quilled pipe bag, an early 20th Century Navajo eye dazzler Germantown rug, and a pair of Buccellati Italian sterling silver dolphin form candlesticks. The auction will also offer a man's moose skin fringed and beaded jacket by the Overland Sheepskin Co. All lots will be available for viewing at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries' website, www.thomastonauction.com. Virtual catalogs will be available; and live in-person bidding, telephone, absentee, and online bidding on three internet platforms will be available for each auction. Thomaston Place Auction Galleries is Northern New England's premier international auction company located on U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston, ME. Thomaston Place is a leader in discovering antique and fine art treasures by offering Free Appraisals each Tuesday at the gallery, creating fundraiser events for civic and charitable organizations, and providing house call appraisal services. Their expertise in researching and marketing antiques and fine art has earned Thomaston Place the respect of buyers, collectors, and experts worldwide. SOURCE Thomaston Place Auction Galleries NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global dental practice management software market size is estimated to grow by USD 954.53 million from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.52% 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 Dental Practice Management Software Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered End-user (Dental clinics, Hospitals, and Others), Deployment (On-premises and Cloud based), and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America) Region Covered North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Key companies profiled ABELSoft Inc., ACE Dental, ADSTRA SYSTEMS INC., Carestream Dental LLC, CD Newco LLC, Datacon Dental Systems, DentiMax, Dentisoft Technologies, EZ 2000 Inc., Gaargle Solutions Inc., Henry Schein Inc., iDentalSoft, MacPractice, Mogo Inc., NextGen Healthcare Inc., Planet DDS, Practice Web Inc., Suzy Systems Inc., Total Dental, and Valsoft Corporation Inc. Key Market Trends Fueling Growth Dental practice management software plays a crucial role in the dental industry by delivering essential business insights. Through daily and weekly reports, dentists gain valuable information on appointments, prescriptions, finances, and patient records. Advanced reporting features include appointment, treatment plan, payment, patient note, financial, and claim reports, enabling informed decision-making and improved practice management. The dental practice market continues to embrace technology, with dental software becoming a key trend. Features like patient management, scheduling, billing, and record keeping are essential. Dental practice software also offers analytics and reporting capabilities, enabling better decision-making. Procedures and claims processing are streamlined, increasing efficiency. Cloud-based solutions offer accessibility and flexibility, allowing dentists to manage their practices from anywhere. Dental software providers continually update their offerings to meet evolving needs, ensuring practices stay current. Dental software is a valuable investment for any dental practice, enhancing productivity and patient care. Market Challenges The dental practice management software market in the US is subject to HIPAA regulations, which mandate data encryption, physical security, encryption of portable devices, and a mandatory data compromise policy. In Canada , the Personal Health Information Protection Act 2004 requires the protection of personal health information through fair, confidential, and transparent handling. , the Personal Health Information Protection Act 2004 requires the protection of personal health information through fair, confidential, and transparent handling. In the UK, the Data Protection Act 1998, Health and Social Care Act 2012, and NHS Code of Practice ensure the confidentiality and privacy of patient information. Compliance with these regulations poses challenges for dental and medical practice management software vendors. The dental practice management software market faces several challenges. Dentists and clinics require advanced technology for patient communication, appointment scheduling, and record keeping. However, implementing and integrating these systems can be complex and time-consuming. Costs for purchasing and maintaining the software can also be a concern. Additionally, ensuring data security and privacy is crucial in the healthcare industry. Dentists must also consider the training required for staff to effectively use the software. Furthermore, keeping up with the latest technology and features can be a challenge due to the rapid advancements in the field. Overall, selecting the right dental practice management software and implementing it efficiently is essential for the success and growth of dental practices. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Download Free sample report in minutes Segment Overview End-user 1.1 Dental clinics 1.2 Hospitals 1.3 Others Deployment 2.1 On-premises 2.2 Cloud based Geography 3.1 North America 3.2 Europe 3.3 APAC 3.4 Middle East and Africa and 3.5 South America 1.1 Dental clinics- The dental clinics sector is experiencing growth due to collaborations with insurance companies, increasing private clinics, and a rising edentulous population. Foreign and domestic investments fuel the demand for dental procedures, necessitating advanced dental practice management software. In countries like the UK and India, insurance providers like BUPA offer coverage, boosting market expansion. This software streamlines operations, enhances patient care, and manages financials, making it an essential tool for dental clinics. 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 Dental Practice Management Software (DPMS) market encompasses a range of cloud-based and web-based solutions designed to streamline operations in dental clinics, hospitals, physician offices, specialty clinics, and dental colleges. These systems offer features such as patient communication, payment processing, and dental record management. New technologies like Denticon software and DPM software facilitate improved oral services and oral hygiene for the geriatric population. Software systems like Planet DDS and other solutions enable efficient management of patient data and practice finances. The adoption of these advanced DPMS is on the rise due to their ability to enhance productivity and provide better patient care. Market Research Overview The Dental Practice Management Software (DPMS) market encompasses a range of solutions designed to streamline and optimize dental clinic operations. These software solutions offer functionalities such as appointment scheduling, patient record management, billing and invoicing, insurance claims processing, and inventory management. DPMS caters to various dental specialties, including orthodontics, endodontics, and prosthodontics. The market is driven by the increasing adoption of digital technologies in healthcare, the need for efficient practice management, and the growing emphasis on patient-centric care. DPMS also facilitates data analytics and reporting, enabling dental practices to make informed decisions and improve overall performance. Additionally, cloud-based solutions offer flexibility and accessibility, making them increasingly popular among dental clinics. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation End-user Dental Clinics Hospitals Others Deployment On-premises Cloud Based Geography North America Europe APAC 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 Honoring the Rich Tradition of Dairy Farming in America's Dairyland MADISON, Wis., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As June begins, Wisconsin gears up to celebrate June Dairy Month. This annual observance pays homage to the state's deep-rooted dairy farming heritage and recognizes the hard work and dedication of Wisconsin's dairy farmers. "This June, let's come together as a community to celebrate the tradition of dairy farming in Wisconsin," says Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. "Whether it's enjoying a scoop of ice cream, savoring a slice of cheese, or just thanking a dairy farmer, let's show our appreciation for the hard work and commitment that goes into bringing the very best dairy products to our tables." With 80 farm breakfasts and community events across the state, it's a time to discover, taste, and celebrate America's Dairyland. DISCOVERFarm tours and dairy-themed events across the state will allow visitors the chance to connect with local farmers and learn how they care for their cows, steward their land and produce delicious, nutrient-rich milk that helps feed local communities. Bring the whole family to one of the many events happening all month long for interactive games along with other fun activities, learn about cow comfort, farm technologies that harness alternative energy sources and recycle water, habitat restoration, and soil conservation. Visit WisconsinDairy.org/JDM for a complete list of activities near you. TASTEDairy products are a delicious way to savor our heritage. Every bite and sip of Wisconsin ice cream, yogurt, butter, milk, and cheese tells a story of passion and quality that starts on the farm. You can also taste a little wedge of Wisconsin in your own kitchen by trying a new summer recipe for brunch, a picnic, cookout, or for any gathering! Once you've tried a dish from Grate. Pair. Share. review it online, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win a Wisconsin Cheese prize pack. Be sure to look for the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese and Proudly Wisconsin Dairy badges when shopping at your local grocery store. CELEBRATEDairy farming started in Wisconsin in the 1870s and by 1915 the state was the leading producer of dairy in the country and became known as America's Dairyland. With over 5,000 dairy farms, Wisconsin is the heart of dairy production in the United States. The dairy industry not only contributes substantially to the state's agricultural sector but also plays a vital role in job creation and overall economic growth. Today, dairy generates $45.6 billion more than citrus in Florida and potatoes in Idaho combined - and fuels Wisconsin's economy at the rate of more than $86,000 per minute. To learn more about June Dairy Month, please visit Celebrate June Dairy Month. About Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: Funded by Wisconsin dairy farmers, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is a non-profit organization that focuses on marketing and promoting Wisconsin's world-class dairy products. For more information, visit our website at www.wisconsindairy.org. Editor's Note: Visit the Digital Media Kit for more information on National Dairy Month. SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Discover the World, the renowned global specialist in travel representation, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. Discover the World brings to the table an impressive track record in business development with many leading industry brands making them a logical partner to elevate Saudia's iconic brand, exciting new product and guest experience and unique destination network. Aiden Walsh, Head of Airline Development at Discover the World commented, "It's a privilege for us to join forces with Saudia and embark on this transformative journey together. We are committed to implementing a dynamic sales solution that elevates Saudia's presence within all channels of the travel trade community to amplify the essence of 'Welcome to Arabia' and beyond, positioning Saudia as the airline of choice." Arved von zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer at Saudia, emphasized, "As we chart our course to strengthen travel trade partnerships our collaboration with Discover the World marks a significant milestone. This exciting venture will enable us to foster deeper connections with travel and tourism agencies, delivering unparalleled services while driving demand and boosting sales." Discover the World and Saudia are poised to redefine the travel experience, creating lasting impressions and shaping the future of the industry. About Discover the World Discover the World has earned a reputation as an innovative global sales representation leader in the travel industry through a worldwide network of 85 offices in more than 60 countries. With a portfolio of over 100 clients utilizing its sales, marketing and business process outsourcing services, the work of Discover has a direct positive impact on the growth of its clients and trade industry partners every day. www.discovertheworld.com About Saudia Saudia was established in 1945 and has scheduled flights to over 100 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The company is one of the Middle East's largest airlines. SAUDIA is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) and has been a member of SkyTeam since 2012. www.saudia.com SOURCE Discover the World FAIRFAX, Va. and BALTIMORE, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As Scoliosis Awareness Month approaches (June), National Scoliosis Center urges parents to recognize the importance of early detection in the management of scoliosis. With timely intervention, non-operative treatments such as bracing can often be employed, preventing the need for surgery and mitigating potential long-term complications. Early detection of scoliosis is the key to ensuring that non-operative treatments, such as bracing, are an option for your child. If you have any concerns about your childs spine, please talk to your pediatrician. Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, affects millions worldwide, with early detection being key to effective conservative treatment. When left undetected or untreated, scoliosis can progress and lead to severe spinal deformities, chronic pain, and reduced quality of life. However, with early diagnosis, non-operative treatments such as bracing, physical therapy, and specialized exercises can effectively manage the condition. "It's imperative for individuals, parents, and healthcare providers to recognize the signs of scoliosis in children early on," says Luke Stikeleather, Chief Orthotist and Founder of National Scoliosis Center. "By identifying scoliosis in its early stages, we have the opportunity to implement conservative treatments that can halt or minimize progression and potentially improve curves, sparing patients from invasive surgeries and potential complications later in life." National Scoliosis Center advocates for increased awareness and education surrounding scoliosis detection and management. The following symptoms could indicate scoliosis: one shoulder or hip is higher than the other, a prominent rib cage on one side, asymmetry of the waist, a visible S curve in spine, complaints of back pain (although most patients do not have back pain). "We believe that every child deserves the opportunity for early detection and appropriate intervention," says Stikeleather. "By working together to promote awareness and screening, we can make a significant impact in improving outcomes for those living with scoliosis." National Scoliosis Center is a non-operative treatment center that offers Rigo Cheneau bracing, low-dose Imaging (Fairfax, VA only), collaboration with Schroth Physical Therapists, and support to patients. Offices are located in Fairfax, Virginia, Baltimore, Maryland and Houston, Texas (our newest facility) all serve local patients as well as out-of-town patients. SOURCE National Scoliosis Center BOSTON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Metamaterials use regular engineered patterns of subwavelength structures to interact with waves. Electromagnetic metamaterials promise to have transformative effects within the fields of optics and telecommunications. They could make biometric recognition cheaper and more accurate, make virtual reality more immersive and comfortable, and facilitate high-speed mobile internet with zero signal blackspots, yet adoption is in its infancy. IDTechEx's 10-year forecasts break down the EM metamaterials space into the following important market verticals, with many further being discussed in the report. Source: IDTechEx In "Optical & Radio Frequency Metamaterials 2024-2034: Markets, Players, Technologies", IDTechEx comprehensively examines the emerging technology of electromagnetic metamaterials in its second edition of this report. Drawing from interviews with companies across the value chain and IDTechEx's existing research on optical, telecommunication, and emerging materials, the report evaluates the market for optical and radio-frequency (RF) metamaterials in various applications. It analyzes each application's requirements and includes case studies of existing players. The report identifies reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in telecommunications and metalenses in smartphone cameras as significant opportunities. Through detailed segmentation, it presents a comprehensive overview of the status and market potential of each application. The forecast predicts the overall market to reach US$14.9B by 2034, driven by improved biometric sensing in smartphones via metalenses and increasing 5G mmWave rollout growing adoption of RIS. Market for RF (Radio-frequency) metamaterials RF metamaterials find applications across multiple sectors, including telecommunications, automotive, aerospace, and security. They can be utilized in Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) to reflect, steer, and shield electromagnetic radiation, compensating for the reduced range associated with higher frequency signals. Additionally, in radar beamforming, RF metamaterials enable active steering of EM radiation to enhance angular resolution. This could be particularly beneficial for automotive radar systems. RF metamaterials can also be used for effective EMI shielding, enhancing security by preventing signal leakage, and can be frequency selective to create transparent shields. RF metamaterials also hold potential for medical sensing applications such as MRI scans and non-invasive glucose monitoring. According to IDTechEx's forecast, the largest market for RF metamaterials is forecasted to be in Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) for 5G mmWave and future 6G communications. Both 5G mmWave and 6G offer significant advantages, including the potential for leveraging expansive bandwidth to support peak data flow ranging from gigabits to terabits per second and maintaining ultra-low latency. However, utilizing high-frequency spectra presents challenges such as very short signal propagation range (cm range for above 100 GHz frequency) and line-of-sight obstacles. Addressing signal decay and establishing strong communication over reasonable distances is a priority for both technologies, especially in busy urban areas where consistent connectivity despite barriers is crucial. Establishing numerous base stations is not cost-effective in providing adequate coverage for high-frequency spectra like 5G mmWave and 6G. In contrast, metamaterial RIS can reflect and direct signals to end users, increasing signal range and strength while consuming low energy. Additionally, integrating metamaterial-based coatings with windows can improve signal coverage by reflecting beams around obstacles in urban areas. These solutions provide wide area coverage and offer vast opportunities for materials integration. Market for optical metamaterials Relatively simple optical metamaterials based on biomimicry of moth-eye structures have a relatively long history of use as antireflective (AR) coatings in high-end camera lenses. However, metalenses fabricated using semiconductor industry processes are expected to have a huge impact, initially driven by their ability to improve the performance of computer vision systems. In 2022, metalenses designed by fabless player Metalenz saw commercialization in time-of-flight (ToF) sensors from STMicro, marking the first commercial use of this technology. Here, metalenses improved light-gathering performance in a smaller package than the optics they replaced. The biggest value in metalenses comes in their ability to add additional optical functionality, such as allowing for polarization imaging in a very compact package. This has a huge potential application in facial biometrics for smartphones and could bring facial recognition to smartphones outside of Apple's range in the near future, with Metalenz announcing sensor modules designed for this application in late 2023. Metalenses based on liquid crystals are expected to have a significant impact in VR headsets, where they could be used to solve the vergence-accommodation conflict and help these devices pass the "visual Turing test". Furthermore, active optical metasurfaces could contribute to making LiDAR more compact and broadening the markets where these sensors could be used. The biggest limiting factor for metalenses is broad spectrum performance, but significant innovation in the design of the metasurfaces themselves and software compensation is expected to make them a more compact and lower-cost replacement for lenses in smartphone cameras within the next ten years. Ultimately, metalenses have the potential to disrupt many corners of the optics industry in the near future. IDTechEx has been studying emerging materials and photonics technologies and their market opportunities for a decade, utilizing extensive primary research. "Optical & Radio Frequency Metamaterials 2024-2034: Markets, Players, Technologies" provides a comprehensive picture of the underlying technologies, manufacturing methods, and application opportunities of both optical and radio-frequency metamaterials. To find out more about this IDTechEx report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Meta. For the full portfolio of 5G, 6G, RFID and telecoms market research from IDTechEx, please see www.IDTechEx.com/Research/5G. Upcoming free-to-attend webinar Exploring the Transformative Potential of Electromagnetic Metamaterials Sam Dale, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, and Dr Yu-Han Chang, Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on the topic on Thursday 20 June 2024 - Exploring the Transformative Potential of Electromagnetic Metamaterials. Key points covered will include: A brief introduction to RF (radio frequency) and optical metamaterials, highlighting key market opportunities Analysis of the emerging usage of metalenses, one of the most exciting applications of optical metamaterials, with important manufacturing processes potential challenges highlighted Analysis of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), the most promising applications of RF metamaterials, with discussion on players, technology roadmap, key case studies, etc Adoption roadmaps for optical and RF metamaterials Outlook for the electromagnetic metamaterials market 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. Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/sokaf5jtfrird4czt470v/AOxkJre61TkENYhIZoIANiA?rlkey=k4ra9q71zst5l9eu1tz05ozmn&st=y0ufd9qt&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/2424435/IDTechEx_10_Year_Forecasts_Report.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg SOURCE IDTechEx Epson Booth to Showcase New 3-Chip 3LCD, 4K Laser Projectors for Large Venues, Immersive Spaces, Architectural and Signage Applications, and More LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide,1 today announced it will demonstrate the power of high impact displays with its new large venue 4K 3-chip 3LCD laser projector lineup at InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 12-14 in booth #W1800. The popularity of large, immersive content is increasing as users search for solutions that create unique experiences, enhance hybrid workplaces, increase classroom engagement, elevate live events, and more. In addition to new large venue 4K models, the booth will showcase Epson's line of ultra short throw and fixed lens projectors for a range of markets, including education, corporate, and digital signage. Epson to immerse InfoComm 2024 visitors in high impact experiences with new large venue 4K laser projectors Post this Epson to demonstrate the power of projection at InfoComm 2024 "This year's InfoComm booth will highlight how Epson's projection technology excels in providing large, cost-effective displays across a wide variety of applications in comparison to other display solutions," said Ramzi Shakra, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc. "This is an important show for AV professionals to learn about the latest technology solutions that are best-suited to help solve their challenges. Our goal is to provide a solid understanding of what's possible through projection and we are eager to showcase the innovative technology we have incorporated in our new large venue 4K projectors. Their high on-screen pixel density provides incredible image details for up close viewing and today's larger and more immersive display applications." During the show, Epson will also be celebrating the recent announcement of Epson as the Official Projector Partner of Cirque du Soleil. Through this new partnership, the two powerhouse brands will explore emerging methods to expand storytelling beyond show boundaries utilizing projection's unique and innovative ability to bring art to life. For more information, visit https://epson.com/cirque-du-soleil. Showcasing projection in hybrid meeting rooms, immersive spaces, architectural and signage applications and more, the following from Epson projectors will be on display at InfoComm: Epson EB-PQ Series 4K Projectors : Front and center will be Epson's new large venue 4K laser projectors. Now shipping, the EB-PQ Series projectors utilize Epson's 3-chip, 3LCD technology as well as new state-of-the-art 4K Crystal Motion technology and a high native contrast ratio for extraordinary detail, vibrant colors and deep blacks. Featuring eight models, the broad lineup ranges from 8,000 to 20,000 lumens 2 and includes the world's smallest and lightest 10,000- and 20,000-lumen 4K projectors. 3,4 Powered by a 20,000-hour virtually maintenance-free laser light source, 5 the energy efficient projectors come with convenient features such as HDR support, 6 adaptive gamma correction and NFC functionality 7 and pair with Epson's existing range of optional lenses and PixAlign camera. Front and center will be Epson's new large venue laser projectors. Now shipping, the EB-PQ Series projectors utilize Epson's 3-chip, 3LCD technology as well as new state-of-the-art technology and a high native contrast ratio for extraordinary detail, vibrant colors and deep blacks. Featuring eight models, the broad lineup ranges from 8,000 to 20,000 lumens and includes the world's smallest and lightest 10,000- and 20,000-lumen projectors. Powered by a 20,000-hour virtually maintenance-free laser light source, the energy efficient projectors come with convenient features such as HDR support, adaptive gamma correction and NFC functionality and pair with Epson's existing range of optional lenses and PixAlign camera. Epson PowerLite 810E and 815E Extreme Short Throw with 4K Enhancement 8 : Epson's first extreme short-throw fixed lens lamp-free laser displays to offer 4K Enhancement technology for classrooms, meeting rooms and more. Incorporating a new cooling system and revitalized platform with 3-chip, 3LCD technology and 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness, 2 the PowerLite 810E (white) / 815E (black) deliver sharp, bright images up to 160-inches sitting merely inches from the wall. Offering standard 16:9 to super-wide 21:9 aspects ratios, along with quality built-in sound, digital zoom and new Epson Setting Assistant app, 9 it makes setup simple and integration easier for fleet management, 10 image alignment and casting. : Epson's first extreme short-throw fixed lens lamp-free laser displays to offer Enhancement technology for classrooms, meeting rooms and more. Incorporating a new cooling system and revitalized platform with 3-chip, 3LCD technology and 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness, the PowerLite 810E (white) / 815E (black) deliver sharp, bright images up to 160-inches sitting merely inches from the wall. Offering standard 16:9 to super-wide 21:9 aspects ratios, along with quality built-in sound, digital zoom and new Epson Setting Assistant app, it makes setup simple and integration easier for fleet management, image alignment and casting. Epson PowerLite L Series with 4K Enhancement 8 : Conveniently lightweight and compact, the PowerLite L Series provide up to 7,000 lumens of brightness 2 and combine native WUXGA and 4K Enhancement 8 technology that doubles HD video resolution on-screen to deliver ultra bright, clear images virtually anywhere. Capable of projecting images up to 500-inches with aspect ratio support from standard 16:10 to ultra-wide 21:9, the sleek and efficient projectors adapt across a range of infrastructures and applications. They are also compatible with Epson's optional PixAlign camera. Conveniently lightweight and compact, the PowerLite L Series provide up to 7,000 lumens of brightness and combine native WUXGA and Enhancement technology that doubles HD video resolution on-screen to deliver ultra bright, clear images virtually anywhere. Capable of projecting images up to 500-inches with aspect ratio support from standard 16:10 to ultra-wide 21:9, the sleek and efficient projectors adapt across a range of infrastructures and applications. They are also compatible with Epson's optional PixAlign camera. Epson Projector Management Connected (EPM-C) : An easy-to-use, cloud-based solution, this software makes it easy to manage, monitor and control networked projector fleets from any device with a web browser. Ideal for end users or IT professionals managing multiple displays, display groups or installation sites, EPM-C saves valuable time, minimizes downtime and enables the discovery of new ways to optimize the life of projectors in fleets. An easy-to-use, cloud-based solution, this software makes it easy to manage, monitor and control networked projector fleets from any device with a web browser. Ideal for end users or IT professionals managing multiple displays, display groups or installation sites, EPM-C saves valuable time, minimizes downtime and enables the discovery of new ways to optimize the life of projectors in fleets. PixAlign ELPEC01 Camera : Adding another layer of convenience and simplified installation for Epson's lineup of interchangeable lens projectors and the PowerLite L Series 4K models, 11 the optional camera attaches to a projector or ultra short-throw lens no tools or adjustments to the angle needed. A seamless solution providing fast access to powerful projection tools for both single- and multi-projector setups, the camera enables easy screen matching and color calibration. 12 In addition, Epson continues to add new tools based on automated installation support, including new simple stacking and simple blending functions that can be performed without a router or connected PC. Adding another layer of convenience and simplified installation for Epson's lineup of interchangeable lens projectors and the PowerLite L Series models, the optional camera attaches to a projector or ultra short-throw lens no tools or adjustments to the angle needed. A seamless solution providing fast access to powerful projection tools for both single- and multi-projector setups, the camera enables easy screen matching and color calibration. In addition, Epson continues to add new tools based on automated installation support, including new simple stacking and simple blending functions that can be performed without a router or connected PC. New Accessories: Epson will be introducing a new flexible, mobile solution for corporate and classroom environments. In addition, to meet the rising demand for projector frames and ceiling mounts that can simplify even the most complex installation requirements, Epson will highlight a 13 model lineup from the leading Europe audio-visual mounts manufacturer Euromet. Designed for live events and fixed installations, the ceiling mount and stacking frames can be customized with a variety of compatible accessories to match the specific needs of an installation. About Epson Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/ Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). 1 Epson is the #1 projector brand worldwide and in the U.S. according to most recent quarterly data from PMA, a leading high-tech market research and publishing firm specializing in the display market. 2 Color brightness (color light output) and white brightness (white light output) will vary depending on usage conditions. Color light output measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4; white light output measured in accordance with ISO 21118. 3 Comparison based on 4K projectors rated at 10,000 lumens. Lumens, resolution, size and weight based on the manufacturers' online specifications and industry-available data as of October 2023. 4 Comparison based on 4K projectors rated at 20,000 lumens. Lumens, resolution, size and weight based on the manufacturers' online specifications and industry-available data as of October 2023. 5 No required maintenance for the light source for up to 20,000 hours. Approximate time until brightness decreases 50% from first usage. Measured by acceleration test assuming use of 0.04 - 0.20 mg/m3 of particulate matter. Time varies depending on usage conditions and environment. Replacement of parts other than the light source may be required in a shorter period. 6 HDR performance available with select third-party devices. For more information, see www.epson.com/hdrcompatibility 7 NFC requires use of a device that includes NFC and may require additional software. 8 4K Enhancement Technology shifts each pixel to surpass Full HD resolution on screen. 9 Internet connection required for download. Data usage fee may apply. 10 Internet connection required for download and network connection required for use. 11 Built for use with ELPLX01S, 02S, 01WS and 02WS lenses. 12 Using separate camera for each projector. EPSON and PowerLite are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. PixAlign is a trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2024 Epson America, Inc. SOURCE Epson America, Inc. SINGAPORE, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --EssayFlow has officially announced the launch of its cutting-edge AI essay writing tool that enables students to generate full-length essays that sound human-like in a flash. With this AI essay writer, it becomes easier for users to streamline their academic writing workflow while ensuring they adhere to institutional guidelines. EssayFlow CEO John Stevenson stated, "Our main goal was to provide students with an effective means of overcoming writer's block. In just a few clicks, EssayFlow can help them generate high-quality and plagiarism-free essays with accurate citations. This provides students with a solid foundation to build upon the generated content." EssayFlow is especially unique for its ability to craft well-written content with ease. John Stevenson spoke further on this, "AI text often sounds too formulaic, which we wanted to avoid. EssayFlow is trained on millions of top-notch essays and papers, which allows it to emulate how real students typically phrase and structure their writing." On top of that, any essay content it generates is guaranteed to be 100% unique and plagiarism-free. Furthermore, it supports an extensive range of languages including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and many others. EssayFlow caters to literature reviews, research papers, and various essay types including descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and comparative essays. In addition, the AI essay writer comes with a simple and intuitive interface that makes navigation and essay generation a breeze. As such, even first-time users won't have to deal with a steep learning curve. Users can generate essays with EssayFlow in two ways. It has a 'One-Click Generation' option, which allows you to simply input the essay title, and choose the essay type, word count, and language before getting an instant result. Alternatively, it has a 'Generate Titles' option, which provides step-by-step control that lets you customize the essay title and outline for a more tailored result. The AI essay generator is also versatile enough to cater to any type of student. "Whether you are in grade school, high school, college, or post-grad, EssayFlow is designed to cater to any learning stage or grade level," John Stevenson concluded. Users can quickly access the AI essay writer via its free plan, which makes it a budget-friendly option. SOURCE EssayFlow NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, FAW Trucks signed an export order for 1,000 vehicles with its Kenyan dealer, TAM Company, in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Hanjie Hu, Chief Consultant of FAW Group Corporation Overseas Affairs, and Mr. Changchun Leng, General Manager of FAW Trucks Overseas Product Line. image Mr. Ali Zubedi, General Manager of TAM Company, the Kenyan dealer, stated that their cooperation with FAW Trucks began in 2005. Thanks to FAW Trucks' long-term support and its commitment to providing high-quality products and services, they have gained a competitive edge in the Kenyan market. Furthermore, he expressed full confidence in the future development of the FAW Trucks in Kenya. Mr. Changchun Leng, representing FAW Trucks, expressed gratitude in his speech to TAM Company for its significant contributions to the development of the FAW Trucks brand in the Kenyan market. Mr. Hanjie Hu and Mr. Ali Zubedi jointly witnessed the signing of the 1,000-unit sales order between FAW Trucks and its Kenyan dealer, TAM Company. They also participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of the brand new light truck model of the FAW Trucks brand. Since entering the Kenyan market in 2005, FAW Trucks has conducted thorough research on local market regulations and policies, aiming to provide high-quality products and efficient, timely service support to local customers. In the medium and heavy truck sector, FAW Trucks has introduced the lightweight chassis HanV2.0 traction product, creating popular, cost-effective models with advantages such as low fuel consumption and light weight. This move has accelerated the introduction of the JH6 high-end product, enhancing the brand's competitiveness and gradually capturing the mid-to-high-end market. In the light truck sector, FAW Trucks has launched new products such as the JK6 and Tiger VR, which are widely recognized by local customers for their stylish appearance, abundant power, and larger payload capacity. Looking ahead, FAW Trucks will prioritize customer satisfaction and business success, targeting the growth opportunities in the Kenyan market. It will continue to introduce superior truck products and offer more heartfelt user services, aiming for long-term, sustainable development in overseas markets. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424170/image.jpg The brand new S510 combines AI-ready technology with rugged build quality and a 15.6-inch screen for optimal productivity in a wide range of scenarios News in brief: The S510 is the world's first AI-ready rugged laptop 1, aimed at professionals in the utilities, public safety, manufacturing and automotive industries aimed at professionals in the utilities, public safety, manufacturing and automotive industries Its combination of powerful performance and rugged reliability enables AI-based applications to be used with confidence In keeping with Getac's sustainable design mandate, the S510's chassis is partly comprised of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials TAIPEI, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Getac today announced the launch of its brand-new AI-ready S510 rugged laptop, enabling organisations across industries such as utilities, public safety, manufacturing and automotive to utilise the power of edge AI on a daily basis. An AI-ready device that's built for enhanced productivity The new S510 enables workers to capitalise on the significant productivity benefits of AI-based applications. The new S510 enables workers to capitalise on the significant productivity benefits of AI-based applications. An Intel CoreTM Ultra 5/7 processor with Intel AI Boost and Intel Graphics put powerful performance at users' fingertips, while a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key quickly awakens AI capabilities whenever needed. The S510 combines this innovative feature set with MIL-STD-810H and IP53 certifications, alongside 3ft (0.9m) drop and vibration resistance, giving users the peace of mind they need to work with confidence. The S510 also boasts a 15.6-inch display with 1,000 nits of brightness and Getac sunlight readable technology for optimal versatility in a variety of light conditions. In addition, the device provides robust connectivity options including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 as standard, with optional 4G-LTE and 5G Sub-6 capabilities to keep users connected. Despite its large screen and rugged credentials, the S510 weighs just 2.35kg (5.18lbs) for easy carrying, while its hot-swappable battery capability supports full-shift operation. Its sustainable design also embodies Getac's commitment to environmental responsibility, with a significant proportion of its chassis comprising of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. The S510 can be configured based on individual customer needs, with options including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports for faster data transfer, up to 64GB DDR5 (8GB as standard) and up to 2TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage (256GB as standard). Further options include a laser barcode reader, DVD super multi drive, second storage drive, and/or NVIDIA GPU. Powering the next generation of AI-based applications The S510's powerful specification and rugged credentials make it the ideal hardware platform for a diverse range of AI-based applications. For example, public safety professionals can minimise ambient background noise when conducting interviews and taking witness statements, improving recording clarity. Automotive maintenance professionals can speed up the diagnostics process through real-time algorithms. Manufacturing organisations continue to adopt intelligent and autonomous capabilities and enhance their supply chain. Meanwhile, utilities professionals can use AI-based applications to rapidly analyse field data and identify critical infrastructure issues before they result in costly unplanned downtime. "AI PCs represent a new generation of personal computers with dedicated AI acceleration capabilities spread across the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Leading the charge in this space are PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra, which offer power-efficient AI acceleration and local inference capabilities on the PC. We are delighted to see Getac's new S510 bringing this to a rugged platform and adding to the choice of Intel Core Ultra powered AI PCs out in the market," says Grace Wang, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, General Manager of Intel Taiwan "We're only just beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible when it comes to AI-based applications and the benefits they can bring to organisations across different industries," says James Hwang, President of Getac Technology Corporation. "The new S510 brings together futureproof performance and rugged reliability in a compact and lightweight package, enabling users to implement the latest AI-based innovations with complete confidence." The new S510 is available now. For more information, visit www.getac.com 1. Status updated as of May 28, 2024; to the best of our knowledge, this product is the first rugged laptop featuring the latest Intel Core Ultra processor and Microsoft Copilot key. About Getac Getac Technology Corporation is a global leader in rugged mobile technology and intelligent video solutions, including laptops, tablets, software, body-worn cameras, in-car video systems, digital evidence management and enterprise video analytics solutions. Getac's solutions and services are designed to enable extraordinary experiences for frontline workers in challenging environments. Today, Getac serves customers in over 100 countries spanning defence, public safety, ambulance, fire & rescue, utilities, automotive, natural resources, manufacturing, transport, and logistics. For more information, visit: http://www.getac.com. Participate in the Getac Industry blog or follow the company on LinkedIn and YouTube. Getac and Getac logo are trademarks of Getac Holdings Corporation or its affiliates. Other brands or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2024 Getac Technology Corporation. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2421387/Getac_S510_Scenario_240513.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2378441/Getac_Logo.jpg BEIJING, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday, which deliberated on trial provisions concerning accountability for failing to prevent or defuse financial risks, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The meeting released another strong signal that China will continue to step up efforts to prevent and defuse major risks in the financial industry, as the country moves swiftly to promote high-quality development and build itself into a global financial powerhouse, experts said. Coming after a series of recent measures to tackle financial risks, the trial provisions for accountability will further improve institutional mechanisms to better prevent and resolve risks and promote the sound, high-quality development of the financial market, which plays a critical role in the overall economy, experts further noted. Notably, the meeting stressed that preventing and defusing financial risks is related to national security, overall development, and the security of people's property. It is a major hurdle that must be overcome to achieve high-quality development, according to the meeting. The trial provisions for accountability are also aimed at urging officials at all levels to establish a correct view of performance and better carry out various tasks of comprehensively strengthening financial supervision, preventing and defusing financial risks, and promoting high-quality financial development, the meeting noted, stressing strictness in implementing the trial provisions. The meeting further underscored the top Chinese leadership's focus on tackling financial risks and promoting high-quality development in the financial industry, experts said. "Tackling financial risks has become a top priority for the CPC Central Committee, and addressing loopholes and weak links is a continuous effort," Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Monday. Dong said that since the second half of 2023, when the stock market faced serious downside risks, there have also been major risks in related areas such as financial markets, the property sector and local government debt, which demands strengthened regulation. "In order to tackle weak links in our country's financial regulatory system, I think strengthened provisions on accountability are imperative." Monday's meeting came after a CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting on April 30 that also stressed continuously preventing and defusing risks in key areas. It demanded research on policies to reduce housing inventory and improve the quality of newly-added housing. The plan for local governments to resolve debt risks should be thoroughly implemented, ensuring that provinces, cities and counties with high debt risks not only effectively reduce their debt burden, but also maintain stable development, it said. The tone-setting central financial work conference in October 2023 stressed the comprehensive strengthening of financial supervision, improving the financial system, optimizing financial services, and preventing and resolving risks. Then in March, the Government Work Report called for greater efforts to effectively prevent and resolve risks in key areas. Xi attaches great importance to the financial industry. At the opening ceremony for a study session on promoting high-quality financial development in January, Xi noted that the path for financial development with Chinese characteristics not only follows the way for the development of modern finance, but also has distinctive features that suit China's national conditions, and thus it is different in nature from the mode of Western financial development. "We should have more confidence and continue to explore and improve our work in the financial sector, so that this path will become wider and wider," Xi said, while stressing that risk prevention and control must be regarded as the abiding theme of financial work, according to Xinhua. With the top leadership focused on building the country into a global financial powerhouse, greater policy measures and reforms are expected to be taken in the future, experts noted. Preventing and defusing financial risks and deepening financial reforms are also expected to be on the agenda for the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which is expected to take place in July and will primarily study issues concerning further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization, according to experts. Cao Yuanzheng, chief economist at Bank of China International, said that the trial provisions on accountability are just part of broader efforts to tackle financial risks and promote sound development, as outlined by the central financial work conference. "Over the past four decades of reform and opening-up, China's financial industry has made great achievements, but we must also realize the importance of preventing and defusing financial risks, Cao told the Global Times on Monday, noting that trial provisions on accountability further improve the overall regulatory system, "which is of great importance in preventing systemic financial risks." With continuous efforts by the top leadership as well as sound economic fundamentals, China's financial industry has great potential to become a global leader, experts noted. "The real economy is very dynamic, which provides a solid foundation for high-quality development in the financial industry," Dong said, noting that a top priority for China's financial work is to make sure that the financial industry will serve the development of the real economy. China has already built a massive financial industry, with more than 4,000 banking institutions in total and five lenders assessed as global systemically important banks. As of the end of 2023, total assets of financial institutions in China rose to 461.09 trillion yuan ($64.97 trillion), up 9.9 percent year-on-year, according to official data. In addition to efforts to prevent and defuse financial risks and promote high-quality development, China is also moving steadily to further open up its financial markets to foreign businesses. The central financial work conference in October 2023 also called for efforts to promote high-level financial opening-up. Specifically, the meeting urged the steady expansion of institutional opening-up in the financial sector, improvements in cross-border investment and financing facilitation, and attracting more foreign financial institutions and long-term capital to expand and conduct business in China. SOURCE Global Times LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A proposal released by Governor Newsom yesterday would undercut independent public scrutiny of insurance rate increases and jeopardize savings from the process that consumer advocates have used to save Californians a record $6 billion on their insurance. The $6 billion represents $2.28 billion saved by home, condo and renters' insurance policyholders, $3.68 billion in auto insurance savings, and nearly $100 million saved by doctors and other small business owners, from Consumer Watchdog rate challenges between 2002 and 2024. Click here for a graphic detailing the $6 billion in savings . Bill language posted by the governor last night could end public participation in insurance rate review and will handcuff Department of Insurance oversight of rates, leading to unnecessary overcharges to consumers. "The governor's plan invites insurance companies to set their own prices and will kill public participation in rate review. It takes away the Insurance Commissioner's ability to make insurance companies justify their charges and turns the Department of Insurance into a rubber-stamp for rate increases. It guts the public intervenor process and will cost insurance consumers billions in savings from future public rate challenges. It's up to the legislature to fix it," said Carmen Balber executive director of Consumer Watchdog. The governor's proposed language would: Allow insurance companies to choose their own rate. Forces the Department to provide an "estimated" rate after 120 days that insurance companies have a right to accept, even if necessary data is not provided by insurance companies. Insurance companies will not answer questions or explain their numbers if the Department is required to estimate a rate based on limited information and disregard the input of intervenors. Contains no provisions for considering a lower rate or addressing objections raised by a public intervenor. Creates more incentives for insurance companies to file serial rate increases below 7% - barring public participation - since they can get three rate increases of less than 7% approved in a year rather than have to face the scrutiny of a hearing, which is allowed for rate hikes over 7%. The proposal released by the governor mirrors closely the language of a deal struck by the Insurance Commissioner and insurance companies last year that failed to win legislative approval at the end of session in 2023. See the analysis of that proposal . In the last seven months alone, Consumer Watchdog rate challenges have resulted in nearly $1.5 billion in savings. Recent Insurance Rate Savings, Nov. 2023 - May 2024 Company % Rate Requested Rate Approved Savings State Farm Rental 20.0 % 11.43 % $21,500,000 State Farm HO 28.1 % 20.0 % $199,700,000 Pacific Specialty HO 6.9 % 3.0 % $6,300,000 Standard Fire HO 21.70 % 15.30 % $37,800,000 Allstate Northbrook Auto 35.0 % 30.0 % $149,500,000 State Farm Auto 24.6 % 21.0 % $151,700,000 GEICO Auto 20.8 % 12.8 % $356,000,000 CSAA Auto 28.00 % 9.50 % $525,000,000 Total Savings: $1,447,500,000 The right of consumers to monitor insurance companies' compliance with Proposition 103 is part of the 1988 insurance reform initiative that requires insurance companies to open their books and prove their rates and premiums are reasonable before the Insurance Commissioner can approve them. Prop 103 created the public intervenor process to give consumers a voice in rate oversight, both to assist the Department of Insurance and to make sure the Commissioner enforces the law. It requires the insurance companies to pay the fees and expenses of lawyers, actuaries, and other experts who represent consumers in such challenges. Consumer Watchdog attorneys, outside actuaries, and other experts were paid $13.5 million in fees over 22 years for work to achieve the $6 billion in savings. That amounts to less than 25 cents in fees for every $100 dollars consumers saved from lower insurance premiums. For more information, read the study, "How Citizen Enforcement of Proposition 103 has Saved Californians $5.5 Billion and Why the Insurance Industry Hates It." SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Joint Solution will be Natively Integrated into the Harness Platform, Giving Software Development Teams Unparalleled Speed, Control, and Insight SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Harness, the Modern Software Delivery Platform company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Split Software, a leading Feature Management and Experimentation provider. This strategic move will define a new standard in software delivery, empowering companies to innovate faster and more efficiently than ever before. Companies must adapt quickly to stay competitive in today's fast-paced digital landscape. Modern companies are transforming their software delivery processes to keep pace with the acceleration of software delivery, investing in tools that enable them to experiment, measure, and deploy new products and features without compromising customer experience or application stability. "We've seen immense market demand from our customers for an advanced feature management solution," said Jyoti Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Harness. "We're doubling down on our Feature Management and Experimentation investment with our acquisition of Split. These critical capabilities add another robust capability to our platform, supporting the shift towards faster software delivery and adding value across the entire Software Development Lifecycle." "The moment of feature release is a critical touchpoint between the developer and user. Our mission at Split has been to give development teams the confidence to accelerate with control and the freedom to innovate with ease. To further this mission, I couldn't think of a better partner than Harness. Harness is automating and integrating every stage of software development," said Brian Bell, CEO of Split. "Together, we will have the most comprehensive software delivery platform on the market." With the acquisition of Split, Harness will offer a robust feature management and experimentation solution that enables customers to build, deploy, and release software while running A/B tests to experiment and measure feature adoption. Built on the foundational capabilities of Harness's AI technology, AIDA, our joint solution will unlock the future of DevOps by delivering smart features that help developers ship with confidence. It will be integrated seamlessly into the Harness Software Delivery platform, and businesses will no longer need to purchase single-point solutions to meet their end-to-end software delivery requirements. "We are incredibly excited to see Split join the Harness platform," said Kevin Long, VP of Engineering at ClickUp. "Modern software delivery requires complex techniques like GitOps and experimentation, and now both of these capabilities will be available as a part of a single seamlessly integrated platform. As a long-time customer of both companies, we look forward to the next generation of DevOps platform innovation as they continue to deliver cutting edge solutions to the market." Our mission at Harness is to revolutionize software development and deployment, ensuring every team can deliver code to its users quickly, reliably, efficiently, and securely. With this acquisition, Harness reaffirms its commitment to enhancing its comprehensive software delivery platform, built with best-in-class product modules, to drive innovation and boost developer productivity. Cooley LLP served as U.S. counsel to Harness with DLA Piper Argentina advising under Argentine law. Moelis & Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor, and Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP served as legal counsel to Split Software. About Harness Harness is the leading end-to-end platform for complete software delivery. It provides a simple, safe, and secure way for engineering and DevOps teams to release applications into production. Harness uses AI and machine learning to monitor the quality of deployments and automatically roll back failed ones, saving time and reducing the need for custom scripting and manual oversight, giving engineers their nights and weekends back. Harness customers accelerate deployments by up to 75%, reduce infrastructure costs by up to 60%, and decrease lead time for changes by up to 90%. Harness is based in San Francisco. Please visit www.harness.io to learn more. About Split In a world where product development teams are pressured to do more with less, Split's Feature Data Platform gives you the confidence to move fast without breaking things or burning out. Set up feature flags and safely deploy to production, controlling who sees which features and when. Connect every flag to contextual data, so you know if your features are making things better or worse and can react without hesitation. Effortlessly conduct feature experiments like A/B tests without slowing down. Split is a feature management partner that takes the extra step with experts to support you, online courses to help you learn as you go, and a developer-oriented culture that puts customers at the center. It's why enterprises like Comcast, SAP, Rocket Mortgage, and Salesforce trust Split. SOURCE Harness Students from over 50 colleges and universities participate in the company's 10-week, award-winning internship program AUSTIN, Minn., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An internship with Hormel Foods isn't your typical summer job. In fact, the majority of these talented collegiates, who will hone their skills on everything from sales and food science to engineering and marketing, will very likely receive a full-time job offer to join the Fortune 500 global branded food company. Hormel Foods converts over 70% of its interns into full-time team members. This week Hormel Foods proudly welcomes the 2024 class of inspired interns to its award-winning summer internship program. The company will host more than 90 college students who represent over 50 colleges and universities throughout the United States. This week Hormel Foods proudly welcomes the 2024 class of inspired interns to its award-winning summer internship program. The company will host more than 90 college students who represent over 50 colleges and universities throughout the United States. Vault, the leader in career research, exploration and discovery for professionals and students has consistently recognized Hormel Foods for having one of the best internship programs in the nation and has listed the company in the categories of Best Internships for Engineering; Sales; Marketing and Communications; and Retail and Consumer Products. "We are excited to welcome our largest class of summer interns in the company's history," said Amy Sheehan, director of talent acquisition at Hormel Foods. "Our interns will work alongside many of our professionals and will experience what it is like to contribute to an industry-leading Fortune 500 company. We are proud of the experiences our teams create and we place a high value on the insights the interns bring to our organization." Throughout the 10-week program, each summer intern will experience hands-on business scenarios within every functional group of the company, including sales, marketing, analytics, operations, engineering, IT, R&D, quality control, corporate communications, insights and innovation. Every Hormel Foods summer internship is paid, with interns typically gaining 40 hours of experience per week. This year's program will run through Aug. 2. The goal of each internship is to create a hands-on experience for the students, providing them with opportunities to work with and learn from all levels of management. "We've created a cohesive internship program across the organization that provides a consistent experience and allows the interns to see the many career paths throughout the entire organization," Sheehan said. "You will find our summer interns working at the corporate headquarters, in regional sales offices throughout the country and with various Hormel Foods production facilities. We look forward to supporting these interns while they take their first steps in shaping their careers with our company." About Hormel Foods Inspired People. Inspired Food. Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, Skippy, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized on Fast Company's list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, received a perfect score of 100 on the 202324 Corporate Equality Index and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit hormelfoods.com. Contact: Media Relations Hormel Foods [email protected] SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation ARLINGTON, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Exactly 100 years ago this week, President Calvin Coolidge signed a bipartisan immigration bill that first forged and then boosted the economic and political power of the American middle class. "This is best seen in those most disproportionately affected by high immigration: Black Americans," indicated James Massa, CEO of NumbersUSA, the nation's largest nonpartisan immigration reform organization. Once the law took effect, Black Americans' standard of living improved almost immediately. By 1929, civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois noted that "the stopping of the importing of cheap white labor on any terms has been the economic salvation of American black labor." Between 1940 and 1980, Black men's real incomes multiplied fourfold. Seven in 10 Black Americans belonged to the middle class by 1980 -- up from two in 10 in 1940. "The so-called Great Wave of immigration allowed employers to discriminate against freed slaves and their descendants and hire white European immigrants instead," said Andre Barnes, HBCU Engagement Director for NumbersUSA. "The 1924 Immigration Act changed this dynamic by dramatically reducing annual immigration and effectively ending mass migration from Europe. The law tightened labor markets and gave Black Americans the leverage they needed to win better wages and working conditions." Contemporary Black activists and union leaders overwhelmingly supported the 1924 Immigration Act. "This country is suffering from immigrant indigestion," wrote Black union organizer A. Philip Randolph shortly before the law passed. He and others recognized that unfettered immigration was driving down wages for Black Americans. "The 1924 Immigration Act wasn't perfect -- far from it," admitted Barnes. "It imposed discriminatory national origins quotas that favored northern Europeans at the expense of Asians, Africans, and southern and eastern Europeans. But the law got immigration levels right -- and resulted in decades of upward mobility for Black Americans. Congress today can learn something from that history." To request an interview with Andre, please contact Emeline Bogle at (202) 970-9742 or [email protected]. About NumbersUSA NumbersUSA supports a balanced immigration system that welcomes the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, is responsive to acute refugee crises, attracts those with extraordinary ability and talents, addresses temporary labor shortages, protects the most vulnerable, and is enforced. NumbersUSA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that believes better immigration policy is possible. Focused exclusively on immigration reform, NumbersUSA is America's largest single-issue advocacy group with over 8 million grassroots members and supporters spread across every congressional district. Founded solely by Roy Beck in 1996 to promote civil debate on the immigration recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform -- chaired by civil rights icon Barbara Jordan -- NumbersUSA continues to advocate for sensible immigration policies that ensure Americans' safety, promote economic fairness, while conserving the environment and quality of life. Media Contact: Emeline Bogle (202) 970-9742 [email protected] SOURCE NumbersUSA MARRAKECH, Morocco, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northern African leg of Huawei Network Summit 2024 was held in Marrakech, Morocco, attracting over 400 customers and partners from Egypt, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Morocco, and other countries. At the summit, Leon Wang, President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, said, "All industries are accelerating intelligent transformation, and networks are evolving to all intelligence. As such, we fully upgrade our data communication solutions from Intelligent Cloud-Network to Xinghe Intelligent Network based on Net5.5G, thereby building a network foundation for the intelligent era." Leon Wang, President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, delivering a speech Huawei launched more than ten innovative products and solutions to best suit diverse scenarios such as campus networks, wide area networks (WANs), data center networks, and network security. Examples include all-scenario Wi-Fi 7, the industry's highest-density 400GE modular data center switch (a total of 640 400GE ports), the industry's unique switch with flexible cards from GE to 400GE, the industry's first 220 mm deep 400GE router, an all-in-one intelligent converged gateway, and Net Master (a network large model application). Huawei also unveiled nine industry-specific solutions and flagship distribution products for customers in public services, finance, electric power, and education sectors, reaffirming its efforts to dive deep into the commercial and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) markets. By the end of 2024, Huawei Data Communication plans to provide 73 models of distribution products for markets outside China, joining forces with partners to help numerous enterprises easily go digital. Local customers in Northern Africa also shared their best practices with Huawei's data communication products and solutions. Mehdi AKRAB, Deputy CTO of Morocco Marjane Group, said that Huawei's high-quality campus network solution has helped Marjane build a future-proof campus network with ultra-high-speed access, IoT convergence, and simplified operations and maintenance (O&M), facilitating their digital transformation. Huawei also announced all-new upgrades to its IP Club member program, including gaining fresh insights into the latest technological innovations, connecting with top industry experts and opinion leaders, and participating in an elite member brand plan. The event also recognized IP Club Diamond members with awards. Today's industries stand at a critical juncture in advancing from digital transformation to intelligent transformation. Huawei remains committed to constantly upgrading its Xinghe Intelligent Network offerings needed to build leading network infrastructures, ultimately propelling all industries into the intelligent era. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2424864/image_1.jpg YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. The concept of security that Armenia has implemented so far does not provide security, it generates dangers. Nikol Pashinyan expressed such a position during the preliminary discussion of the annual report "On the Implementation of the 2023 State Budget of the Republic of Armenia" at the joint session of the National Assembly Standing Committees. "In my opinion, we should record that freedom is no longer enough for an Armenian citizen, because justice is needed, security is no longer enough, because peace is needed. We did not even notice that during the existence of our state, what we considered to be security was actually quite dangerous.We named it security, but in our opinion, we tried to implement it by generating new dangers," said the Prime Minister. He emphasized that security is no longer enough because peace is needed. The peace that can provide security. "The concept of security that Armenia has implemented so far does not provide security, it generates dangers," Pashinyan said, adding that this is also the gap between the concepts of real Armenia and non-real Armenia. Prosperity, according to him, is not enough either. "What does prosperity mean? If we look at a very embryonic level, a person has clothes, food, a chair, the ability to provide and satisfy certain physical needs. Should that be enough for us? No, I think it should not be enough. Providing all these conditions, a person can be unhappy. Therefore, prosperity is no longer enough, because happiness is needed," he said. ISTANBUL, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is pleased to announce that its 80th Public Meeting, the ICANN80 Policy Forum, will be held 1013 June 2024 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda. This event, hosted in collaboration with the Republic of Rwanda's Ministry of ICT and Innovation, marks the first ICANN meeting to take place in Rwanda. This underscores ICANN's commitment to fostering global participation and collaboration in the governance of the Internet. The ICANN80 Policy Forum will convene stakeholders from around the world, including representatives from governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and the technical community. Over four days, participants will engage in discussions on key issues affecting the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), including the need for improved DNS security, expanding the DNS to support more languages and scripts, and the evolution of domain name registration policies. The forum aims to foster international collaboration and set the stage for future developments in Internet governance. Prior to ICANN80, the High-Level Government Meeting (HLGM) is scheduled for 9 June 2024. Chaired by the Hon. Paula Ingabire, Rwanda's Minister of ICT and Innovation, the HLGM will highlight the critical role of governmental bodies in shaping ICANN policies and initiatives. This meeting, led by ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee, will focus on promoting governmental engagement and fostering effective collaboration, to align and enhance global Internet governance efforts. "We are excited to host the international community in Kigali for the ICANN80 Policy Forum and High-Level Government Meeting," said Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation. "The Policy Forum will lead efforts to maintain a secure, stable, and interoperable internet, and set the stage for future developments and emerging trends in global internet governance. Our contributions as the local host for ICANN80 give us an opportunity to demonstrate our critical contributions towards global internet governance and the advancement of meaningful internet connectivity for all." ICANN Interim President and CEO Sally Costerton commented on the significance of the meeting: "ICANN80 is a vital platform for advancing global digital inclusivity and strengthening cybersecurity measures. It will facilitate robust multistakeholder engagement and discussions on critical initiatives like the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program, particularly focusing on Internationalized Domain Names and the Applicant Support Program. The HLGM will further emphasize the essential role of governments in our collaborative efforts to address challenges such as data privacy and DNS abuse." ICANN invites all interested parties to register for ICANN80. Both in-person and virtual participation are available to ensure accessibility for a global audience. Early registration is encouraged. About ICANN ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address a name or a number into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423355/ICANN80_Kigali_Logo_Black.jpg SLIDELL, La., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In-Telecom Consulting, LLC, a leading telecommunications and managed services company based in Slidell, LA, has acquired Lantana Communications, a Fort Worth, TX, telecommunications and managed services provider. The strategic acquisition enhanced In-Telecom's capabilities by increasing its presence in the Texas market and adding a proven carrier services team to enhance In-Telecom's current offerings. The company believes Lantana's 34 years of experience will be monumental to In-Telecom's continued growth efforts. "We're excited to welcome Lantana to the In-Telecom team. Together, we'll be able to greatly expand our offerings and become an industry leader across the Gulf South," said Shawn Torres, CEO of In-Telecom. "We're overjoyed to introduce a mature managed services offering to Lantana's existing clients, as well as video surveillance and access control services they haven't had access to previously." This acquisition positions In-Telecom to change the region's competitive landscape. "The acquisition was a great fit from a core values perspective," said Jimmy Burns, COO of In-Telecom. "When our clients win, our company wins, and our communities win. The vision and values of Lantana align perfectly with ours, and we're excited for what the future holds." Founded in 2009 as a telecommunications consulting firm, In-Telecom has seen rapid growth across the U.S. As a result of the acquisition, In-Telecom's clients will have the support of over 130 of the most talented technology professionals, offering 24/7 service and support to more than 1,000 clients across the U.S. About In-Telecom In-Telecom is a leading full-service technology provider, providing telecommunications, managed I.T. and cybersecurity services, video surveillance, and access control solutions across the U.S. In-Telecom helps its partners utilize technology, eliminate challenges, improve operations, and scale their businesses. Since its founding, In-Telecom has focused on creating lasting partnerships that benefit clients, companies, and communities. For more information, visit in-telecom.com. About Lantana Communications Lantana Communications is a telecommunications provider providing telecom, call center solutions, and carrier services in the South Central U.S. Since its founding in 1990, Lantana has focused on creating lasting relationships in the community, helping customers see telecom and I.T. as a service, not a problem. For more information, visit lantanacom.com. Media Contact Taylor Clark, Director of Marketing, In-Telecom Consulting, LLC [email protected] 888-470-0614 SOURCE In-Telecom Consulting HOHHOT, China, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn: The city aims to foster high-tech industries for better development Staff members of the Yili Group, a major dairy producer, monitor production of a dairy factory in real-time at a digital center in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, in 2022. [Photo provided to China Daily] Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, aims to take the lead in fostering new quality productive forces, according to He Haidong, mayor of the city. In an exclusive interview with China Daily, he said Hohhot has the conditions to spur new quality productive forces, as it has, for example, 70 percent of the higher education institutions in Inner Mongolia, 50 percent of its academic institutes and 30 percent of new and high-tech enterprises. The region has six pillar industrial clusters: dairy, electronic information and technology, biomedicine, new materials and equipment manufacturing, new energy, and modern chemical industries, he said. According to the local government work report, the total revenue of the dairy industry in Hohhot exceeded 256 billion yuan ($36.5 billion) last year, up 14 percent year-on-year. The city also ranked 15th in the country in terms of computing capacity and successfully held the China Green Computing Conference last year. "Industrial development in Hohhot has followed a more high-end, intelligent and green path in recent years, as it is putting more attention on futuristic industries such as artificial intelligence, commercial aerospace, semiconductors and bioengineering," the mayor said. He said the city has made efforts to introduce high-end talent, experts and academicians to work in the city, with about 100 arriving in Hohhot every year. Meanwhile, 53,000 college graduates stayed to work in the city last year, and it hopes to attract 50,000 more this year, he said. He said the city will offer high-quality jobs, create favorable conditions for entrepreneurship and build "youth residential communities" with high quality and low costs for college graduates so they can stay for the long term and contribute to the building of the city. Meanwhile, the city has established funds for the development of the six pillar industries, and innovation investment funds to support the development of emerging, futuristic and innovation-driven industries, he said. It has built a market-oriented and international business environment based on the rule of law and is actively building itself into a model city for the social credit system, the mayor said. He said the city will also accelerate the building of a new international airport, and plans to increase the number of China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight trains this year, and boost friendly exchanges with sister cities in countries such as Mongolia, Russia and the United States. SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn CHICAGO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Katten announced today that the firm was selected as one of the 2024 "Best Law Firms for Women & Diversity" by Seramount, which recognizes firms utilizing best practices in recruiting, retaining, promoting and developing women lawyers and attorneys from underrepresented groups, including people of color. This honor marks the 15th year Katten has earned a spot on Seramount's "Best Law Firms for Women" list. Post this Katten was named to Seramount's list of Best Law Firms for Women & Diversity. "As a firm, we are deeply committed to DEI and fostering a culture where everyone is welcomed, feels valued and knows that their diverse perspectives are important to the firm's success. We are proud to be recognized for our efforts," said Katten Chair Roger P. Furey. "From our Kattalyst sponsorship program to our growing affinity groups and more, we consistently invest time and resources to prepare our people for success, making Katten a stronger firm to serve our clients better." This honor marks the 15th year Katten has earned a spot on Seramount's "Best Law Firms for Women" list, maintaining its Hall of Fame status, which is awarded to firms that have appeared on the list more than 10 times. Seramount's application for the 2024 list included questions about attorney demographics, family-friendly benefits, mentoring and sponsorship participation, and policies that focus on flexibility, paid time off and parental leave. Seramount is a strategic professional services and research firm dedicated to supporting high-performing, inclusive workplaces. Katten's slate of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs features a biennial Diversity Summit, which last summer convened nearly 150 firm attorneys for interactive workshops, strategic networking sessions and thought-provoking discussions to help them build on their strengths and make lasting connections. The summit, with the theme "Unlocking Our Power & Purpose," detailed best practices in shifting away from imposter syndrome and toward adopting unconditional self-worth, handling encounters of microaggression and implicit bias, and generally building a successful law firm career. The firm also presented a pre-event networking session for all women attorneys. The summit has led to new programs that promote inclusivity, including additional mentoring initiatives and the expansion of affinity groups, which help cultivate Katten's culture of inclusion. "Katten's dynamic diversity programming is valuable because it provides an opportunity for our attorneys to comfortably share their experiences and how they have overcome challenges," said Partner Kenya S. Woodruff, National Chair of Katten's Women's Leadership Forum. "Such insightful conversations can positively impact the professional growth of our attorneys and contribute to a more inclusive work environment while underscoring the firm's unwavering commitment to advancing DEI not only at Katten but throughout the legal industry." Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com . SOURCE Katten NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Levy Konigsberg attorneys Moshe Maimon and Corey Briskin filed a lawsuit on behalf of six men and women who suffered sexual abuse during their confinement as juveniles at Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center ("MCJDC"). Levy Konigsberg sued Middlesex County, alleging that it failed to protect children from rampant sexual abuse at MCJDC. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of six men and women who were abused as children at MCJDC, is the latest in a string of New Jersey juvenile detention abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg. As detailed in the complaint, there is a well-documented history of child sexual abuse at MCJDC. In 2000, the County was sued for failing to protect a 14-year-old juvenile inmate from sexual abuse perpetrated by a guard at MCJDC. In 2005, another guard at MCJDC, who also worked as a high school security officer, was criminally charged with sexual misconduct after he was accused of having raped a high school student. And in 2010, the United States Department of Justice issued a report finding that New Jersey has some of the highest rates of sexual abuse among juvenile detention facilities nationwide and that much of this abuse goes unreported. As a result of the County's failures, children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards and other staff members at MCJDC who were responsible for their care. The suits filed by Levy Konigsberg were brought under New Jersey's Child Sexual Abuse Act ("CSAA"), a 2019 law that expanded the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits in cases of child sexual abuse. Most of the survivors seeking justice in these lawsuits were abused many years ago, some as far back as the 1980s, suffering in silence until their claims were finally made possible by the CSAA. Despite the years separating their experiences, the six men and women whose claims were filed this week experienced disturbingly similar patterns of abuse, evidencing Middlesex County's systemic failure to protect the children in its care. In announcing this week's filings, Levy Konigsberg Partner Moshe Maimon stated: "For too long, vulnerable children in Middlesex County's custody have suffered unthinkable abuse at its juvenile detention centervictims of a broken juvenile justice system. The County had a responsibility to these children, and it failed to uphold that responsibility." Levy Konigsberg has filed hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse nationwide and is at the forefront of CSAA litigation in New Jersey, having filed some of the first lawsuits about the widespread sexual abuse in the State's juvenile detention facilities. Earlier this year, the Associated Press covered Levy Konigsberg's lawsuit on behalf of 50 men who were abused at the New Jersey Training School, known as Jamesburg. Interested parties can read the article here. Since then, Levy Konigsberg filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of 25 men who were sexually abused as juveniles in four New Jersey juvenile detention facilities, including Jamesburg and Skillman. Levy Konigsberg represents over 200 survivors of sexual abuse at juvenile detention facilities across New Jersey and plans to continue fighting tirelessly on their behalf. For additional information about child sexual abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg, please visit the firm's website or reach out to Partner Moshe Maimon using the firm's contact form. SOURCE Levy Konigsberg LLP New $6.5 million commitment will help strengthen systems to improve health outcomes across resource-limited areas in India GENEVA, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- During the World Health Assembly today, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced it will donate $6.5 million to the United States Fund for UNICEF to expand UNICEF's work to improve the health outcomes of millions of children and youth at risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) living in resource-limited settings in India. This will bring the company's total commitment since 2022 to more than $20 million. With this additional funding, UNICEF will seek to improve efforts to address NCD risk factors, strengthen health systems, enhance the ability of health workers to care for people and support millions of children and their families challenged by diseases like type 1 diabetes, respiratory illnesses, rheumatic and congenital heart disease, and sickle cell disease in resource-limited areas in India. "UNICEF will work with governments and partners to strengthen health systems to effectively manage NCDs in children and young people. This will help integrate efforts into maternal, newborn, and child health programs, emphasizing prevention and management of childhood NCDs," says Luigi D'Aquino, chief of health, UNICEF India. Noncommunicable diseases place a significant burden on economies while being closely linked to poverty, poor social and economic development, and other inequities. This burden is disproportionately felt by low-income countries, communities, and the most vulnerable people, including children and adolescents. Childhood NCDs can have substantial, lifelong implications for children and their families, including disabilities, chronic pain and reduced quality of life. According to the World Health Organization's NCD database, in 2019, NCDs accounted for 66% of all deaths in India, 22% of which were premature. Average life expectancy is 70.79 years in India, slightly less than the world average of 73.40 years. Seventy percent of the preventable adult deaths from NCDs are linked to risk factors that start in adolescence, providing a key opportunity for prevention. "UNICEF and Lilly share a similar goal to make life better for millions of people around the world," said Lilly's Head of Social Impact, Cynthia Cardona. "These efforts are critical to working towards changing the global landscape of NCDs and improving health outcomes for children and adolescents living in resource-limited areas in India." In 2022, UNICEF launched an initiative in Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal, the Philippines and Zimbabwe with support from Lilly's $14.4 million contribution to the United States Fund for UNICEF, enabling it to focus on NCD prevention, detection, treatment and support in these countries. Since then, UNICEF has screened hundreds of children for NCDs, trained more than 2,000 health workers, and reached more than 350,000 families with awareness messages on NCD prevention. UNICEF aims to improve health outcomes for millions of children and adolescents living in resource-limited areas in India by 2030, working towards ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Lilly's support aligns with its Lilly 30x30 initiative to improve access to quality health care for 30 million people in resource-limited settings annually by 2030. About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook . UNICEF does not endorse any company brand, product or service. About Lilly Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. I-LLY Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). For further discussion of risks and uncertainties of the company, see Lilly's most recent respective Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company Dell to lead management of Singleton Birch business as CEO Richard Stansfield retires ST. LOUIS, Mo., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MLC (formerly Mississippi Lime Company) has appointed Blake Dell as vice president for corporate development, strategy and UK operations. Part of the MLC executive leadership team, this is a new role created to escalate the company's geographic and market expansion. MLC has appointed Blake Dell as vice president for corporate development, strategy and UK operations. Dell will be responsible for leading strategic planning, acquisitions, investments, joint ventures and partnerships across all MLC businesses, including the company's Singleton Birch business in the United Kingdom. He will also serve as the executive director for Singleton Birch, as Richard Stansfield, current Singleton Birch chief executive officer, will retire in June after 35 years with the company. "We are extremely grateful for Richard's contributions over many years of proven accomplishments. He has been integral to the success of our acquisition and integration, which has enabled our teams to work together to enhance innovation, operational capabilities and sustainability. As we enter a new era of growth for both MLC and Singleton Birch, Blake's skill set will be central to continuing to grow our international footprint and integrate our businesses into a unified family, delivering value through strategic acquisitions," said Paul Hogan, president and chief executive officer at MLC. Dell has nearly two decades of experience in strategy, development, planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Over his 13 years with MLC, he has held positions of increasing responsibility across finance, sales and marketing, and corporate development. This includes leading the recent acquisitions of Singleton Birch (Melton Ross, UK), Valley Minerals (Bonne Terre, MO) and Southern Lime (Calera, AL). These acquisitions have been pivotal to MLC's strategic vision. For example, they have enabled the company to expand its portfolio of lime solutions, deliver into more markets and enhance service to customers. Dell's prior experience also includes positions within private equity and M&A advisory. "I'm grateful and excited for the opportunity to further build upon our strong foundation and rich history as we look to expand into new geographies and end markets. Our recent growth is a testament to the dedicated people throughout the organization. I look forward to continuing to work with the teams in the US and UK to execute our strategy," Dell said. Dell attained his Bachelor of Science in business finance from the University of Kansas and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Louis University. He serves as a member of the board of directors for Origen, a mineral-based climate technology startup focused on carbon dioxide removal. About MLC MLC is a leading global supplier of high-calcium lime products and technical solutions headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. These offerings bring essential performance and value to a range of market applications, including metals, construction, chemicals, water and emissions treatment, glass, plastics, elastomers, agriculture, foods and beverages. With over a century in business, MLC has built a reputation on the quality of its products and services, as well as an unwavering commitment to safety, sustainability and service. The company's expanding global footprint includes a diversified, reliable network of production and distribution facilities in the US, as well as in the UK through its Singleton Birch business. MLC is an HBM Holdings company. For more information, visit https://mlc.com. SOURCE MLC RICHMOND, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Naborforce, an age-tech company whose platform provides on-demand everyday assistance to seniors, today announced that it has again expanded its nationally renowned services to now include Washington, D.C. Naborforce, a trusted resource for providing a helping hand for older adults and backup for their family members, currently serves areas in Northern Virginia such as Aldie, Alexandria, Annandale, Ashburn, Burke, Centerville, Chantilly, Clifton, Dunn Loring, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fort Belvoir, Great Falls, Herndon, Leesburg, McLean, Oakton, Occoquan, Poolesville, Reston, Springfield, Sterling, Vienna, and Woodbridge. The rapid expansion of Naborforce further into the DMV region District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia is timely and needed to support communities as the older population continues to grow significantly in the majority of the cities and counties in the area. The region's demographic shift reflects the same challenges the country is increasingly experiencing. Beginning next year, 10,000 Americans will turn 80 every day. In response to the Nation's aging population, the United States Surgeon General recently released an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness impacting aging adults, which can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. The President of the United States has also announced new actions impacting people of all ages, including families and caregivers, as part of an executive order designed to increase access to high-quality care and supporting caregivers. As the sole on-demand platform of its kind, Naborforce directly addresses isolation and loneliness by matching older adults seeking companionship and neighborly help with a reliable network of its fully vetted and trustworthy "Nabors." The Naborforce solution relies on the strength of local communities to provide a neighborly hand as needed so older adults may lead social and active lives. "As we expand to Washington, D.C., we will remain focused on our core mission of bringing joy and connection to as many seniors as possible," said Paige Wilson, founder and CEO of Naborforce. "In other parts of the region, and around the country, Naborforce has proven its ability to harness the power of local community to help keep older adults independent and bring peace of mind to their families. Our expansion in Washington, D.C. will provide a trusted network of backup sons and daughters on-demand who are ready and available for everyday support for older adults and their family members at a time when it is needed most." Clients or their families can set up an account which takes just a couple of minutes to start booking help for the little things that make life better for an older person. As an example, Nabors can take a walk with a client, help clean out a closet, run errands, get to important appointments, set up an iPhone, help prepare a meal, or enjoy a cup of coffee together. Passionate and caring community members who want to impact the lives of older adults in the area, as well as residents wishing to easily secure a Nabor for on-demand help, can learn more by visiting naborforce.com. About Naborforce: Headquartered in Richmond, VA, Naborforce is using technology to harness the strength of community. Through its proprietary tech platform, Naborforce connects older adults and their families to a network of fully vetted community members for on-demand light assistance and social connection. Naborforce is currently available in Atlanta, Georgia and Savannah, Georgia; Charlotte, NC; Chapel Hill, NC; Durham, NC; Greensboro, NC; High Point, NC; Raleigh, NC, and Wilmington, NC; Charlottesville, VA; Richmond, VA; Northern, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; Williamsburg, VA; Bethesda, MD; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas, Texas. Older adults and/or family members can sign up quickly and schedule visits online or by phone. There are no contracts, extensive consultations, or length of visit requirements beyond one hour. Passionate and caring community members wanting to impact the lives of older adults in their area and residents wishing to easily secure a "Nabor" for on-demand support can learn more by visiting naborforce.com. SOURCE Naborforce WASHINGTON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive national poll conducted by FTP Insights and Accelerate Advocacy has revealed significant insights into American voters' perceptions of Alzheimer's disease, highlighting widespread concern and the urgent need for increased awareness and innovative treatments. The survey, which gathered responses from more than 1,000 registered voters, underscores the personal impact of Alzheimer's on American families and the substantial gaps in knowledge about current treatments. Key findings from the 2024 National Poll on Alzheimer's Disease include: High Levels of Concern: Nearly 94% of voters consider Alzheimer's a very serious health condition, placing it just behind cancer in terms of perceived seriousness. Nearly 94% of voters consider Alzheimer's a very serious health condition, placing it just behind cancer in terms of perceived seriousness. Personal Connection: A significant 43% of voters personally know someone with Alzheimer's, and 25% are or have been caregivers for someone with the disease. A significant 43% of voters personally know someone with Alzheimer's, and 25% are or have been caregivers for someone with the disease. Knowledge Gaps: Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer's, only a small percentage of voters feel they know "a lot" about current treatments, highlighting the need for public education. Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer's, only a small percentage of voters feel they know "a lot" about current treatments, highlighting the need for public education. Support for Innovation: Voters show strong support for exploring new treatment options, particularly those focusing on vascular health and improving brain blood flow. Voters show strong support for exploring new treatment options, particularly those focusing on vascular health and improving brain blood flow. Quality of Life: The most valued attributes of potential Alzheimer's treatments are those that enhance the quality of life, such as prolonging independence and allowing patients to live more normal lives. "Our poll highlights the urgent need for continued education and innovation in Alzheimer's treatments," said Dr. Jack Juni, a Heart of the Solution Scientific Advisory Board member. "As public concern grows, leveraging this awareness to support research and the development of new therapies is crucial. By understanding and addressing the public's concerns and knowledge gaps, we can make meaningful strides in the fight against Alzheimer's disease." Visit our 2024 National Poll site to explore the detailed findings and visual representations of the poll. Additionally, we invite you to dive deeper into these insights through our blog series, which covers: An Overview of the National Poll Results Alzheimer's as a National Priority Awareness of Current Treatments Enthusiasm for New Treatments Patient and Caregiver Priorities The blog series provides a comprehensive analysis of the poll results, offering valuable information for policymakers, healthcare providers, and the public. About The Heart of the Solution: The Heart of the Solution is dedicated to advancing research, education, and advocacy for Alzheimer's disease. Through our initiatives and partnerships, we aim to improve the quality of life for those affected by Alzheimer's and support the development of innovative treatments, especially those that focus on improving blood flow to the brain. The Heart of the Solution www.heartofthesolution.org SOURCE The Heart of the Solution Findings include increased farmer profitability of $150 per acre on average using soil health management systems MORRISVILLE, N.C., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Opportunities to advance sustainable cotton farming in the United States are growing thanks to a nationwide partnership led by the Soil Health Institute's United States Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF). The fund's holistic approach to advance economic insights, soil health measurement, and education has made significant progress in the U.S. Cotton Belt since its establishment, engaging more than 1,000 cotton farmers and their advisors. Its efforts support adoption of management systems to improve soil health, the foundation for regenerative agriculture. "The soil health benchmarks SHI is providing are a great way to help farmers set realistic soil health goals and measure their success," said fifth-generation cotton farmer Zeb Winslow, who hosted a recent USRCF field demonstration at his farm in North Carolina. "Reaching farmers where they're at is important if we're going to continue the soil health movement." Launched in 2021, USRCF is a farmer-facing, science-based initiative to support long-term, sustainable U.S. cotton production, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026. Active in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, the fund's work is made possible by boots-on-the-ground partnerships with U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Cotton Incorporated, agricultural extension, local technical specialists, advisors, and cotton farmers. Notable successes include: Economic Insights: By assessing 19 farms representing 108,000 acres in Texas , Georgia , Mississippi , North Carolina , and South Carolina , researchers found farms implementing soil health management systems reduced production costs by an average of $53 per acre, increasing net farm income by an average of $150 per acre in their cotton rotations. By assessing 19 farms representing 108,000 acres in , , , , and , researchers found farms implementing soil health management systems reduced production costs by an average of per acre, increasing net farm income by an average of per acre in their cotton rotations. Soil Health Measurements: Benchmarks established on more than 2 million acres in Texas and Arkansas provide personalized soil health reports to farmers, describing the health of their soils, opportunities for improvement, and implications for carbon and water storage. These benchmarks can empower farmers and advisors to set science- and place-based soil health goals for their farms. Benchmarks established on more than 2 million acres in and provide personalized soil health reports to farmers, describing the health of their soils, opportunities for improvement, and implications for carbon and water storage. These benchmarks can empower farmers and advisors to set science- and place-based soil health goals for their farms. Experiential Learning for a Resilient Future: Eleven interns from Historically Black Colleges and Universities received first-hand experience translating science into action. Eleven interns from Historically Black Colleges and Universities received first-hand experience translating science into action. Farmer Education: USRCF organized over 25 field demonstrations and workshops led by SHI educators, farmer mentors, and technical specialists, tapping into trusted networks of local peers to help more than 1,300 farmers and advisors across seven states to improve soil health. The USRCF was initiated through a founding grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation. Walmart Foundation, The VF Foundation, Levi Strauss & Co., Hearst Foundations, and Cotton Incorporated are also supporters of the fund. For more information about the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund, please visit https://soilhealthinstitute.org/our-work/initiatives/us-regenerative-cotton-fund. About the Soil Health Institute The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being. By bringing together leaders in science and industry, SHI conducts research and empowers farmers and landowners to adopt soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. Find out more at www.soilhealthinstitute.org or on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. About The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation works to make the dream of a better life reality by championing equity and empowering underserved communities around the world. Established in 2001, The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation is committed to making a difference across its core areas of focus: supporting cancer care and prevention, protecting the environment, fostering advocacy & access and strengthening community resilience. It hopes to deliver meaningful change in its communities through its nonprofit collaborations, grant funding and volunteering programs. For more information, please visit: https://corporate.ralphlauren.com/Foundation. About Philanthropy at Walmart Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.org works to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 24 countries, employs more than 2 million associates and does business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, advance equity, address hunger, build inclusive economic opportunity for people in supply chains, protect and restore nature, reduce waste and emissions, and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or connect on Twitter @Walmartorg. About The VF Foundation The VF Foundation, the philanthropic grantmaking arm of VF Corporation, one of the world's largest active-lifestyle companies with a portfolio of iconic brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies, strives to innovate and problem solve to create a more active, equitable and sustainable world. Since its inception, The VF Foundation has granted more than $70 million globally to improve the communities where VF operates. For more information, please visit vfc.com. About Levi Strauss & Co. Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. The company designs and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co., Denizen and Beyond Yoga brands. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and a global footprint of approximately 3,200 brand-dedicated stores and shop-in-shops. Levi Strauss & Co.'s reported 2023 net revenues were $6.2 billion. For more information, go to http://levistrauss.com, and for financial news and announcements go to http://investors.levistrauss.com. About Hearst Foundations The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources supporting the fields of culture, education, health and social services. The Hearst Foundations endeavor to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives. About Cotton Incorporated Cotton Incorporated is a research and promotion company for upland cotton. Funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers of Upland cotton-containing products, the not-for-profit organization's mission is to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. As a resource for the cotton industry, Cotton Incorporated conducts or oversees more than 450 research and educational projects in an average year. To learn more about cotton and sustainability, visit CottonToday.com and follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Contact: Alisson Clark Communications Director, Soil Health Institute [email protected] 919-504-2369 SOURCE Soil Health Institute PRESQUE ISLE, Maine, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) has received formal notification from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) confirming the accreditation of its Practical Nursing (PN) program. The ACEN is the leading authority in nursing accreditation and works to ensure the highest quality of nursing instruction. ACEN accreditation assures the public and the educational community that a nursing program has well-defined and appropriate educational objectives and is committed to achieving them. Northern Maine Community College Receives National Accreditation for Practical Nursing Program Post this Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) has received formal notification from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) confirming the accreditation of its Practical Nursing (PN) program. By adhering to the ACEN Standards and Criteria for accreditation, ACEN-accredited programs demonstrate that their graduates are equipped to enter the workforce and contribute positively to public health outcomes. NMCC's PN program, which launched in the spring of 2019, is the only of its kind offered by a public institution in the state of Maine. "We are very pleased to receive ACEN accreditation," stated Angela Buck, Academic Dean at NMCC. "Practical nursing bridges a critical care gap in healthcare, which has become more pronounced in recent years. Graduates of this program are able to enter the field faster than registered nurses and provide critical care to patients in hospitals and other healthcare settings." On May 17th, the ACEN notified the College that the group's Board of Commissioners approved NMCC's accreditation during their April board meeting. This decision followed a two-year evaluation process reviewing the program's curriculum, faculty preparation, administrative capacity, and student outcomes, among other standards and criteria to ensure the program meets or exceeds the ACEN's quality requirements. "The nursing shortage in the state has many healthcare facilities concerned about how they will staff facilities," NMCC President Timothy Crowley said. "NMCC's 9-month PN program has been developed with two goals: to help bring additional qualified people into the nursing profession and to allow RNs to work at the top of their license." Since the program's inception, 78 students have graduated and entered the field, many taking roles in Aroostook County's local healthcare network. In the upcoming fall 2024 semester, NMCC's practical nursing program offers 24 slots to students pursuing a career in healthcare. "ACEN accreditation serves as a mark of distinction," stated Buck. "It indicates to both the public and the educational community that NMCC's PN program adheres to rigorous standards and criteria. By meeting these benchmarks, NMCC demonstrates its dedication to providing nursing education that prepares graduates for success in the workforce." "I extend my congratulations to the nursing faculty for their outstanding dedication, not only to the College but to ensuring our students receive a superb education," shared NMCC President Timothy Crowley. "I appreciate the exemplary leadership demonstrated by our Academic Dean Angela Buck and Nursing, Allied Health Chair Eileen McDougal, and the hard work and support of PN Program Coordinator Allison Folsom. I'm excited and proud of all those who worked tirelessly towards achieving this significant milestone." For more information, please visit nmcc.edu or NMCC's Facebook page. Founded in 1961, the Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) is an accredited two-year public community college located in Presque Isle, Maine. The College is committed to excellence in learning and offers over 30 innovative associate degree and certificate-level programs both online and in-person. NMCC is one of seven colleges in the Maine Community College System. To learn more about the College visit www.nmcc.edu or call NMCC Admissions at 207-768-2785. SOURCE Northern Maine Community College SEOUL, South Korea, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvilab delivered a keynote at the Aramark Innova Summit 2024. This event, attended by key figures related to Aramark and potential clients, provided a platform for discussing the innovations of AI in the food service industry. Nuvilab Delivers Keynote Speech at Aramark Innova Summit in Chile Since the London Protocol of 2006, South Korea has implemented a mandatory composting system. While this infrastructure enables the country to dispose of nearly all its food waste appropriately, residents must transport bags of food to designated curbside bins. Despite being recognized as a pioneer in food waste management, Nuvilab remains committed to addressing this issue and providing solutions globally to achieve net zero emissions. During the keynote speech, Nuvilab passionately reiterated its mission to innovate the food service industry. It underscored AI, 3D scanning technology, and data analysis as core competencies, reshaping how we think about food waste and nutritional intake linked to individuals' health care. This global mission is not just about innovation but about inspiring change on a massive scale. Hugo Henri, International Head of Customer Experience & Innovation, mentioned, "Nuvilab's innovative solution helps our accounts transform food and food waste into data, generating informed and smarter insights for our operations." With the AI Food Scanner, Nuvilab has successfully implemented its services in daycare centers, schools, hospitals, and corporate cafeterias across South Korea and is expanding globally. Their efforts have led to a significant reduction in food waste in these sectors, portraying confidence in their ability to tackle complex issues within the food service industry. In addition to tackling food waste management globally, Nuvilab aims to offer insights into individual nutritional intake through data analysis for the People, Planet, and Profit in the future. SOURCE Nuvilab Also highlighting speaker session on CFO/COO insights on building an Operations Command Center. SAN JOSE, Calif. and KARLSRUHE, Germany, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OpsVeda, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions that power business operational command centers, is pleased to announce that they are a Silver Exhibitor at the 2024 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place in Barcelona, Spain, on June 10 through 12, 2024. This premier industry event brings together supply chain leaders to share insights, strategies, and frameworks that are shaping the future of operations and supply chain management. The 2024 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo features a lineup of expert speakers and comprehensive content designed to provide operational insights and strategies for professionals across the supply chain spectrum. As a Silver Exhibitor, OpsVeda will be actively participating with an exhibitor booth, where attendees can learn more about OpsVeda's innovative software solutions that empower businesses to achieve greater operational agility and profitability. "We are excited to exhibit at the 2024 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium and engage with industry leaders and professionals," said Sanjiv Gupta, Founder and CEO of OpsVeda. "This event is a unique opportunity to showcase how OpsVeda's unique capabilities enable operations teams to achieve more of their revenue potential with better operational execution. This includes helping them execute to weekly, monthly, and quarterly business goals." OpsVeda is also proud to highlight a special presentation by Greg Snipes, CFO and COO of Royce Too, and Sanjiv Gupta, Founder and CEO of OpsVeda. Their session, entitled "CFO Insights on Building Your Operations Command Center," will delve into the strategic benefits of establishing a centralized command center for end-to-end visibility and proactive (and sometimes automated) decision-making in supply chain operations. "Having firsthand experience with OpsVeda's platform over the past several years, I am delighted to share how it has transformed our operational execution, enabling us to identify and mitigate risks, optimize and align supply and demand, and enhance our overall business performance," said Greg Snipes, CFO and COO of Royce Too. "Our presentation will share valuable insights for companies looking leverage software technology in building an Operations Command Center to drive business execution to meet revenue targets." Attendees are encouraged to visit OpsVeda's booth to discover how the company's innovative solutions can help them optimize their business operations, grow revenue, and pre-empt margin leakage. Experts from the OpsVeda team will be available at the event to demonstrate the platform's capabilities and discuss how it can be tailored to meet the unique requirements of operations in each business. About Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo conference delivers must-have insights, strategies, and frameworks for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and supply chain leaders to think big and drive real impact within their organizations. Join a global community of CSCOs and supply chain executives in 2024. For more information visit: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/emea/supply-chain-spain About OpsVeda OpsVeda is a leading SaaS provider enabling optimized business operations. When you power your Operations Command Center with OpsVeda, you enable agility for precision execution of your weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals. OpsVeda's machine learning continuously matches your supply and demandenabling you to detect and pre-empt margin leakage. For more information about OpsVeda and its software offerings, visit https://www.opsveda.com About Royce Too Royce Too is a premier sock and leg wear design and marketing company headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA with a reputation for premium quality products, unique designs, and innovative use of natural and synthetic fibers. Royce Too is the exclusive sock licensee of EDDIE BAUER, DICKIES, and SAUCONY brands. These products can be found online, in department stores, mass retail chains and at specialty retailers. For more information, visit: https://www.roycesocks.com/about-us Legal Disclaimers All marks cited in this press release are the property of their respective owners. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark and Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Contact: OpsVeda, Inc. ***@opsveda.com Photos: https://www.prlog.org/13022549 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE OpsVeda, Inc. Golden Triangle II is a 150 MWac solar plus 50 MW battery storage project, which is the first of three Origis solar projects in Mississippi to come online through 2025. MIAMI, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Origis Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced Wednesday that the first of three solar plus storage projects in their Mississippi portfolio has reached commercial operation. Golden Triangle II, a 150 MWac solar project with 50 MW battery storage, began generating carbon-free electricity on May 21, 2024. "Solar energy enhances Mississippi's economic competitiveness, and Origis is removing limits to a cleaner, brighter future by building the region's clean-energy infrastructure," said Johan Vanhee, Chief Commercial and Procurement Officer for Origis. "Golden Triangle II is the first step in fostering a zero-carbon economy across the state that supports our nation's economic and energy security goals." The Magnolia State is home to two other Origis renewable energy projects - Golden Triangle I, in Lowndes County, a 200 MWac project with 50 MW of battery storage and Optimist, in Clay County, a 200 MWac project with 50 MW of battery storage. This is the largest battery storage portfolio under construction in the state, which helps maintain TVA's leadership in clean power generation. When completed in 2025, Origis' Mississippi clean-energy complex will have a total capacity of 550 MW plus 150 MW of battery storage. Roughly 1.5 million solar panel modules will be installed at the three sites, enough to power an estimated 126,000 homes. "As a national clean energy leader, TVA is on the forefront to drive carbon reduction across all sectors of the economy and provide the clean power needed to fuel our region's growth," said Amy Tate, TVA Southeast Region Executive. "Together, with partners like Origis, TVA is developing carbon-free energy solutions that create jobs and investment in the communities we serve." Origis Energy, one of America's leading renewable energy and decarbonization solution providers, developed, constructed and will operate the three projects for TVA. Each site will deliver clean energy at competitive rates under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) executed between TVA and Origis. TVA will use the power to help meet the energy demand and sustainability goals of some of its large industrial customers, through its industry-leading Green Invest program, including Meta. Golden Triangle II will support Meta's operations in the TVA area as part of the more than 1,000 MWac capacity Meta has partnered with TVA on. "Partnering with TVA on the Green Invest program has made it possible for our operations in the Tennessee Valley to be supported by new solar energy constructed in the region," said Urvi Parekh, Head of Renewable Energy at Meta. "This solar farm is Meta's first renewable energy project in Mississippi, and we're excited to see it come online." Following the pandemic, TVA's affordable, reliable and clean energy, coupled with unprecedented migration into the area, resulted in a rebound in economic growth in the Golden Triangle area of 8% in 2021 and 3.5% in 2022. That growth is expected to continue, according to the recent University of Tennessee Baker School study which projects the TVA region's population to grow by 22% by 2050. Estimated economic benefits from the three projects include $106 million in near-term construction and hiring gains to the area. Over the life of the solar complex, they will provide another $145 million in estimated regional economic benefits. RES is providing construction services to Origis for the portfolio, employing an estimated 500 people over the course of the three projects. Upon completion of the plants, Origis Energy Services will operate and maintain the portfolio, employing approximately 9 on-site jobs over the 35+ project life years. The utility-scale battery storage for each site is provided by Prevalon Energy, a rebranding of Mitsubishi Power Americas battery energy storage business. Community leaders and development partners celebrated the announcement. "The addition of Golden Triangle II to Mississippi's ever-growing renewable energy industry is a perfect example of how an all-of-the-above approach to energy promotes innovation and efficiency for Mississippians. I ran my campaign on one promise: to pursue all energy avenues for Mississippi with the ratepayers, reliability, and the future of our state in mind. I'm proud to welcome Golden Triangle II to the Northern District," said Chris Brown, Mississippi Public Service Commissioner for the Northern District. "The Origis facility is a massive solar farm, battery bank and substation. Its location, next to the Golden Triangle megaplex will provide renewable power on a large scale. The project will also provide millions of dollars to our schools and county government," said Joe Max Higgins, Jr AICP, CEcD, CES CEO GTR Link. "RES is proud to be part of the team supporting Origis and TVA on Golden Triangle II and the rest of the portfolio to bring reliable clean energy to TVA customers," said AJ Jain, Chief Operating Officer at RES. "Alongside local contractors, our team of nearly 500 worked more than a million hours without a lost-time accident. Congratulations to the entire team!" "Origis Energy and TVA's announcement of the commercial operation of Golden Triangle II represents a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing clean energy solutions," stated Tom Cornell, President and CEO of Prevalon Energy. "We are honored to be part of this project, enabling more renewable generation in TVA's service territory. By generating carbon-free electricity, this project not only supports Mississippi's economic competitiveness but also contributes to a cleaner, brighter future for the region. We are excited to be part of this endeavor and look forward to continuing to support sustainable energy initiatives with Origis and TVA." Press release images and video can be found on the Origis website. For more information about each specific project, visit the project websites: Golden Triangle II Solar + Storage Golden Triangle I Solar + Storage Optimist Solar + Storage About TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation's largest public power supplier, delivering energy to 10 million people across seven southeastern states. TVA was established 90 years ago to serve this region and the nation by developing innovative solutions to solve complex challenges. TVA's unique mission focuses on energy, environmental stewardship, and economic development. With one of the largest, most diverse, and cleanest energy systems including nuclear, hydro, solar, gas, and advanced technologies TVA is a leader in our nation's drive toward a clean energy future. TVA is a corporate agency of the United States, receiving no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. About Origis Energy Origis Energy is accelerating the transition to a carbon-free future by Reimagining Zero. As one of America's leading renewable energy and decarbonization solution platforms, the company continues to expand and reimagine its contribution to the world's net-zero goals. Origis Energy puts customers first to deploy a wide range of sustainable solutions for grid and distributed power generation, clean hydrogen and long-term operation of solar, energy storage and clean hydrogen plants across the U.S. Founded in 2008, Origis Energy is headquartered in Miami, FL. Learn more at Origis Energy. SOURCE Origis Energy MELBOURNE, Fla., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pit Crew Roofing, a leading roofing company in Brevard County, Florida, is urging homeowners to learn about the importance of roof inspections ahead of the upcoming hurricane season. With the potential risks posed by severe weather conditions, homeowners must take proactive measures to ensure the safety and integrity of their roofs. Pit Crew Roofing Pit Crew Roofing As hurricane season approaches, homeowners should schedule a thorough roof inspection to identify any existing damage or weak points that strong winds and heavy rainfall could exacerbate. Pit Crew Roofing emphasizes the significance of early detection, roof repair, and possibly roof replacement to prevent more extensive and costly damages in the event of a storm. In addition, homeowners should make sure their homeowner's insurance covers hurricane damage. Brittany Cherup, owner of Pit Crew Roofing, provided some tips on how to prepare for hurricane season. "Remove any overhanging branches near the roof to prevent them from causing damage during a storm. Store or secure outdoor furniture, decorations, and other loose items that could become projectiles in high winds. Ensure that gutters and downspouts are clear of debris to allow for proper drainage and prevent water accumulation on the roof. And, consider installing hurricane straps or clips to reinforce the connection between the roof and the walls." In the aftermath of a storm or hurricane, homeowners should carefully inspect their roofs for any signs of damage, such as missing shingles, leaks, or sagging areas. Take good photos and notes of any visible damage to provide to your insurance company when filing a claim. Contact a reputable roofing company like Pit Crew Roofing to assess the extent of the damage and perform necessary repairs or replacements. Pit Crew Roofing will also provide an insurance report at your request documenting the storm damage and the estimate for repairs Those interested can learn more on their website: https://pitcrewroofing.com/ . About Pit Crew Roofing Pit Crew Roofing in Melbourne is a trusted roofing company known for their quick turnaround, affordable options, and energy-efficient roofs. They also offer emergency roofing services and 100% financing. With a commitment to quality craftsmanship and customer satisfaction, the company offers a range of roofing solutions, including inspections, installations, repairs, and replacements. Their team of experienced roofers is dedicated to delivering reliable and durable roofing systems tailored to meet the needs of each client. The company supports the Brevard County School District, and offers discounts for veterans, teachers, and seniors. Learn more on their website: https://pitcrewroofing.com/ . Media Contact: Brittany Cherup 321-342-2190 [email protected] SOURCE Pit Crew Roofing Underscores commitment to fueling the U.S. government sector with trusted data for smarter, more transparent, and efficient decision-making BURLINGTON, Mass., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Precisely, the global leader in data integrity, today announced it has officially received In Process designation for the Data Governance service of the Precisely Data Integrity Suite. The status demonstrates the company's commitment to bringing its data integrity capabilities to the public sector as it actively works toward Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Authorization, with its leading data governance solution now listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace. FedRAMP, established in 2011, is a government-wide program that promotes the adoption of secure cloud services across the federal government by providing a standardized approach to security and risk assessment for cloud technologies and federal agencies. It enables the federal government to accelerate the adoption of cloud computing by creating more transparent standards and processes and allowing agencies to leverage security authorizations on a government-wide scale. Research from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) highlights the growing importance of data integrity within state government, with data management and analytics consistently represented in the top ten priorities for CIOs over the past 8 years - alongside an increasing appetite for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and the delivery of improved digital services. Despite this, 69% of respondents still describe their data governance strategies as being in the beginning stages. A data governance program, as part of a robust data integrity strategy, ensures that organizations can easily find, understand, trust, and leverage critical data leading to more accurate and informed decisions and reporting. With a well-planned data governance approach, organizations can maximize their data to its fullest potential and accelerate important modernization and mission critical data initiatives. The Data Governance service is just one of seven interoperable services available in the Precisely Data Integrity Suite, designed to seamlessly work together to build value at each step of the data integrity journey. The Precisely Data Integrity Suite ensures organizations have the trusted data needed to fuel decisions, allowing them to break down data silos, detect issues before they can impact systems downstream, deliver the highest-quality data, uncover new relationships, and enrich data for added context. "With the rise of advanced analytics and AI adoption, it's never been a more important time for government agencies to ensure they are making confident decisions based on accurate, consistent, and contextual data," said Emily Washington, Senior Vice President, Product Management at Precisely. "This milestone with FedRAMP allows Precisely to accelerate robust data governance programs across federal and state government agencies, helping them to effectively address compliance risk, overcome data quality challenges, and enhance collaboration across both technical and non-technical personnel." Learn more about how Precisely empowers federal and state government agencies to gain a stronger understanding of constituents, boost data governance strategy, capitalize on critical funding opportunities, and modernize processes to bridge the gap between existing and emerging technologies. Precisely will be at the AWS Summit Washington DC from June 26-27 to share their expertise in harnessing data integrity for the public sector. About Precisely Precisely is the global leader in data integrity, providing accuracy, consistency, and context in data for 12,000 customers in more than 100 countries, including 99 of the Fortune 100. Precisely's data integration, data quality, data governance, location intelligence, and data enrichment products power better business decisions to create better outcomes. Learn more at www.precisely.com. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2408758/4728676/Precisely_Logo.jpg SOURCE Precisely The agreement was signed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani, CEO of Qatar Free Zones Authority and Ritesh Patel, co-founder of Quantiphi during the Google Cloud Summit in Doha, in the presence of senior executives from QFZ, Quantiphi and Google Cloud. This agreement with Quantiphi was inked one year after the Google Cloud region in Doha was launched in 2023. Under the agreement, Quantiphi's new technology hub at the free zones in Qatar will help position Qatar as a leader in AI and digital innovation. The collaboration will also foster broader cooperation between Quantiphi and QFZ on AI and generative AI enterprise solutions aiming to advance the technology sector in Qatar. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Faisal Al-Thani, CEO of QFZ, said, "We are delighted to welcome Quantiphi's global technology hub to the free zones in the State of Qatar. This partnership with Quantiphi, to leverage Google Cloud services, highlights our ongoing efforts to position Qatar as a leader in technological innovation. By leveraging AI and digital engineering, we are poised to achieve unprecedented growth and development in the technology sector. This contributes to Qatar's digital transformation aligning with the pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030 to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy." Ritesh Patel, co-founder of Quantiphi said, "The expansion to Qatar, a country known globally for connecting stakeholders in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and innovation, underscores Quantiphi's commitment to strategic growth, partnership and continued adaptation to global market needs. Qatar is an optimal location for Quantiphi's continued expansion because it is regarded as a technology leader within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an alliance between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. We are excited to collaborate with QFZ to further our mission and drive technological advancements in the region." Saurabh Mishra, Google Cloud Global Business Leader at Quantiphi said, "With more than a decade of experience in building data and AI solutions, Quantiphi and Google Cloud are well positioned to meet the demands of enterprises globally to enable them to invest in future technologies. Quantiphi's expansion into Qatar is endorsed by Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ), which regulates world-class free zones in Qatar and offers business benefits to expand operations within the region. This solidifies our commitment to foster a cutting-edge technology ecosystem in the region in alignment with Qatar's National Vision 2030, to bring transformation through knowledge and innovation-led solutions." Ghassan Kosta, Regional General Manager of Google Cloud Qatar, said, "Our partnership with Quantiphi is another testament to our commitment to advancing AI and cloud technology in the region. Through our valuable partner network, we aim to help drive innovation and enable businesses to thrive in the digital age. The support from Qatar Free Zones Authority underscores the importance of creating a dynamic ecosystem that fosters growth and aligns with Qatar's vision for a technology-driven future. We are delighted that this partnership was signed at the Google Cloud Doha Summit on the first anniversary of our Doha Cloud Region and look forward to supporting Quantiphi and QFZ in their ambitious initiatives." The new hub in Qatar's free zones is planned to showcase both parties' strategic foresight and commitment to enhancing digital and technological efficiencies. By integrating state-of-the-art technology and extensive industry expertise, this collaboration unlocks unprecedented opportunities for growth and innovation. Together, QFZ, and Quantiphi, will be paving the way for a more connected world and setting new benchmarks for strategic partnerships. About Quantiphi: Quantiphi is an award-winning AI-first digital engineering company driven by the desire to reimagine and realize transformational opportunities at the heart of business. Since its inception in 2013, Quantiphi has solved the toughest and most complex business problems by combining deep industry experience, disciplined cloud and data engineering practices, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence research to achieve accelerated and quantifiable business results. Learn more at https://quantiphi.com/ and follow us on Linkedin, X, formerly Twitter and Instagram. About Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ): Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) was established in 2018 and launched soft operations in 2020 to oversee and regulate world-class free zones in Qatar and secure fixed investments within the zones. QFZ offers outstanding opportunities and benefits for businesses seeking to establish operations and expand regionally and globally, providing quality infrastructure, a skilled workforce, 100% foreign ownership, access to investment funds, tax exemptions and partnership opportunities with Qatari entities. For more information on QFZ, visit https://qfz.gov.qa/. Media Contact H. Mayes Quantiphi https://quantiphi.com/resources/newsroom/ [email protected] SOURCE Quantiphi The city rises, and capital moves towards "new"! QINGDAO, China, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 28th, with the theme of "Venture and Capital for a New Era Innovation and Entrepreneurship for a Brighter Future ", the "2024 Qingdao Venture Capital Conference ", hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People's Government and co-organized by CVINFO, opened at the Shangri-La Hotel in Qingdao. The one-and-a-half-day conference, which combines online and offline formats, has gathered more than a hundred industry experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from internationally renowned investment banks and leading venture capital and private equity institutions to discuss the opportunities and future of capital and to activate new drivers for high-quality development. On May 28th, the "2024& Qingdao Venture Capital Conference ", hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People's Government, opened at the Shangri-La Hotel in Qingdao. A Conference with High "Gold Content" In 2019, Qingdao set the goal of building a venture capital and private equity center and tailored the venture capital and private equity conference as a platform for gathering high-quality financial resources. Over the past five years, the influence of the conference has been continuously increasing and has become an important window for the venture capital and private equity industry to pay attention to the development of Qingdao. Compared with the previous five sessions, this session of the 2024 Qingdao Venture Capital Conference has higher "gold content". Introducing a high "gold content" policy package. Leveraging the advantages of policy transmission, innovation, and inclusiveness, we have made efforts to plan and layout the "five major articles", enabling more accurate empowerment of scientific and technological innovation, which is the "best solution" for capital to serve the real economy. For this reason, at this conference, the "Qingdao Further Support for the High-Quality Development of the Financial Industry Policy Measures" and the "Several Policies on Strengthening the Joint Linkage of Fiscal and Financial Support for the High-Quality Development of the Whole City" were released, aiming at the goal of "building a strong financial city", further optimizing the policy environment, and contributing to the high-quality development of the whole city. The two newly formulated policy systems are comprehensive in content, extensive in coverage, highlight key points, and have strong competitiveness, which will further promote the "two-way rush" between the city and capital power, and the "two-wing flight" of industry and new quality productive forces development. Enable venture capital and private equity institutions to invest successfully, thrive, and reap rewards in Qingdao." The landing of high "gold content" projects once again demonstrates Qingdao's sincerity and confidence in attracting and serving high-quality development through project introduction and landing services. At the conference, the Qingdao Municipal Government signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CICC, using the project resources and professional advantages of the leading investment bank to focus on major strategies, key areas, and major projects, providing comprehensive financial services, contributing to the development of Qingdao's capital market and economic social development. Focus on high-quality project signing to build a modern industrial system in Qingdao . For example, Capital Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shandong Energy Group, has established a 7 billion yuan technology industry fund, helping expand the new development pattern of industrial investment in Qingdao; New energy vehicle new power millet Xiaomi fund invested in Qingdao Yunlu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Upgrading industry level in Qingdao; Hisense Group's fund manager completed the registration, marking the full coverage of direct investment platforms for large enterprises in Qingdao. A Conference with a Strong "Vane" Color The "vane" color of this session of the venture capital and private equity conference is more intense. The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on April 30 proposed that it is necessary to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, strengthen the layout of national strategic scientific and technological forces, cultivate and expand emerging industries, advance the layout and construction of future industries, and use advanced technology to empower the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. It is necessary to actively develop venture capital and expand patient capital. In terms of actively cultivating emerging industries and future industries, the 2024 Government Work Report proposes to "encourage the development of venture capital and equity investment, and optimize the function of industrial investment funds". The Central Economic Work Conference held in 2023 proposed to "encourage the development of venture capital and equity investment". When explaining the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference in detail, the relevant responsible comrade of the Central Finance Office said: "It is necessary to encourage the development of venture capital and equity investment, and support long-term capital and patient capital to invest more in scientific and technological innovation. " How can capital empower new quality productivity? How to cultivate more patient capital, guests attending this forum expressed their opinions and offered solutions respectively. Tu Guangshao, Executive Director of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, brought a keynote speech on "Global Industrial Chain Restructuring and New Opportunities for China's Industrial Economy"; Chen Wenling, Chief Economist, Executive Deputy Director, and Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, shared wonderful insights on "Developing New Quality Productivity and Promoting Sustainable Development"; Du Pengfei, Party Committee Member and Management Committee Member of China International Capital Corporation Limited, expressed wonderful views on "Practice and Thinking of Capital Investment". In addition, Zhang Wei, Chairman of CoStone Capital, and Zheng Weihe, Chairman and Founding Partner of Cowin Capital, and other heads of domestic leading venture capital institutions elaborated on the development of the innovation system and the capital market, the innovation and development of China's equity investment, and the acceleration of the construction of Qingdao's venture capital and private equity ecology. The guests generally believe that through efficient financial empowerment of new quality productivity, it is not only an important part of deepening the reform of the Supply-side Structural but also an important action to implement the spirit of the Central Financial Work Conference. In the process of accelerating the cultivation and development of new quality productivity, science and technology are equally important, and actively developing venture capital and jointly growing patient capital is the key to the transformation and development of the financial industry towards the new and the real. In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Central Committee on actively cultivating and building a financial culture with Chinese characteristics, and actively practice the requirements of the financial culture with Chinese characteristics in the field of equity investment, combined with the characteristics and cultural connotation requirements of the equity investment field, the 2024 Qingdao Venture Capital and Private Equity Conference also initiated the "Initiative for the Construction of Chinese Equity Investment Culture" in the Chinese venture capital and private equity field for the first time, calling for the promotion of industry cultural connotation and the strengthening of the standard requirements for industry development. A Conference to Create a High-Quality Capital Matrix A high-quality capital matrix is the basic "base" for serving new quality productivity. For a city, in a high-quality capital matrix, the government's guiding fund with the effect of "lifting a thousand pounds with four taels" is indispensable, and one of its missions is to highlight the policy guidance function, guiding funds to flow to key technical fields that the market dares not invest in and where there is a large demand for funds, cultivating emerging industries and future industries, and filling the long-term capital gap. On the afternoon of May 28, the 2024 Government Guidance Fund Ecological Conference, led by the Municipal Finance Bureau and the Municipal Guidance Fund Trusteeship Management Agency, was grandly held. More than a hundred well-known investment institutions, business representatives and industry experts gathered together to link the guidance funds through the conference. Various cooperative institutions and resource parties held discussions around the development direction of venture capital and equity investment, the virtuous cycle of government-guided funds, and the development of new quality productivity in venture capital and venture capital services, and conducted in-depth discussions on the fundraising, investment, and development of venture capital and venture capital industries. The core issues faced by management and withdrawal of various chains, and interpretation of the current status and development direction of key industries and hot spots. In addition, the conference also cooperated with the city's listed emerging industry professional parks to carry out project roadshows, organized on-site reviews of venture capital and venture capital institutions, expanded the influence of high-quality enterprises, smoothed the two-way docking channels for funds and project investment and financing, and led the venture capital to inject vitality into the fertile industrial soil. , connect industrial clusters and promote high-quality economic development. At the conference, CVINFO also used the outstanding investment institutions' establishment of funds, investment projects and project exit results in Qingdao in the past three years as a benchmark to discover and commend outstanding investors who have made outstanding contributions to the construction of Qingdao's international venture capital and venture capital center. Partners, attract more outstanding investors to become Qingdao city partners, and provide a reference for Qingdao to build a high-quality capital matrix. It is worth mentioning that this conference actively advocates the practice of green investment concepts and uses digital RMB payment to purchase the carbon emission reductions of Qingdao's carbon inclusive platform "lcago" to neutralize this venture capital investment. The carbon emissions generated in transportation, catering, accommodation, conference affairs, etc. during the conference have achieved a "zero-carbon conference" and provided a reference for enterprises and financial institutions to serve green and low-carbon development. Capital empowers industry, new quality drives development. In this warm season, let's turn our attention to the 2024 Qingdao Venture Capital Conference. SOURCE CVINFO Quaker is investing over $30 million and creating 220 new jobs ELDON, Mo., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quaker Windows and Doors, a premier manufacturer of top-quality windows and doors, announced today that it will significantly expand its Eldon manufacturing facility, investing over $30 million and creating 220 new jobs. The company's expansion will add a vertical paint line and increase capabilities for insulating glass production while helping meet the increased demand for its high-quality windows and doors. "Quaker's ongoing investment and job creation in Eldon is a testament to our state's ability to support first-rate manufacturers," said Governor Mike Parson. "This company's growth is a prime example of the results that our state's business climate, superior infrastructure, and skilled workforce provide. We look forward to Quaker's success as it continues its decades-long history of quality and excellence in central Missouri." Through its expansion, Quaker continues to increase its manufacturing capacity, adding 300,000 square feet to its existing 450,000-square-foot campus. The original phase for the company's Eldon facility was completed in 2020. This will be the third addition in four years, bringing its total space to nearly 800,000 square feet. The latest expansion includes installing a state-of-the-art vertical paint line to expand powder paint capabilities. This cutting-edge equipment, a testament to Quaker's commitment to innovation, will improve efficiency and uphold the high product quality that customers expect. Quaker is also expanding its insulating glass production capacity and adding additional tempering capabilities to better meet the needs of its diverse customer base. "This project is part of Quaker's ongoing investment in our future," said Kevin Blansett, CEO of Quaker Windows and Doors. "Expanding our paint, thermal-fill, and glass capabilities is essential in supporting increased capacity needs for our commercial, residential, and luxury customers throughout the country." "This expansion is a testament to our strategic partners' collaborative effort and support," continued Blansett. "We are grateful to the City of Eldon, Verslues Construction, Ameren Missouri, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri Works, Central Bank, and Ryan, Inc. Their dedication and support have been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. Together, we are expanding our facilities and contributing to central Missouri's economic growth and development. We look forward to continuing these strong partnerships as we move forward." Eldon Mayor Trevor Vennon added, "Quaker has become a huge part of Eldon. The town is being revitalized, and Quakers have been a big part of that. We are excited for the next phase of the Quaker plan and look forward to working with Quaker to continue to grow." Quaker's continued expansion on all three campuses generates new employment opportunities in central Missouri while underscoring the company's commitment to innovation and growth. Quaker's new Eldon facilities, expected to be complete by late 2025, are designed to accommodate future growth and ensure the company remains a leader in its industry. About Quaker Windows and Doors Quaker Windows & Doors is a premier manufacturer of top-quality windows and doors, dedicated to delivering customers innovative, energy-efficient products and unrivaled customer service. The company boasts a diverse selection of aluminum, vinyl, and wood window and door products, encompassing the residential, commercial, and luxury markets. Quaker's brands include QUAKER RESIDENTIAL, QUAKER COMMERCIAL, and QUARTZ Luxury. Quaker consistently sets the benchmark in the industry, demonstrating a commitment to excellence. Quaker's unwavering focus on quality has led to the development of patented technology and ongoing product and system design innovations. Driven by a mission of continuous innovation, improvement, integrity, and total customer satisfaction, the company embraces "The Quaker Difference" as its guiding principle. About Quaker Windows & Doors Quaker Windows & Doors is a premier manufacturer of top-quality windows and doors, dedicated to delivering customers innovative, energy-efficient products and unrivaled customer service. The company boasts a diverse selection of aluminum, vinyl, and wood window and door products, encompassing the residential, commercial, and luxury markets. Quaker consistently sets the benchmark in the industry, demonstrating a commitment to excellence. Quaker's unwavering focus on quality has led to the development of patented technology, ongoing product, and system design innovations. Driven by a mission of continuous innovation, improvement, integrity, and total customer satisfaction, the company embraces "The Quaker Difference" as its guiding principle. For more information about Quaker Windows and Doors and their array of products, please visit www.QuakerWindows.com. For inquiries or further comments, please reach out to Bill Sifflard, [email protected]. Press Contact: Bill Sifflard 800-347-0438 http://www.QuakerWindows.com SOURCE Quaker Windows & Doors Half of U.S. small businesses operate with just 27 days of cash bufferRelay's banking platform gives them tools to extend their runway. NEW YORK and TORONTO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Relay , the business banking platform that gives cash flow clarity to small businesses (SMBs), announced today the close of a US$32.2 million Series B financing round, led by Bain Capital Ventures. This brings Relay's total funding to US$51.6 million. The new financing accelerates Relay's product development in spend management, smart credit products and a financial API marketplace. It's the next step toward Relay's overarching goal of delivering AI-powered predictive cash flow analytics to SMBs. Relay Co-founders Yoseph West and Paul Klicnik (CNW Group/Relay) The funding comes after consecutive years of outsized growthRelay's revenues rose 3x in 2022 and close to 6x in 2023and a single-minded focus on the small business market. "68% of U.S. small business owners have cash flow problems . They worry about making payroll and mission-critical bills but lack the tools to truly address these existential threats," said Yoseph West, Relay's Co-Founder and CEO. "Relay gives them cash flow clarity and controlwhat SMBs need to sustainably fuel everyday operationsby pairing financial services with software and making banking work harder for them." The funding round includes previous Relay investors BTV, Garage, and Tapestry, with new participation from Industry Ventures. "Relay's been on an incredible trajectory, even as others in the industry have had to pivot and find new footing," said Kevin Zhang, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures. "We were eager to get behind Relay again as the company enters its next stage of growth and doubles down on the unique needs of the SMB market." Relay taps into the ingrained money management behaviors of business owners. SMBs want to see what they've earmarked for different expenses and understand their cash position at a glancewhich is what Relay delivers. As a result of this approach, last summer, Relay became the official banking platform for Profit First. Created and authored by serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz, Profit First is a behavior-based cash management methodology and bookwith over 1 million copies soldthat teaches SMBs better financial habits. "What makes Relay so powerful for small business owners is how it works with our natural tendencies rather than against them," says Mike Michalowicz. "Everything from saving for taxes to tracking expenses becomes second nature in Relay, and it removes so much friction from the day-to-day work of running a business." On average, business owners log into Relay 13 times per month, and 40% of customers who use Relay for their primary banking log in daily. The company most recently launched a credit card in limited release, complementing their smart checking and savings accounts, and a line of credit is slated to come. About Relay: Relay is an online banking platform that puts business owners in complete control of their cash flow and makes it easy to understand precisely what you're earning, spending and saving. With Relay, entrepreneurs can make the smartest decisions for their businesses. Disclaimer: The Relay Visa Credit Card is currently available to eligible Relay customers by invite only. Relay is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and FDIC insurance are provided by Thread Bank; Member FDIC. The Relay Visa Business Credit Card is issued by Thread Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Sources: JPMorgan , Intuit SOURCE Relay YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan Pan-Armenian Union has strongly condemned the latest unbalanced statement made by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, as part of the implementation of the illegal policy of unilateral settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which he accuses Armenia of war crimes and demands their recognition and even an apology. The irony is that such a demand is put forward by the president, while the state and the people he leads have committed the following acts of genocide during the last century. The massacre and looting of the peaceful civilian Armenian population during the Tatar-Armenian clashes over two years; Massacres, abductions, robbery and looting of Armenian settlements in the spring of 1918 in the vicinity of Shamkhor station and at stations along the Baku-Tbilisi railway; Forced deportation, massacre and looting of Armenians in Nukha (1918-1919); Forced deportation, massacre and looting of Armenians in Aresh (1918-1919); Targeted mass killings of Baku Armenians (September 15-17, 1918); Deliberate creation of conditions incompatible with life for Armenians who remained or returned to Baku (September-November 1918); Forced deportation of Nakhichevan Armenians (1918-1919); Deportation, massacre, looting of Gardman Armenians (1918-1920); The massacre of Shushi Armenians March 22-26, 1920; Continuous violence against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, 1918-1920; Sumgait massacres, 1988; Gandzak pogroms and deportations, 1988; Baku massacres, 1990; Ethnic cleansing of Northern Artsakh,1991; Maragha massacre, 1992; Gurgen Margaryan's axing in 2004 Continuous destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage of Nakhichevan; Continuous destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage of Gardman; Complete destruction of the Armenian trace of Shirvan, particularly in Baku; Outbreak of the four-day war in 2016; Outbreak of the 44-day war in 202; Forcible displacement of the population from the territories that came under Azerbaijani control; Blockade of the Lachin corridor and creation of a humanitarian crisis (December 12, 2023); Outbreak of war against Nagorno-Karabakh (September 19-20, 2023); Ethnic cleansing of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh (September 2023); Destruction of the Armenian national-religious cultural environment of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is just the most modest list of all the crimes that various Azerbaijani regimes have committed against Armenian settlements and the Armenian population over the past century. The enormous anti-Armenian policy, guided by the architects of Azerbaijan's future, is evident even to the naked eye. The Union strongly condemns the abhorrent speeches of the President of Azerbaijan. The best legal step that the President of Azerbaijan could have taken would have been to announce that the state he leads is ready to appear before the international court for crimes against humanity and to bear the consequences of these crimes with full responsibility. Two biogas plants commissioned totaling over 285 scfm of RNG within 3 months ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A double launch: Germany's largest biogas producer EnviTec Biogas, has successfully completed two more biogas projects in the USA in Cassville, New York and Ellington, Connecticut. The two plants were planned, designed, and constructed by the company's subsidiary, EnviTec Biogas USA Inc. over the past 18 months. EnviTec supplied South Jersey Industries (SJI), the owner of both plants, with fermenter technology, internal and external heating systems, digester covers, pumps, raw gas treatment, O2 generation and EnviThan gas upgrading system. In addition to the mechanical equipment, EnviTec also provided the electrical control cabinets (software & hardware) for the AD and gas upgrading system. "Reliable and Reputable" EnviTec Biogas USA Inc. unveils two gas upgrading projects Post this Curtin and Oak The project developer, REV LNG LLC (REV), praised the professional and highly productive collaboration after completion: "EnviTec Biogas has proven to be a reliable and reputable partner. Specifically, they have provided value to us in terms of on-time delivery, ease of startup, and after-market sales and support. We put a lot of faith in EnviTec and they have risen to the challenges from planning through execution. The strongest element of their supply was that they brought a wealth of experience during construction, start-up, and support beyond sign-off," according to David Kailbourne, CEO. The plants are fed with 100% dairy manure and supply the produced biomethane to natural gas grids. "The gas is transported by trailer to the respective feed-in points," explains Stefan Dehne, General Manager of EnviTec Biogas Construction LLC. A reliable technology and service partner The combined biogas and EnviThan gas upgrading plant in Cassville produces 135 scfm while the plant in Ellington produces 150 scfm of RNG. "The plants are almost identical in design and this modular approach is key to reduce cost and construction timelines. These plants are a significant milestone for EnviTec in the US and we look forward to performance testing in Auburn and Lowville, NY in the coming weeks," adds Timothy Logan, President of EnviTec Biogas Construction LLC. Besides providing the technology for the two plants, EnviTec Biogas is also a biological and technical service provider delivering its experience from over 20 years of biogas plant construction and operation and service to its US customers. "We're constantly adding to our stock of critical spares to improve plant availability at our two warehouse locations in North America, and we're currently setting up our own laboratory with support from our Biology department in Germany," says Dehne. With its entry into the US market, EnviTec Biogas has successfully commissioned eight biogas / RNG projects with four connected to the natural gas grid. Eleven additional projects, which EnviTec Biogas is implementing for its customer SJI Renewable Energy Ventures LLC (SJI), will be connected to the grid beginning in the next few weeks and continuing throughout 2024. At buildout the platform will produce a total of more than 5,300 scfm of RNG. About EnviTec Biogas USA Inc. EnviTec Biogas USA Inc. is an independent subsidiary of EnviTec Biogas AG, Germany. Based in Beaverton, Oregon, the company covers the entire value chain to produce renewable natural gas, heat and power: this includes the planning and construction of biogas plants and biogas upgrading plants as well as their commissioning. If required, the company handles biological and technical services and offers operational management. The parent company operates 88 of its own plants, making it the largest biogas producer in Germany. EnviTec's business activities also include the production and marketing of climate neutral fuels (bio-LNG) for the transport sector as well as food-grade liquid carbon dioxide (LCO 2 ). The company is represented in 15 countries worldwide with its own companies, sales offices, strategic cooperations, and joint ventures. In the USA, EnviTec has offices and warehouses in Rochester in New York and Watertown in South Dakota and headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. In 2022, the EnviTec Group generated revenues of EUR 382.8 million and EBT of EUR 66.6 million. The Group currently employs a total of around 640 people, 25 of whom form the team of EnviTec Biogas USA Inc. EnviTec Biogas AG has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since July 2007. Contact USA Timothy Logan EnviTec Biogas USA Inc Phone: (+1) 971-341-9875 E-Mail: [email protected] Contact Germany Katrin Hackfort EnviTec Biogas AG Phone: +49 25 74 88 88 - 810 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE EnviTec Biogas USA Nominations now open for awards that recognize inclusion, community engagement, and inspiring personal journeys in the restaurant industry. WASHINGTON, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is accepting nominations now through June 30 for the 2024 Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards, which celebrate the industry's inclusion innovators, community champions, lifetime contributors, and inspiring stories of determination. Nominate a deserving restaurant leader today at ChooseRestaurants.org/LeadershipAwards. Nominations now open for awards that recognize inclusion, community engagement in the restaurant industry. Post this Honoring the the far-reaching impact that restaurants and the people who work in them have in communities across America, the Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards support the NRAEFs mission to build opportunity and advancement for people from all walks of life throughout the restaurant and hospitality sector. Honoring the the far-reaching impact that restaurants and the people who work in them have in communities across America, the Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards support the NRAEF's mission to build opportunity and advancement for people from all walks of life throughout the restaurant and hospitality sector. Individual award winners will be recognized for their unique and pivotal work and will have a $2,500 scholarship established in their name. Nomination categories include: Inclusion Innovator Award, Presented by Pepsi Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated innovative leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion, by improving the culture of their foodservice operation, their community, and the industry. Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated innovative leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion, by improving the culture of their foodservice operation, their community, and the industry. Community Champion Leadership Award, Presented by American Express Recognizes an individual who has made a positive impact on their community through charitable efforts, support during a natural disaster/crisis, local job training, and/or sustainable practices. Recognizes an individual who has made a positive impact on their community through charitable efforts, support during a natural disaster/crisis, local job training, and/or sustainable practices. Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award, Presented by Ecolab Presented to a person who shows exceptional leadership and unparalleled lifetime efforts toward uplifting communities and transforming lives. Presented to a person who shows exceptional leadership and unparalleled lifetime efforts toward uplifting communities and transforming lives. My Journey Leadership Award Recognizes an individual who has excelled both personally and professionally in the restaurant industry, made a positive impact, set high standards as a leader and mentor, and created opportunities for others. "The restaurant industry is home to countless unsung leaders, who work quietly each day to connect with the people they serve, build better workplaces, and make sure that their establishments remain a beacon in their communities and a space where anyone can gather with friends and family over a delicious meal. We are pleased to partner with American Express, Ecolab, and Pepsi to honor these people whose far-reaching work is making a lasting impact in our industry," said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Full nomination details for the 2024 Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards can be found at ChooseRestaurants.org/LeadershipAwards. Individuals can nominate themselves or someone they know. Nominations close at midnight on June 30, and all winners will be notified before July 31. About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF): As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF's charitable mission includes enhancing the industry's training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org . Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2023 Annual Impact Report. SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation MEDELLIN, Colombia, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Coffee Company (GCC) has announced that it has obtained the exclusive third-party rights to use the Juan Valdez coffee brand for roasted coffee sales in the U.S. and Canada. The agreement gives GCC the rights to put Juan Valdez coffee back on supermarket and retail shelves in the U.S. the largest global market for Colombian coffee and in Canada. It also provides GCC the same rights for sales to large institutional customers like hotels, restaurants, cafes, hospitals, food distributors, airlines and other U.S. and Canadian corporate and business clients. Return of the King: Juan Valdez Taps The Green Coffee Company to Again Offer "The Richest Coffee in the World" Post this The newly signed partnership gives GCC third-party rights to use the Juan Valdez brand for their roasted coffee sales in North America. GCC will use the Juan Valdez coffee brand to sell the coffee that it grows on its over 10,000 acres of coffee farms in Colombia with a goal to capture 25% of the expanding single-origin Colombian coffee market in the U.S. over the next 10 years. "At the heart of this partnership lies a shared vision between GCC and Juan Valdez to rejuvenate and reintroduce the Juan Valdez brand in the U.S. and Canada," said Ted Skodol, GCC's Chief Revenue Officer. "Going back to the 1960s, the Colombian Coffee Federation did an outstanding job, using the Juan Valdez persona, of educating U.S. consumers that Colombia produces the world's best arabica coffee. To this day, U.S. consumers overwhelmingly choose Colombian coffee over any other single-origin coffee, more than 70% of the time. Consumers will remember clever marketing campaigns for Juan Valdez in high-profile spaces like the Super Bowl, making it instantly recognizable to older Americans and the growing Latino population in North America. They already see Colombian coffee and Juan Valdez as a premier brand, which we expect will give us the ability to grow sales quickly." GCC believes that with Juan Valdez it can, through a similar client focus, mirror the success that Modelo Especial has had in the U.S. in growing Modelo Especial into the country's leading beer brand. GCC will focus on giving Juan Valdez significant presence in major U.S. and Canadian supermarket chains and adding Juan Valdez coffee to the product offerings of large institutional roasted coffee buyers. GCC will combine the Juan Valdez brand with their sustainable coffee-growing origin story that truly delivers value back to small farmers, leveraging agricultural and technological processes never before utilized in the 300-year history of Colombian coffee. "We can't wait to separate ourselves competitively from some of the best-known coffee brands in the U.S. and Canada," added Ted. "We are ready to prove that we can not only sell high-quality coffee affordably from the best coffee-growing country on earth, but that our vertically-integrated operations empower us to do so at an unmatchable customer value proposition." GCC is already starting sales of Juan Valdez roasted coffee. For wholesale roasted coffee buyers interested in purchasing high-quality, affordable, 100% Colombian coffee under the Juan Valdez brand, please contact [email protected] or visit GCCs website at greencoffeecompany.com . About the Green Coffee Company: GCC is Colombia's largest coffee producer with over 10,000 acres and 11 million coffee trees. Its coffees are traceable from farm-to-cup and are produced with world-class sustainability practices. The company also sources coffee from over 600 smaller Colombian coffee farmers that serve as key supply chain partners. The Green Coffee Company is headquartered in the U.S. with its primary operations located in Medellin, Colombia. SOURCE Legacy Group The partnership seeks to help dealers drive more engagement, increase conversions, and speed up time to decision through hyper-personalization DAYTON, Ohio and ROCKVILLE, Md., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reynolds and Reynolds Company and DealerOn, a leading provider of websites and sales and marketing enablement technology for automotive dealerships, today announced an integration to elevate dealerships' online presence. Through development efforts under this partnership, dealers will have the opportunity to enhance their holistic view of the consumer. Behavioral website data will be able to be incorporated into the single customer record in the Reynolds Retail Management System, including the DMS, CRM, and Virtual Retailing. They will also have the ability to create deeply personalized online experiences with integration between Reynolds and the DealerOn Signals platform. "Through our partnership with Reynolds, we're working to deliver a vehicle shopping experience like no other one that adapts to the individual and their unique needs," said Ali Amirrezvani, co-founder and CEO of DealerOn. "We are always looking for innovative ideas, and companies to work with, that help propel our customers and the industry forward," said Chris Walsh, president of Reynolds. "DealerOn is a next-generation company that is helping dealers succeed as our industry continues to evolve, and we couldn't be more excited about the possibilities this partnership brings." As part of the partnership, Reynolds Marketing Services customers will now have access to the award-winning support of DealerOn. "DealerOn does an incredible job helping dealers with their websites, online reputation, social media presence, SEO, and many other digital marketing endeavors," said Walsh. "We are thrilled for them to be our preferred website provider and bring their expertise to our customers." About Reynolds Reynolds and Reynolds is a leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships deliver better business results and transform the customer experience. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major U.S. operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, Tampa, Florida, and Celina, Ohio, as well as operations in Canada, the U.K., and Europe. (www.reyrey.com) About DealerOn DealerOn is the premier provider of automotive marketing technology, supporting over 5000 dealerships across the United States, Mexico, and South America from its headquarters in Rockville, MD. The company is dedicated to delivering exceptional digital marketing performance to its clients. Discover more at www.dealeron.com Call (877) 543-4200 or email at [email protected] SOURCE DealerOn Inc LAS VEGAS, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballotpedia , the nation's premier source for unbiased information on school board and education-focused politics and policy, today announced its new analysis and research offerings to coincide with the annual Education Writers Association (EWA) National Seminar. Ballotpedia's new information includes: attendance zone research, education-related 2024 ballot measures, and school board recall elections. "We're so thrilled to be attending EWAs 77th annual national seminar....and we hope that our latest research offerings will help bring additional awareness and insights into the intricacies of our education system," said Ballotpedia Editor-in-Chief, Geoff Pallay. Attendance zone research Most public school K-12 students in the U.S. attend a school based primarily on their residential address. The dividing lines that sort students based on residence determine for most students the quality of the public education available to them. Critics of using attendance zones argue that since they discriminate based on residential address, they are also racially and socioeconomically discriminatory and a violation of the idea of equal protection and equal public education for all. Proponents of using attendance zones argue that they define and provide dedicated funding for traditional public schools, especially neighborhood schools, and that doing away with them would harm public schools. Ballotpedia's in-depth attendance zone research delves into this important area and the existing attendance zone policies in districts around the country. The research focused on 45 districts across 17 states and key findings include: 56% of districts did not have clear, objective standards for determining school capacity. The most common hurdles preventing parents and guardians from transferring their students through open enrollment include school capacity, application date ranges and deadlines, conditions and qualifications, tuition and transportation, deterrent information presentation or accessibility, and surrounding districts or schools not accepting transfers. Click here to see Ballotpedia's full research on attendance zones. Education-related ballot measures in 2024 So far this year, seven education-related ballot measures are on the ballot in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. An additional 19 statewide measures may appear on ballots this year. One measure in Washington was slated for the ballot but was removed after legislators enacted the measure (more below). Notable current ballot measures or initiatives include: California Require Personal Finance Course for High School Graduation Initiative: This is the first state ballot measure to address curriculum since at least 2000. If approved, the measure would first apply to those graduating during the 2029-2030 academic year. The measure would also require a personal finance course to be offered by the 2026-2027 academic year. This is the first state ballot measure to address curriculum since at least 2000. If approved, the measure would first apply to those graduating during the 2029-2030 academic year. The measure would also require a personal finance course to be offered by the 2026-2027 academic year. Florida Amendment 1, Partisan School Board Elections Amendment: Amendment 1 would make school board elections partisan beginning in 2026. Over 90% of school boards nationwide are elected without any party labels . State laws in four states containing 878 school districts (6.65%) provide for party labels on the ballot for school board elections. Amendment 1 would make school board elections partisan beginning in 2026. Over 90% of school boards nationwide are elected without any . State laws in four states containing 878 school districts (6.65%) provide for party labels on the ballot for school board elections. Washington Initiative 2081, Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative: Initiative 2081 is not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature , a type of indirect initiated state statute . From 1912 , when the state's initiative process was established, to 2023, just six Initiatives to the Legislature (ITLs) have received legislative approval. With three approved this year, the total increases to nine, a 50% increase. Click here to learn more about education-related ballot measures. School board recalls Frequent causes for school board recall efforts this year include budget issues, school closures, and administrator terminations. Other causes observed for multiple recall efforts include board member behavior, book removals, curriculum decisions, and school mascots. Ballotpedia has tracked 27 school board recall efforts against 55 board members in 2024. Nine board members faced recall elections earlier this year. Five retained their seats, and four were removed from office. Two board members with recall efforts started against them resigned this year. Efforts against 19 board members ended without going to a vote, and efforts against another 19 board members are still underway. Three recall elections against six board members have been scheduled for later this year. All three upcoming recall elections are for school board members in California. Joseph Komrosky , member of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education, faces a recall election on June 4 . In the Sunol Glen Unified School District, Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley face recall elections on July 2 . , member of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education, faces a recall election on . In the Sunol Glen Unified School District, face recall elections on . In the Reef-Sunset Unified School District , three membersClaudia Cazares, Lilia Rizo , and Lissette Padillaface recall elections on November 5 . , three membersClaudia Cazares, , and Lissette Padillaface recall elections on . The four board members who were removed from office in recall elections so far this year served on school boards in California and Nebraska . and . In Nebraska , Terri Cunningham-Swanson lost a recall election after she revised Plattsmouth Community Schools' policy for media materials. The revision to the policy led to 52 books being pulled from library shelves while a committee reviewed whether or not they should be removed from the district. All but one of the books was returned to shelves. , lost a recall election after she revised Community Schools' policy for media materials. The revision to the policy led to 52 books being pulled from library shelves while a committee reviewed whether or not they should be removed from the district. All but one of the books was returned to shelves. In California , Emily MacDonald was removed from her position on the Woodland Joint Unified School District board of trustees, and Rick Ledesma and Madison Miner were removed from their positions on the Orange Unified School District Board of Education. The recall effort against MacDonald started after she made a statement about the transgender community during a school board meeting. Ledesma and Miner were included in a recall effort after they voted to fire the district's superintendent with two other members of the board. The board did not give a reason for the decision. For more information about school board recall efforts, click here . About Ballotpedia Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, is the nation's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers working on a handful of ballot measures to an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the public interest in creating an educated, engaged electorate, and building a strong, healthy democracy. For free access to 480,000+ encyclopedic, professionally authored and curated articles, visit Ballotpedia.org. SOURCE BALLOTPEDIA DALLAS, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scout is proud to announce the establishment of strategic partnerships with two leading pharmaceutical companies, both ranked within the top 20 globally. These new collaborations further reinforce Scout's position as a trusted provider for clinical trial patient travel, payment services, and meeting planning. "We're thrilled to welcome these prestigious clients to the Scout family," said CEO Paige Bingham. "These partnerships are a powerful endorsement of our team's dedication and pioneering approach to people-first solutions. We look forward to working closely with both organizations to drive our shared goals of improving patient inclusivity and trial efficiency." The selection of Scout by these industry leaders underscores the company's unwavering commitment to revolutionizing patient experiences in clinical trials. Scout's global footprint and extensive experience were key factors in securing these partnerships, enabling the provision of comprehensive, cutting-edge solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the life sciences sector. Key objectives of these collaborations include achieving total cost neutrality for clinical trial participants and their caregivers and ensuring 24/7 live support through a global network of patient liaisons. By focusing on these priorities, Scout and its new partners aim to set new standards in the industry for patient support and engagement. "Both of these partnerships involved an intensive 8-10 months of negotiating contracts, and we're delighted with the win-win outcome," said Alex Kurland, Executive Vice President, Commercial Strategy. "The final result reflects our deep alignment to delivering excellent service to their patients." Both pharmaceutical giants are aligned with Scout's vision of putting patients at the heart of clinical research, highlighting a mutual focus on innovation in service and exceptional patient experiences. About Scout Scout empowers the life sciences industry with people-first solutions: Scout Meetings, Scout Clinical, and Scout Academy. We specialize in face-to-face, virtual, and hybrid clinical meeting planning, patient payment, travel, and logistics support, and virtual collaboration and education. Since 1995, we have been a trusted partner excelling in customer service, regulatory compliance, and project delivery for leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Our deep understanding of international regulations and adaptable network of resources is built on operational experience in 109 countries. With white-glove attention to detail and a customizable, comprehensive range of services, Scout makes the complex easier. Learn more at scoutclinical.com. SOURCE Scout The active and outside retailer will celebrate with a road trip from Chicago to Sheboygan where shoppers can win $10,000 in Sierra gift card prizes SHEBOYGAN, Wis., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra , the TJ Maxx sister brand that delivers great value on top active and outdoor brands for the whole family, is thrilled to announce its 100th store location is opening in Sheboygan's Deertrace Kohler shopping center on Friday, May 31. This milestone marks a significant step in Sierra's journey to provide incredible value on quality active and outdoor products to shoppers across the nation. The Sierra Active Wagon is road tripping from Chicago to Sheboygan to celebrate the 100th store milestone As part of the milestone celebration, Sierra will be road-tripping from Chicago to Sheboygan in the Sierra Active Wagon stacked with 100 Sierra products* Items along for the ride that will be available to shoppers in the new store include kayaks, sleeping bags, yard games, sporting goods, pet essentials, hiking boots, yoga mats, running shoes, ski and snow gear, and so much more! Sierra will hit the road on May 30 to trek across state lines and arrive in Sheboygan the morning of the grand opening event on May 31, with brief stops at a few Sierra stores along the way! Brand ambassadors will give out Sierra swag at each pit stop location, including the Kildeer location in Illinois, and the Brookfield store in Wisconsin. The fun doesn't stop there Sierra lovers can join in on the celebration by keeping an eye out for the Sierra Active Wagon and, if spotted, post an Instagram story or in-feed post tagging @sierraofficial and #SierraSweeps for the chance to win one of ten $1,000 gift cards for a shopping spree at any Sierra store or online at Sierra.com! See below for additional information. Sierra Vice President and Marketing Director Caitlin Kobelski shares: "Reaching 100 stores is a testament to our loyal shoppers who share our love for getting active. We're excited to bring our unique shopping experience to Sheboygan, providing a convenient destination to gear up for their next adventure with an extensive selection of top brands at incredible prices. As we continue to grow our nationwide footprint, we will continue to provide shoppers with all the apparel, footwear and gear they need to enjoy the day-to-day activities that suit them best, without breaking the bank." Sierra will open its doors to the Sheboygan community with a grand opening celebration from 8:00am on May 31, including music from a local DJ, fun games with giveaways for shoppers, and more! Sierra is excited to celebrate the new store and the expansion of its nationwide presence with a donation to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin , the leading hunger-relief organization in the state, the National Park Foundation and KABOOM!. Sierra is dedicated to equipping families with the quality products they need to get active in the ways that suit them best at prices they love. The Sheboygan store opening signifies a major milestone in Sierra's mission to make an active lifestyle accessible to residents around the country. GRAND OPENING INFO & STORE FEATURES Sierra 100th Store Road Trip Schedule: May 30 Chicago, IL : at or about 10:00 - 11:00 AM CT Sierra Kildeer Store: at or about 11 - 11:50 AM CT Milwaukee, WI : at or about 2:30 - 4 PM CT Sierra Brookfield Store : at or about 4:30 - 6 PM CT May 31 Sierra Sheboygan Store : at or about 8AM - 7 PM CT June 1 Sierra Sheboygan Store : at or about 9AM - 5 PM CT Giveaway Details: Sierra fans post a picture of the Sierra Active Wagon tagging @sierraofficial and # SierraSweeps on Instagram stories or via an in-feed post for a chance to win one of ten $1,000 gift cards to Sierra @sierraofficial SierraSweeps Grand Opening: Friday, May 31 @ 8:00 a.m . a.m Store Location: Deertrace Kohler , 4027 State Highway 28, Sheboygan, WI 53081 Deertrace Kohler Store Size: 20,000 Square Feet Regular hours: Monday Saturday 9:30 a.m . to 9:30 p.m . and Sunday 10:00 a.m . to 8:00 p.m . #SierraSweeps Terms & Conditions available here: https://www.sierra.com/lp2/sierra100thstoresweeps_24/ ABOUT SIERRA Founded in 1986, Sierra helps customers get active with quality brands, vast selection, and affordable prices. Sierra is part of The TJX Companies, Inc., the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. Shop any of our 100 Sierra stores or visit Sierra.com to find apparel, footwear, and gear for your whole family at incredible prices. Give @SierraOfficial a follow on Instagram and Facebook , then tag us to share your travels, new hobbies, and great finds. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2423547/Sierra_Active_Wagon.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2279595/Sierra_Logo.jpg SOURCE Sierra 37 Cutting-Edge Study Results Presented at Global Gathering, Six Oral Presentations. 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting abstracts featuring FCS research: 1015, 1051, 1056, 1105, 1594, 1631, 2521, 2582, 2588, 2599, 2618, 3074, 3597, 4046, 4136, 5554, 5607, 6014, 8521, 8556, 8585, 9010, 9051, 449374, e14587, e15014, e23059, LBA8500, TPS1128, TPS3160, TPS3165, TPS3166, TPS3173, TPS3178, TPS4607, TPS5637 FORT MYERS, Fla., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC (FCS) physicians will present findings from multiple clinical studies that are contributing to global advancements in cancer care at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Clinical research originating from trials conducted at the three FCS Phase 1 Drug Development Units and late-phase studies at FCS clinics throughout Florida are among those being published or presented during the five-day international gathering of oncology physicians and professionals. Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute research featured in 37 presentations/publications at 2024 ASCO. Post this 16 researchers from Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will be featured in 37 abstracts and presentations during the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. "It is gratifying to see how FCS continues to expand the understanding of cancer worldwide," said FCS President & Managing Physician Lucio N. Gordan, MD. "Our clinical research efforts are patient centric. Each discovery enables us to target treatments with greater precision and impact for patients." Manish Patel, MD, FCS director of drug development, notes that much of the clinical research being presented is focused on targeted treatments and biological combinations. Dr. Patel said, "The phase 1/2 trials offered at FCS provide patients early access to the most promising therapies and consistently lead to expedited FDA approvals that expand availability on a global scale." Several FCS principal investigators are first authors of four abstracts that will be presented throughout the meeting: Manish Patel , MD Preliminary results from a phase 1 study of AC699, an orally bioavailable chimeric estrogen receptor degrader, in patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer Safety and preliminary efficacy of EIK1001 in combination with atezolizumab in participants with advanced solid tumors. Dr. Patel is a co-author of eight additional presentations , MD Judy Wang , MD, FCS associate director of drug development Phase 1/2 study of NGM707, an ILT2/ILT4 dual antagonist antibody, in advanced solid tumors: Interim results from dose-escalation. She also is first author of the published abstract, A novel oral microtubule inhibitor utidelone capsule (UTD2): A phase 1 clinical study to assess the tolerability, safety, and efficacy in advanced solid tumors, of which Dr. Manish Patel is a co-author. Dr. Wang is also a co-author of six additional presentations , MD, FCS associate director of drug development Maen Hussein , MD NALIRIFOX versus nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in treatment-naive patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC): Updated overall survival analysis with 29-month follow-up of NAPOLI 3. FCS hematologist and medical oncologist Cesar Augusto Perez, MD will present an oral education session titled, "Emerging Data for Antibody Drug Conjugates in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma." The following FCS principal investigators will have their abstracts presented during oral presentations of research results and other clinical findings which they have co-authored: "We're winning. We're beating cancer," said Bradley Monk, MD, gynecologic oncologist and FCS medical director of late-phase clinical research. "Our discoveries through clinical trials are helping patients live longer and better lives." Dr. Monk is co-author of four presentations at ASCO, including the results of the international phase 3 OUTBACK trial of racial disparities and survival outcome of patients with locally advanced cervix cancer. Results from additional FCS co-authors will also be presented in various sessions, 26 in total, highlighting a variety of cancer types and treatment modalities: "Our commitment to oncology research is stronger than ever and clearly demonstrated by sheer volume of abstracts presented by FCS researchers at this global symposium," stated FCS Chief Executive Officer Nathan H. Walcker. "The insights and breakthroughs revealed here fortify our resolve to tirelessly innovate and improve outcomes for patients worldwide." FCS will be featured in 37 presentations and publications over the course of the conference. All abstracts and presentations are available to view at ASCO 2024 Annual Meeting. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) represents nearly 50,000 physicians and oncology professionals representing 150 countries who care for people living with all forms of cancer. ASCO works to conquer cancer through research, education, policy and promotion of high quality and equitable patient care. View a full list of the FCS abstracts presented here: FLCancer.com/FCS-2024-ASCO-Presentations-052924.pdf About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com) Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. The majority of new cancer drugs recently approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with FCS participation.* Recognized for our research, FCS is a recipient of the national Clinical Trials Participation Award presented by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). FCS physicians, trained in prestigious medical schools and research institutes, are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Celebrating its 40th year in 2024, FCS has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies genomic-based treatment and immunotherapy. Our highest values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians and staff. *Prior to approval SOURCE Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute STOCKHOLM, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed a contract with an existing client to build a data center in Georgia, USA. The contract is worth USD 90M, about SEK 950M, which will be included in the US order bookings for the second quarter of 2024. The project includes the construction of a 22,700 square-meter data center, associated site work, and underground utilities. The scope also includes a fit out of an administration space and five data halls. Work will begin in August 2024 and is scheduled for completion in February 2026. For further information please contact: Ashley Jeffery, Communications Manager, Skanska USA, tel +1 813 459 3682 Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska Group, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94 Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99 This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-builds-data-center-in-georgia--usa--for-usd-90m--about-sek-950m,c3990206 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3990206/2828418.pdf 20240529 US data center Georgia SOURCE Skanska The American Society of Military Comptrollers Unveils Transition in Support of Evolving Defense Financial Management Profession ARLINGTON, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) opened its annual Professional Development Institute (PDI) today by unveiling its new name and brand, in Phoenix, Arizona. The new name, the Society of Defense Financial Management (SDFM) supports the organization's evolution as well as its legacy of advancing the defense financial management profession. The organization's new name, the Society of Defense Financial Management (SDFM), was announced by Rich Brady, SDFM's Chief Executive Officer at the record-breaking attendance event. He explained what prompted the need to update the association's name and brand: "It is with great pride and a profound sense of purpose that I stand before you today to unveil a milestone in our esteemed association's journey. As you know, we've been the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) for 76 years. Throughout this time, it's been a name synonymous with expertise and integrity in our field. However, the landscape of defense financial management has grown and evolved remarkably in recent decades, and this change reflects the diversity we have in the profession today. In light of that evolution, today marks the beginning of a new chapter as we transition from the American Society of Military Comptrollers to our new identity: the Society of Defense Financial Management, or SDFM." The SDFM brand incorporates a modern design and pairs the organization's military legacy with design elements and a color palette that are inclusive of its broader membership. SDFM includes a wide swath of military and civilian, corporate and federal, private and public organizations and professionals. The SDFM tagline, "Advancing the Mission of National Security," captures the organization's goal of continuing to make a tangible and lasting impact not only for the defense financial management community but also contributing substantively to the country's national security. As part of the rebrand, SDFM has launched a new website, SDFM.org, which showcases an improved user experience from streamlined navigation and content to updated search functionality and more. The platform will provide an enhanced, modern experience for its members and serve defense financial managers looking to learn about all the training, content, certification, and community SDFM offers. SDFM also announced the launch of its updated Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) and CDFM-A examinations. Eligible CDFM candidates are now able to schedule to take the new exam, following a months-long process that involved contributions from defense financial management subject matter experts. The CDFM is the sign of distinction in defense financial management. About SDFM: The Society of Defense Financial Management is the platform for competency, community, and content, supporting those who are mission-critical in defense financial management. With a wide membership that ranges from military to corporate professionals, SDFM continues to grow, serve, and help lead individuals to greater competency, content, and community. For more information about SDFM, its rebranding initiative, and the vital work of defense financial managers, please visit sdfm.org. Media Contact: Charles McEntee Director, Marketing & Public Relations Society of Defense Financial Management Phone: (703) 549-0360 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Society of Defense Financial Management A set of electric vehicle charging bays in Brisbane have been decommissioned to make way for a new children's theme park - and drivers aren't happy. An electric vehicle owner has blasted the impending removal of a set of EV charger bays in inner-Brisbane, to make way for the new Blueys World attraction. Source: Facebook Australian electric vehicle owners have long been calling for more charger bays to be installed to cater to the soaring demand for EVs, with queues frequently seen forming among motorists desperately awaiting a spot. Aussies have been snapped up in a whole range of sticky situations trying to get their cars to charge, including parking over public pathways and sharing bays with other drivers. With demand showing no signs of slowing down, one Queensland-based EV owner found it unfathomable to see a set of charging stations in inner-city Brisbane had been decommissioned and is due to be replaced by a children's theme park. While some pointed out that the site was only intended to be temporary, the man claimed the decision was 'stupid' and not reflective of the dire need for more EV chargers nationally. Source: Facebook Decision to replace EV chargers with new theme park 'stupid', man says According to the developers, Northshore Brisbane, the temporary Queensland Electric Super Highway charging site at 281 MacArthur Avenue was decommissioned on May 25 to "facilitate the new Blueys World attraction and development". Bluey's World, a theme park dedicated to the enormously popular children's cartoon, is due to open its doors in August. Branding the move "so stupid", the EV owner said he believed the situation reflected the fact that people in charge "have no idea what they're doing" and "are just throwing money around at this charging issue." "Can anyone imagine a government department getting something so wrong in such a short time?" he wrote online. "These superchargers were installed two years ago. One can only imagine at what cost, and always used by locals." His views were shared by some who responded to his post. "In many cases the locations of chargers are based on what was available at the time. Youll probably find that the development application for the site was well underway when the charger was installed," one person wrote. Have your say "Real estate is a ruthless market, and for EV chargers this is compounded by the availability of electrical infrastructure. It shows the amount of or lack of diligence done in the first place. In identifying the best product. The best location," another said. Others pointed to the fact the site was not built with the view it would be there long-term. "The sign says that this was a temporary site, I dont see the issue," a man wrote. Bluey's World, a theme park dedicated to the enormously popular children's cartoon, is due to open its doors in August. Source: Queensland Government Replacement charging site currently unknown According to Northshore Brisbane: "The Queensland Government is supporting Yurika [a division of Energy Queensland, the largest, wholly government-owned electricity company in the country] in locating and maintaining a new charging site within the precinct". Yahoo News Australia has contacted Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) for an update on the relocation of the charger bays. A spokesperson demonstrated a willingness to look into the matter. Meanwhile, the latest data from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) released earlier this year busted the "myth" that EVs are only popular among wealthy inner-city residents, with the research revealing the biggest increase in orders for electric vehicles last year in Australia actually came from outer-suburban areas. Elon Musk's Tesla and Chinese-owned Build Your Dream (BYD) account for three-quarters of all EV sales in the country, with the latter even overtaking Tesla in January as the nation's best-selling electric vehicle for that month. Queensland TMR weighs in A spokesperson for TMR said they were working on finding a new location for the chargers. "The Queensland Government is investigating suitable alternative sites in the Hamilton area and will inform motorists as soon as the new site is confirmed," they told Yahoo News Australia. "The purpose of the MacArthur Avenue station was to act as a catalyst for private investment in similar charging infrastructure across Queensland. There are many public charging sites available in Brisbane and more are continuing to come online across Queensland including at shopping centres, car parks and tourist locations." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. WatchMeGrow is a SaaS technology company providing security, compliance, secure video and business intelligence to education, student enrichment, pet care and other enterprise sectors. NEW YORK and LACEY, Wash., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Spire Capital Partners announced a partnership and strategic growth investment in WatchMeGrow ("WMG"). WMG is a leading SaaS technology company providing security, compliance, business intelligence, analytics and secure video software to education, student enrichment, pet care and other enterprise sectors. Founded in 1998, WatchMeGrow's software provides a secure SaaS platform including modules for safety, compliance, business intelligence/analytics, secure video and real-time monitoring. When WMG was founded, the software platform initially provided early childhood education operators with a software suite for secure video and business intelligence. WMG has expanded its offerings over time to include additional safety, compliance, and analytics tools utilizing AI to focus on school safety and transparency. Today, early childhood education operators utilize WMG's platform to optimize learning environments. WMG's core focus is on the education market and has also recently expanded its platform to provide similar services for the student enrichment operators, pet care and other enterprise sectors. WMG has partnered with and provides services to nearly 3,000 locations across the United States. "We are excited to partner with Spire Capital in our next chapter of growth," said John Lewison, CEO of WatchMeGrow. "We met the Spire team nearly 5 years ago and we believe their combination of extensive experience in the technology services and education verticals to be a perfect fit to be our strategic partner. We have ambitious new offerings we plan to launch as we continue to expand our platform to provide more security, compliance and safety tools to our clients in education, student enrichment and pet care sectors and believe Spire will provide invaluable insight to our team as we continue to innovate for our clients." "We are honored to partner with John and the WatchMeGrow team to continue on this exciting growth story," said David Schaible, Partner at Spire Capital. "WatchMeGrow is an innovative software company providing tools for greater safety, security, compliance and analytics for the education vertical and additional markets. The team has built a leading platform that will continue to be enhanced with additional tools and analytics and we look forward to our partnership with WMG in its next chapter." VedderPrice served as legal counsel to Spire Capital. About WatchMeGrow WatchMeGrow, founded in 1998, is a leading SaaS technology company providing security, compliance and video software to education, student enrichment, pet care and other enterprise sectors. WatchMeGrow's SaaS platform provides secure video, monitoring, business intelligence and analytics to operators that creates greater security, transparency, safety and compliance for client campuses and locations. To learn more, visit: https://watchmegrow.com. About Spire Capital Spire Capital Partners (https://spirecapital.com/) is an active and experienced private equity firm with an investment focus on small market companies within the technology-enabled business services, media, communications, and education sectors. Spire Capital Partners was founded on the principle of partnering with management teams and founders to help effectuate the next stage of growth for their companies. Spire professionals have a broad range of operating, investing, and advisory experience that they leverage to help portfolio companies accelerate their growth, guide their strategic direction, and execute their business plan. Spire Capital Partners is a New York-based investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. SOURCE Spire Capital Partners New STEEZY x Honda "Beat of the Street" video series debuts today as part of Honda's DreamLab platform LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a groundbreaking move, STEEZY, a leading online platform and mobile app that offers dance classes and tutorials for all skill levels, and automaker Honda have joined forces to inspire dancers at all levels by showcasing the vibrant world of dance. As part of the new collaboration, STEEZY and Honda today have debuted a new video series, titled "Beat of the Street," that celebrates dancers, movement, artistic expression and cultural vibrancy, while infusing car culture: STEEZY X Honda "Beat of the Street" Video Series The new collaboration with STEEZY marks Honda's first foray into the dance community. "Beat of the Street" highlights Honda's commitment to providing a platform for artists and creators to pursue their dreams and embrace diverse cultural landscapes through the brand's DreamLab platform. "Beat of the Street" STEEZY x Honda Video Series The new Honda x STEEZY video series leverages content produced from the first-ever "Beat of the Street" event held in Los Angeles, hosted by STEEZY and Honda, and aims to reshape the perception of dance competitions among the dance community and new fans of dance. The "Beat of the Street" video series features exclusive digital dance classes taught by up-and-coming choreographer, Josh Price, as well as special edition performance videos and a showcase featuring the celebrated dance teams: VMO, GRV, and S-Rank. The video series also highlights a trio of renowned choreographers performing in front of a live audience of dance teams, following the format popularized by STEEZY's YouTube series, "3 Choreographers, 1 Song (3C1S)." Each artist's captivating dance routine is set to one soundtrack, infusing choreography with their personal style, energy and creativity: Melvin Timtim : Emmy-nominated for outstanding choreography on World of Dance, and has choreographed for notable K-pop groups including NCT 127 and JYP : Emmy-nominated for outstanding choreography on World of Dance, and has choreographed for notable K-pop groups including NCT 127 and JYP Wren Crisologo : Choreographed for stars including Jay Park , IU, Juice WRLD and Keak Da Sneak : Choreographed for stars including , IU, Juice WRLD and Keak Da Sneak Julian DeGuzman : Performed on major stages such as Saturday Night Live with Pharrell, The Ellen Show and World of Dance "At STEEZY, our mission is to inspire the inner dancer in everyone," says Connor Lim, Co-Founder of STEEZY. "Our partnership with Honda enabled us to create unique, innovative experiences that uplift the community and accelerate its growth." The immersive event space featured live dance workshops that highlighted three innovative Honda models: The all-new and all-electric Honda Prologue SUV , Civic Type R, and Honda S2000. The event drew inspiration from the Southern California grassroots movement of car culture while elevating dancers to the forefront and igniting creativity within the dynamic dance community. "I am honored to be a part of the Beat of the Street event where I had the privilege of experiencing the union of visionaries and artists in the dance space," said Sara Choi, Host of Honda DreamLab and professional drift driver. "This collaboration not only signifies Honda's boundless creative ethos that extends far beyond the realm of automobiles, but also serves as a catalyst for empowering the younger generation to pursue their dreams." The video series is available on STEEZY's mobile platform. Additionally, this content will be compiled into a playlist available on Honda Creative Studio's YouTube page, further extending the reach and impact of this collaboration. About Honda DreamLab Honda DreamLab, Honda's lifestyle content platform that showcases Honda's creative spirit beyond cars, continues to inspire and encourage the next generation to pursue their dreams. DreamLab is a space for creators, artists, and communities to share ideas and find joy in their passions and features unique talent across various art forms to uplift and celebrate determined artists and the commitment it takes to make it big. Honda DreamLab content can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/@HondaCreativeStudio About STEEZY: STEEZY, the #1 dance app, is creating the leading platform for dance fans and athletes. It currently provides thousands of online classes from the world's best instructors. STEEZY has millions of registered users with a global community spanning over 100 countries. The company specializes in beginner-level instruction, allowing dancers of all levels to learn a wide variety of styles from traditional studio techniques to street-style choreography. For more information and to experience the joy of dance, visit www.STEEZY.co . About Honda: Honda offers a full line of clean, safe, fun, and connected vehicles sold through more than 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The award-winning Honda lineup includes the Civic and Accord, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup, and the Odyssey minivan. Honda's electrified vehicle lineup includes the Accord hybrid, CR-V hybrid, Civic hybrid (arriving this June) and the all-electric Honda Prologue SUV. Honda has been producing automobiles in America for over 40 years and currently operates 18 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2023, more than 99% of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, with about two-thirds made in America, using domestic and globally sourced parts. More information about Honda is available in the Digital FactBook . SOURCE STEEZY TAIPEI, May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo took place in New Orleans, Louisiana from May 28 to 31. Dr. Cheng-Chih Wu, chairperson of the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET), led a delegation of 40 representatives from 20 Taiwanese universities and institutions to participate in the expo. The delegation's participation aimed to expand cooperation between higher education institutions in Taiwan and the United States. NAFSA, the world's largest international education event, brought together nearly 10,000 delegates from over 100 countries. The theme of the 76th annual conference "Resilience. Renewal. Community." positions NAFSA as the platform for global communities working together to foster resilience in the post-pandemic era, support educational renewal, and build stronger local and global communities. Based on the "Technology Island" theme, the Study in Taiwan Pavilion at the expo spotlighted Taiwan's advancements in science and technology. Using blue and green hues to symbolize innovations, the design highlighted key technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, space satellites, circular economy, and healthcare. This emphasized Taiwan's commitment to advancing higher education in alignment with global technological development and its determination to contribute to the international community through collaborative efforts. Dr. Wu, underscored the longstanding partnership between Taiwan and the United States in higher education. Since the launch of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative in 2020, both sides have enjoyed free and open educational exchanges for global talent development. Higher education institutions from Taiwan have signed 26 cooperation agreements with 24 states in the U.S., and the U.S. Department of State continues to show support for Taiwan's Bilingual 2030 Program. As of 2024, 3,000 American students are studying Mandarin in Taiwan, and 66 Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning have been established in the U.S. Both have reached new heights, demonstrating the robust relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. Taiwan chose the Loews New Orleans Hotel as the venue for 2024 Taiwan-U.S. Higher Education Symposium on May 29. This marked the third consecutive year for Taiwan to organize symposiums in the U.S., a testament to its commitment to advancing the goals of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative. The symposium facilitated discussions among 60 participants, including Dr. Wu, officials from the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston (TECO Houston), and university representatives from both countries. Topics included Mandarin language education and recent cooperation in higher education and research projects, aiming to foster further mutual understanding and cooperation. The symposium was followed by the Taiwan Night networking event in the evening. In addition to FICHET, TECO Houston, U.S. Department of State and City of New Orleans officials, Taiwanese university representatives and their global partners from 30 different universities took part in the dinner. There were about 150 attendees at the event, engaging in discussions to strengthen bilateral friendships. Building on past success, FICHET arranged Taiwan-Czech Networking Event on May 28, where representatives from 12 Taiwanese and 8 Czech universities met and discussed collaboration opportunities. Participating Czech universities included Charles University, Brno University of Technology, Czech Technical University in Prague, and University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague. This initiative served as a foundation to possible future in-person forums that will continue enhancing cooperation between Taiwan and Czechia. SOURCE Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) COLLEGEDALE, Tenn., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Try a new twist on a flavor loved for generations with Sunbelt Bakery Snickerdoodle Chewy Granola Bars. This classic cookie flavor will join the existing Sunbelt Bakery permanent lineup in select retailers nationwide in late May. Sunbelt Bakery Snickerdoodle Granola Bars Snickerdoodle Chewy Granola Bars (MSRP: $3.19): Reminisce on warm memories with this classic cookie flavor, now reimagined into a delicious Sunbelt Bakery Chewy Granola Bar. Toasted granola and notes of sweet cinnamon and caramel create the perfect treat for anyone to enjoy! Each carton contains 8, individually-wrapped chewy granola bars, ideal for on-the-go snacking, entertaining, and lunchbox pairings. Whether sharing with loved ones, or indulging individually, you'll feel wrapped in comfort with every bite! For updates, promotions and recipe ideas, follow Sunbelt Bakery on Instagram , Facebook , and Pinterest . ABOUT THE SUNBELT BAKERY BRAND McKee Foods, a family-owned company based in Collegedale, Tenn., introduced the Sunbelt Bakery brand in 1982. The Sunbelt Bakery brand offers snack products, including chewy granola bars and soft-baked bars. The bars are offered in a wide variety of flavors and offer consumers great tasting snack bars. To learn more about Sunbelt Bakery snacks, visit sunbeltbakery.com or follow Sunbelt Bakery on Facebook and Instagram. ABOUT MCKEE FOODS CORPORATION McKee Foods, a family bakery with annual sales of about $1.9 billion. The McKee Foods story began during the height of the Great Depression when founder O.D. McKee began selling 5-cent snack cakes from the back of his car. Soon after, he and his wife, Ruth, bought a small bakery on Main Street in Chattanooga, Tenn., using the family car as collateral. Today, the company employs approximately 7,000 people in Collegedale, Tenn.; Gentry, Ark.; Stuarts Draft, Va.; and Kingman, Ariz. It creates and produces Little Debbie baked goods, Drake's cakes, Sunbelt Bakery snacks and Fieldstone Bakery food products. Visit mckeefoods.com for more information. Contact: Mike Gloekler, Corporate Communications & PR Manager Office: (423) 238-7111, Ext. 22440 Cell: (423) 364-4431 Email: [email protected] SOURCE McKee Foods Program partners with accounting and finance profession leaders to enhance talent pipeline in the State of California . . The nation's first-of-its-type and U.S. Department of Labor-backed program to develop more skilled and longer-term employees. NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AICPA & CIMA, which together form the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, have today announced the launch of the Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners in the State of California. The program partners with the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA) and accounting and finance leaders to enhance the California talent pipeline by providing instruction leading to a profession-recognized credential, on the job training and mentorship. The Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners is the nation's first-of-its-type program for accounting and finance. It is dedicated to establishing a pipeline of highly engaged candidates that allows employers to monitor and develop more skilled, and long-term employees. The program is built on the globally rigorous CGMA Finance Leadership Program leading to the award of the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. "Talent identification, recruitment, and retention is an ongoing and major business challenge. Today's business environment is highly competitive with skills development and career progression being the new currencies for companies looking to hire, develop and keep the best talent," said Tom Hood, CPA, CGMA, EVP of Business Growth & Engagement, AICPA & CIMA. "Considering the rapid pace of change, especially with technology, and the specialization required in the accounting and finance function, companies are increasingly seeking to 'grow their own' and to train and develop new hires and existing staff to meet the challenges they face as they transform to become the finance function of the future. We are excited to provide this pathway to enhance the future of the profession in California." Since its launch in 2022, the Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners is now registered in the States of Florida and Maryland and has grown to include accounting and finance apprentices in over 15 industries. The nation's first-of-its-type and U.S. Department of Labor-backed program's growth into California continues this rapid advancement. "California's investments and policy support for apprenticeships are generous and extensive. They provide an excellent opportunity to grow our profession and our professionals through apprenticeship. We have partnered with CalCPA to provide our recently launched Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners in California," noted Joanne Fiore, VP Pipeline & Apprenticeships at the AICPA & CIMA. "We are also introducing a new entry level Registered Apprenticeship for Accounting and Finance Associates, for those who are interested in upskilling but not yet ready to decide to become a Finance Business Partner and earn the CGMA designation." "As an active collaborator in ensuring the accounting and finance profession can continue to support consumers and the public, CalCPA is pleased to partner with the AICPA and use the apprenticeship model to create opportunities in California," said Denise LeDuc Froemming, President & CEO of California Society of CPAs. "The demand for accounting and finance skills in our State is high and I'm excited to see how apprenticeships can be used to meet the demand while successfully upskilling professionals." For more than a century, the AICPA & CIMA has focused on driving a robust pipeline of professionals prepared to support and grow organizations worldwide. The Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners is the latest step in that mission. Benefits of the Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business include: For employers, apprenticeship programs Are career development programs that establish a pipeline of employees that employers can develop and monitor over time to greatly increase the chance of developing a highly engaged, more skilled, long-term employee. that establish a pipeline of employees that employers can develop and monitor over time to greatly increase the chance of developing a highly engaged, more skilled, long-term employee. Are a talent pipeline management tool , which allows organizations to build, in addition to buy talent, and in doing so take control over how they address ongoing and future needs of their organization and improve recruitment. , which allows organizations to build, in addition to buy talent, and in doing so take control over how they address ongoing and future needs of their organization and improve recruitment. Expand the candidate pool by providing experiences and education that the candidate may not have at the start and allows employers to consider a broader range of candidates. For apprentices, these programs allow them to earn a paycheck while they learn and benefit from exposure to more career development and mentoring opportunities. If interested in learning more about the Registered Apprenticeship for Finance Business Partners contact [email protected]. About AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf of 597,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates and registrants in 188 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the CPA license, the CGMA designation and specialized credentials, professional education and thought leadership. We build trust by empowering our members, candidates and registrants with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future. SOURCE AICPA & CIMA MIDDLETOWN, Conn., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The federal Department of Education has announced the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers (CAPP) is now approved to accredit postgraduate physician associate (PA) as well as joint nurse practitioner (NP/PA) postgraduate training programs. In 2022, CAPP, commonly known as "The Consortium" was the first accrediting organization to earn federal recognition from the U.S. Department of Education to accredit postgraduate nurse practitioner residency and fellowship training programs. Today's announcement significantly expands the Consortium's reach and impact as a leader in accrediting NP only, PA only, and joint NP/PA postgraduate training programs. The Consortium is the first and only organization in the United States to be federally recognized to accredit joint NP/PA postgraduate residency and fellowship programs. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates represent a vital and growing portion of both primary care and specialty healthcare providers in the United States. From community health centers to acute care hospitals and across the full range of health care settings, PAs and NPs are essential health care providers. New NPs and PAs, and those seeking to change specialty areas, increasingly seek formal postgraduate residency and/or fellowship programs to deepen their expertise in their clinical practice specialty. CAPP provides a vital service in assuring the excellence and rigor of these programs through federally recognized accreditation. "We at the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers fully respect and deeply appreciate the value of federal recognition and the assurance it brings to the public, to trainees, and to the health care system," said Kerry Bamrick, MBA, Executive Director of the Consortium. "It is the gold standard of accrediting agencies, and demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of excellence." The Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers Accreditation Commission Vice-Chair, Dr. DoQuyen Huynh, DNP, FNP, ARNP, FAAN stated, "The Consortium has worked diligently to achieve Federal recognition for its Expansion of Scope from the U.S. Department of Education. With this achievement, we are able to expand our work in education and health care to support the next generation of advanced practice providers. Attaining this recognition not only speaks to the quality and rigor of our accreditation process, but it is also a testament to the synergy of minds that came together to achieve something greater for health care and for our patients." "Advanced Practice Providers are vital to our health care system," said Consortium Board Chair Dr. Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN, FNP-c, FAAN, FAANP, "and formal postgraduate APP training programs provide the training bridge between education and practice for new APPS. The Consortium is proud to receive the U.S. Department of Education's Federal recognition and deeply appreciate the role it plays in assuring that APP postgraduate training programs meet the highest standards for quality and impact. We are honored to serve the public as a Federally Recognized accrediting agency ensuring our nation's advanced practice providers are prepared to meet the challenge of providing health care to people of all ages in communities in every corner of our country." The U.S. Department of Education granted the Consortium an Expansion of Scope to its initial federal recognition for a period of five years. SOURCE The Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers SAN ANTONIO, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Octavia D. Harris is acknowledged as a Top Pinnacle Professional for her contributions as an Advocate for Women in Military Services and Veterans. Octavia D. Harris, a distinguished expert with over three decades of military, civil service, and defense contracting experience has been awarded the Women's Memorial Certificate of Achievement in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the advancement of women in the armed forces. Octavia Harris Octavia D. Harris' illustrious career has been characterized by her unwavering commitment to empowering women within the military. She currently serves as a subcommittee chair for the United States Department of Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. In this pivotal role, she is instrumental in exploring opportunities for women across various military fields, advising the secretary of defense, assessing challenges and productivity, and actively participating in outreach and recruitment endeavors. With a national reach, Octavia D. Harris's expertise lies in outreach and employment integration. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences from National University (2001) and a Master of Science in Operations and Healthcare Management and Safety from the University of Arkansas (2007). Octavia D. Harris is a prominent figure in various affiliations, including former committee Chair, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems and currently a member of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee for Women and Children. She is deeply committed to supporting organizations like Support The Enlisted Project and the Military Women's Memorial foundation. Throughout her illustrious career, Octavia D. Harris has received multiple prestigious awards that underscore her exceptional contributions to the field. Notable accolades include the Legion of Merit from the President of the United States in 2012, the San Diego Navy League Woman of the Year award from the Navy League of the United States in 2001, and the Woman of the Year award from San Diego County. However, one of her proudest achievements is her active involvement, leadership efforts, and accomplishments in driving congressional policy changes under the Deborah Sampson Act. These changes have had a profound impact on women's healthcare and programs. Octavia D. Harris's remarkable journey in service to her country spans 30 years in the United States Navy. She has held various roles, including senior advisor to the commander for Amphibious Squadron One, human resource manager and lead detailer, Command Master Chief of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and her extensive experience also includes serving as a Command Master Chief of the AEGIS guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney. After her military service she led in positions at Defense Contractor KochurTrummer LLC and as Senior Program Manager, Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA. As she looks to the future, Octavia D. Harris envisions expanding her role supporting women in the military and veterans beyond the United States Department of Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, writing novels to explore and stretch her creative imagination, and continuing to make a meaningful impact on women and children across the nation through her involvement with the United States Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee for Women and Children. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner Circle ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Tina J. Falika King is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Life Member for her contributions to the field of Urology. Tina J, Falika King Dr. King's professional journey began in 2009 when she graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health with a Master's degree in Public Health with a focus on Clinical Investigation and a Medical degree. She completed her general OB-GYN training at WellSpan York Hospital and further specialized in high-risk obstetrics training with the Perinatal Associates of Northern Virginia at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She later joined Inova Health System and has experience in private practice in Alexandria, Virginia. Known as a compassionate obstetrician-gynecologist with a focus on women's health, Dr. King has served at Inova Health System for 13 years, is affiliated with Inova Fairfax Hospital, and continues to have privileges at Inova Alexandria Hospital. Her special interests include high-risk pregnancies, uterine fibroids, fertility and eliminating healthcare disparities for women of color. The doctor is also a big proponent of patient education, intent to have patients be able to advocate for themselves and make informed decisions about their healthcare. In regards to her success in the field, Dr. King practices her philosophy of putting the patient first, emphasizing a patient-centered approach to healthcare by . The doctor is an avid reader of many professional journals, but her favorite publication is the "green journal," which refers to a medical journal related to obstetrics and gynecology. A revered author herself, Dr. King has worked with numerous experts in the field publishing works such as Impact of prenatal diagnosis of fetus-in-fetu in the Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine in 2017. The doctor serves in numerous professional capacities including Vice-Chair of Obstetrics at Inova Fairfax Hospital from 2021-2023 and notes that her success was directly impacted by her mentors who include the late Dr. Brenda Armstrong of Duke University; and Dr. Alfred Khoury of Perinatal Associates of Northern Virginia, Inova Fairfax Hospital. Dr. King's future projections include continuing to care for her patients and focusing on patient education and resident education in obstetrics and gynecology. Aside from her professional pursuits, Dr. King enjoys spending time with her family as a hobby and likes to travel to any destination offering a warm, sandy beach and good massage. She expresses gratitude to her husband, Aaron, and her children, Sterling and Aaryn, for their love and support. She also mentions her mother, Rebecca Falika, her mother-in-law, Dr. Rosalyn C. King, and her sister, Gwendolyn Burrell. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner Circle Grand Opening Celebration Comes with Fun and Great Prizes for Guests LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Thorntons is proud to announce the opening of its newest Chicagoland store and its 94th location in the state of Illinois. The store will open Friday, May 31 at 6:00 a.m. at 739 North Lake Street. The company now operates a total of 74 stores in the Chicagoland area. This new 4,400 square foot facility is set on 1.8 acres and features a number of amenities to serve on-the-go Guests including: Self-checkout to drive a faster and more efficient Guest experience LED lighting for Guest and Team Member safety and energy efficiency Freshly made burritos and sandwiches prepared throughout the day in the store's onsite kitchen Variety of top-of-the-line beverages, including fresh bean to cup coffee and ice-cold fountain beverages with nugget ice 24 auto fueling positions Thorntons invites the community to be part of our grand opening celebration on May 31 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. During this time and while supplies last, Guests who enter the new store will receive a Thorntons gift card which they can immediately scan at the register to determine the value1. One lucky Guest will win a $1,000 gift card. In addition, there will be music, games and giveaways. During the Ribbon Cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m., Thorntons leadership will present Northern Illinois Food Bank with a $2,500 donation. This contribution is in honor of the new store opening and is part of Thorntons' ongoing commitment to help feed the hungry in all of the communities where it operates. About Thorntons Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Thorntons, part of the bp portfolio, operates more than 200 stores that provide high quality fresh foods, beverages, and fuel in six states: Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida. Thorntons' mission is to be people's favorite place to stop when they are on-the-go and people's favorite place to work. Thorntons has its own transportation fleet and food commissary. Thorntons has a passion for giving back to the communities where Guests and Team Members live and work. Thorntons volunteers make their communities better through community service, humanitarian day events and fundraising projects. Learn more about Thorntons by visiting www.mythorntons.com. Connect with Thorntons on Facebook www.facebook.com/thorntonsllc, Instagram @thorntons_llc and Twitter @ThorntonsLLC. 1 This promotion is offered by Thorntons, which is located at 2600 James Thornton Way, Louisville, KY 40245. No purchase necessary to receive prize. Must be at least 16 years old to receive prize. Promotion will continue while supplies last. Gift card value is either $2, $5, $10, $20, $100 or $1,000. There will only be 1 $1,000 Thorntons gift card. MEDIA CONTACT Pierce Feltner Corporate Communications [email protected] Media Hotline: 844.945.3321 SOURCE Thorntons AUSTIN, Texas, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tinsley Medical Practice, led by Managing Director and Co-Founder Sean Tinsley, recently assisted Longhorn Dermatology in the sale of their practice to DermCare Management. This partnership marks a significant expansion for Longhorn Dermatology and a new chapter in their mission to provide exceptional care for their patients and community. DermCare is a dermatology practice management company founded on the principle of merging seasoned medical professionals with clinically focused management expertise. Their partners are key opinion leaders in dermatology and through collaboration, bring innovation that drives the operational excellence their future partners can enjoy. Dr. Ransdell, of Longhorn Dermatology, shared his excitement about the partnership, stating that "Partnering with DermCare has been a natural extension of our mission in providing exceptional care for our patients and community. The partnership will allow us to focus even more on patient care in a team-oriented environment and give us the tools to grow while maintaining the high standard of care that we pride ourselves in." Dr. Ransdell also credited Sean Tinsley, the bridge that took their practice to the next level with DermCare, for making the partnership seamless and stress-free. Tinsley Medical Practice recently assisted Longhorn Dermatology in the sale of their practice to DermCare Management. Post this DermCare CEO Jeffrey Schillinger also expressed his satisfaction with working with Tinsley Medical Brokers in the acquisition of Longhorn Dermatology. "Sean knows his craft well and brings an exceptional level of professionalism, knowledge, and know-how to the merging of Longhorn with DermCare," stated Schillinger. "We are excited for what the future holds with our newly expanded team of dermatology professionals!" "Working with Dr. Ransdell was a joy. He played an important role in identifying a good fit that would take his integrative wellness practice to the next level. Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers was able to successfully bring several individual physicians, multi-specialty groups, and private equity firms that were interested in his practice and we mutually felt that DermCare was the right choice," said Sean Tinsley, Managing Director, and Co-Founder of Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers. With their expertise in the medical practice industry, Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers played a crucial role in successfully facilitating the acquisition between Longhorn Dermatology and DermCare Management. Their pre-transaction, post-transaction, and sale-oriented services, including brokerage, appraisal, valuation, performance consulting, financing solutions, and financial planning, provide physician owners and buyers with the necessary support to maximize the value and performance of their practices. For more information on how Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers can assist with your medical practice needs, please contact them through their website or by phone. About Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers: Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers is a nationwide company that helps physician owners and buyers maximize the value and performance of medical practices. With a focus on Texas medical practices, Tinsley offers a full range of services to support the pre-transaction, post-transaction, and sale process of medical practices. Their team of experts provides a personalized and tailored approach to each client, ensuring a successful and seamless transaction. SOURCE Tinsley Medical Brokers European foxes are responsible for killing millions of native animals and birds, so wildlife workers were excited to see a wallaby fight back. Extraordinary video shows an Australian marsupial turning the tables on an invasive predator thats contributed to the extinction of several native species Down Under. The 15 second clip, supplied by wildlife rescue agency WIRES, shows a European red fox nesting in a forest on the NSW South Coast. Iconic sounds of bellbirds can be heard in the distance. The fox darts its ears around and then suddenly runs out of the cameras frame. A second later we find out why when a wallaby bounds across the screen in pursuit. But the best part of the video is yet to come. Out of shot we can hear a ferocious growling sound, but its not coming from the fox. Its made by the wallaby! The fox runs past the stationary camera once again as it's chased by the angry wallaby. Once the coast is clear, the marsupial takes a moment to rest and enjoy its regained territory. Wildlife experts stunned by extraordinary fox video While the footage may be funny to watch, there is a serious reason we're sharing it. Invasive species have contributed to the extinction of more Australian mammals than any other factor, other than humans. The footage was unintentionally collected by volunteers from WIRES who set up a motion-activated camera in forest near Albion Park. Related: Distressing footage of cat mauling wallaby sparks warning to pet owners Rebecca Daly had positioned the camera as part of her search for a wombat which had been reported to have mange a deadly disease that's killed thousands of wombats after it was spread across the state by foxes. WIRES spokesperson John Grant said volunteers had spotted plenty of feral cats when reviewing wildlife camera footage, but never anything like this wallaby defending its territory. It is encouraging example of a native species challenging a Priority Pest, he said. Go you good thing. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. From neutral colors to products to make travel easier, there's something new for every parent out there LAS VEGAS, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ABC Kids Expo , the organizers of North America's premier juvenile products gathering, just wrapped their 2024 show in Las Vegas, where thousands of new products from strollers to car seats to clothing and furniture, were featured. The ABC Kids Expo team scoured the floor to find the top trends in the industry. ABC Kids Expo Show Floor "The innovation in the baby and juvenile space continues to be at an all time high," said Aaron Pederson, President, All Baby & Child, ABC Kids Expo. "Companies, both big and small, are taking into account what parents and kids really need, as well as looking at safety and design. It's an exciting time in the industry and we can't wait to see what comes next." Top trends coming out of the show included: Neutral colors are in, with a strong focus on blues, greens, and pinks. From strollers, to clothing to feeding essentials, these colors were hot. Innovation in the feeding essentials category were plentiful with new materials for bibs, plates and utensils, solutions to kids flinging food, even heat activated, color changing dishware. Natural furniture finishes were seen in cribs, toddler beds, and across all children's furniture. High chairs were also among the gear that took on the natural finishes. Leather/Leather looking fabrics were seen across categories, giving a fresh look to everything from high chairs to strollers. Travel is getting easier! From fold up strollers that fit in the overhead bin of an airplane to gear for a trip to the beach, it's easier than ever to take the little ones out and about. Car seats are evolving. New, lighter weight car seats, especially infant seats have emerged, as well as new safety features are changing the way car seats have performed in the past. Ease of use and installation are game changers for parents. This year's ABC Kids Expo tripled its footprint from last year and featured over 600 exhibitors at the sold-out Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The ABC Kids Expo is held yearly in Las Vegas, NV. The 2025 show will be held from May 21-23 at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino. The show is only open to the trade. For additional information visit https://theabcshow.com/ . About All Baby & Child ABC Kids Expo (All Baby & Child), founded in March 2003, is a non-profit organization dedicated to producing events on behalf of the juvenile products industry. The corporation's main objective and purpose are to act as a business league that helps organize and manage trade shows to benefit juvenile product manufacturers, specialty store retailers, distributors, and manufacturers' representatives. Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE ABC Kids Expo Having only been available online in South Korea, the brand has launched a resource for travelers to find the product at physical locations across the country. LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- COSRX, the go-to skincare brand among dermatologists, is excited to announce the launch of its new "Finding COSRX in Korea" section on the FAQ page of its official website. This dedicated section aims to guide international travelers in locating and experiencing COSRX products at premier duty-free shops and Olive Young locations across Korea. COSRX Launches #AffiliateWithCOSRX TikTok Challenge Campaign In efforts to enhance customer experience, the "Finding COSRX in Korea" section provides comprehensive information about where travelers can find COSRX products offline. This initiative is a direct response to the growing number of inquiries from international customers eager to explore and purchase COSRX products during their visit to Korea. "This year alone, foreign customers from over 45 countries visited Korean duty-free shops, and some specifically sought out COSRX stores" said COSRX representative. "At Korean duty-free shops, customers can directly test 34 to 40 SKUs of COSRX products and ask our store managers any questions they have about the products and their usage, which is why we believe they prefer offline stores." The ability to experience COSRX products first-hand is invaluable. At these duty-free and Olive Young locations, customers can: Test Product Textures : Feel the unique formulations and textures of our products. : Feel the unique formulations and textures of our products. Immediate Inquiries: Get real-time answers to questions about product use and benefits from knowledgeable staff. Get real-time answers to questions about product use and benefits from knowledgeable staff. Personalized Recommendations: Receive tailored advice and recommendations based on individual skincare needs. "Finding COSRX in Korea" is more than just a shopping guide; it's an invitation to immerse yourself in the heart of K-beauty. By visiting these locations, travelers can enjoy a unique and enriching shopping experience, ensuring they select the best products for their skincare routine. For more information, visit the "Finding COSRX in Korea" section on our FAQ page. Duty-Free Shops Olive Young Locations ABOUT COSRX With its powerful yet affordable skincare solutions, COSRX has quickly become one of America's favorite skincare brands. Using a minimal number of highly effective natural extracts in concentrated doses, COSRX products deliver visible results by treating the skin with only the essentials it needs and nothing it doesn't. Find its best-selling skincare solutions at retailers nationwide, including Amazon, ULTA, JCPenney, Target and Dermstore. SOURCE COSRX Imagine Language & Literacy Celebrates 20 Years of Impact on Student Literacy Skills and Receives Evidence for ESSA Rating for Two New Studies TEMPE, Ariz., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Two research studies from Imagine Learning received Promising ratings from Evidence for ESSA for measuring the impact of Imagine Language & Literacy, the flagship supplemental literacy program, as it celebrates 20 years of accelerating the development of literacy skills for students. These studies add to the extensive body of research showing the impact of using Imagine Language & Literacy on student literacy outcomes. Evidence for ESSA evaluated two studies measuring the effectiveness of Imagine Language & Literacy to improve English language proficiency for English language learners (ELL). The first study took place during the 20222023 school year in a large Louisiana school district. The academic performance of more than 1,000 students in first through fifth grade was measured by Louisiana's English Language Proficiency Test. Overall, the performance of Imagine Language & Literacy students was significantly higher than the control group. "This recognition is especially meaningful as we celebrate 20 years of Imagine Language & Literacy." Post this The second study, also conducted during the 20222023 school year, assessed literacy proficiency outcomes for more than 2,500 Florida students in first through fifth grade, using the WIDA ACCESS assessment and more than 1,500 students in grades four and five using the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). Students who used Imagine Language & Literacy demonstrated significantly greater growth than academically and demographically similar non-users on both the WIDA ACCESS and the FAST assessment. The significant results in both studies qualify for the ESSA Promising category and demonstrate the impact of Imagine Language & Literacy on student learning outcomes. "This recognition from Evidence for ESSA is especially meaningful as we celebrate 20 years of Imagine Language & Literacy helping students gain proficiency in language and literacy skills," shared Sarah Anderson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Supplemental Programs at Imagine Learning. "The program was built with leading experts on reading science well before the science of reading was a focus of discussion in education. Additionally, we know student engagement is key to student learning, so the rich content was developed on a video gaming platform. Now, 20 years later, we continue to engage students in learning as we lead the market with our depth and breadth of content." Coinciding with the achievement of receiving Evidence for ESSA Promising ratings, Imagine Learning is commemorating the 20th anniversary of Imagine Language & Literacy by adding new content and characters to the program and redesigning many favorite activities that students loved over the past two decades. In addition, three classrooms from across the US were chosen as winners of the Imagine Language & Literacy 20th Anniversary Classroom Makeover Contest, earning a classroom makeover by completing the recommended 20+ hours a week on the digital literacy program throughout the 20232024 school year. Watch the EC Mason Elementary classroom makeover celebration . Learn more about Imagine Language & Literacy here and read favorite student success stories from long-time Imagine Learning employees here . About Imagine Learning: Every classroom, every student is bursting with potential. That's why we pursue relentless innovation at the intersection of technology, people, and curricula. Imagine Learning creates K12 digital-first solutions fueled by insights from educators, working alongside educators to support 15 million students in over half of the districts nationwide. Imagine Learning. Empower potential. Learn more: imaginelearning.com . SOURCE Imagine Learning LLC RICHMOND, Va., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NIRSense Inc., headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, won an expansion to a competitively-awarded contract this month to build fieldable physiology monitors for the US Navy. NIRSense has been working with the Department of Defense since 2019 to build medical-grade physiology monitors to support US warfighter safety, performance, and medical care in training and operations. "NIRSense has developed unmatched capabilities to provide physiological monitoring in challenging environments faced by our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines at the direction of Navy, Army, and Air Force stakeholders", said NIRSense CEO Casey Boutwell, PhD. Future battlefields are expected to produce new challenges for the military health system requiring the DoD to look for new solutions in training safety and casualty care. Dr. Boutwell continued; "We are honored to be selected to contribute to the critical mission of safely training and caring for one of our nation's most valuable assets, the American warfighter." The contract continuation was funded by Naval Medical Research Command-Naval Advanced Medical Development (NMRC-NAMD) through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC). NIRSense is actively hiring design, engineering, and management talent in offices in Virginia and North Carolina. About NIRSense: NIRSense is a medical technology company focused on developing world-leading wearable systems. Our tools measure oxygenation changes in the body 10x deeper than pulse oximetry and measure the electrophysiological activity of muscles and the brain. We support a wide range of interested stakeholders who are driven to transform the way humans understand and interact with their own health. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. SOURCE NIRSense, Inc. Investment will Support Development of Family Justice Center and Vital Services for Those Impacted by Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Other Abuses CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of North Carolina (WellCare), a provider of Medicaid healthcare coverage in North Carolina, and the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), today announced a $1.95 million investment in The Umbrella Center, a comprehensive family justice center providing holistic services to those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, human trafficking and child abuse. The investment will span three years to support the development of The Umbrella Center's future home at 4822 Albemarle Road in Charlotte, as well as provide programs and services at the facility. Centene Foundation (PRNewsfoto/Centene Foundation) Umbrella Center Wellcare of NC "For people impacted by interpersonal violence who are seeking protection and a safe haven in the Charlotte community, The Umbrella Center will serve as a one-stop-shop to offer necessary resources and support," said Plan President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WellCare of North Carolina, Troy Hildreth. "We are proud to partner with the Centene Foundation and many other local organizations to uplift families and the Charlotte community." Slated to open in the summer of 2026, The Umbrella Center is an innovative public-private collaboration between Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, WellCare, Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center, who will provide comprehensive services to child victims of abuse, and Safe Alliance, who will operate the facility and offer a variety of programs and services to those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. Once completed, The Umbrella Center will house additional service agencies, legal services, law enforcement and healthcare providers to support individuals and families seeking asylum from domestic violence. "Family justice centers are designed to help those impacted by interpersonal violence in their recovery and regain well-being all in one place," said Andrew Oliver, CEO of Pat's Place. "Establishing and building our network in Mecklenburg County will serve hundreds of families seeking support after experiencing abuse. The Umbrella Center will provide services and resources during their time of need. We are proud to partner with WellCare of North Carolina and the Centene Foundation to deliver lasting results to the local community." Family justice centers like The Umbrella Center are proven national models that improve victim survival, reduce rates of violence and homicide, and are recognized as national best practices by the Department of Justice. Domestic violence costs Charlotte-Mecklenburg nearly $50 million annually due to factors such as healthcare and criminal justice expenses, according to a 2019 study commissioned by the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage. The study also found that the annual mental health costs associated with domestic violence in Mecklenburg County is $6.7 million. By investing in The Umbrella Center, WellCare and the Centene Foundation further their commitment to providing healthcare access to those affected by domestic violence and abuse, ensuring a safer and healthier future for the Charlotte community. About The Umbrella Center The Umbrella Center is an innovative public-private collaboration to provide holistic services at a single location for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, human trafficking and child abuse. The Umbrella Center is designed to change each step of a victim's experience to help people recover their lives including police response, medical care, advocacy and counseling, legal and court procedures. When opened, The Umbrella Center will serve over 10,000 annually, co-locate 15 partners to streamline case investigations, mitigate access barriers to effective care, and support survivors' healing after experiencing abuse. About The Centene Foundation The Centene Foundation (the "Foundation"), a private nonprofit focused on investing in economically challenged communities, is the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation ("Centene"). The Foundation supports projects and initiatives strategically aligned with Centene's purpose-driven culture and enhances the work Centene is doing to remove the barriers to wellness underserved and low-income populations face. The Foundation is committed to addressing social determinants of health and improving health equity in three distinct areas of focus: healthcare access, social services and education. To learn more, visit the Centene Foundation's website. About WellCare of North Carolina Headquartered in Raleigh, WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs primarily through Medicaid as one of the state's Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans (WellCare of North Carolina), Marketplace (WellCare of North Carolina by Celtic Insurance Company), Medicare Advantage (Wellcare), and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). WellCare of North Carolina is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.WellCareNC.com. About Safe Alliance Safe Alliance's mission is to provide hope and healing for those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. Serving over 8,000 people annually their programs include 24/7/367 hotline and residential services, advocacy, legal support, trauma counseling and assistance with basic needs support. About Pats Place Child Advocacy Center Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center coordinates the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of the most severe cases of child abuse in Mecklenburg County. As the only child advocacy center in Charlotte, Pat's Place serves children from birth through age 18. All services are provided in a nurturing, friendly and safe environment at no cost to a child's family. Last year, Pat's Place served more than 1000 children (and their caregivers) who were sexually abused, severely physically abused, or who had witnessed a violent crime. Any reference in this press release to any person, organization, activity, or services related to North Carolina Medicaid does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. SOURCE WellCare of North Carolina Plus Oz Lotto joy for more than a dozen players. Yahoo's live news blog for Wednesday, May 29 has concluded. We start with the news police have found "items of interest" in their renewed search for missing mum Samantha Murphy four months after she vanished. Police say a burial site found near where a mum is believed to have given birth on the side of a Sydney river was a false alarm. Donald Trump says he will give "very serious consideration" to pardoning Julian Assange over espionage charges if he wins the US presidential election. Read more here. It's syndicate joy for 15 Oz Lotto players who claimed a third of the $40 million jackpot last night. Find the day's updates below. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 14 updates 'Items of interest' found in search for Samantha Murphy Victoria Police say they have found "items of interest" in their search for missing mum Samantha Murphy. Their search turned to Buninyong this morning, 6km from Mount Clear where police allege she was killed. "The area has been cordoned off and those items will now be forensically tested," police said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. Top cop hits back after murder-suicide claims Ariel Bombara has spoken out after her father's double murder-suicide. Source: ABC WA's top police officer says it's wrong to suggest police did nothing to concerns raised by a woman and her daughter about her ex-husband who later went on to kill two family friends in a double murder-suicide. On Tuesday, Mark Bombara's daughter Ariel told the ABC she and her mother had contacted police three times about the threat Bombara posed, saying she felt let down by their response. Bombara shot Jennifer Petelczyc and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl dead in the leafy Perth suburb of Floreat last Friday after he'd gone to their property looking for his estranged wife. Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the response by WA Police seemed inadequate, claiming on ABC Breakfast it appeared both women did not get the response they needed. But Col Blanch, the WA Police Commissioner who has held the role since 2022, said it was wrong to suggest police did nothing in response to the concerns the woman had previously raised. Read more here. Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl (left), Mark Bombara (right). Source: NCA NewsWire Excavator used in search for missing mum Samantha Murphy Ariel vision from Nine News' helicopter shows an excavator digging in the search for missing mum Samantha Murphy. Victoria Police confirmed on Wednesday there would be a new "targeted" search for the 51-year-old in the Ballarat area. Patrick Orren Stephenson has been charged with Murphys murder. Read more here. An excavator has been deployed as police undertake a renewed search for missing mum Samantha Murphy. Picture: Channel 9 Barnaby Joyce's footwear in Parliament questioned Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce is raising eyebrows again, this time for his choice in footwear. The former deputy prime minister was seen in Parliament wearing a pair of cowboy boots. He later spoke with 2GB's Ben Fordham to explain the shoes, saying it was a protest against billionaire Twiggy Forrest and refused to wear R.M. Williams boots a company Forrest recently bought. While saying it wasn't anything personal with Forrest, he was against his investment in wind farms which Joyce believes are "killing us out in the country". Whats doing Barnaby? The Nationals MP has been spotted in cowboy boots in Parliament. The stunt is part of a protest against RM Williams and Twiggy Forrest. Barnaby Joyce joined Ben to explain. https://t.co/wDBzKkzOFM pic.twitter.com/onfWnJaNIu Ben Fordham Live (@BenFordhamLive) May 29, 2024 Wallaby turns tables on invasive predator How's this for a turn-up for the books. Known for terrorising native animals, it's rare to see foxes meet their match in Australia's wild. But that's exactly what Wires cameras recently captured, with video showing a fox in NSW's Albion Park fleeing as a determined wallaby sets chase. Enjoy the video below and read more here. Nicole Kidman upset over two words from husband Keith Urban Nicole Kidman is reportedly upset with husband Keith Urban after he said an Ariana Grande song was "audible heroin". Urban, who has a history of drug abuse, performed an acoustic version of Grande's hit "We Can't Be Friends" before sharing it online, where he described the song as "audible heroin". He later made the same comparison in an interview with People magazine. A source close to Kidman told Woman's Day magazine she is "disappointed" with her husband's remark after it brought back a "very dark time" in their relationship. Read more here. Nicole and Keith at the 2024 Met Gala. Source: Getty Vladimir Putin warns of global conflict Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. More than two years into the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two, Putin has increasingly spoken of the risk of a much broader global conflict as the West grapples with what to do about the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has once again warned Europe of retaliation to interference in its war with Ukraine. Source: Getty NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist that alliance members should let Ukraine strike deep into Russia with Western weapons, a view supported by some NATO members but not by the United States. "Constant escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin told reporters in Tashkent. "If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, bearing in mind our parity in the field of strategic weapons?" "It's hard to say - do they want a global conflict?" Read more here. - Reuters New update in search for Samantha Murphy Police in Victoria are launching a new search for missing woman Samantha Murphy who disappeared while out for a run in Ballarat four months ago. Investigators will now embark on a new targeted search in the area today, however police declined to provide further information and have asked the public to refrain from trying to assist. Police have deployed an excavator as part of the search, NCA NewsWire reported. Patrick Orren Stephenson, 22, has been charged with the murder of 51-year-old Murphy. There has been a huge community response following Murphy's disappearance but police have asked locals to stay away from current operations. Pub closes to avoid charging customers $20 a pint A Melbourne pub says it would rather close its doors than charge customers $20 a pint. The Carringbush Hotel in Abbotsford, which has been a venue for 135 years, says financial pressures are the reason behind its decision to shut up shop. And instead of continuing to hike prices to cope with rising costs, it says it is going out "on a high". "The cost of everything in Australia for hospitality right now is just horrendous," co-owner Liam Matthews told the Australian Financial Review. To survive, he said he would have had to raise the pub's most sold lager from $15 a pint to $20. The Carringbush Hotel. Couple slapped with $770 fine for putting rubbish in bin And some think Australia is a nanny state. One couple in the UK have been fined $770 (400) after they put an envelope with their address on it in a public bin. Council workers found the letter in the city of Stoke and the council were later able to track down Deborah and Ian Day. They were found to be in breach of sections 87 and 88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and constitutes it as an offence of littering because household waste cannot be deposited in a public bin. "The world's gone mad," Deborah told the Daily Record. Read more here. Three charged over alleged $2.2m e-tag scheme Three men have been charged over an alleged $2.2 million fraud scheme that involved selling fake toll e-tags. NSW Police believe 800 tags are in circulation and are allegedly linked to falsified payment methods. The scheme is believed to have been run for five years. Disbelief over cafe's $1 muffin surcharge Source: Facebook via Daily Mail Surcharges are a growing annoyance amid the cost-of-living crisis and we've all seen our fair share of questionable additions. But one cafe in Melbourne may have taken the biscuit according to one customer after they were slugged with a $1 charge to heat a muffin. The man documented the charge on his $7 muffin online and it quickly received a wave of anger from people in disbelief over the fee. So what do you think? Have your say below. More than a dozen people win Oz Lotto's $40 million jackpot More than a dozen people have taken a slice of the Oz Lotto jackpot from last night as a syndicate had one of three winning tickets in the $40 million draw. One Sydney man took home $13.3 million and like the sole winner of the $150 million Powerball draw last week, he has vowed to carry on working. The winning syndicate from Lithgow has 15 members meaning they take home just under $900,000 each. The Lott is calling on some of those players to check their tickets as they are unregistered and haven't been identified. Further details will be released about the person behind the third winning ticket. Burial dug up in search for mum and newborn Police in Sydney are continuing their search for a mum and a newborn baby after a burial site they dug up turned out to be a false alarm. Investigators discovered a burial site near where a placenta with an umbilical cord were found on the banks of the Cooks River and cordoned off the site. However police soon realised a cat had been buried in the ground. Police continue their search operations, including on the Cooks River, as they plead for the mother to come forward. "There is no judgement. They need to know we are concerned for them," Superintendent Christine McDonald said. Read more here. Police continue to look for any trace of the mum and newborn. Source: AAP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The north Queensland MP has sparked intense debate after posting details about taking the life of the wild dog. Queensland One Nation MP Stephen Andrew has copped criticism for killing what he claimed was a wild dog, which fatally mauled his prized $25,000 ram. Source: Facebook A One Nation MP has defended his decision to kill a "wild" dog which he said fatally mauled a "prized ram" on a local property, with the Queenslander fighting off criticism on social media from Aussies who branded him a "despicable human" in response to him sharing a confronting photo of the lifeless animal. Steve Andrew, who represents the seat of Mirani in the state's north, said the "wild dog" attacked and killed the ram earlier this week, which its owner said was worth $25,000. Posting an image of the dead animal on his public Facebook page, Andrew wrote that "it was so good" the dog "came back for seconds" so that he could "meet his maker". "This bloke mauled and killed a $25,000 ram trying to protect his herd .... They are getting more bolder [sic] and closer by the day." Stephen Andrew has represented the seat of Mirani in Queensland's north since 2017. Source: Facebook Aussies divided over MP's boastful post Wildlife advocates were quick to respond to the post, where the dog, which is dingo-like in appearance, is seen draped over the bonnet of Andrew's ute. Many argued the killing would have repercussions on the local food chain, while others said it would "actually increases the likelihood of stock losses". "Despicable human.. what is wrong with you killing wildlife and doing so with no awareness of their value to our ecosystem," one woman wrote. "Most of all, these magnificent apex predators have been here for thousands of years they are sentient beings." While some defended the MP's killing of the animal, even applauding it, many others thought the online boast was irresponsible from the local politician. "Sure, this dingo became a problem for you and you dealt with it. Sharing it in this way publicly will likely encourage others without deeper understanding to indiscriminately kill dingoes, which only further fuel the problem in the long term," a second person wrote. "Its an irresponsible thing for a politician to do." It's unclear from the photo alone whether the dog in question is a full-bred dingo, a protected species in certain parts of the country. There is no suggestion Andrew did anything unlawful. Dingos are protected in some parts of the country, but are considered a pest in others, where they are allowed to be 'managed'. Source: Getty Dingos can legally be 'managed' in some parts of Queensland In Queensland, under the Biosecurity Act 2014, landholders have a legal responsibility to control wild dogs (including dingoes) on their land. The Queensland government allows the "management" of wild dogs which includes killing in some protected areas under certain circumstances. It's these laws that saw a number of people leap to the MP's defence. "Well done, I applaud this when these animals come in and kill domestic animals, theyre now classed as FERAL!" a person wrote in Andrew's defence. "The carnage a dingo leaves attacking domestic animals is soul destroying and heartbreaking." Andrew responded to the vast majority of commenters on his post personally, also telling 7News that he is a licensed pest controller. The owner of the ram told the network the animal was her "prized" possession. "It was quite disturbing given he was our little prized ram," she said. Why the words wild dog matter Stories of wild dogs roaming Australia have been proven to be largely untrue, thanks to years of DNA research. Thousands of dingoes are killed by government trapping, shooting and poisoning programs across Australia. Governments use the term wild dog when they are killing them to protect sheep, and the word dingo when theyre conserving them in national parks. Dr Kylie Cairns and her team discovered that most of these animals are actually pure dingo, and only a small per cent had interbred with domestic dogs. This leads to confusion with the general public not understanding the animals that are being killed are dingoes. Quite often people will say dingoes and wild dogs when theyre not two separate things, she earlier told Yahoo News Australia. So making sure that our language is clear, means that people understand what management actions are being taken. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. 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 Jerusalem, May 29 : The Israeli military has said its initial investigation findings indicated that it was unexpected secondary explosions and fire that caused dozens of civilian deaths in its airstrike on Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday night. In a video posted on Tuesday on the website of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the army had launched a "precise" attack on a structure where two senior Hamas commanders, Yassin Rabia and Khaled Najjar, were located, Xinhua news agency reported. The IDF accused the two Hamas officials of "orchestrating and executing terror attacks against Israelis". Hagari said that "due to unforeseen circumstances, a fire was tragically ignited, resulting in the loss of lives of nearby Gazan civilians". He noted that two munitions "with only 17 kilos of explosive material" were used for the strike, "the smallest amount that the IDF jets can use," stressing the army's munition alone "could not ignite a fire of this size." The investigation was still ongoing to verify the cause of the fire, Hagari said, adding, "We are looking into all possibilities, including the option that weapons stored in a compound next to the original target were the cause of the fire." Hagari released video and photos of the targeted structure, pointing out that "no tents" were nearby and that the entire area had been evacuated in advance. The spokesman said the IDF has taken "all measures" in advance to prevent harm to civilians, as "the war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza". The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted on Sunday evening the tents in a newly established camp for the displaced civilians in Rafah. The attack, which resulted in the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians and injuries to numerous others, has sparked severe criticism from regional countries and the international community. Ramallah, May 29 : Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, has blamed the US administration for the ongoing escalation in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip. "We hold the US administration fully responsible for the situation in Rafah and across Gaza," Abu Rudeineh told reporters in Ramallah, adding that the Israeli side ignored the ruling of an international court and has turned the city "unlivable." He criticized the US administration's "silence" on Israeli actions, calling it an endorsement of what he termed as a "genocidal war" against Palestinians, Xinhua news agency reported. Abu Rudeineh also pointed out the continued political, financial, and military support provided by the United States to Israel, despite widespread international opposition to Israeli aggression. He warned of the potential complete reoccupation of Gaza with "unprecedented American support" for the Israeli government's plans, urging immediate compliance with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s ruling. Israel has been persisting in its assault on Rafah, where over 1 million displaced Palestinians are taking refuge, despite the recent ruling by ICJ ordering a halt to its attacks. Additionally, Abu Rudeineh saw the recognition of Palestine by Spain, Norway, and Ireland as a sign of growing European support, with ongoing efforts from Palestine and other Arab states to persuade more countries to recognize the Palestinian state. Washington, May 29 : The US has no plans to change its Israel policy following a deadly airstrike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, but it is closely watching an Israeli investigation on the incident, the White House has said. Palestinian medics on Tuesday said dozens of people had died in fresh Israeli attacks on Rafah, two days after 45 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike which sparked international condemnation. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was waiting for further investigations from Israel into the attacks. "The Israelis are going to investigate it. We're going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we'll see where it goes from there," Kirby said. The US did not consider the attacks as a major military or major ground operation at this point, he said. "But again, we're watching it very closely." Kirby said the US continued to believe that a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip was wrong. "We still don't want to see the Israelis as we say smash into Rafah with large units over over over large pieces of territory. We still believe that and we haven't seen that at this point. But we're going to be watching this of course very, very closely." US President Joe Biden "said that should that occur, then it might make him have to make different decisions in terms of support", Kirby said. --IANS/DPA int/sha The new fines are in keeping with the broader nationwide trend of councils cracking down on public parking, especially when it comes to travellers. Locals say the introduction of new fines at wharf parking lots will result in cars parked ad hoc at bus stops and in streets. Source: The Courier Mail Locals living on one of Australia's most popular holiday islands say the looming introduction of new fines to crackdown on long-term parking at wharves will have an adverse impact on vital tourism. Minjerribah (formerly known as North Stradbroke Island) is home to just 2,200 people, but an estimated 375,000 people visit the hotspot every year. But the move to limit the amount of time people can leave their vehicles at wharf car parks is expected to hurt local operators, as Aussie tourists could be targeted with parking fines. The new fines, set to be implemented at parking lots on July 8, will mean people will no longer be able to leave the car in a bay for longer than 12 hours in certain areas. While Queensland announced this week that pubic transport fees would be capped at 50c, business operators on Minjerribah say the generous policy won't help them as residents and tourists to the island pay about $12 each way on privately operated ferries and $106 for a one-way trip for a car on the barge. These prices, coupled with the impending threat of fines could deter tourist activity, Straddie Chamber of Commerce President Colin Battersby says. Travellers to North Stradbroke Island who hope to bring their car via ferry will soon face a fresh wave of new parking fees. Source: Getty Aussie councils crack down on tourist parking nationwide The new parking limits are in keeping with the broader nationwide trend of councils cracking down on public parking, especially with it comes to travellers. Noosa Shire council for example, also in Queensland, has been trialling new rules prohibiting parking at the Noosa Spit car park between the hours of 10pm and 4am since August last year. However Battersby believes the uniqueness of Minjerribah makes the parking crack down difficult. When it comes to Minjerribah, the islands "aren't considered the same as the mainland" and therefore the "governments do not provide the same standard of services", Battersby said, whether that be transport, waste management or "any other service" you'd expect, he told The Courier Mail. "There is no appetite for change," he claimed. Battersby said there are no "proper bus services on the island" and most people have to drive to the ferry terminal. He warned that many people have to leave their car there while they're on the mainland, which can often be for longer than 12 hours. North Stradbroke Island lies within Moreton Bay region of Queensland. Source: Getty "Businesses are withering with irregular, unreliable public transport services that don't serve the needs of residents let along tourists," he said. "When the new parking fines and time limits come into play on July 8, we'll have cars parked ad hoc at the bus stops and in the streets." As it stands, without a reliable bus service, locals and travellers need to have, or bring, cars to the island every time they visit. Now they're going to face even more limits and fines when it comes to parking. Yahoo News Australia has contacted Redland City Council, the Straddie Chamber of Commerce and TMR for comment about the impending parking fine changes. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Berlin, May 29 : The use of the death penalty has reached its highest level worldwide since 2015, London-based human rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday. Some 1,153 people were executed in 2023 across 16 countries, Amnesty said in a press release. The figure was up 31 per cent from 883 the previous year. The most executions - almost three-quarters of the global total - were carried out in Iran. At least 853 people were executed in the Middle Eastern country in 2023, an increase of 48 per cent on the previous year. In second place was Saudi Arabia with 172 executions, representing 15 per cent of the global total. Somalia and the US also saw an uptick in death sentences last year at 38 and 24 respectively. The number of countries employing the death penalty fell to a record low in 2023, after countries such as Belarus, Japan, Myanmar and South Sudan failed to record executions. However, the number of new death sentences handed down worldwide in 2023 rose by 20 per cent to 2,428. Some 144 countries have abolished the death penalty by law or in practice. Julia Duchrow, the secretary general of Amnesty International in Germany, welcomed the drop in countries using the death penalty, but said she was concerned by the rise in total executions. She highlighted the gross disregard shown by Iranian authorities for human life and criticized the use of death sentences for offences such as critical social media posts in Saudi Arabia. --IANS/DPA int/sha Gaza, May 29 : Palestinian medics have said dozens of people have died in fresh Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday, two days after 45 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike which sparked international condemnation. The Israeli military said it was investigating reports of an attack on a shelter for displaced persons in western Rafah. Hamas authorities said the attack featured at least four grenades, with unconfirmed estimates putting the death toll at more than 20. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said a further 18 people were killed overnight in separate Israeli attacks in Rafah. The information could not be independently verified. Eyewitness reports from Rafah on Tuesday suggested the Israeli army has advanced into the city centre. The Israeli news website ynet reported that Israeli tanks were deployed in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, which was hit by the airstrike on Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that troops were still being deployed around Rafah and were endeavouring to prevent harm to innocent bystanders. --IANS/DPA int/sha Cairo, May 29 : Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel following deadly airstrikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Riyadh condemned "the continuous genocidal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah." The ministry added that the kingdom is holding Israel "fully responsible for what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories," as well as denouncing what it termed "continuous blatant violations of all humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms." Several Arab countries have condemned an Israeli strike on Sunday that hit tents housing displaced people near Rafah, reportedly killing 45 people. --IANS/DPA int/sha Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 : With the counting of votes in the Lok Sabha elections slated in less than a week from now, leaders of all three political fronts in Kerala will be spending anxious moments as they await the results, which will weigh heavily on their futures. In the 2019 polls, the Congress-led United Democratic Front was way ahead of its rivals, winning 19 out of the state's 20 seats, while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front managed just one and the BJPas best performance was finishing second in Thiruvananthapuram and a distant third in the remaining seats. For the Congress, any fall in its numbers could see sparks flying as things are not that rosy in its state unit where the two key leaders - state party President K. Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan - have, time and again, had sparred on several issues, as both of them are from different factions in the party. The pressure would be more on Sudhakaran, as he faced a stiff battle to retain his Kannur Lok Sabha seat. However, UDF convenor M.M. Hassan, who was the acting state party chief during the elections, after a meeting of top leaders, again asserted that the alliance is winning all 20 seats. On the other hand, Vijayan, who despite his health, travelled all across Kerala to campaign for the LDF, will be the real winner if he can improve upon the one seat that they won in 2019 but will be in deep trouble if the UDF's optimism turns out to be well-placed. Likewise, for the state BJP President K. Surendran, the results will be a test of credibility for never has a BJP Prime Minister campaigned in Kerala for the Lok Sabha polls, like PM Narendra Modi. Even though PM Modi, in his initial visits, said the BJP's share of seats in the state would be in double digits, he did not repeat this when he visited later at the height of campaigning. The BJP is hopeful of Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, but both Congress and CPI-M have repeatedly dismissed its chances, saying that it will finish only in third place at all the 20 seats. Surendran also has a personal stake as he is pitted against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, which the latter won by a staggering margin of over 4.37 lakh votes in 2019. Political analyst Gopakumar said as things stand, it is the Congress-led UDF, which should be doing well as there was a strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the Vijayan government in the state and a few issues against the BJP-led Centre. Vijayan has ducked the media after casting his vote on April 26, when all the state's seats went to the polls and after his three-nation private family trip raked up a controversy, he is, in all likelihood, unlikely to surface until the results come out. If the LDF can increase its share, Vijayan, who led it to an unprecedented second consecutive term in power in the 2021 Assembly elections, will certainly have the last laugh. Even for Surendran, if the lotus blooms in Kerala for the first time, he too will be flying high. However, if Hassanas words come true, then Sudhakaran and Satheesan would be found smiling. It remains to be seen which of these eventualities will come to fruition on June 4. Jammu, May 29 : The Border Security Force (BSF) troopers fired several rounds at a suspected Pakistan drone in J&K's Poonch district, officials said on Wednesday. Officials said that around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday BSF troopers at Khanetar garrison near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district noticed drone activity. "BSF troopers fired several rounds at the drone. An alert was sounded immediately around the area and a search operation was launched to detect whether the drone was intended to drop some payload of weapons, drugs etc.," said the officials. "No such recovery has been made so far as the operation continues in the area," the officials said. Drones are used by terrorists backed by Pakistan's ISI to drop arms and ammunition, drugs and cash to sustain terrorism in J&K. The J&K Police have already announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh to anyone whose information leads to the recovery of such subversive material air-dropped through drones close to the LoC and the International Border in the UT. New Delhi, May 29 : Baby Care New Born Child Hospital in Delhi, where seven newly born babies died after a fire broke out, had flouted the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the storage of oxygen cylinders, said sources. Delhi Police have arrested the hospital owner and the doctor on duty in connection with the incident. The owner was identified as Naveen Kichi, a resident of Bhairon Enclave, Paschim Vihar while the doctor was identified as Dr Aaksh (26), a resident of district Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, who is BAMS. According to an MHA circular dated April 23, 2021, on guidelines for the safe storage, transportation, and handling of liquid oxygen for medical use, oxygen must be kept at least 20 feet away from flammables and combustibles or be separated by a half-hour firewall. Additionally, 'No Smoking' and 'No Open Flames' signs must be posted. "Liquid containers should not be left open to the atmosphere for extended periods. Keep all valves closed and outlet caps in place when not in use. If restriction results from freezing moisture or foreign material present in openings and vents, contact the vendor for instructions. Restrictions and blockages may result in dangerous over-pressurization. Do not attempt to remove the restriction without proper instructions. If possible, move the cylinder to a remote location," read the circular. Official sources revealed that the cylinders were stored less than 20 feet away from the area where babies were admitted. The licence issued to the Baby Care New Born Child Hospital by the Delhi Government Health Services (DGHS) has already expired on March 31 and the doctors at the hospitals were not qualified/ competent to treat the newborn child in need of Neonatal Intensive care, as they are BAMS degree holders only. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary had earlier said that on May 26 at around 11.30 p.m. a police control room (PCR) call regarding a fire at Baby Care NewBorn Hospital was received at Vivek Vihar police station, following which a police team rushed to the spot. Upon reaching the spot, the fire had engulfed the hospital and its adjacent building. "In the hospital, there were 12 newborn babies admitted and one was already dead before the fire incident. Six of these 12 newborns died in the fire," said the DCP. Seoul, May 29 : Unionised workers of Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday they plan to go on a strike amid stalled wage negotiations. The management of the South Korean tech giant and the company's union have held rounds of talks and negotiations since January but failed to narrow their differences. If realised, it would mark the first-ever walkout by workers at the South Korean tech giant, reports Yonhap news agency. "We declare a strike due to the management's attitude of disregarding the workers," the labour union said. Last month, unionised workers voted in favour of a strike after failing to reach a deal on wage hikes with management. Wage negotiations between management and labour broke down in February after rounds of talks over this year's wage increase. The unions have demanded a 6.5 per cent pay increase with an additional paid day off. Samsung announced last month that it has agreed with its workers to an average 5.1 per cent pay raise for the year. The South Korean tech giant has not had a strike since it was founded in 1969. London, May 29 : Three police officers were injured, and 40 people have been arrested during a protest in London. One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd, while two officers had minor injuries on Tuesday night. Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified, but police are investigating. A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6 pm (1700 GMT) and was required to end at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, police said. The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident. A group of around 500 people remained, and police began making several arrests for failing to comply. Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest, which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group. A police statement said they went into the crowd shortly before 10 p.m. to arrest those suspected of leading the breakaway protest, with 40 people arrested for offences including breaking the Public Order Act, obstruction of a highway and assaults on emergency workers. Around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, police said all protesters had left the area, and Bridge Street had been reopened. --IANS/DPA sd/svn New Delhi, May 29 : The Adani Group on Wednesday categorically denied a media report which claimed that the company is going to acquire a stake in digital payments company Paytm. A media report earlier claimed that the Adani Group was in talks with Paytm to acquire a stake in the fintech company, owned by One 97 Communications Limited. "We categorically deny this baseless speculation. It is totally false and untrue," said a spokesperson of the Adani Group. In a stock regulatory filing, Paytm also denied any such move. "We hereby clarify that the news item is speculative and the company is not engaged in any discussions in this regard," said Paytm. "We have always made and will continue to make disclosures in compliance with our obligations under the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015," said the company. Islamabad, May 29 : Pakistan has granted India consular access to two Indian nationals who were arrested from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and charged with espionage in 2020. The meeting between Indian diplomats and the Indian nationals took place on Monday, sources said. Though no statement was issued by the Pakistan foreign office, the sources confirmed the development. Two Indian nationals, identified as Feroze Ahmad Lone and Noor Muhammad Wani, belong to the Gurez area in Kashmir, sources said. Both Indian nationals were recently moved from the Gilgit-Baltistan prison to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. Sharing details of the meeting, the sources confirmed that a three-member delegation of the Indian High Commission (IHC) in Islamabad met the two prisoners in Adiala jail, adding that officials of the Interior Ministry were also present during the meeting. On the other hand, Indian media reports maintain that both Indian nationals had mistakenly crossed the border in November 2018. The issue of consular access has a brief history of its own in terms of the Indo-Pak relations. Kulbushan Jadhav, an Indian national, arrested by Pakistan in 2016 and sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage and terrorist activities; was denied consular access despite repeated requests by India. Later, India took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which directed Islamabad to grant consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav, voided his death sentence, and directed Pakistan to put Jadhav on trial in a civil court. After the ICJ's order, Indian officials were allowed to meet Jadhav under tight security on the premises of the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad. After rats invaded the island more than 40 years ago, wild birds began to disappear. So a group of scientists took tried a novel approach to get them to return. After researchers set up the sound systems, the calls of Peruvian diving-petrels could be heard up to 300 metres away. Source: Island Conservation Decades after a rare creature disappeared from a remote island, researchers have used recordings of its deep mesmerising call to lure it home. Pajaros Uno Island was home to multiple colonies of nesting seabirds, but then rats invaded and feasted on the chicks. While some more hardy species persevered, the island's rare black and white Peruvian diving-petrels fled and became locally extinct. Fishermen who were visiting would say you could see only rats on the island. It was full of rats and you could see rats in daylight which is not usual on islands, Jose Cabello, from non-profit Island Conservation told Yahoo News on Wednesday. But less than a year after Carbello and his team declared war on the rodents and restored the 70-hectare Chilean island as a safe space for birds, two Peruvian diving-petrels pairs have returned. And it appears the sound recordings are making them feel safe to nest there once again. You can listen to the sound that was played below. Seabird collapse could have threatened island chain If you havent seen or heard of Peruvian diving-petrels youre not alone. While they once flew up and down Chiles coast in their millions, there are now no more than 100,000. They are listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of species facing extinction. Their return to the island is significant because the species is now locally extinct in many of its former breeding burrows, which were mined for a seabird poo fertiliser called guano. Related: Worlds largest ever animal rediscovered living near tiny islands Peruvian diving-petrels chicks have been located on Pajaros Uno Island once again. Source: Island Conservation The continued loss of birds may have eventually destabilised the entire surrounding seven island chain the Coquimbo Coastal Current System which lies 20km west of Chile's coast because the nutrients from the guano sustain the surrounding reefs. 'Exciting' moment rare seabirds returned to island The predator removal program began in 2020 and two years later Pajaros Uno was declared predator-free. The audio recordings were played on a specialised solar-powered sound system and during the night when the sea was calm the sounds could be heard up to 300 metres away from the island. We played a safety call, and it stimulated the curiosity and then the visit of the petrels, Cabello said. Peruvian diving-petrels had not been seen on Pajaros Uno Island since rats invaded. Source: Island Conservation While the repetitive, almost mammalian sound of Peruvian diving-petrels may be irritating to humans, it's soothing to members of the species. Five-minute recordings of nesting sounds were first played on a five-minute loop back on November 3 and a Peruvian diving-petrel was spotted 13 days later. But access to the island is restricted and it was only recently that researchers were able to confirm the birds had nested. Photographs they have since collected show there are chicks inside the burrows. We found a natural nest. It was absolutely exciting. It looks like the birds have tried to put their nest close to the sound, almost underneath the system to feel like they are in the middle of a colony, Cabello said. Island Conservation's next step will be to confirm that the birds are continuing to do well and to continue to keep the island predator-free so more rare birds return. The research is supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 : Security has been beefed up in and around the state capital city as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive at the international airport here on Thursday en route to Kanyakumari. From Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, he will board a helicopter to reach Kanyakumari. The Prime Minister will meditate for 48 hours at the Dhyan Mandapam -- the same place where Swami Vivekananda meditated for three days. PM Modi will return on June 1 from here. In view of the event, the Kerala Police are leaving nothing to chance and have started combing operations in and around the airport. The distance of the rock memorial from the airport is around 92 km, of which around 40 km is in Kerala. In 2019, he had visited Kedarnath. PM Modi had gone to Uttarakhand in 2019 (before the Lok Sabha results) and meditated at a cave. New Delhi, May 29 : The Congress has once again disassociated itself from the controversial statements made by veteran party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in which he said that the Chinese "allegedly invaded" India in 1962. However, following a backlash, Aiyar also apologised for his remarks. As the final phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections approaches on June 1, Aiyar's statement has resurfaced, drawing renewed scrutiny. In the midst of this, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to his X handle and stated that Aiyar has unconditionally apologised for his "alleged attack" comment. He said that "allowances must be made for his age." Ramesh also clarified that the Congress has distanced itself from Aiyar's "original phraseology." Addressing the issue, Jairam Ramesh emphasised that the Chinese incursion into India on October 20, 1962, was "indeed real." He also pointed to the Chinese intrusion in Ladakh in May 2020, which led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and a disruption of the status quo. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for publically giving a clean chit to the Chinese on June 19, 2020, claiming it weakened India's negotiating position and left around 2,000 sq km of territory, including areas in Depsang and Demchok, beyond the reach of Indian soldiers. Aiyar made the contentious remarks during the launch of the book 'Nehru's First Recruits'. In a video from the launch event, he is heard saying that the Chinese "allegedly invaded" India in October 1962. Even though Aiyar has apologised for his controversial statement, it has landed the party and the Gandhi family in trouble as questions are being raised on the senior leaderas comments. Stavanger, May 29 : The Second round of the Norway Chess saw all three classical games ending up in a draw once again as Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and Ding Liren won with white in the subsequent Armageddon games to grab 1.5 points each. India's prodigy Praggnanandhaa R, who went with a 2-0 head-to-head lead against world champion Ding Liren, played out his first classical draw in the round of the Norway Chess 2024 main event as the Chinese GM then emerged victorious in the Armageddon tie-breaker. In the highly anticipated pairing of the day, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura played out closely contested classical game that ended in a draw. Carlsen, demonstrating his exceptional skill under pressure, managed to secure a crucial victory, adding to his impressive Armageddon record and taking the lead of 3 points in tournament standings. Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana also drew their classical game after a complex struggle. Firouzja's abilities in speed chess shone through in the Armageddon game as he bagged crucial 1.5 points. In the womenas event, Vaishali R defeated fellow Indian Koneru Humpy to register her first classical win in the Norway Chess women's tournament. Despite Humpy's slight advantage in the opening, a critical blunder under time pressure allowed Vaishali to claim victory and claimed her first-ever win against Indiaas number one female player and became Indiaas number two female player on the live rating list. The other two classical matches between Lei Tingjie and Pia Cramling along with Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk ended up in hard-fought draws. The Chinese duo of Wenjun and Tingjie emerged victorious in their respective Armageddon games. Mumbai, May 29 : Pluckk, a pioneering digital lifestyle-oriented fresh food brand, has concluded FY24 with an Annualised Revenue Runrate (ARR) of Rs 100 crore. Operating in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, Pluckk is available on over eight marketplace platforms, connecting farmers to half a million homes and delivering over 2 million products every month. The brand's impressive growth trajectory can be attributed to strategic partnerships with leading industry giants such as Amazon, Swiggy, Zepto, and Blinkit. Additionally, the acquisition of KOOK, a prominent Indian food-tech startup specialising in DIY Meal Kits, has considerably expanded Pluckk's product range and strengthened revenue figures. Bollywood icon Kareena Kapoor Khan's involvement as an investor and brand ambassador has further enhanced Pluckk's market presence and brand recognition. Commenting on the company's growth, Nelson D'Souza, CFO of Pluckk, said, "We are optimistic about our growth projections owing to our innovative approach and strategic initiatives, as well as the evolving landscape of the digital F&V market. Pluckk is on a high-growth trajectory, with plans to double its revenues within 12 months and expand its presence to 15 cities over the next three years." With its listing on ONDC, Pluckk now serves a customer base of 5 lakh. A key factor in Pluckk's success is its innovative tech team, which has developed several advanced technologies. These include a vendor portal for farmers to list their products, traceability of products from over 1,000 partner farms, ozone washing for fruits to ensure cleanliness, and Brix tech for testing the degree of sweetness of fruit. Additionally, the team has implemented AI systems for quality and size checks, auto pricing algorithms for optimal pricing, efficient delivery routing, and live order tracking to manage stock availability across cities. "We believe in leveraging technology to enhance every aspect of our operations. From ensuring product quality to optimising delivery routes, our tech innovations are central to our success and customer satisfaction. Our goal is to make fresh food easily accessible and to provide a seamless shopping experience for our customers," added D'Souza. The company is also making significant investments in its own app to further enhance customer experience. Pluckk's commitment to quality and innovation continues to drive its growth, promising a robust future in the digital fresh food market. Kolkata, May 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the task of achieving Viksit Bharat, which will start immediately after the results are announced on June 4, will not be possible without Viksit Bengal. He was addressing an election meeting in the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal in support of the party candidate, Ashok Purkait. This was the Prime Minister's last election meeting in West Bengal before the final and seventh phase of polls in the state on June 1. The Prime Minister said that the task of achieving Viksit Bharat will start immediately after the results are announced on June 4. "Viksit Bharat is never possible without Viksit Bengal. To achieve that, what is required is that more and more BJP candidates are elected from Bengal. I need your blessings. Have faith in me." "The 2024 Lok Sabha polls are unique. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the common people and not the political parties or leaders, are the driving force for the polls. The achievements that the country made in the last 10 years are not because of Modi but because of the votes of the common people that made the Modi government stronger," said PM Modi. Referring to the recent order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court cancelling OBC certificates issued in the state after 2010, the Prime Minister said, "For the sake of appeasement politics, Trinamool Congress and the state government have looted the reservation rights for OBCs granted under the Indian constitution and gave the same to the Muslims." "Trinamool Congress has insulted the Indian constitution," the Prime Minister said. He said the situation after the counting on June 4 will be such that all the opposition parties in the country will get scattered. "These parties, who had pampered ancestral and dynasty politics for a long time, will be virtually non-existent," the Prime Minister said. Mumbai, May 29 : Actor Varun Badola opened up on performing difficult scenes in the web series 'Jamnapaar', sharing that after 25 years of acting, facing intense scenes becomes second nature. Varun has been in the industry for around three decades, and has done shows like 'Banegi Apni Baat', 'Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand', 'Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani', 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' and many others. On performing difficult scenes in the series, Varun, who portrays the role of K. D. Bansal, said: "I feel when we talk about acting, we end up glorifying things out of proportion. I'm not saying you wouldnat have to face difficult scenes, but after 25 years of acting, it becomes second nature. When acting becomes your practice, difficult things become easy. I believe no scene is challenging if it is backed by good preparation." Sharing insights into his preparation for 'Jamnapaar', the 'Mere Dad Ki Dulhan' actor said: "I mentally prepared myself for the role because I had to portray a father who is much older than my actual age. It was important for me to understand the mindset of someone who has been in the business industry for thirty years, which required me to limit my thinking." "As an actor, I've had many experiences, but playing this character required me to hold back, which was mentally challenging at times. It was crucial to ensure that my personal life did not clash with the character's life. These small details required time and attention, including studying the character's speech and mannerisms. Nonetheless, I enjoyed playing this role," he added. The show features Ritvik Sahore, Srishti Ganguli Rindani, Ankita Sahigal, and Raghu Ram in pivotal roles. 'Jamnapaar' is streaming on Amazon miniTV. Pune : , May 29 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare on Wednesday expressed 'concerns' over the safety of one of the two doctors of the Sassoon General Hospital who were nabbed along with a peon for changing the blood sample of the minor accused in the May 19 Porsche crash. Andhare said that certain developments are likely to emerge in the coming days in the case which raises questions on the safety of the accused Dr Ajay Taware -- who was nabbed along with Dr Shrihari Halnor. "Dr Taware is a crucial witness in the Porsche crash case, he knows many things and his safety is important. I shall be making some revelations after the Lok Sabha results as I do not want to overburden the police with many other things," said the SS-UBT leader. Rubbishing Andhare's contentions, ruling MahaYuti ally Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said, "It's not so easy to finish off anybody" and patted the police "who are doing their job efficiently". "If they are so concerned, they should approach the Police Commissioner instead of making such baseless claims," said Shirsat dismissively. Dr Taware and Dr Halnor, besides a peon, Atul Ghatkamble were arrested earlier this week and are in police custody till May 30, for allegations of tampering with the blood report and changing the minor accused's blood sample with that of some other person. During his interrogation, Dr Taware has reportedly warned that he would not sit quiet and expose all others involved in the sensational case, while police have recovered a bribe amount of Rs 3,00,000 from the two other accused, allegedly paid for services rendered. Andhare's statement came a day after Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Congress state President Nana Patole demanded the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On Wednesday, Nationalist Congress Party(SP) National General Secretary Dr Jitendra Awhad also questioned the identity and political links of another boy sitting in the Porsche car with the minor accused at the time of the crash around 2.30 a.m. on May 19 that killed IT engineers Ashwini Koshthe and Aneesh Awadhiya, both from Madhya Pradesh. Mumbai, May 29 : The RBI has found several instances of Asset Reconstruction Companies, which have been set up to recover NPAs of banks, not fulfilling their role but instead using innovative ways to structure transactions in order to circumvent regulations. The RBI has sent a clear message to ARC chiefs that they must follow the regulations in both letter and spirit. "During the course of our onsite examinations, we have come across instances where ARCs have been used or allowed themselves to be used as a conduit to evergreen distressed assets. In many cases, there is a lack of transparency and consistency in the issuance and periodical valuation of Security Receipts (SRs). The practices surrounding levy of management fee leaves much to be desired," RBI Deputy Governor Swaminathan J said at a meeting with ARCs recently. He pointed out that some ARCs while enjoying the full benefits of the special position granted to them under the SARFAESI Act and the RBI regulations, have been found to be using innovative ways to structure transactions in order to circumvent regulations. Swaminathan also warned that in extreme cases, the RBI may be forced to take regulatory or supervisory actions. He pointed out that with regulations shifting towards a more principles-based approach, supervision is required to focus more on the substance of transactions rather than their legal form. The RBI Deputy Governor urged ARC chiefs to adopt a regulation-plus approach where you not only comply with the letter of the regulation but also its spirit. After a perusal of the scorecard of ARCs, the RBI has concluded that there are more missed opportunities and less than optimal performance by ARCs in fulfilling the principal mandates under the SARFAESI Act. ARCs enjoy a special place in the financial ecosystem as they are special purpose vehicles set up to help lighten the banking system from the high-value NPAs and are also specialised agencies for maximising recovery and reconstruction efforts. Sumukhi Pendse: 'Negative roles allows me to channel my frustrations in front of camera'. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, May 29 : Actress Sumukhi Pendse, who plays a cold-blooded business tycoon in the show 'Pukaar- Dil Se Dil Tak' shared that negative roles allow her to channel her frustrations in front of the camera. She added how her green eyes help her achieve the expressions. Sumukhi, who plays the antagonist Rajeshwari Maheshwari, shared about her role: "She is a business magnate who has elevated the company, 'Maheshwari Masalas', to its current status. Rajeshwari is a successful businesswoman and the head of the Maheshwari clan, bearing dual responsibilities for both the business and the family. She is the driving force behind both. Her business is her baby, and she will use any means necessary to ensure its success." "She is very clear that the business is hers, she lives for it, and it is her family's legacy. She will go to any lengths for her business and family, without hesitation. Rajeshwari is a cold-blooded business tycoon, but she also has a softer side as the matriarch. This duality is what makes her character interesting," shared the 'Sansaar' fame actress. The senior actress said that playing an antagonist after a long time is exciting. "I enjoy playing negative roles; it allows me to channel my frustrations in front of the camera, making it easier to be a good person in real life," she said. Sumukhi continued: "I have a dominating personality, and my green eyes add to this impression. Casting directors often see me as someone who cannot appear weak or helpless on screen, but rather as someone who can exert power and control. This perception works well for negative roles." The show stars Sayli Salunke as Vedika and Karan V. Mehra as Gautam. 'Pukaar- Dil Se Dil Tak' is produced by Prateek Sharma and Parth Shah, under their banner LSD Studios. The show airs on Sony. Bengaluru, May 29 : Seventeen teams emerged as winners in the 'Build for Bharat' initiative, launched by the government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), in collaboration with Startup India, Google Cloud India, Antler in India, Protean and Paytm, it was announced on Wednesday. Launched on December 4, 2023 across more than 50 cities, the 'Build for Bharat' initiative saw over 27,000 participants representing startups, companies and colleges from across the country. The initiative was structured around three distinct categories. The 'NextGen Ventures' category aimed at accelerating venture creation on the ONDC Network, specifically for early-stage and aspiring founders. Six teams - Shopeg, OmniFlo, Zepic, Upaz, DPI corp and Zceppa - emerged as winners, securing non-equity grants of up to $40,000 each. The eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits along with an opportunity to be inducted into the Antler India Residency Programme, with an equity funding of up to $250,000. "The diverse array of solutions developed by participants from across the country showcases India's immense potential to revolutionise the growing digital commerce ecosystem," said T Koshy, MD and CEO at ONDC. The 'Scalable Solutions' category saw four teams - Progmatic, Cyborg, Cydra Tech and oof -- won the first prize of $7,500 each, while Harentortoise and Indexvoyagers won the second prize of $3,500 each. Eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits. In the 'Foundation Solutions' category, five teams - Checkfirst, Faszen Tech, Pokleaniket927248, Phoenix, and The Sentient Squad -- received $3000 (each winning team), while three teams - Morin, Pinpoint and Decap -- received the second prize of $1,000 (each winning team). Eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits. "The 'Build for Bharat' initiative has been a resounding success, serving as a testament to the power of collaboration and the collective genius of the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem," said Anil Bhansali, VP Engineering and Head of India Development Centre at Google Cloud. A Black student having cotton thrown at him was one of several racist incidents in Jordan-Elbridge schools recently that led parents to voice their frustrations to the district's board of education last week. The parents, who said the incidents date back to last year, spoke during the public comment portion of the board's meeting on May 22. They and their children also criticized the district, saying officials have not done enough to stop racist bullying. In response, district officials apologized and pledged to continue efforts to help all students feel safe at Jordan-Elbridge schools. 'He doesn't want to deal with hate' Speaking first was Alesha Jordan, whose 13-year-old son, Jordan, is half-Black. She said she had spoken to the board last year, after students at Jordan-Elbridge Middle School made racist remarks to her son and his cousin Trevor Ellingworth. But the students who made the remarks didn't receive any punishment, she said, and since then she worries every time her son to school. This month, she said, a student threw cotton at Jordan's feet during study hall. Alesha told The Citizen she believes the student who threw it did receive consequences. "I don't know where the teacher was when that happened. I don't know why it wasn't heard, I don't know why it wasn't reported, I don't know any of it," she said at the meeting. "All I know is that it was premeditated. You can't even get cotton balls from the art room, is what my son told me." Alesha went on to say that while her son takes school seriously, he wants to rush through it and graduate early to avoid further harassment. "He doesn't want to deal with hate, he doesn't want to deal with racism," she said. "He doesn't want to have to keep defending his color, he doesn't want to have to defend other kids." She also doesn't want to send Jordan to another school district, she continued, even the one where she works. "Because that doesn't hold Jordan-Elbridge accountable," she said. "That doesn't change things. That doesn't make teachers aware." Watch now To watch the video from the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District Board of Education meeting on May 22, visit youtube.com/watch?v=Y-BC8LmrFok&t=2679s. 'Fight to be heard' Trevor, 14, and his mother, Melissa Ellingworth, later approached the podium. With Trevor by her side, Melissa read a statement he wrote, occasionally becoming emotional. Trevor, who is Black, wrote about the racism he and Jordan faced from other students in 2023, including slurs they were called. Trevor then told his mother what happened. "I decided to do something about it and not just let myself drown," he said. Later that week, Trevor wrote, he and his mother went to a meeting with school officials, who told him they would "punish those who were guilty." He left the meeting feeling good, he continued, but none of the students faced any consequences. He also recalled going to a school board meeting last year on March 1, his birthday, where his mother spoke and was again told the bullying would be addressed. "Day after day, nothing happened. It just got worse. If these kids were punished or taught not to be racist, this could have been handled. I am only a kid, what do I know?" Trevor said. "The one thing I know is that I will never forget how this happened to me and my family." Trevor wrote that he longer trusts the district, and noted that its Student Code of Conduct says student have the right to be protected from intimidation or harassment based on factors like race and color. "That has been a broken code for me. I am not protected. This has curated an unsafe environment for me. Teachers don't speak up for me," Melissa read, holding back tears. Trevor also wrote that he feels he needs to go to a different school district now, as he doesn't believe Jordan-Elbridge is safe for him. After Melissa finished reading her son's words, she shared her own statement. She asked board members to imagine Trevor was their own child. "Imagine you are his parents, sending him to school where he is constantly having to fight to be loved, fight to be heard, fight to be respected and most importantly, now fight to be safe," she said. 'I'm sorry that we failed' After Melissa finished speaking, Jordan-Elbridge school board President Karen Guerrette said the board has considered investing in further training in restorative practices, a conflict resolution framework. Jordan-Elbridge Superintendent Jim Froio added that whenever he participates in diversity, equity and inclusion work, the facilitator always says the work is difficult and failure is inevitable. But Froio said it's important to not let failure "deter you from your ultimate goal of making school a place where every single student wants to be (and) feels welcome." "That's our goal, and I'm sorry that we failed in that with some of these students," he said. "We are trying very hard to make sure that that never occurs again." Froio said the district started working with restorative practices this year. But he noted that Jordan-Elbridge faculty hasn't received the same level of training as the district's administrative team and counselors. He added that bias training has been held at the district, including for faculty, and commended Alexis Farnsworth, the middle school principal, for her work with students. "She's doing her very best to make it a school that's racism- and hate-free," Froio said. "I mean, that's what we would all want everywhere, right?" Froio did not respond to a request by The Citizen for comment. The May 22 meeting has gained attention outside the school district, as Cayuga County Legislator Brian Muldrow posted a video on his Facebook page showing Melissa reading Trevor's statement. New Delhi, May 29 : Though she said he was a marvellous person too and would probably make a great film, actor Mita Vashisht made it clear to Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov that she would not be a part of the film 'The Shameless', recently screened at Cannes, as what he was talking about her role (of a grandmother) could be found nowhere in the script. "He had not even given a name to the character. Stressing that I must do the film and come to Nepal, which I did -- going straight from the airport to his place and discussing the role for four hours, he did make the changes I suggested. Bojanov was extremely receptive and understood that for me it was important that the character be more nuanced and layered," Vashisht told IANS from France. The film that earned actor Anasuya Sengupta the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, a first for any Indian, revolves around the circumstances when, after killing a cop in a Delhi brothel, Renuka takes refuge in a northern Indian community of sex workers. There, she begins a forbidden romance with the 17-year-old Devika. Against all odds, they try to forge their path to freedom. Vashisht said what she contributed was derived from her lived experience as an Indian. While being a European, Bojanov conceived the kitchen as a space of bondage; for the woman of the house in India, who controls it, it is a power centre. "She's the kingpin, you know. She can tell the younger daughters-in-law or sisters-in-law, not to come in -- it is her territory. They cannot come in. And this whole idea of old women smoking in villages -- there is no 'shame' attached to it. Go to Haryana, and you will see so many of them enjoying the 'hukka' after a long day." Adding that the director was never snarly or snarky whenever she gave her suggestions, the actor recounted: "It was such a joy. He never said - who are you to tell me? I have worked on the script for ten years." Talking about the film inspired by author and historian William Dalrymple's bestselling 'Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India', this NSD graduate admits to being a little apprehensive about the reaction of the co-actors to what had finally emerged of the grandmother's character. However, Bojanov put her at ease saying that they would be comfortable as nothing was being changed for other actors. This was Vashisht's first experience of a small-budget European film. She recalled that, unlike in India, it is the producer there who calls the shots. "Considering everything is tightly budgeted, and there is a strict timeline, ours would keep looking at her watch. Of course, she was doing her job perfectly well, but I was just thinking about the producers back in India who sit silently, and directors take charge of everything," said the actor, who has done more than 40 films besides multiple television and OTT showsa. Shot in Nepal, the actor admits that she is mostly sceptical of the "outsider's gaze." "I am not sure if directors will like me saying that, but an actor's job also has to include a sense of sociology, geography and psychology. Sociology is very important for what it is. If you are a certain age and an Indian, there is an insight that you will always find they will not be able to plumb. It is just like living in Europe for five years and claiming to fully understand their deepest traditions. I do not say this as a critique of anybody trying to make a film from outside India. It is just that we are a very layered civilisation," added the actor, who directed the documentary film, 'She, of the Four Names' based on Lal Ded. Even as Anasuya Sengupta may not be a 'trained' actor ("her trajectory has been completely different"), Auroshikha Dey is from FTII and the young girl, Omara Shetty, is trained in classical dance, Vashisht said that she makes it a point to make young actors comfortable. "First, I suss out the space, and then insist on rehearsals, saying that I am the one who can goof up. As a senior actress, it is my responsibility to put the other person at ease. In case the person in front of me is a little in awe or a bit nervous, then I just break the ice by saying, I tend to forget my lines, so let us do them off camera first," smiled the actor who has been since 2004, performing her solo play in English and Hindi, titled 'Lal Ded', based on the life of medieval Kashmiri mystic across India. Even as Indian films have shone brightly at Cannes this time, Vashisht feels it is a positive thing that there was no institutional support, considering an independent 'voice' is much more powerful. "That is something that I truly celebrate because very often, the best work that we do is the one where there are no expectations of financial reward. Payal Kapadia's award-winning 'All We Imagine as Light' is such a tender film. And it was so beautiful how she took her team everywhere." Talking about her Cannes experience, she said: "I just love being here. Interestingly, one witnessed a sense of enormous support for each other's work here, not something very often seen at Indian film festivals. Cannes has all the razzmatazz of marketing guys, people walking around who have nothing to do with films, and those getting photographed on the red carpet. But inside, it is all about great cinema." Vashisht, who has been seen in several OTT series, laments that the digital medium is now going the television way. "Earlier, talent was encouraged. Now, producers are looking for star power and think they will be able to carry the series on their shoulders alone, not realising that the remote control is in people's hands," concluded the actor who sang the vocals with Shubha Mudgal for the theme song of 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag'. London, May 29 : UK's first-ever black female member of parliament (MP), Diane Abbott, has said she is "banned" from standing as a Labour candidate in the general election. The long-standing MP for the London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday, months after an investigation into her comments on racism had concluded. On Wednesday, she told the BBC, "Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate." Labour withdrew the whip from Abbott in April 2023 after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experienced prejudice, but not racism. BBC Newsnight reported that Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) had written to Abbott in December 2023 to say it had concluded an inquiry into her comments. Asked about the investigation finishing in December, Labour leader Keir Starmer told broadcasters on Tuesday, "The process overall is obviously a little longer than the fact-finding exercise." "But in the end, this is a matter that will have to be resolved by the National Executive Committee, and they'll do that in due course." Starmer has previously said he could not get involved in the case. The Times previously reported that Abbott, who made history when she was first elected in 1987, will be banned from standing as a Labour candidate, with suggestions that lifting her suspension would allow her to leave politics "with dignity." Campaign group Momentum previously said restoring the whip to Abbott only to block her would be "outrageous." It said, "Following a farcical, factional process, she has had the whip restored. Her local party reselected her unanimously. That should be the end of the matter." "Anything less is a slap in the face to Diane, her constituents and the millions inspired by her example as Britain's first black woman MP." Abbott was reported to have been issued with a "formal warning" by the NEC for "engaging in conduct that was, in the opinion of the NEC, prejudicial and grossly detrimental to the Labour Party." She was told to take part in an online e-learning module, which she completed in February, something that Labour's chief whip allegedly acknowledged by email. Abbott was an independent MP when Parliament was prorogued on Friday, May 24, ahead of the July 4 election. The veteran MP was suspended after she responded to an Observer article headlined, "Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. It's far more complicated." She wrote in a letter to the title, "It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus." Abbott later said she wished to "wholly and unreservedly withdraw" her remarks and disassociate herself from them. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Berlin, May 29 : European tariffs imposed on Chinese products must be carefully crafted so that they do not backfire on Germany, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said, as debate grows in Berlin over how to respond to Beijing's trade practices. "Of course, you have to make sure that measures benefit you more than they harm you," Habeck told Wednesday's edition of the Rheinische Post newspaper. "A targeted approach is important." "We have reassessed our relationship with China in this legislative period," said Habeck, a member of the Greens. He said China had long been perceived as the world's factory, churning out cheap products for global consumption, then as a huge sales market for Western firms. But he said the trade relationship has become more complex, and Europe needs to think about policies that will be beneficial "in the medium and long term." Tensions over Chinese exports on foreign markets are flaring, with Washington and Europe accusing Beijing of supporting sectors like green technologies with massive state subsidies. They allege China is knowingly creating this "overcapacity" and then dumping the goods in their markets at artificially low prices to the detriment of their home-grown businesses. This month, the US said it was raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100 per cent. The EU is also currently investigating the extent to which China is distorting the market for electric cars, for instance. A decision as to whether it will impose punitive tariffs is still pending. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, of the business-oriented Free Democrats, has insisted on a moderate approach, saying China's unfair trade tactics must be responded to in order to support domestic sectors without weakening the pillars of free trade. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Mumbai, May 29 : The viewers of 'Dhruv Tara - Samay Sadi Se Pare' will be on the edge of their seats in the upcoming episodes, as Mahaveer (Krishna Bharadwaj) returns to seek revenge on Surya Pratap (Karan V. Grover) for snatching his kingdom and his family and manipulating Tara (Riya Sharma) into believing that he is a good person. In that chaos, Mahaveer believed that his sister Tara was dead because she fought bravely to protect the king of Vallabhgarh. He feels he has failed to protect his sister, Tara. This guilt drives him to seek revenge and he is determined to make Surya Pratap pay for his actions. The tension and drama will keep the audience hooked in the upcoming sequence. Speaking about the episodes, Krishna, who returns as Vanraj, said: "As my character, Mahaveer, returns to the screen, I am sure that the audience can expect more drama. Mahaveer has assumed a new identity as Vanraj and his return is going to bring exciting twists in the story." "Right now, Vanraj is full of anger and wants revenge against Surya Pratap. This rage will lead to some intense and dramatic moments. Fans can expect a lot of action and suspense. Vanraj's presence will shake things up and keep everyone on the edge of their seats," he added. The show stars Ishaan Dhawan as Dhruv. 'Dhruv Tara' airs Monday to Saturday at 8 p.m. on Sony SAB. New Delhi, May 29 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has made the state free from mafia, as well as mosquitos. Addressing back-to-back rallies in Maharajganj and Deoria in support of BJP candidates Pankaj Chaudhary and Shashank Mani Tripathi, Shah praised the Yogi government for its firm stance on criminal syndicates. "At one time, the entire Uttar Pradesh was surrounded by mafia and mosquitoes. Our Yogi Adityanath has eliminated both mosquitoes and the mafia. By maintaining cleanliness, he eliminated mosquitoes and he has a style with which he eliminated the mafias as well," he said while addressing a huge rally in Deoria. A few days ago, while addressing a rally in Mirzapur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also credited the Yogi government for its anti-mafia initiatives. "Yogi Adityanath has cleaned up Uttar Pradesh by doing away with the mafia. He has followed my Swachhta Abhiyan. The mafia has vanished from the state," said PM Modi. Earlier this month, the UP Chief Minister promised that he will declare Uttar Pradesh a 'mafia-free' state after June 4. "The properties amassed by notorious mafia figures will face confiscation, with the seized assets slated for redistribution to underprivileged segments of society, including the impoverished, orphaned, women's shelters, and facilities catering to the needs of the differently-abled," Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office. "Hospitals and schools will be built on the illegal lands of the mafia. In the first phase, a crackdown on the mafia will be launched, whereas in the second, their properties will be confiscated. Our action plan is also ready for this," he added. Kolkata, May 29 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued summons for interrogation to Trinamool Congress MLA Saokat Molla in connection with the coal smuggling scam in West Bengal. Molla is an MLA from the Canning-Purba Assembly constituency in South Parganas district. Sources said the summons was sent to Molla on Tuesday night and was asked to be present at CBIas Nizam Palace in central Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon only. However, Mollah has already communicated to the Central agency about his inability to be present for interrogation because of his preoccupation with the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the state. Sources said that Mollahas name surfaced in the course of interrogation of some persons in connection with the coal smuggling case. This is not the first time that Molla has been summoned or questioned by CBI officials in connection with the case. In July of 2022, he appeared at the CBI office and was questioned for over eight hours. He was questioned then based on CBI findings that coal smuggled from Asansol in the West Burdwan district was supplied at cheap rates to the mushrooming brick kilns at Canning-Purba where Molla is the legislator. The CBI officials had been investigating the role of Molla in this entire matter. The Trinamool Congress legislator had since the beginning denied allegations raised against him since the beginning. Tel Aviv, May 29 : Hamas fighters have fired on an Israeli border community from the West Bank. A video released by Hamas on Wednesday showed three men with automatic rifles firing several rounds on an Israeli border community from the West Bank. Israel's Army Radio reported there were no casualties in Bat Hefer, a village located near the barrier that separates Israel and the West Bank, but there was damage to property. The attackers, who are seen wearing Hamas headbands, came from a refugee neighbourhood in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm in the West Bank. The Israeli army has repeatedly carried out raids in Tulkarm and other Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. Since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas massacre on October 7, the situation in the West Bank has grown more tense. According to the Ministry of Health in the West Bank, around 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations, or their own attacks since then. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Srinagar, May 29 : The Army on Wednesday rebutted allegations that its soldiers had beaten up some policemen in Jammu & Kashmir's Kupwara district. Srinagar, May 29 (IANS) The Army on Wednesday rebutted allegations that its soldiers had beaten up some policemen in Jammu & Kashmiras Kupwara district. An Army statement said, aAn altercation between police and Army personnel and beating up therein of police personnel are misfounded and incorrect. Minor differences between the police personnel and a territorial army unit on an operational matter have been amicably resolved." Officials earlier in the day said that a team of soldiers accompanied by an officer had barged into the Kupwara police station and beat up four policemen, including two SPOs and two constables. The officials also said that the four injured policemen were later admitted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura in Srinagar city for specialised treatment. Officials had alleged that the raid of a police team at the house of a Territorial Army soldier had angered the Army after which they barged into the police station. Doctors at SKIMS hospital have said the injured policemen are stable, officials added. India gears up to reach scale in making original electronic products: MoS IT. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 29 : Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday welcomed American major United Parcel Service (UPS) for its plans to manufacture tags used in tracking packages in the country. UPS is a multinational shipping and supply chain management company founded in 1907. In a post on X social media platform, Chandrasekhar said the country looks forward to welcoming UPS to start local production. "@UPS all the best. We look forward to partnering with you to make your India semiconductor manufacturing plans a success and expand," Chandrasekhar posted. Reports said the world's largest parcel delivery company is apparently in touch with some state governments for its local production plans, leveraging a friendly chip investment environment in the country. The country is on the path to becoming a key player in the global semiconductor supply chain with $10 billion of incentives provided to encourage local chip manufacturing. From a negligible presence in the global supply chain a decade back, the country now has a significant role to play in the supply chain ecosystem, creating investment and job opportunities. The IMF estimates say that India will be the world's third-largest economy by 2027, with a GDP of $5 trillion. Global giants like Apple, FedEx and Foxconn -- along with US-based semiconductor giant Micron -- are scaling up manufacturing in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone for chip plants worth over Rs 1.25 lakh crore. Raashii Khanna says it's not tough to act in horror film, but direction is very tough. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, May 29 : Raashii Khanna, who has essayed the role of Dr Maya in the Tamil comedy horror film 'Aranmanai 4', shared that it's not tough to act in a horror film, but the direction is very tough. Raashii was present in Mumbai along with her co-star Tamannaah Bhatia, director Sundar C. and producer Khushbu Sundar ahead of the movie's release in Hindi. While interacting with the media, Raashii, who last featured in 'Yodha' shared: "I love watching horror films, so for the first time in 'Aranmanai 3' I had watched how horror films are made. It's not that tough to act in a horror film, but the direction is very tough." "The captain of our ship, Sundar C. sir is the master of that craft. He knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it. In this film both horror and comedy are strengths, not one overpowers the other, so I feel it is the perfect horror comedy film," said Raashii. She concluded: "Apart from me and Tamannaah, there are wonderful comedians who have done amazing work in this film." Directed by Sundar C., 'Aranmanai 4' stars Sundar himself, alongside Santhosh Prathap, Ramachandra Raju, Kovai Sarala, and Delhi Ganesh among others. It is produced by Khushbu Sundar under the banner of Avni Cinemax. The Hindi version is scheduled to release in the theatres on May 31. Meanwhile, Raashii also has aThe Sabarmati Reporta, aTelusu Kadaa and aMethavia in the pipeline. Mumbai, May 29 : Tamannaah Bhatia opened up on her role in the Tamil comedy horror film 'Aranmanai 4', sharing that she felt that she couldn't play Selvi, as she thought there were no maternal instincts in her. Tamannaah was present in Mumbai along with her co-star Raashii Khanna, director Sundar C. and producer Khushbu Sundar ahead of the movie's release in Hindi. Talking to the mediapersons, Tamannaah said: "The character he has given me, I honestly felt that I could not play it. 'Mai apne ghar me abhi bhi bachi hu'. I think no maternal instincts have kicked in me, so I am treated like a baby in the house." "When the director narrated the story and told me that you are playing a mother who is a protector.... he gave me the opportunity to portray every facet of a woman. So, it was quite emotional for me. For me it's very emotional and pure," said Tamannaah. She further shared that for the role of Selvi, she took inspiration from her own mother. "I took inspiration from my own mother. I am too pampered at home. So I took all those feelings to portray my character Selvi," added Tamannaah, who starred in movies like 'Bhola Shankar', 'Bandra', and 'Jailer'. Directed by Sundar C., 'Aranmanai 4' stars Sundar himself, alongside Santhosh Prathap, Ramachandra Raju, Kovai Sarala, and Delhi Ganesh among others. It is produced by Khushbu Sundar under the banner of Avni Cinemax. The Hindi version is scheduled to release in the theatres on May 31. Meanwhile, Tamannaah also has 'Vedaa', 'Stree 2', and 'Odela 2' in the pipeline. New Delhi, May 29 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with Sanjay Pugalia, CEO and Editor-in-chief, AMG Media Network, on Wednesday shed light on how the BJP was moving closer to its '400 paar' mission and which states will contribute majorly in achieving this target. Amit Shah said that the party was slated for big gains in east and south India, traditionally its 'weaker' areas, besides recording thumping victory in its stronghold regions of north and west. The Home Minister said that the party is expecting big gains in eastern states including Odisha and West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the south. Breaking it down into numbers, he said that the party was expecting a much bigger victory in West Bengal, as compared to 2019 by fetching 24-30 out of a total of 42 seats. "In Odisha, our target is to bag 17 (out of 21 LS seats) and 75 (out of 147 Assembly seats). In Telangana, we will win around 10 seats (out of 17 LS seats). In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP-led alliance will form the government, and we will also win a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats there too," Amit Shah told NDTV in an exclusive interaction. He also said that the party will emerge as the single largest in at least four Eastern states. "In the eastern zone, Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, we will emerge as the biggest party. This is certain. And in the five states of South, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we will make significant gains," he added. Notably, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are also voting to elect their Assemblies. In Odisha, CM Naveen Patnaik-led government is seeking a fresh term while in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP-TDP alliance is eyeing to oust the ruling YSR Congress. Amit Shah's big poll prediction ahead of the seventh and final phase of polls has given fresh vigour to the election mood. In the seventh phase, a total of 57 Lok Sabha seats are going to polls with 26 seats spread across eastern states of Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. On questions of whether "Ab ki baar 400 par" was a poll slogan or target based on facts, he replied: "When we won the 2014 elections on the slogan of absolute majority, many Delhi-based analysts said this was not possible. But we got the absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of 300 plus, people said it was not possible. People are saying the same this time." Vijayawada, May 29 : Four youngsters, all of the same family in Hyderabad, were washed away in a rivulet in Andhra Pradesh's Bapatla district on Wednesday, police said. According to police, a group of six youths from the Kukatpally area of Hyderabad went to the Suryalanka beach, a popular tourist site, on Wednesday morning. While returning to Hyderabad, they stopped at Nallamada Vagu to take a bath. One of them was swept away in the strong water current, and the three others, trying to save him, were also washed away. On getting the information, police rushed to the spot and launched a search with the help of fishermen and swimmers. The bodies of two youths, Sunny and Sunil, were recovered, and a search was on for two others, identified as Giri and Nandu. The four youths had gone to Andhra for the summer holidays. New Delhi, May 29 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the next five years will play a decisive role in building a "swarnim Bharat" with the "big turning point" taking place on June 4 - the day results of the Lok Sabha elections are announced. "Countries that gained independence along with us - many of them smaller in size and ordinary - have reached great heights. We had so much talent, skill and potential, a growing young population, but we kept falling behind," said PM Modi while addressing an election rally in Mathurapur, his last in West Bengal during the ongoing 2024 elections. Citing the transformation that has taken place over the last 10 years, he stated that the same India is now moving ahead with great speed and is being watched closely and praised by the entire world. "For 60 years, the country was struggling in every sector... And, for the past 10 years, people have witnessed the progress that India is capable of making," said PM Modi. The Prime Minister told the massive gathering that everyone in the world - be it the US, Australia, Japan or Europe - looks at India with respect now. "You have made this happen, your one vote has given me the strength to hoist the Indian flag in the world," he said. As he addressed more public meetings in Odisha's Mayurbhanj and Balasore later in the day, PM Modi continued to spotlight the progressive approach of his government, specifically listing improved sanitation facilities in villages and providing LPG connections, clean water, free food grains and medical treatment to people all over the country. "India will become the third largest economic power in the world. In the next five years, we will witness an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in many sectors. We will see a complete transformation of highways, expressways, and railways. This will directly benefit our eastern regions, including Odisha," assured PM Modi. New Delhi, May 29 : Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM National CSR Council, addressed the gathering at the Menstrual Hygiene Management Conclave & Awards held in New Delhi on the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2024. Laying out the facts and figures around this matter of great importance, he said "The effectiveness of menstrual hygiene management continues to be an area that receives less than the desired attention. The National Family Health Survey indicates that around 22.7 per cent of women in India do not use hygienic methods for menstrual protection. Lack of access to menstrual hygiene facilities contributes to school absenteeism among girls, with around 23 per cent dropping out of school after reaching puberty. To address the same, the Government of India has been running a scheme for the promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years in rural areas. However, amidst these challenges, there's a growing recognition of the need for innovative and impactful solutions to address menstrual hygiene effectively." The Menstrual Hygiene Conclave and Awards, aim to raise awareness, encourage innovation, and improve menstrual hygiene management, contributing to better health outcomes and reducing stigma around menstruation. The categories in which they were awarded include the most innovative product in menstrual hygiene, maximum impact by a CSR initiative in menstrual hygiene- Corporate/PSUs, maximum impact by a CSR initiative in menstrual hygiene- Implementing agency/NGO and MHM Champion of the Year. Speaking on the need to create awareness and address the various taboos around this subject, Anil Rajput said: "Over the years, recognising the crucial need to break the silence and raise awareness about menstrual hygiene practices, as well as to combat menstrual stigma and create a supportive environment where every woman and girl can manage her menstruation hygienically, ASSOCHAM has been consistently organising conferences on the different aspects of menstrual health and awareness". Anil Rajput also underscored the need to double down on efforts in addressing the various facets of menstrual health and hygiene, He emphasised that "By highlighting exemplary efforts in this area, ASSOCHAM seeks to foster a supportive environment for menstrual health and hygiene, involving various stakeholders including businesses, NGOs, and government bodies. Let's all redouble our efforts towards menstrual awareness and health and contribute towards building an even more resilient, participatory and powerful India." The government on its part has been playing a vital role in addressing this important subject as it has taken multiple steps to improve menstrual hygiene practices through the schemes/interventions of various Ministries/Departments. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented the Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene since 2011 to increase awareness among adolescent girls, to increase access to and use of high-quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and to ensure safe disposal of Sanitary Napkins in an environmentally friendly manner. Further, teachers and Frontline Workers - Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, Accredited Social Health Activist workers and Aanganwadi workers are oriented appropriately in the scheme with the budget provided for the same under Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram. In addition, one of the objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) components of 'Misson Shakti' is to generate awareness about menstrual hygiene and use of sanitary napkins. Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Dr Kiran Bedi who was the chief guest at the event, called upon stakeholders to conduct extensive research to strengthen the menstrual health management system. She also made an appeal to all the awardees to join hands and identify areas in their region to work together and address this issue by creating a mass movement on this critical subject impacting a large number of girls and women in our country. Addressing the Menstrual Hygiene Management Conclave, organised by ASSOCHAM in New Delhi, Dr Bedi said that policy intervention is extremely pivotal and emphasised that sanitary pads are also a necessity for women just like water and gas. Talking about the access to menstrual products in prisons, she expressed concern over the issue and called for immediate action. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee during a public meeting in favour of party candidate from Jadavpur constituency Saayoni Ghosh. Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, May 29 : West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday claimed that she had definite information about a covert understanding between the BJP and CPI(M) on the Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat. Dum Dum constituency in North 24 Parganas District is one of the nine seats in West Bengal going for polls in the last and seventh phase of the General Elections on June 1. According to her, the understanding is that while the BJP will transfer its dedicated votes in favour of the CPI(M) candidate from Dum Dum, Dr Sujan Chakraborty, the Left party will reciprocate in the 2026 Assembly elections by transferring its dedicated votes in favour of the saffron candidates in the seven Assembly constituencies under Dum Dum. The Chief Minister made this explosive claim while addressing a rally at Baruipur under Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in South 24 Parganas District in support of party candidate Saayoni Ghosh. However, Sujan Chakraborty rubbished the claims of the Chief Minister and questioned why she did not make such assertions while campaigning at Dum Dum and instead chose Jadavpur for the same. "The Chief Minister should remember that the BJP could not open its account in West Bengal during the previous Left Front regime in the state. The lotus flourished in the state only during the Trinamool Congress regime," Chakraborty said. The state BJP spokesman in West Bengal and the party's Rajya Sabha MP, Samik Bhattacharya, too, ridiculed the claims. "The Chief Minister is making such claims at the last moment, understanding that the party's defeat at Dum Dum is inevitable this time," said Bhattacharya. New Delhi, May 29 : A man, running a small fittings polish unit in east Delhi's Welcome area, was shot dead in his office by two unidentified men on Wednesday, police said. The deceased was identified as Suraj, 32, a resident of Harsh Vihar, whose unit is near the Ahlawat Building in Kabir Nagar, Welcome. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Northeast, Joy Tirkey said that Suraj was shot dead by two persons, who had come on a scooty. "Suraj sustained four gunshot injuries. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Welcome police station," he said, adding that police teams are scanning CCTV cameras in the area to identify the culprits. New Delhi, May 29 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest in connection with the Swati Maliwal assault case. New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalas aide Bibhav Kumar has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest in connection with the Swati Maliwal assault case. Kumar is seeking compensation for what he terms his "illegal arrest". Kumar's plea argues that his arrest was conducted in violation of the Supreme Court's guidelines established in the landmark Arnesh Kumar judgment, which outlines the procedures and conditions under which arrests should be made to prevent unnecessary detentions. In his petition, Kumar has urged the High Court to declare his arrest unlawful, asserting that the authorities did not adhere to the legal standards mandated by the Supreme Court. The Arnesh Kumar judgment says that arrests should only be made in cases where it is absolutely necessary and mandates that police officers must provide reasons for arresting an individual in writing. Kumar contends that his arrest did not meet these criteria and therefore, constitutes a breach of his legal rights. He has also sought financial compensation for the alleged illegal detention, arguing that it caused him undue distress and damage. A Delhi court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Kumar in the case. He is currently in judicial custody. During the hearing, Maliwal had broken down in the courtroom alleging character assassination and life threats being given to her. Delhi Police had opposed Kumaras counselas submission that Maliwal went to the CMas residence with the intent to malign his aide, while his counsel had alleged a three-day delay in filing an FIR. His counsel had further argued that Bibhav was not present at the CMas residence and that Maliwal had no appointment. Kumar was arrested on May 18 in connection with the assault on Maliwal on May 13 and produced late at night before a local court which sent him to five days under police custody. During this period, he was also taken to the CM's residence where the alleged crime scene was recreated. Kumar was taken to three locations in Mumbai, said police sources privy to the probe. aKumar had formatted his phone on one of the locations, which was revealed after technical investigation," said the source. According to police, he had formatted his phone on May 17, citing a malfunction. Delhi Police registered a case against Kumar after he allegedly assaulted Maliwal at the Chief Minister's residence. The FIR at the Civil Lines Police Station includes charges under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Patna, May 29 : At least 50 school students fainted in various schools in three districts of Bihar -- Sheikhpura, Begusarai and Motihari (East Champaran) on Wednesday -- due to heatwave. In Sheikhpura, 24 students fainted on the premises of a government school in Mankol village. The teaching and non-teaching staff rushed them to the Sadar Hospital. Enraged over it, villagers blocked the main road. Savita Devi, parent of a student and a native of Mankol village, said, "The teachers informed that students have fainted in school. When we reached the school, we saw many children in an unconscious state. A few children were crying loudly. We arranged vehicles and rushed the students to the Sadar hospital." In Begusarai, 20 students fainted and were admitted to Sadar Hospital. Similarly in a school in Motihari, many students fainted. The angry parents protested against the Education Department, saying despite the searing heat, summer vacations are not being announced. Rajnikant and Satyendra Kumar, who provided treatment to the students at the hospital, said the children were dehydrated. "The classroom neither had proper seating arrangement, nor fresh air. Due to dehydration, the children started fainting one after the other. Everyone has been given ORS and necessary medicines. They are out of danger," said Kumar. Mumbai, May 29 : Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, whose IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinched the trophy this season, has shared a word of appreciation for his team and its players. Taking to X, Shah Rukh shared a picture from the post-final celebrations with the caption: aTo my boysa. my teama. my champsa'these blessed candles of the night'a My Stars of KKR. I cannot do a lot of things and you cannot do them all eitherabut together we manage most of them. Thatas what @KKRiders stood for. Simply being together. Beyond the ability and guidance of @GautamGambhira the earnestness of Chandu, the love of @abhisheknayar1 & leadership of @ShreyasIyer15 ... the dedication of @rtendo27 , Bharat Arun @1crowey & @Numb3z." He added, aGautam (the mentor of KKR) said if you canat support a single vision as a team, you are leading to a division in the team. Each player understood that. Young and old. The Trophy is not a testament of having the best players in the team. But a proof of each player being the best for the team. Boys you are all made of Star stuff." The actor also said he loves each member of his team as he urged them not to let the dancing stop. aAlso, so happy and thankful for each and every KKR fan and I hope all around the world, youngsters learn that Tough times donat last. Finally, Tough and Happy teams do! KorboaLorboaJeetboa.Always. See you all at the stadia in 2025 (sic)," he added. New Delhi, May 29 : The RudraM-II air-to-surface missile was successfully test-fired from a Su-30 MK-I fighter jet of the Indian Air Force on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said. The test, performed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) off the coast of Odisha at around 11.30 a.m., met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system, and the control and guidance algorithm, a Defence Ministry statement said. The performance of the missile has been validated from the flight data captured by range tracking instruments like electro-optical systems, radar and telemetry stations deployed by the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur at various locations, including on board a ship. An indigenously developed solid-propelled air-launched missile system, RudraM-II is one of the finest and meant to neutralise many types of enemy assets. Several state-of-the-art indigenous technologies developed by various DRDO laboratories have been incorporated into the system. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the IAF, and industry on the successful test, saying it has consolidated the role of the RudraM-II system as a force multiplier for the armed forces. Secretary, Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman, Dr Samir V. Kamat complimented the DRDO team for their untiring efforts and contribution culminating in the successful flight test. Nagpur : , May 29 (IANS) As temperatures soar to 45 degrees Celsius in the Orange City, passengers and tourists at Central Railway's Nagpur station are experiencing some degrees of cool comfort, thanks to a sophisticated mist cooling system, officials said here. When hundreds of passengers alight at the Nagpur station's three main platforms, they are greeted with a misty spray, making it a "cool welcome" in the blistering summer heat all over, and it is the only station in the country to have this facility. Encouraged by the public response, the Central Railway (CR) is now planning to install similar cool mist systems at Wardha, Sewagram, Chandrapur, Ballarsha railwa stations by next summer (2025), said Senior Divisional Railway Manager at Nagpur, Aman Mittal. The mist cooling system reduces the ambient temperatures on the platform by 6-8 degrees Celsius, thanks to evaporating water dispersed through nozzles placed at vantage points on the platforms. The water is sprayed through a high-pressure pump, micro-filters, and a control system, with a network of pipes and fittings and specialised nozzles that direct the mist jets at the passengers, bringing a smile to their faces. "The mist system is a practical and eco-friendly cooling solution for the long and wide open-air platforms where installing air-conditioners is not feasible for various reasons," Mittal told IANS. The micro-filtration is the key to the cooling system's efficiency, preventing nozzle blockages and reducing maintenance needs, while ensuring that it remains effective and reliable throughout the summer months, said the official. "It is activated only during the summer months, when the trains arrive and there is a crowd of passengers. Nagpur has around 15-16 trains long-distance originating-terminating, plus another 40 through trains, with thousands of people on the platforms," said the official. The entire system is developed in-house by the CR and costs around Rs 14 lakhs per platform, proving a boon to the travelers sweating it out in roasting heat. Besides, the misty cooling is designed for easy and affordable upkeep, long-term operations without a major cost burden on the CR as it consumes minimum energy. In addition to cooling, there are other benefits like improving the air quality on the platforms, reducing dust, smoke and other respirable particles and leading to a healthy environment for the passengers, Mittal added. It has been installed without using additional space, seamlessly integrated into the existing platform infrastructure and has got good passenger reactions. Islamabad, May 29 : Suspected militants ignited a fire with kerosene to burn down a girls' school in north-western Pakistan near the Afghan border, in a third incident this month targeting female education, officials said on Wednesday. The compound was set ablaze on Monday night in the region of North Waziristan, stoking fresh fears about the safety of female students, whose education has been a target of Islamists for years. The incident, which occurred in the remote region, was reported on Wednesday, local police chief Rehan Khan told dpa. North Waziristan had long served as a headquarters for al-Qaeda and the affiliated Taliban before they were chased out by the military in a series of offensives in 2014. The Pakistani Taliban, a group that follows the same hard-line Islam as its Afghan counterparts but has a different organisation, have bombed girls' schools in the past. Hundreds of girls' schools were bombed in Waziristan and Swat, the home town of noble laureate Malala Yousafzai, between 2007 and 2009 when the Pakistani Taliban ruled these regions. The latest attacks, after a gap of many years, have stoked fears that the militants can again target students as they did in 2014 when around 150 kids were killed at a military-run institution. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Tel Aviv, May 29 : Three Israeli soldiers were killed when a booby trap exploded in a building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, local media reported. The Israeli army confirmed that three soldiers from the Nahal infantry brigade had been killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day. During the operation, Israeli soldiers went from house to house in search of weapons, the military said, without elaborating specifically on where or how they died. Local media said it was in a booby-trapped building in Rafah. According to the army, the incident on Tuesday means that 639 Israeli service members have been killed and more than 3,600 others injured since the Hamas massacres of October 7 and Israel's subsequent air and ground campaign in Gaza. The Hamas-run health authority says more than 36,100 people have been killed so far in Gaza by Israel. The authority does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. --IANS/DPA sd/svn New Delhi, May 29 : The Centre on Wednesday announced to provide eMigrate services through Common Services Centres (CSCs) to assist blue-collar workers at the grassroot level. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and CSC eGovernance Services, the IT Ministry said in a statement. As part of the MoU, the eMigrate portal of MEA would be integrated with CSC's portal to provide several services to citizens through CSCs. The services being provided are registration of applicants on eMigrate portal through CSCs; uploading and processing the required documents for the applicants on eMigrate portal; supporting booking for medical and other services required by migrant workers or applicants registered on eMigrate portal through CSC; and creating awareness about eMigrate services amongst citizens across the country. Over the years, the number of Indians going abroad for employment has been increasing as well as the contribution of remittances sent by them has been significant, said the Ministry. The eMigrate project was launched to address issues faced by the migrant workers by making the emigration process online seamless, and bring foreign employers and registered recruitment agents and insurance companies on one common platform for safe and legal migration. Currently, more than 5.50 lakh CSCs are delivering more than 700 digital services to citizens in assisted mode with enhanced ease and convenience. "The MoU has been signed with an aim of expanding channels of safe & legal migration at grassroots level, with the particular aim of preventing exploitation from unscrupulous elements of Indian citizens when they seek employment overseas," said the IT Ministry. Mumbai, May 29 : The NCP on Wednesday demanded the arrest of NCP(SP) legislator Jitendra Awhad and filing of a case against him by the Maharashtra Government for allegedly tearing down Dr BR Ambedkar's photo and stamping on it. Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) The NCP on Wednesday demanded the arrest of NCP(SP) legislator Jitendra Awhad and filing of a case against him by the Maharashtra Government for allegedly tearing down Dr BR Ambedkaras photo and stamping on it. Similarly, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde has also demanded Awhadas arrest and sought an unconditional apology from him. Following the criticism from Mahayuti partners, Awhad has tendered an unconditional apology. Both NCP and Shiv Sena have targeted Awhad after he allegedly burnt the poster containing Manusmriti and Dr Ambedkaras photo at Mahad to protest against the State Council of Educational Research and Trainingas purported proposal to include some verses from Manusmriti in the curriculum of state schools. "In the name of burning the Manusmriti, Awhad tore down Babasaheb Ambedkar's photo and trampled on it," alleged the NCPas chief spokesman Umesh Patil. He held Awhad responsible for spoiling the social environment of the country and the state through the act in Mahad. Patil also sought an answer from NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar about the action he plans to take against Awhad and called for his expulsion from the party. Shiv Sena joint chief spokesman Raju Waghmare has appealed to the state government to register an offence and arrest Awhad. Chennai, May 29 : The Tamil Nadu police have deployed a heavy force in Kanyakumari where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach on Thursday. The Prime Minister has announced that he will meditate at Vivekananda Rock Memorial on May 30, May 31 and June 1. He will reach Kanyakumari in a helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram by 4.45 p.m. on Thursday and return on June 1 by 3.25 pm to Thiruvananthapuram. He will fly to New Delhi from there. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli Range, Pravesh Kumar told media persons that 3000 cops will be deployed for duty and multi-layer security will be in place. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Congress committee president, K. Selvaperunthugai has come out strongly against the visit of the Prime Minister to Kanyakumari for meditation at the Vivekananda Rock memorial. In a post on social media platform ,aXa, Selvaperunthugai said, aThe Election Commission of India should not give permission for such a programme as the Model Code of Conduct Rules are in force as per the Representation of Peopleas Act." The Congress leader said that PM Modi was trying for a silent campaign by his three-day meditation. He added that the party would send a letter to the Election Commission in this regard and if necessary would also move the court against it. New Delhi, May 29 : ITC Hotels recently signed a management agreement with Jaipur-based Dangayach Group, for a property under brand Storii, in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Storii by ITC Hotels, Jaisalmer is set to be a 119-key resort located towards the east of the city on Jodhpur-Jaisalmer Road. Jaisalmer is one of the largest tourism districts in Rajasthan and is featured as a "must-visit" destination in most Rajasthan desert circuits. The city offers a perfect blend of art, architecture, hospitality, scenic beauty, and cuisine. Jaisalmer is renowned for its unconventional desert safari with camel rides, cultural performances, and adventure activities. The city's yellow sandstone is known to glow during sunset, making it a high point in every tourist's itinerary. The resort's yellow-stone fort architecture is inspired by the region's landscape. Anil Chadha, Chief Executive, ITC Hotels, said: "This project is a tremendous leap permitting a quick entry into a high-visibility and popular leisure market with our cherished brand Storii. We are already present with over 800 keys across our various brands in Rajasthan. These include hotels in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Khimsar, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. Storii Jaisalmer will enable us to offer yet another unique destination experience in the Rajasthan desert circuit." Harimohan Dangayach, Chairman & Founder, and Atul Dangayach, Managing Director of Dangayach Group, expressed happiness at the signing ceremony and said: "We are delighted to sign Storii for our latest resort project in Jaisalmer. The resort's positioning in a strong leisure market aligns well with the unique positioning of the brand Storii supplemented with the operational strength of ITC Hotels. We embark on this new relationship with ITC Hotels with much hope for growth in the future." Mumbai, May 29 : Vikram Sakhalkar, who plays Rohit in the upcoming film 'Qaatil Haseena', watched a lot of documentaries, murder mysteries, and thrillers to get into the skin of the character. Vikram, who plays a small-town boy with big dreams in the film, said: "To prepare for this character, I watched a lot of documentaries, murder mysteries, and thrillers. And it helped me get the role right." He also shared that he is completely opposite his on-screen character in real life. "The character Rohit and myself are poles apart. He's a complete extrovert, and I'm a complete introvert in real life. But I guess that's the beauty of our job that we get to portray different characters and different lives, and I hope I have done justice to that," he said. Though he confessed that he did not need any special preparation for the film, it taught him a great deal. "Rohit has a beautiful character graph... I get to do action, romance, and comedy. Everything's got a lot of shades to it, and I'm very excited about the film," he added. The movie also starring Sakshi Pradhan as a relentless killer along with Sharon Panday will release on May 31 on ALTT. Mumbai, May 29 : A BJP functionary has filed a complaint with the Raigad Superintendent of Police against NCP(SP) legislator Jitendra Awhad for allegedly tearing a poster of Dr BR Ambedkar. BJP functionary Advocate Vivekanand Gupta in his complaint, has demanded Awhadas immediate arrest, saying that it was an offence under Section 3 (t) (v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. aAwhad committed the atrocious and appalling act of tearing the poster of Dr Ambedkar who is a revered figure in the country. The said act was live on some electronic channels and this has hurt the feelings of a large number of people and particularly the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes. aNobody can ignore Dr Ambedkar for his vast contribution to Indian society. Dr Ambedkaras photo being torn and thrown has hurt the people deeply both mentally and emotionally,aa said Gupta in his complaint. He has demanded that an FIR be registered against Awhad and action be taken in accordance with procedure duly established by law. When Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Seneca County in 2023, he launched an effort to secure federal funding to clean up an abandoned gas station in Waterloo and other vacant sites. On Tuesday, Seneca County learned that it will receive $1.5 million to address these contaminated sites. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the funding at a press conference in Geneseo Livingston County will also receive $1.5 million through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program. The program is supported by $1.2 billion from the the bipartisan infrastructure law, which Schumer ushered through the Senate. For Seneca County, the funding will aid the development of eight cleanup plans, 20 phase one and 16 phase two environmental site assessments. A list of brownfield sites will also be updated. Among the sites that will be targeted is the former Willard Drug Treatment Campus, which closed in 2022. "For too long, Finger Lakes communities have had to deal with public health and safety risks from contaminated sites in their communities, from abandoned gas stations to inactive landfills or blighted businesses," Schumer said. He continued, "I stood at one of these toxic lots last year and promised to deliver the funding to help, and now, thanks to this major $3 million federal investment, we can accelerate the cleanup of contaminated eyesores in Seneca and Livingston counties and abandoned sites like the shuttered (Willard Drug Treatment Campus) in Seneca County, making our communities healthier and cleaner, all while creating good-paying jobs and new development opportunities that enhance local tax rolls." Seneca County has already benefited from the additional federal funding for brownfields sites. Schumer noted that existing funds and grants in the bipartisan infrastructure law supported the county's first brownfields redevelopment strategy. Congress reauthorized the brownfields program, which allows communities to complete redevelopment projects. The new funding announced by Schumer will provide a boost to Seneca County's efforts to clean up multiple sites. "Seneca County, together with its partners the towns of Waterloo, Seneca Falls and the local nonprofit STEPS, are excited to finally start addressing problem properties throughout the county with suspected environmental contamination that have for too long stymied local development efforts," said Michael Enslow, chair of the Seneca County Board of Supervisors. Schumer's visit to Livingston County came one week after he stopped in Auburn to urge the Biden administration to close a loophole exploited by China to avoid tariffs and funnel steel through Mexico. This is the 26th consecutive year Schumer has embarked on a statewide tour. He visits each of New York's 62 counties every year. Mumbai, May 29 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has served a legal notice to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for his write-up in Shiv Sena UBT's mouthpiece 'Saamna' for making serious allegations of distribution of Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore in each constituency during the Lok Sabha elections. Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has served a legal notice to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for his write-up in Shiv Sena UBTas mouthpiece 'Saamna' for making serious allegations of distribution of Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore in each constituency during the Lok Sabha elections. The Chief Minister has called upon Raut, who is also the Chief Editor of 'Saamna', to offer an unconditional apology within three days from the receipt of the notice or be ready for further legal battle. The notice has been served for allegedly adopting defamatory propaganda to antagonise the minds of the public at large and to misguide them in forming an adverse opinion against him and the entire Shiv Sena political party. Raut in his write up in 'Saamna' said that aaEknath Shinde has spent unlimited money in each constituency and he has distributed approximately Rs 25 to 30 crore in each constituency. Ajit Pawaras candidates should not get elected therefore Eknath Shinde has specially done all this.aa aaMy client states that the said statement is not only false but per se defamatory and scandalous, which has been made to misguide the public at large and to create unrest among the public and rift among the public at large. Further, it appears that the said defamatory news article has been published by you with an intention to get name, fame and political mileage, for yourself and your so-called Leader Shiv Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray,aa reads the legal notice. It further adds, aaMy client states that he has never spent or given any money as alleged by you and my client puts you to strict proof to show evidence that my client has distributed amounts as mentioned by you.aa Shinde in his notice has called upon Raut to tender an unconditional apology to him and before the media within a period of three days from the receipt of present notice failing which he shall be constrained to initiate criminal and civil proceedings against him and the newspaper and shall also file suit for damages against him and the newspaper. aaMy client states that you being the Chief Editor of 'Saamna', you under the guise of freedom of speech are not permitted to defame my client for your vested political and selfish interest,aa said the legal notice. aMy client further states that by publishing such a defamatory news article, you have attempted to tarnish the image of my client in the eyes of the public at large for your vested political and selfish interest,aait adds. Meanwhile, Raut in his tweet has reacted to the legal notice served by Shinde through his lawyers. aaPannas Khodke Edam Ok (50 crore Ekdum Ok). This is called a thief scolding the policeman. Unconstitutional Chief Minister Shinde has sent us a legal notice. Very interesting and one of the funny political documents. Now the fun will come!! Jai Maharashtra!aa Chandigarh, May 29 : Making a strong plea for the Congress candidate from Chandigarh Manish Tewari, eminent lawyer Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said no one was better qualified to represent the Union Territory in Lok Sabha than him. Sibal, while describing Tewari as a brilliant lawyer and parliamentarian, told the media that the Congress leader commands respect from leaders across the political spectrum for his articulate and well-informed speeches in Parliament. Sibal, who specially came to Chandigarh to join the campaign of Tewari in his capacity as a fellow lawyer, lamented that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has destroyed all robust and autonomous institutions in the country, except the judiciary. "Our independence and democracy are in grave peril today," he warned, while accusing PM Modi of lowering the prestige and dignity of the office of the Prime Minister. Sibal was also critical of abuse of laws like Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for destroying dissent and difference of opinion. Polling for the lone Chandigarh seat is scheduled for June 1. New Delhi, May 29 : The Tele-MANAS toll-free number, launched as part of the national tele-mental health programme in India, receives 3,500 calls per day on average, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday. Launched in October 2022, the 51 Tele-MANAS cells across all States and Union territories have since then received over 10 lakh calls, the health ministry said. The toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, aimed at enhancing mental health service delivery nationwide, offers multi-language support and has been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals. As per the ministry, from around 12,000 in December 2022 to over 90,000 in May 2024, the helpline has seen a steady increase in the number of callers. It also incorporates call-backs for follow-up. "This increase in engagement also underscores the importance of continued investment and expansion of mental health initiatives to ensure that everyone has access to the support they need," the ministry said. "By linking existing mental health resources and establishing a comprehensive digital network, Tele-MANAS has become an essential platform for addressing the nationas mental health needs," it added. The ministry noted that providing teleservices to target vulnerable populations represents "a significant milestone in India's ongoing efforts to combat the mental health crisis". The platform will also likely be integrated with initiatives like e-Sanjeevani to further enhance accessibility and effectiveness, the ministry said, noting that it will help address the rising mental health challenges in the country. Raigad : , May 29 (IANS) Under attack from the ruling MahaYuti alliance and other parties, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) National General Secretary Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday tendered a public apology for 'unintentionally' tearing off a poster with a photograph of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Raigad (Maharashtra), May 29 (IANS) Under attack from the ruling MahaYuti alliance and other parties, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) National General Secretary Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday tendered a public apology for aunintentionallya tearing off a poster with a photograph of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He ripped off the poster during a mass protest in Mahad town against the decision of the state government to include two verses of the Manusmriti (The Laws of Manu) in the school curriculum. "The government is attempting to include Manusmriti teachings in the school curriculum. We were protesting against it by burning a copy of Manusmriti at the Kranti Pillar in Mahad. While doing this, I inadvertently made a big mistake," said Awhad. He said that some activists brought posters of Manusmriti printed on it and B.R Ambedkar's picture was also on them, and he unintentionally tore it up, sparking huge protests. "I apologise publicly for this. Everyone knows that I have been trying to follow the ideology of Dr. Ambedkar for many years. I have never apologised for any matter till now. I have always remained in my role and played it. However, today, I am tendering an apology as this was an insult to my Father. I hope all Ambedkar followers will also forgive me," Awhad said in a social media post. He, along with hundreds of other supporters had carried out the protests at Mahad town, to torch symbolic copies of the Manusmriti, raising slogans against the government to oppose the move. Incidentally, Mahad town went down in history 97 years ago, when B.R. Ambedkar had led a huge protest there on March 20, 1927, to allow the Dalits, untouchables and other lower castes equal access to the Chavdar Lake water, and in December that year, his followers had also burnt Manusmriti copies there. Awhad's action on Wednesday afternoon triggered strong protests, comments and police complaints from leaders of the ruling MahaYuti allies Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party plus other Dalit organisations also gunning for him in Maharashtra and elsewhere. Moscow, May 29 : Russia's commissioner for human rights on Wednesday blamed Ukraine for a months-long pause in prisoner exchanges by the two warring sides. "Unfortunately, swaps have been suspended for several months because of Ukraine, which constantly puts forth new contrived demands," Tatyana Moskalova told a session of the parliament, the TASS state news agency said. Still, officials from both countries continue to visit prisoners of war held by the other side to monitor compliance with their rights, she said. Moskalkova did not provide any further details on Kiev's alleged demands. The editor-in-chief of the state-controlled broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonyan, earlier published a list of 500 captured Ukrainian soldiers. She claimed that Kiev had only selected 38 fighters from the Azov regiment - an elite unit that has been accused in the past of far-right sympathies - and rejected the rest. Russia has been waging a war against Ukraine for more than two years and currently occupies around a fifth of the country. The exact number of prisoners of war on both sides is unknown, but according to observers, the Russians have taken several times as many prisoners as Ukraine. The accusations from Moscow are likely aimed at destabilizing the political situation in Kiev and increasing the pressure on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky has vowed to return all captured soldiers to their homeland. The last exchange between the two countries took place in February 2024. --IANS/DPA int/as/arm Bern, May 29 : Studying at the elite Swiss universities ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne looks likely to become significantly more expensive for people from abroad in future. The lower chamber of Switzerland's parliament, the National Council, voted in favour of increasing tuition fees on Wednesday. The proposal would mean that those who move to Switzerland to study would in the future pay at least three times as much as those already living in Switzerland. At the moment Swiss citizens and foreigners pay the same amount, at ETH and EPFL less than a1,500 ($1,625) per year. The upper chamber of parliament still has to agree on the fee increase. Members of parliament argued that Swiss students at renowned foreign universities also pay more, up to 40 times as much as domestic students. Another argument is that educational institutions are financed with taxpayers' money, which is only raised from people who live in Switzerland. --IANS/DPA int/as/arm Chennai, May 29 : The Coimbatore police on Wednesday arrested the senior Vice President of a reputed private medical college in Coimbatore following charges that he along with other staff of the college beat a person to death. A person named Raja was thrashed allegedly by the hospital staff including senior officials on Monday. Following the beating he fell down unconscious and died. Police said that Raja from Gandhi Maa Nagar in Coimbatore used to steal pipes from Kovai Medical College and Health Centre (KMCH) posing as a plumber after frequenting the hospital regularly. After the shortage of plumbing material including pipes became regular, the staff checked the CCTV visuals and found that Raja was stealing the pipes. When he came to the hospital on Monday, the staff thrashed him mercilessly leading to his death. The Vice President of the hospital, R. Narayanan, filed a complaint with the Peelumedu police in Coimbatore stating that a person Raja was caught while stealing pipes from the hospital and when questioned he complained of chest pain and died in the emergency unit of the hospital. However, Suganya, the wife of Raja, filed a complaint with the police stating that her husband was beaten to death by the staff of the KMCH hospital with the connivance of the top management. The family refused to accept the mortal remains of Raja from the Coimbatore Government Medical College Hospital where it was kept after postmortem. The police on Wednesday after a preliminary investigation arrested R. Narayanan, Vice President of the KMCH hospital and seven other staff members. Those arrested are Ramesh, Saravanakumar, Suresh, Sasi, Manikandan, Saravanan and Sathish Kumar. The police charged those arrested under Sections 302 (murder), 342 ( wrongful confinement ), 323 ( voluntarily causing hurt), 201 ( causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information), and 147 ( rioting) of the Indian Penal Code. Dalian : , May 29 (IANS) He Zehua, former deputy chief of China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, has been sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve, for taking huge amounts of bribes, media reports said on Wednesday. The sentence was handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Dalian, Liaoning Province, Xinhua News Agency reported. The court ruling said that after the two-year reprieve period expires and the penalty is commuted to life imprisonment in accordance with the law, no further commutation or parole will be allowed. He was also deprived of his political rights for life, all of his personal property was confiscated, and all his illegal gains were recovered and turned over to the state treasury. The court found that between 1998 and 2023, He took undue advantage of his various positions, including those as a senior official at local tobacco monopoly agencies, as well as the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration deputy chief, to provide help for others in matters concerning business operations, project contracting, and personnel promotion and recruitment, illegally accepting money and gifts worth over 943 million yuan (about 132.6 million U.S. dollars) in return. He was also found to have abused his influence on the posts he formerly held to seek unfair benefits for others between 2014 and 2016, accepting money and gifts worth over 1.47 million yuan in return. The court ruling said the amount of bribes involved in He's crimes was particularly huge, the circumstances were especially serious, and the social impact was extremely bad, causing significant losses to the interests of the country and the people. However, part of the bribes had not been actually obtained by He, and he had been cooperative in the investigation and in returning the illegal gains, which had been recovered in full. These facts were taken into consideration when handing down the sentence. Copenhagen, May 29 : Sweden has promised Ukraine its largest military aid package to date, totalling 13.3 billion Swedish kronor (around a1.26 billion). The package is intended to strengthen Ukraine's entire air defence system, the Swedish government announced on Wednesday. The package includes aircraft and armoured personnel carriers. "Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its air defence," said Swedish Defence Minister PAl Jonson at a press conference. The package is the 16th from Sweden and about twice as large as the previous one. As part of the package, Sweden will provide two ASC 890 radar reconnaissance and command and control aircraft. Defence Minister Jonson said these currently have "the greatest impact on Ukrainian air defence" as they will complement and reinforce the promised donations of US F-16 fighter jets. In addition, the entire Swedish stock of APC 302 armoured personnel carriers will be made available to support the development of new Ukrainian army brigades. Sweden says it has so far provided 43.5 billion Swedish kronor in military aid since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sweden on X and explained that the support was crucial for Ukraine's defence and resilience. "It is also important that the Swedish aid not only saves Ukrainian lives, but also helps to ensure long-term peace and security in Europe," he wrote. --IANS/DPA int/as/arm New Delhi, May 29 : India has assumed the Chair of Colombo Process for 2024-26, for the first time since the inception of the regional consultative process of migrant worker origin countries from South and Southeast Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. Colombo Process serves as a forum for the exchange of best practices on overseas employment. Also known as the Regional Consultative Process on the Management of Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in Asia, it was established in 2003 and brings together 12 South and Southeast Asian labour-sending countries in a member state-driven, non-binding regional consultative process on migration. "Promoting safe, orderly and legal migration. India assumed the Chair of Colombo Process for 2024-26, for the first time since its inception," the MEA said in a post on X. India has been a member of the Colombo Process since its inception and has been actively participating in ministerial consultations, senior officers' meetings and meetings of the Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs). New Delhi has also contributed to various studies undertaken under this process on remittance framework, rating mechanism of recruitment agencies, social protection for migrant workers, etc. "Excited to welcome and support India as the new Chair of the Colombo Process. UN migration is committed to supporting the Colombo Process in promoting and protecting the rights of migrant workers, and facilitating safe, regular and orderly migration," said Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). --IANS int/as/vd New Delhi, May 29 : The Co-WIN portal, which helped India fight the Covid-19 pandemic, is being transformed into UWIN for the National Immunisation Programme which will aid in linking and providing immunisation records of 30 million newborns and mothers every year, followed by Anganwadi and school health records, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said on Wednesday. Speaking on the sidelines of the Plenary Session of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Chandra, Head of the Indian delegation, outlined India's advancements in digital health. India hosted a side event on digital health at the Plenary Session, which saw participation by the Quad countries (Australia, Japan and the US), to emphasise the potential of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for "addressing social determinants of health". The side event was attended by delegates from over 100 countries, highlighting collaborative efforts in advancing digital public infrastructure globally. The Union Health Secretary also highlighted Indiaas effort under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). With over 618 million Unique Health IDs (ABHA IDs) generated, 268,000 health facilities registered, and 350,000 healthcare professionals enlisted, ABDM exemplifies India's commitment to digital healthcare, he said. As part of ABDM, the government is launching the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) to transform the insurance payments ecosystem leveraging the public-private partnership built on top of the digital public infrastructure. "It will usher in the era of real-time settlements with auto adjudication of claims," said Chandra. Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India at Geneva, highlighted the country's commitment to leveraging digital technology to enhance healthcare accessibility and efficiency. At the event, Ambassador Bathsheba N. Crocker, Permanent Representative of the US; Ambassador Atsuyuki Oike, Permanent Representative of Japan, and Blair Exell, Deputy Secretary, Health Strategy, First Nations and Sport, Department of Health, Australia also shared their experiences and contributions of their respective countries to digital health. Professor Alain Labrique, Director, Digital Health & Innovation, WHO, lauded the giant leap taken by India in implementing DPI and demonstrating its ability to facilitate healthcare delivery at scale. --IANS na/vd Chennai, May 29 : Tamil Manila Congress (Moopanar) president and former Union Minister G.K. Vasan has demanded that the Tamil Nadu government facilitate the farmers by providing them loans, crop insurance and fertilisers and seeds at subsidised rates for cultivating paddy during the Kuruvai season. In a statement on Wednesday, he also asked the state government to provide power supply for three shifts a day to irrigate crops. Vasan said that generally every year the government opens the Mettur dam on June 12 which is the customary date for irrigating the short term Kuruvai paddy crop in the Cauvery delta districts of the state. However this is unlikely this year due to the shortage of water in the reservoir and this would lead to reduced cultivation of Kuruvai paddy in the delta regions. The TMC leader said that farmers in many areas of the delta districts have started cultivation expecting to use ground water and water from water bodies like lakes and ponds for irrigating the paddy crop using motor pumps. Nine arrested in UP for forcibly trying to get minor rape victim married. Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad, May 29 : An Andhra Pradesh Home Guard was arrested in Telangana on Wednesday for allegedly molesting a minor girl in a moving train from Tirupati to Kacheguda station in Hyderabad, a railway police official said. Home Guard T. Prathap, deployed at Kodur police station in Andhra Pradesh, was arrested on a complaint by the victimas father. The complainant, a resident of Hyderabad, said that he, along with his wife and 15-year-old daughter, travelled from Tirupati to Kacheguda by the Venkatadri Express (Chittoor-Kacheguda) on Tuesday. He told police that his daughter was sleeping on the side upper berth while his wife was on the side lower berth, and he noticed in the moving train that Prathap, who was in uniform, insulted the modesty of the girl by touching her private parts. The accused was also travelling ticketless. The Railway Police Kacheguda registered a case under Sections 354 of the Indian Penal Code, 9 r/w 10 of the POCSO Act, 2012, and 147 of the Railway Act. Inspector R.Yellappa of Railway Police Station, Kachiguda, arrested accused Prathap, 43, a native of Railway Kodur in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh and presently staying at Venkatreddy Nagar in Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. The accused will be produced before the court for judicial custody. Ghaziabad, May 29 : A total of 57 minors, including 31 girls and 26 boys, were rescued from a slaughterhouse in UP's Ghaziabad following a joint operation by the police and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), an official said on Wednesday. "Today, in a joint raid conducted with @NCPCR_ ) on the instructions of @Uppolice at the International Agro Food slaughterhouse of Yasin Qureshi in the Mussoorie area of Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh, 57 minors (31 girls and 26 boys, including handicapped people) have been rescued; the operation is still on. All of them were being made to slaughter animals there," NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo said in a post on X. "The number may change once other processes, including age verification of the children, are completed. Action has been taken on the complaint of Mission Mukti," he added. A senior police officer said that due to the poor economic condition of their families, these children were brought from their respective states to Ghaziabad on the pretext of providing jobs. "They (the minors) were then put to work at International Agro Foods without their prior knowledge of the nature of the work. The police are searching for the persons who brought these children from their states to initiate action against them," the officer said. According to the police, the NCPCR had received a complaint that approximately 40 children from Bihar and West Bengal were being forced to work in inhumane conditions at a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. This complaint was lodged with the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate. "Based on the information provided by the officials of the NCPCR, the police assembled a team. On Wednesday, a joint operation was conducted at International Agro Foods in Dasna. During the operation, 57 minors were safely rescued from the slaughterhouse," the officer said. International Agro Foods is involved in meat processing, freezing, and exports. The company supplies a significant amount of its products overseas. Mumbai, April 29 : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday imposed business restrictions with immediate effect on two Edelweiss Group firms -- ECL Finance Limited and Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited, citing material supervisory concerns. The RBI has directed ECL Finance Ltd (ECL) to cease and desist, with immediate effect, from undertaking any structured transactions in respect of its wholesale exposures, other than repayment and/ or closure of accounts in its normal course of business The RBI has also ordered Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (EARCL) to cease and desist from the acquisition of financial assets, including security receipts (SRs) and reorganising the existing SRs into senior and subordinate tranches. The RBI said that the action is based on material concerns observed during the course of supervisory examinations, essentially arising out of conduct of the group entities acting in concert, by entering into a series of structured transactions for evergreening stressed exposures of ECL, using the platform of EARCL and connected AIFs, thereby circumventing applicable regulations. "Incorrect valuation of SRs was also observed in both ECL and EARCL. Apart from the above, in ECL, supervisory observations included submission of incorrect details of its eligible book debts to its lenders for computation of drawing power, non-compliance with loan to value norms for lending against shares, incorrect reporting to Central Repository for Information on Large Credits system (CRILC) and non-adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines," the RBI said. ECL, by taking over loans from non-lender entities of the group for ultimate sale to the group ARC, allowed itself to be used as a conduit to circumvent regulations which permit ARCs to acquire financial assets only from banks and financial institutions, according to the RBI. In EARCL, other violations included not placing the Reserve Bank's supervisory letter issued after the previous inspection for 2021-22 before the Board, non-compliance with regulations pertaining to the settlement of loans and sharing of non-public information of its clients with group entities, the RBI said. Instead of taking meaningful remedial action to rectify the said deficiencies, it was observed that the group entities were resorting to new ways to circumvent regulations, the RBI added. Mumbai, May 29 : The equity benchmarks in India closed in deep red on Wednesday due to profit booking by investors and mixed global cues - marking a decline for three consecutive days so far this week. Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) The equity benchmarks in India closed in deep red on Wednesday due to profit booking by investors and mixed global cues a" marking a decline for three consecutive days so far this week. The Sensex was down 667 points or 0.89 per cent at 74,502, while the Nifty closed at 22,704, down 183 points or 0.80 per cent. Banking index Nifty Bank also declined by more than 1 per cent to close at 48,501, down 640 points or 1.30 per cent. The midcap and smallcap stocks performed better compared to the largecaps during the session on Wednesday. The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 52,125 points, down 169 points or 0.32 per cent. However, the Nifty Smallcap 100 index increased by 10 points or 0.06 percent to close at 16,886 points. Sector-wise, pharma and metal stocks were the major gainers, while auto, IT, PSU bank, FMCG, and realty were the major losers. The India volatility index (India VIX) closed at 24.17 points on a day when 24 out of 30 Sensex stocks closed in the red. Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, UltraTech Cement, and Axis Bank were the top losers, while Power Grid, Sun Pharma, Nestle, ITC, and IndusInd Bank were the top gainers on Wednesday. Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said: "The Bank Nifty index has demonstrated a clear shift in sentiment by opening below its support level at 49,000 and trading beneath it. It closed near its 21-day EMA at 48,400. If Bank Nifty fails to maintain above the 21-day EMA, further selling pressure may drive it down to 48,000." "Consequently, 48,400 now serves as the support level for Bank Nifty, with 49,000 acting as the new resistance level," De added. Garhshankar : , May 29 (IANS) Alleging that the Congress and its leaders love 'enemy country' Pakistan, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday came down heavily on the grand old party for its 'anti-national' policies. Addressing an election meeting in support of party candidate from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Subhash Sharma, Smriti Irani said, "A Congress leader says that Pakistani terrorists were not responsible for killing our brave policemen. "Their CM asks for proof of surgical strikes even after five years. Another senior leader says that India should be careful as Pakistan has nuclear bombs. Can anyone accept these utterances made by the Congress leaders during the election campaign?" Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani, who defeated the Congress leader in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, said that it is a matter of shame that he gave ticket to the "kingpin of the Tukde Tukde Gang Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi". Claiming that it was the Congress that divided Punjab in 1966, Smriti Irani said that now "this party (Congress) is supporting anti-national people and is hell-bent upon dividing the country", adding, "The Congress wants to see a repetition of Partition and wants our mothers, sisters, and daughters to experience the same trauma again. This is highly condemnable." While attacking the AAP government in Delhi over the alleged liquor policy scam, Irani accused Arvind Kejriwal and his team of being neck-deep in corruption. She also raised the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, terming it a blot on the face of the AAP government, particularly the Chief Minister of Delhi. Polling in all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab is scheduled for June 1. Mumbai, May 29 : With massive water scarcity hitting large parts of the state, the Maharashtra Congress leaders will embark on an inspection tour of the worst-hit regions from Friday and submit ground reports to the government, state Congress chief Nana Patole said here on Wednesday. Patole said that the drought situation in the state is so severe that in many parts people don't have even drinking water for the past two-three weeks with nearly 75 per cent of the state facing alarming water shortages. "The MahaYuti government is not concerned with the people's problems despite the critical situation. Accordingly, Congress leaders shall go on a tour of all the seriously affected areas from May 31, assess the actual ground situation, and submit reports to the respective divisional commissioners," Patole told mediapersons. Adding to the drinking water woes is the problem of insufficient fodder for livestock that has hit the farming community owing to the government's apathy and corruption, Patole claimed. "The tanker mafia is flourishing. The government says the water tankers are fitted with GPS, but the GPS is removed and fitted to motorcycles, and water doesn't reach the targeted regions or the suffering masses," Patole contended. Challenging the government's claims that the drought relief was hampered due to the model code of conduct, he pointed out that it can still be done after obtaining permission from the Election Commission of India. Top Congress leaders will start the drought impact tours in different parts of the state, meet the people, the farmers, and other affected sections, and prepare detailed reports of the respective regions, which would be followed up by another tour in early June, he said. Patole would helm the tours in the Marathwada region, Balasaheb Thorat in North Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan in Western Maharashtra, Vijay Wadettiwar and Yashomati Thakur in Vidarbha, while M. Arif Naseem Khan will tour the coastal Konkan region. Mumbai, May 29 : The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the Maharashtra government to take action against an 'illegal' orphanage operating in Mumbai where minor children are lodged in pathetic conditions, raising suspicions of religious 'conversion'. Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the Maharashtra government to take action against an aillegala orphanage operating in Mumbai where minor children are lodged in pathetic conditions, raising suspicions of religious aconversiona. NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo conducted an inspection of Daya Vihar in Malad suburb of Mumbai and submitted a report with recommendations to the Chief Secretary, Nitin Kareer. In the 10-point report with its detailed observations/recommendations, the NCPCR said that the orphanage is being run by John Chacko with his wife and daughter-in-law, who are helped by two 21-year-old orphans who had grown up at Daya Vihar. It claimed the orphanage is not registered as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the kids, around a dozen, are housed there without a clearance from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The orphanage had no records of the details of the children, including their birth certificates, Aadhaar cards, and correct age, nor was the information provided to the CWC. The NCPCR said that though most of the children were Hindus, they were allegedly made to follow Christian religion/faith practices, copies of Bible were given to them along with other Christian religious materials, raising the suspicion of religious conversion. Some of the orphans living at the facility were not being sent to school, the dormitory accommodation was filthy and stinking, a lot of food/snacks stored there were beyond expiry dates, and the children appeared unhealthy and under-nourished, the NCPCR said. Considering the gross violations on various norms, including the safety and security of the minor inmates, the NCPCR urged the state government to file a police complaint against the functionaries of Daya Vihar, and submit the FIR, Action Taken Report along with all supporting documents within 10 days. Paris, May 29 : Former French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin continued her resurgence with a straight sets upset of No.21 seed Caroline Garcia to reach the third round in women's singles for the fourth time. The 56th-ranked American had a disastrous start to 2024, winning just one of her first 11 matches. But on Wednesday, Kenin, who found her groove in style in Rome, upsetting Ons Jabeur en route to the third round, romped to a 6-3, 6-3 victory in 1 hour and 25 minutes on a rain-interrupted day in the French capital. On Court Philippe-Chatrier, Kenin delivered another cool-headed tactical performance to take out the French No.1, her third win in as many meetings with Garcia. Indeed, Kenin has yet to drop a set in their rivalry so far. Garcia fell to her fourth consecutive second-round exit at Roland Garros, and the 11th time she has lost before the third round in 14 appearances to date. Only three home players remain in the draw: Varvara Gracheva, Diane Parry and Chloe Paquet. In the pivotal fifth game of the first set, Kenin chased down a full-blast Garcia smash to land a lob precisely in the corner of the home player's court. Garcia ended that rally, and the next, with wild forehand errors to drop serve for the first time. Kenin will next face either No.9 seed and 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko or Clara Tauson as she bids to make the second week of a major for the first time since Roland Garros 2021. Read the full story on The Auto Wire Another Car Theft Ring Has Been Busted Both in the US and Canada, law enforcement have been busting fairly large car theft rings in rapid succession lately. One of the latest, and a sizable bust, comes out of Michigan. Authorities say six men they apprehended were part of an organized criminal group which has stolen over 400 vehicles worth around $8 million. A Washington man was busted for chasing after his own stolen truck. Authorities say the men, who range in age from 18 to 25, had been swiping cars from communities all over southeastern Michigan to the western part of the state. They would turn around and instead of chopping the rides sell them whole to people at below the market rate, reports ABC News. ADVERTISEMENT Unsurprisingly, these stolen vehicles would then be used in the commission of other crimes, including violent offenses like homicides and armed robberies. This is why weve been working to shine a light on the car theft problem even as others have tried dismissing it as no big deal. We also know the money generated from selling stolen cars or their parts is often used to fund drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other crimes both domestically and internationally. During the bust, police were able to recover seven stolen cars. That doesnt sound like much compared to the number which the theft ring had taken, but its something we bet the owners appreciate. In addition, police found at the scene car key fobs, burglary tools, auto parts, thousands of dollars in cash, and nine firearms. We wouldnt be surprised if the group was using VIN rebirthing to pass the stolen rides off as legitimate. Police did confirm the group was cloning key fobs for Dodge muscle cars and other high-horsepower vehicles. This follows the trend weve seen growing for years. If you own a performance or luxury ride, you should look at aftermarket security systems which prevent key cloning, as well as adding a couple of trackers to your ride. Image via CBS Detroit/YouTube Story continues Follow The Auto Wire on Google News. Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. Jaipur, May 29 : A man was killed after his head got decapitated by an electric wire hanging from a tree while he was riding a bike in Rajasthan's Pali district. The deceased has been identified Suresh Kumawat (40), a grocery merchant who was going to his in-lawas house along with his wife who was seriously injured in the incident reported from Deoli Kalan village at around 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sarpanch Ratnaram Bhana said that Suresh, a resident of Katiriya Bera, was going to his in-laws' house on his bike along with his wife Panchu Devi (38) when the electric wire fell on the couple. The wire got stuck in Suresh's neck, and his head got decapitated in the impact. A government engineer said: "At the time of the incident, there was a power shutdown as branches of trees around an electric pole were being cut. Suddenly a wire broke from the pole and fell on the bike. Taking action on the complaints of the villagers, lineman Rajuram Solanki has been suspended." A compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been announced for the deceased's family by the electricity department. New Delhi, May 29 : A one-of-its kind 'Hamar Kashi, Hamar Vikas' was organised at Varanasi's NaMo ghat on Wednesday to motivate the locals and seek their participation and contribution in the 'Viksit Kashi' dream and also in the shared vision for developed India. More than 1,500 participants, including more than 50 senior artists, art faculty, art students, professionals, first-time voters, women, and general attendees, came together to show their support for the initiative. The workshop with the theme "Hamar Kashai Hamar Vikas" saw senior artists painting on easels and canvases, art faculty and students working on long-running canvas. The event also featured a diverse array of folk artists from Varanasi, including dancers, musicians, potters, and sculptors, who showcased their unique talents. Their art not only captured the essence of Viksit Kashi but also promoted the "Vocal for Local" initiative, highlighting the rich cultural heritage and local craftsmanship of the region. The participants, enamoured with the vibrant program, pledged to contribute to the vision of Viksit Kashi through their artistic skills. Many of the participants spoke to IANS and shed light on the importance and the reason behind such a workshop. Harsh Vardhan Sharma, a retired professor from Jammu said that the event provided a platform to the artists to showcase their vision of Viksit Bharat and how they could enthuse and encourage the younger lot and instil in them a curiosity and desire to work towards 'Viksit Kashi and Viksit Bharat'. "Many local artistes participated in the workshop and shared their experience of changes and transformation of their city by drawing painting on the canvas," he said. Claiming that he has been a regular visitor to Varanasi for the past 35 years, he said that never before he saw the city shining bright with such cleanliness and hygiene and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led dispensation for the same. "Earlier, Indians looked at the Western world with awe and astonishment, but today, the global powers are looking up to Bharat. This is just the beginning of Bharat's rise," he said. Adwait Gannayak, one of the organisers said that more than 7,000 artistes are likely to accumulate to showcase their vision of Viksit Bharat via their artworks. He said that the purpose behind the event was to combine the strengths of traditional and contemporary artists and create a framework for robust growth, and added that Kashi will become the key centre of Vishwaguru, the role that the country has envisaged for itself and set to achieve in the near future. The lively ambience at Namo Ghat and the active participation of artists and attendees indeed made for an impactful event on the journey towards Viksit Kashi. Panaji, May 29 : Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said on Wednesday that the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the economy of the state which has become a world-famous tourist destination because of its extraordinary beauty. Extending his greetings on the eve of Goa Statehood Day (May 30), Pillai said, "Achieving statehood in 1987 was a milestone in the journey to maintain Goa's distinct heritage. The tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the Goan economy. "Goa is renowned the world over as a top tourist destination. It is endowed with rich flora and fauna. Besides, the state also has a vibrant culture and heritage. Further, the people of Goa are friendly and peace-loving. This combined with Goa's extraordinary beauty has made it a world-famous tourist destination." "On this joyous occasion, let us pay tributes to the countless Goans who have worked tirelessly to shape the state's destiny. I would like to tell them that the people of Goa will forever remain grateful to them and continue to acknowledge and recognise their struggle for achieving statehood," he added. The Governor also said that over the years, Goa has transformed into a vibrant and progressive state, contributing significantly to the socio-economic fabric of the nation. "The resilience and hard work of the people of Goa have turned challenges into opportunities, making it a shining example of development and prosperity," Pillai said. The Governor also urged the people of Goa to work with renewed vision, cooperation, and commitment to make Goa the most modern and progressive state in India, and thereby contribute to the national mainstream in every possible way. Itanagar, May 29 : The body of a teenage girl, who drowned in the Dikrong river in Arunachal Pradesh's Papum Pare district four days back, was fished out on Wednesday, officials said. Itanagar, May 29 (IANS) The body of a teenage girl, who drowned in the Dikrong river in Arunachal Pradeshas Papum Pare district four days back, was fished out on Wednesday, officials said. An official said that 14-year-old Biki Rachal had drowned in the river near the Khula Camp on May 26 after she went there for bathing. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel deployed a 24-member team soon after the authority asked it to locate the girl. The NDRF team recovered the body of the girl near Dahghariya village, about 45 km downstream from the site of drowning. Honiara : , May 29 (IANS) The Solomon Islands National University (SINU) on Wednesday thanked India for its "generous contribution" of donating Tata buses to the southwestern Pacific Ocean nation, saying it will significantly enhance the mobility and accessibility for its staff and students across three campuses. Last year, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted 20 Tata buses worth $1 million for use by the National Hosting Authority during the Pacific Games for transporting sporting contingents from camps to games venues. On Wednesday, the country's Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele handed over the buses to various organisations - including educational institutions, city council, and local police force - in a ceremony held at the National Stadium. Solomon Islands National University received three Tata buses, which can carry 31 passengers and have handles for additional passengers. "This generous contribution from the Government of India, facilitated by the Solomon Islands Government and the National Hosting Authority, exemplifies the lasting positive impact of the Pacific Games. These buses will not only improve our daily operations but also foster a greater sense of unity and convenience within our University community," said SINU Vice Chancellor Transform Aqorau. India's warm gesture has been appreciated by the Manele government which considers it as yet another symbol of friendship between the two nations and their shared commitment to address common goals. "Felicitations to SINU for making best use of the made-in-India Tata Motors buses. This is a testament to the warm bilateral ties between India and Solomon Islands and our development partnership in education, capacity-building," the High Commission of India in Papua New Guinea posted on X. Patna, May 29 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday that the Congress will become extinct in the next 10 years and its countdown has begun. While addressing a rally in Bikramganj of Karakat parliamentary constituency, the Defence Minister said, "In the next 10 years, children will be taught that Congress was also a political party. Just like dinosaurs disappeared from the world, the name and symbol of Congress will also disappear." Rajnath Singh also targeted the INDIA bloc while supporting NDA candidate Upendra Kushwaha. He also launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief (RJD) Lalu Prasad and said: "The light of the lantern has started dimming now. This shows that the oil of the lantern has run out. The condition of RJD is also becoming like Congress." The voting on the Karakat Lok Sabha election will be held in the seventh phase on June 1 where the NDA has fielded Upendra Kushwaha while the Opposition Grand Alliance has fielded Rajaram Singh Kushwaha, who is contesting on a CPI-ML ticket. The entry of Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh has made the contest triangular from this constituency. Hyderabad, May 30 : Hyderabad Police on Wednesday arrested a man who allegedly made a call about a bomb being planted in Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Praja Bhavan and Nampally Court. Shiva Kumar, a resident of Chikkadpally area in the city, was taken into custody after police traced the caller. The accused had called the police control room that a bomb would go off soon at Praja Bhavan. Police teams including dog squads and bomb disposal squads thoroughly checked the building, which is the official residence of Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. It turned out to be a hoax call. The police control room had received another call from the same mobile number about a bomb being planted in Nampally Court. Police had conducted checks at the court building. The accused had switched off the phone after making the two calls. Police launched an investigation and on Wednesday identified the caller. The accused reportedly told police that he made the calls in an inebriated condition after a fight with his wife. He was previously involved in a bike theft case. The police were conducting further investigation. New Delhi, May 29 : A 38-year-old woman, who disguised herself as a courier agent to rob her neighbour, was arrested in Delhi's Dwarka area, the police said, adding that she was employed in the Civil Defence department but was currently unemployed. The police have also recovered a courier bag, one toy gun, hand gloves, two ropes, one bag, and a helmet used in committing the crime from her possession. According to the police, on May 23, a complaint was received at the Chhawla police station at around 11:30 a.m. regarding an attempted robbery. The victim reported that while she was at home, a person disguised as a courier agent arrived and requested a pen to sign the delivery paper. As the victim went inside her house to fetch the pen, the accused followed her and suddenly grabbed her. "The attacker began striking her multiple times with a toy pistol, causing her face to bleed. The attacker had covered her face with a towel, wore a helmet, and had gloves on. The victim started shouting for help, which prompted neighbours to arrive, causing the assailant to flee the scene," said a senior police officer. The police team collected intelligence and reviewed CCTV footage from Somesh Vihar to Chhawla to identify the suspect. "However, on May 24, a police team received information that the criminal was hiding in a vacant house in Somesh Vihar. Based on the CCTV footage, the accused, Rekha, was arrested," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh. During questioning, Rekha revealed that she had previously worked in the Civil Defence department but was unemployed and struggling to manage her household expenses and rent. To earn money quickly, she devised a plan to rob her wealthy neighbour, Chandra Kanta, who lived alone during the day. Rekha planned to murder Chandra Kanta and steal a significant amount of money and jewellery. On May 23, Rekha disguised herself as a courier agent, covering her face and head with a cloth and helmet. "She (Rekha) arrived at Chandra Kanta's house around 11 a.m. and rang the doorbell. When Chandra Kanta opened the door, Rekha asked for a pen. As Chandra Kanta went inside her house to get the pen, Rekha followed her and started hitting her several times with the toy pistol," the DCP added. Chandra Kanta screamed for help, causing Rekha to flee, fearing being caught. "Rekha then hid in a vacant house, changed her dress on the stairs of a neighbouring house, and left the items used in the crime there before returning home," the DCP said. Later, she returned to Chandra Kanta's house, mingled with the people, and gathered information about the incident to avoid suspicion. "Rekha confessed that she committed the crime to manage her household expenses by robbing her wealthy neighbour, Chandra Kanta, who lived alone during the day," the DCP added. Pushkin Press, the London-based publisher specializing in literature in translation, has acquired New Hampshirebased narrative nonfiction publisher Steerforth Press and its sister company, Hanover Publisher Services. The two companies will be merged into Steerforth Press and Services starting this July. Steerforth Press cofounder Chip Fleischer will remain at the publisher as a senior editor, acquiring six to eight new nonfiction titles per year. The three companies have maintained a relationship since 2014, when Hanover, which launched the year prior as a subcontractor offering small presses access to distribution through Penguin Random House Publishers Services, began distributing Pushkin in the U.S. Steerforth Press and Services will continue to distribute Brooklyn-based Archipelago Books and New Delhi, Indiabased Campfire Graphic Novels to the trade. Zandra Rose has joined that team as associate manager for marketing and publicity, and a publicist to helm Pushkin and Steerforth campaigns in North America will be announced in the coming days. Noting the two companies' 10-year history of working together, Fleischer said that, from a strategic standpoint, the mix of assets, relationships, and editorial programs "could not be a more perfect fit." Pushkin Press publisher Adam Freudenheim agreed, calling it a natural step to acquire Steerforth and Hanover and noting that the prior partnership between the publishers led to Pushkins North American sales increasing yearly. Chip is a terrific editor of nonfiction, and Im delighted hes agreed to stay on in this capacity to grow and develop the Steerforth list, Freudenheim added. Pushkins publishing has gone from strength to strength in recent years, across all our imprints, making it the perfect moment to focus more effort and energy here in this market, particularly on marketing and publicity. Steerforth, which has about 75 active titles, was launched in 1994, and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. While its backlist features works of fiction and poetry, the current program focuses exclusively on narrative nonfiction. Steerforths bestselling title is I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, the inspiration for Martin Scorseses 2019 film The Irishman. Forthcoming titles include Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy by Francis S. Barry, to be released on June 4, and Mississippi Swindle: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America by Shad White, coming in August. With its Steerforth purchase, Pushkin, which was founded in 1997 and publishes a wide array of books for adults and children, will increase marketing and publicity efforts for its U.S. publishing program, including new social media channels. Upcoming new releases include Service by Sarah Gilmartin, an Indie Next List selection publishing on June 4; The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi; and The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Futaro Yamada. In 2022, Pushkin won Independent Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards. If Donald Trump is reelected, Elon Musk could have a new entry on his resume. Getty Images Elon Musk and Donald Trump have discussed a role for him in the White House, the WSJ reported. Musk and Trump have had a hot-and-cold relationship over the years. In March, Musk said the US was in need of a "red wave." There's a chance Elon Musk could be spending more time at the White House if former President Donald Trump ends up back in office. The pair have been discussing an advisory role for Musk if Trump wins the 2024 election, The Wall Street Journal reported. Although the title and details of the role are unclear, people familiar with the topic told the Journal that the two discussed ways to give Musk input on border-security and economic policies. Still, the position hasn't been fully discussed and might not happen, the sources say. ADVERTISEMENT Despite his differences with Trump over the past two years, the Journal reported that Musk is privately campaigning his wealthy peers to pull back their support for Joe Biden. It also said Musk was working with the billionaire investor Nelson Peltz on a plan to invest in a project the two say could prevent voter fraud using data to make sure votes are fairly counted. Musk has been open about his views on the Biden administration in recent months. In March, the Tesla CEO said on X that he used to vote "100% Dem until a few years ago." "Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast," Musk added in the post. He said in the same month that he had no plans to donate to Trump or Biden. But before that, his biographer Walter Isaacson wrote in "Elon Musk" that the billionaire had said: "Trump might be one of the world's best bullshitters." Musk has not committed to endorsing Trump, the Journal said. Still, the outlet said, Musk and Trump have been dining together and discussing issues such as immigration, tech, and the United States Space Force. "President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency," Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told the Journal. Elon Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider Publishing veteran Ralph Woodward, who, over his more than 50-year career in book publishing, held senior sales and marketing roles at Knopf and Little, Brown, among others, died on May 20. He was 94. Woodward was born on March 19, 1930, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up on Cape Cod in Truro, Mass. He graduated from Princeton in 1951, and soon after joined G.P. Putnam's Sons, where he spent two years learning about the publishing business, from copywriting to sales. He then joined Doubleday as a sales rep for the Southeast. He would meet his first wife, Betty Southgate, at a Nashville bookstore. The pair married in 1955. In 1957, Woodward was hired as a Midwest sales rep at Knopf on a recommendation to Pat Knopf from a colleague. Two years later, he was appointed advertising manager. In this role, he worked on John Updike's debut novel Rabbit, Run, and wrote the ad for the novel's announcement in the New York Timesa feat his daughter, Beth Martin of Northeast Publishers Reps, called "one of his personal favorite achievements." After Knopf, Woodward had a brief stint at Meredith Press, where he served as sales manager and ultimately became managing director. He was then hired by Little, Brown as general manager of the children's book division, a role in which he was responsible for introducing a series of books based on Sesame Street. He went on to become marketing director at Little, Brown, supervising advertising, promotion, and sales for many noted authors. In 1974, Woodward changed course, starting a career as an independent commission rep: with New England Books & Arts and, later, Consolino and Woodward, he worked with more than 40 publishers as a New England rep until he retired in 1996. He also published a book, New England: Off the Beaten Path (East Woods Press), co-written with his second wife Corrine Madden Ross, in 1981. After his retirement, Ralph continued as a sales and marketing consultant to many independent publishers. He served on the board of the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA), organizing its first trade show, and was a founder of the National Association of Independent Publishers Representatives (NAIPR). Woodward is survived by his children, Beth Martin, Cleveland, and Donald; two granddaughters, Steffany and Kristen Martin; and two grandsons, Christopher and John Woodward. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Minuteman ARC or your local independent bookstore. Property details: WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL ELKO COUNTY NEVADA NOW PRESENTING .91 MAGICAL ACRES WITH INCREDIBLE EAST HUMBOLDT RANGE VIEWS....... LOCATED IN QUIET DEETH WITH ROAD AND GORGEOUS 360 DEGREE MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY FLOOR VIEWS..... ACTUAL PICTURES OF PROPERTY TAKEN IN MAY 2024. YEAR-ROUND WATER EVERYWHERE IN AREA!! HIGHEST ACCEPTED OFFER WINS ~ TAKES ALL!! THIS IS BIG GAME COUNTRY ~ HIGHLY DESIRABLE HUNTING ZONE SUPER RARE HUGE .91 ACRE RANCH WITH VIEWSTHE IN HEART OF NEVADA LOCATED NEAR THE TOWERING RUBY MOUNT... Price: $ 4,295 Seller State of Residence: Nevada Type: Homesite, Lot Property Address: DEETH Zoning: Mixed City: ELKO State/Province: Nevada Location: , Nevada You will be redirected to eBay When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Nearby Nevada Tenley Molzahn / Instagram By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/28/2024 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. The Bachelor alum Tenley Molzahn has given birth to her second child with husband Taylor Leopold.Tenley took to Instagram this past weekend and shared a photo of herself holding her new baby in the hospital followed by a black-and-white image that read, "She's here! Born May 23, 2024 at 9:48 p.m."The Bachelor alum captioned her post, "We have a beautiful and healthy baby girl in our arms! More to come!!!"The 39-year-old mom's upload also included a reel featuring audio of her newborn baby crying.Tenley announced she was pregnant with Baby No. 2 in November 2023."Surprise!!!! A second Leopold baby is on the way, due in May 2024! Looks like I might have a birthday buddy!" Tenley wrote via Instagram on November 12."We couldn't be more excited and so relieved to finally share this special news with all of you & include you the rest of the way! Rell is beyond excited to be a big sister!"Tenley's first child, three-year-old daughter Rell, was born on September 20, 2020 On Mother's Day earlier this month, Tenley posted a sweet message to her daughter on social media, writing, "You made me mama. The greatest privilege of my life. You have unraveled me & rebuilt me into what I think is the best version of who God intended for me to be.""And soon we will both have another new adventure ahead together as you become big sis," she continued, "[and] I am rebuilt again learning to be a mother of 2. Thank you Taylor, for these precious gifts you've given me that make me 'mama.'"And then on November 13, Tenley posted a video of Rell running on the beach while holding sonogram images. In the video, Tenley's baby bump was on full display."I couldn't not share these sweet memories in motion... I'll definitely share more about when we knew we were finally ready to open up the door to start trying. The biggest nudge, we were ALL ready," Tenley wrote."Feeling the baby fever over here. And we all already love this little baby down to its little bones."Tenley announced she was expecting her first child in March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.Tenley shared her big news on Instagram at the time by posting three photos with Taylor that showed off her small baby bump."We can't hold this magical little secret in anymore!! Baby Leopold will be joining us in September!" Tenley captioned the slideshow, which featured Tenley looking gorgeous in a long, white dress as well as a strip of ultrasound photos."We've already been having a ton of fun with our little sidekick joining us on memorable worldwide adventures, and now keeping us hopeful in 'Quarantine life.'"Tenley continued by writing, "We pray that this special bit of news brings a little bit of joy & hope during a time of chaos and uncertainty our world is facing right now. And to any longing, & hopeful hearts, our hearts are with you, and prayers are for you. God's plans are always greater than we can ever imagine! Ephesians 3:20."As for Taylor, he wrote on his own Instagram account that he was "super excited to bring a quarentennial into this world!!"He gushed, "Baby Leopold coming in hot!!! Beyond excited to enter this stage of life with the most wonderful person @tenleymolzahn. I too have been growing, I'm up 6 lbs 10 oz."Tenley and her husband announced they had a baby girl on the way in May 2020.Tenley and Taylor got engaged in January 2018 after two years of dating and wasted no time tying the knot . They enjoyed a wedding ceremony in April 2018 right outside of San Diego, CA.Tenley had met the love of her life through a mutual friend who attended the same church as Taylor.After dating the product-line manager for a sandal company for only three weeks, Tenley gushed about how she was "going to marry him."The Bachelor alum revealed she was dating a new guy -- and that she was "crazy" about him -- in early February 2016.Tenley told Us Weekly of her "gorgeous" Taylor at the time, "His smile is just contagious. He's amazing, his heart is what got me. I had the best first date of my life with him and in that minute of just meeting him, I knew there was something really special about him."Taylor was apparently unaware of Tenley's reality TV past when they began dating, which she saw as a big bonus."I think it's strange for him. He didn't know me from The Bachelor, which is really really cool," Tenley told Us at the time, adding that her man had no interest in watching old episodes of the ABC reality dating series.Tenley initially vied for Jake Pavelka 's heart on Season 14 of The Bachelor and finished as the runner-up After competing on Bachelor Pad's first season and experiencing traumatic heartbreak from her 2014 split with longtime boyfriend Kiptyn Locke , Tenley decided to put herself out there again and join the second-season cast of .The city girl fell in love with former The Bachelorette suitor Joshua Albers in Paradise; however, she didn't think she could make a long-distance relationship work with him. Due to their different lifestyles, Tenley called it quits with the Idaho welder on the last day of filming."I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever done. I'm proud of myself and what I've learned and gained from it," Tenley previously told the magazine.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group It is time the political leaderships in this country arrived at a common ground over issues of foreign and security policy concerns. There has to be a greater communication between the government and the Opposition leaderships for the nation to present a unified face against the rest of the world, advises N Sathiya Moorthy. IMAGE: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra D Modi during an election meeting at Dwarka in New Delhi, May 22, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo It is no more a one-off affair. Team Modi's persistent references to neighbouring nations as part of the high-pitched campaign in the ongoing parliamentary elections has the potential to leave behind permanent injuries and deep scars in bilateral and multilateral relations. This is also because India-watching is both an occupation and past-time for almost every individual in every neighbouring nation, apart from their elected government leaderships, permanent establishments, policy-makers and strategic community. There is not as much neighbourhood-watching in the Indian establishment, maybe outside of the diplomatic corps assigned to specific nations in the past and present. Then there is a veteran community of strategic analysts, whose pre-occupation is not certainly with individual or a collective of neighbourhood nations but an X-factor. It was the US during the Cold War and China since. Unlike the US, China in the post-Cold War era is a legacy issue that comes with its own set of regional complications. Like successive governments, this section of the strategic community too has assigned a geo-strategic role for China than may be required from a purely Indian context. It may have begun with then defence minister George Fernandes declaring that the Pokhran-II nuclear test was aimed at offsetting China, and not Pakistan. Since then, however, the depth and width of Indian perception of China as a geo-strategic threat has only widened and deepened. The unprovoked Galwan attack and the crude and cruel killing of 20 Indian soldiers has failed to re-focus bilateral attention to the issues at hand, with result talks on Chinese troops' withdrawal has at best been slow and staggered. Against this background, poll-time statements by the Indian leadership, taunting the domestic Congress rival in particular, will have long-term political and diplomatic consequences. In each of these instances, as and when diplomats from India confer with their counterparts from individual nations, there will be those who could and would remember the past, which is current now, and recall it at mutually inconvenient times and in specifically embarrassing ways. Of immediate concern are the successive attacks on the ruling Congress at the Centre and the DMK in southern Tamil Nadu on the 'Katchchatheevu issue' involving the Sri Lankan ocean neighbour. As Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry pointed out, New Delhi did not take up the issue with Colombo, hence there was nothing for the latter to comment upon. It may -- or, may not -- remain so in the future, especially if there is a change of government or even change of foreign minister in the future, near or afar. For the present, barring a few social media activists, no mainline political party or leader in Sri Lanka has responded to Prime Minister Narendra D Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, et al, attacking domestic electoral rivals in the Congress and DMK, who are allies in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. But when the issue is about negotiations of the tricky 'fishing dispute' between the two countries, issues like the domestic one on Katchchatheevu could have its reflections even in official-level talks. In turn, this could have consequences as even Sri Lankan Tamil fishers, and their non-fisher politicos want alleged infringements by Indian fishermen across the mutually-agreed upon IMBL banned through severe penalties. If and when the IMBL, or international maritime boundary line, is the issue, then Katchchatheevu comes into the picture. IMAGE: Indian Coast Guard repatriates Sri Lankan fishing boats at the India-Sri Lanka maritime border. Photograph: ANI Photo While talking about domestic preoccupation with India in individual neighbourhood nations, public opinion in these nations have a tendency to influence policy-decisions much more than in a large and diversified country like India. This has consequences. As and when a party that perceives New Delhi as backing an elected regime in their country comes to power after a break, they tend to view India as being against them. The same view gets reciprocated in India, too. Thus, in Bangladesh, domestic political rivals have identified the ruling Awami League of multi-term Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as 'India's favourite'. In Nepal, it is the 'Nepali Congress' and so on. In tiny Maldives, where President Mohamed Muizzu won electoral power last year and whose PNC-PPM coalition swept the parliamentary elections last month, at least some of the avoidable misunderstanding with India flowed from the ruling combine's belief that New Delhi favoured defeated predecessor Ibrahim Solih and his MDP. There was/is of course the larger 'China factor' in each of these nations. India is neither able to counter this effectively, nor are host governments under the so-called 'anti-India' regimes been able to convince New Delhi, otherwise. Such perceptions lead to avoidable situations, as happened in Sri Lanka, when after losing elected power in January 2015, two-term president Mahinda Rajapaksa went on record that India worked with the US and the rest of the West in effecting a 'regime change'. What Rajapaksa did not say, but what possibly his political strategists did not forget was the advanced congratulations that Modi offered him for re-election, while commencing his speech at the Kathmandu SAARC summit only weeks earlier in November 2014. In common neighbour Maldives, then president Abdulla Yameen saw India's February 2018 criticism of internal emergency after that country's supreme court freed self-exiled predecessor Mohammed Nasheed through a controversial order as 'interference in internal affairs'. Yes, it has not reached those levels, nor is most likely to reach it, but Indian political class needs to understand and acknowledge that decades of anti-India politics addressing competing domestic constituencies was the main reason for Pakistan's military, political and economic downfall. After a time, it was based on the self-defeating premise that the India-centric 'Kashmir issue' and competitive politics and military growth alone were the only way to keep Pakistan together as a 'united country'. India is nowhere near it, nor can it be imagined to be so even in the distant future. But excessive fallback on foreign policy issues in domestic politics would still come with its package. Though it was not to the same levels as the 'Bangladesh War' victory for then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1971, the post-Pulwama 'surgical strike' inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir helped in Modi's political image-building at the time. Today, given their nation's economic plight, many Pakistanis are openly criticising their governments and the political class for it all, comparing their nation's failures with India's all-round achievement. Hidden behind their continual praise for the one-time hated Indian neighbour is the acknowledged realisation that constantly comparing and competing with India on everything from sugar production to nuclear weaponry over the past decades was blatantly wrong. India and Indians may have a lesson in it. There is an all-round temptation among many Indians, experts, politicians and common people, to compare everything with China, going beyond non-comparable sizes of geography and economy. Comparing with China what India could not design and manufacture from defence equipment on, they celebrate when New Delhi procures from other sources. 'Licence to manufacture' those machines and machine guns in India seems to be their password to self-reliance and military preparedness. Even Modi's 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' slogans were/are only a reflection of that kind of mindset, devoid of as much merit as is being attributed to it, or assumed to be. In comparison, the Modi government's decision to defy the US friend's sanctions regime and procuring cheap oil from Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine War is a self-centric decision that needs to be commended. So should be the more recent decision for New Delhi to take over the management of Chabahar port in Iran, again defying threat of US sanctions, is what the strength of Indian foreign policy is all about -- and where it should also stop. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assesses the security situation in Ladakh. Photograph: ANI Photo India has inherent potential for growth that had made the country the 'jewel in the crown' that the rest of the world looked up to in a distant past and made someone covet it, too, and literally so. But over-playing the foreign policy card one way or the other does not take any nation too far. India found it out to its own utter embarrassment, to the point of harassment, under the Modi regime, too, as in the past -- but no one wants to remind himself as much as they want to remind others about the failed Nehruvian days of 'Indi-Chini bhai, bhai'. Modi's unscheduled visit to Lahore to greet then Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday produced as much impact as another BJP PM in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 'Lahore bus-trip' did in the nineties. At least this time, there is no equivalent of the Kargil War. Some of it could be attributed to the weakened economy in that country, hence the limited elbow-room for the army generals. The other might have also had to do with the 'surgical strikes', whose unexpectedness demoralised the Pakistani psyche as none else since the Bangladesh War and the Kargil War. The same could be said of Modi's two informal summits with China's Xi Jinping at Wuhan and Mahabalipuram. In this case, Galwan followed. That the political Opposition in the country did not embarrass the PM and the ruling party then, or since, as much as they have been doing it the other way round, going all the way back to Independence and Jawaharlal Nehru's longish term as prime minister, is noticeable and notable. Yet, the Congress leadership, comprising both Rahul Gandhi and Mallikharjun Kharge, has lately been taking pot-shots at government leadership on the land they claimed China had 'occupied' since around Galwan. What they say however is not as much as fellow BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has been tweeting for months and maybe years now -- only that he too is not getting the kind of media space as his sensitive disclosures had done in another era. IMAGE: Indian and Chinese troops and tanks disengage from the banks of the Pangong lake area in Eastern Ladakh where they had been deployed opposite each other for several months. Photograph: PTI Photo from the Rediff Archives For all this, however, it is time the political leaderships in this country arrived at a common ground over issues of foreign and security policy concerns. Even on allegations of human rights violations involving Indian security agencies, there has to be a greater communication between the government and the Opposition leaderships for the nation to present a unified face against the rest of the world, especially the self-indulgent West. Today, however, Western governments and their media have been specifically targeting the Indian leadership, both on democracy nearer home and 'intelligence interference' in such nations like Canada. The political Opposition is unable to defend the government on the latter, and may be unwilling to do so even if briefed on the official position. However, indications are that no such information sharing is happening under this government as used to be the case, whoever was in power at the Centre and whoever was in the Opposition. This reportedly continued through the era when the ruling BJP was targeting a stronger Congress (than at present, that is) on the 'foreigners issue' involving party president Sonia Gandhi, in 1998, 1999 and 2004. In the first two, political stability became the touchstone of electoral politics after the disastrous post-poll United Front experiment/experience under prime ministers H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral, and the Vajpayee-Advani duo won convincingly. It was a different game in 2004, when Sonia Gandhi's 'Aam Aadmi' swept away the 'foreigners issue'. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com 'We were activists when we were students. It was as students that we were propelled to fight for justice. Neither of us regret that.' 'Where the country is now, more and more people should become vocal.' IMAGE: Banojyotsna Lahiri and Umar Khalid in happier times. Photograph: Kind courtesy Banojyotsna Lahiri On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, a trial court in Delhi rejected Dr Umar Khalid's bail. This is the third rejection since the fiery student leader was put behind bars on charges of having conspired to plan the February 2020 Delhi riots. In September, Umar will complete four years in jail. Banojyotsna Lahiri, a researcher in Delhi and his partner since 2013, tells Jyoti Punwani what these years have been like for her, and why, despite the latest disappointment, she doesn't lose hope. You must be disappointed by Tuesday's bail rejection. Or, were you expecting it, considering this was the trial court? Well, yes, it is the lower court. The Chief Justice himself recently observed that trial courts are 'increasingly reluctant to entertain matters concerning personal liberty.' Specially when the charge is UAPA, lower courts have not taken strong decisions. But nonetheless, today's rejection was disappointing. Because we expect that some court will see through this false case. Also, we must remember that Umar was slapped with two cases, and it was the lower court that discharged him from one of them. So we did get half-way justice earlier from the trial court. When Umar's lawyers withdrew his bail application from the Supreme Court in February, it meant going back and starting from scratch. So you must have been prepared for the long haul. We can't afford not be prepared. We have to accept that we're in it for the long haul. When Umar was arrested in September 2020, did you think he would be behind bars for so long? No, of course not. I knew that a UAPA case usually stretched out for a long time with no trial, and that bail is usually denied. But I had thought he'll be out in a couple of years; the courts would see through the absurd charges. But it's been four years and the trial has not even begun, this is too much. Did there ever come a point when you told yourself: 'Ok, now he's not coming out for a long time.' When the (Delhi) high court denied him bail in October 2022. That was really a big disappointment. Specially because the same high court had given a different verdict just a year ago in the very same case. That order had granted bail to Umar's co-accused. That judgment had come from a bench which had one of the two judges hearing Umar's bail petition. There, the judges had pointed out the difference between the right to protest and terrorist activity. But in Umar's bail order, the same judge was signing on something that defeated his own reasoning! It was difficult to understand and I was very very disappointed. (Delhi high court judges Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar dismissed Umar Khalid's bail petition in October 2022. In June 2021, Justice Mridul and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambani had granted bail to Umar's co-accused Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Tanha.) Which was the worst period for you? Last year, May 2023 onwards in the Supreme Court. In the lower court, things were happening. First the Covid lockdown was there, courts were not functioning. Even the judge got hospitalised. After that hearings started, we were arguing. In the high court too, we were arguing. The high court didn't take extraordinarily long to hear Umar's bail petition. It was in the Supreme Court, after we applied for bail in May 2023, till we gave up and withdrew our petition in February 2024 -- that entire time was the worst. The judges would come and just give another date. We were hopping from one Bench to another. Nothing was coming out of it, it was torturous. At times like that, or today, when his bail has once again been rejected, do you cheer him up or does he cheer you up? He cheers me up more than I cheer him. Is that because he is more resilient or does he put on a mask for your sake? I believe it is a little bit of both. I can understand why he does so. They want us to give up and become hopeless. If we do that, what was the point of our struggle? They want to crush our spirit and silence us, and through us, silence others. But by losing hope, we will be doing exactly what they want. Yet, you do get depressed. Yes, I tend to feel very low. That's because we are free, we've got all the freedom we want. I want him to be part of that life. I don't want him to be incarcerated. Do you also cheer up his family? His family takes good care of me. Actually we keep checking on each other. They are very strong, both his parents. How often do you get to meet Umar? Can you talk to him freely in jail, in court? We meet in Tihar jail once a week. There is no interference, we can talk freely, separated, of course, by a glass partition. In court, we are allowed to meet, but not for very long. Sometimes the court grants us permission to meet in the court lock up. They do allow us to meet in the court room too, but it's for not more than 2 to 5 minutes. When he was first arrested in 2016, right until now, you've been in and out of courts. Did you know the functioning of the law, the justice system then? No, I didn't. When he was charged with sedition in 2016, I didn't know what was Section 124 A. Why would a common person know these sections? Now I know Section 43B of the UAPA and all the relevant provisions of the Act. I've become a lawyer myself! What of the police? What have you learnt about them? With the police, it's been a mixed experience. The Delhi police is the reason we've had to suffer. It is the Delhi police special cell that filed this fictitious chargesheet against Umar and the others, charging them with planning the Delhi riots, when it was actually the Delhi police who played an active role in the riots. They were caught on camera stamping on dying people. Yet, at the same time, I've seen another side of the same police. There was an assassination attempt on Umar in 2018, after which he was given security by the government. Those were Delhi police constables. They took care of him, they really defended him, they would fight with others for him. They were really nice. So I have to admit that I can't condemn the entire Delhi police. There are very good human beings in the same force. Are they kind to you in court? In the beginning, hundreds of policemen would escort Umar and his co-accused. The entire area would be cordoned off by gun-toting policemen, Everyone would be kept away, no one was allowed inside the court. But gradually, even they got tired of this drama. Now, it's like a normal courtroom, we can all enter it. Sometimes they are friendly with us, sometimes very khadoos/ You've seen the working of the court now from close quarters. What do you think about them? I cannot give up hope in the judiciary. They have passed some very good orders in these four years -- for example, the orders granting bail to Vernon Gonsalves, Shoma Sen (in the Bhima Koregaon case). Those orders have also come from the same judiciary. Maybe they've come after a delay of 5 years, but we know that things work slowly in court. Then there were the lower court orders granting Umar bail and finally a discharge in December 2022 in the other riots case, where he was accused of stone-pelting. The discharge order was so well-articulated. So I can never give up on hope in the judiciary. 'Her fearlessness was inspirational,' Umar IMAGE: Umar Khalid, right, with Gauri Lankesh, who was murdered in September 2017, and Kanhaiya Kumar, who is now the Congress candidate from the Delhi North East Lok Sabha constituency.'Her fearlessness was inspirational,' Umar told Rediff.com after Gauri's murder. Photograph: Rediff.com Archives Have you suffered because of your association with Umar Khalid at your workplace, your neighbourhood, your acquaintances and family? My colleagues at my workplace are very cooperative. I've worked in three places over these years, and everywhere, they've been very sympathetic. My family is from Bengal so they are progressive. As for my neighbours -- I stay in a Muslim area. While I don't go around advertising my relationship with Umar, there are a few who know about it and they show their solidarity. Do you think Umar has been targeted because he is Muslim? Yes. In 2016 when he was arrested (along with JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly organising an event in memory of Afzal Guru and shouting 'anti-national' slogans), the media stereotyped him because of his Muslim identity. While all communities protested against the CAA, the law itself was targeted against Muslims; the ruling class made no bones about that. Then the narrative was spun that those behind the CAA protests also organised the riots. So yes, his Muslim identity has a lot to do with why he remains behind bars. Do you sometimes feel that both of you should have remained students, instead of becoming activists, considering all that you have faced? We were activists when we were students. It was as students that we were propelled to fight for justice. Neither of us regret that. Where the country is now, more and more people should become vocal. In fact, a lot of people have become activists now, they are speaking out. But you paid a heavy price for your activism. Had the CAA been passed at that time, without any resistance, that would have been a heavier price to pay. "As there happened to be a volume of Du Fu's poetry on the table, I selected one suitable couplet for inscription on each of my landscapes," wrote Wang Jian, a much celebrated painter living in 17th-century China, on the final page of an album of pictures he painted for a longtime friend. Wang also wrote that he had genuinely enjoyed the friendship since the days "when we were young and vigorous". For Joseph Dolberg, an expert on ancient Chinese painting from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painted album, with each page in the style of an old master who had come before Wang, is a priceless item of art. It is also a testament to the friendship between two deeply cultured men who shared not only a passion for art, but also pain and suffering. Moreover, it provides a partial understanding of a phenomenon in Chinese art history. "When painters sat down to paint in ancient China, why were they so often painting poetic themes?" asked Dolberg, who has attempted to answer that question through an exhibition titled Vision and Verse: The Poetry of Chinese Painting. The exhibition is on at The Met Fifth Avenue galleries in New York and features 90 works drawn almost entirely from The Met's collection. Although Wang made his choice of poems sound purely accidental, in reality this may not be the case, said Dolberg. "Based on my unscientific observation of Chinese painting history, Du Fu (712-770) is the most often inscribed poet from the Tang Dynasty (618-907)," he said, referring to an era in Chinese history when poetry writing is believed to have reached an artistic pinnacle. Around 1,150 poems attributed to Du that have survived to this day offer proof to the immensity of his oeuvre, which a latter-day painter could "go to and grab whatever he wanted to deepen and expand his viewer's pictorial experience and imagination", to quote Dolberg. But that number alone can't explain it all. "The prestige of Du Fu the poet started to grow posthumously, during the final century of the Tang Dynasty," said Zhang Yinan from the National Library of China who specializes in ancient Chinese poetry. "It reached such a height in the succeeding Song Dynasty (960-1279) that Du Fu became a cult in himself, commonly worshipped by educated members of society, some of whom, Su Shi included, had used brushes to write and paint," said Zhang, referring to the Song Dynasty polymath who was in turn immortalized by his own words. This was despite some might say because of the fact that for a large part of his life, Du had endured, if not outright anonymity, then repeated rejection and constant poverty. "Du's personal travails had certainly struck a strong chord with those who were subjected to similar experiences at one point or another, and who constituted the bulk of the literati group in pre-modern China," Zhang said. In another painting on view at the museum, a speck of a figure stands atop a low cliff facing the magnitude of nature. The painter, from the 17th century, adorned his fanned-out work with two lines from a Du poem that goes: "The emerald cliff catches the breeze, a lone cloud thin; Red maples, their backs to the sun, ten thousand trees dense." Familiar solitude For Dolberg, the sense of solitude permeating the painting is all too familiar. Within the same gallery, a not-so-distant echo is sent by another painting, done during the 12th century, which depicts a man hurrying through a bare-branched winter forest on the back of a donkey. A boy attendant runs head of him, suggesting that the protagonist was a scholar, albeit a slightly woeful one who, seeking warmth, has clasped his hands inside the opposite sleeves. It seems that his broad-rimmed hat is hardly a shield against the chilly blast, as his boy companion offers little consolation. The painting doesn't identify the man, but Dolberg believes he is Du's contemporary Meng Haoran (689-740) who, by the time of the Song Dynasty, had already come to embody what the curator calls "the visual iconography of the donkey rider", providing Chinese art history with the image of a suffering poet-intellectual. "These days we see paintings of travelers in forests, and scholars sitting by waterfalls that don't have a specific title. Yet we have to be aware of the fact that a painter from the 12th century was painting for a very different audience than the one coming into The Met Museum in 2024," said Dolberg. "Those were people who were constantly reading and writing poems. And to speak to that level of scholarship, a painting, rather than being generic, was more likely to have depicted a famous poet or poem that was very much on the minds of people in pre-modern China." In talking about "scholars sitting by waterfalls", the curator was thinking about one man Li Bai, Du's hedonistic friend who famously wrote, probably after some good drinking, "A cascade plunges a sheer three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way is tumbling down from the sky." Both Du and Li had once been associated with the image of a donkey rider. But Meng clinched the deal partly thanks to his poet-painter friend Wang Wei (693-761), "one of the first famous Chinese poets who also painted", to use the words of Dolberg. For any student of Chinese art history, Wang Wei's far-reaching influence on Chinese art is best summed up in his own words "Poetry and painting share the same source." "What Wang Wei was trying to express is very similar to the idea embedded in the ancient Latin phrase 'Ut pictura poesis', meaning'as is painting, so is poetry'," said Dolberg. "It appears to me that in both China and the Classical Mediterranean World and Europe, intellectuals and artists had been thinking deeply about the close relationship between these companion arts for some 2,000 years." For more than a millennium, legend had been growing around poems and paintings Wang Wei had created depicting his country estate in modern-day Lantian county, Shaanxi province. While the poems have survived, the paintings like all other ones traceable to Wang Wei today exist only in copies including rubbings by later artists. Drenched in the master's signature bucolic idealism, the poems have collectively spawned, throughout history, the biggest number of painterly reinterpretations, one of which Dolberg has included in the current exhibition. In another work on view, the 14th-century painter Tang Di wrote in his inscription that his painting was inspired by a Wang Wei poem, but stopped short of specifying which one. "Tang was likely to have played a game with his knowing audience," said the curator, who himself willingly took up the challenge. "'I walk to the place where the water ends; and sit and watch the time when clouds rise'. Those are the lines from Wang Wei that I believe Tang had in mind," said Dolberg, who described the painting as having been executed in the "strength and grandeur of the northern school (of Chinese painting)" while capturing the "light meditative mood" of Wang Wei, the reputed founder of the southern school. Utmost respect Then there's the friendship between Wang Wei and Meng Haoran. "Stay inebriated with rustic wine, read ancient books in mirth," was the poetic advice from Wang to a disillusioned Meng who, having failed to find fame and a position in the Tang Dynasty capital, was heading back home for a sequestered life. Judging by all evidence, Wang had always treated his friend with the utmost respect. "As graceful as Meng Haoran was in a Wang Wei painting", was how a renowned Song-dynasty calligrapher described a painting by early-Song artist Li Cheng (919-967) that shows a scholar and his boy attendant traveling in a wintry forest. The one on view at the Met Museum, once attributed to Li Cheng, is believed to be a 12th-century copy of the original painting. Mining the legacy of the Tang Dynasty, the greatest era of Chinese poetry, the Song painters produced misty landscapes that "matched the dreamy quality of the poems", to quote Dolberg. In other cases, even paintings that were not explicitly based on poems could sometimes evoke famous verses in the minds of their viewers. "It was really during the Song Dynasty that Wang Wei's idea of painting and poetry sharing the same source had started to blossom," said Dolberg, who believes that the delay was due to a strong tendency among the educated elite to view poetry writing as a much nobler pursuit than painting. One man who certainly did not think that way was Su Shi (1037-1101), the Song-dynasty polymath who was equally celebrated for his poetry and prose, painting and calligraphy. "A picture resides is every piece of (his) poetry and vice versa" is Su's accolade for Wang Wei, an idea he "not only upheld but also revolutionized", to quote Dolberg. "He did that by going back to how simple and beautiful the idea is. Through poetry, you can express what's in your heart; through painting, you can do it too," said the curator. Two of the master's paintings arguably exist today, and both depict simple subjects as a grotesquely-shaped stone and tree. "They are more evocative than descriptive a poem instead of a long essay," said Dolberg. Literati painting Self-expression, filtered through literary sensibilities, was at the heart of a unique Chinese art phenomenon known as "the literati painting", of which Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322) was a powerful exponent. Zhao came up with the idea that "calligraphy and painting share the same source", which may sound to some like Wang Wei's take on the relationship between poetry and painting. "It's more like an homage that represented another key development in the creation and acceptance of the concept of literati painting," said Dolberg. "Zhao probably had started reading poetry since (the age of) three. And the idea that he wasn't aware of most of Wang Wei's writings is just not credible," he continued. "So he was trying to add to Wang's idea by saying that painting can't just be painting it has to be like poetry, it has to be like calligraphy, otherwise it's not suited to a gentleman who's a member of the literati." And for a painting to live up to that standard, it naturally had to include poetry and calligraphy which, together with painting itself, made up for the so-called "three perfections" required of a literati painter. "The idea of a painter writing his own poem rendered in his own calligraphy to create this kind of total artwork had fundamentally changed the landscape of Chinese art for the next 600 years," said the curator. "That's why we need to take a deep look into the poetry of Chinese painting, not just as a way to gauge feelings and emotions, but also as a resource for understanding what it means to be part of the Chinese culture." That being said, the feelings and emotions, even concealed in allegorical images or a landscape inspired by a nature vignette composed by Wang Wei or Du Fu, had never failed to resonate with a listening heart. "When we were young and vigorous, we flew about in high spirits In our old age, both of us have suffered disappointments: once again we were alike," wrote Wang Jian of himself and his friend, for whom his album of Du Fu poetry-inspired landscape paintings was intended. "I leave this album with him so that even while reclining, he may still go wandering." Read the full story on Backfire News Ferrari Owners Claim Automaker Hasnt Corrected A Dangerous Defect Automakers get sued more regularly than most people would assume, but a proposed class action suit against Ferrari has garnered significant attention. Perhaps the alleged defect involving the brakes malfunctioning on cars worth considerable sums has shocked many. Check out Ronaldos Ferrari Purosangue. After all, one would expect after paying loads of cash for a vehicle, even one thats slightly used, it would come without such a critical problem. But some Ferrari owners say theyve received no real support from the company. Also named as a defendant in the proposed class action lawsuit is Robert Bosch GmbH. The giant components manufacturer made the allegedly faulty brake parts. ADVERTISEMENT Ferrari has recalled certain models for brake issues. One recall was issued in North America back in October 2021 for a brake fluid leak which impacted performance. That recall was later expanded in 2022 to include cars in Germany, China, and Japan. But the lawsuit alleges the recalls were just a band aid on the brake failure issue, allowing the automaker to keep selling vehicles with faulty brake systems. The proposed fix for the problem, as included in the suit filing, is to replace the master cylinders, something apparently Ferrari dealers arent doing under warranty, reports Reuters. For example, one man who bought a 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia in 2020 says the vehicle has suffered from partial or total loss of braking capability since he purchased it, reports Insurance Journal. Theres nothing quite as panic-inducing as pressing the brake pedal, only to find your car wont slow down at all. Even more concerning, that same Ferrari owner claims when he spoke to his local Ferrari dealer, he was told the intermittent braking issues were normal. If true, we can see why he and anyone else would be less than happy with such a response. After all, as Jeremy Clarkson so aptly observed, its not speeding that kills but abruptly stopping, and without brakes thats a real risk. Image via Beau Fryer/Facebook Marketplace 'They are changing the voting percentage after voting is done. And that too by 5-6 percent of votes which is clear manipulation.' 'Victory margin is half percent maximum and here the Election Commission is changing the vote count by 5-6 percent.' IMAGE: People queue to cast their vote outside a polling station in Sonipat, Haryana, May 25, 2024. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Last month the Supreme Court of India turned down pleas for reviving paper ballots and also cross-verification of votes cast on electronic voting machines with a voter verifiable paper audit trail or VVPAT. In the pleas by Association for Democratic Rights and others, the top court of the land held that suspicions regarding tampering of the voting machines were 'unfounded'. And last week a vacation bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the hearing on the application filed by ADR to upload polling booth-wise voter turnout data on the ECI Web site during the Lok Sabha elections. The NGO's writ petition, filed in 2019, will now be heard by the Supreme Court after the Lok Sabha elections are over. How do these two decisions by the Supreme Court affect the electoral process? Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com spoke to M G Devasahayam, retired IAS officer who had gone to the Supreme Court to do away with EVM base voting style on behalf of the Citizens Commission on Elections, to find out. The Supreme Court has refused to intervene in petitions in the EVM-VVPAT case. How do you look at it? There was total misunderstanding from the Supreme Court side on this issue. The Election Commission is totally prejudiced. They talk about technology of the EVM, but all this is utter nonsense. EVM is not a very high tech product, but a very ordinary product. EVM is only a dabba and they are using this to conduct elections. Democracy is the will of the people where citizens are sovereign. And what are elections? People transfer their sovereignty to an elected representative every five years. This is the essence of elections and a democracy. Transfer of sovereignty is a solemn affair and the sovereign should know the vote s/he casts. End to end verifiability is a must. When you go to vote and press a button, the slip comes out of the machine and tells you whom you voted for, isn't it? Does it not mean end to end verifiability? We will come to the slip matter later. I am talking of basic EVM voting. Take the example of Germany as a country. The EVM matter went to courts in 2009 and the court ruled (external link) that EVM voting is unconstitutional. In India, Subramanian Swamy went to the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India in 2013 where they agreed to go for VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail). They did to satisfy the democratic principle. This was introduced in 2014 when the voter presses the button of a political party a paper comes out of the machine which shows him which party he voted for. This continued in 2019 too. So what is the problem? Because the voter gets to know which party he voted for... The problem here is that there are two votes now. One is the slip which you saw as a voter and one is in the machine after you pressed the button. EVM has recorded your vote. Now, the correct logic should be the slip of vote that you saw should also be counted. But it is not happening and here the fraud took place. The Supreme Court of India refused to understand that people were cheated. But when you raise such questions it is tantamount to stating that the voting system in India is a fraud. This is total fraud. You are showing me the slip of my vote but not counting it, so this is fraud. Did anyone prove it? You are not counting my slip vote, and what more proof do you want? I voted and I saw my symbol, but you are not counting my vote. They are counting what I did not see as it is stored in the EVM. I don't know what is stored in the EVM. I don't know what is in the memory of the EVM. We only want the VVPAT slip to be counted. What is wrong in that? But will it not take a lot of time to count? It will not take more than one day. They (Election Commission of India) say it will take 6-7 days, but that is not true. Even if it takes six days to count votes, so what? It took them more than a month to conduct elections so what is wrong if they count votes in six days? Deliberately, they (Election Commission) are cheating you. VVPAT was introduced with good and honest intentions. This was the time when S Y Quraishi was the chief election commissioner as he introduced VVPAT in the system. But after Quraishi (retired), all the election commissioners of India played mischief and did not count the VVPAT slips which they were supposed to do. Right now people are talking of Form 17C too and suspicions are being raised about free and fair voting. There is a lot of suspicion against the Election Commission of India. There is a lot of tampering happening in voters' list and particularly minority votes are being deleted. The Election Commission has done nothing about it. Cross-verification is not happening when it comes to counting what you have seen as a voter in the slip which the Election Commission is not counting. They misled the Supreme Court of India and filed a false affidavit. So you as a voter do not know how many votes were polled and how many votes were counted. What about Form 17C which case the Supreme Court refused to entertain? 17C is a record document which gives the number of votes polled per polling booth. It is compiled per constituency and released to the public so that there is no confusion on counting day. Here too the Supreme Court adopted a hands-off policy, and will decide the case after voting is done. They should not have gone to the Supreme Court of India and the Supreme Court cannot give divine status to the Election Commission. The question I am raising is, is the Election Commission of India is preparing the ground for manipulation of the elections. First, the Election Commission said they will not cross verify the votes and now they tell you that they will not even tell you how many votes were polled. Conducting free and fair elections is the task of the Election Commission and not the Supreme Court. The Election Commission enjoys the same status in our Constitution as the Supreme Court. In Tamil Nadu the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam collected Form 17C from 68,320 polling booths so why could other opposition parties not do the same? Don't you think it is the duty of the Opposition to ensure form 17C is collected in all polling booths? It is not the duty of the Opposition parties to do this work, but that of the Election Commission of India. Election is not meant for the political parties, but for the people of India. They have the right to know. As far as the DMK is concerned they are the ruling party in Tamil Nadu and they have money and resources to do such work. On polling day if a candidate has to get Form 17C the same day, he will have to spend at least Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 60 lakhs (Rs 5 million to Rs 6 million) on that day. He will have to appoint at least 5,000 agents in different poll booths. These agents will have to wait till 9 pm and then compared the votes polled with Form 17C. The ruling party can do this exercise as they have money, but most of the Opposition parties do not have that kind of money. The Election Commission of India knows this and therefore they are not giving form 17C (on time) and cheating the Opposition. They are not giving information. What was the scene with Form 17C in previous elections? Before the 2024 elections, the Election Commission gave details of number of votes polled in each polling booth within 24 hours. They are not doing that now. This time they are changing the voting percentage after voting is done. And that too by 5-6 percent of votes which is clear manipulation. Victory margin is half percent maximum and here the Election Commission is changing the vote count by 5-6 percent. After they do that they do not respond to any questions and seal their offices. They are like the Pentagon in the USA. This is not free and fair elections. Election is for whom? It is for citizens like me and I have a right to know. Do you feel going back to ballot paper is the answer? EVM can improve the system. You get your VVPAT slip on which it says whom you voted for. Take that slip, put it in a box. And let there be simultaneous counting of the EVM and the slip box too. There will be no hera-pheri. All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 45-hour stay at the famed, mid-sea Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari on Thursday, as he intends to sit on meditation at the place named after the revered Hindu saint. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Ramayana Darshanam in Kanyakumari, March 1, 2019. Photograph: ANI Photo The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu petitioned the district collector against granting permission for the PM's spiritual sojourn, citing the election model code of conduct that is in force, besides the ongoing tourism season that would see a good influx of domestic and foreign tourists. The beach will be out of bounds for tourists from Thursday to Saturday and private boats would also not be allowed to ferry. The district in the country's southern-most tip will see a strong posse of 2,000 police personnel and various security agencies maintain a tight vigil during the PM's event, five years after he went on a similar meditation exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll campaign. Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, in Kanyakumari following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign on May 30, BJP leaders had said. He will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda -- a spiritual icon admired by Modi -- is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata', BJP leaders said. The PM is also likely to offer prayers at the famous Sri Bhagavathy Amman temple in the city. Ahead of his departure on June 1, Modi is likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, a towering 133 ft sculpture erected for the ancient Tamil poet-saint. The complex is located adjacent to the rock memorial. Security has been beefed up ahead of Modi's visit. Tirunelveli range DIG Pravesh Kumar accompanied by superintendent of police E Sundaravathanam had inspected the security arrangements at the rock memorial, boat jetty, helipad and the state guest house. Even as the prime minister's core security team reached the venue, a trial of helicopter landing had also been conducted at the helipad. About 2,000 police personnel would be deployed in and around Kanyakumari, which is on the international tourism map. The presence of the Sri Bhagavathy Amman temple on the shore close to the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea tri-sea confluence, the Tiruvalluvar statue and the clean beach also add to the charm of the destination. Describing the rock, the official website of the Kanyakumari district administration says, "According to legend, it was on this rock that Goddess Kanniyakumari did tapas (meditation)." As per his tentative schedule, Modi is expected to arrive at Kanyakumari late afternoon on May 30 for the spiritual sojourn. He would later proceed to the memorial. He is likely to stay at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial till 3 pm of June 1, when the country will be voting in the seventh and final phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Since the prime minister would stay for about 45 hours to meditate, the coastal security group, Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy would maintain a vigil along the marine borders, said a source. BJP functionaries had earlier said Modi's decision to pick the spot in Kanyakumari for his spiritual sojourn underscores his commitment to bringing to fruition Vivekananda's vision for the country. He has been sounding confident about returning to power for a third term after the votes are counted on June 4. The last phase of polling is scheduled for June 1. Campaigning for polls ends two days before elections. The rock, where the prime minister will meditate, had a major impact on Vivekananda's life and holds a similar significance in the monk's life as Sarnath for Gautam Buddha, they said. It was there that Vivekananda arrived after wandering across the country, meditated for three days and had a vision for a developed India, they said. "Meditating at the same place shows Prime Minister Modi's commitment to bringing Swamiji's vision of a Viksit Bharat to life," a BJP leader said, adding that the place is also referred in holy texts as the site of Goddess Parvati's meditation for Lord Shiva. "Prime Minister Modi is giving a signal of national unity by going to Kanyakumari," a leader said, adding that it also shows his deep commitment and affection for Tamil Nadu that he is visiting the state even after the elections are over. The PM had made multiple visits to the state earlier this year, combining official work with visits to places of religious significance, such as Dhanushkodi which has a Ramayana connect. The Union government on Wednesday started granting citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Pakistani refugees who got Indian citizenship under CAA during a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections, in North East Delhi, May 18, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo The Citizenship Amendment Act was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. The applicants in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand were granted citizenship on Wednesday by the respective State Empowered Committee, the Union home ministry said in a statement. The first set of citizenship certificates after the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, granted by the Empowered Committee, Delhi, were handed over to the applicants in New Delhi by the Union Home Secretary on May 15. This second tranche of citizenship certificates were issued on Wednesday, days before the final phase of voting for Lok Sabha polls on June 1. Several constituencies in West Bengal will vote in the final phase on Saturday. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. Even though the CAA was enactment in 2019, the rules to grant citizenship under it was were issued on March 11 this year, after a delay of more than four years. The CAA rules envisage the manner of application form, procedure for processing applications by the District Level Committee (DLC), scrutiny and grant of citizenship by State Level Empowered Committee. The processing of applications is completely through the online portal The passing of the CAA in 2019 sparked protests in different parts of the country with agitators terming the law "discriminatory". Over a hundred people lost their lives during the anti-CAA protests or police action in various parts of the country. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been maintaining that no one can stop the implementation of the CAA as it is the law of the land. He accused the Opposition of misleading the people on the issue. Congress leader and former diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) of yore an "upper caste" service, which he claimed is becoming more democratic now with the flavour of the country getting into it. IMAGE: Mani Shankar Aiyar with a copy of the book Nehru's First Recruit at the Foreign Correspondents Club, New Delhi, March 28, 2024. Photograph: Screen grab/ANI Video Speaking at the launch of author Kallol Bhattacherjee's Nehru's First Recruit in New Delhi on Tuesday, Aiyar, who literally describes himself as the "last IFS recruit" of the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said the country has overcome the "bad features" of its first generation recruits. The book, through the stories and experiences of India's earliest diplomats, presents the foundational history of the country's diplomatic corps and indeed the beginning of India's engagement in global affairs. "The IFS up to my generation and even into the 21st century was an upper caste service. It was a service made up of Macaulay ki aulad (children of Lord Macaulay). Now, it is becoming more democratic and it has a lot of Hindi speakers... We are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service and that I think is a very good thing," said Aiyar to a packed audience at the Foreign Correspondents Club. Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay is credited with playing a vital role in the introduction of English education in India. The 83-year-old gave the example of an IFS officer that he met during one of his visits to Istanbul, who initially versed with the HIndi language only, became fluent in multiple languages within one year. "I was very impressed on a visit to Istanbul to find a new recruit who could only speak to me in Hindi. But by the time I reached Istanbul again the following year, the same gentleman spoke fluent English, and more importantly fluent Turkish. So, we are getting the flavour of our country into the foreign service and that I think is a very good thing," he added. Aiyar, who joined the IFS in 1963 and served as joint secretary from 1982 to 1983 in the ministry of external affairs, underscored how the foreign service has now grown beyond the prejudices of its first recruits. For instance, the growing strength of women in the previously male dominated IFS cadre, which he said makes "half or even more of the total recruits" currently unlike in 1948. Chonira Belliappa, known as India's first woman diplomat, was the only woman to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations in 1948. "They are allowed to get married, they are even allowed to marry foreigners... Earlier, in the IFS even a man had to retire if they married someone from abroad. One of my batchmates Sivakumar Das was shunted out to the UNDP because he married a Czech girl. I think all those bad features of the first generation of recruits have now been overcome," he explained. Praising Nehru for the "re-invention" of modern age IFS, Congress leader Karan Singh, who was also among the speakers at the book launch, on the occasion recalled how he himself narrowly missed the chance of becoming a full-time career diplomat. According to the 93-year-old, in 1964, the then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri offered to send him as the high commissioner to the UK, which he declined due to his political aspirations. "It was a tempting offer but by that time the political bug had already bitten me... I was keen to get into national politics. I have done this ceremonial post for many years. I thought that I cannot get into another post of that nature. So I very gracefully declined," he added. Nehru's First Recruit, priced at Rs 699, is published by Hachette India. The youth -- their dreams of government jobs unfulfilled -- are voicing their frustration. IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi flanked by Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, left, and Ajay Rai, the INDIA bloc candidate from the Varanasi constituency, at an election meeting in Varanasi, May 28, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Five years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party's creditable performance across Uttar Pradesh and Prime Minister Narendra D Modi's emphatic victory margin at Varanasi concealed a series of nail-biting contests in nearly half a dozen seats in districts close to this Lok Sabha constituency. Fast forward to the present, and the political landscape of UP's Purvanchal region is appearing relatively challenging for the BJP and its allies -- the Apna Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). The youth -- their dreams of government jobs unfulfilled -- are voicing their frustration. Meanwhile, certain sections of the scheduled castes are viewing the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance as a temporary refuge from the fading influence of the Bahujan Samaj Party. All this, coupled with the close calls of 2019, is making the rank and file the BJP and its allies a bit nervous. The National Democratic Alliance's roster of candidates in the vicinity of Varanasi is a formidable one, boasting two Union ministers -- the BJP's Mahendra Nath Pandey from Chandauli and the Apna Dal (Soneylal)'s Anupriya Patel from Mirzapur. There are also a couple of political scions in the mix: The BJP's Neeraj Shekhar is contesting from Ballia, his father and former prime minister late Chandra Shekhar's traditional seat, and Arvind Rajbhar, SBSP chief and UP cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar's son, is in the fray at Ghosi. Yet, the 2019 elections saw the BSP, then allied with the SP, clinch victories in Ghosi and Ghazipur, while the BJP and Apna Dal (Soneylal) -- except for Varanasi and Mirzapur -- had to settle for narrower wins in other constituencies. For example, in Chandauli, Pandey won by 13,959 votes against the SP candidate. The BJP's then Ballia candidate, Virendra Singh, had won by 15,519 votes against the SP's Sanatan Pandey. The Apna Dal (Soneylal) won Robertsganj by 54,610 votes. The SP's strategy of fielding candidates from a broad spectrum of castes, not just Yadavs, has sparked speculation of a potential shift in allegiance among smaller Other Backward Castes. This is particularly evident in Robertsganj, a constituency reserved for scheduled castes, where the SP has fielded Chhotelal Kharwar, a BJP candidate in the 2014 polls. From Mirzapur, the SP has fielded Ramesh Chand Bind, who was a BJP MP from the nearby Bhadohi in 2019. The BSP's Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari is now the SP candidate. "The narrative of this election has pivoted from nationalism to caste, with the Congress matching the BJP's outreach to the so-called 'labharthi varg'," says Aflatoon Desai, a Varanasi-based political worker associated with the Samajwadi Jan Parishad. Desai has been canvassing for the INDIA bloc among the Dalits living in villages in Varanasi, Mirzapur, and nearby seats. Yet, BJP spokesperson K K Sharma remains confident, citing the credibility of the prime minister's guarantees as a key factor in the party's favour. "He (Modi) has delivered, while that (credibility of guarantees) of the Opposition is untested." The question of how the SCs and OBCs will vote -- whether as beneficiaries of government welfare schemes, along caste lines, or as the "four pillars" of "youth, women, farmers and poor" -- remains open. Public rallies in this region have seen Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pledge to fill three million government vacancies, provide free ration, and ensure farm loan waiver, while Modi has spoken of his humble beginnings, the Centre's Vishwakarma scheme for OBCs, and the Opposition's "designs to take away reservations". On Tuesday, Rahul claimed GST was "ruinous" for weavers and toymakers in Varanasi, a day after BJP President J P Nadda addressed weavers of the constituency. Conversations with the youth of Varanasi reveal a resonance with both narratives. Rohit Gupta, a young e-rickshaw owner, laments lack of government jobs and the dwindling Banarasi saree trade. "The trade has shifted to Gujarat and elsewhere in the country. There were fewer orders and my commission from selling sarees had dwindled," Gupta says. "I am a graduate. It is below my dignity to do this work (plying e-rickshaw). I blame the government for not filling government vacancies." On the other hand, autorickshaw driver Suryakumar Keshri sees a future in self-employment, crediting improved infrastructure for increased tourist footfall. "I am not looking for a job," says Keshri, who claims to have studied until higher secondary. He is "trusting" Modi's guarantees. As the political drama unfolds, one thing is clear -- the labyrinthine bylanes of Varanasi hold no easy answers. Aspirations, such as getting a government job, he points out perceptively, are linked with one's social and educational background. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the Trinamool Congress will complain to the Election Commission if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation in Kanyakumari is televised, alleging that it would amount to violation of the Model Code of Conduct. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greets people during an election campaign rally in support of TMC candidate for North Kolkata, Sudip Banerjee for the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls, in Kolkata, May 29, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Modi is scheduled to meditate at Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, in Kanyakumari following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign on May 30, according to BJP leaders. "We will complain. He can meditate, but televisions cannot show it," she said, alleging that this will amount to "violation of the MCC." "Does anyone have to get cameras for doing meditation?" she asked, claiming that it was a way of campaigning during the silence period between the end of campaign and the poll date. According to BJP leaders, Modi will meditate from May 30 evening to June 1 evening at Dhyana Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata'. Speaking at an election meeting on the same ground where the PM held a rally on Tuesday in favour of Jadavpur constituency's BJP candidate, the Trinamool Congress chief claimed that Modi goes into meditation for 48 hours before the final phase of polling in every election. The Prime Minister had undertaken a similar meditation exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 election campaign. "If they (BJP) return to power this time, there won't be any political party, elections, independence, religion, humanity or culture," she said. The TMC supremo sought to dismiss Modi's claim that the BJP will achieve the best results in Bengal this election, asserting, "This means they have lost; they will get rosogolla (zero) in Bengal." She said the TMC will support the opposition INDIA alliance in forming a government in Delhi and urged the people not to vote for the CPI(M) or Congress in Bengal. "That will help the BJP," she said, in the campaign meeting at Baruipur before the seventh phase election to nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. "Had I not come out of the Congress and formed the Trinamool Congress, then even today we would not have been able to defeat the CPI(M) in Bengal," she said. Asserting that she fought against the CPI-M for 34 years to oust its government from Bengal, she said, "If we could achieve that, we can also defeat the BJP, and we will do it." Banerjee alleged that the CPI-M and BJP have entered into a tacit understanding in some constituencies for the ongoing polls. Explaining that she decided to hold this campaign meeting here to respond to the comments made by Modi on Tuesday at the same location, Banerjee emphasised that people of all castes and creed were her brothers and sisters. "I will not accept the judgment on OBC reservation", she said, reiterating her stand over a Calcutta high court order striking down the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted from 2010, finding that such reservations to vacancies in services and posts in the state were not in consonance with the provisions of law. She claimed that people of all religions will be affected by the judgment. Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of appeasement politics, Modi, addressing a poll meeting earlier in the day in Kakdwip, said, "Reservations were looted in West Bengal and false OBC certificates were issued to Muslims." He also claimed that the TMC was misleading Muslims by spreading false information regarding the court's verdict. Accusing the BJP of embarking on a slander campaign against the TMC, Banerjee claimed that her party has had to fight against Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax. The chief minister said the CBI has sent a notice to TMC MLA from Canning Purba, Saokat Molla, to appear before it on Wednesday itself. "Amid the elections, the CBI has asked Saukat to come and meet its officials," she said. The TMC MLA had earlier been summoned by the CBI in 2022 for questioning in connection with a case of alleged coal theft from the mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hinted at a "conspiracy" behind the "sudden deterioration of the health condition of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and said if the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government in the state, it will constitute a special committee to probe the facts. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik during the inauguration of development projects in Chandikhole, Odisha, March 5, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo "Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for it?" Modi said while addressing election rallies in Mayurbhanj and Balasore Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. Reacting strongly, Patnaik said: "Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in the state for the last month. He has stated publicly earlier that I am his good friend. All he had to do was pick up the telephone and ask me about my health. But a number of BJP people from Odisha and Delhi are spreading rumours about my health. Patnaik also posted on X that "4.5 crore people of Odisha are my family. My dear mothers, the youth must give a proper response to this disrespect by voting on June 1st." Modi, in his rally just days ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha election, also said that "well-wishers of Naveen babu are worried over his deteriorating health condition." "It has been worsening over the last one year. Is there a conspiracy behind this? Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for it? If the BJP forms the government in Odisha after the ongoing assembly elections, it would constitute a special committee to ascertain the reason behind the deterioration of Patnaik's health," Modi said. He also added that the "mystery behind Naveen babu's deteriorating health condition should be revealed as the people of the state have the right to know the reason." The PM's remark on Patnaik's health condition came a day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian was "controlling" even the hand movements of the Odisha CM. Sharing a video showing Patnaik's hand shaking while delivering a speech at a meeting and Pandian putting it on a table, Sarma said in a post on X, "This is a deeply distressing video. Shri V K Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen babu." Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu, has studied in Delhi and started his career as a Punjab cadre IAS officer, but shifted to Odisha cadre after marrying an Odia woman. The BJP has been calling him an "outsider" in Odisha's politics. In response to Sarma's comment, Patnaik in a video message on Tuesday said, "I believe the BJP which is known to make non-issues into issues, are discussing my hands. This will certainly not work." Modi also said: "Entire Odisha wants an Odia chief minister. The people of Odisha have decided to put a full stop to the 25-year rule of the BJD in the state." Along with the elections to 21 Lok Sabha seats, polls are also being conducted for the 147-member Odisha state assembly. The Prime Minister said after a gap of five decades, a full majority government would be formed at the Centre for the third consecutive term and asserted that under his rule, India's economy rose from the 11th position to the fifth in the last 10 years, "Ten years ago, nobody thought terrorism could be stopped in India but we have shown it by protecting our major cities from blasts. No one thought peace would return to Jammu and Kashmir but people there are now celebrating Republic Day and voting in large numbers," he said. India's missile prowess has exponentially increased in the last 10 years and the country is now exporting BrahMos missiles to other countries, he said and added that "Chandrayaan has reached a place where no country has ever reached". Attacking the BJD government, he said: "Wherever you step in Odisha, there is natural wealth but the state remains poor because it was first looted by the Congress and then by the BJD for the last 25 years." "People of Odisha know that voting for BJD would mean wasting their vote. They don't trust it anymore... you gave 25 years to the party, and it deceived you, looted you and kept you underdeveloped," he added. The BJP-led government at the Centre is working for the welfare of tribals and his government declared the birthday of Birsa Munda as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas', he said. 'Rahul is not even a lamp before the sun' IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses an election rally in Khusrupur in Patna. Photograph: ANI Photo Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi lacks political experience and is not even worth a "matchstick" in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview to PTI on Tuesday night, Yadav slammed Gandhi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad over their claims that the Modi government would be ousted after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, and said there was no bigger joke than this. He also said Wayanad MP Gandhi was dreaming of becoming prime minister but lacked the courage to contest from their stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Asked if Rahul Gandhi, like his grandmother late Indira Gandhi, should have gained some experience of governance, Yadav said, "He neither had the experience of a minister nor party president (before he held the post) and not even of politics. The way he talks...even the opposition should have some level, especially before a personality (referring to Modi). He (Gandhi) is not even a lamp before the sun." "His (Gandhi's) strength is not even worth a matchbox stick but he wants to show himself as light of the sun...so it is like daydreaming and no one can stop him from doing so," Yadav said. The BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi was proved wrong twice, apparently referring to the Congress' debacle in the 2014 and 2019 polls. "On the contrary, Modiji said before 2014 that he will form government with absolute majority as people are blessing him and it happened," he said. It was for the first time in 60 years that a non-Congress majority government came to power in the country, he said. "Second time also, the BJP leadership set the target of 300 (seats) and it happened. This time, the target is 400 and it is already visible as only one phase (of general election) is left now," Yadav said. He said PM Modi is putting things before people with humility. "People are watching them (opposition). Now even leaders from Pakistan are supporting them. I myself and Modiji have not taken the name of Pakistan even once during several interviews, but see their (opposition's) seriousness," he said. People of the country want to make "an India of 21st century". They want to take the nation forward as it is not possible for them (opposition) to do it, he said. Further targeting Rahul Gandhi, Yadav said, "The kind of low-level language he is using against Modiji, people of the country have already given him a befitting reply in six phases and the same will be reflected in the last phase also on June 1." On Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad claiming the BJP-led government will be ousted on June 4, the vote counting day, Yadav said, "I don't consider a bigger joke than this. Just see who is saying this. You mentioned Rahul Gandhi...before 2014, they were in power with more than 235 MPs of their own. But under his leadership it was reduced to 115, which was an impossible thing at that time." They used terms like "Maut ka Saudagar" for PM Modi, but people defeated their government and their seats were reduced to 115, he said. In 2019, they used filthier language and were reduced to the "size of a 52-seater bus" from 115, Yadav remarked. The CM also said Rahul Gandhi "ran away" from Amethi (Lok Sabha contest) in 2024. "You have your own two seats- Amethi and Rae Bareli. You are dreaming of becoming prime minister, but you don't have the courage. Your mother (Sonia Gandhi) also lacked the courage to contest. First, you declined to contest (from Amethi) and later, your mother also refused to fight (from Rae Bareli)," he said. "So what message are you giving to your partymen?" Yadav asked. Rae Bareli was won by Congress, he noted, adding that Gandhi has now "run away" from Wayanad and coming back (to contest from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi). "Neither you are contesting from Amethi, nor you are able to field your sister (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) from there. Instead, you are contesting from Rae Bareli, which means they are very much afraid from inside and they are not saying but it is their fear which is coming out (in their speeches)," he said. Targeting Lalu Prasad, the CM said the RJD chief is unable to talk about any other (state) and in Bihar also, he is unable to contest a single seat because of his track record. Asked if he considers Rahul Gandhi a mature leader, Yadav said "Not just me but the entire country doesn't consider him (mature). How can a person rectify mistakes of former PMs like Indira, Nehru, his mother and father (Rajiv Gandhi)." Noting Rahul Gandhi's claim that he will remove poverty "khatakat-khatakat', Yadav said, "It is not a filmy dialogue. It will not work and one has to use little intelligence and talk about things with proper understanding." It is unfortunate that Congress is paying the price for it as its leadership lacks an understanding of all these issues, he remarked. "He (Rahul) is fulfilling the dream of Mahatma Gandhi who advocated for dissolving the Congress post-Independence in 1947, which Nehru did not listen to. But he (Rahul) is heeding to it and finishing Congress," the CM added. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com tried to buy a house on his recent visit to Srinagar. This is what he discovered. Indians are rejoicing that Article 370 has been repealed by the Narendra D Modi government and Jammu and Kashmir has become a part of India like any other state, nothing special about it. One of the main drawbacks for Indian citizens due to Article 370 was they could not buy land or a house in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. Statistics (external link) shared by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stated that 185 outsiders -- non residents of Jammu and Kashmir -- have bought land in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370. On assignment to cover the Lok Sabha election in the Kashmir Valley, I tried to buy a house in Srinagar. As I walked into a plush, newly-constructed housing society in Srinagar, I was welcomed with warm greetings by the salesperson appointed by a local Kashmiri builder. "Please take a seat," he offered. As I rested in the plush chair, the salesperson asked: "Are you from Jammu?" I said, "No." "So where are you from?" "Mumbai." Pat came the query: "Do you have a domicile certificate of Jammu and Kashmir?" "No." The salesperson then ruefully told me that he would not be able to sell the flat to me until I secured a domicile certificate of J&K. I told him that after Article 370's repeal any Indian can buy property in Srinagar. I showed him news articles that said so. "As far as I know, you are not allowed to buy property until you procure a domicile certificate from Srinagar," he insisted. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Doubly sure." I was taken aback by his "doubly sure" insistence and gave him my phone number, asking him to check with his company lawyer and come back with an answer. A week later, there was no response. When I met a journalist friend later, he said maybe the realtor was not interested in selling me the flat for my safety. "How come?" I asked. He gave the example of jeweller Satpal Nischal who obtained a domicile certificate and was about to buy land in Srinagar. The Resistance Front, a terror outfit (external link), got whiff of the deal and shot him dead (external link). The TRF claimed responsibility for the killing and issued a statement, 'Any Indian national irrespective of faith, caste or colour who comes with the intention of settling here, will be treated as an agent of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and not as a civilian.' TRF did not spare Mr Nischal even though he had been living (on rent) in Kashmir for the last three decades, even at the peak of militancy. TRF is run by journalist turned terrorist Mukhtar Baba (external link) based out of Pakistan. Post the abrogation of Article 370, TRF feels the Indian government wants to change the demographics of Kashmir by having non-Kashmiris settle in the Valley. "The feeling among Kashmiris is that India wants Kashmir without the Kashmiri population, therefore they want Indians to come and invest more and more money in property in Kashmir," a local later told me. There was no way to fact check the legal details of buying a house in Srinagar as I had limited time. But I realised that terrorists rule by fear in the Valley and they will ensure this 'fear' never disappears from your mind if you are an outsider trying to buy a home. And any outsider who dares to challenge these terrorists, like Mr Nischal, will find their end hastened. Cayce Clifford Cayce Clifford I think people kind of look down on a Fiesta, says professional stunt driver Sera Trimble. In Los Angeles traffic, theyll let you in where they wouldnt a BMW or something, because they assume you must be having a bad day if youre driving a Fiesta. But if you know, you know. This story originally appeared in Volume 22 of Road & Track. If you know, you know: The Fiesta ST has long been on the list of car-enthusiast secret handshakes. From the outside, its a stunted little economy car occupying the lowest rung at the rental-car lot. But from behind the wheel, theres more joy to be found here than in many cars with six-figure prices. ADVERTISEMENT Trimble, whose recent credits include Barbie, Bullet Train, and Licorice Pizza, got her first Fiesta ST after a group drive captained by Road & Track editor-at-large Matt Farah. She and a bunch of fellow gearheads tackled the twisting canyon roads above L.A. in a fleet of press loaners that included a Porsche 911 and a Jaguar F-Type, swapping seats at every stop and sharing impressions. The Fiesta ST was the cheapest car there, yet everybody had to be practically dragged from behind the wheel. Cayce Clifford We were like, that Jaguar costs three times as much as the Fiesta, but is it actually three times more fun? Trimble recalls. Ford launched the Fiesta nameplate in the Seventies in Europe, where it joined the Escort in the fast-Ford tradition of rallying. On this side of the Atlantic, both models were more about fuel savings than performance. Cayce Clifford However, in 2014, Ford launched the Fiesta in ST trim, powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with a feisty 197 hp. A retuned suspension and grippy rubber were good for more than 0.90 g on the skidpad, and the 98.0-inch wheelbase gave the ST flickable handling. And further, the Fiesta ST driving experience is greater than the sum of any of the numbers it generates. Dive into a corner, and if you lift off the throttle, itll wag its tail into puppyish oversteer, then scamper out the other side with short gearing and a midrange overboost from the turbocharged engine. Its like someone fitted a steering wheel to a Jack Russell terrier. Story continues Cayce Clifford Trimbles first Fiesta ST, nicknamed Spaceball 2, was her go-to daily driver for bombing around L.A. on the way to a set or just running errands. As the phone kept ringing, she was able to trade up to more expensive rides, but she still got that twinge every time she saw a Fiesta ST in traffic. Hearst Owned It was my most missed car, she says. Sure enough, a new ST ideal for short city blasts soon turned up in the driveway. Trimble says driving it in notoriously aggressive L.A. traffic is a completely different experience from trying to protect the shiny perfection of something more costly or collectible. Its just anxiety-free, she says. Cayce Clifford Stunt work doesnt have an Oscars category, and similarly, the Fiesta ST is unlikely to be feted at a concours event. Instead, it just gets to work, shrugging off door dings, slotting into a parking spot of any size, and pinballing through traffic like an amped-up photon through a glass of water molecules. That same recipe of everyday ordinary with a dose of nimble performance made the original Mini Cooper such a giant killer. Its a shame that Ford nixed the Fiesta ST in North America after 2019. Small cars have small profit margins, so manufacturers would rather build crossovers. But if youve ever driven a Fiesta ST, youve felt the magic. Its one of our most missed cars too. premium access to road and track A car-lovers community for ultimate access & unrivaled experiences.JOIN NOW Hearst Owned You Might Also Like BELLOWS FALLS Films, trains and internationally known author Mark S. King are on the calendar for local June Pride events. Bellows Falls Pride was formed in 2023 to recognize and support the LGBTQ+ community in southern Vermont, a destination for the LGBTQ+ community in New England and beyond to honor the historic Andrews Inn, which supported the gay community from 1973-1984 and was located in the Windham Hotel building. Event locations will occur in the downtown area so patrons can enjoy the full dining and shopping experience before and after events. June kicks off with the LGBTQ+ film festival at the Opera House located on the Square. Tickets and event details are available online at https://www.bellowsfallsoperahouse.com/. Wednesday, June 5, "The Birdcage" starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, sponsored by Bellows Falls Pride. Wednesday, June 12, "Philadelphia" starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, sponsored by Windham Antiques. Wednesday, June 19, "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything" starring Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes, sponsored by Wunderbar. Wednesday, June 26, "Hairspray" (original John Waters), starring Divine and Debbie Harry, sponsored by the National LGBT Hotline. The second annual Pride Whistlestop Tour, organized by Bellows Falls Pride, will begin in St. Albans and continue through to Brattleboro on Saturday, June 8. Local communities throughout Vermont and southern New Hampshire will gather at Amtrak train stations to celebrate Pride month and the LGBTQ+ community as the Vermonter travels south. Station decorations, flag and sign waving, bubbles, music and invited guests are a few ways to show solidarity and support at each train stop. In Bellows Falls, arrive downtown at the Flat Iron Cooperative which is sponsoring a Pride Tea beginning at 10 a.m. before walking down Canal Street to the train station at 11:30 a.m. in advance of the arrival of the Vermonter. Parking is available on Canal Street and at the train station lot. The public is welcome to join with local Pride groups to show support. Youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Arrive about 30 minutes in advance of the Amtrak train schedule to meet your neighbors. Visit amtrak.com for the Amtrak schedule. On Thursday, June 20, Bellows Falls Pride will collaborate with Senior Solutions to host author, blogger and actor, Mark S. King at the Bellows Falls Opera House with a presentation entitled, Coming of Age with Grace and Grit. His latest book, "My Fabulous Disease," will be available for purchase in the lobby through Village Square Booksellers following the event. This event is free and open to the public. Reserve your seat at www.bellowsfallsoperahouse.com . Find Bellows Falls Pride on Facebook, @bellowsfallspride on Instagram or visit bellowsfallspride.com for more information. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Mainly clear skies. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. JAMAICA Jamaica Village School could temporarily close next school year due to hiring challenges. At a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School and remotely by Zoom, the West River Education District Board will consider the move. "If we don't have staff, we don't have staff," Superintendent Bob Thibault said at a special board meeting Tuesday at Jamaica Village School. "Despite the idea that there's lots of creative ways that we could find staff, the reality is it's almost the end of May and we don't have any applicants. I just got to be prepared to make sure kids are taken care of in whatever way that looks." JVS Teaching Principal Monica Deuse accepted a job as a sixth grade teacher at L&G and the other classroom teacher doesn't intend to return. Both jobs were posted and no applicants have come forward. A long-term planning process for the district started in 2018 and new recommendations are anticipated soon. "This conversation, this update, isn't about that," Thibault said. "This conversation is about next year only. I would describe it as an emergency situation." Jessica Pollack, parent and chairwoman of the Jamaica Select Board, asked what "accelerated steps" were taken to fill the positions. Thibault said his team attended a job fair in northern Vermont and listed vacancies in multiple places. He also noted there are fewer people going into the education field and local housing options are scarce. Chrissy Haskins of Jamaica wondered "realistically who is going to apply for a job in a school" where the potential for closure has come up at public meetings. "Why would you come to a sinking ship?" she said. Projected enrollment at the school brought upon concerns earlier in the year. Now, the school is anticipated to have 11 students in K-5 and nine in pre-k. Pre-K will return to Jamaica Village School TOWNSHEND A plan to spread 3- and 4-year-olds across Townshend Elementary and Jamaica Vill Part of the upcoming discussion will be about whether pre-k will stay on track to return to the school. Community members had been happy to see it come back, as the younger students may be more inclined to stay at JVS afterwards. Townshend Elementary hosts the public pre-k program in the district, which also offers school choice for elementary school within the district. Some families have opted for their students to stay in Townshend after pre-k. More than 60 percent of students from Jamaica go to other schools in the district, Thibault said. Board member Dana West pointed to the extra challenge in finding someone willing to teach three or four grades on top of being an administrator. Thibault said the range of learners in the k-2 and 3-5 classrooms also can be challenging to address as a teacher. At least one staff member at the school would need to be fully licensed, Thibault said. The preference would be for the principal to be that person, as a provisional license involves a mentoring component. Thibault said a principal from another school could fill in part time, which has been done before, but then two teachers would need to be hired. He acknowledged teachers could be reassigned from other schools but said that in the current climate, they could refuse and find work in another district. Parents described personal hardships they would face if they were forced to send their children to another school. Community members were skeptical of whether administrators were trying hard enough to find staff. Having mixed age groups attracted Kate Logan to Jamaica. "I would just invite you to maybe explore how these Montessori schools find their teachers because this would be an attractive place for a Montessori teacher," she said. Teaching license requirements are "very different" for private schools, Thibault said. Windham Elementary to temporarily close due to staffing struggles WINDHAM School Board members voted 2-1 to temporarily cease operations at Windham Elementa The situation called to mind Windham Elementary, which temporarily closed this year due to staffing challenges. Voters in March then decided to opt for school choice for elementary school and rejected an operating budget. Windham is becoming more attractive to families since it will be offering school choice, Logan said. She worries Jamaica will not be if families can only choose between Townshend and NewBrook Elementary. Families would be given an opportunity to make a case for tuition money to attend schools out of district for "geographic considerations," Thibault said. They would need to submit a letter to the School Board explaining their needs. "Windham is a very different scenario," Karen Ameden of Jamaica said, as the community was split on whether to close the school. "There's a lot of support for this school." The School Board will need the Vermont Agency of Education's blessing to temporarily close JVS, and a school in the district can't be permanently closed unless the host community votes in favor. Thibault said NewBrook and Townshend Elementary are equipped to handle the influx of Jamaica students but acknowledged having children go back and forth from different schools year to year would be "problematic." Thibault said waiting much longer to make a decision on the fate of the school would make him nervous. "There's a lot of challenges to delaying." he said. Board member Lindsey Bertram said the board is "always thinking about kids first." "We really do want the very best education for every kid and we really want everybody to be able to voice their concerns to us about what they see that best education being," she said. "I personally feel pretty strongly that both parents and their children would benefit greatly from knowing soon what to expect because change, as we know, is difficult. And the more time parents have to prepare, the better off they'll be." Acknowledging some contentiousness during the meeting, Thibault said, "This is hard stuff." "There is no ill will intended," he said. "These are the cards we've been dealt now. We're just trying to be responsible to kids." Xinhua News Agency - Getty Images The car market continues to be tumultuous following the pandemic upheaval, but there are some signs of improvements for consumers. Automakers are finally stocking enough cars again for there to be leftover models from the previous year, which means customers are now more likely to see large dealer discounts. According to the automotive research firm Edmunds, dealerships across the country are sitting on an unusually high number of previous model year vehicles thus far in May. In fact, 6.8 percent of the vehicles on dealer lots this month are from the 2023 model year. Thats up 1.4 percent from May 2023 when MY2022 vehicles made up 5.4 percent of the total share. Things are trending up as well, with May 2022 figures sitting closer to 3.7 percent. Edmunds also notes that the current inventory levels of previous model year vehicles are more in line with the levels experienced before the pandemic. To prevent inventory from stacking up, automakers are ready to make deals on these older rides. Edmunds says that customers can expect to see an average discount of $4147 on MY2023 vehicles this month. Thats fairly significant when compared to the average discount of $1741 on MY2024 vehicles, though these figures will naturally vary depending on specific models and dealer inventories. ADVERTISEMENT If you're in the market, Stellantis dealerships look like a great place to score a deal at the moment. Edmunds states that 52.6 percent of vehicles at Dodge dealerships this month are from the 2023 model year, with Stellantis putting an average of $6753 on the hoods in May. Chrysler has also offered an impressive average discount of $6252, while Jeep is sitting at $6160 through May. American brands arent alone in offering great bargains. Both Volkswagen and Volvo have also offered huge discounts on MY2023 cars in May, with average discounts of $5221 and $5354, respectively. Infiniti dealers have also been offering an average of $5781 off the remaining MY2023 stock. Story continues These sorts of discounts have all but disappeared from the market in recent years, but its great to see some affordability returning to dealer lots. Of course, it is always important to consider depreciation when purchasing a vehicle, and these off-year machines tend to get hit a bit more. Let us know what sort of deals youve been able to score this month in the comments down below. You Might Also Like jaguar xf production uk car body side Of the 61,820 vehicles built in the UK during April, 47,499 were shipped abroad UK vehicle manufacturing dipped in April as companies began to retool their production lines for upcoming electric cars, according to figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With total production output falling by 7% compared with March, this was the second consecutive monthly decline in 2024, although the year-on-year drop was a more modest 0.8%. A total of 61,820 vehicles were built in April, 80% of which were for export. It was those bound for foreign markets that chiefly caused the decline, with a 12.7% month-on-month fall to 47,499 vehicles. ADVERTISEMENT These figures illustrate that the UK government must provide "the right conditions" for a competitive manufacturing market, as well as investment to aid the transition to EVs, said the SMMT. Securing free trade deals, lowering energy prices and supporting the UKs EV market should be top priorities, it added. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: Another month of falling UK car production was expected, given the significant transformation under way within factories as manufacturers retool to produce new models. Keeping this progress on track is essential and requires favourable industrial and market conditions. "With a general election in a matter of weeks, the next government must ensure the conditions are right not just for the competitiveness of UK manufacturing, but for the investment required to transition the sector to a net-zero future. The refitting of factories was also blamed for only a nominal 0.1% year-on-year rise in EV volumes, with 25,031 produced so far this year. Mainland Europe remained the UKs biggest buyer, with 55.8% of exports bound for the continent. The US was the next biggest (15.2%), followed by China (5.4%), Turkey (4.2%) and Australia (2.8%). ]]> Chinas Cyberspace Research Institute is testing a new AI chatbot that incorporates President Xi Jinpings book, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and other knowledge bases. The writings of Xi, who has ruled China since 2012 and eliminated term limits to allow lifetime tenure, are already required reading in schools, government offices and businesses. The defendants are facing charges that they insulted Cambodias king and plotted to overthrow the government. Wearing white to protest what they call an unfair justice system, five activists from environmental group Mother Nature appeared in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday on charges that they insulted Cambodias king and plotted to overthrow the government. The activists are among eight from Mother Nature facing charges in a case that covers several instances of activism by the group, including the 2021 filming of sewage draining into the Tonle Sap river in front of Phnom Penhs Royal Palace. Two of the activists Thon Ratha and Yim Leang Hy shaved their heads to convey their devotion to social work and carried lotus flowers to show they dont carry any hatred or desire for revenge. Mother Natures work is to protect the environment. We dont gather people to topple the government or to hate anyone, Yim Leang Hy told the court. Hatred is not on Mother Natures agenda. Mother Nature founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson is shown in an undated photo. (Mother Nature) Registered with Cambodian authorities in 2013, Mother Nature has worked over the years to protect the countrys environment, exposing irregularities in development and construction projects and helping villagers organize to protect their land. The groups Khmer-speaking founder, Spanish environmentalist Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, was deported from Cambodia in 2015 after the government refused to renew his visa. Opposition groups and local NGOs said he was expelled to prevent him from organizing against a planned hydropower dam in southwestern Koh Kong province. Gonzalez-Davidson is one of the eight facing charges in the current case. He hasnt been allowed to return to Cambodia since 2015 and wasnt present in the courtroom on Wednesday. Bracing for bad news Mother Nature suspended operations in Cambodia in 2021 amid another round of charges against the activists, which were widely thought to be politically motivated. Wednesdays hearing was related to those charges. The other three activists in court were Long Kunthea, Phuon Keo Raksmey and Ly Chandaravuth, who returned to Cambodia last week after a month-long trip to the United States. We know Cambodias court system and the verdict might not be good for me, he said in a video blog published by Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. Ive prepared myself to confront what will happen. Ly Chandaravuth in an undated video screenshot. (RFA) More than a dozen evicted villagers, youth activists and monks came to the court to raise banners that read, We support Mother Nature and Environmental protection is not illegal. A university student in Phnom Penh, Ream Srey Pich Ratana, said she came to show her support for the activists because she felt that the courts charges were contrary to the groups actual efforts to protect the environment. RFA couldnt immediately reach Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin for comment. The hearing was also attended by European Union diplomats to Cambodia and representatives from the United Nations and several NGOs. Presiding Judge Ouk Reth Kunthea scheduled the next hearing in the case for June 5. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. The naming comes days before a visit by the US defense secretary to Phnom Penh. Cambodia has renamed one of its main roads in the capital Phnom Penh Xi Jinping Boulevard in honor of the Chinese president for his historical contribution to the development of Cambodia. A ceremony for naming the road was held on Tuesday at the Peace Palace, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and outgoing Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian in attendance, said the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia on its Facebook page on Wednesday. This marks another major milestone that shows that the two countries relations have a long history and are strong and correct, said Wang. The Chinese side is happy to cooperate with Cambodia to continue on the glorious path of preserving the legacy of this steel friendship, creating a brighter and brighter future for the common destiny community between China and Cambodia in the new era. The boulevard, previously known as the Third Ring Road, was constructed at a cost of US$273 million, with concessional financing from the Chinese government and contributions from the Cambodian government, according to the Khmer Times. Hun Manet also wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday that China had strongly approved the renaming, which has a huge meaning to the Cambodia-China ironclad friendship. Cambodia-China relations are long-standing and have grown to an inseparable level, the prime minister, the son of veteran leader Hun Sen, said. This relationship embodies the values of mutual trust, especially political trust. Chinas assistance has not only helped socio-economic development in Cambodia but also strengthens its political independence. A photo of an official ceremony for renaming the road. (Facebook: Chinese Embassy in Cambodia) Xi Jinping Boulevard connects National Road 4 in Phnom Penhs Por Senchey district, to National Road 1 in Kandal provinces Kien Svay district. The construction work, undertaken by the Chinese company Shanghai Construction Group Co Ltd, began on Jan.14, 2019, and included four flyovers and eight bridges. The boulevard spans 15 km (9 miles) in Phnom Penh and 38 km (24 miles) in Kandal. Phnom Penh already has a Mao Tse Toung Boulevard, named by then head of state, Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1965, in honor of the first chairman of the Peoples Republic of China, Mao Zedong. . China supported the notorious Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s and maintained that support when the ousted communists battled a Vietnamese-backed government, of which Hun Sen was a member, through the 1980s. But relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing have blossomed since the 1990s. Wednesdays announcement came days before a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. After attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this week, Austin will on Saturday travel to Phnom Penh, where he is set to meet Hun Manet, the Financial Times reported, citing three American officials. Hun Manet, who took over as prime minister from his father last year, is a graduate of West Point, the elite U.S. military academy, and also studied at New York University, fostering optimism among U.S. officials for an improvement in relations with a country that has grown so close to China. We remain clear-eyed about some of our concerns in Cambodia, but at the same time we see the arrival of the new leadership allowing us to explore new opportunities, the Financial Times quoted one U.S. official as saying. A statement released by the Pentagon on Friday said that Austin hoped to build on meetings he had with senior Cambodian officials when he last visited for a summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers in November 2022. The United States has criticized the Chinese-led expansion of the Ream naval base near the port of Sihanoukville, asserting that it appears to be establishing a permanent Chinese naval presence, thereby enabling Beijing to project power across the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodia denies that China is constructing a permanent base, which would violate Cambodias 1993 Constitution. However, the frequent naval drills conducted by the two countries navies have not alleviated the concerns of critics. Edited by Mike Firn. Tens of thousands protest new rules weakening the power of the democratically elected president. Demonstrators occupy a road to protest plans by the main opposition Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party to expand parliamentary powers during the vote for a controversial reform bill, outside the parliament building in Taipei, Taiwan, May 24, 2024. Taiwan's premier said on Wednesday that the administration will consider sending back new legislation that could weaken the power of the democratically elected president, sparking fears of growing Chinese influence in the island's political life, to lawmakers for review. Premier Cho Jung-tai said Lai's administration, known as the Executive Yuan, will be looking at the possibility of bouncing the new legislation back to lawmakers for review, based on the Additional Articles of the island's constitution. "When the Executive Yuan receives the documents from the Legislative Yuan, it will deliberate carefully over how the constitutional organs can best fulfill their responsibilities," Cho said in comments reported by Taiwan's Central News Agency. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, which holds the presidency but which has lost control of the legislature, has called for a constitutional interpretation of the controversial amendments. Han Kuo-yu, speaker of Taiwan's legislature, speaks during a session at the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan, May 28, 2024. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters) Pro-China lawmakers voted through a package of legislative amendments as tens of thousands of people protested outside the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, giving themselves new investigative powers, the power to hold hearings and the ability to sanction officials if they don't comply with requests. One amendment requires the president to report to the Legislative Yuan annually and to submit to questioning by lawmakers. 'Bluebird Movement' Protesters, some of whom held up effigies of blue birds, pushed large balloons into the legislature on Tuesday night emblazoned with the "Citizens Defend Democracy" and "Reject Chinese Interference in Politics," while one DPP lawmaker threw a paper aircraft made from blue paper at the podium. But the amendments were passed by the pro-China Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party, which together command a majority of 60 out of the 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan, as crowds gathered in protests that are being dubbed the "Bluebird Movement." President Lai Ching-te's DPP, which holds just 51 seats following January's general election, has called for a constitutional interpretation of the new laws, which critics say will open up the island's government to manipulation and sanction by politicians with close ties to Beijing. Lai called on Beijing in his May 20 inauguration speech to stop threatening his country, and respect the will of its 23 million people, the majority of whom have no wish to be ruled by the Chinese Communist Party. National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen warned on Wednesday that Beijing is planning to take advantage of the DPP's loss of control over the legislature by stepping up contacts with lawmakers, local politicians and religious and business groups, using a strategy of exchanges with friendly associations while attacking those that refuse to cooperate. Beijing vowed in January to step up its efforts to achieve "peaceful unification" with the island after Taiwanese voters in January elected Lai, Beijing's least favorite candidate. Lawmakers (bottom) from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party display a banner reading 'False reform, true expansion of power,' as main opposition Kuomintang legislators unveil a banner reading 'Let sunshine light into Parliament' while voting for a controversial reform bill in Taipei, May 28, 2024. (Sam Yeh/AFP) Tsai said his agency is "closely monitoring developments, having obtained both public and secret intelligence about relevant policy discussions inside Chinas establishment," Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. 'Taiwan belongs to all' The Kuomintang, or KMT, whose former president Ma Ying-jeou recently met with Xi Jinping, says the new laws will allow the island's democracy to be more transparent and accountable, after eight years of domination by the ruling DPP, immediately announcing it would set up a "private special investigation team" to go after "corrupt" DPP officials. Kuomintang caucus convenor Fu Kun-chi told journalists: "Taiwan doesn't belong to the Democratic Progressive Party, nor does it belong to Lai Ching-te. Taiwan belongs to all of its people." "Starting today, we will expose every instance of Democratic Progressive Party corruption, one by one," said Fu. DPP Legislative Yuan caucus leader Ker Chien-ming said Tuesday's vote was "a day of national humiliation," accusing parliamentary speaker and pro-China politician Han Kuo-yu of failing to abide by procedural justice in his handling of the legislative amendments. "We will definitely propose a constitutional interpretation, which can only be put forward after the president's announcement," Ker said. "The DPP will abide by the legal requirements and procedures for constitutional interpretation." 'Last breath' A protester who gave only the nickname Chili told Radio Free Asia outside the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday night: "I feel very heavy, and sad, very sad. The [KMT and TPP] totally ignored the rules of procedure and refused to discuss the issue with the Democratic Progressive Party." He said protesters would start issuing recall proceedings for KMT and TPP lawmakers from their respective constituencies. Many in the crowd were refugees from an ongoing crackdown on political dissent under Chinese Communist Party rule in Hong Kong. A protester holds an effigy of a blue bird outside Taiwans parliament in Taipei to show his opposition to new laws that critics say will boost Chinese influence in the islands democracy, May 28, 2024. (Alice Yam/RFA) "I may not be able to achieve anything special, but I will keep on coming out, time and again, as a person who is from Hong Kong and Taiwan," a protester who gave only the nickname Ah K for fear of reprisals told RFA on Tuesday night. Another Hong Konger said she had brought her children along to "take a last breath of free and democratic air before their eyes were blindfolded" by government propaganda on their return. Wu Jui-jen, an associate history researcher at Taiwan's Academia Sinica, called on protesters to "go back home, go back to school, go back to work, and start organizing and acting, learning and discussing, and build a movement to strengthen civil society." Wu said he expects pro-China lawmakers to boost trade ties with China, amend national security legislation to dismantle the island's defenses against political infiltration, and even sign the island up to Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road international influence and infrastructure program, and begin the process of controlling Taiwan's economy, society and culture. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin. Based in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, the group took control of Americans computers to apply for funds. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued sanctions against three Thailand-based Chinese nationals for their alleged role in a cybercrime operation that took control of Americans computers to secure billions of dollars of COVID-19 relief funds. Yunhe Wang, Jingping Liu, and Yanni Zheng ran the 911 S5 botnet, which took control of computers and allowed cybercriminals to proxy their internet connections through these compromised computers to make it appear as if the victims were carrying out the cybercrimes, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement. The botnet controlled some 19 million I.P. addresses, which executed the submission of tens of thousands of fraudulent applications under the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, allegedly resulting in billions of dollars being wrongly disbursed. Computers compromised by the botnet later made bomb threats throughout the United States in July 2022, the statement says. Yunhe Wang, 35, allegedly led the scheme, while Jingping Liu, 58, is named as co-conspirator for laundering funds using cryptocurrency. Both are listed by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control as living in the Reflection Jomtien Beach condo building in Chonburi provinces Pattaya City. A real estate listing describes it as the epitome of luxury living on the serene shores of Pattaya. Yanni Zheng, 50, meanwhile, allegedly ran Yunhe Wangs main company, Spicy Code Company Limited, and purchased real estate on his behalf, including luxury beachfront properties in Thailand. She is listed as living south of Pattaya, in neighboring Sattahip district. All three also gained citizenship of the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in May 2022, according to the Treasury Department. In addition to the three individuals, the Treasury Department also issued sanctions against Spicy Code Company Limited and two other companies with alleged ties to Yunhe Wang: Tulip Biz Pattaya Group Company Limited and Lily Suites Company Limited. Under the sanctions, American citizens, residents and companies are prohibited from doing business with the individuals and companies targeted, including providing banking or other services. The sanctions were the result of a joint investigation between the U.S. Commerce Department, the FBI and local authorities in both Thailand and Singapore, the Treasury Department statement said. Wong-akuea Boonson, a spokesperson for Thailands Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, declined to comment on the case. We have not received any reports regarding this matter, Boonson told BenarNews, an affiliate of Radio Free Asia. However, our ongoing policy is to manage and monitor online crimes, with a primary focus on educating the Thai population about cyber safety. Kunnawut Boonreak contributed reporting for BenarNews. Edited by Malcolm Foster. The alarm was sent after the North threatened to send mounds of filth across the border. A balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea, carrying various objects including what appeared to be trash and excrement, is seen over a rice field at Cheorwon, South Korea, May 29, 2024. At 11:34 p.m. on Tuesday, mobile phones in parts of South Koreas Gyeonggi province screeched out an alert from authorities warning of an air raid, sparking panic among residents living close to one of the worlds most heavily fortified borders. Air raid? I panicked because I thought they were talking about some kind of attack, a resident of the city of Paju who received the alert told Radio Free Asia, referring to the English-language phrase Air raid preliminary warning in the alert. Paju is just south of Panmunjeom, a village on the de facto border between the two Koreas, where for decades the armies of North and South Korea have faced off. The alert told residents to report any unidentified objects, which turned out to be more than 200 balloons floated over the border from North Korea carrying trash and manure. Authorities later announced that the phrase air raid had been used in error. Balloons with trash North Koreans defectors based in the South and rights activists have for years sent balloons over the border into the North, invariably trying to stir up dissent and opposition to the North Korean state. The balloons from the South infuriate the North, which regularly demands a stop to them and threatens retaliation. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, or JCS, said on Wednesday that North Korea had sent more than 200 balloons over the border carrying various pieces of trash such as plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts and even animal dung. The JCS advised residents to report any strange objects and not to touch anything. Beginning late on Tuesday, the balloons drifted south over various parts of South Korea, as far as the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang, scattering their trash as they came down to earth, the JCS said. The JCS said the balloons could be dangerous, noting damage to a vehicle and a roof in 2016 caused by North Korean balloons. These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our people's safety, the JCS said. We sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar act. It added that it would draft safety measures with the police and government, noting that it was closely cooperating with the U.S.-led U.N. Command in charge of overseeing the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. An image of a text message alert that was sent to warn residents in Gyeonggi Province. The latest balloons from the South were floated into the North this month by the Seoul-based Fighters for a Free North Korea. The group said on May 13 it had sent 300,000 leaflets and 2,000 USBs containing K-pop music videos to the North by suspending them from 20 big balloons. A banner attached to the balloon accused the Norths leader of treachery: Kim Jong Un, you are nothing but an unchangeable traitor, an enemy of the Korean people. North Korea said on Sunday it would scatter mounds of wastepaper and filth over the border areas in a tit-for-tat action against the latest anti-Pyongyang leaflets. Analysts say isolated North Korea fears that outside information could threaten the grip of its leadership. The balloons have long been another source of tension between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Edited by Mike Firn. Junta attacks killed three civilians and destroyed at least 30 houses in one township, residents said. Homes torched by junta troops in Tedim towns Myoma neighborhood, Chin State in a photograph taken on May 28, 2024. Fighting in western Myanmar has forced thousands of people to flee from their homes, left parts of a town in smoldering ruins and killed three civilians, residents told Radio Free Asia, as opponents of military rule try to defeat the junta that seized power in 2021. The clashes between junta troops and insurgent groups in Chin State, which is on the border with India, displaced 15,000 people in two days and led to the destruction of parts of Tedim town, they said. Anti-junta insurgents from Chin State control 10 towns in the state, while another ethnic minority rebel group, the Arakan Army, controls two others. A battle broke out on Sunday night and continued into the next day, said a resident who declined to be identified for security reasons. Two people fleeing by motorcycle from Tedim on Monday morning were hit by artillery fire. A 40-year-old woman was killed while her male cousin was wounded. She was taken to a nearby house after she was injured. Thats when she died. She was cremated in Tedim on Tuesday morning, he said. Her cousin, who was also hurt, has a broken leg and is now being treated at a hospital in Kale town. On Sunday, the juntas air force bombed nearby camps occupied by the Zoland Peoples Defense Force, a Chin group opposed to the junta, residents said. Junta aircraft also bombed two villages controlled by the rebel group, killing two civilians. RFA called Chin States junta spokesperson, Aung Cho, to ask for information about the clashes, but the calls went unanswered. Most of the displaced people are taking shelter in Kale, a town in the neighboring Sagaing region, about 80 km (50 miles) away, said another resident who also asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. Others are sheltering in nearby forests. Most of the residents fled, the second resident told RFA Most of them fled to Kale town. There are some who could afford to go to Champhai, he said, referring to a town in India. At around noon on Monday, junta soldiers burned about 30 houses in Tedim, one of the residents said. The burnt houses were the ones near the clock tower in Myoma neighborhood and down by the telecommunication office, he said, asking to remain anonymous given security worries. All the houses near the local administration office were also set on fire. Dr Sasa, a senior official in a shadow civilian government, said the destruction in Tedim was a crime against humanity and the international community should help. "Tedim town in Chin State has been burned down by the brutal forces of Myanmar's military junta ... It is imperative to help Myanmar end this reign of terror and build peace," Sasa, who goes by one name, said on the social media platform, X. An official from Zoland Peoples Defense Force, which occupies territory in Tedim township, told RFA that the allied Chin defense forces captured nine junta soldiers, as well as several military camps. There are three places [we captured], including the junta's Electric Power Corporation office, he told RFA on Tuesday, declining to be identified for security reasons. Some junta soldiers were killed during the battle, but those captured alive will be treated according to the law. One member of the anti-junta Chin force was killed and three were wounded, he said. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. International groups say the militarys bid to stoke ethnic tensions in Rakhine state is succeeding. Rohingya people from Thea Chaung and Ohn Taw villages of village-tract in Sittwe township, Rakhine state, May 20, 2023. Myanmars junta is forcibly recruiting Rohingyas in the Rakhine state capital Sittwe and threatening to block monthly international aid supplies if they refuse to join military training, according to members of the ethnic group who are sheltering in camps for the displaced. Reports of the forced recruitment come amid fresh calls from the international community to monitor the situation facing Rohingyas amid fears that attempts by the embattled military to incite tension between Muslim Rohingyas and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist communities in Rakhine state is succeeding. The junta is desperate to recruit new soldiers as its ranks are depleted by battlefield losses and mass surrenders to rebel forces. Rohingyas, persecuted for decades in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, are getting caught up in the war between the ethnic Arakan Army, or AA, and junta forces in Rakhine state, human rights workers say. Both sides have pressed Rohingyas into their ranks and at the same time have accused Rohingyas of helping their rivals. Reports suggest that both the AA and junta forces have subjected members of the Muslim minority to violence. Rohingya residents of Sittwe who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told RFA Burmese that junta troops on May 27 began ordering them to hand over around 30 people aged 18-30 each from more than 10 camps for the displaced in Sittwe including Thet Kei Pyin, Ohn Taw Gyi, Bar Sar Ra, Dar Paing, and Thae Chaung. "We were asked to give 35 people from our camp, a Rohingya resident of the Thet Kei Pyin camp said Wednesday. If we refuse to do so, they will not share [international] food supplies anymore. The junta is recruiting for the frontline. It was not immediately clear how many Rohingyas have been forcibly recruited from the camps. Attempts by RFA to contact the United Nations Development Program, or UNDP, in Myanmar for a response to reports that the junta has threatened to withhold food aid for Rohingyas in Rakhine state went unanswered Wednesday. The junta forcibly recruited around 1,000 Rohingyas for military service from camps for the displaced in Sittwe township in March and more than 300 from Rohingya villages last month, Rohingya residents told RFA, making this the third round of forced recruitment. Now, men sleep outside A Rohingya from Sittwe, who also declined to be named, said members of his community are no longer willing to sleep in their homes, for fear of being detained in the middle of the night. "They [the junta troops] often come late at night and if they see young men at home, they will take them immediately, he said. It isnt good for us to sleep at home anymore. Now, men sleep outside away from their homes and in the fields. A goldware shop owned by a Rakhine person in the market of Dar Paing village, where the majority of residents are Muslim, April 28, 2023. (RFA) Previous military training for Rohingyas was conducted at the juntas Sittwe-based Regional Command Headquarters for two weeks. After completing the training, the trainees received certificates before some were sent home and others were sent to the frontlines, Rohingyas said. A resident of Sittwe told RFA that the junta, which is increasingly losing territory to the AA in northern Rakhine state, is recruiting Rohingyas to defend the capital. "The junta seems to be preparing for a defensive war, he said. If they cant stop [losing territory], the junta will try to hold power by creating racial and religious conflict between the Rakhine and Muslim communities." The resident said that while the Rohingyas are unwilling to serve in the military, they have no choice. He urged senior Rohingya leaders to prevent the possibility of conflict between the states ethnic communities. RFA attempted to reach junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun and Hla Thein, the juntas spokesperson for Rakhine state, to inquire about the forced recruitment of Rohingyas, but was unable to contact them. Military analysts say the junta has used Rohingyas who received military training during battles against the AA in Rakhines Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships. In Sittwe and Kyaukphyu townships, which have so far been free of conflict, thousands of Rohingya have received military training, and analysts say they are likely to be deployed on the battlefield if fighting continues. Call to monitor Rohingya situation Amid reports of forced recruitment of the Rohingya, and of the military seeking to incite conflict between the Rakhine and Rohingya communities in Rakhine state, international organizations have called for a pause in fighting to allow for aid groups to enter the area and assess the situation on the ground. Last week, in response to reports of renewed violence and property destruction in Buthidaung township resulting in the displacement of potentially tens of thousands of civilians, mainly Rohingya, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, urged restraint among all parties in the region. With inter-communal tensions between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya high and being actively stoked by the military this is a critical period when the risk of yet further atrocity crimes is particularly acute, Turk said in a May 19 statement. While we seek to corroborate information indicating serious violations, I appeal directly to the Myanmar military and Arakan Army to pause the fighting, protect civilians, allow immediate and unhindered humanitarian access, and comply fully and unconditionally with international law, he said. Rohingyas from Buthidaung township who fled to the Arakan Army (AA)-controlled area due to the fighting, seen May 8, 2024. (Twan Mrat Naing via X) According to satellite imagery and images circulating on social media, nearly the entire town of Buthidaung was burned to the ground after the AA attacked the area, prompting the withdrawal of junta troops. Some Rohingyas were reportedly prevented from escaping the fighting and killed by AA soldiers, U.N. officials said at a press conference on May 24. James Rodehaver, head of the United Nations Human Rights, or OHCHR, Myanmar team, recently highlighted the spread of misinformation and propaganda exacerbating tensions between the Rakhine and Rohingya communities. He noted that the AA has been disseminating false information about the Rohingya on the social media platform X, formerly called Twitter. Military incitement succeeding Jason Tower, the country director for the Burma program at the United States Institute of Peace, told RFA that the military's efforts to incite tension between the Rohingya and Rakhine communities is succeeding. For quite a few months now, there's been evidence that the Myanmar military has been spreading disinformation about the Arakan Army in the Rohingya community, as part of its efforts to forcibly conscript Rohingya, he said. There are many Rohingya that have been forcibly conscripted and this month, when a number of military junta troops surrendered to the AA, there were quite a few Rohingya conscripts amongst them. Tower said that the militarys strategy is to put pressure on the Arakan Army by stoking tensions between the Rohingya and Rakhine communities. And to some extent, it seems like this is working out in the favor of the military junta, as you now do see that the Arakan Army is starting to succumb to some of this pressure," he said. The Arakan Army (AA) announced that the headquarters of juntas Battalion 564 based in Buthidaung in Rakhine state was captured on April 5, 2024. (AA Info Desk) The AAs reporting on events in northern Rakhine state is extremely problematic, Tower said, and very derogatory towards Rohingya communities. And this is actually worsening the problem, although perhaps the intention of the Arakan Army in putting out this messaging is to appeal to a population of [Rakhine] that have been manipulated by the Myanmar military regime, he said. Nonetheless, this in no way absolves the AA of its responsibility to protect civilians and the Rohingya population, Tower said. There is a need for the Arakan Army to be held accountable for what's happening here, he added. The AA, which in November ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the militarys February 2021 coup detat, announced on May 18 that it had captured all military camps in Buthidaung. The AA said it now occupies nine townships in Rakhine state, as well as Paletwa township in neighboring Chin state. Tower said that while it seems pretty clear that the AA will ultimately expel the military from Rakhine state, the real test for the ethnic army is whether it will be able to adequately support displaced communities and begin governing the many territories under its control. Attempts by RFA to contact the junta and the AA for comment on the situation in Buthidaung and allegations of violence against the Rohingya community went unanswered Wednesday. Translated by Aung Naing and Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. The projects worth $700 million are aimed at improving the quality of life of Rohingya refugees. Rohingya refugees rest inside a tent in Kwala Langkat Village, in Langkat, North Sumatra, on May 23, 2024, a day after dozens of Rohingya refugee adults and children arrived by boat. In addition to loans and grants from the World Bank, the Bangladesh authority has approved two projects worth $700 million to improve the quality of life of Rohingya refugees living in Coxs Bazar and the host community people of the southeast district. The Bangladesh government has taken such a loan from the World Bank for the Rohingya refugees for the first time since providing shelter to about one million Rohingya refugees, said Md. Hasan Sarwar of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The two projects were passed in the Executive Committee meeting of the National Economic Council held at the Planning Commission under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the day, he told BenarNews on Tuesday. State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker said some projects will be implemented with loans and some with grants. Under these two projects we will use the money from the donation to improve the quality of life of the Rohingya people while the amount of loan will be used for the host community, he said. Govt plans to improve camp life According to project documents obtained by BenarNews, the two projects will be implemented between June 2024 and June 2028. The first project related to infrastructure construction is called Host and Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals/Displaced Rohingya Population Enhancement of Lives through a Multisectoral Approach Project. Rohingya refugees rest at a Rohingya refugee camp, May 24, 2024, in Ukhia in Bangladeshs southeastern Coxs Bazar district. (AFP) The total cost of the project is around $350 million, including $200 million in loans and $126 million in grants. The government will bear about $23.5 million, the document showed. Under the project, road construction and development, installation of an eight-megawatt solar power plant and construction of distribution infrastructure, an increase of safe water supply and sanitation facilities, construction of climate resilient infrastructure, environmental impact and damage assessment will be implemented. The cost of another project titled Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population Project is estimated to be more than $374 million, including a loan of $182 million from the World Bank and a grant of $150 million. Regarding the necessity of the second project, the proposal said that since 2017 Myanmar citizens have been infiltrating Bangladesh at various times, causing a humanitarian crisis in every district of Chittagong Division, including Coxs Bazar, while the socio-economic conditions in those areas have had a negative impact. Despite various humanitarian assistance, the Rohingya refugees are still facing acute crises in education, health, food security, nutritional needs, and violence and insecurity. In recent years, humanitarian aid from various development aid agencies has gradually decreased. Rohingya refugees look through the debris of their houses charred by a fire at the Ukhia camp in Coxs Bazar, May 24, 2024. (AFP) According to the project document, Chittagong, Bandarban, Rangamati, Noakhali and Coxs Bazar districts are comparatively far behind in various indicators including health and nutrition. On the other hand, crimes such as gender-based violence, human trafficking, child marriage, polygamy and sexual harassment have increased among local residents since the Rohingya infiltration. There is a possibility of creating a critical situation between the local residents and the Rohingya refugees, the document stated. Humayun Kabir, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, told BenarNews that the critical situation can be avoided if the projects are implemented. If the livelihood of the locals is damaged because of the Rohingya refugees, there will be a conflict at one stage, which will not be good for anyone, he added. Muhammed Jubair, acting chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, told BenarNews, The Rohingya fled Myanmar to save their lives but expected to return in a short time. Seven years have already passed. Relief for the Rohingya people has decreased in recent years. This grant from the World Bank will alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya refugees to some extent, he observed. Translated by Ahammad Foyez. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. Vanuatu is voting on Wednesday in its first referendum since independence, with citizens asked to decide on proposed constitutional amendments aimed at preventing party hopping and curbing political instability in the South Pacific nation. The referendum asks ni-Vanuatu a simple yes or no on whether they support inserting two articles into the constitution that are designed to strengthen the countrys fragmented party system. Advocates hope the changes will stop lawmakers from switching parties and put an end to no-confidence motions that have toppled numerous governments since the end of joint British and French rule in 1980. In 2022-23 alone, Vanuatu had four different prime ministers from four different parties. I voted yes this morning because the country is in chaos, Paul Ren Tari, a former member of parliament from Maemo island, told RFA-affiliate BenarNews in the capital Port Vila. We lost Air Vanuatu, we lost everything so we have to stabilize the country so that MPs wont jump in and out, said Tari, 60. The referendum proposes changing the constitution so that any lawmaker who leaves or is expelled from a political party during the parliamentary term loses their seat. The second amendment would force MPs to vacate their seat if they do not declare a party affiliation within three months of Parliaments first sitting day. The reforms, which were approved by Vanuatus 52-member parliament in December last year, require a simple majority to be enacted. Results are expected on June 10. Officials have set up 379 polling booths across the archipelago nation of 300,000 people, as well as in Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Casting a referendum ballot in Dumbea Hall voting station in Port Vila, on 29 May, 2024. More than 200,000 citizens are eligible to vote in Vanuatus referendum. (Nikiatu Kuautonga/Island Roots) Minister of Internal Affairs Johnny Koanapo said last week that the governments three-month referendum awareness campaign had been comprehensive and urged people to vote. The amendments, he said, were absolutely necessary to anchor stability. But some voters like David Semenou, from Epi Island, said the referendum had been rushed. I was familiar with the purpose of the referendum, but my view is that the overall population of our nation does not understand, Semenou, 37, told BenarNews outside a polling station in Port Vila. Another voter, Leisong Sisi, from Nguna Island, said people could have benefitted from more awareness on why the referendum was necessary. Vanuatu, about 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) northeast of the Australian city of Brisbane, has long struggled with fractious parliamentary politics and short-lived governments. Although it has seen almost no political violence on the scale of its Melanesian neighbors, numerous governments have been ousted by no-confidence motions. While it is recognised that [the amendments] are not a silver bullet for political instabilities, leaders acknowledged that they need to begin somewhere and walk through a series of political reforms that would certainly contribute to stability, said Gregoire Nimbtik, who has extensive experience working for the Vanuatu government, including most recently as the director-general of the Ministry of the Prime Minister. Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Solomon Islands have introduced similar anti-party hopping laws to mixed results. A statue titled United in Peace We Progress greets parliamentarians and visitors at the entrance to Vanuatus parliament house, pictured on 22 June, 2023. (Ben Bohane/AFP]) The lesson from those countries was that legislation with loopholes could easily be exploited by wily politicians, as would almost certainly be the case in Vanuatu, according to Jon Fraenkel, a comparative politics professor at Victoria University of Wellington. The best case scenario is they dont work and dont have any effect, he told BenarNews. The worst case is that they create enormous political tensions and lots of court litigation. The amendments were poorly drafted and contained plenty of scope for abuse, Fraenkel said. The first amendment, 17A, empowers the speaker and party presidents to impose discipline, but many parties internal rules were not strong enough to ensure this authority was not misused, he said. It is left up to party presidents to expel members if they are believed to have defied the party constitution, so it requires the constitutions are very well written, he said. Then if the party president decides that, he refers the matter to the speaker. But the speaker is a political appointee, so therefore they are likely to take action only if it is in their interest. Amendment 17B was even more problematic because it was an attempt to limit independent members and one-person parties from parliament, Fraenkel said. Vanuatus parliament house (right) in the capital Port Vila - built with Chinese aid and opened in 1993 - pictured on 11 November, 2022. (Stefan Armbruster) The government was dealt some good news on Monday when the Supreme Court of Vanuatu dismissed a judicial review challenging the referendum. The so-called No group had argued that outlawing changes of political allegiance during a parliamentary term and banning independents was unconstitutional. But Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek rejected the lawsuit, lifting a final hurdle for the vote to commence. Politicians were working around the clock to reform their party constitutions to make them more democratic, transparent and accountable alongside the amendments, said Nimbtik. It is believed that this will provide checks and balances and also create a democratic decision-making process, he said, adding the Political Parties Registration Act passed late last year was aimed to aid this process. Many voters hope the constitutional amendments will improve government decision-making and delivery of services. When I heard that this referendum would take place, I felt that I had to participate, Semenou said. If the vote for the referendum and reform is successful, there will be a more stable government and we can have more development. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. WASHINGTONHouse Republicans introduced a resolution last week to gut the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) recently reinstated net neutrality rules. Led by U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, the joint resolution invokes a rule that allows Congress to block regulations promulgated by executive branch agencies within a certain timeframe. The effort is attracting backers from telecommunications firms and internet service providers (ISPs). The rule in question is found in the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which was implemented in 1996, and requires all executive agencies to report rule issuances to Congress. The CRA offers special procedures through a joint resolution that expresses disapproval of a regulation. A resolution as such would then be above legislation that would overturn the regulation. If a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act is adopted by both the House and Senate and signed by the president, or if Congress has the requisite votes to overturn a presidential veto, the rule would be repealed and can no longer go into effect. Because the FCC is an executive branch regulatory agency, the net neutrality rules it officially reinstated in April 2024 are subject to the Congressional Review Act. But like any other legislative measure, it must pass both the House and Senate. The Democratic-held Senate has reacted to the Latta resolution with a chilly reception. Most of the Democrats in the Senate and President Joe Biden himself have campaigned on reinstating net neutrality rules. "Once again, the Biden administration is prioritizing heavy-handed government control, made evident in the FCCs latest push to control the internet," Latta said in a press statement. "Thats why Im introducing a Congressional Resolution Act today to overturn this misguided decision and to keep the agency from imposing stifling regulations that will hinder our ability to expand broadband internet access and close the digital divide. Latta, along with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., is working in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives to pressure the FCC to reverse the reinstatement of national net neutrality rules. "I commend Rep. Latta for leading to stop the Biden administrations heavy-handed regulations, which would only increase prices for Americans and worsen the digital divide," said McMorris Rodgers in the same Latta statement. In coverage of the measure reported by Law360.com, private industry stakeholders are backing the resolution. Grant Spellmeyer, president and chief executive officer of the trade group ACA Connects, said that the FCC has overstepped. "ACA Connects fully supports Congressman Bob Lattas resolution," he said in a press release. ACA Connects represents over 500 small- to medium-sized ISPs and broadband providers. Public interest consumer group Public Knowledge's senior vice president Harold Feld told Law360.com reporter Christopher Cole that "there is no way such a resolution will pass." He added, "Even if it came to the floor and passed the House on a party-line vote, it would die in the Senate." Civil society organizations and digitally-native companies have lobbied for net neutrality for years. Adult industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition has also advocated for net neutrality regulations over concerns that large ISPs could "throttle" or slow down the broadband speed on platforms that host speech the ISPs might not support. Meanwhile, a new Chinese order threatening arrest of trespassers into its waters takes effect on June 15. Philippine Coast Guard personnel aboard BRP Bagacay observe a China Coast Guard ship during the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by a civilian-led mission in the disputed South China Sea, May 16, 2024. The Philippine military on Tuesday vowed it would protect Filipino fishermen during the four-month fishing ban China has imposed in contested South China Sea waters, including in areas within Manilas exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Manila had a day earlier summoned Chinas envoy to protest the annual moratorium, as it does every year, saying the practice violates its sovereign rights. Beijing claims the ban promotes sustainable fishing and conserves marine ecology in the waterway. Commodore Ray Vincent Trinidad, a Philippine Navy spokesman, said on Tuesday that the force had deployed additional vessels to protect Filipino fishermen. The Philippine Navy does not recognize this provocative statement nor will we be deterred in performing our mandate of securing the welfare of Filipinos wherever he or she is on land or on sea, said Trinidad, spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, referring to Chinas fishing moratorium. Overall, patrols have been increased in the entire [West Philippine Sea]. Manila calls areas in the South China Sea that are within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) the West Philippine Sea. Philippine fishermen and volunteers from a civilian-led mission aboard fishing boats arrive at a meeting point in the South China Sea, May 15, 2024. [Ted Aljibe/AFP] Chinas fishing moratorium this year, which began on May 1 and is scheduled to last until Sept. 16, will take place as a new China Coast Guard order is scheduled to go into force June 15. The Chinese coast guard had on May 15 issued an order authorizing its personnel to detain foreign boats and nationals suspected of trespassing into Beijing-claimed waters in the South China Sea for up to 30 days and as many as 60, in some cases. Manila has called this order illegal, warning against repercussions if it is implemented. Meanwhile, Filipino fishermen said they would continue to fish in the waters that Manila claims despite threats of arrest by Chinese authorities. We will not follow this baseless ban by China in our waters, Joey Marabe, provincial coordinator of the Filipino fishermens group Pamalakaya in Zambales, told BenarNews on Tuesday. He called the ban an unacceptable insult, alleging that China had been known for destructive fishing practices. Marabe said the ban would directly affect the livelihood of Filipino fishermen and vowed they would ignore it. No foreigner has the right to stop us from fishing in our own territory, he said. China in 2012 seized the Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground in another part of Manilas EEZ, after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy. Manila subsequently took China to an international arbitral court, and in 2016 won a landmark ruling in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which threw out Chinas expansive claims in the South China Sea. Beijing, however, has ignored the ruling and refuses to leave Scarborough Shoal, which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc. Recently, the China Coast Guard shadowed a Filipino civilian mission to Scarborough, though there was no major incident. Constructive multilateralism On Monday, Manila filed its 25th diplomatic protest against China this year, and the 158th since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected in 2022. The unilateral imposition of the fishing moratorium raises tensions in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, Manilas Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after summoning the Chinese envoy. Through a diplomatic note, the Philippines protested the ban insofar as it includes the [Philippines] maritime zones over which the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The statement added that the ban had undermined an understanding between Marcos and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that both countries would manage differences through diplomacy and dialogue, and reduce tensions at sea. Chinas embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment. Manilas protest came days before Marcos is expected to discuss the South China Sea dispute in his keynote speech at an international security forum in Singapore. Top political and security leaders from dozens of countries are most likely to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue this weekend. The annual inter-governmental security forum is organized by the Singaporean think-tank International Institute for Strategic Studies. I think it is extremely timely that I attend [the Shangri-La Dialogue] and put forward and articulate the Philippines perspectives and outlook on defense and diplomacy while we continue to highlight the Philippines commitment to a rules-based international order and constructive multilateralism amidst the current geopolitical challenges that we face in our region, Marcos said on Tuesday, before he departed for a state visit to Brunei en route to Singapore. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. After the Taliban's de facto government cut ties with a number of diplomatic missions operated abroad by diplomats loyal to the ousted Afghan republic, the British and Norwegian authorities have opted to shut down Afghan embassies on their soil. Both Oslo and London say their decisions in no way represent official recognition of the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, which no country recognizes due to concerns over a woeful human rights record and other failures to live up to promises it made before seizing power in August 2021. But experts say the embassy closures are likely to pave the way for more engagement with the Taliban, which controls all of Afghanistan's territory and has increased its hold on power. Diplomats who served the former Afghan government were left in limbo when the Taliban took control, but remained open for business in some Western states and continued to assist Afghan citizens. The window on their operations began to close when the Taliban announced in July that it was cutting ties with 14 such missions in Western countries and that it would not accept any consular documents they processed, a critical source of funding to keep them running. Many of the consular services, such as verification of identity documents or police clearance, offered by the embassies do require a degree of cooperation from the country's government because diplomatic missions might not be able to access all government data. This month, the British Foreign Office announced that it was shutting down the Afghan Embassy in London, explaining to RFE/RL on September 9 that the decision was made after the "dismissal of its staff by the Taliban." Norway quickly followed suit, announcing that the Afghan Embassy in Oslo would be shut down on September 12. Both the British and Norwegian governments have indicated that the move does not amount to a formal recognition of the Taliban's hard-line government. And the embassy buildings, which are Afghanistan's properties, will be eventually handed over to a "recognized" government of Afghanistan. But Hameed Hakimi, an Afghanistan expert, says the decisions to shut the embassies can be taken as "reality setting in" that the Taliban is "unlikely to be replaced in the immediate future." And for the Taliban, he says, it creates an opportunity to argue that its rule is being acknowledged, even without formal recognition. "The Taliban can use this to their advantage in their pursuit of claiming legitimacy with the Afghans and internationally," said Hakimi, an associate fellow at London's Chatham House think tank. More than a dozen countries, mostly Afghanistan's neighbors, already operate embassies in Kabul, and some have accredited Taliban diplomats. The Taliban government also partially controls diplomatic missions in some countries, and has established working relations with Afghan diplomatic missions in the Czech Republic, Spain, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and the Afghan Consulate in Munich. The missions operating in Western countries staffed by diplomats appointed by the previous government are the outlier. Hakimi said that if all those missions are shut down, it "truly signifies the closure of the chapter of the Afghan Islamic Republic." The Afghan Islamic Republic, as it was formally known, emerged soon after a U.S.-led military alliance toppled the Taliban government in November 2001 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Nearly two decades later, the internationally recognized Afghan republic collapsed as the Taliban seized power in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban, meanwhile, recreated its brutal emirate from the 1990s by imposing harsh bans and discriminatory laws that resulted in widespread human rights violations. Afghan women and girls are deprived of education and employment in most sectors and lack fundamental freedoms. These Taliban policies have so far kept its government from being officially recognized. This absence of recognition has complicated engagement with the Taliban government on important issues, such as humanitarian aid, and made it difficult for the estimated 2 million Afghans living in Western countries to access consular services. Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, says Western governments might be acting on the UN special coordinator's recommendation to facilitate the processing of documentation for Afghans abroad. In his report endorsed by the UN Security Council in December 2023, Feridun Sinirlioglu, the UN special coordinator for Afghanistan, called for better cooperation between the Taliban regime and the outside world to ensure that Afghans can obtain the paperwork they need to continue with their daily lives. "Afghans have been suffering in limbo without clarity about where to go when they need identity papers or travel documents," Smith said, describing how Afghans who still do not have travel documents from another country suffer from the lack of consular services. "The steps we are witnessing now may represent practical efforts by some governments" to remedy the situation, Smith said. The challenge remains, he said, to ensure that efforts "aimed at pressuring the regime do not sabotage the lives and livelihoods of Afghans." Many Western capitals are also grappling with the complex issue of what to do with Afghan asylum seekers whose applications were rejected. Last month, Germany deported 28 Afghan men convicted of crimes in the country to Kabul, with Qatar playing an intermediary role in securing the Taliban's cooperation in accepting the returning Afghans. Smith said that some countries "are discovering the usefulness" of having a consular presence "connected to the authorities in Kabul" if they need to arrange the return of Afghan migrants. "But it's unclear if that motivated the recent closures," he said. Both Britain and Norway have not said anything about whether they will allow the Taliban government to offer consular services in London and Oslo. The fates of the Afghan Embassy in Berlin and consulate in Bonn are not clear, although the consulate in Munich is likely to remain open because it cooperates with the Taliban government on consular services. In London, Afghanistan expert Hakimi said the closure could create an "opportunity for the Taliban to lobby with the Western countries" and allow its representatives to at least run counselor services. These Afghan diplomatic missions can remain closed indefinitely, similar to what happened in the United States, where the Afghan Embassy and two consulates have been closed since March 2002. The Afghan Embassy in Canada offers remote consular services to Afghans living in the United States. In Norway, Afghans have mixed feelings about their embassy's closure. Sima Nouri, an Afghan woman living in Oslo, is worried over how her compatriots will now access consular services. "There is a possibility that the process of forced deportation of Afghan refugees will begin," she told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "This process, however, must be stopped." Mina Rafiq, another Afghan woman in Norway, prefers shutting the embassy down to cooperating with the Taliban. "This might work to the advantage of Afghan asylum seekers," she said, "because the Norwegian government will now have to give them necessary documents." One year ago, Hamas -- the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip -- carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, the deadliest in the countrys history. In response, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and rescue the 251 hostages taken by the group. Israel has expanded its war in recent weeks by invading Lebanon and launching air strikes targeting Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. RFE/RL spoke to Lior Yohanani, manager of quantitative research at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based independent research center, which on October 7 released a wide-ranging survey of Israeli public opinion after one year of war. RFE/RL: Can you explain what your study found as to how Israelis view the past year since Hamas's October 7 attack? Lior Yohanani: Well, I think Israelis still don't see October 7 as an event that's over. Sure, the actual horrific events of that day ended, but Israelis are still living with the consequences. There are two main aspects to this. First, since October 7, Israel has been in this multifront war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. And then, of course, there is the issue of the hostages still being held in Gaza. So, we're seeing a sharp drop in people's sense of personal security. Almost three quarters of the public feel less safe compared to before October 7, and that's despite a year of war and some significant military achievements. On the flip side, we're also seeing that most people say their lives have returned to normal when it comes to things like work, media consumption, and family and social gatherings. Another thing we're noticing is that the Israeli public is giving pretty low marks to all the political and military leaders for the performance since October 7. For example, almost two-thirds of Israelis are rating Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's performance since then as poor or not good. RFE/RL: How has Israel's involvement in a two-front conflict, in both Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a confrontation with Iran affected public opinion among Israelis? Yohanani: It's tough to answer that question, because we're at the point where things could go in a few different directions. In the last few weeks, we've seen a major escalation in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just last week, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which Israel is expected to respond to. In a survey we just did recently, we asked whether Israeli society and the military could handle fighting on two or more fronts for an extended period of time, and the results were pretty striking. Over 70 percent believe that yes, both Israeli society and the military can handle that kind of prolonged fighting. So, while the situation is complex and evolving, there seems to be a strong sense of resilience and capability among Israelis, even in the face of these multiple threats. But of course, public opinion could shift depending on how events unfold in the coming weeks or months. RFE/RL: Is there support for Netanyahus response to October 7? Is there debate in Israeli society, as well as political circles, over Netanyahus strategic choices? Yohanani: First of all, it's important to say that the Israeli public has largely supported significant military operation against Hamas in Gaza. That said, the Israeli discourse around the October 7 events, the ongoing war, and especially toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, is very polarized between right-wing supporters on the one hand and left and center supporters on the other. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term." So, on the left and the center, there is a high level of distrust and suspicion toward Netanyahu and his government. For instance, Netanyahu's apparent reluctance to pursue a deal for returning the hostages in exchange for ending the fighting in Gaza is seen by large parts of the public, even on the right, as resulting from Netanyahu's dependence on far-right, ultranationalist members of his government who refuse any compromise or ceasefire. Now for a long time, Netanyahu and his ministers argued that only significant military force would lead Hamas to compromise and release the hostages. Now, with military attention and resources shifting to the north, people are asking, where is this massive military force that was supposed to bring the hostages home? One question we have asked several times since October 7 in our polls is what should be the main goal in Gaza: Dismantling Hamas or bringing back the hostages? And as time goes on, public opinion is increasingly supporting the return of hostages. In our current survey, 62 percent saw bringing the bringing back the hostages as Israel's main goal, while only 29 percent pointed to dismantling Hamas as the primary objective. RFE/RL: How do ordinary Israelis see the question of the remaining hostages amid the continued protests by the hostages' families? Yohanani: As I mentioned before, most of the public supports a deal to release the hostages, even if it means ending the war and withdrawing the military forces from Gaza. There's this widespread feeling that we've left the hostages behind, and that's really hitting at our sense of solidarity, which is a deep and fundamental value, I think, in Jewish history in general and in Israel society in particular. At the same time, the campaign run by the Hostages And Missing Families Forum has become very politicized. Many right-wing supporters see it as weakening Israel. As time goes on, we're seeing more and more harassment of protesters who support bringing the hostages back. There are cases of passersby cursing, even hitting and throwing eggs, at hostages' families. In our latest survey, we asked about the effectiveness of the protests and actions taken by the hostages' families. Despite most of the public feeling empathetic toward the hostage issue, only less than a third think these actions are actually helping to advance a deal for the hostages' release, while almost 40 percent think they're actually hurting the cause. So, you've got this complex situation where people want the hostages back, but there is disagreement and some backlash about how to make that happen. RFE/RL: Can you explain the reasons behind the apparent contradiction in views regarding prioritizing a negotiated return of the hostages, or destroying Hamas? Yohanani: You're right to point out that apparent contradiction. Let me break it down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, a clear majority of the public sees a deal to release the hostages as the main goal. But there is a big gap between political camps on this issue. In the center and left, about 80 percent support the deal for the hostages' release, while the opinions on the right are evenly split. So, for most of the left and center, the fighting in Gaza has run its course. They feel most military objectives have been achieved, and Hamas's military power has been significantly weakened. From their perspective, continuing the fight now only puts the hostages at greater risk. It's important to know that about half of the right-wing also shares this view of prioritizing the hostages' release, but the other half of those on the far-right thinks dismantling Hamas is more important. Why? For a couple of reasons. First, there's a security stance that Hamas must be wiped out and not allowed to recover. There is also a very strong sentiment of revenge, with minimal consideration for the cost, whether it's the lives of the hostages, soldiers, let alone innocent civilians in Gaza. Another significant component openly discussed in religious nationalist circles is the return of Jewish settlement to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuated Jewish settlements from there in 2005. RFE/RL: Is there public confidence that Israel will ultimately be able to remove the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah and come out of this conflict with greater prospects for a peaceful and stable near-term future? Yohanani: Right now, the Israeli public isn't showing a lot of optimism. In our current survey, when we asked people if they're optimistic or pessimistic about Israel's future, we found more pessimists, 48 percent, than optimists, 45 percent. I also think it's important to note that a peaceful future, as you put it, or peace in general, isn't really a common concept in the current Israeli discourse. I would say the hope of Israelis is that the military actions against Hezbollah and Iran will lead to a situation where Israel's existence isn't in question, and that Israeli military superiority will prevent events like October 7 from happening again. So, it's less about peace in the traditional sense, and more about security and deterrence. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term. TBILISI -- Lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party comfortably overrode a presidential veto 84-4 in a vote boycotted by most of the opposition on May 28, further propelling the so-called "foreign agent" law toward enactment. Dubbed "the Russian law" by Georgian protesters for its similarities with a decade-old law in Russia that has helped the Kremlin jail, fine, and marginalize dissent, EU officials have warned it will "negatively impact Georgia's EU path." Meanwhile, Washington has announced visa bans and a "comprehensive review" of bilateral relations, and other international critics have decried the law as "weaponized transparency." Following the override, here's what's expected to happen next with the Georgian Law On Transparency Of Foreign Influence. Sign And Publish The bill will be submitted to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili for signature within three days, after which she has five days to sign it into law. Zurabishvili has repeatedly given every indication that she won't sign it. If she doesn't, after five days the law is published with the signature of the speaker of parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. Creation Of A Registry After the law's publication, the Justice Ministry and the ministry's National Agency Of Public Registry will have 60 days to create a register for "organizations serving the interests of a foreign power." Once that is up and running, registration becomes mandatory for a large segment of the country's nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and online media. The criteria mostly boil down to a reliance on foreign funding above 20 percent in a calendar year from any "foreign power," which is defined as a physical person who is not a citizen of Georgia; a legal entity registered outside of Georgia; or any fund, association, corporation, union, or other organization founded on the laws of a foreign state and/or international law. Written Application If an organization suspects that it meets the criteria of "serving the interests of a foreign power," the countdown on the deadline for filing begins on the 60th day after the publication of the law. Within one month of that deadline, the organization is obliged to submit a written statement to the Justice Ministry requesting that it be registered as such. The organization should be granted access to the relevant website within two days; and within 10 working days of admission, the organization must fill out an electronic application. Submitting An Electronic Application When the organization fills out the electronic application, that submission is required to include: Identification data Address Website address Details of monetary or asset-based income received in the previous year, with explanations of the source, amount, and purpose Details of the amount and purpose of funds spent in the previous year Check-In The National Agency Of Public Registry has 30 working days to investigate and study the application to determine whether it is "correctly and fully completed" and register the author/organization as an "organization serving the interests of a foreign power." That information is publicly available. During their study of the application, the Justice Ministry's authorized representative has the authority to search for special categories of information about individuals connected with the organization. These include: Political views Ethnicity Religious beliefs Health Genetic data that is processed to uniquely identify an individual Sex life Individuals must immediately provide any related information requested by the ministry representative. If an individual fails to fulfill that requirement, they can be fined 5,000 lari ($1,845). There is no limit in the legislation to limit the number of times per month a person may be fined. What If An Organization Doesn't Register? If an NGO or media organization as defined in the law fails to apply or register, it can be fined 25,000 lari ($8,945) and registered without consent into the registry anyway. After that, the organization is obliged to upload the financial declaration. If it fails to fulfill that requirement, it can be fined another 10,000 lari ($3,500). The state authority will check on the organization a month later and, if it finds noncompliance again, the organization can be fined another 20,000 lari ($7,150). The organization can then be fined 20,000 lari each month thereafter for noncompliance. If Not Declared, How Will The State Know An Organization's A Foreign Agent? The law includes a hearing mechanism under which anyone can report in writing the presence of a "foreign agent" organization, or more specifically one "serving the interests of a foreign power." In such cases, a Justice Ministry representative -- which will be defined once the law is implemented -- has the right at any time to initiate an investigation on its own authority. But the ministry representative may also launch an investigation in the absence of any such written statement. TBILISI -- Georgia's so-called "foreign agent" law is expected to land back on President Salome Zurabishvili's desk after lawmakers on May 28 overrode her veto, prompting fresh protests against the piece of legislation seen as mirroring a repressive Russian measure and jeopardizing the country's drive toward the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party, as expected, pushed through the override on May 28 with an 84-4 vote in the 150-seat parliament. A simple majority of 76 votes was needed to cancel Zurabishvili's veto. Most opposition deputies had walked out of the chamber ahead of the vote. Zurabishvili, who has been at odds with Georgian Dream over the bill and sided with the pro-Western protesters, now has five days to sign the measure into law. She has given no indication she intends to do so but if she refuses, the speaker of parliament, Georgian Dream member Shalva Papuashvili, can sign the law and publish it. The vote to override Zurabishvili's veto came despite last-minute appeals from the European Union and several member states to Georgian lawmakers as hundreds of mostly young protesters chanted "No Russian law!" and "Slaves!" while waving Georgian and EU flags. Zurabishvili addressed the crowd massed peacefully at the back entrance of the legislature via video link, urging them not to let the 84 lawmakers who voted for bill have the final say. The 84 deputies who voted for the law are "nobody compared to those who are here today -- the new Georgia, the Georgia of the future," she said, encouraging demonstrators to save their anger and energy for national elections in October. Georgia's civil society has for years sought to move the country away from the influence of Russia, which still maintains thousands of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgian regions that Moscow recognized as independent states following a five-day war with Tbilisi in 2008. Critics say the legislation was introduced by Georgian Dream, founded by Russian-friendly Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, in order to cement the party's grip on power ahead of elections later this year seen as crucial for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic path. Both the United States and the European Union have warned Georgian Dream that ignoring criticism and cracking down violently on protesters will have negative consequences. Georgia obtained the coveted status of EU candidate country in December, but it has yet to start actual accession talks, which could last for years. There had been hope such talks could start later this year, but Brussels has warned that the "foreign agent" law could endanger the path toward Europe. Georgian Dream has insisted that it remains committed to joining Western institutions and the law was only meant to increase transparency on NGO funding. But European Council President Charles Michel warned on May 28 that overriding Zurabishvili's veto was a "step backward" for Georgia's European aspirations. "The European Council decided in December to grant Georgia candidate status on the understanding that Georgia undertakes the relevant steps and necessary democratic reforms," Michel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "The adoption of the transparency law in the parliament is a step backward and takes Georgia further away from its EU path. The Georgian people have clearly chosen a future in the EU and we will do everything to support their ambitions," Michel said, adding that the issue will be on the agenda of the next European Council meeting. A day before the vote, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc had started weighing options should Georgia enact the law. He said a decision will be made next month. After the Georgian Dream party pushed the bill through, a State Department spokesman said the United States condemns the parliament's decision and told reporters that the party's actions and anti-Western rhetoric threaten Georgia's democratic trajectory. Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Georgian Dream vote was a "sad day for Georgia," and reaffirmed Washington's determination to back the aspirations of the Georgian people. "The people have demonstrated that they will not allow Ivanishvili to destroy their democracy & take away their European future. We stand with them," Cardin said on X. Zurabishvili, meanwhile, has urged Georgians to gear up for the upcoming parliamentary elections later this year. "We must now do everything we can to prepare for October 26, which will be our answer to today. Are you angry today? Get angry, but let's get down to business," she said, calling for a campaign to collect signatures for an EU referendum. The law requires civil society and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of funding from foreign sources to submit to oversight that could encompass sanctions for as-yet-undefined criminal offenses. 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 One year after an attack on Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeepers in northern Kosovo there are renewed calls for Pristina and Belgrade to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. On May 29, 2023, members of the NATO-led mission were attacked in Serb-majority Zvecan during violent protests by Serbs who opposed the new ethnic Albanian mayor taking office in the municipal building. The new mayor had been elected weeks before in an election boycotted by ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo. Some of the 93 KFOR officers who were attacked suffered life-altering injuries. "We take very seriously the attacks carried out on KFOR peacekeepers in Zvecan. These were unacceptable and perpetrators must be held accountable," a NATO official said in a written statement to RFE/RL. Major General Ozkan Ulutas, commander of KFOR, said in a separate news release that the peacekeepers' courage helped to stabilize the situation in the area and prevented a further escalation of violence. However, little has been achieved in reaching justice. The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo, which is conducting the investigation, and the Basic Court in Pristina did not respond to RFE/RL's question about how far the criminal prosecution of the suspected perpetrators has gone. The High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade also did not respond to questions by RFE/RL. What is known is that about 10 people were arrested, most of whom were released. Four were charged, but two were acquitted. In addition, two citizens of Serbia were expelled from Kosovo after their six-month prison sentence was replaced by a fine. RFE/RL asked the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade if it is investigating the attack and whether it has started proceedings against the individuals who participated in the attack who are now in Serbia. However, the office did not respond. Ehat Miftaraj of the Kosovo Institute for Justice said the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo has taken appropriate and effective actions to prosecute the attackers of the KFOR members and the journalists who also were attacked while reporting on the crisis. However, there is a lack of cooperation with Serbia for the arrest and extradition of those who have committed criminal offenses in the territory of Kosovo and are not available to the responsible institutions, he said. "Unfortunately, Serbia has turned into a safe haven for criminals who have committed crimes in Kosovo, providing them with complete institutional impunity," Miftaraj told RFE/RL. He added that Kosovo's institutions should increase cooperation with KFOR and international partners when it comes to actions in northern Kosovo and thus build trust among the Serbian majority population there. "In addition, KFOR and the international community must exert greater pressure on Serbia to extradite to Kosovo all those who participated in the aggression against Kosovo so that such actions are not repeated," Miftaraj said. Last year's crisis in northern Kosovo culminated on September 24 when an armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in the town of Banjska near Zvecan, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. Three Serbs also were killed. Kosovo blamed Serbia for the attack, which Belgrade denied. The responsibility was claimed by the former vice president of the Serbian List political party, Milan Radoicic. It is believed that he and other members of the armed group that took part in the attack are in Serbia. NATO has sent around 1,000 additional troops and heavy armored equipment to Kosovo since the attack. This was the biggest reinforcement of KFOR troops in Kosovo in a decade. Currently, there are more than 4,500 KFOR troops in Kosovo. The security situation continues to be fragile, according to KFOR's assessment. In places where once not even border posts disturbed the landscape, earthmoving equipment is currently carving a trench down the boundary between Baltic NATO and Russian territory. Riga will allocate some 303 million euros over the next five years to the major fortification project. We plan to dig anti-tank ditches along the border, as you see here now, then strengthen them with 'dragons teeth,'" Kaspar Lazdins, the senior engineer officer of Latvias armed forces told Latvian media outlet LSM in early May. "But each region will have its own solutions. We plan to use not only state resources, but also attract civilian companies." When RFE/RL's North.Realities service visited the Russian border at Terehova, Latvia, a long line of trucks was waiting to cross. This the busiest point on Latvias eastern border due to the highway running directly east to Moscow, and the checkpoint's proximity to Belarus. Around the Terehova border crossing a fence was erected in 2019 to block illegal migrants attempting to enter from Russia. Major military fortifications will soon be added to the border here as part of what Riga is calling its "eastern border reinforcement plan." The border doesnt bother us, weve lived with it our whole lives and dont pay attention anymore, says Inna Dukshta, an employee at the administration office of Pasiene, a village near the Terehova crossing. Flyers placed around the village recruit for new border guards and in the administration itself, a poster proclaims We are NATO in Latvian. We dont know if tanks will come, but of course we are afraid of it, Yulia, a young mother in the village says when asked about the nearby Russian border. I have a family, children. Im not thinking about today, but what comes in the next 20 years, she adds. Nikolai, an older local man has no such anxiety. It would be better if this 303 million euros were put into roads instead, he says. If, God forbid, there is a war, these fortifications are not going to save us anyway. Gennady, another pensioner, holds a similar view. I dont know about this ditch, he told RFE/RL. "In modern wars there is nothing more effective than diplomacy. Embassies shouldn't be closed, diplomatic relations should not be cut. Only diplomacy will keep the peace." Before the coronavirus pandemic and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, residents of Latvias eastern border areas travelled freely into Russias Pskov region where they could stock up on significantly cheaper products. Like many settlements along Latvias eastern border, Pasiene is a largely Russian-speaking village. How can you make people speak [Latvian] Elena, a cleaning lady in the settlement says. Im Latvian, we are all EU citizens, but everyone studied in Russian schools -- we had no others, she says. Weve lived like this all our lives, its impossible to change people. In 1991 Latvia won its independence as the Soviet Union collapsed but some territory was lost to Russia. In the 2000s Riga raised the territorial claims with Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded less than diplomatically. We will never negotiate on the topic of any territorial claims, Putin said, adding that Riga would receive the ears of a dead donkey, before any land would be handed over. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Latvias parliament banned public celebrations on May 9, the day Russia marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. In Pasiene a Soviet-era memorial to soldiers killed during WWII remains standing, but to the south, at the convergence of the Latvian, Belarusian and Russian borders a friendship monument was demolished. Never mind Russia, I dont even know about our parliament, Inna, a resident of Pasiene says. "Now they say there will be elections to the European Parliament but I havent seen anyone come and offer to speak to us. We have a forgotten land here, she says. We live ordinary lives -- we sow, we plow, we fill out subsidy applications. We are trying to earn money, to grow something, live from our vegetable patch and keep our own livestock. Historian Ilya Lensky believes the current fence along Latvias border should have been set up thirty years ago, and references the influx of largely Middle Eastern migrants seeking to enter Latvia from Belarus. People are constantly walking, trying to cross. This leads to the border services being overstretched, he says. At the same time, these are attempts to identify some gaps in the border. Lensky believes one aim of the migrant crowds apparently shepherded toward the Latvian border by the Belarusian authorities, is to spark violence. There is the expectation that someones nerves will give out and someone will start shooting, then will come the wonderful propaganda that Latvian border guards shot dead a helpless asylum seeker. This would be very useful because the main narrative of Russian and Belarusian propaganda regarding the Baltics is that these people are unrepentant Nazis who wont hand out bread, but instead kill people, the historian says. Thousands of people, mainly students, marched from Peshawar University in northwestern Pakistan to the city's U.S. Consulate to demand an end to Israeli strikes on Gaza. Demonstrators called for a cease-fire and for immediate aid to the Palestinian territory to ease an ongoing humanitarian crisis. NEW YORKClosing arguments in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump concluded Tuesday, sending the case to a jury of 12 New Yorkers to decide. Trump stands accused of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in a bid to cover up a scheme to catch-and-kill unflattering stories that would implicate Trump in his 2016 election. Adult star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal were paid off by Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, and media executive David Pecker to make sure that the pair could not share their stories of alleged affairs with the then-2016 presidential nominee. Cohen was a central witness to the prosecution's case against Trump. The defense, led by attorney Todd Blanche, spent the first two hours of the day in court characterizing Cohen as a liar and untrustworthy. Blanche called Cohen the "Greatest Liar of All Time," the "GLOAT," and the Tom Brady of lying. He also told the jury that Cohen's indictment should be an indication of his credibility as a witness. On the other end, the prosecution rebutted the defense for almost five hoursat least four hours and forty-one minutes. Joshua Steinglass, assistant district attorney to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office led by Alvin Bragg, defended Michael Cohen by arguing that the case isn't about the disgraced former attorney but about Donald Trump and his alleged crimes. Steinglass reiterated testimony by David Pecker. Pecker, who served as the publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer and former chief executive officer of its parent company, American Media Inc., agreed to watch out for stories that would hurt Trump's credibility in his run-up to the 2016 election. When it came out that Stormy Daniels had an affair with Trump in 2006 at Lake Tahoe, the Trump team engaged Cohen and Pecker to pay her off through a shell firm that included $130,000 and a non-disclosure agreement signed by Daniels and Trump using pseudonyms. Note that Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. His indictment from the Department of Justice noted his scheme of paying $130,000 to an "adult film actress." Cohen also had a hand in ensuring McDougal was paid by Pecker. Daniels and McDougal were both represented by Los Angeles-based attorney Keith Davidson. Davidson accepted payments on behalf of Stormy Daniels, who also testified in the trial. Judge Juan Merchan will instruct the jury on how to approach deliberations about Trump's innocence or guilt on Wednesday. The jury is expected to be back with a verdict this week. NATO member Sweden on May 29 announced its largest military aid package for Ukraine so far will include modern radar surveillance planes as Russian attacks continued to target civilians, killing several people in three Ukrainian regions. Two people were killed and three wounded early on May 29 when Russian troops shelled Krasnopil in the northeastern region of Sumy, the regional military administration reported on May 29. 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. Vadym Filashkin, the governor of the eastern region of Donetsk, said on May 29 that three civilians were killed and six were wounded by Russian bombardment the previous day. In the northern region of Chernihiv, one person died in the hospital after being wounded by Russian shelling the previous day in Semenivsk, near the border, Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported on May 29. Ukraine's air defense said it shot down 13 of the 14 drones launched by Russia early on May 29 at three of its regions -- Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad, and Rivne. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily summary on May 29 that the heaviest fighting had been observed in the areas around Kupyansk and Pokrovsk. It also said Russian forces continue their assault in the Vovchansk region, where Russian ground units were supported by guided aerial bombs launched from planes over Russia. Russian troops "significantly intensified" their attack in the area around Kurakhiv, the General Staff noted, but the area around Pokrovsk continued to experience the largest number of clashes. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in two separate statements on May 29 that planes from its Black Sea Fleet had destroyed three Ukrainian Crimea-bound sea drones in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. In Stockholm, the Swedish government announced a package of 13.3 billion Swedish crowns ($1.3 billion) in military aid for Ukraine -- the 16th since the start of Russia's invasion and the largest so far. The package includes two Swedish-made SAAB ASCC airborne early-warning-and-control aircraft. Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonsson said the two planes would have the "greatest effect on the Ukrainian air defense," complementing and supporting the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets pledged by several countries. Stockholm has provided 43.5 billion Swedish crowns ($4.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Swedish donation was the third secured by Ukraine this week, following similar packages pledged by Spain and Belgium during visits by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Belgian donation included a pledge of 30 F-16s to be delivered to Kyiv by 2028, with the first aircraft expected to arrive later this year. Ukraine's air defenses have been struggling with insufficiently modern air-defense systems and dwindling supplies of antiaircraft ammunition needed to counter an increasingly intense Russian bombardment, mainly in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Moscow wants to establish a "buffer zone" against cross-border Ukrainian attacks on military targets inside Russia. Ukraine has complained that some donors, chiefly the United States and Germany -- have banned the use of modern Western missile systems by Ukraine to attack targets inside Russia. However, French President Emmanuel Macron, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have been in favor of such strikes on military facilities located just across the border and used by Russia to bomb Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. However, Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of strategic industries, on May 29 told Bloomberg that Kyiv had used British-supplied missiles on targets inside Russia after securing London's approval. "We already have a precedent. For example, Great Britain -- they have already allowed Ukraine to use the long-range Storm Shadow missiles that they supply. And we successfully use them," Sak said. PATTAYA, ThailandJamey Bell of PASS is this weeks guest on "Adult Site Broker Talk." Bell is a board-certified nurse practitioner and the medical director of the sexual health program at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the largest facility in the world providing health and social services to the LGBTQ+ community. Bell also serves as medical director of PASS, the non-profit organization dedicated to the health and safety of adult industry workers. In 2021, Bell joined the PASS board of directors and was appointed medical director in September 2023. Bell is a strong supporter of the rights of sex workers and the provision of safe and convenient healthcare for those involved in the adult industry. With an emphasis on social justice in healthcare for vulnerable people, Bell has over 20 years of experience in the field. He blends professional expertise with compassion and care for his patients and the community. Bell graduated with top honors from Ball State University in Indiana and holds master's degrees in community health and nursing. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners has awarded him a board certification. The Free Speech Coalition established PASS in April 2011 as an extension of a prior initiative to support industry standards and oversight of adult industry testing. PASS partners with organizations that test for STIs and/or other infectious diseases in the U.S. and Canada to provide work clearance data back to its database. PASS started functioning as a separate entity in May of 2021. No individual test results are posted to PASS; instead, the database simply contains binary yes/no information related to "work clearance." Based on the testing panel's results, clinical staff at the testing partner with the necessary licenses determines a patient's eligibility for work clearance. The testing protocol requires nine distinct tests for seven STIs. Clearance is given for 14 days from the date of the first sample collection. Follow Jamey Bell on X @JameyNP. Bruce, the adult site broker, host of the show, and CEO of Adult Site Broker said: It was great having Jamey on the show. What PASS does is so critical to the adult industry. It was interesting to hear how PASS works. Adult Site Broker helps people buy and sell websites in the adult space. Contact the company on its website at adultsitebroker.com. Listen to Jamey Bell on "Adult Site Broker Talk" starting today at adultsitebrokertalk.com. By Paul Neilan and Eoin Reynolds Eight men charged in relation to the largest seizure of drugs in the history of the State after a Panamanian cargo ship was dramatically stormed by an elite special forces unit off the southeast coast last year have had their cases transferred to the non-jury Special Criminal Court. At the three-judge court on Wednesday, State solicitor Ciara Vibien successfully applied to have all eight mens cases heard at the court, which deals with terrorism and organised crime-related offences. The Special Criminal Court can hear certain cases where the Director of Public Prosecutions certifies that the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice and the preservation of public peace and order. The men face drugs and organised crime charges after some 2.25 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated value of more than 157 million was seized from the Panamanian-registered large bulk carrier MV Matthew in Irish waters in September 2023. The eight men charged are Ukraine nationals Vitaliy Lapa (61) of Rudanka, Regina Stn, Bendyousk, Ukraine; Mykhailo Gavryk (31) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (31) both with unknown addresses; Jamie Harbron (31) of South Avenue, Billigham, UK; Soheil Jelveh (49), address unknown; Philippines national Harold Estoesta (30), Iran national Saeid Hassani (38) and Cumali Ozgen (49) of Delftselaan, Den Hag, Netherlands. Vitaliy Lapa and Jamie Harbron are accused of an offence contrary to Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 on dates between September 24th, 2023 and September 26th, 2023, both dates inclusive for possession of drugs within the State. Vitaliy Lapa is also charged with an offence under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 that between July 15th and September 25th, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he contributed to an activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such activity could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation. Mr Harbron is also charged with the same Section 72 offence on dates between September 21st and September 25th 2023. Soheil Jelveh, Mykhailo Gavryk, Vitaliy Vlasoi, Harold Estoesta, Saeid Hassani, Cumali Ozgen face similar Section 72 charges and are further charged with an offence under the Criminal Justice (Illicit Traffic by Sea) Act 2003 and the Misuse of Drugs Act on dates between September 24th to September 26th, both dates inclusive. On September 26th, 2023, a joint task force comprising members of the Revenue Customs Service, Naval Service and An Garda Siochana interdicted and detained the MV Matthew, which was on a course originating in South America. After Army Rangers secured the vessel, members of the navy, the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Revenue were transferred to the cargo vessel and the ship was then escorted into port. The Hodson Bay Hotel has announced the promotion of Roscommon Town native Johnny Connaughton to general manager at the South Roscommon hotel. Johnny started his journey with the hotel in 2015 as a food and beverage assistant in the restaurant and in 2016 he got the opportunity to participate in the hotel's trainee manager programme, progressing to guest relations manager shortly after this. He then went on to work in several four star and five star properties around Ireland as food and beverage manager, conference and banqueting manager and operations manager. He returned to Hodson Bay Hotel in September 2022 as deputy general manager, and we are delighted to see him now progress to general manager, the hotel said. Commenting on the promotion, Tim Hayes, Managing Director, Hodson Bay Hotel said: Johnny is an excellent example of how young people can progress in the hotel industry and in particular within our group. I am delighted we have had the opportunity to welcome him back and I wish him all the success for his future at Hodson Bay Group." The year so far has already proven successful for Hodson Bay Hotel, having received Great Place to Work certification and the Excellent Employer Award by Failte Ireland. We look forward to witnessing Johnnys passion, continued leadership, and contributions as general manager, with lots of exciting plans and projects in the pipeline for the coming months, the hotel said. Theres just over a month to go before the popular Night and Day Festival returns to County Roscommon, featuring a stellar line-up of national and internationally acclaimed acts on stage at Lough Key Forest Park in Boyle. The three-day eclectic music festival, running from June 28th to June 30th, is a strictly over 20s event, but those under 14 can enter for free when accompanied by an adult. Newstalk was recently announced as the broadcasting partner of Night and Day. The partnership will see Newstalks The Anton Savage Show broadcast two special live programmes from the festival. The family-friendly adventure festival features acts such as; Bell X1, Damien Dempsey, Gemma Hayes, Mick Flannery, Susan ONeill, Ash, The Undertones, The Frank and Walters, Kynsy, Roisin El Cherif, Dea Matrona, The Mersey Beatles, Morgana, Ailbhe Reddy, and many more. The festival allows attendees to explore the beautiful grounds and campsite at Lough Key Forest Park. Families will also be able to avail of the on-site activities such as zip-lining courses, tree-top walks and kayaking. Night and Day co-founder Craig Hughes said: Were delighted that Newstalk have again decided to partner with Night and Day and this time decided to bring two special broadcasts to the festival. We wouldnt be able to make the event happen without their support. Ahead of this years festival, Bell X1 members, Paul Noonan and Dave Geraghty, were eagerly looking forward to the event and performing on the main stage on the final day of the festival, on Sunday. Speaking at the launch Paul Noonan said: I really admire people who try and get festivals off the ground. His views were echoed by fellow band member David Geraghty who said the band were very excited to be finally getting down to Roscommon to play a gig, it was the last one on our bucket list. As well as featuring top quality Irish and international acts, this years Night and Day Festival will also showcase new and emerging performers as well as local groups, playing before packed local audiences. Two such groups are Ballaghaderreen act Death Milkshake a musical creation of Wes Pollington from Willowbrook Glamping. Another group performing during the festival will be Grooveline from Carrick on Shannon, who are an up and coming young band. Craig Hughes explained that the Night and Day Festival had grown significantly from its inception and was likely to be one of the main headline festivals of a busy summer of music. Were delighted to be returning to Boyle once again. The festival features a top class line-up of artists, who have enjoyed national and global success. Many of the acts performing enjoyed success over four decades and were delighted to have such a line-up of acts,Mr Hughes remarked. The unique setting of Lough Key Forest Park will provide a great sense of occasion for the weekend. The festival will provide a quality, comfortable experience for those visiting for the weekend or attending on one or more of the festival dates. Wed like to acknowledge the support of our partners and the wider community of Boyle for their loyal and generous support. Tickets are currently on sale by visiting www.nightandday.ie. Night and Day Music Festival is supported by Roscommon County Council, in association with Coillte, Lough Key Forest and Activity Park, Newstalk Radio, Extra.ie, Lough Key Distillery, Cancer Fund for Children, The White Hag Brewing Company and Well. Cand Water. Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load Support for Child Refugees from Ukraine The first waves of Ukrainian refugees who found Romania unprepared, but extremely willing to help (foto: RosZie / pixabay.com) Christine Lescu, 04.09.2024, 14:00 After more than two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the first waves of Ukrainian refugees who found Romania unprepared, but extremely willing to help, tools have already been put in place for the lasting integration of these people. The non-governmental organization Save the Children contributed to this effort from the very beginning, and found out what the main problems of the refugees are. From the data obtained from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, from the beginning of the crisis until now, about 5 million 245 thousand Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania, and Save the Children has supported around 354,700 people, of whom almost 180,000 children. Moreover, almost half of the refugees are children who came here, mainly with their mothers and grandmothers, whose main worries are the lack of a stable income secured by a job and the language barrier. Therefore, currently, the need for longer-term integration of these families has become a priority compared to the first period of the war, comments Leonard Andreescu, project manager within the Save the Children organization. In February, we launched a questionnaire that the people from Ukraine under our assistance filled out, and thus certain needs were highlighted. The need for financial aid appears quite frequently, for at least 23% of those surveyed, then support for access to medical services, and Romanian language courses. Quite a few facilities have been created in the non-governmental sector. Unfortunately, the authorities still have insufficient coverage of the need for Romanian language courses and after-school services for children. This is generally requested by single mothers who have no one to leave their children with in order to work. If we look at the statistics, and what emerged from this sociological survey that we developed, we see that the percentages are somehow correlated: the need for after-school for children appears in 13% of respondents, and support for finding a job in 12% of them. So about the same percentage of people who are looking for a job also need after-school for their children, because they are unable to leave their children in a safe place. They have no one to leave them with and then they cannot find a job. To help them, the Save the Children organization, in partnership with the mayors office of sector 6 in Bucharest, recently opened a day center for the children of Ukrainian refugees. Here they can safely spend time after classes until their mothers can take them home. Leonard Andreescu provides details: We offer support not only through this day care center. We also provide support for preschool children by paying fees for nurseries and kindergartens where applicable. We also offer transportation for children, so that parents can take them either to school or to our center in the morning, depending on the childrens educational schedule, and can pick them up in the evening. The day center in sector 6 of the capital is not the only one of its kind managed by Save the Children. There are others in Bucharest and throughout the country, opened through collaboration with local authorities, all services being free. Here is Leonard Andreescu. At the center, the children benefit from a hot meal, support in lessons, Romanian language courses adapted for foreigners, social cohesion activities, but also from a rather complex concept of psychological support in order to help the children to overcome certain emotional problems. I identified many of them with problems, some even very severe, emotional ones, caused, of course, by this break from ordinary life, from the places they knew, from their family, from the rest of the family, from the fathers. Activities of this type help them a lot to overcome the feeling that they are strangers because they cannot speak the language, the tendency to isolate themselves because they feel left out. A very important aspect of this center is that it is not only open to Ukrainian children. We also have Romanian children from disadvantaged families, from single-parent families, who have the same problem in finding a job because they have no one to leave their children with. And then they go together with the Romanian children to this center. The activities are carried out together. Of course we help them communicate. We have cultural mediators who speak Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian, teachers who also know the teaching methods from Ukraine, but also from Romania, so that it is as easy as possible for the children to integrate, to identify Romanian friends who will give them that feeling of normality and safety, to help them overcome emotional problems as much as possible, of course. At the moment, the day center cannot receive more than 40 people, unfortunately for the Ukrainian children who already have difficulties integrating into the Romanian schools and are enrolled there. Leonard Andreescu explains: It is extremely difficult for them. Thats why 90% of them just audit classes. This implies a maximum period of one year in which they can attend classes, but without being obliged to have a daily presence, without receiving grades, without being entered in the official tally of grades. Its like a buffer period that helps them get used to both the schedule, the language, and their classmates. Then after a maximum of one year, they are required to be enrolled, like other students, and to participate in educational activities. Very few of these children attend online schools in Ukraine, that is, they do not study with us, but those are exceptions. Currently, after the initial waves of refugees, many of them in transit to other countries, so around 79,000 citizens from Ukraine remained registered in Romania. May 29, 2024 A roundup of local and international news. Newsflash Newsroom, 29.05.2024, 13:51 Elections. The president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Grebla, has made a series of clarifications about the ballot on 9th of June, when Romanian voters are casting their votes in the local and European Parliamentary elections, held on the same day for the first time. Over 200,000 candidates have registered in the competition for the local elections and 494 for the European Parliament. He said there will be almost 19,000 polling stations around the country and 915 abroad, double compared with the previous elections. The foreign ministry sent as early as last week the materials needed for the voting process to the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad. The list of voting stations abroad is available on the foreign ministrys internet page in the section dedicated to the European Parliamentary elections. In another move, the Central Electoral Bureau said it would provide real-time updates online about voter turnout on election day. Measles. Romania has recorded over 16,500 new measles cases and 16 casualties in the last year, said the Public Health Institute in Bucharest. Most infections were reported in the centre of the country and in the capital city. The World Health Organisation has published a report warning that measles cases are growing at an alarming rate around the world, amid a drop in vaccination rates. At over 60,000, the number of cases recorded in Europe this year is higher than in all of 2023. More than 56,000 cases were reported in the first three months of the year alone, as well as 4 deaths. According to the World Health Organisation, Romania has the 5th highest rate of measles infections in Europe and the highest in the European Union, with some 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Minimum wage. The labour ministry has published for public debate a government order on raising the minimum wage to the equivalent in lei of some 740 euros from 1st July. The order is to be adopted by the government this week, following a decision to this end by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party. Labour minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu said the move was the result of a European directive. She added that pensions would be recalculated from 1st September based on a new formula that takes into account the idea of contribution, with persons who have contributed to the pension system for more than 25 years to see the highest increases. Visas. Thailand has included Romania on the list of countries whose citizens will no longer need visas to enter the country. The measure will come into effect on 1st June and comes at a time when the Thai authorities are seeking to boost tourism, which is the driving engine of the countrys economy. So far, Romanian citizens wishing to travel to Thailand needed to get their visa online or straight from the airport. Visas were also lifted for citizens of 36 other countries. Book fair. The 17th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair got under way today in Bucharest in a ceremony attended by officials from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The fair brings together 200 exhibitors and 150 publishing houses from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the guest country this year, as well as 400 different events, including book launches, debates, workshops, activities for children and a competition. A project co-funded by the ministry of culture, Bookfest is organised by the Association of Romanian Book Publishers. Previous guest countries were Spain, Hungary, France, German-speaking countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the US, the UK, Japan and Italy. Bookfest has local editions in Timisoara (west), Cluj-Napoca (north-west), Targu Mures and Brasov (centre) and an international edition in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. Tennis. Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Ana Bogdan will play in the second round at Roland Garros on Thursday. Begu, number 127 in the world will face the Czech player Linda Noskova, world no. 29, while world no. 64 Ana Bogdan will play world no. 22 and 2021 Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Begu and Bogdan are the only Romanian players still in competition at Roland Garros. May 29, 2024 UPDATE Click here for the latest news from RRI Newsflash Newsroom, 29.05.2024, 20:00 Elections The president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Grebla, has made a series of clarifications about the ballot on 9th of June, when Romanian voters are casting their votes in the local and European Parliament elections, held on the same day for the first time. Over 200,000 candidates have registered in the competition for the local elections and 494 for the European Parliament. He said there will be almost 19,000 polling stations around the country and 915 abroad, double compared to the previous elections. The foreign ministry sent as early as last week the materials needed for the voting process to the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad. The list of voting stations abroad is available on the foreign ministrys internet page in the section dedicated to the European Parliament elections. In another move, the Central Electoral Bureau said it would provide real-time updates online about voter turnout on election day. Measles Romania has recorded over 16,500 new measles cases and 16 casualties in the last year, said the Public Health Institute in Bucharest. Most infections were reported in the centre of the country and in the capital city. The World Health Organization has published a report warning that measles cases are growing at an alarming rate around the world, amid a drop in vaccination rates. At over 60,000, the number of cases recorded in Europe this year is higher than in all of 2023. More than 56,000 cases were reported in the first three months of the year alone, as well as 4 deaths. According to the World Health Organization, Romania has the 5th highest rate of measles infections in Europe and the highest in the European Union, with some 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Bookfest The 17th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair was officially opened on Wednesday in Bucharest, in a ceremony attended by high-ranking officials from Romania and the neighboring Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population). The fair brings together 200 exhibitors and 150 publishing houses from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the guest of honor this year. Until Sunday, lovers of the written word will be able to attend over 400 events: book launches, debates, thematic workshops, games for children and a raffle with surprise prizes. A project co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, Bookfest International Book Fair is organized by the Association of Romanian Book Publishers. At the previous international editions, the guest countries were: Spain, Hungary, France, the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the United States, Great Britain, Japan and Italy. Bookfest has local editions in Timisoara (west), Cluj-Napoca (north-west), Targu Mures, Brasov (center) and another international edition in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. Emissions The European Council and the European Parliament adopted the final form of the zero-emissions industry law, which offers advantages for investments in clean technologies. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Brussels, through this document, the EU aims to obtain, by 2030, at least 40% of the production of clean technologies that it needs to be done on the territory of the EU. In order to reduce emissions, the law also provides for carbon dioxide storage projects, and European companies that produce oil and gas have very clear obligations to ensure these deposits for injection. The target is 50 million tons of carbon dioxide injected into these deposits by 2030. And, as Romania is the second European producer, domestic companies have the obligation to make available deposits for the injection of 9 million cubic meters. Chisinau The visit of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to the Republic of Moldova is a strong sign of support, the Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Wednesday. During a press conference with Antony Blinken, she thanked the United States and other partners for the support given to the Republic of Moldova in order to strengthen energy security, modernize the agricultural sector and support exports. Through unity and with the support of our partners, we will stand by our people and move forward, Maia Sandu said. Acquittal In Romania, the High Court of Cassation and Justice definitively acquitted the former Economy Minister, Adriean Videanu, and the businessman Ioan Niculae for setting up an organized crime group and for embezzlement in the Romgaz case. The damage was estimated by the prosecutors at over 60 million Euros. The defendants had also received an acquittal at the trial court, in December 2022, on the grounds that the fact does not exist, and on Wednesday, the panel of five judges rejected, with a majority, the appeals submitted by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism DIICOT and the Romgaz Company. DIICOT claimed that Ioan Niculaes company would have illegally received gas from Romanias domestic production at very low prices, i.e. approximately a quarter of the market price. (LS) Elections and candidates The President of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Grebla, has made a number of clarifications regarding the June 9 election. (Credits: mae.ro) Corina Cristea, 29.05.2024, 14:00 The start of the election year in Romania will be June 9, when around 19 million Romanians are expected to vote in local and European Parliament elections. The president of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Grebla, held a press briefing detailing how elections will unfold. Almost 19,000 polling stations will be set up at national level and 915abroad, twice the number of previous rounds of election. The total number of candidates stands at over 207,000, of whom 494 are enrolled in the race for the European Parliament. Almost 100 million ballots have already been printed and distributed across the territory, Toni Grebla said, adding that Romanian citizens can only vote at the polling station in the area of their residence in the local election. Citizens whove changed their residence address at least 60 days before the election can also vote in their designated polling stations. Toni Grebla also mentioned the documents required to vote in Romania an identity card or other suitable documents except travel passports. People who need a mobile ballot box can request one, and citizens who cannot cast their votes due to visible signs of illness can be accompanied in the voting booth by a person of their choice, who cannot however be a member of the polling station or an official candidate. In the European Parliament election, eligible voters who reside or are temporarily living abroad can vote in any polling section abroad, upon presenting a Romanian identity document valid on the day of the vote. Voters must put a stamp on each of the five ballots they will receive, and any ballot inserted into a box other than the designated one will be considered valid and will not be canceled, Toni Grebla said. As early as last week, the Foreign Ministry dispatched all materials related to the vote to Romanias diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad: over 2.5 million ballots, stamps, adhesive stamps and control stamps. The list of polling stations abroad is available on the website of the Foreign Ministry, in the section devoted to the European Parliament election. Voting will start at 7:00 AM and end at 10:00 PM with the possibility of voting hours being extended until midnight if there are still voters in line who want to vote, Toni Grebla explained. On the other hand, the Central Electoral Bureau announced that real time updates will be provided on voter turnout on election day for each individual election, and that once polls close, the minutes from each polling station will be published on the Bureaus website. (VP) Measles alert More than 16,500 new cases of measles were reported in Romania within a year, amid a drop in the vaccination rate, and 16 people died from the disease Foto: CDC / unsplash.com Mihaela Ignatescu, 29.05.2024, 13:50 The anti-vaccination campaigns, which gained momentum with the COVID19 pandemic, are starting to show effects. Romania, where the voices against inoculation are increasingly strong, especially on social media, ranks 5th in Europe in terms of the rate of measles infections and first in the European Union, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO report also shows that at the level of the whole of Europe, the number of diseases registered this year will exceed that of all the cases reported in 2023 over 60,000. In the first 3 months of this year alone, over 56,000 cases of illnesses and 4 related deaths were reported. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which has a devastating effect especially on the health of children under 5 years of age. Over 16,500 new cases of measles appeared in Romania within a year, and 16 people died from this disease, the Public Health Institute in Bucharest has reported. Most illnesses were recorded in the center of the country and in the Capital. The vice-president of the National Society of Family Medicine, Gindrovel Dumitra, told Radio Romania that the only ones protected against measles are those who have been vaccinated and those who have already had the disease. He also emphasized the fact that measles has no specific treatment and urged all parents whose children have fallen ill to see a doctor immediately. Gindrovel Dumitra: Once they have contracted the disease, there is no way to treat it with antiviral or antibiotic medication. It is simply just a supportive treatment, to help the body to overcome this event and at the same time we can administer a series of other substances that help prevent other related effects. That is why it is mandatory to see a doctor, precisely to try to avoid complications and implicitly death through the therapeutic means that we have available at this moment. Dumitra said that the current anti-vaccination trend was present in Romania and in the world even before the pandemic, but that it grew when some people who got vaccinated found that, after a certain time, their immunity to COVID19 decreased again. He stressed that the measles vaccine provides lifelong immunity. According to WHO statistics, almost 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants are registered in Romania. Last year, of the children under 5 who contracted the disease, more than 75% had not received a single dose of the measles vaccine. The measles vaccination rate in Romania was 81% in 2021. It was 86% in 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic, and exceeded 90% in 1990. (MI) Australia will on Thursday see preliminary April figures for building approvals, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In March, approvals were up 1.9 percent on month and down 2.5 percent on year. Australia also will release Q1 data for capital expenditures; in the previous three months, building capex was up 1.5 percent on quarter and machinery capex eased 0.1 percent. New Zealand will provide April numbers for building consents; in March, consents were down 0.2 percent on month. Taiwan will see Q1 figures for gross domestic product, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 6.51 percent on year - accelerating from 4.93 percent in the three months prior. Thailand is scheduled to release April data for imports, exports and trade balance. In March, imports rose 5.6 percent and exports slumped 10.9 percent for a trade deficit of $1.160 billion. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. A U.S.-built temporary floating pier off the Gazan coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the war-stricken people of Gaza has broken apart, the Pentagon says. The Defense Department is working to recover three of four vessels associated with its temporary humanitarian aid pier in Gaza after rough seas caused the motorized sections to run aground, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a news conference. "As of today, one of the Army vessels that was beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon has been recovered. The second vessel that was also beached near Ashkelon will be recovered in the next 24 hours, and the remaining two vessels that were beached near the Trident pier are expected to be recovered in the next 48 hours," Singh told reporters, adding that the Israeli Navy is assisting in the recovery efforts. In addition to the JLOTS vessels running aground, a portion of the trident pier that is anchored into the Gaza coastline was damaged on Tuesday as a result of "storm of high sea states and the North African weather system". The Pentagon official said the U.S. forces will have to rebuild it. The U.S. forces will remove the pier from its anchored position on the coast and tow it back to the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod to begin repairs. The damage to the pier, which costs around $300 million, is a setback to the U.S. Government's efforts in delivering badly needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. "Upon completion of the pier repair and reassembly, the intention is to re-anchor the temporary pier to the coast of Gaza and resume humanitarian aid to the people who need it most," Singh told reporters, noting that the U.S. forces so far delivered more than 1,000 metric tons of aid through the pier for humanitarian organizations to distribute to Palestinians. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The European Union has warned that the Georgian Parliament's decision to ignore the objections of President Salome Zourabichvili to the controversial 'Foreign Agents' law will negatively impact Georgia's path to EU membership. The Georgian Parliament voted on Tuesday to override the President's veto of the law on transparency of foreign influence. The chairperson of the parliament is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming days as presidential powers are mostly nominal in Georgia, reports say. The European Commission said that the EU has stressed repeatedly that the law adopted by the Georgian Parliament goes against EU core principles and values. "Its enactment leads to a backsliding on at least three out of the nine steps (on disinformation; on polarization; on fundamental rights and involvement of Civil Society Organizations) set out in the Commission's recommendation for candidate status endorsed by EU leaders," it said in a statement. The Commission reminded the former Soviet Republic that beyond the law on transparency of foreign influence, there has been so far insufficient political attention mobilized to progress substantially on the nine steps. The Commission urged the Georgian authorities to reverse this trend and to return firmly on the EU path. It gave a warning to Georgia that the EU and its Member States are considering "all options to react to these developments". The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, more commonly known as the 'foreign agents bill' requires media and nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Georgia's opposition has denounced the legislation as an effort to crackdown on independent media, civil society, human rights activists and government critics. Georgia's security forces and riot police violently cracked down people's protests against the law. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News San Marcos After more than 30 years of churning out gourmet sausages from around the world, T&H Prime Meats and Sausage will be closing its doors on East Mission Road on Saturday. But its owner vows to return. Dave Krohn, who bought the business in 2014, said his lease on the property expired in November but the landlord gave him a few extra months to find a new location. Unfortunately, finding a commercial kitchen that meets his needs has been harder than expected and he ultimately ran out of time. Ive probably looked at 50 places over the past eight months and couldnt find anything that met the zoning and special requirements placed on us by the state, county and city, Krohn said. Im negotiating for a place right now but even if were able to move there it will be six months at least before we can get it open. Krohn said that the old-fashioned, white-walled butcher shop has operated in the lot at 735 E. Mission Road for 40 years. It started out as a grocery store, then was renamed TLC Meats, and eventually T&H Meats. Over the years, the aging, red-roofed structure across the street from Mission Hills High School hadnt kept up with code and zoning requirements. Krohn said his landlord may need to bulldoze the building if it proves too expensive to repair. Krohn said hes been telling his customers about the impending closure and is planning to update progress on a new store via email and the stores Facebook page (facebook.com/tandhsausage/). Hes negotiating for space in a building at 1355 Grand Ave. in San Marcos, but isnt certain that it will meet the strict code and zoning requirements for working with raw meat. Because of the uncertainty about the future, Krohn said he will have to let go his longtime staff to seek jobs elsewhere. But all of them including butcher Armando Salazar, who has been at the shop for 40 years have promised to return when T&H reopens. On Friday morning, the shops meat case and freezers were still chock full of the one-of-a-kind products that have brought T&H more than 50 awards over the years. A 25 percent off sale, and buy-one-get-one-sausage deal is under way through 5 p.m. Saturday to clear out the existing inventory. Shopper Dorothy Young of Vista was shocked on Friday morning to learn about the impending closure when she showed up at 9:30 a.m. to buy her favorite product, the Moroccan spiced lamb sausage she uses in her homemade lentil soup. She stocked up on the product to tide her over until the business finds a new home. I really like their sausage. Its not like the packaged sausage you see at other stores. Its really hard to find lamb and theirs is very good quality and so flavorful, she said. The Moroccan lamb sausage is one of more than 40 sausage varieties sold at the store. Other top sellers include the cherry bomb, chicken pesto, hot Italian, Swedish potato, pork apple, bratwurst, turkey apricot, spicy Cajun and sweet onion. The sausages were the creation of the shops former owner, Jacob Kappeler, who ran the shop for 20-plus years before selling it to Krohn in 2014 so he could retire to Washington state. Born in Switzerland, Kappeler studied meat and sausage-making in Europe. When he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s, he brought along dozens of old-world sausage recipes, including one that dates to the 1600s. Krohn is a former Camp Pendleton Marine who served two tours in Iraq, including time in Fallujah in 2004. He was a culinary school graduate working at a high-end D.C. restaurant when the Pentagon was hit on 9/11. After four years in the Marine Corps, Krohn returned to the culinary world. He said hes heartbroken to close the store but hopes his customers will come back when he reopens. Its been a really hard time but we will be back, he said. Its just going to take a while. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China and Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. This was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, during their talks in Beijing. Xi said China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust. Since they established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two sides have been helping each other through thick and thin, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, he said. Under the new circumstances, consolidating and developing China-Equatorial Guinea relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two countries and peoples, Xi said. China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path, he said. China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries' traditional friendship, Xi said. Xi pointed out that China supports Equatorial Guinea's economic and social development, supports the country's efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization, and is willing to closely synergize the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) achievements and the Belt and Road Initiative with "Equatorial Guinea Agenda 2035" to improve the quality and performance of cooperation in various fields. China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Equatorial Guinea, and is willing to share development experience in the fields of agriculture and rural affairs with Equatorial Guinea, continue conducting agricultural technical assistance projects, give full play to the role of Chinese medical teams and China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, and deepen medical care, education, exchanges and cooperation in cultural and other fields, to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. Emphasizing that the world today is intertwined with turmoil, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and human society is facing unprecedented challenges, Xi said that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever. China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea and other developing countries to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, to build a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said. Noting that developing solidarity and cooperation with African countries is an important cornerstone of China's foreign policy, Xi said China is willing to hold a new FOCAC summit with Africa, further carry forward traditional friendship, deepen solidarity and cooperation, discuss future development and cooperation plans, and open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future. Obiang said that China is a great eastern country, a good brother and reliable strategic partner of Equatorial Guinea. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 54 years ago, their bilateral relations have always maintained a friendly development and are currently at the best period in history. The cooperation between China and Equatorial Guinea has always been based on equality and mutual respect, and is never imposed on others. Obiang mentioned that Chinese medical teams in Africa, China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital and other important projects have benefited the local people and become a symbol of friendship between Africa and China. Equatorial Guinea is willing to open its doors to China, welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and carry out cooperation in Equatorial Guinea to help Equatorial Guinea achieve economic diversification and industrialization, and ensure the lasting and healthy national development. Obiang said the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, are conducive to promoting global peace and progress and creating a better world. Equatorial Guinea highly appreciates China's active efforts in promoting the political settlement of regional hotspot issues and promoting world peace and development, said Obiang. Equatorial Guinea is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the frameworks of the FOCAC, BRICS and others, to promote a global governance system that is more fair and equitable, he added. Noting that Equatorial Guinea firmly upholds the one-China principle, Obiang said there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Equatorial Guinea opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" and firmly supports the efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve complete reunification, he said. The two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on investment, economic development, digital economy, green development, implementing the Global Development Initiative and other fields. The two sides also issued a joint statement on establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. The radial velocity signal from the exoplanet candidate orbiting the star HD 26965 (40 Eridani A) host to Mr. Spocks fictional home planet, Vulcan, in the Star Trek Universe is stellar activity, according to new research. HD 26965 is a bright K-class dwarf star located 16 light-years away in the constellation of Eridanus. Also known as 40 Eridani A, the star is a member of the triple star system 40 Eridani. It is approximately 6.9 billion years old, has a mass about 78% of the Suns and a radius 87% as large. In 2018, astronomers announced the possible detection of a super-Earth exoplanet in a 42-day orbit around HD 26965. But the scientists cautioned that it could turn out to be messy stellar jitters masquerading as a planet. Two methods for detecting exoplanets dominate all others in the continuing search for strange new worlds, said Dartmouth College astronomer Abigail Burrows and colleagues. The transit method, watching for the tiny dip in starlight as a planet crosses the face of its star, is responsible for the vast majority of detections. But the radial velocity method also has racked up a healthy share of exoplanet discoveries. This method is especially important for systems with planets that dont, from Earths point of view, cross the faces of their stars. By tracking subtle shifts in starlight, scientists can measure wobbles in the star itself, as the gravity of an orbiting planet tugs it one way, then another. For very large planets, the radial velocity signal mostly leads to unambiguous planet detections. But not-so-large planets can be problematic. In a new study, the astronomers analyzed data from NEID, a radial velocity instrument mounted on the 3.5-m WIYN Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NEID, like other radial velocity instruments, relies on the Doppler effect: shifts in the light spectrum of a star that reveal its wobbling motions, they explained. In this case, parsing out the supposed planet signal at various wavelengths of light, emitted from different levels of the stars outer shell, or photosphere, revealed significant differences between individual wavelength measurements their Doppler shifts and the total signal when they were all combined. That means, in all likelihood, the planet signal is really the flickering of something on the stars surface that coincides with a 42-day rotation perhaps the roiling of hotter and cooler layers beneath the stars surface, called convection, combined with stellar surface features such as spots and plages, which are bright, active regions. Both can alter a stars radial velocity signals. While the new finding, at least for now, robs the star 40 Eridani A of its possible planet Vulcan, the news isnt all bad. The demonstration of such finely tuned radial velocity measurements holds out the promise of making sharper observational distinctions between actual planets and the shakes and rattles on surfaces of distant stars. The study was published in the Astronomical Journal. _____ Abigail Burrows et al. 2024. NEID Reveals that the Planet Candidate Orbiting HD 26965 is Stellar Activity. AJ 167, 243; doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad34d5 Rand Fishkin along with Mike King may have published one of the biggest data leaks outside of the Department of Justice reveal around Google Search and its internal ranking features and signals. The document was from an anonymous source (no longer anonymous, see below) but verified by Rand Fishkin and contains a ton of details on how Google Search reportedly works. More importantly, it seems to contradict a number of the Google statements made over the past two decades from numerous Google Search employees, as I covered here over the past. I have not gone through it all yet but I felt it was important for you all to read this yourself, you can see the details at these headlines: Rand wrote, "Many of their claims directly contradict public statements made by Googlers over the years, in particular the companys repeated denial that click-centric user signals are employed, denial that subdomains are considered separately in rankings, denials of a sandbox for newer websites, denials that a domains age is collected or considered, and more." Mike King wrote, "I have reviewed the API reference docs and contextualized them with some other previous Google leaks and the DOJ antitrust testimony. Im combining that with the extensive patent and whitepaper research done for my upcoming book, The Science of SEO. While there is no detail about Googles scoring functions in the documentation Ive reviewed, there is a wealth of information about data stored for content, links, and user interactions. There are also varying degrees of descriptions (ranging from disappointingly sparse to surprisingly revealing) of the features being manipulated and stored. Youd be tempted to broadly call these ranking factors, but that would be imprecise." Aleyda Solis has a quick summary on X where she summed up part of the leak: There are 14K ranking features and more in the docs Google has a feature they compute called siteAuthority Navboost has a specific module entirely focused on click signals representing users as voters and their clicks are stored as their votes Google stores which result has the longest click during the session Google has an attribute called hostAge that is used specifically to sandbox fresh spam in serving time" One of the modules related to page quality scores features a site-level measure of views from Chrome I have not had time to go through everything yet, I will do that over the next several days. I have also not seen any Googler publicly comment on this yet - I know it is new and I don't know if we will see any Googler comment on this. This reminds me a bit like the Yandex search ranking leak. Update: Google has confirmed with me that the data leak is real but urged caution when making assumptions on how and if Google uses what is in these documents. Google told me: We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information. We've shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors that our systems weigh, while also working to protect the integrity of our results from manipulation. Here are some posts on social about this - again, this has only been out for a few hours and no one but Rand and Mike had any real time to process this in super detail. A huge thanks to @iPullRank, whom I contacted on Friday after seeing the leak, and who helped analyze and decipher much of these early findings: https://t.co/JGYdGydKlC Rand Fishkin (follow @randderuiter on Threads) (@randfish) May 28, 2024 Ok, let's get this party started! A couple weeks ago I said I was publishing the most important thing I ever wrote. I was wrong. Documentation related to the Google Search algorithm leaked and I spent the weekend tearing it apart.https://t.co/v71B16Ggov Mic King (@iPullRank) May 28, 2024 Google Searchs Internal Engineering Documentation Has Leaked and analyzed by @iPullRank Many of these had been denied to be used by Google * There are 14K ranking features and more in the docs * Google has a feature they compute called siteAuthority * Navboost has pic.twitter.com/dlpCIQdpDm Aleyda Solis (@aleyda) May 28, 2024 Until it (possibly) gets taken down by Google's lawyers, here's a direct link to the leaked Google ranking API docs "google_api_content_warehouse v0.4.0" Save these pages! https://t.co/8RgmoF69z9 pic.twitter.com/9dXobbr2U1 Cyrus SEO (@CyrusShepard) May 28, 2024 Extremely interesting blog post by @iPullRank. Another one of the many he writes and we save for is usefulness https://t.co/VZH8EARV1G Gianluca Fiorelli (@gfiorelli1) May 28, 2024 Apparently someone at Google Search "accidentally" leaked an engineering document that reveals a ton of secrets about how the search engine works, including that they have a "Golden Document" flag which puts more weight on a document that is "Human labeled" which could mean some pic.twitter.com/zeG79f161B Joe Youngblood (@YoungbloodJoe) May 28, 2024 If you want to geek out on this with me, I'll keep updating this Google Doc for the next ~30 minutes with anything interesting before getting back to normal life.https://t.co/1iQ40nknZ0 Glen Allsopp (@ViperChill) May 28, 2024 #Google Search #Leak Reveals 14,000+ Ranking Factors... Including "Baby Panda Demotion"?!? Looks like Panda got demoted... but to a BABY PANDA? Guess Google's going soft on low-quality sites these days pic.twitter.com/Ob2bndHnzH Shay Harel (@RangerShay) May 28, 2024 I don't think years of personal experience with seeing Google's algorithm respond completely opposite to what all the talking heads were saying is preconceived bias. They have been lying through their teeth since day one, and anyone with even basic SEO experience who was around Greg Boser (@GregBoser) May 28, 2024 You find the commit here: https://t.co/4CqyJZXqZy Fili (@filiwiese) May 28, 2024 I am looking forward to really digging in on this. Update: I briefly went through those two stories and dug a bit into the actual API documentation and honestly, based on everything I've followed over the past 20+ years around Google Search - these really look legit. Some of the specifics in these docs I heard both on and off the record as real ranking features, some are no longer used from what I understand and some I do not know how they are used (i.e. directly for ranking or after the fact ranking validation). It is worth digging through these docs in detail, in my opinion. Update 2: The source of the leak has spoken out - Erfan Azimi emailed me this video: Forum discussion at X. Anglo American has rejected BHP 's request to extend its 'put up or shut up' offer deadline, advising shareholders to take no action in response to the latter's latest attempt to sway the mining group into a 39bn takeover deal. The PUSU deadline had already been extended to 1700 BST on Wednesday, following Anglo's rejection of BHP's latest proposal on 22 May, through which BHP demanded that Anglo spin off its two businesses in South Africa, Anglo Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore something that both Anglo and the South African government expressed concerns about. Since then, BHP has engaged with Anglo and its advisers and proposed a range of "socioeconomic measures" to address concerns about the combined entity's corporate structure. However, Anglo has now said it believes these measures which BHP believes will support regulatory approvals don't go far enough. "As stated in the announcement of 22 May 2024, the requirement to pursue two contemporaneous demergers of publicly listed companies alongside a takeover and the inter-conditional nature of the three transactions is unprecedented," Anglo said in a statement on Wednesday morning. "Undertaking a takeover in parallel with two demergers would result in additional material approvals. Such regulatory considerations for takeovers are not unique to South Africa and are increasingly prevalent in a number of jurisdictions. The approvals required in relation to the BHP Proposal would be likely to result in material conditions being imposed that would disproportionately impact the value of Anglo American Platinum and Kumba and, therefore, the value delivered to Anglo American's shareholders." Anglo, which earlier this month released details about its own alternative restructuring, said BHP's newly proposed measures mean its shareholders would bear "disproportionate execution and value risks and uncertainty over an extended period", which could also erode the value of the shares held by minority shareholders of both South African subsidiaries. Anglo's share price was down 0.5% at 2,544.50p following its statement. Pubs and hotels group Fuller, Smith & Turner has announced the sale of 37 pubs to Admiral Taverns for 18.3m as it looks to bolster its balance sheet. The sale, which came at a 1.6 premium to the estimated gross asset value of 16.7m, disposes of a portfolio that generated 1.3m in pre-tax profits in the most recent financial year. The deal leaves the Fuller's with 154 pub within its Tenanted Inns Division along with 179 properties in its Managed Pubs and Hotels Division. Fuller's said the proceeds would be used to strengthen its balance sheet and enable additional investment in its pubs, as well as supporting future acquisition opportunities. "Fullers is committed to owning and operating both managed and tenanted pubs as an integral part of the Ccompanys future strategy," the company said in a statement. "However, the company proactively manages its pub estate, continually evaluating strategic opportunities and believes that the disposal of this portfolio to Admiral allows the company to focus on the development of its retained managed and tenanted estates." The stock was down 0.3% at 708p by 0858 BST. Seventeen teams emerged as winners in the 'Build for Bharat' initiative, launched by the government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in collaboration with Startup India, Google Cloud India, Antler in India, Protean, and Paytm. Launched on December 4, 2023, across more than 50 cities, the initiative saw over 27,000 participants representing startups, companies, and colleges from across the country. 'NextGen Ventures' category aims to accelerate venture creation on the ONDC Network, specifically for early-stage and aspiring founders. Six teams, Shopeg, OmniFlo, Zepic, Upaz, DPI Corp, and Zceppa, emerged as winners, securing non-equity grants of up to $40,000 each. The eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits along with an opportunity to be inducted into the Antler India Residency Programme, with equity funding of up to $250,000. The initiative was structured around three distinct categories. Thecategory aims to accelerate venture creation on the ONDC Network, specifically for early-stage and aspiring founders. Six teams, Shopeg, OmniFlo, Zepic, Upaz, DPI Corp, and Zceppa, emerged as winners, securing non-equity grants of up to $40,000 each. The eligible teams will also receivecredits along with an opportunity to be inducted into the Antler India Residency Programme, with equity funding of up to $250,000. "The diverse array of solutions developed by participants from across the country showcases India's immense potential to revolutionize the growing digital commerce ecosystem", said T Koshy, MD and CEO at ONDC. The 'Scalable Solutions' category saw four teams - Progmatic, Cyborg, Cydra Tech and oof -- won the first prize of $7,500 each, while Harentortoise and Indexvoyagers won the second prize of $3,500 each. Eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits. In the 'Foundation Solutions' category, five teams - Checkfirst, Faszen Tech, Pokleaniket927248, Phoenix, and The Sentient Squad received $3000 (each winning team), while three teams - Morin, Pinpoint and Decap -- received the second prize of $1,000 (each winning team). Eligible teams will also receive Google Cloud credits. "The 'Build for Bharat' initiative has been a resounding success, serving as a testament to the power of collaboration and the collective genius of the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem", said Anil Bhansali, VP of Engineering and Head of India Development Centre at Google Cloud. In the fast-paced worldwide market of cryptocurrency, making a funding selection, staying knowledgeable, and connected with cutting-edge traits, information, and insights is vital for making knowledgeable funding selections. 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Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), a venerable conglomerate with a rich legacy spanning 137 years in India, has made a significant announcement by appointing Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. This strategic partnership marks a pivotal moment for MPG, enhancing its brand visibility and forging deeper connections with a diverse audience nationwide. Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman of Muthoot Pappachan Group, expressed the significance of this collaboration, noting that Shah Rukh Khan brings not only his immense star power but also embodies the values of humility and self-made success that resonate deeply with MPG's ethos. Khan's journey mirrors the group's commitment to providing accessible financial services across various touchpoints, thereby empowering individuals from all walks of life. In his capacity as the group's brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan will feature prominently in MPG's campaigns across multiple platforms, endorsing their wide array of financial products and services. These campaigns are designed to highlight MPG's mission of revolutionizing access to financial solutions and enhancing convenience for all segments of society. Expressing his excitement about this partnership, Shah Rukh Khan emphasized MPG's century-long legacy and its significant contributions to India's financial landscape. He looks forward to inspiring individuals across the nation to dream big and avail themselves of MPG's easily accessible products, turning aspirations into reality. This collaboration underscores MPG's steadfast commitment to driving the nation's financial growth and aspirations. Shah Rukh Khan's iconic status further amplifies this narrative, resonating with customers of all age groups and inspiring them to pursue their dreams fearlessly. Shaji Varghese, CEO of Muthoot FinCorp Limited, highlighted Shah Rukh Khan's appeal as more than just a celebrity; he represents humility and triumph over adversity. Khan's ability to connect with the target audience as an ordinary individual who dared to dream big and achieved remarkable success makes him an ideal ambassador for MPG. Muthoot Pappachan Group, as the promoter of leading Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) in the country including Muthoot FinCorp Limited, Muthoot Microfin Limited, Muthoot Capital Services Limited, and Muthoot Housing Finance Company Limited, is committed to driving financial inclusion and accessibility for all. With Shah Rukh Khan onboard as their brand ambassador, MPG is poised to usher in a future where financial empowerment is within reach for every individual. This strategic alliance not only enhances MPG's brand stature but also reaffirms its mission to make financial services easily accessible and inclusive for all segments of society. Stocks to watch on Wednesday, May 29, 2024: The Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are expected to open lower on Wednesday due to negative global cues. The GIFT Nifty futures indicate a lower start, with a gap of 97 points below Nifty 50 futures at 22,840. This morning, the Asia-Pacific markets showed a mixed trend, with Japan's Nikkei 225 falling by 0.32 percent and the broader Topix index slipping by 0.18 percent. South Korea's Kospi was down by 0.79 percent, and the small-cap Kosdaq slipped by 0.76 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped by 0.97 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index futures were trading 1 percent lower at 18,632 levels. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail: ABFRL reported a net loss of Rs 266.4 crore for Q4, which was an increase from the previous year's loss of Rs 194.5 crore. The company's revenue rose by 18.3 percent to Rs 3,406.7 crore. EBITDA also increased by 47.1 percent to Rs 283.7 crore, and the EBITDA margin improved to 8.3 percent from 6.7 percent. The company stated that the results are not comparable with previous quarters due to the acquisition of TCNS Clothing and Styleverse Lifestyle. Amara Raja Energy: The company recorded a 61.4 percent year-over-year increase in net profit, amounting to Rs 229.8 crore for Q4FY24. Additionally, the company's revenue from operations rose by 19.5 percent to Rs 2,908 crore. Tata Steel: The company is expected to announce a 7.6 percent decrease in revenue from operations to Rs 58,170 crore for Q4FY24. The companys Q4 EBITDA is projected to decrease by 14 percent to Rs 6,179 crore, and the profit after tax (PAT) is forecasted to fall sharply by 40 percent to Rs 942 crore. Brigade Enterprises: The company reported a 234.3 percent year-over-year jump in net profit at Rs 210.9 crore for Q4FY24. The companys revenue from operations increased by 102.04 percent to Rs 1,702.4 crore. The EBITDA stood at Rs 432.8 crore, and the EBITDA margin was 25.4 percent. The companys total collections stood at Rs 5,915 crore, up 9 percent over FY23. NBCC (India): The company recorded a 24.6 percent year-over-year increase in net profit, amounting to Rs 141.5 crore for Q4FY24. Revenue from operations surged by 43 percent to Rs 4,025 crore. EBITDA rose to Rs 240.2 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 6 percent. Wockhardt: The company recorded a net loss of Rs 177 crore in Q4, while its revenue from operations rose by 3.2 percent to Rs 700 crore. One97 Communications: Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group, is reportedly considering acquiring a stake in One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm, according to The Times of India. The report suggests that Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytms founder and CEO, met with Adani in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to discuss the potential deal. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation: IRCTC's consolidated net profit for Q4FY24 increased by 2 percent to Rs 284 crore, while the company's revenue from operations surged by 19 percent to Rs 1,155 crore. Hindalco Industries: Novelis Inc, a US-based subsidiary of Hindalco Industries, aims to achieve a valuation of up to $12.6 billion by offering 45 million shares in its IPO in the United States. The estimated price range for the IPO is between $18 and $21 per share. Grasim Industries: Birla Group Holdings (BGHPL), a major promoter of Grasim Industries, has increased its stake in the company from 19.10 percent to 23.18 percent. MedPlus Health Services: The company recorded a 25.6 percent year-over-year increase in net profit, reaching Rs 33.4 crore for Q4FY24. Revenue from operations rose by 19 percent to Rs 1,490.4 crore. EBITDA also increased by 29.4 percent to Rs 105.7 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 7.1 percent. Reliance Industries: The company is considering which business to take public first, and Reliance Jio Infocomm is the likely candidate. Additionally, as reported by Reuters, the company has signed a one-year deal with Russia's Rosneft to purchase at least 3 million barrels of oil per month in roubles. Cochin Shipyard: The company announced on Monday that it has secured an additional international order from UK-based North Star Shipping for the construction of hybrid Service Operation Vessels (SOVs). These vessels will be deployed at the Scottish Power Renewables East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm off the Suffolk coast. The contract also includes an option for two more vessels. Earlier this year, North Star had contracted another hybrid SOV with CSL. PNB Housing Finance: Two shareholders of the housing finance company have been offered a 2.68 percent stake in the company, which is equivalent to 6.96 million shares, as reported by CNBC-TV18. The shareholders are seeking nearly Rs 500 crore through the sale of shares. ITC: The company's demerger of its hotel business into a separate entity, ITC Hotels, is expected to unlock value for minority shareholders and improve the FMCG major's return ratios, according to reports from four proxy advisory firms. HDFC Life Insurance Company: Rangarajan BN has resigned as the Chief Risk Officer of HDFC Life Insurance Company in order to pursue opportunities outside of his professional life. His resignation will be effective from July 15, 2024. The company's board has approved the appointment of Khushru Sidhwa as the new Chief Risk Officer, effective from July 16. Aarti Drugs: Mirik Rajendra Gogri, a member of the promoter group of Aarti Drugs, has divested 468,378 equity shares (equivalent to 0.5 percent of paid-up equity) in the company at an average price of Rs 485.5 per share. Prudent Corporate Advisory Services: Canara Robeco Mutual Fund, DSP Mutual Fund, and Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund collectively purchased 22,05,573 equity shares (equivalent to 5.3 percent of the paid-up equity) in Prudent Corporate Advisory Services at an average price of Rs 1,650 per share, valuing the purchase at Rs 363.9 crore. Aster DM Healthcare: The company reported a net loss of Rs 24 crore in Q4, which is a significant drop from a profit of Rs 170.8 crore in the same period last year. Revenue grew by 20.65 percent to Rs 973.6 crore and EBITDA jumped 28.5 percent to Rs 159.3 crore. The margin expanded by 100 basis points to 16.4 percent. Dynamatic Technologies: The company's profit surged more than threefold to Rs 57.11 crore YoY. Revenue increased slightly by 0.7 percent to Rs 370.4 crore, and the company recorded an exceptional gain of Rs 44.68 crore. Greenlam Industries: The company's Q4 net profit declined by 10.9 percent to Rs 40.97 crore, while revenue increased by 16.9 percent to Rs 624.09 crore. The finance cost doubled to Rs 13.38 crore. Supriya Lifescience: The company's standalone Q4 revenue for March 2024 was reported at Rs 158.18 crore, an 11.18 percent increase from Rs 142.27 crore in March 2023. The quarterly net profit was Rs 36.93 crore, a 3.39 percent decrease from Rs 38.23 crore in March 2023. EBITDA stood at Rs 57.69 crore, marking a 1.19 percent increase from Rs 57.01 crore in March 2023. Fineotex Chemical: The company's standalone revenues in Q4FY24 were Rs 118.47 crore, which is a 29.47 percent increase year over year from Rs 91.50 crore in March 2023. The quarterly net profit was 32.89 crore, marking a 119.23 percent increase from 15 crore in the previous year. Additionally, the EBITDA was 42.24 crore, up 100.76 percent from 21.04 crore in March 2023. The company's standalone revenues in Q4FY24 were Rs 118.47 crore, which is a 29.47 percent increase year over year from Rs 91.50 crore in March 2023. The quarterly net profit was32.89 crore, marking a 119.23 percent increase from15 crore in the previous year. Additionally, the EBITDA was42.24 crore, up 100.76 percent from21.04 crore in March 2023. Hindware Home Innovation: The company's standalone Q4 revenue decreased to Rs 109.16 crore in March 2024, marking a 22.31 percent decrease from Rs 140.50 crore in March 2023. The company experienced a quarterly net loss of 27.87 crore, reflecting a 557.31 percent decrease from 4.24 crore in March 2023. EBITDA was negative at 30.41 crore, down 825.78 percent from 4.19 crore in March 2023. The company's standalone Q4 revenue decreased to Rs 109.16 crore in March 2024, marking a 22.31 percent decrease from Rs 140.50 crore in March 2023. The company experienced a quarterly net loss of27.87 crore, reflecting a 557.31 percent decrease from4.24 crore in March 2023. EBITDA was negative at30.41 crore, down 825.78 percent from4.19 crore in March 2023. Coastal Trawlers: The company experienced a standalone Q4 revenue increase to Rs 112.29 crore in March 2024, which is a 51.8 percent rise from Rs 73.97 crore in March 2023. However, the company also reported a quarterly net loss of Rs 5.20 crore, marking a 30.01 percent increase from Rs 7.43 crore in March 2023. EBITDA stood at Rs 1.48 crore, showing a 148.21 percent increase from Rs 3.07 crore in March 2023. Uflex: The company's standalone Q4 revenue in March 2024 slightly decreased to Rs 1,657.24 crore, down by 0.93 percent from Rs 1,672.76 crore in March 2023. The quarterly net profit was Rs 61.37 crore, showing a 25.79 percent decrease from Rs 82.70 crore in March 2023. The EBITDA was Rs 224.98 crore, down by 3.11 percent from Rs 232.20 crore in March 2023. TCPL Packaging: The company reported a 20.2 percent year-over-year (YoY) increase in Q4 net profit to Rs 29 crore, and revenue rose by 4.7 percent to Rs 400.5 crore. The board announced a dividend of Rs 22 per share and appointed KK Kanoria as Executive Chairman of the company, effective October 1, 2024. The company plans to establish a greenfield facility in The company reported a 20.2 percent year-over-year (YoY) increase in Q4 net profit to Rs 29 crore, and revenue rose by 4.7 percent to Rs 400.5 crore. The board announced a dividend of Rs 22 per share and appointed KK Kanoria as Executive Chairman of the company, effective October 1, 2024. The company plans to establish a greenfield facility in Southern India for manufacturing folding cartons Amines and Plasticizers: The company's standalone revenue for Q4 in March 2024 was reported at Rs 177.08 crore, which is a 7.74 percent increase from Rs 164.36 crore in March 2023. The quarterly net profit rose to Rs 12.92 crore, marking a 65.91 percent increase from Rs 7.78 crore in March 2023. Additionally, EBITDA increased to Rs 22.13 crore, up by 56.95 percent from Rs 14.10 crore in March 2023. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The New York City Police Department has released encouraging car theft data for Staten Island. In what might be seen as a favorable update, the number of automobile thefts reported in the borough through May 12 was down 42% (87 vs. 150) when compared to the same period in 2023, according to the NYPDs latest CompStat figures. The database indicates that five car thefts occurred on Staten Island between May 6 and 12, the most recent week available. Heres a look at those incidents: On May 6 at 6 a.m., a car theft occurred at the intersection of Wheeler and Purdy avenues in Meiers Corners. Two hours later on that same morning, at 8 a.m., another auto theft was reported at the intersection of Corbin and Barlow avenues in Great Kills. On May 7 at 2 p.m., a car theft was reported on South Avenue and Spencer Street at the Chelsea/Travis border. Also on May 7 at 10 p.m., a grand theft auto was reported at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Alaska Street in West Brighton. On May 10 at 10 a.m., a car theft was reported in the vicinity of Robinson Avenue and Oakdale Street in Eltingville. A dramatic shift in NYPD strategy has resulted in less crime overall, after 2023 saw a surge on Staten Island. The NYPD enacted a tactical shift at the end of last summer, developing an intricate, multi-state system to gather and analyze intelligence as a strategy to crack down on car thefts and burglaries in particular, Assistant Chief Joseph Gulotta, the NYPD borough commander, told the Advance/SILive.com in a December interview. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Authorities allege that a 29-year-old man brandished a knife and then used a metal pipe to hit a man on the head inside a deli in Stapleton. However, the defendants attorney claims that the 29-year-old man was working at the store and was defending himself against a shoplifter. Richard Diaz, who lives on Broad Street, was arrested May 19, the day the assault allegedly occurred at 3:15 a.m. inside the deli at 191 Broad St., according to the criminal complaint and police. The victim was a 43 year-old man, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The criminal complaint alleges that Diaz displayed and pointed a knife at the victim. Police say the defendant punched the victim multiple times on his face and then wielded a metal pipe to repeatedly strike the victim on the head. The victims injuries included a laceration, bleeding, and substantial pain to the head, according to the criminal complaint. Diaz has been charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and harassment, according to the criminal complaint. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been released on non-monetary considerations. He is due back in Criminal Court on June 12, according to public records. Attorney Yan Katsnelson defended the innocence of his client, Diaz. Mr. Diaz was protecting himself from a serial shoplifter, Katsnelson said. The complainant came into the store and stole beer. When Mr. Diaz attempted to stop him, he became violent. Its just another example of how criminals in New York are protected by the law while hard working people get the short end of the stick. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Considering the holiday weekend, owners of freshly opened Pierogi Island expected a sleepy start to their business launch. Instead, the perfume of garlicky kielbasa wafting through Great Kills town might have prompted the kitchen commotion at 3981 Amboy Rd. Boiled pierogi with caramelized onions, kraut and kielbasa with mustard. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri The welcome from everyone was amazing. Thats the wonderful thing on Staten Island everyone wants to support, enthused Ewelina Wolyniec. She and husband Szymon felt a great warmth and love from neighbors. Co-owner Ewelina Wolyniec in a window seat at Pierogi Island. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri Ewelinas mom, Elzbieta Rodowicz, kept up the flow of house made pierogi topped with finely chopped, caramelized onions. Zapiekanki continuously baked in the oven a mushroom-y, scallion-topped cheesy Polish pizza of sorts. Zapiekanki looks simple but it takes a lot of steps to prepare. It includes finely chopped, sauteed mushrooms topped with shredded mozzarella cheese, scallion slivers and the customer's optional squeeze of ketchup. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri Pierogi Island comes to a space formerly occupied by food tenants a bubble tea shop and, pre-COVID, a beloved gourmet coffee shop. The space now has five tables where foodies may dine. To-go pickups are easy from a service counter. The counter at Pierogi Island for eating or pickups. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri First up on the menu are four- and seven-piece pierogi, presented boiled with soft, sauteed onions, sour cream and house-made garlic sauce. Fillings can be traditional meat, Ruskie with potato and cheese, spinach and cheese or kraut with shrooms. For the more adventurous palate, there are dumplings with cheddar and jalapeno, mac n cheese or barbecue chicken. Golabki with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes topped with fresh dill. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri The menu stars golabki, stuffed cabbage with mashed potatoes smothered in tomato or mushroom sauce. Platters come with assorted kielbasas, beef goulash, stuffed cabbage, mixed pierogi, spuds or a sampling of all those specialties. This is what a sampler platter looks like at the new Polish cafe. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri Year round there are soups borsht served white or Ukrainian-style and a classic, Elizbieta-made chicken soup. The options can be complimented by sides like apple or mushroom sauces, a side of kielbasa, sour Polish pickle, cucumber salad or a cup of cool sour cream. The new restaurant can be considered a brunch spot or European diner. It is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, Sundays til 8 p.m. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri But the Wolyniecs dont want patrons to leave without a taste of fluffy, light crepes called Nalesniki. Rolled with sweet cheese, berries, Nutella or a blend of all three, these treats can be savored for brunch, a snack or dessert. The current menu on a brown paper wall board (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri As the business gets its flow, the Wolyniecs are open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Last call on Sunday is 8 p.m. Pierogi Island is located at 3981 Amboy Rd., Great Kills, 718-255-3224, PierogiIsland.com. Catering is available and food can be ordered for delivery through UberEats or GrubHub. Nalesniki are fluffy crepes filled with farmer's cheese, fruit or Nutella, or combo thereof. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri Pamela Silvestri is Advance/SILive.com food editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Twenty-one Port Richmond High School students on Wednesday graduated from the boroughs P-TECH program -- the first Staten Island cohort to graduate from the initiative -- and received certificates of completion, while also walking away with college credits. The celebration marked the first Grades 9-14 Pathways to Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) commencement. Students and program staff from Port Richmond High School, the College of Staten Island (CSI), and industry partner Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) Northwell Health gathered at the Regina McGinn Education Center Boardroom at SIUH in Ocean Breeze. The program allows students the opportunity to receive a high school diploma, a tuition-free associates degree through a partnership with CSI in Willowbrook and career-focused internships all in six years. Students get hands-on work experience from participating industry partners, which include Northwell Health, Sun River Health and the New York Power Authority. Wednesdays ceremony marked the students completion of the first four years of the six-year program, garnering about 30 credits toward an associates degree, with some continuing on to work toward their full associates degree at CSI -- at no cost. They heard remarks from school program partners, Port Richmond High School Principal Andrew Greenfield and Staten Island District 31 Superintendent Dr. Marion Wilson. They received a stole reading P-TECH and College Prep on each side, along with a certificate of completion and a customized jacket. Todays a special day, but today will be the first day of a new beginning for you, said Wilson. And I cant tell you how proud I am of you. And I love saying I love you and theres really nothing you can do about it. And whatever you need District 31 is here for you. Greenfield recalled when the P-TECH program was first proposed for Port Richmond High School, and how it provided opportunity and access to students. In 2020, Port Richmond High School established Staten Islands first P-TECH program. Greenfield noted how the program started during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and included learning under a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction. Obviously you guys hold a special place in my heart, said Greenfield. You are our first P-TECH. Sadly, you started your high school career during COVID, and the first time I met you, you were little buttons on a screen because 90% of you were remote. But despite that, you took a more rigorous course load than any other Port Richmond students that started the same year. You had a longer school day, you had more classes, and you took more rigorous classes throughout the last four years than any other student. Upon entering as freshmen in the program, students choose between medical science or computer science. A computer science pathway allows students to receive an associates degree in computer programming, while the medical science pathway allows for an associates degree in liberal sciences. After four years in the program, students graduate from Port Richmond High School with their peers, with about approximately 30 college credits to go toward an associates degree. While it is a six-year program, students can finish their degree sooner. Ralf Peetz, a professor and dean of science and technology at CSI, explained that students already have half an associates degree checked off before they graduate high school. Receiving these credits for free helps to cut down costs and time to earn a degree. Nobody can take those high school and those college credits from you, because you can apply to any degree at any university, said Peetz. So if you go in for an associate degree, it means you already have half. If youre going for a baccalaureate degree, bachelors degree, it means you already reported that youre shaving one year off your studies. And thats what this is about, this whole thing. Its allowing you to fast track and to get to your goals. I think this is just simply an amazing program. Many graduating students planned to continue their studies at CSI or another City University of New York (CUNY) schools, while others are opting to attend another college, or join the workforce. Many students will continue to receive support from P-TECH for the next two years, especially continuing internships. Kristen Rojas, deputy executive director at SIUH, said she hopes that students will eventually come back to work for the hospital in the future. I hope that all of you in your endeavors as you go forward, whether youre entering the workforce or going on to college or another degree or opportunity that you continue to do that, because you never know where youre path will lead you, and already showing your drive to be part of this program, the opportunities for you are endless, said Rojas. Students were also told they serve as a model for other programs in the city, the state and country while also serving as model students for other cohorts going forward. Greenfield touted that the first cohort of P-TECH has a 100% graduation rate. Students will be able to wear their stole during the schoolwide Port Richmond High School graduation next month. The P-TECH graduates are: Christopher Adjakou; Amanda Nunez; Jaimee Morales; Daija Jizelle Phillip; Jimena Contreras; Christopher Garcia; Miguel Gaytan; Jovanni Lozada; Triston Packette; Amaya Reyes; Alejandro Rodriguez; Jayden Rodriguez; Yusuf Zain; Neveah Clayton; Qiyuan Fields; Ezekiel Gay; Nicholas Minardi; Stephanie Pavia; Daniel Rodriguez; Jeffrey Schatzman; Anthony Lasalle. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Councilman Joe Borelli conducted a street co-naming ceremony in Great Kills last week to pay tribute to USAF Captain (Ret.) Ted Cohen, who served in the Air Force from 1959 to 1969 and continued to encourage and support military causes until his passing last year. U.S. Air Force Cpt. Theodore "Ted" Cohen. (Office of Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis)Staten Island Advance Present at Ridgewood and Barlow avenues in Great Kills were Borough President Vito Fossella, family members and friends of Cohen and fellow veterans and representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis and Assemblymen Michael Reilley, Michael Tannousis and Sam Pirozzolo, and District Attorney Michael McMahon. Cohen's fellow veterans salute the flag. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance City Councilman Joe Borelli begins the street co-naming ceremony, while Borough President Vito Fossella and family members look on. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance Dr. Vincent Maligno leads the Pledge of Allegiance. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance Cohen's grandson, Jared Carbone, and his dog. Courtesy of Frank RapacciuoloStaten Island Advance COMMENTS FROM THE PODIUM City Councilman Borelli: Ted Cohen was a friend and advocate for Staten Island and our veterans. I am honored to co-name this street in his honor for serving our country and our community so nobly. He was a true hero and a gentleman. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance Borough President Fossella: Ted was an example of devotion to his country, and devotion to his fellow man. He sacrificed his time and service defending his fellow soldiers by air in Vietnam, and carried most of his life supporting important charities for veterans and the Staten Island community. Ted was a champion for fairness and humble servant of his community, and an overall good man. Retired Hospice staffer Janet Maccario: Ted loved his family, he loved Staten Island, he loved his fellow veterans, and he loved to talk. He was a larger than life personality. When I think of Ted I am reminded of the Maya Angelou quote, A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again and again. Janet Maccario, a retired Hospice staffer. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance Lori Cohen-Carbone, Cohens daughter: I am overwhelmed to see how involved my father was with his fellow veterans and Staten Island as a whole. The showing of love and support today shown to me and my family is overwhelming. I was able to meet so many people who told me stories of my father and it was a truly amazing day. I am very grateful for the experience and for the kindness of all the people who made this happen. Lori Cohen-Carbone, Cohen's daughter. (Courtesy of Frank Rapacciuolo)Staten Island Advance Born in Brooklyn on Feb. 20, 1939 to Ida and Harry Cohen, Theodore Ted Cohen attended James Madison High School and Brooklyn College where he was one of seven accepted to the Air Force ROTC. In June 1959 at the age of 19, he received the Second Lieutenants Bar. Sent to Greenville Air Force Base in Mississippi, Cohen began basic training for pilots and aircrews on old World War II single engine aircraft. Capt. Theodore "Ted" Cohen when he was in the U.S. Air Force. (Courtesy/Office of Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis)Staten Island Advance On his way south of the Mason/Dixon Line, along with several other cadets from Brooklyn, Cohen and the others protested when Black cadets were sent to the back of the bus. An early example of his commitment to advocating for fairness and justice, his actions resulted in spending the night in jail. From 1959 to 1964, he was appointed to Strategic Air Command (SAC), assigned to B-47 medium bombers at the 16th Air Force in Southern Spain and then to the 8th Air Force Unit at Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire. While Cohen was stationed at Pease, the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred and he served as a backup unit to a SAC B-52 fleet where he sat on the runway for nearly 24 hours with nuclear weapons onboard the bomber. He also had a decisive impact during the Vietnam War, flying 26 close air support missions, protecting his fellow soldiers on ground. In 1964, he ended his tenure in the Air Force at the rank of captain before he joined the New York Air National Guard 106th Combat Support Group in 1969. In 1973, Cohen earned a masters of business administration degree from Fordham Universitys Graduate School of Business and taught Economics at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Married in 1960 to Janice Levi, the couple, along with their young daughters Lori and Lisa, moved to Great Kills in 1968. Their second daughter, Lisa, born on Jan. 12, 1967, died tragically in her sleep at the age of 24, after attending Cornell University and working for Solomon Brothers. A scholarship in Lisas name, established by the Cohens, is awarded annually to a graduating student from Tottenville High School, Lisas alma mater. Cohen retired at 52 to spend more time and care for his wife, Janice, who was diagnosed with a rare illness that causes brain atrophy, strokes and dementia,until her death in 2013. Despite his losses, he continued to offer encouragement, inspiration and care of others, especially serving his fellow veterans by delivering food to homebound service members, driving them to appointments, and offering assistance in completing VA paperwork. A member of the Air Force Association, the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, Cohen organized the annual Poppy Sales and funding for a charity called Project 2 Heal which raises puppies as supportive service dogs for veterans. Cohen also ran fundraising efforts for not-for-profits such as Michaels Cause, VFW National Home, VFW Patriots Pen, VFW Patriots Pride, The Air Force Association, The American Legion Boys State and Father Capodanno Academy. Along with other veterans, Cohen successfully advocated for the return of the Staten Island Memorial Day Parade which had been cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Veterans Day 2022, the Progressive Insurance Company, in collaboration with Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, honored Cohen by presenting the keys to a 2020 Nissan Rogue as the recipient of the Keys to Progress Award. Ted died on March 25, 2023. He is survived by his daughter, Lori, son-in-law, Joseph Carbone, grandsons Jared and Kevin, and his sister, Anita. [Editors note: This is an entry from the courtroom diary of reporter Luke Peteley, who will be present for summations and deliberations in the trial of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court.] *** NEW YORK, N.Y. Outside Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, cowbells clanged and horns honked in support of the 45th president. The media outlets continued their regular updates in front of an adjacent park, where dozens of Trumps loyal legion rallied in an effort to bolster support for the defendant and speak out against the case brought against him. We love Trump. Merchan is corrupt, some of the supporters shouted. At one point, some demonstrators verbally tussled with famed actor Robert De Niro, who held a press conference to warn of a second Trump term. He was joined by former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone and former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, who spoke about their personal experiences on Jan. 6, 2021. Even way up on the 15th floor of the courthouse, where history lay at a crossroads, the clamor outside was audible. Inside the courtroom, the defense began its closing arguments by diving into business records and dissecting the credibility of key witness Michael Cohen, who the defense called The Greatest Liar of All Time (the GLOAT), a play off of the phrase GOAT (greatest of all time). Meanwhile Trump, with furrowed brows, closely listened in as did the jury. Former President Donald Trump walks back into the courtroom after a break during closing arguments in his criminal hush money trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP) APAP Jurors ranged in expression. At times, members of the panel intently leaned in to hear the arguments being made. Others times, not so much. One juror seemingly never broke his stare with both the prosecution and defense, although its not known which argument, if either, was resonating. In a brief break, the court was permitted a recess. When Trump stood up, he carried himself with a renewed astuteness. As the doors to the hall swung open, a wave of questions bombarded the former president. I did not get the chance to hear Trump speak as I was restricted to the courtroom. Eventually, the defense wrapped up its summations, but was scolded for urging the jury not to send the defendant to prison. It was a statement that, in Justice Juan Merchans view, was outrageous, as it suggested that should Trump be found guilty it would result in a sentence behind bars. He said jurors are not to consider possible punishment in their deliberations and that sentencing decisions are solely up to him. Emerging from the poor lighting of the courthouse to the media mayhem outside was a spectacle in its own right. Every notable news agency was in attendance. Lunch was nothing more than an opportunity to escape the tightly packed courtroom for a breather. Within an hour Trump was making this way back into the room, steadfast in his straight-faced expression. Demonstrators gather outside Manhattan Criminal Court for closing arguments in the trial of Donald Trump on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Luke Peteley)Staten Island Advance As soon as the jury found their seats, the prosecution pounced on the defenses prior statement. Then, the prosecution dove in and began to paint the image of a group of rich and powerful men seeking to gather further gains. The man at the heart of this alleged conspiracy? Donald Trump. Its their claim that Trump sought to suppress unflattering information from voters in the 2016 election and in the process of doing so, falsified business records. Trump intently listened and watched the slideshow of evidence presented by the prosecution, all the while maintaining a consistent poker face. When it was time for another break, Trump scanned the room on his way out, a constant for each time he made his way up and down the aisle. By 3:45 p.m., the prosecution was only a fraction of the way through its summations. Hours passed, with Merchan noting that jurors made plans so as to remain until 8 p.m. if necessary. Its 6:30 p.m. now and the prosecution is still going. Hats off to these court officers who are standing the whole time. For decades, search engine optimization (SEO) has been a critical component of any modern marketing strategy. But SEO doesnt just mean Google: To the contrary, there are a number of alternative search engines worth exploring. I learned this first hand when I was working for a company with operations in China, where Google wasnt accessible. While my team had been almost exclusively focused on optimizing for Google, it quickly became clear that we had to invest in SEO for platforms like Bing, Baidu, and other widely-used tools. Moreover, as generative AI has rapidly progressed, a wave of new AI-powered search engines has emerged, further complicating the search engine landscape. Today, 88% of consumers use search engines to find answers to their questions online but Google isnt the only engine theyre using. In this article, Ill walk through seven of my favorite Google alternatives for search, sharing everything you need to know to stay up to date on the tools your customers are using every day. Complete SEO Starter Pack An introductory kit to optimize your website for search. Increase your organic traffic. Increase your organic traffic. Plan your keyword strategy. Plan your keyword strategy. Debunk SEO myths. Debunk SEO myths. Build a blog strategy. Get Your Free Kit Learn more Download Free All fields are required. You're all set! Click this link to access this resource at any time. Download Now Best Search Engine Alternatives to Google DuckDuckGo Image Source One of the most well-known Google alternatives, DuckDuckGo is famous for its commitment to data privacy. Its privacy policy begins: We dont track you. Thats our Privacy Policy in a nutshell. And it lives up to this reputation, offering a cookie-free searching experience. Testing It Out Visually, DuckDuckGo offers a simple, minimalist design, and its user experience is clear and easy to navigate. The search results seem relevant and consistent, and the layout is similar to that of Google, with a search bar at the top and options to view images, videos, and other content types. As a user, searching with DuckDuckGo feels pretty similar to Googling but behind the scenes, its much more private. Best for: Anonymous searching Bing Image Source Powered by Microsoft, Bing is one of the most widely-used search engines after Google. It is functionally very similar to Google, and has historically been considered Googles main competitor. However, Microsofts acquisition of Open AI (the company behind ChatGPT) has enabled Bing to soar ahead in AI capabilities. Specifically, its AI search tool, Deep Search, has achieved impressive results, becoming a major differentiator for the platform. Testing It Out Bings interface is somewhat more cluttered than that of some other search engines, with an additional content section as well as a list of related searches filling the right-hand side of the page. While its user experience was similar to that of other engines, I personally found its results a little less relevant, and I found its busier navigation bar a little distracting. That said, I really enjoyed using the Deep Search tool, and Im excited to see how it continues to develop! Best for: AI integration Ecosia Image Source Based in Germany, Ecosia is unique among search engines in its explicit focus on environmental sustainability. The company reports being carbon negative, and according to its homepage, it has planted more than 200 million trees and donated more than 83 million Euros to organizations dedicated to climate action. The platform has less of a focus on privacy and anonymous searching than some of its competitors, as evidenced by the prominent cookies disclaimer on the website. Its functionality is also slightly more limited that some other search engines, and it has not yet developed any AI-powered integrations. Testing It Out The first thing I noticed when testing out Ecosias search engine was its colorful, green branding and adorably little tree icon in the upper right corner. Its immediately clear that Ecosia is passionate about the environment, from its visual branding alone! Its search results seemed reasonable, though I didnt feel that they were quite up to par with those of some other engines, and I also found that the large cookies banner detracted substantially from useability. Best for: Saving the planet Mojeek Image Source Mojeek isnt as well-known as some of the other alternative search engines that Ive included in this list, but it offers many of the same functionalities. In addition, Mojeek stands out with its Emotional Web feature: This tool enables you to filter your search based on the emotional content of the results. As Mojeek explained in a blog post announcing the launch of this feature, This functionality is incredibly useful for users that wish to try and help filter certain emotions out of their day sad news, for example. The blog post continues, For the first time, people are able to find what theyre looking for without being exposed to emotions that they do not desire. Testing It Out Compared to other typical search engines, I found Mojeeks results to be a little strange. For example, one of the search terms I tested out was small business marketing. While other search engines returned HubSpots comprehensive blog post, 50 Small Business Marketing Ideas for 2024, in their first few results, Mojeeks first few results instead included HubSpots downloadable guide on digital marketing for small business arguably a less helpful and less relevant result. On the other hand, I absolutely loved Mojeeks emotional filtering capability. With so much negative content online, I really appreciate the ability to be able to search for content thats both relevant and a little more positive in tone. Best for: Emotional filtering Seekr News Image Source While most of the search engines on this list can be used for almost any kind of search, this ones a little different: Seekr News is specifically focused on news articles. That means its more limited than some of the other options Ive shared but it also has some really interesting features that I think are worth highlighting. Specifically, Seekr provides both a Seekr Score and a Political Lean tag for each result on its search results page. The Seekr Score is an estimate of how reliable the news article is, while the Political Lean indicates what (if any) political leaning the article seems to have. Both are powered by AI, and they enable users to gain greater visibility into the content they consume. Testing It Out Seekr does ask you to Accept All Cookies when you use the site, meaning its a little less privacy-focused than other search engines. However, I was really impressed by its interface for indicating reliability and political ideology. Seekr manages to convey a lot of information about each search result, including not just the Seekr and Political Lean scores, but also tags for the type of reporting, the number of quotes in the article, and other pertinent context, all with a clear user experience and a design that doesnt feel too cluttered. Best for: News search Baidu Image Source If youve never been to China, you might not have heard of Baidu. But Baidu is the dominant search engine in the Chinese market, with more than 600 million monthly active users. Of course, as a Chinese product whose users are largely based within China, the user interface is, unsurprisingly, all in Chinese so it may not be a great fit for searchers who dont speak the language. That being said, its definitely an important platform to keep in mind for any marketers looking to target the Chinese market. Testing It Out Baidus user interface is largely similar to that of Google and other search engines: Theres a search bar at the top, and options to search for photos, videos, maps, etc. One additional element is its hot searches list on the right hand side of the page, where you can see currently trending topics. As far as its search results, Baidus English results are fairly limited, but in my experience as a native English speaker who studied Chinese for several years, if you are able to search in Chinese and read Chinese search results, Baidu is pretty effective. Best for: Chinese search Wolfram Alpha Image Source Wolfram Alpha is primarily known as a calculator website. It can interpret mathematical or natural language input for math problems, and then walk you through a solution. But this tool isnt just for helping you with your homework. It can also function as a wide-ranging search engine in its own right. For example, you can ask it questions like how to calculate ROI, what time is it in London, or even, who created Spiderman, and it will provide up-to-date, helpful input, often with extensive additional context and a list of related queries. Moreover, unlike other search engines, Wolfram Alpha doesnt generally give you a list of links to look through yourself. Instead, it simply offers an answer to your question directly on the page. Testing It Out As far as functionality, Wolfram Alpha is obviously a lot more limited than a traditional search engine. That said, I really appreciate how it clearly walks you through a solution. If I want to know how to calculate ROI for a specific investment, a long list of article links isnt nearly as helpful as Wolfram Alphas clear, tactical steps and automated calculator interface. Of course, this engine wont work for a lot of search needs but for certain queries, its a fantastic, highly efficient tool. Best for: Calculations and facts Complete SEO Starter Pack An introductory kit to optimize your website for search. Increase your organic traffic. Increase your organic traffic. Plan your keyword strategy. Plan your keyword strategy. Debunk SEO myths. Debunk SEO myths. Build a blog strategy. Get Your Free Kit Learn more Download Free All fields are required. You're all set! Click this link to access this resource at any time. Download Now Going Beyond Google Clearly, theres a whole lot more to the world of search than Google alone. While Google is still by far the biggest search engine with respect to global market share, the tools Ive shared above have a lot to offer as well. In particular, Ecosias commitment to environmental sustainability and Seekrs focus on addressing unreliability and political bias in news make them two of my favorite alternative search engines. In addition, while I dont have as many opportunities to use it, Ive found that Wolfram Alpha can be a real lifesaver for certain, more mathematically-focused questions. At the end of the day, if youre interested in optimizing your content for search, its vital to go beyond Google and consider the wide range of search engines that your customers may rely on. From Bing to DuckDuckGo, Baidu to Mojeek, there are countless places todays internet users can go for answers and information. So, to stay relevant, todays marketers must make sure that their content is optimized not just for Google, but for all the platforms that their leads and prospects may use for search. Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. Image Source Energy giant Santos has struck a 10-year deal to sell super-chilled liquefied gas to Japan, underscoring what the company argues is the Asian nations long-term appetite for imported gas even as the world tackles climate change. As debate continues about the role of gas in the worlds transition to cleaner energy, the new deal between Adelaide-based Santos and Japans Hokkaido Gas comes as the Japanese government urges its importers to shore up liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies with producers in Australia and elsewhere, analysts say. A Japanese LNG tanker arrives at a Tokyo Gas terminal in Yokohama. Credit: Bloomberg Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022 disrupted international gas markets, igniting a historic global scramble for spare LNG supplies that pushed commodity prices to record highs and triggered energy security fears. Japan has belatedly been locking in long-term LNG supply after being caught flat-footed in the wake of the Ukraine war, MST Marquee energy analyst Saul Kavonic said. Newington Colleges decision to go co-ed triggered a predictable meltdown among alumni of the $42,000-a-year school. And equally predictable was the venue for the latest skirmish in the battle to save Newington from girls: none other than the NSW Supreme Court, which last week delivered a victory of sorts for the male champions against change. Loading The dispute has its roots in a farcical, intemperate meeting of the Old Newingtonians Union (ONU) in March, where nearly 1000 former students showed up and opponents of the co-ed move successfully passed a resolution spilling the leadership of the alumni group. In the aftermath the old boys networks ousted leadership informed alumni that it would plan to hold an election for the vacant council positions. That hasnt happened, and instead, earlier this month, a group of ONU past presidents wrote to former students calling for expressions of interest to fill casual vacancies on the groups council. When you get to travel for work, as I do, there are plenty of perks. Pillow menus, buffet breakfasts, having someone else make your bed. But behind the veneer of Instagram posts blithely taken at 30,000 feet are the less shiny bits: sleepless nights in strange beds and air conditioning, pre-dawn starts (and feeling like youre still expected to work until 5pm, or later because theres no home to get to), misreading the weather forecast and packing inappropriately, leaving you to boil or shiver. Melissa Singer with her daughter. Since becoming a mother, I can add missing my daughter to the top of that list. Despite our best efforts, toddlers seriously suck at FaceTime, preferring whichever TV show or toy has their attention proof that little people crave connection through physical touch. At least mine does. Still, being apart whether for work or, shock horror, pleasure is good for us both. Its healthy and helps me reconnect with parts of myself the networker, the party girl, the voracious reader that arent always able to shine as brightly alongside my role as a mother. As a bonus, going away for more than 24 hours breaks the monotony of the dinner-bath-bed routine and gives these daily rituals a renewed novelty when I return home. As exhausted as we are, we are determined to see change and to finally start healing. But for healing to begin, we must see change which is rooted in truth, accountability and justice for my cousin, Kumanjayi Walker. Change which guarantees safety for my people. Change which means racism is not tolerated ... and is stamped out of NT Police and other institutions once and for all. How were these people allowed to freely be so violent and so cruel, and how did they suffer no consequences? Samara Fernandez-Brown, cousin of Kumanjayi Walker. In video statements to the inquest, Walker family members described their enduring sadness. Walkers aunt, Serita Lan, said her nephew was too young to die. Inside, my heart is still crying. I still think about Kumanjayi. Sometimes, like I walk around and I cry because I miss Kumanjayi. Outside court on Tuesday, Gerard Mullins, KC, acting for the Yuendumu community members, summarised the key theme of the proceedings for those on the lawn. Former police officer Zachary Rolfe outside court this week for the inquest into Kumanjayi Walkers death. Credit: Jack Latimore Some [NT Police] see a difference between racist language, which is not [considered to be] really racism, and racist actions. This shows a fundamental misunderstanding in the NT Police Service about what racism is, Mullins said. Among the evidence examined in detail in the final days of the inquest were informal annual awards bearing offensive racist tropes that were part of NT Police culture. One was notoriously known for more than a decade among members of the elite Territory Response Group (TRG) as the Coon of the Year Award. The certificates have since prompted an investigation of NT Police computer systems by the Territorys Independent Commissioner Against Corruption. Loading There was also evidence of text messages between police officers who referred to local Aboriginal people as bush coons. NT Police commissioner Michael Murphy conceded under questioning on Wednesday that he had first been informed of the use of racist language and the existence of the racist certificates in August 2023. In February, Murphy denied he knew of the award certificates, or that racist language was commonly used by NT police members. His comments at the time followed Rolfes sworn evidence that he heard racist language used every day in the Alice Springs police station and that much of that racist language came from senior officers. Thats his evidence, thats the evidence he has given in court in the process. When I go to Alice Springs and other stations around the Territory, I do not see those behaviours, Murphy told media at the time when questioned about Rolfes claims in the witness box. Murphy was on Wednesday asked if he accepted that his response to the media was misleading. Flowers and a sign in Alice Springs in the days after Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by police. Credit: Zach Hope Yes, it was incorrect, but it wasnt intentional at the time, Murphy replied. Earlier, Murphy rejected a suggestion by the counsel assisting the coroner, Peggy Dwyer, SC, that he had failed to act on the information because he himself had been involved in an incident involving the use of racist language during a drunken dinner with NT Police colleagues at a Chinese restaurant. Dwyer asked Murphy: Is the reason that you didnt investigate this further when [the former police officer] raised it, does it include because you were concerned about adverse publicity or embarrassment towards yourself if it got out? Murphy: No. I dont think I was overly worried about it, I think it was courteous of [him] to let me know, and I should have actioned it, I should have reported it, especially the TRG award ... Mainly Im bored of the situation ... and Id like it to be finalised. Im ready to move on. Zachary Rolfe, in evidence to the inquest Murphy was asked about several more instances of NT Police using racist language and being involved in racist actions that amounted to serious misconduct. These included an incident in March 2022 involving a senior ranking officer posting a photograph of a naked and distressed Aboriginal woman to a private chat group for a unit known as Strike Force Viper. The photograph was taken on the private phone of the on-duty senior ranking officer and was posted to the chat accompanied by demeaning commentary. Each of the units 13 officers indicated in the chat their approval of the derogatory photo, the inquest heard. Dwyer also asked Murphy about yet another incident of inappropriate group messaging involving the distribution of an image of an Indigenous police officer accompanied by derogatory commentary among the Darwin water police unit. Handprints on the front of the Alice Springs police station this week. Credit: Jack Latimore Do you accept that racist words amount to racism even if theyre expressed in private? Dwyer asked. Murphy: Yes. Dwyer: You accept that the willingness to use racist terminology toward a community can affect attitudes towards a community? Murphy:Yes. Dwyer: And attitudes do affect behaviours? Murphy: Yes. Dwyer: And in those circumstances its certainly not possible for you to say, commissioner, reflecting on the tragedy that is at the core of this inquest, is that racism didnt play a part in the death of Kumanjayi Walker? Murphy: I believe that attitudes, conduct, words of police and attitudes towards disadvantaged and vulnerable people does shape the culture, and I cannot eliminate that racism wasnt involved in the decision-making towards actions by police in all types of operations and thats what we need to change. Bored of the situation Rolfe, who is no longer a serving police officer, was in early 2022 acquitted of charges of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death over Walkers death. On Tuesday, barrister Ian Freckelton, KC, acting for NT Police, asked Rolfe to summarise his feelings about the shooting of Walker and the investigation and legal processes surrounding the circumstances of the young mans death. Rolfe told the court he didnt feel anger. How do you feel? Freckelton asked. Rolfe replied: Mainly Im bored of the situation ... and Id like it to be finalised. Im ready to move on. Freckelton: Do you appreciate that it might be hard for some of the members of the Yuendumu community, and Kumanjayi Walkers family particularly to move on? Rolfe: Yes. Freckelton: Do you have any recognition of the fact it may be distressing [for the family] to hear you say your main emotion is one of boredom? Loading Rolfe: Thats in regard to the process that were doing. Under further questioning from Freckelton, Rolfe agreed that his view of the legal processes relating to Walkers death was that he was being persecuted completely without warrant. The inquest heard Rolfe had previously expressed this view in a 2022 open letter to NT media, when he asserted that a murder charge should never have been brought against him over his shooting of Walker. Freckelton asked on Tuesday: You have expressed the view on many occasions that a murder charge should never have been brought against you, and that a variety of senior officers are responsible for, in essence, a malicious prosecution? Rolfe: Yes. Outside court, Walkers cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown, told media she felt Rolfes words were extremely disrespectful and horrific to hear. I think its just extremely inconsiderate and extremely offensive, she said. Rolfes texts to Roberts-Smith Barrister Julian McMahon, SC, who represented the Warlpiri Parumpurru committee, on Monday questioned Rolfe about a series of text messages exchanges with a friend and police colleague discussing Rolfes ambition to become involved in more high level, volatile jobs. The text messages illustrate Rolfes efforts before 2019 to join the NT Police strike force unit, the TRG and the Australian Armys Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment. One text message thread examined by McMahon contained exchanges between Rolfe and disgraced former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith. The pair discussed Rolfes aim to work as a private security contractor overseas. The NT Polices internal Noogadah award, which was derogatory of Indigenous people. Credit: Jack Latimore In one message, Roberts-Smith informs Rolfe that he has private security company contacts in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. The pair discussed the professional merits of completing a specialist, military-style course in close personal protection provided by a company based in South Africa. The court heard Rolfe texted Roberts-Smith:Policing is good but its not going anywhere, and I need some wilder times ... Roberts-Smith responded: Understand mate, happy to chat. I have a few different contacts (overseas) Well be able to connect you with the right people and doing the Ronin course [in South Africa] will add value to your CV. Rolfe: Thatd be wicked. I know it sounds dumb to some people, but you get it. I just want some dangerous shit while being professional. Asked by McMahon about witness evidence previously given to the inquest, Rolfe denied ever stating that he wanted to be paid to go over and shoot people, and rejected suggestions put to him by McMahon that he similarly wished to join the TRG and the SAS so that he could shoot people. Excessive use of force The inquest was shown footage taken from Rolfes body-worn camera obtained during an incident at Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs two months before Rolfe shot Walker. The evidence was retrieved from Rolfes phone by investigators after he recorded the footage as it played on a police computer eight days after the incident. The video shows Rolfe striking a visibly intoxicated 18-year-old Aboriginal male in the head while police officers were questioning him. Rolfe (centre) in 2022 while on trial over the death of Kumanjayi. He was acquitted of all charges. Credit: AAP Asked by McMahon why he hit the young man, Rolfe described the incident as a slap that was potentially a fear-based response triggered by the young man slapping the bonnet of the police vehicle they were standing beside. Under questioning, Rolfe accepted that he failed to submit a use of force declaration after the incident, but rejected the suggestion he deliberately omitted the assault from relevant paper work at the end of his shift. Do you agree that your paperwork fails to give the correct picture of what happened? McMahon asked. Rolfe said he didnt recall filling out the paperwork, but conceded that it didnt give the full picture. Do you accept that racist words amount to racism even if theyre expressed in private? Peggy Dwyer, SC, the counsel assisting the coroner, to the NT Police commissioner On Tuesday, while Freckelton was questioning Rolfe, the court heard details of a series of five incidents going back to 2017 involving Rolfes questionable use of force against Aboriginal community members. However, Rolfes body-worn camera was not activated at the time of each incident. The inquest heard that Rolfe received emails from a superior ranking police officer reminding him to activate his body-worn camera on several occasions between 2017 and 2019. But he still failed to activate the technology on two occasions in 2019 even after receiving remedial advice in relation to the repeated issue from a station superintendent. Certificates presented to police On Monday, Patrick Coleridge, another counsel assisting the coroner, questioned Sergeant Lee Bauwens in relation to informal award certificates presented annually to members of the Territory Response Group. Loading Bauwens who was a TRG member from 2004 to 2014 confirmed that one of the certificates, known for over more than a decade variously as the Nugeda or Noogadah award the name and its other spellings were made up to sound like an Indigenous word was also known colloquially across the NT police force as the Coon of the Year Award. The award certificates regularly contained racist inferences towards Aboriginal people over the years they were presented, the court heard. Bauwens said the informal awards helped members of the unit cope with the stress of the job and were generally presented by TRG sergeants. He described the awards as dark humour and light-hearted fun. The court was shown the Noogadah certificate from 2007, which shows an Aboriginal male laying face down on ground, surrounded by six cans of beer photoshopped onto the image. The certificates caption reads: [Name redacted], this is for expressing your utmost level of Aboriginality while being an elite member of the TRS. Man your [sic] hard. A 2019 protest in Melbourne over the death of Kumanjayi Walker. Credit: AAP Another certificate from 2007 is titled Shit BBQ Award for the most coon like BBQ ever! and showed a meal cooking in a shopping-trolley over a fire, with a smaller image photoshopped onto it of four Indigenous men drinking beer. Yet another certificate for the winning 2015 Nugeda Award contains a vintage-like image of a white male in the blackface of a minstrel. The certificate is titled WM Wests Big Minstrel Jubilee, [name redacted] NGALBIJIJMAN wandering whistling dusk. I think we all know the Noogadah award is racist, Bauwens told the court under questioning. On Friday, the legal counsel representing Walkers family and community will travel to Yuendumu to hear from the Warlpiri about what recommendations they would like included in the report. One of those will be a ban on police bringing weapons into the community. Warlpiri elder Ned Hargreaves. Credit: Jack Latimore Asked how he was feeling at the end of the hearings, Warlpiri Elder Ned Hargreaves said the community was not going to be happy. There is not the satisfaction for us. We are here, still getting over it, he said on Wednesday. Authorities are cracking down on a dangerous date rape drug which has been linked to sexual assaults and overdoses and is being hidden in beauty and food products. The drug, 1,4-Butanediol, commonly known as bute, reduces feelings of pain by interrupting the way nerves signal pain between the brain and the body and can cause breathing difficulty. It naturally converts into the illegal gamma-hydroxybutyrate GHB, or liquid ecstasy, once ingested. New legislation introduced in March controlling its import has allowed the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to confiscate more than 4000 litres of the drug in Sydney since the changes. The most common ways officers saw the drug hidden was inside body oils, face masks, and food products. NSW should appoint a chief midwifery officer and boost the number of midwives in the state to reduce the likelihood of women experiencing trauma when giving birth, an inquiry has urged. An upper house committee on Wednesday handed down 43 recommendations from the states landmark birth trauma inquiry, which was informed by more than 4000 submissions and six days of hearings in Sydney, Wollongong and Wagga Wagga between September 2023 and April this year. Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst says the unprecedented amount of evidence the inquiry received reflected the growing recognition of the importance of tackling this form of gendered violence. Credit: Kate Geraghty Animal Justice MLC Emma Hurst, who chaired the inquiry, said in the final report the stories many women shared about their experiences of giving birth in NSW were distressing and unacceptable. It was clear to the committee that there are a significant number of individuals who have suffered preventable birth trauma in NSW, she said. Coles, Woolworths and other major retailers will be banned from selling knives to under-18s within months as part of Queenslands latest knife-crime prevention strategy. Queensland led the country with the introduction of Jacks Law, which has given police powers to scan or wand people for knives in public places without a warrant, but the states retail laws have lagged behind others. Jack Beasley, whose stabbing death prompted the introduction of Jacks Law. Credit: The Beasley Family New laws restricting the sale of knives to minors from September 1 will bring Queensland in line with NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. Police Minister Mark Ryan was outside a Woolworths store on the Gold Coast on Wednesday morning to spruik the new laws, alongside the father of Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed on a night out in Surfers Paradise in 2019. * A revolution propelled by the advances in automation and artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing in the bustling heart of the country's manufacturing sector, and injecting new momentum into its sustainable growth. * The once prevalent image of China's bustling assembly lines, filled with tireless workers laboring around the clock, is now gradually receding from China's industrial landscape. * Bolstered by AI's prowess, small and medium-sized textile firms have now hopped aboard the fast-moving train of intelligent manufacturing. BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A revolution propelled by the advances in automation and artificial intelligence (AI) is brewing in the bustling heart of the country's manufacturing sector, and injecting new momentum into its sustainable growth. The once prevalent image of China's bustling assembly lines, filled with tireless workers laboring around the clock, is now gradually receding from China's industrial landscape. Over the past three years, China has been at the forefront of innovation, launching a series of smart manufacturing pilot initiatives. This has resulted in 421 national-level showcase factories, complemented by a network of more than 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and intelligent factories. The country's government work report this year unveiled an AI Plus initiative, a strategic move designed to propel the digital economy's expansion and spearhead the transformation and modernization of manufacturing sectors. HIGHER EFFICIENCY A sophisticated solution has emerged as a game-changer for Lenovo, the world's premier computer manufacturer, in tackling its complex order processing challenge with finesse. LCFC, Lenovo's flagship manufacturing hub in eastern Chinese city of Hefei, is a global powerhouse of personal computer production. The facility handles an impressive influx of over 8,000 new orders daily, a staggering majority of which are customized small orders of no more than 5 units, each with unique configurations. As the scale of production lines expands and the volume of daily order scheduling surges, the manual operations' efficiency and quality have hit a critical juncture. In 2021, Lenovo's AI engineers developed an algorithm that enabled the company to streamline its operations, ensuring a seamless and efficient approach to managing the intricacies of their order fulfillment challenges. "Our R&D team, leveraging the power of AI algorithms, analyzed five key categories encompassing 47 distinct factors, ranging from personnel and machinery to materials, processes, and the production environment," said Li Jincheng, LCFC's senior manager of production planning management. "By delving into vast datasets related to customer orders, component supplies and product planning, our team has meticulously explored two times ten to the nineteenth power unique sorting methods, an exhaustive approach pivotal in striking an optimal balance between delivery efficiency and production cost-effectiveness," said Li. Its entire production scheduling, previously demanding a dedicated team's six-hour daily commitment, has been dramatically streamlined to mere 1.5 minutes, according to Fan Wei, director of machine learning at Lenovo Research Institute's Artificial Intelligence Lab. "This transformation has led to a remarkable 16 percent surge in production efficiency," said Fan. "Therefore, the manufacturing output of personal computers has seen a substantial 23 percent boost, while the backlog of orders has been significantly reduced by 20 percent." In 2021, the intelligent system was shortlisted for the Franz Edelman Award, a prestigious honor in the field of global operations research and management science. Industries powered by AI have experienced an increase in total factor productivity, an indicator widely recognized as a defining characteristic of new quality productive forces. Song Tao, the general manager of Lenovo Group's Manufacturing Sector for Government and Enterprise Businesses, envisioned a future where AI technology drives and fosters a slew of emerging industries and innovative frontiers. BETTER QUALITY At a data center in Shanghai's North Bund, expansive screens pulse with live operational data from a staggering 700,000 textile machinery units nationwide in over 9,000 textile enterprises. Bolstered by AI's prowess, small and medium-sized textile firms have now hopped aboard the fast-moving train of intelligent manufacturing. The "miniature robots" integrated into weaving machines, which are developed by the startup Zhijing Technology, have made simultaneous weaving and quality inspection possible. Equipped with AI-empowered visual recognition, those machines can identify flaws on-the-fly during the weaving process and instantly trigger alarms, an innovative approach that ensures a "non-stop" inspection, significantly enhancing efficiency and quality control. "Now, with just a few taps on my phone, I can check the production data of each machine and remotely understand the factory's production status," said Gu Chang, owner of a medium-sized textile factory in southwest China's Sichuan Province. "Thanks to the deployment of those robots, our two workshops are now churning out an impressive 250,000 meters of fabric daily, with machine efficiency nearing 95 percent, a benchmark that is considered exceptionally high within our industry," said Gu. "In the past, weaving was heavily dependent on individual expertise, a process susceptible to mistakes," said Guan Ruifeng, vice president of Zhijing Technology. "The AI system has significantly streamlined operations and enhanced product consistency, cutting down the sampling time from the previous three to five days to 24 hours at the shortest," said Guan. "By concentrating on the digital transformation requirements of local traditional sectors and fostering the synergy between general artificial intelligence and emerging industries as well as the real economy, we can develop an array of holistic, diverse, and frequently utilized application solutions," said Zhao Chunjiang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. EMERGING INDUSTRY Micro-Intelligence is a "unicorn" enterprise based in Changzhou, a city that has risen to prominence as the nation's hub for the manufacturing of power batteries. The AI-powered quality inspection robots the company offered have amassed a database of over 100 million defect samples for products manufactured through one-time molding processes, assisting to address a range of post-assembly concerns for electric motor stators, including coil winding irregularities, poor assembly and deformation of critical parts. As labor costs rise, skilled "master craftsmen" proficient in quality inspection are growing increasingly scarce. Deploying the intelligent robots, more than 2,700 factories spanning 18 cities nationwide have been able to reduce quality inspection workforce by over 10,000 personnel. Also, such applications have bolstered the reliability of China's new energy vehicles and amplified their appeal and competitiveness on the global market stage. The core artificial intelligence industry in China achieved a remarkable scale of 578.7 billion yuan (about 80 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, supported by a thriving ecosystem of 4,482 enterprises, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. "Industrial digitalization represents a market worth a trillion yuan market, and it also relates to 10,000 smaller markets," said Huang Shi, a researcher from the Strategy and Industry Research Institute of China Mobile Research Institute. Huang acknowledged the complexity of the manufacturing sector, where scenarios are highly fragmented, making the exploration of exemplary AI applications a considerable challenge. "Despite those challenges in the short run, China's robust industrial base, expansive market size and diverse application scenarios confer a significant advantage in harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence," said Du Chuanzhong, director of the Industrial Economic Research Institute at Nankai University. (Video reporter: Guo Yujing, Guo Chen, Zhou Zhou, Chen Gang, Zhou Rui, Zhengxin, Li Duojiang, Zhao Yuhe, Guo Liangchuan, Mei Yuanlong, Jiang Sai, Xie E, Deng Haoran; Video editors: Zhang Li, Li Qin, Roger Lott, Hui Peipei) Deakin University has turned itself in to the Fair Work Ombudsman after discovering it has been underpaying casual academic staff two years after the union first accused it of doing so. The National Tertiary Education Union says the confession could result in millions of dollars in wages being returned to some of the lowest-paid employees in the sector. Deakin University vice chancellor Iain Martin. Credit: Paul Jeffers Deakins vice chancellor, Professor Iain Martin, wrote to staff on Wednesday afternoon, telling them the university had uncovered the inadvertent underpayment of some sessional academics. As your vice-chancellor, I sincerely apologise on behalf of the university and particularly to those affected, he said. Hannah said she had witnessed Loughnane become more aggressive in the months leading up to Maryams death, and that Loughnane would drive past their property, honking his horn. He became more aggressive, driving past our property, and beeping, she said. Members of Maryam Hamkas family arrive at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui She broke down in tears when she started to describe an incident in which Maryam had come home with two black eyes. Her face was all swollen, she said. She had two black eyes, I think he had hit her in the lip and a broken nose. Maryams mother, Susan Iramiyan, also gave evidence through a series of statements made to police, read out by Crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill, and recounted a panicked call from Maryam. Loading She sounded scared, Iramiyan told police in a statement from July 2021. She said: Hes going to kill me. He bashed me. He stabbed me in the head with pens. One of Maryams closest friends, Dale Wickham, was also in the witness box on Wednesday, and described an incident where Loughnane attempted to force Maryam into his car on Sydney Road a few months before she died. Wickham told the jury that Loughnane, was dragging her, trying to abduct her, and that Maryam was fighting back, trying to resist. He told the jury he said to Maryam: Look, youve got to get rid of this guy, hes going to end up killing you. The court also heard about texts sent by Loughnane to Maryams friend, Shane Allen, which included threats to hurt him because of his friendship with Maryam, and that Loughnane had sent him a picture of a gun. Ill get U I swear, Loughnane texted Allen, according to documents admitted in court. Tell Mary am [sic] shes dead. Loughnane also wrote to Allen: Lets see what youre made of grandpa, and attached a photo of a pistol. The court heard Maryam would sometimes take drugs in Allens presence, and that Allen told police when he spoke to Maryam on the phone on the night prosecutors allege she died, she sounded like she was affected by drugs. Allen spoke to Maryam twice between 10.17pm and 11.35pm that night, the court heard, and he told the jury: She didnt sound safe, I just said to her, Get in a taxi and leave. An employee at Coles, Wendy Ithier, told the court she had once helped Maryam when she was injured. Ithier gave evidence that Maryam had told her that Loughnane had assaulted her and shoved a sock down her throat. On Tuesday, prosecutors alleged the pairs relationship had frequent episodes of domestic violence and control, with Loughnane threatening to kill Maryam on several occasions in the months before her death. Loughnanes Brighton neighbours told police that on April 10, 2021, after midnight, they heard a distressed female voice sobbing and screaming until about 3am. It was about this time, prosecutors allege, that Loughnane killed Maryam at his home. However, it was more than two years until Loughnane provided police with directions through his lawyer, in May 2023, to where Maryams body could be found, buried in a shallow grave in a national park, the court heard. After police were unable to find her remains, Loughnane accompanied them to the site and identified landmarks at the burial spot. Since November 2023, the screen on my Western Power meter has been blank. Kaput. For seven months my meter has not been tracking my power usage from the grid, how much solar energy my panels are generating, nor how much excess power is being sent back to the grid. Busy at work at the time, and getting ready for a month-long trip overseas, I wasnt initially too worried about not being able to view my daily usage via the online Synergy dashboard. Synergy has withdrawn my bill estimates while this mess is getting sorted. Credit: Bethany Rae When I returned to Perth just before Christmas, data was still not being uploaded, an issue I optimistically attributed to a boffin clocking off mentally for the festive season. Then I got my bill just before Christmas 2023 estimating Id used 1170 units. Nearly three times the amount Id used the same time last year. Despite the fact that this year Id been away for weeks. Winnie Dunn, 47, a manager at a bank, and her namesake niece, Winnie Dunn, 28, author and general manager of a literacy movement, are as close as any mother and daughter could be and just as disputatious. Winnie jnr and snr. There is no word for aunt in Tongan, so I am Winnies mehikitanga, her fathers eldest sister. In our culture, that gives me naming rights, so I called her Winnie, says Winnie snr. Credit: Wolter Peeters Winnie snr: There is no word for aunt in Tongan, so I am Winnies mehikitanga, her fathers eldest sister. In our culture, that gives me naming rights, so I called her Winnie. I dont have any biological children, so she is like my own firstborn. She is my first love. When Winnie was only four, her mum, MafileO Theresa, died of cancer after a six-month illness. As her coffin was lowered into the ground, Winnie cried out, Whos going to be my mummy now? We were already close, so I took on the role of mother then. Mum and I lived next door [in western Sydney] and she and her younger sister Elizabeth [a toddler], and brother Johnny [a baby] were always at our place. I never wanted to replace her mum; I just wanted her to know she had someone she could always go to. Winnie was very intelligent and a reader from a young age. I bought her books. Harry Potter was a favourite. I had dreamt of going to uni as a child and I had the marks when I finished school, but there was no money. I was over the moon when I learnt that Winnie had got in. I drove her there on her first day because I wanted her to know she was loved and supported. She told me not to do it again. Immigration Minister Andrew Giles is under pressure to fix the detainee crisis and save his job as he scrambles to rewrite the rule used to allow violent criminals to stay in Australia, including serial rapists and paedophiles the government was fighting to deport. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to back his embattled minister in a fiery question time following growing opposition calls for Giles to be sacked. The new directive will ensure that the protection of the community outweighs any other consideration, Albanese told federal parliament on Wednesday amid growing government criticism of the Administrative Appeals Tribunals decisions. This followed revelations Giles departmental secretary kept him in the dark about a slew of cases reinstating the visas of serial rapists under direction 99, which was issued by the minister last year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new ministerial directive to ensure that community protection outweighs any other consideration by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The announcement in question time on Wednesday came as Immigration Minister Andrew Giles was under fire over a ministerial direction he issued in January last year that had been linked to several legal decisions to allow foreign-born criminals to stay in Australia. A New Zealander convicted of raping his stepdaughter, a British man who attacked women on 26 occasions and a former detainee who after his release allegedly murdered someone all had their visas reinstated by the AAT in part because of ministerial direction 99. During Senate estimates on Tuesday, Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster admitted her department breached protocol by not warning Giles about at least 30 decisions made by the AAT that allowed foreign-born criminals to stay in Australia. Giles said he was urgently reviewing and overturning those decisions. The High Court decision overturned a years-long understanding about the watchdogs powers to publicly share its work. As a result, the government this year commissioned Holmes to conduct the independent review and advise about how reporting powers should be returned and in what form these should be. Disagreement between Labor and the LNP over support for the Holmes review recommendations casts uncertainty over the watchdogs future before Octobers election. What they said In the preface of her almost-500-page report, Holmes said it had become clear to her that a one size fits all approach for unlimited discretion sought by the watchdog was not the answer. Her proposal was for thresholds differentiating between public servants and elected officials, and individual and systemic corruption, balancing the public interest and the rights of probe subjects. Public reports into elected officials which fall short of guilty findings would be allowed, but must not include critical commentary or opinions or recommendations based on their conduct. The conclusions I have reached almost certainly will not please all, but they set up a workable regime, the review said. Perspectives Premier Steven Miles and Attorney-General Yvette DAth welcomed the review. DAth told journalists on Wednesday she hoped law changes could occur before the October election and it would be then up to the CCC to determine if, and how, it could release the Carne and Trad reports. While shadow attorney-general Tim Nicholls noted the significant work done by Holmes review and suggested the LNP would consider it in detail, he also criticised its key call around an end to the watchdog expressing opinions on the conduct of elected officials. Deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie, speaking alongside Nicholls at a media conference, echoed this and suggested the Trad report would be sanitised, adding the LNP would try to release it in full if it won government in October under draft laws introduced by Nicholls but questioned by Holmes. Thomas Flegler has been spotted at Dolphins HQ steadily building his training load, as the Queensland prop seeks to announce his comeback in time for a finals charge. Flegler has not been sighted since leaving the field in his sides round five defeat of Wests Tigers with a shoulder injury, one that fortunately did not need surgery. Flegler leaves the field against the Wests Tigers with a shoulder injury. Credit: NRL Photos However, the former Maroons bookend suffered some nerve damage that has left him on an indefinite timeline for a return, with coach Wayne Bennett even expressing fears he may not line up again in 2024. The setback has cost Flegler the chance to add to his three State of Origin caps, as the Maroons began their camp on Tuesday in preparation for the June 5 series opener. Washington: US Vice President Kamala Harris is increasingly endearing herself to swing-state voters, a development that if it persists, stands to neutralise Republican attacks around President Joe Bidens age. Nearly half of swing-state voters, 48 per cent, say they trust Harris to fulfil the duties of the presidency if Biden were no longer able to serve, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll conducted in early May. The reading marks the highest level of confidence since the survey was first conducted in October. US Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, arrive at a state dinner in honour of Kenyan President William Ruto in Washington last Thursday. Credit: Bloomberg In recent months, Harris the first woman, black or Asian vice president has held a series of high-profile events that resonated with key parts of the Democratic base. They include a historic visit to a Minnesota abortion clinic, a nod to the rollback of federal reproductive rights that has galvanised women voters, and an impassioned speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, a landmark of the Civil Rights era. Harris and the administration have also leant into detailing her personal journey and record in public office. Republicans have sought to attack Bidens fitness for a second term by casting her as unprepared to take his place. Polling shows voters are more concerned about the fitness of Biden, 81, for office than Donald Trump, four years younger at 77. PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Public meeting on May 29, 2024. The Public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 09.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda point is: Appointment Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament ~ Justice Minister vowed to root out all levels of corruption~ PHILIPSBURG: --- Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis announced on Wednesday that an internal investigation was launched at the Pointe Blanche Prison to determine how two unknown assailants managed to enter the prison and assault a prisoner who was in isolation. Lewis said he visited the injured prisoner at the St. Maarten Medical Center when he heard of the incident. He told members of the media during the weekly Council of Ministers press conference that the prisoner was severely beaten and was badly injured. Lewis said the attack shows that there is a level of corruption at the Pointe Blanche Prison because no one could explain to him how two unknown persons could enter the prison in prison guard uniforms and attack the prisoner who was in isolation. SMN News managed to identify the prisoner as Amir Jean Pierre Sinase, who is serving a 4-year prison term. SMN News learned that before the attack on Sunday, the prison threw an egg on a prison guard, and the female prison guard threatened him, saying she would get him after. SMN News further learned that the two attackers were prisoners who got some form of assistance from prison guards for them to reach the prisoner who was in isolation. SMN News further learned that the injured prisoner had filed an official complaint with KPSM. PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister Plenipotentiary Patrice Gumbs and Deputy Minister Gracita Arrindell met last week with the Head of Division Study Financing, Mr. Antonio Aventurin, on issues surrounding education, education financing, and particularly the status of students in the Netherlands. The Sint Maarten House, Office of the Minister Plenipotentiary-alongside its political function, is an integral part of the orientation program for newly arriving students from Sint Maarten. Out of the discussions, a key point was the limited housing options for Sint Maarten students and the difficulty in securing access to the limited available stock. In addition, the support for students in adjusting to life in the Netherlands and the mental impact of this transition were highlighted. This is concerning for me, because while we dont want to handhold, I believe that as Government we can do our part to support access to something as basic as housing for our students, stated Minister Gumbs. Working with the students forms part of my wider agenda for engagement with the Sint Maarten population and diaspora in the Netherlands and will form a core part of my and Deputy Arrindells program in the coming months. In the end, it's about how we can best harness the expertise of our people to advance the development of our country. In addition, we as Government have to ask what we can do to ensure that Sint Maarten in the Netherlands feel valued enough to contribute and feel connected to where theyre from. To be effective, the relationship has to be mutually beneficial. Adam Smith is often considered the father of modern economics and a significant proponent of the law of supply and demand. This economic theory postulates that when supply of a good is in abundance prices will fall and when the supply is diminished that prices will rise. Applying the principles of supply and demand to Canadas immigration program, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is in the enviable position of being able to set their price by being choosy as to who, how and when they will select which applicants to be able to come to Canada. A quick review of a few of our current immigration programs demonstrates this reality. Express Entry 2024 represents the tenth year of Canadas Express Entry (EE) selection system for immigration. EE comprises four separate immigration streams: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federals Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Each program has its own set of criteria and to be selected as an EE applicant you must demonstrate that you meet the criteria for at least one of these programs. Prospective immigrants must register a profile confirming the basic factors for consideration such as age, education, work experience and proficiency in English and French from which IRCC gives them a Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS). From this pool of registrants, IRCC selects those with the highest CRS scores and offers them an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. The demand for EE is extremely high and continuously growing. A review of the most recent 5 years for which IRCC has data clearly demonstrates this: Registered Profiles 2018 280,000 2019 332,331 2020 360,998 2021 443,004 2022 423391 This represents a 151% increase in EE registrants in only 5 years! Furthermore, a review of the rankings for 2023 and 2024 of EE registrants indicates the high calibre of applicants: CRS Score Ranges 2023 2024 (as of April 24) 601 1200 1,100 1,057 500 600 4,433 10,625 451 500 56,223 60,933 401 450 53,698 52,475 * I have not provided figures for CRS score ranges below 400. The CRS scores for EE general selection for this year have ranged between a low of 524 and a high of 546. Those are extremely high scores precluding most registrants from a realistic chance of receiving an ITA. IRCC has further refined the EE selection process for targeted draws in certain employment sectors such as STEM occupations, transport, agriculture, agri-food and healthcare occupations as well as a French language proficiency draw. These targeted draws generally provide ITAs at a lower CRS score allowing IRCC to further control the selection process for EE applicants. These figures confirm a pool of highly qualified registrants in excess of 100,000 seeking permanent residence which demonstrates the continued high demand for Canadian immigration. Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) The PGP program has essentially been frozen since 2020. This is because in 2020 IRCC moved to an interest to sponsor selection model whereby Canadians seeking to sponsor their parents or grandparents needed to register to demonstrate that they meet the criteria of the program. Approximately 200,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents submitted interest to sponsor forms well beyond IRCCs planned targets. The pool of sponsors has been frozen since that time with IRCC issuing ITAs each year only to those who registered in 2020. In 2022 and 2023 IRCC issued approximately 23/24,000 ITAs and will issue 37,500 for 2024. Cumulatively as of this year, they will have issued approximately 132,000 ITAs since 2020 leaving a further pool of approximately 70,000 hopeful sponsors. Given our significantly increased levels of immigration in the past decade, one can anticipate an extremely high level of demand for this program in the event that it is fully reopened to new sponsors. *For a recent and more detailed review of the PGP program, refer to our blog: IRCCs Parents and Grandparents Program Reopening Soon! Business Immigration: Start Up Visa (SUV) and Self Employed (SE) classes Canadas business immigration program has had numerous ups and downs over the years. With the introduction of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) on June 28, 2002, Canada established three distinct business immigration categories: the Investor, the Entrepreneur and the Self Employed (SE) categories each with separate criteria. After ten years, in 2012 the Investor and Entrepreneur programs were cancelled however the SE category remained. In 2013 the Start Up visa was introduced as a pilot program designed to attract entrepreneurs with innovative business concepts that would be supported by Canadian financial entities: venture capital companies, angel investors and later, business incubators (referred to as Designated Organizations). Uptake was slow in the first years picking up by around 2018. However soon after that, and with the help of the global pandemic (continued applications but reduced processing) the number of SUV applications ballooned. Recent statistics reported in this months edition of Lexbase provide IRCC data that as of February 29, 2024, there are currently 29,128 SUV applicants and 11,097 SE applicants representing approximately 7.7 years' worth of inventory of business applications! With such data in hand, Minister for IRCC, The Honorable Marc Miller, announced on April 29, 2024, an immediate suspension (effective April 30!) of the SE program until the end of 2026 and an annual cap of 10 SUV applicants per Designated Organization severely restricting further intake. The continued high demand for Canadian permanent residence by prospective business immigrants outstrips IRCCs capacity to process their applications. *For a recent and more detailed review of the changes to Canadas business immigration program, please refer to our blog: Immigration Minister implements dramatic changes to Canadas Business Immigration programs As an immigration lawyer, I have come to view Canadas immigration program as a numbers game and the numbers have for many years been in Canadas favour. The demand for obtaining Canadian immigration status has remained strong through the 30+ years that I have been practicing and shows no sign of diminishing anytime soon. The laws of supply and demand being what they are, given the considerable demand for Canadian immigration status, IRCC is basically able to set their price in terms of selecting those immigrants that they determine are best suited for Canadas economic and cultural needs. Being realistic about your options and chances for qualifying for Canada immigration is essential in this highly competitive marketplace. Catherine Sas, K.C. has over 30 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected]. Inside a semiconductor 'clean room' at Japan's top university Tokyo, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 To study semiconductors at Japan's top university, first you need the right clothes -- protective overalls, shoe covers, plastic gloves and a lightweight balaclava to keep your hair out of the way. Then, surgical mask in place, you step inside an "air shower" to remove all the dust from your body that could potentially contaminate the precision equipment. Now, you are ready to enter the University of Tokyo's clean room, a highly controlled space where microchips are handled. Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are also found at such universities, where aspiring tech innovators conduct research. Chips are an indispensable part of the modern economy, used in everything from smartphones to cars and weapons. That has made them politically sensitive, with the industry frequently caught in the crossfire as the United States and China tussle over access to advanced tech. Japan is also ramping up its efforts to revive its once-world-leading chip industry: the government has promised up to $25 billion in subsidies to help triple sales of domestically produced chips by 2030. Taiwanese chip behemoth TSMC opened a semiconductor factory in southern Japan in February and is planning a second facility for more advanced chips. And a multi-billion-dollar joint venture called Rapidus, involving Sony, Toyota, IBM and others, aims to mass produce next-generation logic chips in Japan from 2027. Chip expert and University of Tokyo professor Tadahiro Kuroda said Japan's push into a sector where it was once dominant feels like "spring has returned". At the university's 600 square-metre (6,500 square-foot) chip lab, filled with cutting-edge machines, students use tweezers to handle the delicate materials. With pipettes, they drip a red liquid chemical onto gleaming, pristine silicon wafers designed to contain a dizzying number of tiny transistors. PhD student Kei Misumi, 27, who regularly works in the clean room, told AFP he hopes such advanced technology will further enrich people's lives. nf/kaf/qan TSMC - TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY Sony TOYOTA MOTOR China says military pressure on Taiwan to 'continue' Beijing, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 China on Wednesday vowed military pressure on Taiwan would carry on as long as "independence" provocations continued on the self-ruled island. Last week, China held two days of military drills around Taiwan that saw warships and jets loaded with live munitions practise seizing and isolating the self-ruled island. The exercises were launched three days after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a "confession of independence". Beijing considers the democratic island part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control. On Wednesday, Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said more military exercises could follow last week's "Joint Sword-2024A". "As long as 'Taiwan independence' provocations continue, the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will continue," TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian told a press conference. Zhu called President Lai's rhetoric "extremely reckless", adding it would "inevitably risk war on the Taiwan strait and bring severe harm to our Taiwan compatriots". "We will never tolerate, condone, or allow this, and we must counteract and punish this," she said. "The greater the provocation, the stronger the countermeasure." Nigeria jihadists kill around 30 in reprisal attacks Kano, Nigeria, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Jihadists have killed around 30 fishermen in northeast Nigeria in retaliation for military bombardments that left scores of their fighters dead, anti-jihadist militia and fishermen told AFP. The attacks were the latest on fishermen or farmers in remote parts of northeast Borno state, where Islamist militants are fighting a long-running conflict that has ebbed sharply in recent years. Fighters allied with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed island areas on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad on Sunday and Monday, gathering up and shooting fishermen at close range, the sources said on Tuesday. The killings appeared to be a revenge attack for air strikes on ISWAP camps by Nigeria's military days earlier in which scores of jihadists and their families were killed, the sources said. "ISWAP fighters came in speedboats to three islands and asked fishermen to assemble before opening fire on them," militia leader Ibrahim Liman said. "They killed many people and went after those who tried to flee, gunning them down." The militiaman, part of a local paramilitary unit that works with Nigeria's armed forces against jihadists, said the search for bodies was still ongoing but the dead "exceed 30, no doubt". Fisherman Isa Danmakama who escaped the massacre told AFP by telephone he counted 28 bodies when he returned to search for his younger brother who was killed. "I escaped by running and diving in the water amid the shooting," Danmakama said. "I returned later on Monday after the militants were gone to look for the body of my younger brother and I counted 28 bodies scattered," he said. Another fisherman Sallau Arzika who gave a similar account of the incident said the human loss was "huge", without giving a definite toll. Nigeria's military did not immediately give a statement about the incident. Umar Ari, another militiaman, said the militants were angry over aerial bombings on camps in Kirta Wulgo, Jibillaram, Sabon Tumbu "which caused heavy casualties among the terrorists." The jihadists accused the fishermen on three islands of providing the location of their camps to the military, Ari said. "The fishermen fled the islands during the military operations and returned after the aerial attacks ended. That was why ISWAP believed they knew about the planned military attacks and labelled them traitors," he said. Since ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016, it has seized most of the territory previously controlled by the jihadist movement, including in Lake Chad where it has established a strong presence. The group allowed fishermen and herders to fish and graze in its territory after paying a form of tax, providing it with a lucrative source of income. ISWAP and rival Boko Haram have both increasingly targeted loggers, herders, farmers, fishermen and metal scrap collectors, accusing them of passing information to the military and the local militia fighting them. Nigeria's jihadist violence has killed over 40,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast since 2009, according to the United Nations. Decade after IS horrors, Iraq's Sinjar remains in ruins Sinjar, Iraq, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 When Bassem Eido steps outside his modest village house in Iraq's Sinjar district, he is reminded of the horrors that befell the majority-Yazidi region during the Islamic State group's onslaught a decade ago. The area near the Syrian border still bears the scars of the fighting that raged there in 2014 -- bullet-riddled family homes with pancaked roofs and warning signs of the lethal threat of landmines and war munitions. It was here that the jihadists committed some of their worst atrocities, including mass executions and sexual slavery, before a fightback driven by Kurdish forces dislodged them from the town of Sinjar by the following year. A decade on, the self-declared IS caliphate across Syria and Iraq is a dark and distant memory, but the pain is raw in Eido's largely abandoned village of Solagh, 400 kilometres (250 miles) northwest of Baghdad. "Out of 80 families, only 10 have come back," Eido told AFP in the desolate village which was once famed for its flourishing grape vines. "The rest say there are ... no homes to shelter them. Why would they return?" A walk through Solagh reveals collapsed homes overgrown with wild scrub and the rusting skeletons of destroyed plumbing systems scattered amid the dust and debris. "How can my heart be at peace?" said Eido, a 20-year-old Yazidi. "There is nothing and no one that will help us forget what happened." After liberation, Eido honoured his father's wish to spend his final days at their home and agreed to move back in with him. Their house was ravaged by fire but still standing and could be rebuilt with help from an aid group. Most people cannot afford to rebuild, said Eido, and some camp in tents in the ruins of their homes. However, if large-scale reconstruction started, he predicted, "everyone would come back". - 'Razed to the ground' - Such efforts have been slowed by political infighting, red tape and other structural problems in this remote region of Iraq, a country still recovering from decades of dictatorship, war and instability. Many who fled the IS moved to vast displacement camps, but the federal government this year announced a July 30 deadline to close them. Baghdad promised financial aid to returning families and has vowed to ramp up reconstruction efforts. The migration ministry said recently that hundreds had returned to their homes. However, more than 183,000 people from Sinjar remain displaced, the International Organization for Migration said in a recent report. While most areas have seen "half or fewer" of their residents come back, it said, "13 locations have not recorded returns since 2014". Local official Nayef Sido said that villages "are still razed to the ground and the majority of the people haven't received compensation." Some returnees are leaving again because, with no jobs, they cannot make ends meet, he added. All of this only adds to the plight of the Yazidis, an ethnic and religious minority that suffered the brunt of IS atrocities, with thousands killed and enslaved. In the village of Kojo, Hadla Kassem, a 40-year-old mother of three, said she lost at least 40 members of her family, including her mother, father and brother. Three years ago, she sought government compensation for her family's destroyed home, with the support of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), but to no avail. While she is still hoping for a monthly stipend for the loss of her relatives, she is trapped in a maze of bureaucracy like many others. Authorities "haven't opened all the (mass) graves, and the martyrs' files haven't been solved, and those in camps haven't returned", Kassem said. "We are devastated... We need a solution." - Tangled web of armed forces - In order to entice people to return, said the NRC's legal officer in Sinjar, Feermena Kheder, "safe and habitable housing is a must, but we also need functional public infrastructure like roads, schools and government buildings". "Only with these foundations can we hope to rebuild our lives." For now, many residents must travel hours for medical care that is not available at the city's only hospital. A local school has been turned into a base for an armed group, while an old cinema has become a military post. Sinjar has long been at the centre of a paralysing struggle for control between the federal government and the autonomous Kurdistan administration based in Arbil. In 2020, the two sides reached an agreement that included a reconstruction fund and measures to facilitate the return of displaced people. But they have so far failed to implement it. Adding to the complexities is the tangled web of armed forces operating there today. It includes the Iraqi military, a Yazidi group affiliated with Turkey's foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of pro-Iran ex-paramilitaries now integrated into the regular army. "All parties want more control, even blocking appointments and hindering" reconstruction efforts, said a security official who requested anonymity. In 2022, clashes between the army and local fighters forced thousands to flee again. Human Rights Watch researcher Sarah Sanbar warned that "both Baghdad and Arbil claim authority over Sinjar, but neither is taking responsibility for it". "Rather than focus on closing the camps, the government should invest in securing and rebuilding Sinjar to be a place people actually want to return to." Belarus halts participation in European military treaty Moscow, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree suspending Belarus' participation in a treaty that limits the deployment of conventional forces in Europe, matching a move already taken by ally Russia. The decree, signed on May 24, was published on Wednesday on an official government website of the ex-Soviet state that borders both Russia and Ukraine. First signed by NATO and the Warsaw Pact towards the end of the Cold War in 1990, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) limits the number of tanks, combat aircraft and other military equipment that can be deployed between the Atlantic and the Ural Mountains. Although not directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, Belarus hosted Russian troops as Moscow readied to launch its special military operation against Kyiv in February 2022. Belarus has slid ever closer to Moscow since Lukashenko's highly-contested re-election in 2020, with the president now closing in on three decades in power. Russia provides financial, military and diplomatic support to Lukashenko's regime. Moscow unilaterally suspended its CFE participation in December 2007, describing the accord as anachronistic. It said it was doing so after Western countries and NATO members refused to ratify a new version of the treaty that was amended in 1999. Russia claimed those countries demanded as a condition for ratifying the new version the withdrawal of Russian forces from the separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova and parts of Georgia. In 2008, Russia sent troops into the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russian President Vladimir Putin officially rubber stamped Russia's exit from the treaty in May 2023. bur/bc/lth Sweden pledges $1.25bn in military aid to Ukraine: govt Stockholm, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Sweden on Wednesday pledged military aid of 13.3 billion kronor ($1.25 billion) to Ukraine, as Kyiv struggles with multiple delays of vital Western military support in the third year of war with Russia. The Scandinavian country, which formally joined NATO in March, will donate a range of material, including ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Rb 99 medium-range air-to-air missiles and artillery ammunition, and all of its model 302 armoured infantry fighting vehicles. "Sweden is supporting Ukraine with its 16th aid package, its largest to date worth 13.3 billion kronor," Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch told reporters. Defence Minister Pal Jonson, also participating in the press conference via video link, added that the ASC 890 surveillance aircraft would be particularly useful for Ukraine's air defence, enabling it "to identify incoming cruise missiles and drones and identify targets both on the ground and at sea". Stockholm has not excluded sending its Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, but on Tuesday said it has been asked by the air force coalition for Ukraine to hold off as they prioritise the introduction of US-made F-16s into the Ukrainian air force. Sweden has in recent days announced both a 650-million-kronor aid package to secure Ukraine's energy supply, a sector that has been targeted by Russian strikes, as well as a framework civilian and military aid package of 75 billion kronor over three years, from 2024 to 2026, to support Kyiv "as long as necessary". The pledges bring Sweden's overall aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 to more than 100 billion kronor, making Kyiv the biggest recipient of Swedish aid. CORRECTED: 'Risk averse' West torn over Ukraine push to strike Russia: analysts Paris, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 As calls multiply to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia using Western-supplied longer-range weapons, analysts said Tuesday that Kyiv's allies remained "risk-averse" and deterred by Moscow's nuclear sabre rattling. The issue is deeply divisive among Ukraine's supporters, with the United States and Germany reluctant to permit Ukraine to strike over the border out of fear it could drag them closer to direct conflict with Moscow. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin warned of "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike Russia. The Kremlin has also gloated over the persisting differences in the West. "We see that there is no consensus on this issue in the Western camp," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian daily Izvestia on Tuesday. He slammed the "hotheads who are making absolutely irresponsible and provocative statements." "But there are also those who ask themselves the question 'Is it necessary to escalate further?'" - Discord - On Monday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Western powers to reconsider the restrictions as they were hampering Kyiv's ability to defend itself. But Washington and other allies are reluctant, fearing a possible escalation could prompt Putin to use nuclear weapons. "I think this is unfair," Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said about western restrictions on use of their weapons. French military historian Michel Goya said there is little past evidence suggesting that a country providing lethal aid would get dragged into a conflict. Moscow, Goya said, had claimed that Crimea annexed from Ukraine in 2014 was "untouchable." "The Ukrainians hit it with American weapons and nothing happened", the former French colonel told AFP. - 'Limitations' - The stakes are huge. Ukraine is struggling to hold back a Russian ground offensive in the Kharkiv region, where Moscow recently made its largest territorial gains in 18 months. With Russia's war against Ukraine in its third year, Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted and outgunned. "Ukraine complains that the limitations imposed by the allies make it easier for Russia to establish a strategic, operational and tactical advantage," James Everard, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told AFP. Military experts say it is hard for Ukraine to defend itself if it cannot hit military targets on the other side of the border. "Ukraine has been striking behind enemy lines since the start of the full-scale war," said analyst Ivan Klyszcz of the Estonia-based International Centre for Defence and Security. Such strikes are essential to wear down enemy forces, disrupt their supply and logistics chains and engage in counter-battery fire, he said. The question now is "whether these strikes should also take place inside Russia," said Klyszcz. "The reality is that Russia's nuclear sabre-rattling and conventional armed forces have deterred many Western decision-makers from decidedly helping Ukraine in its war of self-defence." - 'Self-deterred by Russia' - The Western response to the invasion has been driven by fears of escalation, with Kyiv's allies initially hesitating to supply long-range missiles, heavy tanks and fighter jets. Many of the initial red lines have eventually been crossed, but a lot of time has been lost as Western leaders dither, military experts say. "In retrospect, we realise that if they had given in from the outset, it would have been more effective," said Goya. He pointed out that "international law authorises a country under attack to strike the aggressor country provided that it respects humanitarian law." "Our leaders are mainly risk-averse and financially challenged, and so self-deterred by Russia," said Everard. He added that restrictions on the use of weapon systems are made by each of Ukraine's allies, not NATO, which complicates the situation further. "Unsurprisingly this produces an uneven set of freedoms and constraints that are difficult to interpret." - 'Follow Macron's lead' - Many Kyiv allies also remain uneasy about the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked an uproar among NATO members when he refused to rule out dispatching troops to Ukraine. But with Ukraine ceding ground, signs are multiplying that countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic States are warming to the idea. "Macron's breaking of the taboo on discussing Western deployments of troops inside Ukraine was a watershed moment in Russia's diminishing deterrence," said Klyszcz. Many allies, he added, are now "cautiously hinting at the possibility of deploying some sort of on-the-ground presence in the form of trainers or technical assistance." Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, wrote that more European leaders should "follow Macron's lead." "Publicly ruling out a Western troop presence in Ukraine makes no sense, whether or not it's a realistic proposition for some NATO countries," he said. "Just the possibility is one of the Kremlin's greatest fears." US, China defence chiefs to hold rare talks in Singapore Singapore, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 The US and Chinese defence chiefs are set to hold rare direct talks in Singapore this weekend, offering hopes of further military dialogue aimed at preventing flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control. The expected meeting between the United States' Lloyd Austin and China's Dong Jun at the Shangri-La Dialogue will be the first substantive face-to-face talks between their countries' defence chiefs in 18 months. The security forum is an annual gathering of defence chiefs from around the world that has in recent years become a barometer of US-China relations. This year's edition, starting Friday, will come a week after China held military drills around Taiwan and warned of war over the island. The dispute over democratic and US-backed Taiwan, which China has vowed to bring under its control, is the highest-profile of many rows between the global powers. Beijing is also furious over Washington's deepening defence ties in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with the Philippines. China has in recent years grown increasingly assertive in staking its claims in the contested South China Sea, including by building artificial islands and militarising them. It effectively suspended military talks with the United States in late 2022 in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. The two sides agreed after a summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in November last year to restart high-level military talks. Austin and Dong then talked over the phone in April. Their meeting in Singapore -- announced by the Pentagon last week -- would be the most substantial encounter on defence since the presidential summit. However, the two sides have yet to resume much of the direct military dialogue that was scrapped after Pelosi's Taiwan visit. "The hope here is for the (Dong-Austin) meeting to be the beginnings of cautious rapprochement to re-establish military-to-military open lines of communication," Mustafa Izzuddin, senior international affairs analyst with consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, told AFP. Biden and Xi agreed at their summit to set up a communications channel between the US Indo-Pacific Command chief and China's commanders responsible for military operations near Taiwan, Japan and in the South China Sea. A US official recently highlighted the importance of direct talks between those commanders. Izzuddin described such dialogue as "essential". "It's exceptionally important because when we talk about what is happening in the South China Sea and Taiwan, it's essentially about defence and security," he said. - Threat of conflict - Austin and Dong will also give speeches this weekend at the Shangri-La Dialogue in which they are expected to touch on a range of their nations' pressure points. The United States is increasingly worried about China's fast-developing military capabilities. China already has the largest navy in the world and this month carried out a sea test of its third and biggest aircraft carrier. In 2021, China reportedly stunned US defence officials with a globe-circling hypersonic test flight involving a high-speed missile launch over the South China Sea. In Beijing, China's leaders are enraged by the United States routinely deploying warships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. China views this as part of a decades-long US effort to contain it. "If the United States does not hit the brakes but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation," China's then-foreign minister Qin Gang said last year. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military analyst and former People's Liberation Army officer, told AFP that Dong's Singapore speech would likely include a call for the United States to stop "provoking" China on Taiwan and the South China Sea. "We especially want to warn certain countries from outside the region -- the US, Japan -- that interfering in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea will inevitably cause serious regional conflict," he said. Song also downplayed the prospects of deeper US-China military dialogue unless the United States cut its support for Taiwan. "If the US cannot turn a new leaf on this issue, it cannot achieve results no matter who it speaks with." burs-mba/amj/kma/pbt Sweden pledges $1.25 bn in military aid to Ukraine Stockholm, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Sweden on Wednesday pledged military aid of 13.3 billion kronor ($1.25 billion) to Ukraine, as Kyiv struggles with multiple delays of vital Western military support in the third year of war with Russia. The Scandinavian country, which formally joined NATO in March, will donate a range of military supplies, including ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Rb 99 medium-range air-to-air missiles and artillery ammunition, and its entire fleet of PBV 302 armoured tracked personnel carriers. "Sweden is supporting Ukraine with its 16th aid package, its largest to date worth 13.3 billion kronor," Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch told reporters. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the aid package as "critical to Ukraine's defence and resilience". The Swedish assistance "not only saves Ukrainian lives, but it also helps to ensure long-term peace and security in Europe," he wrote. Defence Minister Pal Jonson, who also participated in the Swedish press conference via video link, added that the ASC 890 surveillance aircraft would be particularly useful for Ukraine's air defence, enabling it "to identify incoming cruise missiles and drones and identify targets both on the ground and at sea". Stockholm has not excluded sending its Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, but on Tuesday said it had been asked by the air force coalition for Ukraine to hold off as they prioritise the introduction of US-made F-16s into the Ukrainian air force. Sweden has in recent days announced both a 650-million-kronor aid package to secure Ukraine's energy supply, a sector that has been targeted by Russian strikes, and a framework civilian and military aid package of 75 billion kronor over three years, from 2024 to 2026, to support Kyiv "as long as necessary". The pledges bring Sweden's overall aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 to more than 100 billion kronor, making Kyiv the biggest recipient of Swedish aid. po/bc Taiwan detects 28 Chinese aircraft around island Taipei, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday it had detected 28 Chinese aircraft around the self-ruled island in a window of less than three hours. Wednesday's sorties come about a week after China encircled Taiwan with warplanes and navy vessels during military drills it said was a test of its ability to seize control of the island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. "Since 3:20 pm (0720 GMT), we have successively detected a total of 28 aircraft... including 18 that crossed the median line," the defence ministry said, referring to a line bisecting the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from China. The ministry statement, issued at 5:50 pm, said that the aircraft -- which included fighter jets, transport aircraft and drones -- had coordinated with Chinese warships. The ministry added that it was "closely monitoring the situation". Beijing kicked off the military drills last week, three days after Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te was sworn into office. Lai, who China has called a "saboteur of peace and stability", had vowed in his inaugural speech to defend the island's sovereignty. The two-day "Joint Sword-2024A" drills were a "punishment" for his "confession of Taiwan independence", Beijing said. China has said it would never renounce the use of force to take control of Taiwan, and maintains a near-daily military presence around the island. France orders DNA tests on evidence in 2012 Alps murders Nanterre, France, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Investigators from Paris' cold cases unit have sent evidence for DNA analysis in the 2012 French Alps murders of a British tourist, his family members and a cyclist, a source familiar with the case said Wednesday. Clothes belonging to one of the victims, cigarette butts found on the scene and pieces of the murder weapon would be tested, the source told AFP, confirming a report from broadcaster RTL. British-Iraqi tourist Saad al-Hilli, 50, his 47-year-old wife and his 74-year-old mother-in-law were found dead on September 5, 2012 in their car near the town of Chevaline in eastern France. Each of them bore multiple gunshot wounds to the head. One of the couple's two small daughters was badly wounded, while the second escaped unharmed by curling up under her mother's legs. A local cyclist, 45-year-old Sylvain Mollier, was also shot dead. France's national cold cases unit has been working on the murders since September 2022. Prosecutors in Nanterre, the western Paris suburb home to the cold cases unit, confirmed that "new technical assessments were restarted in early 2024... to try and identify the perpetrator or perpetrators". "We do not yet have their results," the prosecutors added. Lawyer William Bourdon, who represents several plaintiffs in the case, told AFP his clients are clinging to hope the killer can be found. Pieces from the butt of the vintage Luger pistol used in the killings -- a model issued by the Swiss army in the 1930s -- were found on the ground near the victims' BMW car. But the weapon's owner has never been identified. The recovered pieces are among those sent for DNA analysis. Blinken says Israel needs post-war plan 'as quickly as possible' Chisinau, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needed a post-war plan as soon as possible after a senior Israeli official predicted that fighting in Gaza would last until the end of the year. "In the absence of a plan for the day after, there won't be a day after. And this is where we need to go, and (what) we need to get, as quickly as possible," Blinken told reporters on a visit to Moldova. Such a plan would ensure that Israel is not in control of Gaza's security in the long term, he said. "If it is, it will simply have an enduring insurgency on his hands for as far as one can see into the future," Blinken said. "Or if not, Hamas will be left in charge, which is not acceptable. Or if not, we'll have chaos, lawlessness and a vacuum that eventually will be filled again by Hamas or maybe something, if it's possible to imagine, even worse -- jihadists." Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said earlier that the military would need "another seven months" to "consolidate our success" against Hamas. President Joe Biden has supported Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attack but has called on Israel to do more to protect civilians and has faced growing pressure as he seeks re-election in November. Blinken said that a weekend Israeli strike that ignited an inferno in a displacement camp outside Rafah, killing 45 people according to Palestinian officials, was "horrific". "Anyone who has seen the images cannot be deeply affected by them, just on a basic human level," Blinken said. "We have been very clear with Israel on the imperative -- in this instance as in other instances -- to immediately investigate and determine exactly what happened and why it happened, and if accountability is necessary to make sure that there is accountability," Blinken said. He said he could not verify a report that US weapons were used in the attack. Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. Jailed Burkina army officer abducted day after release Ouagadougou, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 A decorated Burkina Faso army officer was kidnapped on Wednesday a day after he was released after facing charges of attempting to destabilise the West African nation, his wife said. Lieutenant-colonel Emmanuel Zoungrana, 42, was provisionally allowed to return home in the capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday by a military tribunal, a relative told AFP, asking not to be named. "My husband has just been abducted," Aminata Diarra posted on social media. Zoungrana had first been detained on January 14, 2022, when Burkina was still under a civilian government with Roch Marc Christian Kabore as president. The lieutenant-colonel, who had led the 12th commando infantry regiment in the north, was granted a provisional release on December 15 the same year. Burkina Faso then went through two coups, the second of which brought acting president Captain Ibrahim Traore to power. Zoungrana was detained again for "attempted destabilisation of State institutions", this time against Traore's regime. The officer's lawyer said he was moved from jail for health reasons in December 2023 but still kept under watch. Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 that has killed thousands and displaced millions. Zoungrana was decorated for re-capturing localities from armed jihadists. In CCTV, the robbers can be seen at around 2.50pm sitting at a desk opposite Mr White, who appears to be fixing a watch for them. One suddenly grabs him by both arms and violently pushes him into a corner, while the other then sweeps up large numbers of watches and puts them into a backpack. * 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. His words signalled that Israel was not ready to end the war as demanded by Hamas, as part of a deal that would see the exchange of hostages it holds for Palestinian prisoners. "The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war," he said, reiterating that the aim was to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop it and its allies attacking Israel. Adding: Im trying to push myself to keep saying yes to things that make me uncomfortable, to keep going to places for long periods of time that maybe Im scared to do because, God willing, one day it wont be as easy. 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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 Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB) is involved in the development of business ties between Romania and Brazil, offering its members, and the business community in general, opportunities for new contacts and new contracts, CCIB Chairman Iuliu Stocklosa said on Wednesday. "The organisation of this event [Brazil-Romania Business Forum] is a happy combination of the desire of the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Romania to promote and stimulate mutual trade and investment between the two countries under the programme of our chamber that offers new business opportunities to its members, companies, companies in Bucharest and, in general, to the business community of Romania. We consider this event part of the series of meetings of our Chamber "Business Opportunities Day", dedicating this day to promoting trade and economic co-operation between Romania and Brazil," Stocklosa told the first edition of the Romania-Brazil Business Forum organised by the Brazilian Embassy in Bucharest, in partnership with CCIB. At the same time, he pointed out that operating in Bucharest are 23% of the active traders registered in Romania, almost 30% of the sales area and retail sales at national level, 21% of domestic exports and 33% of the value of imports made by Romania. Also operating in the city are 44.2% of the foreign-owned companies registered in Romania and about 60% of the country's scientific research activity, providing about 25% of Romania's gross domestic product According to Stocklosa, CCIB is very active in the field of foreign affairs due to good contacts with the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Romania's diplomatic missions abroad, the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, with foreign embassies and other diplomatic missions accredited in the country. Brazil is the largest country in South America in terms of land size, population and economy. In its turn, Romania is the 12th largest economy in the EU. Despite this, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), trade with Brazil accounted last year for only 1.65% of Romania's trade with non-European countries and less than 1% of trade with non-EU countries. Romania imports from Brazil mainly raw materials and semi-finished products, especially soybean residues (used as animal feed), sugar, crude oil, coffee, tobacco, beef and construction materials. Romania's exports to Brazil consist of products with higher added value, especially automotive components, beverages, medicines and IT services. Bilateral trade has hovered around an average of USD 750 million in recent years, but these figures from Brazilian sources do not yet reflect the full potential of trade ties between Brazil and Romania. What the May 29 event is said to expect in terms of strengthening and promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries is establishing a more comprehensive trade dynamic, supporting the bilateral business environment, promoting partnerships between Brazilian and Romanian companies, creating a platform for regular trade forums in the future, intensifying and diversifying bilateral trade. The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) opened Wednesday's trading session with all indices going down, and RON 12.4 billion (EUR 2.49 ml) worth of transactions performed in the first 35 minutes after the start of trades, told Agerpres. The main BET index, which tracks the most liquid 20 companies, dropped 0.23 percent, and the BET-Plus index which shows the evolution of the top liquid 43 shares was also down 0.20 percent. The extended blue-chip index BET-XT of the top-liquid 25 issuers fell 0.19 percent, while the return benchmark index for stock investment funds BET-BK dipped 0.02 percent. The BET-FI index of the five financial investment companies lost 0.16 percentage points, while the sectoral energy and related utilities index BET-NG was down 0.26 percent. According to BVB, the issuers to see the largest price rise were UCM Resita (+14.39 percent), Condmag (+8.33 percent), and Prebet Aiud (+4.85 percent). Conversely, the issuers on a significant downward trend were Transilvania Insurance Broker (-1.86 percent), Zentiva (-1.73 percent), and Roca Industry Holdingrock1 (-1.18 percent). The delisting of a Romanian product with a lower price than the one purchased later by an import retailer could be sanctioned with 5% of the turnover, according to a draft normative act that is being worked on in the Ministry of Agriculture, the relevant minister, Florin Barbu announced on Wednesday at the discussions in the Economic Committee of the Senate. He mentioned that the draft normative act will be discussed with processors and retailers on June 11 and 12. "In that ordinance or draft law that will be debated in the Romanian Parliament, listing will certainly be done for all agri-food products and if they meet the sanitary-veterinary and quality conditions and it is identified that a product will be listed at a price lower than the one purchased, the fine will be 5% of the turnover. This is a point of the normative act that I am working on. We will have it at the Ministry in a week and a half at most Agriculture a debate both with the processors and with the retailers and, of course, also in the Romanian Parliament on this ordinance, because we really want it and I really want it. The state could never intervene in the market as I am accused by some publications that I was Chavez, that I was Ceausescu, or all these things, that I intervene in the free market," emphasised Florin Barbu. According to the minister of agriculture, the debates with processors will take place on June 11, and those with retailers on June 12. Barbu also added that the law capping the commercial addition is making its effects felt, and the data from the Competition Council show discounts between 8 and 32% on the shelf. The study carried out by the Competition Council is sent monthly to the Ministry of Agriculture. The representatives of the Economic Committee of the Senate discussed on Wednesday with all the decision-making factors about the abuses that are made against the famous Romanian brands: the Topoloveni jam, the Ibanesti cheese and many others, which are removed from the shelf. A fake-news exhibition called "In the footsteps of lies", which traces the evolution of disinformation and misinformation over time in an educational and interactive way, from "traditional" propaganda to the most sophisticated digital manipulations of today, opens to visitors June 3-5, at R.A.M., Elisabeta Boulevard 37. The opening will take place on Monday, at 16:00hrs, and will be followed by a discussion about disinformation in Romania facilitated by Elena Calistru, chair of Funky Citizens. The exhibition will be open June 3 through June 5,16:00hrs to 22:00hrs, and on June 4, 16:00hrs to 19:0hrs. Visitors will be invited to recognise signs of fake news through concrete examples, practical exercises and immersive experiments, to check sources of information and to think critically when consuming media content, the organisers, the Funky Citizens Association, said in a press statement. "We want to translate for the public all the disinformation and misinformation buzzwords. Through the exhibition, we show why it is important to talk about fake news around elections and we want to awaken the critical spirit of voters. We raise an eyebrow at statements and falsehoods, we research, analyse and let the public decide in an interactive form how it affects their daily lives," said Ana Mocanu, member of Funky Citizens and organiser of the exhibition. Funky Citizens has been active in the area of combating disinformation and misinformation as well as fact-checking since 2014 with the appearance of Factual.ro, the first fact-checking platform for political statements in Romania. Rompetrol Rafinare introduced into the operational flow of the Petromidia refinery two modern reactors, part of the Vacuum Distillate Hydrorefining (HDV) facility, which will reach optimal operational parameters in the shortest time, the investment raising at about 16 million dollars. According to a company's press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, the investment, implemented as part of the recently completed general overhaul, will lead to an increase in the amount of charged catalyst. The integration of the reactors into production was marked in the presence of the representative of the Romanian Government - State Councilor Florin Spataru - and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Romania, Yerlik Ali, who were on an official visit to the Petromidia platform on Wednesday. These special pieces of equipment are designed and executed for operation at considerable temperatures and pressures, in an environment with the presence of hydrogen. The two reactors, measuring approximately 33 meters in height, weighing approximately 285 tons each, were manufactured in Romania by the Comes company, and the installation in the operational flow was carried out by Industrial Montaj. The role of the HDV facility is the processing/hydrorefining of diesel mixtures resulting from the technological processes of other facilities in the operational flow, in order to eliminate sulfur compounds and, implicitly, obtain EURO 5 components for the final production of diesel. "The replacement of the reactors is one of the most important projects implemented during the general overhaul. In total, about 85 million dollars were invested in the modernization projects of the Petromidia refinery, the largest profile unit in the country," the release reads. In the first three months of 2024, the Petromidia refinery processed 943,000 tonnes of raw materials, mainly Kazakhstani steel. Rompetrol Rafinare is one of the most important contributors to Romania's state budget, paying over 316 million dollars in the first quarter of the year. The significant shareholders of Rompetrol Rafinare are KMG International (54.63% - directly and indirectly) and the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Energy (44.7%). The president of the National Commission for Archaeology, Dan Aparaschivei, declared on Wednesday, during the 58th National Session of Archaeological Reports, which is taking place in Targu Mures, that in Romania there are no barriers for detecting, which often leads to the destruction of the archaeological context of an artifact. "Many of these detectorists do this not only as a passion, but as something that leads to a terrible destruction of the heritage, the archaeological heritage (...) I have also seen many videos where they are actually digging for an artifact, after a coin, after a vase. From a scientific point of view, it is a crime, because that amateur 'archaeologist' destroys the archaeological context, destroys any other information, destroys a potential source of additional information related not to the object itself, but to the respective place", declared the president of the National Commission for Archeology, Dan Aparaschivei. The archaeologist specified that there are also well-intentioned detectorists and they collaborate with the scientific environment, with museums and with archaeological researchers, but that a very clear regulation is needed to establish the limits between which detector enthusiasts can operate. He pointed out that detectorists are free to pursue this hobby, but there must be rules regarding heritage. The representative of the Ministry of Culture, state secretary Adrian Balteanu, present at the debates, argued that the draft of the Heritage Code requires the approval of several ministries. "The Heritage Code has many reviewers, it was in public consultation at one point, it was a revised vision and the views of the other ministries were requested, when things will be integrated, we will move to a new step as far as he is concerned", explained Adrian Balteanu. The private sector in Romania has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for adaptation and innovation, contributing to maintaining a high standard of medical care, President Klaus Iohannis transmitted on Wednesday, at the European Gala of Private Hospitals, through a message. "The partnership between the state and the private sector remains a crucial vector for the development of quality and for the improvement of results in the field of health, for reform, reconstruction and sustainable development", added the head of state, in his message, transmitted by the presidential adviser Diana-Loreta Paun. The president emphasized that "in the field of health we have a common objective: ensuring adequate access to quality medical services and improving the patient care experience". "The relationship between the public and private systems must be governed by collaboration and the exchange of good practices. Only through this partnership can we create a resilient, efficient and fair health system for all our citizens. Private providers promote a care system adapted to the current dynamics, with modern infrastructure and able to generate innovative skills, bringing new and effective solutions for the benefit of patients", Iohannis showed. Also, the president recalled that the experience of the pandemic highlighted the relevance of this sector for the continuity of specialized diagnosis and monitoring in difficult circumstances. "In the face of the current global challenges, the role of private hospitals is more important than ever, by promoting sustainable care models and personalized services", emphasized Iohannis, adding that the European Gala of Private Hospitals "represents an opportunity to celebrate excellence and, at the same time, an opportunity to reflect on future directions". Bilateral trade between Romania and Brazil has fluctuated around 700-750 million dollars in recent years, with Brazil being Romania's main trade partner in South America, the Brazilian ambassador to Romania, Ricardo Guerra de Araujo said on Wednesday. "Bilateral trade has fluctuated around the value of 700-750 million dollars in recent years, a figure obtained from Brazilian sources, Brazil being Romania's main trading partner in South America. This number, of course, does not yet reflect the entire potential of Brazilian-Romanian trade relations. Just to give you an idea, the total trade between Romania and Latin America is about 1.5 billion dollars, which is still very, very low," said Ricardo Guerra de Araujo. He participated in the first "Romania-Brazil Business Forum" on Wednesday, organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Bucharest, in partnership with the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB). The diplomat emphasized that Brazil is the largest country in South America, and Romania is among the top ten countries in the European Union in terms of size and population and is the 12th largest economy in the EU. However, according to the National Institute of Statistics, Romania's trade with Brazil in 2023 represented only 1.65% of Romania's trade with countries outside Europe and less than 1% of trade with countries outside the European Union, the Brazilian ambassador mentioned. He specified that Romania imports raw materials and semi-finished products from Brazil, especially soybean residues (used as animal feed), sugar, crude oil, coffee, tobacco, beef and construction materials. In this context, the Brazilian ambassador emphasized that the first trains from a contract of 13 trains for Bucharest metro arrive in Romania this year. As to investments, the diplomat mentioned the presence on the Romanian market, since 2010, of one of the largest Brazilian IT companies, the Stefanini Group. In addition, on the local market there are around 70 small companies managed mainly by members of the Brazilian community in Romania in various fields, such as IT, trade, construction, building materials, consulting, car repair, fitness, real estate, bars, restaurants. For its part, Romania has a strong presence in the Brazilian IT sector, through the internationally known software company Bitdefender, among others. Also, said Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, there are also significant Romanian investments in the beverage sector, such as the Alexandrion Group. The diplomat also referred to fields of cooperation in which Romania and Brazil are well-known for their expertise, such as information technology, cyber security and related fields, as well as biodiesel or food processing. Levora Taylor drives from the Metro East to A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health for her oral healthcare. Taylor considers the school of dentistry the top oral healthcare center she has ever visited. They really care and make sure the work is done properly, Taylor said. poor health care in St. Louis This is to address the vast disparity of poor health care in St. Louis, said Dr. Dwight McLeod, who serves as the universitys dean. Part of the universitys mission is to serve low-income patients, and it has partnered with Affinia Healthcare to provide convenient access to affordable, quality oral care since 2015. Located near the Clinton Peabody Housing Projects, A.T. Still University is by far the best option for many patients. This is to address the vast disparity of poor health care in St. Louis, said Dr. Dwight McLeod, who serves as the universitys dean. Students at the dental school are provided with a diverse learning and training environment caring for patients from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The dental school clinic is within a federally-qualified health center, which is unique according to Dr. Poonam Jain, vice dean of Clinical Affairs and Advanced Dental Education. The partnership with Affinia allows low-income patients to receive federally-qualified health center fees. Patients of the dental school are also patients of Affinia Health Care Center. No Affinia HealthCare patient is turned away and uninsured patients get our lowest fees, Jain said. Programs like the Missouri Smile Forward Grant help financially challenged individuals receive top-quality care. The grant allows students to perform the work that patients need. This is a win-win for our patients and students, said McLeod. However, because so many St. Louisans are impacted by poverty, the grant funds are running low. I wholeheartedly ask everyone who can donate to this grant to please do so, said Jain. So heres how the grant works: -The university pays half of the price of the dental work needed. -The students perform the dental care required. -Patients who still cant afford the lowest price are treated, regardless of the amount of dental work done or the total cost. Our patients cant afford sophisticated treatments, even at our lowest cost, said Jain. Were giving away dental care at a significant cost to ourselves. The grant allows students to have multi-dentistry training experience because they work on all dental and oral health care needs. The goal of the dental school is to train students to work on the entire spectrum of the mouth. Oral health is an important part of whole person health, McLeod said. He said that 56.2% of patients come from St. Louis city, 35.5% come from St. Louis County, 2.3% come from St. Charles County, 2% come from Jefferson County, and 4.1% come from other areas including the Metro East. A.T. Still Universitys Coming to Service Project serves veterans at no cost, thanks to generous donations. The project has made 1,400 pairs of dentures. Students, staff, and alumni have all donated their time to make the dentures. The university also has a program in Dexter Missouri, treating patients in rural eastern Missouri. The dental and oral health care school not only serves those in need financially but also helps patients who have a language barrier. Free translators are provided, via the web, or over the phone. Staff at the clinic have translated medical questionnaire forms into nine languages, including Bosnian, Afghan, Arabic, and Spanish. Its very interesting to see how diverse our patients are, said Jain. McLeod said 56 languages are spoken at the university, and he believes treating patients from all backgrounds can help dentists understand the benefits of diversity. Jain and McLeod want to bring more diversity to the profession and increase the number of students who are underrepresented in the field of dentistry. A new program called the Advanced International Dental Program, which Jain helped create, is already underway to help achieve this goal. The program is designed for dentists licensed outside of the U.S. but coming to the States to access the dental profession here. I want the St. Louis dental center to be home for all dental patients, said McLeod. Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American. Early in the history of America it was not uncommon for an enterprising individual to erect a house on a riverbank and make a living providing a ferry service moving people and goods to the opposite shore. Historical records from 1797 indicate that at St. Louis, passengers on the east bank of the Mississippi would embark from Capt. James S. Piggotts Ferry House to sit in hollowed-out tree trunks as they were paddled and poled across the river. Later, ferries used horses harnessed onto a circular treadmill on the boat. As the horses walked in circles they powered a paddlewheel propelling the ferry across the water. Eventually steam and gasoline engines replaced the horses, and the size of the ferries increased. Another early means of power was to use a cable firmly strung from bank to bank and attached to the ferry. The cable kept the boat on course, and the current of the river delivered the power. Piggotts ferry eventually ended up in the ownership of Samuel Wiggins, whose name would be tied to river crossings at St. Louis for the next century. It was not until 1874 and the opening of Eads Bridge, the first pedestrian span across the Mississippi, that St. Louis area ferries began a slow decline and bridge-building proliferated. Today, a ride on a river ferry is a distant memory almost anywhere in the United States. And yet, 150 years since the Eads Bridge opened, use of ferries in this area is somewhat of an anomaly. It may be a surprise to learn there are still several operating within the metropolitan area. These modern-day relics cross the Mississippi and Illinois rivers in areas still underserved by a bridge. They continue to stitch together gaps in the transportation network, and remain as a vital link for farmers and commuters. Local ferries can be found crossing the Mississippi and Illinois rivers at Winfield, St. Charles and Ste. Genevieve in Missouri, and Grafton, Kampsville and Brussels in Illinois. Farther from St. Louis a ferry connects Dorena, Missouri, to Hickman, Kentucky. Even with the remaining ferries being important to local economies, tourists interested in a ride on a transportation antiquity are now an important contributor to keeping the ferries running. Ferryboat Capt. Mark Mayo who pilots the Dorena-to-Hickman ferry says tourists board almost every crossing. It is not unusual for people to drive 100 miles out of their way on a vacation to cross the Mississippi River on our ferry, Mayo says. This is a bucket-list experience for people who enjoy the nostalgia of crossing a river the old-fashioned way. For a few moments it is a voyage back in time. David Avis, president of the Warren County Historical Society in Warrenton fondly recalls being onboard many area ferries. I always enjoyed crossings when I was a kid traveling with the family, he remembers. Especially the Gasconade Osage Ferry in Fredericksburg, Missouri. It is closed now, but I believe it was one of two inland ferries in Missouri. It crossed the Gasconade River west of Hermann. The other was Akers Ferry in south-central Missouri across the Current River. It is interesting as you look around the St. Louis and St. Charles County areas, you see roads and streets with ferry in the name referring to where they connected to ferries crossing the local rivers, Avis says, referring to Lemay Ferry Road, Tesson Ferry Road and Dougherty Ferry Road. Sometime the memory of a historic ferry route is formally recognized. In Arrow Rock, Missouri, a ferry played a significant role in shepherding traffic across the Missouri River, onto the Santa Fe Trail and out into the western frontier. Today a plaque recognizes the importance of the site, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a lot of old-time charm to riding a ferry. Instead of passing over a river in a minute or so while riding in a car. On board a ferry you can feel and see the river current, and enjoy the scenery, birds and other wildlife on shore. Furthermore, it is almost impolite to sit in your car during a crossing. It is the perfect chance to talk to people making the trip with you and find out where they are going. There is a good chance someone will be from another country exploring the backroads of America, or an adventurous tourist from another state. I always see people get on board as strangers, and get off as friends, Mayo says. And, because ferries are located where there are no nearby bridges, here the location is the pastoral heartland of middle America. When you get on, and when you drive off the ferry, it will be along picturesque roads you may have never had a reason to travel. Even the downside of having to pass time until the boat returns from the opposite shore to pick you up can be considered an adventure. The wait to get on board might take longer than the ride across the water, adding to the anticipation of the short voyage. If the ferry is on the opposite bank, a sign at the landing may give you the phone number on the ferry to call the pilot house onboard the boat to ask them to come and pick you up. At the Dorena-to-Hickman ferry there is a call button on a pole, while at the Ste. Genevieve ferry, cars are told to flash their lights to get the attention of the ferry pilot across the river. Just the drive onto the ferry platform is an adventure. If the river is low, the approach can be a very steep descent down to the shore and onto the ferry platform. Then the ramp onto the boat makes unfamiliar sounds as the cars and trucks board, and the boat sways and tilts under each new load. And, if you are the first car on board driving to the edge of the ferry it can be disconcerting knowing a misstep on the gas pedal could possibly propel you into the barricade at the end of the flat ferry deck. Local ferries vary in how many cars and what they can carry in addition to automobiles, but the Dorena-Hickman Ferry has no restrictions. As long as the cargo is not hazardous, we can take anything you can get on board, Mayo says. We can load up to 18 cars or a combination of farm combines and tractor-trailer trucks. Once we had an airplane on a trailer. Each passage is also an adventure for the ferryboat captain who uses a combination of river current, engine power and rudder to guide the front of the barge onto the ramp at the ferry dock. Mayo says: The current can change minute to minute. The wind makes a difference. Passing barges create waves. Sometimes we are dodging southbound trees floating downriver, and pleasure boats. Still, while many enjoy riding ferries for pleasure, the boats remain an essential transportation service to the communities they serve. A ferry is located where it is the most convenient way across the river, and when the closest bridge shuts down, were it, Mayo says. Close John Ohlendorf pilots the Golden Eagle Ferry from Calhoun County, Illinois, to St. Charles County across the Mississippi River on May 21. Ohlendorf, 61, lives in the Golden Eagle community and has been a ferry pilot for 22 years. Richard Bruner, left, and Scott Gilman of Decatur, Ill. ride the Golden Eagle Ferry to Calhoun County, crossing the Mississippi River on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The friends were headed home after a Monday ride to Wentzville where they met a group of Memorial Day riders headed to Washington, D.C. Shawn Ohlendorf rests after work while visiting his dad, pilot John Ohlendorf, as his car rides aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Shawn, who works an overnight 12-hour-shift at a cleaning chemical manufacturer in Maryland Heights, lives in Calhoun County, Ill. Vivian rides the Golden Eagle Ferry in the lap of her owner Jennifer Firestine-Scanlon as they head to Lindenwood University across the Mississippi River where she works as a chemistry professor on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. As passengers load onto the Golden Eagle Ferry, pilots punch their arrival, separated into five categories on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. I got my first paycheck in the fifth grade, said deckhand Ann Ray as she visits with pilot John Ohlendorf aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Ray has worked in her familys business since grade school. Golden Eagle Ferry pilot John Ohlendorf parks his ferry as barges move north on the Mississippi River on May 21. Ohlendorf stays docked until river traffic passes when the vessels approach a half-mile separation. David Pohlman, fire chief at the Rivers Pointe Fire Protection District, hands his ticket to deckhand Ann Ray as he rides aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry to St. Charles County on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Commuters ride the ferry for $17 round trip. As the sun rises aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry, pilot John Ohlendorf, 61, mans the station as he has for 22 years as cars load north of Kampville in St. Charles County for a ride across the Mississippi River to Calhoun County, Ill. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Golden Eagle Ferry pilot John Ohlendorf waves to familiar faces as he and deckhand Ann Ray load morning commuters in Calhoun County for a trip across the Mississippi River to St. Charles County on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Gunnar watches out for more visitors with treats after getting one from Golden Eagle Ferry deckhand Ann Ray, as he rides with Jeff and Tammie Smith of the Golden Eagle community on May 21. Jeff Smith, recently diagnosed with cancer, rides the ferry for free to his cancer treatments in St. Peters, thanks to the ferry company owners. Thats a tremendous effort on their part, said Smith. Memorial Day visitors from OFallon, Mo., who declined to be identified, ride aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry to Calhoun County, Ill. crossing the Mississippi River on May 27. Beside them Frank Harris pulls his 1953 Ford Jubilee tractor. Richard Bruner of Decatur, Ill., waits to board the Golden Eagle Ferry on the St. Charles County side of the Mississippi River on May 21, 2024. Bruner, joined by Scott Gilman, were headed home after riding to Wentzville to meet a group of Memorial Day riders headed to Washington, D.C. The Golden Eagle Ferry prepares to dock north of Kampville in St. Charles County from Calhoun County, Ill., as commuters ride across the Mississippi River after sunrise on May 21. Photos: Golden Eagle ferry throws a lifeline to commuters Commuters and tourists on the Golden Eagle ferry connect from Kampville in St. Charles County to Calhoun County in Illinois as they cross the Mississippi River in May, 2024. John Ohlendorf pilots the Golden Eagle Ferry from Calhoun County, Illinois, to St. Charles County across the Mississippi River on May 21. Ohlendorf, 61, lives in the Golden Eagle community and has been a ferry pilot for 22 years. Richard Bruner, left, and Scott Gilman of Decatur, Ill. ride the Golden Eagle Ferry to Calhoun County, crossing the Mississippi River on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The friends were headed home after a Monday ride to Wentzville where they met a group of Memorial Day riders headed to Washington, D.C. Shawn Ohlendorf rests after work while visiting his dad, pilot John Ohlendorf, as his car rides aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Shawn, who works an overnight 12-hour-shift at a cleaning chemical manufacturer in Maryland Heights, lives in Calhoun County, Ill. Vivian rides the Golden Eagle Ferry in the lap of her owner Jennifer Firestine-Scanlon as they head to Lindenwood University across the Mississippi River where she works as a chemistry professor on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. As passengers load onto the Golden Eagle Ferry, pilots punch their arrival, separated into five categories on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. I got my first paycheck in the fifth grade, said deckhand Ann Ray as she visits with pilot John Ohlendorf aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Ray has worked in her familys business since grade school. Golden Eagle Ferry pilot John Ohlendorf parks his ferry as barges move north on the Mississippi River on May 21. Ohlendorf stays docked until river traffic passes when the vessels approach a half-mile separation. David Pohlman, fire chief at the Rivers Pointe Fire Protection District, hands his ticket to deckhand Ann Ray as he rides aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry to St. Charles County on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Commuters ride the ferry for $17 round trip. As the sun rises aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry, pilot John Ohlendorf, 61, mans the station as he has for 22 years as cars load north of Kampville in St. Charles County for a ride across the Mississippi River to Calhoun County, Ill. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Golden Eagle Ferry pilot John Ohlendorf waves to familiar faces as he and deckhand Ann Ray load morning commuters in Calhoun County for a trip across the Mississippi River to St. Charles County on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Gunnar watches out for more visitors with treats after getting one from Golden Eagle Ferry deckhand Ann Ray, as he rides with Jeff and Tammie Smith of the Golden Eagle community on May 21. Jeff Smith, recently diagnosed with cancer, rides the ferry for free to his cancer treatments in St. Peters, thanks to the ferry company owners. Thats a tremendous effort on their part, said Smith. Memorial Day visitors from OFallon, Mo., who declined to be identified, ride aboard the Golden Eagle Ferry to Calhoun County, Ill. crossing the Mississippi River on May 27. Beside them Frank Harris pulls his 1953 Ford Jubilee tractor. Richard Bruner of Decatur, Ill., waits to board the Golden Eagle Ferry on the St. Charles County side of the Mississippi River on May 21, 2024. Bruner, joined by Scott Gilman, were headed home after riding to Wentzville to meet a group of Memorial Day riders headed to Washington, D.C. The Golden Eagle Ferry prepares to dock north of Kampville in St. Charles County from Calhoun County, Ill., as commuters ride across the Mississippi River after sunrise on May 21. Area ferries Winfield Ferry: Batchtown, Illinois, to Winfield, Missouri. 618-535-5759; calhounferrycompany.com. Cars $9; pedestrians $4 Golden Eagle Ferry: St. Charles County to Calhoun County in Illinois. 618-535-5759; calhounferrycompany.com. Cars $9; pedestrians $4 Grafton Ferry: Grafton to St. Charles. 800-258-6645; thegraftonferry.com. Cars $9; pedestrians $4 Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry: Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, to Modoc, Illinois, (Prairie du Rocher). 573-883-7097; stegenmodocferry.com. Cars $15; pedestrians $2 Kampsville Ferry: From Illinois Route 108 across the Illinois River to connect with Illinois Route 100 (The Great River Road south). 217-782-7820; idot.illinois.gov/travel-information/passenger-services/ferry-services.html. Cars and pedestrians are free. The ferry is operated by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Brussels Ferry: Located one mile west of Grafton and links the Illinois River to Illinois Route 100 in Calhoun County (near Brussels). 217-782-7820; idot.illinois.gov/travel-information/passenger-services/ferry-services.html. Cars and pedestrians are free. The ferry is operated by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Dorena-Hickman Ferry: Dorena, Missouri, to Hickman, Kentucky. 731-693-0210; dorena-hickmanferryboat.com. Cars $20, pedestrians $5 Tips on riding a ferry Call ahead to be certain the ferry is operating. Weather and maintenance are two reasons ferry service can be disrupted. Riding as a pedestrian is the least expensive way to enjoy the ride. Relax and be prepared to wait. The ferry may be on the other shore, or it may be full requiring you to wait for a trip across the river and then back. Set the brake on your car. You do not want your car to move while it is onboard. Get out of your car and talk to others on board. It is a social event. Enjoy the scenery. ST. LOUIS City development officials agreed to extend a security companys contract at a proposed workforce development facility. The board of the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday agreed to provide Sentry Security Agency Inc. an additional $32,400 for 24-hour security services at the former Killark Electric site in north St. Louis, where city officials plan to open a workforce center. Tuesdays approval extends Sentrys contract through June. The companys previous contract, valued at $116,022, ran from October 2023 to April of this year, said officials with the St. Louis Development Corp., which staffs the LCRA board. In October, the city acquired the 150,000-square-foot industrial site, at 3940 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, to turn into a workforce training hub for manufacturing jobs. Officials are naming it The Monarch on MLK. Sign up for the Brick City newsletter Steph Kukuljan and other business reporters bring you insights into St. Louis-area real estate and development. St. Louis Development Corp., which is overseeing efforts there, has received interest from private organizations to move there when it opens sometime next year, said Neal Richardson, head of SLDC. The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and the Land Reutilization Agency also plan to move there, he said. Peter Phillips, vice president at SLDC, said Sentry is providing security services at the site until the agencys contract with a new security provider is implemented in June. He said there were delays in getting GardaWorld Security Services Management Co. under contract. Sentry provided security at the site before the city took over ownership but didnt win the new contract. The LCRA board approved GardaWorlds contract, worth up to $310,000 to provide around-the-clock security, late last year. Baden School to become affordable housing Also on Tuesday, the LCRA board approved 15 years of tax abatement, worth $155,000, for Lutheran Development Groups plan to turn a vacant former St. Louis Public Schools building into affordable housing. The roughly $22 million project aims to renovate the former Baden School, on Halls Ferry Road, into 51 apartments. Lutheran Development said the project would add one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in north St. Louis. The apartments would be available for a couple earning $40,200, or 50% of area median income, or less. The city is expected to earn $232,000 in new revenue over 20 years; St. Louis Public Schools is projected to receive $155,000. 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 by Austin Bay May 29, 2024 On May 27, Poland confirmed it will fortify 700 kilometers of its eastern border. The loud whispers Poland would dig in to defend itself -- huge forts on the eastern front! -- began last year. Fortifications? Hollywood minds think castles, moats, the Alamo, World War I trenches. Twenty-first-century internet video informed minds see trenches, barbed wire, mines, man-made obstacles hammered by drones -- Ukraine's current war. The WWII-informed see France's Maginot Line: huge concrete bunkers with disappearing gun turrets serviced by underground railroads. Actually, WW2 minds have relevant 21st-century knowledge. The Maginot Line, named for Andre Maginot (three-time French minister of war), is a magnificent relic that has become a pop cliche for spending billions to create a false sense of security that operationally creative German military minds exploited by maneuver warfare. Known as Blitzkrieg, German panzers and motorized infantry went through the Ardennes Forest and around the Maginot. Airborne forces went over the bunkers. France fell. Fixed defenses got a bad name. Time marches. May 2024: Poland's Eastern Shield will be a joint defense project involving its Baltic NATO allies, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Sweden and Finland, other allies on NATO's eastern flank, are also involved. Sweden promoting fortifications is no surprise. In 2015, long before Sweden joined NATO, Sweden announced it would reinforce its Gotland Island garrison and -- quoting from a 2015 announcement -- build more fortifications on the strategic island. Why? Russia's 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea, followed by the "hybrid war" invasion of eastern Ukraine, convinced Sweden it is a target. Control Gotland and you control the eastern Baltic, including sea traffic to Vlad Putin's home turf, St. Petersburg. Fact: Russia covets Gotland. Nine years later, Poland decides concrete, barbed wire and fixed defenses have a place in the 21st century. Here's the why: Russia's February 2022 attempt to blitzkrieg Ukraine stalled then utterly failed. Yes, Ukraine took advantage of Russian military ineptitude and Moscow's self-deluding dictatorship. But primarily credit Ukrainian valor, tactical military creativity by Ukrainian soldiers and bold leadership in Kyiv. Russian anticipated instant air supremacy and decisive maneuver warfare -- blitzkrieg in WWII terms. Didn't happen. Ukrainian air defenses all but drove Russian manned aircraft from the skies. Invading Russian tank and infantry units lacked air support -- including scout helicopters. Ukrainian infantry armed with anti-tank missiles and drones stopped Russia's armored columns, then annihilated them. A win for the defense. In 2023, Ukraine attempted a "combined arms" counter-offensive. Ukrainian tank and armored infantry attacked Russian defenses -- in-depth trench systems with bunkers, minefields and anti-vehicle obstacles supported by heavy artillery, rocket launchers and drone swarms. By the way, Ukraine's attack lacked decisive airpower, so the offensive was "combined arms minus." Remember, for a year and a half the Biden administration denied Ukraine F-16s. The F-16s won't arrive until late 2024. Without rapid responsive close air support (bombs supporting ground troops) -- which Germany had in 1940 and the Western allies had in 1944 -- Ukraine's 2023 offensive died in Russia's prepared defenses. Summer 2024: The Putin-Ukraine War is sort of dug-in attrition horror. Ukraine slowly retreats as Russia takes WWI-level artillery and machine gun casualties for each and every meter/yard/grave. The Putin-Ukraine War has become a 21st-century WWI of artillery, mines, grenades and drone-delivered munitions -- fought from trench to trench. Yes, Russia has nuclear weapons. Several NATO nations have nukes -- America, Britain and France. Germany, Sweden, Finland, heck, Italy and Turkey could in a few weeks. Even Putin knows that. Nukes can destroy fixed, static defense systems. But even Putin knows if you use a nuke on a NATO nation, you risk getting nuked. On May 27, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters, "The goal of the (Eastern) shield is to protect the territory of Poland, hamper the mobility of our adversary's troops while making such mobility easier for our own troops and to protect civilians." Buy time for what? Reinforcement from the West? Attacking Poland would trigger war with NATO -- NATO's Article 5 treaty shield, all for one and one for all. The Eastern Shield tells us Poland sees itself as the next Ukraine -- or Europe's Taiwan. Next week: Eastern Shield in Action. SMNYC 2024: Bedrock CEO Jonas Engwall Talks Pan-European Streaming Platform Growth At Streaming Media NYC 2024, Tim Siglin, Founding Executive Director, Help Me Stream Research Foundation, and Contributing Editor, Streaming Media, sits down for an exclusive interview with Jonas Engwall, CEO, Bedrock. Engwall discusses their new M6+ platform, which features short-form content in a vertical form, podcasts, and advanced AI search. Engwall also talks about how Bedrock aims to help stakeholders pivot into the streaming world, offering a platform that can be tailored to different countries and partners' needs. Siglin asks Engwall to describe Bedrock. Bedrock is, I would argue, the leading streaming tech company in Europe, Engwall says. "Think of it as a European BAMTECH. He further explains that it is a joint venture with Europe's RTL Group and Frances M6. They run their streaming platform in five countries, with 400 team members across 10 countries. The exciting benefits of Bedrocks new M6+ platform Engwall discusses Bedrocks new M6+ platform, which replaces their previous brand, 6play. It is a complete platform overhaul. It's really exciting, he says. To provide further context about its new advantages, he explains that previous 6play subscribers were limited to accessing it on certain devices via an Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD) model, and if trying to access via a smart TV, a user needed to be a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) subscriber. Now, with M6+, all those devices are available through an AVOD. You can also do it via SVOD if you prefer, he says. The whole platform is a massive upgrade from a user perspective, with lots of cool new types of content and features. For example, short-form content in a vertical form is turning out to be a real success. We have a podcast on there, which is pretty innovative for most of Europe. We have lots of cool social features and interactivity with the users depending on the content, including very advanced AI search, which is not launched yet, but coming very soon, [plus] availability in cars. Why Bedrock emphasizes streaming at a European scale to succeed Siglin asks Engwall, From a workflow perspective, when you're working with companies outside of your basic stakeholders, where do you fit into their workflow, and how do you enhance their workflow? It's worthwhile mentioning that we are not a tech vendor, Engwall says. We are a strategic partner in streaming. Basically, our mission is to take all those stakeholders and help them to pivot into the streaming world. And we do this in a slightly different way from others. First of all, you need scale if you want to succeed in the streaming world. I think everyone knows that by now. It's really difficult to reach scale, certainly in any European country from the get-go. Back in 2019, when Bedrock was founded in its current shape, we basically said, Look, we believe that you need a European scale to succeed. We have a platform that looks and operates totally differently in different countries depending on the partner's needs and what they want to do. However, under the hood, so to speak, it's one of the same platform. And that is how we create scale, but at the same time, deliver something that looks and feels totally different. Siglin says, So to a certain extent, it's almost like you're white labeling an underlying technology out to skin it to whatever a particular organization needs. Engwall says that it works closely with all of its partners and stakeholders. We have a product board [that meets] once every two months. So why do we do this? One reason is all of those stakeholders. First of all, we only operate with leading media companies who really take streaming seriously. Together, we all look at the future and define where the product and the roadmap are going. And this is pretty unique. At the same time, you have these leading local streaming players around the table. They all share what they learn. So it's not just about tech. Obviously, the tech is really important, but they're also sharing and learning from each other. We're all trying to figure this out together. And it's really interesting because all of those players today, they're more or less on hybrid platforms, meaning a mixture of SVOD and AVOD, but they tend to come from different experiences. How Bedrock manages data center relationships with pan-European CDNs Siglin asks Engwall, So with this pan-European model, and because you're focused on streaming, would you also manage the data center relationships with pan-European CDNs, or would that be your stakeholders' responsibility to set up the legalities there with the CDN itself? Engwall says that Bedrock is a very comprehensive streaming solution. We have multiple CDN partners, we have our own CDN, and we will basically push traffic where it makes more sense, he says. But our whole philosophy is to not burden our partners with all of the quite tricky issues around tech and streaming. However, we want to give them a very flexible solution. We want them to focus their effort on what makes them unique, and we will deal with the rest. So its a very flexible approach, but at the same time, a holistic streaming solution. Whats next for Bedrock? Siglin asks Engwall whats coming up for them over the next year. I can't give you the specifics, but we have some pretty good news and big news coming up, Engwall says. There's a lot of people interested in Bedrock. Frankly, it's a good problem to have. But we will continue to expand. Our mission is very simply put: we want to deliver streaming platforms to our partners that are on par or better [than the] global players so that they can compete with their local and very strong content, but on a platform that is as equal or better than the global giants. And that mission is not going to change. We continue to roll out features, improve the platform, and onboard new partners. See more highlights and interviews from SMNYC. Watch full sessions from SMNYC on-demand. Join us in August 2024 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles SMNYC 2024: Bedrock CEO Jonas Engwall Talks Pan-European Streaming Platform Growth At Streaming Media NYC 2024, Tim Siglin, Founding Executive Director, Help Me Stream Research Foundation, and Contributing Editor, Streaming Media, sits down for an exclusive interview with Jonas Engwall, CEO, Bedrock. Engwall discusses their new M6+ platform, which features short-form content in a vertical form, podcasts, and advanced AI search. Engwall also talks about how Bedrock aims to help stakeholders pivot into the streaming world, offering a platform that can be tailored to different countries and partners' needs. Siglin asks Engwall to describe Bedrock. Bedrock is, I would argue, the leading streaming tech company in Europe, Engwall says. "Think of it as a European BAMTECH. He further explains that it is a joint venture with Europe's RTL Group and Frances M6. They run their streaming platform in five countries, with 400 team members across 10 countries. The exciting benefits of Bedrocks new M6+ platform Engwall discusses Bedrocks new M6+ platform, which replaces their previous brand, 6play. It is a complete platform overhaul. It's really exciting, he says. To provide further context about its new advantages, he explains that previous 6play subscribers were limited to accessing it on certain devices via an Advertising Video on Demand (AVOD) model, and if trying to access via a smart TV, a user needed to be a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) subscriber. Now, with M6+, all those devices are available through an AVOD. You can also do it via SVOD if you prefer, he says. The whole platform is a massive upgrade from a user perspective, with lots of cool new types of content and features. For example, short-form content in a vertical form is turning out to be a real success. We have a podcast on there, which is pretty innovative for most of Europe. We have lots of cool social features and interactivity with the users depending on the content, including very advanced AI search, which is not launched yet, but coming very soon, [plus] availability in cars. Why Bedrock emphasises streaming at a European scale to succeed Siglin asks Engwall, From a workflow perspective, when you're working with companies outside of your basic stakeholders, where do you fit into their workflow, and how do you enhance their workflow? It's worthwhile mentioning that we are not a tech vendor, Engwall says. We are a strategic partner in streaming. Basically, our mission is to take all those stakeholders and help them to pivot into the streaming world. And we do this in a slightly different way from others. First of all, you need scale if you want to succeed in the streaming world. I think everyone knows that by now. It's really difficult to reach scale, certainly in any European country from the get-go. Back in 2019, when Bedrock was founded in its current shape, we basically said, Look, we believe that you need a European scale to succeed. We have a platform that looks and operates totally differently in different countries depending on the partner's needs and what they want to do. However, under the hood, so to speak, it's one of the same platform. And that is how we create scale, but at the same time, deliver something that looks and feels totally different. Siglin says, So to a certain extent, it's almost like you're white labeling an underlying technology out to skin it to whatever a particular organization needs. Engwall says that it works closely with all of its partners and stakeholders. We have a product board [that meets] once every two months. So why do we do this? One reason is all of those stakeholders. First of all, we only operate with leading media companies who really take streaming seriously. Together, we all look at the future and define where the product and the roadmap are going. And this is pretty unique. At the same time, you have these leading local streaming players around the table. They all share what they learn. So it's not just about tech. Obviously, the tech is really important, but they're also sharing and learning from each other. We're all trying to figure this out together. And it's really interesting because all of those players today, they're more or less on hybrid platforms, meaning a mixture of SVOD and AVOD, but they tend to come from different experiences. How Bedrock manages data center relationships with pan-European CDNs Siglin asks Engwall, So with this pan-European model, and because you're focused on streaming, would you also manage the data center relationships with pan-European CDNs, or would that be your stakeholders' responsibility to set up the legalities there with the CDN itself? Engwall says that Bedrock is a very comprehensive streaming solution. We have multiple CDN partners, we have our own CDN, and we will basically push traffic where it makes more sense, he says. But our whole philosophy is to not burden our partners with all of the quite tricky issues around tech and streaming. However, we want to give them a very flexible solution. We want them to focus their effort on what makes them unique, and we will deal with the rest. So its a very flexible approach, but at the same time, a holistic streaming solution. Whats next for Bedrock? Siglin asks Engwall whats coming up for them over the next year. I can't give you the specifics, but we have some pretty good news and big news coming up, Engwall says. There's a lot of people interested in Bedrock. Frankly, it's a good problem to have. But we will continue to expand. Our mission is very simply put: we want to deliver streaming platforms to our partners that are on par or better [than the] global players so that they can compete with their local and very strong content, but on a platform that is as equal or better than the global giants. And that mission is not going to change. We continue to roll out features, improve the platform, and onboard new partners. See more highlights and interviews from SMNYC. Watch full sessions from SMNYC on-demand. Join us in August 2024 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles SMNYC: Four Debates, Two Topics, One Educational Day On Monday, May 20, Streaming Media NYC hosted four debates on two topics that represented a fantastic programming win for the conference. The first half of the day was dedicated to AI and covered the full range of topics from authorship to copyright to privacy and more. The second half of the day featured two panels debating the definition of premium content, the value of social media as well as the question of how CTV measures up against mobile as an advertising platform. Read on to get caught up. Generative AI Insights and Debate The first panel was titled AI: Boon or Bubble? and featured Brady Blacker, a talent manager at Fixated, an agency for creators that does over three billion views a month across social media; Steven Ship of Creative Intel, which uses AI to provide creators legal advice; Karissa Price, CMO of Dragonfruit.ai; Liz Blacker of Sabio Holdings, specializing in multicultural CTV advertising; and Robert Tercek of General Creativity, who set the stage and brought important insights. There are two common debates we hear today, said Tercek. One is the use of copyrighted works to train large language models. The second is whether or not AI is going to take our jobs. He then took the audience on an important turn. But in my view, these two controversies crowd out other topics we should be more focused on. For instance, he continued, all these technology companies are encouraging us to migrate our workflows to a proprietary system in the cloud. That looks an awful lot like a roach motel: easy to check in, hard to check out. He also brought up the very idea of authorship. AI also raises questions about authorship. I don't think we're thinking about this enough. The copyright question doesn't really address it squarely. It sort of addresses it sideways. But what is an author in an era when we're using machines to generate content? Thats a topic that I think could benefit from more focus. Steven Ship weighed in by painting a landscape full of brand-new right-to-publicity laws that will ultimately need to shake out in courts. I think that name and likeness issues are also going to come into play, Ship said. Tennessee seems to be leading the way with the Elvis Act of allowing people to sue for name and likeness. Karissa Price added color: Its crazy times right now. You cant say give me a Gustav Klimt-like picture with dragons. You can't use branded terms. The tools will refuse to do it. But if you cleverly allude to it, it will give a great result. Who created that? Is it the person who spoke the right prompt? Is it Dall-E? The creator of the original image? Rob Tercek tied it up loose ends as the discussion continued to cover ground on the use of copyrighted works to train these large language models: "Copyright is just reserved for human creators. Copyright only covers works. So you can't mimic a work, you can't copy somebody's work. But you can absolutely generate work in the style of that person. Some folks are trying to use right to publicity laws in New York, California, and Tennessee, and to perhaps stretch that to cover a persons style. This is unproven, and so far, of the 16 major copyright suits against AI companies, all of those claims have been dismissed by the judge. So far, we're not seeing any progress in that direction. Braden Blacker weighed in on the pros and cons of AI, including a dramatic boost to productivity that would empower creators for sure, but also to bad actors seeking to exploit creator videos without permission. Smaller creators cant afford an editor, or an artist to make imagery, but they can now utilise AI to make more YouTube videos. Tools like Opus AI, where you put in a video and itll automatically make you clips for TikTok. That's exploded so many podcasts. At the same time, creators are facing the theft of these works. Even with my roster, Blacker said, there are dating apps, other mobile apps that have ripped off creators videos, re-used them, they use AI to change the face just a bit, then use that content to make TikTok ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads. Its very hard to stop it. Karissa Price ended the first session on an optimistic note. "Creativity is a human thing. Creativity is rooted in being able to connect with other humans. You can get AI to go only so far. There's still that intangible of human-to-human connection. That is what creates authenticity, that creates trust. And that's where the hard work is." The Value of AI, and for Whom? The second panel of the day was titled The Real Value of Artificial Intelligence, and brought back Rob Tercek and Karissa Price and added Peter Csathy, Founder of Creative Media as well as Guy Bisson, Executive Director & Co-founder of Ampere Analysis. Rob Tercek again kicked off with a presentation and predictions. My forecast is that within the next five years, one person will be able to generate a feature length film using generative AI tools. Rob also added a critical caveat to that statement: However, I don't think that's actually going to be very practical, because I think it's still a team-based collaborative activity that requires human talent. Which is why I believe it's going to create more jobs than it eliminates. Moreover, any attempt to resist this is doomed to fail. Peter Csathy, Founder of Creative Media, added the idea of ethically sourced AI to the conversation. He argued for the retention and crediting of fair value to the creators of original works. Its true that we need to accept and adopt these new technologies, Csathy said. But there is a general angst in the creative community and natural trepidation about AI. The outcry about the recent Apple adwhere a big machine crushes instruments, paint brushes, typewriters, all to reveal a thin iPadwas tone deaf, but the reaction to it is important. He outlined the artists point of view: Everyone who creates works wants to have some control or agency over it. If your art is used as an ingredient to create value for somebody else, then you should share in the value that's created. Then he brought the argument home: Much of that damage has already been done, because that value has been transferred up to this point without consent. The valuations of the big tech companies have gotten bigger, meanwhile media companies are still trying to figure it out. Not because they're trying to stop it; merely because they're trying to make sense of it and share fair value. Karissa Price, CMO of Dragonfruit.ai, added a counterpoint to the thrust of Robs initial presentation which had made the point that productivity gains come from technology, and they are also the only way that wages can increase. She focused on two key economic points. "Productivity has risen 65 percent over the last decade, Price said. This is driven by technology. But wages have only grown 15%. The average person todaythis is from Gallupis only working three hours a day. They're burnt out, theyre tending to family, they are not engaged. Employee engagement rates globally have been falling for decades. Why? Because they know these facts. So now you bring in AI. Goldman Sachs estimates about 30 percent of our work is algorithmic and will be replaced by AI. Now what? Of course, people are nervous. Of course, people are fighting over these things. Of course, people are striking over these things. Guy Bisson of Ampere Analysis didnt pull punches on the probability of AI having a huge impact. But he also had an optimistic economic view of that impact overall. "Let me be very clear. Every single job in Hollywood will be impacted by AI within the next few years. AI is already pretty good at localization, dubbing, and subtitling. It's pretty good at face swapping. It's pretty good at special effects, but not quite there. And the common denominator in all of these tools is that there is a human operator and a human intelligence behind them. From that vantage point he also articulated the classic argument that historically, technology has always changed the nature of labor and work. Just think back 15 years, Bissson said. How many film negative cutters are employed today? How many cell animators? Hollywood did not collapse, it evolved to adopt the new technologies." A Perspective on the Importance of the Device: CTV vs. Mobile Mike Duffy of YumCrunch kicked off the second half of the day leading an exploration of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of mobile vs. CTV devices, focusing on both user experience and advertiser perspectives. Dallas Lawrence of Telly argued persuasively that the mobile advertising experience today is an unmitigated catastrophe. All five of the top five mobile apps used today in America are UGC messaging apps, he said. You can have your brand appearing next to $26 billion in content creation, or you can have your brand next to the next crazy thing that Kanye West says, an ocean of deepfakes, or the next MAGA-fueled conspiracy theorist." Lawrence also made the positive case for CTV, suggesting that already today it matches or surpasses mobile along many important targeting dimensions. Dallas cited the 2023 Comcast Advertising Report study as evidence that viewers are 58 percent more likely to recall ads that they see in a professional premium environment. "CTV's engagement ratescompletion of those who are watching a complete advertisement, outstrip mobile web by 30% and mobile app by nearly 2x, said Lawrence. So, dollar for dollar, you're getting significantly more engagement. Kent Rees of Sling Freestream emphasised the need to be on multiple platformsboth mobile and CTVto reach diverse audiences. He also surfaced a key insight about the value of being able to weave users through these CTV and mobile experiences. "Im a huge fan of connecting the dots through different content experiences, Rees said. To me, the blended experience is best. How does your FAST channel speak to your SVOD? How do those work together? As these TVs get smarter and as mobile continues to do what it does, youre going to find these great breadcrumb content experiences that move between both platforms." Hedvig Arnet of Vevo advocated for a multi-platform strategy, stressing the importance of being present across various media channels to effectively reach and engage diverse audiences. "Theres a lot of premium content on mobile as well, Arnet said. There are brands creating content specifically for mobile. Youre speaking to the consumer one-on-one. Youre not speaking to a room full of people watching a television; youre speaking to one person. People get really fired up about what they like, and also what they hate." Steve Crombie, CEO of Totem, leaned on arguments about the ubiquity of the mobile device in our daily lives, underscoring the advantage of mobile in gathering and utilizing consumer data. "By using the data on the mobile platform, youre able to very easily understand what length they want, what frequency they want, what genre they like, said Crombie. Gen Z wants to create content with you. They want to get involved and participate with that IP. You cannot really do that well today with a connected television." What Is Premium? Erica Gruen of Quantum Media Associates moderated the final panel of the day, a discussion and debate on the definition of premium vs non-premium content. Nathan Guetta, CEO of 2E6E6, discussed the blurring lines between premium and social content for younger generations: "What I can tell you is, when you watch his TikTok, this is the most important thing that I want to come back to, it's about culture. This is how you make culture, okay? And today, TikTok and YouTube are the vehicle for culture for this new generation." Stan Ruszkowski, President of The Boxoffice Network, emphasised the role of social media in promoting premium content. My affirmative here is to say that social is here to help promote premium content. It's not going to offer the immersive experience but it's really there to be able to target those right people." Steve Crombie, CEO and founder of Totem Network, suggested premium content is defined by the audience, not by a media company. "Premium content is measured by the eyes of the beholder. It's easy to forget that they decide what's premium, not you." Finally, Joe Caporoso, President of Team Whistle, laid it out in a simpler format. The real challenge is having to find a piece of content that can engage an audience, and, at the same time, attract brand interest. The content itself can come in different packages. It can come in a Vodcast, it can come to UGC, it can come in a more traditional trailer or 12 to 22-minute piece of content that's been reformatted from YouTube to an OTT platform. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Senior Airman Christopher Burkins marshalls an E-3 Sentry assigned to the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Jan. 17, 2024. (Luis E. Rios Calderon/U.S. Air Force) A weekend jet fuel spill at the 18th Wings home on Okinawa was contained and cleaned up, the Air Force said Wednesday, but not before rain washed some toward a marina used by base residents. Kadena Air Base responded to an on-base fuel spill during an equipment test on an E-3 Sentry, the 18th Wings public affairs office told Stars and Stripes in an unsigned email. Rainwater washed approximately 50 gallons of fuel into an outflow that led to the Kadena Marina. The marina is home to diving, snorkeling and whale-watching boat trips, along with personal watercraft, according to the Kadena Force Support Squadrons website. The spilled fuel did not flow toward the Hija River, according to the wings email. It said the incident was reported through proper channels after the fuel was contained and cleaned up. The U.S. military discovered the spill Saturday during a post-maintenance inspection on the Sentry, according to a Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter, by the island prefectures Base Countermeasures Division. Some fuel flowed into a stormwater drain, the division said. The prefecture has asked the Okinawa Defense Bureau an arm of Japans Ministry of Defense to urge the U.S. military to implement preventative measures, a spokesman for the prefectures Environment Division said by phone Tuesday. We carried out visual investigations at six sites in the rivers surrounding Kadena Air Base yesterday and detected no contamination or odors, he said. Japanese government officials are often required to speak to the media only on condition of anonymity. E-3s commonly called AWACS, or airborne warning and control systems can hold about 21,000 gallons of fuel, according to the Air Force. Kadenas E-3s are assigned to the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron. The unit gathers information that visiting forces can use to maneuver throughout the Indo-Pacific region, the wing said in a news release on June 29, 2022. Sign at the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility, the jail at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. (U.S. Army) (U.S. Army) A soldier already imprisoned at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for multiple child sex assaults now faces a murder charge for the death of a civilian taxi driver when he was on the run to avoid his court-martial, Army officials said. Pvt. Jonathan Kang Lee, 25, has been charged with murder for killing Nicholas F. Hokema, 34, on Jan. 15 during the 12 days that month when he disappeared from the Washington base, said Michelle McCaskill, a spokeswoman for the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. Lee drove off Lewis-McChord on Jan. 12, two days before his trial on six counts of child sexual assault was to begin. Lee was found guilty of all the charges in absentia on Jan. 19 and sentenced to 64 years imprisonment. He was captured Jan. 26 and has remained jailed at the base, officials said. Now Lee faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole if convicted of murder in Hokemas death. The premediated murder charge carries a maximum penalty of death, according to military law. The Army issued a WANTED poster for Jonathan Kang Lee after he deserted from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Jan. 14, 2024. (U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division) The Army will next convene an Article 32 hearing to examine evidence in Lees new case. An Article 32 is similar to a grand jury hearing in civilian court where it is determined whether there is enough evidence to return an indictment. Instead of a panel of jurors, one officer is presented with evidence and makes a recommendation on how the case should proceed. A date for that hearing had not been scheduled as of Tuesday, according to the Armys trial docket. The Army also charged Lee with six other crimes related to his January disappearance. The new charges include his desertion from Lewis-McChord, robbery, resisting arrest, wrongful use of a controlled substance and two counts of failure to obey a lawful order, McCaskill said. Lee was living in barracks on Lewis-McChord in January awaiting his court-martial and ordered to report for duty daily to monitor his whereabouts instead of being held in pre-trial confinement. Instead, he drove off the post in an SUV. Lee, who is from Great Falls, Va., had been assigned to Lewis-McChord since 2019. He had been removed from his position in an intelligence-gathering unit in April 2022 when sex assault allegations against him were first raised. A local prosecutor that year charged Lee with child sex crimes before ceding the case to the Army because some of the crimes might have occurred in Georgia, officials said at that time. After Lees disappearance, police in Tukwila, Wash., about 30 miles north of Lewis-McChord, linked the soldier to the stabbing death of Hokema, who is from Olympia, Wash. Hokema was found on the morning of Jan. 15, unconscious and bleeding from multiple stab wounds, according to local police. He was transported to a medical facility where he was pronounced dead. Lee was captured Jan. 26 in Redmond, Wash., about 20 miles north of Tukwila, after police found Hokemas cab nearby, according to law enforcement officials. President Bill Clinton talks to D-Day veterans at the ceremony commemorating the D-Day landing at Pointe du Hoc, France, near Omaha Beach. The gathered crowd included many U.S. Ranger veterans who scaled the 100-foot cliffs to knock out the German artillery overlooking the landing beaches. (Ken George/Stars and Stripes) In the months and days leading up to the 80th Anniversary of D Day, Stars and Stripes will be republishing a number of articles, as reported by its staff writers at the time. This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes London edition, June, 12, 1944. It is republished unedited in its original form. WITH THE AMERICANS IN FRANCE, June 9 (delayed) This is the story of a village and the men who took it, a detachment of Rangers whose deeds put them right at the top of the class of American fighting men. The village juts out from Hitlers Atlantic Wall and dominates the coast. Casemated on the point were six Herman 55mm. guns, capable of keeping transports well out to sea. They had to be knocked out at any costs. The Rangers were given a job. Prior to D-Day the village took a terrific bombardment from the air. Just hours before the landing ships of the Allied navies came in close and took up where the air forces left off. But it was impossible to tell just how effective the bombardments had been. The Rangers had to make sure. Nothing could stop them At H-hour the LCAs touched down and the Rangers scrambled ashore. German machine-gunners and snipers opened up, but the men started scaling the 100-foot cliffs as if this were just another maneuver. The Germans on top rolled hand grenades down the slopes, they tried to cut toggle lines, they threw everything they had at those men coming at them but they didnt stop them. In little groups of twos and threes they scrambled over the top and went to work. Meanwhile, down on the beaches those who were waiting their turn to go up the cliffs brought ashore all the ammunition and water they could carry. And when all the Rangers reached the top, those who could set up a command post and found out the cover of area. Two of the enemy guns had been blown to bits by bombardment. The other four had been taken away. And missing were the men whose specific task it had been to get the four remaining guns. For two days and two nights and part of the third day those Rangers dug in and held their little triangular area. Sometimes they were pinned down in the point itself with the sea on three sides and the Germans to the front. They were low on water and food. Their ammunition was rationed. Their only weapons were rifles and two mortars. At night they crouched in their foxholes and peered into the night, waiting for the attack they knew was coming. Rangers parry and retreat The Germans left no doubt about their attacks. They gathered themselves in large groups and started with a lot of shouting. When they began their advance they came forward under a streaming curtain of fire. The Rangers waited for them. They retreated slowly, keeping contact and preserving their perimeter. And when Jerry fell back they moved up again. The Rangers had one potent weapon the American Navy lying just off shore. Aching to shoot was a destroyer that took targets from the ranger GP. Whenever the Germans tried to concentrate any sizable body of men, the destroyer opened up and chased them away. And as they left their positions the Rangers cut them down with rifle fire. On the second day, an assault craft came into what the Rangers were now calling Little Bataan. It brought water and food and what the Rangers wanted most of allammunition. It took away those wounded who were too badly injured to fightmen who could still hold a gun refused to be evacuated. On the morning of the third day the Rangers were ready for a finish fight. They had radio contact with American forces coming up on the flank, but the reinforcements were having their troubles, too. There didnt seem to be much chance of their breaking through. President Bill Clinton talks to D-Day U.S. Rangers veterans at the ceremony commemorating the D-Day landing at Pointe du Hoc, France, near Omaha Beach. The gathered crowd included many U.S. Ranger veterans who scaled the 100-foot cliffs to knock-out the German artillery overlooking the landing beaches. Some 70 percent of the Rangers that landed at Point du Hoc that day was killed, wounded or reported missing. (Ken George/Stars and Stripes) President Bill Clinton, with EUCOM commander Gen. George Joulwan behind him, talks to D-Day veterans at the ceremony commemorating the D-Day landing at Pointe du Hoc, France, near Omaha Beach. (Ken George/Stars and Stripes) Lost patrol gets back But they did get through and the Germans high-tailed it out of there. And the night after they left, the 16 men who had been sent after those four remaining. enemy guns rejoined their mates. They had found the guns, which now were no longer of further use to the Vaterland. This was their story: The guns had been moved two miles inland. Lt. George Kercher, of Baltimore, Md., followed the fire tracks until he and his patrol saw the pieces getting into position. They drove the Germans away with rifle fire, then dashed in and threw Thermite grenades down the barrels, wrecked the breech blocks and scattered spare parts all over. Just as the job was completed, the Germans counter-attacked the patrol, which hit a ditch and stayed there for 58 hours without moving. They had only three bars of chocolate between them, and very little ammunition. A constant watch was kept to insure that no sleeping man snored and gave their positions away. The Germans had them completely surrounded. In addition to Lt. Kercher, men who spiked the guns included the following: 1/Sgt. Leonard Lomell, Pt. Pleasant, N.J.; S/Sgt. Larry Johnson. Baltimore; Sgt. Jack Kuhn, Altoona, Pa; Sgt. Joe Flanagan, Somerville, Mass.; S/Sgt. Lester Arthur, Akeley. Pa.; T/5 Gordon Lunning, New York; Pvt. Harry Fate, Mt. Pleasant. Mich.; Pvt. Robert Carty, Los Angeles; S/Sgt. Emery Jones, Georgia; Pvt. Melvin Sweeney, Indiana; Pvt. Joe Hoover, Scranton, Pa.: Pvt. Robert Austin, North Carolina; T/5 Harley Huff, South Bend, Ind., and Sgt. Richard McLaughlin. Peoria, III. U.S. Army Cpl. Richard Seloover, 17, of Illinois. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) The remains of Army Cpl. Richard Seloover, who was killed during the Korean War, will be buried with full military honors June 4 at Coloma Township Cemetery in Rock Falls, Ill. Seloover, a native of Whiteside, Ill., was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action Sept. 6, 1950, at age 17, after his unit engaged in enemy combat along the Naktong River in the vicinity of Yongsan, South Korea. Seloover was accounted Jan. 10, 2024, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, after his remains were exhumed June 2021 for laboratory analysis from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Rick Maynard speaks to a group of onlookers after receiving a Purple Heart medal from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) awarded to his great-uncle Sgt. Paul Maynard during a ceremony in Guilford, Conn., on May 24, 2024. Sgt. Maynard served with the Connecticut National Guards 102nd Infantry Regiment in France during World War I and died on the final day of the war. (Timothy Koster/Connecticut National Guard) U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Maynard of Torrington, Conn., was 21 years old in 1918. He had recently recovered from a hospital stay because of gas poisoning. He had spent weeks at the front of one of the deadliest campaigns in World War I. And on Nov. 4, 2018, he was happy to be back with his men and sensed the war was coming to a close. In a letter to his mother written that day, he said: If I keep having good luck, I guess well see each other before a great while. But, on Nov. 11, 1918 the last day of World War I Maynard was killed in action while serving in France. He is documented as the last service member from Connecticut to be killed in the war. Last week, 105 years after his death, he received a Purple Heart. He died on the last day of the war. He wrote those words on Nov. 4, and on Nov. 11, the Germans declared an armistice, the war ended, but so did his life, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Friday as he presented the Purple Heart to Rick Maynard, Pauls grandnephew. Now you may think what a needless thing to give his life, or more accurately his life was taken for nothing. But Blumenthal said he was a hero on that day. He was doing his job and defending our democracy on that day, Blumenthal said, and it was not a senseless death, it was a patriotic and heroic death. The ceremony brought closure to the family after their journey to learn more about their great-uncles life and military service. Maynard said he first learned of his granduncle when he and his brother discovered an old Look magazine marking the 50th anniversary of WWI in 1964. And there was a picture of the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery and of all the thousands of crosses of gravestones there. Right in the front was Sgt. Paul Maynard, Maynard said. And the caption ... was that the last day of war was the last day of life for some of the soldiers. In 2010 the family discovered a package of letters Maynard had sent home from the war while cleaning out their fathers basement. I opened it up and saw about three dozen letters written from Paul to my grandfather from the battlefields of France, Maynard said. I started reading these letters and said, Oh my goodness! This is amazing! With the help of Christine Pittsley, the special projects curator at the Connecticut State Library, they were even able to pinpoint the exact coordinates of where he died on the battlefield. I think Paul was very proud to wear the American uniform and even prouder to serve his country, said Lisa Ann Maynard in a 2015 documentary about Sgt. Maynard presented by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Everybody put a lot on the line, and Im really hoping that Paul will be the catalyst for people to say, lets look more into our history in this. Also in attendance at the ceremony were several current members of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, which is one of the oldest active units in the U.S. military, with a heritage that dates back to the colonial militia. The 102nd Infantry Regiment has a storied history during World War I. They were the first American unit to see heavy combat in the War during the battle of Seichprey. They also participated in the battles of Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, and the Battle of Verdun, just to name a few. Maynard and Company M fought in some of the wars most intense battles, such as the Battle of Belleau Wood, the Saint-Mihiel Campaign and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He was killed on the last day of the war as he worked to pull his men back from the front line and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Plot D Row 24, Grave 26. Contributing: The Register Citizen, Torrington, Conn.; Tribune News Service Student teacher Ayaan Khurram helps classmates in an 8th grade math class at Gilroy Prep in Gilroy, Calif., May 2. Under the supervision of instructors, student teachers help their classmates at the charter school grasp their STEM and language arts studies. (Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group/TNS) GILROY, Calif. In Gilroy Preps eighth grade math class, there are no quiet rows of orderly desks facing an instructor. Instead, the room feels less like a classroom and more like the floor of a stock exchange, with the constant buzz of conversation as students sketch slopes and equations on tablets that project their stylus strokes onto nearby screens. All the while, a trio of clipboard-wielding students circulate among their classmates huddled in groups of three on the periphery of the room asking questions, gesturing at the screens and explaining algebraic concepts. Gilroy Prep is one of a small cohort of schools in the country experimenting with this method known as the Squads model students in grades sixth through eighth educating each other under the purview of a teacher. Despite the novelty, the students seem to appreciate the collaborative approach. At first, it was a little weird to me, but then I feel like its better because we work together more, said Daniel Lopez, a sixth-grader at Gilroy Prep. The final grade for this method is still pending, but school leaders say it teaches important soft skills that improve interpersonal communication, boosts social awareness and better educates students. They also note that Gilroy Prep boasts a greater portion of students who score higher in state standardized tests and a lower ratio who are regularly absent from class than in the surrounding district. While education experts caution against putting too much faith in the method prematurely, the Squads model is slowly spreading. Navigator Schools the group of charter schools that includes Gilroy Prep has reached out to a staggering 16,000 schools across the country to offer to educate them about their teaching methods. Thus far, a few dozen educators have come to learn more about Squads, and last academic year, a Seattle charter school took up the method. The original idea for Squads was born out of boredom. James Dent, the chief academic officer for Navigator schools, recalled his son complaining about being bored in class. So Dent then principal of Gilroy Prep told his son to teach himself. Weeks later, his son still remembered the self-taught lesson. Dent wondered if this self-teaching might be applied to the classroom, so he devised a system that might get the students to teach themselves and each other. Together with an experimentally minded group of teachers, he began testing the method on students in 2016. Initially, students made instructional videos, but later they shifted to groups inspired by other teaching methods and the study groups that Dent loved in college. The first attempts at Squads used military terms for the different roles with majors looking over captains and the students were grouped into twos and fives before Dent and his entourage finally settled on groups of three. When we started trying all these crazy things, I was really honestly just scared, said Hollister Prep Principal Norma Knox, who was among the first teachers to teach Squads. I remember we had a meeting with one of our funders, and I said, These are peoples kids. Were experimenting with real human beings with these practices. Eventually, the experimentation slowed down and squads settled on its current iteration, where it is applied at Gilroy Prep, Hollister Prep and Watsonville Prep. Here, a teacher looks over three student teachers, each of whom are responsible for three squads of three each. Before teaching, student teachers are assigned homework that goes over the next days lesson plan. On the day of the lesson, while the other students do a warm-up assignment, the teacher checks in with the team leaders to make sure they understand the material. The student teachers are given a key that includes answers as well as the questions and prompts to help their fellow students answer them on their own. The student teachers also monitor whether the members of their squads understand the material and share this information with the teacher, who can stop the class and offer a mini-lesson if the class is struggling with a particularly thorny concept. At the end of class, each student takes an electronic quiz, which immediately informs the teacher which concepts the students grasped. The model can present a learning curve for both students and teachers, but students like that peers are able to fill each others gaps in knowledge. For eighth grade teacher Jeremiah Williams, the biggest asset is the immediate access to the students; rather than one set of eyes looking over 30 students, he now has three students and often another instructor to help him monitor the room. Paired with the instant analytics gathered from the electronic quizzes, he says he gains deep insight into the class. I have five sets of eyes getting to them all. So no ones getting left behind. No ones hiding. Everybody is getting the one-on -one attention they deserve, he said. According to Eva Vives, a psychologist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, similar student-to-student methods can help students of all levels learn while boosting communication skills. The squads model may also benefit because the teacher is active in the room, which could help make sure that students arent teaching each other false information. But despite the promise, Vives cautions against putting too much credence in a technique that has not been tested scientifically. As far as we know, theres no revolutionary miracle teaching method, said Vives in an email. Developing a new teaching method is good, but developing an evidence-based teaching method is better. Bruce Fuller, who studies charter schools at the University of California, Berkeley, agrees since subtle differences in student motivation and family makeup can lead to real differences in academics. Its hard to put a spotlight on a (teaching) practice and say, Thats the magic, he said. Caprice Young, the CEO of Navigator schools, asserted that the teaching approach is what makes the difference, and she hopes to see the model spread. What were doing in the classroom is something that can be done in other schools, she said. Its completely replicable, and were eager to support other schools that might want to do it. As for Williams, who has used several other teaching methods over his seven years as a teacher, he favors this one. It takes the best attributes of all of them and combines them, he said. I think its the future plain and simple. American soldiers land on Utah Beach in June 1944. (Conseil Regional de Basse-Normandie/National Archives USA) A dress rehearsal for the D-Day assault on Utah Beach cost the 4th Infantry Division and associated units nearly four times as many lives as they lost in the landing itself five weeks later. The training exercise from April 22-25, 1944, was codenamed Exercise Tiger and designed to prepare assault troops and combat engineers for the landing at Utah as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, that helped bring an end to Adolf Hitlers Thousand-Year Reich. However, the exercise in southwest England went off the rails due to poor communications and an unexpected attack by German E boats, small, maneuverable, fast-attack craft that sank or damaged four LSTs, or Landing Ship, Tanks, filled with soldiers and sailors. At least 749 American service members were killed, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Many of them drowned after they jumped into the chilly waters without proper training on how to wear life preservers while wearing full field packs. In preparation for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, the U.S. Army planned a series of exercises in April 1944 around Slapton Sands, a village in southwestern England along the English Channel. (Noga Ami-rav/Stars and Stripes) By comparison, the 4th Infantry landed 21,000 soldiers at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, with only 197 deaths. Overall, at least 4,414 Allied soldiers were killed on June 6, including an estimated 2,501 Americans, most during the landing at Omaha Beach. In preparation for D-Day, the U.S. Army planned a series of exercises around Slapton Sands, a village in southwestern England along the English Channel. The area was chosen because the topography resembled the Normandy beaches. The 30,000-strong civilian population was evacuated, and training began in mid-December 1943 with two major exercises planned for late April and early May. The training for the Utah landing was set to begin April 22, climaxing with a beach landing five days later. After assembling troops and equipment, the assault forces disembarked during the night of April 26, sailing through Lyme Bay proceeded by minesweepers as if they were crossing the Channel. The Royal Navy provided destroyers and gunboats for protection. Things began to go wrong early on the morning of April 27 with a naval bombardment. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander, believed it was important to use live ammunition so the soldiers, most of whom had never been in combat, could get used to the sounds and smells of battle. Some of the vessels were delayed so Rear Adm. Don Moon, the exercise commander, postponed the landings by one hour. Some vessels did not receive the order and landed soldiers during the live-fire assault, producing an undetermined number of casualties. Things got even worse before dawn on the following morning when six German E boats slipped into the area under cover of darkness and opened fire with cannons and torpedoes. Two LSTs packed with soldiers and sailors were sunk and two others were heavily damaged, according to after-action reports. The worst memory I have is setting off in the lifeboat away from the sinking ship and watching bodies float by, one of the LST survivors, Dale Rodman, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph of London in April 1994. To make matters worse, an investigation found British warships detected the German boats but the American vessels didnt get the word because of communications problems. We were on the wrong [radio] frequency, former Navy radioman Steve Sadlon said in an interview produced by Britains Gosh TV in 2013. They knew that these E boats were approaching us and they never let us know that we were in danger. He said he jumped overboard but one signalman told him that he wasnt going into such cold water. I said to him, OK take your choice, Sadlon recounted. So I pointed to the water and said, Youre going to freeze to death, and I pointed to the fire and said, Youre going to burn to death. He burned to death. He made his choice. The disaster in Lyme Bay sent shockwaves through the Allied command as it was preparing for the high-risk invasion of Western Europe. As a first step, radio frequencies used by the British and American navies were standardized. Eisenhower ordered all efforts be made to find the bodies of 10 American officers who had firsthand knowledge of details of the upcoming Normandy invasion, including locations of German defenses to be destroyed. In addition, the Americans insisted plans be changed to provide for heavy bombing of the French port of Cherbourg, where the German E boats were based. Publicly, however, the command clamped down on any mention of what had happened at Slapton Sands. Troops who had taken part in the exercise were threatened with courts-martial if they breathed a word of the disaster. The Allied Supreme Command didnt release information on the catastrophe until a brief statement in August 1944. By that time, the story of Slapton Sands was subsumed by heavy fighting and higher death tolls in the Normandy fighting. It was not until the early 1970s when salvagers discovered a submerged Sherman tank that word of the disaster began emerging. A monument to those who died was erected at Slapton Sands in 1984. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 21, 2024. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the need to urgently end the war in Sudan with Sudan army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a phone call Tuesday, the State Department said. The two also addressed ways to enable unhindered humanitarian access, including cross border and cross line, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, it said. Sudan has been gripped since April 2023 by a civil war between the Sudan army, led by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Thousands of civilians are estimated to have died. Blinken discussed a resumption of peace negotiations with Burhan and the need to protect civilians and defuse hostilities in al-Fashir, North Darfur, the State Department said. Recent attacks around al-Fashir have shattered a local truce that protected it from the wider war. Egypt will host a conference next month bringing together Sudans civilian political groups with other regional and global parties, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The conference aims to produce an agreement between Sudans civilian groups on ways to build a comprehensive and permanent peace, it added. A Bolivarian militia member stands on guard next to a banner of the National Electoral Council where people can register to vote in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, April 16, 2024. On May 28, 2024, Venezuelas electoral authorities revoked an invitation for a European Union mission to observe the countrys July 28 presidential election. (Ariana Cubillos/AP) CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuelas electoral authorities on Tuesday revoked an invitation for a European Union mission to observe the countrys upcoming presidential election, in which President Nicolas Maduro is seeking reelection. The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, cited economic sanctions imposed by the 27-nation bloc as the reason for withdrawing the invitation. The EU had not yet accepted the invite that was extended earlier this year. Amoroso said Tuesdays decision is intended to show that EU representatives are not welcome to come here to our country while the genocidal sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and especially its government, are maintained. The bloc, however, only maintains sanctions against more than 50 Venezuelans accused of acts of repression or efforts to undermine democracy, but not against the government as a whole. The announcement came two weeks after the EU temporarily lifted sanctions against four officials linked to the electoral body, including Amoroso, in recognition of the steps taken ahead of the July 28 election. But the relief was vehemently rejected by Venezuelas government and Amoroso, who argued it was selective and insufficient. An EU statement called on the National Electoral Council to reconsider its decision. The Venezuelan people should be able to choose their next president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international observation, including that of the European Union, which has a long and distinguished record of independent and impartial observation, said the statement posted on the platform X. Venezuelas electoral body earlier this year set the presidential election for July 28 and extended invitations to various organizations to observe the contest. Those decisions fulfilled some of the provisions of an agreement signed last year between Maduros government and the U.S.-backed Unitary Platform opposition coalition. Under the agreement signed in the Caribbean island of Barbados, both sides vowed to work toward improving conditions for a free and fair election. Still, Venezuelas government continuously tested the limits of the accord, by, among other actions, blocking the candidacy of the presidents chief opponent, Maria Corina Machado. Machado, a former lawmaker, won the coalitions October presidential primary with more than 90% of support. But the countrys top court in January affirmed an administrative decision blocking her candidacy. Her chosen substitute was barred from the ballot, too. Machado and the coalition are now backing former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The U.S. granted Venezuelas government relief from economic sanctions after the agreement was signed in Barbados. But it has since clawed it back as hopes for a democratic opening fade. In 2021, the EU accepted the invitation of Venezuelan officials to send a mission to observe regional elections that included gubernatorial and mayoral races. The mission concluded that the contest happened under better conditions compared to the countrys elections in recent years but was marred by the use of public funds to benefit pro-government candidates. Election anomalies cited by the mission included delays in opening and closing voting centers, disproportionately favorable coverage for the ruling party on state television and the use of free food and other goods as political tools, among others. Pearl Harbor attack survivor Herbert Elfring poses during the annual ceremony at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii, Dec. 7, 2022. (Pacific Historic Parks) Herbert Elfring, one of the Pearl Harbor attacks last remaining survivors, died Saturday in Michigan at age 102. His death was announced Monday in a Facebook post by ONE Stop Veterans Resource, an organization he co-founded. After a brief and sudden illness, Herb went up to Heaven, the post said. His body weakened, but his spirit did not he was joking with the nurses, making sure he had his special WWII cap on and asking if his Pearl Harbor shirt was safe in the cabinet right to the end of his earthly time. There are fewer than two dozen known surviving veterans of Japans surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Lou Conter, who had been the last living survivor from the USS Arizona, died April 1 at age 102. Elfring was one of only five veterans Pearl Harbor veterans able to attend a December ceremony in Hawaii commemorating the attacks 82nd anniversary. He was raised in South Dakota and Montana, according to a 2021 online biography posted by the Veterans Administration. After graduating high school, he moved to California to attend San Diego State University and joined the California National Guard. The Guard was activated in 1940, at which time Elfring was deployed to Hawaii with the 251st Coast Artillery at a short-range radar station on Camp Malokole, about three miles from Pearl Harbor. On the morning of the attack, Elfring heard bombing in the distance but paid it little mind, he said in a 2021 interview with the magazine Michigan Today, published by the University of Michigan. I didnt think too much about it I thought they were doing maneuvers, he said in the interview. Then the first Japanese plane strafed our camp, Elfring said. This line of bullets only missed me by 15 feet. When I saw this red ball on the airplane, I thought, My God, thats a Japanese plane! Word got out we were under attack and told to take cover. Elfring joined his squad at the beachside radar station, which was strafed by more Japanese planes. These bullets missed the radar but severed the power source, he told Michigan Today. We could see the enemy plane, just over the mesquite bushes, coming right at us, he said. At the last moment, the track of one Japanese plane shifted ever so slightly, and the line of bullets barely missed me and my crew. To this day, I wonder if the Japanese pilot had a moment of kindness or if the winds had pushed him slightly off course. With the declaration of war, Elfrings unit was deployed to the Fiji Islands, and he was promoted to second lieutenant. He was later deployed to the Solomon Islands. After attending Officers Candidate School, he was promoted to captain and deployed to the Philippines, where his unit was tasked with protecting the Clark Field airstrip. Elfring was discharged from the Army in 1945. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, where he met Ruth Royce, whom he married in 1948. She died in 2005. Elfring had five children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren as of 2021, according to the Michigan Today article. His stories of Pearl Harbor were not just tales of a bygone era, but lessons etched with wisdom and a true desire to inspire, the ONE Stop Veteran Resources post said. He wanted more than anything to touch the hearts of younger generations, to teach them the value of freedom and the cost at which it comes. Funeral arrangements are pending. Chinese and Cambodian ships sail in formation during training in the Gulf of Thailand, May 27, 2024. (Wang Zhaoqi/China Military Online) China and Cambodian have concluded a 15-day military exercise in the Gulf of Thailand, highlighting growing ties between the two countries that continues to worry the United States. Golden Dragon began May 16 and included live-fire drills, ship maneuvers, medical and other land- and sea-based training, according to a series of news releases from the official China Military Online. More than 1,300 Cambodian troops and three Cambodian warships participated in the exercise alongside 760 Chinese troops and three ships, The Associated Press reported May 16. The naval portion wrapped up Monday, and ground drills are slated to continue until Thursday, the Khmer Times reported this week. Beijing used the exercise to showcase unmanned intelligent equipment, including robotic dogs and drones, according to a video posted to China Military Online on Tuesday. The footage focused on a small, 33-pound dog intended for scouting missions and a larger, 110-pound dog capable of breaching doors and armed assaults with a mounted rifle. Beijing also used the joint training, now in its sixth year, to highlight its partnership with Cambodia, which remains Chinas closest ally in Southeast Asia. Last years Gold Dragon served to consolidate the countries profound friendship and deepening security cooperation, Chinese Vice Adm. Wei Wenhui said in an April 2023 statement on China Military Online. The Pentagon, which views China as the United States pacing challenge, sees Beijings military involvement with Cambodia as concerning, particularly its investments in Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand. China since 2019 has funded extensive construction efforts at the base, including a new pier and deeper port facilities that can accommodate larger ships. Beijings involvement in Ream is evidence of a broader strategy to expand its access to overseas bases and logistics, according to a 2023 Defense Department report to Congress. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to visit Cambodia June 4. Hes expected to meet with senior officials following the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, the Defense Department announced May 24. It will be Austins first visit to the country since Hun Manet became prime minister last year, when he succeeded his father, Hun Sen, who held the position for 38 years. Hun Manet attended the U.S. Military Academy from 1995-1999, becoming the first Cambodian to receive a West Point diploma. He also studied economics and earned his masters and doctorate degrees at New York University and the University of Bristol in England. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Academy of Defense Sciences in Pyongyang, May 28, 2024, in this image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA) CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea North Koreas leader acknowledged Mondays failed attempt to place a spy satellite into orbit but vowed to work harder to boost his countrys space capabilities, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim Jong Un made the rare admission during a speech to scientists at the Academy of Defense Sciences in Pyongyang on Tuesday, the day after a rocket carrying the satellite exploded roughly two minutes after launch. This launch failed but there is something that we need to clarify, whether it was successful or not, he said, according to Wednesdays KCNA report. The possession of military reconnaissance satellites is necessary for our country to strengthen self-defense. Through failure, we can learn more and develop in a bigger way, he added. Kim has vowed to place three military satellites into orbit this calendar year, KCNA reported Dec. 31. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Academy of Defense Sciences in Pyongyang, May 28, 2024, in this image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA) Monday marked the communist regimes fourth attempt to launch a satellite in the past 12 months. Of those launches on May 31, Aug. 24 and Nov. 21, only the November try was successful. The United States, South Korea and Japan have condemned the launches, saying they violate U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting the country from testing ballistic missiles. Kim told the scientists the country is trying to send military satellites into space due to threats from the U.S. and South Korea, which are demonstrating their military might near the border at record pace. About 60 military aircraft from the U.S. and South Korea wrapped up the biannual, eight-day Soaring Eagle exercises on Friday. Both countries described the training as defensive in nature. The countries also conducted their largest annual aerial exercise last month, which saw around 25 types of aircraft fly in and around South Korea for 15 days. North Koreas satellite launches and Kims statements indicate the regime has become more focused on the militarization of space, Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. It is difficult to predict when Pyongyang will launch another satellite, he said, noting that last years attempts came in three-month intervals. Kim might not make his goal of successfully orbiting three satellites in 2024, considering it is nearly halfway through the year, Yang said. North Korea has also continued to test short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, including a solid-fueled weapon mounted with a hypersonic glide vehicle on April 2. The North last fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, on May 17. The proposal, which may require the EU to expand its listing criteria, aims to target one of the main providers of insurance to tankers hauling Russian oil after the Group of Seven introduced price caps on most Russian seaborne crude and fuels in late 2022 and early 2023, according to people familiar with the matter. (Hkan Dahlstrm) The European Unions executive arm is examining the feasibility of a proposal by one of its member states to sanction Russias Ingosstrakh Insurance Co., as part of efforts to choke revenue generating streams that Moscow needs to finance its war against Ukraine. The proposal, which may require the EU to expand its listing criteria, aims to target one of the main providers of insurance to tankers hauling Russian oil after the Group of Seven introduced price caps on most Russian seaborne crude and fuels in late 2022 and early 2023, according to people familiar with the matter. Were it to go through, the idea would create sprawling and hard-to-quantify risks and costs not just for Russias oil trade but for wider international commodities shipments that Ingosstrakh provides coverage for. The evaluation is still at an early stage and Moscow-based Ingosstrakh is currently not included in the latest draft of a new sanctions package the bloc is currently negotiating, the people said on condition of anonymity. Even if the proposal gets a nod from the European Commission, it would still face numerous hurdles given that several member states, including Hungary, have opposed most measures targeting Russias energy sector, the people said. EU sanctions require the backing of all member states. The listing criteria is aimed at people and entities operating in economic sectors that are providing the Russian government with substantial sources of revenue something that would need to be demonstrated in the case of Ingosstrakh. Listings are discussed and decided by the member states in a procedure that is confidential, said Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for the EUs foreign affairs and security policy. Ingosstrakh, a top-five Russian insurance provider, said it operates in strict compliance with all applicable legislation, and follows strict compliance procedures. The firm follows the recommendations found in relevant Sanctions Guidance for Entities Operating in the Maritime Shipping Sector published by OFAC and other relevant guidelines, as applicable, it said in emailed comments. The European Union, U.S. and other allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russian exports, companies and officials following the invasion of Ukraine. Kyivs allies are especially focused on cracking down on Moscows ability to circumvent sanctions and on curbing its future revenue to reduce Vladimir Putins ability to finance and sustain Russias war. The G-7 price cap on Russian crude oil and petroleum products bans western shipowners, insurers and intermediaries from providing vessels and services for cargoes priced above the thresholds. The restrictions prompted a pivot away from western insurance and a need for alternatives. In April, the International Group of P&I Clubs, a London-based umbrella organization for clubs providing coverage of shipowners liability against risks including spills and collisions, provided services for just 16% of all tankers shipping Russian oil. Thats the lowest since at least the start of 2023, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg. Moscow has been able to skirt much of the impact of the price cap by assembling a fleet of tankers operating in difficult-to-trace jurisdictions and turning to non-western service providers to ship its barrels to new markets such as India. Ingosstrakh said in the months that followed the invasion that it would not fill the void if sanctions forced western firms to stop covering the nations petroleum shipments. It is known to be the provider of at least some protection and indemnity cover, but the full extent of its involvement is not clear and there is no suggestion the company has breached sanctions. It also provides P&I to some other commodity trades. All our P&I policies contain the sanction exclusion clause that excludes the provision of coverage in case of violations of any Sanctions in accordance with applicable legislation, Ingosstrakh said. The terms of our policies are similar to those offered by the leading P&I Clubs and international insurers. In 2023, the EU and the UK sanctioned Russian National Reinsurance Co., which provides state-backed coverage for all domestic sanctions-related risks, including the reinsurance of vessels and marine cargoes. The restrictions effectively shut the two major western reinsurance markets for the firm. Russias President Vladimir Putin inspects a military exercise which tests the countrys ability to deliver a massive retaliatory nuclear strike by land, sea and air via a video link from Moscow, Oct. 25, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Pool Photo via Reuters) A senior member of a Russian think tank whose ideas sometimes become government policy has suggested Moscow consider a demonstrative nuclear explosion to cow the West into refusing to allow Ukraine to use its arms against targets inside Russia. The proposal, by Dmitry Suslov, a member of the Moscow-based Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, was issued a day after President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Kyiv use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, something he said could trigger a global conflict. Ukraines leadership says it needs to be able to strike Russian forces and military targets inside Russia with long-range Western missiles to be able to defend itself and prevent air, missile and drone attacks, a view which has found some support among some Western countries but not yet with Washington. Russia, which possesses the worlds largest nuclear arsenal, has warned it would view such a step as a grave escalation that would pull NATO and the countries concerned into a direct conflict with Moscow, increasing the risk of nuclear war. To confirm the seriousness of Russias intentions and to convince our opponents of Moscows readiness to escalate, it is worth considering a demonstrative (i.e. non-combat) nuclear explosion, Suslov wrote in business magazine Profil. The political and psychological effect of a nuclear mushroom cloud, which will be shown live on all TV channels around the world, will hopefully remind Western politicians of the one thing that has prevented wars between the great powers since 1945 and that they have now largely lost fear of nuclear war. Suslov is the latest Russian security expert and lawmaker to argue that Moscow should test a nuclear bomb to intimidate amid the Ukraine war, fueling fears among Western security experts that Russia may be inching toward such a test. Such a move, if it did happen, could usher in a new era of big power nuclear testing. There was no immediate comment on Suslovs proposal from the Kremlin, which has said Russias nuclear policy remains unchanged while signaling its displeasure with what it cast as increasingly aggressive Western rhetoric on arming Kyiv earlier this month by ordering tactical nuclear weapons drills. Nuclear test? Suslov suggested Russia also initiate strategic nuclear exercises, warn any country whose weapons are used by Kyiv to attack Russia that Moscow reserves the right to strike that countrys targets anywhere in the world, and warn it could use nuclear weapons if that country then retaliates conventionally. Putin in November signed a law withdrawing Russias ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests, a move he said was designed to bring Russia into line with the United States, which signed but never ratified the treaty. Russian diplomats said at the time that Russia, which has not carried out a post-Soviet nuclear test, would not resume nuclear testing unless Washington does. The Soviet Union last tested in 1990 and the United States in 1992. Only North Korea has conducted a test involving a nuclear explosion this century. Russia warned Britain this month that it could strike British military installations and equipment both inside Ukraine and elsewhere if British weapons were used by Ukraine with Londons blessing to strike Russian territory. It issued the warning after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv had the right to use UK-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Decades before the replica Seneca Chief was built by volunteers and launched earlier this month, the canal boat existed as a gleam in John Montagues eye. Montague, now 79, proposed building the vessel to the long-defunct Horizons Waterfront Commission in 1997. He got the idea from the municipal seal of Buffalo, which shows a lighthouse, sailboats and a canal boat on the lake. When I got to Buffalo in 1984, it had a real identity crisis, he said. It occurred to me that that is Buffalos origin story. Montague first proposed building the boat when the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, marking Buffalos role as the western terminus, was 28 years away. The observance is now next year, when the replica Seneca Chief will depart on a bicentennial celebration excursion that starts in Buffalo and makes stops along the Erie Canal, as well as along the Hudson River as it heads from Albany to New York City. I didnt think it was going to take so long, but the reality is the city and the harbor werent ready for it, said Montague, founder of the Buffalo Maritime Center. The canal had to be re-dug and the river had to be cleaned up. It was an idea that was ahead of its time. 'A proud day': Launch of Seneca Chief starts countdown to the Erie Canal bicentennial Launching the 73-foot-long, 44-ton replica Seneca Chief was the culmination of an extraordinary volunteer boat-building effort that began in October 2020 under the tutelage of the Buffalo Maritime Center that came to involve 218 volunteers. It also started a countdown for the Seneca Chief to ply the Erie Canal during the historic waterway's bicentennial next year. State Sen. Sean Ryan who said before he was an elected official that Montague showed him a drawing for a bike ferry years before Canalside got one put it this way: John Montague has been 20 years ahead of us for 40 years, and now were just catching up. He recognized long ago that the future of Buffalos waterfront should draw on its historic maritime past and prioritize public use. It wouldnt be until September 2019 some 22 years later that Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., which oversees Canalside, approved building the Seneca Chief in the venues new Longshed Building. To be fair, I was an outsider full of enthusiasm, and there was a lot of inertia to be overcome by a lot of people, Montague said. It seemed like many people in Buffalo were standing at the shore with their backs to the water thinking, What a dump. I was about, No, turn around, look at what you got. What country in the world wouldnt give to live on 90 miles of fresh water? Supporters hope replica of Erie Canal packet boat will be built at Canalside The latest idea for a Canalside attraction is rooted in the history of the Erie Canal: a replica of the packet boat Gov. Dewitt Clinton boarded to mark the canals opening in Helping shift the pendulum at the time was Dave Rogers, then the CEO of Life Storage, who gave the group the $325,000 needed to build the Seneca Chief replica after reading an article about the proposed project in The Buffalo News. That amount has since grown to around $600,000, Rogers said, adding and worth every penny of it. It was quite miraculous that Dave read the article and thought, Thats a great idea. Montague said. We thought he was a potential $60 member, he said of the yearly membership, and showed him all around. We went up to the library, we talked about the canal boat and he asked how we were financing it. We went through all our strategies, he asked to see our books and our estimates, and said, I can pay for the boat. It was like, Wh-wh-what? After years of no, to have someone say that was like, Oh my god. 'Sort of a boat guy': Life Storage CEO to foot the bill for packet boat at Canalside I loved the idea that they were building it as historically accurate as they could get it, said David Rogers, a history buff and Clarence I say to everyone, this man had the perseverance of Job, said Rogers, who is a Maritime Center board member. He has done more drawings, and has more ideas and more sketches, and the thought that goes into what he does is remarkable. Hes a gift to our community. Boat-building at Buffalo State Montague was born in Syracuse, grew up in St. Petersburg, Fla., and has lived around the country. He holds a doctorate in medieval architectural history, with a focus in French architecture in the early 12th century, from the University of Wisconsin. Adding to his eclectic interests, he minored as an undergraduate in film history. He was lured to Buffalo in 1984 to set up a design history program at SUNY Buffalo State. Courses he taught included the history of design and perspective drawing. He wrote a textbook Basic Perspective Drawing, published that first year, a work that has remained in print for 40 years through six editions and several translations. Montague eventually drifted into the history of naval architecture, and he, Bill Bartoo, a professor of design with a specialty in furniture, and Richard Butz, a ceramist who headed the schools design department, decided to build boats with students to study form, function and culture. They built one for their first course in 1989, and within a year were building 40 in a semester, mostly 16-foot kayaks. The pure academic piece was teaching design students about design and the history of design, and the boat program was a big piece of that, Montague said. All of a sudden, this thing exploded. Hundreds of boats were built during the next four years, leading to the establishment of Buffalo States Center for Watercraft Studies, which gave it a boat-building panache, Montague said. They also worked with Buffalo public schoolchildren, teaching students from Native American Magnet School 19 to build three boats and taking a trailer with boat-building supplies to other schools. The center became the College Maritime Center in 1996, after relocating from the design to the technology department. A separate nonprofit program was set up off-campus. When the center parted ways with the college in 2008 two years after Montagues retirement he founded the Buffalo Maritime Center, located on Fuhrmann Boulevard and then Niagara Street before moving in 2011 to its shop in Riverside at 90 Arthur St. Montague was named president emeritus in 2015, but hasnt slowed down, said Brian Trzeciak, the centers executive director. He might as well be a staff member, he said. The man who started it off At an inaugural event for the Seneca Chief last Saturday at Canalside, key people who made important contributions stood on its roof, waving, until for a brief time Montague was alone as people cheered from the Commercial Slip and the Whipple truss bridge overlooking the boat. Trzeciak, the emcee, heaped praise on the man who dreamed of that day. The man who started it off. He talked about this boat in the late 90s, and we are here today because of him, Trzeciak said. John, I cant imagine how you must be feeling right now, standing on one of the boats you have drawn thousands of times. Its real, as is your love of this work and this community. Montague spoke with the infectious enthusiasm and academic diversions hes become known for, while he reflected, with a sprinkling of humor, on the trials and tribulations it took to get to the day. He also expressed pride that the boat was built within public view, by 218 volunteers trained by two paid staff members master boat builder Roger Allen and lead shipwright Greg Dudley. 'This boat is going to be magical': Volunteers put finishing touches on Seneca Chief replica Volunteers put the finishing touches this week on the Seneca Chief replica boat that will set sail on Tuesday in advance of its role in the Erie Canal Bicentennial in 2025. This is an amazing moment and its been quite a journey, from an idea scratched on paper, to see this become something physical, Montague said. The one missing part on the Buffalo municipal seal was the canal boat, he said, and I have to say today we have actually restored it. Montagues last words before exiting the podium were Buffalos a great city, and, his voice cracking, a good city. Johns optimism, his tenacity and everything that he put into his vision made this whole boat a reality, Trzeciak later told The News. Buffalo is lucky to have a visionary like John. He could have gone anywhere else with his belief in community, his unwavering optimism and his passion for history, but he chose Buffalo, and this city is better off because he decided to make this place his home. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint news conference with Moldovas President Maia Sandu at the Moldovan Presidency in Chisinau, Moldova, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (Vadim Ghirda, Pool Photo via Reuters) CHISINAU, Moldova U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that American weapons being delivered to Kyiv were helping stabilize the front line in Ukraine amid intensifying Russian attacks and that Washington would adapt and adjust its support. The top U.S. diplomat traveled to the Moldova capital to hold talks with pro-Western President Maia Sandu on the first stop of a brief European tour aimed at solidifying support for Kyiv among NATO allies and neighboring countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of a global conflict if Kyivs Western allies allow it to use weapons they have supplied to strike inside Russia, something Ukraines government is urging its partners to permit. The U.S. has said it does not encourage or enable the use of U.S. weapons for direct attacks on Russia, but Blinken said it would adjust and adapt, when asked at a news conference about Washingtons current position on the matter. I think what youve seen over the two-plus years, as the nature of the battlefield has changed, as the locations, the means that Russia is employing changed, weve adapted and adjusted to that. ... Thats exactly what well do going forward, he said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby also noted that U.S. support for Ukraine has evolved with battlefield conditions. And thats not going to change, he told reporters in Washington. But, right now, theres also no change to our policy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the Western military alliance this week to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons to allow Ukraine to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia. The U.S., which is Kyivs most important supplier of weaponry, passed a $61 billion aid package in April following months of delay that exacerbated shortages of artillery shells. Blinken said the U.S. weapons supplies were now having a real effect and that Putin had not been able to achieve his goals in the Kharkiv area in northeastern Ukraine where Russian forces launched an offensive this month, opening a new front. On the contrary, I think what we see, again, stabilisation of the front and a failure in terms of Putins objectives, he said. Aid for Moldova Speaking alongside president Sandu on Wednesday, Blinken pledged $50 million in aid for Moldova and lasting U.S. support, saying the country had shown an extraordinary resilience in the face of Russian bullying and interference efforts. Under Sandu, Moldova has staunchly condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine and set its sights on joining the European Union. Sandu said Blinkens visit was a strong sign of support for Moldova. Through unity and with the support of our partners, we will stand by our people and move forward. Moldova, which is due to hold a referendum in October to cement its bid to join the EU into its constitution, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine and sees its own security as closely tied to Kyivs ability to hold back Russian forces. Support for Ukraine equals support for Moldova, but it also works the other way round. Supporting Moldova strengthens Ukraine because Ukraine needs a strong, democratic Moldova and a supportive neighbor because we share a 740-mile border, said Olga Rosca, Sandus foreign policy adviser. Blinken will travel to Prague to attend an informal gathering of NATO foreign ministers, which will focus on advancing preparations ahead of a July summit of the alliance in Washington. The U.S. has been working with European allies to help Ukraine build its long-term force, efforts that would bring Kyiv closer to NATO. Individual members including the U.S. are working to reach bilateral agreements with Ukraine. More than two years into the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances and Putin is increasingly evoking the risk of a global war. Smoke rises during an Israeli airstrike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 24, 2024. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters) All Eyes on Rafah, reads the image. The words are spelled out in rows of white tents, a backdrop of mountains in the distance. More than 40 million Instagram users have shared this graphic to their stories using a user-generated template in recent days, according to Instagram. The viral graphic appeared after a deadly Israeli strike Sunday on a tent encampment for displaced people in Rafah in southern Gaza, which killed 45 people and elicited worldwide outrage. Unlike other graphic imagery about the war that has gone viral, this image is likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence. Some on social media have criticized the image as replacing distressing footage of whats actually happening in Gaza from photographers and people on the ground with a fake image generated by technology. Heres what we know about the image, and where the phrase comes from. What do experts say about the All Eyes on Rafah image? Felix M. Simon, a communication researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, said he was confident that the viral image was generated with the help of AI, noting that the image bears various visual hallmarks that are typical for AI systems especially a certain blurriness. In reality, there are no cleanly cut rows of tents or a sloping snow-topped mountain near Rafahs encampments. Tents sit among fields and buildings, and the area is dotted with palm trees and the occasional sandy hill. Footage from the deadly Sunday night strike showed a very different Rafah from that depicted in the viral image: red flames tearing through fabric, bodies charred beyond recognition, a man carrying a headless child. Simon noted that if the image were real, other images depicting the same scene would be available, given the size of the depicted camp and the international focus on it. Instagram credits a user named shahv4012 as the first person to use the image in an Instagram story template. The user did not immediately respond to overnight requests for comment from The Washington Post. Rafah, now a focal point in the war between Israel and Hamas, had become a last refuge for about 1 million Palestinians fleeing the fighting elsewhere. Israel ramped up ground and aerial operations in the area in early May, leaving those displaced there with nowhere to go, activists say. As countries and human rights organizations urge for a halt in fighting and strikes on Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces has this week expanded operations, pushing deeper into the area it says is central to Hamas operations despite an order by the International Court of Justice for Israel to halt military operations there. Why might people share an AI-generated image of Rafah? Many on social media criticized the image as being an overly rosy depiction of a displacement area compared with the actual graphic footage coming from the scene and that sharing it to raise awareness was performative. Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, said Wednesday that the posts uncontroversial nature may be what is driving the images massive reach. It doesnt depict real-world violence. Although it feels sanitized, that is what has enabled it to have the level of viral reach that is has received so far, said Navarra, adding that Instagram has not yet labeled the image to let users know it was produced using AI. People like to feel that they can help influence those that have power and authority to bring about change, Navarra said. Being part of a movement, even at the lowest level of engagement, people feel they have contributed in some small way towards a bigger cause. He added people may also share the image because it drives awareness on the issue, and media headlines, which can bring about change. Sima Ajlyakin, a Cairo-based photographer, shared the photo on her Instagram account before deleting it, after questioning what posting the image would achieve. It is the real, gutting photographs that enable those outside Gaza to witness what is happening inside, she said. At the end of the day, the photojournalists and the photographers that are on the ground, covering this, covering the atrocities that are happening for the whole world to see, especially on social media, these at the end of the day are the ones that raise so many alarms, she said. Theyre the ones that raise all this worldwide anger. What does AI prove? She gave the example of another image that was widely shared from Sundays attack: a video of a headless child, carried from under the armpits by a man standing outside a burning tent. This single image, Ajlyakin said, was especially powerful, even if it was not as widely shared on social media. How do social media companies treat AI-generated images? Earlier this year, Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, announced it would begin work to detect and label AI-generated images posted to its platforms. In April, the company said it would work to provide transparency and that it planned to start labeling AI-generated content in May. Instagram did not immediately return an early Wednesday request for comment for this story. Simon noted that while generative AI tools certainly make it easier for people online to create custom-made images for specific topics or causes, traditional tools like Photoshop have also been and are widely used to do the same. Where does the phrase All Eyes on Rafah come from? Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organizations representative in the West Bank and Gaza, said in February that all eyes are on Rafah, referring to the Israeli plan to launch a military incursion into the city. An Israeli military offensive there would be an unfathomable catastrophe, further expanding the humanitarian disaster beyond all imagination, he said. It has since become a rallying cry for many organizations trying to amplify awareness of the living conditions in southern Gaza: Save the Children and Oxfam have both used the slogan, and Jewish Voice for Peace posted the message on X hours after the Sunday strike. An Israeli tank maneuvers inside Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, May 28, 2024. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) CAIRO Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah on Wednesday and predicted its war on Hamas in Gaza would continue all year, after Washington said the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in U.S. policy. Israeli tanks moved into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, where many Palestinians had taken refuge from bombardment elsewhere. The World Court said Israel had not explained how it would keep evacuees from Rafah safe and provide food, water and medicine. Its ruling also called on Hamas to release hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7 immediately and unconditionally. Rafah residents said Israeli tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in the west and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt, rather than staying put as they have in other offensives. We received distress calls from residents in Tel Al-Sultan where drones targeted displaced citizens as they moved from areas where they were staying toward the safe areas, the deputy director of ambulance and emergency services in Rafah, Haitham al Hams, said. Palestinian health officials said 19 civilians had been killed in Israeli air strikes and shelling across Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas militants of hiding among civilians, which the militants deny. Health Minister Majed Abu Raman urged Washington to pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing to aid, saying there was no indication that Israeli authorities would do so soon and that patients in besieged Gaza were dying for lack of treatment. The Israeli military controls three quarters of the buffer zone on the Egyptian border and aims to control all of it to prevent Hamas smuggling in weapons, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said. Fighting in Gaza would continue throughout 2024 at least, he added, signalling that Israel was not ready to end the war as demanded by Hamas, as part of a deal that would see the exchange of hostages it holds for Palestinian prisoners. The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war, he said, reiterating that the aim was to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop it and its allies attacking Israel. The United States, Israels closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major ground offensive in Rafah on Tuesday while saying it did not believe such an operation was under way. Smoke rises above southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israels border with Gaza in southern Israel, May 28, 2024. (Thomas Suen/Reuters) Cease-fire negotiations struggle on Mediator Qatar was expected to give Israels latest cease-fire and hostage release proposal to Hamas on Tuesday, a person familiar with the issue said. There was no immediate word on Wednesday from Hamas, which has said talks are pointless unless Israel ends its offensive on Rafah. The armed wing of Hamas and that of allies Islamic Jihad said they confronted invading forces in Rafah with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs and blew up explosive devices they had planted, resulting in numerous successful hits. The Israeli military said three Israeli soldiers were killed and three others badly wounded. Public broadcaster Kan radio said an explosive device had been set off in a Rafah building. Palestinian health officials said several people were wounded by Israeli fire and stores of aid were set ablaze in eastern Rafah, where residents said Israeli bombardment had destroyed many homes in an area Israel has ordered evacuated. Internet and mobile signals went down in parts of both east and west as Israel attacked, the pro-Hamas Shehab news agency, residents and other journalists said. The Israeli military said it could not confirm the reports. Safe pathways needed Gazas health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra called for immediate safe pathways for fuel, medical aid and medical teams to Rafah and northern Gaza, where he said there was no help for the wounded. Around a million Palestinians who had taken shelter in Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip have now fled after Israeli orders to evacuate, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA reported on Tuesday. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it had evacuated its medical teams from its field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area, a designated civilian evacuation zone, because of continued bombardments. Staff member Issam Aqel was killed in an Israeli air strike on his house in central Gaza, it said, taking to 30 the number of staff killed since Oct 7, at least 17 of them while on duty. In the nearby city of Khan Younis, an Israeli air strike killed three people overnight, including Salama Baraka, a former senior Hamas police officer, medics and Hamas media said. Another killed four people, including two children, medics said. In northern Gaza, Israeli forces shelled Gaza City neighbourhoods and moved deeper into Jabalia, where residents said large residential districts were destroyed. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israels Gaza offensive, the enclaves health ministry said. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Malnutrition is widespread as aid deliveries have slowed to a trickle. In a new blow, an aid pier put in place by the U.S. military off the coast was out of operation after part of it broke off, probably due to bad weather, two U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Henriette Chacar and Clauda Tanios. The home of accused ISIS supporter Jibreel Pratt on May 28, 2024, in Detroit. (Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News/TNS) DETROIT (Tribune News Service) Federal agents arrested a Detroit man Tuesday who was indicted and accused of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. The bare-bones indictment of Jibreel Pratt, 25, alleges that he tried to provide money to the foreign terrorist organization from March-May 2023. Pratt was arrested early Tuesday to face charges that carry punishment of up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen ordered Pratt be detained until at least Thursday and prosecutors are expected to argue he should be jailed without bond because he is a flight risk and danger to the public. Mr. Pratt is presumed innocent, and well await further proceedings before making any further comment, his lawyer, Benton Martin, wrote in an email to The Detroit News. Pratt was indicted nine months after he was charged in a separate federal criminal case accusing him of wire fraud and other financial crimes involving an illicit online marketplace called Genesis Market. The market sold user names, passwords and other data stolen from computers infected with malware. The indictment alleges that the defendant attempted to support and join ISIS, which is one of the most brutal terrorist organizations in the world, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison said in a statement. These charges reflect our commitment to hold accountable anyone who tries to help terrorists. Pratt is the latest person from the metro Detroit area to face terrorism-related charges. Aws Mohammed Naser of Westland is awaiting trial after prosecutors say he bragged about his role in killing a Christian gold merchant, was blocked repeatedly from traveling overseas to join the jihadist group and was caught building a bomb for ISIS. 2024 www.detroitnews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC The family of Army Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar, a Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier who was found dead, has added $30,000 to an existing reward of $25,000 for information that could lead to an arrest. Local police have ruled the death a homicide. (U.S. Army) The mother of a Fort Campbell soldier who was killed is pleading for someone with information about the death of her daughter to come forward, offering an additional $30,000 of her own money to the reward. Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar, 23, was found dead inside a residence in Clarksville, Tenn., on May 18, and the Clarksville Police Department said it has ruled her death a homicide. Police said Tuesday that the department is working with the Army Criminal Investigation Division and is actively following leads. However, police have not provided any other details about the case. Were not all good. We want to believe that its a nightmare, that we can wake up and she will still be there, Cecilia Ruiz-Aguilar, the soldiers sister, said Saturday during a news conference in Texas where the family lives. She spoke alongside their mother Carmen Aguilar and representatives of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization known commonly as LULAC. Army Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar, a 23-year-old information technology specialist, was found dead May 18 in a residence in Clarksville, Tenn., near her duty station with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. Her death is under investigation as a homicide, and her family and the League of United Latin American Citizens are offering a $55,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. (League of United Latin American Citizens ) In addition to the familys reward, LULAC has offered $25,000. We as LULAC stand with this family, and we want justice, said AnaLuisa Carrillo-Tapia, LULAC national sergeant-at-arms. This is a human being. This is a Latina. This is a young lady [who] signed on the dotted line to serve our country, and that is where our focus is at today. We want to know what happened, who did it and we want to make sure that person or people are brought to justice. Carmen Aguilar spoke to news reporters in Spanish, describing how her daughter had recently been weighing whether to reenlist, even going to a counselor for support in the decision. Duenas-Aguilar had worked as an information technology specialist with the 101st Airborne Divisions Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell in Kentucky since 2019. It was her first duty station after enlisting the previous year in her hometown of Mesquite, which is east of Dallas. Duenas-Aguilar had a 4-year-old son, and her family said the soldier had become increasingly stressed and might have turned to using marijuana. They did not know whether it had gotten her in trouble with her unit. A spokesperson for the division declined to comment on the soldiers status with her unit and said it would be inappropriate to delve into a service members health records. The focus is on Duenas-Aguilars family, the division said. This is not the first time that LULAC has offered reward money to seek justice for the family of a service member. The organization was active in raising awareness when Spc. Vanessa Guillen went missing in April 2020 from Fort Cavazos, Texas. Guillens body was found off the base about two months later. Investigators determined she had been killed by another soldier on base and then moved. LULAC will not rest until our service members who leave their families and homes to go defend our country are safe wherever they live, Domingo Garcia, national president of LULAC, said in a statement. Since the killing of U.S. Army Spc. Guillen, LULAC has been working with the Army and the Pentagon to pass and enforce legislation that protects Latino service members and others from military sexual trauma. While we do not yet know the circumstances surrounding Katias death, we call for a thorough and transparent investigation so that all facts about her killing are brought to light. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Deb Fisher, R-Neb., on Feb. 29, 2024, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. (Eugene Oliver/Department of Defense) WASHINGTON The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee released a plan on Wednesday calling for a generational investment in the military, beginning with a $55 billion increase to the fiscal 2025 defense budget. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said the U.S. must aggressively build up its military and boost weapons production to counter immediate threats and prepare for long-term competition with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Defense investment does not guarantee victory. But failing to invest properly denies us a chance to deter war, Wicker wrote in a report outlining the investment plan. Right now we are spending too little. The White House is requesting $895 billion in national security spending for the 2025 fiscal year, including $850 billion specifically for the Pentagon. The figures represent a 1% increase from the previous year and are in keeping with funding limits imposed by a debt limit deal last year. The House Armed Services Committee stuck to the White Houses topline when it approved its version of an annual defense authorization bill last week. But Wicker on Wednesday said he will push for the Senate to go higher. The Senate Armed Services Committee will begin its deliberations next month over the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which establishes recommended funding levels for the Pentagon. Wickers plan calls for military spending to grow to 5% of Americas gross domestic product, or total economic output, in the next five to seven years. The annual defense budget is now at about 3% of GDP and nearing historic lows, according to the report. By contrast, China is planning a 7.2% spending increase on defense and Russia has mobilized its economy for a prolonged confrontation with the West. Together with Iran and North Korea, the emerging axis of aggressors is working to undermine U.S. interests around the world, Wicker said. The United States is facing the most dangerous threat environment since World War II, and the country needs a generational investment in its military to protect itself, the report states. Wickers blueprint to put the U.S. on wartime footing includes a heightened presence in Europe, where Russia is waging war in Ukraine, and in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is flexing its military muscle and eyeing an invasion of Taiwan. He recommends permanently basing an armored brigade combat team in Poland as well as increasing rotational deployments of U.S. troops in Eastern Europe. The Pentagon established its first permanent garrison in Poland in 2023. In the Indo-Pacific, Wicker wants the U.S. to consider new nuclear-sharing agreements and the re-deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Korea. He also proposes accelerating the military modernization of Taiwan and the Philippines and buying them asymmetrical weapons. Wickers recommendations also target individual services and the defense industrial base. He is pressing for the production of more ships, fighter jets and missiles. We struggle to build and maintain ships, our fighter jet fleet is dangerously small, and our military infrastructure is outdated, Wicker wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Americas adversaries are growing their militaries and getting more aggressive. Under his blueprint, the Navy would grow its fleet to 357 ships by 2035 and the Air Force would buy at least 340 additional aircraft in five years. Wickers plan proposes spending $7 billion to $10 billion on the munitions industrial base each year for the next decade to rebuild a lasting 21st-century arsenal of democracy. Wicker is not alone in pressing for more money for the military. Top lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee have expressed concerns that the proposed budget for 2025 will cause the military to forego critical investments in future technology and shortchange the Pentagon at a time of global turmoil. We need a bigger number, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the Democratic chairman of the committees defense subpanel, said earlier this month. Other Democrats are more resistant, demanding any increase in defense spending is matched by funding boosts to domestic programs. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the Democratic chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said she will insist on parity for nondefense spending. Occupational therapist Griselle Rivera Ortiz worked in January with veteran Pablo Rodriguez Ramirez, a patient at the San Juan VA Medical Center in Puerto Rico. A new report by the Government Accountability Office described significant challenges to accessing care for veterans living in the five U.S. territories and three Pacific island nations where the U.S. has military authority for defense and security. (Joseph Rivera Rebolledo/VA Caribbean Healthcare System) WASHINGTON Thousands of veterans who are residents of U.S. territories or reside on islands in the Pacific face significant challenges seeing medical specialists, getting their prescriptions filled or obtaining care from a facility that can manage their medical needs, according to a new federal watchdog report. The Government Accountability Office report, which was published last week, found the veterans often experienced unique and substantial barriers that veterans in the United States do not encounter when seeking medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act, in 2022 required the GAO to examine VA health care access in the U.S. territories, which are Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. The VA estimated the number of veterans living in U.S. territories to exceed more than 100,000 in June 2023, but the audit questioned the accuracy of the count, describing it as incomplete. The PACT Act also required the GAO look at challenges to obtaining health care on the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. The independent island nations are collectively known as freely associated states because the U.S. by compact has responsibility for their security and defense. The VA estimated the number of veterans living on these islands was about 200 in June 2023. Residents there can enlist in the U.S. military and can qualify for VA health benefits upon discharge. But there are no VA health facilities operating in the island nations, according to the report. The VA conducted the report in part because the island nations are remote as are some of the U.S. territories, and these places lack a full range of VA health services. The VA extends health care coverage through the Foreign Medical Program in locations where VA health care is not available. Veterans who require treatment for service-connected disabilities and medical conditions are reimbursed for care. Legislation that took effect in March will offset expenses for veterans having to travel long distances between VA facilities for specialized and complex care, which will benefit veterans in U.S. territories who cannot receive the medical treatment, the report said. The report also urged the VA to update its model for counting the number of veterans in U.S. territories. Since veterans who live in the territories are likely to travel great distance to receive some services, monitoring utilization and access to care for veterans in the territories using data that accounts for where veterans live veteran location would be more accurate than VHAs current approach of using data based on where veterans receive care, the report concluded. The GAO cited other problems for accessing medical care for veterans in U.S. territories, depending on the location. In American Samoa, where close to 1,000 veterans are enrolled in VA health care, the only island hospital is not accredited, according to the report. Without the proper accreditation, the VA is unable to refer veterans to the local hospital for care or pay for their services. The hospital operates the only lab on the island for doing blood work analysis, but its capabilities are limited. The VA found cases where incorrect lab orders were submitted and inaccurate results reported, the report said. No changes have been made to correct the problems, though the VA has met with hospital officials to find solutions. In Guam, the 5,700 veterans enrolled in VA health care often have lengthy delays when trying to pick up prescriptions, which are mailed to the island post office. The post office operates sporadically with packages delayed for pickup, the report said. The VA in February began allowing the VA outpatient clinic on the 210-square-mile island to receive the medications by mail and then notify veterans upon their arrival. Guam veterans also must travel 3,800 miles to the Honolulu VA medical center for cardiac care and other specialty medical services unavailable at their local VA clinic, according to the report. Auditors stated they believed the VA had undercounted the number of veterans living full time in Guam. The VA estimated there were 12,800 veterans residing in Guam in 2023, while the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs estimated the number topped 23,000 veterans, based on records for drivers licenses and license plates. In Puerto Rico, veterans also experience shortages of doctors who provide specialty services for more complex care, the report said. More than 50,000 veterans who are residents of Puerto Rico are enrolled in VA health care, but the reimbursement rates to doctors for Medicare services are 25% less than in the continental U.S., according to the report. VA reimburses doctors at Medicare rates. As a result, there is a smaller network of doctors providing VA medical care than is needed, according to the report. Medicare savings programs, which help participants save money for out-of-pocket health care expenses, also are not available in Puerto Rico. Veterans can seek referrals for care from non-VA doctors in their community, when they cannot access the medical services at VA facilities in a timely manner. In fiscal 2022, the VA Caribbean Healthcare System based in San Juan coordinated health care for an estimated 61,000 enrolled veterans, according to the report. The system operates one hospital and 10 outpatient health care clinics. The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System includes a VA medical center in Honolulu that coordinates care for veterans in Hawaii and an estimated 7,200 veterans who receive care at outpatient clinics in American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, according to the report. A fur coat and tens of thousands of euro worth of designer bags were among the luxury items seized from Yan Yan Fan by the Criminal Assets Bureau. A woman allegedly linked to a Chinese drugs gang will have to wait to hear if she is to get back her seized collection of designer goods. A fur coat and tens of thousands of euro worth of designer bags were among the luxury items seized from Yan Yan Fan by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). In April, she defended herself during a hearing in which CAB sought to have the goods along with 229,000 declared the proceeds of crime. The Bureaus case is that Ms Fan is linked to an organised crime gang involved in cannabis grow-houses and that she had a role managing properties. Judge Alex Owens had said he would fast track the judgement, but at a recent sitting he told her it would not be ready until next term. Despite having worked on the case every day for the last three weeks it was not yet ready, but it was nearly finished. Ms Fan who appeared in court, thanked the judge. She previously told the court said she is a lover of fashion and denied the goods were bought as part of a sophisticated money-laundering operation between Ireland and China. She is also linked to 12 bank accounts which she controls, in which 1.7m went through since 2005. Counsel for CAB said it beggars belief that all the cash transactions came from her parents in China, and that her evidence it came from the sale of property was inconsistent. The purchase of the luxury goods could not have been funded by her declared income, which at its highest was just under 30,000 a year, CAB have claimed. A property in Dublin was bought for 145,000 in 2015, and later sold for 229,000, using bank drafts and cash transfer and 50,000 from unknown sources. She spent 129,000 on luxury goods on her platinum Brown Thomas card between 2010 and 2020, it was heard. While she says the money came from her parents, CAB said she did not provide any evidence to back her assertion. Investigators claim the goods were part of a money-laundering system using the daigou method in which money is sent from China to buy luxury goods abroad. The items seized include a Chanel Petite Timeless Tote Black Caviar Leather valued at 2,500, a Louis Vuitton On-the-Go Tote MM valued at 2,000, a Chanel Medallion Bag with Grained Calfskin valued at 4,400 and a Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Trunk valued at 3,950. Other items include a Chanel Gold Vinyl Chain Shopper valued at 1,000, a Louis Vuitton Passport Cover Monogram valued at 245 and Jimmy Choo shoes. I dont know why they dont believe me, she said about CAB. Ms Fan said she spends money on shoes and clothes, its the only hobby I have. The headline figure of 1.7m put forward by CAB is shocking she said but that it is not true when you go into the detail. She said many of the transactions are the same money being moved about with sale of apartments and transfers from her parents. Martin Heffernan (39) is accused of stealing the money after he allegedly made false declarations and was paid 51 times A Dublin man fraudulently claimed more than 8,000 in carers allowance payments he was not entitled to for looking after his aunt, it is alleged. Martin Heffernan (39) is accused of stealing the money after he allegedly made false declarations and was paid 51 times. He is facing a jury trial after a judge ruled the allegations were too serious to be dealt with at Dublin District Court. Judge Gerard Jones adjourned the case for the preparation of a book of evidence. Mr Heffernan, with an address at Derrynane Square, Dorset Street, Dublin 1, is charged with multiple counts of theft at Bank Of Ireland, Glasnevin, over a 12-month period. Garda Sergeant Maire McDevitt told the judge the Director of Public Prosecutions consented to the case being dealt with in the district court subject to the issue of jurisdiction being considered. The judge asked for an outline of the proposed evidence so he could decide on a venue. Sgt McDevitt said it was alleged that on various dates between May 2022 and May last year, Mr Heffernan obtained 51 payments of carers allowance and one payment of the respite care grant. It was alleged he had no entitlement to these. According to the prosecution, Mr Heffernan fraudulently claimed a total of 8,092 from the Department of Social Protection by making false declarations. It was alleged he made attempts to receive further payments by producing a fraudulent document. The person he was said to be giving care to was the accuseds aunt, the sergeant said. Judge Jones said he was refusing jurisdiction after hearing the summary of the case and the amount of money alleged to be involved. Ill send it to the circuit court to deal with the matter, he said. The accused will be sent forward for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when the book of evidence is ready. Mr Heffernan was not required to enter a plea or address the court during the brief hearing. He was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again on a date next month. The charges are under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act. The offences occurred at locations in Dublin between March 1991 and November 1997 A former Circuit Court judge, who was due to be sentenced today for the sexual abuse of six young men almost 30 years ago, has had the case adjourned until Friday. Gerard OBrien (59) of Old School House, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary, was convicted last December at the Central Criminal Court of one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault in relation to six victims. The offences occurred at locations in Dublin between March 1991 and November 1997. O'Brien was a teacher in Dublin and was aged between 27 and 33 at the time. The victims four of whom were students or former students were then aged between 17 and 24. Gerard OBrien The six victims have previously indicated they wished for O'Brien to be named but to maintain their anonymity. Mr Justice Alexander Owens previously indicated that his provisional view is that he will impose a custodial sentence. He asked for a report from the Irish Prison Services in relation to the facilities that would be available to O'Brien and remanded him on continuing bail until the next date. Former judge Gerard O'Brien of Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Photo: Collins Courts O'Brien pleaded not guilty to all the allegations. He resigned as a Circuit Court judge in January, having been appointed to the position in 2015. The case was due to be dealt with today but was mentioned before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and adjourned until Friday. Judge says Colin OSullivan must pay 1,000 to widow Gabriela Lake, who had rented his house with her daughter A landlord who evicted a mother and daughter from a rental property in west Cork and buried one of their cars in a field because it was an eyesore has avoided conviction. Colin OSullivan (46), of Carrigillihy, Union Hall, appeared before Skibbereen District Court accused of damaging a Chrysler Voyager mini-van belonging to his former tenant, Gabriela Lake. He admitted he removed the car from the property, put it on a trailer, drove to where he lives in Castlehaven, got a machine, dug a big hole and buried the car in a field. He also told gardai he buried some of Ms Lakes other belongings in the front lawn. The court heard Ms Lakes late husband was the registered owner of the car, but he died in 2019 on their 30th wedding anniversary. She said she had not driven the vehicle since her husband died, it was around 16 years old, but it represented many happy memories of trips they had taken together as a family. The four tyres and battery were flat as it had not been driven in so long. Tenant reacts as landlord who buried her car in a hole in a field avoids conviction Ms Lake and her family first moved into the rental house in 2018. In the summer of 2022, she and her daughter McKenzie travelled to America for an extended holiday, which they did every year. However, when McKenzie returned to the house on October 5 that year with her partner, Mr OSullivan refused her entry and said he had moved back in to the place. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has previously ordered Mr OSullivan to pay Ms Lake nearly 40,000 in damages after the rental watchdog ruled he illegally evicted the tenants and disposed of their belongings. When she did not receive payment, Ms Lake tried to enforce the order through Skibbereen District Court. However, Judge James McNulty refused to sign the determination order at a hearing in March because he deemed it unfair that Mr OSullivan did not have legal representation at the RTB tribunal hearing. Ms Lake has appealed the decision to the circuit court. Mr OSullivan appeared in court yesterday on a criminal damage charge in connection with the mini-van. Judge McNulty said that while the charge was proved, he would not impose a conviction, and ordered him to pay Ms Lake 1,000 within seven days instead. In his evidence, Mr OSullivan claimed Ms Lake had fallen behind on the rent for four months and had not responded to his text messages while she was away. He said he removed the mini-van from the property as he wanted to rent it out again. Mr OSullivan claimed he had asked Ms Lake to move the car on a number of occasions, but she told the court he had never asked her to move it. The court also heard that another car owned by Ms Lake, a Fiat Punto, was moved from the driveway of the house without her permission and was found burnt-out in a field at the back of the house. Mr OSullivan told gardai he charged the battery when it was flat, moved it to a field and two days later it went on fire. He said he was not responsible for the car going on fire and was not charged in connection with this. Ms Lake told the court that when her daughter came back from her travels, Mr OSullivan would not let her in to the house to get any of her belongings. Her then boyfriend and his mother were at the property with her. Gardai were called and McKenzie managed to retrieve some of her belongings and her late fathers ashes. However, the keys for both the Fiat Punto and the mini-van were still inside the house and she could not access them. Gabriela Lake. Photo: Domnick Walsh Her former partners mother told the court that Mr OSullivan was extremely angry and said the cars were a heap of rubbish and deserved to be burnt. Ms Lake said that between October and December 2022 she sent numerous solicitors letters in a bid to retrieve her belongings. Garda Carolann Ward told the court that on December 28 she met Ms Lake at Skibbereen garda station as she was looking for assistance in getting her items back. Ms Lake told her the Fiat Punto had been badly damaged by fire and the other car was missing. On April 21, 2023, Mr OSullivan met Gda Ward for interview by arrangement and she put the allegations to him under caution regarding Ms Lakes property. He said he tried to tow the minivan away and to sell it, but after receiving advice he decided to bury it in a field. He said he disposed of the mini-van because it was an eyesore. Mr OSullivan said that Ms Lake had not paid the rent. Gda Ward said she pointed out how the RTB had found against him, and he responded that he was railroaded by the RTB. The court must be cognisant that there is more to life than money, and there was a sentimental value to this Voyager, which was not more than scrap value She told the court Mr OSullivan also said he buried Ms Lakes belongings in his front lawn in March 2023. Judge James McNulty said the evidence against the accused was comprehensive and convincing. He said Ms Lake was neglectful in her obligations and the car had been left there rotting. The court is aware that she was bereaved, but her husband died in 2019 and this rental had been going on since 2018, he said. Judge McNulty said Mr OSullivan had no right to dispose of it. Even if it was obstructing, he said it could have been placed elsewhere and not buried in a field. Based on the evidence, he said the car had no monetary value, but probably had some sentimental worth. While Mr OSullivan did damage her property, he had to take into consideration the unusual circumstances that led up to what happened. The court must be cognisant that there is more to life than money, and there was a sentimental value to this Voyager, which was not more than scrap value, he said. He added that he had to take into consideration Mr OSullivans previous battle with cancer and that the rental house was a source of income for him. Judge McNulty also acknowledged he had no previous convictions. He said it would be unjust to convict Mr OSullivan, and instead ordered him to pay Ms Lake 1,000. Sean Paul Rusell was prohibited from entering Chapel Lane in the city centre A man accused of having sex inside a Belfast church in front of shocked parishioners is to be barred from returning to the area, a High Court judge ordered today. Sean Paul Rusell, 36, was prohibited from entering Chapel Lane in the city centre as part of terms under which he was granted bail. Russell, of Saul Street in Downpatrick, and 31-year-old co-accused Kirsty McMaster, of no fixed abode, were arrested at St Marys Church on May 18. The pair are jointly charged with committing an act outraging public decency and disorderly behaviour. Police were called to the scene by others attending the church that afternoon. A previous court heard that a man and woman had been engaging in sexual intercourse in a room in full view of people outside. When challenged about their actions both defendants allegedly directed a foul-mouthed tirade at officers. McMaster was said to have shouted Its just sex and told police to f*** off. She later stated in interviews that she had been extremely drunk and thought any sexual activity took place on the street outside the church. Russell also allegedly shouted obscenities during his arrest, declaring that he didnt give a f***. With bail previously granted to his co-accused, he mounted an application at the High Court for release from custody. Prosecution counsel said the allegations that the pair were seen having sex inside the church have already attracted widespread publicity. However, bail was not opposed on condition that Russell abides by strict conditions. A defence barrister described it as a very unsavoury incident and acknowledged the prosecutions pragmatic stance. Granting bail, Mr Justice Kinney imposed a ban on Russell entering the area of Chapel Lane. The accused was also prohibited from consuming alcohol in public or consuming any legal highs. Kieran Brady (35) of Athea in Co Limerick was brought to a special sitting of Listowel District Court this evening Officers from the Garda Technical Bureau carry out a search in Knockanure on Monday morning. A man has been charged with the manslaughter of Gerard (Ger) Kennelly (36) who died following an alleged assault in the rural village of Knockanure, Co Kerry on Sunday night. Kieran Brady (35) of Athea in Co Limerick was brought to a special sitting of Listowel District Court this evening. The court heard that at 5.17pm this evening, Mr Brady was charged with the manslaughter of Mr Kennelly. He made no reply to gardai when charged. Detective Garda Tim Walsh applied for Mr Brady to be remanded in custody, but Mr Bradys solicitor, Pat Mann, objected to this and said he would apply for bail for his client. Judge Alan Mitchell asked the public to leave the court for the bail hearing. This included the family of the deceased. Garda Walsh said gardai were opposed to bail as he is charged with manslaughter, which he said is considered a serious crime and, if convicted, would result in a custodial sentence. Gardai said that their opposition to bail was also based on the nature and strength of the evidence. Garda Walsh told the court the accused was a passenger in a grey BMW that approached a second vehicle, outside a pub, in which Mr Kennelly was a passenger. Mr Brady alighted from the BMW, the court was told, and approached the other vehicle, opening the passenger door. It is alleged he kicked and punched Mr Kennelly, and stabbed him in the left leg with a knife. The deceased was driven a short distance away and died as a result of his injuries. Gerard Kennelly. Gardai believe that Mr Brady fled the scene and disposed of the knife by throwing it out the car window. The weapon has not been recovered, the court heard. It is alleged that Mr Brady took a shower when he got home at Upper Athea, and disposed of the clothing he was wearing at the time of the alleged offence. CCTV from a nearby pub captured the incident, gardai said, adding that it corroborates with several witness statements. Garda Walsh said no bail conditions would alleviate his concerns. Mr Mann argued that there was no evidence to prove his client took a shower. However, gardai said they found wet clothes at the accuseds house, and these matched what Mr Brady was seen wearing on CCTV. Mr Mann said this was not in the summary of evidence. Mr Mann outlined Mr Bradys personal circumstances, saying he has a partner, a child, and another child on the way. He said he could be dealt with by way of strict conditions including a curfew and signing on at a garda station. He said Mr Bradys passport is out of date, which would alleviate concerns. Judge Alan Mitchell refused bail. Mr Brady was remanded in custody and will appear before Killarney District Court on June 4 for DPP directions. The mother said that she told him to leave her son alone at which point Dvaranauskas raised his hands and said: I just say hi sexy boy. A man who approached a two-year-old-boy who was walking with his mother, took his hand and called him sexy has been convicted of threatening and abusive behaviour. Court presenter Inspector Tony OSullivan told Fermoy District Court that the boy was walking with his mother along Lower Cork Street in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork on April 20, 2023 when the incident occurred. Giving evidence, the boys mother told the court that it was a sunny day and she was walking along the busy street at about 3pm with her son who was holding her hand. She told the court that someone came up behind them and tugged at her son. The person then said come on little boy twice while holding on to his hand. The boys mother said she turned expecting to see somebody she knew only to be confronted by Aivaras Dvaranauskas, 37, of Richmond Hill, Fermoy, Co. Cork, a complete stranger. She said that she told him to leave her son alone at which point Dvaranauskas raised his hands and said: I just say hi sexy boy. The boys mother said that she was in shock at what had happened and called her brother to come and pick them up. Soon afterwards she met her sister who was walking along the same street and she told her what happened. The boys aunt told the court that when she met her sister she was crying and very upset at what had happened. She said that she just saw red and went after Mr Dvaranauskas to take a photo of him on her phone. She said that when she saw him coming out of the Dealz store in Mitchelstown, he smelled of alcohol. She took a photo of him and the two sisters then went to Mitchelstown Garda Station and reported the incident. Defence solicitor Matthew Bermingham said that his client denied using the word sexy in relation to the child. He also added that the behaviour could be considered insulting but not threatening. Judge Colm Roberts said: I cant see how trying to take a child away from someone is not threatening. Its quite clear that his mother was shocked and upset. This is a young child we are talking about. Mr Dvaranauskas probably had drink taken and probably didnt known what he was doing but that doesnt make the impact of his behaviour any less. The court heard that Mr Dvaranauskas had 11 previous convictions and worked for a car valet outlet as well as for a local farmer. Judge Roberts convicted him of threatening and abusive behaviour and sentenced him to one month in prison, suspended for two years. The sentence was suspended on condition that Mr Dvaranauskas stays away from the woman and her child and remains sober in public. The University at Buffalo is partnering with the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to take over leadership of the institute while enhancing its work in structural biology and drug development, UB and HWI announced Wednesday. UB said it will acquire the iconic, curved Hauptman-Woodward building at 700 Ellicott St. and its contents, while its 30-plus workers will be encouraged to stay on to be employed by UB. Hauptman-Woodward is a medical research institute specializing in structural biology for drug development a field that UB and its Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have been pursuing more aggressively in recent years. After the consolidation, it will be known as the University at Buffalo Hauptman-Woodward Institute. Pairing the two organizations will spur cutting-edge research and innovation, said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. The consolidation will combine Hauptman-Woodwards research, technology and programs with the resources of UB and its nearby medical school, along with the potential of its new Empire AI artificial intelligence initiative. Empire AI, which is based at UB, is the states $400 million artificial intelligence consortium formed this year to bring New York to the forefront of AI research for the public good. UB will partner with colleagues in UB-HWI to explore how AI can advance their understanding of diseases and potential treatments, the university said. Additionally, UB envisions the new UB-HWI facility as a hub for community outreach and other programs designed to build interest in science, health and well-being. Hauptman-Woodward becoming part of UB also will strengthen both institutions ability to garner federal research funding and public-private investment in drug development and other methods of curing disease. HWI was founded by philanthropist Helen Woodward Rivas and Dr. George Koepf in 1956 and is believed to be oldest independent nonprofit medical research institute in the nation dedicated to understanding and curing disease. One of its early administrators, Herbert Hauptman, developed mathematical techniques that became the foundation of structural biology, which explores the 3-D structure of biological molecules and their roles in fighting disease, producing biofuels and even agriculture. In 1985, Hauptman became the first mathematician to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work. In 2005, HWI built its headquarters on Ellicott Street as one of the first anchors of the new downtown Medical Campus. That building is assessed at more than $7.6 million. Hauptman was among the HWI scientists who worked with and taught at UB. Some HWI researchers still teach at UB today and some UB researchers have research labs in its building. The institute collaborated with national and global scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic to use a technique known as crystallography to help develop vaccines to combat the virus. In 2021 it received a $5 million federal grant for its Crystallization Center and opened an $8 million cry-electron microscope center, which helped produce the first three-dimensional pictures of the Covid-19 virus, HWI said. The agreement will build upon HWIs excellence in structural biology research while leveraging UBs world-class strengths in drug discovery, artificial intelligence, computational chemistry and other fields, UB said. Hauptman-Woodwards board of directors and the Hauptman Society are expected to approve the agreement at their respective meetings in June. With HWI joining UB, the long-standing partnership between the two institutions will be strengthened, said Connie Constantine, former HWI board chair and granddaughter of its funding founder, Helen Woodward Rivas.. This is an exciting time for HWI and UB, signaling a full-circle journey started by doctors and scientists affiliated with UB in 1956 who were doing leading-edge research as the Medical Foundation of Buffalo to the HWI scientists of today once again affiliating with the University at Buffalo, Constantine said.. UB and HWI said they announced the arrangement to their employees Wednesday morning. Everyone has an offer to stay with the new entity and they are aware of that and pleased about it, said Hauptman-Woodward interim CEO Chris Greene. article> Diarmuid Phelan (55), of Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, Dublin 24 is charged with the murder of Keith Conlon (36) at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on February 22, 2022. The Central Criminal Court trial of a senior barrister accused of murdering a father-of-four in a fatal shooting at a farm in Dublin, which was set 18 months ago and was due to begin today, has been delayed until October. Diarmuid Phelan (55), of Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, Dublin 24 is charged with the murder of Keith Conlon (36) at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on February 22, 2022. Mr Conlon, from Kiltalown Park in Tallaght, was seriously injured in the shooting incident and died at Tallaght University Hospital two days later. Mr Phelan, who is a senior counsel and associate professor of law at Trinity College in Dublin, was due to go on trial today before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford at the Central Criminal Court in a case expected to last around four weeks. However, Mr Sean Guerin SC, defending Mr Phelan, informed Ms Justice Lankford this afternoon that the case wasn't in a position to proceed "from the defence point of view" and it was with "some regret" that he was asking the court to adjourn his client's trial. Counsel said there had been an exchange of communication between the defence and the prosecution and that matters had been dealt with at length. Mr Guerin said an issue arose at the end of last week. He said the State was "not happy" but that they would not be opposing the application. Ms Justice Lankford said she understood Mr Phelan faces a very serious charge and that he must be facilitated in terms of his defence. However, she stressed it was "extraordinary" that the case had been in the list for so long without this matter having been brought to the court's attention at any stage. Ms Justice Lankford said time had been carved out for the trial and at no stage had anyone flagged to her that there might be difficulty on today's date. Mr Guerin said it was not anticipated that there would be. In reply, Mr Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the prosecution was "very, very disappointed" that the defence application had been made so late in the day. He said the deceased's family were present in court and he had explained the situation to them. Mr Gillane said they had received correspondence and spoken to the defence and had adopted the position that they would not be opposing today's application. He said the prosecution was very anxious that the case be accommodated in the first or second week of October should the case go back. Ms Justice Lankford said Mr Phelan's case was returned to the Central Criminal Court in November 2022, which would be "virtually two years" on the first day of the Michaelmas term on October 7 next. Mr Guerin told the judge that everyone understood the urgency of the matter. The judge said with "considerable reluctance" she would adjourn the matter until the first day of the Michaelmas term on October 7 next. Ms Justice Lankford said she wanted the case to be mentioned for "a progress report" on July 22 and also wanted to be assured that a real effort was being made to get the trial on. Setting a new trial date of October 7, Ms Justice Lankford said she was regretful this had to be done but thought it was necessary in the circumstances. Mr Phelan, who was present in court for today's brief hearing, was remanded on continuing bail until October. An application for Mr Phelan's bail was initially refused by the High Court in March 2022, but the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and bailed him after two separate bonds 50,000 one from Mr Phelan and one from his sister were lodged with the court. The Crossmaglen man is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years' imprisonment Garda killer Aaron Brady's sentencing hearing for conspiring to prevent key witnesses from testifying against him during his capital murder trial has been adjourned. The Crossmaglen man is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years' imprisonment after being convicted of murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during an armed robbery. The detective and his colleague Joe Ryan were on a cash escort at Lordship credit union near Dundalk, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013, when they were ambushed by a five-man gang. During the 2020 trial, a videoed witness statement of Ronan Flynn in which he told gardai that Brady admitted to the murder was circulated online. The witness was described as a "tout" and "rat" in some messages with the trial judge describing it as the "most outrageous" contempt of court he had come across. Today's News in 90 seconds - 29th May 2024 Mr Flynn and a number of other key witnesses who had told gardai that Brady had confessed to the murder subsequently refused to testify. Last month Aaron Brady (33) pleaded guilty to recording the witness statement which was intended to pervert the course of public justice. The footage had been recorded from inside Brady's jail cell in Mountjoy Prison while he was on remand during his murder trial. A second charge of conspiring to persuade another key witness, Daniel Cahill, not to testify is to be taken into consideration at Brady's sentencing hearing. Mr Cahill gave evidence of how the killer admitted murdering Detective Garda Donohoe to him on multiple occasions while they were living in New York. This morning Aaron Brady's lawyers asked for the sentencing hearing to be adjourned, with the non-jury court acceding to the request. Mr Justice Paul Burns, presiding, also said they were not yet ready to deliver a verdict in the case of co-accused Dean Byrne. The 30-year-old Dubliner had pleaded not guilty to conspiring to persuade Daniel Cahill from giving testimony against Aaron Brady. It was the prosecution's case that he acted as Brady's "agent" when speaking with people to contact Mr Cahill and prevent him from giving evidence, which the defence denied. The Special Criminal Court will give its judgement on June 14, with Brady also set to appear before the court again on that day. Thomas Dooley (43) died after the incident at the funeral of a family friend at New Rath cemetery Five men and a teenager will go on trial today for the murder of a father of seven who was fatally assaulted while attending a funeral in Kerry. Thomas Dooley (43) died after the incident at the funeral of a family friend at New Rath cemetery outside Tralee on October 5 2022. Six defendants will now be tried for the murder of Mr Dooley at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork, at a trial which is expected to last for up to two months. The book of evidence in the matter runs to hundreds of pages and up to 200 witnesses could potentially be called to offer evidence. Mr Dooley of Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, Co Kerry was fatally assaulted minutes after he entered New Rath cemetery to attend the burial of a neighbour. His wife, Siobhan, desperately tried to protect her husband and suffered serious injuries in the incident. Dozens of shocked mourners fled the scene as the incident unfolded. Mr Dooley was grievously injured in the incident and received emergency medical treatment at the scene before being rushed by ambulance to nearby University Hospital Kerry (UHK). Such were the horrific nature of his injuries that doctors were unable to stabilise his condition and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. His wife was treated at UHK for serious injuries. Gardai immediately launched a murder investigation and a number of arrests were made over the subsequent weeks. Mr Dooley was buried in Tullamore, Co Offaly where his wife is originally from. The 43-year-old was a well-known figure in Killarney and was the father of three sons and four daughters. Of the six people who will now go on trial for his murder, several were well-known to Mr Dooley. The include Daniel Dooley (42) of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry; Thomas Dooley Snr (42) and Thomas Dooley Jnr (20) both of the Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; Michael Dooley (28) of the Halting Site, Carrigrohane Road, Cork; Patrick Dooley (35) of Arbutus Grove Killarney, Co Kerry and a teenager. The teenager cannot be named for legal reasons. Ms Justice Ellen Ring has been appointed to deal with the trial and jury selection will commence at the Angelsea Street Courthouse in Cork on Wednesday morning. The books of evidence in relation to the case were served over the previous three months. The Central Criminal Court has previously heard that there was "a clear interest" in the deceased's family being able to attend the trial with Cork chosen as the venue as a result. Anthony Walker was described as a naturally vulnerable man who had suffered child abuse and drug addiction in his younger years. A "vulnerable" taxi driver who took possession of a loaded gun handed to him by a criminal in a "moment of madness' has been jailed for three and a half years by the Special Criminal Court. At the non-jury court today, Anthony Walker was described as a naturally vulnerable man who had suffered child abuse and drug addiction in his younger years but was not entirely an innocent abroad when possessing and transporting the revolver in his taxi in 2021. In December, Walker (54), with an address at Marrowbone Lane, Dublin 8, admitted at the three-judge court to possessing a .38" special calibre Smith & Wesson revolver at Tallaght Road, Templeogue, Dublin 6W, on November 23, 2021. Earlier this month, Walker further admitted to possessing five rounds of .38" special calibre ammunition in such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable inference that he had not got it in his possession for a lawful purpose on the same occasion. At that hearing Detective Garda John Rourke told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that gardai were in receipt of information in November 2021 about a crime organisation having possession of a firearm and how they may intend to cause harm to an unknown person. Gardai then put in place surveillance on the address of Ryan Kelly (25) of Captains Road in Crumlin, Dublin 24. Kelly was jailed at the Special Criminal Court in January for his involvement in what Mr Justice Paul Burns described as a sophisticated enterprise. Kelly was intercepted on the night in a separate car with three other men who were wearing rubber gloves and snoods and carrying burner phones. Kelly was jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to possessing the firearm and the five rounds of the ammunition in the gun. Det Gda Rourke said Walker arrived at Kellys address on Captains Avenue in a black Prius taxi at around 8.45pm on the night and that Kelly was observed passing over an item, which later turned out to be the revolver, wrapped in a blue tea towel. Det Garda Rourke said armed gardai stopped the Prius close to the M50 roundabout at 8.55pm. Ten minutes later gardai stopped a Volvo estate taking exactly the same route as the taxi and discovered four occupants, all of whom were in possession of burner phones, while three were wearing rubber gloves and two were wearing snoods. Kelly was one of the four men and was arrested. Walkers phone number was discovered saved on Kellys phone as Anto Taxi and Det Gda Rourke said calls and messages had been exchanged between the two phones on November 23, 2021. Walker had texted send me the number, nearly there to Kelly but had claimed he did not know exactly where or to whom he was to deliver the firearm. Walker was interviewed five times by gardai and acknowledged his contact with Kelly had taken place over 18 months. However, he said he only realised during the trip that what he was carrying was a gun, which was found in the passenger seat footwell. Walker told gardai that he had previously dropped cash and what he suspected was marijuana for Kelly but had no idea he was carrying a gun when it was handed to him. Det Gda Rourke said Walker had eight previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences, all of which had been dealt with at District Court level. Ryan Kelly At the Special Criminal Court today, Mr Justice Paul Burns said the court identified a pre-mitigation headline sentence of five years imprisonment for Walker. Mr Justice Burns then suspended 18 months of the sentence for three years for mitigation present in the case. Mr Justice Burns said that while Walker did not know what was being handed to him in the car, he knew it was for an illegal purpose. The judge said Walker had been a taxi driver for 30 years, had shown remorse, had apologised for his behaviour and had feared for his family if he named others involved in the case. However, the judge said Walker had carried a loaded revolver in concert with other individuals who were using multiple vehicles, one of which was discovered parked in Tallaght displaying false plates, while an accelerant was found in that vehicle. Mr Justice Burns said that Walker had been involved in a larger plan involving other individuals who were part of a sophisticated operation. Mr Justice Burns said Walkers early guilty plea was of value and had saved both court time and Garda resources. The judge noted two testimonials handed into the court, one from an elderly neighbour with health issues to whom Walker was kind and caring and another from a soup-run group that Walker had been involved in for three years. Walker had been reared by his grandparents and had suffered physical and sexual abuse in school, noted the judge. The judge said Walker was a psychologically vulnerable man who also suffered with Tourettes, obsessive compulsive order, ADHD and had developed facial tics when in school. Mr Justice Burns said that while Walker was not entirely an innocent abroad, he had been assessed as being at low risk of reoffending and that prison would be particularly difficult for him. Mr Justice Burns said Walker had no part in designing the plan on the night and that his subservient possession of the revolver was so that others involved could keep their connection to the weapon as minimal as possible. Mr Justice Burns sentenced Walker to concurrent terms of five years imprisonment on both charges, suspending the final 18 months of each for three years during which time Walker is to engage with probation services. The judge said there had been exceptional and specific aspects in mitigation to render the five years presumptive minimum sentence to be served an unjust one and said Walker was a good candidate for rehabilitation. At the sentence hearing, Michael Bowman SC, for Walker, said his clients previous convictions were nothing approaching this level of offending. Mr Bowman said Walker had been a taxi driver his whole life and started picking up and dropping off Kelly during Covid when his taxi business was suffering. Counsel said it had not been the States case that Walker had organised the delivery of the weapon or that he even knew what was going on when the package was handed to him. Mr Bowman said his client apologised to gardai and was remorseful for a moment of madness. Mr Bowman said Walker told gardai: All I can think about are my kids it was a moment of madness. I really am remorseful, for whatever good that will do me. Mr Bowman said his client has three children, is in a supportive relationship with his partner and was not on Garda radar at the time of the offence. Counsel said his client had complied with all terms and conditions of his bail since the incident but had reported to gardai that windows of his car and house had been smashed in the interim, which he [Walker] says is directly related to this. Mr Bowman said his client had told gardai that if he knew it was a gun he was being asked to transport he would have never gotten into his car that night. Mr Bowman said that Walker was born in a mother and baby home, raised by his grandparents and had suffered institutional sexual and physical abuse until he was strong enough to fight off his abusers and protect others when he was around 13 years-old. Mr Bowman said Walker suffered poor mental health, depression, low self-worth, anxiety and had overcome substance addiction in 2014, which was brought on by overwhelming guilt and shame and when he thought of his abuse relentlessly. Mr Bowman said his client was disgusted at himself for his involvement. Cawley, with an address at Daletree Place, Ballycullen, pleaded guilty to burglary at Brannigans, Cathedral Street, in the north city centre A woman who stole a till drawer with 800 in cash in a burglary at a city-centre pub has been jailed for eight months. Margaret Cawley (33), who forcibly removed the drawer before making off with it, had more than 250 previous convictions, a court heard. Judge Gerard Jones sentenced her when she appeared in Dublin District Court. Cawley, with an address at Daletree Place, Ballycullen, pleaded guilty to burglary at Brannigans, Cathedral Street, in the north city centre on May 26 last year. The court heard the accused entered the pub that afternoon and went to a staff area where she forcibly removed a drawer from the till containing 800. She escaped and gardai were called at 5pm. Cawley was identified on CCTV and later arrested and charged. The money was never recovered. The Director of Public Prosecutions consented to the case being heard in the district court if the judge agreed to that trial venue, a garda sergeant said. Judge Jones accepted jurisdiction after hearing the evidence and said he would deal with the case. Dublin District Court at the CCJ. The court heard Cawley had 252 previous convictions for offences including burglary and theft. She was already serving a prison sentence in Mountjoys Dochas Centre when she appeared in court on the latest charge. The accused had had difficulties in life, with a tragic family past, her lawyer said. Cawley had got off drugs while she was in prison, was trying to better herself and was working as an industrial cleaner there. Her release date was next February and her lawyer asked the judge to be as lenient as possible. The Notorious took to Instagram to wish the former mob boss a happy birthday Conor McGregor has wished former mafia don Michael Franzese Jr a happy birthday on social media after spending the weekend partying with the ex-criminal. The two men were seen posing for pictures over the weekend in Conors pub, The Black Forge Inn. "Happy birthday Michael Fanzese! TopEarner, Conor wrote on Wednesday. Group pic Franzese was born on May 27, 1951, meaning his special day was Monday. Franzese is an American former mobster who was a caporegime in the Colombo crime family, and son of former underboss Sonny Franzese. By the age of 35, in 1986, Fortune Magazine listed Franzese as number 18 on its list of the "Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses". Franzese claimed that at the height of his career, he generated up to $8 million per week. Party night In 1986, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges, released in 1989, rearrested in 1991 for a parole violation, and ultimately released in 1994. Soon after, he retired to California and is now a motivational speaker and writer. It is understood the ex-Mafia bigwig was in Dublin to give a talk as part of his Man Made Goodfellas style tour of Ireland and the UK. Some quotes attributed to Franzese include: I say, "This is my objective" and when I stick to it, I succeed. When I deviate, I'm in trouble. Do what you do best and delegate the rest. There are things I do better than others, and there are things I'm horrible at and I delegate those. Black Forge night out I'm the strongest advocate you can imagine for doing things honestly and paying your taxes. Take advantage of every tax break you're legally entitled to. "But I follow the letter of the law, because the consequences are severe if you're caught. I was a perpetrator at one time and suffered severe consequences. It is difficult in some places, but if you live in places like California, move somewhere else to save some money. Conor and Michael It looked like a fairly wild night at the Black Forge, with Conor posting : The Black Forge Inn does it again! Our late night secret sessions with @marckinchen and @belters_only on the decks! Night out "The gaf was rocking and the @properwhiskey and @forgedirishstout was flowing! ENERGY Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is believed to be in talks with the UFC regarding a new contract. Ahead of his highly anticipated return to action at UFC 303 on June 29, the two-division champion revealed that hes working with the promotion on a possible extension, with hopes that hell stay busy for the remainder of the year. McGregor currently has two fights left on his current deal but hasnt fought since 2021, when he suffered a devastating broken leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier. The Notorious recently highlighted his eagerness to resume competing. June 29, September 5 Mexican Independence Day and then December, McGregor said. Three bouts this year. Now, Ill say this, God willing, because life has showed me sometimes different with injuries and madness takes place. Please God, three bouts. June 29, Sept. 5, and something tasty in December, end of year. I have two fights left on my UFC contract. Were currently in negotiation stage with the UFC. Lets see what happens. Lets see what takes place. Yet again, young children going to school were subjected to such fear, trauma and anxiety A Dublin City Councillor has called for more gardai to be deployed in the north inner city centre following an incident outside a school in the area. Cllr Nial Ring said he was sickened and horrified after young children going to school were subjected to such fear, trauma and anxiety. Todays two incidents where the same man was seen brandishing a knife outside two buses has emphasised the fact that more gardai are needed on the beat in Dublin City centre, Cllr Ring said. The Taoiseach can set up all the task forces he wants for the city centre, the Minister can walk around surrounded by gardai saying the city centre is safe and the Community Safety Partnership can be launched and make its reports and recommendations but, at the end of the day, everybody knows what is primarily needed to address the problem of such behaviour more gardai on the beat. Parnell Square A man who was arrested after allegedly brandishing a knife at Parnell Square yesterday, has been charged and will appear in court today. Children were leaving on a school tour yesterday morning when a man, allegedly armed with a knife, banged his fists on their school bus. Gardai were alerted after a number of concerned witnesses contacted emergency services. The man, aged in in his 30s, was later arrested for alleged offences under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act after the incident in the Parnell Square area of Dublins city centre yesterday. Speaking after the incident, Cllr Ring asked: When are we going to learn.? To think that we are in the situation where young children going to school are under threat and subject to attack is a horrible indictment of our society. We are letting our children down, we are letting the elderly down and it is obvious that we are also letting down vulnerable people with mental health issues he added. Cllr Ring said he had been out canvassing for the last number of weeks, and I, like many of my fellow candidates I contacted today, have not seen one Garda on the beat as we go around the whole of the North Inner City. What has to happen before we get action?, he demanded. I am calling Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, the Taoiseach Simon Harris and the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to stop paying lip service to the city centre, to act, act now. The first thing that has to be done is to dramatically increased the number of Gardai out on our streets protecting and serving the public. I understand the Taoiseach has said there are more gardai on the beat - possibly but not enough because I haven't seen them he concluded His funeral will be arriving at Corpus Christi Church, Knockanure, on Friday morning at 11.15am Funeral details have been announced for Gerard (Ger) Kennelly (36) who died following an alleged assault in the rural village of Knockanure, Co Kerry on Sunday night. Mr Kennelly will be reposing at Lyons Funeral Home, Derry, Listowel, this Thursday evening, May 30, from 5pm to 7.30pm. His funeral will be arriving at Corpus Christi Church, Knockanure, on Friday morning at 11.15am. Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 11.30 am, followed by burial afterwards in Ahavoher Cemetery, Moyvane. On his notice on RIP.ie it states that the death has occurred of Gerard Kennelly of Gortdromagowna, Knockanure, Kerry, tragically, on May 27. Gerard will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his heartbroken family, his mother Sheila, father Jerry and his partner Anne, daughter Miya, brothers Thomas and John, sisters Mairead and Julie, uncles Paddy and Tom, aunts Marguerite, Kathleen and Joan, brothers-in-law Ger and Shane, sister-in-law Gina, nephews, nieces, extended family, neighbours and many friends, the notice reads. In the condolences section people have left numerous messages of sympathy, to Mairead and all the Kennelly family. Another reads: Deepest sympathy to the Kennelly family on the sad and tragic passing of Ger. Thinking and praying for you at this sad time. May you rest in peace. One person offered sincere condolences to Sheila, Jerry, Thomas, John, Mairead, Julie, on the loss of your son and brother. Heartfelt sympathy to you Sheila, Mairead, Julie & family on the loss of your beloved son & brother Ger, one reads. We hold great memories of our time in Australia together. A great character with a heart of gold Rest Easy Ger X. Another offered sincere sympathy to Jerry, Sheila, Thomas, Mairead, Julie, Pat And all the Kennelly family on the passing of Gerard. May he rest in peace. A man has been charged with the manslaughter of Mr Kennelly. Kieran Brady (35) of Athea in Co Limerick was brought to a special sitting of Listowel District Court. The court heard that at 5.17pm, Mr Brady was charged with the manslaughter of Mr Kennelly. He made no reply to gardai when charged. Detective Garda Tim Walsh applied for Mr Brady to be remanded in custody, but Mr Bradys solicitor, Pat Mann, objected to this and said he would apply for bail for his client. Judge Alan Mitchell asked the public to leave the court for the bail hearing. This included the family of the deceased. Garda Walsh said gardai were opposed to bail as he is charged with manslaughter, which he said is considered a serious crime and, if convicted, would result in a custodial sentence. Gardai said that their opposition to bail was also based on the nature and strength of the evidence. Judge Alan Mitchell refused bail. Mr Brady was remanded in custody and will appear before Killarney District Court on June 4 for DPP directions. El Nini was the leader of the so-called Ninis, a group of notoriously violent enforcers for the Chapitos faction of the Cartel The Sinaloa Cartels top hitman has been sent to the US by Mexican authorities. Nestor Isidro Perez Salas was a high-ranking lieutenant in the Sinaloa Cartel and was the head of security for the sons of El Chapo Guzman, the former boss of the Cartel. He was one of the USs most wanted criminals, with a $3 million bounty for his arrest. The Sinaloa Cartel is widely regarded as one of the worlds most perilous drug trafficking syndicates, notorious for its involvement in the sale of the lethal opioid, fentanyl. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) called it one of the most violent and prolific polydrug-trafficking cartels in the world. Once led by Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, and Ismael Zambado Garcia, aka El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartels members and associates allegedly including the sons of Guzman Loera, collectively known as the Chapitos- smuggled significant quantities of drugs through Mexico and into the United States. El Nini wanted poster The Chapitos are Ivan Guzman Salazar (40) Alfredo Guzman Salazar (37) Joaquin Guzman Lopez (36) and Ovidio Guzman Lopez (33). The cartel does not have a single leader, but is split into different cooperating branches. On 22 November 2023, Mexican security forces captured Perez not long after the capture and arrest of Ovidio. El Nini is believed to have been the lead sicario or assassin tasked with eliminating Sinaloa Cartel rivals, the U.S. Department of Justice stated at the weekend. Salas was the leader of the so-called Ninis, a group of notoriously violent enforcers for the Chapitos. We allege El Nini was was responsible for the murder, torture, and kidnapping of rivals and witnesses who threatened the cartels criminal drug trafficking enterprise, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. He stated that El Nini, nicked in the northwest Mexican city of Culiacanthe Chapitos hometownin November 2023, was up to his neck in the Sinaloa Cartels manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl in America. U.S. President Joe Biden thanked his Mexican counterpart, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for his decision to extradite the hitman. El Nini Our governments will continue to work together to attack the fentanyl and synthetic drug epidemic that is killing so many people in our homelands and globally, and to bring to justice the criminals and organizations producing, smuggling, and selling these lethal poisons in both of our countries, Biden stated. The DEA also announced that the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel Money Laundering Organization, Luis Reinaldo Ramirez, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in extortion. Fentanyl is attributed to around 70,000 deaths annually in the US. Spanish Sinaloa seizure (Policia Nacionale) The DEA, in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, says that its top priority is defeating the two cartels responsible for the vast majority of drug trafficking in the US: the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel. The extradition comes just as Spanish cops revealed images of a historic bust of Sinaloa meth and the smashing of the Cartels operation in Europe. Sinaloa meth bust in Spain (Policia Nacionale) Polica Nacionale cops seized 1.8 tons of the drug last week, which is considered the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the history of the country. Spanish cops stated: They were sending the cocaine by hiding it inside household appliances that were sent to the island through legal companies. The operation allowed the seizure of 24 kilograms of cocaine, hidden in washing machines. From that operation onwards, the investigations focused on identifying those responsible for the shipment, and were able to find out that it had been carried out through a logistics company located in the southern area of Madrid, to where members of the organization travelled to make certain shipments. hidden in appliances. Drugs hidden inside an applicance (Policia Nacionale) Once identified, various surveillance and follow-ups were carried out that led the agents to find out that the person responsible for the organization operated from the province of Valencia and that he adopted important counter-surveillance measures to avoid being investigated. "In addition, to carry out the operations they used a second vehicle that acted as a shuttle in transport operations to detect possible police controls. They transported the methamphetamine in a heated van. Agents intercepted the van in which they observed a system of hydraulic compressors that allowed access to the floor of the vehicle where a total of 224 kilograms of methamphetamine were hidden. In total, five members of the organization have been arrested and six entries and searches have been carried out - one in Villena and five in Puzol - in which, in addition to the drugs, five vehicles, communication elements, abundant documentation, a detonating weapon and cash. The investigation remains open and new arrests are not ruled out. The Spanish bust comes hot on the heels of a similar historic take-down of the Sinaloa Cartel operation here in Ireland, following a Sunday World investigation. Laura Curtis from Donaghmede, was 19 weeks pregnant in March 2021 when she caught the virus. Laura Curtis with her partner Robbie Dalton and their daughter Demi, who was born in July 2021 Dublin mother Laura Curtis was plunged into a nightmare after she contracted Covid-19 while pregnant with her daughter leaving her in an induced coma in intensive care for 17 days. Ms Curtis, from Donaghmede, was 19 weeks pregnant in March 2021 when she caught the virus. Her condition deteriorated and she ended up in Beaumont Hospital on her own due to pandemic restrictions. She was put on a trolley and recalls refusing scans and X-rays in order to protect her unborn child. Ms Curtis said: A doctor sat down with me and said, Laura, to be honest, this isnt really a case where you have an option the risks for you outweigh everything else. She had to be admitted to intensive care as her condition continued to go downhill. She remembers loads of people around me, but could not see their faces. She told the staff: Just save the baby. Dont mind me. Ms Curtis had previously suffered a miscarriage. After 17 days I was awake, gasping like I couldnt breathe Her partner, Robbie Dalton, was her strongest support and he was in constant contact with the hospital. He was worried about me, but he had the extra worry because his little girl was in there as well, Ms Curtis said. After a couple of days in the coma, there was no improvement and Laura was physically turned so that she was lying on her belly. After 17 days I was awake, gasping like I couldnt breathe. The thirst; Ive never felt thirst like it, she said. She struggled to drink and was coughing with each sip. Her first words to Robbie were: Now, you know Im not pregnant anymore? The baby is gone. He replied: No, no, youre still pregnant, look at your bump. It was a joyous moment. There was always someone with me, which was really nice, even if I didnt know them or see their faces, she said. Ms Curtis continued to be cared for in the intensive care unit. She remembers the tubes in her neck and how it was very hard to move. The aftermath of the trauma was horrendous and I had a lot of anger and resentment She was receiving oxygen and being fed through a tube in her nose. Although awake, a long recovery lay ahead. I didnt comprehend the battle I had ahead of me, she said. Learning to swallow was a big struggle. I had projectile vomiting. Laura was put on a trolley and recalls refusing scans and X-rays in order to protect her unborn child. Photo: Getty She left hospital in April, 2021, and gave birth to her daughter Demi three months later. The aftermath of the trauma was horrendous and I had a lot of anger and resentment so much that I could not focus or sleep, she said. After Demi was born, Ms Curtis sent a thank-you email to hospital staff along with a picture of her little girl. Robbie and I are both social care workers. I wanted them to know that Demi was alive, safe and well. They were all absolutely delighted, she said. One of the consultants wrote back, outlining just how challenging Ms Curtiss case had been. Personally, I found looking after you one of the more stressful cases in my career, the consultant wrote. McQuillan was jailed for 12 years in 2004 after admitted to 40 sex charges involving five young victims The family of one of the victims of a former priest who was once jailed for evil child sex offences has said his death in a car crash over the weekend has brought some closure. Gerard McQuillan, who was aged in his 60s, died following the two-vehicle collision near Poyntzpass in Co Armagh. Police received a report of the crash on the Newry Road shortly after 6.30pm on Friday. Ambulance and fire crews also attended the scene where McQuillan, who was driving a Peugeot 207, had been killed. McQuillan, who was originally from the Portadown area, was jailed for 12 years in 2004 after admitted to 40 sex charges involving five young victims between December 1986 and January 1993. He was also put on the sex offenders register for life. A former school chaplain, he had also previously served as a priest in Armagh city for several years before being jailed for child sex convictions. In 2002, the priest admitted what he had done to the mother of one victim, a court was told, after he had been approached McQuillan faced three charges of indecent assault involving one victim when the case came to court in March 2003, but the publicity over the prosecution led to a second victim, then two more, also coming forward. McQuillan confessed to sexually abusing a fifth victim on the advice of his lawyers, McQuillan revealed in the last of his police confessions, that while he never used violence, that did not make what he did right. He went on to describe himself as cunning and sneaky and said he had been behaving crazy, before telling police: It was still very evil the way I operated and what I did, and was quite sick. Describing it as a sad case of a man who has probably done much good in the community, a judge at the time: It is a difficult case and these are serious offences which rightly alarm and disturb the public. The judge took into consideration a number of aggravating factors, including his position of power and authority, the youth of his victims and their deliberate seduction and corruption, the length of the period of abuse, the betrayal of the trust of the parents and the effect on his victims health. His defence QC apologised unreservedly on behalf of McQuillan at the time, and after he was sentenced, Sean Brady, then Archbishop of Armagh, spoke of his deep sorrow at McQuillans crimes. I acknowledge that serious wrong was done to the victims of his offences, and I deeply regret the terrible pain which they and their families have suffered, he said in 2004. I am truly sorry that their trust and friendship have been so shamefully betrayed. I also regret, very much, the distress caused to the parishioners and to Fr McQuillans fellow priests. They too feel shocked and saddened. It is understood that McQuillan, who was later kicked out of the Church, had spent time in the Republic following his release from prison. The family of one of his victims said his death had brought some closure although they were shocked and disturbed to learn he had been back in the Co Armagh area when he died. The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has refused to comment on the reason David Savage (right) allowed Stephen Nolan and the BBC cameras in to film life inside Maghaberry Prison The boss of Northern Irelands biggest jail has been off work for a lengthy period, the Sunday World has been told. However, the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has refused to comment on the reason behind David Savages absence from his high-profile job as governor of Maghaberry Prison. Mr Savage has been in charge of the Co Antrim prison, which houses Northern Irelands most dangerous male prisoners, for three years and is a key figure within the prison system. It is understood Mr Savage was involved in the decision to allow the BBC unprecedented access to Maghaberry Prison last year for a documentary series. The Jailed: Inside Maghaberry Prison series, which was hosted by Stephen Nolan, featured interviews with inmates and prison bosses about life behind bars. Nolan and his camera crew were allowed access to all parts of the prison, including the Care and Supervision Unit where the most dangerous prisoners are housed. Several sources have told the Sunday World Mr Savage has been absent from his role at Maghaberry for a number of months. We asked the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) a series of questions in a bid to clarify the current situation around Mr Savage and his crucial role at the jail. However, in response, a NIPS spokesperson said: The Prison Service does not comment on individual members of staff. Mr Savage was appointed governor of Maghaberry Prison in 2021, having served as deputy governor of the jail since 2019. He took over as governor from David Kennedy who was promoted to Director of Prisons at Prison Service Headquarters. Mr Savage joined the prison service in 1997 as an auxiliary officer and worked his way up through various grades to the top position at Maghaberry. Mr Savages promotion in 2021 was welcomed by the then NIPS Director General Ronnie Armour. He has played a pivotal role in Maghaberry over the past number of years and in particular through the pandemic, said Mr Armour. He brings a wealth of experience to the position and I have no doubt he will continue the work of his predecessor David Kennedy, in progressing the prison as it supports and challenges the people in our care to change. Maghaberry Prison On taking up his post, Mr Savage said: While there will be challenges ahead, I am focused on working with my colleagues in Maghaberry to keep rehabilitation at the centre of our work. At the core of that will be supporting the men in my care to address their offending behaviour and to prepare them for their return to the community. I want to drive Maghaberry forward to ensure we play our part in helping to build a safer Northern Ireland. In 2019, Mr Savage received a major award for his work at Maghaberry Prison. The Butler Trust Awards are the only UK-wide awards specifically for people working in custodial and community justice settings, and are often described as the Oscars for the sector. Mr Savage received a Butler award for the dedication, passion and courage he had shown in helping to transform the jail. He had been promoted to senior governor at the prison shortly after a report described it as the worst and most dangerous prison in Western Europe. Speaking after receiving his award from Princess Anne, Mr Savage said the prisons dubious title was wrong and misrepresented the commitment and professionalism of the staff.. I was also extremely concerned that the message being delivered by such statements had a hugely negative and detrimental impact on those men in my care and, equally importantly, the families, friends and loved ones who were detained in custody, he said. These people face huge challenges and hearing such sensational reports makes their difficulties and issues worse. I developed a team who shared my passion and drive to improve the lives of everyone in my care and by this, I mean offenders, offenders families and of equal importance, the staff and their families who work in such a high-pressured environment. The over-arching ambition was to release men from custody as fitter, healthier, more educated, more responsible people who could achieve and offer a worthwhile contribution to society. Its not on the cards at the moment, but if I got the opportunity to play him again, amazing Paul Mescal and his Normal People co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones have sent fans of the hit show into a tizzy after hinting that a second season could be on the cards. The 28-year-old Irish actor and 26-year-old British actress appear in a selfie on Daisys Instagram Story in which they tease: Weve got some news to share!! before adding, Watch this space. The Irish production company, Element Pictures, behind the hit series, also shared the photo. The popular series, which aired across Hulu, BBC and RTE in 2020, is based on the best-selling 2018 novel by Sally Rooney. Starring Daisy as Marianne, and Paul as Connell, the series became a worldwide hit and made stars of both leading actors. Directed by the Oscar-nominated film-maker Lenny Abrahamson and English director Hettie Macdonald, the story follows two young people as they navigate adulthood in contemporary Ireland. The pair appear in a selfie Marianne and Connell's initial, somewhat awkward link, is due to the fact that his mother works as a cleaner at her family's mansion, and a strange connection grows between them. Filmed in Dublin, Sligo, Sweden and Italy the story traces their complicated relationship from the end of their school days in the West of Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. Paul had previously revealed how hed love to play Connell again. During a previous interview with Wonderland magazine he said: Oh, theres no question that character to me is still alive and breathing and very much has a lot of life left to live, and has a relationship with Marianne that is maybe unfinished. I do feel like the series that has finished is its own thing, and Im totally comfortable with that. Its not on the cards at the moment, but if I got the opportunity to play him again, amazing, he added. However, earlier this year, Mescal said the sudden stardom brought on by the show forced him to develop 'coping mechanisms' in a bid to protect his mental health. Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Paul revealed: To go from [being] totally anonymous to not anonymous is kind of the biggest jump. You develop your own set of rules, but you develop a kind of coping mechanism from that junction and the rest is hopefully gonna stay nice and level. At the end of the 12-part series, Connell and Marianne part ways before he moves to New York which didnt sit well with some fans but Paul said: I thought it was just the most beautifully sad ending to a story. Totally, the romantic in me is like why doesnt she just tell him to stay? Or why doesnt she come over to New York? But it doesnt make sense in the reality of those two characters lives. I think ultimately if they did decide to stay together at that moment, it would be way more disappointing than the reality of the ending. The shows producers previously indicated that a second season could be an option when Ed Guiney of Element Pictures told The Hollywood Reporter: Were not thinking about a second season at the moment. Maybe in the future at some point in time. Michael Hutton says he was at a property where methamphetamine was being made just to fix a motorcycle. But, his text messages suggested something else. Two other men at the Te Puna property in the Bay of Plenty have pleaded guilty to manufacturing the drug there between October 23 and 25, 2020. Cellphone records show that Hutton was there too at that time, and he later admitted in court that he stayed in a detached shed at the property on the nights of October 23 and 24. Hutton said he was only there to fix a motorcycle that had been damaged in a crash and was not helping in the manufacture of the meth. But, a judge considered that a text message Hutton sent to his partner at 6.40pm on October 23 was inconsistent with this story. The text message said: it get boring waitn (sic) for it so while we waitn gna do his bike in between. Judge David Cameron found Hutton guilty of manufacturing methamphetamine after a trial in the Tauranga District Court in July last year. Judge Cameron said the text message and others between Hutton and his partner were more consistent with Huttons actual involvement with the methamphetamine manufacture being carried out on the property. This was reinforced by his close involvement with one of the other men, who supplied meth to Hutton and his partner, along with the couples need for money to fund their habit and pay rent. In other text messages, Hutton told his partner that his co-offender did not like him taking phone calls while working. She texted him, I dont want u taken away from me, to which Hutton replied, he understood but he was only doing it to get us ahead. On the basis of the text messages, viewed as a whole, Judge Cameron found that Hutton intentionally assisted in manufacturing methamphetamine at the property between the relevant dates. Hutton appealed against his conviction to the High Court. His lawyer, Michael Douglas, argued there was insufficient evidence in the Crown case to prove Hutton was involved in the manufacture of meth, and no evidence of what role, if any, he played. In the High Court at Rotorua, Justice Pheroze Jagose said it did not appear to be an issue that methamphetamine, as a controlled drug, was being manufactured at the property. The contest at trial and on appeal was if the judge had erred in his assessment that Hutton was knowingly involved in it. He said that the judge rejected Huttons evidence that he was at the property only to fix the motorcycle. He said Huttons text message about not waiting referred to him doing some other activity besides fixing the motorcycle, and the evidence was [that] the other activity was the manufacture of methamphetamine. The judge was not required to be any more specific about Huttons involvement. The alternative proffered by Hutton lacked credibility. I come to no different view on the evidence. The judge did not err. I see nothing otherwise having gone wrong at trial. There is no miscarriage of justice, Justice Jagose said. He dismissed the appeal. More than 2500 people have gathered at Whareroa Reserve this morning ahead of a national day of disruption launched by Te Pati Maori to coincide with Budget day. The protest was delayed from 8am until 9.15am to allow protesters caught in traffic to arrive. Earlier traffic was at a standstill on Hewletts Rd. The road was down to one lane near Taiaho Pl. A contingent of police officers has gathered in the area. The two city-bound lanes on Hewletts Rd from Totara St to Tauranga Bridge Marina are closed. The eastbound traffic heading to the Mount is down to one lane during this section with westbound traffic being diverted to the other lane. Traffic on Takitumu Drive and Hewletts Rd is heavily backed up as a result, while police have gathered on Totara St. One commuter said it took them one hour and twenty minutes to get from Mount Maunganui to the Tauranga CBD due to the gridlock. A Be Proud to be Maori song is blaring out of speakers at the reserve as preparations are under way. Tommy Wilson is at the hikoi with his 8-year-old mokopuna and says he is there to support the anxiety the country is feeling, not just Maori. Its the poor, the disabled, the unwell, and the marginalised. Maori was now a million strong, according to the census, so the Crown needs to listen to our concerns. Sandra Des Forges. A small crowd is gathering for the hikoi that kicks off at 8.30am. Sandra Des Forges says she is at the protest today because she is disappointed to see the country going backwards from the small amount of progress towards honouring the Treaty of Waitangi. This county could be amazing if we work together more and respect one anothers world view. Traffic building up on Hewletts Rd this morning. Kipouaka Pukekura says it's important to be at the hikoi today because we are here to honour our tupuna who fought the fight before us to live a better life in our own tino rangatiratangi (under our own authority live our own way). Kipouaka Pukekura and Kuraimonoa Benton. We are here to protect our mokopuna and tamariki into the future. They are our future leaders, our rangatira mo apopo. Eden Tahu Tanaiwha Mahia and Ruaumoko. Organisers have encouraged people to walk off the job to unify against the Governments assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Traffic is at a standstill around Taurnaga this morning. Image: Google Maps. The protest march aims to hinder traffic on Hewletts Rd/State Highway 2, a major commuter and freight route in Tauranga. Police says the public can expect local traffic disruption this morning but any unlawful behaviour would result in enforcement action. One communter says they have been stuck in traffic for the last 43 minutes. Another reports that the protest has "stuffed up every route" for motorists trying to get into the CBD. "It's crazy." Supporters mobilised If you take away our reo you take away our existence. That is the view of Ngai Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley about what he describes as the Governments continuous disregard for our reo and our cultural identity. He is mobilising supporters to meet at Whareroa Reserve today for a protest march that aims to hinder traffic on Hewletts Rd/State Highway 2, a major commuter and freight route in Tauranga. Ngai Te Rangi chief executive Paora Stanley at the protest last year. Photo / Alex Cairns. Its the second time the iwi will join a nationwide Te Pati Maori protest expected to disrupt roads around the country similar to its action on December 5. Te Pati Maori party wrote on social media this week: We are being attacked for being Maori. This is what the rangatira revolution is about. Stanley says holding the protests on Budget Day is p***ing on their [the Governments] parade. He believes calls for Maori to strike for the day are a red herring and Ngai Te Rangi is not asking this. Last year protesters marched down Hewletts Rd in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns. People are not stupid enough if they are in a precarious position in their employment to go on strike. If you want to turn up, turn up and we are expecting a big turnout last year we got 2500 people. The iwi wants to send clear, consistent messages to the Government. Last year Ngai Te Rangi made an urgent claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, accusing the Government of attacking Maori culture and language a hearing is in two weeks in Wellington. What they are doing is not right. We will not put up with it. We have to resist. He says it has worked too hard to revitalise our reo, educate our people, protect our mokopuna and correct the injustices faced by Maori, to have these efforts reversed. The iwi had arranged safety marshals for the protest and has had a briefing with police, Stanley says. Right to peaceful protest police A Tauranga police spokesperson advises the public to expect local traffic disruption during todays hikoi. We are working with organisers to provide advice on lawful behaviour on our roads and public places, as well as any health and safety implications. Anyone travelling for time-sensitive commitments are advised to allow more time for their journey. Police recognise the right to peaceful protest. Unlawful behaviour will result in enforcement action, either at the time or following the event if safety issues prevent immediate action. An NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi spokeswoman says it will be closely monitoring the situation through its Traffic Operations Centres. Police will be leading the operational response to the protest action. She says the agencys advice for commuters and motorists is to use the agencys online journey planner and traffic information pages for the latest information before travelling. Motor convoys on cards for other cities Police advise commuters to hit the road to work early and avoid the peak hour protests planned for Friday. Protesters in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are planning motor convoys to cause disruption to Budget Day announcements. Protest organiser Eru Kapa-Kingi, from Toitu Te Tiriti says delaying a few peoples trips to work was nothing compared to the daily disruption this Government had on Maori. We are the rangatira of this whenua and will act as we always have. We will act with the grace of our tikanga and sternness embedded in our mana, Kapa-Kingi told the Herald. Heoi ano, just as we looked after Pakeha when they first arrived here in Aotearoa, and every day since, we will do the same this Thursday, whilst standing for the truth that we never ceded sovereignty, and keeping the wellbeing of our mokopuna at the front of our minds. Te Pati Maori president John Tamihere says Prime Minister Christoper Luxons response that Maori should only go on strike on weekends is telling. According to Luxon, natives are only allowed to protest on weekends while his mates can go anywhere, anytime, Tamihere says. Protest motorists in Auckland will converge on to the Northwestern, Southern and Northern motorways from 6.30am on Thursday to try to accomplish maximum disruption. Those groups will slowly make their way to Aotea Centre in downtown Auckland, where a rally will be fronted by community advocate Dave Letele. Police Minister Mark Mitchell has condemned the planned unlawful protest action. Ive been very clear with the commissioner that my expectations are that law-abiding Kiwis going about their daily business, their rights are protected above those who choose to break the law, Mitchell said. He told Newstalk ZBs Mike Hosking that it is absolutely illegal. Mitchell is joined by his Labour counterpart Ginny Andersen, who says she will not be joining in on the protests. She understands why Maori are protesting but doesn't agree with unlawful protest. In Wellington, protesters will meet at the Wellington Railway Station before marching on Parliament before the 2pm Budget 2024 announcement. Similar delaying tactics will be employed at cities across the country. In December, thousands marched on Parliament. Assistant Police Commissioner Mike Johnson says they are working to manage the right to protest and peoples rights to go about their daily business. Officers will be highly visible across the roading network throughout the morning and, in some locations, will put measures in place to prevent participants putting themselves and motorists in harms way, Johnson says. Areas he says will be affected in and around the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel included Port Waikato, Thames, Matamata, Tauranga, Opotiki, Whakatane, Taupo, Turangi and Rotorua. We are aware that gatherings are planned for Aotea Square in Auckland City from 11am and Parliament Grounds in Wellington from 12 noon which are expected to continue into the afternoon, Johnson says. NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones says Te Pati Maori is spreading a grievance culture and described the Maori Party hikoi as a parade of blind mice. They are promoting victimhood. Sadly their own supporters have become blind mice. The Maori Party are telling whanau to strike or go without pay? Will Debbie Ngarewa Packer [Te Pati Maori co-leader] work a day for free? Their conduct is grossly disruptive and totally selfish. Cultural nursery rhymes will not improve our economic circumstances. -Additional reporting by Joseph Lose/ EARLIER: Police are preparing for planned hikoi and public gatherings in various locations around the country, including Tauranga and Rotorua today. Te Pati Maori is urging all Maori to go on strike on Thursday and participate in protest action across the country. The Toitu Te Tiriti National Day of Action protesters will be participating in carkois which entails driving slowly across roadways to disrupt traffic flow at peak times. Te Pati Maori encouraged all Maori to leave work and attend the hikoi near their location. Hikoi travel is scheduled to take place from 6.30am around the country and is likely to disrupt traffic in a number of areas, says Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson. "Officers will be highly visible across the roading network throughout the morning and, in some locations, will put measures in place to prevent participants putting themselves and motorists in harms way." In Rotorua, people are being advised to avoid Fenton St/ Amohau St intersection, Old Taupo Rd / Pukuatua St intersection and Lake Rd / Bennets Rd intersection. There is also protest action planned for Tauranga, Thames, Matamata, Opotiki and Whakatane. "Motorists are asked to plan ahead to mitigate any disruption to their travel, including avoiding the areas and seeking alternate routes in the morning," says Mike. "Officers will be highly visible across the roading network throughout the morning and, in some locations, will put measures in place to prevent participants putting themselves and motorists in harms way. "Police are working with organisers to provide advice on lawful behaviour on our roads and public places, as well as any health and safety implications." Mile says anyone travelling for time-sensitive commitments are advised to allow more time for their journey. He says police recognises the right to peaceful protest. "Unlawful behaviour will result in enforcement action, either at the time or following the event if safety issues prevent immediate action." One in three people in the Bay of Plenty were of Maori descent in 2023, and one in five nationwide, Census data released this week reveals. It also shows Rotoruas total population grew 3 per cent between 2018 and 2023 for a new total of 74,058 people, while Tauranga grew 11.5 per cent to 152,844 and Western Bay 10.4 per cent to 56,184. Maori descent data from Census 2023 was presented in Rotorua yesterday morning by Kirikowhai Mikaere - the lead technician for the Data Iwi Leaders Group and pou arahi of its operating arm Te Kahui Raraunga. It is the first time Maori descent information has been included in the first release of Census data on the iwi-designed and operated platform Te Whata. It was described as a historic step by Te Kahui Raraunga and Stats NZ. The Census is the official count of the people and dwellings in New Zealand and is held every five years, most recently on March 7, 2023. Stats NZ says it counts Maori in two ways Maori descent is based on whakapapa while affiliation to the Maori ethnic group is a self-determined cultural affiliation. Census data is used to inform policy development and planning, as well as decisions on services such as healthcare, education, housing, and transport. More than 60 per cent of Rotorua under-25s are Maori Speaking at the Rotorua event, held at the Te Kahui Raraunga office, Mikaere says the national Maori population in 2023 was 978,246 or 19.6 per cent of the New Zealand population. The Maori population increased 12.5 per cent from 869,850 in 2018, while the total New Zealand population increased 6.3 per cent. The age distribution showed 46.5 per cent of Maori in 2023 were younger than 25. Nationally in this age range, almost one in three people were Maori. In Rotorua, it was 60.8 per cent, Mikaere says about three in five. Kirikowhai Mikaere, lead technician for the Data Iwi Leaders Group and pou arahi of its operating arm Te Kahui Raraunga. Photo / Andrew Warner. The median age of the Maori descent population was 27.2 years, more than a decade younger than the New Zealand median of 38.1 years. Bay of Plenty data shows one-third 32.9 per cent were Maori, and the Maori population increased 12.1 per cent from 2018. Maori were close to making up half of Rotoruas population, with 45.3 per cent of residents stating they were of Maori descent, compared to 51.8 per cent indicating non-Maori descent. In Tauranga, 21.9 per cent indicated Maori descent and 24.1 per cent in Western Bay. Maori population young, resilient, and rapidly growing Mikaere (Tuhourangi, Ngati Whakaue) told the Rotorua Daily Post it's important to understand the makeup of communities and to ensure the right types of resources and education were being invested in for this youthful Maori population. I think its really positive that we have a growing population and so I think its understanding how we work together to ensure were creating a safe space for our people for our rangatahi, in a way that means they can aspire to be whatever they want to be. This included investing in options for young people to stay in the Bay of Plenty by being educated and employed here, she says. She says the age demographic data provided key insights for politicians locally and nationally about who the current voters are and future voters will be. The newly released Maori descent data was presented in Rotorua today. Photo / Andrew Warner. In a Te Kahui Raraunga media release, Mikaere says the Maori descent data shows a transformative shift in the make-up of Aotearoa and the Maori population was young, resilient, and rapidly growing. This would suggest that we will see Maori become a dominant part of the future workforce of Aotearoa, enhancing diversity, promoting new ideas, and stimulating creative solutions across industries. Te Kahui Raraunga data apprentice Te Atawhai Amaru-Tibble. Photo / Andrew Warner. Te Kahui Raraunga data apprentice Te Atawhai Amaru-Tibble said the data was important for those making decisions for rangatahi amid a growing young population. The 24-year-old (Ngati Porou, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, Ngati Tuwharetoa) said he expressed his Maoritanga by living and breathing being Maori and supporting Maori kaupapa in a Pakeha world. Just being staunch in who you are, grounded. Overcoming Census trust issue Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa and Ngapuhi ki Whangaroa iwi representative Raniera Kaio says he helped collect Census data in the Far North. Kaio says there is a trust issue among Maori with the Census and the main challenge is making it relevant to those in the region. In mid-2022, iwi representatives ensured data collectors were local and started talking to people at community events. They also used iwi media to publicise the Census as relevant for peoples health, education and households, and their children. He deemed it a success with a higher response rate recorded in 2023 than in the three previous Censuses. Te Kahui Raraunga chairman Rahui Papa speaking at the launch event of the Maori descent data in Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner. In a joint media release from Te Kahui Raraunga and Stats NZ, Te Kahui Raraunga chairman Rahui Papa says sharing the release of 2023 Census data highlighted the positive outcomes that could be achieved through iwi-Crown partnerships. Papa says collecting and hosting data on an iwi data platform was about using Maori stories and data to lead critical conversations with the government, funders, and strategic partners. In the media release, Government Statistician and Stats NZ chief executive Mark Sowden says it worked closely with Te Kahui Raraunga on the Census aiming to help iwi and Maori access and use data about themselves. 2023 Census iwi affiliation data will be released on September 26 and October 31 on Te Whata. -Bay of Plenty Times. Mercedes Navarrete Granada Wednesday, 29 May 2024, 20:25 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads At a time when ammunition is being used in Ukraine at a faster rate than the West is able to manufacture it and when the geopolitical situation has boosted the defence industry worldwide, the Fabrica de Municion de Granada (Granada ammunitions factory) has increased its activity to the highest levels in its recent history. The El Fargue facility is working at full capacity to meet demand since the increase in contracts resulting from European defence aid being sent to Ukraine. "Due to the current geopolitical situation, all defence factories have increased their activity and we are a reference in ammunition, supporting the armed forces of many countries," explained the director of the Granada factory Antonio Caro Chena. Since it was taken over by the Slovakian company MSM Group at the end of 2020, the factory has tripled its workforce and currently employs 287 people, of whom 121 have permanent contracts. 106 are contracted through temporary employment agencies and there are a further sixty sub-contractors including maintenance staff. This is the highest number of workers since 2008. "We have contracts that ensure the workload and stability in the medium term, but also in the long term the company is preparing investments in both new production lines and new products to ensure the future and to continue to be a benchmark factory in our market," says the factory manager. "The company is preparing investments in both new production lines and products to secure the future" On Monday 27 May the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, announced a bilateral agreement that includes the delivery of 1.13 billion euros in military support to Ukraine, which will be used for weapons, especially anti-aircraft systems. The Granada-based company has received no official communication yet, but is convinced that part of this aid will pass through the factory. "As ammunition manufacturers, we are waiting for contracts from the government to fulfil this promise made to the Ukrainian government," said the director. "At a time when Europe is moving towards a common defence policy, this factory has a key role to play". The secretary of the Federation of Industry, Construction and Agriculture of the UGT trade union, Francisco Ruiz Ruano, said that in a province where industry is just 7.5% of its GDP, well below the national average, a factory that generates "stable employment with rights" is very important compared to a service sector linked to more precarious working conditions. He also said that it is "strategic" because of the role that the industry plays in stabilising the population in a "more depressed" area such as El Fargue, Beas de Granada, Viznar, Alfacar and the whole of the north of Granada. For this reason, the trade unionist emphasises the need to demand "responsibility" from the political parties when it comes to mixing politics with the defence industry. He argued that the Granada factory is "very sensitive to political decisions that have a direct impact on employment". This was seen last week with Borkum, the ship which brought raw materials for the Granada factory and other defence companies and left without making a stop in Spain, amid the controversy sparked by the allegation that it was carrying material for Israel. "At a time when Europe is moving towards a common defence policy, beyond Nato, supplies are going to be reorganised and this factory has a fundamental role to play," Ruiz Ruano said. A.T. Seville Wednesday, 29 May 2024, 20:33 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads In the north of Andalucia's Granada province, hidden among mountainous and natural landscapes, lies the picturesque village of Castril. This enclave, located in the Huescar area, sits at an altitude of 890 metres and borders the province of Jaen. It forms the gates of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas natural park. Castril, with its impressive rocky crag declared a natural monument, is a must for nature and history lovers. However, one of its greatest attractions is undoubtedly the series of footbridges over the river Castril, also known as the Cerrada de Castril route. A unique journey along the Cerrada trail The Sendero de la Cerrada de Castril is a unique experience that allows visitors to walk on wooden footbridges along the river Castril. This route, accessible for only 2.50 per person, can be enjoyed both during the day and at night thanks to the lighting in the first section. In addition adventurous visitors can take advantage free entrance from 6pm when the ticket office closes. The route is divided into two distinct sections. The first of these is a walkway anchored in the rock that meanders along the river, offering spectacular views and a feeling of being suspended in mid-air. The second section crosses the river via a short suspension bridge and continues through a tunnel that leads to a natural area. This trail is ideal for those seeking an easy but beautiful walk, although those suffering from vertigo may find it a little challenging. History and nature at every turn One of the first points of interest on the Sendero de la Cerrada is the old hydroelectric power station, known locally as 'la fabrica de la luz' (the light factory). This power station, built into the rock and operational from 1918 until the 1960s, now serves as a multi-purpose hall for Castril town hall. As we advance along the route the wooden footbridge embedded in the rock leads us to a descent to the river where the coolness of the water can be felt. The next highlight is the suspension bridge which offers a breathtaking view of the river from the right bank. After crossing it, we enter a cave with a side gallery, providing a balcony-like view over the river. On leaving the tunnel, the path ends, although the more energetic can extend the walk by an extra two kilometres to reach the village of Castril, which is surrounded by olive trees. Castril, a charming village Castril's charm is not limited to its hiking route. The village, with its white houses decorated with colourful flower pots, offers a picture-perfect postcard view of southern Spain. Its main tourist attractions include the church, the castle (accessible for 3) and the imposing crag that dominates the landscape. A number of strategically placed viewpoints offer panoramic views of the village and its surroundings. Castril is part of the Sierra de Castril, an area of almost 13,000 hectares which was declared a natural park in 1989. This protected environment offers numerous hiking trails making it a paradise for hikers. One of the most outstanding routes is a 143-kilometre trek through the Huescar area, the first stage of which ends in Castril. For those wishing to explore beyond Castril, a trip to the Mirador de Pena Quesada, located less than 15 kilometres away, is recommended. This viewpoint offers stunning views of the Bolera Reservoir and is accessible by car. From here, visitors can enjoy different perspectives of the reservoir, making it an ideal place for photography and contemplation. At this months Vatican Climate Summit, global leaders heard Pope Francis call environmental destruction an offense against God, and Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke about the rising tides, overflowing rivers, and perilous storms we face at home. We are the last generation with a shot at solving the climate crisis, she has said, pressing us to generate wind power, cut emissions, and plant 25 million trees. Now she can put our economic power to work making us a national leader by signing the TREES Act, recently passed by both chambers of the New York Legislature. As a member of the Sisters of Mercy, a 193-year-old global community of 6,000 Catholic sisters, I hope she will. Once she does, New York will no longer spend public funds on tropical forest products, safeguarding an irreplaceable natural resource and storehouse of diversity. Equatorial forests are our oldest living ecosystem, but multinational agriculture aggressively clear-cuts them, pushing out indigenous communities, to raise cash crops like soy, lumber, and livestock. Tropically raised products like beef are widely sold here, including by Costco and Walmart. The New York City metro alone has a bigger economy than Canada. Our state budget is $237 billion. And under the TREES Act, not a single penny more will be spent in forest destruction. Pope Francis has said: The earths resources are being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. As a Sister of Mercy walking in the footsteps of our founder Catherine McAuley, I work alongside my community of Catholic women to address injustice and protect the dignity of marginalized people, as we live out our commitment to the Gospel. Caring for the Earth is one way we honor the gift of life and Gods saving grace. People of faith around the world understand the grave danger of climate change. Islamic institutions call on Muslims to tackle the habits, mindset and root causes of climate change. Environmental concern is an elementary Jewish tenet, shared by people from across the American Jewish religious spectrum. Buddhist leaders note that the world is at a crucial crossroads where our survival and that of other species is at stake. Pope Francis exhorts us to act with urgency, compassion and determination, and with the TREES Act, the Governor can do so in our name with planetary consequences. Protecting what the pope has called those richly biodiverse lungs of our planet, which are the Amazon and the Congo basins and other forests around the world, expresses our loving compassion for the most vulnerable among us who are already suffering the effects of global warming, and for those who will suffer from the changes to come. Manu Balanzino Malaga Wednesday, 29 May 2024, 18:56 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads If you want to enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the beach or the mountains, take note. SUR presents a tour of the rooftop terraces in Malaga province where you can toast with a cocktail or enjoy a dinner at sunset. Some of these rooftops even have swimming pools to cool off during the hottest hours of the day or relax on a sun lounger. In these spaces, good music is the perfect complement to disconnect from the daily routine. But what makes a terrace special? For Mario Rosado, executive chef of the Premium Group: "The most important thing is the atmosphere. It has to be comfortable and offer a good cocktail bar. That's what attracts me when choosing a terrace". La Terraza de San Juan also stands out for its food menu. "A terrace should be a fun place, so the food should also be fun and cosmopolitan," added Rosado. Another crucial aspect is customer service. "The service, the staff and the quality of the cocktails are very important," said Myrian Ortiz, director of the Molina Lario hotel. "Our staff are the hosts and our clients are the best ambassadors," she said. This terrace has three levels and views of Malaga Cathedral. For Ana Garcia, in charge of Barbulla Sky in San Pedro de Alcantara, "a terrace should be a quiet, exclusive place, with views that harmonise with the environment and a clear objective: to break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life". Get ready to discover the most impressive rooftops - will you join us? Malaga city Malaga city has numerous terraces distributed mainly throughout the old town. We start our tour by pressing the lift button to reach the 15th floor of the AC Malaga Palacio hotel. This terrace, known as ATICO Bar and Restaurant, has been open since 2007. "This rooftop stands out for its views, you can have an aperitif, lunch and dinner while watching the Port of Malaga," said Vanessa Mata, head of the dining room. A few metres away is the Terraza de Molina Lario. Don't hesitate to order the Pink Lady cocktail made with gin, rose essence and hibiscus flower: "Customers come here for the cocktail bar. All our cocktails are made with premium drinks and wines from the Designation of Origin Malaga and Sierras de Malaga," said Hugo Garcia, head waiter and sommelier. In the Plaza del Siglo we find the Terraza Catedral. "It's not a cocktail terrace but rather a restaurant at the foot of the Cathedral," said Javier Arbos, head of the establishment. You can't leave without trying the cachopo, a must on the menu. Zoom Molina Lario terrace. The Premium Group has three high terraces: La Terraza de San Juan, La Terraza de la Alcazaba and La Terraza de San Telmo. The first two offer a carefully selected gastronomic offer from the restaurants of each hotel: Bendito and Batik, respectively. La Terraza de San Juan and La Terraza Alcazaba. With frontal views of Calle Larios, there are two proposals: Lolita Skyview, on the top floor of the Only YOU hotel, and, next door, LA7, the rooftop of the Soho Boutique Equitativa hotel. The latter has three areas: two of them on both sides of the building and an imposing balcony for photographing Calle Larios, the main Alameda and the Alcazaba. Zoom Lolita Skyview, in the Only You hotel. Zoom LA7, the rooftop of the Soho Boutique Hotel Equitativa. A few metres away, La Terraza de Valeria is a must for watching the sunset while enjoying a cocktail in this Andalusian-style space. Zoom The Valeria terrace. Continuing along Calle Larios, El Taller de Larios Diez, Terraza Chinitas Club and La Terraza de Larios are three options to see the "manquita" from another view. Zoom The Larios Workshop Near the Plaza de Toros, the Gran Hotel Miramar, the only five-star luxury hotel in the city, has Media Luna Chili Out on the seventh floor, with live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in front of the Malagueta Beach. On Calle Marmoles, Terraza Aurea offers the possibility of taking a bath and relaxing while you look out over the city skyline. Zoom Media Luna Chili Out. SUR The tour ends on the 9th floor of the rooftop of the hotel H10 Croma, which has a hammock area, magnificent views and an exclusive snack menu. Be sure to try the mascarpone glazed doughnut with aged gouda cheese and Iberian ham shavings. Zoom H10 Croma terrace. Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola Torremolinos has two rooftop terraces that are worth a visit. The first stop is the Hotel Melia Costa del Sol. On the top floor of the building, the terrace is "a meeting point between the sky and the sea". Zoom Hotel Melia Costa del Sol. SUR The second stop is the Barracuda Rooftop, at the hotel La Barracuda, which offers a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea from its location on the city's seafront. On the 12th floor of the Benalma Hotel, in Benalmadena, you will find Nix Sky Bar, a spectacular rooftop with a relaxation area, whirlpool and Balinese baths to enjoy all day long, with the best views of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the Hotel Las Arenas has a Sky Bar on the 7th floor with views of the sea and El Bil-Bil Castle. Zoom Hotel Las Arenas Sky Bar. Fuengirola has three essential terraces. One of them is located at the top of the hotel El Puerto, right on the Paseo Maritimo. A few streets away, the Sky Bar Veramar offers a complete menu of cocktails and cocktails while you watch the Fuengirola nightlife. Zoom Hotel Higeron Resort, in Fuengirola. SUR In the Higueron residential development, on the rooftop terrace of the Higueron Resort, you will find the Infinity Pool, a sky-blue pool with 360-degree panoramic views of the Mediterranean and the Costa del Sol. During the day, you can enjoy Balinese beds and, at night, drinks and music in an idyllic atmosphere. Marbella, San Pedro Alcantara and Estepona The renovated Hotel Fuerte Marbella offers a rooftop with two outstanding proposals. The first, designed by Michelin-starred chef Paco Perez, is called The Edge and offers signature haute cuisine. Next to the pool, the Fuerte Rooftop offers a selection of signature cocktails and snacks to share with the possibility of watching the sunset with Gibraltar in the background, weather permitting. Zoom El Fuerte Marbella - Edge by Paco Perez. This season the Obal Urban Hotel opens the 360 Blue Sky Bar with a casual menu with healthy proposals based on local zero-kilometre products, select cocktails and a swimming pool offering panoramic views of Marbella. Zoom 360 Blue Sky Bar. Another option to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea is the Belvue, the rooftop bar of the Amare Beach Hotel located on the ninth floor. Here, the renowned bartender Diego Cabrera, in charge of the Madrid venue Salmon Guru and a member of the list of the 50 best bars in the world, signs the cocktail offer. Don't miss the XO-XO, a combination of gin, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit and Nepalese berries. Zoom Belvue, Amare Marbella. La Fonda Heritage Hotel La Fonda Heritage Hotel, the first Relais & Chateaux establishment in Andalucia, has a rooftop terrace perfect for enjoying the sunset along with local cheeses and cured meats. There's more. The Virazon Rooftop Bar, at the Lima Hotel, and the Terraza Linda, at the Boutique Hotel Linda, add to the options for stargazing in Marbella. In San Pedro Alcantara, Barbulla Sky, the only terrace in the area, open since 2011 and celebrating its thirteenth season this year, stands out. It is the terrace of the Barbulla restaurant, where cocktails such as the Sex on the roof, made with vodka, orange, cranberry and peach, or the classic Moscow Mule, now in full swing, are complemented by dishes from the restaurant such as the Club Sandwich or the guacamole with tortilla chips. From the top, the views take in the Mediterranean Sea, Marbella Bay and the mountainous peak of La Concha. Zoom Barbulla Sky. The rooftop bar at the El Pilar Andalucia hotel in Estepona, Bermeja Views offers views of the historic centre of Estepona. It's the perfect place to enjoy a good cocktail along with a selection of nirigiris and maki sushis, as well as prawn and chicken gyozas or almadraba tuna won-ton toast. Rincon de la Victoria and Nerja Just a few metres from La Cueva del Tesoro, the only visitable sea cave in Europe, is Lacaliza, a terrace that adds to the coastal map. Downstairs, it offers a restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine, while upstairs you can enjoy a refreshing drink in an idyllic setting, the Mediterranean Sea. Zoom Kanema Group is a multiple space in the easternmost town on the Costa del Sol, Nerja. On the ground floor, Kanema Snack offers "a variety of options to share and eat with your hands," said chef Sergio Paloma. It also has a restaurant and at the top of the tower, a terrace with a cocktail menu based on local products. One of the outstanding cocktails is the Kanema Colada, which includes cane honey from Frigiliana. Edurne Martinez Madrid Tuesday, 28 May 2024 | Updated 29/05/2024 15:39h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Demand for train travel is growing in Spain with an increase of almost 17% more trains on high-speed lines in April compared to the same month in 2023 carrying some 35% more passengers. The data was revealed in rail infrastructure operator Adif's bulletin published this Tuesday (28 May), which showed rail traffic reached 69.4 million trains/km between January and April, 6.5% more than a year ago at a general level and 13.6% more on high-speed lines. In 2023, rail traffic in Spain reached an all-time high, but data suggests this record will be surpassed in 2024. Madrid-Andalucia high-speed corridor The high-speed corridor that has experienced the highest growth is Madrid-Andalucia, which has shot up 30% compared to a year ago to 7.7 million trains/km after the arrival of the Italian operator Iryo to this corridor. It is already very close to the figures of the Madrid-Barcelona route, the leader in high-speed train travel, which has grown by 8% again in one year and accumulates 8.5 million train-kilometres. This measure of train-kilometres is the unit used by Adif referring to the use of the line by a train along a kilometre. This large increase makes sense as Iryo entered this route a year ago. Specifically, on 31 March 2023 it opened this route with trains from Madrid to Cordoba, Seville and Malaga, generating a generalised price drop on these routes due to competition with Renfe's AVE, which until then had a monopoly on this line. It is followed by the Madrid-Levante route, which grew by 21% from January to April, and Madrid-Barcelona, by 8%. In addition, the Madrid-Valladolid-Leon-Zamora-Galicia section grew by 7.5%, despite the fact that the first competitor to the AVE entered this route at the end of April, with the arrival of the French company Ouigo on the Madrid-Valladolid route. Syracuse, N.Y. Shirley Winters, a Central New York woman who killed two children, one of them her own, is being housed in a psychiatric facility after getting out of prison because doctors ruled she was a danger to herself or others. Winters, 66, served more than 17 years in prison for the death of a toddler and an infant. Her daughter also believes she killed three of her children by setting a house on fire. Winters was suspected of setting 18 homes on fire over several decades. Winters was released from the Albion Correctional Facility in Orleans County on May 10 because she had served her time. After her release, Winters was moved to a psychiatric facility under state health law. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said two psychiatrists determined Winters was a danger to herself or others. A New York medical certification called two PC (two physicians certification) allows a judge to order the involuntary psychiatric confinement of a person for up to 60 days on the recommendation of two doctors, according to the state Office of Mental Health. A person can be involuntarily admitted if they have a mental illness that requires immediate care and treatment, and if the person is likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others. This includes a risk of physical harm to the person, such as threats or attempts at suicide, or physical harm to others, such as homicidal or other violent behavior. A patient, friend or relative, or the Mental Hygiene Legal Service can request a court hearing to contest the involuntary retention at any time during the 60-day period. A patient may be held involuntarily beyond 60 days if the facility applies for a court order of retention and the court believes the patient continues to meet the standards for involuntary confinement, according to the state mental health office. Once the 60 days are up, Winters case can be reviewed again, Fitzpatrick said. Winters daughter, Joy Winters, had warned a prison parole board that her mother, if released, would commit a crime again. Fitzpatrick said he believes Winters will murder again, despite completing a treatment program while in prison. Its not a concern, but an absolute certainty, that if given the opportunity, she would kill someone again, the DA said. In Onondaga County, Winters killed her 5-month-old son Ronald Winters by smothering him in their Otisco home in November 1980. His death was first ruled as sudden infant death syndrome but later it was ruled a homicide. In November 2006, she drowned 2-year-old Ryan Rivers in a bathtub while visiting a home in St. Lawrence County. Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com Gouverneur, N.Y. A man charged with fatally strangling his cellmate in a medium security state prison in St. Lawrence County has pleaded guilty to a murder charge, prosecutors said Wednesday. Wilfredo Noe, 49, strangled Luigi Cappellino, 26, with a ligature inside a cell at Gouverneur Correctional Facility on June 5, 2023, state troopers said. Cappellino was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at Gouverneur Hospital. On Wednesday, St. Lawrence County prosecutors announced Noe pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A county judge is expected to sentence him to 18 years to life in prison, they said. His sentencing is scheduled for July 29. Noe was serving an up to 10-year sentence for a 2017 first-degree assault conviction in Kings County at the time of Cappellinos death. His earliest release date for the assault was next May, according to state prison records. Cappellino, who was in prison on drug and gun charges, was scheduled to get out of prison in June 2024, state records show. Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him at falba@syracuse.com. Syracuses urban neighborhoods continue to face public health challenges. Multiple indicators are chronically among the highest in the nation and communication with isolated residents is difficult. In response to this acute need, Syracuse Community Health and CNY Jazz continue to pursue their innovative partnership to provide equity and access to family health services using the arts as a mobile platform, CNY Jazz in the City. The series will feature six concerts in different parts of the city throughout June, July and August, along with a Healthcare Village connecting people with services. Iconic regional funk and soul groups Atlas and The BlackLites appear perennially, Albanys Alex Torres y su Orquesta will again serenade the Near West Side with salsa, Peter Lins AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Jazz Collective will serve the international North Side, Smooth Jazz Billboard chart-topper Double Bass Experience will perform at the new health center, and the contemporary jazz double bill of Art Sherrod Jr. and Lin Rountree conclude the series in Thornden Park. Every three-hour concert features opening acts drawn from local urban music and dance organizations including 1Accord Line Dance, La Familia de la Salsa, C-Jack Run Showcase, and the Adanfo Ensemble, followed by main attractions featuring iconic regional groups and the best urban contemporary jazz artists in the nation. All events are free and open to the public. No alcohol is served. A robust family of health and human service agencies travels with the music series, led by SCH medical professionals providing access to mobile testing, screening, counseling, personal physicians, and more, incentivized with NYS Lottery scratch-offs. Many other agencies, volunteer health efforts, advocacy groups, minority crafts and ethnic food vendors provide a concert fair vibe to every event. New this year is the inclusion of the LeadSafe CNY Coalition to the village, a major new partner adding their presence to provide face-to-face education and awareness information to children and families. Kinney Drugs comes aboard to emphasize their vaccination services, and On Point for College joins to provide counseling on making college, training, and careers possible. We are pleased to partner with CNY Jazz for the Jazz in the City 2024 Public Health Festival Concert Series, said Syracuse Community Health COO Jessica Yoxall. This partnership provides a platform for our community to access vital health information with a focus on eliminating health disparities, while enjoying local vendors and community talent. Through collaboration with CNY Jazz and other community-based organizations, we highlight the importance of preventative care and screenings to promote positive health outcomes. By increasing awareness and expanding health education, we together, can achieve health equity and enhance the quality of care in Onondaga County. Mayor Ben Walsh said: Jazz in the City brings together the best of our neighborhoods, music and culture, all through the goal of creating healthy connections. I look forward to seeing our neighborhood parks and public spaces buzzing with friends, families and music throughout the summer, and I thank Syracuse Community Health and CNY Jazz for continuing to forge a healthy, happy Syracuse. My thanks go out to the dedicated family of concerned stakeholders that come together to put this effort over the top, all of our sponsors, village members, and the Syracuse Police Department, over and over, for more than 20 years, said Larry Luttinger, organizer of the series. Its an honor to lead this effort for Dr. Reid, his staff, and everyone else who contributes. This is Syracuses all-hands-on-deck, move the needle effort to provide public service equity to its residents in need. And need I say that at its core is an incredible concert series showcasing the best national, regional, and community talent? Other agencies and sponsors include Community Bank, Wegmans, Dunk & Bright, Syracuse Police Department, New York Offices of Mental Health and People with Developmental Disabilities, Onondaga County Health Department, Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, YMCA Health, Vera House, Geddes Federal Savings & Loan, Circare, CSEA, Health Education Network, Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, Tops, AMR, Syracuse Housing Authority, CNY Arts, and Onondaga County. Important support at the state level is supplied by Senator Rachel May and Assemblymembers Al Stirpe and Pam Hunter. Jazz in the City Concert Schedule All events are Thursday 6 to 9 p.m. Syracuse, N.Y. The city of Syracuses efforts to shut down unlicensed marijuana sellers is facing renewed pushback in court after a shop accused of selling weed pre-emptively sued the city over its enforcement policies. The landlord at The Herbal Center on the North Side filed a lawsuit last week asking a judge to prevent the city from shutting down its operation, saying the city doesnt have the authority. The next day, the city filed its own suit, claiming The Herbal Center is operating an weed lounge and selling cannabis without a state license, making those activities illegal. Update: Rock band cancels reunion tour after onstage fight: Our hearts are broken For the first time in 14 years, the original members of the alt-rock band Janes Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery will perform together on a newly announced tour across North America. The band will be joined by English alt-rock band Love and Rockets, best known for their hits So Alive and No New Tale to Tell. The two bands will co-headline 23 cities, beginning on August 9 in Las Vegas, ND and concluding on September 26 in Indianapolis, IN. How to get Janes Addiction & Love and Rockets tickets: Various presales began Tuesday, May 28, at 10 a.m. ET and will run through Thursday, May 30. To purchase presale tickets, select your preferred date on Ticketmaster and use the code REDEMPTION for early access. The general sale begins Friday, May 31 at 10 a.m. ET. By the time the general sale begins, Ticketmaster will likely have limited standard admission seating available for select dates. However, greater availability and deals are offered by Vivid Seats, SeatGeek or StubHub. Janes Addiction & Love and Rockets tour dates: Las Vegas, NV - Fontainebleau Las Vegas - August 9, 2024 (TICKETS) San Diego, CA - Gallagher Square at Petco Park - August 11, 2024 (TICKETS) Inglewood, CA - YouTube Theater - August 13, 2024 (TICKETS) Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre - August 15, 2024 (TICKETS) Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory - August 18, 2024 (TICKETS) Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall - August 19, 2024 (TICKETS) Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP - August 21, 2024 (TICKETS) Durant, OK - Choctaw Grand Theater - August 23, 2024 (TICKETS) New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore New Orleans - August 25, 2024 (TICKETS) Jacksonville, FL - Dailys Place - August 27, 2024 (TICKETS) Tampa, FL - MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre - August 29, 2024 (TICKETS) Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live - August 31, 2024 (TICKETS) Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater - September 3, 2024 (TICKETS) Portsmouth, VA - Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion - September 5, 2024 (TICKETS) Atlantic City, NJ - Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena - September 7, 2024 (TICKETS) New York, NY - The Rooftop at Pier 17 - September 10, 2024 (TICKETS) Boston, MA - Leader Bank Pavilion - September 13, 2024 (TICKETS) Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater - September 15, 2024 (TICKETS) Toronto, Ontario - Budweiser Stage - September 18, 2024 (TICKETS) Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Amphitheater - September 20, 2024 (TICKETS) Milwaukee, WI - BMO Pavilion - September 22, 2024 (TICKETS) Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom - September 24, 2024 (TICKETS) Indianapolis, IN - Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park - September 26, 2024 (TICKETS) Upcoming 2024 rock concert tours: While Janes Addiction & Love and Rockets hit the road, other rock legends are on tour too. Be sure to check out these artists while you still can: The Beach Boys, Journey & Toto, and Styx & Foreigner. 2024s music festival season has officially begun and its time to start planning for an unforgettable summer of music, art and one-of-a-kind experiences. With dozens of big festivals to look forward to in the upcoming months, it can be hard narrow-down all the choices, but weve compiled the top 20 best summer music festivals you dont want to miss. No matter which music genres you gravitate toward or where you reside in the country, theres something for everyone to enjoy this summer. Below, you can find everything you need to know about this years must-see music festivals, including dates, headliners and where to get the best deals on tickets from platforms like Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. Its important to note, ticket prices and availability are noted at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Related: Summer concerts in Upstate NY: A huge list of shows for 2024 (tickets, info) Roots Picnic Beginning in 2012, the annual Roots Picnic music festival was created by Philadelphia hip-hop group The Roots and celebrates the citys musical, artistic and cultural background by spotlighting local and big names in hip-hop, rap and R&B. When: Saturday, June 1 - Sunday, June 2, 2024 Where: The Mann at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA Headliners: Jill Scott, Nas, Lil Wayne & The Roots, Andre 3000, Gunna Tickets: One-day and two-day general admission tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Summer Jam Summer Jam is an annual, one-day music festival hosted by New York-based radio station Hot 97FM and features New York and national acts in hip-hop and R&B. When: Sunday, June 2, 2024 Where: The UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York Headliners: Sexyy Red, Doja Cat & Friends, French Montana, Davido and more Tickets: Ticketmaster has limited standard admission seating available, but greater availability and deals are offered by Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. CMA Fest CMA Fest is an annual, four-day country music festival in Nashville, TN, hosted by the Country Music Association (CMA). The festival features a lineup of country musics biggest artists across ten stages, including the Nissan Stadium and the Ascend Amphitheater. When: Thursday, June 6 - Sunday, June 9, 2024 Where: Nissan Stadium & Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, TN Headliners: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, HARDY and more Tickets: One-night and four-night tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Ticketmaster also has limited standard admission seating available. Governors Ball Governors Ball, also known as Gov Ball, is an annual, three-day, multi-genre music festival in New York City. This year, 60+ of the worlds best artists in rock, pop, indie, hip-hop and more will be featured across three stages, in addition to games, activities and New Yorks hottest restaurants and food trucks. When: Friday, June 7 - Sunday, June 9, 2024 Where: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NYC Headliners: Post Malone, Rauw Alejandro, The Killers, 21 Savage, SZA, Peso Pluma Tickets: Three-day, two-day and one-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Bonnaroo is an annual, four-day, multi-genre music and arts festival in Manchester, TN. The festival takes place on a 700-acre farm across multiple stages and features performances from the biggest names in rock, hip-hop, pop and more, in addition to comedy, theater, film and activities. When: Thursday, June 13 - Sunday, June 16, 2024 Where: Great Stage Park in Manchester, TN Headliners: Pretty Lights, Fisher, Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fred Again.. Tickets: One-day, two-day and four-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Summerfest First held in 1968, Summerfest is an annual, nine-day music festival featuring more than 600 artists across 12 stages on the shores of Lake Michigan. In addition to live performances from a star-studded lineup, the festival offers local cuisine and one-of-a-kind experiences. When: Thursday, June 20 - Saturday, June 22, 2024 | Thursday, June 27 - Saturday, June 29, 2024 | Thursday, July 4 - Saturday, July 6, 2024 Where: Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, WI Headliners: Kane Brown, Motley Crue, SZA, Illenium, Tyler Childers, Keith Urban, AJR, Maroon 5, Lil Uzi Vert Tickets: One-day and individual headliner tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats and StubHub. Three-day, nine-day and VIP tickets are also available through the Summerfest website. Electric Forest The 12th annual Electric Forest music festival will be held in Rothbury, MI and feature dozens of electronic music and jam band artists across seven stages, as well as curated art, cuisine and experiences. Camping is encouraged. When: Thursday, Jun 20 Sunday, Jun 23, 2024 Where: The Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, MI Headliners: Everything Always, Pretty Lights, Subtronics, Excision, Nelly Furtado, Ludacris and more Tickets: One-day and four-day general admission tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Additional add-ons and packages are available through the Electric Forest website. Barefoot Country Music Fest Barefoot Country Music Fest is an annual, four-day country music festival on the sandy beaches of Wildwood, NJ, between the famous Moreys Piers. The festival features more than 40 country music stars, both headliners and up-and-comers, across five stages. When: Thursday, June 20 - Sunday, June 23, 2024 Where: Wildwood, NJ Beach Headliners: Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Kane Brown, Old Dominion, Bailey Zimmerman, Jake Owen Tickets: One-day, three-day and four-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. Levitate Marshfields local surf and skate Levitate is putting on its 11th annual Levitate Music & Arts Festival, featuring roots, reggae, folk rock and funk music performances from big stars to local artists. When: Friday, July 5 - Sunday, July 7, 2024 Where: The Marshfield Fairgrounds in Marshfield, MA Headliners: Sublime, Mt. Joy, Dirty Heads, Lake Street Drive, Tash Sultana Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Rock The South First held in 2012, Rock The South is a country music festival and community celebration founded in the aftermath of the 2011 Super Outbreak that struck Alabama as a way to raise money to rebuild the community. The festival has continued ever since and has become one of the biggest country music festivals in the country. When: Thursday, July 18 - Saturday, July 20, 2024 Where: York Farms in Cullman, AL Headliners: Eric Church, Hardy, Jelly Roll, Parker McCollum, Oliver Anthony Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Pitchfork Music Festival The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual, three-day, multi-genre music festival featuring performances from a star-studded lineup across three stages. In addition to music, the Pitchfork Festival also includes cuisine and art from local, regional, and national vendors. When: Friday, July 19 - Sunday, July 21, 2024 Where: Union Park in Chicago, IL Headliners: Black Pumas, Jai Paul, 100 gecs, Jaime xx, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jessie Ware, Alanis Morissette, Brittany Howard, MUNA Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seat, StubHub or SeatGeek. Newport Folk Festival One of the earlier modern music festivals, the Newport Folk Festival was first held in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The annual three-day American folk-oriented music festival takes place in Newport, RI. When: Friday, July 26 - Sunday, July 28, 2024 Where: The Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI Headliners: Orville Peck, Sierra Ferrell, Hozier, MUNA and more Tickets: One-day, two-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Lollapalooza Lollapalooza is an annual, four-day music and arts festival featuring the biggest names in alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. The festival is one the largest and longest-running the country. When: Thursday, August 1 - Sunday, August 4, 2024 Where: Grant Park in Chicago, IL Headliners: Tyler, The Creator, Hozier, SZA, Stray Kids, The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Blink-182, Melanie Martinez, Skrillex Tickets: Four-day and one-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. Hinterland Music Festival Hinterland Music Festival is an annual, three-day music festival held at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater in St. Charles, IA. One of the largest festivals in Iowa, the festival features live music, beautiful scenery, camping, art and crafts. When: Friday, August 2 - Sunday, August 4, 2024 Where: Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater in Saint Charles, IA Headliners: Hozier, Vampire Weekend, Noah Kahan Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Outside Lands Outside Lands is an annual, three-day multi-genre music and arts festival held in Franciscos Golden Gate Park. The festival features live music, art, cuisine, wine and cannabis and is the largest independently owned music festival in the country. When: Friday, August 9 - Sunday, August 11, 2024 Where: Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA Headliners: Tyler, The Creator, The Killers, Sturgill Simpson, The Postal Service, Grace Jones, Kaytranada, Jungle, Chris Lake, Gryffin Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub or SeatGeek. Louder Than Life Louder Than Life is an annual, four-day heavy metal music festival held in Lousville, KY. This year is the festivals 10th anniversary and will feature more than 140 artists, from well-known headliners to underrated up-and-comers. When: Thursday, September 26 - Sunday, September 29, 2024 Where: Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY Headliners: Slipknot, Slayer, Motley Crue, Korn Tickets: One-day and four-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. All Things Go Music Festival First held in 2014, the All Things Go Music Festival is one of Marylands largest music festivals. This year, the festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary and will feature 36 of the biggest names in rock, pop, indie, hip-hop and more. When: Saturday, September 28 - Sunday, September 29, 2024 Where: Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD Headliners: Laufey, Bleachers, Janelle Monae, Hozier, Renee Rapp, Conan Gray Tickets: One-day and two-say tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek for this sold out festival. Soundside Music Festival Soundside Music Festival is Connecticuts biggest music festival, spanning two days and taking place along the beautiful banks of the Long Island Sound at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT. The festival features 20 artists on one stage and some of the best local cuisine Connecticut has to offer. When: Saturday, September 28 - Sunday, September 29, 2024 Where: Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT Headliners: Noah Kahan, Foo Fighters, Goo Goo Dolls, Fleet Foxes, Boyz II Men, Queens of the Stone Age, Norah Jones, Teddy Swims Tickets: One-day and two-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. Austin City Limits Inspired by the music series of the same name, Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual multi-genre music festival that takes place in Austin, TX, on two consecutive three-day weekends and features more than 100 live performances across nine stages. When: Friday, October 4 - Sunday, October 6, 2024 | Friday, October 11 - Sunday, October 13, 2024 Where: Zilker Park in Austin, TX Headliners: Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Dua Lipa, Pretty Lights, Tyler, The Creator, Sturgill Simpson and more Tickets: One-day and three-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. Aftershock Festival First held in 2012, Aftershock Festival is an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival in Sacramento, CA. The festival will feature a jampacked lineup of familiar and new names across five stages. When: Thursday, October 10 - Sunday, October 13, 2024 Where: Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA Headliners: Slayer, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Slipknot, Disturbed, Judas Priest and more Tickets: One-day and four-day tickets can be purchased through Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek. New York Donald Trump engaged in a conspiracy to hoodwink voters in 2016, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday during closing arguments in the former presidents hush money trial, while a defense lawyer branded the star witness as the greatest liar of all time and pressed the panel for an across-the-board acquittal. The lawyers dueling accounts, wildly divergent in their assessments of witness credibility, Trumps culpability and the strength of evidence, offered both sides one final chance to score points with the jury before it starts deliberating the first felony case against a former American president. Red Hook, N.Y. A student was hit by a car and killed Saturday night hours after graduating from college in Upstate New York. Linh Hong Nguyen was on a sidewalk in Red Hook, a village in the Hudson Valley, when a 2017 Ford Fusion drove onto the sidewalk and struck her, the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office said. The accident happened around 10:20 p.m. on North Broadway near Cherry Street. Nguyen, of Red Hook, died at the scene, deputies said. She was 25. The deadly crash happened hours after Nguyen graduated from Bard College, a private college in Annandale-on-Hudson. Nguyen, a pianist, received her master of music in instrumental studies during the colleges commencement Saturday, the Bard College Conservatory of Music said. Frank Corliss, director of the Bard College Conservatory, said Nguyens quiet nature belied the power and virtuosity of her piano playing. She was a young musician of deep personal ambition in the best sense of the word, the director said in a statement on Facebook. She was deeply curious about the greater musical world and about her future place in that world. Nguyen grew up in Vietnam, the conservatory said, and was excited to begin earning her doctoral degree at Stony Brook University in the fall. The name of the driver of the car that struck Nguyen was not immediately released. The driver was not injured, deputies said, and is cooperating with the investigation. Speeding appears to have caused the crash, deputies said. Although no charges have been filed yet, the investigation is ongoing. 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. The idea of some sort of national service to meet the challenges and threats of the times has been kicking around for some time. Service chiefs have been looking at conscription and concepts such as total defence by Finlands citizen soldiers but none of them would work for the UKs security needs and social and political complexity. Norway has a selective, sponsored scheme. Young Norwegians have to register for service, but last year only 17 per cent of the cohort, 9,840 young recruits were chosen. For most it is like winning a top scholarship, given the qualifications and experience acquired in the year in the ranks. Unsurprisingly one fifth sign on as regulars rather too many a Norwegian general confessed recently to a British colleague. Another model is Finlands total or comprehensive defence whereby citizens are obliged to train initially for national defence, and to refresh with courses and training weekends every year. It means the standing army of 24,000 can expand to 280,000 within a month of mobilisation. Its not surprising, given Finlands 833-mile border with Russia. The UKs armed forces are undermanned, and underfunded, for the increasing number and complexity of tasks being given them. Conventional warfare in Ukraine, Gaza, the Red Sea and beyond is now distinctly unconventional. Main battle tanks and attack helicopters are now all but useless in the age of the pervasive drone. Aggression and armed threat from space, cyber space and across the ocean floor may appear invisible, abstract even, but they now affect our economies and daily life. We need professional armed forces to cope with the six dimensions of conflict of at least 150,000. Crucially we need a properly stood up professional reserve of anywhere between 25,000 and 40,000 for a whole range of support roles many non-military for backing first line responders in disasters and emergencies. Compulsory service in uniform is not the answer. The last time it happened in Britain from 1948 to 1963, it led to bitterness and frustration, not least in the professional military. The Covid pandemic lockdown has sharp lessons about practical social resilience, and volunteering which seem yet to be learned in Whitehall and Westminster. Nearly a million volunteers came forward initially but none in government seemed to have a clue about the highly professional job of organising them. We are now facing the phenomenon of increasing reluctance by young people to engage in public service and employment a feature across all ageing societies, it appears. The trick is now to offer a raft of sponsored opportunities. Instead of coercion and compulsion, school and college leavers should be offered sponsored places in a range of occupations and services with only 20,000 going to the police or military on a competitive basis like that in Norway. The key is to boost the reserves which have been shamelessly mismanaged and neglected by governments of all parties for decades. Above all the offer must be one of opportunity, not compulsion. Politicians need to talk up the prospects from such schemes for a more secure and hopeful future, and not just a wheeze to mitigate the loop of doom which now besets so much public debate. Heres a weird footnote. The two great global military powers, America and China, hold reserve legislation for compulsory military service the draft but they dont use them. They have more than enough volunteers to fill their ranks. Cybernews leaked hashed emails, over 71M accounts were leaked in 2023. In 2022, there were more than 144M. Based on the Personal Data Leak Checker tool , a 500GB database of, over 71M accounts were leaked in 2023. In 2022, there were more than 144M. According to the Cybernews tools findings, in 2023, 3336 websites were breached in the ten most-breached countries 19% less than the 4138 breached websites in 2022. To get a feel for the scope, there were an average of 278 successful website breaches per month in 2023 in the ten most-breached countries. Threat actors can steal email addresses, passwords, credit card numbers, and other data from companies, buy personal data on darknet marketplaces, or steal it directly from you as part of a hack. Even with a small amount of leaked data, malicious actors can steal other credentials, try to use the data for phishing attacks, spam or even ruin a persons finances or reputation, Cybernews Head of Security Research Vincentas Baubonis warns. USA and UK remain among most targeted Personal data leak checker statistics show that the five most breached countries in 2023 were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, India, and Canada. Its important to note that this list of the top ten countries breached in 2023 is made according to the number of breached websites, not breached accounts, in each country. The country that has been most targeted over the past two years is the United States. Despite that, we see a positive trend overall, as the number of breached websites and accounts decreased in 2023. The number of breached websites decreased by almost 13% and breached accounts by 19%. The number of breached accounts has also fallen in the United Kingdom from 1.9M to 1.25M, and successful attacks on websites have been reduced by 18%. Global improvement visible In France, the number of breached websites fell by almost 18%, and 88.6% fewer accounts were breached in 2023 compared with 2022. Meanwhile, in 2023, 524K Canadian accounts were affected, a halved number from 2022, leaving Canada the fifth most breached country on the list. In tenth-ranked Brazil, the number of breached websites dropped by 19%. Breaches of Indian accounts fell from 10M to slightly more than 3M. Compared to 2022, Germany dropped to 6th from 4th place in the top ten list. Meanwhile, Colombia rose from 13th to 8th place with 311 breached websites in 2023. Decreasing numbers are seen in all ten countries on the list, except for Spain. Although the number of breached websites decreased, the number of breached user accounts grew by slightly more than 19,000 in 2023 compared to 2022. According to Baubonis, online breaches are usually followed by certain suspicious activity that users should treat as warning signs that one or more of their accounts have been breached. You could start getting more spam messages than usual, receiving two-factor authentication notifications on mobile devices or password reset notifications. If you notice one or more of the warnings mentioned above, change the password for all your accounts that use the compromised email address. Also, get a reliable password manager to generate strong passwords and use two-factor authentication (2FA), the researcher recommends. Bottom line: The US Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on the shady individuals behind the notorious 911 S5 botnet hacking operation. This malicious network of compromised residential computers was a key resource for cybercriminals looking to cover their tracks. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three individuals Yunhe Wang, Jingping Liu, and Yanni Zheng as the ringleaders of the 911 S5 botnet scheme. They also blacklisted three Thailand-based companies owned by Wang that were involved in laundering the proceeds of the criminal activities. The 911 S5 was essentially a massive network of hacked computers that cybercriminals could rent out to mask their true location and identity online. By piggybacking on these compromised residential IP addresses, the crooks could make it appear their nefarious activities were originating from an innocent victim's device rather than their own systems. In 2022, security firm KrebsOnSecurity published a deep dive into how this network was operating. It notes that since 2015, 911 S5 built its vast proxy network by offering seemingly innocuous "free" VPN services that stealthily conscripted users' Windows PCs into routing illicit traffic. The firm observed that the network's huge footprint of compromised systems close to potential victims made it the premier option for cybercriminals seeking that "last mile" connection to pull off various online frauds and heists. Now, the US Treasury notes that a staggering 19 million IP addresses were ensnared globally. The botnet's users submitted tens of thousands of fraudulent applications for pandemic relief funds like the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act programs, swindling the US government out of billions. The network's hijacked IP addresses were even linked to a wave of bomb threat hoaxes across the country in July 2022. Wang was the primary administrator running 911 S5, a review of records from network providers utilized by the botnet showed. The virtual currency payments from 911 S5's criminal users were converted to US dollars by Liu and then laundered through bank accounts in her name. These funds were used to purchase luxury real estate properties for Wang. Zheng facilitated many of these shady transactions as he acted as the power of attorney and legal representative for Wang and his company Spicy Code. Zheng participated in business transactions, made payments, and acquired real estate like a beachfront Thai condo on Wang's behalf. Wang, Liu, and Zheng are all Chinese nationals. The three sanctioned companies are based in Thailand. The bust was coordinated with the FBI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Commerce Department's export enforcement arm, and law enforcement partners in Singapore and Thailand. Leaky Pipes: Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques try to improve the quality and, more frequently, quantity of keywords to "game" Google's algorithms and climb to the top spots of search result pages (SERPs). Nobody except Google knows exactly how those algorithms work, but a recent leak could shed light on some of the internet's most guarded secrets. Google's automated bots recently committed some confidential documentation on GitHub, describing how to use the company's Content Warehouse API. The commit seems to be a mistake, and Google later tried to undo the leak, but the effort was unsuccessful. The cat is now out of the bag, and SEO experts are examining the leaked documentation to try and uncover what the Content Warehouse API does. Erfan Azimi, CEO of SEO company EA Digital Eagle, was the first to spot Google's documentation. He later disclosed it to other SEO specialists. The Content Warehouse API appears to be a tool intended for internal use by Google personnel. The errant commit reveals some previously unknown details about how Google's search engine works and the many thousands of attributes used by the Content Warehouse API. Google Search classifies web content using more than 14,000 different attributes. However, there are no details about how much "weight" every attribute has in search indexing. The leaked documents also refute some of Google's previous statements about search, such as click-centric user signals not being considered in content indexing. Google said subdomains are considered separately in rankings, but the Content Warehouse documentation doesn't support that assertion. Some other contradictions include using a sandbox for newer websites, assigning an "authority score" to give a site a higher position in SERP, and more. It also uses some questionable measurements in its site rankings. For example, one of Content Warehouse's modules uses Chrome views as a website quality metric. So, sites with more visits from users using Chrome will rank higher, with all other factors being equal. Many professional SEO experts and analysts will likely study Google's Content Warehouse documentation over the next several weeks, despite being one of the most controversial industries related to internet search. So far, Mountain View has provided no official statements about the potentially devastating leak. However, rest assured that it has engineers working overtime trying to mitigate the consequences of the leak. Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust In brief: Samsung Electronics will soon face something it has never dealt with during the company's 55-year history: a worker strike. Union representatives have called for the industrial action after talks over wage increases broke down. The National Samsung Electronics Union, which has about 28,000 members, or little over a fifth of the company's total workforce, will ask members to collectively use a day of paid leave on June 7. The union has not ruled out a full-scale strike at a later date. "We can no longer tolerate labor oppression and union oppression. We are declaring a strike, given the management's attitude of ignoring workers," the union said. Talks and negotiations between the union and management have been taking place since January without the sides managing to agree on wage increases. The union wants a 6.5% rise, an additional day of annual leave, and a bonus linked to the company's earnings. Samsung said it would increase wages this year by 5.1%. Reuters writes that Samsung workers have been intermittently participating in protests in recent weeks outside the company's offices in the capital city Seoul as well as outside its chip production site in Hwaseong, south of Seoul. Samsung Group only allowed unions to represent its workers in 2020 after its chairman was prosecuted for market manipulation and bribery. A strike couldn't come at a worse time for Samsung Electronics. The company replaced the head of its semiconductor business last week in response to it falling behind in the development of high-bandwidth memory chips needed for AI and HPC systems, a move it called a "pre-emptive measure" to ensure it remains competitive. Although its net profit was up during the first quarter, Samsung's share of the chip foundry business has shrunk in recent years from 18% to 12% as rival TSMC's expanded from 50% to 59%. A coalition of five unions at Samsung affiliates, including another Samsung Electronics union, said they would not be joining the strike. The coalition said in a statement that the move appears to be part of efforts to join a combative umbrella union, rather than to improve workers' conditions. Samsung Electronics says it will continue to negotiate with the union. In a nutshell: If you bought an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus that suffered from microphone issues, you may be eligible to receive between $50 and $349 as part of Apple's $35 million class action settlement. If you believe you are entitled to a payment, make sure to file your claim before the June 3, 2024, deadline. To be eligible for some money, you need to be a US resident and have proof of ownership of an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus between September 16, 2016, and January 3, 2023. You also need to have reported the audio issue to Apple within that time frame or paid from your own pocket to fix it. If you satisfy all the aforementioned conditions, head over to the class action lawsuit's official website and file a claim within the stipulated time frame. To file a claim, print out and fill in the Payment Attestation Form, then mail it to the Philadelphia address provided on the website. You will also have to inform the Settlement Administrator of how you want to receive the payment. The offered modes include electronic check, physical check, and ACH transfer. In addition, the claimants will need to provide their email address along with banking information or mailing address for the payment's distribution. Do note that if you choose to stay in the Settlement Class, you will give up the right to sue Apple in a separate lawsuit for the same issue. You can opt out of the settlement and retain your right to sue Apple later, but in that case, you will not be entitled to receive any payment from this settlement. You could also object to this settlement by writing to the court about what you don't like and what you think needs to happen for you to accept it. The court overseeing the case has yet to decide whether to approve this settlement, so your letter could still influence the decision. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2019, alleged that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus had a faulty audio chip that resulted in various issues, including problems with hearing the person at the other end of the line during voice calls. The issue was initially attributed to a buggy iOS 11.3 rollout before it was established that it was due to a malfunctioning audio IC. Apple eventually offered free repairs for all affected devices, but that didn't stop disenchanted owners from going to court. Why it matters: Robots have been crucial to the cleanup of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was destroyed in 2011 by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The machines have saved human workers from radiation exposure by going into areas otherwise accessible. Now, Tokyo Electric Power Company is embarking on its next stage of robotics use: the removal of melted fuel. On March 11, 2011, disaster struck Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant when a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan, killing 15,900 people. The 50-foot tall waves hit the nuclear power plant, destroying its diesel generators that powered the coolant-circulating pumps, resulting in three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions, and widespread radioactive contamination at the site. Since then, operators have deployed robots to explore inside the reactor buildings and to convey images back to engineers, reducing their risk of radiation exposure. For example, the quadruped robot Spot, developed by Boston Dynamics, has collected data, shot video, measured radiation doses, and gathered debris samples for radiation testing. Drones are not ideal for these tasks because their rotor blades can kick up dust and debris, spreading contaminated materials. While Spot has proven helpful for many tasks, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) has long known that decontaminating the high-dose radiation area inside the reactor buildings and removing fuel debris from the reactor would require a specialized robot. The day for those next-level tasks is approaching, and engineers finally have a bot for the job after two years of delays. This week, TEPCO demonstrated a robot equipped with tongs used to retrieve tiny bits of melted fuel debris from the three damaged reactors. In the demo, the robot slowly descended from a telescopic pipe to a pile of gravel and picked up a stone. Crews will put the robot to use later this year in one of the reactors, marking the first attempt to remove melted fuel contamination from the site since the 2011 disaster. About 880 tons of highly radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain at the site. The cleanup crew will remove less than 3 grams of debris in a test at reactor 2. Researchers wish to study the melted fuel debris before TEPCO proceeds with the decommissioning. In context: Sony's PS VR2 is unquestionably one of the better virtual reality headsets on the market. It is highly competitive with Meta's Quest 3 in price and performance. However, for a device costing about $500, the PS VR2's biggest weakness is its PC incompatibility. The lack of PC support was one of the most vocally griped about aspects of the device and likely was part of the reason Sony didn't sell as many as expected. Locking it into a proprietary platform might have been its biggest mistake. So in February, with sales at a trickle, Sony finally saw the error of its ways and promised PC compatibility by the end of 2024. We are beginning to see Sony fulfilling the first steps in that promise with a recent regulatory certification in Korea. First spotted by VR enthusiast and EOZ VR's mixed-reality project manager Brad Lynch, the filing lists a PC adapter for the PS VR2. The headset is plug-and-play with the PlayStation 5 via USB-C a standard on nearly every PC released for at least the last five years. Sony is certifying an adapter to allow PSVR2 hardware to work on PCs pic.twitter.com/JFQDJVW7NP Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) May 29, 2024 So, the device doesn't require a connectivity adapter; it needs a piece of hardware that translates the PS5-based communication of the device to something a PC can understand. It will likely come in the form of a hub or, if it is small enough, a USB-C-to-USB-C or wireless dongle. My guess would be the former to ensure the best performance. Other than the adapter's existence, nothing else is known about it. Guessing at a price is purely speculative, but I would venture that Sony will bundle it with new headsets and offer it free upon request to those who already own the device. It did something similar with its first-generation PSVR headset to make it compatible with older PlayStation cameras. A PS VR2 PC adapter could be just what Sony needs to pull its headset sales out of the toilet. Initially, Sony priced units at $550. It has since dropped the MSRP to $450. Meanwhile, Meta's Quest 3 still sells for $500 to $650 at Best Buy, so Sony's price point for an arguably better headset is very enticing, especially for those just jumping into VR gaming on the PC. Image credit: Trusted Reviews North Korea's quest to advance its space and missile capabilities took a notable turn on Tuesday with an attempted satellite launch involving a new rocket using safer fuel, reportedly developed with Russian assistance. The launch occurred on Tuesday, May 28, however quickly ended in failure, with debris falling into the Yellow Sea just two minutes after liftoff, as reported by the South Korean military. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the launch vehicle as a "new-type satellite carrier rocket" without specifying the model (via Nikkei Asia). This latest attempt followed North Korea's series of satellite launches in 2023 using the Chollima-1 rocket, which saw mixed results, including two failures and one likely success. North Korea Upgrades Rocket Technology A critical improvement in this launch was the use of a newly developed engine running on a combination of liquid oxygen and a petroleum-based fuel, believed to be kerosene. This represents a notable shift from the hydrazine-based fuels previously used in North Korea's rockets. Hydrazine, while effective, is highly toxic and poses severe risks during the fueling process. The development of this new rocket likely took at least two to three years, according to experts. Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University, suggested that North Korea may have acquired the new engine from Russia, conducting several test firings before the latest launch. This development aligns with promises made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to support North Korea's satellite program during a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September 2023. Read Also : North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Seen Here Driving New Battle Tank South Korea and Allies React to North Korean Rocket Launch The launch's timing, coinciding with a trilateral summit in Seoul involving China, South Korea, and Japan, stresses a number of geopolitical implications. Some analysts believe North Korea delayed the launch until after Chinese Premier Li Qiang's departure from South Korea. Following the launch, South Korea's military highlighted its cooperation with the United States and Japan, deploying Aegis-equipped ships in the region and sharing information. The United Nations Security Council has long imposed restrictions on shipments of kerosene and other petroleum products to North Korea to curb its missile and nuclear programs. This launch is part of North Korea's broader strategy to bolster its reconnaissance capabilities and military prowess. Kim Jong Un has announced plans to launch three more spy satellites later this year, which aim to enhance surveillance of US troops in the region and improve North Korea's targeting capabilities. International reactions have been swift and critical following the failed launch. Bloomberg reports that the US, South Korea, and Japan have called on North Korea to cease its launch activities, stating that the technology used for these rockets contributes to Pyongyang's ballistic missile program, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The launch also fuels concerns over North Korea's military cooperation with Russia, amid allegations of munitions being sent to aid Russia's efforts in Ukraine-a claim both nations deny. Stay posted here at Tech Times. A cross-party group of 50 influential politicians have urged foreign secretary Lord Cameron to end the UKs punitive and unfair ban on direct flights to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The letter was sent to the foreign secretary as last ditch effort before Parliament is dissolved for the general election but had the support of Labours Jack Straw and Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith among others. The move comes as Cyprus divided island is set to mark 60 years since the crisis which saw them split into rival parts and is still to be resolved. While the move is too late to influence the current government policy of not allowing flights or recognising the elected government in the TRNC, MPs, former MPs and peers hope that it will be a prompt for whoever wins the next election. Jack Straw supports direct flights to the TRNC As Labours foreign secretary Jack Straw oversaw the failed talks on the Annan Plan in 2004 which would have reunited the island but failed despite the north voting in favour because the Greek Cypriots in the south rejected the proposals in a referendum. He has spoken of his regret of the UK allowing Cyprus into the EU a week later when the Annan Plan had been a condition of entry. The parliamentarians past and present wrote to Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, raising serious concerns over the treatment of the TRNC and calling for the commencement of direct flights from the United Kingdom to Ercan International Airport - the largest airport on the island of Cyprus. They want the foreign secretary to end one of the most restrictive policies of any country in Europe when it comes to air travel to Ercan. MP and peers wrote to Lord Cameron (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire) They point to the UK allowing flights to non-UN member states such as Kosovo, and to countries that it doesnt recognise such as Taiwan. The question is why not to northern Cyprus? They claim that air travel to the TRNC is not a risk and there is no history of poor safety. They claim that Ercan Airport abides by international aviation security standards, and safely hosts hundreds of thousands of passengers each year. But the parliamentarians from across parties have also warned that if the UK continues to fail to engage with the TRNC, it will risk letting countries such as Russia and Iran do so instead - fundamentally challenging the UKs strategic foothold in the eastern Mediterranean. The letter follows a call for action from the 300,000 strong Turkish Cypriot diaspora and comes as a new general election has been announced. Turkish Cypriots, their friends and families, will also be putting pressure on both the government and other major parties to commit to ending this unjust situation. The campaign has been spearheaded by TRNC president Ersin Tatar who has also led calls for a two state solution. Chet Ramadan, founder of Freedom and Fairness for northern Cyprus, said: It is time that the UK ends their regressive ban on flights to the TRNC. This is something that was promised 20 years ago and has yet to be fulfilled. Around 300,000 Turkish Cypriots live in the UK, and 15,000 British expats live in Northern Cyprus. The onerous and unnecessary flight rules only create a cruel burden for those wishing to visit family members or go on holiday. UK parties must commit to allowing direct flights to restart and we will repeat this call to whoever forms the next government. Such a move, though, will fiercely be resisted by the Cypriot government on the south of the island which is the recognised state and could threaten repercussions with the UKs relationship with the EU. The events six decades ago are still angrily disputed with Turkish Cypriots accusing the Greek Cypriots of starting the conflict with a military coup which aimed to unite Cyprus with Greece. This followed with what has been described as an attempt at ethnic cleansing with attacks on the Turkish Cypriot communities. Both sides had heavy losses in the conflict which followed with Greek Cypriots accusing Turkey of invasion and subsequent occupation of its territory in the north. The authorities in the TRNC insist that the Turks intervened to prevent Turkish Cypriots from being massacred and have remained as a protection force. Numerous attempts to bring the island, which gained independence from Britain in 1960, back together in a federal system have failed. Turkeys President Recep Erdogan now supports the TRNC demand for a two state solution, which is opposed by Cyprus, the UK and EU. Google is now sharing its Gemini AI with Opera, and the latter browser company recently confirmed this to arrive at its Aria AI, with it getting the multimodal capabilities from the renowned model. Gemini will share its AI capabilities with Opera's Aria under a limited release, centered on the AI capabilities and features available from Google, including Imagen 2. On top of that, users may choose which AI technology or model to use on their browser, offering various integrations from the company, Google, and more. Google's Gemini is Coming to Opera's Browser The latest blog post from Opera announced its partnership with Google, which brings over the Gemini AI to the Opera browser and powers its current AI assistant, Aria. This collaboration with Google Cloud will deliver the renowned multimodal model, best known for being touted by Google as its most powerful model yet, centering on up-to-date information and more. Opera revealed that for 20 years, Google and their company have cooperated on the internet landscape. Now, both are widening their work towards improving more of the AI features on their browsers. Gemini will be accessible as part of Opera's multi-LLM Composer AI engine, which will decide what is best applicable for the user and their needs, choosing which AI model is the perfect fit. Aria Gets Gemini: AI, Imagen 2, and MORE Aria has received Gemini now, and it offers features, including AI Feature Drops, which deliver the latest experimental developments in the space for users to try. Gemini will also bring its renowned Imagen 2 model that runs on Vertex, offering Google's AI image generation to users. Gemini on Opera's Aria is now accessible via the Opera One Developer version. AI on Browser: Google and Opera Last year's AI revolution saw OpenAI's ChatGPT lead the world with its sweeping presence. While it stands alone, it has become a massive product integrated among various technologies. Among the many partners it had, Kunlun Tech's Opera received the ChatGPT integration, which allows users to experience various features and functions right on the platform. However, it was not the only one planning that. The renowned internet company Google followed up with Gemini, offering the multimodal model to its search engine for improved capabilities. This is Google's renowned AI search product, and it centers on employing Gemini to bring users search results, help make them understandable, and summarize the content. Gemini has had its ups and downs since it was released last December, with some recent releases from Google facing massive scrutiny. However, it is still one of the top choices for multimodal AI technology. The recent partnership between Opera and Google aims to deliver Gemini for Kunlun Tech's niche browser, with Aria powered by Gemini, which could be the choice for the web browser platform's operations. There is now a fan-made LEGO Apple Store that popped up online, and it captures what Cupertino embodies and represents in its renowned company and technological developments, with the store making it available to the public. That being said, Apple Stores are as unique as they come, and while some are regular-looking only, they still offer a slice of the company for users to be in touch with. Fan-Made LEGO Apple Store Captures Cupertino's Spirit Among the latest submissions on the LEGO Ideas program was a fan-made LEGO Apple Store now available on the website, capturing the renowned spirit that Cupertino embodies. The creator, @legotruman, created the LEGO Apple Store in collaboration with @2A2A and claimed they wanted to capture the stores' iconic, simplistic, and minimalistic clean design. While there are various unique Apple Store locations worldwide, this LEGO creation is centered on a brick-built retail shop that centers on two huge Apple logos in LEGO style, offering a combined look of various iconic store locations. It also offers a unique interior featuring the latest iPhone, iMac, and MacBook, several accessories like packages and headphones on its shelves, Ficus trees, and staff members in blue shirts. Read Also : Maryland Apple Store Workers Rally for Better Conditions as They Authorize First Strike Is the LEGO Apple Store Available For Sale? The LEGO Apple Store is still an idea from its creators submitted to LEGO, and this means that it is not yet available for sale as a set from the renowned company. However, the set submitted to LEGO Ideas implies that it needs to gather enough traction (10,000 supporters) for LEGO to review it and have it available for purchase. As of this writing, it has 1,740 supporters, and there are 600 days left before the project vetting ends. Apple Store: Unique In Its Way Face it, there are no other companies like Apple, and it is known for sticking closely to its brand, identity, and what it embodies for the world, with an extension of its spirit available on Apple Stores worldwide. Back at the height of the pandemic in 2020, Apple opened its physical retail store in Singapore, which was touted as its "most ambitious" yet, a massive orb floating atop the water in front of Marina Bay Sands. In another international location, Cupertino integrated its Apple Store into Italian heritage by transforming a 19th-century spot and restoring it to deliver the Apple Via del Corso Store in Rome. Speaking of heritage preservation, the Apple Tower Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles also embodies the landmark's original features, with Cupertino integrating its retail store. After facing massive pandemic restrictions, these Apple Stores that were born amidst it are now available to visit and for the world to see for themselves. They are known for their unique experiences, which are available even for regular ones. In a fan's take, the Apple Store is represented in LEGO, offering a regular but distinctive design for the retail store. Should it reach the required level of support, it could be purchased as a set to build. Colorado Springs School District 11 is now reportedly using artificial intelligence to solve its ongoing school bus driver shortage, optimizing bus routes, arrival times, and even driver pay. The lack of qualified school bus drivers around the country has left many students without dependable transportation. According to research by the Economic Policy Institute, the number of bus drivers in K-12 schools worldwide fell to roughly 192,400 in 2023-a 15.1% decrease from 2019. District 11 had budgeted for roughly 110 bus drivers at the start of the school year, but they could only hire about 60. Ridesharing business HopSkipDrive built the AI system under test, and the school district teamed with RouteWise AI to address the problem. According to Joanna McFarland, co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive, the company's AI looks at every type of vehicle-bus, car, van, and school-to find the best routes. McFarland adds that the AI can create a first draft of routes in hours and finish them throughout the weekend. District 11 currently runs roughly 55 bus routes. Drivers who offer ridesharing services have received specialized training and undergone stringent background checks. A school district the size of D-11 would have to pay roughly $50,000 to use that AI tool, according to HopSkipDrive. The software saved the district over half a million dollars last year. District 11 reported improved on-time arrivals, a nearly 50% reduction in bus routes, and greater driver compensation after eight months of employing the AI program. Without the service, Superintendent Michael Gaal claimed that student education would have suffered. He was able to preserve the jobs of at least ten instructors because of the financial savings from the program. School Bus Driver Shortage Solutions The current school bus driver shortage has caused numerous school districts to employ many ways to solve the ongoing crisis. Just at the start of May, the St. Louis school district reportedly looked to pay some families to drive their kids to school to offset the shortage. Families with a history of chronic bus absences this school year are reported to receive gas cards from the school district for the next two weeks. For the final two weeks of instruction, any family in the district willing to provide transportation for their kids can get $75. AI Against Transportation Issues Globally, AI is being used to improve transportation shortages. Reservations, driver dispatches, and overall operations management will be improved by the booming technology announced this past Tuesday, May 28, by a volunteer ride program in New Brunswick. Urban/Rural Rides is a nonprofit that provides transportation services to seniors, low-income families, and those with modest disabilities. By the end of the year, the software will be accessible throughout the province. According to Executive Director Kelly Taylor, the ride-booking and volunteer driver assignment processes will run much more smoothly thanks to technology. The government of New Brunswick declared on Monday that it will commit $2 million over four years. Blaise Transit, a Montreal-based software provider for transit networks, will collaborate with Urban/Rural Rides on the project. Porsche has unveiled its highly anticipated first hybrid model, featuring an all-digital instrument cluster on a 12.6-inch curved display that incorporates CarPlay data more thoroughly. This digital cockpit arrangement does not yet include Apple's 2022 wireless CarPlay. The German car maker's spokesperson, Frank Weissman, said the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is like the newest Cayenne, Panamera, and electrified Macan systems, according to The Verge. The hybrid car also includes Android Auto. Its dashboard has a 10.9-inch display for drive modes, driver-assistance systems, and the instrument cluster screen. 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS: Faster, More Efficient Moreover, Porsche's Communication Management infotainment system streams videos that support both Apple and Spotify Music when the car is parked. The 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is powered by a newly constructed 3.6-liter boxer engine and a 1.9-kWh lithium-ion battery, which is the same size and weight as a 12-volt battery and reportedly enables an electric turbocharger and air conditioning compressor, improving fuel efficiency. A Porsche test driver lapped Germany's Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 17 seconds in the new hybrid variant, 8.7 seconds faster than the 911 Carrera GTS. The Nurburgring's difficult layout shows that the hybrid's handling remains sharp despite batteries and electric motors. The 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS debut coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Porsche 911, which was introduced in 1964 as a more powerful and bigger successor to the Porsche 356. Production began one year after its debut. According to CNN, the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS hybrid's starting price is roughly $165,000. Read Also : Tesla Is Being Investigated Over Bay Area Factory Toxic Emissions, Sued Over Alleged Health Harms Check out what else the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS has to offer in this video: Porsche Addresses Sales Problems in China The new Porsche model's debut comes as US electric vehicle sales decline due to expensive pricing and unreliable public charging infrastructure. In contrast, hybrid sales are rising due to the EV issues mentioned. Moreover, Porsche is working with local dealers to adapt to China's rising competition in the electric car market. The German carmaker is discussing customer service and business goals with Chinese dealers but has not provided specifics. Porsche and other Western automakers' EV sales in China have suffered from local competition. Tesla revealed that China-made EV sales were falling due to China's real estate crisis, which is lowering prices and hurting dealers and manufacturers. Porsche is facing unhappy dealers in China for its disappointing sales performance. They also want compensation for losing money on EVs, as TechTimes previously reported. Data indicate that China received 25% of Porsche's deliveries in 2017. Last year, Porsche sales in the country declined 15% and went down 24% in the first quarter of this year. Moreover, customs delays cut North American supplies by 23%. Non-Chinese manufacturers struggle as Chinese automakers like Geely, displace international names in showrooms. A dealership near Shanghai replaced Nissan's Infiniti with Geely's Zeekr cars and SUVs. China's fourth-largest dealer network, Yongda Auto, has converted some facilities into "Zeekr Houses" to adapt to the market. Chinese dealers are choosing domestic EV manufacturers, gaining market share quickly, and adjusting to new sales methods. ByteDance and TikTok's fight against the United States law that would ban them now has its hearing set for September, with both sides of the lawsuit presenting their arguments to the court. This lawsuit is challenging the law, which was approved earlier this year, in favor of designating TikTok as a foreign entity and requiring it to sell to an American company or face the ban. The law is known for prioritizing the United States and its citizens' safety, particularly given the growing advancements and threats from China and other countries. TikTok Lawsuit Against US Ban Set for September TikTok has been given a schedule for a hearing to present its oral arguments regarding its lawsuit against the US for the law that could ban them, according to a Reuters report. The US Court of Appeals gave this date for the District of Columbia, one that would present both sides of the coin in court, with the country's Department of Justice also given a chance to defend their case. It is known that a lawsuit will follow once the bill is passed into law, and TikTok did not waste any time in serving the US with this lawsuit to oppose this "unconstitutional" ban. It also coincides with the lawsuit that US content creators have filed against the country for the same topic: the looming TikTok ban. Read Also: TikTok Faces Lawsuit From Nebraska Over Allegations of Deceptively Targeting Teens TikTok vs. the US and Its Law: No Divesting It is known that the 'Foreign Adversary' law will not outright ban TikTok, but it will give ByteDance as little as six months to find a buyer for its continued operations in the country. This also stems from the US government's beliefs that it relays American data to China, with its Chinese operations having access to it. However, despite everything said and done, ByteDance and TikTok stand firm against divesting. A TikTok Ban is Coming? The United States is divided on the recently approved law, best known as the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications law, which can ban TikTok and other internationally-owned entities. According to a poll, the younger generation opposes the law that could ban TikTok, while adults support this as per their response. Experts are now dwelling on the matter, saying that TikTok has the upper hand in the upcoming lawsuit the company will try against the United States. This is because there is the belief that ByteDance and TikTok will bank on the US Constitution's First Amendment clause that focuses on the right to free speech, with several courts sharing the same sentiments as the experts. TikTok has since made it clear that it has no plans to divest ByteDance to continue its operations in the country. It would rather fight the US instead of parting ways with its parent company. This fight that TikTok talked about is happening soon this September, with both sides giving their take on the law, but it remains unknown how it will turn out despite another lawsuit from creators now in the US. Scientists have reportedly created an artificial intelligence-powered bilingual brain implant that turns a stroke survivor's brain activities into sentences, whether in Spanish or English. Thanks to the years-long work of almost a dozen experts from the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses, the man's brain activity could be translated into sentences in both languages and displayed on a screen. The individual is identified as Pancho by an article describing their results that was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on May 20. Following a stroke in the early 2000s, he was left severely crippled at the age of twenty. Though he is unable to speak clearly, Pancho may groan and grunt. As an adult, he acquired English language skills, initially speaking Spanish. According to the study, this breakthrough represents a significant advancement, as previous efforts to decode speech from brain activity have only succeeded in decoding one language. In February 2019, Pancho underwent a neural implant under the supervision of Dr. Edward Chang, a neurosurgeon who also serves as co-director of the Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses. This enabled scientists to begin monitoring Pancho's brain activity. According to NBC, researchers trained Pancho's implant to decipher words based on the brain activity generated when he tried to speak them, using an AI technique called a neural network. Through AI training, the brain implant, often referred to as a brain-computer interface device in scientific circles, can process data like the human brain. By 2021, technology had made great strides toward helping Pancho speak again, if only in English. Nonetheless, Pancho's brain implant later became bilingual in Spanish and English because of the decoding system developed based on the study from 2021. Read Also : New AI Headphones Let Users Listen to One Person in Crowd by Filtering Only Unwanted Noise, Looking at Them Just Once AI Decoding Bilingual Brain Activity Years after Pancho was paralyzed, the scientists found that his brain retained "cortical activity" in both languages. This finding allowed them to develop a bilingual brain implant instead of training separate language-specific decoding systems. Scientists set out to demonstrate that in 2022. Once more, they used an artificial neural network to train Pancho's brain implant on the distinct neural activity that his bilingual speech produced. Their results showed that Pancho could participate in a discussion using the bilingual decoding system that powered his brain implant, alternating between [both] languages when he felt like it. AI Restoring Voices Pancho is just another example of how artificial intelligence continues to be used to restore communication for unfortunate patients. Most recently, a patient named Alexis "Lexi" Bogan lost her voice due to an operation involving the removal of a life-threatening tumor near her brain. August saw the successful removal of a potentially fatal tumor from the back of her brain by surgeons. A month later, after the breathing tube was removed, Bogan struggled to say and swallow words, finding it difficult to even say "hi" to her parents. Her speech is still affected after months of intense rehabilitation, making it difficult for friends, relatives, and even strangers to understand her attempts at communication. However, Lexi changed in April and began to sound more like herself. However, it was an artificial intelligence-produced synthetic voice accessible through a mobile app rather than her voice. Using a short audio clip from her adolescence, the AI produced an incredibly lifelike voice. Sources claimed she can now direct the software to speak anything she wants using her artificially realistic-sounding voice by simply tapping her phone. The clip originated from a school project's cooking demonstration film. Bogan and many medical experts from the Lifespan hospital network in Rhode Island are hopeful about a prospective application that justifies the possible hazards. Bogan is the sole person with her ailment and one of the first examples of successfully restoring a lost voice utilizing OpenAI's most recent voice engine technology. Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner recently discussed why OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired. She explained that last year's turmoil at OpenAI was due to a breakdown of trust caused by Altman's dishonesty, which made it impossible for the board to have confidence in him. Criticizing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, AI Safety Management Helen Toner, a former board member of OpenAI, recently revealed that the company's board was unaware of the ChatGPT launch until it was publicly released in November 2022. The board only found out about ChatGPT through Twitter. Toner's revelation came shortly after she co-authored an article with Tasha McCauley, another former OpenAI board member, criticizing the company's governance. This was the first time Toner publicly addressed the circumstances surrounding Sam Altman's dramatic firing last year and his swift reinstatement following employee protests. In a podcast, Toner, now the director of strategy at the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown, criticized the OpenAI CEO for obstructing the board's duties. She accused Altman of withholding crucial information, misrepresenting facts, and occasionally lying to the board. Toner also claimed that Altman concealed the company's ownership structure, failing to disclose his ownership of the OpenAI startup fund while presenting himself as an independent board member with no financial interest. These actions severely undermined the board's trust in Altman, leading to serious discussions by October 2023 about whether to remove him from his position. Toner strongly criticized Altman's handling of AI safety concerns, stating that he frequently provided the board with inaccurate information regarding the company's safety procedures. This misinformation made it virtually impossible for the board to assess the effectiveness of these safety measures accurately or identify necessary changes. Response of OpenAI As a response, an OpenAI spokesperson directed to the statement made on The TED AI Show. Bret Taylor, OpenAI's current board chief and co-CEO of Salesforce, expressed disappointment that Toner continues to address these issues. He noted that an independent review of Sam Altman's dismissal found that the previous board's decision was not related to concerns about product safety, security, development pace, financial matters, or communications with investors, customers, or business partners. The specific reasons behind Altman's unexpected dismissal last year remain unclear, fueling speculations in Silicon Valley. Last November, OpenAI made headlines by dismissing Altman and appointing Mira Murati, the company's chief technology officer, as interim CEO. The sudden announcement surprised employees, with many learning the news through the company's blog post. According to OpenAI's statement, Altman's removal followed a thorough review process that determined he had not been transparent in his communications with the board. However, Altman was reinstated to the board in March by a temporary group that included Bret Taylor, economist Larry Summers, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Instacart CEO Fiji Simo, former Sony executive Nicole Seligman, and Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. German auto giant Volkswagen has announced plans to develop a low-cost electric vehicle (EV) model to compete in the growing EV market, which is riddled with Chinese EV makers with inexpensive models. According to Reuters, Volkswagen aims to manufacture electric cars for the European market that cost about 20,000 euros ($21,746). The company also said that a 2027 global debut was scheduled. The project, known as ID.1, is being launched when Chinese competitors, some of whom have a 30% cost advantage over their Western counterparts, are pushing their way into Europe to take market share and challenge top automakers there. Volkswagen noted that the project would rely heavily on localization in Europe, which would lower component transportation routes and emissions. Volkswagen warned last week that the industry's viability in Europe was in jeopardy unless the European market was given two to three years to prepare for the competitive challenge. Volkswagen is presently implementing 10 billion euros worth of savings and cost-cutting initiatives at its namesake brand by 2026 as part of these efforts. According to Thomas Schaefer, head of Volkswagen's brand, the projected entry-level model would set benchmarks in terms of technology, design, and quality despite its low price point. He said this had become more difficult because of rising labor, raw materials, and energy expenses. China's BYD in Europe The plans' announcement came a few days after recent reports said that a new inexpensive EV from China's BYD Co. will be introduced in Europe next year, worrying local automakers. The Chinese automaker disclosed last month that the Seagull hatchback will debut in the European market next year. Wireless phone charging and a spinning touch screen are just two of the luxurious features included in this $10,000 car. Martin Sander, the leader of Ford Motor Co.'s European EV division, is one individual who is uneasy about the new rival. He said the company is looking closely at this model and others made by Chinese EV makers. BYD officials expect the Seagull to sell in Europe for less than 20,000 ($21,500) even after tariffs and adjustments to comply with European standards. The design, technology, and high build quality that BYD put in the Seagull at a reasonable price has earned praise. Read Also : Shares Soar for Chinese EV Giant Xpeng After Growth Forecasts BYD Against Europe Tariffs Michael Shu, managing director of BYD Europe, revealed earlier this month at a London industry conference that the company plans to introduce a more costly 25,000 EV even before the city car. Since BYD intends to construct two regional factories, it will survive any EU levies intended to impede its growth. After meeting with automakers' CEOs, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was amenable to BYD opening a store in France. As a result, the two planned facilities were announced. Le Maire reaffirmed France's commitment to industrial initiatives and greeted BYD and the larger Chinese car sector in the nation with great warmth. Le Maire made his remarks during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent state visit to Paris, where he said that the Chinese auto sector, including BYD, "are very welcome in France." North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has acknowledged this week's failed satellite launch but urged his military scientists to pursue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities. North Korea's Kim Jong Un Reacts to Failed Satellite Launch In his speech at the Academy of Defense Sciences in Pyongyang on Tuesday, Kim Jong Un emphasized the importance of these capabilities in countering the military activities of the United States and South Korea. The Associated Press reported that this marks Kim's first public remarks regarding the failed satellite launch. Kim also issued a warning of unspecified retaliatory measures against South Korea following an exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border, which occurred just hours before North Korea's failed launch. Kim denounced the South Korean response as "hysterical" and a "very dangerous provocation" that cannot be ignored. Amid escalating tensions between the two neighboring countries, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that North Korea has commenced the release of numerous balloons carrying waste toward the South since Tuesday evening. This action is believed to be a retaliatory response to South Korean activists who have been flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border. North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang II announced over the weekend the intention to distribute "mounds of wastepaper and filth" across border areas and other regions of South Korea. This action is described as a "tit-for-tat" response to the leafletting activities conducted by South Korean activists. Kim visited the Academy of Defense Sciences a day after a rocket carrying North Korea's second military reconnaissance satellite exploded shortly after liftoff. The country's aerospace technology administration noted that the explosion might have been linked to the reliability of a newly developed rocket engine fuelled by liquid oxygen and petroleum. Read Also : North Korea Advances Rocket Technology with Russian-Supplied Safer Fuel Despite Latest Launch Failure Retrieving North Korean Balloons Amid Rising Tensions As of Wednesday, the South Korean military reported the discovery of over 150 North Korean balloons scattered across various regions of the country. Military rapid response and explosive clearance teams are currently retrieving these balloons. Civilians are strongly advised against touching any objects from North Korea and immediately report to the military or police if they find them. There have been no immediate reports of damage resulting from the balloons. However, in 2016, similar activities involving North Korean balloons damaged cars and other properties. Tensions between North and South Korea have escalated significantly in recent years, with South Korea increasing the frequency of military demonstrations and joint exercises with the US and Japan since 2022. The unsuccessful satellite launch is a blow to Kim's ambitions to deploy three additional military spy satellites this year. This setback comes after North Korea successfully placed its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit last November, following two previous failed attempts. Lenovo has launched its latest initiative, "Meet Your Digital Self," under its Work For Humankind project. This new endeavor showcases the potential role of AI and advanced technology in assisting mental health professionals and addressing the growing mental health crisis among young people. This project primarily focuses on the challenges faced by Generation Z, who often experience a disconnect between their real and online lives. AI Avatars of Lenovo for Mental Health Support In this unique social experiment, Lenovo utilized AI technology across its devices, including mobile phones, PCs, and cloud services. This technological integration created lifelike avatars of two Gen Z participants, allowing for unscripted and natural discussions. Lenovo claimed that the experiment enabled meaningful dialogues between the participants, their families, and the avatars. These discussions revealed aspects of the participants' online lives, such as career choices and gender identity, which family members either were unaware of or did not fully understand. According to Lenovo, by interacting with the avatars, families gained insights into their loved ones' true selves, leading to a better real-life understanding. The avatars were crafted to resemble the participants and were built to engage in real-time conversations, adjusting their responses, tone, and expressions based on the interaction. This was achieved by training the avatars on data collected from the participants' online personas. Lenovo's research found that nearly half of Gen Z believe talking to a trained professional could help them communicate more openly with loved ones. To extend mental health support, Lenovo has partnered with several organizations, including Shout in the UK, Crisis Text Line in the US and Puerto Rico, and Anata no Ibasho in Japan. Lenovo said that these organizations train people, who are then supervised by mental health professionals and give support to those in need. Read Also : Motorola Unveils New AI Features and Adaptive Display Devices at Lenovo Tech World 2023 Lenovo Devices Used in the Experiment Lenovo further noted that with their consent, the digital avatars were created using data from the participants' social media, blogs, and forum activity. This data was securely integrated and trained to develop the avatars using Lenovo's comprehensive range of devices and solutions. This also marks the first time Lenovo's technology has been used to create such avatars. The devices and solutions include Lenovo ThinkStation workstations, ThinkCentre desktop computers, and Lenovo Legion, ThinkBook, and Yoga laptops, as well as Lenovo tablets, ThinkVision monitors, Motorola Razr smartphones, ThinkEdge Edge Server, and AI Professional Services, among others. "Technology can become the bridge that shortens distances, making powerful human-to-human connection faster and more accessible to people in moments of need," Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer at Crisis Text Line said in a press release. "Whether someone is in a classroom, at a family event, or lying awake at night, the power of a text conversation with another human offers solace in anonymity and compassion without judgement. It is truly brave to reach out for support," he added. China is hellbent on competing with other foreign chipmakers and surpassing them in the semiconductor industry with its third state-backed investment fund. The country aims to steer away from international dependence to carve its own name in this tech sector. This is also projected to boost its A-game to achieve chip sovereignty, according to TechCrunch. China's Big Fund For Semiconductor Industry The National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, known as "the Big Fund," has undergone impressive growth since it was built. Big Fund I, active from 2014 to 2019, set the groundwork, while Big Fund II (2019 to 2024) expanded the initiative with increased investment. The newly established Big Fund III surpasses its predecessors with a massive 344 billion yuan (approximately $47.5 billion), reflecting China's intensified efforts to dominate semiconductor production. Related Article : US to Invest $75 Million in South Korean Firm Absolics to Build Computer Chip Factory in Georgia China's Drive for Semiconductor Self-Sufficiency The substantial size of Big Fund III, exceeding expectations, signals that China won't stop until it becomes the top semiconductor country in the making. This development follows Huawei's increased reliance on Chinese suppliers and highlights the ongoing chip war between China and Western nations. Both sides aim to reduce dependence on each other, with China focusing on securing its supply chain. What Taiwan Contributes to the Global Chip Industry A major concern for China is Taiwan's dominance in chip manufacturing. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) produces around 90% of the world's most advanced chips. It's also the go-to chipmaker for big companies like Nvidia and Apple. Control over Taiwan's semiconductor capabilities would significantly impact the U.S. and its allies. However, sources indicate that companies like ASML and TSMC have contingency plans to disable chip-making machines if China invades Taiwan. What China's Chip Strategy Mean to US China's advancements in chip production, especially in legacy chips used in cars and appliances, have drawn attention. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently highlighted that China produces about 60% of these chips. The chip war encompasses both legacy and advanced chips, yielding mixed results. U.S. policy, aimed at restricting China's access to cutting-edge technology, faces challenges and potential backfires like what IG's market analyst Hebe Chen said in a recent interview with Reuters. Chen said that a semiconductor giant like Nvidia could be torn "between maintaining the Chinese market and navigating U.S. tensions." The Big Fund Might Be Hindered By Internal Issues The announcement of Big Fund III led to a surge in stock prices for Chinese semiconductor companies poised to benefit from the new capital. However, previous investments by Beijing have not always yielded the desired results. Issues such as corruption and the slow pace of semiconductor development have posed challenges. The former head of the Big Fund was removed due to corruption, highlighting internal obstacles. Despite these challenges, China remains committed to advancing its semiconductor capabilities. Meanwhile, Western innovations continue to evolve. For example, French deep tech startup Diamfab is developing diamond semiconductors aimed at supporting the green transition in the automotive industry. China's establishment of Big Fund III is a glaring sign that it's determined to achieve semiconductor independence. Of course, the chip war won't be an easy battle to conquer as more countries are already ahead of the race. Read Also: South Korea Launches Probe After Two Samsung Employees Exposed to Radiation at Chip Factory Accounting giant PwC has recently signed an agreement with OpenAI to become the artificial intelligence company's first resale partner and largest enterprise user. Announced on Wednesday, May 29, this partnership will see PwC offering ChatGPT Enterprise to both its employees and clients, integrating advanced generative AI into business operations. PwC Inks Deal to Provide OpenAI's ChatGPT-4 and AI Tools to Workforce PwC, one of the world's leading professional services networks, will distribute OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise to 100,000 employees across its U.S., U.K., and Middle Eastern offices, TechCrunch reports. This rollout comes as part of a broader initiative by PwC to enhance its technological ecosystem and scale AI capabilities across its business services, the company said in a recent blog post. OpenAI launched the enterprise tier of ChatGPT in August 2023. This version of the generative AI tool is designed specifically for business use, offering faster interactions, custom model building, enhanced analytics, and additional tools. OpenAI says that in just 9 months since ChatGPT launched, over 80% of Fortune 500 companies have started using it. Some of the early users of the ChatGPT Enterprise version include major companies like Block, Canva, Carlyle, Estee Lauder, PwC, and Zapier. In addition, last year PwC's Global Tax and Legal Services teamed up with OpenAI and Harvey to train and use foundation models for services related to tax, legal matters, and human resources. This partnership represents the first resale model for OpenAI's enterprise offerings. Read Also : OpenAI Sees Mobile Revenue Surge After Paid Access to GPT-4o A Closer Look Richard Hasslacher, OpenAI's global head of alliances and partnerships, emphasized the strategic value of this partnership: "PwC is the first partner that we are leaning into in this way. PwC becomes our largest customer, but they're also our first partner who's going to be reselling ChatGPT enterprise." PwC has already been integrating generative AI into its operations, building custom tools around the technology. By transitioning to ChatGPT Enterprise, PwC aims to focus more on outcomes, workflow, and business process transformation, rather than merely assembling APIs for employee experiences. What's Next? By adopting and reselling ChatGPT Enterprise, PwC can enhance its service offerings in audit, tax, and consulting, providing clients with advanced AI solutions. This move aligns with PwC's broader push into AI, including a planned $1 billion investment over three years to expand and scale its AI capabilities. One of the critical questions around generative AI has been its long-term viability and real-world application. Bret Greenstein, PwC's partner and generative AI leader, pointed out that while it is challenging to quantify daily usage, engagement with PwC's internal training tools for AI has been high, with a 90% engagement rate. This suggests strong internal adoption and the potential for a significant impact on client services. Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, and the exact pricing for ChatGPT Enterprise remains unspecified. However, estimates suggest a substantial cost, potentially around $60 per seat per month, indicating a significant investment by PwC. OpenAI, facing high operational costs due to the computing demands of its generative AI products, is increasingly looking to enterprise sales and premium subscriptions as revenue streams. Stay posted here at Tech Times. The Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) has announced a one-day strike on June 7, marking the first time Samsung Electronics workers in South Korea will walk out over a pay dispute. The union, representing 28,000 workers, which is just under a quarter of Samsung's domestic workforce, has called for the strike following failed negotiations over pay and bonus arrangements, Reuters reports. Samsung Union to Stage Walk Out Over Pay Dispute A Samsung flag (R) flutters outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2024. Samsung Electronics said on April 30 that its first-quarter operating profits had risen nearly tenfold year-on-year -- a 931.8 percent increase -- amid recovering chip prices and growing demand. The announcement was made during a live-streamed press conference on the union's official YouTube channel. The NSEU has expressed frustration over the company's lack of willingness to negotiate fairly. Union representatives expressed that the company's unwillingness to negotiate is no longer acceptable, and they are committed to advocating for workers' rights and interests. Son Woomok, a union leader, stressed the significant presence of NSEU members in Samsung's key semiconductor division. Son told CNN that they are calling for transparent and equitable performance bonuses and wage increases. He added that there has never been a proper wage negotiation, and outcomes are typically announced unilaterally by the labor-management council, which does not include union representation. Read Also : Samsung Plans to Outsource 25% of Smartphone Production to Chinese Companies Samsung Union's Demands, Samsung's Response The union's demands include not only wage increases but also more transparent performance-based bonuses and an additional day of annual leave. These demands follow a 5.1% wage increase offered by Samsung earlier this year, which the union found insufficient. In response to the strike announcement, a Samsung spokesperson told CNN that, "The company remains committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union and is making every sincere effort to come to an agreement." However, the union has accused Samsung of failing to present a compromise plan during the most recent negotiations. People walk past the Samsung logo displayed on a glass door at the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2024. Samsung Electronics said on April 30 that its first-quarter operating profits had risen nearly tenfold year-on-year -- a 931.8 percent increase -- amid recovering chip prices and growing demand. This strike comes at a challenging time for Samsung Electronics. The company has faced major challenges in recent years, including a historic shortage of computer chips during the COVID-19 pandemic, weak earnings, and a decline in consumer demand last year due to global economic uncertainty. Despite these challenges, Samsung remains optimistic about future demand, especially with the rise of AI and high-end chips. The company reported a more than ten-fold increase in first-quarter operating profit, driven by forecasts of high demand for AI-powered and high-end chips. Union membership at Samsung has surged since 2020, following the company's pledge to end its long-standing practices of discouraging organized labor. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Alliance University Launched Pioneering Undergraduate Programmes in Public Policy, Public Administration, and Politics and Governance Bengaluru (Karnataka) Published : May 28, 2024 Alliance University proudly launched three innovative undergraduate programmes in Public Policy, Public Administration, and Politics and Governance. These programmes, housed under the Centre of Excellence in Public Policy, Sustainability, and ESG Research, are meticulously designed to align with India's vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, encapsulated in the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' initiative. The launch event took place on Friday, May 24, 2024, at the Moot Court, Learning Centre, Alliance University, under the theme 'Forging the Way Ahead: Policy Making for Viksit Bharat 2047'. Programme Highlights: -Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy: Majors include Economics, Climate Justice and Sustainability, ESG and Business Sustainability, and Social Policymaking. -Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration: Majors include Business, Governance and Society, International Governance, Business Administration, and Disaster Management. -Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance: Majors include Economics, Comparative Politics, Psychology and Elections, and Policy and Politics. Each programme emphasizes a multidimensional approach to public policy problem-solving, integrating STEM and SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy) disciplines to enhance problem-solving skills. Key disciplines such as leadership, psychology, sociology, and new-age courses are incorporated to provide a comprehensive understanding of the social, political, and cultural dimensions of policymaking. The programmes are designed to foster critical thinking and address global challenges through a curriculum that includes contemporary courses on AI, Blockchain, Bitcoin, human rights, global challenges, climate change, SDG 2030, government policies, bureaucracy, and more. The launch event was inaugurated by distinguished guests, Dr. Navneet Sharma, Director General, CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition; Dr. Ashwin Mahesh, Founder & CEO, LVBL Accelerator; and Dr. Sairam Bhat, Professor of Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. Dignitaries from Alliance University also graced the occasion. Dr. V Shyam Kishore, Interim Dean, Alliance School of Law, delivered the welcome address, marking the launch as a significant milestone for Alliance University and highlighting its commitment to addressing global challenges through education and policy. In his inaugural address, Mr. Abhay G Chebbi, Pro-Chancellor, emphasized India's growth as a developed nation and the importance of globalization at minimal cost, the expanded scope of societal and economic impact, and the significance of ESG reporting amidst climate change research. He underscored the university's dedication to community and campus through SDG-themed education and research. Dr. Priestly Shan, Pro-Vice Chancellor Academics at Alliance University, discussed the multidisciplinary approach of the university, noting the publication of 382 top papers and the granting of six international patents. He announced the launch of the WIPO Green Call on sustainable areas and highlighted collaboration efforts between academicians, think tanks, and public policy leaders. Dr. Mukul Saxena, Professor and Director of the Centre for PG and Legal Studies and the Centre of Excellence in Public Policy, Sustainability, and ESG Research, presented the curriculum's design aimed at future leaders dedicated to addressing climate change and promoting societal development. He emphasized the necessity of political and social reforms to prioritize education and sustainability. The event concluded with a panel discussion on critical issues facing India's development, including environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and the digital divide. The panel featured insights from Dr. Navneet Sharma on policy implementation; Dr. Ashwin Mahesh on the roles of the state, market, and society; and Dr. Sairam Bhat on India's global contributions and education quality. Dr. Mukul Saxena advocated for a scientific approach to policy implementation and behavioral changes necessary for policy acceptance. Alliance University aims to host a grand launch of the Centre of Excellence in Sustainability, Policy, and ESG Research in September 2024, further solidifying its commitment to rigorous, evidence-based scientific research in public policy, sustainability, and ESG. About Alliance University Established in 2010, Alliance University stands as South India's pioneering private institution, nestled in the vibrant city of Bengaluru, Karnataka. Recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the university is committed to fostering a community of lifelong learners and shaping global citizens. In 2010, Alliance University became South India's first private university by Act No. 34. Subsequently, in 2012, the institution established the Alliance College of Engineering & Design and the Alliance School of Law. Notably, in 2014, the university conferred Honorary Doctorates to Nobel Laureate Mr. Kailash Satyarthi and Padma Bhushan Smt. Rajashree Birla. In 2016, Alliance University hosted its inaugural international alumni reunion in Dubai. The accolades received over the years include the 2013 Excellence in Education Award for the Most Innovative University by The Economic Times and the 2015 Best Private University of the Year by ASSOCHAM. In 2020, the university secured a notable 39th rank among management institutions in the NIRF Rankings.Recent achievements from 2022 to 2023 include being ranked 238 in Southern Asia and 751-800 in QS Asia University Rankings. Alliance University also secured the 25th position in the Law category and the 87th position in the Management category in the NIRF Rankings. Additionally, the university debuted TEDxAllianceUniversity, achieved a DIAMOND rating by QS I. GAUGE, hosted the inaugural Alliance ONE festival, and received the Times Business Awards 2023 for Excellence in Placement & Corporate Mentorship. With 11+ Schools and Departments across 4 Faculty Groups, 300+ World-Class Faculty, and 570+ Recruiting Partners for 2023, Alliance University remains a dynamic hub for academic excellence. The institution is a founding member of PACT 2030 -- an SDG initiative by QS India, offering 31+ Undergraduate Programs, 9+ Postgraduate Programs, and 7+ Doctoral Programs. The university emphasizes experiential learning, renowned faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities to provide a holistic educational experience. The mission of Alliance University is to provide a dynamic, high-quality setting for teaching, research, and service, facilitating global collaboration and knowledge dissemination to transform lives through innovation and excellence in higher education. The university's clarion call is 'A World of Opportunities', reflecting its unwavering commitment to empowering individuals in both academic pursuits and personal growth. Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online Comments and Discussions Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) - Government representatives are expected to present the first legislative proposals to address the security situation following the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) next week, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) said following a session of the Security Council on Wednesday. Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) explained that the proposals could concern the housing of protected state officials. "The most senior officials must live in protected buildings that are secured by the state," he said, adding that personal protection will also be addressed, and not just for government representatives. The proposals could be adopted via fast-track proceedings, according to Kalinak. Further measures could tighten the conditions for the right to assembly. Kalinak also outlined considerations for measures concerning the media, such as the introduction of a right of reply. The interior minister in this vein noted that he is still convinced that that Fico's security detail did its utmost during the assassination attempt and managed to save his life. Nevertheless, he added that the inspectorate is still investigating its course of action, and if the investigation establishes misconduct, he's ready to take responsibility. According to Sutaj Estok, the investigation team dealing with the assassination attempt hasn't ruled out that the perpetrator could have had accomplices. Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) - The recovery of Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the assassination attempt on him is progressing in line with expectations, and the patient's condition is satisfactory, the Government Office informed TASR on Wednesday. Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) reported on the same day that Fico's condition is improving satisfactorily from the doctors' point of view. "The patient is beginning to reach a stage when recovery could start in full swing. This is very heartening news for us," he remarked, adding that Fico has resumed consuming food. At the same time, Kalinak confirmed that Fico's most serious injuries concerned the abdominal cavity and part of the musculoskeletal system. Asked why the attending doctors haven't been reporting on the premier's condition in person, Kalinak claimed the government wants to spare them from the pressure of the media. Fico suffered multiple gunshot wounds following the government's away-from-home session in the town of Handlova (Trencin region) on May 15. The gunman, a 71-year-old man, was remanded in custody by the Specialised Criminal Court. The premier is being treated at F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica. Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) - The recovery of Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the assassination attempt on him is progressing in line with expectations, and the patient's condition is satisfactory, the Government Office informed TASR on Wednesday. The premier is being treated at F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica. Fico suffered multiple gunshot wounds following the government's away-from-home session in town of Handlova (Trencin region) on May 15. The gunman, a 71-year-old man, was remanded in custody by the Specialised Criminal Court. Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) bodyguards did their utmost to protect him during the May 15 shooting, in the given conditions, and their actions saved his life, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) declared on Wednesday. Sutaj Estok responded this way to the call by Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka, who wants Sutaj Estok to answer whether there was any failure on the part of the security forces, how did the leak of the Premier's medical report as well as an interview with the shooter occur and who will bear responsibility for the assault. Sutaj Estok confirmed that the Internal Affairs Inspectorate is continuing to investigate the response by the bodyguard unit and if any lapses are discovered, he's ready to take action. The Interior Minister reiterated that the police investigation has continued to work with a version that the shooter wasn't really a lone wolf and that the Prosecutor-General's Office might still reclassify the attack as an act of terrorism. Death toll in Philippine storm rises to seven Manila, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 The death toll from a severe storm that battered the Philippines over the weekend has risen to seven, official figures showed Wednesday. The first storm to hit the country this year made landfall on the central island of Samar late Friday before sweeping northwest to the most populous island of Luzon. Nearly all the deaths were in Quezon province, near the capital Manila, where three people were killed by falling trees and a baby boy drowned, police told AFP. A man was found dead at a flooded cafe and the body of another man was recovered from a river, they said. The seventh victim was a student who was crushed to death by a falling tree in the southern province of Misamis Oriental on Mindanao island, the national disaster agency said previously. More than eight thousand people were forced to flee their homes as heavy rain caused widespread flooding, power outages and damage to crops. The storm strengthened into a typhoon as it moved northeast over the Philippine Sea, the state weather forecaster said. About 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters per year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing hundreds of people. The rainy season usually starts in June, but authorities have warned it could be delayed by the El Nino weather phenomenon that has brought drought to swathes of the country. In Darwin's footsteps: scientists recreate historic 1830s expedition Puerto Ayora, Ecuador, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Like the naturalist Charles Darwin did in 1831, a group of scientists and environmentalists last year set sail from the English port of Plymouth, headed for the Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador. But what they found on their arrival last month differed vastly from what Darwin saw while visiting the archipelago in 1835, in a trip key to developing his world-changing theory on natural selection. The Galapagos today is under protection, part of a marine reserve and classified a World Heritage Site. Yet the area faces more threats than ever, from pollution and illegal fishing to climate change. There to observe the challenges, with a well-thumbed copy of her great-great-grandfather's "On the Origin of Species" in hand, was botanist Sarah Darwin. "I think probably the main difference is that, you know, there are people working now to protect the islands," the 60-year-old told AFP onboard the "Oosterschelde," a refurbished, three-mast schooner built more than 100 years ago. The ship has been on a scientific and awareness-raising expedition since last August, stopping so far in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Brazil and Chile among other locales. - Darwin's 'heirs' - In colonial times, the islands -- located in one of the world's most biodiverse regions -- served as a pit stop for pirates who caught and ate the giant turtles that call it home. During World War II, the archipelago hosted a US military base. "I think if (Darwin) were able to come back now and see the efforts that everybody is making, both locally and globally, to protect these extraordinary islands and that biodiversity -- I think he'd be really, really excited and impressed," the naturalist's descendant told AFP. Sarah Darwin first visited the Galapagos in 1995, where she illustrated a guide to endemic plants. She then devoted herself to studying native tomatoes. She also mentors young people as part of a project to create a group of 200 Darwin "heirs" to raise the alarm about environmental and climate threats to the planet. Calling at several ports on the journey from Plymouth to the Galapagos, the Oosterschelde took on new groups of young scientists and activists at every stop, and dropped off others. One of them, Indian-born Laya Pothunuri, who joined the mission from Singapore, told AFP the Galapagos "has a very important place in scientific terms". She was there, she said, to improve the irrigation systems in the islands' coffee-growing regions. "I plan to do it using recycled plastic, which also, again, is a big problem over here," she said, noting that plastic waste ends up being consumed by wildlife. - Plastic peril - In the Galapagos, the expedition members worked with researchers from the private Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Charles Darwin Foundation and the NGO Conservation International on both confronting invasive species and protecting endemic ones. Last year, a study by the Charles Darwin Foundation found that giant turtles in the area were ingesting harmful materials due to human pollution. Samples revealed that nearly 90 percent of the waste consumed was plastic, eight percent was fabric and the rest metal, paper, cardboard, construction materials and glass. From Galapagos, the Oosterschelde then set sail to continue its world tour, with stops expected in Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Indian capital records highest temperature of 49.9 Celsius New Delhi, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Temperatures in India's capital have soared to a record-high 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) as authorities warn of water shortages in the sprawling mega-city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported "severe heat-wave conditions", recorded the temperatures on Tuesday at two Delhi suburb stations in Narela and Mungeshpur. The weather bureau said the temperatures were nine degrees higher than expected, breaking a previous 2022 record for the city of 49.2C (120.6F). Forecasters predicted similar temperatures Wednesday for the city, which has an estimated population of more than 30 million people, issuing a red alert health notice. The alert warns there is a "very high likelihood of developing heat illness and heat stroke in all ages", with "extreme care needed for vulnerable people". 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. - 'Waiting for the monsoon' - People on the streets of Delhi said there was little they could to do avoid the heat. "Everyone wants to stay indoors," said snack-seller Roop Ram, 57, adding he struggled to sell his savoury fritters. Ram, who lives with his wife and two sons in a cramped house, said they had a small fan but that did little to cool them down. They were counting down until the rainy season arrives in July. "I am not sure what else we can do to cope," he said. "We are just waiting for the monsoon." Rani, 60, who uses only one name, travels by bus for two hours each morning to sell jewellery to tourists at a makeshift street stall. "It is definitely hotter, but there is nothing we can do about it," she said, gulping water from a bottle she brought from home. "I try to refill the bottle from anyone around." Heat remains high even at night, the IMD said, noting that the temperatures were "likely to reduce gradually" from Thursday. - 'Water scarcity' - New Delhi authorities have also warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital swelters in headache-inducing heat, cutting supplies to some areas. Delhi Water Minister Atishi Marlena has called for "collective responsibility" to stop wasteful water use, the Times of India newspaper reported Wednesday. "To address the problem of water scarcity, we have taken a slew of measures such as reducing water supply from twice a day to once a day in many areas," Atishi said, according to the Indian Express. "The water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day," she said. The highly polluted Yamuna river, a tributary of the Ganges, runs through Delhi but its flow is hugely reduced during the summer months. Delhi relies almost entirely on water from neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, both farming states with huge water demands. - Cyclone kills 65 - Many blame the soaring temperatures on scorching winds from Rajasthan state, where temperatures on Tuesday were the hottest in the country at 50.5C (122.9F). Rajasthan's desert region of Phalodi holds India's all-time heat record of 51C (123.8F) hit in 2016. Neighbouring Pakistan has also sweltered through a week-long heatwave, which peaked at 53C (127.4F) on Sunday in Mohenjo Daro in rural Sindh province. Pakistan's meteorological office said it expected temperatures to subside from Wednesday but warned further heatwaves were coming in June. It comes as Pakistan hashes out a new deal with the International Monetary Fund that is believed to focus heavily on an energy supply crisis that has left parts of the country facing up to 15 hours of load-shedding a day. At the same time, India's West Bengal state and the northeastern state of Mizoram are recovering after a cyclone hit India and Bangladesh on Sunday, killing at least 65 people. Bangladesh's Meteorological Department said the cyclone was "one of longest in the country's history", blaming climate change for the shift. burs-bb-pjm/pbt JK Rowling says regrets not speaking out sooner on trans issues London, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling has revealed she regrets not speaking out "far sooner" with her views on transgender rights, in a book essay extract published Wednesday. Rowling, 58, has been embroiled in controversy and incurred the wrath of activists and "Harry Potter" film stars in recent years over her stance that biological sex is immutable. She denies being transphobic. In the excerpt published in The Times from a forthcoming book, "The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht", featuring essays from various Scottish women, she details her reasons for talking about the contentious subject. "Ultimately, I spoke up because I'd have felt ashamed for the rest of my days if I hadn't. If I feel any regret at all, it's that I didn't speak far sooner", Rowling wrote. The Edinburgh-based writer said she eventually began to give her opinions after initially keeping quiet because her loved ones "were begging me not to speak". Her gender-critical views have made her the darling of some feminists and are also credited with helping to open up larger debates on free speech and a so-called "cancel culture". But they have received strong criticism from transgender rights activists and others. Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the film franchise of the best-selling books, was among those to publicly disassociate himself from her. This month, he said his row with Rowling was "really sad". Rowling recounted in the essay facing a "vicious" backlash in 2019 after publicly defending a woman fired by her employer after her social media posts were deemed transphobic. "Nobody who's been through an online monstering or a tsunami of death and rape threats will claim it's fun," she wrote. Despite this, she added that "outing" herself as "gender-critical brought far more positives than negatives". The essay comes months after Rowling criticised a new Scottish law criminalising hate speech, including against trans people, in an online tirade challenging the police to arrest her if her views broke the new legislation. She claimed the law was "wide open" to abuse by those wanting to silence advocates of women's and girls' single-sex spaces, and predatory men identifying as women. The new book, edited by journalist Susan Dalgety and former civil servant Lucy Hunter Blackburn, also features essays by prominent Scottish politicians Joanna Cherry and Ash Regan, who also hold gender-critical views. "It is the story of women who risked their job, reputation, even the bonds of family and friendship, to make their voices heard," its publishers Little, Brown Book Group said. Doubts raised over Papua New Guinea landslide toll Port Moresby, May 29 (AFP) May 29, 2024 Papua New Guinea's estimate that 2,000 people were buried in a highland landslide was called into question Wednesday, with satellite imagery, disaster experts and local officials suggesting the toll is much lower. As Prime Minister James Marape told parliament an "initial estimation" that "over 2,000 people would have perished", questions were being asked privately about how this figure was reached. So far six bodies have been recovered from the sea of debris and Papua New Guinea's under-resourced officials have struggled to fully grasp the scale of the tragedy. Nearly a week after Mount Mungalo gave way, heavy machinery has yet to reach the disaster zone. Only a small fraction of the earth has been sifted so far. Conflicting estimates about how many were in the landslide's path, as well as the low body and injury count have fuelled doubts about the approximated death toll of 2,000. Local ward councillor Jamain Yandam told AFP "the exact number of victims is still not known" and the 2,000 estimate was based on assumptions about the population of two affected wards, Yambeli and Lapak. Community leader Miok Michael said that 19 of his relatives were missing and feared dead, but he also admits the true toll remains unclear. "There is no proper assessment done," he told AFP. "From what I heard from the ground it is some hundreds, but not confirmed yet." It "needs a proper assessment team to get correct figures", he said. - Eye in the sky - While locals are digging with their hands to find loved ones, there is a deep reluctance among foreign governments and aid agencies to publicly question the scale of a national disaster. Estimates about fatalities, home losses and the local population have significant implications for scaling the response effort, and for donor funding. Landslide expert and University of Hull vice-chancellor David Petley said he was "very doubtful" that the toll of 2,000 was accurate. "For a landslide of this size, this is the sort of loss of life you'd see in a city," he told AFP, pointing to satellite imagery before and after the slide. "The pre-failure images just don't support the idea that there was that concentration of people," he said. Satellite images from June 2023 show 40 visible structures in the area around the landslide, according to an AFP analysis. According to ward councillor Yandam, 10 to 18 people could live in a large roundhouse, and five in a smaller hut -- putting estimated fatalities in the hundreds, not thousands. Some Papua New Guinea officials claim a recent influx of people fleeing tribal violence has raised the number of homes to over 100. CARE Papua New Guinea official Justine McMahon cautioned that many homes in the area are made out of bush material and may not be picked up by satellite images. But she also expressed doubt about the 2,000 toll. "The death toll is very high," she told AFP. "I would be a bit sceptical, to be honest." - Difficult data - Some of Papua New Guinea's official estimates appear to be based on extrapolations from notoriously unreliable census data, or voter rolls. The last census took place in 2011 and efforts to carry out a new tally in 2021 failed, in part because census takers lacked funding and training. Like the site of the landslide, much of the country is mountainous and covered in dense bushland or jungle. Neighbouring valleys are often completely isolated from one another. There are very few sealed roads outside the biggest cities. Some of the population estimates are also based on electoral roll data from 2022. There, officials said they counted the number of registered voters and added 42 percent -- to account for the estimated number of children not old enough to vote. That has led to an estimate of 7,850 people in the two affected wards. But John Burton, a former lecturer in disaster risk management in Papua New Guinea, said suggestions that the two wards have been entirely covered by rubble "are totally inaccurate". "The whole landslip is between eight and nine hectares. But most of that is steep slopes", he told AFP. "I don't want to minimise the gravity of this disaster," he said, but added that "all the estimates beyond 300 are implausible." Landslide expert Petley warned the true toll may never be known. "The volume of debris is very large. It has a high boulder content, so these will be difficult to excavate and move," he said. "This will not be a case of people simply being buried. This landslide was a very violent event, with all the implications that carries for fragile human bodies." Its the continuation of the suit that has galvanised CalPERS and other shareholders and activists. While they are critical of the worlds largest oil and gas producers climate record, theres also a larger concern about the implications of the lawsuit for shareholder rights more broadly. The potential of the suit to deter shareholder activism and shareholder-developed resolutions was highlighted when the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Business Roundtable filed amicus briefs in the action supporting Exxons position. In the US, companies can apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission to block shareholder resolutions that affect a companys ordinary business, or which have been rejected in the past. During the Biden administration, however, the SEC has increasingly denied those requests when, in its view, they have broad societal impact. Exxon has criticised the SEC for shifting its approach to these requests when administrations in Washington change. Exxon, which has claimed the activists proposal infringed on managements authority and sought to change the nature of its ordinary business, or put it out of business altogether, isnt just seeking to go around the SEC. It wants to gain a judgment from the court that would force the SEC, and climate activists, to change their approach. Loading Companies, not just in America, rail against shareholder-led resolutions that they regard as nuisance proposals distracting from their primary obligation to create value for shareholders. It costs little for activists that might acquire a relative handful of shares, the Exxon activists appear to own only a few hundred shares, whereas fighting a legal action could, regardless of the outcome, cost millions of dollars. Thats why CalPERS argues that decades of shareholder rights are under threat from Exxon, the decision to continue the action has the potential to chill the willingness of activist groups to try to force companies to confront their agendas, whether climate-related or some other progressive cause. Even if Exxon hadnt decided to respond as aggressively as it has to Arjun Capital and Follow This, it is unlikely the activists would have gained much support for their resolution. Loading While a small activist hedge fund shocked Exxon and the global oil and gas industry in 2021 by successfully getting two directors nominated to the board, with an agenda that mixed an attack of Exxons poor financial performance and its weak response to climate change, circumstances have changed significantly since that campaign. Not the least of those changes is that Exxons share price has almost doubled since 2021 on the back of significantly increased production and higher oil and gas prices in an environment where energy security has become a more pressing concern for governments and companies, particularly after Russia invaded Ukraine and Europe stopped buying Russian gas. A growing realisation that demand for oil and gas will be maintained for longer than the more optimistic expectations in response to climate change once contemplated, and the pressure from shareholders to pursue growth and profit maximisation strategies has seen all the oil majors reassess their emissions and production targets. Only last week, shareholders in Shell, which was targeted by Follow This and other activists seeking to impose stricter emissions targets, overwhelmingly rejected the resolution. The previous attempts in 2022 and 2023 by Follow This and Arjuna Capital to impose their agenda on Exxon were also defeated easily, gaining the support of only 10 per cent of the vote last year. Larry Finks BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, has lost mandates and become less vocal on progressive issues. Credit: Reuters The waning impact of the climate activists is part of a larger picture in the US, where a Republican Party assault on investment that takes into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues has been highly effective in muzzling the sectors proponents. Asset management giant Black Rock, where Larry Fink was once a leading and very vocal advocate for ESG investment, has been sued by Republican-governed states, has lost mandates and become conspicuously quieter on social issues. About 18 US states have proposed or passed what could be regarded as anti-ESG legislation prohibiting state institutions from using ESG screening or ESG managers for their investments. Loading The flow of funds into exchange-traded funds pursuing ESG-driven investment strategies has dried up and a significant number of those funds have either disappeared or changed their strategies. The anti-woke conservative campaigns have politicised ESG and intimidated managers, while encouraging corporate leaders to relegate ESG issues behind the maximisation of profits. The shift in corporate opinion is highlighted by the US Business Roundtables support for Exxon in the action against Arjun Capital. Other affluent families are less well-known, making their mark selling tools to miners as well as other businesses that have benefited as the size of the mining sector has more than doubled since 2000, to 13 per cent of Australias gross domestic product. Shaun Parkin, who helps families set up and manage their offices, says he works, or has had meetings, with more than 20 of these companies, each of them overseeing more than $200 million in assets. A lot of the ones that I meet, I had no idea that there was that level of wealth, says Parkin, co-founder of local consulting firm Hall Road Services. And I would say that most people havent, either. I had no idea that there was that level of wealth. And I would say that most people havent, either. Shaun Parkin, co-founder of local consulting firm Hall Road Services. Family offices have some universal attractions. They typically have minimal disclosure requirements and let the rich exert tight control. But in Perth theres an added fillip: Many locals have a deep-seated scepticism of outsiders. That most definitely includes representatives from big global wealth managers who want to run their money from far away. Consider Perth native Rod Jones, a founder of the education company Navitas. In 2019, a group led by private equity firm BGH bought Navitas for $2.1 billion, so it was no secret Jones might need wealth management. But he got so annoyed at countless calls from distant professionals pitching opportunities or looking to handle his funds that he reached the point where he told one, only half in jest, Look, Ill give you $200,000 just to go away. Instead, Jones set up a five-employee family office, Hoperidge Capital. It invests in some blue-chip stocks but focuses mainly on direct holdings, including private credit. Perth native Rod Jones sold education company Navitas in 2019 for $2.1 billion. Credit: Australian Financial Review Im just a person that enjoys the cut and thrust of being in business, putting time and effort into picking good opportunities and backing them up, he says. Cookie-cutter pitches are of little interest. To invest with someone, Ive got to meet you, Ive got to understand you, Ive got to know you, Ive got to feel comfortable with you. Other WA family offices share this desire for familiarity. Many are clustered within walking distance of one another in whats known as the Golden Triangle, an exclusive group of suburbs between the Swan River and the coast. Emilio Pagano, chief executive officer of Lance East Office, says he talks regularly with more than a dozen of his peers about longer-term investments that appeal to their clients entrepreneurial bent. Lance East manages the money and philanthropy of Laurence Escalante, founder of VGW Holdings, a closely held online gambling company, who has a personal fortune of about $US2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Loading Family office clients are often comfortable with risk because of WAs mining heritage, according to Pagano. Think about how mining eventuates, he says. You go out in the middle of nowhere, starting from the most remote capital city in the world. And then from there you drive out 3, 4, 500 kilometres, and you start looking around the desert for mining assets and digging. For all the opportunity, a remote location poses a challenge: Where do you find the staff with the knowledge to compete or negotiate with the finance big shots? Perth has only 13,000 full-time financial-services managers or professionals, compared with 108,000 in Sydney, census figures show. Family offices are typically run by a CEO or chief investment officer and as many as 10 staff members. Insiders say the top job tends to go to someone whos worked in the founders business operations and is already a trusted adviser. CEOs commonly take home a salary of $396,001 to $500,000, with an additional annual bonus of 21 per cent to 30 per cent, according to a report from consulting firm KPMG and family office recruitment company Agreus Group. Thats more than their peers in Europe, though less than in the US. (The report doesnt break out Perth salaries, but industry executives say they are broadly comparable.) Parkin, the family office adviser, says recruiting has to be a little bit more imaginative in Perth. Hell often trawl LinkedIn profiles for people who grew up or attended university there and might be amenable to moving back. He knows the transition well: He worked in finance in London, had a senior job at State Street Global Advisors in Sydney and relocated back to Perth, his wifes hometown, to be close to family. The more relaxed lifestyle is another draw. In Perth, days often start and finish early, and some of the worlds best beaches are just a short drive away. Loading But theres another angle to the pitch, too. Family offices work directly with billionaires and centi-millionaires, giving advisers a bigger say in decisions. You probably wouldnt get access if you were part of a larger business, Parkin says. The industry is now looking to the next generation. Todays mining magnates will one day hand over their businesses or wealth to their kids. In a booming economy, opportunities in construction and service industries could create the next round of family office customers. Tayyab Mohamed, Agreus co-founder, says the market could well grow far bigger: I wouldnt be surprised if in a few years Perth becomes a bustling ecosystem. Were going to call this the Rinehart effect, when the mere presence of Australias richest person, Gina Rinehart, sprinkles star dust or maybe iron ore dust over everything in the vicinity. The latest beneficiary of the Rinehart magic is the National Gallery of Australia, subject of a recent campaign by the mining billionaire and her supporters to remove two portraits of her from display, but where attendance numbers have soared by 24 per cent since the furore broke out this month. Gallery visitors view artwork by Vincent Namatjira at the National Gallery of Australia this month. Gina Rineharts portrait is in the middle row, third from left. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Gallery website traffic has surged by 62 per cent since the story broke on May 15 and the page spruiking the exhibition of the Indigenous artist behind the two now-famous works, Vincent Namatjira, is the top-performing web page of the gallery, according to an internal gallery briefing. Staff at the institutions gift shop have been explaining to disappointed visitors that no, they dont have Gina-themed mugs or tea towels in stock, as gallery managers kick themselves for not ordering in a job-lot of merch before all this blew up. POETRY Wrong Norma Anne Carson Jonathan Cape, $34.95 Anne Carsons new book affirms everything that is most exhilarating about her work. It is both rigorous and random, by turns deeply funny and unsparingly dark, a collection of 25 pieces of every kind stories, poems, fragments, drawings, translations, works that evade categorisation. One is styled as a lecture, another was first published as a comic, and they vary in length from 18 pages to 16 lines. Almost all of them have appeared elsewhere, most often in The New Yorker. In a note on the back of the book Carson tells us they are not linked. Thats why Ive called them wrong, which feels like characteristically artful misdirection. Not explicitly linked, perhaps, but connected to each other in the fascinating, labyrinthine, light-footed fashion of so much of her work. Anne Carsons writing teems with energy and the unexpected. This is writing that enacts discovery, that reflects on itself, on reading, thought, association, creation, failure, impossibility, silence. It teems with energy and the unexpected, embraces characters from mythology and classical literature, poets, writers and philosophers as well as figures who seem to have wandered in from the streets or out of a half-forgotten observation. Catherine Fitzpatrick has taken on institutions from banks to insurers in a bid to eradicate the financial abuse she says lies at the root of a staggering number of domestic violence situations. Now, as the nation reels from fresh horrors under this label, the social entrepreneur is taking on the utilities. Catherine Fitzpatrick, founder of social enterprise Flequity Ventures. Credit: On Thursday, Fitzpatrick announced 21 businesses, including telecommunications giant Optus, insurer IAG and 16 Australian banks, had vowed to formally include financial abuse considerations and consequences into their terms and conditions. The move is part of a new respect and protect initiative, spearheaded by Fitzpatricks social enterprise Flequity Ventures. The sister of a Perth woman murdered by her ex-husband in 2022 says she is sick of hearing the police in damage control, claiming her family was failed by authorities in similar circumstances to the wife and daughter of double-murderer Mark Bombara. Jacqui Darley said like the Bombara family, calls for help were not acted upon. Paul Cannon, 55, stabbed his ex-wife, Lynn, 51, to death in their Landsdale home in Perths northern suburbs after sending her threatening texts in the days and months prior. It took police more than one hour to attend the scene and find Cannon dying, despite receiving three triple-zero calls, and a welfare check request while she was still alive. Jacqueline Darley, the sister of Lynn Cannon (inset), who was murdered in 2022. Credit: Heather McNeill/Supplied Cannons sister, Darley, told ABC Radio Perth that an internal police investigation into the death led to police overhauling how they prioritised domestic violence triple-zero calls, with an officer disciplined for lowering the priority on Cannons call-out level. (The tribunal member who made the decision, by the way, is no friend of Labor. Senior Member Theodore Tavoularis was named to the tribunal in 2016 when George Brandis was attorney-general. He had made a small donation to the Liberal Party and had done legal work for a member of the Brandis family. When the former government extended his term in 2021, Labor said this was another Liberal mate getting a plum job.) The second key fact is that the government rule on visa cases did not force the tribunal to let Davidson stay. The rule, known as direction 99, was signed by Giles in January last year and named community safety as a major factor in decisions. But it also talked of a higher level of tolerance for offenders with long ties to Australia. For the Coalition, this is the smoking gun that means Giles should be sacked. Loading The Coalition now talks of direction 99 as if it set an entirely new standard. It did not. Direction 90, signed by Liberal minister Alex Hawke in 2021, also talked of a higher level of tolerance for criminals who have lived in the Australian community for most of their lives. Direction 79, signed by Liberal minister David Coleman in 2018, used the same phrase. So did direction 65, which was put in place under the Liberals in 2014. Direction 99 introduced new wording. It said Australia will generally afford a higher level of tolerance for criminals who have lived here for most of their lives. It also added that the level of tolerance will rise with the length of time in Australia. Directions 90, 79 and 65 said Australia may afford a higher level of tolerance for these criminals. They said the length of time in Australia was a consideration. Another change is that direction 99 said the strength, nature and duration of ties to Australia should be one of the primary considerations on visa decisions, along with the protection of the community, the interests of children and any history of family violence. Earlier directions did not make ties to Australia a primary consideration. Is this change in wording really a sackable offence for a minister? The key point is that Giles did not embark on the new idea of showing greater tolerance for criminals he inherited this concept. Why was it modified? That was a broader government decision. Australia wanted to ease frictions with New Zealand about the deportation of criminals across the Tasman. A third key fact is that the tribunal is not doing anything new. It has repeatedly overturned government decisions to try to deport criminals. When Dutton was home affairs minister, for instance, the tribunal decided that an Iranian heroin dealer and ice manufacturer, known as YKZZ, should be allowed to stay. The tribunal cited direction 79 and the higher level of tolerance as an important reason. Was this decision in September 2019 a sackable offence for the minister at the time? That decision is here. The government is doing a poor job of defending Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen During the same period, the tribunal decided that a Brazilian man found guilty of armed robbery and assault, and the subject of an apprehended violence order sought by his girlfriend, should have his visa restored. This decision in 2018 cited the higher level of tolerance in direction 65. That decision is here. In another ruling while Dutton was minister, the tribunal sided with a Nigerian heroin dealer, known as HMDS, and said he should be granted a visa despite the governments refusal to do so. The decision, in early 2020, cited direction 79 and the key phrase about tolerance. Loading That decision is here. The government is doing a poor job of defending itself. In a parliament full of barracudas, too many Labor ministers try to glide like jellyfish past every threat. Giles is under severe pressure and the parlour game in the press gallery is to speculate on when he will be replaced. Even so, the truth is that both major parties set rules that allowed tolerance for rapists and other convicted criminals when many Australians expect zero tolerance instead. The Liberals have to answer for decisions on their watch. And it is up to Labor to assure voters it can bring this problem under control. Just 1 per cent of Victorians who registered for a free certificate IV in plumbing successfully completed their training, raising questions about how the vocational education system is managed and whether the Allan government can meet its ambitious housing targets. The latest free TAFE course completion data given to the state opposition under freedom of information laws and seen by The Age reveals that the majority of the 10 courses with the lowest completion rates were in building, construction and engineering. Just 18 out of the 1514 people who enrolled in Victorias free certificate IV in plumbing in 2019 and 2020 successfully completed the program. Of the 1514 people who enrolled in a certificate IV in plumbing in 2019 and 2020, 18 graduated a completion rate of just 1 per cent. The certificate IV in engineering during the same period had a completion rate of 10 per cent, the certificate IV in child, youth and family intervention had a completion rate of 17 per cent, and the certificate II in construction pathways had a completion rate of 24 per cent. Sydneysiders can still make a sea change or a tree change for under $750,000, if theyre willing to look beyond the commuter belt and further afield. Towns on the Mid North Coast of NSW would be within reach on that budget, although buyers are likely to be a few paces back from the sand. Nambucca Heads on the NSW North Coast. Credit: A household in which one partner earns the average income and the other works half the week could borrow enough money to buy a home worth $756,250, recent modelling from comparison platform Canstar shows. That assumes they save a 20 per cent deposit plus transaction costs. If both partners work full-time, their budget would stretch to $1,075,000, although a single workers budget would be $465,000. That budget would stretch to the median house in the Nambucca Valley Council, priced at $682,500 on Domain data for the March quarter. Habitas is a great base for exploring the sights of Al-Ula. Spare yourself the 10-hour drive from Riyadh and fly to Al-Ula instead; after all, you still face a 50-minute drive to the hotel once youve landed. The 96 villas are scattered the length of a magnificent desert canyon; use an e-bike to get around or call for an electric buggy. This is a great base for exploring the sights of Al-Ula, including ancient Nabataean tombs and the astonishing mirrored Maraya concert hall, which seems to disappear into the desert. See ourhabitas.com Pemako Punakha, Bhutan The dining room at Pemako Punakha. Crossing the 3100-metre Dochula Pass, with its views of Mount Everest, is one of the highlights on the three-hour drive from Bhutans international airport to the Punakha Valley. Another is your arrival at Pemako Punakha. One of the few locally owned luxury hotels in Bhutan, guests staying at this stylish tented-suite resort first cross the river via a footbridge covered in prayer flags before arriving at the property, where they are blessed by the resident lama. See pemakohotels.com Four Seasons Explorer, Palau Four Seasons Explorer is permanently based in Palau. It doesnt get much more remote than the island nation of Palau, sitting between Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. Even here, however, you will find a touch of luxury in the form of the Four Seasons Explorer. Dubbed a floating resort, this catamaran has 12 spacious cabins, its own PADI dive centre and a flexible approach that lets you check in and check out on whichever day you choose. Sleeping on a floating resort gives you great access to Palaus amazing reefs and marine life. See fourseasons.com Serra Cafema, Namibia You wont want to leave Serra Cafema. Nowhere in Namibia is that easy to get to, but Serra Cafema, in the north-west of the country, has to be among the most far-flung destinations. After a three-hour flight from the capital, Windhoek, its another 60-minute drive to the camp but once you are here, you wont want to leave. Eight riverside villas offer a serene place to retire to after a day spent wildlife spotting or meeting with one of Africas last nomadic tribes, the Himba. See wildernessdestinations.com Bawah Reserve, Indonesia Once you are at this resort, relax and enjoy the 13 beaches and three lagoons. There are no TVs but there is an open-air cinema, which tells you something about how they roll at the eco-luxe retreat of Bawah Reserve. Located between the west coast of Borneo and the Malaysian peninsula, this private island is best accessed from Singapore through a combination of driving (30 minutes), ferry trip (30 minutes) and seaplane flight (80 minutes). Once you are at this sustainably focused resort built with sustainable materials and powered by renewable energy relax and enjoy the 13 beaches and three lagoons. See bawahreserve.com Arctic Bath, Sweden The buildings design is inspired by timber piles that would build up in the river back in the logging days. The buildings design is extraordinary inspired by the timber piles that would build up in the river back in the logging days and the chance to explore the best of Swedish Lapland, from snowshoeing to tracking fox and deer, moose and bear, is hard to resist. No wonder so many luxury travellers make their way to Arctic Bath, even though it involves a 75-minute flight from Stockholm followed by a 75-minute drive. See arcticbath.se Ultima Thule, Alaska Getting to this Alaskan lodge is an adventure. Credit: Arturo Polo Ena If you feel stressed when you are too far from civilisation, Ultima Thule is not for you. One hundred and sixty kilometres from the nearest road, getting to this Alaskan lodge is an adventure a two-hour charter flight from Anchorage to McCarthy, then another half-hour flight to the lodge itself. The lodgings are simple, but the activities are epic. Most days, you will hop in a bush plane to explore the area further anything from photographing bears to hiking on a glacier. See ultimathulelodge.com Lost Lindenberg, Bali Breathtaking: Lost Lindenberg, Bali. Credit: Robert Rieger You might think theres nowhere left in Bali that remains off the beaten track, but Lost Lindenberg pulls it off. Sitting by a black-sand beach on the islands west coast, swathed in forest, this boutique retreat has a communal vibe, with meals served at one long table. London: Volodymyr Zelensky has used a phone call to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, to help build momentum behind next months critical peace summit in Switzerland, as the Ukraine presidents frustration with fellow world leaders reaches boiling point. With Russian troops making advances in recent weeks, Zelensky has pinned a breakthrough on the event to show that the world is still on Ukraines side. PM Anthony Albanese, who has declined an invitation to attend the peace summit, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. Credit: Bianca De Marchi/60 Minutes Russian President Vladimir Putins forces have captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine one in the Donetsk region, and another in the north-eastern Kharkiv region this week, in the latest in a string of Russian territorial gains. The conversation between the pair followed Zelenskys comments on Tuesday that US President Joe Bidens unlikely attendance at the summit in mid-June would only be applauded by Putin. Toyota's EV Charging Solutions collaborates with EVgo on deployment of 8-stall DC fast charging stations in California cities cities Toyota's support helps provide charging equity for underserved communities PLANO, Texas, May 29, 2024 -- Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota), guided by its "Empact" vision to address equitable EV charging and mobility for all, today announced the first communities that will receive DC fast chargers (DCFC): Baldwin Park, Calif., and Sacramento, Calif. High-power 350kW chargers at each location are to be installed, owned and operated by EVgo, one of the nation's largest public fast charging networks, and feature simultaneous charging. The California sites are targeted to be operational in 2025. "Providing 'Mobility for All' is our north star as we look to support and facilitate equitable EV charging opportunities for all customers," said Christopher Yang, group vice president, Business Development, Toyota Motor North America. "We want to help ensure these underserved communities are not overlooked in the EV transition, and providing support for these charging facilities helps provide access to those who may not have easy access to home or public charging options." Toyota's Clean Assist program, launched in 2021, matches residential customer charging with renewable electricity, thereby helping to reduce emissions generated from charging. In California this generates revenue from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), based on battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) charging at home. That revenue has been re-invested into transportation electrification in the state, including these chargers. "Expanding access to public charging infrastructure is critical to our mission of accelerating the mass adoption of EVs," said Dennis Kish, President of EVgo. "We are proud to partner with Toyota to build new fast charging resources that will support the equitable distribution of charging infrastructure in the Golden State." The cities receiving DC fast chargers were chosen using the CalEnviroScreen tool and based on certain criteria such as resident income levels, demographics, air quality levels, and areas that have or are expected to have meaningful EV penetration. Baldwin Park and Sacramento are both great examples of areas that are poised to see rapid EV growth in the future. These two environmental justice communities would benefit from the addition of more DC fast charging stations in strategic locations to serve the local population and support EV drivers. For example, in Sacramento, the new 350kW DC fast chargers will be installed near the Arden Fair Mall, a known high-traffic area close to the freeway with multiple options for dining, shopping and other activities. "As a member of the California Air Resources Board and the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, I am extremely excited that Toyota and EVgo have selected Arden Fair Mall as the site for a new 8-stall electric vehicle charging station," Councilmember Eric Guerra said. "We'll continue to look for ways to reduce carbon emissions and I'm proud of the work our region is doing to meet our air quality goals." The Baldwin Park charging station will also be centrally located less than a mile off Interstate 10, with access to amenities including a grocery store on site and many nearby restaurants. "Investing in public charging not only supports EV drivers, it also benefits everyone in our community by encouraging zero emissions travel in an area that has experienced historically poor air quality," said Senator Susan Rubio. "This new fast charging station in Baldwin Park will bring economic and public health benefits that our residents and visitors alike can enjoy." Toyota will look to continue supporting local communities through its Empact Vision, helping enable the transition to electrification for all, working to ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against carbon emissions. For more information on Toyota's electrified vehicle offerings, please visit www.Toyota.com/electrified. About Toyota Toyota , creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.). Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 47 million cars and trucks in North America at the company's 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company's 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.6 million cars and trucks (more than 2.2 million in the U.S.) in 2023, of which more than one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell). Bdesh MP murder: Police may conduct DNA test of blood found in Kolkata flat KOLKATA, THE Bangladesh Police may conduct DNA tests of the blood specimen found in a flat in New Town near here and match the results with that of one of the relatives of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar to confirm that the politician was murdered, an officer said on Tuesday. It is suspected that Anar, who has been missing for a fortnight, was killed in that flat and his body parts were thrown into a canal. The DNA tests would be conducted as the last option in case the body parts of the Awami League MP could not be found, an officer of the Dhaka police visiting Kolkata as part of the investigation said. In case the body parts are not found, then we will conduct DNA tests on the blood samples and match the result with the DNA of one of Anars family members to establish the identity and start a case according to the law, the officer said. A three-member team of Dhaka Metropolitan Polices Detective Branch is in the city to investigate the death of Anar. The team is being led by the Detective Branch chief Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid. The Disaster Management Team of the Kolkata Police on Tuesday resumed search in the Bagjola canal adjacent to an amusement park near Rajarhat, an officer said. Kolkata Police officers, however, said that finding the body parts would be a tough job due to heavy rainfall following Cyclone Remal on Monday. DEADLY HEAT: Paralyses normal life in MP, Rewa records highest temp @ 48.20C Staff Reporter People in Madhya Pradesh sweating through a deadly heat wave for past four days with beginning of Nautapa. A red alert has been issued for various districts including Gwalior, Chambal, Malwa, Nimar region indicating very high likelihood of heat illness and heat stroke for all age groups. The State has also reported some heat-related deaths in last five days. At least two people died of heat in Bhopal which sizzled at 45.4 degrees Celsius on May 27. Police said that Gwalior, Chambal and Bundelkhand in State particularly bore the brunt of heat wave with mercury breaching 47 to 48 degrees Celsius mark in most areas of the region. Sun started troubling people since Tuesday morning and till afternoon, temperature crossed the figure of 42 degrees Celsius. Highest day temperature was recorded as 48.2 degrees Celsius in Rewa and 48.0 degree Celsius in Khajuraho. Districts like Chhatarpur, Satna and Tikamgarh recorded day temperature above 47 degrees Celsius. Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) Bhopal has released a red alert for 12 districts, orange alert for 19 districts and yellow alert for 11 districts. Overall 42 districts are expected to breach under higher temperature. Weather Department has forecast temperature to touch 48 degree Celsius in Bhind and Datia by May 29. According to Weather Department, red alert is released for Gwalior, Sheopurkala, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Ashoknagar, Guna, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Neemuch and Mandsaur where temperature raged above 46 degree Celsius. Orange alert (severe heat wave) warning is released for Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Ratlam, Agar-Malwa, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Dewas, Sehore, Khargone, Khandwa, Raisen, Vidisha, Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Niwari where temperature hovered around 45 degrees Celsius. Yellow alert is released for Jabalpur, Badwani, Burhanpur, Narsinghpur, Katni, Umaria, Panna, Maihar, Satna, Rewa, Mauganj where temperature remained 43 to 44 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, weather department has forecast Monsoon arrival in Madhya Pradesh from June 16 to 21. City roads almost remained deserted during day hours. Apart from day temperature, state capital Bhopal recorded all time high night temperature that broke record all records of past 40 years. On Sunday-Monday night, minimum temperature was recorded as 32.7 degree Celsius. Meteorological Department, Bhopal said that on Tuesday early morning temperature crossed the figure of 35 degree Celsius (5 am) and till 11 am, temperature was recorded 41.4 degree Celsius in Bhopal. Meteorology department said that in past 10 years, this is the highest temperature in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier in year 2015, temperature touched 45 degrees Celsius. On first day Nautapa (May 25), maximum temperature in Bhopal was 42.9 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature was recorded as 29.4 degrees Celsius. On second day of Nautapa, maximum temperature in Bhopal was 45.5 degrees Celsius and minimum 29.5 degrees Celsius. On third day maximum temperature in Bhopal was 45.4 degree Celsius and minimum 32.4 degrees Celsius. Heat stroke has hit the normal life and city roads remained deserted throughout day. Number of patients in hospital OPD is rising everyday with complaints of heat stroke symptoms. Health Department has suggested people to stay indoors during day hours if there is no necessary work. Among the major cities of state Bhopal recorded maximum temperature 45.1 degree Celsius and minimum 31.0 degree Celsius. Gwalior recorded maximum temperature 47.6 degrees Celsius and minimum 29.2 degrees Celsius. Indore recorded maximum temperature 41.1 degrees Celsius and minimum 26.5 degrees Celsius. Ujjain recorded maximum temperature 41.6 degrees Celsius and minimum 28.0 degrees Celsius. People feel uneasy at railway stations: Railway station where many people were seen waiting for the trains and all of them seemed to be irked at the platform or in waiting hall. They said that fans at railway station are giving hot air like heat wave and during afternoon hours, they feel like fainted. JMM-led Jkhand Govt patronising infiltrators: Modi DUMKA, CLAIMING that the tribal population was decreasing in the Santhal Parganas because of infiltration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the JMM-led ruling alliance in Jharkhand of patronising infiltrators, who he said were grabbing land and putting women at risk. Addressing an election rally in Dumka, Modi alleged that the JMM and Congress were indulging in rampant loot and vowed that action against corruption would be intensified in the country after June 4. A big crisis looms over Jharkhand and that is infiltration. The Santhal Parganas is facing the challenge of infiltration. In many areas, the population of tribals is declining fast and the number of infiltrators is on the rise. The infiltrators are grabbing tribal lands. Tribal daughters are the target of infiltrators. Their security and safety are at risk. Their lives are also at risk, he said. Apparently referring to two incidents that happened in 2022, Modi said, Tribal daughters are being chopped into 50 pieces... Being burnt alive... Someones tongue was pulled out. Who are these people who are targeting tribal daughters? Why is the JMM government patronising them? The Prime Minister claimed that love jihad started from Jharkhand. Accusing the JMM of indulging in communal politics, he said that despite Sunday being a holiday since the British rule, in one Jharkhand district, it was changed to Friday. Sunday is not linked to Hindus but to the Christian community. It has been a holiday since 200-300 years. Now, they are fighting with Christians also, Modi said. He alleged that the JMM-led coalition was looting the States resources, claiming that the state was now known for mountains of cash. Scams were routine before 2014 as Congress indulged in loot 24x7, but after Modi came to power, he stopped it, the PM said. Modi claimed that the I.N.D.I. Alliance tried hard to defeat Droupadi Murmu, who is a tribal, in the 2022 presidential polls. NIA arrests key accused involved in trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals, Rohingyas into India NEW DELHI, THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested a wanted accused involved in trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas into India through the north-eastern borders. Jalil Miah, a resident of the north-eastern state of Tripura, has been arrested by the NIA team, an official statement said. The NIA had in February declared a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Jalil, who was absconding in the case, in addition to nine others. As per the NIA investigations, a large number of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are being trafficked to India every month through the porous stretches of the Indo-Bangladesh border. They are further transported to different parts of the country and provided fake documents and forced into labour, said the statement issued by the probe agency. In yet another success in its fight against human traffickers operating across the country, the NIA on Tuesday arrested a key conspirator in a case relating to trafficking of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas through the north-eastern borders, it said. Thirty-three persons were arrested earlier in the case, which the NIA had taken over from Assam Special Task Force (STF) that had originally registered an FIR on March 22, 2023 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Passport Act 1967. The NIA has so far chargesheeted 24 accused. Investigations have revealed that Jalil was one of the main conspirators in the human trafficking racket and a close associate of chargesheeted accused Jiban Rudra Pal alias Jibon alias Suman. He was also closely associated with two other absconders, Juj Miah and Shanto, all hailing from Tripura, the NIA said. Passengers evacuated safely amid bomb hoax at Delhi airport NEW DELHI, A VARANASI-BOUND IndiGo flight received a bomb threat at the airport here on Tuesday morning but a search of the aircraft found it to be a hoax, police said. The bomb scare prompted authorities to evacuate all the staff and 176 passengers onboard and launch a search operation, they said. The passengers will be flown to Varanasi in another plane, which is expected to take off at 11 am, an IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement. At around 5 am, information was received regarding a paper found in the lavatory of an Indigo flight scheduled to depart for Varanasi, with the phrase bomb @5.30 written on it, a senior police officer said. A thorough inspection was conducted, the officer said, adding, No suspicious items were found. It was a hoax threat. Further investigation is underway. The officials said the threat was found written on a piece of paper in a lavatory by the pilot when the Indigo 6E2211 flight was preparing to leave from the Indira Gandhi International Airport. A security operation was launched after the pilot informed the control room, they added. Private airline companies assure to resume air services from Jabalpur to major cities Staff Reporter Amid extensive preparations on for No Flying Day proposed on June 6, State Public Works Department Minister, Rakesh Singh, on Tuesday met with Vice President of SpiceJet, Senior Vice President and Senior Manager of IndiGo Airlines in New Delhi. On Singhs request, senior representatives of the private airlines companies assured to resume air services from Jabalpur to Delhi and Mumbai within the next three months and they will also consider to initiate regular flights to other major cities of the country from Sanskardhani. To ensure resumption of regular flights from Jabalpur to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Pune, State PWD Singh held detailed discussions with Devashish Shah, Vice President of SpiceJet and Rajan Malhotra, Senior Vice President of IndiGo Airlines, along with Senior Manager Poonam Patodia in Delhi. Singh said flights from Jabalpur to all major cities of the country were started at different times. Unfortunately, due to certain reasons, many flights from Jabalpur were discontinued by the airlines for private business purposes. He said the modern and well-equipped Dumna Airport in Jabalpur has already been dedicated to the public. Now, there is a need to resume regular air services from Jabalpur to major cities across the country. In todays meeting in Delhi with officials from private airlines, including SpiceJet and IndiGo, he informed them that Jabalpur is centrally located in the state and provides air connectivity to not only Jabalpur but also to surrounding cities. He said restarting flights would contribute to the development of Jabalpur. On Singhs request SpiceJets Vice President, Devashish Shah said that they will resume flights from Jabalpur to Delhi and Mumbai within the next three months. Along with that, SpiceJet will consider initiating regular flights from Jabalpur to Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune and Kolkata using Q400 aircraft. Furthermore, Minister Singh had a positive discussion with Rajan Malhotra, Senior Vice President of IndiGo Airlines, regarding Jabalpurs air connectivity. He requested the restart of flights between Jabalpur and Mumbai. On which, Malhotra assured that once slots became available in Mumbai, regular flights would be initiated immediately. Minister Singh also urged IndiGo Airlines to consider starting flights from Jabalpur to Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. Minister Singh suggested that the company should also consider introducing additional flights to Delhi and Mumbai. Malhotra assured him that he would discuss these matters with his senior officials and give them due consideration. PWD Minister Singh said the officials of IndiGo Airlines that providing extensive air connectivity was essential for Jabalpur, which would benefit their business interests while ensuring safety and security. Prof PremLal Patel takes charge as VNIT Director Staff Reporter Prof Prem Lal Patel, an esteemed Professor (HAG) of Hydraulics and Water Resources in the Department of Civil Engineering at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat, has taken over as the new director of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT). Prof Patel brings with him a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in academia and research, making him a valuable addition to VNIT. Prof Patel has held numerous significant positions during his tenure. He served as Deputy Director of SVNIT. Additionally, he has held roles such as Dean (PG), Dean (Academic), and Head of the Civil Engineering Department at SVNIT Surat. Before joining SVNIT in 2007, Prof Patel was an Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University, DTU) for eight years. He also served as an Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India, Government of India, from 1995 to 1999. Prof Patel holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Government Engineering College, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. He further pursued his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (the then University of Roorkee). His research interests include River Mechanics and Flood Control, Hydrological Modelling and Optimisation of Water Systems, and the Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources Systems. He has supervised 14 doctoral theses and 49 masters theses, executed more than six high-value sponsored research projects, and undertaken over 25 consultancy projects. Prof Patel has an impressive portfolio of over 260 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences of repute. PUNE CAR CRASH: Grandfather, father of minor accused remanded to police custody till May 31 PUNE, Pune District Court on Tuesday sent the father and grandfather of the minor accused involved in the Pune car accident case to police custody till May 31. Earlier, the Pune Police Crime Branch unit on May 25 morning arrested the grandfather of the minor accused of killing two motorcycle-borne persons in Pune City earlier this week after ramming into them the luxury car he was allegedly driving. The Commissioner of Pune city police, Amitesh Kumar, said that the grandfather of the accused was arrested. A separate FIR has been registered against him under IPC sections 365 and 368. The Pune City Police last week questioned the 17-year-olds grandfather in connection with the incident that took place early on Sunday morning in Punes Kalyani Nagar. Along with the grandfather of the accused, Surendra Kumar Agarwal, his son Vishal Agarwal has also been booked in the same FIR under Indian Penal Code Sections of 342,365, 368, 506 and 34 on the complaint of the family driver, Gangadhar, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said. The driver, Gangadhar, had lodged a complaint with police alleging that he was taken to Surendra Agarwals home against his will on the night of May 19, when Gangadhar was leaving from the Yerawada Police Station. Surendra and his son Vishal allegedly threatened Gangadhar, snatched his phone and forcibly kept him confined in their bungalow in an attempt to force him to take responsibility for the crime instead of his minor grandson. The accused has been detained at an observation home on the order of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). He was earlier granted bail in the case but later sent to the observation home for 14 days till June 5. The Pune Police Commissioner earlier said that efforts were on to try the minor accused as an adult. He confirmed that an effort was made to frame the person employed for driving the Porsche car after the accident, and added that police are investigating his statement. RECORD IN J&K A STRONG indicator of change in political thinking in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir was witnessed via the big jump in voter turnout for five Lok Sabha seats. The UT recorded a whopping 30 points jump in election participation which is the highest in the last 35 years. Voter turnout in the five LS seats in J&K was recorded at 58.46% which is 13 percentage points higher than the turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha elections (44.37%). The robust voting percentage is being seen as a giant leap of democratic spirit in the Valley that used to reel under pressure and fear affecting voter turnout in the earlier years. The change in mindset should be termed as a big positive for further development of J&K which was waiting for revival of democratic process since the abrogation of Article 370 five years ago. The high voting percentage also reflects the willingness of the people in J&K to embrace real ways of democracy which was stifled by a few selfish elements under the guise of Special Status. The Election Commission of India deserves a pat on the back for taking the process till the last man standing in the Valley where general sentiment used to be indifferent towards elections in the earlier years. The high number of voting stands as a testament to the healthy civic engagement of the people in the region. The general elections have also paved the way for further democratic processes including the Assembly polls which would be key for restoration of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir. The Centre has been reiterating its promise of restoring full statehood to the newly-carved Union Territory at the right moment. The successful conduct of elections, where all major parties in the region took active part, serves as the first sign of normalcy where democratic values and spirit are respected. Since the removal of Article 370, Jammu & Kashmir has undergone a massive change in every sphere. An air of positivism pervades the hitherto terror strongholds even as the populace enjoys the fruits of steady development through industries, infrastructure, education and top-class facilities. Tourism, the backbone of the region, has blossomed into a vibrant industry as tourism footfalls keep increasing each year. The successful conduct of G-20 summit in Srinagar has also played a key role in making the people realise the high benefits of proper engagement with the mainstream through democratic means. These factors were slowly combining into a healthy atmosphere making a strong foundation for restarting of democratic processes in the Union Territory. It has been vindicated by the sterling response from the electorate which has turned up with a vibrant democratic spirit. A palpable change was witnessed in the three seats in the Valley -- Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri constituencies -- where voter turnout was highest in the last three decades. Also, a significant number in the electorate was formed by voters in the age group of 18-59 years underlining their faith in democracy. Participation of young people is often seen as a barometer for change in mindset. That the young population in the Valley, once brainwashed into stone-pelting, is seeking a role in democracy through proper channels reflects the freshness in their thinking. They truly deserve the special congratulations from Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi who has hailed their enthusiastic participation in the festival of democracy. The general elections results will present the political scenario in J&K but at this moment focus should be solely on the successful conduct of elections in the UT, especially the Valley seats, and willingness of the voters to become a part of democratic history of the region. Taiwans legislature passes changes seen as favouring China, reducing Presidents power TAIPEI, TAIWANS Opposition-controlled legislature passed changes on Tuesday that are seen as favouring China and diminishing the power of the islands President, sparking protests by thousands of people. The changes pushed by the Opposition Nationalist Party and its allies would give the legislature greater power to control budgets, including defence spending that the party has blocked in what many see as a concession to China. It remains unclear whether the package of bills will become law. The Executive Yuan, the executive branch of Government headed by the premier, may veto legislation or pass it on to the President, who has to proclaim bills into law within 10 days. If the Executive Yuan or the President does not comply, the bills will not become law. Thousands of people gathered outside the legislature to protest the changes. The legislative chamber was festooned with banners promoting both sides in the dispute, while arguments on the floor broke into shouting and pushing matches. The Nationalists, also known as the KMT, officially back unification with China, from which Taiwan separated during a civil war in 1949. They took control of the legislature with a single-seat majority after elections in January, while the presidency went to Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which favours Taiwans de facto independence from China. DPP legislators accused deputies from the KMT and the minority Taiwan Peoples Party of undermining Taiwans democracy by expanding the legislatures oversight of the executive branch. They denounced the legislation as creating a black box for what the KMT has portrayed as reforms. While the KMT controls the legislature, its speaker and its allies in the TPP were elected on party lists, meaning they answer to no actual constituents. Taiwan was governed under martial law for 40 years under the Nationalists, who have lost three consecutive presidential elections but still hold power on the local level through well-entwined networks of business and social interests. Pro-China business groups have also captured a major share of Taiwan media market, even as the younger generation turns to social media for its information. China sends planes and ships near Taiwan on a daily basis in a campaign aimed at wearing down Taiwanese opposition to unification and at deteriorating its defences, which are strongly backed by the US, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties. There's been a legal upset that could derail the interstate prostitution case against the Charlottesville man whose late January arrest shut down several roadways around his St. Charles Avenue residence in the city. A federal judge decreed Friday that the FBI's probe of a cellphone belonging to 43-year-old Brian Lamont Turner was illegal and that the evidence extracted from the device can't be used against him. "The warrantless search of Turners phone violated the Fourth Amendment, and in this case, exclusion is the appropriate remedy," wrote Judge Norman K. Moon. Moon's ruling appears to gut the case that prosecutors had amassed against Turner, who expressed joy about the decision. "I beat them. I won," Turner told The Daily Progress in a telephone call from jail. "It feels like an out-of-body experience." While the ruling could be appealed by prosecutors, it comes as a blow both to the FBI agent who neglected to obtain a search warrant and to the prosecutor who heralded her case. Turner's arrest on one count of the interstate prostitution law formerly known as the Mann Act was announced Jan. 24 by U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia. Citing text messages, presumably pulled from Turner's cellphone, Kavanaugh accused him of being a domineering pimp who controlled drug-addicted women with a gun and threats of withholding drugs. "Text messages show him providing instructions and information to his victims about dates, such as how long the date was scheduled to last and how much money to charge," Kavanaugh's statement to the press reads. "He created the advertisements, communicated with customers, and scheduled the dates." The U.S. attorney's spokesman Brian McGinn told The Daily Progress that Kavanaugh would not be commenting further on the matter. Having fired his court-ordered lawyer, Turner hand-wrote his own motion from Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange, where he has been held since his arrest. Last month, he came to the federal courthouse on Vinegar Hill in Charlottesville to face off against a prosecutor who argued that Turner's cellphone was abandoned after he dropped it during a South Carolina altercation. The pro se defendant won that legal debate. "Getting evidence excluded is difficult even for experienced lawyers," local legal analyst David Heilberg told The Daily Progress. "He's obviously a smart guy to have recognized that they messed up." Turner relied heavily on a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court ruling called Riley v. California. "I knew the law, but I had to study to apply it to my situation," he said. The judge cited Riley as part of his decision to suppress the evidence. Cellphones, Moon wrote, invoking Riley, hold for many Americans the privacies of life. Moon directed particular criticism at Mary Grace Echols, the Charlottesville-based FBI special agent overseeing the investigation. "Not only was the warrantless search of Turners cellphone unreasonable, but more importantly, there is little reason why Agent Echols could not have obtained a warrant ahead of searching the phone," Moon wrote. The Charlottesville FBI office did not immediately respond to a Daily Progress request for comment. Turner's arrest made headlines across the commonwealth after police brought military-grade hardware and more than a dozen personnel to Charlottesville's North Downtown neighborhood on Jan. 23, shutting down multiple nearby roadways and ramps to the nearby U.S. 250 Bypass. The arrest followed a multihour standoff that concluded with an explosive charge and the removal from the house of a small child, who Turner says is his grandson. "He was the one with me when they had the tank in my yard," said Turner. Turner said that he didn't want to abandon the child when guns were pointed in his direction and hopes to be freed from jail now. "I want to get back to my grandbaby," he said. Turner acknowledges that prosecutors are unlikely to quickly drop the charges against someone they've pursued so strenuously. As he ponders his next legal move, he said he hopes that his legal victory will inspire others behind bars. "It gives them inspiration to learn the things that I've learned," he said. "I hope it inspires people to learn the law." Acting on specific tip-off by the head of Bangladesh detective chief Harun Ur Rashid, CID today embarked on a mission to unearth body parts, continued to be missing, by searching through sewerage system of a plush Sanjeeva Housing, where the Bangladesh Jhinaidaha MP was allegedly murdered and body dismembered. Early today, the CID officers went to the Housing Complex at New Town, where the alleged murder had taken place and tried to solve the mystery of missing body parts by unplugging the pipe of the main sewerage, connected to the commode of the washroom and that disposed sewage into Bagjola canal as alleged flushing out of body parts allegedly by the assailants had gained momentum following information reached the CID sleuths from Bangladesh detective chief following interrogation of Jihad Hawladar, the alleged butcher. Sources in CID claimed that Jihad had allegedly told interrogators from Bangladesh that after the MP was murdered, his body parts after being dismembered with a sharp weapon had allegedly been flushed out in a bid to wipe off evidence and disposed off into a canal nearby. Advertisement To trace out the body parts, divers had been pressed into service at Bagjola canal to retrieve them. Jihad is also believed to have told investigators that human bones that had been chopped off and packed into a plastic bag had allegedly been disposed of near Krishnamati. But the state investigation agency had hardly found anything there despite a search there. On the murder, Jihad had allegedly told during interrogation by Mr Rashid, the detective head of Bangladesh, that after the MP Azim was led into the plush housing complex at New Town allegedly by Amanulla and Faisal, he was allegedly attacked by Shilasti Rahaman, the alleged honey trap, who was already present there in the flat and had allegedly chloroformed into unconsciousness. The CCTV camera that was installed near the kitchen was allegedly covered with a piece of cloth and leucoplast by Shilasti. Then he was allegedly dragged into the kitchen and Jihad chopped the body, investigation revealed, CID sources claimed. In May so far, the Indian equity markets experienced the highest outflows in Asia with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) withdrawing funds to the tune of USD 2.89 billion. Notably, this marks the highest monthly FII outflow since January 2024. In terms of the other Asian countries, Indonesia witnessed $700 million in selling, Vietnam $415 million, Thailand around $210 million, and the Philippines around $58 million in equity markets. Advertisement However, among buyers, FIIs purchased $7.59 billion in Japan, $6.26 billion in Taiwan, $1.44 billion in South Korea, and $542 million in Malaysias equity markets. Sensex rose by 0.9%, and Nifty by 1.25% so far in May. Across Asia, Hang Seng surged by 5.8%, Kospi by 1.1%, Jakarta by 0.3%, while Shanghai declined by 2%. Topix index and Nikkei in Japan advanced by 1% and 1.2%, respectively. Experts believe that the election outcome will likely prompt FIIs to reinvest in India, particularly if theres a clear majority for the current government. In the year so far, in the Indian market, FIIs have sold Rs 119,612 crore worth of shares while the DIIs have bought Rs 197,484 crore. The fintech industry leaders on Wednesday hailed the three major initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which include the PRAVAAH portal, the Retail Direct Mobile App and a FinTech Repository. The repository will provide a centralised platform for fintech entities to document and share their technological implementations and activities, fostering greater transparency and trust within the industry. The repositorys focus on advanced technologies such as AI and ML enables fintech firms to access data-driven insights, optimise operations, and deliver more personalised and efficient customer experiences, thereby enhancing competitiveness and supporting industry growth, said Anil Sinha, Chief Technology Officer, Fibe. Advertisement Additionally, consumers will benefit from the transparency and trust promoted by the repository, as the advanced use of AI and ML ensures more secure, personalised and efficient financial solutions, leading to better financial inclusion and improved customer satisfaction. The PRAVAAH portal will make it convenient for any individual or entity to apply online for various regulatory approvals in a seamless manner. The Retail Direct Mobile App will provide retail investors seamless and convenient access to the retail direct platform and provide ease of transacting in government securities (G-Secs). Ankit Ratan, Co-founder and CEO, Signzy, said that these initiatives mark a significant step towards a future-proof financial sector in India. By encouraging participation from both fintech and regulated entities, the RBI is encouraging a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can leverage the repositorys insights to strengthen security practices and drive innovation, added Ratan. Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), a 137-year-old leading business conglomerate in India, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, on Wednesday announced Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. This strategic collaboration represents a significant milestone for MPG, reinforcing its brand presence and a new way of connecting with a diverse audience across India. Its a significant milestone for us. Shah Rukh doesnt just bring his star power he also embodies the humility and self-made success that align with our core values, said Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman of Muthoot Pappachan Group. Advertisement Shah Rukh Khans journey mirrors our commitment to making services accessible at various touchpoints across our companies, reinforcing our mission to empower the common man across the nation. His life story perfectly illustrates the power of dreaming big and realising those dreams, he added. In his role as the groups brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan will be seen in MPGs campaigns across multiple channels, promoting their services. These campaigns aim to showcase a range of financial products and services, echoing the groups commitment towards revolutionising access and streamlining convenience for all. Joining the esteemed Muthoot Pappachan Group as their brand ambassador is an exciting step. With a century-long legacy, MPG has immensely contributed to Indias financial landscape. I look forward to inspiring individuals across the country to dream big as MPG turns those dreams into reality, with their easily accessible bouquet of products, Shah Rukh Khan said. This collaboration demonstrates MPGs outlook and firm dedication to fostering the countrys financial growth and aspirations. Shah Rukh Khans iconic status further magnifies this narrative, resonating with customers across all age groups, while inspiring them to dream big. Shah Rukh Khan represents more than just fame; he embodies humility and self-made triumph. He connects with our target audience as an ordinary individual who dreamed big and turned his dreams into reality, said Shaji Varghese, CEO of Muthoot FinCorp Limited. Muthoot Pappachan Group is the promoter of the countrys leading NBFCs including Muthoot FinCorp Limited (flagship Company of the Group), Muthoot Microfin Limited, Muthoot Capital Services Limited and Muthoot Housing Finance Company Limited. As Muthoot Pappachan Group moves towards heralding a future where financial inclusion is within reach for all, having Shah Rukh Khan as their new brand ambassador plays a significant role in achieving this milestone. Parent company of Paytm, One97 Communications, and Adani Group called the report as speculative that stated Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani is considering acquiring a stake in Paytms parent company One97 Communications. We hereby clarify that the abovementioned news item is speculative and the company is not engaged in any discussions in this regard. We have always made and will continue to make disclosures in compliance with our obligations under the Sebi (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, One97 Communications said in a statement. A media report stated that Gautam Adani is planning to acquire a stake in One97 Communications, and that the founder chairman, and managing director of One97 Communications, Vijay Shekhar Sharma met with Adani at his office in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to finalise the contours of a deal. Advertisement Adani Group has also clarified on the media report, and said Categorically deny this baseless speculation, it is totally false and untrue. The report also said that Adani is engaging with West Asian funds to attract them as investors in One97 Communications, the company that pioneered mobile payments in India. Vijay Shekhar Sharma holds around 19 per cent in One97 Communications, valued at Rs 4,218 crore. His direct stake in Paytm is 9 per cent, while an additional 10 per cent is held through Resilient Asset Management, a foreign entity. Recently, reports have highlighted that in light of mounting losses, Paytm has initiated an employee cost reduction plan targeting to save Rs 400-500 crore. This could potentially result in a reduction of 5,000-6,300 employees. On January 31, the RBI imposed business restrictions on the Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) citing repeated violations of norms and non-compliance with multiple rules. The banking regulator barred PPBL from accepting fresh deposits and doing credit transactions after February 29. Actor Vineet Kumar Choudhary has recounted an incident where an elderly fan expressed her heartfelt desire to visit the set of his show Karmadhikari Shanidev all the way from Delhi. Vineet, who plays Shanidev in the mythological show, recalled the elderly fans encounter, and said: Recently, while shooting for Karmadhikari Shanidev I received a special surprise from a very sweet fan on the set. An elderly fan had come with her son all the way from Delhi just to meet me. During a conversation with her, she expressed her belief that I am not just an actor but a medium through which she could spiritually connect with Shanidev. She insisted that her journey was not just to meet me but to immerse herself in the divine energy that my portrayal of Shanidev conveyed. Hearing that completely amazed me, he shared. Advertisement Vineet said portraying characters like Shanidev is unique because people build a divine connection with you through your character. I was deeply touched by the elderly fans belief and the realisation that I am more than just an actor in the eyes of audiences, is inexpressible, he added. Karmadhikari Shanidev airs Monday to Saturday at 8:30 pm on Shemaroo TV. The Congress on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the wake of media reports claiming that he is scheduled to take a three-day meditation break in Tamil Nadus Kanyakumari, starting from 30th May. The party said the reported scheduled trip is violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Notably, on Thursday evening on 30th May the campaigning for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 will conclude. Advertisement A delegation of the Congress leaders comprising Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Naseer Hussain met the ECI and apprised the matter. In its memorandum, the Congress said, On 28th May, several news agencies reported on a trip that Narendra Modi would be taking to Kanyakumari, where he would undertake 48 hours of meditation at the Dhyan Mandapam, starting on 30th May. The said trip would be widely televised and would therefore during the 48 hour silence period in Varanasi, the constituency from which Modi is contesting. Through the meditation trip, Narendra Modi is attempting to circumvent 48 hour silence period and unfairly leverage the ethno-cultural significance of the chosen location in an attempt to bolster his campaign and maximise his vote share in violation of the Representation of the People Act as well as Model Code of Conduct and the orders with respect to dos and donts during the election period that political parties and their candidates are required to adhere to, the party said. Talking to reporters outside the poll panels office, Singhvi while apprising the same said, We have said in our complaint that no leader can campaign directly or indirectly during the silence period. We have also complained about the vulgar and objectionable advertisement being run from the official social media handles of BJP, he said. Altogether, the Congress has filed 28 complaints with ECI on various issues including violation of MCC. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a post on X wrote, We hope that the ECI will take immediate steps to ensure that the live telecast of the meditation of the sva-ghoshit Bhagwan at the Vivekananda Memorial does not take place, since that this is a brazen and clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct. BJP leader Shone George on Wednesday alleged that a substantial amount from the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL)-Exalogic deal was deposited into the Abu Dhabi-based bank account of Kerala Chief Minister Panarayi Vijayans daughter Veena Vijayan. Addressing a press conference here, he said the commission amount was deposited in Abu Dhabi-based Commercial Bank to the account of Exalogic Consulting, Media City, UAE. He said according to information received, this account was operated by Veena and M Suneesh from 2016 to 2019. Shone further disclosed that a significant sum of money was subsequently transferred to various accounts in the US. Shone said this information was provided to the ED Special Director in Chennai by him on April 19. Advertisement Shone further alleged that crores of rupees was transacted through this account and that money from SNC Lavlin Company and PwC Company came into this account. In this connection, it has been reported that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is currently delving into a foreign bank account as part of its inquiry into financial transactions linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) based in Kochi. The investigation expanded its scope to include an Abu Dhabi- based bank account following indications that two foreign companies had made substantial deposits of Rs 3 crore each in this account. Central agencies have been closely monitoring this bank account, it is learnt According to SFIO findings, global consultancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin made multiple deposits into the Abu Dhabi account between 2016 and 2019. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Kochi office reportedly received information about these money transfers about a year ago during its investigation into KIIFBs masala bonds, which allegedly violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Meanwhile,. Shone George has filed a petition in the Kerala High Court stating that crores have reached in Veena Vijayans companys overseas account and seeking an investigation into it The Income Tax Interim Settlement Board (ITISB) had found that Rs 1.72 crore was received by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans daughter Veena Vijayan and her company Exalogic during 2017-20 from the mining company, the CMRL without providing any service to them. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 31 January issued an order handing over the probe into the affairs of Exalogic Solutions, the firm owned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans daughter Veena Vijayan , as well as Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Industrial( KSIDC) to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) A six-member team is authorised to probe the matter, with Deputy Director M Arun Prasad as the investigating officer. The death toll from a devastating stone quarry collapse and landslides in the aftermath of cyclone Remal in Mizoram has risen to 28, as rescue operations continue in a desperate bid to locate any remaining survivors. The tragedy, which has deeply impacted the Melthum area and its surroundings, has prompted a large-scale response involving multiple rescue teams. The catastrophe occurred at the Melthum quarry in the outskirts of capital town Aizawl, where the collapse has claimed 14 lives. Advertisement Additionally, another 14 fatalities have been reported from neighbouring regions, which have experienced severe landslides triggered by Cyclone Remal. These landslides have compounded the disaster, causing widespread devastation and complicating rescue efforts. Authorities have resumed search operations in the affected areas, working tirelessly to recover bodies and potentially find survivors. The rescue mission involves the state disaster response team, paramilitary forces, members of the Young Mizo Association, and local volunteers. These teams are navigating challenging conditions, including unstable terrain and ongoing weather-related obstacles, to carry out their life-saving work. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma has been actively involved in overseeing the rescue operations. On Tuesday, he visited the site of the landslide, offering words of encouragement and assurance to the affected communities. Demonstrating solidarity with the rescuers, Chief Minister Lalduhoma donated Rs 50,000 to the volunteers of the Young Mizo Association, recognizing their crucial role in the rescue efforts alongside state and central teams. In a bid to provide relief and support to the grieving families, Chief Minister Lalduhoma announced a compensation package of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the landslides. This financial aid is intended to offer some measure of solace and assistance during these difficult times. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals close aide Bibhav Kumar on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court seeking direction to declare his arrest in the Swati Maliwal assault case by Delhi Police as illegal and in gross violation of the provisions of Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The plea has also sought order that the petitioner be paid appropriate compensation for his illegal arrest, in deliberate and blatant violation of the provisions of law. Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police following a complaint by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. In her complaint, Ms Maliwal alleged that on May 13, she had gone to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his Civil Lines residence. Advertisement While she was waiting in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar came and slapped her several times without any provocation. Kumar, she alleged, also kicked her on the stomach and pelvis area. On May 13 itself, Maliwal had informed the police about the alleged incident but didnt file an official complaint. However, two days later, she filed an FIR and levelled serious charges of assault against the key aide of Delhi CM. Kumar has also filed a case against Maliwal for abusing him and trespassing the CMs house. After initially admitting misbehaviour with Ms Maliwal, the Aam Aadmi Party claimed she was part of a BJP conspiracy to frame Kejriwal and claimed an old ACB case against her was used as leverage. Earlier on Tuesday, the court had sent Bibhav Kumar to a three-day police custody. Kicking up a political row ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has said China allegedly invaded India in October 1962. He was speaking at the launch of Kallol Bhattacherjees book Nehrus First Recruits at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) here on Tuesday. I was literally Jawaharlal Nehrus last recruit In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India. On the day Tawang fell, the foreign services exam began in London. When they were over, I was prominent in the Cambridge Union, and newspapers used to make references to me. So many newspapers linked me with leftist ideologies, he said at the event. Advertisement He, however, later sought to clarify his stance, admitting that his choice of the term alleged was inappropriate, particularly during an election period. The Congress distanced itself from the remarks while hitting out at the Narendra Modi government over the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologized unreservedly for using the term alleged invasion mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20 1962 was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed. The outgoing PM, however, gave a clean chit publicly to the Chinese on June 19th 2020, seriously weakening our negotiating position. 2000 sq km of territory including Depsang and Demchok remain out of bounds for Indian troops, he added. Aiyar had recently landed up in another controversy over his remarks on Pakistan. In an interview with a YouTube channel, Chill Pill, posted on April 15, he said India should engage in dialogue with Pakistan as it possessed an atomic bomb. India should give respect to Pakistan as it has an atom bomb. If we dont give them respect, they will think of using an atomic bomb against India, he had said. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tore into the Congress for inculcating an anti-India mindset. Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said, Mani Shankar Aiyar says that in 1962 China allegedly invaded India. Can this happen without the approval of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge who are silent? Why this silence? We all know the relationship between India and China. India has been standing strong with pride showing China its place. At this time, this signal by Congress and Mani Shankar Aiyar shows the anti-India mindset of the Congress party The BJPs IT department head, Amit Malviya, also slammed the Congress over Aiyars remarks. Mani Shankar Aiyar, speaking at the FCC, during the launch of a book called Nehrus First Recruits, refers to the Chinese invasion in 1962 as alleged. This is a brazen attempt at revisionism, he said on X. Nehru gave up Indias claim on permanent seat at the UNSC in favour of the Chinese, Rahul Gandhi signed a secret MoU, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation accepted funds from the Chinese Embassy and published reports recommending market access for Chinese companies, based on them, Sonia Gandhis UPA opened up Indian market for Chinese goods, hurting MSMEs and now Congress leader Aiyar wants to whitewash the Chinese invasion, post which the Chinese have been in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq km of Indian territory What explains Congresss love for the Chinese? he added. The last phase of the crucial general election will be held on June 1 and results will be out on June 4. After Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar triggered controversy over his alleged invasion remark on the 1962 India-China war, Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that the latter has apologized and the party distances itself from his original phraseology. Jairam also attacked PM Modi over his statement on the 2020 India-China face-off in Ladakhs Galwan Valley saying that the Prime Minister gave a clean chit to the Chinese weakening the negotiation position of India. In a post on X, Jairam said, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar has subsequently apologised unreservedly for using the term alleged invasion mistakenly. Allowances must be made for his age. The INC distances itself from his original phraseology. The Chinese invasion of India that began on October 20, 1962, was for REAL. So too were the Chinese incursions in Ladakh in early May 2020 in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred and the status quo disturbed. The outgoing PM, however, gave a clean chit publicly to the Chinese on June 19th, 2020, seriously weakening our negotiating position. 2000 sq km of territory including Depsang and Demchok remain out of bounds for Indian troops, Jairam Ramesh added. The 1962 Indo-China War took place between October and November of 1962. The Chinese troops attacked across the MacMohan line and captured the Aksai Chin region which belongs to India. Addressing the press conference on Tuesday, Mani Shankar Aiyar said, In October 1962, the Chinese allegedly invaded India. Advertisement Earlier this month, the Congress leader courted controversy after an interview clip of his went viral, wherein he could be heard saying that Pakistan is a respected nation that also possesses an atom bomb so India must enter into a dialogue with them. He further said there have been no efforts from India to reach out to Pakistan in the last ten years. In a setback to Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Partys national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court registry on Wednesday refused to list for an urgent hearing his application for the extension of interim bail in Delhi Excise Policy case by 7 days on medical grounds, noting that that the plea is not maintainable. Refusing to list Kejriwals plea for urgent hearing, the top court registry said, Since the Chief Minister was given liberty to move to the trial court for regular bail, the plea is not maintainable. The verdict on Kejriwals plea challenging his arrest and subsequent remand in Delhi Excise Policy case was reserved on May 17, 2024, before the top court went into its 7-week long summer vacation. Advertisement Kejriwal was released on May 10, 2024, for 21 days to campaign in the ongoing general election to Lok Sabha till June 1 and was ordered to surrender before the Tihar jail authorities on June 2, 2024. Kejriwal was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement on March 21, 2024, in an alleged money laundering case arising from Delhi Excise Policy case under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. On Monday May 28 a vacation bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan had refused an urgent listing of Kejriwals plea for the extension of interim bail on medical grounds, stating that the same should have been mentioned last week before a vacation bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta. Justice Datta was a part of the bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna which had granted 21 days interim bail to Kejriwal on May 10 and had also reserved order on May 17, on his plea challenging his arrest. Kejriwal has knocked the doors of the top court seeking an extension of his interim bail by 7 days, stating that he has to undergo PET-CT scan and other tests. Kejriwal has claimed that since his arrest he had lost 7 kgs of weight and his Ketone level had gone very high. This could be a symptom of a serious disease. The doctors of Max hospital are treating him at present, he said in his plea. The trilateral summit between China, South Korea, and Japan marks a significant moment in East Asian diplomacy. Held in Seoul, it was the first such meeting since 2019, signalling a potential thaw in relations that have been fraught with tension and competition. The leaders focus on reviving trade and security dialogues is both timely and necessary, given the current global economic and geopolitical climate. Chinese Premier Li Qiangs call to separate politics from economic issues is particularly noteworthy. His emphasis on ending protectionism and avoiding the decoupling of supply chains reflects a pragmatic approach to international relations. In an era where global trade is increasingly weaponised, this stance is a reminder that economic interdependence can and should transcend political rivalries. This perspective is crucial for fostering stability and prosperity in the region, where the economies of China, South Korea, and Japan are deeply intertwined. The joint declaration from the summit highlights a broad range of cooperative efforts, from climate change and health to trade and cultural exchanges. The commitment to boost people-to-people exchanges to 40 million by 2030 is an ambitious goal that underscores the importance of soft power and cultural diplomacy. Such initiatives can build mutual understanding and trust, which are essential for long-term peace and collaboration. However, despite these positive developments, it is clear that deep-seated issues remain unresolved. The summits success in reducing frictions does not necessarily equate to a fundamental shift in the geopolitical landscape. As noted by analysts, the meeting is more about managing existing tensions than transforming relationships. This pragmatic approach is realistic, given the complex historical and strategic factors at play. One of the most contentious issues is North Korea. The divergent approaches to Pyongyangs planned satellite launch, with South Korea and Japan urging restraint and China avoiding direct condemnation, illustrate the underlying strategic differences. Chinas longstanding ties with North Korea complicate its role as a mediator, yet its involvement is crucial for any meaningful progress on the Korean Peninsula. The economic dimension of the summit cannot be overstated. The trade relationships among these three nations have evolved into intense competition, complicated by US policies urging allies to reduce reliance on China. This dynamic adds a layer of complexity to regional cooperation efforts. The leaders agreement to work towards a transparent and predictable trade environment is a step in the right direction, but the path forward will require concrete actions and mutual concessions. Premier Lis call to separate politics from economics, coupled with commitments to various cooperative efforts, provides a framework for reducing tensions and fostering regional stability. However, the enduring strategic and historical challenges necessitate cautious optimism. True progress will depend on sustained dialogue, mutual trust, and a willingness to address the underlying issues that have long hindered deeper collaboration. Advertisement The prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine, as suggested by sources close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, raises critical questions about the future of the conflict and the broader geopolitical landscape. President Putins purported readiness to negotiate a halt to the fighting based on current battlefield lines needs scrutiny, particularly its motivation. Mr Putins frustration with the Western-backed resistance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskkys refusal to engage in talks suggests a strategic recalibration rather than a genuine move towards peace. By freezing the conflict at the existing frontlines, Russia would solidify its control over substantial territories in eastern Ukraine, thereby achieving a significant portion of its war aims without the need for further escalation. However, accepting such a ceasefire on these terms would effectively reward aggression and set a dangerous precedent in international relations. It would legitimise the forcible redrawing of borders, undermining the principle of territorial integrity that underpins the post-World War II international order. Moreover, the internal dynamics within Russia cannot be overlooked. The reluctance to initiate another national mobilisation, driven by the public backlash and the exodus of draft-age men during the first call-up, highlights Mr Putins constraints. While his grip on power remains firm, the social and economic toll of the war is mounting. Veterans returning from the frontlines with limited prospects for employment and income pose a potential risk of unrest. Thus, a ceasefire could be a way to mitigate these internal pressures without appearing to capitulate. From the Ukrainian perspective, any ceasefire that consolidates Russian gains will be unacceptable. President Zelenskkys steadfast commitment to reclaiming all lost territories, including Crimea, reflects nationalistic fervour. Ceding ground to Russia would leave Ukraine perpetually vulnerable to future incursions and undermine its sovereignty. But Mr Zelenskky too faces the problem that Mr Putin does and perhaps to a greater measure the shortage of soldiers. The international community must balance these imperatives. While there is a clear desire to avoid a protracted and bloody conflict, any peace initiative must respect Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty. The substantial military aid packages and diplomatic support provided to Kyiv are predicated on the belief that a just and sustainable peace can only be achieved through the restoration of Ukraines pre-2014 borders. The proposed Swiss peace summit, convened without Russian participation, underscores the complexities of brokering a resolution. While bringing together a broad coalition of nations to support Ukraine is a positive step, the exclusion of Russia raises questions about the efficacy and legitimacy of such talks. True peace will ultimately require direct engagement with Moscow, however unpalatable that may be. Mr Putins tentative ceasefire offer should be approached with caution. While it presents a potential pathway to de-escalation, it is laden with strategic calculations aimed at solidifying Russian territorial gains and alleviating domestic pressures. The international community must navigate this delicate situation with a firm commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring that any resolution does not inadvertently reward aggression Advertisement Abuse against children and adolescents, especially sexual abuse, has been alarmingly high during the last few years. It is evident that reported cases of the issue have significantly increased, yet many cases still remain unreported due to societal stigma, fear and limited awareness. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India has seen a 26 per cent increase in crimes against children over the past two years, based on cases registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The number rose specifically amidst the backdrop of the pandemic, which induced lockdowns, highlighting a disturbing trend in crimes against children. India, in 2022, witnessed a staggering 8.7 per cent increase in child abuse cases, reaching a total of 162,000 incidents. Touch is a positive experience that gives a safe feeling from a loved one. Good and bad touch are two very crucial aspects that a child must be taught at an early age, both for protection from any potential harm and to prevent them from becoming a threat to others in society. Advertisement Good touch gives reinforcement and makes you feel loved, safe and comfortable; for instance, warm hugs from family and friendly handshakes from friends. Whereas bad touch is something you dont want and will make you feel uncomfortable, scared, unsafe and unwanted. Bad touches include touching parts that are normally covered by undergarments. A bad touch is not only limited to touch; it also extends to views. Dr Sarmishtha Chakrabarti, a consultant psychiatrist at Manipal Hospitals and founder-director at Insight Medical Centre, shed light on the traumatic after-effects of inappropriate touches experienced during childhood and adolescence. Bad touches have a significant impact on mental and emotional well-being. First are anxiety and depression, emotional distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Next come trust issues; therefore, such people may face challenges engaging in emotional and physical relations with their partner. Self-esteem and body image issues are also there. Besides that, victims may have anorexia nervosa (an eating disorder) as an outcome if not treated properly. There are also physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, backaches, and other physical ailments. Sometimes, victims do deliver self-harm by cutting themselves as they feel emotionally empty. Child abuse in India thrives on a complex web of social and economic factors. Sometimes, due to poverty, lack of education, and stressful living conditions, it creates pressure for carers, therefore increasing the risk of outbursts and violence. Additionally, deep-rooted social stigmas surrounding mental health and a general lack of awareness about child abuse make it difficult to identify and address the issue. As childhood is the most important stage in the development cycle, it should be kept in mind that the child acquires knowledge from their surroundings. Accordingly, they learn good touch and bad touch through the environment of their upbringing. Therefore, sex education is a fundamental need of our children for their bright future. It becomes a problem if the parents or the utmost caregivers of the child feel shy about taking up such sensitive topics with their own children. Sudeshna Roy, an advisor in the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), says, This has been something that NGOs, commissions, and the government have been working on for over 56 years, and gradually it is gaining momentum. It is even included in the curriculum of government schools early in junior classes. Awareness of touch should be taught to both girls and boys; its not just girls who get molested. Most importantly, parents should also be made aware of it. Parent-teacher meetings should include a talk about it. She adds, Parents, especially in rural and semi-urban sections, should be taught and made to understand the importance of talking to their children about sensitive topics because it is seen that they are often not careful when discussing such matters, which can have negative consequences. However, I must say that change is taking place and age-old stereotypes are gradually being eliminated. The SPK Jain Futuristic Academy in Newtown, Kolkata, hosted a crucial workshop on Good Touch and Bad Touch on 15 May 2024. Organised by Young Indians, the session aimed to educate and empower young students about personal safety and boundaries. The institute considers such education an essential component of education. Children with disabilities are at least three times more likely to be abused than those with abilities and are more likely to be seriously injured or harmed by maltreatment. The Statesman reached out to an individual (who requested anonymity) working on community-based programmes to protect abled children and children with special needs, providing home-to-home teaching and guidance for children, families and extended families. She said, The modules for teaching abled and disabled children are the same. It is only for those who are visually and hearing impaired that we use an ISL (Indian Sign Language) interpreter. We start by introducing the male and female bodies by drawing charts and making posters. In most cases, children could only recognise body parts that were noticeable, and then we made them learn about the private body parts. We teach them rights over ones own body and how to differentiate good and bad touch through various stories and incidents. Its not only the child who must be made aware, but also the immediate family and beyond them. Bad touches come in every form and are irrespective of gender. Societal stereotypes often portray young boys as strong and hard. This can create a culture of silence around abuse, as boys may feel hesitant to speak out or discouraged from addressing it due to societal pressures. We see cases, such as in family gatherings, where the parents fail to recognise inappropriate touching of their children by strangers or relatives, even in front of their eyes, due to a lack of awareness. There are many cases where the mother abides by their in-laws and cannot speak blatantly when her child is touched inappropriately. Moreover, many parents or primary caregivers leave for work and entrust their children to the care of extended family members, which can sometimes lead to the child facing such issues. Such touches might also be unintentional or habitual due to a lack of awareness, making the child feel uncomfortable, unwanted, and scared, she added. Anant National Universitys recent endeavour, IDEA: International Designers Explore, Experiment, Educate at Anant, proved to be a dynamic experience for both guest designers and students as they delved into innovative design approaches and grappled with the intricate dynamics of identity in todays globalized landscape. With the theme Rediscovering Roots, IDEA hosted eight international and Indian designers who led engaging workshops on various themes, culminating further into an exhibition showcasing student projects born from these workshops. The line-up of designers included distinguished figures such as Prof. Gjoko Muratovski, Provost at the Australian Institute of Advanced Technologies; Prof. Peer Sathikh from Nanyang Technological University; Prof. Juan Antonio Islas Munoz, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Montreal, Canada; Mr Ki Chan Lee, Founder of KI LEE Korea; and notable Indian architects like Apurva Mishra and Achyut Siddhu, Founders of Loksutr; Prof Cedric Serpes from the Goa Institute of Management and McArthur Foundation awardee; and Shashank Nimkar, Founder of Earth Tatva. Gjoko Muratovskis workshop urged students to explore an alternative history for India, unaffected by colonization. Prof. Peer Sathikh delved into the concept of transmigration, exploring the fusion of diverse cultures. Prof. Cedric Serpes challenged traditional notions of music with his workshop, Musical India: Finding Musical Expression with Imagination, inspiring students to design new instruments. Juan Antonio Islas Munoz took students on a futuristic journey, envisioning Ahmedabads urban landscape 26 years from now. Advertisement Additionally, Ki Chan Lees workshop bridged history and fashion, encouraging students to design accessories inspired by both realms. Achyut Siddhu and Apoorva Mishras workshops focused on preserving Indias oral traditions and guiding students in translating tribal stories into tangible art forms. Lastly, Shashank Nimkars workshop explored the past, present, and future of Indian wedding rituals, urging students to look beyond tradition. This dynamic exchange between students and design luminaries at IDEA promises to help future designers navigate the complexities of identity in a globalized world, all while celebrating the rich tapestry of cultural heritage. In the past 24 hours, the internet has been taken over by a seemingly AI-generated image reading All Eyes on Rafah. The image went viral as people across the world took to social media to express support for the Palestinians in Rafah, a city located in Gaza. The Israeli airstrike carried out on Sunday killed almost 45 people who were sheltered in camps in Rafah. The Iranian embassy in India took to X to explain the viral image, claiming, All eyes on Rafah is a phrase that refers to the ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, with over 1.4 million Palestinians seeking shelter. The seemingly AI-generated post shows tents arranged in a formation to spell out the slogan. The post is being widely shared on social media platforms, with over 29 million shares on Instagram in 24 hours. Bollywood celebrities including Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Priyanka Chopra, Rashmika Mandanna, Sonakshi Sinha, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Triptii Dimri, Dia Mirza, and Richa Chadha posted the image to their Instagram stories, expressing their solidarity with Palestinians. Advertisement The said image that brings attention to the killings in Rafah does not highlight the violence occurring daily. The attack on Rafah comes despite global outrage and the International Court of Justices (ICJ) order demanding Israel to halt the military operation in the region. More than 35,000 people, primarily women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, which began after October 7, last year. Over a million people of Gaza have been living in Rafah, the Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, bordering Egypts Sinai Peninsula. Israel launched the airstrike on Sunday, just hours after Hamas unleashed a rain of rockets at the Tel Aviv area, most of which were intercepted. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has been constantly expressing the horrors of the ongoing war that continue to haunt civilians. On May 28, the UNRWA posted, Its one of hundreds of attacks & strikes that weve seen over the past months. Palestinian families across #GazaStrip face constant fear & death, @UNRWAs Sam Rose tells @cnn that if there is not a #Ceasefirenow there will be more & more of these attacks killing civilians. This follows the post, There is no such thing as a safe place in #Gaza. Nowhere and nobody is safe. Every day that goes by, more civilians die and families are forced to live in increasingly unspeakable conditions. Following the attack, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the countrys strike at the camp a tragic mistake on Monday. Israels military claimed that it had launched a precise airstrike targeted at killing two senior Hamas militants. As the strike culminated in a fire, the military said it had opened an investigation into the same. Amid the ongoing war, in a momentous move, Spain and Norway have officially recognized a Palestinian state as of May 28 in an attempt to strike peace between Israel and Palestine, subsequently resolving the conflict. Further, Ireland has also expressed that it will officially recognize the Palestinian state. Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel following deadly airstrikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Riyadh condemned the continuous genocidal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah. The ministry added that the kingdom is holding Israel fully responsible for what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as denouncing what it termed continuous blatant violations of all humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms. Advertisement Several Arab countries have condemned an Israeli strike on Sunday that hit tents housing displaced people near Rafah, reportedly killing 45 people. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 48F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 48F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible. Travelling the world opens up numerous opportunities for adventure and exploration, and the freedom to drive in foreign countries enhances these experiences. Renting a car and hitting the open road offer you greater flexibility at exploring local cultures, cuisine and destinations. Several countries recognise and accept Indian driving licenses, making it easier for Indian tourists and expatriates to drive around, whether you are planning a short vacation or an extended stay. Here is the list of countries that welcome Indian driving licences, opening up a world of possibilities for those eager to explore beyond borders. 1. The USA Indian tourists and residents in the United States can drive with their Indian driving license for up to one year, depending on the state. The possession of an I-94 form is essential for individuals driving in the US using an Indian license. The I-94 form is a crucial document used by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to track the arrival and departure of travellers to and from the country. 2. Malaysia To legally drive on Malaysian roads, your Indian driving license must be in either English or Malay and validated by the issuing authority or the Indian Embassy in Malaysia. Otherwise, you will require an International driving license. 3. Germany Germany permits Indian driving license for six months. However, it must be in either English or German. In the absence of these languages, translation by police authorities or rental agencies is required. 4. Australia In Australia, Indian driving licenses are accepted for up to one year in regions such as New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. However, in Northern Australia, the validity period is limited to three months. It is recommended to carry an international driving permit from India when traveling to Northern Australia. Additionally, it is important to note that cars are driven on the left side of the road in Australia. 5. The UK Driving rules in the UK and India share similarities, such as driving on the left side of the road, mandatory seat belts, and prohibitions on using hand-held mobile phones while driving. Drivers with a valid Indian driving license are legally permitted to drive in England, Scotland and Wales for up to one year, provided the license is in English. 6. New Zealand Individuals can use their Indian driving license to drive in New Zealand for up to one year. They must ensure their driving license is in English or accompanied by an authorised translation from the New Zealand Transport Agency. 7. Switzerland Switzerland, famous for its cheese, chocolate and the Swiss Alps, permits drivers with a valid Indian license to drive legally for one year after entering the country. 8. South Africa The Indian driving license is valid in this country on the basis of a certificate of validity issued by the consulate. To drive in South Africa, you need to meet two requirements: you must be at least 21 years old, and your driving license must be printed in English. 9. Sweden In Sweden, you can drive with an Indian license for up to one year. The license must be in English, Norwegian, Swedish, French or German. 10. Singapore Although Singapore generally requires an International driving license, individuals with a valid Indian driving license in English are permitted to drive in the country for up to one year. 11. Hong Kong (one year) 12. Spain (six months) 13. France (one year) 14. Canada (60 days) 15. Norway (three months) 16. Finland (12 months) 17. France (one year) 18. Bhutan (If you have an Indian driving license, you can drive in Bhutan) 19. Ireland (one year) 21. Iceland (six months) Benchmark equity indices declined in early trade on Wednesday, continuing to fall for the fourth day running, amid profit-taking by investors who are opting for a cautious approach ahead of the Lok Sabha polls' results. Weak cues from Asian markets also added to the negative trends in equities. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 416.1 points to drop below the 75,000-mark to 74,754.35. The NSE Nifty dropped 125.9 points to 22,762.25. From the Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank were the biggest laggards. Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Power Grid and State Bank of India were among the gainers. In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong were quoting lower while Shanghai traded with gains. US markets ended on a mixed note on Tuesday. "The nervousness in the market continues with uncertainty regarding the election results," said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services. The last phase of polling is scheduled for June 1. The results of the ongoing general elections will be declared on June 4. Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.21 per cent to USD 84.40 a barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 65.57 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data. After gyrating between gains and losses during the day on Tuesday, the BSE benchmark finally ended 220.05 points or 0.29 per cent lower at 75,170.45. The NSE Nifty dropped 44.30 points or 0.19 per cent to settle at 22,888.15. The West Bengal CID investigating the murder of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar has sent the flesh and strands of hair recovered from the septic tank of a flat in New Town on Tuesday for forensic and DNA tests. Police suspect the main accused, a butcher, disposed of the remains of Anar after chopping them up into pieces and mixing them with turmeric. Harun-or-Rashid, the Detective Branch chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police who is in India to take part in the ongoing investigations, said any development in the case can be confirmed only after the test results come. "We opened the sewage line and septic tank of that duplex flat (murder site) with the help of West Bengal CID and found (samples of ) flesh there," he told media persons. A total of around 3.5 kg of flesh and some strands of hair were recovered from the septic tank. The investigation officials assume that the blood was drained out of the bathroom of the flat where the Awami League MP was strangled to death. A team of police officers had examined the drain pipes and the septic tank. Besides, searches are also being conducted in the Bagjola canal adjacent to an amusement park near Rajarhat. However, finding the body parts would be tough due to heavy rainfall following Cyclone Remal on Monday. "It's been over a fortnight that the crime was carried out. The body parts were chopped into smaller parts and there was a high chance that those were eaten up by aquatic animals. The Bagjola Canal has dirty water and the body parts could be swept away by the flow," the police officer said. Divers were employed to spot the body parts as well as the murder tools from the canal, he added. Harun-or-Rashid confirmed on Tuesday that the investigation team received circumstantial and digital evidence. "We will also record the statement of the accused butcher. After interrogation, we matched the statement with our accused in Bangladesh. We also got circumstantial evidence and we are matching it," he added. The officials are also planning to get in touch with Interpol and the CID to identify the prime suspect behind the killing. Anwarul Azim Anar. (Right) The flat where the MP was murdered | PTI The death of the MP came to light after an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician approached the police to file a missing complaint. Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar, told the police on May 18 that Anar went incommunicado on May 17. Anar had stayed at Biswas's house upon arrival from Bangladesh for medical treatment on May 12. The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with a communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities. A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain granted him bail after hearing the counsel for Imam and the Delhi Police. He had sought statutory bail on the grounds of time spent in custody since January 2020. The prosecution said Imam allegedly made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019 and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019 where he threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the North East from India. The statements were made during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Imam, a research scholar with Jawaharlal Nehru University, was booked in the case registered by Delhi Police's Special Branch, which was initially registered for the offence of sedition and Section 13 of UAPA was invoked later. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020 in the matter. The trial court had refused to grant him bail on February 17 and ruled that his custody could be extended for a further period in "exceptional circumstances" after hearing the prosecution's case. Imam had claimed before the trial court that he has been in custody for the last four years and the maximum sentence for the offence under section 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is 7 years, if convicted. As per Section 436-A CrPC, a person can be released from custody if he has spent more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Kanyakumari on May 30 to be on a three-day meditation at the Dhyan Mandapam in Vivekananda Rock in Kanyakumari. Situated adjacent to the sky-high monolithic statue of saint Thiruvalluvar, the Vivekananda Memorial is one of the popular tourist attractions in south India. Prime Minister Modi, who is known to take spiritual journeys at the end of election campaigns, visited Kedarnath and Pratapgarh at the end of in 2019 and 2014 campaigns respectively. While Kedarnath is a known religious spot, Pratapgarh is where a battle was fought between the Bijapur troops and Maratha forces under Chathrapathi Shivaji. Modis choice to opt for Kanyakumari's Vivekananda Rock is regarded as a silent campaign showcasing his Hindu nationalism. Located in the southernmost tip of India, Kanyakumari is a picturesque tourist destination where the three oceans, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, converge. The Vivekananda Memorial has its own historical significance. Located 500 meters off the Kanyakumari coast, it is a popular tourist hotbed - a memorial set up during the Congress regime in 1970, under the instigation of the Ramakrishna Mission. It is believed that Swami Vivekananda meditated for three days sitting on the rock, after extensive travel across the globe. It is believed that Vivekananda attained enlightenment here while meditating. It is also said that it was on this rock that Goddess Parvati, also known as Kanyakumari, prayed to lord Shiva. Incidentally, the Memorial looks similar to the Ramakrishna Temple, situated in Belur Mutt in West Bengal. Again Modis visit is believed to send positive signals to the voters in West Bengal, a part of which goes to poll in the last phase of the elections. It comprises Dhyan Mandapam or a meditation hall and the construction has an antique-style pattern. An architectural marvel with an aesthetic view, the memorial houses a life-sized bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda and two more structures called the Sripada Mandapam and Vivekananda Mandapam. The historical significance, Indian philosophy and the Hindu nationalistic belief attached to the Vivekananda Centre are said to be the major reasons for Modi and the BJP choosing the southern tip of India for his meditation mission this election season. Security is beefed up at the boat jetty in Kanyakumari, while the spot has been closed to tourists. The Prime Minister will arrive at the Thiruvananthapuram airport and proceed by helicopter to Kanyakumari. He will land at the helipad in Kanyakumari on May 30, evening and then proceed to the Dhyan mandapam at the Vivekananda memorial situated mid-sea. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai on May 30 to offer prayers at the Kottai Bhairavar temple. The temple located at Thirumayam in Pudukottai district is considered a powerful shrine and a favourite of the local politicians. Located on the outer wall of the Thirumayam Fort, Kottai Bhairavar is regarded as an aspect of Lord Shiva, a guardian deity, in this part of Tamil Nadu. Himachal Pradesh is witnessing an unusual heat wave this summers, the climatic and the political. With polling set to take place on June 1, all eyes will not just be on the four Lok Sabha seats, held by the BJP, but the six assembly seats where bypolls are happening after the Congress MLAs rebelled against Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Sukhu had won the polls in December 2022 defeating the BJP government in the revolving door polity of the state. Sukhus elevation to the chief minister marked a generational change in the states politics in the absence of former CM Virbhadra Singh. A year later, he faced rebellion as six MLAs cross voted during the Rajya Sabha elections defeating the party candidate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Sukhu government got a breather as six rebels were disqualified. Those six seats will decide the fate of the Congress government. The stakes are not only running high in the assembly byepolls but even the Lok Sabha elections held simultaneously. In the bipolar contest in the state, the BJP is relying on Prime Minister Narendra Modis charisma to continue its winning streak of the last two Lok Sabha polls, where it had won all the four seats. For Congress, its a prestige battle as the party had to suffer embarrassment due to rebellion. The seat attracting most attention in the state is Mandi. BJP has fielded bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut from this Lok Sabha seat, which is also her native place. The outspoken Ranaut is a major draw in this elections. Being a Modi supporter even before she joined politics, Ranaut has a dedicated following across the country. Making Mandi a high value contest is Vikramaditya Singh, a minister in Sukhu cabinet, but more importantly, son of Virbhadra Singh. His mother, Pratibha Singh, now the state Congress president, had won the polls in Mandi in a byepoll. Being a Rajput dominated seat, both Ranaut and Singh are vying for that pie. Mandi is prestige battle on many counts: Ranauts first electoral entry; Virbhadra Singhs familys influence, and the first polls on Sukhus watch. Other high-stakes battle is in Hamirpur, a seat held by the BJP since 1998 and currently represented by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur. Thakurs father, Prem Kumar Dhumal, a former chief minister, represented the seat before him. Congress has fielded former MLA Satpal Singh Raizada against Thakur who appears to be in comfortable position. Congress has fielded former union minister Anand Sharma from Kangra, a seat held by the BJP for the last three terms. BJP has fielded Rajeev Bhadarwaj, who is contesting polls for the first time. From Shimla reserved seat, which has been held by the BJP since 2009, the party has repeated its sitting MP Suresh Kashyap, while the Congress has fielded MLA Vinod Sultanpuri. The BJP aims to win all the four seats to retain its hold over the state. The Congress has a twin taskto improve its national tally from the state, and even save its state government. Himachal is one of the three states where the grand old party is in power. While the state will take the political contest in its stride, the changes at the climactic level are more permanent and may need a focused attention from the governments in power. At 5,901, India sent the highest number of military personnel for United Nations peace-keeping missions as of December 31, 2023, data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Tuesday showed. India was followed by Nepal with 5,878 personnel, Uganda with 5,764, and Bangladesh with 5,393. Indias neighbour Pakistan ranked seventh with 4,299 personnel deployed for UN peacekeeping. These personnel are deployed across 12 UN peacekeeping missions across the world. Traditionally, India has always been among the biggest contributor of UN peacekeepers. Since 1950, approximately 2, 86,000 Indian soldiers have served in the UN across the globe. About 159 of the total 177 Indian bravehearts who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace, have been from the Indian Army. On May 13, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict claimed its first UN staffer victim when Waibhav Anil Kale, age 46, died when an incoming projectile hit his UN-marked vehicle when it was travelling from Rafah near the conflict-torn Gaza to the European Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. A retired colonel of the Indian Army, Kale was the UN security service coordinator who had joined the organisation in Gaza two months ago. From the deployment in a Field Hospital in Korea in 1950 to its current role as a major contributor to complex and multifaceted missions, crucial for the advancement of global peace and security, Indias role in the UN has also changed. UN peacekeeping missions are mandated under Article 99 by which the Secretary General is granted the authority to independently address potential global conflicts or threats. Also seen as a very robust diplomatic tool, it is also a way in which the Secretary General flags the issue to the UN Security Council. It is by this mandate that UN peacekeeping contingents were deployed in Congo in 1960, Tunisia in 1961, Bangladesh in 1971 when the country was created, UN peacekeeping troops were also involved in the release of American hostages held by the Iran militia in 1979. They were brought in during the escalating civil war in Lebanon in 1989, Bosnia-Herzegovina, many other places and the most recent one in 2023 to warn the UN Security Council that a war was brewing in Israel. The UN was formed on the failed legacy of the League of Nations and a fractured world torn apart by war. It was formed to save the future generations from the scourge of war. And if wars do break out, the UNs role is to prevent the worst atrocities that can happen and bring in the application of international humanitarian law. The functions of UN peacekeeping operations range from maintaining peace and security to escorting humanitarian relief, to uphold human rights, supporting the fight against gender-based violence and to assist in the restoration of rule of law and to face the complex crises of today from climate change to pandemic. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee upped the ante in her electioneering trail on Wednesday as she campaigned for Trinamool Congress candidate and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee in Diamond Harbour constituency. She also led a march that followed the exact same path as Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshow yesterday. With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections now closer home in Kolkata and surrounding areas for the final phase, the Trinamool supremo has significantly increased her campaigning capacity. While earlier she was doing one or two events a day, now the number of daily rallies and marches have gone up to three, and even four on some occasions. She started her day with a rally in support of TMCs Jadavpur candidate Sayani Ghosh in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. Addressing the crowd, Banerjee expressed her support for TMCs Canning Purba MLA Saokat Molla, who was summoned by the CBI on Tuesday night. The central agency issued the summons as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged coal smuggling cases. The chief minister then did a foot march from the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Shyambajar to Swami Vivekanandas birthplace on Shimla Street in support of the partys Kolkata Uttar candidate Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Interestingly, PM Modis roadshow took the identical route on Tuesday. He offered floral tributes to Boses statue at the start and Vivekanandas statue at the conclusion of the roadshow. Meanwhile, Banerjee talked to Bandyopadhyay and party leader Kunal Ghosh in private amidst reports of rift between the two. The party chief instructed them to work together. She then moved to Metiabruz in Diamond Harbour constituency to seek vote for her nephew Abhishek. In her usual self, she attacked PM Modi and the BJP. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressing a rally in Diamond Harbour constituency | Salil Bera I have never seen such a lying prime minister in my life. Lies in every word. He didnt pay for 100 days work; didnt pay for roads; didnt pay for Awas Yojana. He is saying Modi is giving free gas. Did you get free gas?, asked Banerjee amidst loud share of No from the crowd. Theres no bigger thief and dacoits than the BJP. They are selling everything, she said. The chief minister also dismissed the recent Calcutta High Court order cancelling all OBC certificates in West Bengal since 2010. We dont accept that order. We have already challenged the order in Supreme Court, she said while assuring the crowd, mostly Muslims, that their OBC status would remain intact. I strongly and emphatically protest against the recent attitude of the judges of the Supreme Court and other courts in India in bail matters, such as in the case of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. As far as back as 1977 one of the most celebrated judges in India, Justice Krishna Iyer, had laid down the cardinal rule in State of Rajasthan vs Balchand that bail, not jail, is the correct principle which judges must follow in criminal cases, as there was a presumption of innocence of the accused, and it is in accordance with Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to liberty. ALSO READ | OPINION: Women of Indian subcontinent, I salute you! Article 21 is the most precious of all fundamental rights in our Constitution. Our founding fathers were themselves freedom fighters, who had seen an alien power trample on our fellow citizens during foreign rule, and so were determined to make India a land of freedom. This principle has been consistently followed by the Supreme Court thereafter. Of course, there are some exceptions to the above rule, as mentioned below: 1. Bail can be denied in heinous violent crimes such as murder or gang rape 2. It can be denied if the accused is likely to abscond 3. Restrictions on bail can be put by the court if the accused is likely to tamper with the evidence In the case of Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court was justified in placing a restriction that he will not visit his office or peruse files, as there can be reasonable apprehension that he may tamper with the evidence. ALSO READ | OPINION: Pakistani generals destroying themselves But having placed those restrictions, there was no justification for limiting the duration of the bail, and it should have been extended till the pronouncement of the verdict. Similarly, bail should have been granted to the former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and others, placing the same restrictions. There is another reason why the principle of bail not jail should be followed. It is well known that criminal cases in our country often take 10 years or more to decide. If bail is not granted, and if after 10 years the accused is found innocent, who will restore those 10 years of his life? ALSO READ | OPINION: The future of India However, what has been actually witnessed is the reluctance by most courts in India to follow Justice Krishna Iyer's golden rule. Not only is this violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, but it has also led to unnecessary overcrowding in our jails, where people under trial live for years on end in squalid conditions, as President Droupadi Murmu pointed out in her speech. The Chief Justice of India must set up a Constitution Bench to review the matter of granting bail. 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. The Pune Police has said that there was so far no proof of any links between NCP MLA Sunil Tingre and Dr Ajay Taware of the Sassoon government hospital in the Pune Porsche car accident case. This comes amid allegations that Tingre intervened to get the accused, a 17-year-old boy, off-hook after he allegedly fatally knocked down two IT professionals in Pune on May 19. On speculations that Tingre rang Dr Taware, who is under police custody for switching the blood sample of the accused with another, a senior police official told ANI: "We have not found any call records between these two individuals during our investigation." After allegations surfaced that he tried to sway the police in favour of the accused, the MLA reacted that though he had gone to the police station, he only urged them to act as per law. "I left there after giving instructions that strict legal action should be taken against the accused. Even the police officials will admit that I did not put any pressure on the police," he added. However, he came under scanner again after a 2023 letter from Tingre to Maharashtra medical education minister Hasan Mushrif requesting Dr Taware be given the additional charge of medical superintendent surfaced. In the letter dated December 26, 2023, Tingre said he knew Dr Taware who had worked as superintendent and discharged his duties well during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I request you to kindly consider giving the additional charge of medical superintendent to Taware," the letter stated. The letter also had a handwritten note from Mushrif, directing the Sassoon Hospital's dean to give the additional charge to Dr Taware. To this, Tinger clarified that as he is an MLA, many people approach him for recommendation letters, and such letters issued by him always include a note that action should be taken according to the rules. Meanwhile, the probe is currently focused on details surrounding the blood sample swap and tracing the financial transactions involved. "We are trying to determine with whom the blood samples were swapped and how much money Dr Taware received or was promised by the minors father, the official added. So far, authorities have recovered 3 lakh, with 2.5 lakh from chief medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and 50,000 from staff member Atul Ghatkamble. Both Halnor and Ghatkamble are in police custody for manipulating the samples. All three are accused of throwing away the minor's blood sample taken after the accident and replacing them with the samples of another person's blood which had no traces of alcohol. According to the police, it was Dr Taware's idea to swap the juvenile's blood sample. He came up with the idea after the accused's father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, approached him after the accident. Police said the duo were constantly in touch after the accident, and it was the government doctor who first thought that the blood samples could be swapped. Following the accident, more than a dozen calls were exchanged between Dr Taware and Vishal Agarwal, PTI quoted a senior police official. "It was unthinkable for everyone else that blood samples could be changed. It was Taware's idea. Their (Agarwal and Taware) attitude was that money can buy anything," the official said, adding that the officials would invoke the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused doctors. A 3-member committee conducting an inquiry into the alleged manipulation of the blood samples visited the Sassoon hospital and also met police officials who are probing the case. "We will examine the sequence of events after the accident. The probe will be conducted as per the rules, and a report will be submitted to the government," said Dr Pallavi Sapale, dean of the Grant Medical College and J J group of hospitals who is heading the panel. Sources said the committee members visited the casualty department and also understood the process of blood sample collection, its preservation and dispatch to the forensic science laboratory. Two people were killed when an SUV belonging to the convoy of BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Karan Bhushan Singh, ran over a bike in Uttar Pradesh's Goda district. One of the deceased was 17 years old. Both of the victims reportedly died on the spot. A third person, who sustained injuries during the accident, has been hospitalised. According to media reports, visuals from the site of the accident showed that the SUV, a Toyota Fortuner, had 'police escort' written on the rear windscreen. NDTV reported that the police seized the SUV and arrested the driver. However, there is no confirmation if Karan Bhushan Singh was travelling with the cavalcade when the accident took place. "Rehan and Shehzad, the two were on the bike when they met an accident. Police took them to hospital where both were declared dead. Bodies are sent for the postmortem. A case has been registered under the appropriate sections. Fortuner has been taken into custody. The driver of the Fortuner is also arrested," news agency ANI quoted Additional SP Radhe Shyam Rai as saying. Kaiserganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh is currently represented by Brij Bhushan. The BJP dropped him for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the wake of the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by several women wrestlers and fielded his son Karan Bhushan Singh. Further details awaited The US said Israel has not violated Joe Biden's red line even as it condemned the loss of life of dozens of civilians in the Israeli airstrike in Rafah. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Israel had not violated Biden's red line for withholding future offensive arms transfers because it has not, and it appears to the US that it will not, launch a full-scale ground invasion into the city. He said the US does not believe Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah, but described images from the aftermath of the strike "horrific". "Everything that we can see tells us that they are not moving into a major ground operation in population centres in the centre of Rafah," Kirby said. There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict," Kirby said. We don't support, we won't support a major ground operation in Rafah. The president said that should that occur, then it might make him have to make different decisions in terms of support. We haven't seen that happen at this point. We have not seen them smash into Rafah. We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in some sort of co-ordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground," he said. Asked whether the strike would result in any US policy changes, Kirby said, I have no policy changes to speak to. The US state department said it was watching closely for the Israel military to hold a thorough probe into the airstrike. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has come under fire for blocking the Facebook page of Rabbi Shlomo Koves, a prominent Rav in Hungary, known for his daily Daf Yomi Shiurim. Rabbi Koves, who serves as the chief rabbi of the EMIH Hungarian Jewish Federation, an affiliate of the Chabad Jewish movement, saw his page restricted without a clear explanation. The blocked page was the platform for the first-ever Hungarian Daf Yomi Shiur, which had amassed over a hundred daily followers. The move by Meta to block the page coincided with the group celebrating the 1600th Shiur of the Daf Yomi Cycle. Since Sunday afternoon, Rabbi Koves Facebook page has been inaccessible, following a vague email notification from the social media giant about the restriction. The absence of a clear reason for the block has led to questions about the motivations behind it, particularly regarding the potential suppression of religious expression. Rabbi Koves page predominantly featured content related to Judaism and the Jewish community, including his Daf Yomi Shiur. Sources within the Hungarian Jewish community have suggested that this action by Meta could be an antisemitic attempt to silence a significant Hungarian Jewish educational initiative. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a second $1 billion promise of military aid in as many days Tuesday during a whirlwind tour of three European Union countries, while President Vladimir Putin warned that hitting Russian soil with Western-supplied weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path. The aid pledge for 2024 came from Belgium, which topped up the money with a commitment to give Ukraine 30 F-16 fighter jets in the next four years. Our task is to use the first F-16 on the battlefield this year and in such way fortify our positions, Zelenskyy said. He later traveled to Portugal, where he said it was important that Ukraines supporters dont allow themselves to be misled by Russia and that we dont grow tired of the war. The onslaught by the Kremlins better-equipped forces that is unfolding in eastern and northeastern Ukraine as summer approaches has brought Ukraine its biggest military test since Russias full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Slow deliveries of support by its Western partners, especially a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid, have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russias bigger army and air force. European countries have been discussing the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine in support roles, while talk of giving seized Russian assets to Ukraine has further angered Moscow. Putin has repeatedly warned the West against deeper involvement in the fighting, holding out the specter of a nuclear conflict. The use of Western-supplied long-range weapons by Ukraine to strike Russian territory could bring a dangerous escalation, Putin said Tuesday, speaking to reporters while on a trip to Uzbekistan. The use of such weapons would rely on Western intelligence data and imply the involvement of NATO military personnel, Putin said, warning the alliance that they should be aware of the possible consequences. Representatives of countries that are NATO members, particularly in Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with, he said, adding that countries with small territory and dense populations should be particularly careful. The Netherlands promised to quickly assemble with key EU partners a Patriot air defense system, which Zelenskyy sees as key in stopping Russia from hitting Ukraines power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the move but insisted much more work was needed. We have seen some progress, but more progress and more air defense systems are urgently needed in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said as he headed into a meeting of EU defense ministers. Before returning to Ukraine, Zelenskyy visited Portugal and signed another bilateral agreement. Portugal is one of Western Europes poorest countries and has a small military compared with its bigger EU partners. Montenegro said Portugal is sending a further 126 million euros ($137 million) in military and financial aid to Kyiv as part of a broad cooperation plan. On Monday, Zelenskyy signed a security agreement with Spain that allocates 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027. The bilateral aid is essential since the 27-nation bloc is again struggling to overcome Hungarys objections to the EU itself providing billions of euros in military aid to Kyiv. An estimated 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion) are stalled by the Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, considered Russias staunchest ally in the EU. Single member states have wide veto powers, and Hungary has long held up funds aimed at boosting Ukraines defenses. Thats the sad thing that we have the cash, we have the capacity, but we are still pending decisions to implement aid decisions for Ukraine, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Zelenskyy met with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and as well as the immediate money, he obtained a security agreement aimed at providing guarantees of military help until Ukraine joins NATO. Since Russia launched a spring offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy has insisted Ukraine urgently needs seven more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems. Putin says the Kremlins forces are seeking to establish a buffer zone in Kharkiv to prevent Ukraine launching attacks across the border there. Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, meeting with her EU colleagues, said a Patriot system will be built in a short time frame. The Netherlands has the core components for a Patriot system and other EU nations will contribute other key parts and munitions. Ukraine is also fighting Europes fight, she said. Zelenskyy was to visit Belgium and Spain earlier this month but postponed all his foreign trips after Russia launched its Kharkiv offensive and left Ukrainian forces reeling. In other developments, the U.N.s atomic agencys chief was in Russias westernmost territory of Kaliningrad to talk about safety issues involving the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The plant has been occupied by the Russian forces since early in the war, and all of its reactors have been in a cold shutdown. Frequent shelling around Europes largest nuclear plant has raised global concerns over nuclear security. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi met with Alexei Likhachyov, head of Russias state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Grossi as saying that common understanding has been reached on the steps that are necessary to enhance the plants security, but restarting it seems impossible at the moment. Likhachyov echoed his sentiment on restarting the plant, but also vowed its current state is absolutely safe. (AP) In a strongly worded statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry has accused Israel of committing continuous genocidal massacres in Gaza, specifically targeting the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah. The statement marks a significant escalation in Riyadhs rhetoric against Israel, as normalization talks have faltered. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has refused to commit to a credible path toward a future Palestinian state, a key demand in the normalization talks. The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned Israels continuous blatant violations of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms, which it says have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis faced by the Palestinians. The ministry urged the international community to stop the massacres and hold those responsible accountable. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Police searched the offices and residence of an employee of the European Parliament on Wednesday as part of an investigation into whether EU lawmakers were bribed to promote Russian propaganda to undermine support for Ukraine, prosecutors said. Just days before European elections, the Belgian federal prosecutors office said searches took place at the employees apartment in Brussels. His parliamentary offices in the EU capital city and in Strasbourg, where the EU Parliaments headquarters are located in France, were also checked. Belgian and French authorities, in partnership with the EUs judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, carried out the operation. Europe-wide elections to choose a new EU parliament are set for June 6-9. An investigation was announced last month by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who said his countrys intelligence service has confirmed the existence of a network trying to undermine support for Ukraine. The searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization and relates to indications of Russian interference, whereby Members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe news website, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said they believe the employee played a significant role in this. Several news outlets identified the suspect as Guillaume Pradoura, a staffer for EU lawmaker Marcel de Graaff of the far-right Dutch party Forum for Democracy. A person with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that the reports were accurate. The official was not allowed to speak publicly because the probe is ongoing. De Graaff said on the social media platform X that he and Pradoura were not contacted by authorities. For me, all this comes as a complete surprise, he said. By the way, I have no involvement in any so-called Russian disinformation operation whatsoever. I have my own political beliefs and I proclaim them. That is my job as an MEP. Pradoura previously worked for Maximilian Krah, the top candidate of Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany in next months European election, who was recently banned from campaigning by his party. Krah had already been under scrutiny after authorities in Brussels searched his offices at the European Parliament in connection with one of his assistants who was arrested last month on suspicion of spying for China. Krah said in a message posted on X that none of his offices had been searched on Wednesday. The ex-employee in question has long been working for another MP, he said. The EU this month banned Voice of Europe and three other Russian media from broadcasting in the 27-nation bloc. The EU said they were all under control of the Kremlin and were targeting European political parties, especially during election periods. Since the war started in February 2022, the EU had already suspended Russia Today and Sputnik, among several other outlets. De Croo said last month that the probe showed that members of the European Parliament were approached and offered money to promote Russian propaganda. According to our intelligence service, the objectives of Moscow are very clear. The objective is to help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to reinforce a certain pro-Russian narrative in that institution, he said. The goal is very clear: A weakened European support for Ukraine serves Russia on the battlefield and that is the real aim of what has been uncovered in the last weeks, he added. EU nations have poured billions of euros into Ukraine, along with significant amounts of weaponry and ammunition. Theyve also slapped sanctions on top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, banks, companies and the energy sector since Moscows full-scale invasion in February 2022. (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the IDF Northern District Intelligence Branch base on Tuesday, accompanied by Intelligence Branch Commander Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva and Unit 8200 Commander Brig.-Gen. Y. During his visit, the Prime Minister received a detailed briefing on the intelligence landscape and the threats in the northern sector. Netanyahu engaged with officers and soldiers at the base, discussing their service and contributions during this critical period. He acknowledged their direct and significant involvement in various aspects of the ongoing conflict, from supporting operational forces to aiding decision-makers. Following the briefing, Netanyahu visited a post on the northern border where he met with fighters from the Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit. Golani Brigade Commander Col. Adi Ganon and Reconnaissance Unit Commander Lt.-Col. David Cohen provided the Prime Minister with insights into their operational activities, which include daily efforts to combat and thwart Hezbollah terrorists. The Prime Minister spoke with the fighters, expressing his admiration for their resolve and dedication to restoring safety and stability to the northern residents. Addressing the fighters, Netanyahu said: I am here with the soldiers of the Golani Brigade and the Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit, a splendid unit that is fighting in Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, and now here on the northern border. They have lost friends but have an exceptional fighting spirit and marvelous achievements, together with their fellow soldiers. We are visiting here in the north the day after the Government passed a decision on a plan for NIS 3.5 billion in immediate aid for the residents of the north, for rebuilding the communities and for assisting them, and another NIS 3 billion in 45 days. Our hand is still extended afterward because we are committed in both the civilian and military spheres to returning the residents safely to their communities and their homes. This commitment is one of the objectives of the war and we are not conceding it. I want to tell you that I am here together with you. I hear you and I see your determination. I see the fire in your eyes and I would tell the citizens of Israel: This is the iron wall of the State of Israel. Together with these amazing fighters and their friends, we will achieve this objective. Thank you very much. I salute you. The entire people of Israel salutes you. Well done. The Prime Minister was joined by his Chief-of-Staff, Tzachi Braverman, National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi, and his Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Jerry Seinfeld became visibly emotional on Tuesday as he reflected on his trip to Israel following the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas and addressed the anti-Israel protests he has encountered across the United States. In a candid interview on Honestly with Bari Weiss from The Free Press, Seinfeld discussed the recent incidents where anti-Israel protesters disrupted his appearances. Earlier this month, a stand-up gig in Virginia was interrupted by a protester accusing the comedian of being a genocide supporter. Seinfeld also faced hecklers during his Duke University commencement speech in May, with students shouting Free Palestine and walking out as he was introduced. Similar protests greeted him after his State of the World Jewry Address with Weiss in February, where one agitator called him Nazi scum. Addressing these protests, Seinfeld said he appreciates young peoples political engagement but believes their aim needs correction. Its so silly, he remarked. They want to express this sincere, intense rage. But again, a little off target. The conversation shifted to Seinfelds December visit to Israel following the October 7 attacks. He described it as the most powerful experience of his life. When pressed by Weiss, Seinfeld grew emotional and could only say, You know, you justyou know. Weiss asked if he was thinking of someone in particular, to which Seinfeld nodded, becoming tearful. Sorry, he apologized, using a handkerchief to compose himself. Seinfeld has faced backlash from pro-Hamas activists for his open support of Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Following the deadly attacks on October 7, he posted an I Stand With Israel message on Instagram. I lived and worked on a Kibbutz in Israel when I was 16 and I have loved our Jewish homeland ever since, he wrote. My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities. But we are also a very strong people in our hearts and minds. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Former U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley was photographed writing Finish Them on an Israeli shell during her visit to sites near the northern border with Lebanon. The image was shared on X by Danny Danon, a member of the Israeli parliament and former ambassador to the United Nations, who accompanied Haley on the visit. Finish Them. This is what my friend, former ambassador Nikki Haley, wrote, Danon stated in his post, which features Haley kneeling and writing on the shell with a purple marker. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Opposition Leader Yair Lapid met with Avigdor Liberman, chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, and Gideon Saar, head of New Hope, to form a united front against the current government. The trio announced that they have agreed on a plan to work together to bring down the government. According to a statement released by the three leaders, they have called on National Unity party chief Benny Gantz to join their efforts by quitting the coalition and aligning with them. Gantz has previously threatened to do so by June 8 if Netanyahu fails to meet his demands. Those demands include a plan on how to administer post-war Gaza. Netanyahu says such discussions are irrelevant until Hamas is defeated, and said Gantzs demands hurt Israels military effort. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Over the last day, hundreds of anti-Israel social media influencers worldwide shared an Al-generated image of hundreds of tents in the desert and the words ALL EYES ON RAFAH, a reference to the libelous claim [that has been disproven] that the IDF purposely killed civilians in a tent camp in Rafah. The image received more than 42 million shares on Instagram alone in less than 24 hours. The hashtag also became popular on Twitter, as part of the pressure campaign on Israel to stop the operation in Rafah. Ynet reported that Israeli influencers were quick to respond with another campaign, which states, among other things: WHERE WERE YOUR EYES ON OCTOBER 7? by Amit Deris Diploact organization. One of the images, also Al-generated, shows an armed Hamas terrorist standing in front of a red-haired baby, a reference to Kfir Bibas, a baby taken hostage on October 7th along with his four-year-old brother and parents. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was one of the thousands of Israelis who shared the image. But by the afternoon, the post was removed from all Instagram users who shared it hundreds of thousands, including Gallant four hours after he shared it in a story. In addition, the account of its designer, Benjamin Jamon, was blocked. The All Eyes On Rafah image has not been removed. Instagram blocked my page and the story was deleted. I dont know why, I didnt do anything, he told Ynet. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) How can one choose his shirt from a pile of different types of clothing and not transgress borer on Shabbos? What does one do if there is a power outage on Shabbos? Can someone put food in the oven on Shabbos? These and numerous other questions are impossible to answer unless one has a thorough knowledge of the laws of Shabbos. Shabbos comes about once a week, so if a person is not well-versed in its intricacies, then it is inevitable that transgressions will take place. It is wonderful to read one of the many books that give basic laws, but to really understand the halachos and know how to apply them, it is essential to learn Hilchos Shabbos with the background discussion of the Gemara and commentators. What is the challenge we face? It takes several years for a full-time advanced Torah learner to cover the laws of Shabbos in depth, so how can a working man, or one with less advanced skills, begin this seemingly daunting task? Now there is a solution. World famous Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Berkovits shlita used his vast knowledge to arrange all the Gemaras with the commentators on each area of Hilchos Shabbos and presented it in the form of source sheets that cover material from the Gemara until practical halacha. This enables one to cover main opinions in each topic and gain a deep understanding of the halacha. According to Rabbi Berkovits: Learning Hilchos Shabbos from the traditional sources could be quite confusing or complicated. Studying them in a very organized way gives you the clarity, the clarity to understand them in the first place and the clarity to retain the information. This was done for full-time Torah learners who have advanced Hebrew skills and can devote many hours each day to learn. What about busy working Bnei Torah who have limited time to learn but want to properly master Hilchos Shabbos? Or people who are still building up their Gemara skills but want to learn the Gemara sugyas and Halacha? Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen, a close talmid of Rav Berkovits who spent eight years as a Rosh Chaburah in Rav Berkovitss famous Jerusalem Kollel, with the Ravs haskama, took on the monumental task of adapting the Hebrew sheets into English. The material is written with care and with great clarity, as well as including the various opinions in the contemporary practical halacha. For the past several years, Rabbi Gefen has been teaching this material to Torah learners throughout the world, on all levels of learning, and of all ages now as the founder of KinyanHilchosShabbos.com. Participants in each online chabura receive source sheets with explanations both in Hebrew and English, participate in a weekly Zoom shiur and ask questions by phone and email. Many have also successfully gained Smicha through thoroughly learning the material. I would love to sit in Yeshiva half a day, but I have different hours. Says Dr. Eric Leibowitz who is a dentist in Brooklyn. Learning Hilchos Shabbos in Rabbi Gefens online chabura allowed for the flexibility I needed. Id always do Daf Yomi for many years, but always off and on. I was looking for something with some structure and with an end goal. This program enabled me to not only learn, but to retain what I learned in a structured way and the tests were very helpful. I felt like I accomplished something, I made a kinyan on something. Over one thousand past and present participants in our online programs come from five continents and range from working Bnei Torah to full-time Kollel avreichim from Yerushalayim and Lakewood, as well as people who are still developing their Gemara skills, says Rabbi Dr. Yakov Pesah, director of the program and also a musmach of Rabbi Berkovits. Our vision is to enable Bnei Torah to learn halacha in a structured way and make it doable for any motivated person. The program includes a weekly Zoom shiur which is recorded and can be reviewed later, tests on the material covered to enable the individual to evaluate their understanding of the material, and availability by email or phone for questions, clarifications, or further discussions. Rabbi Gefen ran the Hilchos Shabbos program for our Kollel in Johannesburg. We achieved tremendous clarity on Hilchos Shabbos both in sugyas and in psak which is what you want when you learn Halacha. Says Rabbi Micha Kaplan who is an avrech in the Maharsha Community Kollel in Johannesburg and the Menahel of the Maharsha Boys High School. The program includes the option of Smicha which is a wonderful source of pride for the individuals family. But its greatest benefit is that it will ensure that a person can lead his family to observing the laws of Shabbos with all their details. Shlomo Gross who is originally from London and is a lawyer in Yerushalayim shares his experience: For people like me who are working full-time, this program was ideal. I benchmarked the Hilchos Shabbat coourse against the syllabus required for the Smicha exams of the Rabbanut and found that it was at least as comprehensive The Hilchos Shabbat Smicha course transported my learning to a completely different level. Rabbi Berkovits adds: Theres a mitzva of Zachor es yom HaShabbos lkadsho that mitzva is to remember Shabbos all the time. There is nothing like being involved in Hilchos Shabbos the whole week your whole week is different and your Shabbos is different. The new cycle of the Kinyhan Hilchos Shabbos program is starting on May 29th. For more information, tuition, and to receive an application visit KinyanHilchosShabbos.com. Bracha Gluck has always loved the sciences, but it wasnt until she spent a summer volunteering at a local hospital that she knew for certain she wanted a career in medicine. I was drawn to healthcare for the positive impact you can have on other peoples lives, she said, and during that summer, I fell in love with the collaborative environment that I was a part of, and it cemented my decision to pursue medicine. An animal lover who enjoys cooking and baking, Gluck attended Bruriah High School. It was in her senior year there that she applied and was accepted to Touros Medical Honors Pathway program, a program that provides a direct pathway from high school to medical school for qualified students. She then spent a year in seminary at the Michlalah college in Jerusalem before coming to LCW to continue her academic journey. I chose Touro because it is the perfect blend of academia and spirituality that allows me to be a competitive student without compromising any of my values, she said. Her most favorite college experience was the opportunity to take part in Touros bioethics trip to Thailand, where she was able to see and experience firsthand how cultural differences influence healthcare. After graduation, Gluck will start a new position as a part-time research assistant in the cardiothoracic department at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Excited to begin Touros New York Medical College, she says, I hope to make an impact not only in the world of medicine, but also within the Jewish community by giving back with my new profession. BHP is calling on Anglo American to agree to extend the deadline for the Australian miner to firm up its proposed takeover bid for its FTSE 100 mining rival. The Australian natural resources giant has until 5pm today to make another formal bid for its rival or walk away from the deal, which would be the largest mining industry deal in history if successful. Anglo American last week agreed to begin talks with BHP despite turning down the group's 39billion acquisition offer after rejecting two smaller bids. Takeover battle: BHP is calling on Anglo American to extend the takeover deadline BHP told investors on Wednesday that it has offered a 'range of socioeconomic measures' to try and address Anglo American's anxieties regarding the latest offer. London-headquartered Anglo has previously expressed concerns about the complexity of the deal, and the demand to sell its South African platinum and iron ore divisions. BHP said it could pay an 'appropriate reverse break fee' if it does not gain the required antitrust and regulatory approvals in South Africa. It said these measures would 'provide substantial risk protection for Anglo American shareholders and supplement the significant value uplift that Anglo American shareholders will receive from the potential combination'. BHP added: 'A further extension of the deadline is required to allow for further engagement on its proposal. 'This announcement does not amount to a firm intention to make an offer, and there can be no certainty that an offer will be made.' Anglo has rejected two previous approaches worth 31billion and 34billion, saying they were too low and 'highly unattractive'. It has unveiled a separate plan to divest or spin off a significant chunk of its operations. Should the takeover go ahead, the enlarged business would be responsible for producing around 10 per cent of the world's copper, a crucial element in the green transition due to its use in technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles. Anglo American operates three of South America's ten highest-producing copper mines, while BHP runs the world's biggest copper mine, Escondida, in the Atacama Desert. Reports suggest the merged company could shift its listing from Australia to London, which would represent a major win for the embattled UK markets. In recent years, multiple businesses have quit London or shifted their primary listing to another city in the hopes of attaining a higher valuation. BHP was knocked off the FTSE 100 in January 2022 after deciding to end its dual listing structure and situate its main stock listing in Sydney. Since then, building materials supplier CRH, plumbing specialist Ferguson, and mining firm AngloAshanti Gold have all moved their primary listing to Wall Street. Anglo American shares were 1.25 per cent lower at 25.26 on Wednesday morning, while BHP Group shares were 1.8 per cent up at 23.76. Fuller, Smith & Turner has agreed to offload dozens of pubs to Admiral Taverns for 18.3million. The West London brewer and pub group told investors on Wednesday it would sell 37 sites from its tenanted and managed inns division to the Chester-based firm at a premium of 1.6million to its gross asset value. Fuller's said the disposal would bolster its balance sheet and support investment in its existing pub estate and future deals. Acquisition deal: Fuller, Smith & Turner has agreed to offload dozens of pubs to Chester-based Admiral Taverns for 18.3million Once the deal is finalised, which is expected on 25 June, Fuller's portfolio will consist of 154 tenanted inns and 179 managed pubs and hotels. Admiral's estate will also expand to over 1,400 predominantly wet-led pubs across the UK, with around 300 of them situated in the south east of England. The business has expanded significantly via acquisitions since the private equity firm Proprium Capital Partners first invested in Admiral alongside Magners owner C&C Group seven years ago. It has bought sites from fellow pub giant Marston's and Heineken UK's hospitality arm Star Pubs & Bars, and acquired over 650 Hawthorn pubs from NewRiver REIT in 2021 for 222.3million. Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral, said: 'Recent years have seen Admiral build a strong track record in delivering profitable growth across our estate, underpinned by continuous targeted investment to unlock new opportunities.' The acquisition deal follows a very strong trading period for Fuller's, which saw like-for-like revenues increase by 11.5 per cent in the 42 weeks ending 20 January. It enjoyed a bumper Christmas and New Year performance, having lost millions in sales during the same time the previous year due to railway workers taking industrial action. Analysts at broker Liberum said the business has further benefited from the return of tourists and financial sector workers. Fuller's said it is 'committed to owning and operating both managed and tenanted pubs as an integral part of the company's future strategy'. It added: 'However, the company proactively manages its pub estate, continually evaluating strategic opportunities and believes that the disposal of this portfolio to Admiral allows the company to focus on the development of its retained managed and tenanted estates.' Fuller, Smith & Turner shares were 0.3 per cent lower at 7.08 on late Wednesday morning, but have still grown by about 32 per cent over the past year. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) has established the Neo Space Group (NSG), a wholly owned PIF company whose mission will be to become a national champion in the Saudi satellite and space sector. NSG will develop local capabilities and boost the strategic position of the space and satellite sector within the growing global space economy. The group aims to develop and enhance commercial space operations in Saudi Arabia, providing innovative satellite and space solutions locally and globally. Specifically, NSG will invest in local and international assets and capabilities and promising venture capital opportunities to catalyse the advancement and localisation of sector-specific expertise. The group will also invest in localisation, technology, start-ups, and knowledge in the space and satellite sector in Saudi Arabia. The PIF says NSG will also contribute to the development and deployment of the latest cutting-edge technologies in the space industry through four dedicated business segments: satellite communications; earth observation and remote sensing; satellite navigation; and Internet of Things. There will also be a satellite and space-focused venture capital fund. As the SpaceWatch.Global digital magazine explains, the development of the aerospace sector aligns with PIFs strategy to unlock the potential of promising sectors in Saudi Arabia. It quotes Omar Al-Madhi, co-head of MENA direct investments at PIF, who describes this as PIFs first investment focused on the space industry, which represents a series of new opportunities for the Saudi economy and private sector. He adds: It will also drive economic expansion in Saudi Arabia within several related strategic sectors while advancing the localisation of vital industries. A puzzling chain of events has seen the Mozambican government suspend the new mobile communications tariffs which its own regulatory body for telecommunications had decided were necessary on 2 May. The Club of Mozambique news service notes that at a recent weekly meeting of the cabinet the government had asked regulator the National Communications Institute (INCM) to explain its new tariffs for internet, voice and SMS services. It then recommended that the INCM suspend the new prices and review the study it had used to calculate them. The INCM must now meet telecommunications operators and inform them of the governments decision. The operators will be allowed to revert to the previous tariffs. There appear to have been a number of conflicting claims from the INCM justifying its original move, notably that it intervened to ensure the sustainability of the telecommunications market, and to avoid any collapse. Earlier this month the telecoms regulator had instructed operators to withdraw unlimited data and voice packages to avoid the collapse of the market and unfair competition. But there appears to have been no such concern cited by the countrys operators themselves, although it is apparently true that there are a bewildering variety of packages and bonuses offered by the three mobile phone companies (TMcel, Vodacom and Movitel). Nor had any company requested a tariff rise. More confusingly, the INCM chairperson, Thua Mote, apparently also claimed that the new tariffs would reduce prices and would allow greater digital inclusion even though, by definition, the elimination of unlimited packages would result in the setting of minimum tariffs by the INCM that would not necessarily work out cheaper. Thus consumers decided that the INCM had in fact increased prices. In the end, a wave of protests, including a march to the INCM Maputo headquarters on 18 May, led the government to instruct the INCM to drop its plans. Applications to the fund were submitted under nine themes, including employment, educational awareness, language, civic and legal supports, health and wellbeing, intercultural awareness, children and young people, transportation, and LGBTQI+. The highest allocations of 100,000 were issued to a number of organisations including Business in the Community Ireland for EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities) training, wellbeing programmes for women displaced by war and persecution at Donegal Women's Centre, and for integration support workers at the New Horizon Athlone Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Group. According to the European Migration Network (EMN), immigration to Ireland has risen significantly over the last number of years. Over 141,000 immigrants came to Ireland between April 2022 and April 2023, marking a 31% increase from the year to April 2022. Although emigration also continues to increase (with 64,000 emigrants between April 2022 and April 2023), there has been a 50% increase in net migration (77,600) compared to the year before. Additionally, a total of 13,651 applications for international protection were made in 2022, marking a "significant" increase from previous years. It marks a 415% increase from 2021 and a 186% increase from 2019, the last comparable year before Covid-19 travel restrictions, and the highest number of asylum applications on record in Ireland. The top three countries of origin for IPAs were Georgia, Algeria and Somalia, with applications for international protection in Ireland accounting for 1.3% of the EU total. Algeria and Georgia are both considered to be "safe countries" by the Department of Justice and the Irish government. Today's news comes following weeks of government criticism after IPAs set up tents by the Grand Canal in Dublin due to a lack of State accommodation. The Raxio Group, a leading pan-African data centre developer and operator, recently held a ground-breaking ceremony that formally kicked off the construction of its Tier-III carrier neutral colocation data centre, located at Beluluane Industrial Park (MozParks) in Maputo, Mozambique. It is called Raxio MZ1 and, as the name implies, this is the countrys first carrier-neutral, privately owned data centre and Raxios first data centre in Mozambique. It is set to commence operations in Q1 2023. The event was attended by members of the government, including the Governor of Maputo Province, as well as executives of MozParks, and senior representatives of the Raxio Group. In addition to providing colocation capacity to the countrys digital backbone, Raxio MZ1 will nurture interconnection through redundant meet-me rooms. Mobile network operators, ISPs and carriers will be able to interconnect to each other and their customers, reducing the cost of access to content across the country at a time when new submarine cables will also be providing Mozambique with enhanced international connectivity. Raxio MZ1 will be fully equipped with industry best-in-class cooling technology, security, AC/DC power compatibility and redundancy in an always-on environment. The facility will aim to adhere to the companys core sustainability principles to minimize the environmental footprint through optimal equipment selection and sustainable design. In addition, the MozParks location will allow Raxio MZ1 to meet its electricity requirements from renewable sources. To complement its internal team, Raxio has assembled experienced local and regional technical partners specialised in design, engineering, and construction. Raxio Mozambique is part of the Raxio Group portfolio, which includes Raxio divisions in Uganda, Ethiopia, DRC, Cote dIvoire and Tanzania. Aspiring LEO satellite operator Rivada Space Networks announced on Tuesday that it has signed on new partners in five markets across Asia-Pacific, including the Philippines and Brunei, for its "Outernet" satellite broadband network. At AsiaTechX in Singapore, Rivada said it has signed a deal with Connecto Network Systems to improve connectivity for enterprise and government customers across the Philippines. Connecto is focused on transforming communities into smart cities to boost operational efficiency, facilitate public access to information and elevate the quality of government services. Connecto is Rivadas second customer win in the Philippines, following its deal with upstart telco NOW Telecom in November 2023. Meanwhile, Rivada also revealed it has signed on NiAT, which provides connectivity services for the Oil & Gas sector in Brunei. NiAT said it intends to use Rivadas network to meet growing demand for enterprise-grade, secure broadband connecticity combined with high availability and guaranteed SLAs. Rivada also said it has signed deals with South Koreas KT Sat, Japans AT Communications and Taiwans Teleport Access Services (TAS). With all of the above deals, Rivada has now lined up over US$9 billion of business globally for its Outernet network, said CEO Declan Ganley. We are seeing a huge uptake in our business in Asia, underlining the growing appetite for our unique space-based network, Ganley said. The Outernets ability to meet the requirements of Asias connectivity providers in terms of security, latency, capacity, and coverage is a game-changer for the region. The OuterNet is planned as a constellation of 600 LEO satellites that use optical lasers to interconnect with each other and carry onboard processing for routing and switching. Rivada says the equivalent of an optical mesh router architecture in space thats physically separated from terrestrial networks is what makes its LEO network a more secure option for enterprise and government users. Rivadas first satellite launch is set for 2025. The company plans to achieve global coverage by 2026, and complete the entire constellation by mid-2028. It has signed a US$2.4 billion deal with Terran Orbital to build the LEOsats, and contracted SpaceX for launch services. An internal investigation by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare shows state funds likely were used to reimburse for the purchase of harm reduction materials illegal in the state of Idaho. The finding came after the raid of two Idaho Harm Reduction Project (IHRP) offices in February for alleged drug paraphernalia distribution. At the time, IHRP was a subgrant recipient of the states syringe exchange program (SSP) before the programs repeal this year, with a subgrant to operate a safe syringe program and provide capacity-building for other SSPs through a low-barrier buprenorphine clinic. The Idaho Legislature repealed the Syringe and Needle Exchange Act this year in response to the raid. Harm reduction is a term used to describe a range of tools that are used to lessen the immediate negative impacts of drug use, such as overdose deaths and the spread of blood-borne disease, while connecting people with substance use disorder to resources and education. Harm reduction includes materials that allow people to use drugs more safely, such as syringe exchange programs, access to the opioid reversal drug Naloxone, and drug testing strips that allow users to check if a substance they plan to use is laced with fentanyl. Monica Young, a human resource manager at Idaho Health and Welfare, conducted the report. Young wrote that, at the Intermountain West Harm Reduction Conference in September, IHRP acknowledged during a recorded panel that harm reduction materials they distributed were illegal. Young also spoke with five other safe syringe subgrantees. These organizations spoke of their partnership with other organizations in their communities and with law enforcement, she wrote. They indicated they did not share the same disdain for law enforcement that was demonstrated by IHRP employees. Moreover, the SSPs emphasized that they believed their operations had been operating legally. In her report, Young noted the Syringe and Needle Exchange Act specifies an entity may procure supplies needed to operate a syringe and needle exchange program but did not define approved supplies. She also noted a distinct disconnect between (the Division of Public Health, a part of Idaho Health and Welfare) leadership and DPH program staff operating the syringe and needle exchange program. Young also described an unprecedented level of independence and decision-making by safe syringe program staff, which she attributed to DPH leadership, focusing on the statewide pandemic response rather than operational details for the syringe program, which was implemented after the passage of the Syringe and Needle Exchange Act in 2019. According to Youngs report, staff running the syringe program understood the Acts purpose of preventing disease transmission and overdose deaths as indications that other evidence-based harm reduction tools, such as fentanyl test strips and injection alternatives, were appropriate. Discover more Ai business tools: Firecrawl is a business tool that specializes in crawling and converting websites into clean markdown or structured data, making it LLM-ready. This tool is designed to handle the difficult aspects of web crawling, such as proxies, caching, rate limits, js-blocked content, and more. Firecrawl crawls all accessible subpages of a website, even without a sitemap, and can gather data from websites that use javascript to render content. One of the key features of Firecrawl is its ability to return clean and well-formatted markdown, making it ready for use in LLM applications. The tool also orchestrates the crawling process in parallel for faster results and caches content to eliminate the need for a full scrape unless new content exists. Firecrawl is specifically built for LLM engineers, ensuring that users receive clean data in the desired format. This tool is best suited for business websites, blogs, documentation, and help centers, making it ideal for gathering business intelligence, connecting company data to AI, and collecting content from textual sources. Although Firecrawl currently works best with business websites, blogs, documentation, and help centers, there are plans to expand its capabilities to include social media websites in the future. Overall, Firecrawl is a comprehensive tool that simplifies the process of crawling websites and converting data into usable formats. It offers a range of features designed to streamline the data gathering process, making it a valuable asset for business managers looking to extract valuable insights from online sources. Firecrawl Features Turn websites into LLM-ready data Crawl, capture, and clean websites without the need for a sitemap Handle proxies, caching, rate limits, and javascript-blocked content Crawling orchestration for parallel processing for faster results Data conversion into clean, well-formatted markdown for LLM applications. Firecrawl Pricing Firecrawl offers three pricing plans: Starter for $50/month with 50k credits, Standard for $375/month with 500k credits, and Scale for $1,250/month with 2.5M credits. Each plan includes different features and capabilities such as simultaneous crawl jobs and scraping speeds. Visit firecrawl.dev for more. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. A recent report by Zscaler, a leading cloud security company, reveals a disturbing trend: Australia has become a top source of phishing attacks, experiencing a staggering 479% increase in hosted phishing content in 2023. This alarming statistic highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals and the urgent need for Australian businesses and individuals to step up their defenses. The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Phishing Report, based on analysis of 2 billion blocked phishing transactions, paints a concerning picture. Australians are not only facing a surge in phishing attempts, but they are also unwittingly contributing to the problem by hosting malicious content within the country. Significant Increase in Phishing Activity in Australia The report reveals that phishing activity in Australia surged in 2023. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) Scamwatch service recorded nearly 109,000 phishing-related scam reports, resulting in losses totaling AU$26.1 million. Within the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, Australia faced 29,427,987 phishing attacks, accounting for 12.32% of the regions phishing attempts and a 479.3% increase in hosted phishing content. Rise of AI-Driven Phishing Attacks Globally, phishing attacks increased by nearly 60% year-over-year, driven by AI-enhanced schemes such as voice phishing (vishing) and deepfake phishing. The report offers actionable insights and strategies to improve organizational security against phishing threats. The potential of AI is reshaping the cyberthreat landscape, said Eric Swift, Area Vice President, ANZ at Zscaler. With 29,427,987 phishing attempts in Australia alone, it is crucial for organizations to adopt best practices and a zero trust approach to combat these evolving threats. Targeted Sectors in Australia In Australia, the manufacturing sector recorded the highest number of phishing attacks in 2023, with 5,984,195 incidents, followed closely by the services sector with 5,776,337 attacks. Other targeted industries included Technology, Government, Education, Finance and Insurance, and Retail and Wholesale sectors. Global Phishing Landscape North America experienced more than half of all phishing attacks, with the United States (55.9%) leading, followed by the United Kingdom (5.6%) and India (3.9%). The majority of phishing attacks originated from the U.S., the U.K., and Russia. Australias entry into the top 10 was driven by a significant increase in phishing content hosted in the country. The finance and insurance sector saw a nearly 400% increase in phishing attacks, highlighting its vulnerability due to heavy reliance on digital platforms. The manufacturing sector also faced a 31% increase in phishing attacks, reflecting the industrys growing digital integration and associated risks. Microsoft remained the most impersonated brand in phishing attacks, with 43% of attempts involving its platforms, including OneDrive (12%) and SharePoint (3%). ANZ Banking Group was ranked eleventh among the top twenty enterprise brands targeted for phishing. Zscaler advocates for a Zero Trust architecture to defend against phishing attacks, leveraging AI-powered controls to prevent, detect, and respond to threats. The Zero Trust Exchange platform offers robust protection by inspecting TLS/SSL traffic, enforcing policy-driven access controls, preventing lateral movement, and stopping data loss through advanced inspection techniques. For organizations aiming to bolster their security posture, adopting a Zero Trust framework is essential to counter the sophisticated phishing threats outlined in the Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Phishing Report. Five everyday habits making SMEs a target A new survey by the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australias (COSBOA) Cyber Wardens program has identified the top five cybersecurity bad habits among Australian small businesses. Based on responses from over 2,000 businesses, the study highlights common pitfalls that could lead to data breaches, financial losses, and other security threats as businesses return to work from the summer holidays. The findings aim to raise awareness and encourage small business owners to adopt better cybersecurity practices. Its hard to remain vigilant, so this is a reminder on how to avoid slipping into bad habits and instead build good habits that improve your business culture of simple cybersecurity, said COSBOA CEO Luke Achterstraat. Through the Cyber Wardens program, we are encouraging small business owners to make simple swaps in their everyday habits to kickstart their new year cyber safety plan. Kirsten Lynch, owner of Platos Wonder. Create. Discover, a gift and toy shop in central Hobart, shared her experience. Running a small business, I know just one attack could mean the end of my business, so I take cybersecurity very seriously, she said. After completing the Cyber Wardens training, her staff stopped sharing passwords and started using strong, unique passwords. The Cyber Wardens program is an informative, simple tool all businesses can use to help prevent cyber crime. Ill be asking all my staff to do the training. Top Five Cybersecurity Habits to Adopt Shut Down Computers 27% of small businesses put their computers in sleep mode instead of shutting them down, increasing the risk of out-of-date software being exploited. Shutting down ensures automatic updates are installed. Use Strong, Unique Passphrases 26% of businesses reuse passwords across multiple systems, and 16% use short passwords. Using complex, unique passphrases for each account reduces the risk of multiple breaches. Report Suspicious Emails 21% of businesses delete suspicious emails without alerting IT or management. Reporting these emails helps investigate and block potential threats. Give Team Members Unique Logins 20% of businesses share passwords among staff. Unique logins ensure that if one password is compromised, the damage is limited. Action Software Updates Promptly 18% of businesses delay software updates, leaving systems vulnerable. Prioritizing updates ensures critical security patches are applied. The Cyber Wardens program, funded by the Australian Government, offers free training to small business owners and employees on essential cybersecurity practices, including multi-factor authentication, password management, device updates, and backups. In 2023, Australians lost over $429 million to scams, with phishing, false billing, online shopping scams, and identity theft being the most reported. The ACCC reported a 73% increase in businesses losing money to scams, and the ASDs Annual Cyber Threat Report revealed a 14% rise in the average cost of cyber crime per incident for small businesses, now at $46,000. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The United States and Kenya are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations built on the shared foundations of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. President Joe Biden recently welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House to mark this milestone and to look to the future. Together, the United States and Kenya are working to deliver on the challenges that matter most to our peoples lives, declared President Biden. These include health security, economic security, cybersecurity, and climate security. President Biden lauded President Rutas bold leadership in the area of renewable energy. Indeed, ninety percent of Kenyas electricity comes from clean energy. Over 1 million homes are powered by wind energy alone. A historic Africa Green Industrialization Initiative, which you launched last year, is poised to create similar results in so many other nations, particularly in the continent. Across the region, Kenya and America are promoting high quality investments that lead to high standards for workers, technology, and the environment. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announced deals that take its portfolio in Kenya to over $1 billion and multiple private sector deals were signed, including the Coca-Cola Companys new $175 million investment in Kenya. These and other agreements are expected to generate hundreds of millions more in economic activity. Together, Kenya and America are standing united against the terror perpetrated by ISIS and al-Shabaab in East Africa; the aggression that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine; and the violence that has toppled too many democracies across both Africa and the Americas. We stand at an inflection point in history, where the decisions we make now will determine the course of our future for decades to come, said President Biden: Im as optimistic and hopeful as I was those years ago when Kenyan patriots raised that new flag high in that midnight sky, because Kenya and the United States stand together, committed to each other, committed to our people, and committed to building a better world. A world of greater opportunity, dignity, security, and liberty for all Americans and for all Kenyans. Since last Autumn, Russia has been augmenting its dwindling supply of war materiel by making deals for ballistic missiles and other weapons with the DPRK, or North Korea. Russia has procured ballistic missile launchers and dozens of ballistic missiles from the DPRK in violation of Security Council resolutions, said United States Political Minister Counselor to the UN, John Kelley on April 12. Since last December, Russian forces have used DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles to strike Ukraine nearly a dozen times, firing upwards of 40 DPRK ballistic missiles, he said. Since last September, Russia has procured over 11,000 shipping containers of munitions and munitions-related materiel from the DPRK, in violation of the UN arms embargo on the DPRK. Indeed, 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, said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a written statement. These illicit transfers have strengthened the military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. The DPRK provides ballistic missiles and munitions to Russia, and in return, it seeks military assistance from Moscow. For violating the United Nations arms embargo on the DPRK, on May 16, the United States State Department and the Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, imposed sanctions on two Russia-based individuals and three entities. All were connected to the transfer of military equipment and components between the DPRK and the Russian Federation. They are designated pursuant to Executive Order 13551. Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan worked with a previous-designated facilitator of arms deals between Russia and the DPRK, Ashot Mkrtychev, on arms transactions involving the DPRK and Russia and functioned as a point of contact for Mkrtychevs negotiations. Aleksey Budnev facilitated shipments to Russia of military communications equipment that likely originated from the DPRK. Trans Kapital Limited Liability Company is being designated for having materially assisted Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan. Rafort Limited Liability Company was designated for being owned or controlled by Gazaryan, while Tekhnologiya, OOO, was designated for being owned or controlled by Budnev. Todays action reflects our commitment to disrupt the DPRKs 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 Russias war. Romanian student Ioana Mihai, the winner of the grand prize of Romania Finals of the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for non-Chinese college students, demonstrates her talent in Bucharest, Romania, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) BUCHAREST, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition, an annual competition for non-Chinese college students, was held at the University of Bucharest here on Sunday. Eighteen contestants from Romanian universities competed under the theme "One World, One Family," showcasing their love and understanding of the Chinese language and culture through speeches, Q&A and talent shows. Ioana Mihai, a 22-year-old sophomore majoring in Chinese at the university, won the grand prize with her insights into building a "community of shared future for mankind," and the use of traditional Chinese cultural elements in her spirited presentation. Chinese Ambassador to Romania Han Chunlin noted that the event coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 20th anniversary of a comprehensive friendly and cooperative partnership between China and Romania. Sorin Costreie, president of UNICA, a network of universities from the capitals of Europe, emphasized the importance of cultural exchange and language learning and expressed hope for future cultural and educational cooperation between China and Romania. Bai Luomi, co-director of the Confucius Institute at the university, expected that the competition would continue to inspire students to study the Chinese language and its culture and ultimately pursue careers related to these fields. The competition was hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Romania and organized by the Confucius Institute of the University of Bucharest. A contestant demonstrates his talent during Romania Finals of the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for non-Chinese college students, in Bucharest, Romania, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) Editor: WXY Checking out the best international phone plans is as crucial for an overseas trip as making sure your passport is in order. After all, you don't want to land at your destination only to find you have no coverage or that you have to pay through the nose for service. Fortunately, all the major U.S. wireless carriers offer some kind of travel benefit with their best cell phone plans. And if those options aren't good enough, you can also find supplementary travel packages that augment the data plan you already have in place. The trick is to make sure those options keep you covered around the globe without busting your budget. Best international phone plans 1. T-Mobile: Best choice for travelers 2. Verizon: TravelPass options 3. AT&T: Best for travel in Latin and Central America 4. Google Fi: An underrated traveling companion 5. Other options: Other international phone plans to consider The best international phone plans will let you make calls and browse the web when you're in another country (though there might be a fee on top of your normal monthly rate, depending on which carrier you use). Different plans might provide coverage in specific countries, and how long you plan on traveling could also impact your choice of plans. Your method of travel be it by plane or cruise ship also affects which plan is best for you. All of these are things for globetrotters to consider when shopping for wireless coverage. You're going to want one of the best unlimited data plans since they tend to offer the most travel-related perks. If you haven't travelled internationally in a while, it's smart to double-check what options are out there since the best phone carriers have overhauled their plans and packages available to travelers. Heres a look at the travel policies and perks for the three top U.S carriers along with information on Google Fi, which offers a plan that definitely appeals to frequent travelers. T-Mobile international phone plans (Image credit: T-Mobile) T-Mobile has shed some of its plans, though the good news is that most of the remaining options provide some benefits for overseas travel. Subscribe to Go5G, Go5G Plus or Go5G Next, and you enjoy unlimited data and texting in more than 215 countries around the world. If you want to place or receive calls, youll be subject to the local rate depending on where you want to go. You dont need to notify T-Mobile of your travel for your overseas benefits to kick in. T-Mobile Go5G Plus Plan | Unlimited Data | $90/month T-Mobile's Go5G Plus plan has the edge over the cheaper Go5G option, with better travel benefits. You get 15GB of data when you traavel in Mexico and Canada (compared to 10GB for Go5G), and you also enjoy texting and Wi-Fi on any flight where internet is available. Even better, you can use your data in 215-plus countries at no extra cost. The first 5GB of data you use use will be high-speed data (with 5G speeds supported where available). Go5G subscribers only get high-speed data in 11 European countries; otherwise, data speeds are capped at 256 kbps. Travel perks in current plans: As part of T-Mobile's Beyond Connected program, data speeds reach 256 kbps when you're overseas. If you subscribe to the standard Go5G plan ($75 for a single line) and you're in one of 11 European countries, you can enjoy 5GB of high-speed data every month, thanks to a partnership with T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telecom. The perk gets better when you upgrade to Go5G Plus, which starts at $90/month for one line of data). That plan treats you to 5GB of high-speed data in 215 countries. Go5G Next, T-Mobile's most expensive plan at $100/month for a single line, has the same travel benefits as Go5G Plus, but adds the ability to upgrade your phone every year. If that's not important to you, stick with Go5G Plus and pay $10 less each month on your wireless bill. T-Mobile customers can take advantage of free Wi-Fi on American, Delta, Alaska Airlines and United flights. Go5G Plus subscribers get full texting and Wi-Fi with streaming during flights, where wireless is available. If you opt for Go5G, you're covered on four flights per year with full streaming, plus unlimited texting; after those four flights, you can stream one hour of video. Delta SkyMiles members also get free Wi-Fi on domestic U.S. flights courtesy of T-Mobile even if they get their wireless service from another carrier. In Mexico and Canada, T-Mobile allows you to use up to 10GB of data if you're a Go5G customer; speeds are slowed to 128kbps after that. Go5G Plus members enjoy 15GB, with speeds slowing to 256kbps if you use more than that amount. T-Mobile includes travel benefits in two of its remaining senior plans, with identical travel perks between the $100 Go5G Plus 55 option and the $120 Go5G Next 55 plan. (Note that those monthly prices cover two lines of data; one line of either Plus or Next cost $70 and $80, respectively.) Travel perks include high-speed data and text when you travel abroad, plus unlimited in-flight connectivity. When you travel to Canada or Mexico, you get 15GB of high-speed data. Both plans also include a year's membership to AAA for road travel in the U.S. If you opt for T-Mobile's lower cost Essentials unlimited plan, you'll get 2G roaming in Canada and Mexico, but have to pay for data elsewhere. Trip-specific passes: T-Mobile offers International Pass options for travelers who want high-speed data during lengthier stays overseas. A 5GB International Pass gives you that much high-speed data along with unlimited calling for 10 days. It costs $35. T-Mobile's $50 International Pass increases high-speed data to 15GB and extends the length of the pass to 30 days. The carrier also offers a $5 daily pass that gives you 512MB of high-speed data, and unlimited calling between the 215 or so Simple Global destinations. Cruise rates: Pricing on cruises will vary according to which cruise youre taking. You can check T-Mobiles site to see what your pricing will be. Verizon international phone plans (Image credit: Verizon) Verizon phones generally work all over the world, especially if you've got a phone built in the last few years. But where you travel significantly influences how much youll have to pay. As for which is the best Verizon phone plan for travelers, that all depends on how frequently you go overseas. There's a clear choice for regular globetrotters, but Verizon's less expensive offerings allow you to tack on travel benefits, too. Verizon Unlimited Ultimate | Unlimited Data | $90/month Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate plan offers the most benefits for world travelers. Verizon promises "full international connectivity," meaning you'll be able to use talk and text for free when overseas; you also get 10GB of high-speed data every month that you can use in other countries. Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's most expensive plan, so unless you take frequent trips, you may be better served by Unlimited Plus ($80/month for one line) or Unlimited Welcome ($65/month). Those two plans can add on a $10/month Travel Pass options that provides three days of talk, text and data when you're overseas. You can drop the Travel Pass add-on from your plan in months were you don't need it. Verizon lets family plans mix and match lines so one person can get Unlimited Ultimate, while the others subscribe to the cheaper options. Travel perks in current plans: Of Verizon's three unlimited plans, the best for frequent travelers is the Unlimited Ultimate option, which lets you use talk and text in other countries just like you would in the U.S. You also get 10GB of high-speed data to use overseas every month. Unfortunately, Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's most expensive plan, costing $90 a month for one line. (And that's after a discount for enrolling autopay.) There are cheaper options Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus that include travel perks. Both plans let you text internationally to 200-plus countries. You can also use LTE data when traveling in Mexico and Canada. You're limited to 0.5GB of data consumption per day in those two countries before your speeds are slowed to 2G, and you can't use more than half of your talk, text and data in those countries over a 60-day period. In addition to the base Welcome Unlimited and Unlimited Plus packages, you can opt for $10 monthly add-ons for your Verizon plan some covering streaming services, another providing hotspot data and so on. The relevant package is Verizon's $10/month 3 TravelPass Days add-on, which saves you $20 a month on travel benefits as you pick up three passes during monthly billing cycles. You can accrue up to 36 passes for using talk, text and data when traveling overseas. Unlimited Welcome starts at $65/month for one line, while Unlimited Plus is $80. If you have a family plan, you can mix and match so that different lines of data subscribe to different plans helpful if there's one person in the family who travels a lot and would benefit from the Unlimited Ultimate perks. Trip-specific passes: Let's talk a little bit more about the TravelPass. It's Verizon's daily option for international coverage, and itll cost you $5 per day per device for each day youre out of the country if you travel to Mexico or Canada and don't have an unlimited plan. In 185 other countries including China, France and Germany Verizon charges $10 per device per day. TravelPass gets you 2GB of 5G data, and unlimited data at 3G speeds after that; the passes also come with unlimited talk and text. If you know youll be traveling for a bit more time, consider Verizons monthly option, which the carrier recommends for trips lasting at least 10 days. International Monthly Plans at Verizon cost $100/month, but in exchange, you get 250 minutes of talk, unlimited texts and 20GB of high-speed data. (Use that, and you get unlimited data at 3G speeds.) Verizon also offers pay-as-you-go pricing for international travel. Youll pay 99 cents per minute in Canada and Mexico, Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. Rates go up to $1.79 in 130-plus countries and $2.99 in 80 other places. Each text message you send will cost you 50 cents, and each received text will set you back 5 cents. Your data will be charged at a rate of $2.05 per megabyte no matter where you are. Cruise rates: Pay-as-you go rates on cruise ships cost $1.99 for each minute of talk and 50 cents for every sent text message. Youll pay 5 cents per message received. Verizon has a data plan for cruise passengers, too, with $30/day giving you 500MB of data plus unlimited texting and 50 minutes of talk time. For in-flight connectivity, you can opt for the same pay-as-you-go rates for cruise trips or you can pay $20 per day for unlimited data. AT&T international phone plans (Image credit: AT&T) AT&T also comes with varied international pricing depending on where you want to go. Canada and Mexico travel is covered in many top AT&T plans, and if you pay up for the Unlimited Premium option, you can use your plan in many Central and South American countries. Traveling elsewhere? Then you had best look into AT&T's travel passes. AT&T Unlimited Premium| Unlimited Data | $85.99/month It's AT&T's most expensive unlimited plan, but Unlimited Premium has the best perk for travelers you can use your talk, text and data at no extra cost in 20 Latin American countries. As with other AT&T unlimited options, you also enjoy talk, text and data coverage when traveling in Canada and Mexico. Travel perks in current plans: If youre heading to Mexico or Canada, AT&T already covers all of your voice, data and text with its four different unlimited plans Starter, Extra, Premium and the entry-level Value Plus option. AT&T offers a lone tiered data plan with 4GB of data that you can use in Canada and Mexico (though roaming may be at 2G speeds). Both unlimited and tiered data plans feature unlimited texting to 120-plus countries. The Unlimited Premium plan is the best option for travelers headed to the Americas, as you'll be able to enjoy unlimited text, talk and data at no additional cost in 20 Central and South American countries. If you do a lot of international calling from home, AT&T offers unlimited calling to 85-plus countries from the U.S. for $15 per month for each line. Calls to another 140-plus countries get discounted rates under this plan. Trip-specific passes: For anyone off to Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America or the Asia Pacific region on a short jaunt, AT&T recommends its $12-a-day International Day Pass, which comes with unlimited talk and text and data governed by your plan; service is available in 210-plus countries. Each device you take overseas needs its own Day Pass, but you can add extra phones for $6 a day, on top of the first device. You'll never have to pay for more than 10 days of day passes on any one bill, even if your trip lasts longer. International Day Passes also kick in automatically when you use your phone abroad you get a text message letting you know you're covered. Cruise rates: On cruises, AT&T offers a $60/month Cruise Basic plan that covers 100 minutes of talk and unlimited texting while also offering 100MB of data. Need more of everything? Then try the Cruise Plus plan ($100/month), which includes 1GB of data on top of unlimited talk and text. Google Fi international phone plans (Image credit: Google) If you do a lot of international traveling, don't ignore Google Fi Wireless, the wireless service set up by Google that uses T-Mobile's cellular towers to provide coverage. International travel is built into two of Google Fi's plans the Unlimited Plus and Flexible options. Google Unlimited Plus| Unlimited Data | $65/month The Unlimited Plus plan is the way to go with Google Fi, as you can use your data at no extra cost when traveling overseas. Google Fi customers who pay by the gigabyte of data used are also eligible for this perk. Travel perks in current plans: You've got two options with Google Fi tiered data through the company's Flexible plan or a pair of unlimited data options. Flexible coverage costs $20 a month for talk and text plus $10 for each GB of data you use. (Data usage is rounded off to the nearest megabyte so you only pay for the data you consume.) Google stops charging you after you use 6GB a month, meaning you'll never pay more than $80. If you find unlimited data plans more appealing, Google has you covered there, too it also offers a $65 Unlimited Plus option that rolls in unlimited talk, text and data. Unlimited Plus subscribers now get a year of YouTube Premium as a perk. The real benefit to either Unlimited Plus or Flexible is that those plans cover you when you're traveling in 200-plus countries. When you're overseas, Google Fi charges the same rate for data usage, whether you're on an unlimited data plan or paying by the gigabyte. Voice calls cost 20 cents (though calls placed over Wi-Fi are free) and you get unlimited SMS messaging. Alas, Google's $50/month Simply Unlimited plan is not eligible for the free data perk when traveling. That said, all three of Google Fi's plans let you use talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada. Google Fi is even more appealing now that Google has opened up service to all phones, including iPhones. Note that phones optimized for Google Fi Google's Pixel phones (currently the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Fold and Pixel 8a) along with a selection of Samsung phones and Motorola budget devices can switch seamlessly between cellular coverage and Google's Wi-Fi hotspots, while other phones cannot. Trip-specific passes: Unlike the other carriers here, Google Fi doesn't offer travel passes for extended trips. Your only option is to get coverage through the Flexible and Unlimited Plus plans. Cruise rates: Google Fi is not available when you're at sea only when you're on land in one of the 200-plus countries covered by the carrier. Other international phone plan options Discount carriers typically don't provide much in the way of benefits for travelers, but there are some exceptions. The most noteworthy alternative is Visible, which has expanded the travel perks for subscribers to its $45/month Visible Plus plan. Visible is owned by Verizon and uses its parent company's network for coverage. The Visible Plus plan features unlimited data, including access to Verizon's high-speed 5G network. Travelers will be particularly interested in the unlimited talk, text and 2GB of daily data available through Visible Plus when traveling in Canada and Mexico. Visible Plus customers are also eligible for one free Global Pass day per month, in which they can use talk, text and data at no charge in 140 countries. Global Passes normally cost $10. Best international phone plan: Device compatibility and eSims Traveling overseas used to mean checking to see if your phone would be compatible once you set foot in another country. But those days are drawing to a close now that 3G networks are shutting down, eliminating much of the distinction between phones that work on either GSM and CDMA. If you've got a recent smartphone that connects to LTE, chances are strong it's going to work just fine in other countries. (You still might want to confirm that your phone works on the LTE bands available in the country you're heading to prior to your trip, just to avoid any unpleasant surprises.) Many phones now support electronic SIM cards or eSIM technology, where you no longer need to swap in a local SIM card to make your smartphone work with an overseas network. (Since the iPhone 14, Apple devices sold in the U.S. only feature eSIM support that includes the newer iPhone 15 models.) One of our editors took an international trip using an eSIM for her phone and found it easy to setup and use with a local network in fact, she plans to use the eSIM approach on all future travel. That said, not every country supports eSIM. And depending on your phone carrier in the U.S., you might already have options that cover your phone use in other countries. International phone plans: What about 5G? As noted above, many of the plans that offer international travel either have you connect at whatever speed is available locally or at a reduced speed in cases where you're drawing from your own data plan. But what if you've got a 5G phone that can connect to faster networks overseas? For the most part, we'd expect your phone to operate as before, either at whatever speed the local network offers or a capped speed if that's part of your carrier's travel plans. However, in a few instances, U.S. phone carriers have started making deals with overseas wireless providers that allow their customers to access 5G speeds when roaming. You should check with your carrier for information about the country you're going to travel in. We're DO NOT contend that Zero Fare policy killed the guy . . . But there's simply no denying that violence and quality of local bus service has degraded since politicos started tinkering with the bus system in the name of social justice . . . Check-it: Homicide 51st and Prospect This afternoon just before 1PM, officers were dispatched to the intersection of E 51st St and Prospect Ave. When officers arrived, they observed an adult male lying on the sidewalk near the bus stop suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. EMS responded simultaneously and transported the victim to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The circumstances surrounding this incident are currently unknown and no one is in custody. Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel have responded to begin gathering evidence and collecting witness statements. Roselyn Temple has also responded to provide assistance to the victims family. This is being investigated as a homicide and is ongoing at this time. If anyone was in or around the area at this time and saw or heard anything they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS there is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline. We are committed to assisting victims of violent crimes through use of Missouris Protection Program for Victims/Witnesses of Violent Crime. Funding for temporary, or even permanent relocation, may be available but is subject to pre-approval by the States administering agency. We are working with Partners for Peace in all our homicide investigations to monitor risks for retaliation and provide social services to affected residents. ############## Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Man found shot near bus stop in Kansas City: police Kansas City Police Department are investigating shooting that killed man at Kansas City, Missouri bus stop near Highway 71, Prospect Avenue Man gunned down Tuesday afternoon near 51st, Prospect Avenue A man died in a shooting in east Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The shooting happened near east 51st Street and Prospect Avenue. Police respond to Tuesday afternoon homicide in Kansas City The Kansas City Police Department stated the incident occurred in the area of 51st Street and Prospect Avenue. KCPD finds 23-year-old man suffering from fatal gunshot wounds near bus stop The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department says detectives have just begun a preliminary investigation Developing . . . For late night and early morning denizens of the discourse we compile more than a few examples of EXCELLENT Kansas City journalism as the unofficial start of Summer gets more than a bit "thick" on local streets . . . And throughout the region. Check TKC news gathering . . . UPDATE | 7 officers from KCKPD, KCPD exchange gunfire with suspect Monday night on 18th Street Expressway Officers with the Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, police departments were involved in a fatal shooting Monday night in KCK. A Kansas City resident lost $1 million. Now police are warning of a computer scam. Police warn of scam that cost one Kansas City resident over $1 million. Missouri Mayor Resigns After Cop Shot Blind, Deaf Dog That He Was Called To Help A Shih Tzu named Teddy was stumbling around in a woman's backyard when body camera footage captured the officer shooting him twice. After Kansas bank collapsed, former CEO admits to embezzling $47 million for crypto scheme Shan Hanes has pleaded guilty to a federal crime after embezzling millions of dollars from Heartland Tri-State Bank, leading to its collapse. JoCo man pleads guilty to second-degree murder A Johnson County man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder following the 2021 death of Jeren Hinton. Lawsuit: Kansas City-area woman claims Petland Blue Springs sold her 2 sick puppies A Kansas City-area woman is suing Petland Blue Springs, claiming the business sold her not one but two sick puppies. One of the dogs died when he was just 10 months old. Questions remain in discovery of dead newborn at Maryville lake, but one thing is certain. The body of a newborn discovered at Maryville Mozingo Lake Recreation Park had been there for less than a day when a park employee came upon it. KC-area counselor speaks on importance of mental health resources being available at proposed KCMO jail On Tuesday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners discussed an emphasis on addressing mental health inside a new proposed jail that would be built in Kansas City, Missouri. Recent break-in did not deter Ruskin Heights neighborhood residents from family event Tuesday night Paul's Drive In has served ice cream cones, hamburgers and onion rings in Kansas City since the 1960's. Officers Zero In On Illegal Street Racing Over the Memorial Day weekend, assigned officers zeroed in on illegal street racing, consisting of ATVs and motorcycle groups breaking the law by trying to take over streets. Developing . . . Tragic mistake lead yet another young person in the KC metro to, possibly, retreat to their mom's basement. Here are the basics . . . SUSPECT faces one charge in connection to several instances of contaminating food with bodily fluids and skin contact. Last week, attorneys representing Hanson filed a motion to reduce his bond. HE remains in custody at the Johnson County Adult Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. In the motion to reduce bond, SUSPECT'S attorney petitioned the judge to either allow HIM to be released on his own recognizance or have the bond substantially reduced. His attorney said SUSPECT would agree to house arrest as a term of his release, saying he would move in with his mom in a small town outside of Casper, Wyoming, and would enroll in mental health treatment and follow recommendations of a therapist/psychiatrist. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Man charged in Hereford House food contamination case wants bond reduced The 21-year-old man charged with felony food contamination earlier this year at the Leawood Hereford House is asking the judge to reduce his bond. Customers try to support Hereford House as police receive 380 tips of food contamination The Hereford House restaurant in Leawood is at the center of a food contamination case involving a former employee. Developing . . . The result will likely be the same . . . An overwhelming showing of police support from the taxpayers who fund Missouri law enforcement, thankfully, with more accurate ballot language this time around . . . Check the latest on both Missouri Republicans & Kansas City politicos making a joke of local Democracy: The proposed constitutional amendment would require Kansas City to increase the amount of general revenue it spends on its police department from 20% to 25%. The measure has faced intense criticism from Kansas City officials who argue voters across the state shouldnt decide how a municipality makes public safety decisions. Its unclear whether Kansas City officials will attempt to fight Parsons order. A spokesperson for Mayor Quinton Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Parson puts KCPD funding measure on August ballot, sidestepping Supreme Court opinion "The Court left open the question that the Governor could order a special election in this case," said Parson spokesperson Johnathan Shiflett. Missouri voters to again decide on KCPD's funding in August Missouri voters will decide on two amendments to change the state's constitution during a primary election in August, Gov. Mike Parson announced. Developing . . . Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat (C) waves as he arrives at the Law Courts in Valletta, Malta, on May 28, 2024. Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat was among 14 people who were charged on Tuesday with corruption, fraud and money laundering over a controversial privatization of three state hospitals. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat was among 14 people who were charged on Tuesday with corruption, fraud and money laundering over a controversial privatization of three state hospitals. Muscat is facing a raft of charges. His former chief of staff Keith Schembri, and former health minister Konrad Mizzi were also in the dock. All defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them. The charges were issued following the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry into a deal signed by Muscat's government to hand the running of three public hospitals to a private company Vitals Global Healthcare in 2015. Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat (C) leaves the Law Courts in Valletta, Malta, on May 28, 2024. Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat was among 14 people who were charged on Tuesday with corruption, fraud and money laundering over a controversial privatization of three state hospitals. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat (C) leaves the Law Courts in Valletta, Malta, on May 28, 2024. Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat was among 14 people who were charged on Tuesday with corruption, fraud and money laundering over a controversial privatization of three state hospitals. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) Editor: WXL Traveling to small towns is totally the vibe now, and Pennsylvania has some cool spots you've gotta check out. These towns pack a punch with their killer history, awesome vibes, and beautiful scenes that you won't find just anywhere. Take Lititz, for instance, where you can wander around Broad Street, munch on some local chocolates, and feel the old-school charm all around you. Over in Ligonier, the vibe is super welcoming with an ancient amusement park and a town square that's like stepping into a time machine. These are the five Pennsylvania small towns that you must visit if you are in this state. Trust me, they're fun, laid back, and waiting to show you a good time. Lititz Lititz is a small Pennsylvania town that feels like it came right out of a storybook. Walk down Broad Street and you are surrounded by history and the sweet smell of chocolate from the local Wilbur Chocolate shop. This town is known for its cool historical buildings and the oldest pretzel bakery in the US, Julius Sturgis. If you visit during July, you get to experience the longest-running Fourth of July celebration in the country. Lititz offers a cozy yet exciting vibe, making it a top pick for anyone looking to chill and explore. Ligonier In Pennsylvania, Ligonier is the spot where history meets fun. This town was originally a fort area during the French and Indian War and now hosts Idlewild, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country. The Diamond, the town's central square, is a place of activity with shops and eateries that keep the place buzzing. Ligonier's friendly atmosphere makes everyone feel at home. Ligonier delivers even if you are history buffs or just looking for a charming weekend escape. Related Article : These American Southwest Small Towns Will Make You Forget Big City Life Gettysburg Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is where American history comes alive right before your eyes. Known for the battle of the Civil War, the town hosts a massive battlefield that is now a national park. You can tour the museum, check out the reenactments, or explore the historic homes like the Jennie Wade House. The town is packed with stories and landmarks that pull you back to the 1860s. For anyone amazed by America's past, Gettysburg is a must-visit destination. Ridgway Ridgway in Pennsylvania serves as your entry point to the wild and beautiful Allegheny National Forest. The town itself boasts a collection of over 700 historic structures, making it a dream for architecture lovers. Ridgway was once known as the home of the most millionaires per capita in America. You can rent an antique mansion for the weekend and live like a Gilded Age baron. With its rich history and access to incredible natural scenery, Ridgway offers the perfect blend of exploration and relaxation. Bedford Bedford, Pennsylvania is the ideal spot for a laid-back weekend. The town is known for the luxurious Bedford Springs Resort, where ten US presidents have stayed. Its historic downtown is cute and compact, perfect for an afternoon stroll or some local shopping. Every year, Bedford attracts tens of thousands with its Fall Foliage Festival. If you are looking for a peaceful place with a rich past and charming streets, Bedford fits the bill perfectly. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 has completed the latest phase of its electrical system upgrades, announced the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Tuesday. This major enhancement began in early April and wrapped up successfully on May 28. NAIA Terminal 3 Enhances Power Reliability MIAA embarked on this crucial project last year, aiming to replace outdated medium-voltage switchgear components in eight electrical substations within Terminal 3. The effort concluded with an intensive maintenance segment that started at 12:01 a.m. and finished by 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The Global Filipino Magazine shared that during the updates, Terminal 3 was kept operational with generator sets that ensured all critical equipment and facilities continued running smoothly, preventing any disruptions in passenger processing and flight operations. Eric Jose Ines, the general manager of MIAA, expressed his satisfaction with the project's conclusion. He highlighted the benefits of the upgrades, noting they provide a more reliable electrical supply to NAIA Terminal 3. Despite the improvements, Ines acknowledged minor ongoing issues, such as reduced lighting in some areas like curbsides, hallways, and roadways. He apologized for any inconvenience caused and appreciated the public's patience throughout the upgrade period. The completion of this phase marks a significant milestone in enhancing the operational efficiency and safety of NAIA Terminal 3. With these upgrades, the airport authority ensures that Terminal 3 will continue to serve passengers and airlines with improved reliability and security. The MIAA remains committed to further improving the infrastructure and facilities to maintain the high standards expected by international travelers. Related Article : Manila's NAIA Ranked Fourth Worst Airport in Asia by Business Travelers Partially Restores Cooling The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has successfully repaired four out of six malfunctioning cooling towers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, as reported by Christian Mano on Super Radyo dzBB. The repairs come after a sudden outage on Saturday night caused by an electricity overload. MIAA's engineering team continues to work on the remaining two cooling towers to fully restore the air conditioning system. To mitigate the heat, the airport has deployed evaporative fans in critical areas and provided bottled water to passengers, according to GMA News. The disruption led to uncomfortable conditions over the weekend, with passengers resorting to using personal fans to stay cool. Mav Gonzales of 24 Oras Weekend noted that the heat was particularly challenging for seniors due to a shortage of seating. By early Sunday around 1 a.m., two of the cooling towers were fixed and began operating again, albeit with below-normal cooling capacity. Chris Noel Bendijp, a spokesperson for MIAA, explained in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB that while one tower was activated, the terminal temperatures remained higher than usual. Bendijp also revealed that all six cooling towers are slated for replacement by the end of May as part of an ongoing project, aiming to enhance the terminal's facilities. MIAA has apologized for the inconvenience and has requested patience from passengers and stakeholders as efforts continue to return NAIA Terminal 3 to full operational status. So, you've landed on Martha's Vineyard, and you're ready to explore-where do you even start? This island, with beaches and small towns, packs a punch with activities that cater to just about every taste. While you're in Martha's Vineyard, why not take a spin on the historic Flying Horses Carousel? Catching the brass ring for a free ride is a rite of passage here. But aside from this, what else? Read on and discover the six best things to do when you're on this Massachusetts island. South Beach When you visit Martha's Vineyard, South Beach is a must for any beach lover. Known for its lively surf and long stretches of sand, it's perfect for both sunbathing and swimming. The beach is located in Edgartown and is accessible by bike, which makes for a scenic ride. Families and solo travelers will find it a refreshing spot to relax and enjoy the ocean views. Remember to pack your sunscreen and a good book to make the most of your day under the sun. Aquinnah Cliffs The Aquinnah Cliffs are a spectacular sight on Martha's Vineyard, offering more than just stunning views. These colorful cliffs have layers of history, formed over millions of years. You can take a walk along the beach below to see them up close. It's a great spot for photography enthusiasts and nature lovers. Just be sure to respect the protected area and follow the guidelines during your visit. Related Article Flying Horses Carousel No trip to Martha's Vineyard is complete without a ride on the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. This historic carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in the nation. Kids and adults can grab the brass rings with each turn for a chance to win a free ride. The charm and nostalgia of this ride make it a beloved landmark. It is a perfect way to add a little magic and excitement to your day. Oak Bluffs Gingerbread Cottages Take a walk through the whimsical Gingerbread Cottages of Oak Bluffs. Every cottage is decorated with intricate details and bright colors, offering a feast for the eyes. This area has a rich history dating back to the 19th century, starting as a Methodist campsite. Today, these cottages represent a unique architectural style and are a key attraction. It is a great way to step back in time and experience the island's culture and history. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary For those who love the outdoors, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary provides a peaceful escape. With trails winding through marshes, forests, and along the shoreline, there is plenty to see. You might spot some local wildlife, including birds and turtles, as you walk. It is an excellent place for a quiet hike or a picnic. The sanctuary is also a great spot for families looking to educate their children about nature and conservation. Meet the Alpacas at Island Alpaca Visiting the Island Alpaca farm is a fun and fuzzy experience. Here, you can meet and feed over 70 alpacas and even a friendly llama. The farm offers a glimpse into the care and breeding of these charming animals. You can also shop for alpaca wool products, which are incredibly soft and warm. It is a delightful way for visitors of all ages to interact with animals and learn more about farming on the island. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China and Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. This was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, during their talks in Beijing. Xi said China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust. Since they established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two sides have been helping each other through thick and thin, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, he said. Under the new circumstances, consolidating and developing China-Equatorial Guinea relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two countries and peoples, Xi said. China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path, he said. China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries' traditional friendship, Xi said. Xi pointed out that China supports Equatorial Guinea's economic and social development, supports the country's efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization, and is willing to closely synergize the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) achievements and the Belt and Road Initiative with "Equatorial Guinea Agenda 2035" to improve the quality and performance of cooperation in various fields. China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Equatorial Guinea, and is willing to share development experience in the fields of agriculture and rural affairs with Equatorial Guinea, continue conducting agricultural technical assistance projects, give full play to the role of Chinese medical teams and China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, and deepen medical care, education, exchanges and cooperation in cultural and other fields, to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. Emphasizing that the world today is intertwined with turmoil, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and human society is facing unprecedented challenges, Xi said that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever. China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea and other developing countries to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, to build a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said. Noting that developing solidarity and cooperation with African countries is an important cornerstone of China's foreign policy, Xi said China is willing to hold a new FOCAC summit with Africa, further carry forward traditional friendship, deepen solidarity and cooperation, discuss future development and cooperation plans, and open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future. Obiang said that China is a great eastern country, a good brother and reliable strategic partner of Equatorial Guinea. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 54 years ago, their bilateral relations have always maintained a friendly development and are currently at the best period in history. The cooperation between China and Equatorial Guinea has always been based on equality and mutual respect, and is never imposed on others. Obiang mentioned that Chinese medical teams in Africa, China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital and other important projects have benefited the local people and become a symbol of friendship between Africa and China. Equatorial Guinea is willing to open its doors to China, welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and carry out cooperation in Equatorial Guinea to help Equatorial Guinea achieve economic diversification and industrialization, and ensure the lasting and healthy national development. Obiang said the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi, are conducive to promoting global peace and progress and creating a better world. Equatorial Guinea highly appreciates China's active efforts in promoting the political settlement of regional hotspot issues and promoting world peace and development, said Obiang. Equatorial Guinea is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within the frameworks of the FOCAC, BRICS and others, to promote a global governance system that is more fair and equitable, he added. Noting that Equatorial Guinea firmly upholds the one-China principle, Obiang said there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Equatorial Guinea opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" and firmly supports the efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve complete reunification, he said. The two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents on investment, economic development, digital economy, green development, implementing the Global Development Initiative and other fields. The two sides also issued a joint statement on establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. After their talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for a group photo with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and his wife Constancia Mangue de Obiang, prior to the talks between Xi and Obiang in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hold a welcome ceremony for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and his wife Constancia Mangue de Obiang, at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People prior to the talks between Xi and Obiang in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. Xi held talks with Obiang, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Editor: WXL Giant panda Fu Bao (L) is seen at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao is seen at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao is fed at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao (R) and its neighbor Bing Cheng sniff at each other at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao wanders at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao eats an apple at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) A feeder monitors giant panda Fu Bao at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao is seen at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao gets a gentle touch from his feeder at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao is fed at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Giant panda Fu Bao is seen at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. Fu Bao, the first giant panda that was born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), returned to China in early April. It was transported to the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve. The base prepared a specially designed area for Fu Bao to help it adapt the new environment and will determine when to make Fu Bao meet the public based on its adaptation. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Editor: WXL Over six hundred people have died as a result of poor air quality in this country, in one ye The Swedish government will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth SEK 13.3 billion (EUR 1.16 billion). Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson announced this on the social media platform X, Ukrinform reports. "Sweden will donate a new military capability to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. Package 16 will be the largest Swedish military aid package yet at EUR 1.16 billion," the minister said. Just announced: Sweden will donate a new military capability to strengthen Ukraines air defence. Package 16 will be the largest military aid package yet at 1,16bln. Sweden will donate Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890) to . (1/6) pic.twitter.com/iRqGeQE9oJ Pal Jonson (@PlJonson) May 29, 2024 He added that Sweden would donate Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890) to Ukraine. "ASC 890 will provide Ukraine with a new capability against both airborne and maritime targets. Ukraine's capability to identify targets at long range will be strengthened. They will act as a force multiplier with the introduction of F-16. AMRAAMs will also be donated," Jonson said. According to him, Sweden will also donate its entire stock of armored tracked personnel carriers (PBV 302) to support the reconstruction of new Ukrainian brigades. "Sweden will also donate artillery ammunition and resources for maintenance of previously donated materiel. Sweden will also deliver surplus tank vehicles from the armed forces, maintenance of previously donated Swedish materiel, financial support to capability coalitions and to funds and temporary initiatives to enable swift and large-scale procurement of materiel to Ukraine," the minister said. Read also: Sweden allows Ukraine to use its weapons for strikes inside Russia Jonson added that the Swedish Defense Research Agency would also be tasked with supporting Ukraine in establishing its own defense research institute. "Furthermore, Ukraine's command and control capability will be strengthened in the package through a donation of terminals with subscriptions for satellite communications," he said. Earlier reports said that the Swedish government would provide Ukraine with military support worth SKK 25 billion ($2.3 billion) annually under a new three-year framework. Photo: parezja.pl The Lithuanian government has approved a resolution prepared by the country's Ministry of Finance on the allocation of 5 million euros to support Ukraine's education sector. That's according to the government's press service, Ukrinform reports. The funds will be used to rebuild destroyed schools and kindergartens in Ukraine, by installing bomb shelters and other safety equipment. "As Russia's war against Ukraine continues, we must help Ukrainians maintain hope for the future. For this, the opportunity to carry out the education of the young generation, even in wartime, ensuring children's education despite the constant risk of airstrikes, is extremely important," Minister of Finance Gintare Skaiste said. This support for Ukraine's education sector was announced during the minister's visit to Kyiv in March this year. Lithuanian support will be transferred to the account opened by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the National Bank of Ukraine. The funds raised in this account are used for the reconstruction of the country's educational and scientific institutions that were damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities, as well as for the purchase of teaching aids and computer equipment, the modernization of the research and innovation infrastructure network, and the provision of a safe educational environment, including the installation of bomb shelters, and for other needs. | By Laura Lee For Carla Rawlings, a retired social worker now caring for her mother with dementia, a University of Maryland Graduate School conference offered valuable insight into managing her mothers worsening memory loss. Ilene Rosenthal, director, Greater Maryland Alzheimer's Association, presents at the GGEAR "Navigating Dementia" conference. Rawlings attended the May 10 Assessment Tools workshop, part of the Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research (GGEAR) Programs five-part Navigating Dementia series. Hosted by GGEAR with support from the Maryland Department of Aging, the community education series aims to provide support and resources to caregivers, aging services professionals, and anyone with an interest in matters concerning older adults. Shes strong-willed, said Rawlings, who monitors her mother on an in-home camera system linked to her phone. And she doesnt recognize that she has memory loss. Shell say, What are you fixing for dinner, and then five to 10 minutes later shell ask, What are you fixing for dinner? Across Maryland, there are an estimated 110,000 people over 65 living with Alzheimers or related dementias and nearly 240,000 unpaid family members proving care. Nationwide, nearly 7 million Americans have dementia, a number projected to rise rapidly as the population ages, according to the Alzheimers Association. Dementia represents a public health crisis that will only intensify, said keynote speaker Ilene Rosenthal, MSW, director of the Greater Maryland Alzheimers Association. Early detection allows patients to access treatments and plan for their future care needs. The conference covered screening methods that can detect early signs like struggling with finances or medications signs often missed as merely senior moments. There is a lack of awareness about what symptoms signal dementia rather than typical age-related changes, said Rachel McPherson, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland School of Nursing who discussed a screening tool called the AD8, an eight-item questionnaire designed to screen for mild dementia. Raising awareness and increasing screenings could allow more timely diagnosis. GGEAR director Diane Martin, PhD, MSL, MA, agrees that there is a fundamental lack of understanding about the aging process. Were raising awareness of the differences between normal aging and cognitive decline indicating underlying dementia, Martin said. Our goal is to promote earlier detection and better care for this growing population. Its not just unpaid caregivers who lack knowledge about older adults. Most health care providers receive only a few hours of geriatric training, and trained geriatricians are retiring and not being replaced. Martin warns of a looming crisis. When were thinking about geriatricians, people who are board-certified in geriatric medicine, we have less than 500 in the country. Not in the state of Maryland in the country, she said. GGEAR aims to fill that gap by educating caregivers and students as well as facilitating interdisciplinary research and professional development. The program takes students from across the University System of Maryland to training locations with older adults. Were working from medically underserved areas in Baltimore City, to the mountains of Western Maryland, to the Eastern Shore, Martin said. We want students to go to these sites so they can see the lack of services and they can interact with older adults that have dementia. GGEAR intern Charnissa Boulware, who will earn a masters in gerontology from the Graduate School in December, said more education is needed to create a workforce equipped to care for the growing older adult population. I want more people to get into gerontology, said Boulware, who added that elder care is not limited to doctors. As you see at this conference, you can be a social worker, you can be a pharmacist, you can do support groups. There are a lot of career opportunities for this important work. Rawlings, who shares caregiving responsibilities with siblings, said she will share the information she gathered during the Navigating Dementia series with her family. My sister, who isnt in health care, really needs to understand how my mother operates with her memory issues, Rawlings said. This is difficult, and the more you know, the better you can handle it. The full Navigating Dementia series will be available online in late summer 2024. Another series is being planned for fall 2024. | By Jon Kelvey Graduates in the Class of 2024 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) gathered at the Hippodrome Theatre on May 16, along with their families, friends, and UMSOM faculty and staff, to celebrate their official transition from medical students to physicians. UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, vice president for medical affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, presided over the ceremony marking his second UMSOM graduation as the 31st dean of the school. The graduating class of 142 physicians received their doctoral hoods, and several graduates earned combined MD/Master's and MD/PhD degrees. In his address to the class, Gladwin focused on the gray tsunami that would be confronting this new generation of doctors and require a deep understanding of geriatrics and age being a primary risk factor for disease. As physicians, even as newly minted interns on the wards, you will be considered role models in what you say and do, Gladwin said. You will have to communicate what youve learned through the COVID-19 pandemic about science, and knowledge, and compassion. From left, Associate Dean Joseph Martinez, graduate Zachary Brilliant, and Dean Mark Gladwin In addition to remarks from Gladwin and selected faculty and students, the ceremony featured a keynote address to the Class of 2024 by Martine Rothblatt, PhD, JD, MBA, chairperson and CEO of United Therapeutics and inventor of SiriusXM Satellite Radio. She was presented with a Deans Distinguished Gold Medal in recognition of her high-impact contributions to medicine and science and in acknowledgment of her commitment to significantly improving the health and well-being of humankind. (See photo gallery below.) United Therapeutics, the biotech company founded by Rothblatt, helped fund and establish the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program at UMSOM, which led to the worlds first two transplants of genetically modified pig organs into living patients. Rothblatts inspiring keynote address focused on the need for doctors to pursue new treatments for incurable diseases despite formidable odds of success and forces pushing against them. She spoke movingly of the fight she waged to find a cure for her young daughters life-threatening illness, which led her to found a biotech company and raise money to test a potential treatment. Two decades later, she is still alive, Rothblatt said. She provided this advice to the graduating students: You have 360 degrees of application for the medical degrees you are receiving today. In them you will find the toolkits to transform human health, from one-on-one patient care visits, to unfairly neglected communities, to our ongoing battle against literally thousands of diseases, many of which do not yet have cures. Zachary Brilliant was presented with the Balder Scholarship Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. He will complete his residency in urology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. Steven Joseph Gercken, Katherine Potocka, and Emma Hannah Silverman were awarded the Faculty Gold Medal for Outstanding Qualifications for the Practice of Medicine. Gercken will complete his residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Potocka will complete her residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Silverman will complete her residency in internal medicine/emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Since its premiere in May, the TV series To the Wonder has sparked widespread discussions across the nation. Adapted from Li Juan's celebrated prose collection My Altay, the series revolves around the character Li Wenxiu, inspired by the author herself, commencing with Li's return from the bustling city to her rootsa tranquil village nestled in the Altay Prefecture, situated in the northernmost reaches of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. The series explores the lives of Li and her family, portraying their daily interactions with Kazakh friends like Batay and Token amidst the pastoral wonder. With the popularity of the series, Altay Prefecture has now emerged as a source of fascination for audience in search of "poems and dreams". A still from the TV series To the Wonder shows the scenery of the summer pasture in Altay, northwest China's Xinjing Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo provided to Guangming Online) The image shows Yu Shi during an interview with Guangming Online. In this episode: Yu Shi, cast as Batay, joins Guangming Online to delve deeper into the essence of the character and explore his observations of the lives of Kazakh nomadic herders in Altay. A still from the TV series To the Wonder shows Yu Shi as Batay playing the guitar. (Photo provided to Guangming Online) Describing Batay, Yu Shi highlighted his complexity. "He is a rough-looking man with a delicate heart, a young Kazakh with a strong inner core and pure childlike heart," Yu said. Batay's personality is shaped by the demanding yet serene environment of Altay. "As a Kazakh child, he shoulders heavy responsibilities early on, like herding sheep while the environment, devoid of urban complications, cultivates a pure heart." A still from the TV series To the Wonder shows Yu Shi as Batay tending a horse. (Photo provided to Guangming Online) Yu Shi observed that life for Kazakhs in Altay, while tough, is marked by a sense of freedom and purity. "The troubles and challenges they face can be solved with their bare hands. They might worry about a sudden snowfall while moving to a new pastoral area or if they need to move to the winter pasture early. These issues can be solved with their hands and their wisdom, which not necessarily causes mental anxiety. " There is a saying that the word "Kazakh" inherently means "brave and free people migrating across vast grasslands." In China, Kazakhs are mainly distributed in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang, the two Kazakh autonomous counties of Mulei and Barkol in eastern Xinjiang, and the Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County in Gansu. Li Juan, the original author of My Altay, mentioned in another of her works, Sheep Path, that "Kazakh herders in the nomadic regions of northern Xinjiang are probably the last and purest nomadic people in the world. The distances they migrate each year and the frequency of their moves are astounding." In the series, Batay's father rides a horse to herd the sheep during the migration. Horses, referred to as the "wings" of the Kazakhs, have been the longest-standing companions of this nomadic people. Regarding the role of horse-riding in Kazakh culture, Yu Shi noted that Kazakh boys typically learn to ride not for competitions but for practical purposes like herding sheep. However, a twist of fate reveals to Batay the many other possibilities of horse-riding, such as becoming an athlete, veterinarian, or horse trainer. This openness to new experiences characterizes Batay's growth and increasing interest in the wider world. A still from the TV series To the Wonder shows Yu Shi as Batay grazing sheep. (Photo provided to Guangming Online) In To the Wonder, Batay faces a major life choice: return to nomadic life or embrace the city. This conflict mirrors a generational divide among Kazakhs. Yu Shi, who spent months in Altay, feels a deep connection to the culture." Batay, unlike most Kazakh boys, loves new things like music and has long hair, hinting at his rebellious and artistic nature," Yu noted. This character's evolution reflects the broader narrative of younger Kazakhs grappling with tradition and modernity. A still from the TV series To the Wonder shows Yu Shi as Batay shooting an arrow. (Photo provided to Guangming Online) Drawing from his interactions with local Kazakhs, Yu Shi remarked, "Many young Kazakhs are trying to preserve their culture. They can embrace the city, but they should also remember their own culture." This sentiment reflects the delicate balance between embracing modernity and preserving cultural heritage. Some media outlets have reported that many young Kazakhs have modernized traditional herding practices. Among them,some now graze sheep using motorcycles and engage in livestreaming while herding. With access to better education, some young Kazakhs attend universities in Beijing. After graduation, they choose diverse paths: some remain in the city, while others return to their hometowns to start businesses, such as selling Kazakh embroidery and handicrafts through livestreaming. As Xinjiang's tourism industry flourishes, some become tour guides, leading visitors on hiking and horseback riding trips in the mountains, staying in yurts, and enjoying local dairy products and meat dishes. While some young Kazakhs move away from traditional herding jobs, their unique culture remains vibrant, especially in festivals, cuisine, clothing, and performing arts such as music and dance, including the playing of the dombra and the dance Kara Zhorga. Kazakhs place great importance on their festivals, such as Kurban-Ait and Nauryz.During these celebrations, they partake in traditional games like kokpar, a rugged test of riders' skills where they strive to seize and deliver a ram carcass, alongside horse racing, and kyz kuu, which translates to "catch up with the girl." Despite the passage of time, these cultural traditions have remained largely unchanged. As To the Wonder continues to captivate audiences, it does more than just tell a story; it acts as a bridge between the past and the present, the traditional and the contemporary. The series not only highlights the unique cultural tapestry of the Kazakh people but also prompts viewers to reflect on their own cultural roots and the impacts of modernization. Li Wenxiu's journey back to her roots and Batay's struggle between two worlds resonate with many young people today who are navigating similar paths of self-discovery and cultural preservation. The series serves as a reminder that while progress is inevitable, it is equally important to cherish and maintain one's heritage. The scenic landscapes of Altay, beautifully captured in the series, invite viewers to appreciate the natural beauty and rich cultural history of Xinjiang. This visual and narrative feast has sparked a newfound interest in the region, encouraging more people to explore and understand the lives of its inhabitants. Ultimately, To the Wonder is a celebration of cultural diversity and resilience. It encourages a dialogue about the importance of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized world. As viewers follow the characters' journeys, they are inspired to honor their own histories while embracing the possibilities of the future. Editor: WRX In a progressive move aimed at enhancing educational equity, a new California bill seeks to recognize and support colleges and universities that actively enroll and foster success among Black students. Passed by the state Senate and currently advancing to the Assembly, this bill introduces the "Black-Serving Institution" designation, aiming to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for Black students in higher education. Criteria and Support Measures The proposed "Black-Serving Institution" designation sets specific criteria for eligibility, ensuring that institutions genuinely prioritize the needs and success of Black students. Colleges and universities must either enroll a student body that is at least 10 percent Black or have at least 1,500 Black students. Beyond enrollment, these institutions must implement a range of support measures, including drafting and funding a Black student success plan, fostering robust African American studies programs, and providing co-curricular educational activities or affinity centers tailored to Black students. Institutions applying for this five-year designation are required to submit detailed graduation rates for all students and specifically for Black students over the past three academic years. Community colleges must also provide transfer rates to four-year colleges and the number of degrees and certificates earned. This data-driven approach aims to ensure accountability and transparency in the designation process. READ MORE : Adam Harris Explores The Persistent Challenges Black Students Face In Higher Education Addressing Enrollment and Retention Challenges California Senator Steven Bradford, who authored the bill, emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for Black students. He believes that the designation will not only signal to Black prospective students which institutions offer meaningful support but also enhance retention and graduation rates once these students are enrolled. "Being in an environment that is inclusive and culturally sensitive helps make the educational experience far more successful for Black students," Bradford stated. Sacramento State University President J. Luke Wood, a key advocate for the bill, highlighted the lack of such designated institutions on the West Coast and Midwest. He noted that many Black students are forced to leave their regions in search of supportive educational environments. Wood's university, with over 2,000 Black students and a new Black Honors College launching soon, exemplifies the type of institution that would benefit from this designation. He expressed optimism that the bill would help retain local talent and provide Black students with accessible, high-quality education within their communities. A National Perspective on Educational Equity The bill also addresses a broader national trend of declining Black student enrollment. Between 2011 and 2019, higher education institutions across the United States lost approximately 600,000 Black students, a 29 percent drop. California's Black student enrollment has mirrored this concerning trend. Keith Curry, president of Compton College and another key supporter of the bill, emphasized the urgency of addressing this crisis. "We have to look at best practices and identify institutions that serve Black students effectively," Curry said, advocating for these institutions to become examples for others both within California and nationally. The proposed designation has garnered support from scholars and educators who see it as a step towards long-term reparations for historical inequities. Gina Garcia, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, likened the designation to Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), which she views as a form of reparation for the long-term harm inflicted on Hispanic students. She argued that similar reparative measures are necessary for Black students in California to address the significant inequities they face. Andres Castro Samayoa, an associate professor at Boston College, praised the symbolic importance of the bill, especially at a time when several states are enacting legislation to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. He highlighted that while the designation is a crucial recognition of the institutions' efforts, it lacks the additional funding that federal designations provide. Castro Samayoa called for further steps to enhance the resources available to these institutions. Despite the absence of immediate additional funding, Curry remains hopeful that the designation will attract investment from donors and foundations. He sees the potential for this California initiative to serve as a model for other states, promoting a national movement towards greater support for Black students in higher education. With Compton College, where Black students comprise nearly a quarter of the student body, poised to be a prime candidate for the designation, Curry is eager to submit his institution's application and lead by example. The proposed "Black-Serving Institution" designation represents a significant step towards educational equity in California. By recognizing and supporting institutions that prioritize Black student success, the bill aims to create more inclusive and supportive educational environments, ultimately enhancing retention and graduation rates among Black students. This initiative, if successful, could inspire similar efforts across the nation, contributing to a more equitable and just higher education system. The Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD) has recently revealed that it will be closing soon due to major financial difficulties worsened by decreasing student enrollment, increasing operational expenses, and unexpected complications with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) rollout. This decision, revealed by DCAD officials last week, marks a critical moment for the institution, which has struggled to maintain financial stability amidst a rapidly changing educational landscape. Financial Challenges and Enrollment Decline The primary factors contributing to DCAD's closure include a steady decline in student enrollment over the past several years and increasing operational costs that have outpaced the college's revenue. According to the Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), DCAD enrolled 129 students in fall 2022, a significant drop from its peak of 247 students in fall 2011. This downward trend in enrollment has severely impacted the college's ability to sustain its programs and support its educational mission. President Jean Dahlgren emphasized the difficulty of the decision in the closure announcement. She conveyed that the decision to close was made after careful consideration and extensive efforts to find alternatives. The significant decline in enrollment over the past several years and projections for the upcoming school year have made it impossible to sustain the college's educational mission and programs. Despite the Board of Trustees' diligent efforts to secure other funding solutions, none could address the persistent issue of insufficient student numbers. Impact of FAFSA Rollout Issues The recent rollout of the simplified FAFSA has introduced additional challenges for institutions like DCAD. Experts have warned that technical glitches and delays in the new FAFSA system could lead to an enrollment crisis, affecting the ability of students to secure necessary financial aid. DCAD appears to be the first institution to explicitly link its closure to issues with the new FAFSA system. DCAD officials noted that unexpected problems with the FAFSA rollout added another layer of difficulty to an already precarious situation. While the broader effects of these FAFSA issues are yet to be fully realized across higher education, DCAD's experience underscores the potential impact of administrative and technical disruptions on small colleges and their students. A History of Financial Struggles Publicly available financial documents reveal that DCAD has been operating at a loss for six of the last ten fiscal years. These financial struggles have been compounded by the college's inability to attract and retain enough students to support its operations. The combination of declining enrollment and insufficient revenue has created a challenging environment for the institution, ultimately leading to the decision to close. DCAD's closure reflects broader trends in higher education, where many small colleges and universities are grappling with similar financial pressures. Rising costs, changing demographics, and shifting student preferences are forcing institutions to rethink their strategies and, in some cases, consider merging with other schools or closing altogether. The situation at DCAD highlights the vulnerabilities faced by small, specialized institutions that may not have the financial reserves or diverse revenue streams to weather prolonged periods of financial instability. The closure of the Delaware College of Art and Design is a poignant reminder of the financial challenges confronting many higher education institutions today. Declining enrollment, rising costs, and external factors such as the troubled rollout of the new FAFSA have created an untenable situation for DCAD. As the college prepares to close its doors, the impact on students, faculty, and the broader community will be significant. DCAD's experience serves as a case study in the complex interplay of factors that can lead to the closure of a higher education institution and raises important questions about the future of small colleges in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. In a significant move towards prioritizing mental health in higher education, Maryland has enacted the Cameron Carden Act of 2024. This legislation, named after a student who faced challenges due to mental health issues at Salisbury University, aims to provide a safety net for students grappling with mental health challenges. By requiring public universities to offer formal withdrawal policies that include mental health as a valid reason for stopping out, the law addresses a critical gap in support for students' well-being. The Need for Change The journey towards the Cameron Carden Act began with a stark realization: existing university policies often did not adequately address mental health concerns. Cameron Carden's experience at Salisbury University highlighted this gap. After racist vandalism on campus exacerbated his mental health issues, Carden sought to leave mid-semester but faced resistance from the university's withdrawal policy. Despite his struggles, the policy did not cover mental health as a valid reason for withdrawal, leaving Carden torn between his well-being and financial concerns. READ MORE : Loneliness Linked To Severe Mental Health Issues Among College Students, New Report Finds Legislation and Impact The Cameron Carden Act, signed into law by Governor Wes Moore, mandates that Maryland's public universities must offer formal withdrawal policies including mental health reasons and ensure refunds for students who withdraw mid-semester due to mental or physical health-related issues. This legislation is a pioneering step in the United States, setting a precedent for other states to prioritize mental health in higher education policies. The law's impact extends beyond individual cases like Carden's, signaling a broader commitment to student well-being. It not only provides a safety net for students facing mental health challenges but also encourages a culture of openness and support on college campuses. By formalizing mental health withdrawal policies, universities can better communicate the process and resources available to students, ensuring a smoother experience for those in need of assistance. Challenges and Solutions Implementing the Cameron Carden Act poses challenges for universities. While some institutions within the University System of Maryland already had policies allowing withdrawals for extenuating circumstances, including illness, not all explicitly included mental health. As a result, universities now face the task of updating their policies to comply with the new law. To address these challenges, the University System of Maryland is consulting with campuses to revise their policies. This process aims to ensure that students are aware of the available support and procedures, facilitating a more seamless withdrawal process for those in need. By formalizing these policies, universities can create a more supportive environment for students facing mental health challenges. Looking Ahead The Cameron Carden Act of 2024 represents a significant milestone in recognizing and addressing mental health issues in higher education. By prioritizing students' well-being, Maryland is setting an example for other states to follow. Moving forward, it will be essential for universities to continue improving their mental health support systems. This includes not only formal policies but also access to resources and a campus culture that destigmatizes mental health issues. The Cameron Carden Act is a landmark legislation that emphasizes the importance of mental health support in higher education. By formalizing withdrawal policies and ensuring refunds for affected students, Maryland is taking a proactive approach to student well-being. As universities continue to evolve their mental health support systems, the impact of this legislation will be felt for years to come, creating a safer and more supportive environment for all students. May 29 2024 Dawn Developments and Drum Property Group with Manson Architects have shared their current thinking on how to complete the Collegelands masterplan east of Glasgow city centre. The joint venture partners, together known as Glasgow Enlightenment, propose a mix of 588 student beds and 157 mainstream apartments set within a 2.5 acre park for the 95m development. Collegelands Park will also include a hireable events space, community lounge and cafe operated by local charity Dream Machine Productions. Changes made since the initial phase of consultation include lowering building 'shoulders' to form roof terraces and capping the maximum height of the buildings at 11 storeys. Tweaks to the footprint of the eastern block have also been made to create a more urban frontage to Hunter and Havannah Street. Paul ODonnell, of Glasgow Enlightenment, said: We listened when some concerns were raised about the height of the buildings, and we have acted to address this issue, reconfiguring the plans, before submitting the final planning application in July. More detailed plans have also been made for the arts facility which will be built by local charity Dream Machine Productions. It will now feature a modular design inspired by a traditional Glasgow bandstand, with enclosed indoor space opening out into a courtyard. The courtyard space will have Happy to Chat benches, free Wi-Fi, charging points and spaces that encourage outdoor remote working. Feedback is invited to 19 June ahead of a formal planning application this summer. May 29 2024 Architecture is littered with lost masterpieces and forgotten competition designs but now a selection of these have been brought to life to illustrate how key landmarks could have looked had history taken a different path. Commissioned by TransPennine Express the series sees the likes of Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum as well as The National Monument of Scotland in Edinburgh shown in radically different guises by This Is Render. Built in 1892 to competition-winning designs by London-based architects John William Simpson and Edmund John Milne Kelvingrove is firmly established as an architectural favourite in the city but would that still be the case if this budget version with a scaled-back entrance and corner towers had been chosen? The design by architects Treadwell and Martin now lies forgotten alongside perhaps the greatest What if? of all, an unexecuted design by Honeyman Keppie & Mackintosh. One of Edinburgh's most recognisable landmarks The National Monument with the Parthenon-style by Lord Elgin remaining unfinished to this day owing to a lack of funds. Pipped to the post was architect Archibald Elliott who proposed a radically different Pantheon-style church. The full series covers six UK landmarks including Manchester Cathedral and Newcastle's Black Gate Museum. (@Abdulla99267510) Dr. Hassan Shehzad says IMF proposal for uniformed tax on cigarettes rational. ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 29th, 2024) Capital Calling, an Islamabad-based think tank, has Appreciated the reports suggesting that the International Monitory Fund (IMF) has remained steadfast in its recommendation for uniformed tax on tobacco products regardless of their national or foreign branding. It said that the reports about recommendation for over 20 percent tax raise on tobacco products are encouraging. Dr. Hassan Shehzad, from International Islamic University, said estimates show that tobacco industry can do good with 40 percent tax raise in the coming budget. Dr Shehzad, the only social researcher whose report was referred to by the IMF in its recommendations for tax reforms, says that copious research reports have found that if cigarette price increases its demand decreases. He said that during a survey of the major cities of the country, it was found that one in 94 smokers had quitted smoking after its price increase. He said rise in illicit trade is another cause of concern. He expressed shock on the findings of the World Health Organization (WHO) stating that illicit trade market in Pakistan (of tobacco products) ranges from 9 to17 percent of the total cigarette market." The study is titled Study on Incidence of Illicit trade of cigarettes in Pakistan: A case study for Islamabad Capital Territory". The disturbing findings if the study is that Overall, the illicit trade of cigarettes in Pakistan accounted for 23.1% of the total trade. Locally produced cigarettes without a stamp of the tax authority are considered illicit products and account for 10.4% of the total number of packs. Prof Muhammad Zaman, head of Zaman Research Center at Quaid-i-Azam University, says in a discussion of researchers that in a recent meeting of WHO titled "Global meeting to combat illicit tobacco trade concludes with decisive action", it was presented that "Illicit trade accounts for about 11% of total global tobacco trade, and its elimination could increase global tax revenues by an estimated US$ 47.4 billion annually." Hence, he said, the volume of illicit trade in Pakistan is double than global average. He also said that the government should take corrective measures to stop this practice. He said the multinational cigarette companies that operate in Pakistan have been found involved in many illegal activities in different parts of the world. One of the companies was recently fined heavily for such practices in its home country, he said. He said both the illicit trade and lower taxes on tobacco products are playing havoc with public health. The government should work on both these points at the earliest, he said. (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) As the world community observed the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to their services saying that the UN missions had been critical in maintaining peace and protecting civilians in conflict zones. According to the United Nations, since 1948, more than two million uniformed and civilian personnel have helped countries in transition from war to peace. Today, more than 70,000 peacekeepers serve in 11 missions deployed in hotspots around the world. Besides paying tribute to the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers, the Day also honours more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving for peace. Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed special gratitude for the Pakistani peacekeepers who had made significant contributions. "230,000 military personnel, including our brave Pakistani female peacekeepers, have made the nation proud for 64 years of our commitment to the UN peacekeeping. Among these were 181 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for global peace, we also pay tribute to them. Their selfless act of courage and sacrifice will forever be etched in our hearts," he wrote on his X timeline. The prime minister reiterated Pakistan's commitment to its pursuit of peace and justice and to building a future "where peace prevails and humanity thrives." The Pakistan Armed Forces on Thursday paid tribute to its martyrs who had rendered the ultimate sacrifice while serving as UN peacekeepers in conflict-hit countries across the world on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) The Pakistan Armed Forces on Thursday paid tribute to its martyrs who had rendered the ultimate sacrifice while serving as UN peacekeepers in conflict-hit countries across the world on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. "Today, Pakistan joins the international community in commemorating the International Peacekeepers Day, paying tribute to the brave men and women who have served in the United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world," an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said. Pakistan, the ISPR said, was one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping, with around 3,000 peacekeepers currently serving in missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Abyei, Central African Republic, Cyprus, Western Sahara and Somalia. It added that since 1960, Pakistan had contributed 235,000 troops to the UN peacekeeping operations in 48 United Nations missions in 29 countries including almost all continents of the world. "Pakistan is proud of its long-standing commitment to the UN peacekeeping. Our peacekeepers have demonstrated exceptional courage, professionalism and dedication to promoting peace and stability in the conflict-ridden regions. Overall, 181 Pakistani peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," the ISPR said. "On this International Peacekeeping Day, the forces honour their service and sacrifice for the noble cause of global peace," it added. "Pakistan also remains committed to the United Nations Uniform Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS) for enhanced representation of women in uniform, Secretary-Generals Action for Peace (A4P) initiative, which seeks to improve the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping operations by enhancing their capacity, coherence and responsiveness. "Additionally, Pakistan also supports initiatives aimed at improving the safety and security of UN peacekeepers, particularly those serving in high-risk environments," it added. Pakistans contributions to UN peacekeeping were a testament to the nations commitment to international peace and security and the Pakistani peacekeepers would continue towards uplift of local communities in the troubled regions, the ISPR said. (@Abdulla99267510) The meeting, held at Jati Umra on Wednesday, was chaired by PML-N President Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 29th, 2024) The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), currently in power, convened a meeting to discuss the forthcoming fiscal year's budget, committing to take all necessary measures to provide relief to the public. The meeting, held at Jati Umra on Wednesday, was chaired by PML-N President Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Key attendees included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Sardar Awais Khan Laghari, Attaullah Tarar, Rana Tanvir Hussain, among others. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Senator Pervaiz Rashid also participated in the three-hour-long session, along with various departmental secretaries. The sources reported that the party leadership resolved to explore all avenues to offer relief to the public in the upcoming budget. This decision follows the recent election of Nawaz Sharif as the PML-N president. Despite the commitment, delivering substantial relief remains challenging due to the weakened local Currency and other economic constraints compared to the previous PML-N administration. Federal ministers and secretaries contributed their insights and proposals during the meeting. Party leaders representing different sectors also presented their recommendations on how best to support the public in the upcoming budget. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz outlined potential relief measures that her government could implement. Additionally, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif provided directives based on his extensive political and administrative experience. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Chisinau, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday headed for talks with Moldova President Maia Sandu aimed at showing robust support for the frontline country's Western aspirations as alarm grows over Russian gains elsewhere. The top US diplomat landed in Moldova, sandwiched between Ukraine and EU member Romania, and headed straight to talks with Sandu, who has charted a firmly pro-European course for one of the continent's poorest countries. The trip comes as Moscow, which stations troops in Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region, has recently scored a series of battlefield victories in Ukraine, stirring new calls to let Kyiv use Western arms to strike directly on Russian soil. Russia also appears to have gained ground diplomatically in another former Soviet republic, Georgia, which on Tuesday rammed through a law against "foreign influence" seen as inspired by the Kremlin. Blinken will announce "a robust package of support" for Moldova, said Jim O'Brien, the US assistant secretary of state for Europe. He said the aid would focus in part on energy. The country of 2.6 million people until recently imported nearly all its natural gas from Russia but has been seeking to diversify its supplies. O'Brien said Blinken would also announce measures to boost democracy and counter disinformation ahead of elections later this year in which Sandu is seeking a second term. O'Brien described Sandu's track record as a "success" but said she has been "a target of Russian disinformation and aggressive operations" since the moment she took office. "Obviously the people of Moldova will have a chance to decide. We want them to decide in a free and fair environment with as little interference or disinformation as possible," O'Brien told reporters. Blinken's trip comes a week after the European Union signed a security and defence pact with Moldova that is also aimed at helping the country defend against Russian threats, including in cyber security. Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi called Blinken's visit a "strong signal of political and financial support" to the country. "While some do everything to put us in difficulty, others come and help us and extend us this hand of friendly help to overcome these difficulties that others create for us, for which we are extremely grateful," he said, likely alluding to Russia. On Wednesday, Popsoi welcomed Blinken on the tarmac. Blinken last visited the tiny country weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, when some made gloomy predictions that Moscow would also strike Moldova. Speculation grew earlier this year that Russia would seek to annex Transnistria, but US officials say they see no imminent military threat from the 1,500 Russian troops in the separatist region. Russia launched an assault on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region two weeks ago, seeking to press its advantage before US weapons reach the front lines. The US election in November could have major ramifications for Ukraine. President Joe Biden's Republican challenger, Donald Trump, has voiced admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and doubted Ukraine's chances for victory. Andrei Curararu, a security expert and co-founder of WatchDog.md, a think tank based in Moldova, said Blinken's 2022 visit had come at a time of "extreme alert" and uncertainty. He said the latest trip could lay the groundwork for a more formal bilateral security agreement with the United States, of the sort Moldova has reached with France. "A visit of this level also speaks to the fact that the Republic of Moldova is back on the US agenda," he said. burs-sct/kym/bc/ (@FahadShabbir) Vital medical supplies are fast running out in Gazas remaining hospitals, the UN health agency warned Wednesday, amid reports of continuing Israeli bombing in the besieged enclave UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) Vital medical supplies are fast running out in Gazas remaining hospitals, the UN health agency warned Wednesday, amid reports of continuing Israeli bombing in the besieged enclave. We have distributed an enormous amount of essential medical supplies, but it's not enough. I mean, this is such an overwhelming disaster, its not enough, said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Palestine. Speaking in Geneva on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, the senior WHO official echoed widespread international condemnation of the Israeli airstrike at a camp for displaced people at Tal as-Sultan northwest of Rafah, that left scores dead on Sunday. WHO actually deplores this attack on displaced people. It demonstrates that there is no safe place in Gaza at all, he told UN news, a media website, as videos from the field hospital treating victims distributed by the UN aid office, OCHA, showed an injured father weeping while describing the moment his children died. When the strike hit, I was thinking of my children, said Mohammad Al Ghouf. I promised them to get to the supermarket and do some shopping and to hug them. But, unfortunately, I am here, and they are in a different place. From the same OCHA footage taken on Monday, the medical director of the International Medical Corps (IMC) field hospital described the grim task of preparing lifeless victims for burial. I saw the dead body of a father who was basically holding his child, perhaps around three years of age. They were burned and charred. We couldn't separate them. So, we had to put both of them together in a body bag. It was very, very hard. Some 75 patients received treatment at the IMC field hospital, it was pointed out. Out of those 75, 25 were very critical, the IMC official added, fuelling deep concerns that the specialist burns and trauma care and medicines they need are out of reach in Gaza since the Israeli military seized the main aid crossing point at Rafah earlier this month. You can only do so much in Gaza. And when it comes to really extensive burns, etcetera, there's no place currently in Gaza where that can be treated, Dr. Peeperkorn said. Since the closing of the Rafah crossing, we only have had three trucks into Rafah. They came through Kerem Shalom and that's the only supply. We fortunately still have some supplies, but they are quickly running out. The perilous lack of lifesaving aid supplies could be reversed if lorries carrying humanitarian aid are allowed back into the enclave in significant numbers, the WHO official insisted. There are 60 WHO trucks standing in El Arish [in Egypt] ready to get into Gaza. So again, this plea: the Rafah crossing needs to be opened not just for medical supplies, but for all other humanitarian supplies, he said. We have distributed an enormous amount of essential emergency medical supplies, but it's not enough. This is such an overwhelming disaster. Now, when there would be a sustained ceasefire and there would be entry routes into Gaza which are properly managed, when there is a deconfliction mechanism which actually facilitates and supports, much more is possible. The UN health agency has previously warned that more Gazans will die unless desperately needed medical evacuations for seriously sick or injured people are allowed outside the enclave. Some 10,000-plus people are believed to require urgent transport outside Gaza for treatment, but since the Rafah closure on May 6, there's no medical evacuation outside Gaza, and it was already a huge problem before, Dr. Peeperkorn said. According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and OCHA, the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders have displaced more than 940,000 people from Rafah in the past three weeks, alongside 100,000 who have been displaced in northern Gaza. Attacks on Rafah have continued unabated and civilians displaced by hostilities lack shelter, food, water and other supplies and services essential to their survival, OCHA said in an update on Tuesday. The same update reported that Gazan health facilities continue to face dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies while having to cope with a rising influx of casualties due to injuries and burns. The Nasser Medical Complex also appealed for people to donate blood, OCHA noted. The humanitarian update echoed longstanding concerns over the lack of aid reaching Gaza and stressed that although the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open in principle, it is extremely difficult for aid organizations to access from the Gaza side due to hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination proceduresaccess constraints continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid inside Gaza. Between May 1 and May 26, OCHA reported that only 137 humanitarian aid missions were facilitated by the Israeli authorities to areas that require coordination across Gaza; 86 were impeded after getting a green light or denied access to begin with, and 43 were cancelled by the organizers. Amid the ongoing destruction caused by nearly eight months of war in Gaza that began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel, the WHO official stressed the need to support the future reconstruction of Gazas largely destroyed health system, to help the region recover and support a sustainable peace. When you start thinking about the healing process and early recovery and reconstruction, we need to think completely different about getting the supplies into Gaza including, of course, specific medical and medical equipment and supplies, Dr Peeperkorn insisted, before underscoring the historic difficulties associated with bringing in standard medical equipment: It took us almost two years to get three mobile X-rays. Every referral hospital everywhere around the world has a number of these mobile X-rays; they are in the referrals almost everywhere. So, it absolutely doesn't make sense and I just want to make this point, we all hope there will be a sustained ceasefire very soon, he said. We have to look also at the future, we have to push for a sustained ceasefire and thenearly recovery, a rehabilitation process (should) start as soon as possible. There should be a Palestinian solution, the WHO official continued, noting that Gaza still has a lot of very capable health professionals many working as volunteers who should be the focus and the centre of the reconstruction and rehabilitation process. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Palestinian Authority chief Mahmud Abbas to "implement necessary reforms", offering the "prospect of recognition of the state of Palestine" during a phone call Wednesday, his office said Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) French President Emmanuel Macron urged Palestinian Authority chief Mahmud Abbas to "implement necessary reforms", offering the "prospect of recognition of the state of Palestine" during a phone call Wednesday, his office said. Macron "highlighted France's commitment to building a common vision of peace with European and Arab partners, offering security guarantees for Palestinians and Israelis," as well as "making the prospect of recognition of a state of Palestine part of a useful process", Macron's Elysee Palace said. The readout of the call with the chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank follows Tuesday's official recognition for a Palestinian state by fellow European nations Spain, Ireland and Norway, which drew ire from Israel. Macron's Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne earlier Wednesday accused France's neighbours of "political positioning" ahead of June 9 European elections, rather than seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Macron had said Tuesday that he would be prepared to recognise a Palestinian state, but such a move should "come at a useful moment" and not be based on "emotion". (@ChaudhryMAli88) Ukraine reported Wednesday that nine people had been killed in five regions of the war-battered country, as Russia presses gains on the front line where Kyiv's troops are struggling Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) Ukraine reported Wednesday that nine people had been killed in five regions of the war-battered country, as Russia presses gains on the front line where Kyiv's troops are struggling. In the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, two were killed in attacks on the city of Nikopol on the right bank of the Dnipro River, said governor Sergiy Lysak. These were a 52-year-old man who received severe shrapnel wounds from shelling, and a 54-year-old ambulance driver whose vehicle was hit by a drone attack, he said. A missile attack earlier in the day on the eastern Sumy region that borders Russia killed two and wounded three, regional authorities said on social media. The governor of the front-line Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, said three people had been killed in separate attacks Tuesday. Governor Vadym Filashkin said two people had been killed in the town of Toretsk and another person was killed in an attack on the front-line town of Selydove on Tuesday, which is routinely targeted by Russian forces. In the southern Kherson region, which the Kremlin also claimed to have annexed in 2022 even though it is still fighting for control of the Black Sea territory, the governor said Russia had shelled housing and infrastructure facilities. "One person died as a result of Russian aggression," said Oleksandr Prokudin, Kherson's governor. Last weekend, Russian forces carried out one of the single deadliest attacks in weeks on the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia, hitting a busy hardware store. Prosecutors said Wednesday that the toll from the strike had risen to 19, after a 40-year-old employee of the store who sustained severe burns during the attack died in the hospital. bur-am/jbr/js/ President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that China was "deeply pained" by the "extremely severe" situation in Gaza, as Beijing hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and several other Arab leaders Beijing, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2024) President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that China was "deeply pained" by the "extremely severe" situation in Gaza, as Beijing hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and several other Arab leaders. The talks between Xi, Sisi and other Arab dignitaries in China this week are aimed at building consensus between Beijing and the Arab nations, as well as presenting a "common voice" on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. China has relations with Israel but has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and has campaigned for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused a large number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely severe. China is deeply pained," Xi told Sisi in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. "The top priority task now is an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid spillover of conflict, impact on regional peace and stability, and so as to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis," Xi said. Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, have been engaged for months in talks aimed at securing a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas, accompanied by the release of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group. "China appreciates the important role played by Egypt in cooling down the situation and delivering humanitarian relief," Xi said. He said China was ready to work with Egypt to continue to assist the people of Gaza "and push for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue". - Grand ceremony - Xi met Sisi in a grand ceremony outside Beijing's Great Hall of People on Wednesday afternoon, state media footage showed, with the national anthems of both countries blaring out. The Egyptian presidency has said discussions would "tackle ways to forge closer bilateral relations and to unlock broader prospects for cooperation in an array of fields". Beijing has sought to build closer ties with Arab states in recent years and brokered a detente between Tehran and Saudi Arabia last year. Beijing also hosted rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah last month for "in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation". United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is among the delegates attending the forum, as well as a host of other regional leaders and diplomats. Xi is set to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony on Thursday, Beijing has said, aimed at building "common consensus" between China and Arab states. Top of the agenda will be the war between Israel and Hamas, for which Xi has sought an "international peace conference". The Israeli military has pushed on with its campaign to defeat Hamas in the war triggered by the Palestinian movement's October 7 attack, despite a global outcry that intensified after a deadly strike set a crowded camp ablaze on Sunday. The strike sparked a fire that Gaza officials said killed 45 people and wounded about 250. Mason Lee (center), senior project coordinator of the UW Biodiversity Institute, gives a bat presentation at Bear River State Park for the annular solar eclipse during October 2023. At the event, participants used the supplies pictured in the foreground to build bat houses, which will be installed before the bat walk in Bear River State Park in Evanston June 25. (Tyfani Sager Photo) For the fourth consecutive summer, some Wyoming cities and towns will be going a bit batty. The University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute will host three free Summer Bat Walks, with walks currently scheduled in Cheyenne, Evanston and Sheridan -- and the possibility of more to come. My hope for people who attend a bat walk is that they get excited about seeing and learning more about our native nocturnal wildlife and, hopefully, they will share some of that enthusiasm and learning with others in their community, says Mason Lee, senior project coordinator of the Biodiversity Institute, who leads the walks. Bats are a really fascinating wildlife group in Wyoming but, because they fly at night and we generally cant hear them, I think theyre also an overlooked group. Eighty percent of bat species worldwide need conservation action, and spreading the word about how amazing bats are is something that anybody can do to contribute toward their conservation. Bats are invaluable to Wyoming and to ecosystems around the world. All bats in Wyoming -- of which there are 18 species -- are insectivores, and they eat a lot of crop pests. It is estimated that, in the U.S., bats save farmers $3 billion each year in pest control, Lee says. Insectivorous bats help protect crops, including corn, cotton, potatoes and wheat. Despite their small size, bats are incredibly valuable wildlife to their ecosystems. In Wyoming, our bats are all insectivorous, and they can eat a lot of bugs. Just one individual little brown myotis can eat 500 mosquito-sized insects an hour, Lee says. A lot of the insects that bats forage on are agricultural pests. Across the world, many farmers install bat boxes near their fields to encourage bats to forage and protect their crops. Bat species that are frugivores are vital for seed dispersal. Over 500 plant species are exclusively pollinated by bats. During previous bat walks, big brown bats, hoary bats and little brown myotis were those most often seen, but other species have often been spotted as well, Lee says. These three species are common and widespread, whereas a number of our bat species are uncommon, have much smaller ranges or are more restricted in the habitat types that they occupy and forage in, says Lee, who is a certified Bat Walk Ambassador through Bat Conservation International (BCI). But we certainly do pick up different species at each of our bat walk locations, so its not that we only see and hear big browns, hoary and little browns. BCI is an international, nongovernmental organization working to conserve the worlds bats and their habitats through conservation, research and education efforts. The Biodiversity Institute is the only certified Bat Walk Ambassador to offer this program in Wyoming. Bat walks are designed to introduce communities to the amazing and beneficial flying mammals that live in their areas. Most bats echolocate at a frequency that is too high for human ears. But a device, known as an Echo Meter Touch, that Lee takes on the walks translates their calls to a lower frequency that can be heard by people. For a recording of bats during a previous bat walk, go to https://vimeo.com/717518476. Our Echo Meter Touch picks up bat calls in the area, and the app translates those calls to a frequency that humans can hear, Lee says. Bats also have chatter or social calls, which they emit when theyre in bat boxes, which are artificial roosts. These chatter or social calls are at lower frequencies, which humans can sometimes hear, Lee says. The bat walks are capped at 20 participants each. Its easier to see and hear all of the bats when we have these smaller groups, Lee says. Locations, dates and times of bat walks are as follows: Evanston -- Bear River State Park, Tuesday, June 25, 8:30-10 p.m. Sheridan -- South Park open space, Tuesday, July 16, 8:30-10 p.m. Cheyenne -- Curt Gowdy State Park, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 8-9:30 p.m. To register for a Summer Bat Walk, go to http://wyobiodiversity.org/index.php/outreach/bat-walks. Local organizations that would like to host a bat walk in their community this summer can email biodiversity@uwyo.edu. About the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute The UW Biodiversity Institute fosters conservation of biodiversity through scientific discovery, creative dissemination, education and public engagement. In this setting, scientists, citizens, students and educators come together to share a wealth of perspectives on the study and appreciation of biodiversity -- from microbes to poetry and ecosystems to economics. Learn more at www.wyomingbiodiversity.org. A new European final for the Italian team, which will contest the UEFA Conference League final for the second time in a row. Last year they lost it against West Ham. They also know what it is to lose a Champions League final and a Europa League final in Europe. Their only European title was winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1960-61. They have not won a title since 2000-01 when they won the Italian Cup. 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 United States said on Tuesday that United Nations Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971, does not endorse the People's Republic of China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan, following Taiwan's exclusion from this week's World Health Assembly sessions. World Health Assembly The WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, began its annual meetings on Monday in Geneva, where member states, delegates and health experts gather to discuss global health priorities and security. "We have repeatedly made clear that we think Taiwan should be able to participate in WHO sessions. When they were participants, they brought meaningful expertise that enriched the discussions and debates, and we want them to be allowed to participate in future sessions," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a Tuesday briefing. Taiwan is excluded from most international organizations because of the objections by the People's Republic of China, which considers the self-governed democracy its territory. Chinese officials often cite U.N. Resolution 2758 to assert Beijing's "one China principle." "No, it does not," Miller told VOA when asked if the resolution endorsed China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan. On October 25, 1971, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's formal name) with the People's Republic of China as a permanent member of the Security Council. But it did not mention Taiwan's sovereignty status. U.S. officials have said the resolution does not preclude Taiwan's meaningful participation in the U.N. system and other multilateral forums. "Beijing mischaracterizes the resolution by falsely conflating it with China's one-China principle and wrongly asserts that it reflects an international consensus for its one-China principle," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Lambert, who also heads the State Department's China House, at a recent event. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said U.S. support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international forums aligns with Washington's one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. US policy, China's principle The U.S.' one China policy differs from the PRC's one China principle, which Washington said it does not subscribe to. Delegates from Taiwan attended the WHA as nonvoting observers from 2009 to 2016, during a period of relatively warm ties between Beijing and Taipei. However, Beijing has blocked Taiwan's representation at WHO meetings since the self-ruled democracy elected Tsai Ing-wen, a China skeptic, as Taiwan's president in 2016 and again in 2020. Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reject Beijing's condition that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong under one flag. The two sides have been separately ruled since the 1940s. "We would like to make it clear to the DPP authorities: the abiding commitment of the international community to the one-China principle is unshakable," a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. Without naming names, the spokesperson urged "certain countries" to stop "politicizing health issues" and "interfering in China's internal affairs." "Using Taiwan to contain China will only end in failure," the spokesperson added. Several countries, including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany and Japan, issued a joint statement on Friday supporting Taiwan's participation in the WHA annual meetings. Chinese military drills Meanwhile, following the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, China conducted a two-day, large-scale military exercise last week, deploying 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels around Taiwan. Over the weekend, the U.S. expressed deep concern over the Chinese People's Liberation Army's joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. The U.S. State Department strongly urged Beijing to act with restraint. "Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for decades," said the State Department in a statement. Last week, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the United Nations has been following developments in the Taiwan Strait closely and urged restraint. "On the issue of China, we are guided by the General Assembly resolution of 1971," said Dujarric. He was referring to U.N. Resolution 2758. Washington and Seoul defended their joint military drills as crucial for maintaining security in East Asia, pushing back against Russia's criticism of the exercises in support of North Korea. "Our longstanding bilateral and trilateral military exercises with the ROK and Japan are intended to maintain force readiness and preserve regional security," said a State Department spokesperson, using South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK). "We also reject disingenuous claims that the DPRK's missile launches are merely a response to our bilateral and trilateral military exercises," the spokesperson, who requested anonymity, told VOA's Korean Service on Thursday. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea's official name. On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department told VOA's Korean Service that it condemns North Korea's launch of a spy satellite. The satellite, launched shortly after a trilateral summit ended in Seoul on Monday among Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing, exploded in midair about two minutes after its launch. North Korea has said its reconnaissance satellite program is aimed at monitoring military activities of the U.S. and South Korea. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the joint military exercises are critical measures to defend against North Korea. "South Korea-U.S. joint drills and South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral exercises are defensive measures to protect the life and safety of our people in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesperson told VOA on May 23. The comments were made in response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's criticism of the joint drills that the U.S. has been conducting with its allies. Lavrov said the drills are aggravating the security situation of the Asia-Pacific region "to the point of its transition to a hot phase." He made the remark at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 20, according to Russia news agency TASS. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental group whose members, including China, Russia and some Central Asian countries such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan, focus on military and economic issues. Lavrov also said that North Korea has "recently expressed its gravest concern over provocative actions by the United States and its allies in this region." The U.S. and South Korea hold regular exercises, and the two allies have been staging trilateral drills with Japan since their three-way summit at Camp David in August 2023. The three countries held their third aerial drills in April that were defensive in nature, according to the U.S. Forces Korea. Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea foundation chair in Korea Studies at Brookings Institution, said, "Lavrov is countering accusations that Russia, China, and North Korea are the cause of growing instability in the region, and instead, placing the blame on the U.S., Japan, and ROK." Lavrov's remarks came as Moscow deepens its ties with Pyongyang and Beijing, its two partners that the U.S. says are supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Pyongyang has been engaged in arms transactions with Moscow while China provides "overwhelming support to Russia's defense industrial base." Blinken made the comments at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 21. Lavrov's criticism reflects Moscow's efforts to cast itself as "a victim" and "echoes Chinese and North Korea propaganda about 'containment' and 'hostile forces,'" said Daniel Russel, vice president for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). North Korea has been critical of regular joint drills conducted by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. In April, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, blamed "the U.S.-led hostile forces' ceaseless military moves" as throwing the region into "a dangerous vortex." Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific Security Chair at Hudson Institute, said compared with Russia's offenses in Ukraine, "routine alliance drills on and off the peninsula are clearly an effort to keep the peace and maintain deterrence." Cronin said, "Russia's foreign minister once again seeks to divert attention from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine." Daniel DePetris, a fellow at Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities, said Lavrov's comments "reflect Russia's new stance, not only on the Korean Peninsula but on matters pertaining to the Asia-Pacific writ-large the U.S. and its allies, not North Korea, are the principal antagonists." Australian university leaders held talks Wednesday with their Chinese counterparts over the Canberra governments plans to cut the number of international students. Australia has said the reductions will ease the stress on housing and reduce immigration. Representatives from the Group of Eight Universities, which represents large research-intensive institutions in Australia, met Wednesday in Adelaide with leaders from the China Education Association for International Exchange. The Chinese delegation included senior officials from 22 leading research-intensive universities in China. In a joint statement, the two groups said that our research and education links not only deliver enormous economic and social benefits for both countries, but also foster enduring people-to-people ties. The talks focused on constructive dialogue focused on challenges and opportunities around university research in a fast-evolving, globalized world. One major challenge is Australias plans to cap the number of international students it allows into the country to relieve pressure on housing and rental accommodation in the major cities. It is part of a broader effort to reduce immigration. In 2023, official data showed that 787,000 international students studied in Australia, exceeding levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the tertiary sector says plans to shut out some foreign students would cost the economy billions of dollars. Vicki Thompson is the chief executive of the Group of Eight Universities. She told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Wednesday that it is unclear how far international student numbers would be cut. At the moment there is a lot of unknowns about what this will actually mean. We are in very good discussions with government, though. They certainly understand the impact that our international education sector has on tourism, on the economy. So, you know, they do not want to bust it either. It is just how can we come to, I guess, a compromise position where, you know, we do not damage one of our most successful export markets, she said. Most overseas students in Australia come from China, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam, according to government data. Under the governments plans, colleges and universities would have to provide purpose-built accommodation for international students if they wanted to exceed the caps on numbers. Specific quotas for foreign students, however, have not yet been made public by the Canberra government. Australias plan to curb the number of students from other countries is expected to be discussed when Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra next month. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Tuesday the need to end the war in Sudan with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the State Department said. The two "discussed the need to urgently end the conflict in Sudan and enable unhindered humanitarian access, including cross border and cross line, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people," spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. In a roughly 30-minute phone call, Blinken "also discussed the resumption of negotiations in the Jeddah platform and the need to protect civilians and deescalate hostilities in El-Fasher, North Darfur," Miller said. In mid-April, the United States said that peace talks on Sudan's war would be hosted by Saudi Arabia in its city of Jeddah within the coming three weeks, though a date for discussion has yet to be announced. At least 134 people have died in two weeks in fighting that has raged in the city of El-Fasher, according to a toll published on Sunday by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Since April 2023, Sudan has been riven by war between the army, led by Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). El-Fasher in North Darfur is the only state capital in the vast western region not under RSF control, and is a key humanitarian hub for a region on the brink of famine. It has seen sporadic clashes since the war broke out, but fierce fighting reignited on May 10 in what UN chief Antonio Guterres called "an alarming new chapter" in the conflict. The overall conflict has killed tens of thousands, including up to 15,000 in a single West Darfur town, according to United Nations experts. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Moldova, pledging $135 million to enhance energy security and counter Russian disinformation during his visit to Chisinau. During Wednesdays visit, Blinken announced that up to $85 million in USAID funding will subsidize equipment to strengthen Moldovas national power grid and facilitate greater electricity trade with Romania, Ukraine, and the broader European market. He also unveiled additional aid for Moldova, a pro-Western country facing renewed threats from Russia. Today, I'm announcing that we'll be working with our Congress to provide an additional $50 million to further advance these efforts from reforming the energy and agricultural sectors to pushing back and further against disinformation, said Blinken during a joint press conference with Moldova President Maia Sandu. That in turn will bolster the ability of Moldova to resist Russian interference, to hold free and fair elections to continue down the path to the European Union and Western integration to create more economic opportunity, he said. Watch related report by Veronica Balderas Iglesias: Blinkens trip comes amid concerns over Russia's military presence in Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region. Moldova has accused Russia of waging a hybrid war through election interference and disinformation campaigns aimed at toppling the government and hindering its EU aspirations. Russia denies these accusations. Sandu welcomed Blinkens second visit in two years as "a strong sign of support." "Through unity and with the support of our partners, we will stand by our people and move forward," Sandu said during the press conference. She also expressed gratitude for U.S. support to both Moldova and Ukraine. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, the Biden administration has directed billions of dollars in weapons assistance to Ukraine, which Sandu said "also makes Moldova safer and more resilient." Historically, Moldovas heavy reliance on outside energy resources has made the country vulnerable to external disruptions and price fluctuations, delaying its progress toward sustainable economic development. Russias aggression against Ukraine has further exacerbated Moldovas energy challenges by driving up electricity and gas prices and creating sector instability. Since Russias 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States has provided Moldova with $774 million in assistance, including $300 million through USAID, to support energy security. NATO, Ukraine After Chisinau, Blinken is heading to Prague for NATO foreign ministers meetings, where a substantial show of support for Ukraine is expected, according to U.S. officials. On Wednesday, Blinken said the U.S. is working hard to deliver more air defenses to Ukraine as it defends itself against intensifying Russian attacks. But Blinken, along with other officials from the Biden administration, said Washington does not encourage or enable the use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia. Ukraine has to make its own decisions about the best way to effectively defend itself, Blinken said. We're going to make sure that it has the equipment it needs. This week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the alliance's members to lift some of the restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons, potentially enabling their use for strikes directly on Russian soil. The right to self-defense includes hitting legitimate targets outside Ukraine, Stoltenberg said Monday at a NATO meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. The United States will host a NATO summit in Washington from July 9 to July 11. Blinken said there will be very strong deliverables in terms of Ukraines further integration with the Atlantic alliance. Thirty-two countries have either completed or will soon complete bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. Francophone lawmakers from about 30 African states are meeting in Cameroons capital, Yaounde, to find a solution to the political instability in French-speaking African nations including a string of recent coups, security threats and popular discontent. The lawmakers say among the solutions to the growing crisis are dialogue, a return to democratic principles and an end to foreign influence. The 150 lawmakers, members of the African region of the Parliamentary Association of the Francophonie, or APF, say many Francophone African countries have suffered deep political and economic instability and security threats. Within the past four years several former French colonies in which France continued to wield political influence experienced military coups or takeovers, including Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Gabon and Chad. The group says besides military takeovers French-speaking African states also have a record of long serving leaders. Cameroon President Paul Biya has ruled for 41 years. Theodoro Obiang Nguema from neighboring Equatorial Guinea has been in power for about 45 years and Denis Sassou Nguesso has ruled the Republic of Congo for 38 years. Nguesso first came to power in 1979 and served until the 1992 election when he finished third. He took power again as a militia leader after a four-month civil war in 1997 and has been president since then. Canada-born Francis Drouin is the president of the Parliamentary Association of the Francophonie. Speaking in Yaounde on Wednesday, Drouin said young people in French-speaking African countries complain that political instability remains high, and civilians are disgruntled because their freedoms are suffocated by long serving leaders and military governments. He said poverty, the absence of democracy and security threats plunge civilians into suffering and misery. Drouin says the regions youths yearn for the freedom to participate in decision-making. Lawmakers attending the conference said Senegal distinguishes itself as an example of democracy after the country's March 24 presidential elections, in which incumbent President Macky Sall was defeated by 40-year-old Bassirou Faye, whom the lawmakers say is a young man with new perspectives. The lawmakers say France's influence on its former African colonies is a source of concern among young leaders who want to take control of their national issues. Djelassem Donangmbaye Felix is a political analyst and coordinator of A New Day, one of Chad's opposition political parties. He is critical of the presence of French troops in former French colonies. He spoke to VOA via a messaging app from Chad's capital N'djamena Wednesday. Djelassem said French troops present in Africa either protect leaders loyal to France or destabilize governments that stand against Frances overbearing influence. He said that is the reason Chad's opposition and civil society in December 2023 asked France to immediately withdraw troops who arrived in the central African state after being ordered to depart neighboring Niger by that countrys military junta. Niger officials accuse France of failing to resolve the security crisis that has killed thousands and displaced millions across Niger. Djelassem said French troops stationed in Chad have never assisted Chad's government to fight armed groups and rebels destabilizing the central African state. France has not responded to the accusation. But in March, Jean-Marie Bockel, French President Emmanuel Macrons envoy for Africa, said after a meeting with Chad's President that France will keep its troops in Chad. He said the troops will assist in fighting jihadists in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Angola and Sao Tome and Principe are attending the conference as observers. The lawmakers say permanent dialogue with military leaders and long serving rulers can pave the way for improved political, economic, social and cultural lives in French- speaking African countries. Prosecutors in Thailand say they will indict former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for violating the law that forbids any criticism of the Thai royal family. A spokesperson for the attorney generals office told reporters Wednesday the 74-year-old Thaksin must appear in court on June 18 to answer the charges. Thakisns attorney, Winyat Chartmontri, told reporters his client was unable to appear in court Wednesday because he is currently suffering from COVID-19. The charges are based on an interview he gave to foreign journalists in 2015 while in Seoul. More than 270 people have been tried in recent years for violating Thailands lese majeste law, one of the strictest in the world, which carries a potential 15-year prison sentence. Thaksin will also be indicted for violating the countrys computer crime law the official said. Thaksin was detained last August after returning to Thailand from 15 years of self-imposed exile to avoid imprisonment after being convicted of several corruption-related charges. He had been sentenced to eight years in prison, but his sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He served nearly all his sentence in a police hospital for treatment of an undisclosed condition. The media tycoon was first elected prime minister in 2001 and gained a loyal following among Thailands rural poor for such policies as universal health care and cash payments to farmers. But he was overthrown in a coup in 2006 by a military aligned with members of Thailands pro-monarchy elite who saw him as a threat to their longstanding grip on the social order. His return to Thailand coincided with his Pheu Thai party taking the reins of government despite coming in second place in last Mays elections. The progressive Move Forward Party and its coalition partners had scored an upset victory, but the conservative, military-backed Senate blocked party leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister. Pheu Thai formed an alliance with military and pro-royalist lawmakers to form a government, which angered many of the partys longtime supporters. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse. On May 28, Georgian lawmakers overrode a presidential veto on the controversial foreign agent law fueling months-long mass protests in the capital Tbilisi. Critics saying the bill resembles Russias notorious foreign agent law, which the Kremlin uses to restrict press freedom and civil society. The law was introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream Party, which also controls the countrys legislature. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrell warned in a post on X on May 28 that the foreign agent law will impact Georgia's EU path as it is not in line with EU values. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on May 18 vetoed the law, as the opposition fears it could become a tool of political oppression in the hands of the governing party. Addressing the protesters in Tbilisi on May 26, Georgias Independence Day, Zurabishvili said the ghost of Russia was standing between her nation and its Western allies, a partnership with which is a true way to maintain our independence, peace and strength. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who represents the ruling party and backs the foreign agent law, described the opposition and the presidents pro-Western policies as betrayal. Georgia faces existential threats, because of "series" of such "betrayals," he claimed in his Independence Day speech. Kobakhidzes rhetoric echoes the narratives of Russian propaganda and disinformation claiming that the United States, not the Georgian people, are driving the protests. When a video appeared May 15 on social media, showing the foreign ministers of Latvia, Estonia, Iceland and Lithuania marching among the protesters in Georgia, a Russian diplomat seized an opportunity. Deputy Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy reposted the video on X with a comment: Nothing extraordinary foreign (US) agents are leading the demonstrations abroad against the law on foreign agents. We all recall the same picture in Ukraine and know how it ended and how Ukrainian interests were trampled on. Hopefully the Georgians have learned this lesson. That is misleading. No U.S. representatives can be seen in the video, and it is unclear why Russias U.N. diplomat would potentially breach diplomatic protocol and label foreign ministers of four independent European nations as US agents. As for who leads the protests in Georgia the Georgian political opposition along with the president are leading the rallies. The U.S. and other Western nations have publicly expressed support for the Georgian protesters and criticized the bill, citing its similarities with the Russian law, its conflict with EU values and potential negative effect on Georgia's status as a candidate country. Russia claims these concerns are only a pretext to stage yet another color revolution, and Polyanskiys comment fits the typical Kremlin disinformation narrative for pro-democracy rallies worldwide. Over the years, Russia has accused the United States of staging color revolutions in Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Ukraine, Hong Kong and throughout the Middle East and Africa. The Kremlin criticizes the legitimacy of popular movements that advocate democracy, anti-corruption and reform, claiming that the United States is behind them. According to Moscow, human rights NGOs and independent media have neither freedom of action nor ambitions but are being manipulated and financed by the West. In 2003, the series of nonviolent public uprisings in Georgia called the Rose Revolution forced veteran Communist Eduard Shevardnadze and his Citizens' Union of Georgia Party to resign from presidency and give up control over the country. The new government of President Mikheil Saakashvili focused on building a democratic pro-Western Georgia, resolving secessionist conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and seeking NATO membership. Moscow opposed the reforms and attempted to destabilize Georgia and topple Saakashvili. In 2006, Russia introduced a sweeping embargo on Georgian agricultural products, including the most important of Georgias exports wine. Moscow not only prohibited the import of Georgian wine but implemented confiscation and destruction of all Georgia-made products across Russia. Russian state TV broadcasted daily the footage of thousands upon thousands of bottles of Georgian wine bulldozed into the ground. In the fall of the same year, Moscow began the mass deportation of Georgian citizens from Russia. It was common to hear people at the transportation hubs screaming I am not Georgian! while being dragged away by law enforcement. In 2014 the European Court of Human Rights ruled Russias deportation of the Georgians illegal. In August 2008 Russian troops invaded Georgian territory, and after an eight day war Russia established full control over the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) and Abkhazia, which make up 20% of Georgian territory. Moscows active measures against President Saakashvili involved a massive disinformation campaign, portraying him as a U.S. puppet and trying to dehumanize and humiliate him. Western media reported Russian President Vladimir Putins notorious animosity toward Saakashvili and credited the Kremlin for the reverse of Georgian foreign policy after Saakashvilis departure in 2012. Moscow supported the takeover by Russian-Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream Party in Georgia, followed by the countrys distancing from the West and returning to the Russian sphere of influence. The U.S. condemned Georgias foreign agent law, saying its enforcement would jeopardize bilateral relations. On May 23, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions for Georgian officials involved in drafting and adopting the bill and those who participated in the use of violence against protesters. Additionally, the chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Republican Representative Joe Wilson introduced legislation offering a significant boost of U.S. economic and security support to Georgia, if the authorities in Tbilisi abandon "the enactment of the recent Russian-style foreign agent legislation." The former head of Dutch intelligence and immigration services is perched to be the right-wing coalition candidate for the Netherlands' new prime minister, replacing outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Dick Schoof, 67, has the backing of a four-party coalition that includes Geert Wilders' hard right Party for Freedom. Schoof is currently the top civil servant at the Ministry of Security and Justice. The announcement Tuesday came after almost six months of debate. The controversial Wilders, widely known for his anti-Islam and anti-European views, decided not to seek the prime minister's seat to instead allow the coalition's lead to be taken by Schoof, who has years of experience as a public servant. Schoof has served as the Netherlands' counterterrorism chief. He was formerly with the Labor Party and is not currently affiliated with any party. "I am going to be the prime minister. I am without a party,'' Schoof said. ''I don't see myself kowtowing to Mr. Wilders," Schoof told journalists. "My plans for the Netherlands are those agreed upon by the coalition leaders." Schoof told reporters Tuesday that he will be focused on "getting a grip on migration and asylum, giving people, including farmers, security of living, and looking at international safety." He must now cobble together a government with the four parties: the liberal Party of Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract party, the Citizen-Farmer Movement and Wilders' Party for Freedom. The coalition partners have the majority of the seats in the lower house of parliament. A former prime minister of Malta pleaded not guilty on Tuesday alongside two of his aides to bribery and other charges involving a hospital corruption case. Joseph Muscat, who was the prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020, was met by a large group of his supporters Tuesday as he entered the courthouse in the capital, Valletta, local news media reported. His former chief of staff Keith Schembri and former minister Konrad Mizzi also pleaded not guilty to the charges. All three were charged in connection with a hospital corruption scandal involving a deal to privatize the management of three of the country's hospitals. Others connected to the case, including Chris Fearne, a former deputy prime minister, and Edward Scicluna, the governor of Central Bank of Malta, are expected to be in court Wednesday. Included among the charges they are facing are money laundering, conspiracy and fraud, stemming from the hospitals' privatization. The hospitals in question came under private management in 2015, according to The Associated Press, and their management was transferred to another company in 2018. A court voided that transfer in 2023, citing fraud, after a case was filed by a former opposition leader. The court's ruling, AP said, led to a drop in support for the governing Labor Party. According to reporting by Politico, Fearne was set to be appointed as Malta's next European commissioner, but he resigned from government after the charges against him were filed. Some officials are questioning whether the current court case was timed to influence the European Parliament elections where the Labour Party holds four of Malta's six seats. Prime Minister Robert Abela, who, like Muscat, is a member of the Labour Party, questioned why, after four years, the investigation had "concluded precisely with the opening for the candidacy for the European Parliament elections." The island country of Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea and is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites. It has had a string of foreign rulers, including the Romans, Greeks, Arabs, French and British. Israels tanks advanced to the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city despite international condemnation of an attack Sunday that sparked a blaze in a tent camp for the displaced, killing at least 45 people. Ireland officially recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday, joining Norway and Spain and defying Israel, which had condemned the plan. Scotland First Minister John Swinney said on Tuesday that the UK must also recognize Palestinian statehood. And using coffee grinds to make concrete stronger and more earth friendly. Jurors in Donald Trumps New York hush money criminal trial on Wednesday asked that key testimony be read back to them as they began deliberating whether the former U.S. president illegally sought to influence the outcome of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House. The 12-member jury had met for nearly four hours when it sent a note to the judge presiding over the case, asking to hear a transcript of testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer, and onetime Trump political fixer Michael Cohen about their August 2015 meeting with Trump at his Trump Tower office in New York. Prosecutors have called the meeting the Trump Tower conspiracy, because Pecker testified it was there that he told his longtime friend Trump he would be his "eyes and ears" to watch out for negative stories about him as he ran for the presidency. Pecker promised to buy the rights to embarrassing stories about Trump but with no intention of publishing any of the information called catch and kill in the vernacular of the tabloid world while publishing unflattering and false stories about his political opponents. Subsequently, Pecker paid $30,000 to a doorman at a Trump building in New York to bury his false claim that Trump had fathered an illegitimate child, and $150,000 to Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal to also bury her claim that she had a monthslong affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. Trump has denied the affair, although Pecker said Trump later acknowledged knowing McDougal and inquired about her well-being as they walked the White House grounds in 2017 after Trump became president. Along with Peckers testimony, the jurors also asked to rehear Cohens testimony about the pivotal Trump Tower meeting, an apparent attempt to understand Trumps role in the discussions since he did not testify in his defense at the trial, which now is in its seventh week. In addition, the jurors seven men and five women asked that New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchans legal instructions about the case be read to them again, although it was unclear whether they wanted to hear all of them, or only some of them. Merchan took more than an hour to read the lengthy list on Wednesday before the jurors started their deliberations. The judge sent the jury home for the day before any of the material was reread to it. The jurors, all New Yorkers chosen randomly from voter registration lists, heard five weeks of testimony from 22 witnesses in the first-ever criminal trial of an American president. On Monday, it listened to hours of starkly contrasting views of the case offered by Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche and prosecutor Joshua Steinglass. In a three-hour closing argument, Blanche assailed Cohen, the prosecutions key witness, who testified that he wanted Trump convicted. Cohen said during the trial that Trump told him to "just do it" pay $130,000 in hush money days ahead of the 2016 election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to silence her claim she had a one-night sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied any liaison with Daniels. A hush money deal is not illegal. But Trump is accused in a 34-count indictment of falsifying his companys business records to hide the 2017 reimbursement of the hush money payment to Cohen, which Trump claimed was for money owed to Cohen for legal work on Trumps behalf. Defense attorneys claimed Cohen, on his own volition and without Trumps knowledge, wired the money to Daniels lawyer. The former president has denied the entirety of the indictment against him. Under the U.S. legal system, the jurors must unanimously decide whether to acquit Trump, 77, or find him guilty. If they cannot agree, resulting in a hung jury, prosecutors then would decide whether to retry the case. For Trump, the outcome is consequential, not only for his personal freedom but his political fate. He is the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate, set to run again in the November election against President Joe Biden, the Democrat who defeated him in 2020. National polls show Biden and Trump locked in a tight contest, but some opinion polls indicate Trump supporters could switch their votes to Biden or not vote at all if the former president is convicted. If convicted, Trump could be placed on probation or be sentenced to up to four years in prison, although he is certain to appeal and could continue to run for the presidency. Trump is facing three other indictments, including two accusing him of illegally trying to upend his 2020 election loss. But all three cases are tied up in legal wrangling between his lawyers and prosecutors. As a result, the New York case nearing completion may be the only one decided before the November election. A new volcanic eruption has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland, the country's meteorological office said Wednesday, shortly after authorities evacuated the nearby town of Grindavik. "An eruption has started near Sundhnuksgigar, north of Grindavik," the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said in a statement, almost three weeks after the end of a previous eruption that had been ongoing since March 16. "The eruption plumes reach a height of at least 50 metres," it added. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, Iceland's biggest tourist attraction, said it had also evacuated its facilities on Wednesday. The eruption was the fifth to occur on the peninsula since December. The IMO had reported "intense earthquake activity" prior to Wednesday's eruption. In addition, it had reported the accumulation of 20 million cubic metres of magma in the magma chamber below Svartsengi, where a power plant that supplies electricity and water to around 30,000 people on the peninsula is located. The Svartsengi plant was evacuated and has largely been run remotely since the first eruption in the region in December, and barriers have been built to protect it. Most of the 4,000 residents of the nearby town of Grindavik were permanently evacuated in November, prior to the eruptions in December, January, February and March. Lava flowed into the streets of Grindavik during the January eruption, engulfing three homes. But a few die-hard residents had returned to live in neighborhoods less at risk from lava flow. On Monday evening, the Met Office had said that "about 400 earthquakes" had been measured in the past seven days near the Sundhnuksgigar crater row. Until March 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries. Volcanologists now believe a new era of seismic activity has begun in the region. Many people of Chinese descent are drawn to New York City for the jobs and universities. There are several so-called Chinatowns in the Big Apple. The newest one is in Long Island City, just a few subway stops away from Manhattan. VOAs Elizabeth Lee has the details on what many residents are describing as the younger, hipper Chinatown. North Korean balloons dropped feces and other garbage on busy streets, in front of residences, and in other public areas across South Korea on Wednesday, in Pyongyangs latest escalation of tensions with its southern neighbor. South Koreas military said it detected about 260 balloons containing animal waste and garbage, accusing North Korea of an inhumane and low-level act. Local media reported the balloons were spotted as far south as Jeolla Province, near the southern tip of South Koreas mainland, suggesting the balloons had been spread nationwide. Pictures released by South Koreas military showed various garbage items, some mixed with an unspecified brown substance, strewn across streets and on what appeared to be front porch areas, including in Seoul, the capital. In a statement, South Koreas military said the actions violate international law and seriously threaten public safety. Overnight Wednesday, text message alerts warned some South Korean residents in border provinces to refrain from outdoor activities because of unknown objects presumedly from North Korea. North Korea earlier this week vowed "tit for tat action" after a prominent human rights activist launched balloons carrying anti-North Korea pamphlets and USB flash drives filled with South Korean pop culture content into the North. In a statement laced with sarcasm and published late Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, described the waste-filled balloons as a genuine gift of sincerity and an act of freedom of expression on the part of the North Korean people. The statement appeared to mock comments by South Korean officials, who have said they cannot be blamed for their inability to stop individual South Korean activists from launching leaflets into the North. In the future, North Korea will respond to such leaflet launches by sending dozens of times more balloons into the South, said Kims statement, which was posted to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Balloon wars North Korea's totalitarian government has for years complained about South Korean activists who float anti-Pyongyang materials and other items into the North. The leaflets often criticize North Korea's human rights record or mock its leader Kim Jong Un and are sometimes packaged with items of value, such as dollar bills or USB flash drives. North Korea has directed particular ire at Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector and outspoken human rights activist, who earlier this month sent about 20 large balloons into the North. It was Park's first launch since South Korea's Constitutional Court in September struck down a law banning such launches. The law was passed during the administration of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who tried to improve relations with North Korea. His successor, conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, has taken a firmer stance against the North. Though North Korea despises the leaflet launches, for decades it returned the favor, sending its own propaganda into the South. The Norths pamphlets were part of a decades-long effort to win over South Koreans and create distrust towards their government, said Jacco Zwetsloot, the Seoul-based host of the NK News Podcast on North Korea-related issues. But the latest launches of feces-filled balloons, he said, appear to reflect a change in North Koreas approach toward the South. Once you send poop or poopy toilet paper or trash thats liable to get the people off side rather than on side, Zwetsloot said. It could be part of the strategy of finding South Koreans hopelessly tainted and unworthy of being part of future unification plans with the North Korean populace. Earlier this year, Pyongyang formally disavowed its long-held goal of Korean reunification, declaring the South its permanent adversary. Wider tensions The moves are consistent with North Koreas increasingly hostile rhetoric against the South, which has led some analysts to conclude that Kim may be preparing a more serious provocation, including possibly some type of cross-border confrontation. However, it remains unclear whether Kim will escalate from his current pattern of periodically conducting so-called gray zone warfare tactics, which fall short of acts of war. In one particularly provocative move, North Korea in late 2022 sent five small reconnaissance drones across the border, with one making it all the way to the northern edge of the capital, Seoul. North Korea may see value in raising tensions ahead of the U.S. election in November, in part so that Pyongyang will remain a U.S. foreign policy priority, said Jean Lee, a Korea specialist at the Hawaii-based East-West Center. All of this, I think, is a step-by-step and very carefully thought-out pattern or playlist of provocations to create anxiety, to make sure North Korea is relevant, Lee added. Tuesday, North Korea acknowledged failure in its latest attempt to launch a military spy satellite into orbit, after the rocket carrying the device exploded shortly after liftoff. North Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite last year and has vowed to launch several more as part of its efforts to monitor U.S. forces in the region. In a statement Sunday, North Korea's vice minister of national defense accused U.S. and South Korean forces of openly intensifying their air espionage and naval patrol activities near the inter-Korean border. The statement said North Koreas supreme military leadership instructed its army to take offensive action against the enemy's provocative encroachment. Lee Juhyun contributed to this report. A U.S.-built floating platform off the Gaza coast, made for delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians, is being temporarily removed after it broke apart in heavy seas, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the pier will be sent to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod for U.S. Central Command to repair. The rebuilding and repairing of the pier will take at least over a week, and following completion will need to be re-anchored to the coast of Gaza, Singh told reporters. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the construction of the $320 million platform in March. The pier began operating two weeks ago but has run into several problems. Three U.S. soldiers taking part in the Gaza pier mission suffered injuries last week. Crowds last week rushed aid trucks, forcing deliveries to stop. Four of the pier's vessels were beached because of rough seas. "When it was operational, it was working," Singh said. Before its suspension, the pier facilitated the delivery of more than 820 metric tons of food aid from the sea onto the Gaza beach. After the pier is repaired, Singh said, the Pentagon plans to re-anchor it and resume humanitarian aid to the people who need it most. The U.S. plans to continue the airdrops of food but stressed that the pier cannot solely support the amount of aid needed for Gazas population. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the October 7 Hamas terror attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters. The office of Belgiums federal prosecutor says police searched the residence and offices of a European Parliament employee Wednesday as part of its probe into a suspected Russian interference campaign to pay EU lawmakers to promote Russian propaganda. In April, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the countrys intelligence service had uncovered the existence of a network trying to undermine support for Ukraine. The prosecutors office said the searches conducted Wednesday are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization and relates to indications of Russian interference, whereby Members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe news website. The European Parliament employee under investigation is reported to be Guillaume Pradoura, who works for EU lawmaker Marcel de Graaff of the far-right Dutch party Forum for Democracy. Pradours home in Brussels and his parliamentary offices in Brussels and in Strasbourg, where the EU Parliaments offices are located in France, were also searched. "For me, all this comes as a complete surprise," de Graaff said on X. I have no involvement in any so-called Russian disinformation operation whatsoever. I have my own political beliefs and I proclaim them. That is my job as an MEP." An Agence France-Presse source who is close to the Belgian probe told the news agency that Belgiums investigation is more focused on the employees former employer than his present one. Pradours former employer was controversial German lawmaker Maximilian Krah, already under suspicion for his ties to Russia and China, after one of his aides was arrested on accusations of spying for China. Krah is the far-right Alternative for Germanys top candidate in Junes Europe-wide election for a new parliament, but his party has banned him from campaigning. A spokesperson for Krah told Agence France-Presse that Pradours had not worked in the lawmakers office for two years. We assume that we are not affected, he said. The European Parliament's hard-right Identity and Democracy Group, or ID, recently expelled Germany's Alternative for Germany, or AfD, delegation, led by Krah. Krah said in a recent interview published in an Italian newspaper that he would not say that anyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal." He was referring to the much-feared Nazi Schutzstaffel, the black-uniformed elite guards of Nazi Germany. Krah's SS statement, along with other behaviors, were too much for some other far-right groups in the European Parliament. ID said in a statement that it "no longer wants to be associated with the incidents. The American-built pier on the coast of Gaza has broken, as Joe Biden struggles politically with two seemingly un-ending conflicts. Its Election Day in South Africa and the Prime Minister of Ukraine reports on his meetings with allies in Prague. Vladimir Putin continues to warn the West against allowing the Ukrainians to use American weapons on Russian soil. A look at rescue efforts in Papa New Guinea. Was there more to the helicopter crash that killed Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi than we know about? Plus, press freedom in the United States and why it appears to be on the decline. Kenyan President William Ruto says Nairobi has met all legal and constitutional requirements to deploy troops to Haiti to help the Caribbean nation out of political and socioeconomic turmoil. In an exclusive interview with VOA's Hubbah Abdi shortly after concluding his state visit to the United States last week, Ruto said the East African nation "will show up in Haiti'' as it has historically done for more than a dozen other countries to support peace efforts. "Haiti is not going to be an exception,'' he noted. The Kenyan leader also addressed criticisms surrounding the cost of his recent U.S. trip, which some media organizations said was $1.5 million. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: You suggested that developing countries, especially in Africa, need support to offset debts. But Kenya has borrowed about $6 billion since former President Mwai Kibak's administration that ended in 2013. What are you expecting from the United States in terms of help on this debt burden? Kenyan President William Ruto: The conversation that we had with the United States is that they will lead, and they will champion. And we appreciate that everybody has now come to agree that we need a fairer international financial architecture. It is the reason why the United States [has] committed $250 billion, and specifically, $21 billion to the concessionary window of the World Bank under the IDA [International Development Association] so that we can reach the target we set in Nairobi of $120 billion that will support developing countries ... like Kenya [to] access concessionary financing so that countries do not spend more in debt repayment and in managing the effects of climate change. But they will spend more in development, in health, education, and social services. And I am very proud of the outcome of my meeting with President [Joe] Biden and by extension, the U.S. government. Both President Biden and the senators, congressmen have agreed to double U.S. contribution to IDA so that we can be able to do more with our resources and be able to access more concessionary funding for the development of our countries." VOA: Your government defended spending $1.5 million for this trip. But Kenyans at home say you overspent, while asking them to tighten their belts to help the economy recover. How do you respond to this? Ruto: The numbers being bandied around are ridiculous, to say the least. I think the expenditures on my trip are completely exaggerated. I am very careful about the resources that I spend. In fact, I have cut down on funding to my office. I have cut down on funding to different government agencies. I have reduced by 30% recurrent expenditures in this budget so that we can live within our means, as I have said, and we can push more resources to the realm of development, education, providing help and doing the things that matter like cash transfers to citizens. VOA: Would you like to see more changes to the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which was created to improve economic relations with the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries? Ruto: I think AGOA is working pretty well, even in its current form. For example, last year, Kenya exported $544 million close to 70 to 80 billion [Kenyan shillings] worth of goods to the United States quota free, duty free. I think last year, we added 12,000 jobs under this program. ... We're making huge progress in making sure that Kenyan products can have access to American markets the same way we have negotiated the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union to facilitate trade and access to market for goods from Kenya. VOA: The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Kenya to deploy troops to Haiti. But the U.S. and other countries have refrained from sending their troops there. In Kenya, there's an active case in court regarding this deployment. Why are you still determined to send troops to Haiti? Ruto: The deployment of our security officers to Haiti has been endorsed by the Cabinet. Both houses of parliament have ratified it. We have met all international requirements, and in fact, we have complied with the very court order you're referring to. The court asked us to have an agreement signed between Kenya and Haiti specifically to facilitate this deployment. The prime minister of Haiti [Ariel Henry] traveled to Kenya, and we jointly witnessed the signing of that agreement. Beyond that, I have also asked the Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti to ratify and confirm that they recognize the agreement that was signed between Kenya and witnessed by the former prime minister and myself. I have it in writing that they confirm that the current administration recognizes that agreement. So, we are very clear, and I am very clear in my mind that Kenya has satisfied all legal, constitutional and international obligations to facilitate the deployment of this police contingent. We believe that the responsibility in Haiti belongs to all countries and all people who believe in self-determination, democracy, the rule of law and peace. We will show up in Haiti the same way we have done in other countries. Kenya has been in 47 other countries supporting peace, and Haiti is not going to be an exception. This story originated in VOA's English to Africa Service, with contributions from Ignatius Annor. Ballots are being counted in South Africa after a nationwide poll that's been described as the most important in thirty years. Thats because the governing African National Congress could lose their overall majority for the first time. Polls officially closed at 9pm on Wednesday, though many people still in line could stay on to vote. Election officials are predicting a higher voter turnout than in 2019. Kate Bartlett spoke to voters in two very different areas of Johannesburg about why they turned out to cast their ballots. Afghanistans Taliban rulers stated their intention Wednesday to join a United Nations-organized meeting in Doha on June 30 that aims to facilitate and coordinate the worlds engagement with the country hit by a multitude of crises. The announcement came a week after a senior U.N. diplomat visited Kabul and extended to the de facto authorities an advance invitation to participate in the two-day conference of special envoys on Afghanistan. The international event will be the third Afghanistan-centered gathering in Qatar's capital since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres initiated the process in May 2023, aiming to increase interaction with Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner. Zakir Jalali, a senior Taliban foreign ministry official, said in a keynote speech to its staff in the Afghan capital that representatives of the Islamic emirate will take part in the main discussions in Doha. A ministry spokesperson posted details of his remarks on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday. Jalali stated that a formal decision to attend the Doha III meeting would be announced later. He defended the Talibans decision not to join the previous two meetings, saying that any symbolic participation would have been futile for Kabul as the organizers had refused to accept its conditions and address objections over the agenda. However, the agenda for the third Doha format meeting has changed positively, and there are no significant differences regarding the topics of the discussion, Jalali noted. He explained that the upcoming meeting would discuss financial and banking-related problems facing Afghanistan, alternative livelihoods for poppy growers, and climate change impacts on the country. Jalali said the Taliban foreign ministry was waiting for the U.N. to share the latest details about the Doha huddle to enable Kabul to send its delegation there. Rosemary DiCarlo, the under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, visited Afghanistan from May 18 to 21, where her discussions with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, among others, centered on the June 30 meeting. The Taliban had asked the U.N. in the run-up to the second Doha meeting in February that their delegates would be accepted as the sole official representatives of the country, meaning that Afghan civil society activists and members of opposition groups would not be present. De facto Afghan authorities also sought a meeting between their delegation and the U.N. at a very senior level, saying it would be beneficial. The Taliban also opposed the planned appointment of a U.N. special envoy to coordinate international engagement with Kabul in line with the latest U.N. Security Council resolution on Afghanistan. However, Guterres rejected the Taliban conditions while briefing reporters at the end of the second Doha meeting. These conditions, first of all, denied us the right to talk to other representatives of the Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, I would say, to a large extent be similar to recognition, the secretary-general argued. It was unclear immediately whether the U.N. would relax those conditions to allow Kabuls delegates to attend the upcoming meeting despite their controversial governance in poverty-stricken Afghanistan. The Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions since taking power in August 2021, including a ban on girls attending school beyond the sixth grade and prohibitions on many Afghan womens access to employment and public life at large. De facto Afghan leaders, who are ethnically Pashtun, have also rejected international calls for giving representation to other ethnicities in the government, saying all groups are represented in it. The elusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, insists he is governing the country in line with local culture and Islamic law and dismisses international criticism of his policies as an interference in the countrys internal affairs. Afghan rights groups and activists have criticized the U.N. for inviting the Taliban to the upcoming Doha meeting, saying it would embolden the Taliban to further tighten their curbs on women. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, while responding to the criticism, told reporters in New York on Tuesday that his organization continues to engage with the Taliban because they are the de facto authorities in Afghanistan. Dujarric emphasized that the U.N. is persistently urging the Taliban to uphold the rights of women and girls, as well as advocating for increased humanitarian aid for the Afghan people. Weve invited envoys on Afghanistan to attend a meeting in Doha to bring some clarity and consistency to the way the world deals with the situation in Afghanistan while continuing to put the human rights of women and girls at the forefront, he said. Separately on Tuesday, in her address to a U.N. Security Council meeting, DiCarlo cited Afghanistan as a crying example where women and girls are systematically denied rights and dignity, particularly in education. Women in Kabul aspire to the same opportunities as men and seek international support to realize their rights and contribute to their countrys future, she stated. U.N. agencies describe Afghanistan as one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises, where more than two-thirds of the estimated 40 million population needs assistance following years of conflict and natural disasters. In recent weeks, hundreds of Afghans have died in flash floods triggered by climate change-induced heavy seasonal rains, which displaced more than 80,000 people. The Talibans return to power in August 2021 invited international financial and banking sanctions on the country, worsening economic and humanitarian conditions. Another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, images purported to show Wednesday, as Yemen's Houthi rebels continued attacks on shipping around the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthis released footage they said showed the aircraft being targeted with a surface-to-air missile in a desert region of Yemen's central Marib province. It marked the third such downing this month alone. Images analyzed by The Associated Press showed the MQ-9 on its belly in the barren desert, its tail assembly disconnected from their rest of its body. At least one hatch on the drone appeared to have been opened after it landed there, though the drone remained broadly intact without any clear blast damage. One image included Wednesday's date. The drone did not appear to carry any markings. Authorities in Marib, which is held by allies of Yemen's exiled government, did not acknowledge the drone. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, told the AP that "the U.S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating within U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility." The official declined to elaborate. The CIA also is believed to have flown Reaper drones over Yemen, both to monitor the war and in its campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's local affiliate of the militant group. The CIA declined to comment when reached by the AP. Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (about 15,000 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. On Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree acknowledged the rebels attacked the bulk carrier Laax on Tuesday. Two missile attacks twice were reported on the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned ship Tuesday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, with a private security firm saying radio traffic suggested the vessel took on water after being struck. "The crew are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call," according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. Ukraines military said Wednesday it shot down Russian drones that targeted areas of western, central and southern Ukraine, while a Russian missile killed at least two people in the Sumy region. The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted 13 of 14 Russian drones used in overnight attacks against the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions. Vitaliy Kim, the regional governor of Mykolaiv, said air defenses shot down 11 of the drones in his area. Kim did not report any damage or injuries from the drones. Russias defense ministry said Wednesday it destroyed two naval drones moving toward the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, as well as an aerial drone and seven rockets over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russias Krasnodar region, said Wednesday air defenses downed a Ukrainian drone over the city of Armavir. Sweden announced Wednesday a $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which includes radar reconnaissance and command aircraft, artillery ammunition and armored vehicles. It consists of equipment that is at the top of Ukraines priority list, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden should attend a peace summit next month in Switzerland to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. Speaking at a joint news conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels, Zelenskyy said the peace summit, scheduled for June 15 and 16, will be organized by the whole world, and other leaders will be looking to the U.S. response. Zelenskyy said 90 countries have now committed to the summit, and that Putin fears it because he never believed so many nations would support it. [Putin] disrupted this summit and continues to do so. And that is why he is now thinking of setting up a parallel platform, Zelenskyy said, adding that Putin would applaud Bidens absence at the summit. Zelenskyy sent a video on Sunday appealing to Biden to attend the summit. The Ukrainian president recorded the video in a burned-out printing house in Kharkiv that was destroyed last week by Russian missiles. The White House has been noncommittal about Bidens attendance, and he is the only leader among the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that has not accepted the invitation. Speaking to reporters during a trip to Uzbekistan Tuesday, Putin was asked about the peace conference, and said Russia remains open for talks on ending the war. But rejected the Swiss-hosted round of talks set for next month as an attempt to create a semblance of broad international support for Kyiv. Zelenskyy was in Brussels on Tuesday, following a trip to Spain, to secure more than $1 billion in new military aid from Belgium in an agreement that includes delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets. The Ukrainian leader said the 10-year agreement included cooperating with Belgium on intelligence, cybersecurity, countering disinformation and the defense industry. Later Tuesday, Zelenskyy traveled to Portugal where he met with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and the two leaders signed an agreement for about $140 million in military aid for this year. European Union defense ministers also met Tuesday in Brussels to discuss military aid for Ukraine. The defense ministers heard from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who suggested Monday that restrictions on Ukraine should be eased to allow it to use Western weapons on targets outside its borders. Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesdays meeting, Stoltenberg maintained that once again, there are legitimate targets outside Ukraines borders that can be fired upon as part of its self-defense. He said using NATO-supplied weapons to fire on those targets would not make the alliance part of the conflict. We have the right to support Ukraine without becoming a part of the conflict, because we are helping Ukraine to uphold the right for self-defense, Stoltenberg said. Speaking in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, Putin warned NATO members there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia. He also accused the West and the United States in particular of seeking to escalate Russias war of aggression in Ukraine into a global conflict. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Press. Action must be taken immediately to address the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel or other countries will be drawn in and it will "become a problem for the world," a UNHCR official warned Wednesday. The volatile situations in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso risks overflowing into neighboring countries, the U.N. refugee agency's director for west and central Africa, Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde told AFP in an interview in Brussels. "The Gulf of Guinea, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire are already suffering because of the spiral of insecurity and the humanitarian situation the same with Mauritania, the same with Algeria," he said. "If we don't act now, if we don't respond now, if we don't find a way to remain there, stay and continue to remain engaged, finding a solution, then somehow those countries will be overwhelmed, the state will be overwhelmed, and it will become a problem for the world," he said. The official was on a visit to Brussels to stress to EU officials the need to stay focused on the African regions where some 10.5 million people have been displaced by conflict, even as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza dominate international news. "Despite all the change, all the crises that we see in the world, despite all the conflict that we have, things are happening in the Sahel and that merits our attention," Gnon-Konde said. The day before, he participated in an EU-hosted donors' conference for the Sahel. At the event, the European Commission pledged 201 million euros ($218 million) for vulnerable people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. Military regimes in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have pushed out troops from France, the former colonial ruler, and are increasingly turning to Russia for support as they battle jihadist insurgencies, causing wariness from Western donors. Gnon-Konde said, for UNHCR, "it doesn't matter who is in charge" in those countries, as the most important thing was to respond to the needs of the civilian populations. He added that Chad, located between Niger and Sudan, was emerging as "a testing case" for countries in the region, international donors and the U.N. Chad which has just announced its first government after three years of military rule is hosting nearly one million Sudanese refugees and "there is a risk that that number will increase by the end of the year," the UNHCR director said. The U.S. capital city will see two prominent new visitors by the end of the year. Beijing will loan giant pandas to Washingtons Smithsonian National Zoo. The return of the pandas to the zoo was announced Wednesday in a video on the Smithsonian Museums website. The video features first lady Jill Biden, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, and Brandie Smith, who is the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. We cant wait to celebrate this historic moment here in our nations capital, Biden said in the video. Bao Li and Qing Bao, the pair of pandas being sent, are part of a 10-year breeding and research assignment, the National Zoo said. Bao Li, whose name means treasure and energetic was born on Aug. 4, 2021, in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. Qing Bao, whose name means green and treasure, was born Sept. 12, 2021. Pandas are coming back to the zoo in Washington a year-and-a-half after the National Zoo sent its three pandas back to China. Amid increased tensions between the U.S. and China, other American zoos have also sent their pandas back to China. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping, after meeting with President Joe Biden in California last year, indicated that China could send new pandas to the U.S. as envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. Since Beijing gave a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in 1972, they have become a symbol of friendship between the United States and China. Pandas are also important in the Washington area. The Conservation Biology Institute has developed one of the worlds most prominent conservation programs for pandas over the past few decades. We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., Smith said. This is not expected to be the only panda exchange. The San Diego Zoo could welcome pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao as early as this summer. Despite the failure of negotiators to reach a pandemic accord ahead of this weeks World Health Assembly, a senior U.S. official remains optimistic that an agreement to lessen the threats of global killer disease outbreaks is in sight. We think the elements of a good deal are already on the table and that is why we feel optimistic because those are pretty good deals. It is just a matter now of fine-tuning it to make sure everybody says we are ready to sign on the dotted line, Xavier Becerra, U.S. secretary of health and human services, told journalists at a briefing in Geneva Wednesday. While disappointing, Becerra indicated that it was not surprising that an accord was not reached after two-and-a-half years of negotiations. Negotiations go on forever, he said. I think we have to put this in perspective. You do not build a nation overnight. You do not build an Empire State Building overnight. It takes a long time. Name me a major international achievement that came overnight. I think there is clear consensus that we cannot let the status quo be upon us if another pandemic comes, he said. His view reflects that of World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who, in his opening remarks at the World Health Assembly on Monday, assured delegates that the negotiations were on track and were not a failure. Of course, we all wish that we had been able to reach a consensus on the agreement in time for this health assembly and cross the finish line, he said. But I remain confident that you still willbecause where there is a will, there is a way. WHO says 7,010,681 people have died from the COVID-19 outbreak as of April 13 and that a total of 704,753,890 cases have been confirmed in 229 countries and territories. Becerra noted that threats against global health have an outsized influence on broader global political and economic interests. There is no stability without health. There is no security without health. Our nations cannot be strong unless they are healthy. Getting out of COVID is our main health priority, Becerra said, noting that U.S. President Joe Biden was committed to achieving a pandemic treaty. When the president came in, we were experiencing two or three 9/11s every day in America in terms of loss of life. That is where we started. Today, we are walking around without masks. We are treating COVID the way we treat the flu, he said, indicating that now is not the time to become complacent. I think we realize that another pandemic could be upon us. I mean, we are dealing with avian flu in the U.S. right now. We do not know how long it is going to be before we get another type of COVID kind of tragedy. We do not want to wait, he said. Sticking points to a pandemic treaty include disagreements over sharing information about pathogens that cause pandemics, a formula for global sharing of vaccines and medicine during international health emergencies, and financing to set up surveillance systems. The WHO says that member states have agreed to continue to work during the World Health Assembly to develop the worlds first pandemic accord to prevent a repeat of the global health, economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We really have an incredible opportunity this week, Loyce Pace, assistant secretary for global affairs at HHS, said. We have spent so long trying to come together and finding compromise and consensus. I think we talk about what is left to do, but I do not know if we talk enough about what has been done toward reaching an agreement. So, whatever happens this week, we need some deliverable, if only to keep this momentum on towards any other work that should continue. We shouldnt be leaving Geneva and go home without an accord, not after all that has been done, Pace said. Secretary Becerra agrees, saying that he does not think there are substantive disagreements about the essential elements of a pandemic treaty. It is more how they are packaged, how they are defined. People generally agree with what we have to do in order to be ready to take on any pandemic that may come across our path, Becerra said. I am the son of immigrants. Optimism is in my DNA and so, I believe we are going to get this done because it would be tragic, especially given how far we have come and not get it done. We have to be ready, he said. Who knows what is coming around the corner. Something is going to broadside us. We just have to be ready. U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian officials for talks about tightening sanctions on Russia and financial support for Ukraine. He said the U.S. plans to take further measures to put pressure on Russias economy. Russias economy has become a wartime economy where every means of production and industry is now focused on building weapons to fight their war of choice and aggression here in Ukraine, Adeyemo said Wednesday in Ukraine's capital. We need to do everything that we can to go after that. Adeyemo said the Treasurys priority is to reduce Russian revenue and prevent Russia from obtaining the goods it needs to support its defense industrial base, including dual-use goods from China. Washington has sanctioned more than 4,000 individuals and businesses since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Daleep Singh, a senior White House official said this week that the language of the sanctions could be changed, which could open the door to secondary sanctions, according to Reuters. Russian attacks Ukraine said Wednesday that eight people were killed in a series of Russian attacks across four regions. A missile attack killed two and injured three in the Sumy region, according to regional authorities. Two were killed in attacks in Ukraine's southern city of Nikopol, regional governor Sergiy Lysak said. Governor Vadym Filashkin of Ukraine's Donetsk region said three people were killed Tuesday in separate attacks. Kherson's Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said one person died as a result of Russian aggression." Ukraines military operations Ukraines military said Wednesday it shot down Russian drones that targeted areas of western, central and southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted 13 of 14 Russian drones used in overnight attacks against the Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne regions. Vitaliy Kim, the regional governor of Mykolaiv, said air defenses shot down 11 of the drones in his area. Kim did not report any damage or injuries from the drones. Russias defense ministry said Wednesday it destroyed two naval drones moving toward the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, as well as an aerial drone and seven rockets over the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine. Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russias Krasnodar region, said Wednesday that air defenses downed a Ukrainian drone over the city of Armavir. Rising death toll The death toll from a Russian strike last weekend on a hardware store in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has risen to 19, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Wednesday. Two of those killed in the attack Saturday were minors, Klymenko said on Telegram. The recovery operation at the store has concluded. Russia did not comment on the attack, but it says it doesnt target civilian sites. Sweden funding Sweden announced Wednesday a $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which includes radar reconnaissance and command aircraft, artillery ammunition and armored vehicles. It consists of equipment that is at the top of Ukraines priority list, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. By Vicky Stark CAPE TOWN The run-up to South Africas general elections Wednesday has been mostly peaceful but not without incident. In Western Cape province, the opposition Democratic Alliance, or DA, accused rival parties of trying to intimidate voters in February by chanting violent slogans and brandishing weapons at voter registration locations. For years, some black voters in the province have been scared of being attacked if they admit to supporting the white-led DA. This supporter of the Democratic Alliance is a single mother who works in a restaurant. I dont want to identify because most of the people in my area is a black people. I dont know, maybe I can get hurt because they dont like a DA member. They still vote for the ANC even (though) ANC doesnt give them nothing. ANCs too much corruption. Thats why we get fed up with that, she said. The woman says she believes that the track record of the DA, South Africas main opposition party, speaks for itself. According to reports from South Africas Auditor-General, the Western Cape, which the DA party governs at the provincial level, is the best run province in the country. Despite this achievement, the DAs critics say it protects only white business interests. The voter, whom VOA spoke with, disagrees. To me the DAs for everyone. Even if you are black or white or colored, you are in a rainbow nation, she said. The womans mother, who is in her late eighties, does not agree and remains a staunch ANC supporter, ever grateful to that party and its former president, Nelson Mandela, for the state-sponsored house she received in 1996. When Mandela was coming outside then I was voting ANC because ANC then, they give me a house because I was stay(ing) in a shed, she said. However, both women are afraid they will be targeted if people know whom the daughter votes for in the general election. Political analyst Cherrel Africa, associate professor at the University of the Western Capes Department of Political Science, believes that attitudes will change when political leaders stop harping on race to win votes. That can often lead to inflammatory rhetoric, particularly racially divisive rhetoric where theres an attempt to play on the anxiety of particular voters, said Africa. While intimidation is a legitimate concern for voters, the Western Cape is not known for political killings. They are far more common in KwaZulu-Natal province, where according to the National Police Minister Bheki Cele, at least 155 officeholders and city councilors had been killed between 2011 and September last year. And with former President Jacob Zumas uMkhonto we Sizwe Party making its debut in this election, tensions in that province, Zumas home, are heightened. For this election, police have put more boots on the ground countrywide and urged political parties to adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct, which makes intimidating candidates or voters an offense. Parties that break the code can be fined up to 200,000 rand (about $11,000) or sent to prison for up to 10 years. By Nyasha Chingono LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, May 28 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean wildlife authorities are eyeing trophy hunting export markets in the East as some European countries move to ban trophy imports, an official said on Tuesday. The European Parliament called in 2022 for a ban on the import of trophies derived from species listed by CITES, an international agreement that aims to ensure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Belgium in February banned the import of hunting trophies, while British lawmakers in 2023 approved a ban on trophy hunting imports covering 6,000 endangered species. "We can always come up with an alternative market," Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife (Zimparks) director general Fulton Mangwanya told Reuters on the sidelines of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) summit in Livingstone, Zambia. "We have to look for other markets from the East," he added, without mentioning specific countries. Mangwanya said discussions to support trophy hunting were ongoing among five Southern African countries which make up the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier - the world's second-largest conservation area. Officials from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are meeting in Livingstone to discuss sustainable wildlife conservation and the growing human-wildlife conflict in the conservation area as both the wildlife and human populations grow. In Zimbabwe, 50 people were killed in elephant attacks in 2023, according to Zimparks. "We should be allowed to be hunting more so that we do the management of reducing these animals which are killing our people," Mangwanya said. "We have done well to look after our animals... Rather, we should be assisted so that we deal with these problems," Mangwanya said, referring to being allowed to trade ivory and enable trophy hunting. Director of natural resources in the SADC Secretariat, Domingos Gove, told the summit the regional body supported trophy hunting. "Hunting is a source of funding. If you close the market, how (are) we be able to cater for the basic needs of these communities?," Gove said. Zimparks has said it has $600 million worth of ivory stockpile which the country cannot sell due to CITES regulations which ban ivory trade. (Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Tannur Anders, Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Ed Osmond) The Kanak revolt in New Caledonia and growing insecurity in Mayotte highlight Frances difficulties with its former Empire. The two Frances and colonization To understand whats going on, we need to bear in mind that French colonization bears no relation to the forms of colonization practiced by the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain or the Netherlands. The republican ideal, which has been Frances since the 17th century (Henri IV was the first monarch to declare himself a republican), forbade it to colonize exclusively to enrich itself. The French champions of colonialism all claimed to be "doing the work of civilization". By republic, I mean governing in the general interest, not that of a caste or social class. From the 16th to the 19th century, most colonized peoples had neither the education nor the technology of Europeans. Some wanted to bridge the gap, while others wanted to exploit it. Throughout the colonial epic, two currents fought it out in France: one for emancipation, the other for colonization. This internal battle found its expression in the parliamentary debate between the socialist Jules Ferry and the radical republican Georges Clemenceau on July 31, 1885 in the National Assembly. Lets listen for a moment to Georges Clemenceaus speech: "The superior races have a right over the inferior races which they exercise, and this right, by a particular transformation, is at the same time a duty of civilization". These are the very terms of Monsieur Jules Ferrys thesis, and we see the French government exercising its right over the inferior races by going to war against them and forcibly converting them to the benefits of civilization. Superior races! Inferior races, thats all! Personally, Ive been having a hard time of it ever since I saw German scientists scientifically demonstrating that France should be defeated in the Franco-German War [1870] because the French are of an inferior race to the Germans. Since then, I confess, Ive looked twice before turning to a man or a civilization, and pronouncing: inferior man or civilizations (...) Inferior race, the Chinese! With this civilization whose origins are unknown and which seems to have been pushed to its extreme limits at first. Inferior Confucius! In truth [...] we can see documents, which certainly prove that the yellow race [...] is in no way inferior [to the Europeans]. From an economic point of view, French colonization was aimed at finding outlets for the export of industrial production, while British colonization was aimed, on the contrary, at finding raw materials and putting them at the service of British industry. From a philosophical point of view, French colonization was justified by the theory of races and their hierarchy. But it was clear from the start that no Frenchman could believe it. This argument was exclusively a matter of political communication. Moreover, unlike other colonial peoples, the French always tried to understand the civilization of the countries where they settled, and to mix with other peoples. In contrast, the British created exclusive clubs for them in their colonies, while the Germans banned "inter-racial marriages" (1905). After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, nationalists dreamed of liberating Alsace-Moselle, whose statue on the Place de la Concorde had been covered in black crepe for 48 years. On the contrary, supporters of colonization intended to divert armies from their mission of defending the nation, and turn them into "projection forces" capable of conquering distant horizons. This is why it is unfair today to judge French colonization as a whole, which would be good or bad in itself, because everywhere, both currents have left their mark. I remember with emotion the president of the Syrian Peoples Assembly, who showed me around the buildings of his institution. He began by explaining that twice the French Colonial Party had bombed them. The first, in 1920, to impose the mandate of the League of Nations, the second in 1945, when Syria had been independent for four years and had taken part in the creation of the United Nations. After bowing our heads before the parliamentary war memorial, the president told me the story of the trial of a revolutionary leader who had called for the French occupiers to be ousted. Before the military tribunal, his lawyer pleaded that this Syrian had done nothing other than his patriotic duty, in full conformity with the ideals of the French Republic. The jurors, chosen at random from among the French soldiers, unanimously decided to release him. The generals responded by transferring them to other colonies and placing them in the front line, in the hope that they would fall on the field of honour. The President of the Assembly then shared his thoughts with me: in the end, many of us died, victims of the "Colonial Party", but you too, in France, paid the price for the same ideal that drives us both. In many ways, French colonization is a horror, but it was not the will of France, since not one, but all of the jurors he had named had made common cause with the Syrian revolutionaries, and the 1945 bombing was an initiative of General Oliva-Roget, unbeknownst to Charles De Gaulles provisional government, which immediately dismissed him. Yet when decolonization arrived, French soldiers who had just liberated their country from Nazi occupation decided to prolong the imperial dream. The bombing of Damascus heralded the massacres of Haiphong (Indochina) and Setif (Algeria). So they waged atrocious wars for the Empires grandeur. These men were convinced that they should not abandon the peoples they had conquered and partially integrated into the Republic. Their commitment had nothing to do with political parties - some were right wing, others left wing. They were just incapable of thinking from the point of view of the colonized peoples. New Caledonia This intellectual blockage is still evident today in the case of New Caledonia and Mayotte. Many French people are incapable of thinking through the merits of independence. The "Colonial Party" - which has never been a political party, but a cross-party lobby - is still at work. To convince the undecided, all it has to do is hide certain pieces of the puzzle. But, generally speaking, when informed, the French take a stand in favour of independence and apologize for not having supported it up to that point. The French have a vague recollection of the 1988 national referendum approving the Matignon Accords. They know that a process of decolonization had begun in New Caledonia and that, within thirty years, the decolonized Kanaks could decide either to remain within the Republic or to become independent. The idea that, once educated, colonized peoples could integrate into the Republic on an equal footing was still present in the text of the Constitution until 1995, under the name of "Communaute francaise" (Title XII). The French dont understand why a sudden outbreak of violence has cost the lives of a dozen people and caused a billion euros in damage. Here again, the press plays a propagandist role, concealing a great deal of information. Its true that New Caledonians have rejected independence in three successive local referendums. The last one (2021) even rejected it by an overwhelming majority of 96.5%. Its true that the independentistes massively boycotted this consultation, but that, were told, was because they were sure of losing. Not at all! They asked for the ballot to be postponed, first by a year, then, in a spirit of compromise, by just two months. The archipelago had been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many elderly people had died. In Kanak culture, a years mourning is required after each death. It was therefore impossible for the independentistes to conduct an election campaign during this period, just as it was impossible for their people, during this period of mourning, to decide on their independence within or outside the Republic. In the end, they proposed to reduce the postponement of the vote by two months, so that they could carry out their funeral rites. President Emmanuel Macrons refusal to compromise was seen as a rejection of their culture. Not only did the independentistes boycott the referendum, but so did almost all Kanaks. This was not a political issue, but a cultural one. The respect and trust that had been built up over thirty years were swept away in three. As if that werent enough, the Matignon Accord provided for the irreversible transfer of certain powers from Paris to Noumea. In addition, at the end of the decolonization process and the three local referendums, the New Caledonian electorate would be enlarged to include people who had settled in the territory after 1988. Supporters of attachment to the Republic, or to put it more clearly, supporters of colonization, pushed for this readjustment to be carried out as quickly as possible. Demographically, the Kanaks had become a minority in their own country. The "loyalists" (sic) organized various demonstrations, to which the Kanaks responded with counter-demonstrations attended by twice as many people. President Emmanuel Macron then put on the agenda of the National Assembly and Senate the convening of a Congress of the two assemblies to enshrine the New Caledonian electorate in the Constitution. This is what ignited the fuse. The "loyalists" and President Emmanuel Macron are therefore solely responsible for halting the decolonization process and the riots that followed. President Macrons whirlwind trip to New Caledonia brought nothing new. On the contrary, his lack of proposals confirmed that he would continue to ignore the Kanaks and despise their culture. It is therefore certain that the situation will only worsen over the next three years. It is unlikely that Emmanuel Macrons successor will be able to repair the damage. The neighbouring states all believe that New Caledonia will gain its independence by force. So, to protect their nationals from the violence of the revolution that has just begun, they have repatriated them. New Caledonias main source of wealth is nickel mining. This is divided between two companies, SLN and Prony Ressources. These two companies are organized in an English-style structure, which makes it possible to conceal the identity of their shareholders. Before the Matignon agreement (1988), the sector was entirely controlled by the Rothschilds, former employers of Emmanuel Macron. Mayotte The case of Mayotte is very different insofar as there is no independence movement, but rather a desire on the part of the Comoros to rebuild their unity in the same way that France rebuilt its own by recovering Alsace and Moselle. As I said earlier, the supporters of colonization did not want this. In 1973, France had negotiated an agreement with the President of the Territorys Government, Ahmed Abdallah Abderamane. The Minister for Overseas France, the centrist Bernard Stasi, signed it. Paris undertook to organize an independence referendum throughout the archipelago, and not to divide it. The Comoros voted overwhelmingly for independence, with the exception of the island of Mayotte. Supporters of colonization argued that Article 53 of the 1958 Constitution states: "No cession, exchange or addition of territory is valid without the consent of the populations concerned". However, France bought Mayotte before the rest of the archipelago, and the referendum law specified that Paris would apply the will of "the populations", not "the people". President Valery Giscard dEstaing, a former supporter of French Algeria, decided to separate Mayotte from the archipelago. The Union of the Comoros joined the United Nations, without Mayotte. At the time, almost all UN member states were outraged by Frances failure to honour its written commitment of 1973. Subsequently, the "Colonial Party", which had not digested this independence any more than the others, attempted to regain control of the rest of the archipelago. The two currents that had clashed over colonization fought again. But since the end of Algerian independence, the "Colonial Party" could no longer rely on the army. So it relied on a former soldier who had gone into the private sector, the "mercenary" Bob Denard. Finally, in 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy transformed Mayotte into a department, as had been the case of Algeria before its independence. Today, the influx of Comorians to Mayotte is causing widespread violence, whereas there is no violence in the Union of the Comoros. From a French point of view, these migrants are illegal, but from a Comorian point of view, its the French on the spot who are illegal. In 2023, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin deployed 1,800 police officers as part of Operation Wuambushu (taking back control). Thats slightly more than today in New Caledonia. Meanwhile, large demonstrations in Moroni chanted "No to France" and "No to the French presence in Mayotte". The French army needs Mayotte. It has a Foreign Legion unit stationed there, which controls the Glorieuses islands (themselves a territory of Madagascar illegally occupied by France). Above all, it has an electromagnetic interception center connected to the Echelon network of the "Five Eyes" (Australia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom). This is why states that suffer from Western espionage are already supporting Mayottes incorporation into the Union of the Comoros. This is particularly true of Russia and China. Conclusion Some of the French overseas territories and departments were not colonized: Reunion Island, for example, was deserted before it became French property. Others, such as Guadeloupe and Martinique, were colonized and then decolonized. France can therefore retain them by right, as long as the indigenous populations agree. However, it must bear in mind that any abandonment by the local populations will lead them to demand independence. This is what happened in New Caledonia. In other cases, such as Mayotte, France has broken its word by dividing the Comoros. Whatever happens next, France is no longer at home here and will one day have to return the island to the archipelago of which it was deprived. Sean Diddy Combs. Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images Federal investigators are preparing for the next step of their sex-trafficking investigation into Sean Diddy Combs. Many of Diddys accusers have been told they could be called to testify before a federal grand jury soon, CNN reported on May 29. The investigation is still ongoing at the moment, and CNNs sources said witnesses have not been prepped for testimony. However, at this point, a majority of the plaintiffs with lawsuits against Diddy who has been accused of sexual assault in seven suits, including one settled by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Cassie Ventura have reportedly spoken to federal investigators. This comes after Diddys homes in L.A. and Miami were raided in March, and more recently, video emerged of Diddy beating Cassie in a hotel hallway. Diddy continues to deny the accusations against him in the lawsuits and has apologized for the Cassie video. Amid the federal investigation, Rolling Stone also reported even more allegations against Diddy. Per the magazine, Diddys alleged patterns of abuse go back to his college days, when multiple classmates at Howard University remember watching him beat a woman outside a dorm. Kirk Burrowes, who co-founded Bad Boy Records with Diddy before being fired in 1997, said he once saw Diddy attack a woman at Bad Boy in 1994 and even had to pull him off her. The mother of late executive Shakir Stewart claimed Diddy broke a chair over her sons head while in Italy for mogul L.A. Reids wedding in 2000 because of Stewarts relationship with Diddys on-again, off-again girlfriend Kim Porter. And another woman who formerly worked with Bad Boy as a freelance graphic designer told Rolling Stone Diddy touched her without consent at the 2001 party he threw celebrating his acquittal in a nightclub shooting. Later, she said, her bosss girlfriend told her Diddy approached her boss at the party to solicit me for sex. The woman added, When people ask me about my days at Bad Boy, its just overshadowed by his crap. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Nicki Minaj really wants to embrace the culture of every country she visits on tour. During her Birmingham, UK concert, just one day after being arrested in Amsterdam, Minaj led a moment of silence for the late Princess Diana of Wales. In between songs, Minaj would talk to her fans directly, asking where they were from. One attendee shared they were from Wales, to which Minaj gave a smile and a handheart in response. Wales It reminds me of a dear friend of mine. Well, shes not here anymore, the Princess of Wales, said Minaj in a British accent. Lets have a moment of silence for her. Minaj was fourteen when Princess Diana died, but that doesnt mean they werent friends. A teenage John Mulaney was a suspect in her death, so anything is possible. Under The Bridge Mercy Alone Season 1 Episode 8 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Previous Episode Next Episode Photo: Darko Sikman/Hulu Under the Bridge, both the finale episode and the series as a whole, is bookended by a Biggie Smalls song. The fourth track off of his posthumous album Life After Death, the song is titled Kick in the Door. We know that Reena loved Biggies music and lifestyle (and mourned his death at Connors party), but she had no way of knowing that her story would end much like his did. Both Biggie and Reena died tragically young, lives cut short by acts of senseless violence, with stories that have been dissected and discussed for decades. Biggies murder remains unsolved, but the mysteries that keep us talking about Reenas untimely death dont revolve around who perpetrated the violence against her. Instead, the questions are nebulous and thorny. By the end of the series, we find out that Warren Glowatski aided Kelly Ellard, but the circumstances surrounding Reenas murder still feel nonsensical and unreal. The finale often plays back moments that weve seen earlier in the series, punctuating the idea that, at any moment, things could have gone differently for Reena and for all the teens involved in this horrific incident. The episode opens with a flashback to one of the first scenes of the series. Reena and the Seven Oaks crew dance to Kick in the Door. Weve seen this before, but this time the camera keeps abruptly cutting to the credits. Each beat gives viewers a second to pause and contemplate everything thats to come. Then, we revisit another moment when Connor, Jos crush, tells her that he heard she contracted AIDS, and we see the rage light in her eyes. After this, we see new scenes where Jo rallies her troops. First, she calls Kelly, who offers up some really sick and twisted ways to hurt Reena (within earshot of her complicit mother), and then she confronts Dusty. Jo plays it off like theyre just going to initiate Reena into the CMC with a beating, and so Dusty reluctantly agrees. For good measure, Jo inducts Dusty into the CMC with the blood oath, and its very clear that Dusty is a little squeamish to smoosh open wounds with the girl after hearing the rumor that she has AIDS. But whats done is done. The credits bring us back to the present day, and we reckon with the relationship between Warren and Rebecca. His trial is done, and he hasnt heard from Rebecca, but thats about to change. Killer Kelly is finally getting her day in court, and she might possibly walk free if Warren doesnt testify against her. Even though Cam brings Jo evidence that Kelly turned on her faster than she could say CMC, Jo still refuses to take the stand. And, when Dusty and Maya tell their stories to the judge, theyre both roundly discredited by the prosecution. Maya is a known drug user, so the lawyer tries to question her sense of recall, and then he uses Dustys history of (admittedly scary) violence against her niece to try and pin the murder on her. Its starting to look very much like Kelly is going to get away with literal murder, and Bad Dad cant stand it. He turns to Cam and tells her to go talk to Rebecca, but when Cam tells him to go talk to her himself, he does. Rebecca is initially resistant to his query, saying that she needs to maintain her journalistic integrity or whatever, but when Bad Dad snaps back that shes already involved, she doesnt really have a leg to stand on. When we see Rebecca next, shes visiting the Virks, leaving a manuscript on their doorstep like some sort of demented Santa Claus. Suman catches her in the act, and the two women chat about their grief. Rebecca acknowledges that she probably didnt do enough to honor the memory of Reena in her book, but she promises that shell try to get Warren to testify. Its not much of a surprise when we see her arrive at the prison to see Warren, but when she reveals who shes brought with her, its an astounding gut punch. Suman is there. She wants to talk to Warren. Because she doesnt know any other way out of her madness. The speech she gives to Warren is only a few lines long, but Archie Panjabi delivers it with such grounded, heart-wrenching emotion that it feels like a soliloquy. (Emmy voting is approaching, and Panjabi should probably submit this episode. Just sayin.) Shes not only talking to Warren, but shes trying to find some peace within herself that might allow her to live her life without earth-shattering guilt grinding her into nothingness every day. She offers up a seemingly impossible solution: shes going to forgive her daughters murderer. Warren is incredulous at this womans generosity in the face of the reprehensible thing he did. He can only whisper, I dont know why I did it. Suman seems grateful for his kinda-confession, and she counters by saying, If someone had shown you kindness earlier, then my daughter might have lived. Honestly, if you had to pause this scene to catch your breath, then you are not alone, my friends. The focus shifts back to the courtroom on the very next day, and Warren is there to testify. And this time, hes not going to leave anything out. He owes Suman that much. He is a cooperative witness, answering all of the prosecutors questions with brutal honesty. After Kelly made Reena take off her coveted Steve Maddens, she and Warren unleashed a torrent of rabid violence on Reenas injured body. I wont repeat the particulars here, but neither Glowatski nor Ellard were armed or used weapons of any kind, and yet Kelly still persisted until Reena lost her life. Warrens testimony is the stuff of nightmares. He isnt too sure why he did it, but hes sorry, and hell never stop being sorry. Of course, Rebecca feels a lot of feelings when she hears her buddy confess to taking such an active part in Reenas murder, so she hurries out into the hallway and has a brief breakdown. She makes it back in time to see Kelly take the stand. And her testimony is absolutely bonkers. At first, she stammers through responses with a ridiculous accent that gives Nicole Kidmans often-wild accents a run for their money. Then, when presented with physical evidence from Reenas body tiny pebbles recovered from her lungs she goes feral. She flails out of her seat and shouts, I did not kill Reena Virk! I did not cross the bridge! Over and over again she screams, asserting her innocence all while acting like a child denied an ice cream at the zoo. Izzy Gs performance is chilling to the core, and the cut to Cam and Rebecca tells the rest of the story. The look on Cams face is especially priceless as shes not even trying to hide her disgust. The trial draws to a close, and while Kelly is found guilty, a very lenient judge only sentences her to five years in prison. Its a real slap in the face after Warrens life sentence he was a party to the murder, sure, but he didnt actually murder Reena but money rules the world, and Kellys got some, so the judge smiles at her and praises her good grades and kind family as she slaps her gently on the wrist with the minimum possible sentence. This part of the show should come with a barf bag, truly. Later, Cam and Rebecca accidentally-on-purpose meet up at the local bar for a postmortem. Cam partially catches Rebecca up on her own journey throughout the last week or so. When she finds out that Seven Oaks is closing due to the controversy surrounding Reenas death, she heads over there to collect some items. (Side note: Cam tells the house mother that she doesnt blame Seven Oaks for what happened, but I kind of do?) Suspicious of where she came from, she looks into her own file and finds an ad for AIM, or Adopt Indian Metis. Turns out that it was a horrifying program where Native children were separated from their parents and adopted out to white families. In real life, this was called the Sixties Scoop, and thousands of Indigenous children were separated from their families. Its breathtakingly evil, and I have no idea how or why the Canadian (and American) governments ever thought this was okay. See also in a similar vein: the deeply affecting Deer Lady episode of Reservation Dogs. Cam knows that her Bad Dad knows she wasnt abused, and yet he perpetuated this lie throughout her childhood and into her adulthood, which is also so clearly a form of abuse that I cant even deal. (Again, I ask: Is Bad Dad one of the villains of this series? It seems like the answer is yes!) She confronts him and then quits the force. She chooses not to share all of this information with Rebecca; she just says that shes tired of people being scared when she walks into a room. Then, she says shes going to try and find her family. The two women have a sweet moment together, their conversation set to the sweet jukebox sounds of Donna Lewiss I Love You Always Forever in the background. It feels like this isnt the last time the two of them will see one another and, seeing as there probably wont be another season of Under the Bridge at least not with these characters the fate of their relationship is left to our collective imaginations. At the very least, I hope Keough and Gladstone end up in something else together at some point in time because their chemistry is really something. Finally, we check in with the Virks as they put Reenas door back on the hinges and sort through her things. Suman finds a journal tucked away under the mattress and presses play on the CD player. Biggies voice dedicates the song to you and you and you as Manjit and Suman bop along to the beat. Then, the disc skips, and we see Reenas spirit peeking in the door, wistfully wondering what could have been. Random Thoughts Its been a privilege to recap Under the Bridge and watch along with you all. As I mentioned in my first recap, I am roughly the same age as Reena would have been if she had lived, so in a lot of ways I found myself reckoning with real feelings of grief as I read the book and then watched the series. I had it much easier than Reena as a teen crucially, I was white, like 95 percent of the kids in my town but those aching feelings of being an unsure and unsteady teen who sometimes looked for friends in the wrong places are still very accessible to me. I wish Reena had lived. I truly wonder who she might have become. Book Club Corner: As someone who read the book before watching the series, the reveal that Rebecca Godfrey had an ongoing correspondence and friendship with Warren Glowatski shouldnt have surprised me, but it did. She doesnt overtly mention it anywhere in her book, but she writes about him with such compassion and affection that its very obvious in retrospect. For more on Godfreys role in how Under the Bridge came together before her untimely passing in 2022, check out Jen Chaneys Vulture interview with showrunner Quinn Shephard here. Italy and US collaborate to repatriate stolen artefacts. Some 600 antiquities stolen from Italy and returned with the help of authorities in the US went on display in Rome on Tuesday in a repatriation valued at around 60 million. The treasures, which had been smuggled out of Italy and sold illicitly in the US, were presented at the headquarters of the Central Institute for Restoration. The artefacts, ranging from statues and vases to paintings and bronzes, include archaeological pieces dating from between the ninth century BC and the second century AD, many of which were stolen by tombaroli (tomb raiders) in central-southern Italy. In addition to archaeological sites, the culture ministry said the repatriated works of art were stolen from churches, museums and private homes before being trafficked out of Italy to the US. Presentate oggi, #28maggio, allIstituto Centrale per il Restauro, 600 opere darte rimpatriate dagli Stati Uniti dai @_Carabinieri_ TPC, dal valore economico stimato in circa 60 milioni di euro. Tutte le info: https://t.co/D4X6ciTezA#MiC #CarabinieriTPC pic.twitter.com/ZyWYP78Q7D Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) May 28, 2024 The artefacts were recovered thanks to the efforts of Italy's Carabinieri art squad - the Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) together with the New York County district attorney's office and the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Hailing the work of the Carabinieri and US authorities, Italy's culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said: "Today is a beautiful day for the nation's cultural heritage", adding that the return of the artefacts would "make it possible to heal many wounds that have opened over the years in the areas where they were stolen, depriving the communities of important pieces of their identity." Italy has an incredible cultural and artistic heritage: safeguarding it requires care and vigilance. Thanks to the collaboration between the Carabinieri Corps for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations @HSI_HQ, today we celebrate 600 stolen pic.twitter.com/4ZV8ewEZ6I Ambassador Jack Markell (@USAmbItaly) May 28, 2024 "The United States is strongly committed to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage throughout the world" - the US ambassador to Italy, Jack Markell, stated - "Since 2001, the United States has fulfilled a bilateral agreement with Italy to combat antiquities trafficking, and together we continue to work to protect, preserve, and promote culture and the arts." In 2022 Italy opened a new museum showcasing ancient artefacts looted from Italian archaeological sites and trafficked abroad before being rescued by art police. The Museo dell'Arte Salvata (Museum of Rescued Art) is housed in the Octagonal Hall at the Baths of Diocletian, part of the National Roman Museum network in Rome. For more details on the latest repatriated works of art see the Italian culture ministry website. Photo Ministero della Cultura. Rome's newest McDonald's is in Testaccio. American multinational fast-food giant McDonald's is opening a new outlet in the Testaccio area of Rome, a district renowned for its Roman culinary culture. The new McDonald's is located at the former site of the Roadhouse Grill on Via Galvani, in front of the local Testaccio market, a popular food tour venue for tourists. Workers on Wednesday were putting the finishing touches to the exterior of the outlet whose trademark yellow "M" signs were partly concealed by black plastic. The Rome edition of Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the opening of the fast-food joint has sparked a mixed reaction on social media among residents in the area. Some locals have voiced concerns about "the smell of fried food" and want to launch a petition against the opening while others are happy about the 50 jobs that the restaurant will bring to the neighbourhood. McDonald's prepares to open in Testaccio. Photo Wanted in Rome. The new McDonald's is situated in close proximity to the ex-Mattatoio, the city's former abbatoir, which is currently undergoing a major redevelopment. In times past the families of the workers at the mattatoio, in operation from 1888 until 1975, invented many of the quinto quarto (fifth quarter) dishes for which Testaccio would become famous. The ongoing Citta delle Arti (City of the Arts) regeneration scheme will see the vast site host the base of Rome's art academy as well as the faculty of architecture of Roma Tre University and newly opened study rooms. In 2019 McDonald's was at the centre of controversy over its plan to build a drive-through beside the Baths of Caracalla, with the Italian culture ministry revoking authorisation for the project after a public outcry. The fast-food chain took the case to court however its appeal was rejected by the Lazio regional administrative court (TAR) in 2020, a decision upheld definitively in 2022 by Italys highest administrative court. McDonald's first opened in Rome in 1986, near the Spanish Steps, and today has more than 50 outlets in the Italian capital. Photos Wanted in Rome Its 9:42 am, and I am sitting at Caffe Di Rienzo, a caffe latte in hand, with a perfect view of Emanueles newsstand, known in Rome as an Edicola. The surrounding neighborhood buildings cast a shadow over the forest-green walls of the small octagonal structure. The morning is quiet, interrupted only by the low hum of cars and scooters, the whispers of passersby, and the occasional honk of an impatient driver. As I watch people come and go, I notice Emanueles stand being used as a backdrop for photos and temporary shelter from the sun, as if its just another prop amidst the cobblestone streets and towering buildings. Have these stands become mere landmarks for tourists? Have we forgotten their history, or are we simply culturally unaware? My thoughts are interrupted as I hear the shutters of the stand roll up, bringing me back to my surroundings. A croissant to-go in hand, I approach Emanuele, who has graciously agreed to meet with me on his day off. He turns, smiling, and says, Are you the one waiting to meet with me? I respond, Yes! And heres a pastry as a thank you! Emanuele in front of his Edicola Originally his grandfathers, the stand used to be in the center of the Pantheon square but was moved in 2008 just west of the landmark on Salita de Cresenzi. The stand had been closed for the past four years, frozen in time with newspapers headlining a possible lockdown dated 2020. After a few touch-ups and inventory changes, the stand officially reopened a month ago. With the Pantheon still in view,Emanuele reminisces about a time when newspapers were still purchased during his childhood. I used to live in the square as a kid, and I knew all the bar owners in the area. I knew everyone. Now, especially after COVID and spending time in Taiwan, when I came back to Rome, everything had changednew businesses and new people. Rome is changing. While he must stock newspapers and magazines by law, not many people buy them as the culture has shifted towards digital news. I sell maybe one a day. This area allows me to play with my inventory because there are many tourists, and Im still in an area that lets me take it easy. I mostly sell magnets and postcards, but I try to offer different things. Most stand owners prioritize foot traffic and the associated revenue, making Emanueles location prime real estate for selling tourist knick-knacks. However,Emanuele has a different vision. He can sell the typical shitty postcards, but he hopes to make the stand something much more speciala place where local artists and designers can stock his shelves with their creations, offering meaningful gifts instead of miniature Colosseums that will, lets be honest, end up in garage sales or thrift stores in a few years. Like any other business owner, he wants to make money and have a profitable venture, but the law is a bit slower to adapt to times. So, whileEmanuele continues to stock newspapers as per mandatory regulations, he works towards curating the perfect stand. It will take more time and effort, but I want to be different from what you see in the city. While the stand primarily serves tourists to adapt to the times, we shouldnt forget its roots in community interaction. Seen as a place to hold conversations, it goes beyond neighborhood gossip. Its not only that the community comes to talk to you; it's bigger than that. You are giving the neighborhood something very importantthe news. Its what keeps the community thriving. I watched Emanuele assist a few wandering shoppers for a minute, and he looked happy. But nothing beat the smile on his face when a familiar face stopped by the stand. Smiling from ear to ear, Emmanuel lit up with pure joy, engulfed by hugs and excited hellos. At that moment, everything made sense. The world around me paused, and I understood exactly what he had been trying to explain to me for the past half hour. From a distance, the happiness, love, and joy filled the surrounding atmosphere, making me feel right at home. As a tourist, I wish more newsstands still had the same sense of nostalgia and comfort. Edicolas are not just newsstands. While they may be seen as mini shopping malls for tourists, with Emanueles vision, they can become what they used to be. Edicolas can once again keep a neighborhood connected and informed, while also adapting to todays times by distributing tourist-attracting products in a more elevated way. At 31 years old, this business venture is not only a way for Emanuele to make the Edicola his own but also a chance to return home. The stand resides in his neighborhood, a special part of his childhood and his family. Familiar faces, the Italian way, its what I missed the most, he said. Emanuele, I know you missed your community and the neighborhood, but I think they missed you more. The operator of Dublin and Cork Airports earned 176 million in profits last year. The takings allowed the daa to pay the State a 31 million dividend, its first since 2019, having clocked up over 1 billion in revenue. Turnover in the period was 1,018 million for 2023, which represented an increase of 35 per cent on 2022. The two airports welcomed 36.3 million passengers in 2023, while passenger satisfaction scores at Dublin Airport improved 37 per cent in 2023 over 2022. A total of 31.9 million passengers passed through the two terminals at Dublin Airport in 2023, in compliance with the 32 million terminal cap as adjusted for transfer and transit passengers. Cork Airport enjoyed the busiest year in its 62-year history for international passenger traffic, with 2.8 million passengers travelling through in 2023, a 25 per cent increase on 2022 levels. Daa's chief executive Kenny Jacob described 2023 as a "very solid year". "As a team, we are moving quicker, getting the basics right for passengers and we are bringing more innovation on airports, commercial (lounges, Food & Beverage, retail, fast track, Airport Club, drop & go parking) digital and sustainability." Seventy-nine candidates have put themselves forward to contest for 32 seats with Waterford City and County Council on Friday, June 7. The seats are spread across six electoral areas: Dungarvan; Lismore; Portlaw - Kilmacthomas; Tramore - Waterford City West; Waterford City East and Waterford City South. In May 2019, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail won seven seats apiece, but each lost one compared to the previous election. The number of elected Independent councillors also declined from nine to six seats, however, the representatives topped the poll for first preference votes, beating Fine Gael by 458 votes. Sinn Fein was the most consistent, retaining their six seats in 2019 and in this election will run 18 candidates. Labour and Greens piqued the interest of voters as they increased their representation by three and two seats, respectively. People Before Profit, Renua and Aontu also had candidates running in the previous election, however none of them received more than 332 votes. Some of the interesting ones to watch in the upcoming election include Mary Roche as a Social Democrat candidate, Sinn Fein and The Irish People. Mary Roche, a former Fianna Fail councillor, resigned from the party in 2003 due to the party failing to fulfil promises made regarding radiotherapy for Waterford. Cllr Roche did continue to pursue her interest in local politics and in February 2020 was a co-optee for Independent Matt Shanahan as he was elected to the Dail. In another turn of events, Cllr Roche is no longer running as an Independent candidate, but has affiliated herself with the Social Democrats, which has also added Sinead Ellen Griffin to the Waterford City South ticket. More interestingly, Social Democrats founder, Stephen Donnelly, did the opposite of Cllr Roche and is now the Minister for Health, with Fianna Fail. With locals left wondering if Government promises of a commercialised airport in Waterford are nothing more than empty, it could reflect in the votes for Sinn Fein Councillor Jim Griffin and Green Party Councillor Jody Power who hold positions on the Airport Board. Government officials made their way to Waterford in November 2023 with exciting announcements and backing of the new investors interested in expanding Waterford Airport, however, since then, there has been no further commitment from Government, despite the Board submitting its business plan to the Department of Transport months ago. Minister Eamon Ryan didn't know it was in his office. In addition to the people of Waterford being left deflated over the 15-year airport debacle, another issue on the lips of concerned voters is the housing crisis. Despite Waterford City and County Council being one of the best councils in the country for its housing department, voters are still concerned that housing issues arent being addressed quickly enough. University Hospital Waterford and South East Technological University have Waterford people crying out for more funding from Government to better the services they provide to those not just across city and county, but the entire region. Four new political parties will be running candidates in the local elections: Independent Ireland; Rabharta; The Irish People and Party for Animal Welfare. Focusing on immigration, The Irish People party has shown a strong stance against refugees in its far-right wing politics, one of the few to emerge locally in Waterford politics. Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on June 7, with all ballot boxes being delivered to SETU Arena for the count to begin on June 8. On Friday, May 24, Waterford Metropolitan Mayor and Green Party Councillor, Jody Power, set sail from Dunmore East on the Irish Naval vessel, LE William Butler Yeats to reclaim the waters in a dart-throwing tradition that dates back centuries. The tradition In 1626, the City of Waterford was granted a new charter by King Charles I. Known as the Great Governing Charter, it confirmed all previous charters and privileges granted to the city, which had been removed by his father James I, whose accession in 1603 had caused great disaffection. Metropolitan Mayor, Cllr. Jody Power with Exeuctive Officer Jim Nolan, L. William Butler Yeats, Able Seaman Coughlan, Able Seaman Cummins and Leading Seaman O'Malley. Photo: John Power Under the terms of the Great Governing Charter, the Mayor of Waterford was also conferred with the office of Admiral of the Harbour. This empowered the Mayor of Waterford City to hold admiralty courts within the harbour. As part of this tradition, the Mayor fires a ceremonial dart into the estuary where the three rivers meet, claiming the waters for the city of Waterford. As someone with a strong maritime background and appreciation of the power of the sea, I am proud to take part in this significant ceremony, as it is a great honour to continue this tradition in Waterford, said Cllr Power, while speaking of the custom. The Mayor's students Cllr Power spoke about how the event not only holds historical and traditional value relating to Waterford's past, but there's a contrast in Cllr Power taking part in the ceremony compared to previous Waterford Mayors, as he has a relationship with some of the officers and crew of the LE William Butler Yeats. This event gave Cllr Power the opportunity to speak with crew members he'd known as former students of his. Its particularly poignant for me as a marine engineering lecturer at the Maritime College of Ireland, as many of these crew members have graced my lecture theatre over the years, and Im delighted to reconnect with them today on such an auspicious occasion. Id like to extend my gratitude to the officers and crew of the LE William Butler Yeats, particularly EO Jim Nolan, and also Capt. Darren Doyle of the Port of Waterford for facilitating us today," said Cllr Power. Pride of place In addition to the significance of the event, the location of where Cllr Power was reclaiming the waters is also of high importance to him, as it links him to home. Conducting this ceremony at the meeting of the Three Sisters Rivers also fills me with a sense of pride as I undertake my Mayoral duties in my home village of Cheekpoint, he explained. Cllr. Power then began reclaiming the waters and throwing the ceremonial dart from the vessel, while reiterating the statement that previous Waterford Mayors have made over the years: At this place where the Three Sisters rivers meet, to drive out King Neptune, I will throw this silver dart into the place where the rivers meet, and I declare, according to the Governing Charter of Waterford City, as granted by King Charles I, on behalf of the Mayor of Waterford and Admiral of the Harbour, I claim these waters." Over 180 members of staff at South East Technological University (SETU) have signed a letter urgently calling President Veronica Campbell to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties with Red Hat Media over their involvement with the Israeli military. The letter was released on Wednesday, May 22, the same day that the Irish government officially recognised the statehood of Palestine. The document directly references Red Hat, which has offices in Waterford, and their involvement with cloud-based technology that is being used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). It read: "While Red Hats release of open source software has been a positive force in the tech industry, the company has been directly involved in supporting, enhancing and profiting from the Israeli military apparatus, an apparatus charged with committing war crimes. "According to the companys website, the Israeli Defense Forces Center of Computing and Information Systems (Mamram) "relied on Red Hat to support its primary goal of facilitating multiple edge services to various internal customers across the organization"." A Lieutenant Colonel from the Mamram Unit of the Israeli Defense Forces said that Red Hats system has helped save our organization time and money, all while better protecting the citizens of our country. The letter requests a statement from President Campbell that contains the following five points: An expression of abhorrence at the events of October 7th and subsequent taking and retention of hostages. An expression of abhorrence at the subsequent seven-month onslaught by Israel, "the main features of which are well recognised: nearly 35,000 have been killed, including 14,500 children; all Gazan universities have been either damaged or destroyed; hospitals and other essential services (including water) have been relentlessly targeted. The International Court of Justice has ruled that there is a plausible case of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza." A call for an immediate ceasefire; unhindered aid; the release of all hostages in Gaza, and of Palestinians unlawfully detained in Israeli jails. A commitment that SETU will sever its links with Red Hat "and desist from taking any further sponsorship from this company. Red Hat is directly involved in supporting and enhancing the Israeli military apparatus, an apparatus that is committing war crimes before our very eyes." A public commitment to review any links that SETU may have with other companies "that are complicit with, or profit from, the war in Gaza or the Israeli occupation more generally". In the event that such links exist, the letter states, "we call for these institutions to be boycotted. When the basic freedoms of millions of people are at stake, we believe that the defence of academic freedom is misplaced in this regard." It added: "In addition to the above, we would like to express our disappointment that a letter to our VP for EDI, signed by 69 members of staff requesting a solidarity event with Gaza and a public statement of condemnation, has received no formal response." This is the second letter sent to President Campbell urging action. The first letter was sent in March 2024. Michelle Byrne of Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign South East (IPSC SE) said: The absence of a clear and public statement from SETU management in regard to their links with companies profiting from the death and displacement of Palestinian people is disappointing." Red Hat and President Veronica Campbell were contacted for comment. A proposal for legislation was approved recently that will increase the age of sale of tobacco to 21. Ireland will be the first country in the EU to introduce this measure, continuing our tradition of leadership in tackling smoking rates, which began with the ban on indoor smoking in 2004. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly described the legislation as a tough new measure, which is designed to accelerate the goal of reducing Irelands adult smoking rate to less than 5% of the population. Currently, 18% of the population over the age of 15 are smokers. Locals in Waterford this week had their say on the new law proposal. Jamie Dundun said: "I'm for the new legislation. People will still get their hands on cigarettes no matter what you do, you can put the age as high as you want, people will still get them. However, putting the age up to 21 probably makes people think twice about it and its a good idea." Speaking on the potential downsides to the legislation, Jamie said: It increases the likelihood of people getting involved in the black market. If you make a change like this, there will always be a hidden economy, and other people will start making money from it on the street." John Luke O'Neill added, "Its a good thing but it won't stop people from smoking and smokers will get their older friends to buy cigarettes for them instead. If people really want to smoke they will." A number of locals expressed a deeper concern for vapes than for traditional tobacco products. Lauren Ryan said, I think they should be looking at the vapes more than cigarettes because it's young teenagers that are smoking them." Christopher Walsh added, I think increasing the age is a good thing to do, but young kids are getting vapes now and it's ridiculous. I think it's worse than smoking because young people don't even realise how unhealthy it is." As we celebrate Pride month, it's not only a time for revelry and festivities but also a moment to reflect on the history of the LGBTQ+ community. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride demonstration in Ireland, a pivotal moment in our journey toward equality and acceptance when twelve individuals marched to the British embassy to demand the decriminalisation of homosexuality. As we commemorate this milestone, it's imperative to recognise the importance of preserving our local community's history for generations to come. For some months now there has been work going on in the background in planning a community history and heritage project which I am delighted to announce. Deise Origins of LGBT+ Discrimination In delving into Waterford's LGBTQ+ history, we cannot overlook the tragic tale of John Atherton, the Anglican Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in the 17th century. Atherton's life serves as a reminder of the persecution faced by LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history. Despite his notable contributions to the Anglican clergy, Atherton was ultimately condemned for buggery, a charge that led to his execution in 1640. His story not only highlights the fatal consequences of societal intolerance, it also provides a warning against horizontal hostility which occurs when individuals from marginalised groups perpetuate discrimination and oppression within their own community, or also towards other marginalised groups. In the case of John Atherton, this social psychology concept is particularly evident. In his role as Bishop, Atherton played a significant role in the introduction of laws that criminalised homosexuality in Ireland, petitioning for them to be introduced here after they had come into effect in England. His actions highlight how individuals can become complicit in systems of discrimination and oppression, even when they themselves are part of that marginalised community. This historical example underscores the complexity of identity and power dynamics, revealing how individuals may perpetuate harm against their own community or other marginalised groups in pursuit of their own interests or to maintain their position of authority and power. It also shows us that when people do not accept part of themselves, this can turn into hate towards people who have accepted (and even embrace) these parts of their identity. Understanding and acknowledging our history is paramount in fostering growth and progress as a society. By studying the events of the past, we gain valuable insights into the triumphs and failures of previous eras, allowing us to learn from their experiences and avoid repeating the same mistakes. History serves as a guiding light, offering us valuable lessons on the consequences of discrimination, oppression, and injustice. It provides us with a deeper understanding of the complexities of human behaviour and societal dynamics, empowering us to make informed decisions and enact positive change in the present and future. In essence, knowing our history enables us to build a more compassionate, equitable, and inclusive world for all. The inspiration for our upcoming project came while searching the Irish Newspaper Archives of the Munster Express newspaper from 1875. While trying to research for my history thesis on a completely unrelated topic, I stumbled upon a remarkable entry in a list of responses from a newspaper editor that sparked a journey into the LGBTQ+ history of the South East. Among the pages, I found mention of a trans woman named Dora Copperfield from New Ross, Co. Wexford and reference to more trans women living as their authentic selves almost 150 years ago. This unexpected find inspired me to take a deeper dive into the untold stories of the LGBTQ+ community in the SouthEast region. Preserving Our Heritage We are launching a community history project and initiative which aims to document and celebrate Waterford's LGBTQ+ history through oral history interviews, archival research, and community engagement. With the support of the Diverse Waterford program run by Waterford City and County Archives and Libraries service, this project seeks to ensure that the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals are preserved and celebrated for future generations. Diverse Waterford have already carried out projects with the Travelling and Igbo communities in Waterford, as well as multiple other projects. We invite all members of the LGBTQ+ community who have lived in or have ties to Waterford to join us in this endeavour. Whether through sharing your personal stories, assisting with research, or donating materials to our archive, your contributions are invaluable in helping us honour our shared heritage. Together, let us ensure that the struggles and triumphs of our community are never forgotten, and that future generations can look back with pride on the waves of progress we've made. As we embark on this journey to preserve Waterford's LGBTQ+ history, let us remember that by coming together as a community, we can ensure that our voices are heard, our stories are told, and our legacy endures for generations to come. To find out more and get involved in the project, head to prideofthedeise.com or contact us via email at prideofthedeise@gmail.com With so many people unwell, the Red Cross was calling for 400 new blood donors across Brisbane last week, as blood donations dropped to critical levels. Azithromycin in liquid form is the preferred antibiotic to treat mycoplasma pneumoniae in children because it requires just one dose a day. The bacterium, which damages the lining of the lungs, throat and windpipe, is naturally resistant to penicillin because it lacks a cell wall. Dr Paul Griffin says people have lost sight of how important it is to stay home when they are unwell. Credit: Justin McManus Weve got such a high number of cases that I did a webinar for some GPs around the country and one of the resounding points from that was that they cant even get their patients the antibiotics that they need, Griffin said. Additional antibiotics supplies have arrived in Queensland, but parents are still advised to call their pharmacy ahead of time. There have been more than 1500 recorded cases of mycoplasma pneumoniae in Queensland since the beginning of the year. Mycoplasma is a huge challenge for us, said Griffin, who has been fielding calls from intensive-care clinicians from around the state treating patients with severe cases on intubators. The number of different things going around at once is unusual. Dr Paul Griffin, infectious disease expert The latest data from Queensland Health shows a 17 per cent rise in COVID-19 hospitalisations in the past fortnight: about 214 people with the virus were being treated in the states public hospitals. At the same time, 43 people were in hospital with influenza, most of whom were aged 65 years or more. Of the 1400 people who have been hospitalised with the flu this year, 98 per cent were not vaccinated. There has also been a significant rise in cases of RSV, which mostly affects young children and can lead to breathing problems in babies. Across the state, 17,628 cases of RSV have been recorded so far this year a 58 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of recorded whooping cough infections in Queensland is 12 times as high as average. For most of April, Queensland Health received more than 200 reports of the highly contagious respiratory infection, formally known as pertussis, every week. That is roughly as many cases as it would normally record in the year to date. There have also been more whooping cough infections reported in infants so far this year than were reported in all of 2023. But more than 31,000 Queensland children are considered overdue for the whooping cough vaccine, and about half of those children are under the age of two. Brisbane GP and former Queensland president of the Australian Medical Association, Maria Boulton, is concerned about vaccination rates. As a GP Ive seen entire families come down with illness and theres nothing worse than having to care for sick children when youre sick yourself as well, Boulton said. We know that Queensland Health is also concerned. They have been sharing a lot of data with all the medical stakeholders. Queensland does fall behind when it comes to vaccine rates. If there was a State of Origin with vaccine rates, Queensland wouldnt normally win that. Only 20.3 per cent of Queenslanders have received their flu vaccine so far this year, and only 10.4 per cent of children under the age of five. Griffin said people had also forgotten all those basic things we did during COVID to stop the spread of infection. I believe people have lost sight of how important it is to stay home when they are unwell, he said. The United States is by far Israels biggest backer. Murphy, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, said he has personally warned Netanyahu several times over the past 10 years about the risks of aligning himself so closely with Republicans. The prime minister, he said, has never wanted to listen. Loyal to Israel: US President Joe Biden. Credit: AP In the past, Netanyahus strategy was reflected in such moves as going behind Obamas back to address a Republican-led Congress in 2015 to blast the presidents Iran policy, or signalling his preference for GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Donald Trump. In the current conflict, his rejection of Bidens pleas on delivering aid and protecting civilians have at times taken on an acid tone; a top Netanyahu cabinet minister recently went so far as to post on X, Hamas Biden. Republicans, in turn, have rushed to highlight their embrace of Netanyahu and attack Biden over any sign of divergence from the prime ministers policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he plans to invite Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress at a time of deep White House concerns about his policies. Representative Elise Stefanik, a member of her partys congressional leadership, recently travelled to Israel to assure members of the Knesset, Israels parliament: There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel. As a young senator Joe Biden met Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. Some Israeli leaders are worried that Netanyahu is permanently wrecking the unified American support for Israel. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, a one-time member of Netanyahus Likud party, said in an interview that the current leaders partisan strategy has caused an erosion in the public support for the state of Israel. I think that this is an acute threat to the basic needs of the state of Israel, Olmert said. Once we have threatened this consensus that both parties are equally important for us, once it starts to erode, it can be a very serious danger to what the American system, the American political bodies, will feel obliged to as far as Israel is concerned. The currents of Israeli and American politics are far too complex to attribute to a single person, even one as influential as Netanyahu, 74, who has served on and off as prime minister since 1996. In Israel, an array of social, political and security factors have pushed the country steadily to the right, ending its tradition of left-leaning leaders like Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak. Palestinians mourn over the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike, at a morgue in Rafah. Credit: AP In the United States, black activists increasingly identify with the Palestinian cause and denounce Israel as a colonial entity, even as they become a more important part of the Democratic Party. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement began years ago to protest Israels handling of the occupied territories. But nothing has shattered progressives sympathy for Israel like Netanyahus rhetoric and actions, Democrats say, particularly the high civilian death toll in Gaza and widespread hunger gripping the enclave because of severely restricted aid. Historically, Israel has always had a lot of support in the United States and around the world, and thats because it was home to Jews who suffered unspeakable crimes during World War II, said Senator Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust. But what I think is clear, especially among the younger generation, is the Netanyahu governments war against the Palestinian people and their killing of tens of thousands of people has significantly diminished support for Israel and especially among young people, which I think does not bode well for Israels future. Palestinians survey the destruction after an Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah. Credit: AP Netanyahus office declined to comment for this article, though in the past he has publicly said Israel must be on good terms with both parties. A senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said Netanyahu has always acted in good faith with American leaders. The prime minister has made good on every commitment he made, the official said. But Netanyahus divisive strategy has been evident for years to leaders in both countries. It emerged with particular clarity when Obama took office in 2009. Michael Oren, Netanyahus ambassador to Washington at the time, said there were two schools of thought in the prime ministers inner circle. Oren, who was in the minority, advocated nurturing ties with both Republicans and Democrats to ensure Israel had a strong relationship with all U.S. presidents. A student protester flies a kite inside the protest encampment on the Columbia University campus. Credit: AP The stronger faction - spearheaded by Ron Dermer, who succeeded Oren as ambassador and is now Netanyahus chief adviser - argued that Democrats growing sympathy for Palestinians was beginning to threaten Israels interests. Olmert, the former prime minister, recalled Netanyahu asking him for advice before travelling to the United States to meet Obama for the first time in 2009. Olmert cautioned Netanyahu against being condescending or lecturing the US president, whom many conservative Israelis viewed as naively sympathetic with the Palestinians. Instead, he said Netanyahu did the opposite, taking a dismissive tone. He was very arrogant and very patronising, and he started this process which drew apart Israel from not just the president, but the party that he represented, Olmert said. Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017. Credit: Andrew Harnik That frosty relationship lasted throughout Obamas eight-year tenure. Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser, said that whenever Netanyahu felt Obama was pressuring him, he would go to Republicans in Congress who would then issue statements blasting Obama and create a multiweek political headache for the White House. He was duplicitous, self-interested and relentlessly meddled in American politics to undermine ... Obama, and frankly was indistinguishable from a Republican political operative in his tactics, Rhodes said. Bibi Netanyahu treated Barack Obama differently than any US president had been treated by an Israeli leader. Biden, who was then vice president and had known Netanyahu from his years on the Senate foreign relations committee, would often use private meetings to try to smooth over tensions, aides recalled. One such incident came when Obama delivered a speech at the State Department in May 2011 that, among other things, laid out proposed parameters for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. The next day, Netanyahu dressed down Obama over the proposal in an Oval Office meeting, aides say, and publicly misrepresented the presidents position. Netanyahu walked into the White House a couple of days later and saw Biden, who said, Lets fix this, recalled Dennis Ross, a former Middle East envoy who served in multiple administrations, including Obamas. Biden saw himself as the guy who had to be constantly managing the relationship or repairing it when it looked like it was going off the rails, Ross said. He felt he understood the Israelis better and Bibi better than Obama did. Yet Biden himself could not escape Netanyahus snubs. When he visited Israel in March 2010, Netanyahus government provocatively announced a new set of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem. Eight months later, Biden and Netanyahu met in New Orleans and Israel again took the occasion to announce new settlements. Former Obama administration figure Ben Rhodes. Credit: AP Oren recalled Antony Blinken, then Bidens national security adviser and now secretary of state, saying to him, You guys are really out to destroy this relationship, arent you? What could I do? Oren said. I just shrugged. Although many of Obamas closest aides say privately they came to detest Netanyahu, Bidens devotion to Israel overrode any annoyance he might have felt. Biden had first visited the country as a young senator in 1973, meeting prime minister Golda Meir when Israels leaders were socialists, the kibbutz movement was powerful and the Holocaust was less than 30 years in the past. In the final month of Obamas term, the president and his top aides were debating a UN Security Council resolution declaring Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal. Nearly everyone on the call agreed that the United States should abstain to send Netanyahu a sharp message, letting the resolution pass rather than vetoing it as usual. Biden disagreed, warning Obama that doing so would be a black mark on his legacy. Obama moved ahead with the abstention anyway. When Trump became president in 2017, he and Netanyahu formed an immediate alliance fostered in part by son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had family ties to Netanyahu. Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something presidents of both parties had avoided to preserve options for the peace process. He also recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, upending a half-century of US policy. Netanyahu, for his part, found numerous ways to show his attachment to Trump. He named a Golan Heights settlement Trump Heights. He erected a massive campaign poster of himself shaking hands with Trump over the slogan, Netanyahu - in a different league. In recent weeks, Trump has waffled publicly about whether Israel should continue its war in Gaza or finish it. And he has made it clear that he resents Netanyahu for acknowledging Bidens victory in 2020, and the two have not spoken in years. By the time Biden took office, the rift between Netanyahu and Democrats was so marked that the president withheld the traditional White House invitation for almost a year. Relations grew even cooler when the prime minister introduced a controversial plan to rein in Israels judiciary, as Biden and other Democrats made clear that they saw it as a threat to the countries shared values. But when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages, everything changed at first. Biden unwaveringly backed Netanyahu in public in hopes of influencing him in private, even as the White House grew increasingly alarmed at the growing civilian death toll from Israels assault on Gaza, which has now surpassed 36,000. Netanyahu, whose political future was thrown into doubt by the attacks, initially appeared deeply grateful for Bidens support. But old tensions resurfaced as the conflict dragged on and Biden urged Israel to do more to protect civilians and let aid into Gaza. The two leaders private conversations have become testier and their public exchanges colder, as Bidens own political prospects are threatened by anger from many Democrats over his handling of Gaza. Rhodes, the former Obama official, said that for all of Netanyahus aggressive policies and rhetoric, he is an accelerant rather than the cause of the growing rift between Democrats and Israel. It was building for a long time before this point. It will continue to evolve after this point. But unless theres some totally unforeseen shift in Israeli politics, this is not just Netanyahu, Rhodes said. There was the artificial sheen of bipartisanship, but I think thats in the past now. In a remarkable display of international cooperation, a rare and historically significant book, Sumario breve de la practica de la arithmetica (A Brief Summary of the Arithmetic Practice) by Juan Andres, published in Valencia in 1515, has been repatriated to Spain. The repatriation ceremony was presided over by HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger and Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Angeles Moreno Bau on 22 May 2024, at the Spanish Embassy to the United States in Washington, DC. The case began in November 2021, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained a suspicious shipment at a U.S. airport. Originating from a European country, the shipment was flagged for inspection by CBP, based on intelligence shared by the South American Customs administration through the World Customs Organizations (WCO) ARCHEO platform. During a physical examination, several books and manuscripts were discovered. Some of them were accompanied by an export license from a European country. To verify the provenience of the books and the legitimacy of the export licence, CBP sent a request for the assistance of the WCO Cultural Heritage Programme. The WCO engaged with the Spanish National Police, who, after consulting national authorities, confirmed that one of the books required an export license as it was part of Spain's Bibliographic Heritage. In the meantime, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched a full-scale investigation. By May 2022, CBP seized the book, which was subsequently abandoned by its consignor in July 2022. This book's identification and recovery were the result of a concerted effort by multiple actors, including the WCO, CBP, HSI New York, HSI Madrid, and the Spanish National Police. Their collaboration aimed at a broader effort to recover documentary heritage belonging to other countries or private individuals that were being illegally shipped to the United States. The repatriation ceremony serves as a testament to the power of multijurisdictional and multiagency cooperation. The WCO stands ready to continue providing investigative support to Customs and partner law enforcement agencies in their efforts to safeguard the cultural heritage for the benefit of the humankind. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Another arrest has been made as part of the investigation into the murder of a man in Limerick almost 14 years ago. The body of Lee Slattery, 24, was discovered on the Delmege House estate near Moyross on May 31st, 2010. Gardai arrested a man in his 30s on Tuesday, who is being detained at a Limerick Garda station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. Earlier this month, a woman in her 30s was arrested in the Limerick area. Two men aged in their 30s and 40s were arrested in the Limerick area, and were later released without charge. A file is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, gardai said. Two other men were then arrested and on Friday were released without charge along with the woman aged in her 30s. To date, 24 arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, including Tuesdays arrest. Gardai continue to appeal to anyone with information to contact them at the incident room in Mayorstone Garda station at 061 456 980, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. A commemoration event will take place in Ballina on the June Bank Holiday weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of IRA hunger striker Michael Gaughan. Gaughan, who was a native of Healy Terrace in Ballina, died in Parkhurst Prison in England on Monday, June 3, 1974, after 68 days on hunger strike. He was aged just 24. Gaughan and fellow Mayo man Frank Stagg joined other Republican prisoners, including the Price sisters and Gerry Kelly, on hunger strike as part of a campaign to seek political status recognition as a prisoner of war and also to be transferred to a prison in Ireland. From April 22 to June 2, Michael Gaughan was force-fed 17 times before his death. Huge controversy surrounded his death and it resulted in prison doctors refusing to participate in force-feeding. The practice was never again used on Republican hunger strikers. Gaughans funeral was a huge event with 10,000 people gathering in Ballina for the occasion. He was buried in Leigue Cemetery. In 2020, a mural was erected to his memory at Healy Terrace. The 50th anniversary commemoration will take place on Sunday, June 2, at 1pm and has been organised by Independent Republicans. Participants will gather at the Humbert Monument in Ballina and march to the Republican Plot at Leigue Cemetery. The main oration on the day will be given by John Crawley, prominent republican ex-prisoner and author of the best-selling memoir The Yank. Also in attendance will be Dublin Cllr Christy Burke, who was in the guard of honour in 1974. Several republican marching bands have also confirmed attendance for the event. Funding of 71,507 through Coimisiun na Mean's Broadcasting Fund Sound and Vision Scheme will bring vital support to two local broadcasters in Mayo, Minister Alan Dillon has said. Minister Dillon said funding of 35,501 has been awarded to Community Radio Castlebar while 35,608 has been awarded to Claremorris Community Radio. "This significant funding, comprising 7.9 million allocated to 27 TV and 38 radio projects nationally, along with an additional 706,000 to support Community Broadcasters in creating socially beneficial programming, is crucial for bolstering our national and local media outputs across the country. "This substantial investment is a testament to the existing commitment to enhancing the media landscape in Mayo and across Ireland. The focus on inclusivity, with special attention to gender equality and the integration of new Irish communities, ensures that our broadcasting content mirrors the diverse perspectives and voices of our population. Minister Dillon added: In Mayo, where local media serves as the heartbeat of our community, this funding will empower broadcasters to deliver quality content that resonates with and reflects the unique identity of our residents. "It will enable our local broadcasters in Mayo to not only continue their excellent work but also to expand their reach and impact, ensuring that every segment of our community is heard. Fine Gael remains a firm advocate for the broadcasting sector, championing the development of media services that cater to all facets of Irish life," concluded Minister Dillon. Independent producers and broadcasters can now apply to Round 53 of the scheme. More information is available on Coimisiun na Means website. Belcarra is the the location to be for birdwatchers at the moment thanks to a rare bird that has made its way to the Mayo village. A yellow-crowned night heron has brought birdwatchers from near and far to see the striking North American bird species. The bird has brought national media attention to the county as it is the first time a yellow-crowned night heron has been spotted in Ireland or the UK. The story has also caught the eye of social media users, with plenty of birdwatchers having their say on the bird's migration to the west of Ireland. See some of the best 'X' reactions to Mayo's new resident below: Election candidates in the upcoming local and European elections are being asked not to hang election posters or placards in the urban vicinity of Westport. The move is in line with a promise made by members of the former Westport Town Council to keep the town free from visual clutter and in solidarity with the proactive Westport Tidy Towns organisation. At the May meeting of Westport-Belmullet MD, Cllr Brendan Mulroy, said: I wish all candidates would adhere to this agreement and that some posters would not be appearing left right and centre. Cllr Christy Hyland said that in February 2024 he made a proposal of "no postering in our electoral area" but it did not pass. I do wonder did we lose an opportunity here because the former Westport Town Council brought in that rule and we have won so many awards in the town since then, including the best town to live in, in Ireland. We were the first town council and local authority in the country to adopt such a motion. Good luck to people in the election, but in terms of a missed opportunity, I think the national media would have picked up on us again for having no posters and could have shown us in a very positive light to the whole country. People in Newport are unable to develop their businesses or bring in new business due to the ongoing pollution of the sea waters around the town, a local councillor has stated. Independent Cllr John O'Malley told last week's meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District that the people of Newport are "just being dumped on over and over again by the powers-that-be". Cllr OMalley made the claims during a discussion on the shock announcement that the 5.5 million N59 road upgrade project had been shelved. He stated: "The people of Newport have suffered enough, and been thrown around like a rag dog, first of all by Irish Water (Uisce Eireann) and now Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Five years ago, they were told the money was already allocated for the Newport Sewerage Treatment Plant but not one thing has been done by Irish Water in the town, and since 1965, there is raw sewerage going out into the bay. Families and children cannot swim or have any fun in the bay, they have to drive 10 miles away. If it was a farmer that put one fraction of that sewerage into the bay they would be fined immediately and have their single farm payment taken off them. Business people will have to withhold their rates and local residents their local property tax to get the message across that they are not going to take this treatment again. People should sue Irish Water for not doing what they promised to do. The people of Newport have been dumped, they have been used and abused by both Irish Water and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. See also Page 25 Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick ODonovan TD officially opened three new major education facilities in Sligo. The projects, delivered at a cost of 37 million, include: - An 18 million 4,000 sq/m extension to the EO1 Building in ATU to deliver cutting-edge teaching and research facilities; - A 17 refurbishment of Blocks K and L in ATU to offer improved facilities to the Faculty of Engineering and Design as well as the Yeats Academy of Arts Design and Architecture; - And a 2 million delivery of a new building in Sligo College of Further Education to deliver enhanced learning in IT, Health, Care, Business, Law and Engineering for 500 students. Speaking in Sligo, Minister ODonovan said: Today marks a significant investment and enhancement of education and training facilities for Sligo and the North West to greatly improve the learning experience of students in this region. The new EO1 project along with the refurbishment of blocks K & L represents a key phase of ATUs Sligo campus development. Id like to thank Mr Ciaran McCaffrey and all the team in the Higher Education Authority for their dedication and hard work on this project and also for their support to the institute. Minister ODonovan added: I was also thrilled to visit Sligo CFE today and to open a new state-of-the-art facility that will make a real difference to the educational journey of students in the region. While this development clearly provides evidence of significant and improved growth for Sligo CFE, I firmly believe it is also an important milestone in the evolution for the FET sector in general, and shows what is possible when Government and colleges work together to deliver for the learner. The new EO1 building at ATUs Sligo campus is a new four-storey extension, providing some 4,115 sq/m of space, and delivers a high quality new academic facility that will extend ATU Sligos online and blended learning facilities. Minister ODonovan also opened the refurbished Blocks K and L, funded under the Infrastructure Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund, and allows for the consolidation on the campus of the Yeats Academy of Arts, Design and Architecture to form a North Campus Creative Hub. This was an integral part of the ATU Sligo Campus master plan to grow to 10,000 full time equivalent students. Ciaran McCaffrey, Head of Capital Programmes in the HEA added: Todays opening of the newly refurbished Yeats Academy Buildings and new Academic Building is an exciting development for ATU and the wider North Western region. This project is being delivered under Project Ireland 2040 which recognises that investment in education is central to achieving a strong, future-proofed economy, balanced across the regions, and a just society in which all citizens are enabled to fulfil their potential. President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn, said: "These new developments funded under Project Ireland 2040, through the HEA, mark a significant milestone for Atlantic Technological University. The state-of-the-art facilities will greatly enhance our research, science, and IT capabilities, and offer a space for the creative arts by providing our students and staff with the resources they need to excel. We welcome Minister O'Donovan to ATU and thank him for officially opening our new facilities." Minister ODonovan today also visited the adjoining campus of Sligo College of Further Education to officially open a new modular accommodation wing, at the Clarion Road campus. This facility will give over 500 students access to: - Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) enabled accommodation for learners. - Enhanced practical resources for learners across the school of Health, Care, Business, Law and Engineering. - Provide enhances workspaces to provide skills for employment in the care sector. Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board Chief Executive Tom Grady said: It is a privilege to welcome Minister O'Donovan to Sligo College of Further Education and Training (FET) to officially launch the new building development. The development of the new Sligo College of FET underscores our commitment to providing cutting-edge educational facilities and innovative learning opportunities for our students." A brave and generous young Ballina girl will cut and donate her hair for charity. Nine-year-old Kayleigh Donaghey has decided to cut 12 inches of her hair as part of the Laura Lynn Locks of Love initiative. Proud parents Lucy and John said their daughter regularly attends Crumlin Hospital for treatment for juvenile arthritis and meeting sick children there has inspired her to help make a different in their lives. Kayleigh held another fundraiser for juvenile arthritis, which was very successful and raised 800 for the very worthy cause. Kayleigh is a brilliant girl. She attends Crumlin and sees sick kids up there, kids who are going through cancer treatment," said mum Lucy. She asked questions about their hair and after looking into this initiative, she said shed love to cut her own hair to help out. Visit Kayleigh Donagheys fundraising page on idonate.ie to find out more and to make a donation to her cause. All funds raised will go towards supporting Laura Lynn - Ireland's Children's Hospice. LINK TO DONATE A swelling tide is rising across Europe, carrying seeds of uncertain political change in its currents. From rustic villages to teeming city streets, a populist swell is gaining strength and force, powered by a potent mix of economic anxieties, cultural dislocation, and a widespread sense that the establishment has turned a tone-deaf ear to the people's voice. This is fast becoming an era of grassroots reactionary movements - a rebirth of populist politics channelling the fears and frustrations of those who feel dispossessed by globalisation's relentless march. Amid unprecedented shifts in demographics, labour markets, and technology, a chorus of outraged voices now promises to reclaim what they see as the lost soul of their native lands. The rallying cries come from both the far right and the far left, but it is the nationalist, conservative siren song that has rung most loudly of late across the continent. From Poland's Law and Justice Party to France's National Rally, a fresh breed of populists has harnessed a simmering discontent and recast it as a patriotic cause. Their rhetoric is, by turn, defiant and aggrieved, rooted in a narrative of belonging and identity under threat from uncontrolled immigration, remote bureaucracies, and a Brussels-led liberal agenda hostile to traditional values. In this feverish climate, facts matter less than perceptions stoked by deft narrators. The populist vanguard has proven masterful at weaving complex insecurities into a story of endangered sovereignty, ethnic self-determination, and the encroachments of a cosmopolitan globalist agenda. The narrative has an unmistakably blood-and-soil undertone of ethnic insularity that should give modern, secular societies pause for thought. As Europe braces for a fresh round of parliamentary elections, the populist shockwaves emanating from Italy and Poland grow too challenging to ignore. Under Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, the Italian government has boldly staked out a socially conservative, Eurosceptic agenda that has found admiring echoes from like-minded quarters across the continent. Meanwhile, Poland's ruling Law and Justice party continues to dismantle judicial independence and democratic norms with assured defiance. These developments resonate because they give shape to the visceral but inchoate sense of alienation and angst that has been building like atmospheric pressure across many European societies, including Ireland. Italy and Poland represent the populist idea unleashed - a glimpse of what can happen when that free-floating anxiety over rapid social change and ethnic makeover gets harnessed by deft discontents adept at channelling it. For Italy's Meloni, defending a Christian, Catholic nation's values and traditions against the march of secular progressivism, immigration, and activism is the raison d'etre. Scepticism of EU overreach and climate policies is part of the same narrative. Poland's populists have taken the script further, waging an overtly anti-democratic war on judicial autonomy and media freedoms in their own self-styled culture war. Though operating in different contexts, an undeniable political philosophy links these populist movements, giving the phenomenon a powerful impetus. Both Meloni and Poland's Jaroslaw Kaczynski are tapping into deep personal and communal identity anxieties that have festered across the continent, catalysed by the social and economic volatility of the 21st-century experience. The roots of this discontent are not hard to identify: relentless automation and deindustrialisation hollow out traditional working-class communities; mass immigration and population shifts accentuate cultural fissures; a debilitating trust deficit in institutions amid unaccountability and widening inequality; growing intergenerational divides and a fraying social fabric as traditions and faith practices erode. Into this heady climate of trepidation, suspicion, and fragmentation have stepped political entrepreneurs adept at shaping a narrative of civilisational struggle and national rediscovery. After decades of being criticised as backwater anti-progressivists, it insists those who cherish ethnic belonging and honoured customs can rescue past glories and direct the winds of the future. While this reactionary brand of populism currently holds court in Italy and Poland, tremors are discernible across the continent's political landscape. In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally is already eyeing potential coalition partners after the EU polls, sensing its best-ever chance to stamp its stamp on the European project. And here in Ireland, smaller movements have erupted in recent months in response to the radically transformed demographics and the extended rule of a Government coalition tethered to the dictates of an increasingly autocratic Brussels. Political parties, like the Irish Freedom Party, are outliers but part of the same reactionary continuum. Like elsewhere, the Irish national question has morphed into an identity one, with depictions of a diluted essence needing rediscovery gaining credible currency. As Europe's political kaleidoscope prepares to turn again, the tidal forces reshaping it are undeniable. An assertive new wave of populist politics - one as ethnically charged as it is economically incohesive - is rising steadily across the continent. The Italian and Polish strains may prove harbingers of what is still to crest in the Irish Republic. Whether this populist tide is simply the cyclical political backlash of a traumatic era of frenetic change or an existential challenge to the EU's liberal democratic foundations remains unclear. But its effects are already apparent in national debates' polarised and mercurial state. As establishment parties watch their flanks in Ireland, paralysis and pandering are equally plausible responses as the next electoral tests approach. For those determined to counteract the populist surge, steadying nerves and finding compelling new language to address the root causes of discontent will be imperative. Canvassers are feeling rippling currents on every doorstep, the length and breadth of the country before the Local and European elections. Illustration: Conor McGuire Ireland is ripe for division. Once a byword for traditional Catholic piety and rural cohesion, the nation's transition to a diverse, urban-dwelling and robustly secular society has been head-spinningly rapid for some. The whiplash of change and entry into an era of European dictates and deepening integration inevitably bred an unfolding backlash. Those calling for a recovery of Ireland's ethnic Gaelic roots and unyielding defiance in the face of perceived cultural surrender have found a disenchanted and spooked audience. Rural Ireland's fading homogeneity and the spectre of cultural oblivion have found perfect harmonic convergence in a resurgent tribalism. While their support remains untested electorally, these factions represent a broader swell of populism across the European continent that can no longer be ignored or dismissed. For every rally cry, there is an underlying socio-economic grievance about the material realities and emotional disruptions of the modern experience that resonates. The populists of all stripes are tapping an artery of discontent, making a compelling case that only they can heal the rift that globalism and liberal institutionalism have wrought in the national fabric. It is a seductive allure to those unmoored - economically, culturally, psychologically - by the dizzyingly transformative churn of the new century's global marketplace and demography. Theirs is a revitalised nostalgia for recovered sovereignty, ethnic primacy, and a longed-for monoculture restored. But it is a reality wrapped in ephemeral assurances seductive to those dislocated souls who see time-honoured traditions withering and markers of identity fading. So swells the populist tide, cresting over the once-impregnable bulwarks of the postwar liberal order and traditional civic patriotism. It is uncertain whether its swell represents a cyclical backlash destined to break and recede. But in the strength of its rising, canvassers are feeling rippling currents on every doorstep, the length and breadth of the country before the Local and European elections. The one-time fringe tests the centre like a swollen spring breaching a rickety dam. How it is held back - or channelled - may determine the course of the European project for generations. Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said she is not considering implementing a form of compulsory national service as has been promised by the Tories in the UK. Ms Humphreys ruled out the move at the launch of an employment and youth engagement charter in Dublin city which aims to reduce the number of people under 30 who are unemployed. The unemployment rate is around 4.4 per cent, but rises to around 8 per cent for young people. Under the Conservative Partys plan, which would be implemented in 2029-30 if they are returned to government after the UKs July 4th election, all 18-year-olds would be legally required to complete either a 12-month placement in the armed forces or cyber defence or give up the equivalent of one weekend a month to volunteer in their communities. Asked if Ireland was considering a similar move, Ms Humphreys said: Thats something that UK government are talking about, Im not thinking about that. She said the charter with businesses and employers aims to help people back into work through engaging with them. The youth unemployment rate is at 8.8 per cent, which is down from 12 per cent pre-Covid, she said on Tuesday. What we want to do is help people back into work, and there are barriers there that some people face, and we want to work with them, and we want to help them, and today were signing a charter with the businesses and employers, and were asking them to take on young people. There are incentives: you can have a grant of up to 10,000 for taking somebody off the live register, that is a young person or otherwise, anybody at all, actually. So its about helping people and Im firmly of the belief that when you give somebody a job, you really give them an opportunity in life. There have been several reports that social welfare payments would be cut for those who do not engage with welfare authorities. Ms Humphreys said she wants to match jobseekers with people who are looking for workers, and asked young people to engage with the support available. Theres never been a better time to look for a job. Well either help you upskill, well retrain you, well introduce you to apprenticeship schemes, well give you the back to work help extra pay when you engage. If you dont engage there has to be some penalties, but what were saying is engage with us. And if you engage and re-engage, well restore your payments immediately if you have a reduced payment. The Government said the charter is a result of consultation with various stakeholders, including Ibec, the Labour Market Advisory Council Employer Sub-Group, the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed. The charter also aims to cater for jobseekers who find it hard to get an interview or experience, such as people with disabilities, older workers who lost their job later in their career, people who have spent time out of the workplace because of caring or childcare, and minority groups such as members of the Traveller or Roma communities. Employers across multiple sectors and representatives of Ibec attended the launch of the charter in Accentures Dublin office. Reading, PA (19601) Today Mainly clear skies; no frost overnight, and no Northern Lights displays expected like last night either. . Tonight Mainly clear skies; no frost overnight, and no Northern Lights displays expected like last night either. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Mainly clear skies; no frost overnight, and no Northern Lights displays expected like last night either. . Tonight Mainly clear skies; no frost overnight, and no Northern Lights displays expected like last night either. CALS and Right2Protest Project granted observer status for national election Members of CALS and R2P will be observing voting and ballot counting at this year's national election The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and the Right2Protest Project (R2P) have been granted observer status for the national elections taking place on 29 May 2024. Members of our organisations will be placed at various voting stations today to help ensure that elections are free and fair. CALS and R2P are proud to be participating in this years national elections after becoming accredited with observer status. Observers play an important role in ensuring that elections take place in a manner that is transparent and consistent with the Constitution. Transparency is vital in ensuring that political parties and voters accept the outcome of the election and democracy can thrive. The right to vote was not historically enjoyed by all South Africans, and it is through, amongst others, persistent protest action that this right was ultimately secured for everyone. As civil society organisations, we understand our crucial role in upholding the integrity of elections. This involves collaborating with the state, Chapter 9 institutions, the judiciary and the general public to ensure the right to vote is protected and exercised by all citizens. These landmark elections are vital for the continued progress and stability of our democracy, reflecting the collective will and voice of the people. Members of our organisations will be positioned at various voting stations in Gauteng to observe the voting process during todays election. In the days that follow, they will then observe the vote counting, the final tally, and the declaration of the results. This includes observing accessibility to voting stations, conduct of police officers and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) personnel. Our organisations are committed to promoting civil and political rights, including the right to free, fair and regular elections, says Sithuthukile Mkhize, head of Civil and Political Justice at CALS. We believe observing the elections can help to promote civil and political rights and protect our hard-won democracy by ensuring that the election results are a true reflection of the countrys wishes. R2P believes in the safeguarding of public participation and freedom of expression through exercising the right to vote, says Omhle Ntshingila, Project Coordinator of R2P. The coalition will be observing the elections in the interest of ensuring the accessibility of democratic processes for marginalised communities. For inquiries, please contact: From the Centre for Applied Legal Studies: Sithuthukile Mkhize (Head: Civil and Political Justice) at sithuthukile.mkhize@wits.ac.za From the Right2Protest Project: Omhle Ntshingila (Project co-ordinator) at omhle.ntshingila@wits.ac.za ABOUT CALS CALS is a public interest law organisation based at the Wits University School of Law. Founded in 1978 by Professor John Dugard, CALS continues to use a combination of research, advocacy and litigation to advance human rights and social justice in South Africa. Read more about our work at https://www.wits.ac.za/cals/ or follow @CALS_ZA. ABOUT R2P R2P is a coalition of organisations that aim to advance and support the realisation of the constitutional right to protest as entrenched in section 17 of the Constitution by providing legal assistance and support to all protesters. Read more about our work at https://www.r2p.org.za/ or follow @ProtestZA. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Azerbaijan's PASHA Bank places special emphasis on supporting companies operating in liberated territories of the country, Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer at PASHA Bank Javid Gouliyev said during today's press conference dedicated to the bank's performance results for 2023 in Baku, Trend reports. Highlighting key achievements in corporate-institutional banking during the strategic period, it is notable that special attention was given to the 'Karabakh Strategy,' which supports companies operating in the liberated territories. Additionally, a significant milestone was the signing of the first commodity futures contract for the bank's clients in Azerbaijan's history, he said. To note, at the end of 2023, PASHA Bank's assets stood at 8.622 billion manat or $5.07 billion (2.2 percent growth), with the loan portfolio at 2.958 billion manat or $1.7 billion (4.7 percent growth), liabilities at 7.809 billion manat or $4.59 billion (35.7 percent growth), and the bank's net profit reached 271.551 million manat or $159.7 million (3.18 times growth). Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Azerbaijan's PASHA Bank is negotiating energy and green projects with partners, Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer at PASHA Bank Javid Gouliyev said during today's press conference dedicated to the bank's performance results for 2023 in Baku, Trend reports. PASHA Bank will soon adapt to global ESG standards, covering environmental, social, and governance issues. These standards will be implemented in the bank, creating a unique management structure. This will enable us to support and evaluate promising long-term projects, as well as implement new initiatives. The bank is currently negotiating with partners on energy and green projects, striving for sustainable development and the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies," he added. To note, PASHA Bank continues to strengthen its position in the corporate banking sector and expand cooperation with leading banks, including establishing direct relationships with correspondent accounts of US banks. To note, at the end of 2023, PASHA Bank's assets stood at 8.622 billion manat or $5.07 billion (2.2 percent growth), with the loan portfolio at 2.958 billion manat or $1.7 billion (4.7 percent growth), liabilities at 7.809 billion manat or $4.59 billion (35.7 percent growth), and the bank's net profit reached 271.551 million manat or $159.7 million (3.18 times growth). Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The visit of heads and secretaries of the Commission of the Parliament of French Polynesia (Ma'OHI Nui - in the local language), as well as senior staff of the ruling Tavini party to Azerbaijan, started on May 29, Trend reports. The purpose of the four-day visit is to consider the possibility of establishing inter-parliamentary, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and French Polynesia, as well as cooperation in science, education, sports, health, and other spheres. Particularly, it is planned to hold meetings in the Azerbaijani Parliament as well as in other public and private institutions in Azerbaijan. Within the framework of the visit, a conference on French Polynesia's right to decolonization: Challenges and Prospects. The visit of the delegation of French Polynesia took place at the invitation of the Baku Initiative Group, working in the field of combating colonialism and its new manifestations in the 21st century. The visit was organized following the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the Baku Initiative Group and the Tavini Party within the framework of the international conference Liberation from Colonialism: Consequences of Assimilation and its Impact on the Realization of Human Rights organized by the Baku Initiative Group on April 30 this year at the UN Office in Vienna. To note, the Tavini party has been fighting for the independence of French Polynesia for many years. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Co-founder and Chair of CVC Capital Partners, one of the Europes leading global alternative investment managers, Rolly van Rappard on May 29, Trend reports. Rolly van Rappard praised Azerbaijan's ongoing development processes, acknowledging the commendable achievements across various sectors in the country. He expressed deep satisfaction with the successful collaboration between CVC Capital Partners and the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan, expressing confidence in further strengthening this partnership in the future. President Ilham Aliyev lauded the fruitful partnership between CVC Capital Partners and the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which successfully cooperates with leading global financial institutions, highlighting that there is a conducive environment for further strengthening the existing relations. The President stated that the State Oil Fund's operations are continuously expanding and underscored the increase in the Fund's assets even in a volatile financial market environment. Founded in 1981, CVC Capital Partners has approximately 186 billion in assets under management across seven complementary investment strategies in private equity, secondaries, credit and infrastructure. With 40 offices across various global cities and over 850 employees, the company's headquarters are located in Luxembourg. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Mines found in liberated villages of Azerbaijan's Gazakh district were made in Armenia, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines Public Association Hafiz Safikhanov told Trend. Safikhanov pointed out that demining operations are being conducted in the liberated villages. "Like our other territories, the four villages in the Gazakh district are contaminated with mines. A considerable number of anti-personnel mines have been spotted. These mines are of Armenian origin. The process is likely to be completed soon because the area is rather small. Starting next month, we'll be monitoring the liberated villages in Gazakh," the chair emphasized. He mentioned that demining efforts are also progressing rapidly in other liberated areas. "A few days ago, Azerbaijani-made demining machines were brought in to assist with the work. This will also help speed up the demining process. Although there is assistance from international associations, the support is insufficient. To receive more support, we have been preparing reports for many years in accordance with their regulations. We believe that an international conference on the mine issue, which will be held in our country, will have a positive impact," he added. To note, a 12.7-kilometer borderline was established between Azerbaijan and Armenia after border delimitation, ensuring the return of four villages - Baghanis Ayrim, Ashagi Askipara, Kheyrimli, and Gizilhajili (6.5 square kilometers) in the Gazakh district to Azerbaijan. The territories of above villages were taken under the control of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan on May 24. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin, also president of the All-China Women's Federation, meets with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. [Xinhua/Gao Jie] BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin met with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing on Tuesday. Shen, also president of the All-China Women's Federation, said that China is willing to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen practical cooperation, and expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges to benefit the two peoples. China is willing to expand friendly exchanges with Belarus in women development, and jointly promote the development of women's causes in the two countries, Shen said. Kochanova said that Belarus is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields such as exchanges between legislative bodies and women's causes, to make positive contributions to the development of Belarus-China relations. (Source: Xinhua) Haley Loukota, left, and her fiance Devin Johnson collect their belongings from storm debris after their home was demolished along Barnsley Loop, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Madisonville, Ky. A series of powerful storms hit the central and southern U.S. over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and their daughter Arzu Aliyeva met with residents who had relocated to the city of Khojaly on May 28, Trend reports. The visit of President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and their daughter Arzu Aliyeva to the city of Khojaly on May 28 and their meeting with the relocated residents were extensively covered in the Turkish media. The reputable Turkish news site Milliyet.com.tr dedicated an article to the Presidents visit to Khojaly, emphasizing his words about the Khojaly genocide and saying that Armenia itself must recognize this and apologize to Azerbaijan. Another news portal of the fraternal country, Star.com.tr, also published an article about the visit of President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, and their daughter Arzu Aliyeva to Khojaly. The portal's article titled "WARNING from President Ilham Aliyev!" citing the President's statement that Azerbaijan is monitoring the latest developments and sees attempts to raise territorial claims against it again, highlighted the importance of this visit. The influential Anadolu Ajansi news agency published an extensive article titled "Azerbaijani families begin returning to Khojaly, where Armenians committed a massacre," which paid particular attention to President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Khojaly. The article began with the words that "the process of returning families to areas liberated from Armenian occupation, which President Ilham Aliyev called the 'Great Return', continues". The Yeni Safak newspaper also covered the presidents visit to Khojaly. An article on the authoritative news portal, dedicated to this historic event, attracted attention with the headline "Return to Khojaly, where Armenians committed genocide: Azerbaijani families begin returning." "President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening of the first state-built residential complex in Khojaly and met with the first residents who moved to the city," the article pointed out. The Sozcu website also paid special attention to the historic moments that took place in Khojaly on May 28. The website's article titled "Azerbaijani families begin returning to Khojaly" again focused on the fact that "20 families have settled in Khojaly, liberated by Azerbaijan after 30 years of occupation, where Armenian armed forces committed a massacre (genocide) during the first Karabakh war." The TRHABER portal also extensively covered President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Khojaly. The published article attracted attention with the headline, "A new era in liberated Khojaly: Azerbaijani families return." "The return began after 30 years of Armenian occupation in the city of Khojaly, where one of the most terrible genocides in Azerbaijan occurred. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev initiated a project to return families to the areas liberated from Armenian occupation called 'The Great Return'. As part of this project, 20 families returned to Khojaly," the article said. An article on Yirmidort.tv titled "Warning from President Ilham Aliyev!" citing the statement of President Ilham Aliyev that Azerbaijan is monitoring the latest developments and sees attempts to raise territorial claims against us again", paid special attention to the President's warning made in Khojaly regarding steps by Armenia that increase the risk of escalation by revanchist forces. "Congratulating the residents of Khojaly on their return to their native lands, President Ilham Aliyev stated that, of course, it's not random that this return coincided with Azerbaijan's Independence Day," the article highlighted. The authoritative Haberler.com site presented readers with an extensive article published in connection with the historic visit of the head of state to Khojaly, titled "President of Azerbaijan warned Armenia in Khojaly". The well-known news portal devoted significant space to the Presidents words about the Khojaly genocide, spoken at a meeting with the relocated residents of Khojaly, that Armenia itself must recognize this, and it must apologize to Azerbaijan. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel North Wales film screenings to help increase dementia awareness This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 A new series of films created to increase awareness and understanding of dementia will screen in north Wales. According to Alzheimers Research UK, 944,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the United Kingdom. North Wales Police and Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board (BCUHB) have now joined forces for the further rollout of a new series of films called Living Better with Dementia. The special screenings of the film, which originally premiered in March this year, are planned in Broughton and Llandudno Junction thanks to funding from the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin. The aim is to bring the films important message around living better with dementia to even more people across North Wales. The two screenings will take place at Cineworld Broughton Shopping Park, on 11 June 2024 from 3-5pm, and at Cineworld Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, on 1 October 2024 from 3-5pm. Each showing will then be followed by a question and answer session on the health and policing issues that can affect people living with dementia, or their families. The idea for the films came from Professor Tracey Williamson, Consultant Nurse for Dementia at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Through the films we hope to create a better understanding of dementia in North Wales and beyond, including how to get checked and live as well as possible with the condition, she explained. The five films that make up the Living Better with Dementia series can be viewed separately or as a continuous 32-minute film. They address the following topics: What dementia is; when to seek help; getting a diagnosis; living with dementia; and planning for the future. Andy Dunbobbin, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, commented: I am pleased North Wales Police and Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board are working together on the Living Better with Dementia Film series and I am delighted we have been able to fund the sharing of this vital message with even more members of the public. I would encourage anybody living with dementia, or their families and friends to attend the events to understand more about the condition and the support available. Sergeant Beth Jones of North Wales Police commented: I am proud to be continuing our ongoing partnership work with Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board to support people who are living with dementia in North Wales and their families and supporters. The number of people living with dementia is increasing year on year, so its vital that we help them with day-to-day challenges and concerns. This event is one of two that we have planned in the next few months, thanks to the funding support from our North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner. Professor Tracey Williamson, Consultant Nurse for Dementia, BCUHB added: At Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, we are very grateful for the funding to further the roll-out of our new film Living Better with Dementia. The event is another great example of partnership working in North Wales and will be a valuable opportunity for citizens to hear what is happening in health and policing locally and ask questions. The films were funded by the Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Division, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and match-funded by Eternal Media Ltd with the aim of the films gaining maximum reach across North Wales and beyond. Everybody is welcome to join the planned events and admission is free. There will be an information stand on the day for useful literature about dementia. To book to attend the screening visit Eventbrite. To get your copy of the Herbert Protocol visit: www.northwales.police.uk/notices/af/herbert-protocol The Herbert Protocol is the national scheme used by police forces and emergency services across the UK to support people living with dementia who might be at risk of becoming lost or reported as missing. For further info contact: Phone Sgt Berth Jones on 07896 172 643 or email Bethan.Jones@northwales.police.uk or Tracey.Williamson@wales.nhs.uk Plaid Cymru election candidate Becca Martin vows Political Earthquake in Westminster This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 The Plaid Cymru candidate for the upcoming General Election has said a vote for the party will cause a political earthquake in Westminster. Becca Martin, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Plaid Cymru, is currently a councillor for the Maesydre ward. 36-year-old Becca, who works in a town-centre jewellers said that July 4 was a chance for the people of Wrexham to ensure it had a voice in Westminster. She said: Its time to shake up Westminster and stop accepting the tired old arguments that we have to vote for one of two parties. The Tories have been in power for 14 years and its fair to say that everything feels broken sewage in our seas and rivers, public services decimated, our NHS on its knees and public transport crumbling. Here in Wales, a century of voting Labour has seen them take us for granted and weve seen how arrogant and out of touch they are in power with a First Minister who is willing to take dodgy donations from a convicted polluter. People have vote for who will be Wrexhams representative in London. We all want rid of this Tory regime but sending another Labour MP to Westminster wont create a ripple, sending a Plaid MP would be a political earthquake. Lets make sure Wrexham gets the attention it deserves by electing an MP who is passionate about making a difference. Cllr Martin added: This is an exciting opportunity. Im looking forward to the campaign as it feels like we can make a real difference to peoples daily lives by voting for fairness and ambition for Wales. In a personal statement, Cllr Martin explained why she was standing: Im 36 and live in Wrexham with my partner Michael and my son Charlie on the same street I grew up on. Born and raised here, I attended local schools before going on to Yale college and finally NEWI to complete a degree in Early Childhood Studies. Ive worked in a local family business for the last 20 years and was elected in 2021 to represent Maesydre at council level before being re-elected to represent the new combined ward of Acton and Maesydre in 2022. I love Wrexham, I love the community and its people; I am proud to call it my home and its where I want to raise my son. We need genuine change here in Wrecsam. We need someone who is going to truly represent us in Westminster, someone who is going to fight our corner. An individual with the passion and determination to make a real difference, not someone content with towing the party line or simply posing for photos. I believe I am that person. I know what matters to our town, I know what is important to the people here, I know because I was born and bred here, I know because I have Wrexham in my heart. I know you. I know what matters, because I am one of you. The General Election will take place on July 4. Other prospective parliamentary candidates confirmed so far include: Welsh health boards urged to help improve ambulance response times This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 29th, 2024 Health boards across Wales are being urged to release ambulances from emergency departments faster to help improve response times. It comes after just 48 per cent of immediately life-threatening calls made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in April received an emergency response within eight minutes. This is below the Welsh Government target of 65 per cent of category red calls which includes cardiac arrest and choking being attended within eight minutes. In April 32,900 emergency calls were made to the ambulance service, with an average of 153 red calls made per day throughout the month. The Welsh Government is now calling on health boards to release ambulance crews from emergency departments quickly to support faster response times to those in most need. In March 23,000 hours were lost due to handover delays between the ambulance service and health boards. Emergency Departments However the demand for the ambulance service has coincided with growing waiting times at emergency departments across Wales, which last month experienced their busiest April on record. Throughout the month there were just under 91,500 attendances to all emergency departments in Wales, an average of 3,049 attendances per day. At the Wrexham Maelor Hospital 5,142 patients attended A&E during April, with 67.3 per cent spending less than four hours waiting. Just 47.6 per cent of patients were seen within the four hour target time at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and 59.8 per cent at Ysbyty Gwynedd. NHS Waiting Times The number of open patient pathways increased from over 762,500 to just under 768,900 in March, the highest figure on record. This is the equivalent of one-in-four of the Welsh population. However the number of individual patients on treatment waiting lists also rose to 599,100 in March an increase of nearly 8,000 patients compared with February. This is also the highest figure on record. According to Welsh Government figures the number of patient pathways waiting less than 26 weeks decreased to 56.0 per cent in March. But the number of pathways waiting longer than 36 weeks increased in March, to just under 251,300 20,600 patients in Wales have been waiting longer than two years to begin treatment. Response Sam Rowlands MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister said: These atrocious statistics stand as a stark warning as to what a Labour Government looks like and why Labour cannot be trusted to run the health service. Unlike in England where progress is being made to cut waiting lists, the Labour Welsh Government are taking us back to square one with the longest NHS waits on record. The Welsh Conservatives want to see our Welsh NHS fully resourced every penny received for health from the UK Conservative Government, but instead Labour has chosen to squander these funds on 20mph speed limits and 36 more Senedd politicians. Responding to the latest NHS figures a Welsh Government spokesperson acknowledged that whilst more work needs to be done, progress is being made in some areas. The spokesperson said: Long waiting times are continuing to come down these figures show they have fallen every month for two years and there has been a 71 per cent reduction in long waits since their peak post-pandemic. This is a testament to the hard work of our NHS staff who are working tirelessly to deliver high-quality care. We will continue to focus on reducing waiting times and improving access to NHS care and services for people throughout Wales. And there has been a significant increase in performance against the 62-day cancer target in March to 60.5 per cent, compared to 53.4 per cent the previous month this is the highest since March 2022. However, we need to see further work from the NHS to sustain and improve on this performance. Emergency departments recorded their busiest April on record. Despite this, performance in emergency departments improved against the four and 12-hour targets in April. But ambulance performance is not where we want it to be. The average response to amber calls did improve, however, and more than 80% of red 999 calls received a response in 15 minutes. We have been clear with health boards about the need to release ambulance crews from emergency departments quickly to support faster response times to those in most need. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has left on an official visit to Pakistan, the statement of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports. Within the framework of the visit, it is planned to hold meetings with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, as well as other high-ranking officials, the statement reads. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks surprise announcement that a Conservative government if elected on July 4 would bring in national service for 18-year-olds was met with derision two days later in a keynote speech by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. In his own response centred on national security, Starmer derided Sunaks policy as desperation and a proposal for teenage dads armya reference to a popular British comedy centred on hapless and ageing members of the Home Guard during the Second World War unfit for military service. Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, delivers a keynote speech on security in West Sussex, May 27, 2024 [Photo by Keir Starmer/Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Starmers criticism was part of Labours effort to prove itself the most serious and competent guardian British imperialist interests. An earlier Labour response had branded the policy a headline-grabbing gimmick, an unfunded commitment and not a plan but a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon. Shadow defence secretary John Healey lambasted an undeliverable plan and a distraction from their failures in defence over the last 14 years Its time for change. Britain will be better defended with Labour. Labours counter-offensive echoes public statements by leading figures in the armed forces. Lord Alan West, a former chief of the naval staff and adviser to Gordon Browns Labour government, stated, Im delighted if more young people become aware of defence and are involved but this idea is basically bonkers We need to spend more on defence, andby doing what hes suggesting [Sunak]money will be sucked out of defence. Sir Richard Dannatt, former chief of the general staff, called the scheme electoral opportunism, adding, This task cannot just be imposed on the Armed Forces as an extra thing to do. But amid these bitter exchanges, a significantly different response came from former Tory Party leader and foreign secretary under David Cameron William Haguenow in the House of Lords. Writing in The Times, Hague cautioned, Labours foolish to rule out national service. Former Conservative Party leader and Foreign Secretary William Hague speaking in London on the future of the Foreign Office, September 8 2011 [Photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office/Flickr / CC BY 2.0 Hague has the status of a grandee in British politics, with his horizons broader than the immediate electoral interests of his Conservative Party. He published a column a week ago all but openly accepting Starmer as the next prime minister and urging him to face up to the demands of power: the crucial choice of what to do when there is no spare money and, above all, how to respond to the totally unexpected crisis: war, pandemic, social disorder, financial meltdown. His revealing examples include the lonely moment when MacDonald decides to break with his party, Wilson to devalue the pound, Thatcher to send a task force to the Falklands, Blair to join an invasion of Iraq. In his most recent article, Hague maintains his constructive tone with the Labour leader. Under the strap headline, During an election its easy to trash the opponent, but creating a reserve army and forging a common identity will be vital, he acknowledges that attacks on Sunaks national service policy are fair game in the heat of the election battle, before advising that the Labour Party since it expects to form the government in a few weeks time, would make a great mistake if it were to rule out the idea altogether. Hague urges Labour to not make the mistake of contrasting the need for greater military spending and an enlarged army with the proposal to bring in national service. Both, he insists, are needed and are complementary. He cites the experience of Norway, where The 18-year-olds who serve in their armed forces are not a teenage army but become a trained reserve in their twenties and thirties, able to expand the army several times over when needed. If 30,000 young British people served for 12 months of training each year, there would be up to 300,000 of them with military skills after a decade. This flow of personnel through the armed forces would help remedy the armed forces rising demand for skills including cyber, engineering, nuclear, digital, logistics, aviation and medical, making it able to fill those gaps in times of national danger and to meet circumstances, by the end of the decade, in which many more trained soldiers are needed. Hague urges Labour to consider how likely it is that there will be no need for a sudden enlargement of the British military in the coming years, asking, Does European security look set fair? Is Russia going to transform itself into a peace-loving democracy? Unless he is thinking of a much larger army or reserve force by some other means, he [Starmer] is going to need national service in some shape or form. His final argument is for the critical importance of rebuilding a common national identity, with a sense of mutual obligation, by which he means creating the political climate necessary to carry forward the militarisation of society. As another clear appeal to Labour, he cites approvingly Starmers Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy as an eloquent advocate of a form of compulsory [non-military] national service that would allow us to break down the divides that are entrenched in modern society. Hague also links to his January 29 Times article making a more explicit link between national service and the need to fight wars all over the world, As missiles fly across the Red Sea, the war in Gaza defies diplomatic efforts to resolve it, Ukraine is digging in for a long, hard year of war and Tensions ebb and flow in the South China Sea. He cited then Donald Trumps statement that we are on the brink of World War Three and Tory Defence Secretary Grant Shapps comment that we have moved to a prewar phase. He also referenced the head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, urging the introduction of conscription: In General Sanders words, regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them. That the author of Sunaks proposal comes forward almost immediately as a friendly advisor to Starmer confirms the fundamental concerns that led the Tory leader to declare the snap general election without even informing his own ministers and to then do the same in announcing his national service policy. Only days before, Tory Defence Minister Andrew Murrison had told Parliament there are no current plans for the restoration of any form of national service, setting out quite extensive reasons why such a policy would be a bad idea. His colleague Steve Baker commented after Sunaks announcement, This proposal was developed by a political adviser or advisers and sprung on candidates, some of whom are relevant ministers. But as the World Socialist Web Site wrote of Sunaks May 22 announcement of a July 4 election: Sunaks decision and the speed and secrecy of its implementation are bound up with calculations of the British ruling class and its imperialist allies in the US that snap elections are needed to pre-empt growing opposition to war and create a political framework for a massive escalation of the conflict with Russia Sunak was therefore forced to go to the country, even if this meant almost certain defeat for his government. The national service announcement was similarly motivated. It was, in Hagues words, intended to start the argument more than to win the Tories votes, as preparation for its implementation by a future government, most likely headed by Starmer. In response to Sunak, Labour has pledged a national security sprint if elected, having spent the last years declaring themselves the party of NATO and the past months backing Israels right to defend itself. Hagues caution to Labour is not to get carried away with electioneering at the cost of rubbishing a policy whose purposes they are equally committed to: military escalation and the suppression of social opposition. Labour will not make a pledge on national service at this stagecaught between the promise of fiscal responsibility and the need not to let on to the population the implications for social services of more military spending with no tax rises. But Starmer et al can be counted on to find the money for national service and the expanded regular force demanded by West and Dannatt when the time comes. As Ukraines NATO-backed regime faces a debacle in its war with Russia, the NATO powers are accelerating preparations for a massive military escalation in Ukraine. This was the outcome of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held on Monday in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Russia can and must suffer strategic defeat in Ukraine, the Sofia communique declared. It called for a clearly stated strategy premised on the goal that Ukraine must be provided with all that it needs, as quickly as possible and for as long as it takes for it to win. A US Marine HIMARS system at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. (Credit: US Marines) [Photo: US Marines] If NATO seeks to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, dealing a shattering blow to its army and forcing regime-change in Moscow, it will require the more direct entry of NATO forces into the war. Ukraines army has been bled white, losing over a half-million men, and is in retreat all along the front. The Sofia communique advocated lifting some restrictions on the use of weapons provided by NATO Allies to strike legitimate targets in Russia. Until now, Ukrainian strikes on targets in Russia have largely been confined to the nearby city of Belgorod, within range of Ukrainian-built missiles. The Sofia meeting demanded that the western powers let Ukraine use longer-range Storm Shadow, SCALP, Taurus and ATACMS missiles provided by NATO to bomb cities deep inside Russia. Workers and youth internationally must be warned: NATO is carrying out a monumentally reckless escalation of a war between major nuclear-armed powers. After UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine could use British Storm Shadow missiles to bomb Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry called in British Ambassador Nigel Casey and warned that Russia would retaliate by striking targets in Britain. By nonetheless echoing Camerons threats, NATO is making clear it is prepared to risk open war with Russia. Last night, at a summit in Meseberg, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron both called for letting Ukraine bomb Russia with NATO missiles. Macron said, If we tell them they cant hit where the missiles are fired from, in fact were saying, we give you weapons but you cant defend yourselves. This came amid the announcement that Finland, Poland and the Baltic states are fortifying a drone wall along the Russian border to prepare to fight Russian military drones. On Saturday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski told the Guardian that US and Russian officials are discussing the potential use of nuclear bombs: The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesnt kill anybody, we will hit all your targets [positions] in Ukraine with conventional weapons, well destroy all of them. I think thats a credible threat. While Sikorski mentioned a scenario in which the Kremlin was the first to use nuclear weapons, his remarks suggest that NATO has greater motivation to do so. Indeed, he admitted that Europe would be at a disadvantage in a conventional war with Russia, whose troops are now heavily armed veterans of two years of war. Sikorski said that after the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Europe didnt just disarm, it deindustrialised in the defence field. And with hindsight it looks like a mistake. It is obvious that Europe is lagging behind. He added: We focused on high-value, hi-tech platforms and weapons. We are only now rediscovering that actually you just need millions of shells. You need large volumes of low-tech stuff as well. This raises the danger that NATO could decide to use nuclear weapons in a war to counterbalance this relative weakness. NATO war plans against Russia are bound up with a global imperialist agenda. In Sofia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attacked China for trading with Russia during the Ukraine war. The Sofia communique called for denouncing the military assistance provided by the Belarusian, Iranian and North Korean regimes to Russias war, concluding that aid to Ukraine is therefore a small investment compared to the strategic benefits related to Ukraines victory. That is, NATO does not only hope to gain access to Russias vast reserves of oil, gas and critical strategic minerals by dealing a strategic defeat to Russia and installing a puppet regime in Moscow. Escalation against Russia is bound up with war in East Asia, the Middle East and against Iran. This takes its sharpest form in NATOs backing of Israel amid its genocide in Gaza. Moscow responded to Stoltenbergs comments by denouncing NATO. NATO is flirting with military rhetoric and falling into military ecstasy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said. Asked if NATO was close to a direct confrontation with Russia, he replied, They are not getting close; they are in it. The NATO escalation, however, is exposing the bankruptcy of the nationalist strategy underlying the Russian capitalist regimes reactionary invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlins bid to use Russias military might to bring NATO to the negotiating table and to force it to recognize Russias security concerns has failed. Russia now faces the prospect of a war with the entire NATO alliance that would likely escalate into a nuclear conflagration. The greatest danger in this situation is that masses of workers and youth are not fully aware of the extent and immediacy of the danger. NATO governments are plotting this escalation behind the backs of the people, mouthing phrases about aid to Ukraine and a European war economy without explaining the catastrophic implications of such policies. There is overwhelming popular opposition in Europe to French President Emmanuel Macrons proposal to send NATO troops to fight Russia in Ukraine. Polls have found that 68 percent of French people, 80 percent of Germans and 90 percent of Poles oppose this policy. This opposition would undoubtedly be higher and more active if masses of workers and youth were aware of the vast scale of the war that NATO is preparing to unleash. Workers and youth must be alerted, and the conspiracy of militarist governments and media spouting war propaganda to hide the danger from the masses must be exposed. There is no way to halt the war via a national strategy and on a capitalist basis. Averting a Third World War in Europe depends on building an international, socialist anti-war movement in the working class. NATOs escalation against Russia is unfolding alongside global mass protests against the NATO-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza. Youth and workers involved in this struggle must be armed with the understanding that both the Gaza genocide and the NATO escalation against Russia flow from the imperialist powers pursuit of global hegemony via war. It is necessary to mobilize the working class against the global escalation of imperialist war, and to fuse the struggle against war with the social and economic demands that have propelled workers into struggle all over the world. The fight against war is inseparable from the fight to end the capitalist social order that is the root cause of war and to replace it with socialism. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. A delegation headed by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov left for a working visit to the Republic of Turkiye on May 29, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Within the framework of the working visit to the brotherly country, made at the invitation of the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkiye Yasar Guler, several meetings of the senior staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan and participation in the Distinguished Visitors Day within the multinational exercise EFES-2024 are planned, the information reads. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Congress Party, Indias principal opposition party, is stumping for votes in Indias multi-phase general election by casting itself and its allies in the India National Development Inclusive Alliance as the only means of preventing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from trashing the constitution; and by making a calibrated appeal to popular discontent over mass joblessness, chronic poverty, and burgeoning social inequality. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly attacked Modi and the BJP for their close ties to India and Asias two wealthiest billionaires, Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. On Tuesday, Gandhi mocked the would-be Hindu strongman Modi for his recent claims that God has sent me for a purpose and would decide when his work as prime minister will be done. God sent Modi to help Adani and not the poor, the Congress Party leader told an election rally in Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state, while campaigning for the seventh and final phase of the general election, which is to be held this Saturday. The votes from all phases will be tabulated Tuesday June 4. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi, right, and his mother and fellow senior party leader Sonia Gandhi leave a polling booth after casting their votes in the sixth round of polling in India's national election in New Delhi, India, Saturday, May 25, 2024. [AP Photo/Manish Swarup] In his speech, Gandhi returned to a number of the key populist promises the Congress Party has made throughout the campaign in an attempt to tap into mass anger and frustration over acute socioeconomic distress. These promises include: ceding to farmers longstanding demand for a minimum agricultural support price for their crops; a new right to an apprenticeship for all graduates under the age of 25; reviewing and amending the BJPs anti-worker labour reform laws; providing free public health care; doubling the amount of free grain available to the poor; and increasing by more than 25 percent to 400 rupees (US $4.80) the daily wage paid for menial work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee program. All this is a hypocritical fraud. Were the big business Congress Party and its India National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners to take office they would form a right-wing capitalist government committed, like that led by Modi and his BJP, to continuing pro-investor reformprivatization, deregulation, and fiscal consolidation (austerity)and to New Delhis anti-China war alliance with US imperialism. While the Congress campaign has focused on phony appeals to the grievances of Indias workers and toilers, the Congress manifesto, Nyay Patra (Pledge for Justice), makes a whole series of promises to big business. It touts the Congress role under the 1991-96 Namasimha Rao Congress government in inaugurating anti-worker neo-liberal reform; denounces the Modi regime for stifling business with excessive regulations and crony capitalism; and proclaims that the most immediate objective of a Congress Party-led government will be to restore a healthy, fearless and trustworthy climate for businesses. Continuing in this vein, it declares, We will conduct a comprehensive review of the current rules and regulations and repeal or amend them in order to restore freedom to industry, business and trade. Calls for a more bellicose anti-China stance and increased military spending In a silence that bespeaks consent, the Congress manifesto makes no mention of the Indo-US Global Strategic Partnership under which India has been transformed into a frontline state in Washingtons incendiary military-strategic offensive against nuclear-armed China. It does, however, emphasize the need for continuity in Indias foreign policy. It was the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government that joined with the George W. Bush administration, as it was waging illegal neo-colonial wars against Afghanistan and Iraq and was threatening Iran, to forge the Indo-US strategic partnership. Since then, it has colluded with the BJPbehind the backs of the Indian peopleto integrate New Delhi ever more completely into a web of bilateral, trilateral and quadrilateral military-security ties with the US and its closest Asia-Pacific allies, Japan and Australia. Tellingly, in their election manifesto and on the campaign trail, Gandhi and other Congress Party leaders have repeatedly attacked Modi for being soft on China. This under conditions where the Modi government has for the past four years forward deployed tens of thousands of troops, tanks and warplanes along Indias disputed Himalayan border with China and authorized them to take military action that could trigger an all-out war. Although India has the fourth-largest military budget in the world, spending more than $83 billion in 2023, the Congress Party decries the decline in defence expenditure as a proportion of total expenditure. In addition to increased arms expenditures, it is pledging to introduce a new National Security Strategy and a new Operational Directive to deal with the challenge of a two-front war with China and Pakistan. Modi and the BJP have responded to the Congress bellicose claims that they have failed to stand up to China by boasting about the surgical strikesillegal cross-border attackstheir government ordered against Pakistan, which brought South Asias rival nuclear powers to the brink of war in 2016 and 2019. On both occasions, the Congress and the ethno-chauvinist, caste-ist and Stalinist parties with which it is now allied in the INDIA electoral coalition rallied around the BJP government. As for the Congress Party and Indias claims to be a democratic and secular bulwark against the fascist BJP and its Hindu supremacist allies, they are no less fraudulent than its pro-people posturing. While Gandhi decries the most brazen instances of BJP communal incitement, the Congress Party has long connived with the Hindu right. Even sections of the corporate media have described its posture as one of Hindutva lite. It joined in the celebrations of Januarys inauguration of a Ram Temple on the site of the Babri Masjid (mosque), which was razed in 1992 as the result of a BJP-RSS conspiracy and in open defiance of the Supreme Court. Its only quibble was that the BJP made it into a partisan political affair by placing Modi at the centre of the ceremony. Many of the Congress INDIA alliance partners are themselves erstwhile BJP allies. These include the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led wing of the Maharatshra-based Shiv Sena, a fascistic Hindutva-espousing party with a long history of inciting communal and ethnic violence. While the Congress declaims against the authoritarian actions of the Modi government, when in office it has frequently run roughshod over democratic rights. And while it has taken to demagogically criticizing the immense chasm between a tiny handful of Indian rich and super-rich and the hundreds of millions who go to bed hungry every night, it is responsible for the pro-investor policies that have produced this social polarization, which is at the root of the breakdown of democracy. One of Congress and INDIAs principal election promises, dressed up as a blow for social justice, is to expand Indias reservation (affirmative action) system, under which some government jobs and university places are designated for Dalits and other historically oppressed lower caste groups, to the private sector. Initiated by the British colonial regime as part of its divide and rule strategy, reservation was adopted by the rulers of independent capitalist India as a means of cultivating a privileged petty bourgeois layer among the Dalits to suppress dissent, and of channeling social opposition away from anti-capitalist class struggle into inter-caste conflicts among workers and the rural poor. In India as around the world, the democratic rights of working people cannot be defended by clutching to the discredited right-wing parties of the bourgeoisie and to the capitalist state. Rather, it is bound up with the development of the class struggle, with the independent political mobilization of the working class rallying all the toilers and rural poor behind it in opposition to capitalism and all the political representatives of the ruling class. Essential to Congress attempts to posture as a progressive and pro-people alternative to Modi and his BJP is the support it is once again receiving from the Stalinist parliamentary partiesthe Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM and the Communist Party of India (CPI)and their affiliated unions. Long part of the Indian political establishment, the CPM and CPI serve as left-window dressing for the Congress and its INDIA alliance. They wave red flags and carry posters bearing the hammer and sickle while stumping for votes for what till recently was the Indian bourgeoisies preferred party of national government. In this they have been joined by Indias principal Maoist grouping, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. The CPI (M-L) has been incorporated into the INDIA bloc as yet another left fig leaf. It is standing four candidates under the INDIA banner, three in Bihar and one in neighbouring Jharkhand. Everywhere else, it is striving to rally the rural poor, workers, and students behind the likes of the Congress Party, Shiv Sena, and in West Bengal, the Trinamul Congress, led by the anti-communist firebrand Mamata Banerjee. Twenty years ago this month, in May 2004, the Congress Party and its allies were, to their own surprise, swept to power in a political earthquake as Indias workers and toilers emphatically rejected the claims of the six-year-old BJP-led government that India was shining. At that time, the Congress Party, buoyed by the support given it by the CPM-led Left Front, claimed they would deliver reforms, but with a human face. Inevitably the claim that the interests of the masses could be reconciled with the rapacious profit imperatives of capitalthat pro-investor reform could be coupled with increased social support for Indias workers and toilersproved to be a cruel hoax. A dynastic party reduced to life support In the years after the 2008-9 global financial crisis, as capitalist growth in India slowed, support for the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government eroded. Working people were angered by growing economic distress and the manifest cash nexus between UPA leaders and big business. The capitalist elite, meanwhile, turned to the Modi-led BJP as a means to more aggressively push through pro-market reforms and pursue their great-power ambitions on the world stage. Since 2014, the Congress Party has suffered one electoral debacle after another. In the past two national elections, Congress has won less than 20 percent of the vote and captured respectively 44 and 52 seats. Its previous worst-ever total114 in 1999was more than double that. In large swathes of the country, including much of north India, West Bengal and Odisha, Congress has been reduced to a bit player. Currently, Indias so-called Grand Old Party leads the government in just three of Indias 28 states, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. Desperate to avoid another electoral thumping, Congress has conceded to its allies a far larger number of seats than ever before. Congress has never contested fewer than 400 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, yet in this election it is standing just 328 candidates. Modi and his BJP have responded to Rahul Gandhis charge that they are in thick with Ambani and Adani by pointing to the dynastic character of the Congress Party. For more than half a century, the Congress Party has functioned as a dynastic party whose fortunes have been inseparable from that of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The son, grandson and great-grandson of Indian prime ministers, Rahul Gandhi owes his position at the head of the Congress Party, as does the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, to their family ties. At the outset of the election campaign, the domestic and international media loudly proclaimed that Modi and his BJP would be returned to power in a romp. However, in recent weeks they have observed that the Modi wave appears to have fallen flat and that the BJP has responded with communal incitement and a torrent of lies. Whether a discredited, corrupt Congress Party, till recently visibly clinging to life support, and its INDIA allies will have proved able to tap into popular anger remains to be seen. But whatever the outcome of the 2024 election, the working class will rapidly come into conflict with Indias next government, as world capitalism, mired in a systemic global crisis, veers to barbarism. On May 24, John Braddock and Tom Peters, World Socialist Web Site writers and members of the Socialist Equality Group (SEG) in New Zealand, spoke with Dean Hapeta (aka Te Kupu) on his radio show Te Kupu Na Te Kupu, on the Maori station Te Upoko o te Ika Radio, about the global campaign to free Ukrainian socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk. Hapeta began by reading the petition, Free Bogdan Syrotiuk, Ukrainian socialist and opponent of NATOs proxy war! The 25-year-old, a leading member of the Young Guard of Bolshevik Leninists (YGBL), is the victim of a political frame-up by the SBU, Ukraines fascistic security police. Bogdan and the YGBL, along with the WSWS and the International Committee of the Fourth International, are being falsely accused of supporting Russias invasion of Ukraine. The petition states: In fact, Bogdan is an intransigent opponent of the capitalist Putin regime and its invasion of Ukraine. He fights for the unity of the working class in Ukraine, Russia and throughout the former Soviet Union. He is being held in atrocious conditions and, if found guilty by a kangaroo court, faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment, which is equivalent to a death sentence. In a discussion lasting nearly two hours, Peters and Braddock explained the real reasons for Bogdans arrest and what it reveals about the Ukrainian regime and the proxy war it is waging, on behalf of the US and NATO imperialist powers, against Russia. They also spoke about the connection between this war, Israels genocide in Gaza, and US war plans targeting Iran and Chinaall of which are different fronts in a developing world war. The YGBL, which is active in Ukraine, Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, opposes the war from the standpoint that the workers of Russia and Ukraine have nothing to gain from slaughtering each other in the service of these regimes, Peters explained. On the one side, you have the Russian oligarchy that is determined to defend its wealth and resources. On the other side, the imperialist powers are using Ukraine and the Zelensky puppet government to try and inflict a military defeat on Russia and ultimately to carve up and subordinate Russia and the entire region of Eurasia to take their resources and establish US imperialist hegemony. To do that, they are willing to fight to the last Ukrainian. Bogdan and the YGBL, he continued, were being persecuted for the crime of elaborating a socialist program to put an end to the war. Ukraines regime is terrified that its positions are finding support in the working class, which is suffering tremendously: the war has killed more than 500,000 Ukrainians and Russians. The Zelensky regime is running out of people to conscript into the military, and is seeking to force hundreds of thousands of military-age men who fled overseas to return and fight. The depiction of Ukraine in the media, as a democracy defending itself against Putins authoritarian regime, was a lie, Peters said. He quoted from the US State Departments own human rights report highlighting a litany of abuses by the Ukrainian state, including enforced disappearance, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary arrest or detention, serious problems with the independence of the judiciary, restrictions on freedom of expression including for members of the media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and censorship. Speaking about the causes of the war, Braddock refuted the mainstream media propaganda that the war began on the day that Russia invaded. He explained: You cant analyse a war according to who fired the first shot The preparation for the war in Ukraine was laid nearly a decade before with the Maidan coup. In 2014, the US and its allies supported the overthrow of a pro-Russian government, working closely with neo-fascist forces such as the Svoboda Party, which glorifies Ukraines Nazi collaborators in the Second World War. The 2014 coup provoked Russias annexation of Crimea and a civil war in the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, in which thousands of people were killed. NATO spent years building up Ukraines military, which is infested with fascists, and moved tens of thousands of troops into Eastern Europe, surrounding Russia in preparation for war. The longstanding aim of US imperialism, since the restoration of capitalism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union by Stalinism in 1991, was to seize control over all the resources that had previously been inaccessible to them. The defeat of Russia, moreover, is viewed in Washington as a necessary preparation for an even more decisive war against China, Americas main economic rival. Braddock warned: We are now dealing with a situation that is tobogganing towards a Third World War. In the last few weeks, Paris, Berlin and Britain are now talking about putting NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine, raising the imminent danger of all-out war between nuclear-armed powers. Hapeta observed that some people in New Zealand believe a war between Russia and Ukraine is far away and doesnt affect them. He said this was not the case, and the government would join a Third World War against whoever the US is fighting. Tom Peters Peters replied that New Zealand was already involved: the previous Labour Party-led government sent 200 soldiers to Britain in 2022 to help train Ukrainian conscripts. As a member of the Five Eyes intelligence network led by the US, New Zealand may also be assisting in gathering intelligence to assist the war. The imprisonment of Bogdan and many other anti-war activists within Ukraine was part of a global process, Peters said, as we can see in the crackdown thats happening now against the protesters who are [opposing] genocide in Gaza, the student encampments in particular. The imperialist powers wanted to impose the conditions that exist in Ukraine and in Israel all over the world: theyre trying to criminalise opposition to imperialist war and genocide. Hapeta quoted a March 28 Reuters report which stated that at least 19,855 people have been detained in Russia for expressing anti-war views since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Peters said thousands had also been imprisoned in Ukraine for what are basically thought crimes. Thats what Bogdan has been detained for: not for trying to sabotage anything, or to assassinate anybody or to do anything violent at all. Its simply for writing articles and distributing them and expressing his opinions, engaging in political activities. Braddock emphasised that while there was a growing rebellion of people around the world against the Gaza genocide, war could not be ended through appeals to the imperialist governments. He and Peters urged those listening to learn from the 1917 Russian Revolution, in which the working class led by the Bolshevik Party overthrew the capitalist class and created the first workers state. The fear of revolution throughout Europe forced the imperialist powers to bring an end to World War I. Likewise, the developing Third World War can only be ended through the mobilisation of the working class in every country, to abolish its source: the global capitalist system, and establish a planned socialist economy. The fight to free Bogdan, and the defence of all those who are persecuted for opposing genocide and war, is an indispensable part of the struggle to build such an anti-war movement. The Albanese Labor government this month demonstrated its commitment to the fossil fuel industries that form the backbone of Australian capitalism. It released a Future Gas Strategy, promising to increase the extraction of natural gas through to 2050 and beyond, including expansions of large gas projects in Western Australia, run by companies like Chevron and Woodside. Future Gas Strategy [Photo: Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources] Despite claims by the government that gas needs to be used as a bridging fuel to get to net-zero carbon emissions, climate scientists have warned that this approach would lock in around 3 degrees Celsius of global warming, leading to catastrophic worldwide consequences. More than 80 percent of the gas mined in Australia is exported. The country is already one of the largest exporters of liquefied natural gasaround $85 billion worth in 2023accounting for about 20 percent of the world market, as well as being a giant coal exporter. This makes corporations operating in Australia some of the biggest contributors to global warming. Although the Labor government claims it is committed to ensuring that the carbon emissions associated with gas will be abated and offset, the strategy is deliberately vague on how this will be accomplished. There are mentions of reforms to the pro-business Safeguard Mechanism put in place in 2016 by the previous Liberal-National Coalition government, which failed to reduce emissions, as well as decarbonisation plans. However, these schemes do not have the scope to counteract the devastating effects that the increased gas emissions will have on the climate. In fact, Labors version of the Safeguard Mechanism allows the countrys 215 biggest polluting companies to buy carbon credits to supposedly offset their emissions and gives them years to do so. The gas announcement was condemned by environmental organisations, such as the Climate Council and the Australian Conservation Foundation. On the other hand, it was warmly embraced by the gas industry and the corporate media. An article in the Australian described the strategy as a step in the right direction. This is not an isolated betrayal from a government otherwise committed to climate action. On the contrary, it is the latest in a string of such decisions by Labor and its environment minister Tanya Plibersek. Plibersek last month revealed that the governments long-promised reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act would be put on hold. This legislation, introduced by the Howard Coalition government in 1999, is Australias principal environmental protection law. It is woefully deficient, even according to official inquiries. A 2021 report by Professor Graeme Samuelafter a 10-year review of the Actdescribed it as ineffective and not fit to address current or future environmental challenges. Among its many weaknesses is that it does not mention climate changethe primary threat to ecological functioning in the 21st centuryas an issue that must be considered before allowing mining and other projects to proceed. Samuels recommendations were limited to changes such as disclosure of fossil fuel emissions for development proposals. But even this was too much for the mining conglomerates and the Albanese government. As recently as December 2022, Plibersek said the government would deliver a reform package for the broken laws in 2023, yet any changes have now been delayed to an unspecified time in the future. Plibersek has tried to distract attention from the governments actions by proposing a national Environment Protection Agency (EPA). However, even this limited proposal allows her or any future environment minister to veto any EPA decisions, in the national interestthat is, in the interest of Australian capitalism. Under the existing EPBC laws, successive federal governments have approved at least 740 fossil fuel projects. The Albanese government has not bucked this trend at all. In her role as environment minister since May 2022, Plibersek has given the green light for a number of fossil fuel projects. These include four new coal mines, which are estimated to produce a total of 156 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during their lifetime, as well as a Santos gas fracking project in 2023. Woodside's Pluto facility on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia [Photo: Woodside Media] Plibersek has also refused requests to assess climate impacts under the EPBC Act for three coal mines or projects, which combined are estimated to produce a lifetime total of 1,457 million tonnes of GHG emissions. Even under the current EPBC laws, Plibersek could reject such projects by citing their damage to ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. She is choosing not to. Instead, Plibersek has used her powers to reject the construction of some renewable energy projects, citing concerns for the damage they would do to wetland ecosystems and the species that rely on them. This is totally hypocritical. The biodiversity risk caused by the increased emissions of the coal plants she has approved apparently does not count. Furthermore, the governments recent budget demonstrated a complete lack of concern for the biodiversity crisis, with spending devoted to it representing less than 0.1 percent of the total budget. Albanese himself promised to deliver ambitious action on climate change shortly after taking office in May 2022. But a 2023 analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation showed that his government will be responsible for producing seven times more coal and gas emissions than it is set to cut by 2030. That is, for every tonne of emissions Albaneses government is projected to reduce, it will add seven more tonnes to the atmosphere through its support of coal, oil, and gas. This analysis found that 16 fossil fuel projects have received some kind of approval or other material support during the term of the Albanese government, the lifetime emissions of which will be equivalent to the annual pollution from every car, truck and bus currently driven in Australia for nearly 75 years. This demonstrates the bankruptcy of hoping to achieve genuine climate action by voting for Labor. No less than the Coalition, it serves the interests of mining conglomerates. The Greens, while criticising aspects of Labors actions, promote the illusion that by voting for them, Labor can be pressured to take meaningful action on climate change. But the Greens backed the pro-business emissions targets set by Labor in 2022, which are far short of what is necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. The Greens pact with Labor is in line with their general messaging that somehow the capitalist profit system can be reformed to prevent ecological disaster. In reality, capitalism is fundamentally incapable of solving the problems it has created, including disastrous climate change, along with war and soaring social inequality. Only a socialist reorganisation of society that overturns the profit system can seriously address the climate crisis. In a series of press briefings on Tuesday, the Biden administration fully endorsed the Israeli airstrikes on women and children in the Rafah refugee camps in southern Gaza that killed 45 people on Sunday and another 21 on Tuesday. Displaced Palestinians inspect their tents destroyed by Israel's bombardment, adjacent to an UNRWA facility west of Rafah city, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 28, 2024 [AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi] White House National Security spokesman John Kirby called Sundays airstrike targeted and justified the strike by claiming it killed members of the Hamas movement. They killed Hamas operatives and a Hamas compound, Kirby said. I dont know how anybody could dispute that they werent trying to go after Hamas in a targeted, precise way, Kirby said of the bombardment that killed dozens and wounded hundreds of Palestinian civilians. Kirby fully endorsed Israels ongoing aerial assault and ground offensive in Gaza, declaring: If you think Hamas is just gone, theyre not gone from Rafah or from Gaza. And if you think theyve abandoned their genocidal intent towards the nation of Israel, think again, they havent. So Israel has every right to not want to live next to that kind of threat. And yes, were going to continue to provide them the capabilities to go after it. Kirby explained that after the latest mass killings, there would be no policy changes on the part of the United States. Asked why the White House continued to provide unlimited support to Israel despite overwhelming popular opposition to this policy, Kirby declared, The president does not make decisions or execute policy based on public opinion polling. In a separate briefing, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh called Israels attack on Gaza limited. For weeks, the US media had promoted the claim that the Biden administration had set a red line prohibiting Israel from attacking Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza where over 1 million displaced people had sought shelter. In reality, while making statements that seemed critical of Netanyahu, the White House openly declared that it had a shared objective with Israel to see Hamas defeated in Rafah. Before the eyes of the whole world, the Biden administrations claims to oppose the killing of Palestinian civilians have been exposed as a total fraud, and Biden emerges clearly as the leading international sponsor of the Gaza genocide, complicit in war crimes alongside Netanyahu. The series of massacres in Rafah and their open endorsement by the Biden administration mark the response by Israel and the United States to last weeks ruling by the International Court of Justice commanding Israel to stop killing Palestinians in Rafah. The Netanyahu and Biden administrations are asserting their right to commit any crime in defiance of both international law and mass popular opposition. International human rights organizations were unequivocal in their denunciation of the Biden administrations role in the genocide. Let us be clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The US is complicit in genocide, wrote the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. It continued: We are disgusted by Western leaders, especially in the USA, Germany, and the UK. They have demonstrated not only that they dont care one bit about genocide prevention and human rights, but also that they are willing to allow an ally to commit atrocity crimes while they offer material and diplomatic support. ... They should also be put on trial. In a statement on X, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wrote: Day after day, massacre after massacre, and the Biden administration continues to ship bombs to the far-right, openly genocidal Israeli government that it uses to slaughter Palestinian children, women, medical personnel, journalists, international aid workers, and the sick and elderly, and continues to shield Israel from international accountability. The White House coupled its endorsement of the Rafah massacre with absurd and false statements about the situation on the ground. As Israeli forces published photos and videos of tanks occupying the center of Rafah, the White House spokespeople denied that ground forces had moved into the city. They are moving along something called the Philadelphi Corridor, which is on the outskirts of the town, not in the town proper, Kirby said, declaring, We have not seen a major ground operation. This was the same day that the Financial Times declared in its lead news story, Israeli tanks enter central Rafah, stating that Israel was sending tanks into the heart of Gazas southernmost city despite growing international condemnation of the operation. On Tuesday, Israeli forces killed at least 21 people, including 13 women and girls, in an airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah. Reporting on the strike in al-Mawasi, Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda said in a video: Behind me, at least until now 18 people were killed only 30 minutes ago while a bomb targeted a tent with only civilians, only civilians, only women and children. All these people were in a tent getting ready to have their lunch, and they were bombed, they were targeted. Owda added: People are shocked, people cannot talk, people found themselves gathering the remains of human bodies, of their beloved ones. So, I just cannot describe anything because Im afraid of looking under my feet because people are still collecting human pieces. To date, 1 million people have been forced to flee the city of Rafah, the United Nations said Tuesday, with nowhere safe to go. The assault on Rafah has shattered the humanitarian food distribution system throughout Gaza, with next to no food entering the territory, which is on the verge of famine. There has been nothing limited about the suffering and misery that Israels military operation in Rafah has brought to the people of Gaza said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. [It] has cut off the flow of aid into southern Gaza and crippled a humanitarian operation already stretched beyond its breaking point. It has halted food distributions in the south and slowed the supply of fuel for Gazas lifelines bakeries, hospitals and water wellsto a mere trickle [at] a time when the people of Gaza are staring down famine. The anti-genocide strike by University of California (UC) academic workers against the crackdown on campus protests expanded on Tuesday with 6,400 United Auto Workers members walking out at UCLA and another 5,700 at UC Davis. They joined 2,000 academic workers at UC Santa Cruz who have been on strike since May 20. UCLA graduate student workers on strike May 28, 2024 against repression of anti-genocide protests. In mid-May, 48,000 academic workers in UAW Local 4811 voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at the nations largest state university system. The initiative came from rank-and-file graduate students, researchers and other academic workers who were outraged by the April 30 attack on the Palestine Solidarity Encampment at UCLA by right-wing Zionists, which was aided and abetted by the police. The following day, police carried out a violent assault on the student encampment resulting in dozens of injuries and the arrests of nearly 200 students and academic workers. In an effort to get ahead of this rank-and-file rebellion and smother it, the UAW apparatus, which is working actively for the reelection of Genocide Joe Biden, initially called out students at only one of UCs ten campuses. The maneuver by UAW President Shawn Fain is modeled on the bogus standup strike during last years auto industry contract battle, which kept two-thirds of the UAW members on the job producing profits for the automakers. UAW officials only sanctioned the strikes at UCLA and UC Davis because they feared that rank-and-file academic workers would take matters into their own hands and walk out with or without the permission of the UAW bureaucracy. At the same time, the California Public Employment Relations Board denied the universitys request for a court injunction to outlaw the strike last week, no doubt out of concern that such a back-to-work order would be defied by striking workerspotentially triggering far broader strikes to defend students around the country. For the time being, state officials have opted to rely on the UAW bureaucracy to do their dirty work by isolating and wearing down the resistance of striking workers. At present only a quarter of the UAW members at UC are on strike, with the last week of classes beginning next week. The UAW bureaucracy has also sought to prevent any strike from continuing into the summer quarter by inserting a June 30 termination date in the strike authorization provision. Graduate student workers on strike at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, May 28, 2024. The UAW bureaucracy has also done as little as possible to inform members in the auto and other industries about the UC strike. Where they have learned about it, chiefly from the efforts of the World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) there has been broad support for the striking academic workers and their fight to defend basic democratic rights. WSWS reporters spoke with several striking UCLA workers as several hundred walked picket lines and marched through the campus chanting, Our university, UC, UC, youre no good, treat your workers like you should! and other slogans. A medical resident who wanted to remain anonymous said, As a healthcare worker, as a doctor, we absolutely need to protect the right to speak against genocide. Innocent people are being murdered and have been and are being killed, bombed and starved. For all practical purposes, every hospital in Gaza has been destroyed or no longer functions. Hospitals, schools, UNRWAevery single institution has been destroyed with the intent to cause as much harm to the Palestinians in Gaza as possible. So, it is our duty as people that have taken an oath to do no harm, to be healthcare workers, to protect human life. It is our duty to speak out when we see something, anywhere in the world. Emily, a UCLA planetary science graduate student, added, I mean what is at stake and what should be the main focus are the lives of the roughly two million people still in Gaza. Theyre experiencing genocide right now at the hands of the Israeli government and all the governments that are supporting it. Emily Speaking on the need to expand the strike, she said, If were being honest, well probably need even more workers to go on strike, more campuses to come up and more activity in terms of the people who originally were doing the encampment. I dont think just the university activities and strikes are going to be enough to stop the genocide. I think it would take a lot of organizing in terms of the entire country. You would need multiple unions to come together and organize something like a general strike. Anna, a professor in the Department of Education, stressed the lessons of history. Its unfortunately been true across history that when people rise up and demand justice for the many, the few often come down hard. Its been fascinating to me over the last five, ten years to see the way that weve sort of created this narrative that nonviolent protest means that nobody is inconvenienced. Thats never been true of protests across history, across time, and certainly not of effective protests. Theo, a history graduate student, was disgusted with the ongoing genocide. Its abhorrent. As citizens, our tax dollars directly fund this genocide and then our students and workers at the University of California, its our tuition that directly goes to this genocide. So workers, students, community members, faculty have been out in the streets for months. Thats only escalated with the student encampments to say that we demand the university end its complicity. Theo also agreed the strike needed to be greatly expanded. All workers should take action in this moment. Its super important for all of us to stand together. Aaron, an adjunct professor who was not a member of the UAW, said, The UAW represents workers at companies that are directly involved in manufacturing equipment and weapons for Israel. So, if this kind of strike could get expanded to those type of companies, it would be really an important move. I hope that other people in the UAW are thinking about how they could stop this genocide. Aaron Alfonso, a communications graduate student, was also supportive of mobilizing the working class to halt the Israeli and US war machines. If we could organize to pull that off, a general strike in all industries, that would be great. In other words, students appealing to workers. I think there is talk about that. There needs to be a mass organizing power to pull it off. Alfonso The expansion of the UC strike is an important step in the growing entry of the working class as the basic force against war and police repression. But academic workers must take the initiative independently of the UAW apparatus, which is aligned with Biden and the pro-war Democratic Party, and expand the strike to all 10 UC campuses, as well as the entire UAW membership, including in the auto and defense factories. To enforce their strike mandate and democratic will, UC workers must form 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. To get involved in the fight for rank-and-file committees, fill out the form below. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The Azerbaijani Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who is on a working visit to Turkiye, has discussed prospects for the development of cooperation in the military, military-technical, and military-educational fields with the fraternal countrys National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Trend reports via the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan. The parties also discussed a thorough exchange of views on a number of issues of mutual interest. To note, a delegation headed by Hasanov has left for a working visit to Turkiye. Within the framework of the working visit to the brotherly country, made at the invitation of Guler, several meetings of the senior staff of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan and participation in the Distinguished Visitors Day within the multinational exercise EFES-2024 are planned. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Baku Initiative Group and Tavini Huiraatira Party of French Polynesia have widely discussed ways to further develop cooperation during a meeting held at the group's headquarters, Trend reports. The parties also discussed ways to continue practical activities in various fields. The meeting once again emphasized the importance of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the parties during the conference "Decolonization Path: Consequences of Assimilation and its Impact on the Realization of Human Rights," held on April 30 this year at the UN Office in Vienna. Moreover, Azerbaijan's role in the fight against colonialism was highly praised. The delegation from French Polynesia once again expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for the support provided to countries during the decolonization process. The Initiative Group's Executive Director Abbas Abbasov pointed out that his organization will continue to support the fair struggle of peoples seeking liberation from colonialism. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev, who is on a working visit to Turkiye in order to participate in EFES - 2024 multinational exercise, met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Turkiye, Army General Metin Gurak, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. The meeting discussed current state of military and military-technical cooperation, and emphasized the importance of increasing the intensity of joint exercises in order to exchange experience. In the working visit to the brotherly country, invited by Turkiye's National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, senior staff of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan will meet and participate in EFES-2024's Distinguished Visitors Day. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Lasting over 200 years, the Tang Dynasty, or the Tang Empire, is considered to be the golden age in the chronicle of Chinas history. The Tang Dynasty can be characterized by great socio-economic and political prosperity, and its emperors were known to be patrons of art, architecture, and literature. With so much history to offer, the Tang Dynasty successfully provided the backdrop for many famous Chinese dramas, including The Long Ballad, The Empress of China, The Longest Day in Changan, and more. Here is a list of dramas that took inspiration from the ever-influential Tang Dynasty: 1. The Long Ballad This 2021 costume C-drama features Dilraba Dilmurat and Leo Wu in the lead roles. The Tang Dynasty faces turmoil after the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Meanwhile, Li Chang Ge (Dilraba Dilmurat) somehow manages to escape after her whole family is slaughtered. She takes an oath to avenge her family and forms an army to confront the new emperor. However, a sudden attack by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate forces interrupts her plans. General Ashile Sun (Leo Wu) spares her life but keeps her captive as his strategist. Eventually, as they form a powerful military partnership, they start to fall for each other. The Long Ballad is available to stream on Tencent Video, iQIYI, Netflix, and Viki. 2. The Empress of China This 2014 C-drama follows the story of Wu Ru Yi (Fan Bingbing), a young girl who gains the emperors attention after joining the imperial harem of the Tang Dynasty. She is an exceptional performer who leaves other dancers behind in a short time. Jealousy takes over the other courtesans, and they ostracize her. Furthermore, they blame her for the death of a fellow dancer. In the face of inhumane torture, she confesses to the murder, and the king banishes her. The Empress of China is available to stream on Youku. 3. The Longest Day in Changan This 2019 C-drama takes place in the busy city of Changan, the heart of the Tang Empire. The remnants of a defeated kingdom plan an attack on Changan during the Lantern Festival. Meanwhile, the aging Emperor has no interest in his imperial duties. He is expected to announce the name of the newly appointed Right Chancellor during the festival. But the Right Chancellor might become the administrator and overthrow the Crown Prince. Li Bi (Jackson Yee), a young Taoist priest and an ally of the Crown Prince, attempts to prevent both the attack and the regency. He forms an allegiance with Zhang Xiao Jing (Lei Jiayin), a death row inmate and a war veteran. The Longest Day in Changan is available to stream on Viki, Prime Video, and Apple TV. 4. Palace of Desire It is a 2000 C-drama that features Chen Hong in the lead role. It tells the story of Princess Taiping (Chen Hong), the daughter of Empress Wu Ze Tian and Emperor Gaozong of Tang. After her mother becomes the empress, she gains great political power. Taiping falls in love with Xue Shao (Winston Chao), a commoner, but he turns down her proposal as he already has a wife and a child. Empress Wu murders his wife and child, but heartbroken Xue Shao kills himself right in front of the princess. But this wouldnt be the last time her unrequited life destroys lives. Other than these popular dramas, Judge Dees Mystery, Court Lady, Bloody Romance, An Oriental Odyssey, The Glory of Tang Dynasty, The Wolf, Gourmet in Tang Dynasty, Journey to the West, Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chinese Paladin, and Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty are also worth mentioning. The post Costume C-Dramas Set in the Tang Dynasty: The Long Ballad, The Empress of China & More appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Country music stars headed to Great Pocomoke Fair 2024: Everything to know Mark your calendars! The Great Pocomoke Fair is returning to the Eastern Shore this summer. Here's everything you need to know, including when and where the fair is being held, what family-friendly activities are in store, which country music stars are to make an appearance and much more. MARYLAND FOLK FESTIVAL: Salisbury to host Maryland Folk Festival again: All to know about the event When and where is The Great Pocomoke Fair? Concert attendees sing and dance along to Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin and Collin Raye at Docksides inaugural Dock Jam on Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Pocomoke City, Maryland. The Great Pocomoke Fair is set to take place from Aug. 7-11, 2024, at 2037 Broad St. in Pocomoke City, Maryland. The five-day event is made possible through the support of the Pocomoke City Mayor and Council, the Maryland Agricultural Fair Board and surrounding community. COUNTRY CALLING FESTIVAL: Ocean City's 2024 Country Calling to host Eric Church, Tyler Childers: Here's the lineup The history of The Great Pocomoke Fair The Great Pocomoke Fair initially began in 1901, when fairgoers would travel to and from Pocomoke City by train to explore exhibits, partake in games and witness horse races. The fair, which fell victim to The Great Depression, closed in 1930 before being reorganized and revived in 1991. GUIDE TO PBR EVENT: Ocean City professional bull riding event to return in May: Everything you need to know Great Pocomoke Fair announces Josh Turner and David Lee Murphy Josh Turner performs during CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. Get ready to jam out. The Great Pocomoke Fair has announced a big double bill of country stars Josh Turner and David Lee Murphy, who are set to perform live in concert on Saturday, Aug. 10. The concert gates are said to open at 6:30 p.m. Murphy will take the stage first at 7 p.m., with Turner following suit at 8:30 p.m. The Great Pocomoke Fair is experiencing a delay in being able to offer the tickets for sale, and is working directly with the artists for their approval. Tickets are expected to go on sale soon. David Lee Murphy will headline Country Night on July 16 at the Picktown Palooza. What activities are in store for The Great Pocomoke Fair? In addition to live music, this year's fair will feature an array of activities for people of all ages, including an antique tractor pull, live harness race, hobby horse races, pet pageant, local livestock and home crafting exhibits, Little Miss/Junior Miss Pocomoke Fair pageants and more. The home crafting exhibits featuring baked goods, homemade crafts and local art and decor will be on display in the Grandstand. Those interested in entering a submission may do so online. Also, all cake and pie entries will be sold at an auction between the live harness races. GUIDE TO OCEAN CITY BIKEFEST: Ocean City's BikeFest announces big classic rock double bill for fourth day. All to know. If you go: WHAT: The Great Pocomoke Fair WHERE: 2037 Broad St., Pocomoke City WHEN: Aug. 7-11, 2024 INFO: https://thegreatpocomokefair.org/ Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Great Pocomoke Fair lands two big country stars: Everything to know Princess Kate Middleton made a rare statement alongside her husband, Prince William, amid her time away from the public eye due to her cancer battle. The Princess and Prince of Wales released a statement via X on Saturday, May 25, following the news that Royal Air Force Pilot Mark Long died in a spitfire crash. The crash happened during a Battle of Britain event, where the pilot was maneuvering a World War II-era plane. Incredibly sad to hear of the news this afternoon from RAF Coningsby, Kate and William wrote via their verified account. Our thoughts this evening are with the pilots loved ones, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and the wider RAF family. The couple signed off the rare message with W&C for Will and Catherine. One day later, RAF Group Captain Robbie Lees, Commander Display Air Wing, released an official statement confirming Squadron Leader Mark Long had died in the accident. Mark was a Typhoon pilot here at RAF Coningsby and for the last four years, he has been a pilot with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the statement read on the RAF website on Sunday, May 26. A great friend, colleague, and a passionate, professional aviator he will be sorely missed by all that knew him. The RAF Group Captain confirmed an investigation into the cause of the tragic event has begun and said he would not be offering any comments on the accident until it had concluded. Will and Kate have a bond with the Royal Air Force, with William previously flying as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot from 2010 to 2013. In a more recent development, it was announced in August 2023 that William assumed the role of Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Valley, while Kate was appointed as Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby. The rare statement comes as Kate spends out of the public eye following the announcement of her cancer diagnosis in March. The mom of three went public with the shocking news after being absent from the limelight following a planned abdominal surgery in January. In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous, she shared in a video announcement on March 22. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment. After months of no news on Kates condition, Kensington Palace shared a rare update regarding the princesss health and her anticipated return to her royal duties on May 21. The princess is not expected to return to work until its cleared by her medical team, a spokesperson said, per BBC. See the Golden Buzzer Act that Simon Cowell Says Is 'One of the Funniest People' Ever Learnmore As Americas Got Talent kicks off its 19th season, a standup comic has never won the talent competition. Yes, Terry Fator, Paul Zerdin and Darci Lynne were funny, and they won, but in reality, they were ventriloquists who had some help from their puppets. But tonight, 31-year-old Learnmore from Zimbabwe, who now lives in Pittsburgh, demonstrated that he may be the first comedian to win the title with his act, which compared life in his small village in Zimbabwe to life in America. When he was done, Simon Cowell told him, I actually think youre one of the funniest people weve had over the years, and host Terry Crews used one of his Golden Buzzers for Learnmore. [This season the judges and Terry have more than one Golden Buzzer.] Before he performed, Learnmore told Simon, I used to watch this show with my grandmother and she used to say, I see you on this show, Learnmore. I would learn English from watching standup comedy with my grandfather, too. Related: Exclusive Look at Extreme Contortionist Arshiya on the America's Got Talent Premiere The good news for Learnmore is he will go straight to the Live Shows, the bad news for America is that we wont get to see him perform again until then. We are so glad youre here, Howie Mandel told him. Standup comedy is so hard as it is but to come from another country where English isnt even your first language, not only did you communicate with everybody but tickled everybody, made everybody laugh, you are truly amazing. Heidi Klum said, Youre funny, you look great, I love your spirit, your accent, the whole package. And Sofia Vergara added, I think you were good from top to bottom. This is the most fun time weve had today. Learnmore Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC In addition to Simon telling Learnmore that hes one of the funniest people on AGT over the years, he said, If youve got it, youve got it. I was laughing so much. You were having the best time as well. You are now stuck with us. Youre not going anywhere. Related: And the Winner of Americas Got Talent: Fantasy League Is... Then it was time for the vote. There was no doubt how it was going to go. Howie had voted yes and Heidi had raised her hand to say yes when Terry stopped her saying, Hold up, and walked off stage. Standing over the Golden Buzzer, Terry said, Learnmore, backstage you were telling me you were taking 14-hour bus trips to go perform for 5 minutes and then take 14-hour bus trips back home. Brother, you will never have to go back home again because you are here with us. So, saying, Terry hit the Golden Buzzer and sent Learnmore straight to the Live Shows. Americas Got Talent airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next day on Peacock. Next, Here's the Bottom Line on Season 19 of America's Got Talent You can try beer, and a dessert, made with cicadas at Lake Geneva's 'Cicadapalooza' Now through the beginning of July, potentially millions of Brood XIII 17-year cicadas are expected to descend upon Lake Geneva, Wis., about an hour southwest of Milwaukee. While some people find the cicadas' eery chirps and crunchy carcasses annoying, others are celebrating their arrival. In fact, on June 8, the Lake Geneva Public Library is hosting "Cicadapalooza," a free, educational celebration of the bugs for all ages. The festival will feature expert talks, walking tours, and even the opportunity to eat or drink the insects in dessert or beer form. Brood XIII cicadas spend most of their 17-year lifespan underground as juveniles, feeding on tree roots and hiding from predators. Every 17 years, members of the species emerge as adults to breed before dying after just four to six weeks. This summer, the insects are surfacing in Wisconsin for the first time since 2007. They'll be gone by the beginning of July, but while they're here, the cicadas are expected to overwhelm "cicada hot spots" in the state, including Lake Geneva and southwestern Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch received the first reports of Brood XIII cicadas in Wisconsin this year out of the Lake Geneva area just over a week ago. With some of the best-documented historical cicada activity in the state, Lake Geneva could very well be Wisconsin's "bug central" this summer. Residents have already shared photos of cicadas covering tree trunks, sidewalks and other surfaces. Curious to learn more about the bugs? Here's what to know about Cicadapalooza. What is Cicadapalooza? Cicadapalooza is a free, educational event for cicada lovers (or haters curious to learn more about the insects). Visitors can learn from insect experts, enjoy cicada-themed fare, and even see the bugs up close and personal. If you're feeling adventurous, you can try eating or drinking cicada. Executive Chef Ken Hnilo of Lake Geneva's Pier 290 Restaurant created a dessert for the occasion incorporating the bugs. Plus, local Topsy Turvy Brewery will have a very limited microbrew, "Magicicada Buzz" Nut Brown Ale, on tap. The beverage is made with dehydrated, ground cicadas and is said to have "nutty and earthy notes." If you prefer not to engage with the insects via consumption, you can instead interact with them on a walking tour. UW-Madison faculty and staff will lead four, 45-minute tours of Lake Geneva's Pioneer Cemetery. No one has been buried there in nearly five decades, meaning the undisturbed ground is perfect for massive numbers of cicadas to congregate. Tours are at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. At 3:30, Liesch and director of the Wisconsin Insect Research Collection Dan Young will give a presentation on cicada basics and offer an up-close look at the bugs. Palooza attendees can also browse a curated library display of cicada books and resources. Cicada t-shirts and other merchandise with a special Wisconsin cicada design will be on sale; proceeds benefit the UW Entomology Graduate Student Association. A 17-year cicada clings to a leaf in Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva on June 7, 2007. The 17-year cicada is expected to emerge again in southern Wisconsin this year. When and where is Cicadapalooza? Cicadapalooza is Saturday, June 8, from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the Lake Geneva Public Library and Library Park, 918 W. Main St., Lake Geneva. This is about a one-hour drive from downtown Milwaukee. More information about the free event can be found here on the library's event listing. Where are 17-year cicadas emerging in summer 2024? Liesch created this map showing where 17-year cicadas have emerged in the past in Wisconsin and are likely to surface again: This map, created by director of UW-Madison's Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch, shows where 17-year Brood XIII cicadas have emerged in Wisconsin in the past. The map below from USA TODAY shows which counties are likely to see Brood XIII 17-year cicadas. The map also shows which counties will see Brood XIX 13-year cicadas this summer. Although Wisconsin isn't expected to see the 13-year species, this is the first time in over 200 years that Broods XIX and XIII will emerge in the same summer. More: When and for how long will 17-year cicadas be around in Wisconsin in summer 2024? More: See photos of the hordes of 17-year cicadas currently emerging throughout Wisconsin This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin celebrates cicadas with festival, cicada-infused beer Last week, Under the Bridge asked viewers to contemplate Reena Virks killersa group of teenagers who attacked her in 1997 after a petty fight broke out between friends. They beat and drowned Reena, who was found days later in a gorge. Her death led to the upheaval of a quiet community in Saanich, Canada, as the victims family and onlookers alike begged for answers as to what happened and why. We may never know why people do bad things, but its even harder to offer mercy in times of strife. In the finale of Under the Bridge aptly titled Mercy Alonethe Hulu series challengers viewers to find mercy for everyone involved. The episode begins, as this series so frequently does, with a flashback. Its the afternoon of Reenas death. She and Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow), Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry), and Kelly Ellard (Izzy G.) are dancing and rapping along to a Biggie Smalls CD. Reena (Vritika Gupta) jumps on Josephines bed to groove to the musicand then, suddenly, the fun is over. Josephine screams at her to get down, then excludes her from a party in one scathingly simple sentence: Youre not invited. Reena, clearly upset by Josephines shift in demeanor, looks toward Dusty. Weve seen this scene before, but not quite like this. Dusty, as we learned earlier on this series, was also fed up with Josephines antics. But instead of backing Reena up, she sheepishly sides with the other girls. This wont be the last time. Later that night, Josephine hears the rumors Reena spread about her. She calls Kelly to vent, then devises a plan: Lets fucking kill her. Kellys mom is within earshot yet says nothing about the girls grim conversation. Afterward, Josephine asks Dusty if she knew about Reenas plan. Dusty lies and says no, though Reena did confide in her beforehand. Honestly, Im kind of impressed, Josephine says. I didnt think she had the balls. Then she offers to include Dusty in the CMCaka the Crip Mafia Cartel, a pseudo-gang that only fifteen-year-old suburbanites could come up with. She even offers to include Reena. We can initiate Reena tonight, she says. Itll be a little surprise. Darko Sikman Cut to Warren Glowatski (Javon Walton) in juvie. Its the present day, and he recently received a second-degree murder conviction. He calls Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough)a writer whom hes befriendedand asks if shell visit him in prison. She declines, feeling that shes grown too close to Reenas case. Meanwhile, Cam (Lily Gladstone), a local detective, visits Seven Oaks Foster Care. She lived at the facility as a kidas did Josephine and Dusty, prior to their arrest. When Cam arrives, she sees the workers packing everything up. Theyve been shut down. Before leaving, Cam receives her file, which she hopes will clear up the questions she has about her adoption. Cam is Native American, like Warren, and a woman of color, like Reena. She was raised by a white family and followed in her fathers footsteps by joining the police force. But Reenas case has unveiled failings within the criminal-justice system that have forced her to question how race plays a role in the way people are treated by those in power. Her adoption, as shes been told, was something of a rescue missionher father claims she was taken from an abusive familybut now shes not so sure. Afterward, Cam visits Josephine in juvie and gives her the rest of her belongings from Seven Oaks. Despite the ongoing trial, Josephine maintains an air of indifference. Shes desperately pretending to appear unfazedat least until Cam plays a recording of Kelly trying to pin Reenas murder on Josephine. Josephines got some psycho problems, Kelly says on the tape. She says weird and demented things all the time. She hated Reena. The last part is true. She despised Reena for spreading rumors about herbut she didnt want her to die. Nevertheless, Kelly throws her under the bus. Josephine is so twisted, she said, and I quote, Lets fucking kill her. Josephine is in shock. For the first time since Reenas death, she cries. I didnt think shed actually do it, she says. Cam wants her to testify at Kellys trial, but Josephine refuses: Im not a rat. Cam reminds her that not taking the stand means another ninety days in juvie. Its no use; her loyalty to Kelly, confusing as it may be, is all she has. It doesnt fucking matter anymore, does it? she says. Its not like I have anywhere else to go. Before Cam leaves, Josephine asks her to play Kellys tape again so that she can hear her voice. Its a bittersweet moment. Josephine has been impossible to root for on this series, and in juvie, she finally has to reckon with what shes done. In a way, thats vindicating, but watching her yearn for Kellys voice is heartbreaking. At Kellys trial, the rest of Reenas attackersnicknamed the Shoreline Six by the pressoffer their version of events. Each girls story is pretty much the same. Kelly called them and asked them to beat up Reena, who crossed Josephine and needed someone to teach her a lesson. Kellys defense argues that shes been unfairly judged by the press. News organizations are calling her Killer Kellyand the testimonies, he suggests, arent reliable. He says Dusty has anger-management issues and probably killed Reena herself. That other girl? She smokes too much pot; her memory must be warped. And the girl Kelly called? Well, she must have conspired with Warren to shift the blame. One by one, he tries to poke holes in their stories. Dusty, for her part, takes full responsibility. We were all a part of this, she says. In a brief flashback, we see the moment Dusty turned on Reena when she needed her the most. After shes chased under the bridge, Reena tries to reason with Josephine. You take whatever you want from people, say whatever you want, and were sick of it, Reena says, looking toward Dusty in the crowd. Whos we? Josephine asks. Dusty, you got a problem? Silence. Then the attack begins. Darko Sikman Back at the trial, Cams father, Roy (Matt Craven), knows they need Warren to testify against Kelly. Hes the only one who actually saw what happened. After getting a few punches in, Josephine and the rest of the girls peeled off. Afterward, Kelly and Warren followed Reena and delivered the final blows. Roy pleads with Rebecca to talk to Warren. If Warren doesnt show up, shes probably going to walk, he says. Though Rebeccafor the past thirty minutes, at leasthas sworn to take a step back, she knows hes right. That evening, she visits the Virks, hands them the chapters shes written about Reena, and tells them shell speak to Warren. Reenas mother, Suman (Archie Panjabi), decides to visit him instead. You poisoned our life, and I need it to stop, she says. In my faith, we believe in mercy, so I came for that. To say I forgive you. The next day, Warren takes the stand and finally tells the truth. The whole truth. He describes jumping into the fight despite not knowing Reena. He says Kelly stole her boots and kicked her. He says they jumped up on her with two feet in the air. Why? the defense team asks. It was a rush, like a release, Warren says. I had a lot of negative shit going on in my life. There was something about it that felt goodto get out all that anger. Finally, he explains why Kelly is far more responsible than her lawyers want us to believe. He helped Kelly drag Reena into the waterthen she drowned her while Warren watched. I didnt show her any mercy, and I really wish we did, he says. At last Kelly is put on the stand, and it seems like shes trying her best to make you forget what mercy even is. The lawyer asks her why everyone says she killed Reena. I dont know, she replies. Everyone was always mean to me. Not true. Next question. He asks why Kelly would hurt Reena. This time, she speaks in a cringey, syrupy-sweet British accent. Then the lawyer asks if Kelly ever bragged about holding Reenas head underwater. No, I wasnt even there to know if she was dead or drowned, she says. Thats not true, either. The lawyer tries, once more, to get a confession, asking Kelly to demonstrate the type of punch she would have thrown if she had hit Reena. The sound of her fist cracking into her palm startles the courtroom. Even Kelly looks surprised. She spirals and repeats, I did not kill Reena Virk with a shocking rigor until she slumps into her chair, panting and out of breath. No further questions. After five days of deliberations, the jury finds Kelly guilty of second-degree murder. Though shes charged with the same crime as Warren, the judge gives her a measly five years, citing her high grades and good family. Its the minimum sentence for a minor. Some justice, eh? Cam says over a round of drinks with Rebecca. We always knew Kelly would get off easy, but it doesnt make it any less disappointing. The last few minutes of Under the Bridge tie up the series in a not-so-neat bow. Rebecca finds closure, realizing her empathy for Warren was kind but misplaced. Cam decides to quit the police force and look for her birth family. The Virks clean out Reenas bedroom and discover her Biggie Smalls CD. They listen to it for a moment and smile, finally understanding their deeply misunderstood daughter. Then the track skips the way that scratched CDs do, and theyre left in silence. Cracked albumsmuch like grief, hatred, and even mercydeliver relief in waves. You Might Also Like Take these 3 short road trips for family nature fun and exploring a wildlife area Students skim for aquatic life during Nature Fest several years ago at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center near Albion, Ind. It's time to load up the wagon and visit cool, natural areas that offer something to do within an hour or two of driving from South Bend. Here are three options. Watery wildlife tours Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area in Morocco, Ind., a two-hour drive southwest of South Bend, will celebrate its 75th anniversary June 1-2 with free hikes, kayak paddles across the newly restored 1,200-acre J.C. Murphey Lake, which attracts thousands of waterfowl each year, and a campfire. The paddles will be at 8 and 10:30 a.m. CDT June 1. The guided hikes will be at 1 p.m. CDT June 1 and 8 and 10:30 a.m. CDT June 2. The campfire will start at 6 p.m. CDT June 1. Learn more at on.IN.gov/willowsloughfwa. Outdoor Adventures: Business teaches families how to have fun with fishing and now fly fishing, too Nature Play Days Families will find a variety of guided and self-guided activities to put their hands on nature from 1 to 4 p.m. June 6 along the trails and preserved habitats at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, which is halfway between Goshen and Fort Wayne at 2388 S. County Road 500 West, Albion, Ind. Dip for tadpoles, create a craft, go on a hike or do a scavenger hunt, among other things. Outdoor Bingo scavenger hunt Play Weesaw Bucky Bingo anytime in June as you wander the trails in Weesaw Township Park and New Troy Community Centers woods to search for creatures and features depicted on Bingo cards. The community center is at 13372 California Road, New Troy, which is just east of Sawyer and northwest of Buchanan. Bingo cards can be picked up anytime from the box by the centers main entrance. Every completed card will earn a free ice cream treat at the center from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays and Saturdays. Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Road trips explore Willow Slough Merry Lea and family nature play BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Cooperation between the Baku Initiative Group and Tavini Huiraatira Party will highly foster the decolonization process, the Initivative Group's Executive Director Abbas Abbasov told reporters, Trend reports. According to him, the two organizations are expected to implement various projects not only in the political sphere, but also in the fields of education and healthcare. As you know, tomorrow Azerbaijani parliament will hold a conference dedicated to French Polynesia. Cooperation between the Tavini Huiraatira party of French Polynesia and the Baku Initiative Group will make an important and positive contribution to the process of decolonization of French Polynesia, he added. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Did you know there are at least 26 different types of honey out there? Some are easier to spot, like purple, orange blossom, and manuka, while others you'd have to taste to tell the difference. Considering the world's oldest jar of honey is from 3500 BCE, the nectar of the gods has had plenty of time to make its way around the world. And it's done just that for thousands of years, as there are records of the sweet substance from ancient times in Egypt, China, Rome, and Greece. In today's world, Greek honey has grown up to be a pretty different condiment than the honey we're squeezing out of plastic bear-shaped bottles in the U.S. This substance has been widely used in the U.S. since European colonists introduced it in 1622, yet it's been cultivated in Greece for so much longer. Some may say that honey from this Mediterranean country is the world's best, and while that's, of course, subjective, there are a few factors that make the claim a strong possibility. So what's the difference between these two types of sweetener? Let's find out. Read more: The 20 Best Olive Oils For Cooking What Is American Honey? honey bear bottles in crate - Wanderlust Photography/Getty Images The U.S. is often referred to as a melting pot of different cultures, and it's unsurprisingly home to a wide variety of honey types. Clover honey is the one that you likely think of when you imagine the condiment, which makes sense since it's the most common type cultivated here. You can also find orange blossom, acacia, alfalfa, buckwheat, raspberry, and blueberry varieties harvested in the U.S., along with wildflower honey, which comes from American wildflowers. Plenty of our supply inevitably derives from Florida and California, but you may be surprised to learn that North Dakota is the state that produces the most honey. Honey bees are not native to the geographical region that comprises the Americas, which is why Indigenous Peoples didn't know about honey until European colonists brought the bees over. While they quickly swarmed across the eastern United States in the 17th century, honey bees had to be transported on ships to California in the middle of the 19th century. Eventually, caring for these insects grew to be a job for some early settlers, who used the beeswax to make candles and shoe wax. Today, the pollination from honey bees contributes $15 billion in added crop value in the U.S. (via U.S. Food & Drug Administration). What Is Greek Honey? Greek beekeeper working in field - Youngvet/Getty Images Honey has long been a staple in Greek cuisine, as it's been around in the area for thousands of years. In fact, the substance was the only sweetener that people in the region used for ages. Aside from its culinary purposes, honey was also deployed medicinally and as an energy booster for athletes in the ancient Olympics. Honey was even a part of ancient Greek mythology, as the demigod Aristaeus was thought to be the first-ever beekeeper who invented the original beekeeping suit. According to the lore, he passed on his discoveries to humans. Back in the day, it was said that Greek gods lived off of the stuff, along with ambrosia (or honey wine). Whether Aristaeus ever existed or not, we can narrow down the source of modern day Greek honey to a few key places. Some of the most commonly seen types come from pine, fir, and oak trees, although thyme honey is also a classic variety associated with the country. Of these, pine is the most popular, accounting for 65% of Greece's supply, while chestnut is one of the rarer versions (via Yoleni's). American Table Honey Is Light And Mild jar of clover honey - Natali Ximich/Shutterstock Considering the plethora of honey varieties cultivated in the U.S., it would be inaccurate to say that American honey can be classified under a single descriptor but, in general, the bottles we get here are a little thinner and less potent than what you'll find in Greece. Part of this may have to do with the fact that honey bees aren't native to the U.S. The specific flavors, however, come down to what type of plants the bees are collecting nectar from. Two of the most common varieties here, clover and alfalfa honey, are naturally light in color, which means you'll get a milder flavor. There are also a few key differences in the beekeeping laws in the U.S. and Greece. The U.S. doesn't have set regulations around organic honey, so brands can use this label loosely. The U.S. also doesn't have restrictions about what can be denoted as mono-flower honey. So, technically, a jar can be called a certain type of honey while it has other kinds mixed in. And while climate change is impactful all around the globe, honey production in the U.S. has seen a particular decline in recent years. Although, it finally started rising in 2023, which may be attributed to rainier weather and the subsequent flower blossoms. Greek Honey Is Rich And Potent honey dripping on pastry - Halil ibrahim mescioglu/Shutterstock There's a reason ancient Greek gods and humans loved this stuff (besides the fact that it was their main sweetening substance back in the day). Greek honey is said to be tastier than ours here in the U.S. At the London Honey Awards, Greece was the second-most honored country for honey production, raking in 29 awards in 2023. The difference in quality largely lies in its richer flavor and thicker consistency. If you take a whiff of a container, you'll also find that it has a stronger, more pleasant scent than the American varieties. Greek jars often have deeper flavors as well for instance, thyme honey has woody, slightly tart notes, while pine honey has hints of caramel and spice. The warm, lush climate of the Mediterranean is a huge part of what goes into Greek honey that makes it some of the best in the world. Some scientists have claimed that the country has the widest variety of vegetation in the Mediterranean basin, which essentially makes it Disneyland for honey bees. Greece also boasts a plethora of different landscapes, including forests, mountains, and islands. Plus, these insects are rooted into Greek history and culture. They're a highly valued part of the ecosystem, and local beekeepers take pride in protecting their hives and producing the highest-quality products. Read the original article on Tasting Table The rules may be tighter, but Memorial Day on Bundrick Island didnt seem much different from previous holiday weekends at the Lake Murray beach known as the spot to park your boat for day of fun in the sun. By midday, dozens of boats lined the beach on either side of this lake island northwest of downtown Lexington, with more anchored farther out. Groups of young people beached themselves next to families building sandcastles, as the thin strip of sand between the water and woodline quickly filled with portable grills, unleashed dogs and, despite new regulations from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the more than occasional alcoholic beverage. DNR, which maintains Bundrick Island, has enacted new regulations this summer that ban drinking on the beach or elsewhere on the island, along with all-terrain vehicles, hunting and concealed weapons. Signs posted on both beaches announce the new regulations, but few visitors to the island, including those who have come to these beaches for years, seemed aware of those rules, and none had read the signs. When informed that alcohol is now only allowed below the water line in keeping with South Carolina boating laws, Tyler Martin, beer in hand, sheepishly and slowly stepped backwards off the beach until he was back in the surf next to his boat. I mean, it makes sense, Martin said, now ankle deep in the lake. It can mess up the beach. Not everybody brings trash bags like we do, and theyre too lazy to clean up after themselves. This embedded content is not available in your region. The lack of trash cans on the beach was a common complaint among boaters. A wooded trail between the east and west sides of the island, otherwise a perfect haunt for wildlife from toads to deer, was defaced with more than one torn plastic bag overflowing with beer bottles. When SCE&G ran the island, there were more trash cans out here, said one long-time beachgoer who only identified himself as Kaleb G. It really added value to the space. I guess they didnt want to come empty them out every Monday. Regular beachgoers on Bundrick Island know the informal divide between the thin sandy beaches on either side of the island the west side for family outings, the east for parties. But on Memorial Day, the main difference between the two was that the east side was more crowded and had louder music. Families and children were well-represented on both. Frank Farmstead (left) and Carter Borsh pull a boat up onto the shore while spending Memorial Day at Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island on Lake Murray in Lexington on Monday, May 27, 2024. DNR reported issuing five tickets in and around Bundrick Island over the holiday weekend, mostly for boating violations and none for alcohol-related breaches. Monday was slightly overcast, and many of the regulars said the beaches had been even more packed Saturday and Sunday as the summer boating season unofficially got underway. Bundrick has built up a regular community of visitors over the years, with many boating to the island during their student days and coming back every summer. Some start on the party side of the island and move over to the sunset side when they get married and have kids, said Martin, a Gilbert native. You see new people every time, but also a lot of these are the same groups, Furman Walker said, surveying the scene once boats had beached themselves everywhere there was sand, and four motorboats had lashed themselves together just off shore. Jeff Huston was one of the longer-term beach visitors on Monday. A Texas transplant, he started coming to Bundrick Island in 1998 when he and his wife bought property on the lake. He came out with his grandchildren for a Memorial Day outing. Its like a big party, but its mellow, Huston said. The Sun Dogs boat, which sells hot dogs and other foods, pulls up to prospective customers spending Memorial Day at Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island on Lake Murray in Lexington on Monday, May 27, 2024. The Hustons were getting snacks from Sun Dogs of Lake Murray, a roving food boat that routinely parks at Bundrick Island to sell ice cream and hot dogs to beachgoers on the lakes busiest days. Owner Tom Shealy said he and his wife, Langley, have been operating the business for five years, since former Sun Dogs owner Steve Jones sold them the boat when he decided to retire after nearly a decade plying Lake Murrays waters. Elsewhere, Valery Fisher sat on her fathers pontoon boat drinking pineapple vodka out of a mason jar. A friend had recommended the drink to her, but she wasnt really enjoying it. It just burns a lot is the only thing, Fisher said. The beach continues to attract newer visitors as well. Carson and Savannah Durham were on the beach for the first time Monday while down from Spartanburg visiting Savannahs brother. They said they had ridden by the beach a time or two before in his boat, but there had already been too many boats on the beach for them to stop. Today we got here early to find a spot, Savannah said. Trash bags filled with cans are seen in the woods near Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island on Lake Murray in Lexington on Monday, May 27, 2024. Jack and Dan Brunson came even farther to experience Bundrick Island. Both had recently moved to South Carolina from New York and enjoyed the view of the lake while Dans 3-year-old son, Zackie, walked around the beach carrying a piece of driftwood and speaking into it like a cellphone. Just through word of mouth, you hear that Lake Murray is the place to be in the summer, Jack said. Its beautiful. This feels like what Ive been missing all my life. Besides the posted signs, The State didnt see any efforts to enforce the new drinking regulations while on the beach Memorial Day, but as the reporter was on the way off the island, a DNR-marked vehicle passed through the otherwise locked gate onto the island from the mainland, accompanied by three Lexington County sheriffs cars. Boaters spend Memorial Day swimming in the cove at Sandy Beach on Bundrick Island on Lake Murray in Lexington on Monday, May 27, 2024. Otter 841 has reappeared in northern California waters after shooting to fame last year for her surfboard-stealing ways. Otter 841 has reappeared in northern California waters after shooting to fame last year for her surfboard-stealing ways. Photograph: Dustin Mulvaney Otter 841, who shot to international fame last year for her surfboard-stealing interactions with northern California surfers and kayakers, has been spotted recently after disappearing for several months. Over Memorial Day weekend, photos of the now six-year-old otter posted to social media showed her floating on her back at Steamer Lane, a popular surfing spot in Santa Cruz. She was identified by her signature blue tag attached to one of her flippers. When you and a friend spot each other after a long absence #841 pic.twitter.com/nMO1PG3MLQ Native Santa Cruz (@NativeSantaCruz) May 27, 2024 Otter 841 began making waves last summer after Mark Woodward, a local photographer, began posting images and videos to social media of her biting and commandeering surfboards. People were captivated by her fearlessness when interacting with humans and quickly projected human motivations to her behavior. When Dustin Mulvaney, a Santa Cruz resident who has also posted several photos of otter 841 to social media, heard about the most recent sighting from Woodward, he and his children biked over to the cliffside above her usual hangout and caught a glimpse and photo of 841. It wasnt too surprising since its her usual spot, Mulvaney said. Last time I saw her was December or November. As her star rose last year, people began to fill the waters she frequented to get an up-close look at her. These actions, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said, were incredibly dangerous to both the otter and humans, since otters have sharp teeth that they use to bite through shellfish. Theyre extremely charismatic animals, so it doesnt surprise me that when you put one on a surfboard, it becomes meme-able, Mulvaney, who is also an environmental studies professor at San Jose State University, said of 841s notoriety. I think its cool because people are surprised to hear the story of sea otters and how their population was driven down to nothing. Related: Catch her if you can: viral surfboard-swiping otter is on the loose, and fans love it Otter 841s celebrity came amid growing acknowledgement of the role that sea otters can play in keeping kelp forests healthy. Before the fur trade drove them to near extinction, sea otters once roamed the waters of North America from Alaska to Baja California. They are the smallest marine mammal in North America at up to 4ft long and 70lbs, and play an integral role in the coastal ecosystem and are known to help keep sea urchin populations in check, which is vital to protect kelp forests. Today, a small population of southern sea otters lives on Californias central coast and the threatened animal occupies just 13% of its historic range. Soon after 841 came to national prominence, staff with the FWS and the Monterey Bay aquarium attempted to lure her into nets so they could take her in for a medical exam before transferring her to an aquarium. But 841 wasnt having it. She managed to evade her captors time and time again. In October 2023, 841 made headlines once more when she was spotted floating along with a pup lying on top of her. After the birth of her baby, she took a break from public life to raise her, according to the FWS. Between October 2023 and April 2024, 841 gave birth to and successfully raised a pup. While she was caring for her pup, 841 largely avoided interactions with people, the service said in a statement. They also reiterated that people should avoid interacting with 841 and her marine mammal comrades. If approached, the service recommends moving as far away from them as possible, and if an otter decides to trail you, splashing water or making yourself big will help to scare it away. Best of summer 2024: Top things to do and places to visit Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy activities that celebrate getting outdoors sometimes combined with taking in some entertainment. Some of the most popular things to do include going to a fireworks show, watching a double feature at a drive-in, going for a leisurely hike, learning about sea creatures at an aquarium, enjoying tunes at an outdoor concert series, setting out on a scenic train ride, and, of course, traveling for a summer vacation. To find the best of these beloved pastimes, USA TODAY 10Best editors and a panel of experts nominated their favorites, then readers voted for their top picks and the results are in. Click on each category below to see the full winners list: Best Aquarium: Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium wins Best Aquarium for fourth year in a row Founded by Johnny Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops, his Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium celebrates hunting, fishing, and stewardship of the land and water through over 1.5 miles of immersive galleries featuring 4D dioramas and a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium. Some 35,000 animals representing over 800 species are on display, including zebra sharks, sea turtles, and freshwater sport fish. Unique to the aquarium is its collection of historic boats used by Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey. Full list of winners: Best Aquarium Best Drive-In Theater: Skyview Drive-In in Belleville, Illinois Enjoy a movie and hot concessions at Skyview Drive-In Skyview Drive-In has been part of the Belleville, Illinois, community since 1949. The venue frequently hosts special events like film festivals, live music, and movie nights with Santa. They also have a concession stand on site with hot food like cheeseburgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn. Full list of winners: Best Drive-In Theater Best Hiking Trail: Whispering Cave in Hocking Hills State Park Whispering Cave offers a moderate hike with plenty of scenery along the way Whispering Cave is just one of the many hikes in Hocking Hills State Park, which stretches across 2,356 acres. This 5-mile loop is moderately challenging and offers hikers access to a fun swinging bridge, the second-largest cave in the region, and a picturesque seasonal waterfall. Full list of winners: Best Hiking Trail Best Outdoor Concert Series: Hot Summer Nights in Vail, Colorado Cool off at Hot Summer Nights in Vail The cool mountain town of Vail hosts free outdoor concerts throughout the summer at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater aka The Amp. Bring a picnic and some chairs or blankets and enjoy live bands against the alpine backdrop. Full list of winners: Best Outdoor Concert Series Best Place to See Fireworks: Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois Navy Pier wins Best Place to See Fireworks for second consecutive year One of Chicago's secret pleasures is that you can enjoy fireworks at the iconic Navy Pier almost any time of year, including shows twice a week during the summer and when welcoming in the new year with a blast every December 31. In addition to viewing from the pier itself, pyrotechnic lovers can watch the show from charter boats on Lake Michigan, hotel rooftops, Maggie Daley Park, or along Chicago's Lakefront Trail. Full list of winners: Best Place to See Fireworks Best Scenic Train Ride: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango, Colorado For fourth year in a row, readers love Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad The historic Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad once hauled silver and gold between these two Colorado towns. Today, visitors can hop aboard for this nine-hour round-trip journey through some of Colorado's most impressive scenery, with a stop in Silverton to explore the historic mining town. Full list of winners: Best Scenic Train Ride Best Summer Travel Destination: Mackinac Island, Michigan While Mackinac Island, Michigan, shines in any season, our readers love it as a summer vacation spot Between Michigans Upper and Lower Peninsulas, youll find Mackinac Island, where youll ride on horse-drawn carriages along car-free roads, observe fudge being made (and then sample it), and tour the historic Fort Mackinac. This Lake Huron-based continental island is also home to Mackinac Island State Park, where you can hike, bike, kayak, and take photos of the local natural beauty, including the stunning limestone Arch Rock. Full list of winners: Best Summer Travel Destination Congratulations to all these winners! Remember to visit 10best.usatoday.com daily to vote in more Readers' Choice Awards. This article originally appeared on 10Best.com: From aquariums to hiking trails, best things to do this summer A new coffee shop is serving up drinks in Tega Cay, with breakfast, pastries coming soon The smell of fresh coffee and baked goods fuse with a lively, chatty atmosphere at Tega Cay Coffee Co. in Tega Cay, midway through its week-long soft opening. Store owner Brian Bourgal, a Long Island, New York, native who also spent time in Southern California, was used to having a wide array of coffee shops on every corner. Bourgal didnt see much of the same when he settled in Tega Cay in 2017. When I moved here, I noticed that we really didnt have too much of an option, so thats where the idea (for a coffee shop) sprouted from, the 33-year-old said. I liked the business end of it, but I also liked the coffee end of it, as well, and knowing about the coffee. Bourgal still works full time for a global shipping company, but the coffee shop allows him to fulfill his passion of doing things for himself. The origins Tega Cay Coffee Co. originally started in 2020 as a coffee cart that would pop up at outdoor events and do home deliveries. In 2021, the company transitioned into a trailer and set up in the Fort Mill/Tega Cay area, traveling to different neighborhoods and markets as a mobile coffee shop. Now, the restaurant has grown into its first brick-and-mortar location. It feels good to be open, Bourgal said. It took us a little while. ... We operated the trailer for about three years, and then we decided the time was right to take the step up into the shop. Were really happy about it. It was a decent amount of work to get here, but were here now. Whats next? Bourgals main focus at the moment is getting the coffee shop up to speed. The restaurant is still getting its equipment set up for the grand opening on June 1. Tega Cay Coffee Co. offers coffee with a variety of flavor and milk options along with chai lattes, signature drinks and non-caffeinated options like refreshers, steamers and hot chocolate. Bourgal said the storefront will also give him the room to try different teas and juices that will do well for the summer time. After that, the restaurant will look at expanding its food options. What Im looking forward to in the next three months is definitely rolling out that food menu, Bourgal said. I think were going to have something truly unique with breakfast burritos. Were going to have your classic bacon, sausage, diced potatoes, red onions, hashbrowns, all things like that. Then, were really going to hang our hat on the fact that were going to have an in-house baker, who is excellent at what she does. Shes going to be working in our kitchen, making sure Tega Cay and the Fort Mill area has truly fresh, baked-that-day pastries. Along with that, Bourgal said he also wants to sell bagels. Tega Cay Coffee Co. will be hosting its soft opening until May 31 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Starting June 1, the shop will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: 1177 Stonecrest Blvd, Suite 104, Tega Cay, SC, 29708 Menu Cuisine: Coffee shop, breakfast, pastries Instagram: @tegacaycoffeeco Countries That Start With 'Z' and How They Got Their Names This view of the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls is near the border of two countries beginning with the letter "z." Can you name both of the nations that can lay claim to this natural beauty? Tuul & Bruno Morandi / Getty Images If you were to explore the world alphabetically, youd find 27 countries starting with "s" like Spain, Sweden and South Africa each with its own rich history and vibrant culture. But when you get to "X," the map draws a blank; no countries start with that elusive letter. When you get to the end of the alphabet, countries that start with "Z" may be few and far between, but their histories pack a real punch. From the dynamic landscapes and cultural heritage of Zambia and Zimbabwe to the historical significance of former nations like Zaire and Zululand, these countries hold special tales and traditions. Countries That Start With the Letter 'Z' Currently, only two countries start with the letter "Z," and they are both located in the sprawling continent of Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe might be neighbors, but they each have their own unique flair and intriguing stories. Let's dive into what makes these two Zs so special. Zambia Zambia is named after the mighty Zambezi River, a defining feature of the countrys geography. Located in southern Africa, Zambia is a landlocked country bordered by eight other nations. When Zambia gained independence from British colonial rule in 1964, the name was chosen to symbolize a fresh start and a nod to its natural heritage. The Zambezi, which means "Great River," reflects the country's rich landscape and abundant water resources. One of the Zambezi River's most spectacular features is Victoria Falls, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. As one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in the world, it's locally known as "The Smoke That Thunders." Its a sight thatll leave you speechless (and probably a bit damp). And with water comes animals: Zambia is also renowned for its incredible wildlife. This paradise for safari enthusiasts offers a chance to see the Big Five the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo, originally named by hunters for their difficulty to hunt on foot and more. For all of you foodies out there, dont miss trying nshima, a staple maize dish that's as Zambian as it gets. It's usually served with relish, which can include vegetables, meat or fish. Zambia is also one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with a significant portion of its population living in cities like the capital, Lusaka. Visitors can explore vibrant markets, check out the Lusaka National Museum and enjoy the city's bustling nightlife. Along with its bustling city centers, Zambia boasts numerous national parks and protected areas, reflecting a blend of urban and natural environments. Zimbabwe Zimbabwe got its name from the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe, a historical site known for its impressive stone ruins. When the country gained independence from British rule in 1980, the name was chosen to reflect its rich cultural heritage and break away from its colonial past as Rhodesia. The name "Zimbabwe" is derived from "dzimba-dza-mabwe," which means "houses of stone" in the Shona language fitting for a country with such monumental architecture. Zimbabwe shares more than just a starting letter and a continent with Zambia. Both countries are home to the majestic Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, straddling their border. Both nations also offer vibrant wildlife experiences with numerous national parks perfect for safaris. For culinary explorers, Zimbabwes signature maize dish, sadza, is quite similar to Zambias nshima. Sadza is a staple food in Zimbabwe, similar to polenta or grits, made from finely ground maize (corn) meal. It is a versatile dish that forms the cornerstone of many Zimbabwean meals. To prepare sadza, the cook gradually adds maize meal to boiling water and stirs until the mixture reaches a thick, smooth consistency. The sadza usually cooks until it pulls away from the sides of the pot and the preparer can easily mold it with their hands. In addition to its rich history and culinary delights, Zimbabwe offers a variety of activities for visitors. Explore the stunning Hwange National Park, renowned for its large elephant population and diverse wildlife. Or, visit the ancient ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a UNESCO World Heritage site that offers a glimpse into the countrys storied past. Adventure seekers can enjoy white-water rafting and bungee jumping at Victoria Falls, while those looking for a more relaxed experience can take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Historical Countries That Began With 'Z' We've already explored the contemporary nations that start with "Z," but there's more to uncover in history. Let's delve into the stories of Zaire and Zululand, two historical entities that played crucial roles in shaping their regions' pasts. Zaire Zaire was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 1997. This name change occurred under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko, who aimed to shed the countrys colonial past and promote an authentic African identity. The name Zaire symbolized this new era of independence and pride. However, after Mobutu was ousted, the country reverted to its original name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the change back, the era of Zaire remains a significant chapter in Central African history, marking a period of both intense dictatorship and national identity transformation. Zululand Zululand was a kingdom in what is now South Africa, prominent in the early 19th century under leaders like Shaka Zulu. The Zulu Kingdom was a formidable force in Southern Africa, known for its military prowess and organizational skills. This kingdom played a major role in the regions history before being annexed by the British Empire in 1887. Zululand remains a symbol of Zulu pride and cultural heritage, with its history reflecting the resilience and strength of the Zulu people. The legacy of Zululand is still evident today in the cultural practices and societal structures of the Zulu nation. 6 Ways Countries Get Their Names As you might imagine, a lot of thought goes into this complex and significant process, which is largely influenced by historical, cultural, political and geographical factors. Historical or mythological roots: Many countries are named after historical figures, tribes or mythological entities. For instance, Thailand means "land of the free," reflecting its history of avoiding colonization. Geographical features: Natural landmarks and geographic characteristics often inspire country names. For example, Nigeria is named after the Niger River, which flows through the country, while Iceland is named for its icy landscape. Japan, known as Nihon in Japanese, translates to either "origin of the sun" or "land of the rising sun," referring to its eastern location from China. Cultural or ethnic groups: Some countries might be named after the dominant ethnic group or tribe in the area. Botswana is named after the Tswana people, while Germany is derived from the Latin word "Germania," which the Romans used to describe the tribes in the region. Colonial influence: Many countries' names are influenced by their colonial history. Ghana is believed to be named after the ancient Ghana Empire, chosen during the country's independence from British colonial rule to symbolize a rich and powerful heritage. India derives its name from the River Indus, a major landmark for European colonialists and traders. Political decisions: Sometimes, names are chosen through political processes, especially during independence movements or regime changes. For example, the Czech Republic recently rebranded itself as Czechia for simplicity and modernization. Language and linguistic evolution: The names can evolve due to linguistic changes and local dialects. Algeria comes from the Arabic "Al-Jazair," meaning "the islands," referring to the small islands along its coast. The name "Philippines" honors King Philip II of Spain, reflecting its colonial past. We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor. Original article: Countries That Start With 'Z' and How They Got Their Names Copyright 2024 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company A Connecticut lobster roll features Maine lobster served warm with butter and lemon on a New England roll at the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. Local Flavor on Wheels: This summer, were trying area food trucks for our Local Flavor series instead of sit-down establishments. We hope youll come along for the ride! Before I read about Cousins Maine Lobster on social media, I'd never thought about eating lobster from a food truck in Northeast Ohio. I'd ordered my first lobster roll from a food truck right on the Atlantic coast outside of Boston decades ago with my aunt, which always brings back fond memories. It's not every day that we Northeast Ohioans get the opportunity to eat Maine lobster. So my eyes bugged out at the thought of following the Cousins Maine Lobster truck throughout the region. I had an agenda, considering lobster's been my favorite food in the world since I was about 7. I don't get it often, so would this heavenly seafood stand up to the test from a food truck? To kick off our Beacon Journal food reporters' summer exploration of local food trucks over the next few months, my husband Steve and I checked out the local Cousins Maine Lobster truck's weekend schedule and made plans to drive just over 30 minutes to Brunswick Town Center Sunday to check out its fare. The Cousins Maine Lobster truck serves lobster that's wild-caught from the Gulf of Maine. Cousins Maine Lobster, which focuses on these sweet coastal crustaceans, started rolling around Northeast Ohio in early February and had its grand opening March 9 at JAFB Wooster Brewery. Since then, the new Cleveland-based truck has traversed throughout the Cleveland area as well as locations in Summit, Medina, Stark and Wayne counties. The Cleveland-area truck is husband-and-wife team Savas and Victoria Alkoc's third in Ohio, an expansion that adds to their existing Cousins Maine Lobster trucks in Columbus and Cincinnati. Savas Alkoc reported that things are going so well in Ohio, he's adding a fourth rover truck to travel to festivals and other events throughout the state. "The demand in Ohio has been pretty exceptional," he said. "Ohio's a big state. We didn't realize how big it was." In 2022, the Alkocs bought what was Ohio's sole Cousins food truck franchise from Kathy Nuss in Columbus who had owned it since 2018 and expanded into Cincinnati about six months later. Nuss, who also owned Cousins Maine Lobster restaurant at Budds Dairy Hall in Columbus, closed it last week. The Alkocs, who live in Freehold, N.J., began as franchisees in 2017, and now have nine Cousins Maine Lobster food trucks in New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Pittsburgh as well as a restaurant in their home state. The story behind Cousins Maine Lobster Cousins Maine Lobster, founded by Portland, Maine, natives Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis, started in Los Angeles in 2012 with a single food truck. Word of their great lobster rolls spread and they were invited on ABC's "Shark Tank," where real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran invested $55,000 in their business. That's when Cousins Maine Lobster took off. The company stresses bringing the Maine lobster experience to neighborhoods across the country, which includes 47 cities in 26 states and Washington, D.C. The lobster on the food trucks' menus throughout the country come from the Gulf of Maine. All franchisees, including the Alkocs, train there with lobstermen on their boats, baiting and hauling traps, measuring lobsters, seeing the processing plant and following the product from trap to truck. The Cousins Maine Lobster bag shows where lobster trapping happens along the Gulf of Maine. What we ate at Cousins Maine Lobster food truck Service is friendly at the Cousins Maine Lobster window at Brunswick Town Center. You can use the food truck's handy app to order ahead at the closest location to you, during operating hours. We did it the old fashioned way Sunday, just walking up to the counter, and had no problem. After a short wait in line, we had placed our orders and gotten our drinks. Cousins offers Maine Root sodas from Maine for $3.75, including root beer, blueberry soda, ginger spicy brew, lemon lime soda, mandarin orange soda and lightly sparkling lemonade. I chose the refreshing blueberry and Steve had root beer. Cousins Maine Lobster serves a variety of Maine Root sodas on its food trucks. I ordered one of the truck's signature lobster rolls, the Connecticut roll, which features sweet, warm Maine lobster on a warm New England roll with butter and lemon on top. The butter was subtle, with the lobster not drowning in it, so you could really taste the lobster's sweetness. The roll was a little pricey at $20.75 but my husband and I agreed that this pure lobster, which is a mix of knuckle and claw meat served on a tasty toasted roll, was worth it. The Connecticut roll is the No. 1 seller in Ohio. The truck also sells the traditional Maine roll for the same price, which is chilled lobster served with mayo on the bottom of a New England roll. Steve decided to try a deep-fried lobster tail ($17.50), which was pulled a bit off the shell and skewered for easy eating. The tail was about 5 ounces, accompanied by drawn lemon butter and tater tots. A fried lobster tail with drawn butter and tater tots at Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. "It was still very light and fluffy and the shell protects a lot of it," Steve said of the meat, which wasn't breaded. In contrast, he also liked the crispy edges of the deep-fried lobster. By the way, Alkoc said his trucks never run out of lobster. If any item is getting low, a runner heads to a local commissary to replenish. We also shared a cup of lobster bisque ($7), which had a delightfully big chunk of lobster in my first spoonful. This sweet lobster bisque is made with roux-thickened stock, Spanish sherry, light cream and white pepper. A cup or bowl of lobster bisque is a gluten-free option at the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. "It's incredible ingredients," Steve said. Just to do our "due diligence," we also shared lobster tots ($16.95), with warmed Maine lobster served over tater tots with a creamy, spicy cilantro lime sauce and pico de gallo. With a squeeze of lime, we really enjoyed the medley of flavors with the sweet lobster. Lobster tots are tater tots served with warmed Maine lobster, cilantro lime sauce and pico de gallo. The food truck also offers lobster tacos, lobster quesadillas, lobster grilled cheese, shrimp tacos and New England clam chowder. To top things off, we shared a whoopie pie, a classic chocolate cake sandwich with fluffy cream filling that also comes from Maine and was a childhood favorite of the Cousins Maine Lobster founders, who are actually cousins. They're a whopping 670 calories, so I'm glad we shared. The whoopie pie dessert sold at the Cousins Maine Lobster is a childhood favorite of the company's founders, who grew up in southern Maine. Rather than hang out in a shopping plaza parking lot or our car to eat our lobster food truck feast, we decided to find a park. We were glad to find picnic tables at a shelter at Neura Park just down the road in Brunswick. Where will Cousins Maine Lobster be in Akron area? Feel like you've been missing out? Cousins Main Lobster will be at the Winery at Wolfcreek at 2637 S. Cleveland Massillon Road from 5 to 9 p.m. June 4, July 2, Aug. 6, Sept. 3 and Oct. 1. The lobster truck will also roll into Berry's Blooms at 2060 Granger Road in Medina from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 6 and will visit Filia Winery at 3059 Greenwich Road in Wadsworth 5 to 10 p.m. June 14. JAFB Wooster Brewing will host Cousins Maine Lobster at 120 Beall Ave. from 2 to 8 p.m. July 11, Aug. 15 and Sept. 5, and the truck will be at Das Weinhaus in Litchfield Township at 3233 Erhart Road from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 and Oct. 20. For the most up-to-date announcements about festivals, breweries, wineries, retail areas and other spots that Cousins Main Lobster will visit, see Cousins Maine Lobster Cleveland on Facebook. Details Food truck: Cousins Maine Lobster Where: Northeast Ohio Information: See schedule at cousinsmainelobster.com/locations/cleveland-oh or Cousins Maine Lobster - Cleveland, OH on Facebook Phone: 614-448-1256 This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cousins Maine Lobster food truck to make stops in Northeast Ohio this summer Theres a new Turkish delight on the high seas. A superyacht that Turkish yard Concept Marine delivered in 2012 has hit the water following an epic transformation. The 13-year-old cruiser, originally named Greyzone, underwent an extensive rebuild at Floridas Serenity Yacht that included stripping down the body to bare metal, extending the stern and aft decks, and upgrading the flybridge. Christened Thanuja, the revamped vessel is now bigger and better than its decade-old predecessor. The overall length increased from 125 to 164 feet and the interior volume jumped from 380 to 440 GT, in fact. More from Robb Report Interestingly, the project initially began as a simple refit but quickly morphed into a major conversion. German firm iYacht spearheaded the exterior design and naval architecture, starting off by reverse engineering the existing superyacht. In June 2020, iYachts team flew to the south of France to measure and create an accurate 3-D model of Greyzone that they could design from. Four weeks later, the first concepts were complete. The team proposed a new galley, an updated foredeck, a Jacuzzi on the flybridge, and a larger stern platform. They also redesigned the beach club to ensure the 2012 superyacht appealed to modern seafarers. The bulbous bow. As the refit commenced, the decision was made to turn the existing 124-footer into a high-tech superyacht in line with the latest North European standards. The technical spaces were reconstructed, with Thanuja gaining a new engine room, bow, stern thrusters, pipes, cabling, engines, and generators. The aluminum superstructure was rewelded, too. The Jacuzzi. Onboard, the superyacht gained fresh teak decking and new furniture throughout. Katharina Raczek and her team brought the interiors to life, balancing new and old elements and combining existing structures with new construction. After the upgrade, Thanuja can comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests in five staterooms and seven crew across six cabins. The aft decks. The rebuild required tens of thousands of hours of coordination, planning, and engineering. Leveraging the expertise of our studio, we were able to support the owner and the yard in every phase, iYacht CEO Udo A. Hafner said in a statement. As the project complexity grew, it required us to bring in additional expertise from different disciplines. Serenity also built a team of around 100 to complete the mammoth task. The hard work appears to have paid off, with Thanuja at the pinnacle of tech, design, and innovation. The superyacht has received approval for commercial charter under the Luxembourg flag, meaning you could soon jump aboard the Turkish delight. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. What does heat index mean and why is it important in Florida? 11 things you should know It's hot and going to get hotter. That's quite an understatement when it comes to Florida weather. After record-breaking heat last summer, 2024 is starting the same way. Several cities broke records over the Memorial Day weekend, including Fort Pierce, which hit 98 degrees Monday, May 27. The temperature tied a nearly 125-year record high, which a meteorologist said the city has done only five times since record keeping starting in 1901. And it's only May. We're coming off the hottest year on record and there's every indication 2024 will break that record, according to the Farmers' Almanac. So as we struggle to keep cool, here's how to interpret National Weather Service forecasts, including what the heat index means and how dangerous heat can be. What is the definition of heat index? The heat index measures how how it really feels outside, according to the National Weather Service. It's sort of the summer equivalent of the wind chill factor our more northerly neighbors watch in the winter. If in full sun, heat index can be even higher Heat index values were devised for shady, light wind conditions. Exposure to full sunshine can increase heat index values by up to 15 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. How do forecasters figure out the heat index? The heat index is calculated based on two factors: Air temperature Relative humidity How to calculate heat index: Use chart or online calculator The heat index is calculated based on air temperature and relative humidity. To figure out the heat index, use the chart above to find the air temperature and the relative humidity. Where the two meet would be the heat index. For example, if the air temperature was 90 and the relative humidity was 70, the relative humidity would be 105, putting it in the dangerous zone. Areas in red indicate extreme danger of heat-related problems. Another way to calculate the heat index would be to use an online calculator provided by the National Weather Service. What is an unsafe heat index? What number is dangerous? In general, dangerous conditions would occur as soon as the heat index hits 105 degrees. Conditions are considered extremely dangerous if the heat index is 126 degrees or higher. Again, remember the heat index is calculated if you are in the shade. So if the heat index is 105-110 for your area and you'll be in the sun, the heat index could actually be 120 to 125 degrees. What is the heat risk for Wednesday, May 29, in Florida? On Wednesday, May 29, NOAA calculated most of Florida is under a moderate level of heat, which could affect people sensitive to heat. Interactive map: See the heat risk for your area today Some portions of the state, especially on the southeast and west coasts and portions of Central Florida, were under major levels, which could affect anyone without effective cooling or adequate hydration. The NWS heat risk is an experimental product that uses high-resolution weather, climate, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention heat health data to identify potentially dangerous heat. When does the National Weather Service issue heat 'alerts'? The National Weather Service will issue alerts when the heat index is expected to exceed 105 degrees for at least two consecutive days. What types of heat warnings does NWS issue? The National Weather Service issues four types of heat-related advisories: Excessive heat warning: An excessive heat warning is issued within 12 hours of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions. The general rule of thumb for this warning is when the maximum heat index temperature is expected to be 105 degrees or higher for at least two days and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees. These criteria vary across the country, especially for areas not used to extreme heat conditions. What you should do : If you don't take precautions immediately when conditions are extreme, you may become seriously ill or even die. Excessive heat watch : Heat watches are issued when conditions are favorable for an excessive heat event in the next 24 to 72 hours. A watch is used when the risk of a heat wave has increased but its occurrence and timing is still uncertain. Heat advisory: A heat advisory is issued within 12 hours of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions. The general rule of thumb for this advisory is when the maximum heat index temperature is expected to be 100 degrees or higher for at least two days, and nighttime air temperatures will not drop below 75 degrees. These criteria vary across the country, especially for areas that are not used to dangerous heat conditions. What you should do: Take precautions to avoid heat illness. If you don't take precautions, you may become seriously ill or even die. Excessive heat outlooks: The outlooks are issued when the potential exists for an excessive heat event in the next three to seven days. An outlook provides information to those who need considerable time to prepare for the event. Criteria in Florida for excessive heat warning, heat advisory In Florida, the criteria is a little higher than the heat index numbers listed above for an excessive heat warning or health advisory to be issued by the National Weather Service. Excessive heat warning: Except for Miami-Dade County, the National Weather Services offices around the state would issue an excessive heat warning if the heat index is expected to reach 113 degrees or higher. The National Weather Service Miami said Miami/Dade County wanted a lower threshold for a warning for its population, which was set at 110 degrees. Heat advisory: Except for Miami-Dade County, the National Weather Services offices around the state would issue a health advisory if the heat index is expected to reach 108 to 112 degrees. The National Weather Service Miami said Miami/Dade County wanted a lower threshold for an advisory for its population, which was set at 105 degrees. Symptoms of heat illnesses: What's the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke? Heat exhaustion vs heat stroke. Here are the differences and what you should do. When your body can't cool itself, your body temperature rises. If it goes too high, it can be life-threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided a list of warning signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and what you should do. Heat cramps Heat cramps may be the first sign of heat-related illness, and may lead to heat exhaustion or stroke. Symptoms: Painful muscle cramps and spasms usually in legs and abdomen and Heavy sweating. First aid: Apply firm pressure on cramping muscles or gently massage to relieve spasm. Give sips of water unless the person complains of nausea, then stop giving water. Seek immediate medical attention if cramps last longer than 1 hour. Heat exhaustion Symptoms: Heavy sweating, Weakness or tiredness, cool, pale, clammy skin; fast, weak pulse, muscle cramps, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, headache, fainting, First aid: Move person to a cooler environment, preferably a well-air-conditioned room. Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths or have person sit in a cool bath. Offer sips of water. If person vomits more than once seek immediate medical attention if the person vomits, symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour. Heat stroke Symptoms: Throbbing headache, confusion, nausea, dizziness, body temperature above 103F, hot, red, dry or damp skin, rapid and strong pulse, fainting, loss of consciousness. First Aid: Call 911 or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Delay can be fatal. Move the victim to a cooler, preferably air-conditioned, environment. Reduce body temperature with cool cloths or bath. Use fan if heat index temperatures are below the high 90s. A fan can make you hotter at higher temperatures. Do not give fluids. People at higher risk for heat-related illnesses The CDC warned some people are at a higher risk of getting sick from the heat than others. Those include: People aged 65 years or older Infants and young children People with chronic medical conditions People without air conditioning Athletes or others who exercise in extreme heat Outdoor workers People who are pregnant This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Heat index Florida. How calculate. What you should know to stay safe Who helps keep Ravine Flyer II on its tracks? Waldameer ride mechanic describes his job A Day in the Life is a monthly series in which we show some of the area's more interesting jobs and how these people interact with the community. Jacob Griffith usually arrives at Waldameer Park & Water World around sunrise this time of year, five hours or more before the amusement park opens for the day. It's so quiet in the early morning, before the rides open and the crowds arrive, that Griffith can hear birds chirping as he walks past Thunder River and Rainbow Gardens on his way to the maintenance building. But Griffith, 37, one of Waldameer's nine full-time ride mechanics, doesn't have time to bird watch. He has work to finish before the gates open. "Patrick Morey and I are the ones who usually perform the daily inspection of the Ravine Flyer II, which can take up to two hours," Griffith said, referring to the park's largest wooden roller coaster. "I also help do the daily inspection of the Steel Dragon ... which also can take two hours." Jacob Griffith, 37, demonstrates how he inspects the bottom of a Ravine Flyer II roller coaster car. Griffith, a ride mechanic at Waldameer Park & Water World, has worked at the amusement park for 15 years. Inspecting, installing, maintaining and repairing rides is a full-time job for Griffith and the other ride mechanics, even though Waldameer is only open from May until early September. In the winter, Griffith spends most of his time in the park's maintenance building. He and the other mechanics work 40 hours a week repairing, repainting or refurbishing all of the detachable ride seats, and other parts of the park's rides. "One of the questions people ask me is, 'How many months do I work?'" Griffith said as he walked from the Ravine Flyer to the Steel Dragon. "The winter is a busy time for us. We're getting everything ready for the summer. All that preventative care really makes a difference." Most Waldameer ride mechanics start in other jobs Like many of Waldameer's other ride mechanics, Griffith started at the park in another job. He was hired as a seasonal member of the grounds crew more than 15 years ago. Others began their careers as ride operators, said Steve Gorman, Waldameer's president. "You're not going to find many people with previous experience fixing amusement park rides," Gorman said with a smile. "We look for people with mechanical or electrical experience. But I'd say at least half of our ride mechanics started here in another job, and we liked what we saw and trained them ourselves." Each ride mechanic has been certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Ride & Measurement Standards. Day in the Life: Erie County health inspector is 'not here to play gotcha' Rides are inspected every day the park is open Part of Griffith's job duties Thursday was to assist other ride mechanics in performing a required monthly inspection of the park's Skyride. He helped them attach a special maintenance car to the ride's main cable, in which two other ride mechanics rode to check the wheels and other equipment atop all of the ride's support towers. Meanwhile, Griffith inspected each car's latches and bolts as it returned to the station. "This ride also gets inspected every day the park is open," Griffith said. "But this inspection is for the state and there is more paperwork, and a little more detail." Jacob Griffith, right, helps fellow ride mechanic Patrick Milkowski attach a maintenance car to the Skyride on May 23 at Waldameer Park & Water World. The park's mechanics performed a monthly inspection on the ride. Since the park wasn't open Thursday, Griffith didn't have to inspect Ravine Flyer II. Instead, he showed how the roller coaster is maintained, even while the ride is in operation. When only one of the coaster's two trains are in use, the other is usually stored in a shed built over the storage track just a few yards from the ride's entrance. "Mr. (Paul) Nelson (Waldameer's former owner, who died in May 2023) really planned it well," Griffith said. "It's designed so that you can work on one train while the other one is operating," Griffith said, as he climbed under the coaster's tracks and stood directly under the train in the shed. "You can access everything underneath from here." Griffith describes most unusual find along Ravine Flyer track The Ravine Flyer II's daily inspection includes a walk along the entire track. Ride mechanics look for damage, downed tree branches or anything else that might impede the trains. They also grab items that have fallen out of guests' pockets and onto the track during the ride. Usually it's sunglasses or cell phones, but once Griffith found something more unusual. "I found three (partial) dentures a few years ago," Griffith said. "We got a cloth and picked them up. A lady called that day and she was able to get them back." Jacob Griffith, 37, a ride mechanic at Waldameer Park & Water World, stands May 23 on the initial incline of his favorite ride, the Ravine Flyer II. He helped assemble the ride before it opened in 2008. Ride operators all stay at the park for a few hours after it opens, and several of them remain until it closes, which is 9 p.m. most of the summer. The ones who stay late usually get to leave early the next day, Gorman said. 'What is Waldameer's oldest ride?' Griffith said he enjoys working while the park is open. He is happy to answers guests' questions, such as "What is the park's oldest ride?" The answer, according to Gorman, is the pony cart ride. It dates back to about 1940. "Once in a while, you get called to a ride that they had to close temporarily due to an issue," Griffith said. "You get there and when you get it operating again, especially if it's the Ravine Flyer, the folks in line will show their approval by clapping." The most hectic issue is when the park suddenly loses power due to a storm or other reason. Ride mechanics scramble to safely guide guests off the rides, then work to get everything up and running again. "Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often," Griffith said. As the park prepares to be open six days a week for the summer, Griffith said the changing seasons is one reason why he enjoys his job. "It's always something different. Nothing gets stagnant," Griffith said. "You spend the winter in the maintenance building, then it's spring and it's time to get the park ready. Then it's summer and the park is open. The job always changes." One of the perks about working at Waldameer? Once or twice a week after its daily inspection, Griffith goes for a ride on the Ravine Flyer. Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Waldameer Park Ravine Flyer II mechanic details how rides stay open BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The working visit of the leaderships of the Ministry of Defense and the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Turkiye continues, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense. As part of the visit, the representatives visited Izmirs Doganbey firing and exercise area and got acquainted with the Defense Industry Exhibition. The guests were provided with detailed information about aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, weapons and combat vehicles presented at the exhibition. That was life. Why Goombay in the Grove will be added to the Library of Congress Frederica Simmons Brown never thought shed see white people living on her side of the neighborhood. After all, the 92-year-old Coconut Grove native grew up in a different era, one where the realities of Jim Crow shaped everyday life. These days, the Grove is also home to modern million-dollar sugar cubes and coffee shops that often diverge from the areas Bahamian roots. But as Brown reminisced about the old days from the porch of her light green bungalow that was built in 1950, there was one enduring part of the Black Groves legacy that brought a smile to her face: the Goombay Festival. A lot of us couldnt afford to go to the Bahamas because the prices were too high, Brown said. It brought Bahamian culture to us. Goombay provided the opportunity for the Groves rich Bahamian community to connect with their heritage. Thats why when the three-day festival resumes May 31, it will be documented by members of the Florida International University community who will build a collection that will be housed in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. Frederica Simmons Brown, a 92-year-old resident of Coconut Grove who was part of the original planning committee for the Goombay Festival, reminisces on the origin of the Goombay Festival at her Coconut Grove home on Sunday, May 26, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The Goombay Festival, historically, is such a deep expression of Bahamian culture from the Bahamas that has been brought wherever they settled, said FIU history professor Rebecca Friedman. She also is director of FIUs Wolfsonian Public Humanities Laboratory and one of the leaders of the preservation project. Its sort of fundamental to their sense of culture and identity, she said. Miami was built by Bahamians. It was incorporated by Bahamian men. To a large degree, Miami is a Bahamian city. FIUs project comes as the West Grove is undergoing rapid gentrification. Efforts to preserve some of the communitys history have been underway a portion of the area has been designated Little Bahamas, for example. Yet large-scale changes to the community showcase the importance of documenting the neighborhood. Even former residents like Valeria Patterson can feel the changes. I recently took my mother to Virrick Park and she got disoriented on Day Avenue, recalled Patterson, the director of FIUs African and African Diaspora Studies Program, and who is also leading the project. As those landmarks that were there when I was growing up disappeared, thats when I knew things were changing. Thousands of people flocked to Grand Avenue in the historically Black section of Miamis Coconut Grove for the Goombay Festival, which celebrates the neighborhoods Bahamian heritage, in an undated photo. Bahamian immigrants were among the Groves first settlers, helping to build homes and teaching the white community how to grow crops in the 1880s. Bahamians also made up a significant portion of the 44% of Black Americans who voted to incorporate the city of Miami in 1896. The Goombay Festival, known for its Junkanoo parades, live music and vendors from both the area and the islands, emerged about 80 years later in 1976 as a way for both white and Black Grove residents to pay homage to that rich heritage. Goombay Festival was something you looked forward to, said Mikeya Brown, a member of the Goombay planning committee and a granddaughter of Frederica Simmons Brown. That was our pride, our heritage, she said. Thats what the Bahamian residents who were still there had. That was life. Though the festival took a break in 2014, it returned after the pandemic in 2022. That same year, FIU began documentating, which included interviews with the Groves elders. The collection captured various pieces of the festival, including an educational booth at the 2022 event for the community to learn more about its history. All of that plus additional work at the 2023 festival landed FIU a grant from the Folklife Center in 2024. This years Goombay Festival is the final product oral histories, photos, video from the past three years and will be housed at the Library of Congress. With the change in the community, the importance of capturing the Goombay festival, as well as stories from the neighborhoods elders, is valuable. FIU docorate student and fellow project contributor Aarti Mehta-Kroll is in the process of crafting her dissertation on how communities resist gentrification. She had been all over Miami but with the Grove, there was something different. What makes this place unique is that theres a strong sense of community, Mehta-Kroll said. Goombay is more so an act of preservation than resistance. Actually, its resisting the culture from being erased. IF YOU GO A Junkanoo band marches down the street during the Goombay Festival. What: Goombay Festival When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 31; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, June 1; noon-8 p.m., Sunday, June 2 Where: Grand Ave. from Southwest 37th Avenue to Elizabeth Street Tickets: Free More info: Visit https://www.miami.gov/Notices/Events-Activities/MiamiBahamas-Goombay-Festival This Luxe New Cruise Will Stop in 80 Destinations Around the World, From Fiji to Norway One of the smallest cruise ships in Silverseas fleet will carry out the lines biggest global voyage. The 698-foot Silver Dawn will embark on an epic 149-day cruise in 2027, visiting 35 countries across five continents. The transoceanic adventure includes stops in some 80 destinations, more than any other voyage in Silverseas history. In addition, the itinerary features 20 new calls and 11 overnights. More from Robb Report The Three Oceans World Cruise will kick off in Los Angeles on January 8 and wrap up in Copenhagen on June 7. Over five months, seafarers will traverse the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans in the utmost luxury. All 596 passengers on the all-suite liner will enjoy the personalized service of a butler and one of the highest crew-to-guest ratios in the industry. You will also have the opportunity to partake in bespoke events or experiences and visit more than 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Panorama Lounge on Silver Dawn. Garnered over 30 years of operations, our destination expertise will enable our guests to discover the very best experiences in ultra-luxury cruise travel, Silversea president Bert Hernandez said in a statement. Traditional Fijian architecture. The cruise will spotlight the unique cultures, sites, and environments within the areas by the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. Cruising the Pacific Ocean over 46 days, guests will have a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of Hawaii, the traditional architecture of Fiji, and the picturesque beaches of Brisbane, for instance. This leg also includes a cruise in Honolulu, with local cuisine, tropical cocktails, and stargazing on the menu. The Great Barrier Reef. Travelers will then cruise the Indian Ocean, visiting Bali, Semarang, Singapore, Colombo, the Maldives, Seychelles, Reunion, and Cape Town, to name but a few notable destinations. Highlights of this leg include a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, a sunset river cruise to Victoria Falls, a safari experience in South Africa, and a trip to the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve on the island of Praslin. Norways dramatic fjords. Finally, cruisers will cover the Atlantic, traveling from South Africa to the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. On the way, guests can soak in the fjords of Norway, enjoy a musical performance at St. Annes Cathedral in Belfast, and explore the colorful city of Lisbon. Silversea says the accommodation in port has been selected to enhance the experience in each destination, with stays in destinations such as Honolulu, Cairns, Bordeaux, and more. Youll also spend longer in port than any other World Cruise. Ship life wont be bad, either. Guests can indulge in soothing wellness treatments and moreish culinary experiences as they discover the world. Silversea will open an exclusive pre-sale for the Three Oceans World Cruise to Venetian Society members on June 20, while general sales will open on June 27 (with quotes available upon request). Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Manhattanhenge returns to New York City: where and when to watch NEW YORK Manhattanhenge, a phenomenon that sees the setting sun perfectly align itself with Manhattans grid of roadways, will once again dazzle New Yorkers over the next two days. The solar event occurs twice a year, the first about three weeks before the summer solstice, and then another about three weeks after. Neil de Grasse Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium, coined the term Manhattanhenge in 1997. He said it leaves a radiant glow of light across Manhattans brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the boroughs grid. On Tuesday, about half the sun would line up with the islands roadways, clear and cloudless skies and temperatures forecast for the low 80s. On Wednesday, the full sun will align with the grid, casting a unique glow through the boroughs east-west streets. The weather however is slated to be less than pleasant. Meteorologists have warned of potential thunderstorms on Wednesday, while temperatures will hover around the upper 70s. The next time the event takes place will be Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13, though the order will be reversed: full sun on the 12th and half sun on the 13th. Here are some of the best times and places to see Manhattanhenge this year: Half sun on the grid: Tuesday, May 28 at 8:13 pm ET Saturday, July 13 8:21 at 8:21 pm ET Full sun on the grid: Wednesday, May 29 at 8:12 pm ET Friday, July 12 at 8:20 pm ET Where to watch Manhattans thoroughfares: 14th Street 23rd Street 34th Street 42nd Street 57th Street Other spots: Tudor City Overpass in Manhattan Hunters Point South Park in Long Island City ________ Summer travel and summer storms don't mix. What you're owed if your flight is affected. Summer storms often disrupt flights, which can be a frustrating start or a disappointing finish to a vacation. As many prepare to take to the skies in the coming months, it's a good idea to read up on passenger rights so you can get what you're owed if something goes wrong. New rules from the Department of Transportation require airlines to provide cash refunds automatically within seven business days if a flight is canceled or "significantly" changed. However, those rules don't go into effect until October, so this summer will still be protected by the old framework. The DOT has a number of online dashboards to help passengers better understand what they're entitled to in the meantime. Here's what travelers should expect when their flights are canceled or delayed. What happens if you get bumped? What to know when airlines overbook flights A traveler sits waiting for a flight to depart at Austin Bergstrom International Airport on January 15, 2024. What happens if my flight is canceled? Department of Transportation rules require all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason, but customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control. Weather is outside of airline control. According to the DOT's consumer dashboard, if Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue or United cancel a flight for controllable reasons, they're committed to: rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the cancellation results in a passenger waiting at least 3 hours for a new flight providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation Alaska and JetBlue passengers are also eligible for additional compensation. Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest and Spirit do not book passengers on partner airlines. Additionally, Frontier does not offer hotel accommodations and related transport. Cruising Altitude: Progress is not coming fast enough for disabled travelers What happens if a flight is delayed? "There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed," according to the Department of Transportation. However, U.S. carriers have committed to various levels of compensation for significant delays within their control. Each airline, however, defines significant delays differently. If a flight is significantly delayed for reasons within their control, Alaska, American, Delta, Jet Blue and United offer: rebooking passengers on the same airline or a partner airline, at no extra cost providing a meal or cash or voucher for a meal when the delay results in a passenger waiting for at least 3 hours for departure providing complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay providing complimentary ground transportation to and from a hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay Alaska and JetBlue also offer extra compensation when the flight is delayed by 3 or more hours. Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, Southwest and Spirit do not rebook travelers on partner airlines. Frontier doesn't offer hotel accommodations or related transport either. USA TODAY broke it down by airline: If your flight is delayed, you may be eligible for compensation from your airline What should I do if my flight is delayed? If your flight is experiencing a long delay, the DOT suggests asking airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room. The DOT dashboard reflects airlines' official policies, but many carriers handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in some situations that are not formally covered. For example, according to Delta's Customer Commitment, "Delta representatives are empowered with the flexibility and discretion to issue the following forms of compensation for passenger inconvenience when individual circumstances warrant doing so: cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards), travel credits/vouchers, and/or miles for SkyMiles members." Travel insurance can also help with cancellations and delays. Some credit card companies will also reimburse cardholders for expenses related to travel disruptions, when travel is booked on their cards. My flight was canceled: How I got most of my costs covered (after 3 months) Best travel insurance: These policies offer the best value This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight delayed, canceled due to summer storms? What you're (not) owed. What is a 'Utah Fit Check' and Why Are Your Kids Talking About it? How one teacher is helping millennial parents decipher this trend and other teen slang. SeventyFour / Getty Images I am not prepared. My 10-year-old has started speaking in teen slang. He casually dropped a Thats cap! during a conversation my husband and I were having and then left the room. It was like a drive-by slanging," quick and very subtle. It took us both a moment to realize what had just happened. Its too early for this! Did he really just say, Thats cap? my husband said to me with wide eyes, completely forgetting what we were discussing. I quickly had to Google search what it meant, because it is really hard to keep up with all of the terms Gen Alpha has been coming up with lately. Im fully versed in mewing, and rizz, but I couldnt remember the difference between cap and no cap, and my head started spinning. To refresh your memory, when a teen calls someone or says something is cap, theyre accusing them of lying or not being real. Luckily, I am not alone. But just when we think were catching on to what some of the terms mean, a slew of new terms take effect. Thankfully there are Gen Alpha experts who are here for us millennial parents to decipher this secret code of speech, which, if I didnt know any better often sounds like they are talking in code about how to commit a crime. Decoding Gen Alpha Slang One of those experts is Phillip Lindsay, or Mr. Lindsay as hes known on TikTok. Hes a special education math teacher by day in Payson, Arizona, but a teen slang decoder during his off time. His social media account is filled with videos breaking down what it all means, and how grownups can respond. The newest and latest trend hes shedding light on is something called the Utah Fit Check. We know what a "fit check" isa video showing off your outfit of the day. But where does the "Utah" come from? The TikTok trend exploded after a teen from Utah, TikToker @michaelmal568, showed off his outfit or "fit" by jumping and spinning in the air. So of course the trend took off. Other teens have repeated the move multiple times, and the videos are usually set to the song Harness Your Hopes by Pavement. The original video garnered more than 2.9 million views and Lindsay hilariously demonstrates the move in a TikTok with his wife, knocking her to the ground. Another new favorite Lindsay admits in another video, is the phrase 4+4." Because he's a math teacher, I understand his affinity for this one. The equation equals eight, which is also the numerical version of the slang term Ate. When a teen tells someone they Ate, it doesnt mean they consumed a hearty meal for lunch or dinner. Its a compliment on someones style or something positive they accomplished. For example, while looking at her new "fit," my 16-year-old niece recently said to my sister Francesca, Yaaas, you ATE! My sister, understandably utterly confused, replied, I mean, I ate breakfast but I can definitely go for a snack if thats what you are asking. Teen Slang Takes On Different Iterations As if all of this wasnt confusing enough, now there are abbreviations and different iterations of previous teen slang terms that have taken on a new life of their own. Take for instance, Rizz, which applies to and is short for someone who has charisma or the ability to flirt. Some of the popular variations of that now include The Rizzler, Rizzly Bear, Rizzy, Rizz Master, and perhaps my favorite, Rizzard of Oz. While its mostly positive, Rizz can also mean something bad, specifically when someone says Skibidi Ohio Rizz. According to TikTok, it means this: Skibidi= something bad, Ohio= something cringe, Rizz= your ability to flirt. So, basically, you have terrible charisma and you are embarrassing. Why is Ohio involved? It allegedly became synonymous with weird and cringy things after several bizarre news stories and memes that took place in Ohio went viral. Skibidi originated from a YouTube series called Skibidi Toilet which is about an evil army of toilets, which was then changed into a popular TikTok meme. Mr. Lindsay even found a way to incorporate all of these words into one social media video. That's talent. Another phrase, "Bop," which I learned recently was code for a good song or tune, has now been changed into a completely different meaning. Now its being used as a derogatory term for someone who gets around, based on their looks or how they act. The Greek Alphabet Moves Beyond Sororities and Fraternities Teens also categorize coolness using Greek alphabet letters, but naturally, its not used correctly. For example, if a teen calls another an Alpha, it means they believe they are hugely successful, mostly based on looks. According to this TikToker, a Sigma is similar to an Alpha, but more humble. Apparently, the origin of this phrase came from a Spongebob Squarepants clip that went viral. Trying to keep up with teen slang is exhausting because there is something new every week. I now feel for my parents when they were tasked with trying to find out what it meant when we made an L sign with our fingers and held it up to our foreheads. Or responded with a No duh, when answering a question. Or described something as Phat and Da Bomb. Those phrases, along with the Z. Cavaricci pants and bucket hats that were THE style during my '90s teen years dissipated once we graduated high school. Along with those styles, these new teen words and phrases will most likely not last. And once we parents become in tune with what they are saying, their phrases will suddenly become uncool, and theyll move on to the next thing. Thats no cap. For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Parents. Dog owner who paid for sick pup to be put down shocked to find hes now healthy and up for adoption Kristie Pereira, 32, was shocked to find out that the sick dog she took to be euthanized was back at the shelter and up for adoption a year later. A woman was shocked to discover that the sick dog she took to be euthanized was back at the shelter and up for adoption a year later. Kristie Pereira, 32, was heartbroken when she was told that the most humane thing she could do for her beloved pet Beau was to put him down. The digital marketer said she paid $450 to adopt her pup from the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation in 2022 while working from home in Maryland. The dogs veterinarian, the clinics lead doctor and an animal emergency room vet agreed that the pets symptoms pointed to a severe neurological problem. FOX5 DC Beau was almost constantly by Pereiras side, wagging his tail, but she soon realized that something was wrong. The puppy was unable to control his bowels and lift his hind legs. Blood tests showed that Beau had a liver problem, but medications failed to lead to any improvements. The dogs veterinarian, the clinics lead doctor and an animal emergency room vet eventually all agreed that the poop pups symptoms pointed to a severe neurological problem, Pereira said. She said she was told that further tests would cost as much as $12,000 which she was willing to pay but would only provide a very slim chance of finding what is wrong and an even smaller chance of it being something that [doctors could] fix, according to the Associated Press. Running out of viable options, Pereira said she was told that euthanizing the puppy would be the best solution. Pereira held out for another month, hoping Beaus symptoms would lessen, but eventually decided to take the vets advice and put him down after several consultations with the staff at the rescue. Honestly, I mean, after I talked to them is really when I felt, you know, that I was going to be doing the right thing by putting him down, Pereira said. They really gave me that support and that encouragement that, although its hard, sometimes thats the best thing to do. Running out of viable options, Pereira said she was told that euthanizing the puppy would be the best thing. FOX5 DC In late March of 2023, Pereira said she took Beau to Montgomery County Animal Services in Derwood, Maryland, where she paid $15 for him to be euthanized. She was told that the shelters policy does not allow pet owners to stay in the room with their pets as they are put down, so she said goodbye to Beau and walked out of the office. About a year after the heartbreaking situation, Pereira, who has since moved to San Antonio, considered getting another dog and decided to take a peek at the rescues website when she was back home visiting family in Maryland. She was shocked earlier this month when she spotted a dog who looked identical to Beau just a bit bigger with the same name he had been given at the shelter when she first fell in love with him in 2022. Pereira quickly called the Montgomery County shelter and received confirmation that her dog had not been euthanized after veterinarians there deemed him healthy enough to be saved. The shelter instead returned the puppy to the rescue, which confirmed in a statement that its veterinarians found no neurological issues with the dog. Instead, the veterinarians diagnosed the animal with a liver problem and declared him healthy after a $7,000 surgery. Pereira claims that it took several days to get anyone from the rescue on the phone to explain what happened and was hurt by the rudeness she was treated with when she finally did speak to someone. About a year after the heartbreaking situation, Pereira, who has since moved to San Antonio, considered getting another dog and decided to take a peek at the rescues website when she was back home visiting family in Maryland. She was shocked to see Beau listed on their site for adoption. AP The person that called me was so rude and just disrespectful and just being really nasty towards me, she said, breaking down in tears. Just saying, you know, that I abandoned him, and that I left him to die. That I never cared about him. She claims she was told that the dog will never go back to her before being hung up on. LDCRF does not re-home an owner-surrendered dog with its former adopter/owner, rescue spokesperson Chloe Floyd said in a statement. Our mission is to save adoptable and safe-to-the-community dogs from euthanasia. Pereira has since learned that Montgomery County Animal Services decided that Beau did not need to be euthanized and returned the dog to the rescue without informing her. Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation The rescue organization acknowledged that their team members spoke to Pereira as she made the tough decision to put her dog down, but insisted that she was warned of the importance of taking the dog to a veterinarian that would allow her to be with the animal when it was euthanized. They claimed they told her that the team would take the dog back if she could not do that. Caroline Hairfield, executive director of Montgomery County Animal Services, told the AP that while everyone feels for [Pereira], the organization is contractually bound to return surrendered animals back to the rescue. Pereira persistently defends that she was encouraged to euthanize her pup but would have paid the $7,000 for Beaus surgery had she known that was the better option. The hound mix was still available for adoption on Tuesday morning. I have a lot of questions, but first and foremost, I want him back with me, Pereira told the AP. These women weave mats out of grocery bags for Jackson's unhoused population. See how to help Because of the efforts a group of local volunteers partnering with St. Dominic's Hospital, plastic grocery, shopping and dry cleaning bags are being given a new life, repurposed into weatherproof sleeping mats for Jackson's unhoused population. Marie Morris and a group of women from Jackson's neighboring cities hand-make the mats, with each clocking in at around 800 or more plastic bags. On a Monday morning in late May, three of those women Morris, Julia Williams of Gluckstadt and Regis Gordon of Clinton chatted as they stood on either side of a table, weaving long strands of plastic bags into a halfway completed mat stretched over a large wooden loom crafted by Peter Morris, Marie's husband. This mat marked the 24th completed since the group started three months earlier in February. Camaraderie goes hand in hand when St. Dominic's Hospital volunteers gather to weave sleeping mats out of plastic bags for the homeless while working in Terry on Monday, May 20, 2024. Along with these three women, Rosemary Grantham and Kelly Grissett volunteer to make the mats. Morris, who moved to Mississippi from Boston in 1973, knows the other volunteers through church or St. Dominic's, where she has volunteered for 20 years. The weaving takes place in Morris' craft room in her house in Terry. The women typically gather every other Monday to work on the mats, usually completing one in a matter of hours. Morris first saw the idea on Pinterest. There were several keys details left out of the Pinterest post, leaving the group to fill in the gaps as they went along. After some trial and error, the women have streamlined the process. Pieces of black pipe painted red sit attached to every other strand to make it easier to keep track of which strand to weave under or over next. A mat begins with long strands of plastic grocery bags cut in half and tied tautly together. Morris said she often spends free time tying the bags together so the strands are ready when the other women come to weave them together. The weaving process resembles a large crochet project. The women take a large wooden shuttle resembling an oversized needle, also crafted by Peter, and thread the long strands through the rounded end. They then stand on opposite sides of the table and weave the shuttle through in an over-and-under pattern, passing the shuttle to the other once all the way through the width of the mat. The other woman then begins the pattern again from the other side. When St. Dominic's Hospital volunteer Marie Morris of Terry began weaving sleeping mats for the homeless, her husband built a wooden loom and shuttles, pictured, to facilitate the process. The shuttle is similar to a large needle, with the plastic threaded through an eyelet on one end. The tapered end is used to move the plastic through the weave. Once pulled off the wooden loom, a finished mat measures nearly 3 feet by 6 feet and contains around 800 or more plastic bags. Light and portable, the mats are tied with rope fashioned into a handle. A small wooden cross secured to the rope adds the finishing touch, and the mat is ready to go. Sister Mary Trinita, a former nurse at St. Dominic's, will work with St. Dominic's and Stewpot to distribute the mats to the unhoused population of Jackson. Morris said she isn't sure how long a mat would last once in use, but jokingly said that if the mayor starts complaining about loose plastic bags in the streets, she'll know there's a problem. More on Sister Mary Trinita: St. Dominic's renames clinic to honor Jackson nun. Read her story here When St. Dominic's Hospital volunteers complete each sleeping mat, a small wooden cross is added to each mat. St. Dominic's Hospital volunteers use plastic grocery bags to weave sleeping mats for the homeless in Terry on Monday, May 20, 2024. Given the amount of time and care put into a single mat, it's safe to assume the mats will last through many seasons to come. Morris encouraged anyone who wants to help to bring in their plastic bags, since the mats are entirely made from donated bags. As the women wove, a large black garbage bag full of plastic bags sat waiting just outside the craft room, donated by people working of Morris' roof. Those with spare grocery bags can bring them to the St. Dominic's volunteer office or the information desk. Morris said the best kind are grocery, dry cleaning and shopping bags such as shoe store bags. Thinner materials like bread bags, she said, are not good for weaving. Anyone interested in helping Morris and the other women with weaving can ask for Morris' contact information at the volunteer office. More in state news: Starkville voted 'best small Southern town' on USA Today's list. See the towns it beat out Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Women weave mats out of grocery bags for Jackson's unhoused population The Jackson Redevelopment Authority and 2 Degrees Mississippi have partnered with the U.S. Forestry Service to secure $1.5 million in funds that will go toward green spaces on Farish Street in Jackson that have been labeled as heat islands. The money, which can only be used for this project, is meant to help offset urban heat. The project is expected to break ground in the fall when it is more suitable for plants and trees to be planted. The project, which spans a portion of both sides of Farish Street, could take as long as three years to complete. According to JRA and 2 Degrees, the Farish Street project was chosen by community members based on two factors, the urban heat island data collected for Jackson revealing that Farish Street is an extreme heat island, recording 10 degrees hotter than other parts of the city, and that Farish Street has historical significance. UMC on Farish: Historic Black church in Jackson receives part of $4 million grant What's up with Southwest? Southwest cut some Jackson flights, but was passenger traffic the reason? Farish Street, sometimes referred to as a Black Wall Street was a center of Black business and culture that thrived in spite of the challenges of segregation and racism. Many organizations and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement lived and worked there, making Farish street a symbol of Black socio-political resiliency. With the advent of integration of public schools combined with the systemic underinvestment that followed, the street began to decline. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority, along with 2 Degrees Mississippi announced a plan that will help combat urban heating along historic Farish Street. The two announced they had secured $1.5 million in funds from the U.S. Forestry Service. "This has been a team effort," said Christopher Pike, executive director of the JRA. "We are doing something that is really impactful for Farish Street." Pike, who came on board as the new chief of the JRA earlier this year, said that one of the reasons he ultimately took the job was because he wanted to help turn around Farish Street. "I had seen a lot of bad places, but this is one the worst I have seen in my career," Pike said. "It needs some love. It needs significant investment to make up for the underinvestment over the years. So, I am excited about the $1.5 million investment that will be going into Farish Street. When is the last time we have been able to say these words?" The plan will include a shaded area with trees and other native plants that will help mitigate the heat trapped in the area. There will also be benches and a stage so that the community can gather. The project will span across both sides of the street in the 200s block of Farish Street. "This is the first of many investments into Farish Street that will be coming in the very near future," Pike said. "There will be many more announcements in the next two years. We are working with developers as we speak on projects. This project helps kick that off as there will be an amazing place for people to gather as new business being to proliferate this area. You can really feel the energy here. I don't know how to define it yet but it's the kind of energy you need when change is starting to happen." Members of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, along with 2 Degrees Mississippi discuss a partnership that will help combat urban heating along historic Farish Street. The two announced they has secured $1.5 million in funds from the U.S. Forestry Service. The design of the area was provided by students form the Mississippi State University architecture program, which houses its fifth-year program in Downtown Jackson. Dominika Perry, the president and CEO of 2 Degrees says this project is important to the future of Farish Street. "There has been a translation of community vision and preferences into a plan that will be implemented here on Farish Street," Perry said. "We have been meeting with community members for more than two years to make this work for the community." Both Perry and Pike said they expect the transition from design to development to be a smooth one. "We just have to wait for things to cool off a bit, and I think you will be able to physically see the progress begin," Perry said. "I think this is a very exciting time for the entire City of Jackson and we cannot wait to see the fruits of the labor." Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Historic Farish Street getting $1.5 million to combat urban heating A man suspected of stealing $38,000 from a White Settlement Buddhist temple in November 2022 has been arrested in Washington County, Minnesota, according to a news release Wednesday from White Settlement police. The theft was reported Nov. 20, 2022, at the Wat Busayadhammvanaram Buddhist Temple at 7916 White Settlement Road, around the same time as similar crimes at three other Buddhist temples in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, police said in a news release at the time. The suspect was identified in November 2023 as 36-year-old Narcis Chiciu, using facial recognition software, according to police. Investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Chiciu on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity, a second-degree felony. They believe he may have been working with others and said in 2023 they were hopeful they would be able to identify additional suspects once he was in custody. He was arrested on May 22. Eight other suspects have not been identified, but investigators are hopeful they will be able to interview Chiciu and learn who the other suspects are, White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook told the Star-Telegram. Chiciu will be fully extradited back to Tarrant County after he faces any charges that may have been filed by authorities in Minnesota, according to White Settlement police. Authorities in Minnesota did not immediately respond to a Star-Telegram request for information. The old saying that you can run but you cant hide rings true in this case, Cook said in the release. I am thankful for our detectives tenacity and dedication to seeking justice in this case, which undoubtedly will also assist other law enforcement agencies in solving similar crimes. More top stories from our newsroom: Power outages will mostly be fixed by Friday night, Oncor estimates Fort Worth ISD avoids school closures after weighing consolidation plans Challengers win Republican Fort Worth area House runoffs VIDEO: Suspect shoots at Fort Worth officer. Injured cop continues chase [Get our breaking news alerts.] Investigators believe the Wat Busayadhammvanaram Buddhist Temple was targeted because the thieves knew the temple received a large amount in donations that month, police said in 2023. Two men and seven women showed up to the temple in a van investigators believe was stolen from Dallas. The van was later found about a mile from the temple, according to police. Investigators believe some of the suspects went inside the temple to pray in an effort to distract the monks while others broke into the temples living quarters. White Settlement police worked with the FBI, Arlington police and authorities in Dallas while investigating the theft. This story contains information from the Star-Telegrams archives. The explosion occurred in a building containing a Chase Bank and 12 floors of apartments Jason Van Hoose/Facebook The explosion occurred in downtown Youngstown, Ohio on May 28, 2024 One person has died and multiple others have been injured following an explosion in downtown Youngstown, Ohio. Youngstown Police Department confirmed the incident took place near Central Square on Tuesday, May 28. "Avoid the downtown area; Stay away from the vicinity to allow emergency personnel to address the situation without obstruction," the police department said in a statement shared on Facebook. The Ohio Department of Commerce confirmed to PEOPLE that one person had died following the explosion at 47 Market Street. Mercy Health added to PEOPLE that one victim remains in hospital in critical condition, and three are still hospitalized but stable. The healthcare company confirmed three people had been treated and released. Per ABC News, a man's body was recovered from the scene in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley. The explosion took place in a building containing a Chase Bank on the ground floor and 12 floors of apartment units, per the outlet. Jason Van Hoose/Facebook One person died and several others were injured in the explosion Finley initially suggested there had been a natural gas explosion, the outlet reported, and said that authorities were investigating to see if there was a gas leak. "All I know for sure is that there was an explosion," Finley said during a press briefing on May 28. A Chase Bank spokesperson told ABC News the company was in "close contact with local officials to check on the safety of everyone in the building and area." "After that, we'll work to determine what happened and to assess the damage," they added. CBS News reported that the man whose body was recovered from the site was a 27-year-old who worked at the bank. Jason Van Hoose/Facebook The explosion occurred in downtown Youngstown, Ohio on May 28, 2024 Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The incident is under investigation by the State Fire Marshals Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau in conjunction with Youngstown Fire and Police departments, the Ohio Department of Commerce confirmed to PEOPLE. Fire Chief Barry Finley, the Mahoning County Coroner, and Chase Bank did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Damia Rizwan, who lives a block away from where the explosion occurred, said it "felt like a mini earthquake," per CBS News. "It was a loud bang," Rizwan added to the outlet. "My building shook." "My stomach dropped. I said this is different and this isn't okay. When I heard the people screaming, I was like something serious happened," Rizwan continued. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The ruling party of French Polynesia, Tavini Huiraatira, intends to strengthen cooperation with the Baku Initiative Group, party member Cliff Loussan said, Trend reports. "The purpose of our visit is to strengthen cooperation between the Baku Initiative Group and Tavini Huiraatira. We are interested in acquiring the experience of the Baku Initiative Group. Our goal is to ensure the full sovereignty and independence of our country," Loussan said. He also called for combating misinformation regarding France's neocolonial policies. We need to be attentive to the information that is disseminated in the media and verify the information received, Loussan said. The visit of heads and secretaries of the Commission of the Parliament of French Polynesia (Ma'OHI Nui - in the local language), as well as senior staff of the ruling Tavini (Tavini Huiraatira) party to Azerbaijan, started on May 29. The purpose of the four-day visit is to consider the possibility of establishing inter-parliamentary, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and French Polynesia, as well as cooperation in science, education, sports, health, and other spheres. The visit of the delegation of French Polynesia took place at the invitation of the Baku Initiative Group, working in the field of combating colonialism and its new manifestations in the 21st century. The visit was organized following the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the Baku Initiative Group and the Tavini Party within the framework of the international conference Liberation from Colonialism: Consequences of Assimilation and its Impact on the Realization of Human Rights organized by the Baku Initiative Group on April 30 this year at the UN Office in Vienna. To note, the Tavini party has been fighting for the independence of French Polynesia for many years. By Nathan Frandino MARTINEZ, California (Reuters) - World War Two U.S. Army veteran Jake Larson is 101 years old and a survivor of D-Day, historys largest amphibious invasion on June 6, 1944, and he is heading to France for the 80th anniversary to honor the brothers-in-arms who did not make it home. Sitting in his home in Martinez, California, alongside photos and mementos from his years in the National Guard and the U.S. Army, Larson can recall every moment from the day he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and calls himself "the last man." He carried 74 pounds (34 kg) of gear in his pack, the waves rocked the landing crafts up and down four feet (1.2 meters) at times, the Germans fired 14-inch (35.5-cm) shells overhead and small arms from the dunes. I walked in over that minefield, where so many were killed. Not only from the mines, but from the small arms fire. And they're all up there above. Those guys there, those there are the ones that deserve recognition. And I'm here to make sure that happens. I honor those guys, he told Reuters in May. Larson, who goes by the name Papa Jake, is among a dwindling number of World War Two veterans who will return this June to mark the anniversary of the allied invasion when more than 150,000 allied soldiers invaded France to drive out Nazi Germany's forces led by Adolf Hitler. Larson wears a black jacket inscribed with "WWII Survivor" and the six battles in Europe he survived including the Battle of the Bulge. Born in the U.S. state of Minnesota, Larson joined the National Guard as a teenager before the Guard was called up at the start of World War Two. After arriving in Londonderry in Northern Ireland, he was transferred to the Army V Corps. It was under the V Corps that he was assigned to the D-Day invasion. On June 6, after hours of circling in the waters, he and his unit received the word. One by one they jumped into the cold waters of the English Channel. Wading into water up to his neck holding his rifle above, he made it onto the beach. He eventually found a small stone berm with just enough space for cover. He took out a cigarette from his waterproof pack, but his matches were soaked. I sensed someone took to my left. So I just hollered, 'hey, buddy, have you got a match?' I got no response," Larson said. "So I looked back. There's a guy laying. And there was no head under the helmet. It was like magic. I was hearing the soul of that guy was telling me, 'Get up and run right now.' So I did. He remembers that story and many others to this day. And now he is sharing those stories on TikTok, thanks to his granddaughter who started the account for him during the pandemic. With the username @StoryTimeWithPapaJake, hes amassed more than 800,000 followers, with 8.7 million likes, and he's even received fan letters in the mail. You cannot believe what people say, Thank you, thank you, Jake. Im a very positive person and I show that when Im talking and they said, You have changed our lives. Its an honor for me to hear something like that. It keeps me going, he said. "People thank me for being a hero," Larson said. "I am here to tell you I am not a hero." (Reporting by Nathan Frandino in Martinez, California; Editing by Mary Milliken) NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KLAS) A 15-year-old boy faces murder charges for allegedly shooting and killing another teenager with a ghost gun during a meeting scheduled through Instagram, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned. Earlier this month, a Clark County grand jury indicted Giovonnie Bradley, 15, on charges of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and robbery with the use of a deadly weapon in the death of 17-year-old Jyion Alston. On Sept. 16, 2023, Bradley, who was 14 at the time, allegedly shot Alston during a gun exchange at an apartment complex near Owens Avenue and Main Street in North Las Vegas, documents said. Alston died from several gunshot wounds, including ones to his chest and face, documents said. The shooting was gang-related and involved a ghost gun, a self-assembled firearm without a serial number. Police arrested Bradley the next day after tracking a stolen car and following a brief standoff at another apartment complex near Charleston and Nellis boulevards. A month later, police tested blood found on Bradleys shoe, which matched Alstons DNA, documents said. Detectives also located Instagram messages between the pair about exchanging guns before the murder, documents said. Police said they recovered Alstons gun from the apartment where Bradley surrendered after the murder. In an interview with police, Bradley said he began shooting in self-defense, though there was no evidence Alston ever fired a round. Because of the grand jury indictment, Bradley will be tried as an adult. In Nevada, if a 16-year-old or 17-year-old is charged with murder, the case is automatically moved to the adult system. The process is referred to as certification. Judges can certify children over the age of 14 as adults for any felony offense, including murder, though the process is not automatic. Bradleys court history before his indictment was unclear as documents were sealed due to his age. Judge Tierra Jones set bail at $1 million. Bradleys custody history before the indictment was unclear due to his age and sealed records. In court last week, Bradley pleaded not guilty. He was not scheduled to return to court until August. A trial was tentatively scheduled for November. A booking photo for Bradley was not immediately 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 KLAS. A South Carolina judge on Tuesday ordered a teenager to remain jailed on a murder charge in the killing of a North Carolina man that police and prosecutors said could have gang ties. The 15-year-old suspect has been in juvenile custody since about a week after the May 4 shooting death of JaiShaun Young, 21, of Gastonia, N.C. The teen made his first juvenile court appearance on murder and attempted murder charges Tuesday. His identity is not being released because of his age. The teen will remain in custody at the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice for the safety of the community and his own safety after police testified Tuesday of the possibility of gang involvement in the shooting, Family Court Judge Thomas White said. There could be some kind of retribution, White said. The teen was on juvenile probation at the time of the killing after previous incidents of assault and battery and marijuana possession, prosecutors said in court. Prosecutor Erin Joyner of the 16th Circuit Solicitors Office said Young and other men from Gastonia were at the Galilean Road house visiting female friends when as many as 15 shots hit Young and the outside of the house. The second person outside the house was not hurt, Joyner said. Kiera Fayall, a detective with the York Police Department, testified the teen was at the scene when the shots were fired. Officers seized two guns days afterward, police and prosecutors said in court. But defense lawyers for the teen said police have no fingerprints or eyewitness other than a co-defendant putting the teen at the crime scene. DNA found on on the guns does not match him, said 16th Circuit Assistant Public Defender Stacey Coleman, the teens lawyer. A second 15-year-old boy from York facing murder and attempted murder who is also in DJJ custody has not yet appeared in court. Detectives with the Seattle Police Department arrested an 18-year-old man for a series of nine bank robberies across Seattle. In April, the Seattle Police Department had been working with the FBI to identify a suspect wanted for a series of robberies across North Seattle. In these robberies, the suspect was seen walking into the banks and handing tellers threatening notes demanding money. Just before 5 p.m. on April 22, a suspect passed a note to a teller at a bank in the Wallingford Neighborhood. The suspect left empty-handed. About an hour later, a suspect passed a note at a Wedgewood Neighborhood bank. That time, the suspect did get cash. Police say they left on foot. After an investigation, detectives received an anonymous tip that identified the suspect. Search warrants were served and evidence recovered, including a loaded handgun. On May 19, at about 7 p.m., officers found and arrested the 18-year-old in the 12500 block of 27th Avenue Northeast. He was booked into the King County Jail on charges on nine counts of robbery. 18-Year-Old Killed a Day After Graduating From High School: 'Her Smile Lit Up Every Room' Lily Basil was fatally shot on Saturday, May 25 Larry W. Smith/Getty An 18-year-old was fatally shot a day after her high school graduation in Nashville. According to WSMV-TV, an arrest report stated that police were called to a shooting at 1417 Hanson Drive on Saturday, May 25. Per the outlet, the person who called police said the victim, identified as Lily Basil, had a gunshot wound to her right shoulder. The caller said they were taking the victim to the hospital. Basil later died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville after being taken by EMS. The Franklin Police Department confirmed that 18-year-old Matthew Roufail has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide. FPD is investigating a deadly shooting that occurred Saturday night in the McKays Mill area. One person was killed. Police have arrested Matthew Roufail, 18, the department wrote in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter). Hes charged with criminal homicide. His bond is set at $150,000. Police believe this was an isolated incident. The investigation is ongoing. No additional details are available to pass along at this time. 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. According to WSMV-TV, detectives were told Roufail left the scene of the shooting to go to the hospital. He was then taken in for questioning before allegedly confessing to the police that although he shot Basil it wasnt intentional as he didnt think the rifle was loaded, authorities claim, the outlet reports. In a statement obtained by WSMV-TV, Page High School Principal Dr. Katie Hill paid tribute to the schools late graduate. The Page High family mourns the loss of 2024 graduate Lily Basil, the statement read. Lily was a light; she was kind, sweet and extremely respectful. Her smile lit up every room she entered. Though she was newer to the Page community, she quickly embraced the Patriot spirit and was a friend to everyone she met. Page faculty, staff and students will dearly miss Lily, and we are committed to honoring her memory by sharing her light. Roufail was reportedly released on bail. It's not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney. The news of Basils death comes after another teenager was killed after his graduation in Cincinnati last week. According to WLWT5, Lamon Wiggins, 18, was shot and killed just hours after his high school graduation. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Search and rescue operations after Russia's attack on the "Epitsentr" hypermarket in Kharkiv have ended, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 29. According to Klymenko, Russia's attack on the hypermarket on May 25 killed 19 people 12 men and seven women, including a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Fifty-four people were reportedly injured. Russian forces reportedly struck the Kharkiv hypermarket with two guided aerial bombs. A third bomb, which had not unexploded, was later found at the site of the attack. Sixteen relatives of people missing after the attack provided biological samples for examination, Klymenko said. A total of 100 tests were reportedly conducted. "It was not easy. Special equipment was needed around the clock to search for those killed among the ashes, and they were quickly identified with the help of a DNA laboratory," the minister said. Kharkiv and the surrounding oblast are particularly vulnerable to guided bomb attacks due to the proximity to the Russian border, as they are launched from aircraft in Russian airspace. Russia has dropped nearly 10,000 guided bombs in Ukraine since the start of the year, according to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Read also: What will Russias attack on Kharkiv printing house mean for Ukraines publishing industry? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Two people have serious injuries after being shot Wednesday afternoon in the University area, according to county officials. Medic says that the shooting occurred around 5:10 p.m. in the block of Tyler Trail Court. This is off of McCullough Drive. Both were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries; one was sent to Atrium Health CMC and the other to Novant Health Presbyterian. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. 20 kids fall ill after decades-old tear gas is used by police in training exercise near school A California sheriffs department caused 20 students to fall ill after conducting a training exercise with decades-expired tear gas near their elementary school. The students and one teacher at Portola Elementary School in San Bruno, California became ill last Tuesday, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. Their symptoms were caused by tear gas from a tactical training class at an isolated area of the San Francisco County Jail, located less than one mile from their school. Deputies were using gas that may have expired decades ago, according to the Chronicle. When asked by the newspaper if the tear gas was indeed expired, Tara Moriarty with the San Francisco Sheriffs Office said that question is part of what were going to look into as part of our review, making sure that it doesnt happen again. Obviously we are always concerned that theres something expired or out of commission, to how we dispose of that, Ms Moriarty told the outlet. Emergency crews responded to Portola Elementary School, pictured, after expired tear gas from a nearby police training exercise caused 20 students and a teacher to fall ill (KTVU) The students reported burning in their eyes, noses and throats, the Chronicle reports. Several emergency medical crews responded to the school as the incident unfolded. High winds in the area likely caused the gas to waft towards the school, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told local outlet KTVU last week. Officials said deputies have used an isolated area of the jail for the training exercise for decades, CBS News reports. This is an unprecedented situation that we take very seriously, Ms Moriarty told CBS News Bay Area. We sincerely apologize to Portola Elementary School, its faculty and students, and their families for this unforeseen event which must have been especially scary for children. John Nazar, Portola Elementary Schools interim principal, told KTVU the incident was very challenging. The San Francisco Sheriffs Office has now paused all future training that will involve chemical agents as they continue to investigate the incident, CBS News reports. 20 people arrested in Arkansas after seizure of stolen guns, illegal drugs MEMPHIS, Tenn. Arkansas State Police arrested 20 people in Lee County after a nine-hour operation led to the discovery of stolen firearms and illegal drugs. The operation began at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 24 and ended at 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 25. In that time, the Arkansas State Police conducted a saturation initiative in Lee County, resulting in the seizure of illegal items including five firearms, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy pills and illegal marijuana. Three of the five confiscated firearms were reported as stolen. During the operation, ASP issued 156 citations for various offenses. Eight individuals were arrested for driving while intoxicated, and troopers also made two felony arrests. City Council calls for resignation of Helena-West Helena Mayor over video Additional citations were issued including 13 for speeding, 22 for not wearing a seatbelt, and 10 for not using child restraints. According to ASP, they made a total of 278 contacts during the operation. The most significant success of the operation was the response from the community, ASP Captain Philip Hydron, Troop D Commander said. They expressed genuine appreciation for our presence and the proactive stance of law enforcement in addressing criminal activities. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The EU representative's statement on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan is far from reality, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aykhan Hajizada said, concerning the statement by Peter Stano, Spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union, on claims about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, Trend reports. "We totally reject a biased and unacceptable statement by Peter Stano, Spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union (EU) dated 29 May, 2024. The rhetoric of the EU statement is full of blatant falsifications that are detached from reality about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. People detained due to certain criminal investigation, such as illegal funding of certain activities, illegal financial transactions and etc. are subject to the requirements of the relevant laws on penal regimes. Instead of waiting for the results of criminal cases and investigations, as well as court rulings, call on Azerbaijan to release suspects is in open contradiction with legal procedures. Moreover, claims about deprivation of detained people of medical and other assistance have no grounds. All the people that the EU side refers to are subject to necessary assistance in the manner and to the extent specified by law. The groundless public demands of the EU to pardon certain individuals on the basis of political preferences of certain European governments and politicians cast doubt on Europe's true commitment to the rule of law. Azerbaijan has enough experience, knowledge and wisdom, and does not need imposing advice and prescriptions. In the same line, conditioning of Azerbaijans presidency of COP29 with inappropriate political motivation contradicts the very essence of idea of cooperation addressing climate change that Azerbaijan has undertaken. Azerbaijan will continue to comply with its international legal obligations, and urges certain EU institutions to focus on gross violations of human rights in the EU area, and cease its interference and provocations against Azerbaijan," Aykhan Hajizada said. An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Twenty-one states are joining a push by President Joe Bidens administration to modernize the nations aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing mix of power generation and severe weather. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Twenty-one states, including Kentucky, are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize Americas aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar and severe weather. The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, which is intended to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces. In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases. There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have, said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group. Those include reconductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies. In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities arent incentivized to adopt them and generally dont face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year. Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects, Mandez said. The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans utility bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies. And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesotas legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the states transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines. More tools than ever To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand thats growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026. Thats why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential national interest electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing. The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand, the White House said. The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. The post 21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nations aging grid appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Twenty-one states are joining a push by President Joe Bidens administration to modernize the nations aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing mix of power generation and severe weather. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Twenty-one states are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize Americas aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar and severe weather. Iowa is not among the participating states. About 60% of its electricity is generated from wind power. The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, which is intended to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces. In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases. There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have, said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group. Those include reconductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies. In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities arent incentivized to adopt them and generally dont face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year. Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects, Mandez said. The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans utility bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies. And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesotas legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the states transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines. More tools than ever To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand thats growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026. Thats why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month, the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential national interest electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing. The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand, the White House said. The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. The post 21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nations aging grid appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Twenty-one states are joining a push by President Joe Bidens administration to modernize the nations aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing mix of power generation and severe weather. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Twenty-one states are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize Americas aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, severe weather and a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar. The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, which is intended to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces. In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases. Grid-enhancing technologies There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have, said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group. Those include reconductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies. In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities arent incentivized to adopt them and generally dont face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year. Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects, Mandez said. The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans utility bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies. And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesotas legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the states transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines. To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand thats growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree. More tools than ever Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026. Thats why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential national interest electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing. The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand, the White House said. The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. The post 21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nations aging grid appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Twenty-one states are joining a push by President Joe Bidens administration to modernize the nations aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing mix of power generation and severe weather. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Twenty-one states are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize Americas aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar and severe weather. The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, which is intended to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces. In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases. There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have, said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group. Those include reconductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies. In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities arent incentivized to adopt them and generally dont face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year. Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects, Mandez said. The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans utility bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies. And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesotas legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the states transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines. More tools than ever To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand thats growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026. Thats why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential national interest electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing. The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand, the White House said. The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. The post 21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nations aging grid appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Twenty-one states are joining a push by President Joe Bidens administration to modernize the nations aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing mix of power generation and severe weather. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Twenty-one states are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize Americas aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar and severe weather. The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, which is intended to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces. In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases. There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have, said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group. Those include reconductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies. In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities arent incentivized to adopt them and generally dont face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year. Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects, Mandez said. The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans utility bills. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies. And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesotas legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the states transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines. More tools than ever To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand thats growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026. Thats why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential national interest electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing. The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand, the White House said. The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post 21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nations aging grid appeared first on Alabama Reflector. One South Carolina man was killed and another was injured Tuesday night in a shooting, according to the Forest Acres Police Department. The Richland County Coroners Office said 22-year-old Columbia resident Mekhi Courtney is the victim who died, police said Wednesday in a news release. Forest Acres police were notified at about 8 p.m. Tuesday by the Columbia Police Department that two men who had been shot were taken to an area hospital, according to the release. Columbia police said the victims had been shot in the parking lot of The Landings apartment complex which is in the jurisdiction of the Forest Acres Police Department. Courtney died in the hospital, according to the release. The other victim, a Lexington resident, is still in the hospital recovering, Forest Acres police said. Further information on the Lexington mans condition was not available. No other injuries were reported. Officers with both Forest Acres and Columbia police responded to The Landings and found evidence of a shooting in a parking lot, according to the release. The complex is at 3431 Covenant Road in the Forest Acres area of Columbia. Neighbors told officers they heard a disturbance shortly after 7 p.m., but the Forest Acres police said that they did not receive any 911 calls about the incident from neighbors, witnesses or the two victims. Neither of the men lived at the complex or in Forest Acres, according to the release. Information about what the victims were doing at the apartment complex was not available. There was no word about a shooter or shooters, or anyone else involved in the gunfire. Information about a possible motive for the shooting was not available. No arrests have been reported, but police are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip. This is not the first time there has been a deadly shooting at the apartment complex. In January 2023, a woman shot and killed an unknown man who entered her apartment, Forest Acres police said. The Landings at Forest Acres is the same apartment complex where a Columbia man was shot and killed and found behind the wheel of a car in February 2022, according to police. That was the first homicide in Forest Acres since the shooting death of Officer Greg Alia on September 30, 2015, police said at that time. The body of a 27-year-old Chase Bank employee has been recovered from the rubble after a gas explosion destroyed the first floor of a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio. The body was found in the Realty Buildings basement on Wednesday morning around 12.30am, Mayor Tito Brown said at a press conference on Wednesday. The worker has been identified as Akil Drake, 27, by the Mahoning County Coroners Office, local news outlet WFMJ reports. Its a tough part when you have to tell a mother that her son got up yesterday to go to work and he did not come home, Mayor Brown said during the conference, adding that the community needs to wrap our arms around bank staff and residents who were near the explosion. Officials did not confirm the name of the deceased man, nor the other seven who were injured. An autopsy will be carried out by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office. Fire Chief Barry Finley said that the most severely injured person is currently a woman on a ventilator in surgical intensive care. The others have varying levels of injuries. The Youngstown Police Department said in a statement that detectives were called out to assist with a missing person, and after a brief investigation, they determined the missing person was an employee of Chase Bank, where the natural gas explosion had occurred just before 3pm. It was also discovered that he was at work and was observed inside the building right before the blast, the department wrote. During their rescue efforts, the Youngstown Fire Department recovered that missing person, who was unfortunately deceased. The police extended their condolences to the family of the deceased employee. Firefighters assess the damage after explosion in Youngstown (RON FLAVIANO via REUTERS) Chief Finley added that the fire department, along with other agencies, made sure every person had been accounted for by taking on the dangerous task of searching the building room by room, floor by floor, to make sure it was clear. The officials said at the press conference that they would not be speculating on what caused the explosion at this time, as the investigation is in very early stages, with state fire marshals still on scene as of Wednesday morning. Chase Bank released a statement after learning about the death of its employee. The JPMorgan Chase family mourns the loss of our colleague. Our hearts go out to their family as well as our injured employees, their families and other affected by this tragedy, they said, according to the outlet. We will continue to work with local officials to support them. Smoke riseing from a JPMorgan Chase & Co. floor Realty Building on Tuesday after explosion (RON FLAVIANO via REUTERS) Security footage from a camera across the street from the explosion captured the moment the 13-story buildings storefront blew out, sending concrete, glass and other debris spilling onto the street. Individuals in the downtown area said they heard a loud boom and saw a smoke cloud when the explosion occurred, WKBN reports. Those living in the 23 apartment units above the bank were evacuated after the explosion as were those in the International Towers apartment building across the street. Please AVOID downtown Youngstown. Major explosion from possible natural gas leak with injuries, the Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters labor union posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Youngstowns fire chief, Barry Finley, told WFMJ that an evacuation order was issued for every building adjacent to the Realty Building. During Wednesdays press conference, Youngstowns Deputy Directory of Public Works Chuck Shasho said that roads are still blocked off downtown, and while they will be erecting barricades around the building, the public should avoid the area in case of any loose debris. The Independent has contacted the Mahoning County Coroners Office for further information. Gov. Tina Kotek at the home of Ana Maria Rodriguez, a Boardman resident and Oregon Rural Action organizer, whose well water has nearly four times the safe drinking water limit for nitrate. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Gov. Tina Kotek on May 3, 2023 at the home of Ana Maria Rodriguez, a Boardman resident and Oregon Rural Action organizer, whose well water has nearly four times the safe drinking water limit for nitrate. Kotek recently revisited residents in Boardman who are concerned that progress on the nitrate issue has been slow. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) The nonprofit Oregon Rural Action, along with former state environmental regulators and a large coalition of nonprofit groups, is again calling on Gov. Tina Kotek to declare an emergency over drinking water contamination in eastern Oregon and to intervene urgently. The nonprofit sent a letter Tuesday to Kotek that was cosigned by 27 organizations and two former staff of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. It called the nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater area among the most pressing environmental justice issues in Oregon, and said the state continues to be far too slow in responding to the needs of residents who deserve safe drinking water. Nitrogen from farm fertilizers, animal manure and food processing facilities in the area has for decades seeped into a groundwater aquifer that supplies water to thousands of household wells in Morrow and Umatilla counties, disproportionately serving many low-income and Latino residents. Once bound with water, nitrogen becomes nitrate, which is harmful to consume at high levels over long periods. In the letter, the signatories called on Kotek to officially declare an emergency in the groundwater area, to fix a water-testing program run by the Oregon Health Authority and to empower the environmental quality department and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to more strictly regulate and penalize the sources of the nitrogen pollution. Spokespersons from Koteks office did not respond to an email requesting a response to the letter by Wednesday evening, while health authority and environmental quality department communications officials told the Capital Chronicle via email that agency officials are reviewing the letter and have not yet responded. Retired senior administrators join letter The former staff of Oregons environmental quality department who signed the letter Greg Petit and Mitch Wolgamott are both retired senior administrators who worked in the agencys water permitting department and east Oregon office, respectively. Wolgamott is also an Oregon Rural Action board member. Other signatories include The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, Portland-based Latino Network and Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. The state of Oregon has not responded to this public health crisis with the urgency or seriousness it requires, and it is clear that nothing short of direct intervention by either the governor or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be sufficient to protect the residents of the Lower Umatilla Basin from experiencing further harm. Greater action must be taken, they wrote. They also want Kotek to create a plan that spells out how state and local public health and environmental agencies will coordinate and solve the problem, including creating a timeline with measurable outcomes for getting water tested and safe water delivered to those with highly polluted wells. The letter comes just a month after Kotek visited with residents and volunteers with Oregon Rural Action in Boardman in east Oregon, along with state environmental and public health officials and officials from the regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That visit was a follow up to a meeting Kotek had with residents a year prior, and was meant to provide updates and get feedback on the states efforts to get thousands of household wells tested and get safe drinking water delivered to residents who need it. The health authority, tasked since last year with getting tap water tested for domestic well users, has tested only about one-third of households in Morrow and Umatilla counties that rely on wells. Some residents did not get the results of their water tests until seven or more months after the testing took place, and some were told the water was safe even when the results showed nitrate levels nearly four times the legal limit, according to the letter. The state agencies tasked with protecting basin residents, reining in sources of pollution and delivering justice to this community have failed to deliver the timely and sufficient response you promised, the signatories wrote. This environmental injustice remains among the most pressing in Oregon, and it is clear that intervention is needed. The post 28 groups, former DEQ staff ask governor to intervene urgently in east Oregon water contamination appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) Three men were arrested after they stole multiple cans of beer from a liquor store Monday afternoon, according to the Mobile Police Department. 1 shot during argument, Mobile Police says 38-year-old Travis Lorenso McCall, 33-year-old Damien Christopher McCall and 38-year-old Carlos Mantel Bendolph were arrested. Officers were called to Package King on Government Street around 1:45 p.m. for the theft, according to the release. THEFT LOCATION: This embedded content is not available in your region. Prichard Police investigating shooting of 3-year-old Police officials said they found the three men near Public Safety Memorial Park, which is where they were arrested. The three men were charged with organized retail theft. All three have bond hearings scheduled for Wednesday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. 3 People Were Killed in a Small South Dakota Town. The Suspect Is the Former Mayor Jay Edward Ostrem now faces three charges of first-degree murder in the same county where he used to work as a sheriffs investigator Turner County Sheriff's Office Jay Edward Ostrem in May 2024 mugshot. The 911 call came through the small South Dakota countys dispatch center at 9:44 p.m. on Monday, May 27. The man, who identified himself as Zach Frankus, told police that their neighbor had fatally shot his brother with a shotgun. Then, still on the call, he said that he had been shot. Shortly after he reported he had been shot; the male stopped communicating with the Dispatcher, Special Agent Jon Basche of South Dakotas Division of Criminal Investigation later wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. When investigators arrived at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, S.D., an officer observed a man leaving the residence. Law enforcement later identified that man as the towns former mayor, Jay Edward Ostrem. The 64-year-old also used to work as a sheriffs investigator in Turner County, where he now faces murder charges. Elisha Page/Argus Leader/AP Jay Edward Ostrem (far left) formerly worked as a Turner County Sheriff Investigator, May 16, 2009. Stopped by an officer that night, Ostrem told him, per the affidavit for his arrest, that he had a gun in his pocket. Investigators secured that handgun and allege that they found an automatic rifle on the ground nearby, as well as spent shotgun shell casings, and at least one spent rifle casing in his possession. His arresting officer said the former politician smelled of alcohol, per the affidavit. Three men were found dead inside the home. Ostrem is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shootings of Zachary Ryan Frankus, 21, and his brother Paul Wyland Frankus, 26, as well as Timothy E. Richmond, 35, per the complaint obtained by PEOPLE. Just a few houses away at 1100 Main Street, investigators found a female family member of Ostrems at home, per the affidavit. The family member told investigators that on Thursday, May 23, one of the neighbors had come over while the former mayor was sleeping and the two had consumed alcohol. She told police, per the affidavit, that the man had sexually assaulted her. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage, and details of intriguing unsolved cases. She also told investigators that earlier that night, she had told the former mayor about the alleged assault, and, she said, per the affidavit, that he got up and went raging out of the house. She claimed to officers that he had said nothing to her when he left and that she did not know where he went, or if he was armed when he left the home, per the affidavit. Noting that the former mayor had previously worked in law enforcement, she said that he had weapons in the home, and, per the affidavit possibly inside his vehicle. Tony Mangan of the South Dakota Attorney Generals Office confirmed to PEOPLE that as of Tuesday, May 28 Ostrem was held on a $1 million cash only bond. His online roster at Minnehaha County Jail, notes that the former mayor was booked into the facility at 7:09 a.m. Tuesday as inmate number 2519480. His online records note that he's being held without bond. Turner County South Dakota Clerk of Courts confirmed to PEOPLE that Ostrem is set to make his initial court appearance at 4 pm. CDT on May 28 in the mall city of Vermillion, S.D., in Clay County Courthouse. At the time of the phone call, he did not have a defense lawyer listed. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. On May 29, another group of former internally displaced persons, consisting of families temporarily settled in dormitories, sanatoriums, pioneer camps and administrative buildings in various territories of Azerbaijan, was sent to the city of Khojaly from the Garadagh district of Baku, Trend reports. At this stage, another 24 families (88 people) moved to the Khojaly . Until today, a permanent settlement in the city of Khojaly has been provided for 44 families - 169 people. (KRON) Three San Mateo men who police say shot at members of the community including a pregnant woman were arrested on Sunday, according to the San Mateo Police Department. San Mateo PD received three separate 911 calls from people reporting being shot by a BB gun. The first incident occurred near the intersection of North Humboldt Street and East Poplar Avenue at 7 p.m. The second incident occurred on the 3300 block of Los Prados Street at 8 p.m. In both instances, victims told police they were walking when a white BMW sedan drove past and a passenger in the car shot them with a BB gun. San Jose woman allegedly slain by son identified The victims, police said, were shot in the body and face with gel beads. The third incident occurred at 9 p.m. in the 700 block of Monte Diablo Avenue. The victim in that instance told police the white BMW drove slowly past him and his pregnant wife. The suspect shot him multiple times with a BB gun before driving away, police said. After the victim ensured his wife was OK, he saw the white BMW return and shoot at him again. The victim told police the suspects shot with gel beads that barely missed his eyes. Multiple San Mateo PD officers arrived on the scene and located a white BMW sedan a few blocks away. Police detained three suspects inside the vehicle. They were identified as: Elder Larios Mayen, 19, of San Mateo Jose Ramirez Rivas, 20, of San Mateo Emmanuel Vargas, 20, of San Mateo All three men were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were booked into San Mateo 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 KRON4. The Gregorie Neck property along the Tulifinny River. (Provided/Holcombe, Fair and Lane) COLUMBIA A 4,400-acre stretch of land in Jasper County and a farm where scenes from The Patriot were filmed are set to be preserved with help from state taxes. A legislative panel approved grants for both properties Tuesday. Altogether, the state will spend $3.6 million to help protect a combined 5,464 acres a substantial bargain discount, Conservation Bank Chairman Michael McShane told the Joint Bond Review Committee. That adds onto $42.5 million the Conservation Bank has spent this year to protect more than 16,000 acres. For property called the Gregorie Neck a significant chunk of land between two rivers and along Interstate 95 north of Parris Island the approval to spend $2 million puts the final piece of funding into place for partners to forever protect the heart of the Port Royal Sound watershed, according to documents provided to the Legislatures fiscal oversight committee. For Thrailkill Farms in Chester County, one of the settings in The Patriot, the approval marks the beginning of the process to protect the working farm, said Raleigh West, director of the state Conservation Bank. Gregorie Neck When 4,400 acres in Jasper County went up for sale last year for the first time in three decades, the fate of the region suddenly came into question: Would a developer buy the land to build new houses? Or would the untouched land remain wild? Located in one of the states fastest-growing regions, the area named for Alexander Gregorie who bought it in 1798 seemed prime for development, said David Bishop, a conservation director for The Nature Conservancys coastal and Midlands regions. Officials in Jasper County, facing an existential question over rapid changes, had recently put a moratorium on new development permits. But once that moratorium ends, the land would have faced no zoning protections, according to committee documents. So, working with a real estate group and landowners selling the property, The Nature Conservancy bought the land in February for $35 million to put it under a conservation easement, permanently prohibiting future development. We realized it was going to be developed, Bishop told the SC Daily Gazette. Were not against development, but we didnt think this was the right spot to develop. After finalizing the easement, The Nature Conservancy will split the land and sell it to a maximum of six private owners who largely must keep it natural. But when land has a conservation easement limiting its uses, the value goes down, leaving The Nature Conservancy down millions of dollars. Money from the state, the Department of Defense and Beaufort County will make up for most of the loss in value. The Nature Conservancy will donate about $4.5 million worth of land to cover the rest. Well hopefully make our money back so we can do it all again, Bishop said. Although buying the property was potentially risky from The Nature Conservancys end, from an ecological standpoint, it was a no-brainer, Bishop said. Keeping that area rural gives salt marshes somewhere to go without destroying peoples homes during floods, said Kate Schaefer, director of land protection for Open Land Trust, which will hold the conservation easement. Both Beaufort County and the nearby Marine Corps Air Station of Beaufort wanted the land to stay rural, offering historic financial support to the groups attempting to preserve it. It was a unanimous conservation priority for the region, Schaefer said. Oaks on the Gregorie Neck property in Jasper County. (Provided/Holcombe, Fair and Lane) For the military, keeping the land rural ensures pilots doing test flights have safe, open areas for emergency landings, reducing the risk of them hitting a building, Schaefer said. Plus, they dont have to worry about bothering neighbors with loud fighter jets, possibly disrupting operations, West said. If you put luxury houses under the flight path of these jets, youre just asking for noise complaints, he said. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded the project $6 million, about a quarter of the total Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration grant funds the agency had to spend last year. Another $1 million came from Beaufort Countys conservation-specific penny sales tax, which residents adopted in 2022, mere months after a state law allowing it went into place. Part of the law specified that the money could go toward projects outside a countys borders. That was what Beaufort County did, offering its neighbor revenue from its local sales tax to protect the land along the Coosawhatchie and Tulifinny rivers, which flow into Beaufort Countys Port Royal Sound. Keeping the land rural will help guard Beaufort Countys water from pollution, Schaefer said. Because Beaufort was the first county in the state to adopt the new program, this marked the first time a county used its own sales tax collections to protect land outside its borders. Beaufort County deserves a lot of credit to understand conservation is regional and the best conservation doesnt pay attention to arbitrary county lines, Schaefer said. Similarly, the land protects water and wildlife in the neighboring ACE Basin, which is about 300,000 acres, and along the Savannah River, which has about 450,000 conserved acres. Also nearby are the 6,000-acre Mackay Point and 8,000-acre, state-run Coosawhatchie Wildlife Management Area. Because animals and water dont follow property lines, creating a buffer between natural areas prevents disruptions to the nature there, Bishop said. Although its a comparatively small part of that area, the size of the property sets it apart from most pieces of land that are affordable enough for the state to help preserve, West said. Theres just not many opportunities to protect a property of that magnitude left, West said. Thrailkill Farms The legislative committee also approved spending $1.6 million to conserve just over 1,000 acres in Chester County. Thrailkill Farms, a cattle farm located about 12 miles south of Rock Hill, is most famous for an appearance in the 2000 movie The Patriot starring Heath Ledger and Mel Gibson. But the family farm, which was founded in 1909, is also significant agriculturally for its prime farming soil and native hardwood timber, according to committee documents. Located on the southern fringes of the Charlotte metro area, the risk of encroaching development qualified the farm for a state grant for a conservation easement, West said. Its a great piece of property, a great farm, West said. The Thrailkill family approached the state asking for help funding the easement, McShane said. The owners were willing to sell the land for less than half the $3.9 million asking price, allowing the state to help out. It was a substantial discount, West said. That makes it doable. The deal is not yet finalized, but the committees approval Tuesday will allow the state to move forward with the funding to allow the Farm Bureau Land Trust to protect the property, West said. The post 4,400 acres near SC military bases, The Patriot filming location to be preserved appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. 4-year-old drowns in pool in York County SC near Lake Wylie, coroner says A 4-year-old girl drowned in a pool Saturday in South Carolina near Lake Wylie, the York County Coroner said. Rose Blankenship had gone missing from her apartment before she was found in the nearby pool, according to a statement from the coroners office. Deputies responded to the area around Cutter Point Drive and Salem Drive off S.C. 49 around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a York County Sheriffs Office incident report. No foul play is suspected, said Trent Faris, sheriffs office spokesperson. The sheriffs office, coroner and State Law Enforcement Division are investigating. South Carolina law requires SLED to investigate deaths of children. Texass GOP primary runoffs put Republican intraparty divisions on full display Tuesday night as several mainline conservative incumbents fended off challenges from their right even as other incumbents got picked off. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and state House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) both survived primary contests against challengers who enjoyed support from either former President Trump or hard-line conservatives. At the same time, a handful of state lawmakers lost their reelection bids after drawing the ire of top Republicans in the state over their opposition to Gov. Greg Abbotts (R) school voucher policy or their support for ousting Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) during impeachment proceedings. The mixed bag of results among mainline conservatives and hard-liners is only expected to deepen tensions between the two sides to the potential benefit of the states embattled Democrats. Here are five takeaways from Texass contentious primary runoffs. Trump, Paxton take a hit For Texass long-ascendant far right, there was one principal target: state Rep. Dade Phelan (R). Phelan is bad, bad, bad for the Republican Party and democracy. We need him beaten and beaten badly, Trump said in a video shared Saturday on his Truth Social platform. Trump had called on Texans to vote for Phelans challenger, former county Republican Chair David Covey, in a very important runoff. As House Speaker, Phelan presides over the faction of business Republicans that ruled Texas from the late 1990s until the rise of Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) in the 2010s. While a conservative Republican himself, the 48-year-old Phelan also serves as the head of the last part of the states government that is not in the hands of the far right a body that, in the 2023 legislative session, pushed back on some of Abbott and Patricks key priorities, such as the assault on renewable energy and the direction of millions of dollars toward a state-run immigration policy. But Phelan won particular ire from Abbott and Patrick for what they viewed as insufficient support for school vouchers, a policy that opponents saw as a means to allow wealthy parents to pull money out of public schools. And he won the enmity of Paxton, a scandal-plagued Trump ally, for directing the House in its impeachment proceedings last summer a move that escalated the divisions in the state party into something approaching a civil war. In the March primary, where Covey won more votes than Phelan but failed to clear the margin for victory, the far right sought to cast Phelan as a moderate or even a closeted liberal. In last nights runoff, this gambit narrowly failed. Just more than 25,000 Orange County Republicans turned out for the primary, and Phelan won by a margin of 400 votes, or just more than 1.5 percent, leaving him battered but still in office. But with his enemies proxy victories in other runoffs last night, the question of whether Phelan maintains his role as House Speaker remains an open question. Abbott, Paxton still eked out some major wins While top Republicans were unable to oust Gonzales and Phelan, they still enjoyed their fair share of wins Tuesday night. Abbott targeted a slew of Republicans who opted to get rid of a school voucher provision in the states education package. The school voucher policy was a major priority of Abbotts, and the governor threw his weight behind Republicans seeking to challenge members of the Legislature that blocked the governors attempt to get the voucher program into the education bill. Six voucher opponents were defeated during the initial March primary, with an additional three losing their primary runoffs Tuesday meaning Abott and allies have now knocked off 75 percent of the voucher opponents they targeted. But even supporting the governors school voucher priorities was not enough to save some incumbents. Three state House members who had drawn the ire of Paxton for voting to impeach him last year also lost their seats in the runoff, bringing the total incumbents displaced by the far right to a record 15, according to the Texas Tribune. Abbott claimed Tuesday that the House now has enough votes to pass vouchers though this assumes that all these candidates win in the November general election. A moderate House Republican squeaks by Gonzales barely held onto his seat in the GOP primary Texass 23rd Congressional District, which runs from El Paso to San Antonio. He survived a primary challenge against Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber and guns enthusiast who enjoyed support from conservative hard-liners including House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.). Gonzales and hard-line conservatives often found each other on opposing sides of key GOP issues, including whether to include a warrant requirement to a U.S. spy program and whether to support House Speaker Mike Johnsons (R-La.) foreign aid legislation. But the Texas congressman had also faced ire from within the state GOP, which censured him last year over his support for several pieces of legislation supported by Democrats, including the bipartisan gun safety bill that came after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde which Gonzales represents and the Respect for Marriage Act. Several outside groups waded into the GOP primary to aid Gonzales, a nod to how tight the race in a swing congressional district had become. The Republican Jewish Coalition contributed $400,000 in an ad buy for the primary runoff, while a super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee targeted Herrera in a $1 million ad buy, among other groups. Money matters The 2024 Republican primary fight marked a watershed in Texas politics: the entrance of a flood of money into what have historically been sleepy, low-cost races. The high-roller status of these races was evident in the Phelan-Covey matchup. Covey received $845,000 from Texans United for a Conservative Majority, a far-right PAC run by oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Dan and Farris Wilks; $120,000 from Patricks campaign committee; and $700,000 from conservative donor Alex Fairly, according to Followthemoney.org. But Phelan drowned Covey in a flood of money, including $1 million from mainline state Republican PACs, $700,000 from oil and gas, and half a million from real estate interests. One significant chunk about $660,000 came from casino tycoon Miriam Adelson. He also received $75,000 from controversial oilman Harlan Crow, the patron of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Over the Republican primary season, Adelson also gave $9 million to Texas Defense, a PAC to which she is the only donor, according to The Texas Tribune. This is matched on the other side by the $6 million poured into the coffers of school voucher supporters by Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass. Gonzales was also aided by a money advantage as well. The ad-tracking firm AdImpact reported five days out from the election that there was $3.6 million in ad spending supporting Gonzales, another $1 million launching anti-Herrera ads and roughly $800,000 spending in support of Herrera at that point. Deepening Texas GOP divisions embolden Democrats On Wednesday, the Texas Democratic Party pointed to Phelans near loss as a harbinger for the state and a possible salvation for the party, which dominated Texas for much of the 20th century. The staggering primary defeats suffered by GOP incumbents, previously deemed ultra-conservative, unequivocally demonstrate that MAGA extremists have seized complete control of the Republican Party, the state Democratic Party wrote in a scathing statement. While most Texans are governed by local Democratic administrations, the party has failed to win statewide office for the past 30 years. This next election could be existential for them, however: The proposed Republican primary plank would create a system like the Electoral College, in which statewide officials would have to win most counties effectively locking Democrats out of power, as the Tribune reported. Nearly three-quarters of Texans believe the state has been captured by an extreme conservative agenda, according to a poll from the progressive group Unlocking Americas Future earlier this month. On Wednesday, the state Democrats sought to cast themselves as the party of mainline opposition to a rising far right. Despite being one of the most conservative speakers to ever lead the Texas House, Dade Phelan was forced into an unprecedented, precarious primary challenge after refusing to condone corruption, the party wrote. Congressman Tony Gonzales narrowly escaped defeat by a C-List YouTube gun influencer after being censured for supporting common sense gun legislation aimed to prevent tragedies like the Uvalde massacre from taking place again. These tight races and the wave of bumped-off incumbents show that the state GOP has been hijacked by the most extreme fringe of the far-right and is grossly unfit to lead, the statement continued. The Texas Democratic Party calls upon all Texans regardless of partisan affiliation to stand against this depravity. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. 6 state legislatures where partisan balance is on the line in November 6 state legislatures where partisan balance is on the line in November Greater attention is turning toward state legislatures as they become the focal point for debates over abortion access, immigration, redistricting and gun control. Democrats and Republicans alike see opportunities to shift the balance of partisan control in one or both chambers among a handful of state legislatures this fall. Wisconsin, in particular, will be closely watched after Democrats won a lawsuit last year that prompted the state to draw new legislative maps that will go into effect this fall. Here are six state legislatures where partisan control is up for grabs. Michigan Democrats are playing defense in the Great Lakes States state House, where the party holds 56 seats while Republicans hold 54. The state House was briefly tied 54-54 earlier this year when two Democrats resigned from their posts. But the seats, which leaned in favor of the party, were both won by Democrats during the April special election. There are seven House districts that are open this November: the 33rd, 34th, 35th, 40th, 64th, 81st and 93rd. The state is also particularly important, as its one of a handful of battleground states that will determine the presidency. A polling average of Michigan surveys compiled by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) shows former President Trump at 48 percent support while President Biden sits roughly a 47 percent. Minnesota Republicans are looking to go on offense in Minnesota, where Democrats hold 70 state House seats while Republicans hold 64. But Republicans may also get an earlier-than-expected pickup opportunity in the Senate, where Democrats have a 34-33 advantage. State Sen. Kelly Morrison is running for outgoing Rep. Dean Phillipss seat in the 3rd Congressional District. If Morrison prevails in the Aug. 13 Democratic primary and wins the general election, that would trigger a special election for her spot in the upper chamber, giving Republicans an opportunity to flip her seat earlier than the scheduled 2026 election. On the national scale, Biden is barely leading Trump in head-to-head polling, where a polling average of Minnesota surveys compiled by The Hill and DDHQ shows Biden at 46 percent support and Trump at 45 percent. Pennsylvania Democrats are looking to flip the Pennsylvania state Senate, which has a 28-22 Republican edge, while protecting a narrow 102-100 majority in the state House. In the last year alone, the state House majority has been up for grabs three separate times. Democrat Heather Boyd won a special election in Delaware County last May in the states 163rd House District, keeping the seat in Democratic hands. Democrat Lindsay Powell won the special election in September in the states 21st District in Allegheny County, replacing a former Democratic lawmaker. Democrats also saved another seat from flipping in February, when Democrat Jim Prokopiak won a special election for the states 140th District in Bucks County. Arizona Republicans are looking to defend their narrow majorities in both chambers of the state Legislature. Republicans hold a 16-14 edge in the state Senate while holding a 31-29 edge in the state House. The state became ground zero in the battle over abortion access when the Arizona Supreme Court earlier this year upheld an 1864 abortion law that bans nearly all abortions. Lawmakers repealed that abortion law earlier this month after multiple Republicans crossed party lines. At least two of those lawmakers also face tight races this year, including state Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R) and state Rep. Matt Gress (R). The state is back to a 15-week restriction on the procedure. Democrats are also looking to get a ballot initiative passed that would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, while Republicans are pushing for an initiative that would make it harder to pass ballot measures in the state. Democrats in the Grand Canyon State also have reason to be on edge: The polling average of Arizona surveys compiled by The Hill and DDHQ shows Trump at 48 percent support and Biden at 44 percent. With Kennedy factored in, Trump leads Biden 42 percent to 38 percent. New Hampshire Democrats are looking to make inroads in the Granite State, where Republicans enjoy a 14-10 majority in the state Senate and a 201-194 edge in the state House. There are two vacancies and three independents. Democrats won two special elections in March for state House seats, albeit in favorable Democratic territory, while Republicans won two special elections in January in Coos County. A competitive governors race will encourage turnout after Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he would not be seeking another term in office. Polling has also shown a tighter match-up between Biden and Trump in the state, with a polling average of New Hampshire surveys from The Hill and DDHQ showing the president leading Trump 51 percent support to 47 percent. Wisconsin Republicans enjoy majorities in both state chambers, with a 64-35 edge in the Assembly and a 22-10 majority in the state Senate. But Democrats could have a closer shot at flipping the Assembly this fall after Democrats won a lawsuit late last year that prompted new state election maps; experts say Democrats are not expected to flip the state Senate. Wisconsin will be another critical state for Trump and Biden in November: A polling average of Wisconsin surveys compiled by The Hill and DDHQ shows Trump and Biden nearly tied, with Trump close to 48 percent support while Biden is at 47 percent. When Kennedy is factored in, Trump and Biden are tied at 41 percent. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Massachusetts State House. (National Park Service Photo) BOSTON Its good to be an incumbent on Beacon Hill, and its especially good if you hold a leadership position in the House and Senate Thats one of the main takeaways from the list of candidates who have qualified for the 2024 election cycle as of May 28, with 130 incumbents appearing to go without a challenger in either a primary or the general election. Democrats are expected to continue to hold a super-majority in both chambers. The list, provided by the office of Secretary of State Bill Galvin, who oversees Massachusetts elections, comes with some caveats. Candidates can still withdraw their names in the coming days, or opponents can challenge an aspect of their candidacy with a state commission. But the list offers an early preview of how little competition voters will see in the coming election cycle, and whats in store for the 200 seats that make up the House and Senate. Similar to 2022, House Speaker Ron Mariano of Quincy and Senate President Karen Spilka of Ashland, the top Democrats in each chamber, are running unopposed in their respective districts. In the 40-member Senate, 26 incumbents do not face a challenger, including Sen. Michael Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat atop the Senates Ways and Means Committee. Eight incumbents are facing a challenge only in the general election, three are facing a challenge in the primary, and three senators are stepping down, prompting several candidates to jump into those races. In the 160-member House, Boston Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, who is widely viewed as the next speaker, does not face a challenger, joining 103 other legislators in the lower chamber who dont have to worry about a tough time on the campaign trail this summer. There are 25 House incumbents facing a challenge only in the general election, 15 are facing primary challengers, and 16 are leaving the House, creating an open seat. In both branches, the leaders of the minority party, including Rep. Brad Jones of North Reading in the House and Sen. Bruce Tarr of Gloucester, didnt draw any opponents. Challengers can still emerge if they get enough write-in votes in the September primary. Republicans are eyeing that strategy in their hopes to oust Rep. Chris Flanagan, a Democrat from Dennis who was hit with financial penalties earlier this year after campaign finance regulators showed he lied to them about the source of a 2022 campaign mailer. Among the newly elected, Sen. Peter Durant, who represents cities and towns in parts of Worcester and Hampshire counties after winning a special election last year and flipping a seat from red to blue after longtime incumbent Anne Gobi left for the Healey administration, wont face a challenger. His Democratic opponent from the special election, Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, opted to run for reelection instead, and faces a Republican hes beaten twice before. The Senate will see three open seats as Sen. Marc Pacheco isnt seeking another two year term, and Susan Moran and Walter Timilty are giving up their seats to run for county clerk positions. The openings have drawn a smattering of Democratic, Republican, and unenrolled candidates. There are 16 open House seats, several of which were created due to the domino effect of the Senate seats opening up, in addition to retirements. Even among two open contests, there is no competition. Hadley Luddy, an Orleans Democrat, appears to be the only one vying for the seat held by Provincetown Rep. Sarah Peake, a member of the House since 2007. In western Massachusetts, Easthampton City Council President Homar Gomez is the only candidate for a seat that opened up this year after Easthampton Rep. Daniel Carey, a Democrat in office since 2019, announced he is running for Hampshire clerk of courts. This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. The post 65% of incumbents in Massachusetts Legislature face no opponents appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill swears the oath before taking the stand during the Alex Murdaugh jury-tampering hearing at the Richland County Judicial Center on Monday, January 29, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. The hearing allegations against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Becky Hill ruled by former S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool The S.C. Ethics Commission said Wednesday it has found probable cause in 76 different incidents to believe that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill repeatedly misused her position to enrich herself and promote a book she wrote on the Alex Murdaugh murder trial. Hill, who resigned her post in March, received national publicity for being the clerk of court at convicted killer and former lawyer Murdaughs six-week trial in the winter of 2023 and writing a quickie book Behind the Doors of Justice about her insider experiences as a court official at the trial. The book was withdrawn from publication several months ago after she admitted plagiarizing material from a BBC reporter who wrote an in-depth story about the case. Hill also directed hundreds if not thousands of dollars to go for things like candy, tea and lemonade for office parties such as Loris 50th Birthday and brunch snacks for her staff, one complaint said. Other public money went for alcoholic drinks, dog food, dog bones and a dog bed. Hill also bought two picnic tables for $600, a complaint said. The allegations made against Hill were made in formal complaints released by the S.C. Ethics Commission pursuant to a Freedom of Information request by The State Media Co. They are the latest stunning twist in the five-year saga of the Murdaugh dynasty, a saga that has included Murdaughs two murder convictions, a boat crash death, thefts of millions of dollars and the convictions of Murdaughs two accomplices in crime, disbarred lawyer Corey Fleming and ex-banker Russell Laffitte. The commission said the allegations against Hill will be aired publicly at a hearing at the State Ethics Commission in Columbia on Dec. 19. Commission hearings are like mini trials, with opening and closing statements and the introduction of evidence and witnesses. No public explanation was given for the six-month wait until the hearing, but the Ethics Commission maintains a crowded docket and December was likely the first opening in the agencys calendar for a hearing. Some charges allege she used IV-D funds, federal child support money, for some personal expenses. Hills attorney, Will Lewis of Columbia, declined comment. Another attorney who has represented her, Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, could not be reached. Numerous ethics allegations against Hill made public Wednesday charge that she abused her position as clerk of court to promote sales of her book and lavish favors upon others. The allegations included: Spending $543 on a going away lunch for a unidentified member of the solicitors office expenses included alcoholic drinks (Jagermeister and Limoncello), meals and appetizers. Giving a photograph to an unnamed individual of an inmate in a holding cell at the Colleton County courthouse. The inmate was not named, but it may have been Murdaugh. Hill gave the photograph to promote sales of her book. Using her position to direct a $2,000 bonus to herself in September 2021. Using her position to direct a $2,500 bonus to herself in September 2022. Using her position to direct a $2,500 bonus to herself in March 2023. Using her position to negotiate the use of the Colleton County courthouse apparently with a media company in exchange for the promotion of her book. Using her position to direct payments of hundreds of dollars in county funds to a company with which she had a business relationship, Community Innovations. Using her position to buy hundreds of dollars worth of office decorations and presents for employees for birthdays, Valentines Day, Easter and Mothers Day. Using her position to buy hundreds of dollars worth of meals and gifts for other occasions for courthouse and judicial staffs. Last year following the Murdaugh murder trial, his lawyers charged that Hill had tampered with the jury that found Murdaugh guilty to try to get a quick verdict that would juice her book sales. But early this year, a state judge ruled that nothing Hill had done had influenced the jurys actions. Murdaugh is currently serving two consecutive life sentences in state prison for killing his wife, Maggie, and son Paul in a shooting at their rural Colleton County estate in 2021. His lawyers are appealing. During the Murdaugh trial, Hill was a popular public official, known for her genial help to the many members of the news media. the public and officials alike. Attorney General Alan Wilson called her Becky Boo, and she was more widely known as Miss Becky. She was elected to the clerk of courts position in November 2020. Hill was a middle school teacher before becoming a court reporter, a job that put her in the middle of the Lowcountrys well-heeled lawyer class who gave her the donations needed for her 2020 bid to be clerk of court. She ran as a Republican, winning with 56% of the vote, or nearly 11,000 ballots cast, according to a profile of Hill in The State earlier this year. The complaints against Hill were made by two individuals: Arthur L. Simmons III of Beaufort and Laura Hayes, a former Colleton County deputy clerk of court. Simmons declined comment. Hayes could not be reached. 8-year-old boy injured in Garner crash that killed his parents has died, police say The 8-year-old boy who was critically injured in a Memorial Day wreck that killed his parents has died, the Garner Police Department announced Tuesday night. Miles Campbell and his parents, Tyler, 28, and Susan Campbell, 29, died after police say an SUV driver ran a red light and collided with the familys vehicle on U.S. 70 Monday afternoon. We are mourning with those that are suffering from this tragic loss of life, the Garner Police Department stated on its Facebook page. Our investigation is ongoing and we are working with the Wake County District Attorneys office to determine what additional charges will be brought forth. Two vigils were held Tuesday night for Miles. A family member told ABC11, The News & Observers newsgathering partner, that Miles was declared brain dead at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday. He will be an organ donor, according to the family. Miles was a second grader at Aversboro Elementary School in Garner. On Wednesday, the principal notified parents there would be a crisis phone number available for for counseling services. Driver charged Police say a Chevrolet Trailblazer was heading westbound on U.S. 70 when the driver, Jordan Alexander Porter, 25, ran a red light and hit the Campbells Mazda CX-5 that was going southbound on New Rand Road. Porter is in the hospital, and a police spokesperson said Tuesday they did not know when he would be released to make a first court appearance in the case. He is charged with driving while impaired. and police say more charges are expected. Court records show Porter has been previously cited for traffic violations in three counties including reckless driving to endanger, failure to reduce speed and reckless driving with wanton disregard. One of Mr. Porters previous charges arose in Wake County where he was involved in a parking lot fender bender, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said in a statement to The N&O. He was charged with larceny and hit and run based on allegations that he took the victims wallet and left the scene while they were exchanging informationm Freeman said. Ultimately that charge was dismissed when the witness did not respond to efforts to subpoena him to court. As to Mr. Porters other cases that occurred in other counties, I dont think its appropriate for me to guess as to why they were dismissed as there are many reasons cases might end in a dismissal. The Wake County DAs Office is focused on the terrible tragedy and loss of life for the Campbell family and ensuring that justice is sought on their behalf. Before that evenings baseball game, Garner Baseball Inc held a vigil for Miles Campbell and his parents Tyler and Susan in Garner, N.C., Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The Campbells were killed after an SUV driver ran a red light and collided with their vehicle on U.S. 70 Monday afternoon. An official reception was held at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day. After the national anthems of both countries were played, Azerbaijan's Ambassador in Turkmenistan, Gismat Gozalov, gave a speech talking about the historical significance of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which was the first secular democratic state established in the Muslim East 106 years ago. He spoke about the achievements after the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the successor of the ADR, and the incomparable services of national leader Heydar Aliyev in the field of state building, and mentioned that under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, our country is on the path of rapid development. Gismat Gozalov pointed out Azerbaijan is the initiator and active participant in major international projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the Black Sea Submarine Cable project which will connect Central Asia with Europe. The Ambassador noted that in 2020, due to the 44-day Patriotic War, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and sovereign rights within its borders recognised by the international community. Attention was drawn to the construction work in our liberated territories, the large return to our territories, as well as the danger of mines. He drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan is currently taking initiatives in the direction of ensuring peace in the South Caucasus and that Azerbaijan has offered Armenia a peace agreement that recognizes the territorial integrity and borders of both countries. He emphasized that the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are proceeding at the moment and the process of border delimitation is underway. He highlighted that new cooperation opportunities have arisen in the transport and communication sector with the ceasing of the conflict in the region, and these opportunities will serve the interests not only of the South Caucasus but also of the entire region. Considering the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, the Ambassador underlined that recent high-level visits between the two countries and meetings within the framework of international events have become intensive, which has contributed to the further strengthening of our strategic relations. He mentioned that trade turnover for last year increased by more than 75 per cent, the volume of the trade turnover which is proximity to 800 million US dollars and also underlined the great importance of the role of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission in the development of our relations. Underlining that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are implementing important projects in the field of energy, and important work is being done on climate change and alternative energy in both countries, the Ambassador reminded that 2024 was declared the "Year of Solidarity for the Green World" in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, he stressed that the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) which will be held in Azerbaijan in November of this year is obvious evidence that our country is a reliable partner of the world community. The Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet Ministers of Turkmenistan and Co-chairman of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission Batyr Atdayev giving a speech at the event conveyed congratulations on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, wished prosperity and success to Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the high-level dialogue between the heads of state of both countries gave a strong impetus to the development of relations between our countries, he said that the fraternal relations between our peoples are based on historical roots, and cooperation between our countries in various directions, including political, economic and humanitarian fields, is developing rapidly. The event continued with Azerbaijani music, and during the event, materials related to our country, as well as logos related to COP29, were shown through the cinema screen. Samples of Azerbaijani national cuisine, sweets and drinks were presented to the guests. Moreover, materials related to the history, culture, art, carpet art and tourism potential of our country, national musical instruments, as well as brand products of "Made in Azerbaijan" were displayed at the event. Banners related to COP29.az and azerbaijan.travel websites of Azerbaijan were also exhibited at the event. Heads and employees of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, as well as public representatives and Azerbaijanis living in Turkmenistan, took part in the event. CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A child was reportedly sexually assaulted on school grounds during school hours on Tuesday in west Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported. According to a newly released police report, the alleged assault happened on Tuesday, May 28, at Renaissance West STEAM Academy located at 3241 New Renaissance Way. CMPD reports the victim is a 9-year-old boy in this case. Police said the reporting person stated, On May 28, 2024, the suspect sexually assaulted the victim on school grounds during school hours. FINDING MADALINA: Palmiter takes stand, says wife Diana was fighting demons The police report states that the alleged crime happened indoors at the school. According to CMPD, it is a Crimes Against Children Unit investigation, and its very early in the process. CMPD reports that the incident involved two elementary school students, and no adults or administrators were involved. The victim-suspect relationship is listed as outside family. Charges in this case are listed as child sexual assault/sex offense: first or second-degree forcible sodomy. 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. Abcarian: Samuel Alito's ethical lapse isn't the Supreme Court's first. This is why it's different Another day, another ethics crisis at the Supreme Court. When I first read about the upside-down American flag that flew at the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. in early 2021, I thought, Boy, thats dumb. When I later read about the Appeal to Heaven pine tree flag that flew at Alitos beach home in New Jersey, I thought, Wow, how many election denier flags is too many for a Supreme Court justice to own and display? Shouldnt the answer be obvious? Read more: Abcarian: Why are Republicans making it harder for some people to vote? It's not just partisanship A Supreme Court justice should never behave in a manner that can be interpreted as politically partisan. Alito has claimed that the upside-down flag, a distress signal adopted by those denying Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, was raised by his wife during a political dispute with neighbors. Tawdry as that sounds, it doesnt matter. It's his house, too. "A Supreme Court justice appears to have embraced election denialism, Alicia Bannon of New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice told Reuters. That's a five-alarm fire. A sitting federal judge even weighed in: Flying those flags was tantamount to sticking a Stop the steal bumper sticker on your car, Massachusetts-based senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor wrote in a New York Times essay chastising Alito. You just dont do it. You just dont do it. Read more: Calmes: Will voters get the message that our judicial system is on the 2024 ballot too? The U.S. Supreme Court didn't even have an official code of ethics until late last year, unlike the rest of the federal judiciary. Imagine: lifetime tenure and no codified ethics rules. The idea that justices can be expected to monitor themselves for conflicts of interest and ethical lapses is absurd. No one can fairly judge themselves. And now all the court has is a toothless set of guidelines with no enforcement mechanism. For those whose reflexive what-aboutism kicks in whenever MAGA world comes under fire, its important to acknowledge that it was also wrong for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to criticize then-presidential candidate Trump in 2016. I cant imagine what this place would be I cant imagine what the country would be with Donald Trump as our president, RBG told the New York Times during an interview in her chambers four months before the election. For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be I dont even want to contemplate that. (And it was improper for Justice Sonia Sotomayor to routinely ask her staff to prod libraries, universities and schools to buy her books ahead of speaking engagements. She also should have recused herself from a case involving her publisher. ) But when Ginsburg publicly let loose on Trump, hardly anyone thought the reality show billionaire was going to beat Hillary Clinton. Even Trump didnt think he would win. Still, it was an inappropriate, incautious statement from a Supreme Court justice who should have known better. And, days later, she confessed as much: On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised, and I regret making them, she said in a written statement released by the court. Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect. Ginsburgs self-flagellation was not good enough for the Wall Street Journals conservative editorial board, which demanded that she resign or at the very least recuse herself from cases involving the presidential race and related matters. (She did not.) But the Journal has made no such demand of Alito. Instead, right-wing media are awash with pieces about how the left is smearing the poor man. This is the same defense trotted out by supporters of Justice Clarence Thomas, whose wealthy patrons have lavished him and his wife, Ginni, with a bonanza of hundreds of thousands of dollars in trips, private school tuition for a relative, an expensive RV and who knows what other blandishments. The Journal called ProPublicas bombshell investigation of Thomas a phony ethics assault. Unlike Ginsburg, Alito has not apologized for flying the flags nor, come to think of it, for failing to disclose that he accepted a 2008 trip to a luxury fishing lodge in Alaska from Republican donors, one of whom had an interest in cases before the court. Instead, like his much-criticized colleague Thomas, he has responded with petulance. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Durbin of Illinois and member Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island last week asked Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to direct Alito to recuse himself from any cases related to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which of course include the question of whether former President Trump has immunity from prosecution. The Courts Code of Conduct has failed to redress or prevent any of these ethics violations, largely because it contains no enforcement mechanism, they wrote. Last year, the committee advanced a bill, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act, that has yet to be taken up by the whole Senate and may never come to a vote given that body's antiquated rules. The bill would require the justices to adopt a strict code of ethics and create a process for investigating and addressing alleged violations. The court, whose credibility is near an all-time low, should have taken this step without prodding. I had a good chuckle when I read in the Journal that the people undermining confidence in the Supreme Court are those acting as if Justice Alito is sending secret signals from the flagpole at his beach house. You've got to be kidding, guys. Theres nothing secret about it. @robinkabcarian 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. ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Imagine taking nursing classes in high school. That is the reality for three Abilene students currently enrolled in courses at Holland Medical High School at Hardin-Simmons University. They are part of the first dual credit Licensed Vocational Nursing Program through Cisco College, which was made possible by Cisco College, Hendrick Health, and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Abilene, all working together with Abilene ISD. The Dean of Nursing at Cisco College, Dr. Pearl Merritt, started her career as a nurses aide and has gained experience as a vocational nurse. Now, with her doctorate, she stresses the importance of having qualified nurses during a time of shortage. The severe nursing shortage is the fact that Holland High School wants to do its part in helping the community and helping Hendrick Hospital with the shortage of nurses. This is just another creative way of making that happen, explained Merritt. Nurses faced with low pay, high cost of living. These cities are worst To qualify for the program, students had to meet requirements such as prerequisite classes, apply for and interview at Cisco College, and pass the Health Education Systems Incorporated Nursing Test. Student Vivianna Villareal knew she wanted to work in the field from a young age. She studied hard to pass the exam and join the program. The HESI test was like a combination of a bunch of different subjects like grammar, critical thinking, and math. Growing up, I was very familiar with what a caregiver looks like. My grandmother always had one by her side, and she showed me what it was like to have compassion in the face of suffering. So, she inspired me to want to give that same care to obviously other patients, said Villarreal. State-of-the-art health clinic for Veterans to open in Abilene by 2026 The three students taking classes at the Abilene Cisco College Campus and other students are part of the LVN program. Dr. Merritt shared that Cisco College is one of the states three LVN community college programs. She emphasized the importance of vocational nursing as a career that can lead to other opportunities. Become a nurse practitioner later on and get a doctorate in nursing and practice. There are many opportunities, but the LVN role is a great foundation to start your healthcare field career, explained Merritt. Rachel Sprencel is another student in the program. With her familys history in the health field, she knew being a nurse felt natural to her. She wants to give back to the community and become a registered nurse one day. My moms in the healthcare field, my grandmas in the healthcare field, and my sisters in the healthcare field. I do want to work in LVN while Im trying to get my RN, but I know that my end goal is an RN, and I know that I want to work in a hospital, added Sprencel. After high school, Cedric Brooks plans to one day be a nurse practitioner. He is thankful to save money now, as LVN programs in college tend to cost thousands. While saying the money is worth it, the program is a lot of hard work, so you have to prioritize it over the traditional education experience. Seeing my friends in high school and then being at a totally different campus. Going through the summer is definitely another big adjustment. Know your priorities and just take the time to study because its going to be worth it in the end, added Brooks. $179,000+ grant presented to TSTC for partnership with Hendrick Health Upon completion of this program, students will graduate as vocational nurses if they pass their state board. Then, students can continue their education at Cisco College for one more year to receive an associates in nursing. After that, they get automatic admission to Texas Tech, and for another year of schooling, they can graduate with their bachelors in nursing. A new group of AISD students is expected to start the program in the fall. It is open to all high school students enrolled at Abilene High School, ATEMS, or Cooper High School. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Abilene man sentenced to 3 years for fatal drunk driving crash ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) An Abilene man has been sentenced to serve 3 years in prison in connection to a fatal drunk driving crash. Nicholas Mills received his 3 year prison sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to Accident Involving Death and DWI. Abilene man jailed for intoxicated manslaughter after hitting, killing Lubbock man with vehicle Mills admitting to drinking and driving the night he struck and killed Mark Burrow, 24, of Lubbock in May 2021 without stopping to render aid. Police body camera footage played during Mills sentencing hearing showed that he told police he had 3 beers and a shot at a local before hitting something while driving home. He called his parents instead of police. No further information has been released. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Daniela Gonzalez, an election worker, processes ballots at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton, Nov. 7, 2023. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline) Young voters in Colorado are worried about their ability to afford rent across the state, but they havent heard enough candidates talk about helping them do so. Colorado has a primary election on June 25. In the November general election, Coloradans will vote on every U.S. and state representative, some state senators, and a variety of ballot initiatives, on top of the presidential election. As many young people are preparing to vote in some of their first elections, they want to vote for candidates who will prioritize their needs, which they discussed in responses to a survey and interviews conducted by Newsline. This story is part of Voter Voices 2024, in which newsrooms across the state invited Coloradans to tell us what they want politicians to talk about. The project includes a brief survey that we invite you to complete. FIND THE SURVEY HERE Aiden Niemi, a 21-year-old Gunnison resident, said that, particularly for young people in rural parts of Colorado, housing is top of mind not just affordability, but housing stock, too. With tourism ramping up in his area this summer, its frustrating to see vacation rentals sit empty for nine months of the year when he has friends living in their cars, he said. Andrew Thompson, a 29-year-old Denver resident, said he wants to hear local candidates talk about addressing Colorados lack of affordable housing, particularly for renters. I think its pretty concerning that legislators at the state level arent taking the severity of our housing crisis and income inequality seriously and continue to look at ways that they can help homeowners people that are already fairly well off, while leaving renters pretty much completely out of the conversation, Thompson said. Affordable housing has been a prominent topic of debate at the Colorado Legislature, which has a mixed record in enacting relief. Colorado is often cited as having some of the highest rent prices in the country, and rent in Denver has increased substantially in recent years. Newsline connected with Thompson through its Voter Voices survey, a collaborative effort with other newsrooms across Colorado to determine what issues most matter to voters and let their agenda guide coverage of the 2024 election. Thompson said he will vote for candidates who openly support divestment from Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel went to war against Hamas in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people. More than 36,000 people in Gaza have been killed since. 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. Thompson said he will not vote in the presidential election unless incredibly drastic measures are taken to change our countrys stance in militarism across the globe. No one wants to see their government funding, aiding or abetting genocide of people, Thompson said. Young people have a much stronger moral compass and understanding of how a lot of these issues are interconnected, because obviously Americas foreign policy has had an impact on our domestic issues. Students from East High School in Denver protest against gun violence outside the governors office in the wake of shootings at their school, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver, March 24, 2023. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline) The effect of Dobbs Arianna Morales, organizing director at New Era Colorado, a nonprofit that encourages young people to engage in the political process, said that in her five years with New Era she has consistently seen young people support reproductive rights and abortion access. After the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion, more young people started to turn out in support of protecting and expanding abortion access, she said. The Dobbs decision also showed young people the importance of local elections, Morales said, because that is where they can see changes they want within their own communities and state. Additionally, Morales said young people are passionate about candidates who support their ability to live basic and comfortable lives, particularly when it comes to affordable housing. Morales said this includes policies that support renters and increase the minimum wage. Housing right now in Colorado is getting more and more like an impossibility for young people to be able to even imagine, Morales said. As a young person myself who rents, I every year have a little bit less faith that Im going to be able to continue renting in Denver, and I think thats true in all five regions that we organize in. Colin Carter, a 19-year-old Fort Collins resident, also said affordable housing continues to be a growing concern, and he wants candidates to talk about working with local governments to find solutions for people who cant afford housing. Carter also said that with international conflicts growing in recent years, how a candidate talks about conflict can provide insight on their values. I think just from an ethical basis, you can learn a lot about a candidate based on how they handle conflicts like that, and I think that would be really interesting to see peoples takes on, Carter said. Housing right now in Colorado is getting more and more like an impossibility for young people to be able to even imagine. Arianna Morales, organizing director at New Era Colorado Charlotte Goldstein is a 17-year-old Denver East High School student who will be old enough to vote in her first election this year. She wants to hear candidates talk about sustainability and climate protection, as well as gun violence prevention. She agreed that while young people represent a large portion of the voter base, many politicians dont represent their ideals. I think older generations tend to be a little bit more traditional with their ideas and tend to be a little bit more focused on the way things are currently, but I think youth can provide a lot of innovation and a lot of new ideas and really just try to get a lot of new movements going, Goldstein said. A vote is an act of trust Niemi also said many young people he talks to dont have faith in the democratic process, because they dont see themselves represented by the people within the government. I just think that if you dont have faith in our democratic process, we dont have faith in representation, we dont really have anything, Niemi said. People arent exactly being heard, their problems arent being addressed, and we need to restore that faith in the democratic process. Colorado state Rep. Tim Hernandez, a Denver Democrat, is the first Gen Z legislator in the state. With 100 elected officials in the Colorado Legislature, there should be greater representation of young people in the state, he said. Theres something about our generation that says that were not just going to push our politics, were going to change them, Hernandez said. I think Gen Z and young people inherently deserve space in a government that works for us, and also gets to the outcomes that we know that we need because we live with it every day, instead of a bunch of folks theorizing about what we might need. To Hernandez, its understandable for young people to feel like their vote isnt valuable if they arent seeing results once candidates take office. We have to give you something to vote for thats our job. A vote is not a transaction, a vote is an act of trust that youre going to try and help my real problems, Hernandez said. People trust you to help them, and if we dont actually follow through on that, then I think thats a really valid reaction that people naturally become apathetic to not wanting to participate. Democratic Rep. Tim Hernandez speaks in the Colorado House of Representatives on Nov. 20, 2023. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Hernandez said his priorities as a voter and as a candidate have some overlap, but they also diverge at certain points. For example, renters rights have been top of mind for him as a voter, since he currently pays 60% of his income toward rent. But he also represents many homeowners and therefore has to prioritize talking about property taxes and other housing issues while campaigning. Hernandez also said that while he hasnt personally experienced gun violence, he knows that many of the students hes worked with as a teacher do, and he therefore supports additional gun violence protections. He was a primary sponsor on the assault weapons ban that died in the Legislature this year. I worked on the assault weapons ban, because I want politicians who are willing to do the right thing on guns and not be afraid, Hernandez said. I think as a candidate and as a voter, thats an intersection of those things for me I want it taken care of, and I also have the unique opportunity of talking about how we take care of it. Age gap Carter said hes not as concerned about what topics candidates discuss rather he wants them to be truthful and accurate when talking about issues. As hes preparing to vote in his first presidential election, Carter said hes feeling cornered and unsure how to proceed. Some of the candidates that Id feel more inclined to vote for, because I like them, I dont know if theyll win, Carter said, and then some of the candidates that I think are more likely to win, I dont know if I want to vote for them as much. Young people dont feel as connected to candidates who are much older than them and have more dated opinions, Carter said. When talking to young people, many candidates dont sound like they know what theyre talking about or that theyre actually listening, he said. They sound like theyre just trying to figure out whats cool with the kids and they dont actually have a concept of how to talk to younger individuals, Carter said. You want someone who you see as a clear representation of you, and you dont really see that, I feel. Morales said New Era has always endorsed ballot measures and advocated certain issues, but this year New Era will also endorse candidates for the first time since the Obama administration. Typically, we havent endorsed candidates because young people are more motivated by the issue and dont tend to feel super passionate about the candidates that they have to choose, Morales said. But more and more in our state, were seeing some great youth agenda champions on our ballot, so we want to ensure that those people are getting on the ballot and then are going to be voted for. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post Ability to afford housing a top concern for young Colorado voters appeared first on Colorado Newsline. AccuWeather forecasters are tracking a "potential tropical threat" in the Caribbean days before the official start of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters are watching an area from the northern Caribbean into the southwestern Atlantic. There's a 10 percent to 15 percent of the system developing into a tropical system next week. Even if it does, it is not expected to impact the United States, AccuWeather said. Hurricane season begins Saturday, June 1. Here's what you should know about the potential for development of the system being monitored in the Caribbean and tropical waves across the Atlantic basin. What are AccuWeather forecasters watching in Caribbean? AccuWeather is monitoring an area in the Caribbean far south of Florida for potential tropical development the first week of June 2024. The area forecasters are watching for potential tropical development extends from part of the northern Caribbean across the central islands of the Caribbean and into the southwestern Atlantic. A tropical wave is interacting with clouds, showers and thunderstorms in the area, but there are no signs of any tropical development, AccuWeather said. Could the system in Caribbean strengthen into tropical storm? "The area of interest we are looking at may not evolve until well into the first week of June the period from June 4-6 to be exact," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. A disturbance is expected to move across the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico during the first week of June. "There is a remote chance it could initiate a tropical depression or more in this area," said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist. The system will be battling wind shear, which helps prevent tropical systems from developing or strengthening. If wind shear drops off in the area, it could develop tropically DaSilva said. Water temperatures play an important role in the development of tropical cyclones. "Water temperatures are not super warm in the region northeast of the Bahamas, but they are warm enough to support a tropical system," DaSilva said. Could a tropical system impact Florida? The system has a very short window of development, and may not fully turn into anything next week, Pastelok said. "Even If it does, the steering flow would take it over the ocean." Steering breezes are expected to take it to the northeast of the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos and then into the central Atlantic. Who could be impacted by system in the Caribbean? While AccuWeather expert meteorologists said the threat of direct impacts to the United States is minimal at this time, they are concerned about potential impacts in the Caribbean. "Even if this system fails to develop into a tropical depression or storm, it will deliver a substantial amount of rain on Hispaniola and some of the other islands in the northern Caribbean in the coming days," DaSilva said. 'Making us nervous': Conditions more favorable for tropical development mid- to late June AccuWeather forecasters are monitoring several areas in the Atlantic basin for potential development. Later in June, starting with the second week and extending toward the end of the month, conditions will start to favor tropical development, Pastelok said. "There's a lot of moisture covering all of the Caribbean, southern Gulf of Mexico and southwestern Atlantic," Pastelok said. "It may be just showers and thunderstorms but we're watching carefully. "Waters are so warm it won't take much for something to go. It's making us nervous." Alberto will be the first named storm of Atlantic hurricane season The first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will be Alberto. The first named storm typically forms in mid-to-late June, the first hurricane tends to form in early to mid-August, and the first major hurricane forms in late August or early September. The average season has 14 named storms but every forecast for this year's season is calling for almost double or more than double that number. AccuWeather predicting 'super-charged' hurricane season An AccuWeather graphic showing the potential danger of the 2024 hurricane season, which begins June 1. AccuWeather is predicting this season has the potential to break the all-time record of 30 named storms in one season. 20-25 named storms 8-12 hurricanes 4-7 major hurricanes 4-6 direct U.S. impacts Rapid intensification of tropical cyclones could increase US dangers AccuWeather has raised concerns about multiple threats to the United States and the likelihood that some storms may rapidly intensify as they approach land, adding to the danger. DaSilva warned families, businesses, and government leaders that rapid intensification of tropical cyclones could give people less time to react and evacuate. Rapid intensification is the term used to describe tropical storms and hurricanes that grow stronger over a short period of time. Rapid intensification happens when a storm's maximum sustained winds strengthen by more than 35 mph over a 24-hour period. Be prepared, don't let your guard down AccuWeather expert meteorologists are warning people along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines to not let their guard down or let severe weather fatigue set in. Now is the time for families and businesses to prepare for hurricane season. Florida sales tax holiday could help you save money on disaster supplies Florida's disaster preparedness sales tax holiday will happen twice in 2024, with the first two-week period starting June 1. Florida will have two, two-week sales tax holidays to help residents prepare for disasters. The dates are: June 1-June 14 Aug. 24-Sept. 6 Eligible items included in the tax-free holiday include: A portable generator used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage with a sales price of $3,000 or less. A tarpaulin or other flexible waterproof sheeting with a sales price of $100 or less. An item normally sold as, or generally advertised as, a ground anchor system or tie-down kit with a sales price of $100 or less. A smoke detector or smoke alarm with a sales price of $70 or less. A fire extinguisher with a sales price of $70 or less. A carbon monoxide detector with a sales price of $70 or less. A nonelectric food storage cooler with a sales price of $60 or less. A portable power bank with a sales price of $60 or less. A gas or diesel fuel tank with a sales price of $50 or less. A portable self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather-band radio with a sales price of $50 or less. A package of AA-cell, AAA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries, with a sales price of $50 or less. A portable self-powered light source (powered by battery, solar, hand-crank, or gas) with a sales price of $40 or less, including: flashlights, lanterns and candles. Eligible light sources and radios qualify for the exemption, even if electrical cords are included in the purchase. Reusable ice (ice packs) with a sales price of $20 or less. Full list of items exempt from sales tax This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Tropical storm possible? AccuWeather tracking system in Caribbean Activists fail to convince Board of Elections to move toward hand-counting Poll watcher Rick Weible observes the counting of ballots during the Sioux Falls city and school board election on April 9, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Poll watcher Rick Weible observes the counting of ballots during the Sioux Falls city and school board election on April 9, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) The state Board of Elections did not approve petitions Wednesday from activists who want to move the state toward hand-counting ballots. A Republican state Senate candidate, Rick Weible, of Elkton, petitioned the board for declaratory rulings. The petitions asked the board to take several actions, including deeming certain election tabulating software non-compliant with state law and de-certifying its use. The board did not grant the requests. Board member Scott McGregor said afterward that Weible and his supporters routinely attend board meetings to pursue their agenda. Its all about going back to hand-counting our elections, McGregor said. He added that Weible and others in attendance are misguided: The appointed board serves an administrative function and does not make law. They need to talk to the Legislature, McGregor said. During the meeting, Weible and his group lashed out at Republican Secretary of State Monae Johnson, the states top elections official. Weible helped Johnson win the office, and while she was campaigning, she repeatedly declined to say whether she accepted the results of the 2020 presidential election. Attendees at Wednesdays meeting accused Johnson of betraying them since she won her office. She did not respond. Meanwhile, three South Dakota counties will ask voters Tuesday if they should ban the use of tabulator machines in future local elections. Each of the measures was petitioned onto local ballots by members and supporters of a group called South Dakota Canvassing, of which Weible is a member. If the measures pass, the auditors offices in each county would have to hand-count ballots in the Nov. 5 general election and thereafter. The votes are in Gregory, Haakon and Tripp counties. The post Activists fail to convince Board of Elections to move toward hand-counting appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. (Bloomberg) -- Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan held off a primary challenge with help from conservative mega-donor Miriam Adelson, whose family gambling empire has been pushing to legalize casinos in the state. Most Read from Bloomberg Phelan defeated challenger David Covey in a Republican runoff on Tuesday by fewer than 400 votes, foiling the effort to unseat the leader of the states House of Representatives for the first time in more than half a century. The primary was the latest flare-up in a feud within the Texas Republican party. Covey ran with backing from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who endorsed the challenger after Phelan supported Paxtons impeachment on corruption and bribery charges. Coveys backers also included some conservative activists who have tried to move the states Republicans further to the right, including Timothy Dunn, the oil industry billionaire who has financed primary challenges to politicians he views as insufficiently conservative. He also had backing from former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Covey in January and criticized Phelan for supporting Paxtons impeachment and failing to investigate Trumps unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in Texas. Arrayed behind Phelan were more traditional Republican donors, including Adelson, the widow of the Las Vegas Sands casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Our community is not for sale, and our values are not up for auction, Phelan said in a post on X Tuesday night, after Covey conceded. He added that no amount of external pressure can erode a foundation built on community trust and proven results. Paxton blamed Phelans victory on support from registered Democrats who voted in the states open primary. Tonight, weak and liberal Republican incumbents lost across the State of Texas, he wrote, but Democrats swooped in and saved Dade Phelan. The contest split some of the Republican Partys biggest donors. Adelson put $877,000 behind Phelan, donating $50,000 herself with the balance coming from two political action committees she funds. One of them, Texas Defense PAC, spent more than $510,000 on ads that accused Covey of being a puppet of the same donors who supported Democrat Beto ORourke, who mounted unsuccessful campaigns for Senate in 2018 and governor in 2022. Phelan also got $150,000 from Fidelis Realty Partners Ltds Alan Hassenflu, $100,000 from Energy Transfer founder Kelcy Warren, who co-hosted an event on May 22 to raise money for Trumps super PAC; and $75,000 from real estate developer Harlan Crow. Covey had the backing of Dunn, one of the biggest donors in Texas politics, who also gave $5 million at the end of 2023 to Trumps allied super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. Texans United for a Conservative Majority, which has gotten 69% of its money from Dunn since 2023, spent $845,000 backing Coveys campaign. Alex Fairly, an Amarillo, Texas-based risk consultant and insurance broker, donated $700,000. Lieutenant Governor Patricks campaign kicked in another $119,000. Even as the challenge to Phelan fell short, other primaries of sitting Republican lawmakers proved successful, likely giving Governor Greg Abbott the support he needs to push a proposed school voucher measure through the state legislature. (Updates with Trumps support of Covey in fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) Memorial Day Weekends storms caused widespread power outages throughout Southern West Virginia and Virginia. Appalachian Power is working tirelessly to restore the power between the two states. 59News talked to Appalachian Power Spokesperson, Phil Moye, to find out how they are handling the widespread power outages. Major Disaster Declaration for severe weather events in April 2024 announced by Governor Justice and the West Virginia Emergency Management Division Moye said, Considering that just Sunday night, we had 105,000 customers out and now were down in the, around, maybe in the 10-15,000 range, its amazing how much progress weve made, but its been a lot to do with getting a lot of resources in here to help. You know, no power company is equipped to deal with that kind of damage and so you have to bring people in. Weve had people from as far away as Alabama and Michigan that are here helping us. Phil told 59News that Appalachian Power is hoping to restore most of the power by the night of 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 WVNS. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The Zangezur tanker owned by the transport fleet of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) CJSC has been overhauled, a source in ASCO told Trend. "During the repairs carried out at the Zykh Ship Repair and Construction Yard, the main and auxiliary engines of the tanker, the propeller shaft, and some electrical equipment were adjusted or replaced with new ones, and old equipment was repaired. Additionally, pipe-laying work on the deck and in the engine room was completed. Two sets of modern Inmarsat-C equipment, one set of DS-85 speedometers, one set of NAVTEX-700 meteorological data receivers, and one set of fixed UQD radio stations were installed on the vessel. The living rooms for the ship's crew were also repaired. The underwater and above-water parts of the tanker, the main deck and superstructure, as well as the anchor chains, were sandblasted and painted. After the repairs, the tanker was returned to service," the source added. To note, the Zangezur tanker is 149.9 meters long, 17.3 meters wide, and has a full freight carrying capacity of 13,800 tons. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel In the aftermath of this Kansas Reflector columnists Facebook cataclysm, a call for reality One of the windows that greeted contributor Dave Kendall after Facebook removed all content from Kansas Reflector last month. One of the windows that greeted contributor Dave Kendall after Facebook removed all content from Kansas Reflector last month. (Dave Kendall) The last time I wrote a piece for this publication, something quite unusual happened. As I was browsing Facebook one morning, I started receiving notices that my posts were being removed, with this explanation: It looks like you tried to gather sensitive information, or shared malicious software. Im being banished! I thought to myself. Im being tossed off this platform. Ive never been chastised in such fashion, and it felt quite unsettling to see such notices appear one after another in rapid succession. I was, of course, not the only one experiencing this. You may have been puzzled or alarmed to receive such messages yourself. For me, however, it did seem to be an act of personal retribution. After all, I had just written a piece for Kansas Reflector that questioned the policies enacted by this monolithic social media platform. But it wasnt what I considered to be an overly harsh critique, even though I did reference the faceless nature of the communications provided by the organization itself. I really just wanted to express my dissatisfaction with the shadowbanning technique used to sideline conversations that address substantive issues such as climate change. I did not expect to trigger a cascading avalanche of removal notices ostensibly tied to cybersecurity threats, much less the removal of all content linking to Kansas Reflector. Editor and Publisher, a trade magazine identifying itself as The Authoritative Voice of #NewsMedia Since 1884, invited Kansas Reflector editor-in-chief Sherman Smith on to its podcast to talk about what happened with its publisher, Mike Blinder. I was at a cybersecurity conference at the University of Kansas listening to the FBI director talking about very real cybersecurity threats when suddenly Facebook declared that we WERE a cybersecurity threat, Smith explained. How did you tell your audience what was going on? Binder asked. We were just trying to tell our audience what we knew at that time, which is simply we tried to post this article, Facebook took everything down, and Facebook was not telling us why this happened or how it happened or anything at all, Smith said. We actually had no correspondence from Facebook for close to seven hours that day. The editorial board of The Kansas City Star weighed in: Big Tech is terribly opaque. Unilateral deletions like The Reflectors arent uncommon, and good luck finding someone who can help you out when something nonsensical happens. This assessment was corroborated by Dion Lefler of The Wichita Eagle: Their corporate phone number is a we-dont-give-a-bleep recording that hangs up on you after two repeats. And their so-called media relations department is where press emails go to die. A Kansas audience gathers for the screening of "Hot Times in the Heartland" at All Saints Hall at Grace Cathedral in Topeka. Eventually, Kansas Reflector did receive a response from a Facebook spokesman, who suggested what had happened was basically caused by a glitch in their system and offered a mild apology, leaving it up to the Reflector to assure followers there were no malware or cybersecurity threats involved. Editor and Publisher characterized the incident as one that underscores the challenges facing media organizations in the digital age and raises critical questions about the power wielded by tech giants over the dissemination of news and information. At a recent public forum in Topeka sponsored by the League of Women Voters, opinion editor Clay Wirestone recommended obtaining a free subscription to Kansas Reflectors daily email newsletter, which provides direct links to the news stories and opinion pieces of the day, as an effective means of circumventing social media filters. In regard to the main point of the opinion piece that likely triggered the kerfuffle, it appears to me that things have not changed. Facebook continues to stifle distribution of posts related to climate change, even though it claims to take a comprehensive approach to climate-related content, and often responds to attempts to share them with an accusatory note about transgressing its community standards. Consider this recent comment I received from someone who tried to share one of our posts about an upcoming screening of our documentary only to have her post deleted as she received notification that it violated community standards: I was really confused about what standards I had violated in trying to promote the film that Ive seen twice! and that has a segment that features my grandson and his article on climate change in Kansas. Meanwhile, we continue to receive prominent coverage from local media outlets and more requests for screenings. Following an Earth Day screening at K-State that included a discussion with university experts on the subject, a feature article headlined the front page of the weekly publication Grass and Grain, which bills itself as Agricultures Local Newspaper. Although some might assume that rural residents in a red state remain resistant to the notion of climate change, which sometimes gets caught up in party politics, this publication apparently did not have a problem with our production in terms of its community standards. The article simply framed our intent with the documentary in terms of starting a conversation about climate change and what it means for the Great Plains. Seems as though it would be possible and even advisable for Facebook to reconsider its policies and amend its approach, acknowledging that we need to be able to share our thoughts and concerns about such issues as climate change without getting flagged for some sort of rules violation. As a recent NPR story points out, however, Facebook is currently promoting posts created by artificial intelligence, many of which spread scams or spam. Some Facebook users are considering leaving the platform entirely because of their frustrations with being recommended spammy AI images, Shannon Bond reported. The story also notes that Facebook has plans to begin labeling AI-generated content, but as one user put it: It just sort of reinforces peoples disbelief and makes it harder to see what is real. We know that climate change is real, and Ive watched audiences across the state engage with that reality. If only social media platforms agreed. Dave Kendall served as producer and host of the Sunflower Journeys series on public television for its first 27 seasons and continues to produce documentary videos through his own company, Prairie Hollow Productions. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here. The post In the aftermath of this Kansas Reflector columnists Facebook cataclysm, a call for reality appeared first on Kansas Reflector. A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Welp In the up-is-down world of the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, prosecutors attempted to stanch Donald Trumps vitriolic attacks on federal law enforcement the kind of thing criminal defendants would not typically be allowed to engage in while on pre-trial release and wound up themselves threatened with sanctions by the judge. As Morning Memo recounted yesterday, the move by prosecutors to modify the terms of Trumps pre-trial release came late Friday before the Memorial Day weekend and prompted a heated response from Trump. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon weighed in Monday, denying the prosecution motion, chastising them for playing loose with the local court rules, and threatening to impose sanctions on them in the future. One small bright spot, if you can call it that, is that she didnt accede to Trumps request to sanction the prosecution team immediately. Cannons denial was without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile their motion: Cannon insisted that prosecutors had not sufficiently conferred with the defense team before filing and ordered that all future filings contain a statement of no more than 200 words by the opposing side of its position. In a normal case, Id applaud a judge keeping a tight leash on the prosecution team. But were in such uncharted territory here that you cant attribute this to i-dotting or t-crossing by Cannon. Given any chance to chide the prosecution, she takes it. Given deplorable behavior by Trump that would normally never fly, she finds herself mute again and again. The judges routine has become so predictable that even the analysis by legal observers bakes in a certain Cannon quotient: Anything that DOJ does that even arguably deviates from the rules leaves an opening that Cannon will take. So DOJ ends up graded on a weird Cannon curve while Trumps dangerous and unprecedented conduct gets set to the side. One pattern emerging with Cannon is that when prosecutors implore her to assert herself and take more control over the case like so many judges do, she retreats to treating everything as an adversarial contest that she merely referees. But when its a matter of importance to Trump, she regularly asserts herself, going so far as to raise issues on her own. Its another way her handling of the case is imbalanced to Trumps advantage. The Hush Money Jury Finally Gets The Case! With closing arguments in the hush money trial complete, were expecting the judge to spend about an hour instructing the jury on its duties before turning the case over to them to deliberate. Let me caution again that predicting jury verdicts is not just a dangerous game, its damn near impossible. I would even go so far as to say that the rule of law has been honored here regardless of the verdict. The case was well tried, Trump had his day in court, his misdeeds werent swept under the carpet, and that all remains true regardless of how the jury comes down. In oder to set your expectations a bit, I would say the most likely outcomes in descending order are: conviction -> hung jury -> acquittal. But a mix of outcomes conviction on some but not all counts, hung jury on some counts, even acquittal on some counts is defintely in play. Acquittal on all charges is I think very unlikely. After a late night and early morning turnaround, TPMs Josh Kovenky is back at it this morning. Follow his liveblog here. The Alitos Are Quite A Pair The NYTs Jodi Kantor digs deeper into the neighborhood dispute that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito claims led his wife to fly the American flag upside down back in January 2021, sometime between the Capitol attack and Joe Bidens inauguration. Whats most striking is the sheer pettiness of the Alitos, but the one factual reveal is that the key confrontation that Alito said prompted his wife to raise the distress signal actually came after the flag at the Alitos was already taken down. Not that it matters that much? Alitos explanation never made sense. On what planet does your neighbor protesting a coup attempt require you to trot out pro-coup symbols? What else could it possibly mean? A Sign Of Things To Come AJC: A Republican member of the Fulton County elections board refuses to certify primary election results unless given access to detailed voting data, a move that Democrats worry could jeopardize certification of Novembers general election results. DNC Comes Up With An Ohio Fix For Biden The DNC will hold a virtual roll call of delegates to make Joe Biden its presidential nominee and beat the deadline to get Joe Biden on the Ohio ballot, resolving a mundane calendar issue that had bedeviled Democrats and the states GOP governor, who favored resolving the matter. 2024 Ephemera Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), a more moderate Republican by todays standard, barely fended off a primary challenge from far-right candidate Brandon Herrera, winning by about 400 votes. WSJ: Democrats Plan $100 Million Push on Abortion Rights to Win House Ron Brownstein: The unusual turnout dynamic that could decide the 2024 election Abortion Watch NYT: The Untold Story of the Network That Took Down Roe v. Wade Politico: Trump says he wont ban birth control. Heres what he may do instead NPR: Heres where voters will decide abortion at the ballot box in November Infallibility Is Hard Pope Francis apologies for using gay slur in closed-door meeting with Italian bishops. ` Peering Into The Beyond The European Space Agency last week released five new images from the Euclid space telescope, among them this unprecedented shot: This breathtaking image features Messier 78 (the central and brightest region), a vibrant nursery of star formation enveloped in a shroud of interstellar dust. Messier 78 lies 1,300 light-years away in the constellation of Orion. Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! Ukrainian air defenses shot down 13 of the 14 Shahed-type attack drones launched during a Russian attack overnight on May 29, according to Ukraine's Air Force Commander, Mykola Oleshchuk. The drones were reportedly launched from the Russian port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, located on the coast of the Azov Sea. The town lies approximately 153 kilometers (95 miles) from Kerch, which is located on the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Aircraft, missile and electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted the drones over Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Rivne oblasts, the Air Force said in its morning update. No damages to civilian infrastructure or casualties were reported at the time of the publication. 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. Read also: What will Russias attack on Kharkiv printing house mean for Ukraines publishing industry? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A child peeks through a scope made from a piece of paper at Meadow Lakes Head Start Center in 2023. (Photo by Lela Sieler through CCS Early Learning) A child peeks through a scope made from a piece of paper at Meadow Lakes Head Start Center in 2023. (Photo by Lela Sieler through CCS Early Learning) Alaska lawmakers approved legislation that would nearly double the states support to early childhood programs for low income families. The boost comes amid a crisis the child care sector, where low wages suppress the number of spaces available and reduce access to care. Mark Lackey, director of a Head Start program in Wasilla, attributes the change to the scope of the problem. There were schools closing down, there were classrooms being shuttered, he said. Last year the Legislature would have given Head Starts $5 million in one-time funding, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed most of it. The new proposal still needs Dunleavys approval to become law, but Lackey said this year he is optimistic. He pointed to the governors initiation of a task force to find solutions to the child care crunch: He saw that the sector needed help and that he saw that families were not able to stay in Alaska. Alaskas Head Start program provides child care, early education and services like health and dental care to more than 3,000 children in low-income families. The federal government funds 80% of Head Start costs and programs need to come up with the rest of the money. The state of Alaska paid the full 20% match for the programs for decades until the price of oil sank in 2010. State support has shrunk about half of the match. House Bill 148 includes a commitment that the state will increase its contribution to the full 20% match. This year that is a $5.2 million increase. Lackey said thats necessary because Head Start programs, unlike private centers, cannot increase their rates to support better wages for staff. Were serving parents that dont have those resources, he said. So when our grants are flat for 14 years it really hurts. So this is huge. The years of flat-funding, coupled with the instability of pandemic years and rising prices, took their toll on his organization. Just two weeks ago, Meadow Lakes Head Start, one of his Wasilla preschools that served about 45 students, closed for good. The board of CCS Learning cut nearly 100 spaces this year because the organization could not afford enough staff. Now, he said they can start to rebuild. Im excited about being able to advertise our vacancies at a wage that isnt lower than Target, he said. Individuals that are taking care of young children, they have a lot of responsibility on their plate and they should be compensated accordingly. The increase also benefits rural areas. Anne Shade, director of Bristol Bay Native Associations child care programs, called it life changing. In her region, an area about the size of Ohio, Head Start works in conjunction with the school district and is the only early childhood option. But she said Head Start often loses highly qualified workers to the district, where wages are higher. That has led to classroom closures in the past. With the increased funding, she said she can compete for the most skilled workers. The prices are so high out here. Were looking at going to almost $7 a gallon for gas, milk at $10 a gallon you cant pay people $14 an hour, you cant survive, she said. Lackey said the states commitment staves off future closures and allows Head Start programs to rebuild. I think this absolutely gives breathing room and keeps future closures from being so imminent. I know that programs all around the state of Alaska are still under-enrolled. And we are going to have to have time to hire new people at better wages to get them trained, you know, to get back to where we were pre pandemic. Lawmakers also included $7.5 million in the budget for grants for child care centers and a number of policy changes aimed at increasing access for families. Lackey has worked in early childhood for decades and said this support is unlike what hes experienced before. Ive been going to Juneau now for 20 years and have never felt such a successful legislative session for early childhood, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The post Alaska lawmakers move to double state support for Head Start early childhood programs appeared first on Alaska Beacon. This article was originally published in Alaska Beacon. About a dozen preschoolers played in the snowmelt in the yard of Hillcrest Childrens Center in Anchorage this April. Most were zipped into heavy duty outerwear against the spring chill. All of them were splattered with dirt. One of our values is mud, said Christina Eubanks, the centers director, before an exuberant and particularly mud-coated child pulled her aside to tell her about his day and offer her some of the muffin that was part of the days afternoon snack. Caring for kids costs money. Eubanks had popped out into the yard after reviewing the budget the centers board had voted on the night before. The balance sheet is riddled with negative numbers, but Hillcrest will be in the black this year. That is only possible because of nearly $200,000 in grants from federal pandemic aid that the organization used to offset tuition costs. That is not expected in the year coming forward, Eubanks said. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The state will distribute the last of the federal aid to child care centers this summer. So were hoping that will be enough to balance out this years budget. It would be great if there was some funding to go into next years, Eubanks said. Hillcrest had to increase what it paid workers just to be competitive with unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Eubanks said she knows the child care centers costs are reaching the limit of what families can afford, but the parent-run board still voted to increase its monthly rates to up to $1,850 to keep up with the cost of operation. It is in these tenuous conditions that Alaska lawmakers passed the child care legislation. The proposed law expands eligibility for families to get financial assistance for child care, offers tax incentives for companies to invest in child care options and gives the state the option to consider the actual cost of care, rather than the market rate, when setting its rates. Lawmakers separately included $7.5 million in the states budget for grants to support child care centers. Stephanie Berglund, the leader of a nonprofit resource and referral center for child care in the state, hailed the achievement. This is a landmark milestone for Alaska, she said. Whats significant is recognizing the importance and value of working families, and the need for our state to be investing in critical child care support. By her estimate, the changes could double the amount of Alaska families eligible for child care subsidies and assistance. But she said that since the pandemic, nearly a quarter of Alaskas small child care businesses have closed and her organization has not seen new ones fill the gap. She cautioned that without movement to support child care businesses and create new ones, there may not be enough programs for newly qualifying families to apply their benefits to. This legislation is just one piece of whats needed. Child care is still very much in crisis in Alaska, she said. It doesnt fix everything Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, sponsored the legislation, which began as House Bill 89 and she is the first to admit that it is not a complete solution. HB 89 doesnt fix everything. But its a start, she said. I think it just brings a lot of people hope that maybe we can keep this momentum going. Coulombe serves on the governors child care task force and said there was celebration of the bill at its meeting this week because the changes come directly from work with state staff and care center operators from around the state. The piece she is most excited about is the public private partnership that offers tax credits to businesses that make payments or contributions for child care and child care facilities. In my opinion, thats whats going to move the needle the most, because thats right where people are working, thats their employers. Thats going to have a really big impact. Another supporter of the bill, Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, said its language was based on legislative best practices from around the country that were successful in states with either mixed or Republican-led legislatures. It represented what is possible in Republican legislatures, he said. He also stressed the need to expand child care. Its not enough to stabilize a sector; the sector has grossly inadequate capacity right now, he said. So, he too has his eye on tax credits. The biggest question is, what is the uptake on these tax credits to expand care? he said. The best thing that could happen would be a bunch of companies invest in new child care facilities. The tax credit is the reason Kati Capozzi, president of the Alaska Chamber, was one of the bills most active advocates. She said it is a priority for the businesses that are her organizations members, an indication that the businesses that pay taxes in the state would use the incentive. They took a look at it, saw the tax credits that are available and encouraged the chamber to support the bill, presumably because they plan on using the tax credits that are included in it, she said. Data shows unaffordable or unavailable child care affects Alaskas workforce. Seventy-seven percent of Alaska parents reported missing work because of child care challenges in one study. Hail Mary The milestone legislation did not succeed as a standalone bill. Instead lawmakers slipped it into a much larger bill at the 11th hour of the legislative session. Coulombe described it as kind of a Hail Mary, but said she doesnt mind what form it takes as long as it serves its purpose. After passage by the House, HB 89 got hung up in the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, tried to put the bills language in a bill that dealt with Medicaid in schools, but that proposal didnt get enough votes. So Fields asked Coulombe for permission to add it as an amendment to a popular board extension bill. Its the last day, and I got nothing to lose. So lets just try it, Coulombe recalled saying. It passed easily in the House and the Senate concurred just before gaveling out for the year at about a quarter midnight. Fields called the amendments passage a miracle, but there is another hurdle before the bill becomes law. The popular bill that was such a successful vehicle for HB 89 was also a successful vehicle for a wide-ranging array of other bills. The practice of adding legislation as amendments to bills likely to pass, known as bill stuffing, is common and widespread, but this particular instance may have stretched the limits of what is allowed. Lawmakers are restricted to keeping the amendments to a single subject. The measure, Senate Bill 189, now ranges from board extensions to child care to big game permitting and marijuana taxes. The governor has always said he supported HB 89, the original bill, Coulombe said, but added that she is sure the administration is going to give it a close look. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on Facebook and Twitter. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) After facing allegations that he violated the New Mexico Government Conduct Act, Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis has reached a settlement with the State Ethics Commission, which agreed to drop the allegations. The Ethics Commission accused Lewis of violating state law, claiming he engaged in an official government act that directly affected his personal financial interests. The concern was that Lewis was involved in the paving and asphalt industry while also working in a political capacity to oppose the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality Control Board, which could promulgate rules impacting the paving industry. New Mexico housing price increases rank high in the U.S. In 2023, Lewis was among the five city councilors who adopted an official position that a petition from the Air Quality Control Board could be harmful to the welfare of the City . . . At the same time, members of Albuquerque Pavement Association of New Mexico (of which Lewis eventually became executive director) opposed some aspects of the Air Quality Control Boards rulemaking. With the apparently overlapping interests, the State Ethics Commission took up the case. Public can comment on Bernalillo County improvement plan and bond package Lewis cooperated with the ethics commission to reach a settlement. In the settlement concludes that Lewis did not take an official action in furtherance of affecting or acquiring any personal financial interest. Lewis did agree to recuse himself of any City Council matters that relate to the Air Quality Control Board or the Albuquerque Pavement Association of New Mexico while he works for the association. If he fails to do that, he has agreed to pay double the usual civil penalty for violations of the Government Conduct Act. With the agreement, the Ethics Commission agreed to drop allegations against Lewis. In response to the incident, Lewis told KRQE that he stands by his actions and that he is concerned the Ethics Commission could be used to unfairly attack politicians. While I respect the State Ethics Commission and its work, I am concerned that anonymous complaints can be used as political weapons against elected officials who serve in a non-partisan municipal office. The Attorney General and State Legislature should review the SECs process for considering frivolous anonymous complaints, Lewis said. My actions as a City Councilor relating to the Albuquerque / Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board were entirely because I believe they were the appropriate actions to protect my constituents and the people of Albuquerque from what I believe was a renegade Board that was attempting to harm our community. I took no action at the behest of the Asphalt Pavement Association of New Mexico. I was not offered any position or financial incentive because of my role as a City Councilor. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow / Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. Albuquerque Public Schools will receive $6.9 million to help purchase 20 new school buses. It is the only school district in New Mexico to get money from this federal program, according to data released by the White House. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Albuquerque Public Schools awarded $6.9M for federal clean bus initiative appeared first on Source New Mexico. On May 27, 2024, a personal exhibition of the Peoples Artist of Azerbaijan, Arif Huseynov, was opened at the Yunus Emre Institute in Budapest, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Hungary and the Azerbaijan-Hungarian Friendship Society with the support of National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO. The exhibition will be open till May 31. Tahir Taghizade, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Hungary, who inaugurated the event with his opening speech, informed the participants about the successful development of cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary. Artist Arif Huseynov and Honored Art Worker Ziyadkhan Aliyev talked about the rich culture of Azerbaijan and the history of cultural relations between the two countries in their speeches. A documentary film called Karabakhname, based on Arif Huseynovs works, was also demonstrated at the event. The event brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Hungary, including the heads of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan diplomatic missions, representatives of the press and cultural circles, and the Azerbaijani diaspora in Hungary. Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United States said Wednesday a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and halt to Israels military operation in the southern city of Rafah is not going to be helpful. Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, circulated the draft resolution Tuesday evening to its 15 members after emergency council consultations on the escalating Israeli operation in Rafah. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters ahead of Wednesday's monthly Mideast meeting that another resolution is not necessarily going to change anything on the ground. He said the U.S. is focused on getting an agreement on a temporary pause in the fighting and the release of some 125 hostages taken during Hamas Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, and then working on a long-term end to the seven-month war. Majed Bamya, the Palestinian deputy ambassador, told the council meeting that adopting the resolution would be an important step to force Israel to halt its military offensive and to withdraw its occupation forces, and to ensure an immediate cease-fire. Algerias U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama circulated the resolution as Israel pushed ahead with its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from Israel's Gaza offensive. Most have now fled, but the U.N. says no place in Gaza is safe and humanitarian conditions are dire. The draft resolution demands compliance with previous council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access to Gazas 2.3 million people who need food and other aid. The draft resolution, obtained Tuesday evening by The Associated Press, also demands that the cease-fire be respected by all parties and calls for the release of all hostages. Some diplomats said they hoped for a quick vote, even as early as Wednesday, but the U.S. opposition leaves the resolution's future in doubt. It is our hope that it can be done as quickly as possible because life is in the balance, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters after Tuesday's meeting. The United States has vetoed multiple resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, although it abstained on a call for a temporary cessation during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The draft also demands compliance with previous Security Council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access to Gazas 2.3 million people who desperately need food and other aid. The proposed resolution says that the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip constitutes a threat to regional and international peace and security. It expresses grave concern at famine spreading throughout the Gaza Strip and the suffering of Palestinians who took refuge in Rafah. The resolution would demand that Israel "immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah. The draft condemns what it calls the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, including women and children, and civilian infrastructure and reiterates the councils demand for all parties to comply with international law requiring the protection of civilians. Smoke rises above southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Israel's border with Gaza Smoke rises above southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Israel's border with Gaza By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Algeria on Tuesday proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that demands a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and essentially orders Israel to "immediately halt its military offensive" in Rafah. Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama said earlier on Tuesday - after a closed-door meeting of the 15-member U.N. security body on Gaza - that the aim of the move was to "stop the killing in Rafah." Algeria is a council member for 2024/25. The Algerian draft text, seen by Reuters, uses the strongest Security Council language - it "decides that Israel, the occupying Power, shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah." It also cites a ruling by the International Court of Justice last week that ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide. Diplomats said the council could vote within days. The move comes after an attack on Sunday set off a blaze in a camp in a designated humanitarian zone of Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 45 people. Israel said it had targeted Hamas militants and had not intended to harms civilians. A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the U.S., Britain, France, Russia or China to pass. The U.S. has so far shielded its ally Israel by vetoing three draft council resolutions on the war in Gaza. But Washington has also abstained on three votes, most recently allowing the council in March to demand an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas. Israel is retaliating against Hamas, which rules Gaza, over an Oct. 7 attack by its militants in which more than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 130 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza. Israel launched an air, ground and sea assault on the blockaded Palestinian territory, killing more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel says it wants to root out the last major intact formations of Hamas fighters hunkered down in Rafah and rescue hostages. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Kanishka Singh and Michael Perry) Samuel Alito blames wife again as he rejects calls to step aside over upside down flag flap Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not recuse himself from upcoming cases involving January 6 rioters or Donald Trump despite recent controversies over two controversial, political flags flown at his homes. In a letter, dated Wednesday and addressed to more than 30 members of Congress, Justice Alito wrote that he will not recuse himself from case,Trump v US - which will determine if the former president has criminal immunity - or Fischer v US examining if January 6 rioters were correctly charged with a specific crime. Earlier this month, the New York Times revealed that an upside-down American flag was flown at Justice Alitos Virginia home following the 2020 presidential election - a symbol used by the stop the steal movement supporting Mr Trumps false claims of election fraud. It was subsequently revealed that an Appeal to Heaven flag was flown at Alitos New Jersey vacation home, a symbol carried by rioters on January 6. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Martha-Ann Alito share a smile during a ceremonial swearing-in at the East Room of the White House February 1, 2006 (Getty Images) In Wednesdays letter, Justice Alito once again blamed his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, for the incident as he had done in the immediate aftermath of the controversies. My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not, Justice Alito wrote. She was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years. Citing the non-binding Supreme Court code of ethics, Justice Alito argued in the letter that he was not required to disqualify himself because this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal. Justice Alito assured those he had nothing to do whatsoever with the flags, and was unaware the upside-down American flag was being flown. He wrote that when he asked his wife to take it down, she refused. My wife is a private citizen, and she possesses the same First Amendment rights as every other American. She makes her own decisions, and I have always respected her right to do so, he wrote. Justice Alito claimed that his wife flew the flag while greatly distressed about a nasty neighborhood dispute. He said a man living down the street displayed a sign that directly attacked his wife and berated her in front of him using the vilest epithet that can be addressed to a woman. People carry an "Appeal To Heaven" flag as they gather at Independence Mall to support President Donald Trump during a visit to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia (AP) She has made many sacrifices to accommodate my service on the Supreme Court, including the insult of having to endure numerous, loud, obscene, and personally insulting protests in front of our home that continue to this day and now threaten to escalate, Justice Alito wrote. The judge then explained that the An Appeal to Heaven flag was just one of the wide variety of flags his wife has flown over the years. These include a flag thanking veterans, college flags, flags supporting sports teams, state and local flags, flags of nations, flags of places they visited, seasonal flags and religious flags, he wrote. Justice Alito again also insisted he did not know what the An Appeal to Heaven flag meant or that it had a connection to the Stop the Steal movement. For these reasons, Justice Alito wrote that he does not need to recuse himself from either case. Democrats in the Senate and House had called for Justice Alito to recuse himself. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sent Chief Justice John Roberts a letter last Friday asking him to push Justice Alito to recuse himself from cases. They argued that Justice Alito actively engaged in political activity, failed to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. On Feb. 15, a couple living across from Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito's home called Fairfax County police to complain that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, had been harassing them. According to The New York Times, the Alitos were in an escalating feud over the other couple's decision to display a yard sign that used profane language to denounce former President Donald Trump. Initially, Justice Alito claimed that the decision to fly an upside-down flag outside his Virginia home was a response to the couple lobbing a vulgar insult at Mrs. Alito following the Jan. 6 insurrection, an encounter in which both sides accused the other of aggression. "I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag," the justice claimed earlier this month. "It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs." However, Fairfax County authorities confirmed that the incident with the neighbors actually happened on February 15, per the Times, long after the inverted flag a sign of distress and a symbol the pro-Trump movement to overturn the 2020 election was first raised outside the Alitos' home. Emily Baden, one of the neighbors, told the Times that she and her then-boyfriend were taking out the trash that February day when Mrs. Alito herself used an expletive and called them "fascists" as her husband, the Supreme Court justice, looked on in silence. Baden said she in turn yelled at Mrs. Alito, using an expletive and reminding her that she was "representing the highest court in the land." Another time, Baden alleged, Mrs. Alito appeared to spit towards her vehicle as she drove past the Alitos' home. Neither of the Alitos have commented on another provocative flag that was displayed at their New Jersey beach home. The "Appeal to Heaven" flag, spotted there in the summer of 2023, is widely used by supporters of the January 6 attacks and members of Christian nationalist movements. The incidents have raised serious concerns about Justice Alito's impartiality and appears to have violated the Supreme Court's ethics code against making nakedly political statements. Several legal experts have called on Alito to recuse himself from the presidential immunity case brought by Trump. "This is after the insurrection, so it's really him weighing in, getting involved publicly in a dispute over the insurrection," Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush who worked with Justice Alito on his 2006 Senate confirmation, previously told Salon. "When the house is used this way, I'd be shocked that she would do that without talking about it with him first." Justice Samuel Alito told lawmakers on Wednesday that he will not recuse himself from upcoming cases related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot after it was reported that flags connected to the Stop the Steal effort were flown outside his homes. Alito wrote in a pair of letters to members of Congress that he had nothing to do with flags that were flown over his homes, including an upside-down American flag he said his wife, Martha-Ann, flew as part of a dispute with neighbors in Alexandria, Va. The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal and I therefore have an obligation to sit [for the cases], Alito wrote to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), both of whom have called for his recusal from the pending cases. I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused, Alito wrote, noting that they own their home jointly and that she has a legal right to use the property as she sees fit. The upside-down flag has long been known as a signal to indicate distress, but it has been used by those protesting former President Trumps loss in 2020 and became associated with the Stop the Steal movement, which tried to prevent the transfer of presidential power based on false claims of election fraud. 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. The Supreme Court is set to rule on a pair of key cases in the coming weeks related to the Jan. 6 attack, including whether Trump has immunity from prosecution. Alito also addressed an Appeal to Heaven flag that The New York Times reported flew over their beach home in Long Beach Island, N.J., saying that he was largely unfamiliar with the flags message while it flew over the property. The flag, which dates to the Revolutionary War, has more recently served as a call for a conservative, Biblical-centered government and was spotted in the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not. My wife was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years, Alito wrote. The justice directed a second letter to House Democrats who were also calling for his recusal. A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal. I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request, he wrote in both letters. Alitos official response to Congress comes nearly two weeks after the initial report about the flags emerged, with Durbins push for recusal coming shortly afterward. The Illinois Democrat has acknowledged, however, that there is little lawmakers can do to punish Alito short of impeachment. And were not at that point at all, Durbin said last week. Justice Clarence Thomas also faced calls for his recusal over the involvement of his wife, Virginia, in the push to overturn the 2020 election results. Like Alito, Thomas has also declined to step aside. Alito and Durbin have found themselves in a public war of words over the past year, with the Judiciary Committee chair leading the charge on Capitol Hill to institute a new ethics code for justices in the wake of numerous reports that some, including Thomas and Alito, have received lavish gifts and vacations from wealthy donors and benefactors. Justices have pushed back heavily on this possibility, saying Congress has no standing to implement rules on the court. Updated at 2:17 p.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 The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told lawmakers he wont recuse from cases involving Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot after revelations that flags associated with far-right causes flew over his homes in Virginia and New Jersey. Most Read from Bloomberg Responding to Democratic calls that he disqualify himself, Alito said in two letters that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying the flags. My wife is an independently minded private citizen, he wrote. She makes her own decisions, and I honor her right to do so. The court is set to decide by the end of June whether Trump is immune from criminal charges that he illegally tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In a second case that could have implications for the Trump prosecution, the justices are also weighing an appeal by a man charged with being part of the Capitol assault. The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was displayed at Alitos Virginia house in the days before President Joe Bidens inauguration. More recently, an Appeal to Heaven flag flew at Alitos beach residence in New Jersey, the Times said. Similar flags were carried by Jan. 6 rioters. My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not, Alito wrote to Democratic lawmakers including Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia. She was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years. Alito said his wife flew the upside-down flag during a very nasty neighborhood dispute during which a house displayed a sign personally attacking her and a man directed a vile epithet at her. He said he asked Martha-Ann Alito to take down the flag as soon as he saw it, but for several days, she refused. He said he presumed his wife was expressing a patriotic and religious message with the Appeal to Heaven flag and that neither Alito was aware of any connection to the Stop the Steal Movement. Johnson, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary subcommittee that oversees federal courts, said Alitos response underscored the need for Congress to impose an enforceable code of conduct on the Supreme Court. The code adopted by the Supreme Court in November doesnt include any enforcement mechanism. Any unbiased and reasonable person would find laughable Justice Alitos the dog ate my homework, and I didnt even know I had homework defense, Johnson said in an emailed statement. Alito, 74, is one of the anchors of the conservative wing that controls the Supreme Court. Two years ago, he wrote the courts opinion overturing the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. --With assistance from Emily Birnbaum. (Updates with Johnson reaction in ninth and 10th paragraphs.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Alito tells lawmakers he will not recuse from Supreme Court cases despite flag controversy Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told lawmakers in a letter Wednesday that he will not recuse from cases involving the 2020 presidential election or the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot despite concerns about two controversial flags that have flown on his properties. The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal, Alito wrote in a letter distributed by the Supreme Court. As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. The letter is a highly unusual response, underscoring how the revelations about the flags have dogged Alito for days. Supreme Court justices rarely get into a back-and-forth with lawmakers and many members of the court do not explain their reasons for recusing or not. The Supreme Court is weighing major cases tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol. In one, the justices are weighing former President Donald 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. Repeating claims he made previously about an upside-down US flag that flew at his Alexandria, Virginia, home in early 2021, Alito said the decision to place the flag was his wifes. And he blamed that decision on a very nasty neighborhood dispute. My wife is a private citizen, and she possesses the same First Amendment rights as every other American, Alito wrote in one of two letters sent to members of Congress. She makes her own decisions, and I have always respected her right to do so. My wife is fond of flying flags, Alito wrote. I am not. Appeal to Heaven flag controversy A second controversial flag the Appeal to Heaven flag which has a history dating to the Revolutionary War, but also has become a symbol for Trump supporters flew at the Alitos vacation home in New Jersey. The justice on Wednesday said he was aware of the flag but didnt know how long it was flown. Alito said he was not familiar with the flags meaning and said his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, also hoisted that one. This Google street view image from August 2023 shows "An Appeal to Heaven" flag flying at US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home in Long Beach Island. - From Google I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag, Alito wrote. I was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the Stop the Steal Movement, and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings. Citing the code of conduct the Supreme Court adopted recently in response to another series of scandals, Alito said the flags did not constitute grounds for recusal. Alito said he was duty bound to reject requests from members of Congress to recuse. One of the letters was addressed to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who had requested that Alito recuse from cases involving the attack on the Capitol. Another was addressed to members of the House who had made similar demands. A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal, Alito wrote. I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request. Durbin in a statement said his committee has been reviewing the recent reporting on Alito as part of their investigation of ethical lapses by some justices on the Supreme Court. The Illinois Democrat called the flying of the upside-down flag a signal of defiance, which raises reasonable questions about bias and fairness in cases pending before the Court. At the end of the day, the Chief Justice can end this spiraling decline in Americas confidence in our highest Court by taking decisive action to establish a credible code of conduct, Durbin said. I will continue to pursue what the American people are demanding: accountability, transparency, and an enforceable code of conduct for Supreme Court justices. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who chairs a Senate Judiciary subcommittee looking into court ethics, used the recent revelations to push for passage of his Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, which he introduced last year following media reports about Justice Clarence Thomas pattern of nondisclosure on his financial reports for years. Justice Alitos story conflicts with the accounts of other people involved, and the Supreme Court uniquely in all of government has no mechanism for getting to the truth. If the Court wont create one, then we need to, and my SCERT Act would do that, the Rhode Island Democrat said in a statement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who also sits on the Senate Judiciary committee, told CNNs Kaitlan Collins on The Source late Wednesday that Alitos explanation defies common sense. The Connecticut Democrat also urged Chief Justice John Roberts to show some spine and use his moral and political force on the court and take actions like refusing to assign opinions to Alito and Thomas. Those kinds of steps may seem small, but they would send a very powerful message, he added. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, said Alitos response demonstrated a need for Congress to step in to approve an enforceable code of ethics on the high court. Any unbiased and reasonable person would find laughable Justice Alitos the dog ate my homework, and I didnt even know I had homework defense, Johnson said. While congressional Democrats slammed Alitos refusal to recuse himself, Trump praised the conservative justices move. Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and GUTS to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related, he wrote on Truth Social. Spat with neighbors The revelation of the flag came from a May 17 report from the New York Times. The outlet published a photo of the inverted American flag on January 17, 2021. Following the story, Alito said in a statement he had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag and that it was briefly flown by his wife in response to a neighbors yard signs, one of which, the justice told Fox News, read F**k Trump. Neighbors with whom CNN spoke following reports of the flag said they recalled the flag being inverted but said they didnt know what it meant and there was no public reaction at the time. According to the Times, a neighbor involved in the exchange with Martha-Ann Alito called police after several encounters with the justices wife in early 2021, after the neighbor had placed yard signs which were critical of Republicans and the justice. Justice Alito also told Fox News the neighbor used the term c*nt at one point during the exchanges. Pictures obtained by the Times show the neighbor holding signs that include Alito was @ Jan6 along with Abort SCOTUS following the ruling 2022 overturning Roe v. Wade. This story has been updated with additional details. CNNs Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Kate Sullivan, Jack Forrest, Morgan Rimmer, Tierney Sneed and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Insights from The Brennan Center, The Economist, and The Atlantic The News Justice Samuel Alito has declined to recuse himself from forthcoming US Supreme Court cases involving the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, despite the controversy over two flags flown over his properties. Both an upside-down American flag that flew outside Alitos home in January 2021, and an Appeal to Heaven flag flown outside his vacation home were symbols used by Trump supporters who falsely claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In a letter to Congress on Wednesday, Alito said his wife flew the flags and he was not involved in the decision. He added that he was duty bound to reject calls from a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers to recuse himself. While the court has guidelines that indicate when a justice should consider recusal, the decision ultimately lies with the justices. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Scandal highlights failure of Supreme Courts ethics rules, observers say Sources: The Washington Post, The Brennan Center, The Chicago Sun-Times, Forbes The flag scandal shows that the Courts recently released code of ethics is falling short and requires Congress to step in and shore up rules for justices, two Brennan Center experts wrote. The court needs genuine ethics rules, not the hazy and unenforceable guidelines it approved last year that have no teeth, The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board wrote, adding that Senate Judiciary Committee head Dick Durbin has a civic duty to hold hearings on Alitos actions. Judicial watchdog group Fix the Court suggested that Congress could appoint an inspector general to investigate potential misconduct, or the court could take other steps to self-regulate. Eroding public faith in highest court could pave way for violence Sources: ProPublica, Christian Science Monitor, Gallup, The New York Times, The Economist Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas recent ethics scandals, alongside the courts lurch to the right and spate of controversial landmark decisions, have contributed to a crisis of legitimacy, the Christian Science Monitor reported. After decades as the most-trusted government institution, faith in the court dropped to a record low last year, pulled down by skeptical Democrats and Independents. Some lawmakers see the rapid erosion of trust as a danger to democracy. Without a trusted referee, political science experts wrote for The Washington Post, the US becomes increasingly vulnerable to political disagreements spilling out of the nations political and legal systems and into the realm of force and violence. Democrats fret over what another Trump presidency could mean for the court Sources: NBC News, The Atlantic Fearing another Trump presidency, a growing number of liberal commentators are urging Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire. Top Democratic lawmakers have warned of a repeat of the situation whereby justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ignored calls to resign, then died in the final months of Trumps presidency, allowing him to push the court further right. Liberals are also concerned about how the court will rule on Trumps claim that he should have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. If the court decides in Trumps favor and he is reelected, he could easily conclude that he faces few practical limits on his authority, wrote Ronald Brownstein, a senior editor for The Atlantic. "A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and my wife, and I'm glad that I get to go home and be with my son again," said Tyler Wenrich after his sentencing Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force Tyler Wenrich Tyler Wenrich, a 911 operator and emergency medical technician from Virginia who was arrested after bringing hunting ammunition to Turks and Caicos in April, is now able to return home. According to ABC News, NBC News, and CNN, on Tuesday, May 28, Wenrich, 31, was fined $9,00 and sentenced to time served following a three-week jail stay. The sentencing occurred days after Wenrich pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of ammunition for two 9 mm rounds on May 21. Wenrich received a shorter sentence than the mandatory minimum of 12 years after Justice Davidson Baptiste "cited exceptional circumstances," in his case, the Turks and Caicos Islands government said in a statement, per ABC News. getty Aerial photo of Turks and Caicos Related: Another American Arrested in Turks and Caicos for Allegedly Having Ammunition, Could Face 12 Years Baptiste added that "enforcing the mandatory minimum would have been arbitrary and disproportionate and would not serve the public interest," ABC News and CNN reported. PEOPLE has reached out to the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands for comment. Wenrich previously said he forgot he had the ammunition in his possession while traveling to Turks and Caicos via a cruise ship for a bachelor party, per ABC News. After his sentencing, the father to an 18-month-old son told reporters outside the court that he was "relieved." "A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and my wife, and I'm glad that I get to go home and be with my son again," said Wenrich, per NBC News. Related: American Father Held in Turks and Caicos Over Ammunition Says He Prepared for Doomsday Before He Was Released While speaking to reporters, Wenrich described the court appearance as "emotional." "Very emotional, because it's up and down because he goes through everything. You don't know if it's going one way or the other as he's read through everything, so, so tearing up every time I heard '18-month-old son,' and now I'm just relieved at the outcome," he said, per NBC News. Wenrich's sentencing comes days after the release of Bryan Hagerich, a father of two who was arrested in Turks and Caicos in February after hunting ammunition was found in his checked luggage while returning home from a family vacation. Hagerich received a suspended 52-week sentence and a $6,700 fine. getty Stock image of Turks and Caicos Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Sharitta Grier of Florida, and Michael Lee Evans of Texas have also been charged with similar ammunition charges in Turks and Caicos. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. While all three await sentencing, Watson and Grier remain in the Caribbean, and Evans was allowed to leave due to a medical condition, reports ABC News. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The 53rd Joint Commission between Azerbaijan and Iran on the usage of Araz river water and energy resources met in Tabriz, the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency told Trend. Representatives from the agency, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and relevant departments of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic participated in the meeting, led by Zakir Guliyev, co-chairman of the Azerbaijani-Iranian joint commission from the Azerbaijani side and representative of the State Water Resources Agency of Azerbaijan. A number of matters were discussed during the meeting, as indicated by the State Agency. These included the signing of the protocol, the determination of water distribution between the two countries, the preparation of pertinent distribution tables for the mutual utilization of water and energy resources on the Araz river, and the establishment of the operational mode of the Araz reservoir. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Three Black men are suing American Airlines, claiming they were racially targeted during a flight in January when all Black male passengers were allegedly kicked off the flight due to an alleged offensive body odor. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal accused American Airlines of blatant and egregious race discrimination during a January flight from Phoenix to New York. According to the complaint, eight men who had already boarded a plane bound for JFK airportseemingly all of the Black male passengers onboardwere told to exit without an explanation. When the passengers demanded some sort of reasoning after deplaning, representatives of American told them that they were ordered off the plane because of a complaint about body odor. The passengers werent personally confronted about any alleged smells but accused the airline of singling out Black men, according to the lawsuit. At one point while exiting, Joseph told an airline representative that a white male flight attendant had treated him inappropriately just because of the color of [his] skin, and the representative agreed, the lawsuit stated. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Joseph said he didnt know why everyone wasnt removed from the flight if there was a strange odor. He added that the people who were removed werent grouped together and sat in different areas of the plane. If I have this strange odor, how are you rebooking me on a different flight? Are you going to ask me to take a bath? Are you going to shower me? Joseph told The Daily Beast. Black people have to do this thing where they have to be on their best behavior [when we travel], especially on a flight. Joseph said the overwhelming experience was as if he had been gut-punched. He and attorney Sue Huhta added that the other five Black men who were forced off the plane were from other countries and there was a language barrier. Why [do] people who are not English speaking come into America for the first time and this is the first thing that they get punched in the face with? Joseph said. Its a shame that American Airlines has the name American in because its something I cant say that Id be proud to even call myself. The former passengers were told theyd have to get rebooked on other American flights, but ended up getting back on their original plane an hour later after airline employees couldnt find alternative flights. Meanwhile, the pilot on the original flight told the remaining passengers that there was a delay due to a concern about body odor. According to the lawsuit, the Black male passengers had to reboard the plane and endure the stares of the largely white passengers who viewed them as the cause of the substantial delay. They suffered during the entire flight home, and the entire incident was traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading. Jackson, Joseph, and Veal want a trial by jury, payment for their pain and suffering, and a punitive ruling to prevent American Airlines from possibly engaging in future racial discrimination against Black passengers. The incident did not just inflict immediate distress; it also resurfaced and intensified emotional trauma from past encounters with racism and discrimination, the lawsuit read. Americans actions not only revisited these old wounds but also deepened them, exacerbating Plaintiffs suffering and sense of alienation. Attorneys for the plaintiffs nor American Airlines immediately returned The Daily Beasts request for comment Wednesday. Joseph says that he has not flown since the flight and compared the experience to the Bus Boycotts during the Civil Rights Movement. It might take a while for me to fly again. Because imagine if the plane took off, and we were 1000 2000 feet in the air, and it was me against everyone else. Black people that every day, usually it's me against the world, he told The Daily Beast. [That experience is] going to be something I relive every time I get on a plane. It's very much changed the way I travel, and that's a big issue traveling while Black. 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. By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) - American Airlines was accused in a lawsuit on Wednesday of race discrimination for temporarily removing three Black men from a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York City. In a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the plaintiffs said they and five other Black men were removed from the flight in January for about an hour after a white flight attendant complained about a passenger with offensive body odor. But none of the men ordered off the plane had an odor, and had clearly been targeted based on their race because all of them were Black, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit. They called the incident "traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading." The men accused the airline of violating a Civil War-era law banning race discrimination in contracts. They are seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering and punitive damages for "malicious, willful ... and reckless conduct." American Airlines said in a statement it was investigating the matter, and that the claims did not reflect the company's values. "We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us," the airline said. Susan Huhta, a lawyer for the three plaintiffs, said in a statement that the incident was part of a "disturbing history" of allegations that American discriminates against Black passengers. Last month, NPR and other outlets reported that a Black retired judge from Chicago had filed a complaint with American saying she was blocked from using a first-class bathroom on a flight even though she had a first-class ticket. And in separate incidents last year, track and field star Sha'Carri Richardson and musician David Ryan Harris, who are Black, said on social media that they were falsely accused of wrongdoing by American flight attendants. Richardson said she was removed from a plane for allegedly harassing an attendant, and Harris said he was suspected of child trafficking while traveling with his biracial children. The airline apologized to Harris and said Richardson was booked on a different flight. In 2017, the NAACP urged Black travelers not to fly American, citing what it said were a series of racially-based incidents. The civil rights organization withdrew its advisory after the airline agreed to update its policies and train employees on implicit bias. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Daniel Wallis) Catherine Robinson Hall, far right, pictured during a Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council meeting on June 13, 2023. Robinson Hall resigned from her position earlier this month. (Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current) Rhode Islands embattled coastal regulatory agency has lost another appointed council member, leaving three open seats on a panel that has struggled with attendance woes and vacancies for years. Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council Chairman Ray Coia announced at the agencys May 28 meeting that council member Catherine Robinson Hall was no longer serving on the council, having submitted her resignation letter to the governors office earlier this month. Robinson Hall, a former Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) staff attorney who now works as a coastal policy professor at Williams College, was appointed by Gov. Dan McKee in June 2022 to fill an empty seat on the 10-member council. Her term expired in January, though she has continued to attend and vote in council decisions while being considered for reappointment, a common practice among appointed boards and commissions. Her departure comes amid mounting cries to reform, or even abolish, the politically appointed volunteer council. The turning point for many critics came in 2020, when the council granted a Block Island Marina expansion in an alleged backroom deal, though the move was later overturned by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Concerns have multiplied in the intervening years. Council approvals on offshore wind projects prompted an advisory fishing panel to resign en masse in September. Earlier this spring, the council began review of a petition from a North Kingstown country club seeking after-the-fact permission to put up a seawall along Narragansett Bay. Critics countered that the council should have rejected the application altogether, since the Quidnessett Country Club owners violated state and federal regulations by building the wall without asking for requisite approvals first. In her May 22 letter obtained by Rhode Island Current, Robinson Hall said she was not interested in being reappointed, instead giving notice of her resignation effective immediately. She cited work and time with family as reasons for her decision. Someone defaced a sign at the 40 Steps at the Newport Cliff Walk with a sticker to register their unhappiness with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. (Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current) A big loss Robinson Hall was hailed by coastal advocates like Save the Bay as the ideal candidate at the time of her June 2022 appointment. A graduate of Vermont Law School, she worked for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for 10 years, rising to the level of deputy chief legal counsel. She has since served as a professor in the marine studies program at Williams College-Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies since 2002, while running a small private practice in her native North Smithfield. During her two years on the council, she was vocal about the need to abide by state coastal regulations and rules, and at times broke with her fellow council members in decisions on oyster farms and public shoreline access. She was someone who followed the rules and the procedures very closely, Topher Hamblett, executive director for Save the Bay, said in an interview. Thats a big loss. It hurts the councils reputation and credibility. Yet Robinson Hall in an interview on Wednesday said her decision not to seek reappointment had nothing to do with the political nature of the council, or disagreements with fellow members. I think everybody on there has an obligation to know the facts, study the material and apply the facts to the law and regulation, she said. Thats what I committed to do when I was appointed. I think I fulfilled that to the exact degree. She and Hamblett each fretted over what her departure will mean for the councils ability to meet its six-person quorum requirement. The panel has gone without a full roster of 10 for at least as long as Gov. Dan McKee has headed the state, likely longer, Hamblett said. Long running council vacancies have forced the panel to cancel meetings and delay critical decisions as recently as last year due to inability to get at least six members to attend a meeting. Here we go again, Hamblett said, referring to the risk of open seats forcing the council to cancel meetings due to quorum requirements. Governor in the process of seeking candidates Robinson Hall called the pattern of council vacancies ridiculous, noting her long standing desire to serve on the panel. I dont know what the problem is, she said. There must be others like me with a desire to serve. She continued, Its an honor to be able to work in any form of public service, especially relative to the coast, which is the most under siege natural resource in the world and particularly in our state. Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKees office, said in an email Wednesday that the governor is in the process of identifying qualified candidates for the open council seats. She did not specify how many or when potential appointees would be named. Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering abolishing the appointed council altogether, restructuring the regulatory body as an administrative agency similar to the DEM. Companion bills sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, and Rep. Terri Cortvriend, a Portsmouth Democrat, remain under review by committees in their respective chambers following public hearings in March and April. However, advocates, including Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, have rallied their supporters to pressure lawmakers to take action on the bills, organizing a press conference at Save the Bays Providence headquarters on May 22. The potential for renewed quorum issues amid Robinson Halls resignation only adds to the case for reform, Hamblett said. However, even if lawmakers approve the CRMC overhaul, Hamblett maintained the need to fill open council seats. Getting rid of the appointed council requires not only state approval, but also signoff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which could take several months at minimum. Robinson Hall declined to comment on the pending state legislation, explaining that she has purposefully tried to avoid the political debate over the regulatory agency. However, she reiterated comments made in her resignation letter over the expertise of the agencys staff. Theyre exceptional at what they do, so it feels exceedingly odd when they dont have the opportunity to make decisions, she said. Coia and Jeff Willis, CRMC executive director, both declined to comment on the state legislation proposing to get rid of the appointed council. The post Amid calls to reform politically appointed CRMC, another member resigns appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Sex therapist and social worker Stefani Goerlich sits in her office in Detroit. Goerlich says her hard-won relationships with clients are upended when they move away from Michigan, because most states bar social workers from providing telehealth services across state lines. An increasing number of states are trying to address the problem by empowering social workers to practice in multiple states. (Photo by Amy Feick, courtesy of Stefani Goerlich) Stefani Goerlich, a certified sex therapist and social worker with a private practice in Detroit, sees several dozen clients a month, most of them from underserved and minority backgrounds. She speaks to them about sensitive matters such as gender-affirming care, and building trust takes time. Those hard-won relationships often are upended when clients move away from Michigan, because most states bar social workers from providing telehealth services across state lines. Finding another therapist who is a good fit isnt easy, especially since many areas of the country have a shortage of mental health providers. It takes them such a long time to find somebody that they feel safe with, Goerlich said. To have a spouse get transferred in their job and to lose all of that? Statistically, people are more likely to just stop therapy entirely, because they dont want to have to go through that again. Amid what many Americans are calling a mental health crisis, an increasing number of states are trying to address the problem by empowering social workers to practice across state lines. Under the Social Work Licensure Compact, social workers can get a multistate license, which clears them to care for patients in a participating state, even if they dont live there. Social workers must abide by the laws of the state where the patient resides. Missouri was the first state to approve compact legislation, in July 2023. Since then, 14 other states, including Iowa, have signed on. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Iowas legislation on May 3. And at least 17 more are considering bills to do the same, according to the nonpartisan Council of State Governments, a nonprofit organization that promotes the exchange of ideas across state lines. It takes them such a long time to find somebody that they feel safe with. Stefani Goerlich, a certified sex therapist and social worker in Detroit The compact is the result of a collaboration among the council, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Association of Social Work Boards, which develops social work licensing exams. The National Association of Social Workers and the Clinical Social Work Association, both membership organizations for social workers, are partners in the effort. The Defense Department is involved because military families move frequently, and many of them include social workers. Getting a new license every one or two years is burdensome. The social work compact is one of 10 multistate licensing agreements the Defense Department agreed to fund a few years ago, ranging from teaching to cosmetology, according to Matt Shafer, a deputy program director at the Council of State Governments. Shafer told Stateline it likely will take one to one and a half years until licenses are issued under the social work compact. Social Work Licensure Compact states Alabama Connecticut Georgia Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Missouri Nebraska Ohio South Dakota Utah Vermont Virginia Washington This isnt the first compact to allow mental health providers to practice across state lines. Thirty-six states have passed legislation to allow psychologists to practice elsewhere by joining an interstate compact known as PSYPACT. Iowa is not among them. It works, Robin McLeod, a senior director at the American Psychological Association, said of PSYPACT. It allows for people who have specialized practice to provide care, or for people who need specialized practice to receive care. For example, McLeod said, a therapist might specialize in serving patients with autism and also speak Arabic. Under the interstate compact, a practitioner could serve more people with those specific treatment and language needs, via telehealth. However, McLeod noted, therapists practicing under the compact still have to navigate differing state laws. She pointed to Texas, where providers need to be aware of laws prohibiting abortion and gender-affirming medical care. Those are times where it can be really tricky, she said. If youre practicing in that state from another state, its the Texas health and safety laws that you would have to follow. But Alabama Democratic state Rep. Kenyatte Hassell, who sponsored successful compact legislation in his state, thinks the benefits outweigh the potential complications. A 2023 report from Mental Health America, a nonprofit that focuses on issues of mental illness, ranked Alabama 48th among the states in its effectiveness addressing mental health and substance use issues, citing its high prevalence of mental illness and limited access to care. I know, as a state, we need to put more money into the health department to deal with mental health, from schools to workplaces, Hassell told Stateline. We defunded some of the mental health hospitals that we had in the state. And it became a problem. In Colorado, where a bill that would allow the state to join the compact is on the governors desk, Democratic state Rep. Emily Sirota a social worker herself noted the issue is bipartisan. Compact bills also are awaiting governors signatures in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Tennessee, according to the Council of State Governments. Its not a partisan issue to recognize a need in the workforce, Sirota told Stateline. She said the licensing compact is a way to make connections between patients and social practitioners more streamlined and more effective. For Goerlich, who sees clients in at least four states, anything that can make licensure easier for therapists is a good thing. In addition to Michigan, Goerlich went through the licensing process in Arizona and Ohio so she could continue to treat patients who moved to those states. She also works in Florida, where she says she doesnt need a full license because she is a registered telehealth provider. I went through all the hoops, I got licensed, she said. But that ended up costing me money. And Im fine with it, because Im able to help people. But if we had something like a compact, I would have been able to see them without needing to do that. This story was originally published by Stateline, which 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 Amid mental health crisis, new compact allows social workers to practice across state lines appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Sex therapist and social worker Stefani Goerlich sits in her office in Detroit. Goerlich says her hard-won relationships with clients are upended when they move away from Michigan, because most states bar social workers from providing telehealth services across state lines. An increasing number of states are trying to address the problem by empowering social workers to practice in multiple states. Sex therapist and social worker Stefani Goerlich sits in her office in Detroit. Goerlich says her hard-won relationships with clients are upended when they move away from Michigan, because most states bar social workers from providing telehealth services across state lines. An increasing number of states are trying to address the problem by empowering social workers to practice in multiple states. (Amy Feick, courtesy of Stefani Goerlich) Stefani Goerlich, a certified sex therapist and social worker with a private practice in Detroit, sees several dozen clients a month, most of them from underserved and minority backgrounds. She speaks to them about sensitive matters such as gender-affirming care, and building trust takes time. Those hard-won relationships often are upended when clients move away from Michigan, because most states bar social workers from providing telehealth services across state lines. Finding another therapist who is a good fit isnt easy, especially since many areas of the country have a shortage of mental health providers. It takes them such a long time to find somebody that they feel safe with, Goerlich said. To have a spouse get transferred in their job and to lose all of that? Statistically, people are more likely to just stop therapy entirely, because they dont want to have to go through that again. Amid what many Americans are calling a mental health crisis, an increasing number of states are trying to address the problem by empowering social workers to practice across state lines. Under the Social Work Licensure Compact, social workers can get a multistate license, which clears them to care for patients in a participating state, even if they dont live there. Social workers must abide by the laws of the state where the patient resides. Missouri was the first state to approve compact legislation, in July 2023. Since then, 14 other states have signed on. And at least 17 more are considering bills to do the same, according to the nonpartisan Council of State Governments, a nonprofit organization that promotes the exchange of ideas across state lines. Social Work Licensure Compact states Alabama Connecticut Georgia Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Missouri Nebraska Ohio South Dakota Utah Vermont Virginia Washington The compact is the result of a collaboration among the council, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Association of Social Work Boards, which develops social work licensing exams. The National Association of Social Workers and the Clinical Social Work Association, both membership organizations for social workers, are partners in the effort. The Defense Department is involved because military families move frequently, and many of them include social workers. Getting a new license every one or two years is burdensome. The social work compact is one of 10 multistate licensing agreements the Defense Department agreed to fund a few years ago, ranging from teaching to cosmetology, according to Matt Shafer, a deputy program director at the Council of State Governments. Shafer told Stateline it likely will take one to one and a half years until licenses are issued under the social work compact. This isnt the first compact to allow mental health providers to practice across state lines. Thirty-six states have passed legislation to allow psychologists to practice elsewhere by joining an interstate compact known as PSYPACT. It works, Robin McLeod, a senior director at the American Psychological Association, said of PSYPACT. It allows for people who have specialized practice to provide care, or for people who need specialized practice to receive care. For example, McLeod said, a therapist might specialize in serving patients with autism and also speak Arabic. Under the interstate compact, a practitioner could serve more people with those specific treatment and language needs, via telehealth. However, McLeod noted, therapists practicing under the compact still have to navigate differing state laws. She pointed to Texas, where providers need to be aware of laws prohibiting abortion and gender-affirming medical care. Those are times where it can be really tricky, she said. If youre practicing in that state from another state, its the Texas health and safety laws that you would have to follow. But Alabama Democratic state Rep. Kenyatte Hassell, who sponsored successful compact legislation in his state, thinks the benefits outweigh the potential complications. A 2023 report from Mental Health America, a nonprofit that focuses on issues of mental illness, ranked Alabama 48th among the states in its effectiveness addressing mental health and substance use issues, citing its high prevalence of mental illness and limited access to care. I know, as a state, we need to put more money into the health department to deal with mental health, from schools to workplaces, Hassell told Stateline. We defunded some of the mental health hospitals that we had in the state. And it became a problem. In Colorado, where a bill that would allow the state to join the compact is on the governors desk, Democratic state Rep. Emily Sirota a social worker herself noted the issue is bipartisan. Compact bills also are awaiting governors signatures in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Tennessee, according to the Council of State Governments. Its not a partisan issue to recognize a need in the workforce, Sirota told Stateline. She said the licensing compact is a way to make connections between patients and social practitioners more streamlined and more effective. For Goerlich, who sees clients in at least four states, anything that can make licensure easier for therapists is a good thing. In addition to Michigan, Goerlich went through the licensing process in Arizona and Ohio so she could continue to treat patients who moved to those states. She also works in Florida, where she says she doesnt need a full license because she is a registered telehealth provider. I went through all the hoops, I got licensed, she said. But that ended up costing me money. And Im fine with it, because Im able to help people. But if we had something like a compact, I would have been able to see them without needing to do that. The post Amid mental health crisis, new compact allows social workers to practice across state lines appeared first on Kansas Reflector. According to an exclusive report from Rolling Stone, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barretts husband, Jesse Barrett, is now repping Fox Corporation in a $3 million defamation suit, raising questions about conflicts of interest and personal enrichment enjoyed by conservative Supreme Court justices. As Rolling Stone points out, the case is notable because Fox Corporationthe parent company of Fox Newsis directly paying the family of a Supreme Court justice, which neither Barrett nor her husband are required to disclose. Barretts husband is a managing partner at SouthBank Legal, which opened its D.C. officeled by Barrettafter his wife joined the Supreme Court. Jesse Barretts list of anonymized cases on the SouthBank Legal website now includes represented a prominent media company in a lawsuit alleging defamation. That addition joins an already lengthy list of white-collar cases on his company profile, tucked between defending a Berkshire Hathaway company in an employment discrimination suit and defending an event promoter from fraud claims. The defamation lawsuit Jesse Barrett has taken on alleges that Fox 32a Chicago-area local station for Foxran a hit piece about Lavell Redmond who in 2021 was hired by the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, to work as a building code enforcement officer. The Fox report centers Redmonds conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a minor, for which he pleaded guilty and served 24 years in prison, as the crux of the story while claiming Redmond was hired to enter into Dolton homes and businesses to inspect them. Redmond disputes this claim in his suit, according to Rolling Stone, noting that his work entailed inspecting building exteriors, not entering peoples homes. The outlet later followed up on its reporting with news that Redmond had been arrested and may face new charges for violating the conditions of the sex offender registryan accusation Redmond alleges is the direct result of Foxs earlier misleading reporting on his job duties. Barrett, representing Fox, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to Rolling Stone. The motion to dismiss claims the suit was filed too late and that the corporation didnt commit defamation because the gist of the reporting was indisputably true and characterized the central outrage of Redmonds hiringthat a sex offender was entering peoples homes, which resulted in his arrestas immaterial details. While the relationship between conservative justices and right-wingers continuously raises ethical concerns, constitutional law professor Anthony Michael Kreis noted the odds of Fox Corporations case being kicked up to the conservative-held Supreme Court are slim given that Barrett would have to recuse herself from the case, winnowing the number of Fox Newsbrained justices on the court. You dont hire the spouse of a Supreme Court justice to represent you in major litigation unless (1) you think theyre competent to do so and (2) you dont foresee going to the Supreme Court where the spouse would have to recuse and you might really want/need their vote, Kreis wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Regardless, its entirely too convenient that the husband of a conservative Supreme Court justice is representing a conservative media company, and poses curious questions as to why Barrett, who is based in D.C., was tapped to represent the media company based in New York City for a lawsuit filed by a man in Illinois. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barretts husband is currently representing Fox Corp., the parent company of Fox News, in a defamation lawsuit, according to court records reviewed by Rolling Stone. The lawsuit relates to reports by one of Foxs local stations. Jesse Barrett is a trial lawyer and managing partner at SouthBank Legal. He heads the firms Washington, D.C., office, which opened after Justice Barrett joined the high court. While the SouthBank Legal website says that Jesse Barrett focuses on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation, it notes, in a recent addition, that he has represented a prominent media company in a lawsuit alleging defamation. That prominent media company is Fox Corp., which owns the conservative cable news channel Fox News. Fox News regularly covers matters at the Supreme Court and will surely continue to do so as the high court nears the end of its term. It is set to issue rulings soon on a slate of controversial topics, such as abortion, guns, public corruption, and whether Donald Trump is entitled to immunity for life for acts he committed as president. Jesse Barretts work for Fox Corp. highlights one of ethics experts biggest complaints about the Supreme Court: Justices are not required to disclose their spouses clients, so the public has no way to track who is paying money directly to their families. In her 2021 financial disclosure, Justice Barrett even redacted the name of her husbands firm, despite it being common knowledge that he works there. The lack of disclosure surrounding spouses business dealings has been a repeated source of ethical concerns, particularly with Justice Clarence Thomas. His wife, Ginni Thomas, has reportedly received consulting payments from conservative legal activist Leonard Leo, and ran a nonprofit that was reportedly funded by billionaire Harlan Crow. Both Leo and Crow have been at the center of the ethics controversies plaguing the Supreme Court over the past year. It is no secret that Jesse Barrett represents corporate interests: His firm bio says his clients have included multiple Fortune 500 companies and corporate executives. The Southbank Legal website says that the firm has represented 26 Fortune 500 companies. The public has no way to identify Barretts clients, for the most part. However, federal court records show that Barrett is serving as Fox Corp.s lead counsel in an ongoing defamation case. He had the case moved from Cook County, Illinois, to federal court late last month. Barrett and Fox Corp. did not respond to requests for comment. The defamation case was filed by Lavell Redmond, an Illinois man who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault as a minor and served 24 years in prison. Redmond was hired as a code enforcement officer by the mayor of Dolton in 2021, the original complaint says. He is suing Fox over a series of reports that scandalized his hiring the first of which claimed he had been hired for a job in which he goes into Dolton homes and businesses to inspect them. The complaint says that as a code enforcement officer, Redmond was never responsible for entering village residents homes to do his job, nor did he ever enter village residents homes. Redmond only had the ability to observe home exteriors to write code violations. Redmond alleges that FOX 32s reporting directly led to Redmond being arrested and wrongfully charged with violating the reporting requirements of the sex offender registry, as well as his subsequent termination. The complaint alleges Redmond has suffered more than $1 million in damages based on Foxs reporting. His summons to Fox and its affiliates show he is seeking $3 million. Barrett and Fox have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. They argue Redmond filed his lawsuit too late, and that the Fox station did not defame him because the gist of its reporting was indisputably true, even if taking as true Redmonds allegations that certain immaterial details were inaccurate. While Southbank Legal does not publicly disclose Barretts clients, its website indicates he has represented political and governmental clients, including: a former elected official in a federal investigation involving alleged bribery in return for political favors, an executive of a military contractor in a federal investigation regarding alleged bribery in obtaining government contracts, and a senior government employee in connection with a grand jury investigation of an elected government official. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barretts husband has taken on Fox News parent company in a defamation lawsuit against a local news station, Rolling Stone reported Wednesday, citing court records. Jesse Barrett is a managing partner at SouthBank Legal, heading the firms Washington office since his wife was appointed to the high court in 2020 by Donald Trump. The SouthBank Legal website brags that Jesse Barrett had represented a prominent media company in a lawsuit alleging defamation, which, it turns out, is the Fox Corporation. The revelation piles on to potential conflicts of interest involving the Supreme Court, which has been roiled in recent days after it was revealed Justice Samuel Alito flew the U.S. flag upside down at his Virginia residence and a flag popular among Jan. 6 insurrectionists at his vacation home. That comes on the heels of reports exposing Justice Clarence Thomas penchant for accepting private flights, yacht trips, and other luxuries from super-wealthy right-wing donors. While Jesse Barrett representing Fox doesnt necessarily reach the same level of controversy, it highlights a potential flaw among Supreme Court ethics rules: Justices are not required to publicly disclose the received gifts and relationships of their spouses. 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. Aaron Romo, right, and defense attorney Ricardo A. Nicol III listen to opening statements on May 7 during Romo's trial. Romo was convicted of killing his 24-year-old ex-girlfriend, Mirelle Mateus, a La Palma woman, in March 2023. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) When Anaheim police officers arrived at Aaron Romo's door in March 2023, they knocked and announced their presence. A security guard had summoned them after seeing the muscle-bound Romo violently yank 24-year-old Mirelle Mateus, his on-and-off girlfriend, into his apartment. She'd been screaming for help. Mateus had an active restraining order against Romo, who was facing a felony charge for allegedly throwing her over his patio railing four months earlier. The officers heard muffled voices inside the apartment, but no one answered the door. They soon drove away, and Mateus was later found dead, battered and strangled, in Romo's bathroom. Details of the La Palma woman's last night alive and of the botched police response to her calls for help emerged during Romo's trial this month in Orange County Superior Court, which culminated Wednesday with his conviction for first-degree murder. On the night of March 16, 2023, Romo portrayed at trial as a hard-partying lothario who lifted weights and drank heavily went to an Orange County bar, where he was slapped by a woman he insulted, thrown out by bouncers and pummeled in a melee. He called Mateus for a ride home. Though a judge had ordered him not to contact her, he'd called her 616 times over the previous month. "Stop calling me and stop trying to be in my life," she had texted him. "I don't want any part in yours. Figure out your own life ... I'm done helping you at the expense of mine. Now be an adult for once in your life. No contact means no contact." But on the night of the bar fight, she answered his call and arrived to pick him up. She drove him to his home at the Edge Apartments on Union Street, where a security guard, Rudy Ruelas, called 911 to say that Mateus needed help. Aaron Romo, right, listens to Mark Birney, Orange County senior deputy district attorney Mark Birney deliver opening statements during Romo's murder trial earlier this month (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) Ruelas said he saw her standing on Romo's patio and that Romo had pulled her violently inside his apartment. "There's a man beating up his girlfriend," Ruelas told a dispatcher. "She was screaming right now for help and now she's quiet." Seconds later, he said, "She's screaming again ...." Two Anaheim police officers arrived within minutes and announced themselves outside Romo's door. One of the officers, Rapheal Borjon, testified at trial that he put his ear to the wall and heard what he thought was muffled conversation inside. He said they knocked for five minutes and got no answer. "We didn't hear any active screaming," Borjon testified. "We discussed whether we had exigency" to enter the apartment forcibly. They decided they did not. Borjon said a second security guard appeared and explained that he'd seen Mateus on the patio. Borjon said he misunderstood this to mean that the guard had just seen her there, unconstrained, which conveyed the impression that she was not in immediate danger. "The officers didn't believe it was an emergency," prosecutor Mark Birney told jurors at Romo's trial. "And that's unfortunate." Birney said there were "a whole lot of things we wish had happened" in the case, among them that police had kicked down Romo's door. Mateus' family is suing Orange County and the Anaheim Police Department for negligence, claiming that officers should have known Romo had a prior arrest, and a restraining order against him. According to the lawsuit, the medical examiner determined that Romo did not kill her until half an hour after police left. After strangling her, according to trial testimony, Romo drove to the Temecula townhome of another woman he had dated, Stephanie Rodriguez, who told police that he confessed to the killing. Defense attorney Staycie Sena told jurors that Romo did not believe he was capable of the killing because "he simply loved Mirelle too much." She told jurors that if, however, they concluded that Romo killed her, it was not with the premeditation required for first-degree murder. "It's far more complicated," Sena said, suggesting that jurors should consider "drunken rage, provoked by jealousy and compounded by a bad head injury." She said Romo had been knocked unconscious in the bar fight hours earlier and was suffering from prior head injuries. Birney, the prosecutor, said Mateus and Romo had "the outward appearance of a very attractive, happy couple," though in private Romo was possessive and violent, in keeping with a longtime pattern. Birney invoked a litany of women whom he alleged Romo had beaten and terrorized. Romo had scared five of them enough that they took out restraining orders against him, Birney said. Some spoke of being choked, punched and stalked. Aaron Romo, right, is escorted out of court by an Orange County sheriff's deputy. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) "It's who he is," Birney said. "It's not a concussion. ... He's been abusing women for 15 years. We're now going to say it was because of his bar fight?" Romo, 37, ran a family car upholstery business before his arrest. Testifying in his own defense, he said he was massively drunk on the night Mateus died and didn't remember her being at his apartment. He had "foggy brain" from the bar scuffle. "We were in love with each other," he said, describing their relationship as "an emotional roller coaster." He admitted that he had once broken Mateus' phone, jealous that she had talked to another man. "We were arguing and I was drunk and I broke her cellphone." The prosecutor showed him a photo of Mateus, taken in late 2022, in which she had a black eye. "I couldn't tell you if I gave her that black eye," Romo said. "Did she punch herself?" the prosecutor asked. "I would assume not." "That black eye is from you, isn't that true, Mr. Romo?" "I couldn't tell you that." Romo, who faces 25 years to life in prison, will be sentenced on June 24 by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary Paer. 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. Once bitten, twice shy is not a bad proverb to be guided by but its only as good as your memory. Joe Biden was US vice president in 2012 when Barack Obama made the second of two military calls that would define his presidency: having drawn a red line on the use of chemical weapons, he failed to act decisively when it was egregiously violated by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president. Even when the physician-turned-psychopath fired sarin-filled rockets at Ghouta in south west Syria on August 21 2013, killing more than 1,000 people, Mr Obama vacillated. His hesitancy dealt a blow to Americas credibility globally and weakened the West. The rise of Islamic State a year later and Russias military expansion, into first Syria and then Ukraine, can all be traced back to it, say critics. Benjamin Netanyahus behaviour over the last nine months may be a further case in point. If Mr Biden remembers any of this, it is not evident. He and his people avoid the use of the phrase, but red lines they have set and over and over they have been broken. Until recently, his administration was in the bizarre position of withholding weapons to a country under attack from a fugitive of the International Criminal Court while supplying weapons to another. That was not entirely Mr Bidens doing but it says something about the US as the worlds policeman. Policy difficulties are one thing, but the deaths of more than 40 men, women and children in their burning tents at a displaced persons camp in Rafah on Sunday night may yet prove to be Mr Bidens Ghouta. Just three weeks ago, he drew what was understood by the world to be a red line when he told the Israelis he would not tolerate the targeting of heavily populated areas of Rafah. 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 told CNN. Yet despite the carnage and reports of tanks in the middle of Rafah, Mr Bidens people are dancing on pins. It was now all about scale, not the actuality. We have not seen them go in with large units and large numbers of troops in columns and formations in some sort of coordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground, said John Kirby, Mr Bidens national security spokesman on Tuesday night. He added: We have not seen them smash into Rafah. Some say the strike which sparked the inferno in Rafah was no more than an accident a tragic mishap as the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu put it but thats not the whole truth of it. To understand why you only need to look at the laws of war and President Obamas first military decision of consequence the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Why didnt Mr Obama drop a big bomb on the al-Qaeda leader once he had worked out where he was hiding, or even a smaller smart bomb? Why did he risk the lives of two dozen brave and professional US Navy SEALS acting thousands of miles away from home instead? The answer is simple. Bombing the compound was deemed illegal. There was at least one other property within the vicinity of the blast radius and it was calculated that up to a dozen civilians would be killed in addition to those in the compound. US military lawyers understood it would breach the rules of proportionality in conflict. And remember, this was in a case involving Osama bin Laden perhaps the highest value terrorist target that ever existed. Now consider the calculation of proportionality in the Rafah strike something Israeli military lawyers and commanders would have had to have done and documented ahead of time if they dont want to end up in a dock in the Hague. According to the IDF itself, their targets were two men the Israelis had themselves deported to Gaza. One was said to be Hamas West Bank staff commander, the other a senior staff officer. They had indeed been convicted of terrorist offences in the past but that was in the early 2000s, and before they were released by the Israel authorities. The men were just a 100 metres from a designated safe area, dense with hundreds of cloth tents, fuel supplies and thousands of women and children. Israel dropped two GBU-39 smart bombs with 17kg charges into that environment in the dead of night. Video shot by witnesses after the attack shows an inferno sparked by some sort of secondary explosion. People scream as they pull charred bodies from rubble while flames rage behind them. One man holds up the body of a headless child, reported the New York Times. Of course there is a significant difference between Ghouta and Rafah so far as the US is concerned. Mr Obama simply failed to enforce his red line; Mr Biden, in contrast, can be seen as an active participant an accessory. Those GBU-39 munitions may be smaller than the 2,000-pound dumb bombs that killed some 15,000 Gazans in the homes in the first three weeks of the war but they are also American made. 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. NEQSOL Holding organized a masterclass in Baku for the winners of its educational support program named Parla on the topic of studying abroad. The Holding together with the Azerbaijan-UK Alumni Association (AUKAA) and the Implementation Unit for the State Program to study abroad in 2019-2023 provided the masterclass to the students enrolled in the Parla program, which is implemented by NEQSOL Holding in cooperation with the Education Development Fund, in Baku on 25 May 2024. A total of 50 successful female beneficiaries of the Parla scholarship program were selected last year from a pool of 674 applicants. Success in their education, as well as economic status, were taken into consideration. The selected students benefit monthly payments. Moreover, NEQSOL Holding offers a comprehensive set of programs to female students such as internships, mentorship, access to global top university programs and LinkedIn Learning tools through NEQSOL Academy. The purpose of the event was to introduce education opportunities to Parla students in the United Kingdom and ways of studying through the State Program to study abroad. The participants in the event, AUKAA Chairman Sabir Mammadov, a representative from the Implementation Unit for the State Program to study abroad in 2019-2023 Aygul Ismayilova, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of AUKAA Narmin Baghirzade, Member of the Board of the Directors at AUKKA Aslan Mirzayev, and a Specialist in Study Abroad Nigar Bayramli spoke about life and study in the UK and the benefits of the program to study abroad. Narmin Baghirzade shared her own experience of studying abroad and challenges she faced during her journey with the students. Their speech was followed by a Q&A session. NEQSOL Holding is an international group of companies working in 11 countries in the areas of telecom, energy, construction and hi-tech. By Jake Spring SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Latin America's human rights court holds a final hearing in Brazil on Wednesday in a case that's part of a global wave of climate litigation, as several international courts prepare first-time opinions on what countries must do to combat climate change. The rulings could also set off a wave of new litigation brought by citizens, businesses and governments. Enforcement of such decisions is largely untested, however. A Swiss parliamentary committee last week rejected a ruling for example by a top European court that said Switzerland had violated the human rights of its citizens by not doing enough to prevent climate change. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), which holds jurisdiction over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, hopes to issue its advisory opinion by year's end, top justice Nancy Hernandez Lopez told Reuters. The final hearing on Wednesday is being held in the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus. Already last week, the international tribunal set up under the U.N. Law of the Seas decided that carbon emissions amount to marine pollution and that countries must go beyond the Paris Agreement to protect oceans. Next year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to have its say and could attempt to draw the earlier court decisions into one global ruling applicable to all U.N. members. "The reason for (the wave of litigation) is people's deep frustration that their elected representatives are not taking rapid and fair climate action," said Lucy Maxwell, co-director of the nonprofit Climate Litigation Network. "The climate litigation landscape is really broad and diverse and massively growing." SETTING PRECEDENTS While multilateral court opinions apply only to the states under their jurisdiction, they are all grappling with the same central question: Are governments obligated to protect people from climate change? And if so to what degree? That question is taking courts into uncharted territory, as there is little legal precedent on climate change. In deliberating, court judges have been reviewing climate science, holding hearings and digging through a tangle of laws, treaties and U.N. proceedings. That process has made the case before the Inter-American Court the largest to date with more than 600 participants at hearings held in Brazil and Barbados, as well as 262 written submissions to the court from Indigenous groups, civil society, scientists and one company. Such inclusivity helps give the court its reputation among the world's most progressive, lawyers said. By comparison, the International Court of Justice has restricted submissions in its case mostly to countries and authorities like the World Health Organization. The Latin American court might also borrow arguments from earlier national climate cases, even if they are outside its jurisdiction, said senior lawyer Sophie Marjanac at the legal charity ClientEarth. "The judges do read each other's opinions," Marjanac said, though whatever influence one ruling has on another might be "more psychological and social than legal." As such, the Latin American court could influence the ICJ ruling, expected next year. LEGAL SCOPE Globally, most past court decisions on climate have focused on countries causing harm by failing to sufficiently cut greenhouse gas emissions, including last month's ruling against Switzerland. But the opinion from the Inter-American Court could go further by ruling on whether states also must adapt to climate change or pay for damages already caused by climate extremes, Maxwell said. The court could address protections for environmental defenders, given Latin America accounts for the vast majority of such activists who are murdered, said climate litigation expert Joana Setzer at the London School of Economics. It could also address fossil fuels, the main cause of climate change, or spell out the extent to which countries must regulate polluting companies, said climate justice attorney Nikki Reisch at the Center for International Environmental Law. WHAT COMES NEXT? The multinational court decisions, once released, should provide clarity and guidance for national judges hearing climate cases. But they could also touch off a new wave in climate litigation, lawyers and judges told Reuters. Major differences between international court decisions could trigger fragmentation where climate change rules differ between regions. For the ICJ to declare that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to harming other countries "would be already a huge victory," given the court's wide jurisdiction, Setzer said. Following the Inter-American court's decision, the governments under its jurisdiction will need to align their laws with the ruling or risk being sued, said Ciro Brito, a lawyer at Brazil's Instituto Socioambiental, an environmental and Indigenous rights nonprofit in Brazil. It could give an immediate boost to a handful of legal cases already filed against governments in the region, including one filed by Mexican youths and another demanding more action from Brazil to fight Amazon deforestation. Globally, Maxwell counted at least 100 cases pending in national courts accusing governments of failing to meet climate obligations, among many more filed against companies and other defendants. Other lawyers said they were poised to take action once the Inter-American Court issues its opinion. "We will use this opinion not only to knock on the government's door and say, 'You have to do this,'" said Guilherme Lobo Pecoral, a lawyer for children's rights nonprofit Alana Institute in Brazil. "We will also knock on judges' doors and say, 'We have this internationally defined obligation and the state isn't following it.'" (Reporting by Jake Spring, Additional reporting by Bruno Kelly in Manaus and Katy Daigle in Washington; Editing by Katy Daigle and Rod Nickel) ANC appeals to voters as South Africans cast ballots in key poll South Africans wait to cast their vote during the 2024 South Africa elections. Manash Das/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa South Africans are voting on Wednesday to elect a new parliament, in what could be a pivotal election. The elections are seen as the most significant since freedom fighter and later president Nelson Mandela led the country to democracy in 1994. The African National Congress (ANC), which has ruled South Africa continuously since the end of apartheid, is in danger of losing its absolute majority for the first time since then. Opinion polls suggest the ANC will fall below 50% and will have to form a coalition. President Cyril Ramaphosa voted in Soweto, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg. "I have no doubt in my heart that the people will give the African National Congress another chance," he said. "Each and every vote counts today," said former president Kgalema Mothlanthe. Elsewhere, lengthy queues formed outside polling stations in many parts of the country, indicating a high turnout, according to the National Electoral Commission. Despite short delays at some polling stations and isolated protests and attempts to obstruct the work of electoral authority staff, the election was largely peaceful and went smoothly, the authority said. The biggest competition for the ANC is the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA), which already governs the Western Cape at national level. The Marxist-influenced Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, led by the former chairman of the ANC youth organization, Julius Malema, is also winning votes from the ANC. A further party and a newcomer is also fast gaining popularity, namely the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party led by former president Jacob Zuma. Results are expected on Sunday. The reason for the ANC's foreseeably poorer performance in the country of 61 million inhabitants is a weak government record. South Africa is struggling with a weakening economy, high unemployment and poverty, ailing state-owned companies, regular power cuts and failures in the water supply, a crumbling health care system as well as high crime rates and a dysfunctional criminal justice system. Members of 52 parties are competing for the 400 seats in parliament. New provincial governments will also be elected. Of the 40.1 million eligible voters, 27.4 million, or around 68% have registered to cast their vote. Polls opened at 7 am (0500 GMT) and are closing at 9 pm. The newly elected parliament must then form a government and elect a president within 14 days. Under the constitution, the president is appointed by parliament and not directly elected. The elections are likely to have a wider impact as South Africa is the continent's largest economy and plays a key political role. Known as the "gateway to Africa," it is seen as providing access to a continent that is of growing global importance thanks to rich raw materials deposits needed for energy transitions worldwide. While South Africa maintains good relations with Western countries, the government also has close ties with Russia and China. South Africa is also taking a strong pro-Palestinian stance in the Gaza war, having filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice for genocide in the Gaza Strip. South Africans cast their vote during the 2024 South Africa elections. Manash Das/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa The left image shows several of the metastatic lesions found on skull 236, along with suspected cutmarks. The top right image shows skull 250, while the bottom right shows skull 236. - Image: Tondini, Isidro, Camaros/Frontiers Humans have been waging war against cancer longer than assumed, new research suggests. Scientists have discovered archaeological evidence that ancient Egyptians attempted to surgically remove cancerous lesions, pushing the practice back to over 4,000 years ago. Previous research has found compelling evidence that medical practitioners in ancient Egypt accurately described certain types of cancer, even though a clear understanding of cancer and effective treatments did not appear until much later in the historical record. To better understand how the ailment was viewed in the region, scientists from Spain, the U.K. and Germany studied a pair of skulls stored at the University of Cambridges Duckworth Collection. The skull and mandible of one specimen, known as 236, belonged to a man in his thirties, who is thought to have lived sometime between 2687 and 2345 BCE; the other skull, specimen E270, belonged to a woman over 50 who lived sometime between 663 and 343 BCE. Using a microscope, the researchers found signs of large cancerous lesions in both skulls that had caused widespread tissue damage. Skull 236 in particular was littered with tinier lesions across the skull, probably an indication of advanced, metastasized cancer. But to their great surprise, the researchers also found cut marks around 236s lesions, suggesting that his doctors tried to surgically remove his cancer as best as they could, likely with sharp metal instruments. If the teams discovery is genuine, it would be the first documented instance of surgical cancer treatment recorded in human history. Their findings were published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. We were very skeptical at the beginning when we saw the cutmarks on the tumor through the microscope, although they were very clear, study co-author Edgard Camaros, a paleopathologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, told Gizmodo in an email. It took a bit to realize we were visualizing the evidence of a milestone in the history of medicine. Surgery alone can sometimes treat solid cancers, though its most effective when tumors are localized and caught as early as possible. But given the overall condition of 236s skull and the authors conclusion that the cut marks were perimortem (meaning made shortly before death), its almost certain that this particular treatment was doomed to fail. Its also possible that the cuts were made shortly after death, which might still show that ancient Egyptian doctors were trying to understand this awful affliction thousands of years before it was even formally named cancer. The teams work should provide new insight into the origins of medical care as well as into the people who lived in ancient Egypt, the authors say. But archaeological remains are often incomplete, meaning that different scientists can have different hypotheses about what the evidence is telling us. Case in point, the team also believes they found evidence that skull 250 suffered and received successful treatment for a past traumatic injury. So its possible that this woman may have been involved in some kind of warfare in the area. More research and data will be needed to verify this hunch, however, as well as to confirm and expand their findings on cancer in the ancient world, they note. The next steps are related to trying to understand the relationship humans had with cancer in earlier periods of our evolution and history, Camaros said. Our aim is to complete the biography of cancer from the very beginning of human history. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. An archaeological dig in France uncovered over two dozen dead horses and left researchers with a puzzling mystery. The excavation, located in Villedieu-sur-Indre in Central France, uncovered several buildings, pits, ditches and even a pathway from the early Middle Ages, according to a news release from the country's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research. The finds included nine pits containing the remains of horses. Archaeologists used radiocarbon dating to determine that the horses lived between 100 BC to 100 AD, a span of about 200 years. Just two of the pits have been fully excavated so far. In one pit, the horses were all found lying on their right sides, with their heads to the south, according to the news release. The animals were "carefully placed in the pit and organized in two rows and on two levels," and evidence shows that the horses were "buried simultaneously, very quickly after their death." All the horses were small males, over four years old and likely Gallic livestock. View of a horse storage pit and study of the arrangement of the horses. / Credit: Francois Goulin, INRAP The second pit contains just two horses, but they were buried the same way as the others. Another pit was found to contain two adult dogs, positioned and "carefully placed" in the same fashion, the news statement said, but researchers don't know what -- if anything - the canine inclusion signifies. While other pits have yet to be excavated fully, researchers have found remains of bones that have allowed them to identify at least 28 horses buried in the site. The precision and uniformity of the burial sites have left researchers wondering how and why the animals died. According to the news release, illnesses can be ruled out since there are no young or female horses among the dead, leaving just two likely options: the horses may have fallen in battle and been buried with honors, or they may have been sacrificed. A horse storage pit in the process of being excavated. / Credit: Hamid Azmoun, INRAP Similar discoveries have been made at other Gallic battle sites in France. One had a pit that held eight riders and their horses, while another site had 53 horses buried across five pits. The sites are close to battlefields in the region, making it possible that they were killed in those battles and buried, according to the news release. Little information was given as to why the animals might have been sacrificed, with the news release noting that the death of 28 horses was a "massive drain on the heart of a herd." Researchers are continuing to study the pits and other structures at the site to try and answer how and why the animals died and what else the site may have been used for. Second American sentenced after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos Trump trial jury asks to review portions of David Pecker, Michael Cohen testimony Golfer Scottie Scheffler's charges dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship Rep. Andy Kim, the Burlington County Democrat seeking his party's nomination for U.S. Senate, and Sue Altman, who is challenging Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th Congressional district, met Tuesday with grassroots activists to talk about how they would move a more progressive agenda in Washington forward. Kim and Altman, along with Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United and Let America Vote, held a forum at the Somerset County Library System's Bridgewater facility. Kim is expected to win the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Bob Menendez and has played a large part in upending the states political system with a federal lawsuit that has changed the way New Jersey ballots are designed at least on the Democratic side. What did Andy Kim say? Congressman Andy Kim speaks to the press after he lost the Bergen County Democratic Convention, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Paramus. First Lady Tammy Murphy (not shown) won with more than 60% of the vote. He highlighted that win by speaking about the impact the line has had on politics and candidates. What happens with regard to the county line here in New Jersey, that does have any impact on the kind of policies that are engaged, accountability lawmakers will feel, the kind of power structures that determine what kind of people step up and run for office, what kind of public servants they are and who they feel beholden to, is it party leaders or is it the voters and how does that manifest, Kim said. The congressman said that he wanted to have a conversation to make sure hes not living in some bubble because he wants to know where people stand on issues like this since there is power in the reform agenda and its not just people in New Jersey who feel like the system is broken. What did Sue Altman say? Altman said money in politics changes the way you think about power building and the acquisition of resources during the campaign. Were talking about a major industry that politics is, that has a lot of hands in that pot, the least of which is the American people, she said. Muller, of End Citizens United, joined the candidates at Tuesday's event. Muller echoed Altman by pointing out projections estimate $10 billion will be spent during the 2024 election cycle. Watch these NJ primary races: In theprimary, more than the U.S. Senate is at stake Voters point to big money's influence on politics The residents who came out to hear the candidates speak noted that they try to get involved on the local level and that they are often faced with apathy in their communities and that they have concerns about election deniers running for office. Kim said that can be traced back to big money as well because when people feel like the only people that can participate are the ones who are well off or well connected, it creates that sense of apathy amongst others. Altman said she hopes the country is on the precipice of a new generation in politics with a fresh slate of what government is here to do. It is public service. It is not a career. It is not a way to get rich, she said. It is a public service and we are here for the greater good. Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Legislature. Email: sobko@northjersey.com This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Andy Kim at New Jersey forum with Sue Altman talk progressive agenda In a breakthrough win for Gov. Greg Abbott and school choice activists around the country, conservative challengers defeated three Republican state representatives in Texas primary elections Tuesday night. The shakeup could set the stage for a statewide roll-out of education savings accounts (ESAs), which allow families to use public dollars to pay for private school. Vote tallies Wednesday morning showed three embattled Republican lawmakers DeWayne Burns, Justin Holland, and John Kuempel losing to their primary opponents, each of whom had been endorsed by Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. A fourth, veteran Texas House representative Gary Vandeaver, dispatched his challenger by a little under 1,400 votes. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The four men had all helped thwart the governors push last year behind legislation that would have made ESAs universal throughout the state. Along with House Democrats and a committed faction of rural Republicans, they voted to expressly prohibit the use of state funding for all forms of school vouchers last spring; in a special session called by Abbott several months later, the same coalition again removed a school choice provision from an omnibus K12 funding bill. Related Final Showdown Over ESAs in Texas as Abbott Looks to Oust Conservative Opponents In response, Abbott and several major conservative donors took the rare step of backing ESA supporters against the incumbents in state legislative primaries. In March, nine Republicans whod previously defied Abbott lost the partys nomination, while four more were denied majorities and forced into runoff elections decided on Tuesday. Taken together, 13 Republican ESA opponents were pushed aside, which would be more than enough to flip the 84-63 margin against universal ESAs that prevailed last year. But the passage of a new school choice bill is still not guaranteed. The Texas Legislature is out of session until next year; elections in November will determine the bodys partisan composition, and while Republicans are favored to retain control over both chambers, the size of their majorities and the continuing willingness of anti-voucher Republicans to defect again will help determine the prospects of statewide ESAs. Ebullient in victory, Abbott announced that House Republicans now held enough votes to pass school choice. While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this years primaries is clear: Texans want school choice, the governor said in a statement. Opponents can no longer ignore the will of the people. Related As Arizona Probes School Choice Fraud, Advocates Dismiss Scheme as Inside Job Recent polling suggests that education savings accounts do enjoy the support of large numbers of Texans. While many voters are unfamiliar with the details of particular legislative proposals, a University of Houston survey found that 49 percent of respondents and particularly African Americans, parents, and churchgoers favored vouchers, compared with just 27 percent who opposed them. A more recent poll from the University of Texas at Austin found a tighter margin that still supported ESAs. Zeph Capo, president of the teachers union affiliate Texas AFT, said in a statement issued Wednesday that the primary results reflected a crush of spending from deep-pocketed school choice advocates. While the primary campaign had succeeded in its immediate goals, he argued, the fate of ESAs was still to be decided. Just five out-of-state donors have flooded Texas with $33 million, the same as our states record-breaking budget surplus last year, in this election cycle, Capo wrote. What its bought them so far is a smattering of wins for extremist challengers who now must win outright in November. Nikki Haley visits Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, on May 27, 2024. Credit - Kobi WolfBloomberg/Getty Images During a visit to Israel, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley left behind a controversial hand-written message. Finish Them! she wrote with a marker on an artillery shell on Tuesday, during her meeting with Israeli soldiers. Haleys words and photos were shared in a social media post by Danny Danon, an Israeli politician and former ambassador to the United Nations, who accompanied her during the visit. Danon was also photographed signing an artillery shell. Finish them! , , . - , . " ! pic.twitter.com/qvLNCXPl7o Danny Danon (@dannydanon) May 28, 2024 Photos of the signed shell, which also include the line America [heart] Israel Always, have been shared widely on social media. Finish them is a line that Haley has often used when discussing Hamas, amid Israels war in Gaza, both in social media posts and in public speeches. The new images, however, have sparked significant backlash. Dear Americans, Nikki Haley visited us today: She went to the West Bank settlements and then went to sign on a bomb "finish them". Just disgusting. Can you please take her back? We already have one Ben Gvir & we don't need your filthy death promoting politicians as well. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/8nnLxHzNHl Alon-Lee Green - - - - (@AlonLeeGreen) May 28, 2024 While Americans watch Israel burn Gaza alive, and Palestinian children are beheaded, Nikki Haley writes love notes on bombs that drop on civilians. Let the world bear witness to your moral depravity pic.twitter.com/GNTGxtUfin Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman504) May 28, 2024 Nikki Haley shows who she is, said former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth. Anyone who signs a bomb is a sociopath, said American actor John Cusack. During her visit on Tuesday, Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador who unsuccessfully mounted a campaign to be the Republican nominee for President of the U.S., also went to the site of the Supernova music festival and Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel where Hamas launched its surprise attack on Oct. 7. 1 in 4 of their neighbors were murdered or taken hostage in Gaza, she wrote in an Instagram post with photos of her at the Kibbutz. No other country would accept this, Israel should not either. Haley suspended her presidential campaign in March and, despite forcefully opposing him during her bid, last week announced that she would vote for Trump in November. Trump, meanwhile, said that if he is re-elected Haley would likely have a role in his team. Haleys visit comes amid Israels latest deadly military operation in Rafah, where many Palestinian civilians have taken refuge amid the war in Gaza. At least 45 people were killed earlier this week after Israeli missiles aimed at Hamas militants ended up setting fire to an encampment where civilians were sheltering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the civilian deaths as a tragic mistakethough dozens more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since then. The U.S., Israels ally and largest weapons supplier, has come under increasing pressure to curb Israels military campaign in Gaza, which has killed 36,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza health ministry. President Joe Biden threatened earlier this month to withhold some weapons shipments from Israel if Netanyahu ordered a major invasion of Rafaha move Biden has not yet followed through with but which was nonetheless lambasted by Haley on Tuesday. America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war, she said. You are either a friend or not a friend. Contact us at letters@time.com. The Music Hall owes apology for Richard Dreyfuss's misogynistic and homophobic remarks May 28 To the Editor: I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the lack of response from The Music Hall following the recent event on Friday evening, May 24, 2024. As a member and an attendee of the event, I was appalled by the misogynistic and homophobic remarks made by Mr. Dreyfuss. However, the apparent absence of any statement or apology from your management team in the days since the event is even more concerning. The Music Hall has always been a great source of pride for our community, so I am compelled to inquire about the reasons behind the delay in responding. Given the offensive nature of the speaker's comments and their impact on attendees, particularly those who identify as women or LGBTQ+, it is essential that your venue take immediate action to address this issue. Failure to acknowledge and condemn such behavior not only reflects poorly on your venue's commitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment but also raises questions about your level of self-awareness and responsibility as a hosting platform. I urge you to provide a transparent explanation for the delay in issuing a statement regarding the incident. Furthermore, I implore you to take swift and decisive action to rectify this situation, including issuing a public apology and implementing measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. It is imperative that your venue demonstrates accountability and a genuine commitment to addressing instances of discrimination and hate speech within its premises. Failure to do so not only undermines the trust and confidence of members and attendees but also perpetuates a culture of intolerance and exclusion, which quite honestly is something we do not need more of in these times! I trust that you will take this matter seriously and respond promptly with a clear plan of action. Your actions in response to this incident will speak volumes about your venue's values and its dedication to creating a safe and welcoming space for all individuals. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to receiving your response. Tony Rodrigues Rye Robert Shaw, left, as Quint, Roy Scheider, as Police Chief Martin Brody, and Richard Dreyfuss, as Matt Hooper, appear in a scene from the 1975 film "Jaws." I question why Portsmouth must spend $41.8 million for a police station May 28 To the Editor: Although I have been critical of Councilor Kate Cook in the past regarding taxing and spending, I now commend her for speaking up about her concerns over both the cost and the design of the new police station. I agree with her wholeheartedly that we should not "overbuild" or propose more than is actually needed "because the taxpayers have to pay for it." There is something amiss when other communities in our state can build police stations for so much less. I question why Portsmouth must spend $41.8 million for just a police station when Bedford has plans for a police, fire, and town complex for $36.5 million; Exeter has plans to spend $17 million for a combination police and fire station; and Dover, with a larger population, spent a mere $9 million for its police station. In addition, we are told that the proposed structure would block the view of the iconic, historic North Church. The rendering in the Herald indicates that this oversized building obliterates some lovely natural views as well. If this plan for Portsmouth's new police station is approved as is, this would be a typical example of the way this City Council operates in that (1) they will be unnecessarily spending too much of the taxpayers' money; (2) they will be once again attempting to diminish our city's architectural heritage; and (3) they will be robbing Portsmouth of too much of its natural beauty. Instead of rushing to approve this flawed plan, our City Council should call for a redo of both its design and its price. Christina Lusky Portsmouth Please don't vote to advance Portsmouth police station June 3 May 28 -- To the Editor: I have tried to follow the plans for the police station but was very surprised to see the preliminary design in The Portsmouth Herald on 5/23/24, and that you (the Portsmouth City Council) have been requested to approve the current budget and the proposed concept at the June 3 meeting, less than two weeks from when residents have seen the plan. I have spoken to more than a dozen residents this week about this design. No one is in favor! This building will block the iconic view of the City and off to the route 95 bridge that cannot be seen from anywhere else in Portsmouth. Do you get that? Landscape and skyline views will be lost forever. And has the design group seen Portsmouth wetlands ordinance, do they know the history of the cherry trees along South Mill Pond that were given to Portsmouth by its Japanese sister city Nichinan ? This building will block air, light and beautiful views from the residents of Connors Cottage. And what about the Seacoast Eat Local markets that fill the upper lot with local farm and craft products and bring people from all over the seacoast? It is a beautiful site coming from town on the first Saturday of May to see all the cherry trees in bloom and the white tents of the market stalls in the background. I am very sad to think all of this will be gone. I am asking, at the very least, that you postpone a vote on this plan at the June 3 Council meeting . Please take the time to fully grasp the implications of this very large and ugly building. Please give yourselves and residents time to get more information and understand the impact of this plan. Mary Lou McElwain Portsmouth Port Advisory Council wrong to offer vote of confidence in Marconi May 26 To the Editor: Unsurprisingly, the New Hampshire Port Advisory Council has tossed a life jacket to suspended Port Director Geno Marconi who has been treading the rough waters of another investigation by the NH Attorney General. The Committee presented a "Full Confidence Vote" to Marconi's bosses at the Pease Development Authority (PDA) last week. Mr. Marconi has been on administrative leave for several weeks but continues to receive his $156,000 annual taxpayer salary. No explanation has been offered by either the PDA or NH Attorney General regarding the nature of the investigation. The NH Port Advisory Council was established by the NH Legislature decades ago. It's intended purpose was to afford technical guidance and expertise relative to the various Port initiatives and responsibilities. Members include representatives of various marine trades and related businesses which are either directly or indirectly affected by the decisions and policies of the Port Director. The "Vote of Confidence" was, in my opinion, nothing less than an attempt to maintain the cronyism which has permeated the Port for years. It is therefore not surprising that the Council would exceed their statutory authority by publicly judging Mr. Marconi prior to the completion and findings of the Attorney General's investigation. Perhaps they simply don't care. Kevin M. Monahan Bow Trump and his followers have trampled traditional values May 27 To the Editor: Hopefully the Supreme Court will rule that even a president (or former president) is not above the law. But Donald Trumps most serious wrongs go beyond matters cited in civil and criminal suits. His most insidious impact is the effect his actions and speech have had on our respect for our system of government: the executive, legislative and judicial branches, the free press, our sense of truth, integrity, morals and ethics. Thanks to Trump and those who support him, we have been seeing a growing normalization of violence, a numbness to corruption and scandal, an undermining of our faith in elections. Trump and his followers have trampled traditional values. He has disparaged allies, glorified dictators, disrespected fallen soldiers. He has sent us to an alternate universe in which untruths gush forth so rapidly that fact checkers can't keep up. We must recognize that in addition to being a malignant narcissist, Trump is paranoid and vindictive. He follows the despotic play book of never admitting error or fault, blaming others for your failures, and repeating lies over and over until people believe them. Trumpism is a cult. His followers love it when he calls immigrants "vermin" who "poison the blood of our country" and says they have been released from insane asylums. Some who recognize his failings rationalize that he furthers their anti-diversity, anti-globalist views, their wish to impose religion and subjugate women. Trump has told us how he intends to govern if he wins in November. He wants to round up millions and hold them in concentration camps pending deportation. He wants to weaponize the Justice Department to prosecute those who oppose him. He wants to fire qualified civil servants and replace them with toadies. He wants to pardon seditionists and insurrectionists. Proclaiming "I am your retribution," he wants to use our military against us. Trump has shown a lack of integrity and empathy, a contempt for the rule of law. Week by week, he is becoming more paranoid and irrational. We cannot count on the courts to stop him. We must do it at the voting booth. Don Nolte Exeter This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Apology demanded for Richard Dreyfuss remarks at Music Hall: Letters BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Agrotourism can contribute to the increase in tourist flow between Azerbaijan and Bashkortostan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture of Bashkortostan Ilshat Fazrakhmanov told Trend. In recent years, tourism in Russia, particularly in the Republic of Bashkortostan, has been developing dynamically. In the area related to agriculture, a direction called agrotourism has appeared. Agrotourism holds great promise for the development of rural areas, particularly by contributing to the socio-economic development of the regions, providing employment for the rural population, and increasing the volume of basic production and personal income of citizens. For the implementation of agrotourism projects, the state allocates a grant of 3 to 10 million rubles, depending on the share of investment in the project of the applicant's funds. You can use the funds to create tourist accommodation facilities, arrange and connect them to utilities, purchase tourist equipment, improve the territory, and pursue other objectives. Around the world, there is widespread interest in rural tourism. Each country seeks to create its own model of rural tourism development. I believe that agrarian tourism could act as a tool to support the development of the territory by expanding the tourist flow between our republics, he said. According to him, Bashkortostan and Azerbaijan have close trade and economic partnership relations in the implementation of agricultural products. "In 2023, Bashkortostan exported wheat, meslin, flour, and strong alcoholic beverages to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The most popular exports from Bashkortostan to foreign markets also include sunflower oil and mixed fertilizers. From Azerbaijan, vegetables and fruits (pomegranates, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.) are supplied to the Eurasia AgriPark (Ufa). Additionally, jams, jellies, marmalades, fruit and vegetable juices, and mineral water with added sugar are imported," he said. Fazrakhmanov pointed out that, in order to strengthen and develop trade and economic relations, representatives of Bashkortostan participate in major exhibitions held in Azerbaijan. For example, Bashkortostan participated in an exposition at the 25th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition, WorldFood. Speaking about the prospects for cooperation between the Republic of Bashkortostan and Azerbaijan, the deputy prime minister highlighted that Bashkortostan sees further prospects for cooperation in the field of mutual supply of agricultural products. "During our visit to Azerbaijan in April of this year, we discussed a wide range of issues with our colleagues. The Azerbaijani side has shown interest in the experience of Bashkortostan in supporting agricultural cooperatives and developing tourism service facilities with the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises. We proposed implementing scientific developments from Bashkortostan's agricultural enterprises in Azerbaijan to ensure the food security of the friendly state. We see further prospects for cooperation in the field of mutual supply of agricultural products, as well as the export to Azerbaijan of fertilizers and agricultural machinery produced in Bashkortostan," he added. The official also emphasized that, in modern realities, the use of technology and various innovations is an integral attribute of any business sector, including agribusiness. "Both in Bashkortostan and Azerbaijan, the agro-industrial complex is dynamic and developing, and farmers strive to use advanced agricultural equipment and machinery. I am confident that there is much we can learn from each other and share experiences. During the visit of the Bashkir delegation, there was a meeting with the leadership of the Center for Agrarian Innovations under the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan. The center promotes and implements agrarian innovations, periodically demonstrating innovative advancements to farmers, including new technologies for tillage, new irrigation methods, and efficient planting methods. We are always ready to cooperate in this direction, to inform farmers about new technologies, and to keep up with the times," the minister of agriculture said. Speaking about plans to expand the export of products from Bashkortostan to Azerbaijan, Fazrakhmanov pointed out that Bashkortostan's agro-export has great potential for a threefold increase. "By the end of 2023, the volume of agro-industrial exports from Bashkortostan increased by 79 percent compared to the previous year, with 747,800 tons of agricultural products shipped, totaling $338.6 million dollars. Bashkortostan hosts a genetic center for waterfowl, with the entire country coming to the republic for breeding stocks of geese and ducks. In the region, we are developing crop production, and the production of grains and oilseeds. Two large Bashkir enterprises produce 450,000 tons of high-quality vegetable oil, which is actively supplied to China, India, and other countries. Bashkir honey is a globally renowned product. We produce it in volumes of 12 thousand tons, of which 6,000 tons are marketable, and we can confidently increase volumes if demand rises. From the milk of Bashkir horses, we produce a healthy, tasty, natural, medicinal drink called kumis. All these products are already in demand on both domestic and international markets, and we'll expand the geography of our supplies," he added. The deputy prime minister emphasized that Bashkortostan plans to develop cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of beekeeping. "This will also be expressed in the scientific and research directions. Our region has an autonomous non-profit organization, 'Altyn Solok', which has the status of a breeding reproducer for the mid-Russian breed of bees, and a unique molecular-genetic testing laboratory has been established under it. The 'Altyn Solok' laboratory houses the largest DNA bank of honey bees in Russia, which is constantly replenished and updated. Therefore, we can confidently collaborate with our Azerbaijani colleagues in the field of bee breeding. We can also share our experience in combating bee diseases. We plan to establish close cooperation in this area in the near future," said the minister. According to him, Bashkortostan has a Center for Export Support, which provides support to exporters and export-oriented enterprises. "The Center for Export Support of Bashkortostan supports exporters and export-oriented enterprises of Bashkortostan, helping organizations participate in exhibition and fair events and business missions, assisting with placement on electronic trading platforms, and generally providing training in foreign economic activities. In addition, in Bashkortostan, it is possible to reimburse part of the costs associated with the certification of agro-industrial products in foreign markets, as well as part of the actual costs incurred by exporters when transporting their products to foreign markets," he concluded. To note, the Azerbaijan-Bashkortostan business forum was held in Baku on April 24. During his speech at the forum, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that Bashkortostan hopes for long-term cooperation with entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan. In an effort to foster an environment where Azerbaijani entrepreneurs may thrive, we will extend an invitation to them to join forces with us, he added. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Arkansas citys mayor refuses to resign after council asks him to step down Phillips County Courthouse (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Helena-West Helena Mayor Christopher Franklin refused to resign Tuesday night after the City Council voted 6-0 to ask that he step down. The resolution came in response to a profanity-laden video call between the mayor, his adult daughter and his adult niece that went viral online last week. Mayor Christopher Franklin, Helena-West Helena, Arkansas The Helena World reported that Franklin abruptly adjourned the council meeting after the vote despite a lengthy agenda. The entire episode took seven minutes, from the reading of the resolution to Franklins departure from the council meeting room, the newspaper reported online Tuesday night. In a Wednesday online story, The World reported that petitions are being circulated in Helena-West Helena seeking a recall election to remove the mayor. Council member Maxine Miller introduced the resolution to censure Franklin and call for his resignation for conduct unbecoming of the office of mayor during a recent Facebook Live broadcast, The World reported. She said shed contacted the city attorney after receiving a copy of the video. I dont take any pleasure in this, she said, adding that she believed it necessary. According to The World, the resolution says the council has determined that Mayor Christopher Franklin has recorded, published, and disseminated a derogatory Facebook Live video [that] made other foul-mouthed statements using a litany of profanity and antagonistic language. The video is prurient, grotesque, misogynistic, narcissistic, nauseating and in no wise expressive of all the people of our city and should not be representative of one who executes policies, procedures, rules, regulations and state statutes that affect all the citizens in community. The resolution concludes by strongly condemning Franklin for his conduct in the video and asking for his immediate resignation. Thank you all for that, Franklin said in response. I am happy to inform you, I am not leaving. I will still be here. Meeting adjourned. Before Miller read the resolution, Franklin noted the size of the crowd and said he was glad to see everyone come out tonight for this reason, according to The World. This is about a family issue that got spewed on social media, he said. My daughter and my niece me and them are working on this relationship. I didnt say it was going to be easy. Both sides have agreed to counseling. Words were said that cannot be taken back. But we just prayed, and asked the Lord to forgive us of all our sins. So, the Bible also teaches that he without sin casts the first stone. In a brief statement before reading her resolution, Miller said shed contacted City Attorney Andre Valley after she received a copy of the video. She said she took no pleasure in offering the resolution but said it was necessary. Valley made no statements after the resolution was introduced, and there were no comments from anyone in the audience, The World reported. After adjourning the meeting, Franklin got up quickly and left the meeting chambers through a side door, the newspaper reported. The post Arkansas citys mayor refuses to resign after council asks him to step down appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. A multi-million-dollar education contract meant to enhance teachers and students growth became the center of debate Tuesday in a legislative meeting. The Arkansas Legislative Council Review Subcommittee went back and forth for hours over renewing the contract of the current vendor, Solution Tree. The price tag is the first thing raising eyebrows, with Solution Tree proposing a contract of more than $100 million, whereas the other companys offers were between $18 and $29 million. Little Rock School District approves budget proposal, making $15 million in cuts Legislators also noted that the data doesnt appear to be backing the company up over the last seven years. State Rep. Grant Hodges (R-Centerton), who also serves on the audit committee that recently looked into the contract, said the state has spent about $145 million of taxpayer money so far for Solution Tree. He said that in his district in northwest Arkansas, and many others around the state, numbers dont show students are benefiting much at all for the professional teacher development services the companys supposed to be providing. He referenced studies done by the Bureau of Legislative Research to back up these points. Representatives from the Department of Education told legislators a group of evaluators looked at every companys bid along with the prices and services that come with the contract, and rewarded Solution Tree with another contract, which now needs approval by the legislature. Im not here to endorse a contract or not endorse it, Education Secretary Jacob Oliva told the subcommittee. Weve followed a process. I feel like we can use this vehicle to implement LEARNS. That is what we are tasked to do. Arkansas board of Corrections remains under fire for contract with attorney in litigation against state Hodges argued this agreement with Solution Tree and the professional learning community will not have a significant impact in helping the state carry out the LEARNS Act, which he has proven to be a supporter of. He said the decision to bring in professional development and assistance for teachers and students needs to be left up to the individual school districts rather than the state as a whole. Since the contracts come under more scrutiny, Ive had several teachers reach out to me and thank me for looking into this and saying theyre not a fan of Solution Tree and feel like its a distraction from the other work they need to be doing in the classroom, Hodges said. Two school administrators from Arkansas testified in the meeting Tuesday that the work of Solution Tree has been positive for their educators and students. A few legislators did the same, commenting on how it has worked in their districts for constituents. Educators reflect on first year of Arkansas LEARNS Act The full Arkansas Legislative Council committee will continue the discussion over the contract Friday and take a vote on whether the state will fund this contract renewal or not. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. A woman surveys storm damage in downtown Rogers on May 26, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) At least six tornadoes struck north Arkansas early Sunday morning, according to preliminary damage survey results from the National Weather Service. The agencys Little Rock office announced Tuesday that two EF-3 tornadoes with peak winds of 140 miles per hour touched down in Boone, Marion and Baxter counties. One tornados path extended 21 miles. A survey team returned to north Arkansas Tuesday to continue assessing the damage and is aware of at least five other possible tornado tracks that will be examined in the coming days, according to a social media post. Meanwhile, the National Weather Services Tulsa office on Monday reported that Benton County saw four tornadoes two near Decatur and two more west of Centerton that produced EF2 and EF3 damage. The agency on Tuesday reported one Decatur tornado had peak winds of 140 to 150 miles per hour. The tornado was about 1.7 miles wide and traveled for at least 7 miles. Extensive straight-line wind damage also occurred across Benton County, into Bentonville, Rogers and the War Eagle area, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes also occurred at times in those areas. Agency officials attributed a fatality that occurred when a tree fell on a mobile home east of Rogers near Beaver Lake to the straight-line wind damage. Estimated wind speeds in the area were 80 to 95 miles per hour. According to PowerOutage.us, nearly 32,000 Arkansans in six counties were without power Tuesday evening, down from about 68,000 Sunday night. Let us know what you think... Arkansas Division of Emergency Management officials reported eight deaths on Sunday three each in Benton and Marion counties and one each in Baxter and Boone counties but revised that number to seven on Tuesday. According to a press release, ADEM received confirmation late Monday from the Marion County Sheriffs Office that a fatality reported on Sunday was not related to the storms as was previously believed. We appreciate everyones patience as we adjust data as updated information becomes available, ADEM Director A.J. Gary said in a statement. We will continue to keep the public apprised of developments as we receive information. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order Sunday to declare an emergency and another on Tuesday to authorize paid leave for state employees affected by the storms. Sanders and other officials surveyed the storm damage on Monday. The emergency declaration triggered the prohibitions on price gouging in Act 376 of 1997. The law prohibits businesses from charging more than 10% above the pre-disaster price of goods and services, such as food, water, medicine and construction materials. The price gouging ban remains in effect for at least 30 days and can be extended another 30 days. For home repairs, the law remains in effect for 180 days. A violation of the law is also a violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which carries a fine of up to $10,000. Attorney General Tim Griffin in a statement said price gouging will not be tolerated by his office and warned Arkansans of post-storm rebuilding scams. Those with storm damage should call their insurance company before paying any company or individual a deposit, Griffin said. Post-storm scammers will offer quick repair jobs for an immediate deposit and may even claim that insurance will reimburse the purchaser. I encourage Arkansans not to feel pressured into immediate solutions that appear too good to be true. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management on Monday opened the Arkansas Disaster Relief Program for donations. Under the program, ADEM can provide funds for immediate needs in communities experiencing major impacts from a declared disaster, according to a press release. The funds are used as additional state and federal program availability are being determined. The determination of the amount and recipient of the funds will depend on the effect of the disaster on the community and the need within the community, according to a press release. All donations are tax-deductible and can be made online or by mailing a check payable to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration to: DFA-OAS P.O. Box 2485 Little Rock, AR 72203 To donate to a specific community with a declared disaster, write a note on the check and DFA will notify ADEM. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The post Arkansas storms produce six tornadoes, National Weather Service reports appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. A local World War II veteran has been selected to attend an upcoming return to Normandy with other veterans for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. William Toombs is 100 years old and was born in Little Rock. He said he is grateful he is still able to tell his story. We flew our first bombing mission on D-Day, Toombs said. We were to bomb a railroad yard that cut off communications to keep the Germans from letting anything come in and getting out, but we couldnt see the target so we didnt drop. Newspapers and the D-Day Invasion: A pivotal role in WWII reporting June 6, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day when tens of thousands of Americans and Allied troops stormed the shoreline of Normandy to take back Europe from Nazi Germany in 1944. It was the largest amphibious landing in the history of the world, Toombs said. You can never imagine how many ships and airplanes flew that day. Its memories that Toombs has that he will soon share with around 50 World War II veterans selected to attend The Battlefield Return to Normandy with The Best Defense Foundation partnering with Delta to provide a special charter flight. It only happens once in a lifetime. Toombs adds, It will be exciting just to meet them and talk about old times with them. Toombs said he enlisted at 18 years old, leaving his then job as a railroad mechanic apprentice. When I enlisted I wanted to be a mechanic, I didnt want to fly, he said. I just evolved into a flying group. How one of D-Days youngest heroes became a paratrooper at 17 He served as a flight engineer gunner on both B17s and B24s with the 493rd Bomb Group of the Army Air Corp also known as the Mighty 8th. I dont think I could have picked a better bunch than what they did, we had a great crew and every man knew their jobs, Toombs said. He served in 28 missions until the war ended. When the war was over, I thought that was it, you would never hear any more about it, said Toombs. Toombs said he returned to working in the railroad and years later he was pleasantly surprised to be honored so many times for his service. He said he is thankful that this soon-to-be trip will allow him to join hands with others who served. Its an honor to me for people to recognize what I did in the war and I think that I really appreciate that part. I didnt expect anyone to do that but I really enjoy it, Toombs said. Freedom is not free: D-Day veterans share their story Best Defense Foundation is partnering up with Delta Airlines who will provide the veterans a special charter flight to Normandy where they will be celebrated with parades, school visits, ceremonies and more. They take flight June 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 KARK. Arrest made in homicide of elderly man found dead in the Cleveland Metroparks STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (WJW) After an elderly man was found dead in the Cleveland Metroparks Mill Stream Run Reservation last year, the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department has announced an arrest. Viktor Vendler, 22, was arrested in the death of 74-year-old Leroy Johnston, police said Wednesday. Coroner identifies man who died in Youngstown building explosion Johnstons body was discovered in a wooded area of the reservation on Sept. 23. According to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office, Johnston died from being shot in the head. The victim was found in the vicinity of Royalview picnic area on the ground. Police said the victim and the suspect knew one another, but were not clear on the connection. The suspect was arraigned Wednesday at the Berea Municipal Court, charged with aggravated murder. As part of his $1 million bond, Vendler is reportedly banned from all Cleveland Metroparks property. Im proud of the skillful work of our Detective Bureau to bring closure to this case, Cleveland Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman said in a statement. The successful resolution of this case, bringing justice to the family of Mr. Johnson, is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our detectives and officers who have worked diligently on this 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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) An arrest warrant has been issued for an Oklahoma man after OKCPD says a verbal altercation left one person dead and another injured. According to Oklahoma City Police, officers responded to the area of SW 15th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. around 2 a.m. Wednesday May 22 for shots fired. At the time, police said the suspect information was limited as what led to the deadly fight at the Will Rogers Courts a low-income housing complex. Doneto Patrick, Image courtesy Oklahoma County Detention Center Court documents show on May 28, a warrant has been issued for Doneto Jawayne Patrick Jr. in the untimely death of 38-year-old Anthony Hines. The arrest warrant identifies the victim Anthony Hines and several individuals were celebrating at a relatives graduation party before a group of four black males arrived. Witnesses have told police, the victim Hines came into contact with the group of black males when a verbal altercation started that escalated quickly to a firearm being produced and multiple shots fired. Doneto Patrick Jr. according to witnesses was identified shooting Anthony Hines striking him multiple times in the back and the back of the head before fleeing the scene. Hines was killed and another person injured. UPDATE: One dead, one injured in SW Oklahoma City shooting Investigators are still looking into three murders that have rocked the housing community in a matter of days. Doneto Patrick Jr. is currently facing a murder charge. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Go With the Flows Earth's hellish twin ain't dead yet. On Venus, where temperatures exceed 800 degrees Fahrenheit, astronomers have spotted two flows of lava crawling across the planet's barren surface, adding to a growing body of evidence that Venus is still volcanically active. The research, published as a study in the journal Nature Astronomy, used decades-old radar images taken by NASA's Magellan spacecraft in 1990 and 1992, which in spite of their age, remain the most detailed images of the Venusian surface to date. Both believed to be the aftermath of epic eruptions, one lava flow was found simmering near the mighty Sif Mons, a so-called shield volcano that spans nearly 200 miles across and is over a mile tall. The other was found in the Niobe Planitia, a region dominated by volcanic features. "After you see something like this, the first reaction is 'wow,'" study co-author Davide Sulcanese at the Universita d'Annunzio in Italy told The New York Times. Back to Backscatter Though the veritable hell-world is riddled with more volcanoes than any other in the solar system, proving that Venus is still governed by the same volcanic forces as Earth hasn't been easy. The soaring hot temperatures on its surface, plus the insane pressures of its dense atmosphere, are too extreme for human-made probes to survive. But observing Venus from afar is difficult, too, as it's permanently shrouded in a haze of yellow, corrosive clouds. During the two flybys it performed in the 1990s, the Magellan used radar to penetrate the atmosphere, producing what's known as backscatter data of the planet's topography. When the researchers examined the data sets, they found changes in certain regions that could be best explained by newly formed volcanic rock suggesting that eruptions had taken place between imaging. "We interpret these signals as flows along slopes or volcanic plains that can deviate around obstacles such as shield volcanoes like a fluid," said study co-author Marco Mastrogiuseppe of Sapienza University of Rome, in a NASA statement about the work. Hot to Trot And those eruptions must've been something to behold. According to the astronomers, the Sif Mons eruption spewed up about 12 square miles of molten rock, while the Niobe Planitia one managed even more with about 17 square miles. This is the clearest sign of volcanic activity on the planet since a groundbreaking study in 2023 documented a widening of a volcanic vent called a caldera, according to the NASA statement. But with this latest discovery, Sulcanese said it shows that the planet is not only geologically active, but "that the volcanic activity on Venus could be comparable to that on Earth." That parallel could end up informing our understanding of Venus just as much as our own planet. Unless the Magellan data is hiding any more secrets, however, we'll have to wait for future missions to our neighbor in the Solar System before turning up hotter discoveries. More on space: Mars' Moon May Not Be What We Think, Scientists Claim Athens residents may be experiencing low water pressure or no water ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) The Athens Water Department is actively working to restore water and water pressure to customers. At 1:47 p.m., Athens Water Department Manager Jimmy Junkin stated how crews expect water pressure to return within the hour. The City of Athens posted on Facebook around 10 a.m. Wednesday letting residents know that the water department was working on an issue in the Downtown Athens area. Legacy Pool at the Huntsville Aquatic Center set to reopen in June The city said that customers downtown and in other areas may experience low water pressure, or no water until the issue was resolved. Around 10:45 a.m., the water department stated they encountered problems with isolation valves. The department mentioned they were headed upstream to cut off the water to be able to replace it. Athens State University will move to remote operations at 1:30 p.m. due to the ongoing outage. All scheduled classes will be held remotely where possible. Students are encouraged to contact their instructors for more information. Normal business hours and classes are expected to resume on Thursday, May 30. Athens officials have been posting updates regarding the issue on their Facebook page, which you can find 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 WHNT.com. Indiana, like other states with strict abortion bans, is seeing fewer people enter medical residency program. (Getty Images) When we restrict one aspect of care like with abortion bans we hinder all access to care. Thats why, across the country, we are witnessing the closure of maternity wards, including here in Indiana. As we near the two-year anniversary of the reversal of Roe v. Wade and approach one year without abortion access in Indiana, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) show medical school residents are staying away from states with severe abortion restrictions. Fourteen states, mostly located within this region, have enacted near-total bans on abortion. The AAMC analysis shows that the number of applicants to residency programs in these states fell by 4.2% between 2023 and 2024. In contrast, states where abortion remains legal saw only a 0.6% decline in residency program applicants. Specialities affected most include emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), and pediatrics. Take away these future prospects from the provider shortage Indiana already faces, and the maternal health care desert just gets dryer. The need for increased access to care has never been more urgent, which is why were in court to reclaim at least some abortion access for Hoosiers seeking vital health care. Indiana impact Here in Indiana, at least 1.5 million women of reproductive age are restricted from basic abortion care. Nationally, one in three women of reproductive age and even more trans and nonbinary people who can become pregnant no longer have access to abortion in their state. People are forced to travel hundreds or thousands of miles for care, if they can afford it, or remain pregnant against their will. And if you are a Black woman forced to remain pregnant in a state like Indiana with a crippling maternal health crisis, remaining pregnant means you are twice as likely to die from pregnancy complications than a white person. Indiana faces roughly 4,300 job openings for nurses, with an additional 5,000 openings predicted by 2031. Rural counties in Indiana have already faced hospital closures, with nearly 50% of Indianas 92 counties having just one hospital and 20% having none. Something has to give. The bench trial for the lawsuit challenging the limited exceptions in Indianas near-total abortion ban is set to begin Wednesday, May 29 in Monroe County and last three days. Some people in Indiana think that because abortion has been all but banned, we have had to close our doors. But our doors remain open, and we are here fighting because everyone deserves health care, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Planned Parenthood, we are doing everything we can to meet the needs of patients. Weve helped people forced to flee the state for abortion services navigate across state lines and come back to us for follow-up care. Weve expanded services to include vasectomies and gender-affirming care on top of the comprehensive reproductive care we already provide, like wellness exams, STI checks and treatments, and cervical cancer screenings. It pains me to say that most hospitals in Indiana have made it harder for people to access abortion under the narrow legal exceptions. These conditions can lead to increased travel times, harmful delays, higher costs, and, in dire cases, even death. The lawsuit Planned Parenthood, alongside the ACLU of Indiana, All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center, and the Lawyering Project, has asked the court to broaden the narrow health exceptions so that Hoosiers can exercise their right to obtain an abortion necessary to prevent a serious health risk, a right that the Supreme Court recognized in its June decision. Were also asking the court to allow providers like Planned Parenthood to offer abortion care in the limited circumstances abortion is allowed. Indiana has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, and with this ban, things wont get better. Abortion bans dont just restrict abortion access; they jeopardize medical care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other pregnancy-related issues. This climate of fear is crippling health care professionals nationwide, leaving them terrified that fulfilling their oath to care could subject them to vicious political attacks. Its an assault on medical ethics and the well-being of patients everywhere. We know that every single person deserves access to health care, including abortion care, when they need it, without question or fear of criminalization. We wont stop fighting until abortion access is restored here in Indiana and across the country. Our commitment is unwavering, our resolve is strong, and our compassion for those we serve is boundless. The post Attacks against abortion care are attacks against all care appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. The office of the Attorney General of Montana (Photo by Eric Seidle/ For the Daily Montanan). Attorneys defending Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen before the states Commission on Practice, which disciplines and regulates the legal profession, said they need more time to prepare a defense for Knudsen, who faces 41 counts of ethical violations. Knudsen, a Republican who is running for re-election in November, has three attorneys Mark D. Parker of Billings; Tyler Green of Salt Lake City; and Solicitor General Christian Corrigan, a state employee. In a Tuesday filing to the Montana Supreme Court, the trio of attorneys list four reasons for delaying the hearing and trial of Knudsen, which is currently scheduled for July 17. The attorneys said that depositions from Montana Court Administrator Beth McLaughlin and her attorney Randy Cox have uncovered new information that provides a basis for amending (Knudsens) answer. They also said that Corrigan and his wife are expecting a child in early August, and that Corrigan has the best command of the specific facts of the case. However, Knudsens attorneys cite two other pieces of information about the case. In the first, the attorneys detail their efforts to try to depose all seven members of the Montana Supreme Court and Butte-Silver Bow District Judge Kurt Krueger, who was selected to sit on the case. Knudsens attorneys believe the judge and the justices may have information relevant to the case. Furthermore, the court documents said that the new information from McLaughlin and Cox will be incorporated into Knudsens defense, and they need time to do so. The commission on practice could take any number of possible disciplinary actions if they find Knudsen acted improperly, including suspending his law license. Some of the ethical allegations center on whether Knudsen refused to comply with a lawful order of the Montana Supreme Court, or supported a subpoena of court records, held by McLaughlin, as the chief courts administrator, without proper notification. Attorneys for Knudsen argue the hearing and trial should be postponed until the commissions October meeting. In paperwork filed with the motion for a continuation, Knudsens legal team included several letters between attorneys. One of those from Green asks Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath to allow attorneys to depose the justices and Krueger, saying it should take no longer than four hours apiece. However, the attorney representing the Montana Supreme Court replied that the information they were seeking was privileged. We disagree that taking depositions of sitting judges in the Commission on Practice proceeding is appropriate or permissible, said Helena Attorney Amy D. Christensen. The courts nonpublic proceedings relating to Brown vs. Gianforte and McLaughlin vs. Montana State Legislature, like other nonpublic court proceedings, are privileged and not subject to disclosure through a deposition or other testimony. In its Supreme Court filings, Knudsens attorneys said the issue remains unresolved, and said it will need additional time to negotiate or, if necessary, litigate for a resolution. The Montana Supreme Court justices and Judge Krueger are the only witnesses with access to facts that will allow the defense to test the veracity of some of the Office of Disciplinary Counsels allegations., attorneys for Knudsen said. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel handles complaints against members of the state bar, and also conduct disciplinary investigations, and recommend sanctions. It told the attorneys representing Knudsen that it opposed all reasons for the delay except for continuing the case because of Corrigans child. PR 23-0496 Other -- Motion The post Attorney General Knudsens legal team asks for delay in disciplinary hearing appeared first on Daily Montanan. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Italy has witnessed a notable rise in natural gas imports from Azerbaijan, with figures indicating a 2.6 percent increase year-on-year, Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office, told Trend. Italy imported 485.1 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan in March 2024, compared to 473 million cubic meters in March 2023. While the volume of imports grew significantly, the value experienced a notable decrease. In March 2023, the value of imports stood at 486 million euros, whereas in March 2024, it plummeted to 254.2 million euros, marking a reduction by almost 47.7 percent. In 2023, Italy imported a total of 9.3 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan, valued at 4.97 billion euros. Azerbaijan initiated gas transportation to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor on December 31, 2020. This corridor facilitates the transport of gas from the Caspian Sea region to European countries, passing through Georgia and Turkiye. The project, with a total cost of 33 billion US dollars, is anticipated to recoup its capital costs within 810 years. In July 2022, Azerbaijan and the European Union reached an agreement to double the volume of gas supplies via the Southern Gas Corridor, from the current 10 billion cubic meters to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. --- Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn The Joseph P. Mazurek Justice Building in Helena which houses the Attorney General's Office, the Montana Supreme Court and the state law library (Photo by Eric Seidle/ For the Daily Montanan). The Montana Attorney Generals Office has filed a motion at the Montana Supreme Court asking one of the sitting justices to be removed or recuse herself from presiding over a controversial, long-running case that centers on how transgender individuals can change their gender on a birth certificate or drivers license. But how to change a birth certificate has little to do with the argument Assistant Attorney General Thane Johnson has forwarded in a bid to oust Supreme Court Associate Justice Laurie McKinnon. Knudsens office wants McKinnon removed from the case because she was the moderator at a continuing legal education conference for a session called, Profiles in Courage, which highlighted several attorneys who were noted for standing up for the judiciary. The petition, filed last week at the Montana Supreme Court, accuses McKinnon of violating the states canon of judicial ethics and said she should have intervened to stifle comments made by three attorneys and one retired state district court judge, all of whom were critical of either sitting Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, and Knudsen, also a Republican. Gianforte is named in his official capacity in the court case, Marquez vs. State of Montana, and Knudsens office is statutorily required to defend the state and the Legislatures actions. The Daily Montanan reached out to the Supreme Court for comment on the case, but justices do not comment on pending cases. During the session of the 2024 Bench Bar Continuing Legal Education, former Yellowstone County District Court Judge Michael Moses is reported to have said during the panel discussion: I will follow up on (attorney) Randy (Coxs) comment saying we arent going to follow that order because I had the same problem in the LBGTQ+ (sic) case that we talked about earlier. The case in which Moses is referring is the Marquez case, but attorney Randy Cox had previously referenced a case in which he represented Montana Courts Administrator Beth McLaughlin and the lawmakers attempts to seize her email. During the course of a protracted court battle, Knudsen told the Supreme Court he would not follow its order to return the email. Johnson is the same attorney who had to defend Knudsen and the Gianforte administrations decision not to follow Moses order during the trial to revert back to a previous policy of changing birth certificates. Moses threatened to hold the state in contempt for violating the order, for Johnson apologized, saying he was appearing before Moses with hat in hand, and could not explain why neither Knudsen or the administration had complied with the order. Moses then told Johnson, who was representing the state: The court respects the candor of the new defense counsel to finally come before this court with hat in hand. However, defense counsel could not provide a legitimate explanation of any kind for the continued noncompliance of his clients. There is no legal justification for defendants continued refusal to follow court orders after numerous clarifications by this court and the Supreme Court of Montana. In the latest Supreme Court filing to remove McKinnon, Johnson said, Whether defendants failed to follow Judge Moses orders in the district court case is a central issue of this appeal. The attempt at removing McKinnon also focused on criticism some of the other attorneys made of Gianforte and Knudsen, including a comment by attorney Jim Goetz who referred to Gianforte as Governor Gianforeskin. While Justice McKinnon did not make these comments herself, she failed to take measures to cease the offending discussion, nor did the honorable justice act in any manner to remove herself form the extremely questionable discussions, the Supreme Court filing said. Silence and inaction are often the most powerful speech. McKinnon was serving as the moderator of the panel. McKinnon was the leader of the continuing legal education with not only the responsibility but the ability to control the course and conduct of the (continuing legal education). It is one thing to be a member of the audience, but it is much different to be the moderator, the brief said. However, in a reply filed at the Montana Supreme Court last week, attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is part of a group of attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the Marquez case, filed a brief that opposed removing McKinnon. Justice McKinnon acted with the dignity and decorum befitting a justice of the Supreme Court, and never spoke or encouraged others in a manner that would come close to violating the Code of Judicial Conduct, said the response written by Montana ACLU legal director Alex Rate. If appellants can disqualify a justice merely by alleging that a justice heard speech related to a case pending before the court, there would be virtually no limit to a partys ability to disqualify members of the court in high-profile cases. The request is particularly hollow coming from the Attorney General, who has repeatedly engaged in exactly the kind of speech he now says merely hearing leads to bias. The canons recognize that justice is not so delicate, or manipulable. The attorney generals office cites several codes or canons of judicial conduct it believes McKinnon violated, including Canon 1: A judge shall uphold the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, the canon said. It also contends McKinnon violated another section which says: Judges should participate in activities that promote ethical conduct among judges and lawyers, support professionalism within the judiciary and the legal profession, and promote access to justice for all. Johnson said that Montana Judicial Conduct Rule 2.12 also said that a judge should be disqualified whenever the judges impartiality might reasonably be questioned. However, the ACLU contends that had McKinnon commented or curtailed the conversation that she would have found herself in a Catch-22. Appellants argue that Justice McKinnon should have inserted herself into the debate more, and actively weighed in on the statements by panelists to which Appellants object. Of course, doing so would lead to exactly the kind of problem the appellants are trying to manufacture here, it said. Montana Supreme Court dismisses Marquez challenge for now On Wednesday morning, the Montana Supreme Court decided unanimously to reject Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsens appeal of Marquez vs. State of Montana, a lawsuit that began in 2021 and focused on the process used to change birth certificate gender markers. In 2021, the Montana Legislature changed state law so that it would require any person wanting to change the gender designation on a birth certificate to obtain a doctors certification and an unspecified surgery in order to amend the birth certificate. Yellowstone District County Judge Michael Moses found that the law violated the states constitution and was impermissibly vague by requiring an unspecified surgery. He ordered the state to revert back to the law that was in place previously, but the state appeared to refuse to obey the order, leading to Moses holding the state in contempt. Since the original decision, the state has contemplated an appeal. It filed an appeal in the Marquez case on May 20, but the Supreme Court decided on Wednesday that the Attorney Generals Office had not filed the proper paperwork, which includes the certification of judgment, required by both the states rules on civil procedure and the states appellate court rules. In the order, written by Chief Justice Mike McGrath, the justices noted, Without proper certification, we are without jurisdiction to entertain the appeal. For now, the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the appeal could be refiled with the proper paperwork. DA 24-0318 Final Disposition_ Dismiss - Not Stipulated, Entire Case -- Order DA 24-0318 Disqualification_Substitution-Judge -- Motion - Opposed DA 24-0318 Response to Motion -- Response_Objection The post Attorney General says Supreme Court justice should be removed from transgender case appeared first on Daily Montanan. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Attorney General Tim Griffin is headed back to court after a recent ruling against Arkansas in a lawsuit against a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule change about gun sales by private sellers. Griffin filed a motion for reconsideration in Kansas federal court on Tuesday. The motion asks to overturn a May 23 ruling that removed Arkansas from the case centering around the so-called gun show loophole due to the states lack of standing. Judge tosses ATF lawsuit out of Arkansas court, cites standing Arkansas had argued that the recent ATF ruling change would stifle gun show sales, causing the state to lose tax revenue on those sales as well as taxes from table rentals. Judge James Moody Jr. ruled that the argument was vague and speculative and moved the case from the Eastern District of Arkansas to the District of Kansas Wichita Division court. Arkansas had been co-leading the case with Kansas, while 19 other states and private individuals in Kansas were listed as additional plaintiffs. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin co-leading 21-state lawsuit challenging ATF on new gun show loophole rule In his latest filing, Griffin argued the earlier ruling was premature and ill-considered, adding that the case was in the pleading stage when the ruling was made and claimed Arkansas could show its existing tax revenue from gun show sales. The ATF rule change went into effect on April 19 and changed the definition of who was required to have a gun sellers license by removing the primary business clause, making the requirement apply to anybody who sold guns for profit. The change impacted private gun show sellers who sold without a license because those sales were not their primary livelihood. A federal firearms license holder has multiple requirements above a private seller, including the need to perform a background check on every customer who buys a gun. Attorney speaks on gun show loophole explained as cause for ATF raid on home of Bryan Malinowski The ATFs focus on private gun sales and the gun show loophole are key factors in the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of Bryan Malinowski at his Little Rock home by ATF agents. Federal search warrants claim the former executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport had been selling firearms at gun shows as an unlicensed private seller. Agents served a search warrant at Malinowskis home in the early morning hours of March 19. His family claims Malinowski was defending himself after they said agents broke down his door just after 6 a.m. Malinowski and an unidentified agent were both shot in the exchange, with Malinowski dying a day later. ATF director questioned on March raid of home of Little Rock airport executive Bryan Malinowski Family attorney Bud Cummins has claimed Malinowski was acting inside the law because firearms sales were not his primary source of income, in keeping with the rule at the 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 KARK. Augusta volunteer, officials question need for Best Friends at animal shelter FILE - This animal was among the lost pets picked up by or turned in to Augusta Animal Services during the July Fourth weekend. A group offering support for the Augusta Animal Shelter is not whats best for the animals or the community, a shelter volunteer recently told Augusta commissioners. Though there are a plethora of concerns with the proposal submitted by Best Friends, the imminent risk to public safety is by far the strongest, said shelter volunteer Tamara Santos in a meeting last week. Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit based in Utah, is offering to provide training and support to the shelter to improve conditions and reduce the euthanasia rate at the shelter. Santos called it an effort to assume management of Augusta Animal Services. More: Group offers $1 million grant to support Augusta Animal Shelter, but officials seem cautious In March, Best Friends completed a three-day assessment of the shelter. They compiled the information and produced a 32-page report with the problems they found and offered solutions. After Santos addressed the commission, Commissioner Sean Frantom said he has been hearing similar issues with Best Friends. Just from what Ive heard, I wouldnt be in favor of bringing (in) this program based on the factual information I received, he said. City officials will meet with Best Friends officials before its June 11 Public Services Committee meeting. One issue is that Best Friends recommends that assessments of a dogs temperament be based on the shelter staffs observations rather than by a formal assessment, Santos said. As someone who is in the shelter daily, I see the immense workload carried by staff. They work expeditiously, often understaffed, to feed the dogs and clean and sanitize kennels before the doors open to the public at noon, she said. How much time does that leave staff to genuinely observe a dog and to make an accurate assessment of the dogs temperament? Another practice of Best Friends is that staff isnt allowed to disclose a dogs history of, or propensity for, aggression to potential adopters, Santos said. This policy is a recipe for disaster. Animal Services Director James Hill said he agrees with Santos. At least seven lawsuits were filed against Los Angeles Animal Services and the Best Friends Animal Society between 2016 and 2019 because of dog attacks, Santos said. Best Friends offer would provide seven new staff positions at the Augusta shelter, a veterinary medical team, a community cat program, virtual and in-person training, and mentorship to help build the program faster, said Gina Burrows, Southeast regional strategist for Best Friends. She valued the offer at $910,898. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta officials question need for Best Friends at animal shelter Felix Gonzalez first used drugs at 9 years old. Decades later, he continues to cycle in and out of drug use as a way to cope with the trauma from his life, he said. But in the past two years, as someone experiencing homelessness, he has seen more family and friends die on the streets of Austin than at any other time of his life. Most of those deaths are due to fentanyl. "So much death around fentanyl," Gonzalez said, as he began tearing up. "I really don't know what a solution to this is. ... But we need help." Gonzalez was one of dozens of advocates, local officials, and former and current drug users who stood outside of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance's drop-in center in East Austin on Wednesday to call for more resources to be put into harm reduction as both the city of Austin and Travis County look to begin their budget processes. The alliance offers services to people at risk of opioid overdoses in the Austin area. Alexandra White, services director for the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, comforts Felix Gonzalez, who described himself as a homeless Navy veteran drug user, after he spoke at Wednesday's news conference about the problem of opioid overdoses in the Austin area. Wednesday's news conference comes nearly a week after the Travis County medical examiner, J. Keith Pinckard, presented the office's annual report, which found that overdoses were the county's leading cause of accidental deaths a trend driven by an increase in the deadly drug fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin that has been found laced in other drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Overdose deaths and fentanyl-related overdoses increased last year, the report found, with 486 people dying of an overdose. So far, this year doesn't seem to be bringing much of an improvement, as the county recently saw an overdose surge that resulted in 79 overdoses and nine deaths in less than a week. Fentanyl was present in each of the nine deaths, county spokesperson Hector Nieto has said. No arrests have been made in connection to this surge. "We've been raising the alarm for so long, and we do not have the support we need," said Alexandra White, director of services for the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance. "We are so tired. We are working so hard to keep our people alive that we don't even have time to mourn our dead." During the previous state legislative session, harm reduction efforts such as legalizing fentanyl testing strips in Texas stalled in the Senate despite a measure passing in the House. Many of the people who spoke at Wednesday's news conference urged state lawmakers to make fentanyl testing strips legal during next year's legislative session. Travis County has the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the state compared with other major metropolitan counties. Experts have partially attributed the rate to the area's lack of treatment options and local policies that have made implementing a successful harm reduction strategy more difficult. What is harm reduction? Harm reduction includes making things available to drug users that can help limit some of the adverse effects that are typically associated with illicit drug use. Some of those items include clean needles, wound care and Narcan, a nasal spray that, if administered soon enough, can reverse an opioid overdose. However, Maggie Luna, executive director of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, said harm reduction is a lot more than just providing Narcan to people. She said it's providing support to drug users, and oftentimes people who are homeless, with dignity and without judgment. This can include offering people a meal, a place to shower or safe sex supplies, all things that the organization provides. The alliance offers harm reduction in two forms: through its drop-in center in East Austin and through its outreach teams, which go to various places throughout the city where campsites or large numbers of people experiencing homelessness are typically found. Currently, the alliance employs 11 people, including four on the outreach team and another four in the drop-in center. That's not enough for Travis County, Luna said, and it's why the group is asking Austin Public Health to increase its current yearly budget of $684,000 to $1 million. White said that, in six months, the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance has handed out supplies to more than 1,800 people. Cate Graziani, Co-Director of VOCAL-TX, right, comforts Carolyn Williams after she talked about her son, Haison Williams who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2023, at a news conference at the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance headquarters on East Cesar Chavez Street Wednesday May 29, 2024. What are county leaders saying? Leaders such as County Judge Andy Brown and Commissioner Ann Howard both spoke at Wednesday's news conference and said they would be asking the Travis County Commissioners Court for more funding. "We have pledged at Travis County to listen and to learn and to invest where it matters," Howard said. "We need to do more, and we are in agreement about that. It is a struggle. There's lots of needs in Travis County, we're growing fast, but I think nothing compares to this one." Brown said increasing funding for harm reduction is a short-term solution and that, long term, the county is looking to increase permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless. Additionally, he said the upcoming mental health diversion center is another option to help treat people who are arrested on a low-level crime in a way other than sending them to jail. While the building is likely years away from being completed, Brown said a pilot program between the county, the city of Austin and Central Health, the Travis County hospital district, has been given the green light. The pilot can handle up to 25 people and will begin taking people soon, if it hasn't already, Brown said. Carolyn Williams, of VOCAL-TX, holds a photo Wednesday of her son, Haison Williams, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2023. Other solutions In addition to calling for more resources to be put into harm reduction, many called for an end to stigmas and for increased access to permanent supportive housing. Permanent supportive housing is one of the two types of rental assistance offered to people experiencing homelessness in Austin. These vouchers have no time limit and come with intensive services, such as mental health treatment. The city has increased its capacity in recent years and expects to have an additional 1,000 permanent supporting housing units by 2026, with some being made available this year. However, the number of people moving into permanent supportive housing units each year is far lower than the total number of people seeking such assistance, the American-Statesman reported. White and others said the continued sweeps of homeless camps are making it more difficult to provide harm reduction supplies to the people who need it the most. White also called for investigations anytime there's an overdose death in one of the city-funded shelters or housing projects. Gonzalez, who said he is a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1980s, said people living in campsites often won't call 911 for fear that doing so will put them on the radar of police or city officials, which will then cause them to lose all their belongings. "I just wish the public would open up their eyes a little bit and not be so close-minded," Gonzalez said. "They think a lot of this is taboo and stuff, but, no, it's real life. Basically, it's just a little more consideration for other human lives." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Activists call for resources to curb drug overdoses in Travis County A Kentucky man convicted of sexually assaulting and molesting a 7-year-old girl is wanted after he jumped bail and ran just before a Harrison County jury found him guilty of the crimes, according to District Attorney Crosby Parker. Jimmy Joe Davis, 54, of Mondonville, Kentucky, attended the three-day trial but left the courthouse while the jury deliberated and never returned. Judge Randi Mueller accepted the jurys verdict and issued an arrest warrant for Davis for violating his bond. Davis is facing up to life in prison plus 15 years for the crimes. Davis was living with a woman and her two children in Pass Christian when the crimes occurred. The state Department of Child Protective Services first learned of the allegations after a CPS worker went to the childs home for a visit due to an unrelated complaint. During that visit, the 7-year-old told the CPS worker that she had a secret with Mr. Jimmy, and it was about something that kids were not supposed to do, said Assistant District Attorney Ian Baker, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Haley Broom. The child later underwent a forensic interview with Canopy Advocacy Center, during which the little girl described Davis sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. As the child detailed her experience to the jury, you could see the jurors physically react to what they were seeing, Baker said in a press release. The Harrison County Sheriffs Department investigated the crimes. Once Davis is captured, he will face sentencing. To report information on his whereabouts, call Mississippi Coast Crimestoppers at 877-787-5898 or log on to mscoastcrimestoppers.com and leave a tip. YUKON Controversy has erupted after a city council majority voted to abruptly fire the city manager earlier this month. After an executive session that lasted a few minutes, the Yukon City Council voted 3-2 to terminate City Manager Tammy Kretchmar's contract during a May 14 meeting without cause. The dismissal of Kretchmar, who had 28 years of experience working for the city and had been city manager since 2021, drew immediate criticism from residents. Shed previously received City Manager of the Year awards from the Oklahoma Municipal League and City Managers Association of Oklahoma. "Council policy is that we do not comment on personnel issues," said Ward 1 Councilmember Rodney Zimmerman. "All I can say is that it is a decision I did not make lightly." Former Yukon City Manager Tammy Kretchmar. Voting yes were Zimmerman, at-large city councilmember and Vice Mayor Jeff Wootton, and Ward 3's newly elected councilmember Brian Pillmore. Ward 4's new councilmember Adam Shriver and Ward 2 Councilmember Shelli Selby voted no. Pillmore, who was selected by councilors to take over the role of mayor during the meeting, also said he could not discuss specifics of Kretchmar's firing, but reiterated that the council would continue to work for the city's best interests. "'Without cause' is a legal provision in paragraph 6 of the city manager's contract and does not mean 'without reason,'" Pillmore said. "Each council member, including myself, made their decision based on our individual assessments and commitment to the community's welfare." "Our city council remains dedicated to transparency, innovation and excellence for the benefit of all Yukon residents," Pillmore added. "I am committed to working collaboratively to make Yukon a vibrant and thriving city." Selby described Kretchmar's firing as "a huge mar on our city," warning about the decision's cost to the city and its legal consequences. Pillmore said termination "without cause" entitles Kretchmar to 12 months of her base salary, an estimated $175,000 payable 90 days after the termination. In late May, the city posted an open full-time job position for Kretchmar's former role, with pay ranging from $165,000 to $210,000, and accepting applications no later than June 24. But Selby believes Kretchmars abrupt termination would make many people qualified for the position unwilling to risk taking it on. I worry what type of person would even apply at a place where youre City Manager of the Year and you get fired for doing nothing wrong. Who would want that job insecurity?" Selby asked. "It concerns me that we will not get a quality city manager, and that is the key to our success. When we talk about economic development, we have had so many new businesses that have come into being because of Yukons quality leadership. And so, right now, I think things are little shaky. Shelli Selby arrives April 5 to file to run for the House District 43 seat at the Oklahoma state Capitol in Oklahoma City. Other locals, meanwhile, have described the decision to fire Kretchmar as being driven by personal agendas and are openly considering attempts to recall the elections of Wootton and Zimmerman. The fact that you're doing this without cause is suspicious, opens up the city to a lawsuit and wastes taxpayers' money, resident Preston Spicer told councilmembers. "So not only are you paying her, but you've got to hire a new city manager, so you're paying two salaries' worth. And I for one am not happy about you trying to waste taxpayer money." "This looks like a witch hunt," said Jody Pendleton, principal at Yukon Public Schools. "It looks like people got on the city council to make this happen, and that is very concerning to me for our city." More: These are the 10 wealthiest counties in Oklahoma. Did yours make the list? Yukon vice mayor denies 'personal agenda' after controversy with city manager, police union Tensions between councilmembers have flared in recent months, largely stemming from a dispute involving city officials and a local police union. Earlier this year, Wootton had been censured for allegedly violating the Yukon City Charter by interfering with labor negotiations between Kretchmar and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 173, which represents Yukon's police officers. Voting yes on that censure were then-Mayor Selby, then-Ward 3 City Councilwoman Donna Yanda and then-Ward 4 City Councilman David Enmark. Yanda was termed out this May and succeeded by Pillmore, and Enmark was succeeded by Shriver. Wootton and Zimmerman opposed the censure. Both Wootton and former Yukon FOP President Mike Frame denied any wrongdoing, and the vice mayor described the censure vote as "an unjustified overreaction influenced by the mayor (Selby) and city manager." Yukon Mills is pictured Friday. I want to make it clear that at no point have I deviated from the principles outlined in our charter," Wootton said at the time. "My resolve to act in the best interest of our citizens is unwavering, and I am deeply disappointed in the mayors unnecessary display of authority. Kretchmar had previously stated that the city and the FOP were at a stalemate after the union's request for an 18% raise and an additional retirement fund, to which she could not agree. By law, the city manager is responsible for contract negotiations, and councilmembers are forbidden from negotiating with city employees. I have nothing to personally gain from these negotiations, Kretchmar said in January. It is the citys duty to our citizens and to the city council to be fiscally responsible. The FOP president then added that the vice mayor said he would approve the FOPs offer. If we treat our charter as guidelines instead of the law, then how can we expect the public to ever trust us?" Selby, who had been Yukon's mayor for four years, said Wootton had been voting against Kretchmar's contract renewal since 2022, but that he had been unsuccessful in accomplishing that goal until this year, when Pillmore and Shriver were sworn in. "Neither one of these gentlemen and I mean Brian (Pillmore) specifically has worked a single day with her," Selby said. "Theyre brand new to the council, so they dont know at all what she is like or what she stands for or what shes done for the city. Wootton denied any personal agenda influencing his decision to vote for Kretchmar's termination but did acknowledge his disagreements with the city manager's vision. City Hall is pictured Friday in Yukon. "The last two contract renewals, I had voted against the rehire of the former city manager," Wootton said. "I can only speak for me, but I didnt see her vision for the city. I was wanting more, and it wasnt anything personal. Its my job as a city councilmember to make Yukon the best that we can make it, and I just felt that we, as a city, werent at that point." Pendleton disagreed, saying that Kretchmar had done "a wonderful job" and that her termination was "very fishy and disconcerting." "If you don't like the direction the city's going, then you get on a council and you work with her," Pendleton said. "You try to change things, you try to work with someone to maybe steer it in the direction that you do want it to go. You don't jump in and do a power grab, Day One." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Yukon residents outraged after longtime city manager fired abruptly Accident or crime scene cordon tape, police line do not cross. It is nighttime, emergency lights of police cars flashing blue, red and white in the background Credit - Getty Images A fugitive known as the Bad Breath Rapist who had been on the run for more than a decade was caught in California on Tuesday, authorities said. Tuen Kit Lee was taken into custody Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a press release. Lee was found guilty for the 2005 kidnapping and raping of a young woman in Quincy, Mass., but fled during his September 2007 trial, according to the press release. He was dubbed the Bad Breath Rapist because the smell of his breath was one of the pieces of evidence that led to his identification, CBS reported. Authorities suspected that Lee had fled Massachusetts, but did not know where to, according to the press release. Massachusetts State Police had previously offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that would lead to Lees arrest, CBS reported. Investigators with the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS) then learned that Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, Calif., according to the press release. Investigative leads were sent to the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF) in northern California, who, in collaboration with the Danville Police Department, confirmed that Lee was staying in the area. Massachusetts investigators went to California and, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, apprehended Lee on Tuesday16 years after he had fled. There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions, Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, acting PSWRFTF commander, said in the press release. Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family. Contact us at letters@time.com. (KRON) A fugitive known as the Bad Breath Rapist was found in the San Francisco bay area and arrested on Tuesday after 16 years at large, U.S. Marshals Service officials told Nexstars KRON. Investigators from Massachusetts traveled to California to find the convicted rapist, Tuen Kit Dickie Lee, near Danville, California, and take him into custody. Lee, 55, went on the run in September 2007 when he fled from his trial in Massachusetts. A jury convicted him in absentia of kidnapping and raping a young woman. Tuen Kit Dickie Lee is seen in 2005 photos provided by the United States Marshals Service. The victim was at home in 2005 when Lee broke into her home, zip-tied her to a bed, and raped her at knifepoint, according to Massachusetts State Police. Lee wore a mask to disguise his identity during the assault. But the victim recognized the rapists foul breath because she worked in Lees family restaurant, state police said. He was dubbed by media as the Bad Breath Rapist. WANTED: $10K reward for information that leads to arrest of Massachusetts Bad Breath Rapist After fleeing from his trial, Lee remained a fugitive for 16 years. Tuen Kit Dickie Lee is led away in handcuffs on May 28, 2024. (Image courtesy U.S. Marshals Service) Tuen Kit Lee was believed to have fled Massachusetts, but his location was unknown until investigators with the Massachusetts State Police VFAS developed information that Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, California, the Marshals Service wrote. San Jose woman allegedly slain by son identified With the help of Danville Police Department, it was determined that Lee was in fact staying in Diablo, on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, investigators said. Lees capture was coordinated by the Danville Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service PSWRFTF, USMS Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, and the USMS Cold and Complex Case team. Tuen Lee is handcuffed in Diablo, Calif., on May 28, 2024. (Image courtesy U.S. Marshals Service) There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions, said Commander Sean LoPiccolo of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family. Lee is facing a life prison sentence. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (KRON) A fugitive known as the Bad Breath Rapist was found in the East Bay and arrested on Tuesday after 16 years on the run, U.S. Marshals Service officials told KRON4. Investigators from Massachusetts traveled to California to find the convicted rapist, Tuen Kit Dickie Lee, near Danville and take him into custody. Lee, 55, went on the run in September 2007 when he fled from his trial in Massachusetts. A jury convicted him in absentia of kidnapping and raping a young woman. Tuen Kit Dickie Lee is seen in 2005 photos provided by the United States Marshals Service. The victim was at home in 2005 when Lee broke into her home, zip-tied her to a bed, and raped her at knifepoint, according to Massachusetts State Police. Lee wore a mask to disguise his identity during the assault. But the victim recognized the rapists foul breath because she worked in Lees familys restaurant, state police said. He was dubbed by media as the Bad Breath Rapist. After fleeing from his trial, Lee remained a fugitive for 16 years. Tuen Kit Dickie Lee is led away in handcuffs on May 28, 2024. (Image courtesy U.S. Marshals Service) Tuen Kit Lee was believed to have fled Massachusetts, but his location was unknown until investigators with the Massachusetts State Police VFAS developed information that Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, California, the Marshals Service wrote. San Jose woman allegedly slain by son identified With the help of Danville Police Department, it was determined that Lee was in fact staying in Diablo, east of Danville, investigators said. New information broke the case wide open. An address was developed in Diablo, California. The multi-million dollar residence was owned by a female flower shop owner. Open-source intelligence provided investigators with images of an individual on social media that they believed was Lee, Massachusetts State Police wrote. Lees capture was coordinated by the Danville Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, and the USMS Cold and Complex Case team. Tuen Lee is handcuffed in Diablo, Calif., on May 28, 2024. (Image courtesy U.S. Marshals Service) Undercover officers spotted Lee and the woman leaving the multi-million dollar home and driving away on Tuesday. Danville police officers conducted a traffic stop and questioned Lee about his identity. Lee initially provided a fake name, but ultimately confessed when pressed about his true identity. His female companion, after 15 years of being together in California, never knew who he really was, state police authorities wrote. Commander Sean LoPiccolo of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force said, There are violent offenders out there who believe they can commit crimes and not be held accountable for their actions. Tuen Lee was on the run for more than 16 years and the unwavering dedication by law enforcement to locate and arrest him hopefully brings peace of mind to the victim and her family. Lee was booked into a Contra Costa County Jail. He will face a life prison sentence once he is transported back to Massachusetts. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Dont look up. South Korean authorities warned residents along the border with North Korea that an air raid was underway. But it wasnt rockets that were incoming. Rather: floating overhead were more than 150 balloons carrying trash and whats believed to be feces. An emergency disaster text alert was sent across cities on Tuesday night, according to South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, ordering residents to refrain from outdoor activities and report [objects] to military bases when identified, along with the message in English: Air raid preliminary warning. The incursion comes days after North Korea warned it would retaliate against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent over by activists in South Korea earlier this month. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that South Koreas military detected the balloons flying and falling in various locations across the country from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning local time, going as far as South Gyeongsang, a province more than 180 miles from the demilitarized zone border between the two countries. The balloons appeared to carry trashlike plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts, and even fecesa South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff official said. The military is working with police to collect the materials for analysis, local paper Chosun Ilbo reported, and has advised residents not to come into contact with the droppings and instead report them to authorities. This photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, shows trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. South Korea Presidential OfficeAP Tit-for-tat action will be also taken against frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish by [South Korea] near border areas, North Koreas vice minister of national defense said on Sunday. Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of [South Korea] and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them. South Koreas military condemned the act, saying on Wednesday that the balloons clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our peoples safety. Its not the first time North Korea has flown in garbage through balloons: in 2016, it sent what were initially feared to be biochemical substances but eventually turned out to be cigarette butts and used toilet paper. North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea have also flown balloons the other way with propaganda payloads for years, in hopes of convincing North Korean residents to stand up against Kim Jong Uns totalitarian regime. Pyongyang has long bridled against the practice, which it has labeled psychological warfare. Park Sang-hak, center, a refugee from North Korea who runs the group Fighters for a Free North Korea, and South Korean activists prepare to release balloons bearing leaflets during an anti-North Korea rally near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on April 15, 2011. Lee Jin-manAP Earlier this month, a group of North Korean defectors sent about 20 large balloons carrying some 300,000 leaflets criticizing Kim. The balloons also reportedly carried about 2,000 USB sticks containing K-pop content, including songs from members of Korean boyband sensation BTS. (Kim has called South Korean K-pop a vicious cancer.) In a statement, Kims sister Kim Yo Jong said South Korea was not entitled to criticize the freedom of expression of North Koreans. We have tried something they have always been doing, but I cannot understand why they are making a fuss as if they were hit by shower of bullets, she said, adding that, going forward, North Korea would continue to respond to South Korean balloons spreading propaganda on case-to-case basis by scattering rubbish dozens of times more than those being scattered to us. As tensions escalate between North and South Korea, experts emphasize that such exchanges of balloons remain far preferable to an exchange of missiles. Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, told Reuters: These kinds of grey zone tactics are more difficult to counter and hold less risk of uncontrollable military escalation, even if theyre horrid for the civilians who are ultimately targeted. Contact us at letters@time.com. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 29. Turkmenistan is discussing the development of bilateral cooperation in the gas sector with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Trend reports. According to the official source, this topic was discussed during the meeting of the Advisor to the President of Turkmenistan on oil and gas issues, Ashirgulu Begliyev with the General Director of the local branch of the CNPC Chen Huailong and the Chinese Ambassador to Ashgabat Qian Naicheng. During the meeting, the parties discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation in the gas sector, the implementation of existing gas agreements, as well as prospects for cooperation, including the project of the second stage of the Galkynysh field. At the same time, they noted the productivity of working with CNPC and other leading companies in the energy sector in the favorable conditions created in Turkmenistan. The Turkmen side stressed the priority importance of the oil and gas complex for the socio-economic development of the country, noting that under the leadership of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, a comprehensive strategy for innovative development of the fuel and energy industry is being implemented with an emphasis on ecology, modernization and diversification of export routes. Meanwhile, the Turkmengaz State Concern estimates the nation's hydrocarbon resources at over 71 billion tons of oil equivalent. This volume includes more than 20 billion tons of oil and more than 50 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. Baltimore County plans to hire a pair of law firms to help it with the complicated legal wrangling that already has begun following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The county wants to partner with Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. and Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, LLC, the county said in a news release. Baltimore County Council will consider the proposal at a work session Tuesday and is expected to vote next week. The firms will proactively pursue and address legal claims against all those responsible for the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the county said. Grant & Eisenhofer has an office in Baltimore and handles complex issues ranging from international securities litigation to bankruptcy and consumer protection. Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, a plaintiffs firm based in Baltimore, brings expertise in maritime law. Managing Partner Paul Bekman is certified as a Proctor in Admiralty with the Maritime Law Association of the United States. The county is the latest state or local entity to lawyer up in response to the bridge collapse. The Maryland Attorney Generals Office hired five law firms this month with a mix of experience in maritime law and insurance issues. Baltimore City also hired lawyers and already filed a claim in court. Litigation started days after the container ship Dali struck the Key Bridge early in the morning of March 26, collapsing the span and killing six members of a construction crew who were working on the bridge. The ships owner and manager, both Singapore-based companies, quickly filed a limitation of liability action aimed at capping the amount of damages they could be forced to pay at about $43 million, roughly the roughly the salvage value of the Dali and its cargo. According to the NTSB report released earlier this month, on March 25 about 10 hours before its departure, the Dali experienced two electrical blackouts during in-port maintenance. The ship then lost electrical power again at 1:25 a.m. and 1:27 a.m. before striking the bridge at 1:29 a.m. Were going to be prosecuting [the countys] claims. The entity that is responsible here is the ship owner, attorney Paul Bekman said. But the ship owner has the burden of proof that they were without privity or knowledge of a dangerous situation. Parties seeking damages have until Sept. 24 to file claims against the ship and will try to show the Dali was unseaworthy when it left port. Bekman said the County Council still has to sign off on the partnership. Baltimore Sun reporter Dillon Mullan contributed to this article. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) An 81-year-old Batavia man was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and menacing a police officer after allegedly shooting at a Genesee County Sheriffs Deputy in Batavia early Tuesday morning, authorities said. Around 3:51 a.m., dispatch received a call regarding an alleged burglary at Gregory Pooles residence on Lewiston Road. According to the sheriffs office, the deputy approached the home and confronted Poole outside of it. Authorities said the deputy identified himself and Poole allegedly fired a gun shot at him. While the deputy returned fire and continued identifying himself, Poole allegedly continued to fire at the deputy, the sheriffs office said. During the exchange of gunfire, the deputy found a position of cover and waited for backup. When a second deputy arrived on the scene, Poole was taken into custody without further incident, the sheriffs office said. No one was struck by the gunfire and no injuries were sustained from the gunshots. Authorities said Poole was taken to United Memorial Medical Center for injuries unrelated to the alleged exchange of gunfire. Pooles injuries were believed to have been sustained during a struggle with the burglary suspect, the sheriffs office said. The sheriffs office said they conducted an area search, but the burglary suspect was not located and is believed to have fled the scene before the deputies initial arrival. Poole was released from the hospital, charged and arraigned in the Genesee County Centralized Arraignment Part Court. He was released on his own recognizance and is directed to appear in Batavia Town Court on June 11. The alleged burglary incident along with the alleged gunfire exchange are both ongoing active investigations. No further details were released by the sheriffs office. Latest Local News Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view 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 News 4 Buffalo. Battle Creek bringing services closer to residents with 'Service on the Go' pop-ups The city of Battle Creek is bringing staff, services and information closer to residents this summer through a new initiative dubbed "Service on the Go." The city of Battle Creek is bringing staff, services and information closer to residents this summer through a new initiative dubbed "Service on the Go." Once a month, city staff will host a pop-up event in a different city park. A soft launch of the initiative is slated from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Battle Creek Farmers Market downtown. "You can meet with us and ask questions, learn about ways to stay current with city information, play some games, pay your utility bill, learn about and apply for some great home update programs, submit a service request and much more," city officials said in a news release. The events will feature a variety of city staff experts in the areas of communications, code compliance, community development, transit, police and more as they are available to join. Service on the Go pop-ups are scheduled as follows: Wednesday, May 29 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Soft launch at the Battle Creek Farmers Market downtown Saturday, June 15 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Part of the Juneteenth Family Day at Claude Evans Park, 320 N. Washington Ave. Tuesday, July 23 4 to 7 p.m.Woodland Park and Nature Preserve, 14175 Helmer Road Thursday, Aug. 15 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Fell Park, 260 Willard Ave. East Friday, Sept. 20 3 to 6 p.m.Post Park, 800 E. Michigan Ave. For more information, visit battlecreekmi.gov. Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek debuting 'Service on the Go' pop-up events this summer It began as a robbery but ended in a killing. Now, 2 Tacoma brothers have been sentenced Two brothers who pleaded guilty to robbing a 27-year-old man of a necklace and bicycle in Eastside Tacoma and killing the victim when he confronted them have been sentenced. The gunman, Adolfo Angel Gabriel-Miguel received 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the July 4, 2023 killing of Alec Mercado. Gabriel-Miguels younger brother, David, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery. He was sentenced to 3 years and five months in prison. The punishments Pierce County Superior Court Judge James Orlando imposed were in line with prosecutors recommendations. Adolfo Gabriel-Miguel, 30, pleaded guilty as charged, but one of David Gabriel-Miguels charges was reduced to manslaughter from second-degree murder. This resolution takes into consideration the facts of this case, defendants willingness to accept responsibility during this pre-trial stage, defendants lack of criminal history prior to these charges, and secures a number of affirmative conditions as well as several years in Department of Corrections to ensure compliance, deputy prosecuting attorney Kyle Litzenberger wrote in court filings. David Gabriel-Miguel, 23, received a sentence at the high end of the standard sentencing range for defendants prosecuted in similar cases, which is 31 to 41 months. The standard sentencing range for his older brother was 168 to 268 months in prison, including a 24-month firearm sentencing enhancement. A third person present at the homicide was described as a suspect in charging documents, but a Tacoma Police Department spokesperson said Tuesday that investigators determined he was a witness and was not physically involved. In interviews with detectives, Adolfo Gabriel-Miguel admitted to taking Mercados necklace and shooting him with a 9 mm handgun reportedly given to him by his younger brother. Neither defendant had prior felony convictions. Five of Mercados relatives submitted victim impact statements to the court. His mother, who did not identify herself, asked the judge to reject the defendants plea agreements and allow the case to continue to trial. The mother said Mercados death had affected everyone in their family, including Mercados young daughter. She wrote that her son was a confidant to friends and was always someone others could lean on. Everyone has the right to live life free from the threat of violence, the mother wrote. And the brutal attack by people who violate the human rights of others must be condemned. Mercado went to his mothers house in the Salishan neighborhood about 90 minutes before the shooting to tell her hed been robbed at gunpoint, according to court records. The mother later told police Mercado asked her to go with him to get his property back, but she told him she wouldnt confront someone who had a gun. Mercado left the residence, and a short time later his mother saw him being chased by three people through an alley behind her home. She told police she went outside and pleaded with them, stating that no one needed to go to jail or die, but she said her son kept inciting a fight, records state. The suspects reportedly ran away, and Mercado chased them. Nearby surveillance cameras captured most of the shooting that followed. At about 10:24 p.m., video reportedly showed three people chasing Mercado. Two minutes later, Mercado is seen chasing the three people. Video reportedly shows Adolfo Gabriel-Miguel point a gun at Mercado, who picked up a rock larger than a softball, ran at Gabriel-Miguel and was shot once. Mercados family drove him to St. Joseph Medical Center after their calls to 911 failed to get through to anyone, according to court records. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The City of Tacoma and the Police Department often warns the public ahead of the July 4 holiday not to call 911 to report illegal use of fireworks because it can cause delays for people experiencing real emergencies. A long-awaited project to build a roundabout at Smith and Hannegan roads, a major north-south road between Bellingham and rural Whatcom County, officially gets going this week. Utility companies have been working to get ready for the $5.7 million construction project, causing occasional delays over the past several weeks, the Whatcom County Public Works Department told The Bellingham Herald. Construction of the roundabout itself was scheduled to begin Wednesday and last until mid-August, Public Works spokeswoman Mandy Feutz told The Herald in an email. Nearly $4 million in federal funds are going toward the effort. Whatcom County officials said that the multi-lane roundabout will improve traffic flow at the intersection of two key roads north of Bellingham. Traffic backs up during the morning and evening commuter rush, and several crashes are reported there every year. The four-way intersection of Hannegan Road and E. Smith Road functioned with stop lights on May 28, 2024, in Whatcom County, Wash. Construction was expected to begin on May 29 to convert the intersection into a multi-lane roundabout designed to enhance multimodal safety and improve traffic flow. Officials hope that steady traffic flow and reduced speeds because of the roundabout will ease the severity of crashes, a phenomenon that was seen when roundabouts were added to Guide Meridian from Smith Road north to Lynden. A 2018 Bellingham Herald investigation of roundabout crash data over almost 20 years at four intersections on the Guide showed an increase in overall crashes after the roundabouts were built but there was a sharp decline in injuries from those wrecks. Traffic counts from 2019 show Hannegan Road had a daily volume of 13,300 cars and trucks at the Smith Road intersection, and Smith Road had a daily volume of 7,800, Feutz said. In an email, Public Works officials said drivers should expect delays during daytime work hours and suggested avoiding the construction zone. Safety is our top priority during the project. To ensure this, the contractor will utilize various forms of traffic control during the first stage of construction, the county said in an emailed statement. If you must travel through the intersection, please slow down, give space to all workers, and follow the directions provided by the traffic control workers. Sheriffs Office deputies may be present to assist with enforcement, the statement said. This first stage of work will last until Independence Day, when a full closure of the intersection is planned. Currently, the intersection is expected to open in time for the Northwest Washington Fair on Aug. 8. Police in Belgium and France have conducted raids on properties and an office connected to an employee of the European Parliament citing indications of his "significant role" in promoting Russian propaganda, the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office reported on May 29. The Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that the employee under investigation works for Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff, a representative of the far-right party Forum for Democracy (FvD) in the European Parliament. Czechia announced in March that it had uncovered a propaganda network that had been spreading pro-Kremlin narratives and paying Russian-friendly politicians in the EU through a website called Voice of Europe. An investigation by the Czech outlet Denik N and Germany's Spiegel alleged that the website paid politicians from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Hungary hundreds of thousands of euros in exchange for promoting their opposition to military aid for Ukraine. Prague named pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and Ukrainian-Israeli media manager Artem Marchevskyi as the people behind the operation. The EU announced sanctions against the men, as well as the Voice of Europe site, on May 27, after suspending Voice of Europe and three other outlets recognized as Russian propaganda channels on May 17. Read also: How Czechia busted Russian propaganda network targeting European elections While the Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office did not name the site specifically, the press release said the raids are part of a dossier on "interference, passive corruption, and membership of a criminal organization." The case relates to "indications of Russian interference, in which members of the European Parliament were allegedly approached and paid for the promotion of Russian propaganda." De Graaf responded on X that he found out about the raids through the media and that his employee, who he named Guillaume Pradoura, was also not previously aware of the raids. "The authorities have not contacted me or him. To me this all comes as a complete surprise," de Graaf wrote on X. "I have no involvement whatsoever in any so-called Russian disinformation operation. I have my own political beliefs and I proclaim them. That is my job as a MEP," de Graaf said. Pradoura previously worked as an assistant to MEP Maximilian Krah from Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), another far-right populist party. The searches are taking place just one week before the European Parliament is set to hold elections on June 6-9. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Belgium signs security deal with Ukraine, pledges $1 billion in aid this year Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Belgian PM to meet with Biden to discuss Ukraine and frozen Russian assets Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will pay an official visit to the United States on Friday, 31 May. Source: a statement from the White House, as reported by European Pravda Details: De Croo is to meet with US President Joe Biden during the visit. At the meeting, the two leaders will discuss a joint commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in the face of the war unleashed by Russia, including joint efforts to maximise the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets. "President Biden will also recognise Belgiums contributions to transatlantic security and Ukraines defence," the statement said. In addition, the leaders will reaffirm the close partnership between the United States and Belgium in addressing global challenges. Background: Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Brussels that Ukraine could receive 1.7 billion this year from the proceeds of Russian assets frozen in Belgium. In addition, on 28 May, Ukraine and Belgium signed a security agreement. Support UP or become our patron! On Tuesday, Bellevue Police arrested students on suspicion of making online threats. Monday night, three high school students called police to report threats to shoot them were made online. It got to a point where they recognized this was more than just typical banter. This was becoming a real, credible, and imminent threat, said Bellevue Police Captain Joe Nault. The suspects, a boy and a girl, through social media threatened to find the victims at their high schools and shoot them, police said. That they were going to carry out their threats there if necessary, Nault added. The victims all attend separate high schools. The victims told police that the male suspect sent a video flashing a gun and ammunition. Police searched the female suspects residence but were denied entry by the parents of the male suspect. While police waited for a search warrant to enter the home, the female suspect tried to escape through the back of the home before being caught. Both suspects were arrested. Bellevue Police told KIRO 7 that one suspect was a student in Bellevue School District and the other was a student in the Issaquah School District. Guns and ammunition were found in the home according to Bellevue Police. All of us young people, parents, and everyone in the community need to take threats of violence seriously, but especially threats of gun violence whether its in person or online, Shelby Shearer, Captain of the Bellevue Police Department said. Fortunately, with timely and critical help from the community, the Bellevue PD was able to interrupt this escalation of threats, get the two people taking them into custody, and get their firearms away from them before we had a tragedy in our community. Police stopped it just hours before the threats couldve turned into a reality. It does happen and like knowing the world we live in, its scary, said Antonia, who is a student at Newport High School. Antonia received an email from the school that commended the students for reporting the threats to police. I do hear about it a lot and like, its sad to say that I think a lot of people are becoming desensitized to it, Antonia added. Knowing my siblings were at school was pretty scary. Its the swift actions of the victims that Nault says couldve been a matter of life and death. We have prevented incidents that Im convinced were going to turn into shootings if we had not gotten involved, Nault said. Police are still investigating but do not believe there is a threat to the community. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Azerbaijan's COP29 chairmanship's volunteer program begins today, and potential volunteers can register to attend the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku in November, Trend reports. Volunteers will help organize COP29, the world's largest summit, and other large events in the country. COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company expects 3,000 Azerbaijani and foreign volunteers to plan, organize, and run the conference. An online registration platform www.volunteers.cop29.az has been launched for volunteers who are ready to contribute to the organization of COP29, as well as gain experience, business skills, and personal development within the volunteer program to participate in the project. Individuals who register on the platform and complete the online survey form are part of a potential group of volunteers. Applicants 16 years of age and older can apply to participate in the program. All electronic applications will be reviewed, taking into account the applicants' knowledge and skills, motivation, foreign language skills, and other criteria. Suitable candidates will be interviewed and then invited to attend training sessions. Volunteers who complete the final stage will be employed in media, hotel services, transportation, logistics, and other areas of activity of the Azerbaijan COP29. To help with registration and answer any questions that may come up, a call center is at your service: You may reach it at +994 12 535 29 28. The main objectives of the COP29 volunteer program are to train volunteers to act as Youth Ambassadors for the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to promoting a culture of cooperation, as well as to provide an inclusive environment where everyone has a voice. The volunteer selection and training process will develop a team of highly motivated and committed young people. Volunteer pieces of training will cover topics such as professional development, the environment, and sustainable development and will serve to raise the awareness and competence of volunteers. In this context, the COP29 volunteer program plays an important role in shaping the future human resources potential of the country. It should be noted that young people who previously participated in the volunteer program within the framework of various large-scale events held in Azerbaijan have now joined the COP29 professional team. The COP29 Volunteer Program is of particular importance for the development of modern skills among its participants, which they will be able to apply in various spheres. As part of the program, it is planned to organize various events to train volunteers in teamwork and improve their communication skills. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A routine election pledge that we have yet to hear, but doubtless will, is a crackdown on benefit fraud. Every party is against it; every government promises to stop it. Yet it has now reached levels that the Public Accounts Committee, parliaments spending watchdog, has said are unacceptably high. Fraud increased considerably during the pandemic because of lax controls but in 2022 it still amounted to more than 6 billion. The National Audit Office has qualified the accounts of the responsible Whitehall departments every year since 1988. It often takes a single story to illustrate a wider point and the tale of how a Bulgarian gang syphoned millions of pounds from the British welfare system has exposed its failures better than any audit report. Five Bulgarian nationals are about to be sentenced after they admitted stealing more than 50 million from the UK taxpayer. The gang had thousands of customers and joked about the inability of the Department of Work and Pensions to catch them. Their scam was only stopped when a diligent Bulgarian policeman noticed the sudden increase in the wealth of residents in the mountain city of Sliven. New properties were being built and residents were wearing designer clothes. Thousands of people, many of whom had never visited Britain, were receiving up to 2,500 a month in benefits from the UK. How was this allowed to happen? Investigations are continuing into other suspected rackets. Criminals will always seek to exploit areas where they can make money illicitly. But the suspicion that the British benefits system is wide open to fraudsters, scammers and crooks is confirmed by this extraordinary story. The court heard that the false claims were supported by an array of forged documents and lies. These included fictitious tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips and forged letters from landlords, employers, schools and GPs. Many Bulgarians travelled to the UK for a short period of time to support the application for Universal Credit before returning home with the claim still extant. Some appear to have carried out the fraud online. Where were the checks? What were officials doing were they working in the office or from home? Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Hard-pressed taxpayers, who are bankrolling the lifestyles of people 1,500 miles away, need to be told. 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. Bette Nash in 2014: aged 21, she had been sent to her airline's 'charm school', where her eyebrows were plucked and she was taught how to sit elegantly - Dina Rudick Bette Nash, who has died aged 88, was the worlds longest-serving flight attendant. Her six-decade career began in the days when air passengers were still offered complimentary cigarettes, lobsters on real china and coffee from a silver pot, and life insurance was bought from a vending machine in the terminal. It lasted into the post-9/11 era, when smoking was banned, flight announcements were read off an iPad and an unattended suitcase caused more consternation than the idea of flying itself. In the old days, we saw a lot of mink coats, she recalled. Today, we see a lot of flip-flops. Pilots have a mandatory retirement age of 65, but flight attendants do not, so she kept going into her 80s, each year passing a test to prove she was strong enough to knock out a heavy window. Born on December 31 1935, the eldest of three sisters, she grew up near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Aged 16, she saw a TWA flight crew, and knew what she wanted to be. It just looked so elegant, she recalled. The romance of the skies. Bette as a young flight attendant with Eastern Airlines - The Washington Post But it wasnt until she was 20, and working as a legal secretary, that she borrowed a suit for an interview with the now-defunct Eastern Airlines. They hired her but first she had to attend their charm school, where her eyebrows were plucked and she was taught how to sit elegantly. Mascara was allowed, eyeshadow was not. Only young, single and attractive girls could be flight attendants. Policies were unabashedly draconian: If you were a few pounds overweight, you had to keep weighing in, she recalled. If you kept it up, you were taken off the payroll. (A decade later, Congresswoman Martha Griffiths would launch her famous attack: What are you running, an airline or a whorehouse?) In 1958, Bette Nash entered service with Eastern in a blue pillbox hat, white gloves and fur coat. Her tasks included writing out tickets by hand, and offering her passengers coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or bouillon? Often an entire plane was dedicated to first class, with an economy-class flight following behind. She served John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie on the Boston-to-Washington-DC shuttle, a route she did so often that regulars nicknamed it the Nash Dash. She could have flown anywhere in the world but she preferred that route getting up at 2am to serve on the 6am flight so she could get homme each night to look after her son, Christian, who had Downs Syndrome. In the 1970s, her demure uniforms became more radical, culminating in hot pants, go-go boots and a turtleneck shirt that was largely unbuttoned. After that, things started calming down a little bit, she recalled. Bette Nash in 2017, her 60th year of service - The Washington Post Eastern folded in 1989 and Bette Nashs route briefly became the Trump Shuttle, with maple wood veneer, chrome seatbelts and gold lavatory fixtures. Donald Trump also pioneered the self-check-in kiosk and renting laptops to passengers, but with a recession and the Gulf War driving up jet fuel prices, customers baulked at the fares and in 1990 it collapsed. Thereafter it became the US Air Shuttle, until US Airways merged with American Airlines in 2013. Bette Nashs approach to service remained constant. Everybody wants a little love, she said. When US Airways cut costs and stopped serving fig bars in first class, she went to Costco and bought them herself. She kept her cool even when, on one occasion, the lavatory detached itself from the plane floor in heavy turbulence. When she reached her 50th year of service, US Airways marked the occasion with a water-cannon salute, delivered by a pair of fire engines over the aircraft. In 2021, she was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the flight attendant with the most years of continuous service, and in 2022 as the oldest serving flight attendant. She never formally retired but moved to a hospice after a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. Her son survives her. Bette Nash, born December 31 1935, died May 17 2024 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. By Clara Denina, Felix Njini and Melanie Burton LONDON/JOHANNESBURG/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Mining group BHP Group on Wednesday walked away from its $49 billion plan to take over rival Anglo American, which rejected a last-ditch request for more time, ending for now its six-week pursuit. BHP's aim was to secure Anglo's prized copper assets in Latin America and increase access to a metal central to the global shift towards clean energy and electric vehicles. But the structure of BHP's deal, which required Anglo to unbundle its South African platinum and iron ore businesses, was a major reason for its collapse. Anglo had granted BHP a one-week extension until 1600 GMT on Wednesday to its original May 22 deadline to submit a binding offer, after rejecting a third takeover proposal. Under UK rules, BHP cannot return for at least six months, unless there is another offer for the London-listed miner. "While we believed that our proposal for Anglo American was a compelling opportunity to effectively grow the pie of value for both sets of shareholders, we were unable to reach agreement with Anglo American on our specific views in respect of South African regulatory risk and cost," BHP said. "We remain of the view that our proposal was the most effective structure to deliver value for Anglo American shareholders, and we are confident that, working together with Anglo American, we could have obtained all required regulatory approvals, including in South Africa," it added. Anglo said on Wednesday after BHP's statement it was fully focused on delivering plans it has set out to increase value to shareholders. Anglo has outlined a plan to divest less profitable assets and focus on expanding copper output. Anglo's shares closed 3% lower at 24.80 pounds. "While we believe an acquisition of Anglo would be a longer term positive for BHP, the fact that BHP is being disciplined in its approach is a near-term positive for its shares," Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina said. "That said, we are surprised BHP did not have a plan to overcome the clear structural issues relating to this deal." London-listed Anglo had agreed to talk with BHP to try to iron out concerns over the deal's structure. In an earlier statement, BHP said it needed more time to engage with Anglo, while outlining commitments to minimise regulatory risk in South Africa and saying it would offer a break fee if the deal failed to gain regulatory approvals. Those commitments included job security for employees in South Africa. BHP also said it would shoulder the costs of increased South African employee ownership that is expected to be required in any demerger. But Anglo said those commitments were not enough. "BHP continues to restate its belief that the risks of its complex structure are not material, yet has repeatedly and consistently stated both publicly and during the engagements that it is unwilling to amend its proposed structure to assume these risks," Anglo said in its statement. Anglo was founded in Johannesburg in 1917 and employs more than 40,000 South Africans, so any withdrawal would be a further economic blow to the country whose miners have been cutting jobs and investment as platinum especially falls out of favour. South Africans are voting in an election on Wednesday, with polls suggesting the African National Congress could lose its majority after 30 years in power, in part due to anger about high unemployment and a stagnant economy. JP Morgan analysts have estimated a takeover of Anglo by BHP could lead to outflows of $4.3 billion from South Africa and weaken the rand. A source close to Anglo's thinking said its investors shared its reservations about BHP's proposal. "The majority of the Anglo shareholders fully understand the concerns that are being expressed and I don't believe that they feel that the risks in the structure and the price are fully taken into consideration by BHP," the source said. BHP's latest proposal had valued Anglo at 29.34 pounds per share or 38.6 billion pounds ($49 billion). "I'm not surprised it was rejected really by Anglo ... because there wasn't really a lot in the statement from BHP ... it didn't seem that compelling," said George Cheveley, portfolio manager at Ninety-One, which holds a stake of about 2% in Anglo. Anglo is attractive to its competitors for its prized copper assets in Chile and Peru, a metal used in everything from electric vehicles and power grids to construction, whose demand is expected to rise as the world moves to cleaner energy and wider use of artificial intelligence. (Reporting by Clara Denina in London, Felix Njini in Johannesburg, Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Additional reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley, Sameer Manekar; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Mark Potter and Jane Merriman) The Biden administration on Wednesday refused to confirm Israel used U.S. bombs in the deadly strike over the weekend that killed dozens of displaced Palestinians at a camp in Rafah. CNN first reported that the remains of the American produced GBU-39 small diameter bomb (SDB) were found at the scene, according to four explosive weapons experts who reviewed video shared on social media. Weapons experts and visual evidence The New York Times also reviewed reached the same conclusion that the bombs were GBU-39s, which are designed and sold in the United States. Were not going to speak to individual payload loadouts on individual Israeli aircraft, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday. The [Israeli military] should speak to their conduct of this particular operation, and that would include discussion of what was used. At least 45 people were killed and more than 240 others wounded after the Israeli military used aircraft to strike the outskirts of Rafah, causing a fire to break out. The majority of those killed were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Kirby added that Israel has already said publicly it used precision guided munitions with a payload of about 37 pounds, which, if true, would certainly indicate a desire to be more deliberate and more precise in their targeting. And asked Tuesday about the munitions used in the Rafah strike, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters, I do not know what type of munition was used in that airstrike. Id have to refer you to the Israelis to speak to that. U.S. officials have been pushing Israel to use more precise bombs with a smaller payload, or explosion, which they say claim can reduce civilian casualties. The Israeli military has also declined to specify the type of bomb used, though an Israeli military spokesperson told The Hill the armament was an accurate and specific type of munition that carries a low amount of explosives. He added that the Israeli military is getting precise types of munitions from allies which they know is a very accurate weapon. And this is why we want to use them as much as possible to mitigate casualties as much as possible. Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Tuesday that the strike was conducted using two munitions with small warheads containing 17 kilograms of explosive material, the smallest munition that our jets can use. Palestinian journalist Alam Sadeq also filmed munition fragments found in the camp with were stamped with a unique identifier code the Times traced back to Colorado aerospace manufacturer Woodward, which supplies parts for bombs including the GBU-39. The United States is Israels biggest arms supplier, with a recent foreign aid package that included $26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict including $15 billion in lethal assistance for the Israeli military signed by President Biden last month. The support from Washington has continued even as international calls grow for Biden to put pressure on Israel to quell Palestinian civilian deaths in the brutal war in Gaza that has killed roughly 36,000 people, the majority women and children. In video shot by witnesses after the most recent overnight attack in Rafah, images can be seen of people suffering amid the flames, including one man holding up the body of a decapitated toddler. But Hagari said the military was targeting two Hamas leaders, who he said were killed in the strike. He said forces did not expect the bombs to harm civilians, even though they were dropped close to tents housing displaced Palestinians. An investigation has since been opened by the Israeli military, as they insist the fires might have been started by a secondary explosion. We do not have any more granularity today than we did yesterday about what caused the explosion and fire that that killed those innocent Palestinians in the tent compound, Kirby said. We have been in touch with our Israeli counterparts again, overnight and today, and were trying to get as much information as we can. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Joe Biden will attend a June fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that will be hosted by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a source familiar told CNN. Bill Clinton participated in Marchs fundraiser with Biden and former President Barack Obama at Radio City Music Hall in New York, which raked in $26 million. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton attended the state dinner at the White House last week honoring Kenyan President William Ruto, at which Obama also made a brief appearance. The McAuliffe-hosted fundraiser, first reported by Axios, will come after Biden appears with Obama at a Los Angeles fundraiser with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Dorothy McAuliffe, Terry McAuliffes wife, is not involved, the source said. Biden appointed Dorothy McAuliffe in 2022 to serve as the special representative for global partnerships at the State Department. Bidens fundraising slowed in April with his operation raising $51 million but his campaign and affiliated committees still ended the month with more money in the bank than former President Donald Trumps. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump over his record on race on Wednesday, targeting the former president for his past comments before a crowd of Black voters in Philadelphia. What wouldve happened if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol? I dont think hed be talking about pardons, Biden said. This is the same guy who wanted to tear gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyds murder. Its the same guy who still calls the Central Park Five guilty, even though they were exonerated. Hes that landlord who denies housing applications because of the color of your skin. Hes that guy who wont say Black lives matter and invokes neo-Nazi, Third Reich terms. We all remember, Trump is the same guy who unleashed the birtherism lie against Barack, he continued. Bidens remarks came as he and Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters at Girard College, where they launched an organizing effort to win over Black voters. The campaign is planning an eight-figure investment in engagement with Black student groups, community and faith-based organizations across battleground states in the coming months, and Bidens comments were among several direct appeals to Black Americans. Donald Trump is pandering and peddling lies and stereotypes for your vote so he can win for himself, not for you, Biden said. Well Donald Trump, I have a message for you: Not in our house, and not on our watch. It wasnt the first time the president has leveled such attacks against Trump, but Wednesdays speech marked the most forceful rhetoric hes used. And it served as a response to efforts by Trump and his allies to appeal to voters in Democratic strongholds, including Atlanta and a heavily Latino and Black neighborhood in the Bronx. In his own campaign events, Trump recently has slammed Bidens policies as harmful to communities of color. Joe Biden is gaslighting Black voters and failing to address his terrible policies that are hurting our community," said Janiyah Thomas, the Trump campaigns Black media director, in a statement. "The Biden campaign is panicking because they see that Black voters arent buying what Biden is selling, and President Trump is receiving a record high support in the polls from Black voters that we havent seen in decades. Brakkton Booker contributed to this report. Biden campaign fundraises off of De Niro appearance at Trump trial Biden campaign fundraises off of De Niro appearance at Trump trial President Bidens reelection campaign is doubling down on Robert De Niros support a day after the Killers of the Flower Moon star made a surprise appearance at former President Trumps hush money trial with a fundraising pitch signed by the Academy Award winner. In a message Wednesday to Biden supporters signed by De Niro, the 80-year-old actor said, I still cant believe Donald Trump got elected president. Thank God Joe Biden defeated him and restored decency, compassion, and honest, intelligent leadership to the presidency, De Niro said. Now Trump is trying to claw his way back. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me, he added. Repeating his description of the 45th president as a monster, De Niro told Biden backers to just imagine how dangerous it will be if [Trump] becomes President again. Its going to take all of us to make sure Donald Trump never returns to the White House, he said as he made an appeal for at least a $25 donation to Bidens reelection bid. The fundraising pitch came a day after De Niro made headlines during a surprise appearance on behalf of the Biden campaign outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trumps criminal trial was taking place. In remarks to the press Tuesday, De Niro, one of Trumps fiercest critics in Hollywood, accused the ex-commander in chief of wanting to sow total chaos. I dont mean to scare you. No no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss away these freedoms that we take for granted, and elections, forget about it. He will never leave, he said. Trump later slammed De Niro in a social media post, calling him wacko and saying he suffered from an incurable case of Trump derangement syndrome. De Niro, who last week filmed a campaign ad for Biden, said in the fundraising email, Over the years, Ive played my share of vicious, low-life characters. Trump, De Niro said, is a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics who will do whatever he can to obtain power. As an actor, I could never play him. Theres not a shred of humanity to hang on to. Calling Biden a lifelong public servant with great personal integrity, De Niro said, I trust him completely to run the country. He puts you first. Trump, De Niro said, cares only about himself. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Bidens reelection campaign is set to launch the Black Voters for Biden-Harris initiative at a college preparatory school with a majority Black student population in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The president and Vice President Harris will travel to Girard College for a campaign rally for the launch. They will be joined by Black leaders, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Biden campaign co-Chair Cedric Richmond, and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), among others. The initiative will include an eight-figure investment and involve work over the summer to partner with Black organizations to increase outreach to Black voters and strengthen voter protections ahead of the election, according to the campaign. It will also engage with Black-owned media outlets and travel by surrogates to battleground states the weekend after the rally, including to a Black church in Atlanta, a block party celebration in Nevada and barber shops in Michigan. This coalition and the newly announced summer outreach and engagement programming serve as the next phase of our campaigns ongoing historic investments in outreach to the backbone of the Biden-Harris coalition Black voters, principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement. The campaign is also set to argue that former President Trumps campaign doesnt have a plan to engage with Black voters. The campaign rolled out two TV and radio ads last week that targeted Trump over his claims about his record with Black Americans, hitting him for his rhetoric about Black Americans. At the rally Wednesday, Biden and Harris will be introduced by Lina Mayen, a first-generation Sudanese American, and Robert N.C. Nix III, a small business owner. Biden will then attend a small business event at the Black Chamber of Commerce while in Philadelphia. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. 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. The Biden campaign mocked Donald Trumps mumbling and use of an emotional support paper to deliver a speech outside his New York hush money trial, repurposing a frequent line of attack on Joe Biden, who sometimes speaks with a stutter. Mr Trump, who often offers lengthy tirades outside the Manhattan courthouse where hes on trial for allegedly concealing hush money payments during the 2016 campaign, launched into a familiar diatribe on Tuesday ahead of closing arguments. The former president read from a packet of paper containing favorable press clips and supportive quotes from various commentators, stumbling as he once again claimed that he didnt violate any federal laws in doling out hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Biden-Harris HQ, the rapid response wing of the Biden campaign posted part of the speech on X, describing the scene as A doddering Trump struggles to read off his emotional support paper outside the courthouse. Age and communication ability have been part of the criticisms of both candidates ahead of Novembers election. Former President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, arrive at Manhattan criminal court for closing arguments in Trump's criminal hush money trial in New York, on 28 May 2024 (AP) Joe Biden is the oldest person to ever occupy the White House, a distinction he took over from Donald Trump, the previous record-holder. Mr Trump, for his part, has frequently mocked Joe Bidens faculties, dubbing him Sleepy Joe during the 2020 campaign, and mocking the presidents stutter during recent 2024 campaign events. These attacks are probably not the first thing on either candidates mind though. Closing arguments are nearly done in the hush money trial, and jury deliberations could begin as soon as Wednesday. If hes convicted, Mr Trump could serve up to four years in prison for each of the 34 felony counts against him. In Bidenworld, meanwhile, insiders are reportedly experiencing a freakout over polling showing Mr Trump leading the incumbent in most of the swing states that will decide the election. President Biden on Wednesday sought to woo Black voters in Philadelphia, laying out a contrast between his first term and that of former President Trump, as he looks to solidify support with a key voting bloc that could determine the outcome of Novembers election. Biden and Vice President Harris addressed supporters at Girard College for the launch of Black Voters for Biden-Harris, an effort intended to mobilize support in the Black community. Biden credited Black voters with putting him in the White House and argued they have the power to do so again in November. Ive shown you who I am and Trump has shown you who he is, and today Donald Trump is pandering and peddling lies and stereotypes for your vote so he can win for himself, not for you, Biden said. Well, Donald Trump, I have a message for you: Not in our house, and not on our watch. Biden made the case that he had kept numerous promises from his campaign that have benefited the Black community, citing investments in historically Black colleges and universities, student debt forgiveness, infrastructure projects that have removed lead pipes, legislation to cap the cost of insulin and the appointment of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. He contrasted that with Trumps record, warning that all progress, all freedom, all opportunity is at risk. Trump is trying to make the country forget just how dark and unsettling things were when he was president, Biden said at the event at the historic college prep boarding school. The president mocked Trumps handling of the pandemic, mentioning when Trump suggested disinfectants could be used to treat the coronavirus. Biden warned Trump could put health care at risk for millions of Americans if he tries to terminate the Affordable Care Act. The president slammed Trump for his sympathetic stance toward rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, suggesting if it were Black Americans who clashed with law enforcement that day, Trump would not be promising them pardons. And Biden mocked Trumps frequent boast that he is the best president for Black Americans other than Abraham Lincoln. I think he injected too much of that bleach, Biden said. I think it affected his brain. Supporters watch as President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Girard College, Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Black voters were key to Bidens success in 2020, when he won 87 percent of those voters and carried critical swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Trump held a rally last week in the Bronx in New York City, and his campaign has been bullish about his ability to cut into Bidens margins with voters of color. From high gas prices and soaring food costs to violent crime, Joe Biden has failed the Keystone State, Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. No matter how much Biden lies, he cannot gaslight Pennsylvanians into supporting him his approval ratings are abysmal. A poll published earlier this month conducted by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer found Biden leading Trump among Black voters, 63 percent to 23 percent, which would be a significant decrease from his 2020 margins. The Black Voters for Biden-Harris coalition is one way the campaign is hoping to address that issue. The initiative will include an eight-figure investment and involve work over the summer to partner with Black organizations to increase outreach to Black voters and strengthen voter protections ahead of the election, according to the campaign. It will also engage with Black-owned media outlets and travel by surrogates to battleground states the weekend after the rally, including to a Black church in Atlanta, a block party celebration in Nevada and barber shops in Michigan. Kamala and I are president and vice president of the United States because of you. Thats not hyperbole, Biden said Wednesday. Because you voted, Donald Trump is a defeated former president. And with your vote in 2024, were going to make Donald Trump a loser again. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Vice President Kamala Harris introduces President Joe Biden during a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA For the first time this year in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a campaign event together, in the battleground states biggest city. The joint appearance at Girard College announcing the launch of Black Voters for Biden-Harris underscores the importance of Black voters to the Biden-Harris campaign, a crucial voting bloc that helped the ticket win Pennsylvania in 2020. In 2024, with your voice and your power, we will win again, Harris told the audience Wednesday. We beat Donald Trump once and were going to do it again. Biden and Harris were joined at the event by Black leaders including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Congressional Black Caucus Chairperson U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. Hello Philadelphia, Biden said to chants of four more years from the audience. Its good to be almost home. Biden echoed Harris, crediting Black Americans for his victory in 2020 and said with their vote they will make Donald Trump a loser again. Biden and Harris touted their administrations efforts on a wide range of issues including passing an infrastructure law, passing a law addressing gun violence, lowering healthcare costs, canceling student loan debt, and appointing progressive judges to the courts. Both of them slammed former President Donald Trump for attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his time in office, appointing Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, passing his tax reform law, and for questioning former President Barack Obamas citizenship. Following the speech at Girard College, Biden traveled a few blocks to South Restaurant, according to pool reports, to attend a small business event with the Black Chamber of Commerce. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis introduced Biden at the restaurant saying the stakes of this election are just too damn high. Having the support of Black voters has been key for Democratic presidential tickets for decades. Biden said Black voters had placed enormous faith in me throughout his political career. Ive tried to do my best to honor that trust, he said Wednesday. In 2020, Pennsylvania exit polling shows 92% of Black voters supported Bidens candidacy, while 7% voted for former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee. However, recent polling finds that Biden does not appear to be garnering that same level of support this cycle, potentially putting his reelection bid in danger in Pennsylvania and beyond. To that end, the campaign has renewed its focus on courting Black voters. Harris gave the keynote address to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) convention in Philadelphia last week, as the group elected its first Black woman president. Earlier this month, Biden delivered the commencement address at Morehouse College in Georgia, a historically Black college. He pledged to continue supporting HBCUs, touting that during his administration, the federal funding for HBCUs has surpassed $16 billion. And both the Biden and Trump campaigns have aired ads focused on Black voters in battleground states, including Pennsylvania. As early as last fall, the Biden-Harris campaign was running ads in swing states focused on Black voters, part of a $25 million campaign in key battleground states. The Trump campaign has taken a slightly different approach, according to a campaign spokesperson. President Trumps outreach to minority voters is straightforward: he shows up, listens, and makes it clear that well be better off with him as President, just like we were four years ago, Janiyah Thomas, the Trump campaigns director of Black Media, told the Capital Star in an email. Team Trumps outreach to minority communities is a stark contrast to Joe Bidens failing campaign whose only tactic is to gaslight minority voters with desperate ads and pandering speeches that fail to address Bidens terrible policies. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) is on the Biden-Harris National Advisory Board and has campaigned for the ticket across Pennsylvania, as well as in South Carolina and Wisconsin. The Presidents consistent outreach is about treating people with respect, not telling them they have to vote, making a case for why they can vote, Kenyatta told the Capital-Star. Im beyond confident that he and the Vice President are more than capable of doing that, and that were going to be successful in large part because this president has a record of success and Donald Trump only has a record of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Biden last appeared in Philadelphia at the end of a weeklong swing through three Pennsylvania cities in April, ahead of the states primary election. He received the endorsement of several members of the Kennedy family at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in North Philadelphia. During that visit, he discussed sitting behind the resolute desk and having busts of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., saying he thinks of what they would do in difficult situations. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Biden volunteered at Philadelphia food bank Philabundance alongside Mayor Cherelle Parker, the third time hes visited there on the holiday since winning the presidential election in 2020. Also this year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, several Pennsylvania elected officials including Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey were at Girard College for what is described as the nations largest Day of Service event honoring Kings legacy. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who helped propel Biden to victory in the Palmetto States primary election in 2020, has campaigned for the Biden-Harris ticket in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh this year, in an effort to boost support among Black voters. Clyburn is widely credited with helping Biden clinch the Democratic nomination in 2020, as the influential Congressman was an early endorser of Bidens campaign. Wednesday is Bidens eighth visit to Pennsylvania this cycle. This is Harriss fifth visit to the state in 2024, four of them in the southeast. During Harriss speech in Philadelphia last week, there were chants of Free Palestine from some members of audience. While there were no similar chants from the crowd during Wednesdays appearance, a local elected official in attendance said the ongoing Israel-Hamas War in Gaza could affect Bidens chances of securing a second term. Philadelphia City Councilmember Nicolas ORourke, who delivered the Working Families Partys response to Bidens State of the Union address in March, said compared to Trump, Biden is the best candidate on issues like womens reproductive rights and voting rights. But ORourke added he believes Bidens response to the war could cost him. As a citizen of the United States, and as someone who does not want to see a second Trump term, its important, it is incumbent upon the president to heed the calls of the people, ORourke told reporters Wednesday. Obviously, continue to do the good things that are being done, but there must be a meaningful response on the constant loud cries to see a cessation of violence and peace. Trump has made three visits to Pennsylvania so far in 2024, appearing in Philadelphia once, to announce a new line of Trump-branded sneakers. Although Trump hasnt visited the Keystone State since his April rally in the Lehigh Valley, he rallied supporters in Wildwood, New Jersey earlier this month before an audience with plenty of Pennsylvanians in attendance. The latest polling shows Trump with a slight edge over Biden, and with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) holding a narrow lead over Republican challenger David McCormick. Casey was in attendance for the rally on Wednesday. McCormick was scheduled to participate in a fireside chat in the Lehigh Valley hosted by Moms for Liberty, with former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Multiple national ratings outlets, including the Cook Political Report, rate the presidential race as a toss-up in Pennsylvania. The 19 electoral votes on the line make it the largest swing state in this category for the 2024 cycle. Update: This story was updated with new details throughout at 6:12 p.m. May 29, 2024. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Biden and Harris campaign in Philadelphia with focus on Black voters appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. President Biden predicted during a speech Wednesday that the next president will be able to appoint two new Supreme Court justices, while warning against former President Trump winning another term. Guess what, the next president, theyre going to be able to appoint a couple of justices and Ill be damned he said at a rally in Philadelphia. The president campaigned at Girard College for the launch of Black Voters for Biden-Harris, an effort intended to mobilize support in the Black community. He sought to woo Black voters in his remarks, including a vow to add progressive judges to the Supreme Court if hes reelected. Look, if in fact theyre able to change some of the justices when they retire and put in some really progressive judges, like weve always had, tell me that wont change your life when Trump justices are already gutting voting rights, overturning Roe, decimating affirmative action, and so much more, he said. Were going to let that happen? We cant. No, we really cant. His remark about appointing new justices follow calls last month for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the most senior liberal justice on the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, to step down while Democrats hold the White House and Senate and can secure her replacement. The idea came from left-wing activists and commentators, who wanted to avoid a repeat of when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opted to not step down in 2014 during the Obama administration. Ginsburg died at 87 in September 2020 during the last months of the Trump administration. But Senate Democrats pushed back on the calls targeting Sotomayor, who is 69, saying they were baffled by the idea. Trump appointed the successor for Ginsburg and cemented the 6-3 majority on the high court. The oldest jurist on the high court is Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 75. The second oldest, Justice Samuel Alito, 74, is facing calls to recuse himself from upcoming cases related to the election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots after reports of flags connected to the Stop the Steal effort were flown outside his homes. Alito told lawmakers on Wednesday he will not rescue himself, claiming he had nothing to do with the flags. The Hill has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment on which justices the president expects to leave the court in the coming years. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A photo shows the recently reopened Patapsco River channel that was closed by the crash and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Crews have reopened a 400-foot wide channel and hope to have the full 700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel reopened by June 10 . Photo courtesy Maryland State Police Aviation Command. President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated his administrations support for restoring the Francis Scott Key Bridge and bringing business back to the Port of Baltimore and the communities that rely on the port for their livelihoods, according to a statement released Wednesday by the White House. Bidens comment followed Gov. Wes Moores (D) and Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefelds meeting Tuesday with White House officials and officials from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Transportation Department and Federal Highway Administration. It was the latest in a series of meetings between state and federal officials working to clear the Patapsco River channel after the cargo ship Dali lost power in the early morning hours of March 26 and collided with a pier supporting the bridge, sending the center portion of the 1.6-mile span plunging into the river. The White House said Tuesdays meeting also focused on continued support for impacted workers, small business owners, and families of the victims of the bridge collapse. Six of eight road-crew workers who were on the bridge at the time were killed in the crash, and one crew member on the ship was injured, but no other injuries were reported. Wreckage from the bridge pinned the Dali in place for weeks, and debris in the river closed the Fort McHenry Federal Channel into the port. Teams were able to refloat the Dali and tow it back to port on May 2o. By that time, state and federal teams had cleared enough wreckage from the river that they were able to open a 400-foot-wide swath of the federal channel, permitting passage of all pre-collapse, deep-draft commercial vessels in the port. The Unified Command working on the bridge continues to clear wreckage from the bottom of the Patapsco River, and said Wednesday that it expects to fully restore the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its original 700-foot width and 50-foot depth by June 10 or sooner. In the immediate aftermath of the crash and the bridge collapse, Biden vowed the federal government would fund the cost of replacement, but that would likely require congressional approval. There has been no final estimate on the cost to replace the bridge, but Lloyds of London has said the incident could end up as the most expensive maritime insurance payout in history, with claims potentially approaching $4 billion. Maryland approved contracts earlier this month with five law firms that will represent the state, as it seeks compensation for the Key Bridge collapse in what is expected to be a long and complicated legal fight. The post Biden reiterates support for Key Bridge after latest state-federal meeting appeared first on Maryland Matters. President Joe Biden launched a nationwide effort to mobilize Black voters during a campaign rally in Philadelphia on Wednesday, aiming to win back support from a slice of the electorate that polls show wavering in support. Joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and a slate of Black elected officials, Biden boosted his achievements while also warning of what his campaign calls a racist and toxic agenda being peddled by his rival, former President Donald Trump. He warned the threats posed by a second Trump term would be graver than the first time around, and said his rival was running a campaign of vengeance after losing in 2020. Hes running again and hes clearly unhinged. He called insurrectionists patriots quote patriots, Biden said. If reelected, he wants to pardon every one of them. Let me ask you - what do you think he wouldve done on January 6 if Black Americans had stormed? Think about it - if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol? Dont think hed be talking about pardons. The launch of Black Voters for Biden-Harris, held at a majority-Black prep school in Philadelphia, was intended to revive another corner of the coalition that helped propel Biden to the White House in 2020. Its his third stop for an event in the city this year; he held seven events in Philadelphia in 2023. Biden didnt mince his words in describing Trumps record, saying he is the same guy who wanted to tear gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyds murder. The same guy who still calls the Central Park five guilty, even though theyre exonerated. Bidens aides say they arent taking Black voters for granted as surveys suggest an erosion of support, particularly among Black men. Listen, we know right now that were operating in an incredibly fractured and fragmented media environment, you still have a lot of young voters in particular who have not yet tuned in to the presidential election, communications director Michael Tyler told CNN ahead of Bidens speech. And so, thats why this campaign is relentlessly focused on reaching voters where they are right now, not waiting until September or October as some campaigns have done in the past to reach out to Black voters, young Black voters in particular, but using every tool at our disposal right now to do so. Still, the results of those efforts have proven elusive. Many polls have found Black voters more disconnected from the Democratic Party than they have been in decades. A New York Times/Siena College survey of battleground states released this month 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. Perhaps more worrisome than a shift to Trump, according to some of Bidens allies, is a fear that Black voters will sit the election out entirely. Nowhere would that be more problematic than in Philadelphia, whose strong showing for Democrats in past elections particularly among its Black population has helped deliver Pennsylvanias 19 electoral votes. Biden has aggressively courted Black voters this month, including a multi-day stretch commemorating the historic Brown v. Board of Education case that found laws promoting segregation unconstitutional, campaign stops in Atlanta, a commencement address at Morehouse College and a speech at an NAACP dinner in Detroit. Hes also dialed into Black radio programs and touted issues like infrastructure investments and canceling student debt when promoting his record to Black voters. Following Wednesdays rally in Philadelphia, Biden plans to deliver another set of remarks at a Black-owned small business, attended by members of the citys Black Chamber of Commerce. As the summer progresses, the Black Voters for Biden-Harris organizational effort will partner with community groups to register voters and strengthen voter protection efforts. Key to the effort, the campaign says, will be engagement with networks of trusted messengers within Black communities and engagement events in battleground states including at churches, block parties, barber shops and hair salons. Trump has tried in his own way to court Black voters, even as the Republican Party shut down minority outreach centers in some battleground states. Sometimes his efforts have trafficked in stereotypes at a gala in South Carolina earlier this year, Trump suggested Black voters like him more after his criminal charges. 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 in February comments that the White House and Biden campaign condemned. And at a rally in Bronx last week, Trump sought to showcase his support among the Black community by posing with hip-hop artists an effort one Biden adviser likened to a janky rap concert. Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who represents areas of North Philadelphia, rejected the notion Trump was making inroads with Black voters. You can go to places where Black people live, but thats not outreach to the Black community, he said in an interview. You look at that crowd on the Bronx. It was a bunch of people who dont know Jenny from the Block. Theyve never been to the Bronx. They came from wherever they came from, to hear him tell the same lies over and over and over again. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Biden's $1 billion weapons package to Israel is coming back to haunt him Israel's recent attack on Rafah won't prompt Biden to restrict military support, a US official said. The White House said it didn't violate Biden's warnings against targeting population centers. Biden's decision could weaken his image and harm his electoral chances. Ahead of Israel's assault on Rafah, President Joe Biden issued several stark warnings to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking with CNN earlier this month, Biden said he had made it clear that if Israel invaded the city in southern Gaza, he would not be "supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem." In a separate interview with MSNBC, he said that an invasion of Rafah would be a "red line" in his relationship with Netanyahu. For many, Israel seemed to cross that red line on May 6 when it began what it called "targeted" ground operations in the east of Rafah. Netanyahu and Biden. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry has said at least 45 Palestinians have been killed and that hundreds of others have been injured in airstrikes, which ignited a devastating fire in Tel al-Sultan in southern Gaza on Sunday. Rafah had been sheltering more than 1 million Palestinians who had fled Israeli assaults elsewhere in Gaza. 'No change to our policy' The Israel Defense Forces said the airstrikes killed two Hamas militants and that it was investigating the civilian casualties, The Associated Press reported. On Tuesday, the White House said that the attack hadn't violated Biden's warnings against launching a large-scale assault targeting population centers. US officials noted Netanyahu's comments on Monday that the civilian casualties were a "tragic mistake." Matt Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department, said the US was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in Rafah" but that it "made no change to our policy." "We have made clear that if there was a full-scale military operation, there would be some change," he added. "But as of yet, it's not a change. I mean, we do support as we always have their ability to go after legitimate Hamas terrorists." A $1 billion arms deal The statement suggested Biden would move forward with a $1 billion weapons package to Israel. Congress still needs to be officially notified of the sale and approve it. The Wall Street Journal reported the package could include $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in military vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds. Black smoke following the Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza, on Monday. Anadolu/Getty Images Speaking with The Washington Post, Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Biden should cease military assistance to Israel "until we know that all the president's requests, including with respect to Rafah and the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance, will be respected." "A partnership should be a two-way street, not a one-way blank check," he added. As Business Insider has previously said, the weapons deal could be seen as an attempt to heal Biden's relationship with Netanyahu and halt accusations that the US is emboldening Iran. But the Biden administration has carried out only minor sanctions on Netanyahu's government as the death toll in Gaza mounts. For instance, Biden previously withheld a shipment of bombs before announcing that the planned weapons deal would go ahead. Biden appears weak Andrew Payne, an expert on US foreign policy and a lecturer at City, University of London, told BI that Biden's handling of the Gaza war could harm his chances in the upcoming election. "No one's going in and saying, 'I didn't like the arms deal back in May, so I guess I'll go for Trump,' right?" Payne said. "Instead, the way that the politics of foreign policy works is you tend to vote for candidates who project images that you like. And in the American context, people want their commanders in chief to be tough, to be competent, to be strong." Payne's comments echoed analysts who said Biden's handling of the war was one of the issues that had corroded his support among younger voters. "I think Biden's problem is that for several months now, his policies have not managed to shift the dial of Israeli behavior, and that makes him appear relatively weak," Payne added. Dave Harden, a former mission director at the US Agency for International Development in the West Bank and Gaza, told the BBC in March that Netanyahu "almost treats Biden as some kind of inconsequential second secretary of a low-ranked European power." "The gap between Israel and the US," he said, "just deepens." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI. Read the original article on Business Insider Don Bolles waits to testify before the House Crime Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 1972. The committee was investigating alleged gangland interests in organized sports and horse racing. Don Bolles waits to testify before the House Crime Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 1972. The committee was investigating alleged gangland interests in organized sports and horse racing. A bill allowing a memorial to Don Bolles, the Arizona Republic reporter killed by a car bomb that went off under his car on June 2, 1976, be placed on the mall at the Arizona state Capitol has again legislatively died in the state Senate. Although the bill enjoyed wide and bipartisan support in the Arizona House of Representatives, it never received as much as a committee hearing when it was sent to the Senate. The bill was assigned to the Senate Government Committee, chaired by Sen. Jake Hoffman. It was never heard. Hoffman, of Queen Creek, was one among a group of Republicans indicted on state charges for sending fraudulent documents to Congress in a bid to overturn then-President Donald Trumps loss in the 2020 election. The bill suffered the same fate in 2023. It sailed through the state House only to be bottled up in the state Senate without a hearing. Hoffman also held up the bill last year. Hoffman didnt explain his reasoning last session. On May 22, on his way into the state Senate floor session, Hoffman offered only this when asked why he didn't give the Bolles bill a hearing: "Lots of important business." The proposed bill would have allowed space on the Wesley Bolin Plaza, the mall near the Capitol that hosts memorials to several causes and entities. Passage through the legislature would be the statutorily mandated first step to designing and creating the monument. Per state law, no taxpayer monies would be spent on it. All the money would be raised privately. Don Bolles was familiar with the Arizona Senate It is perhaps fitting that a bill honoring Bolles would be stalled in the state Senate. Bolless final morning as a reporter was spent covering a state Senate session. He left the Capitol in frustration that day, complaining to someone who stopped by the press room about the ineffectiveness of the body. He then went to the Hotel Clarendon to meet a source who had lured him there as part of the bombing plot. After Bolles parked and walked to the lobby, someone placed a remote-controlled bomb under his Datsun. It was detonated after Bolles returned to his car and backed out of the parking lot. Bolles died in the hospital 11 days later, after doctors amputated two legs and one arm in an effort to stave off infections. He was able to verify with police investigators details of his meetings, setting them on track to secure arrests of three men charged with involvement in the bombing. The bill to honor Bolles was originally the idea of a reporter, Hank Stephenson, who covers the goings-on at the Capitol for the Arizona Agenda, a newsletter distributed through Substack. Stephenson originally thought it could be an immersive journalism project: He would work on lobbying the bill and do a story on the backroom deals cut to ensure its passage. But, Stephenson said, he was told during the 2023 session that it would be best if he kept his involvement with the bill quiet, especially because of his publications critical coverage of Hoffman. People strongly suggested that if we stopped writing mean things about Hoffman, maybe he would consider taking this bill up, Stephenson said in a May interview with the Republic. Stephenson didnt heed that advice. This session, Stephenson said, he was not involved with lobbying for the bill at all, saying the bill took on a life of its own. Bill gained momentum in House but met familiar roadblock The bill attracted more support in the Arizona House this session than it had during the go-round in 2023. That included the yes vote of a Republican who, during the floor vote, called himself a seemingly unlikely supporter. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, said Bolles was a newsman who stood in contrast to the current hacks that we have in the liberal media. The memorial, Kolodin said, would allow modern-day reporters to see what it actually means to do real reporting, to take real risk, to uncover things that go against the powerful instead of just spouting the (Democratic National Committee) narrative and pretending that is objective journalism. Kolodin, an attorney, filed unsuccessful legal challenges related to the 2020 election. He agreed to a public admonishment by the State Bar and admitted to filing frivolous lawsuits. The bill passed the House on Feb. 6. It did so with six fewer no votes than when it passed during the 2023 session. It was assigned to the Senate Government Committee on Feb. 19, 2024, but was never given a hearing. Stephenson said the reason the bill stalled was simple: Hoffman. As a committee chair, House rules dictate that he set the agenda for the committee. It comes down to one man, he said, one obstinate committee chairman. There are workarounds. The House rules say two-thirds of committee members could have petitioned to place the bill on an agenda. And there still is the option of someone introducing what's known as a "strike everything" amendment. That would substitute the language of an existing bill with the language of the Bolles bill. But Stephenson said no lawmaker appears willing to use their political weight to get around him on this issue. Who is Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman? Hoffmans career has kept current political and investigative reporters busy. Hoffman was one of the Republicans who gathered at state party headquarters and falsely proclaimed themselves on a document to be Arizonas chosen representatives to the Electoral College, casting votes for former President Donald Trump. It was a gambit, prosecutors said, that would allow Vice President Mike Pence to toss the certified results and officially put the outcome of the 2020 election in question. Even as the indictment against him loomed, his party nominated Hoffman to be its national committeeman at the 2024 Republican National Convention. The party selected as its national committeewoman a lawmaker who had been expelled from the House. Hoffman has repeatedly refused to answer Republic reporters questions about how he came to sign the false attestation on a document. He told one reporter to ask the state Republican Party about how he learned where to sign the false document. He ducked another Republic reporter by dashing into a staircase. Hoffman, a former spokesperson for the influential conservative organization Turning Point USA, faced scrutiny in 2016 for employing teenagers to post misinformation on social media websites. He was banned from the website then known as Twitter. At the Capitol, Hoffman started the Arizona Freedom Caucus, a group of lawmakers he said would vote in lockstep to preserve conservative causes. Hoffman, in announcing the group, said its membership would be secret. An adage at the Capitol says that no bill is actually dead until the Legislature adjourns for the year. There is a chance, Stephenson said, that it could be revived in the late days of the session, as lawmakers haggle over the state budget. If not, he said, he joked he may try a different type of journalism experiment next session: offer to pay lawmakers for their votes as part of a sting operation. If this stops being a legitimate attempt, he said, were going to have to take it to its logical extreme and start bribing people. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bill to allow memorial for slain journalist Don Bolles stalls again BOSTON A bill that would close a loophole in the state's domestic violence laws sailed through the Massachusetts Senate as an amendment to the chamber's proposed budget for next fiscal year, approved early in the morning of May 24. The amendment, filed by Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Webster, was named for Amanda Dabrowski, who was stabbed to death inside a Worcester restaurant July 3, 2019, by a man she had briefly dated. Less than three months before her murder, on Easter Sunday, Dabrowski was attacked at her home in Ayer, allegedly by the same man, Carlos Asencio. Unable to return to work due to her injuries, Dabrowski quickly lost her job at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Devens where she had been hired through a temporary employment agency. She lost her apartment and had to return to live with her family in Webster. Amanda Dabrowski [Submitted photo] According to state labor laws, victims of domestic violence have a 15-day period off work for treatment of injuries and to address factors related to an attack. But because Dabrowski had been a contract worker, she was not afforded that grace period. Her family is convinced that if she had been allowed to address her injuries and issues related to the attack, she may not have been attacked again just weeks later. "In lieu of offering assistance and perhaps finding her another position within the company, instead they terminated her," said her father, Ed Dabrowski. Ed Dabrowski sits in front of a memorial for his murdered daughter in the living room of his home in Webster, in this 2020 file photo. The attorney general's office supports the amendment, said Fattman. It has also been endorsed by several organizations that advocate for victims of domestic violence including Jane Doe Inc. and Abby's House. Fattman is hopeful that the measure will survive the coming process of reconciling the House and Senate budget plans, see passage by both houses and finally be signed into law by Gov. Maura T. Healey. The legislation is being championed in the House by Rep. Joseph McKenna, also a Webster Republican. "We are very pleased with Sen. Fattmans and Rep. McKennas pursuit of this amendment thank you," said Ed Dabrowski. "Passing through the Senate is great news, certainly a step in the right direction, to assist victims of domestic violence. Amanda did not have this opportunity. Prayers that the bill amendment moves forward." Fattman believes the intent of the state's domestic violence laws, specifically the 15-day grace period, was always to protect all workers and if the amendment becomes law, "now it will be codified." Asencio was found guilty last year of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Amanda Dabrowski domestic violence bill moves one step closer to law ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 29. Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNSC) has prevented two terrorist attacks since the beginning of the year. KNSC Chairman Yermek Sagimbayev said during the meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trend reports via Akorda. Since the beginning of the year, two terrorist attacks have been prevented, including one abroad together with foreign partners. Based on criminal cases investigated by the KNSC, 26 adherents of radical religious ideology were convicted for terrorist and extremist activities. Pre-trial investigations are continuing against 22 others, Sagimbayev said. According to him, 139 foreigners were prevented from entering the republic, and more than 280 foreign citizens were deported from Kazakhstan in connection with extremist views. Over 190 attempts at illegal importation of prohibited religious literature into the country were stopped, and 19 foreigners were brought to responsibility. 237 firearms, 27 explosive devices, more than 4,500 pieces of ammunition, and other means of terror were seized from illegal circulation, the committee chairman said. He also noted that more than 340 anti-terrorist drills have been organized since the beginning of the year. Within the framework of strengthening anti-terrorist protection measures, the Interior Ministry and KNSC forces conducted about 3,400 inspections of state and other facilities, including places of mass gathering of people, Sagimbayev said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, speaks at the state Capitol during the Oklahoma Press Association Legislative Summit on Feb. 8. (Photo by Carmen Forman/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday passed a measure that would create business courts in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Senate Bill 473 passed by a vote of 37-6 and awaited consideration in the House as lawmakers tried to finish business this week. During budget negotiations last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt said the creation of business courts was on his ask list in exchange for an agreement not to veto the budget. The measure creates an 11-member task force charged with studying the implementation of a business court system in Oklahoma. Business courts specialize in resolving complex disputes or litigation. The task force would be required to submit a final report to the governor and legislative leaders by Jan. 1, 2026. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said other states have implemented business courts. Treat is the Senate author. Corporations will locate in states with business courts because they can quickly settle disputes, Treat said. The study shall include the existing Oklahoma court structure and business court structures in other states. Over half of states have courts that specialize in resolving business disputes, a study shows. The task force report is expected to issue recommendations, including matters that may and may not be heard in business courts and how appeals would be handled. Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, said Oklahoma already has specialty courts such as juvenile courts and drug courts. Boren said that while she supported the idea of a task force, she hoped the panel would not be penned just to justify the creation of business courts. Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, voted against the measure. She said the idea had not been vetted. I have not learned enough about it yet, she said. She said she was concerned it would just make it easier on businesses and could provide special treatment. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Bill seeks to create business courts in Oklahoma appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. The MMIP crisis is prevalent across the country, with Indigenous peoples being murdered at a rate ten times the national average. (photo/tveraaphotography.com) On a winding highway outside of Missoula, towering images of Native American women with red handprints on their faces stand out against the vast Montana landscape. Alongside them, text sends a powerful message against the endless sky: Will you look for me if I go missing? We are still here. We will no longer stay silent. Its enough to make someone stop the car. Most billboards tempt drivers with fast-food deals at an upcoming exit or direct them to must-see tourist attractions along their route. These billboards are alerting people to a nationwide crisis: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Jen Murphy, the creator behind the billboards and an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, wanted to raise awareness of the crisis in a way that people couldnt not see. I wanted a large scale that people have to see, Murphy told Native News Online. And I really hope that people look at them and want to know more. The MMIP crisis is prevalent across the country, with Indigenous peoples being murdered at a rate ten times the national average. While the Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates there are 4,200 unsolved MMIP cases, the actual number is likely higher, Native advocates say. The Montana Community Foundation reports that Native Americans make up 6.7% of the states population, but account for 26% of missing persons cases. Murphy grew up in Havre, a small town with a population of 9,500, located about 30 miles north of the Rocky Boy Reservation. After college, she moved to Missoula, the states second-largest city. It was there she saw the MMIP crisis unfold in 2018. On June 16, 2018, 23-year-old Jermaine Charlo, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe, disappeared from downtown Missoula. Murphy told Native News Online that she had an up-close view of the investigation that left her disheartened. The notable things that really stuck out to me for the first 48 hours of that case just weren't dealt with as quickly as I think they should have been, she said. The Missoula Police Department has done a lot of good work after those first 48 hours, but those first 48 hours are so crucial. She saw media and the public interest in the search for Charlo wane as the weeks went on. Historically, that is the case with our people, she said. It lit a fire under me to figure out what I could do to help. Galvanized by Charlos disappearance, Murphy a chaplain and personal trainer decided to use her self-taught photography skills to raise awareness. She picked a date and a location, put out a call for models, and waited. Three or four people showed up to the first shoot, and I felt discouraged, she said. It's almost like my ancestors were screaming at me: You need to keep going! So I scheduled another photoshoot. More and more people responded to Murpheys call for models, each bringing with them their own conviction for wanting to raise awareness for the MMIP crisis. Soon, Murphy had a collection of powerful images of Native women, their faces marked with a bright red handprint, an image that has come to represent MMIP. When considering how to get the images in front of people, Murphy said the answer was clear: billboards. She connected with outdoor advertising company, Lamar Advertising, which leases more than 360,000 billboards across the United States. The company was immediately on board, Murphy said, providing billboard space for the project at a discount. They featured her work in the companys 25th-anniversary video and funded a nationwide digital billboard campaign of her work. Murphy said each billboard is carefully considered. After choosing an image, she engages in prayer, ceremony and consultations with her loved ones to determine which messages she wants to appear alongside the images. I'm a big believer in really doing everything in prayer lighting some sage or sweet grass, praying about it and really setting my mind to the issue, she said. I think everything is done better in collaboration. Today, the billboards are funded entirely by donations. Murphy hopes to someday expand the project to the rest of the U.S. and Canada. This year, Murphy executive-produced a short film called Not Afraid, directed by Mikaela Bruce. The film tells the story of a young Native woman affected by the MMIP crisis in rural Montana. It garnered recognition on the film festival circuit and won the Windrider Film Showcase 2024 Indigenous Film and Culture Award. Murphy said she and the team behind the film have ambitions to produce a feature-length film next year. She hopes the billboards and the film will inspire others to help raise awareness for the crisis, by whatever means they feel called. Its not about me, its never been about me, its about the issue, Murphy said. Thats when things happen, when you really push forward with intention and purpose. About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. " Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com By Jennifer Rigby and Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) -COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech has secured up to $145 million in funding from a global coalition against infectious diseases to help build a production network in Africa for shots based on cutting-edge messenger-RNA (mRNA) technology. BioNTech and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the financial support was part of an expanded partnership as the German biotech firm builds an mRNA vaccine factory site in Rwanda's capital Kigali. A future African network could produce affordable vaccines to fight malaria, mpox, tuberculosis or other health threats, they added. The partners said they "intend to work jointly to rapidly respond to outbreaks on the African continent caused by known viral threats, or an as-yet-unknown pathogen with epidemic or pandemic potential". The funds pledged by CEPI come on top of up to $90 million that the coalition granted BioNTech in September to support the development of mpox vaccine candidates. CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett told Reuters that in a health emergency up to half of the Kigali plant's annual capacity of around 50 million vaccines could be dedicated to making vaccines to respond to the emergency, as part of the funding deal. He said the money was for speeding up the development of the factory and to add on the capacity to produce material for research and clinical trials for third parties, not for specific vaccine development. This is an important step for Africa towards its vaccine goals, said Hatchett. BioNTech said in December it aimed to start production at the modular mRNA vaccine factory site in Rwanda in 2025, the first foreign company mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent. It said at the time it had fully funded the facility, committing a total of $150 million. The company, which developed the Western world's most widely used COVID-19 shot with U.S. partner Pfizer, in 2022 laid out an initial plan to enable African countries to produce its shots under BioNTech's supervision. Rival Moderna in April paused its plans to build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kenya, following a post-pandemic decline in demand for COVID-19 vaccines. (Reporting by Ludwig BurgerEditing by Madeline Chambers and Mark Potter) Democratic and Republican lawmakers from Missouri blasted Speaker Mike Johnsons (R-La.) decision to schedule a House vote next week on an extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) that would exclude the state from eligibility. RECA, first passed 30 years ago and set to expire this summer, compensates Americans exposed to World War II-era nuclear testing and uranium mining. A bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), which passed the Senate in April, would extend the bill for six years and expand its coverage to multiple states, including Missouri, where St. Louiss Coldwater Creek remains contaminated by runoff from wartime uranium production. The bill scheduled for House consideration next week, the RECA Extension Act of 2024, is an extension with no expanded eligibility introduced by Utah Sens. Mike Lee (R) and Mitt Romney (R). It has yet to receive a vote in committee or the full Senate. Let me be clear: no RECA bill that excludes Missouri will pass the Senate by consent. I will demand every procedural vote. And every vote will be a reminder the House would rather fund foreign wars than compensate Americans poisoned by their government, Hawley posted Tuesday evening on the social platform X. Hawleys counterparts in Missouris House delegation similarly signaled their opposition to the narrow extension. Next week, @SpeakerJohnson plans to rip off Missourians & thousands of others who are suffering from radioactive waste dumped in our backyards by the federal government, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) posted on X. Failing to expand RECA is not a viable option. Im a NO on any effort that doesnt expand RECA NOW. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) called the bill dead on arrival if it does not include compensation for Missourians, adding, I will continue to fight for the expansion of RECA so Missourians are given the justice they deserve. Lee and Romney have defended the smaller bill as a lower-cost alternative that would prioritize extending the law before it expires. Romney also told The Hill his and Lees bill is reserved [for] those individuals who have been determined to actually be suffering as a result of radiation exposure, prompting pushback from Hawley on the Senate floor. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Bitten by Fire Ants During Arrest, Texas Woman Claims Police Brutality. But What Does Body Camera Footage Reveal? Taylor Rogers is suing police in Santa Fe, Texas. Police provided PEOPLE with the body camera footage they say exonerates them Ruben Espinoza/Santa Fe Independent School District Police Department Taylor Rogers in a screenshot of body camera footage depicting her Aug. 19, 2021 arrest. The first time the Santa Fe, Texas, police officer stopped Taylor Rogers that summer morning, he informed her she was making an illegal left turn in an elementary school zone. That was around 8:20 a.m. Aug. 19, 2021, according to their recorded interaction on body camera footage obtained by PEOPLE. Seven minutes later, Rogers is face-down on the grass, hands cuffed behind her back, yelling: Ants are on my face! An amended complaint filed in Houstons Southern District of Texas District Court claims that officers flung and slammed her to the ground, hog tied her and buried [her] face in a pile of fire ants for three minutes. This is one of the worst cases of police brutality I have handled, her civil rights lawyer, Randall Kallinen, said in a statement to PEOPLE. Kallinen Law PLLC Taylor Rogers was badly bitten by fire ants during her 2021 arrest, she alleges in a complaint filed in federal court in Texas. In the 28-page complaint, Rogers claims she was tortured by Sgt. Ruben Espinoza and Officer Christian Carranza and that her 1st, 4th and 14th Amendment rights were violated, entitling her to damages. PEOPLE has obtained three separate body camera videos detailing key points in a case that has garnered national headlines amidst other serious allegations of unnecessary force by police officers across the country. At 8:23 a.m., a female officer, referred to as Officer Moore in the amended complaint, notices Rogers again driving the wrong way. Hey, hey, hey, Moore yells, waving her arms and pursuing the vehicle on foot. She taps Rogers car as the vehicle zooms past. You did not touch my car! Rogers yells. In an interview with PEOPLE, Espinoza says he halted the pursuit by hitting Rogers' car with his. Subsequently, according to the footage, an officer instructs Rogers to get on the ground: a grassy area off the road. I'm not even doing anything! Rogers says. Rogers yells through much of the three-minute and 34-second body camera footage documenting her arrest. She claims she has PTSD because she has previously been arrested for no reason. (Her lawyer told PEOPLE in an email that she had previously settled a lawsuit against other Santa Fe officers.) Well, there was a reason here, Moore says, cuffing Rogers. Rogers' young son can be heard crying from the backseat. Its okay buddy, its okay, Espinoza tells the boy. An officer holds Rogers handcuffed arms behind her back. What did I do? Rogers screams. Please tell me what I did! You fled from a police officer, Espinoza replies. 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 short time later, Rogers asks, Why is my face in the ground?" though she lifts her face off the ground to ask the question. Can you tell me that, please? Can you tell me? Can you answer the question? The officers hands remain securely on Rogers' cuffed arms. Rogers appears to momentarily lay her head on the ground, repeating the question. Several officers surround her as she maneuvers her body on the grass. At one point, a male officer raises her leg into the air. Then, two minutes and 52 seconds into Espinozas arrest footage, Rogers makes the first audible reference to fire ants. Ants are on my face. Ants are getting in my face! Please, help! she yells, adding: Ants are on my face. Please let go. About 18 seconds later, officers can be seen trying to lift her off the ground as she flails. Were trying to get you up. Calm down, an officer says. The officers try again, successfully lifting her up at the three-minute and 23-second mark. Her lawyer has set up a GoFundMe for legal expenses, claiming that no person should have to go through what happened to Taylor. Kallinen Law PLLC On a GoFundMe page set up to pay for her legal expenses, her lawyer, Randall Kallinen, claims she was bitten by more than 300 fire ants during her August 2021 arrest. In March 2024, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown dismissed several claims against the City of Santa Fe and Carranza but did not dismiss the claim of excessive force. In the memorandum opinion and order, Brown denied Espinozas motion to dismiss the case. Carranzas lawyers declined to comment to PEOPLE but said in a court filing earlier this year that he had used reasonable force against Rogers. Calling the interaction an unfortunate incident, Espinoza tells PEOPLE in an interview that his officers did not see the fire ants and that they followed protocol in keeping Rogers on the ground until she cooperated. Espinoza who has since been named Chief of Police of the Santa Fe Independent School District Police Department says his department has received death threats connected to her allegations. We try to be transparent, he said of volunteering the body camera footage to PEOPLE. I have nothing to hide. A jury trial is expected to be set next year. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Black California DA Tried to Be Slick With the Asian Community, But They Saw Right Through Her In order to appeal to voters, politicians are often encouraged or expected to participate in local traditions. However, when it comes to communities of color, those traditions usually come off as pandering and culturally insensitive. In case youre not familiar with this phenomenon, think of all those white politicians attending Black churches to show how much they appreciate us. In Northern Californias Bay Area, theres a longstanding tradition of politicians announcing their Chinese name. According to ABC 7 News Bay Area, in Oakland on Tuesday, Pamela Price, a Black district attorney in Alameda County, had an event planned for this purpose. But after an outpouring of public outrage, it was suddenly canceled. Charles Huang, founder of the local National Asian Pacific Islanders Prosecutors Association, didnt hold back his feelings on the situation. I think its ridiculous. Its cultural appropriation and pandering at the highest level, he said. One social media user noted how this event was a bad idea from the start, writing on X, Someone with sense must have spoken to her or her team saw the comments about it. Either way, good. She had to know the responses to this wouldnt be positive, as they shouldnt have been. Performative pandering isnt what people want to see. Go prosecute someone. Of course. Someone with sense must have spoken to her or her team saw the comments about it. Either way, good. She had to know the responses to this wouldn't be positive, as they shouldn't have been. Performative pandering isn't what people want to see. Go prosecute someone. Translating the Trap (@TrapTranslation) May 28, 2024 San Francisco Standard reporter Han Li, translated the Cantonese pronunciation and meaning for the characters in Prices name, explaining that they are (goon): government official, (seen): kind, good, (zing): pure, virginity. He went on to describe it as a very K-drama name. Amid controversies, Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price @PPriceCares just got a brand new Chinese name, , according to a full-page ad on World Journal today. Cantonese pronunciation & meaning: (goon): government official (seen): kind, good (zing): pure, virginity pic.twitter.com/KO5n24cef6 Han Li (@lihanlihan) April 9, 2023 According to MSN, Price has been using this particular name since April 2023, but the announcement coming amid a tense recall battle makes it look like a politically calculated move in that fight. These sort of PR announcements seem crazy when its clear the solution is really simple. If you want to get closer to our community, talk to us. Not doing this political move, Save Alameda For Everyone organizer Carl Chan said. Even if Price had good intentions and just wanted to show her compassion and understanding for the AAPI community in her county, its backfired horribly and she may have damaged that relationship even more. As Chan pointed out, its not that hard to try to understand our communities. You dont need a Chinese name, or have to carry around hot sauce in your bag. All were asking is that you talk to us and listen to our concerns. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Three passengers are suing American Airlines after alleging employees from the company removed a total of eight Black men from a flight due to a complaint about a passenger with body odor. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, claims that as American Airlines Flight 832 from Phoenix to New York was boarding in January, American Airlines employees removed eight Black men from the plane allegedly over a complaint about "offensive body odor." Video central to the lawsuit displayed a group of Black men who were not traveling together and did not know each other being removed from the flight. According to the suit, they were the only Black passengers on the flight. Emmanuel Jean Joseph, Alvin Jackson and Xavier Veal the three plaintiffs were on a connecting flight from Los Angeles. The three allege that at no point throughout the other flight did any employee from American Airlines say anything to them about an offensive odor. Jean Joseph told CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave that as he gathered his belongings and walked to the jet bridge, he noticed that only Black men were being removed from the flight. "I started freaking out," Xavier Veal said. He decided to record the incident on his phone. The lawsuit claims that the men were held in the jetway for about an hour and then moved to the gate area where they were told they would be rebooked on another flight to New York later that day. The lawsuit alleges that an American Airlines employee indicated that the complaint about body odor came from a "white male flight attendant." A gate agent seen in the video at one point seemed to agree that race was a factor in the decision to remove the men from the flight. When another flight to New York could not be found, the men were put back on the same plane. Jackson described the experience as uncomfortable, saying, "Everybody staring at me, me and all the other Black people on the plane were just taken off." "I knew that as soon as I got on that plane, a sea of White faces were going to be looking at me and blaming me for their late flight of an hour," said Jean Joseph. The lawyer representing the three men, Sue Huhta, a partner at Outten & Golden, said that American Airlines declined to provide her clients any answers about the incident and said it seems "fairly apparent that race was part of this dynamic." "It's almost inconceivable to come up with an explanation for that other than the color of their skin, particularly since they didn't know each other and weren't sitting near each other," said Huhta. The lawsuit also cites other recent incidents where passengers have alleged discrimination by American Airlines and references a 2017 NAACP travel advisory urging members not to fly on the airline, which was lifted eight months later. CBS legal analyst Rikki Klieman said the lawsuit suggests that the plaintiffs might be more interested in making a public statement about racial discrimination than in financial compensation. Klieman believes the question at trial is about American Airlines' protocols and how it handled the employees after the incident. But Veal said he believes that if it had been a White person, the situation probably wouldn't have happened. "We were discriminated against. The entire situation was racist," he said. In a statement to CBS News, American Airlines said, "We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people." Second American sentenced after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos What to know as jury deliberations continue in Trump trial Tips for new college grads entering the job market US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel must decide if its military campaign in Gaza is worth the cost in civilian lives. Coming just days after an Israeli strike killed dozens of displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Blinken said Israel should ask itself whether incremental gains against Hamas stack up against the unintended horrific consequences of military action. Israel has to ask whether, and especially in the absence of a plan for the day after in Gaza, further incremental gains against Hamas, but gains that may not be durable, in terms of Hamass defeat, in the absence of the plan, how that stacks up against some of the, again unintended, horrific consequences of military action in a place where the people youre going after are so closely embedded with civilians, Blinken said during a news conference in Moldova. Though the Biden administration has been urging Israel to do more to protect civilians in the war against Hamas for months, Blinkens remarks were some of the most pointed hes made to date. However, the US has not gone as far as allies like France in condemning the Rafah strike, with the White House making clear it believes Israel has not crossed a red line that would lead the US to withdraw military support. Blinken called the scenes from the weekend horrific, reiterating Biden administration calls for Israel to investigate how the Rafah attack led to so many civilian deaths. I dont think anyone who has seen the images cannot be deeply affected by just on a basic human level. We have been very clear with Israel and the imperative and this is as in other instances, to immediately investigate and determine exactly what happened and why it happened, Blinken said. Blinken said he could not say which weapons were used in the strike, though a CNN analysis suggests US-made munitions were used. Israel has said the resulting fire was not caused solely by weapons it used in the strike and that it is trying to determine whether it was set off by a nearby weapons stockpile. Weve heard from the Israelis, but again, absent a completed investigation, I cant verify any of this, that small-diameter weapons were used in a targeted fashion to go after specific terrorist leaders of Hamas, Blinken said. Again, I cant vouch for that at this moment. We have to see what the investigation shows. Blinken said that even if one takes what Israel is saying at face value, the Rafah attack reveals that even targeted strikes can have awful consequencs. I think we also see that even limited, focused, targeted attacks, designed to deal with terrorists who killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more, even those kinds of operations can have terrible, horrific, unintended consequences, he said. On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called on Israel to take precautions to protect civilian lives and warned there was a danger in Israel becoming more isolated from its traditional allies, though he asserted there were no indications yet that it had waged a military campaign that would prompt President Joe Biden to withhold aid or weapons. As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to. It just happened, Kirby told reporters at the White House. The Israelis are going to investigate it. Were going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And well see where it goes from there. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Kazakhstan's Tumar-Trans tour operator eyes to include Azerbaijan in its mix tours, president of Kazakhstan's National Tourism Industry Association, as well as the president of the tour operator, Raushan Shamil, told Trend. "We are particularly focused on mixed tours at the moment. Before the pandemic, Chinese travelers transiting through Kazakhstan to third countries enjoyed a visa-free stay in the country. During these 72 hours, we organized mixed tours of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This laid the foundation for developing this kind of tour. Currently, we have established strong ties with Uzbekistan and successfully promoted tours to Uzbekistan. Similarly, we offer tours covering Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Presently, our Chinese tours encompass three countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Additionally, we are considering adding Azerbaijan to this list," she said. According to her, the availability of direct flights between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan makes such an option feasible. "Currently, flights to Baku are solely operated from Astana. The Almaty route has been temporarily suspended for certain reasons. However, I believe it should be reinstated soon, given the demand both to and from Baku. It's essential for us to review the situation comprehensively and address it accordingly," she emphasized. To note, in 2023, a total of 58,072 tourists from Kazakhstan visited Azerbaijan, which is 91 percent more than in the same period of 2022 (30,350). In addition, over 22,000 Kazakh tourists visited Azerbaijan from January through April 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks attacks Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner in the U.S. Senate chambers on May 22, 1856, in this illustration. (U.S. Senate) This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector. Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner risked his life for the sake of Kansans freedom. On May 22, 1856 168 years ago he suffered a beating at the hands of unhinged South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks. Sumner had just delivered a fiery speech about the evils of slavery and its supporters in the chamber. Its title? The Crime Against Kansas. At that time, the status of the soon-to-be state was contested between pro- and anti-slavery forces. Brooks approached Sumner at his desk in the chamber and beat him into unconsciousness. The Massachusetts lawmaker suffered grave injuries, both physical and mental; he spent the better part of three years away from Washington, D.C. It was, in the words of the Senate Historical Office, one of the most dramatic and deeply ominous moments in the Senates entire history. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Northerners could scarcely believe the news, and the newly formed Republican Party made substantial electoral gains. Its presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, nearly won that fall. Southerners cheered the violence, reelecting Brooks to his office and sending him hundreds of canes as gifts. The path toward Civil War had been laid. Summers legacy can be seen across Kansas today. Sumner County, which contains Wellington and Belle Plaine, was established Feb. 26, 1867, and named for the senator, according to the book 1001 Kansas Place Names. So was Sumner Academy of of Arts and Science in Kansas City, Kansas, once a segregated institution but now a magnet school for high-performing students. The onetime Sumner Elementary School in Topeka was at the center of the Brown v. Board of Education case. We remember Sumners name. But we should also remember that Sumner was right. His abolitionist beliefs were intellectually and morally correct. The institution of slavery was evil, yet millions of Americans believed it was divinely pre-ordained. They were willing to sacrifice themselves and their families to defend white supremacy. According to most recent estimates, 750,000 people died in the U.S. Civil War. All for the cause of keeping humans as property. Another contemporary illustration lampoons the Southern heritage of Rep. Preston Brooks, who attacked Sen. Charles Sumner in Senate chambers on May 22, 1856. (Library of Congress) We cannot forget that simply holding an opinion forcefully and deeply does not make it correct. Your passion for a cause does not impart any virtue to you or to the cause. Sumner was caustic and disliked by his colleagues in the Senate. Indeed he may have achieved more if he had been more willing to compromise on the rights and the lives of people who were different than him. He died without achieving his most important goal: a sweeping civil rights law that did not come to fruition until 1964. That was 80 years after his death. Heres a taste of Sumners oratory, taken directly from that fateful 1856 speech: When the whole world, alike Christian and Turk, is rising up to condemn this wrong, and to make it a hissing to the nations, here in our Republic, force, aye, sir, FORCE has been openly employed in compelling Kansas to this pollution, and all for the sake of political power. Kansans should know about Sumners principled stances, not just his name or a bloody few moments in the Senate chambers. You cant write about the statesman or his legacy, however, without asking yourself how 1856 compares with 2024. Weve made substantial progress toward freedom and equality, thank goodness. I like to think that our Massachusetts lawmaker would feel some pride in his country over that. How about our ability to debate challenging issues? Can we navigate our difference? If not, do we also face a slow descent into bloody madness and civil conflict? We havent seen senators or representatives fighting on the floors of their respective chambers. Tough words may be exchanged, but so far we have not seen members of the Freedom Caucus beating up members of The Squad, or vice versa. Thats a good thing. Yet threats of violence have become distressingly frequent in Kansas. You only have to remember the effigy of President Joe Biden enthusiastically beaten at a GOP fundraising event in Johnson County. You only have to look at the case of Wichita man who was sentenced to 21 months in jail for threatening to kill Biden. I pray that the grim months of 1856 and the years that followed remain deep in the history books. But I fear theyre closer than any of us acknowledge. Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post Bloody anniversary: This brave senator was bludgeoned as tempers flared over slavery in Kansas appeared first on Colorado Newsline. May 29 (UPI) -- As Nov. 5 and the general elections grow closer in the U.S., regarding foreign policy, Donald Trump's embrace of "America First" should engage and enrage public debate. But that will not be the case. One major reason is that foreign policy rarely makes much of a difference in presidential elections unless, as with Vietnam, the nation is torn over how to proceed. A second is that because of Trump's preference for hyperbole and prevarication, that is outright lying, the actual meaning of America First is both hidden and distorted. If a third reason were necessary to relegate foreign policy to secondary status, it is historical amnesia. America First has been part of the nation's DNA centuries before it seemingly came of age in the 1930s. George Washington's famous farewell address in 1796 eschewed "permanent alliances." Washington was indeed pragmatic, placing national interests as the measure of national priorities. It would take another 12 decades for the other side of Washington's coin to become fully formed. In this case, it was President Woodrow Wilson's vision of the need for "internationalism" and "idealism" as global goods as an alternative to Washington's pragmatism. Hence, World War I was the means to end all wars to make the world safe for democracy. And in the aftermath, a League of Nations could be created to ensure that peace among states would eliminate war after 1918. Wilsonian foreign policy therefore was expansive and international in reach in which the common collective of the many would transcend Hobbesian views of a dystopian world. After the humanitarian catastrophe of the so-called Great War, common sense and rationality could dictate international relations and relegate war to Lenin's dustbin of history. Unfortunately, Wilson could not persuade his own country and Senate to follow his lead. The League of Nations and the armistice that ended World War I merely were the predicates for an even greater conflict that would explode two decades later in 1939 with Nazi Germany's unprovoked invasion of Poland and Japan's aggression in China, Manchuria and the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Wilson's idealism became confused with isolationism of the 1930s and indeed the start of the first America's First movement to stand clear of foreign entanglements and the conflicts in Asia and Europe. Isolationism grew to dominate the pragmatic Washingtonian view. And many in the United States believed that a metaphorical draw bridge could be raised and two vast oceans used as buffers to isolate and protect America from the vagaries and perils of overseas engagements. This extended to economics, trade and finance and was manifest in the infamous Smoot-Hawley tariffs that stressed protectionism. Given Trump's threats to leave or reduce U.S. commitment to NATO or allies that do not pay their fair share for defense and his promise to impose tariffs on European and Chinese imports in his first term, it is not difficult to imagine how Trump might double down on those policies in a second term. This divergence between Washington's pragmatism and the siren-like call of protectionism and isolationism of the 1930s America Firsters raise legitimate fears over a Trump presidency. In reality, this is a case of old wine -- Wilson versus Washington -- in new bottles, meaning Trump's use of America First. The question is the lengths to which Trump would indeed consider protectionism and isolationism as valid national interests overriding U.S. responsibilities as a global superpower to maintain peace, prosperity and stability. In this case, Trump provides no clear cut evidence of his leanings. One could argue that defending Taiwan in a war with China is not in American interests. Taiwan is a specific and hence unique Chinese interest. Having obtained control over the island, the major point of friction with the U.S. would no longer exist. Hence, relations could improve even at Taiwan's expense. Whether this logic would extend to Ukraine is surely debatable. If Trump were consistent and predictable, then a case could be made that America First would be expressed in Washingtonian terms. But Trump is neither of those things. Nor does Trump have an obvious strategic framework for making decisions, relying instead on instinct and feelings as he readily admits. Should Trump win, he would indeed be using new bottles for holding old wine. The degree to which the past is prologue and the record of his first term matters, the likely outcome is not good. The reality may be that Trump's old wine has turned to vinegar. And that will be undrinkable. Harlan Ullman is UPI's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished Columnist, a senior adviser at Washington's Atlantic Council, the prime author of "shock and awe" and author of "The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large." Follow him @harlankullman. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. An F-35B test plane crashed into a New Mexico hillside while flying from a Lockheed Martin facility to a US airbase An F-35B test plane crashed into a New Mexico hillside while flying from a Lockheed Martin facility to a US airbase A new F-35B crashed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, leaving its pilot injured. The jet was a test model being transferred from a Lockheed Martin facility to the US military. The F-35B is the Marine Corps' version designed for amphibious assault ships and short airfields. A new F-35B Lightning II fighter jet crashed near the Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico on Tuesday, leaving its pilot seriously injured. The aircraft crashed at 1:48pm. Fire rescue teams responded to the crash shortly after. Two other civilians on the scene were assessed for injuries and released. On May 28 at 13:54 AFR, BCFR & Kirtland AFB responded to University south of Rio Bravo for a plane crash. BCFR and AFRs Batt 1 confirmed a downed aircraft on fire. The pilot was located & transported while fire was extinguished. Scene has been turned over to Kirtland. pic.twitter.com/P0aaMvuod0 Albuquerque Fire (@abqfire) May 29, 2024 The F-35 jet was traveling from the Lockheed Martin's facility at Naval Air Reserve Station in Fort Worth, Texas, to the Edwards Air Force Base in California. It stopped at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to refuel at 1:00pm, per Kirtland Public Affairs. The pilot was transported to University of New Mexico hospital and is currently in stable condition. About three hours after the crash, airport officials said flight operations had resumed. Videos shared on social media showed the crash, which appeared to have occurred during takeoff from the airport, as well as the aftermath of the incident, including fire rescue examining the scene on an Albuquerque hillside. Last moments of F-35B fighter jet before it crashed at Albuquerque International Sunport. https://t.co/mdCjzUyywk pic.twitter.com/kN0i5mK5HU Clash Report (@clashreport) May 29, 2024 According to Lockheed Martin, the F-35B "was a US government-owned and-operated aircraft that was being flown by a government pilot who safely ejected. The aircraft was a test jet equipped with Technology Refresh 2 (TR-2) and was transferring for additional test equipment modification." TR-2 is a version of the F-35's software. Lockheed Martin is currently troubleshooting issues from a TR-3 upgrade already installed in new jets as well as retrofitted in existing F-35s, which has delayed its further integration. It's unclear what the program's goals for testing were, but developmental aircraft like this one are typically used to evaluate upgrades and other features. An F-35B prepares to land on the flight deck of UK Carrier Strike Group HMS Queen Elizabeth. PUNIT PARANJPE/Getty Images This is the second F-35B mishap in less than a year. Back in September 2023, an F-35B pilot ejected during training while flying over South Carolina, landing in a residential neighborhood in North Charleston. The jet then went missing, continuing to fly about 80 miles before crashing. That jet was also an F-35B, one of the three variants of the fifth-generation fighters. The F-35A is used by the Air Force, a major capability jump beyond its currently fielded F-16s and A-10s. The F-35C is used by the Navy, improving on other carrier-based aircraft like the F/A-18. The F-35B is the Marine Corps' version, a short-takeoff/vertical landing variant specifically designed for amphibious assault ships and smaller airfields. The B variant costs about $100 million each. The entire decades-long F-35 program has an estimated life cycle cost of over $1.7 trillion, much of which will go to operating, maintaining, and repairing the jets. Last September, a government watchdog reported that the F-35, which represents a "growing portion" of the Pentagon's tactical aviation fleet, was only mission capable half the time as of March 2023, "far below program goals." Read the original article on Business Insider Brazil withdraws ambassador to Israel after spat over war in Gaza Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at the inauguration of the Ophthalmology and Diagnostics Department of the Super Centro Carioca de Saude Hospital. Joao Gabriel Alves/dpa The Brazilian government officially withdrew its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday, following a diplomatic dispute over the Gaza war. Federico Meyer will represent Brazil at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament in future, according to an announcement in the nation's official gazette. This means that the Brazilian embassy in Israel will only be led by a charge d'affaires. Meyer had already been summoned to Brazil for consultations in February after an escalation in disputes over the assessment of the war in Gaza. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared the Israeli military operation in Gaza to the Holocaust. In response, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared him an undesirable person and summoned Ambassador Meyer to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, in a step seen as a public humiliation by the Brazilian government. The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people by terrorists from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group and other militants on October 7. They also took more than 200 people to Gaza as hostages. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive. The criticism of Israel has grown as the death toll among Palestinians has increased. It currently stands at over 36,100 people dead, according to health authorities in Gaza. Former Denton County GOP Chair Brent Hagenbuch has won the Republican primary runoff to succeed retiring state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Hagenbuch had a double-digit lead over attorney Jace Yarbrough when he declared victory at 9:20 p.m. As the Republican nominee in a district thats solidly red, Hagenbuch is expected to win the seat in November. Hagenbuch, a transportation executive and former U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, secured the nomination Tuesday after finishing with 36% in the March 5 primary. Yarbrough, a conservative activist and Air Force veteran, was close behind in that initial round, taking 34% in the four-candidate field. Serving in the Texas Senate was never anything I aspired to. It is Gods timing, Hagenbuch said in a statement. I look forward to spending the remainder of the year, continuing to travel the District, and preparing to represent the interests of our area in the Texas Senate. The voters have made clear that border security, education choice, property taxes, and economic growth are top priorities. They will be my focus. Both candidates pitched themselves as rock-solid conservatives who would support the states continued rightward drift on everything from abortion to guns to immigration. But unlike the case for many GOP primary runoffs, the race fractured alliances between top Republican officials and the grassroots, who teamed up to oust incumbents. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the Texas Senate, endorsed Hagenbuch shortly after he entered the race and has been one of his most vocal supporters. Springer, Gov. Greg Abbott, former President Donald Trump also endorsed Hagenbuch, as did Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, 2022 gubernatorial candidate and former state Sen. Don Huffines, and state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood. Yarbroughs supporters included the tea party groups True Texas Project and Grassroots America, and their respective leaders, Julie McCarty and JoAnn Fleming. Also backing him were Kyle Rittenhouse, the right-wing activist famously acquitted of killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020; incoming Dallas County Republican Party Chair Allen West, who previously led the Texas GOP; retiring state Rep. Matt Schaefer, who formerly chaired the Texas House Freedom Caucus; and Shelley Luther, the former Dallas salon owner who famously defied Abbotts pandemic lockdown order and unseated state Rep. Reggie Smith, R-Sherman. In a statement, Yarbrough conceded and told supporters to stay tuned for what comes next. Whatever God has planned in the future for me and my family, I plan to keep fighting for the conservative values our state holds dear, Yarbrough said. I have no regrets about the campaign rather, Im grateful for the opportunity to stand up for the values I believe in. Questions about Hagenbuchs residency and whether he could run in the district shadowed his primary campaign and arent resolved yet. The third-place primary candidate Carrie De Moor, later joined by Yarbrough, sued Hagenbuch, arguing that his primary residence was in neighboring Senate District 12 rather than the office building listed in his SD 30 campaign filings. A judge allowed Hagenbuch to continue campaigning while the suit plays out, and theres been no activity in that case since March. Yarbrough reignited the issue this weekend at the conclusion of the Texas GOP Convention, when he submitted a challenge to new party Chair Abraham George that would have Hagenbuch replaced on the general election ballot. If Hagenbuch is declared ineligible by a court before late August, he could lose his place on the ballot. A GOP executive committee, likely precinct chairs in the district, would then elect a replacement candidate. In that event, the runner-up becomes a top contender to be the new nominee. Hagenbuch has long insisted that he lives in the district, and suggested his rivals are trying to keep him off the ballot because they couldnt defeat him otherwise. Hagenbuch will go on in November to face Michael Braxton or Dale Frey, who are in the Democratic runoff for SD 30. 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. New properties were being built. Designer clothes were suddenly evident everywhere. And the whole place was flush with cash. When Inspector Vassil Panayotov, a determined copper who could have stepped straight out of an old-fashioned detective mystery, noticed how much money was swilling around the Bulgarian village of Sliven, in the foothills of the Balkan mountains, he might have feared it had been turned into a route for shipping for cocaine into Europe, women into the sex trade, or arms in Russia. Instead, it was a far simpler, and more lucrative racket. A group of villages were swindling the British welfare system, stealing tens of millions of pounds in fraudulent benefit claims. And yet, in reality, while Panayotov may have been surprised by the scheme, no one in the UK should be. Our benefits system is being opened up to the whole world and our idle civil servants are too weak to do anything about it. The Sliven case has exposed just how easy it is to take money from the British state. After Panayotov tipped off the British authorities, the ring has been brought to justice. It turned out that 50 million in benefits had been paid out, including to people who had never set foot in Britain, and the real total may have run into the hundreds of millions. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. As the UKs benefits bill rises and rises, with working age benefits soaring from less than 40 billion annually in the 1980s to more than 100 billion now, it has become painfully clear that some claims are fraudulent. Indeed, as far back as 2007 the BBC was reporting that many Polish workers in Britain were claiming child benefit in both countries. Did anyone take action in response? Britain has become so generous, and our borders so lightly policed, that we may now be paying out tens of billions a year to people who have no connection with the country at all. There are so many different ways of claiming money from the state, it is probably hard for even the most diligent Bulgarian gangster to keep track of them all. There are child benefits, tax credits, housing benefits, disability benefits, employment support, income support that can all apparently be claimed with flimsy evidence to show that someone is actually living in the country. Whatever happened to the principle of those who are able paying into the system, with state support provided to the most vulnerable? Even worse, we have largely uncontrolled immigration, with many new arrivals put up in state housing despite a chronic shortage. Meanwhile, anyone who arrives as an unskilled student or care worker can win the right to remain, along with all the welfare entitlements, meaning they may be a drain on the economy for years to come. There are two big problems. The system is too generous and checks are inadequate, leaving it wide open to fraud. And the civil servants who are meant to monitor claims are all working from home, or attending compulsory unconscious bias courses, and are too terrified of accusations of xenophobia to start checking whether all the claims from Bulgarian sounding names might mean there is something fishy going on. So benefits are just handed out, with the bill passed on to the taxpayer. Instead of providing support during times of hardship for our fellow citizens, a concept that everyone would agree with, the system has been turned into a free money machine for anyone in the world. We cant expect there to be many Inspector Panayotovs out there to control it for us, but until we address this madness, we will never get the tax burden down, or get public services up and running to a decent standard. 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. DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 29. The number of POS terminals in Tajikistan amounted to 7,562 as of the end of March 2024, Trend reports. Data from the National Bank of Tajikistan shows that this figure is 1.9 percent higher than the 7,420 POS terminals at the end of February 2024 and 89.6 percent higher than the 3,987 terminals at the end of March 2023. Furthermore, the number of ATMs in the country totaled 2,404 at the end of March, which is an increase of 1.4 percent compared to the 2,370 ATMs in February 2024. This figure rose by 29.9 percent over the figures for March 2023 (1,850 ATMs). The number of bank payment cards in Tajikistan reached 7,111,006 by the end of March 2024. This figure is 30 percent more than 5,455,384 cards by the same date in 2023. Furthermore, the figure grew by 1.7 percent compared to 6,991,672 cards by the end of February of the current year. Moreover, the number of bank payment cardholders reached 6,881,947 people at the end of March 2024, which is a 35.4 percent increase from 5,082,394 holders by the end of March 2023 and a rise of 1.7 percent compared to 6,765,742 people in February 2024. When the British Museum revealed last August that hundreds of its precious artefacts had gone walkabout, it came as a shock to most of us but not to Dr Ittai Gradel. As he told The Telegraph that month, this expert in ancient gemstones had stumbled across evidence of the thefts two years earlier. He repeatedly sounded the alarm to museum officials, only to be fobbed off and treated like a village idiot. Undeterred, he kept digging. Working from what he playfully calls his lair on a remote Danish island, Gradel pieced together evidence pointing to the leading suspect in the theft one of the museums curators, who has since been sacked. When the Kings Birthday Honours are announced in June, I hope to see Gradels name on the list. Give the man an honorary knighthood for his services to Museums and Heritage with, if possible, a tiny secondary citation for his services to broadcasting. Because Gradel, it turns out, is also extremely funny on the wireless. As the key interviewee in the gripping nine-part expose Shadow World: Thief at the British Museum (BBC Sounds, plus Radio 4 all this week and concluding next Thursday), hes far more fun than youd expect any mild-mannered Danish expert in Greco-Roman miniatures to be. One former university colleague calls him a big character, which has the ring of a backhanded compliment. He claims to have a photographic memory, and at one point declares: I am the only normal person in the world all the rest of you are weirdos. Hes been compared to Sherlock Holmes; the triumphant final episode proves he has a pinch of Indiana Jones, too. In it, he is recorded turning up at the museum, unannounced, with a sackful of recovered gems. I havent told the British Museum about it, because they would have to advise me, of course, to comply with all the rules and regulations apply for a Danish export licence, blah, blah, blah, all this form-filling b----cks. Instead, he cheekily opted to just plonk the objects before them and say, here you are, you can have your gems back. Dr Ittai Gradel repeatedly sounded the alarm to museum officials, only to be 'fobbed off' and treated like a 'village idiot' Its the climax of a riveting nine-part series, in which we hear how he not only uncovered the theft and fingered the lead suspect, but went on to hunt down and acquire stolen gems that had unwittingly been bought by collectors around the world. This was done at great personal cost, while severely ill, following a terminal cancer diagnosis. (Hes now in remission.) At one point, the presenter, Katie Razzall, gently asks why hed spend his final weeks helping a museum to get its gemstones back. He laughs the question off: You cant spend your entire day concentrating on dying. The sacked curator, who denies any wrongdoing, refused to speak to the BBC. In the interests of balance, we heard from an anonymous former colleague, who said that she thought he must have been framed on the grounds that surely he couldnt be that much of an idiot as well as British Museum trustee and former part-time Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who piped up to say he was 100 per cent certain weve got our man. The real crime is the museums appalling handling of this situation from start to finish; oblivious to years of disappearances, then slow to act on the tip-off, either from shame, incompetence, or possibly even internal efforts to sabotage an investigation. Some listeners might be shocked to learn how ignorant the British Museum was about what it had in its own cupboards. Malcolm Hay, an antiquities dealer, painted an image of an institution rapaciously hoovering up stuff that it couldnt actually process responsibly, stuffed with items that they dont display, they never catalogue, they never photograph, they probably dont want why, why, just why? I began to wonder whether the British Museum deserved its gems back after all. If you know anyone who works in one of our major museums, you wont be surprised to learn that cost-cutting has eroded its core responsibilities. In the Science Museum Groups brutal recent redundancies, for instance, those poor souls beavering away in the archives and records department were wiped out en masse. Because why should a museum bother to keep track of things? Still, at least in the British Museums case theres a happy ending. Thanks to Gradel et al, 10 of the stolen gems feature in a free British Museum exhibition, running till June 6, where we can marvel at these millennia-old treasures at least until the next time theyre shoved in a box, then forgotten about, then nicked. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The Brockton Public Schools and police, are actively investigating an incident following the discovery of a list containing names of members of the school community at a middle school on Tuesday. According to the school, the list was turned in to administrators at East Middle School, prompting immediate action by school officials and law enforcement. The student who created the list has been identified and school staff and police are investigating to determine what additional interventions, including disciplinary action, may be needed, said a spokesperson for Brockton Public Schools. Authorities said there is not believed to be any danger to students or staff resulting from this incident. The investigation is ongoing. 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 Brothers Among 4 Teens Dead After Early Morning Wisconsin Crash: 'So Much Left to Accomplish' The victims were identified as Luis Gamillo, 19, Erik Gamillo Calzada, 17, Alix Hernandez, 18, and Ivan Herrera, 16 Gofundme Luis Gamillo and his brother Erik Gamillo Caldaza. Two brothers were among four teenagers killed in a Wisconsin crash over Memorial Day weekend. The Dodge County Sheriffs Office said in a news release on Facebook that their agency responded to a fatal motor vehicle crash on State Highway 16/60 at the intersection of County Road TT in Elba around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, May 27. "Initial investigation showed that a 2000 Ford F150 was traveling north on County Highway TT when it failed to stop at the stop sign on County Highway TT at State Highway 16/60," the sheriff's office said in a release. That's when authorities say a 2017 Western Star Semi without a trailer struck the Ford F150 as it headed east. Three teens were pronounced dead at the scene, and another died at the hospital, according to the department. The victims include driver Luis Gamillo, 19, and his brother Erik Gamillo Calzada, 17. Alix Hernandez, 18, and Ivan Herrera, 16, were also identified as victims. Related: 16-Year-Old Boy Becomes 5th Student from Georgia High School to Die in Crash This School Year Gofundme Alix Hernandez. Joseline Herrera, 18, remained hospitalized with serious injuries, the sheriff's office said. The driver of the semi was treated and released from an area hospital. PEOPLE has reached out to the Dodge County Sheriffs Office for additional comment. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created by a cousin of Luis and Erik to help cover funeral expenses. Related: San Diego College Student Killed Alongside Her Mother and Sister in Ukrainian Plane Crash "My cousins [were] responsible, caring, and the [funniest] souls in the world," the organizer said. "They [were] loved by those around them and always made sure they brought positivity to wherever they went. They [were] taken from our sides way too soon and with so much left to accomplish." Another GoFundMe campaign was launched to help cover the funeral expenses for Alix, who was remembered as a "beloved daughter." Both tributes have raised over $30,000 as of the afternoon of May 29. Related: 4 Members of Same Utah Family Killed in Head-On Crash: 'Our Hearts Are Shattered' Two Dane County school districts shared statements identifying the teens as former and current students, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sun Prairie East and La Follette high schools will have counselors and social workers available for students throughout the week, Lake Geneva Regional News reported. This loss will surely raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school district, especially our students, Sun Prairie Superintendent Brad Saron and East High School Principal Renee Coleman told families in an email Monday night, per the paper. The death of a young person is always a sad and troubling event and can often have a profound effect on the students friends and classmates. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said they are " deeply saddened by news of the crash at WIS 16/WIS 60 at County TT in Dodge County." "We express condolences to the loved ones of those who lost their lives. Safety is our departments top priority and any life lost on Wisconsin roads is unacceptable," they added. "We will continue to work with local governments on safety countermeasures to make roads safer." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. After inking a contract last week that grants him a $340,000 annual salary, Howard Hepburn officially became the new superintendent of Broward County Public Schools on Wednesday. Hepburn, 45, became the fourth permanent superintendent in the last three years in Broward. The school district, the sixth largest in the country, has been recently ridden with extreme staff turnover and a precarious decline in student enrollment. Still, Hepburn seemed optimistic. Im incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve our students, staff and community, he said after officially taking over. Together, we will navigate some immediate challenges, including our budget and the need to redefine our schools for the future. Hepburns 10-minute swearing-in ceremony took place at the Kathleen C. Wright Office in downtown Fort Lauderdale. FROM MAY 16: Broward wont close any public schools. But changes are still coming Dr. Howard Hepburn, right, is ceremoniously sworn into office as the new superintendent BCPS by retired Broward County Judge Zebedee Wright, left, as his wife, Sheba, holds the Bible, second from the left, and daughter, Audrey, 7, looks on. In 1974, Kathleen C. Wright became the first Black woman to win a county-wide election in Florida, as well as the first Black Broward County School Board member. She died in 1985. On Wednesday, Kathleen Wrights partner, a retired Broward County judge, swore Hepburn in. Im Zebedee Wright, Kathleens husband, and I was the first Black judge in this county, he said. Hepburns wife, Sheba Howard, held the Bible. After, Hepburn celebrated their wedding anniversary, which was also Wednesday, May 29. Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife, he said, and thank you for sharing me with the amazing school district and all 200-thousand-plus kids of this school district. I love you. Hepburn said hell focus on improving the grade the states Department of Education issues for performance from a B, which has been the constant for nine years, to an A. He also said he wants to improve transparency and stability. Howard Hepburn, right, walks back to his seat on the dais after being sworn into the office of superintendent of Broward County Public Schools on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, inside the boardroom of the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On the left, Broward School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff raises a thumbs-up in the air. Lori Alhadeff, the Broward School Boards chair, liked those goals. We cant wait to team up and create an amazing brighter future for Broward County Public Schools together, Alhadeff said at the ceremony. About a month ago, on April 26, Alhadeff negotiated the tentative employment agreement with Hepburn. Last week, on May 21, the School Board unanimously approved the terms. FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS: How much will Browards new schools superintendent make? Heres what we know The contract pays Hepburn $340,000 annually a $120,000 raise from his $220,000 salary as deputy superintendent for teaching and learning. Hell get a $15,000 stipend to move from Palm Beach County to Broward County by Dec. 31, 2025. He could also get an additional $20,000 in performance bonuses $10,000 dependent upon the school district achieving and maintaining an A-rating from the state, and another $10,000 dependent upon the progression of the SMART bond program by 2025. Hell get a $1,200 vehicle allowance and the most comprehensive plans for health, dental and vision insurance for him and his family. Dr. Howard Hepburn will make $340,000 in his new position as Broward Schools Superintendent. He will get no severance pay if terminated without cause during the first six months on the job. After six months, he will gradually accrue severance pay getting 3.3 weeks per month until he hits 20 weeks of severance on his first-year anniversary. Hepburn became the superintendent abruptly on April 16, after his predecessor, Peter Licata, unexpectedly announced he would step down due to health reasons. Licata served as superintendent from June 2023 to April 2024. He replaced Vickie Cartwright, who served from February 2022 to February 2023. She, in turn, replaced Robert Runcie, who stepped down in April 2021. FROM APRIL 16: After 10 months, Broward Schools superintendent to retire. Board replaces him immediately Bucks County ranks top in the state for average teacher pay as almost half of Pennsylvania's counties fall behind the national average, according to data from the National Education Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Teacher salaries across the country rose by about 4.1% in the 2022-2023 school year to $69,544, with salaries expected to increase about 3.1% to about $71,699, in 2023-2024 school year, according to an April report by the NEA. Despite that increase, the average teacher is making about 5% less than compared to five years ago, when adjusted for inflation, and most school districts have a starting salary of less than $50,000, according to the NEA. First grade teacher, Jean Marie Perry, goes over the the classroom rules with her students on their first day of the new school year at Linden Elementary School in Doylestown Borough on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Central Bucks School District ranks 26th for highest average teacher salary in the state. "A staggering 77% of U.S. school districts still pay a starting salary below $50,000 (28.6% start out teachers at less than $40,000), while teacher salaries top out over $100,000 in only 16.6% of districts," the report adds. Pennsylvania ranked 11th in the nation with an average teacher salary of about $74,945 for the previous school year, according the NEA. Check out last year's salary data: Bucks County ranks high in average teacher pay. Check out salaries in your district Education department salary summary data for the 2023-2024 school year show Bucks County school districts paid classroom teachers an average salary of about $93,944, the highest out of every county in the state. Montgomery County was close behind with an average teacher pay of $93,790 and Allegheny County ranked third with an average salary of $86,405. The new CBSD superintendent: Central Bucks poised to hire new superintendent. Here's a look at proposed contract Although every county in the state has an average teacher salary above the $50,000 "low pay" benchmark noted by the NEA, five Pennsylvania schools districts don't meet that mark: Blacklick and Conemaugh Valley school districts in Cambria County; and North Star, Salisbury-Elk Lick, and Turkeyfoot Valley Area school districts in Somerset County. In just 1% of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts teachers are paid on average more than $100,000 a year. New Hope-Solebury, Bucks County, is at the top of those nine school districts with an average pay of $111,968, followed by Lower Merion ($110,695) and Upper Dublin ($107,829) in Montgomery County. Stress and low pay drives teachers away: Stress, low pay, uncertainty drove these Pa. teachers away from a profession they loved Philadelphia City School District ranks 108th in the state with an average salary of $82,151. At an average salary of $92,454, Central Bucks, the third largest district in the state, ranks 26th highest for average teacher pay. Search the database below to see how your Pennsylvania school district ranks for average salary in the state. The data used for this story includes the education department's Summary Staff Salary Report for the 2023-2024 school year. The data provides the average salary for administrators, teachers, and other staff for every public school district, charter school and technical school in the state as of Oct. 1, 2023. This story focused only on salaries for classroom teachers in public school districts. The averages county salaries were calculated using a weighted average using the average salaries and total number of teachers reported in the data by county. Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Teacher pay in PA ranks 11th in the country, Bucks County leads state Buffalo man sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatal shooting BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Buffalo man was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday for fatally shooting a woman just over a year ago, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced. Officials said 22-year-old Jamin Haygood fatally shot 51-year-old Jacquette Holley with an illegal shotgun on the night of May 27, 2023 inside a Delaware Avenue apartment building. Holley died at the scene. Haygood pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter in March. He was also sentenced as a second violent felony offender and received five years of post-release supervision following his prison term. 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. This image made from video provided by Cleveland 19 WOIO-TV shows debris flying through the air after a natural gas explosion caused extensive damage to a building in Youngstown, Ohio, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, and injured people, authorities said. (WOIO-TV via AP) YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) A massive explosion blew out much of the ground floor of an apartment building, killing a bank employee and injuring several other people. Police and emergency officials initially blamed natural gas, but the fire chief later said the cause is under investigation. The blast happened around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, collapsing part of the ground floor of Realty Tower into its basement and sending the facade across a street where both sides had been blocked off by orange construction fencing. The 13-story building has a Chase Bank branch at street level and apartments in upper floors. Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, city officials said the state fire marshal's office was leading the investigation into the cause, and it wasn't known when a determination may be made. The bank employee, 27-year-old Akil Drake, had been seen inside the building right before the blast, the Youngstown Police Department said Wednesday. Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley said in a news conference Tuesday that firefighters rescued several people and cleared the building to ensure no one else was hurt. Finley said Wednesday that two people Drake and a woman whose name has not been released were initially unaccounted for after the blast, so firefighters and other emergency responders remained on scene for several hours to locate them. Finley said the woman was found in a hospital where, for unknown reasons, she had been registered under another name. Drake's body was eventually found in a basement. We were not going to leave there until we found him. His family deserved closure, Finley said. JPMorgan Chase mourned his loss and said it would work with local officials. Our hearts go out to their family as well as our injured employees, their families and others affected by this tragedy," a company statement read. Police and the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency said there was a natural gas explosion, but the fire chief later said it was too early to say. "We have no idea what caused the explosion. We know that there was an explosion and it did a lot of damage to the bottom of the building, Finley said Tuesday. He said none of the apartments in the building are habitable. Seven injured people were taken to Mercy Health Hospital in Youngstown. Finley said one woman remained in critical condition Wednesday. The blast shook downtown Youngstown, a city of about 60,000 residents. Bricks, glass and other debris littered the sidewalk. Bullets before ballots: Dozens of Mexican candidates have been killed as cartels seek more control Members of the Mexican military hold the nation's flag before an opposition rally at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, this month as Mexico gears up for national elections this weekend. (Ginnette Riquelme / Associated Press) Noe Ramos was chatting with voters, sharing breakfast with supporters of his mayoral reelection bid in his hometown in northern Mexico. Its something very special that people give me a glass of water, that they invite me to have a taco, to have a tamale, Ramos said in a Facebook livestream last month featuring him at an outdoor table in El Mante in Tamaulipas state. It motivates me to keep on working to make things better. I will not defraud them. An hour later, Ramos was dead. An attacker approached him on the campaign trail and stabbed him multiple times. The same day, April 19, a mayoral candidate in the southern state of Oaxaca was found dead, two days after he was reported missing. The slayings of at least 30 candidates have provided a chilling backdrop to Mexico's June 2 elections, as criminal gangs seek expanded control in states where cartels already wreak havoc. The country's largest vote ever, with more than 20,000 posts up for grabs and a marquee contest that will almost certainly see Mexico choose its first female president, has led to one of the bloodiest election cycles of recent times and one in which voters say they are most worried about public safety. A person holds a sign that reads, "We are all the same Mexico," at an opposition rally in Mexico City called to encourage voting ahead of the presidential elections on Sunday. (Ginnette Riquelme / Associated Press) On Wednesday, the last official day of the Mexican campaign, another mayoral candidate was killed in the western state of Guerrero, among Mexico's most violent. Jose Alfredo Cabrera, an opposition hopeful in the municipality of Coyuca de Benitez, was shot dead at his closing campaign rally, authorities said. Video circulating online showed a smiling Cabrera greeting supporters as a hand holding a pistol appears at the back of his head. What sound like repeated shots are heard among screams from the crowd as the video loses focus. Authorities did not immediately verify the authenticity of the video, but the governor's office confirmed the candidate's slaying. The killings this cycle, documented by human rights groups and others, haven't reached the four dozen killings of candidates before the 2018 election, but the Mexican consultancy Integralia has declared the current campaign season the most violent in modern Mexican history when also taking into account threats, disappearances, kidnappings and other acts of intimidation against not only office-seekers, but also current and former public officials and collateral victims such as family members. Integralia counted 560 victims of political violence as of May 1 compared with 389 victims during the 2017-18 campaign and 299 in the 2020-21 midterms. It specified 316 attacks or threats against candidates as of an updated report May 28. The violence this year, as in other recent election cycles, has not targeted big-name candidates for the presidency, gubernatorial posts or other high-profile positions. Rather, those seeking municipal offices are in the crossfire. Read more: Soldiers and civilians are dying as Mexican cartels embrace a terrifying new weapon: Land mines Its the Tip ONeill phenomenon: All politics are local, said David Shirk, a political scientist at the University of San Diego, referring to the late congressional leader from Massachusetts. Mayors and mayoral candidates are essentially under siege because they are a critical point of influence and protection for criminal actors. Gangs seek to finance their own nominees and then strong-arm or eliminate opponents. Crooked mayors can deliver corrupt cops and other benefits to criminals seeking dominion over smuggling routes, extortion targets, municipal budgets and other opportunities in their territories, or plazas. Local politicians can be more vulnerable to cartel pressure than governors and other high-ranking lawmakers. Organized crime needs some kind of understanding with the authorities, said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a Mexican political analyst. That may be a kind of negotiation that can be friendly, or skirts legality, or involves bribes and collusion or it can be violent, with threats, extortion or direct aggression. And buying politicians is far more certain than working through the democratic process. Criminal organizations need guarantees, said Bravo Regidor. Uncertainty doesnt guarantee that the winner will be someone who agrees with the deals they have made. Read more: Dream interrupted: As gang violence soars in Mexico, migrants in U.S. rethink plans to go home Of course, being on a gang payroll is no assurance of longevity. Rival factions may come calling in a country where organized crime is highly fragmented. "The real dilemma that a lot of candidates and officials face is this: If they are in the pocket of one criminal group, will they draw fire from another?" said Shirk, who heads the Justice in Mexico program at the University of San Diego. Another factor, of course, is protection: Hopefuls for local posts seldom have the bodyguards that accompany higher-level candidates. Police guard the City Hall in Maravatio in the Mexican state of Michoacan in February after two mayoral hopefuls were gunned down within hours of each other. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press) The violence has prompted the Mexican military to bolster security, dispatching more than 3,450 troops tasked with protecting some 554 aspirants, with the largest deployments for presidential and gubernatorial office-seekers, according to the secretary of defense. Still, there is no federal escort for most candidates, who often seek out protection from state and local police forces, or hire private bodyguards. Political violence is out of control and there is no real possibility that state or federal authorities can protect those who seek help, wrote columnist Raymundo Riva Palacio in Mexico's El Financiero newspaper. "And the form in which these cartels have been empowered, with the help of some politicians leaves everyone exposed." Read more: Sons of Mexico's El Chapo: We don't make fentanyl or feed victims to tigers On the morning of April 1, Bertha Gisela Gaytan outlined how, if elected mayor of her home city of Celaya, she would target ever-mounting violence. Then she took to the streets of the industrial hub with supporters. It was the first day of her campaign. A hit squad lurked. At least one assailant opened fire at point-blank range, according to police and witness comments to the media. The killers drove off on a pair of motorcycles. Images of Gaytans body lying face down on the street with blood flowing from her head were soon online. Municipal police chat with a resident while patrolling her neighborhood in Celaya, Mexico, this year. A mayoral candidate in the city, which has become an organized-crime battleground, was gunned down April 1. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press) Gaytan, a 47-year-old lawyer, had sought protection from federal authorities but had yet to receive it. We had hopes that she would make a difference because she said she was going to combat the narcos, said Maria Celorio, 32, a resident of Celaya which, like much of the central state of Guanajuato, has become an organized-crime battleground, registering some of the countrys highest homicide rates. Instead, they killed her. Read more: I have enough ovaries to apply the law. The language of gender enters the Mexican presidential race Federal security was finally forthcoming for Gaytan at her funeral, which featured phalanxes of troops guarding Celaya's cathedral. "Today we mark an absurd death, a death provoked by killers who believe they dominate society," eulogized Father Cesar Corres Cadavieco. "By cowardly criminals capable of finishing off a life that is an inconvenience to their own interests." Relatives of mayoral candidate Bertha Gisela Gaytan mourn during her funeral in Celaya, Mexico, on April 3. (Mario Armas / Getty Images) Gaytan was a member of the ruling leftist Morena party of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as were 10 of the candidates slain so far in the electoral season, the most of any party. But analysts said that may just reflect Morenas domination of Mexican politics, not a targeting of its candidates for ideological motives. Campaign violence tends to be concentrated in states such as Guanajuato, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Michoacan, where cartels hold sway across vast swaths of territory. Read more: How many people work for the Mexican drug cartels? Researchers have an answer In the Michoacan city of Maravatio on Feb. 26, gunmen killed two mayoral candidates from opposing political parties seven hours apart. Both were shot in their vehicles. Authorities blamed organized crime but never clarified if the slayings were connected. A sharp rise in violence has battered the southern state of Chiapas in recent months, killing scores and forcing hundreds from their homes. Mexicos two major criminal syndicates the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel are at war in a conflict to secure drug- and migrant-smuggling corridors from neighboring Guatemala, across jungles, rivers and mountains. A series of attacks on mayoral candidates and their entourages in Chiapas this month have left at least 16 dead, including Lucero Esmeralda Lopez Maza, 28, mayoral hopeful in the municipality of La Concordia, along with her sister. Three other mayoral aspirants from towns across Chiapas were injured in three other attacks, officials said. A member of the Mexican National Guard stands at the perimeter of a crime scene where a passenger was shot dead inside a bus in Celaya, Mexico, in February. As Mexico's June 2 presidential election approaches, the national debate about security policy rages. (Fernando Llano / Associated Press) On May 12, a total of 11 people, mostly from one family, were massacred in the town of Chicomuselo, some 20 miles from the Guatemala border. The isolated town is not far from one of the campaigns most puzzling scenes: During a visit by Claudia Sheinbaum, the presidential front-runner, men in ski masks approached her vehicle and asked for help in bringing peace to Chiapas. They soon left, assuring the candidate that they were not fifis a derogatory term for wealthy snobs popularized by Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaums political mentor. No one was hurt in the encounter, but the peculiar incident dramatized the potential vulnerability of even the best-protected candidates. Very strange, Sheinbaum said afterward. Mexican President President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, shown during his daily news conference, rejects critics' contention that his policies worsened cartel problems in parts of the country. (Luis Barron / Getty Images) Chiapas Catholic bishops have declared that there are no conditions for elections to take place in much of the state. Many terrified office-seekers across Chiapas have dropped out. Many candidates and local party officials in Chiapas and Tamaulipas that The Times reached out to did not respond to requests for comment or said they did not want to discuss the issue. On a recent visit to Chiapas, Lopez Obrador denied that the state was in flames. Some have blamed the outgoing president's policies for an expansion in gang control in parts of the country. But he rejects allegations that his "hugs not bullets" approach avoiding clashes with cartels in favor of funding social programs providing alternatives beyond a life in crime for impoverished youth has exacerbated violence. Even when authorities make arrests which analysts say is all too rare law enforcement actions can leave more questions than answers This month, the chief prosecutor in Guanajuato state said seven suspects had been arrested in Gaytan's slaying. But authorities clarified neither the motive nor who orchestrated the killing. Prosecutors in the cartel-dominated border area of Tamaulipas widely considered a "narco state" announced the arrest of a suspect in the stabbing death of Ramos, the mayor seeking reelection in El Mante. Authorities portrayed the suspect as a lone-wolf drug user and former butcher with a criminal record who believed himself to be an avenger of God," according to official statements and media accounts. Read more: Murder of presidential candidate in Tijuana 30 years ago still obsesses Mexico That didnt explain how the assailant, reportedly requesting a selfie with the candidate, managed to get close enough to stab Ramos, whose campaign had hired private bodyguards in part because of a public history of threats against Ramos going back to at least 2022. "I'm scared because we don't know why this happened," Ramos' widow, Sheyla Palacios, told a Tamaulipas TV station about her husband's assassination. Palacios has taken Ramos spot on the ballot, running for mayor of the city of 70,000. Now state police are stationed outside Palacios home with security officials inside, she has said. She campaigns at choreographed events, escorted by armed guards. Voters understand the need for extreme caution, even at the cost of sacrificing intimacy with constituents, Palacios says. The people on the streets say they are with me, they hug me," she said in the TV interview. "They give me words of encouragement, they pray for me. Times special correspondent Cecilia Sanchez Vidal contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Bundeswehr using own IT infrastructure for NATO exercise in Lithuania Lithuanian soldiers have a break after a shooting practice near Rudninkai in the area where the German brigade is to be stationed in Lithuania. The size of the construction area for the German barracks is about 40 hectares. The total area is around 170 square kilometers with a huge shooting range. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The German Armed Forces have deployed their own IT infrastructure as well as thousands of soldiers to Lithuania for the ongoing Quadriga 2024 NATO military exercise. "Information from, about and on the battlefield is of crucial importance," a Bundeswehr spokesman told dpa at the Lithuanian military base in Nemencine. "We are therefore providing the IT services and infrastructure to enable the soldiers to communicate securely with each other in battle and to support the military commander in leading the unit by providing reconnaissance results, for example." Protected by camouflage nets, mobile IT systems capable of being deployed and networked, decentralized servers and systems for establishing satellite connections are located on the army base some 20 kilometres north-east of the capital Vilnius. The systems were set up and installed in Lithuania for the exercise within a few days. A unit from the Information Technology Battalion 381, which is normally stationed in the town of Storkow to the south-east of Berlin, arrived in the NATO partner country by sea and land in April. Around 120 soldiers spread across three locations provide systems for communication, information supply and data transmission - decentralized on site and securely connected to the Bundeswehr systems in Germany. The IT technology brought along also enables the use of newly introduced 3D situation maps using a system called Augmented Common Operational Picture (ACOP) during the exercise, which provide a better impression of the nature of the battlefield. German and Lithuanian troops are also practising radar reconnaissance together using a Fuchs armoured transport vehicle with an extendable mast system. Other vehicles offer protection against drones by jamming frequencies. "We can see that these reconnaissance capabilities, as well as jamming capabilities, are urgently needed," said the Bundeswehr spokesman, referring to Ukraine's experience in its defensive campaign against Russia. Electronic warfare is an "important point," he said, adding that this is also demonstrated by the fact that the cyber and information space force was recently made one of the four branches of the Bundeswehr. Germany's Quadriga exercise, which lasts several months, is part of the current NATO defence exercise Steadfast Defender. The alliance is mobilizing around 90,000 soldiers over a period of several months to practise raising the alarm, deploying large units and defending against a simulated attacker. Germany is participating with 12,000 soldiers. Bundeswehr soldiers prepare for the conclusion of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024 on the Leopard 2 and Puma main battle tank. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr is demonstrating the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, speaks at the end of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr demonstrates the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 29. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan and China's Eging PV Technology Co., Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a solar power station in Tajikistan's Panj free economic zone (FEZ), Trend reports. According to the Tajik ministry, the memorandum was signed during a meeting between the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Zavqi Zavqizoda, and the regional representatives of the Chinese company. In the first stage, it is planned to construct a solar power station with an investment of $150 million, capable of generating 200 MW, covering an area of 250 hectares within the territory of the Panj FEZ. The total investment volume for all four stages amounts to $1.5 billion. During the meeting, Zavqizoda highlighted that the strategic cooperation between Tajikistan and China has reached a qualitative level. The minister addressed investment opportunities in Tajikistan, priority areas, and spheres for attracting foreign investments, including the country's free economic zones. Additionally, he provided tax and administrative incentives for the establishment of industrial enterprises. He also invited participation in investment projects in the construction of solar power stations and the implementation of other priority investment projects in the country, which was welcomed. California has 11 of the most overpriced housing markets in US. Heres how much homes cost California is home to some of the most overpriced housing markets in the nation, a new housing study reveals. A total of 11 California cities landed on a list of the top 100 housing markets in the United States created by Florida Atlantic University. Every month, the university uses data from Zillow and other sources to rank the cities housing markets as overpriced or underpriced based on the average home value compared to the expected price. Atlanta led Aprils Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking with a 41.3% average housing premium. This means homes in the Georgia city are being sold for 41.3% above what they should be priced. Detroit took second place with a housing premium of 40.8%, followed by Cape Coral, Florida, in third place with housing premium 37.6%. Only one California city cracked the top 20 of the Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking. Modesto landed at No. 17 on the list with a housing premium of 32%. It is hoped that knowing the premium or discount ... will enable more informed decision making by buyers, sellers, real estate professionals and (policymakers) within that market, researchers from Florida Atlantic University wrote on the site. California cities with the most overpriced housing markets These California cities were among the top overpriced metropolitan areas in the country as of April 30, according to Florida Atlantic Universitys Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking: No. 17 | Modesto Average home value: $466,035 Expected home price: $353,206 Average housing premium: 31.94% No. 36 | Stockton Average value: $542,583 Expected price: $426,860 Average premium: 27.11% No. 45 | Riverside Average value: $581,267 Expected price: $467,964 Average premium: 24.21% No. 50 | San Diego Average value: $957,094 Expected price: $769,252 Average premium: 24.42% No. 52 | Bakersfield Average value: $351,385 Expected price: $284,659 Average premium: 23.4% No. 58. | Fresno Average value: $397,214 Expected price: $325,286 Average premium: 22.11% No. 78 | Sacramento Average value: $584,289 Expected price: $499,795 Average premium: 16.9% No. 82 | Oxnard Average value: $874,666 Expected price: $753,009 Average premium: 16.2% No. 85 | Los Angeles Average value: $961,667 Expected price: $845,956 Average premium: 13.7% No. 86 | San Jose Average value: $1,633,092 Expected price: $1,434,668 Average premium: 13.8% No. 98 | San Francisco Average value: $1,187,716 Expected price: $1,161,573 Average premium: 2.3% How did Florida Atlantic University come up with rankings? Florida Atlantic University used data from Zillow and other housing market data providers to analyze the top 100 most overpriced or underpriced metropolitan areas in the U.S. Locations were then ranked according to their average housing premium or discount. The Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking is compiled monthly. 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. California is home to some of the most overpriced housing markets in the nation, a new housing study reveals. A total of 11 California cities landed on a list of the top 100 housing markets in the United States created by Florida Atlantic University. Every month, the university uses data from Zillow and other sources to rank the cities housing markets as overpriced or underpriced based on the average home value compared to the expected price. Atlanta led Aprils Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking with a 41.3% average housing premium. This means homes in the Georgia city are being sold for 41.3% above what they should be priced. Detroit took second place with a housing premium of 40.8%, followed by Cape Coral, Florida, in third place with housing premium 37.6%. Only one California city cracked the top 20 of the Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking. Modesto landed at No. 17 on the list with a housing premium of 32%. It is hoped that knowing the premium or discount ... will enable more informed decision making by buyers, sellers, real estate professionals and (policymakers) within that market, researchers from Florida Atlantic University wrote on the site. California cities with the most overpriced housing markets These California cities were among the top overpriced metropolitan areas in the country as of April 30, according to Florida Atlantic Universitys Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking: No. 17 | Modesto Average home value: $466,035 Expected home price: $353,206 Average housing premium: 31.94% No. 36 | Stockton Average value: $542,583 Expected price: $426,860 Average premium: 27.11% No. 45 | Riverside Average value: $581,267 Expected price: $467,964 Average premium: 24.21% No. 50 | San Diego Average value: $957,094 Expected price: $769,252 Average premium: 24.42% No. 52 | Bakersfield Average value: $351,385 Expected price: $284,659 Average premium: 23.4% No. 58. | Fresno Average value: $397,214 Expected price: $325,286 Average premium: 22.11% No. 78 | Sacramento Average value: $584,289 Expected price: $499,795 Average premium: 16.9% No. 82 | Oxnard Average value: $874,666 Expected price: $753,009 Average premium: 16.2% No. 85 | Los Angeles Average value: $961,667 Expected price: $845,956 Average premium: 13.7% No. 86 | San Jose Average value: $1,633,092 Expected price: $1,434,668 Average premium: 13.8% No. 98 | San Francisco Average value: $1,187,716 Expected price: $1,161,573 Average premium: 2.3% How did Florida Atlantic University come up with rankings? Florida Atlantic University used data from Zillow and other housing market data providers to analyze the top 100 most overpriced or underpriced metropolitan areas in the U.S. Locations were then ranked according to their average housing premium or discount. The Beracha and Johnson Housing Market Ranking is compiled monthly. 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. As growing numbers of countertop cutters in California suffer from an incurable and deadly lung disease, lawmakers are seeking to clamp down on which businesses can legally perform such work. Health officials have tied the rise in silicosis to the surging popularity of engineered stone, an artificial product that can be much higher in silica than natural slabs. The disease is caused by inhaling tiny bits of crystalline silica that scar the lungs, leaving ailing workers reliant on oxygen tanks and lung transplants to survive. More than a dozen countertop workers in California have died, some barely into middle age. In the San Fernando Valley, outreach workers have found immigrant workers cutting the artificial material in dusty shops with scant protections. When Cal/OSHA took a closer look at the industry in 2019 and 2020, it found that 72% of shops where it conducted air sampling were in violation of silica rules. It recently estimated that out of nearly 5,000 such workers statewide, as many as 200 could die of the disease. Despite the risks posed by cutting and grinding the material, "there is uncontrolled access in California to materials that contain silica," said Jim Hieb, chief executive of the Natural Stone Institute, an industry group. "This means anyone can purchase materials and allow any contractor to fabricate them" cutting and polishing a slab for countertop installation "without regulatory control." That could change if lawmakers pass AB 3043, a state bill that would establish a licensing system for businesses that cut and polish slabs of engineered or natural stone. Under the bill, no business could legally do stone "fabrication" work in California without such a state license. To obtain one, shops would need to show they were following state requirements for workplace safety and ensure employees were trained in protective measures. The bill would also bar suppliers from providing slabs to unlicensed cutters. Read more: California countertop workers died of a preventable disease. The threat was known years earlier In addition, AB 3043 would prohibit such shops from cutting slabs without using "wet methods" to tamp down dust. Emergency rules adopted in December by state regulators already require such systems whenever risky work is being performed, but Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood) argued that banning "dry cutting" in state law would strengthen the rule. Working in this industry should not be "a death sentence," said Rivas, who introduced the bill. The state bill would also require Cal/OSHA to start publicly reporting on its website on any orders prohibiting activities at stonecutting shops in the previous year, as well as mandate reports to lawmakers about which parts of the state have the highest numbers of violations and how many licenses have been issued. The legislation was sponsored by the State Building and Construction Trades Council and is also backed by the American Lung Assn. in California and the Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Assn. The hope is that as many stonecutting businesses step forward and get licensed, Cal/OSHA "may be able to shine a light on the parts of the industry they know about that haven't registered" and "target their resources," said Jeremy Smith, chief of staff for the State Building and Construction Trades Council. Business groups had bristled at an earlier version of the bill that imposed wage requirements, which were later stripped from the proposal. The Silica Safety Coalition, an industry group that argues silicosis can be prevented with the use of safety measures, said it was now backing the bill. So is the Natural Stone Institute. "Careful implementation of the licensure program registration, coupled with strict monitoring and enforcement will be critical to the success of this program," Hieb said in an email. Read more: California workers who cut countertops are dying of an incurable disease Enforcement has been a serious question in the face of high vacancy rates at Cal/OSHA. Even knowing how many stone fabrication shops exist has been a challenge for state regulators: At a UCLA conference in May, a California Department of Public Health official estimated there were more than 900 stonecutting shops across the state. In another presentation that same morning, Hieb said his group pegged the figure around 3,000. Whenever a state bill involves Cal/OSHA, "that is in the back of everybody's mind. ... Are they going to have the wherewithal to really do what we want this bill to do?" Smith said. Funding could be a problem: Under the bill, any stonecutting shops seeking a license would need to pay fees $650 in total for an initial application, $450 for a renewal which would go into a state fund used to enforce the rules. AB 3043 would also require stonecutting businesses to bear the costs of training workers. But an Assembly Appropriations Committee analysis concluded that fees and possible penalties under the bill were unlikely to cover the costs of the regulatory structure set out by AB 3043, potentially requiring other funding from the state as it grapples with a yawning deficit. Rivas said she and other lawmakers are still assessing the fees needed to support rigorous enforcement. Among those who have questioned the bill is Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach), who voted against AB 3043 in committee. In a statement, Dixon said among her concerns was that "the worker training requirements in this bill are largely duplicative of existing training requirements under Cal/OSHA regulations." Rivas disputed that argument. Dr. Robert Blink, past president of the Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Assn., argued that the state needs to impose a fee on every square foot of stone slab that is sold, "producing enough money every year to actually fund the necessary training, education, registration, tracking, enforcement and so forth." Scofflaw shops will still try to ignore the rules if AB 3043 passes, he said. "If there is enough energy addressed to reining them in ... then it will help a lot," Blink said. Rivas said that she would have tried to ban engineered stone a decision soon to go into effect in Australia if she thought such a bill would have a chance at passing. In Australia, workplace safety regulators concluded that "the only way to ensure that another generation of Australian workers do not contract silicosis from such work is to prohibit its use" entirely. Short of such a ban, Rivas said, "we're trying to create a way that workers will be safe." Read more: Gas stoves may contribute to early deaths and childhood asthma, new Stanford study finds Sign up for Boiling Point, our twice-weekly newsletter on energy, the environment and climate across the American West. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) TSA officers with the Norfolk International Airport (ORF) prevented a California man from bringing a loaded gun onto a flight on Friday. Norfolk TSA officers stop loaded handgun from being brought onto flight According to officials, the .45 caliber handgun, loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber, was detected after the man entered the security checkpoint. A closer inspection was required after the X-ray unit alerted on the carry-on bag. This handgun was detected by TSA officers at a Norfolk International Airport security checkpoint on May 24. (TSA photo) Local police were able to remove the firearm, citing the man on a weapons charge. It has been a very busy Memorial Day holiday travel period across the country, and in fact, May 24th was the busiest day ever in TSAs 22-year history. When individuals bring their firearms to our checkpoints, it slows down the checkpoint screening process for everyone, and on the busiest day ever, that was certainly not something that other travelers needed to experience. Whats important to know is that our officers are good at their jobs and even with sky-high checkpoint volume, they remain alert and vigilant in screening individuals who are arriving at our checkpoints. I commend our officers on their good catch in preventing an individual from boarding a plane with a loaded firearm. Robin Chuck Burke, TSAs Federal Security Director for the airport The man, on top of being criminally cited by police, faces a civil penalty of up to $15,000 for bringing a gun to a TSA checkpoint. Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 As of May 27 Guns caught at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) checkpoints 14 10 21 15 12 23 27 29 15 For information on how to properly travel with firearms in checked baggage, visit TSAs website here. 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. Residents of a Southern California neighborhood can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that a suspected vandal in the neighborhood has been arrested. His weapon of choice wasn't a gun or a knife, but a slingshot. Prince Raymond King, an 81-year-old man in Azusa, California, was arrested after authorities executed a search warrant on his home on suspicion of terrorizing the neighborhood with a slingshot. In a news release, Azusa police said they "conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that during the course of nine to 10 years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter." According to Azusa PD, "the unknown suspect broke windows, windshields, and almost stuck people with ball bearings." Police found a slingshot and ball bearings upon searching King's home. Azusa police lieutenant Jake Bushey told The San Gabriel Valley Tribune that officers initially began investigating when the first incident happened nearly a decade ago. "Its been ongoing for many years because we just didnt identify who the suspect was," he said. According to Bushey, detectives learned in their investigation that most of the ball bearings were shot from King's backyard and others were launched from "a nearby neighborhood." His motive remains unclear "other than just malicious mischief." He was booked into jail on no bail and was scheduled for a court appearance on May 28. Even the most seemingly harmless "malicious mischief" can have real-life consequences. CHEMUNG COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) 18 News has confirmed there was a second issue on Wednesday morning involving the radio system used by the Chemung County 911 Communications Center that caused some of the Police and Fire radios to be ineffective, according to Chemung County Undersheriff Douglas Houper. This comes after a nearly 8-hour outage on Saturday night, according to District 14 Legislator Michael Smith. In an email to 18 News on Wednesday afternoon, Undersheriff Houper said the radio issues were isolated to the E911 Center radios only. The system itself did not go down, just the ability for the Communication Operators at 911 to use their radio equipment at their work station, Undersheriff Houper said. The staff at 911 are trained and have a very effective back-up system so that radio communications do not go down. At this time, we have no idea what caused this interruption, but we are working with our radio vendor to determine the cause and any permanent corrections that are needed, Houper added. To reiterate, the current system is effective, but it appears the problem may be with one or more of the radio towers that communicate to the E911 Center. The radio system is slated to be updated through a multi-county radio project in the near future, but this is not the cause of this current problem. Our radio vendor is working diligently to find the cause to this issue. At no time was the public in danger with this temporary outage, as the employees at the center are trained to use redundancy equipment to provide the same services we currently have, just in a different manner, Houper concluded. At a Chemung County Legislative Committee meeting Tuesday night, District 14 Legislator Michael Smith called for an investigation into a failure of the fire radio system over the Memorial Day weekend. Legislator Smith said all volunteer firefighters received a phone notification at 8:11p.m. on Saturday, May 25th to staff fire stations during the outage. A screenshot provided to 18 News shows the message said: ALL COUNTY RADIOS OUT OF SERVICE: All Depts monitor FIRE 1 at stations. Sheriff Bill Schrom told 18 News the outage did not affect the Sheriffs Department because it had a very effective back-up system. Legislator Smith says the fire radio system was restored at 3:48 a.m. on May 26th, making the outage nearly 8 hours. In a phone call with 18 News, Smith said people were still able to call 911. Smith says the main issue was losing the ability to page fire departments. Smith says the Communication Center did have limited ability to communicate with fire departments via a portable radio or phone. Smith said that can delay response times and complicate communication during an emergency. Legislator Smith represents the 14th District, which includes the Town of Southport. The Chemung County website says Mr. Smith also served as the County Director of Fire and Emergency Management for 23 years. During that time, implemented enhanced 911 Services and consolidated police and fire communications into a single E911 answering point. He was responsible for the administration of millions of dollars in State and Federal Homeland Security Grants which provided a completely re-engineered radio communication system for all fire and police agencies as well as enhanced emergency response equipment. On Saturday night, May 25th, at about eleven minutes after eight, the county fire radio system failed, and it was out of service until 3:40 Sunday morning, Legislator Smith said at Tuesday nights Legislative Committee meeting. County Executive Chris Moss was also present at the meeting, listening off-camera. The County Executive does not usually attend County Legislative Committee meetings. Chemung County Sheriffs Office announces new mobile app A message was sent by telephone phone cell phone service to the volunteer responders asking that they staff their fire stations during this outage, Smith added. There was an opportunity for the communication center to use a portable radio to communicate out from there. I think it would be well if we could ask the county attorney to look into this manner and determine what the nature of the failure was, why it occurred, what has been done to remediate failure and what plans are in the future to ensure this doesnt occur again. Smith said. We spend well in excess of $200,000 a year on a maintenance agreement with radio provider. Tonight, weve authorized four resolutions here dealing with the communication system. Smith told 18 News the current system is beginning to show its age at nearly 30 years old. I think that weve got to get this fire radio system straightened out. Weve had for over two years been expressing our concerns about it and now weve had a failure that could well have been, this could have been a real jackpot. Fortunately, not much happened during that time period. The City of Elmira had an alarm or two, they were not big deals. Although all of them certainly have the potential to affect life and property. These werent major things. So, Im hopeful that we can perhaps have a resolution added to the budget committee for next Monday night to ask the county attorney to take a look at this and see if we can get to the bottom of what occurred. Thank you, Smith concluded. Chemung County responds to road visibility concern over tall grass How did they discover it? said District 13 Legislator Scott Drake, who represents Elmira and Southport. I dont know that, Smith replied. It was a microwave failure on behalf of Motorola, said County Executive Chris Moss. We have asked for the majority of information that Mr. Smith mentioned. Theyve asked for some time to give it to us. The timeline is correct that he established, Moss continued. I can tell you the Undersheriff was involved, the EMO director, myself was involved as well as the 911 supervisor. There werent any issues. Were looking at our redundancy policy and so forth, but were told there was nothing we could do with this other than utilize cell phones, landlines and radios. Motorola should be giving us some type of reason as to why it happened and as soon as we get it, Ill forward it to everybody. So, did they replace something they got it back running? asked Legislator Drake. Yes. Motorola showed up, they were on scene about 11pm. It took them about four hours to get it replaced, Moss replied. Below, you can watch Legislator Smith raise the outage issue during Tuesdays Legislative Standing Committees meeting: Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Did someone cut the fixed rope used by hundreds of climbers to ascend Mount Everest? Thats the claim made by Nirmal Nims Purja, an expedition leader who said his team members discovered the sliced rope during a summit push on Monday. Later that day, another team successfully reached the summit using the fixed ropes, leading to accusations that Purja had invented the story for personal gain. On Monday, the Nepalese government announced an investigation into Purja for disseminating misinformation with the intention of getting popularity. But Purja fired back with some fresh video evidence on Wednesday morning, publishing an Instagram video showing the cut ropes and interviewing Sherpas from his company, Elite Exped. Other teams were able to summit because Purjas team had already repaired the line, he said. Theyre calling me a liar. That is the evidence of rope being cut, Purja said as he showed a cut rope high on the mountain. High-Altitude Allegations Purjas team first heard of the sliced rope on Sunday from another expedition company called Peak Promotion. The outfit was retrieving a body when they reported a cut rope below the South Summit. A day later, Purjas team said it found the sliced rope exactly where Peak Promotion said it would be. In interviews, Sherpas with Elite Exped said that about 120 feet of rope had been cut and cast down the mountain. They discovered this lost section of rope on Monday between the mountains South Summit and a section known as the Balcony. One Sherpa said he initially believed the rope must have been cut by a rock. But upon further inspection, he said it was clearly sliced by a knife. Peak Promotion hasnt responded to requests for comment. Purjas initial video post received many comments from fellow mountaineers on Everest, who questioned the story. Many of them wondered why anyone would bother cutting ropes that are shared among many different expeditions. No one would have deliberately cut a fixed line in the mountains, wrote Nga Tenjin Sherpa of The Summit Force. If someone did, the government would be ready to impose severe penalties, [but] Nims cannot accuse others without proof. If his claims are untrue, it could cause significant problems for him. A History of Conflicts This isnt the first time that Purja has found himself at the center of a controversy. Last week, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal refused to grant him a skydiving permit after claims that he illegally commandeered a helicopter on Everest earlier this month, according to The Himalayan Times. But those claims of an illegal flight are unequivocally false, a spokesperson for Purja told GearJunkie. Some of our esteemed clients had become unwell and needed medical attention, the spokesperson said. The rescue was done successfully and clients went on to recover successfully in Kathmandu. There is nothing illegal about this action as rescue flights are sanctioned. Nimsdai Purja When Purja took to Instagram to make a big claim about foul play on Everest, Nepalis tourism officials reacted quickly. Nims claims are baseless and it seems he chose this trick to garner peoples sympathy, Damber Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal, said in an emergency meeting in Kathmandu. But Purja, a former member of Nepals Ghurka regiment and the U.K. Special Forces, doesnt plan on backing down. I welcome the Department of Tourism investigation into the cut ropes and hope they will find out what happened and why, he said. I do not make things up. The post Theyre Calling Me a Liar: Nims Purja Posts Video to Prove Foul Play Atop Everest appeared first on GearJunkie. Cambridge paid respect to those who gave their lives in service to this country during the 2024 Memorial Day parade and ceremony at the courthouse on Monday. The parade kicked off at 10 a.m. on the dot and traveled west down Wheeling Avenue. Classic cars, veterans, first responders and other participants waved to the crowd during the annual event. Dressed in patriotic colors, Parker Wynn clings to her father Josh Wynn's back during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Guernsey County Courthouse. Hundreds of individuals and families turned out to watch the parade and honor the day. The Cambridge High School Marching Band performed for the large crowd during and after the parade. The Cambridge City Band was also on-hand playing patriotic tunes. Members of the Cambridge Fire Department at the Memorial Day celebration in Cambridge. After driving three vehicles in the parade, the department stayed for the ceremony honoring those who gave their lives in service to their country. The Rev. Randolph White led the crowd in prayer to begin the ceremony. Mayor Tom Orr, Commander Bill Strawsburg, and Judge Stephanie Williams addressed the crowd. Orr kept his remarks short, and Williams became emotional as she spoke to the crowd about Cambridge soldier Sgt. Jorden Williams, who passed away in 2019. Honor Guard Commander Jim Gibson salutes fellow veterans as they drive past in the parade. Williams was a 2012 graduate of Meadowbrook High School and joined the Army in 2013. His service awards include an Army Commendation Medal with the combat designation, a Good Conduct Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and numerous others. Communities across the county honored the fallen with parades and ceremonies in Buffalo, Cumberland, and Byesville. A 21-gun salute was given by the Guernsey County Veterans Commission, with Commander James L. Gibson playing Taps. Members of the Veterans Commission battled strong winds throughout the day and laid honorary wreaths on the monuments in front of the courthouse. This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Cambridge honors the fallen with Memorial Day ceremony Canadas wild hogs are apparently poised to invade Americas yard. In new research this month, scientists have found evidence that these invasive wild pigs have a high potential to cross over the Canadian border and establish new populations in mostly pig-free parts of the U.S., particularly South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. Despite once being mere fodder for a meme, the threat of feral and wild pigs has become larger over time. These animals have no natural predators in the areas where theyve invaded, allowing them to quickly grow in numbers and voraciously consume a regions native vegetation and small wildlife or farmed crops. They can also carry a variety of potentially dangerous germs and have been known to attack pets or even humans on occasion. Feral swine have invaded much of the southern half of the U.S., and are typically a combination of escaped domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and Eurasian wild boars (Sus scrofa). But Canadas pig problem is uniquely terrifying. Hunters deliberately brought over wild boars to the area as livestock and controlled game during the 1980s and 1990s, but some were able to escape or were released and then mated with domestic pigs. The net result is that Canadas wild pigs today tend to be larger and more resistant to cold than those down south, with scientists often referring to them as super pigs. Their size and hardiness likely also means that these pigs can easily expand their range further across North America. The new research was conducted by scientists from Canada and the U.S., including those working for the United States Department of Agriculture. They collected GPS collar data from Canadian wild pigsincluding one particularly hefty pregnant 638-pound sowand cross-referenced that with known geographical information to create models that estimated what would happen to these swine populations in the near future. This study is one of the most important of my career because it highlights the massive risk of wild pigs and how far they canand likely willmove if something different isnt done. They found that Canadas wild pigs nowadays tend to favor areas rich in deciduous forest and wetlands, followed by those carrying crops. And given that much of the northern prairies in both countries have plenty of these environments, the team predicts that these pigs have a high potential to move into the neighborhood soon enough. Specifically, the researchers argue that the animals will move further into southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada, and into parts of northeastern Montana, North and South Dakota, and the western parts of Minnesota in the U.S. The teams findings were published this month in the journal Biological Invasions. These pigs have high reproductive rates, are very mobile, and have a high capacity to spread, study author Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan who has been tracking the pig problem for over a decade, told Field & Stream, earlier this month. This study is one of the most important of my career because it highlights the massive risk of wild pigs and how far they canand likely willmove if something different isnt done. The teams hope is that by accurately predicting where these hogs will head next, relevant parties can take proactive steps to curtail their spread. We went from having a general concern about pigs crossing the U.S./Canada border to having very detailed maps showing where theyre most likely to move and establish populations, Brooks said. This can be used to target control efforts. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 29. The trade turnover between Turkiye and Turkmenistan from January through March this year amounted to $459.5 million, Trend reports. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) reports that the figures for the specified period are 15 percent lower than those from the same period in 2023, which totaled $540.9 million. Turkiye's imports from Turkmenistan in the first quarter of this year amounted to almost $232.2 million, which is 24 percent less than the same period last year when it amounted to $306 million. At the same time, Turkiye's exports to Turkmenistan decreased by almost 3.2 percent during the reporting period compared to the corresponding period in 2023 ($234.9 million), amounting to just over $227.3 million. Meanwhile, for the entirety of 2023, the trade turnover between Turkiye and Turkmenistan reached $2.66 billion, indicating a 29.1 percent growth compared to 2022, when it amounted to $2.06 billion. Carl Sandburg College recognized the 2024 winners for Faculty of the Year, Adjunct Faculty of the Year and Staff Member of the Year during its recent 56th annual commencement on the Galesburg campus. Stacy Bainter was selected as Faculty of the Year, Fred Visel was named Adjunct Faculty of the Year and Francis McKillip was chosen as Staff Member of the Year. (Clockwise from top left) Stacy Bainter, Francis McKillip and Fred Visel (Carl Sandburg College) 2024 Faculty of the Year Stacy Bainter A 2000 graduate of Sandburgs nursing program, this is the second time Stacy Bainter has received Sandburgs Faculty of the Year honor. Bainter previously won the award in 2020 and has taught at her alma mater since 2008, when she started as a practical nursing lab instructor. She became an adjunct instructor in the associate degree nursing program in 2011 and has been a full-time instructor since 2015. Bainter also spent time as the coordinator for the basic nursing assistant program and practical nursing, and she served as a health occupations teacher at the Galesburg Area Vocational Center from 2011-2015. Prior to her teaching career, Bainter worked as a registered nurse from 2000-15 in long-term care, holding positions of floor nurse, charge nurse, supervisor, MDS coordinator, assistant director of nursing and director of nursing. After graduating from Sandburg, Bainter went on to earn her bachelors in nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2007 and a masters in nursing (nurse educator track) from McKendree University in 2015. In 2016, she was inducted into McKendrees chapter of Sigma Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. 2024 Adjunct Faculty of the Year Fred Visel As Fred Visel made the trip from his home in Cleveland for his first semester of teaching at Sandburg, one thought entered his mind. I drove through these cornfields, Visel said, and I remember clearly saying to myself, Im here two years, max. That was in the fall of 71. Visel never followed through on his promise and, 53 years later, is still going strong as an adjunct history and geography instructor. Born in whats now Slovakia, Visel didnt know a word of English when his family immigrated to Cleveland in the early 1950s. He majored in history at Bowling Green University and spent five years in the Army, including two combat tours as an infantry officer in the Vietnam War. He went on to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. Visel heard about an open history instructor position at Sandburg through a friend from Cleveland who attended Western Illinois University and despite the pledge he made during his arrival has never left. Its so comfortable living out here, said Visel, who also has masters degrees from the University of Iowa and Illinois State University. I liked what I did and had enough to eat and had a roof over my head, and so I just kept on keeping on. Visel taught full-time until 1984, when he took over as dean of learning resource services in the library. He remained a part-time instructor through the time he retired from that position in 1999 and has stayed on as an adjunct instructor in the years since. He also spent part of his time at Sandburg as a grant supervisor, and in 2006 he was designated as the colleges historian. I just like the fact that I think Im passing on to students who care to listen and learn why its important to know what happened before them, Visel said. I just love to study history, and every year history grows longer and longer. 2024 Staff Member of the Year Francis McKillip Known for his humility and generosity, Francis McKillip has been employed at Sandburg since 2018. McKillip started as a second-shift custodian before moving to a daytime shift four years ago. He splits his time working at the CME on the Galesburg campus and at the Annex downtown. Its not unusual for McKillip to bring in a spread of snacks for students in his work areas, making sure they have ample energy to get through their day. A Galesburg native, McKillip spent 30 years with the former Econofoods in his hometown, working his way up from a bagger to a management position. He then spent nine years in a management role at Waterworks Car Wash before coming to Sandburg. Theres a phenomenal staff that works at the college. I have never not been around nice people here, said McKillip, whose late wife, Racheal, worked in the business office at Sandburg before she passed away in 2017. Everyone at the college has been amazing to me, and the students have been fantastic. I can think of a lot of people at the college who deserve this. I do work hard, but I love what I do. This is the happiest Ive ever been in a job in my 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 WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Carroll Electric Cooperative and Cox Communications gave updates on their storm recovery efforts. Carroll Electric says around 16,000 customers are still without power, down from 60,000. 13.4% of customers are without power. The company says it has restored power to all transmission lines and are working on distribution substations and main distriubtion lines simultaneously. Individiual homes and businesses will come next. Where to find help and volunteer in NWA Carroll Electric says it has identified 1,000 broken poles. The company had hoped that assessments would be completed May 27, but resumed on May 28. The company says it is gathering additional crews to assist. Cox says it is partnering closely with federal, state and local emergency management as wll as power companies to coordinate restoration efforts. The company says it is bringing in additional crews from outside of the area to assist in the recovery. Recovery updates for Cox 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 KNWA FOX24. CBS Ed OKeefe Asks How Many More Charred Corpses Does the President Need to See to Change Gaza War Policy | Video CBS White House Correspondent Ed OKeefe had a blunt question for White House spokesperson John Kirby during a press conference Tuesday over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas: How many more charred corpses does the president need to see before he considers a change of policy? The question came in response to Kirbys explanation for why Israels military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which began with an air strike on a refugee camp that killed 45 people, in defiance of a UN court order, didnt cross the red line Joe Biden previously declared such an attack would be. We dont want to see a major ground operation. We havent seen that at this point, Kirby said when asked about the red line by OKeefe. Watch the clip below: Kirby stated that the Biden administration doesnt wanna see a single more innocent life taken, while also claiming to take a little offense at OKeefes question. No civilian casualties is the right number of civilian casualties And this is not something that weve turned a blind eye to, nor has it been something weve ignored or neglected to raise with our Israeli counterparts including, Ed, this weekend as a result of this particular strike, Kirby said. Now, theyre investigating it. So, lets let them investigate it and see what they come up with. But the president doesnt have like, a personal limit to this? OKeefe asked. The president has been very clear and very direct about what our expectations are for Israeli operations in Rafah, specifically, but in Gaza writ large. We dont support, we wont support a major ground operation in Rafah, Kirby responded. And weve, again, been very consistent on that. And the president said that, should that occur, then it might make him have to make different decisions in terms of support. We havent seen that happen at this point, he said. Kirby did not define what would constitute a major ground operation in Rafah. Previously, Biden told MSNBCs Jonathan Capehart on March 9 that a ground operation in Rafah is a red line. Earlier this month, he told CNNs Erin Burnett if they go into Rafah, he would cut off supplies of certain offensive weapons. On Tuesday IDF tanks, conducting operations on the ground in Rafah, reached the citys center. When asked why Biden had not address Sundays airstrikes himself, Kirby added that the White House rota has had plenty of opportunities to the president, including in a press conference last week that took place before the attacks. The post CBS Ed OKeefe Asks How Many More Charred Corpses Does the President Need to See to Change Gaza War Policy | Video appeared first on TheWrap. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new research laboratory at the University of Kentucky, May 29, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley) LEXINGTON U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke about the need to improve the countrys industrial base during a ribbon-cutting at the University of Kentucky for a new research laboratory that will work with the U.S. Army. McConnell, who graduated from the universitys law school in 1967, spoke on Wednesday about his support for increasing defense spending as Ukraine continues to defend itself from an invasion launched in February 2022 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In recent visits to his home state, the longtime Kentucky senator has emphasized his view that the U.S. should continue to aid Ukraine against Russia, an ally of China, and did so again Wednesday. He called the present a very, very dangerous period as Russia and China work together against democratic nations. What we need to do is to rebuild our industrial base, McConnell said, calling the laboratory an example of that. We sort of took a holiday from history for a while, and our allies in Europe did as well, but were awake now. McConnell congratulated the university on the Next Generation Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory, which is part of UKs Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing. Researchers in the lab will work to develop products and components for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and civilian use. Under a five-year, $50 million collaboration between UK, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Commands Army Research Laboratory, UKs project will receive about $24.5 million from the DOD. S. Jawahir, the director of the institute as well as UKs principal investigator and project director, said the new space for the lab will allow the university to educate both undergraduate and graduate students for the manufacturing workforce regionally, nationally and internationally. UK President Eli Capilouto said in a statement that the university is deeply thankful for members of our Congress who continue their steadfast support, which ensures we advance Kentucky and fulfill our promise. As an institution driven by discovery and innovation, we are dedicated to advancing our community and the world, Capilouto said. Through this partnership, we can harness our top talents to turn groundbreaking research into real-world solutions achieving far more collectively than we ever could alone. As Kentuckys institution, we are stronger and more effective when we collaborate in meaningful ways. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, McConnell did not take questions from the media. On Tuesday, McConnell was in Ashland to visit Pathways Journey House, a residential transitional facility for women, as well as speak to the Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this year, McConnell announced he planned to step down as Republican leader of the Senate in November. He plans to serve the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027. The post Celebrating new UK lab, McConnell calls for building up US industrial base, defense spending appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. UPDATE: The woman has been located and is safe, police say ______________ ORIGINAL STORY: Center Township police are searching for a missing 76-year-old woman with a history of dementia. The woman may be driving a 2021 dark blue Jeep Renegade, Pennsylvania registration LZH2586. Anyone with information is asked to call Center police at 724-774-3329 or the Beaver County Non-Emergency Number at 724-775-0880. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Diocese of Greensburg opens investigation after parish cemetery employees arrest Pittsburgh Police looking for missing 13-year-old girl New Pittsburgh Police officer arrested on suspicion of DUI VIDEO: 7 people hurt, 2 people possibly unaccounted for after explosion in downtown Youngstown DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Whether Donald Trump is guilty in the eyes of the law will be placed in the hands of twelve New Yorkers, who are set to begin deliberating in the former presidents hush money trial on Wednesday and could come back with a verdict this week. It will be they who decide if the presumptive Republican nominee becomes the first American head of state to be convicted of a crime after leaving office and up to the judge, Juan Merchan, to decide whether a conviction means Trump will also be the first former president behind bars. In his closing argument, defense attorney Todd Blanche tried to sneak that fact in during what was otherwise two hours spent attacking Michael Cohen, the former presidents ex-fixer, dubbed by Blanche as the greatest liar of all time. He also insisted that his client only ever paid Cohen for his legal work, subject to a retainer that was never documented. Saying that his client could go to prison if found guilty was how Blanche chose to close out, which does not suggest confidence that he will be found innocent; its also why one of the last things the jury saw was Merchan reprimanding the defense counsel, reminding him that the rules of court prohibit trying to sway jurors with talk of incarceration when the crime, here, could be punished with a fine. Blanche, a former prosecutor himself, possibly calculated that the talking down would be worth if it give just one juror pause about the gravity of a conviction. It also reeked of desperation, per former federal prosecutor Harry Litman. The idea is to try to gin up a hung jury or some kind of person to have sympathy, Litman said during an appearance on MSNBC. That, he argued, does not suggest confidence that the five weeks of trial in which jurors saw Trump Organization financial documents spelling out how Cohen would be reimbursed for a $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels, including handwritten notes from Trump loyalist and Rikers Island inmate Allen Weisselberg went well for his client. If you thought you had a decent shot at a hung jury without that, I dont think you would engender the judges ire in that way. Timothy Parlatore, an attorney who previously represented Trump, was similarly underwhelmed by Blanches performance. It went way too long, he told CNN, saying the two-hour rebuttal of the prosecutions case probably bored the jury. It was dull without Blanche even addressing the documentary evidence, from Weisselbergs handwritten notes, as the Trump Organizations then-chief financial officer, on the apparent hush money conspiracy, to Trump Organization accountant Jeffrey McConneys notes explaining how Cohens monthly payments from DJT would cover the taxes hed owe from falsely claiming the hush money reimbursement as income. Why would Cohen and Weisselberg have done this without Trumps authorization? The defense failed to come up with a compelling explanation, wrote former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance on her personal website. Vance noted that multiple witnesses had described Trump as a micromanager contra Blanches argument hed be too busy as president to involve himself in an illicit scheme to falsify business records and evade campaign finance laws and rebutted the notion that Cohen would drop $130,000 of his own money to buy Daniels silence without Trumps knowledge and consent. This was the prosecutions linchpin evidence, Vance wrote, and the defense didnt offer the jury a good reason to reject it. Norm Eisen, a CNN legal analyst and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, was similarly underwhelmed. The prosecution was ahead on points going into the closing arguments and Tuesday did not change that calculus, he wrote in a commentary on the closing arguments. Ty Cobb, another former Trump attorney, was more blunt. The chance of an acquittal is zero to none, he told The Daily Beast. BELLEVILLE, Ill. A Belleville, Illinois, man has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting tied to a reported domestic disturbance. According to a Belleville Police Department spokesperson, officers were notified of a domestic disturbance in the 7300 block of West A Street just after 8:15 a.m. on Monday, May 27. Officers received word of a shooting at that location before they arrived. Police and EMS arrived at the residence and attempted life-saving measures on the victim but were unsuccessful. The victim was not identified. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News A firearm was recovered at the scene and a suspect, identified as Elijah C. Nelson, 22, was taken into custody. Police said they are not looking for any additional suspects in this investigation. On Tuesday, the St. Clair County States Attorneys Office charged Nelson with murder/intent to kill and unlawful use of a weapon. Hell be transferred to the St. Clair County Jail to await further court proceedings. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Concerns about public safety in uptown Charlotte have occupied the minds of residents, business owners and city leaders, particularly since 2024 began with a shooting that wounded five in uptown Charlotte. More recently, street takeovers and a drive-by shooting brought even more disturbing headlines over Memorial Day weekend. Violent crime in uptown has actually decreased this year, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departments crime statistics from the first quarter of 2024. But a run of shootings and fatal stabbings has left residents questioning whether the center city is safe enough to visit, business owners worrying about the potential effects on the bottom line and city leaders wondering what to do about it. Bridging the gap between perception and reality has been a priority for city leaders, Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham told me. Im of the belief that if you dont feel safe, you arent safe, said Graham, whose district includes parts of uptown. But theres a perception problem that were battling, given the reality that crime has actually decreased in uptown, not increased. CMPD has also taken steps to target crime and safety in uptown specifically. Earlier this year, the department launched Operation TRIO, which expanded police presence in First and Fourth Ward Parks and Romare Bearden Park to complement preexisting efforts near the Spectrum Center and the Charlotte Transportation Center. TRIO has helped reduce violent crime incidents in Uptown by 13% in 2024, the department announced in April. Graham said he often hears from property managers who manage hotels and apartment complexes uptown, as well as First Ward and Third Ward residents, who are concerned about crime and safety. Uptown residents, particularly in First Ward, have complained about constant gunfire and property damage on social media. Matthew Ridenhour, a former Mecklenburg County commissioner, said that his family has changed their behavior as a result of safety concerns. He and his wife still venture into uptown for a show every now and then, but they no longer stop somewhere for a nightcap the way they used to, he said. It seems like the overall perception is that uptown just isnt as as welcoming and and safe as it once was, Ridenhour said. And having spoken with neighbors, absolutely, Ive had conversations with neighbors where theyve expressed a similar sentiment. An additional factor: residents and visitors see behavior such as public intoxication and aggressive panhandling as unpleasant at best and potentially unsafe. Public pooping has also been a problem. In response, the city coucil voted to reinstate criminal penalties for certain ordinances, such as public intoxication, defecation and panhandling. State law decriminalized those ordinances in 2021, which uptown residents say harmed their quality of life and caused health and safety concerns, particularly in regards to drinking and drug use in parks and aggressive panhandling. CMPD has also begun deploying officers to uptown bars and parking lots during the late night and early morning hours, a department spokesperson told me. People have also noticed an increased police presence at Charlotte Knights games, or during large events like the Lovin Life Music Fest. That increased police presence can be both reassuring and unsettling. Some residents, particularly those from Black and brown communities, may feel uneasy due to a lack of trust in law enforcement. Even those who have had positive experiences with the police may find it off-putting and wonder if the presence of officers in places they may not have seen them before is indicative of a larger problem. Its also true that homicides across the city have risen, making Charlotte one of the only major U.S. cities where the homicide rate is on the rise, Axios Charlotte reported in April. CMPDs first-quarter crime statistics showed a 31% increase in homicides from the same period in 2023. Charlotte is also seeing a concerning uptick in juvenile crime, which led city council to endorse funding for a new youth mental health facility on Thursday. But in the age of the internet, when every negative experience can be broadcast over social media, perception may trump reality. The tragic headlines, the alarming anecdotes those are the things that stick with people, far more so than the statistics. It certainly doesnt help, either, that public safety has become extremely political, with Republican politicians accusing Democrat-led cities of being soft on crime or, more outrageously, opening the border to undocumented immigrants supposedly hellbent on terrorizing U.S. citizens. And as long as people question whether its safe to live in, work in or visit uptown, the city has work to do. Charlotte City Council members say they took a significant first step Tuesday toward public transit progress after a last-minute resolution to a squabble between local leaders. The council voted 9-1 to approve a revised agreement managing the regions public transit system. District 2 Council member Malcolm Graham was the lone vote against. Revisions give more control over the Charlotte Area Transit System to a group of Charlotte-area cities and towns. The deal also extends an agreement among those communities into 2034. It helps Charlotte calm tensions with other local governments by agreeing to care for unmaintained roads across the county with a sales tax proposal intended to pay for public transit. Frustrated county and town leaders earlier in the day threatened to hold up the agreement setting rules for who controls CATS. Let this vote tonight be a show of good faith, said Tariq Bokhari, District 6 council member. Opponents, which included every voting municipality on the Metropolitan Transit Commission except Charlotte, were upset about a lack of money for orphan roads. Those are streets inside Mecklenburg County that arent maintained by the state or any local government. A lack of maintenance on those roads creates danger for motorists and pedestrians, they said. But Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones said late Tuesday he promised county government hed work on a separate plan to put new sales tax money into the roads. County Manager Dena Diorio said that was enough for her and the towns. Any revisions to the current transit agreement must be approved by Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte and at least five of the six participating municipalities. The MTC is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday. What is the Metropolitan Transit Commission? Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Pineville, Matthews and Mint Hill signed onto an agreement that formed the MTC to help govern CATS in 1999. The original agreement came months after Mecklenburg County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to finance public transportation systems in 1998. In recent years, state legislators have been hesitant to back an increase to the sales tax. Charlotte has discussed trying to get the increase on the ballot for transportation needs, but the city needs General Assembly approval to do so. In addition to Mecklenburg mayors and a county commissioner, a North Carolina Board of Transportation representative is also a voting member of the MTC. Representatives from Concord, Gastonia, Monroe, Indian Trail, Mooresville, Stallings, York County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation serve as non-voting members. Recent tensions between MTC, Charlotte The schism between Charlotte and other members of the MTC over revisions was the latest in a series of disputes between the two groups. County Commissioner Leigh Altman and the mayors of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville sent a letter to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles in September. They said Charlottes dominance over the CATS has been unfair to residents in other parts of the county whose tax dollars also help support the system, and they called for more power for the MTC. A flashpoint for that request: a decision by the city of Charlotte to not follow through on a vote to hire an outside investigator to examine CATS after a tumultuous year that included a change in leadership and a train derailment. The citys decision occurred partly because Charlotte believes the MTC is only an advisory body and its votes only constitute recommendations, the September letter claimed. We do not know when the City began to take this view, but it is not what was originally intended. The MTC was never meant to be just an advisory body, the letter said. In April, the MTC deferred approval of CATS $326.5 million budget for the budget year that starts July 1 over questions about authority, the Charlotte Business Journal reported. The question of regional unity also came up during debates over the long-stalled plan to connect uptown with north Mecklenburg towns via commuter rail. County Commissioner Elaine Powell, whose District 1 includes north Mecklenburg, said in April she wants to see a local agreement all north Mecklenburg mayors can get behind before she throws her support behind the revived Red Line plan. No ones gonna pressure me into agreeing to anything without a strong interlocal agreement. Its really important to me that were all unanimous together, she said. What changes are on the table for CATS? Besides extending the interlocal agreement through 2034, revisions Council considered Tuesday night included: Creating a new yearly fund of $500,000 for the MTC to pay for studies or reports related to the transit system Expanding the role of the commission in developing CATS budget and selecting its CEO. Brent Cagle has served as interim leader of the transit system since October 2022. Increasing reporting requirements for CATS to the commission Graham made a substitute motion Tuesday to remove the $500,000, saying it was redundant. But that motion failed. Im here for regionalism I just wanted to make sure that we have honest brokers, he said, adding he thinks other MTC members have been misleading about how the city managed transit problems. Lyles said she was disappointed other members of the MTC opted for a statement instead of making a phone call about their dissatisfaction. So much of what we do is about having a conversation with each other so we can move forward together or at least understand what we dont want to do, she said. Whats next for transit? The revised transit agreement now goes to the county commission and other town boards for consideration. The MTC is expected to vote on approving CATS budget at its Wednesday meeting. Council member Ed Driggs, who chairs the councils transportation committee, said a new agreement could bring progress on getting a sales tax referendum to fund transit needs. Its a step towards a certain goal that we have of getting that referendum out there, he said. In our CLT Politics newsletter, we offer exclusive insight into Charlotte-region politics sent to your inbox on Thursdays. Subscribe for free. Story idea? mramsey@charlotteobserver.com. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 29. Political consultations between the delegations of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan were held in Astana, where the development of bilateral cooperation was discussed, Trend reports. According to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the meeting was headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu. During the talks, the sides noted the dynamic development of the Turkmen-Kazakh strategic partnership, and also exchanged views on key issues of bilateral cooperation, considering the level of political and diplomatic dialogue and the implementation of previously reached agreements, emphasizing the crucial role of high-level contacts to strengthen long-term cooperation. The delegations noted the positive experience of working together within the framework of international and regional structures such as the UN, OIC, ECO, CIS and CA+ formats, and also stressed the intention to increase multilateral cooperation. The parties discussed trade and economic cooperation, which has great potential, and the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Kazakh Commission's role in implementing joint projects in priority sectors like fuel and energy, transport and logistics, and industry. At the end of the consultations, the ministers agreed to intensify cooperation between the foreign ministries, and also indicated interest in building partnerships in the cultural and humanitarian spheres, including science, education, and healthcare. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are actively developing cooperation in the economic and political spheres, which is reflected in an increase in trade turnover and the implementation of joint infrastructure projects such as transport and logistics corridors and energy projects. The two countries also cooperate within the framework of international organizations such as the CIS and the UN, strengthening regional security and stability. This 'charming' male cat was surrendered by his owner. Can you help him find a home? A super-friendly 2-year-old cat was surrendered to Palm Beach County Animal Control at the beginning of May because his owner could no longer care for him. Now he's looking for a loving and more stable home. Welcome to The Palm Beach Post's Pet of the Week, a series where we feature animals up for adoption in Palm Beach County in hopes of finding them a loving home. This week's pet is Max, a tabby cat who greets every person who enters the free-roam room at Animal Care and Control. Max is known as a "cuddlebug" with a charming personality who is ready for a second shot at a happy life with a new family. He's been in the shelter since May 8. Max, a 2-year-old male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week for Palm Beach County. Here's what to know about our pet of the week, including what Animal Care and Control staffers say about his personality: Cat available for adoption: Max Max, a 2-year-old male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week for Palm Beach County. Age: 2 years old Weight: 10 pounds Sex: Male, neutered Animal ID: A2166530 More information: Max is a handsome 2-year-old male cat ready to bring joy into your home! He's patiently waiting to show off his charming personality and provide endless cuddles. Max could be the perfect companion you've been searching for. Come meet him today and give Max the loving home he deserves! For more information on Max, check out his online profile on the Animal Care and Control website. How to adopt a cat or dog in Palm Beach County You can start the adoption process in person or online. To begin in person, visit Animal Care and Control during normal business hours at 7100 Belvedere Road near West Palm Beach to fill out an application and meet the pets there. To begin the process online: Use the pet's animal ID number (like the one listed above) to search them on Animal Care and Control's online database. Click on the "Ready to Adopt? Click Here" link to the right of the pet's photo. Fill out the two-page downloadable adoption application and email it to Animal Control at PSD-ACCSupport@pbcgov.org. Once Animal Care and Control has reviewed your application, a team member will contact you to confirm that you have been approved to adopt. Submittal of an online application does not guarantee the pet's availability. Adoption fees: Adoption fees for certain dogs are just $5 for the entire month of May. Adoption fees are usually $60 for adult dogs, $75 for puppies and $50 for cats and kittens. Palm Beach County residents who are 55 years and older are offered a discounted adoption fee. Note: All animals adopted from Animal Care and Control will be spayed if female or neutered if male. They will be up-to-date on vaccinations, protected against fleas and ticks and microchipped. About fostering: If you are not ready for a long-term commitment, you may want to consider offering foster care to a pet. This is a great way to get the feel for becoming a pet parent, and it allows you and your new prospective pet to get to know each other. You can find more information about fostering on Animal Care and Control's website. Have you adopted one of our pets of the week? So far, sixof our pets of the week have been adopted! We'd like to track our impact throughout the year, and potentially feature adoptive families in a "where are they now?"-style story. If you've adopted a pet featured in this series, tell us about it here: https://forms.gle/nN9w7cmCQRJmVcus6. We won't use any of your information without contacting you first. Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. She has a dog, Cooper, who is 8 years old, and a kitten, Benny, who turned 1 year old this month! You can reach Katherine at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work: Subscribe today! This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County cat up for adoption: Max is Pet of the Week SYDNEY (Reuters) -China has lifted its import bans on five major Australian beef producers effective immediately, the Australian government said on Thursday, in the latest sign of improving relations between Canberra and Beijing. Australia and China, its largest trading partner, are rebuilding ties after a period of strained relations which hit a low in 2020 after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19. Australia is one of China's top suppliers of beef but volumes have plunged after diplomatic relations soured, even as Beijing bought larger quantities of beef overall. China suspended some Australian beef factories from its market in 2020, citing labelling irregularities and other technical issues. "We continue to press China to remove the remaining trade impediments, including for Australia's rock lobster industry," Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said in a joint statement. Eight beef processing facilities have now had suspensions lifted, while two facilities remain suspended, the statement said. Beijing had also imposed tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Australian commodity imports, most of which have been lifted since a change of government in Canberra two years ago. Trade impediments imposed by China before the May 2022 election hit Australian exports worth A$20.6 billion ($13.6 billion), according to the Australian government. ($1 = 1.5126 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Michael Perry) China to send two young giant pandas to Washington later this year By Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China will send two young giant pandas to Washington, the United States' National Zoo said on Wednesday, months after the zoo returned three of the bears amid heightened tensions between the two global superpowers. The announcement follows increased engagement between Washington and Beijing that has put ties on a steadier footing since relations hit historic lows last year. The Smithsonian's National Zoo said in a statement that it will welcome the pair of pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, to Washington by the end of the year. China's ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng, speaking to press at the zoo, encouraged people to "care for China-U.S. relations just as you care for pandas." "For the wellbeing of both peoples and the future of the world, China and the United States should choose to be partners, not rivals. Panda huggers should not be stigmatized. If there should be any protectionism, then let us protect biodiversity," Xie said. Brandie Smith, director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), said the institute was thrilled about the continuation of the breeding and conservation partnership, noting that one of the bears is a descendent of pandas previously in Washington. "This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact," Smith said. Bao Li is a two-year-old male. His mother was born at the institute in 2013 and his grandparents Tian and Mei Xiang lived at NZCBI from 2000 to 2023. Qing Bao is a two-year-old female born to Qing Qing and mother Jia Mei. Once they arrive, the pair of pandas will be quarantined for 30 days and then have a few more weeks to settle into their new habitat, the zoo said. A public debut date has yet to be set. The departure of the three pandas from the zoo last November as loan agreements lapsed left Georgia's Zoo Atlanta as the only one in the U.S. with giant pandas, and that loan deal is set to expire later this year. San Diego Zoo is also set to welcome another two pandas. Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that he was open to sending more of the "envoys of friendship" to the U.S. after meeting President Joe Biden in November in California, where the two men agreed to step up communication despite an intensifying geopolitical rivalry. Xi's remarks prompted the White House to say at the time that the U.S. would "absolutely welcome" the bears. China's communist government has long used "panda diplomacy" to enhance the country's soft power, lending the large but cuddly-looking black-and-white bears to zoos in various countries over the decades as goodwill animal ambassadors. Wednesday's announcement is a clear signal of Beijing's approval of stabilized ties with Washington. Xie told Reuters after the event that the new panda cooperation agreement was "a very good sign" for U.S.-China relations. Beijing presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. in 1972 after President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit to the country. Other pandas have since been loaned to the U.S. for research and educational purposes, and the bears have perennially been a top attraction at zoos, drawing millions of adoring visitors. (Reporting by Michael Martina in Washington and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Chizu Nomiyama) China's first example of a new class of big deck amphibious assault ship, which may also be able to act as drone-focused light aircraft carrier, is continuing to take shape, and that shape is big. The first example of a new class of Chinese warship with a large open flight deck, commonly referred to as the Type 076 , is steadily taking shape. Generally described as an amphibious assault ship, there have long been reports that the vessel could feature catapults and arresting gear to support an air wing that includes uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV) and other fixed-wing drones. Size-wise, satellite imagery already shows that the Type 076 is roughly in between China's current largest amphibious warship, the Type 075 , and the country's newest and largest aircraft carrier, the Fujian . Most notable is the vessel's width. Its flight deck is substantially wider than the Type 075 and other amphibious assault ships, which will give it a large deck area to work with. The Type 076 is currently under construction in a yard on Changxing Island in Shanghai. The yard in question appears to be associated with the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation's (CSSC) Hudong-Zhonghua subsidiary. Hudong-Zhonghua has been responsible for building the existing Type 075s , three of which are in service now with a fourth under construction , and is in the process of relocating from another site in Shanghai to Changxing. Where the Type 076 is being built is also right next to the Jiangnan shipyard , one of CSSC's most prominent shipbuilders where the Fujian was built. A picture that just emerged this past weekend showing the Type 076 taking shape at the Hudong-Zhonghua yard. Chinese Internet Official details about the Type 076, which the U.S. military now also refers to as the Yulan class , remain limited. The first evidence that the PLAN was interested in such a ship emerged in 2020 . The Type 076 moniker reflects reports that the design may be derived, at least in part, from existing the Type 075 . From what we can see now of the Type 076, which looks to have been under construction since around October 2023, it is a substantially larger vessel in all regards. A review of satellite imagery from Planet Labs indicates that it is roughly 864 feet long and 141 feet wide (263 and nearly 43 meters, respectively). By comparison, again based on satellite imagery, the Type 075 is 784 feet long and 105 feet wide (almost 239 and 32 meters), while the Fujian is 1,036 feet in length and 275 feet in width (close to 316 and almost 84 meters). Left-to-right: A to-scale side-by-side comparison of a Type 075 amphibious assault ship under construction, the still-under-construction Type 076, and the aircraft carrier Fujian. PHOTO 2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION This is all in line with the assessments of the lengths of those three ship types as included in an unclassified PLAN ship recognition guide the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) published earlier this year . Given its physical size, the Type 076 can be assumed to have a significantly larger displacement than the Type 075 (estimated to be between 35,000 and 40,000 tons with a full load), as well. Top to bottom: Entries (not to scale) for the Fujian aircraft carrier, Type 076 (Yulan class amphibious assault ship) and the Type 075 (Yushen class amphibious assault ship) from the Office of Naval Intelligence's unclassified 2024 PLAN ship recognition guide. USN As another comparison, the Type 076 is similar in length to the U.S. Navy's aviation-focused amphibious assault ship USS America, but is significantly wider. The America is 855 feet (260.7 meters) long and is 106 feet (32.3 meters) at its widest, according to the Navy . The satellite imagery and other pictures taken from aircraft passing overhead that have emerged online show the general profile of the Type 076's flight deck increasingly coming into view. It currently looks set to be entirely straight and to be squared off at the ends. The basic shape, as it is seen now, is similar in many respects to that of the Type 075. It is possible that the Type 076's deck profile could still evolve as construction continues. What may be a space for an aircraft elevator on the port side of the stern end of the Type 076's is visible. This is a feature not found on the Type 075. Like its predecessor, the new amphibious assault ship does look to have another large elevator at the center of the stern. A picture of the Type 076 under construction that emerged online earlier in May. Note what may be a gap for an aircraft elevator on the port (left) side of the stern end of the hull. Chinese Internet Another view of the Type 076 under construction in March. Chinese Internet For comparison, a look down the deck of the first Type 075 during its initial sea trials. The ship's stern aircraft elevator, as well as the one it has in the middle of the deck, are visible Chinese Internet Other details about the Type 076's configuration remain limited. Reports from the 2020-2021 time frame have suggested that the ship could have electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear, and be optimized around a drone-centric air wing. Some existing large deck amphibious assault ships also feature ski jumps as another way of expanding the size and scope of aircraft they can support. Of course, the Type 076's large open flight deck would primarily support all kinds of crewed and uncrewed helicopters. At the Zhuhai Airshow in 2021, the state-run Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) also notably showed a video depicting a navalized derivative of the GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle taking off from what looked at the time to be a Type 075 amphibious assault ship. That same video, seen in the social media post below, showed a group of GJ-11s swarming enemy surface warships and employing either electronic warfare systems or directed energy weapons, as well as air-launched decoys. While the Type 076s could potentially carry fast jets, it is worth noting that, to date, there has been no indication that the Chinese are pursuing a short or vertical takeoff and landing capable tactical jet that would be well suited for use with a large amphibious assault ship. Lighter manned fixed-wing types remain a possibility. Regardless, the potential value to the PLAN of having a fleet of very large deck amphibious assault ships that are highly capable of large-scale drone operations as well as traditional amphibious assaults is clear. These ships could be used to launch and recover UCAVs like the GJ-11 and other types of drones to perform a host of missions from maritime strike to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). They could be used to provide additional 'mass' in support of the operations of larger carrier strike groups and help to free the air wings of flattops like Fujian up for tasks they might be better suited for. In addition, they could provide a lower tier of naval aviation support that could be employed independently. The PLAN's interest in expanding its use of various tiers of drones from all of its big deck warships, including its full-size aircraft carriers , is well known. The War Zone has previously explored in detail why adding even unarmed stealth drones to China's naval aviation capabilities makes good sense for extending the targeting capabilities and general sensor reach of friendly forces. Simply having more naval aviation capacity overall would give the PLAN added flexibility for various operations closer to the mainland, including a potential military intervention against Taiwan or defending its expansive and largely unrecognized territorial claims in places like the South China Sea . Type 076s could also help project naval and air power further from China's shores, something that has also been a driving factor behind the country's broader carrier ambitions . It's also worth noting that the Chinese have been building various types of more specialized drone mothership vessels , ostensibly for training and testing purposes , but which could also have operational roles. Whether or not the Type 076 has a rear well deck for launching and recovering landing craft also remains to be seen. Even without this feature, the ship could still perform various missions not exclusively centered around its aviation capabilities like delivering forces ashore during a variety of different contingency scenarios. The Type 076 could help provide support during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Big deck amphibious warfare ships, in general, provide their operators with immensely valuable platforms for projecting both hard and soft power . In many ways, the Type 076 seems to reflect a debate about the configuration and the roles and missions of warships with large flight decks elsewhere around the world. The U.S. Navy's aforementioned America class is a prime example of this. The Navy has two aviation-centric America class ships, which do not feature well decks, in service now. However, it also has three more examples in various stages of construction that will be members of a subclass that do feature a well deck and have other changes to balance the resulting loss of physical space for aviation-related activities. The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America with 13 U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighters on its deck, highlighting its aviation focus. USN On the other side of the equation, Japan has converted its amphibious assault ship JS Izumo to be able to operate F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and is in the process of putting its sister ship, JS Kaga, through the same aviation-focused modification process . The South Korean government had also announced plans for a light carrier loaded with F-35Bs back in 2020, but its carrier ambitions have significantly grown in the intervening years . Last year, the Turkish Navy also commissioned the TCG Anadolu , a big deck amphibious assault ship with a ski jump at the front. There are now plans to optimize it for use more as a light drone carrier that could also potentially accommodate fixed-wing manned types. Other countries in Europe are now also looking at the idea of operating big deck amphibious warfare ships in similar roles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_zN4BwrOHQ However, as already noted, the Type 076 will be wider than the America class. It will also have a greater width than Japan's Izumo class ships and Turkey's Anadolu. Overall, what can be seen of the Type 076's configuration so far has started to draw very broad comparisons to aircraft carriers like the United Kingdom's ski jump-equipped short and vertical takeoff and landing Queen Elizabeth class , in terms of potential deck layout. The Queen Elizabeth design is longer (932 feet or 284 meters) and substantially wider (240 feet or 73 meters) than the Type 076 is expected to be in the end. The United Kingdom does also have plans to integrate assisted launch systems and recovery gear onto the Queen Elizabeth carriers . This plan is heavily centered on expanding the uncrewed component of the air wings of those ships, though STOBAR/CATOBAR configurations could open up the possibility of embarking new kinds of crewed aircraft, as well. You can read more about those particular plans here . The Royal Navy has already been testing different drones , including General Atomics' Mojave as seen in the video below, on the Queen Elizabeth class flattops in their present configurations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVR_EioIM8c The substantial progress that has been made on the construction of the Type 076 in the past eight months or so also speaks to China's general shipbuilding capacity, which is notably exponentially greater than that of the United States. The War Zone has highlighted in the past how the speed with which the PLAN has been able to acquire Type 075s, the country's largest in-service amphibious warfare ships, has been indicative of that service's significant efforts to expand by the scale and scope of its capabilities in recent years. Since 2021, the PLAN has commissioned three Type 075s and a fourth example is now under construction . With work on the Type 076 continuing apace, it may not be long before a clearer picture of what the ship's final configuration will be emerges, offering new clues about its expected capabilities. From what we can already see, the design looks set to have a very wide open flight deck. Contact the author: joe@twz.com PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 created an absolute ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. It marked Americas first significant law restricting immigration and it also place new requirements on those already in this country. If they left the US, they had to get certifications to re-enter, which was very hard to do. One place that witnessed the impacts of the Chinese Exclusion Act is Hubers Cafe, established in 1879 and now Portlands oldest restaurant. James Kai Louie, the co-owner of Hubers Restaurant in Portland, November 2023 (KOIN) Current owner James Louie Kais great-uncle Jim Louie immigrated to the US before the exclusion act was signed. Jim Louie worked his way up from the kitchen to take half-ownership in 1941. Once he got established here in America, thanks to his boss, Frank Huber, he was able to get his brothers over, James told KOIN 6 News. Great-uncle Jim did have a family. He went back to China, got married, had some kids, but they were not able to immigrate because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and so they remained in China. Great-uncle Jim would just send money back to them so that they could pay the rent, put food on the table. James said his great-uncle made the best of things. He saw an opportunity to build a better life for himself. And so in spite of, say, discrimination back in those days, he hung in there and, like I say, he made a living for him, his brothers and his wife and kids. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A Christian lifeguard in Los Angeles who took down three Pride flags and asked not to work near any of the hanging flags for last years Pride month has claimed he has been religiously discriminated against. Jeffery Little, a devout evangelical Christian who has worked for Los Angeles County for more than 22 years, filed a lawsuit on Friday claiming that he took down three Pride flags that were hoisted in support of LGBTQ+ residents because he did not want to work in these conditions. He said in the suit, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, that after this, he was suspended from his role with the departments background investigation unit, which investigates emergencies on the beach and also received a death threat after he took down the flags. Mr Little is being represented by attorneys from the Thomas More Society, which the outlet describes as a conservative Catholic legal group that has, in the past, worked on lawsuits against abortion rights and same-sex marriage. As Pride month approaches in the United States in June, which is a time dedicated to celebrating and commemorating LGBTQ+ pride and honoring the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, many local jurisdictions will support their LGBTQ+ residents by organizing events or hoisting Pride flags. For last years Pride, the county board of supervisors voted to require government buildings to fly the Progress Pride flag throughout the month, including on lifeguard facilities. This included Will Rogers Beach, that includes a historically LGBTQ+ friendly strip of the beach that has been given the name Ginger Rogers Beach and has been a refuge and a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community for decades, the countys fire department stated, who oversees the lifeguards. Mr Little, a captain with the countys lifeguard division, however, told officials last June that he wanted to be exempt from raising the Pride flag because he adheres to traditional Christian beliefs regarding the moral illicitness of same-sex activity, the immutability of sex regardless of gender identity, and the view that all people are children of God regardless of their skin color, he reportedly stated in the lawsuit, the outlet said. He added that the views the Progress Pride flag represented were in direct conflict with religious beliefs. The county officials last summer allegedly came to an agreement with Mr Little and said he could be stationed in areas of the Pacific Palisades where the flags were not flown because they did not have the right flag poles, the outlet said. When Mr Little arrived on Dockweiler Beach on 21 June, one of the areas he alleged was not supposed to have the Pride flag, he said he found the flag hoisted at three nearby facilities, ordered by a chief to be flown, according to the complaint obtained by the outlet. According to the suit, Mr Little proceeded to take down the flags with the permission of the Ocean Lifeguard Specialists at his station. The following day, he was given a direct order to ensure the Pride flag was flown throughout June by Fernando Boiteux, the chief of the lifeguard division. The lifeguard claims he has been the subject of religious discrimination and retaliation by fire officials, among other allegations, during and after lowering the flags, as well as telling them he did not want to work near the Pride flags. Mr Little has asked again this summer that he has accommodations to not work near a Pride flag, but reportedly claims in his lawsuit that the county has not substantively engaged with him and has warned him he would be subject to discipline and eventual termination for failure to raise the Progress Pride flag. The lifeguard is asking the judge for damages due to a claimed severe emotional distress, among other items, as well as asking them to order the county to give him a standing exemption from raising the Pride flag. Pride representation in the Pacific Palisades also made headlines last year after two lifeguard towers were painted in Pride colors in celebration of Pride month on Ginger Rogers Beach. The painting of the towers and placard installation celebrates the historic beach, the LGBTQ+ community, and honors its advocates and leaders, the LA County Fire Department wrote in a release at the time. However, days after they were unveiled, the LAPD launched a hate crime investigation after the towers had been vandalised, leaving both residents and tourists in shock and disappointment with the vandalism. The Independent has contacted the Los Angeles County Fire Department and an attorney for Mr Little for comment. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Christopher Palmiter, the stepfather of missing Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari, took the stand in his own defense in his trial Tuesday. Palmiter is on trial for not reporting his then-11-year-old stepdaughter missing. Before the defense asked the 62-year-old any questions about his background, they launched into questions about Madalina. Did you harm Madalina Cojocari? asked Brandon Roseman, Palmiters defense attorney. No, answered Palmiter. Do you know where Madalina Cojocari is? No. Did you know that Madalina Cojocari was missing before you went to the school? No. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS FINDING MADALINA Prosecutors say Madalina was missing for 23 days before Diana Cojocari, Palmiters wife and Madalinas mother, reported her missing in December 2022 at Madalinas school, Bailey Middle School. Diana is from the eastern European country of Moldova, and Palmiter testified they met through an online dating site, Global Ladies. When they first met online around 2008, and when Palmiter traveled to Moldova, around 2010, Madalina had not been born. But Palmiter is not her biological father. Palmiter says he and Diana lost contact for years and then Madalina and Diana came to the United States in 2015. He testified they had 90 days to get married, or she would have to return to her home country. Palmiter says they got married in early 2016, but the two were never physically intimate. Diana Cojocari in Mecklenburg County court after being arraigned. He got upset on the stand when he talked about that, having memory loss, and how Diana was growing more spiritual and not paying as much attention to Madalina. He said Madalina would always ask him to play and do things she wanted to do as a kid. I would take her for bike rides, walks in the neighborhood, take her to the park, Palmiter testified, saying Madalina was in the 8-to-11-year-old age range when he would do those activities with her. Palmiter said Diana told him she was always fighting demons and that she would do spiritual rituals and chant really loudly, so loudly that it would wake him up at night sometimes. Palmiter says one time he and Madalina sat in a chair while Diana put a knife under them and said she was clearing the demons. One time I sat in a chair while she put a knife under me, testified Palmiter, saying that Madalina then took a turn in the chair. Palmiter said Diana would burn things in the fire pit at her home, and in 2022, Diana started burning things like cat boxes, things that would make you raise your eyebrows, some that werent even burnable. Diana Cojocari pleaded guilty last week to not reporting her daughter missing. Its unclear if she will testify in her husbands trial. Madalina was last seen publicly getting off the school bus on Nov. 21, 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 Queen City News. 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. How is Cincinnati's new Black Music Walk of Fame doing? Walks of Fame don't maintain themselves. The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame opened in July 2023 with national fanfare and a red carpet ceremony. Taxpayers spent $8.5 million to build interactive exhibits where visitors can dance and sing with the Isley Brothers, Penny Ford, Bootsy Collins and other Black music royalty from the city's past. As the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame nears the end of its first year, The Enquirer looked at the costs and attendance of one of the region's more visible public projects in the past few years. To keep all those electronics singing outside along the Ohio River, the county will invest hundreds of thousands, possibly more than $1 million, each year, according to receipts and documents obtained by The Enquirer through an open records request. The Enquirer sought all spending following the ceremony that opened the Walk of Fame. 'This is for the world': Cincinnati's Black Music Walk of Fame opens with dancing, cheers Through the first seven months, the county has spent at least $335,000 in maintenance, cleaning, internet access and music licensing, according to receipts through March 1. How many people have visited? There's no exact way to measure, but the county estimates about 20,000 based on cellphone pings in the area. Who is paying the bill? Hotel guests and people who park at the Banks entertainment venue along the river will pay the costs. That's because the county will use $350,000 from its hotel tax receipts and pay the remaining costs from the money it makes on its parking lots, a large portion of which is at the Banks. The $350,000 is less than 2% of the $20 million Hamilton County's hotel tax was expected to bring in this year for the county government. The hotel tax pays for tourism and marketing of the county and region's attractions. County finance officials expect the parking facilities will bring in $17 million this year. The revenues go toward the debt for the construction of the Banks, maintenance of the garage and operations at the Banks. Where is that money going? In 2022, seven months before the completion of the Walk of Fame, the county had anticipated operation costs could be $350,000 a year. But by the end of 2023, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, for the first full year of operation, budgeted $1.1 million for the Walk of Fame. The actual price tag could be a lot less when the year is done, said Phil Beck, Hamilton County's project manager for the riverfront. The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame is nestled between Paycor Stadium and the Andrew J. Brady Music Center. It opened in July 2023. "We just opened last July," Beck said. "Were nine months into the operations. Were just judging this as we go." The largest line item of $391,000 will pay for 24-hour security. For now, the county has used its own security guards, who patrol the massive parking garage underneath the Banks. This summer, the county will request a proposal to hire a security firm, Beck said. So far, there's been no issues with vandalism, Beck said. The biggest problem is people riding bikes along the Walk of Fame, Beck said. That presents a safety issue. "You don't want someone just flying down the ramp," Beck said. "That's just not permitted." Why is MEMI getting paid $120,000 a year? The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, through its subsidiary Music and Event Management Inc., will get at least $120,000 a year to manage the Black Music Walk of Fame. The symphony has managed the Walk of Fame since it opened in July under an interim contract, getting paid $10,000 a month plus expenses. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners in April unanimously approved a five-year contract with Music and Event Management Inc., commonly known as MEMI. Music and Event Management Inc. gets $10,000 a month to inspect and clean the exhibits and stars with the inductees names and manage the software for the exhibits, according to the contracts approved by the commissioners. The county will also reimburse MEMI for costs incurred hiring landscapers and buying equipment. A view of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. MEMI provides the county with weekly inspection reports, which show the organization has repaired kiosks and digital displays that had stopped playing music. Through the first seven months, the county has paid MEMI $81,568, according to the receipts obtained by The Enquirer. MEMI was one of two companies that bid on the Walk of Fame management job. For the county, MEMI made sense, Beck said. The Black Music Walk of Fame sits before the MEMI-owned-and-operated Andrew J. Brady Music Center. The group has experience with lighting and sound systems. "Thats what they do," Beck said. "They do lighting. They do sound. They do computer hardware and software." A picture of funk bassist Bootsy Collins' star on the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. What are the taxpayers getting in return? The Black Music Walk of Fame features interactive videos, light shows and music. It's a world-class attraction, Hamilton County Board of Commissioner President Alicia Reece has said in public meetings. Reece came up with the idea and has championed the Walk of Fame as a project to celebrate Cincinnati's Black music history. Reece declined an interview request, saying in an emailed response she would give an update at a one-year celebration on July 27. The Walk of Fame features stars made of terrazzo, the same as on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So far, 12 artists have been inducted but there's room for 200. Kiosks with samples of their music play at the push of a button. Speakers hidden beneath meticulously manicured flowers and shrubs play Isley Brothers "That Lady" and other music from Cincinnati-born musicians. "Were award-winning now," Reece said at a recent meeting, discussing several architecture awards the Walk of Fame has received. The awards include three from the international advertising competition Muse for augmented reality, diversity and inclusion and outdoor advertising. "Weve got a lot of bus tours coming in." About 20,000 people have walked through the Walk of Fame in the first nine months, according to Hamilton County's estimates. While the attraction is free and there isn't an admission price, the county used cellphone pings on the Wi-Fi system to estimate traffic, county spokeswoman Bridget Doherty and Beck said. "So many people talk about equity and inclusion, this is equity," Reece said at the grand opening in July. "This is yours. This is for our community, this is for our county. This is for the state. This is for the world. And make no mistake, this is a tourism attraction, bringing in dollars to our community." A look at some of the displays on the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Black Music Walk of Fame: How much is it costing taxpayers? ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 29. A Turkmen delegation consisting of specialists from the competent authorities arrived in Russia from May 28 through May 31 to familiarize themselves with the system of quarantine phytosanitary control, grain quality control, and control of pesticide residues adopted in the Russian Federation, Trend reports. According to the official source, representatives of Turkmenistan visit institutions and laboratories subordinate to the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) in Moscow, the Moscow region, and Stavropol, where grain and processed products are checked in accordance with international requirements. Also, Turkmen specialists should visit the North Caucasus Interregional Directorate of Rosselkhoznadzo and the granary of one of the grain processing enterprises in the city of Zelenokumsk, Stavropol Territory. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan is actively strengthening the phytosanitary control system, introducing modern technologies and methods to prevent the spread of pests and plant diseases, which contributes to improving the quality of agricultural products and ensures their safety both on the domestic market and during export. As part of these efforts, the country's specialists visit various states to learn from best practices, cooperate with international organizations, conduct regular trainings, and improve the legislative framework, which allows them to quickly respond to phytosanitary threats and comply with international standards. City Colleges use of University of Baltimore buildings as swing space OKd by school board Baltimore City College students, staff and alumni packed into a hot boardroom Tuesday to support a proposal for students to use the University of Baltimores academic buildings as swing space during the high schools renovation. Baltimore Citys Board of School Commissioners approved the $9.8 million agreement with the university in an 8-1 vote. Roughly 100 people attended the contentious 3 1/2-hour evening meeting and burst into applause after the final vote. Shantell Roberts, vice chair of the board of school commissioners, voted against the proposal, citing inequities between schools. She said she was deeply troubled by the proposal because of the perceived inequity of enhancing security at buildings used as swing space without a long-term plan to bring those safety measures to the districts other 162 schools and programs. The lease is great for this school for right now, but what is the look ahead for the portfolio? Roberts said after the meeting. Id like to know what plan is in place. Security has been scaled up at several schools with state funding for low-income schools provided by the Blueprint for Marylands Future, the state education reform plan, said Sonja Santelises, CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System. City College is set to be renovated as part of the citys 21st Century School building program, a $1.1 billion initiative to modernize 28 schools. Other commissioners expressed concern that other high schools with planned renovations havent had the opportunity to be exposed to university campuses. City College, which is highly ranked academically, is the third-oldest public school in the country. The building, known as the Castle on the Hill doesnt have air conditioning and must close early when the weather gets too hot. It will cost $9.8 million to add security and reconfigure the universitys business and academic center to create a kitchen, bathrooms and 30 classrooms. The lease will start next June and expire in August 2028. The annual rent is $1. Kurt Schmoke, president of the University of Baltimore and a former mayor, offered to allow City College students to coexist on campus during the day since the majority of the universitys students take night classes. Schmoke, a City College alumnus, initially proposed the partnership during an alumni meeting about the renovation, he said. I try to be creative in addressing problems as they arise that the university can be involved with, Schmoke told commissioners Tuesday as students held up signs calling for the proposals approval. Weve worked very hard to make sure that we can deal with safety issues, academic issues, a whole wide range of problems that you can imagine, Schmoke continued. Related Articles Commissioners also considered using the former Thurgood Marshall Middle School in East Baltimore and the former Northwestern High School in West Baltimore as swing spaces. Students at Western High School and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute are moving into Northwestern in 2026 and 2028, respectively, while their schools are under renovation. Northwestern would need $24 million in construction to host schools over the next six years, including to install air conditioning. Thurgood Marshall Middles building sat unused and in disrepair for years, district staff told the board. Classrooms, Wi-Fi and bathrooms would need to be repaired and upgraded. City College students urged commissioners to pick the University of Baltimore plan. The university is located near City College, while many students would have a long commute to reach Thurgood Marshall or Northwestern. Sixteen percent of students would have a daily commute on public transit of more than three hours while 0% would have commutes as long to University of Baltimore, said Charlie Martin, a City College student. Not only is there an increased amount of time but also a decreased amount of safety as students commute during the dark and cold winter months. University of Baltimore offers dual enrollment college credit to students at 18 high schools, more than other Baltimore universities, Santelises said. The district needs to maximize opportunities for students, she said, not hold back schools from investments that arent widely available yet. We have to expand opportunities while not leaving an opportunity on the table, Santelises said. Charlotte city council pitches in for roads not maintained by city or state Charlotte City Council is addressing roads not maintained by the city or state. On Tuesday night, council approved an agreement for the Metropolitan Transit Commission. Thats the committee of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County towns that oversees transportation. PREVIOUS: Homeowners could be responsible for millions of dollars in road repairs The towns and county say the city needs to do more to address orphan roads private roads not maintained by the city or the state. Grand Palisades Parkway in Steele Creek is one of those orphan roads. It has become a major thoroughfare that is used in those areas to access places, and that is why this has become a conundrum, Councilman Ed Driggs said Tuesday. Channel 9 has reported on this road in the past. The developer, Lennar, is trying to deed the street to the local homeowners association. That would make maintenance expenses the responsibility of homeowners there. Charlottes city manager said a portion of a potential sales tax increase will go toward addressing orphan roads. (WATCH BELOW: Action 9 gets to bottom of pothole issue, gets it resolved) EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The City of El Paso will be hosting a graduation for residents who have completed the Neighborhood Leadership Academy. The graduation is set to be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29. The graduating class of the academy is 40 participants. Residents can enter the academy to have the opportunity to serve on City boards/committees, establish and register their own neighborhood associated and some residents have been elected to serve as City Council members, according to a news release sent by the City of El Paso. The academy, according to the City, is a 20-week program that provides in-depth knowledge about City government by participants receiving information about services and programs through presentations given by City department leaders and going to on-site field trips to public facilities. For more information about the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, residents can call (915) 212-1680 or visit the Citys website 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 KTSM 9 News. The City of Washington Police Department is investigating multiple incidents involving porch pirates. Washington police took to their Facebook page to share images of two suspects they are looking to identify. The incidents happened in various areas of the city. Anyone with information is asked to contact City of Washington police via their Facebook page or contact the Detective Unit at 724-223-1386. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: First Pavilion at Star Lake concert sold out; heavy traffic expected 1 dead, 7 hurt after explosion in downtown Youngstown Diocese of Greensburg opens investigation after parish cemetery employees arrest VIDEO: Hill District business owner recognized by City of Pittsburgh DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Clashes erupt outside Israeli Embassy in Mexico during protest over war in Gaza Clashes erupt outside Israeli Embassy in Mexico during protest over war in Gaza Pro-Palestine protesters in Mexico City clashed with police outside the Israeli Embassy Tuesday night. Video footage from The Associated Press showed some demonstrators were rocking metal fences surrounding the embassy back and forth, attempting to remove them. The AP reported that six officers were injured. The video shows people throwing items at the police, who were dressed in riot gear and holding shields. Al Jazeera reported that about 200 people joined the Urgent action for Rafah protest, and the confrontation began when demonstrators attempted to break down the fencing. As protesters threw stones at police, law enforcement threw them back and deployed tear gas, the outlet reported. The protests follow an Israeli strike that set fire to a refugee camp in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where hundreds of thousands are sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war. The strike killed an estimated 45 Palestinians and wounded another 200 and has fueled international outrage after world leaders warned Israel not to attack civilians in Rafah. After the strike, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the fire as tragic and said Israel would be investigating, and the military would learn from the incident. Israeli officials said shrapnel from a targeted strike intended for Hamas leaders struck a nearby fuel tank near the displaced persons camp, resulting in the fire. Activists have been demanding a cease-fire, and a top United Nations court recently issued a ruling for Israel to stop its conduct. Despite President Biden warning Netanyahu not to invade Rafah, the White House said Tuesday that the strike did not cross a red line that would lead to a change in U.S. policy and support for Israel. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. CLEVELAND (WJW) Investigators are learning more details about a fire that broke out at a 128-year-old church in Clevelands Tremont neighborhood on Tuesday, leaving the building heavily damaged and with an uncertain future. Multiple injuries in downtown Youngstown gas explosion Late Tuesday night, water was still pouring out of the doors of St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral near Professor and Starkweather avenues. The fire, which officials have ruled accidental, started as roofers were making repairs and soldering the iconic copper roof at the church. The flames were trapped under the churchs domes. There was no way to attack but from the outside. Fox 8 News Fox 8 News Crews that were first on the scene tried to get inside, but the smoke was too thick. Then, a piece of the ceiling collapsed so crews were pulled out but not before retrieving some historic artifacts contained in the church. There were no injuries. According to St. Theos website, the cathedral was built in the shape of a cross and is topped with 13 crosses and cupolas, representing Jesus and The Twelve Apostles. The church has been at the heart of the Russian community since its cornerstone was laid in September 1911. The rest of the world may know St. Theodosius for its role in the 1978 blockbuster movie, The Deer Hunter. The movie included a 51-minute wedding scene. Outrageous: Officials speak out after fire lit underneath Playhouse Square chandelier The Academy Award-winning movie starred Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep. Its devastating. I was baptized here, married here and this church means a lot to our community, said church member and neighbor George Kusber. The structure itself was saved but there is significant water damage, firefighters told Hamilton. FOX 8s Stacey Frey got a look inside the church Wednesday morning. FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo FOX 8 photo The church was founded in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Washington Post investigation reveals that over 120 priests, sisters, and brothers abused more than 1,000 Native American children at Indian boarding schools in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest during the 1950s and 60s. (Courtesy Graphic) A Washington Post investigation published today revealed at least 122 priests, sisters and brothers assigned to 22 Indian boarding schools in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest since the 1890s were accused of sexually abusing Native American children in their care. Most of the documented abuse occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, affecting more than 1,000 children. Titled In the Name of God, the year-long investigation is based on lawsuits, sworn affidavits, oral histories, thousands of boarding school records, more than two dozen interviews with former students, and thousands of pages of letters, diaries, memos, and government reports. Additionally, the Post credits reporting by other news organizationsincluding Native News Onlinethat contributed to its investigation. Reporters Dana Hedgpeth (Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe) and Sari Horwitz led the reporting, with contributions from data reporter Emmanuel Martinez, former investigative reporter Scott Higham, and photojournalist Salwan Georges. The church wounded my spirit, took away my soul and robbed me of my childhood, Clarita Vargas, of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington, told the Post. It was the federal government that promoted the boarding school policy and the church was its arm. I blame them both. The full story of the investigation is available on the Washington Post website. Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct name of the data reporter, Emmanuel Martinez, and the correct title of former investigative reporter Scott Higham. Both contributed to the Washington Post's investigation. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net NEW YORK (AP) Closing arguments in Donald Trumps historic hush money trial concluded Tuesday evening in a Manhattan courtroom. It was the final opportunity for prosecutors and defense attorneys to convince the jury of their respective cases before deliberations begin. Defense lawyer Todd Blanche spoke for about three hours in the morning while prosecutor Joshua Steinglass went for over five hours. Court continued much longer than usual stretching until 8 p.m. Jurors will undertake the unprecedented task of deciding whether to convict the former U.S. president of felony criminal charges stemming from hush money payments tied to an alleged scheme to buy and bury stories that might have threatened Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. At the heart of the charges are reimbursements paid to Michael Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment that was given to porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. All eyes on Michael Cohen in Trump hush money trial closings Prosecutors say the payments to Cohen, Trumps then-lawyer, were falsely logged as legal expenses to hide the true nature of the transactions. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, charges which are punishable by up to four years in prison. Closing arguments lasted all day Tuesday, with jury deliberations beginning as soon as Wednesday. The case is the first of Trumps four indictments to go to trial as he seeks to reclaim the White House from Democrat Joe Biden. The other cases center on charges of illegally hoarding classified documents at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Its unclear whether any of them will reach trial before the November 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 PIX11. Right-wing extremists continue to attack drag in the ongoing culture war against LGBTQ+ lives, and these queens have become all too familiar with the violence. Now, they're working to create a world where no artist has to experience what they did, all through the new coalition, Qommittee. Pulse Nightclub Tiara Latrice Kelley remembers the sounds of gunshots and screams to this day. The drag queen describes June 12, 2016, as "the night that marijuana saved my life." She and a few friends had planned to go to Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where she had previously performed, but instead ended up getting stoned and falling asleep. The group only awoke when their phones began "blowing up." One message from a friend still sticks with Kelley almost eight years later. "Did you make it out to Pulse? If so, run." That was how the performer learned of the deadliest attack against LGBTQ+ people in U.S. history. The Pulse Massacre claimed the lives of 49 people, leaving over 50 others injured. The gunman, Omar S. Mateen, was killed in a shootout with police that night, but not before inflicting lasting trauma on the southern Florida community. Kelley said she was "confused" when she first received the warning messages. It was the sounds of "hundreds" of sirens that compelled her group "to go up there to see what was going on." "When we first got there, they were already starting to carry victims out," she told The Advocate. "There was still the standoff, so the whole area was quarantined. There was still shooting and screaming." The incident was part of the reason that Kelley and her husband decided they wanted a "change of pace." They then moved across the country to Colorado, where Kelley landed a job as a producer at a local LGBTQ+ establishment, Club Q. Just two weeks after Kelley signed her contract with the venue, tragedy struck again. Kelley and her husband meant to go to the bar the night of November 19, 2022, but stayed behind after she became sick from her dialysis treatment. The two began receiving phone calls from her colleagues just after midnight, warning about an active shooter. "The first thought that I had was, 'There's no way this is happening again,'" she said. "With Pulse, I was shocked and I was angry and I was upset. But with Club Q, I was numb, because there's no way that this has happened again." Club Q When Hysteria Brooks arrived at Club Q that night, paramedics were already transporting victims into ambulances. The drag queen had just finished a show in downtown Colorado Springs when she made her way to the bar. Despite not being scheduled to work at Club Q that night, Brooks decided to go in anyway. When she arrived, the "scene that was unfolding" in front of her would forever change the queen, as well as the mountain city. They were triaging people in the parking lot," Brooks said. "They were pulling people out of the bar, triaging them, and then throwing them into ambulances to be transported." The mass shooting at Club Q claimed five lives, leaving several others injured. The shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, would later plead guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder, and state-level hate crime charges. Aldrich has since been sentenced to life in prison. Related: In Search of a Safe Space, Club Q Shooting Survivors Look for Ways to Push Forward Without Fear Brooks said she and the other employees were promised financial support and access to mental health resources by the owner of Club Q, who later "completely went back on all of his words" and instead fired most of the staff through a Facebook post. Even after her local legislators offered help, Brooks said most of the resources went through the owner, and did not reach the employees. Brooks and Kelley are now part of a coalition of artists ensuring that no queen or king will be without support, as drag performances and queer establishments across the country continue to endure threats from right-wing extremists. These groups, often falling under the label of White Supremacists, target drag shows on the fallacious basis that the art form is inherently inappropriate for children. They accuse performers, without evidence, of pedophilia and "grooming" simply for dressing flamboyantly or femininely during their shows. Community Church of Chesterland For Veranda L'Ni, the trouble started when right-wing groups caught wind of her performances. They began by targeting a Drag Queen Story Hour at a public park in Wadsworth, Ohio, on March 11, 2023. Everything went "haywire" when "the alt right groups showed up," L'Ni said, with crowds overtaking the park and replacing the children's literacy event with Nazi salutes and "very specific names and derogatory terms. One protest attendee, a member of White Lives Matter Ohio and the local Proud Boys chapter, would soon after throw a Molotov cocktail at the Community Church of Chesterland, where L'Ni was scheduled to do another story hour. Aimenn Penny, 20, pleaded guilty to using fire and explosives to commit a felony and violating the Church Arson Prevention Act, and was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. L'Ni was floored when she heard the news of the attack, which left her asking herself: "At what lengths are these groups or individuals willing to go to create harm? All this craziness as a 20-year-old," she said. "These groups talk about drag performers indoctrinating children, and here we are with a 20-year-old who's been fed information that is leading him to believe that bad things are happening at drag shows, and that he needs to do something about it." Introducing Qommittee While the threats are "scary," L'Ni has not been frightened off, but instead motivated to do something about them herself. She, Kelley, and Brooks are among ten drag artists impacted by violence who have signed a call to action for Qommittee, a network of drag performers and allies that seeks to provide the community with vital resources. The more I kept reading the stories, and the more phone calls between all the entertainers and the safety coordinator, the more and more angry I became. It just lit a fuel in my fire," L'Ni continued. "It just made that anger turn into determination. For Brooks, the coalition is about community building. In the aftermath of the Club Q shooting, she said that she "saw the community band together like I'd never seen before," and she wants to see that again as states propose and enact anti-drag bills. To the queen, such legislation is directly responsible for attacks like the one she experienced. It's the rhetoric that causes things like this to happen," she said. "People are fed. Hate is not something that you're born with hate is something that's taught. The hate that Aldrich had in his heart for gay people, for queer people, was fueled by all of this anti-trans, anti-drag queen, anti-queer rhetoric that we're seeing in the legislation that's trying to be passed throughout this nation. The FBI recently warned that Pride Month events this year could face threats from "foreign terrorist organizations." Brooks and L'Ni both noted that the violence they faced was conversely from domestic actors terrorists hailing from their own backyards. If you look at everything that's gone on in these past few years, most of the people that have committed domestic terrorist attacks have been people that are from the U.S.," Brooks said. "They're home-bred. L'Ni emphasized that It's coming from inside the house. She said the threats have "traumatized" many in the community, and have even made her feel unsafe to attend Pride events in her own home. It weighs on one's psyche. It weighs on you emotionally that these people are out for you," she said. "They're not out for the families or the kids theyre specifically out for the drag performers. That's scary in itself. It's like a bad horror movie. The first steps As Qommittee launches, the drag artists maintain that more support is needed. It doesn't just have to be monetary, as Brooks said that uplifting queer art, uplifting local drag artists, and just hearing what they have to say" can go a long way towards understanding. L'Ni also suggested to "go and support your local drag artists, go to their shows, tell them how much that you care about them. The community is meant to showcase not so much the hardships, but the positive role models that drag performers really are," L'Ni said. "Drag performers are not here to take on the baggage of those who are homophobic or transphobic. Our job is to be an entertainer. Our job is to make a better community for our LGBT family out there, no matter what city we're in. To Kelley, the most important thing people who "claim to be an ally" can do is "speak up," and "not just on the Internet or behind your keyboard," but in your community. "The rhetoric that is happening in so many places is so dangerous," she said. "And these type of events will probably continue to happen as long as that rhetoric is allowed to be spewed." BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Iran and the US continue to exchange messages on various issues, including the lifting of sanctions, Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Tehran on May 29, Trend reports. According to him, even though Iran and the US will hold a presidential election, the exchange of indirect messages between the two countries has never stopped. Bagheri Kani stated that Iran's nuclear activities continue under the supervision of the Supreme National Security Council. The official noted that deliberations are underway with several countries to unblock Iran's funds frozen in foreign countries. To note, after the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and their entourage in a plane crash, reports emerged about the termination of Iran's indirect negotiations with the US, as well as about changes in Iran's negotiating council. Meanwhile, indirect negotiations between the US and Iran were held in Oman in mid-May. During the deliberations, the possible implications of Iran and its proxy forces in the region, as well as US concerns about Tehran's nuclear program, were discussed. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Body recovered after search for missing swimmer off Madeira Beach Body recovered after search for missing swimmer off Madeira Beach TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A body was recovered after a search for a swimmer off Madeira Beach, according to the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. Deputies were called at about 5:30 p.m. to the 13000 block of Gulf Boulevard for reports of a missing swimmer. The mans body was recovered. No other information was provided. WFLAs Eagle 8 chopper flew over the scene and spotted deputys vehicles on the beach. This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 North Cobb High School student was selected for a prestigious Navy academy for this summer. Alexis Holmes was one of 28 students nationwide selected to attend the Navy Summer Flight Academy. Holmes, who attends North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, will head to Delaware this summer to complete an eight week U.S. Navy Summer Flight Academy aviation program at Delaware State University. The goal of the scholarship program is to inspire and expose exceptional young talent from communities across the nation to a career path in Naval Aviation, says Tamara Graham, Deputy Directory, CNAF Flight Academy Program Manager. Alexis Holmes has demonstrated incredible potential, and the Navy is honored to play a part in her personal and professional journey. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] During her summer program, Holmes will receive a minimum of 32 hours of classroom aviation academics and at least 40 hours of flight training. Additionally, she will need to complete 17 hours of solo flights. Holmes is one of 28 students in the program which was created to increase exposure to the Navy. The cost of the program is $28,000 but offered at zero cost to the student, according to a news release. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: FILE PHOTO: An animal rights activist holds a puppy while taking part in a demonstration demanding the approval of a law that prohibits bullfights, cockfights and events where animals are abused, in Bogota BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's Congress banned bullfighting on Tuesday following seven years of failed attempts to prohibit the activity, which some political and social groups have vowed to maintain citing its cultural value. The bill prohibiting bullfighting passed with 93 votes in favor and two against. "We do not believe that an expression of torture and barbarism can be considered cultural," said lawmaker Juan Carlos Losada. Colombia's constitutional court had urged Congress in recent years to issue a definitive regulation on the matter. Bullfighting events are prohibited by law in some Latin American countries such as Argentina and Cuba, while they are legal in most of Mexico and Peru. (Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Editing by Stephen Coates) DENVER (KDVR) A Colorado police officer found a lot more than common paraphernalia while searching a car for drugs Sunday night. The officer was checking trailheads at Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge when he spotted a car with drug paraphernalia in plain sight, according to the Wheat Ridge Police Department. Around the same time, the cars owner was dropped off [at] the location by an Uber, the department said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. The owner told police a friend borrowed the car and told the owner to pick up the vehicle at that location. The owner also gave the officer consent to search the car. Fishing is free in Colorado on these dates During the search, the officer found drugs, a gun and a large plastic bin. Body camera footage shows him opening the bin only to find a fully-grown rattlesnake inside. Yo, you got a rattlesnake in here? What the (expletive) dude. Are you kidding me? Theres a (expletive) live rattlesnake in this bin, the officer said in the video. The car owner appeared just as shocked as the officer. Does he have any other thing that might bite me? the officer said while he continued looking inside the car. The owner will not face charges at this time. Police are still trying to contact the owners friend, as they still have a lot of questions. The full-body camera video was posted on the Wheat Ridge Police Departments social media accounts. According to the department, the police booked the drugs and the gun but left the snake. The police recommended the owner take it to the 24-hour vet. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Columbus City Council seat previously filled by Pops Barnes to be taken over by Byron Hickey COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) A seat on District 1 of Columbus City Council was left empty following the death of Jerry Pops Barnes. It was announced on Tuesday during a City Council Meeting that seat is to be filled by Byron Hickey, a retired police officer. Hickey will serve Barnes unexpired term. Hickey was nominated by Council members Charmaine Crabb and Glenn Davis. Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen nominated Simeone Barnes, one of Barnes daughters to fill her fathers unexpired term. Ft. Moore to begin main gate construction, expected to take six months to complete Hickey won the seat with a 6 to 3 vote, with Councilor Walker Garrett of District 8 being the sixth vote he needed to win. WRBL will update this article with new details as we learn more. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. Columbus man arrested on 17 counts of aggravated animal cruelty, identity fraud and more COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) Authorities in Columbus are investigating after they say they found several dogs who had been abused along with drugs, guns and a stolen car at a Columbus property. The Columbus Police Departments (CPD) Special Operations Unit executed a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of Chesterfield Avenue on Tuesday, May 28, at 11:57 a.m. After searching the premises, Akahime Jordan, 32, was arrested and charged with the following: 17 counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty Financial Transaction Card Theft Identification Fraud Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute Possession of Spice Theft by Receiving Stolen Vehicle Possession of Drug-Related Objects Columbus Police: One person injured in shooting on South Lumpkin Road According to CPD, officers initially arrived after receiving a tip about several dogs being chained outside without proper shelter or access to water. During a walkthrough of the backyard officers noticed the dogs appeared underweight, lacked access to food and water, and showed signs of injury. Police say equipment on the property suggested potential dog fighting activities. After being notified of additional dogs being inside the home, members of the Special Operations Unite obtained a search warrant. The execution of the warrant resulted in police finding the following: Red Kia K5 sedan (reported stolen from Atlanta) Draco 9mm firearm Numerous credit cards and I.D. cards not belonging to the suspect 1,018.3 grams of marijuana 7.7 grams of methamphetamine 2 grams of spice Photos provided by Columbus Police Department Photos provided by Columbus Police Department Photos provided by Columbus Police Department Photos provided by Columbus Police Department Animal Control rescued a total of seven adult dogs and ten puppies from the property, they are currently being assessed by a veterinarian for injuries. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. Natalie Rubalcava poses for a portrait in front of a historic Chicano mural across the street from Little People's Park in Anaheim. The first-term council member faces a recall vote in one week after being named in an investigative report detailing corporate influence in Anaheim politics. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times) Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava wanted to show me two things as we walked toward a picnic table at Little Peoples Park. How do you like the playground? she asked about her latest municipal project. The one-acre green space, site of an infamous 1978 police beatdown of Chicano residents, shone like I had never seen before. Kids played on swings, a seesaw and even a small climbing wall. Adults relaxed in the shade. A vibrant mural on a south wall was a welcome contrast to the historic, faded one on the side of a liquor store a stones throw away. This is the Natalie Ive known since she was a grade ahead of me at Sycamore Junior High and Anaheim High in the mid-1990s, where she organized the homecoming dance as senior class vice president. A go-getter committed to a city where her family has lived for five generations. Kind, self-effacing, with a big smile. That's not the Rubalcava popping up on my social media accounts, though. She showed me a video on her cellphone of protesters who crashed a meet-and-greet to chant that she was corrupt while holding a banner that read Natalie Rubal-cabal. Dressed in jeans, fashionable sandals and a white T-shirt emblazoned with Andy Anaheim, the city's cheery mascot, Rubalcava offered me an aw shucks grin. OK, that banner was funny." Read more: Anaheim Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava faces recall election in June The first-time politician whose working-class district is where my dad and a bunch of cousins live faces a June 4 recall election just 18 months after winning her seat. Critics claim she is a puppet of the corporate interests behind the self-identified cabal that a 2022 FBI affidavit alleged runs Anaheim. The federal investigation led to the resignation of former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu, who pleaded guilty last year to corruption charges stemming from his role in trying to sell Angel Stadium at a bargain rate to a company controlled by Halos owner Arte Moreno. Rubalcava has done herself no favors with her opponents. Recently, she joined the rest of her fellow council members in approving the largest expansion of the Disneyland Resort in a generation, despite Disney offering little insight into its plans. She represents the central question of Anaheim: of corporations dominating the city, said Austin Lynch. He's the Orange County organizing director for Unite Here Local 11, the hotel and hospitality workers union that's spearheading Rubalcavas recall. She beat their favored candidate in 2022 and successfully campaigned against a ballot measure last year that would have increased the minimum wage for Anaheims hotel and event center workers to $25 an hour. Nevertheless, Lynch and Unite Here recording secretary Martin Lopez insisted to me during a Zoom chat that those past battles have little to do with their current campaign. Instead, what sparked their ire was a city-funded corruption report released last year that concluded Rubalcava was less than candid and forthcoming to investigators about her role in a couple of ethical no-nos: an unsolicited phone call to a voter whose info Rubalcava got without their permission, and directing a city worker to reach out to the Orange County Business Council, her former employer, about small-business loan opportunities. The latter incident violated the city charter but didn't amount to anything criminal, the report concluded. Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava in front of a historic Chicano mural in her district. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times) I pointed out to Lynch and Lopez that Anaheim has had politicians far worse than Rubalcava, yet Unite Here never bothered to try and recall them. So what makes her different? We definitely disagreed with a lot of [previous politicians] Lopez replied. But when [the report] alleged she crossed the line, thats when we decided to recall her. If his answer came off as weak salsa, its because it is. The Rubalcava recall is really the latest front in a long-running civil war among Democrats in Orange County. Ever since a 2012 lawsuit forced O.C.'s largest city to switch to district instead of at-large elections, local activists have dreamed of turning the Anaheim city council into one much like Santa Ana's, stacked with progressive Latinos who put working class and immigrant residents ahead of big business. Problem is, Anaheim isn't Santa Ana. I've long told my activist amigos who never listen to me that the historical dominance in my hometown of people with roots in rancho libertarian Mexican states like Zacatecas and Jalisco has created a more moderate electorate. That's why, even though the city council is majority Latino, it's about as wokoso as Winnie the Pooh. Rubalcava, a Democrat, agrees. Latinos in Anaheim want public safety, she said. They dont hate Disney. They hate Arte Moreno but love the team. Everyone I talk to barely talks about the recall. A runner passes by as the sun sets behind Angel Stadium in 2022. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) She has the backing of unions, Rep. Lou Correa, nearly all of O.C.'s Democratic Assembly members and state senators, and the Orange County Labor Federation. Unite Here, meanwhile, has spent $845,000 on the recall since last year, yet finds itself mostly alone. The 46-year-old admitted to thinking about resigning, to avoid seeing her name being dragged through the mud." "But I also have to be a good example for my kids. Like, I have bullies coming in here pushing me around and trying to make me look bad in the city that I grew up in. Or questioning whether I'm corrupt or not." Her voice was calm but cutting. Another Natalie I remembered a self-admitted "troublemaker" who nearly got kicked out of Anaheim High emerged before my eyes. "I know I'm not corrupt. Rubalcava said she never paid much attention to local politics beyond having televised City Council meetings on in the background during dinner. That changed in 2022, when Jose F. Moreno, the lead plaintiff in the 2012 district election lawsuit, announced he was backing Anaheim Union High School District trustee Al Jabbar to replace him on the City Council. Trees weren't getting trimmed because [Moreno's] focus was activism and not, you know, serving the residents, Rubalcava said. [Progressives] were lining up their candidate to bring in, and nothing would change. That's when I decided I was going to run. Read more: Anaheim corruption report alleges a criminal conspiracy, secret lobbying and influence peddling A political action committee tied to Disney spent $380,000 to support Rubalcava's campaign as she destroyed Jabbar. I asked if she had any issues with that, considering the House of Mouse has long treated Anaheim City Hall as its personal sandbox. I wasn't really paying attention to that, because I was fundraising myself. Media outlets and good-government observers blasted the connection, I replied. Why did she think Disney spent the money that it did? Honestly, I don't know. Evasive Natalie? Never knew her until now. It does bother me when people talk about the independent expenditures, because ultimately, I worked my ass off, she continued, removing her sunglasses. I knocked on doors. I made phone calls. I still see people now who are like, You knocked on my door in 2022, and that's why I voted for you. She said the beef with Unite Here really started after a meeting about the minimum-wage ballot measure. Among the attendees: Unite Here co-president Ada Briceno, who also happens to be chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County. Rubalcava refused the union's request to push her colleagues to adopt the entire initiative. Instead, they approved an ordinance that requires hotels to provide panic buttons to workers something that the union had sought, but not everything it wanted. Shortly after, Rubalcava's then-boss, Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, told her something Briceno had allegedly said to him: Natalie is public enemy No. 1, and I will stop at nothing until she's recalled and politically ruined forever. Ada Briceno, chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County and co-president of United Here Local 11, in a 2022 photo. (Don Leach/Daily Pilot) A few months later, Valencias chief of staff fired Rubalcava as district director, offering no specific reason. I worked my ass off for that guy, Rubalcava said, referring to Valencia. She shook her head, then spoke about Briceno. I've always thought she was well-spoken, smart, passionate about the work that she does. The thing that's the most hurtful about this is that it's a Latina pushing to recall me. I mean, I try not to talk negatively about women. But I just think that we tear each other down far too often." Valencia said in a statement that he has a standing policy of not commenting on matters regarding human resources, or current or former employees." Briceno, meanwhile, declined to comment even after I read to her what she had supposedly said to Valencia about Rubalcava. As our chat wrapped up, I asked the council member whether she thought she'd be recalled. She had no clue. I mean, it's not life or death. So I have to put things in perspective. I still have a beautiful family a husband, two daughters and I have a law degree. I'm not destitute. If I lose, I have to move on and just move forward. Then, the fighting Natalie I know came out one more time. Like, I got jumped at Sycamore, you know what I mean? Like, I'm not really afraid of [critics]. So I think that bothers them, too. I can't be bullied by anybody. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze called the threat of Western partners to impose sanctions against the Georgian authorities in connection with the adopted law On Transparency of Foreign Influence frivolous, the Prime Minister said during a press conference, Trend reports. "Any attempt to blackmail the Georgian people and the government elected by the Georgian people with sanctions or similar measures is not serious. We have firm positions on all issues. We serve the interests of this society and country. Therefore, talking about sanctions is not serious for us," he said. Referring to the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, the Prime Minister noted that Georgian citizens have the right to know who is being financed by whom in this country, who is promoting the positive or negative interests of foreign forces in the country. According to him, in such conditions (in conditions of transparency), Georgian society will be better protected from attempts to violate the sovereignty of Georgia. No matter what verdict the jury delivers in Donald Trumps trial on business fraud charges in New York, one outcome is predictable: The former president will react with defiance and denial plus a declaration of victory if he isnt found guilty on all counts. A more important effect is almost as predictable: The verdict wont have much impact on his chances of winning the presidential election. Even a finding of guilty on tangled charges that Trump committed business fraud to hide hush money payments to an adult film actor is likely to have only a minor effect on his standing in the eyes of most voters. A conviction, which the former president would almost certainly appeal, wont prevent him from staying in the race. And if he wins the election, he stands a good chance of avoiding any serious penalties, at least while hes in office. Trump faces four possible verdicts: guilty on all counts, a split decision, a hung jury or acquittal. Read more: Jurors in Trump hush money trial end 1st day of deliberations after asking to rehear testimony GUILTY It wont be easy to spin a conviction on all 34 counts as a victory, but there are plenty of ways Trump can mitigate the consequences. Hell continue to claim that the charges were flimsy and the process was rigged against him. And if he appeals the verdict, that will have two effects: It will almost certainly keep him out of jail until long after election day, and it will allow him to argue (correctly) that a conviction cant be considered final while its under challenge. Read more: Donald Trump puts America on notice again: If he loses, he won't go quietly SPLIT DECISION If Trump is found guilty on some counts but not on others, he can be relied on to declare it a moral victory. Hell almost certainly appeal any and all convictions, and argue that the muddled outcome proves that the charges against him were weak from the start. HUNG JURY It takes only one of 12 jurors to block a jury from delivering a verdict a hung jury, normally resulting in a mistrial. If the jury cant reach a decision, Trump will exult that even a jury of Manhattanites in one of the most liberal jurisdictions in the nation failed to find him culpable another moral victory declaration. ACQUITTAL This would be total victory. The candidate would claim that it proves hes been right all along and that his opponents have unfairly weaponized the judicial system against him. Read more: Column: Trump's hush-money criminal trial could be a cure for 'Trump amnesia' Why do I say even a guilty verdict isnt likely to dent Trumps electoral prospects? Because thats what the smartest political pollsters I know, both Republicans and Democrats, say. A conviction in this case is unlikely to play a significant role in the election, Democratic strategist Mark Mellman said. Its possible that the polls will flutter and then return to where they were. And its possible that there wont be a flutter. The most likely impact of a guilty verdict is negligible, Republican pollster Whit Ayres agreed. An ABC News/Ipsos poll last month found that that 16% of Trumps current voters said they would reconsider supporting him if he were convicted in the New York case, and an additional 4% said they would definitely stop supporting him. But voters are generally bad at predicting how they would react to hypothetical future events, the pollsters warned. In 1998, Mellman noted, plenty of Democrats told pollsters they thought then-President Clinton should resign if he were impeached for lying about a sexual relationship with a White House intern. But when the Republican-led House of Representatives actually impeached Clinton, his voters stuck with him and his popularity soared. Trump has spent months attacking the legitimacy of the criminal cases against him preparing his supporters, in effect, to ignore a guilty verdict. And he has shown, over and over, that constant repetition can bend public opinion his way. Read more: Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump in occasionally graphic testimony Read more: 'Stop this from getting out': Star witness Michael Cohen implicates Trump A case in point: Trumps insistence that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. A year ago, the Monmouth University Poll found that 68% of Republicans said they believed President Biden won the election through fraud. By February, with Trump campaigning relentlessly on his bogus election claims, that number ticked up to 75%. We have seen, over eight years, a series of events that caused people to say, Surely this time, Trump will lose support. But he never really does, Ayres said. As for undecided voters, five months of campaigning still remain. Voters who havent made up their minds are unlikely to decide in the fall on the basis of a verdict on business-fraud charges a verdict that will be under appeal, at worst that was delivered in spring. Trump has already scored at least one important victory. Six months ago, he was facing four serious criminal cases, any of which could have derailed his presidential campaign: a federal case stemming from his supporters invasion of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; a federal case on charges he illegally retained highly classified documents; a Georgia election interference case; and the New York business fraud case. Now he has contrived to postpone a final reckoning in all four until long past the election. The delays dont make the charges go away. But if Trump wins the election, he can order the Justice Department to halt the two federal cases. And under most legal precedent, state courts would put his prosecutions in New York and Georgia on hold while hes serving as president. If he wins in November and completes a full term, that means he wont face prosecution before 2029, when hell be 82. In short, no matter how the New York trial concludes, Trump will survive to fight another day and perhaps even to serve another four years as president. It has often been noted that it is unprecedented for a former president to face criminal charges. It is equally unprecedented, and equally noteworthy, that he can go on trial, face possible conviction and have it barely dent his political fortunes. Read more McManus columns on Trump: Trump has big plans for California if he wins a second term. Fasten your seatbelts Trump wants to round up over a million undocumented migrants from California. Heres how he might do it Trump loves fossil fuels; California wants clean energy. Cue collision 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. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a candidate for governor, speaks on Feb. 29 at the Boone County Republican Lincoln Days dinner in Columbia (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent). A Jay Ashcroft campaign letter that attacked his opponents Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe as a closeted Democrat and state Sen. Bill Eigel as a political gadfly shows illegal coordination between his gubernatorial campaign committee and a political action committee, a complaint to the Missouri Ethics Commission states. Ashcrofts campaign is denying the allegations. The complaint, filed by Democratic attorney and lobbyist Jane Dueker, alleges that the $5,244.84 paid by the Committee for Liberty to send the letter equal to the cost paid by Ashcroft for Missouri should have been reported as an in-kind contribution to the campaign. It exceeds the $2,825 limit on contributions to the campaign committee, with messaging that represents an illegal level of coordination, the complaint states. Quite plainly, the letter is an advocacy piece, poorly masquerading as a fundraising letter, Dueker wrote in her complaint. The letter does not cross any legal lines, said Jason Roe, a Michigan-based consultant working for Ashcrofts campaign. Were not doing voter persuasion, Roe said. Were doing fundraising so shes trying to take one form of political activity and label it a different form of political activity. On Wednesday morning, Ashcrofts campaign sent out a fundraising email attacking Dueker for her complaint. It accuses her of trying to use the law to defeat him. Their tactics will not intimidate me and I will continue to fight the liberals who are trying to destroy our country, the email states. Complaints to the ethics commission are confidential unless released by the complaining party. The commission does not comment on complaints until it has completed its review and issues findings. Ashcroft, secretary of state since 2017, is one of nine Republicans running in the Aug. 6 primary. He has been leading consistently in polls, with Kehoe and Eigel also showing strength and none of the other candidates registering in surveys. There are five Democratic candidates, with Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra both from Springfield running full-scale campaigns. Dueker has not contributed to any candidate for governor. The March 8 letter discusses Ashcrofts place in the polls and that he is behind Kehoe in fundraising. It then turns to attack Kehoe for supporting tax increases for state roads, the increase in the state budget while he has held the states second-highest office and his votes as a state Senator to allow foreign ownership of farmland. Who needs a Democrat in the Governors mansion when you have Mike Kehoe? the letter states. The only mention of Eigel is in a section on poll results, which the letter states show 13% for political gadfly Bill Eigel. The letter has Ashcrofts signature and a statement at the bottom that it was paid for by Ashcroft for Missouri and the Committee for Liberty. The letter has a section touting Ashcrofts stands and actions as secretary of state, and stating that as governor, I promise you I will make Missouri a conservative leader for America. Contribution limits to candidate campaign committees were added to the Missouri Constitution in 2016 for candidates seeking state office and for political parties, with lower amounts set for legislative candidates in a 2020 ballot measure. As a result, supporters of candidates also set up political action committees, which can accept donations of any size. A candidate may raise funds on behalf of the PAC but cannot direct how it spends money or the messages it uses to persuade voters. Every major candidate for statewide office has a joint fundraising PAC, as do most members of the state Senate and many in the Missouri House. Its no longer independent when it agrees on a message with the campaign, Dueker said. If they are jointly expending money on something, I believe that is coordination. The messaging is intended to convince the potential donor to write a check to Ashcroft, Roe said, not to persuade anyone to vote for him. The points made are the same made on Ashcrofts campaign website, he said. Even the promise to make Missouri a conservative leader is a fundraising appeal, he said. That does not say vote for Jay Ashcroft, Roe said. That merely represents why he would be a candidate worth making a donation to. The letter only went out to proven Republican donors who have given to Ashcroft or other GOP candidates in the past, Roe said. If it were me communicating vote for Jay Ashcroft or anything like that, we cannot do that, Roe said. A spokesperson for the Committee for Liberty could not be reached for comment. Under state campaign finance law, a campaign must report the retail value of goods or services donated as an in-kind contribution in the same report where cash donations are disclosed. The letter is an obviously coordinated communication, the complaint states. Every dime (the) Committee for Liberty spent on it is an in-kind contribution to Ashcroft for Missouri. By coordinating on the messages in the letter, the campaign and PAC have colluded on a plan for the primary contest, Dueker said. This is messaging that will go on throughout the campaign, and thats exactly why I think this crosses the line because this will affect the campaign going forward, she said. It was open and notorious. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Complaint alleges Jay Ashcroft campaign letter runs afoul of ethics law appeared first on Missouri Independent. (COLORADO SPRINGS) The Congressional District 5 (CD5) Primary Election Debate between Jeff Crank and Dave Williams is happening on Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.m. at Boot Barn Hall, located at 13071 Bass Pro Drive. Crank and Williams are running for the seat currently held by retiring Congressman Doug Lamborn. Crank is being endorsed by Lamborn, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, while Williams has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Crank ran against Lamborn twice in the 2006 and 2008 primaries. Williams is currently the head of the Colorado GOP Party, and describes himself as a conservative wartime fighter. Formerly, he served three terms as a Colorado state senator. Crank says he is a lifelong supporter of the Second Amendment and a proud pro-life advocate. He served on staff for U.S. Congressman Joel Hefley, in Washington. Hefley held the CD5 seat before Lamborn. The event is free to the public and will be moderated by Donna Nelson. Panelists include FOX21 Reporter and Anchor Austin Sack, Richard Randall with KVOR, and Ben Trollinger with The Colorado Springs Independent. FOX21 News will live stream the debate, which can be viewed in the video player above on Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.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 FOX21 News Colorado. Bob Atwell A conservative University of Wisconsin regent is refusing to step down even though his term expired this month, continuing a recent trend of holdover appointees. Then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed Bob Atwell to the UW Board of Regents in 2017. His seven-year term ended May 1 but Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has yet to name a replacement. Atwell emailed UW System leaders last week about his plan to continue serving until he resigns or his successor is confirmed by the GOP-controlled state Senate, citing advice he said he received from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester. Vos' office did not return a request for comment. Atwell's decision comes as Republican legislative leaders are in court appealing a ruling that allows the states top election official to stay in her position well after her term has expired. Here's what to know: Who is Bob Atwell? Atwell is the founding CEO of the Green Bay-based Nicolet National Bank. He is one of two remaining Republican appointees on the 18-member board. Atwell is among the most candid of regents during public meetings, unafraid of calling out problems as he sees them. In Atwell's email to UW System President Jay Rothman and UW Regents President Karen Walsh, he praised their leadership. But he also drew attention to the UW System's "stunning absence of and frequent misuse of data." He questioned why an outside firm needed to be brought in to analyze universities' financial health. He also cited frustration with his requests for COVID-19-related data going unanswered by UW System. Responding to the criticism, UW System spokesperson Ethan Schuh said there were limits to what COVID-19 information was reported and what was collected. But the public reports were "some of the more extensive" for a public university system nationally, he said. Rothman has previously said an independent outside review is not unusual for an organization and also a good business practice, Schuh said. Why is Atwell staying on past his term? In Atwell's email to UW leaders, he said he hoped his "temporary continuation as a regent" would improve communication between the Legislature and the board. Walsh replied, saying she believed what he was doing was neither in the board's best interest nor what the Legislature intended. "I realize that there is zero incentive for the legislature to fix that loophole, as it appears to be a useful lever to thwart a governor of the party opposite of legislative leadership," Walsh emailed Atwell. "It will also make things unnecessarily challenging for your successor. Perhaps it's unlikely you will reconsider, but I would certainly welcome it if you did." Atwell, in his response, noted his replacement hadn't even been named. "I have not decided if I am hanging out for one meeting or more," he wrote, adding: "It is not the governors Board. He appoints and the Senate confirms or not. I have been impressed with many of his appointees. I have not been impressed by the UWs appreciation for the role of the legislature in funding and oversight." Atwell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he didn't have motives beyond what he emailed Rothman and Walsh. "Governor Evers has appointed some outstanding regents, but he has not yet announced his nominee for the seat I have held," Atwell said in an email. "I have served with outstanding regents of both parties over the last seven years. The efforts we have made on strategic planning do not drive to the depth needed to help the UW sustain and improve its service to the entire state." Who is supposed to replace Atwell on the UW Board of Regents? New regents are typically named in late April or early May. Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said an announcement on Atwell's replacement would be made though she didn't say when or why there was a delay. Before Evers was elected governor, he previously served on the UW Board of Regents. For a few years, his time on the board overlapped with Atwell's. "I knew Bob Atwell as a person of high personal integrity," Evers said in a statement. "Something has changed." The governor's naming of a replacement kicks off the process where the Senate would confirm or reject the appointee. The Legislature is not scheduled to return until early next year. Can appointees serve beyond their terms? The state Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that political appointees can remain in their posts until the Senate confirms their successor because the expiration of a term doesn't in itself create a vacancy. The ruling was a 4-3 decision by conservatives, two of whom have ties to Walker. It stemmed from a case involving Fred Prehn, a Wausau dentist who wouldn't step down from the state Natural Resources Board. He eventually resigned at the end of 2022, roughly two years after his term expired. Prehn's refusal to step down ensured Republican appointees retained a 4-3 majority on the board. He cast the deciding vote to increase the quota for the states wolf hunt and to scrap limits of so-called forever chemicals in groundwater. Who else has served beyond their term? Prehn paved the way and other appointees have followed. Walker appointees Mary Williams, Kelly Tourdot and Becky Levzow served on the state Technical College System board for nearly two years beyond their terms. Their decisions to stay were less consequential than Prehn's because the overwhelming majority of the Technical College System Boards votes unanimous. It's unclear why the women chose to continue serving beyond their terms and what Republicans gained from their decisions. They declined to speak with reporters and didn't offer an explanation in their December 2022 resignation letters. More recently, Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe has gotten tied up in the appointment process. When Wolfe's term expired last June, the six members of the bipartisan elections commission agreed Wolfe should stay in her job but failed to find consensus on how to respond to an effort by Senate Republicans to oust her. The commission failed to put forward the four votes required by law to reappoint Wolfe. Democratic commissioners argued the state Supreme Court ruling on Prehn allowed other appointees to stay in their positions beyond the expiration of their terms. Senate Republicans decided to move forward anyway with a party-line vote rejecting Wolfe. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, contended the 3-0 commission vote that resulted in a failed motion to reappoint Wolfe was actually enough votes to reappoint Wolfe, even though state law says such votes require a majority of commissioners, or four votes. Minutes after the Senate vote, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit asking a judge to block Republican legislative leaders from appointing a new administrator and to declare Wolfe administrator, arguing the Senate did not have the power to oust her. A circuit ruling ruling found Wolfe is lawfully holding over in her position. GOP lawmakers appealed in February. Wolfe has been at the center of a political firestorm involving former President Donald Trumps baseless election claims about Wisconsins 2020 presidential election. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in 2020 by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin a result that has been confirmed by two recounts paid by Trump, state audits, a partisan review, a conservative study and multiple lawsuits. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW Regent Bob Atwell isn't stepping down from board despite term ending The wife of Justice Samuel Alito has maintained a relatively low profile ever since her husband joined the highest court in the land in 2006. But that all changed earlier this month, when The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag favored by election deniers was flown outside the couples home and Justice Alito blamed the debacle on his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. So who is the Supreme Court justices now-infamous spouse? In a 2006 interview with The Sunday Star-Ledger, she was described as a former Libertarian who focused most on her family. For the most part, we all recognize that everyone has the right to say as they wish. The most amazing part is, why do people care about our life? she told the paper about the scrutiny at the time. I have friends who have serious family and health issues, so for us, this was something that had to be endured, she added. It was not a big issue for us, it was going to happen positively or negatively. Those were the only two choices. God consoled us and supported us and provided us love. That was a really important part of what got us through. God and our family we are a very small, close family. One of the most talked-about moments of Justice Alitos confirmation hearings was when she burst into tears and left the room. On the third day of the hearings, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina mocked the aggressive questioning of Justice Alito, asking if he was a closet bigot, adding an apology to his family for having to sit here and listen to this. It was very spontaneous, Ms Alito told The Sunday Star-Ledger. And it was simply that one can endure blows, but when tenderness comes into the mix, your reserves are pretty much shot, at least for me. Martha-Ann Alito with her husband Justice Samuel Alito and President George W Bush in 2006 (Getty Images) Eighteen years later, Ms Alito is back in the spotlight. The New York Times reported that the upside-down American flag was seen outside the Alitos home in Alexandria, Virginia, only days after the Capitol riot in January 2021. The symbol of the turned-over flag has been embraced by election deniers. Ms Alito told The Washington Post that the flag was an international signal of distress and that it had been raised in response to a disagreement in the neighborhood. When the Alitos were set to move to Washington from New Jersey for Justice Alito to join the top court, their children were heading off to college. Ms Alito said she was pleased with the change after having left her career as a librarian to take up homemaker duties full-time, according to The New York Times. When Ms Alito has spoken in public, she has often criticized the scrutiny her family faced in the lead-up to and during Justice Alitos confirmation hearings. Justice Alito and his wife Martha-Ann stand during a private ceremony for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court on 23 September, 2020 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) The two months preceding were the horrible part of our life, she said as she introduced her husband at an awards ceremony in 2007. Fortunately, I was not in Washington, so I did not have to read the papers or look at the blogs or look at the computer, and I have continued that standard I no longer read except when I choose to pick up a book. Her father was an air traffic controller in the Air Force, which often moved the family between postings in Texas, Florida, Maine, and Portugals Azores islands. Her mother worked as a librarian at the military bases. She attended the University of Kentucky, earning a bachelors degree in comparative literature in 1976 and a masters in library sciences the following year. Ms Alito became a librarian at a public library in New Jersey, and later at the US Attorneys office in Newark and the Department of Justice. She met Justice Alito in the law library when he served as an assistant US attorney and they married five years later in 1985. Since coming to Washington, she has mostly worked on apolitical issues and for charities. Until the flag incidents at her Alexandria home and their New Jersey beach house, Ms Alito drew little attention. She faced some scrutiny when she and her husband had a meal with a couple who subsequently said that they had been made aware of the decision of a pending case, and when she inherited stocks and mineral interests from her father, which raised some concerns about conflicts of interest for the justice, The Times noted. More recently, following the flag incident, it was also reported by the paper that a young liberal couple called the police claiming to be harassed by Ms Alito, adding that she had spat at their car amidst an argument that lasted for weeks. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Buffalo man who was arrested in 2022 has been faced with new criminal possession charges, according to Buffalo police. On May 24, 2024, a search was conducted by the Buffalo Police Departments SWAT team and the Buffalo Police Intelligence Unit at an E. Delavan Avenue address. In April of 2022, 47-year-old Michael Thomas was arrested for criminal possession charges at the same address. Two weapons, ammunition, around 224 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia were recovered on Friday, police said. Thomas was charged with the following: first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance second-degree criminal possession of a weapon third-degree criminal possession of a weapon second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance In 2022, Thomas was charged with five counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A judge postponed the sentencing for a man convicted of sex trafficking and sexually assaulting underage girls in Las Vegas. Richard Babb, 23, complained about his defense attorneys in court Tuesday morning and remained defiant while Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt tried to explain he would have time to file court documents, also known as motions, about his complaints. Your Honor, the damage is already done. The damage is already done, Babb told Leavitt. A Clark County jury found Babb guilty of 10 charges on April 15. Nine of the charges, two counts of sex trafficking a child under 16 years of age, two counts of soliciting a child for prostitution, two counts of luring children or mentally ill persons with the intent to engage in sexual conduct, sex trafficking a child under 14 years of age, sexual assault with a minor under 14 years of age, and first-degree kidnapping of a minor, are felonies. Statutory sexual seduction is a gross misdemeanor. A Clark County grand jury previously indicted Babb. Babb victimized four underage girls, according to the Clark County District Attorneys office. He exchanged marijuana for oral sex without protection from two girls, ages 13 and 14 after communicating on Snapchat and sex trafficked two other girls, both age 15, prosecutors said. One victim testified that Babb asked her to Walk the blade, meaning work as a prostitute for him. Babb dropped her off on Tropicana Avenue, a corridor near the Las Vegas Strip known for sex work. Police rescued the teen after they found her in a parked car with a man believed to be a customer paying for sex. Babb faces 59 years to life in prison, according to prosecutors. Babb referred to his defense attorney, Ozzie Fumo, as a monster and claimed he was not representing him well in his criminal case. Fumo, a longtime and well-regarded figure in the Las Vegas legal community, is one of several attorneys who have represented Babb. Babb also insisted on seeing video footage pertaining to the jury. Leavitt told him there was no video of the jury. Babb is scheduled to appear in court on June 6. He remains in the Clark County Detention Center. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Cop nearly killed on Jan 6 called Trump authoritian. Hours later, his mom was swatted Just hours after former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone stood outside of Manhattan criminal court and called Donald Trump an authoritarian, his mothers home was reportedly swatted. Mr Fanone told NBC News that his 78-year-old mother opened her door to law enforcement officers and SWAT team members on Tuesday night after an individual sent a fake manifesto posing as Mr Fanone threatening to harm others and claiming he killed his mother. The email, viewed by NBC News, included Fanones mothers home address in Virginia. How dangerous is it to send law enforcement to an address in which you essentially are describing an active shooter, in which the only person present is a 78-year-old f***ing woman, Mr Fanone told the news outlet. Earlier in the day, Mr Fanone joined actor Robert DeNiro, fellow retired police officer Harry Dunn and members of President Joe Bidens campaign to denounce Mr Trump. Former DC police officer Michael Fanone outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024 in New York City (Getty Images) Mr Fanone invoked his experience being assaulted by rioters at the Capitol on January 6 to tell people Mr Trump will not serve the public if he is re-elected. This election is about Donald Trump and his vision for the office of the president of the United States, not as a public servant who answers to the people who elected him, but as an authoritarian who answers to and serves only himself, he said. Mr Fanone believes his anti-Trump rhetoric inspired someone to create the fake manifesto and email it to several, including email addresses associated with the high school he attended for one year. This is the reality of going up against or challenging Donald Trump, Mr Fanone told NBC News. These swatting calls are incredibly f***ing dangerous, especially when the target is somebody like my mom. The Independent has reached out to the FBI and Alexandria Police Department for comment. Swatting is the criminal act of falsely reporting an emergency to law enforcement or other emergency services and directing them to a persons address. Over the last few years, the US has seen an increase in swatting incidents in connection to a politician or political event. Earlier this year, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley said her elderly parents were swatted and around that time the White House was swatted after someone called with reports of a false fire. Representative Majorie Taylor Greene reported her home was swatted in December. But many of the swatting incidents have been in connection to Mr Trump. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the former presidents federal election interference case, was swatted in January. Mr Trump repeatedly attacked Judge Chutkan on social media. Similarly, the Maine Secretary of State who briefly disqualified Mr Trump from the states ballot was swatted in January. Mr Trump accused her of being biased in that case. Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who brought charges against Mr Trump in his classified documents and federal election interference case, had a swatting attempt in December. The judge who oversaw the civil fraud trial against Mr Trump was also swatted after the former president railed against him. Mr Fanone told NBC News that police received more than two dozen calls in connection to Tuesdays swatting incident. He said his father also was a target but he was out of the country. GRAND ISLE, La. (WGNO) The Jefferson Parish coroner has identified the 13-year-old boy who drowned at a Grand Isle beach. On Saturday, May 25, the Grand Isle Police Department reported officers were searching for the body of a 13-year-old boy who drowned at the beach. Ponchatoula police officer found dead on duty, police chief says According to investigators, the incident happened behind the bridge-side marina. He was fighting them trying to stay above the water, but he eventually couldnt fight it anymore and that was the last time they saw him, Grand Isle Police Department Assistant Chief Walter Theriot told WGNO on Sunday. Washington Parish sergeant in good spirits following crash involving impaired driver On May 26, Grand Isle police reported that the teens body had been found. On Tuesday, May 28, the Jefferson Parish coroner identified the 13-year-old as Mario Oveido Jr. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia informed Parliament on Wednesday that the domestic agribusiness output had reached a "record-high" of $6.1 billion last year, reflecting an average annual increase of 10 percent, Trend reports. In his report on the Ministrys 2023 activities and statistics, Shamugia attributed this growth to the Government's support programs over the past five years. He noted that overall investments in the agricultural sector exceeded $2.7 billion, with the state contributing nearly $738 million in co-financing. Shamugia emphasized that new initiatives and programs provided opportunities and incentives for farmers and businesses to invest in agriculture. He also reported a 7.8 percentage point decrease in rural unemployment over recent years, with the lowest rate at 14.6 percent. Furthermore, Shamugia highlighted that the unemployment rate had improved further, dropping to 13.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. Man shot to death by Florence County deputy fled into home after crash, pursuit, SLED says FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A man who was shot to death by a Florence County deputy on Sunday morning fled into a home after crashing his vehicle while leading law enforcement on a pursuit, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. William Dwayne Rankin, 43, of Florence, was taken to an area hospital by EMS where he later died, Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken said. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The shooting happened in the 6900 block of E. National Cemetery Road, authorities said. The deputy who shot Rankin has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such incidents. A deputy tried conducting a traffic stop on Palmetto Street when Rankins vehicle did not stop and eventually crashed in front of a home on E. National Cemetery Road, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said. Rankin then fled into the home. The deputy and a K9 followed him into the home, where they found Rankin and another person. The K9 bit the other person, who was not involved in the pursuit, according to SLED. The deputy shot Rankin. The other person was taken to a hospital, while the deputy was not injured. Sheriff TJ Joye released a statement following Rankin being identified, saying he wouldnt be releasing the body worn video of the incident per the familys request. As you are aware, on Sunday, May 26, 2024 our deputy was involved in a fatal officer involved shooting on National Cemetery Road following a vehicle pursuit. I have called the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to conduct an independent investigation of the incident. We are cooperating fully with that investigation. I invited the family of Mr. Rankin to view the body worn video of the incident with the intention of releasing it to the public as I have on other occasions. I believe that honesty and transparency are essential to law enforcement. After viewing the video, the family has requested that it not be released at this time. I will honor their wishes. We are confident that SLED will conduct a full and thorough investigation. Any questions regarding the incident should be referred at this time to SLED. The incident was the 18th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2024, and the first for the Florence County Sheriffs Office this year. 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. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Could Donald Trump go to jail if he is convicted? Trump stickers featuring the former president's mug shot are displayed for sale in Los Angeles, California - ROBYN BECK/AFP There is plenty at stake in Donald Trumps hush money trial in New York where a jury will soon begin deliberating over the former presidents case. As Mr Trumps lawyers make their closing arguments in court in Manhattan on Tuesday, they will have one eye on how the outcome of the trial might impact on their clients chances in Novembers presidential election. In a string of polls, a significant number of Republicans indicated they will not vote for Mr Trump if he is criminally convicted. There is also the personal cost to Mr Trump to consider if he is found guilty. The 77-year-old, who is already liable for half a billion dollars following a string of civil losses, could face a further hefty fine. A prison sentence, though highly unlikely, is also possible. The hush money case is one of the four indictments that Mr Trump faces. Served consecutively, the potential sentences would mean hundreds of years in prison. But how likely is it that Mr Trump will be convicted? Can he run a campaign or take office if he is behind bars? And will he become the first US president to serve time in prison? New York In the Manhattan case, Donald Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records allegedly to conceal hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels with whom he allegedly had an affair. Prosecutors claim that the then-Republican candidate intended to corrupt the result of the 2016 election by suppressing a damaging story, breaching state and federal campaign finance laws. Michael Cohen, Mr Trumps fixer, is said to have paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep the story of their alleged relationship quiet, and was later reimbursed by his boss. Falsifying business records is normally classed as a misdemeanour in New York, but Mr Trump has controversially been charged with a Class E felony instead, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. John C Coffee, of Columbia Law School, predicted there was a good chance that a New York jury could find the former president guilty, noting the hefty fines imposed against him in his fraud and defamation cases. However, he downplayed the likelihood of Mr Trump serving time in prison, noting that he is 77 years old and has never been criminally convicted. Although it is conceivable that a judge particularly one that Trump has regularly insulted would impose some jail time to underline the culpability of Trumps conduct, the betting is no jail time, but a high fine and a sentence to probationary conditions, Prof Coffee told The Telegraph. There is another possibility. Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over the case, signalled he could send Mr Trump to prison if he continues breaching a gag order designed to protect witnesses, jurors and court staff. The former president has been found in contempt of court for violating the order nine times so far. Washington, DC Mr Trump has also been charged with four criminal counts over the events that led to the storming of the Capitol on Jan 6 2021. Most legal commentators see it as the most serious case against the former president. According to a 45-page indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Mr Trump attempted to reverse his election loss by pressuring officials in key states to assemble fake electors to ignore the popular vote and pushing the justice department to open sham inquiries. He has been charged with two counts of obstructing an official proceeding which could mean up to 20 years in prison - along with conspiracy against the right to vote and defrauding the United States, which could mean up to 10 years each. Mr Smith signalled he was seeking a speedy trial, but his hopes were dashed when it was put on hold as lawyers acting for Mr Trump argued he was immune from prosecution as a former president. The arguments were given short shrift by Tanya Chutkan, the DC district judge presiding over Mr Trumps trial, and the appeals court. However, it has made its way up to the Supreme Court, where three justices took issue with the ruling of the lower courts and signalled they could send it back down. As such it threatens to delay the case beyond Novembers presidential election and if Mr Trump takes office, he could theoretically dismiss the charges against him. Prof Coffee believes the delays to the Jan 6 trial and other cases means the New York case is the only game in town. The argument in the Supreme Court suggests that the Jan 6 case will be sent back to the lower court and thus this New York case will be the only verdict before the election, he said. If Trump wins the election, he can duck the other federal trials and possibly the Georgia state case as well. In April, conservative justices on the Supreme Court appeared sceptical with the use of the obstruction charge in an appeal brought by a Jan 6 rioter. Some seemed inclined to agree that the law, brought in after the Enron accounting scandal, was being applied too broadly in relation to Congresss certification of Joe Bidens election victory. Not only could its decision mean hundreds of appeals by rioters, but it accounts for half of the charges brought against Mr Trump in the Jan 6 case. Some commentators believe it will put a further obstacle in the way of the proceedings. Georgia Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who brought the Georgia case against Mr Trump, has made no secret of her hope to see the Republican behind bars. We have a long road ahead, she wrote in an email to defence lawyers in November 2023. Long after these folks are in jail, we will still be practising law. The road ahead would be longer than she realised. Mr Trump has been charged with 13 racketeering counts related to an alleged bid to overturn the result of the 2020 election in Georgia under the Rico (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations) Act. The law was designed to dismantle Americas Mob families, and ironically was used to great effect by one of Mr Trumps co-defendants, Rudy Giuliani, against New Yorks five Mob families in the 1980s. In a leaked call with Brad Raffensperger, Georgias Republican secretary of state, Mr Trump appeared to plead with him to find thousands of votes that would allow him to win the crucial state. If convicted, he faces 20 years in prison. Ms Willis had proposed that the trial start by August 5, anticipating it would take many months to reach a verdict. However, the case has been hit by one issue after another, leaving proceedings in limbo and the date looking increasingly uncertain. The key issue concerns a relationship between Ms Willis and Nathan Wade, whom she tasked with leading the prosecution of the former president. Mr Trump and other defendants argued that she had paid him handsomely for taking on the case, before benefitting personally when he paid for them to take luxury holidays. Ms Willis denied improper behaviour and claimed to have paid Mr Wade back. Judge Scott McAfee eventually ruled that Ms Willis could continue the prosecution but only if her former partner withdrew from the team. The case is on hold as the Georgia Court of Appeals considers whether to hear Mr Trumps appeal against the decision. Three of the initial charges against Mr Trump have also been dismissed by Judge McAfee, saying they provided insufficient detail for students to defend themselves. Even if the presumptive Republican presidential candidate takes office, he could not dismiss the trial because it is a state case. Some believe, however, that he could order the Justice Department to challenge his sentence. Department opinions have concluded that a sitting president could not be imprisoned. Steve Sadow, acting for Mr Trump, has argued in court that a potential trial would have to be delayed until 2029 if his client wins the presidential election, citing the Constitutions federal supremacy clause. Florida The stakes are high for Mr Trump in Florida. He faces 40 felony charges on mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which have a maximum sentence of between five and 20 years each. However, that may not matter if Donald Trump can make it to the presidential election in November before a trial can be held. If he takes office again, he would be able to throw it out because it is a federal case. The indictment accused Mr Trump of removing state secrets from the White House and storing them haphazardly around his Florida resort. Some of the documents were said to have been stacked in a ballroom and even a shower, and contain information about nuclear programmes, as well as the defence capabilities of the US and its allies. Special counsel Jack Smith appears to be frustrated with the pace that the Florida case is moving, and has implored Judge Aileen Cannon to expedite it. He has accused Mr Trumps legal team of trying to use the Stormy Daniels trial in New York to delay the classified documents case as much as possible. The trial was originally set to begin on May 20, but this has become steadily unlikely as the weeks have crept on. Judge Cannon heard arguments about setting a trial date in March but is yet to clarify when it will be. Prosecutors have suggested starting it on July 8 instead, while Mr Trumps lawyers say it should begin after the November election. They have also raised August as a possibility, however. Commentators are now questioning if, let alone when, the case will reach trial. 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. Council votes 5-4 for Migliore as health officer. Goes next to commissioners. Dr. Michelle Migliore is seen here in the County-City Building in South Bend on May 15, 2024. SOUTH BEND With no discussion, the St. Joseph County Council voted 5-4 Tuesday in favor of Dr. Michelle Migliore as the next health officer for the countys health department. Next up, the county commissioners will vote on Migliore as health officer, likely at their next meeting on June 4. She would replace Dr. Diana Purushotham, whose last day as head of the department will be June 6. She is leaving to move with her family to Baltimore, where her husband is taking a new job. Purushotham has been health officer since last July. May 15, 2024: County health board picks one of its own as health officer, but with outgoing chief's help Migliore is a local doctor who serves as vice president of the county health board, which had recommended her. After Tuesdays special meeting, council members Randy Figg and Dan Schaetzle each said they didnt know why others voted against Migliore, but for them, they each said they had issues with her because shed voted in favor of allowing a local abortion clinic. In addition, Schaetzle said he had issues with some of her actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the health boards recommendation, Purushotham would continue to provide guidance on strategies and management in an as-needed consulting role, working from Baltimore. She would be paid alongside Migliore, who would work part time. Collectively, pay for the two of them wouldnt exceed $250,000 per year, which had been Purushothams full-time salary. South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County Council votes 5-4 for new health officer Couple who survived attack on hypermarket in Kharkiv contacts police not to be searched for After the attack on the Epicentr home improvement hypermarket in Kharkiv, a 67-year-old man remained unharmed, and his 66-year-old wife had minor injuries. Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs A couple who miraculously survived the Russian attack on the Epicentre on 25 May in Kharkiv, which killed at least 19 people, contacted the police. The couple came to investigators on 27 May and said that at the time of the Russian attack, they were in a hypermarket. Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs "At the time of the explosion, people did not hear anything, but glass was falling on them from everywhere. The security guard who was with them in the department opened the door to the street, and the couple could quickly leave the retail space," the ministry reports. The 67-year-old man remained unharmed, and his 66-year-old wife had minor injuries. They did not go to the hospital but came to the police headquarters to report that they were alive and well so that they would not be searched for any longer. Search operations at the site of the Russian attack continue. Background: On May 25, the Russians dropped guided aerial bombs on the Epicentr home improvement hypermarket in Kharkiv. Fire extinguishing lasted more than 16 hours. As of 29 May, the death toll as a result of this Russian attack increased to 19: one of the wounded died in hospital today. 50 people were injured, and two are still missing. On 28 May, law enforcement officers found the body of an employee of Epicentr, whose 8-year-old son took a DNA test to help find his dad. On 27 May, local services found unexploded munitions 80 metres from the Epicentr home improvement hypermarket, which indicates a "deliberate tactic by the Russian Federation aimed at destroying the civilian population of Kharkiv". Support UP or become our patron! Tents under Interstate 83 in downtown Baltimore in 2020, part of a homeless encampment. Photo by Elizabeth Shwe. Have you ever been homeless? asked a woman standing outside a coffee shop with nowhere to go. She said she had lived on the streets of Annapolis for weeks, ever since being evicted from her apartment after losing her job. Without a permanent residence, she said that she sleeps and hangs out wherever she can on park benches, at a shelter, under an overpass, and, on weekends, in the lobby of an apartment building. I just have to be out by Monday morning, she said. The life of this woman and those of others in homelessness are filled with challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court may soon make them even more challenging. Within the next month, its expected to rule whether states and localities may prohibit the unhoused from sleeping in public spaces. The case stems from the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, which enacted local ordinances that ban the homeless from sleeping outdoors within its city limits. The anti-camping laws carry fines for using blankets, pillows or anything else for protection from the elements. In 2022, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco barred enforcement of the ordinances, ruling they violated the Constitutions prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The city appealed, and the Supreme Court agreed to consider it. On April 22, a seemingly divided Supreme Court heard oral arguments. As The Washington Post reported the next day: The justices expressed concern about punishing homeless people for sleeping outside while also struggling with how to ensure local and state leaders have flexibility to deal with the growing number of unhoused individuals nationwide. Advocates for the homeless, including Mario Berninzoni, executive director of the Arundel House of Hope, a shelter in Glen Burnie, anxiously await the courts decision. The ruling could have implications nationwide, including in the more than 150 incorporated cities and towns across Maryland. It could be a challenge for us, a challenge for our clients who are homeless, said Berninzoni, who also chairs the Anne Arundel and Annapolis Coalition to End Homelessness, which consists of dozens of individuals and groups. Berninzoni said if the court upholds the Grants Pass ordinance, a number of Maryland jurisdictions may implement such local laws. Some of our clients could get arrested for being homeless. A lot of our folks like to sleep outside. They have a safe place and prefer it to shelters. But, Berninzoni said, I think a lot (of Maryland jurisdictions) will decide, We dont want to get involved in this,' and decline to adopt any such ordinance. I think most will feel that way. Same with police officers. They dont want to arrest the homeless. Berninzoni is encouraged by the actions of Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. In a friend of the court brief, Brown opposed the ordinance and backed the homeless. He took the action on behalf of himself and the attorneys general of five other states: Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Vermont. Policies criminalizing involuntary homelessness, such as the one that the city (of Grants Pass) has adopted, could render significant portions of the country off-limits for people who are homeless, Brown wrote. Punishing homelessness only makes the problem worse and unnecessarily pulls people experiencing homelessness into the criminal justice system. On a winter night in 2023, more than 650,000 people were identified in homelessness nationwide, a 12% increase from the year before, according to annual federal counts. The jump was attributed largely to a shortage of affordable housing and the end of pandemic relief. While most of those in homelessness are unemployed, Brown noted some have jobs but cant afford rent. He said they include a single mom of two who sleeps in her car, the parents of four living in a tent and the security guard who works at a shelter but has no home of her own. In Annapolis, the homeless woman outside the coffee shop said she would return to a shelter for another day visit and temporary relief, including an opportunity to shower, get a hot meal and wash her clothes. The woman could apply to stay at the shelter for up to 90 days. But after that, unless she gets an extension or secures and agrees to another home she may decide to go back on the streets. The Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County, along with fellow members of the Coalition to End Homelessness, believes homelessness should not be punished but instead helped like the Maryland General Assembly did this year by passing legislation to build more affordable housing and protect renters against eviction. The post With court ruling looming, homeless people need assistance, not arrest appeared first on Maryland Matters. The 11th Circuit Court of Criminal Appeals denied two defense motions Tuesday seeking a delay in the execution of Jamie Ray Mills. The ruling sets the stage for Mills, 50, to be executed this week by the state of Alabama by lethal injection. The defense can still seek a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court. The death warrant runs for a 30-hour period from midnight Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday. If the execution goes forward, it will likely be after 6 p.m. Thursday at William C. Holman Correction Facility in Atmore. The Alabama Department of Corrections allows five media members to serve as witnesses for the execution. The media witnesses are told to report to the media center by 4 p.m. Thursday. ADOC emails to the witnesses say the execution states that the tentative start time is at 6 p.m., barring any pending legal matters. Jamie Ray Mills will be executed by the State of Alabama on Thursday, May 30 in connection with the murders of an elderly couple in June 2004. Mills was convicted of three counts of capital murder in August 2007 for the 2004 beating deaths of an elderly Guin couple. The jury recommended the death penalty by a 11-1 vote. The trial judge took the jurys recommendation and sentenced Mills to death. If Mills is executed, it will be the second execution in the state for the year and there are two other executions pending. More: Nitrogen gas execution: Kenneth Smith convulses for four minutes in Alabama death chamber In January, Kenneth Smith was executed by nitrogen hypoxia, the first time a human was executed by that method. The Alabama Supreme Court has authorized the execution of Keith Edmund Gavin. Gov. Kay Ivey has set the execution date for midnight July 18 to 6 a.m. July 20, with lethal injection as the method. The AG's office has asked that the execution of Alan Eugene Miller with nitrogen hypoxia as the method be authorized. Ivey has set the execution for midnight Sept. 26 to 6 a.m. Sept. 27. In Mills case, Ivey has reserved the right to delay the execution. "Although I have no current plans to grant clemency in this case, I retain my authority under the Constitution of the State of Alabama to grant a reprieve or commutation, if necessary, at any time before the execution is carried out," Ivey said in her letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm, setting the execution date. However, Ivey has not delayed an execution or granted a reprieve or commutation since becoming governor in 2017. The crime There is no doubt that Mills committed those offenses, the Alabama Attorney General s Office motion to the Alabama Supreme Court, seeking his execution states. Mills convictions and sentence are final because he has completed his direct appeal, state post-conviction review, and federal habeas review. Accordingly, it is time for this death sentence to be carried out. Mills and his wife, Joann, went to the Guin home of Vera Hill, 72, and Floyd Hill, 87, in June 2004 asking to make a phone call, court records and media accounts say. Mills was 30 at the time. Guin is in Marion County in northwest Alabama. Afterward, the four of them went to a shed where the Hills kept items to sell as part of a yard sale, the Alabama Reflector reported. The AGs motion states that the women went back to the home, leaving Floyd Hill and Mills in the shed. Mills beat Hill, who fell to the ground. The women then returned to the shed and found Floyd Hill on the ground. Mills then beat Vera Hill on the back of the head with a hammer, as JoAnn stood in the corner. Vera Hill died several months later from her injuries. According to the motion, Jamie Mills then locked the shed and stole items valued at about $140 from the home including a tackle box, medicines, wallet, purse and police scanner. Joann Mills, who testified against her husband, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Court ruling sets stage for Alabama execution of Jamie Ray Mills PLAINFIELD A Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the city's approval of the redevelopment of the Grace Episcopal Church at East Seventh Street and Cleveland Avenue. In February, Elizabeth Faraone, who had vocally opposed the redevelopment, filed suit against the city Planning Board, the city Historic Preservation Commission, the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and LE Development, the redeveloper, seeking to overturn the Planning Board's approval of the project in December. Union County Superior Court Judge Lisa Walsh dismissed the lawsuit on May 14, ruling that Faraone had not presented evidence that the Planning Board's decision was "arbitrary or capricious." The judge also rejected Faraone's argument that the Planning Board approved the proposal without "proper" review by the Historic Preservation Commission which should have taken a vote on the plan. Walsh wrote that the Historic Preservation Commission had complied with the law by presenting an advisory report to the Planning Board during the public hearing on the proposal. Rendering of the planned redevelopment of the Grace Episcopal Church property in Plainfield. In December, the city Planning Board approved a proposal by LE Development to demolish the westerly portion of the church property and retain the easterly portion which consists of the sanctuary building for use as a lobby, resident area, yoga room, lounge, mail/package room and a gym, according to the board's agenda. The plans for the rest of the 56,764-square-foot property called for the construction of a five-story building with 136 residential units, including 16 studio apartments, 88 one-bedroom and 32 two-bedroom units, the agenda says. The plans also proposed four studio apartments on each of the second, third, fourth and fifth floors, along with 22 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom units on each floor. More: Historic Plainfield church's future uncertain amid planned changes to preservation efforts The plans also called for 136 parking spaces and two access points along Cleveland Avenue. The developer also proposed 18 spaces with electric vehicle charging stations. In 2020 the church announced a decision to sell the more than 130-year-old Gothic Revival-style building, listed on the both the state and national Register of Historic Places and had windows donated by a member of the Tiffany family, following decades of diminished attendance, decreased income, building conditions and the inability to afford critical repairs which could cost millions. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey approved the decision to sell the building and a plan to merge Grace Church with St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Plainfield. Church members and some city residents have fought the redevelopment plan stressing the need to preserve the high-quality organ and the carillon in the church, which is one of four in New Jersey and is nationally recognized. Faraone, who created a petition to save the church, said the redevelopment plans include the demolition of the Parrish House, built in 1910 by Robert Gibson, the same architect as the sanctuary. She said the Parrish House is located directly behind the sanctuary and the plans also would remove the remaining 44 stained-glass windows from the sanctuary, many of which are memorial windows, including one Tiffany window, six stained-glass windows from the Parrish House and the carillon from the bell tower. Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Court throws out challenge to Plainfield NJ church redevelopment Craig Goldman has defeated John OShea in the Republican primary runoff election for U.S. Congressional District 12 with more than 63% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. OShea had 36.8% of the vote, with 57% of polling locations reporting, according to the Texas secretary of state. Earlier in the evening, Goldman gave a cautiously optimistic pre-victory speech to give the opportunity to ... let everyone go early and go watch the Mavs game, he said, speaking to a packed house at Fort Worths Courtside Kitchen. I just cant thank everyone in this room enough, I cant thank the people of Congressional District 12 enough, for the votes today, he said. It looks really really, really good. But Goldman was careful not to claim outright that he had won out over OShea. Tomorrow we wake up and the work continues, because this is just another speed bump, he said. We are not punching a ticket to Washington, D.C., yet. We are the well, we hopefully will be the Republican nominee for all the ballot In November, and we still have another race to win. The 12th Congressional District is made up of parts of Fort Worth, as well as Haltom City, Benbrook and Azle, and extends across the northern half of Parker County, including Weatherford. I like the early numbers. I like the early vote, Goldman said earlier at his watch part at Courtside Kitchen in Fort Worth. Lucila Seri, OSheas campaign manager, lamented his loss, saying that voters had been misinformed about the issues. You can only do so much with a lot of negative mailers, Seri said at OSheas watch party held at Fort Worths Fitzgerald restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, the voters didnt do a better job of informing during the election on the candidates. Theres a lot of make-believing instead of doing your own due diligence. Its a shame because we are in very sensitive times where this countrys hanging by a thread. The incumbent, Republican Kay Granger of Fort Worth, announced in October that she would not seek reelection. She held the office since 1997. The winner of the primary will face Democratic nominee Trey Hunt, who lost to Granger in 2022. Donna Korman, 80, of Arlington, was at Goldmans watch party to show her support. He is well suited to the position. Hes better prepared for it, she said. Hes got the experience in the Texas House, he knows how to move legislation. Hes got the educational experience. He knows ho the parts fit. Arlington resident Donna Korman, 80, shakes John Goldmans hand at his campaign watch part at a Fort Worth restaurant on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Fort Worth resident and longtime friend of Goldmans Ed Dietz, 70, also pointed to the candidates experience in the state legislature as reason for his support. I liked what he did in our state legislative position, and I think hell do a great job for us in D.C., Dietz said, adding that he is very comfortable with Goldmans politics. Hes the representative that we need D.C., said Skylar ONeal, 37, also of Fort Worth. Well be able to get things done and work with everyone that we need to focus on whats happening in Fort Worth. Hes someone that can go up to D.C. and make things happen in a way that certain people arent willing to get things done today. Neither candidate earned more than 50% of the vote during primary Election Day on March 5, but Goldman had a clear lead with 44.38% over OSheas 26.37%. Both candidates had some heavy hitting endorsements behind them going into Tuesdays runoff. Goldman, who has served in the Texas state House of Representatives since 2012, had the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as that of Granger, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and several Texas legislators. A banker and real estate developer, OShea had in his corner Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and conservative lobbyist Roger Stone, among others. Flynn and Stone were both pardoned by former President Donald Trump for crimes stemming from the investigation by Robert Mueller into Russian election interference in the 2016 election. Goldman was the clear front-runner in the race, considering his primary lead and the power of his strongest endorsements. His win represents a stronghold for the more moderate side of the Republican Party in Texas, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. Had OShea won, it would have been Katy, bar the door for traditional business-friendly Republicans in the primary and runoff season here in Texas, Jillson said. Katy, bar the door, is an outdated expression that means, Here come the barbarians, according to Jillson. A number of other MAGA social conservative candidates on the right wing of the Republican Party have defeated incumbents and more moderate candidates, Jillson said. One such candidate was Mitch Little, who narrowly won out in the primary for Texas House District 65 over incumbent Kronda Thimesch. Little was backed by Paxton and self-described Proud Christian nationalist Steve Bannon, who served as Trumps top policial adviser during his presidency. His and a number of other similar victories over more moderate Republicans could have broad effects on state policy. That will mean that the Texas House will no longer have a moderate speaker in Speaker [TX Rep. Dade] Phelan, but will likely elect a much more conservative speaker and pass a series of bills, Jillson said. Such policy will have to do with everything from school vouchers to gun rights to abortion access and allowing only Republicans to vote in Republican primaries, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that Houthi rebels from Yemen's Ansar Allah movement attacked the Greek ship Laax, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, CENTCOM wrote on its X page, Trend reports. It is reported that the Houthis fired five anti-ship ballistic missiles towards the Red Sea from areas under their control in Yemen. "The Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Laax said it was hit by three missiles but continued sailing," CENTCOM said. It is noted that US, coalition and commercial vessels were not damaged. It is also reported that five drones launched by the Houthis from Yemen were destroyed over the Red Sea. The command said that the UAVs posed a direct threat to merchant ships in the region. WASHINGTON Texas state Rep. Craig Goldman beat business owner John OShea in Tuesdays Republican primary runoff to represent the 12th congressional district, the Associated Press projected. The high-stakes race pitted an established Republican lawmaker who voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against a right-wing candidate who had the attorney generals backing. Goldman is the chair of the Texas House Republican Caucus and was targeted by Paxton and his allies because of his role in the impeachment last year. Goldman, the favored candidate of Fort Worths business community, will run to replace U.S. Rep. Kay Granger the longest serving Republican in the Texas delegation. Though Granger did not endorse in the Republican primary, her allies said Goldman embodied her pro-defense, pro-business conservatism. Goldman led OShea with more than 60% of votes Tuesday evening, according to unofficial results. The district is solidly Republican. With its current boundaries, the district would have voted for former President Donald Trump by over 18 percentage points in 2020. No Democratic candidates have raised competitive sums of money or been backed by House Democratic leadership. OSheas progress into the runoff in Marchs primary race beat the odds, with Goldman vastly outraising him. OShea had raised only $236,000 with $30,000 ahead of the primary. Goldman, meanwhile, had raised over $1.4 million. The fundraising gulf only grew in the months ahead of the runoff. Goldman had raised over $2.2 million by the beginning of May, with over $702,000 in cash on hand. OShea had raised just over $341,000 by then, with over $36,000 in the bank. In addition to Paxton, O'Shea's campaign was endorsed by an array of far-right, Trump-aligned figures, including longtime political operative Roger Stone, former national security advisor Michael Flynn and retired Army Gen. Paul Valelly. Flynn and Vallely are both prominent figures in the QAnon community. Downtown Fort Worth was keen to see someone continue Grangers style in Congress. Goldman received donations from a host of business-focused organizations, including interest groups representing the energy, banking, nursing, realty, rail, wholesale and insurance industries, to name a few. He also got backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major donor for candidates who support Israel. He will be a serious member of Congress that people will enjoy working with on both sides of the aisle, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in an interview earlier this year. Parker, a former staffer for Granger, endorsed Goldman. And he will also try to follow in the footsteps of Congresswoman Granger and the interests that are best for CD 12. Despite that business community support, the district had shown signs of a rightward shift. Tarrant County Judge Tim OHare won his seat in 2022 over former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, a Republican he said was not conservative enough. Rick Barnes, the former Tarrant County Republican Party chair, narrowly beat incumbent Wendy Burgess for tax assessor in the Republican primary in a surprising upset. The position can be a launching pad for higher office. Redistricting also incorporated more of Parker County into the district in 2021. Parker County is much redder than Tarrant County, with over 80% of voters choosing Trump in 2020. President Joe Biden won Tarrant County by less than a percentage point. Granger announced she would retire in October after 27 years in office. She was the first Republican woman elected from Texas to the U.S. House and previously served as the mayor of Fort Worth. She was the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, which sets funding levels for federal programs every year, until stepping down from the position this year. Granger never publicly said why she was retiring. But other members said they saw her growing less content with the polarization of Congress, particularly within the Texas delegation. The House Republican conference was often at odds on issues ranging from government funding to defense spending conflicts thrust into the national spotlight during the multiple rounds of voting for the House speaker. Goldman vowed to continue to spend to defend U.S. allies overseas. But support on the right wing of the party for foreign aid has waned, especially to Ukraine. Right-wing Republicans urged for stronger border security measures before spending money in Ukraine. Goldman faced pushback during an April debate with OShea when he said he would support Ukraine aid. Goldman asserted that aid to Ukraine was necessary to prevent U.S. troops having to be sent to serve in Europe. OShea said he was a hard no on more aid to Ukraine. Perhaps the biggest split between the two was Goldmans role in Paxtons impeachment. The Texas House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton on charges of bribery and abuse of office in May of last year. The state Senate voted to acquit Paxton, who returned to office in September. He went on to endorse primary challengers for the Republicans who voted to impeach him, including House Speaker Dade Phelan. As a top Phelan deputy, Goldman was a target for Paxtons ire. I dont think you guys should promote this guy, Paxton said at a campaign event for OShea. OShea blasted Goldman for his role in the impeachment, which he characterized as a sham that was very disgusting. OShea said he and Paxton were personal friends going back to Paxtons time on the Texas House Banking and Finance Committee when OShea worked in community banking in North Texas. After the race was called, O'Shea said "I hope Rep. Goldman will represent the people of Texas CD 12 in the manner he presented to them and pray for his success." Goldman had powerful friends, too. Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed him as a proven conservative fighter for Texas and joined him at a campaign event in Fort Worth. Former Gov. Rick Perry and all of the districts state senators also endorsed him. Conservatives for American Excellence, a super PAC dedicated to preventing far-right candidates from winning office, spent over $600,000 in the race against OShea. It was one of the only two races in Texas the group spent in, the other being in the 26th district against Trump-acolyte and internet personality Brandon Gill. Gill won his March primary outright. 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. DENVER (KDVR) An electric vehicle fire on South Parker Road required multiple agencies to suppress the blaze, according to several agencies social media posts. As of 11:30 a.m., the South Metro Fire Rescue reported that both directions of the roadway were closed due to the fire, which was reported between North Pinery Parkway and South Pinery Parkway. The agency reported at about 3 p.m. that one lane in each direction had been reopened and the cars wreckage was being towed from the scene. See the latest traffic conditions in Denver on FOX31 Flames were reported to have spread to nearby grass but crews were able to contain them. The Douglas County Sheriffs Office reported at 12:30 p.m. that the fire had been extinguished, but firefighters removed an electric vehicle fire blanket that was put in place to smother the fire at about 1:40, and flames were still visible. At about 12:45 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue reported that one northbound lane had reopened to traffic, but crews were still working to get the electric vehicle towed to a safe location and reopen the southbound lanes. At about 1:23 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue reported that all lanes were closed again for an undetermined amount of time as hazmat crews worked to extinguish the EV fire once again. Ultimately, crews decided to let the fire burn itself out before towing the vehicle away. The fires cause was still under investigation, but the driver was reported to have safely evacuated the vehicle. A South Metro Fire Rescue public information officer said the car was a Tesla, but the model was unknown. According to social media posts, Franktown Fire, Douglas County Sheriffs Office, Parker Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and South Metro Fire Rescue also responded to the electric vehicle fire. South Metro Fire Rescue shared these photos of a burnt Tesla that ignited on Parker Road on Wednesday. South Metro Fire Rescue shared these photos of a burnt Tesla that ignited on Parker Road on Wednesday. South Metro Fire Rescue shared these photos of a burnt Tesla that ignited on Parker Road on Wednesday. The Douglas County Sheriffs Office shared this photo of an electric vehicle fire on Parker Road. (Courtesy the Douglas County Sheriffs Office) South Metro Fire Rescue shared this photo of an electric vehicle fire that had been extinguished (Courtesy South Metro Fire Rescue) No injuries were reported in the fire, but the agencies asked drivers to find alternate routes as they suppressed the blaze. According to Thompson Safety, a company that provides safety solutions for companies near Houston, electric vehicle fires present a lot of danger to crews working to put the fire out due to the presence of a lithium-ion battery, which is usually what catches fire. The batteries are prone to reigniting, according to the company, because lithium has a high ignition point that needs to be cooled to a sub-ignition temperature. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, lithium-ion battery fires can be extinguished by a large volume of water to suppress the flames and cool the battery, or by removing a fuel source, like oxygen, which can be done by using an electric vehicle fire blanket. The South Metro Fire Rescue hazmat team used such a blanket to smother the fire, removing access to oxygen that was fueling the blaze. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Pope Francis reacts during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican City. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Pope Francis has called for social cooperation and dialogue at a gathering of German Catholics on Wednesday. "Not only in Europe, but also in other parts of the world, fundamental human rights seem to be at risk at the moment: through increasing anti-Semitism, racism and other ideologies that tend towards extremism and violence," Poep Francis said in his message to the participants, published by the Vatican. The many moral, social, economic and political crises of our time are all interconnected, he said. "The problems affect everyone and can only be solved together." He said this gave the German gathering a special significance as a place of ecumenical togetherness and interreligious dialogue. "For it needs the cooperation of all people of good will who are willing to build a peaceful future," Francis said. He called on Christians to include those who are abandoned, marginalized and lonely and to work for better living conditions for those who are not listened to. "Without justice, there is no peace," he added. Earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lamented the diminished standing of Christian churches in German society and urged greater engagement with religion in a speech to those gathered in Erfurt. Steinmeier praised the commitment of Christians to democracy and to people who are poor, marginalized and desperate in society. That is "all the more reason why I can only deeply regret that the churches are experiencing such a great loss of approval and trust," Steinmeier said in his speech. "One must speak of an epochal change." Steinmeier spoke at the 103rd German Catholic Day, which is actually a series of events related to the church that stretches across several days. He said that the churches must confront the "self-created" problems that have reduced their standing in society and broken trust with believers, including "the terrible fact of mass abuse and especially the long history of its cover-up," according to the text of his speech provided in advance to dpa. In addition, Steinmeier said there is a growing alienation and indifference in large parts of society towards religion and what goes beyond our lives. "Are the churches not giving enough impetus here? Is their message too quiet, too pale, too low profile?" Steinmeier asked. Many people were searching for meaning and direction in their lives, he added. "Our critical question to ourselves, as Christians and as a church, must be: Do these earnest searchers find convincing answers, do they find spiritual expertise, do they find empathetic support in our groups, communities and initiatives?" He noted the important role that Christian social welfare groups, such as the Catholic Caritas and the Protestant Diakonie, still play in German society. But he said they need new sources of strength and reinforcement. "I know and I am certain that a great deal of good still emanates from the Christians in our country," said Steinmeier. Hopeful steps for the future are already being taken, "and that also gives me hope myself," he said. The mood was upbeat at the first day of the event and a mixed crowd of young and old alike gathered for the opening at Erfurt's Cathedral Square on Wednesday evening. Some 20,000 people are expected to attend the 103rd German Catholics Day, an event that runs until Sunday. That is far fewer than at similar events in the past. Alongside problems within the Church such as sexual abuse and the struggle to make reforms, the event also focuses on key contemporary issues such as war and peace, populism and democracy. People stand on the cathedral square during the opening of the 103rd German Catholic Day in Erfurt. Jan Woitas/dpa People stand on the cathedral square during the opening of the 103rd German Catholic Day in Erfurt. Jan Woitas/dpa Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye." Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector Quality Journalism for Critical Times Despite backlash about the number of book challenges in the state, Floridas top education officials still want public school librarians to err on the side of caution when it comes to vetting books for sexual conduct thats harmful to minors. The State Board of Education approved the updated annual training during a meeting on Wednesday to reflect changes in the law aimed at limiting the number of book challenges. Despite the tweaks, parents, teachers, and free expression advocates say the training is confusing and dangerous. The board attempted to clarify that school districts dont have to remove from the shelves materials with sexual conduct entirely and could instead restrict those for certain grade levels. Additionally, people who dont have children enrolled in the school district can only submit one book challenge per month. However, that exception doesnt apply to parents who homeschool their kids. You may have heard that some educators still have questions about the training, but we want to be clear that this training helps keep appropriate materials in front of students and ensures that districts understand their responsibility of making sure that students do not have access to inappropriate materials, said Paul Burns, K-12 Public Schools chancellor during the meeting. School librarians, media specialists, and other staff involved in choosing materials students can access in public school libraries and classrooms must complete the training annually. Materials used during the training include a 42-slide presentation. For example, the training slides state that instructional materials shouldnt contain any matter reflecting unfairly upon persons because of their race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, disability, socioeconomic status or occupation or include unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination. Florida is among the states with the most book challenges, according to PEN America and the American Library Association. In fact, people challenged 2,672 books in Florida schools and libraries in 2023, according to data from ALA published in March. PEN America Florida has grave concerns about this training. This is a document that we believe is dangerous, said Katie Blankenship, the organizations state director. That is going to continue to cause book bans and censorship in our schools. It needs to be greatly reconsidered by this board. She continued: While these may be strategies that you applaud personally, what youre doing is in violation of our key constitutional foundation and laws and liberties. When you include instruction materials such as Materials should accurately portray the ethnic socio-economic cultural, religious, physical and racial diversity of our society. What does that mean? Were talking about books that were using in our classroom, would you like for them to stop teaching Winnie the Pooh because animals actually cant talk? Shifting blame But when DeSantis signed the bill limiting the number of book challenges from nonparents in April, he said teachers and principals weaponized book challenges. Adults, such as school librarians, who provide children with content describing sexual conduct harmful to minors can face felony charges. According to the training, books or other materials are harmful if they are: Predominantly appeals to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest Patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for minors Taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors. The governor has come out blaming schools and librarians and media specialists for the so-called banning of books as he puts it, and yet theyre doing what theyre told to do based on the law with very little guidance, said Andrew Spar, the president of the Florida Education Association. And I think thats still one of the concerns that I continue to hear from media specialists around the state is they are not getting clear guidance and there are no clear processes, and the so-called fixes that were implemented today they dont go far enough in really clarifying that. The post Critics call updated training for public school librarians on book challenges confusing appeared first on Florida Phoenix. The lawyer was expecting assassins. He had purchased a shotgun, in case they burst through his door. He made it a habit to check underneath his car, in case they brought a bomb. He warned neighbors to look out for strangers. Better than anyone, he was aware of the violent side of the organization he had been challenging in court, of the special hatred borne for him by its increasingly unhinged and paranoid founder, the man who liked to call himself Big Daddy. But Paul Morantz, 32, was distracted as he arrived at his Pacific Palisades home on the late afternoon of Oct. 10, 1978. The World Series was about to start; the Dodgers were playing the Yankees. His border collies greeted him at the door. Once inside, he noticed an object through the grill of the mail slot in his living room wall. Some package, he thought as he opened the lid, maybe a scarf. Coiled inside was a 4-foot rattlesnake. He did not hear it; the rattles had been removed so that he couldnt. There was a sharp pain in his left hand as the fangs penetrated just below the thumb. He watched the snake flop to the floor. He ran outside and began yelling for help. A neighbor brought ice. Another used a shirt to make a tourniquet. A fireman decapitated the snake with a shovel and flushed the head down the toilet. Recovering at USC Medical Center, Morantz was wheeled out in his hospital bed to face the press. He had no doubt the snake had come from Synanon, the drug rehab group founded 20 years earlier by a magnetic pitchman named Charles Dederich. Called Big Daddy, the Chief or the Old Man, Dederich was a recovering alcoholic with a harsh, booming voice and a face half-paralyzed by a childhood bout of meningitis. Since the day he founded Synanon as a home for dope fiends in Santa Monica in the late 1950s, he had been its unquestioned leader. His acolytes became known for their shaved heads and farmer's overalls. The governing ritual was a form of group therapy called the Game, in which members unleashed verbal attacks on one another. It was supposed to provide catharsis for the emotionally throttled. Dederich described the Game as a gimmick that no one else seems to have, predicated on uninhibited conversations, yelling, castigation, aggression, lying. Anything goes short of physical violence or threats of physical violence. Called the Miracle on the Beach by Life magazine, Synanon grew into a multimillion-dollar business and commanded intense loyalty from members, many of whom swore it had saved them from addiction. But by 1977, the news coverage had become darker and more skeptical. Time magazine was calling it a kooky cult, highlighting 64-year-old Dederichs aggressive push for mass vasectomies and spouse-swapping. Morantz was one of the groups most visible critics. He represented a woman who said members had kidnapped and brainwashed her, and he had tried to get Dederich to testify under oath. Dederich refused to submit to a deposition, and the court entered a $300,000 judgment against him. Morantz had been following reports of violence associated with the group. Members had beaten neighbors near Synanons remote mountain compound in Central California. A former member had been attacked outside his home in Berkeley and nearly killed. Now, speaking to the press from his hospital bed, Morantz ventured a guess about the psychology of his attackers. Those people who put the snake in my mailbox do not think of themselves as criminals, Im sure, but believe themselves to be serving a higher purpose. Lance Kenton grew up in Synanon. He was sent there at 11 by his father, jazz musician Stan Kenton, who was frequently on the road and paid the group $750 a month to take care of his son. As a kid, Kenton would roam the sprawling Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, the groups headquarters in the late 1960s. We ran through that place like cockroaches, he said in a recent interview. In his early teens, he moved to the mountain compound in Badger, Calif. It was a happy childhood full of freedom, he insisted, with a sprawling non-biological family. He called it probably the single greatest community to grow up in. He was an enthusiastic participant in the Game. Its like catharsis sharing and getting rid of anger. It was a great sort of lubricant for a community. It enabled all of us to air and share gripes and move forward. Here in society, you walk along with prejudice. In Synanon, there was none. In the late 1970s, Dederichs push for mass vasectomies drove many members away. Many others submitted. Kenton had just turned 18 when he agreed to the procedure. He said it made philosophical sense to him. The idea was, why not be a parent to someone who needs a parent instead of having your own child? That increases the population of people who need parents. When Dederich launched a private security force called the Imperial Marines, Kenton was picked for the three-month training. A prosecutor would describe it as a combat-ready paramilitary unit, trained in martial arts, weapons, high-speed automobile chases and the like. The rationale for its existence, Kenton said, was that we were being harmed and attacked by outsiders all the time. He loved Synanon and believed in its mission. He was good with snakes. The crime was ham-fisted and swiftly solved. An alert neighbor had seen two men approach Morantzs house and put something hastily in his mail slot before driving away in a green sedan. The neighbor made note of the plate number, and police traced it to the Synanon compound in Badger, where the checkout logs proved incriminating. The odometer showed the car had traveled 1,000 miles the week of the attack the distance of a round trip to and from the lawyers block in Pacific Palisades. Seizing 13 audiotapes from the compound, police found hours of Dederich ranting menacingly in his distinctive bombastic growl. Our main religious posture is this: Dont mess with us. You can get killed dead. Physically dead. Im quite willing to break some lawyers legs and then tell him next time, Im going to break your wifes legs, and then were going to cut your kids arm off. Try me. This is only a sample, you son of a bitch. And thats the end of your lawyer. I want to crack some bones. The press got the tapes and played them endlessly. A Synanon lawyer explained that Dederich didnt really mean it. He was just a sick old man who talked like a dockhand and indulged in hyperbole. The recovering alcoholic who boasted of rescuing thousands of addicts, who called himself the person who set all the standards for the care and feeding of delinquents, who said his ideas would save the goddamn world, was now being charged with conspiracy to commit murder. When police came for him, Dederich was too drunk to walk. Two of his Imperial Marines were arrested on suspicion of executing the attack. One was Joseph Musico, 28, a struggling heroin addict and combat veteran who, people said, liked to boast that he wore a necklace of human ears in Vietnam. He had a hard scowl and cold eyes. Joseph Musico, left, and Lance Kenton, right, leave court after a hearing in the Synanon rattlesnake case in December 1978. (Art Rogers/Los Angeles Times) The other was Lance Kenton, 20, lean and fair-haired, his posture as straight as a soldier's. Police had lifted his fingerprint from the window of the green sedan. At the preliminary hearing, a defense attorney said Morantz had done it to himself. Hed put the snake in the mailbox, Paul Geragos suggested, because he was seeking some kind of revenge against a postal worker with whom hed had a dispute. Or maybe he had staged the attack on himself as a means of drawing attention to his cause against Synanon and other groups. In July 1980, however, the three defendants pleaded no contest to charges connected to the attack. Dederich was spared jail time but barred from a leadership position in the group he had founded; his Imperial Marines each got a year in jail. Morantz told reporters he had not advocated long sentences for men he considered victims of Dederich's manipulation. I cant find it in my heart to feel that Kenton and Musico should spend their lives in prison," he said. Late the following year, representing clients who were suing Synanon, Morantz walked into a hotel conference room in Visalia, Calif., to finally take a deposition from Dederich, whom he called my bete noir the man who sent two men and a snake to kill me. Dederich hobbled in on a cane with his lawyers. He said his memory had been wrecked by a series of strokes. Morantz felt a powerful, creepy bond with Dederich. I wanted to take the measure of this man who had been my obsession for so long," he wrote in his memoir, "Escape: My Lifelong War Against Cults." By Morantzs account, Dederich admitted he was a salesman whose job was to pressure people to do things they did not want to do. Morantz probed for answers. He wanted to understand the dynamics of the groups paranoia and what role Dederich had played in stoking it. Had Dederich pitched the idea that Synanon needed protection from hostile forces? I probably did, Dederich said. Its a device that as a father and a grandfather Ive used the boogeyman will get you if you dont watch out. Los Angeles Police Officer Richard Grotsley holds the rattlesnake that bit attorney Paul Morantz as he was reaching into his mailbox. (Getty Images) Morantz called the rattlesnake attack Synanons Pearl Harbor," the event that summoned the force of the law and exposed what he called a cesspool ruled by violence and one mans madness. But what destroyed Synanon was the Internal Revenue Service, which revoked its tax-exempt status and stuck it with a massive bill for back taxes and penalties. It dissolved in 1991. Its founder survived six more years. The snake attack made Morantzs name, but it cost him heavily. The woman he had been in love with, frightened by Dederichs rants, left him and eventually married another man. The pain in his hand never really went away. There was bone cancer, chemo and red blood cell aplasia that left him needing regular transfusions. He suspected his ailments might somehow be linked to the slow, insidious work of the venom. Read more: He picked up a package and found a live rattlesnake inside: 'Do I have any enemies?' He met another woman and had a son, Chaz, who said that former Synanon members regarded his father as a hero and a friend. He was always kind of looking for a righteous battle to fight on behalf of people being taking advantage of by the Chuck Dederichs of the world, Chaz told The Times. He was enjoying his reputation as a very niche lawyer who specialized in cults and megalomaniacs. Morantz urged his son, only half-jokingly, not to pursue the danger and drama of a lawyers life. Taking inspiration from his fathers favorite film, "Apollo 13," Chaz eventually joined the big team of engineers that put the rover Curiosity on Mars though it was easy, listening to Morantz boast, to think his son had done it single-handedly. Morantz, who died in 2022, considered Synanon his crucible. Like the reluctant hero of a Hitchcock spy thriller, I had to rise to the occasion, marshal resources I never knew I had and save the day, he wrote in his memoir, which has a rattler on the cover. While the tiny Point Reyes Light newspaper won a Pulitzer for its coverage of Synanon, Narda Zacchino of the Los Angeles Times was one of the few big-city reporters writing critically about the group before the snake attack. She became friends with Morantz, who told her that police had found a second rattlesnake in the canyon behind his house. He thought that it had been intended for another victim, and that the attackers must have changed their minds and released it. He said, It was probably for you, she said in a recent interview. Zacchino was featured in a recent HBO docuseries called The Synanon Fix. At the premiere party, she spotted Lance Kenton, who also appeared on the show. She introduced herself and asked him the questions that had gnawed at her for years: Was there a second snake? Was she on a hit list? He froze when I asked about the second snake, she recalled. He said, There was no second snake. Kenton, now 66, told The Times that he remembers the conversation. He insisted that Synanon did not have a hit list, only what he called a s list people who meant the group harm. Asked about the snake attack to which he pleaded no contest, he does not deny a part in it, but wont talk about it either. I dont really want to discuss it much, he said. I took responsibility, and thats it theres no reason to discuss it. Its 50 years ago. Still, his disdain for Morantz has endured across that half-century. He speaks of him as a man who didnt understand Synanon and didnt really talk to anyone who wasnt disgruntled. Kenton now manages properties in Malibu. Why did he take the plea? Facing life in prison, he said, there was just no way out of it otherwise. Who the hell wants to go to trial? he said. A criminal indictment is like cancer. You go to the doctor. They say you have cancer. When you adjudicate it, you say, Oh, were gonna give you chemotherapy for three months. Fine. As part of his probation, Kenton was ordered not to associate with Synanon members, which in effect severed him from his entire social circle. There were other costs. I always wanted to be a stockbroker, and I couldnt do that because you cant get bondable with a felony. Of the violence associated with Synanon, Kenton doesnt blame the founder. I think that probably some people were proactive and decided to do things that he didnt necessarily know about. He mourns the demise of the group he calls a beautiful place, a great community, adding: I think it helped a lot of people over the years. Its a shame that it ended the way it did. Did the rattlesnake case lead to its collapse? I dont know if Id want to accept that responsibility," he replied. In his late 60s, on a show called "Legally Speaking," Morantz ruminated about his battle with Synanon and all it had cost him. It had scared away the woman he planned to marry. And though it was impossible to prove, he suspected the lightning flash of the fangs had been killing him at a glacial pace for decades. But fate had uncoiled in surprising ways. If he hadnt put his hand in the mail chute, his fiancee might have stayed. And he would not have married the woman who gave him a son who helped steer a wheeled robot across the surface of the Red Planet. Knowing that his son's existence hinged on it, he said, he would not have done anything differently. I would have stuck my hand in the mailbox. 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. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) Concho Valley Paws Executive Director Jenie Wilson issued a statement on social media on May 28 to address alleged online attacks sent to organization members after the City of San Angelo announced that 40 dogs have been scheduled for euthanasia in June. The City broke the news of the 40-dog list during the afternoon hours of May 28, stating that the shelter pets were slated for euthanasia due to the San Angelo Animal Shelter exceeding its maximum capacity of 180 dogs. Twenty-one of the dogs were given a deadline of Saturday, June 1, while the remaining 19 were given a deadline of Saturday, June 8. RELATED: 40 dogs to be euthanized if not rehomed due to shelter overcrowding The euthanasia list has since been widely discussed in San Angelos online community, with hundreds of comments, shares and posts flooding social media about the topic and airing differing opinions. Some residents believe that the dogs should be euthanized, while others advocate for spay and neuter efforts. Many have also expressed disapproval of the Citys handling of the local pet population, while others claim that citizens only have themselves to blame. Enforce spay/neuter ordinances and consider additional funding for vouchers to help those who are truly struggling, one person wrote on the Citys post announcing the list. Otherwise this cycle is doomed to keep repeating and all the fosters/folks who could adopt will be full. Be proactive not reactive! As much as it hurts to see this and I am very much against it it may be time they have to because honestly from previous list Im starting to see some of those same once adopted dogs back on the list. a commenter said on a KLST News Facebook post about the list. These list pressure people into thinking they need to save them for them to only end up right back in the pound or back on the streets! Being put to sleep is better than be juggled around and never finding an actual home. The communitys outcry seems to have extended to CVPAWS, however, as a statement was issued on the organizations Facebook page just hours after the City released its announcement of the list to the public. Wilson stated in the post that CVPAWS and its team have recently received online attacks. Our team has been attacked viciously online on various social media accounts with the publication of the last two euthanasia lists, Wilson said. Wilson went on to say that some members of the community fail to understand that the lists are heartbreaking reminders that we cant save them all and that each of these dogs are loved by and bonded to one or more staff members. Everyone on staff fosters dogs or cats, many taking home the most fearful, fragile and injured, Wilson said. Losing just one of these long stays to euthanasia for space will make our team feel as though they have failed, even though they are doing all can to save them. Wilson then said that, in response to the alleged attacks, PAWS will not allow negative, hateful or threatening rhetoric on its social media page. Wilson stated that certain posts may be deleted if found to be harmful and that the poster responsible for the post may be blocked. We recognize everyone has an opinion and we dont expect everyone to agree. But the intentional spread of misinformation and hateful attacks do not serve a positive purpose and will not further our efforts to save lives, Wilson said. Therefore, the posts will be deleted, and the poster may be blocked from the page depending on the malicious intent or nature of the post. Wilson also took the time to address comments that claim that the shelter pets should be destroyed and that donors shouldnt support our efforts to save them, calling the remarks callous and stating that we fail to understand that ideology especially coming from self-proclaimed animal advocates. What PAWS does for this community and these animals is important. We couldnt do what we do without the amazing, well-trained and qualified staff that have over 50 years of combined experience, Wilson said. We also recognize the importance of our donors who understand that this mission can be costly, but so worth the investment. Yes, we save animals, but we also see what these animals do for the people who love them. To know that you entrust us with your gifts to save lives is an honor to us. Wilson then reiterated that CVPAWS is a separate entity from the San Angelo Animal Shelter before sharing how the two differ when it comes to euthanasia. CVPAWS is a vendor contracted with the City of San Angelo to facilitate adoptions for animals housed at the San Angelo Animal Shelter, according to the City. PAWS and the citys shelter are two separate entities with different purposes and missions that chose to work together for the common goal of reducing (and hopefully someday preventing) the euthanasia of adoptable pets, Wilson said. Having said this, PAWS does not advocate euthanasia for space, we do not select the pets nor the process. However, when our facility is full and the shelter is at capacity, we understand that space is finite, and we offer whatever support services we can to promote the rescue and adoption of the animals the shelter has placed on a list. With deadlines approaching for both parts of the 40-dog list, Wilson emphasized CVPAWS dedication to caring for shelter pets be they scheduled for euthanasia or otherwise. PAWS will continue to fight to save as many as we can, Wilson said. But remember, we can do more if everyone works together. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Cyril Ramaphosa insists ANC will win outright majority as South Africa goes to the polls Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, casts his ballot in Soweto on Wednesday - Jerome Delay/AP Millions of South Africans queued to vote on Wednesday in the tightest election of the post-apartheid era, with the president insisting his embattled African National Congress can still win outright. The nations seventh democratic election is expected to be its most significant since the end of white rule in 1994, as the governing ANC stands to lose its absolute grip on power, forcing it to seek coalition partners. Cyril Ramaphosa vowed his party could win an outright majority again, even though it is widely predicted to dip below the half-vote share needed to govern alone. He said: I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country. Pictured with his wife Dr Tshepo Motsepe after voting, Mr Ramaphosa said the ANC could win an outright majority again - Chris McGrath/Getty Images A cardboard cut out of Mr Ramaphosa stands next to ANC party agents in the Limpopo province a day before the polls opened - PAUL BOTES/AFP via Getty Images The election has been widely framed as the most important yet for the country, likely ending 30 years of ANC hegemony and ushering in a new era of coalition politics. Appalling levels of unemployment and crime, crumbling infrastructure and public services, and disillusion among many poor black residents who have not benefitted from the end of apartheid have all eaten away at ANC support. Unemployment is at 33 per cent overall, but far higher among the young. The murder rate is around 85 per day. I want to see change in South Africa, Bongile Mkunqa, 53, an unemployed man who went to vote in Langa, the oldest black township in Cape Town, told Reuters. We must get more jobs. I am not feeling happy now because I am struggling. It is a long time the ANC is in charge in the country, but it didnt change. John Steenhuisen, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, has described this year's election as 'the most consequential' since the end of apartheid in 1994 - GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images One unemployed man told The Telegraph as he prepared to vote in the Alexandra township next to Johannesburgs affluent Sandton suburb: I have been here for 20 years. There is nothing for us here. He said he had moved from the north of the KwaZulu-Natal province to Gauteng but was still unable to find work. He said he intended to vote for the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). We cant do anything and we have to live here and work here. Alex was better under apartheid than now, he said. His friend added: There is nothing we can do. Even if there is crime and we report it to the police at the police station, nothing is done. The ANCs standing has also been badly hit by corruption under Jacob Zuma, the former president. Mr Zuma has now set his guns on his former comrades, setting up his own party called uMkhonto weSizwe, which is expected to take precious votes from the ANC. Corruption under Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa and leader of the ANC, has had a negative impact on the party. He since set up his own political party to contest the election - Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images Polling on the eve of the vote put the ANC as still by far the largest party, capturing a vote share around the low to mid-40s. Such a result is expected to see Mr Ramaphosa remain in office with junior coalition partners unless he faces an internal challenge if the partys performance is worse than expected. The DA has campaigned to rescue South Africa and had the second-largest share of votes in the previous election. John Steenhuisen, the leader of the pro-business party, urged voters to turn out in large numbers to bring change to the country. This is the most consequential election since 1994, he said after casting his ballot in Durban. 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. Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova has called on European allies to contribute to Prague's initiative for supplying ammunition to Ukraine, as only four countries, according to her, have fulfilled their financial commitments. Source: European Pravda, citing Euractiv Cernochova said that the funds are gradually arriving in the Czech Republic, so Prague cannot buy ammunition on credit. "If some countries have signed a memorandum but have not yet sent funds, we cannot proceed with acquisitions. It is a bit of an appeal to those governments which have already signed memorandums to send the money," she noted. The Defence Minister also pointed out that so far, only Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Portugal have sent money for the purchase of ammunition. Background: On 28 May, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Ukraine can expect to receive 500,000 artillery shells by the end of 2024 as part of the Czech initiative to purchase them from third countries. Earlier, European Pravda reported that Czechia had arranged a meeting between the leaders of some of the countries taking the lead in supplying weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which would focus on the supply of ammunition and permission to hit targets in Russia. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced at this forum that the first batch of artillery shells to be supplied under the Czech-led initiative would arrive in Ukraine "in the coming days". Support UP or become our patron! Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan emerged from Tuesday's bloody GOP primary runoff with a wafer-thin victory, but the dominant forces in the Republican Party who have been gunning for him for more than a year showed no signs of backing away from their all-out effort to put the Legislature's lower chamber under new management in January. Phelan who will get a fifth term in the House as there is no Democrat on the November ballot for House District 21 anchored by Jefferson and Orange counties in Southeast Texas is not certain to get a third term as the chamber's presiding officer. When all the ballots were tallied in Tuesday's runoffs, six of eight Republican House incumbents were sent packing by voters across Texas. In the March 5 primaries, eight other GOP incumbents were ousted in a widespread far-right insurgency that will likely upend whatever semblance of bipartisan deference that was left in the Legislature. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, won't face a Democratic challenger in November, but he will face a challenge to remaining the speaker of the House next year. "The establishment pressed hard to save Phelan," said University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus. "It worked, but at the high cost of losing several other seats." The establishment Rottinghaus referred to is made up of old-guard Republicans such as former Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Joe Straus, who nurtured an alliance between traditional low-tax, pro-business conservatives and officials. Perry, whose three-plus terms in office ended almost a decade ago, was quick to embrace the then-emerging tea party social conservative movement that was instrumental in Straus' decision to retire from the House in 2019, but he now represents the Texas Republican Party's center of gravity. Phelan, in his victory statement Tuesday, made no mention of the coming House speaker race in which one of his onetime allies, state Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, has already announced his intention to run. More: As Patrick, Phelan clash, Texas GOP's path forward uncertain Last nights results made clear that Dade Phelan will be returning to the Texas House as a member," Oliverson said in a news release. "The only thing left to decide is whether he will be returning as Speaker. The conservative Republican majority in Texas have spoken. They want the Texas House to move in a different direction. They are fed up with the status-quo and are clamoring for change." State Rep. Brian Harrison, a second-term Republican from Midlothian who is part of a bloc of hard-right Republicans, said a third term as speaker for Phelan is a non-starter. "Under no circumstances will I vote for Dade Phelan to be Speaker next January," Harrison said in a social media post. Still, other Republican House members have signaled their continued support for the embattled speaker, and a handful of them joined Phelan's victory celebration in Beaumont. "Speaker Phelan's steadfast and steady leadership of the Texas House has resulted in resounding, remarkable and historic conservative victories that have strengthened the Texas of today and paved the pathway for an even stronger Texas of tomorrow," state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said in a statement released while he was at Phelan's post-election party. More: US Rep. Tony Gonzales defeats gun-toting YouTuber Brandon Herrera in GOP primary runoff Several GOP activists and officeholders saw Phelan's 366-vote margin of victory in an election that drew about 25,000 voters as being driven by Democrats. At their state convention over the weekend, Texas Republican delegates made clear they want to end Texas' open primary rule and to make voting in their primaries and runoffs off-limits to Democrats. "Last night made a strong argument for the righteous of the @TexasGOP delegates overwhelming decision to CLOSE the 2026 Republican Primary," conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan said on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, and urged officeholders to follow the lead of convention delegates. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick signaled a willingness to do just that. "Having to count on Democrats to win a Republican Primary is selling out the GOP," Patrick said on X. A statement by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was more explicit: "The Republican Party of Texas must take immediate action to secure our Republican Primaries." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, second from left, survived his impeachment, but has not forgiven House Speaker Dade Phelan for allowing it to go forward. Mark Jones, a Rice University political science professor, said it is premature to both write Phelan's obituary as speaker and to consider a closed primary system a done deal. "Actually, I think he's in a very good position to remain as speaker," Jones told the Statesman of Phelan. "I think he retains the support of somewhere close to half of the Republican House members. And from a Democratic perspective, it's (Phelan's reelection) their best option because any other speaker is going to be a more conservative Republican." And if Phelan is returned to power, Jones said, he'd likely bottle up any legislation to limit who may vote in the primaries because otherwise he'd be "essentially signing his own death warrant." Both Patrick and Paxton campaigned energetically for Phelan's runoff opponent, former Orange County Republican Chairman David Covey, and made clear their intention to pressure returning GOP House members to deny Phelan a third term as speaker. Paxton went so far as to warn House Republicans he'd campaign against them in 2026. Rottinghaus, the University of Houston professor, said the runoffs that produced the Phelan victory and the defeat of so many other House Republican highlights the unabated tension within the Texas GOP. "Its going to be a lonely session for Phelan if he wins the speakership," he said. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Primary runoffs are over, now race for Texas House speaker begins WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 23: Advocates for marijuana legal reform listen to music while attending the first annual National Cannabis Festival April 23, 2016 in Washington, DC. The festival was created for proponents of legalization to celebrate the partial legalization of marijuana in the nation's capital and states aroud the nation. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) A recent study published in the journal Addiction found that for the first time, daily marijuana users outnumber daily alcohol drinkers in the United States. Public health experts are keeping a close eye on the trend, as daily marijuana users are at higher risk of suffering negative health effects like heavy vomiting episodes, cardiovascular disease, dependency and psychosis. Marijuana use is on the rise in Minnesota too, a Reformer analysis of federal data shows. The share of Minnesotans over age 12 reporting they used marijuana in the past month rose from 7.7% in 2017 to 15.4% in 2022. Monthly alcohol use fell modestly over that same period. Daily marijuana use defined as using the drug on 20 or more of the past 30 days increased from 2.9% to 5.9% over the same period. But daily marijuana users in Minnesota are still vastly outnumbered by daily drinkers, who comprised roughly 12% of the population in 2022. Some caution is warranted with these numbers. Theyre from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a long-running federal project considered the gold standard survey of American substance use. But the survey methodology changed in 2020 to accommodate pandemic restrictions, which makes it harder to compare numbers on either side of that year. The pandemic also brought sharp increases in drug and alcohol use. It remains to be seen whether those numbers will remain elevated or revert back to pre-pandemic averages. Still, multiple data sources show that marijuana use is on the upswing nationally as laws change and attitudes liberalize. Minnesotas data also show use rates climbing prior to the pandemic, another indicator that the observed spike in 2022 is reflecting real-world behavior. Nationally, those increases seem to be concentrated among older, rather than younger users. Marijuana is becoming something of an old persons drug, as researchers Jonathan Caulkins and Keith Humphreys recently wrote. As a group, 35-49-year-olds consume more than 26-34-year-olds, who account for a larger share of the market than 18-25-year-olds. Thats a somewhat reassuring development, as researchers believe young peoples brains are more susceptible to the negative effects of drug use than older peoples. One area of concern for public health experts is that daily use is much more common among cannabis consumers than alcohol drinkers. Slightly more than half of Minnesotans drink alcohol on a monthly basis, and roughly 20% of those monthly consumers have a drink nearly every day. Whereas Minnesotas monthly marijuana users comprise only 15% of the population, but nearly 40% of them use marijuana 20 days or more in a given month. While it draws less scrutiny than marijuana use, Minnesotas rate of frequent drinking is also an area of concern, particularly if daily drinking is on the rise as the data suggest. The latest research on drinking finds that theres no safe level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a carcinogen directly responsible for over 1,000 deaths in Minnesota each year and indirectly implicated in many more. If some of Minnesotas drinkers were to switch to cannabis it could be a net benefit to public health, given the greater risks associated with daily alcohol use. But so far the signs on that front are mixed: While the share of Minnesotans drinking monthly has declined modestly, the rate of daily alcohol use has risen in tandem with the increase in heavy marijuana use. The data suggest, for instance, that tens of thousands of Minnesotans now use both alcohol and cannabis on a daily basis, which greatly increases their risk of addiction and health problems. The post Daily alcohol, cannabis use on the rise in Minnesota appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. Polynesia's acquisition of independence is very important for us, a member of the ruling party Tavini (Tavini Huiraatira) of French Polynesia, Rui Uretevi Paya said, Trend reports. I am a teacher at a continuing education school. The purpose of this visit is to discuss possible cooperation in several areas, namely in the fields of economics, education, etc. There are certain plans. It is within the framework of these plans that we will be able to discuss various opportunities for cooperation, he said. Rui Uretevi Paya recalled that Polynesia has been included in the list of countries subject to decolonization on the initiative of the Tavini party since May 17, 2013. This is very important for us. The struggle for decolonization is the DNA of our party. Gaining independence is very important for us, he added. The visit of heads and secretaries of the Commission of the Parliament of French Polynesia (Ma'OHI Nui - in the local language), as well as senior staff of the ruling Tavini (Tavini Huiraatira) party to Azerbaijan, started on May 29. The purpose of the four-day visit is to consider the possibility of establishing inter-parliamentary, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and French Polynesia, as well as cooperation in science, education, sports, health, and other spheres. The visit of the delegation of French Polynesia took place at the invitation of the Baku Initiative Group, working in the field of combating colonialism and its new manifestations in the 21st century. The visit was organized following the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the Baku Initiative Group and the Tavini Party within the framework of the international conference Liberation from Colonialism: Consequences of Assimilation and its Impact on the Realization of Human Rights organized by the Baku Initiative Group on April 30 this year at the UN Office in Vienna. To note, the Tavini party has been fighting for the independence of French Polynesia for many years. Act 10 protests at the Wisconsin Capitol in 2011. (Photo by Emily Mills) A Dane County judge is expected to rule on whether a lawsuit challenging Act 10 the controversial law that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for public employees should be allowed to continue after hearing oral arguments on Tuesday. The law has seen previous challenges, however this lawsuit is the first against the law since liberals gained control of the state Supreme Court last year. Dane County Judge Jacob Frost heard the arguments in the case, in which a number of public employees and unions are challenging the constitutionality of the law because it excluded unions representing public safety employees including police and firefighters. Act 10 was engineered by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and legislative Republicans. Done in the name of balancing the state budget, the law along with a later right-to-work measure for private sector employees, decimated the power of unions in Wisconsin. Act 10 had, as its stated purpose, to assist with budget balancing, Frost said during Tuesdays arguments. And the issue that seems to be in front of me is not at all whether the Legislature can issue laws to help control budgets. Of course they can. It seems to be the decision to say, theres a category of people that are so important that were taking them out of that policy purpose, for whatever reason. And thats what they did (with) the public safety group Because the truth is if they only wanted to balance the budget they wouldnt have exempted anyone. An attorney for the group bringing the case argued that the distinction between employee groups renders the law unconstitutional. The distinction Act 10 created between these groups of employees lacks a rational basis. and for that reason violates (the state Constitution), attorney Jacob Karabell argued Tuesday. But Misha Tseytlin, an attorney for the Legislature arguing for the lawsuits dismissal, said that the issue has already been settled by prior precedent and that the lawsuit is debating minutia. This court can inquire whether it is rational to have a public safety group and a general employee group, and I think that has already been answered by binding Wisconsin precedent (in previous litigation), Tseytlin argued. Frosts presence on the case has drawn criticism. After the law was passed, a recall election was held against Walker, who became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt. On Tuesday conservative talk radio host Dan ODonnell reported that Frost had apparently signed the petition to force the recall in 2011. AP and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also picked up the story. On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers dismissed calls for Frosts recusal from the case, saying people should let the process play out. Recusal is kind of a death knell of the judiciary. Lets just let it play out, Evers said at an event in Madison. Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, who was elected last April, giving liberal justices a majority on the Court, has previously told the Journal-Sentinel that she would consider recusing herself in a case challenging Act 10 because she marched in protests against the law and signed the recall petition against Walker. Would I recuse myself? Maybe. Maybe, but I dont know for sure, she said. The post Dane Co. judge who signed recall petition expected to rule on lawsuit challenging Act 10 appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. TAMPA A stretch of one of Tampas most hazardous roadways is receiving a bicycle-friendly makeover, funded by the citys red-light camera program. Construction began earlier this month to convert a section of West Cleveland Street a few blocks south of the University of Tampa from three traffic lanes to two, with one lane transforming into a protected bicycle lane and around 80 new on-street parking spaces. The bike lane, just under a mile long, will eventually connect to the future walkway planned for a stretch of the west bank of the Hillsborough River. This reshaping of the streetscape, from Willow Avenue to Parker Street, is part of Tampas Quick Build program small-scale projects that can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively, an effort to make safety improvements with finite funding. The project will cost approximately $350,000. We dont have a lot of money for transportation and for mobility, Mayor Jane Castor said at a recent news conference. We have to stretch those dollars as far as we can. Cleveland Street is part of Tampas High Injury Network, an unenviable designation for roads where the most deadly and serious-injury crashes occur. From 2021 to May 2024, 80 crashes were recorded along the street, according to city data. Forty percent of those crashes resulted in injuries. In Tampa, Floridas third-largest city, limited transportation investment has not kept up with basic maintenance, nor has it delivered infrastructure such as rapid bus lines and light rail found in other similarly sized metro areas. The Tampa Bay region where, like much of the country, a reliance on cars for work and life is ingrained in the culture is one of the most treacherous metro areas in the country for pedestrians. The West Cleveland Street project will also result in the creation of Tampas first protected intersection, at South Hyde Park Avenue. The design keeps bicyclists separate from cars, providing them with a dedicated path through the intersection and the right of way over turning vehicles. Once construction is complete, drivers exiting the Selmon Expressway at the Willow Avenue exit ramp will also have boosted visibility and safer access while merging onto Cleveland, according to the city. Tampas traffic engineers found that West Cleveland Street is currently under capacity, so the changes wont burden the roadway but will lead to a safer experience for all road users. Were very confident that the two lanes will easily accommodate growth as well as traffic, said Vik Bhide, the citys mobility director. In 2020, Tampa joined Vision Zero, an international pledge to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries. Last years redesign of the Cass Street Bridge to offer expanded space for walkers and bikers was the citys first Quick Build project. Along West Cleveland, construction is expected to be completed within the next few weeks. Drivers can expect nightly lane closures from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Danish man traveled to Fresno to rape child, prosecutors say. He was sentenced in court A man from Denmark who expressed the desire to exploit children, including a newborn, for sex was sentenced in a Fresno courtroom on Tuesday of distributing child pornography, according to federal prosecutors. Claus Svelmo Marcuslund, 59, of the Danish city of Odense, was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release after he was convicted of one count of distribution of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release. Marcuslund had traveled to Fresno in an effort to meet a mother who would aid him in raping a child and in having another child the man could also sexually assault, prosecutors said in July 2023. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 20. Prosecutors said he traveled by plane from Copenhagen to Los Angeles International Airport before making his way to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where he was arrested on July 11, 2023. Before traveling to the US, Marcusland had been speaking to what he believed was a mother with a 7-year-old child, prosecutors said. The conversation happened over the dark web on a website about pedophilia, and the person posing as the mother was an undercover agent. Im Scandinavian, professional music producer/songwriter and lyricist and yeah, Im also a pedophile, Marcusland wrote in a message to the undercover agent, according to prosecutors. Im divorced and now searching (for) a nice woman/mom to get to know better, hopefully with the potential of getting together in real life one day, he also wrote. Obviously, she must be 100% supportive of pedophilia and incest. He wrote messages over several months in which he described in graphic detail what he wanted to do to a child, prosecutors said. He sent between 300 and 600 images of adults sexually abusing young children, according to prosecutors. To vindicate victims of child exploitation and bring criminals to justice, our law enforcement and our communities must work together in partnership across county, state, and national borders, Talbert said in the news release. Tourists at Graceland in May 2024. - Credit: Brad Vest/Getty Images A dark web scammer has taken credit for trying to sell Elvis Presleys Graceland home, The New York Times reports. The paper said it received two emails from a person who claimed to be the brains behind this scheme and other identity theft frauds. We figure out how to steal. Thats what we do, the scammer said, adding that he and his dark web network of worms often targeted elderly and unsuspecting people, often in California and Florida, using publicly available documents like birth certificates to procure crucial personal information. More from Rolling Stone Still, he acknowledged the Graceland grift had fallen short: I had fun figuring this one out and it didnt succeed very well. The Times said it received the messages after reaching out to an email address listed in court documents for Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC, the company that tried to sell Graceland at auction earlier this month. The writer said he was based in Nigeria, and his emails were written in Luganda. A translator who looked at the documents noted that the use of the Bantu language was sporadically clunky compared to the fluent English used in Naussanys court filings. The grift began when Naussany claimed that Elvis late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, had put up the deed to the mansion as collateral for a $3.8 million loan. Naussany tried to settle that debt last year, aiming to collect $2.85 million from the Presley family trust, now overseen by Lisa Maries daughter, Riley Keough. Keough, however, was skeptical of the demand, prompting Naussany to give notice of the auction. Keough then successfully sued to stop the sale, claiming that her mothers signatures had been forged and that Naussany was a false entity created for the purpose of defrauding the Presley trust. Nobody representing Naussany appeared at the court hearings last week, but there was a last-minute filing brought by a person claiming to be Gregory E. Naussany, asking for more time to prepare a defense (it included the comically long email address gregoryenaussanyniplflorida@hotmail.com for further contact). Not long after, though, The Associated Press received a statement (sent by a Naussany-connected email listed in court docs) saying it would not go forward with the case. In his emails to The Times, the scammer appeared to give credit to Keough, saying: Yo client dont have nothing to worries, win fir her She beat me at my own game. Last week, after the Graceland auction was halted, the Tennessee attorney general, Jonathan Skrmetti, said he was opening an investigation into Naussany. In response to the emails sent to The Times, the AGs office said it was aware of the letters and said it would continue looking into the matter. Best of Rolling Stone Date set for construction of two new docks on Teal Lake NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WJMN) A construction date has been set for two new docks on Teal Lake. With help from several local organizations, the cities of Ishpeming and Negaunee say they have raised enough money for a matching funds grant from the Department of Natural Resources. A press release from the City of Negaunee says the two-week construction project will begin the week of June 17, with work to be completed by Waters Edge Dock and Hoist Company. Both cities ask residents and visitors to be aware of the work taking place to ensure safety of them and the construction crews. Were told both docks will be set on opposite sides of the body of water, and will be of universal accessible designwhich is one step higher than ADA standards. The docking system on the west side of the lake will handle both canoes and kayaks. The east side, in Negaunee, will be able to handle canoes, kayaks, and the sculls used by the Marquette Rowing Club. In total, $38,900 was raised for the project and matched by the DNR grant. Both cities chipped in $10,000; the West End Health Foundation and local Rotary Club each contributed $7,500; the Ishpeming/Negaunee Community Fund added $1,900; and the U.P. Rowing Club and Tru North Credit Union both donated $1,000. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled later this summer. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJMN - UPMatters.com. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) The long-awaited German grocery store named Lidl is officially opening its doors later today. abc27 news first reported on the new Lidl grocery store back in April 2023 when officials with the popular discount retailer first confirmed that they were planning to open a Harrisburg store in the Paxton Towne Center on 5125 Jonestown Road. According to Lidl, their new Harrisburg store will officially debut today on Wednesday, June 12. At Lidl, we are committed to bringing fresh, high-quality food to communities at affordable prices, Or Raitses, Lidls Senior Director of Real Estate for the North Region said. We are excited to open our doors in Harrisburg and look forward to serving customers in the area. The new store location is situated next to Target inside a 32,000-square-foot space that HH Gregg formerly occupied. Lidl says that the new store is going to create approximately 20 new jobs; starting pay for new store associates will start at $16. To apply for a position at Lidl, you can click here. As part of their grand opening celebration, the first 100 customers in line before the store opens at 8 a.m. will receive a special gift card ranging from $5 to $100. Additionally, Lidl will be donating $1 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for every shopper who signs up for the myLdl app and sets the new Harrisburg location as their store throughout opening weekend. The new location will operate daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. To date, Lidl operates more than 12,000 stores and is active in 32 countries. Currently, the discount retailer employs more than 360,000 employees globally. abc27 news will keep you updated 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 ABC27. (CANON CITY, Colo.) When a call for help comes through, the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is ready no matter what the situation may be. As an all-hazard fire department, crews respond to emergency calls ranging from fires and medical assists to water rescues. On Tuesday, May 28, a group from CSFD traded their station for the Arkansas River as part of their swiftwater rescue training. This training ensures double company stations (has both a fire engine and a fire truck) are ready to respond effectively to water rescue calls. A group from Station 8 with the Colorado Springs Fire Department spent their morning putting their swiftwater rescue skills to the test. This training is important because we get the really heavy monsoon rains, especially in Colorado Springs, said Lindsay Boone, a CSFD Station 8 Firefighter. Our creeks and drainages go from just a really calm stream to a river in a matter of minutes. So, its good to get out here and actually practice in moving water so we can apply our skills in a real-life situation. Last year, CSFD responded to more than a dozen swiftwater rescues, and these firefighters understand just how dangerous of a situation can unfold from just a couple inches of water. The training was broken up into two groups with one in the water and one on land to understand the different challenges of the rescue. We have a number of stormwater drains, our creeks and our drainages that are designed to get water out of town quickly, said Captain Jason Leach with CSFD. With these storms that we have and our inclement weather, our storm drains and things get impacted, get clogged, get flooded, the systems cant handle the amount of rain and weather thats coming through. Cars can be swept up in these flooded areas, which brings CSFD crews to the scene. Consequently, this training on Tuesday helps crew members understand the importance of navigating a body of water, while also putting their knowledge to use. We spend a lot of time throughout the year doing our training on dry land, Boone said. But to come down here and actually be able to get in the water, practice rescuing each other out of moving water, is really an invaluable experience. On Tuesday morning, firefighters were instructed about the water rescue drill involving throwing ropes into the river to save a swimmer. The training occurs once every three years for CSFD stations, with this unique experience in the Arkansas River also serving as a bonding opportunity between these first responders. This is great training, great environment, and again, for them to be safe should something happen to them when they fall into the water, said Captain Leach. The training also helped firefighters understand the different water flow conditions and the challenges of swimming against them. First-timer Michael Desmond reflected on the significance of participating in this training as he is finishing up his probationary year with the department. This day in the Arkansas River allowed him to understand the different challenges and techniques essential for success in a real-time emergency situation. Its super empowering to have the technical knowledge to be able to do these different things, these different skill sets that we need, Desmond explained. Were not just a single faceted agency, where we just do fire, or we just do EMS, we do it all. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) D.C. police said a man was arrested and charged for stabbing and killing his partner on Sunday. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were called to the 500 block of Harvard St. in Northwest D.C. just before 9 a.m. on May 26. There, they found Tommy Hudson, 58, in front of a home. He had been stabbed multiple times. MPD shuts down Judiciary Square traffic due to suspicious package outside DC Superior Court He was taken to the hospital, where he died. MPD said preliminary investigations show that Hudson was stabbed inside a home in the same block where officers found him. On Tuesday, MPD arrested Anthony Brown, 54, and charged him with second-degree murder while armed. Detectives determined that the stabbing was a domestic-related situation, according to MPD. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BALTIMORE Born into a family of devout Catholics, Marc Floto was almost destined to be an altar boy at his local church, the former Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baltimore County. So when he was 5 or 6 years old, his parents pretty much pushed him to do just that. But they had no idea about the life-altering consequences that came with that commitment, said Floto, 62. When I was an altar boy, I used to go to the rectory to get dressed in our robes and that, to get ready for Mass, he said in an interview. I dont recall when, but things progressed from the priest touching me, to fondling me, amongst other things. Floto lives near Westminster and owns a towing business now; hes married and has a son. But being abused as a child, he said, caused turmoil every step of his life. He chokes up when he explains the impact of what he endured, from persistent anger and trust issues to being overprotective of those he holds dear. Like many survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Maryland, Floto was preparing last fall to sue the Archdiocese of Baltimore, but had to change course when the church declared bankruptcy. He is one of hundreds who has submitted a proof of claim form in the archdioceses case ahead of a Friday deadline for victims to add themselves to a list for future compensation. Known as a bar date, the deadline is really a survivors last chance to file against the bankrupt entity, which in this case is the Baltimore diocese, said attorney Adam Slater, whose firm represents Floto and other victims. I encourage anybody with a claim, or anybody who was sexually abused, to please come forward, because this is most likely your last chance. Slater called the midnight Friday deadline part of the cruelty of the bankruptcy process because it limits the period survivors have to pursue legal recourse, effectively sidestepping the groundbreaking law Maryland enacted last year that erased time restraints for abuse lawsuits in state court. The Child Victims Act followed the release of a state attorney general report that said 156 clergy and other church officials tormented more than 600 children and young adults, dating to the 1940s. The abuse spanned Baltimore and the nine counties in Central and Western Maryland that make up the dioceses jurisdiction. Anticipating hundreds of lawsuits, the church chose to protect its assets and limit its liability by filing for bankruptcy Sept. 29, two days before the law took effect. Church officials said bankruptcy would allow the archdiocese to compensate all victims, rather than providing immense sums of money to a few, while continuing its mission. The churchs decision meant survivors potential lawsuits had to be reconfigured into proof-of-claim forms and supporting documents. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner set the May 31 deadline for such claims, requiring the archdiocese to publicize that date. The church advertised on news platforms and put the word out in its parishes, among other means. Philip C. Federico, an attorney who is representing dozens of survivors, told The Baltimore Sun that he is concerned that notice wont reach all victims, arguing the archdioceses efforts to cover up widespread abuse make it more difficult to reach those impacted. Theres no database of survivors of sexual abuse by members of the Archdiocese of Baltimores clergy, Federico said. Theres really no way to give all the survivors adequate notice. Survivors attorneys will attempt to add an avenue for people to file late if they have a reasonable reason for missing the deadline, such as people who live abroad or people who are in the service, Federico said. But thats a heavy burden to overcome. As of May 20, about 320 claims had been filed, but several law firms had yet to file hundreds, said Paul Jan Zdunek, chair of the committee of survivors representing all victims in the bankruptcy case. There will probably be closer to 600 to 1,000 claims, based on what were hearing anecdotally, Zdunek told The Sun. Almost all of the hundreds of abuse claims submitted thus far have been shielded from public view. Broderick Miller, who said a deacon raped him and introduced him to heroin, leading to a lifetime of addiction and related arrests, filed his claim publicly. While claims filed confidentially are kept from the public, they are reviewed by attorneys and experts in the case. Zdunek, who said he was sexually abused as a child by a Boy Scout leader, a Catholic middle school teacher and a member of a choir connected to the school, harked back in an interview to a recent conversation with a friend who was abused alongside him. He didnt want to file because he was worried about what his family would think, his friends, Zdunek said. I want to assure everybody that this is completely anonymous. Nobody has to know. Their name wont be out there. Zdunek himself was in the process of completing his claim with a lawyer when he spoke to a reporter. He said a lawyer can make the process seamless, either walking a survivor through the steps of completing a claim form or filling the document out for their client. The most difficult part of it is reliving and remembering the abuse because it does ask certain pieces of information about the abuse: When, where, who? Zdunek said. Its more emotional than it is painful from an administrative standpoint. As survivors prepared their claims, attorneys in the case worked to determine how much money the archdiocese and its insurers will contribute to eventually compensate survivors. The survivors committee also has discussed with the church measures to prevent future sexual abuse of children, which will be part of the final settlement. That process of determining how much the church and insurance companies will pay is expected to ramp up during forthcoming mediation, or Phase 2 of the bankruptcy case, as attorney Elisha Hawk called it. Phase 2 is the longest, and quietest, and sometimes the most frustrating for survivors because it is confidential, said Hawk, whose firm represents survivors in Maryland and has participated in bankruptcy cases involving other archdioceses, in an email. In the coming days, there will be a joint motion filed to appoint a couple of mediators with the goal of working toward mediation. Zdunek and Jonathan Schochor, another attorney who represents victims in the case, predicted that mediation would begin over the summer. After mediation, the survivors committee will come up with criteria for how to categorize abuse claims, said Hawk, adding that all survivors will be able to see [the criteria] and vote on that before the court approves it. Schochor said experts who are forensically inclined will be brought in later to evaluate the claims, determining how much money each persons experience is worth. The claims, he said, will be placed into tiers. -------- BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. Iranian experts haven't established that external meddling caused the helicopter accident with President Ibrahim Raisi and his delegation from Khudafarin to Tabriz, the Iranian Supreme Leader's representative for the Razavi Khorasan Province Ahmad Alamolhoda said, Trend reports. He said that several reasons for the helicopter crash have been investigated by experts. Many hypotheses have been advanced, such as the possibility that it was the result of an accident or some other outside influence. To note, on May 19, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tabriz Province Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim, and East Azerbaijan Province Governor-General Malek Rahmati crashed while flying from Khudafarin to Tabriz. As a result, the Iranian President and the entire accompanying delegation were confirmed dead. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel 1 killed in shooting on 1st Drive in Aurora DENVER (KDVR) One person was killed Tuesday night after a shooting in Aurora. On Tuesday night, Aurora police responded to the 14000 block of East 1st Drive after a reported shooting in a residential area, according to the department. Upon arrival, police found a man suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle. This embedded content is not available in your region. Police said the victim died on the way to the hospital. The coroner is still in the process of identifying the victim. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox As of Wednesday morning, police said no information about the suspect was 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 FOX31 Denver. A deaf man is suing the Atlanta Braves after he says he was passed over for a job due to being hearing impaired. Clyde McKinney, Jr., an Alabama resident, filed a lawsuit in federal court saying the Braves violated his rights in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the lawsuit, he had applied for a position as an in-office senior-level information technology officer for the Atlanta Braves, which would have been based at their Cobb County corporate office. McKinneys lawsuit says he would have been able to perform the job in question, if hired, with or without reasonable accommodation. Responding to a request to comment by Channel 2 Action News, the Braves said We are going to decline comment. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] McKinney first filed charges of discrimination based on violating the ADA with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Oct. 10, 2023, according to the court filing. On Jan. 5, McKinney received a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC, which was included in his lawsuit as an exhibit. As part of the lawsuit, McKinney said he has not been prevented from having a multi-decade career as a data and network system engineer, including for large companies such as Carpathia Hosting, GEOcommand, Inc. and IBM. To perform his duties communication requirements, McKinneys lawsuit says he uses a combination of American Sign Language, lip reading, verbal communication and an occasional interpretative answering service with a translator for real-time phone conversations. TRENDING STORIES: The court filing says McKinney first applied for a position as Director of IT Engineering and Architecture for the Braves in January 2023 and made it through two rounds of virtual interviews with the companys human resources staff. On March 22, 2023, McKinneys lawsuit says he was in a third interview, this time with Senior Vice President of Technology Scott Waid, which was conducted along with McKinneys translator. During the interview, the lawsuit says Waid posed pointed questions about the extent of McKinneys hearing impairment, including whether McKinney could hear any part of Waids communications. The lawsuit claims Waid asked how much McKinney relied on his interpreter, whether the interpreter would physically have to be present at work, and whether the interpreter was knowledgeable on IT issues. According to the lawsuit, there was little to no conversation about McKinneys comprehension of the array of technical issues the job required. McKinney said Waid also oddly asked him to talk about an experience he had attending a deaf awareness event at a Braves game, a community outreach feature that had no ostensible relevance to an IT Director role. The lawsuit accused Waid of discussing the potential cost of having a translator hired in-house to assist McKinney, noting that the team had not budgeted for doing so. Waid also openly observed that McKinneys impairment might compromise his ability to serve as a thought leader and personnel manager and might generate a communications barrier for McKinney, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit said McKinneys managerial credentials were only mentioned while considering if his hearing impairment would impact his ability to lead the IT department. On April 20, 2023, McKinney said he was informed he would not be getting the job with the Braves, and raised concerns with a recruiter for the team over LinkedIn, mentioning the focus on his deafness rather than his experience. The lawsuit says those comments were shared with the Braves HR department, who then met with McKinney in mid-May. On June 8, 2023, McKinney contacted the EEOC to file a complaint for discrimination based on his disability. Afterward, a member of the Braves HR department, Shannon De-Zilva White, told McKinney that they had interviewed Waid and he had acknowledged conveying to McKinney that he was not a good candidate due to his communication barriers and the potential cost of hiring a full-time ASL interpreter. The lawsuit said De-Zilva White told McKinney she believed he was equipped to perform a number of tasks for the team in the IT field and that Waids comments had likely violated the Braves internal policies regarding inclusion and equity for disabled individuals. In a later meeting in July between McKinney and De-Zilva White, he informed her of his EEOC complaint and a separately filed complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. After that, De-Zilva White ceased communication with McKinney. As a result of the proceedings during this process, McKinney said his rights were flagrantly violated and filed the lawsuit in federal court to gain back lost economic opportunities, including wages and front pay, as well as compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys fees. However, the Atlanta Braves filed a response in court to McKinneys lawsuit, denying any discrimination against McKinney on the basis of his disability and denying relief on those grounds. The team also denied any and all allegations in McKinneys October 2023 EEOC complaint. The response in court does note that they admit only that Mr. Waid and Plaintiff discussed his experience attending a deaf awareness event at a Braves game, but denied the other allegations related to that conversation as outlined in McKinneys lawsuit. The response does admit the meetings between De-Zilva white and McKinney occurred but denies the claims relevant to those meetings in terms of alleged discrimination. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Death toll in Russia's May 25 attack on Kharkiv rises to 19, Governor says The death toll in Russia's May 25 attack on Kharkiv rose to 19 on May 29 after an injured man died in the hospital, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The man had suffered severe burns over 50% of his body as a result of the strike and ensuing fire, Syniehubov said. Russia hit a building materials hypermarket, "Epicenter," in Kharkiv in the middle of the day on May 25, reportedly using two guided aerial bombs. A third unexploded bomb was later found at the scene. Local authorities reported the following day that at least 16 people, including a 12-year-old girl and her mother, were killed, while other 44 people were injured. As of May 27, Syniehubov said that the death toll had risen to 18, with another 48 injured. 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. Trees are reflected in the waters of Lake Spenard on the evening of May 16, 2024. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Trees are reflected in the waters of Lake Spenard on the evening of May 16. Lake Spenard and Lake Hood, to which it is attached, showed high levels of PFAS contamination in an Alaska Community Action on Toxics study published in 2023. While levels of regulated contaminants appear to be declining around the Arctic, levels of unregulated PFAS contaminants are on the rise in some areas, an Arctic Council study says. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)n) Around the far north, including in Alaska, levels of certain contaminants found in peoples bodies have declined over the past three decades, likely showing the positive effect of regulation, according to a newly released study from an Arctic Council research group. The blood and breast milk of people in various Arctic regions shows declining levels of regulated pollutants and growing levels of unregulated ones. Within the blood and breast milk of people in various Arctic regions, levels of a class of chemicals used in electrical equipment and industrial lubricants, and certain pesticides fell steadily from about 1990 to the early 2020s, said the report from the councils Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, or AMAP. However, in several areas, blood and breast milk showed increasing levels over time of unregulated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are known as PFAS, the study showed. PFAS compounds, which number in the thousands, are known as forever chemicals because of their resistance to breaking down. Commonly used since the 1950s, they have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, developmental delays and other ill health effects, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those rising levels of contaminants that fall outside of existing international regulations are concerning, the study said. More focus is needed on biomonitoring the new emerging contaminants of concern in the Arctic and their implications on human health, the study said. Contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that were widely used in the past but have been banned or phased out by international treaty are of special concern in the Arctic. Those persistent organic pollutants, or POPS, were carried for decades to high latitudes by atmospheric and ocean currents, and concentrations became alarmingly high in the Arctic marine environment from which Indigenous people harvest their food. Release of POPs into the Arctic environment is also exacerbated by climate change, which is more acute in the far north, as warmer temperatures and increased rainfall work to mobilize the contaminants, the study noted. The eight-nation Arctic Council, when it formed in the 1990s, considered POPS one of the organizations top priorities. The Arctic Council was an important contributor to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The AMAP study shows the importance of international elimination of these persistent organic pollutants, because they dont respect political boundaries, said Pam Miller, executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics. In recent years, the Stockholm Convention has added certain types of PFAS compounds to its list of chemicals to be eliminated. Some Arctic nations have taken steps beyond those in the Stockholm Convention to reduce human exposure to PFAS compounds, and the AMAP study suggests that those steps have had positive results. In Finland, for example, where firefighting foam was considered the main source of environmental contamination, use of foams containing a certain class of PFAS compounds was prohibited in 2011. Among Finnish children, levels of PFAS decreased from2006 to 2015, the AMAP study said. There is no national-level ban on PFAS-containing firefighting foams in the United States, but a bill recently passed by the Alaska Legislature would institute such a ban in the state. That bill, Senate Bill 67, mandates an end to the use of such foams by Jan. 1, 2025, though there are exceptions, with a phase-in allowed for oil and gas facilities. If signed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the bill would put Alaska among several U.S. states that have halted or are phasing out use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams. Some states have banned PFAS materials from other products, such as cookware and food packaging. The Alaska bill is significant, Miller said, but Alaska should follow other states in taking a more comprehensive approach to PFAS contamination. There are so many other categories of products that need to be addressed, she said. Alaska data from the AMAP study, which focuses on Yupik women, does not include PFAS information. The Alaska data is sparser than that for other regions covered in the study. Not included is any information about contamination in Russia. The Arctic Council has largely ceased work with Russia since that nations 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Correction: The spelling of polychlorinated biphenyls has been corrected. Fox News Having spent the past few weeks reading out favorable op-eds from his favorite Fox News legal experts, a glum Donald Trump emerged from the courthouse on Wednesday morning and seemed to come to terms that a conviction is likely in his hush-money trial. The former president went so far in setting the expectations that the jury would convict him of falsifying business records that he exclaimed: Mother Teresa could not beat these charges! After the prosecution wrapped up its case on Tuesday night by detailing their allegations that the ex-president essentially committed election interference by faking paperwork to hide an extramarital affair with a porn star, the jury began deliberations late Wednesday morning. It now remains to be seen if Trump becomes the first American president to be convicted in a criminal trial. The twice-impeached ex-commander in chief, who is now the GOPs presumptive nominee, did not display an air of confidence as he emerged from the courtroom as the jurors decided his fate. I would say in listening to the charges from the judge, who as you know is very conflicted and corrupt because of the confliction, very, very corrupt, a deflated Trump told reporters outside the courthouse, Mother Teresa could not beat these charges! These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged! Fuming that the whole country is a mess because of fake elections, Trump continued to complain about the trial and Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case. Where the judge is so conflicted he cant breathe. Hes got to do his job. And it is not for me, I can tell you, he continued. It is a disgrace. And I mean thatMother Teresa could not beat these charges. But well see, well see how we do. It is a very disgraceful situation! Of course, it is highly doubtful that the Nobel Peace Prize winner would have ever been brought up on charges for paying off an adult film star to stay quiet about an alleged sexual affair just days before a presidential election. So theres that. 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 Ashland County chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma has awarded grants to five Ashland County seniors. Jenna Hartson, of Ashland High School, and Emily Reisinger, of Mapleton High School, attended the chapters end-of-year banquet and were personally awarded their grants. The other three recipients are Corri Vermilya, of Loudonville High School; and Emilee Dennison and Veda Dunn, of Mapleton High School. Delta Kappa Gamma honors recipients of their senior grants. From left to right are Barb Renneker, grant-in-aid chair; recipients Jenna Hartson and Emily Reisinger; and Vickie Groenke, president.Also awarded grants but missing from the photo are Corri Vermilya, Emilee Dennison and Veda Dunn. The local Delta Kappa Gamma has offered grants-in-aid since 1984 to any high school senior who resides in Ashland County and plans to pursue a career as a teacher. The Ashland County chapter was organized on May 14, 1938, and was the second chapter established in Ohio. This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Delta Kappa Gamma awards grants to Ashland County high school seniors Democrat running for Slotkins seat urging Biden to use more executive authority on southern border Former Michigan state Sen. Curtis Hertel (D), who is looking to succeed Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) as the states 7th Congressional District representative, is urging President Biden to use more executive authority on the U.S.-Mexico border. Hertel is asking Biden to address the dysfunctional immigration system through executive action. The current border situation impacts constituents across Michigans 7th Congressional District, with communities facing challenges related to the fentanyl crisis and the accommodation of asylum seekers, Hertel said in a May 24 letter sent to Biden and obtained by The Hill. The former state senator now running in a swing district is pushing Biden to employ a variety of actions that, in his view, would bring order to the crossing and support the U.S. economy. The East Lansing-based candidate is pushing for increased funding for technology used at the border, including drones, sensors and cameras to help halt the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs. He wants the president to issue an executive order to minimize the abuse of the asylum process and heighten the credible fear standard, according to the letter. Hes also calling for the commander in chief to tamp down the use of asylum claims between ports of entry, aiming to prevent cartels from instructing migrants on how to construct false stories. Additionally, Hertel wants Biden to extend work permits to 1.1 million immigrant spouses married to U.S. citizens, arguing this executive action would help secure the border and add more skilled labor to the countrys workforce. Lastly, Hertel wants Biden to reimplement the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain in Mexico program, introduced during former President Trumps administration. The program, which took effect for the first time in January 2019, requires those who are seeking asylum to wait on the other side of the border while their claim is processed. Biden has consistently been criticized by Republicans over his administrations handling of the U.S.-Mexico crossing, with many referring to it as an open border. In order to curb the flow of migrants, the Biden administration is considering executive actions that would allow him to temporarily shut down the southern border, according to PBS. I understand that comprehensive immigration reform is a complex issue that requires legislative action, Hertel said in the letter. However, given Congress refusal to act, it is essential that your administration utilizes all available tools, including executive authority, to enhance security at the Southern border, combat the influx of illicit fentanyl, and facilitate orderly and legal immigration processes. While the former state legislator praised Biden for his push to get bipartisan border legislation through this year, the bill, which took months to be negotiated, was quashed twice in the upper chamber and was downed in a 43-50 vote last week. It is imperative that both parties collaborate on pragmatic, bipartisan immigration reforms that enhance border security while providing a pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants who have deep roots in America and have been law-abiding, tax-paying members of our society, Hertel said in the letter. Hertel is up against state Sen. Tom Barrett (R), who in 2022 ran against Slotkin but lost the contest. The district was narrowly won by Biden in 2020. The Democrat has more than $2.1 million cash on hand, according to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. Hertel is ahead of Barrett in fundraising, as the Republican currently has just more than $958,000, according to FEC records. The open House seat has yielded a contentious race as Slotkin decided to run for the Senate this year. The Hill has reached out to the White House 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 The Hill. A weapons team crew loads GBU-39 small diameter bombs onto an A-10C Thunderbolt II, assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Oct. 24, 2023. | U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Timothy Perish Bombs kill people. When someone provides bombs to a government at war, those weapons will be used to kill people. It's a simple fact but one that seems to have eluded Democrats. After voting to send bombs to the Israeli military, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMass.) condemned the Israeli military for killing Palestinian civilians with an American-made bomb. And after urging the Israeli military to use smaller munitions, the Biden administration found itself scrambling to deal with a mass civilian casualty event caused by one of those smaller weapons. On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force bombed Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood of Rafah that Israel had previously designated a safe zone for fleeing civilians. The Israeli government claimed the airstrike successfully killed two senior Hamas commanders. But a fire started by the bomb spread through the densely-packed tent city, burning to death at least 45 people, including 12 women, eight children, and three elderly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the civilian deaths were a "tragic mistake." British doctor James Smith called the fire "one of the most horrific things that I have seen or heard of in all of the weeks that I've been working in Gaza." CNN found pieces of a GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb, a type of 250-pound bomb that the U.S. military had rush-shipped to Israel following the Hamas attacks last October, with serial numbers from a California manufacturer. "The Israeli bombing of a refugee camp inside a designated safe zone is horrific," Warren stated on social media. "Israel has a duty to protect innocent civilians and Palestinians seeking shelter in Rafah have nowhere safe to go. Netanyahu's assault of Rafah must stop. We need an immediate cease-fire." Last month, Warren had voted for a $26.38 billion U.S. military aid package to Israel, as Rep. Thomas Massie (RKy.) pointed out. "Ma'am, you voted to send those bombs to Israel," he wrote in a response to Warren's statement. Warren's office did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement last month, Warren noted that she voted for the aid package after the Biden administration agreed to certify that every military receiving U.S. aid "follows international law, protects civilians in war zones and allows for humanitarian aid." On May 10, the administration ruled that there are "reasonable" accusations that Israel breaks the laws of war but that the Israeli government gave "credible and reliable" assurances about how it plans to use U.S. weapons. President Joe Biden also said that he would not be "supplying the weapons" for an Israeli invasion of Rafah that threatened the civilian population and held up a shipment of Mark 80 series bombs, which were responsible for some of the worst mass-casualty attacks in Gaza. At a Senate hearing earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin presented the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb as a safer alternative to the Mark 80 series: "A Small Diameter Bomb, which is a precision weapon, that's very useful in a dense, built-up environment, but maybe not so much a 2,000-pound bomb that could create a lot of collateral damage." Last October, the Israeli military used two American-made 2,000-pound bombs to assassinate a Hamas commander, killing dozens of civilians in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Austin is right that 2,000-pound bombs, which can kill everything within 600 feet, are more likely to harm bystanders than lighter alternatives. And as the name suggests, the Small Diameter Bomb has a smaller lethal radius. However, that doesn't make the bombs any less lethal for people inside the radiusor people caught up in secondary fires caused by the weapon. Much of the Israeli army's "precision" targeting is carried out by artificial intelligence programs. The Israeli publication +972 Magazine has reported that one AI targeting system called "Lavender" is allowed to kill a large number of civilians per Hamas fighter, and is believed to have a 10 percent error rate when identifying fighters in the first place. Another program revealed by +972, called "Where's Daddy," targets Hamas fighters who have left the battlefield and gone home to their families. In other words, the type of weapon matters but how the weapon is used matters more. Despite Biden's earlier threats and assurances over human rights, the Biden administration is keen to defer to Israeli claims. "As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to," White House spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday. "It just happened. The Israelis are going to investigate it. We're going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we'll see where it goes from there." The post Democrats Surprised To Learn Bombs Are Used To Bomb People appeared first on Reason.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 29. The U.S. Embassy in Baku, in collaboration with American Councils for International Education, is proud to announce the EducationUSA Alumni Fair as an exceptional opportunity for high school and university students, as well as their parents, interested in pursuing education in the United States. The EducationUSA Alumni Fair will feature representatives from more than 35 U.S. universities along with U.S. Embassy exchange programs. Embassy consular staff will also attend to share information about student visas. Charge dAffaires Hugo Guevara will deliver opening remarks. The fair will take place on June 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Landmarks Rotunda Hall. Address: 90A Nizami Street. Azerbaijani and American alumni of U.S. universities will represent their alma maters and offer firsthand experiences and insights into studying in the United States. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one discussions, obtain informational materials, and gain valuable advice on navigating the application process and scholarship opportunities. In recent years, the number of Azerbaijanis studying in the U.S. has increased significantly. During the 2022-2023 academic year, 901 Azerbaijani students studied at U.S. higher education institutions, an increase of almost 25% compared to the year before and a 62% increase compared to the previous year. This year, American Universitys Washington College of Law launched a new joint degree program with ADA University, and the number of Azerbaijani students taking the SAT university admissions exam more than doubled. More and more Azerbaijani students are also participating in the Embassys many English language and educational exchange programs, as well requesting free, one-on-one consultations with EducationUSA advisers who advise parents and students on U.S. university admissions and financial aid. For more information and to register for the EducationUSA Alumni Fair, please visit https://forms.gle/VvwaVdjTWmPS3BuV7 or contact [email protected]. The Democratic National Committee announced a virtual nomination June 4 to ensure President Joe Biden qualifies for the Ohio general election ballot. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 28 (UPI) -- A virtual nomination will ensure President Joe Biden will appear on Ohio's Nov. 5 general election ballot, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday. The DNC will hold a virtual roll call vote ahead of its national convention scheduled Aug. 19-22 at the United Center in Chicago to ensure Biden meets Ohio's Aug. 7 deadline for inclusion on the November general election's ballot. President Joe Biden won't qualify for Ohio's Nov. 5general election ballot due Democratic National Committee occurring two weeks after the Ohio ballot deadline. The DNC decided on a June 4 vote to allow a virtual nomination for Biden, which also was done in 2020. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is a Republican and told the Ohio Legislature to hold a special session to adjust the deadline for the ballot-inclusion deadline. The state's Republican lawmakers have a supermajority in the House and Senate and refused to move the deadline unless a campaign finance reform measure banning contributions from foreign donors was part of the package. Many of the Ohio House and Senate GOP members are in districts where voters might punish them at the ballot by helping Biden qualify for the Ohio ballot. RealClear Polling shows GOP presumptive nominee and former President Donald Trump with a 10-point lead over Biden in Ohio and Trump leading Biden by 1.1 points in national polling. Which areas could see severe weather on Wednesday? DENVER (KDVR) Strong storms could sweep across the Eastern Plains on Wednesday, leading to strong wind and large hail in some areas during the afternoon and evening hours. Because of this, a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day has been issued for Wednesday. Pinpoint Weather Alert Day on May 29 Which areas are at risk? The far Eastern Plains are under a slight risk. That area could see gusty and damaging winds and possibly large hail closer to the border of Kansas. Download the FOX31 App: Breaking news alerts & Pinpoint Weather Pinpoint Weather: Severe storm outlook on May 29 Timing and impact Wednesday will start with sunshine in the morning. However, the risk of storms will increase as the day goes on, with the chance of thunderstorms starting in the afternoon hours. The Denver International Airport was placed on a ground stop and delay due to wind shortly after 2 p.m. Storms are expected to initiate by 3-4 p.m. in the central Eastern Plains and push to the border by 6-7 p.m. These will be quick-moving storms, and there could be some heavy rain within some cells. Everything looks to be done or out of the state by sunset with slow-clearing skies overnight. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 deputy gang in the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department left the subject of a pursuit to die inside a pillar at a Lancaster supermarket, a lawsuit claims. Six years ago, former Deputy Aaron Tanner and colleagues were in pursuit of Raymundo Rivera, 35, when he had gotten inside [the pillar at Winco] and gotten down to try and hide from the deputies and then couldnt get out, department officials said at the time. However, Tanners ex-girlfriend is suing him for alleged domestic abuse, and in that lawsuit, she said Tanner later boasted that he and other deputies had chased Rivera and that they knew hed fallen into the pillar, the Los Angeles Times reported. Instead of trying to save him, the suit says, the deputies left him there to die, and made false reports that they lost track of the suspect in the pursuit, the Times added. In the suit, the ex-girlfriend is identified only as Jane Doe because she also alleged the ex-lawman bragged about being a shot-caller, or leader, in a deputy gang known as the Rattlesnakes. Tanner also allegedly told Doe that his fellow Rattlesnakes would take care of her if she detailed his abuse. According to the complaint, Tanner told his ex the group effectively controls the Lancaster Sheriffs Station and that its members allegedly intimidate other deputies, make false arrests and frame people, the Times reports. Until now, the group has so far garnered little scrutiny compared to more notorious deputy groups operating in East L.A. and Compton. This is the latest in a string of allegations regarding deputy gangs, which former Sheriff Alex Villanueva has frequently claimed do not exist. Other Sheriffs Department employees, however, assert that the gangs exist and that they were pressured to join them, a process that often involved getting a specific tattoo related to each group. If they refused to join, former LASD employees faced negative repercussions at work, they allege. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) The accused killer whose status as an undocumented immigrant brought former President Donald Trump to Grand Rapids was ordered to stand trial on Wednesday. Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, is accused of killing Ruby Garcia, a 25-year-old woman identified by police as his girlfriend, along a Grand Rapids highway in March. Brandon Ortiz-Vite in 61st District Court in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. In a way, it was Ortiz-Vite himself who helped convince Grand Rapids District Judge Angela Ross that he should stand trial. I wanna face this: 911 call reveals highway killing suspects confession Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker showed video from inside a state police car after Ortiz-Vite had called 911 from an Allegan County church to turn himself in. Ortiz-Vite was in the passenger seat, his hands cuffed behind his back. Can I say one thing first? Ortiz-Vite said to a state police detective sergeant. Im worried about my safety. I told one of the officers, Im turning myself in because I did a horrible crime, and I know Ill have to face anything. The family, the victims family wants to take justice into their own hands, he continued. Some of Garcias family members were in the courtroom on Wednesday, including her father and sister. They declined to talk after the hearing. Ortiz-Vite is accused of shooting Garcia repeatedly on March 22 in her parked car along US-131 near Leonard Street NW, then leaving behind her body. An undated image of Ruby Garcia. (March 25, 2024) He had been deported in September 2020 to his native Mexico after a drunken driving arrest in Grand Rapids, but returned to the US illegally, immigration officials have said. The slaying led former President Trump to Grand Rapids, where he blamed President Joe Bidens border policy. However, its not known when Ortiz-Vite returned to the U.S. Family of woman found dead on highway angered by Trumps speech On Wednesday, a state police detective sergeant testified that Ortiz-Vite told him he hadnt planned to kill Garcia that day. The detective said Ortiz-Vite had been drinking and using cocaine. Ortiz-Vite told police he was upset because Garcia wanted to break up with him after about a year together. He wants to continue the relationship, Detective Sgt. Aaron Tubergen testified. He wants to sort out the problems. Years before woman found dead on US-131, suspect broke into exs home She was driving him home when she pulled over on US-131 and told him to get out, leading to a fight, the detective testified. Ortiz-Vite refused to leave the car. He commented on his own immigration status and was worried about having contact with law enforcement, Tubergen testified. During that altercation, he remembered that he had his handgun with him, he continued. I believe he said it was instinct that he then reached for the gun and shot her multiple times inside the vehicle. He walked behind the car and opened the drivers door, Tubergen testified. He recalled signs of life, he said. He indicated that her hands were moving. He indicated in similar terms that she was still fighting for her life, and thats when he decided to shoot her one more time, he believed it was in the head. An autopsy showed she was shot four times, including twice in the head. Evidence shows one of those shots to the head was a contact wound. Ortiz-Vite was ordered to stand trial for open murder, felony murder, carjacking and weapons charges. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers and detectives arrested 31-year-old Nicole Howland from Federal Way under investigation of two separate gun-related incidents that occurred on State Route 18 and Interstate 90. The investigation started after a 911 call on Monday, May 13, in which the caller said that a woman driving a black GMC Acadia with Washington license plates pointed a black handgun at them and their niece twice. The incident occurred in the eastbound State Route 18 area between the Tiger Mountain summit and I-90. Troopers contacted the caller and took a statement, including the license plate number of the Acadia. Police showed the caller a photo of the woman registered as the owner of that car, and the caller was able to positively identify that woman as Nicole Howland, the driver and sole occupant of the car. Detectives then cross-referenced the license plate in the WSP database and discovered the same car was involved in a weapon brandishing case on June 30, 2023. The victim in this case was traveling on eastbound I-90 exiting to State Route 18 just after 5 p.m., and did call 911 to report the incident but did not request any contact by troopers. Once detectives contacted this victim, they were able to provide a statement and positively identify Howland out of a photo montage. The victim reported that Howland cut them off while taking the exit to SR 18. The victim rolled down her window to talk to Howland, and Howland racked a round into the chamber while pointing the gun at them. According to detectives, they were able to determine a place of employment for Howland and a routine travel time and location. On Wednesday, May 22, surveillance was set up in the routine area at the usual travel time, with marked units assisting in making a traffic stop and arrest if Howland was located. Just before 7:30 a.m., Howlands car was found traveling westbound on I-90 from SR 18, and a traffic stop was initiated on westbound I-90. Howland was taken into custody without incident just west of Preston, and subsequently booked into the King County Jail on two counts of assault in the second degree and felony harassment. Detectives received a search warrant for the Acadia, and the handgun was found and placed into evidence The Diocese of Greensburg has opened an investigation into its Norwin parishes following the arrest of a parish cemetery employee and wants Westmoreland County detectives to investigate too. According to a news release from the Diocese, its investigation into possible culpable negligence for actions or omissions resulting in harm or scandal began after Shon Harrity, 47, of North Huntingdon was arrested on May 8. Online court records show he was arrested on several felony charges, including statutory sexual assault of a minor and aggravated indecent assault of a minor. The Diocese claims these charges come from incidents in 2022. The Diocese says Harrity was an employee at the cemetery of Immaculate Conception Parish, Irwin, since 2023 and before that, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, North Huntingdon, since 2012. After the arrest, Diocese officials say they discovered Harritys criminal history that dates back to the early 2000s and includes guilty pleas for incident exposure and open lewdness, among other charges. A file on Harrity produced by a Safe Environment Coordinator at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish included an FBI Fingerprint Check that clearly disqualified him from employment, the Diocese said. That file was sent electronically when he transferred to the Immaculate Conception Parish Cemetery in 2023, but was never flagged. An audit reportedly found that several required clearance documents were missing from that file. The Diocese also says Father John Moineau previously attested to the validity of all clearances in his parishes and claimed to have personally reviewed them. The Diocese wants Westmoreland County detectives to investigate because of concerns of a potential conspiracy to conceal the criminal background of Harrity, failing to report an employee that could put others at risk and falsely attesting to his clearances. Father John Moineau has resigned as pastor and is going on medical leave. The resignation is effective immediately, the medical leave begins June 17. The Diocese says three other parish employees are being placed on administration leave pending the outcome of their investigation. A full statement from Bishop Kulick reads: First I want to say, my prayers are with the victim and those impacted by the heinous acts alleged to have taken place. I am outraged that he was permitted to be employed at our parishes. And I am beyond disappointed that our tireless efforts to raise the bar on safe environment training, required clearances and transparency were blatantly disregarded. This is exactly why we assign a safe environment coordinator in every parish and every school and every administrative office in the Diocese of Greensburg. These were serious and unacceptable administrative failures which call into question the higher standards we have worked so hard to implement. As pastor, the responsibilities fall to Father Moineau, which he has acknowledged. He is deeply remorseful. I realize Father Moineau has been a fixture in his parish communities for many, many years. Hes presided over many marriages, baptized many children, served as a spiritual advisor and friend. He is very much loved by all, especially through his illness. As a brother priest, I love him, too. But this serious situation cannot be ignored even though the consequences are difficult for us all. Fr. John Moineau has resigned as pastor for the good of the parishes, the Diocese and the Church, and at the same time he will go on medical leave to focus on his health. The resignation is effective immediately. The medical leave begins June 17th. Three parish employees will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. I am sure many will criticize me for this decision. I may live the rest of my life as the Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg who asked one of our most popular and beloved priests to resign. But I have a responsibility to the people of this Diocese. I will not hide our mistakes. And I will root out any and all potential risks to the safety of children. I ask you not to look at this decision as simply being punitive against Father John and parish staff members, but to remember the potential danger that this former employee posed. The former employee had a criminal record. A record that should have automatically disqualified him from employment around children. And now he will be tried in Westmoreland County Court for eight felonies, including the sexual assault of a child. Someday, in front of our maker, like each of us, I will be judged by the actions I take on this earth. I have no doubt this is the right decision. Now, I plan to implement additional safeguards ensuring a safe environment. First, all priests and administrators have been ordered to personally review each employee and volunteer file in their parishes within a week. This is something they are supposed to do annually, but I am ordering a complete additional review in the next seven days. Any discrepancies should immediately be reported to the Diocesan Human Resources Department. Secondly, our Human Resources Office will conduct its own, separate audit of clearances in all 78 parishes and 12 Catholic Schools this summer. Thirdly, I am adding mandatory sessions for safe environment training for all clergy and all employees. Pastors and Safe Environment Coordinators will receive a personal message from me: after these trainings, I will assure them, they will be held accountable for any administrative errors. And finally, I realize state law requires updated clearances every five years. I wont wait that long. From this point forward, any employee or volunteer who is transferring positions between offices, parishes or schools will be required to renew their clearances and trainings, even if the documents are current. I ask you to pray for everyone involved. And I will keep you in my prayers. I promise to continue to be transparent about the situation moving forward and be present in the transition of pastors. In fact, on June 1, I will announce that a respected, seasoned and loved priest will assume pastoral duties for these two parishes. I want to finish by saying this: we have so many wonderful things happening in our parishes and schools, and in our Diocesan offices. I will not let this one incident define us. But I will do everything I can to make sure it never happens again. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Burger King to offer $5 meal before McDonalds does $34M project to replace old water mains in Pittsburgh will shut down busy road for more than a year We need him to come back: Pittsburgh police, community looking for missing 24-year-old VIDEO:He worked harder than anybody: Youth baseball coach remembers teen killed while riding bike home DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts Scott C. DuPont in a court file photo before he was removed from the bench A court ruled Wednesday that former circuit judge Scott DuPont, who was removed from the bench by the state Supreme Court, is ineligible to run again. DuPont, who lives in Palm Coast, had filed to run against Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy. The Florida Supreme Court removed DuPont in 2018, stating he was unfit to serve on the bench and citing egregious campaign violations as well as judicial canon violations. While the order removed him as a judge, it did not bar him from running again. Leon County Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh granted a motion by Preddy's attorneys who argued that DuPont was not eligible to run for circuit judge. Preddy's attorneys argued that DuPont had not been a member of the Florida Bar for the previous five years a requirement to run for circuit judge. The attorneys argued that's because DuPont was suspended by the Florida Bar after his removal from the bench. Preddy's attorneys cited previous court rulings that an attorney is not considered a member of the bar while he or she is suspended. Preddy is represented by attorneys, Daniel Nordby of Shutts & Bowen and Barry Richard, all in Tallahassee. Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy The court also ordered that supervisors of elections in the 7th Circuit, which covers Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties, remove DuPont's name from any ballots for the August primary election. DuPonts attorney, Anthony Sabatini, said DuPont will appeal the judges decision to the states 1st District Court of Appeal. Attorneys argue about DuPont's eligibility Sabatini argued in a motion filed before the hearing that a fair reading of the eligibility phrase in the Florida Constitution states a person must have been a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding five years and supports DuPonts eligibility. Under a fair reading of this clause, 'member' clearly means someone who belongs to the Florida Bar, whether they can practice at the time or not, Sabatini wrote. Sabatini argued that the common definition of member is a person belonging to a particular group and he used as an example a member of a sports team who is suspended from playing but is still a team member. Preddys lawyers responded that DuPont is constitutionally ineligible to serve as a circuit judge as a matter of law. Preddys lawyers also argued that the Supreme Court has reached a decision that being a member of the Florida Bar should be reasonably understood to refer to an attorney with the privilege to practice law. DuPonts attorney is not claiming there is something extraordinary about the DuPont case warranting departure from the Supreme Courts interpretation of judicial eligibility, Preddys attorneys argued. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Former judge Scott DuPont booted from circuit court race Rep. Chenevert is wearing a red blazer as she speaks into the microphone. Rep. Emily Chenevert presented her bill to the Senate Education Committee on May 15, 2024. (Allison Allsop) The Louisiana Senate gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that would require K-12 schools, colleges and universities to submit reports on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. House Bill 904, by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, requires school-level reports on all DEI personnel, programs and spending at all Louisiana schools. Her bill is similar to a resolution filed last year that was defeated after higher education leaders fought back against it, calling the measure unnecessary. Cheneverts bill passed on a 27-10 vote. Attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion are often premised on the idea that such programs bloat college budgets and increase student debt, in addition to conflicting with conservative viewpoints. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requested a similar report in 2022. A review of this report by the Chronicle of Higher Education found no institution devoted more than 1% of its budget on DEI undertakings, with some spending as little as $9,000. Louisiana schools fall far below Florida in spending in practically every area. Chenevert said the bill is not an attack on diversity, equity or inclusion but just a bid to find out more information. I believe in diversity. I think it does help, Chenevert said when the bill passed the House. So my question to each of you is there anything that is causing a division among our students? State School Superintendent Cade Brumley has said there is no place for DEI in K-12 schools. Her bill specifically seeks reporting on any program, activity, initiative, event, instruction, action, or policy that classifies or references individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, culture, gender identity, or sexual orientation or promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification. University campuses across the nation have become battlefields for high-profile political culture wars as legislators have put DEI in their crosshairs. Since 2023, at least 85 bills aimed at curbing DEI-related campus policy have been filed in state legislatures, according to the Chronicle of Higher Educations DEI legislation tracker. DEI programs on college campuses seek to aid disadvantaged students, including racial, ethnic and religious minorities, disabled students, veterans and other nontraditional enrollees. Cheneverts bill is not necessary to generate DEI spending reports. Lawmakers often submit requests for information to universities, which they can then make public. The proposal now goes to the governor for action. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Diversity spending info from K-12 schools, higher ed sought by Louisiana lawmakers appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Maurice Lacroix, a name synonymous with urban-themed watches, has just opened a new boutique in the fast-paced metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, one of the most exciting cities on the planet. The Maurice Lacroix boutique has been created in collaboration with Watatime, Malaysias leading authorised retailer of luxury watches. Upholding the brands distinctive cool and young style of expression, this latest boutique is the third mono-brand ML store. Visitors to the boutique can view the companys full product portfolio and learn more about the brand from the Franches Montagnes, its philosophy and its unique expressions of Swiss watchmaking. The opening of the new Kuala Lumpur boutique represents the latest chapter in the luxury marques global expansion strategy. Maurice Lacroix boutique in Kuala Lumpur AllIs Amazing When Maurice Lacroix released the inaugural AIKON collection in 2016, it never envisaged that the urban-themed watch would go on to become a box-office sensation. The spiritual successor to the hugely popular Calypso model of the 90s, the AIKON tapped into the widespread affection for sporty-elegant timepieces. Youthful and stylish, the AIKON, with its refined dial and sumptuous case finishing, delivered high perceived value, an attribute that resonated with millennials and subsequently Gen Zers. Over the years, the popularity of the AIKON has grown exponentially, leading to the brand releasing new variants in an array of sizes, colours and materials along with some incorporating complications. Maurice Lacroix boutique in Kuala Lumpur AllIs Amazing Despite the AIKONs meteoric rise, Maurice Lacroix is not a one-hit wonder and continues to enjoy much success with its ELIROS, FIABA, MASTERPIECE and PONTOS models. Keen to build on its achievements, Maurice Lacroix is planning to open further mono-brand boutiques in prominent cities around the globe. These retail destinations will allow clients to view all of the brands collection, set against an exciting urban-themed backdrop dressed in neon, metal and concrete. Highly trained staff will be on hand to provide specialist advice to clients and convey Maurice Lacroixs unique approach to delivering Swiss quality and high perceived value. Maurice Lacroix boutique in Kuala Lumpur AllIs Amazing Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, has a population of 1.8 million people and is also a beacon for tourists attracted to the many sights and experiences on offer. Maurice Lacroix, recognising the citys huge potential, has opened a new boutique in The Exchange TRX in collaboration with Watatime, Malaysias leading authorised retailer of luxury watches. The interior of the boutique is inspired by various architectural structures found within the worlds leading cities. Maurice Lacroix boutique in Kuala Lumpur AllIs Amazing Protesters gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, while justices hear oral arguments about whether federal law protects emergency abortion care. (Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Doctors from throughout the country posted a public letter this week, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure health care professionals can perform abortions in every state when that procedure is essential stabilizing treatment under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. Thousands of doctors, organized by the advocacy group The Committee to Protect Health Care, signed the letter that calls on the justices to decide in favor of the Biden administrations interpretation that the law protects doctors who provide abortions in emergency circumstances. We know firsthand how complications from pregnancy can lead very quickly to a medical crisis, requiring immediate care and treatment, the letter states. These patients complications can range from a miscarriage to heavy bleeding, from placental abruption to a stroke from severe preeclampsia and doctors and health professionals in emergency departments must be allowed to use the full range of medical options to save these patients lives, including abortion, the doctors wrote. The Committee to Protect Health Care writes on its website that through earned and paid media, grassroots advocacy campaigns, and other tools, we help pass policies that expand health care and abortion access, elect health care champions, and hold anti-health care politicians accountable. A letter is not the official way for experts or interested parties to weigh in with the justices when they are considering a case. Typically, individuals or organizations file an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief before oral arguments. The publication of the letter, however, comes a full month after that took place in this case and likely after the majority has begun writing the ruling. The Committee to Protect Health Care confirmed Friday the group didnt file an amicus brief. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, Idaho v. United States, on April 24. The justices are expected to release their ruling before the Fourth of July break. Biden administration interpretation The case centers around whether a federal law, known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act or EMTALA, protects doctors and other healthcare professionals who provide abortions as stabilizing treatment during a medical emergency, even when those doctors actions might go against state bans or restrictions. The case in front of the Supreme Court, in part, stems from the Biden administrations interpretation of the 1986 law. That law requires emergency departments to either provide stabilizing care or transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition, regardless of their insurance status. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced in July 2022 that under EMTALA no matter where you live, women have the right to emergency care including abortion care. Today, in no uncertain terms, we are reinforcing that we expect providers to continue offering these services, and that federal law preempts state abortion bans when needed for emergency care, Becerra wrote in a statement. Protecting both patients and providers is a top priority, particularly in this moment. The announcement came shortly after the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide, constitutional right to an abortion that was established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision. The post Doctors urge U.S. Supreme Court to include abortion as stabilizing care under federal law appeared first on Michigan Advance. It seems like everything orbits something in space. Moons orbit planets. Planets orbit stars. Stars orbit the centers of galaxies. But beyond that, things get a little harder to visualize. Do galaxies and, specifically, the Milky Way orbit anything? To answer that, we first need to know how orbits work. Consider two objects orbiting each other. Those two bodies exert a gravitational pull on each other, keeping them bound together. The objects orbit their common center of mass if you could shrink the system, the center of mass would be the point where you could balance it on your finger. But in the case of the solar system , or Earth and the moon, one of the objects is much larger than the other. The center of mass ends up lying inside the larger body, so the larger object doesn't move much and the smaller object moves on a roughly circular path around the bigger one. At larger scales, things get a little more complicated. Our galaxy is part of a collection of galaxies called the Local Group , which includes the Milky Way; the Andromeda galaxy; a smaller spiral galaxy called Triangulum; and several dwarf galaxies, including the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The Milky Way and Andromeda are the two largest objects in the Local Group. Because their masses are comparable, the center of mass lies between the two galaxies, said Sangmo Tony Sohn , an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland. There's nothing significantly larger than either galaxy nearby, so the two end up orbiting each other. Related: Scientists find galaxy supercluster as massive as 26 quadrillion suns But the Milky Way's orbit isn't circular or elliptical like the orbits of planets around the sun. "It's going to be weird to say if the Milky Way is orbiting around something, because that kind of implies that there's a bigger object," Sohn told Live Science. "But that's not the concept here." Instead, both the Milky Way and Andromeda are on mostly radial orbits. "Imagine the gravity of two things pulling on each other, and they're not moving in any way other than the gravitational pull. They will just move directly on the line towards each other. That's a purely radial orbit," said Chris Mihos , an astronomer at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. The Milky Way's orbit isn't perfectly radial because there's a bit of sideways motion between the two galaxies, Mihos told Live Science. The Milky Way and some trees in the mountains of San Diego County Their mostly radial orbits toward each other mean that the Milky Way and Andromeda will eventually collide , some 4.5 billion years from now. Individual stars likely won't crash into each other because of the huge distances between them, so the galaxies will pass through each other and separate again but not for long. "The galaxies [will] then turn around and come back together. And, over the course of hundreds of millions or billions of years, they'll actually merge together into one big galaxy," Mihos said. RELATED MYSTERIES Hubble Space Telescope's view of a galactic collision gets turned into beautiful song Galactic archeology reveals Milky Way's neighbor Andromeda has a violent past Astronomers weigh ancient galaxies dark matter haloes for 1st time The gravitational interactions will likely jostle the stars in both galaxies enough to make the combined galaxy an elliptical galaxy rather than a spiral one like the Milky Way and Andromeda. The merger could also heat the gas along each galaxy's spiral arms enough to form new stars, Sohn said. Orbits on scales larger than galaxy groups are even less defined, but "we certainly know the Local Group is moving," Mihos said. The Local Group is being pulled toward the Virgo Cluster , which contains several hundred galaxies and lies about 65 million light-years away. But the Local Group will never make it there, Mihos said, because the expansion of the universe is pulling the Milky Way away faster than the gravitational pull of the Virgo Cluster is drawing it in. A court clerk once accused of tampering with the South Carolina jury that convicted Alex Murdaugh is now facing over six dozen ethics violations after allegedly misusing her elected position to promote her book on the trial and financial gain. The South Carolina Ethics Commission confirmed Wednesday it found probable cause for 76 counts of misconduct against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, which will be discussed at a formal December hearing. The counts allege she used her post to enrich herself and a company she was associated with, and disclose confidential information for personal benefit. The allegationswhich were made in at least two formal complaints last year and the formal hearing notices obtained by The Daily Beastaccuse Hill of a host of misdeeds including allowing guided tours of the courthouse for donations, authorizing photos in the holding cell that Murdaugh occupied during the trial, filming a promotional segment for her book inside her office, and reimbursing herself for presents she bought court employees. One notice of hearing alleges Hill directed thousands to her directly to reimburse for candy, tea, and lemonade for Loris 50th birthday. Another time, she allegedly paid herself back for brunch snacks for her court staffand a third time for Fathers Day for guys employee gifts. Other public money allegedly went to pay her back for dog food, dog bones, and a dog bed. Judge Compares Alex Murdaugh to Madoff, Slams Him With 40 Years During the Murdaugh trial, Hill used her political position and authority to obtain confidential information and digital images of the defendant and others during the trial, one citizens June 2023 ethics complaint alleges. At the conclusion of the trial, Hill was interviewed by members of Netflix and was responsible for releasing unredacted body camera footage. The ethics case is the latest legal escalation against Hill, who resigned in March amid her first term. The resignation came five months after Murdaughs lawyers first accused her of influencing the 12-person jury that convicted Murdaugh in February 2021. He is now facing a life sentence for the murder of his son and wife. The accusations made in a defense team bid for a new trial spurred two separate state probesand the sale of her book about the trial, Behind Doors of Justice, was halted after she admitted she plagiarized. It also spurred a January evidentiary hearing, where former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal denied the bid for a new trial but admonished Hill for being lured by the siren call of celebrity. She wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that as early as November 2022, long before the trial began, Toal said in the January hearing. The notice of hearings and the ethics complaints, however, paint a more jarring and widespread picture of Hills tenure during the Murdaugh trial. The June 2023 complaint from a citizen also details how Hill used her authority, the courthouse, and taxpayer money unethically when the trial began in January 2023. Through interviews with various media sources, Hill admits she planned to write a book as soon as she discovered Murdaugh would be adjudicated in Colleton County, the complaint alleges. Hill also used her position to make contacts prior to trial that could assist her in this endeavor. These admissions can be discovered in local news sources and social media posts. The complaint also accuses Hill of using her position to promote her book to local outlets and allow at least one citizen to have unimpeded access to the courthouse. It is also known a male tourist wrote a check to Colleton County in the amount of $100.00 as a donation for a tour. Hill later ordered a staff member to alter the check by striking through Colleton County and adding her name to the check, it alleges. Hill then deposited the check into her personal bank account. The denotations are unaccounted for as there are no receipts being issued and it is unknown what financial institution and account the donations are being held in. A month later, another citizen filed an ethics complaint against Hill. The July citizen complaint alleges that Hill may have accepted gifts from media outlets, that the press held a party in her honor during the trial, and that she attended another reporter gathering where her daughter sang and entertained them. Hills lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The South Carolina Attorney Generals Office declined to comment. 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. About a dozen dogs and puppies have been rescued from possible dog fighting activities following a search warrant being executed Tuesday by Columbus Police. The search warrant was executed at a residence in the 500 block of Chesterfield Avenue after a tip about several dogs being chained outside without proper shelter or access to water, according to police. CPD said members of its Special Operations Unit walked through the backyard and observed several dogs that appeared underweight, lacked access to food and water and showed signs of injury. Columbus Police said they served a search warrant on May 28 in the 500 block of Chesterfield Avenue after a tip about several dogs being chained outside without proper shelter or access to water. The release later said, Equipment on the property suggested potential involvement in dog fighting activities. The release said officers were informed about additional dogs inside the home which led them to obtain a search warrant that led to the discovery of the following: Red Kia K5 sedan (reported stolen from Atlanta) Draco 9mm firearm Numerous credit cards and I.D. cards not belonging to the suspect 1,018.3 grams of marijuana 7.7 grams of methamphetamine 2 grams of spice Police said Animal Control rescued a total of seven adult dogs and 10 puppies from the property and they are being assessed and treated by a veterinarian. Columbus Police said they served a search warrant on May 28 in the 500 block of Chesterfield Avenue after a tip about several dogs being chained outside without proper shelter or access to water. Police said Akahime Jordan, 32, was arrested and charged with the following: 17 counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty Financial Transaction Card Theft Identification Fraud Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute Possession of Spice Theft by Receiving Stolen Vehicle Possession of Drug-Related Objects FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A man, who was a former general manager for a public water district in Fresno and Merced Counties pleaded guilty on Tuesday of one count of conspiring to take federally owned water and filing a false tax return, the Department of Justice announced. Officials say 78-year-old Dennis Falashci of Aptos was the general manager for a public water district in Fresno and Merced Counties from 1992 through approximately April 2015. According to court documents, he sold water to farmers with over 38,000 acres of farmlands. In 2022, officials said that Falaschi was made aware in 1992 of an abandoned drain turnout on the Delta-Mendota Canal that leaked water from that canal into a parallel canal. Falaschi was the general manager of the water district that operated the parallel canal. The leak was traced back to a gate and valve that had been cemented closed years earlier but the cement had since started to crack. DOJ: $25M of federal water stolen through secret gate in Delta-Mendota Canal After he had been made aware of the crack causing the leak, federal prosecutors say Falaschi instructed an employee to install a new gate so the site could be opened and closed on demand and place a lid with a lock on top of it to hide it. Officials say this allowed for water to be taken from the canal on demand. According to officials, from 2011 through 2016 Falaschi entered into private water sales where he received payments. The water sold was legitimately sourced from outside the public water districts and was not federally owned water. In March 2016 Falaschi signed and filed an individual income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service where he did not report the income that he received from the private water sales. Officials say Falaschi is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 16, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Falaschi faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy to commit water theft and three years in prison, as well as a $100,000 fine for the tax charge. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A Danish man who traveled to Fresno intending to exploit a child has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars, according to the federal Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors say 59-year-old Claus Svelmo Marcuslund of the city of Odense in Denmark flew from the countrys capital in Copenhagen to Los Angeles, then onto Fresno, after speaking to who he thought was a mother who had a 7-year-old daughter. Upon arrival in Fresno on July 11, 2023, Marcuslund was arrested. According to court documents, Marcuslund contacted an undercover agent in January 2023 who had created the mothers profile. In his own words, he described himself as a Scandinavian, professional music producer/songwriter and lyricist and yeah, Im also a pedophile. The court documents stated that Marcuslunds messages revealed he was looking for a nice woman/mom to get to know better and that she must be 100% supportive of pedophilia and incest. Prosecutors add that Marcuslund also graphically detailed the sexual acts that he hoped to engage with the mother and child and sent between 300 and 600 images of child sexual abuse. Following his arrival in Fresno on July 11, 2023, Marcuslund pleaded guilty to the distribution of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on Feb. 20, 2024. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 14 years in prison, followed by 15 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 YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. Dominican Republic national accused of stabbing ex to death dragged out of NYC court as its revealed he was deported in 2002 A Dominic Republican national accused of fatally knifing his ex-girlfriend was dragged out of a Manhattan court Tuesday as prosecutors revealed gory new details of the case and said the suspect was previously deported in 2002. Candido Rodriguez, 51, had to be restrained after claiming he was innocent in the murder of victim Melanie Woods, his 33-year-old on-again, off-again lover who prosecutors said he viciously stabbed to death before ditching her body in the bathtub of her East Harlem home last month. I promise I didnt do anything to her, he yelled through tears at nine family members of Woods who were sitting in the courtroom. Victim Melanie Woods dumped Candido Rodriguez, 51, a few weeks before the 33-year-old woman was killed and her body was subsequently found in her bathtub inside her East Harlem home. GoFundMe I loved her, I didnt do anything to her. As the allegations against Rodriguez were read, he also yelled out in Spanish thats a lie, thats a lie. Rodriguez, who has a criminal history, allegedly stabbed the 33-year-old Columbia University grad in her torso and neck 19 times so ferociously that her stomach suffered 6-inch deep wounds, Assistant District Attorney Marcella Lupski said. Rodriguez and Woods, who worked for the citys Health and Hospitals, had dated since about early 2023 before the breakup, she said. She dumped him two weeks before he killed her, prosecutors said. The morning of the murder, Rodriguez went to Woods apartment while she was walking her dog shortly after 7 a.m. When she returned, neighbors in the building heard crashes and screams for at least 30 minutes, Lupski said. I promise I didnt do anything to her, he yelled through tears at nine family members of Woods who were sitting in the courtroom. Obtained by the NY Post Then neighbors heard someone walk down the stairs and leave the building, she said. Woods was found dead 10 hours after a concerned friend asked cops to check on her, according to officials. But an agitated Rodriguez claimed in court during his arraignment he was innocent as he pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge. Rodriguez, who was red in the face, became so disruptive he had to be forcefully picked up by several court officers and taken away in the middle of arraignment as he dropped his body to the floor. Mr. Rodriguez became highly, highly agitated, violent, disruptive and would not permit the prosecutor to continue speaking. He was screaming over and over again in Spanish words which I was told I didnt do it or Im not guilty,' said Judge Ann Scherzer. The alleged killer previously faced a federal conspiracy to distribute narcotics case between 1999 and 2002 and was removed from the US in 2002, Lupski said. Rodriguez, who has a criminal history, allegedly stabbed the 33-year-old Columbia University grad in her torso and neck 19 times so ferociously that her stomach suffered 6-inch deep wounds, Assistant District Attorney Marcella Lupski said. Facebook She said Rodriguez has used multiple aliases in different encounters with authorities in the past. His defense lawyer, Jessica Horani, said she plans on requesting a mental fitness exam for her client. I observed him getting very overwrought and emotional. I dont believe that he has full control of his faculties at this time, Horani said. And this has been something that I have noticed since first meeting him at criminal court arraignment and what appears to be a significant decompensation. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he sent his deepest condolences to the victims family and friends as they continue to mourn her loss in a statement. Ms. Woodss life was tragically cut short, and my Office will work to secure justice for her, he said. If you or someone you know is being abused by a current or former partner, we urge you to call our helpline at 212-335-4308 where trained professionals can provide resources to help. Rodriguezs next court date is July 16. Donald Trump says he would bomb Moscow and Beijing WP Former US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with his campaign donors, has said that he would have bombed Moscow and Beijing, writes The Washington Post. Source: European Pravda with reference to The Washington Post Details: The publication writes that Trump often talks about foreign policy at fundraising events. At one of these events, it is claimed Trump suggested that he would have bombed Moscow and Beijing had Russia had invaded Ukraine or China had occupied Taiwan under his presidency. WP notes that the former US president surprised some donors with these words. For reference: At the time of Trump's first presidential term, Russia had already occupied Crimea and part of Donbas. Background: There have been recent media reports saying if Trump wins the election in November 2024, he can request that NATO members spend not 2% but 3% of GDP on defence. It is worth noting that in February, Trump, at a pre-election event, told how he had threatened his allies to "encourage Russia" to attack them to force them to increase their contributions to NATO's collective security. His controversial statement was met with a negative reaction among the allies in the Alliance. Support UP or become our patron! The closing arguments for Donald Trumps hush-money trial have ended and a jury now decides Trumps fate in a Manhattan courtroom. But in many ways, it is truth itself that is on trial. For the past several weeks, jurors have heard arguments regarding Trumps alleged attempt to disinform Americans and sway the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records and concealing hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Depending on your view of Trump, the trial is either a much-awaited moment of accountability or a politically motivated case of prosecutorial overreach. But the case represents something more than the guilt or innocence of the former presidentit is a referendum on whether facts and law still matter. Depending on which view one has of the case, the verdict likely will be seen as a commitment to the rule of law or a miscarriage of justice. First comes the finding of facts. In our post-truth era, a jurys quest for the facts may seem like a quaint notion. Yet every day in courtrooms across America, citizens selected at random gather to discern facts from evidence and render verdicts. Their verdicts to hold people accountable for committing crimes is what upholds the rule of law. Read More: 5 Things We Learned From the Trump Trial In Trumps case, the jury will soon deliberate on whether Trump falsified business records regarding the payment of $130,000 to Daniels, and did so with intent to conceal violations of campaign and tax laws. According to the testimony of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, the October 2016 release of a recording of Trump making disparaging comments about groping women on an open mic for the Access Hollywood television show made it imperative to prevent another disclosure about sexual impropriety before the election. Unless Trump blocked Americans from learning about his alleged act of adultery, Cohen testified, Trump believed his campaign would suffer a total disaster. In addition, David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, testified at trial that in August 2016, shortly after Trump became the GOP nominee for president, he paid $150,000 to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal regarding a extra-marital relationship with Trump. Some critics of the case argue that there is nothing illegal about paying hush money, and that charges would not have been filed at all if the defendants name were anything other than Donald Trump. Testimony during the trial has disclosed that other famous men entered agreements with AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, to kill stories alleging extra-marital affairs. But that criticism misses the point. It is not the payment of hush money alone that is the crime. It is the cover-up by someone who is a candidate for president. Running for public office brings with it the responsibility of filing accurate campaign finance reports. The indictment charges that when Trump allegedly caused 34 checks, invoices, and ledger entries to be falsely characterized as legal expenses, he intended to conceal violations of state and federal campaign finance laws as well as tax laws. New York law makes it a crime to conspire to promote or prevent the election of a candidate by illegal means. Federal law prohibits corporate contributions, like the one made by AMI, and limits the amount of individual contributions to $2,700, far below the $130,000 allegedly made by Cohen. When Trump reimbursed Cohen, he allegedly falsely characterized the payments as income, resulting in the tax charge. In addition to violating the law, the alleged scheme, if true, also betrays the trust of the American people. Voters have a right to know the facts about a candidate when casting their ballots. If candidates can covertly manipulate public perception to serve their own interests, they undermine the publics ability to make decisions based on facts. The jurors will decide whether the prosecution has met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and return a verdict. The prosecutions case is far from perfect. Daniels and Cohen both admitted to making prior inconsistent statements. Cohen, who went to prison for perjury, even admitted to stealing money from the former president. Even if convicted, as a first-time offender, Trump is unlikely to face a prison term of any significance or be removed from the ballot as the presumptive GOP nominee for president. But the verdict will likely elicit strong opinions, even from people who did not listen to all of the evidence or review all of the exhibits, as the jury did. Read More: What Happens if Trump Is Convicted? Your Questions, Answered This is where the rule of law will be tested. As a former prosecutor, I was trained to argue cases in court zealously, but to accept a jurys verdict with respect, even when it was not the decision I had sought. I learned to acknowledge that reasonable minds can disagree, and that it is more important to uphold public confidence in our legal system than to obtain a conviction in any particular case. To support our legal system means that we focus on a fair process, and tolerate decisions with which we disagree. Otherwise, our criminal justice system would fall apart. But throughout this trial, Trump and his supporters have groomed the public to distrust the fairness of the trial. Trump has called the case a sham and a Biden show trial, even though the case was brought by a state court prosecutor outside the presidents federal chain of command. Trump has called Justice Juan Merchan corrupt and highly conflicted. Trump even falsely claimed that the gag order entered to prevent either party from making comments outside of court about witnesses, court staff and jurors prevents him from testifying, a misunderstanding Justice Merchan corrected on the record, but a narrative that Trump can use to explain away a decision not to testify. On May 14, a group of Republican members of Congress attended the trial, dressed in identical navy blue suits with white shirts and red ties. Outside the courthouse, they addressed the media, and House Speaker Mike Johnson disparaged all of the pending criminal cases against Trump. These are politically motivated trials, and they are a disgrace, he said. It is election interference. Their unity and uniforms signaled an allegiance to one man over the rule of law. Their stunt was the latest chapter in Trumps playbook to disparage institutions that might stand in his way. By undermining public confidence in potential critics, Trump can downplay their inevitable criticism as illegitimate. Blunting potential critics is the reason he refers to the media as the enemy of the people and career civil servants as the deep state. And now, according to Trump, any case filed to hold him accountable for alleged criminal conduct is simply election interference. Not only do these claims provide pretextual defenses for Trump, they also tend to reduce public confidence in the institutions of democracy. The jurys decision in this case will end this trial. But public opinion will render the verdict on truth and the future of our faith in the justice system. Contact us at letters@time.com. New gem-set models bring an additional touch of elegance to one of Breguets leading lines Breguets Marine Collection celebrates an important moment in its history when in 1815, its founder Abraham-Louis Breguet was appointed Chronometer maker to the French Royal Navy by the King of France, Louis XVIII. In this role, he developed timekeepers for ships that were essential for the crew to be able to calculate their exact positions even with the pitching and rolling of the waves. Timekeeping was vital to the advancement of navigation and A-L Breguet was at the centre of research, development, and production. Not wanting to forget this important milestone, Breguets modern-day Marine Collection takes its inspiration from this patrimony and the world of the sea with a vast range of models featuring a selection of different complications. Marine Chronograph 5529 Breguet Marine 9518 Continuing to enhance the collection, Breguet is unveiling two new Marine models under the reference 9518. The first is adorned with a blue sunburst dial, recalling the colour of deep ocean water, while the second has a silver-toned dial inspired by the colour of sea foam as it breaks on the shore. Both are adorned with eight diamond hour markers on the dial (the numbers three, nine, and 12 are applied) and 50 brilliant-cut diamonds around the bezel. Like with other models in the Marine Collection, several Breguet design codes make these timepieces stand out at sea. The first is the fluted caseband which not only adds an elegant touch, but helps with grip so the timepiece is less likely to slip out of the hands when being handled. A keen eye will also notice the facetted gold hour and minute hands that have an open tip and are enhanced with luminescence. The second hand is also interesting as it features the navigational code B for Bravo (and Breguet, of course). This maritime flag indicates that a vessel is either taking on, discharging, or carrying dangerous cargo. Marine 9518 Breguet The timepieces are equipped with the Calibre 591A, a self-winding movement with a 38-hour power reserve. The 3.4 mm thick movement comes with a flat balance spring and an in-line Swiss lever silicon escapement. This silicon escapement has the benefit of providing enhanced resistance to corrosion, wear-and-tear, and magnetic fields, all while improving accuracy. The movement also comes with a gold oscillating weight adorned with a guilloche snailed sunburst motif that can be viewed through a sapphire crystal caseback. The 33.8 mm stainless steel timepieces feature both polished and stain-finished surfaces and come fitted with an extremely comfortable matching stainless steel bracelet with a three-blade folding clasp. Marine 9518 Breguet Marine Chronograph 5529 The second reference to receive a touch of sparkle is the Breguet Marine Chronograph Reference 5529. Available in a choice of white or rose gold, these models are now available with eight baguette-cut diamonds dotted around the chapter ring and a further 90 baguettes around the bezel, offering a more subdued, although no less spectacular, dose of sparkle. These references also pick up on a number of Breguets signature design codes, including a deep blue dial embellished with wave motifs that have been crafted using the hand-guilloche technique. They also come with a choice of a midnight-blue leather or rubber strap and the triple-blade folding clasp features a gold cap that is reminiscent of a ships wheel and the larger marine world. Palestinians inspect the destruction after an Israeli air strike, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, in the Al-Mawasi area, which was bombed with a number of missiles on the tents of displaced people west of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Palestinian medics on Tuesday said dozens of people have died in fresh Israeli attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, two days after 45 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike which sparked international condemnation. The Israeli military said it was investigating reports of an attack on a shelter for displaced persons in western Rafah. Hamas authorities said the attack featured at least four grenades, with unconfirmed estimates putting the death toll at more than 20. Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Hamas-run health authority in Gaza said a further 18 people were killed overnight in separate Israeli attacks in Rafah. The information could not be independently verified. Eyewitness reports from Rafah on Tuesday suggested the Israeli army has advanced into the city centre. The Israeli news website ynet reported that Israeli tanks were deployed in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, which was hit by the airstrike on Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that troops were still being deployed around Rafah and were endeavouring to prevent harm to innocent bystanders. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said around 1 million people have fled Rafah since Israel launched its latest offensive three weeks ago. The organization said on the social media platform X that the displaced people had "nowhere safe to go amidst bombardments, lack of food and water, piles of waste and unsuitable living conditions," adding: "providing assistance and protection becomes nearly impossible." The latest attacks come in the wake of a ruling last week by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to end the operation in Rafah immediately. Israel has so far refused to obey the ruling. World leaders condemn attacks The situation in Rafah was "appalling," French President Emmanuel Macron said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Meseberg Palace outside Berlin. "The Israeli operations in Rafah must come to an end," Macron insisted. Scholz demanded Israel respect international law in its actions and called the shelling of a refugee camp with many fatalities a "tragic incident." "This case shows once again why Germany, like many other countries, has repeatedly spoken out against a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah - because there can be no adequate protection for civilians there," Scholz asserted. He again called for the release of the hostages still being held by Palestinian militant organization Hamas - but also for sufficient humanitarian aid to reach Gaza by land. The US had no plans to change its Israel policy but was closely watching an Israeli investigation on the Rafah attacks, the White House said. "The Israelis are going to investigate it. We're going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we'll see where it goes from there," National security spokesman John Kirby said. The US did not consider the attacks as a major military or major ground operation at this point, he said. "But again, we're watching it very closely." Algeria to propose UN resolution demanding end to Rafah attacks Algeria will present a draft resolution in the UN Security Council in New York calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday requested by Algeria and supported by Slovenia following the Sunday airstike. Algeria's resolution calls for an immediate end to the military offensive and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to the draft made available to dpa. Hamas is also called upon to release all hostages. Several diplomats told dpa that some council members were aiming for a vote as early as Wednesday. It was speculated that the US could veto a vote. According to the Hamas-run health authority, at least 36,096 people have been killed and more than 81,000 injured since the beginning of the current conflict in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Palestinians inspect their destroyed tents after an Israeli air strike, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, in the Al-Mawasi area, which was bombed with a number of missiles on the tents of displaced people west of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Palestinians inspect their destroyed tents after an Israeli air strike, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, in the Al-Mawasi area, which was bombed with a number of missiles on the tents of displaced people west of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Drive down memory lane turns fatal for Richland daycare worker. Her friend is jailed A 26-year-old woman was drunk when she crashed into a parked excavator at a construction site in Pasco killing a friend, according to newly filed court documents. Taylor Paige Seelye of Pasco appeared Tuesday afternoon in a wheelchair in Franklin County Superior Court with her leg in a cast. Shed been trapped in the wreckage of her car, along with her passenger Nikole Noelle Vargas, 30, of Richland. The force of the early Friday morning collision crushed Seelyes vehicle, exposing the engine and frame, according to the document, though it did not say what type of vehicle she was driving. She told Pasco Officer Joe Wysock that they left Vargas Richland home earlier Thursday night and drove to Kennewick and then to Pasco. She said they took the Sylvester Street exit off of N. (Highway) 395 and headed west ... toward Road 68, Wysock wrote. Taylor added they took this route as a drive down memory lane. The officer noted that Seelye didnt mention driving through the construction zone on West Sylvester Street and was distracted by the conversation she was having. She slammed into the excavator about 12:30 a.m. A 26-year-old woman is accused of being drunk when she crashed into parked construction equipment early Friday morning. Wysock said he saw a pre-mixed cocktail BuzzBallz container about 10 feet away from the crash scene. Vargas was struggling to breathe, and needed to be carefully removed from the wreckage, he said. Paramedics rushed her to Kadlec Regional Medical Center. On the way, she needed to be revived, said the documents. Doctors spent hours trying to save her life, but she died at 7 a.m. Friday, said officials. Vargas was a Kennewick native and worked as a supervisor and child care worker at Kids World Childcare, where she had worked since 2014. Seelye was still conscious when Wysock spoke with her, said court documents. She allegedly admitted to having two drinks about three hours before the crash. On Tuesday, she pleaded innocent to charges of vehicular homicide and DUI. Her bail was initially set at $150,000, but Judge David Petersen raised it to $250,000. Slightly more than two hours after the crash, a breath test showed her blood-alcohol level was 0.167 percent, more than twice Washington states legal limit of 0.08 percent. She was taken to Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco for treatment after the crash and had her blood drawn. Then she was booked into the Franklin County jail. Results of the blood test were not included in the court documents. GoFundMe Kids World Childcare shared a Facebook post about Vargas. Her dedication and passion for our children and families will never be forgotten, the West Richland company said. This will be a difficult time for all as we try and navigate this devastating transition without her. ... Our world will never be the same. Her family and friends are asking for help to cover the cost of her funeral. A GoFundMe fundraiser was organized by Megan Stonestreet, Vargas best friend. She said Vargas was a kind and wonderful person, adored by many. (She) had a profound impact on countless lives. She was be deeply missed by all who knew her, Stonestreet said. People can donate by going to bit.ly/VargasFundraiser. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A driver was cited after they crashed into a restaurant in Pinellas Park on Tuesday, authorities said. A vehicle was at a car wash across the street from Parkside Cafe and rolled backwards when the driver didnt put the car in park, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department. The car accelerated when the driver tried to get it to stop. Courtesy: Viewer submitted Courtesy: Viewer submitted Courtesy: Viewer submitted Courtesy: Pinellas Park Police Department The vehicle crashed into the side of the building, causing major damage, police said. City engineers are working to determine what structural damage there is to the building. The restaurant was closed at the time of the crash. Impairment was not a factor in the crash, but the driver will be cited for careless driving, police 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. SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) Officials have released the identity of the man who was involved in a fatal road rage incident last month. Calvin Zakery Grace, 27, of Springville, Utah, has been identified as the driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal accident, according to Spanish Fork. PREVIOUS STORY: Springville man dies after road rage incident in Spanish Fork According to Spanish Fork officials, police were initially dispatched to the road rage incident shortly after 2:15 a.m. on April 26, 2024. In a press release, officials said the suspect was attempting to ram the victim, but eventually crashed into a tree after trying to evade officers. The complainant who called in the road rage incident told police that the driver of another vehicle pulled up next to him at the traffic light and was staring at him. The caller drove on Highway 6 and onto 2550 East, and told officers that the suspect had begun to follow him. Police said the suspect attempted to ram the victim after continuing to follow him. An officer made an attempt at a traffic stop near 400 East 300 South, after which the suspect reportedly sped away and fled northbound, officials said. The officer lost track of the vehicle, but continued to drive toward the area where the suspect was last seen. The Officer located the suspect vehicle at 500 North 400 East where it had collided into a large tree in the front yard of a residence, Lt. Cory Slaymaker of the Spanish Fork Police Department said in the release. According to the press release, emergency personnel performed life-saving measures but the driver was declared deceased. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) The driver who was charged for hitting and killing a high school student while they were getting on a bus in 2022 in York County pleaded guilty. Marie McGahan, 26, of Red Lion pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of homicide by vehicle, meeting/overtaking a school bus, careless driving resulting in unintentional death, careless driving and failure to comply with license restrictions, online court documents say. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 29. McGahan fatally struck a 16-year-old student from Northeastern School District who was boarding a bus in October. The teen was rushed to the hospital where she later died weeks later. I must have been distracted, McGahan, who reportedly passed all sobriety tests, said to police, according to court documents. She admitted to only getting about three hours of sleep the night before. One stabbed in York County McGahan told police she was likely going too fast; however speed was not a factor, court documents state. A witness who was behind her before the crash said that they could see the school bus and its lights and McGahan did not brake or try to avoid the bus until after driving through the stop. A crash reenactment was conducted in June by police, and it was determined that McGahan would have had enough distance between her vehicle and the bus for her to stop, according to the court docs. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Local Business Beat McGahan is currently out on unsecured 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 ABC27. Duke Energy and other utilities, particularly in the South, are pushing to add new natural gas plants like this Florida facility. (Photo by Glen Richard/iStock Images Getty Images) Over the last few months, hundreds of North Carolinians turned out at statewide public meetings to express concern about whats in Duke Energys current Carbon Plan proposal. Despite the data showing how risky and expensive gas is for customers, Duke Energy isnt budging from its plans for one of the largest gas plant build-outs in the country. The stakes are extremely high, and the huge decisions that will be made in this case will impact every single North Carolinian. In testimony the Environmental Defense Fund filed in North Carolinas Carbon Plan proceeding at the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC), the conclusions are clear: investing as heavily as Duke is proposing in new gas plants is the risky route. Bringing clean energy resources especially offshore wind online more quickly and strategically to meet growing electricity demand in North Carolina is the better path. Duke Energy is proposing to build 10 new gas plants in the next 10 years. That aggressive construction project comes with a high-dollar price tag, for which Duke will recoup all the costs from ratepayers and pocket a return of about 10 percent on top of that. Its a perk Duke is entitled to by state law, and one that inevitably compels the company to build more and spend more because thats the easiest and fastest way to make more money for their companys shareholders. Not only do North Carolina ratepayers cover the construction costs and fork over the 10 percent in profits to Duke, we also cover fuel costs to run the plants. Ratepayers are on the hook for every penny of cost and every ounce of risk. Duke is guaranteed a profit and we are guaranteed to be paying on our monthly power bills for Dukes new fossil fuel investments into the 2060s, well past the 2050 deadline by which state law requires Duke to have zeroed out carbon pollution from its facilities. Duke Energy could save ratepayers huge amounts on fuel costs if the company instead pursued more offshore wind on a faster timeline. As an example, offshore wind in Virginia is projected to save ratepayers $300 million in fuel costs per year, over $3 billion in total during the first decade of operation. North Carolina can hedge against fuel price hikes like the ones that are currently the primary driver of residential bill increases by building predictably-priced clean energy like wind that saves ratepayers from buying gas when it is most expensive. And wind will help improve reliability, too. Offshore wind in North Carolina performs best at night and in the winter, the exact time and season that Duke Energy predicts peak demand on the North Carolina electricity system. As another layer of risk and challenge, the huge investments in new fossil fuel power plants Duke is proposing are tough to square with state and federal requirements that aim to get North Carolina on a firm path to less pollution. Duke is betting on hydrogen a gamble that comes with significant feasibility and cost concerns, particularly since its a currently non-existent market and a technology that is as-yet unproven. There are no hydrogen pipelines or storage facilities in North Carolina, and even if one could safely get the enormous volume of hydrogen fuel required to plant sites, data shows its largely inefficient and a huge waste of resources, with 50-80 percent of the generated energy lost during the process. Offshore wind and solar with battery storage are technologies that exist today and can be quickly scaled to meet our needs. No guessing or hoping required. The filings, public meetings and expert witness hearings are culminating in a huge decision point for the state over the next few months. Its up to the NCUC to carefully review Dukes plan, taking into account testimony from experts and stakeholders, and ensure they fulfill their role of protecting North Carolinians from overpriced, risky and unnecessary investments. A mix of solar, onshore and offshore wind can provide consistent, predictable power supply in the Carolinas. We do not need and cannot afford the risky and costly plan Duke Energy is proposing. The post Duke Energys plan to build more gas-fired power plants is wrong for consumers and the environment appeared first on NC Newsline. Police searches the European Parliament, for evidence of Russian interference attempts in the upcoming European elections. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/dpa A Dutch legislator in the European Parliament, Marcel de Graaff, has distanced himself from Belgian police searches of his employee's offices and home on Wednesday, as part of an investigation into an alleged Russian influence operation. "I have no involvement whatsoever in any so-called Russian disinformation operation," he said in a post on social media platform X. De Graaff said he "learned through the media that the home and office" of his employee had been searched by police. He added that he spoke to the assistant who said he was not aware of the search. "The authorities have not contacted me or him. To me this all comes as a complete surprise," he said. De Graaff's parliamentary aide was formerly employed by Maximilian Krah, a German member of the EU legislature from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The German EU legislator Krah confirmed on X that the parliamentary aide was a former assistant of his. Krah has been under pressure in recent weeks with allegations of espionage activities linked to Russia. German police also arrested another, different, former assistant of Krah's, Jian Guo, on suspicion of espionage last month. Krah fired him following allegations that he was spying for China. Police searched the offices of the European Parliament employee in Brussels and Strasbourg. The employee "played a significant role" in approaching and paying EU legislators to promote Russian propaganda via the pro-Kremlin website Voice of Europe (VoE), Belgian state prosecutors said. The law enforcement action took place ahead of EU-wide elections early next month to decide the next European Parliament. The searches were part of a broader operation concerning a "case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization," Belgian state prosecutors said. Police also searched the home of the parliament employee in Schaerbeek in the north of Brussels. Their identity was not provided. In April, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo revealed that his country's intelligence services uncovered a Russian operation to influence the European Parliament elections and the EU institution. Moscow's objective was very clear, De Croo said at the time, citing classified intelligence. "Help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to reinforce a certain pro-Russian narrative in that institution." De Croo said this was designed to weaken the European Union's support for Ukraine against the full-scale Russian invasion. 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's announcement followed Czech media reporting, citing intelligence sources, that far-right politician Petr Bystron, an AfD member of the German parliament, and his party colleague Krah, were suspected of having contact with VoE and may have accepted money from them. The EU has since sanctioned VoE, among other Russian-linked media companies, and banned the outlets from publishing or broadcasting in the bloc. Police searches the European Parliament, for evidence of Russian interference attempts in the upcoming European elections. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/dpa A family was displaced and several pets died after a working fire ravaged a McSherrystown home early Tuesday morning, officials said. Firefighters were called to the scene on the first block of Squire Circle in McSherrystown at 12:46 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, 2024 for a report of a house fire. When firefighters from Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services arrived on the scene, they found fire showing from the front of the duplex home, said Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services fire chief Brandon Martin. Fire damage is seen on a house on the first block of Squire Circle in McSherrystown Borough after a fire Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Firefighters quickly confirmed that all occupants were out of the home, Martin said, and firefighters began extinguishing the flames. Firefighters worked on the scene for about two-and-a-half hours, he said. A dog was rescued from the home, Martin said, and was cared for by EMS personnel on the scene. "Tragically, several of the family's pets did not survive the fire," Martin said. The other side of the duplex was also affected by smoke damage, he said. Neighbors assisted the displaced residents prior to the arrival of Red Cross, which then assisted the displaced. Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services was assisted on the scene by Alpha Fire Company of littlestown, Hanover Area Fire and Rescue, United Hook and Ladder, Irishtown Fire Company, Pleasant Hill Fire Company, Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company, and Community Life Team EMS. Martin said the incident is currently under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal's Office. Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Fire ravages McSherrystown PA home A new satellite has launched into orbit with the mission to clear up our understanding of how clouds and aerosols influence Earth's changing climate. Climate models have already done quite well in predicting our planet's response to the more than two trillion metric tons of excess carbon dioxide human activities have dumped into the atmosphere over the past 150 years. However, one aspect of the modelling that still needs improvement is how clouds and aerosols (dust, pollen, ash, etc.) affect the climate. EarthCARE (the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) is a joint European-Japanese satellite mission that, after years of delays, has finally launched to bring us a step closer to that goal. EarthCARE satellite scans a hurricane - ESA This artist's rendition shows the EarthCARE satellite flying over a hurricane, with the mission data reconstructing the vertical cloud profile of the storm, with the densest parts of the cloud bands shown in darker colours. (ESA/ATG medialab) "EarthCARE is a rather ambitious mission that puts 4 different instruments onto one satellite, to remotely measure the properties of clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere," says Howard Barker, a research scientist in the Improving Climate and Weather Prediction Models section at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Canada has its own, aptly named, Canadian Space Agency. However, we are also a contributing member of the European Space Agency, which gives Canadian scientists access to a wide range of missions to participate in. This involves projects alongside NASA, like the James Webb Space Telescope. We also take part in several ESA Earth observation satellite missions, including EarthCARE. EarthCARE satellite orbits the planet - ESA This artist's rendition shows the EarthCARE satellite orbiting above the atmosphere. The satellite's monochrome colour and long profile inspired the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to nickname the mission "White Dragon". (ESA/ATG medialab) While others will handle the day-to-day operations of the EarthCARE satellite and the cataloguing of the data gathered by its instruments, Barker and his colleagues have a very important role in the mission. Before any of EarthCARE's data is made available to researchers and climate modellers, the ECCC team will ensure that it all actually makes sense essentially that the satellite is properly measuring what's really there. "We are in charge of developing algorithms for radiative transfer in the atmosphere, for use in the EarthCARE mission," Barker says. For Earth and its atmosphere, 'radiative transfer' refers to how incoming sunlight and outgoing infrared radiation (heat) interact with the planet's surface, its oceans, and all the components of its atmosphere (gases, water vapour, clouds, ash, dust, pollen, etc.). Radiative-Transfer-EarthCARE-ESA This infographic shows the interactions of radiative transfer involving Earth and its atmosphere the absorption and reflection of sunlight from the surface and cloud tops, and the emission, absorption and re-radiation of infrared radiation from Earth's surface, clouds, and greenhouse gases. (ESA/ATG medialab) "The ultimate goal of those radiative transfer calculations is to perform an ongoing, continuous assessment of the quality of the retrievals of cloud and aerosol properties that are done by the four instruments on the satellite," Barker explained. Essentially, Barker says, they are the end of the pipeline for EarthCARE data, ensuring the quality of the data before it reaches the scientific community. EarthCARE instruments ESA EarthCARE's five instruments are shown in action here the atmospheric lidar, in the left two panels, reading the altitude and thickness of clouds and aerosols, the broadband radiometer measuring how much reflected sunlight and outgoing heat radiation reaches the satellite, the cloud profiling radar getting a detailed vertical cross section of the clouds, including water content, and the multispectral imager takes a broad image of the cloud conditions for context. (ESA/ATG medialab) "With global climate change increasingly affecting our planet, EarthCARE's advanced instruments and technology are poised to provide key data to improve the accuracy of climate models and support numerical weather prediction," the ESA says. "The mission comes at a critical time in the development of kilometre-scale resolution global climate models and promises to provide an important contribution to a better understanding of cloud convection and its role in Earth's radiation budget." Clouds, aerosols, and climate Clouds and aerosols have a dual impact on Earth's radiative transfer. They reflect incoming sunlight, thus producing a cooling effect. At the same time, though, they absorb and re-radiate heat escaping from the planet below, which results in warming. The type of cloud dictates whether the cooling or the warming effect dominates. The amount of heat trapped by high, thin clouds is greater than the amount of sunlight they reflect, so they amplify warming. The reverse is true for low, thick clouds, which enhance cooling. Clouds in the climate system - ESA JAXA Different types of clouds have different impacts on the climate system, and while current cloud distributions result in more cooling than warming, that trend is expected to reverse in the future. (ESA) Currently, low clouds are more common than high clouds. Thus, the overall effect of having more cloud cover is that it cools the climate, offsetting some of the warming from greenhouse gases. As the climate changes, though, we expect to see more high clouds and fewer low clouds. This will reverse the overall effect. More cloud cover will then enhance the warming we are already experiencing from greenhouse gases. With aerosols, in general, their direct effect is the same as clouds, both reflecting sunlight and absorbing and re-radiating infrared radiation. The more aerosols there are in the air, the greater these direct effects are. Aerosols and climate - ESA The effects of aerosols on Earth's climate are shown in this infographic, including both their direct and indirect impacts. (ESA) However, their greatest impact on the climate is through their indirect effects, as they act as cloud condensation nuclei tiny bits of physical matter for water vapour to condense onto, resulting in cloud droplets. Thus, as long as there is ample water vapour available, having more aerosols in the air tends to result in more clouds developing. Also, the more aerosols there are, the brighter the cloud tops will be, thus allowing them to reflect more sunlight and have a stronger cooling effect. So, with all of these different ways of influencing the climate, all going on at the same time, it has been challenging to factor in the impacts of clouds and aerosols into climate models. With the data from EarthCARE, the hope is that some of these challenges can be overcome, allowing climate models to produce better results and give us a clearer look at what the future will bring. This winter was by far the warmest on record in Canada Click here to view the video The new sci-fi thriller Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez was released on Netflix on May 24. Despite the fact that not even a week has passed since the premiere, users have made a lot of noise on social media, criticizing the movie. ADVERTISIMENT According to ScreenRant, many films starring the famous actress are still very popular despite negative reviews. Lopez has starred in more than 130 films, TV series, documentaries and music videos, including the new action movie. Despite the fact that Atlas has an interesting plot based on artificial intelligence in a dystopian future, the movie was quickly labeled "garbage". What the movie is about Scientist Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) has spent years searching for an escaped artificial intelligence terrorist known as Harlan. He was created to improve humanity, but now he wants to destroy humans. ADVERTISIMENT Harlan's search leads the team to the planet GR-39 in the Andromeda Galaxy. Here, Atlas demonstrates a great deal of distrust of AI. However, as she is forced to cooperate with Smith, an interactive onboard tool, her attitude towards new technologies changes. This evolution of trust is central to the sci-fi drama, which emphasizes the idea of the movie: while one AI bot threatens humanity, another helps to save it. The lack of empathy when it comes to artificial intelligence in this case leads to better understanding. Smith understands Atlas and does not react to her cynicism as a human would. He does not move away from her when she demonstrates her negative traits. ADVERTISIMENT Why critics didn't like Atlas Atlas has a 17% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.6/10 rating on IMDb. While the reviews of the action movie acknowledge that Lopez makes a great effort to take the film to the next level, it ultimately collapses under the weight of a poorly written and superficial script. Currently, the critics' assessment is that it is one of the worst work in the star's career. ADVERTISIMENT Reaction of the audience The reviews of netizens vary. According to the Rotten Tomatoes rating, viewers gave Atlas only 51%. Both positive and negative comments abound on social media, Unilad writes: "Just finished watching Atlas, and it was incredibly great. I'm no J.Lo fan, but it was better than I expected." "I loved it, the graphics were top notch, J.Lo nailed it, the cast was great, the storyline made sense, and the ending was perfect! 10/10 for me." "I really liked this movie, it reminded me of Avatar. "I watched a few minutes yesterday and it was just a big NO for me." "I didn't like it. I fell asleep." Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT Chicago Public Schools finally has released its school-by-school budgets for next year. The system conveniently waited until the chance of Springfield intervening in its fiscal affairs was over. The budget document released Tuesday provides information on specific staff allocated to each school. But its frustratingly difficult to ascertain which schools are winning and which are losing money as CPS fundamentally changes how it apportions funds. The budget also doesnt provide current staffing to allow comparisons. Its no use going to last years budget either, since school-by-school decisions were framed then in terms of dollars rather than staff. CPS brass say thats basically by design. This budget represents a reset, a whole new way of running the system. From their point of view, theres little point in these comparisons. This is Year 1, folks. Except, of course, in real life things dont work that way. Parents with kids in second grade or seventh grade or sophomore year want to know how their schools are benefiting or being shortchanged. The big new CPS idea is that, instead of allocating money mainly by how many students attend a school, budgeteers have established a baseline in terms of the minimal staff each school should have regardless of how many kids it serves. So, more than usual, there are winners and losers, given that the overall pot of money isnt increasing much. Critics point to the example of Douglass High School in Austin on the West Side. That high school currently serves a total of 35 no, thats not a typo students. Under the new budget, Douglass is adding nine positions next year to bring its staff to 32 from 23, according to Chalkbeat. If the student population doesnt increase next year, there will be nearly as many workers as students in that school. Were dealing with some longer-term structural issues, CPS Chief Budget Officer Michael Sitkowski said to us, adding that Douglass needs a budget that adequately serves the few students who are there. Such are the quandaries when youre budgeting for a school system built to educate far more students than actually walk through its doors. Under the old budgeting system, school budgets depended mainly, but not entirely, on enrollment. Thats an understandable way to divvy up resources, but as parts of the city lost population over the past decade and many schools continued operating at well below 50% of their capacity, those sparsely attended schools lost teachers and other staff for budgetary reasons. As a result of those losses, they werent able to offer arts classes and other programs to augment basic academics, which made them even less desirable choices for the dwindling number of school-age parents in their areas. CPS solution to this problem has been to establish a minimum standard for each school no matter how few students go there. There will be a principal, assistant principal, clerk, counselor, teachers for each grade and so forth. To ensure these minimally attended schools have this baseline level of support means that a large number of better-functioning schools are losing resources. Which schools? Thats not easy to determine. Education reporters did their best. Chalkbeat reported that at least 150 schools will lose staff positions. The Chicago Tribune reported that LaSalle Language Academy, a magnet school on the Near North Side, is losing seven of eight dual-language teachers. This at a language academy! That information was according to a LaSalle parent who spoke at a Chicago Board of Education hearing and said, rightly, To me, (an) 88% (loss) is disproportionate. Disproportionate is an appropriate term given the nature of these latest Chicago schooling debates. Mayor Brandon Johnson convinced Senate President Don Harmon late last week not to allow a vote on a House-passed bill that would have prevented such disproportionate budget cuts at schools progressives like Johnson dont favor. Johnson promised Harmon there would be no such reductions to selective-enrollment schools. His letter gave no such assurances for magnet schools like LaSalle. That brings us to the role of Johnson, the former Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist who now runs the city. This budget begins the process of carrying out Johnsons (and CTUs) vision for Chicago public education in which propping up unpopular neighborhood schools takes precedence over supporting popular alternatives such as magnet and charter schools. Without a massive influx of revenue from the state, for which Johnson and CTU unsuccessfully lobbied in Springfield, schools such as LaSalle will continue to pay the price to pursue this vision. Sure, Johnson may say otherwise. It doesnt change the reality. In that direction lies eventual CPS failure. Adding nine more staffers at Douglass is highly unlikely to attract enough new students to make that investment worthwhile. Meanwhile, with a system facing a fiscal 2026 budget gap expected to well exceed $700 million, continuing to pursue this vision will mean the schools that are attractive options will continue to lose out in order to support the unattractive options. Eventually, those schools that parents currently find desirable will lose their luster as well. And when that happens, well see even more flight to the suburbs or families leaving the Chicago area entirely. Dont believe for a second that many Chicago parents of babies and toddlers arent watching whats happening now with a great deal of trepidation. In a few years, they will have to decide whether to give Chicago Public Schools a try or just throw up their hands and move out of the city. While CTU plots with Johnson to preserve as many teaching jobs as possible by propping up half-empty (or worse) schools, their mutual maneuvers could simply convince parents of tomorrows would-be CPS students to pull up stakes. Then the continued declines in CPS enrollment eventually will give Johnson (or whoever sits on the fifth floor after him) no choice but to close schools and cut jobs. Johnson talks a lot about redressing past inequities that he asserts are the reason for the failure of so many neighborhood schools. Were more concerned about the future than the past. And were not confident this mayor understands what hes risking by penalizing schools that parents actually want their kids to attend. At some point, it will be too late. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is done with his state Senates GOP shenanigans when it comes to this years presidential ballot. The governor called a rare special session for the legislature to pass a bill ensuring Joe Biden appears alongside Donald Trump on the November ballot after much foot-dragging by his own party. Very basically, Ohio has a ballot deadline of Aug. 7, which comes before the Democrats mid-August convention to officially renominate the president. The legislature put itself in this predicament and has resolved it easily before, but in this case, Republican senators are demanding that the bill be tied to an effort to further restrict the possibility of foreign cash in state ballot elections. We appreciate not only DeWines efforts but his exasperation; in calling the special session, the governor said that failing to get Biden on the ballot is simply unacceptable. This is ridiculous. This is an absurd situation. DeWine should push to have a clean bill, and his is the right attitude to have; the constant political machinations around voting and elections, predominantly infecting todays GOP, are now so common as to seem pedestrian. Yet we cant lose sight of the consequences: voter disenfranchisement by design, which strikes right at the core of the American democratic project. Free and fair elections are what precedes all else, what enables our system to exist at all. After chipping away at things like campaign finance limits and disclosure requirements, antidemocratic actors are increasingly targeting the ability to vote itself. Ohios Republican state senators can argue that this whole kerfuffle isnt about disenfranchisement one or another, but about their push to (apparently redundantly) ban foreign money advocating on state ballot questions a mission that seems to have become rather urgent for them in the aftermath of the decisive victory of an abortion rights amendment. But that doesnt really matter, and neither do the merits of this legislation. Keeping the sitting president off the ballot on a technicality is never appropriate, as a bargaining chip or otherwise. At least the governor has intervened to put a stop to the nonsense, unlike Republican brass in other states, who have embraced the approach. In Texas, where the party has become a laboratory for red-meat, own-the-libs policy under Gov. Greg Abbott, the official GOP platform approved this past weekend would among planks calling abortion homicide and reinstating the names of traitorous Confederates to military bases essentially guarantee that Republicans cannot lose statewide office. This would be achieved by requiring that all candidates for statewide office carry a majority of the states 254 counties, despite the fact that huge swaths of the population live in a comparatively tiny number of urban counties. As the Texas Tribune pointed out, in the 2022 governors race, Abbott won 235 counties 92.5% while winning the actual vote by only 55% to Democrat Beto ORourkes 44%. Rather than arguing to voters that theyre the superior choice, the state Republican Party seems keen on simply removing that choice altogether for offices like U.S. senator, state attorney general and governor. This is something the American public, regardless of affiliation, should never accept. ___ The New Hampshire House and Senate finished their last traditional voting days Thursday, taking action on hundreds of bills as they seek to wrap up the year. Now comes the messy part. While the hearings, floor debates, and major amendments to the bills are done, most of the legislation that has passed is still not ready for Gov. Chris Sununus desk. And many of the headline bills this session are not guaranteed to pass. The end of the legislative session at the New Hampshire State House could get messy. Thats because of the committee of conference process. Over the past several weeks, both the House and Senate have made amendments to each others bills. A bill that originated in the House might have passed that chamber and crossed over to a Senate committee, which might have any number of changes. Now, that same bill must return to the House, whose members need to decide whether they will accept the changes, reject them, or request a negotiating session with the Senate to come up with a compromise. Heres a guide to this years committee of conference season and which bills have the trickiest paths forward. What is a committee of conference? A committee of conference is a body convened at the end of the legislative calendar to resolve disputes between the House and Senate over bills. When one legislative chamber receives back one of its bills with amendments from the other chamber, lawmakers have a few choices. If they vote to concur with the changes, they are accepting the amendments and the bill will head on to the governors desk. If they vote to nonconcur, they are rejecting the amendments and the bill dies immediately. If they vote to request a committee of conference, they are asking to negotiate. If both chambers agree to negotiate, the committee is formed. Each committee is tasked with considering one bill only and is staffed with seven lawmakers: four representatives chosen by the House speaker and three senators chosen by the Senate president. In less than a week, that committee must discuss the House and Senate differences with the bill, and try to find a compromise. All seven members must sign off on a compromise in order for it to advance. But the House speaker and Senate president are free to replace members of the committee up until the deadline, allowing them to select lawmakers who might be more amenable to compromise. The original sponsor of the bill is also allowed to speak to the committee to give input on what they would like to see. If all seven committee of conference members agree, the bill with its proposed compromise amendment will move forward as a report. That report will be voted on by the full House and Senate, either of which can reject the bill, ending its progress. The process is fast-moving and complex, and often laden with political maneuvering. But there are some constraints: The committees of conference cannot consider any amendment that is not germane, or relevant, to the underlying bill, meaning that lawmakers cannot attempt to tack on bills off their wishlist at the last minute. When is all of this happening? There are three key deadlines. On Thursday, May 30, lawmakers in both chambers must vote on whether they are accepting, rejecting, or requesting committees of conference for the remaining amended bills. Any committees formed will have until Thursday, June 6, to find a compromise and sign off on it. Then, the House and Senate will have until Thursday, June 13, to vote to accept or reject the final reports. What are the bills to watch this year? With an eye to the committee of conference process, the House and the Senate spent last week inserting a number of amendments into bills that could lead to committees of conference. Many of those changes came from the Senate. The Republican-led chamber took House Bill 1370, a bill originally intended to require extra secure containers for election ballots, and added in their version of legislation eliminating exceptions to the states voter ID laws and requiring a birth certificate or other documentation to register to vote. HB 1370 now contains the Senates bill, which would still require a birth certificate or passport to register to vote, but would direct the Secretary of States Office to create a hotline in which town election officials could ask state employees to confirm whether a voter has citizenship documents. The Senate made a number of changes to House Bill 318, a bill aimed at strengthening the states bail laws, including by lowering the standard of evidence allowing judges to hold someone accused of a major felony without bail. The House version required that judges find clear and convincing evidence that a felony defendant is a danger to their community; the Senate version requires only that the judge find a preponderance of the evidence. The Senate has also made significant alterations to the Houses cannabis legalization bill, House Bill 1633, including an amendment to increase the amount of state control over the proposed retail cannabis outlets. Those changes have already led some Democrats and Republicans who support legalization to vow to reject the bill when it comes back to the House. Senate Republicans have disagreed with House Republicans over how much to expand the states education freedom accounts, the voucher-like program that allows income-eligible families to use state education funds toward private and home school expenses. The program is currently available to people making up to 350 percent of the federal poverty level; in House Bill 1665, the House has proposed raising that cap to 500 percent of the federal poverty level, but the Senate has amended that number to 400 percent. The House meanwhile added a major last-minute amendment to Senate Bill 476, which would direct $40 million to the Department of Corrections toward a new prison. On Thursday, House representatives tacked on a controversial gun bill the Senate had earlier tabled that would require certain mental health records be added to gun background checks. That amended bill will now be taken up by the Senate and could go to a committee of conference. What is different about this year? The Houses near-even division of Democrats and Republicans has affected how it has conducted business this session, both at the committee level and full chamber level. One notable effect is a rise in votes to indefinitely postpone bills. Traditionally, when the full House meets to vote, they will pass a bill, table it, or kill it with a motion of inexpedient to legislate. But there is a more dramatic option: the indefinite postponement. When the chamber votes for this, the bill is killed and also may not return in substantially similar form for the entire two-year session. That move is considered by many lawmakers as a nuclear option to kill a bill, and it used to be rarely used. An analysis by Citizens Count, an organization that tracks legislation in New Hampshire, found that for most of the 21st century, lawmakers indefinitely postponed bills only a handful of times every year. Using the motion is designed to really make a statement, said Anna Brown, executive director of Citizens Count: Not only do we dislike this legislation, we hate it. We want to make sure theres not a chance it can come back. This year is different. With thin margins that mean a few sick lawmakers can tip the balance to either party on voting days, House lawmakers have used the indefinite postponement option 40 times in 2024, according to the General Court website the highest in the 35 years for which online records are available. The move has been used largely by Republicans, but Democrats have also used it on rare occasions when they have assumed the majority of the chamber. It was like it kicked off a trend, Brown said. Were seeing indefinite postponement left and right. The result is that in many cases this year, Senate lawmakers are unable to try to resurrect bills during the committee of conference process because they have already been voted to be indefinitely postponed in the House. Its not going to be just dead, Brown said. Its going to be dead dead. Even so, with major topics like bail reform, voter ID laws, and cannabis legalization on the line, this years committee of conference season will be as busy as ever. This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Education, cannabis, voter ID: NH bills to watch as session nears end LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning highlighted a new opportunity to access higher education in an underserved area of the Las Vegas valley. Its all part of the City of Las Vegas redevelopment plan to invest in the Historic Westside. Councilman Cedric Crear represents the area and now getting to see a new education center at the forefront after it was in the works for several years. When I first got in office unemployment in our ward was 15%, we need to make sure we got people trained, ready, and prepared to go to work, Crear said. Ive been saying this since the first day I walked into the office and we talked about a project to bring opportunities. The new Historic Westside education center will be located right off Jefferson Avenue and D Street, spanning 15,000 feet. High-demand training programs such as construction, healthcare, and technology will be offered at the school. Rendering on display at the groundbreaking of a new education center in the Historic Westside (KALS) The average commute of someone who is going from here to work and school for higher education is about 45 minutes on average, so that can be a huge impediment obviously right, so we needed to bring resources right back into the community, Crear added. City officials have teamed up with College of Southern Nevada President Dr. Federico Zaragoza to bring the school to life. The first major grant we got was a $6.9 million EDA grant and that was very important and that was followed by a $9 million appropriation by the City of Las Vegas, Dr. Zaragoza said. In many times you dont see us in areas like this and the College of Southern Nevada recognized it. We have to be in the highest need areas and this is the highest need area in the state of Nevada so its a great place for us to start. The project totaled out to $16.4 million and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2025. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Effort to restore local control will not be on November ballot to challenge new MI climate legislation LANSING, Mich. (WJMN) An effort to get enough signatures to challenge part of Michigans new MI Healthy Climate Plan has fallen too short to get on the November ballot, according to a release from Citizens for Local Choice. We have not reached the required signature threshold to make the 2024 ballot, said the organization. Citizens for Local Choice was formed in response to the massive green energy legislation passed through Michigans state legislature last November. On their website they say their goal is 550,000 signaturesas of now, it is unclear how many they have collected so far. With the goal of getting the state on track to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050, the green energy legislation makes benchmarked requirements for power companies, aims to strengthen efficiency and waste programs, as well as creating an office to advocate for workers during the energy transition. Michigan is now at the center of the nations transition to clean energy that will lower energy costs for families and small businesses, create good-paying, union jobs and tackle the climate crisis, said executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Lisa Wozniak after the the legislation was passed. The bill package also included HB 5120, which Democrats said would streamline clean energy projects. After Governor Whitmer signed the legislation, a release from the state said the new law would bolster the [Michigan Public Service Commission] by authorizing them to streamline permitting of utility-scale clean energy the same way they can currently do so for other sources of energy. In contrast, the CLC says the legislation adds barriers to local control of zoning for large wind and solar projects. If it is not stopped by our initiative, the Act will go into effect in November of 2024, allowing corporations to supersede local control across our state for utility-scale wind and solar projects, says the CLC on their website. Delta County in Michigans Upper Peninsula passed a resolution in support of the ballot petition earlier this year. According to the Associated Press, about one in four counties in Michigan have ordinances blocking or delaying wind or solar developments. The AP report cites an executive for a regulatory affairs nonprofit, who said ordinances of that kind are not really based on science. We cant allow projects of statewide importance that are critical to our state energy security to be vetoed on purely local concerns, said Dan Scripps, chair of Michigans Public Service Commission after the laws were passed. Meanwhile, the CLC still believes local communities should retain their zoning authority, and will continue their campaign. While we have not reached the required signature threshold to make the 2024 ballot, we will continue our ambitious effort to leverage our legal 180-day window and work to secure a placement on the 2026 ballot, said the organization. Heres the full statement from the CLC: The Citizens for Local Choice ballot campaign has engaged thousands of volunteers across the state and has issued tens of thousands of petitions for signatures in an effort to restore local control of large-scale wind and solar operations. The campaign is strong and robust and while we have not reached the required signature threshold to make the 2024 ballot, we will continue our ambitious effort to leverage our legal 180-day window and work to secure a placement on the 2026 ballot. For more information and to get involved in the campaign, please visit www.micitizenschoice.org. Citizens for Local Choice Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJMN - UPMatters.com. A view of the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani, in Cairo A view of the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani, in Cairo CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities held a ceremony to mark the completion of multi-year renovations to the grand 14th-century mosque of Altunbugha al-Maridani in Historic Cairo. Al-Maridani, chief of police and married to a daughter of the powerful Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Mohamed, built the mosque in 1338-40 A.D. on al-Darb al-Ahmar street, a thoroughfare connecting Cairo's Citadel to the walled city's southern gate. The mosque's main entrance is decorated in ornate inscriptions and fine marble. Its columns were salvaged at the time of construction from older buildings. The mosque's exterior and minaret were renovated in a first phase begun in 2018 and completed in 2021, while the later 18-month second phase focused on the interior. The European Union and the Aga Khan Foundation helped fund the project. The mosque had been heavily renovated between 1895 and 1903. Tuesday's event was attended by Egyptian, EU and foundation officials, including the foundation's director and the deputy governor of Cairo. It was the first such event since a new director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, was appointed in March. (This story has been corrected to clarify the inauguration day was Tuesday, not Wednesday, in paragraph 6) (Reporting by Sherif Fahmy; Writing by Patrick Werr; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip queue outside the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side March 23. (Khaled Desouki / AFP/Getty Images) It was another close call. When a clash between Egyptian and Israeli soldiers near Egypts border with the Gaza Strip left one Egyptian dead, it raised the specter yet again of a spark that would set off a conflagration across the Middle East. Both countries moved swiftly to contain the fallout, a sign of the durability of their decades-long diplomatic ties. Egypts military spokesman talked about a shooting incident but did not mention Israel, while the Israeli military said dialog was taking place with the Egyptian side. But Mondays skirmish was the latest in a string of events underscoring the regions volatility since Oct. 7, and the risk that the Israel-Hamas war will rattle long-standing peace agreements nurtured by Washington for decades between Israel and its neighbors. Relations between Egypt and Israel have been strained for months, with Cairo intent on stopping any Israeli effort to drive Gaza residents onto Egyptian territory. Tensions only worsened after Israel pushed into the south Gazan city of Rafah this month where an estimated 1.4 million of Gazas residents had taken refuge and seized the Palestinian side of the crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor, an almost 9-mile-long and 300-foot-wide path along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Read more: Israeli army says it used small munitions in Rafah airstrike, and fire was caused by secondary blast In response, Egypt shut down humanitarian deliveries via Rafah, insisting administration of the crossing return to Palestinian control and that Israel was violating decades-old security arrangements that limited the number of soldiers and equipment on either side of the border. But Mondays shooting, the first deadly clash between Egyptian and Israeli forces since the war began, illustrates the risks of spillover in the fighting as Israel presses its offensive into Rafah and operates in close proximity to Egyptian units, not to mention Egyptian civilians living close to the border. This will happen again, said Samir Ragheb, an Egyptian analyst and chairman of the Cairo-based Arab Foundation for Development and Strategic Studies. Committees [are] investigating the incident and [theres] dialogue between the two sides, he said. All thats fine. But theres no guarantee for what comes later. ... This is dealing with the symptom not the disease: which is that Israel is in Rafah and on the border where it shouldnt be. Israel says the crossing and the corridor must remain in its hands if it is to choke off arms supplies to Hamas through the Sinai, whether through the crossing or the cross-border tunnel network Hamas operates. Read more: Is Zionism patriotism or racism? Big disagreements over a word in use for 125 years On Tuesday, in response to questions about tanks appearing on the streets of Rafah for the first time in the war, Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said troops had detected tunnels running along the Philadelphi Corridor ... going to Sinai. Egyptian officials have repeatedly dismissed Israeli accusations of allowing smuggling as groundless, adding that it has destroyed thousands of tunnels, created a buffer zone and built a barrier to prevent weapons transfers. Details of exactly how the clash occurred remain murky. Initial Israeli reports said the Egyptian side was the first to open fire, while Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News said preliminary investigations indicated a skirmish had started between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters, with shots fired in multiple directions. That led an Egyptian security team member to take protective measures and deal with the source of fire, the news agency said. This is what Egypt has warned against for months, an unnamed Egyptian security official told Al Qahera on Monday. The Israeli attack on the Philadelphi Corridor creates field and psychological conditions that are difficult to control and liable to escalate. The killing of the soldier has ratcheted up anti-Israel sentiment in a country that has never managed more than a so-called cold peace with its neighbor, despite being the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. There are 115 million Egyptians who are not happy with whats happening in Gaza, Ragheb said. Theyre watching it every day on television screens. The Egyptian soldier stationed at the border is seeing massacres in real time before his very eyes. So this will be a provocation. Some of that anger could be seen on Tuesday, when dozens gathered in the central Egyptian village of Agameyin for the burial of the slain soldier, 22-year-old Abdullah Ramadan. Thousands left comments on his Facebook page, calling him a martyr and a hero, and excoriating the government for tamping down the matter. Though the Egyptian government says it aims to preserve the peace treaty, popular rage against Israel may force it into taking measures it would rather not take. Read more: 'Are you a Zionist?' Checkpoints at UCLA encampment provoked fear, debate among Jews The problem for Egypt is that public opinion is already at a boiling point because of whats happening in Gaza, said Mouin Rabbani, an analyst and nonresident fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. If you now add dead Egyptians to the mix, that makes it all the more combustible. Should government officials get to a point where they have to do something to defuse discontent, then they may feel Israels conduct has created such public pressure on them that they have no choice but to do something more significant. A wider Israeli assault on Rafah could very well be that tipping point. On Sunday, hours before the shooting, Israeli warplanes attacked what they said were Hamas high-level targets in Rafah, killing 45 people in the process, Palestinian authorities say, and spurring a tsunami of international anger. The wider destruction, meanwhile, has reached unprecedented proportions, aid groups say, with more than 36,000 people killed in Gaza, according to the Gazan Health Ministry, including many women and children. In the three weeks since Israel began what it called a limited operation in Rafah, around 1 million people have had to flee, many of them displaced before by the violence, according to the U.N.s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. This happened with nowhere safe to go and amidst bombardments, lack of food and water, piles of waste and unsuitable living conditions, UNRWA said on X on Monday. Day after day, providing assistance and protection becomes nearly impossible. The war was sparked after Hamas operatives killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, and saw 250 others taken hostage. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, along with the bodies of more than 30 others. Few believe the Israel-Egypt peace treaty a mainstay of Egypts foreign policy that brings in roughly $1.3 billion every year in military assistance from the U.S. is at serious risk. But theres little doubt the situation is affecting coordination between the two nations, said Rami Dajani, project director of Israel and Palestine with the International Crisis Group. The cumulative effects of these events impact how these agreements are functioning and the practical, real-life channels of communication on intelligence and security, he said. Read more: Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognize a Palestinian state as EU rift with Israel widens It also raises questions about how both sides will manage the border area in the future. For both sides, its not a question of walking away from the treaty, said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former Arab-Israeli negotiator. But with Israel seeking greater control over Gaza through the Philadelphi Corridor while Egypt insists it wont reopen the crossing without Palestinians in control, matters are likely to be fraught for a long time. Said Miller: All of this poses an enormous amount of problems for the proverbial day after. 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. NOVATO, Calif. (KRON) Eight middle school students were arrested in connection to a fight on a middle school campus last Friday, the Novato Police Department announced. The students who were arrested ranged in age from 12 to 14. Novato PD was notified about the incident, which occurred on the campus of Sinaloa Middle School, last Friday at 1 p.m. An investigation revealed that after lunch, a group of students planned to assault another student. This Bay Area city has the highest robbery rate in U.S., according to data As the student was being assaulted, students gathered around and began encouraging the fight while recording it on their phones. Another student stepped in to stop the fight and was also assaulted, police said. Both students sustained moderate injuries and were hospitalized. Novato PD launched an immediate investigation, partnering with the school and the Novato Unified School District. All parties involved were quickly identified, police said. On Tuesday, the Novato PD Investigations Section arrested eight Sinaloa students that initiated the altercation. The students were booked into Marin County Juvenile Hall for conspiracy and felony assault charges. Anyone with additional information related to the incident is asked to contact Novato PD. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. James Montoya won the Democratic Party primary runoff race and is now preparing to fight to take back the El Paso District Attorney's Office from Republican incumbent Bill Hicks in the November general election. James Montoya, currently an El Paso County deputy public defender, claimed victory late Tuesday night as his lead over Alma Trejo, former El Paso County Criminal Court #1 judge, continued to grow. Montoya captured 52% of the votes. "I'm ecstatic, very happy," Montoya said after announcing his victory. "I'm very grateful for the trust that the voters have given me. I'm very grateful to my team. I've said throughout the campaign trail, in my opinion, what made me the best candidate for district attorney was not just my own personal qualifications and work experience, but the people that I surrounded myself with that have gotten me here." Trejo gathered 48% of the votes in a highly competitive race. "For the voters that came out, thank you so much," Trejo said. "Thank you for caring about the community." Trejo did not say if she would endorse Montoya but said it is important for the Democratic Party to take back the district attorney's seat. "It is important, very important," Trejo said. "We need a district attorney who's elected by the people." District Attorney candidate James Montoya hugs his grandmother Irene Montoya as he arrives at Fanatics for this election night watch party during the runoff primary elections in El Paso, Texas on May 28, 2024. Montoya will face off against Hicks, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Greg Abbott following the resignation of former district attorney Yvonne Rosales from the position. "The number one thing continues to be the staffing crisis, the staffing shortage in the district attorney's office," Montoya said. "It's the same, if not worse than it was under (former district attorney) Mrs. (Yvonne) Rosales. In fact, there are people who have gone back to the DA's office to work for Mr. Hicks, who have then left several months later because it's not an enjoyable work environment for a number of reasons. "People need to know that inadequate staffing at the DA's office has a direct impact on the safety of this community because they do not have enough lawyers to work on all the cases that happen. Cases have been falling through the cracks." Hicks denied his staff is short staffed, stating his office has enough prosecutors to handle the criminal cases his office receives. He added he and his office are prepared to try the Walmart mass shooting case. "I certainly look forward to the race ahead," Hicks said. "I hope that he will be willing to engage me in debates because I know that there have been quite a few things that have been said over the past several months that I strongly disagree with. "I feel that he has made some false allegations about the office and about the way I've been running the office. I have not responded to those allegations because I didn't want to appear to be assisting or attacking one candidate over the other. Now that we have one definitive person running against me, I look forward to addressing all of those allegations in a one-on-one debate style." Montoya and Trejo had been in a hard-fought battle to take on Hicks. The seat is the highest law enforcement seat in West Texas as the district attorney oversees the 34th Judicial District, which includes El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson counties. At center, Alma Trejo, District Attorney candidate awaits a second batch of election results for the run off primary election at her watch party at O2 Lounge in El Paso, Texas on May 28, 2024. Democrats had held the position for more than four decades before Rosales resigned amid a petition to remove her from office over allegations of "official misconduct and continued incompetence." Montoya finished on top of the March primary with about 37.5% of the votes, and Trejo finished with 35.5%. A third candidate, Nancy Casas, finished last place in the primary with about 27%. Casas endorsed Montoya in the runoff asking her supporters to cast their ballots for Montoya. More: Legal heavyweights seeking Democratic Party nomination in El Paso DA's race The race for the seat turned heated in the days leading up to the runoff election as Trejo and Texas State Rep. Joe Moody attacked Montoya on the Daniel Villegas capital murder case. Villages was found not guilty in his third trial in 2018 after serving 18 years in prison. Montoya argues the decision to take the case to a jury of El Pasoans was the right decision, while Moody countered Villegas was innocent and wrongfully tried a third time. Trejo said a more careful examination of the case should have been conducted before trial. The race for district attorney is one of El Paso's most important races in recent years as the state's case against the El Paso Walmart mass shooting remains at a standstill. The DA's office also is faced with staffing shortages and a backlog of thousands of cases, Hicks' opponents say. James Montoya and Alma Trejo remaining candidates for El Paso County district attorney in the May 28 runoff election. The El Paso Walmart shooter has already been sentenced to life in prison in federal court, but Hicks is seeking the death penalty against him in state court. Montoya and Trejo have focused on Hicks' struggles to take the case to trial. More: DA candidate James Montoya responds to campaign flier mailed by state Rep. Joe Moody Both candidates said one of the first things they would do if elected is review the mass shooter's case to see if seeking the death is the right decision or if a plea deal for life in prison is in the best interest of the El Paso community. Trejo and Montoya have claimed one of the reasons for the delays with the mass shooter cases and a backlog of thousands of cases is because of staffing shortages within the district attorney's office. Hicks claims the allegations are false as the office is almost fully staffed and the backlog of cases is nearly erased. Montoya said he has dozens of attorneys ready to join the district attorney's office if he is elected to meet the staffing shortages. Trejo campaigned on her decades of legal experience which she said would have helped her immediately address any staffing shortage. Montoya will face a tough challenge in the general elections as Hicks is expected to receive statewide support from key state leaders, including Abbott. Hicks, a prominent El Paso attorney with decades of legal experience, is expected to raise large amounts of money leading up to the general election. Montoya and Trejo have already raised and spent thousands of dollars just to win the Democratic nomination. Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Democrat James Montoya wins El Paso's primary runoff race for DA The number of victims of the Russian strike on the Epicenter hypermarket in Kharkiv has risen to 19. On the morning of May 29, it was reported that one of the hospitalized had died. ADVERTISIMENT The 40-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with 50% burns on his body, and doctors were unable to save him. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov. "Unfortunately, a 40-year-old man who was wounded in an enemy attack on Epicenter died in hospital. The man was in the burn intensive care unit and suffered flame burns of up to 50%. Our condolences to the family and friends," the statement said. ADVERTISIMENT As of 18:01 on May 29, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the search for the bodies in the Kharkiv construction hypermarket was completed. Police have identified all 19 bodies of those killed by Russian air strikes on Saturday, May 25. "It was not easy. The victims were searched for around the clock among the ashes with the help of special equipment, and were quickly identified with the help of a DNA laboratory," said Klymenko. He also added that forensic experts conducted more than 100 investigations. The police were approached by 16 relatives of the missing persons who provided biological samples for examination. Dog handlers were also involved a sniffer dog found one body and one fragment. The strikes on a regular hypermarket in Kharkiv killed 12 men and 7 women. Among the victims were a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Another 54 people were wounded. ADVERTISIMENT "The enemy is trying to justify the attacks on the hypermarket, printing house, and other civilian infrastructure with nonsense. Will this intimidate Kharkiv residents? It will only increase hatred. Will it force us to retreat? We will fight the enemy even harder. Until victory," Klymenko added. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the RMA, said that the rubble of the destroyed hypermarket has been cleared. Eleven men, six women, and two children were killed as a result of the launch of guided aerial bombs. Innocent civilian victims of Russian aggression. Terrorist Russian shelling of the hypermarket," he wrote and expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims. ADVERTISIMENT ADVERTISIMENT On the afternoon of Saturday, May 25, Russians attacked Kharkiv with anti-aircraft gunships. The invaders hit the Epicenter hypermarket, a fire broke out and people died. More than 40 people were injured in the Epicenter alone, and the death toll by the evening of May 28 was 18. Most of the victims were not immediately identified: due to the massive fire that covered thousands of square meters of space, this had to be done with the help of DNA tests. ADVERTISIMENT Most of the victims were Epicenter employees, but there were also casualties among visitors. It is known that on that day, Russia killed a mother and her 12-year-old daughter in Kharkiv. The father of the family underwent surgery. The West reacted to the terrorist attack on the Epicenter. The United States and Europe pledged to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes. And UN representatives in Ukraine called Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure "absolutely unacceptable." Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! North Texas incumbents seeking reelection to the state House of Representatives lagged behind opponents challenging the lawmakers from the right, as votes began to be tallied Tuesday. A number of heated races across the state werent decided during the first round of voting when a single candidate failed to win more than half of votes, including in four Tarrant county-area districts where Republicans are vying to secure their place on the November ballot. Tuesdays results will solidify the slate of Democratic and Republican candidates come Nov. 5. The races include: House District 58: Republican Rep. DeWayne Burns is running against Helen Kerwin for the Cleburne-area seat. House District 64: Republican Rep. Lynn Stucky is running against Andy Hopper for a seat that spans Denton and Wise Counties. House District 91: Republican Rep. Stephanie Klick is running against David Lowe for the seat that includes North Richland Hills, Haltom City and Watauga. House District 97: Republicans Cheryl Bean and John McQueeney are running for the southwest Tarrant County seat. Democrats Diane Symons and Carlos Walker are also in a runoff. Incumbent Craig Goldman isnt seeking reelection, instead running for U.S. Congress. As early votes came in, Kerwin and Lowe led in their races. In House District 97, Bean had a narrow lead over McQueeney. Early voting numbers werent yet posted on the Texas Secretary of States website in the House District 64 race as of 7:30 p.m. Walker led Symons in the Democratic runoff for House District 97. The runoff comes during a turbulent time in the Republican party fights that can been observed through endorsements, campaign donations and public comments and appearances. The party has been divided over issues like school vouchers, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons impeachment, and the leadership of House Speaker Dade Phelan. (Phelan is in a runoff of his own Tuesday.) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is backing Kerwin, Stucky, Klick and McQueeney, as he looks to help elect candidates who will back a voucher-like proposal that failed during the 2023 legislative session and subsequent special session. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, backing candidates who opposed his impeachment and the challengers of those who supported it, is supporting Kerwin, Hopper, Lowe and Bean. Phelans campaign has donated to Burns, Stucky, Klick and McQueeney. Texas billionaires have waded into the North Texas Races. West Texas oilmen Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks and groups they fund have financially backed candidates like Kerwin, Hopper, Lowe and Bean. Charles Butt of H-E-B through the Charles Butt Public Education PAC has donated to Burns. The potential makeup of a second Donald Trump administration has been a topic of interest since the former president formally announced his third bid for the White House, but it could reportedly include one very surprising face: Elon Musk. Musk, owner of Tesla and Twitter/X as well as founder of SpaceX, is reported by The Wall Street Journal to be in talks with the former president about an advisory role in a second Trump White House; a more official role than the one he is already playing as a voice on matters of tech policy in Trumps ear. The Journals sources cautioned that the talks are by no means in advanced stages and may well not lead to a formal position for Musk if the ex-president even wins the election at all. But the conversations illustrate the former presidents continued alliances with conservative business leaders whose support some analysts expected Trump to lose after his first term in office ended in spectacular fashion with the riot at the US Capitol. Trump and Musk are said to be talking by phone several times a month, with the Tesla mogul calling his ally in Mar-a-Lago on the latters personal cell. The two have discussed topics including technology, the US Space Force, and voter fraud, a favorite topic of Trumps as it relates to his conspiracies about the 2020 election. The two men had previously developed a small rivalry after Musk stepped down from a White House advisory council on technology in mid-2017, a response to the Trump administration ending US participation in the Paris Climate Agreement. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are pictured in the White House at an event in 2017 along with Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist (AFP via Getty Images) In general, a Cabinet under a second Donald Trump presidency would look markedly different. The ex-president is widely thought to have soured on the idea of facing any pushback from career officials and reportedly plans to stock his administration with loyalists if elected again. His former vice president, Mike Pence, has notably said that he would not support Mr Trump for the presidency again in 2024, even now given that his former boss is once again the GOPs presumptive nominee. Musk, who also hosted a conversation with independent presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy Jr last year, is known to have taken his own sharp-right detour down the road to Trump-aligned conservatism over the past several years. He has revealed his own support for racist conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement; in late 2023, he described a Twitter screed which blamed Jews for supposedly pushing ... dialectical hatred against whites as the actual truth in a reply comment. In May, he also claimed that 2024s presidential election would be the last in the US decided by citizens, pointing to a widely-held incorrect belief on the right that undocumented immigrants participate in national elections in significant numbers. Musk said last week that he would host a presidential debate with RFK Jr in the coming days; its unlikely that either Trump or his twice-opponent, President Joe Biden, would participate. The two major party contenders have reached an agreement to meet for several debates on major cable networks without the inclusion of the Comission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan body that has traditionally hosted such events. The Twitter/X CEO has argued that RFK Jr should be invited to participate in debates with Biden and Trump, though their exclusion of the debate commission makes that prospect increasingly unlikely. An emergency burn ban took effect Tuesday in Seminole County due to dry conditions. The county-wide burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning that has not been permitted by the Florida Forest Service, which includes bonfires, campfires and the burning of vegetative debris. The ban is active when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reaches or exceeds 500 and there is no measurable precipitation in the foreseeable future. Read: Parts of Osceola County under a burn ban The ban will remain in effect until the drought index dips under 500 for seven consecutive days or until further notice. Seminole County Fire Department urges residents to abide by the following safety tips: Read: Trump hush money trial: Jury begins deliberations Create a 30-foot area of defensible -- clean and green -- space around your home Clear trash and dead vegetation from your front and backyard Remove leaves and debris from roof and gutters Have an emergency plan and an emergency kit packed in case an evacuation is ordered, especially if your home is near wildlands Monitor Seminole Countys social media and local media for updates on road closures, smoke conditions and other hazards Use extreme caution when grilling, camping and discarding cigarettes Call 911 if you see smoke or fire in your area Register with Alert Seminole to ensure you receive emergency alerts regarding significant events Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. LUMBERTON, N.C. (WNCN) A Robeson County Schools employee is undergoing treatment after he was shot near district property, the Lumberton Police Department said Wednesday. At about 8:07 p.m. Tuesday, officers said they were called to Kenric Road in reference to a shooting near the Robeson County School Bus Maintenance Facility. When they arrived, they said 59-year-old Everette Teal, of Lumberton, was severely injured. Get crime updates in your inbox Sign up for CBS 17s Crime Tracker newsletter Teal drove himself to the hospital and was transferred to another facility for more advanced care, where his condition remains stable, according to the sheriffs office. Investigators said Teal is an employee of the school district and is believed to have just left the maintenance facility when the shooting took place. They said the incident remains under investigation and details are limited at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lumberton Police Department Detective Cedrick McKinnon at 910-671-3845. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com. (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is aiming to start negotiations as early as June 25 with Ukraine on becoming a member of the bloc to help boost Kyivs morale, but has yet to fully overcome objections from Hungary. Most Read from Bloomberg Almost all 27 member states were supportive of launching the negotiations around the time of the General Affairs Council meeting taking place in Luxembourg on June 25, according to people familiar with the matter. So far, however, issues raised by the Hungarian government have complicated an agreement on the framework that would allow the bloc to start the talks. Back in March, the European Commission proposed a negotiating framework to establish guidelines and principles for accession negotiations, following the EU leaders decision to open membership talks with Ukraine in December. Read more: EU Aims to Move Forward With Ukraine Accession Talks Next Week Belgium, which holds the EUs rotating presidency through the end of June, was pushing for starting the negotiations during its term. Hungary, which takes over on July 1, has been dragging its heels on the accession process with Kyiv and blocking key financial and military support for the Ukrainian government. EU ambassadors discussed Wednesday the negotiating frameworks for the accession process of Ukraine and Moldova proposed by the European Commission. Hungary continued to block a decision, citing concerns including the protection of Hungarian minorities in Ukraine, a longstanding demand that Brussels and Kyiv insist has been addressed, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. Budpaest also demanded other significant changes to the accession framework, including some related to trade, corruption and agriculture, an EU diplomat said. As a result, a decision is unlikely on Wednesday and could come when EU leaders gather for an informal dinner on June 17 following the European elections. Even with a green light from EU member states, the membership negotiations will take years, as the path to membership is lengthy and complicated. Croatia was the last country to join the bloc and its application lasted 10 years before it was formally accepted in 2013. What Ukraines EU Candidacy Means, and Whats Ahead: QuickTake (Updates with details of meeting in third to last paragraph. An earlier version corrected the location of the General Affairs Council meeting) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Insights from South China Morning Post, Table.Media, and Politico China Watcher The News European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spearheaded a tough-on-Beijing approach, marked by calls to de-risk from Chinas economy, investigations into Chinese imports, and new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles that could be announced next week. But that posture could weaken if far-right and far-left groups make considerable gains in the European Parliament elections that run June 6-9, experts say. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Far left and far right are friendlier to China Sources: South China Morning Post, Politico China Watcher Ursula von der Leyen is expected to hold on to the presidency, but both far-right and far-left groups are expected to gain seats in the parliament, along with clout and influence that could shift the blocs China stance. The factions on the fringes have consistently voted against legislation targeting China, the Association for International Affairs in Prague found, while centrist parties back tougher measures. Some far-left lawmakers have even introduced legislation echoing official Chinese government language. Beijing has been actively courting these same lawmakers, including holding in-person meetings, Politico reported. But the far rights China links are more in the spotlight Sources: German Marshall Fund, CNN Beijing is closely watching how far-right parties perform in particular: A strong showing in the EU, followed by elections in three German states later this year, could create an impression of political disarray, a German Marshall Fund fellow wrote, which could slow any legislation aimed at curbing Chinas ambitions. Last month, the office of Maximilian Krah, a German politician, was searched and his assistant arrested on suspicion of spying for China. (Krahs AfD party has since been expelled by a far-right coalition of parties in the European Parliament after Krah said Nazi SS soldiers were not all criminals.) European competitiveness is an election issue Source: Table.Media Domestic issues, not international tensions, are typically front-of-mind for voters in the European Union. But China is particularly relevant on the domestic front, as it affects competition and investment, according to Amelie Richter, EU-China reporter for Berlin-based news outlet Table.Media. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia especially, some politicians have claimed the EU is capitulating to China by phasing out traditional cars in favor of electric vehicles, a market China leads, for example. Belgium police conducted searches at the residence and office of a European Parliament employee in the Parliament building in Brussels as part of an investigation into possible Russian interference. Source: AP, citing the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Belgium, as reported by European Pravda. The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office said searches were also conducted in the office of the suspect in Strasbourg, where the headquarters of the European Parliament is located. The searches were carried out in partnership with Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, and French judicial authorities. Quote: "The searches are part of a case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization and relates to indications of Russian interference, whereby Members of the European Parliament were approached and paid to promote Russian propaganda via the Voice of Europe news website," the prosecutor's office stated. Prosecutors alleged that they believe the suspected employee played a "significant role" in this. Several Dutch media outlets reported that the suspect is MEP Marcel de Graaff from the far-right Forum for Democracy Dutch party. A person familiar with the investigation confirmed that these reports were accurate. Calls to de Graaff's office in the European Parliament went unanswered. Background: On 27 May, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on two individuals, including Viktor Medvedchuk, a former pro-Russian member of the Ukrainian parliament and close friend of Vladimir Putin, who is the godfather of Medvedchuks daughter; and one organisation spreading anti-civil society propaganda in the EU and adjacent countries. In particular, the EU Council has imposed restrictions on the resource Voice of Europe an online media outlet, which, according to the Council, is involved in a systematic international campaign of media manipulation and fact distortion in order to destabilise Ukraine, the EU, and its member states. As is known, the Belgian prosecutor's office is investigating possible Russian interference in the upcoming European Parliament elections based on information provided by intelligence services. Support UP or become our patron! The Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organisation's headquarters in Vienna By Francois Murphy and John Irish VIENNA/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany have circulated a draft resolution against Iran ahead of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board meeting next week and appear determined to push it despite opposition from their U.S. ally, three diplomats said on Wednesday. Reuters reported on May 24 that the U.S. and its European partners, known as the E3, were divided over whether to confront Iran with Washington fearing such a resolution could risk further escalation in the region and rock the boat ahead of November's U.S. election. "We are pushing the Americans, but they remain stuck in the thinking that nothing should be done to escalate with Iran," said a senior European official. "That has achieved nothing so far and we believe we need to show firmness now." Tehran bristles at such resolutions and often responds by stepping up its activities. It is 18 months since the International Atomic Energy Agency's board last passed a resolution against Iran, ordering it to cooperate urgently with a years-long IAEA investigation into uranium particles found at three undeclared sites, indicating the possibility of nuclear activity. While the number of sites in question has been narrowed to two, Iran still has not explained the traces. The number of other problems in Iran has also risen including Tehran barring many of the IAEA's top uranium-enrichment experts on the inspection team. Three diplomats said the E3 had shared a draft text with countries on the IAEAs 35-nation board. The diplomats said the resolution focuses on the probe and refers to the possibility of asking IAEA chief Rafael Grossi to provide a "comprehensive report" on Iran's nuclear activities more wide-ranging than his regular quarterly ones. It does not threaten to refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. They have yet to formally submit it, which could happen as late as early next week. Iran is enriching uranium to close to weapons-grade at a steady pace while discussions aimed at improving its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog are stalled, two confidential reports by the watchdog showed on Monday. Concern about Iran's atomic activities has been high for some time. It has been enriching uranium to 60% purity, still below the roughly 90% that is weapons-grade, for three years. It has enough material enriched to that level, if refined further, for three nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA measure. Western powers say there is no credible civilian energy purpose in enriching to that level, and the IAEA says no other country has done so without making a nuclear weapon. Iran says its objectives are entirely peaceful. The United States, however, has not wanted to seek another resolution against Iran at recent IAEA board meetings. Before the last one, in March, the European powers had already disagreed with Washington on whether to seek a resolution before backing down. (Reporting by John Irish and Francois Murphy; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Ukraine has identified three key points in the Formula for Peace that are endorsed even by those countries that do not fully support our country in times of war. They are all based on the United Nations (UN) Charter. ADVERTISIMENT This statement was made by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. He said this during a joint briefing with Portuguese Prime Minister Luiz Montenegro. Zelensky clarified that there are three priorities: nuclear safety, food security and humanitarian issues. "These points (of the Peace Formula - Ed.) are based on the UN Charter. We have taken three points - nuclear security, food security and humanitarian issues, which, by the way, include not only the exchange but also the return of Ukrainian children stolen by Russia and forcibly taken to Russia. These three points are very important. Perhaps we will also talk about nuclear security and attacks on Ukraine's energy sector," Zelensky said. He added that all countries are united around these three points, which is a positive signal for further work. ADVERTISIMENT "After that, at the technical level, our people, representatives of the leaders of all states, will work out the details of each of these points. If these three work, then we will also be able to solve everything else, if the countries really want to end this war," Zelensky said. The Head of State emphasized that the "grain corridor" was worked on according to this scheme, and it brought positive results. As a reminder, as Ukraine prepares for the June peace summit in Switzerland, where the Ukrainian Peace Formula will be discussed, two of Russia's BRICS allies have proposed holding an alternative summit. Brazil and China believe that a peaceful settlement should be discussed with the participation of both parties to the "armed conflict." ADVERTISIMENT Earlier it was reported that China has not yet been able to confirm the participation of its delegation in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. They assured that they are "ready to maintain" communication with the international community and "have always maintained a fair and objective position" on the "crisis in Ukraine," but did not give a specific answer. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! NEW YORK (PIX11) Former President Donald Trump claimed the charges against him were rigged even before the jury reached a decision in his New York hush money trial. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. But well see, Trump said Wednesday just after the jury started its deliberations. What weve learned so far in the Trump trial and what to watch for as it wraps up Jurors began deliberations after receiving instructions about the law governing the hush money case and what they can consider as they evaluate the former presidents guilt and innocence. Trump once again took aim at Judge Juan Merchan, saying he is conflicted. President Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro, who made remarks Tuesday outside the courthouse, were also targets of Trumps comments Wednesday at the courthouse. Hes a fool, the former president said of De Niro. Prosecutors say Trump falsified internal business records to cover up hush money payments tied to an alleged scheme to bury stories that might torpedo his 2016 White House bid. He has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts. Even still, Trump on Wednesday said he is still confident hell win the presidency in 2024. Were gonna win this election. Nov. 5 is going to be the most important day in the history of our country, Trump said. 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. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the states Regulation and Licensing Department are hosting an event to connect residents impacted by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon wildfires with licensed contractors. Story continues below The Contractor Connects event aims to help residents begin the rebuilding process and avoid contractor fraud. Disaster Case Managers will also be at the event to assist community members. The event is free and open to the public. Residents do not need to register to attend this event. The event will be held on June 1 at the Mora Elementary School gym from 9 a.m. to noon. To learn more about the event, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Katrina Pierson, a former national spokesperson for the former President Trumps 2016 campaign, secured victory Tuesday in her primary runoff race to unseat incumbent Texas state Rep. Justin Holland. Holland was among a handful of GOP incumbents targeted Tuesday for his votes against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Holland, who has represented his district since 2017, did not support Abbotts signature school voucher program and was among the dozens of Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton. He also voted to raise the age for purchasing assault rifles from 18 to 21. Abbott campaigned with Pierson leading up to the Tuesday night election. Paxton also endorsed her campaign. Abbott and Paxton took to social media to congratulated Pierson on her victory. Congratulations to @KatrinaPierson for DEFEATING Austin RINO Justin Holland, Paxtons campaign account posted on the social platform X. You have sent a strong message to Austin that if members continue to prioritize Democrats over our Conservative Agenda they will not return in 2026. Congratulations to @KatrinaPierson on an incredible VICTORY in her Republican Primary Runoff in House District 33! #txlege, Abbotts campaign account posted on X. The Hill has reached out to Hollands campaign for a 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 The Hill. Jenna Ellis has joined other ex-lawyers of Donald Trump in having their law license pulled in their home state, with the Colorado Supreme Court approving a deal Tuesday that will suspend her from practicing law there for three years. Its the latest fallout from the 2020 election to hit Ellis, who tearfully pleaded guilty in October to a felony in Georgia over her failed efforts to overturn Trumps loss there. Those efforts were central to Colorado officials attempts to bar Ellis from practicing law in the Centennial State, as Colorado law prohibits attorneys from practicing there while theyre incarcerated or on probation from a criminal conviction. Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell Captured on Tape Spilling to Prosecutors Ellis was sentenced to five years probation in the Georgia case and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. She also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their case against Trump and other co-defendants. In her Colorado agreement, Ellis conceded that she caused significant actual harm in a variety of ways and undermined the American publics confidence in the presidential election process, the Associated Press reported. Its a more lenient outcome for Ellis compared to others who concocted illegal ways for Trump to potentially undermine Joe Bidens election win. Big Lie Architect John Eastman Pleads Not Guilty to Arizona Election Charges Trump attorney John Eastman, nicknamed the architect of the ex-presidents attempts to subvert the 2020 election results, has been disbarred in California for his post-election work. The California Supreme Court is still to weigh in on the case definitively, but he is disbarred from practicing in the meantime. Rudy Giuliani, meanwhile, has had his law license suspended in Washington and New York, with efforts ongoing to make that situation permanent. For Ellis to be reinstated as a Colorado lawyer, shell have to successfully petition to the state starting in May 2027. Likely helping Ellis case has been her repeated public comments showing remorse for her role in the Big Lie. While disbarment is the presumptive sanction for (Ellis) misconduct, it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principle, Colorados Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel wrote in a stipulation over her suspension. She has also expressed remorse and has recognized the harm caused by her misconduct and has taken significant, concrete steps to mitigate the harm her misconduct has caused. In a letter dated May 22, Ellis explains that she pleaded guilty because I want to tell the truth. She expressed deep remorse and acknowledged the harm my misconduct caused. She added: I do not do this as a political calculation, out of anger toward my former client, or for any other ways some may try to undermine or discredit my statement here, which is simply this: I am choosing to take responsibility for my actions and my association with the harm caused to this nation by the post-election activities of 2020 on behalf of then-President Donald Trump. I was wrong to be involved. 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. Jenna Ellis reads a statement after pleading guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings, inside Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfees Fulton County Courtroom at the Fulton County Courthouse October 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia (Getty Images) Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has had her law license suspended for three years in her home state of Colorado for the lies she spread as part of an effort overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. The agreement was approved on Tuesday by the Colorado Supreme Court. Ellis could have been disbarred after pleading guilty in October to a felony in Georgia. A prosecutor in the case told the Georgia court that Ellis aided and abetted two Trump lawyers when they baselessly told Georgia state senators that tens of thousands of votes in the state were illegal. The governing body for lawyers in Colorado had already censured Ellis after she made false statements regarding the election, according to The Denver Post. While disbarment is the presumptive sanction for Respondents misconduct, it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal, the agreement states. Ellis also wrote a letter of remorse, saying that she turned a blind eye to the notion that Trump campaign lawyers were pushing falsities in their cynical Stop the Steal campaign. Jenna Ellis reads a statement after pleading guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings on 24 October, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia (Getty Images) She also wrote that having accepted her suspension, I will hopefully encourage others who may still believe that the election was stolen to consider changing their position. Everything that has come out since has not proven that claim. Her attorney, John Michal Richilano, told The Denver Post that unlike others in the Trump orbit, she stepped forward and took responsibility and told the truth. He added: She did this at considerable personal cost, having received threatening emails, texts and tweets, also of the obscene variety She gratefully accepted suspension of her license understanding her role and realizing, after the fact, that there was a lot of untruths being advanced on behalf of the former president. The agreement goes on to say that, The evidence surrounding her plea reflects that she aided and abetted the false statements at issue through her presence at the Georgia Senate Subcommittee meeting, but did not otherwise contribute to drafting or preparing the false statements. She has also expressed remorse and has recognized the harm caused by her misconduct, it states. Ellis acknowledged in her agreement with the state that disbarment was the presumptive sanction for her misconduct and "her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal. File Photo via Fulton County Sheriff's Office/UPI May 29 (UPI) -- Former President Donald Trump's lawyer Jenna Ellis on Tuesday was given a three-year law license suspension by Colorado's Supreme Court. The license suspension stems from the Fulton County indictment in her alleged role in the strategy to reverse the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. "While serving as a senior legal advisor to the then-President of the United States and as counsel for his reelection campaign," according to Colorado Supreme Court documents, Ellis "repeatedly made misrepresentations on national television and on Twitter, undermining the American public's confidence in the 2020 presidential election." Ellis, of Longmont, Colo., in October pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements in the former president's alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. She agreed to five years' probation, paying $5,000 in restitution within 30 days, 100 hours of community service and wrote an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia. While serving as a senior legal advisor to the then-President of the United States and as counsel for his reelection campaign, according to Colorado Supreme Court documents, Ellis repeatedly made misrepresentations on national television and on Twitter, undermining the American publics confidence in the 2020 presidential election. Photo courtesy of Instagram Ellis also faced potential full disbarment. Ellis joins other former Trump attorneys, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who have so far gotten suspended or disbarred. Ellis, 39, was admitted to Colorado's bar October 2011. She acknowledged in her agreement with the state that while disbarment was the "presumptive sanction" for her particular misconduct, "it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal." As part of her three-year suspension, Ellis in a May 22 letter wrote how she "will gratefully accept" the outcome as she explained her reasoning. She was "overly zealous," she said, in the way she believed what she was told by Trump's inner circle and "turned a blind eye to the possibility that senior lawyers for the Trump Campaign were embracing claims they knew or should have known were false. I just went along with it." Ellis admitted that she largely failed to perform due diligence, adding how "millions have been misled by the cynical 'Stop the Steal' campaign." "Since my involvement in the Trump Campaign's challenges to the election results," she wrote, "I have learned of the bad faith dealing and outright illegality of some actors involved." "For example, I did not know at the time of the campaign's commissioned investigation into the 2020 election results, or that the President was notified in December 2020 that he had lost," Ellis continued. "A lot of new information has come out, which I encourage the public to consider." Her lawyer, John Richilano, told The Denver Post that "unlike others in the Trump orbit," Ellis "stepped forward and took responsibility and told the truth." Richilano said Ellis did so "at considerable personal cost" and was victim to threatening emails, texts and social media activity "of the obscene variety." Along with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other co-defendants, Ellis recently pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges accusing each of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. "She gratefully accepted suspension of her license, understanding her role and realizing, after the fact, that there was a lot of untruths being advanced on behalf of the former President," her attorney says. Exclusive-Nicotine-like chemicals in U.S. vapes may be more potent than nicotine, FDA says By Emma Rumney LONDON (Reuters) -Nicotine alternatives used in vapes being launched in the U.S. and abroad, such as 6-methyl nicotine, may be more potent and addictive than nicotine itself, though the scientific data remains incomplete, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and independent researchers. The synthetic substances - which have a chemical structure similar to that of nicotine - are not subject to U.S. tobacco and vaping regulations that are designed to control traditional nicotine, a highly addictive drug. That means manufacturers can sell vapes containing synthetic nicotine analogues such as 6-methyl nicotine in the United States without seeking authorisation from the FDA - a process that can be costly, time-consuming and is often unsuccessful. Big tobacco firms like Altria Group and British American Tobacco have already lost substantial U.S. sales to an influx of disposable vapes containing traditional nicotine that are being illegally sold without FDA authorisation. Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes in the United States, highlighted the emerging use of 6-methyl nicotine in vapes and other smoking alternatives in a May 9 letter to the FDA, according to a copy of the correspondence posted on its website. It urged the agency to evaluate the compounds and establish what authority it had over them, warning they posed a "new threat" to regulation of the sector. "The introduction and growth of chemicals intended to imitate the effects of nicotine, if left unchecked, could present unknown risks to U.S. consumers and undermine FDAs authority," the letter said. It cited SPREE BAR, a vape launched in October by Charlie's Holdings Inc that uses 6-methyl nicotine. The FDA does not comment on its correspondence with individual firms. In response to Reuters' questions about 6-methyl nicotine and other nicotine alternatives, the FDA said in a statement: "Although more research is needed, some emerging data show these nicotine analogs may be more potent than nicotine which is already highly addictive, can alter adolescent brain development and have long-term effects on youth's attention, learning and memory." Traditional nicotine found in many vapes and pouches is extracted from tobacco leaves. 6-methyl nicotine, in contrast, is made entirely in the lab using chemicals. The FDA said it was considering the use of such synthetic compounds from an "agency-wide perspective" and would use all of its resources to protect youth from products that may harm their health. As well as tobacco products, the FDA also regulates drugs, foods, cosmetics and more to ensure safety and efficacy. "The FDA is a data-driven agency, and we're in the process of reviewing the available data to inform potential actions in this space," it said in response to Reuters' questions. Three academic researchers told the news agency that current studies of 6-methyl nicotine are too limited to draw definite conclusions on the health impact or to what degree it is addictive. Imad Damaj, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University, said his research showed 6-methyl nicotine may be more potent than nicotine, but more extensive tests were needed to say what impact it has on humans. The limitations of existing research included that some papers were industry funded, while others focused on the short-term impact on animals or cells and were insufficient to understand 6-methyl nicotine's effects on human bodies, the researchers said. Charlie's Holdings calls the 6-methyl nicotine solution used in SPREE BAR Metatine. SPREE BAR's website says Metatine "may have a toxicity profile similar to nicotine". Charlie's Holdings co-founder Ryan Stump acknowledged that more research is needed on 6-methyl nicotine, adding that the company dilutes it in its products. SPREE BAR promises users 6,000 puffs from each device and offers fruity flavours including "blue razz ice" and "creamy melon", according to its website. The FDA has yet to approve any flavoured vape using traditional nicotine for sale in the United States, saying companies have not been able to show that the health benefits they offer to smokers outweigh the known risks to young people, who may be more attracted by the flavours. Stump told Reuters that the company only targets adults, adding that flavours played an important role in its mission to help smokers quit cigarettes. He said Charlie's Holdings respects and abides by laws in every market where it operates. TARGETING INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Anes Saleh sells SPREE BAR in his vape shop in Denver, Colorado, called Sultan Smoke. He said he has some customers who only buy Spree Bar instead of a nicotine vape and he hasn't had any negative feedback on the product. "The only... protest I would hear about people not wanting to try this is that they don't know what Metatine is or does," he said. The American Vapor Manufacturers Association said in a statement that the FDA had banned vaping products that many U.S. smokers used to quit cigarettes. That fuels the black market and risks pushing people back towards smoking, Allison Boughner, the association's vice president, said. Stump said that Charlie's Holdings is working on new varieties of SPREE BAR and new products using 6-methyl nicotine. It will launch SPREE BAR internationally this year. He declined to say where. The company buys the 6-methyl nicotine solution used in SPREE BAR from another U.S. firm, Novel Compounds, according to Novel Compounds' founder Samuel Benaim. Novel Compounds imports 6-methyl nicotine from overseas and alters it to make it easier for manufacturers like Charlie's Holdings to use in their products. It sells this solution under the trade name imotine. Tests commissioned by Novel Compounds have found 6-methyl nicotine to be no more harmful than nicotine, Benaim said. But he also said that more research was needed into the chemical. Benaim added that Novel Compounds had received legal advice that its product is not classified as a tobacco product or drug in the United States. The company is committed to legal compliance, he said. MORE POTENT THAN NICOTINE? Sven Jordt, a professor at Duke University, who has authored papers on products like SPREE BAR, said 6-methyl nicotine could be more addictive and toxic than its traditional cousin. "Do we want to have such a chemical as a recreational product, available to anyone?," he asked. "That's really questionable." Neither Jordt nor Damaj - the professor at Virginia Commonwealth University - have received funding from tobacco or vape makers. As well as the United States, Novel Compounds also sells its 6-methyl nicotine solution around the world, including in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India and Japan. Another company, Aroma King, sells 6-methyl nicotine in the United Kingdom in pouches, which users insert under the lip to get a buzz. The pouches are sold in cans emblazoned with graphics of gorillas in suits and sunglasses. It said in a February blog post that its 6-methyl nicotine products were "less toxic", "less harmful", and "less addictive" than regular nicotine products. In a statement to Reuters, Aroma King cited existing research, its own toxicology and other tests and its supplier, which classifies 6-methyl nicotine as less toxic under the European Union's Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP) Regulation. Aroma King said 6-methyl nicotine was self-classified by its supplier. It declined to say who supplies it with the chemical. Four Chinese companies hold patents in China related to the production of 6-methyl nicotine, including Zinwi Biotech, a company that makes the liquid used in vapes. Zinwi Biotech confirmed it is researching 6-methyl nicotine but did not answer further questions, including on whether it has sold any 6-methyl nicotine so far. Reuters was unable to find contact details for the other firms. (Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Matt Scuffham and Daniel Flynn) Ukraine has agreed with Spain to help strengthen our country's air defense. This includes both air defense systems and ammunition for them. Portugal is also providing armored vehicles to the Ukrainian military and money for shells as part of a Czech initiative. ADVERTISIMENT This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lisbon during a meeting with the Portuguese Prime Minister. The Head of State spoke about the need to adopt bilateral security agreements that provide for long-term commitments of states to supply military assistance, and noted that a number of agreements "already exist now." Zelensky emphasized that air defense is now a priority. Among these agreements is an agreement with countries that have air defense systems. "As for Spain, for example. We have indeed had the relevant agreements, and there will be additional air defense for specific systems and missiles. I just don't want to talk about some of the details now, until these systems arrive, because people in Ukraine are waiting for them like a sip of water in the desert," he added. Separately, Zelensky noted the allocation of 100 million euros for the purchase of artillery shells for our country as part of the Czech Republic's initiative and Portugal's participation in training the personnel of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. ADVERTISIMENT "But this is now. Air defense is now, artillery is now, armored vehicles are now," he emphasized. As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Netherlands wants to provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense and missile defense system. To do this, they will allocate the main components from their own stocks and invite European countries to join the initiative. The head of the country's Defense Ministry, Keesa Ollongren, called on the allies to contribute. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Don't fall for fakes! Texas elementary school students would get a significant dose of Bible knowledge with their reading instruction under a sweeping curriculum redesign unveiled Wednesday. From the story of Queen Esther who convinced her husband, the Persian king, to spare the Jews to the depiction of Christs last supper, the material is designed to draw connections between classroom content and religious texts. If youre reading classic works of American literature, there are often religious allusions in that literature, state education Commissioner Mike Morath told The 74. Any changes being made are to reinforce the kind of background knowledge on these seminal works of the American cultural experience. Texas education Commissioner Mike Morath said students need some context from the Bible to wrestle with ideas in great works of literature. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) With the potential to reach over 2 million K5 students in the nations second-largest state, the update marks a big step in a movement embraced by conservatives to root young peoples education in what they consider traditional values. But its bound to raise questions about the potential for religious indoctrination in a state that has been a battleground for such disputes. Last year, for example, Texas passed a law allowing chaplains to work as school counselors. It is reasonable to devote some attention to [the Bible], and state education standards across the nation often require such attention, said Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The problem, of course, is that sometimes the legitimate reason of cultural literacy is used as a smokescreen to hide religious and ideological agendas. In an interview with a Christian talk show, GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who describes himself as a Christian first, conservative second, praised the curriculum changes, saying they will get us back to teaching, not necessarily the Bible per se, but the stories from the Bible. The release comes four days after the state Republican party passed a platform calling on the legislature and the state Board of Education to require instruction on the Bible. Texas education department officials declined to comment on the platform and have emphasized that the new curriculum includes material from other faiths. Related: Final Showdown Over ESAs in Texas as Abbott Looks to Oust Conservative Opponents While largely hidden from public view, the redesign sparked behind-the-scenes debate long before its release. When a leading curriculum publisher balked at the states request to infuse its offerings with biblical content, Texas officials turned to other vendors. They include conservative Christian Hillsdale College in Michigan and the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation, which supported an unsuccessful effort to require the 10 Commandments in every classroom, according to a list obtained by The 74. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told a Christian radio show that the state is working on a curriculum that will add stories from the Bible. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Great works of literature Going far beyond typical reading and writing fundamentals, the new lessons draw on history, science and the arts what many people call this classical model of education, Morath said. To understand Number the Stars, a book about a Jewish family hiding in Denmark during World War II, he said students should understand more about Jewish cultural practices and the vilification of this ethnic minority. A unit on Fighting for a Cause, one of several that officials shared with The 74, includes the Old Testament story of Esther and how she and her cousin Mordecai fought for what they knew was right and made a difference that not only affected the Jews of Persia but also Jewish people today. The mentions range in size from a page on Esther to a few paragraphs about Samuel Adams at the Continental Congress. His plea to fellow delegates to pray together, despite religious differences, is offered as a first-grade vocabulary lesson on the word compromise. Fifth graders are asked to read Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Written after his 1963 arrest for leading a march against segregation, King compared his act of civil disobedience to the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel. Caption: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., third from right, walked to a press conference in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 15, 1963, about a month after he was arrested for a demonstration against racism and wrote Letter from a Birmingham Jail. (Bettmann/Contributor) If you dont know who Nebuchadnezzar is, you dont know what [Kings] talking about, Morath said. How do you make sure that you can unlock in the minds of our kids their ability to wrestle with ideas that have surfaced in great works of literature? Not just literature, but art. A lesson on The Last Supper, da Vincis Renaissance masterpiece, points fifth graders to the New Testament. The Bible explains that Jesus knew that after this meal, he would be arrested, put on trial, and killed, the text reads. Lets read the story in the book of Matthew to see for ourselves what unfolded during the supper. Curriculum revisions include details on Leonardo da Vincis 15th century masterpiece, The Last Supper. (Wikimedia) While drawing parallels to religious texts, Morath said the lessons would respect bright lines regarding the separation of church and state. This is still a curriculum for public school and weve designed it to be appropriate in that setting, he said. Texas School Textbooks Bible Stories Slideshow: New religious-related material in a proposed Texas elementary school reading program includes Old Testament references to the Liberty Bell, an exploration of the meaning of the Jewish holiday Purim and the story of Christs last supper. (Texas Education Agency) The role of Amplify The redesign builds on a $19 million K-5 English language arts curriculum delivered during the pandemic by Amplify, a leading publisher based in New York. Roughly 400 districts have used their materials since 2021. Some teachers give them high marks for building students vocabulary and comprehension. But not everyone has been pleased. Last year, Morath met with conservative parents who decried its emphasis on mythology and minimal attention to Christianity. Theres one mention of Jesus, that he was a teacher a couple thousand years ago, said Jamie Haynes, who runs a website on concerning curriculum and library books. The only other time we can find God, our God the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is in the American unit. State education Commissioner Mike Morath met last year with conservative parents concerned about lessons in the states reading curriculum, which is based largely on Amplifys Core Knowledge Language Arts. (Captured from YouTube) The issue of how and whether to incorporate religious content was fraught long before the curriculum reached school districts. State officials asked Amplify to provide a lesson on the story of Esther and suggested a unit on Exodus, said Alexandra Walsh, the companys chief product officer. While it had previously tweaked its curriculum for other states, Walsh said the company had never been asked to add biblical material. And when it suggested inserting content from other world religions, the state rejected the idea, said Amplify spokeswoman Kristine Frech. There was not much appetite for a variety of wisdom texts, she said. There was much more of an appetite for the tie to traditional Christian texts. The company opted against bidding on a contract to provide additional revisions. In a statement, Texas education officials dismissed Amplifys charge that they turned down material from other religions as completely false and stressed that the finished product includes representation from multiple faiths. But the state declined to specify how many of the new lessons have religious themes or derive from Judeo-Christian sources. Caption: J. Robert Oppenheimer, right, who played a leading role in developing the atomic bomb, looked at a photo of the explosion over Nagasaki, Japan. (Bettmann/Contributor) In an interview with The 74, Morath pointed to a World War II lesson that focuses on J. Robert Oppenheimers famous reaction upon witnessing the explosion of the first atomic bomb in Los Alamos: Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. The words, featured prominently in the recent Oscar-winning film, derive from the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture. Kindergarteners studying the Golden Rule would learn that the idea comes from the Christian Bible, according to the text, but that similar principles can be found in the ancient books of Islam and Hinduism. Another section on the Renaissance highlights Muslim settlers in Spain and their contributions to philosophy, poetry and astronomy. Biblical literacy After Amplify bowed out, the state awarded an $84 million contract to the Boston-based Public Consulting Group to revise the curriculum. For the reading program, the company worked closely with several authors who specialize in Texas history, including its role in westward expansion and launching the national space program, according to a list of vendors provided by the state. Related: The Mystery of Ryan Walters: How a Beloved History Teacher Became Oklahomas Culture-Warrior-in-Chief But it also leaned on conservative organizations steeped in the culture wars. Contracts went to two officials at the Texas Public Policy Foundation: Courtnie Bagley, the think tanks education director, and Thomas Lindsay, a higher education director and vocal opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The foundation, which called the 10 Commandments bill an important step in bringing faith-based values back to the forefront of our society, declined to comment on their contributions. Public Consulting Group officials also did not respond to questions. Hillsdale, another vendor, is a major player in advancing classical education. It authored the 1776 Curriculum, a civics and history model that emphasizes American exceptionalism and is a favorite of conservatives opposed to lessons on institutional racism. When the Florida Department of Education rejected dozens of math textbooks in 2020, citing content influenced by critical race theory, a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald analysis showed two Hillsdale representatives objected to the proposed materials. Related Classical Academies: What if Educations Next Big Thing is 2,500 Years Old? The state did not respond to questions on the role Hilldale and the Texas Public Policy Foundation played in the new curriculum. Hillsdale officials said they provided their feedback free of charge. Hillsdale never profits from its work in K-12, nor does it accept one penny from federal, state or local taxpayers, said spokeswoman Emily Davis. She added, Religion is taught for the sake of cultural literacy, not to promote a particular religion. Originally the province of well-heeled private or parochial schools, classical education has blossomed in recent years both as a response to pandemic lockdowns and what some parents view as progressive trends in traditional public schools. The philosophy is rooted in the liberal arts and historical texts, with a sharp focus on the Greek and Roman foundations of Western civilization. They're going to need to have some biblical literacy, if only to interpret John Milton, or Dante or Shakespeare. Robert Jackson, Flagler College The movement entertains healthy debate about the role of religion, but most practitioners agree that giving students a strong body of knowledge requires the use of primary sources, including the Bible. Theyre going to need to have some biblical literacy, if only to interpret John Milton, or Dante or Shakespeare, said Robert Jackson, who runs the Institute for Classical Education at Floridas Flagler College. Devotional in nature In Texas, the proposed changes would go far beyond any previous attempt to inject biblical content into its classrooms. https://www.texasstandard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bible-Stories-in-Public-Schools-053024.mp3 A 2007 state law allows school districts to offer high school electives on the Bible. Demand has been extremely low, however. According to the Texas Education Agency, just over 1,200 of the states 1.7 million high school students took the course this year. But even with their limited scope and popularity, the courses offer ample fodder for skeptics. Writing for the Texas Freedom Network, a religious liberty and civil rights organization, Chancey, the Southern Methodist professor, found the courses to be explicitly devotional in nature. Despite requirements for teachers to complete special training and maintain religious neutrality, Chancey wrote that the Protestant Bible was the preferred text in these courses, while Catholic, Hebrew and Eastern Orthodox Bibles were presented as deviations from the norm. In several districts, the courses were taught by local ministers. Sometimes the legitimate reason of cultural literacy is used as a smokescreen to hide religious and ideological agendas. Mark Chancey, Southern Methodist University The state is now working with a much larger canvas: not a mere elective, but an entire elementary reading curriculum, with a potential audience of millions of students. Officials are quick to point out that adoption of the new program is voluntary. But a potential $60 per-student incentive it is offering for participation may make it difficult for cash-strapped school systems to refuse. The updated materials are now open for public review and are scheduled to go before the state Board of Education for approval this fall. Aicha Davis, a Democrat on the Republican-led board, predicted they would totally support something like that. It doesnt surprise me that this is happening, she said. FILE PHOTO: Vigil to pay tribute to the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Iranian Ambassador's residence in Jakarta By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States will boycott a United Nations tribute on Thursday to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed earlier this month in a helicopter crash, a U.S. official said. The 193-member U.N. General Assembly traditionally meets to pay tribute to any world leader who was a sitting head of state at the time of their death. The tribute will feature speeches about Raisi. "We won't attend this event in any capacity," a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. The U.S. boycott has not previously been reported. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment. Raisi, a hardliner who had been seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed when his helicopter came down in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border on May 19. "The United Nations should be standing with the people of Iran, not memorializing their decades-long oppressor," said the U.S. official. "Raisi was involved in numerous, horrific human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political prisoners in 1988." "Some of the worst human rights abuses on record, especially against the women and girls of Iran, took place during his tenure," the official said. The U.N. Security Council stood at the beginning of an unrelated meeting for a moment of silence on May 20 to remember the victims of the helicopter crash. Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood reluctantly stood with his 14 counterparts. The United States expressed its "official condolences" for Raisi's death, the State Department said on May 20. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby also said that day: "No question this was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands." U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was strongly criticized by some Republican members of Congress for offering condolences to Iran. Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021 and in office ordered a tightening of morality laws, oversaw a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman) Iranian members of the diaspora and activists gather at the Lincoln Memorial in the National Mall, Washington D.C., during the 'United Against Executions in Iran' protest on Jan. 27, 2024. Credit - Ali KhalighMiddle East Images/AFP/Getty Images The number of executions around the world soared last year to its highest since 2015, driven by a sharp rise in the use of the death penalty in Iran. At least 1,153 people were executed by governments in 2023, the highest number in eight years, according to a report from Amnesty International released on May 29. Nearly three quarters of all publicly documented executions were enacted by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which executed 853 people this year. The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offenses, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Irans most marginalized and impoverished communities, Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General said in a press release. Iran has ramped up its number of executions, with numbers rising by 48% in 2023, up from 576 executions in 2022 Religious and ethnic minorities were disproportionately subjected to the death penalty, particularly Irans Baluchi ethnic minority which makes up only 5% of the population but represented 20% of all executions in 2023, Amnesty found. The recent surge in executions is thought to be due to the regime's attempt to deter protesters after mass demonstrations swept the country in 2022, according to Amnesty. Protests initially started as a reaction to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was killed in police custody after she was arrested for not wearing her hijab in accordance with the standards of the Islamic Republic. They quickly spread across the country, with hundreds of thousands of Iranians taking to the streets and many chanting slogans calling for the fall of the government. The Islamic Republic has a long history of using capital punishment to deter political unrest. Within their first three years of taking power after 1979, the regime executed more than 4,000 people. Irans former President Ebrahim Raisi, who was recently killed in an unexpected helicopter crash, personally oversaw mass executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Read More: Why Some Iranians Refuse to Mourn President Ebrahim Raisi Other countries that carried out significant numbers of executions this year include Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States. Saudi Arabia carried out the second highest number of executions, killing at least 172 people this year, which is approximately 15% of the total number of executions tallied by Amnesty in 2023. Amnestys data excludes executions carried out by China, which is believed to execute thousands of people every year but keeps the exact number a state secret. The United States carried out 24 executions in 2023, up from 18 the previous year. These executions took place in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, and Florida. Internationally, at least 508 executions took place for drug-related offenses in 2023, in violation of international law. Though international law does not bar the death penalty, it prohibits its use in cases of drug related charges, espionage and robbery. At least 545 executions carried out in Iran are believed to be in violation of international law, and more than half were due to drug-related charges, Amnesty said. Contact us at letters@time.com. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A former longtime police chief and training expert sat down with News 8 Wednesday after charges were announced Tuesday against a Michigan State Police detective sergeant who hit a suspect with a cruiser during a pursuit. Murder charge filed against MSP sgt. who hit man with unmarked cruiser Roy Taylor said that law enforcement officers are not trained to chase people in cars. Instead, they are taught to pursue someone on foot when the suspect is also on foot. When you look at the statistics, usually three out of four police chases end up in a crash and injuries, Taylor said. Just like (the chase in which a Kent County deputy hit 17-year-old Riley Doggett) did. Just like (the chase in which a trooper hit 25-year-old Samuel Sterling). It ended up in death. MSP Detective Sgt. Brian Keely, 50, was charged after body camera footage showed his unmarked cruiser strike Sterling. A file image of Detective Sgt. Brian Keely. (Courtesy Michigan State Police) Family shows News 8 a photo of Samuel Sterling. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that Keelys actions that day were legally grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm. Keely was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter. This is not proper procedure. We do not use your vehicle for this, Taylor said. In a statement, civil rights attorney Ben Crump who is representing Sterlings family alongside attorney Ven Johnson said: We are grateful that the officer responsible for Samuels death will answer for his actions that robbed Samuel of his life. There is absolutely no excuse for running over another human being with a vehicle we are grateful that state leadership in Michigan agrees. In the video, we can see this officer clearly create a dangerous situation and pursue Samuel using tactics that Michigan Governor Whitmer has stated were a departure from MSP protocol. These charges should serve as a stark warning to law enforcement that their actions have consequences, especially when those actions, which we see all too often, take another life. With each ounce of justice, we move closer to equitable policing and a world with fewer tragedies like the one that ended Samuels life. Ben Crump Taylor also reviewed the case that led to Doggetts death. A Kent County sheriffs deputy pursued Doggett in a cruiser after Doggett and the driver of a stolen Range Rover dumped the Range Rover and ran away on foot. An undated photo of Riley Doggett. (Courtesy Taylor Daniels) No charges for Kent County deputy after teen hit by cruiser Why was he chasing the passenger and not the driver? What is he going to charge the passenger with? The passenger wasnt the one driving the vehicle, eluding the police and disobeying traffic laws, Taylor said. So I think he made a bad choice right off the bat. The Kent County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday that it will not file charges in the case. Continuing to pursue the young man in the vehicle and attempting to cut him off, again, thats not something police officers are trained to do, Taylor said. Taylor said that in the wake of the two high-profile cases, he hopes the attorney generals office will use the incidents as a way to clarify police training and policies moving forward. So again, now everybody has been put on notice that this behavior will not be tolerated, and this is what is recommended that you do in those situations where you want to chase somebody on foot, he said. Defense attorney Sarissa Montague could not talk specifics on either case, but she told News 8 that prosecutors are given discretion as to when they will or will not charge someone. Generally, a prosecutor must have probable cause to show that a suspect committed a crime before issuing a charge. But Montague noted that prosecutors often apply a higher standard, considering what the evidence will be when they take a case to trial. That standard is whether the charge can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, with the information known at that time, she said. So there is a process that takes place. There are standards that are put in place for prosecuting offices to guide essentially whether or not charges are going to be issued. And I think its important to know that those standards exist and generally are followed. And I think thats how you can see two cases that on the surface are very similar, but one gets treated one way and one gets treated another. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Explosion rings out in Kharkiv: Air Force report launch of bombs An explosion was heard in the city of Kharkiv during an air raid, and the Air Force warned of guided aerial bombs being dropped on Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram; Air Force; Suspilne; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Quote from Terekhov: "An explosion has been heard in Kharkiv. Be careful!" Details: Suspilne also reported the explosion, and the Air Force warned of launches of guided aerial bombs in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. "Guided aerial bombs have been launched on Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts." Updated: Later, Syniehubov reported that the Russians had struck an open area in the Kharkiv district at around 10:35. The official added that there was no information about casualties so far. Support UP or become our patron! The fighter jet went down near International Sunport in Albuquerque An F-35 military fighter jet has crashed into a hillside in New Mexico. The fighter jet went down near International Sunport in Albuquerque while on route to an Air Force base in California. The pilot, the only person on board, survived the crash but was seriously injured, according to officials. US manufacturer Lockheed Martin identified the downed plane as an F-35 that left Fort Worth, Texas, earlier on Tuesday and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles. A spokesperson for Lockheed told The Associated Press that the fighter jet crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Neither of the Air Force bases immediately responded to requests for more information. F-35s are stealth jets are designed to carry out tactical nuclear bombing and are capable of conducting air-to-air missions and intelligence gathering. The 377th Air Base Wing, in Kirtland, conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. Its also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory. Patrick White, who was driving in the area at the time of the crash, said he saw the aircraft trailing low to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. He said it briefly disappeared from his line of sight, and then he saw an enormous plume of black smoke. When he drove past the crash, he said he saw a piece of the fighter jet in the middle of the road. It marks the second crash of a military plane in New Mexico in the past month. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon went down in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state, leaving that pilot with minor injuries after he ejected from the aircraft. 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. Fact Check: Clint Eastwood Purportedly Said Dems Would Have Built a Border Wall Years Ago if 'Illegal People' Voted for Republicans. Here's the Truth Claim: Clint Eastwood said, "This is a FACT: If illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans, the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago." Rating: Rating: Misattributed On May 28, 2024, X user @NikkiPreston107 posted that legendary Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood once made a remark about Republicans, Democrats and the prospect of a southwest U.S. border wall. The quote in the posted meme read, "This is a FACT: if illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans, the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago." A rumor claimed Clint Eastwood once said the words this is a fact if illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago. In 2018, Relevant Magazine reported former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. once posted the same meme and added the caption, "Love this quote by Clint Eastwood." A rumor claimed Clint Eastwood once said the words this is a fact if illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago. First, to be clear, noncitizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal, state and most local elections (USA.gov offers more details about who can and cannot vote in U.S. elections). As for the Eastwood quote meme, Snopes found no documentary record of the quote in any books, newspapers, online searches or social media posts with proof he or any other famous person ever said those words. Online users misattributed the quote to Eastwood. It's unclear who originally created the meme featuring the bogus quote alongside the picture of Eastwood. We also don't know when or where the meme's creator first posted the image. It's possible the meme's creator only included Eastwood's photo as an example of a serious face next to the political thought. Then, on later dates, other users incorrectly assumed Eastwood's inclusion in the meme must have meant the quote originated with him. Quote-meme creators sometimes exploit the names and/or photos of actors who audiences believe might "tell it like it is," whether or not there is evidence those actors spoke the words in question. Popular examples of such actors include Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Denzel Washington, among others. For further reading, we previously reported about another quote shared with Eastwood's name, claiming he once penned an opinion piece favorable to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The piece began with the words, "I love when people call Trump stupid." Sources: "Did Jerry Falwell Jr. Share a Bogus Clint Eastwood Quote Shaming Undocumented Immigrants?" Relevant Magazine, 5 June 2018, https://relevantmagazine.com/current/nation/why-did-jerry-falwell-jr-share-a-bogus-clint-eastwood-quote-shaming-undocumented-immigrants/. "Who Can and Cannot Vote." USA.gov, https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote. Fact Check: Posts Claim Trump Jury Doesn't Have to Unanimously Agree on What Crime He Committed to Convict Him. Here's the Truth Claim: The judge in former U.S. President Donald Trump's hush-money trial told jurors they didn't have to unanimously agree on which crime Trump committed for his conviction so long as they agreed that some crime occurred. Rating: Rating: False Context: The jury must unanimously agree on Trump's guilt of falsifying business records in the first degree (he faces 34 counts of this crime). A first-degree charge of falsification of business records requires a "predicate crime" for which the falsification was plausibly intended to cover up. The jury does not need to agree on the predicate crime for a conviction. On May 29, 2024, the jury in former U.S. President Donald Trump's trial over alleged hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels began their deliberations. Immediately after the publication of Justice Juan Merchan's instructions to the jury, numerous pundits and politicians including Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida claimed the judge told the jury that "they don't have to unanimously agree on which crime was committed as long as they all at least pick one." This claim was not true. In this trial, Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. For a guilty conviction on each of these counts, the jury must unanimously agree on Trump's guilt, as is clear in the jury instructions: Your verdict, on each count you consider, whether guilty or not guilty, must be unanimous. The misinformation arises from the legal requirements for a conviction of first-degree falsification of business records. Such a crime requires not only the demonstrated falsification of a business record, but also the existence of some other crime for which the falsification was plausibly carried out to hide: For the count of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, the intent to defraud must include an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof. Under our law, although the People must prove an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof, they need not prove that the other crime was in fact committed, aided, or concealed. This other crime is referred to as the "predicate crime." During the trial, Merchan allowed New York prosecutors to present evidence pertaining to three possible predicate crimes: violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act; the falsification of other business records; or a violation of tax laws. As explained in his jury instructions, the jury does not have to unanimously agree on the predicate crime, just that one existed: Although you must conclude unanimously that the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were. In determining whether the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you may consider the following unlawful means: (1) violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act otherwise known as FECA; (2) the falsification of other business records; or (3) violation of tax laws. Before Merchan issued his instructions, Trump's defense argued that the jury should be instructed to agree on a predicate crime as well, something the judge ruled against. Because the jury must be unanimous on each count of the crime Trump is charged with falsification of business records in the first degree for a conviction on that count, the claim that the jury was instructed that they need not unanimously convict Trump, or that they could propose their own crime to convict him of, is "False." Sources: "FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN THE FIRST DEGREE." New York Penal Code, vol. 175.10, https://nycourts.gov/judges/cji/2-PenalLaw/175/175.10.pdf. Gerstein, Josh. "Judge: To Convict Trump of Felonies, Jury Does Not Need to Unanimously Agree on What 'predicate' Crime He Committed." Politico, 21 May 2024, https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/05/21/trump-hush-money-criminal-trial/no-unanimity-needed-for-predicate-crimes-00159225. Post-Summation Instructions: People V Donald J. Trump. New York Courts, https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/press/PDFs/People%20v.%20DJT%20Jury%20Instructions%20and%20Charges%20FINAL%205-23-24.pdf. Protess, Ben, and Jonah E. Bromwich. "Live Updates: Jury Wraps First Day of Deliberations in Trump Hush-Money Trial." The New York Times, 29 May 2024. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/29/nyregion/trump-trial-hush-money. Fact Check: The Truth Behind Claims These Were the Last Known Images of Princess Di Before She Died Claim: Two photographs of Princess Diana, in which only her hair is visible, were the last ones taken of her before she was fatally injured in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997. Rating: Rating: Miscaptioned The last moments before the car carrying Diana, Princess of Wales, crashed into a concrete pillar in Paris in 1997, killing three out of four passengers in the car, were extensively documented by photographers; in fact, the taking of those photographs contributed to the crash itself. According to the jury's decision in a 2008 inquest, Princess Diana, her partner Dodi Al Fayed, and their chauffeur Henri Paul died primarily as a combined result of Paul's inebriation behind the wheel and his attempt to outrun paparazzi chasing them. Photos Taken Just Before Crash Many claim that two photos captured in quick succession were the last ones taken of her alive. As they were taken through the front windshield, only her hair is visible. Al Fayed is partially visible at her side in one image, while Paul sits in the driver's seat, and Al Fayed's body guard, Trevor Rees-Jones (the only survivor), sits to his right. (Getty Images) French photographer Jacques Langevin took the photographs as Diana and Al Fayed left their hotel before the deadly crash. Langevin later stated in an interview with CBS that the Sygma Agency assigned him to the Ritz Paris hotel to take photographs of Diana and Al Fayed. After taking the above photographs, Langevin claimed that he left to rejoin friends for dinner and arrived at the scene of the crash by chance approximately 15 minutes later, after the police had arrived. Several paparazzi did admit to chasing the car as it fled the hotel, and approximately 10 minutes later, the black Mercedes crashed inside the Pont de l'Alma tunnel at about 12:23 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1997. Paul was driving the car at more than twice the legal speed limit. (The Washington Post) Many claim that the paparazzi took additional photos of Diana after the crash but before the ambulance took her to the hospital, where she died around 4 a.m., which would mean that the two photos Langevin took were not the last taken of her alive. "There are pictures of her dying," one Reddit user commented on the above post. "Instead of helping the paparazzi just took pictures of the accident." Were Photos Taken of Diana After the Crash but Before She Died? We looked into the claim that the paparazzi took photos of Diana at the scene of the crash, and found sufficient evidence to suggest that the paparazzi did take such photos, although they have been largely kept from the public. French police initially charged Langevin and eight other photographers with manslaughter, but France's highest court later dropped the manslaughter charges in 2002. A French court convicted Langevin and two other photographers of invasion of privacy for taking pictures of the inside of the car shortly after it crashed. During the trial of the three photographers, prosecutor Beatrice Vauthrein reportedly said the photographers continued taking pictures at the scene of the crash. "What they were seeking to photograph was anxiety, distress, it was people who were dying. If these moments are not respected, then we are sliding toward totalitarianism," she told the court at the time. (UK National Archives) According to an article published by The Guardian in October 2007, the inquest showed jurors "close-up photographs of Diana, the Princess of Wales, taken by the paparazzi as she lay fatally injured in the wreckage of the Mercedes." The article continued: The pictures were partially pixelated but her blonde hair and the side of her face could still be made out. One, by photographer Laslo Veres, appeared to show Diana on the floor at the back of the car with one leg raised. In another, photographer Romuald Rat was seen crouching down next to the open door of the Mercedes moments after the crash. The images also showed the emergency doctor, Frederic Mailliez, treating Diana moments after the crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in 1997 that killed her and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. The coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, said the photographs would not be made public. Michael Mansfield QC, lawyer for Al Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, said at the time: "It is perfectly clear from the photographs the jury has been through that the paparazzi who were present at the scene of the crash had no compunction about taking photographs of the victims both inside the car and being carried outside the car." According to multiple reports, French police seized the majority of the paparazzi images taken at the scene of the crash. According to The Associated Press, police confiscated about 20 rolls of film. 01 Sep 1997, Mon The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey) Newspapers.com One black-and-white image possibly the photo described above as depicting Mailliez treating Diana widely claimed to be the real last of Diana before she died, has particularly gripped the public. While we were unable to determine who precisely took the photo, American audiences first saw it in a "48 Hours Investigates" CBS documentary "Diana's Secrets" in April 2004. The public responded negatively, with many viewers finding the inclusion of the photo to be insensitive and "in poor taste." The 2006 book "Lady Diana: L'enquete criminelle" by Jean-Michel Caradec'h also featured the image. In 2007, meanwhile, British Channel 4 planned to air a documentary featuring "graphic images of the Paris car crash that killed Princess Diana, including one showing a French doctor giving her oxygen through a mask." The 2011 documentary "Unlawful Killing" funded by Al Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed featured the image (seen in the video below at timestamp 21:54). While multiple other publications released the black-and-white image including Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, German newspaper Bild, and Spanish magazine Interviu Italian tabloid Chi most famously published the photo in a centerfold spread that received a significantly negative response, including from Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana's two sons. "Despite the support shown to us and our mother's memory by so many people over the last eight years, we feel that as her sons we would be failing in our duty to her now if we did not protect her as she once did us," their statement read. "Therefore we appeal to all forms of media throughout the world to appreciate fully that publishing such material causes great hurt to us, our father, our mother's family and all those who so loved and respected her." (Chi) The British media largely censored the image; it is not included in the publicly available 2008 inquest evidence files, although images of the car from a slight distance after the crash are. There are other pieces of evidence from the inquest that confirm the paparazzi took photos after the crash but before the ambulance took Diana to the hospital. For example, volunteer firefighter Damian Dalby testified in the inquest that "Princess Diana repeated the words 'oh my God' as she lay hurt in the wreckage of the car while photographers took pictures." Other witnesses also told the inquest jury that "photographers began taking shots of the princess seconds after the crash and made no move to assist the injured." Darryn Lyons, who owned a paparazzi agency at the time of the crash, also testified via video link at the 2008 inquest that he had about 10 images of Diana, and in his autobiography, "Mr Paparazzi," he described one image in particular that was never published, in which she appears "like an angel, serene, with a smile on her face and only a small cut on her forehead." A 2008 story published in The Guardian said that "some took shots from less than two metres away, with the dead and seriously injured clearly visible inside the mangled Mercedes. According to the coroner, 'there may well be' more photographs in existence that the court has not seen." We reached out to the British Metropolitan Police (as it facilitated the 2008 inquest) via email for confirmation, and the office's media contact declined to comment. In sum, given that extensive evidence indicates paparazzi took many images of Diana after the crash but before she died at the hospital, we rate the claim that the pre-crash photos at the top of this article were the last ever taken of her "Miscaptioned." Sources: Admin. 'Princess Diana Dead Body Pictures'. Alison Gallery, https://alisonbriegallery.blogspot.com/2011/06/princess-diana-dead-body-pictures.html. Accessed 24 May 2024. Archive, View Author, and Get author RSS feed. Fire Chief Reveals Princess Diana's Last Words after Fatal Crash. 22 June 2021, https://pagesix.com/2021/06/22/fire-chief-reveals-princess-dianas-last-words-after-fatal-crash/. Attewill, Fred. 'Jurors View Photos of Dying Diana'. The Guardian, 11 Oct. 2007. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/oct/11/monarchy. Balakrishnan, Angela. 'The Press Pack That Chased Diana'. The Guardian, 7 Apr. 2008. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/apr/07/paparazzi. Bieber, Nicholas. 'Princess Diana Crash Pictures LEAKED Online Ahead of Death Anniversary'. Daily Star, 31 Aug. 2019, https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/princess-diana-crash-pictures-leaked-19025954. Caradec'h, Jean-Michel. Lady Diana: L'enquete criminelle. Michel Lafon, 2006. CNN.Com - Diana Crash Photographers on Trial - Oct. 24, 2003. https://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/24/france.diana/index.html. Accessed 28 May 2024. Diana Crash Photogs Acquitted - CBS News. 31 Aug. 2017, https://web.archive.org/web/20170831043832/http://mobile-feeds.cbsnews.com/news/diana-crash-photogs-acquitted/. Diana Inquest: Key Events. 7 Apr. 2008. news.bbc.co.uk, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7026611.stm. Dying Diana Images Shown to Jury. 11 Oct. 2007. news.bbc.co.uk, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7039332.stm. 'Graphic Diana Death Photo Shown In Cannes'. Yahoo News, 10 May 2011, https://uk.news.yahoo.com/graphic-diana-death-photo-shown-film-145143719.html. Graphic Princess Diana Film Criticized - CBS News. 28 May 2007, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/graphic-princess-diana-film-criticized/. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/diquotes.html. Accessed 24 May 2024. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/photo.html. Accessed 28 May 2024. HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights. https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-83547%22]}. Accessed 28 May 2024. James, David. 'What Happened to the Pictures of Princess Diana Taken at the Scene of the Crash That Killed Her?' We Got This Covered, 17 Nov. 2023, https://wegotthiscovered.com/celebrities/what-happened-to-the-pictures-of-princess-diana-taken-at-the-scene-of-the-crash-that-killed-her/. Kay, Richard. 'Published for the First Time: Coroner Releases Amazing Pictures of Diana in the Car That Took Her to Her Death'. Mail Online, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-485294/Published-time-Coroner-releases-amazing-pictures-Diana-car-took-death.html. Accessed 24 May 2024. Lady Diana: L'eNquete Criminelle. https://blog.matthewhunt.com/2007/09/lady-diana.html. Accessed 24 May 2024. Lawson, Valerie. 'Photo Shows Diana "like an Angel" as She Died'. The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 Feb. 2008, https://www.smh.com.au/world/photo-shows-diana-like-an-angel-as-she-died-20080229-gds32f.html. Lawton, Katherine. 'Prince Harry's Private Sec Showed Him Pictures of Diana in Car Crash'. Mail Online, 8 Jan. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11612911/Prince-Harrys-private-secretary-showed-pictures-Diana-car-crash-wanted-proof.html. Leung, Rebecca. Mailbag: Diana's Secrets - CBS News. 23 Apr. 2004, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mailbag-dianas-secrets/. Political X. Mohammed Al Fayed's: Unlawful Killing. 2022. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9zMzpOS7Gc. PRESS, Robert Barr THE ASSOCIATED. 'Photos Show Diana Just before Death'. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2007/10/04/photos-show-diana-just-before/52779140007/. Accessed 24 May 2024. Princes' 'sadness' at Diana Photo. 14 July 2006. news.bbc.co.uk, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5181226.stm. 'Princess Diana: Death Photo Leaked (Pt. 2)'. Lisa's History Room, 13 May 2011, https://lisawallerrogers.com/2011/05/12/princess-diana-death-photo-leaked-part-2/. reneejacques. Diana's Last Moment. photo, 11 Apr. 2012. Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/64879817@N08/6922915232/. Seamark, Michael. 'Outrage at Screening of Dying Princess Diana Photo: Cannes Documentary to Show Graphic Picture for First Time'. Mail Online, 10 May 2011, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1385357/Princess-Diana-dying-photo-shown-Unlawful-Killing-Cannes.html. UK Government Web Archive. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20090607230718/http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/evidence/list.htm#apr01. Accessed 24 May 2024. '01 Sept 1997, Page 4 - The Central New Jersey Home News at Newspapers.Com'. Newspapers.Com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/318734519/. Accessed 28 May 2024. Fact Check: The Truth Behind 'Trump Mailer' That Warned Texans Would Be 'Reported' to Him If They Didn't Vote Claim: Images shared on social media showed a mailer sent to voters in Texas ahead of a May 28, 2024, runoff election reading, in part: "Your neighbors are watching and will know if you miss this critical runoff election" and "please don't make us report you to President Trump!" Rating: Rating: True Context: While people in multiple Texas towns received this mailer, it was unclear who sent it or what their political motivation was. On May 23, 2024, social media users on Reddit began sharing images of a purported mailer sent to some Texas voters encouraging Texans to vote in a "critical runoff election." Texas held its primaries in March, and former President Donald Trump easily won Texas' Republican nomination for president. But several down-ballot primary races were too close to call, requiring a runoff election on May 28, 2024: As the Texas Tribune reported, this runoff election is important for determining various congressional, legislative, and local positions, and could shift the balance of power in the state. Though Trump's image is featured on the mailer, its purported purpose is not to get people to vote for Trump on May 28, 2024, but rather to get people to vote in these down-ballot races: "Your neighbors are watching and will know if you miss this critical runoff election." "We will notify President Trump if you don't vote. You can't afford to have that on your record" "We are sending an official list of Republicans who fail to vote in the upcoming runoff to President Trump." "We will contact you after the election to make sure you voted." "Please Don't Make Us Report You to President Trump!" Local news outlet My San Antonio reported that individuals in multiple Texas towns including Denton the town that appears in a viral image of the mailer received them, lending credence to the notion that the mailers are real. Multiple users in a subreddit dedicated to Denton indicated they had received one. The provenance of the mailers, however, is another question entirely. The mailer's graphics imply it came from a group called the "America First Conservatives Election Center." While several pro-Trump groups exist whose name contains some combination of the words "America First Conservatives Election Center," we found no evidence that this is the real name of any registered political organization or company. One image of the mailer shows that it came from an entity that holds a prepaid, presorted postage permit issued out of Austin, Texas. Because there are multiple reports of people receiving the mailer, Snopes rates the existence of this particular mailer as "True" while withholding judgment on its origin or intent. Sources: Brown, Warren. "Texans Claim Mailer Supporting Former President Trump Is Voter Intimidation." My San Antonio, 25 May 2024, https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/texas-voter-intimidation-19476949.php. Choi, Matthew, et al. "It's Primary Runoff Election Day in Texas. Here's What We're Watching." The Texas Tribune, 28 May 2024, https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/28/texas-election-primary-runoff/. Salhotra, Pooja. "Trump, Biden Win Texas Primaries." The Texas Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024, https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/05/donald-trump-joe-biden-texas-election-2024/. The situation at the front remains tense but under control. The defense forces continue to actively counteract the enemy's attempts to advance deep into the territory of Ukraine, directing their efforts to disrupt the occupiers' plans. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 22:30 on May 28. In total, about 110 direct combat engagements took place over the day. Russian invaders are trying to use their superiority in manpower, equipment and air support. Ukrainian soldiers are bravely repelling the enemy and are taking active steps to strengthen defense in certain areas. During the day, the enemy launched four missiles, 38 air strikes using 57 combat aircraft, and 435 kamikaze drones. In addition, the enemy fired at our positions and settlements using various types of weapons 2,849 times. Seven combat engagements took place in the Kharkiv sector. Ukrainian Defense Forces units repelled four attacks by Russian occupants in the areas of Starytsia and Vovchansk. The situation is tense but controlled by Ukrainian troops. Fighting continues in the area of Vovchansk, our defenders are actively countering the enemy and inflicting losses on them. ADVERTISIMENT The enemy's losses in this area since the beginning of the day amount to 68 people. Three artillery systems, 12 vehicles and three units of special equipment were destroyed. Two tanks, three artillery systems, seven vehicles and one unit of special equipment were also damaged. There were 19 combat engagements in the Kupiansk sector. Ukrainian defense forces successfully repelled 16 enemy attacks in the areas of Synkivka, Stepova Novoselivka, Druzheliubivka, Novoiehorivka and Nevske. Fighting continues in the areas of Petropavlivka and Nevske. There were 16 combat engagements in the Lyman sector. Attempts by Russian occupants to advance in the areas of Terny, Torsky and Serebryansky forest were unsuccessful. Despite the enemy's activity, the Ukrainian military is reinforcing the front line of defense. ADVERTISIMENT In the Siversk sector, the enemy attacked our positions near Bilohorivka eight times, trying to break through the combat lines of Ukrainian units. The situation remains tense, and Ukrainian defenders are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy's advance. In the Kramatorsk sector, the aggressor tried to attack the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the areas of Hryhorivka, Klishchiivka and Andriivka six times, but all attempts were unsuccessful. Ukrainian positions were not lost. In the Pokrovsk sector, the enemy actively attacked Ukrainian defenders, conducting 25 assault operations with the support of aviation. In some areas, the enemy had partial success, but the Defense Forces are taking measures to stabilize the situation and prevent the enemy from advancing. ADVERTISIMENT The aggressor's losses in this sector amounted to over 220 people killed and wounded. Six armored combat vehicles, four vehicles and one ATGM were destroyed. One armored combat vehicle, one cannon and two mortars were damaged. Nine combat engagements took place in the Kurakhove sector. Militants are trying to advance in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Kostiantynivka and Vodiane. Ukrainian Defense Forces units are repelling the enemy's attacks and reinforcing their defenses. In the Vremivsk sector, Russian occupants continue to try to force Ukrainian defenders out of their positions. Six enemy attacks were repelled in the vicinity of Staromaiorske, and one battle is ongoing. Defense forces control the situation. Three combat engagements took place in the Orikhiv sector. Russian occupants failed to push our units back from Mala Tokmachka. ADVERTISIMENT In the Prydniprovsk sector, the occupants continue to try to drive the Defense Forces from their positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River. 10 combat engagements did not result in any significant changes in the situation. Ukrainian troops continue to control the situation, no losses of our positions have been reported. Ukrainian soldiers are inflicting significant losses on the occupiers, actively using firepower against enemy manpower and equipment. Measures are being taken to improve the tactical situation in certain areas. As a reminder, due to the large number of losses of the Russian Armed Forces at the front, hospitals in the occupied territories are overcrowded with wounded invaders. The situation is the same in medical institutions in the border regions of the aggressor country itself. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Claim: Germany's parliament voted to decriminalize the possession, acquisition and distribution of child pornography. Rating: Rating: Mostly False A viral claim circulating on social media in May 2024 stated that Germany had "decriminalized" the possession of child pornography. Videos and posts on TikTok, X and Instagram fueled the controversy, leading to widespread outrage regarding the alleged new rule. In reality, Germany did not decriminalize child pornography, but instead voted to reduce the criminal penalty for the possession of child porn. We therefore have rated this claim as "Mostly False" due to nuances and misinformation surrounding the topic. On May 16, 2024, the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, passed a draft law that adjusted minimum sentences for possession, acquisition and distribution of child pornography. Previously, child porn possession was punishable by a minimum of one year in prison. The new legislation reclassified possession, acquisition and distribution as misdemeanors, reducing the minimum sentence to between three and six months. According to the Bundestag, "The offences regulated in Section 184b of the Criminal Code will thus be classified as misdemeanors and not as crimes." The adjustment aimed to allow for more proportional sentencing, particularly in cases where the offenders are adolescents, or where the circumstances may warrant a lesser sentence. Social media played a significant role in spreading sensationalist claims about this law. Some posts misinterpreted the legislative changes, suggesting a complete decriminalization of child porn possession. For instance, a TikTok video by @purepower34, and a post on X by journalist Shaykh Sulaiman, which received more than 526,000 views at the time of writing, suggested that Germany now allows possession of child porn without any legal repercussions. According to Sulaiman's post, "This action is being praised by a group advocating for 'ped*ph*le rights,' which has additionally proposed lowering the age of consent to 12." The new draft law introduced more precise definitions for various offenses related to child exploitation. It aimed to distinguish between active perpetrators of child abuse and those possessing inappropriate materials without direct involvement in abuse. The legislative changes also emphasize proportional sentencing. Rather than decriminalizing possession, the law establishes different levels of punishment based on the severity of the crime and the context in which the material was possessed. The Bundestag explained that "such cases have occurred particularly frequently among parents and teachers of older children or adolescents who found child pornography material in their possession and passed it on to other parents, teachers or school management to inform them of the problem." Officials and legal experts in Germany clarified that the new law aims to ensure that punishments fit the crimes more appropriately, distinguishing between different levels of offenses to better allocate legal resources and attention to the most severe cases. According to a March 2024 news release from the Bundestag: The federal government sees the classification of the crimes as misdemeanors as an effective means of dealing with the numerous juvenile offenders appropriately and flexibly. "Here too, the people involved are not usually acting in order to be sexually aroused by the child pornography content, but rather out of a drive that is typical for the adolescent stage of development, such as naivety, curiosity, thirst for adventure or the desire to impress," the justification states. Media outlets reported on the legislative changes. AP News explained that Germany was refining its legal approach to ensure proportionality in sentencing for individual cases, but was not decriminalizing the behavior. The previous law, which took effect in July 2021, stipulated that an individual who "'disseminates child pornographic content or makes it available to the general public' is punished with a prison sentence of between one and 10 years." European Conservative explained the legislative intent, but still characterized it as "decriminalization." In Germany, downgrading an offense from a crime to a misdemeanor means it is still against the law, but the severity and associated penalties are reduced (the German word "Verbrechen," which means "crime" in a general sense, refers more specifically to offenses roughly equivalent to felonies in American law). More severe offenses carry a minimum penalty of one year in prison, while misdemeanors can have lighter sentences and may include fines or shorter jail terms. Downgrading an offense to a misdemeanor in Germany does not equate to decriminalization. Decriminalization implies that the act is no longer considered unlawful and typically results in no legal penalties. However, when an offense is reclassified as a misdemeanor, the behavior remains illegal and punishable, but the legal system can apply a more proportional response to less-severe cases. In the context of child pornography possession, despite the reduction in minimum sentencing, it remains an unlawful act with significant legal repercussions in Germany. With the Bundestag passing the draft law, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier must now authorize it, and it must be published in the Bundesgesetzblatt, or Federal Law Gazette, to become effective. Steinmeier, who is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, has only refused to sign one bill into law while president. In 2020, Steinmeier withheld his signature from the "Hate Speech Act" due to constitutional concerns. He informed the Bundestag of his willingness to sign it if it was amended appropriately within a reasonable timeframe. He eventually signed the amended bill in April 2021. In sum, the claim that Germany "decriminalized" child pornography possession is mostly false. While the country has indeed passed legislation affecting how these cases are handled, it has not removed legal penalties for possessing (or acquiring or distributing) child porn. The new law focuses on proportional sentencing and better distinguishes between various levels of offenses, but acquisition, possession and distribution remain illegal and punishable by law. Snopes has previously written about Germany's laws, including the mostly false claim that the nation banned pork from school canteens because it offends Muslim migrants, and the false claim that X was fined $30 billion for violating hate speech laws in Germany. Sources: "Berlin Toughens Child Pornography Law DW 11/14/2014." Dw.Com, https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-parliament-toughens-child-pornography-law/a-18062501. Accessed 24 May 2024. Bundesrat - The Various Steps in the Procedure. https://www.bundesrat.de/EN/funktionen-en/gesetzgebung-en/verfahren-en/verfahren-en-node.html. Accessed 24 May 2024. "Deutscher Bundestag - Geringere Mindeststrafen fur Kinderpornografie-Delikte beschlossen." Deutscher Bundestag, https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2024/kw20-de-kinderpornografie-1002718. Accessed 24 May 2024. "German Parliament Votes To Decriminalize The Possession Of Child Pornography." Gulf Insider, 24 May 2024, https://www.gulf-insider.com/german-parliament-votes-to-decriminalize-the-possession-of-child-pornography/. "---." Gulf Insider, 24 May 2024, https://www.gulf-insider.com/german-parliament-votes-to-decriminalize-the-possession-of-child-pornography/. "Germany Believes Decriminalising Possession of Child Pornography May Be a Good Thing. Here's Why." Firstpost, 23 May 2024, https://www.firstpost.com/world/has-germany-decriminalised-child-pornography-csam-possession-13774147.html. "Germany Will Reduce the Minimum Sentence for Child Sexual Abuse Images, Citing Unintended Problems." AP News, 7 Feb. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/germany-child-sexual-abuse-19e743b19057aa7345bf3cba4a8f6fff. Gluck, Genevieve. "'Pro-Pedophile' Activist Group Celebrates As Germany Decriminalizes Child Porn Possession." Reduxx, 21 May 2024, https://reduxx.info/pro-pedophile-activist-group-celebrates-as-germany-decriminalizes-child-porn-possession/. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/lawstreetj/p/C7Rd5tTv1yt/. Accessed 24 May 2024. Mindeststrafe fur Kinderpornographie-Delikte soll sinken. https://www.das-parlament.de/inland/recht/mindeststrafe-fuer-kinderpornographie-delikte-soll-sinken. Accessed 24 May 2024. MWO. "Anhorung zu Mindeststrafen fur Kinderpornographie-Delikte." Deutscher Bundestag, https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-997632. Accessed 24 May 2024. ---. "Geringere Mindeststrafen fur Kinderpornographie-Delikte." Deutscher Bundestag, https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-1002810. Accessed 24 May 2024. No, Germany Has Not Decriminalized the Possession of Child Pornography. https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/misleading-no-germany-has-not-decriminalized-the-possession-of-child-pornography. Accessed 24 May 2024. Norton, Tom. "Fact Check: Did Germany Decriminalize Child Porn Possession?" Newsweek, 23 May 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-germany-decriminalize-child-porn-possession-1904142. Orban, Tamas. Germany Decriminalizes Child Porn. 23 May 2024, https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/germany-decriminalizes-child-porn/. Poff, Jeremiah. The German Government Is Softening Its Child Pornography Laws - Washington Examiner. 21 May 2024, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3012171/german-government-softening-child-pornography-laws/. SAS. "Geringere Mindeststrafen fur Kinderpornographie-Delikte." Deutscher Bundestag, https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-992354. Accessed 24 May 2024. When Johann Hari won the Orwell Prize for journalism in 2008, it seemed to seal his reputation as one of the rising stars of British media. But, just three years later, that reputation lay in tatters after he was exposed for plagiarism, making up quotes and passing off lines from other journalists interviews as his own. Hari admitted to lifting passages from the books of those he had interviewed for The Independent newspaper and pretending the words had been said to him. Or doing the same with quotes given to other journalists in previous interviews. He was also accused by a translator of having fabricated quotes from French soldiers in the Central African Republic, included in some of the reporting for which he won the Orwell Prize. The journalist also admitted to making malicious additions to the Wikipedia pages of editors he disliked. Hari left his job at The Independent and, for a number of years, little was heard from him. But, then, in 2015, he re-emerged with a book about the war on drugs, titled Chasing the Scream. He later released Lost Connections, which dealt with depression and anxiety, and then Stolen Focus, which explored the effects of social media on our attention spans. We measured up some of the claims in Hari's latest book against reality - Geoff Pugh He now styles himself as a science writer and TED Talk speaker. But, within days of the publication of his latest book, Magic Pill, which explores the risks and benefits of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, it emerged that he had wrongly attributed quotes to Jay Rayner, The Observers restaurant critic. Hari had, it turned out, confused Rayner with another writer. The Telegraph trawled through Magic Pill and found six further examples of errors, outdated data and disputed claims. Here are Haris claims, and how they measure up to reality. What the book says Its not a coincidence that [Scotland] is both the place that invented the concept of the deep-fried Mars bar and, according to a report by their own public health body, has the second highest obesity levels in the developed world. The reality This was true in 2007, as outlined in a Public Health Scotland report. But today, several countries in the developed world have higher rates of obesity than Scotland, according to data from the World Obesity Federation. Hari inaccurately stated that Scotland, where the deep-fried Mars bar was invented, has the second highest obesity levels in the developed world - Kay Roxby/Alamy Stock Photo Public Health Scotland told The Telegraph that its most recent data, from 2022, shows 28 percent of men and 30 percent of women in the country to be obese (defined as having a body mass index over 30). World Obesity Forum data from the same year shows higher rates of obesity in men in fifty other countries, at least fifteen of which could be considered as part of the developed world. As for female Scots, the same data shows that there are more than 70 countries with higher rates of obesity in women, at least 10 of which are in the developed world. What Hari says now It was accurate for me to point out that Scotlands own public health body had described it as the second most obese country in the developed world. However, I didnt use the most recent data in a light-hearted sentence about Scotland inventing the deep-fried Mars Bar, in a very personal chapter about my own life experience. I will now correct this. What the book says Everybody naturally loses some muscle mass as they get older. After the age of thirty, it begins to decline by around 8 per cent a year, and, after you turn sixty, that process accelerates further. If your muscle mass falls too far, you will be physically weaker and less mobile. The reality While muscle mass does decline after 30, this happens at a rate much slower than 8 percent every year were it to disappear so quickly, people in their seventies would have no muscle left at all. What Hari says now This frustrating proof-reading error (year instead of decade) has already been identified. What the book says [Finnish doctor and politician Pekka Puska] launched a campaign to transform how people ate educating the public about the risks, persuading food companies to change their ingredients, and launching a mass programme of volunteers to teach people how to cook differently. As a direct result, Finnish men became 80 per cent less likely to die of heart disease. It increased life expectancy in the country by ten years. The reality People living in North Karelia, the region of east Finland in which the project was carried out, have gained ten years of healthy life since the project started in 1972, according to a lecture given by Pekka Puska at Harvard University in 2018. A market place in Finland, where a healthy eating campaign enlisted volunteers to teach people how to cook differently - Heini Kettunen/Alamy Stock Photo Between 1972 and 1995, when the project ended, life expectancy in all of Finland went up by roughly six years, according to data from the World Bank. There is no suggestion that this is solely down to Pekka Puskas project and this change is roughly in line with life expectancies in both the US and Finlands neighbour Denmark. What Hari says now In North Karelia, the life expectancy went up by 10 years; in the whole of Finland it went up by just under 7 years. This is a minor factual error which I am happy to correct. What the book says One famous figure in the [fat pride] movement, for example, the writer Virginia Sole Smith who has made good points in other contexts said in an interview that the primary driving force behind Ozempic was to say: Can we finally be rid of fat people? Can we finally stop having fat people around, so I dont have to look at them any more? The reality This was actually said by a different author, Aubrey Gordon, who is referred to elsewhere in the book. Virginia Sole Smiths publicist confirmed this misattribution with The Telegraph, but Sole Smith herself declined to comment. In his books, Hari draws on his experiences of using Ozempic a drug designed for treating diabetes to lose weight - David J. Phillip/AP What Hari says now This is an error where two different Fat Pride/body positivity advocates who spoke to the same podcast series, The Waves, were confused and will be corrected in future editions. What the book says The programme [of regular exercise or other activities for teenagers] has been stunningly successful. At the start, 42 percent of kids [in Iceland] were getting drunk regularly. Today, its 5 per cent. The reality This 5 per cent statistic is from 2016. Since then, rates of heavy episodic drinking (defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion) in adolescents in Iceland has risen to 8 per cent, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This suggests that the programme has declined in efficacy in recent years. What Hari says now It is a rigorously-established fact that the Icelandic program has produced a massive decline in teenage heavy episodic drinking. It is correct that the OECD data suggests it is 3 percent higher than the figure I drew on. I am happy to explain this to my readers. What the book says Ronald McDonald is the second most recognised figure in the world, beaten only by Santa Claus. The reality This is according to one 20-year-old survey of American schoolchildren, meaning that it is very unlikely to be true now, or of everyone in the world. Hari's claim about Ronald Mcdonald is based on very thin evidence - Ranta Images/Getty What Hari says now: Its legitimate to use a study from twenty years ago. It is correct to say that this applied only to the US and I am happy to correct this point. Hari has also admitted to a minor factual error in which he recalls weight loss writer Shelley Bovey being mocked on television for her first book The Forbidden Body, in 1989. Boveys first book was, in fact, Being Fat Is Not A Sin, published in 1989. The Forbidden Body was not published until 1994. Bloomsbury Publishing told The Telegraph: From newspapers to the New Yorker, media outlets have corrections and clarifications sections, reflecting that corrections are a fact of life. Similarly, with books, it is normal for errors which appear in first editions to be corrected in reprints. We are very proud to publish Johann Hari and his fantastic books, which transform how we think about the most important subjects, and change peoples lives all over the world. 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. Fake elector Kelli Ward must feel like a sucker as she rattles an empty tin cup The Arizona Republican Party and the MAGA Nation stand four-square behind Donald Trumps fake electors until its time to put their money where their mouths are, it seems. Its now been eight days since former state GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward and her fellow fake elector, husband Michael, put out their tin cup, hoping to rake in donations to pay for a lawyer to defend them against felony charges of fraud, forgery and conspiracy. Eight days since they started begging for money, hoping to raise $100,000. I dont know if the rubes are just tapped out, what with snapping up golden Never Surrender shoes ($399), God Bless the USA Bibles ($59.99, not including shipping) and a very limited edition Trump loyalty card being hawked by RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump (cost unknown but, truly, priceless). Heck, even Rudy Giuliani has gotten into the act, selling Rudy Coffee ($29.99 for a two-pound bag), though hes going to have to sell a lot of beans to pay off his $148 million tab for defamation. Wards have raised a fraction of that $100K Michael Ward (left) and his wife Kelli Ward appear with their attorney (right) for their arraignment in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix on May 21, 2024. Michael Ward and Kelli Ward are among those charged in a conspiracy stemming from the 2020 election. Or it could be that the America First faithful think that a couple that sails their catamaran around the Bahamas doesnt need to be reaching into MAGA pockets for nickels and dimes. Especially as they just put their five-bedroom, four-bath Lake Havasu City home with an extra bath in the guest house on the market for just over $2 million. Whatever the reason, after a week of rattling their tin cup on GiveSendGo, the Wards have raised just $6,106 toward their goal of $100,000. Just 108 people have ponied up, offering donations ranging from a few dollars to a few hundred. But whats most interesting is the names that arent listed there among the donors. Where are the contributions from Sens. Shawnna Bolick and Wendy Rogers and Sonny Borrelli and all the other Republicans in the Arizona Legislature who signed a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to accept Arizonas alternate electoral votes? In all, 29 incoming and outgoing GOP legislators signed that request, calling it A Joint Resolution of the 54th Legislature and attaching the state seal so it would look official. Though I suppose two of those who signed the resolution Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern can be excused for not digging deep given that they, too, have been indicted in the fake elector scheme. Shouldn't these lawmakers support their defense? As for the rest who stood behind them, urging them on in the scheme to steal Arizonas vote? Where are their donations to bail out the Wards? Where is the donation from then-state Rep. Mark Finchem a.k.a. unindicted co-conspirator 3? It was Finchem who hand-carried the counterfeit legislative resolution to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021 the day before the storming of the Capitol to try to stop the transfer of power. Wheres the scratch from U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who received the handoff from Finchem? Biggs was/is one of Trumps strongest acolytes on Capitol Hill and was up to his eyeballs in efforts to overturn Arizonas vote, though he was not among the 18 people indicted. Both he and Rep. Paul Gosar attended a Dec. 21, 2020, White House planning session with Trump and his now-indicted chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to strategize how Pence could block the Jan. 6, 2021, certification of the election results, according to the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection. Biggs demands Mayes resign: Over fake elector case Come to think of it, where is Gosars contribution to the Wards legal defense fund? And how about the Arizona Republican Party? The Washington Posts's Yvonne Wingett Sanchez reported last week that a now-expired insurance policy has been paying some of the fake electors' expenses but it's about to hit its limit. Will the party have the fake electors backs? It was at state GOP headquarters, after all, that the fake electors met on Dec. 14, 2020, to cast their non-existent votes for the guy who didnt win Arizona. The party even put out a celebratory press release, headlined Arizona Republican Presidential Electors Convene To Cast Votes For President Trump, Vice President Pence, along with an all-smiles picture of the now-indicted fake electors. Fake electors must wonder: Where'd everyone go? Arizonas 11 Trump electors didnt just spontaneously and on a whim decide to meet in GOP offices to phony up a document declaring themselves duly elected and qualified to cast Arizonas presidential vote for Trump. This was a scheme, carefully planned, meticulously carried out and thankfully foiled by Pence, who actually believes in the U.S. Constitution. Still, I can almost feel sorry for the Wards and for the rest of the suckers who tried to steal our vote. Almost. People like Turning Point Actions Tyler Bowyer, who in February asked the Republican National Committee, of which he was then a member, to formally acknowledge that the fake elector plan was schemed up by Republican leadership with Donald Trumps approval and to immediately indemnify all those who participated in what he called the contingent elector plan. The RNC told him to pound sand, voting instead to vocally support those who lawfully served as Trump electors in states Trump won. Translation: Not Bowyer and his fellow 10 electors who participated in a scheme to steal Arizonas vote. As for Bowyer and the Wards and all the other suckers now taking the fall? I picture them looking around for all those Trump loyalists who urged them on, and wondering. Whered everybody go? Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fake elector Kelli Ward must feel like a (lone) sucker now Families demand justice for loved ones killed by the Border Patrol as agency turns 100 Araceli Rodriguez, mother of Jose Antonio Elena-Rodriguez, who was shot to death by the Border Patrol on Oct. 10, 2012, marches along the border fence in Sonora, with family, friends and human-rights groups on Nov. 2, 2012, to protest the Border Patrol's use-of-force policies. As the U.S. Border Patrol celebrates its 100th anniversary, families and advocates are still demanding justice for their loved ones who died at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents. Families, community leaders and advocates gathered Tuesday at Imperial Beach, California, to demand accountability for Border Patrol violence. From San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas, all along the U.S.- Mexico border, border communities have been suffering and been victimized by violence. Violence perpetrated by Border Patrol, said Lilian Serrano, director of the nonprofit Southern Border Communities Coalition. Serrano pointed to the 304 people who died from encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection since 2010, with the highest number of deaths happening during President Joe Biden's administration, according to the organizations analysis and tracking of media coverage and agency news releases. She noted that no on-duty agent has ever been convicted of a killing. She was critical of the agency's allowed use of racial profiling and highlighted a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Offices investigation of the Border Patrols critical incident teams, which were disbanded after being accused of cover-ups. A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson responded Wednesday with a written statement to The Arizona Republic. "CBP including the U.S. Border Patrol is firmly committed to accountability and transparency. In the last few years, the agency has implemented new use of force standards; fielded thousands of body worn cameras and standardized the rapid release of critical incident footage; and has implemented a new vehicle pursuit policy all to better support our personnel and the communities we serve," the statement said. "CBP also releases a wide range of information about our operations regularly including encounter and seizure data, use of force statistics, and detailed statements regarding all critical incidents. These measures place CBP at the forefront of federal law enforcement agencies. We will continue to prioritize accountability and transparency and take any appropriate steps to update policies and procedures, as we perform our critical homeland security mission." Mothers and wives of people killed in Border Patrol custody spoke Tuesday at the event. Araceli Rodriguez spoke about her 16-year-old son Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez who was shot by a Border Patrol agent while walking unarmed in Nogales, Sonora. The agent, who fired through the border fence from the U.S. side, was found not guilty in 2018. Border Patrol seems to be untouchable, Rodriguez said. They have permission to kill children and teenagers. There has not been justice. Nothing happens to them. They keep killing. This doesnt stop. Rodriguezs case is just one of many, she said. In another case, 14 years ago, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was tortured and suffocated by border agents while in Border Patrol custody at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Agents deployed a stun gun as he tried to resist arrest after his deportation to Mexico and his subsequent attempt to reenter the country. None of the agents or officers involved were criminally charged, and it remains unclear whether anyone was disciplined. His case is under investigation by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Serrano said this is a landmark case, and the first time an international court is investigating a U.S. officer. Rojas' widow, Maria Puga, continues to pursue justice for him. She spoke at Tuesdays event demanding accountability from the Border Patrol and denounced the violence. In my case, the agents continued working, happily continuing their lives, while my family was destroyed, Puga said. What is happening with this government? Why isnt the government listening? she said. The last speaker at the event was a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico, who described how he and his family members are treated differently by the Border Patrol because of their names, backgrounds and the color of their skin. Jovanny Hernandez said his family has been racially profiled and made to feel like criminals by border patrol agents. Las Cruces is encircled by six Border Patrol checkpoints, impacting how residents in the borderlands region live, he said. As a child, I watched my parents go through the checkpoints and receive abuse by Border Patrol agents asking them what their intentions were in this country when they had been living here for more than two decades, he said, adding that he was made to feel inferior. The event in San Diego highlighted the continued drive of victims such as Puga and Rodriguez to continue fighting until people are held accountable. In the fight for Border Patrol accountability and transparency, Serrano said communities have been resisting, organizing, documenting and raising their voices. They will continue to do so in the face of what she described as terror inflicted on the region by the Border Patrol. "We will continue to fight until every single one of our human rights is respected until respect and dignity in the border region is a given and not something that we have to aspire to," she said. Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republics coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Border Patrol's 100th anniversary: Families demand accountability Orla Baxendale died in January, allegedly after eating Florentine cookies Orla Baxendale The estate of Orla Baxendale, a 25-year-old professional dancer with a severe nut allergy who died in January after allegedly eating mislabeled Florentine cookies, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the grocery store that sold the cookies. In the lawsuit filed on May 23 and reviewed by PEOPLE, the attorneys representing the estate allege that Baxendale died as a result of the gross negligence and reckless indifference to the rights of others and an intentional and wanton violation of those rights by the supermarket, Stew Leonards, and the cookies manufacturer, Cookies United. Both the supermarket and manufacturer are listed as defendants. The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. A spokesperson for Stew Leonard's told PEOPLE that they cannot comment on pending litigation. PEOPLE also reached out to the general counsel for Cookies United. Instagram Orla Baxendale 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. Baxendale ate the Florentine Cookies on Jan. 11, according to the lawsuit. On Jan. 24, her familys attorneys released a statement claiming she died of anaphylactic shock that day, echoing claims made in the complaint. Officials from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) also said in January they were investigating the incident. Bexendale had an EpiPen with her, but her allergy was too severe, her family's attorneys said in a January statement. After she began to have an anaphylactic reaction, an EpiPen was used but due to the severity of her allergy, it was not effective, attorney Marijo C. Adime claimed at the time. The dancer, like all consumers, relied upon the manufacturer and seller to properly label the package sold to the general public, the lawsuit reads. The lawsuit calls the failure to properly label the cookies grossly negligent, intentional, reckless, callous, indifferent to human life, and a wanton violation as the manufacturer and seller were required under the law to properly declare the ingredients. Related: Football Players Put Peanuts in Allergic Teammate's Locker School District Says It's Not Bullying (Exclusive) Stew Leonards recalled both the chocolate and vanilla varieties of the Florentine Cookies made by Cookies United due to a labeling error, according to a Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection alert from Jan. 23. The supermarket acknowledged that one person died possibly because of the mistake. On Jan. 25, the supermarket warned consumers that the cookies contained undeclared eggs and peanuts. "Stew Leonards is working with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and the supplier to determine the cause of the labeling error," the Jan. 25 statement read. "Customers who have purchased these cookies should bring back the product to Stew Leonards customer service for a full refund." Stew Leonards CEO Stew Leonard Jr. issued a video statement on Baxendales death, sharing his condolences with her family. The supplier changed the recipe and started going from soy nuts to peanuts and our chief safety officer at Stew Leonard's was never notified, Leonard Jr. claimed in the video. Stew Leonardas Stew Leonard's recalled Florntine Cookies Related: 25-Year-Old Dancer with Severe Peanut Allergy Dies After Eating Incorrectly Labeled Cookies However, Cookies United issued a press release on Jan. 23, alleging that the misprinted label was created by, and applied to, their product by Stew Leonards. The company also included documents it claims showed it told Stew Leonards employees about the recipe change in July 2023. On July 20, 2023, approximately six months prior to this tragic death, no less than eleven employees of the Stew Leonards Defendants, were notified by email of the change in ingredients, including the addition of peanuts to the cookie recipe, by the defendant cookie manufacturer, Cookies United LLC, the lawsuit reads. The lawsuit alleges that Stew Leonards ignored the email and never changed the label or the nutrition fact panel and never properly updated the packaging. The supermarket chains system to maintain and update the proper labels was broken, unreliable, inherently dangerous, undependable, untrustworthy, erratic, and deplorable, the lawsuit claims. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Family of man charged with murder for Myrtle Beach shooting says it was self-defense The family of a man charged with murder is standing by him, saying the deadly shooting was in self-defense. Anthony Garner is in a jail cell over 100 miles away from his hometown of Albemarle, North Carolina on a murder charge. His family said hes a humble man who would never hurt anyone. They say he was just protecting himself, his wife and his daughter. Hes not a killer. Hes not a killer, said his wife Ashley Garner. Hes far from a killer. Myrtle Beach police said Anthony Garner shot and killed Cedric Reddick after a verbal altercation and road rage incident last Saturday. Garner was given no bond by a judge. PREVIOUS: Man from Albemarle charged after road rage shooting in Myrtle Beach Ashley was with Anthony at the time and said the shooting was in self-defense. She and her family were in town to celebrate their daughters high school graduation. She claims they were going down the strip when they were brutally assaulted, resulting in Anthony Garner doing what he had to do to defend his family. Anthony Garner is a great man, she said. I know it seems were being repetitive but if we start a list of all of the great things he is, we would be here all day. Garner did not want to go into detail about the assault, but did say her husband saved her life. Their daughter, Nubia, was also there when the shooting happened and cant believe her dad is still in jail. Without his heroic and swift actions, my mom and myself may not be here right now, Nubia said. For that, Im eternally grateful. I pray for his mental health right now because doing something like that is something a person never wants to do, she said. Its something he didnt want to do but he had to. I pray for him. I worry about him more than I worry about myself. For now, the Garners and the group of people supporting them can only shed tears, pray, and hope theyre vindicated in the end. You will be home, Ashley Garner said. I cant wait until you get home so you can feel the love. Garners family said their biggest goal right now is to get a lawyer to be able to fight these charges effectively. They said theyre raising money to be able to get that done. (WATCH BELOW: Congregation questions unexpected death of Myrtle Beach pastors wife) LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) A family is still searching for answers after a deadly hit-and-run crash in Lakewood. This week marks one year since Lakewood police said Angela Selvage was hit by a driver while walking near West 6th Avenue Frontage Road and Jay Street. The 49-year-old mother died at the hospital. Police said the incident happened on May 28, 2023, at about 9 p.m. Reward increased for tips in 2014 deaths of Adams County woman, toddler Samantha Selvage said she still has no answers about the night her mother was killed. Trying to understand why your loved one isnt here anymore, why you cant talk to them, why you cant give them a hug anymore, why I cant call my mom for advice when I need her and why shes never going to meet her grandchildren anymore sucks, Selvage said. With no suspect or vehicle description from the Lakewood Police Department, Selvage said finding answers has been challenging. I spent a lot of time over in that area trying to do my own detective work, everything I could possibly do to find who did it. I spent months in Colorado and, unfortunately, it didnt go anywhere, Selvage said. Memorial cross at site of roadside crash Now living out of state and unable to frequently visit the memorial at the crash site, Selvage said her family and friends each have their own way to keep her mothers memory alive. We have pictures of her all over our house, Selvage said. Her little area has her lions and angels and her crystals. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox One year later, the family said they are holding onto hope that their questions will be put to rest. Theres nothing we can do about it at the end of the day except try to get justice for her and keep her in our hearts, Selvage said. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for anyone with information. Tips can be made anonymously by calling 720-913-7867 (STOP). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C., police officer who was attacked during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, said his mothers home was swatted hours after he called former President Trump an authoritarian. Fanone made the remark while speaking to the media Tuesday outside the courthouse where closing arguments were being conducted in Trumps criminal hush money trial. In his statements, he called the former president an authoritarian with a fetish for violence. Also on Tuesday, a fake manifesto attributed to Fanone was sent to a number of email addresses, including some associated with his former high school. It claimed that he had killed his mother and planned to go to the recipients school on Wednesday and shoot more people. It provided his mothers home address in Virginia, NBC News reported after viewing the manifesto. Fanone told the outlet that his mother was mortified to find SWAT team officers at her home that night when she opened the door in her nightgown. How dangerous is it to send law enforcement in which you essentially are describing an active shooter, in which the only person present is a 78-year-old fing woman, Fanone told NBC News. This is the reality of going against or challenging Donald Trump. These swatting calls are incredibly fing dangerous, especially when the target is somebody like my mom, he said. Fanone said he understood that police received more than two dozen calls connected to the incident. His father was also targeted at his separate home address, Fanone said, but he was out of the country. All I do is go out there and talk about what happened to me and so many other police officers, like I always have, and this is the recourse, he said. This is the direct result of that. Fanone has been an outspoken critic of Trump and those who participated in the Jan. 6 riot. On that day, he was beaten by people attacking the Capitol and suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a taser. He was among several members of law enforcement who testified before the House select committee investigating the attack. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit Moldova and the Czech Republic on May 29-31. His visit to Europe is intended to consolidate US and NATO support for Eastern European allies, including Ukraine. ADVERTISIMENT In Chisinau, Blinken is scheduled to meet with President Maia Sandu and other officials on May 29 to demonstrate U.S. support for Moldova's European integration course in light of the growing threats from Russia. According to the Voice of America, Blinken's visit comes amid an intensifying Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine and disagreements in the West over whether to allow the transferred weapons to be used on Russian territory. Blinken's visit also precedes the June peace summit in Switzerland, which President Joe Biden has not yet confirmed, and the July NATO summit in Washington, D.C., in which Ukraine has high hopes for further integration into the alliance. Sandu is running for a second presidential term, and during the election, US and European analysts expect Moscow to intensify its influence operations and intervention in the country, where about 1,500 Russian troops are still stationed in unrecognized Transnistria. ADVERTISIMENT "I anticipate that he [Blinken] will have a strong package of support for Moldova's transition, both energy independence or less dependence on sources in the east, and support for democracy against Russian threats," James O'Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, told reporters recently. He added that Blinken "will emphasize Moldova's progress toward European integration, the strengthening of its democracy, and the threat posed by Russia's interference in its internal processes." Washington is closely watching for any signs that Russia might try to annex Transnistria, the New York Times writes, but so far, according to O'Brien, the United States does not see a direct military threat from Russia. "But there are ongoing Russian influence operations, and that's a concern," he said. ADVERTISIMENT After Moldova, on May 30-31, Blinken will travel to Prague, where he will meet with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and other officials, and participate in an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers. According to the State Department's website, the topics to be discussed include further support for Ukraine and priorities for the July NATO summit. It is not expected that Ukraine will receive an invitation to NATO at this summit. "We don't expect Ukraine to be invited to join NATO, but we think there will be a significant demonstration of support for Ukraine," O'Brien said. "This will include NATO's continued support for the development of Ukraine's future armed forces and efforts to help Ukraine with the reforms needed to enable it to join the EU and move towards NATO as quickly as possible," he added. ADVERTISIMENT Also among the topics of the meetings in the Czech Republic is the authorization of Ukraine to strike with Western weapons against Russia, Reuters notes. Blinken's European tour comes just two weeks after the State Department chief paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv, the article notes. That visit resulted in a change in the Secretary of State's position on allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia. As reported by OBOZ.UA, recently Blinken said that the United States does not encourage the use of Western weapons to strike at Russia, but Ukraine has the right to decide how to wage war. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in turn, called on the Alliance to lift "some restrictions" on the use of weapons provided to Ukraine. According to him, Kyiv has the right to defense, which should include strikes on military targets in Russia. ADVERTISIMENT Several countries, including Italy and Germany, spoke out against this initiative. At the same time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron the day before, supported the latter's position that Ukraine has every right to attack military bases in Russia, from which attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages are launched. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala emphasized that since Ukraine was the victim of Russia's armed aggression, it has every right to use all available means to defend itself. Dutch Defense Minister Keesa Ollongren expressed a similar position and said that this should not be a topic for discussion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he does not believe that there should be any prohibitions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons. It is not about an offensive on the territory of the Russian Federation, but about defense, he explained. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! MANITOWOC After six years of service, The Salvation Army Manitowoc County will say farewell to Capt. Jenny Moffitt. The organization will host an open house goodbye event for Moffitt from 5 to 8 p.m. June 5 at The Salvation Army building in Manitowoc, 415 N. Sixth St. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP by calling 920-684-7117 or sending an email to lori.hagenow@usc.salvationarmy.org. Sign up for local business news with our new Manitowoc Streetwise newsletter Capt. Jenny has been a great asset to all of us in Manitowoc County, said Community Relations Manager Lori Hagenow in a news release. We are sad to see her leave us, but wish her the very best as she embarks on her new journey. Moffit will transfer to Chicago as a trainer for The Salvation Army. Crossing guard: Here's how one Manitowoc teacher is using his Road America flag skills to keep kids safe on their way to school Capt. Jonathan Tamayo and Lt. Samantha Tamayo were named the new leaders of the local Salvation Army and will assume their roles when Moffitt leaves at the end of June. The Tamayos have four children and most recently worked at the Adult Rehabilitation Center of Chicago. They have worked in a variety of nonprofits, including in community health work, mission integration and youth ministry. Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on X @PGPattiZarling and on Instagram @PGPatti. This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Salvation Army leader Jenny Moffitt leaving for Chicago job The Fate of Texas Woman Charged in the Killing of a Black Boy Has Been Decided Screenshot: GoFundMe After four anxious months of waiting, a jury finally came to the conclusion as to whether a Dallas woman should be criminally charged in the fatal shooting of a Black boy she claimed tried to break into her home. The verdict: free of charge. Aleah Wallace received a no-bill from the Tarrant County grand jury after they found there was not enough evidence to charge her with a crime. The decision stems from a December 2023 incident. Wallace told FOX 4 News she shot at a boy who was later identified as 14-year-old Devin Baker after seeing him attempt to climb through her 8-year-old daughters window of their rental home. I was just protecting my kids, she said in an interview following the incident. I am devastated that he was 14. I hate that and Im so sorry. But at that point I had to think about my babies. I didnt know he was 14 when he was on the other side of that window. She also said this was the second time she had a concern of her safety and that of her four children after shed previously called 911 to report what was the fifth attempted break-in. Following the incident, police handed the case over to the grand jury for review. However, as that matter was being deliberated, her landlord came to the conclusion they wanted Wallace to leave and served her an eviction notice, the report says. The problem was that Wallace had a firearm while living in government-subsidized housing. However, she hired a pro-bono attorney who helped her keep the rental home. In reaction to the jurys decision not to charge her criminally in the crime, Wallace said she was eternally grateful. I feel great that they were able to see it through my eyes, Wallace told FOX 4. I want to offer my condolences to his family and thank everyone who helped me and my girls. Since the incident, Wallace moved herself and her children to another part of the county. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) The FBI and Rio Rancho Police Department are seeking the publics assistance to identify the Grey Pants Bandit, who is wanted for multiple bank robberies in Rio Rancho and the surrounding area. He robbed the Washington Federal Bank at 2518 Southern Blvd SE in Rio Rancho at approximately 4:25 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024. The suspect is described as a white male, around 57 tall with a stocky build. He wore a blue hat, black face mask, black long-sleeve shirt, grey skinny pants, and glasses. FBI asks victims to come forward amid APD corruption investigation Officials say the suspect entered the bank and demanded money from the teller. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this suspect. Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact the FBI at 505-889-1300. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EAST ORANGE, N.J. (PIX11) Elevators and security upgrades are always on the wish list for transit systems. The federal government is sending another round of funding to NJ Transit for accessibility and structural projects at Brick Church Station in East Orange, New Jersey. Transit staff said the project will take about four years. Riders have been walking up the stairs for more than a hundred years at the historic station. Penn Station is three or four stops away and trains head west to Gladstone and Hackettstown. NYC commuters want dedicated busway on 42nd Street in Manhattan Antoinette Brevard said neighbors have been advocating for improvements for years. Now the issue is being addressed. Absolutely, the residents are being taken care of and the people who come here will find it just as wonderful, Brevard said. Britnee Timberlake is the New Jersey state senator for the area and a transit rider. Constantly fighting for equity. The area is low to moderate income. We cant forget about infrastructure in areas such as this, Timberlake said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now PIX11 News Headlines The station is showing signs of its age. New housing is being built right next door. That was the backdrop for the presentation of a big check from the Federal Transit Administration. The $83 million will cover station modernization, including full accessibility, structural work that preserves the historic architecture and safety/security upgrades. East Orange Mayor Ted Green said 20% of the new housing next door will be affordable. We dont want people to feel that we are pushing people out, Green said. The tax dollars are from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This money is for older transit locations with new development potential. Veronica Vanterpool is the acting administrator with the Federal Transit Administration. She pointed to it as an example of transit-oriented development. We expect to see continued progress, with vision and leadership. Partnership leads to these kinds of moments, Vanterpool said. NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett said theres a lot of work to do, and a funding source makes a difference. That kind of dedicated funding allows us to really start catching up on train stations and on the bus side, Corbett said. Last year, the agency received $34 million for work at five stations. The funds are part of the Federal Transit Administrations All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP). Eight transit agencies in eight states received a total of $343 million in ASAP grants for 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 PIX11. A federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction seeking to halt construction of a 2.6-gigawatt wind farm about 29 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. In a 10-page opinion issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled against the temporary injunction, which sought to stop construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project while the case moved forward. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by several conservative anti-offshore wind groups, argues the wind farm construction negatively impacts the endangered North Atlantic right whale species. In the ruling, AliKhan wrote the groups arguments did not successfully prove an injunction would prevent irreparable injury. Plaintiffs fail to take into account the extensive measures already in place to minimize potential harm to the Right Whale during construction, AliKhan wrote, referencing plans by Dominion Energy to halt some project construction during the right whale migration season from November to April. Arguments in the lawsuit will continue this fall. Construction of the wind farm got underway this month after a slight delay. Dominion announced last week that the first wind turbine foundation, a steel tube called a monopile, had been installed. Once complete, the 176-turbine, $9.8 billion offshore wind farm is expected to generate enough energy to power up to 660,000 homes. Construction is scheduled to complete by the end of 2026. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com A federal judge in New Hampshire struck down a New Hampshire law that limited public schools teaching of race and gender topics, ruling the law is unconstitutional Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoros decision is the first in the nation to overturn such a measure for kindergarten through 12th grade public schools, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire said Tuesday. The state law sought to curb New Hampshire public schools from discussing divisive concepts related to race or sex, banning K-12 students from being taught, instructed, inculcated or compelled to express belief in, or support for the idea they are inherently superior to others based on their race, religion, gender identity or other characteristic. The law was passed in June 2021 in response to President Bidens revoking of former President Trumps executive order that sought to halt federal funding training based on anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating. Barbadoros Tuesday ruling stated the law with its education amendments is unconstitutionally vague. The Amendments are viewpoint-based restrictions on speech that do not provide either fair warning to educators of what they prohibit or sufficient standards for law enforcement to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, Barbadoro wrote. Thus, the Amendments violate the [14th Amendment] to the U.S. Constitution. Barbadoro further said the amendments failed to establish minimal guidelines for the enforcement of law, leaving enforcers relying on New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelbluts personal opinions on what is appropriate instruction, as expressed in his op-ed articles. Tuesdays ruling was in response to a case that consolidated two lawsuits filed against Frank Edelblut, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, that received the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers. The Courts ruling today is a victory for academic freedom and an inclusive education for all New Hampshire students, Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said in a statement. Megan Tuttle, the president of the New Hampshire chapter of the NEA, said families, students and educators should rejoice over the ruling, arguing it restores the teaching of truth and the right to learn. The Hill reached out to Edelblut and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununus (R) 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 The Hill. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A man will spend years in prison for sexually exploiting a Kalamazoo child, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan. Kristian Ignacio Feliz, 24, of Connecticut, was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison, the office announced Wednesday in a release. The attorneys office says in October of 2022, Feliz was a 23-year-old graduate student in Spain who struck up an online relationship with a 12-year-old girl in Kalamazoo and pressured her to make child pornography of herself. In January, Feliz went to Kalamazoo and recorded himself abusing the girl, according to the release. It says Feliz then told the girl to sell the videos online and give him the money. U.S. District Court Judge Jane Beckering described his crimes as manipulative and violent at sentencing, according to the attorneys office. Feliz was indicted in March 2023 and extradited from Spain in November. Every child deserves to grow up safe, healthy, and free from abuse, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a statement. In this case, a sexual predator living abroad targeted a child in Kalamazoo, traveled here to abuse her, and then left the country. Working closely with state, federal, and international partners, we made sure Feliz was hauled back to Michigan to face justice in our courts. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to protect kids from online exploitation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Leominster officials learned overnight that a request for additional aid to help the city recover from last years devastating flooding had been denied. Leominsters mayor called it devastating news that no funds will be made available for extensive repairs needed across the city after last years storms. FEMA approving federal funding for individual assistance for two counties and hazard mitigation for the entire commonwealth but denied Governor Maura Healeys appeal for public assistance for two counties. We reaffirm our original finding that the damage to the infrastructure from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to warrant the designation of public assistance, FEMA said in a statement. In September 2023, nearly a foot of rain fell in just one night and caused more than $36 million dollars in damages, including to family homes and businesses. Leominsters mayor, Daen Mazzarella, says more than 1,400 residents have reached out to FEMA for federal aid. The federal aid also covers flood damage in Attleboro and north Attleboro which also saw extreme rain during the same storm. Mazzarella told Boston 25 this means they may have to rely on other avenues for resources to rebuild. We dont have the financial resource to take on these projects. Representatives from FEMA and the small business administration will be here all day at Leominster City Hall until 7:00 p. tonight to help individuals apply for disaster assistance. FEMA reminds us that if someone stops at your door, they do not ask for money or fees and youre encouraged to ask to see their federal IDs. Residents can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by downloading the FEMA app, or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 FEMA officials say residents should have the following information ready: A current phone number where you can be contacted. Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying. Your Social Security number. A general list of damage and losses. Banking information if you choose direct deposit. If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. 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 FEMA to open second disaster recovery center in Logan County The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open another disaster recovery center to help Miami Valley residents impacted by the March 14 tornadoes. >> PHOTOS: Strong tornadoes, severe storms bring destruction across Miami Valley A spokesperson from FEMA said two new centers will open, one of which will be located in Logan County. The center is located in the Indian Lake EMS District Building at 280 N. Oak St. in Lakeview. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. This center will be open until further notice. This will be the second disaster recovery center in Logan County as the agency previously opened one in Russells Point. FEMA specialists and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be at the center to help residents apply for federal disaster assistance, upload documents, and more. >>RELATED: FEMA opens additional disaster recovery centers in Miami Valley Tornado survivors can visit any center for assistance, according to the spokesperson. To find the center closest to you, click here. If you cant make it to a center but need to apply for FEMA assistance, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA mobile app, or call the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362. For more information about the disaster recovery operation in Ohio, click here. Passengers are being told to sit with fastened seatbelts for longer periods, while fewer meal services and rule changes for young children are on the horizon. Airlines are tightening their in-flight measures to manage the rise of turbulence. On May 21, one British passenger died of a heart attack and dozens more were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from Heathrow to Singapore hit severe turbulence in the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar. The pilot declared an emergency and diverted to Bangkok. In the wake of the incident, Singapore Airlines announced it will take a more cautious approach to managing turbulence. As well as suspending the hot drink service when the seatbelt sign is on, meal services will be paused. Cabin crew will also be required to return to their seats and secure their seatbelts during bumpy conditions. Scientists say that turbulence is on the rise due to climate change. Isabel Smith, a turbulence researcher at the University of Readings Department of Meteorology, wrote in a 2023 paper: Clear-air turbulence will increase over time as a result of climate change. This is because the upper atmosphere is warming faster in the tropics, as a result of greenhouse emissions, than in the polar regions. This greater difference in temperature between low and high latitudes increases wind shear in the jet streams, the high-level wind currents that blow 10km above our heads where planes fly, which in turn enhances the formation of turbulent patches of air. A main challenge for pilots is that clear air turbulence develops when there are no clouds, so is hard to detect. This means turbulence can hit suddenly and without warning. On May 26, just days after the Singapore Airlines incident, eight people were taken to hospital after a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin hit turbulence. Qatar Airways said: A small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in-flight and are now receiving medical attention. The matter is now subject to an internal investigation. Eight people were taken to hospital after a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin hit turbulence earlier this month - Mario Nawfal In addition to the new rules announced by Singapore Airlines, a flight attendant union is lobbying for a ban on children under the age of two travelling on a parents lap. Last year the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, which represents more than 50,000 flight attendants in the USA, urged legislators to change the rules so that all passengers have their own seats, regardless of their age. Weve seen [planes] go through turbulence recently and drop 4,000 feet in a split second, a spokesperson for the union told the Washington Post. The G-forces are not something even the most loving mother or father can guard against and hold their child. Its just physically impossible. Passengers may also notice the seatbelt light illuminated for longer periods than before. As in-flight weather monitoring systems become more sophisticated and communication channels between cockpits improve, pilots are able to share information about flying conditions with nearby planes. This means that passengers are being warned to take their seats preemptively, rather than reactively when turbulence hits. Some also predict that pilots will in the future reroute to avoid rocky jet streams, meaning longer flights and more fuel, coming at a greater cost for the passenger. Captain Mike Jenvey, a retired Netjets pilot, told The Telegraph that passengers ought to take safety into their own hands and keep their seatbelts fastened at all times. He said: [Hitting turbulence] can cause passengers who do not have their seatbelts fastened to rise up very quickly out of their seats and be pushed back in very hard. If walking in the aisle of the aircraft, the sudden rise might cause passengers to hit their heads hard on the cabin ceiling and then fall down. Soon, Jenveys warnings might be common knowledge for passengers. Anton Radchenko of Airadvisor said: Most people are unaware of what exactly turbulence is and panic when it happens, which is highly challenging to manage for flight attendants. It makes fellow passengers anxious, leading to chaos and increasing the risk of damage. Considering this, airlines should dedicate a five-minute slot (in addition to in-flight safety demonstration) to educating passengers on turbulence before the flight takes off. While no other airlines have updated their turbulence regulations following the Singapore Airlines incident, others may follow suit. Damian Devlin, lecturer in aviation at the University of East London, says: As awareness and understanding of this phenomenon improves, the aviation sector will inevitably seek to minimise the impact through measured technological and procedural innovations. The sector will undoubtedly study the adjustments to service made by Singapore Airlines to better understand the influence it has on issues like passenger confidence and passenger compliance with crew instructions. 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. South Korea has discovered more than 150 balloons with garbage on its territory. They were launched across the border by North Korea, calling it a "retaliatory action" against anti-Pyongyang leaflets distributed by southern activists. ADVERTISIMENT According to Yonhap, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the balloons began crossing the border on the evening of May 28. They fell in different parts of the country, reaching the southeastern province of South Gyeongsang. It is alleged that the balloons were tied to bags of various garbage, including plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts, and even manure. The military had to collect the contents for detailed analysis. Local residents were advised not to touch the objects and to report them to law enforcement or the military if they found them. People were also warned that the balloons could cause damage when they fell. Seoul condemned Pyongyang and "sternly warned it to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar actions." "These actions by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our people," the military command said. ADVERTISIMENT For years, North Korean defectors in South Korea and conservative activists have been delivering leaflets to the North by balloon to counter DPRK propaganda. On May 26, Pyongyang warned that it was scattering waste paper and garbage across South Korea. "We will take mirror measures in response to the frequent scattering of propaganda materials and garbage in the border area. Many unusable papers and garbage will soon be thrown into the border area [of South Korea]," announced Kim Gang-il, the DPRK's deputy defense minister. As reported by OBOZ.UA, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has decided to develop ties with Russia in order to revive his country's economy. Factories began to operate at higher capacity, and the Defense Minister admitted that the economic situation in the DPRK has "significantly improved" thanks to Russian supplies of food, raw materials and oil products, the Financial Times noted. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Financing, zoning, not federal land access, are what will expand affordable housing, experts say Housing policy experts warn that urban sprawl creates other problems, such as the lack of transportation infrastructure needed to connect people to jobs, food and other resources. (Photo: Elizabeth Beard, Getty Images) Policy, politics and progressive commentary Nevadas housing crisis isnt new, nor is the push by local and state elected officials to open up federal land beyond city limits to build more affordable units. Yet land availability is just one part of the equation, and experts say the state would be better served focusing on permanent funding for affordable housing projects on available land within the metro areas current boundaries. As President Joe Biden made his way to Southern Nevada in March to speak on federal solutions to address the nationwide housing crisis, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo sent a letter criticizing the White House for not making more federal land available to build more housing. To address the housing crisis, the State of Nevada and our local communities need to access the land that is within their respective borders, Lombardo wrote. Unfortunately, we must rely on acts of Congress and severely backlogged federal agencies to secure the land necessary to grow. The federal process for privatizing land for development is too slow, too complex, and contributes to higher costs for Nevada families seeking homeownership. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) estimates Nevada lacks more than 78,000 affordable homes for extremely low-income households, defined as those with incomes at or below the federal poverty level, which is about $31,000 for a family of four. At the end of the day, what makes affordable housing affordable is the financing, said Wally Swenson, the vice president of corporate affairs at the nonprofit developer Nevada HAND, which builds affordable housing units. For Nevada HAND and our developers perspective, its about having robust financial resources to build, its having affordable and available land to build on and its having favorable zoning. The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by Biden in 2021, allocated billions of dollars of federal funds to Nevada. Former Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, pledged $500 million of ARPA dollars for housing, which gave the state needed dollars to address financing gaps and either build or preserve affordable housing projects. Swenson said it created an unprecedented amount of funding for the development of affordable housing. But those dollars are finite and will only go so far. Around 3,000 units are being built statewide using federal relief money. Its not going to get us out of our crisis alone, he said. What we can do as a community is come together to identify the different ways to address this crisis, from land availability to making additional financing available to developers. Lombardo didnt respond to the Currents emailed questions about what specific proposals, if any, his office has looked at to address financing gaps in building and developing affordable housing projects. Yonah Freemark, the research director for the Land Use Lab at the D.C. based economic think tank Urban Institute, said some communities throughout the country have looked at identifying new revenue sources, such as various tax increases, to fund affordable housing projects. Maurice Page, executive director of the Nevada Housing Coalition, said the coalition is looking at best practices around the country but isnt ready to back a particular idea. He said the state could include looking at real estate taxes or property taxes. We have to be very creative in where we can raise taxes without affecting our current workforce, Page said. We have to be able to offset some of these costs. These are issues where we have to be able to look at and analyze to see if that would be a win for us and a win for the state. Another area the policymakers should consider is seeking more support for housing from corporations when they locate to Nevada, and seeing if they would be willing to put in their budgets money for housing for their workforce, Page said. With the high volume of people in need of housing Swenson said Nevada HAND gets thousands of inquiries every week the state has reached a point in time where every conversation should be on the table. The conversation of tax increases have been thrown out by legislators in session, Swenson said. That hasnt moved forward. You push up transportation costs Though land is needed to build more housing, not all types of land are the same. The majority of federally owned lands are on the perimeter of the Las Vegas Valley, meaning its development will result in more urban sprawl. Housing policy experts warn that urban sprawl creates other problems, such as the lack of transportation infrastructure needed to connect people to jobs, food and other resources. Land plays a huge part, Page said. Lets not also forget the fact that when were opening up more land and trying to get homes built, we also look at the infrastructure. We have to look at child care, transportation, utilities. We have to look at all of that as well. All of that costs money. Alex Horowitz, the project director of the Pew Charitable Trust Housing Policy Initiative, said the further people get from work, grocery stores and school, even if youre adding more housing you push up transportation costs. Transportation is often the second biggest item in a families budget after housing, he said. If you add housing further and further out from the places people go every day, thats usually a recipe for extending commute and pushing up transportation costs. Freemark added that just because federal land might be an option, doesnt mean we should necessarily build housing on it. I do approach the use of federally owned lands with a bit more skepticism because its often going to result in negative outcomes for sensitive ecologies, Freemark said. And frankly, its going to encourage more driving. M.J. Maynard, the CEO with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, warned Clark County commissioners in April that future revenue projections indicate the agency could start seeing a $156.3 million deficit starting in 2028. Those projections are just for maintaining existing roadways. Building housing on new federal land further away from city limits would also require building, and then maintaining, new roadways and transportation infrastructure. While there has been a push to use federal land, there are no parameters on the type of housing could be built there if freed up. The Current reached out to the Howard Hughes Corporation, a real estate developer that has built master planned communities like Summerlin, to see how making more federal land available would affect their ability to develop more housing. They declined to comment. Swenson said Nevada HANDs model is to identify infill development, which utilizes existing urban spaces. The nonprofit developer, he said, has worked with local governments to address zoning barriers to build more units. Horowitz said there are still more solutions cities and states can research to address its housing shortage. We see states making sure certain types of housing are not prohibitive by localities that have adopted exclusionary zoning, he said, referring to laws that restrict the types of homes that can be built. Nine states have legalized accessory dwelling units when a single family house or duplex usually has a basement or backyard apartment or they can convert a garage into an apartment. Horowitz points out the City of Las Vegas is triple the size of Paris, which he added has more than triple the population of Las Vegas. Its possible to build more housing within the city limits. Even though sometimes cities, you hear people say if the city is built out because if there isnt a lot of open space or green fields to build on, we see jurisdictions can succeed at adding housing within city limits, he said. Often that means people can live closer to the places they go every day. The post Financing, zoning, not federal land access, are what will expand affordable housing, experts say appeared first on Nevada Current. Finland has not imposed any restrictions regarding Ukraine's strikes on Russias territory with weapons that it handed over to Ukrainian troops. Source: Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen to the Uusi Suomi news outlet Details: Valtonen said that a country waging a defensive war can strike at military targets on the aggressor's territory if it is necessary for self-defence. "Finland has not set any specific restrictions on its material assistance to Ukraine but assumes that the assets will be used in accordance with international law. Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, and Ukraine has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. This includes strikes on military targets on the aggressor's territory that are necessary for self-defence," said Valtonen. The issue has become a subject of public debate after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO member states to consider easing restrictions on strikes against Russia with Western weapons. Background: EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell said yesterday that several European countries had no objection to Ukraine using their weapons to strike at Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine should be allowed to strike targets located in Russia. During his visit to Kyiv in May, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that London had authorised the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike Russia with the UK-made weapons. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren also called for the restrictions to be lifted. Support UP or become our patron! Finland, Canada, Poland don't prohibit Ukraine from striking targets in Russia with their weapons Representatives of Finland, Canada, and Poland issued separate statements on May 29 saying Ukraine can use their weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Kyiv can strike military targets on Russian territory with Finnish-supplied weapons as it has a right to self-defense under the U.N. Charter, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in an interview on May 29 with the Finnish newspaper Uusi Suomi. "Finland has not set any special restrictions on its aid to Ukraine, but assumes that it will be used in accordance with international law," Valtonen said. The issue of Ukraine striking military targets in Russia using Western-provided weapons came to a head after representatives of countries like the U.S. and Germany said they opposed it due to fears of escalation. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged an end to Ukrainian allies' bans on Kyiv using their weapons to strike Russia. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted on May 27 a declaration in support of NATO allies lifting restrictions that prohibit Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons against military targets inside Russia. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said at a press conference on May 29 saying Ottawa does not oppose Kyiv using Canadian-supplied weapons to strike Russia. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk echoed her message, telling Polish radio station Radoi Zet that Warsaw does not have any restrictions on Ukraine's use of Polish-supplied weapons in Russia. Ukraine was brutally attacked by Russia, so it has the right to defend itself. In turn, we are a country that has decided to help it with this," he said. Ukrainian officials have ramped up the pressure on their allies in recent weeks, urging them to allow Kyiv to use Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia. "We see every point of concentration of Russian troops. We know all the areas where Russian missiles and combat aircraft are launched," Zelensky said on May 26. Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The first 250 new CollegeBound Saver accounts opened Wednesday will receive $300. Heres why. Wednesday, May 29, is 529 Day. The first 250 Rhode Islanders who open a new CollegeBound Savings account will receive $300 through an initiative funded by the state and the Rhode Island Foundation. (Getty image) The first 250 Rhode Islanders to open a state-administered 529 educational savings plan account on Wednesday, May 29, will receive a one-time $300 contribution under an initiative led by the Office of General Treasurer James Diossa in honor of 529 Day. The offer applies to accounts for children ages 3 through 7 and is made possible through a partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation and the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, Diossas office announced Tuesday. CollegeBound Saver is Rhode Islands 529 plan. Earnings grow tax-deferred from federal and state taxes. The Rhode Island Foundation will provide $100 for each of the first 200 new CollegeBound Saver accounts up to a total of $20,000. The Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner will provide $100 for each of the first 250 new CollegeBound Saver accounts up to a total of $25,000. The balance of the contribution will be covered by the Office of the General Treasurer. To open an account with Rhode Islands CollegeBound Saver program, visit CollegeBoundSaver.com/Save529. The offer begins at midnight and will continue for 24 hours. Diossa will visit the Claiborne Pell Elementary School on Dexter Street in Newport at 1 p.m. Wednesday for a 529 Day celebration. He will be joined by Newport Mayor Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, representatives from the Rhode Island Foundation and Office of the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. The story was updated Wednesday after the Office of the General Treasurer announced the age eligibility criteria. The post The first 250 new CollegeBound Saver accounts opened Wednesday will receive $300. Heres why. appeared first on Rhode Island Current. First Lady Jill Biden Tells The View Biden Vs. Trump Is Battle Against Chaos & Evil: Polls Are Going To Turn First Lady Jill Biden swatted away suggestions that President Joe Biden is too old for the job, saying on ABCs The View today that her husband, at 81, is about the same age as the assumed challenger Donald Trump, who turns 78 in two weeks. This election is not about age, she said, adding, This is about character. More from Deadline You have to believe [Trump], she continued, when he uses words like dictator, bloodbath, third term, violence. Weve seen it, so when he says these words believe him, dont think this isnt going to happen. Asked about polls that put Trump ahead of Biden, the First Lady said, Those polls are going to turn, Im confident of it, because as time goes on and people start to focus a little bit more about whats at stake and start to become educated on the issues and the differences between the two men, I believe Americans are going to choose good over evil. Stumping for her husband, the First Lady emphasized the seriousness of the choice Americans will make this November, describing the options as strong leadership (her husband) and chaos (You Know Who, as View moderator Whoopi Goldberg has long referred to Trump). Asked about the importance of the upcoming June 27 and September 10 debates, the First Lady emphasized that debate organizers plan to cut off mics to prevent crosstalk, so that somebody cant ramble or scream at somebody, not that my husband would be the one doing that. I think the American people deserve a debate because you need to see the choices, she said. You need to see Trump and you need to see the Presidentand youre going to see how smart (Biden) is and the experience he has and then youll seesomebody who cant put a sentence together. The First Ladys visit to The View comes on the day that jury deliberations begin in the New York City hush-money case against Trump. The trial was not discussed during the interview. The View interview with Jill Biden also touched on subjects including student protests and the economy. Watch clips of the interview below. First lady @DrBiden on the role Pres. Biden's age plays in his run for reelection: "This election is not about age It's about character." "You have two choices, my husband Joe, who you all know who has integrity Or you have chaos." pic.twitter.com/Tfxsu6uHL8 The View (@TheView) May 29, 2024 .@DrBiden to #TheView on Pres. Biden's meetings with CEOs to lower grocery and food prices: "We can't have this corporate greed, we have to get control of it. Joe is working on it every single day." pic.twitter.com/8FbxMFsBYl The View (@TheView) May 29, 2024 First lady @DrBiden tells #TheView she supports students peacefully protesting the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses around the country: "People do have the right to protest that's why we have a democracy." pic.twitter.com/LiNjbdc2af The View (@TheView) May 29, 2024 Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A father arrested for killing his 2-year-old daughter in Pembroke Pines is facing first-degree murder charges, NBC affiliate WTVJ reports. Jeronimo Duran, 33, was arrested Tuesday after first responders answered calls of a child who wasnt breathing. Pembroke Pines Police said in a news conference Wednesday that Melody Alana Rose Duran was rushed to a local hospital but died from her injuries. Its a very tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim and at this time were just focusing on being able to provide justice to her family, Sgt. Jason Palant said. The toddler reportedly had a laceration to her throat and investigators said a knife believed to be used in the incident was found. The medical examiner will determine her official cause of death. Credit: WTVJ via NBC News WTVJ said Duran and the toddlers mother had a parenting plan that allowed time sharing and Duran picked his daughter up that morning. Durans grandmother is believed to have called the police. Based on the info we have so far, she arrived at the residence and saw the suspect on top of the 2-year-old child and noticed the child didnt appear to be breathing at which time she called for 911, Palant said. Duran is being held without bond. He also faces an aggravated child abuse charge, according to WTVJ. He was questioned by detectives. He spoke with detectives and through his statement it helped establish the probable cause for his arrest, however, we dont have a motive at this time, Palant said. Duran was reportedly in a custody battle and had admitted to having mental health issues, WTVJ said. Documents obtained by WTVJ said Duran father suffers from mental illness including paranoia and anger issues, describing him as erratic, aggressive, violent, and dangerous to the mother and minor child. Police are reportedly investigating Durans history. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 accused of stealing pallets from Publix to sell to farmers Florida man accused of stealing pallets from Publix to sell to farmers CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida man was arrested earlier this month after Cape Coral officers said he stole pallets from a Publix to sell to local farmers. According to a report obtained by NBC affiliate WBBH, officers on patrol noticed two men loading pallets onto a pickup trucks trailer behind a Publix store on May 14. The police department said that when the men spotted the officers, they immediately stopped loading the pallets, got into the truck and drove off. Officers said they initiated a traffic stop on the truck because it didnt have a license plate. The driver, identified as 19-year-old Nathan Avalos, reportedly told officers that he lost the tag to the trailer. He also said the pallets were his and he was fixing them. Eventually, officers said Avalos admitted that the pallets were not his. Investigators said they learned that Avalos was taking the pallets to sell without permission from Publix. The report said 34 pallets were stolen and valued between $25 and $80 each. Investigators said Avalos sold the pallets to farmers in Immokalee for $2.50 to $3. Officers said the pair also stole pallets from a Walmart in Fort Myers in May. WBBH reported that Avalos was charged with one count of loitering and prowling, one count of grand theft and one count of dealing in stolen property. The passenger was reportedly a juvenile and was charged with loitering and prowling. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Florida The Florida Board of Education approved several tweaks Wednesday to the states standards for teaching social studies, but left intact controversial pieces on Black history that sparked widespread backlash last year. The updated standards include new required instruction surrounding the Sept. 11 attacks and the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as several other more subtle changes. Opponents, though, including Floridas largest teachers union and free speech advocates, slammed the state for sticking by its warped telling of Black history. Black history: Floridas new teaching standards include the same language that scored national blowback last year for requiring middle school students to learn how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. Critics, including Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), urged the state to reconsider that language. And others criticized the states phrasing on crucial lessons surrounding the 1920 Ocoee massacre and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which are labeled as violence perpetrated against and by African Americans. But these lessons went unchanged, triggering further objection Wednesday from the Florida Education Association teachers union and free speech advocacy group PEN America, among others. It still refers to slavery as having a potential benefit, Andrew Spar, president of the FEA, said during the state board meeting in Miami. And that is a concern, as well as making sure that our students have a complete and honest history around both the African American experience and all experiences in our country. Civics: In one change, the state is requiring students to learn about the influences of ancient Jewish traditions on the founding of the United States as a constitutional republic. While the tweak adds only one word the study of Jewish civilizations alongside Greek and Roman history already entrenched in the lesson plan it is giving pause to some religious freedom groups. One organization, the Florida Freedom to Read Foundation, claims the addition could lead to schools teaching about the Ten Commandments, and that standard is mandating that teachers expound on the Founding Fathers Christian faith and how that might have played into their framing of the Constitution." Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. defended how the state teaches civics during Wednesdays meeting, saying students need to understand clearly how the country was founded and the issue is not to be confused with religious freedom. We are not going to back away from the founding of this country and the principles that it was founded under, Diaz said. More changes: Florida schools under the new standards are required to teach students specific lessons about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in middle and high school. For high school, the standards call on students to compare global responses to terrorism after the attacks and examine other terrorist attacks like the Oklahoma City bombing. These lessons are meant to lead students to recognize terrorism as being politically or ideologically driven acts of violence. Another change requires high schools to teach about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, giving specific attention to the history of Japanese internment camps and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. In October 2019, when he was preparing to assume the position of High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell said that the Union must learn to speak the language of power. Shortly afterwards, at her inaugural speech, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged that hers would be a geopolitical Commission. In the following years, spurred by the Covid pandemic and the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the 27 members of the EU have taken significant steps in that direction. However, the path to turning the EU into a geopolitical power is long, uncertain, and full of obstacles. The EU was not born to be a geopolitical power. It is not a structured military power and its action in foreign policy is hindered by the need for unanimity. It therefore suffers from limitations that lead some experts to conceptually question its nature as a geopolitical actor. However, despite the fact that member states have been defending their own control over these crucial competences for decades, the common project is now in a state of profound metamorphosis. There is no doubt that greater common capabilities are being provided, and that the political will to use them is growing within the logic of stark power impulses into which the world is entering. In the legislative term that is now ending, the 27 have taken unprecedented steps in the field of defense, such as the use of an EU instrument to facilitate a large shipment of weapons to Ukraine, or the implementation of defense industry coordination mechanisms. Beyond Ukraine, it is worth noting that in this last five-year period, seven joint military operations have been launched including one of high strategic value in the Red Sea compared to only one in the previous term. In the background, there has been a general increase in military spending throughout the EU. But the advances are not exclusive to the defense field. Experts consulted for this story all underscored the EUs evolution in terms of economic security and strategic autonomy. This includes action on economic, energy and technology issues, such as encouraging the development of a European microchip industry, reviewing trade relations with China to reduce dependencies and avoid delivering advanced sensitive technologies and the reconfiguration of the energy supply, cutting ties with Russia. Ilke Toygur, director of the Global Policy Center and professor of European geopolitics at IE University, believes that we are facing a change in logic. I think that in recent years, what were once big red lines have been crossed, such as issuing collective debt during the pandemic or the shipment of weapons to Ukraine. But even more importantly than any specific significant progress, there has been a shift in thinking regarding what the EU can and cannot do. The DNA of the EU project is changing. It is significant in this context that the leaders of Germany and France penned a column this week, published by the Financial Times, that advocates strengthening European sovereignty, a strong concept that has been defended by Paris for some time, but which Berlin showed some reluctance to, preferring more nuanced and open messages. Not anymore. Almost everyone is now convinced of the need for change faced with an increasingly brutal world, with Russias violent challenge to the international order, the uncertain future of the alliance with the United States, a China that dominates key technologies and is also a disturbing competitor, and a worrying arc of instability in the Middle East and Africa. Richard Youngs, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, believes that in recent years the first steps have been taken in what will be a long process of adapting the EU to the evolution of the world. This analyst believes that a fundamental aspect of this change is the issue of economic security, of international economic policy that takes more into account geopolitical interests. It is in that area of confluence between the economic and the geopolitical where there is a significant evolution. Youngs has just published a book titled Geoliberal Europe and the Test of War. This expert believes that the concept of geoliberal better adapts to the characteristics of the EU. The EU does not act as a geopolitical power in its most traditional definition. What it is doing is adapting its liberal characteristics and values to execute more strategic or geopolitical actions. Luis Simon, director of the Elcano Royal Institutes Office in Brussels and Senior Analyst, agrees in highlighting the advances in economic security strategy and in the field of defense, both with the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and with the growing industrial coordination in the sector. In this area, new mechanisms for joint purchases of military equipment stand out. It is a symbol of how the EU can move forward in defense, not with the configuration of a structured military force, but with an improvement in coordination that increases effectiveness while reducing fragmentation, duplication and incompatibilities. Another significant movement on the geopolitical path is the reactivation of the EU enlargement agenda towards Eastern Europe. Although this is still undefined and major reforms will be required not only of the candidates, but also of the 27 themselves, the mere reactivation of the process is undoubtedly relevant. But these important steps do not mean that the EU is getting close to the capacity to act as an effective geopolitical power in competition with giants like the United States and China, which combine the greatest agility of action of a single State and considerable advantages in strategic capabilities, cutting-edge technologies and innovation. To try to alleviate these delays, the EU has commissioned reports from prominent Italian figures: Enrico Letta for the reform of the single market (already presented), and Mario Draghi to spur the EUs competitiveness. Naturally, there remain serious problems to continue moving forward, and they are the usual ones: the divergences between Member States, says Simon. The requirement for political consensus is obviously a brake. The fundamental relationship is the Franco-German one. There has been a certain rapprochement between the two, but substantial differences remain. Among them, I would highlight the conception they have of the military instrument, which Paris conceives as a tool at the service of foreign policy and strategic objectives, while for Berlin it is exclusively a defense mechanism, making Germany much more reluctant to use it. In connection with this argument, Youngs points out that the increase in military spending is not in itself an increase in geopolitical power, because that will depend on the conditions and the use of those capabilities. In general, Youngs considers that the power of veto is obviously a strong factor. A change in the decision-making mechanism would be useful and important. But even that wouldnt be a magic solution. There is great conceptual uncertainty about how the Union should deal with emerging problems. We are in a moment of redefinition of the relationship between the European Union and the international system that raises fundamental problems. Drawing up the roadmap for an organization as complex as the EU is an enormous challenge and nothing suggests that a change in decision-making mechanisms is near. The convergence of wills is the crucial element along this path. There are no certainties in this regard and the upcoming European elections will be an important defining moment for Europes political forces, divided between supporters of greater integration and defenders of a Europe of nations. Toygur points to the reform of the internal market and the stimulation of competitiveness as two areas in which progress is possible and which could provide a strong boost. Being a geopolitical power requires having economic vigor and the capacity for innovation. Its not just a question of defense. It is important to advance on this matter, and to do so while defending citizen cohesion and the position of the EU as a global economic power. To this end, some member states including France advocate issuing new common debt, while others including Germany are reticent. Here too, then, divergences must be overcome, but it is undoubtedly the most favorable terrain for the EUs next steps on the path to becoming a geopolitical power. TALLAHASSEE, Florida Floridas top education official downplayed the sizable enrollment declines plaguing some of the largest school districts in the state on Wednesday, labeling potential campus closures as a motivation for traditional public schools to innovate and provide programming that is attractive to parents. The comments from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. come after POLITICO's reporting about the growing popularity of the state's school choice programs and the financial squeeze that subsequently placed on traditional public schools. School districts in Broward, Duval and Miami-Dade counties have enrolled some 53,000 fewer students since 2019-20, a drop that is spurring local leaders to consider closing and repurposing campuses to save money. Youve seen these reports of some districts having to close schools thats how this works, Diaz said during a state Board of Education meeting in Miami. Districts have to make decisions. And sometimes these districts in the past have made decisions that have kicked the can down the road and now have to make harder decisions. But what they need to do is continue to innovate and provide programming that is attractive to parents so, on that open competition, they have the best option for those parents to choose. School choice is booming in Florida, with thousands more families flocking to charter schools, home schooling and using a state-funded scholarship for private schooling. This is by design of the states Republican leaders, like Gov. Ron DeSantis, who have expanded these policies in recent years namely by opening scholarships to all students regardless of family income in 2023. But as these programs explode, some traditional public schools are struggling to fill seats. Broward County, for example, has more than 49,000 classroom seats sitting empty this year, leading school officials to consider closing eight schools in the next two years. Closing one campus could save the district between $1.8 million to $4.3 million, according to a new presentation on Wednesday from the district. Education leaders fear the long-term implications of school closures, like students being bused further away to a new campus and communities losing schools that have served them for generations. Here we saw today, the commissioner of education basically celebrating that public schools are being closed. Thats not OK, Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association teachers union, told reporters after Wednesdays board meeting. For the DeSantis administration and Florida, though, the philosophy is that parents can choose the best schooling method for their child and get state funding to do so, Diaz said. Its not our job here, or in the Legislature, or the governor, to choose which setting these parents choose, Diaz, a former Republican lawmaker, told the state board Wednesday. It is our job to provide them, and we are doing that. Districts have the opportunity in these situations where theyre having to deal with closures to innovate. In reaction to the likely school closures to come, DeSantis officials noted that good products flourish and bad products get replaced, a sentiment shared by the state board. Thats going to cause disruption, and that in many ways can be a good thing because it's forcing everyone to rethink how were delivering education, Ben Gibson, chair of the state Board of Education, said about parents having more choices. DULUTH The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will soon join three other Minnesota tribes in the cannabis business, filling a niche in a region of the state where no other marijuana operations yet exist. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation (IRRR) department will grant a $2.5 million loan to support the $14.7 million project, despite the department's advisory board recommending against it at its Tuesday meeting in Eveleth. Whether the band supported mining was among the first questions tribal leaders faced there. The band has filed several legal challenges to permits related to copper-nickel mining. IRRR Commissioner Ida Rukavina later said the department would invest in Fond du Lac Cannabis Corp. regardless. The project had been thoroughly vetted by the agency and "will support numerous new manufacturing jobs in a rural area of St. Louis County that will further diversify and strengthen our region's economy," she said in a news release following the meeting. An 18,000-square-foot cultivation and manufacturing building will be constructed in Brookston, Minn., about 27 miles west of Duluth. Medical and recreational cannabis products will be sold near Black Bear Casino Resort along the Hwy. 210 corridor in Carlton County. The IRRR will also give a $250,000 grant for the project, which is expected to create 55 jobs. The money will go toward furniture, fixtures and equipment for the cultivation of cannabis and manufacturing of products. A $2.5 million loan is expected to come from the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development Minnesota 21st Century Fund. State Sen. Rob Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, said he didn't want to spend public money on recreational marijuana, and questioned the band's stance on mining since it asked for money that stems from the industry. State law requires mining companies in Minnesota to pay a production tax instead of property taxes. Along with counties, cities, townships and school districts within the boundaries of the northeastern Minnesota taconite assistance area, a large portion is shared with the IRRR, which distributes to businesses, communities and school districts via grants and loans. As a downstream community worried about water quality standards, the band is opposed to irresponsible mining but not mining as a whole, said Vice Chair Roger Smith Sr. The band understands the need for mining and jobs, he said, but wants to protect the St. Louis River, which flows through its reservation. The cannabis operation is "about creating jobs for us" in an area that doesn't have many, said Robert Abramowski, secretary and treasurer of the band. Story continues State Sen. Grant Hauschild, D-Hermantown, said that while he may have concerns about the band's positions on certain projects, it's critical to partner with it, especially on a project that can be an economic driver. "My hope is this is a first step in engaging in future conversations where we can talk about economic benefits of all sorts of industries; non-ferrous, timber, cannabis and beyond," Hauschild said. The board voted 5-2 against it, but did approve nearly $1 million for a Two Harbors hemp business, Finnegan's Farm, so it can process hemp in-house. Some board members appeared to draw a line between low-dose hemp-derived products and marijuana. Hemp-derived products are required to contain less THC than marijuana products under Minnesota law. Finnegan's Farm sells THC and CBD gummies, drinks and tinctures. Last fall, the IRRR awarded a $10 million loan to an out-of-state company looking to build a cannabis growing operation in the former Ainsworth timber mill in Grand Rapids. Because of their sovereign status, Minnesota tribes can begin cannabis operations without state licensing. Recreational cannabis was legalized here in 2023. Former Centerville, SD mayor appears in court after being charged in triple murder The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case Jay Ostrem said little in his initial appearance at a Clay County courthouse on Wednesday afternoon, a day after he was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in a triple homicide in Centerville, South Dakota, the small town where he once served as mayor. Ostrem, 64, appeared before Judge Kasey Sorenson without an attorney, though he filed paperwork to be provided with a court-appointed attorney. He did not enter a plea during the hearing. As Sorenson asked Ostrem if he understood the charges of murder filed against him regarding the deaths of Paul Frankus, Zach Frankus and Timothy Richmond, crying could be heard from some in the courtrooms audience. The prosecution team said they intended to bring the case before a grand jury, and Sorenson set a circuit court arraignment hearing for 3 p.m. June 20 in McCook County. Court documents say police received a call at 9:44 p.m. Monday night from Zach Frankus, saying that his brother Paul Frankus had been shot and killed with a shotgun at a Centerville residence. Zach Frankus eventually told a dispatcher that he too had been shot, and stopped speaking soon afterward. Authorities responding to the scene reported seeing Ostrem leaving the home identified as the scene of the shooting. When he eventually obeyed commands to lay on the ground, officers found him bleeding from the left hand and smelling of alcohol, with a .380 handgun and AR-style rifle, as well as spent shotgun shell casings and a spent rifle casing. Paul Frankus, Zach Frankus and Richmond were found dead inside the home. Documents say Ostrems wife told police when they contacted her that Paul Frankus had forcibly kissed her and exposed his genitals to her while they were drinking on May 23. She told police that she had informed Ostrem of this on the night of May 27, leading to him raging out of the house. She told police he did not say where he was going and that he had no weapons, though she said he may have had weapons in his vehicle. Jay Ostrem is escorted through the Clay County Courthouse on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Who is Jay Ostrem? With 20 years of law enforcement experience, Ostrem played a role in helping the city overcome state-level scrutiny when the city's police chief at the time faced an investigation for a crime not named publicly in 2006 by working for the city police department on weekends after a time when the town had little to no law enforcement, the archives show. That former police chief, Nolan Clark, later pleaded guilty to DUI in 2007 and Ostrem stopped taking those weekend shifts then. Ostrem, a Gillette, Wyoming transplant, was also a Turner County Sheriff's Office investigator in 2007 and a deputy in 2010, according to Argus Leader archives. He assisted in the 2010 trial of Ethan Johns, who was convicted of killing sheriff's deputy Chad Mechels and sentenced to life in prison. He was also at the center of a two-year legal battle for Centerville between 2010 and 2012, when the city's former police chief filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ostrem, who was the former mayor by that time. He was mayor in 2010, archives show. The two settled the lawsuit, but the former chief, Rachel Kopman, had alleged she was "repeatedly inundated with sexually inappropriate comments and remarks from Ostrem," during her tenure. Neither commented about the settlement at the time, Argus Leader archives show. His law enforcement certification expired in 2016, reported South Dakota Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Former South Dakota mayor charged in triple homicide appears in court Former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page reach settlement with DOJ over release of their text messages Former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page have reached a settlement with the Justice Department after they alleged their privacy rights were violated when their text messages were released and became political fodder for Donald Trump to oppose the Russia investigation during his presidency. The settlement, described as a tentative agreement in a court filing on Tuesday, will resolve in full the 5-year-old case Page brought against her former employer. She had sought financial damages of at least $1,000 for alleged privacy violations after her text messages critical of Trump were released to the media. Strzok, who was ultimately fired from the FBI, hasnt settled the portion of his lawsuit in which he sued for backpay and his job back, the filing said. The settlement has not yet been finalized or approved by a judge. Lawyers for Strzok and Page declined to comment or to provide further detail on the settlement. Strzok in his 2019 lawsuit had accused the Justice Department of wrongfully terminating him because of Trumps publicly stated anger toward him and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Strzok played a senior role on special counsel Robert Muellers team until he was removed after an internal investigation first revealed his texts with Page, with whom Strzok had an extramarital relationship, that could be read as exhibiting political bias. Page, who had also briefly served on Muellers team, resigned from her role as a lawyer for the FBI after the messages were discovered. Pages suit alleged that DOJ and/or FBI officials provided the messages to reporters for multiple improper reasons, including to elevate DOJs standing with the President. It claimed that journalists were brought to the Justice Department to review the messages at night, prohibiting the reporters from copying or removing the set of messages from the building, and instructing them not to reveal DOJ as the source. Strzoks lawyers added in a later filing that the defendants should not be heard to complain about the notoriety and putative damage to the FBIs reputation from Strzoks speech when it was their own illegal disclosures, magnified and distorted by the false attacks made by the President and his allies, that placed a spotlight on Strzoks opinions. The suits also led to Trump being deposed last year after a yearslong back and forth, with the Biden Justice Department seeking to shield Trump from giving the testimony, citing legal protections surrounding presidents and their actions while in office. Strzoks and Pages attorneys were able to ask Trump at the time about his public statements and other communications he made about the pair in 2017 and 2018. This story has been updated with additional reporting. CNNs Paul LeBlanc, Laura Jarrett, Josh Campbell, and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Former federal judge blasts John Roberts in new book and says Ruth Bader Ginsburg was annoyed by pressure to retire Retired US Appeals Court Judge David Tatel, a former civil rights lawyer and nearly 30-year veteran of the countrys second highest court, laments the actions of the current Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts in a candid new memoir. Rarely do US jurists, even in retirement, write so bluntly. A 1994 appointee of President Bill Clinton and someone whose name appeared on Democratic short-lists for the high court, Tatel particularly criticizes Roberts opinions on race, including to eliminate voting rights protections, a core plank of Americas civil rights revolution. The Supreme Court, Tatel wrote, has kicked precedent to the curb and become a tragedy for civil rights and the rule of law. Tatel also reveals high-court insights from private conversations with the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He said she revealed early dealings among justices that eventually led to the milestone 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision undermining the Voting Rights Act. Ginsburg also shared with Tatel the pressure she felt to resign while a Democrat was still president pressure that the judge speculates may have led her to stubbornly stay on the bench. During one dinner at our house, she took me aside to express her annoyance at commentators who were calling for her retirement. The timing of a resignation is up to each justice, she told me. John Stevens didnt step down until he was ninety, Tatel wrote. I sometimes wonder if the public pressure to retire made Ruth even more stubborn, Tatel continued. She was never one to succumb to pressure. She also believed in the American people, and that Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump, would succeed President Obama. Even when Trump was elected, I know Ruth still believed she could see his term through. Ginsburgs death in 2020 led to Trumps third appointment, Amy Coney Barrett, which sealed the court majority that overturned the constitutional right to abortion established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade, with the 2022 decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. (I)ts clear as day, Tatel added, that Dobbs never would have happened if Justice Ginsburg had lived, or if she had retired during Obamas presidency and been replaced by a like-minded justice. A despairing view of the Supreme Court Tatels book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, covers his expansive legal career and path toward acceptance of his blindness, arising from retinal disease (retinitis pigmentosa) diagnosed when he was in high school. His German shepherd guide dog, Vixen, is featured with Tatel on the book cover. Ive made peace with my blindness, Tatel, now 82, wrote in the book to be published on June 11. But Im concerned about the Supreme Courts apparent disregard for the principles of judicial restraint that distinguish the unelected judiciary from the two elected branches of governmentand about what that might mean for our planet and our democracy. Hes writing with new frankness and independence. As a sitting judge, Tatel tempered his criticism of the high court even as his opinions, including on voting rights, were often reversed. Tatels ideology is rooted in Americas civil rights era of the 1960s and 70s. He served as director of the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and then as director of the National Committee. During the Jimmy Carter administration, he led the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He then spent several years at a prominent law firm in Washington, before President Clinton selected him for the DC Circuit, a bench that specializes in important separation-of-powers disputes and regulatory matters. As Tatel recounts his legal journey and slowly coming to terms with his blindness, his tone is poignant but positive. He turns despairing when he writes of the Supreme Court, where Roberts has led the current court on a path that shuns racial diversity and remedial measures. The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race, Roberts wrote in a 2007 case that rejected school integration plans. Tatels response in the book: So much for healing the festering sores of segregation. Roberts also took the lead to curtail the reach of the Voting Rights Act, notably in the 2013 decision that eviscerated the laws provision that required states with a history of discrimination to clear redistricting or other electoral changes with the US Department of Justice. Our country has changed, Roberts wrote in Shelby County v. Holder, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions. How the Voting Rights Act was gutted In his book, Tatel wrote that Ginsburg told him about the behind-the-scenes dealings in a 2009 case, known as Northwest Austin v. Holder, that was the forerunner to Shelby County. The 2009 case left the VRAs Section 5 intact, although its reasoning laid the groundwork for future obliteration. (Tatel had authored the lower court opinions in both Northwest Austin and Shelby County.) When the Supreme Court ruled in 2009, Tatel said, What I couldnt figure out was why the four liberal justices had joined the Chiefs majority opinion. (T)he unnecessary and irrelevant jabs at Section 5s constitutionality? Why had they gone along with that part of the Chief s opinion? I suspected I knew the answer, and Justice Ginsburg herself later confirmed my suspicions. The justices had initially voted 54 to declare Section 5 unconstitutional, but they later worked out a compromise: The majority agreed to sidestep the big question about Section 5s constitutionality, and the would-be dissenters agreed to sign on to the critique of Section 5, the judge wrote. With that compromise, the liberal justices had bought Congress time to salvage the keystone of the Civil Rights Movement. Congress never acted, and Tatel contends the 2009 compromise cost the liberals: They sure paid a high price: an unrebutted opinion that criticized the VRA and, worse, endorsed a new equal sovereignty doctrine with potentially profound implications, Tatel wrote of the principle that restricted Congress ability to single out certain states, in this situation because of past discriminatory practices. The Courts opinion in Northwest Austin thus planted the seeds for Section 5s destruction. Tatel said Ginsburg often reached out to him regarding his DC Circuit cases that came before the Supreme Court on appeal. One particularly memorable case involved an energy task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, he recounted of a 2004 dispute. I wrote an opinion that the Supreme Court reversed 72. (It would have been 62, but Justice Scalia had refused to recuse himself notwithstanding his recent duck-hunting trip with Vice President Cheney.) Just minutes after the Court announced its decision, my chambers fax machine sputtered to life with a message from Justice Ginsburg. Dear David: This is the dissenting statement I just read from the bench. Every best wish, Ruth. As Tatel observed, justices read excerpts of their dissents from the bench only when they feel especially strongly about a case. Tatel added that he was reluctant to announce his retirement in 2021 after President Joe Biden, a Democrat, came to office. But he decided against waiting another four years, on the chance his successor would be named by a president who campaigned on the court and essentially against the rule of law. Frankly, Tatel wrote, I was also tired of having my work reviewed by a Supreme Court that seemed to hold in such low regard the principles to which Ive dedicated my life. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Amanda Lamberts pictured with sons Harald (right) and Arnis holding the two spoons she escaped Latvia with. Harald Lamberts and his family came to the United States seeking shelter from tyranny. Now, he's donating land valued at almost $2 million as a site to shelter Des Moines seniors. Lamberts, 83, is turning over the 1.9 undeveloped acres on Merle Hay Road south of Merle Hay Mall to Community Housing Initiatives Inc. for the senior housing project, to be called Lamberts Landing at Merle Hay. CHI, one of Iowas largest housing nonprofits, hopes to include in the development a display dedicated to the American immigrant experience based on the survival story of the Lamberts family, part of a group of Latvian refugees who gained international attention when they crossed the Atlantic on a small boat after World War II, reaching the United States. Community Housing Initiatives Inc. has taken ownership of 3200-3406 Merle Hay Road, south of the Merle Hay Square Shopping Center. CHI has created over 1,700 affordable housing units in Iowa and manages residential properties in Mason City, Adel, Spencer and North Liberty. The group values the Merle Hay land, which it called a "landmark" donation, at over $1.7 million. "Together with Harald Lamberts, (we) envision a property that tells the relatable tale of immigrants seeking a future in America," CHI said in a news release. Family flees in rowboat, then reaches US after arduous voyage John Lamberts shown looking through a family photo album. Amid the Soviet seizure of their Baltic homeland at the end of World War II, and after enduring years of German occupation, John and Amanda Lamberts fled Latvia with Harald in a rowboat in 1945. The family landed in Sweden. In 1948, with their new son, Arnis, they joined 25 other Latvian refugees on a 64-foot fishing ketch headed to South Africa. A storm blew the boat off course, and the refugees decided to head toward Boston after 46 days at sea, despite lacking permission to enter the country. Low on fuel and out of food, they landed in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and waited for the American immigration authorities. Their plight gained wide news coverage. Although they lacked visas or passports, President Harry Truman allowed them to stay under a special presidential order. Then-U.S. Rep. John F. Kennedy even visited the refugees while they waited in immigration detention. The Lambertses then made their way to Iowa thanks to a sponsorship from a Ford dealer in Greene, Harry Downs, after his wife read about the family in Life magazine, the Globe Gazette in nearby Mason City reported. Though John Lamberts didn't speak English, Downs gave him a job as a mechanic. John Lamberts immersed himself in humanitarian efforts. According to articles about him over the years in the Des Moines Register archives, he convinced hospitals and doctors' offices to provide him with expired medications, which he mailed to Baltic countries in need. He also bought and fixed up two school buses that he later shipped back to Latvia, which regained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 but needed years to rebuild. More: Des Moines' last known Holocaust survivor, David Wolnerman, has died Lamberts family finds success in Des Moines, is 'thrilled' to give back The Lambertses came to the Des Moines area in 1950, where they eventually opened Urbandale Auto Body Service, which is still in operation today. The business later expanded to include a car dealership, selling Fiats, SAABs, BMWs and Subarus. Harald Lamberts eventually took over as vice president of the dealership. "I basically grew up in it," Lamberts told the Register when he was 35. "It would be hard for me to do anything else because I have never worked for anybody else." A 16-foot-tall art installation titled "Treasure Hunt" by California artist John Cerney, displayed south of Granger. The dealership was sold in the 1980s. Lamberts used his business credentials to get into real estate investing, and invited artists to display their work on his properties. That included a 16-foot painting on plywood of children playing with toys, erected along Highway 141 east of Granger in 2007. Harald Lamberts in the CHI news release said he is "thrilled" to make his own contribution. He said he knows it's going toward an important cause. "The Merle Hay neighborhood holds a special place in my heart," Lamberts said. "Ensuring our elders have a comfortable and supportive environment to call home is a cause that resonates deeply with me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the neighborhood." A timeline for the project was not provided. CHI is currently seeking funding sources to develop the site. This embedded content is not available in your region. Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 or alathers@registermedia.com, and follow her on X at @addisonlathers. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Latvian refugee donates land for senior housing on Merle Hay Road MARION, Kan. (KSNW) Former Marion Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Ruth Herbel, alongside her attorneys with the Institute for Justice (IJ), have filed a federal lawsuit against city officials who, the IJ says, violated her constitutional rights with a bogus investigation and intrusive warrants in the summer of 2023. Ruth Herbel and her attorneys appeared before the U.S. Courthouse in Wichita on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, to announce the lawsuit against several Marion County officials. (KSN Photo) Herbel announced the lawsuit in front of the U.S. Courthouse in Wichita on Wednesday. The IJ says police were able to raid Herbels home with a bogus warrant they had acquired from a friendly judge. Police Chief Gideon Cody, who has since resigned, seized her phone. After the warrant was withdrawn, the IJ states Cody and former Mayor David Mayfield continued to look for a way to prosecute Herbel. The search of Ruths home had a very serious human cost. Ruths husband, who has dementia, was traumatized when he opened the door to find the police serving a search warrant, said the IJ. Cody himself seized Ruths phone even though it was her only phone and had her childrens and medical providers numbers on it. Wichita man arrested for alleged DUI crash at Highland Cemetery According to the IJ, the week after the raid, Cody shared a draft of an affidavit for Herbels arrest even after the officer who drafted it said, I am not sure it fits any of the crimes we have discussed except the US fed code. Maybe theres something missing. Herbels lawsuit alleges violations of her First Amendment rights to free speech and Fourth Amendment right to be secure in her home. She filed the lawsuit to seek damages to compensate her and her husband for the harm they suffered as a result of Mayor Mayfield and his allies retaliatory scheme. KSN reached out to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which took over the investigation from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation: Unfortunately there is no further update. We are still working on the additional investigation thats been requested by prosecutors, said a spokesperson for the CBI. Im told thatll probably take at least 3 more weeks if you want to check back then or follow up with the Special Prosecutors in Kansas. You can find the lawsuit below: Ruth-Herbal-complaintDownload Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The former vice mayor of Marion, Kansas, whose home was searched by police in August along with the local newspaper, filed a federal lawsuit against the city and a host of local officials and law enforcement officers on Tuesday, alleging they violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights. Ruth Herbel, an 81-year-old former Marion City Council member, alleged in the lawsuit that former Mayor David Mayfield and his allies including the former Police Chief Gideon Cody and Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez orchestrated a conspiracy to get her out of office and silence her for criticizing Mayfields actions in the local newspaper, The Marion County Record. Mayfield is the driving force behind this because he doesnt like me, Herbel said Wednesday at a news conference at the federal courthouse in Wichita. Because I have been a thorn in his side. For her tireless efforts to stamp out corruption and mismanagement in city government, she was forced to endure an illegal and retaliatory search of her home, Institute for Justice lawyer Michael Soyfer said at the news conference. Ruth and the Institute for Justice have partnered to bring this lawsuit to send a message to Mayor Mayfield, Chief Cody, all of their co-conspirators and government officials across the country who would use investigations to silence political opposition. The 88-page lawsuit comes nine months after the police raid, in which Marions then-Police Chief Gideon Cody led law enforcement officers on searches of the newspaper, the home of the papers editor and owner, as well as Herbels residence. The searches provoked a national outcry and Cody later resigned. Before the searches, the Record had been investigating Codys tenure at the Kansas City Police Department, where he was facing possible disciplinary action for allegedly making sexist comments. In applying for the search warrants, Cody wrote that he was investigating alleged identity theft of local restaurant owner Kari Newell after a reporter looked up her drivers license records which are public records on a state database. The search warrant application for Herbel closely matched those drafted for the Records office and the home of the Records editor and publisher, Eric Meyer. Herbels lawsuit is the fifth lawsuit filed over the raid, which include suits brought by Record editor Eric Meyer, current and former Record reporters and the Records office manager. The legal challenges have shone a spotlight on Fourth Amendment rights in Kansas and the numerous violations of constitutional rights by law enforcement statewide alleged over the past decade. Herbel, through her attorneys, says in the lawsuit that Mayfield instructed Chief Cody to open an investigation into his administrations chief critics Herbel and the Marion County Record with the goal of silencing political dissidents. While Ruth was on city council, she was frequently outspoken against the mayor and his allies, Jared McClain, Herbels lawyer from the Institute for Justice, said Wednesday. She fought for honesty and transparency in government, and that upset the people in power. Mayor Mayfield tried repeatedly to silence Ruth while she was in office. And eventually he decided that the only way to do so was to have her arrested and removed from office. So he had some of his buddies draw up a bogus warrant to search Ruths home, along with the Marion County Records offices and the home of the Records publisher, McClain said. There was no real investigation. There was no evidence there were no crimes, it was just pretext for punishment. Cody, who had search warrants, said he was after evidence that the paper had violated privacy laws in looking up the drivers license records of Newell. The Kansas Department of Revenue has said the records were public and the newspaper has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. The local prosecutor also withdrew the search warrants days after the raids. Herbel had received a copy of the business owners criminal history from Pam Maag, a friend of Newells, which she forwarded to the Marion city administrator. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has been examining the raid, as well as the allegations involving The Record, after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation asked the agency to take over. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Prosecutor Barry Wilkerson have been appointed special prosecutors on the case. CBI spokesman Rob Low about a month ago said the prosecutors asked for some additional investigative steps. Low on Tuesday had no update, saying only that his agency was still working on the additional investigative steps. Herbels husband, Ronald Herbel, is a co-plaintiff. Theyre suing the city of Marion, Mayfield, Cody, acting Marion Chief Zach Hudlin, Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez, Marion County Sheriffs detectives Aaron Christner and Steven Janzen, Marion Mayor Michael Powers and the Marion Board of County Commissioners. Lawyers for Mayfield and Cody declined to comment. Herbel and Mayfield clash Tensions between Herbel and Mayfield who ran together as a slate of candidates promising positive change and honesty, integrity and transparency in 2019 started two years before Marion law enforcement officers raided the vice mayors home, according to the lawsuit. Herbel often clashed, in public and in private, with Mayfield at Marion City Council meetings over how much information about city government should be discussed in public. It wasnt any secret that David Mayfield and I clash because Im the one that does a lot of research, Herbel said at Wednesdays news conference. State statutes, codes and everything else. Mayfield doesnt like that. He doesnt like to be called out on something. It started small, the lawsuit says, with Herbel blocking Mayfields plans to raze a memorial fountain in Marions Central park and escalated when Herbel told the Record about discussions during an executive session when Mayfield fired the city administrator based on secret complaints he refused to disclose to three of five council members. Mayfield began trying to control what questions Herbel could ask during council meetings. Behind closed doors, during executive sessions, Herbel was subjected to verbal abuse from Mayfield and his protege Zack Collett, another council member who would later tell Newell that Herbel was trying to block her from getting a liquor license, according to the lawsuit.. Mayfield once called Herbel a bitch during an executive session, the lawsuit says. Collett told Herbel that if the former city administrator were still around, you would not be sitting in that God damn seat, according to the lawsuit. The open hostility played out publicly on the front page of the Marion County Record with headlines such as Herbel, Mayfield continue to clash. Failed attempts The hostility between Mayfield and Herbal escalated further in 2022 when Mayfield and his allies on the council passed a charter ordinance that would make it dramatically easier for the city to issue bonds to fund the mayors projects, the lawsuit says. It would have increased the types of projects Marion could fund through debt, eliminated a requirement for oversight by an engineer, allowed the issuance of bonds without a super-majority of council voters and eliminated a requirement that the city hold a referendum to accrue more debt. Herbel voted against the change. She then organized a campaign against it and spent her own money on advertisements to defeat it. In a special election in December 2022, voters rejected the proposed charter ordinance 10-to-1, with just 25 of 294 votes in favor of his proposed changes. That was the final straw for Mayfield, Herbels lawsuit says. The next month, Mayfield and his wife, Jami Mayfield, organized a petition drive to have Herbel removed from the Marion City Council. Jami Mayfield posted on Facebook that signing the petition would help recall Councilor Herbel and silence the MRC (Marion County Record). They failed to get enough signatures to put the recall on a ballot. Two months before the raids, Mayfield tried to get Herbel to sign an agreement saying she as an elected member of the Marion City Council was an at-will employee who could be fired by Mayfield. Herbel crossed out that part of the agreement but the city administrator would not accept it. So when Herbel and the Record raised questions to Marion city officials in August 2023 about Newells driving record including how she may have evaded Marion city and county law enforcement for 20 years while driving on a suspended license Mayfield and his newly appointed police chief, Cody, snapped into action to retaliate against the mayors two harshest critics, the lawsuit says. In response, Mayfield ordered Cody to investigate Herbel and the Record, the lawsuit says. Three city officials Mayfield, Cody and Collett then reached out to Newell and fed her a false story that was then used as a pretense to open an investigation into Herbel and the Marion County Record, Herbels lawsuit says.. The three city officials left Newell with the false impression that Ruth had (1) illegally obtained a copy of her driving record; (2) posted the letter on Facebook; and (3) planned to use the letter to oppose Newells catering license, the lawsuit says. Beyond those false statements, Mayor Mayfield told Newell that the only way to stop Ruth and get her off the city council was to have her arrested and charged with a crime. Herbels lawsuit contends that Codys warrants which were later rescinded by Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey lacked probable cause, were overly broad and were based on lies and omissions. It also says the search warrants were mishandled by Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, who signed the warrants without Cody being present to provide a sworn statement attesting to the warrant affidavits accuracy. The warrants were based on lies and omissions rather than probable cause, the lawsuit says. No one even swore the allegations were true. To make things worse, the warrants were also absurdly overbroad. But that hardly mattered because the police just took every phone and computer, without bothering to limit their searches to the terms of the overbroad warrants they drafted. The warrants, after all, were just a means to punish their critics. Judge shopping, suspect signatures Herbels lawsuit alleges that the officials behind the raids went out of their way to find a judge would sign off on the bogus warrants. Rather than bringing the warrant applications to the District Judge for Marion County, the Honorable Susan Robson, the Defendants found a more favorable judge: Morris County Magistrate Judge Laura Viar, the lawsuit says. Magistrate Viar was the ideal candidate for the conspirators, Herbals lawsuit says. She and Kari Newell shared a similar criminal history and benefited from a similar lack of criminal enforcement. A Wichita Eagle investigation found Viar had two DUI arrests while she was a prosecutor in Morris County. While on diversion for the first arrest, Viar was arrested again in a different county after she crashed a vehicle into a school. There is, however, no record of Magistrate Viars second DUIwhich should have been a violation of the diversion programbecause much like with Kari Newell, local law enforcement chose not to enforce the law against her, Herbels lawsuit alleges. Cody applied for four search warrants, one each respectively for the Records offices and the homes of Eric Meyer, Ruth Herbel and Pam Maag, the person who had originally provided Newells records to the Record and Herbel. Viar signed off on three of the warrants and rejected a warrant for Maags residence for unknown reasons. Herbels lawyers also accused Viar of making a false statement on the applications. For the three warrants that Magistrate Viar signed, she crossed out the line for the notarys signature and signed in the notarys placeeven though the affiant, Chief Cody, was not present to swear to the applications truthfulness. Because Chief Cody did not appear before Magistrate Viar, her statement that the applications were subscribed and sworn to before me was obviously false. Whether that decision violated judicial ethics rules is under investigation by the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct, the second such inquiry into Viars handling of the warrants. An earlier complaint about her approving a warrant for a news organization instead of a subpoena was dismissed in December. The commissions investigations, findings, hearings and final dispositions are typically confidential. Herbels lawyers claim Viars decision to sign the unsworn warrants raises questions about whether Cody or someone else signed his names on the warrant applications. Herbels lawyers contend that the four signatures for his name on the applications are so different that its possible he didnt sign any of the documents. A screenshot of a lawsuit filed by Ruth Herbel against several Marion officials that shows four different signatures on warrants purported signed by former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody. The oath-and-affirmation is supposed to ensure that someone with personal knowledge swears under penalty of perjury to the truthfulness of the allegations supporting a warrant application, the lawsuit says. But no one swore to the contents of these four applications. Maybe no one felt comfortable swearing to the truth of these warrant applications, considering the material lies and omissions contained within and the complete lack of probable cause. Or maybe no one cared to follow even basic procedures. This embedded content is not available in your region. The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case A former South Dakota mayor has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of three people. Jay Ostrem, 64, was booked Tuesday morning into the Minnehaha County Jail in connection with the Monday night shootings in Centerville, just south of Sioux Falls, according to the South Dakota Attorney General's office. Ostrem, who served as the mayor of small town Centreville nearly 15 years ago, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond. Gunfire was reported at a Centerville home shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, court documents show. Zach Frankus, one of the victims who reported the shooting, said his brother had been shot and killed by a man with a shotgun, adding that the shooter had returned to his home. After some time, Frankus told the dispatcher that he had been shot and eventually stopped speaking. Documents say responding authorities saw Ostrem leaving the home. Ostrem initially ignored commands to stop before laying down on the ground, documents say. Ostrem was bleeding from his left hand and smelled of alcohol, documents say. He had an AR-style rifle and a .380 handgun, as well as spent shotgun shell casings and a spent rifle casing. Ostrem's initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether Ostrem has an attorney. The location of where a triple homicide took place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 1031 Main Street in Centerville, South Dakota. The former Centerville mayor has been charged with the case Ostrem's wife said he raged out of house Authorities found three men dead inside the home. Court documents identify them as Paul Frankus, 26, Zach Frankus, 21, and Timothy Richmond, 35. Ostrem's wife told authorities at his nearby home that she and Paul Frankus had been drinking together on May 23 when he forcibly kissed her and exposed his genitals to her, court records say. She told Ostrem about the incident Monday evening, which sent him "raging out of the house," documents state. She also told officers that he did not say anything about where he was going, and that he didn't leave armed, though she said he had weapons inside the home and possibly in his vehicle. Who is Jay Ostrem? Jay Osrtem was the mayor of Centerville in 2010 and has 20 years of law enforcement experience, archives show. He is from Gillette, Wyoming. Centerville is a town that has about 1,000 people. Ostrem, was also a Turner County Sheriff's Office investigator in 2007 and a deputy in 2010, according to archives from the Argus Leader, part of the USA TODAY network. He assisted in the 2010 trial of Ethan Johns, who was convicted of killing sheriff's deputy Chad Mechels and sentenced to life in prison. Ostrem sued for sexual harassment as mayor Ostrem was also at the center of a two-year legal battle for Centerville when the city's former police chief filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ostrem when he served as the former mayor. The two settled the lawsuit, but the former chief, Rachel Kopman, had alleged she was "repeatedly inundated with sexually inappropriate comments and remarks from Ostrem," for over a year during her tenure. Neither commented about the settlement at the time. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley spokesman Tony Mangan said Ostrems law enforcement certification expired in 2016, the South Dakota Searchlight reported. Samantha Laurey contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Ex-South Dakota mayor Jay Ostrem charged in shooting deaths of 3 men Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripcion a la modalidad Premium, asi podras anadir otro usuario. Cada uno accedera con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitira personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAIS. En el caso de no saber quien esta usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contrasena aqui. Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrara en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que esta usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aqui los terminos y condiciones de la suscripcion digital. More than six months after Sam Altman was fired, then rehired, one of OpenAIs former board members is finally spilling the tea on what happened behind closed doors. Helen Toner, one of four people responsible for firing OpenAIs CEO, says Altmans incessant lying created a toxic culture that executives described as psychological abuse. In her first long-form interview since Sam Altmans firing, Toner tells The Ted AI Show that executives came to OpenAIs board in October 2023 with serious allegations against the companys CEO. According to Toner, two executives said they couldnt trust Altman and showed the board screenshots of Altmans manipulation and lying. These executives reportedly said they had no belief that Altman could or would change, and their testimonies pushed the Board to fire the CEO weeks later. This interview, released on Tuesday, comes after weeks of public backlash against OpenAI where the companys truthfulness has been called into question by Scarlett Johansson and former employees. EXCLUSIVE: "We learned about ChatGPT on Twitter." What REALLY happened at OpenAI? Former board member Helen Toner breaks her silence with shocking new details about Sam Altman's firing. Hear the exclusive, untold story on The TED AI Show. Here's just a sneak peek: pic.twitter.com/7hXHcZTP9e Bilawal Sidhu (@bilawalsidhu) May 28, 2024 For any individual case, Sam could always come up with some kind of innocuous-sounding explanation of why it wasnt a big deal or why it was misinterpreted or whatever, Toner said in the interview. After years of this kind of thing, all four of us who fired him came to the conclusion that we just couldnt believe things that Sam was telling us. But the writing was on the wall about Altmans purported lying for years, according to Toner. She says the Board was not informed in advance when ChatGPT came out in November 2022, and learned about ChatGPT on Twitter. Toner also noted that Altman gave inaccurate information about the safety processes at OpenAI. In the weeks before Altman was fired, Toner claims he lied to other board members to try to get her fired after she wrote a research paper that spoke negatively about OpenAIs safety practices. Ultimately, Toner says OpenAIs board members told no one except its legal team they would try to fire Altman because they knew the CEO would try to undermine them if he caught wind of it. But even after all this, Altman came back as CEO just a few days later, with 95% of the company signing an open letter to reinstate him. Toner says this was presented as a black-and-white decision to employees within the company: either bring Altman back or OpenAI is destroyed. The security and valuation of the company were especially important, according to Toner, because OpenAI employees would make a lot of money from their equity in the $86 billion company via a tender offer a few months later. The second thing that is really important to know, that has really gone underreported, is how scared people are to go against Sam, Toner said. They experienced him retaliating against people, retaliating against them, for past instances of being critical. They were really afraid of what might happen to them. Lastly, Toner noted that this is not the first company where Altman has run into this problem. Toner said the management team at Loopt, Altmans first startup, went to the companys board twice and asked them to fire Altman for deceptive and chaotic behavior. The former OpenAI board member also brought up that Altman was fired from Y Combinator in 2019, which the Washington Post reported in the wake of his firing from OpenAI. The founder of Y Combinator, Paul Graham, responded to this on Thursday by callingToners description untrue. I got tired of hearing that YC fired Sam, so here's what actually happened: pic.twitter.com/3YvBDH7oqV Paul Graham (@paulg) May 30, 2024 Toner, Tasha McCauley, Ilya Sutskever, and Adam DAngelo were the board members responsible for firing Sam Altman last November. Toner and McCauley immediately left the OpenAI board when Altman returned to power later that month. Sutskever just announced his departure this month, after reportedly being absent from OpenAIs office for about six months. In response to this flurry of allegations, the podcast included a response from OpenAIs board chair Bret Taylor. We are disappointed that Ms. Toner continues to revisit these issues, Taylor said, then citing the law firm Wilmer Hales independent investigation into these issues. The review concluded that the prior boards decision was not based on concerns regarding product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAIs finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners. This interview comes after weeks of turmoil for OpenAI, where the companys trustworthiness is increasingly coming into public light. OpenAI has also come under fire for strict exit contracts that muzzle former employees and threaten to claw back their equity (the company has withdrawn these contracts in light of public backlash). Lastly, OpenAI has seen the departure of several high-ranking AI safety researchers, many of who had issued a call of warning about the company as they left. Six months after the Altman firing debacle, OpenAIs trust issues do not seem to be going away anytime soon. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is reelected as president of ruling party FILE - Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, addresses supporters next to his brother Shehbaz Sharif, right, and daughter Maryam Nawaz, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was reelected president of Pakistan's ruling party Tuesday. He last led the Pakistan Muslim League-N party in 2017, when he was forced out of office while facing corruption allegations. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, file) LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif was reelected president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party on Tuesday. He last held the position in 2017, when he was forced out of office amid corruption allegations. The PML-N came into power with the Feb. 8 elections that Sharif's key rival, former premier Imran Khan, alleged were rigged. Sharifs younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, now leads a coalition government and Sharif is a member of Parliament. Nawaz Sharif was ousted from power in 2017 when the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding any public office over concealing financial assets, a charge Sharif denies. His conviction and sentences were overturned last year, allowing him to hold any public or party office. Sharif returned to Pakistan in October from self-imposed exile in London, where he went in 2019 for medical treatment when Khan was in power. Khan was ousted through a no-confidence vote in 2022 and is serving multiple prison terms. ___ This story has been corrected to show Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote in 2022, not 2002. Former SC sheriff had deputies build his man cave, but he wont get more prison time For the first time Wednesday, former South Carolina sheriff and convicted federal prisoner George Alex Underwood admitted he stole the publics money. Underwood admitted during a hearing Wednesday at the Chester County Courthouse deputies built him a man cave and that he abused his political and law enforcement power. Yet, Underwood will not be punished with any more prison time. South Carolina Attorney Generals Office prosecutors and Judge Eugene Griffith agreed to let Underwoods sentence on state charges run concurrent with Underwoods current federal sentence. Underwood, 60, is in the midst of a 46-month stretch in a Kentucky federal prison after he was convicted of corruption charges in U.S District Court in Columbia in 2021. His projected release date is May 2025, according to the Bureau of Prisons. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to state charges of conspiracy, misconduct in office, and use of office for financial gain. Underwood, a Democrat and the first-ever Black sheriff in Chester, was elected in 2012 and 2016 before he was indicted in 2019. He was suspended from office by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster in 2019. Chester County is a rural county of around 32,000 people between Rock Hill and Columbia. Underwood says he was responsible Underwood said little in court to explain what led to his miscounduct in office, except to plead guilty. As sheriff of Chester County I was responsible, Underwood said in court. Underwood has already paid back almost $30,000 stolen in the schemes that was restitution in his federal sentence, according to his lawyer, Elizabeth Franklin-Best. Prosecutors: Underwood abused power Creighton Watersa top prosecutor in the SC Attorney Generals Office said the state corruption charges are from the 2017 to 2019 time period. A jury convicted Underwood in federal court, but the state charges demanded Underwood be prosecuted for state crimes affecting the people of Chester County, Waters said. There will be accountability for those who hold the highest role of law enforcement, Waters said. In court Wednesday, Waters said Underwood used on-duty deputies to build a giant barn man cave on his rural property. Deputies called the former stable the Barn Majal a play on words from the Taj Majal, Waters said. Instead of having his deputies patrol Chester roads and protect the public, Underwood had deputies work construction on the barn, Waters said. Nevada trips and strip club security Underwood took a trip to Nevada with his chief deputy and their spouses for a conference that was not authorized spending, Waters said. Someone altered and forged a receipt before Underwood paid the money back, Waters said. Then, Underwood took money from off-duty work as security at a strip club and DUI checkpoints, according to Waters. Sometimes absolute power corrupts absolutely, Waters told visiting Judge Eugene Griffith. What can cause a man who started out with good intentions to let his worst qualities get the better of him? Robert Sprouse, Underwoods former chief deputy, also pleaded guilty Wednesday in Chester court. Sprouse admitted to state charges of conspiracy and misconduct in office. Sprouse received no extra prison time. Sprouse, 49, was released from federal prison in November and is on supervised release. He was convicted along with Underwood at the 2021 trial. A former South Dakota mayor has been charged in a triple-murder shooting. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a press release Tuesday that a 64-year-old Centerville man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the Monday deaths. Jay Ostrem is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond in Minnehaha County, the release said. Jackley said law enforcement had secured the scene and there is no further threat to the public. The names of the three victims have not been released since family members are still being notified, Jackley said. Ostrem served as Centerville mayor from May 2009 until he resigned in November 2011. He was accused of sexual assault in a federal lawsuit and was a former member of law enforcement, but his certification expired in 2016, Dakota News Now reported. CBS News reported that the victims were two brothers aged 26 and 21, and a 35-year-old man. A probable cause affidavit did not specify a connection between the third victim and the two brothers. The incident was reported around 10 p.m. Monday. CBS News reported that a man called police to report that his brother had been shot by a guy from across the street. The caller was on the phone when he said he also was shot, and then he stopped talking. The outlet reported that Ostrem was arrested with an AR-style rifle on the ground near him and a handgun in his pocket. Dakota News Now reported that a Game, Fish and Parks conservation officer reported the smell of alcohol coming from Ostrem. Authorities found the three victims in the home across the street from Ostrems. Authorities also reportedly spoke with a female family member of Ostrems who said she was sexually assaulted by a neighbor while he slept in the house May 23 and added that Ostrem left the home in a rage when she told him about the incident Monday. Jackley said the case is being investigated by South Dakotas Division of Criminal Investigation. Centerville is about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls. It has a population of 918 people, according to the 2020 census. Updated May 29 at 9:32 a.m. EDT Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former students at defunct Cono Christian School allege they were paddled, kept in basement At Cono Christian School, school leaders used Proverbs 9:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom as a motto to underscore their mission of teaching struggling youth reverence and obedience to God. But some former students at the then-residential Presbyterian school surrounded by cornfields north of Cedar Rapids say what they feared most during their years there was punishment from those in charge. A handful of former residents, now adults living in states outside Iowa, allege two headmasters, a principal and some teachers at the now-defunct school for years disciplined youth by sending them to a basement for days, even weeks, at a time. Others said students were hit with a long wooden paddle emblazoned with the word love, forced to run suicide sprints in a gym until they vomited, or told to rake gravel in the cold without a coat. Cono employees, they said, listened in on phone calls with parents and ended them abruptly if students tried to speak up or complain, and they monitored students conversations with other adults, including local doctors, who could have helped. We lived in fear of consequences, said former resident Cecelia Cece Angeli, now 32, who was placed at the school about 2 miles from Walker by her adoptive parents beginning when she was 14, Cecelia Angeli We were allowed one 15-minute call a week that was monitored. If we said anything they didnt like, they would just hang up the call, said Angeli, who graduated in 2009. I told my parents about the basement, but nobody believed me. I spent a lot of time there, but I never did anything that warranted being put in jail at a school. A longtime headmaster at Cono, whose parents started the school and who worked there for 30 years, acknowledged students were disciplined by being sent to two different basements on the property and that students were spanked with a wooden paddle. But he said the basements used for detention in his home and at his mothers house were kept unlocked except for one occasion, and students were fed regularly and looked after while there. Belz said while the use of the basement detention and spanking are true, he thinks the students' characterizations of their experiences are exaggerated, incorrect or false. He said paddling was sparse, structured and eventually ended around 2006 or 2007 as the school went through accreditation with independent educational organizations. He said students were primarily sent to detention for backtalk, incorrigibility and defiance, and he didn't recall anyone being held in a basement past a week, as that would have been counterproductive to the student's schooling. He also said he didn't remember any "induced vomiting." In this case, there would appear to be smoke, but not fire, said Andrew Belz, who left the school in 2011 and now works at World News Group in North Carolina. I will admit to imperfection. But I will not admit to child abuse. Cecelia Angeli during her time at Cono Christian School. The allegations made by the former students, who have retained a Des Moines attorney, revive questions about the liability of organizations and adults responsible for the treatment of vulnerable children in their care. From the Boy Scouts of America to the Catholic Church to businesses that have profited in the multibillion-dollar troubled-teen industry, the list of organizations facing lawsuits has proliferated in recent years as one-time wards bring allegations of abuse. Belz said he was headmaster at the school from 1999 to 2008, then became its chancellor, responsible primarily for fundraising, until he left in 2011. After he left Cono, the school was taken over by a corporation run by another staffer and member of the Presbyterian Church in America, Tom Jahl. The former residents' abuse complaints spanned years when both men were in charge. Jahl could not be reached for comment. After the arrival of new students fell to a trickle and Presbyterian Church in America leaders accused the corporation in a civil lawsuit of siphoning money and real estate from the school, Cono Christian closed in 2017. Belz said the Presbyterian Church in America "received it from its failed state" in 2017. Today, a North Carolina corporation called Ridge Haven Cono owns and runs a day school and home-school program at the site, as well as retreats and camps. Its leaders are two prominent Presbyterian Church in America members, Director Wallace Anderson and President Andrew White, a former Democratic candidate for governor in Texas, Iowa secretary of state documents show. Anderson said in an email he had no knowledge of any specific abuse allegations since Cono didn't join Ridge Haven until 2018. All of the allegations by former students interviewed by Watchdog concerned treatment at Cono Christian School before it joined Ridge Haven. Des Moines attorney Angela Campbell said she has been interviewing people that have information about Cono Christian, as well as those who alleged they were harmed by it. I am very troubled by the conduct thats been attributed to the former operators and staff at Cono Christian School, she said. This level of cruelty in a school setting is unconscionable. She said she doesnt understand yet why the school was not shut down by Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services or law enforcement because authority figures had to have been aware of the atrocious conditions at the school. Campbell urged people with information about what happened at the school to contact her. I am hopeful that shedding light on this misconduct, and calling it out for what it is child abuse will help those children who suffered trauma while at Cono feel as though their voices can and will be heard. School advertised healing; some say they experienced the opposite Founded by Max and Jean Belz around 1951 as a mission of Bible Presbyterian Church of Cono Center, Cono Christian in the 1960s existed largely for the children of missionaries, Belz said. Eventually, it also started taking international students, including Ethiopian refugees in the 1980s and South Korean students in the 1990s. Belz said the schools enrollment varied, but when he was there it averaged around 60, as well as about 20 to 40 students who would come from the surrounding area just for school. In addition to the school, the Cono property, about a half hour from Cedar Rapids in Buchanan County, had a gym, a church and dorms, students said. From the very beginning, it was more a school than it was a treatment center, Belz said in an hour-long interview with Watchdog. Those markings never left It really did produce some outstanding students. Years before it closed, however, the school advertised online that it offered discipline and healing for children who were disruptive or traumatized. Its online marketing said that it was safe, that it maintained high academic expectations and that its practices were research-informed. Former Cono residents interviewed by Watchdog said they didnt start swapping experiences on a private Facebook page until after the release this year of a Netflix documentary called The Program: Cults, Cons and Kidnapping. The focus of the documentary was the Academy at Ivy Ridge in New York, a notorious school plagued by allegations of physical and sexual abuse, violent restraint and torture. It closed in 2009. Those interviewed said some of the abusive treatment they say they experienced at Cono seemed similar to that described at Ivy Ridge something Belz denies. Angeli, who now lives in West Bend, Wisconsin, said she recalls being sent to the basement 15 to 20 times for mostly minor rule breaking during her time at the school. My doctor says I have borderline personality disorder and chronic PTSD from the trauma, she said. Angelis adoptive father, who was a pastor, and her adoptive mother, who lived in Massachusetts at the time, sent two of her siblings, also adopted, to Cono before she, too, was forced to go. She said her adoptive parents claimed she and her siblings were all troubled, but never sought therapy for any of them. They sent her to Iowa, she said, after she egged a teachers house on Halloween. I have zero relationship with my parents now. I felt abandoned when they sent me there and began drinking heavily and got in trouble after I left, she said. Angeli said she eventually went to outpatient therapy and is four years sober. Angeli, whose last name was Downs when she was at the Cono school, was featured in a promotional video about the home, produced by Andrew Belz and posted on YouTube. The video also includes Sharon Underwood, a former dean and principal from 2006 to 2009, who Angeli and other students said frequently sent students to the basements as punishment. Underwood could not be located for comment. Belz said he and the school's staff loved Cece, but that her behavior was more problematic than her siblings'. He didn't dispute that she was sent to the basement several times, but he said her criticism of the discipline seemed an exaggeration because she sang in the choir and built relationships at the school, too. The fact that she spent many nights in detention bothers me a little bit, he said, while denying that was abusive. ...You had your books, you could sneak out if you wanted to, all food was delivered directly to you, you were never starved or put on special rations. Former resident: 'I was more in the basement than I was living in my dorm room.' Former resident Rachel Davis, 32, originally from Frankenmuth, Michigan, now lives in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She said she was diagnosed as bipoloar and with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child, and her mother sent her to Cono because she could be aggressive and unruly. She said the medication she was taking at the time sometimes made her behavior worse. My sister was an honor-roll student, but I could never meet that standard. I was terrible at math and reading. So I started skipping school and getting in trouble, and my mom sent me away, she said. Davis said school officials told her mother they had a counselor who could help her daughter better control her emotions. Davis said her mother believed school personnel had the credentials to work with children with behavior issues, but she said she didn't get counseling once there. In time, she said, Underwood, the principal, was sending her to the basement constantly. I was more in the basement than I was living in my dorm room, she said. Right before I got expelled, I was there for 2 to three weeks. Davis said she and Underwood did not get along and Underwood eventually convinced her parents to transfer her to a tough-love residential program in the Dominican Republic. "I didn't know I was being expelled," she said. "My mom never knew they put me down there" in the basement. She stayed four more years at the Dominican Republican residential program and says she suffered worse abuse. She said that when she finally left the Dominican Republic at age 19, she didnt tell her parents or authorities what happened to her because she didnt want to look back. My whole childhood got yanked from me," she said. Belz said Cono had no specific affiliation with the Dominican program, which was run then by an operation called Horizons Academy. We thought of them as a tougher love program than what we provided, he said. Former student from Ankeny: 'A lot of us left with more issues than we came with.' Now 29, Natalee Kooker, who grew up in Ankeny but now lives in Phoenix, remembers her parents sent her twice to Cono, at ages 13 and 15. She said she was locked in the basement there at least two times. The second time, she said, school officials claimed she had bullied another student. But she said she believes they were angry because her parents took her off campus for a weekend against school officials wishes. When my parents left campus that Monday they brought me into headmasters office. They said, Youre now on a performance plan. You have to run laps every day, and your calls are going to be monitored and kept to 15 minutes. When I said no, they made me rake gravel in the cold without a coat. Kooker said school officials prohibited her from taking her final English exam that same day because she was in trouble. When she tried to run away while outdooors raking gravel, she said, staff members chased her down with a white minivan and put her in the basement of Andrew Belzs house. You would go down these wooden stairs. There was a concrete floor and big carpet on the ground, a pillow, a blanket and a bed, Kooker said. I remember a Bible on the floor. That was it. Kooker said a bus driver at Cono saw what happened and called her mother, who pulled her from the school during spring break. Kooker said her mother argued with her dorm mother at the time, saying Cono didnt have permission to lock her daughter in a basement. My credits from Cono didnt transfer anywhere, Kooker said. When I moved back to Ankeny, I had to drop out of high school and go to an alternative online school and got a GED. She added: Im not sure they know the damage they did to some people. A lot of us left with more issues than we came with. Kooker's mother, Crissy Kooker, who lives in Arizona, said she and her husband sent Natalee and her brother to the school after finding it online, but they eventually realized it was not the wholesome Christian environment they were led to believe. She said she would have been fine with having kids do labor as discipline, but not hitting them with a wooden paddle, secluding them in basements or forcing her daughter to work in the cold without a coat, which she said amounted to child abuse. She said she remembers having words several times with Lynn Jahl, Tom Jahl's wife and Natalee's dorm mother, who wouldn't allow her to talk to her daughter even when her dog died. She said her son lost 20 pounds at the school, and later told her it was because he was made to run so much as discipline there. 'I feel there was a lot of harm that was done," Crissy Kooker said. "Natalee still holds some of this against my husband and I. But I've told her we did the best we could at the time." Former headmaster: 'Ninety percent got into accredited college' Although students complained they've been unable to get complete transcripts from Ridge Haven Cono, Belz insisted their academic records are still available and kept in fireproof safes there. He said in the rare instance a student had difficulty getting into college, school officials went to bat for them to make sure their academic records from Cono were accepted. Ninety percent got into accredited college, he said. The other 10% didnt try. Belz contended he locked a student in the basement only once, a male, and that was because he was dangerous to other students. He also said the school got a visit once from Iowas Department of Human Services in the 1980s. The result was a warning, and those things straighten you up and make you better, he said. Belz said corporal punishment was not illegal in the day, but discipline changed with the times. As the years progressed and more behaviorally at-risk kids came to the school, Cono looked for the professionalism in that area, he said. It would be silly to say every disciplinary situation was handled perfectly," Belz said. "But the broad outline was that the staffers loved the children and wanted to help kids get to adulthood and turn out great. And a lot of them did. Iowa legislators banned the infliction of corporal punishment on students in 1989, but the law applied to public schools and accredited private schools. Cono was not accredited by the Department of Education. Under the law, while reasonable detentions are allowed, seclusion and restraint are not, unless for brief periods of time to "regain control of the students behavior to the point that the threat or behavior necessitating the use of the seclusion or physical restraint has ended, or when a medical condition occurs that puts the student at risk of harm." Zach Miller, a 29-year-old living in Virginia who was sent to the school at 15, said almost all of the dorm parents were teachers, and some treated students better than others. He said he and other students didn't like Jahl, who became headmaster after Belz, because he and his wife were more harsh and yelled at students. Miller said he was never disciplined when he was at the school because he was a people pleaser, but he was in his dorm on a day when a dorm parent hit a student. He said a brief inquiry followed, but the teacher continued working at the school. As for punishment in the basement, Miller said, that was something that happened primarily to girls. "I dont know why the girls were treated so differently. None of them were really bad," he said. Belz said the school emphasized structure and relationships, not punishment. But everybody had consequences, and we need them in life. Times have changed dramatically since Catholic nuns would rap students on the knuckles for bad behavior, Belz said. But dealing with childrens behavior has become so controversial today that public school teachers, like his own wife, cant discipline children even if their behavior is unacceptable, he said. That said, he added: If I were building a school now, I wouldnt put detention rooms in the basement... It does sound unusual in our day. Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former students at defunct Iowa Christian school allege physical abuse Attorney Jenna Ellis, who pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements in the Georgia election interference case, has now had her law license suspended for three years. The Colorado Supreme Court issued the order on Tuesday, saying Ellis caused significant actual harm in a variety of ways. It undermined the American publics confidence in the presidential election process. Ellis was part of former President Donald Trumps legal team that tried to convince legislatures in seven key battleground states, including Georgia, that there had been so much voter fraud they had the constitutional authority to overturn the election and select their own slate of Republican electors. The Jan. 6 Commission said Ellis was one of the architects of the scheme to convince then-Vice President Mike Pence to toss out the legally certified Democratic electors from those battleground states on Jan. 6 and instead count the Republican false electors, thereby throwing the election to Trump. Legal experts agreed that Pence did not have the constitutional authority to do that, and he refused. Ellis pleaded guilty in Oct. 2023, and read an apology letter in open court. RELATED NEWS: In the frenetic pace of attempting to raise challenges to the election in several states, including Georgia, I failed to do my due diligence. I believe in and value election integrity. If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges, Ellis read. Ellis was previously censured in Colorado for making false statements over the 2020 election, including that the election was stolen from Trump. According to Tuesdays order, Ellis has 14 days to file an affidavit that has lists of pending matters, lists of clients, and copies of client notices. She also has to pay all the fees and court costs. Ellis is among four people who have pleaded guilty so far in the election interference case. Scott Hall, an Atlanta-area bail bondsman, received five years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 200 hours of community service. Kenneth Chesebro agreed to five years of probation, pay $5,000 in restitution, community service hours and to write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia. He will also have to testify truthfully and cannot have contact with witnesses or other co-defendants. Sidney Powell was sentenced to six years probation, a $6,000 fine and will have to pay $2,700 in restitution to the Georgia Secretary of States Office. She will also have to testify truthfully against the other co-defendants in the case and cannot have any contact with witnesses or other co-defendants. RELATED NEWS: Former TV weatherman Mike Davis released from prison after four years Former TV weatherman Mike Davis released from prison after four years A previous report can be seen in the player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A former television weatherman for a Columbus news station has been released from prison after serving four years for charges related to child pornography. Mike Davis, who worked at WBNS, is listed as having started his supervision under the adult parole authority on Saturday. Davis, who will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years, served four years in what could have been a six-year prison term. 17 killed in Ohio crashes during Memorial Day weekend The Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip that Davis had sent and received a significant amount of child pornography. Daviss attorney has argued Davis used those illegal images in an attempt to self-medicate after suffering with depression and anxiety. Franklin County investigators said he uploaded 16,000 images of suspected child pornography since 2012. Davis pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography and was sentenced in May of 2020. Prior to his sentencing, Davis said he did not realize he was hurting children by downloading and collecting thousands of images. In Nov. 2021, Davis requested to be released from prison early but was denied this request. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed Global problems are rapidly proliferating, and no country can solve them acting alone. The list of challenges affecting humanity at large is long and dangerous. They range from the threat posed by artificial intelligence to the harsh realities of a rapidly warming planet, nuclear proliferation, migrations, pandemics, and the criminalization of governments. Some problems, like uncontrolled migrations, are age-old. Others, like global warming, are new. These problems can only be resolved, or attenuated, by alliances of countries coordinating their actions. If theyre successfully addressed, everyone benefits. If not, everyone pays a painful price regardless of where they are. To address these challenges, we need to provide what economists call public goods on a global scale. They mean goods that one person can benefit from without excluding others. The textbook example is a lighthouse that guides ships safely along the coast. Many ships can consume the services of the lighthouse simultaneously without depleting them. Typically, public goods are supplied by governments: for example, a countrys armed forces provide security for all its people, so theyre paid for and organized by the government. But at the global level, there is no government. So, who is to supply global public goods? Its a thorny problem without obvious solutions. If a country is powerful enough to impose its system of government on its citizens and on other countries, it is called hegemonic. Hegemonic powers have always sought to impose the most basic public good, which is order. This is what the Romans did in the Mediterranean world 2,000 years ago and what Chinese emperors did in the vast Asian territory they controlled. However, maintaining hegemony is expensive, and the power of its leaders tends to decline over time. To avoid this trap, in the 20th century, the United States attempted multilateralism, a system in which all participating countries voluntarily associate for the common good through organizations like the United Nations. But very soon it became clear that competition with the Soviet Union would make this model ineffective, so over time they drifted towards minilateralism. This system involves a dominant power, in this case the United States, leading a web of other countries that collaborate to provide global public goods. NATO is a good example of minilateralism, maintaining peace and security in the North Atlantic through close military collaboration among allies. The International Monetary Fund and many other similar organizations have served to provide global public goods among like-minded countries. The results of minilateralism have been enormously positive: never before have so many people lived with such prosperity and security as they have under the U.S.-promoted minilateralism. Between 1945 and 2018, global absolute poverty dropped from 55% of the planets population to 10%, all while that population quadrupled. But minilateralism is only viable if the countries allied to maintain it are powerful enough to impose their arrangement on others and this assumption is increasingly in question. Russias aggression against Ukraine, supported by Chinese power, is the most glaring proof of how battered the system we relied on to provide global public goods such as peace has become. Countries that do not accept and do not trust American leadership are increasingly numerous and strong, and they are unwilling to collaborate with the system led by Washington to continue providing these global public goods. The issue is that all this is happening just when the world needs to dramatically expand its capacity to provide global public goods. Environmental collaboration, for example, is becoming more urgent just as our capacity for collaboration is diminishing. Instead of collaborating to reduce the risks arising from Artificial Intelligence, Washington and Beijing are in a race to create a more powerful and consequently more dangerous system than the rivals. The framework of nuclear arms control agreements built between Washington and Moscow has completely stalled. Global migration is chaotic. The demand for global public goods is skyrocketing, while the supply is stagnant. If no one manages to impose some order in the international system, dangerous anarchy will be the inevitable outcome. MoisesNaim.com @MoisesNaim Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition If you or someone you know needs help, call the Rape & Sexual Assault Crisis Line 1-888-421-1100. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) A former Utah Highway Patrol officer has been charged with forcible sexual abuse after allegedly sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in the basement of his home while off-duty. According to court documents, Bronson Willas Wood, 46, has been charged with two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse and two misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to a minor. Wood allegedly caught the victim and his daughter, also 19, drinking wine in his house in March 2023. Charging documents state Wood didnt stop the two from drinking but took away their car keys. He later told the victim and his daughter they needed to take shots with him. The victim reported feeling pressured to take the shot so she put the hard liquor in her mouth and later went to the bathroom to spit it out. Two men found guilty in dark web drug ring by Salt Lake City jury As the night progressed, the victim reportedly went to lie down on a couch in the basement. She told investigators that Wood sat next to the couch where she lying, put his hand on her hip and rubbed her side, asking if she was OK. According to charging documents, the victim told Wood she was fine and asked him to stop touching her but he progressed. Court documents allege Wood asked the victim to make out with him, telling her he had been in love with her since the day they met. The victim reportedly continued to insist Wood stop and go back upstairs. When he finally left, the victim said she escaped out of a basement door and called a friend to come pick her up. The victim told police she did not feel comfortable reporting the incident right away as Wood was a Highway Patrol Officer and she did not think anyone would believe her. Wood was taken into custody on April 16, 2024. The Utah Department of Public Safety said it was made aware of the allegations in March 2024 when it was reported. DPS said Wood was placed on administrative leave while an outside agency investigated the incident. We take the allegations in this incident very seriously, DPS said in a statement to ABC4.com. The Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Highway Patrol have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. The full statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety can be found below: On March 19th, 2024, The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) was made aware of potential criminal activity by one of our sworn officers, Bronson Wood, for an event that took place in March 2023 while off duty. Bronson Wood was placed on administrative leave while DPS asked for an outside agency to conduct a criminal investigation into the incident. We also initiated an administrative investigation to determine the employee`s involvement. This was done to complete both an independent and comprehensive criminal and internal investigation to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to address this matter effectively. We take the allegations in this incident very seriously. The Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Highway Patrol have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. Today we were made aware that Bronson Wood was booked into the Sevier County Jail on felony charges for sexual assault and contributing to a minor. The department has begun its internal processes to formally address this matter. We express our most sincere, heartfelt sympathy and support to the victim of this incident during this difficult time. Utah Department of Public Safety Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Fort Lauderdales U.S. 1 tunnel to reopen all 4 lanes Friday after makeover that began in 2021 FORT LAUDERDALE Dust. Lane closures. Bumper-to-bumper traffic. Thats been the current situation at downtown Fort Lauderdales U.S. 1 tunnel for 32 months now. Drivers have endured nightmarish gridlock since work began on the $28.4 million upgrade of the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel nearly three years ago. Many days, only two lanes have been open instead of the usual four. And on the worst days, the entire tunnel has been closed off to traffic. In case youre wondering when all four lanes of the tunnel will finally reopen, heres the answer: By the end of the day Friday. Thats according to the state Department of Transportation, the folks overseeing the work. But dont assume that means the lane closures are over. According to DOT, the project wont be completely done until September. Until then, we can expect to see more lane closures on an as-needed basis. The tunnel turned into a dusty construction zone in September 2021, bringing detour after detour for commuters traveling through downtown Fort Lauderdale. The work was expected to take two years, but supply shortages and bad weather caused unfortunate delays, DOT officials say. Many drivers accustomed to using all four lanes of the tunnel keep hoping for the work to end including Fort Lauderdale resident Frankie Kostoff. Kostoff lives off Southeast 17th Street and works in an insurance office on Federal Highway north of Sunrise Boulevard. For her, the tunnel is the most direct route to work. I use it twice a day, six days a week, Kostoff said. I live 2.5 miles from my job and it took me an hour and 10 minutes to get to work one day. It was a parking lot. Its insane. Kostoff said she has seen drivers make aggressive moves as they snake toward the tunnel. Recently, she saw one man blow through a light to bypass other cars in a race to get to the tunnel first. People anticipate the nightmare of the tunnel and do stupid things, she said. Fort Lauderdale has been getting angry complaints about the tunnel and its slowdowns for more than two years now, Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Some might consider the reopening of the tunnel a cause for celebration. We confirmed that all four lanes will be open by May 31, Trantalis said. Its not so much a celebration as it would be a sigh of relief. The tunnel, long due for a makeover, opened in 1960 to replace a two-lane drawbridge in operation since the 1920s. The upgrade included replacing ventilation fans and stormwater pumps; installing new LED lighting and bicycle-friendly drainage grates; upgrading electrical equipment and emergency lighting; and installing vehicle sensors to warn drivers whose vehicles are too tall to enter. It should be decades before the tunnel is due for another upgrade. Said Trantalis: This is supposed to last for the next 50 years. Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan Fort Myers police detectives seek public assistance in locating 3-year-old Sofi Tran, who authorities believe is with her father, Linh Tran, 33, and Ashley Palma, 31. Police said they could be in the Southwest Florida area. Update 6:45 p.m., May 29: The missing child is safe and "in good health" and her father has been taken into custody in Texas, according to the Fort Myers Police Department. From earlier today: Police looking for missing 3-year old When the Department of Children and Families couldn't take a 3-year-old into custody Tuesday, authorities sounded the alarm. Fort Myers police detectives seek public assistance in locating Sofi Tran, who authorities believe is with her father, Linh Tran, 33, and Ashley Palma, 31. Police said they could be in the Southwest Florida area. Fort Myers police detectives seek public assistance in locating 3-year-old Sofi Tran, who authorities believe is with her father, Linh Tran, 33, and Ashley Palma, 31. Police said they could be in the Southwest Florida area. Police said Sofi Tran was court ordered to be taken into DCF custody and reported missing as of Tuesday to Fort Myers police. Vehicle homicide arrest: Lehigh Acres man, 21, charged with vehicle homicide in New Year's Eve 2022 fatal crash Authorities said Linh Tran currently has an active unrelated warrant out of the Tampa area. Court records indicate he was arrested in 2015 for possession of a fictitious driver's license, although state prosecutors dropped the charges Nov. 9, 2015. Fort Myers police detectives seek public assistance in locating 3-year-old Sofi Tran, who authorities believe is with her father, Linh Tran, 33, and Ashley Palma, 31. Police said they could be in the Southwest Florida area. Police urge anyone that knows the individuals' whereabouts to contact them at 239-321-7700 or submit a tip on their #AtlasOne app or contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS to remain anonymous and eligible for a cash reward. Fort Myers police detectives seek public assistance in locating 3-year-old Sofi Tran, who authorities believe is with her father, Linh Tran, 33, and Ashley Palma, 31. Police said they could be in the Southwest Florida area. 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: FMPD: Search continues after child not remanded to DCF custody Neighborhood identities, learning environments and commute times at seven middle school campuses in the Fort Worth Independent School District will remain in place after community members pleaded with district officials against consolidating the campuses into three larger schools. The Board of Trustees pulled agenda items on Tuesday for the school closures and consolidations in the Paschal, North Side and Polytechnic school pyramids after several parents and community members voiced concerns about the negative domino effects that could come from shutting down certain schools throughout Fort Worth. The decision comes after officials hosted a series of community meetings throughout April about the proposal. If board members would have approved the consolidations, Kirkpatrick Middle would have closed with students transferring to J.P. Elder Middle; Daggett Middle and McLean Sixth Grade Center would have closed with students transferring to McLean Middle; and Morningside Middle would have closed with students transferring to William James Middle. At this time, the board is pulling all items regarding school consolidation and proceeding with the renovations to each middle school, said Board President Camille Rodriguez. There were no other comments made by the board about the topic. The seven campuses were slated for individual renovations through a $1.2 billion bond that voters barely passed in November 2021. The consolidation proposal would have pivoted from the original plan voters had approved and gone toward combining campuses. Moving forward, the renovation budget for each school is: $38.9 million for Kirkpatrick Middle $51 million J.P. Elder Middle $27.2 million for McLean Sixth Grade Center $46.5 million for McLean Middle $34.5 million for Daggett Middle $53 million for William James Middle $55.3 million for Morningside Middle Building age is a relevant factor when analyzing renovation plans of these campuses, one of which is older than a century. J.P Elder Middle Schools annex building was built in 1918, and its main building was built in 1928. William James Middle was built in 1926, and McLean Middle was built in 1953, according to district records. Leo Vaughns, Jr., a teacher of 34 years at Kirkpatrick Middle, was the first to speak during public comment to board members, urging them to preserve the schools legacy by using the bond money to renovate the school instead of closing it. He highlighted how the school is a hub of community support through pep rallies, live announcement raps, family first fiestas, gospel fests, twice-a-week food drives and a recent middle-school reunion for alumni who graduated from 1990 to 2018. Vaughns also noted how Kirkpatrick is one of the districts oldest African-American schools. The schools auditorium is named in Vaughns honor, as he taught music for several years before transitioning to English language arts. In 2022, Vaughns received the statewide H-E-B Lifetime Achievement award that honors teachers with more than 20 years of experience, earning $25,000 for himself and $25,000 for Kirkpatrick Middle. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy states, Theres no place like home. Well, I stand today to reiterate, There is no place like home, Vaughns said. Kirkpatrick is a strong oak tree, of its seeds have fallen on fertile ground, which has blossomed into a community. It will be a tragedy to uproot a strong oak tree, uproot the many seeds that have been watered with sweat and prayers. Middle school enrollment in each Fort Worth ISD area has decreased since the 2018-2019 school year with the Paschal, North Side and Polytechnic populations respectively declining at 19%, 29% and 24%, according to district data. These numbers are expected to continue on a downward trend when looking at birth rates, residential population, elementary enrollment and neighborhood construction. Overall, district-wide enrollment has declined 17% since 2016 with school officials also citing charter school competition. Line Chart Infogram Despite a decline in enrollment, the district has not proportionally reduced the number of schools it operates. This has led to underutilized facilities and smaller student populations in some schools, resulting in fewer academic offerings and higher operational costs, district documents state. Linda Miller, whos lived in the Morningside community for more than 63 years, told school board members on Tuesday that she and three generations of her family attended Morningside Elementary and Middle in the 60s and 70s. She said it would be detrimental to close Morningside Middle I can remember sitting in our kitchen with my grandmother having lunch and listening to the Morningside school band play. It stirred my love for music, and I fulfilled my dream of playing in that band for three years when I attended Morningside as part of the first sixth-grade class to attend middle school, she said. The young children in our neighborhood deserve to have the same dreams and be allowed to fulfill them at their neighborhood school. The potential closures came in the midst of a $2 million study of district facilities. Although this proposal didnt move forward, closures for elementary and high schools could be forthcoming as a result of the study. A report is expected to be presented to the school board later this year with rightsizing recommendations. The impact of school closures can be far-reaching in general. Students who would have a longer commute time to and from school could lose out on time for sleeping and exercise, according to a 2017 study where researchers analyzed 12 years of data. Research also suggests that smaller schools yield better outcomes for school climate, academic performance and attendance, but Fort Worth ISD officials state that programs and resources can be better utilized by combining campuses. Jess Grady, a Fort Worth ISD parent whose child will attend Daggett Middle next year, told board members on Tuesday she was concerned about transportation logistics that could have come about with closing Daggett. She submitted a petition to the district with more than 300 parents who asked for all schools to receive the original, individual renovations. Fort Worth ISDs ongoing inability to staff bus routes is a big concern, which has potential impacts on attendance. When living so far away from a school, there are less opportunities for families to be involved in the school, she said. The seven schools are not the first in Fort Worth ISD to be closed and consolidated. District officials announced in March that Wedgwood Sixth Grade campus would close starting in the 2024-25 school year, and the students would attend Wedgwood Middle School going forward. Officials called it a strategic move aligned with its facility planning while noting it is no longer feasible to operate an entire campus for one grade. Four Chicago males face decades in a prison after prosecutors say they are responsible for shooting and killing Stanley Smith Jr. in a Milwaukee Taco Bell parking lot while attempting to break into vehicles during their latest theft attempt of a spree targeting Jeeps. Lamont D. Stanton, 19, was charged Tuesday with first-degree reckless homicide, as party to a crime, in addition to felony weapon and carjacking charges. Three other males were charged with felony murder, as party to a crime, in addition to weapon and carjacking charges as well. They are Correnthis C. Neal, 18; Tramaine T. Walton, 17; and Jovani J. Velazquez, 30. The west side Milwaukee shooting took place May 5 shortly after 6 p.m. in the Taco Bell parking lot, located at 5630 W. North Ave. The incident began at a nearby bar, Scene 1 Restaurant & Lounge, located at 5526 W. North Ave. A shooting in the parking lot of a Milwaukee Taco Bell resulted in the death of 41-year-old Stanley Smith Jr. According to a criminal complaint, Smith was at the bar and parked in a Taco Bell parking lot. The DJ made an announcement some people were outside breaking into cars, which led to patrons, including Smith, rushing out the bar toward their vehicles. One witness described Smith as being in a "tussle" with masked men before gunshots rang out, resulting in him laying motionless in the parking lot, the complaint states. Police said the incident was captured on surveillance footage. Video shows four males exit a vehicle before approaching a white Jeep SUV in the lot next to Smith's vehicle. The owner of the Jeep would later say the wires underneath his dash were pulled out. Soon, more people showed up from the bar and the four males scattered. But, moments later, three of the males held their arms up as if they're pointing guns, while the fourth person engaged in physical struggle with Smith, according to the complaint. Soon, shots rang out before the males fled the scene in a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee. Police found casings from multiple different guns at the scene, the complaint states. Police said they used high-tech cameras that read license plates, called Flock cameras, and located the gray Jeep traveling on Highway 175. Police said they identified the vehicle because the rear driver's side window was covered with a cloth. Police found the vehicle on surveillance footage at other locations as well, including a gas station. The gray Jeep was reported stolen on Milwaukee's east side on May 4 and the theft was captured on surveillance footage, which shows three males exit a car before stealing the Jeep and driving away with the car they arrived in, the complaint states. The owner of the Jeep received a call shortly after his vehicle was stolen demanding $6,000 for the return of his vehicle, according to police. The owner believed the suspect retrieved his number from the vehicle's computer system. Police would later use the number the suspect called from to draft a search warrant for the phone records. Police requested multiple search warrants for any common cellphone numbers that were at various locations the Jeep was spotted at and that were also present at the scene of Smith's murder. Milwaukee police said Addison, Illinois, police informed them that one of the numbers was tied to a months-long investigation on stolen high-end SUVs in northern Illinois, and that Neal and Walton were under surveillance and they have real-time location data of their cellphones. Stanton was also arrested on April 30 in a separate incident and police had been tracking his phone since his release. 3 arrested in a vehicle pursuit that ends downtown Three of the males were arrested on May 21 following a vehicle pursuit that ended in downtown Milwaukee, leading to multiple agencies converging on a parking structure. Milwaukee Police Department officers and U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force place a spike strip on the parking garage on North Broadway and East Mason streets on May 21 in Milwaukee. Three people were taken into custody following a vehicle pursuit with authorities that ended in downtown Milwaukee. The vehicle the males were driving at the time, a Jeep SRT Track Hawk, was also stolen in downtown Chicago and the owner tracked and followed the vehicle as it drove from Illinois to Milwaukee, according to the complaint. The owner said as he followed his vehicle throughout Milwaukee, he spotted the males attempt to steal a different Jeep on Milwaukee's south side. The males went to a car dealership in the 2200 block of West Greenfield Avenue where they were confronted by an armed employee, the complaint states. The employee said the males pointed guns at him and so he retreated back into the office and called 911. The men left without taking another Jeep, the complaint states. Officers observed the suspected stolen vehicle that the males arrived in traveling in an alley near the 3200 block of North 46th Street. Soon a pursuit ensued, which reached speeds over 100 miles per hour, police said. Police lost the vehicle but tracked it to the downtown parking structure at 777 N. Milwaukee St. The parking garage attendant said she observed the Jeep enter and park before four men exit, three ran into the garage together, and one ran out of the garage by himself. Another witness described a man with a backpack clutching his waistband as if he was armed. Authorities began to search the area when they came across Stanton, Walton and Neal, who were arrested. Police found a number of items left behind in the structure including more than a dozen car key fobs and multiple weapons, according to the complaint. Police arrested the fourth male, Velazquez, in Saint Francis on May 24 after tracking his phone. In interviews with detectives, one man described using Percocet prior to attempting to steal a Jeep in the Taco Bell parking lot. Two of the males admitted to be involved in the homicide and one of them named all the people involved, which are the four defendants, according to the complaint. One man said Smith approached the men with a gun. The males do not yet have permanent attorneys listed. Family and friends of Smith couldn't be reached Wednesday. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Four Chicago males charged with killing man at Milwaukee Taco Bell FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Four Northwest Arkansas residents were recently sentenced to a combined 74 years in federal prison for child exploitation offenses, according to a news release from the United States Attorneys Office Western District of Arkansas. Darlina Maree Jasso, 33, of Berryville, was sentenced on May 9 to 10 years without the possibility of parole after being convicted of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity. Charles Merchant, 32 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Charles Merchant, 32, of Berryville, was sentenced to more than eight years without the possibility of parole after being convicted of transporting child pornography. Aaron Hudson, 32, of Fayetteville, also known as Sophie Ann Hudson, was sentenced to six years for possession of child pornography. Nathan Wright, 38, of Rogers, was sentenced to 50 years without the possibility of parole after being convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor via the production of child pornography and transporting child pornography. Aaron Hudson, 32 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Former Missouri healthcare executives sentenced in Arkansas for roles in bribery, embezzlement scheme Court documents say in May 2022, the Carroll County Sheriffs Department contacted the FBI after discovering Jasso transported a 15-year-old from Missouri to Berryville, with the intent that she and her boyfriend would engage in sexual activity with the minor. Surveillance video from Jassos phone capturing the sexual activity between the minor and the two adults was found by law enforcement. Text messages between Jasso and the boyfriend were also found detailing the plan to bring the minor from Missouri and their intentions to engage in sexual activity with them. Nathan Wright, 38 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Court documents say in August 2022, Homeland Security Investigations agents and task force officers received information that Merchant uploaded child porn over social media. A search warrant was executed at Merchants home where multiple images of child porn were found. Texas man will not get $100 million or free Walmart shopping for life after judge tosses lawsuits In December 2021, agents and task force officers with Homeland Security Investigations received information that someone uploaded child porn to a website known by law enforcement as a site for trading and viewing child porn, according to court documents. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hudsons Rogers home and found child porn and multiple children-sized dolls used for sexual activity, according to the release. Washington County Sheriffs Office arrest man in connection with Sunday homicide In October 2022, FBI agents and task force officers received information about Wright uploading images to Google servers of him sexually abusing a minor. Officers with the FBI and the Benton County Sheriffs Office executed a search warrant of Wrights Rogers home and found multiple images of child porn, including those showing Wright sexually abusing at least one minor. The release said the United States presented the court with evidence at the sentencing that Wright took photos of himself sexually abusing a second minor. The cases were investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the Benton County Sheriffs Office, and the Carroll County Sheriffs Office, 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. As jurors in Donald Trumps Manhattan hush-money trial entered deliberations this week, a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Fox News John Roberts sparked controversy about whether juror unanimity would be required to convict the former president. On Wednesday morning, Roberts posted that Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the New York trial, just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict, and that as long as all 12 jurors agreed that some crime had been committed, Trump could be found guilty. Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict. 4 could agree on one crime, 4 on a different one, and the other 4 on another. He said he would treat 4-4-4 as a unanimous verdict. John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) May 29, 2024 Conservative pundits, politicians, and news outlets including Steve Bannon, the Daily Caller, and Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio, reacted quickly to the news, decrying the trial, in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal hush money paid to a porn star, as a mockery and a sham. This trial is a mockery of the justice system from beginning to end https://t.co/w7LD9FQGTG Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 29, 2024 Judge in Trump case in NYC just told jury they dont have to unanimously agree on which crime was committed as long as they all at least pick one And that among the crimes the can pick from are ones Trump WASNT EVEN CHARGED WITH!!! This is exactly the kind of sham trial used Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 29, 2024 Roberts post, however, is misleading and misstates Merchans jury instructions. To convict Trump of felony charges, the jury will be required to reach a unanimous guilty verdict. Trump is being charged with the falsification of business records in the first degree, which requires an additional element of that falsification being done in furtherance of another crimein this case, the violation of state and federal election law and tax fraud. It is the attempt to conceal this other, uncharged crime that elevates the falsification charges from a misdemeanor to a felony crime.* While the jury will need to agree unanimously that Trump knowingly falsified business records in furtherance of another crime in order to convict him, it does not need to unanimously agree on which specific other crime that was. Merchans instructions relate to this additional crime, not to the primary charge, and explain that jurors need to agree only that Trump falsified the records in order to conceal some crime. Some, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, also argued on social media that the instructions violate Supreme Court precedent, citing a 1999 decision in Richard v. United States that ruled that juries in continuing criminal enterprise cases must reach unanimity on which specific violations comprise the continuing series. Noem posted on Facebook Judge Merchans jury instructions are a direct violation of Richardson v. US, a decision that LIBERAL Justice Breyer wrote and CONSERVATIVE justices like Scalia and Thomas agreed with. Totally RIGGED trial! This Supreme Court ruling applies specifically to the continuing criminal enterprise statutea federal lawand does not apply to state cases like Trumps. Merchans jury instructions were determined more than a week ago following arguments between prosecutors and Trumps legal team. Despite Trumps team arguing that jurors should be required to agree on a single underlying crime, Merchan sided with prosecutors, who argued that such special treatment would deviate from the standard application of the law. This appears to overstate both the facts and the timing. Merchan "just" told them this but he actually ruled on this last week after some deliberation about it between the state and the defense.https://t.co/w0SiQ1IPsg https://t.co/h3MBQKjoEY Mike Warren (@MichaelRWarren) May 29, 2024 Roberts clarified his point in a follow-up post at 12:02 p.m. ET on Wednesday, explaining that all 12 jurors still needed to unanimously find that Trump had committed a crime. It is more nuanced than that. All 12 need unanimity that Trump committed a crime. But the underlying unlawful means is a smorgasbord they can pick from and they don't all need to agree on what it was. https://t.co/puY7iRGCpe John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) May 29, 2024 Correction, May 29: This article incorrectly stated that Trumps alleged commission of a predicate crime elevated the falsification charges from misdemeanor to felony. It was the attempt to conceal that did so; Trump did not actually have to commit another crime. If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com. 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. FRAMINGHAM A proposal for a joint regional dispatch center that will handle 911 calls for Framingham and Natick has been approved by the Framingham City Council. The council voted unanimously at its May 21 meeting to approve the creation of the regional dispatch center. The agreement ties the city into working with Natick to agree on the establishment, operation and maintenance of the dispatch center by constructing, equipping, staffing, maintaining and operating the facility. The agreement still needs to be approved by the Natick Select Board, which is expected to vote on it during an upcoming meeting. If Natick does give approval, the application will be submitted to the state to receive grant funding for the project. The City of Framingham purchased this building at 188 Concord St. last year. It will be used to house a new regional dispatch center for Framingham and Natick. $2M investment: Framingham buys downtown building for regional dispatch enter Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said during the May 21 meeting that Framingham has two dispatch centers, one each for its fire and police departments, but they're in outdated locations. For a number of years, Framingham has been talking about creating a new, joint-dispatch center," Sisitsky said. "Currently, we have dual dispatch centers, operating out of the Route 9 fire station and police station. Both of those sites are functionally obsolete, require very expensive upgrades and there just isnt enough room in those buildings for them to operate properly." The mayor said he's been negotiating with the fire and police chiefs since he was elected in November 2021 about solving the dispatch issue, with the conclusion being that a new joint location is the most logical step to take. Framingham then became aware of a state program, the Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center Grant Program, which offers state funding to communities that share dispatch centers. After some discussion with neighboring towns, Sisitsky said Natick was interested in a partnership. We reached out to our neighbors and Natick was very interested in it because they had some issues with their dispatching and they saw a need to upgrade to new equipment," Sisitsky said. "This was an ideal situation for both Framingham and Natick to access these statewide grants." Project could save as much as $8 million for communities The dispatch center will be at 188 Concord St., a building the city purchased last year for $2 million. Framingham Fire Chief Michael Dutcher said during the May 21 meeting that by applying for a grant now, the program covers 100% of all costs associated with the establishment of the dispatch center through fiscal 2026. Right now, the first two years of the cost associated with the dispatch center would be covered by the state grant, Dutcher said. That includes construction, purchasing of equipment, training and everything else. New operators: Holliston has moved its 9-1-1 services to a regional center Dutcher noted that the cost savings would be in the neighborhood of $8 million for the city. The equipment is from dispatch consoles, to space needs, and we have real issues in our current operation," he said. "We can standardize our protocols, have technology upgrades, this is very important for us." Adequate staffing is biggest issue in Natick Natick Town Administrator Jamie Errickson said the issue in his town has been less about space and more about getting adequate staffing. "We've had a really hard time getting the right number of staffing at our current dispatch center, especially coming out of the pandemic," he said. "A regional center, in addition to helping us upgrade our technology, will make it easier for adequate staffing, and will allow for more upward movement within the dispatch offices, as dispatchers can become supervisors or eventually executive directors." The dispatch center would be run by an executive director, an independent position that would be an employee of the regional dispatch center, and not directly under the supervision of either municipal leader. "We want to ensure that whoever is the executive director of the center knows that that the program can run smoothly under their leadership," Errickson said. The state has been providing consolidation into regional dispatch centers with grants in order to make state monitoring of 911 calls easier. Massachusetts is an outlier in that historically, each municipality has had its own dispatch center, or in the case of Framingham, two of them. The state has more than 200 dispatch centers. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham, Natick seek to team up on joint regional dispatch center In October 2022, Spanish archaeologist Edgard Camaros found a cardboard box on which someone had written: cancer? Inside was a pile of bones from thousands of years ago. It was part of the Duckworth collection at the University of Cambridge, one of the largest repositories of ancient human remains in the world. Two skulls with chilling scars were in the box. The annotations on the boxes said that they came from Giza, in Egypt, where the pyramids are, explains Camaros, who is now at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. These remains come from English colonialist archeology, in which they went and took the most curious or striking things. We do not know if these two skulls were in the necropolis, probably they were. Due to the health of the teeth and the treatment they received in life, they were possibly people from a good social position, says the archaeologist. Together with Tatiana Tondini, from the University of Tubingen in Germany, and Albert Isidro, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Camaros has used microscopy and three-dimensional scanning techniques to analyze the bones and their injuries in detail. The researchers have concluded that they are two of the oldest known cases of cancer. One of them also provides the first evidence of oncological surgery, a rudimentary attempt to try to remove the tumor. The results have been published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. Male skull with circular cancerous lesions. T.I.C. The oldest skull was from a male who lived more than 4,000 years ago (between 2687 and 2345 B.C.), the time when the first Egyptian dynasties flourished and the great pyramids were built. Researchers believe the marks on the skull are from a metastasis that spread from a primary tumor in the pharynx that had also affected the palate. Whats most interesting is that, around the head tumors, the microscope reveals cut marks likely made with a scalpel in an attempt to remove the tumor. The fact that it did not heal indicates the effort was of little use, and the individual died shortly before or shortly after the operation. For Camaros, these small marks mean much more than it seems. If the patient was alive, we would be looking at the first known oncological surgery. If it happened after death, it is evidence of an autopsy that was probably performed to try to better understand a disease that, in those times, was a frontier into the unknown, despite how advanced Egyptian medicine was, he explains. So far, mummies have been found with a multitude of medical interventions: trepanations, prostheses, healed fractures, even dental fillings. In addition to masterfully mummifying corpses, the Egyptians wrote the first known medical treatise 4,500 years ago. In it, the physician Imhotep describes almost 50 clinical cases and their possible treatments. One of them is a woman with a breast tumor. The physician describes in detail the appearance and texture of the tumor to the touch, but despite all his knowledge, he recognizes that there is no known cure for this disease. Detailed view of one of the tumor lesions and the cut marks made to remove them. T. I. C. The second skull is more recent, from about 2,700 years ago, and has a terrible wound, as if something had devoured the skull or it had exploded. The remains are from a 50-year-old woman who suffered a deep head injury above her left eyebrow. It was probably inflicted by a right-handed attacker with a sword or other sharp blade. If it had been a man, we would have immediately said it was a warrior. Being a woman [and given the researchers only have her skull] it is a bit more complex, although it might raise the question that the role of women could be different from what we thought, Camaros ventures. Despite the fact that the Egyptians did not know any cure for the frequent infections, the woman was cured of her wound, perhaps thanks to the care of doctors. Then a tumor appeared on the back of the skull that scientists identify as an osteosarcoma or a meningioma. This was a disease the doctors could not cure. Today, neither of these two patients would have developed such advanced tumors, and they would probably have been cured, Camaros believes. The remains provide new data on the evolution of cancer and how it has changed over time. Cancer is a product of our habits and our genetics and is very different today from the cancer suffered, for example, by chimney sweepers in England in the 18th century. Interestingly, nasopharyngeal tumor is one of those with the highest evidence in Egypt. And that possibly has to do with a desert-type environment where inhaling sand perhaps inflames the nasal cavities and is a factor that could increase the incidence of this tumor at that time, he points out. In 2017, forensic anthropologist Miguel Botella, from the University of Granada in Spain, diagnosed the oldest known case of breast cancer, that of a woman in her 40s whose cancer had spread throughout her body, causing terrible suffering. Botella highlights the importance of the new discovery and reflects on its significance. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that there was care for these people, he says. The fact that someone reached this point operating on the skull, although the disease was already widespread speaks to us of an environment of important care and resources, as well as a cultural interest in understanding a disease that is inherent to humans and living beings in general, he says. Luis Alfaro, from the Spanish Society of Pathological Anatomy, offers a critical opinion that illustrates how difficult it is to make a consensus diagnosis when it comes to patients who died more than 2,000 years ago. The case of the woman, at 50 years old, could hardly be osteosarcoma. At her age, it would be a rarity. And a meningioma would grow from the inside out, but the lesion is much larger on the outside than on the inside. I think cutaneous carcinomas would be more likely: squamous cell or basal cell carcinomas, which, if left to evolve, can cause extensive bone destruction, he points out. The other case, with an estimated age of 30 years or younger, makes the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma difficult. It is true that nasopharyngeal carcinomas occur at younger ages than other types and can cause bone metastases, but they are rare in the skull. I would take into consideration a possible polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, a benign entity but with significant craniofacial bone lesions. In any case, he adds, it is a rigorous study with spectacular images. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The CEO of Frontier Airlines, Barry Biffle, wants a crackdown on imposters using wheelchairs on flights when they dont need them ((Andriy Popov/Alamy Stock Photo/PA)) The CEO of Frontier Airlines has called for a crackdown on rampant abuse of special services on flights, including passengers requesting wheelchairs who do not need them. Barry Biffle said that penalties needed to be put in place for those exploiting such services, in the same way that those who park in handicap spaces are fined and towed. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 prohibits air carriers from discriminating against handicapped persons. In February, US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg proposed a new rule that would ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. At a Wings Club luncheon last Thursday in New York, Biffle said that such accommodations were being taken advantage of. There is massive, rampant abuse of special services. There are people using wheelchair assistance who dont need it at all, Biffle said, according to CNBC. Frontier Airline CEO Barry Biffle said that those abusing airport services designed to help disabled people should face similar penalties to those parking in handicap spots (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) He later described some Frontier flights where around 20 people were brought in wheelchairs to the departure gate, then only three people using them upon arrival. We are healing so many people, Biffle joked. Biffle said that abuse of the service which costs the airline between $30 to $35 per wheelchair leads to delays for travelers with a genuine need. According to CNBC, the CEO clarified he was not talking about personal wheelchairs but rather the service that airlines provide when travelers arrive at the airport. Everyone should be entitled to it, who needs it, but [if] you park in a handicapped space they will tow your car and fine you, he told the outlet. There should be the same penalty for abusing these services. Such concerns have been voiced by other airport executives. In July 2022, John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, said people had abused wheelchair support on planes "to get fast-tracked through the airport". Holland-Kaye told LBC that such behavior was "absolutely the wrong thing to be doing" amid reports of genuine wheelchair users being stuck on planes waiting to be helped off. An estimated 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair, and many encounter barriers when it comes to air travel, according to a Department of Transport release in February. Secretary Buttigiegs rule requires that airlines meet rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities safely and with dignity. The proposal will set new standards for prompt, safe, and dignified assistance, mandate enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers wheelchairs and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport, the release said. The Independent has contacted the Department of Transportation for comment about Biffles remarks. FSB saboteur from Moldova sets fire to power substations in Odesa Oblast A saboteur of the Russian secret services, detained by Security Service of Ukraine. Photo: SSU Law enforcement officers have detained a saboteur of the Russian secret services, who set fire to electrical substations in the southern part of Odesa Oblast. Source: Odesa Oblast Prosecutor's Office; Security Service of Ukraine Quote from the Prosecutor's Office: "A citizen of the Republic of Moldova has been served with the notice of suspicion of sabotage committed under martial law." Details: The investigation stated that the Russian secret services planned acts of sabotage at critical infrastructure facilities in Odesa Oblast. For that purpose, they involved a citizen of a neighbouring country who had a permanent residence permit in Ukraine. In mid-April 2024, he poured five cans of gasoline on the technological equipment of two local electrical substations, which provoked fires there. Then, a fire occurred at power transformers that provided power to eight settlements in the oblast, more than 14,000 consumers, healthcare institutions and water, heat, and gas supply facilities. The equipment was destroyed, and electrical substations were disabled due to the fire. As a reward for his "services", the saboteur expected to receive US$2,000, but he was detained "in hot pursuit". The court granted the prosecution's request and arrested the suspect. Investigative actions also continue so as to identify other persons involved in criminal activities. Support UP or become our patron! The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean-energy school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide about 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. In Iowa, seven school districts requested a total of just over $3.17 million to replace a total of 18 buses, according to the White House. The districts are: Sumner-Fredericksburg, Tri-Center, Marcus-Meriden Cleghorn, Melcher-Dallas, Albia, Akron and Union. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for about 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund about 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. In Rhode Island, PVD Prep, a middle school in Providence, along with schools in Jamestown, Pawtucket, Lincoln and Westerly are slated to receive funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Rhode Island Current. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. Louisiana school districts receiving rebates KIPP East Community, New Orleans Electric buses: 3 Rebate: $1.035 million KIPP Central City, New Orleans Electric buses: 4 Rebate: $1,400,000.00 Sophie B. Wright Institute, New Orleans Electric buses: 12 Rebate: $4.14 million Vernon Parish Propane buses: 8 Rebate: $280,000 St. James Parish Electric buses: 25 Rebate: $8.705 million The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. Kentucky districts and their requested buses and rebates Augusta Independent, 2 electric, $690,000; Science Hill Independent, 1 electric, $345,000; Bourbon County, 4 propane, $140,000; Paducah Independent, 1 electric, $345,000; Bell County, 13 electric, $4,485,000; Jackson Independent, 1 electric, $345,000. Source: The White House The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. In Pennsylvania, 21 districts are slated to receive a total of $55.7 million in funding from the program, with Reading ($8.98 million); and Philadelphia ($8.96 million) school districts topping the list. Woodland Hills ($7.3 million), Plum Borough ($5 million), and Erie City ($4.1 million) school districts round out the top five (see chart below for the full list from Pennsylvania). Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. In Nebraska, the Omaha School District will receive $1.45 million for three electric buses. The Winnebago district will receive $1.035 million, also for three electric buses. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. The city of Fontana, in California, will compensate Thomas Perez Jr. with nearly $900,000 after the man was psychologically tortured by detectives from this city east of Los Angeles. Perezs nightmare began in August 2018, when he called the authorities to report the disappearance of his 71-year-old father after a family argument. The officers did not believe him and made him the main suspect instead. Detectives extracted a confession from him after a 17-hour interrogation in which Perez broke down. The problem? There was no such crime. His father was alive and well. Jerry Steering, Perez Jr.s attorney, told CBS News that it was the worst act of deliberate cruelty that Ive seen suing the police for 40 years. After I watched the video and watched the interrogation of Tom Perez, what I divined is that they could get you and I to confess to killing Abe Lincoln if they wanted to. Scenes of the interrogation have been seen around the world and have become a new example of police excesses in the United States. From a corner of the ceiling, the camera captures Perez sitting at a table in the interrogation room. On the other side, there are two detectives interrogating him insistently and even lying: -"We just told you that we found your dead dad's body, and you don't give a shit," one of the police officers tells Perez. -You murdered your dad... Daddy is dead and its your fault, the other detective adds minutes later. -No, I didn't, Perez answers. The pressure leaves its mark on Perez as the hours go by. The cameras capture how the man bursts into tears, at another time he pulls at his hair in a gesture of desperation, scratches his face and tears his own shirt. When detectives leave the room, the man tries to hang himself with the drawstring of his pants, the federal lawsuit states. The agents sought to extract a confession from him in several ways. At one point they used Margo, the family dog, which had gone for a walk with the missing man hours before. The pet returned home alone and that is what caused Thomas to call the police. The detectives told Perez that the dog had witnessed the crime and followed the trail of blood, triggering a worried reaction from Perez. After the 16th hour, Perez, who had not had his medication for depression and other mental health problems, told the police that he stabbed his father after an argument. His father had actually slept at his girlfriend's house near Union Station. He had left his cell phone and wallet in the house he shared with his son. These were found after a search of the home, along with some traces of what looked like blood. According to the Police Department, a police dog smelled traces at the scene that could correspond to human remains. The morning of his alleged disappearance, the suspects father took a flight from Los Angeles Airport to northern California, where his daughter lives. When police learned that the man was alive and well, they withheld the information from Thomas Perez, who was under psychiatric surveillance. In his lawsuit against the city of Fontana, Thomas Perez Jr. names officers David Janusz, Jeremy Hale, Ronald Koval, Robert Miller and Joanna Pina as responsible for his mistreatment, as they denied him his medications and prevented him from sleeping. A federal district judge agreed with him, considering that any member of the jury could conclude that unconstitutional psychological torture was inflicted on Perez. The city of Fontana has not said whether the detectives have been suspended or remain part of the police force. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow | Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. In New Hampshire, nine districts will get funding for the buses, according to the White House. They are (with the number of buses in parentheses): Concord (3), Derry (25), Hanover (3), Hudson (16), Lisbon (1), Litchfield (8), Moultonborough (7), Nashua (22), and Pembroke (25). Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92 percent, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural, and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45 percent of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67 percent of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations, and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. According to the White House, the following Maine school districts will receive funding: Fayette Public Schools, $200,000, 1 electric bus Biddeford Public Schools, $1,000,000, 5 electric buses RSU28/ MSAD 28, $1,220,000, 6 electric buses Unorganized Territory schools, $690,000, 2 electric buses Brunswick Public Schools, $70,000, 2 propane buses Cape Elizabeth Public Schools, $600,000, 3 electric buses Yarmouth Public Schools, $1,000,000, 5 electric buses RSU 57/ MSAD 57, $600,000, 3 electric buses RSU 75/ MSAD 75, $200,000, 1 electric bus Kittery Public Schools, $400,000, 2 electric buses RSU 17/ MSAD 17, $400,000, 2 electric buses Saco Public Schools, $400,000, 2 electric buses RSU 85/ MSAD 19, $345,000 1 electric bus Brooksville Public Schools, $200,000, 1 electric bus RSU 51/ MSAD 51, $400,000, 2 electric buses requested The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Maine Morning Star. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. Wisconsin school districts receiving Clean School Bus Funds Isthmus Montessori Academy Public Agency: $345,000.00 Osseo-Fairchild School District: $200,000 Oregon School District: $200,000 Alma School District: 345,000 Menominee Indian School District: $690,000 Augusta School District: $530,000 North Crawford School District: $690,000 Pittsville School District: $690,000 Ithaca School District: $25,000 Sheboygan area School District:t $100,000 River Ridge School District: $25,000 Platteville School District: $25,000 Milwaukee School District: $7,465,000 Mount Horeb Area School District: $200,000 Beloit School District: $8,705,000 Elmbrook School District: $200,000 Lancaster Community School District: $400,000 Boyceville Community School District: $50,000 Auburndale School District: $200,000 Marion School District: $420,000 Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District: $200,000 Oneida Nation School: $245,000 Green Lake School District: $200,000 Mayville School District: $800,000= Source: The White House The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow | Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Four West Virginia counties will receive rebates for buying clean school buses: Calhoun, McDowell, Randolph and Summers counties. Each will receive rebates for one bus, except for Randolph, which will get rebates for two buses. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Here is a list of Indiana schools receiving funds: Steel City Academy $2.45 million North Central Parke Community Schools $345,000 White River Valley Schools $600,000 Monroe County Community Schools $5 million Perry Central Community Schools $690,000 Crawfordsville Community Schools $400,000 Goshen Community Schools $1.26 million Greater Clark County Schools $25,000 MSD Washington Township $400,000 Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. 5 North Dakota schools among those receiving funds for clean school buses, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. North Dakota schools In North Dakota, Northern Cass, Maple Valley, Harvey, Westhope and Glen Ullin school districts will receive nearly $3.5 million in rebates to help buy 11 clean school buses, according to information provided by the White House. Most of the North Dakota school districts requested electric buses. Northern Cass requested to buy a compressed natural gas school bus. North Dakota Monitor Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post 5 North Dakota schools among those receiving funds for clean school buses, White House says appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. Tennessee school systems getting rebates: Bledsoe County $690,000 Cheatham County $375,000 Metro Nashville/Davidson County $5.175 million Jackson County $1.04 million Maryville City Schools $880,000 Obion County $400,000 Wayne County $1.38 million This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Oklahoma school districts receiving funds and amount Granite $690,000 Timberlake $690,000 Pawhuska $1,035,000 Sequoyah $95,000 Colcord $1,380,000 Dale $1,745,000 Coweta $600,000 Kiamichi Technology Centers -Atoka $1,035,000 Hilldale $1,420,000 Shawnee $1,420,000 Broken Arrow $125,000 Broken Bow $125,000 Source: White House Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images. WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. Among them: 15 Minnesota districts, including Rochester, St. Paul, Milaca, Crosby-Ironton, Bloomington, Sauk Rapids, Edina, Wrenshall, Laporte, Lanesboro, St. Louis Park, St. Clair, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, Ogilvie and Cleveland. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. By Kosei Nara, KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 08:20 | Feature, All, Japan, World At a time when chrysanthemum flower production for use in mosquito-repelling incense coils has all but ceased in Japan, the tradition has been picked up in Kenya where thousands of people are killed every year by mosquito-borne malaria. A company based in central Japan has begun teaching the technique to local farmers in the East African country, which is a major producer of pyrethrum that naturally contains the active insecticide that, in high doses, can kill mosquitoes. Hiromitsu Iio, 48, is the executive director of Rinnesha Co., the company based in the Aichi Prefecture city of Tsushima which has taken on the challenge. He says coil production can be done almost entirely by hand, without the use of complicated machinery. He hopes the mosquito coils, long a common sight and smell of summertime in Japan, can create jobs in Kenya, a country the World Bank says has 36 percent of its population living on less than $2.25 per day. The coils are known to repel the insects and reduce their ability to feed on humans, especially outdoors in still air, giving people easy access to a weapon in the battle against deadly malaria. Rinnesha deals in organic agricultural and livestock products and natural household goods and has a pyrethrum farm in Takinoue, a town located in the Okhotsk Subprefecture in Hokkaido, where the "jochugiku" flower (bug-repellant chrysanthemum) is produced. "We hope we can help Kenya use Japanese know-how," said Iio, whose company has over three decades of experience manufacturing and selling mosquito coils made from natural ingredients. Since 2017, Iio has visited Nakuru, a city some 140 kilometers northwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, to advise people on how to make coils by hand while creating a business opportunity for the community. The collaboration came about through a chance meeting the same year. Through a connection with an organic farming organization in which he participates, Iio attended a conference in Germany with local young farmers and introduced his company's products. A Kenyan pyrethrum farmer who happened to be there inquired about making mosquito coils in his home country. According to Iio, the use of large machinery for processing pyrethrum is standard in Kenya, requiring a huge initial investment for any would-be entrepreneur. In contrast, Rinnesha's products can be made by pulverizing sun-dried pyrethrum, woodchips and other natural ingredients before hardening them -- a process done mainly by hand. The mosquito coils, known as "katori senko" in Japanese, were invented in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan. Businessman Eiichiro Ueyama, the founder of Dainihon Jochugiku Co., obtained pyrethrum seeds from an American trader in the mid-1880s. At the time, the species was not grown in Japan and Ueyama developed a prototype stick incense a few years later. In 1902, through a process of trial and error, Ueyama, with advice from his wife Yuki, developed the current spiral form of the widely-known incense that allows for a longer smoldering time. It was made by hand-kneading the powder and water together in a mold and drying it on a wire mesh for several days. But with the development of synthetic chemicals after World War II, domestic production of pyrethrum gradually died out and is nearly nonexistent today. Production of Ueyama's Kincho-brand mosquito coils was mechanized in 1957. The trademark red rooster, old-fashioned packaging and green incense coils are still widely known in Japan. Although the smoky versions of mosquito coils are still on the market and popular with older people who grew up using them, some companies have shifted to plug-in smokeless alternatives as the smoke can be irritating to some. Mosquito coils can also be fire hazards and have resulted in numerous accidents when used indoors. To bring hand-rolled mosquito coils to market in Kenya, Iio emphasizes creating a new industry in which "producers are involved in the commercialization of their products, which leads to higher incomes and employment for small-scale farmers." The project has also received support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for its initiative to contribute to the elimination of poverty in developing countries. In March, Iio arrived in Nakuru to instruct local farmers on the mosquito coil production method and to hold meetings. Some 860 pyrethrum farmers from the city have participated in the project. Iio argues there is an advantage unique to using pyrethrum. In recent years, he says, it has been shown that some mosquitoes are resistant to synthetic ingredients contained in common insecticides. Not so, he says, with pyrethrin, the natural pesticide found in pyrethrum. The World Health Organization has estimated that there were 580,000 deaths across Africa caused by malaria in 2022. Kenya had an estimated 5 million cases and 12,000 deaths reported the same year. Iio's dream is that local farmers will be able to make their own mosquito coils to protect themselves from malaria. "I want to help solve problems of poverty and malaria with mosquito coils." Related coverage: Lightning bugs put on show to thrill locals in Kagawa Prefecture FEATURE: Edible bug businesses 'hearing crickets' at crossroads in Japan Japan on alert for unseasonal swarm of stink bugs that feed on fruit Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. In Utah, three school districts will benefit. Granite and Park City districts will each receive $400,000 for two electric buses, while the Uintah District was awarded $690,000 for two buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. In Missouri, the funding will go to 17 school districts and a charter school. They will receive $18.1 million to replace 56 buses, with all the new buses to be electric. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Missouri Independent. The Biden administration said Wednesday, May 29, 2024 that it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Oregon buses The Biden administration has allocated more than $22.6 million to 15 Oregon school districts. Six of them Elkton, Gresham Barlow, La Grande, McMinnville, Morrow and Pendleton will receive at least $2 million. The biggest grant $4.2 million will go to Pendleton School District, while Eugene School District will get the smallest grant, at $100,000. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) NC schools will receive more than $20 million WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. A dozen individual schools and school districts in North Carolina will receive a total of more than $20 million to purchase 56 electric buses, with the largest sum ($8,625,000) directed to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on NC Newsline. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. In South Dakota, the program will send $365,000 in funding to the Tripp-Delmont School District, according to a list of recipients from the White House. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images) WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Funds for clean school buses coming to hundreds of districts, White House says appeared first on Michigan Advance. By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations, which has warned of famine in Gaza, said on Wednesday the amount of humanitarian aid entering the enclave has dropped by two-thirds since Israel began its military operation in the enclave's southern Rafah region this month. "The amount of food and other aid entering Gaza, already insufficient to meet the soaring needs, has further shrunk since 7 May," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. A daily average of 58 aid trucks reached Gaza from May 7 to Tuesday, compared with a daily average of 176 aid trucks from April 1 to May 6, OCHA said, a drop of 67%. It said those figures excluded private sector cargo and fuel. The United Nations has long said at least 500 trucks a day of aid and commercial goods need to enter Gaza. Since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly eight months ago, aid for 2.3 million Palestinians has primarily entered through two crossings into southern Gaza - the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel. But deliveries were disrupted when Israel stepped up its military operations in Rafah with the stated aim of routing remaining units of Hamas fighters. Egypt closed the Rafah crossing due to the threat posed to humanitarian work but on Friday agreed to temporarily send a backlog of aid and fuel via Kerem Shalom. Aid shipments have diminished "due to the closure of Rafah crossing, the inability to safely and consistently pick up commodities from the Kerem Shalom crossing and limited deliveries through other entry points," OCHA said. Israel's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Miller told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that Israel was fighting a war against Hamas, not the civilians of Gaza. "This is why Israel is committed to facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza from every possible point of entry. Despite Hamas rocket fire on the Kerem Shalom crossing, it is fully functional and aid trucks are entering," he said. Aid deliveries by ship from Cyprus to a U.S.-built floating pier in Gaza began on May 17. But the U.S. said on Tuesday that the pier is being temporarily removed after a part broke off. OCHA said that no aid had entered Gaza from the pier on Monday or Tuesday. While operational, the United Nations transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier, the equivalent of 900 metric tons, a U.N. World Food Programme spokesperson said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Demonstrators at Western Washington University protesting the war in Gaza have agreed to end their two-week tent camp, WWU President Sabah Randhawa said in a statement Wednesday. My sincere gratitude goes to the many staff and faculty who have supported our campus community through this process, and a special thank-you to the staff and students who committed many hours to our negotiations, Randhawa said in a statement posted to the WWU website. Details of the accord will be shared Friday, Randhawa said. Student protesters claimed victory on their Instagram account, WWU Divest Apartheid. We won! apparent protesters said in a post on Instagram, with a photograph of happy-looking students leaving the Old Main administration building. A few wore Arab keffiyeh, or head scarves. After huge pressure from the student body, culminating in an rally and die-in, our negotiations team has reached a historic agreement with admin following 10-hour deliberations, the post states. Protesters and WWU administration came to the agreement just over a day before the 5 p.m. Thursday deadline that the campus officials had set for them to pack their tents and leave the lawn between Old Main and Viking Union. Some 50 to 60 protesters, including WWU students and others, pitched about 20 tents on May 14. They held a protest rally and march on May 17. The tent camp has grown to about 70, WWU officials said Tuesday. Since that time University Police have recorded several instances of vandalism with slogans protesting the war in Gaza. A Jewish student reported to police that they were spat upon and followed home on May 17, as they walked past the protest wearing a Star of David necklace. That incident that was being investigated as a possible hate crime. Last week, Jewish faculty, students and others told The Herald that the administration wasnt taking their safety seriously. Several college and university campuses across the U.S. have seen similar protest encampments in recent weeks as the war in Gaza continues, sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and atrocities that killed 1,200 civilians in Israel, including 45 Americans. By Keita Nakamura, KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2024 - 10:53 | All, Japan, World A recent announcement on possible defense technology cooperation between Japan and AUKUS, a trilateral partnership among Australia, Britain and the United States, has great potential and could boost deterrence against China's growing military assertiveness, defense experts say. The experts say, however, it would take time for such collaboration to materialize, as Japan is already engaged in bilateral projects with the AUKUS members and a quadrilateral alliance is viewed as a long-term objective. To maximize the potential of such a partnership and realize mutual benefits, Japan and the three-way group will need to identify technological fields in which collaboration can compensate for individual weaknesses, the experts say. Created in 2021 in the face of Beijing's military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region and intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry, the AUKUS framework is aimed at delivering nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as its first pillar of cooperation. The framework's second pillar will bolster cooperation on advanced capabilities such as cyber defense, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and new undersea operations. The Australian, British and U.S. defense ministers said in a joint statement on April 8 that they were "considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II," recognizing "Japan's strengths and its close bilateral defense partnerships with all three countries." At a press conference in Canberra the following day, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Japan is a "natural candidate" to be part of the second pillar, while no proposals had been made to expand first pillar membership to include it. China was quick to react, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning later that day warning of an escalating arms race and urging Japan to "abandon the practice of forming a small military and security circle." Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara has only said that Tokyo's possible cooperation on the second pillar "will be considered by the AUKUS side." A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said after the AUKUS announcement, "We have not yet decided anything and discussions on what kind of cooperation may be feasible are still to come." John Blaxland, director of the Australian National University's North America Liaison Office, said if the Japan-AUKUS tie-up is realized, it would add to "the deterrent effect, which is aimed at bolstering peace and security and enhancing stability." The professor of international security and intelligence studies also pointed to advanced technologies and research that Japanese industries could provide, including in the areas of robotics and precision devices. "Incorporating them into the trilateral arrangement is seen as potentially providing significant mutual advantage," he added. Hirohito Ogi, a senior research fellow at the Asia Pacific Initiative and Institute of Geoeconomics at the International House of Japan, said the shared assessment of Tokyo and AUKUS members regarding the regional security environment can provide a basis for their four-way collaboration. Japan has been focusing on developing new defense technologies similar to those specified as part of the AUKUS second pillar, especially since the updating of its National Security Strategy in 2022 that called for bolstering the country's defense capabilities in the face of growing threats from North Korea and Russia as well as China. Given the "overlapping of directions" of Japan and AUKUS, their collaboration on innovative technology would be beneficial to both sides, Ogi said. A former Japanese Defense Ministry official, Ogi said the AUKUS defense chiefs only said they are "considering" cooperation with Japan, indicating its participation could still be in the early stages. Aside from its close security ally Washington, Tokyo is already working with London and Canberra on defense collaboration, he added. The joint projects include development of an interceptor missile for hypersonic projectiles with the United States, a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy, and research on underwater drones with Australia. As long as those bilateral efforts continue smoothly, Japan and the AUKUS members "seem to have little incentive" to urgently promote specific projects under a quadrilateral framework, Ogi said. During a TV interview aired in Australia last month, Peter Dean, a professor at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said he views protection of confidential information as "the biggest hurdle" for Japan to clear before joining AUKUS. Japan enacted a state secrecy law in 2013 aimed at preventing unauthorized disclosure of state secrets, but the nation is viewed as lagging behind other developed countries in protecting sensitive information and cybersecurity defenses. In the latest example, Japanese media outlets citing government sources reported in February that classified Japanese diplomatic information had been leaked following Chinese cyberattacks on the Foreign Ministry in 2020. The AUKUS states are "dealing with some of the most highly sensitive, cutting-edge military capabilities and intelligence" and they would need to get Japan to enhance the level of its information security, Dean said. Related coverage: U.S., Australia, Britain eye defense tech cooperation with Japan Japan, U.S. to boost security ties with U.K., Australia, Philippines Australia looks to Japan for collaboration with AUKUS on defense tech Palestinian boy Ahmed Abu Athab, who was wounded in an Israeli strike, receives treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip Palestinian boy Ahmed Abu Athab, who was wounded in an Israeli strike, receives treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip By Mohammed Salem KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza (Reuters) - Ahmed Abu Athab's Aunt Jamila sobs as she implores the world to get the boy out of Gaza for medical treatment after he was injured by Israeli fire this week and joined the growing list of wounded stuck in the embattled territory without medical aid. The boy had gone to the beach on Tuesday to wash with a group of children and a munition landed as they came out, hitting him with shrapnel, she said. He now lies, swathed in bloody bandages, in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as Israel's assault on the border city of Rafah continues, part of a military campaign against Hamas sparked by the group's deadly Oct. 7 attack. The attack on Rafah, the only part of tiny, crowded Gaza that Israeli troops had not entered in force, has cut off the main border crossing into Egypt, constricting aid and stopping what had been a trickle of people leaving for medical help. "Where should I take him? Tell me. Where should I go?" Jamila Abu Athab said. "I ask all the leaders of the world, anyone with a conscience, to open the border and allow these children to leave. What have they done to deserve this?" she added. Like the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza, Ahmed Abu Athab had already lost his home in Israel's assault on the enclave. He has also lost his mother - not to the war but because she left Gaza for cancer treatment. When Jamila Abu Athab reached the child, he told her: "Auntie, I was looking for water. I want to bathe. I died, I died," she said. TRAPPED At al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, spokesperson Doctor Khalil al-Dakran said Israel's military campaign had unleashed a medical catastrophe. "All hospitals are struggling due to lack of medicine and medical necessities and fuel," he said in video obtained by Reuters, adding that thousands of patients needed treatment abroad and were unable to travel after the Rafah border closure. Israel blames Egypt for the closure, saying it wants to reopen Rafah to Gazan civilians who wish to flee. Egyptian officials and sources say humanitarian operations are at risk from military activity and that Israel needs to hand the crossing back to Palestinians before it starts operating again. Egypt is also worried about the risk of Palestinians being displaced from Gaza. Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said on Wednesday there was no indication of when the Rafah crossing would reopen. Israel's ground and air campaign in Gaza has killed more than 36,000 people and wounded more than 81,000, health authorities in Gaza's Hamas-run administration say. The figures include both civilians and Hamas fighters. The Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killed 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. In Al-Aqsa Hospital, Nashat Abed Bari said he had been trying to leave Gaza for medical help since being injured five months ago. "There are no capabilities here in Gaza at all. I tried to look for doctors or to go around hospitals but no one was able to help me," he said in video obtained by Reuters. "The border has been shut for more than 20 days. No one is going in or out. I need an operation urgently because my situation is getting worse every day." (Reporting by Mohammed Salem in Khan Younis; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Nick Macfie) Georgia city clerk arrested after stealing more than $15,000 from government A Georgia city clerk has been arrested for stealing thousands worth of government funds, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI said 44-year-old Kelly Hancock used a Sale City credit card to make several personal purchases. Hanock had been approved to use the card as a part of her job responsibilities as a clerk. The total theft was confirmed to be about $15,000 but could increase after an audit of Hancocks purchases. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Hancock of Pelham was arrested on Tuesday and then booked into Mitchell County Jail. She was charged with one felony count of theft by taking by a fiduciary. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Thomasville at 229-225-4090. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has commented on the debate over allowing Ukraine to use German weapons on the territory of Russia. Source: European Pravda, citing the minister's statement quoted by Bild on Wednesday Quote: "In the interests of military tactics and strategy, it should be clear that we should not publicly discuss what is possible, what is allowed, what we would like to see and what is not," said Pistorius. "International law allows all of this. What is then settled in detail between states, as the chancellor said yesterday, is a settlement between states," the German minister added. Details: Pistorius said he would like to keep this discussion out of the public eye. "I don't believe that the Kremlin will tell us what it is ready to do and where it is ready to use what weapons," the minister said. Background: Lately, the Western partners of Ukraine have been discussing a possible weakening of restrictions on the attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia with Western weapons. Josep Borrell, Chief of EU Diplomacy, revealed that several European states do not object to the possibility of Ukraine using their weapons to strike targets in Russia. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, stated that Ukraine should be allowed to launch attacks on Russian territory. Finland did not put any restrictions on Ukraine striking Russia with Finnish armament either. Support UP or become our patron! German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lamented the diminished standing of Christian churches in German society and urged greater engagement with religion in a speech at a gathering of German Catholics on Wednesday. Steinmeier praised the commitment of Christians to democracy and to the poor, marginalized and desperate people in society. That is "all the more reason why I can only deeply regret that the churches are experiencing such a great loss of approval and trust," Steinmeier said in his speech in the central German city of Erfurt. "One must speak of an epochal change." Steinmeier spoke at the 103rd German Catholic Day, which is actually a series of events related to the church that stretches across several days. He said that the churches must confront the "self-created" problems that have reduced their standing in society and broken trust with believers, including "the terrible fact of mass abuse and especially the long history of its cover-up," according to the text of his speech provided in advance to dpa. In addition, Steinmeier said there is a growing alienation and indifference in large parts of society towards religion and what goes beyond our lives. "Are the churches not giving enough impetus here? Is their message too quiet, too pale, too low profile?" Steinmeier asked. Many people were searching for meaning and direction in their lives, he added. "Our critical question to ourselves, as Christians and as a church, must be: Do these earnest searchers find convincing answers, do they find spiritual expertise, do they find empathetic support in our groups, communities and initiatives?" He noted the important role that Christian social welfare groups, such as the Catholic Caritas and the Protestant Diakonie, still play in German society. But he said they need new sources of strength and reinforcement. "I know and I am certain that a great deal of good still emanates from the Christians in our country," said Steinmeier. Hopeful steps for the future are already being taken, "and that also gives me hope myself," he said. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) and President of the Central Committee of German Catholics Irme Stetter-Karp arrive to attend the opening of the 103rd German Catholic Day in Erfurt. Hendrik Schmidt/dpa (L-R) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Central Committee of German Catholics Irme Stetter-Karp and Minister President of Thuringia Bodo Ramelow attend the opening of the 103rd German Catholic Day in Erfurt. Jan Woitas/dpa Christian Lindner, Germany's Minister of Finance, waits for the start of the German Cabinet meeting in the Chancellery. Michael Kappeler/dpa The German government has backed a controversial plan to allow underground storage of climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the country. The Cabinet approved a draft of the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act in Berlin on Wednesday, sources told dpa. According to the draft legislation, CO2 storage projects are being planned primarily under the North Sea. However, Germany's parliament will still need to consider the proposals. The proposal for CO2 storage was included in the government's February presentation of key points from its carbon management strategy. Germany's current government contends that the use of carbon underground storage technology is necessary in order to achieve climate targets. Storage projects would be used to offset CO2 emissions that are particularly difficult to avoid, particularly in limestone and cement production and waste incineration. A number of environmental organizations have rejected the storage of CO2, arguing among other things that projects are likely to be very expensive and difficult to realize on a large scale. In addition, the Cabinet also approved on Wednesday a draft law that is intended to give hydrogen projects a boost. Hydrogen is seen as a potential climate-friendly replacement for fossil fuels as part of the broader energy transition. "Hydrogen will play an important role in storing and transporting renewable energies," according to the draft, which was obtained by dpa. "This is because hydrogen must be used in particular in those sectors of the economy where it is not possible or economical to convert procedures and processes to greenhouse gas neutrality through direct electrification." Among the measures included in the draft are steps to allow faster planning and approval of hydrogen projects. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during the German Cabinet meeting in the Chancellery. Michael Kappeler/dpa Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) arrives behind Hubertus Heil (R), Germany's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, at the meeting of the German Cabinet in the Chancellery. Michael Kappeler/dpa Boris Pistorius (C), Germany's Minister of Defence, stands between Svenja Schulze (L), Germany''s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Annalena Baerbock (R), Germany's Foreign Minister, before the start of the German Cabinet meeting in the Chancellery. Michael Kappeler/dpa A Bundeswehr soldier carries a box of syringes against the coronavirus (Biontech) in a vaccination center. Sven Hoppe/dpa Soldiers in the German armed forces will no longer be required to present proof of coronavirus vaccinations in future, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. A technical review by the authorities in the military, in conjunction with a vote by the Military Medical Advisory Board last week, has resulted in a move away from the obligation, a spokeswoman told dpa. Germany's military, known as the Bundeswehr, will still offer voluntary vaccinations to soldiers but no longer mandate them. Regulations require soldiers to be vaccinated against a whole range of diseases unless there are special health reasons that would prevent a vaccination. Required vaccinations include hepatitis, measles, rubella, mumps and influenza. On 24 November 2021, the Defence Ministry added mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations to the general service regulations. Anyone who opposed the vaccination programme without medical or legal justification could expect disciplinary measures or consequences under employment law. Germany's top appeals court for administrative matters is also hearing a lawsuit over the coronavirus vaccination requirement in the Bundeswehr on Wednesday. The soldier challenging the requirement in court has argued that requiring Covid-19 vaccinations as part of the military's vaccination programme is unlawful. The same court upheld the inclusion of the Covid-19 vaccine in the mandatory vaccination programme in a landmark decision nearly two years ago. The decision, however, also called on the Defence Ministry to evaluate and monitor the vaccination requirement in light of changing circumstances. York Ready for Climate Action is an organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the causes and effects of climate change. Regarding causes, YRCA is helping York meet its climate goals of reduced emissions by helping residents understand how they can afford and navigate energy-efficient technologies at home and on the road. We hope youll reach out to our Energy Coaches via our website. Addressing the effects of climate change is just as important, but unless we are paying attention, it can be easy to miss the signs that are actually all around us. Have you heard of the boiling frog syndrome? The essence of the syndrome is that a frog will stay in water that is gently increasing in temperature until it is too hot to get out. Similarly, when our living conditions deteriorate gradually, we adapt to these conditions instead of getting rid of them, until we are no longer strong enough to escape. York Ready for Climate Action Have you noticed the number of strong winter storms weve experienced lately? Have you seen the way our beach walks and coastlines are eroding? Or the way tons of rocks have been thrown up across Long Sands Road into the yards of homes and businesses? What else have you noticed? The more we pay attention, the more we are likely to see. And now, the Maine Geological Survey is making it easier for each of us to contribute to understanding the changes by becoming a citizen scientist, also known as a community scientist. Maine Marine Geologist Peter Slovinsky says that understating how climate change is impacting your own backyard is so important ... We really depend on citizen-based monitoring programs to understand everything from how beaches are impacted by storms, to how water quality at swimming beaches varies over the year, to a variety of other citizen-science led initiatives. One of the opportunities listed on the Maine Geological Survey site is through the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Sea levels are rising causing us to experience more flooding along our coastlines. The goal of this project is to help coastal communities gather data to understand their unique flooding impacts and begin to identify priorities for building resilience. As a part of this project, citizens are invited to make and share observations of high water or evidence of high water along the coastline and share your opinions about the impacts youre observing. Observations are particularly helpful when coastal storms or unusually high astronomical tides are predicted. You can find out more on the Maine.gov website. The Downeast Institute (DEI) is also looking for assistance from citizen scientists. The dynamics of a changing ocean and climate, the necessity for sustainable uses of marine resources, and opportunities for restoration ecology all position Downeast Institute for innovative leadership and collaboration in its core work of applied marine research. Check out downeastinstitute.org. There are countless ways to be involved and aid in our growing understanding of how our changing climate impacts our lives and environments right at home. Citizen science is an opportunity for everyday people of all ages to collaborate with professional scientists so that we can all avoid being the frog in warming water. We hope youll jump in! One final note: Congratulations and many thanks to our York High School Eco Club members for their success in getting the plastic straws and utensils ban passed, making York the first town in Maine to achieve such a goal. They are a great example of citizen scientists! This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Getting Ready: Yorks citizen scientists tackle climate impact New giant pandas to arrive at Smithsonian's National Zoo by the end of the year Two year-old male giant panda Bao LI is one of a pair set to arrive at the Smithsonian National Zoo by year's end. Bao Li is seen at Shenshuping Base in Wolong , China May 16. Photo by Roshan Patel, courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute May 29 (UPI) -- The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington said Wednesday a new pair of giant pandas are expected to arrive by the end of the year. "We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.," NZCBI's Brandie Smith said in a statement. She said it's a historic moment of collaboration with Chinese colleagues, in a partnership that has grown the panda population. "Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what's needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat," Smith added. First lady Dr. Jill Biden took part in a video announcement posted Wednesday on NZCBI's social media channels about the pandas with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and Smith. Female giant panda Qing Bao, is one of a pair set to arrive at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. by the end of the year. The last giant pandas housed at the zoo went back to China in November 2023. Photo by Roshan Patel/Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute The pandas are two years old. Bao Li, meaning "treasure" and "energetic" in Mandarin Chinese, was born Aug. 4, 2021, at China's Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan. Qing Bao, whose name means "green" and "treasure," was born Sept. 12, 2021, at the same facility. The pandas will be in quarantine for a minimum of 30 days after arriving in the United States. Fed Ex will transport them. "We look forward to once again calling the FedEx Panda Express into service and using our logistical expertise to safely move Qing Bao and Bao Li to Washington, D.C.," said Fed Ex CEO Richard W. Smith in a statement. The Chinese and the U.S. have signed a new cooperative research and breeding agreement fort pandas effective through April 2034. China will own the pandas as well as any offspring. Cubs born at NZCBI will move to China by age 4. The agreement outlines cooperative research projects between China and the NZCBI. The San Diego Zoo is also expecting two giant pandas by the end of the summer. The pandas have long been used in U.S.-China diplomacy. During a summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese Presidtent Xi Jinping in San Francisco, Xi alluded to the pandas' popularity in America. The San Diego Zoo signed an agreement in February with China's Wildlife Conservation Association to get the pandas. The last giant pandas to be housed at the Smithsonian National Zoo departed for China in November 2023. Tian Tian and MeiXiang were 26 and 25 years old. Pandas have been part of the zoo for five decades, with the first pair arriving n 1972 following President Richard Nixon's visit to China. KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 14:38 | World, All Malaysia's top court commuted the death sentence imposed on a Japanese woman for drug trafficking to 30 years in prison on Wednesday, following a judicial reform that eliminated mandatory capital punishment for illicit drug trade and several other serious offenses. In a unanimous decision, a panel of three judges at the Federal Court replaced the death sentence handed to Mariko Takeuchi, 50, with imprisonment of 30 years from the date of her arrest in 2009, after reviewing an appeal for a lesser punishment. Takeuchi lost her appeal in 2015, with the court upholding lower court rulings in which the former nurse was sentenced to hang for trafficking 3.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into Malaysia in 2009. She filed an appeal for a lesser punishment after a law allowing prisoners sentenced to death or life imprisonment to seek a reduced sentence took effect last September. The law was part of the judicial reform that abolished mandatory death or life sentence for 11 offenses, including drug trafficking, murder and terrorism. Takeuchi testified at her trial that she did not know about the drugs found in a suitcase she brought to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Dubai. She pleaded innocent, maintaining that she was carrying the suitcase as a favor for an Iranian acquaintance. Takeuchi, who hails from Aomori Prefecture, was the first Japanese tried for drug trafficking in Malaysia and the first sentenced to death. Her lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told reporters outside the courtroom that Takeuchi could be freed by 2029 as prison rules allow one-third remission to a jail term for good behavior. Prior to the law taking effect, there were 1,020 convicts on death row or serving life sentences, according to government data. Most of the convicts requested a review of their sentences after the enforcement of the law and had their death penalty reduced to jail term. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) announced Wednesday that two new giant pandas are coming to the Zoo. Two-year-old pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, will arrive by the end of the year, NZCBI stated. Were thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., NZCBI Director Brandie Smith said in a news release. Wednesdays announcement comes six months after giant pandas Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, went to China in November 2023. NZCBI said Bao Li, one of the two new giant pandas, is related to the Zoos former panda family. Bao Li currently lives at the Shenshuping Base in Wolong and Qing Bao lives at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan. Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China May 17. (Photo by Roshan Patel, Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute) Two-year-old male Bao Li whose name means treasure and energetic in Mandarin Chinese was born Aug. 4, 2021, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan to father An An and mother Bao Bao. Bao Lis mother was born at the Zoo in 2013 and his grandparents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, lived at NZCBI from 2000 to 2023. Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China May 17. (Photo by Roshan Patel, Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute) Two-year-old female Qing Bao whose name means green and treasure in Mandarin Chinese was born Sept. 12, 2021, at CCRCGP, to father Qing Qing and mother Jia Mei. Qing, her fathers name, evokes the lush and mountainous habitat where giant pandas roam in the wild. Bao, which means treasure, reflects that she is cherished by all who know her, NZCBI said. FedEx will transport the bears from China to the Zoo in D.C. NZCBI Director Brandie Smith and Wu Minglu, secretary general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), signed a new research and breeding agreement, which will be effective through April 2034. Panda fans excited for possibility of return of giant pandas to National Zoo Similar to previous agreements, the new contract states that a male and female giant panda will be sent to NZCBI, but remain under the ownership of China. Any cubs born at the Zoo will move to China by the time theyre 4 years old. NZCBI will also pay a $1 million annual fee to CWCA to support research and conservation efforts in China. The Smithsonian and Chinese partners will work to innovate new technologies and pursue research that contributes to the overall health and welfare of giant pandas in human care, NZCBI stated. Collaborative research priorities and projects include: Assessing giant pandas movements to identify the key forest corridors that make it possible for the bears to find food and mates; Examining how the connectivity of reserves and protected areas support giant pandas and hundreds of animal species that share their habitat, including the red panda, golden pheasant and snub-nosed monkey. This information can help scientists improve management strategies, mitigate threats and increase biodiversity; Creating bamboo restoration plots to expand the amount of habitat available for giant pandas; Analyzing the impacts of climate change on giant panda habitat by measuring the growth of bamboo under experimentally increased temperatures. Results will inform management and improve resilience to climate change; Offering comprehensive workshops and hands-on training courses for veterinary staff to share expertise and build skills in dental health, geriatric care and anesthetic techniques; Expanding Chinese wildlife professionals and students ability to track and monitor wildlife and natural resources through training and mentoring. People who work with the famous bears are thrilled to see them come back, too. Im so excited that the news is out, and everyone knows the pandas are coming back to DC. Personally, Im really excited to be working with giant pandas again, said pandakeeper Mariel Lally. Lally told DC News Now shes been working with other bears on the Asia Trail exhibit at the Zoo since the pandas last left in November, and shes looking forward to taking what shes learned working with them over the last seven months and applying it to her work with the new giant pandas. As for giant panda fans and Zoo visitors, the excitement for their big return is already building. Itll be my first time ever seeing one live, so thats the most exciting thing. You see them on TV, but Ive never been able to see one in person, said Matt Mcrae, visiting the Zoo from Texas on Wednesday. Theyre just so unique, theyre so beautiful. Theyre so lovable and cuddly. You just want to take them home with you. I wish I could take one home. Bring them back, please, said Nancy Woods, also visiting the Zoo from Texas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Giant pandas from China will return to Washington later this year, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) announced Wednesday. A pair of 2-year-old pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao will arrive at by the end of the year as part of a new 10-year research and breeding agreement, per the National Zoo. It comes about six months since the citys remaining three giant pandas were returned to China upon the expiration of a previous agreement. Bao Li already has ties to D.C. as the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, two of the pandas who left the National Zoo last year after 23 years in the District. Were thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendant of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., said Brandie Smith, NZCBIs John and Adrienne Mars director. This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact, she added. The zoo did not provide an exact timeline for the pandas arrival or public debut date, but it said they will be quarantined in a panda house for at least 30 days upon their arrival. They will then have a few weeks to settle into their new habitat before visitors will be able to see them, officials said. First lady Jill Biden joined Smith and Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III in a video announcement, saying she cant wait to celebrate this historic moment when the pandas return. The United Statess so-called panda diplomacy with Beijing began under an agreement brokered by former President Nixon in 1972. It came after former first lady Patricia Nixon discussed her fondness for giant pandas to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai at a dinner in Beijing, per the National Zoo. Premier Enlai then gifted two giant pandas to America, which Nixon and his wife chose to house in the National Zoo. The two pandas spent 20 years together at the zoo, which worked with China to study the animals biology, behavior and diseases in a joint effort to preserve the species. Beijing has lent out 65 pandas to 19 countries through cooperative research programs that aim to protect the species, according to The Associated Press. The pandas are usually returned to China when they reach old age, or when cubs born abroad turn around age 3 or 4. Upon the three pandas departure last Winter from D.C., the National Zoo hinted at a potential return without disclosing many details. Some foreign policy experts at the time noted it was indicative of growing diplomatic tensions between China and several Western governments, though the zoo last year said it was simply time for the panda parents to go home. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a visit to San Francisco late last year, suggested more giant pandas could come to the United States, calling the animals envoys of friendship between the nations peoples. Zoo Atlanta said last week it was preparing to send its giant pandas back to China later this year, following other zoos in the U.S. They are the last remaining pandas currently in the U.S., though this will soon change in the wake of Wednesdays announcement. Earlier this year, the San Diego Zoo announced plans to welcome back a pair of pandas from China as soon as next month. Updated at 9:09 a.m. EDT Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (The Hill) Giant pandas from China will be returning to Washington, D.C., later this year, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) announced Wednesday. A pair of two-year-old pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao will arrive at by the end of the year as part of a new 10-year research and breeding agreement, per the National Zoo. Giant panda eats bamboo in his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. The zoo announced May 29, 2024, that pandas will return by the end of the year. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) It comes about six months since the citys remaining three giant pandas were returned to China upon the expiration of a previous agreement. Bao Li already has ties to D.C. as the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, two of the pandas who left the National Zoo last year after 23 years in the District. Were thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., Brandie Smith, NZCBIs John and Adrienne Mars director, said. This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact, she added. The zoo did not provide an exact timeline for the pandas arrival or public debut date, but said they will be quarantined in a panda house for at least 30 days upon their arrival to the nations capital. They will then have a few weeks to settle into their new habitat before visitors will be able to see them, officials said. First lady Jill Biden joined Smith and Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III in a video announcement, saying she cant wait to celebrate this historic moment when the pandas return. The United Statess so-called panda diplomacy with Beijing began under an agreement brokered by former President Nixon in 1972. It came after former first lady Patricia Nixon discussed her fondness for giant pandas to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai at a dinner in Beijing, per the National Zoo. Premier Enlai then gifted two giant pandas to America, which Nixon and his wife chose to house in the National Zoo. The two pandas spent 20 years together at the zoo, which worked with China to study the animals biology, behavior and diseases in a joint effort to preserve the species. Beijing has lent out 65 pandas to 19 countries through cooperative research programs that aim to protect the species, according to The Associated Press. The pandas are usually returned to China when they reach old age, or when cubs born abroad turn around age 3 or 4. Upon the three pandas departure last Winter from D.C., the National Zoo hinted at a potential return without disclosing many details. Some foreign policy experts at the time noted it was indicative of growing diplomatic tensions between China and several Western governments, though the zoo last year said it was simply time for the panda parents to go home. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a visit to San Fransisco late last year, suggested more giant pandas could come to the United States, calling the animals envoys of friendship between the nations peoples. Earlier this year, the San Diego Zoo announced plans to welcome back a pair of pandas from China as soon as 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 Queen City News. The basis for Justice Samuel Alitos rejection of congressional Democrats request that he recuse himself from Supreme Court cases tied to Jan. 6 was literally a meme. In an at-times extremely detailed, two-and-a-half page letter to Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Alito explained why he believes flags flying at two of his properties an upside down American flag at his Virginia home and a flag thats been embraced by Christian nationalists at his New Jersey beach house are neither ethics violations nor cause to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 coup attempt. Thats because, Alito wrote, he was not aware that an upside flag thats become associated with the Stop the Steal movement was flying at his house in the weeks after the Jan. 6 attack until it was brought to his attention. Alito claimed that he asked his wife to take the Stop the Steal flag down as soon as he learned it was flying, but she refused to take it down for several days. His rationale for why the incident does not raise any questions about his ability to be impartial on cases related to Jan. 6? Because his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, is a property owner and also a human woman allowed to have opinions. My wife and I own our Virginia home jointly. She therefore has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit, and there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly, he wrote, before unpacking the same very nasty neighborhood dispute he cited to the press when the upside-down flags flying was first reported. And when it comes to the An Appeal to Heaven flag that was seen on display on the Jersey shore last summer, well, Martha-Ann Alito is the sole owner of that property. And, god forbid, the woman really likes flags. My wife is fond of flying flags, the justice wrote. I am not. She was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years. While Alito used his wifes ability to have opinions and fly stuff on her own property, regardless of its ties to cases appearing before the high court, as a flimsy justification for his recusal refusal, he did not address why his wife has insurrection flags or how she knows about these symbols to begin with. Rather, he hid behind an at best clueless defense: those flags also have other meanings. Per Alito: I was not familiar with the Appeal to Heaven flag when my wife flew it. She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message. I was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the Stop the Steal Movement, and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings. The author of the Dobbs decision stripping women of reproductive rights has emerged as a surprising advocate for a womans right to choose an insurrectionist flag. The Best Of TPM Today The one-stop-shop for all the details of the Trump trial, which saw the jury begin deliberations today: First Day Of Jury Deliberation Ends With Request For Read Out Of Testimony From Pecker, Cohen ICYMI last night: Trump Trial Finale: Prosecutors Outline A Conspiracy, Defense Invents One Of Its Own Yesterdays Most Read Story New Trouble Is Brewing In The Mar-a-Lago Case David Kurtz What We Are Reading Once a Sheriffs Deputy in Florida, Now a Source of Disinformation From Russia NYT House Ethics Committee investigating indicted Rep. Henry Cuellar CBS News Inside Donald Trump and Elon Musks Growing Alliance WSJ Gold worth tens of billions smuggled to the UAE each year, report says FILE PHOTO: An artisanal gold miner picks up a gold nugget at an unlicensed mine in Gaoua, Burkina Faso By Reade Levinson and David Lewis Gold smuggling out of Africa, mainly to the United Arab Emirates, has surged over the last decade, with hundreds of tonnes of gold worth tens of billions of dollars illegally leaving the continent every year, according to a report published on Thursday. Analysis by Swissaid, an organisation that focuses on development aid and advocacy, found that a total of 435 tonnes of gold, mostly mined by small-scale miners and worth more than $30 billion, was smuggled out of Africa in 2022. Swissaid said the UAE was the main destination for Africas smuggled gold and took in 405 tonnes in 2022. Over the previous decade, UAE accepted more than 2,500 tonnes of smuggled gold with a total value of over $115 billion, the organisation said. Asked to comment on the findings, a UAE official said that the country had taken significant steps to address concerns about gold smuggling and implemented new regulations on gold and other precious metals. The scale of the flow underscores how small scale, or artisanal, mining has mushroomed into an industry involving millions of people producing volumes of gold on a par with or even bigger than industrial mining. In 2019, a Reuters investigation found that billions of dollars worth of gold was being smuggled out of Africa every year through the UAE, which served a gateway to markets in Europe, the United States and beyond. Aside from the loss in tax revenues, experts and governments have warned that smuggling on this scale indicates a vast parallel illicit economy vulnerable to potential money laundering, terrorist finance and sanctions evasion. Marc Ummel, the commodities lead at Swissaid and one of the authors of the report, said the UAE contributes to gold laundering because large quantities of smuggled gold acquire a legal existence by transiting through the UAE. "If we keep on seeing more than 400 tonnes of illegal gold entering the UAE every year, this is a clear sign that the implementation of the regulations in the UAE is seriously lacking." DISCREPANCIES For its analysis, Swissaid compared total gold exports from all African countries with gold imports into non-African countries. The organisation filled gaps in UN Comtrade data with individual country statistics and identified errors by comparing the data with figures reported by trade associations and speaking with governments and refineries. These discrepancies between declared exports and declared imports do not exist for Switzerland and India, the other two major gold importing countries for African gold. The Swissaid report found that there were 12 countries in Africa involved in smuggling 20 tonnes or more per year. In response to accusations that it was not doing enough to enforce regulations on the sector, a UAE Ministry of Economy spokesperson said the UAE cannot be held accountable for other governments export records. "Only our own, where we have sophisticated technologies and systems to track and verify the data." ARTISANAL MINING With the gold price having doubled since 2009, the number of people turning to artisanal mining has surged. Swissaid estimates that artisanal and small-scale gold mining in African countries produced between 443 and 596 tonnes of gold in 2022. Of this, more than 70 percent is not declared. By comparison, industrial miners have produced around 500 tonnes of gold a year. The report found that the majority of African gold imported into the UAE each year comes from informal artisanal and small-scale mining. These methods provide a livelihood to millions of Africans but often come at a high cost to local communities and to the environment. "There's a certain hypocrisy with some of the Swiss refineries," said Ummel. "They don't want to source African artisanal gold directly but at the same time import very high quantities of gold from the UAE, which is the main hub for African artisanal gold." Between 80% and 85% of Africa's artisanal gold in 2022 was exported to the UAE, according to the researchers. A UAE official said the country recognises the importance of artisanal and small-scale gold mining to the sector and that its "inclusive approach" has allowed artisanal miners to realise more value for their extracted gold. (Reporting by Reade Levinson and David Lewis; additional reporting by Alex Cornwell and Rachna Uppal; Editing by Aurora Ellis) Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) survived a challenge from his right and won the GOP primary in Texass 23rd Congressional District, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ. Gonzales narrowly defeated YouTuber and guns enthusiast Brandon Herrera in the Republican contest for his congressional seat, which runs from San Antonio to El Paso. The Texas Republican had been forced into a runoff after he was unable to win at least half of the vote outright in the initial March GOP primary. Prominent conservatives had backed Gonzaless challenger, including House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.). Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), and Texas GOP Reps. Ronny Jackson and Jake Ellzey, among others, endorsed Gonzales. Gonzales, who replaced former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) beginning in 2021, has diverged against hard-liners on several issues, including opposing including a warrant requirement in a U.S. spy program and for voting in favor of Johnsons foreign aid package. The Texas GOP voted to censure the congressman last May over his support for several pieces of legislation, including the bipartisan gun safety law and Respect for Marriage Act. But Gonzaless win delivers the latest blow to hard-liners who have sought to pick off moderate Republicans in primaries. Good had also backed a challenger to Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), though Bacon was expected to prevail in that primary anyway. At the same time, other hard-liners are fighting for their political life, especially Good. Trump endorsed his primary challenger Tuesday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ST. LOUIS As cicadas continue to swarm the St. Louis region and much of the United States, you may notice a unique tribute to them on your Google search engine. Wednesdays Google Doodle celebrates two broods of cicadas that have simultaneously emerged at the same time. Its a rare occurrence that scientists know as a cicada-geddon or double brood event. What is a cicada-geddon? This happens when two unique broods, in this case Brood XIII and Brood XIX, emerge from underground and exist above ground at the same time. Lemay man arrested for threatening those charged in sons death Brood XIII cicadas spend their first 17 years underground before their emergence. Brood XIX cicadas spend their first 13 years underground before their emergence. The chances that both broods swarm in full force at the same time? Once every 221 years. Experts say the cicadas only spend around five to seven of their weeks above ground before they die. While above ground, cicadas make loud noises in efforts to attract mates. A male and female cicada typically only mate once, and the female will lay eggs in branches of trees. The Google Doodle features four animated cicadas as part of a musical band, representing both Brood XIII and Brood XIX. The cicadas are singing, or performing music, as their noises resonate to such sounds in real 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 FOX 2. Republican Utah attorney general candidate Derek Brown speaks to attendees at the Holladay City Hall in Holladay on Thursday, April 4, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced his endorsement of attorney general candidate Derek Brown in a video made available on Wednesday. Former Gov. Gary Herbert also appeared in the video. Brown, former legal counsel to previous Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch, is facing off against two fellow Republican candidates in a June 25 primary constitutional litigation attorney Frank Mylar and current Utah Division of Risk Management director Rachel Terry. Derek is a leader, said Cox in a statement. Hes one of the best attorneys Ive ever met and worked with. Derek is someone that is willing to fight for what is right. Its a rarity today to find someone with that caliber of integrity. I am honored to receive the endorsement of Gov. Cox. He and I have worked together on many issues over the past decade, one of the most important being Utahs groundbreaking legislation protecting children on social media, Brown said in a statement. I look forward to continuing to work with Gov. Cox on important conservative issues including pushing back against federal overreach, protecting our Second Amendment rights, and securing the border, continued Brown. Gov. Cox knows that, as attorney general, I will fight for Utah families and stand for the rule of law. In addition to receiving Coxs endorsement, Brown has picked up support from Sen. Mike Lee and former Rep. Mia Love, as well as numerous state lawmakers, including Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. Terry is endorsed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as Chad Jensen, Cache County sheriff, and Kelly Sparks, Davis County sheriff. Mylar is endorsed by Cody Black, Beaver County sheriff, Tami Hirsch from Moms for America Action and Mike Farris, former president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom. The Republican candidate who wins the June 25 primary will face Rudy Bautista (Democrat), Michelle Quist (United Utah), Andrew McCullough (Libertarian) and Austin Hepworth (unaffiliated) in the general election. KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 14:25 | All, Japan, World Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the new chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Wednesday affirmed their countries' commitment to peace and stability for the region and the international community. During his first talks with U.S. Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo at the prime minister's office, Kishida vowed to cooperate with the commander to enhance the deterrence of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the Japanese government said. The U.S. admiral was quoted by the Japanese government as saying the bilateral alliance has become more important than ever, pleading to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific" with Tokyo. Paparo is visiting Japan, a key U.S. ally in Asia, after taking over from Adm. John Aquilino earlier this month. The two countries have been deepening their security cooperation together with South Korea to deal with China's growing military assertiveness and North Korea's weapon threats. Last week, Beijing's military conducted a two-day exercise around Taiwan followed the inauguration of the island's new President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing condemns as a separatist. On Monday, North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite in its latest bid to develop its nuclear and missile program, though it failed to put it into orbit due to engine problems. Related coverage: Kishida conveys Japan's concern about China military activities TOPEKA (KSNT) Governor Laura Kelly has announced a special session for the Kansas Legislature to deliberate on a tax relief plan. Kelly will reconvene the Kansas Legislature on Tuesday, June 18. I am committed to working with the Legislature to deliver responsible, sustainable tax cuts for all Kansans, Kelly said. A special session provides the opportunity for bipartisan collaboration on comprehensive tax relief that does not threaten Kansas solid fiscal foundation. By working together, we can swiftly come to a compromise to put more money back into Kansans pockets. House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) issued the following statement: The sad reality is this $84,000+ a day special session could have been completely avoided because the legislature already delivered a bipartisan, sustainable tax relief plan that was fully vetted by our highly qualified legislative tax committees. Instead, the Kelly/Toland Administration chose to play election-year political games, opting to continue to move the goalposts and refuse to compromise all at Kansas taxpayers expense. Weve been attempting to compromise with the Governors office all year so Im hopeful that shes finally feeling the pressure to put an end to this and join the overwhelming majority of legislators who are ready to deliver tax relief to all Kansans. Orange maggots swarm into northeast Kansas farm fields Kelly will issue the proclamation to convene in the coming days. 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. Republican Senate President Ty Masterson and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly praised a new Kansas law requiring special education services for children with dyslexia. That statute also replaced the toxic label of "emotional disturbance" with a more generic label of "emotional disability." (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) Gov. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, called the 2024 Kansas Legislature to convene for a special session to conclude work on a tax reform compromise bill acceptable to the Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Wichita, and a majority of the House and Senate that would trim state income, sales and property tax revenue without jeopardizing core government services in the years ahead. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday she would issue the order calling the Kansas Legislature to a high-stakes, election-year special session June 18 to work on reducing property, sales and income tax burdens without propelling the state toward financial problems down the road. Kelly turned to powers in the Kansas Constitution enabling governors to compel the Legislature to reconvene outside bounds of the traditional January to May period. The governor will issue the formal proclamation in several days, but had been working with legislative leaders on a date after she vetoed the Legislatures latest mega-tax bill. I am committed to working with the Legislature to deliver responsible, sustainable tax cuts for all Kansans, Kelly said. A special session provides the opportunity for bipartisan collaboration on comprehensive tax relief that does not threaten Kansas solid fiscal foundation. Her statement said a collaborative effort at the Capitol could produce a swift compromise to put more money back into Kansans pockets. Kelly, the second-term Democrat, proposed several tax plans to the Republican-led Legislature during the regular 2024 session and she vetoed three bills passed by the Legislature that would have shed more than $500 million annually in state revenue. A shifting coalition of GOP and Democratic legislators expressed interest in slashing taxes, while the governor held to the view Kansas should be careful not to invite budget problems reminiscent of what transpired after Gov. Sam Brownback signed a 2012 bill aggressively lowering the state income tax. Kelly set the tone on tax policy in January by drop-kicking the Republican leaderships tax-cut dream bill. Her latest move was to reject a $2.3 billion bill passed in May with bipartisan majorities. Throughout the legislative session, Kelly had worked with legislative leadership to use the states financial surplus to implement robust tax reform that was not unsustainable in the next three to five years. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said a special session could have been avoided if the governor accepted bipartisan, sustainable tax bills adopted by the Legislature. He said the special session would cost an estimated $84,000 per day and complained the governor was playing election-year political games at the expense of Kansas taxpayers. Weve been attempting to compromise with the governors office all year, so Im hopeful that shes finally feeling the pressure to put an end to this and join the overwhelming majority of legislators who are ready to deliver tax relief to all Kansans, Hawkins said. Deal proves elusive There has been agreement among many legislators and the governor to eliminate July 1 rather than Jan. 1 the states 2% sales tax on groceries. That onerous state tax has been gradually sliced down from 6.5%, with the delay due to a refusal by GOP lawmakers to go along with Kellys campaign to ax that tax. Broad agreement has existed among Kansas politicians to end the states income tax on Social Security benefits in the 2024 tax year. However, tax bills floated during the regular session failed to find the right blend in terms of the exemption on residential property tied to the statewide school finance levy and the personal exemptions and standard deductions on state income taxes. The biggest obstacle was the level of reduction applied to basic state income tax rates with the governor preferring a three-tier model and some Republicans demanding a single-rate or flat income tax. Kansas operates with a three-tier individual income tax rate structure with rates of 3.1% on income under $15,000, 5.25% on income between $15,000 and $30,000, and 5.7% for income above $30,000. Kelly questioned the cost of proposals embraced by Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and Hawkins and the GOPs focus on delivering large tax breaks to wealthy Kansans. The House and Senate failed in veto override attempts on two of the three tax bills. The governor repeatedly warned legislators passage of unreasonable tax legislation would prompt vetoes and lead to a special session of the Legislature. In an interview Wednesday, Kelly said the Legislature should pull together a new bill that captured the realistic need for robust tax cuts for all Kansans that could be financially sustainable for the state over the long haul. There has to be a new bill. This is a new session, so everything that was is no longer. Were just starting over, Kelly said. Im one of those who looks out to the future and I want to make sure that if we sign this bill into law, that we wont be putting our schools, our roads, our foster care system, everything else, at risk to go back to the way it was before I took office. Election-year pressures Masterson, who presides over a GOP supermajority in the Senate, said the Democratic governors opposition to the Legislatures bipartisan tax bills was absurd given the states revenue surplus. The states tax revenue forecasters reported in April that Kansas could end the current fiscal year June 30 with a surplus of $2.6 billion in the general treasury and $1.7 billion in a special rainy-day fund. Assuming state tax revenue was reduced next fiscal year by $530 million, the forecast said the state could end the upcoming fiscal year with $1.9 billion in the states general fund and $1.8 billion in the emergency account. On multiple occasions, the governor had a compromise tax plan on her desk that was backed by significant members of her own party and included real relief for every Kansan, especially those with lower incomes, Masterson said. Each time, she chose to veto it in a power play to get her way. So, here we are. The Legislature will convene on June 18 and swiftly pass tax relief again. Hopefully, this time, the goalposts stop moving and she signs the bill. The special session was called during a summer season devoted to legislative candidates working toward the August primary election and the November general election. All 40 Senate and all 125 House seats are up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. A coalition of influential organizations, including the Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Chamber and about a dozen others, sent a letter to Kelly urging her to make a deal on meaningful tax reform. That coalition urged the governor to act on property and sales tax reforms even if a deal couldnt be struck on income taxes. The post Gov. Laura Kelly calls special session of Kansas Legislature to contend with tax-cut bill appeared first on Kansas Reflector. TOPEKA (KSNT) Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is ceremonially signing off on a bill aimed at reforming the states workers compensation system Wednesday. Kelly ceremonially signed off on Senate Bill 430 on May 29. This bill provides Workers Compensation Act coverage for the Kansas National Guard, limits benefit reductions for retirement benefits, increases dependents death benefits and more, according to language in the bill. Kelly gave her approval for the bill on April 11. Senate Bill 430 is a win for our workforce, our businesses, and organized labor, Kelly said. The changes to the Kansas Workers Compensation Act will keep employers costs down while ensuring injured workers receive treatment in a timely manner. Other parts of the bill being highlighted by the governor include: A reduction in the Social Security offset. A limit on the use of independent medical exams. A requirement for parties to exchange medical records prior to a preliminary hearing. Introduction of medical reports without taking depositions. The ability to settle by written agreement rather than through a hearing. The bill will become law on July 1, 2024. This legislation is a significant step in achieving a balance between the needs of workers and the realities of the business world, Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Amber Shultz said. We are proud to play a part in the creation of a more fair and equitable system. For more Capitol Bureau 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. Governor fears Russia may renew attack in another direction in Kharkiv Oblast Russian forces may undertake attacks in the northwestern part of Kharkiv Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov told journalists on May 29. Moscow launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast. Moscow's forces had reportedly managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the region but had been halted by the first line of defense. Russia is moving up its reserves in the Lyptsi, Vovchansk, and Kupiansk directions "to maintain the offensive momentum," Syniehubov said. Urban combat is reportedly ongoing in the town of Vovchansk. Ukrainian forces controlled about 60% of the town as of May 20, Deputy Kharkiv Oblast Governor Roman Semenukha said. Vovchansk is described by Ukrainian officials as almost destroyed, while Russia keeps attacking other neighboring settlements, inflicting civilian casualties. The enemy is trying to move deeper into our territory, but has not succeeded, the governor said. Local authorities are also watching the situation in the Bohodukhiv direction, in the northwestern part of the oblast, according to Syniehubov. Russian forces may intensify their actions in that area as well, and we are monitoring their behavior. We will take all measures, including evacuation of the population. Moscow is forming another grouping of forces near Ukraine's northern border, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 26. The Ukrainian military did not rule out a similar Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast. Read also: Russias latest offensive into Kharkiv Oblast is stretching Ukrainian defenses Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. How weird attack signs (and Gov. Abbott) helped Fort Worth candidates beat the far right | Opinion John McQueeney hit the jackpot Tuesday night. But not until the last spin of the wheel. In March, the Fort Worth trucking executive and fast-food franchisee trailed fellow Republican Cheryl Bean by a daunting 20 points in the primary for an open Texas House seat in southwest Fort Worth. On Tuesday, he lagged a handful of votes behind her most of the night. But at nearly 11 p.m., after the Hyatt Place TCU bar had taken away the wagyu sliders and darkened the lights from the victory party, McQueeney burst ahead to win the nomination for the District 97 seat in November against Democrat Carlos Walker, a former Fort Worth teacher, coach and principal. Call it a big-money play. Texas House candidate John McQueeney sent wellwishers home about 11 p.m. from the Hyatt Place TCU bar on election night May 28, 2024. His name was misspelled on the reservation sign. McQueeney banked a late $1.9 million in campaign money, $1.3 million of it from casino executive and Dallas Mavericks owner Dr. Miriam Adelson and the rest from Gov. Greg Abbott and a Texas police political committee. That sealed McQueeneys victory over Bean, a construction executive and charter school board member backed by Attorney General Ken Paxton and the partys church-MAGA clique. Back in March, Bean fell only 77 votes short of winning without a runoff. But since then, McQueeney had picked up endorsements and money from Abbott, plus the backing of former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in her home House district. Both the McQueeney-Bean race and congressional candidate Craig Goldmans runaway victory over Fort Worth Republican John OShea became proxy fights pitting Abbott and business Republicans against the MAGA wing and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Bean, a longtime Fort Worth Republican volunteer and trustee for the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, can blame her loss on OSheas weak, unstructured campaign. A political action committees bizarre, over-the-top attack ads against Goldman may have hurt her, too. The giant red signs blamed Goldman in nonsensical language for kids trans surgeries and illegals voting and tax $ for kids gender transition care, and everything else bad but dust storms, scorpions and dandruff. State Rep. Craig Goldman left, is greeted by Sen. Kelly Hancock at Goldmans victory party at Courtside Kitchen in Fort Worth on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Goldman opened a wide lead over banker John OShea. The signs were apparently meant to help OShea. Instead, they were so lowbrow and repellent, they brought voters out for hometown favorite Goldman. His voters also heavily supported McQueeney. Benbrook Republican Shellie Gardner finished fourth in the March congressional primary. She said she called voters for Goldman on Tuesday because he has experience in Congress going back to the 1990s with then-U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, an economist. I was heartened to hear so many people say they were voting for Craig in response to all the negative ads nobody wants to see that, she said at Goldmans victory party at Courtside Kitchen. People were pretty bothered. It didnt take very much research to see that the signs were very thin. They were either half-truths or outright lies. In a conversation on reddit.com, where local politics is almost never the topic, commenters mentioned the signs. Comment byu/firesidenixon from discussion inFortWorth One wrote: It just looks like a very public burn book written by an insane person. Another: They make our area look like were inhabited by literal morons. Goldman simply said he didnt expect big red illegal signs put up all over the district. ... I personally think it worked against them. Goldman defeated OShea, 63%-37%. He faces Fort Worth Democrat Trey Hunt in November. If you wonder why he or anyone wants to go to Congress these days, it might be better than staying in Austin. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (left) and Attorney General Ken Paxton. The runoff victory Tuesday by House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont, overcoming a challenger backed loudly by Paxton, former President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, all but ensures complete gridlock in the next session of the Texas Legislature. Abbott might be able to get school vouchers and other priorities passed. But little else. Obviously, Governor Abbotts very popular right now, said state Sen. Kelly Hancock of Westlake, who introduced Goldman. Obviously, Abbott put his money on the winners. A tornado destroyed out buildings and damaged the roof and windows of Tabatha Adams' home in Hopkins County. (Courtesy of Tabatha Adams) Sitting on her front porch surrounded by tornado damage, Tabatha Adams never imagined being on the other side of disaster recovery. Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency, activating price gouging laws. Report price gouging to the attorney generals office. For crisis counseling and confidential mental health support, call or text 1-800-985-5990, the Disaster Distress Hotline. Beshear urged Kentuckians to photograph and report damage to help make the case for federal assistance. As the former president of her local Rotary Club, she helped her neighbors when Dawson Springs grappled with the devastating aftermath of an EF-4 tornado in December 2021. The Western Kentucky city of about 2,400 lost 75% of its housing while 19 residents lost their lives in the severe weather outbreak that killed 74 Kentuckians. Adams organized disaster grants, totaling $180,000 in 2022 she said, to help her neighbors rebuild and spearheaded the construction of a memorial remembering those killed from Dawson Springs. But now, its her own family that is receiving help from neighbors she had previously aided. Kentucky faced the brunt of another tornado outbreak Sunday with a particularly strong tornado one that spurred the National Weather Service to issue a rare tornado emergency tearing a track just north of Dawson Springs city limits through the unincorporated communities of Charleston and Barnsley. A survey by the National Weather Service found the tornado to be of EF-3 strength with peak wind speeds of 160 mph and a peak width of 700 yards or nearly a half-mile. The Sunday tornados track was north of the path taken by the 2021 tornado and through a less densely populated area. Gov. Andy Beshear said five people across the state were killed in the storms, including a 48-year-old woman from Hopkins County. Fatalities also were reported in Caldwell, Hardin and Mercer counties and in Louisville. At least 14 counties have declared states of emergency, and tens of thousands still were without power across the state as of Tuesday afternoon. About 40 homes across Hopkins County have been significantly damaged or are complete losses from the Sunday tornado, according to Kevin Cotton, the mayor of the Hopkins County seat of Madisonville. That included Adams home along Daylight Road, considered an epicenter of damage from the twister: her two-car garage and barn were both toppled, shingles torn off her roof and windows broken throughout her house. Tabatha Adams garage and barn were toppled, as seen in this drone photo, by a tornado Sunday that tore across Hopkins County. (Courtesy of Tabatha Adams) But shes grateful her family, dog and cats are safe. Shes also not having to rebuild a second time; some homes hit by the Sunday storms were damaged or destroyed in the 2021 tornado. Adams said the 2021 tornado had missed her home by less than a mile. Were talking not even three years ago these people were picking up their lives and rebuilding, Adams said. Here they are again. It is unimaginable and unthinkable, and it just really makes you wonder why. In recent decades, more tornado outbreaks have shifted geographically to the mid-South including Western Kentucky, which scientists say is connected to the impacts of climate change. More warm, moist air is coming from the Gulf of Mexico to collide with colder air from the Western U.S., fueling potential tornadoes across the South, scientists say. In Hopkins County, recovery efforts at least have a head start because of the existing recovery infrastructure and knowledge on how to respond, said Heath Duncan, the co-chair of the Hopkins County Long Term Recovery Committee. Duncan, whos also the executive director of the regional Habitat for Humanity organization, said a surge of hundreds of volunteers since Sunday has arrived to help clear debris and check on survivors. But the financial costs of recovery, especially what costs will ultimately be borne by local communities and residents, is still being realized. Duncan said the 2021 tornado destroyed not only homes but also city infrastructure from water lines to sidewalks. Rebuilding to better withstand future storms can be an incredibly expensive endeavor, he added. He said financial support moving forward will still likely rely on generosity of local donors and state and federal governments. The process of long term recovery work has been difficult the last two years, and for me personally, the hardest thing that Ive had to do in life, Duncan said, mentioning he feels frustrated on the verge of anger at times over his communitys situation. A lot of us are just tired from the 2021 tornado, and so now every time a storm blows through were like, Please, we cant handle anything else. Gov. Andy Beshear in a press conference with emergency management officials Monday said he believed the storm damage from across numerous counties, particularly in Western Kentucky, would qualify the disaster for FEMAs public assistance program, which provides grants to restore infrastructure. But individual survivors being able to apply to FEMA for disaster aid is not guaranteed; Beshear said it would take every Kentuckian impacted to document their damage and report it for FEMA to open up aid to individuals. Thats especially crucial, he said, for those impacted who are uninsured. Your willingness to track your damage and to turn it in is what could help a neighbor or someone you dont even know from another county get that help, Beshear said. While state officials wait to hear if and what federal disaster assistance Kentuckians will receive, local Hopkins County residents are still working long hours in the immediate aftermath to help their neighbors. Meredith and David Hyde only moved back into a newly constructed home in Dawson Springs less than two years ago after their original home was made unlivable after the 2021 tornado. On Tuesday afternoon, they drove around damaged areas in Charleston dropping off monetary donations made possible by the local Rotary Club to survivors. Meredith Hyde, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, said shes been mindful to provide survivors with mental health resources when they need it, some of them still processing the shock of the disaster. David and she dont have many memories from the first couple of weeks after the 2021 tornado, she said, and neither one of us I dont think could have made it without the other one. She mentioned one woman they were visiting provided them $500 worth of kitchen supplies after the 2021 tornado. This community just takes care of each other, Hyde said. This is not about having to do it. This is about wanting to do it. A drone photo of Tabatha Adams home in Hopkins County following Sundays storms. (Courtesy of Tabatha Adams) The post Grim toll tallied again after weekend tornado tears through some places hit in 2021 appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Grisham: Melania Trump thinking of her own optics by staying away from courthouse Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Melania Trump has not attended her husbands hush money trial because she is thinking of her own optics. Grisham, a former top aide to Melania Trump, told CNNs Erin Burnett on Tuesday that it doesnt surprise her that the former first lady has not paid a trip to the Manhattan courthouse where former President Trump has been on trial for weeks. This family is really focused on optics. Theyre always focused on optics, she said on CNNs Erin Burnett OutFront. A handful of family members have attended the trial to show support for the former president, but Melania Trump and the former presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, have yet to make an appearance as the court enters its seventh week of proceedings. But you know, I think that Melania and Ivanka are both thinking of their own optics, and they havent been here the whole time. And Im just not sure showing up now would do anything but cause more speculation, Grisham added later on. During closing arguments Tuesday, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump were all in attendance, as well as the former Presidents daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, and his son-in-law, Michael Boulos. Throughout the trial, numerous Republicans and other Trump allies have also attended the proceedings to rail against the case and its key players. Grisham said she does not believe Melania will show up to court as the jurors begin their deliberations this week. She also said she think the campaign and the former president have asked her to attend. I would be absolutely floored if she showed up. Theres just no way, and again, she hasnt shown up this whole time now. And so, in her mind, I think she would think that she was caving or even look weak to suddenly show up, Grisham said. The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a reimbursement made to his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, for a payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and has denied the affair. The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign 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 The Hill. Group of kids file lawsuit against their state over a nearly $40B gas project: 'Counting on the courts to protect my rights' A youth group in Alaska is holding the state accountable for agreeing to a huge gas export project that is expected to triple the region's planet-warming pollution output for years to come. The $38.7 billion Alaska LNG Project would bring a gas treatment plant to Alaska's North Slope, with the resulting gas set to be sent to Asia. But the company behind the project, the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, will have to answer their critics in court, with the group of 11- to 22-year-olds suing the government of Alaska under the view they are disproportionately at risk of the resulting issues the investment in gas will bring. Notably, the group will argue that the gas investment violates the state's constitution. As the Guardian observed, this includes "the right to protected natural resources for 'current and future generations,' and the right to be free from government infringement on life, liberty, and property." Despite Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor describing gas as a "clean fuel," gas is still a huge polluter. The Environmental Protection Agency says that "emissions from natural gas consumption represent 78% of the direct fossil fuel CO2 emissions from the residential and commercial sector in 2022." Nonprofit law firm Our Children's Trust is helping the plaintiffs take the case to court, and the organization has already achieved notable success. In 2023, Our Children's Trust helped a group of young people from Montana fight the state's government for pro-dirty-fuel policies that they argued were making the climate crisis worse. After winning the case succeeding in arguing that the failure to consider the planet-warming pollution of future energy projects was against the state constitution it was expected that similar groups would take legal action to protect their rights to a healthy environment. The case in Alaska is not just about the impact fossil fuel projects will have on the nation's fastest-warming state, but also how it will alter the lives of indigenous people. Summer Sagoonick, a 22-year-old plaintiff and member of the Inupiaq Tribe, argued the project would affect the land that is so vital to her culture. "We're already seeing huge impacts to our ability to provide for our subsistence because of climate change," she told the Guardian. "As our water warms and the land erodes, it poses a threat to our nourishment and our cultural practices." Indeed, rivers in the state are turning orange as minerals are released from melting permafrost. According to the Guardian, this is increasing the acidity of the water, reducing drinking water quality and putting aquatic animals at risk. After first being observed in 2018, the phenomenon has led to two fish species being lost. It shouldn't be the responsibility of young people to take governments and extremely wealthy corporations to court because of the impact their decisions will have on their future. But the focus, discipline, and care this group of kids is showing is a message to us all that we can bring meaningful change to protect our planet and improve the prospects of generations to come. Sagoonick said: "I am counting on the courts to protect my rights." Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. Some county leaders worry about carbon dioxide leaks and have enacted pipeline ordinances. In this photo, Clouds of water vapor and carbon dioxide gas escape from a CO2 pipeline near Sulphur, Louisiana, on April 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Ward 6 Fire Protection District) A federal judge in Iowa has wrongly limited the authority of county and state officials to restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines for public safety, according to several groups that are challenging the judges recent decisions. Those challenges stem from December rulings in which Chief Judge Stephanie Rose, of the federal Southern District of Iowa, blocked two Iowa counties from enforcing ordinances that create minimum separation distances between the pipelines and buildings that are occupied by people or animals. They were the result of lawsuits Summit Carbon Solutions filed against counties that have attempted to govern where its sprawling pipeline system can go and to require the company to provide plans that show the safety risks of a system breach. Summit wants to build a pipeline network that would transport captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in five states including 30 in Iowa to North Dakota for underground storage. Its initial construction permit is awaiting a decision in Iowa, and the company has sued five counties in the state that enacted ordinances. Rose sided with Summit in two of the lawsuits regarding Shelby and Story Counties, and the other three are paused until appeals of Roses decisions conclude. Summit has argued and Rose agreed that state law gives the Iowa Utilities Board the ultimate say on pipeline routes and that the safety-related provisions of the ordinances conflict with federal law. The ordinances reflect public apprehensions about the pipelines, which have the potential to create a deadly plume of carbon dioxide if they rupture. Separation distances Rose said minimum separation distances or setbacks are within the field of safety standards and are the territory of federal regulators. As such, neither county nor state can impose them, she reasoned. That interpretation of the law is a concern to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, which has asked the utilities board to keep Summits pipe at least 400 feet from homes and livestock buildings. There are 112 homes and 36 livestock barns within 400 feet of Summits initial proposed route, wrote Chris Gruenhagen, an attorney for Iowa Farm Bureau, in a court brief in partial support of the appeals. The district courts ruling would restrict the states ability to judiciously review the proposed location and routing of the proposed pipeline, Gruenhagen wrote. Roses interpretation of federal law was contradicted in September by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates the design, construction and operation of carbon dioxide pipelines to ensure public safety. The agency sent a letter to Summit that month that said state and local governments are allowed to establish minimum separation distances. Local governments have traditionally exercised broad powers to regulate land use, including setback distances and property development that includes development in the vicinity of pipelines, wrote Alan Mayberry, a pipeline safety administrator for PHMSA. Nothing in the federal pipeline safety law impinges on these traditional prerogatives of local or state government, so long as officials do not attempt to regulate the field of pipeline safety preempted by federal law. County versus state authority Rose decided the initial versions of the Shelby and Story ordinances were so restrictive they will lead to a situation where the IUB may grant a permit to construct a pipeline and Summit is unable to do so. Story County modified its ordinance after the lawsuit was filed to include lesser setbacks. Its unclear whether the changes would alleviate Roses concerns because she did not address the changes in her December ruling. Rose did, however, say state law does not explicitly prevent counties from adopting the setbacks. An attorney for the counties argues there is not evidence the ordinances are overly restrictive, in part because they would allow Summit to ask for exceptions when a pipeline could not comply with the setbacks. In reaching these conclusions, the district court fundamentally misapplied Iowa law, wrote Jason Craig, a Des Moines attorney who is representing the counties in federal court. Its unclear when the appeals will conclude. They were initiated in December and consolidated in January, and Craig filed a brief with his arguments in early May. Summits response is due July 1. Iowa Farm Bureau, the Pipeline Safety Trust and the Iowa Farmers Union have also filed briefs that argue against various determinations by the judge. Given the impacts of hazardous liquid pipelines, and carbon dioxide pipelines in particular, it is important to give local ordinances their rightful place in protecting the public from those impacts, wrote Wallace Taylor, a Sierra Club of Iowa attorney who is also representing the Pipeline Safety Trust. This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network. The post Groups argue in federal court for local control of pipeline routes appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 11:52 | World, All North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be rushing to develop a rocket capable of carrying a military reconnaissance satellite as a bargaining chip to use if former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House, a U.S. think tank said Tuesday. A day after North Korea's latest bid to put a spy satellite into orbit failed, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Kim's tight time line for developing satellite launch vehicles could be "related to his positioning (for) a future deal with Trump." CSIS said in its analysis that a deal could include a moratorium on long-range rocket launches in return for sanctions relief and de facto acceptance of North Korea possessing an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 5 presidential election, met Kim three times in person while he was in the White House as part of efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Trump has gone on to speak highly of his relationship with Kim throughout his 2024 presidential campaign. North Korean state media said a new satellite-carrying rocket exploded shortly after it was launched Monday night, apparently due to an engine problem. After two failures, North Korea placed its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit in November last year and said it would launch three more this year. The Washington-based think said it believes the rocket was not a new type and the failed launch presumably involved modifications to the engine of the existing Chollima-1 SLV. "Such failures are not unexpected in the process of refining launch capabilities," it said. "If North Korea can persevere through the next two announced launches, absorb and implement the lessons of its failures and refine the Chollima-1 design, it is likely to produce a reliable SLV by this time next year." State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday the United States condemns North Korea's fourth SLV launch attempt in the space of a year in defiance of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from testing any ballistic missile technology. Miller said the United States has been in close consultation with Japan and South Korea over the launch. Related coverage: North Korea fails in its latest attempt to launch military satellite FOCUS: Asia security may be at risk if Japan-South Korea ties sour again Japan, South Korea, China businesses groups to study cooperation A federal court ruled Tuesday that New Hampshires classroom censorship law is unconstitutional. The law, House Bill 2, passed in 2021, actively discouraged public school teachers from teaching and talking about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and gender identity inside and outside the classroom, according to the American Civil Liberties Unions New Hampshire affiliate, which was among the organizations representing the teachers and advocacy groups challenging the statute. It is the first ruling in the nation striking down a classroom censorship law affecting K-12 public schools. HB 2 amended the states education and nondiscrimination laws to stipulate that no one could teach that any group of people was superior due to their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or certain other characteristics, or that any group was inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. Like other classroom censorship laws passed in states around the nation, it seems to encourage equal treatment of all, but its part of a movement to quash any teaching that racism, sexism, homophobia, or other forms of bigotry exist. They are sometimes characterized as "don't say gay" laws. An earlier New Hampshire bill, which did not pass, was based on Donald Trumps executive order banning the use of federal funds in educational programs to promote so-called divisive concepts relating to race and sex. Joe Biden rescinded that order when he became president, but the primary components of the earlier New Hampshire legislation were wrapped into HB 2. Teachers and educational advocates argued that the changes made by HB 2 were unconstitutionally vague, and U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro agreed. The Amendments [contained in HB 2] are viewpoint-based restrictions on speech that do not provide either fair warning to educators of what they prohibit or sufficient standards for law enforcement to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, he wrote. Thus, the Amendments violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. For instance, he noted, one teacher avoided certain topics both in the classroom and in his role as an adviser to his high schools Model United Nations project out of fear that he might violate the Amendments by commenting on the sort of controversial topics that frequently arise at Model UN competitions. Another teacher said he shied away from discussions of the legacy of slavery when teaching about Toni Morrisons novel Beloved. These examples are only illustrative of the wide-ranging difficulties that teachers face in attempting to conform their behavior to the vague strictures of the Amendments, Barbadoro wrote. Those who sued over the law welcomed Barbadoros decision. Todays court victory means that educators across New Hampshire can nurture an equitable and inclusive school environment where all students are seen and heard, Christina Kim Philibotte and Andres Mejia, two New Hampshire school administrators who are plaintiffs in the case, said in an ACLU press release. It is critically important that students see themselves in the books they read and in the classroom discussions they have to ensure that they feel cared for and valued. We understand that the legislature is still pushing dangerous bills that tell students of color, students from the LGBTQ+ community, and students with historically marginalized identities that they do not belong in our schools and history. This decision pushes back on these legislative efforts by providing relief for teachers who can now confidently do their jobs and teach in ways that validate their students lived experiences. We are grateful to the Court for striking down this unconstitutional classroom censorship law in a decision that has moved the pendulum towards justice for children across the state. The Courts ruling today is a victory for academic freedom and an inclusive education for all New Hampshire students, said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director for the ACLU of New Hampshire. This unconstitutional classroom censorship law had no place in New Hampshire, and we are grateful to the court for stopping the culture of fear and apprehension perpetuated in Granite State schools under this law. Todays decision affirms the essential work of New Hampshire public school teachers to ensure students develop the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to be successful and contribute to their communities, added Chris Erchull, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders. Were grateful the Court recognized that setting vague conditions on what educators can say about race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability harms students with historically marginalized identities, including LGBTQ students. Now, teachers can do the work of planning lessons and guiding student discussions without fear of losing their license if someone raises a vaguely defined banned topic in the classroom. Were better as a state and community when we can have hard conversations and learn from them, and thats what this decision allows. The case consolidated two lawsuits, one filed by Mejia, Philibotte, and the National Education Associations New Hampshire affiliate, and one filed by the American Federation of Teachers. The New Hampshire Department of Education was named as defendant. The plaintiffs were represented by lawyers from the ACLU of New Hampshire and the national ACLU, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, the NEA, the Disability Rights Center, and private law firms. The state could appeal the decision, but its unknown if it will. The city of Hamtramck has become the first municipality in Michigan to support divestment from Israel, a move supporters touted as historic that comes amid growing outrage in metro Detroit's Arab American and Muslim communities. Hamtramck City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a resolution that requires the city to avoid investing in Israeli and other companies supporting "Israeli apartheid," and also to ban buying goods from vendors who have ties to Israel's attacks against Palestinians and are targeted by the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Hamtramck, which has the highest percentage of immigrants among cities in Michigan, has the only City Council whose members are all Muslim. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, center, and Hamtramck City Manager Max Garbarino, left, speaks with people following a ceremony for the renaming of Holbrook Street in Hamtramck to Palestine Avenue on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the corner of Holbrook Street and Gallagher Avenue. The city council voted in December to approve the change. It is the first time in Michigan history a street has been renamed in support of Palestinians. Supporters say it's a historic move they hope will bring more attention to Israel's attacks, but it's unclear how the resolution may be implemented and whether it clashes with a 2017 state law opposing divestment from Israel. For now, the city does not have a specific plan of action to end any investments or purchases, said city officials. Hamtramck City Manager Max Garbarino told the Free Press after the vote that "we're going to use our best efforts to divest. As things arise ... we'll tackle them." But he added the city has limited staffing and so may not have the time and resources to do a thorough review of all their investments. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib told the Free Press Wednesday the vote means that "for now, the city will do its best to refrain from buying, investing or contracting with companies that support the Israeli genocide." In strong language during the council meeting, some councilmen blasted Israel as a terrorist state, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians. "As Americans ... we are supporting the terrorist people to kill innocent kids," Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Mohammed Hassan said of Israel at the meeting before the vote. "I'm calling them terrorists." The resolution states that the city "in all its procurement activities, shall make all best efforts to refrain from purchasing goods and services from any vendor that is the target of a boycott or divestment campaign by the BDS movement" and to "make all best efforts to refrain investment in the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid." In 2017, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a bill that prevents public contracts with anyone who supports divestment from or boycotting "a strategic partner" of the U.S. The phrase "strategic partner" applies to Israel and similar nations, the bill's sponsors have said. A message was sent to the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeking comment on whether that 2017 law may apply to Hamtramck's new resolution. Hamtramck mayor Amer Ghalib, center, speaks with people following a ceremony for the renaming of Holbrook Street in Hamtramck to Palestine Avenue on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the corner of Holbrook Street and Gallagher Avenue. The city council voted in December to approve the change. It is the first time in Michigan history a street has been renamed in support of Palestinians. The resolution was passed a few days after Israel's attacks in Rafah further angered opponents of Israel. "Most of the American people are against the war," Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib said at the meeting before the council voted. "But our government, of course, does not listen to the concern of the people. It seems like we are ruled by a minority in this country, and that's a problem. The voice of the people is not being heard. We elect people, but those people then get supported by some special interest group and they don't express the opinions ... of people." The resolution was approved 4-0. Two members of the 6-member council, Khalil Refai and Muhtasin Sadman, were not at the meeting. Two other cities in the U.S., Richmond and Hayward, both in California, voted earlier this year to divest from companies linked to Israel's mistreatment of Palestinians. Bill Meyer, a Hamtramck activist, said the Hamtramck resolution goes even further in using the language of the BDS movement. The resolution is the latest expression of pro-Palestinian activism this month. Over the weekend, there was a 3-day conference at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, People's Conference for Palestine, that organizers said drew thousands. The event largely involved left-wing and Socialist groups and drew some controversy for some speakers who are members or supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group the U.S. government labels as a terrorist organization. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, spoke at the conference, blasting President Joe Biden for supporting what she said was genocide. Last week, a tent encampment calling for divestment from Israel was set up at Wayne State University in Detroit. Tlaib and Majority Floor Leader State Rep. Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, and Muslim clerics have appeared at the encampment to show their support. Hamtramck City Council member Mohammed Hassan listens to public comment before a vote about banning the LGBTQ+ pride flag on government buildings and city property, as well as other flags representing racial and political issues, during a city council meeting at Hamtramck City Hall on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Tuesday's council vote is the latest move by the Hamtramck council that is drawing national attention. In January 2022, the Hamtramck City Council approved resolutions condemning antisemitism targeting Jewish people, women who wear Islamic headscarves, hijabs, and hate against Bosnian Muslims. In January 2023, the Hamtramck council approved a resolution to allow animal sacrifices at home for Islamic holidays. In March that year, the council approved a resolution supporting Palestinians. In June 2023, the council approved a resolution banning LGBTQ+ flags and some other flags from city property. And in December, they approved renaming Holbrook Avenue as Palestine Avenue. In his remarks, Hassan warned supporters of Israel that newer immigrant communities in the U.S. will eventually change policies supporting Israel. He railed against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying what's happening in Gaza is similar. "America is the country of immigrants," Hassan said. "Even the president, Joe Biden, your generation came from somewhere else. ... We have the same power in the USA, and you know the math ... think about it, after 50 years, who is going to control the United States? If you're not getting educated enough from today, I will make you educated after 50 years." Councilman Abu Musa said Israel was committing genocide against innocent people and Councilman Muhith Mahmood said, "We cannot have our taxpayers' money used to kill people." Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo A full copy of the Hamtramck resolution passed by its council on May 28, 2023, supporting divestment from Israel is below: This embedded content is not available in your region. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hamtramck council approves resolution supporting Israel divestment Hamtramck City Hall | Ken Coleman The Hamtramck City Council on Tuesday passed a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution in an effort to send a significant message of support for the Palestinian people and their efforts to end the Israeli occupation of their indigenous lands. The resolution was passed unanimously by the all-Muslim council including Mayor Amer Ghalib and council members Mohammed Alsomiri, Muhith Mahmood, Mohammed Hassan, and Abu Musa. Councilmen Muhtasin Sadman and Khalil Refai were absent. As a human, I am supporting this resolution, said Hassan in the discussion that preceded the vote. As an American, what are we doing? We are supporting the terrorist people to kill innocent kids. Thats why Im calling them terrorist. The definition of terrorist is right there. And we are, as an American administration, supporting them to kill the kids and innocent people. Launched in July 2005, the BDS Movement seeks to enlist municipalities, civic groups, and non-governmental organizations to implement broad boycotts and divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the 1970s and 80s during its apartheid era. The City of Hamtramck officially endorses the Palestinian call for supporting the BDS movement until Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights, read the resolution, which said the city shall make all best efforts to refrain from purchasing goods and services from any vendor that is the target of a boycott or divestment campaign by the BDS movement, and to refrain investment in the State of Israel and all Israeli and international companies that sustain Israeli apartheid The resolution, which was initiated by the Michigan Peace Council and OneHamtramck LLC, further states that the city rejects the false accusation that supporting Palestinian rights is anti-semitic, as we oppose anti-semitism and all forms of racism, and that supporting the BDS movement, and opposing the crimes of the Israeli government is not anti-semitic, as prominent supporters of the BDS movement are Jewish themselves. Regardless, the Anti Defamation League (ADL) says the BDS movement is inherently antisemitic as many of its founding goals effectively reject or ignore the Jewish peoples right of self-determination, or that, if implemented, would result in the eradication of the worlds only Jewish state. Tuesdays resolution follows Hamtramck City Councils decision in December to rename a stretch of Holbrook Street to Palestine Avenue, as a symbolic gesture and demonstration of solidarity with the people in Gaza. The council also made headlines last July when it removed two officials from the Hamtramck Human Relations Commission after they flew an LGBTQ+ Pride flag on city property, which followed a vote the month before to prohibit certain flags, including the Pride flag, from being displayed on city-owned property. The ban later spawned a federal lawsuit alleging it violates free speech rights and numerous other state and federal laws. The post Hamtramck council passes resolution supporting boycotting and divesting from Israel appeared first on Michigan Advance. (Getty Images) By Steve Paul Pennsylvanias state government is sitting on $14 billion of surplus funding, and its time for a serious conversation about Republicans priorities. While Harrisburgs Republicans dangle the prospect of tax cuts yet again for the wealthiest in Pennsylvania, our communities face a number of crises, like the housing crisis. Republican leaders have said for months that this funding couldnt be used to help everyday Pennsylvanians. Now they say it can but for tax breaks for the richest Pennsylvanians. They havent proposed any solutions for our biggest problems, like housing. Despite clear needs, Republican leaders have continuously ignored practical solutions to address the needs of real people. For example, the proposal in Gov. Josh Shapiros budget for a $50 million investment in the Whole-Home Repairs Program. This initiative isnt merely about home repairs; its about affirming the dignity of safe, accessible, and energy-efficient housing for every Pennsylvanian. Its about creating jobs that pay well and provide meaningful work. Counties and nonprofits also use this money for workforce development programs that improve our homes and provide real job opportunities. These programs can include cash stipends for trainees and costs related to the design and implementation of pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and publicly funded on-the-job training programs. So, not only would supporting programs like Whole-Home Repairs (as well as education, public transit, and many other programs) strengthen neighborhoods across the state, but it would also create jobs and spur economic growthall while leaving $11 billion in the bank. Typically, House and Senate Republicans would tell you that Pennsylvania just cant afford to spend any of the $14 billion surplus. That it would be fiscally irresponsible or somehow unethical to use Pennsylvania taxpayer money to help Pennsylvania taxpayers. This has essentially been their baseline argument not only for the past three years since weve accumulated the surplus but for decades, no matter how much money Pennsylvania has had in reserve nor in how dire of straits Pennsylvanians have found themselves. However, Republicans have recently inadvertently shown their cards. While they still say we cant afford to adequately fund economic development programs like Whole-Home Repairs, suddenly they claim we are in a position to spend the very same surplus funding to reduce taxes for the wealthiest one percent of Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvanias Republicans narrative that its impractical or unethical to use our surplus to support the very people who filled that surplus is not only false; its harmful. They now show a sudden readiness to funnel these resources towards reducing taxes for the elite. This isnt fiscal responsibility; its fiscal favoritism. We are at a critical juncture. In a post-pandemic world where our homes have become our sanctuaries, offices, and classrooms, investing in our neighborhoods is investing in our future. Why should we provide thousands in tax breaks to the richest 1% when we could be upgrading our schools, building more reliable public transit, and repairing homes? Giving thousands of dollars to the wealthiest one percent is not a good idea and certainly not how we should spend billions of dollars. Its time to end handouts to the wealthy. Lets make our surplus work for all of us. Steve Paul is executive director of One Pennsylvania, a progressive nonprofit organization. The post Harrisburg should prioritize our needs, not billionaires, with Pennsylvanias surplus appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Protestors hold signs and sit in the middle of Poydras Street in New Orleans outside U.S. Sen. John Kennedy's office The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that would enact harsher criminal penalties for anyone who plans or coordinates a protest that impedes traffic such as demonstrators pictured here did on Poydras Street outside the Hale Boggs Federal Complex in New Orleans on Sept. 1, 2021, to demand congressional action on unemployment. (Photo credit: Step Up Louisiana) The Louisiana Legislature approved a bill Tuesday to set harsher punishment for anyone who conspires to disrupt traffic through public protesting. House Bill 127, sponsored by Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, received final House concurrence in a 83-15 vote. The measure is now pending approval from Gov. Jeff Landry, who has called for harsh punishments against protestors. The proposal expands a state criminal statute that outlaws obstruction of a highway, road, railway, airport runway or navigable waterway by adding a conspiracy component. Under current law, the crime is considered a misdemeanor punishable with a $250 fine, six months in prison or both. It applies to anyone who physically performs an act, such as protesting or placing an obstacle on a street, that makes it harder for vehicles to pass. Bayhams bill increases the fine to $750 for the misdemeanor act of obstructing a road. It adds a new provision to specifically go after protest organizers by applying the statute to anyone who conspires or assists others in a demonstration that blocks or slows down traffic. There was no debate ahead of final passage for the bill on the House floor Tuesday. In a previous floor debate, Bayham said his bill would still allow people to lawfully assemble for a government-approved protest, and he added it would protect public safety by preventing protests from slowing down emergency vehicles. In the past, the governor has criticized protests organized in support of human rights and other liberal causes, but he has not leveled that same criticism toward those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Most recently, Landry praised police for clearing students on Tulane Universitys campus who were protesting Israels war in Gaza. He has also called for revoking the scholarships of college athletes who refused to stand for the National Anthem in protest. In 2022, Lafayette Police arrested two women on charges of disturbing the peace for protesting outside of a meeting at which then-Attorney General Landry was the guest speaker. A judge later acquitted the women of wrongdoing, according to The Advocate. The post Harsher punishments await protestors under Louisiana proposal appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Harvard drew widespread condemnation over its response to the Oct 7 Hamas attack and its handling of campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza - Joseph Prezioso/AFP Harvard University has said it will no longer take public positions on world affairs after a backlash to its response to the Israel-Hamas war. The Ivy League institution said it would take up the recommendations of a faculty committee which warned the university that speaking outside its areas of expertise, such as issuing political statements, threatened the integrity and credibility of the institution. It comes after the university triggered widespread condemnation with its response to the Oct 7 attack by Hamas, and its handling of campus protests over Israels ensuing war in Gaza. Harvards response to the attack on Israel was criticised by both Democrats and Republicans, who derided both the slow response and its ultimate statement as a word salad. Claudine Gay, Harvards president, resigned in January on the back of a widely criticised appearance before a committee in the US Congress in which she declined to say calling for the genocide of Jews violated the universitys policies. A committee made up of eight Harvard faculty members was established in April and released a report this week concluding that the university and its leaders should not issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the universitys core function as an academic institution. It went on to say that by issuing official statements of empathy, the university runs the risk of appearing to care more about some places and events than others. Moreover, anodyne official statements may cause further distress to the very groups they are meant to comfort. The report added: The university is not a government, tasked with engaging the full range of foreign and domestic policy issues, and its leaders are not, and must not be, selected for their personal political beliefs. Claudine Gay, Harvard's president, resigned in January after she declined to say that calling for the genocide of Jews violated the university's policies - Mark Schiefelbein/AP Alan Garber, Harvards interim president, and other senior leaders said the university had accepted the recommendations of the committee, which said the principles should also apply to heads of departments and faculty councils. Once implemented, it is likely that Harvard will no longer issue official statements of empathy to global events, such as it did for Ukraine following Russias invasion in February 2022, and for the victims of the Oct 7 attack in Israel. However, the committees report did not embrace a concept of institutional neutrality, as some US universities have done since Israels war in Gaza. Noah Feldman, a Harvard law professor and a co-chair of the committee, said this would allow the university to promote its core function and defend ourselves against forces that seek to undermine our academic values. In that sense, we arent neutral, and we cant be, he told the Harvard Gazette. Once the recommendations are implemented, it is likely that Harvard will no longer issue official statements of empathy to global events, such as it did for Ukraine following Russias invasion in February 2022, and for the victims of the Oct 7 attack in Israel. 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. Harvard University announced that it will no longer be speaking out on political or social issues that don't impact the institution's "core function," after months of unrest on college campuses amid the Israel-Hamas war. The move follows guidance and recommendations from the Institutional Voice Working Group, which Harvard established in April to consider if and how the Ivy League university should address "publicly salient" issues. According to the group, it gathered input from each school at the university, as well as from more than 1,000 faculty, students, staff, and alumni via 31 focus groups, an online poll, and an email address to which people could submit their thoughts, to come to its conclusion. PHOTO: Harvard University is seen in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 12, 2023. (Brian Snyder/Reuters, FILE) The group recommended that the university and institutional leaders should not "issue official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university's core function." The statement noted that the report found "such statements risk compromising the 'integrity and credibility' of our academic mission and may undermine open inquiry and academic freedom by making it 'more difficult for some members of the community to express their views when they differ from the university's official position.'" MORE: The forces behind Harvard President Claudine Gay's resignation Harvard "is not a government, tasked with engaging the full range of foreign and domestic policy issues, and its leaders are not, and must not be, selected for their personal political beliefs," the report says, in part. Harvard leaders have previously spoken out on issues including the Israel-Hamas war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and as other geopolitical and sociopolitical issues. PHOTO: Dunster House in Cambridge at Harvard University is pictured in 2022 image. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) The Institutional Voice Working Group was created following months of tension on the Harvard campus. Immediately after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, student groups, led by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, issued a statement on the conflict, saying Israel is "entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." "Today's events did not occur in a vacuum," the Harvard student groups said in their statement. "For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison. Israeli officials promise to 'open the gates of hell,' and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced. Palestinians in Gaza have no shelters for refuge and nowhere to escape. In the coming days, Palestinians will be forced to bear the full brunt of Israel's violence." After the statement was released, Jewish student groups pushed back and accused the pro-Palestinian groups of supporting the Hamas attack. Students in the pro-Palestinian groups denied those claims and said their statement was misinterpreted. In January, then-Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned her office after facing criticism in a House hearing over allegations and concerns of antisemitism on the Harvard campus following the start of the Israel-Hamas War. Most recently, the campus has seen an intensified wave of protests, including encampments of students demanding that the university divest from companies or groups that benefit from Israeli military operations in Gaza. Harvard will no longer comment on public matters unrelated to 'core function' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com FILE - Kaiaulu o Kukuia, a 200-unit affordable housing complex under construction that was not seriously affected by August's wildfire, is pictured on Oct. 3, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Gov. Josh Green on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, signed legislation meant to jumpstart the construction of more dwellings to address an acute housing shortage that is pushing local-born residents to move to states where the cost of living is less. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin, File) HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Tuesday signed legislation meant to jumpstart the construction of more dwellings to address an acute housing shortage that is pushing local-born residents to move to states where the cost of living is less. The measures include requirements for the counties to allow at least two additional units on residential lots and allow business district buildings to be reconfigured for people to live in. Another would allow state bonds to fund housing infrastructure. Green, a Democrat, said Hawaii has a shortage of teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers because they can't afford housing. There are some fundamental imbalances that are out there, Green said at a news conference before he signed the bills. This will restore some balance. Rep. Luke Evslin, a Democrat and the chairperson of the House Housing Committee, said the new laws wouldnt solve Hawaii's housing crisis overnight. But he said they were the most important housing regulatory and zoning reform the Legislature has passed in more than 40 years. Theres overwhelming evidence that the more housing you build, that that will drive down the market price of housing or at least make a difference slow down the rate of increase, Evslin said. The bill requiring counties to allow more houses on residential lots encountered significant resistance at the Legislature, with some lawmakers saying their constituents were worried it would ruin their neighborhoods. Sen. Stanley Chang, a Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Housing Committee, said under the new law, counties would retain the power to establish minimum lot sizes and control permits for infrastructure connections. Evslin said the adaptive reuse bill will lead to the revitalization of downtown areas and underused malls and would help people live near their jobs if they choose. A report by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization published last week found that 56% of households in the state were rent-burdened, or spent more than 30% of their income on rent, last year. More than a quarter of households spent more than half their income on rent. The report also found only one in five Hawaii households could afford a mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 09:56 | All, Podcast Episode 47: Gadgets for the visually impaired What is an inclusive design? Three Kyodo News reporters -- Yamaguchi-san, Toma and Endo-san -- talk about an array of products that are being used to further improve the lives of people who are visually impaired. Listen as they discuss how new digital cameras, toy cars and wristwatches have incorporated inclusive designs. Article mentioned in the podcast: Gadgets, toys for visually impaired gaining traction in Japan Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents. Related coverage: Podcast [English World] Episode 46: Tour of Lies Podcast [English World] Episode 45: Hello from our newest member Podcast [English World] Episode 44: Global Accessibility Awareness Day GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) West Springs Hospitals doors could close in less than a week. Is any more help from the state of Colorado or Rocky Mountain Health plans on the way? John Sheehan, the CEO of West Springs Hospital tells Western Slope Now the solution to save his hospital is simple. Ten more Medicaid admissions a week, Sheehan said that would keep West Springs Hospital open. However, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, or HCPF, disagrees. When WesternSlopeNow asked HCPF about Sheehans proposed solution they responded via email. Medicaid and its Regional Accountable Entity partners do NOT allocate patients among providers. Regional Accountable Entities are required by Medicaid to build statewide, broad-based behavioral health networks. Patients, family members, referring health care providers, and first responders decide the best placement for each patient based on their unique needs within that very broad network of providers. HCPF continued, saying if West Springs Hospital wanted more patients they should make it easier for referring providers and others, like law enforcement to admit patients. This might include improving the efficiency and ease of their patient admission processes, building open lines of communication between themselves and referring providers, meeting with referring providers to understand their needs and developing unique admission processes to meet those needs, educating referring providers on their capabilities and limitations so less patients are turned away after referral, and more. What help has been offered so far? In a letter to a dozen Colorado Lawmakers sent on April 25, 2024, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) say theyve made every effort to provide West Springs Hospital with support and flexibility within the constraints of our resources and programs. The issuing of a conditional license with terms designed to improve the quality of the hospital. $21.8 million in advanced payments for fiscal year 2023-24 through Rocky Mountain Health Plans. A $4.89 million contract with Mind Springs through the BHA. Responding to frequent communications with Mind Springs and West Springs Hospital. Yet, in a letter to those same Colorado Lawmakers from the Mind Springs Executive Leadership Team, they pushed back on the notion the state has made every effort. They contend the hospital received no extra financial support and say the state-issued conditional license actually cost the hospital money. West Springs Officials confirmed to WesternSlopeNow over the phone the hospital received $23.85 million from Rocky Mountain Health Plans in fiscal year 2023-24 as a part of their regular contract. They also confirmed they have a contract with Behavioral Health for $4.89 million. Is more help coming? WesternSlopeNow reached out to the state agencies to ask if a one-time influx of $20 million would save West Springs Hospital. West Springs claimed they spent $18 million to comply with state oversight. A state spokesperson said, The local community has met to identify pathways towards West Springs Hospitals sustainability. The state is collaboratively engaged in this productive effort. The state would also not elaborate on an excerpt from their letter to state legislators that said, A one-time cash infusion would not address the structural issues that have resulted in WSHs recent financial challenges, nor would it put it on a stable path to serve the needs of the community for years to come. At the county level, while declining an interview Mesa County said they do not have the financial means to help West Springs. However, on May 9 Garfield County Commissioners announced a $49,500 grant to help maintain services provided at West Springs Hospital. What will happen on June 1? We would have to lay off all the employees. Thats 220 employees, Sheehan said. Thats just employees, with West Springs Hospital closing that would mean the community would have 48 fewer in-patient psychiatric beds and 16 fewer childrens beds. Sheehan said West Springs would close its doors and pivot to a community-based care model. My job as CEO will be to transition us to a model that is sustainable for our ambulatory non-hospital based services. John Sheehan Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. 'We need help.' Hopkins County cleanup continues after tornado hit same area storm in 2021 Hopkins County, Ky. What are the odds a tornado hits the same house twice? Mark Minton has spent the last few days wondering that. In 2021, more than two dozen homes were destroyed by an EF-4 tornado that devastated downtown Dawson Springs, then tore off toward Minton's home in the small unincorporated community of Barnsley, at the opposite corner of Hopkins County. On Sunday, an EF-3 tornado followed a nearly identical path across the county, this time touching down one mile north, as the crow flies, from downtown Dawson Springs, tearing east toward Charleston then northeast toward Barnsley. Minton's home was destroyed, again. The first twister peeled the roof off, busted windows and shoved his home from its foundation. Damage on Mark Mintons property after a tornado came through Dawson Springs. Minton was also hit during the 2021 tornado that came through Dawson Springs and followed almost the exact same path. Three years later and a year and a half after he settled his family back into their home Sunday's tornado raised the roof and dropped it, busted windows and pushed his home several yards off its foundation. Minton was one of at least four homes county coordinators told The Courier Journal was hit by both tornadoes. Another family had just moved into their newly rebuilt home, three months ago. "Statistically, this is like throwing at a dart board and hitting the same hole twice," Minton said. "Literally we're talking pinpoint accuracy, coming over the exact same hill. "We're trying to make a determination if it's safe to build or not because you hit two of these in a row, it's kind of hard to make that decision again." Neighbors in need Damage done around Hopkins County after an EF-3 tornado tore through on Sunday, three years after the last tornado devastated the county. Pull off the Western Kentucky Parkway in Hopkins County, where neighbors know their neighbors known 'em for years, actually. Since five minutes after the tornado passed, they've been knocking on storm shelters or removing debris with backhoes, checking on and helping each other. On Tuesday, Hopkins County Emergency Management Services and the state's emergency response officials were still assessing the extent of the tornado's devastation. Donning yellow caution vests and hard hats, they went to property after property, snapping photos to document the damage. The county knew of, so far, one official death. 4 charts show how Kentucky's natural disasters are becoming more common. And expensive The neighbors don't know how it wasn't more. Turn down roads like Daylight or Carbondale or Charleston and there were splintered trees acting as roofs, foundations of what used to be a family home and living rooms opened to the sky above. There were downed power lines and half of a utility pole, but just beyond were half a dozen lineman in their utility truck buckets, fixing lines. Damage to the Harris home from the tornado came through Dawson Springs. When the ceiling began to crumble onto 92-year-old James Harris and his wife Datha, 87, as they lay in their first-floor bed Sunday night, they ran into another room and climbed into that bed. The tornado took their second floor, but they remained. Their son and daughter-in-law Harvey and Vonda Harris helped rescue them after the storm passed. They had to tear away a bedroom wall. The home is part of Harvey and Vonda's farm. They sell more than 3,000 round bales and 2,000 square bales of hay a year, although Vonda said they won't this year. They also break horses and own cattle. They lost at least 40 cattle to the storm. On Monday, they buried three of their horses: Cheyenne, Shaker and Oreo. Neighbors, friends and church members stopped by to offer help. There were no other volunteers. "We need help," Sally Rambo, the Harris' neighbor, said. "But if nobody comes, we'll pull ourselves up by the bootstraps like we always do." The storm bunker put on the Rambos property only a few days before the tornado hit Dawson Springs, Kentucky. The Rambos fit 5 adults, an infant and a dog and were in the bunker for about 10 minutes during the duration of the tornado. Rambo, her husband, their dog, BellaRue, and her daughter's family, including an infant baby, sought refuge from the storm in a shelter they installed Thursday. The latch of the shelter rattled as the storm raged. "We just got in the shelter, shut the latch and there it was," she said. "I've never heard a sound like that in my life. And I hope I never do again." The Charleston Baptist Church was searching for donations like bottled water, plastic totes for belongings, and gas cards to help people run their generators as large portions of the county remained without power. Volunteer coordinators for the storm recovery told The Courier Journal the county needs at least 100 volunteers daily for the next several weeks. On Memorial Day, at least that many volunteers helped to clear properties. On Tuesday, there were almost no volunteers. Yet, family after family stopped by the command station to report the loss of their homes, hoping they could be paired with volunteers. "I can't believe it happened to us again," Rambo said of her neighbors. Many neighbors who were hit this time had children or siblings hit in 2021. Cleanup continues in 'God's Country' Darsi Britts view was once of tall oak trees and acres of untouched property. Now, her view is of fall trees after a tornado hit Dawson Springs on Sunday. Darsi Britt looked out her kitchen window at the porch she used to sit on with her husband, James "Doc" Britt, as they sipped their morning coffee, looking out at "God's Country." "I think about the blessings of God and his creations, the birds and the beauty," she said. "This place is peaceful." Now, a chainsaw buzzed out her front door. The Britts had more than 90 trees on their property: oaks and dogwoods, a crabapple that bloomed in March. Damage on Darsi Britts property after a tornado came through Dawson Springs. What used to bring joy, baby bluebirds and deer, now brings tears to Darsi's eyes. By her count, she lost 70 trees. "I grieve the trees," she said, a blue tarp separating her kitchen from her newly renovated living room. A new couch, delivered April 30, was ruined with insulation and rain. "My house can be rebuilt. But you can't just re-grow 100-year-old oaks. It will never look the same in my lifetime." She exhaled, still staring out the window. She'll turn 64 on Friday. She loves to work in her yard, beneath the shade of its trees. "We're alive," she said. "That's what counts. You can't replace people." She walks off her front porch as trees crunch beneath the shoves of construction equipment. She shields her eyes with her left hand. The sun shines. Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative reporter. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky tornadoes hit same area as 2021 storms "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Terrorist group Hamas, based in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, launched a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, firing at least 2,200 rockets into the country and killing hundredsthe latest chapter in a war that has carried on for decades. In the weeks following, the terrorists took the lives of hundreds of innocent Israeli hostages, including children and elderly people, and brutally livestreamed the murders. In return, the Israel Defense Forces declared a state of war and have since been retaliating with airstrikes in Gaza, targeting Hamas membersyet killing with them thousands and thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians. The IDF soon cut off all water and electricity in Gaza, a restriction that still stands months into the conflict, displacing more than 263,000 people internally in the Gaza Strip, per the United Nations. The Palestinian population now finds itself in a state of famine, with thousands left to eat animal feed or starve to death. MAHMUD HAMS - Getty Images On October 17, 2023, an explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the middle of Gaza killed at least 500 people, per the Gaza Health Ministry. The hospital served as a shelter for thousands of residents who had fled their homes due to the conflict. Both Israel and Hamas denied responsibility for the attack. Israel remains an ally of the United States, though the relationship between the countries is more strained than ever. Meanwhile, despite the worlds moves to help the needy in Gaza, Israel has continued to prevent aid from entering the territory. On April 2, 2024, the IDF killed a group of seven unarmed humanitarian workers from the World Central Kitchen while they were on their way to deliver food to a dying population. The trip had been planned and approved by Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a mistake. World Central Kitchen has now paused its aid efforts. It happens in war, Netanyahu said of the deadly attack. We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again. On May 28, 2024, Israeli forces escalated their attacks on Rafah, along the Gaza-Egypt border, where hundreds of displaced Palestinians have been seeking refuge. Israeli shelling and airstrikes in the territory killed at least 37 people overnightin the same area where strikes on May 26 triggered a fire in a camp, killing 45 already displaced peopleofficials said. Israeli leaders say their forces must enter Rafah to capture Hamas leaders and rescue hostages taken by the terrorist group in October. On July 31, the Israeli Government Press Office said that Ismail Haniyeh, Hamass political leader, had been killed in a precise strike in Tehran, Iran. Fatima Shbair - Getty Images Despite ceasefire requests from innocent victims on both sides of the war, the death toll continues to rise and now exceeds 1,400 in Israel and 39,400 in Gaza, per the Health Ministry. Another 90,996 people have been reported injured in Gaza, and thousands are still missing on both sides. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has gone on for centuries, killed millions of innocent people and families, and wreaked religious, political, and economic havoc among both populations. Below, a list of organizations calling for peace and helping the victims of this war. The International Red Cross provides assistance during times of crisis, and has pled for an end to the violence between Israel and Palestine. In our role as a neutral intermediary, we are ready to visit anyone detained so we can check on their well-being and provide news to their loved ones, the group says. Help here. AFMDA is helping those injured in Israel. Donate here. Anera, a nonprofit with no political or religious affiliation, is on the ground providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Our staff serve in their communities, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get help where its needed most, the group says. Help save lives here. ALLMEP (the Alliance for Middle East Peace) is the largest network of Palestinian and Israeli peace builders. Donate here. The Carter Center has been promoting peace in Israel and Palestine since the 1990s. Through election observation, conflict resolution, and human rights work in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Carter Center has developed strong relations among key Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, electoral officials, civil society leaders, and human rights practitioners, the organization says. Donate to the cause here. The United Nations remains a neutral organization aiming to help broker peace between the two populations. Donate here. The International Rescue Committee is assessing needs on the ground and the organizations capacity to ensure critical, life-saving humanitarian relief reaches affected civilian populations. Donate here. Support Kfar Aza is collecting money to help rebuild the community of Kibbutz Kfar Azza near Gaza. Help here. Standing Together, Israels largest grassroots Arab-Jewish movement, continues to do important peacekeeping work between the communities. Were building a new majority: the Peoples LeftJewish and Arab, Religious and Secular, Ashkenazi and Mizrachito fight for equality, peace, and climate justice, the group says. Donate to the cause here. Global health and humanitarian organization Project HOPE has emergency response personnel working with local authorities, UN agencies, and civil society to coordinate the delivery of aid for both Israel and Gaza. The organization is operating primary health clinics in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis. Local health care workers staff the clinics and provide free health care to displaced communities. They are currently delivering aid to Gaza via Jordan. Donate to their cause here. Mercy Corps has worked in Palestine for three decades, providing humanitarian assistancelike access to water and monetary aid and connecting people to economic opportunities in an area where unemployment is over 40 percent. They have an active presence in the territory now and will continue to provide aid to those in need. Help here. Americares is responding to the urgent need for medicines and medical supplies in Israel and Gaza. Donate here. JGive offers financial support to Israeli victims and their families. Donate here. Israel Democracy HQ, organized by the protest movement in Israel, provides crucial supplies to both civilians and soldiers in Israel. Help here. Mercy Chefs, a nonprofit that serves chef-prepared meals in national emergencies and natural disasters, is on the ground assessing needs and identifying kitchen locations for its chefs to work alongside local Israeli chefs. Donate here. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is accepting donations to help provide emergency food assistance, shelter, and cash assistance to help families in Gaza cover their basic needs. Make yours here. Oxfam is on the ground in Gaza, working with partners to provide people with essentials like clean water, food, and soap. Donate here. Catholic Relief Services is helping displaced families affected by the crisis as they seek safety, stability, and the means to rebuild their lives. Among other things, they provide emergency food and living supplies, safe shelter, and psychological counseling and trauma recovery. Donate here. Doctors Without Borders provides immediate medical aid during humanitarian emergencies. Help its teams save lives here. International Medical Corps works with local health agencies and partners to provide emergency health services, gender-based violence services, and COVID-19 prevention services. Donate here. Save the Children is providing resources to affected children. Donate here. Direct Relief provides medical resources in vulnerable communities worldwide. Help here. You Might Also Like Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that no criminal charges were brought against the Henderson County Sheriff's deputy. Police will not file criminal charges against a Henderson County community college law enforcement trainer accused of assault, but the state commission that certifies officers and training programs has suspended the college's program and six of its instructors, saying they were complicit in "egregious rule violations." Meanwhile, an investigation is continuing into the program by officials who train and certify police, a North Carolina Department of Justice spokesperson said. An allegation of assault was brought by Chase Matthew Quin, 24, of Pisgah Forest, who according to a Dec. 5, 2023, Blue Ridge Community College news release, completed his Basic Law Enforcement Training last winter. Quin accused Deputy Isaiah Dwyer, 23, with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office of assault last fall, according to a Nov. 16 report with the Hendersonville Police Department. In the report, whose narrative was redacted, Quin said Dwyer assaulted him during a Nov. 15 training, using "personal weapons," which can mean things such as hands, fists, feet and teeth. Quin sustained minor injuries, the report said. The sheriff's office asked the Hendersonville Police Department to investigate the allegation, HPD spokesperson Allison Justus told the Citizen Times May 28. To avoid conflicts of interest, law enforcement agencies often ask the State Bureau of Investigation to open criminal probes into their officers when there is an allegation of wrongdoing. But sometimes they reach out to other local law enforcement agencies, SBI spokesperson Anjanette Grube told the Citizen Times. "Our investigators did not find probable cause for criminal charges," Justus said. That determination was made "a week or so" after the allegation was brought, she said. HPD Chief Blair Myhand said that was a few days after all witnesses were interviewed, though he did not give a specific date. The report lists as witnesses three sheriff's office staff. The Citizen Times was unable to contact Quin May 28. Reached May 28 by phone, Dwyer declined to comment, referring questions to the sheriff's office. Hired in July 2023, Dwyer was promoted to shift detective in April 2024 and earns $27 an hour. In a statement to the Citizen Times, Sheriff Lowell Griffin said District Attorney Andrew Murray also reviewed the case and found that there was "no evidence of malicious intent." "Deputy Dwyer remains on full duty in good standing with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office," Griffin said. A spokesperson for the sheriff confirmed no deputies had been suspended from duty in connection to the college program. "We support Blue Ridge Community College in their endeavor to correct any issues they have and look forward to partnering with them in the future," the sheriff said. The sheriff's office has faced criticism over questionable actions by deputies in the last two years, including the shooting of a dog on its owner's property, a school resource officer striking an elementary school student who failed to remove a hood, the beating, stunning and restraining of Christopher Hensley of Fletcher who died shortly thereafter and the shooting of an autistic man. Murray, the DA, declined to prosecute in all but the last case though one legal expert said that charge was too lenient. Outside of the criminal allegation, an investigation is being conducted into the college program by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Division, DOJ spokesperson Laura Brewer said. Brewer declined to comment further about the commission's actions. Draft minutes from a May 8 meeting of the commission did not name the instructors. The Citizen Times has requested personnel records for all the program's instructors from the N.C. Community College System and Dwyer's record from the county. BLET program temporarily suspended Speaking to the Citizen Times May 28, Blue Ridge spokesperson Erica Allison said the college "immediately paused its BLET program last fall amid concerning conditions and actions of certain instructors." Allison declined to answer a question about any injuries to students. The college also reached out to the state commission to help with an internal review of the law enforcement training program, Allison said. With a new strategy in place, the Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission supported restarting the BLET in spring 2024, she said. But the program got shut down again, Allison said. "Upon recently gaining additional information regarding conditions within the program, Blue Ridge leadership made the decision to voluntarily pause the BLET course on May 8," she said. Allison said the college's findings about the program have not conflicted with what the commission has found. Students finished their training at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, she said, where they can complete the course in July. She referred other questions to the state certification commission. Minutes of the commission's May 8 meeting showed extreme actions taken by that appointed body which determined there were "egregious rule violations related to the BLET Subject Control Arrest Techniques block of instruction." Those spurred emergency rule making to deal with the issue, according to the minutes. In following actions, the commission voted to suspend accreditation of the college's BLET school program, its Speed Measurement Instrument school, its instructor school "and delivery of all other commission courses." Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Police cadet assault complaint 'unfounded, but program suspended LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man faces several charges including theft after what Henderson police call a financial institution spoofing scam over two days. Emmanuel Almonor, 32, was arrested on May 23, following the departments investigation. Police said they responded to reports involving the scam from May 22 and 23. According to police, the suspect contacted multiple victims via a spoofed phone number from their respective financial institutions claiming their debit card had been used fraudulently or compromised and they needed to send them a new debit card. Police described phone number spoofing as when the caller ID has been deliberately falsified so it appears the incoming call is coming from a person or business you may already know or trust. The suspect would then advise the victims a bank employee would respond to their residence to take possession of their current debit card for proper destruction, police said. Within a very short period, a subject would be at the victims front door claiming to be a bank employee. The victim provided the suspect with their debit card for destruction, however, instead the suspect immediately incurred thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges and money transfers, according to police. During the phone encounters, the suspect appeared to have provided victims with their personal identifying information, account numbers, and PIN information, making the contact appear legitimate, police said. Almonor was taken into custody and booked into the Henderson Detention Center on the following charges. 1 count Obtain/Use Another Personal ID, Causing Financial Loss $3000+ 1 count Theft, $5000.00 but less than $25000.00 1 count Obtain Money/Property/Labor Falsely, $5000 but less than $25000 1 count Attempt to Obtain Money/Property/Labor Falsely, $5000 but less than $25000 Anyone with information on the case, or who may have fallen victim to this scam, is urged to call the Henderson Police Department at 702-267-4911, 3-1-1, or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metro Police Departments Summerlin Area Command posted a warning to the northwest valley community to be aware of a similar crime trend in the northwest area. Suspects have been pretending to be with your banks. Theyll say theres suspicious activity on your account and will even text you a verification code to seem more official, LVMPDs post read in part. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.

While watching her 11-year-old brother get his associates degree from a California community college last year, Athena Elling was planning how she would graduate at an even younger age.

So, a few weeks after her brother, Tycho Elling, became the youngest student to graduate from Irvine Valley College in May 2023, Athena enrolled in courses at the same school. Like her brother, Athena began taking high school-level courses early and then added community college classes through a dual-enrollment program. If she completed them within a year, she would be about five months younger than her brother was when he walked across the stage.

I would have bragging rights at dinner, and thatll be enough for me, Athenas mother, Christina Chow, recalled her daughter telling a counselor.

On Thursday, Athena accomplished that goal in an oversized blue gown. The 11-year-old graduated cum laude from the school in Irvine, Calif., about 40 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, with an associates degree in liberal arts.

But the degree wasnt Athenas main motivation. Her real accomplishment set in during commencement, when the colleges president, John Hernandez, said in a speech that she had broken the schools record as the youngest graduate.

It was sort of the finalized moment that - woohoo! - I beat [Tycho], Athena told The Washington Post.

Athena said she competes with Tycho in everything, including cooking and taekwondo. She wanted to be faster than him when they were younger, and she has long hoped to become taller than him.

Now the family keeps track of who wins in card games, board games and push-up competitions. Whoever wins the most decides where the family will eat for dinner on weekends. Athena likes Whole Foods Market; Tycho prefers Chilis.

When he was 9 in 2020, Tycho had passed all the high school-level math classes his charter school offered, so his teachers suggested he take math classes at Irvine Valley College. He left the charter school the next year and dual-enrolled at the community college while he was home-schooled.

Athena, in sixth grade, enrolled in a few classes at Irvine in summer 2022.

I knew that Tycho could do it, said Athena, who was 9 at the time. I was like, It cant be too hard.

She left the charter school a few months later and began home-schooling. Her parents reclassed her to ninth grade as she continued taking community college courses.

Diane Oaks, the executive director of marketing and creative services at Irvine Valley College, said in a statement to The Post that high school students can take classes at the college if their schools and parents grant permission. Athenas and Tychos program allowed them to take up to 11 credits a semester, Oaks said.

Chow said her children began reading mystery and science fiction novels, including The Westing Game and The Martian, when they were very young, but she isnt certain how they became so smart so quickly. She and her husband made it clear to Athena and Tycho that there was no pressure to proceed with the college classes. The decision was up to each child, Chow said.

We dont like to stand in their way, and we think that they need to be allowed freedom to explore, Chow said. And so, you know, we just asked that whatever it is they do, they take it seriously. And Athena often takes everything she does very, very, very seriously.

Athena started at Irvine by taking psychology and Chinese classes that didnt have prerequisites. After acing those, she progressed to computer science and writing courses.

Tycho took many of his classes online from the familys home in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., but Athena, a self-described extrovert, enjoyed in-person learning. Chow drove her to and from campus a few times a week.

Chow sat outside her daughters classrooms at first, but after a semester, Athena wanted to roam campus alone. Oaks said in a statement that dual-enrolled students have access to all resources on campus.

At first, Athena said she kept her head down while walking to classes and sunk into her classroom seats, not wanting to stand out among 20-year-old students. But that was hard to pull off. Midway through one of her first classes, a professor singled out Athena to ask whether she was a student.

Oaks said more than 3,400 K-12 students took classes at Irvine Valley College this past school year. Those students can take classes that dont have prerequisites, or they can show on their transcripts that they have taken the high school or college classes required to enroll in advanced courses, Oaks said.

While Athena didnt have much in common with her classmates, they connected over movies - she enjoyed discussing classics Do the Right Thing, Psycho and Casablanca after she watched them in a college film class. She became friendly with some students and learned that many were studying while working jobs or handling marriages.

Shes been exposed to a much larger network of people, Chow said, and that has helped her not be in a bubble.

Chow said Athena still has a typical childhood outside of school. She sees friends her age at dancing, acting, music and taekwondo classes. She loves visiting Legoland and riding the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disneyland.

In school, Athena remained competitive with Tycho. She was proud to receive a better grade than him by 1 percent in a gender studies class, and she tried to fill up her notebooks faster than him.

In May 2023, she sat in the audience on a campus field to watch Tycho graduate with an associates degree in math.

You have to give time to be proud of them, Athena said about Tycho, and then you have to give time to beat them.

A few weeks later, she signed up for a biology lab and an advanced writing class to ensure she would graduate at a younger age than Tycho this spring.

Athena ordered the smallest gown available. But at barely 4-foot-11, she said she was still drowning in it.

As she sat in front of the stage Thursday among 1,504 graduates, Hernandez asked her to stand for acknowledgment as professors and students clapped.

Tycho, who watched from the audience, said he was happy to see Athena break his record.

Shes a lot more competitive with me than I am, said Tycho, 12. Shes happy if she wins; Im just happy if I get to do my math.

Tycho is now pursuing a bachelors degree in math at the University of California at Irvine. Athena is taking more classes at Irvine Valley College, where she wants to earn associates degrees in psychology, theater and music.

Many colleges require students to have a high school diploma or a GED to be admitted. Chow said Athena probably will take an unusual path by getting her GED years from now. Students must be 18 or older in California to test for the diploma.

Athena eventually wants to be admitted to a more competitive four-year college than Tycho. If she enrolls at an Ivy League school, for example, Athena said she would be indestructible.

View comments Her brother got an associates degree at 11. She graduated even younger. While watching her 11-year-old brother get his associates degree from a California community college last year, Athena Elling was planning how she would graduate at an even younger age. So, a few weeks after her brother, Tycho Elling, became the youngest student to graduate from Irvine Valley College in May 2023, Athena enrolled in courses at the same school. Like her brother, Athena began taking high school-level courses early and then added community college classes through a dual-enrollment program. If she completed them within a year, she would be about five months younger than her brother was when he walked across the stage. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. I would have bragging rights at dinner, and thatll be enough for me, Athenas mother, Christina Chow, recalled her daughter telling a counselor. On Thursday, Athena accomplished that goal in an oversized blue gown. The 11-year-old graduated cum laude from the school in Irvine, Calif., about 40 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, with an associates degree in liberal arts. But the degree wasnt Athenas main motivation. Her real accomplishment set in during commencement, when the colleges president, John Hernandez, said in a speech that she had broken the schools record as the youngest graduate. It was sort of the finalized moment that - woohoo! - I beat [Tycho], Athena told The Washington Post. Athena said she competes with Tycho in everything, including cooking and taekwondo. She wanted to be faster than him when they were younger, and she has long hoped to become taller than him. Now the family keeps track of who wins in card games, board games and push-up competitions. Whoever wins the most decides where the family will eat for dinner on weekends. Athena likes Whole Foods Market; Tycho prefers Chilis. When he was 9 in 2020, Tycho had passed all the high school-level math classes his charter school offered, so his teachers suggested he take math classes at Irvine Valley College. He left the charter school the next year and dual-enrolled at the community college while he was home-schooled. Athena, in sixth grade, enrolled in a few classes at Irvine in summer 2022. I knew that Tycho could do it, said Athena, who was 9 at the time. I was like, It cant be too hard. She left the charter school a few months later and began home-schooling. Her parents reclassed her to ninth grade as she continued taking community college courses. Diane Oaks, the executive director of marketing and creative services at Irvine Valley College, said in a statement to The Post that high school students can take classes at the college if their schools and parents grant permission. Athenas and Tychos program allowed them to take up to 11 credits a semester, Oaks said. Chow said her children began reading mystery and science fiction novels, including The Westing Game and The Martian, when they were very young, but she isnt certain how they became so smart so quickly. She and her husband made it clear to Athena and Tycho that there was no pressure to proceed with the college classes. The decision was up to each child, Chow said. We dont like to stand in their way, and we think that they need to be allowed freedom to explore, Chow said. And so, you know, we just asked that whatever it is they do, they take it seriously. And Athena often takes everything she does very, very, very seriously. Athena started at Irvine by taking psychology and Chinese classes that didnt have prerequisites. After acing those, she progressed to computer science and writing courses. Tycho took many of his classes online from the familys home in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., but Athena, a self-described extrovert, enjoyed in-person learning. Chow drove her to and from campus a few times a week. Chow sat outside her daughters classrooms at first, but after a semester, Athena wanted to roam campus alone. Oaks said in a statement that dual-enrolled students have access to all resources on campus. At first, Athena said she kept her head down while walking to classes and sunk into her classroom seats, not wanting to stand out among 20-year-old students. But that was hard to pull off. Midway through one of her first classes, a professor singled out Athena to ask whether she was a student. Oaks said more than 3,400 K-12 students took classes at Irvine Valley College this past school year. Those students can take classes that dont have prerequisites, or they can show on their transcripts that they have taken the high school or college classes required to enroll in advanced courses, Oaks said. While Athena didnt have much in common with her classmates, they connected over movies - she enjoyed discussing classics Do the Right Thing, Psycho and Casablanca after she watched them in a college film class. She became friendly with some students and learned that many were studying while working jobs or handling marriages. Shes been exposed to a much larger network of people, Chow said, and that has helped her not be in a bubble. Chow said Athena still has a typical childhood outside of school. She sees friends her age at dancing, acting, music and taekwondo classes. She loves visiting Legoland and riding the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disneyland. In school, Athena remained competitive with Tycho. She was proud to receive a better grade than him by 1 percent in a gender studies class, and she tried to fill up her notebooks faster than him. In May 2023, she sat in the audience on a campus field to watch Tycho graduate with an associates degree in math. You have to give time to be proud of them, Athena said about Tycho, and then you have to give time to beat them. A few weeks later, she signed up for a biology lab and an advanced writing class to ensure she would graduate at a younger age than Tycho this spring. Athena ordered the smallest gown available. But at barely 4-foot-11, she said she was still drowning in it. As she sat in front of the stage Thursday among 1,504 graduates, Hernandez asked her to stand for acknowledgment as professors and students clapped. Tycho, who watched from the audience, said he was happy to see Athena break his record. Shes a lot more competitive with me than I am, said Tycho, 12. Shes happy if she wins; Im just happy if I get to do my math. Tycho is now pursuing a bachelors degree in math at the University of California at Irvine. Athena is taking more classes at Irvine Valley College, where she wants to earn associates degrees in psychology, theater and music. Many colleges require students to have a high school diploma or a GED to be admitted. Chow said Athena probably will take an unusual path by getting her GED years from now. Students must be 18 or older in California to test for the diploma. Athena eventually wants to be admitted to a more competitive four-year college than Tycho. If she enrolls at an Ivy League school, for example, Athena said she would be indestructible. Related Content Trump makes sweeping promises to donors on audacious fundraising tour Fentanyl is fueling a record number of youth drug deaths You can have her: Florida mom tried to sell 10-year-old for $20, sheriff says You can have her: Florida mom tried to sell 10-year-old for $20, sheriff says TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida mother was arrested Tuesday after she allegedly tried to sell her 10-year-old daughter for $20, authorities said. She also attempted to sell the girl for sex for $5, according to deputies. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said a kindergarten teacher was dropping off food at a nearby homeless shelter when the 32-year-old mother approached her and told her, Take her with you. Give me $20, you can have her. Teen girl found unresponsive in pool at Discovery Cove A man also told investigators the mother offered her daughter for sex for $5. The sheriffs office said the man did not initially report the crime and only told police about what happened after they questioned him. The 10-year-old was crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days, a press release said. Were about to go into the ocean: Passengers on Florida-bound flight told to prepare for possible water landing The mother was arrested on child abuse charges and selling or surrendering a minor for money or property. The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was found to be severely lethargic. According to the sheriffs office, the 10-year-old is in a safe environment. The sheriffs office is not releasing the mothers name to protect the childs identity. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Palestinian flag beside a sign saying "All eyes on Rafah!" in Warsaw, Poland. (Neil Milton/SOPA Images/LightRocket) Following the recent Israeli attacks on Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, millions of social media users have shared an image with the message All eyes on Rafah across various platforms. The image, primarily shared on Instagram Stories, highlights how crucial social media is to how people consume and understand news stories despite the platforms attempts to limit the amount of political content its users are exposed to. Where did the phrase come from? In February, Richard Rik Peeperkorn, director of the World Health Organizations Office of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said, All eyes are on Rafah after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Rafahs 1.4 million residents to evacuate ahead of planned attacks. What to know about Rafah As Israel started launching attacks, starting from the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip, citizens began moving south to Rafah, which is by the Egyptian border. By February, more than half of Gazas population had been displaced to Rafah. On May 24, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop any attacks on Rafah. Two days later, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 45 people in western Rafah, which had previously been declared a safe zone. Then, on Tuesday, another attack killed an additional 21 people in Rafah. Netanyahu called the Rafah airstrikes a tragic mistake. Read more about the conditions in Rafah from the Associated Press. Why is the phrase picking up steam on social media right now? Peeperkorns phrase started going viral on social media following the recent attacks. The viral image accompanying the phrase appears to be generated by artificial intelligence, and shows an encampment with tents that spell out All eyes on Rafah. Support groups like Save the Children, Americans for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign have helped circulate the image and message on social media. NBC reported that the image has been shared over 37 million times on Instagram in less than 24 hours predominantly on peoples Instagram Stories, which expire after 24 hours. Social media users are noting which celebrities have shared it Celebrities like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, Mark Ruffalo, Jenna Ortega, Rosie ODonnell, Dua Lipa, Priyanka Chopra and Aaron Paul have all shared the image. Their participation comes in the aftermath of the #Blockout movement, a campaign encouraging social media users to block celebrities and creators who have not spoken out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Are political figures getting involved? President Biden told CNN in early May that the U.S. will withhold military assistance if Israel launches an attack on Rafah. 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, Biden said. However, on Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing that while the U.S. is not going to turn a blind eye to Israels attack on Rafah, the Biden administration did not believe the recent attacks violated Bidens warning. Nikki Haley is one of the political figures who criticized the Biden administration for temporarily withholding weapons from Israel in an attempt to prevent any attacks on Rafah. The former South Carolina governor visited Israel over Memorial Day and was photographed writing Finish Them! on an artillery shell. Finish Them, America Israel Always! Message from @NikkiHaley, written on an Israeli missile intended for Hamas. pic.twitter.com/DgPQYNvkWM Team Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaleyHQ) May 28, 2024 Is there a countercampaign thats going viral? There is another image circulating in response to All eyes on Rafah that says, If your eyes are on Rafah, help us find our hostages. An estimated 121 hostages remain missing after being kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. KYODO NEWS - May 29, 2024 - 20:31 | World, All, Japan Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Communist Party diplomat Liu Jianchao on Wednesday agreed on the importance of continuing bilateral dialogue, Japan's Foreign Ministry said, as the two countries seek to stabilize their ties despite disputes over regional security and other issues. "I hope we can accelerate our mutually beneficial cooperation by making progress on bilateral challenges and concerns through dialogue," Kishida was quoted as telling the head of the Communist Party's International Department during their talks in Tokyo. Liu expressed his desire to boost exchanges between Chinese and Japanese political parties to improve and develop the Sino-Japanese relationship, according to his department. The senior Chinese official also told reporters after the meeting that he and Kishida "agreed to maintain high-level exchanges." Liu later held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, who said at the meeting's outset that she hopes to realize reciprocal visits by their foreign ministers to advance discussions on bilateral matters of concern. Liu's visit to Japan, his first since taking up his current post in 2022, came after Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a bilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday on the sidelines of a trilateral summit with South Korea. The summit was the first of its kind involving the three countries' leaders in over four years. Among the outstanding issues between Japan and China are Beijing's increasing military activities in regional waters, including near Taiwan, as well as a dispute over Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Liu told Kishida that Japan should abide by the one-China principle, which views Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and called for the "appropriate" handling of what Beijing calls "nuclear-contaminated water," according to the department. China has imposed a blanket import ban on all seafood products from Japan after the release of the treated water began last year, while Tokyo has urged Beijing to lift the restriction immediately, arguing that the discharge is being carried out safely. China also conducted two-day military drills through Friday around Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island, following last week's inauguration of its new President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing denounces as a separatist. On Wednesday, Liu also met with Japanese lawmakers including Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary general of Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito party, and Kenta Izumi, chief of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. At the meeting with Motegi, Liu proposed the resumption of a framework to hold regular talks between the Chinese Communist Party and the Japanese ruling parties. These were last held in 2018 and Motegi agreed to the proposal, according to LDP lawmaker Tatsuya Ito, who accompanied him. Related coverage: FOCUS: Asia security may be at risk if Japan-South Korea ties sour again Japan, South Korea, China businesses groups to study cooperation Kishida conveys Japan's concern about China military activities Another hidden camera aimed at a home, this time in Garden Grove, has residents on edge, with many homeowners wondering if the unsettling surveillance has anything to do with burglary tourism rings that have been making headlines in Southern California. The camera was found in the bushes and was camouflaged to prevent it from being seen, but who put it there and how long its been there is another scary unknown. For the homeowner whose house was apparently under surveillance, the incident has been unsettling ever since her neighbor discovered the camera on their property. She thought that someone had put trash in her bush, so she went to clear it up, the homeowner, identified only as Lisa, said. Upon getting closer to the bush, she pulled out a bag and there was a camera with a battery pack. She added that the camera was found just a day after she watched KTLAs report on Glendale Police arresting four men with a similar camera and battery pack camouflaged with leaves. Thats what was weird to me and made me want to reach out to you, Lisa told KTLAs Mary Beth McDade. A hidden surveillance camera and battery pack found in Garden Grove in May 2024. (viewer photo) A hidden surveillance camera and battery pack found in Calabasas in May 2024. (LASD) A hidden surveillance camera and battery pack found in Calabasas in May 2024. (LASD) In the Glendale case, the four men arrested were Colombian nationals who authorities believe are burglary tourists. Burglary tourism involves foreign nationals entering the United States using tourist visas to commit burglaries. Theyll commit these crimes, theyll use different identities, things like that and eventually theyll go back to their home country, Glendale PD Sgt. Vahe Abramyan explained. Young mother fatally pinned against building by speeding Los Angeles driver On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department released a bulletin warning residents about the South American theft groups after a similar camera and battery pack were discovered in the flower bed of a Calabasas home. In Chino Hils, residents found a camera and battery pack disguised as a rock that was transmitting to a nearby cell phone tower earlier this month. In that case as well, the camera was pointed at a single home. Authorities are now recommending people do regular checks around their property to ensure these types of devices are not present. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. High School Senior Dies Days Before Graduation After Heavy Winds Cause Tree to Fall on Camper: A Loss "A beautiful soul who was tragically taken too soon," the organizer of the GoFundMe campaign wrote Kara Bryson/Instagram Kara Bryson A high school senior from North Carolina who was just days away from graduation died over Memorial Day weekend after strong winds caused a tree to fall on a camper trailer. The victim was identified as Kara Bryson, a senior at Tuscola High School in Haywood County, an organizer wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser. Clay County Emergency Medical Services said in a news release posted to Facebook on Tuesday, May 28, that Kara was visiting the area with friends when they encountered 50-70 mph winds on Monday. Authorities responded to the Penland Point Community and found "a deceased 18-year-old female inside the damaged trailer," the department said. They added, "A large tree had been up-rooted by heavy straight-line winds and landed on the portion of the trailer that housed the victim." Related: 15-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls on Him During S.C. Storm: 'So Greatly Missed,' Says Dad The GoFundMe campaign created to help Kara's family with "any expenses" described her as "a beautiful soul who was tragically taken too soon." She was "pinned" as a Certified Nursing Assistant and "enjoyed working with the residents at Skyland Terrace," according to the organizer. "She planned on attending [Haywood Community College] in the fall and pursuing a degree in the medical field." "Kara is loved by many especially by her mother, father, and 3 younger brothers!" the tribute added. Related: Yankees Executives Wife Killed After Tree Falls on Her Car During Storm, Team Calls Death an 'Unimaginable Loss' Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The high school cheerleader was also mourned by her team on their Facebook page, in an update posted on May 27. "This is a loss," the Tuscola High School Mountaineers Cheerleading wrote. They added, "A devastating loss. A tragedy to everyone, most importantly to her family and friends but also a horrible loss to our cheer family. We love you, Kara! Always a Tuscola Cheerleader. Always in our hearts. Forever missed!" Related: 8-Year-Old and Family Dog Die After Tree Falls on Tent During Camping Trip: 'Completely Devastated' Kara and her best friend, Callie Parker, planned to get ready together on Friday, May 31, for graduation, just as they did for prom earlier this month, The Mountaineer reported. Parker will now decorate an empty chair to honor Kara on the night of graduation, according to the outlet. There is going to be a spot missing, someone who worked hard their whole life to be there and now doesnt have the opportunity," Chloe Thompson, a fellow high school senior and cheerleader, said, per The Mountaineer. "I think it is going to be hard for all of us." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. High waves on Lake Michigan Wednesdayand the coolest weather in two weeks It will be coolerbut May-2024 sunshine surplus is to continue Wednesday Gusty northerly winds to create high waves and dangerous swimming conditions SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM CDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING Expect waves reaching heights of 3 to 5 feet along the shores of Lake Michigan in Cook County and northwest Indiana, driven by Breezy onshore winds. Dangerous swimming conditions, including life-threatening waves and currents, will last through Wednesday. If you plan to visit the beaches in Cook County or northwest Indiana along Lake Michigan on Wednesday, its advised to stay out of the water. FROM NWS/NOAA: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 10 PM CDT WEDNESDAY * WHATNorth winds to 25 kt and significant waves to 5 ft expected. * WHERECalumet Harbor IL to Michigan City IN, and Wilmette Harbor to Calumet Harbor IL. * WHENFrom 4 AM to 10 PM CDT Wednesday. * IMPACTSConditions will be hazardous to small craft. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions. Canadian high pressure brings cooler weather to the areathe coolest weather in two weeks Coolest weather in two weeks ahead Wednesday afternoon, since the high reached 67 on May 15th ahead Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday forecast mid-afternoon temperature snapshot Whats behind Wednesdays cool weather? Wednesdays upper air set-up: Upper steering winds are blowing in from the northwest, straight out of Canada High pressure takes over Chicagos weather, the greatest risk for severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and night focuses on the northern and central High Plains Chicago area dries out next few days before the next chance for widely scattered thunderstorms arrives this weekend into early next week Heaviest totals will occur across the central and southern Plains Chicago rain chances Warmth returns later this week and continues into early next week Maximum temperature anomaly forecast Friday May 31 through Tuesday June 4th Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Mitie is paid to escort migrants to detention centres - TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK A Home Office worker accused of joking about refugees swimming to the UK was unfairly sacked, a tribunal ruled. David Maynard was fired by the government contractor Mitie over comments he made in a WhatsApp group with other staff. Mr Maynard, an asylum seeker escort, had been accused of joking about Syrian refugees swimming to the UK when allegations of racism in the WhatsApp group chat made headlines in February 2022. There were 80 Mitie escorts in the WhatsApp chat, and the news prompted Phil Bentley, chief executive of Mitie, to condemn racist behaviour. The employment tribunal heard Mr Maynard and colleague John Lehan were sacked by Mitie following an investigation. The pair both sued Mitie for unfair dismissal. However, only Mr Maynard won his case as the employment tribunal in south London found that his messages were not racist. Mr Maynard is now in line to receive compensation. Derogatory remarks Mr Lehan lost his case as the tribunal found he forwarded a racist image featuring the words slanty-eyed c---s and made derogatory remarks about hungry asylum seekers. The tribunal heard that Mr Maynard and Mr Lehan worked as escorts, accompanying unsuccessful asylum applicants back to their country of origin or a safe third country. The contract they worked on was high value and high profile, it was heard. They were both part of a WhatsApp group called Escorts Meet and Greet. In March 2020, Mr Lehan forwarded a picture of a restaurant that displayed a closed sign which read closed due to slanty-eyed c---s. Mr Lehan was given an informal warning. In October 2021, Mr Maynard, Mr Lehan and a third colleague were talking about a charter flight in which an asylum seeker self-harmed. Mr Maynard said: Yes, I remember it well... I got accused of breaking a wrist on that job too. Mr Lehan replied with two laughing face emojis and the text: Thats right. Mr Maynard replied: Again vicious rumour totally unsubstantiated. The third colleague commented, They can only stay if they swim all the way, and Mr Maynard replied one minute later: What you mean from Syria? An investigation commenced after an employee reported the conversation. Dislike of Mitie rules Mr Maynard and Mr Lehan were further accused of victimising the whistleblower by calling them a rat, and they were also accused of showing insubordination over their dislike of Mitie rules. Mr Lehan claimed his use of the word ratted was common parlance in their line of work, while Mr Maynard explained his comment about Syria was to suggest that the previous comment made no sense. Caroline Morrissey, Mities senior people transformation and change partner, sacked both escorts in April 2022. At the tribunal, the employment judge Tom Perry praised Mitie for taking a hard line over the allegations. Judge Perry said: It is relevant to notice that both [escorts] were in roles that were inherently in the public eye and likely to be closely scrutinised by the press and, by extension, the public. Inappropriate communication It is hard to think of a more politically sensitive or high-profile area than the deportation of unsuccessful asylum seekers and migrants. The contract [they] worked on was apparently high value as well as high profile. This necessarily meant that the consequences of inappropriate communication that could be associated with [Mitie] were undoubtedly potentially more serious for [Mitie] than they would be for many employers. To an extent, this justified [Mitie] taking a hard line over such matters. However, the judge ruled that Mr Maynards sacking was unfair. Judge Perry said Ms Morrissey wrongly interpreted that Mr Maynard had been joking about Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees Judge Perry said: Ms Morrissey was conflating Mr Maynards comment with the statement of the person he was corresponding with because that was what the press had done when it reported that Mr Maynards comment was a joke about Syrian refugees swimming to the UK. Judge Perry added: To conclude there was anything that was racist, offensive or derogatory in what Mr Maynard said was not a response open to a reasonable employer. Mr Lehan lost his unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims. The judge said he forwarded an offensive image related to race and said referring to people on a hunger strike as hungry people was derogatory, offensive and insensitive. 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. Homeland Security helps Santa Rosa police take down suspected weapons trafficker (KRON) A Santa Rosa man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of trafficking guns, the Santa Rosa Police Department said. Bon Kim, 44, was arrested by SRPD, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and a United States Postal Inspector. SRPD began investigating Kim after he tried to import a gun part from China. The item was intercepted by U.S. Customs and given to investigators. Tesla Fremont factory faces class action suit alleging severe racism against Black workers On Tuesday, authorities served a search warrant at Kims home on the 500 block of El Capitan Way. Kim was home at the time. Officers found several 3D printers, other manufacturing tools and several privately-made weapons. Kim, a convicted felon, had 19 guns in total, including short-barreled assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and expendable batons, police said. He also had methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was arrested on the following charges: Nineteen counts of felon in possession of a firearm Felon in possession of ammunition Two counts of manufacturing an assault weapon Two counts of possession of an assault weapon Two counts of possession of a short-barreled rifle Importing a handgun into California Possession of an expendable baton Four counts of putting a serial number on a privately manufactured firearm Possession of methamphetamine Possession of drug paraphernalia Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Danielle Hornberger announces her bid for Cecil County executive last fall. Hornberger campaign photo Cecil Countys third elected county executive said her reelection defeat in the Republican primary was driven by a scheme she called tantamount to cheating, but said she would accept the results. County Executive Danielle Hornberger (R) ended her re-election bid in a concession message posted Friday on her personal Facebook account. In that message she congratulated her primary challenger. There are still a few more votes to be counted, however, it appears that Adam Streight has won the Republican primary election, she wrote in her message. Streight, a 24-year veteran of the Cecil County Sheriffs Office, made education a key component of this campaign, criticizing the incumbent for a scrum with the local school system that he described as petty. Hornberger faced criticism for her ongoing battle with the public school system over school system funding. Her proposed budget for the coming fiscal year included a $4 million increase for the school system over this years budget, but that was $13 million less than the school system requested. In April, just before the election, she filed an ethics complaint against Superintendent Jeffrey A. Lawson that alleged the school system leader engaged in improper political activities and misuse of public funds. That complaint was dismissed two weeks later. Streight unsuccessfully ran for the House of Delegates in 2022. That year he challenged Hornbergers now ex-husband, Del. Kevin Hornberger (R-Cecil). Streight received 7,445 votes to Hornbergers 6,538, a gap of 907 votes in a county where about four in 10 registered Republicans voted in the primary. He will face Democrat Bill Kilby in the November general election. In her Facebook statement, Hornberger claimed her ouster was the result of an effort to convince Democrats to switch parties in the primary. While I am disappointed in the results of the election, I very much respect the wishes of the voters of Cecil County, Hornberger wrote. Fair elections are the bedrock of our Republic. While there is evidence of democrats voting in the Republican primary, and while this is legal under Maryland law, I find such schemes tantamount to cheating and only serve to undermine the integrity and confidence citizens place in their government. But for the democrat votes, most of whom were urged to switch purely for the goal of voting the conservative candidates out, which totaled over 2,000, both Council President Jackie Gregory and I would have won the Republican primary, she wrote. Streight did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Despite her concerns, Hornberger vowed to fulfill my term in office with the same effort of the last three and half years, working hard for the citizens of the County and doing my best to run an efficient, transparent and cost-effective government. I also pledge to work with the winner of the November General Election for a seamless transition. This story has been updated to correct the reference to Cecil County executives in the lead. Hornberger was the third elected executive. The post Hornberger concedes primary defeat appeared first on Maryland Matters. RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) The House Appropriations Committee gave a presentation regarding changes to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, or VMSDEP, on Tuesday. The program currently assists eligible children of veterans get their education paid for. The new changes could mean more veterans and their families will be required to pay partially out of pocket for schooling where it would originally be covered. This is in part due an influx of students eligible for the program following changes of requirements in recent years. This is concerning to some of the Virginia families that spoke with 10 On Your Side. Currently, the children of veterans who are more than 90% permanently disabled, or who were killed in action or taken prisoner, can have their tuition waived for up to eight semesters at a public college or university in Virginia, regardless of tuition increases. Previous Coverage: Changes to tuition waiver program concerning Virginia families, say timing feels intentional However, changes to the program require families of students who were not enrolled in schools by May 15 to apply for financial aid and potentially pay out of pocket before using a tuition waiver. The presentation addressed some of the challenges and wanted to do so in conjunction with the upcoming task force meeting. Previous Coverage: First task force meeting announced following changes to Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program They addressed some of the challenges and talked about the history of the program. Leaders said the program has grown significantly in the past five years, growing from a $12 million a year to $65 million a year. They said theres been a 450% jump in the past five years and estimate the program to cost $85 million in the next year if it continues as is. As you can see the program from 2010 to 2019 was a fairly stable program, said Legislative Fiscal Analyst Tony Maggio. It had some slight growth, but it was something that was manageable at the time. 2019 was the inflection point. Maggio said the 2024 numbers are estimates, but the 2023 numbers are coming from actual institutions. Previous Coverage: Military education program sees significant growth, governor proposes budget increase Timeline of changes The program started back in 1930 for soldiers returning from WWI as an appropriations based program. Eligibility was limited from ages 16-25. The students had to be citizens of the Commonwealth at the time the parents entered the military, and eligible students were limited to those whose parents were killed, or totally and permanently disabled, due to war service. The program had undergone changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s to expand to dependents to include those who were citizens of the Commonwealth at least 10 years prior to the application by the child. Then in 1998, legislators reduced the citizenship requirement from 10 years to five years. There was a number of changes after 9/11, which is when the spousal clause was added in. The age limit range was also increased from 16 to 29 and as part of it, the academic progress requirement was removed. In 2007, the program shifted from an appropriations based program to a tuition wavier, and the stipend itself was created. The stipend is a fixed amount that was created to help offset the cost of room, board and books. It remained that way until 2014. In 2014, the Virginia citizen requirement was removed and it was changed to five years physical presence to be eligible for the program. In 2019, the eligibility was expanded again to include all service-related injuries, rather than deaths/injuries during armed conflicts, but only for the waiver part of the program. The stipend portion of the program remained identical. Maggio said the fiscal impact statement was key. He said when the legislation was considered in 2019, the fiscal impact statement indicated it would be about 500 applicants growth and about $5.4 million. The impact statement also noted the anticipated impact on three Universities: George Mason, VCU and Old Dominion. It noted the impact on George Mason would be about $550,000, but he said by 2021, the fiscal year impact was $2.7 million. He adds the impact for ODU was anticipated at $900,000 and by 2021 it was $2.8 million. He said at VCU, the fiscal impact was anticipated to be $1.2 million and by 2021 it was $3.5 million. In 2022, Maggio added the program was expanded to include stepchildren of deceased military service members provided that the service member claimed the stepchild on their tax return or defense enrollment reporting system while serving on active duty. Difference in stipend vs waiver recipients Advocates for the program refute these numbers, as 10 On Your Side has previously reported. Friends of VMSDEP co-founder Kayla Owen was also asked to be on the task force. She said there are concerns about how these numbers were calculated, and thats why their group called for a more comprehensive study. The data from, if you look at DVS versus the schools versus SCHEV, you will find different numbers depending on which one of those numbers youre actually looking at, Owen said. Owen said when you use this program for a semester, whether you use it for three credit hours or whether you use it for 25 credit hours, the imputed cost is the same. We know that many of the students who utilize this program do so part-time because theyre a working spouse or there are other components in their lives that prohibit them from using it full time, Owen said. They are imputing a full-time cost for student regardless of their actual student status. This was addressed during the presentation. I think there are concerns about the number of waiver recipients as being overstated and it might be just because there is a difference between the growth [of] the waiver recipients and the growth [of] the number of stipend recipients, said Maggio. Maggio said until 2019, the two track very closely, which is when the eligibility was expanded again to include all service-related injuries, rather than deaths and injuries during armed conflicts. The influx of students in the waivers program created an imbalance as universities absorbed their cost of tuition, Maggio said. This means that other students had to pick up the difference in the form of increased tuition. The in-state undergrad tuition increased over the years. Institutions that were impacted by this in some ways include CNU, Longwood, Radford, Mary Washington and VCU [in-state tuition] all went from being roughly 6% in 2023, theyre now going to be close to 9%, said Maggio. Norfolk State, Old Dominion and Virginia State in 2019 were roughly around 2%, they jumped to roughly around 8-9%, and now in 2024, theyre estimated to be about 13%. VMSDEP only accounts for 7% of the waiver recipients but they account for up to 42% of all the waiver costs, said Maggio. The average VMSDEP waiver is $10,600 dollars in 2023, the average waiver for all other waivers averaged together is $1,100 per recipient so its a significant portion of the waiver programs. They also compared Virginias program to other states, like Texas, California, Kentucky and Florida. Maggio says those states have checks and balances for their programs and they based some of their reforms on other programs. Some of their reforms include looking at limiting the award to the first undergraduate degree, requiring the completion of FAFSA, restoring the notion of satisfactory academic progress, and if the student chooses to use other benefits that are dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees they would be applied against the waiver. The language in the program grandfathers all existing students and any new students who formally committed to their perspective universities by May 15 of 2024. The budget was signed on May 13. So for those individuals the program is unchanged, said Maggio. Those that come after May 15, the way its written right now would be subject to the provisions of the program. Conversations that weve had indicate that might be an issue with the colleges because there is no formal commitment process to attend a Community College. Additionally $20 million would be provided annually from the General Fund to help offset the cost of waivers. The impact on this, as I said before, is not just an institution impact, said Maggio. But its an impact primarily on in-state undergraduate students. The idea here was to try to balance this out so that those students werent bearing significant cost increases to cover the waivers. The first meeting for the task force is scheduled for June 10 in Richmond at the Virginia War Memorial from 2-5 p.m. on June 10. Owen gave a final statement regarding the situation, part of the statement reads as follows: In my meeting with Mr. Maggio afterward, I was very surprised to learn that DVS, SCHEV and the legislative financial analysts have not met a single time in the last 5 years, or perhaps even longer. It was even more concerning to me that there is no method in place to triangulate data, nor to confirm data between SCHEV, DVS and institutions, all of whom report different numbers for the VMSDEP program. In addition, there appears to be no data at all on the marginal cost to educate a student, meaning the actual cost, not the cost charged to students. We also refute the notion that the language in the budget bill excludes the mandated use of chapter 35 funds it is very clear there is a drastic discrepancy between the actual language and intended language, which is why this absolutely must go back to a special session. If youd like to watch the full livestream of the Appropriations Committee Meeting, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on Tuesday welcomed the expanding wave of recognition of Palestine's statehood. In a press release, the bureau warmly welcomes the recent recognition of the State of Palestine by Barbados, the Bahamas, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway, Spain, and Trinidad and Tobago, said the bureau, which steers the committee under the UN General Assembly. The bureau commends the determination of these countries to uphold and advance the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to bring hope amid a devastating war in Gaza and increasing threats to the survival of the Palestinian people. The expansion of recognition follows the General Assembly resolution of May 10, 2024, which reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine. Such developments echo growing international voices clamoring for equal rights and self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter, and for an end to the 57-year Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and a just, peaceful diplomatic solution to the question of Palestine, said the bureau. The bureau urges the UN Security Council to align itself with the broad consensus expressed by the General Assembly and recommend the admission of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. The bureau deplores the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, particularly Sunday's strike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah that killed at least 45 Palestinian civilians and injured more than 200 others. It calls for an investigation and demands accountability of those responsible for such grave breaches of international law. The bureau appeals to the international community for urgent and coordinated efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just, lasting, and peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine so as to bring an end to this historic and grave injustice. Chinese EV manufacturers face a new challenge in their pursuit of U.S. customers: a new House bill that would limit or ban the introduction of their connected vehicles. The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, comes as the trade war between the U.S. and China heightens in the aftermath of the Biden administrations decision to quadruple import duties on Chinese electric vehicles to 100%. Chinese EV manufacturers havent yet made significant inroads into the U.S., as they have in Europe. The bills goal appears to curb manufacturers before they can flood the American market with smart, cheap cars. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, has repeatedly warned Congress about the threat posed by Chinese-built connected vehicles. Earlier this month in a speech on the House floor, Slotkin outlined how the Chinese government has heavily subsidized its auto industry to sell advanced, low-cost EVs equipped with sensors like lidar, radar and cameras that are capable of collecting and transmitting data back to Chinese authorities. If allowed into our markets, Chinese connected vehicles offer the Chinese government a treasure trove of valuable intelligence on the United States, including the potential to collect information on our military bases, critical infrastructure like the power grid and traffic systems, and even locate specific U.S. leaders should they so choose, said Slotkin in a statement released Wednesday. China owns a fast-growing share of the connected auto market in Europe and Mexico, so now is the time to make sure our defenses are up, before these vehicles enter the U.S. market. Last week, provisions that Slotkin championed -- like a ban on Chinese connected vehicles at U.S. military bases and a prohibition on procuring Chinese-made lidar by the Department of Defense -- made it into the U.S. government's annual defense spending bill. Slotkin's bill, called the Connected Vehicle National Security Review Act, if passed into law, wouldnt just review EVs but also autonomous vehicles. A number of AV companies with ties to China, like WeRide and Pony.ai, have active permits to test in California. Alphabets Waymo also has a deal with Chinese startup Zeekr to produce purpose-built robotaxis. Waymo did not respond to TechCrunchs request for comment on this bill. How this bill will affect Chinese EVs As far as EVs go, Volvo and Polestar have a presence in the United States, and both are owned by Chinas Geely Automotive. The majority of Volvo vehicles are assembled in Sweden, and the next generation of Volvo vehicles for the North American market will be built in a recently opened plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. A Polestar spokesperson assured TechCrunch that it doesn't share personal data from North American and European customers with China, and that as the automaker is headquartered in Sweden, it's required to comply with GDPR laws. Regardless, this bill would not free cars built in friendly nations, or domestically, from scrutiny. If passed, the bill would give the Department of Commerce authority to review any sale, importation or other transaction that involves a connected vehicle designed, built or supplied by any company thats at all connected with China or a country of concern. The bill takes traditional trade-restriction tools like tariffs one step further by potentially banning connected vehicles bound for the U.S. that are manufactured by Chinese companies in countries like Mexico. That could be aimed at carmakers like BYD, whose CEO Stella Li said in February that the automaker was shopping for a plant in Mexico. The bill would also give clear legal power to the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies to strengthen national security protections and prevent future administrations from undoing these protections, a move Slotkin said is not a hypothetical. Slotkin pointed to then-President Donald Trumps order that would have given the U.S. authority to address security risks from social media platform TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. President Joe Biden in April signed a bill that would ban TikTok unless ByteDance sold the app. Trump, who is running for re-election this November, has since backtracked on his previous position and even opposed the efforts to force a sale. The U.S.s elevated concerns over Chinas data prowess come as Beijing relaxes rules that govern cross-border data flows. Tesla is reportedly trying to take advantage of this to get the green light to send its own connected car data back to the U.S. to train Tesla's "full self-driving" algorithms. Slotkin's bill also comes as the Department of Commerce promises to issue a ruling on Chinese connected vehicles later this year, following the Biden administrations launch of a probe in February into the national security risks of such vehicles. Slotkin plans to introduce the bill after June 3, once Congress is back in session after the Memorial Day recess. This article was updated to include comment from Polestar. It was originally published at 8:55 a.m. PT. WASHINGTON Democrats on the House judiciary committee on Wednesday asked Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to weigh in on whether Justice Samuel Alito violated the courts code of ethics when he flew flags at two separate residences that were the same as those carried by insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. They also asked Roberts how, exactly, he plans to enforce the Supreme Courts code of conduct given that it has no teeth. Recent reports indicate that Justice Samuel Alito displayed a flag indicating support for the so-called Stop the Steal movement a mere eleven days after the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, reads a letter to Roberts signed by House judiciary committee ranking member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and all 17 other Democrats on the panel. This incident, which Justice Alito has largely confirmed, constitutes both public participation in political activity and the appearance of the absence of impartiality in violation of Canons 5 and 3 of the Code of Conduct, the letter says. Canon 5 of the courts code states that a justice should not... publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office. Canon 3(B)(2) of the code says that 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. Any reasonable person, knowing that Justice Alito has repeatedly and openly expressed his support for the former president including in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the Capitol would rightly question his ability to remain impartial in any case involving Donald Trump, the House Democrats wrote to Roberts. Heres a copy of their letter: This embedded content is not available in your region. Last week, top Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee asked Roberts to meet with them as soon as possible to talk about Alitos flag mess. Democrats in both chambers have now demanded that Alito recuse himself from any case before the court relating to Trump or the Jan. 6 attempted coup. But Alito shot down their demands earlier on Wednesday, saying hes not recusing himself from anything. He blamed his wife for the presence of the flags. My wife and I own our Virginia home jointly, Alito wrote to Senate Democrats. She therefore has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit, and there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly. In the same letter, the Supreme Court justice said that a flag bearing the motto An Appeal to Heaven, which was seen flying at Alitos beach house in New Jersey in 2023, was also his wifes decision. The only real recourse Democrats have, apart from trying to pass a Supreme Court ethics bill that has no chance of making it through this Congress, is to try to subpoena Alito to appear before the Senate judiciary committee and explain his ethics problems. The committee chairman, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), has the authority to do this, but has not tried to do so. Durbin wouldnt be able to do this unilaterally, though. Hed need the top Republican on the committee to sign off, which would not happen in this case, or a majority vote in the committee. Its not clear if all 10 Democrats on the committee would vote to do this. Last week, a spokesperson for the Senate judiciary committee declined to tell HuffPost whether Durbin is prepared to try to subpoena Alito for not recusing himself from these cases. Instead, the spokesperson suggested that Durbin is focused on taking legislative action. The Senate Judiciary Committee has been investigating the ethical crisis at the Court for more than a year, and that investigation continues, the spokesperson said. And Chair Durbin remains focused on ensuring the Supreme Court adopts an enforceable code of conduct, which Congress can do by passing the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act. Related... The House Ethics Committee has set up an investigative panel to probe the actions of Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas following the congressmans recent indictment in federal court. A release from the committee on Wednesday states that it unanimously voted to establish an investigative subcommittee, which will have jurisdiction to determine whether Representative Cuellar solicited or accepted bribes, gratuities, or improper gifts; acted as a foreign agent; violated federal money laundering laws; misused his official position for private gain; and/or made false statements or omissions on public disclosure statements filed with the House. Cuellar and his wife were charged in May with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities, according to an indictment in federal court in Texas. Cuellar has said that he and his wife are innocent. I respect the work of the House Ethics Committee, Cuellar said in a statement on Wednesday. As I said on May 3, I am innocent of these allegations, and everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas, he said. The alleged scheme took place from late 2014 through at least November 2021, according to the indictment. At the time of the indictment, Cuellar said in a statement that actions he took in Congress were in the interest of the American people and vowed to continue his bid for reelection in November. The congressman also defended his wife: The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard working is both wrong and offensive. The House Ethics Committee said it is in communication with the Department of Justice to mitigate the potential risks associated with running an investigation while the federal case against Cuellar proceeds. The committee said it was compelled to act due to its obligations to safeguard the integrity of the House. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A photo taken in 1960 of deteriorating steel drums containing radioactive residues near Coldwater Creek, by the Mallinckrodt-St. Louis Sites Task Force Working Group (State Historical Society of Missouri, Kay Drey Mallinckrodt Collection, 1943-2006) Offering compensation to thousands of Americans across nine states exposed to radiation from the nations nuclear weapons program would be too expensive, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnsons office said Wednesday. With less than two weeks until the existing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expires, a spokesperson in Johnsons office said the speaker supports renewing the program where it already exists but not expanding it, creating a huge obstacle for advocates and cancer patients from St. Louis to the Navajo Nation who were exposed to bomb testing or nuclear waste. House Republican Leadership is committed to ensuring the federal government fulfills its existing obligations to Americans exposed to nuclear radiation, the spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. Unfortunately, the current Senate bill is estimated to cost $50-60 billion in new mandatory spending with no offsets and was supported by only 20 of 49 Republicans in the Senate. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, originally passed by Congress in 1990, offers compensation to uranium miners and civilians who were downwind of nuclear bomb testing in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It expires June 10, and for months, advocates and members of Congress especially from Missouri and New Mexico have been lobbying Congress to expand it. U.S. senators have twice passed legislation that would expand RECA, but it hasnt gone anywhere in the House of Representatives. The legislation would add the remaining parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada to the program and bring coverage to downwinders in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Guam. It would also offer coverage for residents exposed to radioactive waste in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska and Kentucky. Dawn Chapman, who co-founded Just Moms STL to advocate for communities affected by World War II-era nuclear waste that contaminated parts of the St. Louis area, called Johnsons statement shocking. I think thats a pitiful excuse, Chapman said of the limited Republican support. I think that there isnt even an excuse for the fiscal conservatives that say, Put America first, because they clearly didnt do that. Chapman and supporters of the legislation believe the $50 billion to 60 billion price tag is an overestimation, and she noted that cost is spread over five years. She said supporters have worked to cut the costs of the program, including narrowing the list of health conditions that would qualify for compensation. If costs were a concern, Chapman said, Johnson should have met with advocates to work on further cuts. Chapman said shed return to Washington, D.C., next week, and the least he can do is meet with us for 10 minutes. Johnsons position was revealed Tuesday evening on social media by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and sparked outrage among the states congressional delegation. U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, a Democrat from St. Louis, and Ann Wagner, a Republican from the nearby suburbs, vowed to oppose any extension of RECA that didnt add Missouri. On social media Wednesday afternoon, Hawley said the federal government has not begun to meet its obligations to nuclear radiation victims. (Missouri) victims have gotten zilch, Hawley said. Parts of the St. Louis area have been contaminated for 75 years with radioactive waste left over from the effort to build the worlds first atomic bomb during World War II. Uranium refined in downtown St. Louis was used in the first sustained nuclear chain reaction in Chicago, a breakthrough in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to develop the bomb. After the war, waste from uranium refining efforts was trucked from St. Louis to surrounding counties and dumped near Coldwater Creek and in a quarry in Weldon Spring, polluting surface and groundwater. Remaining waste was dumped at the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, where it remains today. Generations of St. Louis-area families lived in homes near contaminated sites without warning from the federal government. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found exposure to the creek elevated residents risk of cancer. Residents of nearby communities suffer higher-than-normal rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers and leukemia. Childhood brain and nervous system cancers are also higher. This story was originally produced by the Missouri Independent which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The post House Speaker Johnson opposes expansion of radiation compensation appeared first on Daily Montanan. A photo taken in 1960 of deteriorating steel drums containing radioactive residues near Coldwater Creek, by the Mallinckrodt-St. Louis Sites Task Force Working Group (State Historical Society of Missouri, Kay Drey Mallinckrodt Collection, 1943-2006). U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnsons office on Wednesday scrapped a proposal to extend a compensation program for victims of radiation exposure without expanding it to thousands of Americans across nine states. In a statement that came less than four hours after Johnsons office said a proposal to expand the program was too expensive, a spokesperson said Republican leadership had decided not to bring the bill up for a vote next week. The statement said the decision came after discussions with U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican from the St. Louis suburbs. Wagner said in a statement she was glad Republican leaders listened to my concerns and those of my constituents and pulled the floor vote on this misguided proposal. Were going to keep fighting for expansionso Missourians impacted by radiation get the support and compensation they deserve, Wagner said. The existing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expires in less than two weeks, and as the deadline nears, federal lawmakers have been caught between the need to extend the program to keep it available for people who already qualify and pressure to expand it to cancer patients from St. Louis to the Navajo Nation. Members of Missouris Congressional delegation decried Johnsons plan to extend the program without expanding it. Early Wednesday afternoon, Johnsons spokesperson said Republican leaders were committed to ensuring the federal government fulfills its existing obligations to Americans exposed to nuclear radiation. Unfortunately, the current Senate bill is estimated to cost $50-60 billion in new mandatory spending with no offsets and was supported by only 20 of 49 Republicans in the Senate, the spokesperson said. Its unclear after leaderships reversal whether a vote on an expanded program will be held before the law expires. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, originally passed by Congress in 1990, offers compensation to uranium miners and civilians who were downwind of nuclear bomb testing in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It expires June 10, and for months, advocates and members of Congress especially from Missouri and New Mexico have been lobbying Congress to expand it. U.S. senators have twice passed legislation that would expand RECA, but it hasnt gone anywhere in the House of Representatives. The legislation would add the remaining parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada to the program and bring coverage to downwinders in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Guam. It would also offer coverage for residents exposed to radioactive waste in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska and Kentucky. Dawn Chapman, who co-founded Just Moms STL to advocate for communities affected by World War II-era nuclear waste that contaminated parts of the St. Louis area, called Johnsons initial statement a pitiful excuse. Chapman welcomed Johnsons change of mind and gave credit to Wagner, but she said advocates couldnt sit an enjoy the victory because its unclear where the legislation will go from here. We went from feeling good to horrible to, I guess, good now, she said. Chapman and supporters of the legislation believe the $50-60 billion price tag is an overestimation, and she noted that cost is spread over five years. She said supporters have worked to cut the costs of the program, including narrowing the list of health conditions that would qualify for compensation. If costs were a concern, Chapman said, Johnson should have met with advocates to work on further cuts. Chapman said shed return to Washington, D.C., next week, and the least he can do is meet with us for 10 minutes. Johnsons earlier position was revealed Tuesday evening on social media by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and sparked outrage among the states congressional delegation. U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, a Democrat from St. Louis, and Ann Wagner, a Republican from the nearby suburbs, vowed to oppose any extension of RECA that didnt add Missouri. On social media Wednesday afternoon, Hawley said the federal government has not begun to meet its obligations to nuclear radiation victims. (Missouri) victims have gotten zilch, Hawley said. Parts of the St. Louis area have been contaminated for 75 years with radioactive waste left over from the effort to build the worlds first atomic bomb during World War II. Uranium refined in downtown St. Louis was used in the first sustained nuclear chain reaction in Chicago, a breakthrough in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to develop the bomb. After the war, waste from uranium refining efforts was trucked from St. Louis to surrounding counties and dumped near Coldwater Creek and in a quarry in Weldon Spring, polluting surface and groundwater. Remaining waste was dumped at the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, where it remains today. Generations of St. Louis-area families lived in homes near contaminated sites without warning from the federal government. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found exposure to the creek elevated residents risk of cancer. Residents of nearby communities suffer higher-than-normal rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers and leukemia. Childhood brain and nervous system cancers are also higher. This article has been updated since it was initially published with an update that House Speaker Johnson reversed course and to add new comments from Dawn Chapman. The post U.S. House speaker reverses on radiation compensation bill that excluded Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent. Lit luminarias at a vigil for people who have died from cancer in the Tularosa Basin. The vigil was marked the 78th anniversary of the Trinity Test, which subjected New Mexicans to the first atomic exposing and radioactive fallout. (Photo courtesy of Tina Cordova) UPDATE: This story was updated at 6:14 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, 2024 to reflect the latest statement from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnsons office. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnsons office on Wednesday scrapped a proposal to extend a compensation program for victims of radiation exposure without expanding it to thousands of Americans across nine states. In a statement that came less than four hours after Johnsons office said a proposal to expand the program was too expensive, a spokesperson said Republican leadership had decided not to bring the bill up for a vote next week. The statement said the decision came after discussions with U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican from the St. Louis suburbs. Wagner said in a statement she was glad Republican leaders listened to my concerns and those of my constituents and pulled the floor vote on this misguided proposal. Were going to keep fighting for expansionso Missourians impacted by radiation get the support and compensation they deserve, Wagner said. The existing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expires in less than two weeks, and as the deadline nears, federal lawmakers have been caught between the need to extend the program to keep it available for people who already qualify and pressure to expand it to cancer patients from St. Louis to the Navajo Nation. Members of Missouris Congressional delegation decried Johnsons plan to extend the program without expanding it. Early Wednesday afternoon, Johnsons spokesperson said Republican leaders were committed to ensuring the federal government fulfills its existing obligations to Americans exposed to nuclear radiation. Unfortunately, the current Senate bill is estimated to cost $50-60 billion in new mandatory spending with no offsets and was supported by only 20 of 49 Republicans in the Senate, the spokesperson said. Its unclear after leaderships reversal whether a vote on an expanded program will be held before the law expires. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, originally passed by Congress in 1990, offers compensation to uranium miners and civilians who were downwind of nuclear bomb testing in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It expires June 10, and for months, advocates and members of Congress especially from Missouri and New Mexico have been lobbying Congress to expand it. U.S. senators have twice passed legislation that would expand RECA, but it hasnt gone anywhere in the House of Representatives. The legislation would add the remaining parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada to the program and bring coverage to downwinders in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Guam. It would also offer coverage for residents exposed to radioactive waste in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska and Kentucky. Dawn Chapman, who co-founded Just Moms STL to advocate for communities affected by World War II-era nuclear waste that contaminated parts of the St. Louis area, called Johnsons initial statement a pitiful excuse. Chapman and supporters of the legislation believe the $50-60 billion price tag is an overestimation, and she noted that cost is spread over five years. She said supporters have worked to cut the costs of the program, including narrowing the list of health conditions that would qualify for compensation. If costs were a concern, Chapman said, Johnson should have met with advocates to work on further cuts. Chapman said shed return to Washington, D.C., next week, and the least he can do is meet with us for 10 minutes. Johnsons earlier position was revealed Tuesday evening on social media by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and sparked outrage among the states congressional delegation. U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, a Democrat from St. Louis, and Ann Wagner, a Republican from the nearby suburbs, vowed to oppose any extension of RECA that didnt add Missouri. On social media Wednesday afternoon, Hawley said the federal government has not begun to meet its obligations to nuclear radiation victims. (Missouri) victims have gotten zilch, Hawley said. Parts of the St. Louis area have been contaminated for 75 years with radioactive waste left over from the effort to build the worlds first atomic bomb during World War II. Uranium refined in downtown St. Louis was used in the first sustained nuclear chain reaction in Chicago, a breakthrough in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to develop the bomb. After the war, waste from uranium refining efforts was trucked from St. Louis to surrounding counties and dumped near Coldwater Creek and in a quarry in Weldon Spring, polluting surface and groundwater. Remaining waste was dumped at the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, where it remains today. Generations of St. Louis-area families lived in homes near contaminated sites without warning from the federal government. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found exposure to the creek elevated residents risk of cancer. Residents of nearby communities suffer higher-than-normal rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers and leukemia. Childhood brain and nervous system cancers are also higher. Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter. The post U.S. House speaker reverses on radiation compensation bill that excluded NM appeared first on Source New Mexico. FILE - Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto talks to the media during a press conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, on April 2, 2024. Hungarys top diplomat has visited Belarus for talks on expanding ties despite the European Unions sanctions against the country. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared Wednesday, May 29, 2024 that our position is clear: the fewer sanctions, the more cooperation! The EU has slapped a sweeping array of sanctions on Belarus for the repression that followed mass protests fueled by the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File) TALLINN, Estonia (AP) Hungary's top diplomat visited Belarus on Wednesday for talks on expanding ties despite the European Union's sanctions against the country. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto declared that "our position is clear: the fewer sanctions, the more cooperation! The EU has slapped an array of sweeping sanctions on Belarus for the repression, which followed mass protests fueled by the 2020 presidential election that was widely seen by the opposition and the West as rigged. Belarus' isolation further deepened after authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to use his country's territory to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. While saying that sanctions dont work, Szijjarto noted, however, that Hungary was "increasing economic cooperation with Belarus in areas not affected by sanctions. We will provide any support to develop cooperation," he said. We talk about this openly, we dont hide anything. Belarusian and Hungarian officials signed an agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy that envisages training personnel and handling radioactive waste. Of great importance is the agreement signed here today on nuclear energy cooperation, which allows us to use the experience Belarus gained here while constructing reactors with a similar technology, Szijjarto said after the talks. Hungary is working with Russia on adding a new reactor to its Paks nuclear facility, which is expected to go online by the end of the decade. Belarus also has a Russia-built nuclear power plant. Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik voiced hope that Hungary taking over the EU's rotating presidency in July would help encourage healthy trends in Europe. People have grown tired of confrontation, pressure and escalation, Aleinik said. Szijjarto previously made a trip to Belarus in February 2023, becoming the first top official from an EU country to visit Minsk after the West slapped it with sweeping sanctions following the August 2020 presidential election. The vote, which the opposition and the West say was rigged, triggered months of major protests to which Lukashenko's government responded with a sweeping crackdown. More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands beaten by police. Belarus leading human rights group Viasna counts about 1,400 political prisoners in the country, including the groups founder, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged Lukashenko in the 2020 election and was forced to leave the country after the vote, harshly criticized Szijjarto for visiting Belarus despite the EU sanctions. Such visits are absolutely unacceptable and immoral, she told The Associated Press. Tsikhanouskaya suggested that instead of pretending to do business as usual, Szijjarto should have visited Bialiatski, who has been held incommunicado. Lava erupts from the crater of a volcano near the mountain Litli-Hrutur, about 40 kilometres southwest of Reykjavik. Philipp Schulze/dpa Another volcano has erupted near the coastal town of Grindavik in Iceland, leading the local authorities to declare an emergency. It is the fifth volcanic eruption in the region since December. After numerous earthquakes shook the area and enormous pressure built up underground, an eruption broke out in the afternoon near Sundhnuk, north of Grindavik, the Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported on Wednesday afternoon. Lava gushed metres high from the ground. Kristin Jonsdottir, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, estimated the fissure to be more than 1 kilometre long. The authorities have declared a state of emergency. The eruption came a few hours after the authorities ordered an evacuation of the village of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon, an outdoor thermal pool popular with tourists. Around 700 to 800 visitors were said to be staying there on Wednesday morning. Grindavik is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 55 kilometres southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. During an eruption in January, lava engulfed three houses on the northern edge of the village of Grindavik, which has a population of 4,000. Lava erupts from the crater of a volcano near the mountain Litli-Hrutur, about 40 kilometres southwest of Reykjavik. Philipp Schulze/dpa Another volcano has erupted near the coastal town of Grindavik in Iceland, leading the local authorities to declare an emergency, as lava streams from a growing fissure in the ground. It is the fifth volcanic eruption in the region since December. After numerous earthquakes shook the area and enormous pressure built up underground, an eruption broke out in the afternoon near Sundhnuk, north of Grindavik, the Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported on Wednesday afternoon. Lava gushed metres high from the ground and a glowing mass moved not only towards the town of Grindavik, but also further to the west and north, Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported. "The earth has opened up with great force," said Kristin Jonsdottir, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. She estimated the fissure to be more than 3.4 kilometres long and it continues to grow. Jonsdottir said that this was a stronger eruption, as more magma had accumulated than in previous events. "We have been waiting quite a while for this eruption and it is fortunate that it happened right now." By afternoon, some 1,000 cubic metres of lava per second was flowing from the fissure. According to Benedikt Ofeigsson from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the lava is mainly flowing in a westerly direction. It remains unclear whether the fissure and the lava will reach the defences outside Grindavik. The authorities began building special dykes months ago to divert possible lava flows away from houses and critical infrastructure. Ofeigsson said the eruption took a little longer than expected, which could be a sign that it has become more difficult for the magma to push upwards and push through. The latest eruption has surged through craters formed during previous eruptions, and the fissure is developing in several directions. The authorities declared a state of emergency. No one was injured. The eruption came a few hours after the authorities ordered an evacuation of the village of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon, an outdoor thermal pool popular with tourists. Around 700 to 800 visitors were said to be staying there on Wednesday morning. The civil defence authorities urged people against going to the site after some went to the area. Despite billowing smoke, the outbreak has not yet had any impact on air traffic. Grindavik is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 55 kilometres southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. During an eruption in January, lava engulfed three houses on the northern edge of the village of Grindavik, which has a population of 4,000. Given its location, the local community's future is uncertain and the government has presented a draft law that would allow residents to sell their homes to a state-owned company. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the police force to promote the modernization of the country's public security work. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work in Beijing. Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present. Addressing the conference on Wednesday, senior CPC official Chen Wenqing urged the police force to stay loyal, clean, and ready to rise to duty. He called on them to spare no efforts in preventing risks and ensuring security and stability, enhance the quality, efficiency, and credibility of law enforcement, and strengthen the police force through reform. The previous such conference was held in 2019. Since then, great changes have taken place in China's public security work, including improved social order, according to a recent press conference held by the Ministry of Public Security. Enhanced police efforts in combating organized crimes and telecom fraud, among others, have helped make China one of the safest countries in the world. The index for Chinese people's sense of security stood at 98.2 percent in 2023, compared with 87.55 percent in 2012. Idahos prison system appears to be advancing toward another lethal injection attempt following extensive national scrutiny three months ago, when prison officials called off the execution of an elderly prisoner when they could not find a suitable vein for an IV. The Idaho Department of Correction has purchased three more doses of the powerful sedative pentobarbital to carry out a lethal injection, according to public records obtained by the Idaho Statesman. The cost was $100,000 double what the agency paid in October for the same kind and amount of lethal chemicals. Earlier this year, IDOC was unable to execute prisoner Thomas Creech, 73 what his attorneys have labeled a botched attempt. Creech has been incarcerated for almost 50 years after five murder convictions, including three Idaho victims, most recently a fellow maximum security prisoner who he bludgeoned to death in 1981. Tom is still struggling with severe mental health trauma due to the botched execution, Deborah A. Czuba, Creechs attorney with the nonprofit Federal Defender Services of Idaho, said in a statement to the Statesman. We would hope that the state will seriously consider the ramifications of going forward with a second attempt at execution. State prison leadership is exploring changes to lethal injection protocols in the wake of their failed attempt in February to execute Creech, who is one of eight prisoners on Idahos death row. Idaho death row prisoner Thomas Creech, 73, center, attorney Chris Sanchez, left, and investigator Christine Hanley from the Federal Defender Services of Idaho appear at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution courtroom south of Boise for his clemency hearing in January. Whether Creech, the states longest-serving death row prisoner, will be served with another death warrant is unclear for now. Idaho has over the past three years made a concerted push to end the lives of him and the states second-longest-serving member on death row, and found itself unable to do so. After IDOC officials stopped Creechs execution, the prisoners death warrant was allowed to expire and he was returned to his cell. He remains there today. We dont have an idea of time frames or next steps at this point, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said at a news conference following his decision to halt the execution. Those are things that we will be discussing in the days ahead. Once the state has determined the next course of action, well certainly make those actions known in the appropriate venue. Should prison officials ultimately succeed in their effort to deploy the lethal injection drugs, it would represent the states first execution in a dozen years. This embedded content is not available in your region. IDOC policies and procedures under review Since Februarys failed execution, state officials have stayed tight-lipped about Creechs situation. The state prison system deferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ada County Prosecutors Office for an update on Creech, including the possibility of another death warrant. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador and Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts, who is up for re-election, attended Creechs planned lethal injection. The Prosecutors Office declined to comment. The attorney generals office did not respond to several requests for comment from the Statesman. Before serving Creech a death warrant, the state issued three of them dating to May 2021 to prisoner Gerald Pizzuto, 68, but was forced to postpone his execution each time. One of those execution dates was nixed when IDOC couldnt obtain execution drugs, which have been increasingly difficult to acquire. Pizzuto was convicted of a double-murder in 1985 an hour north of McCall in Idaho County and also later convicted of two prior murders in Seattle. The prison system continues to make progress on trying to avoid a repeat of what happened with Creech while maintaining lethal injection as Idahos preferred execution method. A review of our policies and procedures, in consultation with our medical team, is underway and nearing completion, IDOC spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic said in an email to the Statesman. There is a legal process that needs to play out, but our efforts are oriented toward being ready to carry out the sentence of death in a professional, respectful and dignified manner when ordered to do so. Shield law limits information about drug supplier An hour into Creechs scheduled lethal injection, prison officials suspended the execution a first in state history. The decision has inspired renewed efforts in court to drop his sentence to life in prison. Those include new legal claims of cruel and unusual punishment over the eight times the execution team tried unsuccessfully to establish an IV in Creechs body to administer the pentobarbital. For Creech, prison officials prepared two of the three doses of the lethal chemical they had on hand as the primary and a reserve. The two doses designated for Creech were unusable after the failed attempt, Tewalt said at the time, which cost taxpayers about $33,000 and left just one dose remaining for possible use. Tewalt acknowledged the state would need more pentobarbital to pursue any future lethal injections and said he was confident they could find it when the time came. In 2022, Idaho passed a law that allows officials to shield any identifying information for sources of execution drugs from the public. I will speak about our supplier as often as I always speak about our supplier, and thats to say that I wont speak about our supplier, Tewalt said at the February news conference. Last year, Idaho passed a law that made a firing squad the states backup method of execution when lethal injection drugs are unavailable, providing up to $750,000 for design and construction. IDOC so far has not renovated its execution chamber at the maximum security prison to permit a firing squad, partly because contractors have refused to work on an execution-related project, Tewalt said. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador co-authored the states firing squad execution law, which passed and was signed into law in 2023. Labrador, who co-authored the firing squad death penalty law, told Idaho Public Television last year that he did not believe the backup execution method would be needed within the next year. Now that we have this other option, I think its going to be much easier for the state to receive whats necessary for lethal injection, he said. But what we should never allow is these activist groups to get in the way of us enforcing the laws in the state of Idaho. Latest drug purchase order lacks date After IDOC stopped Creechs execution on Feb. 28, the state bought the new round of pentobarbital. Idaho in the past six months paid $150,000 for 30 grams of lethal injection drugs or what amounts to six doses, according to state prison protocols. For Idahos past two executions, in 2011 and 2012, the state paid a total of about $25,000 for the pentobarbital used in those lethal injections. The daily cost to house a prisoner on Idahos death row is about $100 a day, or roughly $36,500 per year, the Statesman previously reported. At that rate, the cost of execution drugs is equivalent to keeping Creech and Pizzuto both imprisoned for another two years, when they may die of natural causes. Both Creech and Pizzuto have serious health issues, with Pizzuto receiving hospice treatment for more than three years, according to his attorneys, also with the Federal Defender Services of Idaho. Over recent years, the execution drug costs have become easier to obtain from IDOC after the agency lost a long legal battle to disclose the public records. But IDOC has continued to withhold the purchase dates. The date was redacted from the state prisons purchase order for pentobarbital last year, which IDOC released to the Statesman about a month after the agency stated it had secured the execution drugs for the first time in years, when it issued Creechs October death warrant. A purchase order for the latest drug acquisition that IDOC provided to the Statesman also lacked a date, though it was a response to a public records request for all documents through the end of April. Pizzutos attorneys in December filed a demand in U.S. District Court for the drug purchase date and other information about the source of the drug when they challenged the grounds of his execution by lethal injection. They argued that these details withheld by IDOC, which is represented by the attorney generals office, do not violate the states shield law and should be released. The Statesmans separate requests to IDOC for the redacted date have been denied. Idaho death row prisoner Gerald Pizzuto, center, attends his clemency hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Bruce Livingston, left, one of Pizzutos attorneys with the nonprofit Federal Defender Services of Idaho, sits at his left, with other members of his team also on hand. In March, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill for the District of Idaho agreed with Pizzutos attorneys. His ruling ordered the state to give up the additional information, including the first execution drug purchase date. IDOC, through its attorneys, appealed the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments are scheduled for late September in San Francisco. Debate over Creech as witness for Pizzuto Pizzutos legal defense has in the meantime requested that the state be barred from a second attempt at executing Creech. They argued that Creech is now a material witness for proving Pizzutos claims about Idahos inability to avoid violating his constitutional rights during his own potential lethal injection. If the defendants are permitted to destroy Mr. Pizzutos opportunity to present this court with the testimony of Mr. Creech by executing him, Mr. Pizzuto faces irreparable harm, Pizzutos attorneys wrote. Without Mr. Creechs testimony, the defendants can simply assert, as they previously have, that the execution team will make no mistakes during Mr. Pizzutos execution. The attorney generals office opposed the request. It said that Pizzutos attorneys can preserve any testimony Creech might offer through other means, including a deposition, and that granting the motion equates to inappropriately issuing a stay of execution for Creech. Pizzuto claims Creech is an instrumental witness to the conduct of IDOCs medical team. Yet Creech has no expertise regarding IV catheter insertion, the attorney generals office wrote. Pizzutos motion to preserve evidence should be denied. A response from Pizzutos attorneys is due next week before Winmill issues his decision. Annabelle Jenkins walked onto the stage during her graduation ceremony from the Idaho Fine Arts Academy in the West Ada School District with a book tucked into her sleeve. When she stood before West Ada Superintendent Derek Bub, she slipped out the book the graphic novel of The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault faced the audience and smiled, and handed it toward Bub. It was one of 10 books the West Ada School District had removed from libraries earlier in the school year. Bub did not take the book. Jenkins dropped it at his feet and walked off the stage without shaking his hand. A TikTok video she posted of the incident that night garnered over 24 million views and more than 15,000 comments. Jenkins said shes not someone who likes to be the center of attention, but she didnt want to shake Bubs hand at her graduation. She said she came up with the idea as a polite but impactful way to stand up against the book removals, and encourage the administration to listen to and include more voices in their process. I have never desired to go viral, but if I was ever going to, Im glad that it is for something so deeply important to me, Jenkins told the Idaho Statesman. More than anything, I just want people to talk about it. I want to generate conversation. The West Ada School District said it is committed to offering a diverse selection of books, but that Jenkins gesture unfortunately overshadowed the celebratory occasion. While we respect the right to voice concerns, it is important to maintain the focus on the achievements and hard work of our students during such significant milestones, spokesperson Niki Scheppers said in an email to the Statesman. West Ada removes 10 books Jenkins said she decided to make a statement during her graduation after shed spent a chunk of the year fighting for her library. In December, the principal at Idaho Fine Arts Academy removed the graphic novel adaptation of The Handmaids Tale, a book about a dystopian society that includes illustrations of sexual violence, from the school library. At the school, which serves students in grades 6-12 and requires students to audition to attend, there wasnt a procedure in place to determine which students at various grade levels could access specific books, Scheppers said. After that, district administration reviewed the title and the review team decided the graphic imagery contained within the novel was not suitable for the West Ada School District student population. The district removed that book, along with nine others, from West Ada school libraries. The book removals were first reported by IdahoEdNews in December, and the committee that decided to remove the books included the chief academic officer, a middle and high school principal and an English teacher. Librarians invited to participate decided not to, according to a statement provided to EdNews at the time. Jenkins, along with other students, had spoken out against the districts decision to remove books from libraries without input from students and staff, and with little transparency. She sent a letter to district administration urging them to include students in the conversation and suggesting alternatives to book removals, such as having different sections for different grade levels or having a parental consent form for accessing the library, she said. But she said the administration shut down her concerns and werent open to compromise. From there, it was a whole school year of students advocating against the removal of different books and trying to protect our libraries, Jenkins said. The district did not seem to care specifically about allowing students to be involved in the conversation at all. Book bans in libraries have ramped up across the country in recent years as lawmakers have raised concerns about harmful materials in libraries. According to PEN America, which tracks book bans, more than 4,000 instances of school book bans were recorded in fall 2023, far more than the 1,800 the organization tracked in the previous spring. PEN America found instances of book bans in 42 states, and many of those removals came from complaints over books that centered around LGBTQ+ topics and race. This year, after years of trying to pass bills targeting libraries, Idaho lawmakers passed a bill that opens libraries up to lawsuits if patrons bring concerns with books they feel are harmful to minors. Librarians have said the law will create a chilling effect in the state, and at least one small, rural library has opted to transition to an adults-only library with some exceptions. Scheppers said the West Ada School District has not removed any other books from the districts libraries since December and the original novel of The Handmaids Tale is still available on library shelves, she said. Other books removed from West Ada libraries in December included A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas and Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen. Dangerous road For Jenkins, libraries have always been an important space. She was home-schooled until high school and said she was practically raised in libraries. She loved to read and started volunteering in middle school. Throughout my life, I have really seen how versatile and important libraries are to the community, she said. Its not only a place for self-exploration and learning. Its also a place for connection and skill building. She said shes worried about the way libraries are being treated and targeted now. I think its a really dangerous road to go down, she said. You dont realize how amazing libraries are and how important they are to the health of your community until youve hurt them so badly. Before presenting the book to Bub at her graduation, Jenkins had only shared her plans with her parents. She said she was a big fan of the graphic novel adaptation of The Handmaids Tale, in part because it made the book and its themes more accessible. She said she wished the district would have listened to students and librarians and considered other ways to handle more mature content rather than remove it from the shelves completely. Her love for libraries is guiding what she wants to do after graduation. Jenkins plans to major in English and, one day, she hopes to get her masters in library science. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced an open house public meeting to discuss the improvement of U.S. Route 150/Prospect Avenue in Champaign. The open house will take place on June 4 from 4-6:30 p.m. at Champaign Central High School. Officials said it will be conducted on an informal basis with project drawings, maps and other information on display. IDOT representatives will be available to explain the project, answer questions and record comments from those in attendance. USDA loaning $730K for Central Illinois clean water projects The project is planned to improve the corridor of Prospect Avenue between Springfield Avenue and Marketview Drive. Anyone who is interested in the project is invited to attend the open house; in particular, anyone who has property that may be potentially affected by the project, and anyone with comments regarding bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, are encouraged to submit comments. For more information, contact Kensil Garnett, IDOTs Regional Engineer, by calling 217-463-2294 or sending mail to 13473 Hwy. 133, P.O. Box 610 in Paris, Ill. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. CHICAGO THC-infused products could soon be largely off the local market if a current House bill gets the green light. Proponents say the products are dangerous and falling into the hands of minors, but those in the industry say the current bill would shut them down and do nothing to protect children. What this bill would do is put me out of business, Chitiva cofounder Charles Wu said. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Wu opened the doors to his Wicker Park cafe about two years ago and things are going well. We have four other locations in the Chicagoland area and employ about 40 people in the state, Wu said. In spite of his success, Wu is now facing the possibility of being shuttered and even labeled a criminal, by a bill on the table in Springfield. Its cleared the Senate but still needs a House vote. If passed, itll ban THC products that are derived from hemp. The bill targets products with Delta-8, an unregulated psychoactive substance that is found in cannabis plants. Hemp-derived cannabinoids are not controlled substances, so they are legal at the federal level. Proponents of the bill allege that the colorful packaging on some of the items targets children. But Wu said he does not believe that the bill protects kids. The bill on the table puts me out of business but still allows out-of-state companies to ship products into Illinois to sell these products to children, Wu said. Wu argues that the 300 stores like his that are around the state want to be regulated and have pushed for that. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland We put together a package that said we want to be regulated we will give you money our analysis estimates 1.5 million over the next four years, Wu said. Wu said he believes that the problem is that much bigger companies, with deeper pockets, are pushing back. We are not opposed to being regulated we will take the same standards as the cannabis industry the issue is they dont want us to exist, Wu said. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford is the bills sponsor. A statement from Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, who is the bills sponsor to WGN-TV read in part: The current unregulated market undermines social equity license holders who have long worked to establish a legal, well-regulated businessas we move toward regulation of hemp and delta-8 products, we must do so in a way that is equitable and provides opportunities with the evolving industry. According to Lightfords statement, a recent study showed more than 11 % of high school seniors have reported using delta-8 products. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasingly resorting to overtly Islamophobic language during his election campaign, critics and observers say, as he seeks a third straight term governing the worlds most populous nation. As turnout in the polls so far shows a slight dip from five years ago, the popular leader and overwhelming favorite has embraced negative campaigning, they say, and received little pushback from civil society or election authorities. Followers of Modis Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some of its top figures have long been accused of using inflammatory language to describe the countrys 200 million Muslims, but rarely Modi himself. However this election has brought a clear shift, critics say. What is unique about what weve seen recently, is that these statements are being uttered by the Prime Minister himself, Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Not necessarily by surrogates the Home Minister, or by the chief minister or by other kind of party apparatchiks. The shift in tone is making many Indian Muslims nervous. Modi and the BJP have for a long time been making references to the community, but its moved on from the dog whistle, said political researcher and columnist Asim Ali. Its painting us as an existential threat to Hindus. Its coming directly from the prime minister. Its anti-Muslim, and its dangerous. Modi and his BJP have repeatedly said they do not discriminate against minority groups. But analysts and observers have noted multiple speeches hes made during this six-week election campaign, that began last month, specifically refer to Muslims and paint them in a negative light. Calling Muslims infiltrators with large families, Modi has accused his main opposition, the Indian National Congress, without evidence, of intending to redistribute the countrys wealth to Muslims. He warned women that the opposition would take their gold and redistribute it to Muslims. He accused Congress of wanting to choose players on the Indian cricket team on the basis of religion. And he has claimed the party is conspiring to commit vote jihad by uniting a certain community against him. The BJP did not respond to a request for comment on the rhetoric being used by party leaders during this campaign. BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill previously told CNN that the party is not prejudiced against Muslims, and the community has benefited from Modis leadership. For Irfan Nooruddin, a professor of Indian politics at Georgetown University, the rhetoric has become much more starkly and overtly communal. These are very central views within the BJP that are sometimes suppressed to avoid negative press or civil society pushback. With the media and civil society neutralized, the BJP no longer fears such consequences and so can pull back the veil, he said. The BJP understands that its path to a majority in parliament especially a super-majority that would allow it to amend the constitution is to consolidate the Hindu vote and to prevent the opposition from making inroads through economic appeals, added Nooruddin. Signs of anxiety? The prime minister has set an ambitious target for his alliance to win 400 seats in the countrys Lok Sabha, or lower house of Parliament, in this election. Many in the country say their lives have been transformed under his leadership, aided by his far-reaching welfare and development schemes. Weeks before voting began, analysts were certain his party would sweep the polls yet again. Since April 19, millions have flocked to polling booths to cast their vote. But turnout across six phases so far has slightly dipped from the record highs of 2019, and this might be causing anxiety among BJP leaders, analysts say. The chief minister of Delhi, popular opposition leader and staunch Modi critic, Arvind Kejriwal, was temporarily allowed out of prison earlier this month after being arrested on corruption charges, in a case his allies claimed was politically motivated. His release has galvanized a once flattened opposition, uniting them to deliver a tough fight to Modi and his BJP. This election is becoming competitive, said political researcher Ali, suggesting that a tighter race in key seats might be motivating the ruling party to ramp up the inflammatory language. The BJP is a favorite but their target is ambitious, and this rhetoric appeals to their vote bank. Many have accused the prime minister of tacitly endorsing sectarianism to bolster his Hindu-nationalist credentials, while diverting from policy failures such as youth unemployment, which now stands at close to 50% among 20- to 24-year-olds, and the vast wealth gap in the country, which according to a recent study is more unequal than it was during British rule. Applicants standing in queue for an Indian Army job exam in Pataliputra, India, on April 23, 2024. - Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times/Getty Images The BJPs track record on economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation is weak, Nooruddin, from Georgetown University, said. These bread-and-butter issues are central to election campaigns and the opposition has really sought to emphasize them. So, I think the BJPs resort to overt communal rhetoric is an effort to fight an election on its preferred terms rather than on issues where it is vulnerable. Muslim independent journalist Alishan Jafri noted that the day-to-day struggles brought by poverty and unemployment are affecting Muslims as much as its affecting poor Hindus, pointing to some 800 million people dependent on rations provided by the government. To tell (Hindus) that Muslims will take away even half of that is surely going to scare them and divide the communities on religious lines. That the mainstream media has refused to push back tells us two things: they are compromised, or they support it. Global reputation Modis government posits India as a leader on the global stage. His calendar last year included diplomatic trips to Australia and the United States, and he presents himself as a statesman cementing the country as a modern power. Last year India overtook China to become the worlds most populous nation, while the year before it surpassed former colonial power Britain to become the worlds fifth-largest economy. According to Vaishnav, the muted response to Modis divisive language from Western leaders must be seen through the prism through which they view India as a balance against an increasingly assertive China. At home, analysts say, his grip on power has allowed him to make such comments with little pushback from civil society. The Election Commission is pretty toothless and what powers it has had have been further weakened by changes made to how commissioners are appointed by making the Prime Ministers Office more central to that process, Nooruddin said. Voters queue at a polling station during the first phase of voting for national elections in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Friday, April 19, 2024. - Prakash Singh/Bloomberg/Getty Images Modis April 21 speech about infiltrators has ignited widespread anger among Muslim leaders and opposition politicians, and calls for election authorities to investigate. BJP party spokespeople subsequently said Modi was talking specifically about undocumented migrants. The election commission has asked the BJP to respond to the allegations. But opposition groups and critics say the response is not strong enough. Globally, independent polls suggest that Indias image is declining in some countries around the world and there is some criticism about the governments Hindu nationalist ambitions. The anti-Muslim rhetoric used on the campaign trail will unfortunately further damage Indias reputation globally. This is unnecessary at a time when India should be ascendant, Nooruddin said. For Jafri, the journalist, the effects are clear. I cant express what millions of people feel as a collective, but I am sure that nobody likes being constantly abused, bullied, betrayed, and singled out, he said. Some feel attacked and humiliated. Many have become cynical, and they dont expect any better from this regime and its supporters. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows Mount Everest along with Khumbu Glacier and base camp in Nepal By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - An Indian climber who was evacuated from Mount Everest after he fell ill last week has died, taking the number of deaths this season on the worlds highest peak to five, officials said on Wednesday. Banshilal, 47, was brought down without reaching the summit after falling sick and was evacuated from the base camp to a hospital in Kathmandu last week. The Department of Tourism said Banshilal died during treatment on Monday. The exact nature of his illness was not clear but hiking officials said he had symptoms of acute mountain sickness when he was evacuated. One Nepali climber, Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died last week in the so-called death zone, which has a very low oxygen level, while descending after scaling the peak. Three other climbers - a British man and two Sherpas - have been missing since last week also in the death zone. Mountain climbing is a key tourism activity in Nepal, home to eight of the worlds 14 highest peaks including Mount Everest and a source of income and employment. Nepal issued permits for Everest, each costing $11,000, to 421 climbers this season, which ends on Friday. Officials said about 600 people, a figure which includes guides who don't need permits, reached the summit this month. About 7,000 climbers have scaled the peak many multiple times - since it was first climbed by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, hiking officials say. They say more than 335 climbers have died. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by YP Rajesh, Alexandra Hudson) By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - An Indiana doctor who is suing the state over its abortion ban on Wednesday told a state judge that the exception for medical emergencies was unclear, and could prevent medically necessary abortions. The testimony from Dr. Amy Caldwell kicked off a nonjury trial, which is expected to last through Friday. Caldwell brought case along with Planned Parenthood. They are asking Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Kelsey Blake Hanlo in Bloomington for an order that the medical exception allows abortion if a patient has a health condition requiring treatment that would endanger the fetus, causes debilitating symptoms during pregnancy, or is likely to become life-threatening or cause lasting damage to her health. Caldwell testified on Wednesday that the language in the law, allowing abortion in the case of a "serious health risk," was not clear enough for doctors to know when it applied. She said she had treated patients for whom she believed an abortion was indicated, but could not perform them because of the law. "If there's any doubt about whether it's not covered (by the exception), then we don't do it," she said. The case is one of several nationwide over the scope of medical emergency exceptions to state abortion bans. Others are pending in Texas and before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is weighing whether Idaho's abortion ban conflicts with a federal law on emergency room care. On cross-examination, a lawyer for the state asked Caldwell whether some medical problems associated with pregnancy, such as heart issues, could be treated in ways other than abortion. Caldwell said that while that was true "to some extent," abortion was the best and safest treatment in some cases. Stephen Ralston, director of maternal fetal medicine at George Washington University, later testified as an expert for the plaintiffs, saying an unclear exception could lead doctors to wait for a patient at risk to get sicker before ending a pregnancy. "That's just not in anybody's best interest, to wait until patients become sick to perform care," he said. The state will also have a chance to call witnesses in the case. The providers are also asking the court to block a provision in the state ban requiring all abortions to take place at hospitals, saying that makes it difficult or impossible for many Indiana residents to get abortions necessary to protect their lives or health, since few hospitals provide such care and most are clustered near Indianapolis, the state's largest city. Indiana's Republican-controlled legislature passed its abortion ban in August 2022. In addition to the life and health exceptions, the law also allows abortion in cases of rape or incest for minors in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It was the first new abortion ban passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling reversing its landmark Roe v. Wade precedent, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. More than 20 Republican-led states now ban or significantly restrict abortion. Planned Parenthood and others quickly sued to challenge the law. Judge Kelsey Hanlon, who was elected as a Republican, blocked it in September 2022, saying it ran afoul of the right to personal autonomy in the state constitution. The state Supreme Court last June disagreed and revived the law, but also found that the state constitution included a right to abortion to save the mother's life or protect against serious health risks. The plaintiffs in the current trial say that supports their request for a court order clarifying that right. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and David Gregorio) MCCSC Superintendent Jeff Hauswald has found a new job. Hauswald, whom the board ousted after a series of controversies, has signed a four-year contract to serve as superintendent of the public school system in Boone County, Kentucky. Hauswald will receive $265,000 in his first year and may receive raises in subsequent years. He will begin his new job July 1. The superintendent is required to live in Kentucky and will get an additional $4,000 for moving expenses. According to the district's website, it is Kentucky's third-largest school system, with more than 20,000 students at 15 elementary, six middle and five high schools. The district said in a news release that it chose Hauswald after a four-month search by a committee that included teachers, administrators, students and community members. The district could not be reached to say how many candidates it had and why it chose Hauswald. The Boone County school district's community relations coordinator referred questions to board President Jesse Parks, who did not reply to an email message, The district's release lists, among other things, Hauswalds work ethic and agrarian roots, having grown up on a farm. Hauswald said in the release, "I try to be a servant leader, positional authority doesn't get you anywhere. The reality is you get power by giving it away, Hauswald said. Our teachers and administrators are the experts in their fields of work. They don't work for me, I believe in working with my staff and for the students, that's how together (we) accomplish the goal of accelerated learning opportunities for our students. The MCCSC school board in March agreed to pay Hauswald nearly $229,000 to leave two years before his contract was set to expire. An agreement between the board and the superintendent calls for Hauswald to receive half of the money within 30 days of July 1 and the second half within 30 days of Jan. 1, 2025. Buyout: MCCSC to pay superintendent Jeff Hauswald $229K for separation The MCCSC board approved the separation in early March in a 48-second meeting that the states public access counselor criticized as perfunctory. A joint statement the board and Hauswald issued after the meeting did not provide a reason for the separation, and board President April Hennessey said at the time that she could not comment because it was a personnel matter. The agreement between the board and superintendent retains confidentiality and non-disclosure clauses, but Luke Britt, the state's public access counselor, said personnel matters are not de facto confidential," and unless the separation was prompted by extraordinary circumstances, such as a family illness, the board members should talk about reasons for the separation. "That's the kind of thing that needs robust discussion, Britt said. They need to explain what theyre doing and give some kind of underlying reasoning. In their joint statement, the board members thanked Hauswald for his service and listed among his accomplishments that he led the district out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the successful passage of a 2022 school referendum, which allowed it to increase starting teacher pay from $40,000 to $57,750. The separation agreement reads that the parties agreed to cancel the contract, for sound business reasons and in the best interest of MCCSC and (Hauswald.)" The agreement also states neither the district nor Hauswald anticipate there will be any disputes between them or legal claims arising out of the mutual cancellation of the contract but (they) nevertheless desire to ensure an amicable parting. The relationship between the superintendent, board members, teachers, students and parents has, in the last year, been anything but amicable. For example, a plan the superintendent proposed to align schedules of all high schools prompted about 250 people to protest on the courthouse lawn on Oct. 23. Protesters said they felt the schedule alignment was being foisted upon them without a good explanation and without sufficient data to support the stated rationale to achieve greater equity. Danielle Wyng, right, and Audrey Adams, left, chant as they hold signs during the rally against the proposed schedule changes at MCCSC at the Monroe County courthouse on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. In a tense school board meeting on the following day, the board, in a 4-3 vote, wrested the authority to align the schedules from Hauswald. It was a rare moment of disharmony among board members and the superintendent, as the board frequently has voted in unison in favor of Hauswald's proposals and recommendations. While Hauswald said at the meeting that discussions about the schedule alignment began in March 2023, internal documents shared with The Herald-Times show the talks began in early 2022 though Hauswald said those earlier exchanges were preliminary. The revelations reinforced stakeholders' concerns about secrecy under Hauswald's leadership. MCCSC stakeholders said in March they were glad and relieved the superintendent will leave at the end of this school year and said they expect the board to pick a successor who values transparency and input from the community. Last month, the MCCSC board said Markay Winston, the school corporation's deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction, would serve as interim superintendent beginning July 1. Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County schools leader Jeff Hauswald finds new job in Kentucky Insights from Al Jazeera, DW, and the Associated Press The News The temperature in parts of Indias capital of New Delhi reached a record 49.9 Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), raising the risk of water shortages. The India Meteorological Department initially reported a record high of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22 degrees Fahrenheit) in one locality on Wednesday, but later said it was reexamining the data due to a potential sensor error. Sweltering heat has impacted voter turnout in the worlds largest election. Delhi officials said people who waste water will be fined Rs 2,000 ($24), and deployed 200 teams across the capitals neighborhoods to police the scarce resource. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Weather affects turnout and candidate choice Sources: NBC News, Reuters, Al Jazeera Delhi officials urged voters to overcome the fear of the heatwave at the weekend, when temperatures hovered around 42 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit). But voter turnout in the region hit a decade-low of 57.56%, down from 60.5% in 2019, NBC News reported, reflecting a pattern of low voter turnout in other phases of the countrys ongoing elections. While the sweltering heat likely deterred potential voters, one study found that extreme weather may actually increase turnout in Indias elections in rural areas and help sway political sentiments when high temperatures hurt crop yields and incomes, motivating farmers to vote for politicians with agricultural experience. Political discourse around climate change is different in India Sources: Associated Press, DW While Indias ruling party and the opposition have vowed to combat climate change in their election manifestos, politicians have barely addressed it during their campaigns. Climate change is still not among the headlines during these elections despite its obvious impact on millions of Indian lives, a UN climate expert told The Associated Press. However, this doesnt necessarily mean there is a lack of political discourse around climate change: The politics of climate change in India is just not labeled neatly as climate change, a fellow at a New Delhi-based research organization told DW. In party manifestos, promises to do with water supply and farming are climate-related, but they are not placed within the climate chapters. Press Release May 29, 2024 CHIZ RECEIVES COURTESY CALL FROM CZECH AMBASSADOR Newly elected Senate President Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero received a courtesy call from Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Karel Hejc at the Senate Ceremonial Hall on Tuesday. The hour-long meeting highlighted the growing cooperation and friendship between the Philippines and the Czech Republic. Ambassador Hejc congratulated the new Senate President on his election and emphasized the renewed vigor in bilateral relations, particularly following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to the Czech Republic last March. Marcos' visit, accompanied by a powerhouse business delegation, has already led to several agreements gaining traction and sparked increased interest from the Czech business community to invest in the Philippines. "Some of the agreements reached during President Marcos' visit have already taken off," Hejc said, noting that there are new government-to-government cooperations in fields such as agriculture, energy, and defense. The ambassador also highlighted the historical ties between the two countries, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of their diplomatic relations. He recalled the friendship between Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal and Prague-born Ferdinand Blumentritt in the 1890s and paid homage to the 14 Czechoslovakians who volunteered to join the Allied Forces during World War II, some of whom perished in the Bataan Death March. Hejc assured the Senate President of the Czech Republic's steadfast support, describing his country as a "friend, partner, and ally" to the Philippines. He also expressed concern over the current situation in the West Philippine Sea, stressing that it is not just an isolated issue but a global concern closely monitored by the Czech Republic and other European countries. Escudero thanked Hejc for his congratulatory remarks and for the Czech Republic's support to the Filipino people. He noted the strong relations between the two countries and expressed optimism for more engaging partnerships in various sectors. "Thank you for your support to the Filipino people," Escudero said. "As you know, we rely on our friends from the international community to help us as we strive to give our people a better country and a better future." Escudero said the Philippines looks forward to "more engaging partnerships in various fields such as energy, agriculture, science and technology, and defense." Hejc, who has been serving in Manila since October 2023, was accompanied by other embassy officials during the courtesy call. NANNING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- It is May and markets across China are bursting with durians, as it is peak harvest season across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the main exporter of this popular fruit. At Dongxing Port in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, many durian stalls crowd both sides of the street, and the vendors' hawking fills the air. "This year, there are more varieties of durians for us to choose from. The durian I just bought is golden and has a strong fragrance," said a tourist. In May, the domestic Chinese market has more than a dozen varieties of durian available to buyers. As durian supplies continue to increase, prices have dropped, too. The harvest in eastern Thailand has been particularly bountiful this year, and the scale of durian exports to China has continued to expand. At the same time, the number of durians exported from Vietnam to the Chinese market through Youyiguan Port has gradually increased. As the third country allowed to export fresh durians to the Chinese market, the Philippines also plans to increase its scale of durian exports. "In April, the wholesale price of Monthong durian was about 64 yuan (about 9 U.S. dollars) per kg, and in late May, the wholesale price dropped to 48 yuan per kg, and some varieties of durian were even less than 40 yuan per kg," said Guan Caixia, a durian dealer in Nanning, capital of Guangxi. Right now, at Youyiguan Port on the Sino-Vietnamese border, Vietnamese durians are enjoying smooth export to the Chinese market thanks to transportation advantages. Guangxi Yunduoduo Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. has signed cooperation agreements with some orchards and packaging factories in Vietnam in recent years, and is committed to promoting the export of more high-quality Vietnamese durians to the Chinese market. "Vietnamese durian will enjoy a large share in the Chinese market in the future, and the northern areas of Vietnam are actively planning to cultivate more durians," said Lu Yilang, assistant to the chairman of the company. During the durian peak season, Chinese consumers have more choices. From traditional offline purchases to online platform orders, various and convenient purchase methods continue to boost durian sales from ASEAN countries in the Chinese market. In recent years, Chinese consumers' love of durian has increased, and China's durian consumption market is constantly expanding, said Lei Xiaohua, a researcher with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences. For durian exporting countries, in the short term, lowering prices can boost sales, but in the long run, improving durian quality and growing efficiency is a sustainable solution, Lei added. New Indictment Against Harvey Weinstein Involving New Accusers Possible: Prosecutor Weinstein's May 29 court appearance comes weeks after his 2020 rape and sexual assault convictions in New York State were overturned Angela Weiss-Pool/Getty Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein made an appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court today, May 29, where a prosecutor said a new indictment against the disgraced mogul is possible involving new accusers. Chief Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said in court, "People who couldn't speak out in 2020 are now willing to speak out in 2024." The next court appearance for Weinstein, who appeared in a wheelchair and a suit, is a discovery hearing scheduled for July 9. During the court appearance, Weinstein's attorney Arthur Aidala objected to prosecutors using the term "survivor" while speaking of possible new accusers. Instead, he requested that prosecutors use the term "complaining witness." The court appearance comes more than a month after Weinstein's rape and sexual assault convictions in New York State were overturned on April 25. Weinstein, a once-prominent Hollywood producer, was found guilty in February 2020 of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in a New York City courtroom, the New York Times reported at the time. He was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison. Related: Harvey Weinsteins 2020 Rape and Sexual Assault Convictions in New York Overturned Those convictions were overturned after the New York Court of Appeals, in a 4-3 decision, held that trial judge James Burke erred in allowing three women whose allegations were not a part of the criminal case against Weinstein to testify against him. Shortly after the reversal, prosecutors announced they would retry the case. "We believe in this case and we will be retrying this case," Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said in court on May 1, according to reporters from CBS, Reuters and CNN. Related: N.Y. Prosecutors Will Retry Harvey Weinstein in the Fall: 'We Believe in This Case' Despite the reversal of the 2020 convictions, Weinstein has remained behind bars due to being convicted in a separate trial of one count of forcible rape, one count of forced oral copulation and one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office announced in a 2022 news release. He was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison at the time, the Los Angeles Times previously reported. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) An indictment recently filed against suspected serial killer Jesse Lee Calhoun accuses him of murdering three local women and moving the bodies from early March to late April 2023. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Todd Jackson filed the indictment on Friday, May 24. The two-page document names 16 witnesses who testified before the grand jury. Washougal man pleads not guilty to using hidden camera to film people in bathrooms The 39-year-old Calhoun is facing three charges of second-degree murder and three charges of second-degree abuse of the corpse in connection to the deaths of Charity Lynn Perry, Joanna Speaks and Bridget Leanne Webster. According to the court documents, Calhoun killed Perry and moved her corpse around Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The 24-year-old womans body was found on Monday, Apr. 24 in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park. The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office and Crime Stoppers of Oregon ruled it as a suspicious death. Calhoun is accused of murdering 32-year-old Joanna Speaks 10 days later on Saturday, March 18, and moving her corpse. Authorities found the woman at an abandoned barn in Ridgefield, Wash., on Saturday, Apr. 8 but they later announced she was thought to have been killed in Portland. Jury deliberations begin in historic Trump hush money trial The Clark County Medical Examiners Office determined Speaks died of blunt injuries to her head and neck. The indictment also alleged Calhoun murdered Bridget Webster on Wednesday, Apr. 26, and moved the corpse the same day. Webster, 31, was a Milwaukie resident, and her body was discovered on Harmony Road near Mill Creek in Polk County on Sunday, Apr. 30. Before he was officially charged, Calhoun was identified as a person of interest in the deaths of Perry, Webster, 22-year-old Kristin Smith and 22-year-old Ashley Real. Smith was reported missing in late December 2022, and she wasnt located until Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. Portland Police Bureau reported the Gresham resident was found dead in a wooded area near Southeast Deardorff Road and Southeast Flavel Street. Reals body was discovered in the Eagle Creek area on Sunday, May 7. Man shot by police while serving NE Portland search warrant Calhoun hasnt been indicted in connection with the deaths of Smith or Real. He is currently being held in the Snake River Correctional Institution for parole violations. Before the recent charges were filed, he was set to be released on Wednesday, June 7. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KRON) The case of convicted murderer Scott Peterson is back in court on Wednesday and a San Mateo County judge may make a critical ruling over DNA evidence. KRON4 has cameras in the courtroom for todays day-long hearing, and Peterson is appearing via a live video feed from Mule Creek State Prison. Peterson wants access to DNA evidence that he believes could prove he did not murder his pregnant wife, Laci, 22 years ago. He claims that she was still alive on December 24, 2002 when he left their Modesto home to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay. The bodies of Laci and her unborn son washed up in the bay months later. Petersons attorneys with the Los Angeles Innocence Project filed the two motions to the judge seeking DNA testing of physical items of evidence and post-conviction discovery to probe Mr. Petersons claim of innocence, LAIP wrote. Scott Peterson is seen on a live video feed from Mule Creek State Prison on March 12, 2024. (Pool / Photo by Modesto Bee) The Stanislaus County District Attorneys Office is opposing the motions. The DAs opposition states it has no legal obligation to hand DNA evidence over for testing. Furthermore, overwhelming circumstantial evidence presented at Petersons 2004 murder trial already proved that he is guilty, the DAs Office said. Special prosecutors are waging a Herculean effort to stomp on Petersons attempt to revive his case, LAIP claims. Prosecutors said they will not hand any DNA evidence over unless ordered by the court. DA says Scott Peterson is still guilty of murdering wife, no DNA tests necessary Peterson told police that his wife had vanished by the time he returned home. But detectives zeroed in on the husband when Petersons secret mistress called police and became an undercover informant. Laci Peterson The DAs special prosecutors are trying to justify shoddy police work, LAIP claims in court documents filed earlier this month. Some evidence and witnesses from the Modesto Police Departments original 2002 investigation were allegedly suppressed, missing, and lost, court documents obtained by KRON4 state. Peterson is seeking DNA tests for 17 items: Four items associated with the torched orange van, 11 items found near or with Laci and Conners bodies, and two items from a burglary across the street from from Lacis home. Scott Peterson appears on a live video feed from Mule Creek State Prison on April 16, 2024 while attorneys discussed his case in San Mateo County court. (Pool image) LAIP says its investigation into the disappearance and murders of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, has already yielded important leads to evidence supporting Mr. Petersons claim that his wife was alive on December 24, 2002. LAIP wrote in its motion, A post-conviction investigation into a claim of actual innocence begins with a review of the original investigation into the crime at issue to determine whether any evidence or leads were missed or overlooked that may support that claim of innocence. If any are found, those leads and evidence are examined to determine whether anything discovered, whether new or old evidence, or both, undermines the conviction. Attorney Paula Mitchell of the Los Angeles Innocence Project, left, speaks in court while special prosecutor Birgit Fladager, second from right, listens on April 16, 2024 in Redwood City. (Pool Image) As one example, Petersons attorneys said eyewitnesses who saw Laci walking in the neighborhood at times after her husband left Modesto were never interviewed by police. Judge Elizabeth Hill presides over a status conference for Scott Peterson in Redwood City on March 12, 2024. (The Modesto Bee/ Andy Alfaro / Pool) Those witnesses who reported seeing Laci Peterson walking in the neighborhood should have been a top priority in an unbiased missing person investigation. Not only may those witnesses have provided important information and leads to what happened to Laci Peterson, if even one of those witness reports was credible, Mr. Peterson could not possibly have killed his wife and son, LAIP attorneys wrote. As another example in its court filing, LAIP says a police file related to a burned-up orange van with a blood-stained mattress was suppressed by prosecutors during the trial. The suspicious van was found engulfed in flames near the Petersons home around the same time that Laci went missing. This van was found engulfed in flames in Modesto around the same time that Laci went missing. (Image via San Mateo County Superior Court records) But the arson van fire was never investigated in connection to the case, attorneys claim. Judge Elizabeth M. Hill is expected to make her ruling on DNA evidence testing after the conclusion of Wednesdays hearing at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood 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 KRON4. Itll likely take a long time for the passengers and air travel industry to recover from the shock of the Singapore Airlines flight last week that experienced turbulence that led to one death and dozens hospitalized, but the bulk of the damage was done in less than five seconds, according to a preliminary investigation by Singapores Transport Safety Investigation Bureau. A summary of the inquirys initial findings released on Wednesday revealed that a severe change in gravitational force, which took just 4.6 seconds and resulted in a 178-ft. altitude drop, likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers. The SQ321 flight traveling from London to Singapore on May 20, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was flying as normal until it passed over the south of Myanmar at an altitude of 37,000 ft. and began to experience slight vibration. For about 19 seconds, while the aircraft was encountering this initial turbulence likely caused by an updraft, it rose uncommanded by about 362 ft., which autopilot attempted to correct by pitching the plane downwards. At the same time, the pilots, the report said, observed an uncommanded increase in airspeed, which they responded to by extending the speed brakes. The report added that, at this time, it was heard that a pilot called out that the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on. About eight seconds later, the plane experienced a rapid change in gravitational force (G) as the recorded vertical acceleration decreased from +1.35G to -1.5G in the span of 0.6 seconds. This likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne, the report stated. Over the next 4 seconds, the gravitational force changed again from -1.5G to +1.5G, which the report said likely resulted in the occupants who were airborne to fall back down. By the end of the 4.6-second period of drastic changes in G, the plane had dropped to an altitude of 37,184 ft. The pilots tried to stabilize the aircraft, which continued to experience more turbulence albeit less severe, by disengaging the autopilot and manually controlling it for 21 seconds before the plane returned to its normal altitude about a minute after the initial turbulence was encountered. Around 17 minutes later, after it was made clear that there were injuries necessitating medical attention, the pilots initiated the planes descent for an emergency landing at Thailands Suvarnabhumi Airport. As of Wednesday, 42 passengers who were on board the flight are still in Bangkok, including 26 who are still receiving treatment in hospital, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. Investigations are ongoing. In a separate statement, Singapore Airlines, which announced earlier that it is revising its inflight seatbelt policy, said it acknowledges the transport safety bureaus preliminary findings and is fully cooperating with all relevant authorities. Contact us at letters@time.com. The insane price tag that RFK Jr. paid to get on NYs ballot Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s campaign paid people a whopping $90 an hour to collect signatures in New York to get him on the states ballot for his long-shot independent presidential campaign. The independant hopefuls campaign which said Tuesday it submitted enough valid signatures to get him on the ballot shelled out a total of more than a million dollars for the effort, according to a lawsuit it filed against the state Board of Elections last week protesting the required name-collecting. Plaintiff has been forced to pay petition circulators $90.00 per hour, costing Plaintiff over $1.1 million dollars just to secure ballot access in New York for the 2024 general election ballot, Kennedys campaign griped in the suit. RFK Jr.s campaign says it hired people for $90 an hour to collect signatures to get on New Yorks presidential ballot. Getty Images ZipRecruiter says the national hourly average for petition signature jobs is $35, while minimum wage for New York is between about $14 and $16. Kennedy is suing in federal court to try and invalidate New Yorks 45,000-signature threshold that such independent presidential candidates need to reach in order to get onto the ballot, as well as other intricacies involved in collecting the signatures. Major party candidates Democrats, Republicans, Working Families and Conservatives in New York can secure ballot access by their internal party nomination processes. Green Party presidential hopeful Dr. Jill Stein, speaking to reporters at the state capitol Tuesday, said her own campaign intended to use paid petitioners like Kennedy but had to adjust after his camp quickly bought up many of the firms that do the work. Our intention was to hire a substantial number of professional outfits, but there were very few that we can find because they have basically been bought up by RFK, Stein said. Will Boothby, Kennedy campaign northeast regional field director, said in a statement, The State of New York has stacked the deck against independent candidates in every way possible, combining the worst aspects of ballot access restrictions into one amalgamation designed to stop any candidate from achieving what we have achieved today. Kennedys campaign did boast that it submitted just over 135,000 signatures roughly three times the 45,000 valid signatures needed though at least some of the John Hancocks are almost certain to face a typical procedural challenge from an opponent questioning their legitimacy. Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan, who RFK Jr. has tapped as his running mate, personally injected $8 million into the campaigns ballot fund last month. Kennedys campaign spent so much on paid petitioners that at least one other candidate said she is finding it difficult to find workers for her own effort. Getty Images Stein didnt have her exact figures on hand but said she believes she submitted enough signatures to get on the ballot in New York as well before Tuesdays deadline. The whole system is very different this year across the country because theres so much money now pouring into a grassroots campaign, drawing on the professional signature collectors, Stein said, pointing to the millions of dollars RFK Jr.s donors have donated to his campaign. New York state Conservative Party Chairman Gerald Kassar told The Post of Kennedy, I think its a reflection of his lack of grassroots support and reflective of his support from people who dont know who he is. Kassar said hes heard of petitioners being paid in the $20 to $30 range but never as high as $90 per hour. Getting on the state ballot is not the only issue Kennedy has had to contend with in New York. As The Post revealed last week, Kennedy may not live in the Westchester County home he officially lists on his voter registration. The residence is facing foreclosure. The one man perhaps even more anxious for a verdict in the Trump hush-money trial than Donald Trump himself is Todd Blanche. Trump has already reportedly expressed his frustration with Blanche, his latest defense attorney, and if he loses, Trumps modus operandi is to go on the offensive. Thats because there are two types of people in Donald Trumps personal orbit: those who have been publicly trashed by the former president, and those who will be. There is no public client quite like Mr. Trump, former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis told The Daily Beast. While every person deserves competent counsel, that counsel also deserves loyalty from their client. Loyalty goes one way with Trump. The problem with the current MAGA base is that they will take whatever position Trump tells them to. The twice-impeached ex-commander-in-chief has openly lambasted, to name but a few, his own national security adviser, John Bolton (one of the dumbest people in Washington); his own Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, Gen. Mark Milley (a Woke train wreck); his own attorney general, William Barr (a coward who didnt do his job); his own UN ambassador, Nikki Haley (birdbrain); his own secretary of state, Rex Tillerson (lazy as hell), campaign adviser Steve Bannon (Sloppy Steve), and his own vice-president, Mike Pence (wimp, traitor, not a very good person). Trump has hurled insults at judges and at least one state attorney general. He has also not been kind to the various lawyers he has used up and discarded, calling, for example, his onetime personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen a bad lawyer and fraudster after Cohen turned on him in 2019. Last month, Trump began badmouthing Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and his lead defense attorney trying to help him beat back 34 felony counts related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels (Horseface), according to sources who spoke to The New York Times. Trump has reportedly bellyached that Blanche isnt sufficiently deferential to his strategic ideas, and wanted to see Blanche be more aggressive in attacking witnesses. Closing arguments began on Tuesday; a verdict is expected as early as this week. But what will become of Blanche if Trump is found guilty? Todd Blanche (right) in Manhattan Criminal Court with Donald Trump during the former presidents criminal hush money trial. Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images To Ellis, who in October pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aiding and abetting false statements in service of Trumps attempt to overturn the results of the presidential 2020 election, the outcome is highly predictable. If Trump decides to publicly trash or blame Todd Blanche and the other attorneys, Id bet that MAGA immediately brands them the worst lawyers ever instead of recognizing that lawyers can only do as much as they can with the situationand clientthey have, she said. From what I have seen, the defense team has done the best they could. Trump frankly is lucky he can even get anyone competent to agree to represent him at this point and I think he would be wise not to trash his lawyers. Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb, who represented Trump during the Mueller investigation, has been on the receiving end of Trumps wrath. After Cobb said last year that Trumps defense was weak in the ongoing federal case against him for purloining classified documents when he left the Oval Office and refusing to return them, Trump took to his Twitter clone, Truth Social, to denigrate him. Ty Cobb is a disgruntled former Lawyer, who represented me long ago, and knows absolutely nothing about the Boxes Hoax being perpetrated upon me, Trump posted in response. His words are angry, nasty, and libelous, only because I did not continue using him (and paying him), and for good reason. Jenna Ellis with Rudy Giuliani in 2020. Rey Del Rio/Getty Images For his part, Cobb doesnt envision any scenario under which Trump beats the hush money charges. The chance of an acquittal is zero to none, Cobb told The Daily Beast, adding that the odds of a hung jury are real, but not likely. However, whether or not Blanche remains on Trumps legal team is up in the air, he said. Who knows, in terms of how Trump will treat his lawyers, Cobb continued, noting that Manhattan defense attorney Joe Tacopina, who represented Trump in his unsuccessful libel case against writer E. Jean Carroll, withdrew from the hush-money case earlier this year, saying he had to follow my compass. However, attorney Alina Habba, who replaced Tacopina on the Carroll case and proceeded to lose Trump $83 million, is still on the payroll. So, you dont really know with him. Now, Todds not as attractive as Alina, so Cobb described Blanche as a cut above, talent-wise and experience-wise, than most of the lawyers in the Trump stablenot all, but many of them, certainly Habbaand I would suspect him to remain on the team. I think Blanche stays on the team, Cobb went on. He should stay on the team. Although he was a little less comfortable in court than I expected. I saw a lot of reporting [on Tuesday] that he seemed a little nervous and not necessarily as confident, at least in their assessment But hes got the skill set and the experience to do this well. Former Trump attorney Ty Cobb. Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post via Getty Images Blanche, who used to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, was well respected by his peers there, according to Cobb, citing personal relationships with several of Blanches former coworkers. (Blanche did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment on Tuesday.) Itd be a real mistake to take Blanche off the team, Cobb said. On the other hand, [Trump] has gone through some excellent lawyers. A third former member of Trumps orbit, who asked that their name not be used so as to avoid taking additional public flak from the ex-president, predicts Blanche will quickly become a target if Trump loses the case. He turns on everyone, the source told The Daily Beast. Many of the lawyers who have become overly involved with Trump go on to face criminal charges of their own, are sued, or eventually disbarred, according to the source. They said they believe Blanche crossed that rubiconhe put all his eggs into [Trumps] basket, and thats not a healthy basket, because the eggs eventually go rotten Rudy Giuliani was his best friend; he turned his back on him in two seconds. Hes disbarred, hes twice-indicted, hes bankrupt, hes a laughing stock. Hes got nothing left. If Trump would do this to Giuliani, the source continued, hell do it to anybody. This guy is kryptonite, they said. He really is. You know youre gonna take shrapnel. But then you still get abandoned. 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. Despite immediately facing outrage from the international community for killing dozens of displaced Palestinians in an attack that set a tent camp in Rafah, Gaza, ablaze, Israel is continuing its deadly military offensive that is destroying so-called safe zones that are housing people with nowhere else to go. Israeli forces bombed a displacement camp in Tal al-Sultan on Sunday night, engulfing the tents sheltering Palestinians in flames. Gruesome footage showed charred corpses, people burned alive and childrens bodies torn apart. The Israeli attack killed at least 45 people and wounded hundreds more, and it resulted in condemnation and expressions of horror from many in the international community. Despite the Israel Defense Forces claiming the attack was precision-based, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the bombing was a tragic mistake. But less than 48 hours later, Israel bombed another makeshift tent camp in a designated civilian evacuation zone. Gaza emergency officials said that Israeli forces attacked a cluster of tents in Al-Mawasi, an overcrowded coastal strip with no infrastructure that Israel had ordered refugees in Rafah to move to for safety. The shelling killed at least 21 people, more than half of them women and girls, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A Palestinian boy cries next to the bodies of those killed in an Israeli attack Monday west of Rafah, Gaza. At least 21 people were killed as Israeli forces shelled a tent camp in Al-Mawasi, the third such attack on areas designated by Israel as "safe zones" in the last 48 hours, the Rafah Emergency Committee said. Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images People are shocked, people cannot talk, people found theirselves gathering the remains of human bodies, of their beloved ones, freelance journalist Bisan Owda said in an Instagram video on Tuesday, speaking over the sound of aircraft. So, I just cannot describe anything because Im afraid of looking under my feet because people are still collecting human pieces, she said before showing one of the blood-spattered tents. See the blood? See the blood and the shrapnels here and there all these shrapnels, the holes in the blanket, killed people inside. The IDF denied on social media that it attacked the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. But Palestinian journalists on the ground in Gaza refuted the militarys claims. I went back just now to the last leaflet that Israelis dropped on Rafah, and a place that was targeted right now was Block 2360, Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary said Tuesday, referring to the leaflets the IDF airdropped earlier this year to order Palestinians to evacuate Rafah. In this leaflet, the Israeli forces mentioned that theyre calling people to evacuate to all the humanitarian areas to Deir al-Balah, to Khan Younis and Al-Mawasi area and one of these areas that was mentioned is Block 2360, which has been targeted right now, Khoudary said. So yes, this place was designated as safe, this place was designated as a humanitarian area, according to the last leaflet that was dropped by the Israeli forces on people in Rafah. Journalist Hind Khoudary says Israel's latest attack on a tent encampment, which has killed nearly 22 Palestinians, was in an area that Israel had declared a 'safe zone' and ordered people to move to. pic.twitter.com/rlcLKr8fW1 Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 28, 2024 Like Al-Mawasi, the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood is also a designated humanitarian area. Gaza medics say that even after Sundays massacre, Israel is still bombing Tal al-Sultan, killing 16 more Palestinians overnight. Owda recorded herself at the scene on Monday, saying: If death had a smell, Im smelling it right now. Israel said that it will investigate itself over the Sunday attack on the Rafah tent camp a move that frequently ends in little to no accountability and argued Tuesday that the IDFs munitions were too small to have directly caused the blaze. The U.S., which continues to stand firmly beside Israel despite the international condemnation, said Tuesday that it will not change its policy on weapon transfers to the IDF because it still believes the massacres this week are not part of a full-fledged Rafah invasion. We dont want to see a major ground operation. We havent seen that at this point, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, despite Reuters reporting that Israeli tanks mounted with machine guns have moved into central Rafah. Israels military campaign, which was launched about eight months ago after Hamas killed an estimated 1,190 people, has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The offensive has also displaced most of the population of 2.3 million, leveled entire neighborhoods, created a starvation crisis and disease epidemic, destroyed most hospitals, and blocked lifesaving humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. The Sunday strike in Rafah occurred just days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its military operations in Rafah and after the International Criminal Courts top war crimes prosecutor announced he was seeking arrest warrants for leaders of both Israel and Hamas. Related... Iran says Saudi Arabia has expelled 6 state media journalists ahead of the Hajj after detaining them DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Iran said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia expelled six members of a crew from its state television broadcaster after they had been detained for nearly a week in the kingdom ahead of the Hajj. Saudi Arabia said the men had been working in violation of the visas they received. The incident comes a year after Riyadh and Tehran reached a Chinese-mediated detente. However, there have been tensions for decades between the Sunni and Shiite powerhouses over the holy sites in the kingdom, particularly around the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage. Iranian state TV described the arrests as beginning over a week ago when three crew members were detained while recording a Quranic reading at the Prophet Muhammad's mosque in Medina. It offered no detail about what sparked their detention, but said the men after several hours of questioning ended up held at a police detention center. Two days after that, Saudi police detained a journalist from Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam channel and another state TV journalist after they got out of a car to attend a prayer service with Iranian pilgrims, state TV said. Another radio journalist was detained at a hotel in Medina. It said the six men later were released and expelled to Iran without the opportunity to take part in the Hajj, a pilgrimage required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their lives. The expulsion came after efforts by both state TV and Iran's Foreign Ministry to have the men released. Iranian state TV insisted the men committed no crime and that their detention was unwarranted. They were carrying out their normal and routine task when this happened and they were arrested, said Peyman Jebeli, the head of Irans state broadcaster, known as Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. We are not aware of the reason they were arrested and sent back to the country. Saudi Arabia's Center for International Communication told The Associated Press early Thursday that the Iranians detained had been in the kingdom on visas only allowing them to perform the Hajj, not work as journalists. They engaged in activities that are incompatible with the type of visas granted to them in violation of the kingdoms residency regulations, the center said. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are considered not free under rankings by the Washington-based organization Freedom House, with scores of zero in their metric on whether a country has a free and independent press. Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Last year, Chinese mediation restored ties despite Saudi Arabia still being locked in a yearslong stalemated war with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia had previously severed ties with Iran from 1988 to 1991 over rioting during the Hajj in 1987 and Irans attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. That diplomatic freeze saw Iran halt pilgrims from attending the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Iranian pilgrims briefly were stopped from attending Hajj over the most-recent round of tensions as well. Iran has insisted in the past that its pilgrims be allowed to hold large-scale disavowal of infidels ceremonies rallies denouncing Israel and Saudi ally the United States. Saudi Arabia bans such political demonstrations at Hajj, which is attended by about 2 million Muslims from around the world. Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over an NPC Standing Committee meeting on an enforcement inspection of the Yellow River Protection Law and delivers a speech at the meeting in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, on Wednesday urged leveraging legal strength to promote ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during an NPC Standing Committee meeting on an enforcement inspection of the Yellow River Protection Law. The Yellow River, China's second-largest river after the Yangtze, is dubbed the "mother river." In recent years, continued efforts have been made to protect its ecology, with the Yellow River Protection Law coming into effect on April 1, 2023. He said the law is an important piece of legislation aimed at the ecological and environmental protection of a specific river basin, establishing an effective legal system for the protection of the Yellow River. Li stated that the inspection should encourage the government at all levels to take a unified approach to protecting the Yellow River and address the prominent issues in implementing the law. He demanded a problem-oriented approach, tracing the root causes and proposing practical and effective suggestions. From June to September, the law enforcement inspection teams will conduct field inspections in seven provincial-level regions, including Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia. Besides, a symposium on the implementation of the Yellow River Protection Law will be held in Inner Mongolia, and early-stage research will be conducted in southwest China's Sichuan Province, achieving full coverage of the nine regions within the Yellow River basin. The inspection will cover a variety of aspects, such as ecological protection and restoration, water resource conservation, water-sediment regulation, and control of floods and pollution. By Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 30 countries condemned Israel's attacks on hospitals in Gaza and demanded more scrutiny of its role in the enclave's health crisis at a World Health Organization meeting on Wednesday, and some blamed Israel for a growing risk of famine. The WHO has recorded hundreds of attacks on health facilities in the occupied Palestinian territories, which includes Gaza, since the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war began, but does not attribute blame. In the latest phase of the conflict this month, Israel launched a military operation against Rafah in south Gaza, blocking patient transfers, all but cutting off medical supplies and threatening its last functioning hospital. A group of countries are backing a proposal at the WHO's annual assembly in Geneva that would mandate the U.N. health agency to boost documentation of the "catastrophic humanitarian crisis" in Gaza and report on "starvation" amid U.N. warnings of famine and disease after nearly eight months of conflict. The motion is supported by over 30 countries, mostly from Africa and the Gulf region but also Russia, Turkey and China, but even more spoke in favour of it. A vote had been due on Wednesday, but further debate delayed it to Thursday. "The healthcare system of Gaza is devastated. Israel has targeted hospitals in Gaza, completely destroying treatment facilities. This also means a war against the fundamental right to health," said Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. He also accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war and said its actions against hospitals amounted to a war crime. Palestinian ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi urged countries to support the motion. "We cannot allow Israel to destroy everything, to destroy health care facilities and to allow this to happen," he told the crowded meeting room. Israel's ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar blamed Hamas for "deliberately putting the safety of patients at risk" by using health facilities for military purposes. It submitted an amendment to include a reference to the 250 hostages seized during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, and to condemn the use of hospitals by armed groups. That amendment passed on Wednesday evening. Israel denies responsibility for delays in getting aid into Gaza and says the U.N. and others are responsible for its distribution once inside. Ireland was one of just a handful of countries to call for the release of the hostages in a speech where it also asked Israel to cease its Rafah operation. (Reporting by Emma Farge and Jennifer Rigby; editing by William Maclean/Mark Heinrich) Israeli armoured personnel carriers (APC) operate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel Israeli armoured personnel carriers (APC) operate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli forces have taken control of a buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the country's military said on Wednesday, giving Israel effective authority over the Palestinian territory's entire land border. Israel also continued deadly raids on Rafah in southern Gaza despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end attacks on the city, where half of Gaza's 2.3 million people had previously taken refuge. In a televised briefing, chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had gained "operational" control over the "Philadelphi Corridor", using the Israeli military's code name for the 14 km-long (9 mile) corridor along the Gaza Strip's only border with Egypt. "The Philadelphi Corridor served as an oxygen line for Hamas, which it regularly used to smuggle weapons into the area of the Gaza Strip," Hagari said. Hamas is the armed Palestinian group that governs the blockaded territory. Hagari did not spell out what "operational" control referred to but an Israeli military official earlier said there were Israeli "boots on the ground" along parts of the corridor. The border with Egypt along the southern edge was the Gaza Strip's only land border that Israel had not controlled directly. Earlier on Wednesday, Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah. They had moved into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday despite an order from the top United Nations court to immediately halt the assault on the city. The World Court said Israel had not explained how it would keep evacuees from Rafah safe and provide food, water and medicine. Its ruling also called on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7. Rafah residents said Israeli tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in the west and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt, rather than staying put as they have in other offensives. "We received distress calls from residents in Tel Al-Sultan where drones targeted displaced citizens as they moved from areas where they were staying toward the safe areas," the deputy director of ambulance and emergency services in Rafah, Haitham al Hams, said. Palestinian health officials said 19 civilians had been killed in Israeli airstrikes and shelling across Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas militants of hiding among civilians, something Gaza's ruling Islamist group denies. Health Minister Majed Abu Raman urged Washington to pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing to aid, saying there was no indication that Israeli authorities would do so soon and that patients in besieged Gaza were dying for lack of treatment. Fighting in Gaza will continue throughout 2024 at least, Israel's National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said, signalling Israel was not ready to end the war as Hamas has demanded as part of a deal to exchange its hostages for Palestinian prisoners. "The fighting in Rafah is not a pointless war," Hanegbi said, reiterating that Israel aimed to end Hamas rule in Gaza and stop it and its allies attacking Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel needed to craft a post-war plan for Gaza or risk lawlessness, chaos and a Hamas comeback in the enclave. The U.S., Israel's closest ally, reiterated its opposition to a major ground offensive in Rafah on Tuesday while saying it did not believe such an operation was under way. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's Gaza offensive, the enclave's health ministry said. Israel launched its war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS STRUGGLE ON There was no word on Wednesday on developments in the ceasefire and hostage release talks. Hamas has said talks are pointless unless Israel ends its offensive on Rafah. The armed wing of Hamas and that of allies Islamic Jihad said they confronted invading forces in Rafah with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs and blew up explosive devices they had planted, resulting in numerous successful hits. The Israeli military said three Israeli soldiers were killed and three badly wounded. Public broadcaster Kan radio said an explosive device had been set off in a Rafah building. Palestinian health officials said several people were wounded by Israeli fire and stores of aid were set ablaze in eastern Rafah, where residents said Israeli bombardment had destroyed many homes in an area Israel has ordered evacuated. Around a million Palestinians who had taken shelter in Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip have now fled after Israeli orders to evacuate, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA reported on Tuesday. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had evacuated its medical teams from its field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area, a designated civilian evacuation zone, because of continued bombardments. PRCS said two of its staff were killed when an ambulance was struck while on a mission to rescue people in Rafah. In another Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, medics said five other Palestinians were killed. In the nearby city of Khan Younis, an Israeli air strike killed three people overnight, including Salama Baraka, a former senior Hamas police officer, medics and Hamas media said. Another killed four people, including two children, medics said. In northern Gaza, Israeli forces shelled Gaza City neighbourhoods and moved deeper into Jabalia, where residents said large residential districts were destroyed. Malnutrition has become widespread in Gaza as aid deliveries have slowed to a trickle. The U.N., which has warned of famine, said on Wednesday the amount of humanitarian aid entering the enclave has dropped by two-thirds since Israel began its assault on the Rafah region this month. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, writing by Deepa Babington; additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Henriette Chacar and Clauda Tanios; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Mark Heinrich and David Gregorio) Israel strikes on Rafah did not cross Bidens red lines, White House says Joe Biden told Benjamin Netanyahu he would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it entered the "population centres" of Rafah The US does not believe Israels latest actions in Rafah crossed a US red line, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has said. Mr Kirby told reporters on Tuesday night that the US was not turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians, with his remarks coming just hours after Israeli tanks were seen in the centre of Gazas southernmost city. Joe Biden warned Israel against launching a major military operation in Rafah, but his administration insisted on Tuesday that Israeli Defence Forces had not yet crossed its red lines. We have not seen them smash into Rafah, Mr Kirby said. The US president earlier this month said he would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it entered the population centres of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still believed to be sheltering. Israel drew international condemnation for an airstrike and fire in an area crowded with refugee tents that Gaza health authorities said killed at least 45 Palestinians many of them women, children, or elderly at a camp for displaced people on Sunday. Israel has said the strike targeted and killed two senior Hamas officials, and that it believes the fire could have been caused by an explosion at a Hamas weapons store nearby. The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake, Mr Kirby said. No mathematical formula Facing US campus protests over his support for Israel, Mr Biden said earlier this month that he would not supply Israel with weapons for a major military operation in Rafah, and he halted a shipment of bombs. Yet he has since taken no action even as Israel has stepped up air attacks and, as of Tuesday, moved tanks into central Rafah. Instead, the White House has largely retreated to arguing about what does, and does not, constitute an invasion. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week there was no mathematical formula and said that what were going to be looking at is whether there is a lot of death and destruction. Blatant violations of international and humanitarian laws The Rafah strike has continued to provoke international outrage, with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday accusing Israel of committing continuous genocidal massacres in Gaza. The Saudi foreign ministry said it holds the country responsible for what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories. In one of its most strongly worded statements since the war began, the ministry said: [Israels] continuous blatant violations of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms exacerbate the magnitude of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe experienced by the Palestinian people. Saudi Arabia was thought to be on course to normalise its relations with Israel under a US-backed plan before the war upended the process, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus refusal to commit to recognising a future Palestinian state seen as a key reason why the talks have faltered. 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. Star Nursery Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of researchers observed the birth of three baby galaxies that were forming just a mere 400 to 600 million years after the Big Bang, making them some of the youngest galaxies ever witnessed. The international team of researchers detailed their findings in a new study published in the journal Science. From a cohort of 12 distant galaxies, the researchers noticed that three of them were surrounded by an unusually high amount of hydrogen gas, an essential ingredient for the formation of stars and galaxies leading the scientists to conclude that these galaxies were actively being formed. The research should shed light on the birth of the universe itself and how it developed in its earliest years over 13 billion years ago. "You could say that these are the first 'direct' images of galaxy formation that weve ever seen," said University of Copenhagen astrophysics assistant professor and the study's lead author Kasper Elm Heintz in a statement. "Whereas the James Webb has previously shown us early galaxies at later stages of evolution, here we witness their very birth, and thus, the construction of the first star systems in the universe." Pushing the Boundaries The researchers plan to build on this discovery with more observation time with the James Webb Space Telescope. "For now, this is about mapping our new observations of galaxies being formed in even greater detail than before," said University of Copenhagen doctoral student and study c0author Simone Vejlgaard in the statement. "At the same time, we are constantly trying to push the limit of how far out into the universe we can see. So, perhaps well reach even further." Thanks to the James Webb, we've been able to peer into the earliest days of the universe, allowing us to get a better understanding of how galaxies are born and how they evolve over billions of years. "One of the most fundamental questions that we humans have always asked is: 'Where do we come from?'" said study co-author and University of Copenhagen astrophysics professor Gabriel Brammer. "Here, we piece together a bit more of the answer by shedding light on the moment that some of the universes first structures were created." "It is a process that well investigate further, until hopefully, we are able to fit even more pieces of the puzzle together," he added. More on the James Webb Space Telescope: Scientists Befuddled by Impossible Galaxy Seen by James Webb JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) A Johnson City man charged with second-degree murder admitted to stabbing another man during a fight in the early hours of Sunday, according to an affidavit for his arrest. JCPD: Man charged with murder after fatally stabbing another man Jamie Estuardo-Castinadas, 28, was due to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on a charge of second-degree murder in Washington County Sessions Court. The affidavit states that after responding to a disturbance/fighting call to Heritage Trailer Park (2701 S. Roan St.), officers were directed into a womans mobile home and found a man lying face down in a pool of blood on the living room floor. Police determined the man had no pulse and wasnt breathing, and EMS pronounced him dead shortly after arriving. The mobile homes residents then told police officers that Jamie Estuardo-Castinadas had stabbed the victim. Officers went to a nearby mobile home and took Estuardo-Castinadas, who also goes by the last name Estuardo-Lopez, into custody. Upon being interviewed Estuardo-Castinadas admitted to stabbing the victim, the affidavit states. He then fled to the nearby mobile home. Officers obtained a search warrant for that residence and found bloody clothes among Estuardo-Castinadas belongings, according to the affidavit. Witness statements also corroborated his confession, the affidavit 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. JCPS adds paid parental leave in new budget. Here's what to know JCPS Board Member James Craig, center, made remarks during meeting about ending transportation for magnet schools in the district at the Vanhoose Education Center in Louisville Ky. on April 10, 2024. Ultimately, the board voted to end transportation for all magnet programs except for Central High School and Western High School. Board chair Corrie Shull, right. and member Gail Logan Strange looked on. Jefferson County Board of Education members have approved a tentative $1.9-billion budget for Kentucky's largest school district including funding to implement a new paid parental leave policy. At a board meeting Tuesday, members approved a resolution to provide at least six weeks of leave to all Jefferson County Public Schools workers who have been employed with the district for at least six months, following the birth or adoption of a child. The new policy, proposed by board member James Craig, will take effect July 1. The board's policy committee will hammer out the details of the new policy over the next month. Craig said the proposal was in part a reaction to other Kentucky school districts passing parental leave policies, including Fayette County, which recently passed a policy providing seven weeks of parental leave. Oldham County Schools also plans to provide six weeks of leave to mothers recovering from childbirth. "If we're not competitive with our sister districts, I'm very anxious about this district's health and competing for teachers going forward," Craig said. More: How many JCPS magnet students are leaving their programs? Here's what a new survey says Money to cover parental leave costs will come from funds the district expects to save due to unfilled positions. This school year ended with around 300 teacher vacancies, according to Superintendent Marty Pollio. In its draft budget, JCPS financial leaders planned for a 3.5% increase in revenue from property tax assessments, though the tentative budget approved Tuesday now predicts a 6.9% increase. About 76% of the budget will go directly toward schools, with state funding providing a minimum of $4,326 per student. That figure will be higher for students who are considered economically disadvantaged, have disabilities, are homeless or are learning English. Amid the district's massive increase in international students, an additional $9.2 million will go toward supporting multilingual students. JCPS anticipates about 20,000 international students next year, representing one in every five students throughout the system. Jefferson County Public Schools' tentative budget for 2025 allocates 76% of funds directly to schools. Highlights within the budget, which will go before the board again for final approval in September, include: $15 million in facility improvements Roughly $36 million toward racial equity initiatives About $21 million for Accelerated Improvement and Choice Zone schools in order to improve academic achievement $6.4 million for the Summer Backpack League About $1.1 million for Elev8 after-school programs $2 million for additional grade levels at Echo Trail and Hudson middle schools, as well as Grace James and W.E.B Dubois academies. View the entire budget below. JCPS tentative budget for FY25 by Krista Johnson on Scribd This embedded content is not available in your region. Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS employees to get paid parental leave. Here's what to know Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhao Leji held talks with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing on Wednesday. Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that China and Belarus are good friends and good partners who sincerely help each other. Under the strategic guidance and personal promotion of the two heads of state, the two sides have deepened political mutual trust, made solid progress on Belt and Road cooperation, and engaged in increasingly close international coordination, he said. China is willing to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and advance the China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, Zhao added. Zhao pointed out that China appreciates Belarus's firm support on issues concerning Taiwan, Xinjiang, Xizang and human rights. China will as always support Belarus in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in taking a development path that suits its national conditions, he said. China is ready to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative together with Belarus to promote world peace and development, Zhao added. Zhao said the long-term close exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies of China and Belarus is an important part of bilateral relations. The two sides have set up the China-Belarus legislative cooperation committee, which is a concrete action to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and deepen the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, he added. China's NPC is willing to work with the National Assembly of Belarus to make good use of the cooperation committee and other mechanisms to strengthen friendly exchanges at all levels between the legislative bodies, exchange experience on legislation, supervision and opposing external sanctions and interference, to provide legal guarantees for the sound and stable development of bilateral relations, Zhao noted. Zhao also called on the two sides to strengthen solidarity and coordination in the Inter-Parliamentary Union and other multilateral organizations to safeguard the common interests of developing countries. The legislatures of China and Belarus should strengthen the exchange of experience and coordination on improving the foreign-related rule of law, to better safeguard their respective national security and development interests, and make global governance more just and equitable, Zhao said. Kochanova said that Belarus and China share common development concepts as well as common bonds between the two peoples, and the friendship between the two countries is unbreakable. Belarus firmly abides by the one-China principle and hopes to further expand cooperation in various fields. The National Assembly of Belarus is willing to work with China's NPC to give full play to the role of the cooperation committee, deepen exchanges and mutual learning, and continuously enhance the public support for good friendship between the two countries, Kochanova said. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) Police watch the crowds on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., on Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 26, 2024. On Wednesday, May 29, New Jerseys statewide police union called for changes in laws and policies governing police interactions with disorderly young people following disturbances that led to the temporary closure of the boardwalk in Wildwood, and the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy in Ocean City.(Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) New Jersey's statewide police union said Wednesday there needs to be real consequences for drunken, rowdy teens and adults who create mayhem in public places following a series of disturbances at Jersey Shore towns over the Memorial Day weekend that included the stabbing of a teen. Peter Andreyev, president of the New Jersey State Policemens' Benevolent Association, issued a statement calling for changes in laws and procedures governing how police interact with disorderly teens and young adults. His statement followed a weekend in which a wave of disorderly juveniles and young adults overwhelmed police capabilities in Wildwood on Sunday night, leading the city to close and clear the boardwalk temporarily. Ocean City suffered its second consecutive Memorial Day weekend of disruptions, with numerous fights, disturbances and the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy. He is recovering from non-life-threatening wounds. And a false report of a shooting in Seaside Heights briefly led to panic on the boardwalk there, authorities said. The recent juvenile outbursts are a sign that more needs to be done to allow police to protect our communities," Andreyev said. "This past weekend is just more proof that the law is broken. There needs to be real consequences for violent, drunken, and dangerous behavior for both juveniles and adults. Having no consequences for bad behavior has proved itself again to be a failed criminal justice policy, he continued. "Thousands of people were impacted by the lawlessness this weekend; that must be stopped. Officials in numerous Jersey Shore towns, along with multiple police departments, blame juvenile justice reforms enacted by the state in recent years. The laws were designed to keep more juveniles out of the court system and imposed several restrictions on police officers interactions with them. In January, the law was revised to remove some of the threats of punishment for officers dealing with juveniles suspected of possessing alcohol or marijuana. Gov. Phil Murphy said those changes have put law enforcement in a better position to deal with disorderly teens. In an interview with News 12 New Jersey, the governor said Tuesday that the shore did not have a chaotic weekend. "The weekend was overwhelmingly a successful weekend, including even in those towns, Murphy told the television station. I was on a couple hours ago with the Wildwood mayor, and he said we had a fantastic weekend, we happened to have this overrunning of, it sounds like, a bunch of teenagers. The state attorney general's office declined comment. Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said his city has had enough of rowdy young people bent on causing trouble. Our officers made multiple arrests ... and were able to quickly restore order to the boardwalk once the teens involved in these incidents were removed, he wrote in a message posted on the city's website. "We have a highly qualified team of officers on the boardwalk and throughout town, and they will enforce all laws to the fullest. "Ocean City will always be welcoming to all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and to teens: If you dont want to behave, dont come. In a message on his own city's website, Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. voiced similar sentiments. Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined, unparented children nor will we stand by while the laws of the state tie the hands of the police," he wrote. "We wholeheartedly support the city of Wildwood Police Department in protecting this community from these nuisance crowds on our boardwalk and in the city. Wildwood officials did not give details about individual incidents that led to the 6-hour overnight closure of the boardwalk but said there was an irrepressible number of calls for help to the police department. The Cape May County prosecutor said Wildwood police acted correctly in closing the boardwalk to restore order. Two Republican state senators called Wednesday on the Democrat-controlled Legislature to pass their bill expanding the definition of a riot, enabling local officials in towns that are proposing budget cuts to police to appeal to the state to restore the money, and adding imprisonment of up to six months for someone who throws something at or strikes police officers or other first responders. Riots and vandalism will drive visitors away and devastate the summer season," said Sen. Robert Singer, who proposed the legislation with Sen. Joseph Pennacchio. "As a state, we cannot afford that. ___ Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC NEW JERSEY (PIX11) Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said he is meeting with his business administrator and police chief Tuesday evening to debrief about Saturdays near-stampede on the boardwalk. Around 8 p.m., Vaz said police received initial calls for shots fired, which prompted people to panic and run. Vaz said it quickly became apparent that there was no shooting. Theres no evidence that there was a shot fired, said Vaz. Theres no shells. They [police] combed the area. They interviewed people. Its unclear what type of sound caused the mass panic. Some witnesses reported hearing a car backfire, while others said it was fireworks or balloons. More New Jersey News Chris DAmico works at a clothing store along the boardwalk and said people ran into his store, cowering behind clothing racks and the cash register. He said things began with a large group of several hundred people congregating nearby. There were a lot of people just congregating over here, said DAmico. Getting a little out of hand. Probably a couple hundred people. Next thing I know, theres a big loud boom like a deep boom. And everybody starts running down the boardwalk like a stampede, throwing things around. It was pretty chaotic over here. Mo Ali was working a carnival game on the boardwalk Saturday night and said some people took cover in his booth. People just started running like crazy, hysterically for no reason, said Ali. And some people jumped in here. They were lying here. They thought at first there was a shooter, and even one of the police asked me if I heard gunshots and stuff. Vaz said police appropriately responded to the calls. More Local News You could have a thousand police officers, said Vaz. When you have 20,000 or 30,000 visitors be in children, young adults, adults its hard to maintain, especially on an open boardwalk. Also, over the weekend in Wildwood, city officials declared a state of emergency and closed its boardwalk, citing numerous incidents of civil unrest. According to a statement from Wildwood officials, police began to respond to an irrepressible number of calls for service on Saturday evening. Most of the calls were related to the extremely large number of young adults and juveniles in the city for the holiday weekend. Officials requested mutual aid at the peak of the civil unrest and said that, due to the high call volume, police could not respond to certain calls during that time period. In Ocean City, police responded to a teen who was stabbed on the boardwalk. Mayor Jay Gillian said police made multiple arrests and quickly restored order. In a statement, Gillian wrote: Ocean City will always be welcoming to all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and to teens: If you dont want to behave, dont come. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Jill Biden Says Mics Will Be Turned Off in Biden-Trump Debate to Prevent Rambling and Screaming As the debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump looms closer, First Lady Jill Biden has a promise for viewers: mics will be turned off to prevent any screaming or rambling. Stopping by The View on Wednesday morning, the First Lady was almost immediately asked about her husbands strategy for the debate, with host Sara Haines worrying that itll be impossible to hear either man, given Trumps history of talking over everyone (including moderators) at debates. But, Biden was quick to reassure everyone that there are guard rails in place to prevent that. Theyve built that in where theyre gonna turn off those mics so that somebody cant ramble, or scream at somebody, the First Lady said. Not that my husband would be the one doing that. So thats already been negotiated. Beyond that, the First Lady really wasnt concerned about the matchup between the men, in terms of actual substance. She said she felt certain that her husband will be on his A-game. Youre gonna see how smart he is, and the experience he has, and then youll see somebody who like youre saying, Im gonna use Joys words cant put a sentence together, and everything is beautiful and its wonderful,' she joked. Biden added that she believes the debate is essential and is glad that voters will have a chance to see the two politicians go head-to-head. The American people deserve to see the two men who are running for this office, because your choice is going to be clear, she said. The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. The post Jill Biden Says Mics Will Be Turned Off in Biden-Trump Debate to Prevent Rambling and Screaming appeared first on TheWrap. Joe Biden, the US President, supports proposals not to lower limits on Western weapon donations - Newscom/Alamy Joe Biden was left isolated in his refusal to allow US weapons to be fired into Russia by Ukraine, after France and Germany relaxed their rules. Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine is free to use its high powered weapons which include French versions of Storm Shadows to fire over the border. He made the announcement alongside Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, while holding up a map showing Russian bases being used to attack Ukraine in the latest offensives. Mr Scholz was more cautious, but agreed Ukraine had the right under international law to use Western hardware to defend itself from attacks launched from Russian soil. It leaves the US isolated as Western partners, including the UK, have almost all relaxed their rules. US weapons are considered crucial to halting the advances, especially on the northern border where Russian troops are massing for further attacks north of the second city of Kharkiv. We must allow [the Ukrainians] to neutralise the military sites from which the missiles are fired, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked, Mr Macron said during his state visit to Germany. But we must not allow other targets in Russia to be hit, and obviously civilian capabilities, he added. What has changed is that Russia has adapted its practices somewhat. If we say [to the Ukrainians], you dont have the right to reach the point from which the missiles are fired, in fact, were telling them were delivering you weapons, but you cant defend yourselves. Ukraine has every opportunity to do so, under international law. We have to say it clearly, it is under attack and can defend itself, Mr Scholz said, raising the prospect that German weaponry could be moved close to the border for strikes inside Russia. The issue of striking targets on Russian soil has become an important issue in recent weeks after Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, said his forces were unable to target Russian troops as they waited on the border before launching a new offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region. We, and this is a fact, cannot risk the support of our partners that is why we are not using our partners arms to attack Russian territory. Thats why we are asking: please give us the permission to do that, Mr Zelensky said on a visit to Belgium on Tuesday. Kyivs military has repeatedly used Western weapons such as the US-supplied Himars rocket launchers to hit groupings of Russian soldiers on occupied territory. Storm Shadow cruise missiles donated by Britain and France have been used to strike ammunition and fuel dumps aimed at supporting Russias offensive actions. But an American embargo on such strikes on Russian soil has made it easier for Russia to launch long-range attacks from inside its borders. Despite mounting pressure on Washington to permit strikes with US-provided weapons on military targets within Russia, there has been little sign of movement. Our position has not changed at this stage. We neither encourage nor permit the use of US-supplied weapons to strike Russian soil, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby, after the Franco-German announcement. The US opposition has prompted a renewed debate over how far Kyivs Western backers should go in allowing autonomous use of donated weapons. Jens Stoltenberg, Natos secretary-general, has urged a reconsideration of the limits placed on certain weapons, without referring directly to the Americans. The western alliances top official has argued that the restrictions tie the hands of Ukrainians behind their backs. EU countries are also deeply divided on the subject, the blocs top foreign diplomat Josep Borrell has said. The UK, the Baltic states, Finland and Poland have previously endorsed their weapons being used on targets inside Russia. Their moves prompted accusations of direct escalation from the Kremlin, stoking fears of a widening conflict among some Nato members. The US, Italy and Germany have been vocal in their fears that, as a nuclear power, Russia should not be provoked by lowered limits on Western weapon donations. 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. Screenshot of John Morgan announcing his support for Amendment 3 in Orlando, May 29, 2024 (courtesy of Smart & Safe Florida) Quality Journalism for Critical Times Orlando-based trial attorney and major Democratic fundraiser John Morgan, who spent more than $8 million of his own money to get medical marijuana legalized in Florida in 2016, announced on Wednesday that he is supporting Amendment 3, the constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida this November that would legalize the adult use of recreational cannabis. Morgan not only helped bankroll the constitutional amendments to get medical marijuana passed in Florida in 2016, but he also spent around $6 million in 2020 on a constitutional amendment to raise Floridas minimum wage from what was then $8.65 an hour to what will ultimately be $15 in 2026. But he hasnt been involved in the campaign to legalize cannabis this year. Until now. This is not my amendment, he said at a press conference held at the Morgan and Morgan law offices in downtown Orlando. I have given my advice, Ive given my help, but I have not given my money for this. Morgan said that he was recently contacted by officials with Smart & Safe Florida, the advocacy group that is working to get Amendment 3 passed this fall, if he was willing to be the voice of the amendment. I said Of course I would. he said on Wednesday. While if it werent for Morgan, its unlikely there would have been another financial benefactor to help fund the campaigns for medical marijuana in both 2014 (when it failed with 57% of the vote) and 2016. The cannabis industry is now established in Florida, which is why Smart & Safe Florida has already raised about $55 million to date, and currently has more than $14 million cash-on-hand, according to the Florida Division of Elections campaign finance data. Much of that initial money came from Trulieve, the states largest marijuana company. Morgan said the reason that the campaigns for medical marijuana and raising the minimum wage that hes help fund have been successful is because hes been able to go outside of Tallahassee, which he called corrupt during his news conference. Tallahassee does not work for us, he said. Tallahassee works for a very small few: monopolies, cable companies, TV stations, grocery stores. They do not work for us. The Republican Party of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis have formally come out against Amendment 3. Morgan was dismissive of DeSantis comments about the proposal, specifically his comment that its passage will make the state start to smell like marijuana in our cities and counties. Thats a f*ing lie, Morgan replied. And the reason we know that its a f*ing lie is we dont smell it now. Have you ever walked around a marijuana store? .its a lie. Morgan, a Democrat who spent some time in 2017 considering a run for governor the next year before ultimately opting not to, speculated on X back in January that he might consider running for governor as a political independent in 2026. Whether he does so or not, hes making sure that he believes that smoking cannabis is now a mainstream activity in America. When do I use marijuana? Every f*ing day, he said. I smoke a joint and Im still here, as Elton John would say, Im still standing. But guess what? I wake up every day clear as a bell. No cobwebs. So the time has come, like the time has come for a lot of the things in the past, to put these laws all behind us. If I was the governor of this state I would pardon every single person whos ever been arrested for marijuana. Id expunge all their records. More Americans are now reporting daily or near-daily use of marijuana than those who drink alcohol at similar levels, according to an analysis published last week in the journal Addiction and authored by Carnegie Mellon University drug policy researcher Jonathan Caulkins. If approved, Amendment 3 would legalize adults 21 and older to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products up to three ounces. It would result in an increase of at least $195.6 million annually in state and local sales tax revenues, according to the Florida Financial Impact Estimating Conference from July 2023. It requires 60% support for passage. There are 24 states currently that have legalized recreational cannabis, but as the Phoenix has previously reported, of the 15 states that approved legal weed via the ballot box, only three states Maryland, New Jersey and Arizona have been able to pass it by that large of a margin. The post John Morgan, who pushed medical marijuana in FL, announces support for adult recreational cannabis appeared first on Florida Phoenix. Juan Merchan, the judge Donald Trump calls a hater, once gave money to Joe Biden Justice Juan Manuel Merchan began his legal career in 1994 after graduating from Hofstra University School of Law - Seth Wenig/AP The judge overseeing the hush-money criminal case against Donald Trump has crossed legal paths with the former president before. In 2022, Justice Juan Manuel Merchan presided over the tax fraud trial that led to the conviction of Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations chief financial officer. He is also the judge in the fraud and money laundering case against Trump ally Steve Bannon. But Mr Trumps hush-money trial is by far the highest profile case of Justice Merchans 17 years on the bench. Mr Trump has been charged with falsifying business records ahead of the 2016 election to cover up a $130,000 payment made to stop Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, talking about their alleged affair. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair. Who is Justice Merchan? Justice Merchan has overseen the former presidents case since he was indicted in April last year, including Mr Trumps failed attempt to move the case to federal court, two attempts to have the judge recused from the case, and numerous other attempts to delay proceedings. Justice Juan Merchan presides over a hearing ahead of the trial of Donald Trump over charges that he falsified business records - Jane Rosenberg/Reuters He began his legal career in 1994 after graduating from Hofstra University School of Law. Before being appointed a family court judge in 2006, Justice Merchan served in the New York County District Attorneys Office and as an assistant attorney general in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Since 2009, he has presided over criminal matters while serving at the New York County Supreme Court. The $15 Biden donation Not long after Mr Trump was arraigned, it emerged that Justice Merchan had donated $35 to the Democrats in 2020, including $15 to Joe Biden. Despite the donations being small, they raised questions about his impartiality. According to federal election records, Justice Merchan sent $15 to the Biden campaign, as well as two $10 contributions to the Progressive Turnout Project and Stop Republicans. In New York state, judges are barred from making donations to political organisations or candidates, but the donation was viewed as trivial given its sum. Justice Merchan did not recuse himself from the case when the issue came to light. Daughter has worked for Democrats Justice Merchans daughter, Loren Merchan, is the president of Authentic Campaigns, a firm that has worked on digital fundraising and advertising for Democratic clients. Her list of previous clients includes Mr Biden and Representative Adam Schiff, who led impeachment efforts against Mr Trump. The revelation led Mr Trump to push to have Justice Merchan removed from the case. What has Trump said about Justice Merchan? Mr Trump has been extremely outspoken against both Justice Merchan and his daughter. In a televised address from his Florida mansion of Mar-a-Lago in April last year, Mr Trump accused the judge of having a Trump-hating family with ties to Kamala Harris. He said: I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris, and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign and a lot of it. His attacks against Ms Merchan on social media led Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, to request an expansion of the former presidents existing gag order to include the judges family. Mr Trump decried the order as a violation of his constitutional right to free speech. 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. Judge Aileen Cannon may have slapped down a request to gag Donald Trump, but her indefinite delays on the trial could very likely put a deadline on her own involvement in the case entirely. On Tuesday, Cannon rejected special counsel Jack Smiths gag order request in Trumps classified documents trial on the basis that the filing wasnt polite enough, telling the federal prosecutor that he did not offer Trumps legal team enough time to discuss (and ultimately reject) the request. But time is of the essence in Trumps criminal trialsespecially with a loose-lipped defendant who keeps haranguing federal agencies and a Trump-appointed judge who is slow-walking the case to an early grave. Some legal experts have predicted that its that exact combination that will push the trial until after November and into a possibility where Trump could potentially pardon himself, avoiding any consequences for snagging the sensitive documents. But others believe that the constant delays could lead to another alternative: Cannons removal from the trial. Cannon filed her decision Tuesday without prejudice, meaning that Smith can refile his request to gag the former president. If he does, Cannon would be forced to make a definitive ruling, explained MSNBC legal analyst Jordan Rubin. Smith could then appeal that rulingand possibly [build] a case to try and get a new judge to preside, Rubin wrote. Legal scholar Matthew Seligman agreed that a renewed motion would put Cannons fate squarely in her own hands.If she doesnt approve the renewed motionor if she sits on it indefinitelySmith could potentially go to the Eleventh Circuit and ask them to step in, Seligman told The New Republics Greg Sargent. Or if she denies it outright, there is an overwhelming likelihood that Smith will appeal to the Eleventh Circuit, during which he could ask for her removal. The obvious concern here is that Trumps rhetoric is going to inspire violence against federal law enforcement officers, and this is something that cant wait, Seligman said, noting that the threat isnt purely hypothetical. In April, a former Navy submarine technician from North Carolina, Ervin Lee Bolling, rammed his SUV into the FBIs Atlanta headquarters. His social media history revealed him to be an individual enmeshed in QAnon conspiracy theoriesa political conspiracy that paints Trump as a messiahmaking posts in support of Trumps Stop the Steal election interference campaign, and said that he was looking for a good militia to join after a federal stimulus bill passed in December 2020. But Trumps recent messaging could do even more damage, Seligman warned. Over the weekend, Trump accused the Biden administration of authorizing the FBI to shoot him during its search and seizure of Mar-a-Lagoa claim that was, in actuality, a wild misread of a standard policy statement regarding the agencys use of deadly force. Judge finds just cause in termination of former Northeast Iowa Community College president Northeast Iowa Community College was found to have just cause supporting its decision to terminate former president Herbert Riedel. (Photo courtesy of Northeast Iowa Community College) Northeast Iowa Community College was justified in its termination of former president Herbert Riedel, a judge has ruled. Riedel was previously placed on administrative leave in October after a series of closed sessions, and Vice President of Finance and Administration Dave Dahms is serving as acting president of the institution. Riedel was announced for the role in February 2022. A private hearing was held in late March about Riedels possible termination from the community college, according to a news release, overseen by an administrative law judge. The judge ruled May 20 that the college had just cause in terminating Riedel. The grounds asserted for just cause termination included failure to make satisfactory improvement in areas of expectations identified in the evaluation and performance action plan, the release stated. According to the release, Riedel didnt make improvements in building trust with leadership, staff and other college stakeholders, creating an open, respectful and diplomatic relationship and reputation with students and staff and bettering relationships with community partners. Riedel has 30 days to appeal the judges decision, the release stated. The former president has also filed suit against the colleges board of trustees, alleging it violated open meetings laws when discussing Riedels performance and job details during a closed session in June 2023. According to court documents, the college denies violating laws when it voted to implement a performance action plan for Riedel to follow. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Judge finds just cause in termination of former Northeast Iowa Community College president appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Nicholas Umphenour, 28, the Idaho man charged with shooting correction officers while helping a prisoner who was getting treatment at a Boise hospital escape, stood silent when asked to enter a plea Wednesday afternoon. Standing silent, also known as standing mute, means that the defendant refuses to enter a plea. Fourth District Judge Nancy Baskin entered a not guilty plea on his behalf instead, as mandated by Idaho law. Umphenours attorney informed Baskin of Umphenours decision in court. Your counsel has represented that you wish to stand silent and not enter a guilty plea on your own behalf, Baskin said. So I will respect that decision. Standing silent is an unusual but not unheard of legal move. It was recently used by high-profile murder defendant Bryan Kohberger, who is charged with killing four University of Idaho students in Moscow. Nicholas Umphenour could be sentenced to more than 65 years in prison if found guilty of all charges against him. The judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in court Wednesday. Umphenours case will move forward toward a jury trial, which Baskin scheduled to begin Oct. 21. Umphenour said little throughout his arraignment at the Ada County Courthouse. He acknowledged that he understood when Baskin told him that he could face up to life in prison if found guilty of his alleged crimes and enhancements. Umphenour is accused of ambushing Idaho Department of Correction officers at Boises Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center to help prisoner Skylar Meade, 31 who was receiving treatment for self-inflicted injuries escape custody on March 20. Boise police said Umphenour shot two of the officers, while a third was mistakenly shot by police. Umphenour is facing three charges of assault or battery of officers, one charge of aiding and abetting an escape, one charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, and enhancements for use of a deadly weapon while committing a felony and for being a persistent violator. Officers arrested the two men in the Twin Falls area on March 21, according to Idaho State Police. Authorities said they also linked the two men to two North Idaho homicides one in Nez Perce County and another in Clearwater County that happened in the time window when they were at large. Prosecutors have yet to charge anyone in those killings. Meade pleaded guilty May 15 without a plea agreement to escaping and an enhancement for being a persistent violator. His defense attorney, Rob Chastain, said Meade believes that theres a strong factual basis for the crimes. Umphenours previous criminal record Court records show Umphenour served three separate sentences in prison as an adult before his most recent arrest. He was first arrested in August 2014 for unlawfully hunting and taking multiple big game animals. In March 2016, while on probation, he was arrested and later found guilty of felony burglary. A judge added two years to his sentence for the probation violation. He was released in March 2018. Less than a year later, in December 2018, Umphenour, who was living in Orofino, was charged and later found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and grand theft in Clearwater County. He was charged with stealing a truck and other tools from a cedar mill in Weippe. Officers said they found the truck burned, according to police reports. Umphenour began his sentence for those crimes in June 2019 and was released on Jan. 17 this year, according to court records. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefs a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security with a focus on climate change, peace and security at the UN headquarters in New York, June 13, 2023. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) The UN peacekeeping chief pointed out the significance of enhanced "peacekeeping awareness, situational awareness, and peacekeeping intelligence," which are fundamental to the effectiveness of operations amidst the increasing complexities of modern conflict environments. by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN peacekeeping chief has emphasized the critical need for improved situational awareness and intelligence in response to evolving challenges facing UN operations. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, pointed out the significance of enhanced "peacekeeping awareness, situational awareness, and peacekeeping intelligence," which are fundamental to the effectiveness of operations amidst the increasing complexities of modern conflict environments, during a virtual interview with Xinhua on the cusp of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, observed annually on May 29. Reflecting on this year's theme for the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, "Fit for the Future, Building Better Together," Lacroix detailed three primary areas of focus. "First, we need to emphasize to our member states that peacekeeping is inherently political, aimed at supporting political efforts towards a durable solution to crises," he explained. This requires "stronger, more united support from member states." He also highlighted the dangers faced by peacekeepers from digital threats such as fake news and disinformation, as well as traditional threats from armed groups. "Peacekeepers are faced with environments that are becoming more dangerous," Lacroix said, stressing the need for continuous international support to adapt to these evolving threats. Significantly, Lacroix aligned his strategy with the secretary-general's New Agenda for Peace, which advocates for reshaping operational strategies to enhance the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping missions. "The New Agenda for Peace is crucial as it brings strong messages that need reflection in our operational strategies," Lacroix stated. A wreath is pictured in front of a monument dedicated to those who gave their lives for peace during a ceremony to commemorate fallen peacekeepers at the UN headquarters in New York, May 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) He emphasized the need for "prioritized mandates and expanded efforts in safety, security, digital transformation, and counter-disinformation strategies." "We cannot do everything. We need to focus where we can add the most value," Lacroix continued. He emphasized that efforts to enhance peacekeeping through improved safety, security, digital transformation, combating fake news and disinformation, as well as refining planning and performance assessments, must not only continue but also expand. Lacroix stressed the importance of "addressing those drivers of conflict," such as the impact of climate change and illegal transnational activities. Additionally, he emphasized that "better support for peace enforcement operations" is crucial, noting that such tasks "cannot be conducted by blue helmets" alone and require the involvement of "regional and sub-regional organizations." Moreover, Lacroix discussed the necessity for new models of peace operations, considering both UN peace operations and non-UN peace enforcement operations. "We also need to think about what future peace operations might look like, which involves both existing UN frameworks and potential new models," he remarked. Building trust with local communities remains a cornerstone of effective peacekeeping, a process enhanced by the increased presence of women and robust community engagement strategies. "Building trust with local communities is very important, achieved through engagement by our civilian teams, police, and military," Lacroix added. Donald Trump, who built a mystique as the brash epitome of power, has never been more powerless to dictate his own fate. His reputation, future, and even perhaps the White Houses destiny, will on Wednesday be placed in the hands of 12 citizens of his native New York City, proving that not even once-and-possibly future commanders in chief are above the law. Seven men and five women jurors will retire for deliberations on Trumps six-week hush money trial after Judge Juan Merchan instructs them on the law and their duties. No jury in American history has faced such a task deciding whether a former president and presumptive major party nominee will be convicted of a crime. And while the jury, which can deliberate for as long as it needs, is bound to decide its verdict on 34 felony charges on the testimony and evidence in the case alone, its decision will reverberate across the nation and the world at a critical moment of the 2024 presidential election. The trial slogged toward its end on Tuesday in nearly 10 hours of closing arguments that burst into open hostility between rival lawyers. You have to put aside the distractions, the press, the politics, the noise. Focus on the evidence and the logical inference that can be drawn from that evidence, prosecution lawyer Joshua Steinglass told the jury. In the interest of justice and in the name of the people of the state of the New York, I ask you to find the defendant guilty. Thank you. Prosecutors accused the ex-president of a conspiracy and a cover-up and of betraying 2016 voters by illegally falsifying financial records to hide a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the election. Trump denies having an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty in this first of four looming criminal cases which may be the only one to go to trial before Novembers election. In order to convict Trump, jurors must first decide that he falsified financial documents and did so with the express purpose of committing another crime. The ex-president watched quietly but intently in court Tuesday after days of firing off furious rhetorical assaults on the judge, prosecutors and the legal system. His lead defense counsel, Todd Blanche, tried to eviscerate the credibility of the cases central witness, Michael Cohen, branding the self-described former Trump thug as the GLOAT the Greatest Liar of All Time, while insisting there was no crime and no proof Trump orchestrated the plan to pay off Daniels. And conjuring a dark image that seemed to capture his clients cynical view of democracy, Blanche said: Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to promote a candidate, a group of people who are working together to help somebody win. The former president, who chose not to testify in his own defense, looked on, often with his arm draped across a chair, in the unusual position of having to leave others to speak for him. Trump has now spent six ignominious weeks breathing the stale air of a foreboding tower block of a courthouse that has dispensed justice to some of New Yorks most storied murderers, crooks and Mafia dons. The yellowing white-wash, austere furniture and florescent lights that form the soulless abyss of Americas criminal justice system may have been an insult to the eyes of a developer who frequently boasts about the splendor of his buildings and is more at home under the glistening chandeliers and gold-leafed opulence of his multiple residencies. The final stages of any criminal trial reach a somber register as the gravity of the moment for the accused begins to come into view. In this case, which is entwined with a presidential election that will decide the countrys future, the consequences are even more profound. And theres also a poignant personal dimension. The city where Trump made his name and reshaped the skyline while romping through the tabloid era of the 1980s is about to judge its estranged son. A political circus erupts outside the court Events outside the courtroom highlighted the rising stakes of the eventual verdict just five months from a currently tight election between Trump and President Joe Biden. Hollywood legend Robert De Niro showed up on behalf of the Biden campaign to blast the loser Trump, accompanied by some of the police officers beaten up by the ex-presidents mob in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The star of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull a New York City icon in his own right got into a quintessential finger-pointing standoff with a heckling bystander spreading misinformation about the assault on the Capitol. Moments later, Trumps adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, showed up for their father, who has come perilously close to incurring a jail spell for repeatedly violating a gag order. We understand that this is a political persecution. That was evidenced, today by the Biden campaign themselves holding a rally here, Don Trump Jr. said. They bring in Robert De Niro but apparently he needs attention because its been a while since hes cranked out a good movie. The Biden campaign has tried to keep its distance from Trumps criminal tribulations, partly to avoid accusations like those from the ex-presidents camp on Tuesday. But its decision to engage as the presumptive GOP nominees trial reached a pivotal point began to answer the question of how Bidens team will react to the end of the trial and Trumps emergence from weeks of the campaign trail being diverted through the courtroom. Despite the circus unfolding outside the court, there is no sign that the trial has gripped the national imagination like previous celebrity cases such as the O.J. Simpson saga or the trial of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. Thats partly to do with the lack of television cameras in Merchans courtroom. Some polls have, however, suggested that a guilty verdict could give some Republican voters pause about choosing a convicted felon in November, despite the way Trump weaponized his legal woes as an asset in the GOP primary and his strategy of portraying himself as a persecuted victim in the general election. In a close White House race, only a few thousand defections from the former president could have an outsize effect since the result is likely to be decided in only a handful of swing states by tens of thousands of votes. If Trump is convicted, hes sure to lash out and redouble his vow to dedicate any second presidency to personal and political retribution in a way that could play into Bidens dominant campaign theme that US democracy is in mortal peril. An acquittal, on the other hand, could validate for Trumps supporters his claims that all his legal woes are a witch-hunt. The defense rounds yet again on Michael Cohen Trump bitterly complained on Tuesday that the defense got the right to deliver the first summation, meaning that the prosecution argument could be freshest in the jurors minds when they come to deliberate. But he didnt mention that is how the law works in New York state. On one of the most critical days of Trumps life, Blanche set out about methodically dismantling the prosecution case, seeking to cast reasonable doubt on multiple examples of testimony and evidence. To begin, as Blanche spoke calmly and conversationally, there were none of the often self-defeating histrionics that the ex-president sometimes demands of his lawyers. All Blanche had to do was to cast doubt in the mind of one juror, which could force the judge to declare a mistrial if the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict. We have no burden to prove anything, Blanche told the jury. The burden is always on the government. Blanche insisted that Cohen did considerable legal work for Trump as his private attorney, countering prosecution arguments that payments made to him once Trump became president were disguised reimbursements for the $130,000 that Cohen paid to Daniels. He told jurors that there was no proof that Trump orchestrated a scheme to subvert the 2016 election or that he even knew what staffers were doing in his name. The attorney returned time and time again to the credibility of Cohen, the most important prosecution witness, portraying him as a serial liar who was caught red handed not telling the truth on the stand and who was making millions of dollars on the back of Trumps legal storm. You cannot convict President Trump, Blanche said, before repeating himself for emphasis while impressing on the jury the gravity of the historic deliberation that lies before them. You cannot convict President Trump of any crime beyond a reasonable doubt based on the words of Michael Cohen. At the end of his summation, Blanche listed 10 reasons why jurors should have reasonable doubt including that there was no intent to falsify documents on Trumps part and no evidence of an orchestrated attempt to meddle in the 2016 election, while arguing that Trumps intent was to keep stories about Daniels from embarrassing his family. Blanche kept his Trumpiest flourish for his last moments with the jury pleading with them not to send the ex-president to prison, in an infringement of legal etiquette and incurring the fury of Merchan. After the jurors returned from a break, the judge warned that their job was to judge the evidence, not to speculate on what punishments Trump might face if he is found guilty. Prosecution expands its case on election interference Steinglass opened his final argument with a long rebuttal of Blanches summation, as he sought to show that Cohens credibility was not a deal breaker and that in any case the charges were carried by other testimony. Steinglass repeatedly billed the alleged crime not as a seedy attempt to hide a personal transgression but a threat to the integrity of the electoral system. You may say, who cares if Mr. Trump slept with a porn star 10 years before the 2016 election? Many people feel that way. Its harder to say the American people dont have the right to decide for themselves whether they care or not, he said. Some observers have suggested that the extraordinary precedent of indicting and trying an ex-president should stem from an alleged offense that threatens the integrity of the republic itself. Trumps other looming trials including over the attempt to subvert the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents might come closer to reaching this bar. But Steinglass dismissed the notion that the current case is relatively trivial. He said the value of the corrupt bargain involved cannot be overstated. He continued: It turned out to be one of the most valuable contributions anyone ever made to the Trump campaign, adding that this scheme cooked up by these men at this time could very well be what got President Trump elected. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The strike is set to take place just days before the general election on July 4 - Stefan Rousseau/PA Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the junior doctors strikes set for the week of the general election and revealed he told the unions not to go ahead. The Labour leader said most medics do not want the walkout to happen and that it will have an impact on patients waiting for much-needed treatment. The comments follow a public challenge from Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, who told Labour to finally condemn junior doctor strikes. The British Medical Association (BMA) called for a five-day walkout from 7am on June 27 to 7am on July 2 after the Government failed to make a credible offer. It means doctors will be on strike just days before the general election takes place on July 4. The announcement was made as Sir Keir held a question and answer session with student nurses and medics at the University of Worcester campus on Wednesday. Sir Keir meets with student nurses and medics at the University of Worcester campus - Stefan Rousseau/PA Asked afterwards whether he would directly condemn the strikes, he said: I dont want the strikes to go ahead and Ill be very clear about that. And weve said that to the doctors themselves, Im not saying it to you and not to them. We dont want the strike to go ahead. I dont think the doctors do. It certainly doesnt help any of their patients who are desperately waiting for appointments and operations that are much needed. Sir Keir criticised the Government, saying it was shocking that the dispute hadnt been resolved and accusing ministers of effectively kicking it to the other side of the general election. Highly cynical tactic Earlier Ms Atkins posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, calling on the Labour leader to condemn the latest industrial action by the health unions. Today should be the day the Labour Party finally condemn junior doctor strikes, she wrote. Announcing this during an election and on Labours health day shows this was only ever political and not about patients or staff. Ms Atkins described the junior doctors decision as a highly cynical tactic. She added: This Conservative Government has taken the tough decisions to keep public spending down to bear down on inflation, which is now back to normal. Labour would be in the hands of their union paymasters - meaning more spending and higher taxes. The BMAs junior doctors committee said it had been in talks with the Government for the last three months to reach a deal and gave them a final opportunity to make an offer and avoid strikes. In a statement, it added: Rishi Sunak continues to refuse to meet junior doctors demands for a roadmap to restore pay. Talks have broken down despite both parties confirming they had brought in a mediator to try and break the logjam last month. Junior doctors are demanding a 35 per cent pay rise to take effect over several years and first walked out in March 2023. If the next round of walkouts goes ahead, it will mean the doctors in training have been on strike for a total of 44 days over 16 months - Jonathan Brady/PA Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, the BMA junior doctors committee co-chairmen, said they had made clear they would strike unless there was a credible pay offer. They said: For more than 18 months we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years equal to more than a quarter in real terms. When we entered mediation with the Government this month we did so under the impression that we had a functioning Government that would soon be making an offer. Clearly no offer is now forthcoming. Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience. They added that Mr Sunak had the opportunity to prevent the strikes with a public commitment that is acceptable. I would be willing to sit down and negotiate Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, said it was a worrying escalation in the long dispute and will inevitably hit patients hard. She said staff will spend countless hours preparing for the walkout, which includes cancelling and rescheduling appointments. This is time they would prefer to spend improving patient care and tackling sky-high waiting lists. The announcement comes as Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, set out their plans to tackle the NHS backlog at an event in the West Midlands, which includes getting staff to work evenings and weekends. On Wednesday morning, Mr Streeting was adamant it would be a journey to restoring pay. That 35 per cent claim is not one I would be able to meet on July 5, he told BBCs Today Programme. I would be willing to sit down and negotiate because the journey back to fair pay is exactly that. A journey not an event. He added: Of course I dont want to see strikes during the general election period, I dont want to see patients experiencing more misery. If the next round of walkouts goes ahead, it will mean the doctors in training have been on strike for a total of 44 days over 16 months. Steve Barclay, the former health secretary, previously accused junior doctors of staging politically motivated strike action when they timed a three-day walkout to coincide with the Conservative Party conference last October. The doctors currently earn a base salary of between 32,398 and 63,152, depending on the number of years they have been practising and received a 9 per cent on average in 2023. Senior doctors also took to the picket line last year but settled their dispute after a second, improved offer was put to members, which pledged to increase the most junior consultants salary to 99,532 per year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A woman accused of leaving her Boston police officer boyfriend for dead in a snowbank after a night of drinking was still legally intoxicated or close to it roughly eight hours later, a former state police toxicologist testified Tuesday. Prosecutors say Karen Read dropped John OKeefe off at a house party hosted by a fellow officer in January 2022, struck him with her SUV and then drove away. Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, and her defense team argues that the homeowners relationship with local and state police tainted the investigation. They also say she was framed and that OKeefe was beaten inside the home and left outside. Live video, updates: Former member of MSP crime lab takes stand in Karen Read murder trial As the highly publicized trial entered its fifth week, jurors heard from Nicholas Roberts, who analyzed blood test results from the hospital where Read was evaluated after OKeefes body was discovered. He calculated that her blood alcohol content at 9 a.m., the time of the blood test, was between .078% and .083%, right around the legal limit for intoxication in Massachusetts. Based on a police report that suggested her last drink was at 12:45 a.m., her peak blood alcohol level would have been between .135% and .292%, he said. Multiple witnesses have described Read frantically asking, Did I hit him? before OKeefe was found or saying afterward, I hit him. Others have said the couple had a stormy relationship and OKeefe was trying to end it. OKeefe had been raising his niece and nephew, and they told jurors Tuesday that they heard frequent arguments between him and Read. OKeefes niece described the relationship as good at the beginning but bad at the end, though the nephew said they were never physically violent. John OKeefes nephew, niece testify about his relationship with Karen Read. Heres what they said The defense, which has been allowed to present what is called third-party culprit evidence, argues that investigators focused on Read because she was a convenient outsider who saved them from having to consider other suspects. Those they have implicated include Brian Albert, who owned the home in Canton where OKeefe died, and Brian Higgins, a federal agent who was there that night. Higgins, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified last week about exchanging flirtatious texts with Read in the weeks before OKeefes death. On Tuesday he acknowledged extracting only those messages before throwing away his phone during the murder investigation. Higgins said he replaced the phone because someone he was investigating for his job had gotten his number. He got a new phone and number on Sept. 29, 2022, a day before being served with a court order to preserve his phone, and then threw the old one away a few months later. Questioning Higgins on the stand, Reads lawyer suggested the timing was suspicious. You knew when you were throwing that phone and the destroyed SIM card in the Dumpster, that from that day forward, no one would ever be able to access the content of what you and Brian Albert had discussed by text messages on your old phone, attorney David Yannetti said. 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 Donald Trumps fate is out of his hands. A jury of 12 New Yorkers has begun deliberating in the former presidents hush money criminal case, holding the power to make Trump the first American president ever found guilty of a crime or the first to be acquitted of one. The trial concluded Tuesday with closing arguments from Trumps attorneys and state prosecutors stretching a full day, keeping jurors in court until 8 p.m. to ensure theyd receive the case Wednesday. Defense attorneys spent much of their time hammering Michael Cohen, Trumps ex-fixer, while prosecutors defended the documentation that backed by Cohens testimony forms the foundation of their case against Trump. Even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable, you may not convict solely on that testimony unless you also find that it was corroborated by other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of the crime, Judge Juan Merchan said during his instructions to the jury. The decision on whether or not to convict Trump or if the case will end in a hung jury if all 12 jurors cant unanimously decide on all 34 counts could come at any time. None of the jurors looked at Trump as they passed by him while exiting the courtroom to begin deliberations. Trump must remain at the New York courthouse throughout the deliberations, the judge said. Trump faces 34 felony charges alleging he falsified business records to conceal a hush money payment made to a porn actress in the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign to keep secret their alleged affair a decade earlier. The charges are usually brought as a misdemeanor, so to find Trump guilty, jurors must determine Trump acted with the intent to further another crime. Throughout just more than four weeks of testimony, prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorneys office implicated Trump in a broad conspiracy to clear his path to the White House by stifling negative stories about him ahead of the election. They contend the scheme ran afoul of state and federal election laws. Jurors heard testimony from allies in Trumps 2016 campaign orbit and high-up employees in the Trump Organization who testified that Trumps presidential aspirations were one scandal away from devastation. Ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, whose tabloid helped kill several salacious stories about Trump in the lead-up to the election, testified that he agreed during a meeting with Trump to be the eyes and ears of the then-business moguls presidential campaign. Porn actor Stormy Daniels described, in graphic detail, her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and how she was paid $130,000 weeks before the election to stay silent about it. And Michael Cohen, Trumps then-attorney who coordinated it all, linked his onetime client to key business records underpinning the charges that make up the district attorneys case though the defense sought rigorously to portray Cohen as a liar on cross-examination. Defense attorneys attempted to portray Cohen as a serial liar, seeking to undercut his testimony on cross-examination and later calling to the stand his former legal adviser, Robert Costello, as the defenses main witness. Costello pushed back on Cohens assertion that Trump was personally involved in the hush money deals, and that the then-presidents allies initiated a pressure campaign to stop Cohen from flipping when federal prosecutors closed in on him. Before entering into deliberations, the judge gave the jury instructions Wednesday that lasted more than an hour. Jurors appeared to hang onto every word, even as Merchans instructions often became dry as he went through each of the 34 documents Trump is charged over, one by one. Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but only after a fair and impartial consideration of the evidence with other jurors, Merchan told the jury. Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has spoken out at length about two Jan. 6-related flags flown at his Virginia and New Jersey homesand has squarely aimed the blame at his wife. My wife is a private citizen, and she possesses the same First Amendment rights as every other American, Alito wrote in two letters to members of Congress on Wednesday in which he refused to recuse himself from Supreme Court cases related to Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. She makes her own decisions, and I have always respected her right to do so, he added. Congressional Democrats had called on Alito to recuse himself from related cases after The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was flown outside the couples Virginia home in Jan. 2021, and an Appeal to Heaven flagassociated with Christian nationalist movements and co-opted by Capitol rioterswas flown outside the couples beach home on the Jersey Shore last summer. In his first comments on the Appeal to Heaven incident, Alito wrote, I recall that my wife did fly that flag for some period of time, but I do not remember how long it flew. And what is most relevant here, I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag. My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not, he wrote, adding that his wife has also flown patriotic, college, sports-related, and state flags. Alito said his wife, Martha-Ann, described the Appeal to Heaven flag to him as one dating back to the American Revolutionand that he assumed she hung it to express a religious and patriotic message. He claimed in the letter that he and his wife were not aware of the flags affiliation with the Stop the Steal movement. Justice Alitos Beach Home Neighbors Sound Off on That Jan. 6 Flag He also reiterated his previous explanation for the upside-down flag, writing that it resulted from a very nasty neighborhood dispute in which I had no involvement. He said a house on their street had displayed a sign attacking [Martha-Ann] personally and that their neighbor trailed her down the road and berated her in front of him using foul language. The rant, he said, included the vilest epithet that can be addressed to a woman. The Virginia neighbors at the center of the dispute, however, offered a different timeline in a report published by The New York Times on Wednesday. They said it was Alitos wife who started the name-calling in Feb. 2021, and while they did indeed call her the c-word, it was weeks after the upside-down flag had been taken down. The outlet reported that the incident, which spurred a call to police, came after a series of nasty encounters between the couple and Martha-Ann. The neighbor also admitted to placing signs in their yard after the Capitol riot that read, You Are Complicit and Trump Is a Fascist but the first was directed toward Republicans in general, not the Alitos. In his letters, Alito argued that the flag incidents did not merit recusal under the Supreme Courts code of conduct. The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal, he continued. As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A man was rescued by Kansas City firefighters Tuesday after he was found hanging upside down by his foot in a tree. The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the report in the 5900 block of Indiana at approximately around 8 p.m. Upon arrival, the crew found the individual suspended upside down from his foot, entangled in the tree. The man had been using a harness to ascend and trim the trees , said Michael Hopkins, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Fire Department. However, its unclear whether the man was trimming the trees for general tree maintenance or addressing storm damage. The individual was stuck in the tree for about 40 minutes and was 15 feet in the air before someone found him and called 911. Using ladders and ropes, firefighters successfully rescued the man and safely lowered him to the ground. He was then transported to a hospital for treatment. Hopkins said the individual sustained injuries to his leg and foot, and experienced a rush of blood to his head due to his upside down position. His current condition hasnt been released. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas officials said a Kansas man is awaiting extradition to Arkansas after being accused of producing child pornography in which the victims parents are stationed at the Little Rock Air Force Base. Attorney General Tim Griffin said Marcus Allen Abeyta of Emporia, Kansas, is accused of production of child pornography involving a minor child living in Arkansas. The 31-year-old Abeyta is facing one federal charge of production of child pornography after his May 16 arrest, Griffins said. Arkansas State Police arrest Izard County man on child pornography charges In a release announcing the arrest, Griffin said his office took the lead in the investigation due to the childs parents being stationed at LRAFB. The AGs Special Investigations Division worked with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations in this matter. Bringing child pornographers to justice requires collaboration across multiple jurisdictions including, in this matter, federal, military, and state law enforcement, Griffin said. Pearcy man arrested and facing charges involving child pornography Investigators seized Abeytas cell phone during his arrest, where they said they found additional images of minors being victimized. Officials with the AGs office and Homeland Security Investigations are currently working to identify the depicted children. Recent amendment to Arkansas law extends period for child sexual abuse victims to sue; Victim calls it a sign of hope Officials said Abeyta is currently being held without bond in Kansas at the Butler County Jail awaiting transfer to Little Rock by the U.S. Marshals Service. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. For Belvin Olasov, growing up in the Low Country bred an inherent connection to water. Daily life has meant soaking in the good, while preparing for the bad. Its a part of life that when it rains, sometimes not even that heavily, you now have an obstacle course to get around downtown, and if you fail, you lose your car, he said. According to Norman Levine with the Low Country Hazards Center, the issue is only worsening. In the past 100 years, Charlestons seen the ocean rise 13 inches around the peninsula. By 2050, Levine said thats likely to rise another foot, bringing high tide and storm surges one foot closer to life and property as well. At some point, a number of these properties will actually become inundated, he said. A third of all properties have ten feet or less or elevation. A dramatic proposal In response to the threat, the US Army Corps of Engineers embarked on the Charleston Peninsula Coastal Storm Risk Management Study in 2018 and ultimately, they came up a recommended plan to build a 12-foot storm surge wall around most of the peninsula. The height is based on the devastation Hurricane Hugo caused with its 12-foot surge. At this point, the project is still in its early stages. Wes Wilson, the project manager, said the Corps is gathering public input before coming up with a final design, but the recommendation includes a physical barrier between the water and all the low-lying portions of the peninsula as well as a series of pump stations. Preliminary estimates have the cost of the project around $1.3B. You look at the costs youre going to save versus the cost its going to take to implement the project, the federal government has a significant interest in investing in the city, Wilson said. USACE plans to have the final design approved by 2026 and construction complete by 2032. From the City of Charleston and the USACE, the graphic shows the predicted impact of sea level rise and storm surge, with and without the sea wall. More than a wall Understandably, the idea of a concrete storm wall around the beautiful, historic city of Charleston has prompted more than a few concerns. Thats why Dale Morris, the citys chief resiliency officer, said a giant concrete structure cutting the city off from its water is out of the question. He said the point is to make the top of water-facing barrier 12ft above sea level, but that doesnt necessarily mean the wall itself is 12 feet tall. People say, a sea wall. We already have a beautiful sea wall at the bottom of the peninsula its called the low battery, he said. The low battery is a raised concrete structure that runs along the peninsulas southern coast, but its also a walking path, a fishing pier and a place where locals and tourists alike gather to take in the sights of the water. Its beautiful, he said. Its multifunctional. That is what we would like this project to be around the peninsula. Keith Bowers, an environmental architect with Biohabitats, proposed another possibility. With his Imagine the Wall vision, he sees green infrastructure like habitat restoration and native grasses and breakwaters playing a big role alongside gray infrastructure like a battery wall. We want to have both views and access to the water, thats what Charleston is all about, he said. If you had a wall, theres a way to make a wall more conducive for a habitat. Not only would green infrastructure help limit the environmental impact to Charlestons marshes, but Bowers believes it would be much more attractive to those who live and visit the shoreline. Given the importance of that shoreline to the citys tourism industry, he believes it would be a worthwhile investment even if green infrastructure would raise the cost of the project. A lot of the living infrastructure that Im talking about is looked at more as an add on or a co-benefit and thats not necessarily calculated in the core part of the project, he said. Wilson said nature-based solutions are part of the plan so far, but the design needs to put the citys safety and responsible spending first. Right now were assuming oyster castles in front of the wall that can basically act as essentially a wave attenuator to knock down the water before it hits the wall, he said. Engineering with nature and these nature-based solution offer a limited risk reduction to coastal storm surge. You cant plant just 5000 palm trees along the perimeter and expect to stop storm surge. Who is left unprotected? So far, the recommended plan is limited to the peninsula, but most of Charlestons population lives across the Ashley River or further north in the neck communities and theyre not immune to flooding issues either. James Island is seeing a lot of flooding, Olasov said. A lot of our beaches are experiencing erosion. Wilson said its the number one concern hes heard so far. More than half of public comments are worried about impacts to surrounding communities, he said. Wilson said most of those communities were not included in the peninsula study because the average elevation is higher than 12ft., and therefore storm surge and tidal flooding are less of a concern. In fact, he said there are breaks in the wall plan in places where the peninsula itself is above 12ft. Additionally, he said studies showed adding the wall around the peninsula did not significantly push the water elsewhere due to size of wall against the sheer volume of water in the system. There would be little to no impacts, he said. Less than half an inch in a few areas. A future for our coasts Charleston is not the only community looking at sea wall. Norfolk, New York and Houston are all considering their own version of a sea wall to fight the growing threat of sea level rise and climate change. Wilson said engineers across the coast are in near constant discussion about the challenges theyre facing, what seems to be working and what isnt but ultimately, he hopes Charleston can be a leader. We want people to come to us in 25 years and say, Charleston, how did you do that? For Olasov, calling Charleston home means facing the reality that the city will look different in just a few decades. He said its why he helped found Charlestons Climate Coalition, to focus on what can be saved and how. We have to both simultaneously be resilient, accounting for the climate crisis and we have to be mitigating our emissions because if we dont show leadership, we in one of the most vulnerable areas, who will? he said. At the end of the day, he said he wouldnt live here if he didnt believe Charleston had a future. Its going to take a lot of effort, Olasov said. But I think that theres a path forward where we treasure whats unique about this place and account for the climate crisis. (WATCH BELOW: Charleston is sinking while the sea is rising) Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi noted that, 68 years ago, Egypt was the first Arab and African state to establish diplomatic relations with China. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership, he said, adding that over the past decade, the two heads of state have worked together to guide the vigorous development of bilateral relations. China-Egypt relations have become a vivid illustration of China's solidarity, coordination, and mutually-beneficial win-win cooperation with Arab, African, Islamic and developing countries, Xi said, adding that under the new circumstances, building a more enriched and dynamic China-Egypt relationship meets the common expectations of the two peoples. Xi said that China is ready to work with Egypt to deepen mutual trust, advance cooperation, build a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, and contribute to regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity. Xi stressed that China is striving in all aspects to build a strong and prosperous country and achieve national rejuvenation, and China and Egypt are facing historic opportunities for exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other and work together to promote common development, Xi added. China is ready to work with Egypt to tap the potential of cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, industry, electricity and agriculture, explore cooperation in emerging areas such as health care, information and communications, and renewable energy, deepen economic, trade and investment cooperation, and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Egypt, Xi said. Xi urged efforts to organize the 2024 China-Egypt year of partnership, expand personnel and cultural exchanges, and make the Luban Workshop in Egypt a benchmark for China-Africa vocational education cooperation. China supports Egypt in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and stands ready to further strengthen coordination and cooperation with Egypt on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, as well as the common interests of developing countries, Xi said. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi witness the signing of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) The Diane Abbott saga has not been Keir Starmers finest hour. And as events develop, it is threatening to deal the Labour leader a serious reputational blow to his authority. Even some who might be expected to support the Labour leader have been expressing doubts about the way the Hackney MP has been treated, first subject to an excessively lengthy internal investigation over dubious remarks she made in a letter to a newspaper, then given back the Labour whip only to reportedly be told she would not be allowed to stand again as a Labour candidate. Now, perhaps panicked by criticism even from loyalists such as shadow health secretary Wes Streeting, Starmer has announced that, wait a minute the decision to bar Abbott as a candidate hasnt been taken yet. It has previously been suggested that Abbott had been prepared to stand down with dignity provided the whip was returned to her, but somewhere along the line, the partys taste for performative strong-arm discipline got the better of both the leaders office and the party chief whip. So now, no ones happy. The countrys first ever black female MP could end her 37-year parliamentary career under the shadow of humiliation. The trouble was that her actions served as an unwelcome reminder to voters that the anti-Semitism that had dogged Jeremy Corbyns time as Labour leader remained a problem for the party even after Starmer took over. Abbott may have a lot of support among certain London-based Labour activists, and theres no doubting that she was a trailblazer for black women. But in the rest of the country and in most of the Labour Party, she has been at best a divisive character. Her now infamous claim that Mao Zedong did more good than harm may have reflected historical ignorance more than anything more sinister, but it played into the hands of critics who feared that Labour had lost all sense of moral purpose as well as political direction. As a shadow frontbencher under Ed Miliband in 2012, Abbott caused a storm by suggesting that white people love playing divide and rule during an online conversation about black representation. Had a white politician said something similar about black people, they would have been immediately removed from any official position, but Abbott remained in post. Defending her decision to send her son to a private fee-paying school, despite having criticised others for doing the same, Abbott said: West Indian mums will go to the wall for their children, she told interviewer Andrew Neil, with the suggestion that other mothers were less committed to their offspring. There are undoubtedly some who might welcome an announcement by Abbott that she is following the decision of her long-time friend and ally, Corbyn, to stand as an independent at the general election, although Abbott herself has so far insisted she will campaign for a Labour victory. Such a development on its own would cause Starmer no problems; but doubling the number of high-profile former Labour MPs standing as independents and whose victories could not be ruled out would risk creating an unflattering narrative of a leader (and perhaps prime minister) whose hubris and heavy-handedness cost the party two formerly safe London constituencies. But it is worth bearing in mind that, however much of an inspiration Abbott has been to black women and girls, her contribution to national politics has been mixed. As a long-standing member of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs, she has been a reliable critic of Labour governments and Labour leaders (Jeremy Corbyn excepted, of course). It is ironic that Abbott is reported to have been delighted by the news that her party whip was being reinstated, given how frequently she has defied it during her political career. Labour members who perhaps feel under pressure from activists to say something supportive of Abbott should think again about helping to create a divisive and potentially damaging narrative around this latest drama. They should revisit not just some of Abbotts absurd public comments over the years, but the letter that led to her suspension from the whip when it was published in April 2023. In it she dismissed the notion that Jewish people suffer from racism all their lives, a comment that both reinforced the pernicious idea that there is a hierarchy of racism, and confirmed that anti-Semitism was still a problem in the Labour party. Ultimately, Labour will benefit from the absence of Corbyn and Abbott. If Starmer backtracks now and allows Abbott to remain a Labour candidate, no one will believe that he has done so for any reason other than fear of a rebellion or criticism at a sensitive point in the general election campaign. He has benefited in the past by sticking to his, occasionally unpopular, stance of meting out well-deserved discipline. If he can quell this modest uprising among his own supporters, that is a small price to pay for decisive and overdue action. 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. Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak to Face Off in First U.K. General Election Debate on ITV as British Broadcasters Step Up Coverage Aspiring Prime Ministerial candidate Keir Starmer of the opposition Labour Party will face incumbent Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party in the first televized debate of the upcoming U.K. general election. The polls are scheduled to take place on July 4. The hour-long debate, Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate, will be on ITV1, ITVX and STV and STV Player on June 4 at 9pm local time. It will be moderated by Julie Etchingham, who previously moderated the 2015, 2017 and 2019 ITV debates, and will take place live in front of a studio audience. It will be made and produced by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios. More from Variety Michael Jermey, ITVs director of news and current affairs, said: Millions of viewers value the election debates. They provide a chance to see and hear the party leaders set out their pitch to the country, debate directly with each other and take questions from voters. ITV is pleased to be broadcasting the first debate in this years election campaign. ITV plans to broadcast additional programming including an interview program with other party leaders and a multi-party debate. Over at the BBC, there are plans for a multi-party debate as well. Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie, along with BBC political editor Chris Mason, will host the general election night TV coverage on BBC network news. They will be joined in the BBCs London studio by Reeta Chakrabarti, who will be analyzing the results. Jeremy Vine will be broadcasting from Cardiff, Kirsty Wark from Glasgow and Andrea Catherwood from Belfast. John Curtice will offer psephological knowledge and insights. Fiona Bruce, Victoria Derbyshire, Naga Munchetty, Nick Watt and Alex Forsyth will report from key locations around the country. On July 5, the BBCs coverage will be led by Sophie Raworth and Jon Kay, with deputy political editor Vicki Young alongside them as the shape of the U.K.s new political map becomes clearer. Christian Fraser will be using graphics to build up a full picture of the new House of Commons. Nicky Campbell will anchor extended coverage from Glasgow. The network programme will be shown on BBC One in England, BBC Two in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the BBC News channel in Scotland. Dedicated election results programs on BBC One in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be presented by Martin Geissler, Mark Carruthers and Nick Servini respectively, with Anne McAlpine hosting a Gaelic language election roundup on BBC ALBA. Meanwhile, on Channel 4, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis, known for her Prince Andrew interview, will lead the coverage and will be joined by The Rest is Politics podcast hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. Cathy Newman will be presenting from the campaign headquarters for the Conservatives and Labour. C4 News political editor Gary Gibbon will provide analysis. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Kentucky Family Homeless for a Second Time After Tornado Hits Same Property Where Home Was Destroyed in 2021 We never thought that it would happen again, tornado victim Devin Johnson said in regards to his home being destroyed twice in three years George Walker IV/AP Haley Loukota and Devin Johnson along Barnsley Loop, Ky., on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, Devin Johnson has been displaced for a second time after a tornado destroyed his home in Barnsley, Ky., over the Memorial Day weekend, reports the Associated Press and NBC News. Johnson, 21 and his girlfriend Haley Loukota first became homeless in 2021 after a storm destroyed their home on the same lot of land. We never thought that it would happen again, Johnson told the Associated Press. All we know for sure is were not going back here, adding, Its going to have so many memories of us losing everything. Johnsons previous home was first destroyed during a December 2021 tornado outbreak, which also killed 81 people in Kentucky. George Walker IV/AP Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky. During the December 2021 disaster, the Johnson family remained in their trailer as the storm passed through. You start hearing a roar and then the entire house started shaking, Devin recalled for the Associated Press. The power started flickering and the windows just shattered. And then all of sudden you just feel the wind and pressure and this roar just ripping through the house and it starts tugging on you and trying to drag you out. Related: Jill Duggar Says Family Is Safe After Tornado 'Ripped Through' Their Area: 'Missed Us by a Few Miles' The family was uninjured and were able to salvage some family mementos. Soon after, they moved into a new trailer and were able to pull together enough funds to furnish the new home. However, following the recent storm, their belongings were tossed around the neighborhood. The Johnson family was insured both times. On Sunday, they took refuge from the storm at a relatives home in Madisonville, Ky. George Walker IV/AP Devin Johnson and Haley Loukota on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Barnsley Loop, Ky. Although they remained safe from the eye of the storm, the Johnsons all had that feeling that [they] just lost everything again. Devin explained when he arrived at his familys lot, there was just nothing. This time, everything that we have is gone, Devin said; however, he noted that they rediscovered his engagement ring that had belonged to his girlfriends grandmother. Related: Golf Companies Offer to Give Iowa Teen New Clubs After His Home Was Destroyed in Tornado Right now we have no money, Johnson told the Associated Press. So were just trying to figure out how to go next. He explained that he and Loukota saved money since the 2021 storm in hopes of finding their own home, which he prefers to find in Madisonville. But, he added, now he and Loukota will likely live with his grandparents in the interim. Its just been so tight since then with all the bills we had to go through, he revealed. We know the power that theyre capable of and how easily they can just take your life, he said, noting he hopes to find a home with a basement to remain safe in future storms. Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Nov. 4, 2023, in Owensboro, Ky. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The recent storm was one of many severe storms that hit the western Kentucky region over the weekend. On Sunday, May 26, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency. As of Tuesday, May 28, at least 24 people have died as a result of the catastrophic storms, per NBC News. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer Key Takeaways Human factors, such as inadequate oversight, training, and food safety culture, are responsible for over half of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. A lack of paid sick leave for food service workers is linked to a higher incidence of norovirus outbreaks, as sick employees may feel compelled to work. Establishing a strong food safety culture, through leadership commitment and ongoing training, is crucial for reducing foodborne illness outbreaks. Norovirus, Salmonella, and other foodborne illnesses infect millions of Americans every year. What's the most common culprit behind these outbreaks? Humans. Among the 393 foodborne illness outbreaks between 2017 to 2019, researchers found that restaurant employee-related issuessuch as lack of oversight, training, and food safety culturecontributed to most of the outbreaks. Food workers suspected of being sick accounted for nearly a quarter of these outbreaks. They handle food, and thats an important link in the public health and safety atmosphere of restaurants, said Victor DiRita, PhD, chair of the department of microbiology, genetics, and immunology at Michigan State University, who was not involved in the study. Less than half of U.S. food service workers have paid sick leave, so they may feel obligated to clock in even if they feel unwell. The study linked a lack of sick leave to 26.3% of norovirus outbreaks, the main type of foodborne illness in the U.S. This contagious virus, better known as the stomach flu, typically causes vomiting and diarrhea for one to three days. Norovirus, in particular, is highly infectious. People can carry it on their hands without being aware of it, DiRita said. In 2021, about 70% of foodborne illness outbreaks were attributed to restaurant settings, according to available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Providing better sick leave policies could help reduce some norovirus outbreaks. It also sends the right food safety cultural message, said Janet Buffer, MPH, RD, a food safety expert and senior institute manager at the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. We dont want sick people around the food, so if youre sick, were willing to pay you not to come to work because its that important, Buffer said. Related: What Causes Food Poisoning? Is Mandating Paid Sick Leave Enough? Offering paid sick leave is important, but restaurant managers must also emphasize a food safety culture in their day-to-day practices. Even when people have resolved the symptoms, they can still carry it and still excrete it for several weeks after theyve been infected, DiRita said. This means restaurant employees could return to work while theyre still contagious. Norovirus spreads through fecal-oral transmission, so if an infected food service worker doesnt wash their hands properly or wipes their hands on their apron after using the restroom, they can potentially pass the virus to customers when handling food. If you see someone from the back of the house with their apron on in the bathroom, that would be a huge red flag for me, and I would not want to eat there, Buffer said. Related: Spice Containers Are Probably the Dirtiest Items in Your Kitchen How Can Restaurants Improve Food Safety Culture? Even if signs remind employees to remove their aprons before entering the restroom and wash their hands before returning to work, food service workers may not always follow these practices. Food safety culture is a term referring to the shared values, practices, and beliefs in a restaurant that promote proper food handling. Deficient food safety culture was identified in almost 60% of the reported causes of foodborne outbreaks in the study. Leadership, management and employee commitment, and resourcessuch as plenty of soap and handwashing sinksare key components of food safety culture, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youd want a manager, or even the owner, to come in and observe and monitor and make sure that theyre following the procedures and the policies that are written around food safety, such as hand washing, final cooking temperatures, and preventing cross-contamination, Buffer said. A 2023 study identified poor communication with leadership, short staffing, and a lack of equipment as the main barriers to food safety culture. To promote a good food safety culture, leadership should encourage regular two-way communication, offer engaged oversight and appreciation, and support ongoing training. It really does need to have a top-down approach, she said. Proper food safety training is also important in preventing foodborne illness outbreaks. Organizations like ServSafe, State Food Safety, and the Food Marketing Institute provide food safety certifications, but food safety training requirements vary state-by-state, according to Buffer. Studies have shown that one-time food safety training is not enough to promote a strong food safety culture. Adequate, ongoing training could cut down on the instances of improperly used equipment and cross-contamination, helping to reduce the risk of spreading bacterial foodborne diseases. If they dont use it every day, or if its not reinforced, or if its not focused on, theyre going to forget some things, Buffer said. Read Next: Do You Really Have to Throw Out That Expired Food? What This Means For You To minimize your risk of foodborne illnesses when dining out, look for restaurants that prioritize food safety practices. This includes proper handwashing by staff, visible adherence to hygiene protocols, and a management team that actively enforces food safety policies. Additionally, support policies that advocate for paid sick leave for food service workers, as this can help reduce foodborne outbreaks. Read the original article on Verywell Health. Kids in Modesto are struggling with mental health. How can art help? In Modesto, many kids struggle with their mental health. While art therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety, it isnt always accessible. In response, Modesto City Schools introduced art creation as a way to heal students in disadvantaged areas. During the school year, art-making sessions were conducted at schools, offering students a platform to explore their emotions through music, poetry and painting. The project focused on schools in economically disadvantaged communities, as determined by the California Healthy Place Index (HPI). Vielka Solano, who led the workshops, said that initially, many poems revolved around cheerful topics like Christmas and food. However, as students became more expressive, they delved into their emotions. Students explored themes such as family, separation and the challenges they observed their parents face. I think at the end, we saw that they opened up, Solano said. She said numerous students immigrated from other countries and were encouraged to write in their native language to honor their heritage, resulting in many poems in Spanish. Poet Vielka Solano speaks during a assembly presenting the poetry and art created by students during an after-school program at Bret Harte Elementary School in Modesto, Calif., Wednesday, May 22, 2024. One student wrote about having to leave behind her pet dog and parrot in Mexico. She expressed her desire to obtain passports for them to join her, only to discover later that her dog had gone missing. Participating schools included Orville Wright, Mark Twain, Franklin, Robertson Road and Bret Harte. In May, each location showcased an unveiling of its students work. The students poems were compiled into a book for each school, featuring the students paintings as the cover. At the end-of-the-year showcase at Bret Harte Elementary on May 22, several students read their poems on stage, with the artwork they created as the backdrop. Poesia y Arte Curando el Alma/ Poetry & Art Healing the Soul books of poetry were created by students at five elementary schools in Modesto, Calif. The students participated in an after-school arts program that included drumming and mural painting. Dalilah Escamilla, a fifth-grader, recited one of her poems. If a storm was coming to my house, I would bring a family photo because it was the last time I saw my siblings kinda happy with my mom, her poem read. Students who were part of the drum circle, led by drummer David Rogers, also performed. Healing through poetry Solano, who is also a doctor, said she believes medicine and art go hand in hand, as a means of healing. Working in the medical field, she said she sees a lot of trauma among kids, particularly those with mental health struggles. Solano believes COVID-19 has deeply affected kids mental health due to isolation. When they returned after lockdown, she noticed they were different, often acting out more. She saw this change reflected in their poetry. In her 28 years of practicing medicine, she said she has never prescribed this much medication before. I had never seen [that] amount of kids having mental issues, Solano said. According to the California School Climate, Health, & Learning Survey, 29% of Modesto City Elementary students experienced frequent sadness during the 2022-23 school year. I hope that this is [the start] of a healing process, Solano said. Exposure to art The selected four elementary schools are the most economically disadvantaged in the district, with the lowest HPI. Kids are coming from very low-income families that dont have the opportunity to be exposed to all of this. At least they have this exposure, Solano said. Solano said some parents approached them, saying their children couldnt stop discussing the workshop. The children were also thrilled to see their poetry book, a tangible representation of their efforts. Rogers said his favorite moment is when the parents pick up their kids after the program and the kids say they want to stay longer even after being at school all day. You can see their faces. I mean thats the beauty of elementary school. Theyre going to tell you if theyre having fun, Rogers said. Rogers, who grew up in west Modesto, emphasizes the importance of providing students in lower-income schools with access to and exposure to the arts. He notes that wealthier schools likely offer more resources and exposure to such opportunities, making programs like this crucial for schools with limited funding. Everybody should have access to cool things, he said. In the music workshops, he arranges chairs in a circle, ensuring everyone can see one another and fostering equality among all participants. The students experiment with drums from various cultures, including African, Cuban and Native American. By mastering drumming, he believes students can gain the confidence to tackle anything. When you sit down at the drum, and then three minutes later, youre in rhythm and youve never played a musical instrument before, you know thats going to translate into other aspects of your life, Rogers said. Students play percussion instruments during an arts after-school program at Bret Harte Elementary School in Modesto, Calif., Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Stanislaus State University literature professor Manuel Murrieta has fun with some of the students during an arts after-school program at Bret Harte Elementary School in Modesto, Calif., Wednesday, May 22, 2024. "Come take me, will you?" It's January 29, 2024, and the fighting is raging in Gaza City. The voice on the telephone belongs to 5-year-old Hind Rajab, alone and trapped in a car with her extended family, talking to a Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) dispatcher. "Do you want me to come and take you?" Rana Faqih, the dispatcher, replied. "I'm so scared, please come. Please call someone to come and take me," Hind said. The PRCS released the audio of the phone call, making an international appeal to return Hind to safety. The appeal went viral, but neither Hind, nor the rest of the group with which she was travelling, survived. Twelve days later, her body was discovered in the charred remains of the vehicle. PHOTO: A mural of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza, along with several family members and paramedics, by artist Emmalene Blake in Dublin, May 15, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images) The phone calls Hind and members of her family her aunt, uncle and four cousins were evacuating from Gaza City that morning, heading south, when they came under fire. The first to call emergency services was Layan Hamadeh, Hind's 15-year-old cousin. "They are shooting at us," Layan told dispatcher Omar al-Qam in audio recordings provided to ABC News by the PRCS. "They are shooting at us. The tank is next to me." "Are you hiding?" Al-Qam asked. "Yes, in the car, we're next to the tank," Layan said. Al-Qam asked again whether Layan was in the car. Then heavy gunfire could be heard, followed by screams, and the line went silent. Moments later, Hind picked up the phone. "They are dead," she told Rana Faqih, the Palestinian Red Crescent dispatcher, based miles away in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. Faqih spoke to Hind for several hours, as the PRCS sent an ambulance with two emergency responders, Yousef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, to rescue her. Faqih and Hind read the Quran together and played counting games to distract Hind from the devastation around her. "It was a voice of a sad and terrified kid," Faqih told ABC News. "She told me, 'It's dark, I am afraid of darkness, it's really dark out there.' So I told her, 'Do you know how to play hide and seek?' She said yes. But honestly, I didn't know that I will be counting with for 12 days," said Faqih, referring to how many days passed before Hind's body was found. The ambulance never arrived. It, too, was discovered destroyed and the two responders dead 12 days later, barely a quarter of a mile from where Hind's vehicle was found. PHOTO: A view of the heavy damaged ambulance going to aid Rajab family, which was targeted by Israeli forces and became unusable, Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza, Feb. 10, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images) The PRCS said they coordinated with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) when they sent the ambulance to rescue Hind. The IDF has denied that it had coordinated with the PRCS to create a safe passageway, saying they were not fighting in that area at the time. Speaking to ABC News from Gaza City, Hind's mother, Wissam Hamada, recalled the moment she was able to speak to Hind, when the PRCS dispatcher patched her into the phone call to help calm her daughter. Hamada said Hind was a "very smart" and "ambitious" child who had dreams of becoming a dentist. "God bless her," Hamada told ABC News. "And she didn't cry. Hind, when I was on the phone with her, my heart was burning and I was crying. She was very strong." "I swear, I never imagined this for a moment," Hamada said of her daughter's death. "I never imagined for a second and it never crossed my mind for a minute that she would come back to me a martyr, not for a moment or a second." 'An unspeakable tragedy' The U.S. State Department called for Israel to investigate the circumstances of Hind's death, with spokesperson Matthew Miller saying in February that it was "devastated by the reports about the death of Hind Rajab," and that we expect those results on a timely fashion and they should include accountability measures as appropriate." Satellite imagery taken on January 29th at 15:31 local time and verified by ABC News captured four armoured military vehicles on a street roughly 200 yards north of where Hind's body was found. Despite the satellite imagery appearing to show the presence of Israeli military vehicles, Israel initially denied its forces were involved in Hind's death, declaring in a statement on Feb. 25: "It appears that IDF troops were not present near the vehicle or within firing range of the described vehicle in which the girl was found." PHOTO: Satellite imagery captured on January 29th at 15:31 local time appears to show armored military vehicles on Arab Street in Gaza, 200 meters north of where Hind's body is found. (Planet Labs PBC) In April, however, the Washington Post published an investigation into Hind's death based on dispatcher recordings, photos and videos of the aftermath, and more than a dozen interviews. The newspaper reports that they also spoke with military, satellite, munitions and audio experts as part of the investigation. They determined that there were more than a dozen Israeli armoured vehicles visible within a quarter mile of the Hamada family car, in which Hind Rajab died, and that the sound of gunfire from the call with Layan, as well as photographic evidence of the bullet holes in the car, were consistent with weapons used by the Israeli army. The IDF referred ABC News to their previous statement when asked for further comment in light of the Washington Post investigation. However, a State Department spokesperson recently told ABC News that "the Israelis told us there had, in fact, been IDF units in the area, but the IDF had no knowledge of or involvement in the type of strike described." At a background briefing last month, ABC News asked the U.S. State Department whether they were satisfied with Israel's preliminary investigation. A spokesperson said that Hind's death was "an unspeakable tragedy," and that the State Department would ask Israel about the findings of the Washington Post investigation. On May 21, four months after Hind's phone call pleading for rescue, Mohamad Habehh, a member of American Muslims for Palestine, heckled Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he testified on Capitol Hill, accusing him and the U.S. of culpability in Hind's death. The State Department issued a new statement last week, saying they were "devastated" by Hind Rajab's death, and that they had "repeatedly raised this case and sought more information from multiple officials with the government of Israel and the U.N., both when the initial report broke and when the vehicle itself was found with bodies inside." "The Israelis told us there had, in fact, been IDF units in the area, but the IDF had no knowledge of or involvement in the type of strike described," the State Department statement continued. "The Israeli government also told us they would welcome any details to assist in investigating. We continue to welcome a full investigation into this terrible tragedy." PHOTO: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold up painted hands as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives to testify for a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on state, foreign operations, and related programs hearing on Capitol Hill, May 21, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) Hind's legacy Hind's story, Faqih told ABC News, is just one among many as the war in Gaza continues, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now forced to leave Rafah, the southern enclave to which more than a million Palestinians have fled for safety since the war began. However, Hind's death has sparked widespread outrage as the audio of the PRCS call went viral on social media. Her name has become a rallying cry across the world as Israel's conduct in the war against Hamas in Gaza, launched after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, which Israel says killed about 1,200 people, comes under increasing international condemnation. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. Neither Hamada nor Faqih, who spent so many hours on the phone with Hind, have much faith in the outcome of any investigation into the little girl's death. PHOTO: Artist Emmalene Blake puts the final touches to a mural of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza, along with several family members and paramedics, in Dublin, Ireland, May 15, 2024. (Stephen Mccarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) "What I am seeing on the ground, it's not only about Hind," Faqih said. "If we want to talk about the situation in Gaza I don't trust that it will change." ABC News Helena Skinner, Latifa Abdellatif, Samy Zayara, Nadine Shubailat, Camilla Alcini and Victoria Beaule contributed to this report. Killing of 5-year-old girl in Gaza sparks international condemnation as war continues originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The post Kim Jong Un Responds to K-Pop with Poop Balloons appeared first on Consequence. Kim Jong Un has been accused of sending balloons filled with poop and trash into South Korea in a tit-for-tat response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets and other materials including K-pop music videos. According to a report from the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff has claimed their adversary floated more than 260 balloons across the border since Tuesday night containing various pieces of trash, such as plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts, and even manure. Per Reuters, North Korean defectors and South Korean activists regularly send balloons containing USB sticks loaded with K-pop music videos and K-dramas, anti-Pyongyang leaflets, food, medicine, and money across the border. On Sunday, North Koreas Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il slammed the South Korean balloons as despicable psychological warfare and a dangerous provocation that would be met with mounds of waste paper and filth in response. Kim Jong Un has been notorious for his attempts to eradicate K-pop music and K-dramas, which he considers a vicious cancer in North Korea. In December 2021, a study from a Seoul-based human rights group reported he had executed at least seven people in North Korea for watching or distributing K-pop videos over the past decade. Kim Jong Un Responds to K-Pop with Poop Balloons Eddie Fu Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. This article was originally published in The Hechinger Report. ASTON, Pa. In Jodie Murphys kindergarten class, math lessons go beyond the basics of counting and recognizing numbers. On a recent morning, the children used plastic red and yellow dots for a counting exercise: One student tossed the coin-sized dots onto a cookie sheet while another hid her eyes. The second student then opened her eyes, counted up the dots and picked the corresponding number from a stack of cards. The dots showed up again a few minutes later in a more complex task. Murphy set a two-minute timer, and students counted as many dot arrays as they could, adding or taking away dots to match a corresponding written number. Four dots next to a printed number 6, for example, meant that students had to draw in two extra dots an important precursor to learning addition. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Kindergarten may be maths most important year it lays the groundwork for understanding the relationship between number and quantity and helps develop number sense, or how numbers relate to each other, experts and researchers say. Hailey Lang at Burrus Elementary in Hendersonville, Tennessee helps a kindergarten student count up her circles and then translate those into numbers for an addition problem. (Holly Korbey/The Hechinger Report) But too often teachers spend that crucial year reinforcing basic information students may already know. Research shows that many kindergarteners learn early on how to count and recognize basic shapes two areas that make up the majority of kindergarten math content. Though basic math content is crucial for students who begin school with little math knowledge, a growing body of research argues more comprehensive kindergarten math instruction that moves beyond counting could help more students become successful in math later on. Because so many students nationally are struggling in math a longstanding challenge made worse by remote schooling during the pandemic experts and educators say more emphasis needs to be put on foundational, early childhood math. But for a variety of reasons, kindergarten often misses the mark: Math takes a backseat to literacy, teachers are often unprepared to teach it, and appropriate curriculum, if it exists at all, can be scattershot, overly repetitive or both. Manipulating numbers in different ways, part of a supplemental math curriculum for Murphys whole class at Hilltop Elementary in this suburb of Philadelphia, is an attempt to address those problems. In an effort to improve math achievement district-wide, all elementary students in the Chichester School District get an extra 30-minute daily dose of math. In kindergarten, the extra time is spent on foundational skills like understanding numbers and quantity, but also the basics of addition and subtraction, said Diana Hanobeck, the districts director of curriculum and instruction. Chichester district leaders say implementing the intervention, called SpringMath, along with other steps that include hiring a math specialist for each school, has brought urgent attention to students math achievement by bringing more students to mastery and a lot of that has to do with how much students are learning in kindergarten. Student math achievement, which dropped to a low of 13.5 percent of students proficient or advanced during the pandemic, has more than doubled across grades since the intervention began, although still below the state average. Last spring, 47 percent of the districts fourth graders were proficient or advanced in math on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test. The intervention is very targeted by skill and gives teachers data for each student, said Hanobeck. We are seeing it close gaps for students, and they are more able to access elementary school math. Murphy, the kindergarten teacher, said that while some students arrive at school able to do rote counting, others arrive with no prior knowledge or a very limited understanding of numbers and counting. The interventions have improved all students accuracy and fluency in more complex tasks, such as being able to count up or down from a number like 16 or 20, and adding and subtracting numbers up to 5. It used to take all year for some students to count on from different starting points, thats actually really hard for kids to do, Murphy said. Students are meeting their goals far faster now. We are moving on, but also moving deeper. From left: Diana Hanobeck, Chichester Districts director of curriculum and instruction, Hilltop Elementary math specialist Lauren Kennedy, SpringMath founder Amanda VanDerHeyden, and Hilltop Elementary principal Christine Matijasich examine student math data. The Chichester District in suburban Philadelphia is using the SpringMath program in all its schools. (Holly Korbey/The Hechinger Report) That deep thought is important, even in the earliest grades. Kindergarten math proficiency is especially predictive of future academic success in all subjects including reading, research has shown. In one study, students number competence in kindergarten which includes the ability to understand number quantities, their relationships to each other, and the ability to join and separate sets of numbers, like 4 and 2 making 6 presaged mathematical achievement in third grade, with greater number competence leading to higher math achievement. Its also the time when learning gaps between students are at their smallest, and its easier to put all students on equal footing. Kindergarten is crucial, said University of Oregon math education researcher Ben Clarke. Its well-documented in the research literature that gaps start early, grow over time and essentially become codified and very hard to remediate. But the math content commonly found in kindergarten such as counting the days on a calendar is often embedded within a curriculum in which the teaching of mathematics is secondary to other learning goals, according to a report from the National Academies of Science. Learning experiences in which mathematics is a supplementary activity rather than the primary focus are less effective in building student math skills than if math is the main goal, researchers wrote. The math students are taught in kindergarten often progresses no further than basic counting and shapes. In a 2013 study, researcher and University of Colorado Boulder associate professor Mimi Engel found that students who spent more time on the advanced concepts in kindergarten learned more math. Engel hypothesizes that exposure to more advanced content in kindergarten may help students in later grades when content grows more complex. We want some amount of repetition across grades in content, Engel said. Theres variation in kids skill sets when they start kindergarten, and, as a teacher, there are a number of reasons why you want to start with the basics, and scaffold instruction. But what Im interested in is: when does repetition become redundancy? According to researcher Amanda VanDerHeyden, founder of SpringMath, breaking numbers apart and putting them back together and understanding how numbers relate to each other does more to help develop kindergarteners mathematical thinking than counting alone. Students should move from using concrete objects to model problems, to using representations of those objects and then to numbers in the abstract like understanding that the number 3 is a symbol for three objects. To improve students math skills, some schools and districts have recently upgraded the math curriculum and materials teachers use, so they are able to build increasingly complex skills in an organized, orderly way. Kindergarteners in Hailey Langs classroom at Dr. William Burrus Elementary School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, were recently counting penguins a digital whiteboard showed a photo of a mother penguin with seven fuzzy babies in tow. Can we make a math drawing about this picture? No details, you can just use little circles, Lang said. Students drew one big circle and seven smaller circles on their papers to represent the penguins. Then they translated the circles into a number sentence: 1 (big circle) + 7 (small circles) = 8. Two kindergarten students at Hilltop Elementary in Aston, Pennsylvania., play a guess-the-number game with different colored counters. (Holly Korbey/The Hechinger Report) The lesson is new to students this year since they adopted the Eureka Math curriculum. Its what Sumner County Superintendent Scott Langford calls high-quality instructional material, with lessons that move students beyond simply counting objects like penguins. Students look at penguins in a picture, translate them into representational circle drawings, then finally move on to their abstract number quantities. Sumner County elementary coordinator Karen Medana said she appreciates the fact that the curriculum offers explicit guidance for teachers and builds on a sequence of skills. One reason for redundancy in kindergarten math may be that classrooms lack cohesive materials that progress students through skills in an orderly way. A 2023 report from the Center for Education Market Dynamics showed that only 36 percent of elementary schools use high-quality instructional materials, as defined by EdReports, a nonprofit organization that evaluates curricula for rigor, coherence and usability. Eureka Math is one of several math programs that meet EdReports standards. Often teachers are left to gather their own math materials outside the schools curriculum. The Brookings Institution reports that large numbers of teachers use a district-approved curriculum as one resource among many. Nearly all teachers say they gather resources from the internet and sites like Teachers Pay Teachers meaning what students learn varies widely, not only from district to district, but from classroom to classroom. What students learn might not even be aligned from one grade to another. In a new, unpublished paper still in revision, researcher Engel found notable inconsistencies between pre-K and kindergarten classroom math content and how it is taught in New York City schools. Engel said results suggest that in many classrooms, kindergarten math might be poorly aligned with both pre-K and elementary school. When teachers have access to well-aligned materials, students may learn more. At Marcus Hook Elementary, a Title I elementary school in the Chichester District, kindergarten teacher Danielle Adlers students were deep into first grade addition, using numbers up to 12. They had already completed all the SpringMath kindergarten math skills in March, so she let them keep going. In the past we did focus more on counting, recognizing numbers and counting numbers, Adler said, But over the last three years Ive seen the kids skills grow tremendously. Not only what theyre expected to do, but what theyre capable of doing has grown. What kindergarteners are expected to do at school has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, including more time spent on academic content. Adler and other kindergarten teachers agree that they hold higher expectations for todays students, spend more time on teacher-directed instruction and substantially less time on art, music, science and child-selected activities. Some worry that increasing time spent on academic subjects like math, and pushing kindergarten students beyond the basics of numbers and counting, will be viewed as unpleasant work that takes away from play-based learning and is just not appropriate for 5- and 6-year-olds, some of whom are still learning how to hold a pencil. Engel said kindergarteners can be taught more advanced content and are ready to learn it. But it should be taught using practices shown to work for young children, including small group work, hands-on work with objects such as blocks that illustrate math concepts, and learning through play. Mathematician John Mighton, the founder of the curriculum JUMP Math, said its a mistake to believe that evidence-based instructional practices must be laborious and dull to be effective. He has called on adults to think more like children to make more engaging math lessons. Children love repetition, exploring small variations on a theme and incrementally harder challenges much more than adults do, he wrote all practices supported by evidence to increase learning. Simple lessons, when done well, can teach complex ideas and get children excited. People say kids dont have the attention, to learn more advanced concepts, he said, but he strongly believes that children have more math ability than adults give them credit for. Getting students working together, successfully tackling a series of challenges that build on each other, can create a kind of collective effervescence a feeling of mutual energy and harmony that occurs when people work toward a common goal. That energy overflowed in Adlers classroom, for example, as students excitedly colored in graphs showing how many addition problems they got correct, and proudly showed off how the number correct had grown over time. VanDerHeyden pointed out that, for young kids, much of a math intervention should look and feel like a game. Its often harder than it looks to advance kindergarten skills while keeping the fun elementary teachers often say they have low confidence in their own abilities to do math or to teach it. Research suggests that teachers who are less confident in math might not pay enough attention to how students are learning, or even spend less time on math in class. Teachers like Murphy have made some tweaks geared to engaging students. In class she calls SpringMath math games, and refers to timed fluency tests as math races. She even turned choosing a partner into a game, by spinning a wheel to see who students will get. We can do all these little things so theyre having fun while theyre learning, Murphy said. This story was originally published on The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education What to know about airman Roger Fortson's fatal shooting by a Florida sheriff's deputy FILE - This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, shows Senior Airman Roger Fortson in a Dec. 24, 2019, photo. (U.S. Air Force via AP, File) The fatal shooting of Roger Fortson by a Florida sheriff's deputy when the Air Force senior airman opened his door armed with a handgun pointed down happened almost a month ago, but the information released so far hasn't clarified why the officer was directed to his apartment. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has released the deputy's body camera video of the May 3 shooting and redacted 911 calls and reports, but not the deputy's name. The agency also has not said if the deputy has made any statement to investigators. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, but since its probe is ongoing, it won't comment. Fortson was Black. The deputy's race has not been released. Fortson, 23, had no criminal record, and there is no evidence he was involved in the disturbance that led to the deputy being called to the apartment complex. Fortson was alone in his apartment, and his girlfriend has said she and Fortson were having a normal video conversation when the deputy began pounding on the door. Ben Crump, the familys attorney, has called the shooting an unjustifiable killing, and Matt Gaetz, the areas staunchly Republican congressman, said Fortson did nothing wrong. Here are some of the key issues surrounding the case: WHY WAS THE DEPUTY AT FORTSON'S APARTMENT? Just before 4:25 p.m. on May 3, a female employee of the Elan Apartments in the Florida Panhandle community of Fort Walton Beach called the sheriff's office, saying a resident had reported a loud argument that had been going on for 20 minutes. It was said that it sounded like it was getting physical" and that it happens often. She gave Fortson's fourth-floor apartment as the location of the disturbance, but he was home alone. At the operator's suggestion, the employee walked near Fortson's unit and reported that she didn't hear anything. The deputy arrived about three minutes later, according to body camera video. He went into the office, where a man directed him to the parking lot. A woman met him there. On video she sounds like the employee who told the operator she would meet the deputy. Her face has been blurred out in the video. Are they fighting or something? the deputy asked. She responded that there was an apparent argument in one of the apartments and it is getting out of hand. He asked which apartment. I dont know. So Im not sure, she responded. She then told the deputy that two weeks earlier she heard someone yelling and cursing in the apartment, followed by a noise that sounded like a slap, but she hadn't reported it. The deputy again asked which apartment, and this time the woman gave Fortson's apartment number. The deputy repeated the number. She confirmed the apartment was on the fourth floor and gave the deputy directions. Fortson lived alone and had no visitors at the time of the shooting. That has raised questions over whether the deputy was directed to the wrong apartment. County 911 dispatch records show deputies had never been called to his apartment before. However deputies had been called to another fourth-floor apartment 10 times in the previous eight months, including once for a family disturbance. A 911 call made by a resident apparently just after the fatal shooting referenced arguing between a man and woman in an apartment where a child lives. Crump has said he believes police were sent to the wrong apartment. It's not clear if he is referencing the apartment where police had previously been called. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE DEPUTY ARRIVED AT FORTSON'S DOOR? The deputy arrived outside Fortson's door less than three minutes after he got to the complex. He listened silently for 20 seconds outside, but no voices inside are heard on his body camera. He then pounded on the door, but didn't identify himself. He then moved to the side of the door, about 5 feet away (1.5 meters). He waited 15 seconds before pounding on the door again. This time he yelled, Sheriff's office open the door! He again moved to the side. Less then 10 seconds later, he moved back in front of the door and pounded again, announcing himself once more. Fortson opened the door, his legally purchased gun in his right hand. It was at his side, pointing to the ground. The deputy said Step back then immediately began firing. Fortson fell backward onto the floor. Only then did the deputy yell, Drop the gun! Fortson replied, It's over there. The deputy called for paramedics, but Fortson died a short time later at the hospital. WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SHOOTING? In the hours after the shooting, the sheriff's office issued a short press release that offered few details. It said the deputy had responded to a call about a disturbance and had heard it himself, which is not corroborated by the body camera audio. He reacted in self defense after he encountered a 23-year old man armed with a gun and after the deputy had identified himself as law enforcement, the statement said. The shooting gained little media attention for several days. It wasn't until Fortson's family questioned how an airman with no record could be shot by a deputy in his doorway and hired Crump that it gained national notice. One thing is clear from the body cam and should be stated unequivocally: Roger did not deserve to die. He did nothing wrong, Rep. Gaetz said in a statement. Hundreds attended Fortson's funeral near his family home in suburban Atlanta, with fellow airmen filing past his flag-draped coffin as they paid their respect. The apartment where Fortson lived is about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Hurlburt Field, where Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator serving on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship. One of his roles was to load the planes 30mm and 105mm cannons during battles. The last of 5 Americans detained for taking ammo to Turks and Caicos has been sentenced All five Americans arrested in recent months in Turks and Caicos under gun control laws that make bringing firearms or ammunition into the territory without prior permission from police a crime has been sentenced. Michael Lee Evans, of Texas; Sharitta Grier, of Florida; Bryan Hagerich, of Pennsylvania; Ryan Tyler Watson, of Oklahoma; and Tyler Wenrich, of Virginia, were all accused of bringing various amounts of ammunition to Turks and Caicos, a 40-island chain southeast of the Bahamas. All have said the ammunition recovered from their luggage was not intentionally packed, according to American lawmakers who went to the British Overseas Territory in May as part of efforts to petition for their expedited release. Though the infractions had carried a mandatory 12-year prison sentence and fine with reductions only in exceptional circumstances a mid-June revision clarified courts may impose a fine, a custodial sentence or both in exceptional circumstances, a member of the territorys House of Assembly said June 14. All five Americans arrested under the law have pleaded guilty, been sentenced and returned to the US. Heres what we know about the laws in Turks and Caicos and the affected Americans: No constitutional right to carry firearms in Turks and Caicos Though the territory doesnt manufacture firearms or ammunition, the number of firearms finding their way to the islands has increased and thats a worry, Turks and Caicos Premier Washington Misick said. While it is legal to fly in the US with unloaded firearms and ammunition in checked baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration, taking firearms or ammunition into Turks and Caicos without prior permission from police is strictly forbidden. The mandatory sentence was in place to protect those on the islands, Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam has said, adding judges could use their discretion to impose reduced sentences in exceptional circumstances. But no special treatment should be given to any group, the Turks and Caicos premier said: The law must be applied even-handedly. Even so, the amendment was introduced to address concerns about the rigidity of the previous sentencing framework, which mandated both imprisonment and financial penalties for all firearms offenses, regardless of the specific context or severity, House of Assembly member Edwin Astwood said in a statement. This often resulted in disproportionately harsh sentences that did not always fit the nature of the crime or the circumstances of the offender. US citizens are not being targeted, Turks and Caicos officials have said. Of the 195 people sentenced for firearm-related offenses over the past six years, only seven were US citizens, Misick has said, and none got a 12-year sentence. While Turks and Caicos collaborates with the US in battling narcotics, terrorism and money laundering, our laws and processes are not congruent, Misick said. We are a separate sovereignty. We respect the United States laws and we will never think to interfere in its operation. Sharitta Shinese Grier Sharitta Shinese Grier - The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force Grier was sentenced July 11 to a suspended 23-week sentence and fined $1,500 following her arrest in mid-May, her attorney Sheena C. Mair confirmed to CNN. Grier planned to pay the fine and board a same-day flight from Turks and Caicos to the United States, Mair said. She arrived in Florida later that evening, CNN affiliate WKMG reported. If she behaves for 12 months, nothing will happen. But if she gets in trouble in (Turks and Caicos) in those 12 months, she will serve 23 weeks, the attorney told CNN. Grier told WKMG her ordeal was an emotional rollercoaster. I had ups and downs. Some days, Id be OK. The next day, Im down, she said. Grier offered a warning to travelers: Be very careful because other countries got different laws than we do, so thats very serious. The Florida mother had no idea two rounds of ammunition were at the bottom of her luggage when she traveled to Turks and Caicos, she told CNN affiliate WFTV. I didnt know what was going to happen because I couldnt believe it was in there, she said in May. They went through my bag and said they found rounds at the bottom of my carry-on. Grier had been released on bail but couldnt leave the island until her case concluded and had to report to a local police station weekly, the station reported. Im just broken, Grier said in May. Bryan Hagerich Hagerich was the first of the five to return to the United States after he received a suspended 52-week sentence in late May, which meant he didnt face immediate incarceration, his representatives said. He was also given a $6,700 fine. The father of two pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition, according to the Turks and Caicos government. Hagerich paid the fine and was allowed to leave the British Overseas Territory. He got home May 24, according to Johnathan Franks, a spokesperson for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, a group that helps wrongfully detained Americans secure release. Arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport, Hagerich told reporters he was absolutely elated to have his two children jump into his arms, according to CNN affiliate WTAE. We have a lot of catching up to do, Hagerich said. A lot of memories to make together. Just so elated to see them. Theyve been so strong through all this. Bryan Hagerich hugs his children, Palmer, 4, left, and Caroline, 6, on May 24 after arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport. - Matt Freed/AP Before Hagerichs sentencing, his wife had packed two suitcases one if he was sentenced to prison and another if he were allowed to return home they said in an exclusive interview with Good Morning America. It was dark; you have no concept of time, Hagerich said about his week-long stay in jail in Turks and Caicos. I was with three folks that were accused of murder. It was scary. Tyler Wenrich Wenrich pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition while traveling to Turks and Caicos. He was sentenced May 28 to three weeks time-served in jail and fined $9,000, said Kimo Tynes, a Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands spokesperson said that day in a statement. He returned home to Virginia on May 30. Tyler Scott Wenrich - The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force The Hon. Justice Davidson Baptiste cited exceptional circumstances in Wenrichs case, saying, Enforcing the mandatory minimum would have been arbitrary and disproportionate, and would not serve the public interest. Wenrich was charged with possession of two 9 mm rounds, according to the Turks and Caicos government. Michael Lee Evans Michael Lee Evans is seen in this undated photo. - Wilkie Arthur/Magnetic Media Evans pleaded guilty to possession of seven 9 mm rounds of ammunition and appeared before the court on April 24 via video conference. He was allowed to return to the United States on bail due to a severe medical situation and to attend his June sentencing hearing virtually, said his attorney Oliver Smith, Kings Counsel. Evans got a suspended 33-month sentence, and his attorney believes it is unlikely he will have to serve time in jail. If he has no problems in (Turks and Caicos) within 12 months, he will not have to do any time, Smith told CNN on June 24. Ryan Tyler Watson Ryan Tyler Watson - The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force Watson was visiting Turks and Caicos with his wife in April to celebrate several friends 40th birthdays when he was charged with possession of four rounds of ammunition. He plead guilty in May. The first of the Americans to be sentenced under the amended firearms law, he got a suspended 13-week sentence and a $2,000 fine, or $500 per bullet, a spokesperson for the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court told CNN on June 21. Watson soon returned home and reunited with his family, US Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, said on X. US lawmakers tried to free Americans The Americans arrest has stoked tension between US officials and their counterparts just a few hundred miles away. A request by a US congressional delegation to the islands in May for charges against the five Americas to be dropped did not yield the desired result. Unfortunately, despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos officials to get our constituents home, we were not able to find a path forward today, Republican US Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said May 20 in a statement. Its to the point now, (where) every third week an American is being detained wrongfully (in) Turks and Caicos, Republican US Rep. Guy Reschenthaler told ABC News the same week. Meanwhile, the prison on Turks and Caicos has been flagged by the United Nations for humanitarian concerns, Reschenthaler told CNN. In a House of Assembly address, the islands Misick said, The (accusations) of congressman (Reschenthaler) against the government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands are nothing more than diabolic falsehoods. Reschenthaler, for his part, wanted to see a resolution here where the Americans get zero amount of jail time. They should be given time served and be sent home to the United States, the congressman told CNNs Manu Raju on May 20. They were innocent mistakes, he said. Any other nation would handle this with a fine in sending that person back to the country of origin. Here, thats not happening. On May 28, Mullin welcomed the news of Wenrichs release, calling it another step in the right direction, according to a post on X. I again encourage TCI to address the unintended consequences of their law to prevent this from happening again. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Ray Sanchez, Sahar Akbarzai, Michael Rios, Holly Yan, Fabiana Chaparro, Amanda Musa, Abel Alvarado and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com URUMQI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- For thousands of years, many herders in today's Altay Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been following a nomadic life, leading their livestock on journeys to different pastures at certain times throughout the year. Recently, this millennia-old tradition has been thrust back into the spotlight following the release of "To the Wonder," a TV series adapted from Li Juan's prose collection "My Altay." The show, which aired lately, became an instant hit. The spring migration in Altay has basically concluded, and the summer migration will begin in early June. A month ago, 600 heads of livestock belonging to Adalbek Beldumulati, a Kazak herder from a village in Altay, were loaded onto multi-deck trucks and transported to a pasture over 200 kilometers away from the village. After a five-hour drive, they arrived at the Sarbulak spring pasture in Altay's Fuhai County. "In the past, it would take at least a week to complete the migration. Now, we can leave in the morning and arrive in the afternoon," said Adalbek Beldumulati, who is in his 50s. Sarbulak, meaning "yellow spring," is a place where melting ice and snow form rivers that flow through the mountains. At the foot of these mountains, lush green grasslands stretch out, dotted with herds of cattle and sheep. The TV series has scored 8.8 out of 10 on China's popular rating platform Douban. The series portrays nomadic life during migration journeys, highlighting the collision of old and new ideas and the integration of traditional and modern ways of life, drawing significant attention to the nomadic culture in Altay. Altay, one of the pastoral areas in Xinjiang, is home to vast grasslands stretching between the Altay Mountains and the Junggar Basin. Nomadic ethnic groups migrate in search of water and grass throughout the year, leading their livestock on long-distance journeys to different pastures based on the growth cycle of the grass. This unique nomadic culture has existed for thousands of years. Even today, the herders in Altay maintain different pastures for each season. Every year, they migrate back and forth from south to north, and vice versa, covering distances ranging from a few dozen kilometers to more than 1,000 kilometers. In the spring of 2024, over 2.2 million livestock in Altay were part of this migration. In the vertical mobile grazing practiced by the Kazak ethnic group, migration allows for the efficient use of forage resources. "The grazing style is adapted to the fragile alpine grassland natural ecosystem," said Chen Xiangjun, professor at the School of Ethnology and Sociology in South-Central Minzu University. In recent years, local government has increased investment in infrastructure in the pastoral areas, transforming some traditional pastoral trails into highways to facilitate the transportation of herders. Over 100 posthouse facilities have also been established along the herders' migration routes, providing them with easier access to services such as accommodation, food and bathing, as well as supplies for their livestock. Today, many herders use modern equipment, such as motorcycles and walkie-talkies, and the younger generation enjoys communicating with the outside world through the internet. Bota, a "post-90s" herder in Altay, has an innate love for pastoral life. She often livestreams and creates videos while grazing, capturing everything from making felt blankets to preparing food with modern kitchenware and electricity. Through her videos, netizens can experience the scenery of the Altay pastures and see how modern life preserves traditions while embracing change. The nomadic culture has also become a tourism attraction in Altay, drawing visitors and shutterbugs alike. An important stopover for herders during their migration journeys, Sarbulak town in Fuhai has been hosting a migration-themed tourism festival for years. Traditional activities like horse racing and wool knitting offer tourists from home and abroad a chance to immerse themselves in the nomadic culture. "An increasing number of tourists have been coming to the pasture to experience the slow-paced life and the unique folk culture," said Waspan Malek, owner of a homestay in Altay's Burqin County. He added that when he first started the business, there were only two to three guest rooms, but with Altay's increasing popularity, he had to expand the homestay to encompass more than 50 guest rooms. Jilin New Village, a filming location of the series "To the Wonder," located in Altay's Habahe County, welcomes nearly 5,000 tourists daily. Among them is An Meimei, 21, who hails from central China's Hubei Province. "I was drawn by the breathtaking scenery portrayed in the TV series. While I had previously seen images of the migration, witnessing the herders' journey firsthand allowed me to truly grasp the essence of their nomadic lifestyle. It's an epic tale of harmony between people and animals," An said. According to the bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism of Altay City, Altay Prefecture recorded over 1.05 million tourist visits from May 13 to 19, up 70.07 percent year on year. The prison in eastern Kosovo is expected to receive 300 inmates from Denmark, in Pasjak The prison in eastern Kosovo is expected to receive 300 inmates from Denmark, in Pasjak By Fatos Bytyci and Louise Rasmussen PASJAK, Kosovo/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - In a jail in eastern Kosovo, plans are underway to remove all domestic inmates and open the space for foreign prisoners who will be airlifted from Denmark, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) away. Denmark is expected to send 300 inmates to the Balkan country, a first for Kosovo and a move highly criticized by Danish human rights experts. Kosovo's prison service will rebuild the Gjilan jail during the next two years to Danish standards before receiving the convicts from non-European Union countries, who were due to be deported from Denmark after their sentences. The eight-year-old jail itself doesn't raise human rights concerns, but the decision to house inmates in Kosovo does, said Therese Rytter, legal director of Dignity, a Danish human rights organization. "There have been credible allegations of abuse in the past," Rytter said. "That doesn't mean that it will happen (in Kosovo), but there is definitely an increased risk compared to if they had been in a Danish prison," she said. The U.S. State Department in its 2023 country report said although Kosovo's prisons met some international standards, violence among prisoners, corruption and inadequate treatment for inmates with mental disabilities persisted. The UN Committee against Torture said in a report from December 2023 that it was concerned about inmates' access to health care and family visits. Kosovo's parliament approved the deal last Thursday, which Denmark, a rich Nordic country says will help it cope with overcrowded jails and a prison guard shortage. In return, Kosovo, one of Europe's poorest countries, will receive 210 million euros ($228 million) over the next 10 years. No individuals who are sentenced on terrorism charges or have life sentences will be transferred to Gjilan, according to the Danish justice ministry and Ismail Dibrani, the head of Kosovo prisons. "Those individuals who will arrive are easily manageable from our system," Dibrani said. The inmates' gender was not confirmed. A Danish prison governor will co-manage the facility with a local director, while all guards will be local. The Kosovar prison guards will receive training from Danish authorities to ensure treatment of inmates meet Danish and international human rights standards, the Danish justice ministry said. But Danish human rights experts are not convinced. "A two-month course does not change behavior," Rytter said. Rinor Behluli who lives close to the prison in the village of Pasjak, said it doesn't matter to him where the prisoners come from. "Whether they are from Denmark, England or elsewhere, they are jailed people," he said. The first convicts are expected to be transferred between 21 and 25 months after prison reconstruction begins, which is expected within weeks, according to the Danish justice ministry. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Rod Nickel) Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion editor. In the not-so-distant past, shopping for eggs and bread at six Columbus Kroger stores did not involve being stopped by a friendly but nevertheless armed guard. In the before times, you'd pick out sundries and essentials, waiting your turn in line and perhaps banter with a friendly cashier and/or bag person before being on your way. Hi, buy and goodbye. How "Little House on the Prairie" does that sound in the after times? Those simpler days have been upended by the COVID pandemic, technology and new theft prevention measures. Sign at the entrance of the Kroger located at 3600 Soldano Blvd. stating that customers are required to have a receipt when exiting the store and suitcases, duffel bags and roller bags are not permitted inside. Krogering has changed Going "Krogering" is still a necessity but visiting my closest Kroger does not have the same appeal since the introduction a few weeks ago of those friendly but nevertheless armed guards checking receipts at the exit. The human cashier lines of yore (pre-pandemic) are now mostly closed. The lines of people and they seem longer have shifted to the self-checkout terminals. The friendly but nevertheless armed guards are extreme even if they will deter some of the real shoplifters costing Kroger millions. They also deter legitimate shoppers who'd rather not be treated as if they are guilty of shoplifting until a receipt proves them innocent. To that end, receipt checkers and the bottleneck of shoppers they often create at the exit would not be needed if Kroger once again relied on human cashiers instead of electronic ones. What changed? In recent weeks, Kroger, the city's largest grocery chain, added signs to the entrances of six area stores, telling customers that receipts are required when exiting something already common at some Walmart and Costco locations. Suitcases, duffel bags and roller bags are no longer permitted, and Kroger reserves the right to search backpacks, bags and other containers. As the Dispatch reported last week, receipts are now checked at Kroger stores at: Short North at 1350 N High St. 3600 Soldano Blvd. Great Southern at 3637 S High St. Northland Village at 1745 Morse Road Brewers Yard at 150 W Sycamore St. Bexley at 2000 E Main St. The guards at least at my location mark receipts with a yellow highlighter after giving them the once or twice over. Kroger has also recently implemented receipt checking at some stores in its Cincinnati/ Dayton division. Is shoplifting on the rise? Retail data shows it's fallen in many cities post-pandemic "In response to increased incidents of theft, we recently deployed added safety measures at six Cincinnati-area stores, including periodic receipt checks, a spokesperson said to the Cincinnati Enquirer in an email. Is shoplifting to blame? Data on the prevalence of shoplifting is not precise because shoplifting is self-reported from stores. A 2023 Council on Criminal Justice report based on police data from 24 large U.S. cities Cincinnati among them found that shoplifting cases in the first half of 2023 was 16% higher compared with the first half of 2019. But when New York City was taken out, shoplifting reports were down 7% over that same timeframe. Larceny, which includes all thefts, has declined nationally since 1990, according to The Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank focused on democracy and voting rights issues. The decline was particularly steep between 2020 and 2021 but rebounded in 2022, researchers said in a March 7 report. They found that the rate of larceny was about 1,400 offenses per 100,000 people in 2022, a 10% decline since 2019. This all said, I will take Kroger at its word when it blames theft for the added security. There is little reason not to. A 2022 Ohio Chamber of Commerce survey found that 62% of businesses felt the rise in crime was stopping them from expanding. Theft costs Ohio retailers $2 billion to $3 billion each year, the chamber said in a press release citing the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. Still, I just do not see how friendly but nevertheless armed guards are the best solution. They do not put me in a Krogering mood and instead remind me that there is a reason to fear the criminal elements or being caught in the middle of some sort of mishap. Now, I want to get in and out of Kroger as soon as possible. Buy without the hi or goodbye. Kroger is treating shoppers like third graders instead of addressing the real issue. One or two or three kids act up and everyone has to stay inside for recess. In this case, all customers have to be screened as if they are up to something illegal when we simply want bread, eggs and other sundries and essentials. Human intelligence and cashiers Brewers Yard Kroger at 150 W Sycamore St. Technology is flashy and new but is not always the best approach. Walmart, Target, Dollar General and Costco are among the retailers that have limited or plan to limit self-checkout at some stores. "Why? Shrink inventory has been a nasty pest over the past year, and it appears some of that theft is happening when shoppers 'forget' to scan items," Supermarket News senior editor Bill Wilson said in a March column . "Late last year, Kroger began leaning on AI to ensure that items in the cart make it through the scanner and into the bag." I am guessing AI is not as good as human cashier scanning the items and placing them in the bag for his or her customers. Kroger should get rid of at least some of the self-checkouts and add more friendly cashiers and bag people. Nothing against computers and AI but human intelligence has more than a few benefits. We can all use a little more banter and fewer interactions with friendly but nevertheless armed guards. Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch's opinion editor. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kroger's new receipt policy treats all customers like criminals Wednesdays Top Stories Wednesdays Five Facts [1] Military aircraft crashes south of Albuquerque International Sunport A pilot is hospitalized after an F-35 crashed off an airfield on the south side of the Albuquerque Sunport. Officials say the F-35B took off from Forth Worth, Texas and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base in California. The jet stopped at Kirtland Air Force Base to refuel and crashed shortly after. The pilot was able to eject before crashing, but sustained serious injuries. The pilot was conscious and taken to University of New Mexico Hospital in stable condition. Traffic on University Blvd is blocked south of Rio Bravo and thats expected to continue through Wednesday. [2] Man accused of attacking multiple people in Albuquerque will stay behind bars The man accused of attacking two elderly men and punching a woman who was out jogging will be held behind bars while awaiting trial for battery and tampering with evidence charges. According to a criminal complaint, Brian Eisenbeis is accused of yelling homophobic slurs during the attack on the two men. The state said they are pursuing hate crime charges. Eisenbeis was later arrested in St. Louis, where he is also facing charges. [3] Morning winds to calm down, afternoon storms in eastern New Mexico Winds will die down by around mid-morning, and the rest of the day will be calmer. Temperatures will stay five to ten degrees cooler than yesterday in eastern New Mexico. Isolated storms will develop in the northern mountains and east plains by around 3 PM, moving east toward Texas throughout the afternoon and evening. [4] Visit Albuquerque launches new interactive virtual tour of city Visit Albuquerque launched an interactive virtual tour of the city that allows people to explore aerial and street views of the city. The tour is includes high-resolution 360 images, videos, informational text boxes and interactive walk-throughs. Visitors can virtually explore Route 66, popular spots in Old Town, the Sandia Mountains, the tram and Balloon Fiesta. The SKYNAV tour can be found on Visit Albuquerques website [5] New Mexico State Fair mega pass goes on sale The New Mexico State Fair announced mega passes are now on sale. The mega pass includes admission to the fair and a wristband that gives you access to unlimited rides. The pass costs $35 and will be good for one day. The mega pass will be available for purchase until 11:59 p.m. on September 6. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. As Donald Trump bulldozed his way to another apparent Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, considerable intrigue centered around whether Sen. Mitch McConnell would offer his public blessing to his on-again, off-again nemesis. Now, nearing five months from Election Day, its Rand Paul, Kentuckys junior senator, who is stiff-arming his partys 2024 presumptive GOP nominee. Close to three months after McConnell announced his support for Trump, Paul still hasnt gotten aboard the Trump train. A Paul adviser says the senator needs to see more from Trump first. Rand will continue to consider endorsing, but it will be when and if he sees President Trump going more in on liberty issues and candidates, the Paul adviser told The Herald-Leader. Its not about getting his endorsement, its about being boldly able to speak to liberty voters on issues. In an interview with the Herald-Leader last summer, Paul also expressed concern about Trumps ability to win a general election. I think every independent in the country has made a decision about Donald Trump. I dont think that theyre really open to sort of seeing that he would change, said Paul, who pursued the GOP presidential nomination during the 2016 cycle. And Im not sure hes open to changing. But that was months before Trump steamrolled his Republicans rivals and built a marginal but consistent polling lead over Democratic President Joe Biden. It was also before Robert Kennedy Jr. announced he would pursue his White House candidacy as an independent. Paul has built a warm relationship with Kennedy, whose aversion to the COVID-19 vaccines and foreign wars including the conflict in Ukraine aligns closely with the senators libertarian orthodoxy. Whats more, Pauls chief political strategist, Doug Stafford, signed on to help Kennedys campaign. Stafford was paid $30,000 in April for campaign consulting services, according to Kennedys Federal Election Commission report. The payment was first reported by The Washington Free Beacon. At the same time, Paul pays Stafford a $12,000 monthly retainer for political consulting. Stafford is one of Pauls original political advisers, becoming his Senate chief of staff after the senators first election in 2010. Hes also the architect of Pauls political action committee, RandPAC, cultivating the senators grassroots fundraising base. There arent public records of him working for other candidates, until the Kennedy-Paul relationship bloomed this winter. After an in-person meeting with Kennedy in January, Paul expressed online that he liked Trump, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Kennedy as options for the presidency. Later, when McConnell revealed he would be stepping down as Republican leader following the November elections, Kennedy returned the praise, floating Paul as an incredible successor who would prioritize American wellness over all else. In April, they recorded a podcast together covering what they alleged as censorship during the coronavirus pandemic. While it would be highly unlikely for Paul to break with his party and openly support Kennedys third party bid for the presidency, his hesitancy in endorsing Trump is noticeable, particularly as the former president seeks to corral a united front around him as he faces a potential felony conviction in New York for falsifying business records. Paul has even indicated he may skip this summers Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump will be formally nominated. Fueling the intrigue is Pauls connections to the top of Trumps orbit. Chris LaCivita, who is running Trumps campaign this go-round, was a top adviser to Pauls failed presidential bid in 2016 and has consulted on his Senate races. Trumps pollster, Tony Fabrizio, has also worked for Paul in the past. But the relationship between the Paul and Trump camps frayed this spring as Pauls kinship with Kennedy flourished and Trumps team increasingly viewed the third party scion as a menace who could siphon from their coalition, politicla insiders told the Herald-Leader. Its unclear if theres still an open line of communication between the two camps, but the broad assumption in Washington is that Paul will eventually signal his support for Trump on his own terms, much like former GOP candidate Nikki Haley did last week. Yet no timeline has been proposed and left unknown is if Trump will expend any energy courting Pauls issues or supporters. Labour has no plans to change rules stopping foreign healthcare workers bringing their family with them to the UK, Wes Streeting has said. Speaking to reporters at a campaign stop in Worcester on Wednesday, the shadow health and care secretary said he was proud of the fact the NHS is an international workforce but added it had become too reliant on overseas staff under the Conservatives. He said there was a global shortage of medical staff, meaning the UK could not assume that that pool of talent will always be there for us to draw on, and described the recruitment of staff from countries with their own shortages as immoral. Asked whether he would reverse a ban on overseas healthcare staff bringing their dependants to the UK, Mr Streeting said: Im not aware of any plans by (shadow home secretary) Yvette Cooper to change those rules. Obviously well be working really closely together and I want to make sure that by developing our homegrown talent I help Yvette reduce net migration. The Government brought in the ban on dependants in March in an effort to reduce migration levels. But health and social care providers warned the move could drive people from the sector, exacerbating staffing difficulties. Mr Streeting also said the UK needed to redress the balance between homegrown medical students and international ones, saying too many top performing students were being turned away from British medical schools. In February London Mayor Sadiq Khan condenced the new visa laws banning foreign health and care workers from bringing their families to the UK. The Mayor of London said the sectors workers were the capitals unsung heroes and the Governments plans will place an already-stretched NHS and social care system under more pressure. The Government needs to recognise the social and economic contribution of migrants and make it easier for them to come and work in the UK in sectors where their support is badly needed, not harder. (Bloomberg) -- Diane Abbott, the first Black woman to be elected as a member of Parliament, will be blocked from standing for the opposition Labour Party at the UK election, the BBC and other media reported. Most Read from Bloomberg Abbott wont be allowed to seek re-election in the London district of Hackney North and Stoke Newington even after she was readmitted to the party following her suspension over comments about racism, according to the reports. Neither Abbotts office nor the Labour Party responded to a request for comment. The veteran MP represented Labour since entering Parliament in 1987, but she was suspended from the parliamentary party last year after writing a letter to the Observer newspaper saying Jewish people do not face the same form of racism as Black people. Labours condemnation of her comments came in the context of leader Keir Starmers efforts to rebuild after the tenure of predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, which was dogged by allegations of antisemitism. The row over Abbott became even more complicated for Labour following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, which left Starmer battling to contain splits within the party over how to respond. Having spent months exerting his grip on Labour, some of the old divisions with the Labour left and its traditional sympathy toward the Palestinian cause, re-emerged. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks decision to call an early election on July 4 meant the situation with Abbott was not resolved. After she was reinstated to the parliamentary Labour party this week, there was speculation Labour wanted an elaborate choreography where Abbott would be welcomed back before announcing her retirement. But if the plan was to make it a smooth transition, its not how its played out in the media. Labours shadow health secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged on the BBC on Wednesday he didnt know whether Abbott would stand, though he said he was glad her suspension was lifted on Tuesday. The risk for Starmer lies in Abbotts wider popularity in the party but especially on the left, where supporters of Corbyn already held deep suspicions of the Labour leader if not outright hostility. Starmer kicked Corbyn out of the party months after taking over, again over a row over antisemitism. The former leader is standing as an independent candidate in Islington North, a seat he has held since 1983, and has a campaign launch event later Wednesday. On the flip side, Starmer and Labour have built a 20-point lead in the polls in part by shedding the party of Corbyns image, fostering closer ties with business and taking a more centrist stance on the economy and defense. In that context, Labour officials may calculate that another row with the Corbynite left may even help, if it shows how far the party has moved on. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Lansing police and city officials are reacting to another teen losing their life to gun violence by enforcing an existing minor curfew ordinance. The change was shared during a press conference on the early Monday shooting that left 7 injured and 17-year-old Kylete Owens dead near Rotary Park. This is not the first time the city has heavily enforced the rule said to Randy Hannan, former chief of staff under Mayor Virg Bernero. More aggressive enforcement of a curfew was just one piece of, you know, wide range of measures that we tried to take to try and counteract the trend of youth violence, said Hannan. Lansing Police crime scene van on scene of mass shooting on Memorial Day. (WLNS) Crime scene tape blocks an area in downtown Lansing where a mass shooting occurred early on Memorial Day morning. (WLNS) Crime scene tape blocks an area in downtown Lansing where a mass shooting occurred early on Memorial Day morning. (WLNS) He said years ago, the curfew was paired with efforts from school and faith leaders and gun buyback programs. The current ordinance applies to children 12 years old and younger who they cannot be in public places without a parent or guardian from 10 pm to 6 am. For 13- to 16-year-olds, the curfew time is 12 am to 6 am. This time, its being paired with tools like Advance Peace. The program is designed to engage people who are likely to take part in a cycle of violence. Through mentorship and skill training, facilitators hope to break that cycle. More on this story One dead after shooting took place near Riverfront Dr. One dead, 6 injured following overnight shooting near Riverfront Dr. Advocate against gun violence addresses Lansing shooting We need to do more so kids cant get guns: Lansing Mayor says after Memorial Day mass shooting Mother remembers her son shot, killed Monday Paul Elam with the non-profit Michigan Public Health Institute and leads the Lansing iteration of Advance Peace. He agrees with the layered approach and said gun violence needs to be re-thought as a public health issue. Were not saying that we dont need to continue to deal with individuals through criminal justice system perspective, he said. We need to continue to do that, but we also need to get smarter in a public health approach and deal with the root causes of gun violence. Lansing city council member Adam Hussain backs the curfew and said theres support to see more proactive efforts. We need to be stop being so dog gone reactionary and we need to start playing offense on this thing, he said. Hussain said he is ready to review any changes to the ordinance that may be brought up to council. Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane supports the idea of a curfew though he does question the enforcement of the rule. He said a look should be taken at furthering proactive efforts as the summer is just starting. Our law enforcement partners have to police these areas better. Advanced Peace needs to reach out to these individuals to try to set some type of peace agreement up because this will continue throughout the summer if we dont get a handle on it, said Dewane. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Attorney General Peter Neronha points his finger at numerous parties and trends for Rhode Islands struggling health care system at the Rhode Island Health Care Summit in the House chamber at the State House on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Neronha also criticized what he sees as the medias lack of interest in legal proceedings over the possible sale of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center. The sale or possible dissolution of the two hospitals could wreak even more havoc on the health care system, in Neronha's view. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) A recent episode of South Park featured a satirical song that portrayed Americas health care system as an endless series of forms, referrals and delays. Not unlike a typical workday for Dr. Howard Schulman, a primary care physician based in East Providence. The death of primary care in Rhode Island is a death of a thousand cuts, Schulman told lawmakers, colleagues and health care officials at the Rhode Island Health Care Summit Tuesday morning. Schulman said he spends a lot of time clicking through screens, logging into patient record systems, authenticating those logins, then getting logged out automatically when hes been logged in for more than a few minutes. Like many doctors, he still has to use a fax machine to share information with other medical offices, urgent cares, hospitals and nursing homes. The summits invited speakers and guests offered plenty more examples of laceration: Rhode Islands reimbursement rates are inferior to those in neighboring states. Private hospitals are operating like public ones, often at massive losses. There arent enough hospital beds. Childrens teeth are rotting because of lack of access to dental care. Primary care physicians are frustrated and underpaid, and medical practices are disconnected from one another. At some point, every one of us will need our health care system, said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi in his opening remarks. Yet the states subpar handling of a product with inevitable demand did not stop doctors and hospital leaders from cracking their own jokes. Theres a joke inside of medicine that the only three reasons one would practice in Rhode Island is our love of Dels Lemonade, our love of coffee milk, or that were simply stupid, Dr. Hub Brennan, an internist with a private practice in East Greenwich, told the crowd gathered in the House chamber. So I stress to you and I stress to my patients: I love Dels, and I love coffee milk. There are apparently so many problems it was hard to identify any singular villain during the nearly four-hour summit which was billed as three but ran about 90 minutes longer than planned although reimbursement rates for providers emerged as a recurring antagonist. The persistent hole Rhode Island is still in with lower federal health care payments than neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts is a persistent aggravation said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who gave a federal perspective on local delivery. An aggravation of decades. And it doesnt lend itself to an easy solution. Whitehouse pointed to the All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) initiative as one possibility one whose application the state would need to complete by August. The AHEAD program would move participants to value-based payment, which aligns to quality of care delivered, rather than the current, widespread model of fee for service, which renders payment based on the number of services provided. Wheres the media who criticizes my office repeatedly? In states like Massachusetts, said John Fernandez, CEO of Rhode Islands biggest health system Lifespan, high public payer hospitals are buoyed by millions in state funds. If Rhode Island Hospital were more like Boston Medical Center, it too might see state money in its coffers. Thats when Attorney General Peter Neronha rose from his chair and interrupted Fernandez. Mr. President, can you just say that again? Say that again, Neronha asked. So that everybody in this chamber and on television hears that point. It may be the most important point that we hear today, that you are trying to run a public hospital without public funding. When it was Neronhas turn to speak, he gave mostly serious remarks, but they were not without a little acid humor. Maybe when they put an eight inch hole in my back, they took out that part that made me hold back a little bit, Neronha said, referencing his 2023 surgery. But as a state we cant afford to hold back. We are on the precipice of a disaster. The proposed merger and sale of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence and Providences Roger Williams Medical Center has been a major concern for Neronhas office, which is tasked with approving and soliciting public feedback on corporate mergers. Neronha identified the two hospitals as essential to the states health care system, even though he also called their owner the California-based Prospect Medical Holdings lousy. Do you know that right now we are in Superior Court in a closed hearing, fighting to keep Roger Williams and Fatima open? Neronha said. The courtroom is sealed. But wheres the outcry from the media if theyre here about why that courtroom is sealed? Neronha continued, with a row of reporters situated in front of him on the House floor. Wheres the media who criticizes my office repeatedly for not being transparent when there is nothing more important than whats going on in that courtroom? Neronha said he understood why the courtroom is sealed. He was more worked up about the fact that the state doesnt generate enough revenue to help hospitals like Fatima and Roger Williams survive and be in the black a financial stability that could be reinvested in the states health care systems. I wanted to bring attention to the point that in any other state his (Fernandezs) hospital and probably every hospital in this state would be supported by public funds, Neronha said in his own speech later. And what is the appetite for public funds for these hospitals? Zero. Martha L. Wofford, of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island and John Fernandez of Lifespan are seen at the Rhode Island Health Care Summit on May 28, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Medicaid in all its complexities A number that is far greater than zero: what the state spends on public insurance programs like Medicaid. It served about 328,000 Rhode Islanders in fiscal 2022, at a total cost of $3.8 billion, with $3.2 billion of that sum going toward member benefits. The feds paid for 65% of these costs, and the state paid the other 35%, for a total in-state expenditure of about $1.3 billion. Is it a waste? Martha L. Wofford, CEO of insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island, wasnt so blunt but didnt appear to be Medicaids #1 fan either. One reason: It costs her company money. We have a disproportionate share of government-funded health care in the state of Rhode Island, Wofford said. Commercial insurance pays twice what Medicare pays and more, much more, than what Medicaid pays. What happens is that commercial insurance subsidizes care for all other people. And so, we really need that cross subsidization to make sure the health care system works and other providers can cover their costs. Kristin Sousa, who runs the states Medicaid office, reminded the crowd why the low-income health insurance program is important, and argued for it as the cornerstone of our health care delivery system, one which supports a huge variety of patients and their needs but serves as a critical source of funding for health care providers, too. I firmly believe that the Medicaid program drives the overall health care delivery system in Rhode Island, Sousa said. Medicaid serves as a safety net, catching those who might otherwise fall through the cracks of our healthcare delivery system. States differ in how they implement Medicaid expansions and extensions, but the entire system was made possible by the Affordable Care Act, known commonly by the nickname Obamacare. Since 1965, Medicaid has served adults with disabilities, but the Obama-era changes brought health care coverage to able-bodied adults with low income and no children. Lifespans Fernandez was still concerned about the programs cost to hospital operators like himself. Our Medicaid operating margin is negative $139 million, he said in his speech. You throw in some charity care at $32 million, that adds up to $170 million, just in those two populations. We shouldnt have to lose money taking care of people. Kristin Sousa, who manages Rhode Island Medicaid, said the public insurance program is invaluable in addressing health inequities and lack of access during her presentation Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at the Rhode Island State House. Medicaid is the foundation that upholds the wealth, health and well being of countless individuals and families across our state, Sousa says. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Issues lost in translation The summit covered a number of administrative and provider perspectives. But where were patients thoughts and feelings? Primary care doctor Schulman revealed that the high cost of having an interpreter available for non-English speaking patients made him hesitate to use them. That prompted a question from Rep. Karen Alzate, a Pawtucket Democrat. Do you find it difficult to want to take those patients because your office has to pay for their translation service? Alzate asked. So many people in my particular community dont seek out health care for a number of reasons and then now this is creating another barrier. I think it is a disincentive, Schulman said. I mean, when youre, if youre, paying a translator $200 for like a $90 visit, you just dont feel rightYou try not to pay attention to that. But I Yes, yeah. Youre focused on the patient all the time. One of the summits final questions came from Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies, executive director of The Economic Progress Institute, and was directed at Neronha: What are your thoughts about universal health care? I think universal health care is something worth talking about, Neronha said. But were nowhere near talking about that. Neronha then pivoted to address the Fatima and Roger Williams situation from a different angle: The pair of hospitals treat patients of color and people with lower incomes, but they too are victims of irresponsible finance practices. Private equity steals the money, Neronha said. The hospitals go under. Thats the plan and its deliberate. Nelson-Davies was content with the summit as a starting point for conversation, even if the discussion wasnt exactly holistic or patient-focused. Most of health care is outside of the health care system, she said. Whether people have food to eat, whether people have living wages that all impacts health, so you cannot have a health care conversation without understanding that other piece of it. Was Nelson-Davies satisfied with the attorney generals reply about universal health care? Well, he said, Were not quite ready yet. So his response sounded like he wasnt quite ready yet, Nelson-Davies told Rhode Island Current. We have to have a conversation about what universal health care could look like. If we dont have that conversation, we dont put together a plan, were never gonna get there, Nelson-Davies said. Is it a solution? Maybe not, but were not even having a conversation. Dr. Howard Schulman, a primary care provider, was the first physician to speak at the Rhode Island Health Care Summit on May 28, 2024. He fielded a number of questions from the audience. Some questions werent easy to answer. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Sen. Linda Ujifusa, a Portsmouth Democrat and longtime proponent of single-payer health care, thanked Nelson-Davies after the summit for asking the question. Ujifusa told Rhode Island Current Tuesday afternoon that she was impressed with the summit and the overall discussion of serious health care challenges. While the attorney generals reply about single-payer health care couldnt be too nuanced in the given time span, Ujifusa said she was hopeful that Neronha could eventually work in that Venn diagram of overlap between his ideas and those of single-payer advocates. Two speakers slated to appear Tuesday were sick. Sousa said her colleague Richard Charest, who heads the states Executive Office of Health and Human Services, was under the weather and couldnt attend. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio had medical appointments today that prevented him from attending, said Greg Pare, Senate spokesperson, in an email. Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson spoke in Ruggerios place and concluded the summit. Unfortunately, I wont be as fired up as the general, but Im going to do my best, Pearson said. The post Laughters the best medicine. But health care summit prompts serious discussion appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Gov. Laura Kelly is now calling a special session of the Kansas Legislature in an attempt to find a compromise on tax cuts. Kelly announced Wednesday that she will use her constitutional authority to reconvene legislators on June 18. The formal proclamation is forthcoming. "I am committed to working with the Legislature to deliver responsible, sustainable tax cuts for all Kansans," Kelly said in a statement. "A special session provides the opportunity for bipartisan collaboration on comprehensive tax relief that does not threaten Kansas' solid fiscal foundation. By working together, we can swiftly come to a compromise to put more money back into Kansans' pockets." Gov. Laura Kelly announced a special session will take place June 18. Why special session date announced later than expected The announcement came later than expected. Kelly's staff had promised a veto of the latest major tax cut package even before lawmakers passed it on April 30, the last day of the legislative session. When Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 37 on May 16, she said, "Next week, I will be announcing the date of a special legislative session so we can deliver comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts." But no announcement came that following week, which Kelly's staff attributed to "ongoing conversations with legislative leaders about the availability of their caucuses in order to determine the best date." Kelly didn't unveil a new tax cut proposal. Where Kansas legislators and governor differ on tax cuts While the Democratic governor and Republican-controlled Legislature have found many areas of agreement on components of a major tax cut package, differences remain over the structure of income tax cuts and particularly on the fiscal note. Lawmakers sent three major tax cut packages to the governor, and all were vetoed as were relatively smaller tax cut plans. Two did not have supermajority support in both chambers to override the veto, while the third was vetoed after the session ended and lawmakers had left Topeka. More: As tax cut special session looms, can Kansas politicians find a compromise? "The sad reality is this $84,000+ a day special session could have been completely avoided because the legislature already delivered a bipartisan, sustainable tax relief plan that was fully vetted by our highly qualified legislative tax committees," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said in a statement. "Instead, the Kelly/Toland Administration chose to play election-year political games, opting to continue to move the goalposts and refuse to compromise all at Kansas taxpayers' expense. "We've been attempting to compromise with the Governor's office all year so I'm hopeful that she's finally feeling the pressure to put an end to this and join the overwhelming majority of legislators who are ready to deliver tax relief to all Kansans." 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 governor calls special session on tax cuts after vetoing bills BARCELONA, Spain, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The accurate portrayal of Chinese culture and history was a priority in the making of the new animated movie "Dragonkeeper," the film's director Salvador Simo told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday. Coproduced by Spanish production company Guardian de Dragones AIE and China Film Animation, the film was directed by Simo alongside Beijing Film Academy professor Li Jianping. The production is an adventure fantasy story set in Imperial China during the Han Dynasty that features dragons and wizards. "The main direction of the film was Spanish, but the Chinese involvement was above all to ensure its 'Chineseness', making sure it is faithful to Chinese culture, because it's important that you are accurate when you tell a story in a culture that's not your own," Simo told Xinhua. Based on the novel by Australian author Carole Wilkinson, who also contributed to the script, "Dragonkeeper" tells the story of Ping, an orphan girl who befriends the last of China's dragons and joins him to recover a valuable treasure, the last dragon egg, stolen by an evil sorcerer. "We have tried to tell the story in a way that is international, which could work as well in China as in the rest of the world," Simo added. The Spanish director said that he was inspired by 80s and 90s movies which are humorous but prioritize "adventure" and "characters." The movie was released this month internationally after it premiered in Spain on April 19. The first screening of "Dragonkeeper" took place on March 1, premiering at the 27th edition of the Malaga Festival, one of Spain's most prestigious international film festivals. "There's a dialogue between the spectator and the movie that often makes people want to see it again, and here in Spain we have seen lots of children who have seen the film two or three times," the Spanish director said. Simo, who has worked on numerous animation and special effects projects, won the Goya award in 2018, the most important prize in Spanish cinema, for Best Animated Film for his feature film debut with "Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles". The new China-Spain collaboration was produced in collaboration with Atresmedia Cine and Movistar Plus+. Lawmaker hit with $35,000 in payments for violation of Oklahoma ethics rules Rep. Ajay Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, begins filing her candidacy paperwork on April 3. Pittman is running for House District 99. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Rep. Ajay Pittman has agreed to pay the Oklahoma Ethics Commission $35,000 following a settlement agreement for ethics rules violations. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission on Wednesday released terms of the settlement agreement. The settlement agreement says Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, used her campaign funds for personal use, in violation of ethics rules. The settlement agreement says she improperly withdrew $17,858.52 from her campaign funds. In addition, she inaccurately reported $30,000 worth of contributions in 2020 and $20,000 in 2022, the settlement agreement says. Finally, she failed to maintain 2020 and 2022 campaign records in accordance with ethics rules, the settlement said. The Parties agree that the payment constitutes full compensation for all of the Commissions claims against the Respondent including, but not limited to, personal use of campaign funds, improper withdrawal of campaign funds, inaccurate reporting, and failure to maintain campaign records, according to the settlement agreement. The funds must come from her personal account and not her campaign. Pittman did not respond to a request seeking comment. She was first elected in 2018 and is seeking reelection. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Lawmaker hit with $35,000 in payments for violation of Oklahoma ethics rules appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Members of the West Virginia Senate passed a bill on May 19, 2024, that will give an additional $27 million to the Hope Scholarship, the states education savings account program. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) West Virginia lawmakers will give an additional $27 million to the Hope Scholarship, the states education savings account program, from unused state dollars. It is one of the nations broadest education saving account programs, giving roughly $4,400 per student in taxpayer money to families to use for private school, homeschooling and more. During the May special session, lawmakers approved a bill that will give the extra funds to the program. The money will address its increasing enrollment. More than 6,000 students were awarded the Hope Scholarship in the 2023-24 school year. The appropriation needs to be made available as the school year begins in August, so the governor is requesting it now, explained Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam. More than $300,000 in Hope Scholarship funds have been used at out-of-state schools that border West Virginia. Lawmakers mostly used the recent May special session to allocate funds after the state cleared the threat of a federal clawback from the U.S. Department of Education related to education spending. The legislation, signed by Gov. Jim Justice, also allocated around $3.2 million to counties where student enrollment is increasing. Only two counties, Doddridge and Grant, experienced increased enrollment as of Oct. 1, 2023, according to West Virginia Department of Education School Finance Operations Officer Uriah Cummings. The bulk of increased enrollment funding allocations were made to public charter schools. All but one of the schools qualified for the additional funding, he said. Many counties are grappling with declining enrollment as West Virginia has the nations fastest declining population. Census data showed that 47 out of the states 55 counties experienced a drop in residents in 2023. Tarr explained that the change meant that the state needed to put less dollars into public education under the current school funding formula. West Virginia is one of a limited number of states that pays for education based almost solely on enrollment. County revenue is also a factor, as well. If enrollment goes down, both state and local share goes down, Tarr said. The enrollment decrease combined with the increased revenue to the counties from the personal property taxes and real estate taxes assessed by the county has decreased the states required contribution to the school aid formula. Students have also left public schools to use the Hope Scholarship; public schools retain county and federal funds when a student leaves, while state dollars follow the student. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy estimated that public schools are likely to lose more than $21.6 million with students who have left the system to use the Hope Scholarship. West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee said schools have less resources to serve remaining students, where caring for kids mental and behavioral needs remains a top issue amid worsening school discipline problems. Not every school in the state has a full-time counselor or social worker. Only 13 of the states 55 counties have a behavioral intervention program; Lee said schools need money to fund programs to help struggling students. We could do things like that If you catch the discipline and mental issues of the kids emotional issues and mental health issues with these kids at the elementary school, you dont have the problems as much in middle schools and high schools, he said. He predicted further school consolidations as enrollment decreases, which would eliminate some local teacher and service personnel jobs. Around the state, declining enrollment coupled with waning federal pandemic relief funds have this year resulted in teacher and job cuts. Kanawha County Schools, the states largest school district, lost 500 students this year a change that resulted in a proposal to cut 55 jobs in its schools. This school year, Marion County Schools estimated that it lost around $300,000 that followed students who exited the district for the Hope Scholarship. Editors note: This story was updated to include information from the West Virginia Department of Education. The post Lawmakers give additional $27M to Hope Scholarship program appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Lawmakers are moving forward with felony sentencing reform. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) OKLAHOMA CITY A multi-year effort to overhaul the states outdated sentencing structure for felony offenses is one-step closer to becoming law. House Bill 1792, which advanced overwhelmingly out of the House on Wednesday, aims to increase consistency in sentencing and bring Oklahomas criminal justice system in line with national standards. Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, the measures author, said the Oklahoma Sentencing Modernization Act of 2024 will ensure the punishment actually fits the crime. It sets minimum time served requirements for some crimes and ensures equity in sentencing, he said. The passage comes about five years after lawmakers tasked a commission with categorizing nearly 1,100 crimes, and after about two years of continuing behind-the-scenes work with stakeholders, including law enforcement, prosecutors and criminal justice reform advocates. We were able to craft something that I think is really going to move the needle in the state of Oklahoma, but its also going to protect the people of Oklahoma, make sure that theyre safe, Osburn said. The bill would create a 14-tier classification system which categorizes felony crimes based on their severity from murder to nonviolent offenses, Osburn said. Osburn said sentences often vary greatly depending on where a crime is committed. The legislation ensures that theres some certainty in terms of sentencing so that defendants in one corner of the state receive the same punishments as those in another, he said. Supporters also expect it to reduce the incarceration rate by reducing the number of people unnecessarily incarcerated. One of our goals all along is to make sure that we keep the right people in prison, but people who need some other form of correction that theyre afforded that, Osburn said. Oklahoma is one of the only states in the country that does not have a sentencing classification system that makes it easier for prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants and victims to know what a sentence is going to look like, he said. Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, who voted against the plan, said lawmakers have had conversations about criminal justice reform since he was elected in 2016. All lawmakers do is lower sentences, he said. He said he ran a bill that would have increased sentences and penalties on people who commit crimes against children, but lawmakers wouldnt even consider it. Until we have a real discussion about criminal justice reform that says some sentences may need to be lowered, but some sentences may need to be raised, Im not supporting criminal justice reform in its current form, Fetgatter said. The measure would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. That will allow lawmakers an additional session to correct any mistakes that may have been made, analyze data to ensure they made the right decisions and allow those affected time to review the changes. The sentencing changes would not be retroactive. The Senate must still consider it by Friday, which is the end of the legislative session. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Lawmakers advance sentencing reform measure aimed at reducing prison population, increasing equity appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (PIX11) The move by a major New York City hospital to close is being met with significant backlash. Beth Israel Hospital is one of the few hospitals on the Lower East Side. Supporters of the hospital staying open insist that since Mount Sinai bought it in 2013, the health care provider has been dismantling it by removing heart surgery, maternity, rehab, and physical medicine and reducing beds in pediatrics. Scooter in Bronx crash that killed girl, 15, was stolen: sources The New York State Department of Health initially blocked the closure, but that move is only temporary. Mount Sinai responded by changing its initial plan to close Beth Israel in mid-July. The new plan to close the hospital includes helping Bellevue Hospital expand its emergency department. A coalition of elected members of Congress, state senators and the City Council argue that Mount Sinai cant shut the hospital down. Activists protest New Jersey Turnpike expansion The coalition said in part, This elimination of services on a hasty timeline without adequate community engagement remains unacceptable. The New York State Assembly has since passed an act that would prevent hasty closures of hospitals. If the act becomes law, it would require much more input from the public when a hospital system is looking to severely shrink or shut down. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Two members of Congress recently introduced a bill that would speed up federal claims for Marines and other service members who were exposed to toxic chemicals while serving at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Camp Lejeune Justice Corrections Act, introduced Thursday by Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. and Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., updates the previous Camp Lejeune Justice Act, enacted in 2022 as part of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act. The updates will clarify that plaintiffs have a right to a jury trial, expand jurisdiction to reduce the backlog of cases currently in federal court, and cap attorneys fees. The original legislation allows servicemembers affected by toxic water at Camp Lejeune between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 to sue the federal government for compensation. All of these cases are being jammed up in the Eastern District of North Carolina. It would be years and years and years before people would get the relief that theyre owed. And many of them might pass away in the meantime, Ross told Spectrum News. We want to make it so more courthouses can hear these claims, and so that we can get this process moving as quickly as possible for people who have been injured. Navy issues fraud alert for Camp Lejeune contamination claims The original bill became law decades after victims reported increased cancers, neurological disorders and birth defects among children of troops stationed at the base during the timeframe. Despite more than 227,000 claims and 1,700 lawsuits filed, only 63 settlement offers had been extended since 2022 and only 40 of those accepted for pay outs by claimants, according to the Camp Lejeune Claims Center. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was established to rectify the injustices our veterans faced and streamline their access to rightful claims, Murphy said in a statement. However, many still struggle to benefit due to unforeseen obstacles These updates will help alleviate the backlog of cases, ensuring timely resolution and closure for all that have been affected. Lawmakers raised concerns about a lack of caps on attorneys fees as early as 2022, when the bill was passed. The new bill would put a 20% cap on any settlement and a 25% cap on any judgement, according to the bill. In September, the Navy unveiled a plan to fast-track financial settlements for victims. That process would grant $100,000 to $150,000 to victims of certain conditions such as Parkinsons disease, kidney cancer and leukemia. Those who had not experienced those conditions but had other complications were still required to file civil claims against the government, Military Times reported. In November, the Navy announced an updated Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claims portal to streamline the filing process. In January, the Navy and Justice Department issued a fraud alert for claimants, citing reports of unscrupulous people and companies trying to obtain personal information using fraudulent emails and phone solicitations. The Lancaster Sheriff's Station is at the center of new allegations in a lawsuit filed this week. (Google Maps) Six years ago, a plumber found the decomposing body of Raymundo Rivera inside a pillar at a Winco supermarket in Lancaster. At the time, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department officials said the 35-year-old appeared to have fled during a traffic stop and may have gotten inside there and gotten down to try and hide from the deputies and then couldn't get out. But according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in L.A. Superior Court, former Deputy Aaron Tanner later boasted that he and other deputies had chased Rivera and that they knew hed fallen into the pillar. Instead of trying to save him, the suit says, the deputies left him there to die, and made false reports that they lost track of the suspect in the pursuit. The allegations came to light this week when Tanner's ex-girlfriend filed a $5-million lawsuit accusing him of physically abusing her for more than two years. The woman, who is identified only as Jane Doe in court filings, also alleged the ex-lawman bragged about being a shot-caller, or leader, in a deputy gang known as the Rattlesnakes. According to the suit, he also threatened to have other members of the group take care of her if she told anyone about his alleged abuse. Tanner could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and it was not clear whether he had an attorney. State records show he has not been employed by the Sheriffs Department since late last year. In addition to raising a litany of other claims about Tanner including an on-duty incident in which he allegedly cut off a dead horse's leg the suit also describes repeated misconduct involving other members of the Rattlesnakes. According to the complaint, Tanner told his ex the group effectively controls the Lancaster Sheriffs Station and that its members allegedly intimidate other deputies, make false arrests and frame people. Until now, the group has so far garnered little scrutiny compared to more notorious deputy groups operating in East L.A. and Compton. The suit, filed by attorney Vincent Miller, accuses the county of allowing deputy gangs to persist despite promises to reform. Late Wednesday, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement that it had not officially received the complaint but that it "does not condone any acts that violate the civil rights of others" and is working to hold deputies accountable. "The department has been conducting several comprehensive deputy gang investigations that have never been done before and for the first time we have fired employees for violating the existing deputy cliques and subgroups policy," the statement said. "Additionally, the department has updated training programs, re-briefed personnel about deputy gangs and behavior that could have adverse career consequences and created a task force to generate lasting, cultural change." Read more: L.A. County supervisors ask sheriff for report on 'Industry Indians' deputy gang The soured relationship that sparked the lawsuit began in March 2020, when Jane Doe began dating Tanner. The deputy allegedly told her he was an influential member of a gang called the Rattlesnakes. According to the suit, he told her that members of the group would withhold backup on other deputies patrol calls to endanger their lives, write false police reports and engage in other illegal conduct. But the crux of the claims center on Tanners alleged abuse and sadistic tendencies. In the 17-page filing, Doe accuses the deputy of repeatedly strangling her until she was unconscious, allegedly telling her he needed to do it to maintain dominance over her. According to the suit, Doe didnt report Tanner to authorities because she was afraid of retaliation by other members of the Rattlesnakes. Jane Doe saw how powerful Tanner and the Rattlesnakes were, and how they controlled the Lancaster Station, the suit continues, offering as an example an incident that started when Tanner allegedly told his girlfriend to follow behind him in her car. He drove at a high speed, the suit says, then slammed on the brakes so suddenly that her car crashed into his. When a bystander called 911, Tanner allegedly called dispatch and told them not to send help. In late 2022, Doe broke off her relationship with Tanner. Afterward, she alleges, he and other Rattlesnakes members stalked her at work, terrorizing and intimidating her. Then in 2023, the suit says, the department began investigating Tanner and officials contacted Doe about an unrelated incident she allegedly witnessed during an unauthorized ridealong with him. However, Doe was reluctant to talk because she suspected one of the investigating sergeants was a member of the Rattlesnakes and might tell her ex what she would say. Still, the suit says, the department ended up opening an internal criminal investigation into Tanner. Two other deputies allegedly told the departments internal crime investigators that Tanner had been withholding backup from other deputies and that theyd reported it to the station captain. "When they reported the withholding of back up," the suit says, "the captain quickly moved to cover up the deputy gang activity at the station, telling the deputies to never tell him about this again and to 'get the f out of my office.'" In addition to the internal criminal probe, the suit says Tanner was the target of multiple administrative investigations, including one incident in which he allegedly sawed off the leg of a dead horse with a pocketknife and made a trainee hold the leg. The suit doesnt clarify when the incident supposedly took place, what the deputy allegedly did with the detached leg or why it was removed in the first place. Now, the departments probe is wrapping up, the suit says, and investigators are reportedly confident the DA will indict Tanner for the violence committed against Jane Doe and the use of his gang to intimidate the witness. He has also been given a notice of termination, the suit says. The district attorneys office did not immediately respond to a question about whether prosecutors have already been asked to review any cases involving the former deputy. Read more: Ex-deputy says he was fired after refusing to affiliate with alleged deputy gang For decades, the Sheriffs Department has been plagued by allegations about gangs of deputies running roughshod over certain stations and floors of the jail. The groups are known by monikers such as the Indians, the Vikings and the Regulators, and their members often bear the same sequentially numbered tattoos with symbols linking them to specific stations. Some of the groups such as the Compton Executioners and the East L.A. Banditos have become frequent targets of oversight investigations, lawsuits and independent reports. But aside from the allegations in this weeks lawsuit, there is relatively little known about the Lancaster group. When the Civilian Oversight Commissions special counsel released a 70-page report on deputy gangs last year, the Rattlesnakes got one fleeting mention. Two years earlier, a 230-page county-commissioned Rand Corp. report on the groups referenced the Rattlesnakes just three times, describing them as one of a few tattooed groups that did not appear to be actively adding members. That same year, a 54-page report written by researchers at Loyola Law School described the group as a deputy gang operating out of the Palmdale and Lancaster stations in the Antelope Valley. The report described the groups tattoo as a skull and a snake, but it didnt list any suspected members or allegations of misconduct. The report said it wasnt clear whether the tattoos were sequentially numbered. Yet it appears the Rattlesnakes have been on the federal governments radar since at least 2013, when a U.S. DOJ report raised concerns about a tattooed group of deputies in the Antelope Valley. The report detailed the findings of an investigation into allegations of racially discriminatory policing practices in the area in northern Los Angeles County. Some Antelope Valley deputies wear tattoos or share paraphernalia with an intimidating skull and snake symbol as a mark of their affiliation with the Antelope Valley stations, the report said. Though there are varying interpretations of what these tattoos symbolize, they provide an undeniable visual representation of the gulf between deputies and the community and are an unfortunate reminder of LASDs history of symbols associated with problematic deputy behavior. At the time, Sheriffs Department officials assured the U.S. DOJ they were trying to suppress the skull and snake image." But federal authorities noted in their report that the images were still widely visible throughout the Antelope Valley. The report encouraged the Sheriffs Department to take stronger measures to get deputies to stop displaying such divisive insignia. Following the report, in 2015 the county entered into a settlement agreement with the federal government, promising to correct some of the policing problems authorities had identified. More than a decade later, this weeks lawsuit accuses the county of failing to take meaningful action to rein in tattooed deputy subgroups in the Antelope Valley or across the county. The complaint outlines a laundry list of wrongdoing linked to other tattooed groups, including the Banditos, which operate out of the East L.A. Sheriffs Station. The suit says the groups members have been disciplined for stealing money from residents, destroying evidence, writing false police reports, lying in the course of investigations, recklessly killing children, and intimidating witnesses. The suit asks for money for attorney's fees, interest and damages, including from severe emotional distress. 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. NEW YORK Prosecutors on Tuesday gave a breathtaking summary of how Donald Trump and his allies allegedly conspired to hide a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels and defraud the 2016 electorate, bringing to a close their effort to secure an unprecedented criminal conviction of a former U.S. president. Democracy gives the people the right to elect their leaders, but that rests on the premise that voters have access to accurate information about the candidates, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said in Manhattan Supreme Court. He recapped evidence presented over the past month and zeroed in on an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting in which Michael Cohen, Trump and supermarket tabloid publisher David Pecker allegedly hatched a plan to boost Trumps presidential candidacy by planting positive stories about him and repressing negative ones which eventually included a payoff to Daniels to keep quiet about her allegations shed slept with Trump in 2006, a tryst he continues to deny ever happened. The entire purpose of this meeting at Trump Tower was to deny that access, Steinglass said. To manipulate and defraud the voters. To pull the wool over their eyes in coordinated fashion. In closing statements, the fuming defendants attorney, Todd Blanche, sought to undermine the prosecution by depicting Cohen as a liar and calling the charges against Trump absurd. Trump, 77, is charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, which are each tied to his alleged reimbursement to Cohen for paying off Daniels. Prosecutors say the payments were falsely logged as legal fees. Cohens payoff to Daniels 11 days out from the 2016 election could very well be what got President Trump elected, Steinglass said. Over the course of some three hours, the defense threw everything it could at the wall to undercut the months-long case against Trump, taking shots at Cohen, Daniels and her former lawyer Keith Davidson and asking jurors to question why they didnt hear from other critical players like former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg, who Cohen said dictated the plan to pay him back. In Blanches attempt to discredit Cohen, he painted him as a vengeful liar with an ax to grind and labeled him the GLOAT: Greatest Liar of All Time. Blanche began by thanking the jury, then quickly pivoted to accusing Cohen of uttering many lies, pure and simple on the stand and repeatedly calling the case absurd. You cannot convict President Trump of any crime beyond a reasonable doubt based on the words of Michael Cohen, Blanche said. Diving into the weeds of the case, he said the prosecutions use of experts from Trumps books as evidence was a red flag. You cant convict President Trump because sometimes, without anything specific at all to a particular charge in this case, President Trump looked at invoices, that somehow he had full knowledge of what was happening, he said. Blanche also sought to cast doubt on the catch-and-kill scheme that was allegedly hatched among Trump, Pecker and Cohen, saying the term never came up at the 2015 meeting and that the very idea of it didnt make sense. Prosecutors have argued that the late 2016 release of an Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about assaulting women added urgency to Trumps purchase of Daniels story of their alleged 2006 Lake Tahoe tryst. The damning tape made keeping Daniels quiet especially important, Steinglass argued. Daniels was a walking, talking reminder that the defendant was not only words she would have totally undermined his strategy for spinning away the Access Hollywood tape as locker room talk, he said. Blanche simply said the tape was not a doomsday event. President Trump, as you saw, addressed it in a video that was addressed to the released to the American public. He addressed it in a debate a couple days later. He never thought that it was going to cost him to lose the campaign and, indeed, it didnt, he contended. Blanche also highlighted an argument made earlier in the trial that a crucial phone call between Cohen and Trump discussing the payoff to Daniels was actually, he said, a discussion between Cohen and Trumps longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller about a series of harassing phone calls that Cohen received from a teen. That was his sworn testimony. It was a lie, Blanche exclaimed, the most heated he was all day. That was a lie, and he got caught red-handed. Later on, Steinglass said the defenses aggressive attempts to make it seem like the Access Holywood tape in which Trump literally discussed grabbing women by the genitals didnt matter were refuted by multiple witnesses sympathetic to Trump who described it as rocking the Trump campaign to its core. He pointed to testimony from Trumps former White House executive assistant Madeleine Westerwesterhout about the RNC talking about replacing him, preparations for a second debate being halted and prominent Republican leaders rushing to condemn Trump. Trump walked into court at 9:25 a.m. for the first time, joined by both of his older sons, his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, an army of lawyers and various allies and campaign staffers. District Attorney Alvin Bragg watched summations from the courtrooms front row. Jurors were kept until about 8 p.m., with Judge Juan Merchan remarking that they still looked alert late in the day: I dont think were losing anyone, he said. Throughout the trial, the defense has sought to depict Trump as a family man who was concerned about his reputation at home and not the election amid the Daniels payoffs. Prosecutors again rejected that framing on Tuesday. Its no coincidence that the sex happened in 2006 but the payoff didnt take place until 11 days before the 2016 election, said Steinglass. And thats because the defendants primary concern was not his family, but the election. The charges against Trump carry up to four years in prison or a sentence of probation and mark the first brought against a U.S. president. He faces the prospect of becoming the first person to lead the nation to be convicted of a crime while positioned as the presumed Republican nominee for president in this years election. _____ One Lebanon County resident was recognized last week for good works and 25 years of service in the EMS field with a lifetime achievement award. The Lebanon County Ambulance Association presented Bryan Smith with the Ralph Backenstoes Lifetime Achievement Award at its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, May 22. "I'm humbled by receiving it," said Smith. "But mostly, I think for me it's the names that are on the list before me. People that have been mentors in my EMS career and my life." Over his 25 year career, Smith was a full-time paramedic with FASP, University Hospital EMS (now Life Lion EMS) and Hempfield Community Ambulance and led numerous programs, including implementing a police department AED program with Palmyra Borough, North Londonderry Township, Derry Township, Derry Township and Hummelstown Police Departments. Lebanon County Ambulance Association Officers with Bryan Smith. From left to right: Treasurer Loren Miller, Bryan Smith, President Gregg Smith, Secretary Barbara Bowers, and Vice President Dean Wagner. During his tenure as the Director of Program and Development at the Emergency Health Services Federation, Smith was instrumental in the transition to ProQA, the computerized EMS intake program for 911 call centers in Central PA, and co-led the CPAP for Basic Life Support pilot program, which led to Pennsylvania being the third state in the country to allow BLS providers the ability to administer CPAP. In 2008, Smith assumed the role of executive director/chief of operations at First Aid & Safety Patrol. Under his leadership, FASP was recognized as the EMS Agency of the Year for the Commonwealth of PA Large Service Division. The Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services further acknowledged his leadership, naming him EMS administrator of the year. "At a local level, the work that we did with advancing the cardiovascular, stroke care and septic care here in Lebanon, watching the growth of the system as a whole, including the WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital," Smith said, looking back at his EMS career. "Those were periods where we knew lives had been changed and impacted. "Including, actually, while I was there, one of my own lieutenants had a cardiac arrest event and was resuscitated because of that system of care." Smith also played a key role in advancing the ELCO EMT program, ensuring consistent educators and facilitating its growth into the Cornwall-Lebanon School District. In September of 2019, Smith began a new chapter, taking the role of executive director of Lebanon County Christian Ministries, an organization dedicated to addressing poverty, food insecurity and housing insecurity. Smith views his career in EMS as one life and work at LCCM as another, but made many connections in the former with community leaders and organizations that have become unexpected parallels. He has seen other parallels between the two worlds as well. "Frankly, when you look at medicine, there are some things out there, food is medicine, social determinants of health. These are all things that both the work that I'm doing at LCCM and the work that I had done before, they are two worlds that have collided in a unique way." Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on X @djlarlham. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: LCCM's Bryan Smith receives lifetime achievement award for EMS work Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that his Justice Department has obtained more than 240 human smuggling-related convictions. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 28 (UPI) -- The leader of a human smuggling organization, who illegally shipped more than 100 Hondurans to the United States, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Raner Collins handed down the 120-month sentence plus three years' supervised release to Maria Mendoza-Mendoza, the 52-year-old woman who also went by the name of La Guera. Mendoza-Mendoza was accused of being the coordinator of a human smuggling organization that had co-conspirators throughout Central America, Mexico and the United States who worked together to facilitate the illegal entry, transport and harboring of migrants seeking to enter the United States. The Justice Department indicted her in January 2018 and she was extradited to the United States from Honduras in June 2023. In January, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit, and admitted that not only was she the leader of the organization who coordinated the smuggling and money laundering operations, but that she also threatened to "bleed out" a guide as punishment and called for a migrant to be thrown "back in the desert" if their family did not pay the fee. "This defendant exploited vulnerable migrants for her own profit, risking their lives and our national security in the process," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. According to federal prosecutors, Collins took several aggravating factors into consideration when handing down his sentence, including that the conspiracy oversaw the smuggling of unaccompanied minors, the use of firearms, creating a risk of death and the detention of migrants through coercion or threat for demand of payment. "Human smuggling is an insidious crime and one that this defendant participated in over 100 times -- all for profit," Francisco Burrola, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona, said. "Let this sentencing serve as a warning to other smugglers contemplating their continued participation -- prison awaits you." Garland said in the three years of the Biden administration, his Justice Department has more than 240 conviction in connection to holding accountable "the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling groups." The panel discusses housing in Michigan (L-R): state Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Chief Executive Officer Amy Hovey, Ann Arbor City Council Member Linh Song, and Communities First President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Wilson at the Mackinac Policy Conference May 28, 2024 | Detroit Regional Chamber photo During a wide-ranging, one-hour conversation on Tuesday, Michigan residents discussed ideas on how to solve the states housing crisis. The event took place at the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference. Panelists were Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Chief Executive Officer Amy Hovey, Ann Arbor City Council Member Linh Song, and Communities First President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Wilson. State Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) served as moderator. To the question of what is driving the crisis, the panelist answered with several ideas such as the lack of gap funding for prospective home buyers; not enough assistance from the federal government; and more attention from housing developers toward building affordable multi-unit housing as opposed to single units. More opportunities for buyers to secure down payment assistance, and more embrace of creating living opportunities that are diverse culturally and ethnically, and equitable funding in terms of regions of the state. Its all about supply. We do not have enough housing units for families. Basic economics says that if you are short on supply, the demand, the cost increases, said Hovey. The market is not looking how it should. Hovey added that the federal government can do more to provide funding to address the need. Anthony, who is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pointed out that state government has set aside $50 million in funding that can help to address some of the panels concerns. Duggan said that the city of Detroit has partnered with area banks to provide $10 million in funding to help city residents who have rented in the past purchase a home. You cannot kick out the people who are in your affordable existing housing, Duggan said. A University of Michigan Poverty Solutions report released in April and called The Growth of Housing Wealth in Detroit and its Neighborhoods: 2014-2022 concluded that Black homeowner-occupants in Detroit amassed $2.8 billion in added home value between 2014 and 2022, which represents an 80% increase during that time. The study analyzed changes in Detroits housing values for the nine-year period following the citys municipal bankruptcy to understand how much growth there has been and whether that growth has been equitably distributed across neighborhoods and racial/ethnic populations. Michigans largest city, Detroit, is 77% African American. Meanwhile, although wages for low-paying jobs have risen across the U.S. at the fastest rate in four decades, the number of households struggling to get by in Michigan grew by more than 100,000 from 2021 to 2022, according to the Michigan Association of United Ways. That means 1.7 million households or 41% were living paycheck to paycheck. Song pointed out that she and other City Council members in Ann Arbor have encouraged developers to create housing opportunities where immigrants, including those of color, are encouraged to live. She said that Ann Arbor city government has helped to lead an effort to develop affordable housing in a community called Kerrytown that previously had been a majority Black neighborhood where the residents had been displaced many years ago. It will be called Dunbar Tower and will include 63 units, named after the 19th century African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. About half of the apartments will be set aside for tenants at 30% of the area median income. The rest will be set at $600 to $750 a month. It was a call from the community to recognize the historically Black neighborhood thats been displaced by Kerrytown, Song said. What we wanted to do was make this a conversationa deliberate conversationon how we can remedy these inequities that came through in racist zoning [and] prioritizing single-family home ownership. Wilson said that the Flint-based nonprofit, which was founded in 2010, has developed more than 162 affordable housing units in Genesee County. He said that funding sources that offer flexibility in how dollars can be an important way to address the housing crisis. Wilson pointed out in Genesee County where a 1,500-square-foot house with no garage or basement can cost an average of $300,000. When you think about those particular numbers, how are people supposed to have that home ownership opportunity? The math dont math, Wilson said. Unless we get additional resources you need to solve that problem, youre going to continue seeing low-income families, Wilson said. This is not a partisan issue either. This is something that goes across both. If you do not have a wealthy person in your family, if you do not have someone passing down a home, its going to be very hard for you to get, one the American Dream, or two to be able to just have a nice home or apartment with your family. The post Leaders address Michigans housing shortage amid rising costs appeared first on Michigan Advance. Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi meet with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the police force to promote the modernization of the country's public security work. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work in Beijing. Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present. Addressing the conference on Wednesday, senior CPC official Chen Wenqing urged the police force to stay loyal, clean, and ready to rise to duty. He called on them to spare no efforts in preventing risks and ensuring security and stability, enhance the quality, efficiency, and credibility of law enforcement, and strengthen the police force through reform. The previous such conference was held in 2019. Since then, great changes have taken place in China's public security work, including improved social order, according to a recent press conference held by the Ministry of Public Security. Enhanced police efforts in combating organized crimes and telecom fraud, among others, have helped make China one of the safest countries in the world. The index for Chinese people's sense of security stood at 98.2 percent in 2023, compared with 87.55 percent in 2012. Chen Wenqing, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at a national conference on public security work in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Leaders say that racial equity in businesses is key for Michigan growth A panel discussion addressed the importance of racial equity in Michigans population growth on Wednesday during the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference. Shown are Yazeed Moore, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Michigan Programs director; Charity Dean, Michigan Black Business Alliance president and CEO; Hilary Doe, Michigan Economic Development Corporation chief growth officer and marketing officer, and Andre Perry, Brookings Institution, senior fellow. | Ken Coleman During a Wednesday panel discussion that addressed the importance of racial equity in Michigans population growth at the Detroit Regional Chambers Mackinac Policy Conference, an African-American business leader said the issue is paramount to Michigans success. If we are a state that wants to grow and develop, we have to take on the racial equity issue, and we have to take on a different lens in shoring up opportunity for Black businesses and small businesses, generally, said Charity Dean, Michigan Black Business Alliance president and CEO. Joining Dean on the panel were Hilary Doe, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) chief growth officer and marketing officer, and Andre Perry, Brookings Institution, senior fellow. Yazeed Moore, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Michigan Programs director, moderated the panel discussion. Dean, a small owner and former city of Detroit Civil Rights Inclusion and Opportunity department director, said that strides have been made but we have to be very honest about the disparities that exist. We are looking at small businesses as a driver of economic development for our state and we are intentionally calling out all of the ways that disparity has impacted Black business, specifically, and small businesses, as well, said Dean about the Michigan Black Business Alliance. Doe said that this a watershed moment for Michigan but it has momentum. Michigan has 9.9 million residents; African Americans compose about 14% of the population. The states largest city, Detroit, is 77% Black. Michigans population is expected to experience slow growth over the next decade and then decline through mid-century, according to an April report. In June, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive creating the Growing Michigan Together Council, a bipartisan panel aimed at developing strategies to attract and retain talent, improve education, and update transportation and water infrastructure. Doe heads that effort. Since that time, MEDC has interacted with more than 11,000 people through 80 organizations that were essentially listening sessions. She said the goal of the growth strategy needs to be owned by all of us. It is so critical that it is owned by Michiganders, so critical that people see themselves in the strategy, Doe said. She has said that efforts like Black Tech Saturday will help to retain and grow Michigans population. Perry said that as conditions for Black small business go, it creates better conditions and the quality of life for the entire community. After the panel discussion, a poll released by MEDC underscore that Michigans leadership on climate action and other policies are population and economic growth drivers as well, said Doe. We want to build on our value proposition to appeal to the young talent in our state and across the country. The poll surveyed 6,098 people from 15 cities across the United States that are popular among young talent, including Atlanta, New York City and Austin, Texas, among others. The most mobile people are those between age 20 and 34. Understanding why these individuals choose to move is critical to reversing Michigans existing population trends, according to U.S. Census data. While Michigan is in-line with neighboring states when it comes to retention, attracting new residents has been challenging. Michigan is 49th in the nation in terms of residents who live here but werent born in-state. The population growth effort collaborated with Generation Lab to conduct this survey that targeted this age group to better understand their relocation trends. The poll revealed which considerations are most important to young people when choosing a place to call home. Among the top factors were: Diverse and safe communities, and those welcoming to immigrants. Future-focused communities making investments in the fight against climate change. Access to reproductive health care. Amenity-rich and walkable communities, including those with robust transit. Overall, more than 50% of survey respondents strongly agreed that access to reproductive healthcare, diversity and welcoming immigration policies, community safety, unionization and combating climate change were important factors in where they chose to live. Fifty-two percent of respondents aged 25 to 34 said they wish their community did more to combat climate change. When folks think about looking for a place to call home, we want them to think of Michigan, Doe said. The findings from this poll will be folded into the population efforts work, and into our thinking as we partner with Michigan communities to launch pilots and programs that support regions in retaining current residents and welcoming new faces to our great state. The post Leaders say that racial equity in businesses is key for Michigan growth appeared first on Michigan Advance. FILE PHOTO: An exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon has reversed a move to authorise the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes on its soil, prompting a prominent rights group to deplore what it called the loss of an "historic opportunity" for justice. Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating international law since October, when the Israeli military and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah began trading fire in parallel with the Gaza war. Israeli shelling has since killed around 80 civilians in Lebanon, including children, medics and reporters. Neither Lebanon nor Israel are members of the ICC, so a formal declaration to the court would be required from either to give it jurisdiction to launch probes into a particular period. In April, Lebanon's caretaker cabinet voted to instruct the foreign ministry to file a declaration with the ICC authorising it to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes on Lebanese territory since Oct. 7. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib never filed the requested declaration and on Tuesday the cabinet published an amended decision that omitted mention of the ICC, saying Lebanon would file complaints to the United Nations instead. Lebanon has regularly lodged complaints with the U.N. Security Council about Israeli bombardments over the past seven months, but they have yielded no binding U.N. decisions. Habib did not respond to a Reuters question on why he did not file the requested declaration. A Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the initial cabinet decision raised "confusion" over whether a declaration would "open the door for the court to investigate whatever it wanted across different files". The official said the request to revisit the decision came from George Kallas, a cabinet minister close to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Shi'ite Muslim Amal movement that is allied with the politically powerful Hezbollah. Since October, Hezbollah and Amal have both fired rockets into Israel, killing 10 civilians, according to the Israeli army, and displacing around 60,000 residents near the border. Contacted by Reuters, Kallas confirmed he requested a review of cabinet's initial decision but denied it was out of fear Hezbollah or Amal could become subject to ICC arrest warrants. Human Rights Watch condemned the cabinet's reversal. "The Lebanese government had a historic opportunity to ensure there was justice and accountability for war crimes in Lebanon. It's shameful that they are forgoing this opportunity," said HRW's Lebanon researcher Ramzi Kaiss. "Rescinding this decision shows that Lebanon's calls for accountability ring hollow," he told Reuters. Information Minister Ziad Makary, the government spokesman, said that he had backed the initial decision and would "continue to explore other international tribunals to render justice" despite the reversal. Lebanon backtracked a few days after the ICC requested arrest warrants over alleged war crimes for Israel's prime minister and defence minister and three Hamas leaders. The initial push to file an ICC declaration came from MP Halima Kaakour, who holds a PhD in public international law. She recommended the measure to parliament's justice committee, which unanimously endorsed it. Cabinet approved it in late April. "The political parties that backed this initiative at first seem to have changed their mind. But they never explained the reason to us or the Lebanese people," Kaakour told Reuters. "Lebanon's complaints to the U.N. Security Council don't get anywhere. We had an opportunity to give the ICC a period of time to look at it, we have the documentation - if we can use these international mechanisms, why not?" (Reporting by Maya Gebeily; editing by Mark Heinrich) The Virginia Capitol (Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury) In Congress, elected representatives are supposed to keep their taxpayer-funded offices mostly separate from their political campaigns. In the part-time Virginia General Assembly, rules walling off legislative offices from campaign activity are less clear. The congressional rule exists to prevent incumbents from using government resources, including staff time, to help win reelection or move up to a higher office. Congressional staffers can engage in political activity, but only on their own time, without pressure from their boss and without their official duties being altered to free them up for campaign-related work, according to guidance published by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics. In one of Virginias congressional primary races, the campaign website for Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, previously listed the names of five people working as campaign staff. Four of those five the finance director, field director, outreach director and finance assistant were also identified as publicly funded legislative staffers for Subramanyam this year on the Virginia Senate website. However, no campaign-side pay for those four Senate staffers has been disclosed on Subramanyans federal campaign finance reports. That setup, as well as the broad overlap between Subramanyams government staff and political staff, has raised questions about how his campaign is handling compensation for staffers doing double duty. Subramanyams campaign said two of the Senate staffers are being paid for their campaign work, and explained that campaign pay for those two employees didnt appear as standalone costs because the money is being routed through the consulting firm of Subramanyams campaign manager, Ajay Mohan. Mohans company, Rocket Science Strategies LLC, was paid $7,200 by Subramanyams campaign on Feb. 12, according to federal records detailing Subramanyams campaign expenses from last November through March 31. Campaign pay for Subramanyams Senate staffers is coming out of that $7,200 sum, the campaign said. Our campaign has complied with all laws and regulations, and no state funds or resources have been used to benefit the campaign in any way, Mohan said in a statement. Subramanyams campaign suggested the important-sounding political titles for the four staffers dont necessarily mean theyve been spending a lot of time on paid or unpaid political work. Were happy to give both volunteers and staff campaign titles in the hope that helps in their careers, Mohan said. Subramanyam is one of several General Assembly members seeking the Democratic nomination in Northern Virginias 10th District, where incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Loudoun, isnt seeking reelection because of health issues. Wexton endorsed Subramanyam earlier this month, giving him a boost in the 12-person Democratic primary to succeed her in a district that leans blue. Staffers who have had legislative jobs are also doing campaign work for other General Assembly members running for Congress this year, and its not uncommon for legislative staffers to help their bosses keep their seats in General Assembly election years. But unlike Subramanyams campaign thus far, other candidates paperwork usually shows campaign payments to staffers doing campaign work. Two people who have had legislative roles in the office of Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax who is competing with Subramanyam in the 10th District Democratic primary have also done political work, according to Helmers campaign. One former legislative staffer for Helmer left that job about halfway through the 2024 General Assembly session to take a role on Helmers political team, the campaign said. Helmers legislative chief of staff is also helping with the campaign and is being paid for that work from Helmers campaign account. We take the compliance issue seriously and are ensuring that when any employee does work for a different entity or office, they are paid for their corresponding work by that entity, said Helmer campaign manager Brendon Mills. Virginia doesnt appear to have any detailed laws or guidelines on how legislators should handle employees who work on both the official side and the campaign side. A National Conference of State Legislatures summary of state laws on political activity by legislative employees lists Virginia as one of just three states with no relevant statutes found on the issue. Many other states have laws specifying that legislative employees cant engage in political activity during official work hours or in government buildings, according to the NCSL. Ethics guidelines laid out by the U.S. House of Representatives say congressional staffers who engage in campaign work should keep careful records of the time they spend on official activities and, separately, on campaign activities, and demonstrate that campaign work was not done on official time. U.S. House rules also say members cant film political ads in government offices, because the space itself is considered an official resource that cant be used for campaign purposes. That issue too has been implicated in Virginia lawmakers campaigns this year, after Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Loudoun, released a political ad featuring shots of her in the publicly funded General Assembly Building. The commercial shows Boysko, who is also running in the 10th District primary, walking inside the building and sitting at a desk in her government office. Its perfectly normal and proper to reference Jennifers work representing 200,000 Loudoun County voters in the State Senate when explaining why she will be the best congresswoman, whether that reference is in text or video, said Boysko campaign manager Shaun Daniels. Those shots of Boysko wouldnt be allowed if the senator were to win her race and move up to a congressional office. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Some legislative aides in Virginia do double duty as campaign staff appeared first on Virginia Mercury. a "help wanted" sign (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Even before the short legislative session got underway, North Carolina legislators heard repeatedly from state agencies about double-digit vacancies and the struggle to fill openings. The State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) has noted that low pay has sent some workers looking for work in the private sector, leaving those remaining under stress and an ever-increasing workload. On Tuesday, the Senates State and Local Government Committee took an initial step in improving the state hiring process by advancing House Bill 223/OSHR/Various SHRA Changes. The six-page bill makes various changes and directs the State Human Resources Commission to adopt rules that would authorize state agencies to make a conditional job offer as soon as possible after the completion of the job interviews. A prospective candidate could be offered a job contingent upon satisfactory reference checks and a background check, if required. Notably, HB 223 would eliminate the 21-day waiting period for hiring, according to Rep. George Cleveland (R-Onslow), a primary sponsor of the bill. Rep. George G. Cleveland The bill would also allow a job-seeker the option of having their application considered for future job postings, if they are qualified for a comparable position. A new section added under proposed committee substitutute for the bill allows the NC Department of Health and Human Services to pilot a program for temporary employees who have been serving DHHS for at least six months. They would receive priority consideration to fill open positions within the department. The goal of this is to streamline the hiring process for individuals whove already been with the department in a time-limited position so that they can more easily become full-time state employees. At an April hearing, Robyn Whalen, who heads up Central Regional Hospital in Butner, told lawmakers that she needed to be able to offer qualified employees a job on the spot. NCDHHS reported that Central Regional was operating with 32% of its positions vacant, the equivalent of 579 staffers. The states other two mental hospitals have reported similar shortages. Again, Im not going to be a Duke. Im not going to be a UNC, but Im thinking like if we got to $70,000, we could make a good starting salary and raise our midpoints, but that will take some funding for that, Whalen told members in that April hearing. House Bill 223 does not touch on salaries, but it would allow temporary employees who have been working with DHHS for at least six months to receive preferred consideration. If approved, the pilot program would run from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026. The NC Department of Adult Correction is also looking for flexibility to hire more correction officers and support staff. The starting jobs there can pay between $36,000 and $40,000 a year. HB 223 won unanimous approval Tuesday and heads next to the Senate Rules Committee. Committee hearings in the House and Senate and floor votes have been cancelled for the remainder of the week due to the passing of the father of state House Speaker Tim Moore. Robyn Whalen heads up Central Regional Hospital The post Legislators examine how to fast-track hiring amid chronic staffing shortages appeared first on NC Newsline. The Oklahoma House narrowly passed a bill on Wednesday permitting students to leave school three times a week for religious courses. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY An Oklahoma bill permitting students to leave school for up to three class periods a week for religious instruction is on its way to the governors desk. House Bill 1425, which House lawmakers narrowly passed on Wednesday, would allow students to earn class credit for completing a religious or morality course from an independent entity, should the class meet criteria decided by their local school board. The responsibility for transportation, funding and risk liability would fall on the students parents or the entity providing the course. The Ohio-based nonprofit LifeWise Academy has advocated for the policy across the country with the stated goal of incorporating Bible education into the public school day. HB 1425 author Rep. Clay Staires, R-Skiatook, said releasing students from school for religious classes is already legal under federal and Oklahoma law. This bill does not invent something new, Staires said while debating in favor of the measure. It does not legalize something that is illegal, and it does not create a new right for parents. State law permits students to be excused from school for religious purposes. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 1952 that it is constitutional for public schools to allow students to leave campus during the school day to take religious classes, as long as it doesnt cost any public funds. The Oklahoma bill would permit students to be released for up to 125 class periods in a school year. The student would have to obtain parental permission and would be responsible for any missed schoolwork. About two dozen House Republicans joined the Democratic minority in voting against HB 1425. Lawmakers of both parties said the bill is too vague and could create a greater risk of lawsuits rather than preventing them. Multiple rural Republicans said school superintendents in their districts were adamantly against the legislation. I feel like were going to send home a firestorm of disruption that is going to last years, and we are going to be back on this floor trying to work it out, said Rep. Judd Strom, R-Copan, during House debate. The House voted 49-41 to approve Senate amendments to the bill and then sent it to the governors desk with a 50-40 tally. House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, defended HB 1425 as a way to give local school boards a framework to expand opportunities for release-time religious courses if they so choose. What it does is it tells a child, If the school board decides its worthy of elective credit, you can go take it, Echols said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Legislature approves bill allowing religious instruction during Oklahoma school day appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Minnesota Capitol. Photo courtesy House Information Services. The 2024 legislative session ended with Republicans yelling for close to a half-hour on the House and Senate floors as DFL lawmakers passed much of their 2024 agenda in the form of a 1,430-page omnibus package, with policy and funding touching housing, transportation, energy, agriculture, taxes and labor. The legislation technically the tax bill contained changes to the state paid family and medical leave program, funding for a $109 million class action settlement, adjustments to the child tax credit and a deal on Uber and Lyft driver pay, among other labor provisions. Other highly publicized aspects of the legislation (HF5247), which Gov. Tim Walz signed into law last week, include a ban on binary triggers, which increase a guns rate of fire, and increased penalties for straw purchases i.e. when someone purchases a firearm with the intent to sell or transfer it to someone who cannot legally purchase a gun. Heres a roundup of some of the lesser-known new laws included in the bill: Housing Last year, the Legislature convened a working group to evaluate how to better distribute emergency rental assistance, known as the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which aims to prevent evictions and homelessness by issuing grants to cover rent or utility costs for low-income families. The omnibus bill contains a number of recommendations proposed by the working group, mostly to simplify the application process: allowing for e-signatures on documents; permitting landlords to apply for assistance on renters behalf; and accepting applicants self-described emergencies and income. Lawmakers also approved $8 million in one-time funding for the emergency assistance program. The bill directs the state Department of Labor and Industry to study and recommend whether the state building code should be updated to allow buildings up to 75 ft. tall with only one stairway. Currently, apartment buildings over three stories must have two entry/exit stairwells but some experts say advancements in fire safety mean taller buildings could work with just one stairway. That would lower developers costs and open up room for more housing units while the state faces a housing supply crisis. Lawmakers also have their eyes on homeowners associations and common interest communities. A new working group will take an inventory of all of the HOAs and CICs in the state; study their organizational structure and fees; determine their impact on housing affordability and racial disparities in homeownership; and recommend whether the state should pass new laws to more strictly regulate the organizations. The bill also exempts the most recent comprehensive plans in the metro area from environmental review, likely bringing an end to the lawsuit blocking the Minneapolis 2040 Plan (the groups bringing the suit say they plan to fight on.) Transportation A high priority for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle this session was to pass a bonding bill, which funds infrastructure projects around the state. But a deal never got done except for a special bonding system for the Iron Range and each party blamed the other for a lack of compromise. There is funding for some infrastructure projects in the big omnibus, however, including $22.5 million to construct a new state patrol headquarters, a priority for Walz. It also allows for a red light camera pilot program in Minneapolis, 17 years after the state Supreme Court ruled a similar Minneapolis program illegal but not unconstitutional. Advocates hope the change to state law to explicitly permit the program will insulate it from legal challenges, though the constitutionality may still be called into question. The bill also grants the Minnesota Department of Transportation more involvement in Metropolitan Council projects, especially in the early stages, or when a project is delayed more than 30 days, which is a response to the many problems plaguing the Green Line extension, aka Southwest Light Rail Train. Professional licensing and scope of practice Lawmakers approved a slew of changes to professional licensing, creating new licensing requirements and oversight for behavioral analysts, veterinary technicians, speech language pathology assistants and transfer care specialists, who remove and transport dead bodies. The new laws also allow for the creation of licensure compacts for some occupations, allowing licensed professionals in other states to more easily practice in Minnesota. The law allows for compacts for physician assistants, occupational therapists, licensed professional counselors, dentists and dental hygienists, social workers and physical therapists. Nurses are a notable exception to the list despite nurses being among the most in-demand workers, Minnesota is one of a handful of states that does not participate in the nurse licensure compact, which would make it easier for out-of-state nurses to live and work in Minnesota. The Minnesota Nurses Association, the labor union for nurses, opposes the compact, arguing that it would weaken the union and diminish the standard of care for patients. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians may now administer more vaccines to children 6 and up not just influenza and COVID-19 vaccines as authorized under previous laws. Higher education University of Minnesota employees will have an easier path to unionization thanks to some provisions in the higher education portion of the omnibus. The bill also limits universities ability to consider an applicants criminal background in the admissions process. A school cannot ask about criminal history on an application, but once an applicant has received an offer of admission, the school can require the applicant to disclose any convictions within the previous five years for a violent felony or sexual assault. If the university then rescinds the offer of admission, it must explain why and allow the applicant to appeal. The new law also says universities are immune from lawsuits stemming from the admission of a student with a criminal history. The bill contains many measures aimed at students who are pregnant or parenting; it directs schools to collect data on the number of enrolled parents and pregnant students, and to designate a navigator for parenting students who can connect them to resources like child care and other assistance programs. The new law bans schools from forcing pregnant or parenting students to change majors, drop classes, participate in alternative programs or take a leave of absence. It also prohibits universities from withholding transcripts from students with outstanding debt; bans schools from requiring students to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of sexual misconduct proceedings; and ensures students with permanent disabilities only have to provide proof of their disability one time. Health care Health insurance plans must now cover abortions, amino acid-based formula, orthotic and prosthetic devices, intermittent catheters and wigs for cancer patients. They also must cover health care services, like vaccines, when provided by a pharmacist instead of a physician. The bill allows nonprofit organizations and small companies to refuse abortion coverage on religious grounds. The legislation also codifies certain standards for assisted living facilities they must provide three meals a day, plus snacks, and provide menus one week in advance. Assisted living facilities must also offer weekly housekeeping, laundry services and reasonable assistance with transportation to and from appointments. Natural organic reduction allowing a human body to compost organically after death is now legal following a two-year moratorium. The bill outlines licensing and other requirements for natural organic reduction facilities. The bill also allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense HIV prevention medication, colloquially known as PrEP, and creates an Office of Emergency Services to oversee the states EMS system. Other odds and ends Lawmakers passed the Senates plan to address nitrate pollution in southeastern Minnesota by funding grants for farmers to purchase new soil health equipment. The bill also contains permitting reform for wind and solar projects, meant to speed up approval of plans for renewable energy sources. The Public Utilities Commission must complete an environmental impact statement a large-scale environmental review of major projects for all proposed carbon dioxide pipelines, which transport gas captured from ethanol plants to underground storage sites. The state will also commission a study of the environmental and human health impacts of carbon dioxide pipelines, and evaluate how effective they are at reducing carbon emissions. The post Less heralded but important! items in the DFL Legislatures 1,430-page, final hours bill appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. A lesson on dissent from a Vietnam War protester who joined the US military and then faced execution after his protest didnt stop During the late 1960s, when protests against the Vietnam War erupted across the country, college campuses emerged as places of more than intellectual debate over U.S foreign policy and the countrys deeply racist history. Unlike the protesters against the Israel-Hamas War, many of the college-age demonstrators back then faced the very real possibility of being drafted by the U.S. military and forced to serve in what they considered an unjust war. I was one of the fortunate young Black men who had a deferment that enabled me to avoid compulsory military service because I was enrolled in college. While some saw my deferment as a lifesaver, I was troubled by my friends who had either been drafted or already killed. By the end of 1968, the war had resulted in the deaths of nearly 17,000 Americans, with another 87,000 wounded. Among the bloodied were a disproportionate number of Black soldiers. The protests also made me feel guilty about my own sense of patriotism as I reconsidered the military service of my father, several of his brothers, my grandfather and great-grandfather in different U.S. wars. All of these competing factors came to a boil one day when I was listening to a professor rant and rave against the Vietnam War. Troubled, confused and increasingly frustrated, I asked the philosophy professor if he had ever fought in a war. As some may know, a core tenet of existentialism is that one should experience reality in order to critique it. He answered, No. Then how can you criticize it, I snapped. After that exchange, it didnt take long before another disgruntled student and I dropped out of Southern Illinois University and walked into a nearby Army recruiting station. Both of us enlisted. He joined the Green Berets, the Armys elite special forces, and I went into the Army Security Agency. Surprisingly, I would learn later that my protest against the war and appreciation for U.S. democracy had only begun. Secrets and truths The Army Security Agency was a top secret unit within the Army. It was connected to the National Security Agency, a U.S. Department of Defense agency charged with supporting combat operations and providing cryptological security, cybersecurity and national intelligence. After my training, I received my orders for the war in Vietnam. Our task was to be the eyes and ears of U.S. soldiers on the ground by providing intelligence on Vietnamese troops. It was 1971, and I was stationed about 50 miles within the demilitarized zone in a place called Phu Bai Combat Base. A wounded soldier is carried by members of the 1st Calvary Division near the Cambodian border during the Vietnam War. Bettmann/GettyImages For about the first six months, we did our jobs well. But almost to a man, we began to seriously question the U.S. role in Vietnam and whether the war was moral or just. We no longer believed in the American mission to prevent the spread of communism. We came to the conclusion that communist leader Ho Chi Minh, the leader of North Vietnam, was on the side of freedom. He had modeled his dreams of independence from colonial France on George Washington and the American Revolution against British rule. So what did we do? We went on strike. Acts of treason? Our commanders were pissed, and they read us the riot act. We became part of a small number of Vietnam soldiers that committed mutiny by refusing to do our job. Because the crimes were committed during an active war, we were threatened with major penalties, including court martial and execution by firing squad. But our commanders had a dilemma. How do you punish about 100 essential intelligence officers with top-secret security clearances? The Army did something unique they promoted each of us and promptly shipped us to different locations in Vietnam to serve out our service tours. Though we were thousands of miles away, our individual and collective protests against the war as soldiers kept us linked at least symbolically with our peers on college campuses. Black student protests When I finally returned to Southern Illinois University in 1976, the war had ended, but the racial unrest on college campuses and cities had continued. Thinking back, its hard to rationalize all the chaos that was occurring. Cities were burning. New York Citys Harlem borough in 1964. The Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts in 1965. The entire year of 1967 became known as the long hot summer after more than 150 race riots erupted across the country. One of the most violent riots took place in Detroit, where 43 Black demonstrators were killed, anywhere between 450 and 2,000 were injured, and 7,231 were arrested before the National Guard ended the bloody mess on July 25, 1967. Police arrest suspects during riots that erupted in Detroit in July 1967. AFP via Getty Images And just as soon as the civil disorder appeared to subside, another wave of racial protests occurred in more than 100 cities across the country after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968. In all, between 1965 and 1968, nearly 329 disturbances took place in 257 cities, resulting in nearly 300 deaths, 8,000 injuries, 60,000 arrests and property losses running into the hundreds of millions of dollars. But from all of the racial chaos came at least one tangible result on college campuses the emergence of Black studies programs. In February 1968, Black students at San Francisco State University withstood police beatings and mace and staged a 133-day strike to establish the new academic discipline. The school was the nations first to have a Black studies department. It didnt take long before other universities created similar departments. By the early 1970s, more than 500 schools had programs that explored the complexities of the Black experience long ignored by traditional academia. Though its original intent was to empower Black students, the new departments were designed for the benefit of everyone and welcomed robust debate over long-accepted narratives that placed white people at the center of history, culture and innovation. Those ideals are still relevant as demonstrators for the rights of Palestinians on college campuses draw some of their tactics from the 1960s struggle against racial oppression in the U.S. and French colonial rule in Vietnam. But that debate over how American history and U.S. imperialism is taught rages on as anti-woke campaigns in 24 states want to restrict the teaching of race in public schools, state agencies and institutions. As a professor of critical race studies, I welcome the chance to fight once again. America was born in protest, and civil disobedience is part of our national DNA. There was no reason to stop then, and theres no reason to stop now. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Rodney Coates, Miami University. Read more: Rodney Coates 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. Lessons Rep. Justin J. Pearson of Tennessee Three learned from his expulsion and comeback Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, remains hopeful about the Volunteer State even as he asserts that the Tennessee General Assembly is the most toxic work environment he has ever experienced in his life. Pearson, 29, was sent by District 86 voters to the legislature in a January 2023 election following the death of incumbent Rep. Barbara Cooper. Fewer than three months later, most of his Republican colleagues in the GOP-dominated House of Representatives voted to expel him, Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, collectively known as the Tennessee Three, for protesting in the well of the chambers floor to demand firearms safety reform. Johnson barely survived the vote, but the two Justins were ejected. Days later, county commissions sent them back and both won special and general elections in the months to come. Reps. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson hold their hands up as they exit the House chamber at the Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville on Monday, April 3, 2023. The Tennessee Three were invited to the White House and to appear on national news interview programs. Pearson seeks common ground, not compromise Pearson is my guest on this episode (No. 408) of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, a show I have hosted since March 2020 and which has produced more than 400 interviews with leaders, thinkers and doers, discussing relevant issues and modeling civil discourse. Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, speaks to protesters after the House voted to adopt SB 1325 during a House session at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. We talked about how that expulsion experience marked him and what he has learned. Pearson talked about how he no longer seeks compromise, but he is willing to find common ground. He added that he is dedicated to a philosophy of justice with love that embraces a Tennessee that welcomes people of diverse backgrounds. He discussed why he told his Republican colleagues that hurt people hurt people when they worked to expel him. The lawmaker also spoke about his experience prior to the legislature as an activist for environmental justice, fighting against the Byhalia pipeline and criticizing the Tennessee Valley Authority for its energy policies. He recently wrote guest opinion columns for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. Advice to the youth: Politics is not a short-term pursuit Pearson told me he hopes the resisters to overbearing state authority never leave Tennessee. His advice to young people looking to get into politics is that the work is long-term beyond just one election cycle. Watch the video above for our full conversation and you can catch past episodes of the Tennessee Voices show here. 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 Three: Justin J. Pearson learned from expulsion and comeback To the editor: Paul Thornton's words honoring teachers were greatly appreciated by me, and probably by most teachers who read his piece. Yes, teachers are mostly underpaid, and many would be encouraged to stay in the profession if they could afford basics such as housing. However, many people enter the teaching profession knowing that they will likely never earn a better-than-average salary. Salaries for teachers have never been good (because it's a mostly female occupation?) and probably never will be. There is one way to improve the profession of teaching while increasing the resources for children without additional tax money. As it is now, teachers have little or no power when it comes to making decisions regarding instruction, curriculum and classroom resources. For example, few teachers would approve requiring four-year-old transitional kindergartners to take the DIBELS standardized test, as the Los Angeles Unified School District did until recently. Teachers know that enormous amounts of money are wasted in this way every year. Efforts to empower teachers and parents have largely failed for many reasons. If the state could find a way to put decision-making in the hands of teachers, I suspect we'd see a big improvement in job satisfaction, learning and money for classroom resources. Linda Mele Johnson, Long Beach .. To the editor: I'm a retired teacher after 20 years, and one of the many lessons my students taught me was that learning blossoms from relationships, be it with teachers or peers. That is what keeps teachers in the classroom despite the countless obstacles. Only another teacher can know how hard a job it is. We teachers don't need manufactured superficial gestures, because we get daily satisfaction in ways large and small from our colleagues, our students and their parents. For lucky ones like me, that's sufficient. As for affordable housing, perhaps developers could be incentivized to set aside below-market units for new teachers. More and better ideas are needed. If teacher morale is low, we all pay the price. Michele Harris Padron, Santa Barbara This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Levi Wrights Mom Shares Health Update, Says New 'Goal' Is to See If He Can Breathe on His Own The 3-year-old was left critically injured after driving his toy tractor into a Utah river on May 21 Kallie Wright Levi Wright with mom Kallie Wright Levi Wright's mom said in the latest update on May 28 that the family hopes to get his breathing tube removed and see if the 3-year-old boy will "tolerate breathing on his own" "Thank you for your continued prayers, support & love sent our way!" she added The toddler was critically injured after he drove his toy tractor into a Utah river on May 21 Levi Wright's mom says the family has a big "goal" for the week but that they're continuing to take things "one step at a time." In the latest health update on Tuesday, May 28, Kallie said that her 3-year-old son who was in critical condition after driving his toy tractor into a Utah river was "getting another 24 hour EEG which monitors brain wave activity now & he has another MRI scheduled Friday." "Our goal this week is to extubate him (remove his breathing tube) and see if he will tolerate breathing on his own!" she added. "One step at a time." As her update came to an end, Kallie added, "Thank you for your continued prayers, support & love sent our way!" Related: Levi Wright's Mother Says 3-Year-Old Boy with Sepsis Has Become Like Family in the Hospital Levi's time in the hospital has been a "roller coaster" for his family. After Levi, the son of Kallie and rodeo star Spencer Wright, woke up days after his accident, his family rejoiced but a short time later, they were shattered by his MRI results. "Our real teller of all will be what Levi does over the course of a few days," she shared on May 24. "Please continue to pray! I'm not giving up on my baby just yet." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Just two days later, she wrote, "This is an experience, I pray deep in my soul you never have to know the way I am beginning to." "The term 'Brain Injury' is very broad, there are ranges and different severities. No two brain injuries are alike, even if the accident is similar," the mom of three added of Levi's condition. "No two brains recover or don't recover the same. There is a lot Medical Professionals don't know, but what they do tell you is based off legitimate medical literature & history." John Pyle/Shutterstock Spencer Wright during the Saddlebronc event during the Salmon Stampede, Salmon Related: Mom Speaks Out After Infant Suffers Brain Damage From Falling Off Bed: 'He's Not the Same' Kallie went on to praise the medical team helping Levi, calling his doctor "nothing short of outstanding." "I believe with all of me that her heart is invested into him, as she has provided us the most precious gift of time. Something we almost did not have," she continued. "Whether that is time to see if God provides a miracle to us or whether it's time for us to research, learn and process this all in order to make the most informed decisions," she added. "Every decision that Levi's Dad and I will make will be made based on what, we the two people who know him best believe he would want. In all this, he comes first." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. KINSHASA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The presidential office of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) unveiled early Wednesday the composition of the new government after President Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in for a second term in late January. The new government, led by Prime Minister Judith Tuluka Suminwa, is made up of 55 members, including the head of government, six deputy prime ministers and 10 ministers of state, compared with 57 members in the outgoing cabinet reshuffled in March 2023. Jacquemain Shabani, Tshisekedi's senior political adviser, was named deputy prime minister and interior minister. He led Tshisekedi's campaign for the 2023 general elections. Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, former head of the official gazette, the journal of record for legal acts, was nominated deputy prime minister and minister of national defense to counter the hostilities which have lasted more than three decades in the eastern part of the country, succeeding Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of transport. Kizito Pakabomba will take charge of the ministry of mines in this country renowned for its rich mineral resources, particularly cobalt, a mineral necessary for electric car batteries. On national television, Tshisekedi's communications director Erik Nyindu said that the decision was made after long discussions for the different parties in the ruling coalition to find a compromise. During the general elections held in December 2023, Tshisekedi was re-elected for a second term. Tshisekedi appointed Judith Tuluka Suminwa as the new prime minister in April. According to the DRC Constitution, a new government takes office only after the lower house approves the new prime minister's national program with an absolute majority. An experienced firefighter, Mike Kull of Bellefonte is sharing his skills abroad and gearing up for his next trip with the nonprofit Africa Fire Mission. Kull, a volunteer firefighter with the Logan Fire Company, is a member of Africa Fire Mission, which supports firefighting efforts in countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Malawi. Kull learned about Africa Fire Mission on International Firefighters Day in 2021. Having previously traveled through the continent with his wife and enjoying the experience, he decided to sign up to volunteer. Kull is now the programs director for the organization. This organization is a place where I can combine my faith, my firefighting, and my love of Africa, Kull said. MIke Kull, right, works with a crew of firefighters through Africa Fire Mission. Kull has since completed multiple trips to Africa with the group to help with educational and community programs to support local fire services. Fire services in these countries are faced with unique challenges that make firefighting even more dangerous. For example, there is no national 911 system in most African countries, so first responders are usually unaware of emergencies until hours after they occur. For Kull, it was an eye-opener. Its a life-changing experience and its something you cant experience unless you go there in person, Kull said. Until you get there and work hand-in-hand with these people, you cant get a grasp on it. Here in the U.S., we take things for granted. We take our fire service for granted. Kull said many African cities only have a few firetrucks to serve millions of people, and all of the equipment is second-hand, some even without functioning sirens. Due to the infrastructure, many places dont have fire hydrants and traffic can cause severe delays in response times. As such, a typical mission would involve a firetruck arriving on the scene well after the fire starts, using up the trucks water capacity in three minutes, then returning to the station to get more water. The travel time itself could be hours. MIke Kull, left, works with a crew of firefighters through Africa Fire Mission. The inefficiencies in the process anger many fire victims in these countries. Kull said some firefighters hes worked with in Africa have been yelled at and even pelted with rocks while trying to save lives. However, most of these firefighters remain dedicated to learning, improving, and serving the public. For the most part, these people are so hungry for knowledge and its so refreshing, Kull said. A lot of our volunteers, when they travel with us and see how hungry (the African firefighters) are for knowledge, it really invigorates them. So when they come home to the U.S., they try to make positive changes here, too. According to Africa Fire Mission member Wesley Richmond, the organization is committed to training, empowering, supporting, and encouraging the fire service across Africa. The nonprofit works to build relationships between African firefighters and the public and increase positive messaging about fire services to the community. Kull says hes already seen a big difference. Weve seen a lot of change with community sensitization efforts and fire prevention efforts since weve been working with them, said Kull. Mike Kull, a volunteer firefighter at Logan Fire Company, is heading to Africa through Africa Fire Mission. Hes pictured at Logan Fire Station on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Africa Fire Mission was started in 2021 by David Moore, a firefighter from the U.S. on a mission trip to Africa. Since then, the nonprofit has facilitated trips to eight different countries, helping build and maintain fire services in communities across the continent. Kull will be making another trip to Malawi with Africa Fire Company in June. A second trip is planned for Kenya in November. Kull said there are plenty of opportunities for people in Centre County to support Africa Fire Mission, whether it be through donations, sponsorships, or even signing up for a mission overseas. For more information or to get involved, visit www.africafiremission.org. TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. Officials shared on Facebook crews responded to a home in The Hollows community off Lake Travis around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The homeowner reportedly called 9-1-1 and told operators lightning had struck the roof and they later smelled smoke. Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 responded to a house fire late Tuesday that officials attributed to a lightning strike. (Courtesy Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1) Responding firefighters said the blaze had extended to areas between the upstairs and downstairs floors making it difficult for firefighters to extinguish. No injuries were reported from the fire, officials noted. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Lithuania to allocate 5 million to rebuild schools and kindergartens in Ukraine At a meeting on Wednesday, 29 May, the Lithuanian government approved a resolution of the country's Finance Ministry to allocate 5 million for Ukraine's education sector. Source: European Pravda, citing Delfi, a Baltic states news website Details: The Lithuanian support will be used to rebuild destroyed schools and kindergartens in Ukraine, to equip bomb shelters and install other protective equipment. "We must help Ukrainians keep their hope for the future amid the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. In this regard, it is extremely important to be able to educate the younger generation even in times of war and to ensure that children are educated despite the constant risk of airstrikes," said Lithuania's Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste. The minister added that the funds allocated by Lithuania will complement bilateral recovery projects and help expand support from the international community. The funds will be transferred to the account of Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science at the National Bank of Ukraine. Background: Earlier, the Swedish government announced that it would allocate SEK 650 million (over US$61 million) to Ukraine to support Ukraine's energy system. In addition, the United States has recently donated 107 generators to Kharkiv Oblast, which is subjected to regular airstrikes by Russia. Support UP or become our patron! Lithuania to provide radars for German initiative on air defence for Ukraine The Lithuanian government approved the allocation of 13.5 million for the purchase of air surveillance radars, which will be delivered to the air defence coalition led by Germany to support Ukraine, on 29 May. Source: LRT, citing Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas, as reported by European Pravda Kasciunas said that these radars will strengthen the warning system in Ukraine. "In this way, we are joining the air defence coalition initiated by Germany. Germany has provided Ukraine with a third Patriot system and other systems, so we are making our possible contribution to the response," Kasciunas told journalists. He noted that the goal this year is to send four radars to Ukraine. "They will enhance warning, visibility, and the ability to destroy air targets. This year, we will send four radars, and then we will continue purchasing radars because Ukraine needs them, they themselves have identified this need," the minister explained. Background: In April, the German government launched an initiative to identify additional air defence systems that can be delivered to Ukraine. Moreover, on 28 May, the Netherlands announced an initiative to supply Ukraine with Patriot systems. Support UP or become our patron! BOISE, Idaho (ABC4) After eight weeks of witnesses and testimony, the closing arguments in the doomsday murder conspiracy trial of Chad Daybell officially begin Wednesday morning, May 29. Daybell is accused in of murder in the death of his former wife, Tammy Daybell, along with the deaths of his two step-children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua JJ Vallow. The childrens mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, has already been convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grand theft. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2023. TIMELINE: A complete timeline for the Daybell, Vallow murders The closing arguments will be streamed in the media player above and we will be liveblogging the final phase of the trial below: Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Live in fear. Woman sentenced to federal prison over threats to Kentucky prosecutor A woman who made threats against a Kentucky prosecutor has been sentenced to three years and three months in federal prison. Tara K. Thomas, 32, of Tompkinsville, pleaded guilty to stalking and mailing harassing communications. The victim in the case was Kori Bumgarner, commonwealths attorney for Warren County. Bumgarner was an assistant prosecutor in September 2021 when she was called on to handle a case involving Thomas, who faced charges that included public intoxication, assault of a police officer and disorderly conduct. Thomas had been to a tattoo parlor in Bowling Green. The tattoo artist injured her and offered her cocaine to not make a complaint, but she tried to leave without paying and was arrested for being under the influence of alcohol, her attorney, Travis B. Lock, said in a memorandum in the later federal case. Police said in a citation that Thomas kicked one officer and spat on another one. Bumgarner offered Thomas pretrial diversion to resolve the charges, but the court record indicates Thomas was not pleased with that. Thomas posted messages on Facebook referring to Bumgarner, including Youre dead b---h; threatened her children; and sent a message to Bumgarners stepfather saying Youre (sic) daughters dead, the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond D. McGee, said in a court document. A woman admitted sending threats by letter to a Kentucky prosecutor. This is an excerpt from one letter included in the court file. Bumgarner testified that the threats made her fear for her life and the lives of her family. A jury in state court convicted Thomas in connection with the threats and a judge sentenced her to four years in state custody. Thomas renewed her threats against Bumgarner in January 2023 after she had become commonwealths attorney, through letters she sent from the Warren County Jail. One letter had the word murder spelled backwards and said Thomas hoped Bumgarners children would be raped and put in a meat grinder. Another said Thomas hoped Bumgarner would live in fear for the rest of her life, according to McGees memo. Thomas attorney, Lock, said in a sentencing memo that Thomas, who served as a U.S. Marine for four years, had had traumatic experiences with the court system before she was charged in the incident at the tattoo parlor. Thomas was sexually assaulted by a neighbor at age 12, and the man and his attorney tried to portray her a liar, Lock said. During high school in Bowling Green, a teacher raped Thomas, but prosecutors allowed him to plead guilty to a lesser charge, Lock said. After coming home from military service, Thomas began experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by her earlier bad experiences in the court system, Locke said. That explained her anger over the handling of charges from the tattoo parlor incident, Lock said. Taras posttraumatic stress and her horrible past experiences with the justice system all came to a boiling point, Lock wrote. Bumgarner told the Herald-Leader she is grateful to federal prosecutors, the FBI and Bowling Green police for their work on the case and their commitment to the community. It is unfortunately becoming all too common for people merely doing their job in the judicial system to receive threats against them and their families, Bumgarner said. That behavior cannot become common place in order for our system to work. Chief U.S. District Judge Greg N. Stivers sentenced Thomas on May 21. She is currently being held in the Grayson County Detention Center. How to find abuse and mental heath help The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a service called findtreatment.gov for people to find help. The former president was found guilty of falsifying business records on Thursday. The two leading presidential candidates traded remarks on Friday, a day after former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. Trump once again claimed his historic hush money trial was "rigged" after he was found guilty in a Manhattan court but President Biden said the verdict proves "that no one is above the law." "Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself," Biden told reporters hours after Trump spoke from Trump Tower, where he maintained his innocence and slammed Judge Juan Merchan, Biden and prosecutors, among others. While both presidents have shared opposing responses to the guilty verdict, there's one thing they do agree on: that this November's presidential election will be monumentally important. Trump said the "real verdict" will come on Election Day, while Biden's camp warned, "There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box." After deliberating over two days, a New York jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution had alleged Daniels was paid to keep secret a 2006 tryst she had with Trump in order to influence the results of the 2016 election, which Trump ultimately won. Trump vowed to appeal the verdict. His sentencing has been scheduled for July 11. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 120 updates Biden reaffirms Trump's guilty verdict: 'No one is above the law' President Biden on Friday commented on former President Donald Trump's guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial, reaffirming that "no one is above the law." Biden acknowledged that his political rival can appeal the decision "just like everyone else has that opportunity." Trump spoke to reporters earlier in the day from Trump Tower in New York, asserting, "This is a scam. There's a rigged trial. It shouldn't have been in that venue. We shouldn't have had that judge." In his remarks on Friday, Biden excoriated the former president, saying "it's dangerous, its irresponsible" to claim that the trial was rigged. Trump's legal team plans to appeal his guilty verdict. How could the timeline play out? Trump attends a press conference on Friday, the day after a guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial, at Trump Tower. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) Hours after Donald Trump was found guilty Thursday on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, his legal team vowed to appeal. Trumps lead defense attorney Todd Blanche said on CNN Thursday evening that the appeal of the convictions would be filed as soon as we can. Blanche also told NBCs Today that they expect to win on appeal. Read more from Yahoo News here about what an appeal timeline could look like. House Judiciary chair calls for Manhattan DA, top prosecutor to testify House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is demanding that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo testify about Trump's trial. Jordan's subcommittee on weaponization wrote in an X post on Friday that a hearing on "the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump" is set for June 13. #BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan will demand Alvin Bragg and Matthew Colangelo to appear for hearing on June 13, 2024 to testify about the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump. Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) May 31, 2024 This is not the first time Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, has gone after Bragg or Colangelo. Jordan first requested testimony from Bragg back in March 2023, which Bragg resisted appearing for. Jordan also looked into Colangelo's hiring in April 2023 and tried again last month. Colangelo's resume lists numerous cases that involve Trump. Trump verdict dominates headlines around the world Trump's guilty verdict, announced by the Manhattan jury on Thursday evening, dominated front-page headlines worldwide. It is the first time a U.S. president has been convicted of criminal charges. Via Freedom Forum Via Freedom Forum Via Freedom Forum Via Freedom Forum Via Freedom Forum Trump says he will appeal the verdict Trump said he will be appealing the guilty verdict, which aligns with what his defense lawyer Todd Blanche has said. After Trump's sentencing in July, his defense team will have 30 days to file a notice of appeal, and then theyll have six months to file the appeal. Yahoo News has more on the appeals process here. Trump slams Biden, judge, prosecutors and more Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower on Friday. (Julia Nikhinson/AP) Trump has continued to verbally attack people including President Biden, Judge Juan Merchan, his former lawyer Michael Cohen and the prosecutors. He also criticized the case and its conclusion, insisting it was a "rigged" trial. Trump speaks to press at Trump Tower Donald Trump attends a press conference, the day after a guilty verdict in his criminal trial at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) Trump is currently speaking to reporters and supporters at Trump Tower in Manhattan after he was found guilty of 34 felony counts on Thursday. So far, he has repeated the complaints he made about Judge Juan Merchan throughout his trial and lamented being under a gag order, which he incorrectly said was imposed by President Biden. Trump campaign says it has raised over $34.8 million following verdict The Trump campaign said it received $34.8 million since yesterday's guilty verdict. In a statement, Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said, "President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict." Here's a look at what happened yesterday After deliberating over the course of two days, the 12-member jury in Manhattan found Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Just before 4:30 p.m. ET, Judge Juan Merchan was set to send the jury home for the day if they didn't have a verdict. The day started with portions of witness testimony being reread to the jury The jury then spent the rest of the day deliberating It looked like the jury was going to be sent home but Merchan received a note saying jurors had reached a verdict Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records The judge scheduled Trump's sentencing for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET Following the jury's decision being read, Trump called the trial "rigged" and "a disgrace," and said the "real verdict" will be decided on Election Day. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche: 'As soon as we can appeal, we will' Attorney Todd Blanche (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via AP) Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche, who delivered the closing argument for the defense, said in a Thursday interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins that the former president would appeal the jury's guilty verdicts handed down in the hush money trial. "As soon as we can appeal, we will," Blanche said, noting that the defense still had court issues to resolve with Judge Juan Merchan before they would file their appeal. While Blanche complimented the jury as hard-working and attentive, he said it was "very hard for us to get a fair trial" because "every single person on that jury knew Donald Trump." Asked whether it was a mistake not to have Trump take the witness stand in his own defense, Blanche noted that it was "ultimately" Trump's decision. "I don't think there was a conviction because he did not take the stand," Blanche added. As to the prospect that his client could be sentenced to prison by the judge in the case, Blanche continued to defend his client. "Somebody like President Trump should never, never face a jail sentence," he said, adding that he planned to keep working on Trump's legal team in the other criminal cases in which the former president is charged. Cohen: 'Donald needed to be held accountable' In an interview Thursday on MSNBC, former Trump lawyer and key witness Michael Cohen said he was not surprised by the jury's guilty verdicts on the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and called the case "important" and "legitimate." "Donald needed to be held accountable," Cohen said of his former boss. Asked by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow about the withering attacks on his character by Trump's lawyers during the trial, Cohen acknowledged that he sometimes got "hot-tempered," but added that he was able to remain calm during his testimony. "I was nervous because so much was riding on the result of this," Cohen said, while praising the prosecutors who called him to testify despite his past convictions on tax evasion and bank fraud charges. Cohen had a less glowing appraisal of Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, who coined the acronym "GLOAT" greatest liar of all time to describe Cohen during his closing argument. "I was going call him a 'SLOAT,'' Cohen said of Blanche, "the stupidest lawyer of all time." In part, Cohen said, that was because Blanche seemed to base the bulk of Trump's defense on attacking him. EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen speaks for first time about the historic Trump guilty verdict. pic.twitter.com/f49gqcD0YU MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 31, 2024 Republican leaders angry at Trump conviction Republican leaders reacted with anger Thursday evening at the conviction of former President Donald Trump. According to the Associated Press: House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was a shameful day in American history and the charges were purely political. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said the verdict was a disgrace to the judicial system. And Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, said that the decision was a defeat for Americans who believe in the critical legal tenet that justice is blind. Read more about the Republican reaction. Video: Trump guilty on all 34 counts in hush money trial what happens now? Yahoo News political reporter Andrew Romano weighs in on what's next following the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump, who remains the leading Republican contender for the White House in 2024. Trump to hold press conference Friday morning Trump announced on Truth Social that he will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET tomorrow at Trump Tower in New York City. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks after Trump's guilty verdict Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the 34 felony charges against Trump, delivered a statement following the guilty verdict decided by 12 Manhattan jurors and thanked them for their service. "While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors," Bragg said. When asked by reporters about a potential prison sentence for the former president, Bragg noted that sentencing is set for July 11 but declined to comment further, adding that the hush money case is still ongoing and active. Read the jury's verdict sheet Here is the complete verdict sheet filled out by the jury, indicating the verdicts on each of the 34 felony counts against Trump. This embedded content is not available in your region. Photos: Scenes from outside the courthouse After the guilty verdict was announced, people were seen gathering to celebrate. The New York Police Department restricted access to the area around the courthouse as helicopters circled above. Photos show demonstrators cheering in lower Manhattan, waving signs that read "Trump Convicted" and simply: "Guilty." A demonstrator reacts to the guilty verdict on Thursday in New York. (Julia Nikhinson/AP) (Mike Segar/Reuters) (Mike Segar/Reuters) Trump donation website back online after reports of it crashing The Trump campaign's online portal to accept donations, run by Republican platform WinRed, reportedly crashed shortly after the guilty verdict came down. So many Americans were moved to donate to President Trump's campaign that the WinRed pages went down," the Trump campaign posted on X. The website appears to be up and running again, with a picture of Trump's mug shot from his criminal case in Georgia with "Never Surrender" as the caption. Trump Media shares sink following guilty verdict in hush money case Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) fell 9% in after-hours trading following the announcement that a jury had found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, CNN reported. Michael Cohen: 'Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law' Michael Cohen. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney turned key trial witness in the case against him, responded to the jury's guilty verdict, per New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi: Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters. I want to thank my attorneys Danya Perry and Joshua Kolb for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this process," Cohen, who served jail time for tax evasion and bank fraud, said. Cohen's testimony about paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to buy her silence about an alleged extramarital affair with Trump was at the center of the prosecution's case. FAQ: Can Trump still run for president? Can he still vote? Here's what the guilty verdict means Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court in his criminal hush money trial on Thursday. (Mark Peterson/Pool via AP) Donald Trump has become the first former or sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a felony. In a historic decision, a 12-person Manhattan jury found the former president guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in an effort to disguise a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump is also the first major party candidate he's the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee to run for president as a convicted felon. Judge Juan Merchan scheduled Trumps sentencing for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET. The judge will then decide whether the former presidents punishment will include prison time, fines, probation or a combination of those. Read more from Yahoo News here for the answers to frequently asked questions, like whether Trump can still run for president or if he'll be allowed to vote for himself in November. Biden campaign responds to Trump verdict President Biden's campaign spokesperson released a statement following Donald Trump's conviction, according to the New York Times, saying "no one is above the law." "There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box, Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign's communications director, told the Times. "Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president." The campaign posted a similar statement on X. Bragg marks Trump's guilty verdict on X Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx via AP) Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the criminal charges against Trump, marked the jury's guilty verdict in a post on X on Thursday afternoon. "Today, a jury found Donald J. Trump GUILTY on ALL 34 felony counts," Bragg, whose decision to charge Trump had been second-guessed by some legal analysts, wrote. Today, a jury found Donald J. Trump GUILTY on ALL 34 felony counts. Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) May 30, 2024 A breakdown of each of the counts against Trump Trump calls trial 'a disgrace' after verdict read Donald Trump comments to members of the media after being found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday. (Seth Wenig/Pool via Reuters) Speaking from the courthouse after the guilty verdict was announced, Trump said: "This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt." "The real verdict is going to be November 5," he said, referencing the 2024 election. "I'm a very innocent man," Trump said, claiming he didn't get a fair trial. Trump to be sentenced on July 11 Moments after the jury's guilty verdict was read in court, Judge Juan Merchan announced that Trump would be sentenced on July 11 at 10 a.m. Trump found guilty on all 34 counts The former president has been convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. Here's a breakdown of each of the charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Court is back in session Judge Juan Merchan has taken his seat on the beach and the jury is filing into the courtroom. Manhattan district attorney enters the courtroom Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom, alongside his team of prosecutors, according to reporters in the courtroom. Jury requests 30 minutes to fill out verdict forms The Associated Press reports that the 12-member jury has asked Judge Juan Merchan for 30 minutes to fill out the appropriate forms. Jury has reached a verdict Judge Juan Merchan announced that the jury had sent him a note saying that they had reached a verdict. "Please let there be no reactions, no outbursts of any kind," the judge told the courtroom audience. Judge set to excuse jury for the day Judge Juan Merchan will excuse the jury at 4:30 p.m. ET if they haven't reached a verdict, the Associated Press reported. Trump supporters await a verdict outside the courthouse Trump supporters gathered outside of Manhattan criminal court on Thursday as the jury continues to deliberate in the former president's historic criminal case in which prosecutors allege he covered up hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Photos from the scene in lower Manhattan show pro-Trump supporters waving flags and wearing MAGA gear. Trump supporters outside Manhattan criminal court on Thursday. (Mike Segar/Reuters) A devout Christian shows his support for Donald Trump. (Julia Nikhinson/AP) A demonstrator at the courthouse sports "Trump 2024" sneakers. (Julia Nikhinson/AP) It has been 11 hours since the jury got the case The jury that will decide whether Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records stemming from his $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels has now been deliberating for 11 court hours. Even if convicted, Trump is unlikely to go to jail anytime soon Trump arriving at Manhattan criminal court on Wednesday. (Doug Mills/Pool via AP) As we await the jury's verdict in Donald Trump's hush money trial, it's worth remembering that even if he is convicted, he is unlikely to be sent to jail anytime soon. Throughout the course of the trial, Trump has been free on bail. If he is found guilty, there's little reason to believe Judge Juan Merchan would change that status ahead of handing down Trump's sentence, especially given the fact that this would be the 77-year-old's first felony offense. In the event of a guilty plea, Merchan will have to decide whether to fine Trump, put him on probation or supervision or sentence him to prison. The maximum sentence for the felonies Trump is charged with is four years. Trump would almost certainly appeal a guilty verdict and that process could take months or years to play out, possibly further delaying the possibility that he would ever spend time behind bars. Trumps supporters vent anger over judges jury instructions Judge Juan Merchan as seen in a courtroom sketch on Thursday. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Supporters of former President Donald Trump, many of them commentators on right wing news outlets like Fox News and Newsmax, have taken issue with the instructions Judge Juan Merchan gave to the jury, sometimes falsely claiming that the judge is allowing them to convict Trump without coming to a unanimous decision. On Wednesday, Fox News host Jesse Waters proclaimed that Merchan had told the jury they can pick whatever crime they want, and they can all disagree on the crime and its still a unanimous decision. ... Its like a buffet! Fox News co-host Jeanine Pirro, a former judge, said his jury instructions were unheard of. But in his remarks to the jury, much of which he repeated on Thursday, Merchan told jurors that they "must conclude unanimously that a defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means. What he did leave partially open to interpretation, however, was the specific means jurors could conclude Trump had used when he carried out his alleged conspiracy. While falsifying business records is usually a misdemeanor charge, it rises to a felony when the false reporting is done in furtherance of another crime. In this case, the judge told the jurors that while they needed unanimous agreement that a second crime had been committed, they could choose from one of three options: violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the falsification of other business records or the violation of tax laws. Because Trump is not specifically charged with those crimes, jurors do not have to vote unanimously on them. Instead, he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to the $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. For those charges, the jury must vote unanimously. University of Texas law professor Lee Kovarsky explained the judges instructions to the jury this way: If a law says NO VEHICLES IN THE PARK & list of vehicles includes mopeds and motorcycles, all the instruction means is that you need unanimous conclusion of vehicle but not unanimous on whether vehicle was moped or harley, he wrote in a post on X. Why the names of the jurors in the trial have been kept anonymous Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan criminal court in New York on Wednesday. (Jabin Botsford/Pool via AP) It is now up to a New York jury to determine whether former President Donald Trump is guilty on 34 felony counts brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but the public may never learn the identities of those who will make that decision. That's because Judge Juan Merchan ruled in March that their names would be revealed to the lawyers in the case but, out of safety concerns, not be made public. Anonymous juries are somewhat rare in the U.S. Out of more than 100,000 jury trials in the country, just about a dozen a year keep the identities of jurors hidden from the public, USA Today reported in 2021. Read more from Yahoo News. As the jury deliberates, Trump claims Pecker testimony backs him up After the jury was read testimony given by former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker about a June 2016 phone conversation he had with Trump, the former president posted a message on his social media network claiming that it showed he did not pay hush money to keep negative stories about him from being published. "Testimony conclusively showed that I clearly stated, 'I DONT BUY STORIES!' Not that there would be anything wrong with doing that NDAs are PERFECTLY LEGAL AND COMMON!" Trump wrote Thursday. The testimony in question concerned Pecker alerting Trump to former Playboy model Karen McDougal's claim that she had an extramarital affair with Trump. Pecker, who later paid McDougal for the exclusive rights to the story, initially advised Trump to purchase it. Here is what Pecker said on the witness stand about the conversation: "'This story about Karen, since she's claiming that she has a relationship with you, should be taken off the market.' And Mr. Trump said, 'I don't normally I don't buy stories because it always gets out.' And then I said, 'I still think you should buy the story.' And Mr. Trump said to me, 'I'll speak to Michael [Cohen], and he'll get back to you.'" Trump exits the courtroom Donald Trump walks out of the courtroom as the jury in his criminal trial continues to deliberate at New York State Supreme Court in New York. (Justin Lane/Pool via Reuters) Following the read-back of testimony requested by the jury and their exit to continue deliberations, Trump, his legal team and some of his closest confidants also left the courtroom, heading to a holding room where they will have to wait to see what comes next. Jury excused to continue deliberations With the read-back of testimony concluded and the judge having repeated his instructions on rendering a verdict, the jury left the courtroom to resume deliberations. Jurors hear Michael Cohen's testimony about Trump Tower meeting The jury requested to rehear another portion of testimony concerning Michael Cohen's account of a meeting between himself, Trump and thenNational Enquirer publisher David Pecker in August 2015. It was at this meeting, both Cohen and Pecker testified, that the "catch and kill" agreement was hatched. Pecker testified that he told Trump he would keep an eye out for anything negative" and work to keep such stories from public view. Cohen corroborated that account. Portions of David Pecker's testimony read to the jury David Pecker, in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) Court stenographers are rereading portions of testimony from David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher. Here's what he said when he took the stand during the trial: Pecker revealed a 2015 plan he reached with Trump to assist his presidential campaign The National Enquirer published negative stories about Trump's rivals that were fed to the publication by members of Trump's team The publication would buy the rights to a story to ensure it wouldn't be published, in an arrangement known as "catch and kill" Pecker spent $30,000 on a story that was ultimately fake because of the potential embarrassment it could've caused Trump Court behind the scenes Trump sits in the courtroom on Thursday morning. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Reuters) Cameras are not allowed in court, but photographers are given a small window (less than a minute) each morning to take photos of Donald Trump once he enters the room. Yahoo News' David Artavia spoke to Spencer Platt of Getty Images about what that moment is like. It's kind of weird and awkward too, because the court gets really quiet. Its just the sound of cameras and jostling photographers. You can hear a pin drop," Platt said. Read more on the process of photographing Trump in his historic trial each morning here. Mark Peterson/Pool via Reuters Jury has multiple requests in morning note In a note submitted this morning, the jury is asking for Judge Juan Merchan to reread his instruction on how it should consider facts and what it can infer based on the evidence presented, according to CNN. The jury also asked to hear the instructions related to the charges for count one, and requested headphones to use with an evidence laptop. What to expect today Before deliberations kick off, Judge Juan Merchan is expected to reread instructions to the jury, which jurors had requested on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. The jury also asked to hear portions of testimony read back to them, so actual deliberations are expected to start in about an hour. Court is back in session; jurors have sent a new note Court is back in session this morning, and Judge Juan Merchan said jurors have submitted a third note, according to reporters in the courthouse. Trump's lawyers hoping for lengthy deliberations, hung jury: ABC News Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (Seth Wenig/Pool via AP) As day one of jury deliberations wrapped up yesterday, Donald Trump's lawyers were reportedly happy court was dismissed without a verdict. Sources told ABC News that Trump's legal team believes the longer jurors deliberate, the more likely the case would lead to a hung jury. One person close to Trump's defense told the outlet: "We want chaos ... we want evidence of strong disagreements." ABC News reports: While it wouldn't be surprising to Trump's team for there to be a verdict Thursday, their hope is that deliberations will extend into next week as an indication there could be serious doubts among jury members that could result in a hung jury, the sources said. Here's what happened on Wednesday Day one of jury deliberations in Trump's hush money trial ended without a verdict. But the 12 jurors on the panel that will decide whether Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records did get down to work. Here's a recap of what transpired: Before court resumed, Trump attacked Judge Juan Merchan and appeared to again violate his gag order by going after witness Michael Cohen. "Kangaroo court! A corrupt and conflicted judge," Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social. "There was no crime, except for the bum that got caught stealing from me!" When court began, Merchan instructed the jury on how they should go about rendering a verdict in the case. "You and you alone are the judges of the facts," he said. Jurors should not "speculate about matters related to sentence or punishment," Merchan said, adding that he alone would be responsible for deciding those questions if Trump was found guilty. "If you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the charged crime, you must find the defendant not guilty," Merchan told the jury. Merchan then went over the specific charges Trump is facing. "A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree when with intent to defraud, which includes the intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof, he makes or causes a false entry in the records of a business enterprise." He then sent the jury to begin their deliberations. After nearly four hours, the jury sent the court two notes. One requested that portions of the testimony be reread. The second asked the judge to repeat his instructions. Judge dismisses jury for the day Judge Juan Merchan has dismissed the jury for the day. Jurors had been brought back into the courtroom to have testimony they requested reread, but the court had not finished compiling all of that material. Merchan advised them not to discuss the case or to read about it. And with that, the first day of deliberations ended without a verdict. Deliberations will pick back up again at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday. Jurors return to courtroom The jury has returned to the courtroom to hear portions of the trial testimony read from the transcripts. Show more updates Local hospital seeks help in identifying man found near hotel in downtown Los Angeles A local hospital is asking the public for help in identifying a patient who was found near a downtown Los Angeles hotel. The Los Angeles General Medical Center says the unidentified man was found in or around the Weldon Hotel on Maple Street on May 23 and has been hospitalized since. The man, who is believed to be between the ages of 55 and 60, stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 227 pounds. Video: Judge dumbfounded by man with suspended license joining court Zoom call while driving He has black and white hair and brown eyes, hospital officials added. Anyone with information is asked to contact clinical social worker Cesar Robles with the L.A. General Medical Center Department of Social Work by calling 323-409-6884. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 F-35B jet en route to California from Fort Worth crashed in New Mexico on Tuesday after stopping to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Lockheed Martin, which produces the aircraft in Fort Worth, did not immediately respond to a Star-Telegram request for information, nor did a spokesperson for Kirtland Air Force Base. Lockheed told Star-Telegram news partner WFAA-TV on Wednesday that the jet crashed after stopping to refuel and that the pilot was able to safely eject from the plane. The test jet was government-owned and operated, flown by a government pilot, Lockheed told WFAA. It was headed to Edwards Air Force Base in California for new test equipment modification. The crash happened around 2 p.m. Tuesday and the pilot is recovering at a hospital. The jet crashed and burst into flames. Lockheed told WFAA it is investigating the crash. Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol, the company said in a statement to WFAA. An F-35B crashed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth in 2022, another incident in which the pilot was able to eject safely. The jet hovered while landing but when it hit the ground it bounced upward, tilted on its nose and spun in a circle before tilting on its side. Another crash near the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in North Texas happened in 2021, when a T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft assigned to Training Air Wing 3 crashed in a Lake Worth neighborhood, about two miles from the base. The jet was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Kingsville. The Navy jet crashed in a back yard between the 4000 blocks of Tejas Trail and Dakota Trail, Lake Worth police said at the time. The crash was caused by a bird strike, an investigation later found. Both pilots were able the eject and survived, though one was critically injured. SANAA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A warplane of the naval coalition of the United States and Britain launched two airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Tuesday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. The Houthi television said the warplane hit the Al-Jabanah district in the western part of the city without revealing further details. Meanwhile, a resident told Xinhua that the airstrike caused explosions, with columns of black smoke rising from the targeted site. After the airstrikes, the Houthi fighters had cordoned off the area, which is near the port of Hodeidah. The coalition has yet to comment, but it usually says it targeted missile and drone mobile launchers. Earlier in the day, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations, a maritime security agency, reported that a cargo ship was hit by at least two anti-ship missiles off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Tuesday. It said the ship sustained damage, but the crew members are safe. On Monday, the U.S. Central Command said its forces intercepted and destroyed a drone launched from the Houthi-controlled area. Last November, the Houthis began to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group, which only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include U.S. and British commercial vessels and naval ships. Louisiana House advances bill to give gov more power over boards. How will it impact higher ed? LSUs Memorial Tower displays the time on Monday, March 20, 2023, on Tower Drive in Baton Rouge, La. The Louisiana House of Representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would allow the governor to directly select the chair of hundreds of boards and commissions, but critics worry it could damage the ability of state universities to receive essential federal funding. Senate Bill 462 by Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, passed the House on a 62-20 vote. Because it was amended in the House to restore some of the gubernatorial power the Senate stripped out, it has to return to the Senate for another vote. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, has said he expects senators will reject the amendments, sending it to a conference committee in which three legislators from each chamber meet behind closed doors to work out a compromise bill. Critics have raised concerns that giving the governor additional authority over higher education governing boards could put the accreditation of state colleges and universities in jeopardy. Accreditation is a fundamental need for the operation of a university. Universities must be accredited to receive federal funding. In its current state, the governor would have the power to select the chair for most state boards and commissions, including the five higher education oversight boards and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The bill would not apply to any board or commission that a statewide elected official chairs, such as the State Bond Commission. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who supports the bill, has said it is about higher education. This fight is all about universities, Landry said in an April interview with WAFB-TV. The people of this state are ready for these universities to start taking some responsibility for putting out students that are graduating with degrees that they cant even get a job for. Hodges argued her bill does not give the governor any additional power but rather moves up the timeline for the governors control of a board. Presently, most boards have staggered terms for their members. This design means a governor has to wait sometimes years before he or she has appointed every member of a particular board, which acts as a check on their power. Governors already appoint members of the four university and college system boards of supervisors. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the accrediting body for Louisiana universities, requires that governing boards for its accredited schools remain free from undue external influence. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Landry has said those who have raised concerns about the bills impact on accreditation are absolutely not telling the truth. In a House Committee hearing on the bill, Hodges said the bills language had been okayed by SACSCOC but later said she had not been on the call that a Senate staff attorney made to the organization. A representative from SACSCOC later told the Illuminator the bills language would not be a violation of SACSCOC accreditation principles. But its more complicated than that, a representative from the accrediting body later explained. A violation of the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation is not a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down situation. It could impact accreditation if it violates the principles, Rosalind Fuse-Hall, director of legal and governmental affairs for SACSCOC said in an interview. The board looks at everything on a case-by-case basis. Giving the governor the ability to appoint higher education board chairs could impact accreditation if the governor seeks to use that power to enact undue influence on the operations of a higher education institution. Elected officials, corporate offices, alumni associations, donors, and religious denominational bodies are examples of persons or bodies that appropriately have interests in the activities of related colleges and universities, SACSCOCs Resource Manual for The Principles of Accreditation reads. However, the governing board of the institution has been vested with the authority to make decisions regarding the institution, and no outside person, board, or religious or legislative body should be in a position to interfere with the governing boards ultimate authority to fulfill its responsibilities or to interfere in the operations of the institution. Whether something qualifies as undue influence is up to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, which is made up of university administrators from the 11 states in the Southeastern region the accreditors serve. The organization has given notice to several schools where politics have played an outsized role. In 2020, the organization found South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, also a Republican, had undue influence on the universitys search for a new president. In 2017, it gave the University of Louisville two years to right the ship after then Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, exercised undue influence by abolishing the schools governing board. In 2021, SACS opened an inquiry into the University of Florida denying professor requests to serve as expert witnesses in a voting rights case. Similar cases have arisen in other regions and their accrediting bodies. Hodges has not denied that the intentions behind the bill are political. We need to align policy initiatives on the boards and commissions with the Republican governor that we elected to get the job done, Hodges said. In a committee hearing last week, Ryan Roberts, Landrys director of boards and commissions, pointed to states such as Texas and Florida, which give the governor more authority over higher education than Louisiana does. The comparison alarmed some on the committee, as higher education in those states has become increasingly politicized. If it becomes too political and we dont put the right person in leadership, were going to have a problem, Rep. Ed Larvadain, D-Alexandria, said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to transform New College, a public university in Sarasota, into a conservative institution. His pledge has led to a loss of faculty, a flurry of First Amendment lawsuits and a board of trustees stacked with DeSantis allies who have rejected tenure recommendations. New College has also been the subject of SACSCOC inquiries. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Louisiana House advances bill to give gov more power over boards. How will it impact higher ed? appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. A Louisiana lawmakers said she is shelving her legislation to protect in vitro fertilization treatment in Louisiana. (Canva image) Legislation to ensure in vitro fertilization treatment remains legal in Louisiana in spite of a strict abortion ban has been scuttled over language the states powerful anti-abortion lobby refused to remove from the bill. State Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, said Tuesday she is shelving House Bill 833, aimed at protecting access to IVF treatment in Louisiana, but she plans to bring back the legislation in 2025. The fixing the law, the current IVF law, became a lot more complicated than we initially thought, Davis said. She could not convince her fellow lawmakers to drop a reference to embryos being biological human beings, from the legislation. The characterization would have left doctors and other medical providers offering IVF open to criminal charges and civil lawsuits, according to attorneys she consulted. Murder and other crimes are defined as the killing or hurting of human beings in Louisiana law. By also defining embryos as human beings, lawmakers would leave the door open to prosecuting IVF medical providers if embryos were damaged or destroyed, according to some attorneys. Anti-abortion lawmakers who dominate the Louisiana Legislature refused to strike the human being reference from the bill at Davis request earlier this month. Louisiana Right to Life, the states largest anti-abortion organization, would likely have opposed the bill without the language. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago triggered Louisianas abortion ban that now potentially threatens IVF services, according to legal experts. If you can prevent the abortion of an embryo can you prevent the destruction of an embryo outside the body? said Naomi Cahn, a law professor who specializes in reproductive technology issues at the University of Virginia. Louisiana, like other conservative states, already has language in state law meant to equate embryos to children, which could open the state up to a legal battle over IVF even without Davis legislation. Current law states a fertilized human ovum is a human being. A fertilized ovum is another way of describing an embryo. The Alabama Supreme Court earlier this year temporarily halted IVF services in that state when it equated the destruction of frozen embryos to the ending of human life under the law. A divorce case in Texas could also have a large impact on the fertility treatment offered there. In the face of public backlash, conservatives around the country have tried to separate IVF from the abortion issue. Republican U.S. Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced federal legislation earlier this month that would cut off Medicaid funding to any state that banned IVF. As it is, Louisiana already puts some of the countrys tightest restrictions on IVF in light of concerns from anti-abortion advocates. In Louisiana, clinics and fertility patients cannot dispose of embryos. Instead, they have to send them to another state to have them destroyed. No other state in the country has such a limitation. Davis is confident lawmakers will want to shore up IVF protections next year. She said many of her colleagues see maintaining access to fertility treatments as a priority. A Pew Research Center poll in April showed IVF is very popular, with 60% to 70% approval ratings, including among those who oppose abortion. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Louisiana lawmaker shelves IVF protection bill, leaving questions about legal challenges appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry delivers his address to state lawmakers on opening day of the regular legislative session, Monday, March 11, 2024, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry looks likely to gain more control over the state ethics board. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool) Louisiana lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to give Gov. Jeff Landry control over the Louisiana Board of Ethics, just a few months after its members charged him with breaking a state ethics law. The governor is in an ongoing dispute with ethics board members over what consequences he should face for not disclosing flights to Hawaii he took on a political donors private plane while attorney general. A status conference on the case is scheduled for July. Yet Landry could gain the ability to appoint ethics board members directly a month later, on Aug. 1, under legislation that looks likely to pass in the next few days. Lawmakers could be one vote away from approving Senate Bill 497, which removes a buffer meant to insulate the ethics board from political pressure. The Senate voted 27-10 in April for an earlier version of the legislation, and the House of Representatives voted 70-25 for a reworked bill Tuesday. It must return to the Senate for at least one more vote before going to Landrys desk. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Transparency advocates have called the proposal a step backward for Louisiana. We have a serious history of corruption in Louisiana, Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR), said during a hearing on the legislation earlier this month. Given our history, given our data, I cannot understand why we would undermine the ethics board by allowing unfettered control by the governor. Under current law, leaders from Louisianas private universities and colleges nominate five people for each of the 11 seats on the ethics board, and then the governor and state lawmakers pick their appointees from those lists. The governor gets to pick seven members, and state lawmakers select four. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, would remove the private university and college presidents from the process altogether. Under every version of the bill so far, the governor and legislative leaders get to pick the ethics members on their own. Miguez said the proposal would help streamline the ethics board process, but transparency advocates said the extra steps are necessary. Barry Erwin, CEO and president of the Council for A Better Louisiana, said the current ethics board process is in place to prevent the fox from guarding the hen house. Private colleges and universities are involved to protect the board from political influence, he said. We would like to see that continue. Keep the politics out of it, Erwin said in testimony earlier this month. Representatives also made several changes to the boards structure through amendments Tuesday from House Republican Caucus Chairman Mark Wright, R-Covington. In the current version of the legislation, the board would expand from 11 to 15 members, with nine appointed by the governor and six appointed by lawmakers. The governor and legislators would also be encouraged to the extent practicable to create a board with five retired judges, five retired elected officials and five people who have never held elected office. The expansion would allow Landry and lawmakers to change the board makeup more quickly. Ethics board members serve in staggered terms, meaning only one to three seats open up every year. If four more members are added in 2025, as proposed, Landry would place new members on the board more quickly than if he had to wait for all of former Gov. John Bel Edwards appointees to cycle off the panel. The new suggestion that retired judges and elected officials should compose most of the board might be a response to criticism the proposal has received. In testimony objecting to the bill, Procopio said PAR could only find 12 states where the governor gets to appoint most of its ethics boards. In many of those instances, other restrictions apply. He specifically mentioned South Dakotas governor can only pick retired judges to serve. Miguez said Tuesday night he was still reviewing the Houses changes to decide whether he will accept them outright. It looks like Rep. Wright drafted the amendments in such a way to address a number of concerns from testimony, Miguez said in a text message. Should the legislation pass, its not clear how it would impact Landrys ethics dispute. The ethics board said Landry failed to disclose that he had received something of value for performing his public job, as state law requires. It charged Landry and one of the companies owned by the private planes owner, retired energy executive Greg Mosing, in August when Landry, a Republican, was running for governor. Landry took Mosings plane to travel to and from an attorneys general conference where he was speaking in 2021. Last fall, Landry and Mosing accused former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, of weaponizing the ethics board to pursue them over the Hawaii trip. John Bels unethical ethics board made up of majority democrat appointees to smear his political opponents is attempting to sully my name because I have been friends with Jeff Landry for over 20 years, and Jeff is the leading candidate to replace him, Mosing said in a written statement at the time. Edwards responded to those accusations by saying he didnt know the majority of ethics board members personally, presumably because he selected them from a list provided by the leaders of the private colleges and universities. They are not really people that I seek out, and really theyre not even people that I know, with I think the single exception of being Butch Speer, who is the former clerk of the [Louisiana] House, Edwards said at the time. Edwards held a seat in the Louisiana House when Speer was clerk. The ethics board also chastised Landry in 2022 over a separate case, where he inappropriately used campaign funds to pay his car loan, but it didnt charge him with a violation in that matter. The post Lawmakers give Landry control over ethics board amid dispute over discipline appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a law on Wednesday that has the potential to limit the ability to observe and record police activity. Louisiana House Bill 173 will create a 25-foot buffer zone between civilians and police officers who are lawfully engaged in the execution of [their] official duties, stripping away possible accountability measures in the event of police brutality. No person shall knowingly or intentionally approach within [25] feet of a peace officer who is lawfully engaged in the execution of his official duties after the peace officer has ordered the person to stop approaching or to retreat, the law reads. While the distance may not seem unreasonable, human rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union argue that the law is a massive breach of the U.S. Constitution and the publics First Amendment rights. Similar, less restrictive laws have been struck down in other states. In 2022, a legal challenge brought by 10 media organizations and the ACLU against Arizona House Bill 2319 effectively ended a law requiring an eight-foot buffer zone between observers and police, with a federal court noting that it fails to see how the presence of a person recording a video near an officer interferes with the officers activities. The ACLU also sued Indiana last year for enacting a nearly identical law, which the organization argued had criminalized the publics most effective tool for shining a light on police misconduct. But restricting police transparency wasnt the only right-wing policy win in the slew of bills Landry signed Tuesday. The governor also signed into law Senate Bill 276, reclassifying abortion drugs such as misoprostol and mifepristone as Schedule IV drugs under the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. Despite calls from doctors who argued the anti-abortion law would make prescribing the drugs more difficult in critical health emergencies, Landry insisted that the policy would serve as a protective measure to ensure the safety of the women of Louisiana, reported The Advocate. During the 202223 school year, book bans occurred in 153 districts across 33 states, according to a PEN America report. (Getty Images) The Louisiana Senate gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that would allow parish library systems to hire directors who are not certified librarians after senators added in language a House committee rejected that would allow library board members to be dismissed without cause. House Bill 974 by Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, passed the Senate on a 27-9 vote. No senators objected to the adoption of the controversial language after Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, briefly explained the amendments as clarifying language and codifying an attorney generals opinion, which he did not explain. The opinion was issued by then-Attorney General Jeff Landry in 2022, when he argued parish governments are free to remove library board members before their terms end something not spelled out in state law. Attorney generals opinions are just that, and do not have the force of law. Before it was amended Tuesday, Carlsons bill was designed to remove the requirement that directors of parish library systems receive state certification, which requires librarians to pass an exam and hold a masters degree in library science. Libraries currently have the ability to hire non-certified librarians as directors after obtaining a waiver from the State Board of Library Examiners, but they can only hire them for a four-year contract that can then be renewed. This time limitation is maintained in Carlsons bill. House Bill 974 is a substitute bill for House Bill 168, which stalled in the House Municipal. Parochial and Cultural Affairs committee. The new version of the bill was referred to the House Education Committee, where it easily passed. The new language is similar to that in House Bill 946 by Rep. Jay Galle, R-Mandeville, which is a refiling of House Bill 25, from 2023 by former Rep. Paul Hollis, R-Covington. Both bills were killed in the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs with bipartisan opposition. Galles bill was a response to some parish governing authorities who have sought to remove library board members who have been wary join conservative culture wars. Library board members removed in Galles St. Tammany Parish have sued the parish and David Cougle, the councilman who initiated their removal and worked with Hollis last year on the rejected bill. Conservative activists in the parish, led by the far-right St. Tammany Library Accountability Project, have attempted to ban more than 150 books they deem sexually explicit. Most of the titles challenged have LGBTQ+ themes. The library board repeatedly refused to limit access to the books, rejecting arguments that they are sexually explicit. Their refusal put them crosswise with the new, more conservative parish council that took office earlier this year. St. Tammany Parish and Carlsons Lafayette Parish have been venues for high-profile clashes over book content. Carlsons bill stemmed from the search for the next Lafayette Public Library director. Its parish library board illegally fired the previous director, Danny Gillane, in executive session after a years-long contentious relationship with some of its members. The board later rescinded the illegal termination, allowing Gillane to resign. In an unusual move, the board later hired Gillane as the interim director while they searched for his permanent replacement. The Lafayette library boards search committee wants to remove the requirement that the director have an American Library Association-certified degree because its library is no longer affiliated with the organization, The Acadiana Advocate reported. Carlson disputed rumors that he sponsored the bill because he wants the library board to hire somebody he has in mind who does not hold a degree in library science. The bill would actually put the state closer in alignment with the American Library Association, which lays out recommended qualifications for library directors on its website, he said. The recommended educational requirements range from a bachelors degree to multiple masters degrees. Because it was amended by the Senate, Carlsons bill must go back to the House for another vote. Carlson did not seem concerned the House would reject the amendments, even though a House committee had rejected the language. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Louisiana senators revive at-will dismissal of library board members appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Louisiana voters could be asked to decide whether Gov. Jeff Landry should have more control over state public employees. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator). The Louisiana Legislature is close to approving a proposed constitutional amendment that lets state residents decide if Gov. Jeff Landry gets greater control over state government jobs and New Orleans city employees. If lawmakers approve Senate Bill 181, Louisiana voters would determine on Dec. 7 whether the governor gets to shape the state Civil Service Commission in 2025. The legislation would also allow the governor and state lawmakers to transform classified public positions into unclassified public jobs, from which workers could be fired more easily. The measure is one of a few to give Landry more control over state boards than previous governors. Lawmakers are also considering measures to give him more authority over Louisianas higher education board and pick most of the members on the state ethics board. Unlike those other proposals, however, the civil service changes require statewide voter approval. Civil service protections in state government and New Orleans are included in the Louisiana Constitution, which can only be altered through a two-thirds vote of state lawmakers and a ballot measure. Sen. Jay Morris, the sponsor of the legislation, said he thinks the states civil service process makes it too difficult to fire public sector workers. In an interview earlier this year, Morris, a Republican from West Monroe, said his preference would be to do away with civil service entirely, even though his bill stops short of doing so. Government employees, including a handful of firefighters, and state civil service commissioners disagreed with Morris in public hearings over the legislation. They said the current system shields government employees from political pressure. Its a bad bill, said Scott Hughes, a current civil service commissioner who former Govs. Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards appointed. We moved to a civil service system to end a system of ward politics and political favoritism. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Under current law, the governor appoints six out of the seven members of the state Civil Service Commission. Their picks must come from a list of three people each president of six private colleges and universities in Louisiana recommends. Classified state workers elect the seventh commissioner to represent them on the board. The use of college presidents as a nominating source for the governor was also by design to help ensure some level of neutrality, Hughes said. If approved, Morris legislation would allow governors to pick three of the seven commissioners directly. Private colleges and university leaders would still be involved in recommendations for the governors three remaining appointees, but the list of potential commissioners would include many more people for each slot. The governor also wouldnt be required to appoint someone recommended by each of the six university presidents. He could instead pick all three nominees off a list provided by just one school leader. Morris legislation also calls for civil service commissioners to serve four-year instead of six-year terms, with term limits after eight years instead of 18 as currently required. The proposal also specifically allows Landry to limit the time current commissioners serve on the board. At the beginning of 2025, Landry would be able to assign commissioners already on the panel terms of one to four years, and he could replace any commissioner who has already served eight years on the board. Governors who come after him wouldnt have this power. The legislation would also give Louisianas governor and legislators authority to pass laws to shift classified state and New Orleans city employees into unclassified positions, where they could be fired more easily. Currently, only civil service commissioners at the state level and in New Orleans have that authority. It opens not a door but a floodgate to change [civil service] later, said Andrew Monteverde, a firefighter who is the employee representative on the New Orleans Civil Service Commission. Lawmakers have not entirely explained why city employees in New Orleans are being targeted, when no other municipality with civil service workers would be affected. I dont understand why the state Legislature is interested in the civil system of the city of New Orleans, Christina Carroll, an attorney for the New Orleans Civil Service Commission, said at a hearing on the bill Tuesday. Well, thats an opinion Ill have to keep to myself, responded Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond, who voted in favor of Morris legislation. The proposal ran into some legislative roadblocks, albeit ones Morris has so far overcome. After the Louisiana House and Governmental Affairs Committee initially declined to vote on the proposal, it was moved to the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee, which voted 9-3 on Tuesday to keep it alive. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The vote was entirely partisan, with Republicans in favor of the measure and Democrats in opposition, though Hughes, the civil service commissioner, argued civil service should be popular with conservatives. You dont have unions in the state of Louisiana. Why? You have state civil service, he said. Im not a union guy, and Im a state civil service commissioner. The legislation now moves to the full House for a vote expected by the end of the week. Two-thirds of state representatives will have to approve it. Then, it would have to go back to the Senate for consideration and another two-thirds vote in that chamber, before being placed on a statewide ballot. The post Louisiana voters could decide if Gov. Landry gets more control over state employees appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Low-income Kansans to get financial help at farmers markets WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is providing some low-income seniors with $50 in coupon vouchers to purchase food from authorized farmers at some farmers markets. A news release from the City of Hutchinson says those who meet the age and income requirements with $50 in coupon vouchers to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey. To be eligible, you must be 60 years of age or older, or at least 55 years old and a member of an Indian Tribal Organization on the day the money is issued. Your annual gross household income must be at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For example, a household of one must have an annual gross income at or below $27,861, or a monthly gross income at or below $2,322. Little House on the Prairie cast coming to Kansas for anniversary The application period begins June 18, 2024. The vouchers will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. The KSFMNP application process in Reno County will be conducted by telephone by calling 620-694-2985 or 620-694- 2909 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who do not have a telephone may visit the Reno County Department of Aging at 120 W. Avenue B in Hutchinson for assistance. For more information about the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, call the Reno County Department of Aging at 620-694-2911. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This rendering shows a proposed student apartment complex near 14th Street and Avenue X, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2, 2024. The Lubbock City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a widely debated student housing proposal in central Lubbock's South Overton neighborhood, which was back on the council's agenda for the second time in less than a year. The council voted 6-1 to advance the project, which would be located at 2401 14th St. Councilwoman Shelia Patterson Harris dissented. The move comes after the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the project in a split vote May 2. Landowner Thomas Kenneth Abraham and architecture firm Parkhill are seeking the change from a medium-density residential zone to a high-density residential zone for a series of lots between 14th and 15th streets at Avenue X, on the western edge of the South Overton neighborhood and just east of Texas Tech, the Avalanche-Journal previously reported. The council heard more than four hours of public comment and discussion from Lubbockites and councilmembers on the proposal Tuesday. The city received hundreds of letters both in favor of and opposition to the newly proposed change. Minnie Valles and her sisters speak to the Lubbock City Council in opposition to a proposed development during a meeting Tuesday at Citizens Tower. Because representatives of more than 20% of the surrounding land area opposed the zone change in written responses to the proposal, a supermajority vote six out of seven members of the council was required to pass a zoning ordinance effecting the change under state law. The ordinance will need to be passed on second reading at a later meeting to go into effect. More: Developers resurface plans for debated South Overton student housing project Holle Humphries and speaks to the Lubbock City Council in opposition to a proposed development during a meeting Tuesday at Citizens Tower. Developer Parallel plans to build a 671-bed student housing complex on the property. The previous city council heard a similar zoning request for the property on Aug. 22, 2023. That effort failed 3-4 after hours of public testimony in opposition to the project. The most recent iteration of the project's plans includes a few significant changes from last year's version to make it more appropriate for the area, Parallel representatives said earlier this month. This map shows the location and current zoning at the site of a proposed student housing development, outlined in black, in the South Overton neighborhood, as presented to the Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on May 2, 2024. The proposed concrete-and-brick building would be 75 feet tall, down from the 94 feet originally pitched. The new design scraps plans for a rooftop pool and the facade has been changed to better fit in with surrounding properties, the developer said. Plans also show the bed count reduced by about 35, and around 25 more parking spaces in a 570-car garage, the A-J reported. The developers also said Tuesday they would update the city's sewer lines in the area to handle the additional use and would be open to installing speed bumps along 14th and 15th streets to cut down on traffic issues. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock City Council advances South Overton student housing proposal Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko signed a law suspending Belarus's involvement in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which was designed to establish limits on the number of arms and equipment in NATO and Warsaw Pact countries. The law was registered in Belarus' online legal portal on May 29. The CFE Treaty was negotiated between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries at the end of the Cold War to limit the size of forces that could be used in a swift offensive. The treaty was signed in Paris in November 1990 and was initially agreed upon by 16 NATO members and six countries of the former Warsaw Pact, including the USSR. Belarus's suspension was approved by the Council of the Republic, the upper house of the Belarusian parliament, on May 6, after being adopted by the House of Representatives, the lower house, in April. The law states that the suspension "does not mean Belarus' withdrawal from it or the cessation of internal procedures in the Armed Forces related to its implementation." Russia formally withdrew from the CFE in November 2023, prompting NATO to announce it would suspend the treaty in response. "While recognizing the role of the CFE as a cornerstone of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, a situation whereby Allied States Parties abide by the Treaty, while Russia does not, would be unsustainable," NATO's press service wrote. Read also: Putin wants to involve Belarus in nuclear drills Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Press Release May 29, 2024 CHIZ MEETS WITH UK ENVOY IN SENATE COURTESY CALL British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils paid a courtesy call on newly elected Senate President Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero at the Senate, underscoring the flourishing partnership between the Philippines and the United Kingdom. During their meeting on Tuesday, Beaufils noted the smooth UK-Philippines relations and emphasized that bilateral trade is at an all-time high. Beaufils and Escudero discussed potential areas of cooperation in green infrastructure, renewable energy, defense, agriculture, and technology. They also explored strategic communications support, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI). "There should be an AI shift in the country in the next three years. Otherwise, we will be left out," Escudero stated. He shared insights from his 23 years in Congress, noting the absence of a comprehensive platform to track amendments to laws from their inception to the present. "We should take advantage of AI and digitization to improve the process for policy making, research, and education," he said. Escudero had earlier directed the Senate's Legislative Records and Archives Services to identify at least 100 major laws, such as the Labor Code, National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, Intellectual Property Law, and Local Government Code, to develop an AI-backed tracking system. This system would allow researchers to trace amendments through various Republic Acts to the latest version of the law. Beaufils expressed her support, stating, "The UK will be happy to share with the Senate or the government in general, knowledge on AI and finding balance in its thoughtful use." The discussion also touched on regional security, with the UK reaffirming its support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award. Beaufils inquired about the Senate's priority bills, to which Escudero mentioned amendments to the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, military modernization, and the national budget. Addressing the UK's interest in women's rights and gender issues, Escudero provided insights into the divorce and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) bills. Escudero also assured that the new Senate leadership would always prioritize the country's best interests. The courtesy call marks a continued commitment to fostering strong UK-Philippines relations, with both sides looking forward to deeper cooperation across various sectors. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) welcomes Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is on an official visit to Athens, at the Prime Minister's Office in Athens, Greece on May 29, 2024. Greece and Qatar on Wednesday pledged to strengthen cooperation in many sectors, with emphasis on the economic front, reported Greek national broadcaster ERT. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Greece and Qatar on Wednesday pledged to strengthen cooperation in many sectors, with emphasis on the economic front, reported Greek national broadcaster ERT. "I think this visit is really an opportunity to look at how we can further strengthen our relationship, especially in the economic front," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, welcoming Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who is on an official visit to Athens. Mitsotakis reiterated the need for the immediate end of hostilities and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and expressed increased concern regarding the humanitarian tragedy. The two sides signed an agreement on military cooperation and a memorandum of understanding for political deliberations on issues of mutual interest between the two foreign ministries. During a meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the two sides also reiterated their common stance in favor of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) welcomes Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is on an official visit to Athens, at the Prime Minister's Office in Athens, Greece on May 29, 2024. Greece and Qatar on Wednesday pledged to strengthen cooperation in many sectors, with emphasis on the economic front, reported Greek national broadcaster ERT. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) (Bloomberg) -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to show off the Amazons reality when Brazil hosts a United Nations climate summit next year. For attendees, that means complicated journeys and precarious conditions. Most Read from Bloomberg The northern state of Para, which is home to about a quarter of the worlds largest rainforest, needs to more than triple its hotel capacity and overcome both transport and sanitation bottlenecks before it can welcome COP30 delegates in late 2025. Belem, the state capital, has just 12,000 beds at present. Based on the number of attendees at last years conference in Dubai, it will need at least 41,000 at its peak when heads of state are in attendance. So one option under consideration is using cruise ships as floating hotels. Then theres getting people into town. Given Belems airport cant yet handle the volume of passengers required, the mayor has suggested delegates could fly to other cities and then make the remaining hours-long trek by road. There are other places in Brazil where the infrastructure is ready, but these options dont give the political weight of having the Brazilian COP in the Amazon, Marcio Astrini, head of Sao Paulo-based environmental network Observatorio do Clima, said in an interview. Now the government needs to deliver what is necessary to make the COP viable. Para is a relatively poor state. Though its among the biggest in the Amazon, it accounts for less than 3% of Brazils total economic output, with an average of monthly income 2,276 reais ($442.34) last year compared to 3,033 reais nationally, according to official data. Sanitation is a major challenge in Belem. The city of 1.3 million collects about only 20% of its sewage and less than 3% is treated, according to Trata Brasil, a non-governmental organization focused on protecting water resources. The scale of Paras logistical challenges led some within government to suggest moving the event or at least parts of it to Brazils biggest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. But both Lula and the state governor are adamant that the conference be held in the Amazon. We will have the COP of the Forest, Governor Helder Barbalho said in an interview, adding that relocating the UN summit has been completely ruled out. Next years conference wont be the first time Lula has used Para to promote his environmental agenda on the world stage. Brazils president hosted his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in the northern state during his visit to the country earlier this year. Lula pitched Belem as host during COP27 summit in Egypt at end of 2022, his first international trip after returning to power that year. He has put protecting the rainforest at the top of his agenda in his third term and is working to restore Brazils climate leadership after it became international pariah under former President Jair Bolsonaro. Para, however, has long had a problem with deforestation. Last year, it was responsible for about a third of the deforested area in Brazils Amazon, the worst among the nine states the biosphere covers, according to Imazon, a local conservation NGO. Still, Para has managed to slow the pace of clear-cutting and is seeking to use COP as leverage to make further progress. It plans to reforest an area almost the size of West Virginia by 2030 with the help of investors who would manage the rehabilitation in return for the right to sell carbon credits generated in the process. The first concession of public land for reforestation a 10,000-hectare reserve that had been illegally occupied and cut should be finalized in September, Barbalho said. The state is also planning to complete the sale next month of a first tranche of carbon credits from its success so far in reducing deforestation levels. In terms of bridging the accommodation gap, there are three new hotels under construction in Belem as well as some provisional space that will later be turned into a new government administrative hub, the governor said. The state is also considering renovating schools to serve as hostels, re-purposing military villas, building modular units and partnering with vacation rental providers like Airbnb Inc. The use of cruise ships, meanwhile, could offer between 6,000 and 8,000 additional beds. Providing power to the ships has been an obstacle for the state, which is worried about additional emissions once theyre anchored at port. Contracting is being coordinated by the federal government, which is considering alternatives to reduce their environmental footprint during the climate event such as the use of biofuels or connecting them to the existing electrical network. Equatorial Para, a local power distribution and transmission company, confirmed that its been approached about supplying energy to cruise ships during COP30. To solve other logistical problems, the state is working to improve drainage and sewage systems, paving 600 roads and trying to expand other transportation infrastructure, including Belems airport. Barbalhos government argues that between those improvements and the fact its only operating at 50% of its capacity currently, it should be able to meet the spike in demand the UN conference with bring. Brazil is committed to hosting a COP in Belem, said Caetano Scannavino, coordinator of Projecto Saude e Alegria, a Para-focused NGO. There is an expectation, an Amazonian mobilization and any move toward relocating the event would be very bad. --With assistance from Andrew Rosati and Giovanna Serafim. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. 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. Im not going anywhere: AR mayor rejects city councils call for his resignation HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. A vulgar and viral video showing heated moments between an Arkansas Mayor and his family has landed him in trouble. Helena-West Helena Mayor Christopher Franklin was called to resign tonight by city council members, but he refused. It got on social media, Franklin said. Yes, I apologized to everybody, especially those two young ladies. Helena-West Helena City Council votes out Mayor over viral video The graphic language in the now-viral Facebook Live video led the City Council to request Mayor Franklins resignation for conduct unbecoming of the office of mayor. During the meeting, members unanimously voted to condemn the Mayors actions and call for his resignation. However, Mayor Franklin made it clear he wasnt going down that easily. Im happy to inform you Im not going anywhere, Franklin said. Ill still be here, so the meeting adjourned. His adamant refusal led to a divided reaction from onlookers. I dont think he understands what he is doing, Leslie Galloway said. I think that he is on a power trip and doesnt see the whole community is not supporting him. Trial begins for David Swift, accused in wifes 2011 death Still, Mayor Franklin remained resolute in his position. The people who shared this had one agenda, and thats to get rid of me, Franklin said. But this community has not been cleaner and safer. Moments after Mayor Franklin made that statement, he said he and his daughter would seek counseling after their heated argument. WREG spoke exclusively with Jaylah Franklin, who told us that she hasnt spoken with her father and will be seeking a state representative to demand an apology. He asked to join the live twice, I never even asked him to be on my video, Jaylah Franklin said. Franklin told WREG that she and her cousin Shania Stevens both live in St. Louis, Missouri. Since the video has gone viral, its been difficult for Stevens, too. Identity Thief claims hes behind attempted foreclosure, auction of Graceland I just want it to be over with, Stevens said. I have a little brother who could possibly go back and look at that video and see that its his uncle speaking to his sister like that. Jaylah Franklin said that the argument stemmed from a traumatic incident that caused her to reach out to her father after not speaking for about three years. He had one of his lady friends get on the phone and speak with me in a nasty way while he was saying he was at work, Jaylah Franklin said. So, I was just surprised that that happened. While public opinion around Mayor Franklin remains divided, some Helena-West Helena residents say they are still looking to oust him. We have paperwork all done, if he does not want to resign well set in motion a recall, Elijah Mondy said. Arkansas State Police said they were not investigating the incident. The states Attorney General told WREG they could neither confirm nor deny an investigation related to this matter. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BALTIMORE Larry Hogan and Donald Trump will appear in November for the first time together on Marylands ballot, but they wont necessarily share equal space in the hearts of Republicans in counties like Dorchester, which voted by double digits for Trump in the last two presidential elections. This is Trump Country, said Ted Bryant, 67, who builds and sells small aircraft in the water-oriented Eastern Shore county and is a member of its Republican central committee. Bryant, 67, is hoping his county is large enough in the big-tent sense to not only back Trump for president again, but to also support the U.S. Senate candidacy of Hogan, the Republican former two-term governor who has crusaded against Trumps hold on the party. Its a hope shared by many GOP leaders on the Shore and other conservative bastions in Maryland. Since Democrats enjoy a more than 2-1 voter registration advantage in the state, Hogan must capture a significant number of Democrats and unaffiliated voters to win. But he must do so without sacrificing large chunks of his partys base in regions like the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, where the GOP holds sway. Im torn, Bryant said in an interview Wednesday. Larry won the primary, so we need to get behind him. But the majority of people, theyre not too crazy about Hogan. Speaking on my own behalf, there are some plusses with Larry, but Im really down about the no support for Trump. Politics may be about issues, but its also about loyalties. Voters such as Bryant are reluctant to sacrifice those party loyalties at the expense of personal politics. After winning the May 14 Republican primary, Hogan began his general election campaign against Democratic Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks by immediately resuming his courtship of Democratic voters. The November winner of the seat held by the retiring Democrat Ben Cardin will help decide which party claims the Senate majority. Hogan quickly unveiled a Democrats for Hogan video featuring a montage of compliments that prominent Democrats, including Alsobrooks and Gov. Wes Moore, previously gave him. And he came out in support of codifying abortion access in federal law, a change from his previous position. But by last weekend, he was talking with state Republicans at their spring convention in Hagerstown, where the theme was Unity for Victory. And local GOP officials such as Bryant and Julie Jo Quick, who chairs the Caroline County Republican Central Committee, began the hard work of trying to make sure red county voters stay in the fold. Quick, 53, said her self-assigned summer mandate is to persuade Republican voters to set aside any animosity they may harbor against Hogan or Trump and vote for both men in November. The bottom line is people in Caroline County understand that if we want to help President Trump do what he needs to, he needs a Senate majority, she said. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate. One Senate Democrat in a red state West Virginias Joe Manchin is retiring, posing a challenge for Democrats. Quick was to talk to voters over the Memorial Day weekend at an annual strawberry festival in Ridgely. She planned to distribute yard signs for Hogan and Trump and said she hoped there would be some overlap, with some homeowners displaying both candidates signs in their yards. Election-related yard signs have already begun popping up on the Eastern Shore. There are colorful Trump: Make America Great Again and Hogan for Maryland signs. A sign spotted along a Dorchester County road promoted Trump on the top and read Im With Andy on the bottom, a reference to Trump-supporting U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, who represents the Eastern Shore. But there didnt appear to be any signs that pitched a Republican ticket of Trump, this years presumed Republican presidential nominee, and Hogan. Hogan captured 64% of the vote in the GOP primary. Robin Ficker, a self-funded Trump supporter and former state delegate who has run unsuccessfully for state and federal offices, got 28%. Ficker, who lent his campaign $4.4 million, won Dorchester, Garrett and Somerset counties, and was close in Caroline and several others. Those rural counties contain far fewer people than their urban or suburban counterparts in the Baltimore and Washington areas, but their votes could be consequential for Hogan in a close November election. Replying to Baltimore Sun questions, Hogans campaign declined to address its strategy for winning over Trump-leaning Republicans. It said in a statement that it achieved a landslide primary victory by emphasizing bipartisan common sense solutions and speaking directly to voters about their concerns just like he did for eight years as governor. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung did not return emails seeking comment. Hogans brand has long been distinct from the Republican Party. He actively opposes Trump and portrays himself as a solutions-oriented anti-politician. He was co-chair until December of the third-party No Labels movement, which tried unsuccessfully to recruit a 2024 presidential candidate. Hogan has sometimes contrasted Trumps style with former Republican President Ronald Reagans, suggesting Reagans more tempered approach was preferable for the nation because he wasnt focused on scoring partisan points. In the 2020 presidential election, Hogan said he cast a symbolic write-in vote for Reagan, who died in 2004. Asked about the split, Maryland Republican Party Chair Nicole Beus Harris told The Sun on May 16: Yes, there are two sides to the party. There are those that are Never Hogan and those that are Never Trump, but there are a lot more people who are in the middle that will vote for both. She is married to Rep. Harris. Bryant, the Dorchester County Republican, said Trump backers dislike of Hogan comes not only because he is anti-Trump, but because they believed he was too quick to shut down schools and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Hogan said he acted responsibly to protect public health and safety. Bryant said he has heard Republicans in Dorchester talking about an anti-Hogan voting strategy of lets leave it blank, meaning they would not vote for anybody in the U.S. Senate race. But its not clear whether voters will do that. Tom Kennedy, chairman of the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee, predicted the elections national significance will ultimately compel GOP voters to vote for Hogan. Senate control would allow Republicans to set the chambers agenda. Conservative Republicans will never support Alsobrooks, but they will support Hogan. They have to, Kennedy said. Im not saying theyll do it with a smile on their face. Many remain unhappy that, as governor, he didnt promote conservative policies more vigorously. They certainly arent happy that hes been even more critical of Trump than [Utah Sen.] Mitt Romney was. But the stakes in this election are enormous, Kennedy said. Trump needs Hogan in the U.S. Senate, and Hogan needs Trump supporters to get him there. ------- Macron: Ukraine must be allowed to strike bases on Russian territory from which missiles are fired Ukraine should be allowed to strike military bases on Russian territory from which Moscow carries out missile attacks against Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on May 28, Le Monde reported. "We think that we should allow them to neutralize military sites where missiles are fired, from where... Ukraine is attacked," Macron said at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "If we tell them that you are not allowed to target the place from which missiles are fired, we are in fact telling them that we are providing you with weapons but you cannot defend yourself." "(But) we should not allow them to touch other targets in Russia, and obviously civilian facilities," he added. Read also: Oleg Sukhov: The West lacks political will to ensure Ukraines victory Macron confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to visit the D-Day commemoration in France in early June. The two reportedly will discuss further support of Ukraine. European leaders are divided over whether a ban on Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons to hit targets inside Russia should be lifted. U.S. officials, as well as German ones, have repeatedly said that they do not support or encourage such Ukrainian attacks. Berlin and Washington allegedly threatened to suspend deliveries of anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv after it "at least once" used Patriot surface-to-air missiles over Russian territory, the German tabloid Bild reported on May 28 without disclosing its sources. The three countries have not officially commented on these claims. The tide nonetheless appears to be shifting amid arguments that Washington's ban meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast in early May. Subscribe to Ukraine Daily newsletter News from Ukraine in your inbox Subscribe Previously, Zelensky said that Kyiv will not use weapons supplied by foreign partners to hit targets outside of the country's borders. Such restrictions do not apply to domestically produced arms, some of which are reportedly capable of striking deep into Russia. Ukrainian officials raised the pressure on partners in recent weeks, urging them to allow Kyiv to use Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia. Read also: Oleg Sukhov: What should be done to ensure Ukraines victory in 2023 "We see every point of concentration of Russian troops. We know all the areas where Russian missiles and combat aircraft are launched," Zelensky said on May 26. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was one of the latest high-profile Western leaders to call for an end to the ban. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted on May 27 a declaration in support of NATO allies lifting restrictions that prohibit Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons against military targets inside Russia. Read also: Czechia backs Ukraine striking Russian soil with Western-provided weapons Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A major NATO country says Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons on targets inside Russia, on one condition A major NATO country says Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons on targets inside Russia, on one condition France's president said Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to hit targets in Russia. But only positions Russia is using to launch attacks on Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron said. Other Western leaders have urged allies to lift the ban on Ukraine using their weapons in Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons supplied by its Western allies to target positions inside Russia but on one condition. Macron said at a press conference on Tuesday that Ukraine should be able to target military bases in Russia that are directly used to launch attacks on Ukraine. "We think that we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked," he told reporters. Macron held a map showing military bases stationed inside Russia's borders, where Russian forces have been building up and launching offensive operations. "As you can see, Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia," he said, adding: "How do we explain to the Ukrainians that they're going to have to protect these towns and everything we see around Kharkiv if we tell them, 'you're not allowed to reach the position where the missiles are fired from?'" Macron said the message NATO is sending to Ukraine right now is: "We're giving you weapons, but you can't defend yourself." His statement comes as other world leaders are calling for a change in policy. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist last week that some restrictions should be lifted as they make it very difficult for Ukrainian soldiers to defend themselves along the border with Russia. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also joined Stoltenberg's call, adding that NATO countries have to balance the risk of escalation with the need for Ukrainians to be able to defend their country. In recent weeks, Ukraine has had to contend with a series of Russian offensives, especially in Kharkiv, which borders Russia in the country's northeast. Ukrainian soldiers in Kharkiv were forced to watch Russia amassing troops across the border without being able to hit them, and then suffered losses that it could have prevented, a Ukrainian commander told The Times of London last week. Despite being one of the top providers of military aid to Ukraine, the US has repeatedly said it won't allow Ukraine to use the weapons it has supplied to strike targets on Russian soil. But there are signs that it could be changing its mind. Last week, The New York Times reported that US officials were debating rolling back the rule, which Ukraine has argued severely hampers its ability to defend itself. According to Macron, Ukraine's NATO allies should allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia, but it must not be allowed to hit civilian targets or other military targets. Read the original article on Business Insider The mayor of Palma is calling for tough regulations to counter the excesses of mass tourism in Mallorca, a Spanish island popular among holidaymakers in Europe and beyond. Mayor Jaime Martinez presented a catalogue of measures on Wednesday which provides for limits on the number of holidaymakers, rental cars, cruise ships and holiday flats in Mallorca. However, the mayor is not able to implement most of his proposals on his own, but needs the approval of other authorities, from the island council to the government of the Balearic Islands or even the Spanish government. Martinez initially wants to present his proposals for debate at a meeting of the Balearic Islands government with politicians and representatives from a range of interest groups on Thursday. However, one step he could implement immediately is to ban new guest beds in private holiday rentals or impose higher penalties on establishments that cause excessive pollution. But his other ideas will need additional support, such as to impose restrictions or bans on party boats and larger cruise ships, levy double charges for cruise holidaymakers, create a limit on the number of holidaymakers that can be guided through the city in a group, restrict the access of rental cars to the city centre, impose an absolute ban on alcohol on the streets of the entire municipality, and increase the presence of the local and national police. His calls come after thousands protested against mass tourism in Palma, under banners such as "Let's say basta!" and "Mallorca is not for sale!" on Saturday. The ever-increasing number of visitors and holiday flats is responsible for the housing shortage, the "destruction" of the island, the increase in traffic jams, pollution and crime, speakers said at the rally. The demonstration was organised in the wake of a restaurant that collapsed last Thursday. Four people died in the accident, including two young women from Germany. Mayor Martinez said on Tuesday that the owners of the restaurant did not have an operating licence for the balcony terrace. Its collapse caused the accident, it appears from the information currently available. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis Police arrested a man Sunday after they say he was doing donuts and driving an Infiniti recklessly in a Frayser parking lot before leading officers on a chase. Jalen Fisher, 23, was charged with evading arrest to wit: motor vehicle and reckless driving. He was released on his own recognizance and did not have to pay bond. On May 26 just before 10 p.m., officers responded to a vehicle disturbance in the 3200 Block of Thomas Street. Officers say a large group of vehicles were doing donuts and driving recklessly in a parking lot, endangering the lives of spectators. When police arrived, multiple vehicles began to scatter in an attempt to flee the scene from officers. Mom evades arrest at high speed with infant in car: MPD A driver in a white 2015 Infiniti Q50, later identified as Jalen Fisher, drove off the parking lot after police initiated their blue lights and sirens. Fisher continued driving in the 3200 Block of Thomas Street on the South exit onto Whitney Avenue, despite police commands. He reportedly drove at a high rate of speed while going around other vehicles. Police say they deployed stopsticks to stop Fisher. He was then taken into custody without further incident. 3 teens arrested, charged in carjacking at East Memphis laundromat The vehicle was taken during the Memorial Day weekend campaign to combat reckless driving. Jalen Fisher appeared in court on Tuesday morning. His next court date has not been publicly 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 WREG.com. DAMASCUS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army has intensified its efforts to root out remnants of the Islamic State (IS) group in the central province of Homs and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in the northern Idlib province, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported on Wednesday. In response to recent IS attacks in the eastern countryside of Homs, the Syrian army has reinforced its checkpoints and military posts in the region and conducted combing operations to locate and eliminate IS members hiding in caves or other hideouts, al-Watan said. Meanwhile, Syrian and Russian warplanes have conducted airstrikes on IS hideouts in the mountainous range and rugged areas in the desert region. In the south of Idlib, the key bastion of the Nusra Front and its wider umbrella of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Syrian army fired heavy artillery on rebel positions. Idlib and the expansive desert region in eastern Syria are frequently targeted by radical groups who launch attacks against Syrian military personnel, posing a direct threat to government control and stability. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man is in custody after an attempted assault at a Gresham TriMet station, authorities said. According to the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, Gresham police officers responded to a report late Tuesday night of an attempted assault with a knife on a TriMet employee. It was later determined that there was no knife, but officials said that TriMet security had been talking to a man and a woman in the parking lot for the station when a supervisor got involved and the man became aggressive. Man shot by police while serving NE Portland search warrant The man had a dog with him who at some point got loose and was aggressive towards the supervisor, authorities said. Eventually, Gresham police arrived and the man left the parking lot and was eventually taken into custody. The suspect, Ernest Lee Eades, 31, was taken to jail by Transit police for attempted assault and menacing. No injuries were reported. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (FOX40.COM) A man was arrested after he was caught lighting grass on fire in the Sacramento area, according to the Rancho Cordova Police Department. At around 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District was dispatched to a grass fire located east of 1941 Zinfandel Drive, along Sunrise Blvd. Upon arrival, firefighters extinguished the flames to about an 80x20 spot. Starbucks permanently closes downtown Sacramento location A short time later, officials said the Metro Fire battalion chief, who happened to be driving southbound on Sunrise Blvd, observed a man who set fire to the grass in the concrete island at Sunrise and the eastbound 50 off-ramp. Rancho officers located the man who they said admitted to setting both fires with a lighter. He was arrested and transported to a local jail. Rancho Cordova officers located the man who they said admitted to setting both fires with a lighter. He was arrested and and transported to a local 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) When authorities arrived at the outdoor marijuana grow Jonathon Williams maintained in the California City area, he grabbed his significant other and their two children and sped away. Investigators caught him, and last week a jury convicted him. Williams, 32, was found guilty of multiple drug-related charges, two counts of child cruelty and ammunition possession by a felon. He faces up to three years and eight months in prison at his sentencing next month, prosecutors said. Bakersfield woman who tried to turn in found marijuana was turned away by police He has a prior felony conviction for drug sales in Riverside County, according to a District Attorneys Office release. On Sept. 7, 2022, law enforcement officers including Kern County sheriffs detectives served a warrant at a marijuana grow on Castle Butte Road. They found 816 marijuana plants and more than 700 pounds of processed marijuana, prosecutors said. A search of Williams bedroom turned up 26 grams of cocaine and 9mm ammunition, prosecutors said, and a loaded handgun was found elsewhere in the home. A U-Haul on the property contained large black trash bags full of processed marijuana as well as potting materials and netting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 described as instigator of October drive-by shooting in New Philadelphia sentenced NEW PHILADELPHIA A man who prosecutors say was the instigator of an October drive-by shooting in New Philadelphia has been sentenced to seven to nine years in prison. Common Pleas Judge Michael Ernest imposed the sentence on Xavier L. Schott, 21, of New Philadelphia, on Tuesday. Schott had originally been charged with attempted murder, a first-degree felony, with a five-year drive-by shooting gun specification and a three-year gun specification; felonious assault, a second-degree felony, with a five-year drive-by shooting gun specification and a three-year gun specification; attempted kidnapping with a three-year firearm specification; improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, a second-degree felony; and conspiracy, a first-degree felony. Attorney Christopher P. Delacruz addresses the court during the sentencing hearing of Xavier L. Schott, seated at left in orange jumpsuit, on Tuesday, May 28, in the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas. In April, Schott pleaded guilty to an amended indictment of attempted murder with a three-year firearm specification and felonious assault with a three-year firearm specification. Because the state considered the two charges allied offenses, he was sentenced on the attempted murder charge. SHooting happened on Oct. 23, 2023 The shooting occurred in the 700 block of East High Avenue in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2023. Three people were sitting on the porch of a residence in that block when the occupants of a dark-colored vehicle, traveling eastbound, opened fire on them. The three people got into the house without being injured. There was another resident asleep in the house at the time of the shooting. That person also was not injured. Schott was not in the vehicle during the shooting. Six other people were charged in the case Riley P. Adams, 19, of New Philadelphia; Gavin T. Kurtz, 20, of New Philadelphia; John R. Hoopingarner, 20, of New Philadelphia; Robert D. Meek II, 19, of New Philadelphia; William Baldez, 20, of Dover; and Matthew M. Miller, 21, of Uhrichsville. Adams, who was the driver, and Kurtz, who was the shooter, have already been sentenced. The other suspects are awaiting trial. Contrasting portraits of Xavier Schott Tuscarawas County Prosecutor Ryan Styer addresses the court during the sentencing hearing of Xavier L. Schott, Tuesday, May 28 in the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas. Before sentencing, the prosecution and the defense presented contrasting portraits of Schott. "He was the glue that kept a lot of these folks together," Prosecutor Ryan Styer said. "He was instrumental in planning and coordinating a failed drive-by shooting." Styer also said Schott was not remorseful for what happened that night. "I understand Xavier was not the shooter, but I also think that this wouldn't have happened but for him, that he was instrumental in his involvement, which he has clearly minimized, in a way that's almost absurd," the prosecutor said. Schott's attorney, Christopher P. Delacruz, told the judge this client suffered severe childhood abuse. "He grew up feeling unsafe and insecure," Delacruz said. "He became a follower as the result of this, a person who is desperate to fit in, and that plays a part in the events of the date in question. He liked to talk big to make up for his insecurities, and that's a consistent theme in this case." He pointed out that Schott, from the age of 12 to 17 was an active member of an area church, volunteering there and going on mission trips. Discussing the shooting incident, Delacruz said, "How can it be said there was a reasonable expectation that any plan could be carried out when everyone involved was high on alcohol and either meth or marijuana?" He also asked why the supposed mastermind (Schott) of the plan choose not to be in the vehicle to ensure that the plan would be carried out. The attorney noted Schott cooperated with police, providing them with the names of the shooter, the driver and the other people in the car and the make, model and color of the vehicle. Delacruz asked the judge to consider leniency in imposing a sentence. Schott chose not to speak. 'Total stupidity,' judge says Judge Michael J. Earnst address Xavier L. Schott during his sentencing hearing, Tuesday, May 28 in the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas. In imposing the sentence, Judge Ernest said there was "total stupidity" on the part of everyone involved in the shooting. "This happens in a neighborhood, a neighborhood of people who shouldn't have to worry about people driving down the street and firing off an automatic weapon at their house or near their house or even remotely near their house," the judge told Schott. "That disrupts the peace and stability that anyone could possibly have in their home." He added, "This is conduct that can never be tolerated." Schott will also be required to serve two to five years of post-release control once he gets out of prison. Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com. This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Man described as instigator of October drive-by shooting sentenced Man pleads guilty to 2021 murder in Overland Park shooting that killed 35-year-old A man pleaded guilty this week to second degree intentional murder in an Overland Park homicide from 2021, court records show. Kyle A. Gutierres, 27, entered a plea agreement Tuesday in Johnson County District Court for the shooting that killed 35-year-old Jeren Hinton of Overland Park. Overland Park police responded to the 8500 block of West 85th Street at Greenbrier Condominiums on reports of an armed disturbance. They found Hinton lying unresponsive in the apartment complex with a gunshot wound to the chest. Hinton was declared dead at the scene. Gutierres was charged in May 2021 with premeditated murder in the first degree, according to court records. He was sought by police for information about the shooting after his DNA and fingerprints were found on a 9mm pistol officers discovered in a nearby apartment, according to charging documents. An amended charge for second degree murder was filed Wednesday, following the plea agreement. The Star has requested the disclosure of the police affidavit, which contains investigative information in support of the murder charge. Gutierres lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Gutierres is scheduled to appear for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 7 in Division 16 of Johnson County District Court. This story includes previous reporting from The Stars Luke Nozicka and Robert Cronkleton. A man who raped a 12-year-old girl was acquitted by a court that deemed their relations formed part of the cultural reality of the gipsy community. Under Spanish law, minors under the age of 16 cannot consent to sex. But the court ruled that the man, who was 20 years old at the time, should benefit from a legal exception. The ruling in Ciudad Real in central Spain, holds that the relationship was always consensual within the framework of a romantic relationship, adding that the two were close in age and maturity. The acquittal is the latest in a series of rulings in which judges have taken into account customs followed by some of Spains Roma population when dealing with cases of sexual assault concerning minors. Leaders of civil society and government officials have expressed outrage that the ethnicity of the alleged victim and abuser in cases of underage sex should have any bearing on the legal rights. The girl was found to be pregnant by a doctor who activated protocols for the protection of minors, leading to the mans arrest. Went to doctor about pregnancy According to the ruling, the defendant said he did not know the exact age of the minor and discovered that she was 12 only when they went to the doctor about her pregnancy. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 11 years for a crime of repeated rape against a minor. However, the court ruled to acquit, describing it as an undisputed fact [that] the relationship took place in the cultural and social context of the gipsy community, where marriages between very young people are frequent. The ruling in Ciudad Real comes just two days after another verdict was made public in which another man saw his sentence reduced considerably for the statutory rape of a minor. The man, who has not been named, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after a sexual relationship with a Roma girl saw her become pregnant three times between the ages of 12 and 15. The court in Leon was told by the victim that in her culture it was normal for a 12-year-old girl to have sexual relations with an adult. Prosecutors, who had initially pursued a 37-year sentence on three counts of rape, eventually agreed on a plea bargain deal with the reduced sentence, with the conviction ruling stating that couples start at very early ages in gipsy culture. Ruling an absolute disgrace Beatriz Carrillo, director general of non-discrimination and anti-racism within Spains Equalities Ministry, described the ruling in Leon as an absolute disgrace. The penal code does not exclude Roma minors from protection. If it did so, we would be saying that abusing, attacking or raping gipsy girls has few legal consequences. There are around 750,000 Roma living in Spain, according to an estimate by the Gypsy Secretariat Foundation (FSG). Sara Gimenez, FSG director general, said: Spains legal framework says under-16s cannot give consent and this law should be applied for the protection of women, including gipsy women. Gipsy culture does not include abuse or the violation of rights. There may be exceptional cases of relationships between minors but these rulings foment negative stereotypes that are really damaging. 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. TOPEKA (KSNT) The Shawnee County District Attorneys office has revealed the sentence for a man found guilty of a Topeka stabbing. Austin Langley, 44 is being sentenced to a little more than 55 years or 661 months in prison. He was found guilty in March this year of attempted murder in the first degree and aggravated battery in relation to a 2020 stabbing. The Topeka Police Department was called on July 2, 2020 to the 5300 block of SW 22nd Pl on reports of a stabbing. Upon arrival, law enforcement found a 47-year-old man suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. Reports of fake cash in Topeka double from last year Witnesses of the stabbing followed a man, later identified as Langley, away from the scene and contacted police. He was taken into custody a few blocks away. For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Man sentenced to life for 1995 murder over jacket in Charlotte; expected to be released on parole: NCDAC CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A convicted murderer will be paroled 30 years after he took a life at a Charlotte convenience store, according to the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. Donovan Patrick Johnston was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in April 1996 after a conviction of First Degree Murder. Johnston was 15 years old at the time of the incident. On May 11, 1995, Johnston and several friends were in the parking lot of the Magnolia Apartments in Dillworth when Dennis Clark and Earl Grant arrived at the apartment complex. According to court documents, Johnston asked Clark why he had Johnstons jacket, to which Clark denied having the jacket. Convicted sex offender killed during officer-involved shooting in Cabarrus County: Sheriff Clark and Grant walked across the street to a convenience store, followed by Johnston and his friends. Johnston again asked Clark about the jacket and if he wanted some marijuana. Clark refused, stating that he didnt smoke it. Court documents say that Johnston again offered marijuana to Clark. Johnston was heard saying, Look, this is what Ive got for you, before shooting Clark multiple times. Johnston was known to carry a .38 pistol, and bullets matching the pistol were found at the crime scene and at Johnstons house, evidence suggests. During his time in prison, Johnston has had nearly 70 infractions; however, only two incidents have happened since 2011, according to prison records. In Burke County, Johnston was convicted of three counts of Assault on a Public Official between 1996 and 1997. Currently, Johnston is being housed at New Hanover Correctional Center, just outside of Wilmington city limits. He is scheduled to be released on parole on July 7, 2025. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Man with suspended license accused of pointing gun at driver who cut him off along GA 400 A 51-year-old Atlanta man is facing charges in connection to a road rage incident that happened earlier this month. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] It happened on May 7 on Georgia 400 northbound. The victim told deputies that a driver in a maroon Range Rover had pulled a revolver out and pointed it at him after the victim cut the vehicle off. While the victim was on the phone with dispatch, deputies were able to locate the Range Rover and conduct a traffic stop just south of Hemingway Trail. The driver, William Muir, 51, of Atlanta told deputies that he was forced over from the far left lane when the lanes shifted from four to three. Muir told authorities when he merged over the victim in the vehicle behind him honked his horn for four minutes and followed him. TRENDING STORIES: Forsyth County deputies learned that Muir had a suspended license for DUI. Muir told authorities that he had a gun, but it was a semi-automatic handgun and not a revolver. As deputies searched Muirs vehicle, they found two handguns in the doorway, a semi-automatic Kimber Rapide, and a .357 magnum revolver. Muir told officials that one of the handguns had a round inside of the chamber. While searching Muri, deputies said they found nine .22 caliber rounds in his back right pocket and a large amount of cash. Deputies also found a bottle of rum underneath the floorboard and three more guns inside the truck including a Baretta 92X 9mm, a Sig Sauer P365 9mm, and a Sig Sauer P320 10mm. A bag of what appeared to be Psilocybin Mushrooms was also found. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Muir was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a gun, possession of a Schedule I drug, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for each gun that was located inside of his vehicle, possession of marijuana less than an ounce, possession of open container, and driving while license suspended. He was booked into the Forsyth County Jail. IN OTHER NEWS: BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Official archives from Britain and France reveal that legal experts in both nations agreed on the indisputability of China's sovereignty over the Xisha and Nansha Islands, an Irish professor of international law has said. "The Western concept of the law of territory is really drawn up in a colonial and imperial context where you have different Western countries claiming ownership over islands, which are outside the West," Anthony Carty, author of the book titled "The History and Sovereignty of South China Sea," told Xinhua in a recent interview. His research delved into the archives of the French and British foreign ministries, spanning the period from the 1880s to the late 1970s. The findings revealed a consensus among legal experts from both countries, indicating that the Xisha and Nansha Islands rightfully belong to China. According to the expert, the so-called South China Sea arbitration of 2016 is a "chaotic and manipulative use of international law," "a case of double standards," and "a legal trick." The "legal trick" concerns paragraph 3 in Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This article says an island, "except as provided for in paragraph 3," like other land territory, is eligible to generate maritime rights including the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf. The text of paragraph 3 reads as follows: "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf." Two implications are worth noticing. Firstly, it does not inhibit rocks which can sustain human habitation or economic life of their own from having exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. Secondly, it makes clear that paragraph 3, which is the only exemption provided in this article, is only talking about rocks and not islands, which means it does not apply to islands which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own. "The tribunal said, well obviously, the South China Sea islands are not rocks, but they were once rocks, and with all the weather and all the sea beating up against the rocks, they have become sand," Carty explained. "So, the Nansha Archipelago of Islands, being, for the purposes of the Law of the Sea, equivalent to rocks, it does not matter to which States they belong, concludes the Tribunal. This reasoning of the Tribunal is a trick," he continued. "It is manifestly unprofessional, abusive, and politically motivated twisting of the clear - if very badly drafted - terms of the article of the convention. For that reason the decision of the tribunal can and should be disregarded," he added. The law professor pointed out that Washington has been attempting to maintain hegemony and destabilize the Asia-Pacific region by manipulating its regional allies to provoke China in the South China Sea. "It is very clear that the Americans have decided that the Western Pacific is a part of the world that they have to be able to control. And they have to be the dominant power in that area. And that is the issue at the moment. So legal issues are really a matter of secondary importance. And they're very clear about that," he said. "There is huge cynicism with which Washington in 1956 considered the expediency of encouraging the Filipinos to make claims to the islands, despite the fact the French and the British are very clear about the fact that there is no credible Filipino claim to any territories in the South China Sea and despite the fact that the U.S. itself did not consider the Philippines had any claim," Carty said. "Washington is creating chaos for the sake of it in order to promote and ferment disagreements and differences in the area, which they can then use to weaken China. It seems to be quite clear, and they are quite explicit about it," he added. A Florida man who wore a panda headpiece to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted on multiple charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer. Jesse James Rumson, 38, was found guilty on Friday by District Judge Carl J. Nichols of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder, which are both felony offenses. He was also found guilty of six misdemeanor offenses. Rumson traveled from Florida to the nations capital and attended the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, D.C. Authorities noted that Rumson appeared to be wearing a large headpiece that looked like it came from a panda costume for the first half of the day. Prosecutors stated Rumson was among the rioters who first breached the perimeter set up around the Capitol that day and made his way to the Lower West Terrace, adding that he later climbed the northwest stairs underneath the scaffolding before entering the Capitol through the smashed Parliamentarian door about 2:42 p.m. that day, still wearing his panda headpiece. Authorities also said Rumson had an altercation with police inside the building and later emerged in handcuffs 13 minutes after entering the building, with his eyes red from the pepper spray and without the panda headpiece. Rumson, who was arrested last year in connection with the actions he took that day, will be sentenced on Sept. 5. Nichols found that Rumsons actions that day were absurd and patently incompatible with the objective evidence and testimony, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. More than 1,424 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states in connection to the actions they took on Jan. 6, 2021, while Congress was certifying President Bidens win over former President Trump in the 2020 election. More than 500 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Manatee elections chief gets budget boost for ballot safety. Is it smoke and mirrors? Manatee County officials have approved a significant budget increase after newly appointed Supervisor of Elections James Satcher questioned the integrity of local elections and vote-by-mail ballots. Satcher, who has filed to run for a four-year term as supervisor, asked for a budget increase of $841,340, or 26%, to boost public confidence in the 2024 presidential election. He said the money will go toward new election equipment, an early voting location in the North River Ranch area and two satellite offices in the Lakewood Ranch and North River Ranch areas. I want to be able to look every single citizen in Manatee County in the eye and say we did everything we could to be sure this election was secure, that we maintained voter integrity and that we kept an eye on their money, Satcher said. Gov. Ron DeSantis picked Satcher, a former county commissioner, for the job in April after Mike Bennett, Manatee Countys election supervisor of nearly 12 years, retired in March. The temporary appointment lasts until voters elect a permanent elections supervisor. But critics of Satchers request, including Commissioner George Kruse and former elections supervisor Bennett, questioned the lack of detail in his proposal and why that much money is needed with only four months left in the countys fiscal year. Commissioners ultimately voted 4-1 in favor of the budget increase during Tuesdays public meeting, with Commissioner Kruse voting against and Commissioner Amanda Ballard abstaining. Ballards husband, David, was recently hired as Satchers chief of staff at the elections office. The Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, 600 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton, is pictured in this November 2021 Bradenton Herald file photo. Manatee County officials debate budget increase Satcher said Manatee County will continue to have the lowest cost per vote compared to counties with similar population sizes. He argued that it is important to offer election services where voters live. The two satellite offices will require increased operational and personnel costs. With the presidential election approaching, Kruse asked if staffing the offices would cause a disruption and why it requires immediate attention. Kruse pointed out that Manatee County accounted for 12 of the states 1,339 election complaints, which was less than the average for each county. Yes, were the cheapest, but thats awesome, Kruse said. Were supposed to be using taxpayer dollars to the best of our ability. If were the cheapest and the best, people would take that all day long. Satcher said hardware and software upgrades are needed to perform a full audit of certified election results. He added that the upgrades will allow elections staff to audit 100% of the races. State law requires 1% of precincts to be audited in one randomly selected race after an election. In Manatee County, voter fraud is rare. In the most recently highly publicized case, the Manatee County Sheriffs Office arrested a man who requested a vote-by-mail ballot for his dead wife in 2020 because he wanted to test the system, deputies said. According to court records, he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and two years of probation. Satcher, who was first elected on a conservative platform, said the elections office needs security upgrades but declined to share specific details. Manatee County Supervisor of Elections James Satcher, a former county commissioner, received a $840K budget increase after expressing concern about vote-by-mail ballot safety to the Board of County Commissioners. Satcher is pictured during a October 2023 public meeting in this Bradenton Herald file photo. Its not my style to see a problem behind the scenes that I know and grasp right away when I see it and then come here on television in front of everyone and air those things, Satcher said. Im not going to ... say security concerns I have for the office. There is some level of trust Im asking for. I think if were going to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we need better information, Kruse said. Kruse also questioned why details of the budget request that were included in a previous version of Tuesdays meeting agenda were no longer available on Tuesday. Those details show a breakdown of costs in the budget request, including over $287,000 for salaries, $223,000 for machinery and equipment, $56,000 for printing and binding and $55,000 for postage. The elections office received a budget increase of $291,958 in the 2024 budget and an increase of $338,990 in the 2023 budget. The new budget request would bump the elections office budget by 26% to $4,021,985 for the remaining four months of the fiscal year. Former supervisor: $840K increase is smoke and mirrors Mike Bennett, the former supervisor of elections, said there was absolutely no need whatsoever for the budget increase Satcher requested. With four months left to go before the general, hes asked for a 26% increase for stuff that we had already included in the budget for the year, Bennett told the Bradenton Herald after Tuesdays decision. Theres too much smoke and mirrors in it. Bennett said there were no security issues to speak of during his tenure. I have no idea what hes talking about and what these concerns are, Bennett said. We never felt that we had to have security other than what the State of Florida said we had to have. Manatee County voters are just good people. Former Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett called the $840,000 budget increase smoke and mirrors in an interview with the Bradenton Herald. Bennett is pictured in this May 2021 file photo. Bennett said the election offices current equipment is already capable of handling audits and recounts. An audit is just one machine checking another machine, Bennett said, noting that one of the election offices three high-speed scanners can be assigned as an audit machine to reverify votes. Bennett also questioned why the county clerks office was not asked to perform an audit of the elections office to verify Satchers expense requests. Under his oversight, Bennett said the elections office was audited twice a year and was often able to return unused money to the county. Satcher promotes shift to in-person voting Satcher said his office will reduce emphasis on vote-by-mail ballots and instead encourage people to vote in person on election day. You have to show a picture ID to walk into Costco, Satcher said. So I dont think were gonna be asking too much to encourage people at least to vote in person. Satcher and Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge called vote-by-mail an unsupervised process, and Commissioner Jason Bearden characterized it as not secure. We need to move to in-person voting, Satcher said. If everyone showed up on Election Day, it would be exciting. But voting by mail remains a widely popular option in Manatee County. In the 2022 general election, 43% of local voters cast their ballots using the method. Bennett, a registered Republican, described the vote-by-mail as extremely safe and argued that attempts to cast doubt on the process are political and misguided. In recent years, Florida lawmakers have cracked down on vote-by-mail ballots by banning unsupervised drop boxes and requiring registered voters to opt-in to that method more frequently. Bennett described a multi-step process where vote-by-mail ballots are opened and counted by teams of two people with different political affiliations. They are then tabulated by a machine that compares voter information against the states database to catch discrepancies. Bennett said increasing in-person voting will present major challenges in finding enough sites in Manatee County willing to serve as polling places and could lead to long lines and other complications that discourage people from voting. Voters to choose election supervisor Before he retired, Bennett recommended his chief of staff Scott Farrington to succeed him, noting his many years of experience overseeing elections. According to his campaign biography, Farrington has administered 75 elections over the past 21 years. Instead, the governor chose Satcher, citing the former commissioners background as an active community member and minister. Satcher and his new chief of staff, Ballard, do not have prior experience overseeing elections. When he did not get the governors appointment, Farrington resigned from the elections office and filed as a Republican to run for supervisor. As of Tuesday evening, records show Satcher has raised over $70,500 in campaign funds and Farrington has raised $10,300. MANHATTAN, KS (KSNT) Manhattan has appointed its newest city commissioner after former Mayor Winn Butler resigned following an arrest for driving under the influence. Jayme Minton was chosen by appointment in a 3-1 decision with Karen McCulloh holding out. Minton says shes a 20-year resident of Manhattan and a graduate of Kansas State University. She also says shes worked for a local non-profit called Meadowlark for the last 14 years. A seat on the commission became vacant after former commissioner and Butler resigned earlier this month following his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence after Butler crashed his car into a liquor store. During his first court appearance, he pleaded not guilty and claimed the crash was caused due to mechanical failure. Orange maggots swarm into northeast Kansas farm fields 27 News spoke with Butler over the phone. He says he resigned by choice because he believed it would make things easier, and that he believed the ordeal is being blown out of proportion. During a special meeting to discuss the vacant seat, Mayor Susan Adamchak said the choice to make an appointment over holding a special election was carefully considered. She says several factors would make holding a special election difficult, with cost and time being the biggest hurdles. We are not in any way trying to subvert democracy by not holding a special election, Adamchak said. There are timing constraints that make that complicated. Minton was chosen after two other candidates, including the recently resigned Butler, were voted on but failed to earn the majority vote. Butlers nomination was voted down 1-3 with only Commissioner John Matta voting in favor. The city says Minton will be sworn in at their next commission meeting on June 4. 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. New maps show increase of more than 6,000 structures in flood plains in Williamson County The number of structures in 100-year flood plains in Williamson County has increased by more than 6,000 since 1994, according to updated maps from a county study. The maps use the most recent rainfall analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and new data on streams and tributaries provided by county consultants. "It's possible a lot of people might discover they are living in a 100-year flood plain and they didn't know it," said Cindy Engelhardt, a vice president at Halff, an engineering company working with the county to produce the maps. The county is making nine public presentations about the new preliminary maps across Williamson County in the coming weeks. Participants will be able to put their address in a computer and see if their property is in a flood plain. They also will be able to compare previous flood plain maps with the new ones. Williamson County has updated its flood plain map to include 1,300 miles of streams and tributaries with more than 4,000 structures along them. The public can also go online to view and use the maps at wilcotx.gov/475/Atlas-14. The maps include 1,300 miles of streams and tributaries that were never previously mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Engelhardt. The county looked at much smaller areas of drainage than FEMA did, she said. More: Taylor still struggling to recover from May floods The newly mapped streams and tributaries have 4,130 structures in the 100-year flood plain, she said. Those structures make up 36% of the 11,550 structures in flood plains on the new maps, Engelhardt said. The previous maps, which included rainfall data that hadn't been updated since 1994, only had 5,300 structures touching a FEMA flood plain, she said. The new flood plain areas have not yet been submitted for approval to FEMA, said Connie Odom, a county spokeswoman. Property owners in FEMA-approved flood plains are required to have flood insurance if they have a mortgage from a federally backed lender, according to the FEMA website. Engelhardt said she wanted to caution property owners that just because their property is in a flood plain doesn't mean it will flood because the new maps don't include the elevation of the structures. More: Liberty Hill flood survivors swam out of their home The maps also don't include how high the water will rise with a 100-year rainfall event but that information will be included when the project is finished by the end of the year, she said. "We think it's better to provide builders, homeowners and property owners the best technical information possible so people can make decisions about whether to build or not," said Bob Daigh, the county's director of infrastructure. "They might want to build the slab up an extra foot or two." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration analyzed historical rainfall records from 1994 to 2017 to produce updated precipitation-frequency estimates across the country. The estimates also include historical rainfall records before 1994. The data, called the NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall, were provided to Texas in 2018, according to the county's website. More: Recovery from 2015 floods in Taylor ends with final home repair It showed the intensity of a 100-year-flood in Williamson County had increased from 8 to 10 inches dropping in a 24-hour period to 10 to 12 inches, Engelhardt said. Heavy rainfall events in Williamson County that the NOAA data included were Tropical Storm Hermine in 2010 that dumped 14 inches in Georgetown and the 2015 Memorial Day floods that caused an estimated $6.7 million in damage to public structures in Williamson County. The Legislature asked the Texas Water Development Board in 2019 to identify areas at risk of flooding and potential mitigation measures, according to the county's website. The board then partnered with Williamson County in 2021 to start the mapping study for several purposes, including modeling streams and waterways that had never been studied, gathering accurate information about topography, drainage structures and bridges, and to develop mitigation measures to reduce flooding, the website said. The public presentations are scheduled for: Wednesday: Williamson County Georgetown Annex, 100 Wilco Way, Room 226 Thursday : Williamson County Jester Center, 1801 E Old Settlers Blvd. in Round Rock Monday: The Retreat Activity Center, 1220 Cattleman Drive in Sun City June 4: East Williamson County Higher Education Center, 1600 Innovation Blvd. in Hutto June 5: Dickey Givens Center, 1015 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Taylor June 6: Williamson County Cedar Park Annex, Justice of the Peace No. 2 courtroom, 350 Discovery Blvd. June 10: Walburg Community Center, 4000 FM 972 in Georgetown June 11: Sonterra MUD Clubhouse, 510 Sonterra Blvd. in Jarrell June 17: St. Dominic Savio Catholic School (in the library), 9300 Neenah Ave. in Austin This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 6,000 more structures in new Williamson County flood plains maps Maryland Gov. Moore vetoes four bills to end legislative period. Here they are. After months of hearings, votes and bill signings, Marylands 2024 legislative session concluded with four vetoes from the governor, who signed 1,000-plus bills and let two bills go into effect without his signature this year. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, sent letters this month to Speaker of the House of Delegates Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, and Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, informing the legislative leaders of his veto decisions. In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, I have vetoed Senate Bill 380 Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup Moore wrote to Ferguson in the first sentence of one veto letter, a line similar to one that led three other letters to the legislators. In this file photo, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, at lectern, presents a pen to Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen, in foreground left, for legislation Cogen supported aimed to reduce evictions in the state in Annapolis on April 25, 2024. Moore vetoed four bills this year. Moore cited the Growing Apprenticeships and the Public Safety Workforce Act, or GAPS Act, which the administration introduced and that he signed into law on May 16, as the reason for the Senate Bill 380 veto. It is not necessary to create two workgroups designed to address the same problem, the two-paragraph letter said. More: Maryland Gov. Moore signs hundreds of bills, including budget, public safety measures With veto, governor allows only Maryland-licensed dealers of RVs at shows A similar duplicative purpose was stated in a short veto letter of Senate Bill 693, which authorized the Carroll County Commissioners to issue up to $29.8 million in public facility bonds. The General Assembly passed a similar House Bill that was signed by Moore, who vetoed the Senate version in order to not authorize twice the amount indicated by the bill. A longer letter was sent to Ferguson to indicate the reasons for the veto of Senate Bill 60, legislation sponsored by state Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-Worcester/Wicomico/Somerset, which would have allowed the temporary authorization of out-of-state dealers of Recreational Vehicles, or RVs, to participate in Maryland RV shows. While well-intentioned to boost the economy in Ocean City during the Fall season, the impact of this bill would have been to give out-of-state vendors access to Maryland's market without affording that same opportunity to Maryland dealers in other states, the letter said. Moore continued: As the Governor of Maryland, my focus is on ensuring that Maryland businesses and employees can thrive in an equitable marketplace. After extensive review, I have concluded that this bill stands to create inequities for Maryland RV dealers that would result in losses, he said. In the letter, Moore referenced legislation that he signed, House Bill 383, which creates an interstate cosmetology licensure compact, as an example of a balanced approach that could guide future legislation impacting Recreational Vehicle dealers. More: 'We knew it was an issue that could not wait': Moore signs multiple housing bills into law Bill vetoed that would have moved estate notices to government website A veto letter of a similar length was sent to House Speaker Jones regarding House Bill 1258, which would have consolidated estate notices away from local publications and into a central government website. In the letter, Moore noted the bill sponsors aim in addressing the fee of estate notices to families and local governments, calling the cost issue an important concern. However, there is also a vital public interest in ensuring the existence of thriving independent local media, he said. As I believe that a broader conversation is necessary and that a hasty transition in public notice requirements should be avoided, I have vetoed House Bill 1258. The veto messages now are set to be considered at the next session of the legislature, which is not scheduled to return until Jan. 8, 2025. A three-fifths vote of the General Assembly is necessary to override a veto. More: Estate notices, key income source for newspapers, may go to state in pending Maryland bill Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, stands at the dais in the Senate chamber in Annapolis on Jan. 10, 2024. Two bills one from the House and one from the Senate and both related to the medical field passed into law without Moores signature, as he explained in a letter to the legislative leaders. In 2023, Moores first year in office, 10 bills became law without his signature and three were vetoed. Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland Gov. Moore vetoes four bills to end legislative period The Biden administration said Wednesday it will provide funding to help hundreds of school districts, including five in Maryland, buy clean school buses, most of them electric. Photo by TW Farlow/Getty Images WASHINGTON As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses. The initiative, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Clean School Bus Program rebate competition, will give funds to school districts in 47 states and the District of Columbia to help them buy over 3,400 clean school buses. Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada are not part of this round of funding. Five Maryland counties Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles and Prince Georges are set to share $16.7 million from the program, the White House announced. Nearly all of the clean school buses purchased will be electric, at 92%, according to the administration. This announcement is not just about clean school buses, its about the bigger picture, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said during a call with reporters on Tuesday, prior to the announcement. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nations leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Low-income, rural and tribal communities accounting for approximately 45% of the selected projects are slated to receive roughly 67% of the total funding, per the administration. In Maryland, however, the bulk of the money will go to Baltimore and Prince Georges counties, which will receive $8.6 million and $5.2 million, respectively. Anne Arundel is set to get $1.3 million, Charles County will receive $1.2 million and Allegany County is in line for $345,000. Regan noted how low-income communities and communities of color have long felt the disproportionate impacts of air pollution leading to severe health outcomes that continue to impact these populations. As for business and economic opportunities, Regan pointed to the development of new, well-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses stemming from the increasing demand for these clean school buses. As more and more schools make the switch to electric buses, there will be a need for American-made batteries, charging stations and service providers to maintain the buses, supercharging and reinvigorating local economies, he added. The Clean School Bus Program has now collectively awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 electric and alternative fuel buses for over 1,000 communities across the United States, according to the administration. The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, which includes $5 billion over five years to transform the countrys existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models, per the EPA. Among many negative health and environmental effects, especially for communities of color, diesel exhaust exposure can lead to major health conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, according to the EPA. Exposure to diesel exhaust can also worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly, the agency said. The post Maryland school districts among hundreds to get federal funds for clean buses appeared first on Maryland Matters. Residents who live near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic are filing a mass lawsuit alleging the toxic odors are poisoning and sickening locals. The suit claims the endless emission of toxic fumes has led to numerous health issues including respiratory symptoms, headaches, eye irritation, skin issues and more. Some residents said it feels like theyve been trapped indoors for over a year as they keep their windows and doors sealed shut to protect themselves from the air. The 639-acre municipal landfill is filled with solid waste and is operated by a private company called Chiquita Canyon, LLC. Since May 2022, the landfill has experienced a significant subsurface oxidation event that has grown in size and impact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2023, there were 6,800 noxious odor complaints by residents near the landfill along with complaints about leachate, which is rainwater or other liquid filtering/draining through from landfill wastes, the EPA reported. The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) Residents near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill allege the toxic fumes have sickened locals. Complaints of noxious odors from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic have notably increased since 2023. Protestors demanding action over fumes from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill thast are allegedly sickening locals. (KTLA) Protestors demanding action over fumes from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill thast are allegedly sickening locals. (KTLA) The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) Although officials said the exact cause of the oxidation event is unknown, the reaction has caused increased levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organics. EPA officials said the leachate seeping from the area contained elevated levels of benzene, which is a hazardous substance that can harm human health through air exposure or drinking contaminated water. Many residents have held demonstrations and protests, demanding officials address the worsening situation. Local, state and federal agencies have ordered landfill operators to take action and mitigate the continuing discharge. In February, the EPA called the landfill an imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities. Now, over 800 residents are filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the operators. One of the plaintiffs, a Castaic mother who did not wish to be identified, said her 8-year-old daughter suffers from constant nausea due to the toxins. She has to walk around the house with a bucket or a bag, the mother said. So whatever she can reach out to first, if shes going to vomit, is what shes going to use. It just overcomes you, attorney Jackie Kruger said of the odor. It just feels like youre inhaling just something disgusting. Long-term, if this continues, all kinds of blood-borne problems [can occur] including cancers, leukemias and anemias significant issues. Kruger is the principal attorney representing the residents and said recent data showed complaints about poor air quality and health problems in the landfill area have been skyrocketing over the past year. The affected area is a roughly seven-mile radius around the landfill. Locals are not only concerned about contaminated air, but also contaminated water. Theres a whole series of things that need to be done, Kruger said. Number one is they need to close it down. They need to stop putting Los Angeles Countys trash here because all theyre doing is increasing that situation. Its pretty sad that we have to be locked in and were not able to get fresh air, the Castaic mother said. We dont go into our backyard whatsoever. Kruger said her firm is also suing for medical monitoring to determine if any of her clients have developed long-term health issues. She also wants Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the area to fast-track relief efforts. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. How a Mass. Man Was Caught Allegedly Tricking His Ex-Girlfriend into Taking Pills to End Pregnancy Robert Kawada, 43, is facing numerous charges including poisoning, assault and battery Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Robert Kawada A Massachusetts man is accused of tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking medication to end her pregnancy. Robert Kawada, 43, is facing charges of poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member in connection with the alleged activity. Authorities claim Kawada, who was arrested last week, gave the woman medication he pretended were iron pills and vitamins. Authorities believe that at least one of the pills was the abortion drug Misoprostol. The woman suffered a miscarriage after taking the medication. "He would provide the victim with pills that he informed her were iron pills or other vitamins," prosecutor Jacob McCrindle alleged at Kawadas arraignment Tuesday, per CBS News. "The defendant would also check the victim's mouth by pulling on the victim's cheek to make sure she had consumed the pills." According to a police probable cause statement, Kawada and the woman dated for a few months before splitting up in March. She found out afterwards she was pregnant, per the statement, reports NBC Boston. They met several times and he allegedly gave her pills he claimed were iron or vitamins, authorities say. At one point, the woman alleged she got a call from a purported nurse from her health care provider who told her she needed to take more iron. Kawada, she alleged, arrived after the call. The victim explained the call with the 'nurse' to Kawada, and Kawada informed her to take iron pills which he happened to have on him," the statement alleged, per WCVB. Kawada allegedly told police he gave the woman vitamin C and iron pills he ordered from Amazon, according to the statement, per NBC Boston. Authorities later discovered searches on Kawadas cellphone that included "9-week aborted fetus pics," "telephone voice changer," "chewing Misoprostol," "criminal defense lawyer," "no reaction to misoprostol" and "iron deficiency anemia," according to the statement, WCVB reports. 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. Kawada pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday, CBS News reported. He is being held in jail on $100,000 bail. Kawadas defense attorney Dmitry Lev told PEOPLE: "I decline to comment on the defendants position with respect to the case. The case is in the initial stages, and it is not appropriate for us to put out any other side of the story at this time." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. MANILA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The 13 Filipino crew members of a ship damaged by missile attacks in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday are safe, the Philippine government said Wednesday. The Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers said the shipping company's local manning agency informed them that the vessel is continuing its voyage to its next port of call. Last month, the Philippines banned the deployment of Filipino seafarers on passenger and cruise ships transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden due to the risk of sailing in those regions. The Philippines is among the biggest suppliers of maritime labor in the world, providing almost one-fifth of the 1.2 million seafarers worldwide, according to the International Labor Organization. Shipwrecks often hold much more than buried treasure; they can help illuminate part of the past and give an inside look at history dating back centuries. On Lake Michigan, two-masted schooners once ruled over the body of water, though many of them sunk and became relics of the past. With the lakebed constantly shifting, spotting one of these wrecks, even from the air, has proven incredibly difficult. But thanks to the work of former Coast Guard helicopter pilot Matthew Keiper, a piece of Lake Michigan history has come to the surface, figuratively speaking. While out on a training mission, he noticed something underwater in a remote northeastern portion of the lake off the uninhabited High Island. "We were practicing an approach to the water simulating low-visibility situation. So we made that approach to a hover over the water near High Island. And when I looked down, I saw the remnants of an old wooden ship," he recounted to WZTV. It turns out it was a 125-foot ship known as the Live Yankee, which was built in 1854 in Milan, OH and carried grain, freight, and passengers between Buffalo, Chicago, and Milwaukee. It met its fate on Nov. 5, 1869 when it crashed into rocks during a snowstorm, leaving the crew to abandon ship and seek refuge with local Native Americans on High Island. It was lodged in about 12 feet of water just 1,000 feet offshore, but storms would continue to break down the ship until barely anything remained. View the original article to see embedded media. Ross Richardson, a local shipwreck hunter and president of the Maritime Heritage Alliance, said that the moving sand underwater made it impossible to find the Live Yankee until now. "These ships, sometimes just a few planks are sticking up. Sometimes the whole thing's exposed," he explained. "You just got to get lucky." "The front end of the vessel is buried into small stones and rocks, which is very unusual bottom for Lake Michigan," Richardson added. "I haven't seen anything like it. But then I haven't been out to the Beaver Island archipelago. You see a different geology out there." It didn't look like much from the air, but Richardson realized what he'd come across when he dove underwater. Between some unique markings and notches carved in the ship, the length of the wreck, and remote location, Richardson said he had "99.9-percent identification that this was the Live Yankee." "Very rarely do you get a wreck like this that jumps in your lap," Richardson confessed. "I mean, this one was handed to us. Usually, we gotta go out there and spend hundreds of hours to find a shipwreck. But each shipwreck is important. Again, it's the story. We're storytellers. We love a good story. And this is a good story." MEMPHIS, Tenn. Yellow tape was everywhere, bullets everywhere, is what one Hickory Hill resident said they woke up to on Tuesday morning. This came just hours before two other shootouts occurred, where dozens more shots were fired. During a town hall meeting in Raleigh Tuesday night, Mayor Paul Young addressed not only the gun problem but what appears to be an assault weapon problem in the city. Well, certainly, we want to make sure that illegal weapons are not on the streets, Young said. We want to get them out of the hands of those that are doing these heinous acts in our community. While discussing public safety with the crowd, Mayor Young vowed that he and other city officials are working diligently to get these dangerous criminals off the streets and into the criminal justice system. Our goal as the City of Memphis with (the) MPD is to make sure that we capture them and hold them accountable, Young said. So, were going to do everything that we can to make sure that those families get justice. 75 shots fired into apartment complex in Hickory Hill Families like those affected by a recent slew of shootings around Memphis. It sounded like a storm, like a rumble, one neighbor said. It was do-do-do-do-do, so I thought it was storming outside. I never even got up. Instead, what the neighbor who asked to remain anonymous heard was a barrage of bullets. In fact, it was 75 bullet holes that riddled the outside of building 3904 in the Autumn Ridge Apartment complex. According to Memphis Police, 43 shell casings were recovered from the scene from at least two different guns. Police believe it was a drive-by shooting, and the neighbor says from the sound of it, she believes the shots came from machine guns. The crime is really everywhere, the neighbor said. So, you really cant pick and choose, but when it hits so close, its scary. Taylor wants ex-top cop from NYC, LA to help Memphis tackle crime And that was certainly true after another violent evening in Memphis. Late Monday night, police responded to a shooting in Frayser at the Shell Gas Station on Range Line Road. 75 shell casings were recovered from that scene, too, and just up the road a few hours later, another home was riddled with gunshots. That shooting resulted in the death of an 81-year-old man. Memphis Police say all of the shootings are still under investigation. If you have any information regarding this incident, call Memphis CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 54,185 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since Mediazona's last update in mid-May, the names of 1,396 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities. On May 25, the total number of Russian losses surpassed 500,000 military personnel according to Ukrainian estimates. The numbers are seemingly in line with the estimates of the U.K. and France, which said earlier in May that the overall Russian losses are set to be around 500,000, including 150,000 deaths. President Volodymyr Zelensky also claimed in February 2024 that 180,000 Russians had been killed in the war. He added that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have also been killed. Zelensky said that the exact number is unknown, and it would only be possible to find out once the territories occupied by Russia were liberated. Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine, over 3,500 officers, with 414 holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or higher have been killed in combat in Ukraine. To date, Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov, Russia's deputy commander of the Southern Military District, is the highest-ranking Russian military official to have been killed during the war. The analysts note that at least 10,996 Russian inmates have been killed on the frontline. According to Mediazona's estimates, a majority of those killed in action come from Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Bashkiria, and Chelyabinsk oblasts, as well as the Buryatia republic. As of May 28, 2024, the Ukrainian military estimates Russian combat losses at 503,800 troops. Read also: As Russian losses in Ukraine hit 500,000, Putin buries future demographic risks at home Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Johnson County Supervisors speak during a formal meeting on Jan. 6, 2022, at the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City, Iowa. With the June 4 primary less than a week away, the Press-Citizen asked candidates for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors about their priorities, qualifications, and vision for the county's future. Five candidates are running for the three available seats. All five candidates are registered as Democrats, meaning the three winners in the June primary have a solid chance for a spot on the county's governing board. No Republicans are registered in the supervisor's race. Voters from both major parties and on the libertarian ballot may also write in candidates when they vote. Candidates and their responses are listed in the order they appear on the county auditor's website. Names of incumbents are italicized. Responses may have been edited for style and length. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on primary election day, June 4. The general and presidential election is set for Nov. 4. Who is running? Rod Sullivan will contend for a sixth term on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors during the June 4, 2024, primary election. Sullivan is the current Board chair and was first elected to the Board in 2004. Rod Sullivan Age: 58 Lives in: Iowa City Occupation: Formerly worked in human services, current supervisor Education: Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa Political Background: Served four years as Chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party and 19-plus years as a county supervisor Iowa State Trooper Bob Conrad will contend for a spot on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors during the June 4, 2024, primary election. Bob Conrad Age: 54 Lives in: Iowa City Occupation: Iowa State Trooper Education: Bachelor of Science in Public Administration/Business Political Background: Elected 27-year director of State Police Union and trustee of the state Peace Officer Retirement system for 14 years. Served on Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission and Rural Housing Trust Fund. Lisa Green-Douglass will contend for a third term on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors during the June 4, 2024, primary election. Green-Douglass earned her master's and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Lisa Green-Douglass Age: 65 Lives in: Madison Township Occupation: Formerly a professor and training consultant, current county supervisor Education: BA, Sam Houston State University; MA, & PhD, University of Iowa Political Background: County supervisor since 2016 Johnson County Board of Supervisors vice chairperson Royceann Porter listens to a person speak during a canvass of votes in the June 8 special election, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City, Iowa. Royceann Porter Editor's Note: Porter did not fill out this portion of the questionnaire. Occupation: Owner of Royceann's Soul Food in Iowa City Political Background: Supervisor since 2018 and first Black county-elected official Mandi Remington poses for a photo. Remington is running for one of the three open spots on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Mandi Remington Age: 41 Lives in: Iowa City Occupation: Clerk III at the Center for Disabilities and Development, where I specialize in medical records and guardianship issues Education: Paraeducator education from Kirkwood Community College. I have earned a Building University of Iowa Leaders in Diversity certification, Lean Improvement Model Certification, and TeamSTEPPS Certification and became certified as a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Trainer. Political Background: I currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Council on the Status of Women at the University of Iowa and co-chair of the Center for Disabilities and Development DEI Committee, where I work to address issues of equity. As a participant of Global Ties, I have met with multiple international delegations to discuss a variety of issues. I am a City of Iowa City Climate Ambassador and serve on the Johnson County Trans Advisory Task Force. I am also nearing the end of a four-year term on the Iowa City Community Police Review Board. What is the top issue Johnson County is facing over the next four years? If elected, how will you work to address it? Responses were limited to 150 words. Sullivan: We are in the midst of a nationwide mental health crisis, and I feel that is the number one issue requiring our attention. This crisis affects every person in Johnson County and will require all the resources we can muster. I am glad I represent Johnson County on the East Central Iowa Mental Health Region Board, where I feel I can put my experience to good use. Conrad: Johnson County needs affordable housing. Not "cheap" housing. Not run-down apartments. Thats not affordable housing. That is unsafe and unacceptable housing. That is exactly what were going to stop. Weve got to make sure the owners of properties do right for their tenants. Two or three bad actors can ruin a community. I refuse to be "Iowa Nice" to those profiting off unsafe housing. We must create opportunities for investors. That means lending a helping hand, not giving payouts. As the new leadership on the Board of Supervisors, Ill work to create affordable living so people in Johnson County can have the opportunity to sleep well each night in a home that has been properly inspected and maintained. So our adults and children will have better physical and mental health, making them better students, better workers, and stronger citizens. Green-Douglass: Growth, which is both a challenge and an opportunity, is the top issue facing Johnson County. As a board member, I will address it by continuing to support Board investment in affordable housing, by recruiting businesses that improve our economy by bringing quality jobs that pay a livable wage, creating more affordable childcare options, and by supporting the continued aggressive maintenance schedule of the countys economic infrastructure of roads and bridges. As we grow, we must ensure that we are doing so both economically and in an environmentally sound way. Porter: Affordable housing is our biggest challenge. Ill champion more affordable housing projects, partner with local developers, and ensure fair resource distribution. Together, well make Johnson County a place where everyone can find a home. Remington: The top issue Johnson County faces over the next four years is the shortage of affordable housing. I will advocate for incentivizing developers and landlords to provide long-term affordable housing, accept rental vouchers, and stagger leases to prevent residents from having a gap between the end of one lease and the start of another. I support tenants' rights to organize without retaliation, especially given how consolidated ownership of the Johnson County rental market is. I will also support laws banning rental application fees and granting a "Right of First Refusal" for nonprofits and tenants. I am committed to exploring the use of vacant properties and other creative solutions like the federal grant Dubuque is pursuing to purchase manufactured home parks. I will also pursue increased investments in community land trusts and housing funds. Engaging the community in policy discussions will ensure transparency and inclusivity in addressing these critical housing needs. What personal qualities or past experiences make you a good fit for the county supervisor position? Responses were limited to 100 words. Sullivan: I have been doing the job for over 19 years. I believe I am thoughtful, pragmatic, and a good listener. I know our history, but I remain open to new ideas and I have a track record of which I am very proud. Conrad: I am an Iowa State Trooper, where I work as a Public Resource Officer and Crisis Negotiator. Im an elected Union director, and Retirement Fund trustee, where I manage, direct, and oversee the lifetime benefits to 1300 active and retired members. I volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, 100 Men Who Care, the Free Lunch Program, and Eastern Iowa Honor Flights. I've served on the Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission and the Rural Housing Trust Fund. I am a small business owner, operating a quality childcare center providing approximately 50 jobs and caring for over 170 children. Through these combined endeavors, I have developed the unique skill set to manage, make decisions, and bring people together for a common goal. Green-Douglass: My graduate degrees taught me to research and ask questions to get necessary information. As a professor, I planned ahead, a very necessary part of my work now. I learned to listen to people to discover gaps in their learning or experience. In the community, I served on several design committees and have done so with a County project, too. In my school district, I educated and advocated for the need for new schools, then chaired a bond committee that secured a 70% majority for getting those schools. Ive got lots of experience using data to educate and persuade, something I do now as a Supervisor. Porter: With 5.5 years as a supervisor and a background as a Local 238 Teamster Organizer, I bring leadership, negotiation, and advocacy skills. Im dedicated, approachable, and always ready to listen and act on behalf of our community. Remington: My blend of lived, political, nonprofit, and grassroots experience uniquely positions me for the county supervisor role. As a domestic violence survivor and single parent, I understand the struggles of making ends meet in Johnson County. I have worked, rented, and lived here my entire adult life. With extensive involvement in local organizations, government, and DEI leadership, I am deeply committed to community wellness, engagement, and equity. With a proven track record of advocacy and collaboration, I am prepared to lead with integrity and dedication, ensuring a brighter future in Johnson County. What are two or three other issues outside of your top priority that you hope to address if elected? Responses were limited to 50 words per issue. Sullivan: Affordable housing and climate change. Conrad: Government transparency. I believe government should proactively communicate. That means soliciting citizens' participation, collaboration, and feedback. County government has an obligation to be open, accountable, and honest with you about how it is conducting business and spending your taxes. Connected county transit. Too many single parents and families today are fighting just to stay ahead. Some are just one car breakdown away from poverty. Johnson County needs to expand and connect our municipalities, and make transportation programs more readily available to those in need. Green-Douglass: The County should use an eco-adapt approach to create our next strategic plan to help our resiliency as we face climate change. It will inform construction projects timing, placement, and design and will improve our waterways. We continue to face takeover by the State. The reorganization of the States mental health and disability services is one such example. I want to work with our MH/DS region to form a different region from the one currently in the plan. My experience on the East Central Regions Regional Governing Board will be helpful as we work toward that. The county will be calling for another Conservation bond for acquisitions and projects that will clean and protect air, soil, and water. This undertaking by Conservation is huge and I am ready to do the work. On a much smaller scale, Id like to see a project I brought to the county launched: the Pocket Prairie Plant Program. Success for this program will increase pollinators here in Johnson County. Porter: Continue to book mental health services with more funding and programs. Push for green initiatives to combat climate change. Enhance public safety through community policing and better preparedness. Remington: Access to basic needs, services and decision-making processes. This includes food security, childcare, community spaces, and transportation (quality roads, public transit, and protected bike lanes). The county also needs to engage the community more proactively. Civil rights and safety: This includes advocating for equity and protecting LGBTQ+ residents and immigrants, which may mean fighting discrimination with lawsuits. It also includes ensuring adequate victim/survivor services are available to everyone across the county. Climate Change: We must achieve 24/7/100% carbon-free renewable energy by balancing the energy grid and closing the coal plants. As one of the largest users of MidAmerican energy we should join Des Moines in demanding clean energy from MidAmerican. What else should people know about you? Responses were limited to 100 words. Sullivan: I grew up on a Heritage farm near Sutliff, and attended Lisbon schools. I am married to Dr. Melissa Fath, a Cancer Scientist at the UI and a volunteer Pharmacist at the Free Medical Clinic. We have three adult children and have served as foster parents for another 50-plus children. We have a granddaughter and three foster grandchildren. I am involved in several organizations, including AFT Local 716, Iowa City Federation of Labor, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, and the Center for Worker Justice. Conrad: Public service is at the core of my moral values and Johnson County is home. My family grew up in a safe environment and my daughters got a quality public education here. I value the inclusive culture our county offers, and Im proud of the invaluable relationships Ive built. I want to work, build back trust, and fairly represent the people of this county as their next supervisor. Green-Douglass: My husband and I raised five kids, so I know the financial struggles families face. We didnt have a lot, but we had enough. I want everyone to have enough. Whenever I can, I like to be in nature. It satisfies my love of photography and plants with walks and hikes. Johnson County has wonderful conservation areas for this. At home, I like quilting, birdwatching, word puzzles, my cats, and hanging out with my big, fun family. If I were rich, Id do a lot more traveling. Most of my bucket list is places to visit. Porter: I love cooking, spending time with family, and volunteering. Creativity and compassion are my core values. Im passionate about making Johnson County an inclusive, vibrant community for all. Plus, my macaroni and cheese is legendary. Remington: In my free time, I like to attend community events and explore Johnson County's wooded areas with my children. I have an eclectic taste in nearly everythingbooks, food, music, and hobbies. As a lifelong learner, I enjoy reading, exchanging ideas, and engaging in stimulating discussions. I'm also passionate about translating those ideas into tangible change and actively organizing to make a difference. 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: Meet the candidates for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors A memorials abandonment says a lot about society. Hopefully its rescue does, too. Craig Hall, of Dean Kurtz Construction, uses a Bierschbach Equipment and Supply telehandler to move the original Alice Gossage Memorial on May 29, 2024. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Craig Hall, of Dean Kurtz Construction, uses a Bierschbach Equipment and Supply telehandler to move the original Alice Gossage Memorial on May 29, 2024. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) RAPID CITY Volunteerism may not move mountains, but today it rescued a memorial from a mountainside. The memorial is for Alice Gossage, a pioneering journalist, businesswoman and philanthropist who was one of Rapid Citys first residents in the 1880s. She ran the Rapid City Journal and wrote a column for many years while the newspapers founder her husband, Joe Gossage was often ill. She also operated a Sunshine Room, where she distributed clothing and other items to the poor. Her leadership and generosity during the citys formative years earned her the nickname mother of Rapid City. The Alice Gossage Memorial atop Skyline Drive in Rapid City, circa 1938. (Courtesy of Black Hills Historical Society) After she died, some of her admirers selected a site atop a mountain ridge above the city and raised money to erect a roughly 4-foot-tall concrete memorial to Gossage, which they dedicated in 1938. The Rapid City Journal described it as the highest point around, offering views of Rapid City to the east, Cowboy hill to the north, western Rapid valley to the west, and to the south the Harney range of the Black Hills. It says a lot about Alice Gossage that people trekked all the way to that spot about 500 feet higher than the young city below to memorialize her. And it says a lot about the treatment of women in history that the memorial was shoved aside for a television broadcast tower about 20 years later. Incredibly, the memorial remained there, lying on its side behind that tower, abandoned, forgotten and deteriorating, for the last 67 years. Alice Gossage. (Courtesy of South Dakota Hall of Fame) Until today, that is, when volunteers used a telehandler to pluck the memorial and its footing estimated to weigh a combined 9,000 pounds from the side of the ridge. Itll stay in storage for a while as preparations are made to place it permanently in the front yard of the Journey Museum, with a walkway and an interpretive sign. The effort to rescue the memorial began with its rediscovery in 2019. Local history buff Pat Roseland came across a 1930s-era picture of the memorial in all its original glory. Hed never heard of it and wondered what happened to it. He and fellow history buff Jean Kessloff did some research and located the memorial. I was a reporter at the Rapid City Journal at the time; they called me, and I wrote a story about the memorial and its fate. I got help from Mark Slocum at the Black Hills Historical Society, which has a trove of historical documents related to the memorial. From those documents, and from Journal newspaper clippings and county real estate records, we pieced together the story of the memorials demise. The land for the memorial was donated by a local man. The city built Skyline Drive up to the memorial site, but the winding and high-elevation road promptly fell into disrepair. In 1947, the Journal reported that the road was blocked off and growing up to weeds. In other words, the memorial was accessible only by a strenuous hike. The son of the original landowner successfully sued to get the memorial land back, based on the citys failure to care for it. Then, in the 1950s, he apparently participated in a three-way deal: He gave the land to the Black Hills Historical Society, the society sold the land to a local company, and the company built a tower on it for a new television station. The society, which was then known as the Minnilusa Historical Association, was raising money for a building addition. To retain some kind of memorial to Gossage, the society took the bronze sundial and plaque from the original memorial and slapped it onto a stone-and-mortar pedestal in Rapid Citys Halley Park (the sundial was a tribute to Gossages Sunshine Room). That pedestal still stands as a pale shadow of the gleaming concrete structure that once overlooked the city from high on Skyline Drive. After publishing my story, I accepted a few invites from community groups to give a talk about the memorial. One of those talks got the attention of Johnny Sundby, a friend and journalistic collaborator of mine who owns Johnny Sundby Photography and serves on the Black Hills Historical Society board. How to help Donations toward a walkway and signage at the future site of the Alice Gossage Memorial are being accepted by the Black Hills Historical Society at bhhistoricalsociety.org, by mail at 222 New York St., Rapid City, SD 57701, or by calling Mark Slocum at (605) 394-6099. Johnny formed a committee of concerned citizens and obtained permission from Keloland Media Group which now operates the broadcast tower to access the site. Bierschbach Equipment & Supply donated the use of a telehandler, which Kasey Kurtz and Craig Hall, of Dean Kurtz Construction, used to do the precarious work of plucking the old memorial from the mountainside. They moved it to their shop, where theyll prepare it to be placed upright again. The Rapid City Parks and Recreation Department has done some dirt work to prep the site at the Journey. Frontier Construction & Renovation is ready to donate its labor for a concrete walkway around the memorial, and the Black Hills Historical Society is raising money to pay for the walkway materials and interpretive signage. The original bronze sundial and plaque will also be placed on the memorial with the help of James Van Nuys, a living relative of Gossage. The memorial came off the hillside in one piece. Its weathered, and its new location wont be nearly as scenic as a mountaintop. But at least itll be right-side-up and no longer out of sight. When then-Mayor Robert Hill dedicated the memorial in 1938, he spoke of Gossage and said, The community owes a debt to such a person. Rapid City has been in default on that debt for almost seven decades. Hopefully the rescue of the memorial is a down payment. This embedded content is not available in your region. The post A memorials abandonment says a lot about society. Hopefully its rescue does, too. appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. (WETM) When people observe Memorial Day, some attend events where they may be consuming alcohol. On major holidays like this, police tend to increase patrols to crack down on drunk driving. To see what came of the crackdown this holiday weekend, 18 News reached out to collect the statistics of DWI arrests from Friday, May 24 to Sunday, May 26. DEC: Give turtles a brake and help them cross the road According to the New York State Police, six DWI arrests were made, and 145 people were caught speeding across Chemung, Steuben and Schuyler counties. New York State Police were highly visible, and had zero tolerance for impaired and reckless driving, said New York State Police Public Information Officer Lynnea Crane. Steuben County Dairy Festival to be held soon In addition to NYSP statistics, the Chemung County Sheriffs Office made one arrest across the three days on Sunday, the Steuben County Sheriffs Office made one arrest on Saturday and the Schuyler County Sheriffs Office also made one arrest on Saturday. 18 News reached out to the Elmira, Corning and Hornell Police Department, but did not receive a response. We will keep you updated if 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 WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. ISLAMABAD, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has significantly improved infrastructure, addressed energy shortage and created jobs over the past 11 years in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to provincial Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Arshad Ayub Khan. Speaking at a ceremony celebrating the 73rd anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan here on Wednesday, organized by the Pak-China Friendship Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the official underscored the CPEC's vital role in the province's progress through multiple projects, including highways and energy production initiatives. He emphasized the enduring significance of the Pak-China friendship and the necessity of enhancing cooperation in trade, business, industries, mining, people-to-people relations, and cultural and educational exchanges. "The CPEC, the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has been proven a game-changer for Pakistan's economy. With enhanced cooperation, we will witness significant development across various sectors in the future," the official added. Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan Zhang Heqing also addressed the event, highlighting historical linkages between China and Pakistan. He noted that people-to-people connections as well as cultural, educational and heritage exchanges are consistently increasing between the two countries. Zhang expressed hope that further cooperation under the CPEC would strengthen relations between China and Pakistan, and improve the livelihood of people in both countries. Yousaf Ayub Khan, president of the Pak-China Friendship Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasized the importance of bilateral relations and expressed optimism for more meaningful engagements while learning from China's experience in various fields. Launched in 2013, the CPEC is a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province with Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to the fields of agriculture and livelihood. New memorial at Jordan Valley Park honors victims of 2020 Kum and Go shooting The SPD Wives and Springfield Police Department will unveil a memorial bench at Jordan Valley Park dedicated to the victims who died in a shooting at a Springfield Kum & Go on March 15, 2020. It would have been Chris Walsh's 37th birthday on Tuesday, but the late Springfield police officer's family still gathered at Jordan Valley Park in his honor. So did the friends and relatives of the three other victims killed in a March 15, 2020 shooting at the Kum and Go on North Prince Lane, bonded by one of the most tragic events in the city's history. More than four years removed from the evening a gunman randomly opened fire at the gas station and convenience store, killing Shannon Perkins, 46, Troy Rapp, 57, and 22-year-old Matthew Hicks-Morris before turning his gun on responding officers, their names were etched in beautifully crafted stone. Tuesday marked the unveiling of a memorial bench in remembrance of the four victims, an idea spawned by the group SPD Wives and swiftly made a reality by the Springfield Park Board and creator Jeff Twitty of Boulder Designs. Located at East Traffic Way across the street from Hammons Tower, the bench was placed in one the park's more picturesque and visible locations. "This is a place for thoughtful contemplation and memory outside of the location it occurred, which is still uncomfortable for all of us to go to," Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said. "It's also different from where they're buried. It's a different kind of place to commemorate and think about that person." SPD Wives, comprised of wives and significant others of SPD employees with an emphasis on community engagement, made a concerted effort in giving a tribute to all four of the victims. "Of course we wanted to honor Officer Walsh, but wanted to make sure we honored all of the victims of that night," said Callee Ramsey. While Williams was happy to see his former officer remembered, he was also happy to see the names of Perkins, Rapp, and Hicks-Morris. "Sometimes the other victims from violent acts get forgotten," Williams said. Cierrah Hicks, whose brother was a customer inside the store the night of the shooting, was among the relatives who came to the bench's unveiling. She hasn't forgotten his sacrifice. "From what I know about what happened, my brother was a hero and he died protecting someone," Hicks said. Memorial quickly came to fruition The SPD Wives and Springfield Police Department will unveil a memorial bench at Jordan Valley Park dedicated to the victims who died in a shooting at a Springfield Kum & Go on March 15, 2020. SPD Wives initially aimed for a permanent memorial at the Kum and Go location where the shooting occurred, but Ramsey said the idea logistically didn't align with Missouri Department of Transportation regulations. They then reached out to the Springfield Park Board, which quickly approved the request for a location that turned out to be serendipitous. "It's in the middle of town, and a good area," Ramsey said. Heather Priebe, whose husband Mark Priebe was severely injured in the line of duty at the Springfield Police Department building in the summer of 2020, told Ramsey about Jeff Twitty of Boulder Designs, who did a tribute for Priebe. After getting a collaborative design idea from SPD Wives, Twitty crafted the stone bench free of charge and worked with the city to get it placed into the ground. The plan was presented in January, approved roughly two months later, and unveiled on Tuesday. SPD Wives was taken aback by the speed of the project and Twitty's craftmanship. "We had no idea he had this in mind," Ramsey said. "He sent us some pictures, and we're like 'Oh my goodness, yes.'" Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@news-leader.com. You can also follow Ryan on social media at X.com/rwcollingwood This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Victims of 2020 Kum and Go shooting memorialized at Jordan Valley Park (Bloomberg) -- Mexicos 2024 election is by far the most violent since 2018, with 749 people connected to the races affected by political violence that ranges from threats to kidnappings and murders. Most Read from Bloomberg The violence include 316 incidents involving candidates, of which 34 were murdered from September to May, according to the most recent report by Mexico City-based consultancy Integralia. In all, 231 people connected to the election have been murdered. The number of victims of political violence ahead of Sundays national elections is up 151% compared to the 299 victims in the 2021 election. This process was marked by the intervention of organized crime through political violence. It is likely that this violence will continue during these days and during election day, with the purpose of mobilizing or inhibiting the vote, Integralia said in the report. Mexico is headed for its largest-ever elections on June 2, with 20,367 posts on the ballot, including the president, Mexico Citys mayor, eight governorships and 628 congressional seats, in addition to numerous local positions. The most dangerous states are Guerrero, Chiapas and Puebla with 105, 88 and 68 victims of political violence respectively, according to Integralia. The violence can be expected to continue, according to Armando Vargas, consultant at Integralia who coordinated the report. Between Monday and Tuesday there have been more records of violent incidents, it is likely that we will see attempts to intervene in polling stations, said Vargas. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Mexican law enforcement members stand guard during the arrest of Nestor Isidro Perez Salas in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, on Nov. 23. File Photo by Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE May 28 (UPI) -- The Mexican government extradited Nestor Isidro Perez Salas to the United States Saturday to face multiple felony charges, including murder, drug importation, kidnapping, firearms and money laundering. The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced the extradition and indictment of Salas, 32, who also goes by "El Nini" and is the alleged leader of the Sinaloa cartel and its lead assassin, according to the DOJ. "El Nini was one of the Sinaloa cartel's lead sicarios, or assassins, and was responsible for the murder, torture and kidnapping of rivals and witnesses who threatened the cartel's criminal drug trafficking empire," the DOJ said. Salas is accused of killing a Drug Enforcement Administration informant and others in retaliation for the informant cooperating with the DEA. "We also allege El Nini was a part of the Sinaloa cartel's production and sale of fentanyl, including to the United States," the DOJ said. Nestor Isidro Perez Salas is accused of multiple felony charges in the United States, including murder, drug importation, kidnapping, firearms and money laundering following his Nov. 23 arrest in Mexico and extradition to the United States. File Photo by Isaac Esquivel/EPA-EFE The Mexican government agreed to extradite Salas after the DOJ secured federal indictments in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and in the Southern District of New York. In the Washington, D.C., federal court, Salas is charged with importing cocaine and methamphetamine, firearms violations and conspiracy to obstruct justice through murder. He also is charged with continuing a criminal enterprise resulting in the deaths of numerous victims, including a DEA informant, in the Southern District of New York federal court. The New York federal court indictment also charges Salas with fentanyl importation and trafficking; obstruction of justice by murdering an informant; kidnapping resulting in the deaths of eight people, including a minor; firearms violations and money laundering. Mexican authorities arrested Salas in Culiacan, Mexico, on Nov. 22, and he was charged Tuesday morning in Southern District of New York federal court. The DOJ says the Sinaloa cartel is one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels and responsible for a significant amount of fentanyl manufactured in Mexico and imported for distribution in the United States. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is about 50 times stronger than heroin and is the leading cause of death for Americans between ages 18 and 49. The DOJ says Salas is a senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel security apparatus that allegedly uses "rampant violence" to protect the cartel's operations, capture contested territory, destroy uncooperative businesses, intimidate civilians and kill law enforcement members. Mexicos next president will be a woman. But violence has overshadowed the glass ceiling being shattered. Claudia Sheinbaum was campaigning for president in southern Mexico when hooded men approached her car, filming the interaction as they implored her to keep their town from being taken over by gangs. One man said he felt helpless, and that the government had never done anything for these lands. They lived in Chiapas, Mexicos poorest state and an increasingly important territory for criminal organizations moving illegal drugs, firearms and migrants from neighboring Guatemala. Sheinbaum thanked the men, shaking one of their hands before her car pulled away. The former Mexico City mayor is the frontrunner in a landmark election this weekend where Mexico is all but certain to emerge with its first female president a remarkable achievement in a country known for its patriarchal culture and high rates of gender-based violence, where around 10 women are murdered every day. Sheinbaum is riding on a wave of popularity with the support of her long-time ally, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and their leftist Morena party. Trailing her in the polls is former senator Xochitl Galvez, from the conservative PAN party, who is representing a coalition of opposition parties. Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures during an event in Mexico City. March 18, 2024. - Raquel Cunha/Reuters But what should have been celebrated as a ground-breaking election has become overshadowed by the bloodiest election campaign in Mexicos history, and ongoing high levels of violence across the country. At least 34 political candidates or applicants have been murdered since June 2023 as gangs try and influence those coming into power, according to a report by research group Laboratorio Electoral, which also found hundreds of attacks on candidates and people related to the current electoral process. And while the murder rate has fallen in Mexico between 2019 and 2022, in absolute numbers the country is still reeling from historically high levels of homicides of around 30,000 people murdered each year, say experts. The central challenge for the next president will be convincing voters that she can end the near-certain impunity in Mexico; around 95% of all crimes nationwide went unsolved in the country in 2022, according to think tank Mexico Evalua. Mexico is a country where more than nine out of 10 crimes committed against the population go unpunished, Stephanie Brewer, Mexico Director at the Washington Office for Latin America (WOLA), told CNN. Its a country with low levels of reporting of crimes due largely to distrust in authorities, lack of faith in investigations, which can be very well founded. Paradoxical Mexico is a world leader when it comes to gender equality in elected office, which was cemented in 2019 constitution reform. It outflanks several countries in terms of womens parliamentary representation. Yet Mexico remains a dangerous place to be a woman, with sky-high femicide rates for the region. The most recent data from Mexicos National Institute of Statistics and Geography found that at least 11,852 femicides were recorded in the first three years of Lopez Obradors presidency higher than the 7,439 reported during the same period of Enrique Pena Nietos presidency (2012-2018). With security topping voter concerns, both Sheinbaum and Galvez have largely remained coy about their proposals. Neither has repudiated a nearly two-decades-long approach of relying on the armed forces to tackle organized crime which has coincided with historically high levels of homicides. The photos of five missing and apparently murdered young men are seen on a makeshift memorial altar at the Mirador San Miguel, the place where they were kidnapped on August 11, in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco State, Mexico, on August 30, 2023. - Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images Sheinbaum, a former climate scientist, has pledged to continue with her predecessors policies. She has pointed to her record as Mexico City mayor, with her team indicating having improved conditions for police and better intelligence gathering about criminal networks. Galvez has been critical of Lopez Obradors non-confrontational approach to cartels. She has suggested pulling forces back from domestic security roles, increasing the number of police in violent areas, and building a new high security prison. In 2018, millions of Mexicans voted for change with hope, but the truth is that it did not happen, Galvez said during a presidential debate in April, taking aim at the incumbents approach to tackling organized crime. Claudia Sheinbaum is offering to continue the hugs for criminals I am offering to build a Mexico where we can end violence, but above all, to bet on health and education. Both have spoken of the need to strengthen police and civilian institutions, and better use intelligence and coordination. But the extent to which either one of them really means to emphasize or follow through on that is very unclear, Brewer said. Experts have been underwhelmed by the lack of new approaches to the security situation, saying there is a connection between militarization and more bloodshed in the country since its inception in 2006, when former President Felipe Calderon declared an all-out-war against criminal groups. Mexico cannot deploy its way out of problems like impunity or corruption in institutions or lack of effective criminal investigation, Brewer told CNN. Militarization simply is not a tool that could ever do that. Hugs, not bullets Incumbent Lopez Obrador won the presidency in 2018 on a platform of demilitarizing the countrys war against drug cartels, vowing to restore peace with hugs, not bullets. Popular social welfare programs would address the root causes of economic insecurity, instead of violent confrontations with criminal groups, he promised. It was a strategy that saw the son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman released on the orders of Lopez Obrador in 2019 to avoid bloodshed. He was later re-arrested and extradited to the US. However, he never really de-militarized public security. Lopez Obrador instead merged several law-enforcement agencies, such as the federal police, to create the National Guard that was, in principle, to be under civilian command. But he soon after placed the body under the Secretary of Defense, sparking criticism across the political spectrum, which said it was furthering militarization in Mexico. The Supreme Court upheld an opposition complaint and ordered Lopez Obrador to return the National Guard to civilian jurisdiction. He said he would follow suit, but the National Guard still reports to the Secretary of Defense. Police officers patrol following the killing of Armando Perez Luna, National Action Party (PAN) mayoral candidate, who was gunned down by unknown assailants, in Maravatio, Michoacan state. February 27, 2024. REUTERS/Ivan Macias - Ivan Macias/Reuters This creation was part of what Brewer described as a populistand highly visible measure that intended to give the perception that something is being done about crime. The National Guard has gone on to take over several civilian functions including building infrastructure projects and airport management a situation ripe for corruption, warn Mexico watchers. Meanwhile, criminal groups have only expanded their reach. A May report by the Crisis Group documented limited crime-fighting where there were large military deployments in areas most affected by warring cartels. Instead, the report found that a set of largely unspoken rules has been established, encouraging illegal groups to reduce and conceal the violence they perpetrate, the report wrote. In exchange, authorities have turned a blind eye to a degree of illegality, enabling these organisations to diversify their trafficking operations (including into newer illicit drugs such as fentanyl), expand their extortion rackets, branch out into legal business, and assume greater control of communities and local governments. This may have distorted official statistics around homicides, Falko Ernst, a senior analyst on Mexico at the Crisis Group who led the report, told CNN. But what we have seen in a number of high conflict states is that while official murders have dropped, disappearances have gone up, even the official ones, so that puts another question mark behind the drop in homicides, he said. The report found there was also political pressure to reduce the recorded rate of lethal violence has led to murders being logged under other causes of death or going unrecorded. CNN has reached out to the Mexican Secretary of Defence for comment. There is a through line between militarization and gender-based violence in Mexico, say experts. Feminist groups in the country began documenting a dramatic increase in women being killed by firearms after 2007 as well as women being targeted in the public sphere, said Gema Kloppe-Santamaria, assistant professor of Latin American History at George Washington University. Female homicides often fail to get prosecuted, with 88.6% impunity rate for femicide cases, according to Mexico Evalua. Both candidates have recognized the crisis of femicide, but Sheinbaum, who holds a sizeable polling lead against Galvaz, has a tense relationship with some feminists who encountered lots of repression by Mexico City police under the purview of Sheinbaum, said Kloppe-Santamaria. Sheinbaum has touted her efforts for women and girls, saying there was zero impunity to femicides in Mexico City during her time as leader, and that there was a large reduction in femicides under her watch. Though the claims have not borne out after some scrutiny, say critics. Amid ongoing gender-based violence, including femicides and disappearances, Kloppe-Santamaria said, getting a female president at this moment feels very paradoxical. CNN en Espanols Ines Amarelo, Jose Manuel Alvarez and Ivonne Valdes contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Presidential candidates attend the last presidential debate at the Tlatelolco University Cultural Center, in Mexico City MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum slightly extended her large lead over her main rival in the contest for the presidency on June 2, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday. The May 22-27 survey by polling firm Parametria showed Sheinbaum, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) with 50% support, ahead of Xochitl Galvez, the candidate for an opposition alliance of three parties, with 34%. A prior April survey by the firm showed Sheinbaum, Mexico City's former mayor, at 44% support, and businesswoman-turned-politician Galvez at 31%. The poll gave a third contender, Jorge Alvarez Maynez of the opposition center-left Citizens' Movement (MC), backing of 13%, an increase of five points over April. The face-to-face poll of 1,000 people had a 3.1% margin of error. The vast majority of Mexican polls have pointed to Sheinbaum winning comfortably in Sunday's election. Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist who has been a close ally of the current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for decades, could become the first woman to rule the country. (Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Marguerita Choy) CHAVES COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) A man who had an active warrant for aggravated sexual assault of a child out of Texas was arrested in New Mexico. State Police found Kyle Junker, 23, driving on U.S. Highway 380 near milepost 167 on May 23. Man who climbed on Bumblebee statue and stripped pleads not guilty Police said they were alerted to be on the lookout for Junker and located him about 15 minutes later. Junker was arrested and booked into Chaves County Detention Center for the warrant out of Midland County. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) A 7th-grade student from Santa Fe Preparatory School in New Mexico competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. Heights Summerfest returns to North Domingo Baca Park Its pretty exciting. I didnt really know that I was going to get to this, so its kind of, I was surprised, but Im really excited, Juliette Anderson, 13, said in an interview at the competition in National Harbor, Maryland, on Tuesday. Anderson competed in the three preliminary rounds on Tuesday and was tasked with spelling caveola and dasyure. She also had to define the word scythe. Anderson was eliminated in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. When Anderson was asked about how she prepared for the competition, she said, Ive worked a lot with my mom. Theres an app called the WordClub app that Ive done a lot. And weve made flashcards. Earlier this year, Anderson won the New Mexico State Spelling Bee and secured her spot in the national competition. To learn more about the spelling bee, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. A tremendous dome of heat and drought has been affecting a large part of Mexico from the winter through the spring, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that some of that will build northward into the southwestern and south-central United States this summer. While the period from the winter to the early spring is typically a dry time of the year for much of Mexico, which tends to trigger drops in water levels and an increase in wildfires, this year has been especially dry and hot, and the country faces difficulties due to the ongoing drought and heat cycle. As of the start of May, 82% of Mexico was experiencing conditions ranging from abnormally dry to exceptional drought, according to the North American Drought Monitor. The worst category of drought affected 11.45% of the country. This has been the worst drought for much of Mexico since April 2011, when only 4% of the country was not experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions. With no significant moisture around to reduce the sun's powerful rays, the same drought has helped boost temperatures to record levels. Thus far, for 2024, Mexico's highest temperature recorded was 124 F at Galinas on May 9. This is less than 2 degrees from the all-time record high for Mexico of 125.6 degrees, set on July 28, 1995. GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts with Premium+ Mexico City, located 7,340 feet above sea level, is nearly 2,000 feet higher than Denver. Mexico's capital city has broken almost a dozen daily record high temperatures this month alone. The sprawling metropolis experienced a monthly temperature departure of 10 degrees Fahrenheit in March, 8.4 degrees in April and 10.8 degrees in May. Typically, any temperature departure of 2 degrees or more is considered significant. The hot and dry conditions have contributed to many large wildfires this spring in Mexico, significantly reducing the region's air quality and occasionally sending a significant amount of smoke into the southern U.S. As Mexico entered peak fire season in March 2024, dry and warm conditions helped fuel the flames of more than 100 active blazes across the country. This image shows smoke billowing from one such fire near the border of neighboring states Oaxaca (west) and Chiapas (east) in southern Mexico. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.) "As the transition to summer begins in June, moisture from the tropics will increase over southern Mexico and slowly progress northward over the country," AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. "There already has been some influx of moisture into the southern part of Mexico in the form of spotty showers and thunderstorms in the past couple of weeks." However, the massive heat dome parked over Mexico much of the spring will begin to shift northward and into the Southwestern and South Central states this summer. "There is the potential for a prong of triple-digit heat to develop over the interior valley of California by the middle of next week," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "But, most definitely, temperatures will trend upward significantly as a bubble of the Mexico heat moves up and into the western U.S." AccuWeather's long-range team expects a delayed and subdued North American monsoon this summer. This flip to a southerly flow of moisture tends to trigger a chunk of the region's yearly moisture supply through drenching showers and thunderstorms. "It may take until midsummer for the monsoon to kick in, and there may be so little moisture that soil drought conditions develop over part of the interior Southwest," Pastelok explained. AccuWeather does not expect any problems in California from water shortages into the first several months of 2026 due to ample rain and mountain snow during the past two winter seasons. "The combination of drying brush in the summer heat and spotty, but mainly dry thunderstorm activity (lightning strikes with little or no rain) could lead to real wildfire problems, especially from parts of New Mexico to Idaho and the interior Southwest," Pastelok said. The same massive heat dome over Mexico may have been contributing to the frequency of torrential downpours and severe thunderstorms in the central U.S. this spring. Storms tend to erupt along the edge of a heat dome. This is because storms and downpours cannot erupt in the middle of the massive area of sinking air. Instead, the storms tend to erupt on the edges or areas of least resistance or where the air can rise more freely. This spring, the U.S. has been experiencing its greatest number of tornadoes since 2011, which also happened to be Mexico's last big drought year. Flooding has also been a problem in portions of the southern Plains and South Central states. Rain may come too late for a successful corn harvest and other crops in Mexico. AccuWeather's lead agricultural meteorologist, Dale Mohler, said Mexico is the world's eighth-largest corn producer, but the country does not export corn. Mexico is a large importer, buying most of its corn from the U.S. An agronomist measures and evaluates the blades of an organically grown native corn stalk on a farm outside of Apizaco, Mexico, Thursday, May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) "Sinaloa, located in west-central Mexico, inland from the coast, and Jalisco, near Mexico City, grow 37% of the nation's corn crop," Mohler said, "Both these areas have been hit hard by the drought." A bad year for corn growing in Mexico could be good news for U.S. farmers because there may be a strong demand from Mexico for corn. 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. MIAMI, Okla. The Oklahoma Attorney Generals office is now handling the investigation, reported Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson. Read about Wifords background and more, here. Taney County, Missouri outstanding warrant for bogus checks MIAMI, Okla. An embattled travel agent accused of allegedly defrauding hundreds of vacationers out of thousands of dollars is being held in the Ottawa County Jail on an outstanding Missouri warrant. Diahann Wiford is being held on bogus check charges out of Taney County, Missouri. According to the Miami Police Department, an Ottawa County Sheriffs Deputy tipped off Miami police to Wiford traveling through town, allowing them to locate, and serve the warrant. Wiford and her husband, Kenny, are owners of the Miami-based Wiford Tour and Travel. The agency is the subject of a Miami Police Department investigation where customers purchased trips and vacations through the travel agency and allegedly never received their tickets. Other business names used were Wiford Travel and KenDi Wiford. Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson said his staff has taken more than 400 complaints in the past few days about Wiford Tour and Travel. In 2008, under the name Diahann Click, she pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding Buffalo Run Casino of about $193,000 worth of free gambling cards, according to published reports. Police say the couple behind the business has been involved in scams in North Dakota using a different business name. In 2015 North Dakota Attorney General issued a Cease and Desist Order prohibiting Wiford from selling timeshares. The name used in that pleading was Diahann Cott. Discover Branson stated on May 25 on a social media site about the travel agency, We regret to inform you that Wiford Travel, KenDi Wiford Travel, and Wiford Tour and Travel are no longer in business. If you have made any transactions with these agencies, we strongly advise you to contact your financial provider for further options. These companies purchased tickets from our website for their guests, just as they did with many other businesses. We have not collected any money from their clients and have not been paid for many tickets purchased this week. There are many other Branson hotels, shows, attractions and agencies that have been impacted by the business sudden closure. The only company that has collected consumer money is Wiford Travel. On behalf of Discover Branson and the Branson community, we are deeply saddened by the impact this sudden business closure has had on many customers and businesses alike. We will continue to update this developing story 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are clearly war instigators, contrary to their self-proclaimed role as "pilots for peace," a mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday. Zhu Fenglian, a State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a media query at a routine news conference. The DPP authorities claim to desire peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but in reality, they adhere to a "Taiwan independence" stance, incite cross-Strait confrontation, and advance their goal by increasingly banking on external forces and through military means, in an attempt to split Taiwan from China, said the spokesperson. This can in no way be considered the behavior of so-called pilots for peace, said Zhu. "Rather, this is clearly the behavior of instigators of war," she added. Lai Ching-te portrayed the DPP-ruled Taiwan as a pilot for peace, claiming to maintain the status quo across the Strait in his debut speech as Taiwan's new leader on May 20. The mainland spokesperson reiterated that although the two sides of the Strait have not yet reunified, the fact that the mainland and Taiwan both belong to one China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, has never changed and cannot be changed. "Taiwan independence" goes against peace in the Taiwan Strait, and it is the biggest source of chaos that leads to military conflicts, damages to the interests of the people, and turbulence in the Strait, Zhu said. She called on people in Taiwan to recognize the harm and destructiveness of the DPP's independence agenda, oppose secessionist activities and external interference, and help with the return of cross-Strait relations to peaceful development. This, she said, would safeguard peace and stability in the Strait, and also the security and well-being of the people of Taiwan. Michael Fanone Says His Mom Was Swatted After He Spoke Out At Trump's Trial Former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone said someone sent a SWAT team to his mothers home on Tuesday under false pretenses a practice known as swatting in response to his criticism of former president Donald Trump. Fanone, one of dozens of police officers injured while defending the U.S. Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, slammed Trump on Tuesday during a Biden campaign press conference the former presidents criminal trial in Manhattan. While being restrained by a violent mob, I was beaten, Fanone said at the press conference, at which actor Robert De Niro also spoke. An individual tried to strip me of my gun, while chants of kill him with his own gun were echoed by the crowd. On Tuesday evening, Fanone said his mom opened the front door of her Virginia home to find police in SWAT gear. The police said they were responding to a threatening manifesto, containing Fanones mothers address, that had falsely been attributed to Fanone. NBC News first reported the incident. Police said they went to a house in Fairfax County, Virginia around 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday. Officers made contact with the resident, who was confirmed to be okay, following a suspicious email that we were made aware of thanks to our partners with the Montgomery County Police Department, a Fairfax County police spokesperson said in an email, adding that detectives are investigating the circumstances of this case and the swatting nature of the initial email. Fanone told HuffPost that hes been swatted a few times before, but that the perpetrators have always had the wrong address. He said it was the first time police came to his mothers house, but not the first time shed been harassed in response to her sons criticism of the former president. Shes been heckled in her driveway by people, Fanone said. Pretty much everybody in my family has experienced some form of that. Trump and Republicans in Congress have downplayed the attack on the Capitol and suggested, without evidence, that the mob of Trump supporters was manipulated by undercover FBI agents rather than egged on by Trump himself. Since resigning from the D.C. police department, Fanone has devoted himself to retelling the story of what actually happened that day. He spoke out Tuesday alongside former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn. Swatting incidents drain law enforcement resources and can themselves be dangerous, since officers believe theyre responding to an emergency situation. At least 34 members of Congress have been swatted, including both Republicans and Democrats, the Capitol Police said in January. So was Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecutor pushing two criminal cases against Trump. Fanone said such high-ranking government officials are better protected against swatting than his family. Me and my family are just regular people, he told HuffPost. Were just average American citizens, you know, middle class who dont have the means to escape these types of incidents. Related... CHICAGO An 18-year-old man was wounded Wednesday afternoon after someone fired shots inside a business in the citys Logan Square neighborhood. First responders were called at about 3:20 p.m. to the 2200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue. Police said someone outside fired shots inside a business, striking a man in the foot. The victim was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he was initially listed in good condition, police said. Total Traffic: Check travel times, cameras & problem areas Video from WGNs SkyCam 9 showed officers outside a business with North Milwaukee Avenue cordoned off by yellow police tape between North Washtenaw and North Talman avenues during the 4 p.m. hour. At last check, police had no one in custody in connection with the shooting. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Milwaukee Police Administration Building downtown. (Isiah Holmes | Wisconsin Examiner) What are all the ingredients that create a safe neighborhood? In cities like Milwaukee where nearly half of the annual budget goes to law enforcement deciding which issues the police should be responsible for addressing can get messy. Demand for community input into police activity has continued to grow. One way communities have tried to satisfy that demand is through Community Oriented Policing (COPS). By integrating feedback from residents, law enforcement agencies say they can foster more harmonious relationships with the neighborhoods where they operate. Thats the hope anyway. COPS policies have existed for decades, dating back to the passage of federal-level laws in 1994. At its core, the philosophy guiding COPS accepts that effective public safety requires cooperation between law enforcement and the community. Although practiced in some areas by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) for some time, the use of Community Oriented Policing wasnt codified in the city until 2021. City streets in Milwaukee had been charged by almost daily protests calling for police reform for nearly a year at the time. Passing COPS a decision made by the beleaguered Fire and Police Commission (FPC), which became a lightning rod for law enforcement supporters and saw its powers curtailed. The commission also banned the use of chokeholds, adjusted policies surrounding no-knock search warrants, banned the use of pepper spray on peaceful protesters, established an unarmed response unit for mental health calls, and demoted former Milwaukee police chief Alfonso Morales. The commissions longstanding power to set policy for police was stripped as part of revenue negotiations between state and local officials. FPC members whod led the commission through those reforms resigned, and new rules were imposed by the state Legislature requiring that Milwaukee never decrease the number of its police officers. Some saw the codification of COPS as a public safety strategy as its own kind of win. Criticisms that the MPD had moved away from Community Oriented Policing had grown under Morales. The policy, which remains active under the current chief Jeffrey Norman, acts as a ground-up approach. Officers are responsible for a variety of tasks aimed at rebuilding trust and rapport with the community. From maximizing positive interactions with the public by building relationships with residents, community groups, and businesses, to doing daily park checks and finding ways to build public trust. Officers are encouraged, under the watchful eye of supervisors, to develop a deeper understanding of neighborhood conditions while creating community collaboration to enhance problem solving capacity, according to the policy, SOP-003. Officers also set up blockwatches, or hold annual community meetings to hear both complaints and feedback to further those goals. Reaching hearts and minds For over a year, neighborhoods in Milwaukee sought to dig even deeper. In partnership with the Wisconsin Policy Forum, MPD, the FPC, and the resident-led Community Collaborative Commission (CCC), a series of meetings was held across many of Milwaukees aldermanic districts. Earlier last month, a report was released by the Policy Forum detailing results of the meetings with residents. The goal was not necessarily to only turn out people who lived in that aldermanic district, but to provide that sort of geographic diversity and make sure that all resident voices from all across the city were being heard, Ari Brown, a senior research associate at the Wisconsin Policy Forum, told Wisconsin Examiner. The sizes of meetings varied, from dozens of people filling a single library conference room, to just a handful of folks who were able to show up. Part of it was, of course, interest in the project but a lot of it was scheduling, said Brown. These were generally held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. You can imagine in the winter, its hard to get people to turn out. In the summer, when the weathers really nice out, people dont want to sit in a four-hour meeting. Residents came from a variety of backgrounds, and brought various perspectives on whats important for police to address. The individuals that showed up at these meetings and shared their thoughts were a very, very, very diverse group, said Brown. Although younger Milwaukeeans showed up to some of the meetings, the racially diverse gatherings were largely attended by older residents. During some meetings, activist groups expressed concerns about boosting funding for MPD while other residents supported dedicating more of the budget to police. When the meeting series was first announced, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression expressed skepticism about the program. At face value, this initiative of community policing seems promising for the people of Milwaukee, the Alliance said in a press release. However, upon closer inspection, its evident that it provides no concrete solutions or description for what exactly community policing is. The initiative loosely requires officers to be culturally responsive and requires more intentional community engagement. How exactly will these categories be measured? How can these requirements actually help reduce the harassment Black and Brown people of Milwaukee experience by the hands of police? A focused discussion Rather than having a freeform discussion, meeting attendees were given specific questions like what makes a safe community, and what elements of a safe community are present in your neighborhood, what elements are not present in your neighborhood? MPD also offered questions to residents such as what does the department do which they like, and what would residents like to see MPD do more. I think one of the things that we saw very clearly was that for residents of Milwaukee, for diverse array of residents of Milwaukee, what a safe community looks like means something different to different groups of people. Whereas some residents felt the MPD gets too much of the city budget, others wanted to see a greater number of more efficient services from police. Residents wanted the department to be more transparent, accountable, and communicative, the policy forum noted in a report summarizing the meetings. Many requested that officers have calmer interactions with civilians or provide faster response times, it added. At the same time, residents expressed a desire for more friendly neighbors, clean streets and parks, more resources for their communities, increasing street light coverage, a focus on recreation for youth, and greater access to housing and mental health resources. Its here where another question arises: How many of these problems are police responsible for solving? Especially since 2020 with the help of the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Milwaukee has dedicated funds to tackling some of those issues at the city and county level. Efforts to open new mental health crisis centers, provide resources to prevent overdoses and open the doors to homeownership in Milwaukee have emerged over the last three years. Meanwhile, as local officials attempt to plug budgetary holes, people have continued to reflect on the role of police. There are things that MPD might be involved with, but they cannot and should not be the only group involved in doing such a thing, said Brown. Necessarily, there needs to be input and action by residents and non-governmental groups. Joining all those voices into one dialogue was the purpose of the meetings, a joint effort between MPD, FPC, and CCC. The meetings, which began in 2022, were dynamic in that they occurred during the passage of Act 12, which changed the power of the FPC and the dynamics of policing in Milwaukee. Following the meetings, the Wisconsin Policy Forum compiled various recommendations based on the discussions. Expanding COP practices to include every MPD member, sworn and unsworn, while also increasing data sharing, being more active on social media and updating MPD websites and continuing to study neighborhood specific approaches were among them. The forum also recommended building out the assets the department offers, particularly in the area of youth engagement, by collaborating with existing community organizations, and building partnerships with other city agencies. The basis of Community Oriented Policing is a cooperation and a partnership between residents and law enforcement, said Brown. The post Milwaukee debates community oriented policing appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Grace Puchaicela, part of a collective of Ecuadorians advocating for Temporary Protected Status, speaks at a press conference on May 29, 2024. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer. Three Minnesota city councils Minneapolis, St. Paul and Columbia Heights have passed resolutions in support of Temporary Protected Status for Ecuador, a federal immigration designation for countries in crisis. TPS would allow Ecuadorians already in the U.S. to legally live and work for as long as the designation is active. A collective of Ecuadorians in Minneapolis has been lobbying elected officials at all levels of government to support TPS and raise awareness for the campaign. At a press conference Wednesday, Ecuadorian immigrants stood next to city leaders and staff from COPAL, a nonprofit that organizes Latinos to work on state labor, economic and political issues. Im very excited that we have a City Council thats stood strong and supportive of our Ecuadorian community, but also know that this fight is not over and we need to do more than just this resolution as we help our immigrant community in the United States, Minneapolis Council Member Jason Chavez said. U.S. immigration authorities can designate a country for TPS if conditions in that country are so dangerous that U.S. authorities cannot safely deport its citizens. In Ecuador, a pandemic-induced economic downturn coincided with the rise of drug cartels and related violence. Since 2018, the murder rate has quadrupled. Violence has led to temporary school closures. In January, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency, saying that the country is facing an internal armed conflict. Grace Puchaicela, one of the members of the collective, said that for many Ecuadorians, the desperate idea of migrating to the United Statesbecomes the only option to escape violence and poverty. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, is an author of a House bill that would grant TPS to Ecuador. But with anti-immigration Republicans in control of the House, and heightened concern over the crisis at the southern border, the bill has not moved forward. Although Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas can designate TPS for Ecuador unilaterally, he faces severe scrutiny from U.S. House Republicans, who impeached him this year. In March, Omar and other Democrats sent a letter to Mayorkas and Secretary of State Andrew Blinken, urging the federal agencies to consider TPS designation for Ecuador. In response, Ur Mendoza Jaddou, director of U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, wrote DHS continues to monitor conditions in Ecuador and remains committed to administering its programs, including TPS, in an equitable manner. More than a dozen countries are currently designated for TPS, including Afghanistan, Somalia, El Salvador, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine. The post Minnesota city leaders call for temporary protected status for Ecuador appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Kansas City Police Department is searching for a missing 14-year-old boy last seen on Memorial Day. Nicholas Leonardo was last seen on Monday at 9:15 p.m. on East 9th Street between Monroe and Cleveland Avenues in Kansas City. Kansas City jail vote wont happen this August Police said Leonardo was wearing blue shorts, black Nike Air Forces and a hoodie with the word Cookie on it. He is 5-foot-8 and weighs 150 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Police said he is known to frequent the 4000 block of Myrtle Avenue. His family is concerned for his safety. If you have any information about Nicholas Leonardo and where police can find him, KCPD asks that you call the Missing Persons Unit at (816) 234-5043 or 911. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. YANGON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities have seized 750,000 stimulant tablets in western Rakhine state, state-run daily The Mirror reported on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, anti-narcotics police searched a house in Maungdaw town of Rakhine state on Monday and found the drugs inside. The seized drugs are approximately valued at 1.5 billion kyats (714,285 U.S. dollars) and a suspect was arrested, the report said. The suspect was charged in accordance with the country's law, and investigations are underway to arrest others connected to the case. Police bodycam footage showed an officer chasing Teddy (pictured) around a large field and making several unsuccessful attempts to catch him before shooting the dog dead. The city has found no wrongdoing over the officers actions (change.org) The owner of a tiny blind and deaf dog in Sturgeon, Missouri, is suing the city and one of its police officers for $1million after the defenseless animal was shot dead earlier this month. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, alleges that the city failed to properly train, supervise, and discipline the officer who used unnecessary lethal force. The suit was filed on behalf of Teddys owner, Nicholas Hunter, who is seeking compensation in excess of $1m for violation of his rights under the 4th Amendment. Teddy, a 13lb shih-tzu, escaped from his backyard in Sturgeon on May 19, when officers were called to recover him. Five-year-old Teddy was born deaf and lost his sight around two years ago, Mr Hunter said. Police bodycam footage showed an officer, identified by the lawsuit as Myron Woodson, chasing Teddy around a large field and making several unsuccessful attempts to catch him. The City of Sturgeon later claimed the officer believed Teddy had been infected with rabies. The City of Sturgeon being sued for $1m after Teddy, a 13-pound disabled Shih Tzu, was shot dead by a police officer (Nicholas Hunter/KOMU) The lawsuit, which is being partially funded by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), described Mr Woodsons warrantless seizure of Teddy as unnecessary, callous, and egregious. At no time during the encounter between Teddy and Defendant Woodson did Teddy show any aggression towards Defendant Woodson, the lawsuit, obtained by The Independent, stated. Teddy never barked, growled, or even moved towards Defendant Woodson. Instead, the small, blind and deaf dog simply kept trying to walk away, oblivious to the danger that Defendant Woodson posed to him. The complaint alleges that the police officer told Mr Hunter that he had not felt threatened by Teddy at any point. Indeed, the small Teddy could not have harmed the much larger and stronger Defendant Woodson even if he had been so inclined, it stated. The officer from the Sturgeon Police Department, in Missouri, claimed he believed that Teddy was rabid. His behaviour was due to the fact that he was deaf and blind (City of Sturgeon/ Facebook) The police officer reportedly walked back this claim and said he believed that Teddy was injured, acknowledging that he simply had no idea whether Teddy was injured or not and Teddy, in fact, was not acting in the manner as would an injured dog. The lawsuit, filed at the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri, also highlighted the officers alleged incompetency, and the fact that he appeared to be unable to use the most common and simplest of animal control devices his animal capture pole. The officers decision to shoot the animal sparked fury online. People on the small towns Facebook page to describe the local police as a joke, as well as disgusting and disappointing after attempting to justify the officers actions. Many called for the officers resignation. The backlash intensified when officials determined the officer had committed no wrongdoing. UNACCEPTABLE!!!!! Sturgeon Police force is seriously a joke, one user wrote on Facebook. Another went further, writing: This is a disgrace. The officer involved needs to be immediately removed from duty and charged with felony animal abuse. I pray the owner sues the city, the mayor, the officer and the department. I will be filing a complaint with the state attorney generals office. The entire city council should resign after hiring this man. Mr Hunters lawsuit alleges that the police officers actions violated rights under the 4th Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Unfortunately, these types of shootings occur all too frequently. Contrary to the common misconception that its just a dog, every federal circuit to have addressed the issue has held that the unreasonable killing of a companion animal by law enforcement violates the owners most fundamental rights as secured by the Fourth Amendment, said ALDF attorney Daniel J Kolde. According to the ALDF, the Department of Justice estimates that each year as many as 10,000 dogs are shot and killed by police. This is such an unnecessary, and preventable problem, said ALDF executive director Chris Green. It all comes down to providing police officers with adequate training and then holding all involved accountable. The goal is to prevent these tragedies from ever happening in the first place. These are Missouris fastest growing cities. See how your areas population is changing Springfield, Missouri, is seeing the largest population growth of all cities in the state as of last year, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The agencys population estimates for metro areas around the state both large and small show population growth of more than 3% in the southwestern Missouri city between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2023. The population data offers a glimpse into which cities are growing and shrinking in Missouri. The metro areas of each city include the surrounding suburbs, not just the cities themselves. The map below includes data about both metropolitan and micropolitan areas, which surround large and small cities respectively. Heres a closer look at how the populations of 25 metro areas around the state are changing. Which Missouri metro areas are growing the fastest? Springfield added nearly 15,000 residents to its population between 2020 and 2023, census data shows. The 3.08% increase was the largest of the metro areas in the state. With a population of nearly half a million people in 2023, Springfield is the third-largest metro area in the state. The next-highest increase was seen in Columbia, where around 5,600 new residents caused a population growth of 2.68%. West Plains, Joplin and Lebanon followed close behind with population increases of 2.35%, 1.93% and 1.77%, respectively. The city with the overall largest population growth was Kansas City, which gained more than 26,000 new residents over the three-year period. However, the massive size of the metro, which is home to around 2.22 million people as of 2023, made this growth account for only a 1.19% population increase in 10th place out of the 25 cities. Other metro areas that saw population increases over the three-year period included Branson, Sedalia and Jefferson City. Which Missouri metro areas are shrinking the fastest? The small metro area of Kennett in the southeast corner of Missouri lost just under 1,200 residents between 2020 and 2023 a 4.2% decrease in its 2020 population of around 28,200 people. That makes it the fastest shrinking metro area in the state by percentage. The St. Joseph metro area north of Kansas City wasnt far behind with a 2.6% population decline, totaling around 3,170 people. The next-greatest population declines were seen in and around Mexico, Maryville and Moberly. Do you have more questions about demographics in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com. Tammy Tesson Puhlmann, 63, who now lives in Villa Ridge, Missouri, shows photos of her son Drew as she sat in the Russell Senate Office Building on May 22, 2024. Puhlmanns son died of cancer at age 30, and she was among 10 eastern Missouri residents speaking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill about expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON A fund to compensate Americans sickened by exposure to atomic bomb tests, uranium mining and radioactive waste expires in under 20 days, and activists and lawmakers are scrambling to keep the fund active and open to additional victims. A bill to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, often shortened to RECA, sailed through the U.S. Senate in early March on a bipartisan 69-30 vote, but the House has yet to take it up for a vote. Critics cite high costs, but bipartisan lawmakers and activists rallying in favor of the bill say the victims have already paid the price through medical bills and lost loved ones, and that its ultimately the governments wrong to make right. The U.S. Senate-passed legislation, championed by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, aims to extend the program by six years and expand eligibility to several new locations, including his state of Missouri where, over decades, residents witnessed numerous rare similar cancers among neighbors in and around St. Louis. Chemical plants in downtown St. Louis and Weldon Spring, Missouri, processed uranium during the nations WWII effort to build the first atomic bomb. Radioactive waste from the plants were stored and dumped around the area. States Newsrooms Missouri Independent, in collaboration with the Associated Press and MuckRock, obtained and combed through thousands of government records that revealed the government downplayed and ignored the dangers of the radioactive waste. The government has done this Tammy Tesson Puhlmann, 63, who lived for decades in Florissant, Missouri, sat in the Russell Senate Office Building Wednesday showing photos of her son Drew first, as a baby who was born with a rare blood disease, and then as a thin 30-year-old man just a week before he died of cancer. If I can prevent one mom from having to go through something like this, I would do anything, she said through tears. Its the most unbearable feeling in the world to know that there is nothing you can do for your child, and to know that the government has done this. Puhlmann was among 10 eastern Missouri residents and state representatives who met with 10 lawmakers on Wednesday, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner and Blaine Luetkemeyer, both Republicans of Missouri; and the states GOP Sens. Eric Schmitt and Hawley. Missouri state Reps. Tricia Byrnes and Richard West, both Republicans, who represent districts just outside St. Louis, flipped through maps and photos documenting the contaminated sites, including where a uranium processing plant and byproduct dumping ground were located next to Francis Howell High School, which Byrnes attended. Look how close it was to all of the contamination. That high school is still there, Byrnes said, pointing to a map. To Byrnes left sat Kristin Denbow, a 1988 Francis Howell graduate who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer in the bone marrow. We have memories of men in full containment suits walking around the grounds of our high school while we were there, Denbow said. This has been our lives Three generations of Susie Gaffneys family made their homes in the suburbs of St. Louis near Coldwater Creek, unaware that radioactive waste relocated from the downtown uranium plant was leaking into the water. Susies husband, Jim, grew up in a house beside the creek and not far from Jana Elementary School, which closed in 2023 because of radioactive contamination. Jim grew up playing in the creek, everybody did. Everybody who tells the creek stories played (there). It was awesome, it wasnt deep. Kids fished, they made mudslides. It was a great place to live, Gaffney said. Jim, whose mother died of colon cancer after being diagnosed in her 40s, developed lymphoma at the age of 24. When Susie and Jims son Joey was an infant, they moved to a nearby subdivision named Wedgewood, a few miles down the creek. Joey also played in the water as a child. Joey was diagnosed at 18 with thyroid cancer and eventually underwent a thyroidectomy. Gaffney, now 66, recalls the doctors telling her, This kid is Chernobyl. This is what happened in Chernobyl. He has metastasized thyroid cancer. This is what happened there. He had to be exposed to radiation and naively I said, Well, where? And so this has been our lives, she said. Joey is now 45. Jim, 68, was also diagnosed with bladder cancer and is now living with myelodysplastic syndrome, Gaffney said. Hes living on blood transfusions, she said, pointing to a photo of him on a packet of papers she was handing out to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Below the photo of Jim was a map of the region with red dots for each cancer case. I just want people to tunnel in, Gaffney said. Pretend youre on Google Earth, zoom all the way down and get on those front doors and picture our lifespan with health care, with depression, with anxiety, fear. Our quality of life has definitely been affected, all of us. Debate on Capitol Hill The governments nearly expired compensation program pays one-time sums of $75,000 to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963. It pays $50,000 to those who lived in select 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 and subsequently developed eligible illnesses qualify for $100,000. Hawleys bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, would also expand to include the entirety of Arizona, Nevada and Utah, and include downwind and affected areas in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam. Additionally, the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family members would increase to $100,000. If enacted, the legislation 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 bills estimated cost of $50 billion to $60 billion has drawn criticism. Hawleys office confirmed the estimate. There is not an official budget score. On Thursday, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, asked for unanimous consent on the Senate floor for his proposed clean extension of the program as it exists for another two years only covering those affected in areas of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Lee cited the risk of inflating the deficit by at least $60 billion and questioned whether enough data backs contamination in the additional areas in Hawleys bill. You see, the House of Representatives has thus far declined to take up and pass Sen. Hawleys previous bill, with some signaling concern and raising some of the concerns that I just restated, the Utah Republican said. Hawley objected, and Lujan spoke in support of the objection. Study after study has shown the expanse of the nuclear radiation. Here is a study from 1997, from 2005, another from 2005, from 2023, all showing that the nuclear radiation is far beyond the contours of the original RECA bill passed in 1990, Hawley said. Yet my friend from Utah wants to keep doing the same old thing, leaving out in the cold hundreds of thousands of Americans. I will not consent to it. Lee responded, saying he understood the impassioned pleas from Hawley and Lujan. He offered an updated version that includes Missouri and New Mexico, but leaves out other states and Guam. His office cites an unofficial budget score of $30 billion. There are other states in (Hawleys) legislation pending in the House that deal with law in the Marshall Islands, Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Alaska, and perhaps one or two other jurisdictions. The claims of those states are not on equal footing, Lee said. That is where a lot of the not all, but a lot of the expense is accrued and a lot of concerns expressed in the House impeding its quick passage over there that might lead to it not being able to be passed at all, he continued. Hawley again objected, saying he will not be party to any attempt at some halfway measure, some short stopgap bill, or some effort to sweep this under the rug. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, told States Newsroom on May 15 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. RECA was established in 1990. 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 scientists detonated the Manhattan Projects first atomic bomb prior to the U.S. dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II. As of June 2022, the government has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits. Unless the fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice, which administers the payouts. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Missouri residents affected by radiation exposure push Congress to extend benefits appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. Tammy Tesson Puhlmann, 63, who now lives in Villa Ridge, Missouri, shows photos of her son Drew as she sat in the Russell Senate Office Building on May 22. Puhlmanns son died of cancer at age 30, and she was among 10 eastern Missouri residents speaking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill about expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON A fund to compensate Americans sickened by exposure to atomic bomb tests, uranium mining and radioactive waste expires in just under 15 days, and activists and lawmakers are scrambling to keep the fund active and open to additional victims. A bill to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, often shortened to RECA, sailed through the U.S. Senate in early March on a bipartisan 69-30 vote, but the House has yet to take it up for a vote. Critics cite high costs, but bipartisan lawmakers and activists rallying in favor of the bill say the victims have already paid the price through medical bills and lost loved ones, and that its ultimately the governments wrong to make right. The U.S. Senate-passed legislation, championed by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, aims to extend the program by six years and expand eligibility to several new locations, including his state of Missouri where, over decades, residents witnessed numerous rare similar cancers among neighbors in and around St. Louis. Chemical plants in downtown St. Louis and Weldon Spring, Missouri, processed uranium during the nations WWII effort to build the first atomic bomb. Radioactive waste from the plants were stored and dumped around the area. States Newsrooms Missouri Independent, in collaboration with the Associated Press and MuckRock, obtained and combed through thousands of government records that revealed the government downplayed and ignored the dangers of the radioactive waste. The government has done this Tammy Tesson Puhlmann, 63, who lived for decades in Florissant, Missouri, sat in the Russell Senate Office Building Wednesday showing photos of her son Drew first, as a baby who was born with a rare blood disease, and then as a thin 30-year-old man just a week before he died of cancer. If I can prevent one mom from having to go through something like this, I would do anything, she said through tears. Its the most unbearable feeling in the world to know that there is nothing you can do for your child, and to know that the government has done this. Puhlmann was among 10 eastern Missouri residents and state representatives who met with 10 lawmakers on Wednesday, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner and Blaine Luetkemeyer, both Republicans of Missouri; and the states GOP Sens. Eric Schmitt and Hawley. Missouri state Reps. Tricia Byrnes and Richard West, both Republicans, who represent districts just outside St. Louis, flipped through maps and photos documenting the contaminated sites, including where a uranium processing plant and byproduct dumping ground were located next to Francis Howell High School, which Byrnes attended. Look how close it was to all of the contamination. That high school is still there, Byrnes said, pointing to a map. To Byrnes left sat Kristin Denbow, a 1988 Francis Howell graduate who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer in the bone marrow. We have memories of men in full containment suits walking around the grounds of our high school while we were there, Denbow said. This has been our lives Three generations of Susie Gaffneys family made their homes in the suburbs of St. Louis near Coldwater Creek, unaware that radioactive waste relocated from the downtown uranium plant was leaking into the water. Susies husband, Jim, grew up in a house beside the creek and not far from Jana Elementary School, which closed in 2023 because of radioactive contamination. Jim grew up playing in the creek, everybody did. Everybody who tells the creek stories played (there). It was awesome, it wasnt deep. Kids fished, they made mudslides. It was a great place to live, Gaffney said. Jim, whose mother died of colon cancer after being diagnosed in her 40s, developed lymphoma at the age of 24. When Susie and Jims son Joey was an infant, they moved to a nearby subdivision named Wedgewood, a few miles down the creek. Joey also played in the water as a child. Joey was diagnosed at 18 with thyroid cancer and eventually underwent a thyroidectomy. Gaffney, now 66, recalls the doctors telling her, This kid is Chernobyl. This is what happened in Chernobyl. He has metastasized thyroid cancer. This is what happened there. He had to be exposed to radiation and naively I said, Well, where? And so this has been our lives, she said. Joey is now 45. Jim, 68, was also diagnosed with bladder cancer and is now living with myelodysplastic syndrome, Gaffney said. Hes living on blood transfusions, she said, pointing to a photo of him on a packet of papers she was handing out to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Below the photo of Jim was a map of the region with red dots for each cancer case. I just want people to tunnel in, Gaffney said. Pretend youre on Google Earth, zoom all the way down and get on those front doors and picture our lifespan with health care, with depression, with anxiety, fear. Our quality of life has definitely been affected, all of us. Debate on Capitol Hill The governments nearly expired compensation program pays one-time sums of $75,000 to those who developed certain diseases after working on U.S. nuclear tests before 1963. It pays $50,000 to those who lived in select 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 and subsequently developed eligible illnesses qualify for $100,000. Hawleys bill, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, would also expand to include the entirety of Arizona, Nevada and Utah, and include downwind and affected areas in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam. Additionally, the one-time compensation sums to victims or surviving family members would increase to $100,000. If enacted, the legislation 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 bills estimated cost of $50 billion to $60 billion has drawn criticism. Hawleys office confirmed the estimate. There is not an official budget score. On Thursday, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, asked for unanimous consent on the Senate floor for his proposed clean extension of the program as it exists for another two years only covering those affected in areas of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Lee cited the risk of inflating the deficit by at least $60 billion and questioned whether enough data backs contamination in the additional areas in Hawleys bill. You see, the House of Representatives has thus far declined to take up and pass Sen. Hawleys previous bill, with some signaling concern and raising some of the concerns that I just restated, the Utah Republican said. Hawley objected, and Lujan spoke in support of the objection. Study after study has shown the expanse of the nuclear radiation. Here is a study from 1997, from 2005, another from 2005, from 2023, all showing that the nuclear radiation is far beyond the contours of the original RECA bill passed in 1990, Hawley said. Yet my friend from Utah wants to keep doing the same old thing, leaving out in the cold hundreds of thousands of Americans. I will not consent to it. Lee responded, saying he understood the impassioned pleas from Hawley and Lujan. He offered an updated version that includes Missouri and New Mexico, but leaves out other states and Guam. His office cites an unofficial budget score of $30 billion. There are other states in (Hawleys) legislation pending in the House that deal with law in the Marshall Islands, Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Alaska, and perhaps one or two other jurisdictions. The claims of those states are not on equal footing, Lee said. That is where a lot of the not all, but a lot of the expense is accrued and a lot of concerns expressed in the House impeding its quick passage over there that might lead to it not being able to be passed at all, he continued. Hawley again objected, saying he will not be party to any attempt at some halfway measure, some short stopgap bill, or some effort to sweep this under the rug. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, told States Newsroom on May 15 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. RECA was established in 1990. 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 scientists detonated the Manhattan Projects first atomic bomb prior to the U.S. dropping the weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II. As of June 2022, the government has approved more than 36,000 RECA claims for more than $2.3 billion in benefits. Unless the fund is extended, claims have to be postmarked by June 10, 2024, according to the Department of Justice, which administers the payouts. The post Missouri residents affected by radiation exposure push Congress to extend benefits appeared first on Missouri Independent. The first convicts to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently undergoing training, and some of them have already distinguished themselves by capturing a Russian soldier. Source: Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska in an interview with the media outlet hromadske on the effectiveness of mobilising convicts Details: Vysotska said more than 600 prisoners have joined the army so far, and the number is growing. As of 29 May, over 4,000 convicts have expressed a desire to join up. The prisoners applications must be considered in court. Prior to that, the volunteer prisoners undergo a medical examination, are reviewed by the military medical board, and meet their commanding officers. Vysotska is convinced that the initiative is proving to be effective. Quote: "The convicts who are going to serve now are doing so in an absolutely controlled manner after they have been checked as the law requires. They will be trained and do important work for our state. There are a lot of different jobs at the front, not necessarily involving weapons. But even with weapons, Ive already heard of one successful case: Ive received information that some of the first convicts have captured a Russian." Details: The Ministry of Defence will determine where former prisoners will serve, Vysotska added, but she emphasised that Ukraine is not following Russian practice. "On the one hand, weve accepted the challenge not to repeat Russia's mistakes and undemocratic approaches. On the other hand, we should not give convicts the opportunity to serve in rear units, replacing their punishment with freedom. Its also important to understand that these people have to work for the state for a certain period of time, and their contracts are concluded until the end of martial law," she said. Background: Justice Minister Denys Maliuska previously reported that as of the morning of 28 May, a total of 613 prisoners had been released from prison and joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They are currently undergoing the appropriate training and will subsequently serve in assault units. Support UP or become our patron! State Sen. Molly Cook appears to have narrowly defeated state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in the Senate District 15 primary runoff for the second time this month, setting the stage for her to hold on to Houston Mayor John Whitmires longtime seat in the upper chamber. Cook led Johnson by 74 votes, with all precincts reporting according to unofficial results well within the margin for a recount. The total also does not count late-arriving mail-in ballots. Cooks victory marked the second time she has defeated Johnson this month. Cook beat Johnson 57% to 43% on May 4 in a special election triggered when Whitmire resigned to step into the mayors office at the start of the year. She was sworn in on May 16 to serve out the term, through the end of the year. Now, Cook will appear on the November ballot for a chance to win a full term representing a diverse cut of Harris County. Cook declared victory Wednesday afternoon in a statement that called back to her road to the Senate. She first ran for the seat in 2022, when she attempted a primary challenge against Whitmire. Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra sweet because it is born of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork, Cook said. We have organized for years, stayed true to our values, and built momentum that extends beyond this election. Johnson has not conceded, citing the outstanding mail-in and provisional ballots. In a statement on Wednesday, he said he was in conversations with his legal and political teams. Because the margin in this race is so small, we need to ensure that each and every ballot is included in the final count, Johnson said. Our goal is not to further delay the official results, we are allowing the behind-the-scenes process to run its course. Cook is the first person other than Whitmire to hold the seat since 1983. She is an emergency room nurse and community organizer who is the first openly LGBTQ+ member to serve in the Texas Senate. On the campaign trail, Cook and Johnson expressed few ideological differences, with each promoting progressive platforms from supporting abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights to boosting public school funding. However, the two differed on how they would approach serving in the minority party. Republicans currently hold 19 of 31 seats in the Senate, enough to control the chamber. Johnson stressed the need to work with the majority to shape Republican-led legislation to a point that is more agreeable to Democrats. Meanwhile, Cook has said she plans to use her seat as a platform to take on Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the Senate. Like the runoff, the special election earlier this month was a head-to-head matchup. Johnson appeared to be the frontrunner in the special election, having taken 36% of the vote to Cooks 21% in the March 5 primary. Following their special election loss, Johnsons team explained that the campaign failed to turn out its base. Johnsons campaign manager, Chris Watson, said the campaign did not spend its resources to combat what he called misinformation from Cooks allies. Johnsons team said they were preserving their resources for this race, which queues up the candidate who will likely win a full term. We did not expend our resources, Watson said. We think our opponent did spend her resources wholly because this is a race you wouldnt want to lose three times in a row, so I think it was more important for her than for us at this point. Cook, the relative newcomer, flipped the fundraising lead in the race after the March 5 round of the primary. She outpaced Johnsons fundraising largely thanks to contributions from Leaders We Deserve, a D.C.-based PAC co-founded by activist David Hogg to elect young, progressive lawmakers nationwide. The PAC spent $200,000 on Cook ahead of the special election and an additional $110,000 between the special and primary runoff elections. Leaders We Deserve will also support former Miss Texas Averie Bishop in the House District 112 general election against state Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Richardson, one of Democrats best opportunities for a flip in the House in November. Johnson leaned on his experience during the race. Johnson served on the Houston City Council from 2006 to 2012 and succeeded former Mayor Sylvester Turner in the Texas House of Representatives. Cook says her regular contact with emergency room patients from those with pregnancy complications to victims of the 2021 winter storm and her background in grassroots organizing would bring a much-needed fresh perspective to the upper chamber. She has also sought to position herself to Johnsons left, attacking him for supporting certain Republican-backed legislation. Johnson said he has at times voted for GOP bills he opposes because, in return for his support, Republicans allowed him and other Democrats to amend the bills to make them more palatable. The district, home to a diverse cross-section of nearly a million Harris County residents, carries major political weight for Democrats. Shaped like an upside-down horseshoe, it covers some of Houstons biggest liberal strongholds including Montrose, the Heights and Acres Homes and blue-trending neighborhoods that are key to Democrats aspirations to flipping Texas, such as Bellaire and suburban pockets of northwest and northeast Harris County. Im going to show up for every single vote, and then Im going to turn around and work as hard as I can outside the Capitol to turn out every Democratic voter in this district so that we can get the fascists and the extremists out of office in Texas and move the needle on the values that we cherish, Cook said during a debate last month. Cook will run against Republican Joseph L. Trahan in November. However, the district is a safe Democratic seat, giving Cook the advantage. Johnson will serve out the remainder of his term in House District 139, where Democrats elected Johnsons ex-wife, Charlene Ward Johnson, as their nominee for November. Ward Johnson, a Houston Community College Board member, is currently unopposed in the general election. The Texas Tribune answering reader questions about 2024 elections. To share your question or feedback with us, you can fill out this form. Weve added new speakers to the stellar lineup of leaders, lawmakers and newsmakers hitting the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Get an up-close look at todays biggest issues at Texas breakout politics and policy event! The first floor of a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio was destroyed by an explosion on 28 May, 2024. Seven people were injured in the blast and two are missing (screengrab/WFMJ) A gas explosion rocked Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday morning, causing multiple injuries, according to reports. Emergency crews rushed to Federal Street, the central business corridor in the downtown area, after an explosion destroyed the first floor of the Realty Building, WFMJ reported. At least seven people were injured and two people remain missing. Security footage from a camera across the street captured the moment the 13-story building's storefront blew out, sending concrete, glass and other debris spilling onto the street. Individuals in the downtown area said they heard a loud boom and saw a smoke cloud when the explosion occurred, WKBN reports. The building has a Chase Bank on its first floor, and apartments on the upper floors. Those living in the apartments were evacuated after the explosion as were those in the International Towers apartment building across the street. There were no reports of fatalities but multiple people were transported from the scene to hospitals. The first floor of a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio is destroyed by an explosion on 28 May, 2024. Seven people were injured in the blast (screengrab/WFMJ) Mercy Health Hospital confirmed to Cleveland 19 that seven victims were taken to the hospital and that one person was in critical condition. "Please AVOID downtown Youngstown. Major explosion from possible natural gas leak with injuries," the Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters labor union posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Youngstown's Fire Chief, Barry Finley, told WFMJ that that an evacuation order was issued for every building adjacent to the Realty Building. He told WYTV that one man believed to have been at the bank was unaccounted for and that crews were searching for him. Here is the dramatic security video of the explosion at the Chase Bank Building in downtown Youngstown. pic.twitter.com/QdapO52uME 21 WFMJ (@21WFMJ) May 28, 2024 Youngstown State University, close to the Chase Bank Building, issued an alert to students and staff warning them to be aware of potential gas in the downtown area. After the explosion, gas was shut off to the area, WFMJ reports. A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson told Cleveland19 that representatives were checking on employees at the bank and would later assess the damage. Right now, we are in close contact with local officials to check on the safety of everyone in the building and area. After that, well work to determine what happened and to assess the damage, the spokesperson said. Here is drone footage of the aftermath of the explosion in downtown Youngstown. Stay with 21 News for the latest on-air and online. Drone footage from @680aerials. pic.twitter.com/gUPw5Bji2z 21 WFMJ (@21WFMJ) May 28, 2024 Youngstown is approximately an hours drive from Pittsburgh and Cleveland near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. This is the second major incident to impact the region in just over a year. Last February, a Norfolk-Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals that were then burned, kicking of a massive clean up effort and causing ongoing health issues. East Palestine is approximately 20 miles south of Youngstown. Moon will appear to kiss Saturn this week TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) The moon will appear to kiss Saturn this week. The phenomenon, known as a conjunction, will occur on Friday when the moon and Saturn pass close to each other in the sky. According to the Farmers Almanac, skygazers can see the moon kiss Saturn from 3 a.m. until sunrise. Dr. Wes Ryle, an astronomer with the Cincinnati Observatory, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that a conjunction occurs when the paths of two astronomical objects line up, so it looks like they are close together, even though they may be millions of kilometers apart. This conjunction is special because of how close the moon will be to Saturn and it will be visible. Thats not the case when a conjunction occurs during the day, because of the suns brightness, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Ryle said you should use a pair of binoculars to get a better look at Saturn. If you point the binoculars at Saturn, you might be able to even make out some of the rings, he said. Ryle said the next conjunction with Saturn will happen on June 27. However, it wont be visible because it occurs when the sun is up. The next notable conjunction will be on Aug. 14, when Mars and Jupiter appear close together. Mars and Jupiter are both nice and bright, so this will be one that is easy to see, Ryle 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. Most AAPI adults say schools should teach about issues related to race: Survey As many states limit curriculum on sensitive topics around race, a survey released Wednesday found a majority of Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian (AAPI) adults believe K-12 schools should teach about these topics. The survey from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that more than 70 percent of AAPI adults support teaching about the history of slavery, racism and segregation in K-12 public schools. Seventy-one percent also said schools should teach about the history of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. AAPI adults who identify as Democratic were more supportive of teaching such topics than Republicans; 81 percent of Democrats said they favor teaching about AAPI history in schools, compared to only 60 percent of Republicans. The results were even wider when it came to teaching about slavery, racism and segregation. While 85 percent of Democrats support teaching these topics in public schools, only 50 percent of Republicans agreed. Respondents had a greater split on teaching about sex education and sexuality. Only 53 percent of AAPI adults supported education on sex and sexuality, with only 25 percent of Republicans supporting such education. Seventy-two percent of Democrats supported teaching about sex and sexuality in public schools. Limitations on what can be taught in public schools has been an ongoing debate for several years. Since January 2021, lawmakers in 44 states have introduced bills to restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, and 18 states have imposed such bans or restrictions, according to a report by Education Week. Those in support of limitations argue that topics such as slavery and racism are inappropriate and divisive. Among AAPI adults, 56 percent opposed individual school boards restricting specific subjects. Forty-one percent said state governments have too much influence on school curriculum, and 32 percent said the same of the federal government. Forty-seven percent of AAPI adults said parents have too little influence on school curriculum, and 48 percent said teachers have too little influence on curriculum. Only 40 percent of AAPI adults rated the quality of education provided by K-12 schools positively. The poll of 1,068 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted April 8-17, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. The margin of error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong speaks at a United Nations (UN) Security Council High-Level Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Role of Women and Young People at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 28, 2024. Fu on Tuesday called for efforts to protect the safety of women and youth at the Security Council meeting on the subject. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Tuesday called for efforts to protect the safety of women and youth at a Security Council meeting on the subject. The international community should make efforts to "promote a ceasefire and cessation of violence so as to protect the safety of women and youth," Fu said at a United Nations (UN) Security Council High-Level Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Role of Women and Young People. "The world today is far from being tranquil. From the Middle East to Africa, from Eurasia to Haiti in the Caribbean, wars and violent conflicts continue unabated with women and youth being the first victims," he said. "When safety and even the very survival are under threat, nothing else is possible. The Security Council should assume its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and make unremitting efforts to promote a ceasefire and an end to the fighting," said the ambassador. "China calls on parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, to refrain from using women and youth as military targets, to effectively guarantee access to humanitarian supplies, and to return as soon as possible to the political track of dispute resolution," he said. On the role of women and youth in peace efforts, the envoy said that at present, the degree and the level of participation of women and youth in political and peace processes vary from country to country, and the potential talents and contributions of women and youth have yet to be fully recognized and utilized. "China supports the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 and 2250, which provide equal opportunities for women and youth to participate in peace processes by eliminating discrimination, prejudice, and obstacles," he said. "It is essential to enhance the motivation and sense of participation of women and youth and to encourage them to contribute their ideas to conflict prevention, political development, and social governance," he said. "We must fully leverage their advantages of quick thinking, understanding and tolerance, so that they can become an indispensable force in the maintenance and building of peace." The ambassador also called for efforts to support the economic empowerment of women and youth so as to strengthen the foundation of peace. "One of the major reasons that some young people and women were hoodwinked to join armed groups and terrorist organizations is their lack of access to education, employment, and development," he said. Fu urged the international community to increase their access to education and employment opportunities, so that they can determine their own destiny and become a major force for social stability and development. Speaking of China's efforts in this regard, the envoy said that China has always supported the economic empowerment of women and youth. "In Mali, the Senou vocational training center, which was built with China's assistance, has helped more than 500 young people acquire professional knowledge in construction and electrical engineering, and many women have acquired new skills, bringing hope to their families. In Fiji, China has trained more than 2,400 people with Juncao technology since 2014. The local people have planted more than 2,000 hectares of Juncao grass, which has raised the incomes and improved the lives of many women and young people," the ambassador said. Fu called for efforts to strengthen the global partnership in advancing the cause of women and youth. "The UN and all countries are duty-bound to implement the women, youth, peace, and security agenda," he said. UN agencies including UN Women should not only increase investment in addressing existing problems such as the elimination of violence, poverty reduction, education, and gender equality, but also work to tackle new challenges such as digital, technology, and intelligence divides, so that women and youth from underdeveloped countries and regions will not be left behind in the new round of technological revolution. "We call on developed countries to effectively fulfill their official development assistance commitments and to make the promotion of women and youth in developing countries a key area of their investment," he said. "Multilateral financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund should allocate more funds to improve the livelihoods of women and youth and other groups in developing countries," he added. "China stands ready to work with the international community to build a better world, so that women and youth from all countries can live in the sunshine of peace and development," said the ambassador. The United Nations Security Council High-Level Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Role of Women and Young People is held at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 28, 2024. China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Tuesday called for efforts to protect the safety of women and youth at the Security Council meeting on the subject. (Xinhua/Xie E) FILE - A row of school buses rests in a parking lot, April 7, 2020, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. About 7 in 10 AAPI adults approve of K-12 public schools teaching about the history of slavery, racism and segregation, according to a new poll from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A similar share also support teaching about the history of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, while about half support teaching about issues related to sex and sexuality. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. schools should teach about issues related to race, most Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders believe. They also oppose efforts to restrict what subjects can be discussed in the classroom, according to a new poll. In the survey from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 71% of AAPI adults favor teaching about the history of slavery, racism and segregation in K-12 public schools. The same share also said they support teaching about the history of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, while about half support teaching about issues related to sex and sexuality. AAPI Democrats are more supportive of these topics being taught in classrooms than AAPI Republicans. Still, only 17% of AAPI adults think school boards should be able to limit what subjects students and teachers talk about in the classroom, and about one-quarter of AAPI Republicans are in favor of these restrictions. The results indicate that efforts to politicize education through culture war issues have not gained strong inroads in Asian American communities, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy professor at the University of California, Riverside, and founder of AAPI Data. Across the country, conservative members of state legislatures and local school boards have made efforts to restrict teaching about race and gender in classrooms. Even as parents are concerned and engaged in various ways with K-12 education, the culture wars are not something that resonate with AAPI parents, he said. I think that's important because there's so much news coverage of it and certainly a lot of policy activity. AAPI Americans are a fast-growing demographic, but small sample sizes and linguistic barriers often prevent their views from being analyzed in other surveys. Glenn Thomas, a 53-year-old father to three children in public schools who identifies as a political independent and is Japanese and white, said that while he does not oppose classrooms covering topics like race and gender, he does not think they should be the sole focus of how curriculums are designed. I'm kind of old-school, reading, writing, arithmetic, he said of how schools approach topics like gender and race. I don't think it necessarily needs to be taught as separate curriculums. Thomas, whose family has lived all over the country because of his career in the military, said the influence of politics and external actors in public schools varied greatly depending on where they lived. In Florida, where he currently lives, he thinks the state government too heavily influences local schools. Nationally, 39% of AAPI adults say that they follow news about their school boards, while just 13% say they have attended a local school board meeting and 18% have communicated in-person or online with a local school board member. When it comes to elections, 28% have voted in a local school board election. While those percentages are roughly consistent with the general public, AAPI adults are slightly less likely to say they have voted in a local school board election. Because a high percentage of Asian Americans are immigrants, Ramakrishnan said, many did not grow up in the same political system as the United States, where there is a high level of local control and influence over schools. A lack of outreach from mainstream institutions may also contribute to a lower level of engagement, he added. It takes a fair amount of effort to learn how the system works and how to have influence in that system," he said. Given the high level of interest that (Asian American and Pacific Islander) parents place in education, you would expect higher rates of participation. Varisa Patraporn, a Thai American mother of two public school children in California, said that she is a consistent voter in local elections, given the importance of those individuals in making decisions that affect schools. In Cerritos, where she lives, candidates tend to host events and send out mailers during elections, reflecting a robust campaign for seats on the school board. Patraporn said that while she has communicated with school board members, she has not attended a school board meeting. Part of that, she said, is because the meetings happen in the evening and are harder to attend for parents who have young children or other obligations. That means the parents who do attend and speak up can have a disproportionate amount of sway. Patraporn said that she wants the school curriculum to be more diverse and inclusive, despite pushback from some parents who do not want discussions of race in the classroom. She said she often supplements her children's reading to expose them to a wider range of perspectives beyond what they get from their assignments. Those conversations have started, but there's a lot of resistance in our community to that, she said. There's a lot of resistance in terms of being fearful of what it means to actually talk about race. Ramakrishnan said the polling data indicates an opening to engage AAPI communities more intensely with their local educational institutions. According to the poll, about two-thirds of AAPI adults see the schools that children attend as extremely or very important to their success in adulthood. And about half say parents and teachers have too little influence on the curriculum in public schools, similar to the general population. This is a community that still sees college as a good deal, as an important pathway toward mobility and success, and is concerned about the quality of K-12 education as well, he said. We have a ripe opportunity to engage and boost participation in these Asian American Pacific Islander communities when it comes to educational policy. ___ The poll of 1,068 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted from April 8-17, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. Online and telephone interviews were offered in English, the Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese, Vietnamese and Korean. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. 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. The stepfather of missing Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari testified in his trial Tuesday, revealing new details about his loveless marriage with who he described as an increasingly unstable Diana Cojocari. Christopher Palmiter, 61, was charged alongside Cojocari with failing to report her daughter, Madalina, missing in December 2022. Cojocari, who had already spent 17 months in jail the maximum sentence for the same charge pleaded guilty last week. Madalina was last seen Nov. 23, 2022, police say, but the couple didnt report her missing until Dec. 15, 2022, when Bailey Middle School administrators called them in to investigate Madalinas lengthy absence following Thanksgiving break. Then, she was 11. Now, the 13-year-old is still missing, and neither Palmiter nor Cojocari know where she could be, theyve told police. Mother of missing Madalina Cojocari admits she failed to report daughters disappearance In Mecklenburg County Superior Court Tuesday, Palmiters court-appointed lawyer, Brandon R. Roseman, called him to the stand. This is your opportunity to tell your story, he said to Palmiter as he faced the jury 11 men and one woman, plus two female alternate jurors. In his hourlong testimony, which will resume Wednesday morning, Palmiter recounted his unique home life. He and Cojocari, he said while reaching for a tissue, had never been physically intimate in eight years of marriage. They kissed only on special occasions birthdays, holidays, after exchanging gifts he said. They slept in the same bed for only two years before Cojocari moved into Madalinas room. When she eventually made it to bed, shed sleep on a trundle bed pulled out from below Madalinas mattress. Madalina Cojocari has been missing from Cornelius, North Carolina since Nov. 23, 2022. But before her head hit a pillow, shed spend hours screaming at the top of her lungs as she recited chants, manifestations and prayers shed learned from Elizabeth Clare Prophet, a spiritual leader who died in 2009. The faster and louder she chanted, the more points she would get, he said. She taught Madalina the chants, too, he said. Prophet, a controversial leader of the cultlike Church Universal and Triumphant, has more than 75 books of teachings and several videos on YouTube. At its peak, the church, originally The Summit Lighthouse, had 50,000 members. Prophet claimed to receive dictations from ascended masters like Jesus, Buddha and Saint Germain while in an exalted state of consciousness. Cojocari would occasionally claim the same, Palmiter testified. He said he interpreted it as her speaking to angels, though she claimed she was also fighting demons. Once, Cojocari sat both Palmiter and Madalina in a kitchen chair and cut the air around them with a knife. She was cutting the strings demons can use to control humans, she told Palmiter. Cojocari also became enthralled with burning things, Palmiter said. The firepit the family once used for smores slowly became Cojocaris place to burn journals, cat boxes and things that arent even burnable, like metal, he said. On Nov. 30, 2022, seven days after Madalina was last seen, a neighbor reported her mother was burning a couch in the backyard. Palmiter, one of 11 children in his Michigan-based family, said Cojocaris spirituality progressed considerably since he met her in 2008. From 2020 to 2022, it dramatically increased. He said he met Cojocari on an online dating or marriage site called GlobalLadies. On it, Cojocari, 39, lied about her age, Palmiter said. She said she was 6 years older than what she was. After communicating via email, they first met in Moldova, the eastern European country where Cojocari is from, in 2008. Then they lost contact. A year or two later, Cojocari told Palmiter that she had a child Madalina with a local man, but she was still interested in their connection if he was. In an undated photo released by authorities, Madalina Cojocari is shown with a horse. The 11-year-old Cornelius girl went missing before Thanksgiving 2022 and her mother and stepfather were arrested for not reporting her disappearance. He later came back to Moldova, this time with a promise ring, he said in court. Since their marriage in January of 2016, which helped Cojocari obtain a U.S. visa, they have been in a companionship rather than a traditional marriage. It is Palmiters only marriage. Cojocari, he said, was 100% in charge of Madalinas education and development. For a couple years before Madalinas disappearance, though, Cojocari would often be too engrossed in her prayers and chants. In those instances, Madalina would ask Palmiter to play with her, he said. Theyd play horse video games, chase their cats and run rounds of hide and seek. Id never turn her down, he said, tearing up again as he reached for a second tissue. Palmiters trial for the charge of failure to report Madalina missing will continue this week, and Cojocari is expected to appear on the witness stand. It was expected to be a two-week trial, said Superior Court Judge Matthew Osman. Motorcyclist killed in crash on I-55 in Mehlville ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A Catawissa, Missouri, man was killed Monday after crashing his motorcycle on Interstate 55 in south St. Louis County. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrols crash report, the crash happened around 5:50 p.m. on northbound I-55, just north of South Lindbergh Boulevard. The highway patrol claims Ronald W. Moore III was riding a 2015 Harley Davidson Street Glide when the motorcycle went off the right side of the roadway and struck a guardrail. Moore was ejected from the bike. Moore was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital South just after 7:40 p.m. He was 38. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Mount Pleasant property where Village President Dave DeGroot had a contractor dump waste without permission. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner) A Mount Pleasant resident has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission against Village President Dave DeGroot over the dumping of muck from his neighborhood pond on a village-owned property. The Wisconsin Examiner reported earlier this month that residents who live near the property complained about DeGroots actions, which they saw as an act of self-dealing in order to avoid the substantial cost of paying to have the muck dumped elsewhere. Residents alleged that no other person would have been able to use the property for similar dumping. The 73-acre property is located off Highway KR, adjacent to the Pike River and a multi-use pathway the village recently constructed along the water. For more than a decade, the village has used the lot to store dirt. Ultimately, the village has plans to turn the property into a public park. Last fall, residents began seeing trucks dumping black sludge into the park. One neighbor, Kevin Rannow, followed the trucks back to their source, a pond in DeGroots subdivision, and traced a posted Department of Natural Resources permit to the village president. DeGroot and the homeowners association in his neighborhood have been working to revitalize the pond near their homes and acquired the DNR permit to fill a small bit of wetland. The approval from the DNR notes that the homeowners association is responsible for obtaining any other permit or approval that may be required before starting your project. These include but are limited to local zoning ordinances, shoreland zoning, floodplain zoning, DNR construction site stormwater (for land disturbances greater than an acre), and requirements by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contractor hired to complete the project began hauling the waste from the pond to the village property. The pond waste includes a small amount of harmful chemicals, including DDE a substance that is formed when the banned pesticide DDT breaks down in the environment. Village staff learned about the dumping and issued a cease and desist order against the contractor. The contractor appealed the decision to the villages zoning board of appeals, which consists entirely of members appointed by DeGroot. At an appeal hearing, with no input allowed from the public, DeGroot testified in favor of overturning the decision to block the dumping. At the appeal hearing and a later village board meeting, DeGroot said that dumping at the village property would allow him and his neighbors to avoid the significant costs associated with bringing the waste elsewhere. Hey, were doing all the heavy lifting, and were not asking for much, DeGroot said at the appeal hearing. All we want to do is to be able to maintain our budget and not go over it. DeGroot, who is also running for the Legislature as a Republican to unseat Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine), previously told the Examiner that his fingerprints werent on the matter until the appeal hearing and that due process was followed. He has also said the goal of the project is to increase the aesthetic value of his neighborhood and increase the value of his and his neighbors homes. DeGroot has also claimed the pond project has public value, although there are private property signs marking the ponds banks. The ethics complaint, filed by Mount Pleasant resident Daniel Dimler, alleges that DeGroot used his position for a financial benefit not available to anyone else. Dimler is the husband of Kelly Gallaher, who ran and lost against DeGroot in his most recent re-election campaign. Through his contractor, Village President David DeGroot, his wife, and the HOA they represent, embarked upon an illegal activity scheme using public land in violation of village codes under color of his official capacity to obtain a substantial financial benefit not available to any other resident of the village, the complaint states. In an exhibit included with the complaint, local residents attempted to obtain a permit from village staff to dump material at the property, only to be told village staff does not offer permits for dumping on village property. The complaint also states that when DeGroot chaired a village committee meeting in which the sole agenda item was his neighborhoods dumping, that was a gross conflict of interest. The post Mount Pleasant resident files ethics complaint against village president over pond muck dumping appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. MPD shuts down Judiciary Square traffic due to suspicious package outside DC Superior Court WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shut down traffic in Judiciary Square on Wednesday morning as they investigated a suspicious package near the courthouse. MPD said the possible suspicious package, later confirmed to be a backpack, was found outside the DC Superior Court at 500 Indiana Ave. NW. Michigan man completes cross-country walk in DC The following road closures are in place as police investigate: 500 block of Indiana Avenue, NW, between 5th and 6th Streets 400 block of 5th Street, NW, between D and E Streets In an update made shortly after 8 a.m., MPD said nothing was found inside or near the backpack and the incident was being cleared. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EAST LANSING The investigation into whether Michigan State University trustees bullied each other and broke codes of ethics and conduct has surpassed the $2 million mark. That's in addition to the approximately $325,000 the university has paid so far to cover the legal fees of trustees during and after the investigation. This investigation by the Washington D.C.-based law firm Miller & Chevalier ultimately found that former Board Chair Rema Vassar, D-Detroit, and Trustee Dennis Denno, D-East Lansing, had broken the board's code of ethics and conduct. The attorneys' report recommended they be removed from board assignments and referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for potential removal from their elected positions. Miller & Chevalier also recommended that the two trustees, along with Trustee Brianna Scott, D-Muskegon, be censured. Michigan State Univeristy Board of Trustees Chairperson Rema Vassar speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the MSU Multicultural Unity Center on Friday, April 21, 2023, on campus in East Lansing. In a special, late-night board meeting on March 3, the trustees voted to follow the report's recommendations. Scott's public claims that Vassar was guilty of misconduct and acting outside the bounds of her authority sparked the investigation, but because she violated attorney-client privilege, the firm recommended she be censured but commended her for stepping forward. The university is paying three law firms for the investigation, with Miller & Chevalier representing the university and two other firms providing legal counsel for Vassar and Denno. The latest invoices obtained by the State Journal through a public records request are stamped as received by the MSU Office of the General Counsel on May 9. Miller & Chevalier billed the university $572,611 for work done in February. Along with the roughly $1.4 million billed for work from Oct. 30 through Jan. 31, the investigation now totals $2,033,837. MSU Trusteee Dennis Denno, pictured Friday, April 21, 2023, during the Michigan State University Board of Trustees meeting at the Hannah Administration Building. So far, MSU has paid about $340,000 of its $2 million bill. Vassar has retained outside counsel, paid for by the university, since December. For its work done through Feb. 29, the Rochester, Michigan-based Miller Law firm has billed the university $318,979. The law firm has continued to represent Vassar since the report was released Feb. 28, and in March released a response to the investigation's findings and called it "inaccurate," "incomplete," "flawed," and lacking due process. MSU Board of Trustees member Brianna Scott, pictured Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, during a Board of Trustees meeting at the Hannah Administration Building. It isn't clear whether the university is still paying for Vassar's representation. MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion said who would be covering her legal fees was still being decided, and the trustees have not publicly discussed removing her legal representation. MSU also paid Denno's attorneys, with the Royal Oak-based attorneys Ahmad & Akbar, a $7,000 retainer fee but no other invoices were sent to the university regarding continued representation of Denno by the firm. Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com, or follow her on X @sarahmatwood This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU investigation into trustee misconduct, bullying passes $2 million These frames are among the 20 that display the hundreds of points (aka, arrowheads) in the Grutzmacher Collection in the Red Brick Museum in Mukwonago. They were among the 12,400-piece collection which Arthur Grutzmacher willed to the Mukwonago Community Library in 1965. MUKWONAGO - In the straightest path, 2,000 miles separate Mukwonago from Elk Grove, California, yet the Native American connection between them proved to be closer than many people realized. Inside the Red Brick Museum in the village's downtown area, a collection of tribal belongings, including one from a burial site associated with the Wilton Rancheria Tribe in northern California, has been on display for more than a half-century as part of a cache of more than 12,000 donated items tied to various tribes. At some point, years earlier, the Wilton Rancheria item, a set of beads, had made the long journey from near Sacramento to Mukwonago in the hands of a local collector and dealer. Now, under a federal law, it will make the journey back, this time in the hands of Mukwonago Community Library Director Abby Armour. It's the first in what is expected to be a series of Native American cultural items returned to their historic sources. Mukwonago library follows detail process under NAGPRA The library announced in late May that it is in the process of reuniting a portion of the 12,400 Native American items examples of which include arrowheads, hand axes, drills and scrapers with a number of tribes under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a 1990 federal law designed for exactly that purpose. Over the course of more than three decades, NAGPRA has slowly progressed as connections are rediscovered and verified, eventually including places as seemingly far-flung as libraries found to be in possession of such items. "We are the first public library in Wisconsin, and the third in the nation, to return belongings under NAGPRA," Armour said in an email. Armour explained how the connection was made between the Waukesha County community, long identified by its Native American-derived name in a county filled with them, and distant indigenous people such as the Wilton Rancheria tribe. Native American items from the Grutzmacher Collection have been carefully cataloged by consultants working with the Mukwonago Community Library. As part of the process to repatriate the items to tribes, officials must count, number and safely repackage items, many of which will eventually return to descendants of the original owners. In 1965, Arthur Grutzmacher, a local collector and dealer, willed the vast collection of Native American items, known as the Grutzmacher Collection. Since 1970, a little more than half of those items have been displayed in the Red Brick Museum, the village-owned landmark site off Highway 83, in association with the Mukwonago Historical and Museum Society. After lawmakers enacted NAGPRA two decades later, stakeholders began searching for items and identifying museums where such artifacts were kept, sometimes more than a century after they were removed from tribal lands. In 2022, officials determined that the Mukwonago library itself met federal criteria as a museum. "We learned that any public institution that controls Native American cultural items and has received federal money is considered a 'museum' and must comply with NAGPRA," Armour said. "Therefore, we found ourselves in the unique position of being a public library that was actually considered a museum in the eyes of the law." That meant the organization had to safeguard the Native American items, repatriate them with their rightful owners, and eventually return them to the descendants of tribes, including the Wilton Rancheria. So in 2022, the library and its trustees began consulting with officials and specialists to legally transfer control of the artifacts. Armour said the library worked with Bernstein & Associates NAGPRA Consultants to catalog the Grutzmacher Collection and provide a legal summary of the Native American items on hand. Library director vows to personally deliver Wilton Rancheria item Under the law, the set of beads were considered legally repatriated to the Wilton Rancheria tribe in April 2023. In this case, Armour herself has taken on the responsibility of delivering this burial site item to the tribal leaders in person, to ensure a secure "chain of custody." She noted that each tribe has different preferences in how such items should be delivered. "We are always learning about how we can be better stewards and fulfill our duties to the local, tribal and educational communities," Armour added. "This repatriation has been a meaningful collaboration between the Wilton Rancheria Tribe and the Mukwonago Community Library Board, she said. "These belongings were removed from a burial site near Sacramento decades ago and we are proud to be able to reunite them with the tribe in time for reburial." Wilton Rancheria tribal leaders said they appreciate both the efforts made by museums in general and Mukwonago in particular. The Wilton Rancheria Tribe has been working diligently toward the safe and honorable return of their ancestors and belongings," Cassie Dowdle, Wilton Rancherias NAGPRA manager, said in a statement. "Great relationships, like the one we have with the Mukwonago Community Library, are what makes this process easier. We are immensely proud of these partnerships that help us bring them home." Library officials noted that while other items from the 12,400-piece Grutzmacher collection will also be returned to other tribes in the future, the exact timeline isn't known. Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mukwonago library begins returning items to Native American tribes A transient man arrested on suspicion of violently raping two women in the Venice Canals has been charged with murder after one of the victims died more than a month after the attack. Anthony Francisco Jones, 29, now faces charges for murder with a special circumstance alleging that the crime happened during the course of a violent rape and sodomy. Sarah Alden, 53, was declared brain dead earlier this month and died in the hospital after she was taken off life support. Jones is accused of attacking Alden and 54-year-old Mary Klein in separate sexual assaults that took place on the night of April 6. Both women were out for evening walks, officials and loved ones have said. The suspect, Anthony Jones, 29, seen walking around the Venice canals area on April 6, 2024. Jones, who is believed to be homeless, was captured on security cameras walking near the canals that night holding a liquor bottle that investigators said was used in the attacks. Authorities have called the attacks on the two women heinous and reprehensible. Alden had just moved to Los Angeles from Massachusetts and had recently signed a lease along the famed canals. Loved ones said she had dreamed of moving to Venice Beach for years. Klein, who survived the attack, told KTLA from her hospital bed that Jones attacked her from behind and bashed her face in. Doctors were forced to wire the single mothers jaw shut and the beating left her severely injured and covered in bruises. Jones was arrested days later and police said there was believed to be a sexual element to the crimes, although details were limited. In early May, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced he had been charged with two counts of forcible rape, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, one count of mayhem, one count of torture, and one count of sodomy by use of force. Now he faces murder charges in addition to those other felonies. Our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to the victims family and friends during this unimaginably tragic time, District Attorney Gascon said. We are committed to seeking justice for both victims of these heinous crimes. The additional murder charge carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to the life sentences for the crimes previously alleged. Jones remains in police custody and is expected in court on June 11. Several of the charges carry the possible sentence of life in prison without parole. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in Beijing on Wednesday. Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that the two sides have announced the elevation of their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, drawing a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance strategic synergy, conduct high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and push for the greater development of bilateral cooperation, Zhao said. The NPC of China is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with the Parliament of Equatorial Guinea, work with Equatorial Guinea to learn from each other's governance experience, approve and revise legal documents conducive to bilateral cooperation, and strengthen coordination and cooperation on multilateral mechanisms, Zhao said. Obiang said that Equatorial Guinea abides firmly by the one-China principle and speaks highly of the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. It is willing to strengthen cooperation with China and work with China to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries, he added. Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, meets with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Armed and dangerous murder suspect from Indiana could be in Atlanta The Atlanta Police Department has issued a BOLO on behalf of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for a man wanted in connection to a murder. On March 14, IMPD officers responded to Methodist Hospital on Senate Avenue about a person shot. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Officers arrived at the scene to find the victim, who police identified as Candace Powell, shot. Paramedics tried saving Powell, but she died from her injuries. The IMPD investigation revealed that the shooting happened on Prospect Street and Powell had been dropped off at the hospital in her car after the shooting. Detectives identified 34-year-old Deandre Rogers as a potential suspect. The Marion County Prosecutors Office (MCPO) issued a warrant for Rogers arrest for the charges of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer and unlawful carrying of a handgun. The charges are with a prior felony conviction within the last 15 years. TRENDING STORIES: IMPD detectives are asking anyone with information on Rogers whereabouts to contact 911 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477. Police said Rogers has connections to the Houston, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia areas. They did not specify how Rogers made his way to Atlanta. Police said he should be considered armed and dangerous. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to a felony arrest. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Annie Jackson needs to solve a mystery. Several mysteries. They all involve her familys mausoleum in Rosemont Cemetery, an edifice she is now responsible for. The mysteries involve who is entombed in the edifice and who is not. And, more morbidly, what might be found in the crypts or what might be missing. Annie Jackson hopes someone has answers to the mysteries of her family's mausoleum in Rosemont Cemetery, a century-old edifice plagued by misfortune. The mausoleum was constructed 100 years ago by Annies second great-grandmother, Lillis Morgan. Her life was a story worth its own telling. The matriarch Lillis Davis was born in Illinois and came to the Burkburnett area with her mother and sister before towns existed here. At age 12, she chased an intruder out of the familys humble dugout with a hatchet. That earned her the nickname Hatchet Girl among the Native Americans who befriended her. Lillis Morgan rose from a humble dugout to become a successful businesswoman in early-day Wichita Falls and matriarch of a large family for which she built a huge private mausoleum in Rosemont Cemetery. Lillis mother acquired some land, and Lillis, displaying the entrepreneurial spirit that would define her life, acquired land of her own. She eventually owned several ranches. And she struck oil. She outlived two husbands, moved to Wichita Falls, became matriarch of a large family and tackled the male-dominated business scene. Constructed 100 years ago, the massive Lillis Morgan family mausoleum in Rosemont Cemetery contains 32 burial crypts. She had several businesses. She bought the Kemp Building at 600 Eighth Street from Joseph Kemp and Frank Kell, said Annie, wife of former City Council member Steve Jackson. She renamed it the Morgan Building and added some extra floors. It later became the Holt Hotel. She was a very astute businesswoman," Annie said. Lillis faced challenges in a male-dominated world but did not avoid fights. She became the first woman in Texas to take a traffic violation to an appeals court. Sarah Jane Davis, Lillis Morgan's mother, was a single woman when she brought her family to the then-desolate prairie of Wichita County. From a humble earthen dugout, her family rose to wealth and prominence. Shes been to court many times, that woman. Even to the United States Supreme Court. She went there twice. One of them involved the Red River. She won that one, Annie said. Though astute, Annie said her ancestor was generous, forgiving debts owed to her by local businessmen during the Great Depression. The oil one of the pumpjacks everything it produced went to the boys orphanage," Annie said. Capt. James King Jr. was killed in World War II. His brother, Robert, pulled strings in Washington to get his remains returned for entombment in the family's Lillis Morgan mausoleum in Rosemont Cemetery. A Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Wichita Falls was named in James King's honor. That generosity led to one of the mysteries of the mausoleum. The mystery boy There is someone in there, and Im not sure where he is, Annie said. His name is James Parker, and he was a 16-year-old boy when he died in a car accident. Lillis provided a crypt with the understanding the family would move the body later. That never happened. A casket is partially exposed in the Lillis Morgen mausoleum where time, a tornado, vandals, water and ground settling at Rosemont Cemetery have taken a toll. The records at the city have him here, but were not sure where," Annie said. None of the crypt facings bear the boys name. The mausoleum holds 32 crypts, most likely making it the largest private tomb in the city. It is a stately edifice built in the Golden Age of sepulchers. She liked to compete with the big boys," Annie said. "From the stories Ive heard it would have been about, Let me make sure mine lasts longer than yours does. As Lillis wished, the mausoleum did last, but not without misfortunes to add to its mysteries. Rosemont is now owned by the city and located on one of the busiest streets in town. Lillis Morgan purchased what became the Holt Hotel from Joseph A. Kemp and Frank Kell. It was one of several downtown buildings she owned. But it was initially privately owned, and the thoroughfare was just a lonely country road. That led to vandalism. The bronze double doors have been battered, glass and locks were broken, and fittings were removed. One family member lamented in a letter that the structure became a dry, safe yet macabre place to sleep or celebrate. It got worse. The grave robber There was the problem with the break-ins, Annie said, when they stole the skulls. In 1993 a grave robber broke in. Twice. The first attempt was with Lillis, Annie said. Nothing was stolen. The second time he came back with equipment. That time he broke into some crypts that contained bodies of family members Lillis brought from the cemetery at Clara, now a ghost town. The violated crypts included those of Lilliss mother, Sarah Davis, and A.A. Morgan, Lillis second husband. Investigators arrested a Petrolia man who led them to the Little Wichita River in Clay County where they found skulls and cemetery statuary under a bridge. The man was sent to a mental hospital, and a funeral home bagged up the skulls. No record was kept of where they went. I think they found four skulls, Annie said. Photographs taken at the time also show four skulls. At the time of the break-in, police found evidence someone had tried to dig up a grave or graves at Rosemont, and vandalism had occurred at Riverside Cemetery. That raises questions in Annies mind. Are the remains that were returned ours? Its my understanding this is not the only place that young man violated," Annie said. "Who all was really taken? Our concern is, do we have bodies where theyre supposed to be or did they get placed in an unmarked tomb, not knowing who they belonged to? We may have to open them all. As a result of the break-in, wary relatives removed two bodies and had them interred in a Burkburnett cemetery. The tornado The mausoleum has suffered at the hands of nature as well as humans. The tornado that struck Wichita Falls on April 10, 1979, devastated Rosemont Cemetery and damaged one side. It was repaired but was left weakened. Heavy rains have caused ground settling. Marble crypt facings have fallen, leaving one vacant crypt eerily open. The floor in another crypt collapsed, partially exposing a casket. The precarious side includes the remains of James A. King Jr., an Army Air Corps captain who died when his plane was shot down in World War II. A VFW post in Wichita Falls was named in his honor. His brother, Robert, used his government connections to retrieve Jamess body from France. Robert King was a naval architect who helped design Franklin Roosevelts war bunker and the East Wing of the White House. His ashes will be entombed when the mausoleum is repaired. Annie believes the mausoleum holds at least 12 to 14 bodies, including three infants. Other mysteries? Because of Lillis generosity, Annie wonders if more bodies might reside in the structure. Some unmarked crypts have stains around the crypt facings. I think something is in there, she said. Annie was extremely close to her great-grandparents, James King Sr. and Willie King. They were the stability in my life," she said. After they died in the late 1970s, she avoided entering the mausoleum for many years. The entombment of her brother in 2019 brought her back and sparked her determination to put things in order. The work would entail moving caskets from the weakened side to hopefully empty niches on the stable side while repairs are made. Its a daunting task that first requires getting some answers. I dont want to go, 'Oh, Im just going to move these family members.' Then work starts and all of a sudden they find another body," Annie said. "I dont want to put any of us through that. Unfortunately, many of those who might know the answers to the mysteries of the mausoleum reside within it. Annie hopes there might be some still among the living. She invites anyone with information to contact her at WFAJackson2019@outlook.com. More: A quiet Wichita Falls neighborhood was once party central for the rich and famous More: If walls could talk this old WF mansion would tell of wealth, power - and murder This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Mysteries and misfortune surround Wichita Falls mausoleum The asteroid Dinkinesh, a denizen of the solar system's main asteroid belt, is seen in multiple images taken by the NASA Lucy Spacecraft's L'LORRI Instrument By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A little asteroid called Dinkinesh - visited last November by NASA's Lucy spacecraft - has a surprisingly dynamic history, according to scientists, along with its moonlet Selam that is comprised of two bodies that gently melded into one. Dinkinesh and Selam are the smallest asteroids from our solar system's main asteroid belt, located between the planets Mars and Jupiter, ever seen up close by a spacecraft. Lucy observed ridges, trough structures and other characteristics on Dinkinesh that hint at a complicated past for the asteroid and its companion, the researchers said on Wednesday. Asteroids are primordial remnants from the solar system's early stages, offering clues about how Earth and other planets formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. The U.S. space agency launched Lucy in 2021 on a 12-year mission to study asteroids - in particular, Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, two batches of space rocks that lead and trail the giant planet as it orbits the sun. On the way, Lucy flew past Dinkinesh and Selam in the inner edge of the main asteroid belt. Dinkinesh has a diameter of nearly a half mile (720 meters). Selam is made up of two similarly sized lobes, one about 750 feet (230 meters) wide and the other about 690 feet (210 meters). Selam orbits Dinkinesh once about every 53 hours at a distance of about two miles (3.1 km). It appears, the researchers said, that a big piece of rock broke free sometime in the past from Dinkinesh, amounting to about a quarter its total size, as the asteroid spun in its orbit, gouging a trough on its surface and sending debris into space. Some of this debris, they said, apparently fell back onto Dinkinesh's surface as boulders to form a ridge structure, while other material came together to form Selam. Selam is what is called a contact-binary moonlet. "When referring to small bodies in the solar system, a contact-binary is when it appears that a single body is composed of two objects that collided gently enough not to become disrupted," said planetary scientist Katherine Kretke of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Colorado, a co-author of the study published in the journal Nature. "They are relatively common in the solar system, but Selam was the first time a contact-binary has been observed orbiting another asteroid," Kretke said. Dinkinesh orbits the sun at about 2.2 times the distance of Earth's orbit. "During their lifetime, small asteroids may shed material, which later ends up forming a small satellite or satellites. The complex shape of Selam indicates that this process may occur multiple times," said SwRI planetary scientist and Lucy mission deputy principal investigator Simone Marchi, another study co-author. Asteroids are the building blocks of planet formation. "A planet like Earth formed by the accumulation of countless small bodies. Understanding the properties of small asteroids such as Dinkinesh and Selam helps us to have a better picture of the earliest phases of planet formation," Marchi said. NASA's spacecraft was named for the Ethiopian fossil nicknamed Lucy of the extinct human relative Australopithecus. That fossil has provided insight into a formative stage of the human evolutionary lineage, much as asteroids provide insight into planetary formation. Dinkinesh is the Ethiopian name for the Lucy fossil, meaning "you are marvelous" in the Amharic language. Selam, the Ethiopian name for another Australopithecus fossil, means "peace" in Amharic. Lucy will next visit the asteroid Donaldjohanson in 2025 in the main asteroid belt, with 11 asteroids in total on its agenda. The Dinkinesh visit was a late addition to Lucy's itinerary. "Dinkinesh was a test fly-by for the Lucy missionthat allowed us to exercise some of the procedures that will be used later in the mission when we get to the Trojan asteroids," Marchi said. "Lucy performed flawlessly and as planned." (Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Daniel Wallis) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Metro Nashville police are searching for a number of suspects in various crimes, with 10 at the top of their list as the citys Most Wanted fugitives. The list is updated every Wednesday on the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Criminal Warrants Divisions Facebook page. According to police, those featured on the Top 10 Most Wanted list are often considered to be some of the most violent offenders in the city. More than 100 of Nashvilles Most Wanted fugitives arrested since 2022 Of the suspects on this weeks list, all but three are wanted for either homicide or charges related to alleged sex crimes. The rest of Nashvilles Most Wanted suspects are accused of crimes such as aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and vandalism. The two newest additions to the list are both accused of rape. One of the men has additional charges for sexual battery and incest. While the search for these suspects continues, the list has aided police in several arrests. In total, at least 112 Most Wanted fugitives have been taken into custody since the program was launched in October 2022. One of the most recent arrests was that of 27-year-old Renee Mason, who is accused of trying to help a man cover up two murders last year. According to officials, Mason was taken into custody on Friday, May 24 for three counts of failure to appear, two counts of failure to report a dead body and two counts of accessory after the fact. Wanted woman arrested on charges related to the cover up of 2 murders Police also recently arrested rape suspect, 23-year-old Kevon Horton, whose alleged crimes date all the way back to November 2022. Investigators have largely attributed the programs success to tips from the public. Below is a list of the suspects who made the police departments Top 10 Most Wanted list the week of May 29, 2024. 1. Adrian L. Cameron Adrian Cameron (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) At number one, Adrian Cameron, 19, is considered this weeks Top Most Wanted fugitive, according to the MNPD. This is the third week in a row Cameron has appeared on the list. However, police have been looking for him since mid-April. Investigators said Cameron is one of three suspects in the death of 32-year-old rapper Chris King, who was shot and killed just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. King and his friends were reportedly hanging out in an alleyway between Hayes Street and Church Street that night. RELATED: 1 killed, 1 injured in shooting along Hayes Street Eventually, three other men began interacting with the group. Kings friends told police it started out cordial, but after some time, the three suspects allegedly tried to rob them. Thats when gunfire ran out, injuring King and his 29-year-old friend. Both of them were brought to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but King did not survive. Cameron, who was out on bond for the 2021 murder of 50-year-old Josh Evans at the time, was identified as a suspect in the shooting only days later. Officials believe Cameron cut his ankle monitor shortly after the shooting. Cameron had just turned 17 years old when police said he turned himself in for Evans murder. Evans was found shot and wrapped in trash bags in the Cumberland River in Sept. 2021. Unbelievable: Mourning Lebanon family outraged teen murder suspect was out on bond, accused of killing again Cameron was arrested again for gun charges in Rutherford County less than four months after turning himself in for the 2021 murder. Hes now charged with criminal homicide in connection with Kings death, as well as failure to appear. However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on Camerons whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 2. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith Lagarrion Blacksmith (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Lagarrion Blacksmith, 35, has been at the top of Nashvilles Most Wanted list for several months as police continue to try to track him down. He was initially added to the list on Nov. 29, 2023, after investigators said they were able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar last year. Officers found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18, 2023. He had been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened. RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear. Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, 2023, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun. However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful. 3. Jaylen Bender Jaylen Bender (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Jaylen Bender, 22, was recently indicted by a grand jury on charges for aggravated assault with intent and assault with bodily injury, according to police. He was added to the Most Wanted list on May 1. Authorities said his last location is unknown. 4. Raceme Crutcher Raceme Crutcher (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Police have been looking for Raceme Crutcher, 22, since July 2023, when he was named as one of two suspects in a deadly Fourth of July shooting. Officials said the shooting happened at the Fallbrook Apartments on Dellway Villa Road. Etabo Malanda, 16, was reportedly standing on the porch of an apartment when two armed individuals came from around the corner and confronted him. RELATED: Teen killed in shooting at East Nashville apartment complex Malanda allegedly tried to pull out a pistol that was inside his hoodie, but he was shot. Police said he died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to investigators, four guns were recovered from the apartment, including one that was reported stolen. Crutcher and 17-year-old Jaylin Brown were reportedly connected to the crime through witness accounts. Investigators also obtained surveillance footage and additional information from community members that they said pointed to Crutcher and Brown as suspects in the case. Officials believe the motive may have been an ongoing dispute between the suspects and Malanda. SEE ALSO: Teen wanted in connection with deadly Fourth of July shooting arrested Brown was taken into custody on Aug. 31, 2023, after police said they caught him driving a stolen car. However, Crutcher is still on the run. He was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 15, 2023. His last location is unknown. 5. Michael A. Yarlett Michael A. Yarlett (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Michael Yarlett, 29, is wanted on three counts of aided and abetted rape, according to police. Court documents indicate he is one of two suspects in the incident, which happened in September 2022. Yarlett was added to the Most Wanted list on Nov. 22, 2023. Officials said his last location is unknown. 6. Jose D. Alvarez-Diaz Jose D. Alvarez-Diaz (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Jose Alvarez-Diaz, 41, is a new addition to the list this week. Police said Alvarez-Diaz was recently indicted on multiple charges for alleged sex crimes. He has outstanding warrants for rape, sexual battery and incest. Court records show Alvarez-Diaz was also charged with child rape in 2012. However, the offense was later amended to a misdemeanor assault charge, to which he pled guilty. Authorities said his last location is unknown. 7. Charles E. Mallory Charles E. Mallory (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Charles Mallory, 31, is another new addition to Nashvilles Most Wanted list. Officials said Mallory is wanted on an outstanding warrant for one count of aggravated rape with bodily injury. His last location is unknown. 8. Adrian Abernathy Adrian Abernathy (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Adrian Abernathy, 30, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a stolen car in a deadly October 2022 crash on the Rosa L. Parks Boulevard exit ramp from I-65 North. Abernathy has outstanding warrants for vehicular homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, felon in possession of a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, reckless endangerment and making a false report. RELATED: Man wanted after allegedly lying about driving stolen car involved in deadly crash According to police, Abernathy initially said he was a backseat passenger in the stolen Lincoln Navigator SUV. However, over the course of the investigation, detectives determined the seating positions were reversed and Abernathy was the one driving the car. Authorities said he was traveling over 100 mph shortly before the crash, which killed 29-year-old Todd Bryant of Antioch. Abernathy has been featured on the Most Wanted list several times since early February 2023. He was added back to the list on May 1 after last being featured in November. Officials said he was last seen in Hermitage. 9. Ricky C. Roach Ricky Roach (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Ricky Roach, 43, who was the subject of a massive manhunt in Cheatham County in 2022, is wanted by police after being indicted on multiple charges out of Davidson County. Those charges include aggravated burglary, aggravated burglary acting in concert and theft of property less than $250,000. Court records show those offenses date back to March 4, 2022 only about two months before he escaped from corrections officers at an Ashland City hospital. At the time, Roach was reportedly serving jail time in Cheatham County for a parole violation. Cheatham County court records indicate that Roach has previously pled guilty to charges for robbery, assault, theft and contempt of court. SEE ALSO: New details released after escapees arrest caught on camera After hours of searching, the May 26, 2022, manhunt ended when a reserve off-duty Ashland City police officer spotted Roach and held him at gunpoint until other officers arrived. Following his arrest, Cheatham County Sheriffs Office Lt. Ken Miller told News 2, Ive been dealing with Mr. Roach for quite some time, pretty much my whole career here actually. Now, Metro Nashville police are looking for Roach in connection with more alleged crimes across county lines. Authorities said his last location is unknown. 10. Dewayne E. Humbles Dewayne E. Humbles (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Dewayne Humbles, 21, has a total of 21 outstanding warrants for multiple violent offenses and violations of court orders, according to police. The charges against him include three counts of aggravated stalking, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic assault, four counts of criminal contempt, three counts of failure to appear, four counts of violation of a protection order, one count of probation violation and one count of vandalism. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Humbles was added to the Most Wanted list last week. Officials said his last location is unknown. Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. On April 11, 1944, a young Tuskegee Airman, 22-year-old Frank Moody from Los Angeles, was on a training mission from Selfridge Air Base when something caused his plane to crash into the waters of Lake Huron. Though Moodys body was found roughly two months later, the P-39 Airacobra that he was flying remained undiscovered near Port Huron for decades. Then, 70 years to the day of the accident, a father-son dive team came across part of the aircraft The quest to find out why Moodys plane crashed is explored June 3 by National Geographics The Real Red Tails, which also honors the Black military pilots who fought racism at home and fascism abroad during World War II. Lt. Frank Moody is seen in his official military portrait, class of 1944, single engine pilots. The search for Moody's crashed World War II-era plane is explored in National Geographic's "The Real Red Tails." Narrated by Sheryl Lee Ralph of ABCs Abbott Elementary, the hourlong documentary gives a history of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-Black fighter squadron in the United States. Nicknamed the Red Tails, they played a crucial role in defeating Hitler and preserving democracy in America. The Real Red Tails features diving footage from the archaeological mission to recover the P-39, along with extensive interviews with Dr. Brian Smith, president and CEO of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum at Detroits Coleman A. Young International Airport, and Wayne Lusardi, who is Michigan's state maritime archaeologist. As viewers learn about the modern-day story, theyre also given a gripping overview of what the Tuskegee men had to endure in order to prove their excellence as military pilots. Several former airmen, including Lt. Col. (Ret.) Harry T. Stewart Jr. and Lt. Col. (Ret.) James H. Harvey, share their memories, many of them vivid accounts of the discrimination they experienced as they strived to serve their country. Tuskegee Airmen Henry Thaddeus Stewart and James Harvey (second and third, from left to right) in a World War II-era photo from National Geographic's "The Real Red Tails." Although the Tuskegee Airmen achieved a legacy of bravery and excellence in combat, U.S. military leaders were reluctant to give Black service members a chance to do more than menial tasks. The Real Red Tails traces how Black activists had to lobby for more significant roles on the battlefield. Their efforts, coupled with President Franklin Roosevelts need to win the support of Black voters for re-election, led FDR to activate in 1941 what would become the pilot program for the Tuskegee Airmen. Harvey remembers arriving in Washington, D.C., after enlisting for the program and leaving his train to grab some lunch. When he returned, he remembers, The conductor said: No, no, no no. You ride in the car where Negroes ride. That was my introduction to segregation and the South. After their initial training in Tuskegee, Alabama, the pilots would be sent to what was then called the Selfridge Army Airfield, which was in Harrison Township near Mt. Clemens, to learn skills necessary for combat missions and to fly operational aircraft, not training planes, as the documentary details. In the 1940s, it was a dangerous process. Willing to give their lives for their nation but not treated as equal citizens, the Tuskegee Airmen lost 15 men, including Moody, during the training done in Michigan. Tuskegee Airmen Lt. Col. (Ret.) Harry T. Stewart Jr. and Lt. Col. (Ret.) James H. Harvey at the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum in Detroit in a scene from National Geographic's "The Real Red Tails." The documentary shows how the Double V campaign, as it was called, became a rallying cry for Black Americans seeking a victory abroad against Hitlers forces and at home against racism. While the Tuskegee Airmen returned after the war to the same ugly discrimination, their impressive record at tasks like escorting bomber runs was a key reason that President Harry Truman signed the executive order in 1948 that integrated the military. As the contemporary mission to find out what happened to Moodys plane locates key pieces of the puzzle, the documentary provides context on the lengthy wait for proper recognition of what the Tuskegee Airmen accomplished. Initially, they were left out of history books. Today, the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum and other groups continue to amplify just how important they were to the victory against Hitlers forces. More: 80 years ago, Tuskegee Airmen trained at Selfridge Airfield to fly in World War II As the Free Press chronicled earlier this year in a story on Michigans ties to the Tuskegee Airmen: Nearly a thousand men flew for the 332nd Fighter Group and the 447th Bombardment Group. The 332nd Fighter Group set an unprecedented record flying 200 of their 205 bomber escort missions without losing a bomber to enemy aircraft, earning them over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and a Presidential Unit Citation, as well as the claim 'Never Lost a Bomber.'" The recovery team lifts the propeller and gear box at the site of the wreck of Lt. Frank Moody's P-39 airplane, lost in the waters of Lake Huron in 1944, in a scene from "The Real Red Tails." In advance of the documentary's premiere on cable, the Tuskegee Airman National Historical Museum is hosting a free screening of "The Real Red Tails" at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Bel Air Luxury Cinema on Detroit's east side. A panel discussion will follow the screening featuring Smith, Lusardi and Andrea Williams, president of the National Association of Black Divers. The recovered plane eventually will be exhibited at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, which teaches young people about the past and the potential for their own future in aviation. We believe that if you can see a career, you can do the career or be the career, says Smith by phone. The Tuskegee Airmen still today allow us to see African Americans excellence in the face of danger, under the shadow of segregation and racism. Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie HInds at jhinds@freepress.com. 'The Real Red Tails' 8 p.m. June 3 National Geographic (streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu) Free local screening at 7 p.m. May 30 Bel Air Luxury Cinema 10100 Eight Mile Road, Detroit This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nat Geo documents recovery of Tuskegee Airman's plane from Lake Huron MATTESON, Ill. A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for a Chicago man wanted in connection with a shooting earlier this month that left a woman and her two children wounded in the far south suburban village of Matteson. Lander D. Coleman, 43, is the ex-boyfriend of the mother who was wounded, the Matteson Police Department said in a statement. The statement said officers called to a residence on the 5600 block of Woodgate Drive in the early morning hours of May 18 found the mother, her adult daughter and child with gunshot wounds. The mother remained hospitalized Wednesday but her two children have since been released. I actually remember hearing some gunshots at night. I said, Wow thats gunshots! We normally dont hear anything like that, said neighbor Linda Leshoure, who has lived in the Woodgate subdivision for more than a decade and who often takes her grandson to the nearby park. Police called the shooting an isolated domestic incident and said there is no threat to the community. More news from Chicagos South Suburbs They just moved in, said neighbor Joe Ferguson, who lives two houses down from the victim. My wife says theyre a nice group of people. Anyone with information on Colemans whereabouts is asked to call the Matteson Police Departments criminal investigations division at 708-503-3130. Tips may be submitted anonymously by calling 708-283-4766. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NATO summit declaration to contain 'new language' on Ukraine's membership, US ambassador says NATO's July summit in Washington will contain new language regarding Ukraine's membership in the alliance, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said during a briefing in Prague on May 29, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. Kyiv did not receive the much-desired invitation nor a firm deadline to join the alliance during the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, even though NATO took steps to tighten cooperation. Ukrainian officials have voiced hope that the Washington meeting, scheduled for July 9-11, will bring a more definite signal. Ukraine is unlikely to receive a membership invitation at the alliance's July summit, Julianne said, echoing statements by other officials. However, work on further support for Kyiv on its way to NATO is ongoing, she added. "It (NATO's declaration) will not look exactly the same as the one we had last year. We have to agree on this. The alliance has some very important and useful ideas, some interesting proposals, Julianne said. Subscribe to Ukraine Daily newsletter News from Ukraine in your inbox Subscribe One of the ideas under discussion is the appointment of a NATO representative to Ukraine to oversee efforts to support the country, according to the ambassador. We are looking at ways to identify and provide additional resources for our friends in Ukraine... This would send a sustained message to Moscow that none of us are stepping away, and that NATO allies are willing to make a long-term commitment to our friends in Ukraine, Julianne added. Her remarks came after reports that Kyiv will not advance further towards NATO membership at this years annual summit due to concerns that the alliance could be drawn into a war with Russia. The upcoming event can be "highly focused" on the creation of a roadmap for Ukraine to join the alliance in the future, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance's former secretary general, said that NATO's invitation to Ukraine "would be a controversial and at least an unprecedented decision to take." Rasmussen nevertheless suggested that this step could serve as "an instrument" to ending Russia's war. Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Important changes in the wording regarding Ukraine's membership prospects will be made at an upcoming meeting of NATO leaders in Washington. Source: US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith at a press conference ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague, a European Pravda correspondent reports. Details: Ambassador Smith said that NATO has agreed on the need to send a political signal about Ukraine's pathway to NATO membership, and that this signal will be part of the overall package of assistance to Ukraine. Based on her statement, there is already a decision in principle and a consensus on this. Active discussions on this will continue in Prague. Quote from Smith: "There will be some new language in the Summit declaration on Ukraines membership aspirations. It wont look exactly like the language that we had last year (in Vilnius)." She noted, however, that the final wording has not yet been agreed upon. "That needs to be negotiated. There are some very important and useful ideas floating around the Alliance right now, some interesting proposals." However, the ambassador stressed that Kyiv should not expect this discussion to result in a political invitation to membership the most desirable outcome for Kyiv. "The invitation this summer will not be on the table; that is unlikely. But we are focused on this package of support that will help us build the bridge to membership," she explained. Background: An unannounced summit on the supply of shells for the Ukrainian Armed Forces has also been held in Prague, which included a discussion of permission to fire on Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has asked the allies to review the constraints on the ban on Ukraine using Western weaponry against the Russian Federation amid border fighting in Kharkiv Oblast. Discussions on the election of a new NATO Secretary General will also continue in Prague, with calls for one of the candidates, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, to withdraw from the race. European Pravda will be bringing you all the latest updates on the talks. Support UP or become our patron! Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren on Tuesday denied allegations that he had sexually harassed Vice President Richelle Montoya and said a stronger policy will be put into place. Montoya, the first woman to serve as Navajo Nation vice president, said in April that she had been sexually harassed during a meeting last August and had outlined the incident in a written statement. She first talked about what happened on a live Facebook appearance, but did not name the person involved. It wasn't until Nygren's Tuesday news conference that it became clear Montoya was speaking of him as the person who had sexually harassed her. He vehemently denied the claim and said the interaction at the meeting was taken out of context by Montoya. "In the conclusion of the August meeting, I put one arm around her shoulder and I gave her a partial side hug to show my support for her as I have done many times before," said Nygren. "She has never suggested to me this gesture was in any way unwelcome or offensive to her. This is the extent to the August meeting. There was no assault. No sexual content or advances of any nature. I am deeply disappointed and offended that this interaction was taken out of context." At the August meeting, Nygren said the two were discussing news of Montoya's failed marriage, and that was all. Montoya's office told The Arizona Republic she would comment on Nygren's remarks but hadn't by mid-afternoon Tuesday. Allegations have surfaced since Montoya's initial statement that the Office of the President and Vice President has become a "toxic workplace." Nygren said that, to his knowledge, there have been only two complaints, one resulting in an immediate termination of an employee and the other involving Montoya's allegations against him. After Montoya outlined her allegations, the Navajo Nation Council sent a statement saying that leaders had agreed to a request to draft legislation to initiate an independent investigation into the allegation. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (right) and Madam Speaker Crystalyne Curley listen during the Navajo Nation Code Talkers Day ceremony on Aug. 14, 2023, at the Veterans Memorial Park in Window Rock. "The nature of these allegations compels us to act swiftly to gather the facts and to seek accountability," the council stated in April. "We must proceed assertively and cautiously to ensure a fair investigation." Council members were apparently not aware when Montoya made her first statement that it was Nygren she was accusing. Nygren responded that he supports and welcome an independent, fair and transparent investigation, and one that the Navajo people can have full confidence in. "Given that a request has just been made for legislation, as well as similar concerns of the same nature that have arose within the legislative branch, this is an appropriate time to call on the Navajo Nation Department of Justice to provide immediate guidance to the legislative and executive branches of government to ensure that a fair and independent investigation process is initiated," Nygren said in April. Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya takes her oath of office Tuesday as the first female vice president for the Navajo Nation, as her husband, Olsen Chee, stands beside her. Tuesday's news conference revealed significant disarray and a rocky relationship between Nygren and Montoya, even as Nygren expressed his respect for Montoya. Nygren noted that he has entrusted Montoya with several key initiatives, including chapter projects, Missing or Murdered Indigenous Relatives, review of customer service practices within tribal offices, responsible pet initiatives, oversight of the Office of Miss Navajo and the Dine Youth Council. "I gave her these responsibilities because of my respect of her," he said. "Her statement does not accuse me of anything sexual. It does not accuse me of any unwanted touching. She does not complain about sexual harassment in anyway. I am offended that I've been shamelessly slandered about this meeting." A media packet provided by Nygren's office included Montoya's statement from August. In her letter, she recounted feeling uncomfortable during the conversation in Nygren's office. She expressed feeling powerless to leave and mentioned that Nygren verbally prevented her from exiting his office four times. "I felt objectified," she wrote. "This happened with just him and I in his office. President Nygren sat across from me at his round table in his office. He sat back in a casual manner and just stared at me. I was uncomfortable enough to try and not have eye contact with him. His tone of voice was not business or friendly, it was strange." The news conference came a week after the Chinle chapter passed a resolution asking the Navajo Nation Council to place Nygren on leave so an independent investigation can take place. Currently, an investigation initiated by the Navajo Nation Attorney General is underway. "I take concerns about workplace safety seriously, I agree with the Attorney General that an investigation is appropriate," said Nygren. "The OPVP staff and I are cooperating fully with this investigation, and we expect the Vice President to do so as well." Greater representation: Navajo Speaker Crystalyne Curley gets to work after a historic election for women Addressing sexual assault and harassment On the subject of sexual assault and harassment within the Navajo Nation tribal government, Nygren said he will strengthen protections of Navajo Nation employees. He will start with enacting a workplace safety policy for the Office of the President and Vice President, which he said is the first of its kind. "I am aware there is a Navajo Nation personnel policy manual which has some protections, however, the manual does not go far enough to protect our Navajo people," he said. "We are working on a stronger policy. I am calling on the Council to strengthen workplace safety. Nygren emphasized that the Navajo Nation Council must use its legislative authority to enhance employee protection. This includes establishing clear definitions of inappropriate and appropriate behavior, allowing employees a full year to file sexual harassment claims without limiting them to economic damages, implementing mandatory penalties and stronger enforcement mechanisms for those responsible for harassment, and revising the Navajo Nation Personnel Policy Manual. Navajo Nation President Buu Van Nygren, left, and Vice President Richelle Montoya, second from right, prepare to take the oath of office Tuesday in Fort Defiance. These changes, he noted, would need to be undertaken by the Navajo Nation Council in collaboration with Navajo Personnel Management. "I am forming a commission on workplace safety," said Nygren. "Abused workers must be heard. This is especially true of our Navajo women. I will direct the commission to have town halls around the Navajo Nation, which I will personally attend. My role there will be to listen to victims of work place abuse, council members should also attend." Tribal leader will seek a 'peacemaking' According to the Navajo Nation personnel manual, "It is the policy of the Navajo Nation to protect all employees, male or female, against unwelcome and unsolicited behavior of a sexual nature. Such behavior is unacceptable in the workplace and other work-related settings such as business trips and business-related social events." Examples of sexual harassment given include nonverbal actions; leering; gesturing of a sexual nature; unwanted sexual advances; demands for sexual favors in exchange for favorable treatment or continued employment; repeated sexual jokes, flirtations, advances, or propositions; verbal abuse of a sexual nature; verbal commentary about an individuals body; touching, rubbing, pinching, whistling, assaulting, suggestive insulting, coerced sexual acts, or rape; and environmental harassment; display in the workplace of sexually suggestive objects or pictures. "My response was I didn't want to be alone with this person ever," Montoya said on Facebook in April. "And I didn't want him to talk to me or apologize or try to explain it or anything. One of the suggestions that was given ... was to have a training for the entire staff to where we don't point out the person who did this to me. Thinking about it, I'm like, 'Wait a minute. Why do I have to be a part of this training, when I am the one that knew what this person was doing was not right.' It was because they just didn't want to point out the person. That was hard." Nygren said he has invited Montoya for a peacemaking session. Traditional peacemaking, orhozhoji naataah,is one of several traditional services that may be obtained through the Peacemaking Program within the Navajo Nation. "Through engagement, the Peacemaker educates, persuades, pleads and cajoles the individual or group toward a readiness to open up, listen, share, and make decisions as a single unit using ke (family)," according to the Peacemaking website. It will be up to all parties whether to partake in this practice. Nygren said he won't speculate what the next steps will be should Montoya decide not to go through with the Peacemaking program with him, but he is hopeful she will consider it. "I would like to meet with her and a peacemaker to address these issues," said Nygren. "Hozho must be restored for the good of the Navajo people. These false accusations have caused division, uncertainty, and unrest within the Office of the President and Vice President, at the council, and communities." Arlyssa D. Becenti covers Indigenous affairs for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send ideas and tips to arlyssa.becenti@arizonarepublic.com. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Navajo President Nygren denies VP Montoya's harassment claims NAVARRE, Fla. (WKRG) A Navarre High School student became one of 28 high school upperclassmen to be selected to complete an intensive eight-week U.S. Navy Summer Flight Academy aviation program this summer. According to a release from the U.S. Navy, Lauren Mavity of Navarre, Florida, was selected for the program that will take place at Delaware State University from June 9 through Aug. 2. Better Business Bureau Mobile branch relocating within city Upon completion of the training, Mavity will earn her FAA Private Pilots license and five college credits. She is one of 28 high-performing 11th and 12th graders across the country who were selected for the program, which was established in 2021 to increase naval aviation exposure. Mavity and the 27 other students will receive at least 32 hours of classroom aviation academics and another 40 or more hours of flight training in either a Vulcanair V.10 single-engine aircraft or Piper Warrior (PA-28). Mavity and the other students will be required to complete 17 hours of solo flights to earn certification. Baldwin County Library Cooperative Board fires staff whats next The Department of the Navy sponsors the Summer Flight Academy program for students participating in Navy and Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, the release said. The program is a STEM initiative that was selected for funding by the Naval STEM Coordination Office located at the Office of Naval Research which oversees investments in STEM education, outreach and workforce initiatives. The program costs $28,000 per student but is offered at zero cost to the student with zero obligations. The goal of the scholarship program is to inspire and expose exceptional young talent from communities across the nation to a career path in Naval Aviation, Tamara Graham, Deputy Director, CNAF Flight Academy Program Manager, said. Lauren Mavity has demonstrated incredible potential, and the Navy is honored to play a part in her personal and professional journey. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SACRAMENTO, the United States, May 28 (Xinhua) -- University of California's controversial response to pro-Palestinian protests have led to an expanding strike as academic workers at two more campuses walked off the job on Tuesday. Employees at the University of California (UC), Los Angeles, and UC Davis in the U.S. state of California went on strike on Tuesday to protest the public university system's treatment of pro-Palestinian protests. They were called on by their union -- United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4811, which represents 48,000 academic workers at the ten campuses of the UC system and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Workers at UCLA are on Day One of our strike in response to the university's actions in the last few weeks. When there've been peaceful protests in our campus and (the university) has responded with nothing but violence," Anny Viloria, a union representative, told Xinhua during the strike. "So, we're here opposing that and demanding that the university takes immediate action for amnesty for all of our workers and students," she added. Over 50 protesters with "UAW on strike" signs were protesting in the middle of Dickson Plaza, reported the university's student newspaper Daily Bruin Tuesday morning, adding that protesters chanted, "L.A. is a union town" and "Whose university? Our university." Some protesters chanting "Free, free Palestine" were blocking the entrance of a parking structure on campus, according to the student newspaper. At UC Davis, about 15 miles from the state capital Sacramento, encampments were set up, with signs reading "free speech" and "unfair labor practice." The participants walked a picket line on the UC Davis campus, holding signs like "UAW on strike" and "Drop the charges," while chanting slogans, demanding amnesty for those facing university discipline. "UAW 4811 workers perform the majority of teaching at UC and perform cutting-edge research that generates billions in annual funding," said the union on its website. "Academic workers will stop performing any work duties related to teaching and research for the duration of the strike," it said. UC Santa Cruz was the first UC campus to stand up and withhold their labor when UAW 4811 called on members to go on strike last Monday. Since then, as many as 2,000 UC Santa Cruz graduate students and academic workers have participated in the action, according to a report by CalMatters. Tuesday's job action brought 12,000 more out of classrooms and laboratories, just about two weeks before students begin to take their end-of-quarter finals. So far, nearly a third of the academic and graduate student workers of the University of California have been on strike, according to the report. UAW 4811 said it "was one of the earliest unions in the U.S. to call for a ceasefire and de-escalation of the war in Gaza" and that academic workers at UC strongly support the right of the encampment organizers in their right to peacefully demonstrate. "When faced with Palestine Solidarity encampments and other nonviolent protests by academic workers, students, and community members, UC has mishandled and escalated the situation by taking unlawful actions that cut to the heart of our collective bargaining agreements," the union explained why it voted to authorize a strike, noting that "Our union has filed unfair labor practice charges in response." The UC Office of the President has countered by filing its own unfair labor charge against the union. The office called the strike "illegal" and said the union's decision to strike over non-labor issues violates the no-strike clause of their contracts with UC. The university also filed a request with the California Public Employment Relations Board for injunctive relief with UAW 4811's charges, but the state agency declined the request. In addition, hundreds of UC faculty and staff have been calling on Gene Block, chancellor of UC Los Angeles, to resign over the university's response to the protests. On May 2, after a night of violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters on UC Los Angeles campus, more than 200 protesters were arrested as police moved to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment at the university. Police crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests at UC San Diego and UC Irvine also led to dozens of arrests this month, as pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been spreading at colleges and universities across the United States amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar celebrates his victory with his daughter Catherine and wife Imelda Cuellar at an election night party in Laredo on Nov. 8, 2022. He will face Navy veteran Jay Furman in the 2024 election. Credit: Jessica Rodriguez for The Texas Tribune SAN ANTONIO Navy veteran Jay Furman won the Republican primary runoff Tuesday to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar for the 28th Congressional District, beating rancher Lazaro Garza. Furman led Garza with more than 65% of votes, the Associated Press called. "We are humbled by the overwhelming South Texas mandate to bring the change they demand," Furman said in a statement after his race was called. "It is time to come together in the mission to retire indicted Henry Cuellar, who votes 96% with Joe Biden in Congress. Texans, especially the hard-working people of Congressional District 28, deserve a committed leader, who will reflect South Texas values of faith, family, and country." The previously sleepy Republican primary attracted considerable attention after Cuellar was indicted earlier this month on charges of bribery, money laundering and working on behalf of the Azerbaijani government. Republicans had not been deeply invested in the race, having been burned in the 2022 election where Cuellar bested their efforts and triumphed to a ninth term representing a district that covers a large swath of South Texas from parts of San Antonio to Laredo. Furman and Garza entered the race as cultural conservatives focused on hardening the southern border. Both pounced on Cuellars indictment. In a video posted online the day the indictment was unsealed, Furman said Cuellar was part of a Washington establishment that was trading us for their deep pockets and their forever policies that are against the values of South Texas. "Exciting that maybe one of them will get their due," he said. Garza said on Facebook that day: "There is no place for corruption in Congress!" Jay Furman. Furman came ahead in the four-way Republican primary last March, with just under 45% of the vote. Garza had 27%. Candidates need at least 50% to avoid a runoff. Furman still faces a steep challenge in going after Cuellar. Neither Furman nor Garza raised funds typically needed for a competitive run for Congress. Furman reported raising over $195,000 ahead of the runoff, including over $150,000 in loans from his personal funds. Garza raised over $295,000, but $200,000 was in external loans. Both candidates already spent most of their money ahead of the runoff. Garza had about $3,100 in the bank before the runoff, while Furman had only about $2,000. Furman admitted in a recent interview that it was a very grassroots campaign. In a text message Tuesday night, Cuellar commended Garza's efforts as a "good campaign" and said he was looking forward to talking with Furman "about the issues that are important to my district like strong border security, transportation funding, trade and energy, education, and healthcare." When asked if he was still confident about winning in the general election, Cuellar responded: "Yes!" The National Republican Congressional Committee has also not made significant moves to support the Republican candidates, focusing instead their attention on the nearby 15th and 34th Congressional Districts. The 15th District is represented by Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, whom Democrats named their top target to flip this cycle. Republicans meanwhile named Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in the 34th District their biggest goal this cycle with former Rep. Mayra Flores challenging Gonzalez. Flores and De La Cruz have raised closer to $3 million each in their campaigns. Cuellar raised over $1.9 million this cycle, with over $415,000 in the bank ahead of the runoff (he didnt have a Democratic challenger this year). But Cuellars luck could change as his case progresses. He has already spent over half of his campaign funds on legal expenses, going back to January of 2023, according to FEC filings. His trial, which begins in June in Houston, could keep him from the campaign trail. He has already missed votes in Washington and is barred from traveling outside of the jurisdiction of the U.S. district courts for southern and western Texas or Washington for congressional business. The leadership is not fit for office, Furman said in an interview. A lot of people are very interested in this race now. Its now apparent to everybody what we saw. Cuellar maintains his innocence. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas, Cuellar said in a statement after the indictment was unsealed earlier this month. Ive devoted my lifes work to creating jobs here, improving education, and securing our border. He continued: Let me be clear, Im running for re-election and will win this November. He has proven it possible before. Cuellar managed to fend off a left-wing challenge in the 2020 and 2022 Democratic primaries from immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros, even after the FBI searched his home in a raid that received nation-wide media attention just two months before the 2022 Democratic primary. The purpose of the raid was not public at the time, but it later became clear it was connected to his alleged work on behalf of Azerbaijan. Cuellar beat Cisneros by less than a single percentage point. Cuellar then beat Republicans in their multi-million dollar effort to take the seat that year. Cassy Garcia, a former district director for Sen. Ted Cruz, lost the race by over 13 percentage points, despite high hopes from her party. Republicans included Garcia in their national Young Guns program for candidates they were optimistic about beating Democratic incumbents that cycle. The party was eager to flip three majority-Hispanic South Texas districts to signal a broader appeal to Latino voters across the country. Republicans hammered Cuellar over the FBI search, casting him as corrupt. The large margin was enough to stop Republicans from mounting another challenge going into this year. Garcia did not run again this year, rejoining Cruzs staff in February. Cisneros also declined to run after House Democratic leadership endorsed Cuellar. She has declined to comment on Cuellars indictment. Cuellars strong base in Laredo comes from decades of power consolidation and efforts to bring federal money back to the city. Born into a poor family of immigrants, Cuellar and his siblings have become power brokers in Laredo. His brother, Martin, is Webb County sheriff, and his sister, Rosie, is currently running to represent the Uvalde-based state House District 80. Rosie Cuellar made it into a runoff in the Democratic primary against Cecilia Castellano. Republicans could still change their strategy and invest again in the 28th District as Cuellars case progresses. The National Republican Congressional Committee quickly called on Cuellars colleagues to urge him to resign. No Texans in Congress from either party so far has done so. The NRCC has also connected with Furman since the indictment, Furman said. But the NRCC will have to focus its resources where it sees the most chance of success. It has lagged behind its Democratic counterpart in fundraising and is already laser focused on the other two South Texas races including the 34th District, which President Joe Biden would have won by over 15 points. The group has so far spent much of its energy trying to use Cuellars indictment to harm Gonzalez. Both are often ideologically grouped together, but Gonzalez faces no accusations of wrongdoing. Gonzalez dismissed the tactic as stupid and nonsense. House Democrats are standing by Cuellar, saying he has the right to a trial and presumption of innocence like any other American. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would not rescind his endorsement of Cuellar. Furman said he was driven to run after attempting to give a voice to the illegality of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the military. He was further galvanized after seeing the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he likened to conflict zones hed seen serving throughout Africa in the Navy. Furman decried what he called the status quo party Republicans who voted with Democrats on bills such as government funding or foreign aid. He is a vocal backer of YouTuber Brandon Herrera, a right-wing challenger to centrist Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whom Furman derided as phony Tony. There is no credible conservative opposition [to] the status quo party, Furman said. That kind of language put him at odds with the Washington Republicans equipped to fund him to a more competitive run. Republican leadership including House Speaker Mike Johnson supports Gonzales and worked with Democrats to pass government funding and foreign aid legislation. Garza told The Laredo Morning Times he saw the situation at the border as an invasion and ran to advocate for the rights of ranchers throughout the United States, with an emphasis on security along our southern border. He also saw supporting higher education opportunities as a major motivator to run for office. Garza did not respond to requests for an interview. Disclosure: Facebook 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. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Amid an increase in reported human trafficking cases, North Carolina lawmakers are calling for new measures to deter sex buyers and increase awareness of these crimes. A bill that recently cleared the House Judiciary 2 committee would put new requirements in place for hotel and vacation rental operators and increase penalties the first time someone solicits another person for prostitution. Under the bill, the first time someone is charged with soliciting someone for prostitution, it would be a felony instead of a misdemeanor. A person who is engaging in prostitution would not be charged. Because solicitation of prostitution is currently only a misdemeanor in North Carolina, it is not taken seriously by the public, by law enforcement, by the court system, said Pam Strickland, founder of NC Stop Human Trafficking. Increasing the penalty for the purchase of sex will likely not stop those who are addicts but almost certainly decrease sex buying among the more casual purchasers. Nationally, human trafficking cases increased by 49 percent from 2011 to 2021, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice. The North Carolina Attorney Generals Office says in 2021, there were 223 cases involving 340 victims in the state that were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The hotline is available 24 hours per day by calling 888-373-7888 or texting 233733. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said in January that his agency had seen a 77 percent increase in human trafficking cases compared to a year earlier. The House bill would direct the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services to develop training on human trafficking awareness. Certain employees and contractors of hotels and vacation rentals would be required to complete that training. Rep. Kevin Crutchfield (R-Cabarrus), who is sponsoring the bill, said hed worked with tourism industry leaders, realtors and other stakeholders on crafting the legislation. He said it does not put undo regulation on the industry while simultaneously works toward fighting against human trafficking. The bill also appropriates $500,000 to the Administrative Office of the Courts for an awareness campaign. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com. A young couple called the police in 2021, asking for help dealing with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos wife, Martha-Ann Alito, amid a neighborhood spat at the center of the controversy surrounding an upside-down American flag that was flown outside the justices home in Virginia. Emily Baden told The New York Times in a recent interview she had moved into her mothers home in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2020 during the pandemic with her then-boyfriend. The first rumblings of any issues with the Alitos came after they posted a sign following the 2020 presidential election that read Bye Don and Fuck Trump. Then-President Donald Trump had just lost to Joe Biden. Martha-Ann Alito approached Baden after a sign blew down several weeks later and told her she was glad it was gone and that it was offensive. It was the first time the pair had spoken. Baden pledged to keep the sign up at the time, she told the Times. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, Baden and her boyfriend posted new signs that read Trump is a fascist and You are complicit, but her mother later took them down amid concern that the messages would draw attention to her home. By Jan. 17, 2021, the upside-down flag a symbol of the far-right believers that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump was hung outside the Alitos home. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. and his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, pay their respects at the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham on Feb. 28, 2018, at the U.S. Capitol. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press Baden told the Times she drove by the Alitos house several days later, on the day of Bidens inauguration, which Justice Alito skipped due to COVID concerns. Baden detailed a sharp uptick in aggression during the drive, saying at one point that Martha-Ann Alito appeared to spit at her car, the Times reported: Mrs. Alito happened to be standing outside. According to interviews with Ms. Baden and her husband, as well as messages they sent to friends at the time, Mrs. Alito ran toward their car and yelled something they did not understand. The couple continued driving, they said, and as they passed the Alito home again to exit the cul-de-sac, Mrs. Alito appeared to spit toward the vehicle. The conflict continued for several more weeks, with Martha-Ann Alito calling the couple fascists, Baden said, while Justice Alito stood by silently before the pair walked away. At another time, Baden said, she called the justices wife a c**t and said she should be ashamed. Baden filed a police report shortly afterward, but officers said there was little they could do after any altercations had already passed. Reports about the flag have become the latest controversy to embroil the court as it considers several cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, as well as Trumps sweeping claims that he is immune from prosecution for any act he carried out while in office. The former president has urged the court to agree, a decision that would put an end to several of the criminal indictments against him. Alito has acknowledged the flag hung upside-down at his home but said he had no involvement in its flying. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs, he said in a statement earlier this month. Related... Attorney General Dana Nessel press conference, May 28, 2024 | Screenshot Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed criminal charges Tuesday against Michigan State Police Det. Sgt. Brian Keely for striking 25-year-old Kentwood resident Samuel Sterling with a vehicle during a pursuit in April, afterwhich Sterling died from his injuries. Michigan State Police released footage earlier this month of the April 17 incident where during a police pursuit of Sterling, Keely struck Sterling with his vehicle in a fast food parking lot in Kentwood. Nessel announced over video Tuesday that her office is charging Keely with one count of murder in the second degree, carrying a life penalty. Alternatively, her office is putting forth a charge of Involuntary manslaughter, a fifteen-year felony, should a court determine that the murder charge was not appropriate. We have found that Detective Sergeant Keelys actions that day were legally grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, which could have otherwise been prevented as a result, Nessel said. Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), who represents Kentwood, reacted to the footage of the incident being released earlier this month expressing gratitude that Keely had been placed on unpaid suspension, showing that the incident was being taken seriously by Michigan State Police. The footage released today showing the last moments of Samuel Sterlings life is unbearable to watch. As a mom, I am heartbroken for the Sterling family and I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones and our entire community, Brinks said. Keely will be arraigned in the 62-B District Court in Kentwood, the Michigan Attorney Generals Office said in a news release Tuesday, SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Nessel charges state trooper for the murder of West Michigan man appeared first on Michigan Advance. FILE - Pro-Palestinian Pasadena City College students walk out of class as they demonstrate against the Israel-Hamas war in Pasadena, Calif., on April 30, 2024. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly accused critics of Israel or his policies of antisemitism, including the U.S. college campus protests and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. (Sarah Reingewirtz/The Orange County Register via AP, File) TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) After the International Criminal Courts top prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and top Hamas officials, the Israeli leader accused him of being one of the great antisemites in modern times. As protests roiled college campuses across the United States over the Gaza war, Netanyahu said they were awash with antisemitic mobs. These are just two of the many instances during the war in which Netanyahu has accused critics of Israel or his policies of antisemitism, using fiery rhetoric to compare them to the Jewish people's worst persecutors. But his detractors say he is overusing the label to further his political agenda and try to stifle even legitimate criticism, and that doing so risks diluting the term's meaning at a time when antisemitism is surging worldwide. Not every criticism against Israel is antisemitic, said Tom Segev, an Israeli historian. The moment you say it is antisemitic hate ... you take away all legitimacy from the criticism and try to crush the debate. There has been a spike in antisemitic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to researchers. And many Jews in North America and Europe have said they feel unsafe, citing threats to Jewish schools and synagogues and the pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations in the U.S., although organizers deny that antisemitism drives the protests. The war has reignited the long debate about the definition of antisemitism and whether any criticism of Israel from its military's killing of thousands of Palestinian children to questions over Israel's very right to exist amounts to anti-Jewish hate speech. Netanyahu, the son of a scholar of medieval Jewish persecution, has long used the travails of the Jewish people to color his political rhetoric. And he certainly isn't the first world leader accused of using national trauma to advance political goals. Netanyahus supporters say he is honestly worried for the safety of Jews around the world. But his accusations of antisemitism come as he has repeatedly sidestepped accountability for not preventing Hamas Oct. 7 attack. Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people and took 250 hostage, which many in Israels defense establishment acknowledge they shoulder the blame for. Netanyahu has continued to face criticism at home and abroad throughout the war, which has killed 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between fighters and noncombatants. The fighting has sparked a humanitarian catastrophe, and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has accused Netanyahu and his defense minister of using starvation as a method of warfare, among other crimes. Segev, the historian, acknowledged there is a rise in violent hate toward Israel and, speaking from Vienna, said he wasnt sure if speaking Hebrew in public was safe. But he said Netanyahu has long used Jewish crises to his political benefit, including invoking the Jewish people's deepest trauma, the Holocaust, to further his goals. At the height of the campus protests, Netanyahu released a video statement condemning their unconscionable antisemitism and comparing the mushrooming encampments on college greens to Nazi Germany of the 1930s. Whats happening in Americas college campuses is horrific, he said. In response to Khan seeking the arrest warrants, he said the ICC prosecutor was callously pouring gasoline on the fires of antisemitism that are raging across the world, comparing him to German judges who approved of the Nazis' race laws against Jews. Those comments drew a rebuke from the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. The prosecutor of the court has been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism as always when anybody, anyone does something that Netanyahus government does not like, Borrell said. The word antisemitic, its too heavy. Its too important. Netanyahu has compared accusations that Israels war is causing starvation in Gaza or that the war is genocidal to blood libels unfounded centuries-old accusations that Jews sacrificed Christian children and used their blood to make unleavened bread for Passover. These false accusations are not levelled against us because of the things we do, but because of the simple fact that we exist, he said at a ceremony marking Israels Holocaust Remembrance Day earlier this month. Netanyahu previously made repeated allusions to the Holocaust while trying to galvanize the world against Irans nuclear program. Israeli leaders and the country's media also made such comparisons about Oct. 7, describing the Hamas attackers as Nazis, comparing their rampage to the historic violence inflicted on Eastern European Jews, and referring to the images of Jewish victims' burned bodies as a Shoah the Hebrew word for Holocaust. Israelis have been jarred by the global rise in antisemitism, and many view the swell of criticism against Israel as part of the rise. They see hypocrisy in the world's intense focus on Israel's war with Hamas while other conflicts get much less attention. Moshe Klughaft, a former advisor to Netanyahu, said he believes the Israeli leader is genuinely concerned over rising antisemitism. It is his duty to condemn antisemitism as prime minister of Israel and as head of a country that sees itself as responsible for world Jewry, he said. Many Israelis view the war in Gaza as a just act of self-defense and are befuddled by what many think should be criticism directed at Hamas blaming the group for starting the war, using Palestinian civilians as human shields and refusing to free the hostages. The ICC warrant requests have likely bolstered such feelings. When Netanyahu leans on accusations of antisemitism, he is doing so with the Israeli public in mind, said Reuven Hazan, a political scientist at Jerusalems Hebrew University. Hazan said Netanyahu has leveraged the campus protests, for example, to get Israelis to rally around him at a time when his public support has plummeted and Israelis are growing impatient with the war. He said Netanyahu has also used the protests as a scapegoat for his failure so far to achieve the wars two goals: destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. He deflects blame from himself, attributing any shortcomings not to his foreign policies or policies in the (Palestinian) territories, but rather to antisemitism. This narrative benefits him greatly, absolving him of responsibility, Hazan said. Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think thank, rejects the notion that Netanyahu stifles criticism by calling it antisemitic, pointing to just how much criticism the country receives. But he said using the antisemitic label to achieve political ends could cheapen it. "Id be more selective than the government of Israel in choosing the people and bodies they tag antisemitic, he said. Justice Clint Bolick, sitting to the right of fellow members of the Arizona Supreme Court during a 2021 hearing, faces a retention vote in November. (Matt York / Associated Press) As presidential candidates and state legislators campaign over the future of abortion in America, elections for the third branch of government have largely escaped scrutiny on the issue. Until now. Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade, elections for state supreme court justices have become a new political frontier in the abortion fight, with interest groups pouring unusual amounts of money into typically little-known races. An unprecedented $100.8 million was spent on state justice races in the election cycle when the 2022 Dobbs decision overturned Roe, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Funding from the right and left is now about equal, the Brennan Center reported, and the current election cycle is expected to set a record for the greatest amount of money spent on state supreme court elections. Whether we like it or not, big spending and issue campaigning in state judicial races are here to stay, said Michael Milov-Cordoba, counsel for the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan think tank on justice and policy. We are in the fight of our lives to protect and restore our fundamental freedoms and our courts are the front lines. Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Last week, the Planned Parenthood Votes super PAC and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee announced they would invest $5 million on state supreme court races to protect democracy and reproductive rights. We are in the fight of our lives to protect and restore our fundamental freedoms and our courts are the front lines, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive of the affiliated Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement. Eighty supreme court seats in 33 states will be on the ballot in November. Some justices will run against opponents (abortion was an issue in such an election this month in Georgia). Other incumbent justices face retention votes. Typically, retention elections fly by unnoticed with little campaigning or media attention. But in the swing state of Arizona, two justices up for retention Kathryn Hackett King and Clint Bolick sided with the majority that decided the state's near-total abortion ban from 1864 superseded the states 2022 law against abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Legislators rushed to repeal the 1864 law in a narrow vote, but a group called Progress Arizona is targeting Bolick and King with a campaign to vote them out. Usually I would never put a dime on betting in favor of someone losing a retention election, Rebecca Gill, associate professor of politics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said of the Arizona justices' chances. But in this one, Im actually kind of thinking its a little bit more plausible. Read more: Meet Arizonas most powerful political couple, who are on opposite ends of an abortion ban If voters decide not to retain a justice, Gov. Katie Hobbs will decide the replacement the first time in years that a Democratic governor in Arizona would make an appointment to the state's highest court. Arizona's ballot also is likely to have a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion access, which could drive more voters to the polls. Some of these culture war cases are just easier to understand for most people, said Mary Ziegler, a UC Davis law professor and author of Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present. There's also a history in the United States of questions related to sex and gender being really foundational and polarizing. Since the 2022 midterm election, Democrats have hammered abortion as a major issue to drive angry voters to the polls. That has become especially true in 2024. Lets face it, I mean, Democrats arent clamoring to be able to cast a vote for Joe Biden, Gill said. Enthusiasm isnt really that high, and so by being able to get those people there, using these abortion provisions on the ballot, it can change the shape of the electorate for that cycle. Activism and money for state supreme court seats has historically come from the right, experts say. A prime example: In 2010, conservatives furious over the Iowa Supreme Courts ruling to allow same-sex marriage targeted three justices up for retention. All three were booted from the court. The growing presence of cash in state supreme court races may affect which judges run for election, Gill said. A lot of judges tend not to be really good at [fundraising], because it really is out of character for how most lawyers are trained, Gill said. People who would be put off by the idea of having to raise money, even if it's at arm's length, are not running for these positions anymore. So changes in the way the elections work will absolutely change the people who will run. Read more: Column: Will abortion rights boost Biden and fellow Democrats? Arizona offers a test case Some court watchers worry the increased attention on state judicial races could erode the impartiality of the courts. The Brennan Center supports a merit process for selecting new justices, Milov-Cordoba said, with long terms to avoid some of the politicization that comes with judicial elections. Justices are still bound by law, of course, and cannot unilaterally make policy changes. Bolick, one of the Arizona justices vying to keep their seats in November, vociferously defended his vote on the abortion decision in an Arizona Republic op-ed last week, railing against his opponents for what he saw as their attack on an independent judiciary. They claim the abortion decision reflected the court majoritys policy preferences rather than the law. Nonsense, he wrote. Serious commentators, liberal and conservative, who actually read the decision (which I encourage voters to do), agree it is solidly grounded in law. Some legal scholars say that politics has always been part of the judicial branch, and that increased attention raises awareness of the crucial role judges play in government. All judges are representatives, even though we dont like to think of them as that, said Todd Curry, associate professor of politics at the University of Texas at El Paso. Traditionally, there'd been kind of a general concern, stemming from the National Bar Assn. you didn't really campaign [for judicial seats]. Now, we're definitely seeing judges going, OK, in order to do this, I have to be a representative. I have to actually campaign on issues. John Barrow, a former Democratic congressman, made abortion the center of his recent unsuccessful bid to replace Justice Andrew Pinson on the Georgia Supreme Court. Georgias conservative Gov. Brian Kemp spent $500,000 to support Pinson's campaign. Pinson had previously defended the states abortion limitations while serving as the state's solicitor general. Barrow, who sometimes wore a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase Empowering women on the campaign trail, argued that Georgias constitution protects access to abortion. A lawsuit challenging a 2019 law against abortions once a "heartbeat" actually a flutter of embryonic cardiac cell activity can be detected is winding its way through the Georgia court system, and could reach the state Supreme Court. In this case, you do have a heartbeat law sitting in the court, and John Barrow specifically saying, the reason that I am running is to have abortion on demand in Georgia, said Cole Muzio, president of Frontline Policy Action, a conservative political action committee in Georgia that has endorsed Pinson. And that's something that legislative or statewide candidates may say, but it's not something judges are in any realm supposed to say. Barrows explicit stance on abortion moved Katherine Wertheim, a fundraising consultant in Ventura, to write postcards for the candidate from California. A registered Democrat, Wertheim said she prefers judicial candidates to be open about where they stand, so people can make informed decisions on how to vote. It's a lovely idea to think that justices don't make up their minds until [seeing] a case, she said, adding, "I would love to return back to a world where I could believe that justices would be nonpartisan. But we're not living in that charming world anymore. And so yes, I think it's perfectly OK for a candidate to say who he is and how he will vote." A justices position or party is not always obvious to voters. Some states, like Michigan, dont publish their party affiliations on the ballot. Read more: How treatment of miscarriages is upending the abortion debate Like nearby Ohio, Michigan has a contested high court election in the fall. Both courts now have narrow party majorities. In Michigan, where two seats are up in November, four out of seven justices were nominated by Democrats. Ohio, where Republicans hold the majority, has three seats on the ballot. Both states voted to protect abortion access in their state constitutions in the last two years, and cases related to the abortion laws are working their way through the courts. Floridas Supreme Court has two seats at play after a banner year for abortion, too. The state courts recent ruling led to a six-week abortion ban taking effect but it also allowed for a ballot measure that would protect abortion access. Wisconsin is perhaps the most notable example in recent history of abortion animating a state supreme court race. Liberal Janet Protasiewicz faced the conservative Dan Kelly, a former state justice. Whoever won would join the court in ruling on the state's 1849 abortion ban. Donors on both sides flooded the state with a total of $51 million more than double the cost of any past election for a state Supreme Court seat, according to the Brennan Center. When Protasiewicz won last April, she flipped the court to a Democratic majority. The 1849 law has yet to come before the court. 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. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) Bernard Kenerson felt abandoned. For years, the 68-year-old worshipped at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common alongside pastor John-Paul Miller and his wife, Mica earning a leadership post in October that gave him more access to the charismatic preacher. Kenerson has since left Solid Rock, troubled not only by Micas April 27 suicide but John-Pauls demeanor in the days that followed. He also wonders about Solid Rock Ministrys $5.59 million real estate portfolio and the inner workings of the church that, even as an elder, were kept from him. Your only option, if there was a problem especially a problem with him (John-Paul) the only option you had was to leave, and to leave quietly, Kenerson said last week in a lengthy sit-down interview with News13 anchor Edward Moody. Timeline: Whats happened so far in the death of Myrtle Beach woman Mica Miller Nothing was off limits during the conversation, including Kenersons status as a registered sex offender, and, for the first time, insight into John-Pauls private reaction in learning of Micas death, the state of Solid Rocks congregation and whether he thinks the church can survive. Micas body was found at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County after she called 911, and the Robeson County Sheriffs Office ruled her death a suicide. John-Paul Miller faces no charges and was in Charleston at the time of her death, authorities said. However, his documented abuse of Mica which included putting GPS trackers on her car, slashing her tires and leaking an explicit photo of her online has Micas family considering a wrongful death lawsuit. Kenerson, who resigned from Solid Rock on May 4, counts himself among those who think that Micas suicide was not because of mental illness as John-Paul said in a sermon after her death. This isnt some attack from the enemy, attack from Satan, attack from just some people that got mad and left the church, Kenerson said. Ill just say it. I believe its the judgment of God coming down. Heres more of what Kenerson had to say in this News13 exclusive. On learning of Micas death Kenerson said he got a phone call from John-Pauls assistant at about 11:15 p.m. the night she died. She sounded sad, distraught, and told me that she was on the way to JPs house, and that I had to get a message ready for Sunday morning, Kenerson said. I remember one of the first things I said was: This is bad. This is really bad, and then I just sat down to concentrate on a message. Less than 10 minutes later, he received a text message saying that John-Paul planned to take the pulpit on Sunday morning. I didnt think it was a good idea, Kenerson said. I wasnt necessarily surprised. On his decision to leave Solid Rock Three days after that sermon, Kenerson was attending an elders meeting during which Solid Rocks leaders were urged to stand by John-Paul and weather the turmoil born out of Micas death. Charles Randall, John-Pauls spiritual advisor and overseer of the church, was a key figure in that meeting. He was like, well get through this and be stronger than we were,' Kenerson said, describing him as protective of John-Paul and the church. As reports of John-Pauls abusive behavior began to circulate in the media, Kenerson said he was appalled. Just stuff thats come out that hes admitted to, I mean for somebody thats not even a Christian, those things are appalling and shouldnt happen, he said. And for somebody thats a Christian even more so, and for some whos a pastor, even more so. He wasnt the man that I thought he was. Kenerson said John-Paul kept a thick notebook documenting all of Micas health issues and would page through it at times. That, Kenerson said, was part of his manipulation in controlling the narrative around his wife. The biggest hurt I experience is Micas death, Kenerson said. Whatever it turns out, I dont know whatever happened with that, Im looking forward to the full investigation and us getting to the truth about that. As recently as a month ago, Kenerson said Solid Rocks two services would draw nearly 700 people. These days, according to Kenerson, its about less than 50. On Solid Rocks silence News13 has reached out multiple times to John-Paul and an attorney representing him and Solid Rock. They have yet to respond to our requests for comment. Kenerson said he wasnt surprised by the ministrys decision to close ranks but doesnt think it will sustain it. It seems like them, but its like, wake up,' Kenerson said. He also offered details for the first time about Solid Rocks decision to buy a small airplane saying those talks began months ago. Solid Rock Ministries registered its Cirrus SR-22 with the FAA on May 9. The plane was going to serve the purpose of him going around and talking at different churches, he said. On his status as a registered sex offender Kenerson was convicted of indecent acts with another in March 1991 when he was in the Army. Under South Carolina law, hes been eligible to be released from the registry since 2021, but he said he has had difficulty gathering all the necessary paperwork. News13 was unable to confirm through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division which tier Kenerson fell under, but the conviction places him as a Class II offender. Hes required to register biannually until he is removed from the list. Theres nothing illegal about a sex offender to be involved with a church, he said. Youve just got to make sure youre not involved in a situation where youre involved with children. If Im in a public place where theres children, I have no stipulation on my registry where I cant be in a public place where theres children. On his future as a church member Kenerson said his experiences at Solid Rock were an eye-opener and that they could keep him from ever going back to a church. Ill stand on the fact that I was there doing what the Lord led me to do and I was concentrating on the word, he said. Its going to be hard for me to get involved with another church after this experience. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. NEWTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A man with a lengthy criminal history is dead after Newton Police say he shot at officers after shooting a woman early Tuesday morning. Police were tending to a shooting victim in a parking lot of the Market Place Shopping Center when 33-year-old Jamar Robinson allegedly began firing shots at police. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Man killed by Newton police after shooting woman, firing at officers identified Around midnight Tuesday, police say the woman called 911 for help. Police say that the woman left the Catawba County Government Center and was found in the parking lot of Planet Fitness two miles away from the Government Center. Authorities say when police, fire and EMS arrived, Robinson drove into the parking lot and started shooting in the area of officers. Officers shot back and killed Robinson. In 2021, Robinson was acquitted of a murder connected to a 2015 shooting death in Hickory. He also had several open cases in multiple counties across the area for charges ranging from speeding to reckless driving. In a statement, Newton Police Chief Vidal Sipe said It is unfortunate that officers had to take a life in order to save several lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with our officers, the victim and others affected by this senseless act of violence. Domestic violence continues to be a serious matter and needs to be addressed immediately. The Chief offered Family Guidance Center as a resource. Unfortunately in our community, its probably a daily occurrence and its something we work daily to help rectify, Family Guidance Center Executive Director Robert Dalton. Dalton says the organization offers an array of services to domestic violence survivors including the 24-hour crisis line and the shelter for people in need. Sometimes people dont know who to call, dont know where to go and thats why were always glad to be here to help folks, Dalton said. The officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Queen City News Crime & Public Safety The 38-year-old woman is in the hospital recovering from several gunshots but is in stable condition. If you or someone you know need help to get out of an abusive relationship call the Family Guidance Center crisis line at 828-228-1787. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Press Release May 29, 2024 CHIZ WELCOMES RED CROSS OFFICIALS IN SENATE COURTESY CALL Top international and local Red Cross leaders paid a courtesy call on newly elected Senate President Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero at the Senate Ceremonial Hall last Tuesday. Escudero warmly welcomed Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chair and former senator Richard Gordon. During the meeting, Escudero cited the critical role of the Red Cross in disaster response and its status as the top supplier of blood to government hospitals. Escudero expressed his gratitude for the invaluable services rendered by the IFRC and the PRC, particularly during natural calamities, disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also emphasized the importance of amending the charter of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to streamline the donation process during emergencies, aiming to reduce bureaucratic delays that have previously hindered the timely arrival of relief goods. "We are looking at amending the DSWD charter to make it easier for people and organizations such as yours to donate during calamities and disasters," Escudero said. "There were instances in the past that relief goods did not arrive on time due to current procedures and requirements," he pointed out. The new Senate chief also praised Gordon's leadership for significantly strengthening the PRC. Forbes agreed, emphasizing the Red Cross team's commitment and the need for effective disaster preparedness and response. She cited a 2023 study showing that the Philippines has the highest natural disaster risk in the world, underscoring the importance of their efforts. Forbes acknowledged that the Philippines serves as a crucial training ground for emergency responders due to its frequent natural disasters. For his part, Gordon informed Escudero of the PRC's capacity to assist other countries affected by disasters, having recently sent doctors and emergency responders to Turkey, Syria, and Nepal. Other attendees at the courtesy call included Gwendolyn Pang, Secretary General of the PRC; Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific; Sanjeev Kafley, Head of Delegation, IFRC Manila; Susan Malandrino, Communications Advisor to the IFRC President; and Athena Althea David, Chief of Staff to the PRC Chairman and CEO. Forbes, who is on a five-day visit to the Philippines from May 28 to June 1, is the second woman to hold the highest position in IFRC. She oversees the operations of 191 national societies worldwide. Five months after winning the election in December 2023, Ms. Forbes chose the Philippines as her first destination in Asia. MINSK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed the document to suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the National Legal Internet Portal reported on Wednesday. The document was signed by Lukashenko on May 24. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the decision to suspend the CFE was made in the context of the collapse of the existing conventional arms control system in Europe and the continued escalation of the military and political situation in the region. The ministry said that if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ends its suspension of the treaty, Belarus would do the same. The CFE was signed in November 1990 in Paris by 16 NATO member states and six Warsaw Pact countries. It came into effect in November 1992. The treaty limits the number of military equipment signatory countries can possess. Former US presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has sparked outrage by writing Finish Them on an artillery shell during a Memorial Day visit to the Israeli military near the border with Lebanon. Photos of the former South Carolina governor writing on the bomb were shared by Israeli parliamentarian and former envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who accompanied the American politician. Ms Haleys message also carried the words America loves Israel. The politicians graphic show of support for Israel came at a time of international outcry over its offensive in southern Rafah city, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombardment of Gaza have taken shelter. An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least 45 people, mostly women and children, sheltering in a tent camp in the city. Finish them! , , . - , . " ! pic.twitter.com/qvLNCXPl7o Danny Danon (@dannydanon) May 28, 2024 Israels war in Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, reduced much of the territory to rubble and left more than 80 per cent of its 2.2 million people homeless and starving. The Israeli invasion followed an attack by Hamas on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 soldiers and civilians. Ms Haley was unapologetic when she spoke to reporters after her stunt and criticised US president Joe Biden for temporarily withholding weapons from Israel to discourage an attack on Rafah. She also lashed out at the International Criminal Court, which is seeking arrest of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant, and the International Court of Justice, which is considering charges of genocide against Israel. What America needs to understand is if Israels fighting our enemies how can we not help them? Ms Haley said. The sure way to not help Israel is to withhold weapons. The sure way to not help Israel is to praise the ICC, the ICJ or any of those that are condemning Israel instead of condemning what happens. America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war. You are either a friend or not a friend. Nikki Haley during her visit to Israel (Getty) Ms Haleys stunt and subsequent comments sparked angry reactions on social media. Republican Nikki Haley signing bombs that kill Palestinian babies. This is what our American politicians think is normal. Zionism is the greatest evil on our planet. If you stand with Israel you are a terrorist, said a user on Twitter/X. While Americans watch Israel burn Gaza alive and Palestinian children are beheaded, Nikki Haley writes love notes on bombs that drop on civilians. Let the world bear witness to your moral depravity, Dr Omar Suleiman, a civil rights activist, said. Ms Haley, who abandoned her bid for the Republican presidential nomination in March, last week praised Donald Trump and said she would vote for the presidential hopeful despite previously calling him dangerous. From Israel, Ms Haley visited settlements in the Palestinian West Bank, Israeli peace activist Alon-Lee Green said. The settlements are not recognised under international law. Dear Americans, Nikki Haley visited us today. She went to the West Bank settlements and then signed on a bomb finish them. Just disgusting, Mr Green posted. Can you take her back please? We already have one Ben-Gvir and dont need your filthy death-promoting politicians as well. Thanks! he added, referring to Israels national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Haley left her mark on the IDF explosive shortly after an Israeli strike killed dozens of displaced Palestinians at a tent camp in Rafah Dia Dipasupil/Getty Nikki Haley on January 29, 2024 in New York City. Nikki Haley signed an artillery shell with the inscription Finish them! during a visit to Israel this week, according to photos shared by the Israeli politician accompanying her. The former South Carolina governor who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and who recently dropped out of the Republican presidential primaries joined current Knesset member and former U.N. Envoy Danny Danon for a tour of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was destroyed by Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Danon, 53, shared images to his social media that show Haley, 52, writing on the Israeli explosive. Finish them! This is what my friend, the former ambassador, Nikki Haley, wrote today on a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border, Danon wrote in an Instagram post. Haleys note also read, America <3 Israel always, followed by her signature. Along with Danons post, Israeli journalist Noa Magid published the image on X (formerly known as Twitter). Israel-based news site i24 also published the photos. Haley has used the phrase "finish them" before, seemingly in reference to Hamas, on Instagram and in interviews. A representative for Haley did not respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on Tuesday. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo Israeli politician Danny Danon and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley visit southern Israel on May 27, 2024 Haleys Middle East visit comes amid Israel's continued offensive in Gaza. Over the weekend, Israel Defense Forces struck a tent camp in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, which was previously considered a safe zone for displaced Palestinians. The strike killed 45 people who were seeking refuge and injured 200 more, per CNN. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "tragic mistake." Per Reuters, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose data has not been independently verified. Women and children comprise most of the fatalities, the Health Ministry has said. The Israel-Gaza war began on Oct. 7, after Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 people hostage, according to Israel. The nation responded by promising a "complete siege" of Gaza. Related: International Criminal Court Seeks Arrest Warrants for Israeli Prime Minister and 3 Hamas Leaders Haley recently called on the U.S. government to continue providing military aid to the Israel to support its war against Hamas, per the Associated Press. JULIA NIKHINSON/AFP via Getty Nikki Haley speaks at a presidential campaign event in South Carolina on Feb. 21, 2024 Haley reentered the spotlight this month after laying low following her withdrawal from the presidential race. On May 22, while delivering remarks in Washington, D.C., Haley said she planned to vote for Donald Trump in November. Related: Nikki Haley Says She'll Vote for Donald Trump in November, but She Has Some Advice for His Campaign Trump previously selected Haley to be the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. in January 2017, a role she held until her resignation in December 2018 but on the 2024 campaign trail, their relationship grew tense. "Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me, and not assume that theyre just going to be with him," Haley said while offering a tepid endorsement. "And I genuinely hope he does that." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican former presidential contender Nikki Haley wrote "Finish Them!" on an Israeli artillery shell during a recent visit to Israel, amid an ongoing assault on Gaza that has left tens of thousands dead in the past eight months. An image of Haley crouched in front of pallets of shells, writing with a marker on one, was shared on social media by Danny Danon, an Israeli politician and former ambassador to the United Nations. A second image he shared showed Haley's signed message: "Finish them - America [HEART] Israel, Always." Danon had accompanied Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations when Donald Trump was president, during the visit this past weekend. Haley was quickly criticized for the message by human rights groups. "Conflict is no place for stunts. Conflict has rules. Civilians must be protected," Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to Haley's act. Israel's three-week-old offensive in Gaza's Rafah has prompted an outcry from global leaders after an airstrike on Sunday killed at least 45 people when a blaze ignited in a tent camp in a western district. The World Court last week ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide. Israel denies genocide allegations. Kenneth Roth, a former Human Rights Watch executive director, said of Haley in a post on X on Tuesday night: "Why not just sign I favor Israeli war crimes." Later on Wednesday, Haley posted on X: "Israel must do whatever is necessary to protect her people from evil," adding that Israel was fighting "enemies" of the United States. Reuters could not reach Haley for comment immediately on Wednesday. Haley has been a longstanding supporter of Israel, whose war in Gaza has come under mounting international criticism, divided U.S. lawmakers over the Biden administration's support and prompted protests at campuses across the United States. The local Palestinian health ministry puts the death toll from the war at over 36,000. There is also widespread hunger in the narrow coastal enclave and nearly its entire 2.3 million population has been displaced. Israel says it is acting in self-defense after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Heather Timmons and Leslie Adler) Nikki Haley, a former GOP presidential candidate and United Nations ambassador, wrote Finish them on an artillery shell while on a trip to Israel this week. Haley was photographed signing the shell Tuesday in a social media post by Danny Danon, Israels former ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the Israeli Parliament. The message on the shell read, Finish them! America [heart] Israel always, Nikki Haley. This is what my friend, the former ambassador, Nikki Haley wrote today about a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border, Danon wrote in a post on social platform X. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will win! The post came shortly after an Israeli strike on the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed dozens of Palestinians and wounded at least 200 others earlier this week. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Rafah fire as tragic and said Israel is investigating it thoroughly and will learn from it, as is our policy and longstanding conduct. The incident further fueled global outrage over Israels war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,00 Palestinians since early October, according to Gazas Health Ministry. Israels war with Hamas has been raging for almost eight months, since the militant group launched a surprise assault against Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Earlier this week, Haley toured sites in Israel near the northern border with Lebanon, where the artillery shell was reportedly signed, along with other sites that were targeted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks. What I will tell all Israelis: America is with you. Americans are with you 1,200 people were brutally murdered. Lets not forget what happened on Oct. 7. Because Hamas has said theyre going to do it again. We owe it to make sure it never happens again, Haley said in a video posted by Danon. Dont listen to what is being said in the media. I reassure you: America stands with Israel! Danon quoted Haley as saying, in a separate post on X. Haley, during her time in the U.N. and for months along the campaign trail, repeatedly emphasized her support for Israel and its fight against Hamas. In an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper this week, Haley urged the U.S. to simply support Israels efforts. We dont need to preach to Israel, we dont need to tell them how to win the war, we dont need to tell them what they can or cant do, she said, per a translation of the interview. We just have to say, what else do you need? Bottom line, thats it. This is what I want to see America do. Its called being a friend, a real friend. And we also need to make sure that all the other countries align with us. The Hill reached out to Haleys team for further 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 The Hill. Nikki Haley and Danny Danon during a visit to Israel on 27 May. Nikki Haley and Danny Danon during a visit to Israel on 27 May. Photograph: Amir Cohen/Reuters Nikki Haley, the failed Republican presidential nominee, signed Israeli artillery shells with the inscription Finish Them! on a Memorial Day visit to Israel. The former South Carolina governors graphic display of support came on a trip to Israels northern border with Lebanon, where she was accompanied by Danny Danon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and a noted hawkish member of Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party in the Knesset. Her shell-signing activities came at a time when Israel is engaged in a devastating military offensive in Gaza that has so far killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, an estimated 15,000 of them children. Talking to reporters, Haley was unapologetic, criticising Joe Bidens administration for temporarily withholding weapons as a means of discouraging an Israeli attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and aiming barbs at the international criminal court (ICC) which is seeking Netanyahus arrest and the international court of justice (ICJ), which is considering charges of genocide against Israel. What America needs to understand is if Israels fighting our enemies, how can we not help them, said Haley, whose missile message also carried the words America loves Israel. The sure way to not help Israel is to withhold weapons. The sure way to not help Israel is to praise the ICC, the ICJ or any of those that are condemning Israel instead of condemning what happens. America needs to do whatever Israel needs and stop telling them how to fight this war. You are either a friend or not a friend. Haley, like Danon a former ambassador to the UN, last week said she would vote for Trump in Novembers presidential election, despite having previously denounced him as dangerous and unfit to serve. Danon proudly recorded Haleys show of support, which also included a trip to southern Israel to meet survivors of Hamass 7 October attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and another 253 were taken hostage, on his X account. According to one Israeli peace activist, Alon-Lee Green, Haley also visited settlements in the West Bank, which are not recognised under international law. Dear Americans, Nikki Haley visited us today: she went to the West Bank settlements and then signed on a bomb finish them. Just disgusting, Green posted. Can you take her back please? We already have one [Itamar] Ben-Gvir [Israels national security minister] and dont need your filthy death-promoting politicians as well. Thanks! ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez has appealed the pretrial detention decision for a man accused of shooting his stepmother at a graduation ceremony in Albuquerque. Cristian Bencomo, 21, reportedly committed the shooting on May 8 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The Second Judicial District Attorneys Office asked twice for pretrial detention, and at one point, played a video of the shooting in court. Judge Emeterio Rudolfo denied the pretrial detention requests and placed Bencomo under house arrest with a GPS monitor. Military aircraft crashes south of Albuquerque International Sunport Rudolfo ruled that Bencomo can also live with his grandma and that he can only leave the house for legal or medical appointments. The New Mexico Department of Justice filed an appeal over the decision, calling it an abuse of discretion. The appeal states that Bencomo committed a brazen crime without any apparent fear of consequences to himself or innocent bystanders, and successfully deceived the person who is now responsible for supervising him. That person is back in the exact same home that they were living in the day before this crime occurred, under the exact same conditions. Its just mind-boggling to me, said Torrez, adding that Torrez also said that the legislature needs to step in and reform the states pretrial detention process. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Mahatma Gandhi was broadly unknown until Sir Richard Attenborough made a film of his life in 1982, Indias prime minister has claimed. In an interview with local media, Narendra Modi blamed the Congress-led governments of the 20th century for failing to promote the national hero. Nobody knew [about Gandhi], he said. The first time when the Gandhi film was made [1982], the world got curious about who he might be. If the world knew Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi was no less than them, he added, saying we didnt do the needful [promotion]. Among a host of other sources, Mr Modis claim is belied by the world-wide presence of statues to the man who led Indias campaign against British colonial rule, which long predate the film. In 1969, Harold Wilson, the then-prime minister, unveiled a statue of Gandhi in Londons Tavistock Square. One year later, another was erected in Park Marie Josee, in Brussels. Hundreds of books, films and documentaries had been produced on Gandhi long before the Attenborough drama, including Mahatma Gandhi: 20th Century Prophet in 1953. In popular culture, he was known as the father of India and his campaign of non violent resistance against the British Raj inspired protest movements across the world. Between 1937 and 1948, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times but controversially never won the award while Martin Luther King hailed his influence on the fight against racism in the US and South Africa. Mr Modis Hindu-Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is predicted to win Indias ongoing election, which enters its seventh and final phase on June 1. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of his assassination - Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images The Indian leader has long twisted history to suit his own political ends, claiming after he was first elected in 2014 that centuries-old Hindu holy texts proved that Indians practised cosmetic surgery and reproductive genetics before anyone else in the world. Mr Modis decade in power has seen the steady erosion of Indias founding principles of secularism at a state level. In 1946, Gandhi said I swear by my religion, I will die for it. But it is my personal affair. The state has nothing to do with it. The state would look after your secular welfare, health communications, foreign relations, currency and so on, but not your or my religion. As a young boy, Mr Modi joined the RSS, a paramilitary Hindu organisation whose members included the man who assassinated Gandhi in 1948. The opposition Congress party, which Gandhi led from 1920 until 1934, condemned Mr Modis remarks. Sir Richard Attenborough and Sir Ben Kingsley with some of the 13 Oscars Gandhi won in 1983 - Bettmann I dont know in which world the outgoing Prime Minister lives where Mahatma Gandhi was unknown across the world before 1982, said party leader Jairam Ramesh. If anyone has destroyed the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, it is the outgoing PM himself. It is his government which destroyed the Gandhian institutions in Varanasi, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Mr Ramesh said the ongoing election was truly a battle between the followers of the Mahatma and those of his assassin, Nathuram Godse. This is the hallmark of RSS. They do not understand Mahatma Gandhis nationalism. The atmosphere that their ideology created led to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, Mr Ramesh wrote. Indian social media users also mocked Mr Modi, sharing the front page of the January 5, 1931, issue of Time magazine, describing Gandhi as Man of the Year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. NoHo woman was on lam after she killed son, 5, believing he was demon: report What one North Hollywood woman thought was just an eccentric neighbor turned out to be a fugitive wanted for allegedly murdering her 5-year-old son during a prolonged mental-health episode in which she thought the child was a demon, the Los Angeles Times reports. The woman, who spoke to the Times anonymously, said Dejaune Anderson caused a ruckus in March by using what appeared to be a broom to repeatedly smash the walls and ceiling. She also heard high-pitched chanting, as if someone were trying to summon something, the Times added. Psych exams ordered for mother of boy found dead in suitcase in southern Indiana Andersons 5-year-old son, Cairo Amman Jordan, was found dead in a suitcase in the southern Indiana woods in 2022. Though two others have been arrested in connection with Jordans death, Anderson remained on the loose until March. Before Andersons arrest, she used the alias Olla and claimed her North Hollywood apartment was being rented by her father, whom the apartment manager said appeared initially but wasnt seen again. Anderson, meanwhile, told the manager that neighbors were trying to kill her, claimed to be a cousin of former President Donald Trump and taped on her walls large strips of white paper scribbled with conspiracy theories in colored marker, the Times reported, including asserting that she was the rightful queen of Scotland. Such beliefs seemed to have preceded Jordans death. Authorities in court records paint a troubled portrait of Anderson, alleging she believed her young son was actually a century-old demon who was trying to kill her, the Times reported. Ahead of her tentative trial in August, Anderson is undergoing psychological exams, the Associated Press reports. [The judges] order came after the woman, during a strange court appearance April 2, said she had been under federal surveillance for eight months, identified herself with a name beginning with Princess and said she was representing the entity of Anderson, the AP added. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Representative of the Chinese government and Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu speaks at the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, May 28, 2024. China called for pooling strengths for the development and common prosperity of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at a United Nations (UN) conference on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China called for pooling strengths for the development and common prosperity of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at a United Nations (UN) conference on Tuesday. Representative of the Chinese government and Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks at the fourth International Conference on SIDS, held in Antigua and Barbuda. In his speech, Ma noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative to urge the international community to refocus on development, renew commitment to the 2030 Agenda, and strongly boost the sustainable development of all countries, including SIDS. Ma said the common development of the globe is only possible with the development of SIDS, adding that the international community should focus on the following four key areas. The first is to stay committed to multilateralism and support SIDS in participating in global governance on an equal footing. The second is to prioritize development and support SIDS in implementing the 2030 Agenda. The third is to support SIDS in tackling climate change through solidarity and cooperation. The fourth is to encourage innovation and support SIDS in enhancing their capacity for independent development. As a member of the Global South, China has always stood with developing countries, including SIDS, through thick and thin, said Ma. China will fully support SIDS in charting the course toward more resilient and lasting prosperity and building a community with a shared future for humankind, Ma said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the inauguration ceremony that the international community has a duty to support vulnerable states -- led by the countries with the greatest responsibility and capacity to deal with the challenges they face. UN is committed to supporting islands in their quest for a more resilient and sustainable future, said Li Junhua, the secretary-general of the Conference and UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs. Themed "Charting the course toward resilient prosperity," the conference was attended by over 20 world leaders and representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia and youth. Nearly 4,000 participants gathered at the verdant conference to tackle critical issues impacting the future of SIDS. Four key executive nominations by Gov. Kevin Stitt, including his current state education secretary, received confirmation Tuesday by the Oklahoma Senate Education Committee, but the committees final meeting of the legislative session adjourned without two other nominations being heard. Senators confirmed the nominations of Nellie Tayloe Sanders as education secretary, Ken Levit as a member of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Zachary Archer as an Oklahoma State Board of Education member and Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Chuck Perry as a member of the board of regents for the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO). All the approval votes were unanimous except for that of Archer, which state Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, opposed. The nominations now move to the Senate for final consideration. The nominations must be voted upon by the Senate before 5 p.m. on Friday, when the current legislative session ends. Stitt publicly campaigned last Friday for two other nominations to be considered. He specifically asked for consideration of Alex Gray for a seat on the state Board of Education and of Audrey Katigan for a seat on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. That didnt happen. A senator must carry each executive nomination through the confirmation process, and Hicks said last month she would not carry the nominations of Katigan and Gray in the Senate. Nellie Taylor Sanders is Oklahoma's current education secretary. Sanders was the first nominee considered Tuesday, and before answering questions from senators, she turned to her sons, Davis and Walker, and told them, When you guys were diagnosed with dyslexia, I told you back then that I would never stop fighting for you, until my heart was black and blue. Its because of you that I am sitting here. I am so proud of you, and I appreciate you making room for those 1.3 million children in our state that need me, too. I love you guys! Thank you. Sanders, who also has dyslexia, has said her passion is helping kids who struggle with learning find better ways to succeed in the classroom. More: Stitt pushes for 6 of his executive nominations to be considered by the Oklahoma Senate It is a guiding force in my life, because if you do not have the ability to learn to read the same way as everybody else, you have to fight for it, and it is a right that can never be taken away, once you receive the gift of literacy, she said. Only one committee member, Hicks, asked questions of Sanders during the hearing. Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and Sanders Senate sponsor, Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, spoke in support of Sanders. Paxton said she hit the ground running after her appointment and noted shed made the effort to speak to educators in the Tuttle district about successful teaching methods. He said hed watched her eagerness to learn from people on the ground. 'Monolithic' voting by state Board of Education questioned by Senate committee chair Archer, a former member of the Hammon Public Schools board in far western Oklahoma, has served since October on the state Board of Education, which is led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. Since taking office, Archer has not cast a vote opposite that of Walters on any issue. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, the Education Committee chair, noted the state boards monolithic voting record under Walters, telling Archer he was not there to work for any agency director; youre there to represent the interest of all Oklahomans. Pugh told Archer he will always have your back if youre doing the right thing. With only one dissenting vote, the Senate Education Committee confirmed the nomination of Zachary Archer, of Hammon, for the state Board of Education. Hicks, one of two Democrats on the committee, aggressively questioned Archer about how his nomination came to be and about the lack of attorneys at the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, encouraged his colleagues to vote for Archer, whom he said would provide representation for rural Oklahomans as a state board member. I am like the least political person you will ever run across, Archer said. Were in the kid business. That rings more true to me than anything. Ultimately, were trying to help our kids learn and provide for themselves. Levit is a former president of the University of Oklahomas Tulsa campus and now is the executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation in Tulsa. He faced questions from Pugh about a number of state higher-education institutions raising tuition rates, even after legislators provided a funding increase last year, and from Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, about fee increases at state schools. I have a commitment, as I approach this role, of excellence and access, Levit said. If we cannot be affordable, if we cannot provide access to kids in rural areas, in urban areas, across this state, then we will have failed miserably. Access and affordability to me is crucial. Zachary Archer was confirmed as a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Im very interested in being a very close student of the Oklahomas Promise program and how that can be made simple and easy for enrollment. But I share some of your skepticism. I probably shouldnt say this as a future higher ed regent, hopefully, but higher ed is a more robustly funded system than a lot of other important areas of our economy. I think it deserves a microscope. Perry has been the superintendent in Broken Arrow, which has the states largest high school, since December 2021. He is a University of Tulsa graduate who earned his masters degree from the Broken Arrow campus of a RUSO school, Northeastern State University. Perry told senators he would bring a unique perspective from the K-12 education side to the RUSO board and that hed like to bridge the gap between K-12 and higher education. The RUSO board governs Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, East Central University in Ada and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Senate education committee confirms Stitt executive nominees This Woman Is Speaking Out Against Her State's Bill That Would Ban Masks In Public With No Exceptions Recently, the North Carolina state senate passed a bill that would ban wearing medical masks in public in the state, even for the most vulnerable residents. The bill, known as House Bill 237 Unmasking Mobs and Criminals, still needs to pass in the House before being signed into North Carolina law. In its current form, the law would ban even immunocompromised cancer patients from wearing medical masks in public. However, groups like the Proud Boys and the Klu Klux Klan would still be able to petition for permission to wear face coverings during public gatherings under the law. Ironically, North Carolina originally banned face coverings in the 1950s to target the KKK and only added a medical exemption in 2020. This current bill would repeal the 2020 exemption. Momo Productions / Getty Images Proponents of the bill hope to crack down on protestors calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, but critics fear that the mask ban could do a lot more harm than good. Republican bill sponsor Buck Newton said the bill isn't meant to "prosecute granny for wearing a mask in the Walmart." But as the traumatic and harmful outcomes of abortion bans in states like Florida and Texas have shown, when the law is not explicit enough about what is allowed, it can be used as a cudgel against the most vulnerable among us. Caroline Hardin is a 33-year-old North Carolina resident who's been using her platform to raise awareness about the potential harms of this bill. She's a wife and mother who has an autoimmune condition, and she's very worried about how a ban on medical masks could affect her and her family. She told BuzzFeed, "For me, what that would do, it would effectively imprison me inside my home, being not able to go anywhere, and that's literally impossible because that would include doctors' offices, pharmacies, anything that I personally would have to go to rather than having things delivered." Hardin also worries how the ban might be unfairly applied to others in her community, especially to people of color. "I immediately became concerned about the overarching implications of that with how crimes, in general, are prosecuted unevenly across the state depending on different communities, different neighborhoods, law enforcement's mood that day... The wording of this bill allowed it to be so vague that lawmakers could claim 'it's going to be fine,' but it was vague enough to be used as a blunt instrument of inflicting violence on communities. And that to me, was completely unconscionable." While some lawmakers say that people weren't punished before 2020 for wearing medical masks in public so this ban shouldn't make a difference to the average law-abiding citizen, Hardin doesn't find that argument comforting. She says, "We don't live in a pre-2020 world anymore. We live right now where masks have been heavily politicized, where they have been connected to different political ideologies, and where people get harassed, even now, for wearing a mask." Andresr / Getty Images Hardin has shared several videos on TikTok raising awareness about the harms that could come from this bill. And in the comments, people voiced their concerns and outrage. Some commenters pointed out that they're already being harassed for taking necessary precautions and wearing masks. And others mentioned that similar laws are under consideration in other states. If such a law has been proposed in your state, Hardin recommends calling on your representatives to codify the right to wear a medical mask to protect your health and the health of others. On YouTube, Hardin interviewed North Carolina State Senator Sydney Batch, who has been a vocal opponent of the bill and has worked to have amendments added that would protect peoples' right to wear a mask for health reasons. Senator Batch explained that the bill wouldn't just lead to harsher sentences for people who commit crimes while wearing a mask. She said, "What the bill now does is it criminalizes anyone with a class one misdemeanor for wearing a mask in public, and it does not give an exception at all to any health conditions." As a cancer survivor, Senator Batch has made it clear that her opposition to this bill is deeply personal. She told BuzzFeed, "Some people say that we're fear-mongering. And what I would tell you is that for someone who's been immunocompromised in the past and had to wear masks, and my children and my husband wear masks to protect me, you know, I'm not fear-mongering. It's a genuine concern, right? Somebody can actually die and get very ill if they are not able to protect themselves, if they're immunocompromised, etc. This is a bipartisan concern we've heard from all of our constituents, Republican and Democrat alike." Despite her worry over this bill, Hardin says she loves living in North Carolina, which she describes as "one of the most beautiful places in the world" despite the bad rep that the South gets in other parts of the country. "I've grown up in the South, and so I've seen all of the pros and cons of living here. I do like how Southern culture at its root is supposed to be kind, and I do encounter a lot of kindness." She called out issues with gerrymandering favoring more conservative politicians but continued, saying, "I find that there are a lot of good people with really good and compassionate ideas scattered all over the South, and even though it feels politically like we might be alone or isolated, it's often not the case." Jillian Meyer Photo / Getty Images Finally, Hardin hopes that non-disabled people will also oppose this bill and join in the fight. She says, "Everybody's one incident away from joining the disability community; you either grow old enough to get a disability or you die. Those are the only two options. So you're going to be affected by this bill." South Koreas military on Wednesday accused North Korea of floating balloons loaded with trash and manure across the border and immediately demanded that Pyongyang halt its inhumane and vulgar operation. More than 260 balloons have already been detected in South Korea since the operation began on Tuesday night, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Images released by the military appear to show the balloons carrying plastic bagsone of which had the word excrement written on the side, according to Reuters. How Kim Jong Un May Have Secretly Aided the Attack on Israel A JCS official told the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency that the balloonsall of which have fallen to the groundcarried trash, including bits of shoes, plastic bottles, and manure. No damage or injuries have been reported so far in connection with the balloons, but the military has deployed bomb disposal units and other experts to collect them. Residents have been warned against touching the objects. These acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our peoples safety, the JCS said, adding a stern warning to North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and vulgar act. The balloons started arriving days after Kim Kang Il, North Koreas vice defense minister, slammed propaganda leaflets criticizing the Pyongyang regime that North Korean defectors in the South have been attaching to balloons and sending northward for years. The minister on Sunday accused Seoul of despicable psychological warfare by scattering leaflets and various dirty things near border areas and vowed to deliver tit-for-tat action in response. Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of [South Korea] and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them, he said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. North Korea has launched a fleet of balloons reportedly filled with trash and excrement across the heavily fortified border with South Korea, sparking alarm in the neighbouring country. More than 200 balloons are on the way, the South Korean military said and advised people to stay indoors. It also cautioned people not to touch the white balloons or the plastic bags attached to them and report any sighting to the police or the military. A photograph released by the military on Wednesday showed transparent plastic bags hanging from white inflated balloons in the sky. Another appeared to show trash strewn from a collapsed balloon with the word excrement written on a bag. The trash included plastic bottles, batteries, discarded shoe parts and manure, a military official said. The military has deployed a bomb squad and chemical and biological warfare response teams to inspect and collect the fallen balloons and objects. A picture released by the South Korean Defence Ministry on 29 May shows objects thought to be North Korean propaganda material attached to balloons on a street in Chungnam province (South Korean Defence Ministry) The launch by North Korea seems to be a tit-for-tat response to South Korean activists sending across balloons with information about their countrys democratic society and even memory devices with K-pop music videos. North Korea on Sunday lashed out against the frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish on its soil. The countrys deputy defence minister vowed to exercise strong power for self-defence and warned that mounds of waste paper and filth would be sent to the South in retaliation for its flying dirty things to the North. The neighbours have been sending balloons and propaganda leaflets across their border since the Korean War in the 1950s. A photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry shows trash from a balloon presumably sent by North Korea (AP) South Korea introduced a ban on balloon launches by activists in 2021 but it was ruled unconstitutional by a top court which said the prohibition violated freedom of speech. The South Korean military condemned North Koreas act as a clear violation of international law. It seriously threatens the safety of our people. North Korea is entirely liable for what happens due to the balloons and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop this inhumane and crass action. Garbage balloons presumably sent by North Korea land in South Korea (EPA) The latest balloon incident comes amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas. North Koreas attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit on Monday ended in failure after it exploded mid-air, state media said, and the two neighbours exchanged heated words. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to take overwhelmingly stern action against South Korea for its response to his countrys launch of the spy satellite. This is a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored and a play with fire that we cannot forgive, he said. (Bloomberg) -- North Korea fired multiple suspected ballistic missiles and attempted to disrupt South Koreas communications on Thursday, just days after leader Kim Jong Uns space program was dealt a blow when a rocket blew up soon after liftoff. Most Read from Bloomberg South Koreas military detected about a dozen projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles launched from an area near Pyongyangs main international airport toward the east from around 06:14 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches, the message said, adding South Korea is maintaining full readiness by closely sharing information related to the ballistic missiles with the US and Japanese authorities. Separately, South Korea said its military detected attempts by North Korea to jam GPS signals near the western maritime border between the two countries on Thursday morning. The action didnt result in any disruptions to South Koreas military operations, the Defense Ministry said. North Koreas missiles flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) before landing in the eastern waters, South Koreas JCS said. Japans Coast Guard said what appears to have been a ballistic missile has fallen. The projectile likely fell outside of Japans exclusive economic zone, national broadcaster NHK reported. North Korea typically does not comment on missile launches until the day after they take place. This is the sixth test of ballistic missiles from Kims regime this year. North Koreas last ballistic missile launch took place about two weeks ago when it fired multiple short-range rockets. Just prior to that launch, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the leader, blasted accusations that North Korea had been sending munitions to Russia made by the US and several of its partners. Kim Jong Un has pledged to press ahead with his space program after the rocket on a mission to deploy a spy satellite blew apart on Monday. The US, South Korea and Japan have said the technology used for rockets helps Pyongyangs ballistic missile program and is a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Kim intends to launch three spy satellites in 2024, official media reported after a policy-setting meeting of top officials in the last days of December. The satellites can help him keep an eye on US troops in the region and improve his ability to strike targets as he upgrades his nuclear weapons arsenal. Read more: North Korea Fires Missiles After Criticizing Weapons Charge Kim Jong Un also warned South Korea that it was playing with fire by threatening his countrys sovereignty through moves such as air exercises near the border separating the countries. His state sent balloons filled with trash such as batteries, shoe parts and manure into South Korea starting Tuesday night and into Wednesday, South Koreas military said. Read more: Kim Jong Un Faces Annihilation in Most Korea War Scenarios The US, South Korea and others have accused North Korea of sending to Russia massive amounts of artillery shells as well as its newest family of short-range nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that are easy to hide and quick to deploy. The munitions are for use in the Kremlins war in Ukraine, the US and its partners have said. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the charges. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik has said recent tests of weapons overseen by Kim Jong Un could be part of a demonstration before exporting the arms to Russia for use by President Vladimir Putin for his assault on his neighbor. Russia, in return, is providing North Korea with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons manufacturing, Shin has said. The food aid has helped Kim stabilize prices for necessities, and if the arms transfers grow, Russia will likely send more military technology to Kim, increasing Pyongyangs threat to the region, Shin added. --With assistance from Sebastian Tong and Sam Kim. (Updates with South Korea detecting GPS jamming.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Insights from The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Chosun Daily The News North Korea deployed around 260 balloons filled with bags of trash and excrement into South Korea on Wednesday, triggering emergency warnings and sending chemical and explosive teams scrambling. South Koreas defense ministry said that the bags were filled with o-mul, which can mean trash or excrement in Korean. North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns sister, Kim Yo Jong, defended the balloons as gifts of sincerity and pooh poohed allegations that they violated international law: I cannot understand why they are making a fuss as if they were hit by [a] shower of bullets, she said, according to The Wall Street Journal. The regime had earlier vowed payback after a North Korean defector-turned-activist sent 20 balloons stuffed with 300,000 leaflets condemning Kim Jong Un, as well USB drives containing K-pop songs and K-dramas. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Pyongyang fears balloon drops could weaken loyalty to regime Sources: The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Associated Press Ties between the Koreas which remain technically at war since the Korean War ended in 1953 without a peace deal have worsened this year. In January, Pyongyang said it would rewrite its constitution to label South Korea its No. 1 enemy. Air drops are a critical source of tension, as activists and defectors from the South continue to send across the border balloons filled with anti-regime leaflets and USB drives with K-pop music. Pyongyang fears these could spark an ideological shift. Foreign content from South Korea has become the primary threat for the Kim regime, a professor at Dong-A University told the WSJ. In 2020 Seoul criminalized the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, but high court justices overturned the ban, saying it curbed freedom of expression. North Koreas relationship with key ally China may be shifting Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, 38 North A failed attempt by North Korea to launch a spy satellite this week was a highly unusual move likely to provoke its major ally China, which was engaged in high-level diplomacy at a summit with Japan and South Korea in Seoul, The Associated Press reported. Pyongyang issued a rare rebuke of China after the three nations used the rare trilateral meeting to reiterate their commitment to preserving regional stability and to call for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. The Norths relations with China have looked to be cooling over the last year, but this is the first time in recent years any signs of trouble have broken into the open, researcher Rachel Minyoung Lee wrote for 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea. Spy satellites could pose a threat to South Korea Sources: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Chosun Daily North Koreas failed satellite launch this week was part of an ongoing attempt to build a space-based surveillance system to monitor the US and South Korea, which experts say could pose a threat to its southern neighbor. Leader Kim Jong Un vowed in December to launch three more reconnaissance satellites this year after successfully placing the first into orbit the month before despite the UN banning North Korea from conducting satellite launches, which it considers as disguised long-range missile tests. So far the country has lacked the satellite reconnaissance capability needed to launch ballistic or cruise missiles, but a second spy satellite would pose a significant threat to South Korea, an unnamed South Korean military intelligence source told the Chosun Daily. A balloon sent by North Korea, carrying various objects including what appeared to be rubbish and excrement, is seen over a rice field in South Korea - Reuters North Korea sent 150 balloons carrying animal faeces, toilet paper and rubbish over its southern border on Wednesday, prompting Seoul to accuse Kim Jong Uns regime of low class actions. Residents living in the border zone were warned to refrain from outdoor activities and not to touch any suspicious objects as the militarys explosives ordnance unit and chemical and biological warfare response teams were dispatched to the area. Photographs in the South Korean media showed rubbish bags tethered to large white balloons floating above fields and roads, as well as the aftermath of hard landings where what appeared to be dark excrement had burst across the ground. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said that unidentified objects believed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets have been identified and that the military was taking action. It said that the Norths actions clearly violate international laws and seriously threaten the safety of our people. We sternly warn the North to immediately stop its inhumane and low-class actions, it added. The aftermath of the balloon 'attack' as the South said the North's action had 'clearly violate international laws' - AFP Kim Kang Il, North Koreas vice defence minister, warned at the weekend that the regime would fly mounds of wastepaper and filth into the South in response to balloons being sent the other way by South Korean activists. The balloon campaigns are often conducted by human rights groups or North Korean defectors who send leaflets criticising the regime or flash drives with videos of K-pop or Korean dramas that depict life in the more prosperous South. In a statement, Mr Kim said the Norths own balloons would teach its neighbour how much effort is required to remove them as he accused Seoul of conducting despicable psychological warfare and scattering dirty things across the border. Seoul accused its neighbour of conducting 'psychological warfare' as soldiers collected the offending balloons - Shutterstock The incident is the latest twist in simmering tensions between the neighbouring countries that have technically been at war and separated by a heavily fortified border since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice. On Monday, North Korea attempted to launch a second spy satellite into orbit but failed when the rocket it was attached to exploded mid-air. South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the attempt as a direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyangs use of ballistic missile technology. 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. North Korea has adopted a new strategy to contend with its southern neighbor: sending floating bags of trash containing filth across the border, carried by massive balloons. The South Korean military began noticing large amounts of balloons arriving from the North starting Tuesday night, detecting more than 150 as of Wednesday morning, according to the countrys Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Photos released by the JCS show plastic bags carried by two giant balloons, with some broken packages spilling scraps of plastic, sheets of paper, and what appears to be dirt onto roads and sidewalks. The balloons so far contain filth and garbage and are being analyzed by government agencies, said the JCS, adding that the military was cooperating with the United Nations Command. South Korean authorities said the balloons, which landed in several locations, were filled with "filth and garbage." - South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff North Koreas actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens, it added. All responsibility arising from the North Korean balloons lies entirely with North Korea, and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and low-level actions. Local governments also sent messages to residents in the northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces to warn of the unidentified objects, and advised against outdoor activities. The packages risk damaging residential areas, airports and highways, said the JCS. North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns younger sister Kim Yo Jong who is also a senior official in the reclusive regime referred to the activities as freedom of expression. In a statement published by state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, Kim said that North Korea had dispersed toilet paper and other waste materials in bags attached to the balloons along the Korean border and central areas. Kim compared North Koreas actions to South Koreas years-long practice of sending balloons with anti-North Korea leaflets towards her nation. Weve done some of the things they always do, but I dont know why theyre making a big deal like theyve been hit by a shower of fire, Kim said. The move, according to North Korean state media KCNA, was to retaliate against South Korean activists who often send materials to the North including propaganda leaflets, food, medicine, radios and USB sticks containing South Korean news and television dramas, all prohibited in the isolated totalitarian dictatorship. Campaigners in the South, including defectors from North Korea, have long sent these materials through balloons, drones, and bottles floating down the cross-border river even after South Koreas parliament banned such actions in 2020. Scattering leaflets by use of balloons is a dangerous provocation that can be utilized for a specific military purpose, said Kim Kang Il, North Koreas Vice Minister of National Defense, KCNA reported on Sunday. He accused South Korea of using psychological warfare by scattering various dirty things near border areas, declaring that the North would take tit for tat action. The deflated balloon that carried the North Korean trash bags. Balloons have previously been used by South Korean activists to send materials across the border. - South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of (South Korea) and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them, Kim said, according to KCNA. When our national sovereignty, security and interests are violated, we will take action immediately. Kim also decried joint US-South Korea military drills, which have increased in recent years as tensions have risen in the Korean peninsula. The 2020 law that prohibited sending leaflets also restricted loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, which the Souths military once championed as part of psychological warfare against the North until it withdrew the equipment following a 2018 summit between the two Koreas. But even after parliament passed the ban, activists told Reuters they planned to continue including the defector Park Sang-hak, who had been sending materials back to his homeland for 15 years, vowing to continue in an effort to give North Koreans a rare glimpse of the outside world. Earlier this month, Parks organization Fighters for a Free North Korea said in a statement it had sent 20 balloons toward North Korea, containing 300,000 leaflets that condemned Kim Jong Un and 2,000 USB sticks containing K-pop and music videos. In order to appeal and urge the North Korean people to rise up and put an end to Kim Jong Un the group is sending the leaflets to the compatriots in North Korea, the organization said in a statement. For decades, North Korea has been almost completely closed off from the rest of the world, with tight control over what information gets in or out. Foreign materials including movies and books are banned, with only a few state-sanctioned exceptions; those caught with foreign contraband often face severe punishment, defectors say. Earlier this year a South Korean research group has released rare footage that it claimed showed North Korean teenagers sentenced to hard labor for watching and distributing K-dramas. Restrictions softened somewhat in recent decades as North Koreas relationship with China expanded. Tentative steps to open up allowed some South Korean elements, including parts of its pop culture, to seep into the hermit nation especially in 2017 and 2018, when relations thawed between the two countries. But the situation in North Korea deteriorated in the following years and diplomatic talks fell apart prompting strict rules to snap back into place in the North. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com JERUSALEM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday announced that three soldiers of its Nahal Brigade were killed during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that the three were killed when a booby trap exploded in a building in the southern city of Rafah, bringing the total number of deaths of IDF soldiers to 639 since the current conflict broke out last October. According to the report, the three soldiers set out on Tuesday afternoon to search buildings and combat infrastructure in southeast Rafah. It added that upon entering one of the buildings, a powerful explosive detonated, causing a partial collapse of the structure and, subsequently, the soldiers' deaths. According to the IDF and Kan TV, three other fighters were seriously injured in the incident. In addition, the IDF reported that seven other soldiers were severely wounded in their fighting across the strip. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) A Fayetteville judge said he has sentenced five members of a Northwest Arkansas drug trafficking ring. Four NWA residents sentenced to combined 74 years for child exploitation offenses According to a press release, Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced the last member of the group last week. The members have been indicted federally and sentenced. Sentencing varies from 6 years to 19 years. Kevin Burke, 37 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Joe Chantharath, 41 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Anthony Chantharath, 35 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Destiny Satterfield, 25 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Ryan Bruce, 35 (Courtesy: Washington County Jail) Kevin Michael Burke, age 37, of Bryant was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. He was found guilty of distribution of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. He has a three-year term of supervised release. Joe Chantharath, 42, of Springdale was sentenced to more than 11 years and a three-year supervised release. He had one charge of distribution of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Washington County Sheriffs Office arrest man in connection with Sunday homicide Anthony Chantharath, 35, of Springdale was sentenced to more than 11 years with one charge of possession of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He has a 3-year term of supervised release. Destiny DeAnne Satterfield, 25, of Springdale was sentenced to more than 6 years along with a three-year supervised release. She was found guilty with possession of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Ryan Seth Bruce, 35, of Clinton was sentenced to about 6 years and a three-year supervised release. He was found guilty of distribution of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine The Drug Task Force started an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in the beginning of Oct. 2022, court documents say. The DTF investigated a group responsible for supplying Northwest Arkansans with methamphetamines. During the course of their investigation, investigators identified five individuals who were responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine throughout the Western District of Arkansas, a news release states. 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force helped with the investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. Northwest Local superintendent to leave for Little Miami Darrell Yater, superintended of Northwest Local Schools District, speaks during the first Northwest Local school board meeting of the year on Jan. 8. He is leaving to join Little Miami Schools as executive director of human resources. Northwest Local Schools Superintendent Darrell Yater is leaving this summer to join another Greater Cincinnati school district. Little Miami Local Schools board in Warren County unanimously voted 5-0 Tuesday to hire Yater as their new executive director of human resources, according to Brad Underwood, Little Miami school spokesman. Yater will begin his new role in August, Underwood said. Its not clear when Yater quit Northwest Local Schools in western Hamilton County or when the search for a new superintendent will begin. Enquirer Media partner Fox 19 provided this report. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northwest Local Schools superintendent hired at Little Miami In a video of body-worn camera footage released by the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, a deputy is seen trying to pull Kyrieanna Liles from her vehicle on Nov. 20 on Malaga Way in Rancho Cordova. Liles then drove her car away from deputies, who fired upon her during the escape. Liles suffered a gunshot wound to the arm and was later charged with resisting arrest and assault on an officer. A prosecutor on Thursday told a jury that a Rancho Cordova womans actions were jarring when she decided to roam her neighborhood with a chefs knife looking for her dog and later tried to run over a sheriffs deputy. Deputy District Attorney Jenna Forster argued that Kyrieanna Liles neighbors were rightfully afraid when she, a stranger to them, tried to break into their home while carrying a chefs knife with a 6-inch blade. The Sacramento County District Attorneys Office has charged Liles with assault with a deadly weapon the vehicle, a Dodge Challenger upon a peace officer in connection with a Nov. 20 incident outside her home. Ms. Liles has committed the crimes shes been charged with, Forster told the jurors. Ms. Liles put her foot on the gas and aimed (the vehicle) at this deputy. Deputy Public Defender Carrie Claremon, who is representing Liles in her trial, argued that Deputy Matthew Bollinger acted unlawfully that morning, opening her car door and grabbing at her wrist to pull her out of her parked vehicle on the driveway of her Malaga Way home without any legal justification. She was accosted in her own driveway, Claremon told the jury. They (the deputies) werent acting lawfully. The defense attorney said in court that Bollinger made an idiotic decision to jump in front of a moving car as Liles was trying to flee from the deputies assault on her. The attorneys gave their closing arguments Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court, before the jury began their deliberations that afternoon to decide Liles fate. The incident began to unfold about 10:22 a.m. on Nov. 20, when Liles called authorities to report her dog was missing, and that she believed her neighbor stole her dog who she could hear barking from her neighbors backyard. She hung up the call before dispatchers could ask her any more questions. Forster told the jurors that dispatchers repeatedly tried calling Liles back, but she didnt answer. She answered her phone several minutes after her initial call, telling dispatchers she got her dog back and quickly hung up. About 10:45 a.m., Rancho Cordova police were called to an Augibi Way home. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office is contracted to have deputies provide police services for Rancho Cordova. The prosecutor told the jury that her neighbors Ring doorbell camera captured Liles on their front lawn holding the chefs knife. Forster said its unclear whether Liles was suffering from a mental health crisis or under the influence of drugs when she armed herself to look for her missing dog. She argued the deputies had to investigate; ignoring it wouldve been wrong. Thats not normal behavior, Forster argued. Theres no way else of putting it. The defense attorney said this all started because there was a distraught woman looking for her dog and that she was assaulted after she called police for help. She said Liles made a split-second decision to get away from this assault by first pulling out of the driveway in reverse, before driving forward onto the driveway and then the lawn to avoid any deputies or vehicle traffic that might be behind her. She didnt see Deputy Bollinger (as the car started moving forward). He jumped in front of her car, Claremon said in court. She has every opportunity to hit him, but she doesnt. The Sheriffs Office in January released body camera video that showed deputies fired their guns 10 times at the Liles as she drove away from them in her car. Bollinger and Deputy Spencer Hettema, trainee at the time, fired their guns at Liles that day. Claremon told the jury that deputies body camera video shows she applied the brakes on her white Dodge Challenger as she drove around a large tree on the front lawn to avoid hitting the deputy. She also said Bollinger is only claiming Liles showed signs of being under the influence after the fact without any evidence to support it. He knows he messed up, Claremon said about Bollinger. He knows he put his hands on this woman, and now he has to come up with a reason. Pursuing deputies caught up to Liles several blocks away and took her into custody without further incident. She was wounded in the shoulder by gunfire and booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where the 24-year-old defendant has been held since then as she awaited trial. Liles bail amount was set at $500,000. While in custody, Liles filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Sacramento County and the Sheriffs Office that accuses the deputies of using excessive force in the November incident. That case is pending and will resume July 12 with a defense motion to dismiss Liles case. Bollinger and Hettema are among the defendants listed in the lawsuit filed in February by Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin. Between vacation photos and cookout invitations posted on their private text thread, a group of Mississippi sheriffs deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad traded pictures of rotting corpses and joked about rape and shocking people with Tasers. They did it all in front of their supervisor, who often joined in the banter. An encrypted WhatsApp group chat obtained by The New York Times and Mississippi Today provides a yearslong record of the day-to-day conversations of a patrol unit involved in terrorizing residents across a central Mississippi county for a generation. The Goon Squad came to national attention last year after Rankin County sheriffs deputies tortured two Black men in their home and shot one of them in the face, nearly killing him. Six officers, including three from the Goon Squad shift, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March. An investigation by The Times and Mississippi Today last fall revealed that nearly two dozen residents experienced similar brutality when Rankin deputies burst into their homes looking for illegal drugs. Most of the deputies in the chat have not been charged, and some have not been accused of violence or other illegal behavior. Several deputies said their comments were jokes and denied doing anything illegal. At least nine still work at the department. On the left, a commemorative coin that Goon Squad members carried. On the right, the side of the challenge coin that some Goon Squad members were given to note their association with the group. The text thread, the contents of which have not previously been reported, shows that for years the deputies chattered routinely about ways to humiliate and brutalize criminal suspects. Amid mundane messages about time-cards and vacation days, the deputies delighted in the violence they had witnessed and goaded one another to assault and shame people struggling with addiction or accused of crimes. They punctuated the chat with racist comments about Mexicans and memes denigrating women as sex objects, all in view of more than a dozen deputies who were part of the same unit and received the group texts. In November 2019, the same year that the department came under review for three fatal shootings that involved Goon Squad members, the deputies discussed turning their work into a game: one point for every arrest. Deputy Cody Grogan asked the group how many points he would get if he shot someone. Depends if they die or not, replied Lt. Jeffrey Middleton, the shifts supervisor. Theyll die, Deputy Luke Stickman wrote. WhatsApp text exchanges among the Goon Squad, which have been edited for length. Mr. Grogan, who no longer works at the department, said in an interview that his text messages were absolutely all jokes. People that know me know thats not going to happen. Im not going to go out and shoot anybody, he said. Mr. Stickman, who left the department last year, did not respond to requests for comment. Carlos Tanner, a lawyer for Mr. Middleton, who is now in prison, declined to comment on his clients behalf. Deputies in the chat also discussed taking nude pictures of a woman they had arrested. They made plans to rough up people they disliked or suspected of crimes. They urged one another to shock peoples private parts with Tasers. One shared a video of a deputy defecating on someones bed. When deputies encountered people who had died by suicide, by homicide, in a car crash they sometimes shared pictures of the bodies, compared states of decomposition or joked that they should have sex with them. In May 2022, Deputy Zachary Cotton posted a picture of a mans body found decomposing in Robinhood, an impoverished neighborhood of run-down trailers and makeshift shacks that deputies often targeted for drug raids. Thats hot, Deputy Hunter Cook said in the chat. Poke him with a stick, Lieutenant Middleton replied. 5 bucks if you take a selfie with him with your arm around him, Deputy Cook wrote. Mr. Cook, who no longer works in law enforcement, said that while he was not proud of his texts, it is common for police officers to exchange off-color jokes about their work. We see dead bodies all the time, he said. Thats kind of how we deal with stuff. He also distanced himself from his colleagues accused of torturing people. Had I known they were doing stuff like that, I probably wouldnt have made jokes like that, Mr. Cook said. Deputy Cotton, who still works for the department, said he and his colleagues traded pictures of dead people out of curiosity, but did not share them outside of their chat group. Its stuff that you just see on the job, he said. Its not against the law. I didnt make any vulgar comments about it. Brandon, Miss., is the seat of Rankin County Jason Dare, an attorney for the Rankin County Sheriffs Department, said the department planned to issue a statement about the group chat Wednesday morning. WhatsApp encrypts messages, which protects users privacy. Messages sent through the app are not centrally recorded and therefore are difficult to obtain if users delete them. During court hearings in March, federal prosecutors noted that members of the group used WhatsApp to plan a 2023 raid during which they shocked Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker with Tasers, assaulted them with a sex toy and shot Mr. Jenkins in the mouth. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey has said he was not aware of the allegations of violence against his deputies over the years and that he did not know about the Goon Squad moniker. I didnt even realize that they called themselves that until last week, he said during a press conference last August. The chat shows that deputies working under Lieutenant Middleton began calling themselves the Goon Squad as far back as 2019. More than a dozen men everyone who was assigned to the shift participated in the chat, including Lieutenant Middleton, who reported directly to the sheriff. In 2020, deputies exchanged messages about creating a challenge coin, a commemorative token commonly shared by members of a particular unit in the military or law enforcement. Lieutenant Middleton initially suggested that their coin feature images of a noose and a Confederate flag. They discussed how Sheriff Bailey would react, referring to him by his badge number, 1. Im not sure how 1 will feel about the goon squad, Lieutenant Middleton wrote. The final version of the coin, which the lieutenant gave to the deputies as Christmas gifts in 2022, pictured cartoonish gangsters and said Lt. Middletons Goon Squad. Merry Christmas Goons, Lieutenant Middleton posted in the chat that year. He is now serving a 17.5-year prison sentence for his role in the January 2023 torture incident. Many of the text messages come across as jokes. Some refer to specific arrests and suspects, but do not make clear whether deputies actually carried out the violence they discussed. In 2022, deputies texted about roughing up a man arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Did you Tase him in the face!? Hunter Elward wrote. Daniel Opdyke asked if they had shocked the man in the anus. All the neighbors were outside watching, Deputy Cook responded in the chat, adding that if they had been in a more secluded area, the suspect would have gotten more lovings. Former Deputies Elward and Opdyke are in prison after pleading guilty to the assault of Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker. Jeffery Reynolds, Mr. Opdykes lawyer, said he had been unable to immediately reach his client, but obviously Tasing somebody in the anus is wrong and very disturbing. Mr. Cook said he texted in aggravation because the suspect was accused of abusing a child. I didnt do anything that was illegal or anything like that to him, he said. The violent acts that deputies discussed were similar to those reported by dozens of residents interviewed last year by The Times and Mississippi Today. Those residents said they had experienced or witnessed raids in which deputies restrained suspects or drove them to remote locations, then beat them, threatened to kill them or shocked them with Tasers in the face and genitals. Many said the assaults had been directed by the departments then-chief investigator, Brett McAlpin, whom federal prosecutors identified as the ringleader of the Goon Squad during his sentencing in March. In 2020, the deputies texted about what to do to a man they suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run case. Deputy Grogan offered a quote he attributed to the chief investigator. Nothing scares a man like kidnapping him Brett McAlpin, Deputy Grogan wrote. Im down to make some bad choices, Deputy Dustin Smith replied. The deputies then joked about killing the man and burying him on Deputy Grogans property. Lieutenant Middleton suggested they dump the mans body in nearby Jackson, Miss. Theyll never solve it, he said. WhatsApp text messages among members of the Goon Squad. In an interview, Mr. Grogan called his texts in the group chat a poor decision and said Ive never kidnapped anybody and Ive never shot anybody. Deputy Smith, who still works for the department, declined to comment. No one in the group, including the highest-ranking members, raised concerns in the chat about what was being said. In a 2020 text exchange, two deputies asked Lieutenant Middleton if they could beat a man they believed had exposed himself to women at local gas stations. Thats fine just justify it good in your report, Lieutenant Middleton replied. In 2022, Deputy Stefan Williams shared a video of an officer defecating on someones bed. Several deputies replied, appearing to reminisce about the incident. I was laughing so hard that day I couldnt hardly breath, Deputy Jeremiah Jordan said. Good times, lol. Deputy Williams wrote. I wonder if that crack head lay his ass back on that bed? Deputy Jordan replied. Department records indicate that Mr. Williams no longer works as a deputy in Rankin County. He did not respond to requests for comment. Deputy Jordan, who was promoted to lieutenant, did not respond to requests for comment. In July 2021, after Deputy Zachary Cotton reversed several overdoses using the opioid blocker Narcan, some deputies harangued him for saving the people who had overdosed. The following month, they took turns ridiculing a woman who had tried to bite a jailer. Some people just need a bullet to the head, Deputy Stickman wrote. Number of inmates set for early release in Scotland almost doubles in fortnight SNP justice secretary Angela Constance said: 'Releases will also be completed in tranches' - SST/ALAMY The number of criminals to be set free early from Scottish jails to ease overcrowding has almost doubled in a fortnight. The SNP government claimed earlier this month that as few as 300 inmates, and no more than 500, were to be released under an emergency scheme being brought in because Scotlands jails were full. However, the devolved administration said on Wednesday it now expected 550 prisoners to benefit from its plan under current modelling, with all to have regained their freedom by July 25. The Scottish government did not rule out that the total number of eligible prisoners could increase further, with offenders to be released in tranches from the end of next month. Scottish Tories backlash The Tories accused the SNP of attempting to sneak out the announcement, which officials made as MSPs were debating sanctions that Michael Matheson, the disgraced former health secretary, should face over his iPad expenses scandal. In a matter of days, the SNP government has increased the number of prisoners it wants to release early by 10 per cent, Russell Findlay, justice spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said. Sneaking this out while all attention is on their expenses-fiddling MSP is shabby, even by their standards. The public deserve to know the full extent of how many criminals are going to be set free, when this will happen and what measures are being taken to protect the public. Criminals serving sentences of less than four years with 180 days or less left to serve are to be released early, unless they had been jailed for sexual crimes or domestic abuse. Prisoner governors will have a veto they can exercise if they consider an inmate who is eligible will pose an immediate risk to a specific individual or group of individuals. Support organisations will be given information about the release date of a prisoner under the emergency release process, where the victim has requested it. Victorian-era prison On Wednesday, Scotlands prison population stood at 8,313, a slight reduction on the figure when Angela Constance, the SNP justice secretary, announced her early release plan on May 16. A replacement to Scotlands largest jail, Barlinnie in Glasgow, has been delayed. The Victorian-era prison has capacity for 987 inmates but has been forced to hold about 1,400 over recent months. A site for the new jail, expected to have a capacity of about 1,200, was bought in 2020 and planning permission has been granted, but Ms Constance has suggested the final plans were yet to be completed. The SNP government is to seek parliamentary approval for the early release scheme, although the Scottish Tories have said they will vote against it. Robust safeguards in place Ms Constance blamed the need to release prisoners early on an unprecedented and rapid rise in the prison population, with an increase of about 400 over the previous two months. She said similar challenges were being faced across the rest of the UK, with prisoners also being released up to 70 days early in England and Wales. Protecting the public remains my number one priority, which is why there are significant and robust safeguards in place, Ms Constance said. Releases will also be completed in tranches so the necessary support can be provided to safely resettle released prisoners in their communities. 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. EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) A man from the Bronx has been charged in Pennsylvania for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam announced that 62-year-old Jose Rodriguez from the Bronx, New York was indicted after falsifying documents and attempting to withdraw around $50,000 from multiple different accounts throughout Lycoming, Tigoa, and Centre County. Two charged with child endangerment in Luzerne County U.S. Attorney Karam said Rodriguez unlawfully gained access to the identification of at least four bank customers in connection with the fraudulent scheme. Officials say the maximum penalty for bank fraud is 30 years in prison with five years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. With aggravated identity theft offenses there is an additional two years 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 PAhomepage.com. A Harlem father allegedly built ghost guns inside the apartment he shared with his children and test-fired the dangerous weapons in Central Park, according to prosecutors. Roberto Guerrero, 29, was indicted Tuesday for allegedly manufacturing a cache of weapons using a 3D printer and advertising them online through his self-made videos, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. The NYPD descended on Guerreros home shortly after 6 a.m. May 20 and found the trove of unsecured ghost guns and parts stashed throughout the apartment, including some that were placed into cardboard boxes and bags, prosecutors said. Roberto Guerrero allegedly manufactured ghost guns in the Harlem home he shared with his kids. Manhattan DA's Office As alleged, Roberto Guerrero threatened the safety of all New Yorkers, including his own children, when he decided to manufacture and store 3D-printed weapons some of which were fully operable in his home, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. Investigators recovered a 3D-printed pistol with a magazine loaded with seven rounds of ammunition; a 3D-printed assault weapon-style pistol; 30 3D-printed pistol lower receivers including one modeled off a traditional AR-15 and a large capacity ammunition feeding device, as well as other supplies to assemble weapons like filament and other tools. Prosecutors allege Guerrero has been making the weapons since September 2023 and peddles the illegal firearms through several online retailers under various aliases. He would allegedly advertise his designs through self-produced videos including five clips he filmed of himself shooting the guns in Central Park. Guerrero test-fired several of the guns in Central Park filming the shootings to advertise his illegal business. Manhattan DA's Office According to prosecutors, Guerreros wife was involved in the ghost gun operation and was charged separately for allegedly assisting with the manufacturing. Their children witnessed cops rifle through the home and bust the couple. Guerrero has been charged with several counts of criminal possession of a weapon; manufacturing and transporting weapons and criminal possession of a firearm, all felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a weapon, failure to safely store the weapons, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of ammunition. NEW YORK The Manhattan jury that will decide whether Donald Trump is guilty of covering up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels and a conspiracy to defraud the 2016 electorate officially got the case Wednesday, heading back to the jury room for their deliberations at 11:27 a.m. The historic verdict could make Trump a felon and the first American president to face a criminal conviction. The deliberations began after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan instructed jurors on the law for about an hour. You are the judges of the facts and you are responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty, Merchan said, later saying potential punishment should not factor in their deliberations. If there is a verdict of guilty, it will be my responsibility to impose an appropriate sentence. As Merchan told the jury that they alone are responsible for deciding whether Trump will be found guilty or not guilty, the former president turned his head to look over the panel of seven men and five women. He did not address reporters outside the courtroom as he headed inside, having addressed the media most other mornings during the trial that began on April 15. Trump, accompanied to court by his son, Donald Trump, Jr., and several allies and attorneys, was locked in the courtroom along with spectators for the jury charge, which was expected to take about an hour. The judge said the jury must unanimously conclude Trump conspired to prevent or promote his candidacy by unlawful means to find him guilty of the charges alleging he falsified records to hide such a conspiracy, but they do not need to be unanimous on what those unlawful means were. Among the potential means they may consider are violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, falsification of other business records outside of the 11 checks, 11 invoices, and 12 ledger entries making up the charges or violations of tax laws. Cohens transaction to Daniels attorney, Keith Davidson, wired from a shell company with money fraudulently obtained via a home equity line of credit, can count as other business records falsified as part of the conspiracy, Merchan said. Cohen went to federal prison for the payoff after pleading guilty to breaking campaign finance laws in 2018. The accusation The presumptive Republican nominee in this years election has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of New York business records tied to his alleged reimbursement to Michael Cohen in 2017 for paying Daniels into silence about her claims of an extramarital tryst in 2006, less than two weeks out from the 2016 election. In lengthy summations that ran into Monday night, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said the timing of the payment was no coincidence, and asked jurors to hold the former president to the same legal standard as every citizen for working to hoodwink the 2016 electorate by disguising information about his past. There is no special standard for this defendant. Donald Trump cant shoot someone during rush hour on Fifth Avenue and get away with it, the prosecutor said. You, the jury, have the ability to hold the defendant accountable. And, like in any other case, he can be judged by a jury of his peers, based on the evidence and nothing else. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, in his closing, decried the prosecutions case as absurd and asked jurors not to convict his client on the word of Cohen, Trumps former fixer and the greatest liar of all time, according to Blanche. ------- The Manhattan district attorneys office accused a man on Tuesday of attacking several women on the streets of New York City in recent months. Skiboky Stora, 40, of Brooklyn, was indicted on charges of assault, stalking and aggravated harassment as a hate crime in a series of anti-female, anti-white, and antisemitic incidents, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against several individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion, Bragg said. Much of what defines our city is respect and acceptance of all people. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. Braggs office detailed multiple incidents allegedly involving Stora. On Sept. 20, Stora elbowed a white 17-year-old in the neck, saying, You people think you can do whatever the f you want, according to Tuesdays statement. He elbowed a 37-year-old woman in October. Another incident involved a white Jewish couple, both 28, walking their dog in Union Square on November 18. The couple saw Stora tearing down photos of kidnapped Israeli hostages, and the wife took a photo of him. Stora noticed them and followed them around, shouting, F you, white boy, and die, Jews, die! according to the DAs office. This year, a number of women on TikTok described experiencing similar attacks on the streets of New York, including reality star Bethenny Frankel. In a video that went viral in March, a TikToker called Halley Kate claimed that a man punched her while she was walking her dog, leaving her with swelling on her forehead. You guys, I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face, Kate says in the video, dated March 25, as she reveals her bruised forehead. Oh my God, it hurts so bad I cant even talk. Literally, I fell to the ground and now this giant goose egg is forming. The fourth incident described in Tuesdays statement from the district attorney describes a March 25 incident in which Stora allegedly struck a 23-year-old white woman, causing her to suffe[r] pain and swelling on the left side of her head. On March 27, the New York Police Department said it had arrested someone in connection to the TikTok, but didnt name Stora. The NYPD said that person had been arrested three times in the last six months. Stora has previously been charged with assault but pleaded not guilty in those cases, according to The Associated Press. His next court date is on August 6 and he is currently representing himself. He said that authorities had no probable cause to arrest him, local affiliate Fox 5 reported. Related... A worker packs durians at a processing factory in Chanthaburi, Thailand, April 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Teng) NANNING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- It is May and markets across China are bursting with durians, as it is peak harvest season across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the main exporter of this popular fruit. At Dongxing Port in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China, many durian stalls crowd both sides of the street, and the vendors' hawking fills the air. "This year, there are more varieties of durians for us to choose from. The durian I just bought is golden and has a strong fragrance," said a tourist. In May, the domestic Chinese market has more than a dozen varieties of durian available to buyers. As durian supplies continue to increase, prices have dropped, too. The harvest in eastern Thailand has been particularly bountiful this year, and the scale of durian exports to China has continued to expand. Staff members label durians to be exported to China at a durian processing plant in Dak Lak province, Vietnam, Sept. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Jiali) At the same time, the number of durians exported from Vietnam to the Chinese market through Youyiguan Port has gradually increased. As the third country allowed to export fresh durians to the Chinese market, the Philippines also plans to increase its scale of durian exports. "In April, the wholesale price of Monthong durian was about 64 yuan (about 9 U.S. dollars) per kg, and in late May, the wholesale price dropped to 48 yuan per kg, and some varieties of durian were even less than 40 yuan per kg," said Guan Caixia, a durian dealer in Nanning, capital of Guangxi. Right now, at Youyiguan Port on the Sino-Vietnamese border, Vietnamese durians are enjoying smooth export to the Chinese market thanks to transportation advantages. Guangxi Yunduoduo Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. has signed cooperation agreements with some orchards and packaging factories in Vietnam in recent years, and is committed to promoting the export of more high-quality Vietnamese durians to the Chinese market. A staff member (L) processes custom clearance documents at the port of the Friendship Pass in Pingxiang, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Sept. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming) "Vietnamese durian will enjoy a large share in the Chinese market in the future, and the northern areas of Vietnam are actively planning to cultivate more durians," said Lu Yilang, assistant to the chairman of the company. During the durian peak season, Chinese consumers have more choices. From traditional offline purchases to online platform orders, various and convenient purchase methods continue to boost durian sales from ASEAN countries in the Chinese market. In recent years, Chinese consumers' love of durian has increased, and China's durian consumption market is constantly expanding, said Lei Xiaohua, a researcher with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences. For durian exporting countries, in the short term, lowering prices can boost sales, but in the long run, improving durian quality and growing efficiency is a sustainable solution, Lei added. NEW YORK New York City public schools wont cap enrollment at popular schools to comply with the class size law this fall, education officials announced Tuesday but suggested remote instruction and other strategies to bring more classes to the required levels. The local Education Department has directed each of the citys dozens of school districts to increase its share of classes in compliance by 3%, according to a draft class size plan. The law currently being phased in will limit classes between 20 and 25 students depending on grade level. And while significant enrollment proposals arent part of the 50-page plan, principals were given about a dozen options to meet new targets, including to rebalance their classes, repurpose space for classrooms, and even consider using virtual learning to reduce the impact on space. Our draft class size reduction plan for the 2024-2025 school year outlines clear, actionable steps to ensure we remain in compliance with the class size law, Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement. Further, it provides targeted support for high-need schools and supports robust teacher recruitment powered by $182 million in new school funding. Of the increase in state funding, $137 million is earmarked for high-need schools that already have the necessary space to shrink class size. A couple dozen schools that need one more classroom are working with the city to repurpose other space in the buildings by the fall. To help school districts meet the new marks, superintendents can require schools meet individual targets. At the school level, principals can reallocate funding to pay for teachers, offer staggered start times for students, or share instruction between schools occupying the same building, among other proposals. Still, education officials do not expect to implement major changes this fall. The law requires a citywide compliance rate of 40% next school year, which the system is already near. All class sizes have to fall below the caps by September 2028. While some districts in neighborhoods including Ocean Hill-Brownsville and Mott Haven are in good shape for compliance, others such as Bayside, Forest Hills and Staten Island have more over crowded schools, data show. The city has already begun to analyze the impacts of substantial enrollment policy changes and increased the lower end of its cost estimate to $1.4 billion, according to the plan. The projection covers the cost of additional teachers, and does not account for new space needs and some of the teacher recruitment programs education officials have proposed. While the majority of schools should be able to the meet the class size mandates in the space they already have, the city estimates 537 schools need extra space to comply if enrollments stay the same. The draft plan requires sign-off by teachers and principals unions. _______ NEW YORK (PIX11) New York City Transit President Richard Davey, the head of subways and buses, has been hired for a top job back home in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Port Authority deliberated and discussed their two finalists during an open meeting on Wednesday. Davey came to the MTA in 2022. He previously held several transit and transportation leadership positions in his home state, including the Massachusetts secretary of transportation. At NYC Transit, he has worked to improve subway and bus service and keep stations clean. Rider and worker safety have been priorities. App gives real-time New York City subway train locations The chief transit position in New York City has seen some turnover in the past six years. Massport owns and operates three airports and the Port of Boston. During the meeting, some commissioners said Daveys knowledge of the state and transportation experience would be beneficial for the role of CEO. Two Massport commissioners strongly advocated for the hiring of someone with a new perspective for the future. The majority of the seven-member board said Daveys political and managerial qualifications will be good for the agency. The other finalist was Eulois Cleckley, the director and CEO of the Department of Transportation and Public Works for Miami-Dade County. Davey is expected to leave in the next month. The MTA will conduct a search for a replacement. Demetrius Crichlow will take over as interim transit president for the MTA on June 14. He has been the vice president of subways and has three decades of experience with the MTA. Demetrius is a long-time leader at New York City Transit who has ensured subway system performance remains at record levels even as we dramatically increased service beginning last summer, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement. I have confidence that he will be able to build on the successes hes helped to achieve. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Missouri Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcrofts campaign for governor faces an ethics complaint alleging that it illegally coordinated with a political action committee on a letter attacking his opponents, an assertion that Ashcrofts campaign rejects. The complaint, filed last week by attorney and lobbyist Jane Dueker, alleges that Committee for Liberty, the PAC supporting Ashcroft, spent $5,244.84 on the March letter the same amount spent by Ashcrofts campaign. That figure should have been reported as an in-kind contribution to Ashcrofts campaign, the complaint argues. It wasnt, Duekers complaint alleges because the contribution exceeded the $2,825 limit on contributions that Ashcrofts campaign committee, Ashcroft for Missouri, can receive during an election cycle. This violation is so plain that this Commission need do little or no investigating, the complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission said. It went on to say that every dime the PAC spent on the letter was an in-kind contribution to Ashcroft for Missouri. Ashcroft for Missouri has filed false campaign finance reports and the Commission should take appropriate action, it said. Jason Cabel Roe, a spokesperson for Ashcrofts campaign, pushed back in a statement to The Star, calling the complaint a frivolous use of lawfare and framing the complaint as a political attack. She is trying to make a practice allowed by Missouri law sound illegal while being perfectly legal, he said. Theres nothing in our fundraising letters that isnt on our website or social media. Ashcrofts campaign is now using the complaint to fund raise for his campaign. Ashcroft for Missouri sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday attacking Dueker as a liberal Democrat lobbyist who supports Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, one of his Republican opponents for governor. Are you surprised? Im not, this is what Democrats do now - use the law to attack their political opponents, the email said. This complaint is frivolous and misleading, for practices expressly allowed by Missouri law. Whether the Missouri Ethics Commission will investigate the complaint remains unclear. The commissions work is largely confidential. Liz Ziegler, the commissions executive director, said in an email that state law prohibited her from commenting on complaints before the commission reached a conclusion. The complaint comes as Ashcroft leads in public polling in the Republican race for governor, which also includes Kehoe and Sen. Bill Eigel from Weldon Spring. The major Democratic candidates for governor include Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra. The March letter at issue states that it was paid for by both Ashcrofts candidate committee and the PAC supporting his campaign. It touts Ashcrofts lead in the polls but states that he is lagging behind Kehoe in fundraising. The letter goes on to attack Kehoes voting record when he previously served in the state Senate, saying Who needs a Democrat in the Governors mansion when you have Mike Kehoe? It briefly attacks Eigel, calling him a political gadfly. The letter, which is signed by Ashcroft, also touts the secretary of states record, calling him the Conservative Choice for Missouri. Voters in 2016 reimposed campaign contribution limits after Missouri spent a decade as one of a very small number of states without limits. In 2020, voters also approved lower limits for state legislative candidates. However, those limits have not taken money out of politics and have instead funneled money into political action committees that can accept unlimited donations. While PACs cant be controlled by a candidate, the committees are allowed to support or oppose ballot measures and candidates. Peverill Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, said in an email to The Star that the coordination alleged in Duekers complaint is now a regular occurrence in American elections. The laws in question, however, are almost never enforced, in large part because it is time consuming to document violations and difficult to prove coordination in a legal forum, he said. There is, however, little doubt that this fundraising letter also functioned as a campaign pitch for Ashcroft and everyone who received it would likely have interpreted it in that fashion. Squire went on to say that hes confident there will be more allegations of campaign finance violations as the primary election approaches. I suspect most voters will not pay much attention to them for good reason: They will only be resolved long after the election is over, he said. Dueker, in a statement to The Star, pushed back on Ashcrofts campaigns defense of the letter, saying that the secretary of states supporters were framing the complaint as a technicality. The obvious colluding the Ashcroft Campaign Committee has engaged in with the Committee for Liberty PAC has converted a supposed independent PAC into a second and illegal Ashcroft campaign committee without campaign finance limits, she said. This is a clear violation of the Missouri Constitution and statutes. But, for Roe, Ashcrofts campaign spokesperson, the complaint was a mere political attack. She seems to think attacking the leading candidate for governor with a phony ethics complaint will hurt Secretary Ashcroft but it really shows how desperate the Kehoe campaign is, he said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) agreed with a popular far-left Twitch streamer last week that the Abraham Accords, and other U.S. policies, were significantly responsible for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The political streamer, Hasan Piker, said the attack was, a direct consequence of the Abraham Accords and many of Jared Kushners and Donald Trumps administrations actions, like moving the embassy to Jerusalem. Ocasio-Cortez, appearing on Pikers show, responded, 10,000%. Hasan Piker said Oct. 7th was, a direct consequence of the Abraham Accords and many of Jared Kushners and Donald Trumps administrations actions, like moving the embassy to Jerusalem. AOC, appearing on Pikers show, responded, 10,000%. pic.twitter.com/dDAIIegM2M Jewish Insider (@J_Insider) May 29, 2024 He is just as responsible for Oct. 7 as anyone else it directly happened as a direct consequence of him moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the annexed territory of Golan Heights as Israeli territory, going against international law and also conducting the Abraham Accords, completely sidestepping the Palestinians in the conversation. That is a major reason, he continued, as Ocasio-Cortez continued to nod along and said, mhm. Ocasio-Cortez appeared on Pikers stream to watch and comment on a rally by Trump in the Bronx last week. Pikers comments came in response to a remark by Trump claiming that the Oct. 7 attack would not have happened if he were in office. During the stream, Ocasio-Cortez also described the Israeli operations in Gaza as a genocide. Shes appeared with Piker at least once in the past. Piker also hosted on his show a Yemeni influencer who filmed himself onboard a civilian commercial ship seized by the Houthis. On that stream, Piker compared the Yemeni terrorist group favorably to the pirate hero of a Japanese cartoon series. Piker has been outspoken against Israel since Oct. 7, including offering or defending arguments that the Oct. 7 attack was inevitable and potentially understandable and justifiable, while often stopping short of directly endorsing the attack. Ocasio-Cortez has also recently come under attack from erstwhile allies on the far left, who have accused her of being insufficiently outspoken against Israel. Recently, the Palestine Solidarity Working Group formerly associated with the Democratic Socialists of America promoted a post calling AOC responsible for this genocide as much as Biden. Ocasio-Cortezs office referred an inquiry on the appearance to her campaign team, which did not immediately provide comment. View comments BERKELEY - Police officers filled Central Regional High School on Tuesday night, where tensions ran high as critics and proponents of electricity generated by offshore wind faced off with impassioned speeches during a hearing held by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The state agency held the event to collect public feedback on permit applications for proposed landfall sites for cables that, if approved, will transmit electricity from the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South project to the mainland power grid. Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind which is looking to erect about 200 wind turbines between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light needs a series of permits from the state environmental protection agency before the company can build transmission lines and electrical substations at landfall sites along the Jersey Shore. The company has proposed its electric cables come onshore at Atlantic City, Sea Girt and Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County. Though the hearing in Central Regional High School was designed to collect comments on the permit applications, attendees' who approached the microphones often veered toward the larger questions surrounding the new, yet undeveloped offshore wind sector: Will the industry kill fishing and tourism jobs, or spur thousands of new jobs in construction and specialized trades? Will wind turbine construction irreparably destroy the habitat on which fish and whales depend, or is it an integral step in preserving marine and human life by lowering fossil fuel consumption? More turbines: Murphy accelerates offshore wind construction, announces settlement with rsted Capt. Ed Baxter, a scalloper who docks at Point Pleasant Beach, voices concerns about offshore wind construction damaging important fish habitat during a hearing at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. Capt. Ed Baxter, a scalloper who docks at Point Pleasant Beach, said dredging to bury the power cables outside of important fishing areas, such as the Manasquan Inlet, would have serious impacts on commercial fishermen. Sediment from burying cable could smother and kill marine organisms, he said. Construction could scare off important fish species and limit access to important fishing grounds, Baxter said. Electrical fields from high voltage cables could alter fish migration or habitat, he said. "What's at jeopardy is a food source for our country," he said. "I have over 250 days a year at sea. There's many generations (of commercial fishermen and scallopers) behind me that have the same comments, the same worries." But offshore wind power proponents including James Thompson, campaigns director for the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, said development of turbines would help to avert the "existential threat" of climate change. Already, the oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic, he said. Courtroom drama: See which 8 NJ towns filed new lawsuits to stop offshore wind developer Sharonda Allen, executive director of Operation Grow, a nonprofit focused on economic and environmental sustainability, speaks in support of offshore wind at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. Ocean acidification is the result of absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As the ocean becomes more acidic, oysters, clams, coral and certain planktons cannot build proper shells, according to the administration. The acidification also affects some fish species' ability to detect predators, according to NOAA. Warming ocean temperatures are another serious problem, causing sea level to rise, coral around the world to die, and faster melting of the Earth's ice sheets, according to NASA. Diane Kerrigan of Island Heights urged the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to reject permit applications by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind while at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. Electric bills: Before you turn on that air conditioner, here's how much JCP&L electric rates are going up Building offshore wind will help reduce greenhouse gases that are contributing to these problems, but also help people who live inland, Thompson said. "Places like Newark and Camden and Trenton, even other suburbs around the state, have been affected by poor air quality because of the burning of fossil fuels that has happened over decades and decades and decades," he said. "There will be 6.13 million tons of greenhouse gas reduction annually from this Atlantic Shores project alone, which is equivalent to removing 1.21 million cars from the road," said Jackie Greger, a Toms River resident and staff member of the New Jersey Sierra Club, one of the state's largest environmental organizations. Bob Stern, founder of Save Long Beach Island, an organization that is fighting the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind's proposal, urged the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to reject permit applications from the power company while speaking at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. Check out this map: Which New Jersey towns will sink under water from sea level rise? "This new, clean energy resource will especially benefit the communities in New Jersey who bear the brunt of pollution, as it will help displace the fossil-fuel usage in our grid and improve our regional air quality," she said. "We need to invest in offshore wind to bring relief to people who suffer from asthma, heart disease and other medical conditions." At Central Regional High School, critics of offshore wind urged the Department of Environmental Protection to reject the permit applications, saying construction of turbines would threaten their way of life. Rose Willis, a member of the Fishermen's Dock Cooperative of Point Pleasant Beach, said that not only would local commercial fishing companies be affected by the offshore wind project, but also many small businesses that service or buy from their industry. She cited the ice suppliers, restaurants, truck drivers, fuel sellers and others who depend on a healthy fishing industry in New Jersey. "Three major commercial fishing ports will be affected: Point Pleasant Beach, Barnegat Light and Atlantic City," Willis said. "Areas will be temporarily close to fishing. And limiting the Fishermen's Dock Cooperative access to traditional fishing grounds and running these cables past Manasquan Inlet will block our access to the ocean itself. This will result in immediate financial losses." Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson Jr. also urged the Department of Environmental Protection to reject the permit applications. "The effects (of offshore wind development), once implemented, will be irreversible and can lead, indeed, to irreparable harm to our environment, to our coastal way of life, to the culture, the history of this area, as well as the tourism industry," he said. Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson Jr. urges New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials to reject permit applications by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind while speaking at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. What's the effect? Offshore wind farms off NJ, NY scrutinized over environmental impacts The environmental permits sought by Atlantic Shores are one in a series of federal and state obstacles the company must pass in order to begin construction on its 102,124-acre site. In 2021, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded offshore wind renewable energy certificates, or ORECs, to Project 1 of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South. That half of the proposal would deliver 1,510 megawatts of energy to the grid. Offshore wind companies earn one OREC for each megawatt-hour of electricity generated by wind turbines. OREC prices are set in the Board of Public Utilities award agreements. Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, speaks in support of offshore wind at Central Regional High School in Berkeley on May 28, 2024. Atlantic Shores is still seeking an OREC award for Project 2 of its proposal. Last week, the company passed another milestone when the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced approval and release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the company's proposal. "We are encouraged to see forward progress and getting another step closer to delivering New Jersey's first offshore wind projects," Atlantic Shores CEO Joris Veldhoven said in a statement to the press. Atlantic Shores officials said Project 1 will bring $848 million in local economic benefits to New Jersey and have an overall economic impact of $1.9 billion. If both Project 1 and 2 are approved, the company is expected to generate enough electricity to power almost 1 million homes. Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 15 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Atlantic Shores offshore wind meeting drew crowd, cops to Berkeley Ohio AG Yost says he wont explain his role in bailout scandal because of other cases Ohio Republican state Attorney General Dave Yost speaks to supporters at an election watch party at the Renaissance Hotel on November 8, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andrew Spear/Getty Images) Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has given another reason not to explain his involvement in the biggest corruption scandal in state history: There are other cases in the matter including two hes prosecuting and there could be more. Regardless of Yosts position, last year, as they made their closing arguments in court, federal prosecutors seemed to have taken at least a passing interest in his involvement in an important phase of the scandal. Former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, a defendant, in June 2019 told a co-conspirator that hed had dinner with Yost. That was at a time when the AG was in a position to help stop the repeal of a corrupt law that provided Akron-based FirstEnergy with a billion-dollar bailout. Borges told the co-conspirator that Yost said hed help where he legally could, the messages said. Since then, the Ohio attorney general has declined to say whether Borges statement was true. Regardless of his motivation, Yost on Aug. 12, 2019 dealt a heavy blow to the repeal effort when he rejected a ballot summary of a repeal. Advocates have to get the AGs approval before they can begin their effort in earnest, and they lost 36 of the 90 days they had to gather 265,000 certified signatures to put a repeal on the ballot. Their effort ultimately failed. In her closing argument in last years criminal trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter appeared to link Borges claims of assistance from the AG to a $10,000 contribution he made to Yost several months later. The money originated with FirstEnergy, was laundered through a 501(c)(4) dark money group and then placed in the bank account of a shell company that Borges had just created. Painter explained that it was part of $100,000 in FirstEnergy dark money that went into Borges shell company and she explained that the money wasnt just for Borges personal enrichment. He also used that money to further the goals of the enterprise, she said, according to a transcript of the proceeding. Just two sentences later, the federal prosecutor added, And included in those donations was a $10,000 donation to Dave Yost on October 15th, 2019, during the (repeal) referendum period using money that had been funneled to (Borges) from Generation Now. Generation Now was the dark money group that was used to launder $60 million in FirstEnergy dollars to support the corrupt bailout scheme and was later indicted by the feds and subsequently pleaded guilty. Not talking The scandal broke in July 2021 when the FBI arrested Borges, former House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, and three others. When it did, Yost donated the contribution hed gotten from Borges to charity. But as recently as last week, the Ohio Attorney General declined to say what he knew about the origins of the dark money or what assistance he might have provided to Borges, a longtime friend and consultant who is now serving a five-year prison sentence for his role in the bailout scandal. Regarding the donation, Matt (Borges) had been a long-time supporter of Dave (Yost) so it is not unusual that (Borges) would have contributed to a campaign fund, Yost spokeswoman Bethany McCorkle said in an emailed response to detailed questions about the contributions origins and whether Yost believed it was in exchange for anything hed done. After Borges was indicted, AG Yost donated that money to a human trafficking organization to help survivors. Last year, Yost had been named as a possible witness in Borges trial and Yosts office used that as a reason not to comment on messages presented in court in which his name appeared. Ultimately, the AG never took the stand in the case, which also resulted in a 20-year sentence for Householder. Yost hasnt been named as a potential witness in any criminal proceeding related to the scandal much less gagged by a judge. But his office is saying the fact that he might be called in the future is reason not to comment on the role Ohios top cop played in the protection of a bailout law that was fueled by $61 million in corporate bribes. Mr. Borges is appealing his sentence if he is granted an appeal, there would be a new trial and AG Yost may again be on the witness list for the prosecution, McCorkle said last week. Center stage In February, Yost went from the periphery of the bailout drama to a central player when he filed state charges against FirstEnergys two top executives when the bailout was conceived and passed. Also charged in the case was Sam Randazzo, Gov. Mike DeWines nominee to be Ohios top utility regulator. The state indictment revealed a decades worth of shady, previously unknown dealings between the executives and Randazzo, who died by suicide in April. In addition, Yost filed separate state charges against Householder in March. McCorkle, Yosts spokeswoman, cited these or any potential cases as a reason for the attorney general not to discuss what he knew and did regarding the corrupt bailout at a time he when was reportedly dining with one of the conspirators, rejecting repeal language and receiving $10,000 in dark money that originated with the utility that financed the conspiracy. If Mr. Borges, or another defendant, chooses to assert any of these allegations when its his, her, or their turn to go to trial, we will properly and decisively address them in court (through) evidence, argument, and testimony, McCorkle said. Giving Mr. Borges, or any other defendant, a preview of what we would present makes no sense legally or strategically. Yost is widely expected to run for governor in 2026. It remains to be seen whether hell see a need to explain to the public his role in the historic scandal between now and then. But his involvement was sufficient for federal prosecutors to spend significant time on it as they tried to leave a final impression with the jury at the end of a six-week trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Painter described how Yost had two calls with Householder about the bailout and how Householder then deleted the call logs. She also described how Borges lobbied Yost to interpret the bailout as legally being a tax and thus exempt from a voter-initiated veto. And she paraphrased a June 26, 2019 text Borges sent to co-conspirator Juan Cespedes. He said he had dinner with Yost and put the (repeal) referendum issue on his radar, Painter said. Then she quoted Borges: Dont repeat this. But (Yost) said, I would be out front opposing this if it werent for FirstEnergy support and your involvement. He thinks the issue is bad policy but he wants to be supportive. If theres any way that the law will allow him to reject the language, he will do it. Then the federal prosecutor shifted to what Ohios top law enforcement officer actually did. And what did he do, what did Attorney General Yost do? He rejected the initial petition language, Painter said. And (one of the repeal organizers) testified that that initial rejection, it cost them 36 days out of that 90-day period to collect signatures and that was a significant impediment to their efforts. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ohio AG Yost says he wont explain his role in bailout scandal because of other cases appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Ohio lawmakers are advancing a new bill that would charge teachers and librarians with felonies for handing out books and materials deemed obscene. House Bill 556 has been introduced to establish criminal liability for certain teachers and librarians for the offense of pandering obscenity, the legislation states. Introduced by Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), the proposal would charge teachers and school district librarians with fifth-degree felonies for creating, reproducing, publishing, promoting or advertising obscene material. Democrats to nominate Biden in virtual roll call to ensure hes on Ohio ballot While the bills current version does not outline what materials would be considered obscene, Mathews said the legislation does not need to include what constitutes obscenity because state law already defines the term. We already have a definition of obscenity that our judges, our prosecutors and our lawyers know how to use, Mathews said. Ohio Revised Code Section 2907.01 goes into what obscenity is, and it is much higher than just spicy materials. However, Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said the organization is appalled by the bills attempts to silence or punish educators for doing their jobs. DiMauro argues teachers will choose to abandon their careers rather than face the potential of criminal prosecution under a law with a fuzzy definition of what would constitute a crime. This deliberately vague law which flies in the face of the First Amendment while inviting inconsistent enforcement does nothing to serve students, DiMauro said. H.B. 556 would have a chilling effect in our classrooms by making trained, experienced professionals unsure whether the necessary, legitimate education materials they have been using with their students would be safe under this dangerous law. Why a Hilliard attorney is billing over $20,000 a month from South-Western City Schools Mathews stressed the point of the legislation is to continue challenging students but without obscenity. The representative pointed to other classic authors and books that would still be permitted, such as Shakespeare, The Scarlet Letter and 1984. Teachers dont need to have the dominant focus of those materials being prurient interests that is a high bar to become deemed obscenity, Mathews said. Still, Gov. Mike DeWine told NBC4 he is unsure whether there is a need for H.B. 556, and expressed support for a parents right to decide what materials their child can have access to. The governor noted these issues are typically disputed at a local level. Whenever anybodys talking about passing legislation that bans books, this is dealt with usually at the local community without a law, DeWine said. If they have a book thats objectionable by their child, we believe in parental rights. Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, echoed DeWine and questioned whether there is a need for this new bill, or if existing laws can address the concerns behind H.B. 556. Families with missing loved ones to march in Columbus near where man vanished 17 years ago We have not yet taken a position on H.B. 556, but we are concerned with the vagueness of the bill and the ability for it to be weaponized by bad faith actors who are focused on attacking public schools and libraries, not on protecting children, Cropper said. We plan to discuss this bill and these concerns with legislators and with our members. The bills introduction comes as another proposal limiting content distributed to students has been moving through the Statehouse. Named the Parents Bill of Rights, House Bill 8 passed the Ohio House last June to allow parents to opt their children out of sexuality content, defined as any oral or written instruction, presentation, image or description of sexual concepts or gender ideology. Despite H.B. 8s advances, Mathews said his new bill is still necessary. H.B. 8 is a fantastic bill, and I hope the Senate takes it up and passes it quickly, Mathews said. H.B. 556 is more targeted just to the obscenity, looking at that space, and distinct from instruction. H.B. 556 would also be making sure that obscenity is not existing in the passive bookshelves of the library. Opponents against H.B. 8 have expressed worries the measure could be weaponized to target books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, a concern that is now extending to H.B. 556. Michelle Francis, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, said the organization has reached out to Mathews with concerns. South-Western City Schools to interview superintendent candidates Our libraries are open to all so we have materials and programs for everyone to ensure they have access to information, Francis said. Parents and guardians play an important role in what their children are reading, but they do not have the right to make that decision for other peoples children by dictating what others are allowed to read. Mathews said graphic depictions need to be age-appropriate, regardless of the identities of the characters or individuals depicted. The lawmaker said, Obscenity doesnt have any place with first graders, second graders it doesnt matter who the subjects of the obscene materials are. H.B. 556 will receive multiple hearings in the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee, Mathews said. The lawmaker hopes the committee approves the proposal by July 4, then sends the bill to the House floor. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) An Ohio billionaire is reportedly planning to take a deep-sea submersible to the Titanic to prove a point. Larry Connor, a Dayton entrepreneur and the founder of real estate investment firm The Connor Group, plans to plunge more than 12,400 feet to the site of the Titanic in a two-person submersible with Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey, according to the New York Post. Ohio bill would charge teachers, librarians with felonies for handing out obscene materials The announcement comes after an OceanGate vessel imploded last year, killing all five passengers on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. After the implosion, the company suspended operations. Now, Connor plans to embark on a deep-sea trip to prove the personal-sub industry is safe. The duo will dive to the site in a $20 million vessel called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, which Triton Submarines website calls the worlds deepest diving acrylic sub. I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way, Connor told the Wall Street Journal. A few days after the OceanGate tragedy, Connor called Lahey and urged him to build a better submersible that can dive to Titanic-level depths repeatedly and safely, the New York Post reports. The submersible the pair plans to use can dive as deep as 4,000 meters, and the Titanic sits at 3,800 meters. The highly poisonous plant spreading throughout Ohio; how to recognize and get rid of it Patrick has been thinking about and designing this for over a decade, but we didnt have the materials and technology, Connor said. You couldnt have built this sub five years ago. On June 18, the OceanGate submersible called the Titan vanished during an attempted dive to view the remains of the Titanic. Four days later, the U.S. Coast Guard announced debris was found suggesting the missing submersible imploded. Years before the disaster, a former OceanGate pilot claimed in court papers he was fired after raising concerns about the subs ability to handle the voyage. After the implosion, some former passengers shared their experiences that consisted of safety issues and communication failures. Connor is known for his explorations to the Mariana Trench and the International Space Station. He has a net worth of $2 billion, and his real-estate company owns and invests in luxury properties in multiple cities, including Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus. He did not specify when his voyage to the Titanic would take place. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) Okaloosa County is preparing to host its 2nd Annual Women Veterans Day ceremony, and the public is invited to attend. Gulf Shores Surf Rescue team rescues 7, finds 18 missing people over busy Memorial Day weekend According to a release, the event to celebrate the service of women who have served our nation is scheduled for 8 a.m. on June 12, 2024, at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. LOCATION: This embedded content is not available in your region. Officials say this years ceremony will center on the Vietnam War Commemoration that honors our nations Vietnam Veterans and their families for service and sacrifice. Thus, following the indoor ceremony, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans Park, the release noted. There are eight women depicted at the monument, according to the release. One of those women, Sharon Ann Lane (pictured left), was the only American nurse killed as a direct result of enemy fire in the Vietnam War. Gulf Shores hosting annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo This event focuses on a group of veterans who may have been overlooked by others in the past, said Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel. We want to recognize these women and let them know that their service has not been forgotten and in Okaloosa County, they will always have our support. For information about the veterans depicted at Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans Park, visit Okaloosa Countys website. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. SYDNEY, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities in the Australian state of Victoria have issued a public warning over monkeypox, also known as mpox, since the infectious disease was found locally transmitted. According to the alert issued on Tuesday, Victoria has seen 16 confirmed cases of mpox since April 18, 13 of which were locally acquired. Before that, the most recent cases were reported in January. "Although mpox has generally been declining worldwide, new cases continue to be reported in many countries," Victoria's Chief Health Officer Clare Looker said in a statement. "The majority of cases reported globally in March 2024 were in African, European, Western Pacific, and Southeast Asian regions, and the Americas. These trends and recent local cases indicate there is an ongoing risk of mpox in Victoria from both local and overseas transmission," the officer added. The Victorian Department of Health warned that mpox usually results in a mild illness, with symptoms likely to develop up to 21 days after being exposed to the virus. Although most people can recover within a few weeks, some may suffer severe illness and require hospitalization. While the current outbreak has predominantly impacted men, the health authority urged anyone who has been in close contact with those infected to remain cautious. OKCPD search for two suspects in shooting at local business OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) The Oklahoma City Police Department are asking for assistance in identifying two men allegedly involved in a shooting at a local business. Authorities say shots were fired at a business near Reno Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard. Nobody was hit when shots went off. If anyone has information on the two suspects, call Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300 or go to www.okccrimetips.com. A cash reward may be 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma County Detention Center is pictured in Oklahoma City in October. The Oklahoma County jail has had its third inmate death of 2024. James Lynn Jetton, 27, of Oklahoma City, died Tuesday, eight days after being arrested again in his 2022 attempted car burglary case. The inmate was found unresponsive in his cell around 10:30 a.m., the jail said in a news release. Resuscitation efforts were not successful. "As is standard protocol, all deaths are investigated as homicides until a final determination is made by the state medical examiners office," the jail said. Investigators are looking into the possibility of a drug overdose, the jail's director of communications, Mark Opgrande, told The Oklahoman. Why was James Jetton in the Oklahoma County jail? Jetton was caught trying to break into a car with a brick in south Oklahoma City in 2022, according to court records. He told police he was looking for loose change. He pleaded guilty in May 2023 to attempted third-degree burglary. He was placed on probation for two years. Prosecutors in March sought his arrest again for probation violations. He was arrested in April but released days later to the supervision of a nonprofit, TEEM, court records show. Drug tests at TEEM on April 29 were positive for methamphetamine, marijuana and fentanyl. More: Oklahoma judge under fire after man she released accused of raping Lyft driver He was taken from TEEM to an addiction treatment center after complaining of withdrawal pain, the court records show. He had been accepted for inpatient treatment at the center but left. TEEM is based in Oklahoma City and runs a release program. Its full name is The Education and Employment Ministry. A judge issued an arrest warrant May 13 for Jetton when he failed to show up for a court hearing. The jail has had more than 40 deaths since a trust took over its operation on July 1, 2020. The last jail death was in March. There were only seven deaths last year, a drop that came after new steps were taken in the wake of intense criticism of the trust. A yearlong investigation by The Oklahoman found the jail had become one of the deadliest in the United States. The state's multicounty grand jury last year said many of the deaths were preventable. The trust and county commissioners have been sued over and over because of jail deaths. The latest lawsuit over an inmate death was filed May 13. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Latest Oklahoma County jail death being investigated as drug overdose OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Senate voted to override Governor Kevin Stitts veto of Senate Bill 102, which would increase retirement benefits for police officers. After Stitt vetoed SB 102 on May 21, Oklahomas Fraternal Order of Police called on lawmakers to override the veto, citing a decrease in applications submitted to police department. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police Union call on lawmakers to override Governors veto Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond had also voiced his disappointment in Stitts veto and urged the Legislature to override the veto. The veto was overridden by the Senate with a vote of 35-9, and will now head to the House for a vote to complete the veto override. Senators Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow), Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin), Tom Dugger (R-Stillwater), Brent Howard (R-Altus), Darcy Jech (R-Kingfisher), Joe Newhouse (R-Tulsa), Lonnie Paxton (R-Chickasha), Roland Pederson (R-Burlington) and Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) were the nine no votes for the veto override. Drummond released a statement on Wednesday evening following the Senate vote to override the veto. I want to commend the legislators who overrode the Governors veto of SB 102, Drummond said. By stepping up for law enforcement, lawmakers are strengthening the recruitment and retention of police officers who will help ensure secure communities. I am proud to stand with the men and women who risk their lives to protect our families, and I am thankful for the Legislatures decisive action. Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Nelson also released a statement Wednesday evening commending the decision to override the veto. Today, both the Senate and House, under outstanding leadership from Senator Jessica Garvin and Representative Steve Bashore made a profound statement by prioritizing support for law enforcement and fighting for this common sense, fiscally responsible legislation, Nelson said. SB 102 ensures better retirement benefits for current and future officers while incentivizing seasoned officers to remain on the job during severe staffing shortages. Todays votes are a win for Oklahoma communities. This legislation will support our officers commitment to remain serving their communities while we work to solve the recruiting crisis. This is a win for public. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Bishop Jimmy Nunn speaks to delegates at an October 2023 special called conference of the Oklahoma United Methodist Conference at Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City. With a challenging season of church exits behind them and the recent removal of LGBTQ+ restrictions, Oklahoma United Methodists are preparing to gather in Oklahoma City to regroup and to celebrate their new reality. The Oklahoma United Methodist Conference's 2024 annual meeting will be held Wednesday through Saturday at the Freede Center on the campus of Oklahoma City University, 2501 N Blackwelder. Several worship services will be held at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, 2717 W Hefner Road. This year's annual meeting is the first since 127 churches across the state ended their affiliation with the United Methodist Church part of a split in the nation's second-largest Protestant group. The rift over several issues, including disagreements over same-sex marriage and gay ordination, resulted in a quarter of U.S. churches severing ties with the international denomination. In Oklahoma, the decrease in churches moved United Methodists from the second-largest faith group in the state (in terms of churches) to the third-largest. Southern Baptists have long remained the largest faith group in Oklahoma. The Assemblies of God are now second in terms of the number of churches. Oklahoma United Methodist Churches will have chance to discuss decisions made at national conference including LGBTQ+ inclusion Along with disaffiliations, the recent decisions made by the denomination's General Conference lawmaking assembly will affect Oklahoma United Methodists, including those regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion. In April and early May, delegates at the General Conference meeting in North Carolina removed restrictive language regarding ordination of LGBTQ+ individuals and regarding the definition of marriage, which gave clergy the OK to officiate at same-sex weddings and for churches to host same-sex nuptials. More: Oklahomans hope to address LGBTQ+ inclusion at first United Methodist gathering in eight years The Rev. Derrek Belase, director of connectional ministries for the Oklahoma United Methodist Conference, said there's no doubt that the decisions made at General Conference will impact how United Methodists move forward in ministry across the state. "This is a new frontier," he said. "We understand that there are people in our churches who are on all different sides of issues related to human sexuality, property ownership and the trust clause. We understand that we're still a diverse annual conference, but the decisions that the General Conference made allow all of our churches to continue to be who they want to be in their context." Belase said Oklahoma United Methodist congregations will still retain decision-making power and authority over what happens, but now they have more flexibility "which is very new for United Methodists." Having said that, Belase said just how some General Conference decisions will affect Oklahoma United Methodists is still being worked out. He said it may take up to 90 days for the official transmission of some of those changes. And, he said some of the decision-making that occurred at General Conference, like approval of a regionalization plan for the international faith group, likely will not affect the Oklahoma conference until next year when the conference likely will vote on that specific matter. Belase said the coming conference meeting will include discussion of redistricting that occurred earlier this year due to the reduction in churches after disaffiliations. In January, the conference, led by Bishop Jimmy Nunn, voted to reduce its geographical districts from eight to five, and Nunn appointed new superintendents to lead them. More: Oklahomans waiting decades for change celebrate United Methodist vote on same-sex marriage Belase said Nunn is expected to touch on some of the issues related to the United Methodists' new flexibility and the denomination's changing landscape in Oklahoma during his presentations at the meeting. 'We're much more than what you hear in the news' Highlights of the coming gathering include: A celebration for outgoing Bishop Nunn on Thursday. Nunn's retirement was announced in 2023 and will be effective Aug. 31. He and his wife, Mary, will be feted at a reception for newly commissioned and ordained individuals set for Saturday at Chapel Hill. A celebration of the former eight districts and meet-and-greet sessions for new district members to connect and fellowship will be held on Friday. A commissioning and ordination ceremony planned for Saturday at Chapel Hill. Derrek Belase [Provided] Belase will share more details about the conference's "Dream" initiative for Oklahoma United Methodists as they move forward in ministry. Belase said it's important to note that Oklahoma United Methodists are committed to doing the ministry that God has called them to do. "The United Methodist Church is much more than the headlines that come out about it it's a church of vital people and communities spread all across Oklahoma," he said. "Both the Oklahoma Indian Indian Missionary Conference and the Oklahoma Conference do vital and amazing work every single day of the week. And that's what I hope people will know about the United Methodist Church. We're much more than what you hear in the news. We're real people who are doing real ministry because we believe in this." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma United Methodists meeting after LGBTQ+ restrictions removed Scholz accused of being autistic know-it-all by politician in his own coalition Mr Scholz did not immediately respond to the extraordinarily personal attack - Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg Olaf Scholz is an autistic know-it-all, the chairman of the German parliaments defence committee has said, as tensions rise over Berlins refusal to send powerful missiles to Ukraine. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a politician from Mr Scholzs coalition ally the FDP, made the harsh jibe amid frustration over his decision not to send Taurus missiles to Kyiv, among other alleged failings in office. She told German newspaper Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung: After three years, Ive noticed that he has virtually autistic traits, both in terms of his social contact in politics and his inability to explain to citizens his actions. You cannot get through to him because he is a crass know-it-all. She went on to claim that Mr Scholzs own allies felt the same way towards the German chancellor and had complained about it to her as well. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has accused Mr Scholz of refusing to provide Taurus missiles for domestic political reasons - Sean Gallup/Getty Ms Strack-Zimmermann has previously clashed with Mr Scholz over the Taurus issue and his slow decision-making on other supplies demanded by Kyiv since the outbreak of the war. In April, she said that time-consuming debates in the German government about which weapons or supplies they could send has proven to be a catastrophe for Ukraine. She also accused Mr Scholz of refusing to provide Taurus missiles for domestic political reasons, not European security, suggesting he fears a backlash from dovish leaders in his centre-left SPD party. Mr Scholz had not immediately responded to the extraordinarily personal attack as of Wednesday afternoon. He has previously argued that Taurus missiles are a red line for Germany as they require German boots on the ground to operate, an excuse disputed by security analysts and Western allies. Ms Strack-Zimmermanns comments are particularly embarrassing for Mr Scholz as her FDP party is part of his own coalition government. The lead candidate for the FDP in next months European elections, she has been dubbed by party colleagues as their Eurofighter, referring to the fighter jet, due to her bellicose style. It is not the first time Mr Scholz has been accused of being a know-it-all, with the German magazine Spiegel putting the jibe on its front page using a different German idiom, Besserwisser in November 2023. 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. How old is too old for jury duty in California? Here are the age requirements to serve Serving on a jury in California comes with a specific set of qualifications for state residents. A reader asked our journalists with How To California a new community-driven series to help readers navigate life in the Golden State: Is there an old age limit for jury duty? Heres what we found: Who is qualified to be a juror in California? California law states you are qualified to be a juror if you are: A U.S. citizen At least 18 years old Can understand enough English to discuss the case A resident of the California county that sent the summons Have not served on a jury in the past 12 months Not already on a grand or trial jury Not under a conservatorship Not in jail or prison Not on parole or probation for a felony Not registered as a sex offender Not convicted of wrongdoing while in public office and have not had your civil rights restored How old is too old to serve jury duty? There is no old age limit for jury service, Blaine Corren, a spokesperson for the Judicial Council of California, said However, Corren said, If you are 70 years of age or older, the (law) allows you to be excused due to a medical condition without a doctors note. Rule 2.1008 in the 2024 California Rules of Court says prospective jurors with physical or mental disabilities that dont affect their competence but could cause them harm can be excused from jury duty. Unless the person is aged 70 years or older, the prospective juror may be required to furnish verification or a method of verification of the disability or impairment, the rule says. Have a question about life in California? How to California a guide to help you live, work and enjoy life in the Golden State, is here to help. Well answer your questions big and small about state laws, history, culture, recreation and travel. Ask your questions in the form below (cant see it? Click here) or email howtocalifornia@mcclatchy.com. LINCOLN COUNTY, WV (WVNS) One person was arrested, and arrest warrants were issued for a second person, after a shooting occurred in Lincoln County on May 28, 2024. Arrest warrants were issued for 22-year-old Jacob Billups for malicious wounding, wanton endangerment, and conspiracy, and Troopers with the West Virginia State Police arrested 19-year-old Rodney Smith for conspiracy. One person dead after shooting in Raleigh County According to the West Virginia State Police, Corporal. C.A. Lewis, and Trooper. R.S. Clagg responded to a shooting in the Branchland area of Lincoln County on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. 53-year-old Robert Morales was shot in the hand during a drive-by style shooting at the intersection of WV Route 10 and Nine-Mile Creek Road, and EMS took Morales to St. Marys Hospital. Morales gave law enforcement a description of the shooters car, which included the West Virginia registration number. The car was located at a house in Branchland, where it was revealed that it was registered to Smith, who was the driver of the car during the incident. Stick with 59News for updates. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. Donald Trump is guilty. Im not speaking from a legal perspective. Only the Manhattan jury that was just handed the case in which Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying a few dozen business records to hide a $130,000 hush-money payment to a porn actress can decide if the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Im speaking from a commonsense perspective that shouldnt get lost while we wait for a verdict. If the jury comes back with a guilty verdict, it would only confirm what weve long known. If the jury declares Trump not guilty, it would be as exonerating as other high-profile Florida men such as George Zimmerman and the late-O.J. Simpson. Like them, Trump will have gone free despite many believing with good reason that he committed the crimes for which he was charged. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who was a key witness in the trial, has served prison time for his role in those crimes. It doesnt pass the smell test that Cohen and so many others in Trumps orbit committed crimes in Trumps name without his awareness. No sentient being not even his staunchest supporters believes Trump didnt have an illicit affair with Stormy Daniels even as he keeps saying he didnt. In most cases, we shouldnt take a defendants decision to not take the stand as a sign of guilt. Prosecutors must prove guilt; defendants dont have to prove innocence. Trump is an exception to that rule. He spent weeks repeatedly telling the media he was eager to testify. But he didnt take the stand before the jury went into deliberations. Because hes a liar. Because hes a fraudster. I will admit this historic trial, one involving a former president of the United States, as important as it is, isnt the one those of us who care about this democracy wanted to play out before the 2024 election. Trumps handling of classified information while leaving the White House and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election were the ones voters needed to grapple with before November. Unfortunately, no other trials are likely to happen before we get to vote. The classified documents case is being overseen by a Trump-appointed judge who has acted less like a judge and more like a Trump advocate and has kept delaying the trial, knowing if Trump wins, the case might go away entirely. One involving the 2020 election is delayed because Fulton County, Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis did a boneheaded thing. She appointed a love interest to help with the prosecution not realizing or not caring that such a move would raise legitimate ethical questions that would have to be resolved before the trial could go forward. Meanwhile, a Washington trial on federal charges of election interference has stalled as the U.S. Supreme Court dawdles over an incredible assertion that Trump should be immune from prosecution. The delays are helping Trump politically, as the public grow less convinced of his guilt by the day because they dont have to grapple with the facts that would have been presented during those exceedingly important trials. But we shouldnt forget that a number of Trump lawyers have either spent time in prison, been disbarred, had their law licenses suspended, or pled guilty to felonies for the lies they repeatedly told on Trumps behalf. Its silly to believe so many did all of that for an unaware client they called The Boss. Still, the Manhattan trial has been important no matter the verdict. Someone, finally, has sent Trump a clear message that there are potential consequences for bad acts. I get that his supporters will claim a guilty verdict is unfair, and a not guilty verdict a victory. The rest of us shouldnt fall for that trap. Because Trump, who recently referred to opponents as human scum, is a liar. Because Trump, who plans to put millions of undocumented immigrants in concentration camps and deport them if re-elected, is a fraudster. We dont need a jury to tell us that. Issac Bailey is a McClatchy opinion writer based in South Carolina. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- For many Chinese people, buying fresh-cut flowers is increasingly a part of daily life, rather than a luxury reserved for special occasions like Valentine's Day. This is particularly true for Lin Xiaoyun, a Beijing resident who purchases fresh flowers almost weekly through live-streaming sessions hosted by vendors from the Dounan Flower Market, Asia's largest fresh-cut flower trading market. "Dounan's merchants offer great deals. For just 10 yuan (about 1.4 U.S. dollars), I can enjoy a week's worth of beauty," she said. "Work is exhausting, and taking care of my daughter is also quite tiring. Buying flowers is a way to make myself feel better." Lin's story is part of a broader trend in China, whereby more people are incorporating fresh flowers into their daily routines to brighten their homes and boost their spirits. Lang Yu, who runs a physical store at Dounan Flower Market in the city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, has witnessed this shift first-hand. "People now place great importance on ceremonies and celebrations. Fresh flowers have become a common way of expressing love," he said. Dounan witnesses 40 million flowers of 1,600 varieties traded every day, making it a vibrant barometer of China's fresh-cut flower industry. With about 1.5 million hectares dedicated to flower cultivation and more than 5 million people involved in the industry, China has become the world's largest flower producer, and an important flower trader and consumer. The booming demand is being met by a growing number of online florists, allowing urban consumers to order flowers with just a few taps on their smartphones. According to internet statistics company Statista, China's flower e-commerce is on the rise due to the development of logistics services, with its market size expected to reach 164.4 billion yuan by 2025. Bi Qianqian recognized the potential of selling flowers via live-streaming four years ago and now caters to online consumers. "My most successful broadcast session sold 200,000 flowers in just one hour," said Bi, a live-streaming host at Dounan Flower Market. Yunnan produced 18.97 billion fresh-cut flowers in 2023, generating an agricultural output value of 47.2 billion yuan, according to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs. While the picturesque Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in southwest China is famous for its flower production, a transformation is also taking place in Lingyuan, northeast China. Extensive flower greenhouses have been set up in the region, ensuring a year-round supply of fresh flowers. With an annual industry output value exceeding 1 billion yuan, growing flowers has become the primary choice for residents to achieve prosperity. "I can earn 100,000 yuan this year," said 45-year-old farmer Zhang Yulu, who cultivates lilies in Lingyuan, Liaoning Province. A guideline jointly issued by China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs proposed that by 2025, the annual sales of the country's flower industry will reach 300 billion yuan, and more than 700 billion yuan in 2035. Experts attribute much of this growth to the natural shift brought about by China's economic development. As families have more disposable income, they are more willing to spend on items that might have been considered wasteful in the past. Statistics from the Retail Trade Branch of the China Flower Association show that women are the main flower consumers in China, accounting for 61.4 percent of the total. More than 60 percent of these consumers have a monthly income between 5,001 and 15,000 yuan. "For many Chinese people, purchasing flowers has become part of their daily life," said Zhang Yan, a research fellow with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. "In addition to economic growth, this trend reflects a growing desire for a more romantic and greener lifestyle." David DePape's state trial on charges in the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi is underway after DePape was sentenced in his federal trial for the hammer assault. Opening statements are set to begin in the case on Wednesday for the break-in and attack at the Pelosis' San Francisco residence. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time. MORE: Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape sentenced to 30 years on federal charges DePape, 44, was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, residential burglary, elder abuse, false imprisonment and threatening the life or serious bodily harm to a public official. He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces 13 years to life in prison, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. The state trial comes following his sentencing in the federal case, where he was convicted of seeking to hold former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hostage and attacking her husband with a hammer. PHOTO: In this screen grab from police body cam footage released by the San Francisco Police Department, Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is shown with his assailant, David DePape. (San Francisco Police Dept) A judge sentenced DePape to 30 years in federal prison on May 17. However, the sentencing was reopened after prosecutors noted that the defendant was never formally given the opportunity to address the court during his sentencing. He was again sentenced to 30 years in prison during a hearing on Tuesday, during which he apologized for the attack. "I'm sorry for what I did," he said, according to San Francisco ABC station KGO. "Especially what I did to Paul Pelosi. I should have just left the house when I realized Nancy Pelosi wasn't home." DePape's attorneys filed a brief notice of appeal following his initial sentencing in the federal case. MORE: David DePape found guilty in federal trial over Paul Pelosi hammer attack A jury found him guilty in November 2023 of attempted kidnapping of a federal officer or employee and assault of an immediate family member of a federal official. DePape admitted during the federal trial that he was looking for Nancy Pelosi to question her about Russian influence on the 2016 election and planned to hold her hostage, but only Paul Pelosi was home when he broke in on Oct. 28, 2022. Paul Pelosi said on the stand during the federal trial that DePape repeatedly asked him, "Where is Nancy?" DePape hit Paul Pelosi, then 82 years old, with a hammer, causing major injuries, including a skull fracture, though told the court he was "never my target." PHOTO: David DePape in Berkeley, Calif., Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) "I'm sorry that he got hurt," DePape said during the federal trial. "I reacted because my plan was basically ruined." The incident was captured on police body camera video by officers who responded to the scene. Paul Pelosi was hospitalized for six days and underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. Opening statements set to begin in state trial against Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Editors Note: Alice Driver is a writer who divides her time between Mexico and the US. She is the author of Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on Americas Largest Meatpacking Company. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and Oxford American. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more opinion articles on CNN. In Mexico, the frontrunners in the 2024 presidential election were both women, and women make up at least 50% of Congress, half the Cabinet, and lead the Supreme Court. After the nation went to the polls on June 2, Claudia Sheinbaum is projected to be Mexicos first woman president, a stark contrast to the United States, which has never elected a woman to the highest office and has seen its Supreme Court overturn a ruling that established a national right for women to choose abortion. Alice Driver - Luis_Garvan Sheinbaum and presidential runner-up Xochitl Galvez have voiced their support for reproductive rights, even if neither has shared specific proposals on abortion. Galvez, a former senator who is of indigenous Otomi ancestry, has said, I dont agree with criminalizing any woman who has an abortion, I am totally against it. Sheinbaum, a scientist and the former Mexico City mayor, has promised to guarantee access to health for women throughout their life cycle, especially with regard to sexual and reproductive health. Sheinbaums win is a historic moment for Mexico. If former President Donald Trump wins the US election in November and oversees a further restriction of access to womens health services, women may need to cross the border to Mexico to access such fundamental reproductive rights as buying birth control. This is not to say that Mexicos next president and runner-up are perfect because women are as complex and fallible as anyone else. For example, Sheinbaum is a staunch supporter of outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has called womens rights activists pseudo-feminists. Nearly 100 million Mexicans were registered to cast their ballots on June 2 (with participation between 58.9% and 61.7%), and in Mexico, many debate whether Sheinbaum, who won some 60% of votes, will be a feminist leader or even a great president. I would argue that in a country where at least 10 women and girls are murdered per day, electing a woman to lead the country is beyond symbolic. Mexican citizens will spend the next six years watching a woman lead the country. While a woman may not govern with a feminist perspective, as Americas Society/Council of the Americas President and CEO Susan Segal noted, This is great news, as studies show that women are more likely to build consensus and advocate for a socially inclusive agenda. In a stark contrast, voters in Mexicos northern neighbor face an uninspiring choice between two men, one who has worked to undermine reproductive rights and the other who has done little to defend them. Although the US has long claimed to be at the forefront of gender equality, in some respects, Mexico is leaving Americans in the dust. Trump has been on trial in New York over charges that he helped falsify business records to conceal an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with adult film star Stormy Daniels. (Trump denies both the affair and the criminal charges.) When not in court, he has been on the campaign trail telling voters he is proud that the Supreme Court justices he nominated overturned Roe v. Wade. In recent weeks, Trump, the frontrunner according to polls, has said hes looking at allowing bans on birth control. Facing a backlash, he immediately walked back his statement, declaring that he would never advocate for contraception restrictions and claimed he never had. (Trumps campaign said it would have a policy on the matter soon. His campaign said he has consistently supported states making policy on abortion within their own borders.) As president, Biden has spoken about reproductive freedom but done little to defend it. While he has stated support for Roe v Wade, in 2023, at a fundraiser Biden said, Im a practicing Catholic. Im not big on abortion. According to recent polls, 63% of Americans say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In post-Roe America, pregnant people often experience delayed and denied care that puts their lives at risk. In response, pregnant people in the US have increasingly been traveling to Mexico for abortions since the procedure has been decriminalized in several states. Feminist activists demonstrate in favor of the decriminalization of abortion on International Safe Abortion Day, in Mexico City, September 2023. - Silvana Flores/AFP/Getty Images For decades, abortion was criminalized in Mexico, while in the US the constitutional right was established in the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. In 2023, Mexicos Supreme Court removed abortion from the federal penal code, a move that gave officials the authority to allow the procedure on a state-by-state basis. In Mexico, 12 of 32 states have decriminalized the procedure. In the US, by contrast, states have been passing laws that move things in the opposite direction. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, more than 20 US states ban or restrict abortion. In Arkansas, my home state, abortion is illegal with no exceptions for rape or incest. As feminist movements have swept Latin America, abortion access in the region has increased. While Mexican feminists celebrated their Supreme Courts decision, many conservatives in the Catholic-majority country were upset by the ruling. In recent years, three of the four most populous countries in Latin America Mexico, Argentina and Colombia have decriminalized abortion. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Mexican activists, in solidarity with American women, have worked to provide resources like pills and to shuttle women from the US to Mexico to seek abortions. Veronica Cruz is the founder of Las Libres, a Mexican NGO that defends and promotes womens rights and supports women in the United States who lost their right to choose when Roe v. Wade was reversed. Cruz said, It surprised me that Mexico is going forward, and the United States is going backward. I never imagined that. In the US, I wonder if I will see a woman elected as president in my lifetime. But more pressingly, I have observed how, during the Trump and Biden administrations, reproductive rights have been eroded. Abortion bans make pregnancy more dangerous, as articles like Did an Abortion Ban Cost a Young Texas Woman Her Life? show us. But I dont need to read an article to know how the girls, women, and pregnant people in my life are affected I witness the painful decision they must make, ones that often put their lives at unnecessary risk. My mom, 75, who had an abortion in her 20s, recently asked me to get a tattoo with her a coat hanger. For her, it symbolizes the danger inherent in not allowing pregnant people a full range of reproductive choices. She is thankful that, at least, times have changed, and women in the US who live in the more than 20 states that ban or restrict the procedure can receive abortion pills via mail from Mexico. This article has been updated with election results. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com California has ambitious climate goals : By 2045, the state wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 85%, drop gas consumption 94% and cut air pollution 71%. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California is the transportation sector, with passenger vehicles making up the largest portion of that. Curbing pollution from passenger vehicles wont be easy. And if the state invests in the wrong infrastructure, those goals could become impossible. Gov. Gavin Newsoms budget proposal would be a big swerve in the wrong direction. Read more: Opinion: L.A. doesn't need 'Watch your speed' signs. It needs safer roads The state is facing a huge budget shortfall and needs to close a deficit of about $45 billion. The governor proposed to do that through broad cuts and reallocations, including shifting about $600 million from the Active Transportation Program , which encourages biking and walking, toward future highway programs instead. Why would we cut from the states most climate-friendly transportation program and spend that money on highway projects that will make climate change and traffic congestion worse? Read more: Op-Ed: L.A. is spending tens of billions of dollars to make climate change and traffic worse The state government spends about $33 billion a year on transportation, more than ever before. More than half of that, $18 billion, goes to the California Department of Transportation, which is spending billions of dollars to widen highways a short-term strategy that we know from experience will only exacerbate traffic congestion and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, according to a recent Natural Resources Defense Council study , most transportation spending in the state still goes toward projects that increase greenhouse gas emissions, especially widening highways. In addition to routinely approving new highway widenings, the California Transportation Commission also runs the states most climate-friendly transportation initiative, the Active Transportation Program . It funds things like bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements. A report from the program last year said it remains oversubscribed and grows increasingly competitive each cycle. In other words, cities are desperate for resources to make their streets safer and more suited to biking and walking helping people leave their car at home for some trips but local alternatives to driving increasingly have to compete with each other for resources from the state. These climate-friendly, lifesaving, politically popular projects shouldnt have to scramble for scraps of the transportation budget. We will not be able to achieve our climate goals solely by shifting gas powered vehicles to electric vehicles ; we also must transition a significant number of daily trips in our cities to mass transit, biking or walking precisely what the Active Transportation Program helps make possible. We also must do this to build safer streets. In Los Angeles, a pedestrian is injured every five hours and killed every two days, one of the highest rates in the nation . Instead, we continue to fund highway expansion unabated. In February, the Transportation Commission approved hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the 15 Freeway, over the objection of some commissioners. This month, the commission approved the controversial expansion of Interstate 80 between Davis and Sacramento, which will also cost hundreds of millions of dollars equivalent to all funded active transportation projects in 2023. Why would we pump more money into projects that work against our climate goals? The Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, under climate champion and Chair Sen. Scott Wiener, would most likely be amenable to rejecting the proposed cuts to active transportation. If so, its critical that L.A.-area Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Budget, gets on board as well. It would take both the Senate and the Assembly to override the governors proposal. Earlier this month, the same week Newsom visited the Vatican , Pope Francis said : Climate change at this moment is a road to death. In California, we seem hell-bent on making sure that that road has as much car capacity as possible before we hit the climate change wall. Michael Schneider is the founder of Streets for All. 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. People said they are worried about their safety after they learned a drug recovery center would be moving into their neighborhood. As reported on News Center 7 at 11, OneFifteen, a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping people experiencing substance use disorders and combating the growing drug epidemic in America plans to build Hopeland House, its first recovery house in the Carillon neighborhood of Dayton. The house will be open to adults 18 and older who are in recovery from substance use disorders. But neighbors said they had no idea OneFifteen was moving in until they saw workers starting construction. How are we supposed to live? Annette Gibson said. >> RELATED: Drug use recovery nonprofit to expand services, introduce recovery house in Dayton neighborhood Other neighbors said they have the same concerns. People going through rehab after rehab its gonna be more drugs than it was before, Glenda Jones said. In a statement, OneFifteen said the Hopeland House will have an accountability structure that requires occupants to adhere to rules and regulations. We provide comprehensive treatment services so that individuals can stay with one organization as they move through their treatment services from residential treatment to outpatient services and, in the future, into recovery housing. Over 7,000 individuals have received care on our Dayton campus since opening in October 2019, a spokesperson for the organization said. Gwen Buchanan, co-leader of the Carillion Civic Council said, We are excited to be a part of this endeavor and when complete we welcome its new residents to our neighborhood. OneFifteen said city grant money and donations are paying for the project. Documentarian Ken Burns put his longstanding attempt at neutrality aside to issue a stern warning about presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as he spoke at a commencement. There is no real choice this November, Burns told Brandeis University graduates last week. The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems, he said. Burns warned students that the United States is at an existential crossroads in political and civic lives. Without using direct names, he told students, The choice could not be clearer. His comments quickly spread online and garnered strong rebuke from the MAGA faithful with one labeling his comments highly inappropriate. Ken Burns warned graduates of Brandeis University there is no real choice this November (Brandeis University / The Independent) The documentarian is a known Democratic supporter though he told students that he had consciously tried to maintain neutrality to preserve the integrity of his documentaries messages. But when it comes to the potential outcome of the November election, Burns felt compelled to tell students that taking the other route will lead to a chaotic decline that will engulf and destroy us. Do not be seduced by easy equalization, there is nothing equal about this equation, Burns added. Several Trump allies lashed out at the filmmaker, calling his address a disgrace and condemning him for pushing his political views on graduates. Attorney Jonathan Turley created three posts on X, questioning Burns for making a political call during the commencement address. There was a time when such partisan speeches were considered highly inappropriate, Mr Turley wrote. He added: In a country divided down the middle, universities expect graduates with opposing views to just sit there and listen to political diatribes at their commencements. This commencement season has seen a further increase in speakers making openly political calls to the graduates to support Joe Biden, including most recently Ken Burns. There was a time when such partisan speeches were considered highly inappropriate... Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 27, 2024 Ken Burns made his name and most of his money off of NPR, i.e., from government dollars at an organization dominated by the Left. His commencement address at Brandeis is a disgrace. He could have booked a venue and given an anti-Trump speech at a vast array of private venues. He pic.twitter.com/j3SIAH0VOl Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) May 28, 2024 Jeff Clark, a former US assistant attorney general who was indicted alongside Mr Trump in the Georgia election interference case, said Burns speech is a disgrace. He shouldnt be pumping the Brandeis students full of his political views. Students should get to make their own choices, Mr Clark said. Brandeis should lose all of its federal funding for allowing this blatant politicking to happen. Vernon Jones, a former Georgia state representative and Trump ally, said Burns should be ashamed of himself. His attempt to steer graduates to vote for [Joe Biden] wont save Americas future. However, Burns disgraceful speech will add to Bidens already successful efforts to further divide this country, Mr Jones added. A majority of Oregonians say the environment should be given priority over economic growth, 2021 survey shows. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service) Despite our green reputation, Oregon lags far behind other Western states when it comes to environmental protection, and Oregon Democratic leaders are doing little to make it better. A raft of unfortunate recent headlines prove the point. Earlier this month, fish and wildlife officials said three wolves, two golden eagles and one mountain lion were all poisoned in the latest episode of what has become an epidemic of poaching. Residents in Morrow County have been forced to endure toxic drinking water after state regulators fell asleep at the wheel and let corporate agriculture interests pollute the groundwater. Amid a global extinction crisis, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has decided that trapping and trucking endangered salmon around dams is the same as fixing those dams to allow fish to freely navigate their homewaters. Even the most high-profile recent improvements to Oregons environmental laws, the sweeping updates to private forest standards called the Private Forest Accord, took the threat of a ballot measure to enact. What happened to the Oregon that pioneered environmental protection? The explanation is clearly not due to voters demanding dirty water and dying salmon runs. The Oregon Values and Beliefs Survey found in 2021 that 77% of Oregonians said that protection of the environment should be given priority over economic growth, making protecting our forests, wildlife, clean air and clean water. Still, Oregons elected officials, including Democratic leaders, view land, wildlife and water not as state treasures but as trading stock for cutting deals. Todays leaders behave more like Joe Manchin than Tom McCall. Manchin is the U.S. Democratic senator from West Virginia whos blocked bills on renewable energy while McCall, Oregons legendary former governor, was a big supporter of Oregons landmark bottle bill. Despite the Oregon logging lobby having a terrible history with steep-slope clear-cutting, toxic aerial chemical sprays and huge campaign contributions to far-right candidates and causes, Democratic leaders often look to curry favor with them by blocking legislation to strengthen environmental protections or appointing their political allies to key legislative committees and citizen commissions. This sort of cynical politics was on display recently when Gov. Tina Kotek was set to nominate Heath Curtiss, a professional lobbyist for a logging company,, to the Board of Forestry until conservation groups pushed back. Curtiss works for Hampton Lumber, a company with a vested interest in weak state forest logging rules. The Board of Forestry writes and oversees those rules. Its bad enough that Kotek would think to reward this particular company with a board seat given that Hampton Lumber donated $250,000 to her opponent, Betsy Johnson, in the 2022 gubernatorial election. While that is bizarre, more troubling is that the governor somehow thinks that a lobbyist for a logging company will be able to represent the Oregon public and not the financial interests of his employer. Oregonians should be even more frustrated that the governor side-swiped a nomination for another prospective Board of Forestry member, Bob Van Dyk, when conservation advocates rightly opposed the logging lobbyist. Instead of thanking wildlife and clean water advocates for blowing the whistle, she pulled the nomination for a better qualified candidate someone whose values on the environment actually align with the voters who put Kotek in office. Its painful to watch Oregons elected leaders stumble around on environmental policy when problems like climate change, extinction crisis, polluted groundwater are so urgent. Its unclear where Kotek will go next with Board of Forestry appointments, not to mention important upcoming appointments to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. What should be clear is that the environmentally minded voters who supported her in 2022 and helped her overcome the millions of dollars logging companies and other far-right entities spent trying to defeat her, didnt vote for this. The post Oregon lags in environmental protection as states Democratic leaders do little to help appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. About 3,000 students from the University of California, Davis and the University of Oregon partied at Lake Shasta on Memorial Day weekend. U.S. Forest Service officials said they left behind numerous garbage bags full of trash. After some 3,000 students from University of California, Davis and the University of Oregon allegedly left a "mess" at Lake Shasta over Memorial Day weekend, U.S. Forest Service officials couldn't help but compare them to Oregon State students who cleaned up after themselves after their weekend on the lake earlier in May. Shasta-Trinity National Forest officials spent six hours picking up trash this week and hauled out numerous garbage bags after students from the University of Oregon and UC Davis left Monday, said Douglas Winn, lake manager for the national forest. He said much more trash wrappers, bottles, cans, paper plates and other debris sank underwater and is still out in the lake and can't be cleaned up until the water level drops. Nearly twice as many students from Oregon and UC Davis partied at Lake Shasta this past weekend as Oregon State students did on Mother's Day weekend, Winn said. This past weekend, the students rented some 130 houseboats, and most of the students on them camped on Slaughterhouse Island. Winn said he spent about four hours a day on the lake passing out garbage bags to the students and asked them to pick up their trash. He said University of Oregon students even gave him assurances they would do better than their intrastate rivals, the Beavers from Oregon State. But if trash pickup was a football game, the University of Oregon Ducks would have lost. "One of the biggest concerns that really bothered me is all the mess in the water. And they can't really say they didn't see it, because they're getting on their boat, it's floating in the water next to them, and I was making comments as they were leaving. I said, 'Really you guys, are going to leave me this?' And they just laughed. And it's like, wow, OK," Winn said. It was a stark contrast to when Oregon State students visited on Mother's Day weekend earlier in May. About 1,600 students rented houseboats and also camped on Slaughterhouse Island on the Sacramento River Arm of the lake, U.S. Forest Service officials said. But after a weekend of partying and camping, about 40 Oregon State students stayed behind an extra day to tidy up and haul out trash, leaving the area in good condition, Winn said. The Oregon State students showed they were "good stewards of the land," he said. Winn did not have praise for the UC Davis and University of Oregon students. He said he called University of Oregon administration and an official there promptly called him back and expressed dismay at the students' behavior. "I more or less just wanted to let them know this is not alright. We want you to come here. We want you to have a good time. We enjoy having you here. But we have to be responsible, and we have to be good stewards of theland," Winn said. About 3,000 students from the University of California, Davis and the University of Oregon partied at Lake Shasta on Memorial Day weekend. U.S. Forest Service officials said they left behind a mess. The Record Searchlight on Tuesday called John Karl Scholz, University of Oregon president, but did not receive a return phone call. The newspaper also left messages with UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May, asking if the forest service contacted the university, whether the university contacted students after the visit and if what the students did at the lake reflected the university's values. UC Davis spokesman Bill Kisliuk sent a two-sentence email reply. "The forest service contacted the university on Tuesday. Students are expected to comply with all laws, and failure to do so may result in discipline under the university policy on student conduct. Student visits to Lake Shasta over Memorial Day weekend are not sanctioned or sponsored by the university," Kisliuk said. Beyond the trash issue, Mercy Medical Center of Redding and Dignity Health even had a boat on the water this past weekend staffed with medical professionals to treat students who got injured or drank too much, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. "Medical staff treated a total of 35 students, mainly for minor injuries and assisted in transporting four students to local hospitals for treatment of more serious conditions (injury, drug overdose, alcohol-related issues)," according to a news release from sheriff's office spokesman Tim Mapes. Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Oregon, UC Davis students leave 'a mess' at Lake Shasta Orlando police are trying to figure out who shot people using an airsoft gun in the citys Baldwin Park neighborhood. Officers responded to Jake Street and Lakemont Avenue around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Reports of individuals being shot with airsoft pellets prompted that response, the Orlando Police Department said. This embedded content is not available in your region. OPD did not say how many people were struck, but told Channel 9 that no one was seriously hurt. The department said detectives are actively working to identify suspects in the case. Monitor WFTV.com for updates on this story. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. OSHP: Vehicle crash deaths over Memorial Day weekend declined sharply from last year The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced a drop in vehicle crash fatalities over the 2024 Memorial Day weekend compared to the four-day holiday weekend last year. Despite more people believed to have taken to the roads this year, vehicle crash fatalities in Ohio over the Memorial Day weekend dropped sharply compared to the 2023 holiday weekend, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reports. OSHP said there were 14 crashes resulting in 17 deaths during the 2024 Memorial Day weekend reporting period, which ran from Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27. That's a decline from the 26 people killed in vehicle crashes last year over the same four-day period. The death toll is the lowest in three years since 15 people died in vehicle crashes over the 2021 Memorial Day holiday weekend. In 2022, 18 people died in vehicle crashes over the holiday weekend. State troopers made more than 19,000 traffic stops during this year's reporting period. In addition, troopers provided assistance to 1,950 motorists. smeighan@dispatch.com @ShahidMeighan This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2024 Memorial Day crash deaths lowest in three years, OSHP says Traffic police officers explain road safety signs to students on the first day of new semester at Fuxin Primary School in Rongcheng City, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 26, 2024. (Photo by Li Xinjun/Xinhua) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Several months ago, travel Youtuber JetLag Warriors from Canada posted a video online, in which the couple behind the account recounted a recent trip to Shanghai and spoke of the city's tidiness, friendliness and, in particular, safety. Their impression of China was echoed by commenting viewers. "As someone who has worked in China for five years, I can tell you clearly that China is the safest country I have ever been in," read one of the comments. In a world often disturbed by gun violence, ethnic clashes and even war, China, a country of 1.4 billion people from 56 different ethnic groups, has surprisingly stood out as a safe place to live. According to a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics, about 98.6 percent of China's population said they felt safe living in the country, highlighting the efforts of Chinese police force in promoting the implementation of the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level. SWAT team members participate in a drill in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Zheng) CRIME RATES DOWN Chinese police have in the past years resolutely combated activities of ethnic separatism and religious extremism. So far, no violent terror incidents have been reported for seven consecutive years, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The ministry said on Monday that in 2023, the number of theft, robbery and fraud cases filed in China dropped nearly a third compared with 2019. Human trafficking cases declined by two thirds in five years. Drug crimes decreased three quarters to 42,000. The number of criminal cases filed by Chinese police in 2023 dropped by 12.9 percent from 2019. Police across the country also handled 9.7 percent fewer public security cases last year compared to 2019, the MPS said. Over the past five years, police busted over 5,200 criminal gangs and captured more than 1,600 fugitives overseas linked to criminal gangs, making headway in the campaign to combat organized crime and root out local bullies. Nearly 400,000 economic criminal cases were cracked by the police during the five-year period, with over 230 billion yuan (about 32.35 billion U.S. dollars) of direct economic losses recovered. Consistent efforts were also put into cleaning and preserving cyberspace, as public security organs investigated 453,000 cyber crime cases in five years. About 1.95 million cases of telecom and internet fraud crimes were cracked during the five-year period. People watch a demonstration of a police drone during a police open week event in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Bo) EMPOWERED BY TECHNOLOGY Faced with new challenges in the new era, a modern technology-powered police system with multi-layered functions for public security organs nationwide gradually came into being. In Guangdong Province, south China, police use big data to guide public security operations, notably improving instant emergency responses down to the smallest urban units. Since 2023, Guangdong has seen its best records in terms of the number of criminal cases filed and the number of cases solved, with the public sense of security index reaching 98.68 percent. Assisted by technologies like DNA identification and data analysis tools, police have also been dedicated to solving backlog cases, with successes frequently reported across the country. At a national video meeting on public security last month, the importance of big data in the new police operational model was highlighted to improve police capabilities and safeguard public security in a more meticulous manner. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION In recent years, Chinese police have actively participated in global security initiatives and made a series of achievements in international law enforcement cooperation. Since last year, the MPS has deepened law enforcement cooperation with Myanmar police to combat telecom and online fraud crimes, with a total of 49,000 Chinese suspects handed over to the Chinese side from last July up to now. They included 63 alleged leaders, organizers and key members like Ming Guoping, Ming Julan and Ming Zhenzhen, all ringleaders of a telecom and online fraud criminal gang in northern Myanmar's Kokang Self-Administered Zone. A white paper released by the State Council Information Office in January this year stated that China has joined 12 global counterterrorism conventions and facilitated the formulation of documents such as the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States Agreement on Border Defense Cooperation. Members of China Standby Peacekeeping Police Force attend the force's founding ceremony in Dongying City, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 22, 2016. (Xinhua/Shao Kun) The MPS has also sent police units to six UN peacekeeping missions as well as the UN headquarters since 2019. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, said that China's commitment to continue sending troops and many important pledges in training, hosting international training courses, and supporting regional peacekeeping cooperation are very important. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) The Oklahoma House and Senate Joint Committees on Appropriations and Budget passed a ban on the State Department of Educations public relations spending Monday. Its sad that we have to actually do something like this, House of Representatives Education Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee Chair, Representative Mark McBride (R-Moore) told KFOR. OSDE Supt. Walters blames Biden after missing out on nearly $1 million grant Last year, News 4 reported OSDE paid Texas-based video production company, Precision Outreach $22.5k in taxpayer dollars to produce 30 minutes of videos for the department. One of those videos included a public awareness campaign with clips of people speaking at events for national education and teachers groups, while ominous music played in the background. It also featured clips of interviews State Superintendent Ryan Walters gave to national media outlets in which he criticizes teachers unions. As of Monday afternoon, that public awareness campaign only has 3.8k views on YouTube. This is a poor use of state dollars for self-promotion on whatever news network it is, said Rep. McBride. That $22.5k contract ran from May 22, 2023 through May 21, 2024. Another purchase order obtained by News 4 shows the Oklahoma State Department of Education entered into a new $50k contract with Precision Outreach to create social media videos for OSDE between March 6 and June 30, 2024. After June 30, Precision Outreach and OSDE can renew the contract for three optional 12-month periods. Additionally, further records provided to KFOR show OSDE entered into a separate contract with Washington D.C.-based PR firm Vought Strategies. The contract between Vought Strategies and OSDE lists the following public relations responsibilities for Vought Strategies: Consult for third-party communications activities. Provide national media bookings and placement activities. Provide print and digital Opposite the Editorial Page (Op-ed) placement nationally. Coordinate national events and appearances for executive staff. Write speeches for events. OSDE contract with Vought Strategies It goes on to list specific requirements Vought Strategies must meet in order to stay in compliance with the contract: Provide at least three op-ed placements per month. Compose at least two speeches per month. Complete at least 10 media bookings per month. Provide public relations consultation for education-related activities on an as-needed basis. OSDE contract with Vought Strategies Since OSDE hired Vought, State Superintendent Ryan Walters has made numerous appearances on national commentary outlets including Fox News and Newsmax. A purchase order shows OSDE paid Vought Strategies $30k in tax dollars for services between March 6 and June 30, 2024. Like the purchase order between OSDE and Precision Outreach, the purchase order between OSDE and Vought Strategies also indicates the contract can be renewed for three 12-month periods, at a rate of $200 per hour. A lot of what [Walters] has done that has frustrated people has been absolutely outlandish and bombastic and unfortunately within his rights, said Representative Forrest Bennett (D-OKC). Current Oklahoma law doesnt prohibit Walters from spending taxpayer dollars on self-promotion and public relations. Lawmakers are now working on a proposal that would ban it though. Senate Bill 1122 states in Section 16, No funds appropriated to the State Department of Education in Enrolled Senate Bill No. 1125 of the 2nd Session of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature or under the control of the State Department of Education shall be encumbered or expended for the purpose of securing media interviews, public relations, or other public promotional purposes. There is an emergency clause attached to SB1122 which means it would go into effect July 1 if signed by Governor Kevin Stitt. Tuesday afternoon, the Senate passed an OSDE budget worth $3,861,909,518. We need somebody here in the office taking care of our teachers and our students and dealing with parental questions instead of somebody traveling around or talking on some talk show or whatever, stated Rep. McBride. We dont need to hire a firm out of D.C. or a lobbyist group out of Texas or their cronies, whoever they work with. This day in Oklahoma history: May 28 Its a small step, but a step in the right direction. The legislature advancing this policy is proof they do not believe it was the right way to spend money. Representative Forrest Bennett, D-OKC House Democrats have been requesting a bipartisan investigative committee to look into OSDE and Walters for months. To do so, Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R-Atoka) has to sign off on it, but he has made no movement publicly. The legislature has the ability to be a check and balance on the executive branch. I believe there are privately many, many legislators who want to see more done about this. But publicly not much has been done, added Rep. Bennett. If the proposed measure is signed into law, it would take effect July 1. However, with Walters PR and video production contracts ending June 30, lawmakers are concerned it could open a loophole for a quick turnaround contract. Anybody in [their] right mind would not do that. If the governor decides to sign it, it pretty much makes a statement that we dont want you doing this and I dont think it would be a wise move on anybody to do that. Representative Mark McBride, R-Moore It would be a violation of the spirit of this law and while its beyond me why we didnt find a way to make that legislation effective sooner, the bottom line is we have sent the message that the state of Oklahoma does not agree with that way of spending money. If he does it again, it will fly in the face of what a bipartisan group of legislators has decided, stated Rep. Bennett. I guess thats to say the ball is in his court. If he wants to show Oklahomans that hes a serious person whos interested in putting the state first, our educators and our kids above himself, he will not do that. But I would bet the farm that he will. If he does, I think that is proof this legislature needs to take stronger actions. Today, its Ryan Walters. Tomorrow, it may be a governor who is out of control or another statewide elected official. The legislature has a solemn responsibility to be that check and balance as a co-equal branch of government. Representative Forrest Bennett, D-OKC Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) An overturned big rig that is carrying approximately 40,000 pounds of strawberries is blocking traffic on a Highway 101 connector ramp Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. A severe traffic alert is in effect as of 3:30 a.m. The connector ramps between northbound Highway 101 to northbound Interstate 880, and northbound Interstate 880 to northbound Highway 101 are closed due to the big rig crash. In an update released just after 10 a.m., CHP said it is aiming to reopen to roadways within the next hour. Innocence Project blasts DAs Herculean effort to stomp Scott Peterson case At around 3 a.m., a big rig that was loaded with strawberries went onto its side. The driver of the big rig may have made too wide of a turn while traveling on the connector, causing the truck and trailer to tip over, authorities said. The driver of the big rig remained at the scene and was uninjured in the crash, KRON4s Michael Thomas reported. Photo: Michael Thomas Photo: Michael Thomas Photo: Michael Thomas Photo: Michael Thomas The crash tipped over a number of barrels filled with sand next to the roadway, and crews are working to clear both the sand and the overturned big rig before reopening the connectors. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use alternative routes. 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 KRON4. FORT PIERCE After a judge ordered a Palm City man to serve three years in prison for a trio of aggravated assault convictions, his trial could be a caution to others to know under what circumstances its legal in Florida to fire a gun. David Myers, 41, had faced three counts of attempted first-degree murder during a two-day trial in which jurors were told around 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2020, while operating a boat on the north fork of the St. Lucie River, he fired a handgun in the direction of a boat with three people in it, while his vessel was about 30 feet away, court records show. The people aboard a 2012 boat with two 300-horsepower engines Myers then-estranged wife and two friends came upon Myers on another boat about a mile north of the Port St. Lucie bridge, they later told deputies. David Myers According to arrest reports, Myers estranged wife and the two men on her boat said between 10 and 15 shots were fired at them before they returned to a dock, where they said Myers met up with them and began yelling. She also told police they separated in 2016 and were in the process of finalizing a divorce. The wife took video of Myers after he apparently followed her and two men to the dock. During that video, David (Myers) was seen standing on the front of his boat, shirtless, wearing blue denim shorts and white sneakers and screaming, court records stated. He had a large gold chain around his neck with a State of Florida charm and there was a black pistol clearly visible sticking out of David's right denim shorts pocket. When Myers was told police were being called, he drove his boat away, investigators were told. No injuries or property damage was reported. He was arrested two days after the incident. A jury on May 3 convicted Myers of three counts of aggravated assault, a lesser offense to attempted first-degree murder. He also was acquitted of one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile. What did Myers say happened? Myers told police there was a verbal altercation on the boat, saying everyone was yelling because it was tough to hear over the sound of both boat motors. Myers told police hed been drinking mimosas earlier. He told police he has a concealed weapon permit and always carried a pistol in his waistband. He denied removing the gun, a Glock, from its holster. Myers girlfriend told police Myers was angry because (his wife) took his boat out when she wasn't supposed to. (His girlfriend) tried to explain to David the boat was still considered marital property, but he didn't seem to care, records stated. Myers lawyer Robert Watson on Tuesday said trial testimony showed the boat his estranged wife was on that day was titled in his client's name and was to be sold under a divorce order. In order to use the boat, the wife had a guy break a padlock, put in a new ignition switch, because she didn't have a key to the boat, and take the boat out for what was described by her and her buddy as a joy ride, Watson said. And David, being upset about that, the jury found that he pointed a gun or fired a warning shot nowhere near the boat. Watson said with the boat valued at $60,000, why you would want to put bullet holes in it is unclear. Myers, who did not testify at his trial, never admitted firing his gun or pointing it at his ex-wife and her two friends, Watson said. There was evidence that (jurors) obviously did believe that one of those two things happened, he said. But thank God they understood the (state's) argument that this was an attempted first-degree murder, made no sense. Further, Watson said, the incident shows theres a lot of confusion about a false belief that in Florida, you can fire a warning shot if someone is trying to commit a crime against your property. The law is you can only fire a gun if it is to prevent a forcible felony being committed against you or another human being, but for no other reason, Watson said. People think that if someone's stealing my car in my garage, I can fire a warning shot, and that's not the law. Assistant State Attorney Jonathan Libby said the jury in its verdict concluded that Myers had committed a threat with a deadly weapon and had the ability to carry out that threat. To find him guilty of aggravated assault, the jury was not required to find that he fired a weapon, he said. We respect the verdict of the jury. We feel that the evidence supported the as-charged offenses, Libby added. That the only evidence presented was that of the defendant repeatedly firing a gun at the victims, and while pursuing them in his boat. At Myers May 15 sentencing, Libby asked he be ordered to serve a five-year term but Circuit Judge Michael Linn imposed three years instead. Litigation halts: Owner of John's Island Real Estate and rival real estate agent end contentious lawsuit Academic impact: Have Treasure Coast students recovered from pandemic learning loss? Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man ordered to prison in 2020 shooting incident on St. Lucie River Outbreaks of disease could emerge following the devastating landslide that occurred in Papua New Guinea, according to experts. A mountainside collapse early Friday buried villages in the Enga province, located in the northern region, under rock, soil and rubble -- wiping out homes, schools and businesses, local authorities said. About 670 people are confirmed dead while the country's National Disaster Center believes the true death toll could be as high as 2,000 with hundreds of bodies trapped under debris. MORE: This is what extreme heat can do to your body as record-setting temperatures rip through Pacific Northwest Population health and infectious disease experts told ABC News that, after a landslide, standing water, lack of access to medical care and improper sanitation can lead to disease outbreaks. Additionally, mental health can be severely impacted with symptoms lasting for several years after the event. Infectious diseases are easily spread "In the aftermath of a disaster usually in the first couple of days, you're really dealing with injuries, the trauma of getting hit by the debris, and those types of injuries," Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, told ABC News. "So, it's more of a trauma-focused response. Then, days and weeks out, comes the emergence of the infectious disease." Landslides often lead to large areas of pooling, standing water and disrupt an area's infrastructure, resulting in a lack of a clean water supply or proper sanitation. People may be drinking untreated drinking water or sewage-contaminated water, causing gastrointestinal illnesses, such as cholera. Meanwhile, standing water can attract mosquitoes and lead to mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria. PHOTO: People clear an area at the site of a landslide in Yambali village, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, May 27, 2024. (Undp Papua New Guinea/via Reuters) Dr. Nathaniel Hupert, an associate professor of population health sciences and of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, said the risk of malaria is important because Papua New Guinea has had a resurgence in malaria over the last 10 to 15 years for reasons that are not quite well understood. In 2020, Papua New Guinea had more than 750,000 reported cases of malaria, the most of any country in the Asia-Pacific region. "It turns out that, unlike earthquakes, which typically are not associated directly with increases in malaria, landslides that occur in countries that have high malaria rates seem to be associated with big outbreaks of malaria," he told ABC News. "And this seems to be due to both the fact that the landslides clear away forests and also create spaces for pooling of water, which the mosquitoes that carry the malaria just love. So, one of the things that we can probably predict in the aftermath of this really large landslide is that malaria rates are going to go up." Additionally, respiratory diseases -- such as the common cold, the flu and even COVID -- can also emerge as people take shelter in congregated settings, where such infections are easily spread. Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, Maryland, told ABC News because Papua New Guinea is in the southern hemisphere, it is currently entering its flu season, so medical workers will need to be on the lookout for rising cases. MORE: Mix of extreme heat and wildfire smoke can be very dangerous, experts say "Some of the key things are going to be making sure people are vaccinated, are getting vaccinations," he said. "But in many cases, vaccinations are going to take some time to kick in. So, it's really going to be about hygiene, so that might mean wearing masks in congregated indoor settings, increasing ventilation in those types of indoor settings -- if they're able to, for example, open windows, keeping the air circulating." Indirect effects on those with chronic diseases While many people will likely fall severely ill from illnesses related directly to the landslide, experts say there may be indirect consequences as well. Patients suffering from underlying conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, may not have access to their doctor or a health care provider -- or hospitals may be offline -- due to the landslide. Additionally, patients may not be able to access their medications, which could result in a worsening of their conditions. PHOTO: This undated handout photo taken by the UN Development Programme and released on May 28, 2024 shows locals digging at the site of a landslide at Mulitaka village in the region of Maip Mulitaka, in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province. (UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME/AFP via Getty Images) Studies have shown that various natural disasters can worsen chronic conditions and fail to meet pharmaceutical needs. A study of evacuees relocated to San Antonio, Texas, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 found medical relief pharmacy supplies did not meet the demands of evacuees. "Anytime there is a severe disruption in the infrastructure of a country, such as what happens during a landslide, there's going to be disruptions in the general medical care in a given area," Adalja said. "The whole healthcare system can get disrupted anytime there's a major impact like this and that's going to be something that exacerbates all the other medical conditions that are not directly related to the landslide but are what's present in the population to begin with." He said it will be important for aid workers and medical staff to try to fill in the gaps in medical care left by the landslide so people can keep track of their chronic conditions and that undiagnosed chronic conditions may be detected. During a major event, such as a landslide, "people think about the acute things, but the chronic things can add up and can present a severe burden to the health care system in a place like Papua New Guinea," Adalja said. Mental health impacts While the physical health impacts of a landslide can be devastating, the mental health impacts can also be severe and long-lasting. A 2001 study looking at the impacts of the 1998 landslide in the Sarno area of southern Italy found that survivors were 20 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than members of a control group. MORE: Inside Gaza's mental health crisis impacting civilians, aid workers: 'Catastrophic' One year after the disaster, 90% of survivors in the study had criterion B symptoms of PTSD, which are characterized by unwanted, upsetting memories; nightmares; flashbacks; and emotional or physical reactions after experiencing traumatic reminders. A 2022 study looking at survivors of the 2010 landslide in Bududa, in eastern Uganda, found that nearly half of participants had PTSD symptoms. "With this landslide, it's not just going to be the immediate loss of life or the displacement, but the recovery," Hupert said. "So, emergency mental health is really critically important, but establishing and integrating into existing primary care the type of mental health support that may be needed is really going to be the thing that -- is difficult to achieve -- but would be most important in terms of long-term funding and planning. And those effects greatly outlive, in many cases, the immediate infectious disease impacts." Schlegelmilch explained that the mental health of landslide survivors often progresses a non-linear fashion and isn't always a steady progression up or a regression down. PHOTO: In this image supplied by the International Organization for Migration, villagers search amongst the debris from a landslide in the village of Yambali in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, May 27, 2024. (Mohamud Omer/AP) He added that, in addition to providing mental health counseling or medication when needed, providing help for survivors to balance their daily routines can be beneficial. Schlegelmilch said he visited a shelter during one of his many trips to natural disaster areas in the U.S. where mental health workers told him the creation of a child-friendly space can boost the mental health of both children and adults. "I think that we can't underestimate the ability to sort of have a sense of normalcy and create a sense of normalcy for folks," he added. Papua New Guinea landslide raises risk of disease outbreaks, mental health impacts originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Paramore is joining the latest round of celebrity support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following this weeks intensifying violence between Israel and Hamas in the southern city of Rafah. On Instagram Stories Wednesday (May 29), the punk-rock trio posted information about Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, two organizations currently providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the ongoing war. After encouraging fans to join them in donating to the non-profits, the band concluded their note with a message: We stand in solidarity with those calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. More from Billboard Elsewhere in the post, bandmates Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro further explained their stance on the war, which has been waging on since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas killed about 1,200 Israeli civilians and took around 250 more hostage in a surprise attack in Gaza on Oct. 7. Lastly, we do not believe that support for our Palestinian friends and family equals anti-Semitism, they wrote. We love our Jewish friends and family and pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages. The group added, That being said, we simply cannot support a genocide. Paramores post comes amid Israels recent military push in Rafah, which on Sunday (May 26) culminated in an Israeli airstrike triggering a deadly fire that killed 45 people taking shelter in a Palestinian refugee camp. Over the next two days, at least 37 more civilians were reportedly killed by additional shelling and strikes in the area, putting the overall Palestinian death total since the war began well past 36,000. Israeli leaders have argued that the violence in Rafah is crucial to ensuring Hamas return of the hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the refugee camp fire a tragic mishap. Political leaders and citizens across the globe, however, are increasingly calling for an end to the violence following the latest surge in civilian deaths, including other American artists such as Kehlani and Dua Lipa both of whom have joined Paramore in publicly calling for action against the violence this week. Best of Billboard Some pardon applicants in NC wait years on Gov. Cooper. Experts point to broken system. North Carolinas slow-moving and secretive pardon process needs to be reformed, an exoneree and advocates for people seeking pardons say. That process allows people whove spent time in prison to clear their names officially and sometimes to get compensation. As he nears the end of his second term, Gov. Roy Cooper has approved 10 commutations and 17 pardons in total, a spokesperson said. Two of Coopers leading staffers declined to answer many of The Charlotte Observers questions about the process in an interview last week. That secrecy is typical, experts say. Anthony Willis, center, exits Gaston Correctional Center in Dallas, N.C. in March 2022 after being granted clemency by Gov. Roy Cooper. Alongside him are Adelyn Curran, left, of Duke Laws pro bono NC Clemency Project and Duke Law professor Jamie Lau, right. They successfully petitioned Cooper for a commutation of Willis life sentence. Sean Rowe/Duke Law School Here's our latest accountability reporting Reality Check reflects the Charlotte Observers commitment to holding those in power accountable. Here are three of our stories from this week: Fate of damaged Charlotte house where shootout killed four officers remains murky CMS wants rules if NC private schools get new voucher money Huntersville wants people to pay by the hour if records requests take too long. Is it legal? While the Governor has done a better job in his second term exercising his clemency power and granting pardons and commutations, the process remains opaque and leaves those seeking clemency wondering, sometimes for years, whether they will ever receive a decision, Duke Law Professor Jamie Lau, who supervises the schools Wrongful Convictions Clinic, said in an email. Lau and another expert said that the problem is severe enough that there needs to be another process for people seeking pardons to get them, perhaps through the courts. Advocates: System can be slow, secretive, political The pardon process can start with a petition, where someone who was incarcerated makes their case for the state to forgive them, apologize for a wrongful conviction or lessen a sentence. For weeks, the Observer asked Coopers office to share the number of pending pardon petitions, as well as the date of the oldest petition. They declined that request. We cant talk about specific cases or specific numbers, said Julia White, Coopers senior adviser, in an interview last week. She added that it helps to maintain the maximum amount of flexibility. The governors Clemency Office which has four employees and his Office of General Counsel review petitions and the cases they stem from. The governor can issue a pardon of innocence, a pardon of forgiveness or commute a sentence. General Counsel Eric Fletcher said officials reviewing the requests gather information from the applicants, victims and family, community members and court and prison records. But lawyers who file those petitions regularly say they dont know what will satisfy the Clemency Office, and that their clients can go years without an answer. Theres no procedure, so theres no due process, said Mark Rabil, a Wake Forest University Law professor who directs the schools Innocence and Justice Clinic. And the system is political, another longtime advocate for exonerees said. It seems like the only time pardons are addressed is when there is somebody camping out in front of the Governors Mansion, said Chris Mumma, the executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, a nonprofit. Pardons have become political tools rather than tools for justice. Chris Mumma is the executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence. Submitted photo Cooper, a Democrat, in 2023 pardoned four people after protesters picketed outside the Governors Mansion. Mumma is a former Republican candidate for North Carolina attorney general. Last year the Observer reported on the wait her client, Mark Carver, has dealt with since asking for a pardon of innocence in 2022 for a murder he never committed, according to the courts. White and Fletcher in the governors office declined to discuss his case. Man has waited nine years for an answer Michael Parker was incarcerated for 22 years after being convicted of eight counts of first-degree sex offenses and four counts of taking indecent liberties with children his own children. His 1994 trial in Henderson County was unusual. The charges stemmed from a commonplace domestic dispute with his then-wife, Sandra, and turned into something very different, the court record that would ultimately free Parker says. At trial, the couples children told stories of costumed adults intoning incantations around fires while drinking the blood of their victims, court records say. He was one of the earliest victims of a wave of nonexistent ritual abuse claims, his 2015 petition for a pardon of innocence says. One of his children recanted her testimony in 2010, and said that she had lied. Her parents had separated, she had just turned eight and she wanted to make sure her father stayed in jail to protect her mother, she said. Michael Parker Provided Judge Marvin Pope vacated Parkers conviction in 2014, cleared his charges and let him out. Parker lives in South Carolina now and has started to rebuild a relationship with his kids, he said. He is still waiting for Cooper to answer his 2015 petition for a pardon of innocence. (A judge) concluded that if I were tried today, I would be acquitted, Parker said, adding that he cant understand why Cooper is stonewalling. Parker said he has received no updates in the last nine years. White and Fletcher declined to comment on Parkers petition. Alternatives I have long advocated for greater transparency in the process, and for there to be an alternative mechanism through the courts for people like Michael to have their innocence recognized and be compensated, Lau, who has helped Parker in his quest for clemency, said in an email. He still thinks the General Assembly should pass legislation to provide an option through the courts to have innocence recognized, something they tried to do with House Bill 877 in 2021. That bill failed after the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys came out against it, Lau said. Rabil seconded the idea of giving the courts a way to grant pardons. Ive never been a politician, never will be, he said. But I can see that its hard for politicians to make decisions in cases where people might criticize them, especially if theyre running for another office. Judges are also elected, but have more independence, he said. In April 2021 Cooper signed an executive order that created the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, a board to review cases where people were convicted and sentenced for crimes as adolescents. This Review Boards mandate is to promote sentencing outcomes that consider the fundamental differences between juveniles and adults and address the structural impact of racial bias while maintaining public safety, part of the executive order reads. Rabil said hes dealt with both the Governors Clemency Office and the juvenile review board, and there is a difference. One works better than the other, and thats because there are specific expectations from the latter. He knows what the review board wants when sending in paperwork for his clients: Re-entry arrangements, explanations of any prison infractions, certificates of programs taken while theyve been locked up. Hes still confused about what exactly the Clemency Office wants, though. NC Reality Check reflects the Charlotte Observers commitment to holding those in power to account, shining a light on public issues that affect our local readers and illuminating the stories that set the Charlotte area and North Carolina apart. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@charlotteobserver.com After hearing two hours of impassioned pleas for a higher public schools budget, Durham County commissioners said in interviews they have not ruled out raising taxes higher. The budget proposed earlier this month by County Manager Kimberly Sowell offers a $13 million increase for the school district, whose leaders had requested more than $27 million in additional local money for the coming school year. Heres what the $13 million increase offered by the county manager could cover: About $6.6 million is required for state-legislated items, like pre-programmed raises, retirement costs and other mandatory spending. Another 20%, or $2.6 million goes directly to charter schools That leaves an increase of $3.8 million for the school board to spend. That is insufficient to cover raises proposed for classified staff ($8.9 million) or teachers ($4.5 million). Staff, weary from a year of unsettled pay tied to budgeting missteps, are considering leaving. You are going to lose so many teachers, said 25-year teacher Earl Williams. This one guy left because he could make more money handling baggage at RDU. Other teachers left because they dont have the support. The Durham Association of Educators which announced last week it now represents the majority of staff warned the consequences of not giving out raises could be dire. Losing staff at any level, whether front office, classroom, cafeteria or custodial, threatens the relationships that exist at the very core of our education system and jeopardizes the future of our students., said middle school teacher Erin Bingaman. What parents told the county Parents said they fear an exodus. I dont know if my kids teachers will still be present or theyre going to quit one Wednesday in the middle of the school year, because they cant take it because they cant pay their bills, parent of three Andre Rivero said. Rivero said he sees the cracks forming under his familys feet. I understand that the state is sabotaging public education. So let me say, as a homeowner and a taxpayer, if they wont pay for it, we will, he said. Services are already cut to the core, elementary school parent Emily Kahn said. There is no more belt-tightening to do. Paige McCullough works on education policy for the Peoples Alliance, a progressive local advocacy organization that supports the $27 million increase. We are operating in a statewide environment intent on destroying public education one starvation budget at a time, she said. In the meantime, we have kids to transport, feed, keep safe and educate. Each additional cent on Durhams property tax rate adds about $5.3 million to the budget. The county manager proposed a tax-rate increase of 3.25-cents per $100 of assessed value. The city manager separately proposed a 3-cent tax-rate hike. On a $254,000 house, the median in the city limits, the proposed city increase adds $98 and the proposed county increase adds $83 a year to the annual tax bill, which would total $3,507. Check the impact on your property online. A politically safe year County leaders have three remaining work sessions to finalize the budget ahead of a June 10 vote, the manager said. Commissioners said they arent ruling out a higher tax increase, but they are keenly aware of next years Durham County tax reevaluation, which will drive property values higher for most. This will be the final budget for three county commissioners. Heidi Carter is retiring, and Nimasheena Burns and Brenda Howerton were not reelected in the Democratic primary. Public education is top priority for me and I think for this whole board, Carter said after the meeting, adding that raising taxes higher is always a consideration. My concern is always going to be for our children first, Howerton said. Nida Allam and Wendy Jacobs will not have to run for re-election again until 2028. We love our schools. I think its just important for us to also figure out like the balance of all the different areas that Durham County needs to fund and serve, Allam said before the board headed into closed session Tuesday night.. Allam was making an unexpectedly early return to chambers after giving birth to her second child two weeks ago. Its gonna to come down to the boards discussion, she said. We need three people to come to consensus for any change to the managers recommended budget. SEOUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), marking the Asian country's first free trade pact with an Arab country. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and visiting UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a summit meeting in Seoul, during which the CEPA was inked to solidify the bilateral economic partnership in comprehensive areas such as trade liberalization and investment expansion, the South Korean presidential office said. The UAE was the first Arab nation to reach a free trade deal with South Korea. The two nations signed a memorandum of intent, in which South Korean shipbuilders will build at least six liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers worth about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). The UAE's sovereign wealth fund also reaffirmed its previous commitment to invest 30 billion dollars in South Korea. The two sides signed other deals and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in climate change, energy, infrastructure, nuclear power, intellectual property, defense and technology. Mohamed arrived here on Tuesday for a two-day state visit, becoming the first UAE president to make a state visit to South Korea. Parents speak out after infant son tests positive for cocaine after being at KinderCare Kimberly Hopson spoke to reporters May 29 saying she thought her son would be safe at KinderCare in Oak Creek. Attorney BIvory LaMarr (back left) said cocaine was found in the infant's urine and the boy's father, James Staples (right) called it a betrayal of trust. The parents of a 1-year-old boy are seeking justice for their child who they say ingested cocaine at a KinderCare in Oak Creek. A 24-year-old woman has been charged with cocaine possession in relation to the incident and KinderCare confirmed the teacher is no longer employed. The family is looking for more specifically child neglect or abuse charges. Kimberly Hopson said she first noticed a bruise on her infant son Princes nose after picking him up May 3 from KinderCare, 7677 S. Howell Ave. She said staff claimed to not know what happened. Less than a week later, on May 9, Hopson was notified by staff at KinderCare of a red abrasion on Princes eye which turned into a black eye. It could have been a highchair, thats all they said, Hopson told reporters during a news conference on May 29 in front of KinderCare. On May 14 and 15 Prince was ill and vomiting. It was on the 15th that Hopson noted multiple bruises on her son and blood on his buttocks from a scratch. He also had an abrasion in his mouth. Hopson took her son to Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin where cocaine metabolites were later identified in the infants urine, authorities said. Prince has since been sleepless, irritable, crying excessively and the family said hes been throwing up a lot. Attorney BIvory LaMarr, who is representing Hopson and the family, spoke during the news conference, calling this report disturbing and a grave and unconscionable betrayal of trust no parent should face. Kimberly trusted KinderCare with her most precious gift, he said. Mom Kimberly Hopson holds her son, Prince, who was recently found to have cocaine in his system. Police found the substance in an employee's bag at the Oak Creek KinderCare. Hopson, holding back tears, told reporters she never thought this would be her life. She thought her son would be safe, but said now she keeps thinking about how scared he mustve been. Princes father, James Staples, said they put their trust in KinderCare and its betrayal, its betrayal at its finest. LaMarr thanked hospital staff who didnt just stop at the bruises and abrasions but in doing additional tests uncovered the cocaine in the boys urine. He said its because of their actions that other potential child victims could be protected from abuse. This is not just about one child, he said. LaMarr highlighted the number 23, saying May 23 was Princes 1-year birthday, but also noted this KinderCare location has 23 violations on record. Those 23 violations took place between March 28, 2022, and April 10, 2024, according to online records from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. A 24-year-old woman charged with cocaine possession Police arrested a 24-year-old woman on May 22 after an Oak Creek Police K-9 found cocaine in an employees bag in the infant room of KinderCare and forwarded requests of felony charges of child neglect and possession of cocaine charges to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. Passion Watson, 24, of Cudahy, has been charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine and has a no contact order with KinderCare and three individuals, according to online court records. She pleaded not guilty May 25. LaMarr said he and the family are focused on the neglect charge, saying that should be pursued with the utmost vigor. This is not just neglect, LaMarr said. We believe this is abuse. KinderCare releases a statement A 24-year-old woman was arrested May 22 after Oak Creek Police found cocaine in an employee's bag at KinderCare, 7677 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek. A KinderCare representative confirmed the teacher involved is no longer a KinderCare employee. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the children in our care," KinderCare said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel. "We work hard to create healthy spaces for work, play and learning. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are prohibited in our centers and programs." KinderCare said all its teachers and staff must complete a state and federal background check as a condition of hiring. Additionally, KinderCare told the Journal Sentinel it will cover "any out-of-pocket medical expenses the child's family incurs as a result of this situation." "As soon as police informed us of their findings, we immediately closed the classroom and hired a professional cleaning crew to give our entire center a deep clean," a KinderCare representative said. "Weve also notified families in the impacted classroom and connected with the health department and state licensing to see if they had additional guidance." What should happen at KinderCare? LaMarr said changes need to be made, such as the installation of surveillance cameras as the standard for child care facilities. He said without them is "how the abuse continues unsupervised and unchecked. He suggested it might be a good idea for the facility to shut down until those cameras are installed. While saying a lawsuit isnt off the table, LaMarr reiterated the focus of the family right now is justice for Prince regarding the pending neglect charges against the employee. Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Woman arrested, parents speak out after alleged neglect at KinderCare As the last days of school approach and summer gets underway in the city, minds and hearts turn toward making sure that the warmer months are filled with nonviolence. The Rev. John Hannah of New Life Covenant Southeast Church mobilized thousands to come out Saturday for the annual Prayer on the 9 peace march in Chatham. The event drew attendees to stand up against violence, raise awareness and foster unity by way of a 2-mile walk along 79th Street, from Greenwood Avenue to the Dan Ryan Expressway. In years past, people donned red clothing to pray along the South Side thoroughfare for an end to the violence. This years theme was Praying for Our City. Hannah said that since the event has been taking place over the last decade, hes seen the crime rate decrease on 79th Street and in the Grand Crossing community, something he is excited about. The church that we own on 76th Street and Greenwood Avenue, there used to be a time that you couldnt drive down this street due to the drug use and the drug sales, but we ended up purchasing every drug house on that street, so now you see no drug activities on that street, Hannah said. Hannah, a former juvenile probation officer who served the Englewood community, said his church partners with other churches in the community to march with his 20,000-member congregation, including individuals and relatives of those who have suffered the effects of gun violence. Hannah mentioned a recent shooting at 79th and Cottage Grove in front of Happy Liquor-Food, a space that the city of Chicago had decided to shut due to the amount of violence that took place in front of it. Hannah said the parents of a recent victim marched with the group. The national news makes it appear as if Chicago is such a violent city and we will acknowledge we do have our share of violence, but America has a gun issue, Hannah said. Every city is dealing with gun violence and, until we deal with the gun violence on a national level, were all affected. To help with that, Hannah made sure to have counselors offering mental health services and lawyers from legal clinics on-site at the rally to get people the help they need. The church has helped in numerous ways throughout the year, from community festivals to bus tours of historically Black colleges and universities for local youth. He said youth deserve to live without fear, surrounded by community support and opportunities for a brighter future. Our goal is to show various pieces of the puzzle coming together to address one issue, Hannah said. The Grand Crossing community used to be known as a dead zone, which means that very few businesses or anything was coming into that community. We dont want to call it a dead zone. My goal is to bring businesses and restaurants. I want to feel like I live on the North Side, to be able to sit outside and eat food. Englewood will host its own similar event on Saturday, honoring gun violence victims and survivors families during its third annual Peace Fest: Black-on-Black Love Edition. The event will commemorate Wear Orange Weekend, a national initiative to end gun violence and honor communities shattered by it. Organized by Imagine Englewood if and the We Grow Chicago Community-based Coalition, including Think Outside Da Block, Healthy Hood, Chicago Survivors and Moms Demand Action, the fest will have food, music, a resource fair and clothing and shoes giveaways. Register here to attend the free gathering, slated for 2 to 7 p.m. at Peace Campus Imagination House, 6407 S. Honore St., Chicago. When Pat Cullen, the leader of the nurses union, won her game of chicken with the Government over pay rises last year, she was unsatisfied. The 5 per cent wage increase she secured was, she felt, far short of the revolution needed. So, what sort of revolution did she have in mind? Ms Cullen declared she would continue to push ministers further for more funds for nurses. However, the 59-year-old from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, also hinted at far grander ambitions. In August 2023, Ms Cullen, then general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), stated, I believe the only hope for the NHS is reunification. Ms Cullens remarks caused unease among some of the nurses she represented, who presumably didnt want to be dragged into orange and green politics. But she had her eyes on the bigger picture: Northern Irelands ailing health services could, to her mind, only be rescued by unification with the South. Alienating some of her unions members was, ultimately, for the greater good. She has now put her money where her mouth should never have been, announcing today that she will seek the nomination for Sinn Fein as their candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the upcoming general election. If selected, Ms Cullen will contest Northern Irelands most marginal seat (Sinn Fein won by just 57 votes in 2019). But she made her political debut at a propitious time, as the Unionist parties appear somewhat disunified. The DUP and UUP have a gentlemans agreement to field only one Unionist candidate for hotly contested seats, preventing their vote from being split. But this year, the UUP has announced its candidate will run without making a deal with the DUP. Ms Cullen would be a big name for any political party to add to the roster, but especially Sinn Fein, who have precious few heavyweight candidates. Her advocacy for NHS pay rises to cope with the cost of living crisis also makes her well-positioned to campaign on issues important to British voters, and in particular voters in Fermanagh and South Tyrone who are concerned about dwindling health services. The rural constituencys South West Acute Hospital is underfunded and plagued by long wait times and Ms Cullens opponent, the UUPs Diana Armstrong, may struggle to convince voters she can deliver the same health benefits. However, if elected, Ms Cullen would certainly decline to sit in Westminster, as Sinn Fein does not recognise Parliaments authority in Northern Ireland. Her campaign promises would, therefore, likely amount to sweet nothings delivered from TV studios, not hard (albeit incremental) policy changes. This would leave Northern Ireland with more government dysfunction, further exacerbating its healthcare and other service problems. Another Sinn Fein absentee MP will, in other words, prolong the despicable arrangement whereby Northern Irelands constituents are ignored and held hostage to Sinn Feins mono-manifesto: a united Ireland. Sinn Feins win in Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 2019 suggests this is a price many voters are willing to pay. Ms Cullen would nonetheless be a useful talking head for Sinn Fein, resuming her TV and radio appearances, criticising the Governments performance on healthcare and living standards, albeit along more nakedly partisan lines. She will no doubt make forceful arguments about the state of healthcare in the North, which performs significantly worse than other parts of the UK, especially in waiting times and A&E performance. But whether she can present Irish unification as the silver bullet to these problems is another matter. Irelands health services are beset by many of the same problems facing the NHS, and thats before the administrative costs of integrating the two systems are accounted for. There is also little appetite for a united Ireland in the North, where around 50 per cent of people say they are against unification, compared to only 26 per cent in favour, according to a 2022 Ipsos opinion poll. Ms Cullen pitched herself as a revolutionary and has followed through on that pledge. But it is unlikely that Sinn Fein, even with her credentials, will move the dial on unification in the North anytime soon. What is more certain is that Ms Cullen, like Sue Gray, has further dented the publics trust in high-ranking officials in order to pursue her own political hobby-horse. 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 sergeant could face disciplinary action after striking two young women with a patrol car at Daytona Beach on Memorial Day, officials said. The sergeant, whose name has not been released, already received a citation for careless driving in the wake of the incident. Both 18 years old, the women were sunbathing on the sand near Daytona's strip of coastal hotels on Monday afternoon when the patrol car ran them over, said Tamra Malphurs, the interim director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, in a statement. The sergeant is employed by that safety agency. Malphurs characterized the collision as an accident. It happened at around 2:30 p.m. local time. The women, who had traveled to Daytona Beach from Kissimmee, were transported to a hospital after being hit by the sergeant's vehicle. Details about the nature of their injuries were not immediately available although Malphurs said each of their conditions was stable as of Wednesday morning. In addition to the reckless driving citation, Malphurs said the sergeant may be disciplined further once Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue has "reviewed all the facts." The Volusia County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident. Sunbathers have been hit by government-operated or publicly-owned vehicles including some driven by lifeguards, police and other public safety officers at major tourist beaches before, in Florida and elsewhere in the United States. The Florida-based personal injury law firm McQuaid & Douglas said it has become a problematic pattern in various parts of the state that appears to be happening more frequently now than ever, with at least 20 accounts of beach patrol cars running over sunbathers in recent years, according to the firm. Three sunbathers were struck by police cruisers on Pinellas Beach, near St. Petersburg, along Florida's Gulf Coast, in the last two years alone, the attorneys said. People sunbathe at Daytona Beach in March 2023. Two women were struck and injured by a Daytona Beach safety patrol car while sunbathing on Monday, May 27, 2024. / Credit: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The issue initially raised concerns about whether vehicles should drive on beaches at all in Volusia County in 2010, after two 4-year-old children were hit and killed. A handful of similar incidents drew national attention over the decade or so since, many of which happened in California. In 2019, a 30-year-old woman suffered minor or moderate injuries after being hit by a Los Angeles Police Department patrol cruiser on Venice Beach, CBS Los Angeles reported. Police were patrolling a sandy stretch of the beach in an SUV when they turned the car and ran over the woman, who was sunbathing. Another woman suffered more severe injuries when a lifeguard, driving a Los Angeles County-owned vehicle, hit her on Venice Beach. At the time, CBS Los Angeles reported that the 25-year-old was hospitalized with fractures and internal injuries. Earlier that year, a sanitation truck ran over a woman who was lying face down in the sand on the same beach. That woman was 49 and hospitalized with serious injuries. Also in 2013, city officials in San Francisco proposed a $15 million settlement for the family of Christine Svanemyr, a woman killed by a maintenance vehicle that ran her over while she was lying with her 11-month-old child in a park in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. The man who hit her, a San Francisco Parks employee, was charged with manslaughter in the hit-and-run, CBS San Francisco reported. Svanemyr's husband wrote in a Medium post several years later that the employee ultimately received community service as a penalty and spent four days in jail. Dental experts share 3 of the worst foods for your teeth What to know as jury in Trump "hush money" trial begins deliberations Jury deliberations in Trump "hush money" trial underway COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A man is dead after attempting to cross a major road on the far west side of Columbus Tuesday night. According to Columbus Police Accident Investigation Unit, an adult pedestrian was attempting to cross West Broad Street in the Galloway Ridge neighborhood of west Columbus. Police said that at 9:15 p.m. the man crossed east of the Rockbrook Crossing Avenue intersection, outside a marked crosswalk, heading in a north to south direction. Former trooper warns teens of distracted driving This embedded content is not available in your region. At the same time a Dodge Charger heading east struck the pedestrian in the second eastbound lane. The impact knocked the man off the south side of the road. A Columbus Fire Medic team took the victim, later identified as 42-year-old Michael Waskel, to Doctors West Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced soon after arrival, at 9:43 p.m. The driver of the Dodge remained at the scene and the AIU 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) A Pee Dee man was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison in connection with a deadly Myrtle Beach shooting in 2021, the 15th Circuit Solicitors Office said. Ladarius Kaishawn Evans, 26, of Coward, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter the day before his trial, Senior Assistant Solicitor George DeBusk said. Judge Alex Hyman sentenced Evans to 15 years in prison. He must serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. The shooting happened in the early morning of Nov. 24, 2021, when Adam Jarrett of Tabor City, North Carolina was shot multiple times in the side and back at a hotel along Ocean Boulevard, the solicitors office said. Jarrett managed to pull out his own gun and fire it at Evans, who was shot 8 times. Jarrett died later that morning at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. The shooting was caught on surveillance footage, which showed the two men arguing for a few minutes before the shooting at a nearby gas station. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. A Pembroke Pines man was booked into Broward County jail Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder after police say he killed a 2-year-old girl. Police and Fire Rescue paramedics went to a home on the 400 block of Southwest 177th Avenue around 9:40 a.m. after receiving a call about an injured child. There, they found the girl bleeding profusely from her neck and immediately began emergency medical care, Capt. Adam Feiner, a Pembroke Pines police spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday night. Paramedics rushed her to Memorial Regional Hospital, but, regrettably, she died despite all life-saving efforts. Police arrested Jeronimo A. Duran, 33, who lives at the house. Police did not release information about the relationship between Duran and the child. They also did not disclose how the girl was killed. Duran is being held in Broward County jail. Information on his bond status was not immediately available. Feiner said the crime is domestic in nature and involves no active threat to the community, Feiner said more charges may be pending against Duran. Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call the departments tip line at 954-493-2200, email tips@ppines.com or call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. Person dies after falling into aircraft engine at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon as a KLM Cityhopper flight pushed back from its gate at the busy terminal A person died after being caught in the engine of a passenger plane moments before it was due to take off from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon as a KLM Cityhopper flight pushed back from its gate at the busy terminal, a Dutch military police source told The Telegraph. An incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine, the Dutch national flag-carrying KLM airline said in a statement. Sadly the person has died, it added, without disclosing the victims identity. Investigators were on Wednesday night looking into a possible suicide as part of the initial probe into the highly unusual death. The aircraft, bound for Billund, Denmark, was full of passengers when the body fell into the engines spinning turbine blades. The passengers were almost immediately disembarked from the plane and offered support because of the tragic nature of the incident. They will be questioned as they could offer some of the best insight into the persons death, said a spokesman for the Dutch military police, who are responsible for security at the airport. An incident occurred this afternoon on the Schiphol platform where a person fell into a running aircraft engine and died, the Marechaussee agency added in a statement. All passengers and employees of the flight in question have been disembarked and are being taken care of. The jet involved was an Embraer, operated by KLM on short-haul routes, such as London. A picture published by the NOS public broadcaster showed the plane surrounded by fire engines and ambulances next to the terminal. The Dutch Safety Board sent three investigators to Schiphol, NOS reported. Workplace standards inspectors were also dispatched by the labour ministry to establish whether it was a workplace accident. Schiphol airport wrote on X: Our thoughts go out to the relatives and we care for the passengers and colleagues who witnessed this. Safety and security measures are strict at Schiphol and accidents are rare at the busy airport, which handled around 5.5 million passengers last month alone, according to airport figures. The airport, which is six miles from Amsterdam, is Europes third busiest. 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. Person dies after falling into engine of departing passenger jet A person died Wednesday after falling into the spinning turbine blades of a departing passenger jet at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, officials said. The death occurred on the apron outside the busy hub's terminal as a KLM flight was ready to depart for Billund in Denmark. "An... incident took place at Schiphol today during which a person ended up in a running aircraft engine," Dutch flagship carrier KLM said in a statement. "Sadly the person has died," KLM said, without disclosing the victim's identity. The airline did not say if the victim was an airport employee, a passenger or someone else. Dutch border police, who are responsible for security at the Netherlands' largest airport, said passengers were removed from the plane and an investigation was opened. The plane involved is a short-haul Embraer jet, used by KLM's Cityhopper service, which operates flights to other nearby destinations like London, Dutch news reports said. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190STD airplane at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe, on May 03, 2022. / Credit: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images A picture posted on the NOS public broadcaster showed the plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances next to the departure terminals. Safety and security measures are strict at Schiphol and accidents are rare at the busy airport, which handled around 5.5 million passengers last month alone, according to airport figures. Other deaths related to passenger jet engines have occurred at different U.S. airports in recent months. In January, a 30-year-old man died after he climbed into a plane engine at Salt Lake City International Airport. Last June, a 27-year-old airport employee died after being sucked into a passenger plane engine in San Antonio, Texas. An airline worker died in December 2022 after being sucked into a plane's engine after an American Eagle flight from Dallas landed at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama. Second American sentenced after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos Golfer Scottie Scheffler's charges dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship MLB incorporates Negro Leagues statistics into record books Person killed in KLM airplane engine at Amsterdam airport just before departure A Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Dutch flag-carrier KLM takes off from Tegel airport in Berlin on December 29, 2019. A person died at an Amsterdam airport after "ending up" in the engine of a departing airplane. The victim was killed in the spinning turbine blades of a KLM passenger plane at Amsterdams Schiphol airport, Dutch flagship carrier KLM said in a statement on Wednesday. The flight, KL1341, was headed to Billund, Denmark. "Sadly, this person has died," KLM said. The air carrier has not disclosed the identity of the victim or whether they were a passenger. USA TODAY has reached out for further information. The airline evacuated the passengers and employees who witnessed the death, KLM added. The Royal Military Police are conducting an investigation into the cause. Plane was a short-haul Embraer jet The aircraft involved was a short-haul Embraer jet used for KLM's Cityhopper service, taking passengers to nearby major cities, according to Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS). The aircraft was made by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer and can accommodate 88 to 132 passengers, NOS reported. A photo shared by NOS shows the plane surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances near a departure terminal. The death occurred Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, where Nicki Minaj was reportedly arrested on Saturday after an exchange with an officer before being released later. Other passenger jet engine deaths have occurred in recent years, including in January when a 30-year-old man climbed into a plane engine at Salt Lake City International Airport. Last June, a San Antonio International Airport employee died after being "ingested" into an engine. And in December 2022 an airline worker died after being "sucked into the engine" of a plane at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Person killed in airplane engine at Amsterdam airport A side event titled "Integrated Health Services: Amplifying Impact for Universal Health Coverage" of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) is held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific Region Saia Ma'u Piukala addresses a side event titled "Integrated Health Services: Amplifying Impact for Universal Health Coverage" of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Yi) PETERSBURG Next month, there will be fentanyl awareness and Narcan training offered to the community for free at the Petersburg Public Library. Attorney General of Virginia Jason S. Miyares is the special guest. REVIVE! is the Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education program for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sponsored by Petersburg Sheriff's Office and Miyares, REVIVE! Lay Rescuer Training will take place on Tuesday, June 11 from 5-7 p.m. It lasts 60-90 minutes and will cover understanding opioids, how opioid overdoses happen, risk factors for opioid overdoses, and how to respond to an opioid overdose emergency with the administration of Naloxone. A flier promoting REVIVE! Lay Rescuer Training offered to the community for free at the Petersburg Public Library on June 11, 2024. According to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services website, there is no age limit to receive REVIVE! training, however, some agencies and schools may require a parent's/guardian's consent. Visit dbhds.virginia.gov for more information or reach out to revive@dbhds.virginia.gov. To RSVP to attend the Lay Rescuer Training at the Petersburg Public Library, read this story at Progress-Index.com to scan the barcode or register when you arrive at 201 W. Washington Street in Petersburg. If June 11 doesn't fit your schedule and you would like to take the in-person training on another day, contact your local community service board or health department. 'It Only Takes One' Richmond: Dominion Energy illuminates building purple for fentanyl awareness 'We are thrilled' LEGO Group plants 1,440 trees to revitalize green spaces in Chesterfield County parks Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram. Your support is vital to local journalism. Please subscribe. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg: Free fentanyl awareness, Narcan training at library A petting zoo brought an alligator to a Missouri school event. The gator is now missing. Animal services were called to find an alligator that went missing at a Kansas City middle school event Thursday and the agency said the school did not have proper permits to have animals at the event. The middle school is called Lakeview Middle, according to television station KCTV. A foot-long American alligator at a Missouri middle school. KC Pet Projects Animal Services Division posted about the alligator on Facebook Thursday night and said a petting zoo brought the 14-inch alligator to the school. Its mouth is taped shut and was last seen around 11 a.m. Thursday morning, the division said. .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;} Lakeview Middle School did not obtain an animal shows permit from our Animal Services Division for the petting zoo, which is required per chapter 14 of the city code, KC Pet Project said in its post. Officers searched the school and surrounding grounds for the animal at the site of the school for several hours, but were unable to locate the animal. The division stressed that alligators are not allowed in Kansas City, according to chapter 14 of the city code. Animal Services plans to issue citations, the post read. KC Pet Project also thanked the Kansas City Fire Department for their help looking for the animal. They ask that anyone with information call (816) 683-1373 or submit tips at www.tinyurl.com/KCPPForm. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alligator missing after petting zoo brought it to Kansas City school MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday new rules outlined by China's coast guard that could result in the detention of foreigners in the South China Sea were an escalation and "worrisome". China, which has maritime sovereignty disputes with the Philippines and other countries, issued new rules effective June 15 that would enforce a 2021 coast guard law and allow detention of foreigners suspected of trespassing. "The new policy of threatening to detain our own citizens, that is different. That is an escalation of the situation," Marcos told reporters during a state visit to Brunei. The Philippines "will use any point of contact with China to stop aggressive actions" and allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the South China Sea, Marcos said. If aggressive actions are managed, Marcos said, "then we can all go about our business in a peaceful way". China routinely accuses vessels of trespassing in areas of the South China Sea that fall inside the exclusive economic zones of its neighbors and has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the past year. The rules aim to standardise law enforcement and better uphold maritime order, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. "There is no need for any individual or entity to worry as long as there is no illegal behaviour," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular press conference. It was the Philippines' side "that frequently provokes the escalation of the situation" in the South China Sea, Mao said, adding that the door to dialogue was open. Marcos has taken a tougher line than his predecessor over China's actions in the South China Sea, emboldened by support from defence ally the United States, as well as Japan and Australia. Beijing claims jurisdiction over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship-borne trade. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal said China's vast claims had no basis under international law, a decision Beijing has rejected. China insists historic records and old maps make clear it has sovereignty over most of the sea and many islands there. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores; Additional Reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty and Bernadette Baum) Screengrab from video posted on X by Nexta Iran has supplied Russia with the latest guided aerial bombs - X Iran has supplied Russia with drone-launched glide bombs for use in Ukraine, according to open source research into Tehrans deepening military support for Moscow. A German military analyst spotted the latest Qaem-5 guided aerial bomb attached to the wreckage of a Mohajer-6 drone in the Russian region of Kursk. Moscows forces have extensively used the Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to carry out surveillance, but this is the first time the Qaem-5 bomb has been seen during the war in Ukraine. The drone was believed to have been preparing to carry out an attack on the Ukrainian frontier region of Sumy before it mysteriously crashed in a field on the Russian side of the border. The glide bombs can clearly be seen attached to the wings of the UAV in a video released on Russian social media channels. Iranian arms support for Russia at a new level, analyst Julian Ropcke said. Iran has repeatedly denied backing Russias invasion of Ukraine, despite supplying Shahed kamikaze drones, artillery and tank ammunition. Analysts have concluded that Iran has supplied Russia with the latest guided aerial bombs - X Last week, the US warned Tehran it would face an international response if it provided ballistic missiles to Moscow, after reports that the Islamic Republic had started shipping the weapons to Russia. The two rogue capitals are believed to have struck a deal at the end of last year with deliveries due to start in early January. But John Kirby, the White Houses national security spokesman, said Washington had not seen confirmation of any missile transfers. The transfer of glide bombs tallies with the increase in Russian weapons being dropped deep behind its front without challenge from Ukraines air defences (glide bombs are difficult for surface-to-air missiles to intercept due to their tiny radar signatures and short flight times). Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, said Russia launched 3,200 guided bombs against Ukraine in April alone. Russian media celebrated the triumph of the glide bomb when the weapons were used to pulverise Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk region city of Avdiivka before its capture in February. Glide bombs are suspected of being used in the Russian strike on the hypermarket in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, which killed at least 18 people on Saturday. The regional prosecutor said investigators had found an unexploded aerial bomb around 80 metres from the market, which would have caused many more victims had it detonated. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The woman who made equitable housing in Atlanta her lifes work has passed away. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced the death of Hattie B. Dorsey on Wednesday. Dorsey, 84, founded the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, which was started in 1991 to address the decline of affordable housing in metro Atlanta. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A tireless advocate for housing equity in our community, Ms. Dorseys pioneering efforts, particularly through her establishment and leadership of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP), have profoundly helped to shape a more equitable housing landscape in Atlanta, Mayor Dickens said in a statement. Her vision and dedication helped transform countless lives and neighborhoods, fostering a more inclusive Atlanta. She attended Spelman College before transferring to and graduating from Clark Atlanta University, then known as Clark College, in 1964. Dorsey went on to work for the National Urban League and the NAACPs legal defense team during the 1970s and 1980s. TRENDING STORIES: In 1995, Dorsey spearheaded a $16 million capital campaign with ANDP to accelerate housing construction ahead of the 1996 Olympic Games. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on our city and will continue to influence future generations, Mayor Dickens went on to say. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: The training of Ukrainian soldiers on Patriot air defence systems in Germany is an important contribution to supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia, according to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. The air defence systems are what Ukraine is currently most dependent on, Pistorius said on Wednesday during a visit to the military training base in northern Germany. The training of Ukrainian soldiers by the Bundeswehr is an important sign to Ukraine that Germany stands by their side, the minister said. Pistorius was shown the training situation in a Patriot simulator on site. The training takes place on a unit of the weapon system. In addition to the launchers from which the missiles are fired, this includes a radar unit and a fire control area in which the soldiers control the missions. The head of the Ukrainian unit that is being trained said that this could only be done so effectively outside of Ukraine. He did not think it made much sense to relocate the training from Germany to Ukraine. "This works much better in a peaceful country. There is no place in Ukraine that is safe," said the military officer, who did not wish to be named. So far, Germany has provided Ukraine with two Patriot systems and the associated missiles. A third unit has been promised to Ukraine and is due to be delivered soon. According to Pistorius, this was done in the knowledge that Germany would then have given up a quarter of its Patriot capacities. However, a new procurement contract had already been initiated a few weeks ago. Deliveries are to begin in 2026 to bring Germany back up to the required level. Pistorius was cautious about the discussion regarding allowing Ukraine to use weapons supplied by Germany on Russian territory. "It should be clear in the interests of military tactics and strategy that we should not publicly discuss what is possible, what is permitted and what we would like or would like to see or not," he said. Boris Pistorius (L), Germany's Defence Minister, visits the air defence missile group 21 at a military training area in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and greets one of the Ukrainian soldiers (C) who are being trained here on the ground-based Patriot air defence system. Bernd Wustneck/dpa (KRON) A federal lawsuit was filed against the City of Pittsburg on Tuesday, alleging the citys police department unjustly used force on a man who barricaded himself in a hotel room during a mental health crisis. Tesla Fremont factory faces class action suit alleging severe racism against Black workers On February 24, 2022, Pittsburg police pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed and shot Ashton Porter a father of six with a history of mental health issues twice at the Hampton Inn on California Avenue in Pittsburg. The lawsuit says Porter was experiencing a psychotic episode not exactly stating what form of mental illness Portner suffers from believing people were trying to get him. Hotel employees then called 911 to say that Porter would not leave his room. Once police arrived, Porter told them that he was scared and needed time, the lawsuit states. Prolonged efforts were made by police, but Porter did not cooperate, the lawsuit said. His wife, Gianna, also took a last-minute flight from their home in Georgia to speak to him. The lawsuit, however, wrote Gianna only had several minutes before being told to go downstairs. The Contra Costa County mental health and mobile crisis teams also arrived within a few hours. Despite the efforts, police then dismissed peaceful intervention for unknown reasons, per the lawsuit. Lt. William Hatcher from Pittsburg PD then allegedly took over communication with him before aggressively [forcing] Mr. Porter out of his room. After hitting his hotel room door with a battering ram, fueling Mr.Porters fears that he was under attack, the suit claims police then deployed four rounds of pepper spray and then six rounds of tear gas into Porters room. Hatcher then commanded two SWAT teams to prepare for breaking into the room and deployed hot gas, further troubling Porters breathing and forcing him out of the room, the lawsuit said. Pittsburg police shoot Ashton Porter in February 2022 after he wouldnt leave his hotel room. Photo: Lawyers for the People. Although Porter got out of his room, at least one SWAT member deployed two rounds of rubber bullets at him after opening his door. Porter reacted by flinging his arms, but less than two seconds later, Officer Ernesto Mejia-Orozco then shot Porter with more rubber bullets, leading Porter to fall to the ground before being dragged into the elevator to be taken to the hotel lobby. Instead of continuing [sic] dialogue and resolve the situation without using force, police dismissed the mental health counselors from the scene and began drilling holes into the hotel rooms wall in order to flood it with pepper spray and tear gas, Porters civil rights attorney, Adante Pointer, said. Despite being shot several times, Porter managed to survive but suffered significant injuries, the lawsuit states. Porter-Endorsed-ComplaintDownload SFO-bound flight turns around midair due to reports of cracked windshield Mejia-Orozco was in charge of the lethal force aspect of the operation, the suit says. He is also the same officer who choked Humberto Martinez to death in 2016, which resulted in Pittsburg settling that case for $7.3 million in 2020. He was also one of the Pittsburg police officers arrested in 2023 by the FBI on suspicion of wire fraud. A day after he was shot at the Hampton Inn, Porter was charged with several felony counts of assaulting an officer, but all charges were later dropped on May 6. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. SANAA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Wednesday claimed that it has launched attacks against six ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. "The first three attacks occurred in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones that targeted Laax, MOREA, and SEALADY ships," the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. "The hits were accurate," he added. "The fourth and fifth attacks targeted ALBA ship and MAERSK HARTFORD ship, both belonging to the United States, in the Arabian Sea with ballistic missiles and drones," Sarea said. "The sixth attack was in the Mediterranean Sea targeting MINERVA ANTONIA ship with winged missiles," the Houthi spokesman noted, vowing to carry out more attacks until "Israel stops its war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." The Houthis 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 Gaza. In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets. Yet, instead of deterring the group, the response only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks, in which U.S. and British commercial vessels and naval ships were also targeted. A Pittsburgh man wanted in connection to a shooting in Fayette County was arrested in McKeesport on Tuesday evening. A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Sheriffs Office says Kaiwan Montgomery, 30, was wanted by Connellsville Police on several charges, including attempted homicide and aggravated assault. Police say these charges stem from a May 22 shooting along North Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville, where a man was shot several times. >>> Person injured in Connellsville shooting After being notified that Montgomery may be back in Allegheny County on Tuesday, sheriffs office detectives located his car along Versailles Avenue McKeesport. Police arrested Montgomery at a convenience store without incident. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail, where police say hell remain until returning to Fayette County. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Burger King to offer $5 meal before McDonalds does $34M project to replace old water mains in Pittsburgh will shut down busy road for more than a year We need him to come back: Pittsburgh police, community looking for missing 24-year-old VIDEO:He worked harder than anybody: Youth baseball coach remembers teen killed while riding bike home DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts UPDATE: Pittsburgh police found Aniyah Stackhouse safe. Pittsburgh police are asking for help from the public while they search for a missing 13-year-old girl. The departments Special Victims Unit detectives are looking for Aniyah Stackhouse. Aniyah is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. She has brown eyes and long, braided black hair with green accents. Police say she was last seen in the citys Perrysville neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. At the time, she was wearing a gray hoodie, black shorts and gray Crocs. Aniyah is known to frequent the North Side and Beltzhoover areas of the city. Anyone with information is asked to call 412-323-7141 or 911. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Burger King to offer $5 meal before McDonalds does $34M project to replace old water mains in Pittsburgh will shut down busy road for more than a year We need him to come back: Pittsburgh police, community looking for missing 24-year-old VIDEO:He worked harder than anybody: Youth baseball coach remembers teen killed while riding bike home DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts KANSAS CITY, Mo. Memorial Day weekends storms took quite the toll on homes, neighborhoods, family plans and yards across the Kansas City metro. Now, many cities have offered free drop-off and pick-up services so families can get back to their tree-limb-free roofs and debris-free lawns. Vintage cars crushed in Overland Park thunderstorm Here is everything you need to know about these services and what you need to do to get the storm damage off your property: KANSAS Overland Park Curbside pick-up is only available to those within a dedicated storm-damaged area. This area includes properties running southwest to northeast from 103rd Street and Switzer Road to 75th and Nall Avenue, and then into Prairie Village. Here is the map that outlines the eligible area: The City of Overland Park plans to start its curbside pick-up efforts for tree debris for both sides of the streets outlined on the map on Tuesday. As for the east side of Nall Avenue, between 78th and 87th Streets, Prairie Village will provide services for that area. Residents who live outside of the designated pick-up area are encouraged to work with trash haulers to remove tree debris and yard waste. OPCares is also recommended by the city for curbside collection. They said staff would consider pick-ups for areas outside of the blue zone on a case-by-case basis. If you are a resident and need special assistance, click here for debris and clean-up requests. Prairie Village The City of Prairie Village is also coordinating a curbside limb clean-up for residents. But, similar to Overland Park, only some areas are eligible for free curbside pick-up. These areas will start at 83rd Street and Lamar Avenue and move northeast toward 63rd Street and Mission Drive. Storm damage hits homes throughout Kansas City metro Here is the map that outlines the areas eligible for storm debris collection in Prairie Village: According to the city, clean-up efforts will start with bundles of smaller fallen limbs and bagged items. These will be collected like typical yard waste on residents regularly scheduled trash days. Some of the qualifications for curbside pick-up are: Limbs that are shorter than 4ft and less than 3 inches in diameter can be bundled (under 50lb less than 2ft in diameter) and placed at the curb on your regular trash day for pick-up by Republic Using this as a first method of pick-up will help speed up collection for all residents If you also have larger debris you can pile large and small limbs and branches together at the curb and wait for the large debris pick-up provider Arbor Masters to be in your area Beginning 5/28 Arbor Masters will be coordinating the collection of storm debris Trucks will run from 8-4 p.m. every day except for Sunday to collect debris from homes on public streets Logs must be cut into sections not exceeding 10ft in length if you are unable to cut logs and trees you may need to find a neighbor to assist or hire help as this is not a service provided by the City or Arbor Masters If you are piling debris for Arbor Masters collection large piles are preferred over several smaller piles Limbs must be stacked in the front yard as close to the curb as possible parallel to the street & away from streetlights utility boxes fire hydrants & clear of overhead power lines Storm debris should not be pushed into streets to not interfere with traffic Debris should not be placed on sidewalks whenever possible Storm debris piles for pick-up must not be blocked by vehicles The contractor will be picking up vegetation only Arbor Masters will not collect bagged debris or debris placed in trash cans but Republic will on your trash day Storm debris should not be hauled to city parks The city said the map will be updated daily showing the progress of debris clean-up. For more information, contact Public Works at (913) 385-4647. View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4 Shawnee The City of Shawnee is also offering clean-up services with extended drop-off hours for its debris site. The site is located at the southwest corner of Johnson Drive and Renner Road. Drop-off dates and times are: May 28 May 31 : 3-8 p.m. June 1: 8 a.m. 8 p.m. June 2: 8 a.m. 6 p.m. STORM DEBRIS UPDATE The City of Shawnee has extended the operating hours of the debris drop-off site, located at the southwest corner of Johnson and Renner. May 28 May 31: 3:00 8:00 p.m. June 1: 8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. June 2: 8:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. pic.twitter.com/3XjlPlF6ut City of Shawnee, KS (@CityofShawneeKS) May 28, 2024 MISSOURI Gladstone Residents of Gladstone also have the opportunity to drop off storm debris. The City of Gladstone has extended its free Storm Brush Drop-Off event from Tuesday until Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Gladstone Public Works located at 4000 Northeast 76th Street. Before you head that way though, make sure you bring proof of residency or you wont be able to leave your debris. Two Shawnee Mission Elementary Schools closed Tuesday due to power outage Due to continuous inclement weather, Gladstone is extending its Storm Brush Drop-off event. Residents can dispose of their storm debris free of charge from now through Saturday, June 1st between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Gladstone Public Works. Proof of residency is required. pic.twitter.com/6C2fpslW20 City of Gladstone (@gladstonemo) May 28, 2024 Independence On the Missouri side, the City of Independence will host a free limb drop-off event for residents. From 12-6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday at the Depot located at 875 Vista Ave Independence residents can drop off their storm debris with proof of residency. If you bring anything other than limbs (a mixed bag of stuff), the City of Independence said the free offer will not apply. Depot drop-off is always an option too, the city said, which will be open to residents on Saturday. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Kansas City Residents in Kansas City, Missouri will also be able to drop off leaves and brush at three different locations for two weeks. Starting on Tuesday, these locations will include: 11660 North Main Street March 16 to December 14 Monday-Saturday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 7700 East Highway 40 March 16 to December 15 Saturdays only: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 10301 Raytown Road March 16 to December 15 Saturdays only: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. As well as this, there are many rules and restrictions for leaf and brush drop-off. So, make sure you click here for the guidelines listed on the City of Kansas City website. According to the city, there will be no curbside collections until Fall 2024. If there are any fallen city trees report them through the myKCMO app using the report type Trees City Row or by calling 311. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri The city also said residents can report fallen trees or limbs on private property only if the driveway or public right-of-way is blocked. If you see a tree in a power line, the city said to call Evergy at (888) 471-5275. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Plot Twist! Black Mayoral Candidate Has Been Accused of Being That Anti-White Woman Serial Puncher in NYC A series of TikToks by women in New York documenting their experience being punched in the face by a rando has finally led police to their suspect: a Black man who made a bid for mayor. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office accused 40-year-old Skiboky Stora of being behind the punching spree around the borough that left multiple women with injuries to the face and head. In one case, a 23-year-old white woman documented in a TikTok video that she was just walking down the street in Chelsea when she got socked in the face by a man she identified as Stora. Though this incident occurred back in March, the DAs office said in their release the string of assaults date back to at least September 2023. From F-ck you, white boy! to Die, Jews, Die, prosecutors allege Stora carried a habit of yelling anti-white expletives and antisemitic threats toward the victims. However, in the midst of the alleged tirade, Stora was also reported to have placed his bid for a mayoral candidate. Read more from NBC News: Stora has sought public office in New York since 2021 and participated in a New York City mayoral debate in 2021, NBC News previously reported citing public records. In 2022, he filed a handwritten petition to get on the ballot for New York governor. Last year, records show, Stora ran for the District 9 seat on the New York City Council. Stora told NBC News on Wednesday that he allegedly filed a lawsuit against Eric Adams last year, that he intends to run in the New York City mayoral election against him next year, and believes that he is being charged as an act of political retribution, identifying himself as a Black Republican. Stora faces three counts of third-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of third-degree stalking as a hate crime and aggravated harassmet in the second degree. Skiboky Stora allegedly committed a series of hate-motivated incidents against several individuals based on their perceived gender, race and religion, District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because of their identity. In response to the allegations, Stora denied the claims listed in the indictment, per NBC. He told the outlet he loved Jews and denied ever meeting the woman who claimed she was attacked by him in Chelsea. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PM: First batch of shells under Czech-led initiative may arrive in Ukraine 'in coming days' Ukraine may receive the first batch of ammunition purchased by allied countries under the Prague-led initiative "in the coming days," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on May 28, according to the Czech media outlet Aktualne.cz. Czech President Petr Pavel said in February that Prague had 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. Several countries have since contributed funds to the Czech initiative, which may result in the delivery of 1.5 million rounds to Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in late March. According to Fiala, a total of 15 EU countries and NATO have already allocated more than 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 million) for the effort. "The first tens of thousands of 155 mm (rounds of) ammunition will arrive in Ukraine in June," he said ahead of a meeting with European officials in Prague. Pavel launched the initiative against the backdrop of Ukraine losing the key front-line city of Avdiivka in February amid a severe ammunition shortage. Russia has since intensified aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities and launched a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, which has reportedly been halted by the first line of defense. Russia is managing to produce artillery shells at triple the speed of Ukraines allies for a quarter of the price, Sky News reported on May 26, referencing analysis from management consulting firm Bain & Company. Read also: Inside the Swedish ammunition plant at the forefront of Europes push to ramp up shell production Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Poland allows Ukraine to use Polish-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia The Ministry of Defence of Poland has stated that Ukraine can use the Polish-supplied armament to launch attacks on the territory of Russia. Source: Cezary Tomczyk, Deputy Minister of Defence of Poland, in an interview for Radio ZET, as reported by European Pravda Details: Asked whether Polish military equipment supplied to Ukraine can be used in the territory of Russia, Tomczyk noted that Ukrainians "can fight however they want". Quote: "We decided to help Ukraine in the conflict. Ukraine has suffered a heinous invasion, so it has the right to defend itself in the way it considers necessary." "Poland does not impose restrictions when it comes to the use of Polish weapons by Ukrainians," he added. Tomczyk believes that Western countries must also lift the restrictions on using their weapons on Russian territory, if there are any. Tomczyk reported that Poland had supplied Ukraine with 44 aid packages and was preparing the 45th one. "In total, these donations are worth ZL 15-20 billion (about US$5 billion)," he specified. Lately, the Western partners of Ukraine have been discussing a possible weakening of restrictions on the attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia with Western weapons. Josep Borrell, Chief of EU Diplomacy, revealed that several European states do not object to the possibility of Ukraine using their weapons to strike targets in Russia. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, stated that Ukraine should be allowed to launch attacks on Russian territory. Finland did not put any restrictions on Ukraine striking Russia with Finnish armament either. Support UP or become our patron! The Will Rogers Courts complex is seen Wednesday. The complex has been the scene of three recent shooting and homicides in the last week. Law enforcement officials have arrested a man amid an investigation into a series of deadly shootings at a southwest Oklahoma City apartment complex. An 18-year-old, who according to police was known as "Psycho," was booked into the Oklahoma County jail Tuesday morning in connection with the killing of Anthony Ray Hines, 38. The Oklahoman is not naming the suspect because he has not been formally charged. Shortly after 2 a.m. on May 22, police were called to an apartment in Will Rogers Courts, a low-income apartment complex operated by the Oklahoma City Housing Authority near South Rotary Park. Officers found Hines dead from gunshot wounds on the front porch of the apartment off Westwood Boulevard. Another victim with gunshot wounds to his leg and thigh was found nearby and taken to a local hospital, but was treated and released. More: Oklahoma City police investigating 3 deadly shootings Witnesses told investigators Hines and several family members and friends were at the apartment celebrating a relatives high school graduation. The person that was arrested and at least three other people arrived as Hines was cooking on an outside grill, according to an arrest affidavit. A heated verbal altercation ensued before Hines was allegedly shot multiple times as he attempted to run into the house, according to the affidavit. Law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested the 18-year-old early Tuesday in Midwest City. Various witnesses to the shooting also alleged the man and his gang were already assaulting and robbing people at Will Rogers Courts, and that many of them feared retaliation if they identified him, according to the affidavit. Marcus Wren, 36, said Hines, his brother-in-law, had only recently returned to the area from Minnesota and was working as a cook at the Sheraton Hotel downtown. He was about to become a chef, man, Wren said. He was a good person. I knew he stayed out the way and didnt trip with people. He wasnt out here gang banging none of that. He was a cool cat. Related: Oklahoma City's largest public housing complex faces unknowns as federal funding slows Flowers are seen in a mailbox outside of an apartment at Will Rogers Courts on Wednesday. The apartment was the scene of a recent homicide Sunday. The arrest is the latest development in ongoing investigations after multiple deadly shootings at the same location in the past week. Two additional homicides occurred over Memorial Day weekend at the apartment complex. The first was reported about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at an apartment in the 1700 block of S Pettee Avenue, where 43-year-old April Coppock was found shot to death inside her home, only a block away where Hines died. Later that same night, police were again called to the complex, where another man had been shot to death about 10:30 p.m. The Oklahoma City Police Department had not publicly confirmed that man's identity by Wednesday afternoon. Officers also said they were uncertain if the 18-year-old arrested Tuesday was connected to the other two shootings. As of Wednesday afternoon, no other arrests had been made in connection to the shootings, and police were encouraging residents with any information to call the Homicide Tip-Line at 405-297-1200. Its still early in all of the investigations, said Sgt. Dillon Quirk, with the Oklahoma City Police Department. Were trying to see where all of the evidence and interviews will lead us. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: After 3 fatal shootings in 6 days at OKC apartments, suspect arrested MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man accused of drag racing in East Memphis last week was arrested and released on bond two days later. Octavius Jordan was charged with drag racing, reckless driving, and theft of property to wit: motor vehicle. He was released from jail on a $30,000 bond. Man accused of doing donuts arrested after chase, released Just before 11 p.m. Friday, officers say they were in the area of Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway Road when they saw a white Chevrolet Camaro leaving a slide show. The driver of the Camaro, later identified as Jordan, reportedly started diving recklessly. Police say he was weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights, and driving over 100 mph with no due care for the safety of others. When Germantown Police attempted to make a traffic stop at Poplar Avenue and Briarbrooke Road, the suspect refused to stop and evaded arrest. Shortly afterward, officers saw the suspect parked at a house. He was then taken into custody without further incident. 4 dead, 1 injured after SUV drives wrong way on I-240, police say The Camaro was taken during the Memorial Day weekend campaign to combat reckless driving. Police say it was towed to the city lot. Octavius Jordan is ordered back in court on June 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 WREG.com. Police: Driver accused of DUI after multi-vehicle crash in southwest Las Vegas LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A driver is accused of DUI following a crash involving at least four vehicles in the southwest valley, according to police. The crash occurred on Tuesday at 8:32 p.m. near South Jones Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. Police told 8 News Now a woman was taken to a nearby hospital following the crash with an arm injury. Another person was taken into police custody accused of a DUI. 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 KLAS. Police: Driver strikes pedestrian on sidewalk in Lowell, hits utility pole before rolling over Two people were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon following a pedestrian accident and rollover. Officers responding to the 900 block of Chelmsford Street around 1:30 p.m. for a motor vehicle crash found a car rolled over with a pedestrian injured along the roadway, according to Lowell Police. Both the driver of the car and the pedestrian were rushed to a Boston area hospital. Their injuries are not considered to be life-threatening by authorities. Investigators say the motor vehicle drove onto the sidewalk and hit the pedestrian before crashing into a utility pole and rolling over. It is unclear if the driver is facing any charges at this time. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The road has since been reopened. UPDATE: Chelmsford Street at Cross Point is now open. LPD10 **Traffic Advisory** Chelmsford Street @ Cross Point is... Posted by Lowell Police Department (Official) on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The Parliament of Georgia has overridden the President's veto and adopted the "Foreign Agents" law.According to the procedure, the Parliament first voted on the President's motivated remarks and rejected them. Following this, the original version of the "Foreign Agents" law was put to a vote.84 deputies supported the law, while four opposed it.The law will now be returned to the President for signature. If Salome Zourabichvili, who has stated she will not sign it, refuses again, the Chairman of the Parliament will have the authority to sign the law in the following five days. Once Shalva Papuashvili signs and publishes the law, it will enter into force.Within a maximum of three months after the law's entry into force, entities receiving more than 20% of their funding from foreign sources as of 2023 will be required to register as organizations representing the interests of a foreign power.Failure to register or submit the declaration within the established period will result in a fine of 25,000 GEL. Committing the same action within one month will result in a fine of 20,000 GEL.Additionally, the Ministry of Justice will have the right to fine individuals 5,000 GEL for not providing the requested information (including secret, personal, commercial, or professional information).President Salome Zourabichvili has expressed her willingness to call a referendum if the Georgian citizens wish. Addressing the people gathered at the parliament today, she stated that she will sign the document to appoint the referendum after the necessary signatures are collected."I will sign the referendum: Do we want a European future or do we want Russian slavery?" she declared.Salome Zourabichvili believes that it is necessary to reflect the clear position of the population regarding Georgia's foreign course through a referendum.The procedure for conducting the referendum is regulated by the "Organic Law of Georgia on the Referendum". The President needs at least 200,000 voters to apply for a referendum. After that, the President of Georgia calls for a referendum with a decree that requires the co-signature of the Prime Minister of Georgia. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China on Wednesday released a report on human rights violations in the United States in 2023. The following is an abstract of the report. The full text is in the attached file. The Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023 Abstract The human rights situation in the United States continued to deteriorate in 2023. In the United States, human rights are becoming increasingly polarized. While a ruling minority holds political, economic, and social dominance, the majority of ordinary people are increasingly marginalized, with their basic rights and freedoms being disregarded. Gun violence spills over, while the government's control policies are ineffective. There were at least 654 mass shootings in the United States in 2023. Approximately 43,000 people were killed by gun violence in 2023, averaging 117 deaths per day. Driven by partisan polarization and interest groups, a growing number of state governments have taken the initiative to push legislation to expand residents' rights to own and bear arms. In 2023, at least 27 states did not require a license to carry a handgun. The government has abused its power to monitor citizens' privacy, suppressing freedom of speech and expression. The FBI redirected Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to conduct domestic surveillance, "persistent and widespread" monitoring of the communications of members of the Congress, congressional campaign donors, and anti-racist protesters. A growing number of states have passed legislation banning public schools from using educational materials and books that address specific topics such as race, history and gender. The number of faculty members punished or fired for speech and expression on U.S. college campuses has reached a 20-year high. Deaths from police brutality hit a record high, rendering the police enforcement accountability system virtually non-existent. Police brutality persisted and at least 1,247 deaths were attributed to police violence, an average of roughly three people killed by officers each day. Internal-affairs departments are often more interested in exonerating colleagues than investigating misconduct, making it difficult for police to be held accountable, and more than half of police killings were incorrectly labeled as "general homicide or suicide" in CDC's official death statistics database. The prominent issues of mass incarceration and forced labor make it a "prison nation." The United States is home to 5 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent of the world's prisoners, making it the country with the highest incarceration rate and the largest number of incarcerated individuals globally. Prisons force inmates to work for low or no pay, without benefits, while generating billions of dollars' worth of goods and services annually. The two parties continue to manipulate the election. On the opening day of the 118th U.S. Congress in January 2023, the House of Representatives faced a "Speaker crisis," and 2023 was the lowest water mark for Congress' productivity ever since the American Civil War. The two parties continue to change their ways to manipulate the redistricting and distort public opinion for the sake of party self-interest. There are 16 states that have significant manipulation of congressional district boundaries, and 12 of them are states with serious manipulation of districts as a whole. The general public in the United States is extremely disappointed with the federal government and politics at all levels. A staggering 76 percent of Americans believe that their nation is in the wrong direction. Ethnic minorities in the United States face systematic racial discrimination, as the chronic disease of racism persists. African American are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites, and 4.5 times more likely to be incarcerated. Nearly three quarters of Chinese Americans had experienced racial discrimination in the past year, and 55 percent feared that hate crimes or harassment would jeopardize their personal safety. Native Americans have lived in a constant state of cultural oppression, with their religious beliefs and traditional practices ruthlessly stifled. Racist ideology is spreading virulently in the United States and spilling across borders. Growing economic and social inequality makes life extremely difficult for the poor. The United States has been refusing to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The wealth gap has hit a record high since the Great Depression of 1929 under systematic designs to exploit the poor, subsidize the rich, and segregate the classes. The "working poor" caught in structural poverty lack equal opportunities and are difficult to move upwards. The number of homeless people in the United States exceeds 650,000, the highest since reporting began in 2007. Drug and substance abuse keeps raging. Suicide rates continue to rise. The United States has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and remains the only UN member state which has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The U.S. Constitution does not prohibit gender-based discrimination. It is also the only country in the world that sentences children to life in prison without parole. The number of people dying from pregnancy-related causes in the United States has more than doubled in the last 20 years. More than 2.2 million U.S. women of childbearing age do not have access to obstetric care. At least 21 states in the United States ban or severely restrict abortion, where safe abortion is largely unavailable. Pregnancy discrimination is widespread, forcing nearly 54,000 women in the United States to leave their jobs every year. Millions of children have been excluded from the federal government's Medicaid health insurance program. Thousands of foster children go missing every year. Audits found state agencies failed to report an estimated 34,800 cases of missing foster kids across 46 states. The humanitarian crisis along the border has escalated, causing heart-wrenching struggles of undocumented migrants. The U.S.-Mexico border is the world's deadliest land migration route, according to the United Nations migration agency. At least 149 migrants perished in the El Paso border patrol region in the 12 months ending on Sep. 30, 2023. In the fiscal year 2023, the number of immigrants apprehended or deported at the U.S. southern border reached more than 2.4 million, another record high. Migrants are also subjected to torture and other forms of inhuman treatment. U.S. border policies facilitate modern slavery. The U.S. government's border policies exacerbate the problem of human trafficking. Unaccompanied migrant children suffer from brutal forced labor and exploitation. The United States has long pursued hegemonism, practiced power politics, and created humanitarian crises. In the theaters of war where the United States conducted overseas "counter-terrorism" operations following the 9/11 attacks, the total death toll ranges from at least 4.5 to 4.7 million people. The U.S. military violates the sovereignty and human rights of other nations via "proxy forces" programs and continued providing arms to conflict zones, resulting in massive civilian casualties. The notorious Guantanamo prison which severely violates human rights is still in operation. Prolonged and indiscriminate use of unilateral sanctions has caused serious humanitarian consequences. The United States has used more sanctions than any other country in the world. In the United States, human rights is essentially a privilege enjoyed only by a few. The country's various human rights problems seriously threaten and hinder the healthy development of the world human rights cause. Full text: The Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Salt Lake City Police Department has arrested a 59-year-old man in connection to a deadly shooting on Tuesday, May 28, in an industrial part of the Glendale neighborhood. David Chase was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on Wednesday, May 29 on one first-degree felony count of murder. ORIGINAL: Police investigating deadly Salt Lake City shooting According to court documents, Chase called the police reporting he had shot the victim, later identified as Thomas Priest, 42. According to a court document, Chase claimed he fired at Priest in self-defense as Priest was unhinged and threatening. Chase allegedly told investigators he had met Priest two months ago and helped him move a trailer. Since then, Chase said Priest had called him and was going off on him, accusing him of cheating with his girlfriend. Chase said Priest was basically making threats. Priest allegedly told his girlfriend he was going to burn down the trailer, which prompted Chase to get the trailer as he was worried Priest was going to do something to it. As Chase pulled up to the scene he said he saw Priest jump out from behind the trailer and run at his truck. Chase told investigators he got out of the truck as Priest continued to run toward him. [Chase] told detectives he thought the victim have something in his hand behind his back. [Chase] also said the victim didnt have a weapon; the victims fists were closed, the probable cause statement said. According to the court documents, Chase told detectives he was scared and made a snap decision by grabbing his gun and firing. Detectives said Chase could not articulate any threats Priest had made toward him. An investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Police said this is the sixth homicide in Salt Lake City for 2024. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post with more information as it becomes available. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) One man is dead after what police said was an altercation-turned-shooting in Salt Lake City Tuesday afternoon. The Salt Lake City Police Department said they received a report that a man had been shot near 3075 West Decade Drive just after 4 p.m. When police arrived, they said they found the man down on the ground with a life-threatening gunshot wound. Despite life-saving efforts, the man died. While his identity has not been released, police confirmed he was 40 years old. A person of interest has been detained, and police said there is no threat to the community. While the specific circumstances leading up to the fight and shooting remain under investigation, police said the incident appears to be isolated. Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is encouraged to call 801-799-3000. There is no further information available at this time. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. A 37-year-old man stabbed his 34-year-old girlfriend to death Wednesday morning at an apartment complex, the Casselberry Police Department said. Police said they were called shortly after 9 a.m. to the San Jose Apartments at Winter Woods Boulevard and State Road 436 after Farel Torres called 911 to report the stabbing. Investigators said they encountered Torres, who was standing outside the apartment, and they took him into custody. They said they discovered the Vanessa Marie Santiago in the apartment with a stab wound to her head. Read: Man accused of sexually battering 11-year-old he met on Snapchat Casselberry Police Department investigates deadly stabbing at San Jose Apartments. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Torres and Santiago shared a child in common. Police said that the child was not present during the stabbing and is being cared for by Santiagos mother. Read: Girl, 13, found unresponsive in pool at Discovery Cove Torres was booked into the Seminole County Jail on charges of second-degree murder. Police said they have one prior report on file from March, when Santiago reported that Torres stole her phone. Casselberry Police Department investigates deadly stabbing at San Jose Apartments. In that case Vanessa Santiago declined to press charges, and told officers no violence took place, the agency said in a news release. Police said they are also aware of a 2021 Seminole County Sheriffs Office report that said that Torres behaved violently toward Santiago. Read: Trump hush money trial: Jury ends first day of deliberations Anyone who is a victim of domestic violence should call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. See a map of the scene below: This embedded content is not available in your region. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Police identified Alfonso Gonzales, 35, as the man killed May 21 by an officer after a lengthy standoff in a convenience store at Salt Springs Drive and Thaxton Road in Southeast Austin. The Austin Police Department released the name of the man who was killed by officers last week after authorities said he took a hostage at a gas station, tried to make a Molotov cocktail firebomb and shot at officers during an hourslong SWAT standoff. The Police Department said that just after 12:30 p.m. May 21, officers first saw Alfonso Gonzales, 35, driving a stolen car in the 8000 block of Salt Springs Drive before pulling into a nearby Texaco gas station. The officers approached Gonzales in the parking lot, according to a news release sent Wednesday, but he ignored them and entered the store. After following him inside, the Austin police officers saw he had a gun. Despite calling on him to drop the gun, Gonzales did not, causing the officers to leave and call in a SWAT team, the release said. After speaking to an employee of the store, officers learned another employee was locked inside an office. Throughout the standoff, Gonzales was seen pacing throughout the store and pouring lighter fluid all over the place while making suicidal threats. Gonzales also shot at police multiple times, the department said. Hostage negotiators from the Police Department repeatedly called on Gonzales to come out of the store with his hands empty and open. Gonzales refused these calls and made it known that he was aware of the other person in the store. As officers tried to find ways to get the employee out of the store, the department said Gonzales threatened to shoot anyone who came near the building. Police then fired pepper ball rounds into the store and at Gonzales, but he still refused to leave the building. More than four hours later, just before 4:50 p.m., the department said officers saw Gonzales making a Molotov cocktail, and, fearing that this improvised firebomb could seriously injure or kill the trapped employee, police decided to shoot Gonzales. The officer who shot Gonzales has been with the department for 16 years, the release said. Officers then entered the Texaco and rescued the uninjured employee. Medics with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services took Gonzales to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead nearly 20 minutes later. No one besides Gonzales was injured during the standoff, police said. Under the Police Department's policies, footage of the shooting from the body-worn camera of the officer will be released within 10 days after the incident, and criminal and administrative investigations will be conducted. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police name man killed during last week's SWAT incident Police searches the European Parliament, for evidence of Russian interference attempts in the upcoming European elections. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/dpa Police searched the offices of a European Parliament employee in Brussels and Strasbourg on Wednesday as part of an investigation into an alleged Russian influence operation. The employee "played a significant role" in approaching and paying EU legislators to promote Russian propaganda via the pro-Kremlin website Voice of Europe (VoE), Belgian state prosecutors said. The law enforcement action took place ahead of EU-wide elections early next month to decide the next European Parliament. The searches were part of a broader operation concerning a "case of interference, passive corruption and membership of a criminal organization," Belgian state prosecutors said. Police also searched the home of the parliament employee in Schaerbeek in the north of Brussels. Their identity or information about which EU legislator they were employed by was not provided. In April, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo revealed that his country's intelligence services uncovered a Russian operation to influence the European Parliament elections and the EU institution. Moscow's objective was very clear, De Croo said at the time, citing classified intelligence. "Help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and to reinforce a certain pro-Russian narrative in that institution." De Croo said this was designed to weaken the European Union's support for Ukraine against the full-scale Russian invasion. 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's announcement followed Czech media reporting, citing intelligence sources, that far-right politician Petr Bystron, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the German parliament, and his party colleague Maximilian Krah, were suspected of having contact with VoE and may have accepted money from them. The EU has since sanctioned VoE, among other Russian-linked media companies, and banned the outlets from publishing or broadcasting in the bloc. Police searches the European Parliament, for evidence of Russian interference attempts in the upcoming European elections. Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga/dpa Police search for missing Northern California man last seen on Harley Davidson (FOX40.COM) The Ceres Police Department is asking for the publics help to find a 64-year-old man who was last seen riding a silver 2006 Harley Davidson. Donald Eastman was last seen on May 24 and is considered at risk, according to CPD. He is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall with brown eyes and a bald head. His CA license plate number is reportedly 17S8776. Anyone with information is advised by law enforcement to contact them at 209-538-5714. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DENVER (KDVR) Wheat Ridge police and Arvada fire crews spent hours on Tuesday searching a portion of Clear Creek near Boyds Crossing Park for a golden retriever that was swept downstream. The dog, a 5-year-old golden retriever named Lyla, got stuck in the creek in a section with a small waterfall. Wheat Ridge Police Department said on X that they are concerned the 5-year-old Golden Retriever did not make it. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Crews called off recovery efforts at about 2:30 p.m. They had been searching since about 1 p.m. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Clear Creek in Golden has maintained about 5 feet of depth for the past two weeks, and as of April 30, was only at 4 feet of flowing water. Thats likely because Colorados snowpack begins to melt between April and June, adding to the creeks fast flow. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly all of the South Platte River Basin is at or above the median water year-to-date precipitation. We know it may be a tempting way for dogs to beat the heat but having dogs swim in these fast-moving waters can be incredibly dangerous, the agency said on X. Please keep your dogs on leash. Lyla, a 5-year-old golden retriever, was swept into the waters of Clear Creek on Tuesday. (Wheat Ridge Police Department) First responders look at rushing waters in Clear Creek, hoping to find a missing dog. (Wheat Ridge Police Department) Wheat Ridge police posted a photo of Lyla so members of the public could identify her in the event she is able to survive the flooded creek and was simply pushed downstream before making it out. Anyone who sees Lyla is asked to call 911. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) Earlier in May, Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a measure billed as a way to prevent wage theft in the construction industry, and groups associated with construction work have applauded the move. However, workers say this will hurt their chances to fight wage theft. Sponsors of House Bill 24-1008 sought to expand accountability for general contractors, allowing individuals working in the construction industry to have further recourse when they bring wage claims against employers. According to sponsors, the measure would require general contractors to cover lost wages if a subcontractor is found to have committed wage theft for its employees. Groups react after Polis vetoes bills on wage theft, public schools Colorados dedicated workers lose nearly $728 million in stolen wages annually, state Sen. Chris Kolker, a Democrat representing Centennial, said in an April 30 press release regarding the bill moving through committee. Theft is theft, and it keeps hardworking families from being able to make ends meet. Our legislation targets the increased use of subcontracts and other labor market intermediaries to ensure all workers are paid for the work they do and no one falls through the cracks. Polis, industry groups say measure penalized good actors However, Polis disagreed. In his veto letter, the governor said he believes the measure would have let subcontractors who fail to pay their workers off the hook, do little if anything to prevent additional wage theft, and penalize good actors who pay all their workers on time. Many industry organizations and associations have applauded the veto, including the National Utility Contractors Association, the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado, the Associated Builders and Contractors Rocky Mountain Chapter, Associated General Contractors and the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. HB 1008 was extremely problematic for the business community and would have set a damaging precedent, the chamber said in its release about the veto. It would have shifted responsibility and put general contractors on the hook for the illegal actions of other business entities, which actually could have incentivized the very thing it was trying to prevent. Punishing good actors is not a solution to wage theft. Were grateful that Gov. Polis stood with the business community in vetoing HB 1008 to preserve jobs and protect Colorados economic climate. Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera released from hospital after arm infection Associated General Contractors said the group supported the veto because the bill would cause an immediate 3% or more increase in construction costs, which legislators say could dampen their goals of increasing affordable housing opportunities in the state. The point about increased costs was echoed by the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado, which also noted that the bill exempts union contractors, which the group said provides a competitive advantage. Jack Tate, Associated Builders and Contractors Rocky Mountain Chapters president and CEO, said in a release that ABCs members strongly oppose wage theft of any form in our industry. We recognize that it is indeed a grave issue in Colorados economy, he said. Each year, hundreds of workers across the state fall victim to wage theft, meaning that they are paid less than the full wages they are legally entitled to receive We support the veto of HB24-1008 because it went awry in targeting a single industry and inflicting consequences on all participants even the 99+% of good actors. Simply, to use a metaphor, such a law would bruise every apple in the barrel to manage a couple of bad apples at the bottom. Workers rally outside Capitol, demanding protections Polis veto of the measure was part of the driving force behind a rally at the state Capitol on May 23, alongside his veto of House Bill 24-1307, which was aimed at ensuring high-road contractors are completing HVAC improvement projects in Colorado schools and ensuring schools can access federal grants for those improvements. Overdoses down 3%, White House unveils trafficking reduction plan Members of various labor groups in Colorado were present for the rally, including Bryant Preston, president of Colorado AFL-CIO; Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran; state Sen. Jessie Danielson; Jordan Jones, representative of Millwright Local 1607; and Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of the Service Employees International Union. Theres $738 million in wage theft annually, Jones told FOX31 on May 22, citing data from the Colorado Fiscal Institute. Construction making about 8% of it accounts for 78% of wage theft. So its a pretty big deal. Even with the bills that have been passed, we still see it every day, on a daily basis. We go to job sites, workers dont get paid. They get told, Oh hey well pay you next week. Well, I cant tell my landlord that Ill pay them next week. I cant tell the bank Ill pay them next week. The Colorado AFL-CIO also condemned Polis veto of the measure. On May 23, the group also rallied at the Capitol and issued a statement decrying the veto, saying that Polis sided with corporate lobbyists and failed Colorado workers. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Chinese envoy commended China's "unbreakable" cooperation with Zambia over the years, expressing optimism that the relationship will continue to blossom. Close-up of voting ballot. (Getty Images) Quality Journalism for Critical Times For nearly three decades, Florida school board elections have been nonpartisan. But this November, under Amendment 1, voters could choose the political approach, which would allow Democrats, Republicans and other party candidates to sit on partisan school boards. Supporters of the constitutional amendment say they want to increase transparency in areas from building projects and school calendars to curricula and teacher pay, but opponents worry it could alienate independent voters. It would take 60 percent of voters in the general election to approve a change on the current nonpartisan boards, which include 67 traditional school districts in Florida. The ballot specifies that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election. In the spring of 2023, the Florida Legislature passed a resolution, which Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed for, to put on the ballot an amendment to make school board elections partisan. Republican Rep. Dean Black is one of the lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution because it would make it easier for voters to be informed, he told Florida Phoenix in a phone interview. I thought it seemed like a really good idea for our voters to know exactly what theyre voting for in elections that are as important as our school board races have come to be, he said. Black represents Nassau County and part of Duval. Although Amendment 1 is not getting as much attention as the other ballot initiatives to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and allow the use of recreational marijuana Black is optimistic it will pass, and if it does, school board candidates will have more time to explain their policies rather than their politics, he said. There will be less need for the candidates to spend time campaigning to explain their philosophy because the banner and brand that they wear already does a lot of that explaining for them, and thats going to free candidates up to speak about the nuts-and-bolts issues that are affecting our schools, Black said. They can talk about whether they should build a new school, whether they need to close the school, whether they need to improve security, nuts and bolts, day-to-day, grassroots, issues that every parent will care about will be able to be talked about more in detail, more in-depth. Itll make for better candidates, better elections, better-informed voters, and, ultimately, stronger school boards that better reflect the will of the parents. Running in a nonpartisan election Vanessa Chaviano is a first-time candidate for a Florida school board race. And getting people to know her has been the biggest challenge. The mother of two is running for the District 7 seat on the Lee County School Board. The board oversees more than 90,000 students across 96 traditional public schools and 119 charter schools, according to the school district. She is a registered Republican from Cape Coral, and she supports Amendment 1 because voters deserve to know their candidates party affiliations. When youre going door to door and door knocking, youre knocking on everyones door, not one party or the other on a nonpartisan race, she said during a phone interview. Depending on which side youre on, youre not going to see eye to eye, right? So its good to know and to have that conversation and understand where everyone is to find that middle ground for our kids. The Southwest Florida county has 224,804 registered Republicans compared to 109,540 Democrats, 12,045 people registered with minor parties, and 129,654 no party affiliation voters, according to the Florida Division of Elections voter registration data. Historically, school boards and other local elections tend to be nonpartisan because those positions dont have a high profile, said Matthew Nelsen, a political science assistant professor at the University of Miami. His research focuses on how schools and neighborhoods act as a microcosm of democracy. The turn of the millennium was the first time Florida had nonpartisan school board elections. The change also came about because of a constitutional amendment in 1998, which approximately 64% of voters approved, according to the division of elections. However, the amendment with the provision to make school board elections nonpartisan also included other voter reforms. One of which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Essentially partisan races I always say participating in elections is incredibly costly for voters. It takes a lot of time to figure out not only who it is youre going to vote for, but also take time away from your family and friends to actually get to the ballot box, Nelsen said. I would argue that nonpartisan elections historically have worked to increase the time that voters need to take in order to figure out who to vote for. A lot of voters use the party as a proxy or a frame of reference for, like, Hey, I may not have the time I need today to dig into the school board candidates, but I know that Im a Democrat, so Im going to vote for the Democratic candidate.' Nelsen continued: So, historically, nonpartisan elections have worked to ensure that only the highest information voters have the right or have the wherewithal to actually make it to the ballot box. Considering the heightened political attention from culture war topics such as critical race theory that have made the school board elections essentially partisan, Nelsen said he doesnt see the amendment as a move to increase voter turnout, though that could be an outcome. Overall, I dont imagine that this is going to change much. School board politics, education politics has become nationalized since like 2019, 2020, he said. So, this notion that weve ever had nonpartisan school board elections in the state of Florida, its kind of wild because we have all been watching the media coverage of these races over the past three years, and weve seen that partisanships seeps in, regardless of whether or not the races themselves are partisan or nonpartisan. Even Gov. Ron DeSantis became involved in school board elections during his tenure, bringing unparalleled attention to county leaders overseeing public schools, with victories for many of the candidates he has backed. What about independent voters? Jennifer Jenkins, a Brevard School Board member, launched the federal Educated We Stand hybrid PAC recently to push back against the politicization in school board elections across the state and country. Jenkins gained popularity after defeating Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich for the Brevard County seat in 2020. Jenkins does not plan to run for another school board term in Brevard. I dont see the benefit of it, she told the Phoenix in a phone interview. Are you saying that you dont want voters to have to educate themselves on the quality of the candidates that theyre choosing? Do you want them to be able to just walk into a ballot box and select someone simply because of the party that theyre registered to? Its disingenuous. When it comes to the vote in November, Jenkins said she believes voters will approve the amendment. But she also said that running in a nonpartisan election helped her connect with all kinds of people. Her goal with the PAC is to provide financial resources for board members who will defend public education. Another reason Jenkins opposes Amendment 1 is that it could lead to closed primaries, where only registered Democrats or registered Republicans will be able to vote for the candidates of those parties. A lot of these school board races have five, six candidates inside of them in the first round, she said. That independent voter doesnt get a choice. They dont get to select who they want, and in a time of extreme polarization, we want everyone to have a voice. State Rep. Black said that while it is true that there could be closed Republican or Democratic primaries, there could also be a primary if more than one independent candidate ran. As a political independent from the Panhandle, Steve Hough has been advocating against closed primaries. He told the Phoenix that he expects Amendment 1 will pass, but that it would be a shame. He is the director of Florida Fair and Open Primaries, which is a grassroot organization. Im opposed, naturally. Being a closed primary state, we already restrict independents from having a voice in our state general elections. The local level is the only place that we really get to participate. Similar to Jenkins, he said voters would just choose whichever school board candidate aligns with their party instead of becoming informed if the elections become partisan. I think thatll take away from voters, not only their ability but, in my opinion, their obligation, to research who these people are and what their agenda is and make a decision thats well informed, Hough said. More than 3.5 million Floridians are independent voters, which are considered No Party Affiliation in Florida, according to the division of elections voter data. Here is the ballot summary on Amendment 1: Proposing amendments to the State Constitution to require members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election. However, partisan primary elections may occur before the 2026 general election for purposes of nominating political party candidates to that office for placement on the 2026 general election ballot. The post Politics have seeped into school board elections; Amendment 1 could make it official appeared first on Florida Phoenix. Polling shows voters want candidate support for child care in Ohio, other battleground states Children at day care.(Getty Images) New polling shows voters in Ohio and other states spotlighted in the presidential election as battleground states want to hear plans to improve child care as part of candidate campaigns. The child care advocacy group First Five Years Fund commissioned the polling through two research teams to survey registered voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Montana, Arizona and Nevada. The researchers found voters make a strong connection between expanding access to quality child care and a strong economy. And across all demographics, voters expressed strong support for solutions including increasing funding going to states to expand child care options and modernizing the tax system to support child care and early learning, First Five Years Fund stated in announcing the polling. The research found that 85% of voters in states that will be critical to the makeup of the United States Senate, which includes Ohio, say theyd be more likely to vote for candidate who supports increased federal funding to the states to expand child care. Overall, 89% of voters in the states polled want candidates to have a plan or policies ready to help working parents afford high-quality child care, researchers found, with all political affiliations surveyed giving at least 80% support. The study found that 82% of Trump voters support affordable child care policies, and 96% of voters committed to voting for Biden standing in support of further improvement to the child care system. Affordable child care is essential/very important for a strengthened economy, according to 68% of all voters surveyed. Top messages in support of increasing federal funding for child care and early education include giving children a strong foundation, financial strain on families paying for child care, low wages for child care workers and the limits placed on parents in the workplace when they cannot find quality, affordable care, the study stated. Asked about specific programs, 85% of survey participants want increases to federal funding to expand programs like the Child Care Development Block Grant. That includes 96% of Democrats, 86% of registered independents and 74% of Republican participants. Federally, the U.S. House voted to expand a child tax credit early this year, but the measure was left stuck in the U.S. Senate as Republicans criticized a provision that allowed those who earned no annual income to still qualify for the tax credit. This argument came as reports found child care costs surpassing wages in the country, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing a 214% increase since 1990. Ohio has seen its own rising child care costs and decreased staffing in child care facilities, creating a challenging situation in need of urgent attention, according to advocates. Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced measures to attempt to solve the child care challenges in Ohio, with a state tax credit proposed by Democrats in October that would credit a family $1,000 per year for each child aged 0 to 5, and $500 annually per child aged 6 to 17. Those with a maximum annual income of $65,000 per household would qualify for full benefits, and the benefits would phase out up to the cap of $85,000 per year if the bill were to pass. Republicans recently introduced their own attempt to address child care struggles, with a bill to create cost-sharing between employers, employees and the state. Under the companion bills in the Ohio House and Senate, $10 million would be appropriated to start a voluntary program, meant to incentivize businesses to invest in child care and attract employers who have left under the weight of child care costs back to the workforce. Employers would chose the employees would would benefit from the program, and those employees must be ineligible for publicly funded child care to qualify. The bill has the support of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and child advocacy group Groundwork Ohio, both of whom praised the bill in a press conference announcing the proposed measure. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Polling shows voters want candidate support for child care in Ohio, other battleground states appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. Pope Francis apologized after reportedly using a derogatory slur about gay men while reiterating the Catholic Church's ban on gay priests. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified that Francis did not intend to offend and reiterated the pope's inclusive stance. Critics, however, highlighted the ongoing exclusion of gay men from the priesthood as a deeper issue. Francis has historically shown support for LGBTQ+ individuals but faced criticism for occasional missteps. Pope Francis Apologizes For Using Slur About Gay Men MEGA On Tuesday, Pope Francis issued an apology after being reported to have used a derogatory slur about gay men while reinforcing the Catholic Church's ban on gay priests. During an address to the Italian bishops conference on May 20, which had recently approved a new document on training for seminarians, Francis reportedly introduced celibacy as the main requirement for priests, regardless of their sexual orientation. According to the Associated Press, Italian media revealed that Francis, while discussing the Vatican's ban on gay men entering seminaries and becoming priests, joked that "there is already an air of f-ggotness" in seminaries. The Vatican's ban on gay priests was outlined in a 2005 document from the Congregation for Catholic Education and reiterated in a 2016 document. These documents state that the Church cannot accept into seminaries or ordain men who "practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called gay culture." Vatican Spokesman Matteo Bruni Says Pope Francis' Extends His Apologies' MEGA Following the media uproar about Francis' comment, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement. Bruni acknowledged that the pope was aware of the reports and emphasized that Francis, who has prioritized outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics throughout his papacy, has consistently affirmed that there is "room for everyone" within the Catholic Church. "The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others," he said per AP. However, in his statement, Bruni carefully avoided confirming whether the pope had actually used the term, adhering to the Vatican's policy of not disclosing the pope's private remarks. However, Bruni also did not deny that Francis had made the comment. Critic Slams Pope Francis For The Church's Insistence On 'Banning Gay Men From Priesthood' MEGA However, for advocates of greater inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics, the controversy extends beyond the use of the offensive term. Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of the religious studies department at Manhattan College, noted: "More than the offensive slur uttered by the pope, what is damaging is the institutional church's insistence on 'banning' gay men from the priesthood as if we all do not know (and minister alongside) many, many gifted, celibate, gay priests." "The LGBTQ community seems to be a constant target of offhand, off-the-cuff 'mistakes' from people in the Vatican, including the pope, who should know better," she added. New Ways Ministry, which supports LGBTQ+ Catholics, welcomed Francis' apology, acknowledging that the offensive term was likely a "careless colloquialism." However, the group's director, Francis DeBernardo, expressed concern about the broader implications of the pope's comments and the ongoing ban on gay men in the priesthood. "Without a clarification, his words will be interpreted as a blanket ban on accepting any gay man to a seminary," DeBernardo explained and called for a more explicit declaration on Francis' stance regarding gay priests, noting that many serve the Church faithfully every day. Pope Francis Says Being Homosexual Is Not A Crime, But A Sin MEGA Francis has been known to make some notable slip-ups in the past, as Italian is not his first language. The 87-year-old pontiff from Argentina often speaks informally, frequently uses slang, and even occasionally curses in private. Known for his efforts to connect with LGBTQ+ Catholics, he made headlines in 2013 with his famous remark, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a priest who allegedly had a gay relationship. Francis has also shown some care towards transgender individuals, permitted priests to bless same-sex couples, and advocated for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, stating in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, "Being homosexual is not a crime." Nonetheless, he has sometimes alienated LGBTQ+ individuals and their supporters. In the same interview, he suggested that while homosexuality isn't a crime, it is a sin. He later clarified, stating that he was referring specifically to sexual activity, asserting that the Church considers any sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage to be sinful. The Pope Approved Of The Blessing Of Same-Sex Couples MEGA In December last year, Pope Francis announced to the Catholic community that he had formally approved marital blessings for same-sex couples. He released the document through the Vatican's doctrine office. In the document, the pope extensively defined the concept of a "blessing" from the scripture. He insisted that sexuality shouldn't hinder anyone from seeking God's love, mercy, and a transcendent relationship. It read in part, "Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live." The new document reiterated the statement and explained further that marriage is a permanent sacrament between a man and a woman. It also stated that blessings for same-sex couples should not be liturgical and come separately from the civil union ceremony and its standard rituals. UPDATE (1:45 p.m.) A local nonprofit is teaming up with the City of Mobile on a project set to close Old Shell Road for months, and one business is concerned about the impacts of the closure. Officials say that much of the money needed to beautify the underpass on Old Shell Road near Sage Avenue was raised by a local non-profit organization called Community of Mobile Inc. The total cost of the project, according to the City of Mobile, is $478,000. On Tuesday, the Mobile City Council agreed to allocate $250,000 of Capital Improvement Funds to help kickstart the project. The rest of the funds were raised by Community of Mobile Inc. through various partnerships and donors. They said no, but well help raise the money. And Im thinking, yeah, it seems like Ive heard this one before,' Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. According to the city, Community of Mobile Inc. has raised an additional $64,000, which will go toward maintenance costs and future additions to the underpass. Renovations will include new landscaping, hardscaping, sidewalks, sprinkler systems and LED lighting. Old Shell Road underpass (News 5 photo) Artist rendering of the Old Shell Road beautification project (News 5) The underpass is notoriously known to flood in bad weather. Stimpson said its been about seven years since the storm drains were last cleaned in the area. The real cure for that is downstream, and thats not part of the project yet, Stimpson said. We hope to make it a little bit better than what it is today. The Alabama Export Railroad is involved in the project due to the railroad that crosses Old Shell Road via the overpass. Obviously, you dont do any kind of project thats going to be in their right of way without their participation, Stimpson said. Stimpson added that the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System is also involved due to nearby water lines. Impacts of the road closure Although officials say the Old Shell Road Closure is a necessity while repairs happen, the 2-month closure may have impacts on local businesses. Tonie Ann Torrans, the Executive Director of the Penelope House, said she might see less business at the nearby Penelopes Closet. The proceeds made by Penelopes Coset go to support the Penelope House, a local domestic violence shelter. By limiting traffic, will limit those who come here to shop or to donate, Torrans said. With any project, theres good and bad. So we can make it through the bad if its just a couple of months when you look at the overall project success at the end. Construction starts on June 3 and is expected to be completed in August. According to the city, construction was slated for the summer months to avoid an impact on school traffic. You know, its all systems a go at this point, Stimpson said. While construction is underway, drivers will have to get around the work zone by taking Sage Avenue onto Dauphin Street and getting back on Old Shell from Florida Street. PREVIOUS STORY: MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) Part of Old Shell Road will be closed for two months starting on Monday, June 3, according to the City of Mobile. Suspect in Baldwin County quadruple murder indicted: Court documents A release said Old Shell Road will be closed at the railroad overpass for a beautification project. (Graphic courtesy of the City of Mobile) The Underpass Project will improve the area at the railroad overpass, which is located between LeFevre Street and Union Avenue, according to the release. The detour will take drivers from Sage Avenue to Dauphin Street to Florida Street. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) From the time he was born in India through today, Dan Khazaei has always been outgoing. He embraced the United States when his family moved to Portland for his freshman year of high school in 2019. Then the pandemic hit. His exchange visa was going to run out so he formulated a plan. Dan Khazaei, 18, is the youngest person to ever graduate from Linfield University, May 2024 (KOIN) Because of online classes I had my afternoon block empty so I could take almost, like, a double shift, the 18-year-old told KOIN 6 News. And there I was walking across graduation stage with the seniors when I was a sophomore. Just a week after graduating from Lincoln High School in 2021 he enrolled at Portland Community College and again took on a large load of classes. In Spring 2022 when he was just 17 he got a full ride to Linfield University to get his bachelors degree. Kelly Williams Brown of Linfield University, May 2024 (KOIN) I just couldnt believe he was a first-year student because he seemed so poised and thoughtful and grounded, said Linfields Kelly Williams Brown. In his short time at Linfield, the biochemistry major co-authored two papers with faculty. He was the PR director for the student government and was a vocalist in the marching band. Hes interested in genetics with a goal of curing diseases like cancer by altering genes. This past weekend, Dan Khazaei graduated from Linfield University at 18, the youngest person ever to graduate from the university. Hes headed to PSU for his PhD. His dad, who works at PSU, calls his son Doogie Howser, which was his favorite show when he was in medical school. Father and son have been working together on portable ultrasounds, using your iPhone that people could take to war zones. Dan Khazaei became the youngest person ever to graduate from Linfield University, May 26, 2024 (Khazaei family) One thing is certain: He does not plan to leave the Pacific Northwest. I love the people, the region, everything about it, he said. I dont see myself going anywhere else. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) To build or not to build? That is the question Portland city leaders will consider when faced with three theater presentations Wednesday afternoon. For months, Portland State University, Lloyd Center, and the Keller Auditorium have mapped out competing plans that each stake their claim as the citys epicenter of performing arts and culture. Woman dead after car crashes into utility pole on NE Columbia Boulevard The final decision between funding the renovation of a historic building or building a brand new facility will come down to Portland City Councils decision in July. Until then, the projects will need to share why their plan would have the greatest impact on downtown Portland and stand up to public scrutiny. The Keller Auditorium was first constructed in 1917 and hasnt been remodeled since the 1960s. A 2020 analysis showed the venue would need major upgrades to meet modern safety standards, including seismic upgrades, improved restrooms and accessible seating. Local organization Halprin Landscape Conservancy has proposed a 21st Century Keller that would preserve the existing building. The renovation would last for 19 months, starting in 2027 at a price tag of $267.2 million. Scott Andrews, co-chair at Halprin, said renovating the Keller is a more sustainable option to building a new auditorium. In Portland, we recycle, reimagine, renovate and improve our buildings, Andrews said during the Wednesday presentation. We dont throw them away to build something new thats more expensive and less environmentally friendly and that will remove more than 400,000 people a year from our downtown at the exact moment that were working to bring more people downtown to revitalize the heart of the city. Indictment alleges Jesse Lee Calhoun murdered three women in 50 days The Downtown Portland Neighborhood Association, Portland Art Museum, and Oregon Ballet Theater which would have to find a new home during Keller renovation have all voiced support for upgrading the building. But last summer, eight different entities vied to build Portlands next performing arts center. The city ultimately narrowed down to Portland State University and Lloyd Center. A rendering of the Keller Auditoriums proposed renovations from the Northwest facade and proposed Third Avenue plaza (Credit: Halprin Landscape Conservancy) A rendering of Portland State Universitys plan for a new Keller Auditorium, 2023 (PSU) The Portland Arts & Culture Center would be located on the 4.25-acre property PSU owns on Southwest Lincoln Street and would include a 3,000-seat auditorium, a 1,200-seat auditorium and the 150-room University Place Hotel. According to the school, there would be up to 18,000 square feet of conference space and up to 40,000 square feet of office space. Other features include a full-service restaurant and bar, more learning space to boost academic programs and up to 750 on-site parking spaces. Man shot by police while serving NE Portland search warrant However, a new poll from Our Next Keller a group in support of renovations recently found the majority of Portlanders would prefer to preserve the 107-year-old Keller Auditorium. In it, 66% of voters support renovating the Keller compared to 10% of respondents who wanted the City of Portland to build a new auditorium in a different location. That support jumped to 70% when comparing renovations to building a new performing arts center complex at Portland State University. The Lloyd Center, the other top contender, aims to create an energized, welcoming, and inclusive neighborhood that inspires diverse communities to connect, gather, and do business. The site would include an outdoor commons area and promenade, connecting the Lloyd Center to nearby neighborhoods and reversing its current inward-facing, auto-centric layout. Following the presentations, community engagement will begin in June. Portland City Council will consider its findings and determine next steps in July. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. PORTSMOUTH The owner of On-Site Family Martial Arts denies he sexually assaulted a woman at the Robert Avenue facility this spring while falsely claiming to be a chiropractor. His attorney said she plans to take the case to trial. Harry Charache, 67, turned himself in to the Portsmouth Police Department last week after a month-plus-long investigation led to charges he allegedly kissed, forcibly fondled and touched a woman above and below her waist, according to court records. Charache is accused of the alleged conduct with the same victim on March 25 and April 1, court records show. On-Site Family Martial Arts Center is located at 6A Robert Ave. in Portsmouth. Charache, a Stratham resident, has been employed as a substitute teacher in the Portsmouth school district and has led after-school martial arts programs, SAU 52 leaders reported. Police said there have been no reports of alleged misconduct toward minors by Charache. Charache faces three counts of sexual assault, four counts of simple assault and two counts of illegally performing chiropractic medicine, all of which are misdemeanor charges. Im being falsely accused, and I look forward to being vindicated in court, Charache said Tuesday when reached by phone. He declined to comment further. Attorney Larissa Kiers is representing Charache and spoke on behalf of her client in a prepared statement. Harry Charache has been a fixture in the Portsmouth community teaching martial arts for over 30 years, Kiers said Tuesday. Mr. Charache is loved by his students and strenuously denies these false allegations. He maintains his innocence and looks forward to demonstrating this at trial. Charache has taught martial arts to Seacoast students since 1989 after starting training in New York 10 years prior, according to his profile on the website for On-Site Family Martial Arts. Charache worked in Portsmouth schools The Portsmouth school district notified SAU 52 families of Charache's arrest last week. Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin said in a message to the school community the last day Charache served as a substitute in the district was on April 12, the same day SAU 52 was notified about the investigation by Portsmouth police. That evening, the district was notified that a temporary order of protection had been served to Mr. Charache. As his case is being adjudicated via the criminal justice process, the Portsmouth School Department will not employ him as a substitute teacher or engage him as an afterschool activities vendor, McLaughlin shared in a notice issued Friday, May 24. The current charges against Mr. Charache are not alleged to have occurred on campus or with children. The Portsmouth School Departments first priority is the safety of our school community and, particularly, our students. McLaughlin did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for an interview. Details of charges against Charache The simple and sexual assault charges against Charache allege he knowingly cause(d) unprivileged physical contact with the victim, a woman, by kissing her neck, touching her private areas, above and below her waist, and beneath her underwear, court complaints show. The sexual assault complaints allege forcible fondling by Charache. The unlawful practice of chiropractic medicine charges against Charache allege the business owner attempted adjusting the neck and back of the victim for the restoration and maintenance of her health. The sexual and simple assault charges are Class A misdemeanors, while the unlawful practice of chiropractic medicine charges are Class B misdemeanors. Portsmouth police detective Sgt. Kevin McCarthy explained the classification of the charges as alleged misdemeanor crimes. Sexual assault (in New Hampshire) covers a range of behaviors that runs the gamut from fondling to violent penetration and assault and things like that. Based on the conduct that was alleged, the misdemeanor charge was appropriate, he said Tuesday. Three of the charges against Charache one simple assault count, one sexual count and a single count of unlawful practice of chiropractic medicine are alleged to have occurred on March 25. The remainder of the charges stem from the alleged April 1 incident, according to court records. McCarthy said the sexual and simple assault charges against Charache tied to the April 1 allegations are alternative theory counts. He added that police have not received any claims of alleged misconduct by Charache toward any minors. I can tell you without reservation that we have had no reports that that has happened, McCarthy said. Investigation into Charache is ongoing Harry Charache, 67, owner of On-Site Family Martial Arts in Portsmouth, is facing charges of sexual assault and simple assault, and of allegedly misrepresenting himself as qualified to practice chiropractic care. Charache is a Stratham resident. McCarthy and investigating Detective Matthew Fredrickson confirmed police have received calls from community members about Charache since his arrest. There have been some calls that have required further follow-up and there have been some calls that have been handled with a brief conversation, he said Tuesday. Some have been calls from concerned residents who just wanted to talk. Portsmouth police have received calls regarding Charache in the past, though McCarthy declined to specify the nature of those interactions. We have had contacts regarding Mr. Charache in the past over nothing that was able to result in a prosecution, he said. Police ask anyone with information to call as Charache case proceeds The longtime martial arts instructor turned himself in to city police last Wednesday, May 22, posting a $1,000 cash bail, the Portsmouth Police Department said previously. Charache will be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court on July 8 at 8 a.m., according to his bail order. He is ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim and must stay 300 feet away from her, the bail order states. Charaches bail order states he also cannot possess a firearm, destructive device, dangerous weapon, nor any ammunition. Portsmouth police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Fredrickson at (603) 610-7667. Anonymous tips can be reported via Seacoast Crime Stoppers at (603) 431-1199, at seacoastcrimestoppers.com or through P3 phone application available as a free download. Rewards of up to $1,000 may be paid for information leading to an arrest or indictment, according to police. If you need help Seacoast Media Group provides the following information as a public service when reporting on cases of alleged sexual violence: Haven is a violence prevention and support service for men, women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence. Havens 24-hour hotline is 1-603-994-SAFE (7233). This is a confidential crisis support line in the Seacoast and Rochester region staffed by trained advocates. Information: havennh.org This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth martial arts center owner denies sex assault POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) Powell is moving forward with plans to enhance the citys parks after agreeing to purchase a 32-acre site once home to a sheep farm. Powell City Council voted earlier this month to enter into a purchase agreement for the 32-acre parcel located along State Route 750, owned by long-time resident Marjorie Bennett, who died last year at age 97. Bennetts family, who operated a sheep farm on the site for many decades, decided earlier this year they were ready to sell the property. BrewDog opens first U.S. airport bar inside John Glenn International Staff met with the familys real estate agents to discuss land use and what the general interest had been from the community, Powell City Manager Andrew White said. We felt it was prudent to establish site control in order to preserve site control of any future development and ensure robust community engagement. While Powell has yet to decide exactly how the site will be developed, the city said preliminary discussions have started for pedestrian infrastructure improvements along State Route 750, green space expansion and recreational projects. City leaders also noted they are working with architecture and design firm MKSK on a plan to update the citys parks, presenting an ideal time to partner the effort with a supplemental planning project specific to the Bennett Farm property, White said. City council voted to enter into a purchase agreement for the 32-acre parcel located along State Route 750. (Courtesy Photo/City of Powell) White said voter support for the income tax restructuring ballot initiative passed in May 2021 allowed the city to finally contemplate acquiring the Bennetts property. Local leaders had accounted for the site in a 2015 plan for possible redevelopment, but limited resources at the time prevented serious consideration of the property. When the residents approved the income tax restructuring in 2021, this charted a new path forward for our community, White said. It has allowed the city to address deferred maintenance and has allowed us to make strategic acquisitions such as this for the benefit of our residents. Weeks after being added to historical buildings list, former Columbus bakery is razed The acquisition aligns with several goals outlined by city council earlier this year, including enhancing parks and recreational space, and making more bike and walking path connections. The city is also working on expanding the downtown areas walkability and amenities, reducing traffic congestion, increasing parking options and encouraging new business. These goals have manifested into a larger project to redesign the citys downtown, with co-working business COhatch recruited to be one of the main developers tasked with transforming a section of the downtown district at North Liberty and East Olentangy streets. Plans call for the redevelopment to begin this spring with the demolition of a former office building at 50 E. Olentangy St., a 0.63-acre site where COhatch will then construct a 13,900-square-foot location. Beyond the COhatch building, the downtown redesign will continue with proposals to extend Scioto Street and collaborations with nearby landowners for a variety of mixed-use developments. Other developments taking shape in Powell include Ohio States Wexner Medical Center $183 million outpatient campus, a years-long effort once regarded as the largest economic development project in the citys history. The new outpatient facility will be built on nearly 30 acres at the northeast corner of Home Road and Sawmill Parkway, across from Olentangy Liberty High School. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. GENEVA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- There is no indication that Israel will open the Rafah crossing soon, Palestine's health minister Majed Abu Ramadan said here on Wednesday. "This is totally in the hands of the Israelis," Abu Ramadan told a press briefing in Geneva. Israel launched a ground assault on Rafah on May 6 and claimed to have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, which is the only border crossing between the enclave and Egypt. The crossing is also a main conduit for humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and an exit point for medical evacuees from the enclave. Abu Ramadan said that Israel committed a crime against humanity in Gaza, regardless of the exact death toll. "What matters is that there is a crime against humanity. With one or a million (dead), that doesn't change the situation," he said. "At the moment, people are deprived of almost all aspects of health services." The closure of the Rafah crossing has aggravated the humanitarian crisis, he said. "This is complicating the picture," Abu Ramadan said. The closure of Rafah crossing cut the access for patients in Gaza to get health services, he added. Those who cannot be treated in Gaza are forbidden from going to Egypt and somewhere else for the treatment they need, Abu Ramadan said. "This is only a part of the situation." After days in the dark, most Kansas City area customers have had their power restored after storms that swept across the metro Saturday night knocked out power to thousands. Evergy was able to restore power for upwards of 4,350 customers who still remained without power as of Tuesday, according to previous reporting from The Star. The power company restored power to around 100,000 customers within the first 24 hours, Evergy Senior Communications Manager Courtney Lewis said in an interview Wednesday. Strong winds and a downburst near Interstate 70 caused damage to power poles and large trees in the area, making it a monumental effort for crews to repair, Lewis said. Evergy received assistance from 900 additional people, including individuals from Alliant Energy based in Iowa and Wisconsin and Liberty Utilities based in Joplin, Lewis said. Other regional contractors also helped with the project. We were really able to get almost everyone back on earlier than we had expected because of the good work of bringing in those extra crews and then our team efficiently and strategically managing our own staff as well as those other crews to get them out to where they needed to go to get everyone back on, Lewis said. By Wednesday, just over 100 customers remained without power across the region, although the power company was not attributing those outages to the storm. According to Evergys power outage map as of Wednesday afternoon, 49 customers are still without power in Johnson County, currently the highest number in the metro. In other counties in the area, Cass County has 5 customers without power, Clay County has 5 and Jackson County has 31, according to Evergys power outage map. According to the Kansas City Kansas Board of Public Utilities, 11 customers are without power in Wyandotte County. The City of Leawood announced Wednesday that it will begin a curbside storm debris removal program beginning Monday, according to a news release. Residents may also drop off storm debris at the Leawood Logistics Center at 2008 W. 104th St on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kansas City will have a two-week debris drop off in Raytown at 11660 N. Main Street, 7700 E. U.S. 40 highway and 10301 Raytown Road, according to previous reporting by The Star. The Stars Robert A. Cronkleton contributed reporting. The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee has released a detailed plan calling for an additional $55 billion above the fiscal 2025 defense spending caps imposed under last years debt ceiling deal. The plan, unveiled Wednesday by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., would ultimately raise U.S. defense spending from 3% to 5% of gross domestic product in the years ahead, a massive surge likely to come in well above $1 trillion per year. Much of the proposed long-term spending in Wickers plan would go toward revitalizing the struggling defense-industrial base, which the senator argues is necessary to successfully counter an axis of aggressors comprised of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. He hopes additional industrial base funding will enable the U.S. to drastically bolster the size of its Navy and Air Force fleets as well as munitions production and the nuclear arsenal. This will enable the United States to fix our failing defense infrastructure, field a new generation of equipment and maintain American technological leadership, Wicker wrote in the proposal. This [3%] of GDP spent on defense is nearing historic lows not seen since the peace dividend of the 1990s. The document lays out many of Wickers short- and long-term priorities as the Senate Armed Services Committee prepares to mark up its FY25 defense policy bill next month. The House Armed Services Committee advanced its defense policy legislation last week, an $883.7 billion bill in line with the FY25 defense spending caps lawmakers agreed to last year. Some of the additional $55 billion Wicker seeks to add above the FY25 spending caps mirrors the unfunded priorities lists each military service and combatant command submitted to Congress earlier this year. For instance, Wicker wants an additional $2 billion to disperse and harden [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] infrastructure, another $2.25 billion for Guam disaster recovery and resilient rebuild, and $500 million for a Guam defense system. Additionally, Wicker is seeking $500 million to create regional contingency stockpiles to help Indo-Pacific Command overcome logistical challenges in the event of a conflict in the area. Prepositioned stocks generally must be expanded in the western Pacific, the document notes. In particular, the Army Prepositioned Stocks program has been perennially underfunded by almost $1 billion this year. Wickers proposal also calls on the Pentagon to create a weapons stockpile in Taiwan, which Congress authorized in the FY23 defense bill, mirroring the U.S. war reserve stockpile in Israel. It also seeks to allocate $1.5 billion in replenishment funds to allow the Defense Department to send Taiwan weapons from U.S. stockpiles. The foreign aid bill Congress passed in April included $1.9 billion in FY24 funding for the department to do this, but the House defense policy bill did not include an additional $500 million in FY25 Taiwan aid that the Pentagon asked for as part of its proposed Indo-Pacific Security Initiative. Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, lead the defense appropriations panel and have also said they want to increase FY25 defense spending above the debt ceiling deals FY25 spending caps. But Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said earlier this month that if defense spending rises, she will insist that nondefense spending also grow, which Republicans have historically opposed. Total defense spending for FY24 came in at $953 billion following passage of the foreign aid bill, well above the $886 billion national security caps Congress laid out in the base budget for that fiscal year. The 5% target Over the longer term, Wickers proposal to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP places particular emphasis on growing the defense-industrial base. The defense industrial base itself is a weapon, the proposal states. The Department of Defense needs a much larger and more capable workforce for defense industrial base issues. For surface ships, the Navy needs to embark immediately upon a comprehensive industrial base investment strategy, just as it has done for the submarine industrial base, it continues. As with the submarine industrial base, this investment strategy will require around $20 billion over a period of five years. These funds would go toward extensive funding for workforce development, supply chain resiliency, long-lead item production, development and insertion of additive manufacturing techniques, supplier base diversification and shipyard modernization and expansion. Wicker also calls on the Navy to begin work on a fifth nuclear shipyard, which will likely cost over $20 billion. The document faults the Navy for failing to provide a consistent demand signal to industry but argues that with the right funding it can meet and even exceed the 355-ship goal by 2035. Similarly, it notes the Air Force plans to retire almost 1,000 aircraft over the next five years, including nearly 400 fighters. It has not replaced its aircraft fast enough to keep the fleet from shrinking precipitously, even as the mission demands remain steady or increase, it reads. Accordingly, Wickers proposal calls on the Air Force to purchase at least 340 aircraft above its current plan over the next five years while accelerating production of B-21 bombers and doubling its planned quantity from 100 to 200. The Air Force should aim to arrest its shrinking fighter force structure by reversing its plans to retire capable F-15E and F-22 fighters over the next five years and by purchasing at least 340 aircraft above its current plans over the next five years, the proposal notes. Additionally, the document cites a well-known shortage of munitions that will require both additional funding and additional creativity to remedy. It calls for an additional $7 billion to $10 billion annually for the munitions-industrial base over the next decade. The document also details a series of industrial base recommendations to grow the U.S. nuclear arsenal. These include extended production of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine; setting up NATO-style nuclear burden-sharing agreements with Australia, Japan and South Korea; and restoring nuclear capability on B-52 bombers. Wicker has also co-sponsored a bill to expand the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The legislations other sponsor, Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., hopes to include it in the Senates FY25 defense policy bill. Pressed on strikes inside Russia, Blinken says US stance will 'adapt and adjust as necessary' Washington will "adapt and adjust as necessary" its ban on allowing Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 29. The restriction prevented Kyiv from attacking Russian forces massing near Kharkiv Oblast for their offensive launched earlier in May, with advanced U.S. weaponry like ATACMS missiles. In recent days a growing number of Ukraine's allies as well as NATO have said Ukraine should be allowed to strike inside Russia, ramping up pressure on Washington to do the same. Most recently, representatives of Finland, Canada, and Poland issued separate statements on May 29 saying Ukraine can use their weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Speaking on a visit to Moldova on the eve of NATO talks in Prague, Blinken said that as battlefield conditions have changed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has "adapted and adjusted" the support and weapons it has provided. When pressed on whether this meant the U.S. would change its policy on striking targets inside Russia, he said: "At every step along the way we've adapted and adjusted as necessary. And so that's exactly what we'll do going forward. "We're always listening, we're always learning and we're always making determinations about what's necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself." Earlier this month, The New York Times (NYT) reported Blinken was pushing the Biden administration for a change in policy after a "sobering" visit to Kyiv. The U.S. State Department began a "vigorous debate" inside President Joe Biden's administration on this policy after Blinken's two-day visit to Ukraine's capital, which took place only days after Russia launched the new offensive. It was the situation in Kharkiv Oblast that changed Blinken's position, the NYT wrote. The news outlet noted that the proposal is still "in the formative stages" and that it is unclear how many other high-ranking officials in Biden's team will support it. The plan would include permitting strikes against Russian military facilities but perhaps not oil refineries and other infrastructure that Ukraine has been hitting with homemade drones, according to the outlet. Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Biden administration on Tuesday expressed sympathy after dozens of civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah over the weekend, but signaled it did not violate President Joe Biden's "red line" for the offensive and that the U.S. would wait for a full Israeli investigation to play out before taking any action. "You've all seen the images, they're heartbreaking, they're horrific. There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict," National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said during a White House press briefing. "Israel, of course, has a right to go after Hamas. And we understand that this strike did kill two senior Hamas terrorists who are directly responsible for attacks against the Israeli people," he continued. PHOTO: U.S. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, May 28, 2024. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) MORE: Israeli government facing increased condemnation, diplomatic pressure over latest Rafah air strikes But eliminating those two Hamas targets cost at least 45 Palestinians their lives and inflicted gruesome injuries on scores of others when the strike ignited a large fire that tore through a nearby encampment, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The strike is the single deadliest attack since Israel launched its offensive in Rafah more than two weeks ago and graphic images from its aftermath have prompted international fury, further isolating Israel on the international stage and escalating pressure on the Biden administration to pull back military support. In a statement issued Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack "in the strongest terms," declaring "the horror and suffering must stop immediately." PHOTO: Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, May 26, 2024. (Reuters) PHOTO: Palestinians search for food among burnt debris in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters) Although officials across Washington mourned the loss of life in Rafah, they indicated they would wait for more answers about the circumstances surrounding the strike to come to light before responding any further. "As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to," Kirby said. "It just happened. The Israelis are going to investigate it. We're going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation, and we'll see where it goes from there." When ABC Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce pressed Kirby on whether the White House believes the strike was "precise and proportional" as the administration said was necessary, he said he would not get ahead of the full IDF investigation. And while Kirby did condemn the loss of life in Rafah, he was careful not to criticize Israel directly. After an initial review of the strike, the Israel Defense Forces said the strike was targeted and munitions used in the attack could not have caused such a large blaze that something else must have fueled it pointing to what it said was a Hamas weapons depot in the vicinity as a possible cause. MORE: US aid pier to be moved from Gaza for repairs after damage from rough seas The IDF also rejected claims that the strike directly hit an area designated by the Israeli government as a safe zone for Palestinian civilians, saying the target is located more than a kilometer-and-a-half or a little under a mile away. As Israel conducts a more comprehensive probe into the incident, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. would press the country's government to "present those facts publicly, so we along with the rest of the world can make the kind of assessments that we need to be able to do." PHOTO: U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller speaks to reporters during the daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, July 17, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE) While a full investigation will likely take weeks to complete, President Biden already is facing intensifying scrutiny for what critics say is his vague "red line" for Israel's latest military offensive. Earlier this month, Biden vowed he would halt shipments of some U.S. bombs to Israel if the country's forces were to "go into Rafah." MORE: US says Israel has made 'refinements' to Rafah assault strategy to reduce risks of civilian harm after Biden demands U.S. officials later said he was referring to a major invasion "smashing" into the heavily populated city in southern Gaza but they have yet to specify exactly what would trigger consequences for Israel, saying only that they don't want to see military operations reach the same scale as those Israel used in Khan Younis and Gazan City earlier in the war. So far, the Biden administration has defined Israeli military activity in Rafah as "limited," but UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday that warfare in the area had already prompted a mass exodus forcing one million people to flee in search of safety. "An endless horror show, except it's real," Lazzarini said. ABC News' Justin Gomez contributed to this report. Pressure builds on Biden after Israeli strike kills dozens of civilians in Rafah originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Attacks against the LGBTQ+ community are becoming alarmingly loud and brazenly out in the open in Idaho. Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling on Tuesday felt compelled to issue a press release telling residents that the city wouldnt be canceling a park permit for the Canyon County Pride Festival. Apparently, some residents have been calling on the city to nix the event, scheduled for Sunday, June 9, at Lakeview Park in Nampa. Its incredible that residents in this Canyon County city of 100,000 people would call for the government to cancel a groups right to assemble because they dont like the message. Dont like the message? Guess what? Dont go. But dont tell others they cant. Keep in mind that residents in Canyon County just voted this month for a bunch of candidates who ran on platforms of freedom and liberty. But once again, these so-called freedom-loving citizens demonstrate that its freedom only for certain people. Its not really about freedom; its all about adherence to certain moral and religious beliefs and imposing those beliefs on others. In her press release, Kling acknowledged that whats at stake here are First Amendment protections of basic rights, quoting the protection of freedom of speech and the right of the people peaceably to assemble. So to those who called up the city of Nampa and asked them to cancel the permit for the Pride Festival, you clearly dont truly believe in the tenets of the Constitution. But while Kling is ultimately doing the right thing here, shes going about it the wrong way. While this event does not reflect the personal beliefs and convictions of myself, the Nampa City Council, and many living in Nampa who have already reached out to us requesting it be canceled, Kling wrote in a press release, the advice of our legal counsel was that the City of Nampa must recognize the protected first amendment rights of those scheduling and involved in this event. There are so many things wrong with that statement. First, why the need to say the event does not reflect your personal beliefs? What are those personal beliefs? That youre not gay? Or that you dont condone homosexuality? Or you dont believe LGBTQ+ people should be allowed to be in public and gather? The statement seems to be saying, We know homosexuality is wrong in our minds, but theres nothing we can do about it, because of the damned Constitution. And aligning yourself and the City Council members with those anti-Constitution constituents who wanted a permit to be denied based on bigotry and discrimination, the message is: We get it, were on your side, wed cancel it if we could, but we cant. Finally, Kling admits to having to get the advice of our legal counsel. Really? You needed to ask your lawyers whether you could violate the U.S. Constitution? You werent sure youre not allowed to discriminate? You actually thought about it enough to seek legal advice? The mayors press release seeks to clarify even further: The use of the park by this group is not an endorsement of their message or views by the City of Nampa. This is dangerous stuff. It was only two years ago, remember, that the Christo-fascist Patriot Front plotted to incite a riot at a similar Pride festival in Coeur dAlene, with the possibility of violence. They were wearing masks and carrying shields, and all piled into a U-Haul truck. Instead of aligning with the hateful, angry bigots calling on the city to violate the Constitution, the mayor should be sending a different message. Here, well write it for her: I support the Canyon County Pride Festival and all those who attend it. These are members of our community. They are our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, our fellow church members, and they deserve our support and acceptance, and they have every right to gather and celebrate. Calls to cancel this event are rooted in hatred, bigotry and homophobia, and have no place in the city of Nampa. As your mayor, I refuse to condemn or cancel a peaceful and joyful celebration in our city. Instead, I condemn those who are filled with hate and judgment against members of our own community. Nampa is better than that. Or at least it should be. Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesmans editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members Mary Rohlfing and Patricia Nilsson. Prince William to Step in for King Charles at Special D-Day Commemorations in France The Prince of Wales will be in Normandy, France, with other heads of state, while Charles and Queen Camilla are at a separate event Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty King Charles and Prince William during the National Service of Remembrance in 2021 Prince William is stepping up as an international statesman. The Prince of Wales will represent his father King Charles at a key D-Day commemoration in Normandy, north-east France next week. William, 41, is set to be the senior U.K. figure at a gathering of 25 world leaders at Omaha beach, Saint Laurent sur Mer, on the 80th anniversary of the landings on June 6. The ceremony will honor the estimated 160,000 American, British and Canadian troops who landed at the beach on D-Day. The battles on D-Day of June 6, 1944, and in the weeks that followed, pushed the German forces back from the coast and across France and were among the most important in bringing about the end of the Second World War, which ended almost a year later. As well as being alongside international heads of state, William will join D-Day veterans and attend the the Canadian commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer, hosted by the Canadian government, Buckingham Palace has announced. William expected to travel to France solo, as his wife Kate Middleton, 42, is still not undertaking public duties as she undergoes her cancer treatment. Oli Scarff - WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince William meeting students at St. Michael's Church of England High School in Rowley Regis, on April 25 Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Release Statement After RAF Pilot Dies in Spitfire Crash: 'Incredibly Sad' Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, will be in Normandy for the celebrations but will be at a separate event marking the British memorial. President Joe Biden will also be in France, while French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy would also be taking part in the commemorations, the Associated Press reported. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince William with his father King Charles at the Army Aviation Centre in Stockbridge, Hampshire on May 13 The event is the latest step for William in his burgeoning international role. As heir to the throne, he has to navigate the difficult terrain of appealing to politicians and decision-makers while not overstepping the mark and becoming party-political on the world stage. In the past, he has urged President Xi Jinping in China to join the ban on the illegal trade in endangered wildlife and deftly taken part in diplomatic visits to Israel and Pakistan. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Prince William United for Wildlife Global Summit at the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore on Nov. 6, 2023 "In his early 20s, I always had to pinch myself to remind me that he was still a very young man. He already had an extraordinary maturity," Charlie Mayhew, CEO of the Tusk Trust charity previously told PEOPLE. "That, I suppose, comes with a knowledge of his destiny. He has developed into a really valuable statesman for this country and for conservation and the environment." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Seen in New Photo After Surprise B&B Stay Last Year The events in France are among a set of special occasions to mark the bravery and sacrifices of those who took part in the historic landings. Other members of the Royal Family will take part in celebrations in the U.K. too. It is part of a busy period of public outings for the King and his family. The following week will see the annual birthday parade or Trooping the Colour, followed by the Order of the Garter ceremony and Royal Ascot horse races, which start on June 20. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) After an all-nighter of legislative work in Springfield, Governor J.B. Pritzker is celebrating the accomplishments the Illinois General Assembly will fund in the latest budget. The $53.1 billion budget passed the Senate Sunday night and the House of Representatives early Wednesday morning. Later Wednesday morning, Pritzker held a news conference, where he said the budget continues our track record of fiscal responsibility. He added that Our state is in its strongest fiscal position in decades. The governor thanked his office for help creating a budget that will expand the pension funding ratio and Rainy Day fund while minimizing the Illinois overdue bill backlog. He also cited the fact that Illinois has received nine credit upgrades from the three major credit agencies. Those come from six years of balanced budgets. Carbon Capture regulations pass Senate, head to Governors desk Among the investments Pritzker highlighted include spending allocated to support for the developmentally disabled, investments for early childhood services and ending billions in medical debt. Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton said helping families out was one of the key concepts of the budget. Our collective aim has always been to uplift working families in every corner of the state, from combatting homelessness, to stopping predatory insurance practices to expanding access to holistic birth and care, Stratton said. This budget was steered by a shared moral compass. Bill prohibiting landlord retaliation heads to Pritzkers desk No Republicans from either chamber voted in favor of the budget, with many criticizing the states proposal to fund various programs for migrants in the state. Chicago officials estimate 41,576 migrants have come to the city in the past year. House Republicans support a balanced budget without gimmicks and tax hikes, Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), the House of Representatives chief budgeteer said in a statement. We support a budget that prioritizes the needs of Illinois working families and seniors over migrants and undocumented immigrants. We will continue to work to pass a balanced budget that protects Illinois taxpayers, properly funds shared priorities, and makes real reforms to improve our economy. Proposal to attract quantum computing jobs passes Illinois House Pritzker fired back at the Republicans who decried the budget, adding that hes pleased with how the budget ultimately came out. Every year, particularly Republicans, say things like Oh, were careening towards a brick wall, the governor said. It hasnt happened. Six years in a row, we have balanced this budget, and we have made sure that we are thinking about and lowering costs for working families every time we put a budget together. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Every year, U.S. employers spend millions of dollars on outside consultants who specialize in breaking up union campaigns. Because much of that work is cloaked in secrecy, progressive groups are urging the Biden administration to crack down and make it more transparent. A paper released Wednesday recommends that the Labor Department force employers and their consultants to make greater financial disclosures related to anti-union spending so workers can better understand whos being paid to lobby them. The authors write that the firms are deploying increasingly aggressive tactics to dissuade employees from unionizing. The paper was co-released by Harvard Law Schools Center for Labor and a Just Economy, the nonprofit watchdog group LaborLab, and the advocacy group Governing for Impact, which has been pushing the Biden administration to pursue progressive federal regulations. Its super important that those elections actually reflect the will of those workers.Sharon Block, Harvard Law School Sharon Block, a labor law professor at Harvard and a co-author of the paper, said in an interview that the government should be shedding more light on the work of union busters. This is an urgent problem because we are seeing more organizing, said Block, who previously ran the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Biden White House. Its super important that those [union] elections actually reflect the will of those workers and that theyre not a reflection of manipulation or fear or coercion. The recommendations come on the heels of an investigation by the Labor Departments inspector general finding that the agency did not effectively enforce the law when it came to anti-union consultants. Federal law requires employers and consultants to disclose their arrangements to the Labor Department when theyre trying to persuade workers against unionizing, often in what are known as captive audience meetings. The idea is that workers have a right to know whos trying to sway them and how much theyre being paid so they can make an informed decision about whether to unionize. Employers sometimes spend huge sums on these campaigns. For instance, Amazon spent $14 million on persuaders in 2022 alone. Amazon has spent millions of dollars on anti-union consultants to battle organizing campaigns in its warehouses. Elijah Nouvelage via Getty Images Yet as a HuffPost investigation last year revealed, employers and consultants alike routinely flout the rules and leave workers in the dark amid these pressure campaigns. Employees often have no idea how much money was spent to convince them not to unionize, and sometimes they dont even know who the consultants were who lobbied them. In one case HuffPost reported, a consultant held anti-union meetings with workers under a fake name after having recently been released from prison for stalking. Part of the problem is that many employers and consultants ignore the rules altogether. The Labor Departments inspector general found that nearly half of employers reports and more than 80% of consultants reports were delinquent over a two-and-a-half-year period, resulting in missing, untimely, and inaccurate information during union campaigns. Part of the problem is that many employers and consultants ignore the rules altogether. Block said some simple policy changes could shed more light on the consulting industry and how it operates. For instance, consultants used to be required to submit an annual report that detailed all their receipts from employers, as well as all the money they disbursed to their subcontractors. But the Labor Department stopped enforcing key portions of those requirements in 2016. Block said the agency should return to its old policy. The Labor Department said in a statement that it appreciates the recommendaitons. We regularly review our formal regulatory agenda, our guidance and our enforcement priorities in an effort to maximize the transparency called for by the [law], a spokesperson said in an email. Block also made the case for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether employers are colluding through their consultants to prevent organizing and suppress workers wages. The antitrust agency doesnt have a track record of poking around the anti-union consulting industry, and Block acknowledged it would be an innovative use of the FTCs authority. But she said the situation calls for regulators and policymakers to get more creative. I think its important for the government to look at all the possible tools to address a problem like this, Block said. We should be doing everything we can to make those elections as fair as possible. This story has been updated with comment from the Labor Department. Related... "When you talk about these products (China's "tech-intensive green trio") in the global green development and combating climate change, I think the export of these new products is amazing," said a Pakistani official. Project seeks to restore Titusville shoreline thats popular with launch spectators Crews broke ground Wednesday on a project that aims to combat shoreline erosion and restore the environment along the Titusville Causeway. Brevard County said that the project will cost $4.2 million. The rocket launch viewing site has experienced severe erosion, and the Brevard Countys Natural Resources Management Department has announced a multi-habitat resilience project to restore the area. Read: Nonstop Disney to Disney flight resumes at Orlando International Airport The project is the first in Florida to combine several solutions to fight beach erosion that is caused by rising sea levels and strong waves. The project will improve the Indian River Lagoons habitat and water quality and will strengthen the sites resiliency against severe storms. Read: Tijuana Flats is behind on rent; what happens next It will also expand the recreational use of launch viewing areas along the Titusville Causeway. The restored area will provide a beautiful and safe area for thousands of residents and visitors who visit the area annually, Brevard County Commissioner Rita Pritchett said. Read: Floridas Citizens Property Insurance sees large customer decrease The project will include the following components: The removal of the existing shoreline Construct nearly 2,000 linear feet of Living Shoreline Solutions Planting of four acres of seagrass and seeding with one million clams Planting 1.78-acres of living shoreline Restoring and regrading 4,150 cubic yards of sand on the shoreline The project is expected to be completed in 300 days and will be monitored for three years. Click here for more information about the project. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Prosecutors say the messages show how Nadine Menendez served as an intermediary in schemes that prompted them to indict the senator. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) In texts, emails, and voicemails, Nadine Arslanian gushed like a smitten teenager soon after she began dating Sen. Bob Menendez in 2018, addressing him as mon amour, love of my life, and my very handsome senator. She followed those sweet nothings with requests that ran far outside the normal romantic chitchat of new relationships, asking the senator to set up unofficial meetings with Egyptian military leaders to discuss security issues, divulge details about staffing at the U.S. embassy in Cairo, and share information about U.S. military aid temporarily withheld from Egypt over human rights abuses. The third week of Menendezs bribery trial began in Manhattan Tuesday with prosecutor Paul Monteleoni and FBI Special Agent Michael Coughlin painstakingly presenting almost four hours of messages to show how Nadine, who married the senator in October 2020, served as an intermediary in schemes that prompted prosecutors to indict Menendez for acting as a foreign agent. In one voicemail Monteleoni played for jurors, she asked the senator to meet an Egyptian official at his embassy. Hi, its me, calling my very handsome senator, Nadine crooned. I have a thing to ask you. Menendez served as ranking member and then chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee until he gave up his leadership role on the committee shortly after his indictment. In many instances, after communicating with Menendez, Nadine passed along his responses often verbatim and within minutes to her longtime friend Wael Hana, the Egyptian-American businessman who prosecutors say fed the information to Egyptian officials in a ploy to secure a monopoly on halal meat exports there. In one text exchange, Nadine handed her phone to attorney Andy Aslanian, who worked for Egypts ministry of defense in Washington, D.C., so that he could text directly with Menendez to arrange a meeting. Other texts show communications to set up meetings between Menendez and Egyptian Major General Khaled Ahmed Shawky Osman, defense, army, naval, and air force attache to the U.S. and Canada. Another email from Menendezs personal Gmail showed a ghost-written letter with the opening and closing salutations left blank that prosecutors say Menendez drafted for Egyptian officials. The missive was meant to persuade American senators who were concerned about Egypts worsening human rights record to lift a hold on U.S. military aid to Egypt. Most of the messaging unfolded in secret on the couples private Gmail accounts and encrypted apps like Viber and WhatsApp. But Menendez sometimes looped in his Senate staff, asking one to find out how many Americans and Egyptians worked at the U.S. embassy in Cairo. At least one exchange hinted the staff had qualms about the query. Any idea how many Americans are posted to the embassy? Dont ask why Im asking, a Senate staffer wrote to a Department of State employee. The Egypt allegations are arguably the most seismic of federal prosecutors accusations in a wide-ranging indictment filed last fall against Sen. Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Hana, and businessmen Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe. Hana, Daibes, and Uribe are accused of plying New Jerseys senior senator and his wife with gold bars, almost $500,000 in cash, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and other bribes for various favors. Menendez, a Democrat who has held the Senate seat since 2006, has denied wrongdoing and said he stashed cash to cope with the traumas of his fathers suicide and his familys experience as refugees forced to flee Cuba with nothing. Uribe pleaded guilty in March and is expected to testify against the couple. Nadines trial has been postponed until at least July as she battles breast cancer. Behind schedule Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein Tuesday that they are slightly behind schedule on a trial expected to last until July. Tuesday got off to a bad start, with Stein booting testimony back to early afternoon because one juror recovering from a weekend injury couldnt get to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal courthouse until then. Stein did not rule on a request prosecutors filed over the weekend asking him to reconsider his decision late Friday that bars them from introducing texts they say most explicitly show the corrupt expectations that Hana, Nadine, and Egyptian officials had. In one, Nadine sent Hana an article about pending arms sales and wrote: Bob had to sign off on this. In another, an Egyptian official asked Hana if Menendez held up $1 billion of U.S. aid to Egypt. Defense attorneys had argued such communications should be excluded because they pertain to official legislative acts, and the Constitutions speech and debate clause protects legislators from being held liable for their official legislative actions. But during an argument last Tuesday after Stein had dismissed jurors for the holiday break, Monteleoni countered the clause is also not designed to make members of Congress super-citizens immune from all criminal responsibility. The messages also were sent and received by third parties communicating about their corrupt agreement, rather than the senators acts themselves, he added. Stein told both sides Tuesday he is still considering the matter. The post Prosecutors say messages between Sen. Menendez, wife reveal details of Egypt-focused scheme appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. DENVER (KDVR) A quadriplegic Denver man facing eviction has finally gotten approved for a new apartment through the Denver Housing Authority, but he said the path to reach that point was filled with unnecessary difficulties. In April, FOX31 told viewers about Dane Eisom, a Denver quadriplegic man on the verge of being evicted. He is currently on Section 8 housing and said the Denver Housing Authority has been dragging its feet and making finding a new home incredibly difficult. Eisom said he has to be out of his current home by the end of the week. Reward increased for tips in 2014 deaths of Adams County woman, toddler Im tired of living out of boxes. I got boxes here, boxes there, boxes everywhere, he said. Originally, Eisom was approved for a one-bedroom apartment, but with his medical supplies and wheelchair, there was not nearly enough room. Then, when he did find a large enough spot, it was not approved because of a price issue. As all of that was going on, Eisoms frustrations and worries grew larger. Ive been just trying to find a place, and its like it takes longer and longer to find a place when the only places you can find have steps, second floors. I cant go up to a second floor anymore, he said. This time around, at another location, he found out there was an issue with an apparent typo on his ID. He said he had used that ID for years, even to pick up his disability checks. Eisom was asked for further identification, completed paperwork and even fingerprints to get things secured, which he cannot provide because he is a quadriplegic. Its very stressful. I just feel so sad because I really am a happy person all of the time, but its like it hurts me to not know where I am going to go the next day or if I am going to be put outside, Eisom said. Now, hes finally secured another apartment. When FOX31 caught up with him, he was waiting on the Denver Housing Authority to approve the apartment, which the authority told FOX31 was finally approved on Tuesday. Polis wage theft veto garners industry support, workers dismay With a new location, a new deposit is needed each time, some of which hes not getting back. Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe to help Eisom, linked 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 FOX31 Denver. QUINCY After 16 years on the run, a fugitive from Quincy known as the "bad breath rapist" was apprehended in California, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service. On Tuesday, May 28, multiple law enforcement agencies arrested Tuen Kit Lee, who fled Massachusetts in September 2007 after a jury found him guilty of raping and kidnapping a woman in 2005. Lee failed to show up for trial the day after testifying. He had posted $100,000 cash bail. Massachusetts State Police and the Quincy Police Department assisted with the arrest. Lee broke into a co-worker's home, threatened her with a knife, then bound, gagged and raped her on Feb. 2, 2005, according to a Massachusetts State Police press release. Investigators identified Lee as the perpetrator by DNA and "his horrible breath," a trait which led to the nickname "The Bad Breath Rapist," state police said. Convicted on four counts of rape in 2005, Tuen Kit Lee had evaded law enforcement for 16 years. On May 28, 2024, authorities arrested him in northern California. "I greatly appreciate the work of the Massachusetts State Police Fugitive Unit and the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service who made this arrest possible," Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy said in a statement. Lee's whereabouts were unknown for more than 16 years, until Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section determined Lee was possibly staying in Diablo, California, a small town between San Francisco and Sacramento. Lee was staying in a multi-million dollar residence owned by a woman who owned a flower shop, the Massachusetts State Police press release says. Investigators found images of Lee on social media tying him to the address in Diablo. On May 28, surveillance officers saw a man and woman leave the Diablo home. When Danville police stopped the vehicle, Lee first gave a fake name but later confessed his to his identity, the press release says. The woman, with whom Lee spent 15 years, never knew who Lee really was, according to State Police. "The arrest brings closure to the victim and law enforcement officers who have worked tirelessly over the 16-plus years to find Lee," the U.S. Marshals Service press release says. Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'Bad Breath Rapist' arrested in California after 16 years on the ru Gun safety advocates watch the Rhode Island House of Representatives debate legislation to strengthen rules for how guns must be stored from the House Gallery on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) PROVIDENCE Following an hour of debate, the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted Tuesday to approve a pair of bills seeking to set new rules on how firearms must be stored. The Democratic-led chamber voted 46-24 to pass a bill by Rep. Justine Caldwell, an East Greenwich Democrat, and identical legislation sponsored by Sen. Pamela Lauria, a Barrington Democrat, mandating that all firearms not in use by the owner or another authorized user be stored in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant lock. This is a bill whose time has come, House Judiciary Chairman Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat, said when introducing the legislation to the floor. I believe it addresses a problem that has resulted in deaths. The legislation now heads to the Senate for a vote. Senate spokesperson Greg Pare said both bills will likely be scheduled for a floor vote Tuesday, June 4. Under the legislation, unsafe storage of guns would be a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $250 for the first offense and $1,000 for the second. A subsequent violation would be a criminal charge punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $500. Under an existing state law passed in 1995, gun owners convicted of criminal storage of a firearm can be fined up to $1,000 if a loaded firearm left within reach of a child age 16 or younger causes an injury to the child or others. The pair of bills would also revise the existing law to increase the severity of the criminal storage of a firearm charge to a first-degree charge, which would make it punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines in cases where a child or a person prohibited from using the firearm is injured. Leaving a lethal weapon where anyone else can use it is an invitation to tragedy, Caldwell said in a statement. Ensuring that all weapons are stored in a way that keeps them out of the hands that shouldnt touch them protects not only the public in general, but gun owners and their families in particular. Both bills also require school districts to inform students and their families of the importance of proper firearm storage and safety. Additionally, firearms dealers would have to display a sign containing a warning that access to a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic violence disputes, and the unintentional death of children, household members, or others. Caldwells bill was amended ahead of the floor vote to clarify who would be subject to the law. Penalties for not storing a firearm would not apply to would not apply if the weapon is being carried or can be readily retrieved and used, according to the legislation. Laurias bill, which was passed by the Senate in March, has also since been amended to include this change. Claudia Townend of Charlestown holds a photo of Dillon Viens, 16, of Johnston, the victim of a fatal 2022 accidental shooting, in the west House Gallery during the House floor debate on a firearms safe storage bill on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Dillons father, David Viens, is shown in the background at left, holding up a photo of his son. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) The legislation has the support of the states five general officers, which includes Gov. Dan McKee and Attorney General Peter Neronha. But Second Amendment advocates oppose strengthening the states safe storage law and have repeatedly argued that requiring guns to be stored in a locked container could delay a gun owners efforts to protect themselves and their families. This particular bill renders firearm ownership practically useless in terms of defense, said House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale, a Foster Republican. Those seconds will make a big difference when Im trying to defend my family and I cannot get to my safe or find the key to my safe or forget the password because Im under pressure because theres a maniac trying to kill my children, he said. Rep. Patricia Morgan, a West Warwick Republican, called the legislation another attack on gun ownership. She also took aim at the messaging used by firearm safety advocates. As for mental health and suicide, youre just putting that on this legislation to make it look good, Morgan said. That elicited a few groans from lawmakers and audience members in the gallery. Its just astounding that someone would dare to stand on this floor and say that, said Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat. Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat, speaks during a House floor debate on firearms safe storage legislation on Tuesday, May 29, 2024. Seated at left is Rep. Leonela Felix, a Pawtucket Democrat. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) On average, 51 Rhode Islanders are killed by guns and 165 people are wounded every year, Everytown for Gun Safety reports. Thats a rate of 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people. More than 60% of these deaths are self-inflicted. Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, assured opponents of the bill were not taking your guns away. Were telling you to lock them up, she said. You can live with this. Gun safety advocates, many of whom crowded the House gallery in their orange and red t-shirts, applauded the legislations passage through the House. The bottom line is that secure gun storage practices are an effective step we can take to keep guns out of childrens hands and save the lives of children, teens and adults, Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence Executive Director Melissa Carden said in a statement. Moms Demand Action Rhode Island volunteer Amy Herlihy said the passage was a long time coming. We need to do everything we can to prevent gun violence she said in an interview. Every child should be able to grow up in a neighborhood where theyre safe and theyre able to do things every child can do. The post R.I. House passes safe weapons storage bills appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Graeme Wood of The Atlantic, in an article earlier this month, raised legitimate questions about the true death toll of the war in Gazawhich, as he shows, is impossible to know because Hamas is the only organization attempting to count the dead, and they are hardly unbiased. But in making the case for Israel to allow Western journalists to cover the conflict, thereby rebutting Hamass depiction of it, he made this aside: It is possible to kill children legally, if for example one is being attacked by an enemy who hides behind them. But the sight of a legally killed child is no less disturbing than the sight of a murdered one. Woods reliance on the distinction between the so-called legally killed child and a murdered one received appropriate criticism, and it has heightened resonance in light of Israels Sunday night strike in Rafah, which may have killed as many as 45 women and children. Wood is not factually wrong: Contrary to what many Americans might believe about war, the laws of armed conflict do permit the premeditated killing of civilians, including children, if the intended target is a military objective. But the banality of this strict legalism fails to reckon with the fact that existing laws of war are rooted in a principle of proportionality that is both morally abhorrent and grossly ineffective at limiting modern conflict. The principle of proportionality is rooted in the formal treaties of the Geneva Conventions and its subsequent protocols, prohibiting indiscriminate attacks on civilians as those which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. However, the standard of proportionality in any specific campaign is largely left to the perpetrators of war themselves, as is the burden of investigating and punishing violations of it. While Israel claims that its military decisions are governed by considerations of proportionality, its not a signatoryand neither is the United Statesto the protocol establishing the principle of proportionality, making it effectively toothless against the U.S. and its allies despite its otherwise near-universal acceptance. Additionally, proportionality is a principle that applies to specific military actions. Even if each incident where a civilian is injured or killed is individually proportional, their totality can lead to atrocity, even genocide. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the death of Palestinian civilians by placing the blame squarely on Hamas. However, for there to be any possibility of a moral standard in war, the assertion that the enemy is entirely responsible for civilian deaths must be refuted; otherwise, everything is permitted, as we now bear witness to in Gaza. As Wood rightly notes elsewhere in his piece, These numbers matterfirst, because of the dignity of those killed or still living, and second, because total deaths and the ratio of combatant to noncombatant deaths will have implications for judgments about alleged war crimes and genocide. The fierce propaganda campaign waged by both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and by U.S. officials eager to justify arms sales, is a testament to this. But it is not enough to endorse the principle of proportionality as an immutable fact embedded in international law without reckoning with the precise number of innocent men, women, and children who you believe can be premeditatively murdered in the name of military necessity. By its own numbers, Israel claims responsibility for the death of 16,000 civilians and 14,000 Hamas militants. In aggregate, the killing of roughly one civilian for every military target might sound to the average person proportional. Additionally, this toll includes those killed by errant air strikes and bad intelligence, which are considered accidental and not factored into considerations of proportionality, in much the same way that police are not necessarily liable for shooting unarmed civilians in the line of duty. However, we can also evaluate aggregate proportionality even if such an analysis has only moral rather than legal weight. Depending on whose numbers you believe, Israel has killed between 16 and 35 innocent civilians for each of the 1,200 people killed in the Hamas October 7 attack that started the war. And those numbers do not include the ongoing death toll or the Israeli use of famine as a weapon of war in Gaza, where more than one million people are in a desperate battle against starvation. Of course, the sheer scale of these statistics obscures the horror of what it means for a child to be buried or burned alive, or to undergo an amputation of an arm or a leg without anesthetic. It does not convey how entire bloodlines have been eliminated, or how families must survive afterward without a breadwinner, homeless, facing the prospect of forced migration and a lifetime of psychological trauma. Nor does it account for the Israeli families murdered in the comfort of their own homes, gunned down fleeing in terror at the Reim music festival, and the women sexually assaulted by Hamas militants. The fact is, war is a crime committed against every dead civilian, no matter their nationality. This debate over numbers is itself a propaganda technique that sows confusion and apathy. We have become numb to the fact that our democratically elected officials regularly lie to us. Particularly in war, truth becomes another casualty in the pursuit of military victory, as anyone who lived during the aftermath of 9/11 can attest. When those lies are eventually unearthed, like the bodies in a mass grave, it is too late for them to matter. Who decides what is proportional? While the laws of armed conflict set a legal floor for what is permissible, the principle of proportionality gives Netanyahu and individual Israeli military commanders wide leeway in determining whether the number of civilians killed to achieve a military objective is justifiable. But neither the perpetrator nor the victim should have the final say on such matters, particularly when so often in history there are no victims who survive to file a complaint. Disinterested third parties ought at a minimum to serve as a moral adjudicator for international disputes, just as jury trials do domestically. However, neither the U.S. nor Israel is currently a signatory to the treaty authorizing the International Criminal Court, and both have made clear their disdain for its work. The rules of our international order, which grew from the wastelands of Europe and Asia in the aftermath of World War II, have been undermined in past decades by Americas reckless exploitation of them. Indeed, technological and moral hubris has blinded military leaders in Israel to the horror of their decisions, just like it did to American political and military leaders during the past 20 years of our own so-called war on terror, where U.S. forces killed roughly 130 foreign civilians for every civilian killed on 9/11. A litany of presidents from George W. Bush to Barack Obama to Donald Trump to Joe Biden haveto varying degreesobliterated Americas moral stature and given license to Israel, Russia, and others to use Americas hypocrisy to justify their own barbarity. Our so-called international laws, which once aspired to protect the innocent and prevent war, now only preserve a status quo of might makes right. Long after this war is over, when we speak of Palestine in the past tense, there may be a reckoning and promises of never again, just as there were after the Holocaust. For many, the Nazi genocide remains a potent symbol that we all share a common humanity and that no people should be abandoned by the world to the cruelty and destruction of a domineering power. But it has become clear that the current Israeli government and its supporters learned a far different lesson: that survival can only be assured through military might and a willingness to use it in defense of ones own people, even if it means the annihilation of another. Rallies and debates used to define campaigns. Now they're about juries and trials Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024 in New York. Donald Trump arrived for closing arguments in his hush money trial ahead of the jury deciding whether to make him the first criminally convicted former president and current White House hopeful in history. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) NEW YORK (AP) Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has been sitting for hours a day in a Manhattan courtroom, where his hush-money trial is nearing its end. On Monday, a trial is set to begin in Wilmington, Delaware, for President Joe Biden's son Hunter, who is accused of lying on a federal gun purchase form. While presidents have been deposed in criminal matters, impeached and pardoned, and their family members entangled in legal scrapes before, never has the criminal courtroom taken center stage in a presidential election like this. "It's so unusual that we lack the terminology to express how unusual it is," said presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky, author of the upcoming book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic. The two criminal cases are in no way the same. One involves the conduct of a former president who is running to reclaim the White House, yet stands accused of falsifying business records to conceal an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election. The other focuses on a private citizen albeit the current presidents son who is facing charges of lying on a federal gun-purchase form when he claimed he wasnt using drugs. Politically, though, there is some obvious overlap. Both men say they're being persecuted by overzealous prosecutors and unfairly targeted for political gain. And both sides are seeking to capitalize on highly personal and potentially embarrassing witness testimony about their adversaries, with Republicans trying to use Hunter Biden as a sort of target by proxy for the president himself. The politics of the moment Trump has leaned hard into the politics of the moment, campaigning from court, claiming he's the subject of a witch hunt and casting doubt on the validity of the nations criminal justice system. Biden, for his part, has largely steered clear, a purposeful effort to highlight the independence of the judiciary. But this week, Biden's campaign decided that Trump's case the first of four criminal cases and quite possibly the only one to go to trial before the 2024 election couldn't be ignored any longer. The campaign brought in actor Robert De Niro and law enforcement officers who had defended the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, to denounce Trump in a press conference near the lower Manhattan courthouse. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said the press conference was called because reporters are incessantly covering this day in and day out. And we want to remind the American people ahead of the first debate on June 27, of the unique, persistent and growing threat that Donald Trump poses to the American people and to our democracy," he said. Trump's operation was quick to follow team Biden to the same bank of microphones to deride the press conference as evidence of "a desperate and failing and pathetic campaign who knows that they are losing, in the words of Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Inside, meanwhile, jurors were hearing closing arguments in Trump's hush money trial. Trump's trial is ending Prosecutors say Trump and his allies mounted a campaign to purchase and squelch potentially embarrassing stories, and cover up those payments in an illegal effort to influence voters in the waning weeks before the 2016 presidential election, particularly as Republicans grew concerned over potential fallout from the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about grabbing women sexually without their permission. To help make their case to jurors, prosecutors relied on checkered characters from Trump's orbit including porn actor Stormy Daniels, who testified about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. The prosecution's most important witness was Trump's former lawyer- turned-foe Michael Cohen, who paid off Daniels and who placed Trump at the center of the scheme he denies. Throughout, Trump has strategically positioned prominent allies in the audience of the courtroom and used the trial as a fundraising pitch. These allies have held press conferences in a small park nearby where they decry the criminal justice system. Trump's family, too, has appeared in court. Hunter Biden's trial is beginning In contrast, Hunter Biden has been largely on his own in public to face his legal problems. Republicans have relentlessly dug into his personal life, struggles with addiction and business dealings, trying unsuccessfully to link those dealings to the president. Hunter Biden was silent for years amid GOP criticism. But as his case looms, he has gone on the offense, arguing publicly that he's being unfairly targeted. President Biden has said he loves his son and doesn't generally comment on the details of his son's case. But the president has already been put in the unusual if not awkward position of ruling out a pardon should his son be convicted. He is scheduled to head to France for a D-Day commemoration as Hunter Biden's case begins. White House aides say theyre concerned about the toll the trial will take on the president and first lady, who remain deeply concerned about the health, well-being and sobriety of their son. Privately, some Democrats have expressed concern that Hunter Bidens legal problems could harm the president's reelection campaign and even pose difficulties for Democrats in tight House races. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday the president was focused on the American people, not the trials. The president and the first lady, they love their son. They are proud of how their son has been able to get back on his feet and continue his progress and will continue to support him," she said. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax and gun charges after a plea deal collapsed last year that would have spared him and his father -- the spectacle of a trial. His defense attorney Abbe Lowell has argued prosecutors then buckled under political pressure to indict the presidents son as Republicans and Trump rained down criticism of the proposed plea deal and claimed the younger Biden was getting special treatment. The proposed list of questions for prospective jurors includes: Raise your hand if you do not believe in this statement: The law should apply equally to all, including the son of the president. The case against Hunter Biden stems from a period where, by his own public admission, he was addicted to crack. His descent into drugs and alcohol followed the 2015 death of his brother Beau Biden from cancer. Hunter Biden bought and owned a gun for 11 days in October 2018, and indicated on the gun purchase form that he was not using drugs. Prosecutors are planning to use as evidence Hunter Bidens published memoir, and they may also introduce contents from a laptop that he left at a Delaware repair shop and never retrieved. The contents made their way to Republicans in 2020 and were publicly leaked, revealing embarrassing and personal photos and messages. They're also planning to call as witnesses Hunter Biden's ex-wife and his brother's widow Hallie, with whom he became romantically involved. Prosecutors hope to show he was in the throes of addiction when he bought the gun. The court documents do not name them, but it's clear from context that witness three describes Hallie Biden, who saw Hunter Biden using drugs many times, and according to the court documents: "searched his bags, backpacks, and vehicle in an effort to help him get sober, and discovered drug paraphernalia and drugs in his possession on multiple occasions." Biden visited Hallie Biden last weekend, prompting questions about whether they'd talked about the upcoming case. Jean-Pierre said the visit was not about that, but rather about the approaching anniversary of Beau's death. ___ Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report. (Photo Bill Hinton/Getty Images) The Seattle Public Librarys website and computer systems remained down on Tuesday, with the library blaming a cyberattack it detected over the weekend. Public computers, the librarys online catalog and loaning system, e-books, and in-building Wi-Fi were among the knocked-out services. The library said it learned of the attack early Saturday morning ahead of planned computer server maintenance. It described the situation as a ransomware attack, where criminals use malicious software to block individuals or organizations from accessing their data, often rendering computer systems unusable. The attackers demand a ransom for the information to be unlocked, sometimes threatening to leak sensitive information if it isnt paid. The Library quickly engaged third-party forensic specialists, contacted law enforcement, and took our systems fully offline to interrupt and better assess the nature and impacts of the event, the library said in a statement posted on its Shelf Talk Blog. No estimate for when services might be restored was given. And the library didnt disclose the amount of ransom demanded or a motive. Until we can ensure the security of these systems, they will remain offline, the statement said. It added: We are an organization that prides itself on providing you answers, and we are sorry that the information we can share is limited. At this time, securing and restoring our systems is where we are focused. We will update you in this space as we make progress on that work. A spokesperson for the agency couldnt be reached by phone or email. The director of communications for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrells office didnt respond to a request for comment. The library said it would keep its branches open and allow patrons to check out physical books and other items using paper forms. People with books and other materials already checked out were urged to hang onto them until the librarys computer systems are back online. In a report published last fall, the nonprofit Center for Internet Security described ransomware as one of the most common and consequential cyber threats affecting states and localities. Between 2020 and 2022, multi-state centers focused on cybersecurity at the state and local government level and for elections infrastructure recorded 500 of these incidents, affecting entities ranging from school districts to state agencies, the report said. It also noted that ransomware demands often exceed six figures. Even when governments dont pay the ransom, the breaches can be pricey. Dallas City Council last year approved nearly $8.6 million to pay vendors that aided in its response to a ransomware attack. The post Ransomware attack knocks Seattle Public Librarys computer system offline appeared first on Washington State Standard. A Stop The Steal sign is posted inside of the Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Alabama, Indiana, South Dakota, and Wyoming all elected deniers in their secretary of state races in the past election. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images) A Stop The Steal sign is posted inside of the Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images) A 37-year-old Rapid City man has been indicted for two felonies and five misdemeanor offenses for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. William George Knight is charged in the District of Columbia with obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, both of which are felony crimes. Knight also faces misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. Knight was arrested in his Rapid City home on Sunday. Court documents filed in the case say Knight was among a group of Stop the Steal protesters to have pursued U.S. Park Police officers whod taken another protester into custody and taken them to a glass screening facility. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in South Dakota, Knight aggressively approached the glass wall four times over approximately seven minutes, each time pushing himself off the wall and gesturing toward police. Knight then put his middle fingers up to the glass and pointed menacingly at the police inside the Screening Center, the news release said. Knight went on to breach the Capitol building, the news release said, pulled down a makeshift bike rack barrier put up by police and was among the protesters to push a metal sign toward officers. He also allegedly shoved a Metropolitan Police Department officer and helped breach a police line at Lower West Plaza later in the afternoon. Knights initial appearance was set for Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Rapid City. More than 1,400 people have been indicted for their roles in the Jan. 6 incident since the event occurred, the news release said. Darrell Goins, 42, of Newell, was indicted about two weeks ago. His six felony offenses include civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; and entering and remaining, disorderly or disruptive conduct; and an act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds using a dangerous weapon. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Rapid City man indicted for role in Jan. 6 insurrection appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. Researchers adjust a humanoid robot at an AI laboratory on Jan. 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Leading the world in patent applications, China is making strides towards becoming an intellectual property (IP) power, and the newly unveiled blueprint for establishing an IP protection system represents the country's latest step in this endeavor. The blueprint was formulated by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the country's top IP regulator, and eight other authorities. It serves as a road map for IP development until 2035, with China aiming to modernize and strengthen its IP protection system by that date, said Guo Wen, a CNIPA spokesperson, at the press conference on Tuesday. The 13-page document highlights China's commitment to IP protection by improving review efficiency, strengthening legal protection and placing a focus on emerging industries. China has made significant improvements in the efficiency of its patent examination process in recent years, making it one of the most efficient globally. According to data released by the CNIPA, the review time last year was reduced to just 16 months, shorter than that of the United States, Europe, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The new plan aims to further expedite the examination process for invention patents, cutting it to 15 months by 2025. The plan also emphasizes the establishment of centers that offer efficient services to enterprises, such as patent review, verification and protection. These centers will be built in collaboration with local governments to address challenges in obtaining evidence and reduce the time and cost involved in IP protection. The country has already established numerous fast IP service centers nationwide, serving over 150,000 enterprises. According to the plan, more efforts will be dedicated to expanding coverage. Staff members show a three dimensional demonstration of teaching material at Sunflower Digital Technology in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Yang Qing) Shen Changyu, head of the CNIPA, said at a press conference in late April that the plan highlighted measures on combating IP infringement. On enhancing the judicial protection of IP rights, the plan proposes to strengthen the construction of specialized IP courts and tribunals, fully implement the punitive damages system for IP infringement, and improve the rules of evidence and calculation of infringement damages. Punitive damages, which are compensations awarded in addition to actual damages, aim to increase the cost of IP infringement. The punitive compensation system in the IP field has garnered significant attention. In 2023, Chinese courts applied punitive damages in 319 IP infringement cases, marking a remarkable year-on-year increase of 117 percent. The courts awarded 3.5 times more in damages compared to the previous year, reaching 1.16 billion yuan (163 million U.S. dollars). The judicial organs have also cracked down on malicious trademark registration, as well as trademark infringement and counterfeiting, and have devoted efforts to optimizing the protection of new types of IP rights and interests, including those involving AI and data property rights. A visitor experiences motion-sensing VR game at the on-site experience area for the 7th Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, May 23, 2024.(Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan) IP protection rules concerning new fields and emerging industries have also been put on the agenda. The document proposes to strengthen research on IP protection rules for fields including artificial intelligence, gene technology and livestreaming. "China will continue to enhance the protection of enterprises' original innovation in emerging business forms and sectors such as computer software, digital copyright and cultural creativity," said Wan Yong, an official with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, at the press conference. "It will also focus on safeguarding IP rights in key cutting-edge areas like information technology, biomedics, advanced manufacturing and new energy." China has leveraged IP to drive innovation, particularly in meeting the demand for new technologies and industries in recent years. For example, by 2022, the country had secured the top position globally in terms of the number of patent applications filed for AI technologies, with the scale of the core AI industry surpassing 500 billion yuan. Teaching has always been a mission for Patricia Robinson who taught different schools in Rapides Parish, and ended her 35-year career at Arthur F. Middle School. And if God would give me another life, would I become a teacher? Yes, I will become a teacher, she told those gathered at a reception held by the Rapides Retired Teachers Association, the Cenla Retired Teachers Association and the Rapides Parish School Board Human Resources department. The reception was held last Friday to celebrate the retirement of Rapides Parish School Board employees. Their families were also recognized because without their support, school board employees wouldnt be able to do their jobs, said Gloria Hearn, president of the Rapides Retired Teachers Association. Dr. Stephen Chapman, president of the school board, thanked all the new retirees for dedicating themselves to providing challenging educational opportunities that students will appreciate and treasure. But he had a few words for them as they embarked on a new chapter in their lives. Patricia Robinson (left) just retired from the Rapides Parish School Board after a 35-year career as a teacher. She retired from Arthur F. Smith Middle School where her Anita Hayes also taught and retired from in 2018. Just remember these two things. There are far better things ahead than we ever leave behind and when youre retiring from work, youre not retiring from life. So, continue to enjoy every day, he said. Kim Whitstine taught special needs pre-K at Buckeye Elementary School for her entire 25-year career. Whats more, she began her teaching career in the same classroom where she started out as a Kindergarten student. Im thankful for the opportunities that I had in reaching so many children. Im thankful to have taught them, but they have taught me more, she said. Johnny Augustine worked for 42 years as a bus driver and has driven all over the parish, said his wife Sandra. Hes driven for every school. He was so popular with getting these people transported everywhere they needed to go, said Sandra. Anytime they called the school board, theyd say, Call Johnny Augustine. And he would get you where you needed to go - safely, she said. And I thank God for his service. Arthur Brown retired after 30 years of working as a custodian. He retired from Paradise Elementary School and said hes going to miss getting the school ready for the students in the morning. In his retirement, he plans to mow lawns and has a few other things lined up to keep himself busy. "I love my school. I love my babies. Its going to be hard hard, said Whitstine. This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Rapides school employees graduate into retirement SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) Researchers aboard a ship off the coast of Point Reyes spotted a North Pacific right whale, known as the rarest of whales, last week. The endangered whale was seen resting in the waters of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, whale experts with Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies said. This whale was observed for 20 minutes and had a distinctive V-shaped blow, a black body, at least one cluster of white callosities on the head, and no dorsal fin. It was not traveling but was milling. It was spotted west of Pt. Reyes, ACCESS wrote. North Pacific right whale (File image via NOAA) Photographs snapped of the whale on Friday will be sent to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Mammal Lab in Seattle for further study. The Earths remaining population of North Pacific right whales is tiny. There are likely fewer than 500 North Pacific right whales remaining, and most sightings have been of single whales. Only about 30 individuals are estimated to remain of the Eastern stock that visits Alaskan waters, NOAA wrote. This species was nearly wiped out by whaling in the 1800s. Today, they face a new set of threats. These include harmful algal blooms, ship strikes, and entanglements, ACCESS wrote. ACCESS, a nonprofit group, is dedicated to supporting marine wildlife conservation and healthy marine ecosystems encompassing Cordell Bank, Greater Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. Scientists climb Californias General Sherman Tree, largest tree on Earth Five years ago, NOAA researchers used acoustic recorders to document male North Pacific right whales singing for the first time. The whales sang repeated patterns of calls in the Bering Sea off Alaskas southwest coast. Researchers said the males may have been singing to find a female mate. North Pacific right whales are baleen whales, which feed by straining huge volumes of ocean water through baleen plates that trap zooplankton. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Rather than focus only on rebuilding prisons, it is time to focus on reforming the system Florida's prison system, according to a study by KPMG, needs $2.2 billion "for immediate fixes." The Florida Legislature has approved $100 million in recurring funds, well short of what is needed. KPMG was paid $2 million by lawmakers to develop a 20-year plan. It found that a third of the states correctional facilities were in critical or poor condition. In essence, these aging facilities are falling apart. And more prisoners are on the way. The situation is bad enough to post a security risk for inmates as well as guards. Jackie Dunn poses with her son Lucas, who was convicted of DUI-manslaughter after a Nov. 14, 2020, crash in Suwannee County that killed U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ted Reese. Jackie Dunn founded Data 4 Change, a nonprofit that examines issues with Florida's prisons. Arguments in favor of spending more money on prisons aren't popular in Tallahassee, and $100 million seems like quite a lot of money. Lawmakers' views on the subject would no doubt be more favorable toward more spending were ever have been to prison, or had a relative sent to prison. "A vast majority of legislators will never step foot inside of a prison to visit during their entire eight years of office, Jeff Brandes, a former Republican state lawmaker from St. Petersburg tells Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Mark Harper, who wrote Sunday's cover story on the subject. Brandes started a think tank, the Florida Policy Project. Harper spoke with prison advocates about the problems. Families of inmates. Mothers, sisters, daughters, fiancees and other loved ones. Also former inmates themselves. Jackie Dunn of Fernandina Beach is a data analyst, Mark writes. The arrest and conviction of her son in a fatal DUI wreck disrupted her life in multiple ways, but mostly by opening her eyes to the challenges of the corrections system. Florida's criminal justice and corrections system needs changes, she says, "but lawmakers are not brave enough to make the moves." It seems that one of the best approaches to spending less on prisons would be to have fewer prisoners. Harper writes that Florida is the far-and-away leader of states with inmates serving life sentences. And that lawmakers have not put in place major reforms such as implementing access to parole or rescinding the 1990s-era "two-strikes-you're-out" law. Consulting firm KPMG examined Florida's prisons and released a report in 2023 showing that 16 of the 119 facilites scored as "critical," meaning that at least 60% of their capital needs were considered immediate. Another 25 sites were rated "poor." Those are issues that seem to demand further attention. One example Harper points out is the story of Steve Brana who had been in prison for nearly 25 years of a life sentence, a young man who dreamed of becoming a Navy diver. Instead, in 1997, he was convicted of armed robbery, his second strike under Floridas then-new Prison Releasee Reoffender Law. In the 1990s, three-strikes-you're-out" laws were all the rage. Prison experts In recent years have been rethinking the wisdom of those policies, which take the power of sentencing out of the hands of judges. Florida lawmakers decided to go even further and pass a two-strikes law. That means judges must give enhanced sentences to people convicted of felonies within three years of their release from prison after first being convicted of a felony carrying at least a one-year sentence. For some felonies, that means 30 years without the possibility of parole. For others, it could result in life, Harper writes. Brana was arrested at age 16, and charged with a string of burglaries. He was convicted as an adult and served nearly four years in prison. A year after his release, he was convicted of armed robbery. Two strikes. Life sentence at age 22. You can easily argue Brana could have avoided jail by not committing a crime, but is a life sentence necessary? The Florida Campaign for Justice Reform argues that the state's criminal justice system is structured to punish individuals rather than to rehabilitate them. Maybe it is time to focus more on reforms than incarceration. John Dunbar is Executive Editor of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Fixing prisons in Florida will require more than just cash People from the mountaineering community participate in a rally to mark the anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) One of the greatest Mount Everest guides on Wednesday expressed concerns about the peak's growing piles of garbage, as he was honored by his government to mark Everest Day. Sherpa guide Kami Rita, who has scaled Mount Everest a record 30 times, was honored by Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Kathmandu on the anniversary of the first successful summit by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Kami Rita said he was deeply worried by the accumulation of garbage that's been surfacing as ice and snow melt from the peak. It is very necessary to immediately direct our attention to this, he said, adding that Everest Day should really be celebrated by government funding campaigns to clean up the camps near the summit. There have been clean up campaigns on the mountain almost every year. A team of Nepali soldiers were still on the mountain picking up trash left behind by previous expeditions. At the moment, not enough garbage has been taken out from Camp 3 or 4, Kami Rita said. There had been cleanup campaigns but all of that have been for either Camp 2 or below. Kami Rita also said Sherpa guides working on the mountain should have better conditions and benefits. There needs to be increased amount of insurance up to 6,000,000 rupees ($45,000) and there should be a provident fund, he said. The 54-year-old guide had scaled the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak twice this month, breaking his own record for the most successful climbs. His closest competitor is fellow Sherpa guide Pasang Dawa, who has 27 successful ascents. Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success each year of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the world. His father was among the first Sherpa mountain guides. In addition to his Everest climbs, Kami Rita has scaled several other peaks that are among the worlds highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse. Several climbers and people in the community were honored alongside Kami Rita. BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) The 2024 US tornado season is on track to be a record breaking season and West Virginia is contributing to this trend. Wednesday keeps chance for showers around; drier weather returns Thursday So far, the National Weather Service has confirmed 15 tornados have occurred in West Virginia throughout this year. One of the most recent tornados was in Fayette County and was rated as an EF2. 59News spoke to National Weather Service Meteorologist, Simone Lewis to find out how you can be prepared the next time a tornado strikes. Highly poisonous plant spreading throughout US: How to recognize and get rid of it When you do know that theres the potential for tornados or other severe weather, have a plan in place. For example, if youre somebody who lives in a trailer or a manufactured home, its best to either leave the trailer that day and be close or in a sturdy building, preferably one with a basement, said Lewis. Simone also told us that if you live in a house without a basement to take shelter in an interior room. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. An example of redacted legal invoices for services provided to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's office. (Screenshot of records provided by the Indiana Attorney General's Office) New, partially-unredacted public records offer a glimpse into public dollars so far spent to defend Attorney General Todd Rokitas law license. Payments related to the attorney generals disciplinary case is likely far greater than whats visible in the documents, but redactions continue to make a total sum difficult to calculate. Rokitas office last week released 86 pages of attorney invoices from the Schaerr Jaffe law firm dated between August 2022 and October 2023. An earlier batch of records obtained by reporters last year were heavily redacted by the Indiana Comptroller, who pays the invoices. The Washington, D.C.-based law firm was hired by the state to defend Rokita, whom the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission began investigating after a complaint was filed in late 2022, as first reported by the Indiana Citizen. Story continues below. AG invoices_July 2022 through Oct 2023 The investigation and ultimate reprimand stemmed from the Republican attorney generals televised comments about Indianapolis doctor Caitlin Bernard, who oversaw a medication abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio in 2022. But the same firm was handling the attorney generals medical licensure case against Bernard, along with other cases. Black-outs to the invoices had previously made it impossible to distinguish which expenditures were related to Rokitas disciplinary matter. The new records made available by Rokitas office show only a few expenses directly related to his disciplinary case. Even so, documents bring other spending to light indicating more than $100,000 spent in the weeks surrounding Bernards case before the Indiana Medical Licensing Board. Rokitas office referred the Indiana Capital Chronicle to a statement it issued last year: We will continue using Schaerr Jaffe as this office has done throughout multiple administrations whether its related to abortion activist, Caitlin Bernard, separate pro-life issues, or other cases in general. Of course, public money is involved in any matter which defends the work of a state attorney whose efforts are performed on behalf of the state. Redactions remain but some new numbers emerge The Capital Chronicle and Indiana Citizen first requested the invoices in October 2023. The Indiana Comptroller handled the initial request and released 44 pages of heavily redacted documents shortly after. Luke Britt, the Indiana Public Access Counselor (PAC) said in a March 12 report that some of those redactions were appropriate, but recommended that state officials only block out portions of the documents consistent with basic tenets of transparency and good governance. In response to a records request made after Lukes opinion, Rokitas office released the slightly-less redacted invoices last week. Relevant invoice entries cite disciplinary commission or DC case to reference work logged and billed by staff at the Schaerr Jaffe firm. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Visible among the charges are at least $385 spent on next steps in litigation in July and August 2023. Another $300 was spent in September 2023 on continuing education for Schaerr Jaffe attorneys working on Rokitas case. Its still unclear what redacted invoice items around the same time were related to, but those charges total thousands of additional dollars. The invoices provided by the attorney generals office were filed by Schaerr Jaffe through Oct. 30, 2023, however, leaving out any additional invoices subsequently billed for October work when more of the legal work with the disciplinary commission was completed. Because billing records can be submitted weeks or months after work is logged, invoice records are often delayed. More details about Bernard case spending While the expenditures on Rokitas disciplinary case remain muddy, what has become clearer is the extent of state spending on Rokitas case against Bernard before the Medical Licensing Board. Amid the legal saga surrounding the doctor, the state sought a suspension of Bernards medical license. Following a 14-hour hearing in May 2023, the licensing board ultimately ruled that Bernard violated state and federal patient privacy laws, but declined to take action affecting her ability to practice. Billing from Schaerr Jaffe shows more than $105,000 billed in May 2023 alone. Much of that billing is attributed to the Bernard case, according to the new records. Among the line items in the invoice are more than $13,000 charged by Schaerr Jaffe counsel who were present on the day of the licensing board hearing. Tens of thousands of additional state dollars were spent on legal prep performed by the law firm ahead of the hearing, as well as attorney travel to and from Washington, D.C. Schaerr Jaffes contract with the state was first signed between the attorney generals office and law firm in 2020. At that time, the agreement involved just one federal case. The contract has since been amended six times to include several other matters, including legal defense for Rokitas law license. The post New records shed small light on state dollars spent for Rokita discipline, Bernard cases appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. ISLAMABAD, May 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed and over 20 others injured on Wednesday morning in a bus accident in Washuk district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, local police said. Local police told Xinhua that a bus carrying over 50 passengers fell into a ditch in Bismia area of the district, leaving 28 people dead, including women and children. Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to a nearby hospital. Medics feared that the death toll might rise further, as several of the injured were in critical condition. Some passengers with minor injuries reported that a tire on the overspeeding bus burst while the bus was traveling from Turbat city to the southwest provincial capital city of Quetta, police added. Remains of Missing Texas Woman in Her 60s Found Inside Alligators Jaws, Officials Say Police said the gator and the womans remains were found in the Horsepen Bayou in the Greater Houston area Getty Alligators attacks are rare in Texas The body of a missing Texas woman has been found in the mouth of an alligator, according to officials. The Houston Police Department said the remains of a woman, "believed to be in her 60s," were found around 8:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 28 in the jaws of an alligator in the Horsepen Bayou," according to a news release from city officials. Officers located the remains while searching the area for a woman who had been reported missing, they added. Per the release, a police sergeant shot and killed the alligator to prevent it from doing more damage to the remains, which were recovered by the departments dive team. Related: Diver Miraculously Survives Vicious Alligator Attack: Somehow Ripped My Arm Out and Not Off According to city officials, an investigation into the womans death and her identity is ongoing. Those familiar with the area where the womans remains were found said alligators are known to live in the area, ABC affiliate KTRK-TV reported. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. I know which banks to stay away from and where they like to lay in the sun, Angela Derous told the station. That's the first time I've heard of that happening down here. It's a little scary. Related: Florida Man Runs Over 11-Foot Alligator with Truck to Save Neighbor from Attack Alligators are typically found in swamps, rivers, bayous and marshes in southern states, including the eastern third of Texas, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. They usually breed and nest in Texas between March 1 and May 30. Attacks involving alligators are rare in Texas. The animals tend to avoid contact with humans, but have been involved in an increased number of encounters with people as their population rises, TPW said. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. [Source] Nepalese Indian mountaineer Tenzing Norgay played an equally crucial role in the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. Despite this monumental achievement, his contributions and the broader legacy of the Sherpa community have often been understated. Key points: Tenzing, alongside Edmund Hillary, was one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. His deep knowledge of the mountain was fundamental to their success, although he received less recognition compared to his companion. The Sherpas, a Tibetan ethnic group native to Nepals most mountainous regions, have been essential to Everest expeditions since the 1920s, often risking their lives under hazardous conditions. Despite their critical role, they face high risks and receive modest financial rewards. Tenzing became a symbol of national pride in Nepal and India, representing a broader, humanistic identity beyond national boundaries. Despite his illiteracy, his story and contributions have inspired many, and he has remained a revered figure in mountaineering history. A biopic titled "Tenzing" is being developed to highlight his life and achievements. With the support of his family, the film, directed by Jennifer Peedom, aims to bring greater awareness to his contributions and the enduring legacy of the Sherpa community. Early life and challenges Born around 1915 in the Nepalese village of Thami, Tenzing's early life was filled with hardship and mystery. His family migrated to Darjeeling, India, where he began his journey as a high-altitude porter. Trending on NextShark: Jeremy Lin wins Taiwan basketball championship alongside brother Joseph Despite his significant contributions, Tenzing faced discrimination and remained somewhat enigmatic about his origins, likely to avoid further prejudice. Tenzing is of the Sherpas, who have been integral to Everest expeditions. Sherpas face significant risks, with 125 reportedly losing their lives on the mountain as of 2023. The Himalayan Trust and other organizations work to improve the lives of Sherpas, promoting education and safer working conditions. Trending on NextShark: NextShark Presents Award-Winning Short Film 'One Last Monster' by Gene Kim Sherpas earn between $3,800 to $8,800 a year, a modest sum for the perilous work they undertake, leading to calls for better support and fair treatment. The historic ascent On May 29, 1953, Tenzing and Hillary became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, standing 29,031 feet above sea level. Tenzing, who had attempted Everest six times prior, played a crucial role in their success due to his intimate knowledge of the mountain. While Hillary received a knighthood, Tenzing was awarded the less prestigious George Medal. Trending on NextShark: Jollibee data breach compromises millions of customers Tenzing also faced intense media scrutiny upon returning to Kathmandu, with many questioning his nationality and the specifics of the climb. Still, he eventually served as the Chief Instructor at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, India, introducing many young students to mountaineering. Tenzing later became a tour leader, including trips to Tibet and Antarctica, showcasing his ongoing dedication to mountaineering. Trending on NextShark: Sunisa Lee models Kim Kardashians Olympics-inspired Skims Legacy and recognition Despite being illiterate, Tenzing's autobiography "Tiger of the Snows" became a significant part of his legacy, though heavily edited by ghostwriter James Ramsey Ullman. He became a symbol of national pride in Nepal and India, embodying a spirit of humanistic identity beyond strict national boundaries. A biopic titled "Tenzing" is in the works, directed by Jennifer Peedom and starring Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary. A search is ongoing for the role of Tenzing. Trending on NextShark: Jay Park reveals OnlyFans account The film aims to bring Tenzing's story to a global audience, highlighting his achievements and the Sherpa community's legacy. Tenzing's son, Norbu Tenzing, is involved in the project, ensuring an authentic portrayal of his father's life and contributions. I could not be more thrilled to be bringing Tenzing Norgays story to the screen, Peedom said in a statement. Ive been working towards this film my whole career, and Im incredibly grateful to Tenzings family for entrusting me with it. Jen is somebody who has earned the respect of our people, understands the community, and is deeply immersed in our culture, Norbu said of Peedom. Shes a great human being and someone that we trust, and she has had a lifelong interest in the story of my father Tenzing Norgay. I am delighted that she has taken on this project and cant wait for the world to see who my father was. Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! Burnt vehicles can be seen at an independantist roadblock at La Tamoa. The capital of the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia was rocked by riots after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms to the territory that angered independence supporters. Delphine Mayeur/AFP/dpa A parliamentary investigation report recommends better training for police officers almost a year after the fatal police shooting of a teenager in France and the serious unrest that followed. The report, presented on Wednesday in the Assemblee Nationale in Paris, says training should be extended and that stress management and conflict defusing, particularly during traffic stops, should become part of basic and advanced police training. In addition, the technical means of the police to stop cars during a check should be expanded and patrol cars should be equipped with cameras. The investigation was commissioned following the death of 17-year-old Nahel during a traffic stop in Nanterre near Paris in June last year. Two officers had stopped the teenager because he was travelling too fast in a car in a bus lane. When the teenager suddenly drove off again, one of the police officers shot him dead. This was followed by serious riots and protests against police violence in France. The police officer who fired the shot is still being investigated on suspicion of premeditated murder. The investigation also focussed on the question of whether easier regulations on the use of weapons during traffic checks led to an increase in police shootings in 2017. On average at least, this does not appear to be the case. Only in less than one per cent of cases in which drivers ignored a stop sign from the police did they use a weapon. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The San Diego Police Department recently released its findings from an internal investigation into an incident last year that involved an officer who locked himself in the back of a patrol vehicle with a woman who he was transporting to a county detention center. The report, which included body-worn camera footage and transcripts from witness interviews among other things, found that then-Officer Anthony Hair violated a number of policies and laws in connection to the events that transpired with the female detainee on Aug. 15, 2023. Hair, who had been with SDPD for two years at the time of the incident, resigned from his post on Sept. 14, 2023, the report said one day before he was scheduled to be interviewed by the Internal Affairs investigator looking into it. In a statement, SDPD Lt. Dan Meyer said the department takes all allegations and acts of misconduct seriously. This incident was investigated by the departments Professional Standards Unit (PSU) to the fullest extent, he continued. The individual is no longer employed with the San Diego Police Department. Suspect, officer identified in shooting after suspected kidnapping of 11-month-old Report details the timeline of events According to the report, the incident began around 8 p.m. when Hair responded to the intersection of Denver Street and Clairemont Avenue in Bay Park with a few other officers to assist in the arrest of several people for suspected auto theft. The officer was tasked with transporting one of the detainees, the unnamed woman who had been taken into custody under a warrant. Around 1:10 a.m., Hair left SDPDs Northern Division substation for Las Colinas Womens Detention Facility to book her into jail. Body camera footage from the San Diego Police Officer Anthony Hair who responded to assist in the arrest of a woman on Aug. 14, 2023. He later locked himself in the back of his vehicle with the woman for over an hour. (Courtesy of San Diego Police Department) It was about twenty minutes after the two left the Northern Division when Hair locked himself in the rear caged cabin of his patrol vehicle just two blocks before arriving at Las Colinas, according to the report. He was in the backseat with the female detainee for more than an hour before a supervisor arrived around 2:40 a.m. and opened the door. Throughout the time he was in the backseat, his body-worn camera was not actively filming. Hair asserted throughout the first phase of the investigation, which he cooperated with before his resignation, that he was checking on the woman for a possible medical emergency when the car door accidentally shut and locked him in. In interviews, the woman echoed this, saying in interviews with investigators that nothing sexual occurred between them. However, the report noted trace amounts of what was presumptively identified as semen was found on his belt. The woman, who was reportedly high on an unidentified drug she had taken earlier in the day, was transported to a hospital after being examined by medical staff at Las Colinas for what was described by the investigator as an unrelated health matter. Police in fatal Morena officer-involved shooting identified: SDPD Body-worn camera picks up conversation In the course of transporting the woman, Hairs body-worn camera picked up several moments where suggestive comments were made. When she was being transported to SDPD headquarters before heading to the Northern Division substation, Hairs camera picked up an exchange where the woman asked if he was married. Woman: Are you married? Hair: Why are you asking that? Woman: [unintelligible] Youre not too bad. Whats it gonna hurt me if I work the system, you know what I mean? Thats the way I see st. Shortly after, a loud noise was heard in the backseat, which was presumably her taking her seat belt off. The camera then picks up moaning coming from the backseat. Another suggestive exchange was picked up in Hairs recording of her transport between the Northern Division substation and the site where the officer got locked in his car, the report said. Woman: Are you single? Hair: Yeah. But youre not. [unintelligible conversation] Woman: Im down to fk. Hair: Dont say that right now. No, I said dont say that right now because everythings being recorded right now. At this point of the transport, his patrol cars GPS was recorded at speeds of upwards of 90 miles an hour for stretches of the journey, the report said. As they got closer to Las Colinas, Hair could be heard asking how the woman was doing in the backseat. When he made a right-hand turn at a traffic signal near Las Colinas, he turned off the recording. GPS tracking showed him turning on the northbound side of Cottonwood Avenue. He made several additional turns before his patrol car came to a stop at around 1:34 a.m. mid-block on Cottonwood Avenue in Santee. Bipartisan bill aims to reduce police staffing shortages Getting let out of the car According to the report, Hair called another police officer asking if he had a master key for the cruisers just before 2 a.m. The officer noted that Hairs voice sounded panicky when he called. I asked why he was asking and what did he need. Officer Hair then asked me if I could go meet him, the officer recalled in a statement provided during the course of the investigation. I was asking him why he needed me, and he said he would tell me when I got there. He said he was really embarrassed. The officer and his partner at the time then drove in the direction of Hair. A few minutes later, the officer said he called Hair back to ask again what was going on. Officer Hair said that he was really embarrassed, but his 10-16 had an emergency health situation and he went back there to check her pulse, the officer explained, adding that Hair told him when I went to check her pulse, I went into the back seat, and the door shut behind me. They ultimately decided not to drive up to Hairs location, instead informing a sergeant who then went to open the door and let him out. Body camera video from the sergeant who let him out showed Hair with the magnet mount for the camera, but is missing the camera itself. The last frame of body-worn camera from San Diego Police Officer Anthony Hair on August 15, 2023. GPS data shows the camera was turned off around the same time that he parked along Cottonwood Avenue, blocks near Las Colinas Detention Facility. (Courtesy of San Diego Police Department) In his statements, Hair asserted the camera somehow disconnected from the mount as he was exiting the driver seat a claim the internal affairs report determined was not possible, due to the timing and the fact that the force needed to remove the camera in that motion would have also knocked the magnet mount off. The internal affairs report findings The report concluded that Hair violated at least seven department policies and a handful of state laws in the course of the incident, but did not make a determination about whether anything transpired between the two while he was locked in the back. The violations included: failing to record the entirety of his transport of the female detainee, failing to notify emergency medical services when he suspected a prisoner was experiencing a medical emergency, unnecessarily driving above the speed limit, and knowingly making provable false statements in his police report and in statements with investigators. Officer Hairs actions demonstrated a significant lack of understanding and competency in regard to the Departments directives and his role as a sworn Peace Officer in general, the report read. If Officer Hair had followed the multiple Department procedures he neglected to obey, the criminal allegation [of sexual assault] and investigation may have been moot. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) It started with a knock at the door. On the morning of May 9, a Delano woman, 70, greeted two strangers a man and woman at her front door. They asked if she was home alone. She said she was. The two then barged in. The man shoved her against a wall and warned her not to scream. They drove her to a bank and forced her to withdraw $25,000 before releasing her, the victim said according to Delano police reports that recently became available. (The victim) said the male suspect told her she had to withdraw all her money or he would return and she would pay for it another day, an investigator wrote. The suspects Claudia Castellanos-Toqueca, 47, and Christian Rojas-Chauta, 30 were arrested days later in Modesto. They had a hearing Tuesday and are due back in court next month to set a date for a preliminary hearing, court records show. Both are charged with kidnapping, robbery, false imprisonment with violence, burglary, theft from an elderly person, conspiracy and making criminal threats. According to the reports, the victim was driven from her home to the Bank of the Sierra in a white Honda Pilot. She entered the bank alone, she told investigators, but the man placed his cellphone in her purse and told her hed be listening. The reports say the suspects provided her with an explanation for making such a large cash withdrawal: a relative in Mexico was ill and needed the money. The teller who waited on the woman later said she seemed fine and even joked, according to the reports. Upon receiving the money, the woman left the bank and gave it to her captors, who dropped her off in an eastern part of town, she told police. She walked back to the bank and reported what happened. With the help of Flock license plate readers, police got the license plate number for the Honda Pilot and issued an alert to other law enforcement agencies. On May 17, deputies with the Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department stopped the vehicle and the couple was taken into custody. The woman didnt notice anything out of the ordinary in the days leading up to her kidnapping, according to the reports. She advised she did not notice anyone watching her or suspicious activity in the last few days, the reports say. (The victim) did mention the previous weekend, she heard what she believed was footsteps and the side screen door shutting late at night/or early in the morning, but she had no further information about that incident. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A general view of tents in which displaced Palestinians take refuge in, next to the Egyptian border with the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media reports, Israel's military has taken control of the entire section of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa According to Israeli media reports, Israel's military has taken control of the entire section of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt. Israeli troops are stationed in most of the area known as the Philadelphi Corridor, several media reported on Wednesday, citing the army. When asked, the military said it was investigating the reports. The reports went on to say that there were around 20 tunnels leading to Egypt in the area, which is around 14 kilometres long. Hamas has used tunnels to smuggle weapons into the coastal strip, for example. Some of the tunnels were reportedly destroyed. Israel has also informed its neighbour Egypt about this. A total of 82 tunnels are reportedly located in the area. Israel's military also discovered dozens of Hamas rocket launchers along the Philadelphi corridor. The information could not initially be independently verified. At the beginning of May, Israeli troops advanced into parts of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. They took over the only border crossing to Egypt on the Palestinian side. Israel's deployment in Rafah has been heavily criticized internationally because hundreds of thousands of Palestinian internally displaced persons are living there. The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that it would hold a virtual roll call ahead of the partys August nominating convention in Chicago to pick President Biden as the 2024 candidate, ensuring that he appears on the Ohio ballot bringing to an end an unnecessary chapter of uncertainty about Bidens appearance on the ballot in the state, an issue that other states were able to resolve without drama. Not so with Ohio Republicans, who have used the issue to try to jam through another piece of legislation related to the state abortion ballot proposal that passed with strong support last year, despite state Republicans efforts to complicate and tank the measure. Lets unpack. The Democratic National Convention is set to take place on Aug. 19-22, which is when the Democratic Party planned to officially nominate Biden as the partys presidential nominee this year. After the dates were set, Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced back in April that completing the nomination process in late August would mean missing Ohios ballot certification deadline, which falls on August 7. This issue has come up in presidential elections in the past, but state election officials have typically avoided the issue by granting provisional ballot access to major party nominees regardless of the date of conventions. Or they have asked the state legislature to extend the certification deadline. Experts say its historically unprecedented for a state election administrator to enforce the statute, but LaRose penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Monday defending his decision. Alabama state law presented a similar issue for the Biden campaign this year as well, but state lawmakers there passed a bill to extend the deadline that Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law as soon as it reached her desk earlier this month. Ohio lawmakers have been bickering over how to resolve the dilemma for weeks and party leaders in the state legislature announced earlier this month they were at a stalemate over how to address the issue before the end of the legislative session. So, last week, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced a special legislative session to pass legislation to get Biden on the ballot. But he also announced the special session would include consideration of a bill that would prohibit campaign spending by foreign nationals in Ohio elections. That provision is a non-starter for Ohio Democrats. It is already illegal for foreign nationals to donate to candidates in Ohio. But the legislation is primarily meant to assuage the feelings of state Republicans still upset about the success of Issue 1, the citizen-led ballot initiative last year that enshrined abortion access in the state constitution. The campaign to protect abortion in the state became an issue of national focus, particularly after Ohio Republicans tried and failed to make it harder to pass ballot initiatives in the state ahead of the general election. Abortion rights groups and others got involved in fundraising for Issue 1. One of the groups involved was the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which is heavily funded by a Swiss billionaire hence Ohio Republicans hysterics about foreign nationals interfering in Ohio elections. The Ohio Senate came into special session this afternoon and ultimately passed legislation that would push the Ohio ballot certification deadline to Aug. 23, after the Democratic convention and also ban foreign donations to ballot question campaigns. No Ohio Democratic senators supported the measure, likely because the vote took place after the DNC announced it virtual nomination vote fix. The bill still has to pass the Ohio House, but Democratic state lawmakers are annoyed and were happy to let the DNC step in. We dont need your fix. The DNC just released a statement several minutes ago that says were going to hold a virtual vote of our delegates across the country and nominate President Biden to the ballot, State Democratic Sen. Bill DeMora said on Tuesday. We dont want a legislative fix that holds the voters and their rights to the whim of the majority. The Best Of TPM Today Catch up on my colleague Josh Kovenskys unmatched coverage of the Trump trial today: Trump, DAs Office Make Their Closing Arguments To The Jury Yesterdays Most Read Story The Perplexing Geography of Abortion Opinion TPM Cafe What We Are Reading At Texas GOP convention, Republicans call for spiritual warfare Texas Tribune Florida educators trained to teach students Christian nationalism Popular Information Republican member of Fulton elections board wont certify primary results AJC Title icon The Scoop Republican lawmakers investigating last years suspension of the Biden administrations special Iran envoy, Robert Malley, uncovered evidence he downloaded sensitive and classified documents and may have shared them with individuals outside the US government to advance his diplomatic efforts, people briefed on the probe told Semafor. Malley was leading the Biden administrations diplomatic outreach to Tehran when his security clearance was abruptly pulled by the State Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security in April last year. He was placed on unpaid leave two months later, and the FBI initiated an investigation into whether Malley mishandled classified information a probe thats ongoing. The people briefed on the congressional probe told Semafor the lawmakers learned Malley transferred around a dozen documents to his personal devices with classifications ranging from sensitive but unclassified (SBU) to classified. Among these, they believe, are detailed notes of the diplomats encounters with Iranian officials in the months leading up to his suspension. There also may have been documents related to the US governments response to the wide scale political protests that erupted in Iran and globally during the fall of 2022 following the death of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. She allegedly violated an Iranian law that requires women to wear Islamic headscarves. The top two Republicans in the Senate and House foreign affairs committees, James Risch and Chairman Michael McCaul, wrote earlier this month to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, raising those issues and signaling other findings from their inquiry. Did Malley send or attempt to send these documents to anyone who lacked the proper security clearance? McCaul and Risch pressed Blinken in their joint May 6 letter. Were any of these individuals affiliated with the Iranian government or the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI)? An investigation by Semafor last year detailed how Tehran used the IEI a network of US and European experts on the Middle East to advance Irans positions on its nuclear program and other national security issues beginning in 2014. A number of people associated with the IEI worked or collaborated with Malley on Iran issues both before and after he became the special envoy in 2021, the article revealed. Neither the State Department nor the FBI has shared any substantive details on their Malley investigations with Congress or the press; the Republicans letter to Blinken this month first reported by The Washington Post has offered the first clear insights into what Malley may have done. Malley was deeply involved in a Biden administration effort to resurrect the 2015 nuclear agreement that limited Irans atomic work in exchange for sanctions relief, as well as negotiations to free American nationals imprisoned in Tehran. He also oversaw US government outreach to Iranian exiles and dissidents and efforts to strengthen democratic movements inside the country. The lawmakers, in their letter to Blinken, said they learned that a foreign government, likely Iran, hacked into Malleys personal devices. This may explain, they said, why some of his documents and diplomatic strategies began appearing in Iranian state media during the spring and summer of 2023. The lawmakers also are seeking to learn if Malleys possible sharing of these documents with outside individuals including members of the IEI could also explain how information made its way to Tehran. Republican lawmakers are also seeking clarity on evidence Malley misled the FBI about downloading the sensitive and classified documents. The FBI and US special prosecutors have launched an array of such investigations in recent years into senior US officials including President Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and Irve Lewis Scooter Libby, a top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney. In many instances, the suspects were charged with lying to the FBI rather than any underlying crime. When did [Diplomatic Security] or the FBI first contact Mr. Malley about his potential misuse of classified information? the lawmakers asked Blinken in the letter. Was he truthful and cooperative with law enforcement? Malley declined Semafors request for comment. A State Department spokesman said, Rob Malley remains on leave, and added: Under longstanding policy, the Department does not comment on individual security clearances. Nevertheless, the Department has provided Congress with relevant information on personnel inquiries relating to Iran policy. We have been and will continue to be in frequent contact with Congress on issues pertaining to Iran. The FBI has repeatedly declined to comment on the case. Title icon Jays view Malleys suspension has left a significant, and ongoing, hole in the Biden administrations Middle East policy team at a time when Iran is central to defusing most of the regions conflicts and hotspots. This includes the eightmonth-old war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which Tehran finances and arms. American and Iranian diplomats recently met in the Persian Gulf country of Oman for indirect talks aimed at finding ways to prevent the conflict from spreading further in the region, according to US officials. But the probes into Malley could also emerge as a political issue as the US enters the final stages of the 2024 presidential campaign over the summer. Senator Risch and other leading Republicans have made it clear that they arent going to let up in their push to find out the reasons behind Malleys suspension and if his actions compromised US national security. We cant help but conclude theres an orchestrated effort to obscure the facts from Congress, Risch said at a congressional hearing this month. We want answers to our questions about what he did, why he did it, and how much damage he has caused. Some Republican leaders told Semafor that they see parallels between Malleys status vis-a-vis Iran and the Trump campaigns contacts with the Russian government ahead of the 2016 election. The Democrats relentlessly attacked Trump on the issue and successfully spurred the launching of a special counsel inquiry into the matter headed by former FBI Director Robert Mueller that significantly hamstrung the Trump administrations agenda while in office. This came despite the special counsel ultimately concluding there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Republicans say they could potentially use Malley and Iran to essentially flip the script and exact their own political damage on Biden. But there are also differences in the cases. The Russia probe focused on members of former President Trumps direct family and his former campaign chairman, while Malley is relatively distant from the Biden White House. Russia also was accused of trying to swing the US presidential election, while Malleys actions and motivations remain unclear, and could remain that way for a while -- if not indefinitely. Title icon Room for Disagreement Current and former US officials told Semafor that cases involving the alleged mishandling of classified materials are often murky and many times dont end up with criminal charges. Or there can only be fines assessed. The FBI in 2016 ruled against charging Hillary Clinton with mishandling classified information, despite finding she stored thousands of US government emails some of which were deemed to be sensitive or classified on her private server while serving as secretary of state. President Clintons former national security adviser, Sandy Berger, meanwhile, pled guilty in 2005 to taking classified documents from the National Archives. He was fined $50,000. In Malleys case, the diplomat might argue that he didnt know certain documents were classified, these current and former officials said. They pointed to the possibility he transferred notes of his meetings with Iranian officials to his private devices, but may argue these were his personal documents. It might not seem so clear cut, said one former official. Still, a number of Biden administration officials told Semafor said they were stunned to see some of Malleys personal government communications suddenly appearing in Iranian state media last year. On August 27 of last year, the Tehran Times, an English-language outlet aligned with hardline Iranian factions, published the notice Diplomatic Security sent Malley on April 21 telling him that his security clearance had been revoked. This only fed into the perception that Tehran had somehow penetrated the US governments communications systems, these officials said. Title icon Notable The Tehran Times on May 8, following the release of the Republican lawmakers letter to Blinken, touted its reporting on the Malley saga and appeared to taunt the Biden administration for its lax cyber defenses. This convergence of reports underscores the seriousness of the allegations against Malley and the implications for national security, the Tehran Times story read. It also highlights the challenges of maintaining cybersecurity in sensitive diplomatic matters. Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar wrote in Foreign Affairs that the death of Irans hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash this month is unlikely to shift the countrys domestic or foreign policies. It is unlikely that Raisis death will cause much tumult in Tehran, Tabaar argued. In fact, it is unlikely to prompt much change at all. Semafor Logo Residence in Wisconsin deemed uninhabitable after search warrant, police recover over a pound of meth STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WFRV) Two search warrants in central Wisconsin lead to the arrest of seven people, and one residence being deemed uninhabitable. The Stevens Point Police Department posted on Facebook page about a recent incident that resulted in seven people getting arrested. On May 22 around 9:30 a.m., authorities executed a search warrant at a residence in the 2800 block of Water Street. A separate search warrant was done at a different residence in the 500 block of Forest Street around 10 a.m. The warrants were reportedly narcotics-related. Driver hospitalized after crashing into building in Green Bay During the warrant executions, authorities say that a total of seven people were taken into custody. At the Water Street residence, about 1.36 pounds of meth was found as well as paraphernalia associated with meth and psilocybin mushrooms. At the Forest Street residence, authorities reportedly found meth and it was deemed uninhabitable at this time. 24 hours were allowed to vacate the residence. A list of the seven people who were arrested can be found on the Stevens Point Police Departments Facebook post. Deputies investigating double shooting that left two dead in Marathon County Many citizen tips were a factor in the case, according to the police department. The department also thanked the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force as well as the Stevens Point Fire Department and Inspections Office. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Reynoldsburg City Council approved its final 2025 budget Tuesday evening, as well as a joint economic development district agreement with Harrison Township and a contract with an engineering firm connected to the construction of its new public service building. The roughly $31-million budget was preliminarily approved in December 2023. But because the city's budget year begins on Jan. 1, 2025, Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny said that the number is a "conservative guess" by the city auditor for 2025. The lion's share of the expenditures, approximately 55%, will go for public safety, Begeny said, with the next biggest expenditure going for street maintenance. The mayor said the budget calls for no additional tax increases for Reynoldsburg residents. Begeny also said the city auditor will monitor the city's expenditures throughout the new budget year and will make recommendations as necessary. City hires engineering firm for public service building City Council also approved a two-year contract with EMH&T, a New Albany-based engineering firm, to oversee construction of a road to the new $30-million public service building now under construction. Begeny said that the building is almost complete, and work is underway to wrap up the exterior of the building. The one-story building will meet upgraded federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, Begeny said, and will include a fuel depot for city vehicles. It is being built adjacent to the current public service building, behind the bus garage on East Main Street. Begeny said that the city does not have an in-house engineer, which is why it hired EMH&T. The mayor said the partnership will be evaluated every two years. The funds for the contract were initially supposed to come from the capital improvement projects fund, but the money will instead come from the city's general fund. City approves economic development agreement with Harrison Township In a unanimous vote, City Council members approved a Joint Economic Development District contract with Harrison Township. The contract with Reynoldsburg will allow Harrison Township to collect income taxes, but there will still be additional approval needed by the Franklin County Commissioners, said City Attorney Chris Shook. The first economic development board meeting will take place sometime in July. For its role in the agreement, the city will receive a total of 20% of the income tax revenue 5% for administration costs and the remaining 15% for being a partner. What else did City Council approve on Tuesday? In other action, Reynoldsburg City Council: Approved a debt collection agreement with the Ohio Attorney General's office. Shook said that the partnership grants the city access to "better tools" to collect on a wide range of debt from taxpayers, from tax bills to damage to city property caused from vehicle accidents. Approved the final plat for phases 6A & 6B of the M/I Homes' Spring Hill subdivision off Waggoner Road. A total of 354 homes are planned for the development, with 138 already either sold or constructed. smeighan@dispatch.com @ShahidMeighan This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Reynoldsburg City Council approves 2025 budget with no tax increases BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the U.S. interference in Cuba's internal affairs under the pretext of counterterrorism and its political suppression and economic sanctions against Cuba, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday. Mao made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a media query. Not long ago, the U.S. government removed Cuba from the list of country not fully cooperating against terrorism, but still designated it as a "state sponsor of terrorism." Mao said that as Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla noted, the United States has just admitted what everybody knows, that Cuba cooperates fully with the fight against terrorism. She said China commends Cuba for its effort to fight terrorism, and firmly opposes the U.S. interference in Cuba's internal affairs under the pretext of counterterrorism and its political suppression and economic sanctions against Cuba. China calls on the United States to handle its relations with Cuba in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the norms governing international relations, Mao said, adding that the United States needs to lift all its blockade and sanctions on Cuba, properly solve disputes and differences through dialogue and negotiation, and contribute to improving U.S.-Cuba relations and keeping the Americas peaceful and stable. The co-chairman of the largest super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s long shot presidential bid announced Tuesday hes publishing a tell-all memoir by the mother of Hunter Bidens child that has revelations that could well impact the outcome of the 2024 election. The publisher, Tony Lyons, co-founded the pro-Kennedy pac American Values 2024 and is the president of Skyhorse Publishing, which has put a number of anti-vaccine books on shelves in recent years. The memoir targeting the presidents son is penned by Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who gave birth to Hunter Bidens daughter in 2018. Its titled, Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden, and features promotional blurbs that suggest it will paint the presidents son in a negative light. Out of the Shadows chronicles that rollercoaster ride of a relationship, touching on the drug cook working in Rosemont Senecas kitchen, strip clubs where Hunter might try the pole himself, protecting him from would-be terrorists in New York City, the night she grabbed two guns and was certain she would have to fatally shoot a crazed MMA fighter, and dozens of other stories that make the laptop debacle seem routine, a description for the book on Amazon read. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Compares His Anti-Vax Stance to Martin Luther King Jr.s Activism The text is sure to be a bad look for the younger Biden, who initially contested Roberts paternity lawsuit, claiming he didnt recall sleeping with her. The affair took place at the peak of Hunter Bidens struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. He later agreed to drop his lawsuit and pay child support after a DNA test confirmed the child is his. Roberts memoir, which totals 304 pages, will be available to the public starting on Aug. 20. That release date is likely to come on the heels of Hunter Bidens trial on federal gun charges, which begins next month. He has also been charged with tax evasion in California, with a trial there slated to begin in September. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases. Those wanting a copy of the memoir will have to shell out $33 for a hardcover copy, or $15 on a Kindle. 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 co-chairman of a super PAC supporting Robert F Kennedy Jr will publish a memoir by Lunden Roberts, who had a child with Hunter Biden in 2018. Skyhorse Publishing will release Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden by Ms Roberts on 20 August. In a short excerpt, Ms Roberts writes that Hunter Biden was sitting there wearing nothing but parrot boxer briefs, organizing his pipes on his Rosemont Seneca desk. Mr Biden was the chief executive officer and chair of the investment advisory firm Rosemont Seneca Advisors. She adds: I was sitting in Barack Obamas actual chair from the Senate floor. I took another look at Hunter this kind, intense, and startlingly transparent man and thought, this is definitely a guy I want to get to know better. The page for Ms Lundens memoir on the publishers site states that this is a description of the first time she met Mr Biden after she had moved to Washington DC from Arkansas in an impulsive decision to apply for a grad program. The publisher states that the book follows the rollercoaster ride of a relationship, touching on the drug cook working in Rosemont Senecas kitchen, strip clubs where Hunter might try the pole himself, as well as protecting him from would-be terrorists in New York City. The president of Skyhorse Publishing, Tony Lyons, announced the plans on Tuesday. Hes also the co-founder of American Values 2024, the largest super PAC supporting Mr Kennedy, the independent candidate, environmental lawyer, and conspiracy theorist. In his 2021 memoir, in which he also detailed his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, Mr Biden said he has no memory of the interaction with Ms Roberts. Hunter Biden settled a child support case with Ms Roberts last summer, which began as a paternity dispute in 2019. After a DNA test confirmed him as the father, he agreed to pay $20,000 a month in 2020. He sought to reduce those payments last year, but the new amount was redacted in the 2023 filing in Arkansas state court. This cycle, American Values 2024 has raised nearly $50m and has spent more than $29m, data from OpenSecrets shows. During the same period, Skyhorse Publishing has donated $154,920 to the PAC. Mr Kennedy receives almost 10 percent in FiveThirtyEights average of national polls and could become the strongest third-party candidate since Ross Perot ran in 1992 and 1996. Both Mr Biden and Mr Trump have bashed Mr Kennedy, worried that he may take more votes from their side, but polls are mixed on the matter. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Lyons said: Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish Lunden Roberts important and compelling narrative. It comes at a pivotal moment in history where freedom of speech is still cherished but constantly challenged. He added: Roberts courageously shares her story, offering readers a poignant reflection on personal responsibility and the burden of a life lived in the public eye as well as revelations that could well impact the outcome of the 2024 election. We are proud to stand behind Lunden Roberts and her book. Skyhorse Publishing has published books by several conservative figures, such as Unwoke by Senator Ted Cruz in which he bashes cultural Marxism, as well as books by Senator Rand Paul and Mr Kennedy going after the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci. The company has published several books by Mr Kennedy pushing conspiracy theories regarding public health, vaccines, and Covid-19. It has also published works by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former president Donald Trump. Mr Lyons told CNBC that his company takes the strongest possible stance against all forms of censorship, adding that Skyhorse has published a book by Christine Pelosi, the daughter of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in addition to a book about burn pits that included a blurb by President Joe Biden. The president believes that the use of burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan led to the brain cancer that took the life of his son Beau Biden. Its unclear if the memoir will have any effect on the presidential race Hunter Biden was the subject of conspiracy theories in right-wing media for years before his father became president. Meanwhile, Hunter Biden faces a 3 June trial on federal gun charges in Delaware and a 5 September trial on tax evasion in California, pleading not guilty in both cases. The Independent has contacted a spokesperson for Hunter Biden for comment. One of New York Citys most prestigious and pricey private K-12 schools, which counts President John F. Kennedys son and actor David Duchovny as alumni, has erupted into a nasty legal spat over an antisemitism task force that its top administrator allegedly called a joke and useless. In a lawsuit filed in New York City this week, and first obtained by The Daily Beast, the head of the task force, Anna Carello, accused the schools top administrator, David Lourie, of making a slew of derogatory comments about her and the task force, which was set up to weed out antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel. Carello claimed in the lawsuit that Lourie said the task force was nothing more than a power play by Jewish families and New York City Rabbis to have him ousted as head of school. Part of Carellos job as the head of the task force was to meet with the parents of Jewish students, the lawsuit said, something Lourie could not be bothered with handling. Carello, the associate head of school for academics, alleged that her job as leader of the task force, and the fact that she was a woman, led Lourie to treat her differently than other school administrators. Child of Famed Jewish Family Funded Pro-Palestinian Protests The Collegiate School, an all-boys school founded in 1628 that costs a whopping $63,400 per academic year, has a storied past as the school of choice for New York royalty. Both JFKs son and grandson attended, as did The New York Times publisher A. G. Sulzberger. It also has a considerable Jewish enrollment. Carellos lawsuit alleged that things became tense on campus in the wake of Hamas attack, with her mentioning in the suit that a middle school teacher was put on leave after he showed a biased video about the Israel-Hamas war in his classroom. Carello alleged that she was kept in the dark about the incident and was the last administrator to know about the schools response to the teachers actionsdespite it being her very job to oversee the educators and weigh in on important personnel decisions. Concerns about antisemitism culminated in an internal report that was published this month, which conceded some faculty members blamed wealthy and influential Jewish parents for tensions at the school since Oct. 7, the New York Post reported Saturday. That report totaled nine pages, according to the Post, which was a far cry from the 400-plus-page report published in 2020 that discussed how institutional racism has affected the school specifically and American society generally over the centuries. Still, the report identified a pair of allegedly antisemitic incidents on campus. Parents told the Post that one of the incidents involved the English teacher Dwayne Alexis, who was axed in November after he showed videos in class about the war in Gaza and accused Israel of genocide. Carellos lawsuit did not mention Alexis by name, but alluded to the incident. It claimed that Carello was ordered to cover for the fired teacher through the end of the school year, teaching students each day while juggling her role as the schools No. 2 administrator on paper and its lead on the antisemitism task force. Carello alleged she was intentionally kept out of the loop on a number of task force issues that other male colleaguesin lesser positions than herwere not. She claimed this was punishment for her working with Jewish families, as she was asked to do, because Lourie allegedly said those meetings were undermining his position. She alleged those meetings also led to two separate male colleagues chastising her for the work she was doing with no repercussions for them. In addition, Carello claimed that Lourie made disparaging comments about female teachers on campus and dismissed complaints from female subordinates who told him he was biased in favor of male colleagues. Among the alleged comments Carello characterized as misogynistic was his response to her telling him that a teacher set to return from maternity leave had inquired about a lactation room. Lets make her life miserable when she returns, Lourie responded, according to the lawsuit. Lourie did not respond to an email seeking comment on the allegations. Carello claimed that her position at the school became untenable during the 2024 spring semester, but she chose to continue teaching the middle school students whose teacher was fired so their education wouldnt suffer. As Louries rift with Carello became clearer, the lawsuit alleged that Lourie described her as a personnel issue in March. Word quickly got back to Carello about this comment, she claimed, so she set up a meeting with her boss to confront him days later. After that meeting, Carello alleged that Lourie avoided her on campus by, among other things, turning the other way when they passed each other in hallways and canceling six meetings they would have been in together. Carellos lawsuit claimed that her rift with Lourie is personal and not due to any professional shortcomings on her end. The suit said her initial performance at the school was praised in 2021 and she was given a retention bonus in 2022 that would up her pay through the 2025-26 school year. More recently, the lawsuit claimed that, due to her task force work, a parent said she single-handedly saved the Jewish community this year. Carello claimed she has suffered considerable damages as the result of Lourie. Shes seeking a payout from a jury trial that will cover lost wages and benefits, damages to her professional reputation and future opportunities in her profession and damages to compensate her for past and future emotional distress. 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. Riviera Beach launches search for new CRA director in wake of Evans' resignation from post Riviera Beach is looking for a new executive director for its Community Redevelopment Agency. City Manager Jonathan Evans had held the position since August 2020, but he resigned from it earlier this month, citing "the intricate dynamics of our collective endeavor and my personal commitments." Evans will stay on as city manager. His resignation as CRA executive director resolves a source of frustration for at least one City Council member, Tradrick McCoy, though others, including Douglas Lawson and Glen Spiritis, wondered aloud at times whether having a city manager who doubled as CRA executive director allowed for optimal performance in either position. Riviera Beach's city manager serves at the pleasure of the five-member City Council. Despite occasional frustrations expressed by McCoy and Lawson, Evans had the firm backing of three council members, KaShamba Miller-Anderson, Shirley Lanier and Julia Botel. But with Spiritis' election in March in the Singer Island district once represented by Botel, Evans' continued tenure appeared less certain. If Spiritis joined with Lawson and McCoy, they'd have the votes to remove Evans. Miller-Anderson, who said she wanted Evans to remain in both roles, noted what she described as "mumblings" of opposition about him serving in the two positions. That brought a retort from Lawson, who said that he has long supported Evans. He asked the city manager to say whether he was forced out or if his resignation as CRA executive director was voluntary. Evans noted the passage in March of a trio of bond measures that will allow the city to raise $115 million for a new police department headquarters, a new fire station on Singer Island and parks and recreational facilities. "We know people put in resignations when they're forced," Miller-Anderson said. "I know there's always been mumblings for the last several years about him being in the two positions. He put (his resignation) in, yeah, but I don't know that he wanted to put it in. I'm not saying anybody pushed him, but, you know, I would say the writing was on the wall. So, I applaud him for jumping first instead of getting the boot." "With the bonds passing and some of the capital projects, some of the things that require some time, I think it's fitting for me to transition and focus on things more on the city side," he said. "This was my decision to make." Riviera Beach City Manager Jonathan Evans speaks during the grand opening of Riviera Beach's newest fire station, Station 88, on July 8, 2023, in Riviera Beach. Evans earned an additional $20,000 per year for his work as CRA executive director, but the council accepted his suggestion that a full-time executive director be paid between $120,000 and $200,000 per year. That would mean additional costs for the city of at least $100,000 per year. Cities with a CRA, which use taxpayer money to revitalize distressed parts of town, typically have different people overseeing the day-to-day function of the city and serving as CRA executive director. In the opening discussion of what comes next, Lawson praised Evans' tenure. "Mr. Evans, you've done a phenomenal job," he said. "Thank you so much for what you've done." Riviera Beach's new CRA executive director will come on board at a time of significant infrastructural renewal. The city is looking to spend at least $553 million on a water treatment facility, new parks and recreational facilities, a new fire station, a new police department headquarters, and roadway improvements. Other large-scale city projects under consideration are expansions at the city's marina and the development of city-owned parcels that would include a new city hall complex. Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder, center left, and Council member Douglas Lawson, pose for a picture with members of Girl Scout Troop #24313 in front of a Riviera Beach Fire Rescue truck during the grand opening of Riviera Beach fire rescue Station 88, on July 8, 2023, in Riviera Beach. "I believe that the city manager will still take a major role in the revitalization of the city," Spiritis said. "If the CRA doesn't work with the city hand-in-hand, nothing will get redeveloped." Riviera Beach has long had a host of infrastructure needs. Previous city leaders often punted on expensive, large-scale projects, citing the costs current leaders are wrestling to contain. Despite those large price tags, the city has embarked on and completed a host of projects during Evans' dual tenure, including new fire stations and a new library. "I know over the years many people have asked for him not to be in that position, carrying us in two different positions," Miller-Anderson said. "I get it. I truly get it, but I was also here prior to him coming on. We moved very slow in different areas." Miller-Anderson and her colleagues voted in favor of a timeline that would have the city post the CRA position until June 28. A committee of community and city officials will then spend much of July reviewing and short-listing candidates. That committee includes a member of the Business Development Board, Lawson, who serves as chairman of the CRA's board of directors, Scott Evans, the CRA's director of planning and development, Sherley Desir, office administrator for the CRA, Sara Maxfield, the CRA's economic and business development manager and Noel Martinez, president and chief executive officer of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce. The top five candidates will be interviewed on July 24, with a second round of in-person interviews and a public reception for the top three candidates held a week later on July 31. That will also be the date when the CRA board will pick a top candidate and authorize contract negotiations that are to be completed on Aug. 14. The new CRA executive director's tenure is expected to begin on Sept. 9. Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Evans quits CRA post, stays on as city manager in Riviera Beach "I Voted" stickers spread out on a table at a polling place in Richmond. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) Virginia isnt believed to be a battleground state in the 2024 presidential election, but a new poll from Roanoke College suggests the matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could be closer than expected. Poll results from the Southwest Virginia schools Institute for Policy and Opinion Research released Wednesday showed Biden and Trump statistically tied in a head-to-head matchup, with both earning 42% of polled voters support. The poll showed Biden leading Trump by two percentage points when potential independent and third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein and Cornel West were added to the mix. These results suggest that Virginia could be in play in November, but five months is an eternity in politics, Harry Wilson, a senior political analyst and Roanoke College professor said in a news release announcing the poll numbers. This tie or two-point lead seems dramatic, but they are within the margin of error of the results of the February 2024 and November 2023 Roanoke College polls. Still, it seems that Trump is narrowing Bidens lead, which has all but disappeared. The poll, which involved 711 likely Virginia voters surveyed via phone and through a propriety online panel, had a 4.24% margin of error. Biden is considered a solid favorite in Virginia, where he defeated Trump by double digits in 2020. Trump also lost in Virginia in 2016, and its been two decades since a Republican presidential contender won the state. Virginia showed its purple side in 2021 when Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin won an unexpected victory. But the state GOP has had two disappointing election years in a row, flipping just one of three targeted congressional seats in 2022 and failing to win control of the General Assembly in 2023 when abortion rights were a major issue. The state also has a U.S. Senate race this year, but theres been little indication national Republicans intend to invest major resources trying to defeat Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat seeking a third Senate term. In the GOP primary that will be decided in June, Trump endorsed Hung Cao, a military veteran from Northern Virginia who has recently come under fire from all sides for remarks critics said came across as dismissive of rural areas. The latest Roanoke College poll found just 2% of Virginia voters undecided, and 14% to 20% indicated they would vote for someone other than Biden or Trump. This suggests that those voters who say they will vote for another candidate will possibly swing the election one way or the other, Wilson said in his analysis. Do they vote for a third-party candidate? Do they move to one of the major party candidates? Or do they decide to abstain from voting? The post Roanoke College poll finds Trump and Biden tied in Virginia appeared first on Virginia Mercury. Robert De Niro didn't hold back his words when engaging in a verbal confrontation with MAGA supporters outside the courtroom of Donald Trump's hush money trial. The actor openly criticized the former president, calling him a barrage of names such as "grubby real estate hustler," "clown," and "two-bit playboy." He also claimed that Trump wants to destroy the country and should not be allowed to be reelected. Robert De Niro Says Donald Trump Wants To Destroy The Country MEGA Amid Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday, a fiery exchange went down between Hollywood legend De Niro and MAGA supporters. De Niro was out for blood as he lambasted the politics of Trump, claiming that the former president intends to ruin the country and possibly the entire world. He said to the press, "I love this city; I don't want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and eventually, he could destroy the world." De Niro also unleashed a slew of demeaning words to describe the billionaire mogul, saying he was just another "grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot," "a two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids," and a "clown." Doubling down on his stance, De Niro also took a shot at MAGA supporters, claiming that they "bought into [Trump's] bullsh-t" and that the former president bought their "votes with outrageous lies and empty promises." The Actor Accused The Former President Of Being Willing To Use 'Violence' Against His Opponents MEGA Despite facing backlash from MAGA supporters who criticized his career, De Niro remained resolute in his message. He claimed that Trump would use "violence against anyone who stands in the way of his megalomania and greed," referencing the Capitol violence, which he alleged that Trump started by stirring his supporters. De Niro said, "'You think Trump ever threw a punch himself or took one? This guy who ran and hid in the White House bunker when there were protesters outside? No way. He doesn't get blood on his hands. No, he doesn't. He directs the mob to do his dirty work for him." Robert De Niro Called Donald Trump A 'Dictator' MEGA De Niro also urged listeners to throw their vote behind Joe Biden, adding that reelecting Trump would spell doom for democracy in the country. "I can tell you right now. He will never leave," the actor added, per DailyMail. "Do we want him running this country and saying I'm not leaving, I'm dictator for life?" In an earlier interview with Bill Maher, DeNiro called Trump a "monster," noting that the billionaire would be a "nightmare" if reelected president. He said, "We wanna live in a world that we want to live in and enjoy living in, or live in a nightmare? Vote for Trump and you'll get the nightmare, vote for Biden and we'll be back to normalcy." Online MAGA Supporters Piled On Robert De Niro For His Remarks Against The Ex-President MEGA On X (formerly Twitter), more MAGA supporters reacted to De Niro's shouting match with their colleagues at the trial. One person said, "A terrible speech by a horrible washed-up actor for an even worse president. How flagrantly obvious to have an anti-Trump speech across the street from the courthouse where OUR PRESIDENT is going through MORE ELECTION INTERFERENCE." Another wrote, "De Niro is done. Before you hate, just look into the allegations from back in the day. He's just as bad as all of the old Hollywood boy's club actors. There's a reason why the shills don't like Trump, and they are in panic!" A third person commented, "This was idiotic by the Biden campaign. Having DeNiro rage like a lunatic at Trump supporters undermines that Biden and his team are calm, cool, and collected unlike Trump." One more person wrote, "Why in the Hell would Biden Harris think it is ethical or even legal to hold a campaign event outside the NY Criminal Court that Trump is in?" Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial Has Entered Into Its Final Phase MEGA On Tuesday, prosecutors and the defense presented their final remarks in the hush money trial, with each side vigorously attempting to sway the jury in their favor. The former president is accused of 34 counts of fraud linked to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 campaign. After the concluding commentaries, the jury will deliberate on the verdict, with a decision expected within three to four days. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has maintained a confrontational stance throughout the trial. This behavior has resulted in multiple fines for violating his gag order. If found guilty of the charges in the hush money trial, Trump faces up to a decade in prison. LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) A man was severely injured in a shooting near the Robeson County school bus maintenance facility on Tuesday night, Lumberton police said. The shooting happened just after 8 p.m. on Kenric Road, according to police. The victim, a 59-year-old man, drove himself to UNC Health Southeastern and was later taken to another facility for more advanced care. Hes currently in stable condition. The man is a Robeson County Schools employee and had just left the maintenance facility when the shooting happened, police said. 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. Anyone with information is asked to call Lumberton Police Detective Cedrick McKinnon at 910-671-3845. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. A Rochester business owner accused of raping a child under the age of 12 has been charged in Thurston County Superior Court. The Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Kevin James Mills, the 38-year-old owner of Hive 5 Bees and Pacific Northwest Honey, with first-degree rape of a child and incest on Tuesday. Deputies arrested Mills on May 22, a day after receiving a report of a sex offense from a family friend and business associate of Mills, according to court records. However, the report came about a year after the associate and a local pastor separately heard about the allegations from Mills and his wife. The pastor at Rochester Life Assembly of God did not inform law enforcement about what he knew until a deputy recently interviewed him as part of the investigation, according to court records. Mills attended his preliminary appearance in Superior Court on May 23. Judge Allyson Zipp found probable cause for charge of first-degree rape of a child and set bail at $50,000. Zipp also barred him from contacting the child he is accused of abusing as well as people deputies interviewed during the investigation. Court records show Mills posted bail later that day and was released from the Thurston County jail. He has no known past adult criminal convictions. Mills website describes him as a Canadian-born son of a traveling evangelist as well as a Rochester-based touring musician with a diverse portfolio of business involvements. The investigation A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the alleged crimes from the perspective of law enforcement. The Olympian has opted to limit what details it shares about the investigation to protect the identity of the child who was allegedly abused. A business associate of Mills told law enforcement Mills wife had a nervous breakdown about a year ago. The associate alleged Mills wife told her and her husband that Mills was having an affair with a young child. Mills wife reportedly became upset when the associate said Mills conduct was sexual abuse and child molestation rather than an affair. Mills wife reportedly said she did not want her family broken up. Mills then walked into the room, allegedly admitted to the abuse and said his life was in their hands. The associate told law enforcement she did not report the incident at the time because she did not have any physical evidence. Instead, the statement says the associate and her husband decided to closely monitor the Mills for the next year. On May 3, the associate saw something she considered suspicious. She allegedly told law enforcement that she believed Mills assaulted the young child in question under a blanket. When asked why she did not report this incident until weeks later, the associate reportedly said she still had no physical proof. She added a similar incident happened to one of her family members and the system failed them because they did not have any proof. The associate met with other people who knew the Mills on May 17 and they decided to contact a private investigator, according to the statement. When briefed about the situation, the investigator reportedly told them to report the incident to law enforcement. The associate also contacted another mutual business partner about Mills. The partner allegedly said Mills previously admitted to inappropriate touching of the young child. On May 20, the associate convened a four-way business call that included Mills. The business partners allegedly told Mills he had to turn himself in to law enforcement or continue seeking guidance from his pastor. The associate said Mills needed to go to jail and Mills wife began crying, according to the statement. Mills wife reportedly said in response that her family has had the best year of their life and she would be tearing their family apart if she reported Mills. Following this conversation, the associate and her husband reportedly decided to step away from their business relationship with the Mills. The associate told law enforcement they believed Mills was moving all finances and business relations into his wifes name in anticipation of being arrested, according to the statement. A deputy contacted the mutual business partner. He allegedly told the deputy Mills admitted to sexually assaulting the young child multiple times over a six-month period, according to the probable cause statement. The deputy later went to Mills home to contact his family. Mills reportedly answered the door and said his family was not home. The statement says the deputy arrested Mills and he declined to speak with the deputy. The deputy also spoke with Mills pastor outside the Rochester Life Assembly of God. The pastor allegedly told the deputy that Mills and his wife informed him on April 18, 2023, about conduct that was sexual in nature between Mills and the young child. The statement says the pastor was supportive and prayed with the Mills about the situation. He reportedly spoke with them 2-3 times afterward to make sure the behavior had stopped. The pastor told the deputy he did not know details about the sexual allegations and did not believe the acts continued after their initial conversation about them, according to the probable cause statement. The statement says the pastor was in absolute shock and had never seen anything that would prompt him to believe the alleged acts were true. A detective also spoke with Mills wife. She told the deputy she knew of the allegations for about a year and confirmed them with the young child, according to the statement. She said she was scared because she would lose her house, business and family, according to the statement. Mills is due back in court on June 4 for his arraignment hearing. Nine Rock Island High School students have earned either the Seal of Biliteracy or the Commendations toward Seal of Biliteracy. Last school year (2022-2023), RIMSD #41 implemented the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy and the Commendation toward Biliteracy for students who attain proficiency in English and another language. At the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday are, from left, Superintendent Dr. Williams, Debra Fraznt EL Program director, Shalom Moore, Asa Mahn, Israa Al Janabi, Dr. Ruggeberg assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. (Rock Island-Milan School District) Already the district has seen its first several students obtain that Seal of Biliteracy or the commendations toward Biliteracy. The Illinois Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in English and in one or more other world languages. This recognition is designated on a students transcript and high school diploma. Students will have a medal with the Illinois SoBL on it to wear during the commencement ceremony. It also is a definite statement of accomplishment to future employers, colleges, and universities. Per Illinois State statute, colleges and public universities are required to award course credit to a student who has received a State Seal of Biliteracy. To earn the Seal of Biliteracy students must exhibit proficiency in both English and a world language via assessments. Students have to receive a high composite score that includes listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Seal of Biliteracy Israa Al Janabi -Arabic Joshua Galeana -Spanish Asa Mahn -Spanish Dinye Ntiruvakure -Kinyarwanda Commendation Presley Behrens Spanish Shalom Moore German Asia Stern -Spanish Ashley Vazquez-Chavarria Spanish Elijah Voorhis Spanish The districts English Language (EL) Program in collaboration with the RIHS World Language and English Departments aim to develop students into biliterate adults who can actively contribute to the global world. These awards encourage all students to study other languages. Additionally, these awards increase employment and earning opportunities through the formal recognition of language and biliteracy skills. The district pays for all costs associated with the program thanks to a grant received from the Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation. For more information or to inquire about this program, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. A healthcare worker uses solar energy powered medical equipment at Ndejje Health Center IV in the central Ugandan district of Wakiso, on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Kiggundu/Xinhua) WAKISO, Uganda, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Power outages once plagued Ndejje Health Center IV, a hospital serving 40,000 people, in Uganda's central district of Wakiso. Surgeons would get stuck in theater. Midwives used to improvise, using phone light to aid births. Now, the situation has improved, with solar panels transforming the facility, said Geoffrey Kisuze, manager of the health center. Affordable and increasingly accessible, solar power now ensures uninterrupted services, vital for maternal care and vaccine storage. "Ever since we got solar, we were able to address the challenges of an unpredictable power schedule," Kisuze told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Previously, there would be a time when you have no power for a week. Those vaccines would go to waste. With solar, we are able to maintain the cold chain for the vaccines all the time," he said. Phiona Happy, a mother of two living in informal settlements nearby, said the solar light at the health facility was very helpful when she gave birth to her firstborn, now aged three. "I developed complications while giving birth, and since it was at night there was no ambulance to transfer me to a bigger hospital," Happy said. "Although there were power outages at the time, the solar lighting helped the medics to perform cesarean section successfully." She said it has also been a smooth routine whenever she takes her children for immunization, since she is assured of the safety of the vaccines due to the storage facilities at Ndejje, powered by solar panels. Kisuze, the manager, said the solar panels, mounted on almost all buildings at the health center, and the batteries in the powerhouse are all from China. Beyond powering health centers, solar energy is making strides across Uganda, from agricultural innovations like solar-powered water pumps to home lighting solutions. China's solar exports to Africa surged by 187 percent in the first half of 2023, according to Ember, an energy think tank. Experts have refuted the narrative of "overcapacity" in China's green industry, saying China's solar technology and products are helping low-income countries, especially the off-grid areas. China has played a critical role in the use of solar power in sub-Saharan Africa where many people live beyond the grid and have no access to electricity, said Peter Tonui, head of policy and regional strategy at the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, an organization that helps off-grid industry build sustainable markets. He said most of the solar units, ranging from panels to other components like batteries, installed in Africa are manufactured in China or are using Chinese technology. Brian Isabirye, commissioner of renewable energy at the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said Uganda's solar energy potential is immense, and the country aims to boost its electrification rates, currently among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, with solar power. "Within our generation strategy, we plan to generate up to 12,000 megawatts (MW) by 2040 from solar alone. If you look at about 52,000 MW general generation (in plan) across the country, solar will be the second most important contributor after nuclear energy," he said. "We look at solar as one of the most important sources of energy for the country because it is clean, it is affordable, it can be distributed through the grid, but also through off-grid," Isabirye added. According to Uganda's Electricity Regulatory Authority, the country's total installed capacity reached 1,847.5 MW in 2023. Hydropower contributed 1,510.9 MW, or 81.8 percent, followed by bagasse at 8 percent, thermal at 5.4 percent, and solar photovoltaics at 4.8 percent. ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The Rogers Police Department issued a warning about looting after two people were arrested for commercial burglary, according to a Facebook post. RPD said a 28-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were arrested on commercial burglary charges. The two were apprehended after taking merchandise from a beauty store and putting it in their vehicle. Looting and theft will not be tolerated, the post said. If we catch you its a free ride to the Benton County Bed and Breakfast. Rogers police warn about looting, barricade violations as clean-up efforts continue RPD also said they have started to issue citations to drivers that are driving past barricades. The post said multiple officers have noted people getting out of their cars, moving barricades, and driving past them. Even if it is a cone in the road, do not drive past it, the post said. Dont do that. Dont drive over the caution tape. The barricades are there for your 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 KNWA FOX24. Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago in March 2023. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a new workplace anti-discrimination law that was passed by Congress with wide bipartisan support, has become fodder in the abortion rights battle between Republican-led states and the federal government. Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago in March 2023. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a new workplace anti-discrimination law that was passed by Congress with wide bipartisan support, has become fodder in the abortion rights battle between Republican-led states and the federal government. Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press Natasha Jackson was four months pregnant when she told her supervisor she was expecting. It was 2008, and Jackson was an account executive at a rental furniture store in Charleston, South Carolina the only female employee there. I actually hid my pregnancy as long as I could because I was scared about what could happen, she said. When her doctor recommended that she not lift more than 25 pounds, her employer wouldnt let her move temporarily to a role where she didnt need to lift furniture, even though those roles were available, she said. She was forced to go on leave and then lost her job. Her marriage unraveled and she spent time after the birth in emergency housing. That hardship affected me years on, and it took away the joy of being pregnant, said Jackson. They made me feel guilty and ashamed for having a baby. Jackson, now 41 and a mother of four who owns her own cleaning company, has spent years working with advocacy groups to fight for better laws to protect pregnant workers. Last year, she was invited to speak at a White House event celebrating the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a new workplace anti-discrimination law for which she had advocated. But now this law, passed with wide bipartisan support, has become fodder in the bitter battle over abortion rights between Republican-led states and the federal government. The act fills gaps in state and federal protections by requiring employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers and those who have recently given birth or have related medical conditions unless the employer can prove it would cause undue hardship on the business. It seems quite ridiculous to me that some employers want so much control over employees to the point that they feel like they have the right to threaten their job security because of pregnancy or anything associated with it. Natasha Jackson, mom of four who once lost her job after asking for pregnancy accommodations Accommodations can include allowing an employee to take additional bathroom breaks, carry a water bottle, or sit instead of stand while on the job. After years of lobbying by nonprofit organizations and business groups, the federal law passed in December 2022. It went into effect last June. In its rulemaking process, the Biden administration included abortion as a related medical condition covered by the law. That means employees seeking abortion care can ask for accommodations from their employers, such as time off work for an appointment or recovery. This year, 19 Republican attorneys general including from Jacksons home state of South Carolina have sued the administration over that interpretation. The AGs argue the Biden administration is forcing abortion accommodations even in states where abortions are illegal. Under this radical interpretation of the PWFA, business owners will face federal lawsuits if they dont accommodate employees abortions, even if those abortions are illegal under state law, Arkansas Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement last month announcing the lawsuit filed by Arkansas and 16 other Republican-led states. But some advocates say the lawsuit threatens protections for all pregnant workers covered under the new law not just the small subset who need abortion care. These states are cutting off their noses to spite their faces, said Elizabeth Gedmark, an attorney and vice president of A Better Balance, a national nonprofit advocacy organization that provides legal services and has long pushed for a national Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. These attacks have very real consequences for peoples lives and for their economic security and health, she said. Jackson fears the lawsuit could lead to fewer workers accessing the care they need to be healthy. [Workers] should have the right to proper medical care during pregnancy, after childbirth, after having a miscarriage, or having an abortion, she said. It seems quite ridiculous to me that some employers want so much control over employees to the point that they feel like they have the right to threaten their job security because of pregnancy or anything associated with it. Into the fray After Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency known as the EEOC, had to hammer out a set of rules that clarify what employers can and cant do under the law. So last summer, the EEOC sought public comment on its proposed rules for how the new law would work. More than 100,000 comments were submitted over a two-month period. The flood of comments stemmed from opinions about whether the EEOC should include abortion in its definition of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions that are covered under the new law. The vast majority were nearly identical form comments, according to the EEOC. About 54,000 of the comments urged the EEOC to exclude abortion, while about 40,000 supported its inclusion. In a 3-2 vote, the EEOC ultimately adopted new rules that included abortion care in its definition of conditions covered under the law. The rules are set to go into effect June 18. But in April, a week after the EEOC announced its final rules, the 17-state coalition of GOP attorneys general argued in its lawsuit that the agencys erroneous interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act creates an abortion accommodation mandate. When the law was passed by Congress, it was explicitly understood not to address abortion at all, and the text of the statute does not address abortion, said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who is co-leading the lawsuit with Arkansas Griffin. Skrmetti and the other Republican attorneys general point to comments made by lawmakers during debate on the measure that appear to signal Congress intent was not to impose abortion-related requirements in states where those abortions would be illegal. Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who sponsored the pregnant workers bill, said during debate that the EEOC could not issue any regulation that requires abortion leave, nor does the act permit the EEOC to require employers to provide abortions in violation of state law. The 15 other states joining the lawsuit are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia. More states have jumped into the fray. In mid-May, Louisianas and Mississippis attorneys general, both Republicans, filed their own lawsuit challenging the same provision. And in February, a federal judge in Texas blocked the EEOC from accepting complaints filed by Texas state employees under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. It was a win for Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had sued the Biden administration last year. Protections at risk Skrmetti, the Tennessee attorney general, believes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is a good law. It was passed with a degree of bipartisanship that you rarely see, he told Stateline, and it undermines the efforts of Congress and the popular will when agencies take laws and change them without the authority of the peoples representatives. But Gedmark, of A Better Balance, said decades of legal precedent support including abortion as a related medical condition for pregnant workers. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, a federal law passed in 1978, prohibits sex discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions a definition that the EEOC has long interpreted to include abortion. Proponents of the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the EEOCs rules worry the lawsuits will sow confusion among employers and employees. Theres concern, Gedmark said, that a court could render more of the regulations invalid, beyond those that mention abortion. Skrmetti doesnt think the 17-state lawsuit will hurt the laws protections for pregnant, postpartum and lactating workers. The optimal outcome would be for the abortion-related pieces of the rule that arent supported by the statute to be vacated, he said. But the law remains the law regardless of what the [EEOCs] rules are. While states and the feds clash in court, Jackson said shes focused on making sure as many women as possible know about their new rights. Whenever shes out shopping and spots a pregnant store employee, she asks how theyre doing. She asks if they know about their workplace rights, and how to ask their employers for the accommodations they need. Whether a mother decides to have an abortion or not, she still needs medical care after the procedure, the same as she would need medical care if she had a miscarriage or regular childbirth, Jackson said. I believe that employers need to know the difference between personal [ideology] and business. 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 New rules protect pregnant workers, but red states sue over abortion provisions appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 81 times in 23 separate attacks throughout the day, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on May 28. The communities of Bilopillia, Khotin, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Berezivka, Seredyna-Buda, Novoslobidske, Putyvl, Hlukhiv, and Esman, were targeted. Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, drone, and artillery attacks, while also dropping explosives from drones onto a community. No casualties or injuries were reported. The town of Velyka Pysarivka, located about 3 kilometers west of the Ukraine-Russia border, experienced the bulk of the attacks reported with 19 explosions recorded in the area. Given the town's proximity to Russia, Velyka Pysarivka has become a main target of attack for Russia over recent months. Much of the community's infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian attacks. Russian strikes against Sumy Oblast have become increasingly destructive in recent months. Amid intensified attacks, Ukrainian authorities ordered increased evacuations from the region. Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on May 14 he expects Russia to launch a new attack in Sumy Oblast once the situation in Kharkiv Oblast stabilized, the New York Times reported. Officials from Ukraine's Border Guard service later said that Russia does not have enough troops on the Sumy Oblast border to launch a major attack on the region. Shelling is a daily occurrence for the communities near Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia, with residents in the region's vulnerable border settlements experience multiple attacks per day. Read also: Border Guard: Buildup of Russian troops along Sumy border not enough for major attack Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Russian rocket attack on the village of Krasnopillia in Sumy Oblast killed two civilians and injured three others, regional authorities reported on May 29. The rocket was launched from Russian territory. Public buildings, including a cultural center, were damaged in the attack, Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. Krasnopillia is located around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Russian border and comes under regular attack from Russian forces. One person was killed and another two were injured by Russian shelling of Krasnopillia on May 12. Over the course of the day on May 28, Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 81 times in 23 separate attacks, the administration said. Read also: Inside the Russian onslaught on Sumy Oblast Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian troops attacked the town of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on May 29, killing two people and injuring two, Governor Serhii Lysak reported. Nikopol, situated on the banks of the dried-up Kakhovka Reservoir, just across from Russian-occupied Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, is a regular target of Russian attacks. Russian shelling in the morning reportedly damaged a library, shop, and power line in the town. A 52-year-old man died in the hospital due to his injuries, Lysak said. A 63-year-old man reportedly suffered injuries and was hospitalized. Russian forces also reportedly attacked an ambulance with a kamikaze drone in the afternoon, killing a 54-year-old driver. His 53-year-old wife suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized, the governor said. Read also: Russian drone attack causes partial blackout in Rivne Oblast Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. State Department official resigned this week over what she thought was a mistake that the department assessed that Israel had not impeded the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. The Washington Post based its report on information provided by two anonymous U.S. officials who read the email from the outgoing official, Stacy Gilbert of the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, in which she explained her different view contrasting the department's assessment of Israel's conduct relating to the delivery of aid to Gaza. The State Department, in a report known as National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) that it published on May 10, said that while "aid remains insufficient," the United States does not "currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance." The NSM-20, which also assessed whether Israel's use of U.S.-supplied weaponry violated international humanitarian law, eventually came to a conclusion that U.S. transfer of weapons to Israel can justifiably continue. Gilbert, however, held the view that aid deliveries have actually been obstructed by the Israeli forces. Her view was shared by a vast majority of aid and humanitarian organizations, The Washington Post said. Since Israel launched its retaliatory military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, it has been not uncommon for officials in the State Department to resign their posts. Their resignations were in protest of the U.S. government's bias in favor of Israel despite the ever-increasing civilian death toll and the immense human suffering caused by Israel's military operation. Russians construct protective hangars for aircraft 300 km from border with Ukraine The Russians have begun constructing airfield hangars 300 kilometres from the border with Ukraine to safeguard aircraft from strike drones and missiles with cluster warheads. Source: Militarnyi with reference to satellite images published on Twitter (X) Details: Satellite imagery shows the development of additional hangar structures at the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, 300 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. The image depicts 12 new hangars that house Su-24 frontline bombers and Su-34 fighter-bombers. Satellite image of Marinovka airfield in 2022 Photo: Google, Militarnyi Protective hangars for aviation at the Marinovka airfield in Volgograd Oblast Photo: Google, Militarnyi According to Militarny, the Russians expect the hangars to defend aircraft from strike drones and ATACMS ballistic missile submunitions. Furthermore, hangars prevent satellites and other optical detection systems from determining whether the hangar is empty or holds aircraft. The materials used to construct the hangars are unknown, however based on their look, they will most likely have poor debris protection. Support UP or become our patron! Russians kill 3 and wound 14 residents of Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours photo Three people were killed and 14 others wounded in a Russian attack on Donetsk Oblast on 28 May. Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Quote: "On 28 May, Russians killed three residents of Donetsk Oblast: two in Toretsk and one in Selydove. Another 14 people were wounded in the oblast over the day." Aftermath of the Russian attack. Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Details: The Russians were reported to have attacked Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts. About a hundred houses were damaged in Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka. Aftermath of the Russian attack. Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration The Russians struck the settlements of Donetsk Oblast 17 times in just one day. Background: On the morning of 28 May, Russian troops dropped a 1.5-tonne high-explosive bomb with a planning and correction module on the town of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast. A child and five adults were injured. Russian forces attacked the city of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast with bombs, resulting in two deaths and three injuries, on the evening of 28 May. Support UP or become our patron! A multiple-launch rocket system. Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Russian forces have conducted four mechanised attacks with reduced-company and smaller units along several operational fronts in Donetsk Oblast. They have not achieved significant success but were likely testing Ukraine's response after the battles in Kharkiv Oblast. Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Details: Video recordings published on 27 and 28 May show that Russian forces are conducting intensified platoon-size mechanised attacks: to the east of Chasiv Yar to the east of Novopokrovske near Novomykhailivka in Staromaiorske. Russian forces made only minor advances in their attacks to the east of Novopokrovske and Staromaiorske and did not achieve confirmed advances near the settlements of Chasiv Yar or Novomykhailivka. Russian forces have reduced the pace of attacks and advances in northern Kharkiv Oblast and increased the pace of attacks toward the city of Pokrovsk (Avdiivka) in recent days. ISW noted that these Russian mechanised attacks, one in each of the four Russian current operational axes, are limited compared to previous ones. The attacks on 27 and 28 May were likely aimed at assessing Ukrainian forces' reaction and their defensive capabilities on the Donetsk front. Recent Russian offensive actions in northern Kharkiv Oblast likely aimed to exploit Ukraine's shortages in manpower and equipment before the expected Western military assistance arrived at the front. Russian forces likely intended to test if there were any weak spots in the front line in Donetsk Oblast. To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 28 May: Russian leader Vladimir Putin grossly misrepresented the Ukrainian Constitution and Ukrainian domestic law on 28 May in order to further promote the Kremlin information operation claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is no longer the legitimate president of Ukraine. Ukrainian Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk directly responded to Putin's deliberate misinterpretation of Ukrainian law and explicitly stated that the Ukrainian Constitution and laws stipulate that Zelenskyy remain in office until the end of martial law in Ukraine. Russian allegations about Zelenskyy's lack of legitimacy are a known Kremlin information operation that Kremlin officials have been promoting extensively in recent weeks, in part targeted at foreign audiences. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)'s Committee on Culture supported a resolution that recognizes Russia's deliberate erasure of Ukrainian culture as an element of Russia's genocidal campaign in occupied Ukraine, consistent with ISW's longstanding assessment that Russia is pursuing a broad occupation strategy premised on eradicating Ukraine's national identity and independence. Russian authorities are preparing to intensify the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia throughout Summer 2024, further consolidating another component of Russia's genocidal campaign in Ukraine. Iran's continued support for Russia's defence industrial base (DIB) and provision of lethal aid to Russia is bolstering Russia's technological output and military capabilities on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Georgian Parliament overrode Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili's veto of Georgia's Russian-style "foreign agents" law in an 84-to-4 vote on 28 May. A limited segment of the Russian ultranationalist information space has resumed its standard public criticisms of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and warned that new Defence Minister Andrey Belousov may not solve certain systemic issues within the Russian MoD and military. Portugal and Belgium both signed long-term bilateral security agreements with Ukraine on 28 May. Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed support on 28 May for delisting the Taliban as a prohibited organisation in Russia, indicating that Russia will likely do so soon. Ukrainian forces recently made confirmed advances near Lyptsi, and Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Avdiivka and the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area. The Russian military is reportedly intensifying efforts to recruit citizens from Central African countries to fight in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! Russian troops launched a missile attack on the village of Krasnopillia in Sumy Oblast on the morning of 29 May, killing two people. Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Telegram; Suspilne Quote: "The enemy has once again committed a crime against the civilian population of Sumy Oblast. Today, on 29 May, a missile attack was launched from the territory of the Russian Federation against Krasnopillia hromada. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.] Details: It is reported that as a result of the Russian attack, two people were killed and three were injured. A community arts centre and administrative buildings were also damaged. All necessary services are working at the scene. Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that the impact of the attack is being established. Support UP or become our patron! Russians mount 17 attacks on border areas in Sumy Oblast, killing and injuring civilians The Russian army launched 17 attacks on settlements in Sumy Oblast on 29 May. In total, 68 explosions were documented. Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration Details: In the afternoon, the Russian army launched a missile attack on the Krasnopillia hromada [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.]. Two people are reported to have been killed. The number of people injured has risen to five. One person was injured in a mortar attack in the Seredyna-Buda hromada, where three explosions were recorded. In the Myropillia hromada, the Russians launched artillery attacks. Two explosions were documented. In the Esman hromada, there was a mortar attack (four explosions). In the Shalyhyne hromada, Russia dropped 14 mines. The Russians attacked the Druzhba hromada using multiple-launch rocket systems (11 explosions). A mortar attack was recorded in the Putyvl hromada (17 explosions). In the Velyka Pysarivka hromada, the Russians mounted attacks using UAVs (four explosions) and a mortar (eight explosions). Support UP or become our patron! The aftermath of Russians attacked the city of Nikopol. Photo: Lysak on Telegram The Russians attacked Nikopol, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with heavy artillery, resulting in two dead and two injured on the afternoon of 29 May. Source: Serhii Lysak, the Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "We have the wounded in Nikopol again because of the Russians. These are two men aged 64 and 52. Both have blast injuries." The aftermath of Russians attacked the city of Nikopol. Photo: Lysak on Telegram Details: He said that one of the men is in critical condition, and both wounded people have been taken to hospital. The aftermath of Russians attacked the city of Nikopol. Photo: Lysak on Telegram Lysak reported that the Russians shelled the city from heavy artillery, damaging a library, a shop, and a power line. Updated: Later, Lysak reported that the attack on Nikopol resulted in two fatalities: a man, 52, injured in the morning, died in hospital. The medics were trying to save him but the injuries were fatal. In the afternoon, the Russian troops killed one more person. They attacked an ambulance with a kamikaze drone. A 54-year-old driver was killed. His wife, 53, was hospitalised in a serious condition. Support UP or become our patron! During the attack of the Russian forces on Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, eight civilians have been injured. Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office; Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration Details: On 29 May, at approximately 14:00, the Russian army shelled the city of Lyman. A microdistrict with residential buildings was in the epicentre of the strike. Eight residents who were in the area were injured and received contusions as a result of the attack by the Russian Armed Forces. Five women and three men, aged 18 to 69, received medical care. Three two-storey houses were damaged. The site of the strike is being investigated. The type of weapon used by the Russians is also being determined. Updated: Filashkin clarified that the Russians launched five strikes on the city: four UMPB D-30 SM unified multi-purpose glide bombs and one Grom-E1 missile. As of now, there is information on three damaged residential buildings and three administrative buildings. Support UP or become our patron! (FOX40.COM) On a spring day in March 1942, a convoy of 22 Army Air Corps B-25s completed their cross-country flight to McClellan Air Depot for final preparation of what would become the Doolittle Raid. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, President Roosevelt tasked his senior military command with finding a way to deliver a strike against the Japanese that would meet the public outrage of the American people. Mather Airport, the historic airfield named after a pioneering pilot In January 1942, Captain Francis Low, upon seeing the newly completed USS Hornet CV-8, cooked up the idea that the B-25 medium bomber could take off from the carrier deck and make the 2,000-mile flight to strike Tokyo. USAF Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle was selected to plan the details of the raid and would eventually lead it. Just three months later, a group of about 20 B-25s would spend three weeks training under the tutelage of naval aviator Lt. Henry Miller on how to take off from a 350-foot runway at Eglin Airfield in Florida with a payload of 31,000 pounds. Upon completing their initial training in Florida, the B-25s were sent on solo non-stop flights to Sacramento. Oklahoma Air Force planes return home after evacuation to Sacramento B-25 pilot Edgar McElroy flew the #13 aircraft on the Doolittle Raid and recounted the several thousand-mile flight from Eglin to Sacramento in a letter that is now kept at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Our orders were to fly to McClelland Air Base in Sacramento, California on our own, at the lowest possible level. So here we went on our way west, scraping the tree tops at 160 miles per hour, and skimming along just 50 feet above plowed fields. We crossed North Texas and then the panhandle, scaring the dickens out of livestock, buzzing farm houses and a many a barn along the way. Over the Rocky Mountains and across the Mojave Desert dodging thunderstorms, we enjoyed the flight immensely and although tempted, I didnt do too much dare-devil stuff. We didnt know it at the time, but it was good practice for what lay ahead of us. It proved to be our last fling. US Army Air Corps pilot Edgar McElroy At the time the men of the Doolittle Raid arrived in Sacramento, McClellan employed around 20,000 people and was instrumental in providing operational support for numerous critical missions in the Pacific Theater, according to the Ken Burns documentary The War. Once in Sacramento, the 22 aircraft were handed over to the civilian mechanics at McClellan who carried out changing the propellers on all of the aircraft as they were found to have been scratched and marred. The high-flying spy planes of Northern California Once replaced, the aircraft went from a speed of 220 mph to 275 mph with the same power settings. No further modifications or adjustments were to be made to the aircraft unless ordered by Doolittle. This order was not known by all of the civilian mechanics. According to Department of Defense documents, carburetors fine-tuned during training at Eglin were reset to factory settings, which infuriated Doolittle. Additional take-off and flight training were carried out from McClellan and across the Sacramento Valley until April 1, when Doolittle deemed the planes mechanically capable. The man behind the name of Travis Air Force Base Upon departing Sacramento for Alameda, the base operations officer had Doolittle fill out a compulsory work completion form, to which Doolittle wrote across the form LOUSY! According to McElroy, of the 22 aircraft that arrived in Sacramento, only 16 were selected to be loaded onto the Hornet for the mission, based on their mechanical worthiness. On April 18, 1942, all 16 aircraft successfully launched from the deck of the Hornet with their four 500-lb. bombs and hit military and industrial targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka and Nagoya. McElroy was the thirteenth aircraft to take off from the deck of the Hornet that was tossing in a violent sea with winds at 20 knots. That time Northern California had a near nuclear accident I released the brakes and we started rolling forward, and as I looked down the flight-deck you could see straight down into the angry churning water. As we slowly gained speed, the deck gradually began to pitch back up. I pulled up and our plane slowly strained up and away from the ship. There was a big cheer and whoops from the crew, but I just felt relieved and muttered to myself, Boy, that was short! US Army Air Corps pilot Edgar McElroy After their bombing run, McElroy and his crew were forced to jump from their B-25 in the pitch black of night over China and were able to get help from Chinese citizens as they made their way to India. He would go on to fly a DC-3 over the Himalayan Mountains in the China-Burma-India Theater to deliver supplies to allied forces in the area. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. Mark Fox pleads guilty to attempted murder of his wife and killing her dog in Marion County Circuit Court on Wednesday. Salem business owner and contractor Mark Fox pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder of his wife and killing her dog in November 2023, and five other charges from earlier assaults on her. Fox, 53, was arrested Oct. 11 on charges of choking his wife. He was released on bail the following day under a no-contact order. Marion County Sheriffs deputies responded at 4 p.m. Nov. 8 to a domestic disturbance at his wife's home on Viewcrest Road S, just outside of the Salem city limits, according to a probable cause statement. His wife had been stabbed multiple times in the neck. She was taken to Salem Hospital, where she underwent surgery. The dog was transported to an emergency veterinary clinic, where it later died. Fox had arrived at the house with zip ties, duct tape and an eight-inch hunting knife, which he used to stab her and her dog, according to the probable cause statement. Police searched for Fox for four hours, locating him in a wooded area. He had repeatedly stabbed himself, according to court records His wife has filed for divorce. Judge James Edmonds hears the change of plea for Mark Fox on Wednesday. Fox pleads guilty, sentencing scheduled Fox, the owner of White Oak Construction, entered the courtroom on Wednesday in hand and leg chains and a yellow sweatshirt with Marion County Jail printed on the back. He pleaded guilty before Marion County Circuit Court Judge James Edmonds to attempted murder and assault and aggravated animal abuse. Fox also pleaded guilty to three counts of strangulation, unlawful use of a firearm and resisting arrest in conjunction with the Oct. 9, 2023 assault of his wife. Edmonds read each count separately to Fox, and he answered Guilty or Guilty, your honor, to each. Are you thinking clearly today, Edmonds asked Fox. Yes, Fox replied. As part of his plea agreement, Fox waved being indicted on the charges involving attempting to kill his wife. Marion County deputy district attorney Matthew Kemmy said the remaining seven charges against Fox will be waved at his June 17 sentencing. Edmonds said Fox will be sentenced to prison for at least 7 1/2 years under Oregons mandatory minimum sentencing laws and could receive up to 28 years. The judge ordered Fox held in jail without bail. Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem business owner Mark Fox admits attempting to kill wife BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China will raise more funds through treasury bond issuance in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading financial centers, in 2024 than in previous years, as the city is engaging more closely in national development. The Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that it will issue yuan-denominated treasury bonds worth 55 billion yuan (about 7.73 billion U.S. dollars) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) this year. The second batch of treasury bonds, worth 11 billion yuan, will hit the market on June 5 following the first tranche of 12 billion yuan issued in March. The treasury bond funds to be raised this year will be significantly larger than 30 billion yuan in 2023, 23 billion yuan in 2022, and 20 billion yuan in 2021. Hong Kong retained the fourth place globally in a financial centers index published in March by British and Chinese think tanks, which assessed 121 financial hubs around the world. Hong Kong has been striving to align itself with national development strategies and play an important role in connecting domestic and international markets, a spokesperson for the HKSAR government said earlier this year. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The temperatures are going to rise soon, and The Salvation Army and Westlake ACE Hardware are working to help Kansans beat the heat. The two are partnering for a fan drive now through June 16. Customers at Westlake ACE will be encouraged to donate by rounding up their purchases at the register. All donations will go to new box fans for local Salvation Army locations. Westlake said in a news release last year that customers donated more than $3,100, which resulted in 196 box fans to The Salvation Army. Little House on the Prairie cast coming to Kansas for anniversary As the summer heat approaches, the needs of the families we support only increase, said Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, National Commander of The Salvation Army. Families should not have to endure uncomfortable temperatures on top of their existing struggles. The continued partnership and support from Westlake Ace Hardware and its generous customers enables us to provide essential relief to our neighbors in need. Contributions to the Fan Drive are welcome at all Westlake Ace stores across the country, Buikemas Ace Hardware locations in Illinois, and select Ace Hardware stores in California. All donations stay in the local 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 KSN-TV. Conservative Supreme Court justice Samuel Alitos goofy excuse for flying an inverted U.S. flag outside his Virginia homethat his wife did it because she was upset about a neighbors signhas deteriorated more swiftly than civil rights under the high court. In an interview with The New York Times, Alito neighbor Emily Baden detailed a series of disputes she had with Alitos wife, Martha-Ann, roundly debunking every part of the Alitos fascist flag-loving story. Baden also revealed that Alitos wife is a bit of a nightmare neighboryelling incoherently at her, spitting toward her vehicle, accosting her, and sending a coded Christmas card to the family home. According to receipts provided to the Times, the core dispute that Alito claims instigated his wifes decision to fly an inverted flag outside their home actually occurred nearly a month after the flag was spotted outside their home. On February 15, 2021, Badens then boyfriend called the police over harassment they were experiencing from Martha-Ann Alito, telling Fairfax County police, Somebody in a position of authority needs to talk to her and make her stop. According to an interview Samuel Alito gave to a sympathetic Fox News face, the Alitos were inexplicably harassed by a male neighbor, who placed a sign outside directly accusing Martha-Ann Alito of inciting the January 6 Capitol riot. But as Baden tells it, Martha-Ann Alito regularly harassed her and her partner, including glaring creepily from her car at their home the day after the Capitol riot, where they had placed signs declaring, Trump is a fascist and broadly criticizing Republicans who refused to condemn the riot with a sign that read, You are complicit. Alito, via Fox News, also claimed a man hurled a vulgarity at his innocent wife. In reality, as confirmed by both Baden and a neighbor who witnessed the dispute, Baden is the one who shouted at Martha-Ann after she criticized a Fuck Trump sign placed in their yard. Baden responded along the lines of, How dare you behave this way. Youve been harassing usover signs. You represent the highest court in the land. Shame on you, according to the Times. In a statement to the Times, Alito claimed the flag was placed in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. Baden, however, says she never saw the inverted flag, and its not viewable from her mothers home. Baden further detailed instances of Martha-Ann lingering outside their home, glaring at them for their yard signs the day after the Capitol riot. Last Christmas, Badens mother, Barbara, received a Christmas card from the Alitos that included a handwritten note reading, May you have PEACE. None of the Alitos thin story explains why they also flew a Christian nationalist flag outside their vacation home in New Jersey in 2023. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday rejected a congressional call to recuse himself from lawsuits relating to the 2020 presidential electionspecifically, Trump v. United States. In a letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse, Alito argued that his impartiality had not reasonably come into question and he therefore would not sit out from the immunity case that branched off of Donald Trumps election interference trial. Alito was accused of compromising the courts impartiality after controversial, January 6affiliated flags were spotted flying at two of his countryside homes: a Stop the Steal upside-down U.S. flag at his house in Arlington, Virginia, and an Appeal to Heaven flaga Revolutionary War symbol adopted by Christian nationalistsat the judges New Jersey vacation home. But the details of the flags and their meanings dont matter at all, according to Alito, simply because he didnt know about them. As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag, Alito wrote. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused. Both instances, according to Alito, can be chalked up to having a wife who is fond of flying flagsregardless of her political leanings or his affiliation to her, her reasons for flying the flag are not relevant to his ability to weigh in on the immunity case, he claimed. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings, Alito argued. A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal. I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request. It remains to be seen what further actions might be taken against the conservative justice, but its not the only formal reprimand on the table for Alito. Last week, Representative Steve Cohen introduced the censure resolution against the Supreme Court justice for knowingly violating the Federal recusal statute and binding ethics standards and calling the impartiality of the Supreme Court of the United States into question. Justice Samuel Alito is rejecting calls for his recusal from January 6-related cases. Alito blamed his wife for flying two controversial flags that have ties to right-wing movements. But Alito's explanation for why and when his wife flew one of the flags isn't adding up. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is doubling down on blaming his wife for flying two flags that are associated with right-wing groups and ideas over the couple's homes in recent years. In a Wednesday letter to House and Senate Democrats, Alito rejected lawmakers' calls for him to recuse himself from two high-profile cases involving former President Donald Trump and January 6 rioters, saying he had nothing to do with the partisan flags flying over his properties. "My wife is fond of flying flags," Alito wrote. "I am not." But Alito's efforts to address the flag fiasco have left more questions than answers, all the while sparking another neutrality crisis for a high court already wracked by conflict of interest allegations. Neighborly dispute What began as a dispute over an anti-Trump sign in Alito's Virginia neighborhood back in 2021 has exploded into a national news story after The New York Times reported this month that an upside-down American flag was flown outside the justice's house soon after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Upside-down American flags have been used as a symbol to protest slavery and the Vietnam War, but the practice has more recently been adopted by proponents of the "Stop the Steal" campaign, which erroneously claims Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Alito has repeatedly denied any part in flying the flag above his home, telling The Times earlier this month that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, raised the flag in response to an ongoing fight with two residents in the neighborhood. In his Wednesday letter, Alito said his wife was involved in "nasty" fight with two neighbors, adding that she only raised the flag after a male neighbor "berated her" using "foul language, including what I regard as the vilest epithet that can be addressed to a woman." But Emily Baden, one of the neighbors involved in the dispute, told The Times this week that it was she not her then-boyfriend who used the curse word, saying the verbal altercation took place weeks after the flag was flown outside Alito's home. The outlet obtained a text message and police call that backed up Baden's timeline, calling into question Alito's version of events. The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Alito said he asked his wife to take the flag down "as soon as I saw it," but for "several days," she refused. Samuel Alito Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images "My wife and I own our Virginia home jointly. She, therefore, has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit, and there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly," he wrote. Martha-Ann Alito appeared to have at least some awareness of the upside-down flag's meaning in 2021, telling a Washington Post reporter at the time that the flag was "an international signal of distress" and suggesting its presence at her home was in response to the neighborhood dispute. A second flag Alito's explanation for why his wife raised the upside-down flag in January 2021 also doesn't account for the second controversial flag now tied to the couple. The Times reported this month that an "Appeal to Heaven" flag was flown outside Alito's New Jersey beach house as recently as last summer. The flag also has ties to January 6, 2021, rioters and proponents of a more Christian government. Alito said he was not familiar with the "Appeal to Heaven" flag when his wife flew it, writing that he assumed it was expressing a religious and patriotic message. He said neither he nor his wife were aware the flag had any association with the "Stop the Steal" movement. "She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings," Alito wrote. In his letter to Democrats, Alito says he is "confident" that his explanations are sufficient cause for rejecting calls for his recusal. However, the Supreme Court's own code of conduct states justices shouldn't give the appearance of any political opinion or bias with regard to issues that could appear before the court. Alito and his colleagues will soon rule on two major cases related to the January 6, 2021, rioters and Trump in outcomes that could have an influence on the upcoming 2024 presidential election. A legal ethics professor told BI earlier this month that the flags would have almost certainly disqualified Alito from such cases if he were on a lower court, but the Supreme Court's code of conduct is "merely performative." Read the original article on Business Insider SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) With spring graduation season coming to a close, those accomplished students are now looking ahead to map out career opportunities. The question many new graduates pose to themselves: which city should I move to for an entry-level position in my field? Researchers with Preply, an online language learning marketplace, recently conducted a study to narrow down the best cities for graduates to start their careers. Factors considered included employment opportunities, quality of life, cultural and social environment, technology and innovation, diversity and inclusion, among other things. Two San Diego areas among most desired destinations for retirees in California: survey The researchers also considered the presence of entry-level positions across leading industries actively recruiting new graduates, as well as the availability of mid-level positions to ensure prospects for advancement and competitive salaries. More on their methodology can be found here. San Diego ranked No. 14 on the list with an average entry level salary of $57,679, according to Preplys data. One major factor that landed the city in the top 20 is its number of pharmaceutical jobs per 100,000 residents, which is the most among U.S. cities The top city overall for college graduates, based on this study, is Miami, Florida, which had the highest number of co-working spaces of any city. Coming in second was Washington, D.C., which as thee highest number of business and industry associations. Then in third was neighboring Los Angeles, which has the highest number of entry-level and mid-level jobs of any other city researched. The full results of the study 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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a hearing to examine the past two years since the Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade and the impact of the subsequent Republican abortion bans. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which Sanders chairs, will hold the hearing June 4, titled The Assault on Womens Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America. Witnesses for the hearing have not yet been announced. In the two years since Roe was overturned, Republican abortion bans have created a full-blown health care crisis forcing providers to close their doors and shut down their practices, putting womens lives in danger, decimating access to maternal health care, and forcing women to remain pregnant, no matter their circumstances, the two senators said in a statement. Since the Supreme Courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision, 14 states have enacted total abortion bans and seven have passed bans within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. The Senate Judiciary Committee previously held a hearing titled The Continued Assault on Reproductive Freedoms in a Post-Dobbs America in March, with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) among the panelists who testified. The anti-abortion movement has shown its cruelty and utter disregard for womens lives again and again, and it is essential that we use every opportunity to continue to make clear exactly how extreme right-wing abortion bans and restrictions on reproductive health care have endangered women, hurt families, and rolled back rights, Murray and Sanders added. The office of HELP committee ranking member Bill Cassidy (R-La.) did not immediately respond when reached for comment about the hearing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are scrutinizing a data analytic firm over concerns the services it provides to insurance companies are leaving patients with sky-high medical bills. The senators issued a letter last week to Travis Dalton, president and CEO of the health care data analytics firm MultiPlan, stating their concerns over reports his companys negotiation process for out-of-network claims dramatically reduces plan payments for out-of-network services and leaves patients with sky-high medical bills that they are on the hook for paying. In the letter, Sanders and Wyden cited a New York Times investigation last month that found that MultiPlan and the insurers it works with benefitted financially by recommending smaller reimbursements for services provided by out-of-network physicians. We are concerned that your companys Data iSight product improperly drives up patient health care costs and, further, that the financial incentives built into the fee for the use of the Data iSight product result in an improper conflict of interest between determining a plans liability for out-of-network claims and the plans duty to provide promised benefits pursuant to [Employee Retirement Income Security Act], they wrote. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 sets minimum standards for voluntarily established health plans within the private sector. Denying employees benefits from a qualifying plan or breaching fiduciary duties are considered violations of the ERISA. They noted MultiPlan once negotiated directly with health care providers to determine what rate would be paid under a group health plan, but its Data iSight product now operates as an opaque process. Because your company is paid more when it reaches lower payment amounts, the payments to health care providers are often far lower than the billed amount, with some describing these amounts as crazy low,' they added. When the plan is only willing to pay this low amount, patients are on the hook for the remaining bill, which in extreme cases can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wyden and Sanders requested that MultiPlan brief the Senate committees on Finance and on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which they respectively chair, on the allegations in the Times article. They also asked to know if MultiPlan denies ERISA fiduciary status as part of the services it provides. MultiPlan plays a critical role in the healthcare system by helping lower out-of-pocket costs and reducing or eliminating medical bills for millions of patients, MultiPlan said in a statement to The Hill. We are working with the Committees to address their questions and explain the cost and complexity patients can face when obtaining out-of-network medical services, especially when many providers charge many times more than what they charge Medicare and commercial in-network patients for the same services. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) flagged The New York Times article to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission last month, asking that they investigate the use of algorithms that collect and process data in the out-of-network insurance payment industry. MultiPlan is currently facing several lawsuits by health systems in the U.S. who allege the companys algorithm resulted in reimbursements rates far below what insurers would have paid otherwise. Community Health Systems, one of the largest hospital chains in the U.S., filed its own lawsuit earlier this month. MultiPlan has created, and continues to orchestrate, an ongoing cartel agreement with competing health insurance companies throughout the United States to bilk healthcare providers out of billions of dollars per year, Community Health Systems wrote in its complaint. Updated at 2:49 p.m. EDT Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. General view of tents in which displaced Palestinians take refuge in, next to the Egyptian border with the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah hit tents housing displaced people, Palestinian medics said on 27 May evening. The Palestinian Red Crescent said on X that there were "numerous" people killed and injured in the bombardment north-west of Rafah. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel following deadly airstrikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Riyadh condemned "the continuous genocidal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah." The ministry added that the kingdom was holding Israel "fully responsible for what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories," as well as denouncing what it termed "continuous blatant violations of all humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms." Several Arab countries have condemned an Israeli strike on Sunday that hit tents housing displaced people near Rafah, reportedly killing 45 people. A lifeless body of a Palestinian child, Oday El-Ghusain, 3 months, lies on the ground before transporting to the mortuary of Al-Aqsa Hospital for burial. Ali Hamad/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel's deadly airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a Foreign Ministry statement said on Wednesday. The kingdom denounced "the continuous genocidal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenceless Palestinian refugees in Rafah." Riyadh held Israel fully responsible "for what is happening in Rafah and across the occupied Palestinian territories." It added that Israel's violations of international and humanitarian resolutions "exacerbate the magnitude of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe experienced by the Palestinian people." Palestinian medics on Tuesday said dozens of people have died in fresh Israeli attacks on Rafah, two days after 45 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike which sparked international condemnation. The latest attacks come in the wake of a ruling last week by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to end the operation in Rafah immediately. Israel has so far refused to obey the ruling. Jordan has also condemned "Israeli occupation forces targeting of tents of displaced Palestinians in Rafah and their continuation of committing horrible war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza," according to a Foreign Ministry statement late Tuesday. SCs Clyburn has found companionship since wifes death. Shes also on his campaign payroll U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Santee, whose wife, Emily, died in 2019, has had a companion on his campaign payroll since 2021, according to Federal Elections Commission reports. Clyburn has paid Virginia Newman $50,000 out of campaign funds since November 2021 through the first quarter of 2024 for clerical services, according to FEC reports. Clyburn, South Carolinas highest ranking Democratic elected official, has not publicly discussed his relationship with Newman, but they have attended events together. In December 2022 Clyburn and Newman attended a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron. In January, when President Joe Biden visited Columbia ahead of South Carolinas Democratic presidential primary, Clyburn was among those to greet Biden when Air Force One arrived in Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Newman joined Clyburn as his only guest. An official with the White House described Newman as Clyburns partner. Clyburns office later described the relationship as someone he spends his time with. Emily Clyburn, who was married to Jim Clyburn for 58 years, died in September 2019. Clyburn, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, does not draw serious election challenges. However, he is able to raise millions for reelection, which he can then donate to other campaigns. It is not illegal to pay family members or significant others for campaign duties. Clyburns grandson Walter Reed served as campaign manager during the 2022 campaign. Michael Toner, an election law attorney who served on the Federal Elections Commission from 2002 through 2007, including as its chairman in 2006, said its legal for candidates to employ family members and significant others as long as theyre performing actual work and are being paid an appropriate wage or salary for the area for the work. Toner conceded the practice of hiring family members or significant others is criticized if someone is being paid above fair market value or because of the appearance of nepotism. The rule is family members, sons, daughters, parents and significant others can work for federal campaigns, they can work for federal leadership PACs, as long as theyre doing bona fide work and as long as theyre being paid fair market value for their services, Toner said. Toner describe the amount of money paid to Newman as a modest sum, especially as its spread over three and half years. Newmans pay was about $22,000 a year for 2022 and 2023. That doesnt strike me as outlandish, Toner said. That seems pretty reasonable. Clyburns campaign would not comment on the relationship between Newman and the congressman. As properly reported in FEC reports, Ms. Virginia Newman performs various financial bookkeeping and clerical services for the campaign, Clyburn campaign spokeswoman Brianna Frias said in a statement to The State. Ms. Newman originally began performing clerical duties when the congressman ran for Secretary of State and other state-level offices early in his career and resumed the role in 2021. She has decades of professional experience in this area and is paid a fair market rate for her services. Le General de brigade Brigitte Onkanowa, a procede, ce vendredi 29 decembre, a la cloture de sa serie de visite des casernes au Genie militaire, sis au Camp Baraka de Libreville. Photo N 80938 GUANGZHOU, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A cross-Strait exchange event that opened in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Wednesday has called for concerted efforts across the Taiwan Strait to advance China's reunification. More than 200 people, including heads of political parties and youth representatives from Taiwan as well as cross-Strait experts, attended the annual event, which is in its fourth edition this year. In his address, Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, invited Taiwan compatriots to make investments and pursue personal development in Guangdong, a pioneer of China's reform and opening-up initiative. He also pledged further efforts to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields between Guangdong and Taiwan. Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, reiterated the mainland's firm will and strong capabilities of resolving the Taiwan question. "We reserve the option of taking all measures necessary," Song said, calling on Taiwan compatriots to firmly uphold the one-China principle, oppose "Taiwan independence" and external interference, and work to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and cross-Strait integrated development. Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and Wu Cheng-tien, chairman of the New Party, condemned Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te for promoting "Taiwan independence" separatism and being willing to serve as a pawn for external forces, which has escalated tensions across the Strait while disregarding the safety and happiness of the 23 million Taiwan compatriots. The two-day event also features three sub-forums that will be held in Foshan and Zhuhai, respectively, after the opening ceremony. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster held a ceremonial signing in Spartanburg Wednesday for two bills focused on children. House Bill 4624, called the Help not Harm Bill, bans certain medical care for transgender youth, while House Bill 3424, or the Child Online Safety Act, restricts access to pornographic websites for minors by requiring the websites to have age verification. Legislators said the bills were to ensure children were protected in South Carolina. We have to see that we take care of our children, but we cant be there all the time. So somebody has to look out for them, McMaster said during the ceremony held at First Baptist North Church. The Child Online Safety Act was inspired by a similar law passed in Louisiana, according to the lead sponsor, Rep. Travis Moore (R-Spartanburg.) The new bill ensures websites containing pornography have age verifications on its websites, and if they fail to do so, will result in liability for nominal damages, actual damages, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees as ordered by the court. I agree its a parents job and primary responsibility to raise and protect their children, Moore said. But when you deal with issues like this, evils that are so pervasive, the parents are outnumbered and thats where its appropriate for the state to step in and produce policy to help parents protect their children. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Help, Not Harm bill into law. The governor came to the First Baptist Church of North Spartanburg on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 to mark the bill's signing into law. The Help, Not Harm bill ensures minors are not given gender transition medications or procedures such as puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. The bills became effective immediately after McMaster signed them on May 21. House Bill 4624 bill prohibits any form of puberty-blocking or hormone therapy. It also makes it a felony to perform gender reassignment surgery on those under 18. We dont know how many surgeries have taken place in South Carolina related to this issue, but one is too many, said state Rep. David Hiott (R-Pickens), lead sponsor of the bill. More: South Carolina Gov. McMaster signs bill outlawing transgender care for trans youth Under the new bill, minors can still be prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy to treat certain conditions such as precocious puberty or endometriosis. The law also bans the South Carolina Medicaid program from providing coverage for gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy to adults and minors. The bill passed on the last day of the legislative session after the House agreed to accept the Senates changes to the law. The Senate's major change was an amendment requiring public school administrators to report students to parents if they were identifying as a different gender from their assigned sex or using different pronouns. We had all these people screaming at us, we hated kids, we hate children, that we dont care about the emotions of kids Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R-Spartanburg) said. But why were here is because we love kids. We care about them, we care about protecting them. Opponents said the bill would be a forced outing and could be dangerous for children not yet ready to tell their parents if they were transgender. Still, legislators pushed for it, saying that parents had the right to know if their children were identifying as a gender different from their sex. While some legislators said the bill was designed to protect children, others say otherwise. South Carolina State Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers (D-Spartanburg) and local advocates, including Jodi Snyder, program director of Uplift Outreach Center, and Amberlyn Boiter, president of PFLAG Spartanburg, held a press conference following McMaster's ceremonial signing. South Carolina State Representative Rosalyn Henderson-Myers, center front, speaks out against Gov. Henry McMaster signing H.4624, which bans certain medical care for transgender youth. South Carolina State Representative Rosalyn Henderson-Myers and others spoke out against the bill at 505 E Main St, Spartanburg. "This bill that was signed today is an attack on families, it's an attack on our children," Henderson-Myers said. Snyder, who works with LGBTQ youth through the outreach center, said the organization has seen an "uptick in suicidal ideations and much more need for mental health services" since the bill was introduced this year. The outreach center provides mental health support and community for LGBTQ youth. Looking ahead at what's next for transgender youth, Boiter said there are organizations, such as the Campaign for Southern Equality and Planned Parenthood, working not only to help provide transgender youth with out-of-state medical care but are also considering challenging the legislation in court. Challenges to similar laws in southern states such as Tennessee and Kentucky are taking place. "We will never stop working to make sure that you continue to be supported and cared for. We will not rest until you and your families are made whole again. And we can call South Carolina a safe and free place to live," Boiter said, speaking directly to the state's transgender youth. Savannah Moss covers politics for the Greenville News. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @Savmoss. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: McMaster signs ceremonial bill banning puberty-blocking therapy in SC Judge in Scott Peterson case allows new DNA test on one piece of evidence A judge presiding over Scott Peterson's latest bid for a new trial on Wednesday afternoon ruled that only one piece of evidence will be allowed a new round of DNA testing. Peterson attended court in Redwood City via Zoom from Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County where he is currently serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 2004 of killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and her unborn son, Connor. Peterson's lawyers with the Los Angeles Innocence Project who took up the case in January had requested that more than a dozen pieces of evidence from the original investigation undergo new DNA testing. That includes a bloody mattress found in a burned-out van near Peterson's home in Modesto shortly after his wife had gone missing. On Wednesday, the judge ruled that a single 15.5 inch long piece of duct tape that was found on Laci Peterson's pants at the time of her autopsy will be tested for DNA. All of the other evidence that Peterson's lawyers were asking to have new DNA tests on were denied. In her ruling, the judge stated that most of the items were either not in police custody, were not in a condition to be tested, or would not have changed the outcome of his conviction at the time of the trial. One of the items, a mattress, had "stains that tested presumptively positive for blood," but "only a very small portion of the mattress fabric was tested for DNA," lawyers claimed in court documents. They argued that testing was "insufficient to determine whether DNA from Laci and/or Conner was present." Detectives discovered there had been a burglary just across the street from where Peterson lived with his pregnant wife. One witness told police she believed that the burglary happened the same morning Laci Peterson disappeared. Bryan Spitulski, a former fire investigator who responded to the crime, believes the van may be relevant to Laci Peterson's murder. Spitulski was working for the Modesto Fire Department on Christmas morning in 2002, one day after Laci Peterson disappeared, when he was sent to investigate the van fire. Sputulski, who currently works as a private fire investigator, previously told CBS News the presumptive positive sample he sent to the Justice Department came back negative for human blood when it was initially tested. "So, imagine my shock when I found out just a few years ago that it did test positive for human DNA. I had no clue up to this point," he said last month. "I literally got goosebumps and the hair on the back of my neck stood up because it does mean something. It is significant." Sputulski said his goal isn't to free or exonerate Peterson, and unlike the LA Innocence Project he has not accused authorities of purposely ignoring the possibility of the van being important in the original investigation. "I think now that we are aware of it, somebody should allow that to be looked at and to be identified as yes or no, whether it's an issue or not an issue, human DNA or it's not. Then we are done with it and it's over it," he said. Peterson was sentenced to death in March 2005. He had admitted to police he was fishing on the day his wife disappeared but during the trial, he could not explain what type of fish he was trying to catch that day. Peterson had also sold his wife's car, researched selling their house, and turned the baby nursery into a storage room in the weeks after Laci disappeared. The California Supreme Court in 2020 overturned Peterson's death sentence after finding that potential jurors were improperly dismissed after saying they disagreed with the death penalty but would follow the law and impose it. In 2021, Peterson was resentenced to life in prison without parole under the glaring eyes of Laci Peterson's family. Peterson was moved from San Quentin State Prison, now known as San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, to Mule Creek State Prison east of Sacramento in 2022. Later that year, a judge denied Peterson's plea for a new trial, ruling that a former juror was not guilty of misconduct during the trial. Another Peterson hearing is expected in July. Second American sentenced after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos Judge shocked after man with suspended driver's license shows up to court Zoom call while driving U.S.-made bombs used in Rafah airstrike, weapons experts say Transgenic sea urchins are fluoresced to make it easier for researchers to track cell movement. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) Consider the sea urchin. Specifically, the painted urchin: Lytechinus pictus , a prickly Ping-Pong ball from the eastern Pacific Ocean. The species is a smaller and shorter-spined cousin of the purple urchins devouring kelp forests . They produce massive numbers of sperm and eggs that fertilize outside of their bodies, allowing scientists to watch the process of urchin creation up close and at scale. One generation gives rise to the next in four to six months. They share more genetic material with humans than fruit flies do and cant fly away in short, an ideal lab animal for the developmental biologist. Scientists have been using sea urchins to study cell development for roughly 150 years. Despite urchins' status as super reproducers, practical concerns often compel scientists to focus their work on more easily accessible animals: mice, fruit flies, worms. Scientists working with mice, for example, can order animals online with the specific genetic properties they are hoping to study transgenic animals, whose genes have been artificially tinkered with to express or repress certain traits. Researchers working with urchins typically have to spend part of their year collecting them from the ocean. Can you imagine if mouse researchers were setting a mousetrap every night, and whatever it is they caught is what they studied? said Amro Hamdoun , a professor at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography. UC San Diego professor Amro Hamdoun holds a painted urchin. His breakthrough creating the creatures could lead to developments in science and medicine. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) Marine invertebrates represent about 40% of the animal worlds biological diversity yet appear in a scant fraction of a percentage of animal-based studies. What if researchers could access sea urchins as easily as mice? What if it were possible to make and raise lines of transgenic urchins? How much more could we learn about how life works? You know how during the pandemic, everyone was making sourdough? I'm not good at making sourdough, Hamdoun said recently at his office in Scripps Hubbs Hall. He set his sights instead on a project of a different sort: a new transgenic lab animal, a fruit fly from the sea. In March, Hamdouns lab published a paper on the bioRxiv preprint server demonstrating the successful insertion of a piece of foreign DNA specifically, a fluorescent protein from a jellyfish into the genome of a painted urchin that passed the change down to its offspring. The result is the first transgenic sea urchin, one that happens to glow like a Christmas bulb under a fluorescent light. (The paper has been submitted for peer review.) The animals are the first transgenic echinoderms, the phylum that includes starfish, sea cucumbers and other marine animals. Hamdouns mission is to make genetically modified urchins available to researchers anywhere, not just those who happen to work in research facilities at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Postdoctoral researcher Elliot Jackson works with sea urchin eggs in a lab at Scripps. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) If you look at some of the other model organisms, like Drosophila [fruit flies], zebrafish and mouse, there are well-established resource centers, said Elliot Jackson, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps and lead author of the paper. If you want a transgenic line that labels the nervous system, you could probably get that. You could order it. And that's what we hope we can be for sea urchins. Being able to genetically modify an animal supercharges what scientists can learn from it, with implications far beyond any individual species. It will transform sea urchins as a model for understanding neurobiology, for understanding developmental biology, for understanding toxicology, said Christopher Lowe , a Stanford professor of biology who was not involved in the research. Read more: What are the blue blobs washing up on SoCal beaches? Welcome to Velella velella Valhalla The lab's breakthrough, and its focus on making the animals freely available to fellow scientists, will allow us to explore how evolution has solved a lot of really complicated life problems, he said. Researchers tend to study mice, flies and the like not because the animals biology is best suited to answer their questions but because all the tools that were necessary to get at your questions were built up in just a few species, said Deirdre Lyons , an associate professor of biology at Scripps who worked with Hamdoun on early research related to the project. Expanding the range of animals available for sophisticated lab work is like adding colors to an artists palette, Lyons said: Now you can go get the color that you really want, that best fits your vision, rather than being stuck with a few models. Painted urchins and humans live vastly different lives but genetically are quite similar. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) On the ground floor of Hamdouns office building is the Hubbs Hall experimental aquarium, a garage-like space crammed with tanks full of recirculating seawater and a motley assortment of marine life. On a recent visit, Hamdoun reached into a tank and gently dislodged a painted urchin. It scooched with surprising speed across an outstretched palm, as if exploring alien terrain. The last common ancestor of L. pictus and Homo sapiens lived at least 550 million years ago. Despite the different evolutionary paths we've since traveled, our genomes reveal a shared biological heritage. The genetic instructions that drive the transformation of a single zygote into a living body are strikingly similar in our two species. Specialized systems differentiating from a single fertilized egg and the translation of a jumble of proteins into a singular living thing on the cellular level, all of that proceeds in much the same way for urchins and people. These animals are really fundamental to our understanding of all of life, Hamdoun said, placing the urchin back in its tank. And historically, very inaccessible genetically. The experimental aquarium was built in the 1970s, when scooping life from the sea was the only way to acquire research specimens. A few floors up in Hubbs Hall, Hamdoun led the way into the urchin nursery the first large-scale effort to raise successive generations of the animals in a laboratory. At any given moment, the team has 1,000 to 2,000 sea urchins in various stages of development. Hamdoun points to transgenic sea urchins his lab is raising at Scripps. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) Row upon row of tiny plastic tanks stood against a wall, each containing a lentil-size juvenile urchin. A strip of tape on each tank noted the animals genetic modification and date of fertilization. On some, a second bit of tape indicated animals that had the modification in their sex cells' DNA, meaning it could be passed down to offspring. (For this reason, the lab keeps its urchins scrupulously separate from the wild population.) One of the big questions in all of biology is to understand how the series of instructions in the genome gives you whatever phenotype you want to study, Hamdoun said essentially, how the string of amino acids that is an animals genetic code gives rise to the characteristics of the living, respiring creature. One of the fundamental things you have to do is be able to modify that genome, and then study what the outcome is. Read more: Surrogate otter mom at Long Beach aquarium is rehabilitating pup 'better than any human ever can' He pointed to a tank containing a tiny urchin from whose genetic code the protein ABCD1 has been snipped. ABCD1 acts like a bouncer, Hamdoun explained, parking along the cell membrane and ejecting foreign molecules. The protein's action can preserve the cell from harmful substances but can sometimes work against an organisms best interest, as when it prevents the cell from absorbing a necessary medication. Researchers using urchins in which that protein no longer works can study the movement of a molecule through an organism DDT, for example and measure how much of the substance ends up in the cell without the confounding interference of ABCD1. They can reverse-engineer how big a role ABCD1 plays in preventing a cell from absorbing a drug. One biology professor said Scripps' work will transform sea urchins as a model for research. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) And then there are the fluorescent urchins. The magic happens in this room, Jackson said, walking into a narrow office with $1 million worth of microscopes at one end and a decades-old hand-cranked centrifuge bolted to a table at another. He placed a petri dish containing three pencil-eraser-size transgenic urchins under a microscope. At 120 times its size, each looked like the Times Square New Years Eve ball come to life a glowing, wiggling creature of pentamerous radial symmetry. Fluorescence is not just an echinoderm party trick. Lighting up the cells makes it easier for researchers to track their movement in a developing organism. Researchers can watch as the early cells of a blastula divide and reorganize into neural or cardiac tissue. Eventually, scientists will be able to turn off individual genes and see how that affects development. It will help us understand how our own species develops, and why that development doesnt always proceed according to plan. Read more: Star USC scientist faces scrutiny retracted papers and a paused drug trial The lab has done a great job. It's really been welcomed by the community, said Marko Horb , senior scientist and director of the National Xenopus Resource at the University of Chicagos Marine Biological Laboratory. Horb runs the national clearinghouse for genetically modified species of Xenopus, a clawed frog used in lab research. Funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, the center develops lines of transgenic frogs for scientific use and distributes them to researchers. Hamdoun envisions a similar resource center for his labs urchins. Theyve already started sending tiny vials of transgenic urchin sperm to interested scientists, who can grow bespoke urchins with eggs acquired from Hamdouns lab or another source. Hamdoun vividly recalls the time he spent earlier in his career trying to track down random snippets of DNA necessary for his research, the disappointment and frustration of writing to professors and former postdocs only to find that the material had long been lost. Hed rather future generations of scientists spend their time on discovery. Biology is really interesting, he said. The more people can get access to it, the more were going to learn. Three transgenic sea urchins in a petri dish. (Sandy Huffaker / For The Times) This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. SEABROOK A Seabrook man is facing more than two dozen charges for allegedly possessing and distributing child sex abuse images. Lance Knowles, 33, of Seabrook, was indicted this month by a Rockingham County grand jury on 13 charges of alleged possession of child sexual abuse images and 12 counts of distribution of child sexual abuse images. An indictment is not an indication of guilt; it means a grand jury found enough evidence to warrant a trial. A Seabrook man is facing more than two dozen charges for allegedly possessing and distributing child sex abuse images. The indictments allege Knowles possessed and distributed images of female children under the age of 18 engaged in illegal sexual activities. Possession of child sex abuse images is a Class A felony punishable, if convicted, by 7 to 15 years in prison and a $4,000 fine per count. The charge of distribution of child sexual abuse images, for the sale, exchange, or transfer of images carries a possible sentence of from 10 to 20 years in prison, according to court documents. All 25 charges relate to crimes that allegedly transpired in Seabrook between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15, 2023, according to the indictments. Hampton Beach charity heist: Man charged with stealing Harley-Davidson motorcycle Seabrook police Lt. Timothy Mone said the charges against Knowles relate to an investigation initiated through New Hampshires Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by Portsmouth Police Lt. Eric Kinsman, commander of the unit. According to Kinsman, N.H. ICAC Task Force receives CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after the organization receives reports from Internet and electronic service providers regarding alleged child sexual abuse material on their platforms. "Predator in every child's pocket": What NH parents must know about child exploitation They are required by federal law to make these reports to NCMEC, Kinsman said. CyberTips are assigned to any one of the 61 ICAC Task Forces across the country based on the geo-location of the IP addresses of where the material was sent and where it was received. In this case, from the CyberTip from NCMEC, it was determined the IP address related to the cases was in Seabrook, according to Kinsman. Hampton police: Man faces drug charges after high-speed pursuit leads to crash NH ICAC assigned the case to Seabrook police for further investigation, according to Kinsman, which ultimately led to the investigation into Knowles. According to Mone, Seabrook police detective Thomas Butcher is the investigator who worked with ICAC on the case. When there was enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant, Mone said one was sought and approved. Seabrook police, along with members of NH ICAC, executed the search and seizure of evidence from Knowles' residence, which led to the charges. Knowles was arrested on Feb. 21, and bail was set at $10,000 cash bail if not accepted into the electronic monitoring program. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 26. Knowles' attorney is Zachary Nelson James of the state's Public Defender Office. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seabrook man charged with possessing, distributing child sex abuse images AFTERMATH OF RUSSIAN ATTACK ON EPICENTR HYPERMARKET IN KHARKIV. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine The search and rescue operation at the Epicentr home improvement hypermarket in Kharkiv, which Russia targeted on 25 May, is complete. A total of 19 civilians were killed in the attack. Source: Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on Telegram Details: Klymenko said the police have identified all 19 bodies of those killed in the Russian airstrikes. Quote: "It wasn't easy. Specialist equipment was used around the clock to search for the bodies among the ashes, and they were swiftly identified using a DNA laboratory. Forensic experts have conducted over 100 tests. Sixteen relatives of missing people contacted the police and provided biological samples for testing. We also engaged expert dog handlers; a service dog discovered one body and one fragment." Details: Klymenko said the strikes on the hypermarket had claimed the lives of 12 men and seven women. A 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl are among the dead. 54 people were injured. Background: On the afternoon of 25 May, Russian forces struck the Epicentr home improvement hypermarket in Kharkiv. It took over 16 hours to put out the fire. On 29 May, it was reported that the death toll had risen to 19. Support UP or become our patron! A Florida pastor, during his tenure as an administrator at a top Southern Baptist seminary, instructed another seminary employee to make a document about an abuse report go away," according to court records. The records, filed by federal prosecutors and unsealed last week, came to light amid an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation into aspects of the Southern Baptist Convention and how the SBC and its affiliated entities handled reports of abuse. The records on the Florida pastor, who prosecutors didn't identify, are part of the case against North Carolina pastor Matt Queen, also former administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, who is accused of falsifying records in an attempt to cover up an abuse report. In a news release last week, FBI Assistant Director James Smith said Queen was part of a conspiracy to destroy evidence related to the ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct. The Florida pastor, who served as the seminary's chief of staff at the time, is Heath Woolman, currently the lead pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in St. Johns, Florida, according to two people familiar with the events outlined by federal prosecutors and an analysis of records from Woolmans tenure at Southwestern. The J.W. "Jack" MacGorman Chapel and Performing Arts Center at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, a prominent Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated seminary. Federal prosecutors didnt respond to a request for comment about the status of any investigation into Woolman. Woolman did not respond to a request for comment. Woolman has not been charged as part of the federal investigation. Also, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, announced Sunday it placed Queen on leave for the duration of the federal inquiry. The ongoing federal investigation into Southwestern administration is the result of a broader inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice into the Southern Baptist Convention following a third-party report on abuse and cover-up by leaders of the Nashville-based denomination. The federal investigation into the conventions administrative arm, the SBC Executive Committee, concluded in February, according to the executive committee. But the case against Queen and potentially other former Southwestern staff seems to have a long road ahead. Last week's news release said the investigation is ongoing, and Queen indicated in a statement last week he will fight the charges in trial. Southwestern President David Dockery confirmed the identities of Woolman and another previously unidentified employee, Terri Stovall, in a statement Tuesday in response to a request for comment. "This episode is a matter of deep regret to me. I am, however, grateful that several employees in whom I placed great trust acted responsibly, especially Terri Stovall. I commend the service and integrity of these employees," said Dockery in the statement. "We remain resolute to continue to cooperate fully with the Department of Justice in all aspects of this investigation." Southern Baptist Convention at the New Orleans Ernest N Morial Convention Center. Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The event at the heart of the case involving Queen and Woolman is a Jan. 26, 2023, meeting in which Woolman instructed Stovall to destroy a document containing details of an earlier report of alleged abuse by undergraduate student Christian Flores. The document outlined how Stovall, a professor and dean of women at Southwestern, notified the chief of seminary police in November 2022 of a forthcoming arrest warrant for Flores. Flores' alleged assault was "against an individual unaffiliated with the seminary," said Dockery in a statement Tuesday. Dockery said in his statement the chief of campus police "took no further action in November." That chief of seminary police is no longer employed at Southwestern. Following Flores arrest by area municipal police on Jan. 24, 2023, Stovall provided Woolman the document with details about the earlier report to seminary police. Woolman instructed Stovall in that Jan. 26 meeting to destroy the document, according to federal court records, though Stovall ultimately retained a copy. Dockery said in his statement Tuesday that Woolman, who served under Dockery as chief of staff, at one point lied to the president and said he had not instructed Stovall to destroy the document. "For nearly five months we operated within the tension of knowing that employees in whom we had confidence had differences of recollection regarding the January conversation," said Dockery in his statement. Eventually, Queen revealed he heard Woolman instruct Stovall to destroy the document, which was the basis of the federal charges against Queen last week. Queen had resigned from his post as interim provost and the seminary had placed Queen on administrative leave. Both Queen and Woolman eventually left Southwestern to become pastors of the churches that they currently lead. Woolmans candidacy for senior pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist received endorsements from Queen and Dockery, according to a Fruit Cove Baptist website archive. Dockery said in his statement Tuesday about that endorsement: "If asked to provide the same recommendation today, and based on information received subsequent to that time, I would not be able to provide the same recommendation." In a May 14, 2023 address to the Fruit Cove congregation, Woolman praised how thorough the church's hiring process was. They have looked for every skeleton in every closet, Woolman said to the congregation. I dont have any skeletons in any closets, and I was still scared they would find skeletons in closets. More: Former SBC seminary administrator faces charge of falsifying records in DOJ inquiry Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Second SBC pastor implicated in abuse cover-up amid DOJ probe Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledges U.S. support in trip to Moldova Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Moldova to re-emphasize U.S. support for the country against Russian interference ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 29 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the United States pledged a combined $135 million in aid for Moldova to build energy independence from Russia and increase cybersecurity. Blinken announced the new round of funding during a joint press briefing with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in the country's capital of Chisinau. The secretary visited Moldova to reaffirm American support for the country amid fear of the impact of Russian aggression on other countries in the region. "The Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid have exacerbated Moldova's own energy challenges, raising electricity prices, hurting business and harming consumers," Blinken said. "The partnership that we have to reduce Moldova's dependence on Russian energy, to enhance connectivity with Europe, to increase the use of renewables, all of that is moving forward." The United States will contribute $85 million -- part of a $300 million United States Agency for International Development effort -- to enhance Moldovan energy infrastructure, such as battery storage and high-voltage transmission lines, Blinken said. President of Moldova Maia Sandu on Wednesday praised aid from the United States Agency for International Development, which has allowed Moldova to diversify its energy sector and wean itself off Russian energy. Photo by Dumitru Doru/EPA-EFE Sandu said Moldova has taken steps to move away from total dependence on Russian energy and will purchase natural gas from several sources, including the United States. "In this way, we have more accessible and better options," Sandu said, noting the country also continues to invest in renewable energy sources. Moldova also has been able to modernize its agricultural infrastructure thanks to USAID funding, Sandu said. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean also praised USAID contributions to the country's economic development outside of the energy sector, such as in winemaking, information technology and tourism. "Everywhere we look, we will see a considerable contribution provided by programs implemented through USAID," Recean said. Blinken on Wednesday also said the Biden administration will work with Congress to grant another $50 million to bolster Moldovan cybersecurity infrastructure and push back against Russian disinformation. Moldova, which is in the running to join the European Union, has repeatedly accused Russia of orchestrating disinformation campaigns and meddling in elections, which Russia has denied. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has provided more than $774 million in aid to Moldova, including efforts to combat "destabilizing actions" from Russia, Blinken said. Blinken also thanked Sandu and Moldova for sheltering over one million Ukrainian refugees since the war began and offering them jobs, health care and education. "Truly, a small country with a big heart," Blinken said. Blinken this week is scheduled to also travel to Prague for a NATO foreign ministers meeting and to meet with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky to discuss continued support for Ukraine. The Secure Border Act will cost AZ millions to enforce. And that might make it unconstitutional. Photo via Getty Images Arizona Republicans want to give local police officers permission to arrest migrants, but theres no plan to cover the costs that law enforcement officials and even the GOP backers of the proposal say it will incur and failing to account for that price tag might make the entire proposal unconstitutional. Packaged into a ballot referral to evade Gov. Katie Hobbs veto, the Secure the Border Act would ask voters in November to decide whether Arizona should be allowed to enforce immigration law, in blatant disregard of decades of court rulings which determined that power is constitutionally reserved for the federal government. The referral would make it a state crime for migrants to cross the border anywhere except a port of entry, and it would allow Arizona police officers to arrest them and Arizona judges to write orders of deportation. But Republicans have refused to allocate any funding to make the proposals requirements a reality, despite repeated warnings from law enforcement and state officials about the inevitable costs. And that could be a major problem: Arizonas Constitution mandates that any ballot measure that increases state spending must not only provide money to pay for those costs, but that money cant come out of the states general operating account. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX GOP lawmakers, law enforcement agree it will cost money While the proposal seeks to bolster the authority of the states law enforcement agencies and courts, it doesnt address how to pay for their new roles. Initial estimates, however, are staggering. In Texas, where GOP lawmakers passed a law last year that the Arizona version is modeled after, more than $11 billion of taxpayer money has been set aside to fund the states restrictive border policies. A report from a nonpartisan think tank projected that taxpayers in Arizona will be on the hook for at least $325 million a year if the referral is approved. Arizonas state prisons chief estimates that the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry will be forced to shoulder $225 million over the next five years because the proposal requires the department to house migrants arrested under its provisions if the counties where the arrests occurred dont have the capacity to do so. And local law enforcement officials, including those who support the proposal, have sounded the alarm over the lack of dedicated funding. Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, two Republicans who have frequently touted their support for the ballot referral, told lawmakers on May 8 that law enforcement agencies will need the state to cough up money so they can carry out the proposals directives. If the majority of voters in this state approve this bill, if they vote to pass this bill, anticipating that local law enforcement will become more involved in border security, border enforcement, then were going to be coming to all of our elected leaders and asking you to honor the will of the voters and provide the resources necessary to enforce the bill that they passed, Rhodes told lawmakers during a joint hearing held by the Senate Military Affairs, Public Safety & Border Security and the House Judiciary Committees. Lamb added that the financial burden on counties and law enforcement agencies is still unclear and must be addressed. We 100% appreciate the effort to try to help us and to try to help secure our communities, but were also asking the same questions: What does the cost look like? he asked. San Luis Police Chief Nigel Reynosa, whose department serves a community on the Arizona-Mexico border, spoke in opposition to the ballot referral at a May 22 news conference, just hours before GOP lawmakers in the state Senate unanimously approved it. We need funding for staffing and programs to make an impact in the community we serve, Reynosa said. As long as (federal) immigration policies remain the same, the border issues will continue, and the burden will fall on local agencies. I dont want my officers with the responsibility to do federal enforcement, and without the proper funding that our department needs, I cannot support this version of the bill. GOP lawmakers, however, have consistently waved away concerns about the costs to taxpayers. Senate President Warren Petersen, who co-sponsored the ballot referral and has made it a key priority for the legislative session, said during a May 8 news conference that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. We will always fund public safety, obviously, he said. You know what the true costs are? The true costs are the law-breaking and the insane amount of people we are going to save money by creating a deterrent. And on the day the Senate passed the measure, Sen. John Kavanagh recognized that it would require state money to implement though he added that local law enforcement agencies would also have to eat some of the costs. I consider securing our border to be a joint responsibility between the sheriffs and the state. And Im sure that theyll be contributing what they can, and in terms of the (state) budget: whatever they need to secure our border, the Fountain Hills Republican said. It is the most important issue facing Arizona residents and the country. Polls show it is the number one issue, and I will not spare one penny to secure that border and take anybody who came over illegally and get them out. Its unlikely that any funding allocations will be added to the proposal at this juncture. The state House of Representatives is set to consider the ballot referral on June 4, and House Speaker Ben Toma told Axios Phoenix that he doesnt expect any changes will be made. Without any amendments, the measure will then go directly to the ballot. Conflicts with the Arizona Constitutions mandates on funding In 2004, Arizona voters approved Proposition 101, which amended Arizonas constitution by mandating that any ballot initiative or referendum proposing state revenue expenditure, establishing a fund or allocating funding, must identify a funding source to cover its costs. And that funding source cannot come from the states general fund. Jim Barton, a Democratic attorney who regularly works with ballot initiative campaigns, spoke with the Arizona Mirror generally about Prop. 101s requirements and said that defining which costs are caused by a ballot measure can get complicated. Indirect costs that werent contemplated by a proposal arent a reason to void a ballot measure. In 2016, after Arizona voters passed Proposition 206, which increased the minimum wage for private sector workers, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry sued, alleging that raising wages forced the state to pay contractors more in order to remain competitive. But that argument failed to convince the Arizona Supreme Court, which ruled that Prop. 206 was constitutional. The bill itself has to cause an expenditure, Barton said. Where it gets tricky is when a proposal doesnt include an explicit requirement to spend resources but does lead to increased costs. Barton noted that a regulator tasked with enforcing a smoking distance limit doesnt incur extra costs if that distance is changed, but adding responsibilities to a regulators job description might. Theyd have to enforce a different number, but it wouldnt require hiring new people, it wasnt going to require publishing new books, he said. But if you require the regulator to do something theyve never done before, or you require them to obtain new expertise or hire new employees, thats probably a direct requirement. Its clear that the Republicans backing the Secure the Border Act understand how the constitutions provision works and how to comply with it. Another potential ballot measure that is awaiting approval in the Senate would change a host of election laws, including some changes that would require county elections departments to spend more for things like more employees and new equipment. But that proposal, which was authored by Republicans and is likely to win only GOP support at the Capitol, includes funding. And, importantly, the $11 million it would give to counties to cover those new costs wouldnt come from the states general fund, but would be drawn out of the Clean Elections Fund. Critics of the Secure the Border Act have pointed out that Arizona judges dont have the legal expertise to enforce immigration law, and requiring them to oversee deportation proceedings would necessarily mean forcing them to undergo training. In a memo, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry wrote that the proposal would require it to hire more staff to deal with the influx of arrested migrants, and a dearth of beds could lead the department to consider building a new prison. The Arizona Association of Border Counties urged legislative leaders to vote down the proposal, warning that it would strain already understaffed and underfunded law enforcement agencies. Requiring local police or sheriff to get into the business of detaining and deporting undocumented migrants is above and beyond the call of duty, not to mention that local authorities do not have the necessary resources to fulfill these purported tasks, reads the letter. Any lawsuit against the ballot referral based on the requirements of Prop. 101, however, would have to be launched after voters approved it. Challenges on a ballot proposals substance arent considered ripe by the courts until after voters have had a chance to weigh in. And if that happens, the ultimate determination of whether a ballot measure would directly lead to increased spending would lie in the hands of judges. Dont forget the constitutions single-subject rule Another constitutional mandate that critics say the proposal appears to violate is the single-subject rule. While GOP lawmakers have denied that the Secure the Border Act is an immigration measure, and instead tout it as focused on border policy, its wide-ranging effects appear to contradict that. Along with making crossing the states southern border a state crime, it also criminalizes undocumented Arizonans who submit false information to apply for jobs or public benefits. And it creates an entirely new class of felony offense, with harsh prison sentences, for people who knowingly sell fentanyl that later results in someones death. A lengthy clause titled findings and declaration of purpose in the proposals introduction attempts to tie together all of its provisions as the consequences of an unsecured border. The punishments for falsified documentation is justified as a bid to reduce the incentive for illegal immigration and the strict penalties for fentanyl sales that result in death are explained as increasing punishments for criminals who fuel the crisis at the southern border. The Arizona Constitution requires that every act shall embrace but one subject and matters properly connected therewith. Unlike challenges made under Prop. 101, violations of the single-subject rule can be considered by the courts before proposals make it onto the ballot. But violations of the single-subject rule are even more subject to interpretation. And, Barton said, unless violations are egregious, Arizona courts have historically only loosely enforced the single-subject rule. In 2022, lawmakers attempted to incorporate unrelated bills into the state budget to ensure their passage, including bills banning schools from requiring face masks or COVID-19 vaccinations and a prohibition on critical race theory lessons in schools. The Arizona Supreme Court ultimately struck down the unrelated bills from the state budget for violating the single-subject rule. Valley attorney Tom Ryan said that the ballot referrals disparate range of subjects clearly violates the constitutional requirement to focus on just one subject. The point of our single-subject requirement in our constitution is to prevent hiding skunks in the woodpile, so to speak, he said. And this one does that. Ryan was unconvinced by arguments from Republicans that the proposals provisions all fall under the umbrella of border security. Drug interdiction is not the same thing as migrant interdiction, he said. On top of violating the single-subject rule, sending such a sweeping proposal to voters is unfair, Ryan said. If the proposal makes it onto the November ballot, voters could be faced with a quandary: Some might not agree with all of the proposals provisions, but must decide to either support it in its entirety or throw it out completely. Ryan added that its also likely that the ballot referral violates a long understood rule that state lawmakers must not bind the actions of future legislatures, a practice the Arizona Supreme Court has consistently ruled is unconstitutional. According to Ryan, greenlighting a proposal like this without addressing the funding issue and leaving it up to lawmakers in next years legislative session to figure out constitutes a violation of that ruling. When you pass something thats an unfunded mandate and say, Well do it in the future, I think youre irrevocably binding a successor legislature to pay for the unfunded mandate, he said. Toma, who has been a driving force behind the ballot referral, is running to represent a West Valley district in Congress and wont be back next year to contend with the consequences. And the legislature itself is likely to see a shakeup in November, as lawmakers seek reelection. ***CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Mark Lamb as the sheriff in Cochise County; he is the sheriff in Pinal County. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post The Secure Border Act will cost AZ millions to enforce. And that might make it unconstitutional. appeared first on Arizona Mirror. (KSN/KODE) A Seneca man pleads guilty for his role in the attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Tuesday morning in federal court, Kyler Bard, 27, pleaded guilty to six counts including, assault on a federal officer, obstructing officers, entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, and physical violence at the Capitol. Bards Joplin booking photo According to court documents, Bard attended the Stop the Steal rally on January 6 and then went to the Capitol building. He admitted to climbing a ledge, using a megaphone to encourage people to push and go, and charging at officers, pushing one of them over the ledge. Hes scheduled to be sentenced on November 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. GENEVA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Over 50 United Nations (UN) experts indignantly condemned Israel's deadly airstrikes on civilians in Gaza's Rafah refugee camp on Wednesday. More than 50 UN experts issued a joint statement in Geneva condemning Israeli strikes on civilians sheltering in the southern Gaza camps and calling for an immediate halt to the flow of weapons to Israel, which they believe are being "used to brutally kill and maim Palestinian civilians." The experts include Paula Gaviria Betancur, special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and Michael Fakhri, special rapporteur on the right to food, among others. Furthermore, the experts denounced Israeli air strikes Sunday evening on a camp sheltering displaced civilians in Tal as Sultan in northwest Rafah which have reportedly claimed at least 46 lives including 23 women, children and older persons. The experts stated the attacks were a flagrant violation of international law and an assault on human decency. They asserted that, even if Israeli leaders claim the strikes were a "mistake," they still bear international legal responsibility. The UN experts demanded an independent international investigation into the attacks on the Rafah camps, insisting that "those responsible for these atrocities must be held to account." They also called for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, an end to the blockade, and the lifting of restrictions on life-saving aid. They also urged for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire, along with measures to ensure accountability and secure the fundamental rights of Palestinians in Gaza." an image showing small human dolls sitting an an ascending stack of coins Rising home values are causing big challenges for some older North Carolina homeowners. (Image: Adobe Stock) In 1982, Mary Patrica Stumpf and her husband Dale bought a home in North Raleigh for $80,000. Forty-two years later, the house on a half-acre in the pricey Country Club Hills community is valued at more than a $1 million. To the casual eye, Stumpf is winning. But such big increases in property value are not always a blessing for aging, retired residents. As property values rise, so do city and county taxes. Mary Stumpf Stumpf is now an 81-year-old widow who survives on modest retirement income. She paid $7,059 in property taxes last year on an assessed property value of $645,785. After the recent Wake County revaluation, the assessed value of her home jumped nearly 70% to $1,097,560. The initial assessment was an eye-opening $1.2 million. But Stumpf successfully appealed the revaluation and her property was reassessed at a lower amount. Stumpf told NC Newsline that her county tax bill under the new valuation will be $9,499, and could be more if a rate increase proposed by the Raleigh city manager is approved. Seeking broader relief Stumpf has lobbied state lawmakers to increase income eligibility caps for state property tax relief programs to make them accessible to residents with higher incomes. She wants, for example, income eligibility for the states Homestead Exclusion to be based on area median income for individual counties instead of the statewide $36,700 income cap. The very least the legislature could do is provide fair, equitable and uniform property tax relief for the elderly low income, especially in light of the rising taxes, cost of living, medical costs, insurance costs [and other expenses], Stumpf said. Stumpfs savings account has begun to squeak under the weight of higher city and county taxes. She worries that the new assessed value of her home and tax increases proposed by city and county officials will eventually break the bank. If I have to dig into my savings each year and pay my property taxes, that [savings account] is dwindling year-by-year, Stumpf said. With the cost of living and everything, theres no way I can manage. The area median income for Wake County and surrounding counties is $122,300 compared to $57,800 in Halifax County, which is one of the states low-wealth counties. Average median income varies from county to county and because cost of living, housing, taxes, etc. also vary from county to county, not ALL low income are benefiting from the intended tax relief the law was created to provide, Stumpf said in a letter to Wake County lawmakers. In addition to the income requirement, homeowners must be 65 or older or 100% disabled to qualify to the Homestead Exclusion. Homeowners who qualify can get $25,000 or 50% of their home value, whichever is greater, removed from assessed property values. Residents can also apply for property tax relief through the Circuit Breaker program, which allows homeowners to defer a portion of property taxes owed on a permanent residence. Disabled veterans or their unmarried surviving spouse also receive a break. They can get $45,000 off their property tax value regardless of income. Lawmakers are reluctant to make changes, Stumpf said, arguing that to do so would violate the uniformity clause in the state Constitution, which essentially ensures property is taxed the same. Lawmakers also contend low-wealth counties would lose valuable tax revenue if more people became eligible for the Homestead Exclusion. Here what the uniformity clause says: Only the General Assembly shall have the power to classify property for taxation, which power shall be exercised only on a State-wide basis and shall not be delegated. No class of property shall be taxed except by uniform rule, and every classification shall be made by general law uniformly applicable in every county, city and town, and other unit of local government. Stumpf contends that as currently structured, the Homestead Exclusion is not being applied uniformly because it depends upon the county in which one lives as to whether or not one is eligible for property tax relief via the income cap. Hudson Vaughan (left) explains the Wake County property tax appeal system to a Raleigh resident during a recent workshop. For the General Assembly and our leadership to quibble over raising the Homestead Exemption cap from $36,700 to a reasonable and fair-for-ALL low income in the State cap (guaranteed by our Constitution) in light of the surplus in the State coffers, new income generated by State gambling, higher taxes, and the list goes on, does not make sense, Stumpf wrote to lawmakers. An issue in gentrifying communities In the historically Black communities near downtown Raleigh, residents facing high property taxes due to development pressures and gentrification, are also struggling to pay higher property taxes and are seeking relief through both appeals and North Carolinas property tax relief programs. Anthony Pope, 66, was denied relief last year when he applied for the Circuit Breaker program, which had a $36,700 income cap. Pope, who is retired and lives on a pension and Social Security income, reapplied this year ahead of the June 1 deadline after the cap was raised to $55,050. Im hoping that with the $55,050 cap that I will be eligible because with my combined income, my Social Security, my pension, it does not equate to $55,000, Pope said. The Circuit Breaker program is open to residents 65 years or older or those totally and permanently disabled. Residents with an annual income of $36,700 or less may defer the portion of property taxes that exceeds 4% of their income. Those earning more than $36,700 but less than $55,050 may defer the portion of property taxes that exceeds 5% of the owners income. The deferred taxes become a lien on the property and the most recent three years of taxes become due if ownership of the property is transferred, the owner stops using it as a permanent residence or dies. Pope, who is raising two minor sons, believes the program should be accessible to residents regardless of income. I may not have been eligible for it [last year] based on the income, but I think because of age and the length of time Ive been here, certainly, they need to realize that the taxes in this city have skyrocketed, and they should try to do something to offset that, Pope said. Hudson Vaughan, who works for the North Carolina Housing Coalitions Community Justice Collaborative, a project that supports historically Black communities in fights against displacement and gentrification, shares a similar view. Vaughn has been working with residents in southeast Raleigh, encouraging them to appeal property valuations and to apply for property tax relief programs. He said North Carolinas tax relief programs dont reach enough people. If you live in a county like Wake County, where if youre on retirement and you have a spouse, even if youre on a fixed income and its very little, if you make $37,000, you get none of that tax relief, Vaughn said. It doesnt vary by AMI [area median income], it doesnt extend for two household incomes. It doesnt stagger down for higher income households. So, those homestead exemptions are very limited, and they dont reach a lot of folks. Looking to other states Stumpf noted that states such as Illinois have more progressive tax relief programs for senior citizens than North Carolina. In Illinois, her 93-year-old sister-in-law has benefited from the states senior assessment freeze, which protects seniors against increases in assessed value by freezing the assessed value of a seniors property at its current value. To qualify for that program, the total household income cannot exceed $65,000. Meanwhile, Stumpf understands the optics of her situation. Shes living in a house worth more than $1 million but is lobbying lawmakers for property tax relief. People will look at it this way; count your blessings, sell the property and you can live like a queen, Stumpf said. They dont understand that old people chose where they wanted to live when they were young, they built relationships and friendships with neighbors, they feel safe because they know their neighbor and they have their medical facilities and physicians nearby. The post Senior homeowners seek tweaks to states property tax relief program appeared first on NC Newsline. Israel says it's taken control of key area of Gaza's border with Egypt awash in smuggling tunnels Israeli soldiers work on a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) JERUSALEM (AP) Israels military said Wednesday it seized control of a strategic corridor along Gazas border with Egypt to cut off smuggling tunnels as it tries to destroy the militant Hamas group in a war now in its eighth month. The capture of the Philadelphi Corridor could complicate Israels relations with Egypt, which has complained about Israels advance toward its border. Israel says the corridor is awash in tunnels that have funneled weapons and other goods for Hamas despite a yearslong blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Israel also deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands have been seeking shelter from fighting, and where intensifying violence in recent days has killed dozens of Palestinians. The military said that a fifth brigade up to several thousand soldiers joined troops operating in the city on Tuesday. Egypt says any increase in troops in the strategic border area would violate the countries 1979 peace accord. It already has complained about Israel taking over the Rafah border crossing, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The Philadelphi Corridor served as the oxygen line of Hamas through which Hamas carried out weapons smuggling into Gaza on a regular basis, said Israel's military chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. An Israeli military official said Israel had notified Egypt of the takeover. Some 20 tunnels, including some previously unknown to Israel, were found, as well as 82 access points to the tunnels, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations. It was not clear if the tunnels were currently in use. The corridor is part of a larger demilitarized zone along the entire Israel-Egypt border. Under the peace accord, each side is allowed to deploy only a small number of troops or border guards in the zone, though those numbers can be modified by mutual agreement. At the time of the accord, Israeli troops controlled Gaza, until Israel withdrew its forces and settlers in 2005. Egypt's state-run Al-Qahera News TV reported there were no communications with the Israeli side on the allegations of finding tunnels on the border. Egypt has repeatedly expressed concerns that the Israeli offensive could push Palestinians across the border a scenario Egypt says is unacceptable. The narrow corridor about 100 meters (yards) wide in parts runs the 14-kilometer (8.6-mile) length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt and includes the Rafah crossing into Egypt. Hamas has had free rein of the border since its 2007 takeover of Gaza. Smuggling tunnels were dug under the Gaza-Egypt border to get around the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, imposed after Hamas took over. Some of the tunnels were large enough for vehicles. Hamas brought in weapons and supplies, and Gaza residents smuggled in commercial goods, from livestock to construction materials. That changed over the past decade, as Egypt battled Islamic militants in Sinai. The Egyptian military cracked down on the tunnels and destroyed hundreds of them. The Israeli military official said Israel has also taken tactical control of Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood on Rafah's northwest edge. But he said the incursion into the city remains a limited scope and scale operation. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said seizure of the Philadelphi Corridor would be consistent with the limited ground operation Israeli officials briefed President Joe Bidens team on for the city of Rafah. When they briefed us on their plans for Rafah it did include moving along that corridor and out of the city proper to put pressure on Hamas in the city, Kirby told reporters Wednesday. Meanwhile, deadly violence continued. The Gaza Health Ministry said an apparent Israeli strike killed two ambulance crew members on their way to evacuate casualties in Tel al-Sultan. Earlier Wednesday, a top Israeli official said the war was likely to last through the end of the year a grim prediction for a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, deepened Israels global isolation and brought the region to the brink of a wider conflagration. Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Kan public radio he was expecting another seven months of fighting to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group. The army has said from the start the war will be long, he said. They have designated 2024 as a year of war. Hanegbis remarks raise questions about the future of Gaza and what role Israel will play in it. The United States, Israel's top ally, has demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decide on a postwar vision for the Palestinian territory. Netanyahu's defense minister and a top governing partner have warned he must take steps to ensure that Israel isnt bogged down in Gaza indefinitely. The war has already devastated Gazas urban landscape, displaced most of its population and sparked a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger. It has opened Israel up to international legal scrutiny, with world courts faulting it over its wartime conduct, sparked disagreements with the White House, and on Tuesday prompted three European nations to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Israel says it must dismantle Hamas' last remaining battalions in Rafah and will seek indefinite security control over the Gaza Strip, even after the war ends. Still, it has yet to achieve its main goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. Beyond Rafah, Israeli forces were still battling militants in parts of Gaza the military said it wrested control of months ago potential signs of a low-level insurgency that could keep Israeli troops engaged in the territory. The fighting in Rafah has displaced 1 million people, the United Nations says, most of whom were already displaced from other parts of Gaza. Residents said fighting was underway in the city center and on the outskirts of Tel al-Sultan, the same neighborhood where an Israeli strike over the weekend ignited a fire that swept through an encampment for displaced people, killing dozens. Israel said it was investigating and the blaze may have been caused by a secondary explosion. A floating pier built by the U.S. to surge aid into the territory was damaged in bad weather, another setback to efforts to bring food to starving Palestinians. Gaza's land crossings are now entirely controlled by Israel. The U.S. and other allies have warned against a full-fledged offensive in Rafah, with the Biden administration saying this would cross a red line and refusing to provide offensive arms for such an undertaking. But so far, it hasn't tried to stop Israel's advances. Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its Rafah offensive as part of South Africas case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The war began when militants burst into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. More than 100 were released during a November cease-fire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israels offensive in response to the attack has killed at least 36,096 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel says it has killed 15,000 militants. ___ Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo. AP reporter Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Authorities say a semi-truck driver was killed after a crash on I-94 near Galesburg. The Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office said the crash happened around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday on eastbound I-94 at mile marker 85.5, near 35th Street, in Comstock Township. Investigators said two cars were on the shoulder trying to change a flat tire when a semi-truck drifted onto the shoulder, sideswiping both cars. The semi-truck continued off the roadway, hitting several trees and jackknifed. The semi-truck driver, a 57-year-old man from Quebec, Canada, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriffs office. His name was not released. There were no other reports of injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call the Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office at 269.383.8748 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Former South Mississippi substitute teacher Keshawn TreVyune Belcher is facing new felony sex crimes charges in a nine-count indictment handed down in Jackson County, according to court records. Belcher was a substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School when he was initially arrested in April 2023 on one count of touching a child for lustful purposes or molestation and one count of child exploitation. The grand jury found enough evidence to indict Belcher on one count of touching a child lustful purposes, five counts of child exploitation and three counts of dissemination of sexually-oriented material to minors. He has remained jailed without bond since his arrest last year. Keshawn Trevyune Belcher According to court papers, Belcher committed the crimes over five days in April 2023. During that time, the records say, Belcher touched one minor student sexually, sent pictures and videos of himself naked and masturbating to several minor students, solicited one student to perform oral sex, and tried unsuccessfully to get a minor student to video themselves masturbating and send the video back to Belcher. Ocean Springs police said Belcher used Snapchat to communicate with students and send them inappropriate sexual content and videos of himself. More details about Belchers alleged crimes came out in three individual lawsuits filed by the parents of three minor students against Belcher, the Ocean Springs School District, and the temporary employment agency Kelly Services, Inc., and other unnamed defendants have since been transferred to federal court in Gulfport. The school district contracts with Kelly Services, Inc., to hire substitute teachers at Mississippi Coast schools. Kelly Services sent Belcher to work as a substitute teacher at Ocean Springs Middle School. The Ocean Springs Middle School lawsuits involved three students: two girls and one boy. Ocean Springs Middle School In one case, a then 13-year-old Ocean Springs Middle School student said she was held against her will and molested by Belcher after he summoned her to his classroom on the premise that he was going to help her with an assignment. When the girl got there, Belcher was the only person in the room and blocked the girl from leaving when he grabbed her face and started kissing her and touching her body inappropriately, the records say The girl said she couldnt get away because Belcher held her in his grip, the lawsuit says. When the school bell rang and momentarily distracted Belcher, the records say the girl escaped his grasp and ran out of the classroom. The girl then reported what had happened to her parents and the school. In a separate incident, Belcher is accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a then-12-year-old student at Ocean Springs Middle School. He later messaged her on Snapchat and social media, asking if he could stop by her home to watch TV with her, but the girls parents wouldnt allow it. Subsequently, the records say Belcher made sexual remarks to the girl at school and asked her to perform oral sex on him. In a third incident, this time involving a then 14-year-old Ocean Springs Middle School student, Belcher is accused of sending inappropriate messages over Snapchat to the young boy. In one exchange, for example, Belcher sent the boy a text saying that he was horny before following that up with an image of himself naked and then a video of himself masturbating, the records say. The students reported what had happened to their parents, who reported the allegations to Ocean Springs police. In the lawsuits, the parents accuse the school district and Kelly Services of negligence in hiring, failure to investigate and prosecute misconduct, and failure to properly train and hire qualified people to monitor teacher activities. They accuse Belcher of false imprisonment, harassment, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress and allege that Belchers actions exceeded all bounds of decency and is far beyond what is tolerated in a civilized society. The Sun Herald is not identifying the parents who filed the lawsuits to protect the identity of the minor students. The Sun Herald does not identify victims of sex crimes. According to records obtained by the Sun Herald, Belcher had problems as a substitute teacher at Gulfport High School prior to the incident in Ocean Springsran into problems when he served as a substitute teacher at Gulfport High School, according to records obtained by the Sun Herald. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is emphasizing the need for federal legislation that would add protections around the spread of nonconsensual artificial intelligence (AI) deepfake pornography. In a Tuesday video, Ocasio-Cortez underscored the need for protections, like the bipartisan Defiance Act she is leading in the House, amid a rise in AI-generated nonconsensual porn of prominent figures and regular people. This is sexual violence, Ocasio-Cortez said in the video. The congresswoman said she has been personally targeted by nonconsensual AI porn. She spoke about her experience and the fight to combat nonconsensual AI porn in an interview with Rolling Stone published in April. Other prominent figure have also been targets of high-profile incidents of the spread of nonconsensual deepfake porn. Explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift that spread online in January highlighted the issue, and the White House weighed in to call it alarming. Ocasio-Cortez said the even more concerning issue is how this is increasingly putting every day people at risk of being targeted by this kind of reputational, sexual violence that is at its core exploitative. And what is even crazier is that right now there are no federal protections for any person regardless of your gender if youre a victim of nonconsensual deepfake pornography, she added. Without protections in place, the White House last week put out a call to action to urge tech companies to make voluntary commitments to disrupt monetization, creation and distribution of image-based sexual abuse. You might be asking yourself, Why has this not been treated like the emergency that it is? Well, maybe that has something to do with the fact that Congress is over 70 percent male and womens issue kind of whoosh institutionally around here. But we are ending that today, Ocasio-Cortez said. The bipartisan Defiance Act was introduced in March in both the House and Senate. It would create a federal civil right of action for victims of nonconsensual AI porn to allow them to seek accountability in court. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (BCN) With summer approaching and Pride celebrations nearing, San Francisco public health officials are again encouraging residents to be fully vaccinated against mpox, known also as monkeypox. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said Tuesday that while there is not currently a rise in mpox cases in the city, the virus still circulates in the U.S. The agency also noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring an outbreak of a different strain of the mpox virus that causes more severe disease and is currently spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These California cities are shrinking fastest, new Census data shows With summer celebrations such as Pride approaching, now is a great time to protect yourself against mpox by getting vaccinated. The mpox vaccine is available through health systems and at clinics, San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip said in a statement. Even if you are fully vaccinated, it is still important to remain diligent since no vaccine is 100% effective. If you are experiencing symptoms of mpox such as a rash that looks like pimples or blisters, talk to your health care provider about getting tested, and talk to your partners so they can be informed and prevent the spread of infection. To be fully vaccinated against mpox, health officials say it takes two doses of vaccine. Individuals can receive their second dose of the mpox vaccine if it has been at least 28 days since their first dose. There is no need to restart the two-dose series if it has been over 28 days since the first dose. Booster doses are not recommended at this time for those who have completed the two-dose series. In addition, mpox vaccination is not recommended at this time for those who have previously been infected, the SFDPH said. The health department also recommends and encourages two-dose vaccination for all people living with HIV, anyone taking or eligible to take HIV PrEP, and all men, trans people, and nonbinary people who have sex with men, trans people, or nonbinary people. 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. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) The San Francisco Sheriffs Office is defending the use of chemical agents that may possibly have been decades old in a training incident earlier this month that exposed students to pepper spray. In the May 21 incident, students at Portola Elementary School in San Bruno were exposed to chemical agents CS gas 92-chlorobenzlidene malonitrile) and OC gas (pepper spray). The gas drifted over to the school from a building on SF Sheriffs Office jail property in San Bruno. Officers were conducting a crowd control training exercise at the time. Twenty students and one teacher reported symptoms that included burning sensations on their faces and scratchy throats. An ambulance responded to the scene but none of those impacted were hospitalized. Bad Breath Rapist caught in East Bay after 16 years at large On Wednesday, a report in the San Francisco Chronicle indicated that some of the chemical agents involved in the exercise may have been decades old. However, a representative from the SF Sheriffs Office told KRON4 that there were no expiration tabs on the canisters in question, which were brought over by the UC Berkeley Police Department. The sheriffs office believed that the canisters had been pulled from storage, which officials said is a common practice, and that there appears to be no greater health risk than using the same product that has been recently manufactured. According to sheriffs officials, the actual chemical composition of material inside such canisters does not change over time. The mechanism by which the canister deploys the material, however, may deteriorate over time, causing the munition to be less potent, officials told KRON4. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (KRON) A San Francisco-bound Virgin Atlantic flight was turned around midair due to a technical issue, Virgin Atlantic told KRON4. Virgin Flight VS41 departed London Heathrow at about 6:45 p.m. on Monday. After approximately three hours of flight, the aircraft, a Boeing Dreamliner 787-9, was forced to turn around due to the technical issue. Oakland to serve over 100,000 free meals to children this summer According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the incident was a cracked windshield that the pilot reported while the aircraft was somewhere between Greenland and Iceland. After approximately six hours of flight, that plane landed back at Heathrow Airport in London at approximately 12:15 a.m. London time, with the remainder of the connecting flight being canceled. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Our flight, the VS41 from London Heathrow to San Francisco returned to Heathrow following a technical issue. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority and the Captain made the decision to return as a precautionary measure only. We would like to apologise to customers for the delay and any inconvenience caused. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson Since then, there have been three SFO-bound flights out of Heathrow. According to Flight Aware, none have experienced delays and have arrived on 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 KRON4. An aerial drone photo taken on May 21, 2024 shows a wind power project in Baoying County of Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's steadfast efforts in advancing clean energy and fostering global cooperation have emerged as a crucial drive propelling the world towards a greener future, experts and entrepreneurs said. "China has emerged as a significant contributor and leader in the global development of clean energy," Yang Lei, vice dean of the Institute of Energy, Peking University, said at a sub-forum of the 14th China Overseas Investment Fair that concluded on Tuesday. Data from the National Energy Administration has revealed that China contributed over 50 percent of the 510 gigawatts of newly installed renewable energy capacity worldwide in 2023. It also holds a dominant position in the production of photovoltaic components, wind turbines, and batteries. The rise of China's clean energy industry is a testament to the country's industrial prowess and vividly represents the country's firm pledge to pursue green and low-carbon development. China has announced that it will peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This commitment has further spurred the development of clean energy products. "China's strong capacity to manufacture clean energy products has driven down green transition costs, paving the way for large-scale development of renewable energy globally and the phase-out of fossil fuels," Yang said. Meanwhile, China is committed to providing affordable Chinese solutions for global energy transformation. Li Fei, representing PowerChina International Group Limited, explained the company's role in advancing sustainability since its entry into the overseas wind power market in 2011. Citing one of their landmark projects, the Adama Wind Power Project 1 in Ethiopia, Li said it was the company's first project designed and equipped with Chinese technology, significantly contributing to bringing clean energy to Africa. As of last December, the company has constructed wind power and photovoltaic power generation projects in over 20 countries, with a combined installed capacity of 50.4 gigawatts, comprising 18.7 gigawatts of wind power and 31.7 gigawatts of photovoltaics. The company has been exploring the construction of hydrogen energy projects in overseas markets over the past few years, Li said, noting that a wind-to-hydrogen project in Uzbekistan has broken ground, marking the first overseas hydrogen energy initiative undertaken by Chinese companies. The story of the infrastructure company epitomizes China's endeavors in international cooperation in the clean energy sector. The country has actively engaged in power infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa. Notable endeavors include the Kaleta hydropower project in Guinea and the Belo Monte power transmission projects in Brazil. China's wind and photovoltaic power products have also been exported to over 200 countries and regions, helping to reduce electricity generation costs globally. As a staunch practitioner of enhancing global cooperation, China has partnered with over 100 countries on green energy projects. It has also carried out various forms of cooperation under the framework of green Belt and Road cooperation. Vladimir Norov, former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, highlighted the tangible progress made by Chinese enterprises in energy and electricity storage projects in Uzbekistan, his home country. Last October, Uzbekistan and China forged an agreement on renewable energy cooperation, a pivotal step towards bolstering energy security and achieving carbon neutrality. "China is of crucial significance to Central Asia," Norov said, "the demand for clean energy in Central Asia, particularly in Uzbekistan, is substantial. I hope Chinese enterprises will be more active in investing in this region." TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Bartow Police Department officer is under investigation after Polk County deputies said he gave intoxicating substances to minors and had inappropriate contact with them. The investigation began when Bartow officers suspected their coworker, Markanthony Fernandez, 24, of inappropriate conduct with teenagers. Were about to go into the ocean: Passengers on Florida-bound flight told to prepare for possible water landing Fernandez was accused of giving alcohol and THC gummies to a friend group he met on social media. The group included two 18-year-olds, a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old. He was also accused of filming the girls, who were in different stages of undress, several times. In one video, PCSO said a 17-year-old was performing a sex act on an 18-year-old wearing a Bartow Police Department jacket, at the direction of Fernandez. Judd said that clip was shared with some of his coworkers using Snapchat. Markanthony Fernandez, 24. (Polk County Sheriffs Office) The Polk County Sheriffs Office said Fernandez touched and strangled the 16-year-old in a bedroom at his Lake Wales home. The girl reported feeling afraid and another reported losing consciousness when she was choked, Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news conference Wednesday. The officer told the teenagers he gets excited sexually from choking people, Judd said. Fernandez has been on paid administrative leave since February. Judd said he refused to resign from his position and his termination is pending the outcome of a Bartow Police Department investigation. Judd described Fernandezs actions as stupid, crazy and out of control. He was charged with promotion of a juvenile in a sexual performance, use of a juvenile in a sexual performance, battery by strangulation, illegal use of a two-way communication device, contributing to the delinquency of a minor (two counts), and providing alcoholic beverages to a person under 21-years of age (four counts). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. New signs at Covell Beach let people know about Vineyard Wind cables buried under sand CENTERVILLE With a GQ EMF390 electromagnetic field meter in hand, resident Tom Cambareri paced a section of Covell Beach on Wednesday morning, announcing readings as he went. The numbers he called out rose, crested and fell like the waves coming to shore nearby indicators of his passage over the two transmission lines carrying power from the Vineyard Wind 1 wind farm, buried under the beach. "The signal is a lot weaker on the beach, which is a good thing," he said, because that's where people will spend a lot of time as summer gets underway. Cambareri has been taking informal measurements of electromagnetic fields created by the cables for a few months, ever since Avangrid began sending power through the cables when the first turbines began churning in the company's lease area south of the Vineyard. At last count, nine of the 62 planned turbines were in operation. He's been driven by curiosity and concern about safety and public health, and wanting people who spend time at the beach to know the Vineyard Wind transmission cables make landfall there. Barnstable DPW workers David Wiinikainen and Justin Zacek install an informational sign about the Vineyard Wind project that makes landfall at Covell Beach in Centerville ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Now, as a result of his effort and just in time for Memorial Day, the town has posted two signs at the beach providing information about the wind project and its presence under the beach. They were installed by Barnstable DPW workers on Friday near the comfort station and over the location where the buried cables transition from the beach and parking lot. "The town has taken my suggestion to heart," said Cambareri, who worked with town administration on the Covell Beach signs project for several weeks. Initially, the town considered having Avangrid undertake the sign project. Town Council President Felicia Penn said town officials decided to do it instead after disagreeing with the focus of the company's proposals for the signs. "Vineyard Wind had submitted copy but it was rejected by the town, as it read like an advertisement for Avangrid," Penn said. More formal EMF monitoring is expected at Covell Beach eventually. Barnstable Director of Communications Lynne Poyant said the town is continuing discussions with the company regarding regular communication on safe and compliant operation of their system. The details of the monitoring are still being worked out and coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and Energy Facilities Siting Board is necessary, she said. Tom Cambareri, center, used a device May 22 that measures electro-magnetic fields, taking a reading at an open junction box in the parking lot of Covell Beach in Centerville where a Vineyard Wind crew was pumping out water. The town will eventually add a QR code to the signs, she said, "that will link those interested in accessing additional information to a town-controlled website." The website will have a site plan illustrating the location of buried cables from waters edge through the parking lot to Craigville Beach Road, any data compiled by Vineyard Wind, the state and the town relative to EMF and information from the state verifying the safety and compliance of the project. It is as yet unknown how frequently readings would be taken. Cambareri would like to see readings taken daily, perhaps by beach personnel, and posted daily on a chalkboard at the beach, just as water temperature readings are often posted at some beaches. "I believe every time a new turbine is connected new readings should take place," at the very least, Penn said. Informal EMF readings below standards All of Cambareri's readings so far have been far below the current international standard for human exposure limit to magnetic field levels, 2000 milligauss, set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection in 2010. They've also fallen well below the EMFs produced by most appliances people are around every day in their homes and offices. The readings are lowest on the beach itself, he said, where the cables are buried the deepest. They rise closer to the surface under the parking lot en route to the roads that convey the power to the substation at Independence Park. Tom Cambareri uses a device that measures electro-magnetic fields on May 22, taking a reading along a section of Covell Beach in Centerville to locate the two buried electric cables. According to Vineyard Wind, the two export cables from its wind farm are roughly nine feet below Covell Beach at the edge of the parking lot, and approximately 30 feet deep at the water line. Barnstable resident John Kassakian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor emeritus of electrical engineering, said the magnetic field is directly proportional to the current in the lines. "So, if the nine turbines are operating at maximum load (current), then all 52 turbines operating at maximum load would produce a magnetic field about 6 times higher," he said. He would expect the field "to be unconcerning, even with all turbines operating at maximum loading," he said. Baseline EMF readings for Vineyard Wind cables Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg said a contractor hired by Avangrid on Thursday performed baseline magnetic field readings while the wind farm and all components were de-energized, with town officials present. "The readings were performed to take baseline data accounting for the earths natural magnetic field. Future readings will be performed when the electrical equipment is in operation to assess the levels of magnetic field associated with the cables," he said. "Those readings will be reported to the town and made available to the public." According to Poyant, on-site testing to verify safety and compliance will also take place next week and "it is the towns understanding that the Mass. Department of Public Health will be involved relative to verifying the accuracy of the ongoing monitoring." The town has also retained a third party independent expert to verify readings and data if and when needed, she said. Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Here's what signs at Covell Beach have to do with offshore wind A previous report can be seen in the player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A man who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his live-in girlfriend will serve at least the next 15 years in prison. Sinnea Thomas was sentenced to a minimum 15 years in prison during a Wednesday morning hearing in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Thomas, 51, pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend, Tamieka Ross on Jan. 8, 2023 in the Hilltop neighborhood. Former TV weatherman Mike Davis released from prison after four years Thomas could face a maximum sentence of life in prison and took full responsibility to the shooting in a letter he read in the courtroom on Wednesday. In the letter Thomas admitted to shooting Ross nine times, according to the Franklin County Prosecutors Office. Thomas and Ross had been arguing throughout the day, police said, before the two began to fight and shots were fired. Columbus Fire Department EMS responded to the 700 block of Butler Avenue and pronounced Ross dead at 5:19 p.m. Thomas originally left the scene, but surrendered at police headquarters later that night. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, but one month ago changed his plea to guilty one one count of 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. One dead after plane crashes at Northern California airport. Cause unknown, authorities say A pilot died in a plane crash Tuesday afternoon at a Northern California airport, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration said a preliminary investigation showed a single-engine Schweizer G-164B crashed about 2 p.m. at Richvale Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board in a social media post also said it was investigating the crash. Firefighters with Cal Fires Butte County unit arrived at the airport, west of Oroville, and found the wreck, according to since-deleted social media posts published by Cal Fire around 2:20 p.m. The Schweizer G-164B a biplane typically used in agriculture crashed under unknown circumstances, the FAA said in a preliminary report. The pilot was extricated from the wreckage and was the only person aboard. The pilot has not been identified pending next-of-kin notification. Cal Fire officials did not return a call seeking comment and information on injuries or fatalities. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A small single-engine airplane with two people on board made an emergency landing early Wednesday afternoon along a busy section of Highway 501 near Dodge Lane in Horry County, authorities said. The plane landed on the highway at about noon after the pilot reported an engine problem, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Video of plane landing courtesy of Dylan Wadzinski Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched at 12:12 p.m., and the plane was seen being towed away by a pickup truck a short time later. News13 Video: Savannah Denton Drone video courtesy of Mike Roberts The fixed-wing Diamond DA40 aircraft is registered to Lift Aircraft LLC based in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to information on the FAAs website. The company operates a commercial pilot training academy in Myrtle Beach. Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of William VanHouten News13 photo Photo from South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera This embedded content is not available in your region. While conducting a maintenance flight earlier today, one of our training aircraft experienced an in-flight event that resulted in an emergency landing near Myrtle Beach International Airport, Lift Academy spokesman Jon Austin told News13 in a statement. The pilot and mechanic aboard executed their checklist and safely landed without injury to anyone or damage to the aircraft. I was on the phone and I noticed there was a plane that was kind of coming down, it was flying really, really low, said Dylan Wadzinski, who captured footage of the plane landing. Like, it was struggling a little bit and I guess just naturally, I just kind of looked away like, Oh, thats weird. And then it hit me, like, wow, theres a plane landing on [Highway] 501. The plane landed safely, and there were no injuries, HCFR said. An image captured on a South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera shortly before 1 p.m. showed the plane being moved from the scene. Austin said the aircraft was taken back to the airport in coordination with first responders and that the rest of the schools operations were unaffected. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from Myrtle Beach International Airport at about 10:45 a.m. and landed at 12:10 p.m. It appears the plane was doing touch-and-go landings prior to the emergency landing. Thank goodness, you know, there was a clearing there and nobody got hurt because I imagine, you know, it could have been much, much worse, Wadzinski said. Even going back and looking at the video, I mean, there were power lines. It couldve been devastating if, you know, if traffic was backed up like it normally is at Carolina Forest on 501. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Horry County police are assisting in the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will also be investigating. 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. News13 will have updates online and on-air during our afternoon and evening newscasts as more information becomes available. * * * 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. Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here. * * * Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. The Panda Party is back on as giant pandas will return to Washington's National Zoo by year's end In this combo image, two-year-old male giant panda Bao Li in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China, May 16, 2024, left, and two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China, May 17, 2024, right. The two new giant pandas are returning to Washingtons National Zoo from China this year. The announcement from the Smithsonian Institution on Wednesday comes about half a year after the zoo sent its three pandas back to China. (Roshan Patel, Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) Months after the nation's capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. The zoo announced Wednesday that a fresh agreement had been struck with the Chinese government, and a pair of adult pandas would be arriving from China by the end of the year. The Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said the incoming pair are Bao Li (pronounced BOW-lee) and Qing Bao (ching-BOW). Were thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C., said Brandie Smith, the zoos director. This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Giant pandas are prized in Washington and around the nation and the world. The number of pandas in American zoos has dwindled as loan agreements lapsed during diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China that remain high. Washington's three pandas returned to China last November. Word of the new exchange agreement spread quickly through the National Zoo grounds Wednesday, with multiple signs announcing The Pandas Are Coming! and fresh displays of panda-themed merchandise holding a prominent place in the gift shops. Sofia Valle, an 8th grader from Bear, Delaware, came with a school group hoping to see pandas and unaware that the zoo is currently panda-free. Instead she and her classmates all wearing panda-ear headbands posed for pictures in front of a Giant Panda statue and discussed coming back after the new bears arrive. Theyre my favorite animal, Valle said. Theyre so fluffy! And theyre lazy like me. Panda fever also means business for the area around the zoo. At Baked By Yael, a bakery across the street from one of the main entrances, panda-themed cake pops and T-shirts never stopped selling, even after the bears had left. We are super super excited," said owner Yael Krigman. "Honestly, we never gave up faith. We knew they were going to come back eventually. When they arrive, the pandas will spend several weeks in quarantine with limited human contact as zoo staffers work to acclimate them to their new environment. This is huge. I cant wait. It couldnt have come any sooner, said Mariel Lally, one of the zoos panda keepers. Pandas are such an incredible species. Chinese President Xi Jinping had signaled during a trip in late 2023 that China would be sending new pandas to the United States. He called them envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. The zoo accompanied the announcement with a light-hearted video featuring Smith, Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and first lady Jill Biden. The trio in the video are gathered to discuss protocol for a reception to welcome unnamed honored guests. When Biden asks about attire and menu, Smith dryly replies that the impending guests are strict vegetarians who are partial to black and white. Last November, giant pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, went back to China, prompting a nationwide outpouring of farewell from millions of U.S. panda fans of all ages. The trio's departure left only one panda family remaining in American zoos, at Zoo Atlanta, and those remain scheduled to return to China later this year. Zoo Atlanta is making preparations to return panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang along with their American-born twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, zoo officials said earlier this month. It's possible that America will welcome another 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. A separate agreement was also announced to send a breeding pair of pandas to San Francisco as well. Pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing sent a pair to the National Zoo in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. When U.S-China relations began to sour in recent years, members of the Chinese public started to demand the return of giant pandas. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as Chinas national treasure, flooded Chinas social media. The National Zoo said the pandas coming to Washington are: Bao Li, a 2-year-old male whose name means treasure and energetic. He was born Aug. 4, 2021, at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan to father An An and mother Bao Bao. The zoo said Bao Lis mother was born at the zoo in 2013, and his grandparents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang lived at the zoo from 2000 to 2023. It was Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, along with their cub Xiao Qi Ji, who left the zoo in November. Qing Bao, a 2-year-old female whose name means green and treasure. She was born Sept. 12, 2021. A research and breeding agreement with the Chinese runs through April 2034 and, like previous ones, says any cubs born at the zoo will move to China by age 4, according to the announcement. The zoo will pay a $1 million annual fee to the China Wildlife Conservation Association to support research and conservation efforts in China. ___ AP writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this article. Given the fact that Scotland is awash in gender ideology, it came as no surprise to me that more than 95 per cent of Scottish secondary schools are telling children they can self-identify their gender. Having submitted freedom of information requests to schools, the findings by the group For Women Scotland suggests that children are routinely being brought under the impression that they may be trapped in the wrong body and have the option of switching to the opposite sex. With every passing week, the true scale of the Scottish Nationalist Party trans agenda is being laid bare, leaving children at risk of being set on a path of lifelong medicalisation at times regardless of what their parents think. Nicola Sturgeon made a determined effort to introduce self-identification a law later struck down by Westminster. Despite the fact that men claiming to be women pose a real risk to actual women, Sturgeon appeared to dismiss as transphobic the concerns of some of those alerting her to the problems. But there was a public outcry when Isla Bryson (Adam Graham), convicted of two rapes, was assessed in a womens prison in Scotland. He was eventually transferred to a mens prison. The scandal shone a light on the dangers inherent to the Scottish Governments gender reforms, which would have allowed transgender people in Scotland to self-identify without a medical intervention. I am currently making a podcast about the damage gender ideology does to children and parents alike, and recently heard from interviewees that one school asked a three-year-old refugee from a war-torn country whether her trauma was perhaps related to her gender identity. In classrooms and LGBTQ+ clubs, schools are indoctrinating kids with the notion that everyone has an innate gender identity. How did we get here? Trans activists and their allies can be the most horrendous tyrants, often terrifying those speaking out against transgender ideology. I should know. And this madness is furthered by trans-activist groups that work closely with government. We must refrain from teaching transgender ideology in schools because it is inherently partisan and potentially harmful. Children should be taught that there are two sexes, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with same-sex attraction, which is entirely different from indoctrinating them with the idea that they may have been born in the wrong body. Its time to end the chaos. 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 years of tangling in court and via social media, the bridal designer Hayley Paige Gutman and JLM Couture have agreed to a settlement. As part of the deal, Gutman agreed to pay JLM $263,000 and the New York based muti-brand bridal company has given the designer the rights to the Hayley Paige name and social media accounts. This also paves the way for her to return to designing wedding gowns and returning to the bridal industry. With a million-plus followers on Instagram and Pinterest, the designer had used those mediums albeit under different names to periodically air her legal woes, just as she had used them to attract shoppers. More from WWD The designer had taken on a design role at JLM in 2011 and created her namesake wedding dresses until 2020. That same year JLM took legal action against her for allegedly locking out the company from the Hayley Paige social media accounts and violating a noncompete deal, among other alleged infractions. A spokesperson for Gutman did not respond immediately Wednesday to an interview request. Last fall JLM filed for reorganization under Subchapter V of Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Commenting Wednesday about the May 24 filing in a Delaware bankruptcy court, JLM president and chief executive officer Joseph Murphy said, We thought it would be best for both parties. As far as JLM goes, it strengthens our position in the marketplace. The settlement helps both parties look forward and not backward. We thought it was in the best interest of not just both parties but the wedding industry. And she seems happy. The social media savvy Gutman spread the word about her win on Instagram Tuesday with a video post that also offered a crib sheet of sorts Alexa, play: Say My Name For those in a hurry, here are CliffsNotes: I got my name back. I can design wedding dresses again. I acquired the entire Hayley Paige intellectual property portfolio.- You are my happy thought. In a statement issued by her attorneys at Haynes and Boone, Gutman said, Im truly relieved that there has been a respectful resolve for all parties and most certainly wish my former employer and opposing counsel well. The resolution was a few years in the making for the bridal designer, who filmed her Instagram video against a grid-like backdrop of 50-plus sketches of wedding dresses. She and JLM Couture had been warring since 2020 in the courts. In January, the Second Circuit Court rejected a six-factor social media account ownership test and vacated a preliminary injunction that had awarded JLM control of her social media accounts. At that time, the court sided with Haynes and Boones argument that ownership should be determined like any other form of property, by determining who owned the account at the moment of its creation and then evaluating whether that owner sold or transferred the account. After a Second District Court decision in May of this year, Gutman once again retained sole control of her social media accounts. In 2021, the designer had been sidelined from competing with JLM until the end of her contract, or using Hayley Paige in advertising. Earlier this year a federal court decision determined that Gutman would have to wait out that noncompete through the end of 2025. But last weeks settlement has lifted that and Gutman can get back into the bridal industry now. Best of WWD An image depicting a re-creation of the Statue of Liberty using debris from the Syrian civil war has gone viral again on social media. A Syrian artist built this with the ruins of his house. With the slogan: This is the Freedom they brought us, reads one post with more than 30,000 likes. This post is misleading. While the image was created by a Syrian artist, it was produced digitally using photographs and did not feature the attributed slogan. The original image was created by Tammam Azzam, a Syrian artist specializing in acrylic, mixed media, and collage artwork. Azzam first posted the image, titled Statue of Liberty, on his Facebook page on September 8, 2012, noting in the caption that it was a photo montagemeaning a collage constructed from photographs. Since its original creation in 2012, the image has gone viral on multiple occasions, including in 2016, 2017, and 2023. Many of these reposts have implied that the artworks message was targeted toward America. Azzam, however, has denounced this interpretation. In a 2016 interview with Al Arabiya, a Saudi state-owned media organization, Azzam explained that his artwork had been widely misinterpreted and was not intended to send a message to the United States. The Statue of Liberty in New York does not represent US politics and I used it only as the symbol of freedom, Azzam told the outlet. The piece at the time was carrying a message of optimism despite all of the destruction in Syria. When Azzam first posted the image, his home country of Syria was a year and a half into a civil war that would kill hundreds of thousands and displace millions more. If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com. 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. Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on social media platform X that nearly one million people were forced to flee from Rafah during the past three weeks, as a result of the Israeli bombing of the city. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on social media platform X that nearly one million people were forced to flee from Rafah during the past three weeks, as a result of the Israeli bombing of the city. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on social media platform X that nearly one million people were forced to flee from Rafah during the past three weeks, as a result of the Israeli bombing of the city. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on social media platform X that nearly one million people were forced to flee from Rafah during the past three weeks, as a result of the Israeli bombing of the city. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) Palestinians flee from home in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 28, 2024. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said on social media platform X that nearly one million people were forced to flee from Rafah during the past three weeks, as a result of the Israeli bombing of the city. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) Somerset Co. Search and Rescue Team out again: Don't hide from a dog named Karma CONEMAUGH TWP. The Somerset Search and Rescue Team did not have time to put into play its high-tech drone. Karma was ready. It took about five minutes. The Belgian Malinois found the man in a heavily wooded area hiding behind a tree, the team's vice president, Jon Zimmers, said this week. Quincy police officer Kent Yee rescued a litter of Belgian Malinois puppies. Mochi, the newest member of Quincy police's K9 unit, is one of them. "She found him almost immediately," Zimmers said. Not bad for a 2-year-old dog certified about seven months ago to track by scent. The team that is an entity of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office has been busy. More: Somerset Search and Rescue crew assist in successful rescue of lost elderly woman Over the past three months, the team has been called out five times. In the past week alone, the team's ground crew rescued an 82-year-old woman who had wandered into the woods, slipped and fell down a rocky embankment, but was not hurt. Then on Memorial Day, the team was called to assist the Conemaugh Township Police Department in finding a man who reportedly was trespassing. The search It was 11:30 the evening of Memorial Day. The man was someplace where he was not supposed to be. He fled into a heavily wooded area. While in the woods, for some unknown reason, the man took off his pants and kept running. The pants were all Karma needed to get his scent. She located him immediately, Zimmers said. To date, no charges have been filed. The dog and the handler Susan Dively went to a breeder outside of Pittsburgh and brought the 8-week-old puppy home. It was karma, otherwise predetermined, she would "fall in love" with the puppy that was initially supposed to be her husband's dog. Dan Dively, who is chief of the search and rescue team, a firefighter, arms instructor and farmer, to name a few things, wanted the puppy. Susan told him that breed of dog would not have the attention of a working dog. He still wanted the puppy, so she volunteered to go get her. After bringing her home, the puppy and Susan slept together in the recliner for the first few days. Anyone can guess that bonding was the result. Now, although Susan did not say, the Belgium Malinois, which resembles a German Shephard with a black face, is approaching 85 pounds and the recliner option is no longer an option. "She ended up being my dog," Susan said. She ended up with the name, Karma. "She is a lot like me. She is very serious. No nonsense," Susan said. There are four dogs in the Dively household. Susan has two dogs. Both are at some level in training. Both are the same breed. One male and the other is Karma. More: Somerset County sheriff's team has a new high-tech drone. Here's what it's capable of. Karma has a lot of energy and acres to run it off, her handler said. Susan's father plays "the rabbit" often by running and hiding in the nearby woods allowing Karma and his daughter to practice sense training by finding him. Karma has already been out "quite a few times" as the K-9 in the team's search and rescue endeavors. She found a runaway boy. It was dark and when he saw Karma he ran right to the police officers who were part of the search. Later, he told Susan that he was "scared" when he saw Karma coming. The dog's search mode is when she finds the person she is looking for she boops the person with her nose (a sign of affection or maybe a "gotcha" thing) and then turns and runs back to Susan. "She comes back to me because she knows she is going to get a treat. She wants her ball," she said. And that dog is fast. "I do a lot of running and walking fast" when out with Karma, Susan said. When the team was looking for the person in Conemaugh Township woods on Monday, one could often hear, "Do not lose her" coming from team members. Last year, Karma achieved level one and level two training by the canine leader out of the state of Indiana who travels to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to train for Somerset Search and Rescue Team. Susan hopes to see Karma reach level three this year. The search and rescue team The team, a nonprofit group, has at its disposal, horses, drones, ground searchers and trained K-9 dogs. The team exists from funds obtained through fundraising, individual donations and grants. Members are all volunteers. For the team to join an endeavor, it needs to be asked for help. That is what they are all about, according to Zimmers. David Leake, president of the search and rescue team, said, "We ask that if any agency in the county has a situation involving a lost person, that our team be requested so we can come help." This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset Co. Search and Rescue Team: Don't hide from a dog named Karma Something Strange Happens to Wolves Infected by an Infamous Mind-Altering Parasite A study of 26 years' worth of wolf behavioral data, and an analysis of the blood of 229 wolves, has shown that infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii makes wolves 46 times more likely to become a pack leader. The research shows that the effects of this parasite in the wild have been horrendously understudied and its role in ecosystems and animal behavior underestimated. If you have a cat, you've probably heard of this parasite before. The microscopic organism can only sexually reproduce in the bodies of felines, but it can infect and thrive in pretty much all warm-blooded animals. This includes humans, where it can cause a typically symptomless (but still potentially fatal) parasitic disease called toxoplasmosis. Once it's in another host, individual T. gondii parasites needs to find a way to get their offspring back inside a cat if it doesn't want to become an evolutionary dead-end. And it has a kind of creepy way of maximizing its chances. Animals such as rats infected with the parasite start taking more risks, and in some cases actually become fatally attracted to the scent of feline urine, and thus more likely to be killed by them. For larger animals, such as chimpanzees, it means an increased risk of a run-in with a larger cat, such as a leopard. Hyenas infected with T. gondii also are more likely to be killed by lions. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the Yellowstone National Park aren't exactly cat prey. But sometimes their territory overlaps with that of cougars (Puma concolor), known carriers of T. gondii, and the two species both prey on the elk (Cervus canadensis), bison (Bison bison), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) that also can be found there. It's possible that wolves also become infected, perhaps from occasionally eating dead cougars, or ingesting cougar poo. Diagram showing the hypothesized wolf-cougar-T. gondii feedback loop. (Meyer, Cassidy et al., Communications Biology, 2022) Data collected on the wolves and their behavior for nearly 27 years offered a rare opportunity to study the effects of the parasite on a wild, intermediate host. The researchers, led by biologists Connor Meyer and Kira Cassidy of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, also took a look at blood samples from wolves and cougars to gauge the rate of T. gondii infection. They found that wolves with a lot of territory overlap with cougars were more likely to be infected with T. gondii. But there was a behavioral consequence, too, with significantly increased risk-taking. Infected wolves were 11 times more likely to disperse from their pack, into new territory. Infected males had a 50 percent probability of leaving their pack within six months, compared with a more typical 21 months for the uninfected. Similarly, infected females had 25 percent chance of leaving their pack within 30 months, compared with 48 months for those who weren't infected. Infected wolves were also way more likely to become pack leaders. T. gondii may increase testosterone levels, which could in turn lead to heightened aggression and dominance, which are traits that would help a wolf assert itself as a pack leader. This has a couple of important consequences. Pack leaders are the ones who reproduce, and T. gondii transmission can be congenital, passed from mother to offspring. But it can also affect the dynamics of the entire pack. "Due to the group-living structure of the gray wolf pack, the pack leaders have a disproportionate influence on their pack mates and on group decisions," the researchers write in their paper. "If the lead wolves are infected with T. gondii and show behavioral changes this may create a dynamic whereby behavior, triggered by the parasite in one wolf, influences the rest of the wolves in the pack." If, for example, the pack leader seeks out the scent of cougar pee as they boldly push into new territory, they could face greater exposure to the parasite, thus a greater rate of T. gondii infection throughout the wolf population. This generates a sort of feedback loop of increased overlap and infection. It's compelling evidence that tiny, understudied agents can have a huge influence on ecosystem dynamics. "This study demonstrates how community-level interactions can affect individual behavior and could potentially scale up to group-level decision-making, population biology, and community ecology," the researchers write. "Incorporating the implications of parasite infections into future wildlife research is vital to understanding the impacts of parasites on individuals, groups, populations, and ecosystem processes." The research has been published in Communications Biology. An earlier version of this article was published in November 2022. Insights from Bloomberg, the Daily Maverick, and The New York Times The News South Africans began voting on Wednesday in what is widely seen as the countrys most consequential election since the end of white-majority rule 30 years ago. Polls suggest that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) may win less than 50% of votes for the first time since Nelson Mandela swept to power in 1994, while the party is still expected to secure the largest share of the vote. Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosas party is facing 51 opposition parties in this election, including the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, headed by former President Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa cast his ballot in Soweto Wednesday, telling reporters he was pleased with the ANCs campaign. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Toughest election campaign since 1994 Source: Bloomberg The ANC, which has held power in South Africa since apartheid ended in 1994, is contesting its trickiest election ever. It has faced a mounting public backlash against growing unemployment, poverty, and poor government services, Bloomberg noted. You shouldnt find me sitting here in my home in the middle of the day during work hours, but I am because I dont have a job, one resident in the city of Durban told ANC Chairman Gwede Mantashe during his recent canvassing trip, the outlet reported. Those are some of the things which make me doubt whether or not I should still be voting for the ANC. ANC downplays risk of coalition Source: The Daily Maverick Advance polling has suggested that the ANC will lose its parliamentary majority, but still hold the most seats. Despite the partys poor showing early in the campaign, the ANC has maintained that it isnt considering a coalition government at this stage, South African outlet The Daily Maverick reported. If the ANC goes down we will have to sit down and reflect on the situation, ANC election head Mdumiseni Ntuli told the paper. We began the campaign when load shedding was worse, the crisis of water provision in parts of our country was very hard, he added. Where we are today, there has been a great deal of improvement and progress which is essentially to the advantage of the ANC. Ramaphosa losing support among nations elites Source: The New York Times Black middle-class voters have long championed the incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa but the demographic has turned away from him in recent months as South Africas economy has stagnated, The New York Times reported. There is also discontent with the limited action Ramaphosas government has taken to address corruption: I think he lacks a backbone, one voter told the Times. The presidents approval has also plummeted among Black elites in recent years, dropping from a 51% approval rating shortly after his election in 2018 to just 30% ahead of this years election. South Africans go to the polls in election seen as biggest test yet to ANCs 30 years in power Millions of South Africans are voting in what is expected to be the most pivotal general election since the end of apartheid. For months, polls have shown the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could lose its majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power in 1994. While polling can be challenging in South Africa, most analysts believe that the ANC faces its stiffest challenge yet with a population deeply frustrated by the countrys direction. If support for the ANC drops below 50% for the first time, the party will be forced to enter into a coalition government. ANC leader and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Wednesdays vote one of the most important elections in our nations history, while addressing a crowd of thousands at Sowetos FNB soccer stadium on Saturday. Our people will decide whether our country continues moving forward with the ANC towards a better, brighter future or backwards to a terrible past, Ramaphosa said. The South African leader, who cast his ballot at a polling station in Soweto, told reporters on Wednesday that he has no doubt whatsoever that voters will again trust in the ANC. This is the day when South Africa decides, decides on the future of our country, (on) who should lead the government of South Africa, and I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country, Ramaphosa said. South Africa is the most unequal country in the world, according to the World Bank. Citizens are also contending with the highest sustained rate of unemployment in the world, rampant corruption, feeble economic growth, crippling power cuts and rising violent crime. Black South Africans, who make up 81% of the population, are at the sharp end of this dire situation. Unemployment and poverty remain concentrated in the Black majority, in large part due to the failure of public schooling, while most White South Africans have jobs and command considerably higher wages. Workers for political parties including the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) stand next to a voting station on May 27 in Alexandra Township, South Africa. - Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images Voters in Johannesburg told CNN they headed to vote shortly after polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET) on Wednesday, and many expressed their hopes that the country would move in a different direction. We want to see the change, said Sydney Radebe. This is a rich country but people dont have anything, the 66-year-old actor and filmmaker added. We dont have land, we dont have property you cannot own nothing and say you are free. Sydney Radebe - Sarah Dean/CNN Radebe was among the first early morning voters at one of the biggest polling stations in Johannesburg. On a crisp morning as the Southern Hemisphere heads into winter, the line of voters gradually began to grow inside Joubert Park. Events worker Newton Ugboh, 20, was voting for the first time. Im looking for change so I came early in the morning, he said. Newton Ugboh - Sarah Dean/CNN Ugboh said that some of his friends didnt want to vote as they think things arent going to change at all, but that there are big issues facing young people in the country. The unemployment rate is crazy, he said, adding that its a big-time struggle to find work, most of my friends are unemployed. Healthcare worker Roselyne Tswakae, 46, said shes worried about the future of South Africas youth and also believes its time for change. Roselyne Tswakae - Sarah Dean/CNN Young South Africans were promised that education would be the key to success, they went to university but they are unemployed and often end up getting involved in drugs, drinking, smoking, she said. We are hoping for the light, Tswakae added. Land surveyor David Ngobeni, 31, also said there isnt much hope for young people in South Africa. He says unemployment, inflation, crime and corruption are the big issues facing everyone right now. If you have a job, you are very lucky, Ngobeni told CNN. He added that he hopes the outcome of this election will lead to inflation going down and boost the economy. At the very end of a long line in Joubert Park was 40-year-old Ncumisa Xabanisa. She said she has been voting for the same party since 1994 and is very loyal to the ANC. its only one party for me, its from home, its from my grandmother, I grew up knowing them, Xabanisa told CNN. She said the major problem the country is facing is a lack of jobs. Some of us we went to school, we graduated but we have the certificates like its a display. Its hurting. The mother-of-two added that she is educated but is currently sitting at home most of the time, and sells plastic food containers to make a living. There are 52 parties on this elections national ballot, including new parties formed by previous ANC members such as former President Jacob Zumas uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK). Zuma was forced to resign as president in 2018 and served a brief stint in jail in 2021 for contempt of court. The 82-year-old was barred from running for parliament last week after the countrys Constitutional Court ruled that five years must have elapsed since the completion of his sentence. However, his party will still contest the election and his face will remain on the ballot. Capping off a heated few months of election campaigning, many of the largest parties held their final rallies this weekend, including the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition party. On Wednesday, the ANC will lose the outright majority it has abused for decades to subject the people of this country to unemployment, corruption and misrule we close the ANC chapter of our history, DA leader John Steenhuisen told supporters in the town of Benoni, east of Johannesburg. The DA has formed a coalition bloc with smaller opposition parties called the Multi-Party Charter. This is the seventh general election South Africa has held since the end of white minority rule 30 years ago. A record 27.79 million people are registered to vote the highest number to date, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC.) The countrys electoral commission (IEC) said that, by 11 a.m. in South Africa, a significant majority of voters had already cast their ballots, as lines to vote had formed before the polls opened. This, we think, is testament to the enthusiasm of South Africans to record their political choice, the IECs deputy CEO Masego Sheburi added during a briefing at the National Results Center. Sheburi said that some voting stations opened late, but by midday good progress was made with minimal incidences across the country. One of the issues some polling stations faced was late delivery of ballot papers, mainly in the Johannesburg area, according to the IEC. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com South Africa election: When results are expected and why the president will be chosen later A voter fills out a ballot paper during general elections in Nkandla, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, Wednesday May 29, 2024. South Africans are voting in an election seen as their country's most important in 30 years, and one that could put them in unknown territory in the short history of their democracy, the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress party being the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) South Africa held a national election Wednesday that could be the country's most hotly contested in 30 years, with the long-ruling African National Congress party facing a stern test to hold onto its majority. The ANC has been the majority party and in government ever since the end of South Africa's apartheid system of white minority rule and the establishment of democracy in 1994 and has held the presidency since then. Under the South African political system, people vote for parties and not directly for the president in their national elections. The two processes are separate, even though they are linked: Voters choose parties to decide the makeup of Parliament and lawmakers then elect the president. Here's a guide to the main election in Africa's most advanced country and why it might be complicated this time for Parliament to choose the president. ELECTION The election took place on just one day, with polls opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. across the country of 62 million people, which has nine provinces. Nearly 28 million South Africans were registered to vote to decide the makeup of their national as well as provincial legislatures. South Africans can choose parties, or for the first time independent candidates, to go to Parliament. Parties get seats in Parliament according to their share of the vote. Counting starts immediately after the polls close and the final results are expected by Sunday, according to the independent electoral commission that runs the election. CHOOSING A PRESIDENT The president is elected in Parliament after the national vote's results are announced. South Africa's Parliament has two houses and it's the lower house, or National Assembly, that chooses the president. There, the 400 lawmakers vote for one of them to be the head of state and it needs a simple majority of 201. Because the ANC has always had a parliamentary majority since 1994, every president since then has been from the ANC, starting with Nelson Mandela. WHY THIS YEAR COULD BE HISTORIC It has been almost procedural over the last three decades for the ANC to use its parliamentary majority to elect its leader as president of the country. This year may not be so simple. Several polls have the ANC's support at less than 50% ahead of the election, raising the possibility that it might not have a parliamentary majority. It is still widely expected to be the biggest party, but if it goes below 50% it would then need an agreement or coalition with another party or parties to stay in government and get the 201 votes it needs from lawmakers to reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second and final five-year term. The new Parliament must meet for its first session within 14 days of the election results being announced to choose the president. Should the ANC lose its majority, there would likely be a feverish period of bargaining between it and other parties to form some sort of coalition before Parliament sits. It's possible that several opposition parties could join together to oust the ANC completely from government and Ramaphosa as president if they don't have a majority. That's a very remote possibility, though, considering the two biggest opposition parties the centrist Democratic Alliance and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters are as critical of each other as they are of the ANC and are seen as unlikely to work together. The DA is part of a pre-election agreement to join forces with other smaller parties, excluding the EFF, in a coalition but they would all have to increase their vote considerably to overtake the ANC. The ANC has given no indication of who it might work with if South Africa needs an unprecedented national coalition government. Ramaphosa said Wednesday after voting that he was confident the ANC would win an outright majority. ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa SOUTH AMBOY Almost 12 years since Superstorm Sandy left the Luke A. Lovely Post 62 American Legion damaged beyond repair, the post has been given approval to rebuild its home with housing for veterans. The city last week unanimously approved the site plans for construction of the Stars & Stripes Veterans Center of South Amboy, which includes a new home for the Legion and five low- and moderate-income apartments for veterans at the corner of David Street and Rosewell Avenue. Leaving the Planning Board meeting with unanimous approval for this new building is a huge step that brings us to the next phase of our project; fundraising and construction of the Stars & Stripes Veterans Center of South Amboy," Post Commander Joe Szaro said. The post was "happy to see the council room filled with our American Legion members and especially grateful to have the American Legion State Commander Larry Bishop and Middlesex County Commander Joel Bloom standing alongside us during the meeting," Szaro said. South Amboy unanimously approved the site plans for construction of the Luke A. Lovely Post 62 American Legion with veteran housing. "We also appreciate the ongoing support of Mayor Fred Henry and we look forward to working with the City of South Amboy to build this much-needed center for our veterans," he said. Congratulations to the Post and Unit members for all their hard work this past year and a half. Keep those sleeves rolled up! Since the storm, the post has been meeting at various locations, most recently at the South Amboy Senior Center. The building was eventually demolished in October 2022. Last year, the organization established the nonprofit Stars & Stripes Veterans Center of South Amboy as the charitable arm of Post 62. Fundraising efforts for construction costs are ongoing. "It's a great project," Mayor Fred Henry, who attended the meeting in support of the project, said. "First of all it gives them a place to meet. We have no other place in South Amboy that has any other military distinction to it. This is a perfect spot to rebuild, just where they were. There will also be five units in the complex that will help out with the homeless veterans. As far as I'm concerned, there is no downside to any of this." The mayor said he's been working with Commander Szaro and his wife, Mary, the project manager, for a while on the project and thanked them for their efforts. "They have come up with some very good plans," Henry said. "They still got a ways to go, but it's a step in the right direction." The mayor said a city park on a lot next to the property has to be moved to make way for the complex. "The park's been closed for a while due to damage from Superstorm Sandy," he said. "We are in the process of getting some plans together to move it over by the Little League complex, which is just few blocks away on George Street and John O'Leary Boulevard." The mayor said funds will be needed to not only purchase new equipment for the park, but create the park itself, which will be located in an area that is currently a parking lot. "We have to come up with the funds to make that move, but I've committed myself to the Legion," Henry said. "It will take some time, but I told them as soon as we do this we'll transfer the property to them." The post is building the center to continue the traditions of the American Legion by honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans, Szaro said previously. "We're hoping to identify any local, homeless veterans and those at risk," he said. Established in July 1919 as one of the first American Legion posts in Middlesex County, Post 62 has been on lower David Street since Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1921. The location, close to Raritan Bay, would be the organization's home for more than 90 years until October 2012 when Superstorm Sandy walloped New Jersey with a record-breaking storm surge and massive coastal flooding that left the building damaged beyond repair. For information on donating to the project, email post62americanlegion@gmail Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: South Amboy NJ American Legion gets city approval to rebuild Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) "Such mutual support between the two countries is a vivid illustration of the sincere friendship and joint development between China and African countries," Xi said. by Xinhua writers Wang Ze, Lyu Chengcheng MALABO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday during his talks with Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in Beijing. Since establishing diplomatic relations 54 years ago, China and Equatorial Guinea have been helping each other through thick and thin, and maintained friendly cooperation and exchanges in various fields, yielding fruitful results. HOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL The friendship between both peoples has also strengthened. During talks with President Obiang in Beijing, President Xi expressed appreciation for the kindness the Equatorial Guinea people have shown to the Chinese. "We will always remember your kindness to the people in the Wenchuan earthquake disaster area and your donation to the construction of Hope Primary School in Jinping County, Yunnan Province," Xi said. "Such mutual support between the two countries is a vivid illustration of the sincere friendship and joint development between China and African countries," he added. In April 2015, President Obiang announced during his visit to China that Equatorial Guinea would donate a school in Jinping County in China's southwestern Yunnan Province as a gesture of goodwill and solidarity with the Chinese people. The construction of the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Primary School was completed in 2016, and it has since stood as a testament to the enduring friendship between the two countries. "The children found themselves in spacious and bright classrooms within a five-story building, and the once muddy hillside was transformed into a well-built playground," said Ran Hongyan, the school's principal. Ran added that the school, which now accommodates over 2,000 students from 16 different ethnic groups, has a special exhibition room to display the children's photographs, crafts and paintings about the friendship between the two countries. "Our teachers would tell us about the history and friendship between our school and Equatorial Guinea," said fifth-grader Ma Ziyi. "Talent is the future," Obiang told Xinhua in a recent interview before his China trip, expressing his satisfaction with the children's education and the school's facilities. "In this regard, we share a profound consensus with China, and that is precisely why we donated this elementary school." Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) SEEDS OF FRIENDSHIP Since 1977, China has been accepting students from Equatorial Guinea, which has helped strengthen cultural exchanges between the two nations. In order to deepen educational cooperation and foster mutual understanding, the two countries decided in a joint statement on the establishment of an all-round partnership of cooperation in April 2015 that China will "continue to provide government scholarships to Equatorial Guinea" and the two countries will run a Confucius Institute at the National University of Equatorial Guinea. Milagrosa Ada Micha, an Equatorial Guinean beneficiary of a Chinese scholarship, pursued her university studies in China. While at the University of International Business and Economics, she established a magazine named "Real Equatorial Guinea," which served as a platform for introducing her country to classmates and teachers in Chinese, English and Spanish. After she returned to Equatorial Guinea, the magazine became an official media outlet showcasing news about both countries. Later, she launched an electronic version with daily updates and more diverse content, including increased news coverage about China. Ada Micha not only acquired professional knowledge but also learned about the self-discipline, diligence, and wisdom of the Chinese people. "China is my second homeland. What I saw and learned in China changed my life," she said. "I hope more young people can learn about China, the country of the future." In January 2016, the Confucius Institute was established at the National University of Equatorial Guinea, providing young people like Ada Micha with more opportunities to learn about Chinese culture. "When I was a child, Chinese people came to our village to teach farming techniques," said Jose Antonio Nguema, a 21-year-old student. "They were very friendly and taught me to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in Chinese." Since then, a "seed of friendship was sown in my heart," Nguema said. Upon entering university, Nguema was delighted to find a Confucius Institute on campus and eagerly enrolled in Chinese classes. "I have traveled to China twice through the 'Chinese Bridge' program. To me, China represents the future," he said. "After graduation, I hope to pursue further studies in China, focusing on education." "The cooperation between the two countries promotes cultural exchanges, enhancing mutual understanding," said Fernando Garcia, the Equatorial Guinean director of the Confucius Institute at the National University of Equatorial Guinea. "I believe the bridge of cultural exchange between the two countries will become wider, bringing the hearts of the people closer together." This photo taken on May 15, 2024 shows an exterior view of Malabo International Airport in Equatorial Guinea. (Xinhua/Han Xu) FRIENDSHIP OF MUTUAL SUPPORT Over the decade, China has also been helping the African country with its development, particularly in infrastructure. A tall, silver-white building with an arched roof stands on the northern coast of Bioko Island, where the country's capital city of Malabo is situated. As travelers disembark, tourists raise their phones to snap pictures of the impressive new terminal of Malabo International Airport. Constructed by a Chinese enterprise, the airport was inaugurated in May 2022. "This airport has given us a new vision and is our pride," said a resident, Maria. Maria, who did not give her full name, said the old airport was small and outdated, providing a subpar experience for international visitors. The new airport is modern and beautiful, emerging as a shining symbol of the country. "Many of our infrastructure projects are undertaken by Chinese companies, and we are very reassured," said Alejandro Micha Nsue, director of the National Office of Project Planning and Monitoring Project of Equatorial Guinea. The country's former Prime Minister Francisco Pascual Obama Asue said that through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, China has implemented a series of projects that fosters the development of African countries. In a small restaurant north of Bata city, 50-year-old owner Constancia Ondo retrieved a cold beer from the fridge and brought it to a customer's table. A stable electricity supply and a functioning refrigerator were once luxuries for her but are now routine. Ondo said that she and many residents have benefited from the construction of the Djibloho Hydropower Station. In Centro Sur Province, the Wele River rushes forth from the dam of the hydropower station, creating a deafening roar as it cascades down. Built by a Chinese enterprise, the station is the largest hydropower facility in Equatorial Guinea, supplying 90 percent of the electricity for the continental region. Its operation marked the end of an era when streetlights did not work, and every household relied on a generator. "With China's help, our national construction is displaying Equatorial Guinea features, which means closely linking national development with people's well-being," said Micha Nsue. Cooperating with China has given Equatorial Guinea and Africa hope and ambition for unity and revitalization. China has launched the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, which are effective ways for African countries to address development challenges and can genuinely help African countries develop, Obiang said. Looking back over more than half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Equatorial Guinea have always treated each other as equals, respected each other and supported each other, creating a model of South-South cooperation. Looking ahead, China and Equatorial Guinea will join forces with other African countries to contribute even more to building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. "I appreciate President Xi Jinping's initiative to help African countries," said Obiang. "I believe it is the most effective way for Africa to overcome all the difficulties it faces today." The U.S. Supreme Court may be seeing a South Burlington case come across its desk in the near future. A legal battle between developers and the city has been playing out for two years, coming in the wake of land use regulations passed by the City Council in February 2022 that limits development in newly designated habitat blocks, or wildlife corridors. Developers Jeff Nick and Jeff Davis of J.L. Davis Realty own a 113.8-acre property at 835 Hinesburg Road. They allege that the new regulations could prevent them from building on approximately a third of the property. The land was acquired in 2000 with the two developers being open about their plans for commercial, residential and office buildings. The land at 835 Hinesburg Road sits between Route 89 and a swath of residential and commercial properties. Developers Jeff Nick and Jeff Davis have filed a lawsuit against South Burlington alleging that new regulations are impeding on their building plans. Nick and Davis filed the first lawsuit in early 2022 in the U.S. District Court of Vermont where "they argued the habitat block designation bars them from doing anything with their land and is a regulatory taking requiring just compensation," according to the public statement from their legal team, Pacific Legal Foundation. They originally sought monetary damages in addition to an injunction preventing the city from enforcing the law. The district court dismissed the lawsuit, a decision that was upheld in November 2023 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Geoffrey Crawford of the U.S. District Court of Vermont, in the dismissal of the lawsuit, stated that Nick and Davis had no concrete plan sent to the Development Review Board, so it was impossible to know how far the new regulation was truly impeding their building plans. Nick and Davis are now moving up the ladder, appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. The land at 835 Hinesburg Road sits between Route 89 and a swath of residential and commercial properties. Developers Jeff Nick and Jeff Davis have filed a lawsuit against South Burlington alleging that new regulations are impeding on their building plans. The court has requested a response from South Burlington by mid-June, and from that point will decide if they want to move forward with the case. Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: South Burlington VT property dispute appealed to U.S. Supreme Court FILE - The exterior of the South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia, S.C. is shown Jan. 18, 2023. For the first time in nearly two decades, all the justices on South Carolinas Supreme Court are going to be white. (AP Photo/James Pollard, file) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) For the first time in nearly two decades, South Carolinas Supreme Court will be entirely white. Diversity on the bench is a big topic in a state where African Americans and Hispanics make up a third of the population. The General Assembly selects the state's judges, and it has so rarely chosen non-white jurists that Black lawmakers briefly walked out of judicial elections five years ago over diversity concerns. When a new justice is seated after next week's election, South Carolina will join 18 other states with all-white high courts, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks diversity and other issues in court systems. Twelve of those states have minority populations of at least 20%, the organization reported. It's shameful. Whether people like it or not, we have a diverse state. The people who appear before the bench are diverse. The judges they appear before should be diverse, Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter said. Circuit Judge Jocelyn Newman was the lone Black candidate for the state Supreme Court seat coming open. The only African American on the high court, Chief Justice Don Beatty, has to leave because he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 72. But Newman dropped out of the race after candidates could begin asking lawmakers for support. That leaves a white man and a white woman as the two remaining candidates. Candidates for judges typically don't campaign or speak publicly in South Carolina, outside of hearings in which a panel screens them to see if they are qualified and narrows the number of candidates sent to lawmakers to three. South Carolinas Supreme Court already came under scrutiny as the nation's only all-male high court. The justices ruled 4-1 last year to uphold the state's strict abortion ban at around six weeks after conception, before many women know they are pregnant. That decision came after the woman who wrote the majority opinion in a 3-2 ruling had to retire because of her age, and lawmakers made minor tweaks in the law, enabling another high court review. Sometimes its nice to look up on that bench and see someone that looks like you, Associate Justice Kaye Hearn lamented in an interview with South Carolina ETV after she left the court. Beatty's replacement on the bench this summer will be John Kittredge, who was unopposed in his campaign. Kittredge told lawmakers that diversity is critical to the justice system and that only the General Assembly, where 118 of the 170 members are Republican, can assure that. We have a great system. But if it does not reflect the people of South Carolina, we are going to lose the respect and integrity of the public that we serve, Kittredge said. With Republicans dominating the state's politics, it is going to require leadership from the governor, General Assembly leaders and business and community leaders to start getting more diversity into the court system again, said Cobb-Hunter, a Black woman who is the state's longest serving representative at 32 years. Cobb-Hunter points out there is only one Black judge on the nine-member Court of Appeals, which is often a springboard to the high court, and lawmakers chose a white man over a Black woman for the last open seat in April. There has never been a Black woman on the South Carolina Supreme Court. When they talk about women not being elected, I know nine times out of 10 they are talking about white women and not women of color, Cobb-Hunter said. A balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea, carrying various objects including what appeared to be trash and excrement, is seen over a rice field at Cheorwon By Jack Kim and Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea sent hundreds of balloons carrying trash and excrement across the heavily fortified border to South Korea on Wednesday, calling them "gifts of sincerity", prompting an angry response from Seoul, which said the act was base and dangerous. Photographs released by the South Korean military showed inflated balloons with plastic bags tied to them. Other images appeared to show trash strewn around collapsed balloons, with the word "excrement" written on a bag in one photograph. By Wednesday afternoon, more than 260 balloons had been detected, and most of them have landed on the ground, carrying animal faeces and rubbish, the South Korean military said in a statement, calling the act "base and dangerous". North Korea said the balloons were in retaliation for an ongoing propaganda campaign by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea, who regularly send inflatables containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, alongside food, medicine, money and USB sticks loaded with K-pop music videos and dramas across the border. Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister and a powerful ruling party official, issued a statement in state media KCNA, slamming Seoul as "shameful, brazen" for criticising the balloons while defending its citizens' own freedom of expression. The North's balloons were "gifts of sincerity" for South Koreans who "cry for freedom of expression", she said, pledging to send dozens of times the number she said South Korea had sent into its territory. An official at Seoul's presidential office said the North might want to "test" the South's reaction but vowed to respond calmly. PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE "By putting rubbish and miscellaneous objects into balloons, they seem to want to test how our people would react and whether our government is indeed disrupted, and apart from direct provocations, how psychological warfare and small-scale complex threats would play out in our country," the official told reporters. The South Korean military's explosives ordnance unit and chemical and biological warfare response team were deployed to inspect and collect the objects, and an alert was issued warning residents to keep away and report any sightings to authorities. On Sunday, North Korea's vice defence minister denounced balloons sent by South Korean activists, calling them "dirty things" and a "dangerous provocation," and warned that "mounds of waste-paper and filth" would be sent to the South in response. North Korea also attempted to jam GPS signals in South Korea on early Wednesday morning, although no damage was reported, the Donga Ilbo newspaper said, citing multiple unnamed government sources. Seoul's defence ministry said it had no immediate comment on the report. A previous South Korean government sought to block such campaigns, especially after a 2014 incident when the North tried to shoot down balloons, which triggered complaints from residents near the border. A ban on balloon launches introduced in 2021 was later ruled unconstitutional by a top court, which said it violated freedom of speech. The two Koreas' large militaries face off across the military border and North Korea routinely threatens to annihilate its neighbour. Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said sending balloons was a far less risky than taking overt military action. "These kinds of grey zone tactics are more difficult to counter and hold less risk of uncontrollable military escalation, even if they're horrid for the civilians who are ultimately targeted," he said. (Reporting by Jack Kim, Josh Smith, Hyunsu Yim and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies, Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle and Andrew Heavens and Sharon Singleton) SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) One of the two teenage girls who were hit by an SUV in Spanish Fork was released from the hospital earlier this week. Her friend, however, remains in the hospital in a medically induced coma. The tragic accident happened on Saturday, May 18 when witnesses say the two girls darted out into traffic and were struck by an oncoming Kia. Both Olivia, 12, and her friend Reagan, 13, were hospitalized at Primary Childrens Hospital in critical condition. A spokesperson for the family confirmed with ABC4.com that Olivia was released from the hospital late last week. Meanwhile, according to a GoFundMe, Regan still fights for her life. Reagan remains in a medically induced coma, an update on the fundraising page said. We are hoping for a miracle. Please remember both of these young girls in your prayers. ORIGINAL: Two teen girls in critical condition after being hit by SUV in Spanish Fork Spanish Fork residents have since rallied and raised concerns over the intersection, 2300 East Canyon Road, where the girls were hit. Spanish Fork Mayor Mike Mendenhall said the city has been working with UDOT to install a traffic light since the fall of 2022. After a traffic study was completed, the signal was designed last year to be built this year and the project is already out for bid, said Mendenhall in a statement. We anticipate that it will be completed in the next few months. Spanish Fork officials confirmed the city is fronting the projects cost and UDOT will reimburse the city once the project is completed in August 2024. In the meantime, Mendenhall said pedestrians should cross at a traffic light already installed three blocks east of the 2300 East intersection. Drivers should be aware of the road and stay alert for pedestrians crossing the street. Changes may be coming to these Salt Lake City roads Heres what you should know The city said it has also placed speed monitors at the intersection in an effort to slow down traffic in the area. Detour signs have been put in to point pedestrians to designated cross walks and the north leg of the intersection will be closed throughout construction. Spanish Fork city officials said other safety measures are also being evaluated. A GoFundMe for Reagan can be found here and the fundraiser for Olivia 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. The entry sign for the 4,808-acre Cherokee property, which was approved for perpetual conservation. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has finalized the $8.2 million purchase of what are known as conservation easements at Cherokee Plantation, which is about six miles north of Tallahassee. The 4,808-acre property is one of five tracts of lands in Leon and Jefferson counties that is included in the Red Hills Conservation Florida Forever Project, a 17,875-acre initiative begun in 2019 to protect wildlife, wetlands and groundwater recharge areas. From Old Centerville Road, the tract of land extends across rolling hills for about seven and a half miles, crossing Thomasville Road/U.S. 319 to reach Lake Iamonia. More than half of Foshalee Slough, hydrologically connected to both the Ochlocknee River and Lake Iamonia, and a sylvan menagerie of oak, hickory, dogwood and pine trees lie within the property. The land had been part of an antebellum plantation where corn and cotton were raised. In the 1900s, it was used for quail hunting. More than 4,800 acres in the Red Hills region will be permanently protected after the Florida Cabinet approved funding for a conservation easement on Leon Countys Cherokee property on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Conserving Florida's 'unique natural landscapes' In recent years the parcel landed on a list of properties for two initiatives: The Florida Wildlife Corridor a three-year effort to connect 18 million acres (about the area of South Carolina) of forest, Florida wildlife management areas, and state parks. The U.S. Department of Defense's Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape, an initiative to mitigate coastal risks for the Panhandle's nine military installations. The DEP recommended the purchase to "preserve a large, undeveloped tract of land in a highly developable area." Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved the purchase at a September meeting with no discussion. These types of acquisitions are essential to further conserve our water, our wildlife and the unique natural landscapes associated with our state, DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton said in a prepared statement. Cherokee is the second plantation owned by Gem Land Company to be placed under a conservation easement acquisition with the Red Hills Conservation Florida Forever project. The state also purchased for $4.7 million an easement for the 4,101-acre Norias Plantation in 2022. What's a conservation easement? Under a conservation easement, property is protected in perpetuity from development but the landowner can continue current agricultural activities. Natural areas in the property under an easement remain natural; commercial or industrial activities, such as the extraction of oil, gas, minerals, water and more, as well as the construction of new roads, are all prohibited. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: State buys Cherokee Plantation easement for Red Hills Conservation Over the past few years, Republican state lawmakers have introduced more than 150 bills in 35 states that seek to curb academic freedom on campus. Twenty-one of these bills have been signed into law. This legislation is detailed in a new white paper published by the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, a project established by the American Association of University Professors, or AAUP. Taken together, this legislative onslaught has undermined academic freedom and institutional autonomy in five distinct and overlapping ways. 1. Academic gag orders As detailed in the report, state legislators introduced 99 academic gag orders during legislative sessions in 2021, 2022 and 2023. All of the 10 gag orders signed into law were done so by Republican governors. These bills assert that teaching about structural racism, gender identity or unvarnished accounts of American history harm students. These gag orders are widely known as divisive concept or anti-CRT bills. CRT is an acronym for critical race theory, an academic framework that holds racism as deeply embedded in Americas legal and political systems. The partisan activists, such as Christopher Rufo, have used this term to generate a moral panic as part of a political response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. For example, in April 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7, the Stop Woke Act. The law defines a divisive concept as any of eight vague claims. They include claims that Such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker described this law as positively dystopian. He noted that the governments own lawyers admitted that the law would likely make any classroom discussion concerning the merits of affirmative action illegal. The vague wording of these gag orders has a chilling effect, leaving many faculty unsure about what they can and cannot legally discuss in the classroom. 2. Bans on DEI programs The expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI services on campus was a major outcome of the racial justice protests in 2020. By 2023, however, the legislative backlash was in full swing. Forty bills restricting DEI efforts were introduced during the 2023 legislative cycle, with seven signed into law. For example, Texas Senate Bill 17 drew directly from model policy language developed by Rufo and published by the Manhattan Institute, a right-wing think tank. SB 17 banned diversity statements and considerations in hiring. It also restricted campus diversity training and defunded campus DEI offices at Texas public universities. As detailed in the AAUP white paper, only a handful of people testified in favor of SB 17, and almost all had stated or unstated affiliations with right-wing think tanks. In contrast, more than a hundred educators and citizens testified, or registered to testify, against the bill. Since its passage, Texas public universities have seen the closing of DEI programs and reduced campus services for students from minority populations. For example, after the Legislature accused the University of Texas-Austin of violating SB 17, the school was forced to shut down its DEI office. This involved laying off 40 employees. 3. Weakening tenure Tenure was developed to shield faculty members from external political pressure. The protections of tenure make it possible for faculty to teach, research and speak publicly without fear of losing their jobs because their speech angers those in power. As detailed in the report, however, during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 legislative sessions, 20 bills were introduced, with two bills weakening tenure protections signed into law in Florida and another in Texas. In Florida, for example, SB 7044 created a system of post-tenure review, empowering administrators to review tenured faculty every five years. The law further empowers administrators to dismiss those whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory. The law also requires that faculty post course content in a public and searchable database. The AAUP criticized the law, noting that SB 7044 has substantially weakened tenure in the Florida State University System and, if fully implemented as written, would effectively eliminate tenure protections. Now even tenured faculty have reason to fear that what they teach might be construed as a divisive concept, as CRT, or as promoting DEI. 4. Mandating content Lawmakers in several states have also passed legislation mandating viewpoint diversity, establishing new academic programs and centers to teach conservative content and shifting curricular decision-making away from the faculty. For example, Floridas Senate Bill 266 expanded the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, without faculty input or oversight. The original proposal for the Hamilton Center stated that the centers goal was to advance a conservative agenda within the curriculum. SB 266 also gave the governing boards overseeing the university and college systems the authority to decide which classes count toward the core curriculum. This power was exercised in November 2023 after Manny Diaz, the education commissioner in Florida, requested that the boards remove an introduction to sociology course. He stated on social media that the discipline had been hijacked by left-wing activists and no longer serves its intended purpose as a general knowledge course for students. 5. Weakening accreditation The accreditation process is an obscure area of academic governance whereby colleges and universities regularly subject themselves to external peer review. Nonprofit accrediting agencies conduct these institutional performance reviews. As detailed in the report, during the 2021-23 legislative cycles, six bills were introduced three of them were passed into law weakening the accreditation process, thereby making it easier for political interests to shape university policy. For example, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hills accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, warned the schools board of trustees that establishing the School of Civic Life and Leadership without faculty oversight and consultation raised serious concerns about institutional independence. The Legislature responded with Senate Bill 680, which would require that North Carolina public universities choose a different accrediting agency each accreditation cycle. Eventually passed as part of the omnibus House Bill 8, this policy allows schools to shop for an accrediting agency less likely to object to such political interference in the curriculum. These five overlapping and reinforcing attacks on academic freedom and institutional autonomy threaten to radically transform public higher education in ways that serve the partisan interests of those in power. 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: Isaac Kamola, Trinity College Read more: Isaac Kamola is the Director of the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom housed at the American Association of University Professors, which seeks to promote and defend academic freedom within higher education. The center is funded by the Mellon Foundation. MEMPHIS, Tenn. After a loud outcry, there is possible progress when it comes to having a forensics lab in Shelby County. For more than a decade, we have reported on the backlog of rape kit testing, and the lack of a local crime lab, which moved from Memphis to Jackson in 2021. When it comes to rape kit testing and justice, some say it doesnt always happen in a timely matter in Memphis. Rep. G.A. Hardaway of Memphis has pushed for the state to study the feasibility of having a crime lab in Shelby County. There is a delicate balance between the rights of the victim and the rights of the accused, but were not meeting either because were jammed up. Weve got a log jam, said Hardaway. Im looking for a more efficient and effective crime lab. Were going to set the model for the rest of the nation and probably the world. Tennessees rape kit processing times continue to fall: TBI The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations or TACIR is meeting this week in Nashville to examine the rape kit issue, the cost of funding a crime lab, the economic impact on the county, and whether it would speed up the backlog of testing evidence. We can say, Whoa its us, lets look at the problem or we can jump in with both feet and hands and try to find a solution to work. So, thats what the hope is with this TACIR study, said Rep. Ryan Williams of Cookeville. Back in February, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy explained why a crime lab is needed. I think it could be a game changer in terms of increasing our solve rate, which is really the important thing we need to improve if we are going to bend the curve on crime, said Mulroy. Many people point to the case of Cleotha Abston, the man sentenced to 80 years for the rape of Alicia Franklin and accused of kidnapping and killing Eliza Fletcher. Its simple, if Miss Franklin had gotten timely justice, then Eliza Fletcher would still be alive today, said Hardaway. But now, possible hope is on the horizon for rape kit testing and a crime lab in Shelby County. We want to make sure we do it. This is not a partisan issue. This is about victims and victims rights, said Williams. TACIR will meet again on Thursday, and could eventually present its findings to the full Tennessee General Assembly. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Imagine the state of Florida with its very own Black history museum. Given the state's ongoing "War on Woke", disparaging valid parts of Florida and American history, it might be hard to wrap one's head around the idea of a national Black historical repository here. But thanks to HB 1441 and SB 1606, legislation filed in 2023 by Rep. Bruce Antoine, D-Orlando and Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, a task force started the process with its recommendation of St. Augustine as the site for the new museum. Several communities were considered, including West Palm Beach, which still hopes to create a local Black museum at the site of the historic Roosevelt High School campus. Left to be worked out for the state museum are financial and marketing plans to build and sustain a 100,000-square-foot facility. The initial estimates of roughly $100 million, and recommendations of how those funds will be raised are due to the governor on July 1. Proposed Florida Black History Museum A viable Black museum in Florida can happen, if state leaders resist the temptation to get in its way. The concern no, fear is that the politics that confuse cultural misinformation with historic truths will again rear its ugly head. The project remains in its embryonic stage, making it vulnerable to any such whim coming out of the state capitol. Florida is already home to several smaller, local Black history museums, like the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach, the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex in Mims and the LaVilla Museum in Jacksonville. The idea of a larger Black museum located in the nation's oldest city and the home of one of the earliest free Black communities in the Americas is a deserving undertaking. If there was ever a project that would benefit from a hands-off approach from state government, this is it. Government leaders should approve it and then stand back and let it happen. Black museums need cash and commitment Whether the idea is to build a museum devoted to local Black achievement or one that explores the global effects of the transatlantic slave trade, it takes money and consistent public and private sector support to make these facilities a reality, much less commercial attractions that will bring in enough tourists to fuel local economies. The idea of the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C., promoting that city's history as an American gateway for an illicit trafficking of African slaves, began in 2000. After raising more than $100 million, the museum opened its doors in 2023. The same vision and dedication led to the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., which took decades of lobbying the idea of a national museum highlighting Black America to get congressional approval in 2003, and 13 more years of planning and fundraising before its opening in 2016. Members of the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force hear a presentation from Palm Beach County officials aiming to build a statewide Black history museum at historic Roosevelt High School's campus in West Palm Beach. WPB Black museum's baby steps: Schools had no money for Black history museum at Roosevelt High. Then they quietly OK'd $30M It will take a similar commitment and perhaps even more work to counter the Florida state government's ongoing denigration of Black culture and history. Educators are still smarting from the 2022 Stop W.O.K.E. law that prohibits schools and companies from leveling perceived guilt or blame on students and employees, based on race or sex. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked the state from enforcing a key part of that law. However, that hasn't deterred many conservative state leaders who think talking about race is just another form of indoctrination. Florida, however, has enough in both its culture and history to host a state museum of Black history. From Fort Mose, in St. Augustine, the first legally sanctioned free African American settlement, to Eatonville, near Orlando, the nation's oldest all-Black township, the accomplishments of Drs. Mary McLeod Bethune, James Weldon Johnson and Zora Neale Hurston, to the atrocities of Axe Handle Saturday and The Groveland Four the state of Florida has a compelling story to tell. What state leaders do with the task force's recommendations will determine if that story gets told. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: State support is crucial to build a Black history museum in Florida JUBA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday said it will maintain close partnerships with the South Sudan government and regional and international partners to realize peace and stability in the nation. Nicholas Haysom, the head of UNMISS and special representative of the secretary-general in South Sudan, said that peacekeeping in the South Sudan situation entails collective efforts involving the support of the government and the people, as well as the regional and international peace partners like the African Union, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission. "These strong and enduring partnerships are more important than ever, as we confront a growing catalog of challenges across all fronts, economic, humanitarian, and political and security," Haysom said during celebration of the 76th International Day of UN Peacekeepers in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Haysom said that the 18,000 civilian and uniformed peacekeepers in the country are playing a wide range of tasks like protecting civilians, deterring violence, facilitating the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, monitoring and investigating human rights violations and abuses, and bringing communities together to reconcile and resolve conflicts, supporting political processes and election preparations and helping to secure peace and progress. UNMISS plans to build 23 courts, prisons, police stations and training centers this year, Haysom said, adding that they will also deploy mobile courts to bring justice to communities where it has been missing for too long. "UNMISS engineers are also building vital infrastructure, including repairing 2,000 kilometers of roads, maintaining 80 kilometers of dikes and berms protecting 300,000 flood-stricken people in Bentiu, and constructing new schools, health care centers, water points, police stations, courts and other facilities," he disclosed. Losuba Ludoro Wongo, South Sudan's minister for federal affairs, said UNMISS since its establishment has been carrying out its mandate to protect civilians and satisfactorily reduce violence across the country. Over 650,000 people including returnees and Sudanese refugees have sought refuge in South Sudan since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate spoke about security efforts in the upcoming state primary election alongside state and national officials at the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston on May 28, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate joined state and federal officials at a news conference Tuesday, telling voters that their ballots will be accurately and fairly counted in the upcoming primary election. Iowans will have the chance to vote in primary races for congressional and state offices next Tuesday, June 4. Early voting began May 15. Pate said he wanted Iowans to know that election officials and cybersecurity efforts are working to ensure that no interference or other problems are occurring in the primary and that the same officials are already getting ready for the Nov. 5 general election. My message to Iowans is this: If you decide to vote in the 2024 primary, know that your vote will be counted accurately and securely, Pate said. You can rest assured that all of us here today are taking all the necessary steps to protect your vote and to protect the integrity of Iowas elections. The accuracy and fairness of elections across the country has become an issue of heightened concern following the 2020 election, when former President Donald Trump the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024 falsely claimed that the election was stolen. These claims have been linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where supporters attempted to keep Trump in power by preventing the certification of Electoral College votes. While speakers at the news conference did not mention Trump and specific concerns related to his candidacy, officials acknowledged that distrust in elections has grown significantly in recent years. An October 2023 Gallup and Johns Hopkins Universitys Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute found that only 40% of Republicans are very or somewhat confident in the accuracy of U.S. elections, while 80% of Democrats and 67% of independent voters said they were confident in election results. Pate, a Republican, said Iowa has had a successful track record of secure elections and there are multiple measures that make concerns brought up in other states irrelevant to Iowas election results. Voting machine accuracy, for example, is not a concern because Iowa uses paper ballots, Pate said, and ballot tabulators are tested before each election to ensure they are functioning and counting results correctly. Iowas vote tabulators are not connected to the internet, he said. The physical protection of each piece of voting equipment is accounted for in all 99 counties. The state is also working with the Iowa National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to identify and solve problems related to cybersecurity or voting inaccuracies, he said. On primary election day, cybersecurity and election officials with the national and state government, as well as Iowa National Guard, will be working at the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston to monitor and respond to threats or problems reported with voting, John Benson, director of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said. Benson said officials have worked to respond to issues in this format for several election cycles, and they have conducted a rigorous training and exercise regimen in recent months to guarantee their ability to respond to threats. Our goal, as weve always said, is we want to make sure that Iowans have that confidence in casting their vote, and they understand that they can vote freely, they can vote safely and clearly, thats the goal of my department is the secretary and ultimately support the citizens of this state, Benson said. Cait Conley with the federal Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the agency plans to conduct six tabletop simulations of potential threats and situations that Iowa officials may encounter during the 2024 election in the months before the general election. Conley said the agency will also work with election offices in all of the states 99 counties to implement website cybersecurity measures and transition web domains to .gov addresses a way for voters to better verify the authenticity of the website and results. Conley said the agency is also involved in work related to poll workers safety. Physical threats, harassment and abuse against poll workers and polling locations have also increased in recent years, according to research from groups like the Brennan Center a trend Conley called concerning. This is not who we are as a country, Conley said. As Americans, we are better than this, and as a veteran, I want to thank these brave and selfless election officials who stand steadfast in their commitment to the security and integrity of the American democratic process. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them as they defend the very foundation of our democracy. Eugene Kowel, FBI special agent in charge, told Iowans to call the FBI if they become aware of suspicious activity or activity of a violent nature related to elections, as election security is one of the agencys top priorities. Pate said roughly 10,000 Iowans will work at precinct polling locations across the state in the June primary. Recent legislation has also improved resources for poll workers and election officials, he said, allowing for rural counties and areas to have access to more consistent and up-to-date training that may already be available in many more populous areas of the state. Pate said the state has successfully worked with county auditors in areas impacted by recent tornadoes and extreme weather, like Greenfield, to ensure that voting locations are open or relocated in wake of destruction caused by recent storms. While the secretary did not share a number on expected turnout in the primary election, he also said hes hoping for a robust turnout. Its not the same thing as this fall (where) you have a clear contrast between the parties so well wait and see, Pate said. The post State and national officials ask voters to have confidence in Iowa elections appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. (Photo by Amanda Mills/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) School districts and community groups will establish over 60 new meal sites to feed children during the summer, paid for by about $900,000 in grants, the Iowa Department of Education announced. Growing the Summer Meal Program Expansion Grant is an alternative to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, also known as summer EBT, which Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to join. We commend the awardees for their leadership in growing the reach and impact of these programs, providing children with no-cost, healthy meal options in enriching environments this summer and beyond, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said in a statement. State officials said the USDAs program was not the best way to address food insecurity in the state, citing the estimated $2.2 million price tag in administrative costs for the state and lack of nutritional focus. With the Summer Meal Program Expansion Grant, we will expand these well-established programs across our state to ensure Iowas youth have meals that are healthy and use local community farms and vendors when possible, Reynolds said in an April news release. Some Democratic lawmakers and food assistance activists argue more could have been done if Iowa was in the USDAs program. Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition said the program falls flat given the budget surplus and the amount of money summer EBT offered. Its going to do positive things but it is nowhere near what we need to be doing. And it falls very short of what summer EBT could be doing for Iowas kids, Elzinga said. Around half of the new sites will be at schools with the other half located in libraries, parks, apartments and more. Depending on the site, kids are required to either eat the food there, take it to go or a hybrid of the two. Not all rural areas have a nearby meal site, which presents a barrier to families who dont have time to drive to meal sites every day, critics point out. Under summer EBT, a parent would receive an EBT card worth $40 per month per child for food assistance at participating stores during the summer. Officials have yet to release how many of last years 500-plus meal sites will return for 2024. Elzinga said that based on the number of sites last year and the new sites this year, he expects about half of school districts will still not have a meal site. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of kids in the state of Iowa who could have been receiving $120 in benefits this summer and are not because of a choice our governor made, Elzinga said. The post State opens more than 60 summer meal sites for kids appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. A state trooper recently arrested a wrong-way OVI driver on an Ohio roadway. >>Mans body found after major explosion in eastern Ohio An Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) trooper from the Canfield Post was on Interstate 80 in Mahoning County when they noticed the wrong-way driver, according to a social media post. Dash camera video shows the state trooper putting on his flashing lights immediately after seeing the wrong-way driver on the shoulder and began pursuing it. The male driver stopped down the road. The state trooper arrested and charged him with OVI. OSHP is reminding drivers to be responsible and driver sober. States need to keep PFAS forever chemicals out of the water. It wont be cheap. Jackson Quinn brings PFAS water samples into a temperature-controlled room at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati in April. In the coming years, states will need to enforce new federal rules that require drinking water systems to test for PFAS and clean up their water if contamination is found. (Photo by Joshua A. Bickel/The Associated Press) (This image cannot be republished unless you have an AP subscription.) In recent years, Michigan has spent tens of millions of dollars to limit residents exposure to the harmful forever chemicals called PFAS. And some cities there have spent millions of their own to filter contaminated drinking water or connect to new, less-polluted sources. Weve made significant investments to get up to speed, said Abigail Hendershott, executive director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, which serves as a coordinating group for the states testing, cleanup and public education efforts. Theres still a good chunk of the country that hasnt taken on anything. Thats about to change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new standards last month for PFAS levels in drinking water, giving water systems three years to conduct testing, and another two years to install treatment systems if contaminants are detected. State officials and utilities say its going to be difficult and costly to meet the requirements. This is going to take a lot more investment at the state level, said Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, a group that convenes leaders in state health and environmental agencies. It creates a big workload for everybody. PFAS chemicals are widespread, found in a host of everyday products and industrial uses, and they dont break down naturally, meaning they stay in human bodies and the environment indefinitely. Exposure has been shown to increase the risk of cancer, decrease fertility, cause metabolic disorders and damage the immune system. To date, 11 states have set limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in drinking water. Several others have pending rules or levels that require public notice. While the federal rule builds on those efforts, it also sets limits that are stricter than the state-issued rules. We really have looked to the states as leaders in setting standards and doing some of the foundational science, said Zach Schafer, director of policy and special projects for the EPAs Office of Water. The state agencies are the ones who will be playing the point role [in implementing the national rule]. Schafer said the agency estimates that 6% to 10% of water systems nationwide will need to take steps to reduce PFAS contamination, at a cost averaging $1.5 billion per year over an 80-year span. Public health advocates say the EPAs rule is an important step to ensure all Americans have access to safe water. They say state actions show that such efforts can work. But some state regulators and water suppliers even in states that already have their own rules say the strict thresholds and timelines imposed by the feds will be difficult for many utilities to achieve. While the Biden administration has dedicated billions in funding to help clean up water supplies, experts say the costs will far exceed the available money. Its going to have a significant impact nationally on water rates and affordability of water, said Chris Moody, regulatory technical manager with the American Water Works Association, a group that includes more than 4,000 utilities. An estimate, conducted on behalf of the association, pegs the national cost of cleaning up contaminated water at nearly $4 billion each year. The report found that some households could face thousands of dollars in increased rates to cover the costs of treatment. Theres a lot of concern New Jersey in 2018 became the first state to issue standards for PFAS in drinking water. While the states regulations given New Jersey a head start, officials say they still have a difficult task ahead to meet the stricter thresholds. When we bring in the EPA number, the number of noncompliant systems goes up dramatically, said Shawn LaTourette, the states commissioner of environmental protection. Theres a lot of concern about cost and implementation. LaTourette said state leaders are working to analyze which water systems may fall out of compliance when the federal thresholds take effect. And hes calling on lawmakers to provide more money to communities that cant afford the upgrades. In Washington state, utilities have begun testing for PFAS under state standards passed by regulators in 2021. Officials say that roughly 2% of the water systems tested so far arent in compliance, but that number would jump to 10% when factoring in the stricter federal limits. State leaders say theyll be able to grandfather in the data theyve been collecting to meet EPAs testing requirements. The agency may ask state lawmakers for a substantial increase in staffing to implement the new rules, said Mike Means, capacity development and policy manager with the Washington State Department of Health. Michigan has had its drinking water standards for PFAS since 2020. Hendershott said state officials are well prepared to incorporate the EPAs thresholds. But the strict new limits could quadruple the number of water systems that fall out of compliance. Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals, said state efforts were key to bringing about the federal rule. They created the urgency for the feds to bring these standards, she said. States that already have regulatory standards absolutely are in a better position. Its very expensive While many states have not enacted their own standards, some have conducted testing or taken other steps to address residents exposure. Missouri has been testing water systems for PFAS for more than a decade and created maps to notify residents of potential exposure. Of the 400 systems its sampled, 11 may have trouble complying with the EPA rule, said Eric Medlock, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources. The agency aims to bring on a chemist and laboratory equipment to conduct more testing in-house. Medlock expressed concern that the federal limits are so strict that theyre near the threshold of what can be detected. When you get down to these really low detection levels that are right at the regulatory limit, that poses a problem, he said. Were going to have to enforce and regulate what EPA proposed. It is going to be an issue. Medlock and others noted that states will face longer-term issues with the storage of the waste products filtered from the water, which carry their own PFAS contamination risk. The infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2021 includes $5 billion over five years to help communities treat PFAS and other emerging contaminants. More funding for cleanup may come from state lawsuits filed against chemical manufacturers. Thirty attorneys general have filed litigation against polluters, and Minnesota settled its case against 3M Company for $850 million. But leaders say such settlements arent a predictable funding source. In addition to the upfront cost of installing treatment systems, utilities face ongoing expenses, such as replacing filters and disposing of waste, that are less likely to benefit from federal grants and loans. Meanwhile, some water system leaders say the federal compliance timelines may not be long enough. It takes time to design and build a major capital project, said Erica Brown, chief policy and strategy officer for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, a policy group that advocates for public water utilities. Its not one of those things that you say, You have to do this, and next year, and you can just turn it on. And some officials fear the drinking water limits could lead to more state regulations on wastewater plants and other entities whose discharges may affect drinking water sources. It seems like its going to be problematic, because [treatment] is very expensive, said Sharon Green, manager of legislative and regulatory programs with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, an agency whose members operate 11 wastewater treatment plants. Both state regulators and regulated utilities say state leaders need a broader approach to the PFAS problem than just treating the water that comes out of the tap. Officials need to stop pollution at the source, regulate industrial operations and limit products that contain the chemicals. If we keep it out of the river in the first place, [the utility] doesnt have to spend millions of dollars for treatment, said Jean Zhuang, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, an advocacy group focused on the South. While Southern states have not adopted drinking water standards for PFAS, Zhuang said South Carolinas requirement that polluters disclose their discharges of PFAS is a good model to begin cutting off contamination sources. As states face down the expenses of fixing the PFAS problem, some advocates also want them to remember the public health costs of inaction. People will ultimately be consuming less of these chemicals and getting sick less often, said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, a public health advocacy nonprofit. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post States need to keep PFAS forever chemicals out of the water. It wont be cheap. appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. An infant receives one of several routine vaccinations typically required for children entering K-12 schools. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and with growing skepticism around vaccinations and government requirements, some state lawmakers want to end state vaccine mandates for children. (Angie Wang/The Associated Press) Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that its their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption. Its not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate, Edmonston told Stateline. The law is the law. And it already says you can opt out if you dont want it. If you do want it, you can go anywhere and get it. Although Louisiana scores among the bottom states in most health indicators, nearly 90% of kindergarten children statewide have complete vaccination records, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health from last school year. Thats even as Louisiana maintains some of the broadest exemptions for personal, religious and moral reasons. The state only requires a written notice from parents to schools. Edmonston has sponsored legislation that would require schools to provide parents with information about the exemptions. The bill is intended to ensure parents arent denied medically necessary information, she said. Vaccines protect not only the patient, but also those around them. Science has shown that a population can reach community immunity, also known as herd immunity, once a certain percentage of the group is vaccinated. That herd immunity can protect people who cant get vaccinated, such as those with weakened immune systems or serious allergies, by reducing their chances of infection. In the past few years, however, COVID-19 vaccines have terrified some people who oppose requirements to get the shot, even though research shows the vaccines are far safer than getting the disease. Some lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis. Public health experts worry the renewed opposition to childhood immunizations will reverse state gains in vaccination rates. Meanwhile, cases of some diseases, including measles, have increased across the country. Edmonstons bill is one of dozens this session that aim to relax vaccine requirements, according to a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan research organization that serves lawmakers and their staffs. Most of the bills have either died in committee or failed to advance, but a few have become law. Idaho enacted a law, effective in July, that allows students of majority age 18 in Idaho to submit their own immunization waivers to schools and universities, both public and private. And Tennessee passed a law, which took effect in April, that prohibits the state from requiring immunizations as a condition of either adoption or foster care if the family taking in a child has a religious or moral objection to vaccines. Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking, said Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, who sponsored his states legislation. I think the public health community has really lost credibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Watson, a Republican. And theyre going to have to work really hard to restore some of that credibility. Other bills that would have allowed some exemptions passed legislatures but were stopped short by governors. In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice vetoed legislation that would have allowed full-time virtual public school students, along with private and parochial schools, to avoid mandatory vaccine requirements. Justice said in his veto message that he heard constant, strong opposition to this legislation from our States medical community. Similarly, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed legislation that would have required public colleges and universities to allow immunization waivers for health, religious or personal reasons. Edmonston said shes tried before with her legislation in Louisiana; it either died or got vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. But now, with Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in charge, Edmonston is confident the bill will get signed into law. Its already passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. Both she and Watson said the push to relax requirements or create broader exemptions for immunizations is not tied to vaccines themselves. The debate tends to be centered around what many conservatives call an overreach of government. Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies, Edmonston said. Greater momentum after COVID-19 The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends numerous vaccinations for infants as a standard regimen. And shots protecting against measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox and hepatitis B, among others, are typically required to attend K-12 schools. States set their own requirements and exemptions, however, and there are variations. Pushback against vaccine mandates goes back more than a century to the early 1900s, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905 ruled that states could require parents to vaccinate their children, according to Simon Haeder, an associate professor of public health at Texas A&M University, who has been tracking vaccine hesitancy for several years. Although the opposition tends to exist mostly along partisan lines, with Republicans more likely to support vaccine exemptions, Haeder noted that far-left groups which may tend to be skeptical of medicines in general also support the loosening of vaccination requirements. The scientific skepticism and opposition to state interference and the partisan nature of this issue has really escalated, starting during the COVID years, Haeder told Stateline. Its very hard for states right now wanting to increase vaccination requirements, he said. Among kindergartners, national coverage dropped from about 95% for all vaccines in the 2019-2020 school year to about 93% for all vaccines in both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, according to the CDC. Nonmedical exemptions account for more than 90% of all approved vaccination exemptions and are allowed in all but five states. Exemptions increased from 2.2% among kindergartners in the 2019-2020 school year to 3% in 2022-2023, and 10 states reported that more than 5% of kindergartners had an exemption from at least one vaccine. Jennifer Herricks, a microbiologist and founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, an advocacy organization in support of vaccines, has been tracking efforts to relax vaccine mandates since 2015. I became a mom. And then it became even more personal for me, especially having those little infants who are too young to get a lot of the vaccines, Herricks said. And then you realize that they are vulnerable to these diseases and that they are depending on the people around them to be vaccinated so that they dont get sick. But Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, a group that opposes vaccine mandates, said some parents just want the chance to opt out. Believe it or not, my children are fully vaccinated. We were never informed of the states exemption law, Hines told Stateline. She added that some in her group feel that vaccine reporting requirements are an invasion of privacy. We should not be denied access to society, access to a job, access to an education, simply because weve refused medical intervention, she said. Growing concern among health professionals Mississippi, which sits near the bottom of state rankings on most health indicators such as obesity and heart disease, hasnt had a measles case since 1992. We have pushed back all the potentially fatal childhood infections from being commonplace in Mississippi to being extremely rare, Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, said in an interview. Immunizations against childhood diseases have been required by state law since 1979 for entry into K-12 schools and day care centers. The mandate has helped Mississippi lead the nation with some of the highest rates of childhood vaccinations, including a vaccination rate of nearly 99% among kindergarteners. But last year, a federal judge ordered Mississippi to begin accepting religious exemptions after an interest group, Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, sued the state in federal court. Since then, thousands of exemption requests have poured in. Mississippi is approaching the approval of more than 2,800 religious exemptions, Edney said. He expects other states also will see more exemptions as lawmakers elsewhere find success with legislation to relax vaccine mandates or increase requirements on opt-out information. If youre going to be against good, sound childhood vaccine policy the vaccinations that have been proven safe and effective for decades you need to be against clean water and against proper sewage and food protection, Edney said. Dr. John Gaudet, a Mississippi pediatrician for about three decades, said he worried the COVID-19 vaccine controversy would spill into the nations ongoing childhood vaccine debate. I think there was a point where you would go to the doctor, and you would just kind of take it almost as, Well, this is what the doctor recommended, he said. And so theres now more of a consumer mentality: Well, the doctor may say this, but maybe that doctor is not trustworthy. Across the country, meanwhile, measles has surged, with at least 132 measles cases reported so far this year, according to the CDC. Two-thirds of those cases are among people under the age of 19, and over half of them have resulted in hospitalizations. The cases have spread to 20 states. But not, so far, to Mississippi. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter. The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts worries grow appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. State's 'shockingly inadequate' policies allow Big Oil to abandon wells, poisoning family farms: 'An outrageous arrangement that needs to end' One family's disheartening and ultimately devastating fight with an oil and gas company typifies the industry's ability to skirt regulations and escape accountability. What's happening? The Ledgerwoods of Oklahoma, who have owned 230 acres outside Maysville for more than 100 years, had long lived with oil wells on their property, as ProPublica reported. In 2017, a repurposed well leaked brine, contaminating 2 acres with salt- and chloride-heavy water. The chloride levels in their drinking water and soil were more than 12 times the state-regulated level and five times the level the EPA considers safe. They had to start buying bottled water, lost income and their retirement plans, and after cleanup work failed to produce results sold the land, which had been appraised at $1 million, for $450,000. A lawsuit against the company, Southcreek Petroleum Co. LLC, went nowhere because the business declared bankruptcy, even stating in court papers that executives did so "to avoid legal fees associated with the Ledgerwoods' suit," according to ProPublica. Why is an oil company's declaring bankruptcy important? U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is trying to close this loophole. ProPublica reported that he has a bill in the works to change the Bankruptcy Code so that, among other things, company officials cannot deploy golden parachutes before ditching their liabilities. "They privatize the profits, and then they dump the costs on the taxpayer, which is an outrageous arrangement that needs to end," Merkley told ProPublica. "This is not just one company in one place. This is a practice that has been exquisitely developed by the industry." In Oklahoma, bonding is supposed to ensure companies plug their wells, as ProPublica detailed. If they don't, they forfeit the bond. But $25,000 can cover every well a company has, no matter how many. If the company is worth $50,000, it doesn't even have to purchase a bond. So, there's a huge gap in funding to plug orphaned wells. Oklahoma has more unplugged wells, 260,000, than any state but Texas but only $45 million to plug them. It will cost around $7.3 billion, all per ProPublica. "It's clear that abandoning wells and leaving communities and taxpayers to foot the bill to clean them up is baked into the oil and gas industry business model," said Sierra Club senior attorney Peter Morgan, who also called the bonds "shockingly inadequate." What's being done about orphaned wells? A bill to create tiered bonds and increase the limit to $150,000 failed to receive a vote in the Oklahoma Senate, even though it passed both houses unanimously, ProPublica reported. Texas recently received $80 million in federal funding to plug orphaned wells, but wells are leaking all over the country, including in a Montana national park. Though some companies are on the case, including ClimateWells, ending the problem will require government action and the corporations taking accountability. Editor's note: A previous version of this article credited Grist for the original reporting rather than ProPublica, whose story had been published in syndication on the Grist website. We regret the error. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Josh Levy declined to provide the status of his offices involvement in the high-profile Karen Read murder case when asked by 25 Investigates Reporter Ted Daniel Wednesday. We dont comment on whether or not we have open investigations. I know theres been a lot of reporting, but we have a duty to abide by our guidelines. Levy said during a roundtable discussion with Daniel and other Boston area reporters who cover federal court. Levy spoke on the record in a conference room for more than an hour on a wide range of topics from his offices push to combat human trafficking to the state of organized crime in Massachusetts. In December 2023, 25 Investigates learned of letters Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey sent to the Department of Justice requesting that the federal probe be transferred out of Massachusetts based on conflict-of-interest claims. Morrissey argued the probe was launched by former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins who Morrissey accused of having a personal vendetta against him. Rollins abruptly resigned in May 2023, after wide-ranging investigations by two federal watchdog agencies determined she abused her position and lied about it. 25 Investigates: Norfolk DA pushing back on federal probe of Karen Read Case Levys office turned over 3074 pages from the federal probe of Reads arrest and prosecution, including testimony from witnesses and law enforcement provided to a federal grand jury and findings from 3rd party experts. Judge Beverly Cannone has barred Reads lawyers from directly referencing the federal involvement in Reads ongoing trial, but the defense is allowed to cite previous testimony from, a different proceeding that members of the state prosecution did not attend, and one witness for the prosecution slipped when he testified that he, may have spoke to the feds on a specific date. In pretrial hearings, Reads defense said the federal investigation found inconsistencies and conflicts that should lead to the dismissal of her second-degree murder case, while Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally has said the federal investigation found no indication of a cover-up and grand jury minutes from the federal investigation are largely consistent with the states case. Read is charged with 2nd-degree murder for the January 29, 2022 death of her then-Boston Police Officer boyfriend John OKeefe in Canton. Prosecutors allege Read struck OKeefe with her SUV while intoxicated. Reads lawyers have long argued that shes been framed by witnesses for the prosecution and local and state law enforcement. I dont comment where there is a pending matter, Im certainly not going to comment on the Karen Read case. I certainly wouldnt comment when theres an active trial going on, Levy said. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW DENVER (KDVR) The footbridge to Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs will be temporarily closed for part of the summer, authorities announced. On Wednesday, the U.S. Forest Service said the bridge has been temporarily closed due to lingering structural integrity concerns. The four-mile section of Fish Creek Trail past the bridge will also be closed. Fishing is free in Colorado on these dates Fish Creek Falls closure The U.S. Forest Service said the closure is expected to last until July 1 during the high water flows. Bridge abutments have been structurally compromised due to high flow levels over the years, resulting in a brief closure in 2023 and now the more consistent seasonal closure to address safety concerns and facilitate repairs. said the U.S. Forest Service in a release. The timing, cost and nature of the repairs are not known, but engineers are currently working on a plan. This is expected to be a multi-year order through 2027. The U.S. Forest Service said a temporary fix has been put in place, but the fix only works during lower creek flows and with limited occupancy. If you had plans to visit Fish Creek Falls during your trip to Steamboat this summer, other parts of the trail are still open. Colorados U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary urges boaters to be safe this summer According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Fish Creek Falls picnic site and upper overlook trail are still open, and the falls can be viewed from those spots. The public may also walk down Fish Creek Trail to the bridge, but they cannot pass. The U.S. Forest Service said signs will be placed to inform visitors and a Forest Order has been put in place so that law enforcement can facilitate the closure. For more information on closures in the Routt National Forest, visitors can go to the U.S. Forest Services 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 FOX31 Denver. President Joe Biden spoke at the Wilmington Convention Center on Thursday, May 2, 2024. North Carolina Democratic delegates will gather in Jamestown this weekend to discuss the partys business moving forward. Their convention comes the weekend after the Republican party held their state convention in Greensboro with big-name speakers like Lara and Eric Trump and gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. The event serves as a steppingstone toward officially nominating a Democratic presidential nominee. Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee as he garnered 116 of North Carolinas delegates in the March 5 primary and received over 85% of the vote. When is North Carolinas Democratic convention? It begins at noon Saturday, June 1, 2024. Where is it being held? Guilford County: Ragsdale High School: 1000 Lucy Ragsdale Drive, Jamestown and on Zoom. How can I attend? Registered delegates can attend the meeting as well as non-registered delegates. But there will be no special headlining speakers like there were at the Republican state convention. The sign-up form can be found at ncdp.org. The meeting can also be viewed on Zoom by requesting a link on the ncdp.org website. North Carolina Democratic Party headquarters building sign in Raleigh, North Carolina What happens at the state convention and why is it important? Although the exact schedule for the convention has not been released yet, attendees typically talk through the states party platform. Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said the salient issues in the party platform this year include affordable housing, connectivity and raising the minimum wage. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is already addressing a lot of these concerns, Clayton said. The more that we can remind people, this person has our backs as workers in this country is important, because we need someone that speaks for us in that sense too, Clayton said. Additionally, they will elect delegates who will attend the Democratic National Convention this summer, which will total 163, Clayton said, and include many young people, which she is excited about. State Democratic delegates are registered with the Democratic party, are politically involved residents or leaders and they represent the voice and vote of North Carolinians. After the March 5 primary, 116 of North Carolinas delegates went to Biden. Tar Heel State delegates will join with other state delegates at the Democratic National Convention in August where an official Democratic presidential nominee will be announced. Protest vote against Biden: Why 88,000 NC voters chose 'no preference' over President Biden in the Democratic primary When is the Democratic National Convention? Delegates from all over the United States will meet in Chicago, Illinois Aug. 19-22, 2024. For a candidate to win the Democratic nomination, they will need around 1,976 votes, according to USA Today reporting. Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee and Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee. They both won their primaries in North Carolina with over 70% of the vote. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NC Democrats to approve party platform, pick delegates at convention Power outages could linger for days after storms batter Texas again, leaving 1 dead Magnolia Fire officials investigate the scene of a collapsed house that resulted in a fatality on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 in Magnolia, Texas. One construction worker was killed when the frames of two single-family homes that were under construction fell as a strong, fast-moving storm moved across Montgomery County, officials said. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP) HOUSTON (AP) Power outages scattered across storm-weary Texas on Wednesday could linger into the weekend after storms flooded streets in Houston for the second time this month and ripped off roofs in Dallas, leaving a teenager dead and injuring others. The teen was killed Tuesday at a construction site while working on a home that collapsed, and three people at a campground were shocked by a downed power line. The severe weather left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity at one point. Electric utility Oncor said power in the Dallas area should be restored by Friday for most customers, but some outages will continue into the weekend. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity across Texas at one point, but by Wednesday night, the lights had come back on for more than 75% of those customers. Houston was flooded and damaged just weeks after a storm walloped the area, killing eight people. The 16-year-old worker was killed northeast of the city, in the suburb of Magnolia. He was a construction company employee, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office said. A 6-year-old boy and two others who were shocked by the downed power line at a campground north of Houston were in critical condition, authorities said. Witnesses saw a 59-year-old man touch the line Tuesday, but investigators were trying to determine how the two others were shocked, Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams said Wednesday. A couple driving during the storm in the Houston suburb of Spring missed a turn and then spotted a pickup truck submerged in a culvert. Ashley Renee Young said her boyfriend, Robert Chance, grabbed a sledgehammer from his toolbox, broke the back window and pulled out the driver, who only suffered minor cuts from broken glass. They then bought the man a shirt from a nearby gas station before driving him home. I think we have lifelong friends now, Young said. The potential for heavy rains, localized flash flooding and severe weather continued Wednesday through Oklahoma and Texas. Thunderstorms were predicted late Wednesday and Thursday across eastern Montana and Wyoming and northeast Colorado before pushing into Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas. Tuesdays power outages in the Dallas area prompted officials to extend voting by two hours in the states runoff elections after dozens of polling places lost electricity amid 80 mph winds (129 kph) that caused extensive damage. Social media posts showed winds pushing an unoccupied American Airlines plane away from a gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. No one was injured, but the airport said about 500 flights were canceled because of the weather. The National Weather Service said the very active and highly impactful weather pattern will continue in the central U.S. over the next several days. Destructive storms over the Memorial Day weekend killed 24 people in seven states across the South, the deaths stretching from Texas to Virginia. For more information on recent tornado reports, see The Associated Press Tornado Tracker. ___ Miller reported from Edmond, Oklahoma. Associated Press journalists Paul J. Weber, John Seewer and Beatrice Dupuy contributed. SEOUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's births kept falling in March, stoking worry about a continued slide in the Asian country's population, statistical office data showed Wednesday. The number of newborn babies shrank 7.3 percent from a year earlier to 19,669 in March, marking the lowest March figure since relevant data began to be compiled in 1981, according to Statistics Korea. The newborns had been on the decline since October 2022 as young couples delayed or gave up on having children due to economic difficulties such as high housing prices and stubborn unemployment. The low birth rate fueled concerns about a so-called demographic cliff, which refers to a sharp decline in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff. The number of marriages slipped 5.5 percent to 17,198 in March compared with the same month of last year, while the number of divorces decreased 9.8 percent to 7,450. The number of deaths increased 7.6 percent to 31,160 in the cited month. Affected by higher deaths and lower births, the country's population continued to decrease since November 2019. Study finds flaring and venting at industrial plants cause 2 premature deaths daily in US: 'The health impacts are significant' Processes used by industrial plants to get rid of excess natural gas cause two premature deaths each day in the United States, Inside Climate News reported. What's happening? Flaring and venting are two methods that facilities like oil refineries and electrical power plants use to burn off or release natural gas. A new study published in GeoHealth has revealed that these practices not only pollute the air but also lead to the premature death of two Americans every day. The team also found that health burdens from flaring and venting disproportionately impact Hispanic and Indigenous communities. "This study demonstrates that the health impacts are significant," Hillary Hull, one of the researchers and director of research and analytics at the Environmental Defense Fund, told Inside Climate News. "We hope that this spurs more research in this area." Why is the study concerning? The paper's authors found that flaring and venting led to an uptick in emergency room visits among nearby residents and contributed to 73,000 asthma exacerbations in children each year. All of these health effects cost the economy about $7.4 billion annually due to lost work time and other factors. About half a million Americans live within three miles of oil and gas plants that use venting and flaring, according to Inside Climate News. When corporations engage in these practices, it releases harmful pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), ozone, and nitrogen oxides. However, this is not just a problem for people living in oil and gas-producing states. For example, wind can carry the pollutants to densely populated cities like New York and Chicago, the researchers said. PM 2.5 has been correlated with a number of adverse health impacts, including increased risk of heart attack or death from heart disease. One study even found that children exposed to this type of pollution performed worse on tests. Meanwhile, nitrogen oxides are not traditionally assessed in health impact assessments, but the new study found that these gases contributed to roughly 120 of the 710 flaring and venting-related deaths each year. Flaring is not the only source of harmful air pollution. One study found that people living in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution, specifically PM2.5, are more likely to develop plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In addition to all of these negative health impacts, air pollution from oil and gas contributes to the warming of our planet, which carries a slew of other consequences like hotter temperatures, more severe droughts, more frequent and severe storms, food scarcity, spread of certain diseases, and more. What's being done about air pollution? To reduce our risk, it's vital to lessen our dependence on dirty energy. To that end, a number of governments are making progress. For instance, Wales is banning most new roadway projects to cut down on pollution and one New York law will require all Lyfts and Ubers to be EVs by the year 2030. As for venting and flaring, the Environmental Protection Agency in late 2023 issued a final rule to reduce methane and other pollution from oil and natural gas operations. Among other things, the so-called "methane rule" requires these industries to phase out the routine flaring of natural gas from new oil wells. States now have two years to finalize their plans. Meanwhile, if you live in an area that is experiencing harmful pollution, you can protect yourself by staying indoors when possible and using a HEPA filter. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. Suburban man, 73, charged with attempted murder of 37-year-old roommate, police say Suburban man, 73, charged with attempted murder of 37-year-old roommate, police say PALATINE, Ill. A 73-year-old Arlington Heights man allegedly attacked his male roommate with a knife last month. According to Palatine police, Juan Hernandez is charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and two counts of aggravated battery following an incident the department says occurred on April 8. The Palatine Snow Pile has finally melted Police said Hernandez attacked and lacerated his 37-year-old male roommate with a large knife while inside an apartment in an area condominium. The victim received treatment at a nearby hospital and was later released. Police identified Hernandez as a suspect and officers placed him under arrest on Tuesday, May 28. According to police, Hernandez also had two outstanding warrants for aggravated battery from Lake County, Illinois, at the time of his arrest. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Hernandez will remain in police custody until his next court date on Friday, June 21. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. 'All in': New superintendent on his path and Abilene ISD's future For the new Abilene ISD superintendent, education is not just a job. It is his life's purpose. Dr. John Kuhn brings over 27 years of experience in education to Abilene, but he never thought he would end up in the classroom, or leading a district of approximately 17,000 teachers and students. Didn't want to be a teacher Growing up in the small town of Perrin, 16 miles north of Mineral Wells, Kuhn graduated high school in three years with 16 classmates. The Abilene ISD School Board announces Dr. John Kuhn on April 4 as the lone finalist for the superintendent position. His dad worked as a Dallas firefighter, and his mother was a homemaker and part-time substitute teacher. With three older sisters all pursuing teaching, he wanted to pave his own path by becoming a journalist. However, his plans changed after finding out Tarleton State University did not offer journalism as a major at the time. "So, I majored in English because to me that was the next best thing, right?" Kuhn said. Happy with his choice, Kuhn's mom insisted he earn a teaching certification as a job security net. Despite his resistance in becoming a teacher, his mom wore him down . Kuhn graduated from college in 1994 and did not feel prepared to enter the classroom teaching students only a couple of years younger than him. "I knew I was gonna be very, very young getting out of college," he said. "I didn't think teaching high school was a good idea because I would have kids that were, you know, 17-18 years old, and I'm barely 20." While trying to figure out his next step after college, Kuhn heard about and was encouraged to participate in a missionary program called the Journeyman. "At this point, I've been pretty sheltered in Perrin, Texas," he said. "I've never been out of the country, never been on an airplane. I thought it sounded like a pretty good adventure. It'll give me a couple of years, so when I do come back, if I did want to go into teaching, I wouldn't be as young." Kuhn spent two years living in Peru working on waterwheel drilling projects and medical missions. "We'd go up into these little villages that didn't have clean water, and we would drill water wells. We would weigh babies and give protein supplements and things like that to moms and their children," he said. While on the mission, Kuhn met his wife Noelia, and they married when they came back to the states. After living and working abroad, Kuhn wanted to find work that made a difference in communities much like the mission work he had previously done. He applied to a job opening for a Spanish teacher at Graford ISD, a short drive from his hometown of Perrin and spent five years driving a school bus and teaching high school students. Abilene ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn with his son Noah (left), daughter Lili, wife Noelia and son Evan celebrating the Christmas season Sunday, December 24, 2023. "Very quickly I realized I liked teaching. I liked school. I liked being funny with teenagers and being sarcastic with them and them being sarcastic back," Kuhn said. "I liked the camaraderie among teaching staff, and I made a lot of friends with my colleagues. I just decided, 'Yeah, I think this is probably the career for me,'" he said. From Spanish teacher to Abilene superintendent During his time as a Spanish teacher at Graford, Kuhn impressed his administrators with his ability to handle administrative tasks, which opened the door to new opportunities. He enrolled in a master's program in educational administration through Tarleton State and moved to Mineral Wells ISD to gain experience in a bigger school district. "After a year and a half working as a Spanish teacher in Mineral Wells, they hired me as assistant principal at their high school where I did that for three years," Kuhn said. "When my son started kindergarten, I moved down to his campus to be assistant principal, but I did not stay there long." Dr. John Kuhn walks with a student to class while serving as assistant principal at Lamar Elementary School in Mineral Wells ISD. Kuhn says this photo is his favorite picture of him as an educator and administrator. Kuhn moved back up to the high school in Mineral Wells and worked as principal while simultaneously working on his superintendent certificate. After earning his certificate, Kuhn served as superintendent in Perrin-Whitt CISD for six years and Mineral Wells ISD for eight years. Kuhn never thought he would leave Mineral Wells ISD until he saw the opening in Abilene. "It was hard for me to leave," he said. "I knew it would surprise and hurt people that I was leaving. I think a lot of people assumed I'd be there until I retired, and that was my plan." Dr. John Kuhn, Abilene ISD superintendent, dances with his wife Noelia at Mineral Wells ISD Multicultural Night on April 25, 2024. The event marked his last to attend as Mineral Wells ISD superintendent before starting in Abilene. The opening was an opportunity he could not pass up. Kuhn put his name in the hat, and the board thought he was a good fit for the district. "The heartbeat of the community." The initial draw that enticed Kuhn to apply was the visible support for the students, teachers and school district from the AISD School Board. "When I'm in a school district, I'm 100% all in for my kids, for my teams, for my community," he said. "And I want to work with people who have that same value system." "The thing that makes education perfect for me was the same thing that made me enjoy mission work," he said. "I feel like my life has meaning when I'm doing education, and I feel like I'm making the world a better place." Kuhn's mission for AISD is to improve student academic performance, and the district's public image in the community. "The school is the heartbeat of the community," he said. "If the school district is struggling, the whole community struggling. If a school district is thriving, the whole community is thriving." "Not only do I feel the weight of improving schools, I'll bear that weight on my shoulders, and I understand that's what I've signed up for," Kuhn said. There are people rooting for Abilene ISD to succeed, and when district officials make smart decisions, the district will get results, he said. Making a difference. When reflecting on his career, Kuhn recalls a pivotal experience that reaffirmed his choice in becoming a teacher and an administrator. Early in his career as a Spanish teacher, he had to translate to a Spanish-speaking student and her family that her mother passed away in a car accident. "I think that was an event where I realized that this is more than just teaching Spanish, you know. What I'm doing matters in a bigger sense," he said. He carried this belief into his positions as superintendent. Dr. John Kuhn speaks during a press conference after being named the new superintendent for the Abilene Independent School District April 25, 2024. Kuhn took over for Dr. David Young, who retired. "Getting into district administration, you're further from the classroom," Kuhn said. "But I've realized as a superintendent I'm still making a difference for kids by ensuring that we're running a quality school district. "And if I do my job well, I make a positive difference for a lot more kids than just the 120 kids I might see as a Spanish teacher in the course of the school year." To see change and make a difference, the school district has to do the right things for the right reasons, Kuhn said. This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn: the new face of Abilene ISD The family of a 25-year-old New York City professional dancer with a "severe peanut allergy" filed a civil lawsuit claiming she died due to the "gross negligence" of a supermarket that sold her mislabeled cookies. Orla Ruth Baxendale died on Jan. 11 from an anaphylactic shock after having an allergic reaction to a cookie containing "undeclared peanuts," according to the complaint filed May 23 in the Superior Court in Waterbury, Connecticut. Stew Leonard's, the chain of supermarkets the suit holds culpable for Baxendale's death, sold the dancer the Florentine Cookies, the legal document obtained by USA TODAY continued. "The failure to properly label the package prior to the distribution and sale of the Florentine Cookie(s) was grossly negligent, intentional, reckless, callous, indifferent to human life, and a wanton violation as the manufacturer and seller were required under the law to properly declare the ingredients," according to the complaint. Baxendale's family is seeking to claim damages over $15,000 and other relief, the complaint says. "The evidence of Stew Leonards liability for both compensatory and punitive damages is startling and overwhelming," according to the suit. "The evidence clearly shows that a deadly cookie sold and packaged by Stew Leonards killed Orla Ruth Baxendale who was in the prime of her life and caused her parents Angela and Simon Baxendale to suffer the loss of their child." Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera, and Paramus police officers handed out over 300 frozen turkeys to those in need outside of Stew Leonard's in Paramus on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. Stew Leonard's emailed about change in ingredients months before Orla Baxendale's death Six months before Baxendale's death, the complaint says "no less than eleven employees" of Stew Leonard's were "notified by email of the change in ingredients, including the addition of peanuts to the cookie recipe" by the cookies' manufacturer, Cookies United. The complaint also names Cookies United as a defendant. "Despite the email notification of these changes, (Stew Leonards) ignored the email and never changed the label or the nutrition fact panel and never properly updated the packaging," according to the legal filing. Recalled Stew Leonard's Florentine Cookies Cookies United corroborated the Baxendale family's claims on Jan. 23 when the manufacturer issued a press release, which the suit notes has since been taken off its website. "Stew Leonards claimed in an earlier press release that 'The cookies contain peanuts, which was an ingredient not disclosed to Stew Leonards by the manufacturer,'" the now-deleted statement said, per the lawsuit. "... Stew Leonards was notified by Cookies United in July of 2023 that this product now contains peanuts and all products shipped to them have been labeled accordingly. This product is sold under the Stew Leonards brand and repackaged at their facilities." "The incorrect label was created by, and applied to, their product by Stew Leonards," the Cookies United statement read, per the lawsuit. In an email sent to USA TODAY on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Stew Leonard's said," On the advice of our legal counsel, we cant comment on pending litigation." USA TODAY contacted Cookies United but did not receive a response. Recall issued for Vanilla Florentine Cookies by FDA A recall for Vanilla Florentine Cookies was issued by Stew Leonard's, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, around the time of Baxendale's death. The recall applied to any of the particular cookies sold at Stew Leonard's in Danbury and Newington, Connecticut on the dates Nov. 6 through Dec. 31, 2023. A recall statement issued in January said one death had been reported in connection to the Vanilla Florentine Cookies, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Food, Standards and Product Safety Division (DCP) said. Baxendale ate the cookies while at a social gathering in Connecticut, according to the DCP. The mislabeled Florentine Cookies with a best-by date of Jan. 5, 2024, were made at a bakery in Islip, New York, the department said. 'It's a sad day for us' Stew Leonard Jr., Stew Leonard's president, issued a video statement posted on the supermarket chain's website in January saying, "It's a sad day for us. We learned a customer passed who had a peanut allergy who bought a cookie here." Stew Leonard's bought the now-recalled cookies from an outside supplier and sold about 500 affected packages over the holidays, Leonard Jr. said in the video. 'Unfortunately, the supplier changed the recipe and started going from soy nuts to peanuts and our company's chief safety officer was never notified," the executive said. "We take labeling very serious especially when it comes to peanuts." The suit says Leonard Jr.'s statement was an "admission of guilt." 'Orla Baxendale was an embodiment of enthusiasm, strength and beauty' Originally from East Lancashire, in the United Kingdom, Baxendale moved to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a world-class dancer. Baxendale is described in her obituary as a "bright soul" who lived "each day as a celebration." "Orla Baxendale was an embodiment of enthusiasm, strength and beauty," according to the obituary. "Known for her quirky character and boundless love for those around her, she was a source of joy and inspiration to everyone. Her presence was a constant reminder to live life to its fullest, a lesson she embraced wholeheartedly and urged others to adopt." Before her death, Baxendale worked with The Alvin Ailey School, Nemacolin Holiday Village, Steps on Broadway, The Ride, Club Pilates, English with an Accent, MOMIX and many others. The suit says she was a scholarship student at Alvin Ailey School and "performed in many successful productions and was widely considered a superstar in the dance community." "Her passion for dance extended well beyond a single discipline as she was an exquisite ballet, contemporary, and Irish step dancer," according to the obituary. "Each endeavor she undertook became a testament to her dedication and passion, leaving a lasting impact on many lives." Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stew Leonard's store sued after death of dancer Orla Ruth Baxendale NEW MEXICO (KRQE) A federal grand jury has indicted the murder suspect for kidnapping an infant from eastern New Mexico and taking her across state lines. Police say Alek Collins shot and killed Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen at Ned Houk Park in Clovis earlier this month. Hes also accused of shooting a five-year-old and then driving to Abilene, Texas where authorities arrested him. FBI, Rio Rancho PD seek publics help identifying Grey Pants Bandi Collins is facing two federal charges, kidnapping of a minor and using a gun during a crime of violence. He is also facing state charges for murder and child abuse. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) State officials are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday in Cabarrus County involving Rowan County sheriffs deputies. Around 1 p.m., Rowan County deputies reported they were assisting the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office with serving a warrant to 36-year-old Kenneth Vickers on Old Concord Road. Man killed by Newton police after shooting woman, firing at officers identified As deputies approached the residence, they reportedly encountered Vickers in a shed beside the home. According to the sheriff, Vickers fired a handgun at the deputies, who in turn fired back. Vickers was pronounced dead at the scene. Vickers was convicted in Cabarrus County court on May 24, on six counts of statutory sexual offense and six counts of indecent liberties. While out on bond, he reportedly left during a break and didnt return to court. Cabarrus County deputies were not involved in the actual shooting, and no deputies were injured. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is investigating this incident. 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. * China and the EU inked a landmark agreement on geographical indications in 2021, aiming to improve bilateral trade of agri-food products. This year marks the third anniversary of the agreement coming into effect. * A trade company's sales of Iberico ham, a Spanish geographical indications product, is expected to record a five-fold increase in 2024 compared with 2023 in China, as many restaurants in first-tier cities are keen on this delicacy. * In light of an enhanced agricultural trade ties, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said China and the EU are just at the beginning of deeper long-term cooperation. by Xinhua writer Ding Yinghua, Zhang Zhaoqing BEIJING/BRUSSELS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- From Bordeaux wines and Iberico ham to Comte cheese and Sitia olive oil, these signature agri-products from the European Union (EU) have gained a greater presence in the kitchens of Chinese families, tickling Chinese taste buds with their exotic flavors. Every one of these products are labeled with Geographical Indications (GI) designation, a mark of authenticity and quality endorsed by both the EU and China, making them sought-after products in the Chinese market. China and the EU inked an agreement on geographical indications in 2021, aiming to improve bilateral trade of agri-food products. This year marks the third anniversary of the landmark agreement coming into effect. The first GI list, which entered into force in 2021, protects 100 Chinese agricultural GIs in the EU and 96 agricultural EU GIs in China. A second list of more products from both sides will be protected as of March 1, 2025. "In a broader sense, GIs contribute to enhancing EU-China relations, by bringing us closer through our mutual love for food," EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. This photo taken on March 23, 2022 shows a general view of the distillery at Remy Martin house in Cognac, southwestern France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) WINES AND HAM Commenting at a recently concluded roundtable forum on China-EU Geographical Indications held in Belgium's Brussels, Wojciechowski said the agreement is mutually beneficial, promoting agricultural trade between the two regions and positively impacting regional economic development. He led a delegation of European businesses on a visit to China in April this year, during which they met with Chinese government officials and discussed collaboration concerning agricultural matters, including the GI agreement. This delegation of 75 business leaders represented EU agri-food companies and organizations from all over Europe, he said. "It is the largest delegation I have taken with me during my time as commissioner, representing the strong interest of EU agri-food businesses in the Chinese market." In 2023, the total agri-food trade exchange value between the EU and China was close to 23 billion euros (about 25 billion U.S. dollars), according to Wojciechowski. These robust agricultural trade ties have bred business opportunities for GI producers. A listed GI Jumilla, which signifies wine produced in southeastern Spain, specifically within the Murcia province, serves as one example, according to Lorenzo Abellan, chairman of Bodegas Carchelo, S. L., a family winery that produces Jumilla wines. "There are over 40 wineries in the entire Jumilla wine region, and total exports to China, our fourth-largest market globally, stood at between 6 million and 8 million bottles last year, a notable expansion from around 4.5 million bottles in 2021," Abellan said. Wang Cheng, the general manager of Shandong Anxunman Trading Co., Ltd., acting as the commercial representative for Bodegas Carchelo in China, concurred that the increased exposure resulting from the GI designation has led to new business opportunities. A chef prepares 5J Cinco Jotas iberico ham at the unveiling ceremony of LA LISTE 2024 world restaurant ranking at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, France, Nov. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) Taking another GI, Dehesa de Extremadura, which denotes a distinct region in Spain renowned for its production of premium Iberico ham, as an example, Wang said his company's sales of such Iberico ham in China is expected to record a five-fold increase in 2024 compared with 2023, as many restaurants in first-tier cities are joining his list of clients keen on this rural delicacy. China has a rich culinary tradition and heritage similar to that of the EU, Wojciechowski said. "We see that protecting GIs is a 'win-win' concept. Our producers, our consumers, and our society as a whole reap the benefits." HERITAGE, LANDSCAPE VALUED With breathtaking vistas featuring lush forests, deep valleys, and cascading waterfalls, Jingmai Mountain, which is situated in the city of Pu'er in Yunnan Province in southwest China, hosts a Chinese GI designated Pu'er tea, a type of fermented tea that is renowned worldwide for its exquisite fragrance. Home to communities of well-preserved ancient tea trees, the mountain's local history of human cultivation of tea trees can be traced back more than 1,000 years. An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 30, 2023 shows shacks built for tea drying at Mangjing Village in Pu'er City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Li He) "In Europe, Chinese teas evoke in the minds of consumers an image of beautiful tea plantations such as Jingmai Mountain," Wojciechowski said. Both Europe and China are dotted with landscapes influenced by GIs that contribute to the renown of their regions, he remarked, also citing the vineyards in France and the rolling hills in Tuscany as examples. However, to earn its label, each GI product must respect detailed requirements and specific standards, according to Wojciechowski. Jingmai Mountain has served as such an example, maintaining its great biodiversity while supporting human settlements and tree cultivation. Village regulations and local constitutions help prevent tea farmers from applying chemical fertilizers or pesticides to the ancient tea forests. Instead, they have adopted natural methods of preventing plant diseases and pests in these tea forests, such as planting camphor trees to repel insects. Through the respect of their specifications, GIs ensure the preservation of landscape, according to Wojciechowski. ROSY FUTURE Since the beginning of this year, there have been frequent high-level exchanges between China and Europe, fostering closer ties in various fields, especially in the agricultural sector. In May, China's customs authority greenlighted the entry of more types of agricultural products from Europe into the Chinese market, including pork from the Netherlands, prunes and fresh blueberries from Serbia, and fresh cherries from Hungary, on condition that these products meet China's quarantine and health requirements. During the same month, China and France issued a joint statement on agricultural exchanges and cooperation, pledging that the two countries will work to expand French pork exports to China, and provide guarantees for market access and safety of poultry products. Over the years, agri-food products have become an important area of China-Europe economic and trade cooperation. Visitors take photos of exhibits at the China International Conference for the Cooperation on the Premium Geographical Indication Brands 2023 in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, Oct. 24, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhitong/Xinhua) Pan Feng, vice chairman of the China-Europe Association for Technical and Economic Cooperation, told Xinhua after the roundtable forum that the promotion of GIs will not only extend product convenience, but also enhance mutual trust in China-EU economic and trade development. In 2023, the EU was China's second-largest source of imports and second-largest export market, according to a recent report from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Wojciechowski shares Pan's optimism regarding the future prospects of China-EU trade. "The GI agreement is a sign to the world of both parties' commitment to deeper trade relations, and a symbol of our openness and our adherence to international rules as a basis for trade relations," he said. "For us, we are just at the beginning of deeper long-term cooperation," Wojciechowski added. (Video reporters: Liu Yuxuan, Zhang Zhaoqing, Wang Yue; Video editors: Hong Ling, Roger Lott, Hui Peipei, Wei Yin, Wang Han) PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) A man is wanted after a chase overnight in Lancaster County after officers believe he entered surrounding businesses to steal vehicles. Northern Lancaster County Regional Police say at 1:36 a.m. officers responded to the area of Morgan Automotive for a reported vehicle theft in progress. Officers located a white Chevy Camaro parked along the road and observed an adult African American man in a black sweatshirt running from the business and entering the Camaro. The suspect then fled an attempted traffic stop and led a short pursuit southbound on Lancaster Road/State Route 72. Police say the pursuit was terminated due to public safety, however, officers and State Troopers continued to search the area. Police say there is evidence that suspect(s) had entered the Manheim Auto Auction property and surrounding businesses presumably to steal cars. Anyone with information is asked to call Northern Lancaster County Regional Police at 717-733-0965. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. For the many horses that call Chincoteague home, a vaccine for the ominously named "swamp cancer" has provided hope for many of the cases that first appeared there in 2017. Pythiosis, as it is officially called, is actually neither a cancer nor necessarily fatal in equine cases. It is caused by a fungus-like germ called Pythium Insidiosum, and can infect plants, mammals and birds. In horses, it appears as skin lesions when they swim through standing contaminated water and spores enters through a cut, even as small as a mosquito bite. While it can manifest on any part of their body, it commonly affects legs or hooves. In 2017, seven Chincoteague ponies were diagnosed with the illness and eventually humanely euthanized. Just three years later, a handful of Pythiosis cases were diagnosed and successfully treated. A key to containing the illness was a breakthrough vaccine developed through a partnership between veterinarians Dr. Richard Hansen and Dr. George Marble, who had been treating the cases when they first appeared in the refuge. "The (vaccine) was in development since late 2008," said Hansen. "The vaccine stimulates the immune system of the animal so that when exposed, the disease is prevented. In the case of SolidTechs Pythiosis Vaccine, the zoospore component hopefully stimulates resistance against the initial infection, and the hyphae component to help the immune system to fight off the early hyphae stage that emerges from the zoospore." According to Hansen, the vaccine targets an infection already there, and since Pythiosis lesions vary in severity, treating early before they get extensive is key. Also, augmentative treatment is almost always required since the lesion often is secondarily infected by bacteria, where antibiotics are needed. This means treating areas of affected tissue and removing hard structures in the skin lesion. "The dosage is an initial three doses given at monthly intervals, starting during April 2019, then yearly boosters given each spring since then," Hansen said. "There were some ponies that either were too young to be vaccinated or could not be rounded up, required later in the year. Since SolidTech is a USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics, and not the FDA-licensed developer and manufacturer of biologics, there are multiple hoops that must be jumped through to obtain licenses." Hansen noted only the federal Food and Drug Administration "approves veterinary drug products while the United States Department of Agriculture licenses veterinary biological products, like the vaccine, the category under which SolidTech products fall. More: Assateague herd of wild horses suffers two foal deaths in difficult season Biological products must also be shown to be pure, safe, potent and effective." "SolidTech initially worked with Dr. Leonel Mendoza of Michigan State University, who is a worldwide authority, to begin working toward an improved immunotherapeutic. Dr. Mendoza continues to be a valuable resource of information and experience," Hansen said. 'Swamp cancer' cases moving increasingly northward The Assateague Island horse Yankee, who was born on June 6, 2006, has now died of natural causes, the Assateague Island Alliance has confirmed. While no cases of Pythiosis have been found in herds in Maryland, experts have been surprised by the illness occurring this far north. "Swamp cancer" is common in tropical climates due to overall temperatures, so multiple cases in the Delmarva Peninsula and even in Pennsylvania have been a concern. "It's very interesting to have cases in (Virginia)," said Janak Dhakal, associate professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. "Some causes that could be a factor are global warming and temperate climates that are coming up. They normally are in Florida and Texas and coastal areas like that. But now, Pythiosis is coming as far north as Minnesota." According to Dhakal, it can be prevalent in cattle, with far fewer cases in dogs and a miniscule and rare number of cases in humans. "The most important aspect of the vaccine is early detection," Dhakal said. "We must take note even when it appears to be a normal wound like from barbed wire. When the diagnoses is made as early as 15 days after the wound, the vaccine is 100% effective. Until 60 days, the vaccine can still have a good prognosis." Taking note of swampy areas in the environment should be the start of consulting veterinary professionals for those who tend to herds of animals either in the wild or on a traditional farm. More on some of the new ponies Meet 'Braveheart,' the son of beloved Chincoteague pony 'Morning Glory' Virginia staying vigilant against cases Chincoteague ponies have been experiencing a difficult time with this season's mortality rate of foals as others struggle to feed. Steven Escobar, a veterinarian and president of Virginia Horse Council, echoed Dhakal's sentiments that cases of Pythiosis are being recorded in new locations where it was previously unseen. "As we see climate change issues occur, we see warmer weather and more tropical diseases like Pythiosis. Gulf states and areas of warmer climate generally see this in stagnant water or pastures that have standing water. Veterinarians will be the best resource to provide a differential diagnosis," Escobar said. Escobar assured that it is not yet a "significant concern" in the state, but that condition could change. The state veterinarian, he noted, as well as the Virginia Department of Agriculture both consider the matter as one of "heightened awareness" with additional monitoring. More on horseback riding in Ocean City Did you know you can go horseback riding on Ocean City's beach? Here's how to do it. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: What a vaccine means for 'swamp cancer' in Delmarva Peninsula horses Sweden announces $1.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine in largest package ever Editor's note: The article was updated at 11:10 a.m. local time on May 30 with a clarification by the Swedish prime minister's spokesperson that the package will include two ASC 890 aircraft. Sweden's Defense Ministry announced a fresh package of military aid for Ukraine valued at 13.3 Swedish krona ($1.3 billion) on May 29. It is Sweden's largest tranche of military assistance since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The package includes two ASC 890 radar reconnaissance and control aircraft, the "entire Swedish stock" of Pansarbandvagn 302 infantry fighting vehicles, artillery shells, anti-air missiles, and materials to help maintain and replenish previously donated military equipment, the defense ministry said and the prime minister's spokesperson said. The package also includes financial assistance, satellite communication resources, and a mandate by Sweden's Total Defense Research Institute to help Ukraine develop its own research capabilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Sweden for the latest round of military assistance, saying that "these contributions are critical to Ukraine's defense and resilience." "It is also important that Swedish assistance not only saves Ukrainian lives, but it also helps to ensure long-term peace and security in Europe," he added. The announcement came a day after Sweden announced it was providing Ukraine with a new energy aid package worth 615 million Swedish krona ($58.2 million). The Swedish government said earlier in May that it was planning to allocate 75 billion Swedish krona ($7 billion) in military support to Ukraine from 2024 to 2026. With this proposal, Stockholm's civilian and military aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war will amount to over 100 billion Swedish krona (over $9 billion). Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson told the Kyiv Independent in March that discussions on a possible supply of its Gripen jets to Ukraine are underway after Sweden's entry into NATO, but made no definite pledge. Jonson then told the TT news agency on May 28 that Sweden had been asked by partners to wait with possible plans on sending Gripen jets to Ukraine, as the focus is now on providing Kyiv with F-16 aircraft. In March 2024, Sweden officially joined NATO after a lengthy application process triggered by Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was immediately vocal in its calls for other alliance members to do more. Sweden has previously given Ukraine a variety of advanced military equipment, including the Archer self-propelled howitzer and CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. Read also: Swedish defense minister: Up to 2 years needed to boost production capacity to arm Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Sweden has announced its sixteenth package of military aid to Ukraine, the largest package for the country. It will cost SEK 13.3 billion (about 1.16 billion). Source: European Pravda with reference to the press service of the Swedish government The government reported that the package will allow Ukraine to strengthen its air defence and meet its priority needs. As part of this package, Sweden will hand over ASC-890 Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft. These aircraft will provide Ukraine with "a completely new capability against both airborne and maritime targets" and strengthen its ability to hit targets. The aircraft will also be supplied alongside training and technical equipment. Sweden will also provide the entire Swedish stock of 302 armoured personnel carriers to support the development of new brigades in the Ukrainian army. The package also includes RB 99-AMRAAM missiles, which can be used on aircraft and in ground-based air defence systems, artillery ammunition, and resources to service previously supplied equipment. The 16th military support package also includes fuel tanker vehicles, which are redundant in the Swedish Armed Forces, along with financial support for coalitions of forces and assets and financial support for funds and temporary initiatives that make it possible to quickly purchase equipment for Ukraine on a large scale. The package also further strengthens Ukraine's ability to manage combat operations by providing terminals with satellite communications subscriptions. Background: Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said that several states had asked Sweden to pause its plans to send Gripen fighters to Ukraine due to the focus on the supply of F-16 fighters. In autumn, the media reported that the Swedish government was carefully preparing for the potential sending of Gripen fighters to Ukraine. Subsequently, Jonson said that after its final accession to NATO, Sweden was not ruling out the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Gripen fighters. In August 2023, during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Sweden, they discussed the provision of Gripen fighters to Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! Sweden seeks to answer worried students' questions about NATO and war after its neutrality ends Masai Bjoerkwall, a junior high school teacher at Viktor Rydberg's School, teaches the history of NATO and the implications of Sweden joining NATO, in Stockholm, Sweden, Friday, May 17, 2024. Slogan reads Should we be with authoritarian states? (AP Photo/Chisato Tanaka) STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) The teacher's opening question to students in Stockholm is blunt: Has joining NATO increased the threat to Sweden? Sweden became the Western military alliance's 32nd member in March. The abrupt end to the Scandinavian countrys 200 years of neutrality following Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and officials' warnings about the Russian threat to Sweden itself, worry many. Teenagers are no exception. Masai Bjorkwall helped design a national program to educate students on the history and geopolitics of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after students at Viktor Rydberg Junior High School earlier this year anxiously asked if war might come to Sweden. Their fears had been sparked by comments from the countrys top military commander and the civil defense minister that there was a risk of war and that Swedes must prepare. The statements spread quickly, and the national childrens help line reported an increase in questions about war. Sweden's last war ended in 1814. Of course we have to deal with the students worries about risk for conflict and war, and explain why we joined. We have had the policy of neutrality for so long, several hundred years, Bjorkwall said. So I have to teach about what has happened in the world, what has changed that made us change our policy. For teens unfamiliar with NATO, war and world politics, Bjorkwall's new syllabus seeks to demystify topics his students see online. One lesson included a discussion of the implications of NATOs Article 5, the alliances collective defense clause under which an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all allies. The discussion stressed that the clause doesnt lead to an automatic military response. Student Linnea Ekman didn't see any increased threat, pointing out that Article 5 does not require sending troops. Another student, Edith Maxence, was concerned about the world becoming more divided as Sweden takes sides. I feel safe that Sweden is with NATO, but I feel unsafe that (...) it might start a war, said the 14-year-old. She isnt alone. Children's Rights in Society, which runs the national child help line, has seen increasing numbers of calls from children asking whether NATO membership increases the risk to Sweden. Callers rarely asked about war before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But the secretary-general of BRIS, Magnus Jagerskog, said that nearly 20% of calls were about war in the week after military chief Micael Byden and Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin made their comments in January highlighting the risk. Addressing such concerns is where the program Bjorkwall helped design comes in. Together with UR, a publicly funded civic education agency that creates educational content for teachers and students, he and others produced a series of video programs on NATO along with teaching materials. Launched in March, these programs have now reached an estimated 100,000 Swedish children. For his final-year students, Bjorkwall has a more challenging question: Should Sweden align with authoritarian countries? He uses as examples Turkey and Hungary NATO allies that delayed Swedens membership for months after Nordic neighbor Finland had joined. The class is divided, with nearly half of the students unsure. We found it hard to make one conclusion," said 15-year-old Adam Sahlen but acknowledged that the military gets stronger and better if we cooperate with others, especially Turkey for example. Bjorkwall said he's careful to avoid advocating one position over another: "I want them to be mature, democratic citizens that can vote consciously later on. MILAN The Swedish government will send new military equipment to Ukraine worth $1.3 billion to fill the countrys most urgent capability gaps, officials announced on Wednesday. The aid package will include the Saab-made airborne surveillance and control aircraft, known as ASC-890, which can track ships, drones, aircraft and missiles. According to a statement published by the Swedish government, the aircraft will strengthen Ukraines capability to identify and engage targets at long range. The weapons bundle will also contain a number of Swedish-made, advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, or RB-99-AMRAAM, adapted for ground-to-air engagements. The Scandinavian country will send its complete stock of armored tracked personnel carriers, the PBV 302, alongside spare parts, ammunition, and maintenance equipment to support the regeneration of new Ukrainian brigades. The Swedish vehicles, produced by the company now known as BAE Systems Hagglunds, were retired from service in 2014. Additionally, Kyiv will receive an undisclosed number of 155mm artillery shells from Swedish stockpiles, to combat Russian units in the depths of the battlefield, according to the statement. While this donation will lead to a temporary decline in Swedens armament, government officials have already committed to procuring more munitions as replacements. Similarly, defense officials in Stockholm intend to buy more GlobalEye surveillance aircraft from Saab to make up for the donation of the older ASC-890 type. These Swedish pledge follows military aid commitments from Spain and Belgium this week in the areas of combat aircraft, tanks and air defense. Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson on the right side. Photo: Kristersson on Facebook Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson has commented on the allocation of the largest package of military aid to Ukraine, which includes, among other things, an ASC 890 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. Source: European Pravda, citing Kristersson on Facebook Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson noted that the support package is primarily focused on three things Ukraine currently needs most and has clearly requested: strengthening air defence, artillery ammunition, and armoured vehicles. "I spoke on the phone yesterday with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. I told him what I have said many times before: Ukraine's fight is Sweden's fight. We will support Ukraine as much as is necessary," he emphasised. "Ukraine is not just fighting for its own freedom and security, but for ours as well", Kristersson added. In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of Sweden's assistance for Ukraine's defence capability and resilience. "It is important to note that Swedish assistance not only saves Ukrainian lives, but also helps guarantee long-term peace and security in Europe. Together, we will defend our shared values and hold the aggressor accountable," he stressed. Zelenskyy thanked Sweden for supporting Ukraine and for being a "true and reliable ally." Background: Earlier, Sweden announced its sixteenth package of military aid to Ukraine, the largest package for the country yet. It will cost SEK 13.3 billion (about 1.16 billion). Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said that several states had asked Sweden to pause its plans to send Gripen fighters to Ukraine due to the focus on the supply of F-16 fighters. Support UP or become our patron! Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi meet with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the police force to promote the modernization of the country's public security work. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting with police personnel attending a national conference on public security work in Beijing. Insights from the National Chengchi University, New Bloom Magazine, and Tai Sounds The News Taiwans legislature on Tuesday passed a slate of reforms that give it more power to scrutinize newly-inaugurated President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), all while tens of thousands of demonstrators peacefully protested the move in Taipei. Lai is expected to veto the legislation, but the opposition-majority in the islands legislature led by the Kuomintang (KMT) party will likely override the veto. In addition to expanding the legislatures power over the presidency, the laws would require military officials, private companies, and individuals to disclose information to parliamentarians if asked. International critics of the law say it is taking cues from China, but many Taiwanese see the reforms as a homegrown attack on democracy. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Protests are not exclusively pro-DPP Source: National Chengchi University Some observers have described protestors as pro-DPP, but much like previous demonstrations in Taiwan, the protestors have always wanted meaningful distance from the DPP, Lev Nachman, a political scientist at Taiwans National Chengchi University said. Indeed, there are differences between how demonstrators and the DPP have framed the bill: The DPP has suggested the new laws are an existential threat from China, while protestors are more concerned about Taiwanese democracy as a whole. Critics of the DPP who also dont support the reforms believe the DPP ignores how the problem is home-grown, not external, Nachman said. KMT also at risk under new law Sources: New Bloom Magazine, The Diplomat The impact of the bill on voters will not be apparent until the 2026 local elections, but it could ignite scorched earth tactics between both parties going forward, as the DPP could theoretically use the law to target KMT leaders, according to New Bloom Magazine editor Brian Hioe. Its hard to imagine that KMT leaders like Fu Kun-chi the legislative majority leader would not emerge unscathed given his history of alleged illegal stock manipulation, Hioe argued. Certainly both parties have a history of weaponizing each others laws against one another. Taiwanese politics can be weirdly cyclical, Hioe wrote. Observers worry KMT is drifting from founders democratic vision Sources: Tai Sounds, NOWNews Taiwans Control Yuan the supervisory branch of government issued an official criticism of the bill, prompting Fu to call for the Control Yuans dissolution. Such calls are not new: The DPP had previously criticized the KMT for using the Control Yuan to punish opposition leaders, according to Tai Sounds. But for a high-profile KMT member to call for it is rare since the partys founders also drafted Taiwans constitution, according to NOWNews. Taiwans founders set out a strong separation of power among government bodies. While eliminating the Control Yuan would pose a risk to democracy, the historical complaints from both the KMT and DPP show some reforms may be needed to make it functional and less partisan, Tai Sounds argued. Taller buildings in Columbia? How hotel push could change the look of parts of downtown Columbia needs more and bigger hotels. But restrictions in parts of downtown stand in the way of some taller development. Those barriers could be cut down to allow bigger buildings to go up in some areas, but not without concern from people who live nearby. Columbias lack of full-service hotels has cost the city in the past. Its one of the main reasons tourism experts cite for struggling to get NCAA March Madness tournament games back to the city. And the lack of hotel space also makes it hard to compete against places like Chattanooga, Tennessee, and other similarly-sized cities for conventions that help boost local spending. City leaders have been hoping to attract a hotel specifically to aid in that cause for years, and it seems theyre close to achieving that dream. Westin Hotels, an upscale hotel brand owned by Marriott, has proposed building a new project with a minimum of 250 rooms, standing up to 16 floors tall, right next door to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center where Senate Street meets Lincoln Street. The project also would include meeting space in the hotel that would be owned and operated by the Convention Center, and ballroom space ideal for large gatherings. The new hotel is vital to the future success of the Convention Center, said Bill Ellen, president of the Experience Columbia tourism bureau. Were out of space. But in order for the hotel to come to fruition, the city needs to amend design guidelines meant to keep the Innovista District uniform by removing a barrier that prevents buildings from being taller than 75 feet if they are within 300 feet of a historic district. Just six out of more than 400 parcels in the district fall into that restriction category, but Innovista residents are concerned that the change might open the floodgates for unregulated building. A map showing the six parcels that would be affected by a proposed change to allow taller buildings in the Innovista District. Currently, properties within 300 feet of a residential or historic overlay district cant be over 75 feet. The proposal would change the rules to allow taller buildings near historic overlay districts. Are they planning on building a 20-story building? Those are the kind of things that neighbors are worried about, City Club resident Mary Langston said at a meeting Wednesday. Everybody is saying, Oh yeah, build, build, but if this was in your neighborhood, I think you would want that consideration, too. City leaders Wednesday hoped to assuage any concerns about over-building during a community meeting to discuss the proposed change. First, the current 75-foot height limit only applies to buildings within 300 feet of a residential or historic overlay district, meaning buildings beyond that 300-foot boundary are already allowed to be taller. The proposed change would remove the restriction for properties near historic districts, which only affects six properties in the Innovista area. That area is bound by Gervais Street to the north and the railroad tracks between Catawba and Assembly streets to the south. A map showing the boundaries of the Innovista design overlay district in downtown Columbia, SC. Every building proposal in the district would also still need to be approved by the Columbia Design/Development Review Commission and go through proper planning and development procedures. But residents worried that future projects would repeat frustrations shared about the new seven-story Homewood Suites and Tru Hotel being built at Gervais and Williams streets. Nearby residents rallied against that project two years ago, worried about its height and proximity to nearby townhouses and the Girl Scouts of South Carolina headquarters on Williams Street. Despite their protests, the hotel is being built without many of the residents desired concessions, several of that hotels neighbors have previously said and reiterated Wednesday. City Councilmen Will Brennan, Tyler Bailey and Mayor Daniel Rickenmann were all present Wednesday and assured residents that they would be included in any future planning for the district. But Rickenmann also stressed the need to develop unused parcels downtown. Growth downtown has been a pillar of Rickenmanns mayoral administration. So known is he for wanting more construction downtown that city staff once gifted him a miniature construction crane as a nod to those goals. We have to go vertical here, he told residents Wednesday. A balance is very important as well. When we sell Justice Square, thats probably going to be, hopefully, something really cool and residential as well. Justice Square is the citys police department headquarters located at the corner of Washington and Lincoln streets in the downtown Vista district. The city is in the process of selling more than a dozen properties used by the police department and relocating those services to a new headquarters for the department at the former Aflac property on Huger Street. Other upcoming projects in the area will also add height to downtown, including a new hotel project at Gervais and Wayne streets by developer Ben Arnold, which is expected to reach about 130 feet tall. Ellen, the tourism leader, has often stressed the need for more hotels downtown to support bigger conventions. Plans to expand the Convention Center for that purpose have not come together, and a previous proposal, also from Arnold, to build new full-service hotels for that purpose fell through when Richland County decided against paying for a parking garage to support that project. The new Westin Hotel would help revive goals to bring more business to the Convention Center, Ellen said Wednesday. Plans for the hotel have not been finalized, but city leaders Wednesday were optimistic that it will come to fruition. Here's Why Tech Services Company Has to Pay Up for 'Whites Only' Job Posting A Virginia information technology services company caught flak last year for a racist, xenophobic job posting. Now, the Department of Justice is coming for the companys pocketbook. According to NPR, Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. posted an online ad for a business analyst position in March 2023 which read literally, Only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Dont share with candidates]. The DOJ ruled the job listing was a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act and settled with Arthur Grand Technologies for $7,500 and a total of $31,000 to 31 people who complained about the posting. In an announcement of the agreement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division criticized the company for discriminating against potential candidates of color. It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using whites only and only US-born job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color, she said. According to the agreement, Arthur Grand Technologies neither admits nor denies any violation. But company CEO Sheik Rahmathullah blamed the discriminatory post on a disgruntled former employee in a statement on the case, writing: Arthur Grand Technologies vehemently denies any guilt or wrongdoing in relation to the discriminatory job posting that appeared in March 2023, he wrote. This unauthorized posting was made by an upset employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) from their personal email address and account. Upon discovering this, we took immediate and decisive action to ensure that this type of incident will never happen again, including the immediate termination of the responsible employee. Rahmathullah also apologized to those who were offended by the post. We sincerely apologize for any harm caused by this incident and are committed to making meaningful changes to maintain the trust and confidence of our community and stakeholders, he added. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. One elementary school's community gathered together Tuesday evening to share in their music teacher's out-of-this-world moment. Tecumseh South Elementary School music teacher and garden club organizer Rebecca Stevenson applied in September to house a Moon Tree at the school. According to its website, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's project, which started with the Apollo 14 Moon Trees, promotes STEM education and environmental conservation. "This feels really good," Stevenson said. "I can't actually quite process all of it right now." Rebecca Stevenson, right, music education teacher at Tecumseh South, helps garden club members plant the sweetgum Moon Tree during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon. NASA Moon Tree was in space for about four weeks in 2022 This sweetgum tree was one of five orbiting the moon during the Artemis I Mission in fall 2022. The tree rode in NASA's Orion spacecraft and was in space for about four weeks. Through NASAs program, museums, universities, federal agencies and K-12 serving organizations were invited to apply for ownership of a Moon Tree seedling. Four planting cycles will occur spring 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025 and fall 2025. Sycamores, sweetgums, Douglas firs, loblolly pines and giant sequoias were the five species of trees to fly around the moon. The first batch of seedlings will ship to almost 50 institutions across the 48 contiguous U.S. states. The only other Moon Tree in Kansas was planted in 1976 at the Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison. Members of the Garden Club at Tecumseh South Elementary School hold a procession of a Moon Tree before planting it in the garden on the school's south lawn Tuesday afternoon. Applying for a Moon Tree Stevenson said the support she has felt from the community while teaching at Tecumseh South for the past five years inspired her to apply to get the tree. "This community invests heavily in its kids," Stevenson said. "I mean, since that's my job, it means the world to me." Principal Scott Dial said he is glad to have a teacher like Stevenson who's inspired by the community. "Mrs. Stevenson is an awesome educator and just the perfect person to have in this community," Dial said. "So we're thankful. Her motivation and inspiration to the kids isn't just happening for this Moon Tree. This is how she teaches and so that makes me feel good." When Stevenson applied, she didn't tell anyone their school was considered for a Moon Tree. She said she didn't want to get anyone's hopes up since she thought they had only a 1% chance of getting a tree. After waiting over seven months, Stevenson got the email. "It came at about 9 at night, or at least that's when I checked my stuff for the next day gotta get ready for the next day," said Stevenson, who said she and her husband, Eric, had already gone to bed. "I was like: 'Eric, Eric, read me this email because I think I just read it, but I'm not sure my brain is working. Tell me that it says what I think it says.'" Once she confirmed the tree was coming, Stevenson spread the word but didn't expect the amount of support she received Tuesday. "I was very gratified," Stevenson said. "Like I said, I just love this community. People just show up to support." Tecumseh South Elementary School principal Scott Dial pours a bucket of water on the recently planted Moon Tree on Tuesday. Moon Tree will have educational and ecological contributions As part of Stevenson's application to NASA, she had to outline how the school would use the tree for educational opportunities. Stevenson said having the tree would open the conversation to all kinds of conversations including what NASA is, the difference between orbiting the moon and landing on the moon and the importance of native plant life. "To me, it represents because it is a native plant it represents the fact that we need to be involved in the nature of what is going around us, kind of like the 'bloom where you are planted idea,'" Stevenson said. "People call Kansas a flyover state, but that is not how I look at this state. "So for me, a flyover state is a fly-up state, a fly-to-the-moon state." Stevenson said even the tree planting ceremony on Tuesday was an example of the conversation starting. Melissa Williamson, mother to three Tecumseh South students, said she and her children came because watching a Moon Tree get planted is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. "A moon tree was not anything I ever even knew about," Williamson said. "It's pretty cool, and it's kind of an experience we might not ever get again." This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: NASA gifts Topeka's Tecumseh South Elementary School a Moon Tree Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is in distressor at least, he should be. His troubles began two weeks ago, when The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was spotted flying at his Virginia home not long after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. (Though the upside-down flag originally was flown by sailors centuries ago to indicate distress, it has long been a political symbol in the United States, used most recently by Donald Trump supporters who claim the 2020 election was stolen.) And Alitos troubles grew last week when the Times reported that another provocative flagone carried by January 6 riotersflew at his vacation home in New Jersey last summer. Commentators expressed alarm that a Supreme Court justice would willfully, or through incredible ignorance, associate with an authoritarian movement that has trampled on the Constitution that he took an oath to uphold. Many prominent Democrats, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries, called on Alito to recuse himself from all forthcoming cases involving Trump and the attempted coup in 2021. But Alito wont recuse himselfand his brazen display of disloyalty to American democracy should surprise no one who recalls how he landed on the Supreme Court. Alitos hard-right ideology, and his shameless lack of ethics, were obvious when he was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2005. A few Democratic senators sounded the siren, but the mainstream media, even its so-called liberal mainstays, largely ignored the warnings, unwittingly cooperating with an elite, right-wing operation to install a dishonest, partisan extremist on the highest court of the country. As The New York Times reported on the eve of Alitos confirmation in 2006, his placement on the court was the culmination of an effort that began during the Reagan administration to staff the judiciary with ideologues of the religious right. Conservatives also deployed an adroit media strategy to temper, silence, and even disparage any attempt to criticize Alito during the nomination hearings. Public relations specialists and legal experts, coordinating on behalf of the Federalist Society, Christian organizations like Focus on the Family, and Republican senators, helped to sell Alito to the Senate, the media, and the publiceven before his nomination. We boxed them in, one lawyer who participated in the meetings told the newspaper, presumably referring to the Senate and the mainstream media. Early in the Alito nomination fight, Democrats uncovered a memo the judge wrote while he was working for the Reagan administration in 1985 that articulated his opposition to legal abortion. He advised against waging a frontal assault on Roe only because such a maneuver would prove politically unpopular, and instead advocated for a steady demolition of access to reproductive health care at the state level. Until the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe, the Alito playbook is exactly what many Southern and heartland states followed to make abortion all but impossible within their borders. The memo did not stop Alito from lying to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, whose diary revealed that, while meeting privately in Kennedys office, Alito assured him that he would never vote to overturn Roe. Unlike Republican Senator Susan Collins, who believed the same lie from Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, Kennedy was not gullible enough to vote in favor of Alitos confirmation. The P.R. firm handling the Alito nomination insisted that Republicans counter with the claim that, as a lawyer for the Reagan administration, Alito was only reflecting the views of his client. Planned Parenthood warned that Alito would gut Roe if he had the opportunity, but the media soon dropped stories on the memo. Similarly nauseating events transpired when Democrats learned that Alito belonged to Concerned Alumni of Princeton, an organization that opposed measures to increase admission of women and racial minorities. The group wasnt merely against affirmative action but also contemptuous of co-education and supportive of quotas that favored men. Alito insisted that his participation in the group was ancient history. (He had listed his membership on a job application as a 35-year-old applying to work for the federal government.) The mainstream media reacted not with questions about Alitos biases on race and gender but with vilification of Democrats. Gloria Borger, a CNN commentator, accused the Democrats of going over the line, Newsweek likened Democratic senators to bullies, and PBSs Gwen Ifill accused Alitos critics of demonization. Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd had a conversation on MSNBC suggesting that it was absurd to try to nail him for belonging to a club. Several reporters, including Katie Couric, focused on how Alitos wifewhom the justice this month blamed for flying the upside-down flagwas crying when Democrats questioned him about his involvement in Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Democrats would later learn that, as an appellate judge, Alito failed to recuse himself in two cases involving companies with which he had financial interest, even after he pledged to do so. The New York Times shielded Alito from suspicions over his lack of ethics, writing, Legal ethics experts say judges are not obliged to recuse themselves in such cases. Judge Alito has said the lapses were inadvertent and occurred long after the initial period covered by his pledge. The Times framed the criticism of Alito not as an ethical worry but as a tactic from a liberal coalition, involving womens rights groups, the NAACP, labor unions, and environmental organizations. Kennedy gave a thunderous address on behalf of the people that the liberal coalition aimed to represent, warning on the Senate floor of the dangers of Alitos extreme ideology: If you are concerned and you want a justice thats going to stand for the working men and women in this countryits not going to be Judge Alito. If you are concerned about womens privacy rights, about the opportunity for women to gain fair employment in Americaits not Judge Alito. If you care about the disabled the Disability Act that we have passed to bring all of the disabled into our society, if you are looking for someone that is going to be a friend of the disabledits not going to be Judge Alito. And finally, if you are looking for someone that is going to be willing to stand up to the executive branch of government its not going to be Judge Alito. Kennedy attempted to organize a filibuster to prevent the confirmation of Alito, convincing Senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama to join, but said that many Democrats were unwilling because of fears that Republicans would accuse them of obstructionism. In a 5842 vote, with four Democrats joining the Republicans, Alito was confirmed on January 31, 2006. Earlier this month, Nicolle Wallace, the MSNBC host, said the photos of Alitos upside-down flags stopped her in her tracks. She likened them to a body blow, and wondered how we got here. Wallace was working for Bush when he nominated Alito to the court. Unlike most Americans living in what Gore Vidal called the United States of Amnesia, she should remember the deceitful strategy to install Alito on the court. Decades of right-wing subterfuge, media obsequiousness, and Democratic cowardice explain exactly how we got here. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A 13-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was found unresponsive in a pool at Discovery Cove Tuesday, officials said. The Orange County Sheriffs Office was dispatched to the Orlando theme park at 11:25 a.m. The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, authorities said. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. No other information was made available. Discovery Cove is the sister park of SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando. The park allows guests to interact with a range of marine animals, including bottlenose dolphins. A Discovery Cove spokesperson released the following statement to WFLA Wednesday: Our staff responded to an emergency involving a guest yesterday. Our team provided care and contacted Orange County Fire & Rescue. When emergency personnel arrived, they took over care and transported the guest to a nearby hospital. Out of respect for privacy of our guests, we do not provide any health information. Our thoughts are with this family. This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Police have arrested the gunman from a Harrisburg shooting that left a teenager in critical condition over the weekend. Tyjawan Hill, 17, was taken into custody by police Wednesday on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and firearms offenses, Harrisburg Police announced. Hill is accused of shooting and injuring a 15-year-old boy in the 1200 block of Thompson Street Saturday. The boy was found by police after 2 p.m. in critical condition and taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. Previous coverage -> Teen sought, charged with shooting 15-year-old Hill is currently locked up in Dauphin County Prison with bail denied due to the nature of the offenses, online court records state. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Morning Weather Hill awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 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 ABC27. A Northern Kentucky high school student's graduation speech sparked debate over the weekend after he urged his classmates to seek Jesus Christ as "your answer" for "the way, the truth and life." He didn't receive his diploma and was asked to meet with his school principal because he added the religious message to his pre-approved speech, according to videos he posted on TikTok. Campbell County High School graduate Micah Price is facing consequences after he urged his classmates to seek Jesus Christ during his graduation speech. Micah Price said online, "I was told beforehand I wasnt allowed to bring up Christ. ... I did anyways." He graduated May 24 from Campbell County High School in Alexandria, about 30 minutes south of Cincinnati. The high school, which has about 1,500 students, draws from a predominantly suburban and rural part of the county. Price said in his speech: "Class, before another word is to leave my mouth I must give the honor, the praise, and the glory to my lord and savior Jesus Christ, who in his very words tells us he is the light, he is the way, the truth and life. Class, anyone in the audience today, I'm here to tell you that if you don't have any of those things in your life and can't seem to find the answer, then my lord and savior is your answer." Teen took to TikTok After the graduation at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University, he said an assistant principal told him he'd have to speak to the district school board about what he did because he went "off-script" during the speech. "I went against school policy, school rules. I went against that because I serve a higher power because I serve Christ. I do no one's bidding but God," he said in a TikTok on Sunday. "So, if anyones in the wrong, I am. I deserve to get punished. He went on to say he isn't sure if it's normal to have not received a diploma days after graduation. Courtney Sauerbeck, Schools and Community Educator Director for the district, did not respond to a phone call and emailed questions by The Enquirer. However, Superintendent Shelli Wilson told Local 12 in a statement Price was permitted to thank his "lord and savior Jesus Christ" at the beginning of the speech. But he added statements telling classmates to seek God. "All speakers were told that going off their submitted speech, or any unplanned choices at graduation, may have repercussions as they would at any school function," Wilson said in the statement to Local 12. 'Take a chill pill' A video of Price's speech was posted and shared online and hundreds of people have weighed in on the controversy. "This is an amazing young man who had courage to step out and do what most adults are scared to do! He will be rewarded for sharing the good news of Jesus!" one Facebook commenter said. "Send your kids to a religious school if you want them to freely talk about your god and all that. This is a public school. I for one do not want to listen to the ramblings of any religion at my sons graduation. I know dang well that if this student was Muslim and was praying yall would lose your freaking minds," another posted. In other comments, people urged the public to attend the next Campbell County Board of Education meeting at 6 p.m. June 17 at the Alexandria Education Center to stand in support of Price. On Monday, Price posted an update to TikTok and said he will get his diploma and he no longer has to speak to the board about the incident. "I was on the phone today and the principal (Holly Phelps) told me it's just going to be me and her, no board," he said. The recent graduate said the situation has gotten "out of hand" and he urged people to not call the school or attend the next board meeting. He also indicated people may have threatened school officials because of his speech. "Anybody who's calling certain people and saying they might blow their house up or something I don't know But anybody who's taking a hateful route to this, I please ask that you would just take a chill pill and just timeout," he said. According to a Facebook post by his mother, Melonie Neely Farris, Price plans to join the U.S. Air Force. She wrote, "Micah is called to do what we are all called to do, share the love of Christ, thats exactly what he did and by the way I heard things, the entire audience loved it!" Neither Price nor his mom responded to online requests for comment from The Enquirer. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Campbell County graduate Micah Price mentioned Jesus Christ in speech The International Youth Organization's Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Daniel del Valle Blanco, addresses the debate "Maintenance of international peace and security: the role of women and young people" at the UN headquarters in New York, May 28, 2024. Blanco on Tuesday underscored the critical role of women and youth in maintaining international peace and security during his address at the UN Security Council. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The International Youth Organization's Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Daniel del Valle Blanco, on Tuesday underscored the critical role of women and youth in maintaining international peace and security during his address at the UN Security Council. Blanco praised the Republic of Mozambique for its leadership in the council during May and thanked them for organizing the significant debate - "Maintenance of international peace and security: the role of women and young people." He highlighted the foundational importance of peace for societal development, stating, "Peace is fundamental to any society; without it, there is no life or future." Blanco stressed the importance of integrating young people, particularly women and girls, into peace-building processes. He noted that the International Youth Organization's New Youth Agenda aims to enhance global cooperation on youth issues and strengthen peace and security efforts across all sectors. "Preserving peace requires a comprehensive approach that includes short, medium, and long-term actions aimed at preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts," Blanco said. He emphasized that such efforts must be sustainable, inclusive, and forward-looking, involving young people as active partners rather than passive recipients. The ambassador also called for the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1325 on "Women, Peace, and Security" and 2250 on "Youth, Peace, and Security," which promote the active involvement of women and youth in conflict prevention and resolution. Blanco pointed out the complexities involved in executing these resolutions and advocated for an intersectional and comprehensive approach that adapts to various global contexts. Highlighting the vulnerability of young women to discrimination and violence, Blanco emphasized the need for their increased protection and involvement in political processes. He argued that their contributions are often overlooked in discussions about youth and violence due to perceived lower threat levels, which diminishes their potential roles in fostering sustainable peace. In conclusion, Blanco called on member states to commit to engaging youth communities meaningfully, both nationally and locally. He stressed the importance of creating safe spaces for dialogue to build trust and facilitate effective intergenerational communication, which he deemed essential for the tangible and effective construction of peace and security. Teens who died in Dodge County crash at 'problematic' intersection identified by Madison area schools Luis Gamillo and Erik Gamillo, two brothers, and another schoolmate, Alix Hernandez, died in a crash in Dodge County. Four current or former students of Madison area high schools died in a crash in Dodge County in the early morning hours on Memorial Day. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt is calling on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to approve changes to the intersection that would make it more safe. The agency says they have taken measures and will implement new ones as a result of this crash. Monday's crash happened at about 4 a.m. at the intersection of County Highway TT and State Highway 16/60 in the town of Elba, about 3 miles east of Columbus. Schmidt said an initial investigation found that a pickup truck was traveling north on Highway TT when it failed to stop at a stop sign and a semitractor without trailer, traveling east on Highway 16, struck the pickup truck. Three teenagers died at the scene, while another teen died at a hospital. They have been identified as Luis Gamillo, 19, of Sun Prairie; Alix Hernandez, 18, of Fall River; Erik Gamillo Caldaza, 17, of Sun Prairie; and Ivan Herrera, 16, of Sun Prairie. An 18-year-old Madison woman was hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver of the semi, a 57-year-old La Farge man, was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital, Schmidt said. Teens from Madison area high schools; two were brothers Two school districts in Dane County provided statements this week identifying the teens as current or former students. The Madison Metropolitan School District confirmed Herrera was a student at Robert M. La Follette High School and the 18-year-old Madison woman is also a student. Family for Herrera couldn't be reached Tuesday. The Sun Prairie Area School District sent an email to students and parents Monday night. "It is with deep sorrow that we inform you about a recent loss to our school community. Messages such as this are very difficult to share," the statement states. Erik Gamillo Calzada was a junior at Sun Prairie East High School. He died alongside his brother, Luis, and Alix Hernandez, who were both 2023 graduates of the school. The district said resources are available to students who are having a hard time dealing with the tragedy. A GoFundMe page was started to help cover funeral expenses for the Gamillo brothers. Jimena Balderas Gamillo said she is a cousin of the brothers. She wrote on the page that the brothers "unfortunately joined their father in heaven yesterday." Luis Gamillo and Erik Gamillo died in a crash in Dodge County. "My cousins (were) the most caring and (funniest) souls in the world and they where taken way too soon," she added. A separate GoFundMe page was started by a friend for Hernandez. Alix Hernandez, 18, of Fall River died in a crash in Dodge County. 'Problematic' intersection that is controlled by Wisconsin DOT Schmidt said in the last 10 years there have been nine prior crashes at the intersection. Five were property damage only, two had suspected minor injury crashes, two were suspected major injury crashes, and one was a fatal crash where two people died. The Dodge County Highway Department and the Dodge County Traffic Safety Committee studied the intersection and made recommendations to the Wisconsin DOT, according to Schmidt. "Unfortunately, Dodge County has no control over safety improvements at state intersections," a statement from the Dodge County Sheriff's Office states. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt "While numerous safety enhancements have been requested at this intersection due to it being problematic, Wisconsin DOT has not approved the requests." The sheriff's office suggests flashing lights on the stop signs and reflectors, among other changes, that would help "grab the attention of drivers." Dodge County will continue to make recommendations "in the future in hopes of mitigating further tragedies," a statement states. Wisconsin DOT to make changes The Wisconsin DOT said in a statement Tuesday that the agency took a number of actions to address that stretch of highway and will be taking new measures immediately. The department doubled the number of stop signs on Highway TT near the intersection with Highway 16/Highway 60 in 2020, the agency said. The DOT is also going to take "interim safety measures that can be implemented at the location at the earliest opportunity." The interim improvements will be in place until an upcoming construction project, currently in the planning phase, is performed to reconstruct the intersection. "We express condolences to the loved ones of those who lost their lives," the agency said. "Safety is our departments top priority and any life lost on Wisconsin roads is unacceptable." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teens who died in Dodge County crash at 'problematic' crossing ID'd Teens were live on Instagram during high-speed pursuit before crash, Sacramento deputies say Authorities arrested two 16-year-old boys who led detectives on a high-speed pursuit that ended Tuesday afternoon with a crash and a car fire on a busy stretch of Highway 50 in Sacramento, sheriffs officials said. Investigators recovered three guns at the scene of the crash after the two teens displayed complete reckless behavior, streaming themselves live on Instagram during the chase, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a Sacramento County Sheriffs Office spokesman. Gandhi said gang enforcement detectives with the Sheriffs Office were conducting proactive patrol about 3:30 p.m. near Broadway and 37th Street in Sacramentos North Oak Park neighborhood when they tried to pull over a vehicle with an equipment violation, also known as a non-moving vehicle code violation. The car, a silver sedan that was not reported stolen, failed to stop and led the detectives on a high-speed pursuit that lasted about 10 minutes, Gandhi said. The fleeing car struck two other vehicles along the way, Gandhi said, before the pursuit ended on the W-X portion of Highway 50, near Fifth and X streets just east of Interstate 5. He said the silver car was left behind engulfed in flames on the freeway as the two teens ran away, jumping off a freeway embankment about 15 to 20 feet before they were captured shortly after. The car caught fire after the crash on the freeway, but it wasnt clear what exactly sparked the fire in the car, Gandhi said. A high-speed pursuit ended Tuesday afternoon on Highway 50 when the fleeing vehicle caught fire near Fifth and X streets in Sacramento. The sheriffs spokesman said both teens are validated gang members, one of whom was arrested for leading authorities in a chase a few months ago. The Sheriffs Office did not release the arrested teens names because they are minors. Gandhi said the teens would be medically examined to make sure they were not injured before theyre booked at the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall on charges of illegal firearm possession and felony evading of police. They want to keep talking about these non-moving violations and why we do it, Gandhi told reporters Tuesday. This is why we stop these folks. These are dangerous folks, and who knows what they were going to do right now. He said amazingly there were no reported injuries, including the teens in the fleeing car. They were live on Instagram while they were in this pursuit, Gandhi said. This is how not serious they took this. This was just a real life video game to them. A high-speed pursuit ended Tuesday afternoon on Highway 50 when the fleeing vehicle caught fire near Fifth and X streets in Sacramento. Ukraine will not advance further towards NATO membership at this years annual summit, The Telegraph reported on May 28, due to concerns that the alliance could be drawn into a war with Russia. Germany and the United States have been vocal in their opposition to offering Kyiv a definitive timeframe, as preparations continue for the two-day gathering in Washington, marking the organizations 75th anniversary. "Theyre very sceptical about bringing Ukraine any further along the path to full Nato membership this year," a source familiar with the Biden administrations thinking told The Telegraph. "The US is perhaps not as concerned as Germany, but there is a worry about the threat of Russia to the rest of the alliance," the source reportedly added. The decision is anticipated to frustrate President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been cautioned by counterparts not to demand the "impossible" from the alliance. Russia is currently making gains along the front line, with a further offensive expected in the summer months. Last year, Zelensky labeled NATO as "absurd" when its leaders declined to extend an invitation to Kyiv for full-fledged membership at the meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania. NATOs top officials engaged in "expectation management" following the summit, according to alliance sources, after it was determined that members supportive of Ukraines accession, including Britain, had exerted excessive pressure regarding the decision. Concerns have been raised that the issue of Ukraines membership dominated last years summit and created rifts among member states. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Belgium signs security deal with Ukraine, pledges $1 billion in aid this year Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Officials with Fresno have recently announced the Fresno City Attorneys partnership with the California Attorney General to implement Senate Bill 567, or the Tenant Protection Act (TPA). But, how does this help Fresno residents? As of April 1, the TPA empowers California City Attorneys with the express authority to enforce new tenancy laws. The Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz announced on Sunday that he is partnering with the California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, to implement TPA. The act, officials say, strengthens protections for tenants and creates new consequences for unscrupulous landlords. The law specifically limits rent increases and prohibits landlords from evicting tenants without just cause. Rent may not be increased more than 5% plus the change in the cost of living of 10% total whichever is lower over the course of any 12-month period. The City of Fresno has been at the forefront of tenant protections through our Eviction Protection Program known as EPP. These new tools will provide an extra layer of protection for working families. I thank the Governor and the Attorney General for their leadership on this piece of legislation, Janz said. Officials say landlords violating the TPA could be liable for actual damages, attorney fees, and up to three times the damages if the owner acted willfully, fraudulently, or with malice. For landlords and property managers, the California Department of Justice released a document outlining their obligations after SB 567 became effective on April 1. Read the document below. Tenant-Protection-Act-Landlords-and-Property-Managers-EnglishDownload Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. FILE - Gov. Bill Lee responds questions during a news conference after a bill signing ceremony Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Lee has approved legislation designed to block adults from helping minors get an abortion or receive gender-affirming care without parental consent. Both proposals both likely to face immediate legal challenges when they go into effect later this year. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee's governor has approved legislation designed to block adults from helping minors get an abortion or receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, proposals that are both likely to face immediate legal challenges when they go into effect later this year. Republican Gov. Bill Lee quietly signed the bills Tuesday without comment. However, the governor's actions weren't unexpected. During his time in office, Lee has enacted sweeping restrictions on gender-affirming care for young people and has defended Tennessee's near total ban on abortion while stressing his opposition to the procedure. Both laws go into effect July 1. Lee's actions mean Tennessee will soon become just the second state in the nation to enact legislation that supporters say will stop any adult who intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant minor within the state to get an abortion without consent from the minors parents or guardians. Ambulance drivers, emergency medical services personnel and other common transportation services are exempt under the law. Those convicted of breaking the law would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which requires a nearly one year imprisonment sentence. "Parents have a right to be involved with their daughters wellbeing. The abortion industry has no right to keep parents in the dark at a time when their daughters are so vulnerable and could possibly be in danger, said Stacy Dunn, Tennessee Right to Life's president, in a statement. Meanwhile, Tennessee is so far the first state to pursue penalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent. The bill mirrors almost the same language from a so-called anti-abortion trafficking proposal, where violations could range from talking to an adolescent about a website on where to find care to helping that young person travel to another state with looser restrictions on gender-affirming care services. Last year, Idaho became the first state to enact the so-called abortion trafficking law, but a federal judge has since temporarily blocked the law after reproductive rights groups sued to challenge it. The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Gov. Lee earlier this month warning that there is nothing in the statute that suggests a court will look more favorably on its content-based criminalization of speech and expression" as they described the bill as unconstitutionally vague. At the same time, Planned Parenthood CEO Ashley Coffield told reporters that her organization was in consultation with our lawyers about how to comply with the law if we need to comply with it or whether we can challenge the law. The Tennessee version does not contain exemptions for minors who may have been raped by their parents or guardians. Instead, the new statute says that the biological father of the pregnant minor may not pursue a civil action if the pregnancy was caused by rape. Like Idaho, Tennessee bans abortions at all stages of pregnancy but there are exemptions in cases of molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, and to remove a miscarriage or to save the life of the mother. Notably, doctors must use their reasonable medical judgment a term that some say is too vague and can be challenged by fellow medical officials in deciding whether providing the procedure can save the life of the pregnant patient or prevent major injury. A group of women is currently suing to clarify the states abortion ban. A court decision is expected soon on whether the lawsuit can continue or if the law can be placed on hold as the legal battle continues. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes it illegal for adults in the state to assist a minor in obtaining an abortion without parental consent. The bill, HB 1895, makes it a Class A misdemeanor offense for an adult to help a pregnant minor obtain an abortion in what the bill describes as abortion trafficking of a minor. The newly signed law provides that an adult commits the offense of abortion trafficking of a minor if the adult recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor within this state for the purpose of obtaining an abortion, a summary of the law says. Those helping a minor get an abortion without the consent of the childs legal guardian could face up to 11 months in prison. Bryan Davidson, policy director at the ACLU of Tennessee, wrote a letter to Lee in April arguing that the bill is designed to deprive [pregnant minors] of their own bodily autonomy. This bill harms young peoples ability to access the support of those they trust when they need it most and is an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment right to free speech and expression, Davidson wrote. Abortion travel bans ... do nothing to protect anyones health or safety and will only exacerbate the ongoing maternal health crisis in Tennessee. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a measure that criminalizes aiding a minor in seeking an abortion. Associated Press Under Tennessee law, an abortion at any stage of pregnancy is illegal, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Lee also signed a bill into law Tuesday that would make it illegal for adults to help a minor seek gender-affirming care without parental consent. Briana Perry, interim executive director of Healthy and Free Tennessee, a nonprofit womens advocacy group, said in a statement that the intent of the new anti-abortion law is to create fear among those seeking an abortion. While the fear of state violence these laws are weaponizing isnt new, the fear of one another that this law will create is, Perry said. Every time someone is criminalized and punished for abortion, more people are hesitant to seek help from their support systems. The terror this law will create is the intent of it. The new law echoes a similar one Idaho passed last year that would ban minors from traveling out of state for abortions without parental consent. The law, which makes it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, was put on hold in November after a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional. Related... (KRON) The Alameda County Superior Court certified a class action alleging severe and pervasive race harassment against Black workers in Teslas Fremont factory, the order filed on May 17 said. The court found that the approximately 500 declarations in support of and in opposition to this motion suggest that over a period of approximately eight years, Tesla workers in the Fremont factory heard the n-word and otherwise experienced conditions that might reasonably be characterized as race harassment. FORMAL COMPLAINTS In 2017, Tesla created a centralized internal tracking system to document complaints and investigations, the complaint said. Despite having a formal complaint system at the factory, plaintiffs declarations suggest that Tesla failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action regarding the complaints. According to the order, over 200 plaintiffs working at the Fremont factory reported hearing the N-word, with 112 claiming they have filed a complaint to management and 16 formally filed written complaints in total. Of the more than 200 Black workers who gave sworn statements for the lawsuit, about two-thirds said they saw anti-Black graffiti, including nooses, racial slurs and swastikas, and about three-quarters said they heard Tesla workers refer to the Fremont plant as The Plantation or the Slave Ship, according to a court filing. A quarter also said higher-ups called them the n-word. Some of the other complaints include the following: Plaintiff Adrianna Leaks states that she complained to a supervisor, the supervisor was terminated, and there was no change in the racist behaviors. Plaintiff Albert Blakes asserts he complained to HR, and there was no change in the racist behaviors. Plaintiff Alvin Patterson states he complained to leads and supervisors, and they denied that racism was a factor in promotions. Patterson also contends that he complained about his supervisor, was referred to HR, then received more harassment from his supervisor, and was then warned by HR about his own workplace conduct. FORMAL REBUTTALS The declarations submitted by Tesla suggest that if It was informed about racist incidents, it took immediate and appropriate corrective action to deal with them appropriately. Tesla declarant Robert Brown is a supervisor who states that he has observed workers use the N-word. In 2017 or 2018, he observed an incident involving the word and reported it to HR. Brown claims that in 2019, he also counseled his team that music with the N-word was not appropriate for the workplace. Tesla declarant Philip Buchannan is a supervisor who states that an employee reported to HR that a coworker called him a monkey, that HR promptly investigated, and that Tesla terminated the employee who used the inappropriate language. Tesla declarant Jeremiah Clark states, I personally have seen graffiti using racial slurs. When I see it, I see that it is removed quickly by the building facilities team. FUTURE ACTION The lawsuit claimed that pre-Civil Rights Era race discrimination was standard procedure at the Tesla plant and that race harassment both continued and became widespread because Tesla, despite being aware of it, did nothing to stop it. Tesla said in a 2022 blog post that it strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and claimed that it has always disciplined and terminated employees who engage in misconduct, including those who use racial slurs or harass others in different ways. Since this is a class action, the lawsuit will now revolve around whether there was a pattern of widespread racial abuse at the Fremont factory, whether Tesla knew or should have known about it, and if Tesla did know, whether it failed to take immediate and appropriate action to stop it. 58827009_05_17_2024_Order_Granting_in_Part_Motion_of_Plaintiffs_for_Class____v6-OCRedDownload The hundreds or thousands of workers who may wish to seek damages from Tesla over their treatment at the factory must file separate, individual lawsuits and answers to the three questions would establish common facts to simplify those cases, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Noel Wise wrote. There is much work to do, but we believe we will succeed in showing at trial that there has been a pattern and practice of pervasive race harassment at Teslas Fremont factory, that Tesla knew or should have known about it, and that Tesla did not do enough to clean it up and stop it from happening again and again, said Matthew Helland, of Nichols Kaster, LLP, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Americas Big Three automakers used to dominate the automobile industry, and with all three at one time based in metro Detroit, they supercharged Michigans economy. But today, Teslas market capitalization is larger than the Big Three combined, though only starting production in 2008, first in California and now Texas. There are multiple lessons in that for Michigan, for other states that have suffered major manufacturing losses, and for our nation. Those lessons and the culture they can stimulate can fuel innovation and business growth throughout America. I see this first-hand as co-founder and former CEO of Duo Security, Michigans first tech unicorn (unicorn is defined as a start up with a valuation of more than $1 billion) and the largest exit for a Michigan-based venture-backed software company when it was acquired by Cisco in 2018 for $2.35 billion. Since then, Ive served on the U.S. Secretary of Commerces National Advisory Council for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and invested significant time and resources to find ways in which states like Michigan, with such a massive and catalytic history of innovation and manufacturing, can reclaim that prowess. Prioritize innovation, entrepreneurship to future-proof our state. Michigan learned the hard way that it's not enough just to get ahead you have to stay ahead. Michigan has lost nearly half of its auto manufacturing jobs since 2000 and while that narrative remains dominant, still present is the expertise of many of the people who helped grow that industry and other thriving industries with global brands across a broad industrial base. From furniture and appliance manufacturers, pharmaceutical and health care, chemical, food and beverage, and financial services our state didn't just start and grow a bunch of companies, but pioneered and dominated entire industries. Michigan has deep technology, too, from our WWII-era development of remote sensing and surveillance, our scaling of the internets commercial backbone, to todays military and industrial applications of AI, and among the nations largest concentrations of industrial robots. Dug Song, co-founder and chair of the Song Foundation Nearly half the venture dollars invested in the state land in Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan spends more on research than nearly any other university in the country. Retaining and connecting those people is vital across industries and areas of expertise so that they can inform, inspire and mentor each generation of founders to stimulate innovation and new areas of economic growth. For Michigan, that includes embodied AI applications of sensing, thinking and acting not just in industrial robotics, but health care, energy, logistics, security and defense and finance to produce our next unicorns such as Acrisure, OneStream and Our Next Energy. Michigan excels at getting things done, but execution is about doing things we already know how to do, while innovation is about tackling problems we dont fully understand often by doing things weve never done before. Support for innovation must focus on verbs like connect, amplify and advocate not just nouns like companies, capital or talent. Its the verbs of community development that move entrepreneurship forward! Remove barriers to entrepreneurial brilliance. Every Michigander deserves the opportunity to build a high-growth, high-wage business. But too often, struggling industries, including the auto industry, lobby for regulatory relief and legislative grants at the expense of greater economic vitality and dynamism in the state. The logical place for Tesla to grow should have been Michigan, given our expertise in auto manufacturing and technology, but restrictions designed to protect the Big Three had the effect of pushing the future out of state. Statewide industry associations have a vital role to play, but they must be careful not to focus on protectionism rather than innovation. Similarly, elected officials who are used to being responsive to major employers in the state need to be sure that they are focusing on growing our next generation of companies and industries to create the high-wage jobs Michiganders desperately need. Founders are typically heads down building and growing their businesses. They have to be sought out. Yet, we need to be ready to support them when they ask. Create a vibrant ecosystem to support high-growth entrepreneurship in the state, make it a true community, listen to entrepreneurs and remove the barriers in their way. The national nonprofit Right to Start is championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority for every community and is a great resource. Commit to pay it forward. Michigan ranks above average nationally for philanthropy. But, when it comes to supporting new businesses, not enough dollars or time is reinvested from those who win, to those who might be up next. We organized the Michigan Founders Fund, a nonprofit group of more than 150 founders of high-growth companies who commit to donate 1% of equity in their companies when they exit, and help other founders on their way. The funds are then used to support community nonprofits and a stronger, more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Similarly, the Renaissance Venture Capital fund-of-funds provides a bridge for our major corporations to help invest in our next generation of world-changing companies, creating a flywheel of success breeding success, at a time when Michigans university and philanthropic endowments invest nearly exclusively in out-of-state funds, and few Michigan family offices invest in local, emerging fund managers. Its time for Michigan to bet on Michiganders, and give people a chance to take a chance. The potential for business growth in Michigan is extraordinary, with our states abundance of talent and resources. Realizing that potential depends, however, on connecting business, education and philanthropic communities to prioritize inclusive innovation and opportunity across the state. Culture drives behavior, and behavior drives results and if theres one thing we really cant afford to lose, its our entrepreneurial mojo! Dug Song is co-founder and chair of the Song Foundation. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tesla should have been in Michigan. Here's how to lure the next unicorn Testimony ends in trial for woman accused of trying to run over deputy in Rancho Cordova Testimony concluded Tuesday in a criminal trial for a woman accused of trying to run over a Sacramento County sheriffs deputy with her car last year in Rancho Cordova, during an incident in which deputies fired several gunshots at her as she sped away. Pursuing sheriffs deputies caught up to Kyrieanna Liles, 24, several blocks away and took her into custody without further incident. She was wounded in the shoulder by gunfire and booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where she has been held since then as she awaited trial with her bail amount set at $500,000. Video released in early January showed deputies fired their guns 10 times at the woman. While in custody, Liles filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that accuses deputies of using excessive force in the November incident. That case is pending and will resume in July. The Sacramento County District Attorneys Office has charged Liles with assault with a deadly weapon the vehicle upon a peace officer. The trial in her criminal case wrapped up Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court with testimony from sheriffs Deputy George Booth, who was there as deputies tried to detain her. The incident began to unfold about 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 20, when the Rancho Cordova police officers were called to an Augibi Way home. The Sheriffs Office is contracted to have deputies provide police services for Rancho Cordova. In a video of body-worn camera footage released by the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, a deputy is seen drawing his service firearm as a woman flees deputies on Nov. 20 on Malaga Way in Rancho Cordova. The Sheriffs Office said deputies fired a total of 10 shots as Kyrieanna Liles drove away during the incident. Liles suffered a gunshot wound to the arm and was later charged with resisting arrest and assault on an officer. Booth testified that residents at the Augibi Way home reported that an unknown woman holding a butcher knife was looking for her missing dog and was trying to get into their home through the front door and a side gate. Around the same time, police received a call from a home along nearby Malaga Way, where a woman was reporting her neighbor had stolen her dog and she could hear her dog barking in the neighbors backyard. Booth testified that that woman calling was later identified to be Liles. During cross-examination, Booth said he was later informed that Liles had reported she had found her dog and didnt want a response from police. The deputy said he first went to the Augibi Way home, because the residents there reported someone was wandering the neighborhood with a butcher knife. I did feel that these calls were related, Booth said on the witness stand. It just brought a lot of concerns of safety. Deputies Matthew Bollinger and Spencer Hettema were already there speaking to the residents. Booth testified he only caught the tail end of the conversation on Augibi Way, but Bollinger gave him a synopsis of what the residents said. Booth said the residents at moments were truly in fear and concerned for Liles and their neighbors. In a video of body-worn camera footage released by the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, a deputy is seen trying to pull Kyrieanna Liles from her vehicle on Nov. 20 on Malaga Way in Rancho Cordova. Liles then drove her car away from deputies, who fired upon her during the escape. Liles suffered a gunshot wound to the arm and was later charged with resisting arrest and assault on an officer. The deputies next went to the Malaga Way home, where they found Liles. Booth said he only heard portions of Bollinger speaking with Liles, trying to get her to turn off her white Dodge Challenger and get out of the car. Booth was standing next to Liles car, which was in the driveway. Booth testified Liles was agitated in a kind of unreasonable tone, unwilling to explain what happened. But the deputy also said he very little interaction with Liles; he unsuccessfully tried to de-escalate the argument she was having with Bollinger. Booth peered into Liles car, looking for a knife, but he didnt see one. The car started moving in reverse; its rear wheels had moved off the driveway and into the street. Booth testified that he then assumed that Liles would pull out of the driveway and leave in the Dodge Challenger, but the car then moved forward as Bollinger was running across the driveway in front of the car to find cover behind a large tree in the front yard. In a situation like this, we all try to find space for cover, Booth said during cross-examination. Judge Shellyanne W.L. Chang told the jury to return to court Wednesday morning for closing arguments from the attorneys. She said she hopes the jurors can begin deliberations by Wednesday afternoon. A Dodge Challenger and a Rancho Cordova police vehicle are seen on Folsom Boulevard near Mather Field Road following an officer-involved shooting Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, which contracts police services for the city, said two deputies fired on a woman. Pending civil rights lawsuit Liles civil lawsuit against the county and the Sheriffs Office is scheduled to resume July 12 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The defense has filed motion to dismiss the Lileslawsuit. Bollinger and Hettema, who fired their guns at Liles that day, are among the defendants listed in the federal lawsuit filed in February by Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin. It doesnt sound like she was making, like, specific threats with a knife, the civil lawsuit quotes Bollinger as saying. Like, she wasnt, like, demanding things from you with it, or anything. Kind of more, like, you know, out of her mind, maybe, like drug-addled thinking, you know: My dogs in your backyard. Is that kind of more how it went? Bollinger drew his handgun and began shooting wildly in the general direction of Liles, using one hand to fire without regard that his gunshots were directed towards a residence located immediately behind the passing vehicle at which he was aiming, the filed lawsuit says. Hettema also fired at the rear of the car as it sped away, the suit says, while Booth never fired his weapon. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing on Wednesday. China is ready to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen mutual political support, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen the Belt and Road cooperation, and jointly build the China-Belarus Industrial Park, Han said. They will also enhance people-to-people exchanges, strengthen cooperation in education, culture, tourism and youth, and step up multilateral coordination for the steady development of China-Belarus relations, Han said. Kochanova said Belarus is committed to deepening the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Belarus firmly abides by the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests and major concerns. The National Assembly of Belarus is willing to contribute to the development of bilateral relations. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Natalia Kochanova, chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) "Im awake and here and then I think about it like, how in the world am I alive?" Gilbert Family Five hours after posing for their engagement photos, Elizabeth Gilbert and Zach Moore found themselves sheltering in a closet as an EF2 tornado approached their home in Valley View, Texas, Saturday night. Gilbert is still piecing together what happened next. "I remember I was with my fiance" she told WFAA from her hospital bed. "I went to give him a hug and I remember the whole roof tilting." According to the local news station, first responders later found her and Moore moaning, unconscious, across the street on a pile of rubble. The tornado had lifted their home and deposited it in a neighbors yard with them inside it. "I felt like before we got hitif we actually got hit, I probably wouldnt live," Gilbert recalled. "Im awake and here and then I think about it like, how in the world am I alive?" Emily Baldwin Gilbert suffered a brain bleed, a concussion, and needed 12 staples in her head. Moore is in even worse shape. After undergoing complete spinal reconstruction surgery, doctors were able to remove him from a ventilator Tuesday. He was still on a feeding tube as of Wednesday, but with the breathing apparatus finally removed, he and Gilbert were recently able to talk for the first time since surviving the tornado that killed seven of their neighbors. Gilberts sister, Emily Baldwin, told WFAA that the emotional injuries the young couple sustained will take the longest to heal. She set up a Gofundme page to help them try to recover some of what they lost. "The only thing left standing is cinder blocks and dirt, theyve lost everything," Baldwin said. "If you dont have any money to make a donation, say a prayertheyre doing good, but any prayer helps because mentally theyre not OKtheyre hurt." Despite it all, Gilbert and Moore are amongst the lucky ones. The death toll from Saturdays tornado in Valley View includes two children, ages 2 and 5. The bodies of three family members were found in one residence. Chief of Police Justin Stamms told the Associated Press that the small agricultural community of 800 was reeling. Its been exhausting and heartbreaking, Stamms said. Ive seen this kind of damage on TV, but never in person before this. Its terrible. For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Southern Living. FILE - Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry attends a campaign event alongside over 50 African American pastors at Sunnyside Park on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Houston. Democratic challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons defeated incumbent Thierry in the primary on Tuesday, May 28. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP, File) A Texas Democratic lawmaker who broke with her party by supporting a ban on gender-affirming care for minors was ousted in a primary runoff that galvanized LGBTQ+ groups nationwide who then campaigned for her opponent in the race for the south Houston seat. Rep. Shawn Thierry's defeat followed four terms in which the Houston lawmaker typically joined her fellow Democrats on major issues, including voting against aggressive immigration measures demanded by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and a ban on diversity programs on college campuses. But she outraged Democratic colleagues when she gave a 12-minute speech on the Texas House floor last year defending a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Three other Democrats also voted for the measure, but none were as vocal as Thierry, who lost by double-digits Tuesday night to challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons, a union organizer. "Her vote was why she had a race, but when she doubled down and went really down the rabbit hole of misinformation, it energized folks in the LGBTQ community, said former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, the president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which supported Simmons bid. Simmons will be favored to win the seat in November in the district, which is heavily Democratic. A message left Wednesday with Thierrys campaign wasnt immediately returned. But during an emotional debate on the bill last year, Thierry said her vote in support of the ban aligned with her conscience and the values of her constituency. I am making a decision to place the safety and well-being of all young people over the comfort of political expediency, Thierry said. It is my core belief and conclusion that we should remain consistent in the premise that children must be given special provisions under the law as they cannot fully appreciate the long-term consequences of their actions. While most Democrats support the rights, safety and visibility of LGBTQ+ adults and children, many Democrats nationally have been struggling to counter a barrage of GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender people. Simmons had the support of LGBTQ+ groups in Texas and nationwide. The political action committee of the Human Rights Campaign endorsed her challenge against Thierry, and called and texted more than 2,000 people in support of her bid. Equality Texas, another group, hosted block walks for Simmons, ran ads and established a website for Simmons. Grant Martin, a political consultant with Simmons' campaign, said that while other Democrats also voted for the ban, Thierry doubled down on her support for the ban. Our opponent after that vote actually went on Fox News and defended her vote and spread some of these Republican talking points, Martin said. Martin said Thierry also faced criticism for her support from several Republican campaign donors. Thierry touted the support of Black pastors in the district that stretches across south and southwest Houston. Mark Jones, a Rice University political science professor, said the race is likely to leave an impression with other Democrats. This sends a clear message to Democratic elected officials that if you break with the party on key issues, ... you really run the risk of getting primaried and removed from office, Jones said. It's the same type of purge and litmus test we've seen in the Republican Party recently. ___ Murphy reported from Oklahoma City and DeMillo from Little Rock, Arkansas. COLORADO CITY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)- On June, 6th 2024, the world will commemorate 80 years since the historic storming of Omaha beach in Normandy France, or D-day as its come to be known, the beginning of the end for Nazi occupied Europe. Though as brothers Gilbert Chaney of Colorado City and Floyd Chaney of Granbury know, a victory that large rarely comes without sacrifice. The service sent a telegram that he had been killed. Oh it was terrible my mother and dad took it pretty hard, said Floyd. He was drafted into the service, and he never got to come home and we never saw him any more, Gilbert said in reference to their older brother, then 20 year old Private James E. Chaney. Gilbert Chaney and son Gary Chaney (left), Floyd Chaney and daughter Robbie Brandehoff (right) In 1944 Gilbert was 15 and Floyd just 14 when news of their eldest brothers fate reached their family. They, their parents, and four other siblings left without so much as a body to bury, and generations more like cousins Gary Chaney and Robbie Brandehoff growing up with only stories of Uncle James. They had the choice of bringing uncle James body back but they told them that under no uncertain terms the casket couldnt be opened. That pretty well tells you right there what he had gone through, said Gary. Did you ever get closure since he never really returned? Brandehoff asked her father Floyd. Well not really. They (his parents) lived through it. They made it alright but it was hard on them, Floyd responded. James remains and those of nearly 10,000 other veterans interred at the Normandy American Cemetery in France. Only short distance from the shores they stormed eight decades ago. There are certain places that are sacred. That cemetery in France is sacred to us, Gary said. Normandy American Cemetery, Normandy France, 2018 That hallowed ground for the Chaney family existing a world away for decades, that is until 2018 when Brandehoff and another cousin, Greg Chaney were able to make the trip to France and finally meet Uncle James. It just felt so good to be there because that was as close as we could get. Dad was wanting me to take pictures because he wanted to make sure James was in a nice place, and I told him it couldnt be any nicer, said Brandehoff. Cousins Robbie Brandehoff (left) and Greg Chaney (right) at James E. Chaneys burial site (Normandy American Cemetery, Normandy France, 2018) A reunion the siblings could only dream of for so many years. In all that time, each of them doing what they could to honor their brothers legacy, whether through passing down his memory to their own children, or enlisting to serve as well. Margaret, a sister of James joining the Navy, and Floyd joining the fight during the Korean war, both of them spurred on by his memory. Did you feel like you wanted to serve because of your brother? asked Brandehoff. Oh yes, I needed to. When I was over there, I would think what he went through, her father replied. Because each soldier that stepped onto that beach in France knew they had a great purpose to serve, both in ending the war, and like James to protect the ones they love. He had brothers and sisters to look afterand he did it, remarked Gary. The Normandy American Cemetery will hold a memorial service for the lives that were laid down 80 years ago on their beaches, that event to be held on the day, June 6th, 2024. KTAB will be airing a D-day special on the 6th at 7pm as well. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. The final battle for control of the Texas Republican Party may be paused after mixed results in Tuesdays primary runoffs. But its coming. Itll inform everything about governing Texas for the next two years, including what could be a messy 2025 legislative session. And it could eventually risk the long-term governing conservative majority in the most important Republican state in the union. Business-friendly Republicans we cant really call them mainstream any more, given where the bulk of the party is notched a few important victories. The survival of Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan despite an onslaught that included everyone from Donald Trump to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was one. In Fort Worth, Craig Goldmans victory and likely ascent to Congress to replace Rep. Kay Granger ensures a responsible hand will be in place for the citys economic priorities. In southwest Texas, Rep. Tony Gonzales beat back a hard-right challenger in the closest thing Texas has to a swing congressional district. Arlington resident Donna Korman, 80, shakes John Goldmans hand at his campaign watch part at a Fort Worth restaurant on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. But a handful of Texas House incumbents lost, including some who had attained valuable leadership positions. Fort Worths Rep. Stephanie Klick is a prime example. When she first ran a decade ago, she was instantly one of the most socially conservative House members. The idea that Klick isnt conservative enough for typical Republican voters or her district is laughable. Definitions are getting difficult here, whether its MAGA Republicans or certain varieties of Christian conservatives. The real problem seems to be that Klick actually worked with leaders and forged compromise to pass legislation. That made her establishment, and opponent David Lowe was able to tie her to Phelan as part of the swamp. It happened to several other House veterans, including Rep. Lynn Stucky in Denton County. Perhaps their votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton mattered more in the smaller voter pool of primary runoffs. Their vanquishers face a choice: Get little done in Austin other than tormenting those actually trying to improve or do the work of legislating that will, in this GOP, get them targeted as traitors in just a few years. Its a smaller-scale version of whats happened in Congress, and we see how well thats working. The best-case scenario in Austin come January is that the blood-letting has eased some of the pressure and that theres enough common ground among Republicans on issues such as school vouchers and enough surplus cash to make several priorities achievable that the Legislature avoids meltdown. The Texas legislature now has enough votes to pass School Choice. Congratulations to all of tonights winners. Together, we will ensure the best future for our children. Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 29, 2024 Gov. Greg Abbott put considerable political capital on the line to elect voucher-friendly Republicans, even over several incumbents. While he wasnt able to save members such as Klick or Stucky, his cause didnt lose ground with their losses, either. Abbott claimed victory Tuesday night, and hes probably poised to get an even more robust school-choice policy than seemed possible in last years legislative session. Activist Republicans seem, though, more focused on purging the party of heretics than growing and sustaining a conservative governing coalition. At the GOP state convention in San Antonio last week, delegates voted to close the partys primaries to all but declared Republicans. They adopted platform positions that, while not likely to become legislation, place the party far outside the mainstream on issues such as abortion. Republicans have led Texas so long that some cant see a day when that might change. Yes, Democrats here have been down for decades and are likely to remain that way for some time. But Republicans should note that in the last two presidential campaigns, Trump has struggled to match previous GOP nominees here. They should remember how close Sen. Ted Cruz came to losing in 2018, largely due to a Trump backlash. If Trump wins again this year, 2026 could suddenly be a lot more competitive than Republicans currently imagine. All of this is why more Republicans and independents should be voting in party primaries. They might be able to save the party from itself, and in so doing, keep Texas on the track of smart, business-friendly growth and governance. 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. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales will win his Republican primary runoff, CNN projects, overcoming a challenge from his right from gun rights advocate and social media personality Brandon Herrera. Tuesdays race in Texas 23rd Congressional District, which stretches along the US-Mexico border from El Paso to the San Antonio suburbs, had been among the most expensive and bitter GOP primaries so far in 2024, drawing more than $8 million in television advertising spending. Gonzales was the only member of Texas congressional delegation forced into a runoff after he failed to take a majority of the vote during the first round in March. First elected in 2020 in what was then a battleground district, Gonzales was censured by the Texas Republican Party last year for a lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities. The party took issue with several House votes cast by the congressman, including for bipartisan gun safety legislation and the Respect for Marriage Act, which protected same-sex and interracial marriage. A key division between Gonzales and Herrera came over gun policy. The district includes Uvalde, which experienced one of the worst school shootings in US history two years ago that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Gonzales vote for the gun safety bill in the aftermath of the tragedy became a centerpiece of Herreras campaign, which had the backing of several House Republicans, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good. The runoff offered a vivid window into the GOPs intraparty divisions, with hard-right members growing increasingly willing to derail their partys agenda if there is a whiff of compromise with Democrats. In an interview with CNN last week, Gonzales said the primary runoffs result would send a clear message to Republicans amid a particularly discordant stretch that has seen their speaker ousted, parts of their agenda stalled and relations roiled across the conference. Are we going to be the party that governs and gets things done in a conservative manner? Gonzales said. Or are we going to be the party that has jesters that come up here and say wild and crazy outrageous things and just try to burn the place down? Gonzales will next face Democrat Santos Limon, who won his partys nomination outright in March. The 23rd District is not on Democrats target list this fall Trump would have carried it under its current lines by 7 points in 2020. Texas House speaker survives Meanwhile, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, the Republican who led last years failed effort to impeach and remove from office scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton, will win the primary runoff for his legislative seat, CNN projects. Phelan led David Covey, a former local county GOP chairman, by 366 votes as of Wednesday morning, with nearly all votes counted. Covey, who had the backing of Paxton and former President Donald Trump, has conceded the race for the Beaumont-area district. A host of influential hard-right figures in the Texas GOP came out against Phelan in the primary. The speaker finished second to Covey in the first round of voting in March, though neither took the majority needed to avoid the runoff. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan arrives for a news conference in Houston on March 26, 2024. - Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images Paxton and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who runs the more conservative state Senate, cast Phelan as a speaker selected by Democrats because all members of the House are allowed to vote on who oversees the chamber. As lieutenant governor, I do not want to run the House, but I want a conservative Republican to be speaker who will run the House, Patrick said at the biennial Texas GOP convention earlier this month, The Texas Tribune reported. Phelan was the top target in Paxtons revenge tour against state House Republicans who voted to impeach him last year. The speaker was among eight state House Republicans who were forced into runoffs a list that includes both Paxton targets and those criticized by Gov. Greg Abbott for voting against school vouchers. Among the targets was state Rep. Justin Holland, who is projected to lose the primary runoff for his Dallas-area district to Katrina Pierson, Trumps national spokesperson during his 2016 presidential campaign. CNNs David Wright, Manu Raju and Shania Shelton contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's attorney-general will indict former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy, an official said on Wednesday, in a setback to a political heavyweight whose loyalists are currently in government. The complaint, lodged by the royalist military that ousted the government of his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, had stemmed from an interview the influential tycoon gave to foreign media in 2015. Other charges include violating a computer crime law. "The attorney-general has decided to indict Thaksin on all charges," spokesperson Prayuth Bejraguna said, adding he must appear in court on June 18. Thaksin, 74, denies wrongdoing and has repeatedly pledged loyalty to the crown, criticism of which is forbidden under Thailand's lese-majeste law, one of the world's strictest of its kind. Thaksin would be the highest-profile case among more than 270 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years for each perceived insult of the royal family. Thaksin did not appear at Wednesday's hearing, having been infected with COVID-19. His lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, said a comprehensive defence had been prepared and Thaksin would seek bail. He questioned the authenticity of the video of the interview in which the alleged insult was made. "Thaksin Shinawatra is ready to prove his innocence in the justice system," Winyat told a press conference. CENTRAL FIGURE Thaksin founded the populist Pheu Thai party. His family's parties have won all but one election since 2001, with three Shinawatra governments toppled by coups or court rulings. The billionaire returned to Thailand in 2023 from 15 years of self-imposed exile, during which he remained a central figure throughout repeated bouts of political upheaval. He was convicted of abuse of power and conflicts of interest and sentenced to eight years in prison, later commuted to one year by the king. He was released on parole in February after just six months in detention. Pheu Thai leads the current government, with Thaksin's business ally Srettha Thavisin the prime minister and daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra the party chief. The indictment was announced days after an opposition lawmaker and an activist musician were given jail terms for alleged royal insults. The palace typically does not comment on the law. The popular opposition Move Forward Party has found itself in hot water over its campaign to amend the law, with the Constitutional Court due to decide whether to dissolve the party, which would see bans for its leadership. A separate complaint with another body is seeking life bans for 44 current and former Move Forward legislators. Thaksin's smooth return and relatively short time in detention, spent in hospital, has fueled speculation he struck a deal with his rivals in the conservative establishment and military, which he has blamed for trying to stifle Shinawatra governments. His allies have denied any such pact. Thaksin has been active since his release, meeting supporters and politicians, while saying he has retired from politics. Commentators have anticipated he will wield significant political influence from behind the scenes, raising the possibility of another confrontation with the establishment. Political analyst Titipol Phakdeewanich said the indictment could be an attempt by authorities to show balance, in light of royal insults cases against activists and Move Forward, but that recent developments indicated Thaksin "will still be able to weather this". Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University said the indictment could be a warning to Thaksin to stay in line. "Now his adversaries see this as 'Thaksin's back', he's fully back in Thai politics, and maybe he crossed the line," he said. "If he doesn't shut up and doesn't stop maneuvering and politicking, if they continue to see him as an enlarging, intensifying threat, then the charges will make their way through the court system." (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty and Timothy Heritage) The instructions provided to jurors in former President Donald Trump's Trump's trial Wednesday are largely routine but will prove crucial in allowing the 12 jurors to weigh the "avalanche" of testimony provided by prosecutors, legal experts told Salon. "We have one of the biggest cases in our nation's history," said Southwestern Law School professor Richard Lorren Jolly. "We're a deliberative democracy. And there's something incredibly beautiful about that, and whether a conviction results or an acquittal, this is how the system is supposed to work." Manhattan prosecutors have alleged that Trump was part of an illegal scheme to ultimately use $130,000 of Trump's money to keep information from the voters and unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump himself has questioned the supposed political bias of jurors, and proclaimed himself the victim of a vast Democratic witch-hunt. "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Trump said on his social media platform Wednesday. "These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged!" But legal experts say the 55 pages worth of jury instructions provided by Judge Juan Merchan provide an important blueprint that continues to educate jurors on our legal system as they begin deliberating on weeks of testimony. "Judges use what has been done before and what has been accepted in the past, so they're not doing this from scratch," Nancy Marder, a professor at Illinois Tech Chicago Kent College of Law and director of the Justice John Paul Stevens Jury Center, said. "So I do think it provides an important roadmap for the jurists once they get into the jury room and start deliberating." And legal experts said they hope the jury instructions themselves will build confidence in the process. "There's been a lot of attacks on this idea that the jury is somehow unqualified or politically biased," Jolly told Salon. "And those have always been attacks on the juries and institution going back hundreds of years, but our constitutional commitment to it is on full display here." WHAT THE JURY INSTRUCTIONS SAY Former federal prosecutor Mary McCord, executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, said much of the instructions are routine. "How you assess the credibility of witnesses, theories of accomplice liability, those types of things, that's all pretty standard," she said. But the jury instructions do reflect discussion among the judge, prosecutors and the defense about how the jury should approach some of the most crucial aspects of the case, including how jurors should weigh Trump's alleged role. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, with prosecutors saying that audio recordings, internal business records and witness testimony prove he was scheming to kill damaging stories about alleged extramarital sex ahead of his 2016 campaign and disguising reimbursements for the hush money to fixer Michael Cohen as legal fees all in violation of state and federal election law and state tax law. Each count carries up to four years in prison, which Trump would likely serve concurrently if convicted. Trump denies the charges, as well as the alleged sexual encounters. Merchan's instructions in part read: "Under our law, a person is guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree when, with intent to defraud that includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof, that person: makes or causes a false entry in the business records of an enterprise." That means jurors have to weigh whether Trump made or caused the falsification of business records including ledger entries, checks, vouchers and invoices some of which have Trump's signature on them. Then, jurors have to decide whether Trump caused the falsification of records with an intent to defraud: defined as "a general intent to defraud any person or entity" that can include, but isn't limited to, depriving another of property or money. The instructions say that the intent to defraud has to include committing, aiding or concealing "another crime." "Another crime could be any crime," Adam Shlahet, director of the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center at Fordham Law, said. "There's no limitation on only this kind of crime or only that kind of crime. It's any crime, and it's not an element of the charge to prove the person is guilty of that other crime. Just as long as their intent at the time was in furtherance of or to conceal another crime." He added: "They don't need to have succeeded in that crime. And they don't need to have failed in that crime." The juror instructions make clear that prosecutors are alleging that Trump intended to commit, aid or conceal a violation of state election law section 17-152. That statute, Merchan said, "provides that any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means means and which conspiracy is acted upon by one or more of the parties thereto, shall be guilty of conspiracy to promote or prevent an election." Trump's attorneys had asked the judge to instruct the jury that they would have to unanimously agree on what "unlawful means" were used in this alleged scheme. "The court rejected that because that's not the law of New York," McCord said. "New York says the jurors don't, all 12, have to agree what the unlawful means are here." Merchan said jurors can consider three unlawful means: a violation of federal election law, falsification of other business records or violation of tax laws. "Trump's counsel recognized when he argued for something different last week that that's New York law, but what he had said is basically in these extraordinary circumstances where the statutes are being used here with respect to a former president, and in these circumstances, we think it's within the judge's discretion to require unanimity," McCord said. "And the judge rejected that so that one could be meaningful, depending on how deliberations go." The instructions also lay out how jurors should approach the hard-to-define concept of reasonable doubt. "The law recognizes that, in dealing with human affairs, there are very few things in this world that we know with absolute certainty," reads the instructions. "Therefore, the law does not require the People to prove a defendant guilty beyond all possible doubt. On the other hand, it is not sufficient to prove that the defendant is probably guilty. In a criminal case, the proof of guilt must be stronger than that. A reasonable doubt is an honest doubt of the defendant's guilt for which a reason exists based upon the nature and quality of the evidence." Shlahet said that excludes far-fetched or as the jury instructions says, "imaginary" doubts. "If you really applied proof beyond a reasonable doubt, there's an argument that nobody would ever get convicted, right, because you could always have reasonable doubt," Shlahet said. "But if you focus on the word reasonable, and it's those doubts that are unreasonable, not real, just kind of far-fetched, what-if scenarios, then that is perfectly unreasonable, though. But it's tricky." Retired federal trial judge Gregory Mize, a jury trial expert teaching at Georgetown University Law Center said if there's a conviction, the defendant can appeal if he or she believes there's been a "misstatement" in jury instructions. "And an appellate court would determine if that was an improper or incorrect statement of the law, and that that error led to an unreliable verdict," Mize said." Sometimes there's something called harmless error. And sometimes a technical legal error does not lead to a reversal, because it's so minor compared to all the other aspects." JURORS LACK WRITTEN COPY OF INSTRUCTIONS Though the Manhattan court released the text of the jury instructions jurors themselves don't have access to a physical copy. That means the jurors which includes at least two lawyers have to rely on their own notes. "In other federal courts, jurors can be given a written copy of the instructions," Marder said. "I think it's harder for jurors. People listen and learn in different ways, and I think it's important that they hear the instructions, but I think it would be helpful if jurors could also see the instructions and take a copy into the jury room. Fordham Law School professor Cheryl Bader said in her experience, jurors across jurisdictions typically lack access to written jury instructions. "It is interesting that when it's such a kind of law, heavy instruction, jurors are expected to sort of lay people expected to sort of absorb this law and apply it," Bader said. Bader noted the instructions touch on tricky concepts, including campaign finance law. The defense decided not to call their campaign finance expert as a witness after Judge Merchan reaffirmed a pretrial ruling that would prevent the expert from interpreting election law. Bader said it's possible that on the other hand, such an expert could have provided jurors with more insight into how to weigh the alleged underlying election crime. Marder said that jurors have received important legal education throughout the trial, as prosecutors and the defense have made arguments and the judge has emphasized the importance of being impartial: "They're not just hearing the instructions cold." Jurors can also send notes to the court with any problems or questions about the instructions the judge read aloud to them Wednesday. "Judges have pattern jury instructions that have been vetted by linguists and veteran lawyers and judges," Mize said. "And it's the best possible statement in their view, these jury instruction committees. And even with all of that work, it can be very difficult to put a legal concept into ordinary language." HOW JURORS COULD RELY ON JURY INSTRUCTIONS In closing arguments, Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche argued that jurors couldn't believe the testimony of Cohen, who served time in federal prison on perjury and tax fraud charges. McCord said the jury instructions, which outline how to judge witness testimony, will prove crucial to how jurors determine Cohen's testimony. "His credibility will be judged based on the application of these instructions about how to determine the truthfulness and accuracy of the testimony of each witness," McCord said. The jury "could find that it rejects in whole a witness testimony and they think that the person essentially intentionally testified falsely as material fact and therefore, you could reject it all. Or they could just reject whatever part they think is untruthful or wrong, accept the other parts." Prosecutors allege that Trump's campaign went into overdrive to quash salacious stories after the October 2016 release of the Access Hollywood tape, which witnesses said stoked concerns among Trump and others about his electoral prospects. Trump's team argues Cohen decided to pay off adult film star and director Stormy Daniels on his own without informing Trump, and that Trump was chiefly concerned about how his wife would respond to any story about an extramarital affair. Jeffrey Abramson, emeritus Professor of Law and Government at the University of Texas at Austin, said jurors may have an easier time weighing the prosecution's evidence alleging the falsification of business records. "Were the records falsified? Yes," he said. "Were they done with Donald Trump's permissions and knowledge? A little bit harder. They'll have to ask themselves, why was this done in the first place?" Bader said she thinks the prosecutors' case would strongly prove the misdemeanor of falsification of business records and she said she wonders why the defense didn't ask the judge to allow jurors to consider that lesser charge. "That sometimes creates a compromise verdict," Bader said. " It gets more complicated when you have this additional intent requirement, that Trump intended to conceal or commit another crime." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Blanche, meanwhile, used his closing statements to argue that business records accurately describe Cohen as being paid for performing legal work for Trump. Cohen said he did "very minimal" work for Trump in 2017 when he got paid $420,000 in monthly installments. Blanche argued there's a lack of evidence that directly ties Trump to the case, and that jurors can't rely on Cohen. Shlahet said it's fair and expected for the defense to make that argument particularly given that witnesses have testified that it was Trump's signature on checks to Cohen. "It is a weakness of the prosecution's case that they don't have a direct admission from Donald Trump saying: 'You know, I was glad you didn't put the truth in those business records,'" Shlahet said. "The prosecution doesn't have that." But, he added: "Nor does any prosecution really ever have that." Meanwhile, the jury instructions make clear that jurors shouldn't solely rely on Cohen. "Under our law, Michael Cohen is an accomplice because there is evidence that he participated in a crime based upon conduct involved in the allegations here against the defendant," read the instructions. The instructions tell jurors they cannot convict Trump on Cohen's testimony "unless it is supported by corroborative evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of that crime." McCord said it's a misconception that circumstantial evidence is any less important or worthy in a criminal case: "Direct evidence and circumstantial evidence are equally valuable evidence that can be considered by the jury and one is not lesser than any other." She pointed to the pile of evidence offered by prosecutors, including text messages and phone records, meetings between Cohen, Trump and others corroborated by other witnesses as well as handwritten notes. Such notes include exhibits where Trump employees detailed an outline of a plan to reimburse Cohen to the tune of $420,000 for a $130,00 payment to Daniels on top of other costs, including a bonus. "It could have some, you know, at least an initial blush, some persuasiveness," McCord said. "But it kind of starts to fall apart when you dig into it, because there's lots of other things that corroborate Michael Cohen, including the notes of Allen Weisselberg and bank statement that explains exactly how they get to the $420,000 reimbursement." Jurors do have a lot of evidence to work with, according to Abramson. "I'm not making any prediction here, but I don't think the absence of a smoking gun given the avalanche or cascading effect of so much testimony and so much record trail isn't necessarily going to be an obstacle from the jury is taking that last step," said Abramson, who authored the book "We, the Jury: the Jury System and the Ideal of Democracy." Think tank close to Kremlin says Russia should consider a 'demonstrative' nuclear explosion By Andrew Osborn (Reuters) - A senior member of a Russian think tank whose ideas sometimes become government policy has suggested Moscow consider a "demonstrative" nuclear explosion to cow the West into refusing to allow Ukraine to use its arms against targets inside Russia. The proposal, by Dmitry Suslov, a member of the Moscow-based Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, was issued a day after President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Kyiv use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, something he said could trigger a global conflict. Ukraine's leadership says it needs to be able to strike Russian forces and military targets inside Russia with long-range Western missiles to be able to defend itself and prevent air, missile and drone attacks, a view which has found some support among some Western countries but not yet with Washington. Russia, which possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, has warned it would view such a step as a grave escalation that would pull NATO and the countries concerned into a direct conflict with Moscow, increasing the risk of nuclear war. Suslov, a member of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, a think tank praised by Putin who has said the authorities sometimes pick up its policy ideas, said Russia needed to act to dissuade the West from crossing a red line. "To confirm the seriousness of Russia's intentions and to convince our opponents of Moscow's readiness to escalate, it is worth considering a demonstrative (i.e. non-combat) nuclear explosion," Suslov wrote in business magazine Profil. "The political and psychological effect of a nuclear mushroom cloud, which will be shown live on all TV channels around the world, will hopefully remind Western politicians of the one thing that has prevented wars between the great powers since 1945 and that they have now largely lost - fear of nuclear war." Suslov is the latest Russian security expert and lawmaker to argue that Moscow should test a nuclear bomb to intimidate amid the Ukraine war, fuelling fears among Western security experts that Russia may be inching towards such a test. Such a move, if it did happen, could usher in a new era of big power nuclear testing. There was no immediate comment on Suslov's proposal from the Kremlin, which has said Russia's nuclear policy remains unchanged while signalling its displeasure with what it cast as increasingly aggressive Western rhetoric on arming Kyiv earlier this month by ordering tactical nuclear weapons drills. NUCLEAR TEST? Suslov suggested Russia also initiate strategic nuclear exercises, warn any country whose weapons are used by Kyiv to attack Russia that Moscow reserves the right to strike that country's targets anywhere in the world, and warn it could use nuclear weapons if that country then retaliates conventionally. Putin in November signed a law withdrawing Russia's ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests, a move he said was designed to bring Russia into line with the United States, which signed but never ratified the treaty. Russian diplomats said at the time that Russia, which has not carried out a post-Soviet nuclear test, would not resume nuclear testing unless Washington does. The Soviet Union last tested in 1990 and the United States in 1992. Only North Korea has conducted a test involving a nuclear explosion this century. Russia warned Britain this month that it could strike British military installations and equipment both inside Ukraine and elsewhere if British weapons were used by Ukraine - with London's blessing - to strike Russian territory. It issued the warning after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Kyiv had the right to use UK-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Nick Macfie) Three Black men who said they were removed from an American Airlines flight are suing the Fort Worth-based airline, alleging racial discrimination. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in a New York federal district court by attorneys with Outten & Golden LLP , who are representing Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal. On Jan. 5, Jackson, Joseph, and Veal who were not traveling together boarded an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to New York. Before takeoff, an American Airlines employee approached the three men individually and ordered them off a plane without explanation, according to a news release from Outten & Golden. Five other Black men, in addition to the three plaintiffs, were also removed from the plane, according to the lawsuit. As the plaintiffs began to deboard the plane, they noticed every Black man on the flight was also being removed, the lawsuit alleges. Once they got off the plane, an employee told the plaintiffs and the other Black men removed that they would not be allowed to fly on the flight to New York and would need to be re-booked, according to the release. When the plaintiffs once again demanded an explanation, the employee told them a white male flight attendant complained about an unidentified passengers body odor, their attorneys said. The plaintiffs were not accused by anyone of having offensive body odor, the release says. The airline told the Star-Telegram the company is investigating the incident. We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us. Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people, American Airlines said in a statement. The three men told an airline employee it looked like they were being targeted due to the color of their skin, and an employee responded that she did not disagree, according to the suit. After being told there were no other flights available to rebook them on, the airline let all of the men reboard the flight from Phoenix to New York, according to the law firms release. The flight was delayed by an hour and the plaintiffs were humiliated and traumatized by the experience, the suit alleges. What happened to us was wrong. Imagine a flight attendant ordering every white person off a plane because of a complaint about one white person. That would never happen. But that is what happened to us. There is no explanation other than the color of our skin. American Airlines singled us out for being Black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us. Clearly, this was discrimination, Jackson, Joseph and Veal said in a statement. The plaintiffs attorney Susan Huhta says the airline should have not removed the men from the flight if a complaint regarding body odor was made and that the incident suggests racial profiling. This incident is consistent with a disturbing history of allegations that American Airlines discriminates against Black passengers, Huhta said. We look forward to getting these men justice and, hopefully, decreasing the likelihood that American Airlines ever does this to another Black passenger. The suit goes on to allege that American Airlines has a history of subjecting people of color particularly Black passengers to discriminatory and substandard treatment. In 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning Black passengers that they could be subjected to disrespectful, discriminatory, or unsafe conditions, if they fly with American Airlines. A lifeless body of a Palestinian child, Oday El-Ghusain, 3 months, lies on the ground before transporting to the mortuary of Al-Aqsa Hospital for burial. Ali Hamad/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Three Israeli soldiers were killed when a booby trap exploded in a building in Rafah, Israeli media reported on Wednesday as fighting rages on in southern Gaza despite continuing calls from around the world for Israel to halt the operation immediately. The Israeli army confirmed that three soldiers from the Nahal infantry brigade had been killed in fighting the previous day. During the operation, Israeli soldiers went from house to house in search of weapons, the military said, without elaborating specifically on where or how they died. Local media said it was in a booby-trapped building in Rafah. According to the army, the incident on Tuesday means that 639 Israeli service members have been killed and more than 3,600 others injured since the massacres by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of October 7 and Israel's subsequent air and ground campaign in Gaza. In Gaza, more than 36,100 people have been killed so far by Israel, according to the Hamas-run health authority. As the war rages on in Gaza, Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's deadly airstrikes on Rafah, a Foreign Ministry statement said. The kingdom denounced "the continuous genocidal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people without deterrence by continuing to target the tents of defenceless Palestinian refugees in Rafah." Riyadh held Israel fully responsible "for what is happening in Rafah and across the occupied Palestinian territories." It added that Israel's violations of international and humanitarian resolutions "exacerbate the magnitude of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe experienced by the Palestinian people." Palestinian medics on Tuesday said dozens of people died in fresh Israeli attacks on Rafah, two days after 45 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike on refugees which sparked international condemnation. The latest attacks come in the wake of a ruling last week by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to end the operation in Rafah immediately. Israel has so far refused to obey the ruling. Jordan also condemned "Israeli occupation forces targeting of tents of displaced Palestinians in Rafah and their continuation of committing horrible war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza," according to a Foreign Ministry statement late Tuesday. Hamas fighters also fired on an Israeli border community from the West Bank, a video released by Hamas on Wednesday showed. Israel's Army Radio reported there were no casualties in Bat Hefer, a village located near the barrier that separates Israel and the occupied West Bank, but there was damage to property. The attackers, who could be seen wearing Hamas headbands, came from a refugee neighbourhood in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm in the West Bank. The Israeli army has repeatedly carried out raids in Tulkarm and other Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. Since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas massacre on October 7, the situation in the West Bank has grown more tense. According to the Ministry of Health in the West Bank, around 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or their own attacks since then. At the same time, Israeli settlers have also taken violent action against Palestinians. The war is likely to continue at least until the end of the year, according to Israel's National Security Advisor. "We can expect at least seven more months of fighting this year," Tzachi Hanegbi told the Israeli Kan channel. This is necessary to destroy the rule of the Islamist Hamas and its military capabilities, he said. The army has defined 2024 as the "year of fighting" in its plans, he said. "We need staying power and stamina." The border area between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has become a "smugglers paradise" over the past 17 years, he added, saying together with Egypt, it is necessary to ensure that there is no more arms smuggling there in future. Egypt says a total of 1,500 tunnels in the border area have been destroyed since 2013. Hanegbi said that the Israeli army already controls 75% of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor - a 14-kilometre-long border strip between Israel and Egypt. He assumed that Israel would gain control of the entire corridor over time. Israel's advance into the corridor represents a further test for relations with Egypt. The two nations signed a peace treaty in 1979, establishing the corridor as a buffer zone. Egypt threatened in January that an "occupation" of the corridor by Israel would mean a violation of the 45-year peace treaty. Egypt has also repeatedly rejected Israel's claim that it would facilitate or allow arms smuggling. Israel is likely to maintain security control in the long term "because there are no other volunteers," Hanegbi added, though he said Israel is not seeking civilian rule in the coastal strip and hopes for a new Palestinian leadership. For Israel, though, this would only be possible on the "day after Hamas." The Israeli leadership continues to insist on its aim to eliminate the last battalions of Hamas. A sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1 carrying a group of four satellites blasts off from the waters surrounding the east China's Shandong Province, May 29, 2024. China on Wednesday sent a sea-launched rocket into space from the waters surrounding the eastern province of Shandong, placing a group of four satellites into planned orbit. The launch vehicle, a sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1, blasted off at 4:12 p.m. (Beijing Time). The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted this offshore mission. (Photo by Li Chao/Xinhua) RIZHAO, Shandong, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday sent a sea-launched rocket into space from the waters surrounding the eastern province of Shandong, placing a group of four satellites into planned orbit. The launch vehicle, a sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1, blasted off at 4:12 p.m. (Beijing Time). The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center conducted this offshore mission. It was the 12th flight mission of the CERES-1 rocket series, the launch center said. A sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1 carrying a group of four satellites blasts off from the waters surrounding the east China's Shandong Province, May 29, 2024. (Photo by Li Chao/Xinhua) A sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1 carrying a group of four satellites blasts off from the waters surrounding the east China's Shandong Province, May 29, 2024. (Photo by Guo Jinqi/Xinhua) A sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1 carrying a group of four satellites blasts off from the waters surrounding the east China's Shandong Province, May 29, 2024. (Photo by Xie Jixiao/Xinhua) A sea-borne variant of commercial rocket CERES-1 carrying a group of four satellites blasts off from the waters surrounding the east China's Shandong Province, May 29, 2024. (Photo by Xie Jixiao/Xinhua) For the second consecutive year, the annual town election on Tuesday in Brewster produced a razor-thin result in a race for the Select Board. Voters also backed an operational override for the local schools and agreed to exempt some of their fellow residents from paying the town Community Preservation Act tax surcharge. A total of 2,868 ballots were cast, representing nearly 33% of the town's eligible voters, according to the town clerk's office. Select Board Vice Chairwoman Mary Chaffee handily won her bid for reelection, tallying 1,685 votes for one of two three-year terms on the ballot. Brewster residents head into the voting booths Tuesday morning at Brewster Baptist Church for the annual town election. For the second seat, just three votes separated newcomer Amanda Bebrin, with 1,458 votes, from newcomer Laurel Labdon, with 1,455 votes. The seat was vacated by Select Board member Kari Hoffman, who earned 2,106 votes in her uncontested bid for a three-year term on the Nauset Regional School District Committee. Last year, Labdon narrowly missed earning a place on the Select Board when she challenged Chair Ned Chatelain. Initially, just six votes separated the two; a recount slightly narrowed the gap to five. Town Clerk Colette Williams explained at the time that a voter did not properly fill in the space for Labdon on one ballot, resulting in the vote being counted as not filled in. Labdon called Tuesday's results "another heartbreakingly close apparent loss" for her in an email Wednesday morning, and indicated she hasn't yet decided if she will again request a recount. "I am going to seek counsel and take a day or two to rest after what has been a tiring couple of months and decide," she said. "I am torn, as I think my supporters deserve to know that their votes were counted fairly and accurately ... I have no reason to believe they werent, but I am also exhausted by the thought of going through another recount only to have the result stay the same." On Tuesday Labdon also ran uncontested for and was reelected to the Brewster Housing Authority. Voters approve tax increase to fund schools In other decision-making, voters supported a $758,091 operational override for the Stony Brook and Eddy elementary schools, with 1,628 ballots in support and 1,192 in opposition. The measure was also approved at the May 11 annual town meeting, but needed approval at the polls in order to move forward. It will add an estimated $82 per year to the average property tax bill based on the current $710,900 median residential home value. The override augments the $11.7 million school operating budget that was also approved at the town meeting and brings the budget to the full $12.5 million school officials say is needed to cover the schools' costs. Brewster School Committee Chairwoman Katie Jacobus told voters at town meeting if the override did not pass, the elementary schools would face "significant" cuts in personnel and programming. School officials point at a 30% increase in special education costs as the main driver for the override, plus a 6.5% increase in other expenses. Brewster Select Board candidate Amanda Bebrin, resident Katie Jacobus and Select Board incumbent candidate Mary Chaffee, left to right, wave to a driver heading into the polls Tuesday morning at Brewster Baptist Church. Exempt from Community Preservation Act surcharge Voters additionally supported ratifying a town meeting vote made last November to exempt qualifying low-income residents and low-to-moderate income seniors from paying the town's Community Preservation Act surcharge, with a vote of 2,078 in favor, and 693 opposed. All seniors who qualify for the existing senior real estate tax exemption will automatically qualify for the CPA exemption. In 2005, voters adopted the Community Preservation Act, a state law that allows towns to levy a property tax surcharge of up to 3%, to be used with state matching funds for open space and recreation acquisition and protection, historic preservation, and community housing creation and maintenance. Brewster charges the maximum 3% surcharge. According to Town Manager Peter Lombardi, the town typically collects about $1.25 million annually from the surcharge. As a result of exempting qualifying residents, the town will see a reduction in revenue of $10,000-$20,000 per year. The exemption will take effect for the upcoming fiscal year. Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT 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: Labdon, Bebrin finish within 3 votes in Brewster Select Board race Private boarding schools, boot camps, treatment centers and wilderness camps for youth were widely marketed to parents and grew into a multibillion-dollar industry across the U.S. for decades until widespread problems related to abuse of children and fraud led to lawsuits, criminal investigations and closures. Often, parents discovered too late that there was nothing therapeutic about the costly programs and that children were traumatized by their experiences. Here's a look at allegations over the past eight years involving residential youth homes in Iowa and Nebraska, whether for-profit, nonprofit or government-run: Midwest Academy, Keokuk: Owner convicted of assaulting, sexually exploiting a student One tough-love boarding school called Midwest Academy in Keokuk advertised a merit model of behavioral modification that some former students and parents later likened to brainwashing. Boys and girls reported being stripped of their possessions and shoes, cut off from communication with family, and prohibited from speaking to peers until they earned privileges through good behavior, academics, and leadership. This Midwest Academy building, shown in February 2016, was closed after law enforcement officers raided the private boarding school in January of that year. Founded by Robert Lichfield, who with others started numerous tough-love schools across the country, Midwest Academy was run by Ben Trane and housed around 100 students. After the FBI raided the 13-year-old school in 2016 amid allegations of sex abuse and fraud, Watchdog found it had been subject to 80 calls to law enforcement in three years and the subject of 19 founded child abuse claims. Complaints obtained from the Lee County Sheriffs Department under open records law showed reports of beatings, sex between residents and staff, ignored pleas for medical attention, cutting, sexually assaults and suicide attempts. At least three other boarding schools in Iowa Cono Christian School, Maharishis boarding program for international students in Fairfield and the Scattergood Friends college program in West Branch had no oversight at the time by Iowas Department of Human Services. Maharishi and Scattergood Friends do have oversight now, after legislators passed a measure to make sure all residential programs for youth are inspected. Midwest Academys Trane was convicted of assaulting and sexually exploiting a female student and was sentenced to nine years in prison. His conviction was upheld upon appeal in 2023. Former students and parents also won a civil lawsuit against him, Midwest Academy Treatment and Midwest Academy Scholarship Fund. Watchdog also investigated Lichfield and the now-defunct World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, which he founded. The probe found schools associated with the association's network, and others modeled after them, would get new clients from troubled-teen websites in which consultants were paid for referrals. Clarinda Academy: Shut down after allegations of injuring children In 2018, another Watchdog probe showed that children at the privately owned Clarinda Academy in far southwest Iowa had been slammed to the ground and injured while being punished, kept in a suspension room for weeks at a time and forced to sit and stare at walls for hours. The Watchdog investigation also found that staff forged documents related to childrens care. That home housed hundreds of delinquents and foster children ages 13 to 18 with significant behavioral and mental health needs about two-thirds from outside Iowa. Its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services, was a national company specializing in residential programs for youth. Sequel shut down Clarinda Academy, its flagship operation among 35 residential centers in 16 states at the time, in 2021. Boys Town, Omaha: Secrecy shrouds reports of rapes on campus Last year, Watchdog revealed that 12 rapes were reported over five years, from 2018 to 2022, at Boys Town in Omaha, where Iowas Department of Human Services sends delinquent and foster kids. Last year, another two rapes were reported at Boys Town, Nebraska Crime Commission statistics show. Boys Town has repeatedly refused to release police incident reports related to those assaults at the historic home on the west side of Omaha, one of the most prominent youth residential programs in the country. More: Reports of sex abuse at iconic Boys Town youth home in Omaha kept secret from public State Training School, Eldora: Under court supervision after using 'torture' Sued by advocacy groups over the treatment of residents, the State Training School for boys at Eldora has operated under court-ordered supervision after being told to stop using harsh discipline methods, including a physical restraining device, on juvenile delinquents. A judge characterized its use as "torture." "The wrap" is a restraint device that was used at the State Training School for boys at Eldora, Iowa. In addition, the superintendent, deputy superintendent and treatment program administrator at Eldora were fired this year following an investigation into allegations that a counselor had phone sex with a delinquent boy and also discussed having sex in person, letters obtained by Watchdog showed. Sarah Perry, 39, of Marshalltown faces criminal allegations she had an improper relationship with a teen shed counseled since 2022. Perry resigned before her arrest last November, charged with two counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor and one count of sexual misconduct. Perry, who has pleaded not guilty, could not be reached for comment. Cono Christian School, near Walker: Former students allege physical abuse Cono Christian Schools program for struggling seventh- to 12th-graders closed in 2017 the same year Iowa legislators passed a law requiring certification and new safety measures at private residential facilities for youth. The site now offers a day school and homeschooling and is owned by the Presbyterian Church in America. Former residents, now adults, living in states outside Iowa, allege a principal and some teachers disciplined youth by sending them to a basement for days, even weeks, at a time and hit them with a long wooden paddle. A former headmaster told Watchdog that the discipline wasn't perfect, but it wasn't abuse. The National Institutes of Health has said teen programs using "fear and tough treatment" are not successful and can worsen existing behavioral problems. Abuse, excessive restraint, forced isolation, suicides and deaths have continued unabated at U.S. homes for troubled teens for decades, despite landmark research in 2008 by the Government Accountability Office, piles of exposes by newspapers and calls for action from dozens of child welfare and advocacy organizations. More than 100 members of the U.S. House and Senate from both parties are co-sponsoring legislation called the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which would require more accountability and transparency at youth residential care facilities. The bill is backed in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Charles Grassley, as well as U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn and Ashley Hinson in the House. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A look at abuse allegations against Iowa, Nebraska residential schools Timothy Garton Ash: We're at the beginning of a new era. What we do now is particularly important Editors Note: This interview has been edited for clarity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it dramatically changed the continent. The largest conventional war in Europe since World War II demanded Western leaders move away from their peacetime thinking and step in decisively to help stop the aggression. Despite clear warnings leading up to that moment, many were too slow to heed this call, says Timothy Garton Ash, an Oxford professor, historian, and commentator. In his prize-winning 2023 book "Homelands: A Personal History of Europe," Ash provides an account of European history from the post-World War II period through the "post-wall" (post-Cold War) era, pointing out mistakes that led to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv residents leave the city following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images) Apart from his work in history, Ash is a prolific columnist, penning articles that call for more decisive action by the West in support of Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent sat down with Ash in Lviv on May 17, a day before he spoke at the annual Lviv Media Forum on how Ukraine and the world still seek to find a common language in the third year of the full-scale war. We talked about what is lacking in the Western understanding of the war, its causes, and Russia's invasion from the perspective of a historian. The Kyiv Independent: What do you think is missing in the understanding between Ukraine and the world? Timothy Garton Ash: Clarity in the rest of Europe, and in the rest of the world, that we need Ukraine to win. The Kyiv Independent: What do you define as a victory? Timothy Garton Ash: Around half of Europe is still harboring the illusion that there's a halfway house, which is captured in the formula: Russia not to win and Ukraine not to lose. So, let's first ask, what does that mean, Ukraine not to lose? I have a clear answer to that: Ukraine not losing is Ukraine losing. We have these policies of self-deterrence from the (U.S. President Joe) Biden administration, and to some extent although less so now from the (Chancellor Olaf) Scholz government in Germany and other governments. The effect is to enable Ukraine to go on fighting but not to win. U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky take the stage for a news conference in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, U.S. on Dec. 12, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) As to the question of winning, it should be such a situation in which the majority of Ukrainians feel that this is a victory, and the majority of Russians and the rest of the world feel its a Russian defeat. And the last part is very important. In a global opinion polling that my Oxford research project did with the European Council on Foreign Relations last October, we saw that China, India, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, all these major non-European powers think that Russia is at war with the West, not with Ukraine. In that view, they've accepted the Russian narrative about Russia against the West, and therefore, our own credibility is at stake. We may think it was Ukraine that lost. The rest of the world will think it's the West that lost and Europe that lost. The Kyiv Independent: What do you think is the source of this hesitancy on the side of Western leaders? Timothy Garton Ash: Well, not all Western leaders. We have some very good ones. Kaja Kallas in Estonia. Petr Pavel in the Czech Republic has been magnificent on this subject. Mette Frederiksen in Denmark has been very good, the British all of our prime ministers not just Boris Johnson (laughs). But in key places, of which the most important is Berlin, I think it's a mixture of things. The fear of escalation clearly, Biden's instruction to (National Security Advisor) Jake Sullivan was: don't get me into World War III. Ergo, in the fighting in Kharkiv, the Ukrainians are being told, You can't use any Western weapons to hit Russian territory. Russian territory is just up the road, it's closer than Oxford to London. Probably the most important reason is that you have leaders who've got so used to peacetime ways of functioning that it's very difficult to adjust to the different requirements of war. In war, you have to be bolder, act and speak more decisively and faster. Scholz is carefully weighing every decision. That's a very good thing if you're making an investment decision for a peacetime business, but not if you're trying to help a country that is fighting for its survival. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron (L) wave as they visit the landmark Brandenburg Gate illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in Berlin, Germany, on May 9, 2022, to show solidarity with Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images) And then I think the third element is: We have to have a relationship with Russia going forward. Russia is a great power. It's a nuclear power. So that's trying to keep some sort of balance between Ukraine and Russia. The Kyiv Independent: You mentioned Kaja Kallas and Petr Pavel, who come from countries that are in Russia's vicinity and may feel that the war concerns them more directly. But what would you tell those in Western Europe and the U.S. when they ask, Why should we care if Ukraine wins? Timothy Garton Ash: First of all, these things are not just rational. If you want to understand why different European countries reacted differently to the war in Ukraine, you have to look at their history. The Czech Republic has its own history with Russia. In Britain, all you have to say is (Vladimir) Putin is the new Hitler, and immediately people get it. Britain has to be on the side of those fighting for freedom against the new Hitler. Objectively, you need to say: If he wins here, he won't stop there. He probably won't attack Estonia directly, but Moldova would be highly threatened. So it's an issue for European security. And for the U.S., where the top issue is China, you have to say, You see Putin in Beijing with Mr. (Jinping) Xi. You see how close they are. If you want to encourage Xi Jinping to have a go at Taiwan, then let Putin win in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin during a meeting with workers at the Obukhov State Plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Contributor/Getty Images) The Kyiv Independent: There are worries that even if the current war now ends with a peace deal, it will give Russia time to gather strength and continue with the war later. What must change so that there can actually be a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia? Timothy Garton Ash: I'm not sure that lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia is quite the right way to formulate it. The question is so that Ukraine can be secure and doesn't face the prospect of renewed Russian aggression in six months, six years, 10 years. Ultimately, the answer has to be NATO. I remember hearing then-Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin at the Munich Security Conference explaining why Finland now decided to join NATO: That's the line the Russians won't cross. But up to that point, there has to be some package of support that is together so strong that even if Russia has regenerated its forces, it won't risk it. Of course, the best way forward would be a change within Russia itself. We can't count on it, but nor should we exclude it. The characteristic of a regime like Putin's is that they don't bend, but occasionally, they break. Such a change is going to be catalyzed by a Russian defeat, not by a Russian victory. The Crimean War was followed by the liberation of the serfs. The Russo-Japanese War was followed by the 1905 revolution. In 1917, when Russia was basically losing World War I, we had two revolutions. The Soviet Union lost in Afghanistan, and that was one of the causes that gave us (Mikhail) Gorbachev, and then they lost the Cold War. So Russia can certainly lose. And often, when it lost, it has catalyzed political change inside Russia. The Kyiv Independent: You wrote that we live in the post-wall era and that Europe's hubris in this post-wall era led to the full-scale Russian invasion. How? Timothy Garton Ash: We, in what I call the post-wall era the period after the fall of the Berlin Wall, particularly in the early to mid-2000s convinced ourselves that history was simply going our way, inevitably, in the direction of democracy, the direction of freedom. We became complacent. We became over-self-confident, also in our economic model. Remember, two things happened in 2008. One was Putin's seizure of two great chunks of Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia). The other was the beginning of the global financial crisis, which plummeted Western democratic capitalism into a long-term crisis, and the Eurozone in particular, (but) not authoritarian eastern capitalism. I argue in the book that 2008 was a big turning point in the middle of the post-wall period. From that time forward, we have this cascade of crises. In terms of Putin's Russia, specifically, I argue that 2014 was the turning point at which the West failed to turn. If we had had a much stronger response at that point, much stronger sanctions on Russia, reducing our energy dependency on Russia instead of increasing it, going after the dirty Russian money swilling around cities like London, rearming, helping Ukraine to build up militarily, sending a much clearer message to Putin You can never know what would have happened, but it's plausible to think we might not be in the mess we're in now. The Kyiv Independent: Do you see the West learning its lesson? Timothy Garton Ash: Too late. Now, everybody is suddenly talking about Russian imperialism. We have finally understood that this is at the heart of this story, this one sentence: The empire strikes back. The lesson that we need to be tougher is understood if you go to a think tank, a university, or an editorial meeting. (But) whether the wider society is ready and prepared for the consequences of that, I very much doubt it. In particular, the further away from Ukraine you go. The Kyiv Independent: Do you see some in the West moving in the opposite direction? Certain countries, like Hungary, have been accused of democratic backsliding, of becoming more friendly towards authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. Timothy Garton Ash: So it's not just backsliding a term I don't particularly like since it suggests that there's simply a sort of a line, a linear development, and either you go forward or backward along one line. That's not what's happening. Viktor Orban is going in a different direction. What Orban is showing is that you can have a hybrid regime that is no longer a proper democracy but an electoral authoritarian regime with a policy of hedging between the West, China, Russia, and other great powers even while being a full member state of the EU. And that's extremely worrying. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Milos Miskov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Aleksandar Vucic does it in Serbia, Turkey does it, India does it, and lots of other countries do it, we just have to accept that and find a way of dealing with that. What we shouldn't accept is that it's possible inside a full member state of the EU. The Kyiv Independent: As a historian, how do you view the Russian war against Ukraine from a historical perspective? Timothy Garton Ash: It's a classic example of a central or eastern European nation that came relatively late to having its state. These are stories of nations becoming states, which are classic eastern European stories over the last 150 years. Ukraine is the one that missed out after World War I. (Ukrainian historian) Serhii Plokhy says in his book Gates of Europe that this was the biggest European nation that didn't have a state. Its a hundred-year story. 1991, 2004, 2014, and 2022 are the four stages through which Ukraine has come not only fully to recognize itself as a nation-state from Lviv to Kharkiv and from Sumy to Mariupol but also gained recognition from the rest of the world that it is a major European state. From a historical perspective, thats a hundred-year-plus story and that, whatever the outcome of the war is, that will remain. Everybody knows where Ukraine is and what it is, even if the war ends badly. A Ukrainian soldier of an artillery unit fires toward Russian positions outside Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Nov.8, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images) The Kyiv Independent: Arent you worried that the world's focus is already shifting away from Ukraine, for example, when compared to 2022? Timothy Garton Ash: Undoubtedly. First of all, the very fact that (the war) has lasted so long has meant it's disappeared from the front page. That, for you as a journalist, is an interesting phenomenon. The same thing happened with Bosnia. Journalistically, it just ceases to command the same attention. Gaza has completely knocked Ukraine off the front page. And just as we were beginning to convince the rest of the world that they should be on Ukraine's side, they turned around and said there are double standards in the West, which is denouncing violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, but being very reluctant to do so in Gaza. The Kyiv Independent: Going back to the topic of the post-wall era, do you think we already entered a new era, a post-2022 era? Timothy Garton Ash: Excellent question. I would say the post-wall era began on Nov. 9, 1989 (the day of the fall of the Berlin Wall) and ended on Feb. 24, 2022. I think it's over. And that's really important because in history and politics, as in romance, beginnings really matter. What you do in the first years or first month matters more than what you do in your 27th year of marriage. Look at the five years after 1945. They set the terms for international order for the next half century and, to some extent, even until today. The first few years after 1989 same story. We're at the beginning of a new era, which means that what we do now is particularly important. And whats characteristic of such periods is that theres a wide range of alternatives. In more normal, settled times, when everything has settled down into a Cold War order, or the Treaty of Versailles order, or the Treaty of Westphalia order, or the Treaty of Vienna order, the options are much smaller. But here, the alternatives are large, which is why it's so important that we in the West and in the rest of Europe achieve clarity that we must, in our own interest, want Ukraine to win. Then, think about how we can actually help Ukraine win. Note from the author: Hi, this is Martin Fornusek. I hope you enjoyed this interview. To underscore its main points, whether we like it or not, we stand in a pivotal moment in history, and the actions of every single one of us will matter. Our team strives every day to bring you in-depth insights into Russia's ongoing war and Ukraine's resistance, but we wouldn't be able to do so without the support of readers like you. To help us continue in this work, please consider supporting our reporting. Thank you very much. Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. CLEVELAND (WJW) Five female students of a local school district claim they were sexually assaulted or harassed while at school, but that administrators ignored or otherwise minimized their allegations, or, in some cases, shamed the victims. Cleveland attorneys have now filed a Title IX complaint against Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District in Ohios Northern District federal court. It also names several administrators, including the districts superintendent, principals and those in charge of student discipline. Deeply disturbing: Man charged after allegedly dismembering pregnant sister Under Title IX, publicly funded schools are required to protect students from sex-based discrimination, which includes sexual harassment and sexual violence. The lawsuit alleges district administrators showed deliberate indifference or negligence to the students claims or otherwise willfully disregarded them and that it retaliated against them by removing them from classrooms and treating them differently than their alleged attackers. It also brings claims of civil rights violations, for denial due process and equal protection under the law. A statement from Friedman Nemecek Long & Grant, issued Wednesday, reads, in part: The complaint, representing multiple plaintiffs identified as Jane Does, asserts that the CHUH officials and administrators deliberately ignored, minimized, and retaliated against victims who reported sexual harassment and assault. Despite being legally obligated to protect students and ensure a safe educational environment, the defendants allegedly allowed the perpetrators to remain enrolled and continue their participation in school activities, creating a hostile environment that profoundly impacted the victims ability to benefit from their education. The plaintiffs experienced severe emotional distress, educational setbacks, anxiety, and fear as a result of the defendants alleged negligence and deliberate indifference. This lawsuit seeks justice and accountability for the victims, aiming to highlight the need for schools to take allegations of sexual abuse and harassment seriously. Read the complaint here: This embedded content is not available in your region. Roxboro Middle School One of the six students, whose identities are not revealed in the complaint, was a sixth-grader at Roxboro Middle School. She said she was sexually assaulted in a closet by a 14-year-old eighth-grade boy during the 2015-16 school year, according to the complaint. She reported it to a counselor, who she said pressured her to state in writing that the encounter was consensual. At the time Jane Doe 1 was 11 years old and did not know what consensual meant, nor did she have the legal ability to consent to sexual conduct, reads the complaint. She was suspended for engaging in sexual conduct at school, according to the complaint. The school later declined to lift her suspension unless the boy was convicted of sexual assault. A report was filed a week later and a restraining order was issued but the district didnt enforce it, according to the complaint. The boy later faced a sexual assault-related charge in juvenile court and was found delinquent. Cleveland Heights High School Another student was a freshman at Cleveland Heights High School in the 2015-16 school year. Her alleged attacker was a sophomore she was dating, and a member of the varsity soccer team. The student claimed she was raped at his off-campus housing in 2016 but the district refused to investigate her allegations and didnt punish him because he had a right to an education, reads the complaint. At the time, the county declined to prosecute. They let her change her class schedule and leave early or have lunch alone in another location in order to avoid him though the boy didnt face any changes or restrictions. She even started purposely failing classes so she could be transferred to the districts remedial school even though it meant shed have to quit her extracurricular activities. But administrators denied the transfer. Attorneys claim the boy also assaulted two other female students at the high school. The district didnt investigate either case and instead responded by isolating/shaming the victims, the complaint reads. In response to allegations of inappropriate and unwanted touching by other students, administrators allegedly told her things like, boys will be boys and maybe he likes you. 4-year-old girl fed mainly soda dies; mother sentenced to prison Another student, who was a freshman in the 2019-20 school year, alleges she was raped in 2019 at an off-campus house by a male varsity athlete, who was a sophomore. The student said she was unable to focus on school and no longer felt safe in the district, according to the complaint. A formal Title IX investigation was launched in June 2021. In September 2022, her alleged attacker was found responsible for sexual harassment violations. But by that time, he had already graduated. Its findings didnt reference her off-campus rape allegation, according to the complaint. A fourth plaintiff was a sophomore at the high school in the 2018-19 school year. She claims a junior student, a highly recruited athlete, touched her inappropriately and without consent during a class. She reported it the following day to another teacher. The schools Title IX coordinator met with her and her parents and an on-campus police officer. But the schools proposed plan isolated the girl, rather than protected her, according to the complaint. School administrators said there was not enough evidence for a Title IX investigation, according to the complaint. The boy was criminally charged with a sex offense in juvenile court in 2019, and found delinquent. But attorneys allege the district took no action afterward, according to the complaint. Fairfax Elementary School The youngest plaintiff was in kindergarten. Attorneys alleged she was offensively touched by a male classmate in the first week of school. The girl told her mother, who reported it to a school counselor. The students teacher, in speaking with the counselor, said he believed it was kids being kids. The girls mother asked for her to be placed in a different class. The request was denied, and another touching incident happened. The complaint claims the teacher took no steps to separate the children. The girl ended up being home-schooled until fifth grade. School district responds Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby, who is named in the lawsuit, in a statement to FOX 8 News on Wednesday acknowledged that some parents are dissatisfied with the districts Title IX response: CH-Uh Schools are committed to having the resources and processes in place to respond to allegations of Title IX violations promptly, thoroughly and equitably. We urge any student or staff who have been the victim of sexual harassment or sexual violence to promptly report that information to the Districts Title IX Coordinators, or to another trusted member of our staff. Our commitment is steadfast in responding promptly, effectively and equitably to all reports of sexual misconduct and we are determined to make our school the safe, welcoming facility we all want and deserve. CH-UH Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby Fire breaks out at Cleveland church where The Deer Hunter was filmed For the last two school years, the district has employed a full-time Title IX officer whose job is to address discrimination and harassment allegations, Kirby wrote. The district also offers training on responding to sex-based harassment to administrators, teachers, staff and students. Students can report sexual harassment either in-person, by phone or email or on the districts website. The case has yet to be assigned to a judge, court records show. No future court dates have 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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Rep. Tony Gonzales fought for his political life in a runoff Tuesday. Tom Williams/Pool photo via Associated Press Rep. Tony Gonzales, the West Texas Republican who earned censures from the Republican Party for backing a bipartisan gun control law and opposing a border security bill, narrowly dispatched a right-wing challenger in a runoff election Tuesday. Gonzales beat Brandon Herrera, a far-right YouTuber who managed to deny Gonzales a majority of votes in the March Republican primary. The one-on-one race Tuesday was incredibly close: Gonzales won by just over 400 votes, or roughly 1% of the vote. The Texas runoff is the latest instance of a failed attempt by arch-conservatives to challenge primary Republican incumbents from the right; no such challengers have been successful so far this election cycle. Herrera campaigned with a lift from House firebrand Matt Gaetz, who forced the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year and who backed a failed primary bid against GOP Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois in March. Gonzales, a Navy veteran, is a two-term incumbent in whats traditionally been a moderate, majority-Hispanic seat extending from El Paso to San Antonio along the Mexico border. Its a region thats seen a surge in arrests for illegal crossings. Its also home to Uvalde, where two years ago last week, a mass shooting at an elementary school killed 19 students and two teachers. Gonzales faced a multi-way GOP primary in the spring after breaking with the party in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. The congressman voted with Democrats to expand background checks for gun buyers and close the boyfriend loophole. Herrera, a gun manufacturer with a huge social media following, was the runner-up in that race. Brandon Herrera, who goes by the nickname "The AK Guy," lost Tuesday's runoff. via Associated Press Herreras candidacy was an unorthodox match for a district known for one of the countrys worst mass shootings. He even campaigned at the gun store where the Uvalde shooter bought his weapons an event that resulted in a bomb-squad investigation after a fan gifted him what authorities called an inactive explosive device. The campaign also put Herreras hundreds of YouTube videos under greater scrutiny, including one where he tests out a Nazi-era firearm. Gonzales raised more than three times as much as Herrera and used that money in part for an attack ad that highlighted a joke Herrera made about veterans dying by suicide. The incumbent had called Herrera a neo-Nazi who would create more division and chaos in Congress if elected. Are we going to be the party that governs and gets things done in a conservative manner? Gonzales told CNN. Or are we going to be the party that has jesters that come up here and say wild and crazy outrageous things and just try to burn the place down? Herrera told HuffPost this month that Gonzales was afraid to engage with him on policy because it would force him to defend positions that many Republicans dont agree with. All he can do is try to take me out of context or twist jokes, and its not working, he said. After losing, Herrera posted on X, formerly called Twitter, that it took millions of dollars for Gonzales and his outside allies to win by even a few hundred votes. We looked down the biggest guns of the DC establishment to the tune of probably over $10 million, and told them they didnt own us. We made them fight for their lives, he wrote. Gonzales now faces Democrat Santos Limon, a civil engineer, in a district that was redrawn after the last census to be more favorable to Republicans. The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, speaks at the end of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr demonstrates the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The inspector general of Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, has called military manoeuvres under way in Lithuania a signal of credible deterrence toward potential threats to the country's NATO allies. He described the German manoeuvres in Lithuania, dubbed Quadriga 2024, as the largest for the country's military in decades. "The Baltic region and our commitment in Lithuania is the cornerstone of Germany's contribution to the defence of NATO's eastern flank. Just as the allies stood up for us during the Cold War, we are standing up for the security and freedom of our partners today - on every square centimetre of the alliance's territory," Carsten Breuer, the Bundeswehr's highest-ranking officer, told dpa while visiting Vilnius. On Wednesday, he plans to observe the final phase of the series of exercises in which German armoured combat troops are training the defence of NATO's eastern flank. Parts of the 10th Armoured Division are practising combat up to live firing after being deployed by sea, rail transport and in road convoys on Lithuanian military training grounds. The exercises also involve armoured troops, artillery, engineers and medics working together. The German troops are expected to demonstrate that they are ready and able to defend the alliance. "The Quadriga exercise sends clear signals: a signal of deterrence to Russia. A signal of reliability to our allies, above all to Lithuania," said Breuer. "But also a signal to our German society: The Bundeswehr is consistently pursuing the path towards war readiness. We have understood. You can rely on us." Bundeswehr soldiers prepare for the conclusion of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024 on the Leopard 2 and Puma main battle tank. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr is demonstrating the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Lithuanian soldiers have a break after a shooting practice near Rudninkai in the area where the German brigade is to be stationed in Lithuania. The size of the construction area for the German barracks is about 40 hectares. The total area is around 170 square kilometers with a huge shooting range. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Bundeswehr soldiers prepare for the conclusion of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024 on the Leopard 2 and Puma main battle tank. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr is demonstrating the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The inspector general of Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, has called military manoeuvres under way in Lithuania a signal of credible deterrence toward potential threats to the country's NATO allies. He described the German manoeuvres in Lithuania, dubbed Quadriga 2024, as the largest for the country's military in decades. "The Baltic region and our commitment in Lithuania is the cornerstone of Germany's contribution to the defence of NATO's eastern flank. Just as the allies stood up for us during the Cold War, we are standing up for the security and freedom of our partners today - on every square centimetre of the alliance's territory," Carsten Breuer, the Bundeswehr's highest-ranking officer, told dpa while visiting Vilnius. On Wednesday, he plans to observe the final phase of the series of exercises in which German armoured combat troops are training the defence of NATO's eastern flank. Parts of the 10th Armoured Division are practising combat up to live firing after being deployed by sea, rail transport and in road convoys on Lithuanian military training grounds. The exercises also involve armoured troops, artillery, engineers and medics working together. The German troops are expected to demonstrate that they are ready and able to defend the alliance. "The Quadriga exercise sends clear signals: a signal of deterrence to Russia. A signal of reliability to our allies, above all to Lithuania," said Breuer. "But also a signal to our German society: The Bundeswehr is consistently pursuing the path towards war readiness. We have understood. You can rely on us." The focus is on two core tasks that the Bundeswehr must master in the defence of the Alliance's territory in Europe. "Firstly, we are one of the largest troop providers for the eastern flank of NATO, and secondly, Germany is also the logistical hub for allied forces in the defence of Europe," Breuer said. "Both must be practised, all the gears must mesh smoothly: homeland defence, redeployment and the deployment of powerful units. This is how we credibly deter." Since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany and other NATO allies have been seeking to respond to the renewed threat. Germany has pledged to permanently station a combat-ready brigade of about 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff in Lithuania by 2027. A preliminary detachment of around 20 soldiers arrived in Lithuania on April 8. The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, speaks at the end of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr demonstrates the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, takes part in the conclusion of the NATO exercise Quadriga 2024. At the Paprade military training area, the Bundeswehr demonstrates the capabilities required to defend NATO's eastern flank. Quadriga is the German contribution to the large-scale NATO maneuver Steadfast Defender. Kay Nietfeld/dpa BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Racist ideology is spreading virulently in the United States with the help of the Internet, and even shows a trend of transnational diffusion, according to the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, which was released on Wednesday. Racists "have opened up a new space of communication on the Internet, using social media, music, games and other platforms to carry out widespread abuse and harassment against ethnic minorities," said the report issued by China's State Council Information Office. For instance, the gunman who killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022 had posted on Discord, a gaming chat app community, that a game on the Roblox gaming platform had influenced his radicalization. Even worse, racism in the United States "has become a major exporter of extreme racism, which has aroused the vigilance of many countries," the report said. "Conspiracy theories, racial superiority theories, anti-government extremism, and other forms of hate and intolerance have spread so far in the United States that some countries have labeled American groups and citizens as foreign terrorists," it added. Michael Gove has been accused of watering down rights for leaseholders after banning them from taking court action against unfair service charges. The leasehold bill, a key Tory manifesto pledge, received parliamentary approval on Friday and promised to improve homeownership for leaseholders by empowering them and improving their consumer rights. But critics said gaps in the new legislation would allow firms to serially overcharge leaseholders with fewer consequences. Previously, tenants including local authorities had a right to a summary of costs for the year including service charges, and could bring private criminal prosecutions against freeholders for failing to respond to a request for the information. However this right, under the Landlord and Tenant act 1985, has now been removed and replaced by a tribunal system with a maximum fine for offenders of 5,000. The Government said this makes it easier for leaseholders to challenge their landlords unreasonable charges, but critics argued the threat of criminal prosecution was a greater weapon with which homeowners could uphold their rights. Leaseholder Karryn Beaumont took Ballymore, a developer and the freeholder, to court after it refused to provide a full annual statement of charges for her building. Although the fine faced by freeholders in court was just 2,500, it was the risk of a criminal record that forced the company to provide her with the information she was asking for under the 1985 act. The minute they received the summons for court they said we can reach some agreement, she said. Thats what it took for them to release the supporting documents for the accounts. Beaumont said the new fines that can be brought against freeholders through a tribunal need to have the power to hurt them and 5,000 is nothing. She added that if they are fined, these costs can be recouped from leaseholders, whereas criminal fines could not have been. Lord Bailey, Conservative peer and London Assembly member, said: I raised my deep concern that removing the right for leaseholders to pursue a criminal private prosecution would be a greenlight to crook freeholders and managing agents to serially overcharge by withholding service charge information from the paying leaseholders. Without a criminal sanction, landlords will only comply with the law if it is in their financial interests to do so. Harry Scoffin, founder of anti-leasehold campaign group Free Leaseholders, said: The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 decriminalises service charge abuse, removing a key backstop right for leaseholders. So the legislation waters down leaseholder protections. The Governments change to end criminal sanctions against landlords who withhold service charge information was not put out to public consultation and sends completely the wrong signal. Bad actors obscuring service charge fraud can now be safe in the knowledge they will only ever face a slap on the wrist at tribunal, which cannot enforce its own decisions anyway. It makes even less sense considering the Building Safety Act 2022 puts criminal sanctions on landlords and freeholders. With services charges ballooning to 7.6 billion in Englands blocks of flats last year, according to Hamptons, the opportunity for service charge abuse is huge. Despite promising to do so, the Act, brought forward by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, does not abolish leasehold and fails to reduce ground rents a charge paid by leaseholders to landlords. Tom Dougals, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark said: To strengthen the measures further we have long said that those buying, selling and renting out leasehold properties must be suitably qualified and regulated, ground rents must be reduced to a peppercorn, and issues around event fees must be tackled. It is imperative that the current Government doesnt miss the opportunity for consumers and leave the sector waiting for further reforms, with what will feel like unfinished business to many. Matthew Pennycook, shadow housing minister, had previously committed to ending the leasehold system and making commonhold the default tenure. However last month the party dropped a pledge to abolish leasehold within the first 100 days of government if it wins the general election. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Tourists are already poking holes in the Mount Fuji barrier built by a small town to stop overcrowding in the neighborhood Tourists are already poking holes in the Mount Fuji barrier built by a small town to stop overcrowding in the neighborhood A local official told AFP the curtain set up by a Japanese town to block Mount Fuji already has holes. The official said 10 finger-sized holes were found in the netting since it was erected last week. Authorities installed the barrier because tourists were crowding, littering, and trespassing in the area. It's been about a week since a Japanese resort town erected an eight-foot-tall mesh to block a scenic view of Mount Fuji that had tourists crowding nearby businesses. But Fujikawaguchiko authorities are already finding holes being poked in the black netting, one town official told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday. "It's about manners. It's a shame," said the unnamed official. He added that about 10 finger-sized holes have been found so far. He said a security guard is stationed at the curtain between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and that the holes must have been created when the mesh wasn't manned, per AFP. Still, the official told the outlet that the barrier is, for the most part, fulfilling its role in dispersing photo-hungry tourists. People walk past the black screen as the city of Fujikawaguchiko built a screen to dissuade tourists from taking photos of Mount Fuji. David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images Authorities put up the netting, which spans about 65 feet, last week as local residents and businesses complained of misbehaving tourists flocking to a Lawson convenience store. Mount Fuji's snow-capped peak looms over the store's roof when seen from across the street a view that's been made famous on social media. But people living and working in Fujikawaguchiko said the visitors often litter, jaywalk, obstruct traffic, and trespass in pursuit of the perfect shot. A nearby dental clinic released a statement on May 1 saying that tourists would park in spaces meant for patients, eat and smoke under people's homes, and shout at staff when asked to move. The clinic said the curtain would obscure its entrance from the road and block an important car exit but added that the mesh was an "unavoidable measure" to deal with the tourist disruption. This photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows tourists crowding the pavement to take pictures of Mount Fuji from opposite a convenience store in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture. KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images "The lives of local residents have been disrupted," a town official told Japanese newspaper the Mainichi. "We've been pushed beyond our limit by the increase in foreign tourists over the past few months." The influx of tourists at Fujikawaguchiko underscores a fierce resurgence in foreign visitor arrivals in Japan after the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreigners made about 25 million visits to the country in 2023 after Japan saw just 3.8 million visits the year before, per government statistics. That's still lower than Japan's record high of 31 million arrivals in 2019. But arrivals in January, February, and March this year have jumped about 70 to 88% compared to the same periods in 2023 putting the country on pace to match its pre-pandemic totals. Visitors spent about $11.2 billion in those three months, and Japan's national government hopes to eventually bolster tourism arrivals to 60 million per year by 2030. Read the original article on Business Insider Tractor-trailer crashes into Pennsylvania State Police cruiser during traffic stop in Juniata County JUNIATA COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A Pennsylvania State Trooper was injured after a tractor-trailer crashed into their cruiser during a traffic stop in Juniata County. The crash happened on Route 322, east of the Mifflintown Exit, in Fermanagh Township after 8 a.m. Wednesday, Mifflintown Hose Company said. Dispatch reported a tractor-trailer crashed into a State Police cruiser. The fire company said the Trooper was conducting a traffic stop when the truck hit the cruiser. Crews arrived to find a State Police vehicle with heavy damage off the side of the road, and the tractor-trailer. Woman killed, infant flown to hospital after Memorial Day crash in Adams County A one-lane traffic pattern was implemented for wrecker services, and the roadway was cleared of debris. The Trooper was taken to the hospital for treatment for a minor injury and cuts. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Nittany Insiders When you approach any emergency service or working personnel on the highway (Police, Fire, EMS, Towing Services, PennDOT, Construction Workers, etc) MOVE OVER and SLOW DOWN!!, the fire company said in a 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 ABC27. Traveler carries measles through LAX as cases rise around the U.S. On May 19, a traveler sick with measles arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) A traveler carrying measles flew from Munich, Germany, through Los Angeles on the way to Fresno Yosemite International Airport this month, exposing thousands of California travelers to the highly infectious disease, health officials have confirmed. Officials from the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed the case late Monday, bringing the total number of measles cases documented in California to nine for the year. The sick traveler arrived at Los Angeles International Airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal around 3 p.m. May 19 on a Lufthansa flight, then boarded a connecting flight to Fresno Yosemite around 8 that night, health officials from Los Angeles and Fresno confirmed. Read more: Column: California wants to mandate folic acid in tortillas to help babies. Why thats bad So far, no associated infections have been reported. It's not the first time this year that someone traveling in California has toted the virus into Los Angeles. In February, a local came home on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, stopping for dinner at a Northridge Chick-fil-A. In late March and early April, a sick visitor dined on doughnuts and fried chicken in the Simpsons area at Universal Studios, browsed for souvenirs at the Santa Monica Pier, ate at a string of fast-casual chain restaurants across the city and repeatedly hit the gym at Sheraton Gateway Hotel near LAX before they were identified by health officials. Measles is about six times more infectious than COVID-19 and is frequently deadly in countries where it is endemic. In 2022, about 130,000 people are believed to have died from the virus, mostly children. Read more: A U.K. lawmaker returns to work as 'the bionic MP' after losing his hands and feet to sepsis Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know you have it and can lead to severe disease, said Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer. Measles is highly contagious for those who are not immune to it. Initially causing fever, cough, red, watery eyes and followed by a rash, it can result in serious complications for young children and vulnerable adults. The most recent LAX infection is one of more than 140 recorded so far this year across the United States more than double the total reported in all of last year. More than half of those cases required hospitalization, officials said. Most were among people who had not been inoculated. Most Americans are vaccinated against measles as toddlers, though the rate among California children has dipped in recent years, raising fears that the virus could spread locally. 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. TriMet sex offender on trial for 32 new crimes PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Jared Walter, the convicted sexual offender banned for life from TriMet, is now on trial in Multnomah County for allegedly recording multiple women using the bathroom at Portland Community College. Walter, 37, was indicted last August months after the investigation began with the alleged theft of a backpack from a womans restroom. PCC security saw Walter on security footage enter the bathroom and leave with the students backpack. Walter was located shortly thereafter and banned from all PCC campuses, authorities said. PSU report shows rise in Oregon eviction cases despite assistance programs Between April 26-30, 2023, Portland police learned a man was entering different womens bathrooms across the city. Investigators connected Walter to those bathrooms and the recordings. Convicted sex abuser Jared Walter is arraigned in Multnomah County court on sex abuse charges, Feb. 27, 2020. (KOIN) Those incidents happened just two months after Walter was released from custody for different crimes. In September 2021, he was sentenced to nearly 2 years in prison after admitting to taking a picture of a woman inside a bars bathroom. Walter has an extensive criminal history and is a registered sex offender. He is also the only person to be banned from riding TriMet. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A tiny black kitten was rescued from a busy highway in Florida with the joint effort of a truck driver and a police officer. The kitten was found in the middle of the road with vehicles zooming past. Without the kind rescuers, one of the cars would have run over the kitty. Police rescue kitten from busy Florida highway, truck driver helps stop traffic While police officer Stanfield was on patrol, he noticed a little kitten lying down in the middle of NW U.S. Highway 441. The officer immediately sprung into action. However, the rescue mission was a success because of the help of a truck driver. The driver kindly used their truck to block the oncoming traffic. This allowed the police officer to safely rescue the kitten from the middle of the busy highway. Stanfield is part of the Alachua Police Department. After rescuing the feline, he informed his colleagues that he had discovered a kitty in the middle of the road. According to WEAU, he told his fellow officers, I just found a baby kitten in the middle of 441. The best part is the feline has already found a forever home with one of the dispatchers. In a similar case, another kitten was saved recently from a busy street in Dutchess County, New York. While people dont know how the Florida kitty made it to the highway, the New York kitten was dumped by someone. The driver who rescued her was witness to the heartbreaking scene as the feline was tossed out of a car window onto the busy street. Although the Florida kitten has already found a loving home, the New York feline named Paradise will have to wait until she is old enough. Once she reaches her weight goal and has been spayed, she will be put up for adoption. Currently, she is in foster care, where she is receiving all the love and care she deserves. The post Truck Driver & Police Rescue Kitten From Highway in Florida appeared first on CatTime. In true Donald Trump fashion, the former president isnt letting closing arguments come and go in his New York hush-money trial without letting us all know how he feels about the ordeal. Trump rattled off a string of posts to Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon to complain about the proceedings, appearing particularly peeved at how long prosecutors closing arguments were taking. He suggested the lengthy, six-hour closing statements were to bury his defense attorneys arguments before deliberations beginsomething that may commence as early as Wednesday morning. Prosecutors Tell One Final Story About Trumps Sordid Dealings BORING! Trump wrote in one post to Truth Social at 5:11 p.m. In another post that went up at nearly the same time, he decried, FILIBUSTER. Hours later, Trump expounded on his frustrations in a follow-up post that was also in all caps. The greatest case Ive ever seen for reliance on counsel, and judge Merchan will not, for whatever reason, let me use that as a defense in this rigged trial, he wrote, referring to a legal theory that a layperson defendant cannot be held liable for following the advice of their lawyerin this case, Michael Cohen, Trumps former fixer-turned-foe. Trumps attorneys wrapped up closing arguments Tuesday in just over two hours, insisting to jurors that they could not trust the cases key witnessesparticularly Cohen. A lunch break followed the defenses closing arguments, and prosecutors gave their closing arguments in the second half of the day. An hour and a half in, however, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Judge Juan Merchan that he was only a third of the way through his summation, drawing the ire of Trump. If found guilty, Trump could spend as many as four years in prison in New York City, his hometown. He faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, part of an alleged scheme to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels by disguising reimbursements to Cohen as a monthly retainer fee. 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. Authoritarian leaders train and condition the public to follow and obey them - or at the very least to not oppose them. This training takes various forms, such as threats of violence and acts of intimidation, propaganda with an emphasis on disinformation and misinformation, generating a state of constant precarity, fear, and death anxieties (what I have termed horror politics), manipulating White Christianity and other belief systems, and more generally offering incentives and rewards for supporting the authoritarian and the movement and the regime. Those who resist or are not sufficiently supportive will be punished severely. In a 2021 essay, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat offered these insights into the power of propaganda and its role in authoritarian training and conditioning: Propaganda gains traction through repetition and saturation. The same message is disseminated through multiple channels and institutions, with small variations, to lead a maximum number of individuals in the same direction, but differently, as the sociologist Jacques Ellul wrote. Seeing the same messages over and over can lead some to tune out, but it may also boost confidence that the content is truthful. Repetition can lead to familiarity, which increases acceptance especially when the state has silenced alternate voices.. Moreover, once people bond with the leader, they may be inclined to dismiss any evidence that conflicts with his claims, or overlook contradictions in his messages. They believe him because they believe in him. Or, in an interesting twist, they know he is lying, but they decide that they dont care: better him than his enemy (who, as they have been taught to believe, lies even more). And some people actually approve of all the lying, seeing it as rule-breaking by a rogue they adore. The authoritarian regime does not have the resources to monitor every persons behavior at all times (totalitarian regimes such as Nazi German, Stalins Russia, and North Korea aspire to have such control, but even they are unable to fully accomplish it). Emotional training and other forms of conditioning to Power are a way of creating compliant subjects that are self-regulating and who will in turn monitor and impose the rules of the regime on their peers and the larger society. This is the playbook that Donald Trump and his MAGAfied Republican Party and the other enemies of democracy on the right are using to target the American people. The abnormal and aberrant are being presented as normal and desirable. In a recent speech at the National Rifle Association convention in Texas, Trump once again basically threatened to kill and imprison Joe Biden, calling the president a Manchurian candidate and a traitor. Trump and his propagandists are attempting to normalize the fascist practice of executing political rivals. Last week, Donald Trump shared a video that invoked the rise of Hitler and the Nazis and celebrated a Trump Reich, when/if he takes power as the countrys first dictator in 2025. This is part of a much larger pattern of behavior: Donald Trump has repeatedly channeled Adolf Hitler and the Nazis with his eliminationist threats and other promises to purge the blood of the United States of human vermin when he takes power. Trump and his propagandists are now telling the lie that President Biden and the Department of Justice wanted to assassinate him during their search of his Mar-a-Largo resort for stolen classified and top-secret documents. The search was conducted according to standard protocols. Moreover, the Department of Justice and FBI timed the search in such a manner as to ensure that there was no danger to Donald Trump. The lie that President Biden and the Department of Justice wanted to assassinate Donald Trump is an act of projection and an attempt to incite his MAGA people into committing acts of terrorism and other acts of public disorder and insurrection. Unfortunately, Donald Trump and his agents campaign of emotional training and conditioning is working. Public opinion polls and other research show that a large portion of the American public are willfully unaware of Trumps threats and promises to be a dictator who will end multiracial democracy. Even more troubling, a large percentage of the American public is so deluded that they have somehow convinced themselves that Donald Trumps disastrous time as president was somehow successful, a recent golden age to which they want to return. In reality, Trumps presidency was one of the worst in American history where his negligence and choices led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in this country from COVID, he was impeached twice, put tens of thousands of people in concentration camps, and attempted a coup on Jan. 6 among his many other ignominious distinctions. The most basic and important evidence of the effectiveness of this authoritarian training and conditioning is how Donald Trump (a man who is a coup plotter, sexual assaulter as confirmed by a court of law, and now criminal defendant in four felony trials) and President Biden are tied in the early 2024 election polls. President Biden continues to trail Donald Trump in the key battleground states. As the truism goes, those who do not study and learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In an excellent new essay at The Guardian, Peter Pomerantsev highlights how Donald Trump and his propagandists and other agents are emotionally training and conditioning the MAGA people and other members of the Trump political cult using techniques that are similar to those used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis: Hitler gave people the sense of being part of a huge mass, a Volk, which appealed to many after the confusing changes of the early 20th century, when the old social order had been upended. He also gave people roles to play when the old ones had vanished: in the confusing cabaret of Weimar Germany, where identities were in flux, you knew who you were when you became a Nazi party member or an SS man. These roles were emotionally satisfying: they allowed people to submit to a strong leader, and feel strong and superior through him; they also allowed them to feel the victim, which in turn legitimised anger and cruelty to others. Some psychoanalysts who observed the rallies believed these grievance narratives gave people the chance to blame external forces for all the things they didnt like about themselves. Orators like Hitler make us feel we can crush the voice inside of us that tells us we are not good enough, by projecting it on to others. Todays propagandists play on the same needs. In a time of rapid economic, social and technological change it can be comforting to be part of a large, angry crowd. Online conspiracy theory communities are particularly effective at pulling together a sense of being part of a group with a secret knowledge and mission. Such media also give people a role to play in a confusing world: as a Proud Boy or a patriot storming the Capitol. Social media, where you are encouraged to label who you are, only exacerbates this performance. Meanwhile the allure of strongmen has never gone away. Whether you buy into the psychoanalytic theories, the grievance narratives work from Trumps crusade to Make America Great Again to Putin promising to get Russia back off its knees. Trumps MAGA followers are energized. By comparison, President Bidens supporters and voters, and the American people as a whole, are tired, exhausted, and succumbing to a state of learned helplessness. At the Atlantic, Charles Sykes evaluates the emotional and psychological health of the American people in the Age of Trump and concludes that they are disoriented and experiencing something akin to societal air sickness: At what other moment in American history, Anne Applebaum recently asked, could a presidential candidate praise a fictional serial killer, and inspire almost no reaction at all? Even by the standards of the times, what she was referring to did seem a vertigo-inducing moment. Amid an anti-migrant tirade at a rally earlier this month in New Jersey, Donald Trump gave a shout-out to the late, great Hannibal Lecter, referring to the fava beanloving cannibal played by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs as a wonderful man. And the nation shrugged, because this was simply the latest in a long list of 2024s bizarre and disorienting moments (including an earlier recent reference to cannibalism from the president himself). The scale of the abnormality is so staggering, ABCs George Stephanopoulos argued recently, that it can actually become numbing. But Americans reaction is less like numbness and more a response to something like airsickness, which results when we experience a disconnect between our sensesa nausea-inducing conflict between what we know and what we see. Motion sickness is caused by a discrepancy between what the inner ear detects and what the eye sees. The effect can be vertiginousso the way people avoid being nauseated is by trying to ignore the dissonance. Weve been led to believe that things work in a certain way, that there are mores and norms. We thought our world was right side up, but it now feels as if its been turned upside down. Words dont mean what we think they do. Outrage is followed not by accountability, but by adulation. Standards shift, flicker, vanish. Nothing is stable. At The Guardian, Margaret Sullivan emphasizes realpolitik and how Donald Trumps strongman pose is working: For the most part, exhausted Americans yawn. They shrug off the latest outrage as regrettable but harmless, just another case of Trump being Trump. The Wall Street bigwig and Republican mega-donor Ken Griffin even told Bloomberg News recently that he might change his mind and support Trump because the former president would exude a level of strength that would help to stabilize the world in trying times. The strongman pose, in other words, is working: an authority figure is the one to deal with a chaotic world. Just dont look too carefully at where the chaos originates. As Trump claimed during the 2016 campaign, the world is in crisis and I alone can fix it. Much of the mainstream media covered this weeks unified reich posting as if this were just part of a typical campaign. Trumps latest flirtation with Nazi symbolism draws criticism, one headline in the Hill put it. Yes, and so did President Obamas decision to wear a tan suit. Despite all of Trumps misdeeds the criminal indictments, the abhorrent words, the sordid relationships, the clear plans to dismantle democratic guardrails he rolls on undaunted. With the unified reich video, as with all the earlier outrages, youll hear no apology, no disavowal, no expression of regret. And certainly no promise that this will never happen again. It will happen again. After all, its working. Writing at The New Republic, Greg Sargent succinctly summarizes how the American people are being emotionally trained and conditioned into accepting the end of their democracy and the rise of neofascism as, Understood this way, the conspicuous offering of such heinous policy solutions by Trump and MAGA thinkers seems designed to measure public tolerance for authoritarianism. The American people have a choice to make. They can continue to sleep-walk, zombified, even deeper into the Age of Trump and his first dictatorship or they can wake up and resist. The emotional training and conditioning into accepting Trumpism and American neofascism does not take hold quickly. It is a years and decades-long process. The American people still have agency and time to resist. But the most important thing is to acknowledge and internalize that none of this is normal, and then to create a bulwark around our internal emotional and intellectual and spiritual lives as a defense against the authoritarian(s) and their forces assaults. The next step is to form meaningful relationships with other people who believe in and are willing to defend the countrys democratic life. Demagogues and aspiring dictators like Donald Trump and his MAGA enforcers want you to be isolated, alone, alienated, overwhelmed, and exhausted. In such a state, a person is a compliant and ideal subject for the allure of fake right-wing populism and other forms of authoritarianism and neofascism. Resistance is never futile. But at this point in the Age of Trump it seems that too many Americans have preemptively surrendered. Spanish customers will be able to learn more about Chinese car brands through a new collaboration between two major automobile dealers' associations from China and Spain, an industry insider said. #GLOBALink Trump to consider pardon for Assange if he wins election Supporters of Julian Assange gathered outside the High Court as the WikiLeaks founder was granted permission to appeal against his extradition to the US - ZUMA PRESS/ALAMY Donald Trump said he would give very serious consideration to pardoning Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, if he wins the US presidential election. Mr Assange faces prosecution in America over the publication of leaked documents detailing apparent US military violations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US has been trying to extradite him to face trial, describing the leaks as one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States. Mr Assange, an Australian, remains in Britain where he has spent more than 13 years battling various legal cases. Asked during an interview on the Tim Pool Daily Show, a podcast, if he would pardon Mr Assange, Mr Trump said: Well, Im going to talk about that today, and were going to give it very serious consideration. And were going to have a couple of other things to say in the speech that I think youre going to love, he added, ahead of an address at the Libertarian Partys national convention in Washington. Donald Trump's comments regarding a possible pardon for Julian Assange mirror remarks made last month by President Joe Biden - JULIA NIKHINSON/AP Mr Trumps apparent softening towards Mr Assange mirrors comments made by President Joe Biden, who said last month that he too was considering Australias request to drop Mr Assanges prosecution. Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, has long expressed opposition to Mr Assanges detention, and in February he backed a parliamentary motion calling for his return to Australia. Mr Assanges lawyers in the British high court in February 2024 claimed that Mr Trump once explored having their client killed. Founded in 2006, WikiLeaks has published more than 100 million documents, many of which are official reports relating to war and corruption. Among the most damning revelations was a batch of leaks by Chelsea Manning, the former US army intelligence analyst, that suggested the army killed hundreds of civilians in its war in Afghanistan. Julian Assange arrives at court in London in 2019 after being removed from the Ecuadorian embassy for breaching bail conditions - DANIEL LEAL/AFP Mr Assanges supporters call him a freedom fighter waging a war against untouchable state institutions. His critics have called his actions a reckless pursuit of ego, with the US justice department claiming he risked serious harm to national security. Mark Summers KC, representing Mr Assange, told judges that there was evidence there had been a truly breathtaking plan to kidnap or murder Mr Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and Mr Trump had asked for detailed options to kill him while in office. Mr Assange spent seven years holed up in the embassy before being removed in 2019 for breaching bail conditions. Last week he was given permission by the High Court to appeal against extradition to the US, after arguing that he might not be able to rely on his right to free speech in a court there. 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. Mr Musk is said to have discussed issues such as border security and the economy with Mr Trump - REUTERS/David Swanson Donald Trump is considering giving Elon Musk a plum advisory role if he wins the US presidential election, according to reports. The presumptive Republican nominee is understood to have discussed how to give the billionaire Tesla chief executive influence over key policy issues including border security and the economy. Mr Musk, 52, is also said to be working with Nelson Peltz, the billionaire investor, to convince elite business leaders to reject Joe Biden, according to the Wall Street Journal. The pair reportedly informed Mr Trump about their plan at an event held at Mr Peltzs Palm Beach estate, which Mr Musks son, named X, and Mr Trumps youngest child, Barron, also attended. Mr Musk and Mr Peltz are also said to be working on a data-driven project to combat voter fraud. It marks a shift in the previously frosty relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Musk, which saw the two men publicly insult one another. The pair reportedly speak on the phone a few times each month about topics ranging from immigration to the US Space Force. Mr Musk has also reportedly asked Mr Trump to return to posting on his social media platform X. Mr Trump now exclusively posts on his rival platform Truth Social. Mr Trump and Mr Musk, seen here in 2017, reportedly speak on the phone a few times each month about various topics - AP Photo/Evan Vucci News of the potential appointment comes as Mr Trump compared himself to Mother Teresa as the jury began deliberations in his historic hush money trial. The jury of seven men and five women began weighing the verdict in the first criminal trial of a former US president just before 11:30am on Wednesday. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged, Mr Trump told reporters shortly after the jurors retired. The former president, 77, must remain at Manhattan Criminal Court throughout the deliberations. Earlier in the day, Mr Trump leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as Judge Juan Merchan read jurors their instructions. Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business documents to conceal a $130,000 payoff to porn star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election. To convict Mr Trump, the jury will have to find unanimously that he created a fraudulent entry in his companys records, or caused someone else to do so, and that he did so with the intent of committing or concealing another crime. The crime prosecutors say Mr Trump committed or hid is a violation of a New York election law which makes it illegal for two or more conspirators to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means. While the jury must unanimously agree that something unlawful was done to promote Mr Trumps election campaign, they do not have to agree on what that unlawful thing was. It is not my responsibility to judge the evidence here. It is yours, Mr Merchan told jurors as he handed them the case. You are the judges of the facts and you are responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. On Musk, Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, told the Wall Street Journal: President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency. 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. Joe Biden "was a key figure in passing the 1994 Crime Bill, which disproportionately harmed Black communities through harsh sentencing laws and increased incarceration rates," Donald Trump's campaign reminded voters last week. If elected, Trump promised in a speech at the Libertarian National Convention two days later, he will free Ross Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence for running Silk Road, an online marketplace used by illegal drug vendors. Trump's criticism of disproportionate drug penalties contradicts his own platform, which threatens defendants like Ulbricht with death. The former and possibly future president wants to have it both ways, slamming Biden for his long history as a zealous drug warrior while portraying himself as even tougher. Trump has been practicing this dance for a while. During his 2020 presidential campaign, he attacked Biden from the left on drug policy, castigating him for pushing harsh laws that disproportionately hurt black people. That stance was part of a political strategy aimed at attracting support from African Americans and white moderates troubled by Biden's criminal justice record. The strategy also included Trump's commutations for nonviolent drug offenders and his support for the FIRST STEP Act, a package of sentencing and prison reforms that he signed in December 2018. One beneficiary of Trump's clemency was Alice Johnson, a first-time offender who had received a life sentence for participating in a Memphis cocaine trafficking operation. "You have many people like Mrs. Johnson," Trump told Fox News in 2018. "There are people in jail for really long terms." Trump highlighted Johnson's case during his 2019 State of the Union address, in a 2020 Super Bowl ad, and at the 2020 Republican National Convention, where Johnson gave a moving speech. As a black woman hit with a draconian sentence under inflexible drug laws, Johnson was a useful exhibit in Trump's case that African-American voters should be grateful to him and wary of Biden. Trump later complained that his support for sentencing reform did not yield the political benefit he anticipated. "Did it for African Americans," he told a New York Times reporter in 2022. "Nobody else could have gotten it done. Got zero credit." One reason for that might be the contradictory signals that Trump was sending even as he bemoaned "very unfair" drug penalties. He expressed admiration for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who likened himself to Adolf Hitler while urging the murder of drug users, and repeatedly recommended the death penalty for drug dealers. Trump re-upped that policy proposal when he launched his current presidential campaign, resulting in a 2023 interview where his mercy collided with his blood lust. When Fox News anchor Bret Baier noted that someone like Johnson would have been "killed under your plan," Trump was flummoxed. "No, no, no," Trump said. "It would depend on the severity," he added. He also noted that the death penalty he imagined would not apply retroactively to Johnson herself and suggested that, had it been the law at the time, it would have deterred her from getting involved in drug dealing. Now Trump says Ulbricht, who received a double life sentence plus 40 years for connecting drug dealers with drug consumers, deserves a second chance. "He's already served 11 years," Trump told the Libertarian delegates. "We're gonna get him home. We're gonna get him out." Trump did not do that as president, which is not the only reason for skepticism. The life sentences that Johnson and Ulbricht received were plainly unjust, Trump says, but death sentences would have been appropriate. Drug laws that disproportionately hurt African Americans are troubling, he thinks, but they should be enforced more aggressively. Trump decries "increased incarceration rates" even as he promises a crackdown that would imprison more people for conduct that violates no one's rights. Biden was bad, according to Trump's campaign, but Trump is better because he is worse. The only logic here is political. Even that may prove fallacious if voters notice Trump's incoherence. Copyright 2024 by Creators Syndicate Inc. The post Trump Decries Disproportionate Drug Penalties While Threatening Dealers With Death appeared first on Reason.com. (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed the primary opponent of Representative Bob Good, one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress and the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Most Read from Bloomberg The congressman, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and loving, Endorsement But really, it was too late. The damage has been done. Trump, in his Complete and Total Endorsement of Virginia State Senator John McGuire did not say why he had turned against Good. But early in the presidential primary campaign, Good threw his support to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Good, however, has since become an enthusiastic Trump backer and many of his posts on X praise the former president and assail his critics. Both Good and McGuire went to the Manhattan courthouse where Trump has been on trial since April. The people of Virginias 5th District know me better than anyone, and I trust them, Good said, in a statement released by his campaign on Tuesday evening. I believe they will renominate me on June 18, because they understand and appreciate that I have fought for them during my 3 years in Washington. The district extends south from Charlottesville to the North Carolina border. Goods predecessor, Denver Riggleman, failed to win renomination at a party convention in 2020, with Good taking the seat at the start of 2021. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Diana Harshbargers bid for a third term representing Tennessees First Congressional District. In a post on Truth Social, the former president said the congresswoman had his complete and total endorsement. She is a tireless advocate for the people of Tennessee, and she fights in Congress for Strong Borders, Secure Elections, the Second Amendment, and our incredible Vets and Military, Trump said. As she often says, she is an unapologetic conservative Trump Republican, and she will always put America First. You always have critics | Gov. Lee responds to school districts that opposed vouchers Trump previously endorsed Harshbarger in the 2022 and 2020 elections. In a statement, the congresswoman welcomed the latest endorsement. Our country is facing unprecedented challenges, and President Trump will need fighters in Congress who will work to put America First, Harshbarger said. I am honored to have the support of President Trump and look forward to turning out Republicans this November Harshbarger is unopposed in the Republican primary, which is set for Aug. 1. Two Democrats, Kevin Jenkins and Bennett Lapides, and two independent candidates, Richard Baker and Levi Brake, submitted petitions to run. The general election will be held on Nov. 5. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (The Hill) Former President Trump and the GOP are the favorites to win the races for the White House and for both chambers of Congress a little more than five months before Election Day, according to a forecast model released Wednesday by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill. The model gives Trump a 58 percent chance of winning the presidency, and shows him with slight leads in most of the key swing states in the presidential race. Republicans are a more comfortable favorite in the House and Senate, the model says. The GOP holds a 79 percent chance of winning the Senate majority and a 64 percent chance of holding its House majority. The model is based on the framework that Decision Desk HQ used for past elections in 2020 and 2022 but with some changes. Decision Desk HQ points to about 200 different data points that are factored in to reaching the probabilities, including voter registration numbers for each party, demographics, past election results, fundraising totals and polling averages. Scott Tranter, the director of data science for Decision Desk HQ, emphasized that the data and projections represent a snapshot in time that could change between now and Election Day. This is like taking a test that doesnt count, like getting a grade in school that doesnt count, he said. No ones voting today, no ones picking a president or picking a senator. If they did pick them today, this is probably how Id hand it out. But the projections may amplify the already high anxiety felt within the Democratic Party over where they stand as spring turns to summer. Polls have consistently found President Biden trailing Trump in swing states, and the conflict in Gaza has amplified the Democrats problems with young and minority voters, two key parts of the coalition that helped him win election in 2020. Polls also show voters are unhappy with the economy and Bidens handling of economic issues. Trump is facing a number of legal issues, and a jury could deliver a verdict as early as this week in his New York criminal trial. Yet the cases have not prevented Trump from holding a lead in polls over Biden, both nationally and in swing states. In the battle for the Senate, Democrats are dealing with a difficult map that has them defending seats in two states, Montana and Ohio, where Trump is the heavy favorite in the presidential race. Without victories in both of those states, Democrats will almost certainly lose the Senate. Democrats have been hopeful about winning back the House majority, but the forecast from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill shows they are an underdog in that race as well. Decision Desk HQ and The Hills forecast model shows the probabilities of each presidential candidate winning in each state, taking into account the polling average that they have been tracking for months along with various other factors. Tranter said the organization then takes an ensemble approach in which various algorithms consider the data and those results are averaged out to create the probabilities seen in the maps. Decision Desk HQ looks at how predictive different variables have been in past elections to determine which to weigh more heavily in reaching the probabilities for this year. Trump leads Biden in Decision Desk HQ/The Hills polling average in each of the six battlegrounds that will likely decide the election, though the blue wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are razor-tight and within 2 points. If Biden holds all three of those states, he could afford to lose the swing states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada and still win the election. Bidens low approval ratings have sparked concern among Democrats that Biden could not only lose the White House but be a drag on other candidates. Some Senate Democrats running in tough reelection fights this year have distanced themselves from Biden. The Biden campaign and allies have said Election Day is still too far away to be concerned with polls, as many voters are still not paying close attention to the race. Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said one of Bidens strengths is he has experience, and that he and the campaign veterans around him have learned not to panic when everybody else is panicking. He pointed to the 2022 midterm elections in which many commentators predicted a red wave in congressional elections that did not materialize. The worst thing you can do is peak too soon in politics, he said, arguing that many have not yet tuned in. Trumpism hasnt been defined in the way it will be by the fall, and Trump has not yet hit the most extreme that he will before November, he said. Republicans, however, are bullish on their chances. GOP strategist Ron Bonjean said the trend is moving in Trumps direction and the legal battles Trump is facing have not hurt him. Having said that, the election is still months away, and the one person that can get in Trumps way is himself, he said. In a good sign for Democrats down ballot, many are running ahead of Biden. The Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model found that Democratic Senate candidates have a higher chance to prevail in all but one of the Senate battlegrounds Montana, where Sen. Jon Tester (D) faces a difficult battle. Even in Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is favored in the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill model. It finds Brown now has a 62 percent chance of winning, in large part due to his strong polling. Tranter noted that ticket splitting has become more significant since Trump entered the political scene. The fact that Democratic candidates for the Senate are running ahead of Biden suggests some portion of the electorate in those states could be ready to split their tickets, he said. In addition, he said the strong fundraising totals by some Democrats could be another sign of future ticket splitting. In the end, Tranter suggested Republicans should feel good about where they are but not take anything for granted. Even a change of 2 or 3 points in polling in a few states could dramatically affect the models forecast, he said. This is a good reference point, he said. This is a good thing, if youre a Democrat or Republican candidate, to say, Hey, this is where Im at today, but I still got six months to go. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. NEW YORK The jury in former President Trumps hush money case returned its first two notes after beginning deliberations hours earlier Wednesday, making four requests to review critical pieces of testimony and asking to rehear the judges instruction before adjourning for the day. The jurors will receive the requested information Thursday morning, when they will continue mulling Trumps fate. In the first note, the 12 New Yorkers made four requests, each pertaining to testimony from key witnesses: David Pecker and Michael Cohen. The first note was announced by a loud bell that rang out in the courtroom 3.5 hours after the jury began its deliberations. Within minutes, Trump and attorneys on both sides returned to the courtroom, and the judge took the bench to announce the jury had sent a note. An hour later, another bell rang as the jurors sent over the second note. In the initial note, the jurors first asked for a transcript of ex-National Enquirer publisher Peckers testimony regarding a phone conversation he had with Trump while in a meeting with investors in New Jersey, and testimony relating to the rights to Karen McDougals story. The other two jury requests in that first ask relate to a key August 2015 Trump Tower meeting that prosecutors say kickstarted the so-called catch-and-kill arrangements underpinning Trumps case. On the call, Pecker said Trump referred to McDougal who claimed she had an affair with Trump as a nice girl and expressed concern about executing a hush money deal with the ex-Playboy model. Ultimately, Trump told Pecker that Trumps ex-fixer Cohen would be in touch about the arrangement. In closing arguments Tuesday, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass pointed to the call as a key moment linking Trump to the alleged scheme to clear his path to the White House in 2016, which Trumps attorneys rejected. Jurors also requested a transcript of Peckers testimony regarding his decision not to finalize and fund McDougals life rights. Pecker testified that he believed McDougals story needed to be purchased because it would have been very embarrassing to Trump and his campaign. He coordinated with McDougals lawyer to pay her $150,000 for her lifetime rights and a slew of other benefits, with Cohens promise that the tabloid would be repaid by the boss, or Trump. The original plan was to transfer McDougals life rights to a shell company established by Cohen, but Pecker pulled out last-minute after conferring with counsel. Pecker testified that a furious Cohen told him then that the boss would be very angry at him. The New Yorkers requested to review testimony from the two people who attended the full Trump Tower meeting in August 2015 alongside Trump: Pecker and Cohen, who made the hush money payment to a porn actress just before the 2016 election. Both sides began scrambling to assemble the relevant transcripts, plucked from thousands of pages that record every word of the trial. A second note from the jury came shortly after, in which jurors requested to rehear the judges instructions. It took more than an hour to read the instructions Wednesday morning, and Merchan asked the jury to clarify whether they want the entirety read back or just a portion. For now, however, Merchan dismissed the jury for the day after more than four hours of deliberating. Updated 4:42 p.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 The Hill. NEW YORK The criminal hush-money trial of former President Donald Trump wound down after a long day of proceedings Tuesday as attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense presented closing arguments before jurors who are expected to begin deliberations this week. President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof. Period, Trump attorney Todd Blanche told the jury. The former president is charged with 34 felony counts that stem from a $130,000 payment made in October 2016 by Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal attorney, to porn actor Stormy Daniels, who says she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Trump has repeatedly denied Daniels claim and has pleaded not guilty to all counts. The defense presented its side of the case first. Blanche argued that Trump knew nothing about the payment to Daniels at the time it was made and that the checks at the center of the case were legitimate payments for Cohens legal services in 2017 as personal attorney to the president of the United States. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office opted to prosecute Trump for falsifying New York business records, structuring the charges so each corresponds to a different document checks, invoices and other records. Trump personally signed the checks that the prosecution says reimbursed Cohen for the hush money payment, spreading them out monthly over his first year in the Oval Office, although the repayments were logged as legal expenses. Prosecutors say it was the mislabeling that makes them fraudulent records. As he wrapped up his presentation, Blanche listed 10 aspects of the case that he thought should leave jurors with a reasonable doubt. He said there was no intent to improperly influence the 2016 presidential election, and he pushed back against the idea that allegations about extramarital affairs from ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman were examples of catch and kill when someone pays for rights to a story and then sits on it so it never becomes public knowledge. Blanche claimed that Daniels claim was already widely known because it had been referenced in a short-lived 2011 post on the celebrity blog The Dirty. But Trumps attorney spent the most time attacking Cohens credibility, dubbing him the human embodiment of reasonable doubt. He lied to you repeatedly. He lied many, many times before you even met him. His financial and personal well-being will depend on this case. He is biased and motivated to tell you a story that is not true, Blanche said. Cohen, Blanche said, was the MVP of lying the GLOAT, or the Greatest Liar Of All Time. Former President Donald Trump returns from a break as closing arguments continue Tuesday in his criminal hush money trial in New York City. Andrew Kelly/Pool Photo via Associated Press Prosecuting attorney Joshua Steinglass jumped at the chance to counter many of Blanches points. Trumps attorney characterized as normal the deal with American Media CEO David Pecker to use the National Enquirer tabloid to boost Trumps campaign and also shield it from negative stories. Steinglass argued it was anything but normal, calling it a subversion of democracy. He said voters had the right to evaluate the stories about Trumps alleged affairs for themselves, including the alleged incident with Daniels. Nothing about the Trump campaigns dealings with Pecker and American Media Inc. (AMI) represented a normal, legitimate press function, Steinglass said. Well never know if this effort to hoodwink the American voter made a difference in the election, but thats not something we have to prove, Steinglass told the jury. He hit back at Blanches suggestion that only Cohen claimed the Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump boasted of sexual assault, had threatened his 2016 candidacy, reminding the jury that others also testified about the massive harm caused by the audio tape, including former Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks and former Republican National Committee staffer Madeleine Westerhout. Steinglass told the jury that they did not need to rely solely on Cohen to connect some of the dots in the case. He gave as an example the existence of the alleged conspiracy between Trumps campaign and AMI, because Pecker had also testified about it. Later, the prosecutor listed the mountain of evidence that the jury would need to disregard in order to agree with Trumps claim that the checks totaling $420,000 represented payment for Cohens work as personal attorney to the president throughout 2017. According to Steinglass, jurors would have to find that both Pecker and Keith Davidson, Daniels attorney, lied in their testimony that Cohen had expected to be paid back for the hush money; that Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney also lied when he said that Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg told him they were reimbursing Cohen; that they could disregard the handwritten notes detailing how Cohen would be repaid and how the amount of $420,000 was reached; and the fact that all the checks just so happen to equal $420,000. Its easy to throw a bunch of mud on the wall and see what sticks, Steinglass said at one point in an apparent characterization of Trumps defense strategy. He spent a relatively small amount of time on Daniels testimony, arguing that, although he thought some of the details she shared were cringeworthy, the level of detail she provided helped ward off attacks from the defense that she was making things up. Those are the kind of details ... you expect someone to remember, Steinglass told the jury. Continuing his presentation some three-plus hours after jurors are normally dismissed for the day, Steinglass directly addressed Blanches assertion that Cohen went rogue. He said it defied logic that Cohen, if he were acting on his own, would delay the hush money payment to Daniels by two weeks in October 2016 and risk her going public with a damaging story. At that time, Cohen testified, he was delaying payment because Trump did not actually want to put up the money and hoped that if he could delay it past Election Day, it would cease to matter. Michael Cohen is not some rogue actor here. Hes acting at the direction of the defendant, Steinglass said. As he finally wrapped up, the prosecutor gave three reasons why jurors should find Trump guilty. One, he said, Trump is a micromanager. Second, Cohen was and is a self-promoter, Steinglass went on, saying it simply defies common sense that Cohen would undertake such a herculean effort to silence Daniels and then keep it to himself for leverage at some unspecified later date, as the defense suggested. And the third reason is because the defendant was the beneficiary of this entire scheme, Steinglass said. The false business record benefited one person and one person only, and that is the defendant. Youve got to look at the evidence as a whole, and when you do, youll see that the people have proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Related... To convert a single hush payment into 34 state felonies in the New York case against former President Donald Trump, prosecutors are relying on several interacting statutes, which makes their legal theory convoluted and confusing. Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over Trump's trial, added to the confusion on Wednesday when he instructed the jurors on the conclusions they must reach to find Trump guilty. Shortly before the 2016 election, Michael Cohen, then a lawyer working for Trump, paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her from talking about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. When Trump reimbursed Cohen in 2017, prosecutors say, he caused the falsification of 34 business records11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entriesthat were aimed at disguising the reimbursement as payment for legal services. Ordinarily, falsification of business records, which requires "an intent to defraud," is a misdemeanor. But it becomes a felony when the defendant's "intent to defraud" includes "an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof." The prosecution's theory of "another crime" relies on Section 17-152 of the New York Election Lawa statute so obscure that experts said they had never seen another criminal case based on it. That provision makes it a misdemeanor for "two or more persons" to "conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means." Merchan laid out three possible candidates for "unlawful means" to which prosecutors have alluded. One is debatable, while the other two make little or no sense in the context of Section 17-152. Merchan said the jurors need not settle on any particular theory of "unlawful means," provided they agree that Trump was trying to aid or conceal a violation of Section 17-152. By fronting the hush money, prosecutors say, Cohen made an excessive campaign contribution, thereby violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Cohen pleaded guilty to that offense in 2018 as part of an agreement that also resolved several other, unrelated federal charges against him. While jurors heard about that guilty plea during the trial, CNN notes, Merchan instructed them that they should consider it only "to assess Cohen's credibility and give context to the events that followed, but not in determining the defendant's guilt." It is unclear whether Trump violated FECA by soliciting Cohen's "contribution," a question that hinges on the fuzzy distinction between personal and campaign expenditures. Given the uncertainty on that point, it is plausible that Trump did not think the Daniels payment was illegal, which helps explain why he was never prosecuted under FECA: To obtain a conviction, federal prosecutors would have had to prove that he "knowingly and willfully" violated the statute. The New York prosecutors say Cohen and Trump conspired to promote his election through "unlawful means." Under New York law, a criminal conspiracy requires "a specific intent to commit a crime." Trump's understanding of FECA is relevant in assessing whether he had such an intent, meaning he recognized the nondisclosure agreement with Daniels as "unlawful means." Trump's understanding of FECA therefore also is relevant in assessing whether he falsified business records with the intent of concealing "another crime." This theory assumes three things: 1) that Trump recognized the Daniels payment as a FECA violation; 2) that he knew about Section 17-152, a moribund, rarely invoked law; and 3) that he anticipated how New York prosecutors might construe Section 17-152 in light of FECA. The first assumption is questionable, the second is unlikely, and the third is highly implausible. Yet you would have to believe all three things to conclude that Trump approved a plan to misrepresent his reimbursement of Cohen as payment for legal services with the intent of covering up a FECA-dependent violation of Section 17-152. The other two theories that Merchan mentioned seem even less promising. According to one theory, Trump was facilitating a violation of New York tax law by allowing Cohen to falsely report his reimbursement as income. Although that violation is described as "criminal tax fraud," Merchan said it does not matter that Cohen's alleged misrepresentation resulted in a higher tax bill. The judge noted that it is illegal to submit "materially false or fraudulent information in connection with any return," regardless of whether that information benefits the taxpayer. Putting aside that counterintuitive definition of tax fraud, this theory requires believing that Trump, when he reimbursed Cohen, not only contemplated what would happen when Cohen filed his returns the following year but also thought that "unlawful means" somehow would influence an election that had already happened. The logic here is hard to follow. Likewise with the third theory of "unlawful means." Prosecutors say Trump's falsification of business records was designed to aid or conceal the falsification of other business records. CNN reports that the latter records could involve, among other things, the corporate bank account that Cohen created to pay Daniels, Cohen's transfer of the money to Daniels' lawyer, or the Trump Organization's 1099-MISC forms for the payments to Cohen. Since the 1099 forms were issued after the election, it is hard to see how they could have been aimed at ensuring Trump's victory. And although the other records predated the election, this theory involves a weird sort of bootstrapping. Prosecutors say the records related to Cohen's dummy corporation, for example, were falsified because they misrepresented the nature and purpose of that entity, which by itself is a misdemeanor. That misdemeanor was the "unlawful means" by which Trump allegedly sought to promote his election, another misdemeanor. And because Trump allegedly tried to conceal the latter misdemeanor by falsifying the records related to Cohen's reimbursement, those records are 34 felonies instead of 34 misdemeanors. "One of the three crimes is so circular as to produce vertigo in the jury room," George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley observes. "The prosecutors zapped a dead misdemeanor back into life by claiming a violation under New York's election law 17-152. The argument is that the crime was committed to further another crime as an unlawful means to influence the election. However, that other crime can be the falsification of business records. So the jury (or some jurors, at least) could find that some documents were falsified as an unlawful means of falsifying other documents." Because Merchan said jurors need not agree on which of these theories has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the rationale for convicting him is apt to be muddled. "The judge has ruled that the jury does not have to agree on what actually occurred in the case," Turley says. "Merchan ruled that the government had vaguely referenced three possible crimes that constitute the 'unlawful means' used to influence the election: a federal election violation, the falsification of business records, and a tax violation. The jurors were told that they could split on what occurred, with four jurors accepting each of the three possible crimes in a 4-4-4 split. The court would still consider that a unanimous verdict so long as they agree that it was in furtherance of some crime." Merchan's instructions did include a caveat that could help Trump. "He said mere knowledge of a conspiracy does not make [the] defendant a co-conspirator," Fox News correspondent Lydia Hu notes. "Prosecutors must prove intent. Also, being present with others when they form a conspiracy does not mean that the defendant is a part of the conspiracy." On its face, Cohen's testimony regarding Trump's participation in the alleged conspiracy seems crucial in establishing his intent. Cohen said Trump instructed him to pay Daniels. He also said Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg described the plan to reimburse Cohen during a January 2021 meeting, and Trump did not object. Cohen was the only witness who directly testified on those points, and Trump's lawyers argued that he cannot be trusted, noting that he is a convicted felon, disbarred lawyer, and admitted liar with a powerful grudge against his former boss. Merchan said "the jury cannot convict Trump on the testimony of Michael Cohen alone because he is an accomplice, but they can use it if they corroborate it with other evidence," CNN notes. "Even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable," Merchan said, "you may not convict the defendant solely upon that testimony unless you also find it's corroborated by other evidence." The other evidence is circumstantial. It includes testimony suggesting that Trump was worried about the impact that Daniels' story would have on the election, that he conferred regularly with Cohen, and that he was a proud penny-pincher who never would have paid Cohen without knowing exactly what it was for. That evidence supports the inference that Trump knew he was reimbursing Cohen for the Daniels payment (which he has publicly admitted). It also supports the idea that Trump recognized that payment as a campaign expenditure and therefore an illegal contribution. But it does not prove that second claim beyond a reasonable doubt, which helps explain why the prosecution offered jurors two other possible theories of "unlawful means." If they are squeamish about the FECA theory, they can instead rely on the tax theory, despite its temporal difficulties, or they can accept the idea that Trump fabricated business records to conceal the fabrication of business records, even though that proposition makes the mind reel. Since the jurors do not have to agree on the nature of Trump's "unlawful means," Merchan's instructions invite them to convict him based on a hodgepodge of three dubious theories. But if each of these theories is faulty, mixing them together cannot compensate for their weaknesses. The post Trump Jury Instructions Invite Conviction Based on a Hodgepodge of Dubious Theories appeared first on Reason.com. Trump lashes out against Robert De Niro after the actor warned he could "destroy the world" Donald Trump lashed out at Robert De Niro after the actor appeared at a Biden campaign press conference with campaign officials and former U.S. Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were injured in the January 6 insurrection. The conference, which took place outside the courthouse where Trump was hearing closing arguments in his hush-money sex case, marked an unusual foray by Biden's campaign into Trump's legal woes, a topic it had generally avoided earlier this year, according to the Associated Press. "I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was," Trump railed on Truth Social. "Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left - MAGA." The "far greater force" Trump referred to was 20 or so Trump supporters gathered at the park nearby, waving flags that read phrases like "Trump or Death," wearing "Make American Great Again" apparel and chanting slogans such as "Juan Merchan is corrupt," referring to the judge presiding over the trial. After the press conference ended, they continued to follow and heckle De Niro. The actor has provoked the ire of Trump's supporters since he began appearing more often in Biden campaign materials, including an ad that aired last week. Trump, who continues to be embroiled in his own theater of sorts, mocked the actor for going "WAY DOWN IN VALUE" since he voiced his support for Biden. I dont mean to scare you. No, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you, De Niro told reporters. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted. The actor, a New Yorker, mocked Trump's own history with the city. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot, he said. I love this city. I dont want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and, eventually, he could destroy the world. After being elected president, Trump changed his primary residency to Florida, where he often holds court at his Mar-a-Lago estate. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Prolonged and indiscriminate use of unilateral sanctions by the United States has caused serious humanitarian consequences, according to the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, which was released on Wednesday. Since 1950, the United States has used more sanctions than any other country in the world, said the report issued by China's State Council Information Office. The United States has sanctioned more than 20 countries, it said, citing data released by the U.S. Treasury Department on Dec. 28, 2023. Noting that 70 percent of Syria's population faces food shortages, and that "12 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from" and "2.9 million people are at risk of sliding into hunger," the report said that the U.S. sanctions have further exacerbated the poverty of the Syrian people. The U.S. sanctions against Iran affect the import of life-saving iron-regulating medicines for Iranian thalassemia patients, Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, was quoted by the report as saying. "This not only violates their right to health, but also results in increased complications and mortality rates." Filmmaker Ken Burns offered an ominous message about the potential threats another MAGA presidency could impose during a recent commencement address at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. For nearly 50 years now, I have diligently practiced and rigorously tried to maintain a conscious neutrality in my work, avoiding advocacy if I could, trying to speak to all of my fellow citizens, Burn said, later adding that he had been forced to "suspend my long-standing attempt at neutrality because there is no real choice this November." "There is only the perpetuation, however flawed and feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route," he continued. "The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems. When in fact with him, you end up re-enslaved with an even bigger problem, a worse affliction and addiction, 'a bigger delusion,' James Baldwin would say, the author and finisher of our national existence, our national suicide as Mr. Lincoln prophesies. "Do not be seduced by easy equalization," Burns continued. "There is nothing equal about this equation. We are at an existential crossroads in our political and civic lives. This is a choice that could not be clearer." Will Trump go to prison if convicted in hush money trial? (NEXSTAR) Former President Donald Trumps fate was turned over to the jurys hands Wednesday as he faces 34 felony counts in a New York courtroom. The 34 charges stem from allegations he buried stories of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen testified he paid porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Prosecutors say the reimbursements were falsely logged as legal expenses to hide the true nature of the transactions, but the former presidents defense team says the payment wasnt made at Trumps request. Trump denies all wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Jury deliberations begin in historic Trump hush money trial The felony charges Trump is facing for falsifying business records each carry with them a potential prison sentence of four years. While a prison sentence is possible, it is not required. The jury will decide on guilty or not guilty verdicts, but its Judge Juan Merchan who will decide on what punishment is appropriate in the sentencing phase of the trial. Sentencing occurs after a verdict is reached. While prison time isnt out of the question, its far from a guarantee, legal analysts say. At 77 years old, the former presidents age may be a factor in deciding on prison time, the Washington Post reports. He would also be a first-time offender, making a prison sentence less likely. Judge Merchan will also consider other factors, such as if Trump poses a danger to the community or if letting him walk free would send a bad message to others tempted to commit the same crimes. Trump trial moves toward end: 5 takeaways on the closing arguments The jury could also decide Trump is guilty on some charges but not guilty on others. That would reduce the overall maximum sentence. However, even if he were sentenced to multiple prison terms on multiple guilty verdicts, Trump would likely serve the terms concurrently, Politico reports. Judge Merchan could decide to issue a lighter sentence, such as probation or conditional discharge, which means he would be set free on certain conditions set by the judge. A guilty verdict, if it comes, would not bar Trump from continuing his bid for presidency in the 2024 election. 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 Queen City News. Fox News anchor Shannon Bream repeatedly pushed back against Trump spokesperson Alina Habbas claims on Wednesday that President Joe Biden is responsible for Donald Trumps hush money trial, leaving Habba a bit flustered. This did not sit well with Trump. I never knew Shannon Bream was so naive, Trump blared on his floundering social media site shortly after the interview. Appearing on Fox News as jurors began deliberating on the 34 felony charges against the ex-president, Habbawho has also served as Trumps attorneylargely parroted her boss by raging against the un-American prosecution. Much like Trump, Habba also hinted that she expects a conviction, complaining about the trial taking place in New York and the unfair jury instructions. Trump Hush Money Trial Jurors Now Have a Historic Choice to Make At one point, though, Bream took issue with Habba accusing Biden of orchestrating the criminal case against Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused the ex-president of falsifying business records related to payments made to a porn star to buy her silence about an alleged affair before the 2016 election. After Habba claimed Trump was a victim of extortion in the hush money case, she called the trial a Biden show that the president is using to distract the American people. Bream, however, quickly shot back that the White House is not responsible for this specific case. How can you say the Biden administration is not responsible?! Habba incredulously asked. Its a state trial, the Fox News Sunday host responded. Its Alvin Bragg. Whether you think there is a political motive for him, its not connected to the DOJ. I mean, the feds passed on these election charges. Meanwhile, Habba told the Fox anchor to look at logs of New York Attorney General Letitia James and other prosecutors visiting the White House, wondering how Bream could say its not a Biden trial. Bream, though, reiterated that federal prosecutors did not take up the case. According to Habba, this was still proof that the president was deeply involved in the trial. Yeah, the feds passed on this case. Also, [former Manhattan District Attorney] Cy Vance passed on this case years ago and Bragg passed on this case, the Trump spokesperson declared. You know when it came back? When he decided to run for office. Wondering how thats not an indication that Biden isnt a part of the case, Habba then brought up actor Robert De Niros recent press conference outside the Trump courthouse on behalf of the Biden campaign. Frankly, any question that we had of that was squashed yesterday. And if you have even more concerns about whether hes involved in this, look at the fact that he is publicizing, literally publicizing, for tonight to have a speech if a verdict comes out. Bream, on the other hand, noted that any president would want to weigh on something as historic as a former president potentially being convicted of a crime. Trump Boasted About Sex With Stormy in Tahoe, Athlete Says It didnt take long for the cable news-obsessed ex-presidentwho has long had a love-hate relationship with the conservative cable giantto weigh in on the combative exchange, especially considering that Trump has a habit of lashing out at Fox News personalities who he feels show insufficient loyalty or obsequiousness. I never knew Shannon Bream was so naive. In her interview with my Representative, Alina Habba, Shannon just suggested that Crooked Joe Biden was not involved in my Show Trial. HOW STUPID! Trump fumed. Not only is he involved, he is virtually leading it, and all of the other Trials as well - Meaning, his people, because hes not mentally sharp enough to lead anything! Just take a look at the DOJ/White House Thugs involved, and everything else, he continued. Biden is incompetent, and feels that Weaponization is the only way he can win. Hes counting on the Shannon Breams of the World to get him there. Bad day for Shannon! Perhaps adding to Trumps anger at Bream is the fact that shes already facing backlash from Trumpworld for recently grilling Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) over her past criticism of the twice-impeached ex-president, prompting the MAGA congresswoman to rage at the Fox anchor. 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 Wednesday! We would like to wish Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina a speedy recovery after he underwent a successful surgery Tuesday to remove a tumor at the base of his skull. Up to Speed Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas survived a primary runoff on Tuesday night, defeating right-wing challenger Brandon Herrera by just 400 votes. Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTuber known on social media as the AK Guy, received endorsements from House Freedom Caucus members such as Rep. Bob Good, the HFC chairman, and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Critics went after Gonzales for voting with Democrats for a gun control bill in the wake of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, which occurred in his West Texas district. The state Republican Party voted to censure him last year. Members of GOP leadership, howeverincluding Speaker Mike Johnsonsupported Gonzales reelection. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can claim victory in his push to oust incumbent Republicans from the state house who opposed his school voucher proposal. Three of the four remaining sitting Republicans who had voted with Democrats last year to strip Abbotts educational priorities from the states school funding bill were defeated in runoff primaries Tuesday by candidates backed by the governor. Following the outright defeat of several other anti-voucher Republicans in the March primaries, Abbott says he now has the votes to pass his education agenda. John McCormack wrote about the fight in a piece for the site earlier this month. The Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC, a super PAC that boosts the partys candidates in House races, is preparing a $100 million fund to help Democrats in competitive districts by focusing on abortion, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The PACs Reproductive Freedom Accountability Fund will use the issue of abortion in its voter mobilization efforts and advertising with the goal of undoing Republicans razor-thin majority in the House. Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed John McGuire in the Republican primary for Virginias 5th Congressional District over House Freedom Caucus Chair and incumbent Rep. Bob Good after Good supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the former president in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and loving EndorsementBut really, it was too late. The damage had been done! Both Good and McGuire appeared last week at the Manhattan courthouse where Trumps hush money trial is taking place to show support for him. And as recently as last weekend, Dispatch Politics spotted campaign signs with both Trump and Goods names across the district in south-central Virginia. President Joe Bidens campaign on Tuesday held a press conference outside that same courthouse, bringing out 80-year-old actor Robert De Niro to slam Trump as protesters chanted, F Joe Biden, in the background. I dont mean to scare you. No, no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you, De Niro said in his remarks. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted. And elections? Forget about it. Thats over. Thats done. If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave. He will never leave. Accompanying De Niro were Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, two Capitol Police officers who countered the mob during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and have spoken out against Trump in its aftermath. Dunn recently lost a Democratic House primary in Maryland. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin released her first TV ad in her campaign for Michigans open Senate seat, focusing on her bipartisan bona fides. I joined the CIA and served three tours in Iraq alongside our military. I came back to work in the White House for two presidentsone Democrat, one Republican, serving whoever was my commander-in-chief, she says in the ad, which features photos of her in the Oval Office with Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. For me, service is not about partisanship. Its about doing whats right to protect our country. GovTrack has rated Slotkin as one of the more moderate Democrats in Congress. Chase Oliver Wins Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination Supporters and critics of former President Donald Trump cheer and jeer as he addresses the Libertarian Party National Convention on May 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Its very rare for Donald Trump to face a hostile crowd, but his appearance Saturday before the Libertarian National Convention was a glaring exception to his typical rallies in front of throngs of admirers. During his remarks at the Washington Hilton in the nations capital, Trump was repeatedly and loudly booed by Libertarian delegates, despite promising during his speech to put a libertarian in his cabinet and otherwise playing to the crowd. He didnt impress me at all, and I dont believe anything he said, Vicky Hanson, a convention delegate from Mississippi seated front and center for Trumps speech, told Dispatch Politics. I know this is him pandering. I know this is an opportunity for him as a campaign stop so that he can say, Oh look, the libertarians are cheering for me! If Trump was hoping to walk away from the speech with something like a campaign commercial proving how much libertarians love him, the headlines coming out of the convention were closer to the opposite. While Hanson said it was a mistake and a distraction for Trump to have been invited, other delegates who spoke to Dispatch Politics said his appearance was worth it. This convention has had more media attention than any of the [Libertarian] conventions, said Darian Drake, a delegate from Montana who also booed Trump on a few occasions. Angela McArdle, the Libertarian party chair responsible for inviting Trump, was reelected to her post by a 9-point margin. But the most consequential event of the convention occurred on Sunday night, when delegates selected Chase Olivera 2022 Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia won by Raphael Warnockas their partys presidential nominee. After six rounds of voting, Oliver defeated Michael Rectenwald, the Trumpy Libertarian Party presidential candidate, 49.5 percent to 44.7 percent. While on the surface that outcome might seem like another blow to Trump, its probably a net positive for him: Oliver appears more likely to take votes from Biden, while Rectenwald would likely have taken more votes from the Republican nominee. During his victory speech on Sunday night, Oliver took pains to distinguish himself from Trump, Biden, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also appeared at the convention, by aligning himself with the young people on college campuses across the country who are outraged by the genocide in Gaza. RFK wont, Joe Biden wont, Donald Trump wont, Oliver continued, but Im saying right now: End the genocide, ceasefire now, and support peace around the world. No more proxy wars! When a delegate in the crowd yelled, Free the hostages! Oliver said, almost as an afterthought, Absolutely, free the hostages, too. Earlier this month, Oliver told The Dispatch that Israels response to October 7 was as equally terrible as Hamas terror attack. When pressed on the comment, Oliver apologized and said the actions were not equal, but continued to draw some equivalence between Israels effort to eliminate the threat of Hamas and Hamas deliberate massacre of civilians: What I mean to say is that the [Israeli] response is not morally defensible, just as obviously what Hamas did is not morally defensible. Oliver, who left the Democratic Party because he thought the first two years of Barack Obamas presidency were too militaristic, recounted during his victory speech that he got his start in politics when he spit in the face of riot police at an antiwar protest: If you question that I can handle the state, make no mistakeI have stood feet away from riot police as they hold batons, riot shields ready to bash our skulls in, and still I spit in their face and said, No more war! While both Oliver and Rectenwald oppose U.S. military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, the two men cut very different political profiles. Rectenwald, a former New York University professor, became a Libertarian after he says he was canceled by a woke mob for mocking social-justice warriors under the screen name Deplorable NYU Prof and for inviting the alt-right, antisemitic Milo Yiannopoulos to speak to his students. Whereas Oliver supports a federal statute creating a right to abortion until an unborn child can survive outside the womb, Rectenwald opposes such federal legislation and supports state laws banning almost all abortions. In 2016, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former Republican New Mexico governor, won 3.3 percent of the national popular votean all-time best performance for the Libertarian Party. In 2020, Libertarian presidential nominee Jo Jorgenson, a Clemson professor, won just 1.2 percent of the popular vote, but that race, like 2016, came down to three states that the victor carried by less than 1 percentage point. Oliver will be on the ballot in at least 37 statesincluding the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nevadaand theres good reason to believe a former Democratic antiwar activist who supports a federal right to abortion will shave more votes away from Biden than Rectenwald would have. The GOP Tries a Different Tune on Early and Mail-in Voting GREENSBORO, N.C.Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, continued her push to promote mail-in and early voting to a gathering of party activists in her home state of North Carolina last weekend, encouraging Republicans to bank their vote and make the margins in the falls presidential election too big to rig. Any way you can vote and as early as you can vote, get your vote banked, Trump said at a Friday night dinner during the North Carolina Republican Partys annual convention. We have to make it too big to rig in this election cycle. The daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, Lara Trump has been the face of the RNCs reorganization following the forced departure of Ronna McDaniel earlier this year. This ouster also paved the way for Michael Whatley, formerly the North Carolina GOP chair, and Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita to join the leadership team. Since taking on her post at the committee, Lara Trump has emphasized that the party is embracing mail-in and early voting as part of a broader effort to ensure that every single legal vote is counted. But her remarks Friday, during an onstage discussion with state party chairman Jason Simmons and her husband Eric Trump, acknowledged that the GOP rank-and-file remain wary of voting before Election Day. What went unsaid was this is due in large part to Donald Trumps criticism of mail-in and early voting. I think everybody in this room can agree that we want to get back to a place where we have one day of voting, we have paper ballots, and we have voter ID required all across the country, Lara said as the hundreds of delegates cheered. Then, the reality check. We can get back to that day, but we have to get through this election right now. And we have to play the hand that we are dealt, and the hand that we are dealt in the state of North Carolina, as well as states all across the country, is that you have early voting and you have mail-in voting, she said. Because listen, life happens, right? You never know what can happen day to day. You might get sick, your kids might have an issue, something happens at work and you dont want to wait and miss your opportunity to get your vote banked. Those are arguments that advocates of early and mail-in voting have pushed for years, and support for early voting is fairly bipartisan, though Republicans have expressed more skepticism for mail-in voting in recent years than the average American. But despite some limited success in red statesFlorida, for instance, first made absentee voting by mail open to all voters more than 20 years agoRepublicans have struggled on a national scale to convince their voters to do exactly what the RNC is now saying they should. In Greensboro, Lara Trump tried to underscore that this message is coming straight from the big guy. Somebody finally told my father-in-law, she said. They said, Mr. President, people love you so much, they want to go up for you as soon as they possibly can. Tell them to go vote for you. And he was like, Absolutely, they should go vote for me. But one of the loudest critics of mail-in voting in the run-up to the 2020 election was Donald Trump himself. Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it, Trump tweeted back in April of 2020. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesnt work out well for Republicans. Following his defeat in 2020, Trump often pointed to the spike in mail-in voting, driven by temporary changes in election practices as a result of the pandemic, as proof of his false claims that the election was stolen. He railed against mail-in voting as recently as this year. We have to get rid of mail-in ballots because once you have mail-in ballots, you have crooked elections, he said in his victory speech after the Iowa caucuses in January. Yet coding mail-in and early voting as Democratic seems to have had the unintended effect of hurting Trump and the GOP politically, a fact that Republicans seem to have gotten wise to. Rejecting early voting has limited the GOPs ability to bank votes from an older base or model voter turnout to more accurately direct get-out-the-vote efforts. Voting early means more volunteers to work the polls and help GOTV for conservatives leading up [to] and including Election Day, said Michele Woodhouse, a Republican activist from Henderson County who attended the North Carolina GOP convention as a delegate, in a text message. Republicans need to hear it, but more importantly need to listen and take action. But there remains a dissonance between the message that Republicans should agree to engage in early and mail-in voting and the accepted view among the Trump faithful that those forms of voting were the source of much of the voter fraud that they believe turned the election to Joe Biden in 2020. The negative results for the party were almost immediate as GOP turnout dropped significantly in the dual U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia in January 2021flipping both Republican seats (and the GOP majority in the Senate) to the Democrats. That was on display at Fridays dinner in Greensboro shortly before Lara Trumps call to action on mail-in voting. While onstage, Eric Trump called his father and put him on speakerphone to address the gathered delegates. The former presidents four-minute, virtually uninterrupted monologue over the phone was a quick rendition of his stump speech, but he was unable to resist the mantra that fraud cost him reelection four years ago. There was never so much cheating in the history of elections as that, Trump said as his son held a microphone up to his cell phone. They used COVID to cheat. Notable and Quotable Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. Former President Donald Trump to reporters as the jury began deliberations in his hush money trial, May 29, 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. Trump suggested he would have bombed Moscow for invading Ukraine, WP reports Former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested at a fundraising event that he would have bombed Moscow in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 28, citing several anonymous donors and advisers. In a piece detailing some of the claims and demands the former U.S. president has made while on a fundraising drive for his current presidential bid, the paper also said he would attack Beijing if China invaded Taiwan on his watch. According to WP, Trump's comments "surprised some of the donors." Trump has not publicly threatened to bomb Moscow but, in a phone call leaked in March 2022, Trump told a friend he had privately made such a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself. Publicly, Trump described Putin as a "genius" in the days leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion when Moscow moved troops into eastern Ukraine. He has also regularly claimed he could stop the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours" though he has never publicly stated how he would do this. The Washington Post wrote on April 7, citing anonymous sources, that Trump had privately said he could end it by pressuring Ukraine to cede Crimea and Donbas to Moscow. According to the Washington Post, Trump also said he believes that both Moscow and Kyiv "want to save face, they want a way out," claiming that Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories would not object to being part of Russia." If the deal and the idea is simply to give our territories, then it is very primitive," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, going up against incumbent President Joe Biden. In a bid to raise the gigantic sums necessary to run a presidential campaign, WP also reports Trump as telling both new and regular donors they would have to significantly increase what they're offering. One businessman who usually gave Republicans $2-3 million would have to give a $25 million or $50 million contribution or he would not be "very happy." Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The moment of truth is near for former President Trump, after defense lawyers and prosecutors delivered closing arguments Tuesday in his New York case. The courts day was prolonged well past its usual end time in order to hear summations in full first from Todd Blanche in Trumps defense and then from prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who went on for nearly five hours. Judge Juan Merchan is expected to give instructions to the jury Wednesday, after which the matter will rest in the jurors hands. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Those charges stem from a $130,000 payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies the affair and knowledge of the payment. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday. Trump team takes hard aim at Cohens credibility Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who made the payment to Daniels to keep her from going public about the Trump affair, was always going to be a flawed star witness for the prosecution. Cohen, who was later reimbursed from Trumps personal bank account and from a Trump trust, served time in prison after pleading guilty in 2018 to tax evasion, violating campaign finance laws and lying to Congress. The prosecution contends the reimbursements were falsely classified as legal expenses to conceal their true nature part of a hush-money deal with Daniels. Prosecutors also say this was done to affect the elections outcome, not merely to save Trump personal embarrassment, and therefore amounts to election interference. Trumps team argues the money paid to Cohen, who in the past said he would take a bullet for Trump but has also become an aggressive critic of the former president, was indeed for legal services. Blanche sought to take a sledgehammer to Cohens credibility Tuesday. The Trump attorneys most memorable line came when he accused Cohen of being the MVP of liars. Later, modifying a well-known acronym, Blanche called Cohen the GLOAT: the greatest liar of all time. The soundbites were aimed at making the broader case that it would be unjust to convict Trump based upon Cohens tarnished word. But there was one instance when Blanche seemed to overreach. It came when the attorney told the jurors they should not send Trump to prison based upon Cohens words. The jury only decides whether to convict or acquit. In the event of a conviction, the sentence will be a matter for the judge. After the jury was ushered out, Merchan told Blanche his statement was highly inappropriate. When the jury returned for the afternoon session, the judge told them to disregard Blanches comment. Prosecution tries to stem doubts over Cohen The prosecution knows the stakes when it comes to Cohens testimony, so Steinglass tried to shore up jurors faith in the former Trump lieutenant, even while acknowledging his flaws. He defended Cohens stated desire to see Trump convicted, saying that given Cohens legal troubles, it was natural he would want to see Trump pay a price. Steinglass defended the basic veracity of Cohens testimony while also arguing the case did not rest upon him. He told the jurors that whether they liked Cohen was irrelevant. Its whether he has useful, reliable information to give you and the truth is that he was in the best position to know, the prosecutor said. This case is not about Michael Cohen. Its about Donald Trump. Defense tells jurors not to see case as Trump referendum The question of how jurors will separate their feelings about Trump from the facts before them has hung over the case since the beginning. Jury selection was aimed, in part, at weeding out potential jurors who had especially strong feelings toward the former president. In his summing up, Blanche urged the jurors not to weigh the case as a referendum on the ballot box who you voted for in 2016 or 2020, who you plan on voting for in 2024. He added: The verdict you have to reach has to do with the evidence you heard in this courtroom. More flashbacks to the Access Hollywood tape The trial has at times served as a reprise of the chaotic final stretch of the 2016 campaign. To that effect, the lawyers summations made starkly different characterizations of the threat posed to Trumps campaign by the release of the Access Hollywood tape. The tape, which emerged about one month before Election Day but dated from years previously, featured Trump boasting about how his fame enabled crude behavior toward women, including grabbing them by their genitals. Steinglass, for the prosecution, said the tapes release caused pandemonium within the Trump campaign. Blanche, for Trump, said it was not a doomsday event. The issue is important because the more severe the impact of the tape, the greater Trumps political motivation to silence a new lurid allegation from Daniels. A cameo appearance by Robert De Niro President Bidens campaign made its most assertive effort yet to wring political advantage from the trial. Actor Robert De Niro a longtime Trump critic who narrates a new Biden campaign ad appeared near the courthouse, along with two former Capitol Police officers who were present during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone. Most of the star power resided with the 80-year-old De Niro, who warned that Trump would never leave if he is reelected in November, and who cast the former president as a danger to the U.S. and the world. Jason Miller, a top Trump aide, shot back, calling De Niro a washed-up actor. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. After more than 10 hours in court on Tuesday hearing closing arguments, the jury in former President Donald Trumps historic criminal trial is set to begin their deliberations. This is Yahoo News' succinct update on the criminal and civil cases against Trump. Here are the latest developments. What happened today Lawyers for Trump and the Manhattan District Attorneys Office made their closing arguments in the historic trial in which the former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to conceal an alleged extramarital affair from voters. Judge Juan Merchan told the jurors that he would give them instructions Wednesday morning on how to come to a verdict in the case. "Jurors, thank you again for your patience," Merchan said. Zoom in: An MVP of liars' vs. 'a conspiracy and a cover-up' Trumps closing argument: Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that prosecutors had not presented a shred of evidence to show that Trump falsified business records or sought to influence the 2016 presidential election when he reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Daniels. While Blanche told jurors that Daniels had attempted to extort money from Trump he devoted the bulk of his time going after Cohen, who Blanche sought to portray as the witness the prosecution had built their case around. You cannot convict President Trump on any crime beyond a reasonable doubt on the words of Michael Cohen, Blanche said, calling him an MVP of liars. "He's the human embodiment of reasonable doubt," Blanche added, noting that Cohen admitted during the trial to stealing $60,000 from the Trump Organization. As for Trump himself, Blanche portrayed him as out of the loop regarding Cohens plans to aid his presidential campaign by paying Daniels for her silence, saying instead that Trump was simply reimbursing Cohen for legal services rendered. Blanche sought to convince jurors that politics had nothing to do with the payment to Daniels, and that it therefore did not rise to the level of a felony campaign finance violation. "This isn't a referendum on your views on President Trump. This is not a referendum on the ballot box," Blanche said. The prosecutions closing argument: Senior trial counsel Joshua Steinglass laid out the prosecutions closing argument that the case was about a conspiracy and a cover-up to keep voters from learning about the alleged sexual relationship between Trump and Daniels. That conspiracy, Steinglass told the jury, involved other people besides Cohen. "In this case, theres literally a mountain of evidence of corroborating testimony that tends to connect the defendant to this crime, from Pecker to Hicks to the defendants own employees," Steinglass said, referencing former National Enquirer chief David Pecker and former Trump aide Hope Hicks, adding, "Its difficult to conceive of a case with more corroboration than this one." The plot, which included a catch and kill arrangement with the National Enquirer to keep negative stories about Trump from being published, Steinglass said, and it had tangible results. This scheme, cooked up by these men, at this time, could very well be what got President Trump elected, Steinglass said, according to CNN. Like Blanche, Steinglass also focused much of his closing on Cohen, openly conceding his ethical flaws. "We didnt choose Michael Cohen to be our witness. We didnt pick him up at the witness store," Steinglass added. "The defendant chose Michael Cohen as his fixer because he was willing to lie and cheat on his behalf." In a presentation that lasted more than five hours, Steinglass offered the jury a meticulous timeline of the alleged scheme, refreshing their memory of the evidence prosecutors presented. That included the responses of Trump campaign staffers to the release of the Access Hollywood tape, falsified documents used to open bank accounts from which Daniels was paid, phone records leading up to that payment, and notes from Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg that established a schedule for repaying Cohen. Steinglass called the Weisselberg payment schedule the smoking guns of the trial. "He didn't really pay a lawyer, Steinglass said of the reimbursements Trump made to Cohen. He paid a porn star by funneling money through a lawyer." "This case is not about Michael Cohen. It's about Mr. Trump and whether he should be held accountable for making false business entries in his own business records. Whether he and his staff did that to cover up election interference," Steinglass said. The defendant was the beneficiary of this entire scheme, Steinglass reiterated at the end of his closing argument, the New York Times reported. He was the one trying to get elected. Judge Merchans instructions will come Wednesday: Citing the long hours the jury spent in the courtroom on Tuesday, Merchan told the jury that he would wait until Wednesday morning to instruct them on rendering a verdict in the case. Though the day concluded without significant disruptions, Merchan did scold lawyers for the defense and the prosecution on two occasions. After Blanche told the jury they cannot send someone to prison based on testimony from someone like Cohen, prosecutors objected and Merchan issued a clarification. "That comment was improper and you must disregard it. In your deliberations, you may not discuss, consider or even speculate as to matters related to sentence or punishment," the judge told the jury. When Steinglass was concluding his closing argument, he seemed to disregard Merchans instructions to let him handle jury instructions on questions of law and their verdict. After explaining the concepts of reasonable doubt and accessorial liability, Merchan sustained two defense objections, and snapped at Steinglass. Ill explain the law, the judge told him. Whats next? Court will be back in session Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, when Merchan will give the jury their instructions and send them to render a verdict. The background Trump's trials and legal cases Trump's hush money case has gone to the jury. What happens now? Former President Donald Trump, with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side, walks over to speak to the media as the jury deliberates in this trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) NEW YORK (AP) After nearly two dozen witnesses, 16 days of testimony and hours of lawyers' closing arguments, it's time for the jurors to have their say in Donald Trump's hush money trial. Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The seven-man, five-woman panel is tasked with deciding whether Trump is guilty of any of 34 felony counts of falsifying his company's records. Prosecutors say Trump falsified the records to veil reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who had paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign not to air her claim that she and Trump had sex a decade earlier. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee has pleaded not guilty, denies any sexual interaction with Daniels and argues that the payments to Cohen were correctly designated as legal expenses in company records. Now that the case has gone to the jury, here's a look at how deliberations will work. WHAT IS THE JURY DECIDING? If the jury convicts Trump, it must unanimously find he created a false entry in his companys records, or caused someone else to do so, and that he did so with the intent of violating or concealing a violation of a state law making it illegal for conspirators to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means. A conviction would mean that jurors all agreed that something unlawful was done to promote Trumps election. But they dont have to be unanimous on what that unlawful thing was. In this case, jurors could choose between three possible unlawful acts: -- They could find that one of the conspirators broke the Federal Election Campaign Act, which in 2016 made it illegal for a person to give something worth more than $2,700 to a presidential campaign. It also banned corporations from contributing to a campaign. -- They could find that other business records were falsified, including federal tax forms that Trump's company issued to Cohen, bank records associated with Cohens payment to Daniels, or an invoice used when the National Enquirer's parent company paid Karen McDougal, a former model who claimed to have had an affair with Trump, which he denied. -- They could find that false information was submitted on a tax return. For a conviction, each juror would have to find that at least one of those unlawful things happened. WHERE DO DELIBERATIONS HAPPEN? Behind closed doors in a room reserved for the jury. While the 12 deliberate, the six alternate jurors who have also observed the whole trial will be in a separate space in the courthouse. If a jury member is unable to continue because of illness or other reasons, an alternate juror will then take that persons place, and deliberations will begin anew. Jurors went into deliberations after getting detailed instructions on the relevant laws in the case, what must be proven in order for them to convict, and their duty to acquit if it's not proven. They had to hand over their cellphones to court officers to hold. WHAT WILL WE KNOW ABOUT THE DISCUSSIONS? Very little. The deliberations are secret, though jurors whose identities are being kept from the public can have a court officer deliver notes from them to the judge. The first came about 3 1/2 hours into deliberations, when the jury asked to rehear some testimony from Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Then, while the attorneys and court were gathering that testimony, jurors sent a request to rehear Judge Juan M. Merchan's instructions on the laws applicable to the case. Merchan read the jurors' notes in court and discussed with prosecutors and defense lawyers how to respond. Then jurors were brought into court for a question from the judge: whether they wanted all of the legal instructions or just part. After explaining that they could answer by note, he sent them home for the evening. The rereading will begin Thursday morning and will be done aloud from the trial transcript. (Jurors dont have the transcript in the jury room but do have a court laptop loaded with documents and other materials that were shown during the trial.) Court-watchers sometimes speculate about what the contents of a note might imply about the deliberations, but there's no way to know for sure. Jurors also send a note to signal when they have reached a verdict or, sometimes, to say they're bogged down. WHERE WILL TRUMP BE IN THE MEANTIME? He doesn't have to stay in the courtroom itself but must be in the building. During the trial, he and his attorneys and security personnel have had the use of a courtroom across the hall for breaks. HOW LONG WILL JURORS DELIBERATE? As long as they need to. The standard court day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a break for lunch (jurors' meals will be delivered). But judges sometimes extend the hours if jurors wish. There's no limit on how many days deliberations can continue. DO THE JURORS GET TO GO HOME? Yes, at the end of each court day. The jury isn't sequestered, the legal term for isolating the panel from the outside world. That was once mandatory for many felony cases in New York state, but the requirement was lifted in 2001, and sequestration is now rare. WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE'S A VERDICT? Jurors will send a note, via a court officer, saying there is a verdict, but not what it is. The judge will summon Trump, his defense team and prosecutors back to the courtroom if they're not there already, and then announce that the jury has reached a verdict. Then the jury will be brought in, and the foreperson in New York, that job generally goes to the first juror chosen will be asked whether the jury has reached a verdict. If the answer is yes, the foreperson will then be asked what the verdict is for each count and will answer either guilty or not guilty. Then the jury likely will be asked collectively, Is this your verdict?" Prosecutors or defense lawyers also can ask to have each juror asked the same question individually. WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE ISN'T A VERDICT? If jurors send a note saying they can't agree, the judge, in consultation with both sides, must decide what to do next. Defense lawyers might seek an immediate mistrial. That could be granted, but often, the response is to call the jury in for some form of instruction to keep trying. Prosecutors and defense lawyers often debate what should be said. Judges may look to the New York court system's sample language for what's known as a modified Allen charge. It urges jurors to make every possible effort to reach a verdict, and to be willing to reconsider their positions without abandoning their conscience or judgment just to go along with others. If deadlock notes continue, the message may be repeated or tweaked. So, too, arguments for a mistrial. There's no hard-and-fast rule about how long a jury must keep attempting to resolve differences before a mistrial can be declared. RIYADH, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Alat, a sci-tech company owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and China's computer manufacturer Lenovo announced Wednesday a strategic collaboration and investment agreement. Under the agreement, Lenovo will establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and a new manufacturing hub in the kingdom, according to a statement by Alat. Meanwhile, Lenovo will issue 2 billion U.S. dollars worth of convertible bonds to Alat, at an initial conversion price of 10.42 Hong Kong dollars (1.33 dollars) per share, said a statement from Lenovo. Alat expects this investment to create 15,000 direct and 45,000 indirect jobs locally in Saudi Arabia, generating a cumulative GDP impact of 10 billion dollars by 2030. Alat CEO Amit Midha said, "We are incredibly proud to become a strategic investor in Lenovo and partner with them on their continued journey as a leading global technology company." Yang Yuanqing, the chairman and CEO of Lenovo, said, "Through this powerful strategic collaboration, Lenovo will have significant resources and financial flexibility to further accelerate our transformation and grow our business by capitalizing on the incredible growth momentum in the MEA region." Donald Trump returns from a break as closing arguments wrap up at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday in his trial for allegedly covering up a hush money payment made to an adult film star just days before the 2016 election. ANDREW KELLY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images In a recent Fox News interview that doubled as an audition to be the running mate of a budding authoritarian, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) predictably cried foul about whats been branded as the hush money trial. There is only one person that would ever face charges like this, and it has to have the last name Donald Trump, declared Rubio. Little Marco has fallen so far from the days of GQ profiles like All Eyez on Him, which saw him as the future of the Republican Party, but in spite of how much more pathetic hes shown himself to be since, he does make a point only its not the one he thinks hes making. My law knowledge is limited to Maxine Shaw, old episodes of Law & Order and whatever the contracted legal beagles on cable news say, but even without a JD, it has always seemed foolish for people to downplay the significance of the Trump criminal case related to money paid to Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. I agree that the 34 indictments related to payments reimbursing lawyer Michael Cohen amount to nothing more than paper crimes and alleged business fraud and are far less serious than an attempted coup and stealing the most secretive documents the federal government has and storing them in the bathroom of his members-only club. So what, though? No, its not a coup, but to Rubios point, only Donald Trump would be caught up in a case like this because Trump is the only politician who would use a tabloid to defame his political opponents while protecting himself. Any other politician would have suffered from such a scandal, and yet Trump has managed to continue to skate by. He does so thanks to the cable news anchors, newspaper columnists and analysts, pundits and TV lawyers with paid TV contracts that have actively downplayed this case as less serious and, in many cases, unworthy of criminal prosecution. You can also add unserious, useless politicians like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to the list, as he told CNN: Theres two really solid cases: Jan. 6 and Georgia. Everything else doesnt make sense. Some of the critics of this case and its prosecution may have informed opinions about the use of law here, but ultimately a lot of folks dont like this case and find it less significant because it involved a porn star and an extramarital affair. Yes, people voted for Trump in spite of the multiple accusations of sexual assault leveled against him near the end of the 2016 election, but there was obviously enough concern about Trump having sex with an adult film actor shortly after his wife gave birth to their son to make a payment to keep her quiet. I dont want to hear about Trump being spanked with a magazine or his alleged condom usage either, but this is the man who says the most outlandish, vehemently racist and sexist things since hes become a political force that if we have had to endure all of that, people can drop the faux Puritan act and talk about this. Another argument against Trumps prosecution in this case was that indictments with more serious charges should have gone first. Sure, but when it comes to Trump facing justice, beggars cant be choosers. Trump has long proved himself adept at bending systems to his will, and when it comes to the criminal justice system, he has done so since the 1970s, so I dont know why all of those justice warriors in political media thought that somehow he wouldnt manage to do the same with his rotating felony charges. In some instances cough, Fulton County, cough the actions of some of Trumps prosecutors have indirectly assisted him in his efforts to delay his trials. The result of these narratives being perpetuated about the case have arguably caused Americans to largely tune it out. According to a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released in early May, 55% said they were not following it much or at all, versus 45% who reported paying some or a lot of attention to the trial. And as Trumps criminal trial in Manhattan heads to closing arguments, in a separate poll from CBS News, 56% say Trump is definitely or probably guilty of his crimes but split nearly in half on what they think the jury will decide. Considering the reality that the next president can be a convicted felon, Im irritated by how polarized Americans remain on this. And Republicans already have their line of defense. Alex Castellanos, a veteran Republican strategist, recently explained to The New York Times, An acquittal would vindicate him, and a guilty verdict would martyr him and, hey, thats how you start religions. Granted, the conservative media ecosystem is massive enough to always blur the lines, but again, this was done with the assistance of the mainstream media who actively lowered the severity of the hush money trial because they felt the other crimes were more important. Fortunately, at least some people have come to their senses. In The New York Trump Case Is Kind of Perfect, George Conway writes in The Atlantic: The truth is, Ive come around to the view that People v. Trump is, in at least some ways, the perfect case to put Trump in the dock for the first time, and I hope, but well see perhaps prison. Because this case really captures Donald Trump. Reason being that no matter what you call his current criminal trial, Conway notes, what the case is really about is Trumps modus operandi lying. Indeed, all of his felonies and each of his impeachment trials deal with some underlying lie that he wanted to perpetuate in order to defraud the American voter. And he will not just lie, but hell also inflict force no matter how violent in order to facilitate his lie and get what he wants. It was always a mistake to not bring him to heel sooner with regards to this case because it allowed him to continue thinking no lie is too big to tell in order to get his way. We are unlikely to get any other trial before the November election, so no matter what the verdict ultimately is in this case, it is not too late for those in control of our news narratives to reshape and reimagine Trumps modus operandi before its too late. Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom. The public alert issued late last week by the Minnesota Department of Health served notice that measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases haven't been vanquished. Instead, they're still out there waiting for our collective guard to drop a reality that presidential candidates' rhetoric should reflect. On Friday, state health officials warned that Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) patients or visitors may have been exposed to measles if they were there from May 21 at 11 p.m. through May 22 at 6 a.m. Three siblings from Anoka County developed symptoms after traveling abroad and sought care on the premises. Measles is considered one of the world's most contagious diseases, with serious complications that are rare but include blindness, a brain infection, severe breathing problems and ear infections, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). State health officials are urging those who were at HCMC during that window to check their vaccination status, additionally advising those who are immunocompromised or pregnant to contact their primary care provider. Those who are unvaccinated or too young to get the shot, such as children under 1 year of age, "are at risk of getting measles and could develop symptoms within 7 to 21 days of exposure," officials said. The potential measles exposures at one of Minnesota's largest hospitals underscores the need for responsible oratory by those seeking the presidency. That's why former President Donald Trump's remarks regarding vaccines during a May 17 visit to Minnesota require rebuke. Trump was in St. Paul for Minnesota Republicans' annual Lincoln Reagan dinner. "The crowd erupted into the loudest applause of the night and a standing ovation when Trump said he would cut off funding to any school teaching critical race theory as well as any school with a vaccine mandate," according to the Star Tribune's coverage. Neither of those is sensible policy, but the vaccine funding threat shows reckless disregard for public health. Millions of children safely receive the measles vaccine and other routine childhood immunizations each year. Unfortunately, vaccination trends among children are headed in the wrong direction. "While vaccination rates vary by state, the majority of states experienced declines in the share of kindergartners up to date on their vaccines," reports KFF, a respected health care policy organization. Even a small percentage decrease translates to thousands, even hundreds of thousands of children unprotected against still-dangerous diseases, it notes. Those seeking higher office should be encouraging vaccination to counter this alarming decline. Trump's decision to do the opposite is particularly frustrating. It was under his administration that "Operation Warp Speed" brought COVID-19 vaccines to market at remarkable speed, saving millions of lives. Instead of claiming credit for this historic accomplishment, Trump is undermining confidence in immunizations with his irresponsible remarks and threat to pull federal funding for schools that are protecting children's health. That's essentially all K-12 schools. "All 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, with exemptions for medical reasons or sometimes personal beliefs. Robert F. Kennedy, an independent presidential candidate who embraces vaccine conspiracy theories, also merits rebuke but he's also not the Republican presidential front-runner and former incumbent. Trump's Minnesota vaccine remarks are even more disappointing because this isn't the first time he's made them. "I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate," Trump reportedly said at an appearance earlier this year in Richmond, Va. The remarks came in the wake of a new report estimating an 18% increase in measles cases worldwide from 2021 to 2022, along with a 43% increase in estimated measles deaths for the same period. Public health experts criticized the Richmond remarks, but the former president doubled down in St. Paul. Trump's lack of clarity regarding which vaccines he's talking about is also alarming. An editorial writer's inquiry received no reply from The "Office of Donald J. Trump." In other news reports, Trump staffers have said he's only referring to COVID-vaccination mandates for students, not routine immunization requirements for other diseases. If that's the case, his remarks need to spell that out clearly at future campaign stops. And if he's only referencing COVID vaccinations, his words are still harmful with the virus continuing to circulate and vaccination one of the key defenses against it. It should also be noted that Trump is promising nothing if he's just talking about the COVID shot. Minnesota has not added the COVID shot to required school immunizations. Nor does any other state have a statewide COVID shot student mandate, according to Immunize.org. A sizable number have actually banned requiring this shot. There are serious questions about a president's constitutional authority to withhold federal funding to schools for this reason. But there are also serious questions about whether a second Trump term would respect these guardrails. For the 2022-23 school year, federal funding provided about 6% of total costs of elementary and secondary education in Minnesota, according to a Minnesota House research report. That may not seem like much, but a cut that size would translate to hundreds of millions of dollars. The Minnesota Medical Association issued this statement after Trump's speech: "We need more of our school-age children vaccinated. Even small dips in immunization rates can lead to disease outbreaks and, most concerning, serious complications for vulnerable people. This does not just impact the families who choose not to get their children vaccinated it can have serious consequences on those who cannot get vaccinated due to other health risks. Vaccines save lives and, as has been demonstrated repeatedly, they are safe." This is what responsible public health messaging looks like, and it's what voters should expect from candidates seeking office at any level. FILE - An FBI seal is seen on a wall on Aug. 10, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. A new FBI report shows the rate of assaults on American law enforcement reached a 10-year high in 2023, with more than 79,000 officer attacks reported. The report released Tuesday also shows that the number of officers assaulted and injured by guns is climbing too. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) WASHINGTON (AP) Two former FBI officials have reached a tentative settlement with the Justice Department to resolve claims that their privacy was violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump. The tentative deal was disclosed in a brief court filing Tuesday that did not reveal any of the terms. Peter Strzok, a former top FBI counterintelligence agent who helped lead the bureau's investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was fired in 2018 after the anti-Trump text messages came to light. Lisa Page, a former FBI lawyer, voluntarily resigned that same year. They alleged in federal lawsuits filed in the District of Columbia that the Justice Department infringed on their privacy rights when officials, in December 2017, shared copies of their communication with reporters including messages that described Trump as an idiot" and a loathsome human" and that called the prospect of a Trump victory terrifying. Strzok also sued the department over his termination, alleging that the FBI caved to unrelenting pressure from Trump when it fired him and that his First Amendment rights were violated. Those constitutional claims have not been resolved by the tentative settlement, according to the court notice. Trump, who publicly championed Strzok's firing and accused him of treason, was questioned under oath last year as part of the long-running litigation. The text messages were discovered by the Justice Department inspector generals office as it scrutinized the FBIs investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state. Strzok was a lead agent in that probe as well, and he notes in his lawsuit that the inspector general found no evidence that political bias tainted the email investigation. Even so, the text messages resulted in Strzok being removed from the special counsel team conducting the Trump-Russia investigation and helped drive criticism by Trump that the inquiry was a politically motivated witch hunt." The inspector general identified numerous flaws with that probe but did not find evidence that any of those problems could be attributed to partisan bias. Lawyers for Strzok and Page declined to comment Tuesday night. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, but the department has previously said that officials determined that it was permissible to share with the media text messages that were also disclosed to members of Congress. (AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.) A parade honoring the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) Class of 2024 cadets was held on Wednesday, May 29. How to watch the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation Thursday According to USAFA, the event symbolizes the assumption of command by the second class, and during the parade, the graduating class marches away from the Cadet Wing as they pass their command to the rising Firsties. During the parade, there were flyovers from various aircraft and demonstrations above Stillman Parade Field at the USAFA. Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Mike Duran Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Mike Duran Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Mike Duran Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Mike Duran Courtesy: FOX21 News Chief Photojournalist Mike Duran According to USAFA, the parade featured flyovers from cadet-piloted T-41 and T-53 propeller aircraft, and cadet-piloted TG-15 and TG-16 gliders. The cadet-piloted gliders also performed two high-speed passes before landing on Stillman Parade Field. When will the Thunderbirds be flying overhead this week? Also as part of the demonstrations on Wednesday, there was a flyover by a B-2 Spirit Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, and 25 members of the Wings of Blue Parachute Team jumped from aircraft piloted by officers of the 306th Flying Training Group. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be flying over the USAFA, and tagging along with them will be five-time Olympic medalist swimmer Missy Franklin-Johnson at around 2 p.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 FOX21 News Colorado. GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.S. health official said on Wednesday it would be "tragic" for the world to miss out on key reforms to the global pandemic response and that a treaty deal was within reach, with no major differences between negotiators. Health officials are meeting in Geneva this week to try to wrap up more than two years of negotiations on a pandemic treaty and a series of updates to existing International Health Rules (IHR). However, countries have failed to finalise the treaty at this assembly and countries are considering an extension. "I believe we are going to get this done because it would be tragic, especially given how far weve come, to not get it done," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly. "Something is going to broadside us. We just have to be ready and we know what it takes to be ready," he said, referring to future disease outbreaks. While around 80% of the content of the pandemic agreement is agreed, controversial topics include financing and a system for sharing drugs and vaccines, with African countries pushing hard for measures to counter what they see as COVID-era hoarding. However, Becerra played down the differences. "I dont think there's today substantive disagreement about the essential elements it's more how they are packaged, how they are defined," he said. Asked whether the United States had done enough to ensure the future system would be fair, he said: "There's no one that's put more on the table than the United States to get a deal. Does that meet the definition of equity? I'm not sure but I know were giving." A U.S. delegate previously said that the IHR regulation reforms should be finalised this week and that Washington supports a one- to two-year extension of the treaty talks. (Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by David Holmes) A sign warns of radioactive material at the West Lake Landfill. Thousands of tons of nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project were dumped there in the 1970s (Theo Welling/Riverfront Times). A proposal to renew compensation for cancer victims who were exposed to radioactive material from the nations weapons development without expanding the program to Missouri and several other states amounted to a betrayal, Missouri advocates and lawmakers said Tuesday. Members of Congress from Missouri learned late Tuesday that U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to extend the federal program for two years despite pressure from communities harmed by nuclear bomb testing and waste to expand the program. The announcement dealt a huge blow to advocates from St. Louis, the Navajo Nation and other communities that have been left out of the program, originally created in the 1990s. The existing program covers civilians in parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada and uranium miners. I cannot believe how emotionally manipulated we feel that Speaker Johnson would sit back and allow sick and dying community members to beg him for a meeting for months then to spend (an) hour and a half with staff only to have the door slammed in our faces! Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, said in a social media post. Chapman was reacting to a post from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, who said Johnson told Hawleys office hell seek a bill that doesnt cover either state. Hawley said hell put up roadblocks to keep any such bill from passing the Senate without a fight. Total dereliction, Hawley said. No member from Missouri can possibly vote for this. Since last summer, Hawley has been pushing for an expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which was initially passed in 1990 and offered compensation to uranium miners and residents who lived downwind of nuclear bomb testing sites in certain states. Hawleys legislation, which has twice passed the U.S. Senate, would expand the program to downwinders in the remaining parts of Arizona, Utah and Nevada and bring coverage to downwinders in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Guam. It would also expand coverage to those exposed to radioactive waste in Missouri, Tennessee, Alaska and Kentucky. The existing RECA program expires June 10, and advocates and lawmakers from states hoping to be brought into the program have been urging Congress to renew and expand it. U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican from the St. Louis suburbs, said on social media that a RECA bill without Missouri is dead on arrival. I will continue to fight for the expansion of RECA so Missourians are given the justice they deserve, she said. The House can and must take up the Senate-passed version. U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat from St. Louis, also wrote on social media that failing to expand RECA is not a viable option. Next week, Speaker Johnson plans to rip off Missourians and thousands of others who are suffering from radioactive waste dumped in our backyards by the federal government, Bush said. Parts of the St. Louis area have been contaminated for 75 years with radioactive waste left over from the effort to build the worlds first atomic bomb during World War II. Uranium refined in downtown St. Louis was used in the first sustained nuclear chain reaction in Chicago, a breakthrough in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to develop the bomb. After the war, waste from uranium refining efforts was trucked from St. Louis to surrounding counties and dumped near Coldwater Creek and in a quarry in Weldon Spring, polluting surface and groundwater. Remaining waste was dumped at the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, where it remains today. Generations of St. Louis-area families lived in homes near contaminated sites without warning from the federal government. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found exposure to the creek elevated residents risk of cancer. Residents of nearby communities suffer higher-than-normal rates of breast, colon, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers and leukemia. Childhood brain and nervous system cancers are also higher. Johnsons office did not immediately return a request for comment. The post U.S. House may consider extending nuclear weapons damages program without Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent. Is the U.S. slowly trying to improve relations with Cuba? Lets hope not | Opinion Cuban government officials recent, unannounced tour of Miami International Airport, arranged by the Transportation Security Administration, is only one of the latest signs of a possible thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations. There are other troubling indications: This week, the Biden administration announced it will allow Cuban independent entrepreneurs to open bank accounts in the United States remotely from the island to support the private sector in Cuba, which was halted for months due to objections from Congress. It appears that months before the upcoming presidential elections in the United States, proponents of political rapprochement with Cuba are already making moves. Their goal, I believe, is to fully restore diplomatic relations with the Havana dictatorship if President Biden wins re-election in November. Although President Biden has shown no public interest in reestablishing relations with Cuba and has maintained elements of former President Donald Trumps policy, the possibility does not seem so remote or implausible. Remember that President Barack Obamas rapprochement with Cuba did not happen overnight. In March, the first Tampa International Book Fair was held in that city. Its theme was Cuban literature. The fair became controversial when some Cuban exiled authors from Miami who traveled to Tampa to present their works learned they would be doing so alongside writers supportive of the Castro dictatorship. Among those were Cuban authors Francisco Lopez Sacha and Rigoberto Rodriguez Estenza, who signed a letter supporting the dictatorships repression of the July 11, 2021 protesters. On April 18, the Biden administration celebrated Cuba Day at the White House. The festivities included Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas remarks, an exhibition of historical Cuban documents from the University of Miamis Cuban Heritage Collection, and a Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes performance. Among the guests were several proponents of thawing relations with Havana. The influence of the pro-rapprochement lobby towards Cuba has also continued its work behind the scenes. On Nov. 29, 2023, four prominent Miami activists who favor the opening of U.S. relations towards Cuba, met with Juan Gonzalez, then special assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council. We do not know precisely what was discussed in the meetings, but it is not difficult to suppose that they addressed the issue of Cuba due to their shared interest in achieving a new rapprochement with the Cuban government. Months later, the moves by those in favor of thawing relations continue. In recent weeks, Cuban exile Carlos Saladrigas, among those who has publically supported openings relations with Cuba, accompanied U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro, a Cuban-American, on a visit to the Bay of Pigs Museum located in Little Havana. In photos shared by the Museum, Saladrigas appears with the board members. Throughout its history, the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association has opened its doors to politicians and other visitors from the U.S. and around the world to enable them to learn about their history of struggle and sacrifice. However, they have always firmly maintained their commitment to Cubas freedom and have rejected any rapprochement with the Havana dictatorship. Other recent events are cause for concern. On May 15, the Biden administration removed Cuba from the list of countries not cooperating against terrorism. Then on May 20th, Cuban Independence Day, a delegation of five Cuban government officials, were given a tour of controlled areas of MIA, angering local officials who had no idea of the controversial visit. All this means Cuban exile organizations and institutions in Miami must be vigilant not to be used for political purposes by individuals who are far removed from their steadfast position and struggle for Cubas freedom. If they fail to do so, they risk inadvertently playing into the hands of the Cuban dictatorship. Daniel I. Pedreira is an adjunct professor of political science at Florida International University and Miami Dade College. By Andrea Shalal and Dan Peleschuk KYIV (Reuters) -U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the U.S. would take all possible measures to pressure the Russian economy as he visited Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and other government officials. Senior White House official Daleep Singh said this week the United States and its partners could broaden current sanctions language regarding financial facilitation, which could point to plans to slap secondary sanctions on those aiding trade with Russia. "We need to do everything we can to go after that military-industrialised complex using sanctions and export controls, and thinking about what we do going forward has been a big part of our conversations with Ukrainian officials," Adeyemo told a media briefing in the Ukrainian capital. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has sanctioned more than 4,000 individuals and entities, including 80% of Russias banking sector by assets. Washington and its allies were also concerned about the significant support in dual-use goods that China had shipped to Russias defense industry, and would continue to raise them directly with China, the official added. Adeyemo said the U.S. was focusing on ways to work with the Group of Seven leaders to unlock the value of some $300 billion in Russian assets frozen by the West after the start of the war, which would give Ukraine access to more financing in the medium- to long-term. Earlier this month G7 finance ministers explored ways how to bring forward future income from those Russian assets to boost funding for war-torn Ukraine. The U.S. has been pushing its G7 partners - Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada - to back a loan that could provide Kyiv with as much as $50 billion in the near term. Instead of seizing the assets outright, such a loan would be backed by pulling forward future interest income on the assets over a set period of time, officials said. Adeyemo also discussed Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts and highlighted U.S. efforts to help Ukraine continue to attract private investment, including through more public-sector financing. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv; Editing by Lincoln Feast and David Holmes) BEIRUT, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Wednesday urged Lebanon and Israel to cease fire and work on a diplomatic solution to end the border conflict. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz made the remarks on the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, describing the death and destruction witnessed on both sides of the Blue Line as heartbreaking. He was quoted in a UNIFIL statement that "we urge all parties and all actors to cease their fire, recommit to UN Resolution 1701, and begin the work towards a diplomatic solution, which is the only way to bring a return of stability and resolve this situation." Lazaro Saenz stressed that UN peacekeepers continue to be committed to restoring stability. "UNIFIL peacekeepers from 49 countries are on the ground in our area of operations, focusing on preventing an escalation of the fighting and avoiding an all-out war," said Lazaro Saenz. Lazaro Saenz said UNIFIL normally holds an annual event to honor peacekeepers, but this year, it won't take place due to the security situation in southern Lebanon. He noted that International Day of UN Peacekeepers is a day to remember the sacrifices of the men and women serving for peace. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Utah Education Association (UEA) is challenging a controversial publicly-funded school voucher program, claiming it violates the Utah State Constitution. The Utah Fits All voucher program was passed into law in 2023. The program, which is set to begin this upcoming school year, is funded by revenue earned from Utahs income tax. Eligible students in grades K-12 would receive an $8,000 scholarship to open options in where they can go to school. The program received heavy criticism from Utah public educators who claimed the vouchers opened the door for public funds to be funneled into private charter schools or homeschooling. In a new lawsuit filed on Wednesday, May 29, UEA President Renee Pinkney claims the voucher program would give private schools $82.5 million in public funds. Changes may be coming to these Salt Lake City roads Heres what you should know The specifics of the voucher program are troubling, said Pinkney. It siphons critical resources from already underfunded public schools to pay for private school vouchers at a rate double what public school students receive. This discrepancy is not just unfair, it is a deliberate undermining of public education. Pinkney said the voucher program violates the Utah State Constitution, which she said clearly states that education should be free and open to all. Pinkney also noted that the constitution protects the use of public funds for public education under the supervision of the Utah State Board of Education. ABC4.com reached out to Utah Gov. Spencer Coxs office, which is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. The governors office said it does not respond to ongoing litigation. Rep. Candice Pierucci, who sponsored the bill said every parent knows one size does not fit all when it comes to education. She said the Utah Fits All scholarship was designed to address that. I stand by this program and the policy decision to give parents more education options and will continue to advocate for individualized learning and this programs success, said Pierucci. The legislature has made historic investments into Utahs K-12 education system and will continue to do so. The unions scarcity mentality and unwillingness to prioritize Utah children shows just how out of touch they are with Utah parents and students. Pinkney said the UEA began exploring its options against the voucher program as soon as it passed in 2023. She said the Utah Fits All vouchers do not fit all but only serve to divert funds from underfunded public schools. This alarming situation should raise serious concerns about the future of public education in Utah, said Pinkney. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. The training provides an opportunity for first responders to run drills they cannot run while classes are in session at the Lexington campus, above. (Photo by Mark Cornelison | UK Photo) The University of Kentucky on Thursday will conduct a full-scale active aggressor crisis exercise from 8 a.m. until the afternoon. If you see large numbers of emergency response teams on campus, including police, fire and EMS, do not be alarmed, says a UK release, this is only a drill. The training provides an opportunity for first responders to run drills they cannot run while classes are in session at the Lexington campus, says the release. The UK Police Department will be working with personnel from UK HealthCare, UK Public Relations and the UK Emergency Operations Center to practice coordinating a response with internal and external stakeholders in the event of an active aggressor situation. Local and state law enforcement will participate as well. This drill is taking place in partnership with Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, which specializes in emergency management and preparedness training. The post UK on Thursday will practice for active aggressor crisis. Dont be alarmed; its only a drill. appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Ukraine backers in Prague: First shells to arrive in coming days Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, sits in his seat during a panel discussion at a science conference. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa Leaders from five European NATO states said urgently-needed ammunition would reach Ukraine in the coming days, as they reaffirmed their support for the country attacked by Russia at a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Prague. Their main focus at a joint working dinner on Tuesday was the Czech plan to procure up to 800,000 artillery shells from countries outside the EU. Ukraine can expect a first delivery of tens of thousands of 155-millimetre shells in the next few days, said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Fifteeen EU and NATO states have now pledged around 1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) for the project. Polish President Andrzej Duda promised support for the transport of the artillery shells, and described the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian front as difficult. Russia has the initiative and is preparing another major offensive, he said, adding that artillery plays a key role in the defence. "For the Ukrainian people, weapons and armaments have become as crucial for survival as water, food and air," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The Prague meeting was also attended by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. Shmyhal said that Ukraine was preventing a repeat of 1939, when World War II broke out with Germany's invasion of Poland. "Ukraine is and will continue to be a protective shield for Europe, he vowed. Earlier, the Czech government reacted favourably to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's call for Ukraine to be allowed to use Western weapons to strike inside Russian territory. "As a country under attack, Ukraine certainly has every right to use all means of defence," Fiala said, describing the position as "simply logical." Attacks on military targets in Russia by Ukraine are covered by international law as part of its defence, experts on the laws of war generally agree. But some Western countries that support Ukraine, like Germany, are reluctant. These capitals fear that allowing Kiev to use the advanced weapons supplied by them to attack Russian territory will be interpreted by Moscow as their becoming a direct party to the war. Fiala said Ukraine was facing a perilous moment as Russian forces launch attacks across the Ukrainian border north of Kharkiv, potentially looking to open a new front in the war. A Russian airstike on a home improvement store in the city of Kharkiv killed at least 14 people at the weekend. Elsewhere there was discussion of the issue of a possible deployment of French military trainers to Ukraine, as Kiev seeks to fend off Russia's attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron aims to present a plan in the coming week when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky comes to Normandy to commemorate the Allied landings in World War II, he said Tuesday. He will "speak very precisely at that time to announce what we are going to do," Macron said during a visit to Germany, referring to "uncoordinated and unfortunate communication" on the issue beforehand. Kiev earlier had to row back on the claim that French military instructors would soon arrive in the country. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said late Monday that negotiations with Paris on the issue were ongoing. That came after the Ukrainian military's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said it was a done deal and France would begin training Ukrainian army personnel. Kiev has been asking since February that Ukrainian soldiers no longer be sent abroad for training, but instead be trained in their own country, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. France and Germany say Ukraine should be able to use their weapons to strike inside Russia France and Germany said Tuesday that Ukraine should be allowed to use their weapons against targets inside Russia from which Moscow attacks Ukraine. Speaking at a news conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined that French weapons sent to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, were permitted to target bases inside Russia. Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia, Macron said during his visit to Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg, Germany. So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that were going to have to protect these towns and basically everything were seeing around Kharkiv at the moment, if we tell them you are not allowed to hit the point from which the missiles are fired? We think that we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked, Macron continued. Macron added, however, that we must not allow them to hit other targets in Russia, including civilian or other military targets. Germanys Scholz echoed Macrons comments and said that Ukraine was allowed to defend itself as long as it respected the conditions given by the countries that supplied the weapons - including the United States - and international law. Ukraine has every possibility under international law for what it is doing. That has to be said explicitly, Scholz said. I find it strange when some people argue that it should not be allowed to defend itself and take measures that are suitable for this. Western allies of Ukraine have long held the policy that donated weapons should be strictly limited to usage inside Ukrainian territory. The issue is a controversial one, with fears from Western leaders that if their weaponry is used to strike inside Russia, it would escalate the violence and trigger a wider war involving NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked permission from his allies to expand the usage of the provided weapons to strike inside Russia. The United States, the largest arms supplier to Ukraine, has previously forbidden Kyiv from firing its weapons inside Russian territory over escalation concerns. However, in comments that appeared to hint at the possibility of a change in policy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US would continue to adapt and adjust its support for Ukraine. Another hallmark of our support for Ukraine over the last two years has been to adapt as the conditions have changed. Battlefields change. As what Russia does has changed in terms of how it is pursuing its aggression escalation, weve adapted and adjusted too. And I am confident we will continue to do that, he said when asked about the possibility of allowing Ukraine to strike Russian soil. But Blinken also reiterated that at present the US has not enabled Ukraine to strike beyond its borders into Russia with US weaponry. We havent encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine. Ukraine, as Ive said before, has to make its own decisions about the best way to effectively defend itself. Were going to make sure that it has the equipment that it needs to do that, Blinken said. When pressed on his remarks about adjusting and adapting, he added, Were always listening. Were always learning, and were always making determinations about whats necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself. Shift in red lines? Previous red lines drawn by Western leaders in their support for Ukraine have been crossed, including the provision of tanks, which was agreed in early 2023 to help Ukraine breach enemy defensive lines, and F-16 fighter jets, which European governments agreed to in the summer of 2023 after months of diplomatic pressure. France has supplied Ukraine with an unknown number of SCALP cruise missiles, according to the French Defense Ministrys website. The SCALP missiles have a range of up to 155 kilometers (96 miles) and carry a 400-kilogram (881-pound) high-explosive penetration warhead, according to the Missile Threat project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A specimen of SCALP missile inside the MBDA factory in Bourges, central France, on March 20, 2023. - Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images/File The SCALP is the equivalent of Britains Storm Shadow, which has also been given to Ukraine, and which British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said earlier this month could be used at Kyivs discretion. In terms of what the Ukrainians do, in our view it is their decision about how to use these weapons, they are defending their country, they were illegally invaded by Putin and they must take those steps, Cameron said during a visit to Kyiv. We dont discuss any caveats that we put on those things. But lets be absolutely clear: Russia has launched an attack into Ukraine, and Ukraine absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia. France has also supplied Ukraine with a range of military weaponry, including Caesar self-propelled howitzers with a range of up to 42 kilometers. Macron stressed that the French arms are to be used only against targets from which attacks are launched into Ukraine. We must not allow them to hit other targets in Russia, including civilian or other military targets, the French leader said. Ukrainian servicemen fire a Caesar self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops, near the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine on May 31, 2023. - Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters/File But Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine could not use the long-range weapons without significant NATO support, and such involvement by the alliance could trigger a global conflict. For instance, long-range precision weapons cannot be used without space-based reconnaissance, Putin said Tuesday during a state visit to Uzbekistan. Final target selection or launch mission for Western systems need to be made by highly skilled specialists who rely on this reconnaissance data, Putin said. So, these officials from NATO countries, especially the ones based in Europe, particularly in small European countries, should be fully aware of what is at stake, he emphasized. They should keep in mind that theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into the Russian territory. Meanwhile, Ukraine got a key pledge of support on Tuesday from Belgium, which said it will supply Kyiv with 30 F-16 fighter jets in the next four years, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The deal was part of a bilateral security agreement signed between the two countries Tuesday in Brussels, according to the Ukrainian leader. The agreement includes at least $1.06 billion in Belgian military aid to Ukraine this year, with Belgium offering its long-term commitment to support Ukraine over the next 10 years, Zelensky detailed in a post on X. The first F-16 jets from Belgium will be delivered this year. The agreement guarantees Belgiums timely security assistance, modern armored vehicles, equipment to meet Ukraines air force and air defense needs, naval security, mine clearance, participation in the artillery ammunition coalition, and military training, Zelensky said. The meeting follows a similar agreement between Ukraine and Spain on Monday, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announcing a $1.08 billion weapons deal for Ukraine. Alongside Belgium and Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Canada have also signed security agreements. This story and headline have been updated with additional developments. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Macron made his comments on Tuesday. CNNs Caitlin Danaher, James Frater, and Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com In a major new development for the Ukrainian military, Sweden is to donate it Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft equipped with Erieye radar. The aircraft is being provided as part of Swedens biggest military aid package for Ukraine so far and they will bring an entirely new capability for the Ukrainian Air Force, providing much enhanced air and sea surveillance and working together with its forthcoming F-16 fighters. In a major new development for the Ukrainian military, Sweden is to provide it with two Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft equipped with Erieye radar. The donation is part of Swedens biggest military aid package for Ukraine so far and the aircraft will bring an entirely new capability for the Ukrainian Air Force, providing much-enhanced air and sea surveillance and while working as a big force multiplier for its forthcoming F-16 fighters . The Swedish government today announced details of what it calls Military Support Package 16, worth around $1.25 billion and focused on collective air defense. At the core of this is the Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft which is known in Swedish military service as the ASC 890 and alternatively as the S 100D Argus. The Swedish Air Force operates two of these aircraft and the wording of statements from Swedish and Ukrainian officials suggest that both will be provided to Kyiv, although this is so far unconfirmed. https://www.twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1795744536783663583 A delivery date for the transfer to Ukraine has not been announced. Ukraines needs remain immense, and Russia is currently putting pressure on several fronts, intensifying its airstrikes against both military and civilian objects, the Swedish government notes. As well as the AEW&C aircraft, support for air defense includes AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles ( AMRAAMs ), known in Sweden as the Rb 99, which can be used to arm Ukraines National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System ( NASAMS ) ground-based air defense systems as well as the forthcoming F-16s. Outside of air defense, the arms package includes the transfer of the entire stock of Swedish Pbv 302 tracked armored personnel carriers, 155mm artillery ammunition, and support for equipment that was transferred previously. A Swedish Pbv 302 tracked armored personnel carrier. Swedish Ministry of Defense As for the Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft, this will provide Ukraine with a completely new capability against both airborne and maritime targets, the Swedish government says. Ukraines capability to identify and engage targets at long range will be strengthened. The package will also include a holistic solution that involves training, technical equipment, and methodological support for air surveillance and command and control. In a statement on X, Swedish Minister of Defense Pal Jonson added that Ukraines command and control capability will be strengthened through a donation of terminals with subscriptions for satellite communications. https://www.twitter.com/PlJonson/status/1795717629187109240 Currently, the Swedish Air Force operates only two Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft, which means it will be one or both of these that are transferred directly to Ukraine. To fill the gap left by their departure, Sweden is now accelerating the deliveries of their planned replacement, two S 106 GlobalEye aircraft, which are based on the Global 6000 bizjet airframe and the improved Erieye ER radar. The government announced today that it will also order a third GlobalEye to enhance its own surveillance capabilities. GoldenEye jets. (SAAB) As defense exports, the Swedish Air Force has already offloaded two Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft to Thailand, and another pair recently were sold to Poland , having previously been operated by the United Arab Emirates. Saab presented the first Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft to Poland during a ceremony in Linkoping, Sweden, on September 29, 2023, just two months after Poland placed an order for two of these aircraft. Saab When the aircraft first entered Swedish service they were in an austere configuration known as FSR 890, with all radar data being downlinked to ground stations. Starting in 2009, the aircraft were upgraded to ASC 890 standard, which adds operator consoles for three mission crew: a mission control officer, a combat control operator, and a surveillance operator. The characteristic balance beam radar fairing on the upper fuselage of the aircraft carries the Saab (previously Ericsson) Erieye active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This can detect a variety of air and sea targets at ranges of up to around 280 miles, with the aircraft typically operating at an altitude of 20,000 feet. Reportedly , the AESA system can track up to 500 surface and 1,000 airborne targets simultaneously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaCY9OR_3t0 With plenty of taskings over the Baltic Sea, primarily to monitor Russian military activity , the Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft have long been identified for replacement, leading to the selection of the higher flying and more advanced GlobalEye. Back in 2017, it was reported that the Saab 340 radar planes would be structurally sound until 2030. With that in mind, transfer to Ukraine makes sense for Sweden, although it will face something of an AEW&C gap before the GlobalEye arrives. Still, with Sweden now part of NATO, the alliance can help fill that gap. A prototype Saab GlobalEye and a Saab Gripen E fighter. Saab For Ukraine, an AEW&C aircraft capability is of huge significance. Compared to ground-based radar systems, the airborne Erieye radar offers a much more useful 'lookdown' capability. This ability to peer down from above, less encumbered by line-of-sight limitations of terrain, is especially useful for detecting low-flying Russian drones and cruise missiles, which can otherwise remain unseen or at least hard to track and engage due to their lower operating altitudes and small signitures. Just the benefits in battlespace awareness this aircraft can provide in this application alone are immense considering the constant threat of Russian long-range kamikaze drones and cruise missiles that have battered Ukraine for years. Once F-16s are available to Ukraine, the Saab 340 AEW&C will be able to work as a fighter control asset, detecting targets, prioritizing them, and then assigning them to the fighters for interception. The same data can, of course, also be passed on to other air defense assets. However, the F-16 and Western-supplied ground-based air defense systems are most relevant in this regard, since the radar plane is fitted with the NATO-standard Link 16 datalink communications system. https://www.twitter.com/GripenNews/status/1795712862813634897 Link 16 will allow the operators onboard the twin-turboprop Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft to provide a real-time air defense picture and targeting data to compatible systems in the air and on the ground, essentially filling a critical node in a modern integrated air defense system (IADS). Later versions of the Erieye radar have a synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indication ( SAR/GMTI ) capability, although its not clear if the older aircraft being provided to Ukraine will have that option. SAR allows for highly detailed image-like mapping of the ground at standoff ranges. This can be used for intelligence gathering and targeting purposes. GMTI works to detects and track movements on the ground over time, which is a huge advantage for watching for Russian mechanized actions along the front. Even without it, the Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft will be able to detect and track maritime targets, including ones as small as rigid inflatable boats at up to 100 nautical miles. This could be of particular relevance as Ukraine continues its campaign against the Russian Black Sea Fleet , especially in the waters around Crimea. The value of the aircraft to Ukraine as a force multiplier as well as an early-warning platform will make it a very high-priority target for Russia. The same has been true for Russias AEW&C aircraft fleet, which has been successfully targeted by Ukraine on more than one occasion . With an array of long-range surface-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles at Russias disposal, the operating tactics of the Ukrainian Air Force will have to be very carefully considered. Most likely, the aircraft will be based in the far west of Ukraine, probably moving from airfield to airfield to reduce vulnerability to airstrikes. Even in the air, this aircraft will need to be protected. Having only two aircraft available means that round-the-clock coverage will be impossible, but Ukraine may well adopt Swedish tactics which involve having one aircraft on permanent ground alert, ready to scramble as required in under 30 minutes. Otherwise, they could be airborne for specific integrated operations and during times of high-vulnerability. Since before Russia's all-out invasion began, NATO and other allies, including Australia, has been flying AEW missions constantly along the border of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Due to line-of-sight and range limitations, these operations can only do so much. Pushing AEW capability into Ukraine is a major development that will be hugely beneficial for Ukraine and NATO's intelligence picture of the battlespace. So far in this conflict, Ukraine has shown that its more than able to integrate Western equipment and use it in novel ways , while Ukrainian Air Force assets have survived against the odds, despite being at an overwhelming numerical and technological disadvantage and with repeated strikes against their operating bases. It will be very interesting, to say the least, to see how Ukraine employs its forthcoming Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft and how this factor, in turn, expands the capabilities of its air defenses, and its F-16s in particular. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com Ukraine still wants to receive Gripen fighter jets, Andrii Plakhotniuk, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Stockholm, said after Swedens defence minister mentioned that some countries have requested that plans to supply these combat aircraft be put on hold. Source: Plakhotniuk in an interview with the Swedish agency TT, as reported by European Pravda Details: Plakhotniuk said President Volodymyr Zelenskyys message during his visit to Sweden last August still holds true today. "He made it clear that we are interested in this system," the ambassador said, referring to Gripen fighter jets. "We need Gripens, we need ammunition, and we need air defence systems. We need everything to protect Ukrainian lives," Plakhotniuk added. Earlier, TT cited a statement by Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson, who revealed that several states had asked Sweden to halt its plans to supply Ukraine with Gripen fighter jets in order to focus on the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. The following day, on 29 May, Sweden announced its sixteenth package of military aid to Ukraine its largest yet, worth SEK 13.3 billion (about 1.16 billion). As part of this package, Sweden will send an ASC-890 Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft. Support UP or become our patron! The US government must at last take the shackles off Ukraine by authorising strikes into Russia with its precision guided long range weaponry. In the past few days, Russia has launched an anti-satellite weapon into space and conducted drills to test its tactical nuclear weapons close to the Ukraine border. With Europe edging closer to direct war, this is also the moment when the Conservatives have decided to hold a general election. Let us hope all parties make defence of Ukraine a manifesto priority, rather than purely focus on promising voters economic riches at home. Ukraine has been fighting with at least one hand tied behind its back for the last two years, unable to hit strategic targets in Russia that could reinforce their defence and defuse Russian assaults. Russia during this time has used all its hypersonic and other weaponry, fired from deep inside Russia to attack civilian targets and only last week a shopping centre in the second city of Kharkiv was hit. The US and UK had no trouble shooting down Iranian missiles aimed at Israeli cities, but are not content to shoot down Russian missiles aimed at Ukrainian cities. If Ukraine is allowed to attack airfields from where the bombers are flying from, and drones and missiles launched, it would reduce the Russian onslaught. Similarly, if the ammunition supply routes to the Russian front can be cut, the massive imbalance, with Russia firing five artillery rounds for every Ukrainian one, can be quickly addressed. No doubt the strategic prize for Kyiv is after is the Kerch Bridge. Denial of this bridge would be hugely symbolic if not necessarily a battlefield necessity. Vladimir Putin would see his much-cherished causeway lying in the Black Sea. The psychological impact on the Russian people, at a time of reports suggesting half a million of their soldiers may have perished in this Special Military Operation would be significant. Ultimately, the US and Nato must do everything to prevent war in Europe, which will happen if Putin prevails in Ukraine. Nato must plan to put boots on the ground and in the air to hold the Russians, if all else fails. We are not quite there yet and as the fighting is still balanced, whatever small advances Moscow claims, cutting the head off the Russian snake by attacking Russia itself with western weaponry is the next sensible step. Many European leaders seem cowed by threats of nuclear attack from the Kremlin. But Putin has cried wolf so often over the last few years, even the most cautious and timid leader must wonder if it is pure bluff and bluster. Unfortunately, the West has been so slow to authorise sophisticated weaponry like tanks and precision artillery that their impact is diminished to a point of little advantage, hitherto, and this must change. In order to avoid having to put Nato troops on the ground in Ukraine and to avoid another war in Europe, as we approach the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the US, UK and all allies must take the shackles off Ukraine and allow them to use the full advantage of the sophisticated long range precision weaponry they now have, to hit Putin where it really hurts. 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. KHARTOUM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government on Wednesday voiced rejection of U.S. calls to return to the Jeddah negotiation platform between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "The invitation by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to go to the Jeddah negotiation platform embodies contempt for Sudan and cannot be accepted," said Malik Agar, deputy chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council. He made the remarks while addressing a political conference in Port Sudan, the capital city of the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan. "Sudan has not and will not agree to go to Jeddah, not because we do not want peace, but because peace must have foundations. We will not accept that without being consulted," Agar added. He noted that the current phase cannot stand interference of political parties with their different agendas, stressing that the priority must be given to ending the conflict and achieving stability before moving towards national consensus via Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue. Earlier, Blinken had a phone conversation with Al-Burhan, during which he called for ending the conflict in Sudan, allowing humanitarian access, and resuming the Jeddah negotiations, according to a statement by the Sovereign Council on Wednesday. On May 6, 2023, Saudi Arabia and the United States put forward a peace initiative in Jeddah as the first serious attempt to end fighting in Sudan, which was later known as the Jeddah negotiation platform. Since then, several truces have been reached and breached, with the two sides accusing each other of violating them. The Jeddah negotiations were suspended last December over fundamental differences between the Sudanese warring parties. Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF since April 15, 2023, which have killed 15,550 people and displaced 8.8 million others so far, according to the latest estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Tsentr-3, a new POW camp, has admitted its first Russian prisoners of war. Source: the Hochu Zhit (I Want to Live) project Details: The enormous number of Russians who have surrendered, combined with Russias effective blocking of prisoner exchanges, has compelled Ukraine to open new detention facilities for POWs. This probably wont be the last Russian POW camp to open this year, the Hochu Zhit project says. Unlike the aggressor state, Ukraine abides by the Geneva Convention. Captured Russians are not held in high-security penal colonies alongside other prisoners, but in camps designed specifically for POWs and special departments at pre-trial detention centres. They can contact their families, be visited by the International Red Cross, receive parcels and money transfers, work, play sport, and engage in leisure activities. None of this is possible for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia, even though the Russian Federation is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions. Reference: Hochu Zhit is a Ukrainian state initiative that aims to help Russian soldiers surrender safely. The project was launched in September 2022 by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which works with Ukraines Ministry of Defence and Defence Intelligence. According to Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, as of 10 May 2024, the project had received over 35,000 applications, most of which came from serving Russian personnel, and 260 people are already enjoying its benefits. Support UP or become our patron! Following a new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine is increasingly raising pressure on its allies, urging them to lift restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia. Months before the offensive, Kyiv had publicly pledged not to use Western-made weapons to strike targets outside of the country's borders, with the West providing such weapons with the following restriction. Ukraine has reportedly used both U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-provided long-range ATACMS missiles to attack Russian military targets in occupied areas, including Crimea. Yet, targets inside Russia have remained largely untouched, with Ukraine using a limited number of homemade weapons to strike targets across the border. Ukrainian officials have now signaled that the new offensive could have been thwarted if Ukraine had the right to strike Russian military targets before they crossed the border. "We see every point of concentration of Russian troops. We know all the areas where Russian missiles and combat aircraft are launched," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 26. "Destroying this terrorist force, and thus saving thousands of lives and guaranteeing that the expansion of the war will be stopped, is purely a political decision. A decision that needs to be made." The West has so far hesitated with the decision, fearing that such attacks could potentially lead to an increased confrontation, a notion that Ukraine rejects. "There is no risk of escalation. Escalation has already taken place," Zelensky said. Read also: Macron: Ukraine must be allowed to strike bases on Russian territory from which missiles are fired To thwart Russian attacks Due to its proximity to the border, the city of Kharkiv and other settlements in the region have suffered from regular attacks since the beginning of the full-scale war. Following a renewed Russian offensive, at least eight villages were occupied, while the regional capital, home to 1.4 million people, faces daily deadly strikes. Over the past week, Russia targeted residential areas, a hypermarket, a printing house, and other civilian sites, leaving over 40 civilians killed and many more injured. Ukrainian firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the site of a drone attack on industrial facilities in Kharkiv on May 4, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergey Bobok / AFP via Getty Images) In an aerial view on a destroyed hypermarket after a Russian aerial bomb attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine on May 27, 2024. According to the city authorities, the Russian army attacked the city with aerial bombs. After the strike on the hypermarket, a fire broke out over an area of 15,000 square meters, and there are civilian casualties. Epicentr K is a home improvement hypermarket chain in Ukraine. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Moscow is also forming another grouping of forces near Ukraine's northern border, according to Zelensky. The Ukrainian military did not rule out a similar Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast in the coming days. Oleksandr Lytvynenko, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told the Financial Times that strikes with long-range Western weaponry against Russian arms depots, logistics centers, and oil refineries could prevent renewed attacks. The ban on such strikes prevents the Ukrainian military from attacking Russian troops amassing near the border. "How do we respond when they strike our cities? They proceed calmly, understanding that our partners do not give us permission (to use their weapons to retaliate)," Zelensky said in an interview with the New York Times published on May 22. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during an interview with AFP at the President's Office in Kyiv, on May 17, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images) According to a source in the president's office, who spoke on conditions of anonymity in mid-May, the ban on such strikes is universal, with no Western country that manufactures weapons provided to Ukraine allowing them to be used to strike military targets inside Russia. Ukraine has relied on domestically produced weapons reportedly capable of striking deep into Russia. However, the uptick in strikes on Russian oil refineries has prompted criticism from U.S. officials. Partners' response Some countries of the European Union have been lifting the restrictions "to respond to the Russian attacks from Russian territory," Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, said in Brussels on May 27, without naming any specific states. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during his visit to Kyiv in early May that Ukraine had the right to use the weapons provided by London to strike targets inside Russia and that it was up to Kyiv whether to do so. The Kyiv Independent's source in the president's office denied the statement, saying that there was no green light from the U.K. at that time. Following the growing pressure, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on allies to end their ban on the use of arms donated to Ukraine. "Especially now when a lot of the fighting is going on in Kharkiv, close to the border, to deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves," he said in an interview with the Economist published on May 24. Rescuers extinguish a fire at the site of a Russian missile strike on the Factor-Druk printing plant's building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 23, 2024. As a result of a missile strike by Russian military, the Factor-Druk printing plant in Kharkiv was damaged and partially burnt down. More than 50 workers were in the printing plant's building at the time of the attack, at least seven of whom were killed. (Ivan Samoilov/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a declaration in support of NATO allies lifting these restrictions for Ukraine. However, each member state decides on its own whether to allow strikes on targets inside Russia with weapons it had manufactured. Swedish, Czech, and Latvian leaders supported Ukraine's right to defense beyond its borders. Moscow's recent gains on the battlefield are "the consequence of our inability to provide Ukraine with weapons and then also putting restrictions to use those weapons to strike military targets in Russia," Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said. While Italy and Belgium opposed the use of Western weapons for strikes inside Russia, Brussels, one of the donors of long-awaited F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, insists that after the delivery, the aircraft should be used only within Ukraine's territory. "We must be prudent," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said following Stoltenberg's appeal. All eyes are, however, on Washington and Berlin, the top two providers of military aid to Ukraine, both of whom are against allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory. The U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they do not support or encourage Kyiv's strikes with American weapons on Russian soil, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz outright said that the policy won't change. Scholz said that Germany gave clear rules to Ukraine prohibiting the use of German weapons on Russian soil and that he sees no reason to change this. Yet, growing pressure from Ukraine and officials inside both states might push the needle in the coming weeks. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared to endorse enabling Ukraine to strike targets in Russian territory with U.S.-supplied weapons on May 22. "(Ukraine needs) to be able to fight back. And I think us trying to micromanage the effort there is not a good policy for us," he added. The situation in the embattled region has also reportedly made U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken change his stance on the issue. "We've not enabled or encouraged strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately, Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war," Blinken said during his visit to Ukraine just days after Moscow launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on May 10. However, despite all comments in support of Ukraine, permission has yet to be granted. Read also: Its not a pretty picture: What a second Trump presidency could mean for Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Key developments on May 29: Sweden announces $1.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine in largest package ever Finland, Canada, Poland don't prohibit Ukraine from striking targets in Russia with their weapons Pressed on strikes inside Russia, Blinken says US stance will 'adapt and adjust as necessary' 19 killed, 54 injured as rescue operations after Kharkiv hypermarket attack end Russian drone attack causes partial blackout in Rivne Oblast Editor's note: The article was updated at 11:10 a.m. local time on May 30 with a clarification by the Swedish prime minister's spokesperson that the package will include two ASC 890 aircraft. Sweden's Defense Ministry announced a fresh package of military aid for Ukraine valued at 13.3 Swedish krona ($1.3 billion) on May 29. It is Sweden's largest tranche of military assistance since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The package includes two ASC 890 radar reconnaissance and control aircraft, the "entire Swedish stock" of Pansarbandvagn 302 infantry fighting vehicles, artillery shells, anti-air missiles, and materials to help maintain and replenish previously donated military equipment, the defense ministry said and the prime minister's spokesperson said. The package also includes financial assistance, satellite communication resources, and a mandate by Sweden's Total Defense Research Institute to help Ukraine develop its own research capabilities. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Sweden for the latest round of military assistance, saying that "these contributions are critical to Ukraine's defense and resilience." "It is also important that Swedish assistance not only saves Ukrainian lives, but it also helps to ensure long-term peace and security in Europe," he added. The announcement came a day after Sweden announced it was providing Ukraine with a new energy aid package worth 615 million Swedish krona ($58.2 million). The Swedish government said earlier in May that it was planning to allocate 75 billion Swedish krona ($7 billion) in military support to Ukraine from 2024 to 2026. With this proposal, Stockholm's civilian and military aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war will amount to over 100 billion Swedish krona (over $9 billion). Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson told the Kyiv Independent in March that discussions on a possible supply of its Gripen jets to Ukraine are underway after Sweden's entry into NATO, but made no definite pledge. Jonson then told the TT news agency on May 28 that Sweden had been asked by partners to wait with possible plans on sending Gripen jets to Ukraine, as the focus is now on providing Kyiv with F-16 aircraft. In March 2024, Sweden officially joined NATO after a lengthy application process triggered by Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was immediately vocal in its calls for other alliance members to do more. Sweden has previously given Ukraine a variety of advanced military equipment, including the Archer self-propelled howitzer and CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. Read also: Belgium to provide Ukraine with 30 F-16 aircraft by 2028, first to arrive in 2024 Finland, Canada, Poland don't prohibit Ukraine from striking targets in Russia with their weapons Representatives of Finland, Canada, and Poland issued separate statements on May 29 saying Ukraine can use their weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Kyiv can strike military targets on Russian territory with Finnish-supplied weapons as it has a right to self-defense under the U.N. Charter, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said in an interview on May 29 with the Finnish newspaper Uusi Suomi. "Finland has not set any special restrictions on its aid to Ukraine, but assumes that it will be used in accordance with international law," Valtonen said. The issue of Ukraine striking military targets in Russia using Western-provided weapons came to a head after representatives of countries like the U.S. and Germany said they opposed it due to fears of escalation. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged an end to Ukrainian allies' bans on Kyiv using their weapons to strike Russia. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted on May 27 a declaration in support of NATO allies lifting restrictions that prohibit Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons against military targets inside Russia. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said at a press conference on May 29 saying Ottawa does not oppose Kyiv using Canadian-supplied weapons to strike Russia. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk echoed her message, telling Polish radio station Radoi Zet that Warsaw does not have any restrictions on Ukraine's use of Polish-supplied weapons in Russia. Ukraine was brutally attacked by Russia, so it has the right to defend itself. In turn, we are a country that has decided to help it with this," he said. Ukrainian officials have ramped up the pressure on their allies in recent weeks, urging them to allow Kyiv to use Western weapons to strike military targets in Russia. "We see every point of concentration of Russian troops. We know all the areas where Russian missiles and combat aircraft are launched," Zelensky said on May 26. Read also: Ukraine urges allies to lift Western arms ban on hitting targets inside Russia. Will they? Pressed on strikes inside Russia, Blinken says US stance will 'adapt and adjust as necessary' Washington will "adapt and adjust as necessary" its ban on allowing Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 29. The restriction prevented Kyiv from attacking Russian forces massing near Kharkiv Oblast for their offensive launched earlier in May, with advanced U.S. weaponry like ATACMS missiles. In recent days a growing number of Ukraine's allies as well as NATO have said Ukraine should be allowed to strike inside Russia, ramping up pressure on Washington to do the same. Most recently, representatives of Finland, Canada, and Poland issued separate statements on May 29 saying Ukraine can use their weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Speaking on a visit to Moldova on the eve of NATO talks in Prague, Blinken said that as battlefield conditions have changed during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has "adapted and adjusted" the support and weapons it has provided. When pressed on whether this meant the U.S. would change its policy on striking targets inside Russia, he said: "At every step along the way we've adapted and adjusted as necessary. And so that's exactly what we'll do going forward. Subscribe to newsletter War Notes Subscribe "We're always listening, we're always learning and we're always making determinations about what's necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself." Earlier this month, The New York Times (NYT) reported Blinken was pushing the Biden administration for a change in policy after a "sobering" visit to Kyiv. The U.S. State Department began a "vigorous debate" inside President Joe Biden's administration on this policy after Blinken's two-day visit to Ukraine's capital, which took place only days after Russia launched the new offensive. It was the situation in Kharkiv Oblast that changed Blinken's position, the NYT wrote. The news outlet noted that the proposal is still "in the formative stages" and that it is unclear how many other high-ranking officials in Biden's team will support it. The plan would include permitting strikes against Russian military facilities but perhaps not oil refineries and other infrastructure that Ukraine has been hitting with homemade drones, according to the outlet. Read also: Macron: Ukraine must be allowed to strike bases on Russian territory from which missiles are fired 19 killed, 54 injured as rescue operations after Kharkiv hypermarket attack end Search and rescue operations after Russia's attack on the "Epitsentr" hypermarket in Kharkiv have ended, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 29. According to Klymenko, Russia's attack on the hypermarket on May 25 killed 19 people 12 men and seven women, including a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Fifty-four people were reportedly injured. Russian forces reportedly struck the Kharkiv hypermarket with two guided aerial bombs. A third bomb, which had not unexploded, was later found at the site of the attack. Sixteen relatives of people missing after the attack provided biological samples for examination, Klymenko said. A total of 100 tests were reportedly conducted. "It was not easy. Special equipment was needed around the clock to search for those killed among the ashes, and they were quickly identified with the help of a DNA laboratory," the minister said. Kharkiv and the surrounding oblast are particularly vulnerable to guided bomb attacks due to the proximity to the Russian border, as they are launched from aircraft in Russian airspace. Russia has dropped nearly 10,000 guided bombs in Ukraine since the start of the year, according to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Read also: What will Russias attack on Kharkiv printing house mean for Ukraines publishing industry? Russian drone attack causes partial blackout in Rivne Oblast An overnight Russian drone attack caused a power outage in some parts of Rivne Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Koval reported on the morning of May 29. An air raid alert was active in Rivne Oblast, in northwestern Ukraine, between 12:40 a.m. and 2 a.m. Air defense forces shot down a drone, but debris fell on an energy facility. "The protection system was activated, which led to the blackout of some populated areas," Koval said. There were no reports of casualties and power has since been restored to the affected areas, Koval said. A recent uptick in Russian strikes put a heavy strain on Ukraine's power grid, with several power plants being destroyed or disabled. Due to resulting power deficits, Ukraine began implementing scheduled shutdowns on May 15. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Mobile air defence fire group. Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook Russian forces bombarded Ukraine with 14 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs on the night of 28-29 May, and Ukraines air defence managed to destroy 13 drones. Source: Ukraines Air Force on Telegram Quote from the Air Force: "As a result of combat efforts, 13 Shahed drones were shot down in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Rivne oblasts." Details: It is reported that the Russians launched drones from the vicinity of the Russian city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and electronic warfare units were involved in repelling the attack. As of 07:00 on 29 May, air-raid warnings have been issued in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Cherkasy and Poltava oblasts. The Air Force reported a "high-speed target" flying through Sumy Oblast towards Chernihiv Oblast. Support UP or become our patron! The ASC 890 airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C), which Sweden is to provide to Ukraine as part of its security assistance package, will significantly enhance the capabilities of Ukraine's Air Force to engage in air combat with the Russians. Source: press service of the Ukrainian Air Force Command in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Details: The Air Force noted that the presence of an AEW&C aircraft in the Ukrainian air fleet will significantly enhance the capabilities of radar detection of Russian air targets, early warning and coordination of air combat. In short, it will allow for detecting targets that conventional aircraft cannot see. Russia is reportedly in service with the A-50 AEW&C aircraft, but two such planes have been destroyed by Ukraine's Defence Forces. Ukraine's Air Force explained that having received such an airborne radar from its Swedish partners, Ukraine will be able to more effectively monitor activity in Russian airspace and provide information to F-16 fighters that are to appear in Ukrainian skies to further enhance the capabilities of air warfare against the Russians. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine's Air Force has been observing a "carousel pattern" of Russian aircraft dropping bombs targeting the city of Kharkiv. Source: Major Illia Yevlash, the Head of Public Relations of Ukraine's Air Force, on Channel 5 Quote: "As for the tactics, we have been observing a number of Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft flying in a carousel pattern and practising by dropping several bombs towards Kharkiv. Of course, we immediately inform citizens about this via our platforms." Details: The officer added that Kharkiv Oblast is currently under Russian attacks the most, with the Russians targeting Kharkiv Oblast not only with guided aerial bombs but also with S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. Support UP or become our patron! MINSK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, who is visiting Belarus, said in Minsk on Wednesday that Hungary will not send troops to Ukraine, he is "horrified" by the idea of sending troops to Ukraine within the EU. Szijjarto made the above statement when meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Aleinik. Szijjarto said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved by military means, and he was shocked by the remarks of European politicians "aimed at escalating the conflict." "No Hungarian soldier will enter Ukraine." He called on the conflicting parties to cease fire and negotiate. Szijjarto told the media that more than 80% of Hungary's oil comes from the "Friendship" pipeline, which is a pipeline of crude oil from Russia to Europe. The pipeline also passes through Belarus, and there is no other similar pipeline to replace it. Ukraine's Air Force warns of ballistic missile threat in some oblasts, explosion rocks Odesa The Ukrainian Air Force reported a threat of ballistic missiles in some oblasts of Ukraine on the evening of 29 May. Source: Air Force; Suspilne national broadcaster Details: At 22:26, the Air Force warned that a missile was heading towards Odesa. A few minutes later, Suspilne correspondents reported that an explosion had been heard in Odesa. Updated: At 22:53, the Air Force gave the all-clear. Background: Russian troops launched a missile attack on Odesas port infrastructure on the afternoon of 28 May. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine's Defence Minister tells US counterpart Ukraine must have right to strike Russian territory with Western weapons The Ukrainian and US defence ministers, Rustem Umierov and Lloyd Austin, discussed the situation in the combat zone and US military aid for Kyiv on 29 May. Source: European Pravda, citing Umierov on Facebook Details: During the conversation, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, briefed Austin on the situation in the combat zone. Umierov reported separately on the mobilisation process and brigade recovery. Quote from Umierov: "The issues of air defence and ammunition remain our focus. Russia continues to drop guided aerial bombs all along the front line. I stressed separately that Ukraine must have the right to launch strikes on enemy territory." Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder noted that Austin updated his Ukrainian counterparts on the latest US military aid for Ukraine, including the US$275 million package announced on 24 May. "Secretary Austin and Minister Umierov also discussed the importance of continued strong support from allies and partners to help Ukraine continue to fight Russian aggression," he stated. Lately Ukraines Western partners have been discussing a possible weakening of restrictions on the use of Western weapons in Ukrainian attacks on Russia. Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy, has revealed that several European states have no objection to Ukraine using their weapons to strike targets in Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that Ukraine should be allowed to launch attacks on Russian territory. Finland has not placed any restrictions on Ukraine striking Russia with Finnish weapons either. Support UP or become our patron! Katarina Mathernova, the EU Ambassador in Ukraine, has donated three DOK-ING MV-10 demining systems to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) to equip the newly formed bomb disposal units of the service. Source: press service of SES, as reported by European Pravda Details: The equipment was transferred within the project of international technical aid "Comprehensive Support to the National Mine Action Sector in Ukraine - Operational Assistance to State Operators in Humanitarian Mine Action", in which the EU was the development partner, and the state institution Central Project Management Agency (CPMA, Lithuania) was the executor. The MV-10 system is already being used by the SES sappers who clear the territories of Ukraine, which are contaminated with explosives. These vehicles are particularly efficient in clearing large areas and are capable of defusing both anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as other unexploded ordnance. They can operate even on steep slopes. The main advantage of the system is that it is safe for operation thanks to remote control. Demining support also includes a special training course for Ukrainian operators who will work with the MV-10 system. The training for the crews of mechanised demining vehicles was conducted this spring. Background: In early April, the Ministry of Integration of Ukraine reported that Ukraines international partners had allocated over US$700 million for humanitarian demining. In December, Lithuania presented an updated concept of the demining coalition for Ukraine. The demining coalition provides for the elements of both humanitarian demining of liberated occupied territories and combat demining on the contact line with Russian troops. Support UP or become our patron! a sign reads Winston-Salem State university Photo: WSSU The UNC System Board of Governors voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the nomination of veteran higher education administrator Bonita Brown to serve as the next chancellor at Winston-Salem State University. Brown replaces interim chancellor Anthony Graham, who served in that role since last July after the retirement of Chancellor Elwood Robinson. Chancellor-elect Bonita Brown Brown comes to the position after having served as both Interim President and Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Northern Kentucky University a public university with approximately 15,000 students. Prior to her nearly five-year stint at Northern Kentucky, Brown spent 19 months at the Washington, DC-based nonprofit, Achieving the Dream and two years as the Director of Higher Education Practice at another Washington-based nonprofit, the Education Trust. Brown is a native of the Winston-Salem area who, according to UNC System President Peter Hans who presented the nomination on behalf of a search committee spent much of her childhood on the WSSU campus as her parents met, worked and studied there. She received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 1994 and a law degree from WFU in 1997. From 2010 to 2015, she served as Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff at UNC Greensboro. Browns lapsed voter registration information from the years she spent at UNCG 2010 to 2015 indicates that she was a registered Democrat at the time. In introducing Browns nomination, Hans lauded Brown for having had great success in lifting student retention and achievement at Northern Kentucky during a period of tight budgets. Winston-Salem State, of course, is one of North Carolinas historically Black public universities. It boasts of being one of the nations top universities for social mobility and of having the highest graduation rate amongst the states HBCUs. At last count, student enrollment stood at just under 4,800. Brown will assume her role as WSSUs 14th Chancellor on July 1, 2024. The post UNC Board of Governors elects Bonita Brown new chancellor at Winston-Salem State appeared first on NC Newsline. KU students conduct excavations in southeast Kansas on Thursday, May 23, 2024. LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. Salina native, Abby Russell usually spends her time working in museums, but a trip to Labette County had her digging in the dirt. Were looking at clues, said Russell. The clues she and other students from the University of Kansas were looking at are related to perhaps the most infamous family from Southeast Kansas: the Benders. They came in late 1870 or early 1871, and were here until about April of 1873, said Bob Miller, who now owns the property the Bender family called home. During that time, the family is believed to have killed at least ten people traveling the Osage Trail. Their motive robbery. Miller has done research into the family and what happened in the time they lived near the Osage Trail, just northeast of Cherryvale, Kan. The father was John, the mother was Anna Maria, the son was John, Jr. and the daughter was Kate, said Miller. Their plan was simple: Lure travelers into their home, with the promise of food or a place to rest. Once their victims were comfortable, the family would strike. Once inside the home, the victim would be offered a seat in front of a wagon tarp hung across the one-room home. While Kate was distracting the victim with conversation, another family member, would come up from behind the victim. They would bash their head in with a hammer, and then slit their throat and rob them, and then bury them, Miller says. In 2023, a survey team from KU mapped out potential areas of interest for archaeology teams to dig in. Recently, a team returned to the site, looking for clues. Were looking for evidence of the people who lived here, and since the people who lived here were also a serial killer family, were also looking for evidence of their victims, says KU Assistant Teaching Professor, Dr. Lauren Norman. Dr. Norman says those clues could be anything from pieces of broken glass and pottery, to evidence of where buildings were on the property, like a foundation. And it will take time. This is at least a three-year project, and this is the first year of excavation, Dr. Norman says. Who were the Benders? Not much is known about the family calling themselves the Benders. They disappeared just as they arrived leaving little evidence about their travels. What is known is the connection they had to prominent figures in Southeast Kansas history. For example, Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Miller says that story begins with a man named George Longcor, whose wife had died giving birth to their daughter. About a year and a half or two years later, he deiced to sell out and moved back to Iowa where his family was from. He was traveling back to Iowa in a wagon he had purchased from Dr. York. Miller says Dr. York was a prominent physician near Independence, Kan. at the time, and the neighbor of the Ingalls family. John Bender Sr. Elvira Bender John Bender Jr. Kate Bender He stopped at the Benders cabin and unfortunately, he disappeared. They ultimately found him in May of 1873, buried with his little girl, who was the only non-male who was found buried, the only child, Miller says. Thats not the only connection Bender has to American history. Miller says, while it is a loose connection, the Bender family also has ties to the 44th president of the United States Barack Obama. That story begins with a man named David Dunham, who, along with his wife and seven children, were moving to the area from Indiana to purchase property for a new home. They had a lot of money on them, and they stopped at the Benders to spend the night. Miller says an illness in the family may have ended up saving their lives. One of the little boys had the croup, and the mother was up all night with the sick little boy, taking care of him. A newspaper article was quoted as saying she noticed some blood stains (on a trap door in the floor of the Bender home) and a light on in the cellar and became suspicious. Miller says the family was able to leave the Bender home unharmed, perhaps because the mother was up all night with her sick son. And thats where he found the connection to President Obama. David Dunham had a brother named Jacob Dunham. Jacob also came down from Indiana and settled in Labette county, on his way to Oklahoma where he lived and died in 1907. Several generations down from Jacob was Stanley Dunham, born in 1942 in Wichita. Stanley Dunham born in 1942 was President Obamas mother. Vanished Into Thin Air While there were several people suspected, and even arrested, there has never been definitive evidence of what became of the Benders. Miller says groups of armed men searched for the family several times, but came up empty. Miller believes the Benders had such a large head start on law enforcement they were able to simply vanish in the American frontier. He says there have been several theories over the years, from the family working their way through what is now Oklahoma and Texas, before eventually finding themselves in Mexico; or even that the family emigrated to Germany. He tells us anything is possible, with certain exceptions. The one theory I dont buy is the Benders got in a hot air balloon flew to Mexico. Thats out there, and some people believe that. The Chase In what, for decades was a field, Russell and her fellow KU students continue to dig. She says even though its been 150 years since the Benders were last known to be on this property, clues may still be present. She says finding the foundation of the house, or something else indicating the exact place it stood, would be a fantastic addition to what they already know. But, in her field, theres no such thing as a guarantee. Theres always a chance that we might not be looking in the right place in any kind of archaeology. Sometimes, you dont find anything. And its the not knowing that drives her to continue digging. Its that chase. Its making a find, and is it something? Is it nothing? I like that chase, and I think archaeology is all about that chase. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A former congressional candidate for the Republican nomination to represent Georgia District 2 has alleged that one of the GOP candidates in next months runoff has a significant criminal background, demonstrated financial irresponsibility and made unethical proposals to collude during the primary campaign. Michael Nixon made these allegations against Charles Chuck Hand III during a news conference Wednesday in Columbus. The Ledger-Enquirer asked Hand for his response. Hand wrote in an emailed reply, This is politics. But that doesnt make it right. And Michael Nixon will have a stain on his name in District 2 because of it. I dont expect anything less coming from ruling class country club elites. Nixon, a purchasing director from Colquitt County, finished third out of four candidates in the Republican primary May 21. Hand, a construction superintendent from Taylor County, finished second and will face Wayne Johnson, a businessman from Bibb County, in the June 18 runoff. The winner will represent the GOP in the Nov. 5 general election against the Democratic incumbent, Sanford Bishop of Albany, a former attorney. Nixon provided reporters a written summary of an investigation he said he paid Macon law firm Cooper, Barton & Cooper to conduct about Hands background. The investigation, according to the summary, found that Hand was: Arrested for criminal trespass in 2005 and pleaded guilty. Arrested for driving under the influence in 2010 and pleaded guilty. Filed for bankruptcy in 2022. The courts decree canceled his debts, including personal loans with credit unions, banks and credit cards. Multiple media outlets reported that Hand pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and admitted to breaking a piece of metal fencing and illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He was sentenced to 20 days of incarceration. The Cooper, Barton & Coopers citation of Hands arrests in 2005 and 2010 come from the January 2023 sentencing memorandum in the U.S. District Court for his involvement in the insurrection at the Capitol. His 2005 guilty plea to the criminal trespass charge resulted in the imposition of restitution and fees, and this 2010 guilty plea resulted in the imposition of fees, according to the 2023 court document. But the law firm didnt provide copies or links to the original court documents or arrest reports for the 2005 and 2010 cases, and the Ledger-Enquirer didnt obtain them before publication. Hand provided some details in his email to the L-E. I have 2 misdemeanor convictions on my record, one in my youth for criminal trespass and one one as an adult for protesting the stolen election of 2020, he wrote. Both were for taking up for those whom didnt have the courage to take up for themselves. Campaign allegations Nixon also accused Hand of unethical behavior during the campaign. He suggested that we make a pact to exchange job offers if either of us were to win the election, Nixon said. This attempt to manipulate the outcome for personal gain rather than serve the best interests of the community was a clear indicator of his questionable ethical standards. Nixon also alleged Hand proposed to pre-plan and coordinate our answers to certain questions in order to deceive the voters. Such deceitful practices not only undermine the democratic process but also betray the trust of the constituents who rely on honest and transparent communication from their candidates. Asked whether those accusations are true, Hand wrote in his email to the L-E, The answer is a resounding NO. Its lies coming from a sore loser. Why he is speaking out now The information about Hands criminal and financial background came to Nixon via email from concerned citizens six weeks ago, he said. Nixon explained why he is speaking out now, after he was eliminated from the race in the May 21 primary. I did not wish to be viewed as negative about another Republican candidate whom I was personally running against, he said. Also, I did have belief that this information would be discovered by voters as they went about researching each of the candidates. Unfortunately, it did not. So, with the June 18 runoff looming, Nixon said he doesnt want the GOP to nominate a candidate with a suspect background the Democrats could exploit with attack ads. I am compelled to make sure that voters are aware of the character of the candidates they will be voting for, he said. DAMASCUS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Israel targeted a military site within the areas of Hezbollah's influence in Syria's central province of Homs on Wednesday night, a war monitor reported. Israeli missiles struck at least one military site near the town of al-Furqlus, causing smoke columns to rise from the site, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Ground anti-aircraft defenses attempted to intercept the missiles, but there is no information yet on any human casualties, added the group. The Britain-based watchdog group said al-Furqlus is known to be where Hezbollah forces and Iranian militias are deployed. It added that this attack marks the 42nd time Israel has targeted Syrian territories in 2024, which has resulted in the destruction of approximately 90 targets, including weapon and ammunition depots, headquarters, centers, and vehicles. Additionally, the attacks have killed 12 civilians, including two women, and killed 142 military personnel, said the Observatory. The state news agency SANA also reported the attack on Wednesday, saying the air defenses intercepted hostile targets without giving more details. Coal fuels much of our electricity. The workers who mine for it put their lives and health at risk. For decades, President of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Cecil Roberts has been fighting to protect coal miners. He spoke with our Washington News Bureau as he came to Capitol Hill this month. Ive been here repeatedly over the years, said Roberts. For Roberts and his members, a major focus has been combatting black lung a lung disease caused by inhaling dust. We know what causes black lung, said Roberts. Weve got to make the mines healthier. Roberts testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. A lot of the testimony focused on concerns with a program Congress created to help miners and their families. The Black Lung Benefits Act from 1976 provides monthly compensation and medical coverage for coal miners who develop black lung. But critics argue many miners arent getting the help they should be getting from the fund, and pointed to years of mismanagement. ALSO READ: Miners trapped underground for nine days, survived on instant coffee Its unfair. It needs to be made more fair and thats coming from the heart of a coal miner who has seen too many people die from this, Roberts testified. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is leading legislation to better help miners. The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act is meant to make sure miners who have suffered from black lung and their survivors access the compensation they are entitled to receive. Caseys questioning highlighted the ongoing problems with the black lung benefits program. In your experience, do miners with the most serious black lung disease always get the benefits theyve earned? asked Casey. The short answer is no, replied Dr. Drew Harris, Medical Director of Stone Mountain Black Lung Program. Its important that this fund remain financially stable, said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) about the benefits program. This year, the Biden administration announced a new rule cracking down on silica a dangerous dust that can lead to black lung disease. Roberts said while the rule is a step in the right direction, he wants Congress to make it permanent. We need to make this law because when somethings a rule, its not the same as a law, said Roberts. Congress needs to act so the next person who comes in as Secretary of Labor who might disagree with this, [doesnt] put us right back where we were before. VIDEO: Miners trapped underground for nine days, survived on instant coffee The Arizona Legislature has one job left to do before they can adjourn for the year: Pass a balanced state budget that corrects a $1.8 billion deficit caused by Gov. Doug Ducey-era universal vouchers and tax cuts for the rich. Given our divided government, it might be easier for a clown to find a needle in a haystack while riding a unicycle and playing a French horn. It shouldnt be this hard. Lawmakers could simply pass Gov. Katie Hobbs budget proposal to limit private school vouchers to students whod attended public school in the past or stop voucher handouts to the rich. In so doing, theyd immediately recoup $400 million to 500 million a year shockingly close to next years projected deficit of roughly $676 million and theyd be well on their way to solving their budget woes. Arizona has few options to balance the budget This puts the Legislatures choices in sharp relief: Reform the irresponsible ESA voucher program thats bankrupting the state; Or cut funding for public services such as fire, health care, police, affordable housing and public schools. Choosing the first option hurts no one; choosing the second hurts everyone in the state. Thus far, Republican lawmakers have stubbornly refused to touch the universal voucher program. Universal vouchers are difficult to defend Despite the fact that the program is projected to cost nearly $1 billion this year, Republicans refuse to acknowledge that Arizona clearly cannot afford the massive new costs incurred by the vast majority of voucher students whove never set foot in a public school. While states like Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho are watching Arizonas voucher fiasco and rejecting similar voucher schemes in a bipartisan manner, Arizona Republicans doggedly refuse to rework the unpopular, unaccountable program. Another view: ESAs educate cheaper than public schools can Study after study shows that Arizonas voucher program is overwhelmingly benefiting the rich, yet Republican lawmakers flatly reject any attempts to cap the program to reverse the welfare-for-the-wealthy coupon for rich private school families. Republicans refuse to offer basic accountability Critics of the states universal school voucher program protest in January at a state Capitol news conference promoting the program. Despite new polling from the nonpartisan Center for the Future of Arizona showing 80% of Arizona voters want private schools receiving public taxpayer funds via vouchers to be held accountable, legislative Republicans obstinately ignore the publics call to pass accountability measures. Despite the fact that the voucher program is rife with waste and fraud, Republicans have dug in their heels and outright refuse to create any form of oversight, transparency or even basic safety measures. Put simply: the Republicans in charge of the Legislature would rather cut services to public safety, public schools, highways, health care and universities that serve all Arizonans than reform their off-the-rails, unpopular, irresponsible voucher program. Theyd rather cut services for vulnerable children, working families and the middle class than cut off voucher funding for their rich donor class. There's still time to act. The alternative isn't pretty And theyd rather watch public schools starve in service of vouchers almost as if that was the plan all along. Theres still time for House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen to meet Gov. Hobbs at the negotiating table with the commonsense voucher reforms shes proposed, instead of forcing budget cuts that will hurt everyday Arizonans. Or they can choose to play clowns riding unicycles pretending their task is harder than it is but Arizonans are smarter than that. Failing to reform vouchers will spell utter defeat for Republicans at the ballot box in November. Beth Lewis is director of Save Our Schools Arizona, which led a citizens initiative in 2018 to overturn the expansion of school vouchers. The Legislature in 2022 voted for universal vouchers. Reach her at beth@sosarizona.org. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Republicans should scale back ESA scholarship vouchers For decades, Democrats have built their electoral strategies on a common assumption: the higher the turnout, the better their chances of winning. But that familiar equation may no longer apply for President Joe Biden in 2024. A wide array of polls this year shows Biden running best among Americans with the most consistent history of voting, while former President Donald Trump often displays the most strength among people who have been the least likely to vote. These new patterns are creating challenges for each party. Trumps potential appeal to more irregular voters, particularly younger Black and Latino men, is compelling Democrats to rethink longstanding strategies that focused on mobilizing as many younger and non-White voters as possible without worrying about their partisan allegiance. For Republicans, the challenge will be to build an organization capable of connecting with irregular voters they have not traditionally focused on reaching, particularly in minority communities. What all this means is this election has volatility, says Daniel Hopkins, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist who has studied the widening partisan divergence between voters with and without a consistent history of turning out. We used to expect that the marginal non-voter, the next voter who turned out if an election was very engaging, didnt look different from people who did vote. In this case, the crowd that hasnt gotten engaged looks very, very different. Merged results from the three most recent national NBC polls, conducted by a bipartisan team of prominent Democratic and Republican pollsters, for instance, found that Biden leads Trump by 4 percentage points among people who voted in both 2020 and 2022. But among those who voted in 2020 but not 2022, Trump led Biden by 12 percentage points. Trumps lead swelled to 20 percentage points among those who did not vote in either 2020 or 2022. Fully 65% of those who did not vote in either of the past two elections said they disapproved of Bidens performance in office. Combined results from recent national New York Times/Siena College polls likewise have found Biden narrowly leading among potential 2024 voters who turned out in 2020 while trailing Trump by double digits among those who did not vote in their previous contest. Hopkins has conducted perhaps the most ambitious attempt to quantify the divergence between Americans with and without a history of voting. Earlier this year, he and a colleague worked with NORC at the University of Chicago to survey over 2,400 adults about their preferences in the 2024 race. The poll only surveyed people who were old enough to vote in each of the past three elections the midterms of 2018 and 2022 and the 2020 presidential race. The results were striking. Among adults who had voted in each of the past three federal elections, Biden led Trump by 11 points, and Biden eked out a narrow advantage among voters who participated in two of the past three races. But, the poll found, Trump led Biden by 12 percentage points among those who voted in just one of the past three elections and by a crushing margin of 18 percentage points among those who came out for none of them. As important, the pattern held across racial lines. In the poll, Trump ran even with Biden among Latinos who voted in two, one or none of the past three elections, while Biden held a nearly 20-point advantage among those who voted in all three. With Black voters, Bidens lead was just 10 points among those who did not show up for any of the past three elections, but over 80 points among those who participated in all three. Using data from Catalist, a leading Democratic voter targeting firm, Michael Podhorzer, the former political director of the AFL-CIO, reached similar conclusions. He found that in 2020 Bidens margins over Trump were higher among people who voted in the three previous elections of 2018, 2016 and 2014 than those who voted in some or none of them and that the relationship held across racial lines. Hopkins said the gap between habitual and irregular voters in his latest survey was far greater than the difference he found when he conducted a similar poll early in the 2016 race between Trump and Hillary Clinton. Key to this widening chasm, he believes, may be another dynamic: Adults who are less likely to vote are also less likely to follow political news. For more infrequent voters, these are often people who pay less attention to politics and whose political barometer is more the question of how is my family doing economically, how does the country seem to be doing, Hopkins said. For those voters, Donald Trumpis not especially unusual. By contrast, Hopkins said, a sizable sliver of habitual voters have a sense that Trump may be qualitatively different than other political candidates with respect to norm violations and January 6. For less frequent voters, he added, the equation may be as simple as they dont love what they see with Joe Biden, and if Donald Trump is the person running against Joe Biden, they want change. The NBC polling results buttress that conclusion: It found that among the roughly one-sixth of voters who say they do not follow political news, Trump led Biden by fully 2-to-1. Several analysts caution that while this divergence between high- and low-frequency voters is appearing consistently in polls now, its too early to say for certain whether it will persist through Election Day. Its May, said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, whose firm conducts the NBC poll with a Democratic partner. This data matters when people start having to vote. Democratic strategist Tom Bonier pointed out that public opinion surveys often have enough trouble measuring attitudes among young people and minorities, let alone accurately capturing those who are most disengaged from the political system. Melissa Morales founder and president of Somos Votantes and Somos PAC, groups that mobilize Latino voters said that in their outreach campaigns this year, they are not seeing the tilt toward Trump among low-frequency voters evident in these multiple polls. In their work during 2022, she said, We were hearing it in the field, with low propensity Latino voters, they were open to Trump, especially [over] the economy. But, she added, We are not hearing that in the field right now and instead what we are hearing is deep concern about the cost of living, rising costs, and a strong desire to know what the path forward is. Even with all these cautions, there are strong reasons to believe that Trump may benefit more from a very large overall turnout this year than Biden would. That conclusion is consistent with the other unusual demographic patterns evident in the 2024 election. So far, in almost all polls, Biden is holding a higher share of his 2020 vote among White than non-White voters; hes also maintaining more of his 2020 level of support with seniors than with young people. Among Whites, Biden, as in 2020, is running much better with those who hold at least a four-year college degree than those who dont. Bidens relative strength among seniors and college-educated White voters means that hes drawing from two of the most reliable voting blocs in the electorate. In 2020, about 75% of people older than 65 voted, compared to just 54% of young people aged 18-29, according to calculations from Census data by William Frey, a demographer at Brookings Metro. (Even that was a big increase in turnout among young people from the 2012 and 2016 elections.) Far more White voters with degrees turned out than those without them as well. Turnout was especially modest among the Black and Latino voters who have shown the most receptivity to Trump men without a college degree. Only slightly less than half of them voted in 2020, Frey found. Most experts who study turnout consider it unlikely that as many people will vote this year as in 2020, largely because so many voters hold negative views about both Biden and Trump. After a record 160 million people voted in 2020, Bonier said his preliminary calculation is that turnout in 2024 is more likely to reach between 145-150 million with the possibility that as few as 140 million people will vote. Jeremy Smith, CEO of Civitech, a Democratic voter data and targeting firm, said that the number of people registered to even potentially vote is way down from the total at this point in the 2020 cycle. Generally, if you said there are two possible electorates one is 140 million people voting and one is 160 million people the high likelihood is that the 140 would be better for Biden, said Bonier, a senior adviser and former CEO of TargetSmart, a leading Democratic targeting firm. If turnout shrinks from 2020, the key question for the two sides will be which voters fall away and how many new voters enter the electorate to replace them. Generally, Democrats believe that in the Trump era the party benefits when the most habitual voters comprise a larger share of the electorate. Many Democrats believe that a key reason the party exceeded expectations in the 2022 midterm is that the electorate tilted more than anticipated toward these regular voters. The Democratic polling firm Equis Research, which focuses on Latino voters, for instance, found in its post-election analysis that Democrats performed slightly better than expected with that group largely because irregular Latino voters, who were more receptive to Trump, failed to come out. Michael Madrid, a long-time GOP strategist who has become a fierce Trump critic, said that the disappointing 2022 results for Republicans showed the risk for the party in the turnout patterns that the former president has triggered. Republicans under Trump, Madrid argued, are gaining support among non-White men, particularly Latinos, while shedding support among college-educated White voters, especially women. The danger for the GOP, Madrid said, is that the latter group turns out at a far higher rate than the former (as Freys data shows). Given that disparity, Madrid argued, Trump needs a high turnout that pulls in less reliable minority voters, especially Latino men. Trumps conundrum, Madrid said, is that the belligerent rule-breaking persona that attracts those younger non-White men alienates more of the well-educated White women already trending away from him. He is talking to a single young male between video games: Hes got them, they love him, Madrid said. But there are suburban women that you lose by that, who hate that. Thats his dilemma. He gets the turnout, but he also gets the turnoff. The best-case scenario for Trump is that an unusually large number of these irregularly voting working-class minorities come out to vote for him. Given his success in the past two elections at turning out irregularly voting working-class Whites, no one discounts his chances of turning out irregularly voting working-class non-Whites this time. But its hardly guaranteed: Though these voters tend to be strongly discontented with the economy, Democrats believe they can loosen Trumps hold on them by highlighting his views on other issues, such as his pledges to implement a mass deportation effort against undocumented migrants, or to pardon White supremacists convicted in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. And as Podhorzer argued, unhappiness with the economy historically has not proven to be a powerful force in motivating irregular voters to show up. But Republicans point out that even if Trump doesnt win as many of these irregularly voting non-White men as polls show today, he will still benefit if they drift toward third-party candidates or simply choose not to vote. Looking at the Black community, even if you dont buy the potential for Trump to flip lots of votes there, it seems theres considerable risk of a turnout drop-off that will hit Bidens raw margins out of big cities in the battlegrounds that Democrats usually depend on, said GOP pollster Patrick Ruffini. For that reason, many voter mobilization experts say Democrats cant give up on infrequent voters showing receptivity to Trump. Podhorzer pointed out that Democrats can still benefit from high turnout if the campaigns final weeks focus on the aspects of Trumps agenda that most alienate the irregular voters who surged to the polls against him in 2020. Morales said the number of low-frequency Latino voters that Somos PAC turned out in Nevada in 2022 exceeded Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastos margin of victory there, and the group remains committed to reaching those same voters for Biden. Not only can we get them out to vote, but when we have a conversation about the contrast and what their votes mean on the issues, we can win those voters over, Morales said. All of these dynamics may prove most volatile with younger voters. Through the 21st century, as first Millennials and now Generation Z have entered the electorate in large numbers, Democrats have unwaveringly operated on the belief that turning out as many young voters as possible would benefit the party. But thats a much more uncertain proposition in 2024, as demonstrated by the latest youth poll from the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, probably the most in-depth look at attitudes among young people. In the IOP poll this spring, Biden led Trump by nearly 20 points among young adults (aged 18-29) who said they definitely plan to vote in November; that lead was comparable to Bidens advantage among all young adults in 2020. But Trumps position steadily improved as the likelihood of voting diminished, with the former president leading Biden by 2-to-1 among those who said they probably would not vote. Those who indicated they were less likely to vote tended to be young people without a college degree, non-Whites and the very youngest cohort aged 18-24. John Della Volpe, the Institute of Politics polling director, pointed out that those youngest adults probably dont remember much about Trumps presidency. Younger voters today have a different view of Trump, said Della Volpe, who advised the Biden campaign in 2020 on young voters. They were 10, 12, 13 years old when he descended down that escalator, when he blocked Muslims, when he pulled out of Paris [the international climate treaty], when he talked about Charlottesville. They were children. Their values dont align with his values, but there is less toxicity when you bring up his name. So there is this openness that wasnt there in the last two elections. Even as recently as 2020, Della Volpe said, Democrats could target young people with what politicians in the old big-city machines used to call a blind pull where a party can focus on turning out everyone in a particular neighborhood because such a high percentage of them will reliably vote for them. This year, he said, with young voters, its definitely more complicated. Its not a blind pull. Della Volpes observation underscores how Trumps strength among irregular voters could force Democrats to reconsider their tactics. Much of the voter registration and turnout work aimed at minority and young voters has historically operated through liberal non-profit organizations that target the broad population in those groups on the assumption that most of them will ultimately favor Democrats. But this year, some Democratic strategists worry that casting such a wide net could inadvertently mobilize an unusually large number of peripheral voters who favor Trump. That could compel Democrats to switch more of their registration and turnout efforts toward explicitly partisan programs, which can target voters more precisely based on their partisanship, but which are more difficult to raise money for. You are hearing more groups struggling because their thesis has been I take [non-profit] dollars to get, say, all non-White voters to register and turnout, said Smith of Civitech. For Republicans, the mirror image imperative is finding ways to organize the irregular Black and Latino voters showing openness to Trump. Republicans dont have much history of courting those voters, and, ironically, any effort to do so may be impeded by the barriers to voting that many Republican-controlled states have erected since 2020. Republicans also face the complication that Trumps diversion of large amounts of his fundraising toward his legal defense may mean theres less money available to invest in on-the-ground campaign operations. That may not matter much if the combination of Trumps ubiquitous media presence and discontent with Bidens record encourages enough irregular voters open to the former president to turn out in November. Based on the results in 2018, 2020 and 2022, Democrats can feel confident that at least as many habitual voters are hostile to Trump as committed to him, particularly in most of the battleground states that will decide the election. The decisive variable for 2024 may be how many people beyond that inner core of the most reliable voters show up and whether they break for the former president as decisively as most polls now suggest. CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify the name of the PAC that turned out Latino voters in Nevada in 2022. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Astronomer Frank Drake formulated his influential equation in 1961 to estimate the number of civilizations in the Milky Way capable of communicating with us. Our understanding of planetary science has changed a lot since then, leading a team of scientists to propose a pair of important adjustments that produce an answer that could explain the Great Silence. Despite its popularity and intuitiveness, the Drake Equation has faced criticism over the years for its broad assumptions and ambiguous parameters; it often results in an overly optimistic estimate for the value of Nthe number of civilizations in our galaxy with which we might be able to communicate. This tends to feed a conundrum known as the Fermi Paradox: If intelligent life is common, why havent we found any evidence of it? New research published in Scientific Reports offers a potential fix via the addition of two new factors. Planetary scientists Robert Stern from the University of Texas at Dallas and Taras Gerya from ETH-Zurich, the two co-authors on the study, suggest that the presence of both continents and oceans, along with long-term plate tectonics, is critical for the emergence of advanced civilizations. They consequently propose the addition of two factors into the equation: the fraction of habitable planets with significant continents and oceans and the fraction of those planets with plate tectonics operating for at least 500 million years. This adjustment, however, significantly reduces the value of N in the Drake Equation. Our work suggests that both our planet Earth with continents, oceans, plate tectonics, and life and our active, communicative, technological human civilization are extremely rare and unique in the entire galaxy, Gerya told Gizmodo. The factors of life The traditional Drake Equation estimates the number of active extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way by considering several factors, such as the rate of star formation, the fraction of stars with planets, the number of habitable planets, the fraction of planets with life where intelligent life evolves, and so on. The proposed tweak to the equation refines the estimates of how many planets can develop life and how many civilizations have detectable technologies by including new environmental, biological, and technological factors. The researchers argue that the presence of large oceans, plus Earths shift from single-lid tectonics (a stable surface layer) to modern plate tectonics about 1 billion years ago, were critical to the rapid development of complex life. This geological activity not only created the initial conditions necessary for life to emerge but also led to diverse environments with varying climates and ecosystems, which promoted the evolution of advanced life forms capable of developing technology and complex societies. According to the new study, plate tectonics are crucial for developing complex life and advanced civilizations. Earths plate movements create diverse habitats, recycle nutrients, and regulate climateall vital for life. Its important for plate tectonics to last for 500 million years, Gerya explained, because biological evolution of complex multicellular life is extremely slow. On Earth, it took more than 500 million years to develop humans from the first animals, which appeared around 800 million years ago, he said. Technology develops from everyday needs, such as making tools, farming, creating clothing, and making weapons, the authors argue, adding that fire and electricity are essential for the development of intelligent civilizations. Complex civilizations, they write, are unlikely to emerge in strictly ocean-based environments. According to Stern and Gerya, its likely quite rare for planets to have both continents and oceans along with long-term plate tectonics, and this possibility needs to be factored into the Drake Equation. Plugging in the numbers To figure out how likely it is for a planet to have both continents and oceans, Stern and Gerya looked at how much water is needed on the planets surface. They found that an Earth-size planet needs to have between 0.007% and 0.027% of its mass in water for both continents and oceans to exist. Stern and Gerya then compared this to the overall possible range of water that planets can have, which is between 0% and 3.8% or even between 0% and 55%, depending on how they formed. For plate tectonics, the scientists used data showing that only about 33% of planets have the right chemicals to form sufficiently dense tectonic plates needed for plate tectonics. Of those, only about half are big enough and have enough gravity to support plate tectonics. By including these new factors and estimates, the researchers estimate that the chance of a planet having both continents and oceans and long-term plate tectonics is very smallless than 0.2%. To put that into perspective, its like finding just two suitable planets out of every 1,000. Plugging this value into the Drake Equation produces a rather discouraging result, at least as far as the presence of advanced aliens is concerned. The modified Drake Equation suggests that advanced civilizations are extremely rare, with the chance of planets having the right conditions being between 0.0034% and 0.17%. This means there could be anywhere from as few as 0.006 to as many as 100,000 active, communicative civilizations in our galaxy, with the actual number likely being on the lower end, considering the limited time these civilizations might communicate due to potential societal collapse or extinction. On the other hand, the chances of finding planets potentially suitable for civilizationsyet without any civilizations or with already extinct civilizationsare notably higher, Gerya explained. This could be done by remote sensing of exoplanets. Gerya explained that, while the upper bound value of 100,000 seems large, its the low number thats more important. Because the low estimate is really close to zero, it means theres a good chance there might not be any other civilizations in our galaxy. This would help explain why we havent detected any signals from other civilizations yet. In the past, the Drake Equation gave a much higher low-end estimate, suggesting that it was almost certain we werent alone and that there should be at least 200 civilizations trying to communicate with us. Since we havent found any, this old estimate seems wrong, Gerya said. The new, much lower estimate (close to zero) makes it more understandable why we havent heard from anyone else: There might simply be no one else out there to hear froma rather spooky possibility. Fermi Paradox solved? The Fermi Paradox refers to a frustrating situation: We havent found evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations, despite the high likelihood that they exist. Stern and Geryas study offers a possible solution by looking at how rare the right geological conditions are for advanced life. They found that Earths switch to modern plate tectonics sped up the evolution of complex species. They suggest that advanced civilizations are scarce because planets with both continents, oceans, and long-lasting plate tectonics are rare. Stern and Gerya arent the first to propose the idea that suitable planets for advanced life are few and far between. This suggestion, known as the Rare Earth Hypothesis, was first articulated in the 2003 book Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe, written by scientists Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee. Interestingly, Ward and Brownlee were likewise fixated on plate tectonics as a factor. The new study marks an important update to the debate, but the conversation surrounding the Fermi Paradox is far from over. The Rare Earth Hypothesis, while seductive, fails to account for the adaptability of life and the potential diversity of habitable environments. Whats more, the Drake Equation in its current form, or when updated with the new factors, still fails to account for an unassailable reality: The Milky Way is incredibly ancient and has likely been capable of fostering life for up to 10 billion years. Even with those slim odds calculated by the researchers, intelligent life has surely emerged at some earlier points in the galaxys history, giving it ample time to spread out throughout the galaxy. Yet we see no evidence for this. Its very possible that other factors are at playfactors that still need to be sussed out for revising the Drake Equation even further, possibly incorporating temporal aspects and other unknown variables. Another limitation of this study, and this is no fault of the researchers, is that were still far from knowing which values to plug into the equation. We lack an understanding of planetary formation rates and the types of planets that can support habitability elsewhere in the galaxy. Until then, were kind of stuck in the water with the Drake Equation, but future observations, such as those from the Webb telescope, should help. For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X and bookmark Gizmodos dedicated Spaceflight page. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. US accuses China of 'every support' for Russia's war in Ukraine, threatens more sanctions The U.S. has accused China of giving Russia "every support behind the scenes" towards its war in Ukraine, describing its actions as "destabilizing in the heart of Europe." Speaking to reporters on a visit to Brussels on May 29, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said NATO and European countries need to send "a collective message of concern to China about its actions." "What we've seen from China to Russia is not a one-off or a couple of rogue firms involved in supporting Russia," Campbell said, adding: "This is a sustained, comprehensive effort that is backed up by the leadership in China that is designed to give Russia every support behind the scenes." China officially declares itself a neutral party to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine and has denied providing lethal aid, but Beijing and Moscow continue to develop closer ties, most recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting his counterpart Xi Jinping earlier in May. On May 22, U.K. Foreign Secretary Grant Shapps said he was declassifying new intelligence to reveal the "quite significant" development that the U.K. and U.S. had reports that "lethal aid is now, or will be, flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine." But U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan subsequently distanced himself from Shapps' assertion, saying that the U.S. had seen no evidence of it either in the past or "to date." Although Sullivan declined to confirm Shapps' assertion, he did say that China is clearly providing weapons components to Russia, which the U.S. has "taken action to deal with." It's not clear if Campbell's latest comments refer to the same intelligence or other information. U.S. officials have previously warned China against providing Russia with lethal military aid and urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on May 1 against nearly 300 companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort, the Treasury Department announced. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on around 200 targets, while the State Department targeted over 80. The sanctions are aimed at combating evasion and support for Russia's military-industrial base and its biological and chemical weapons programs, according to the Treasury statement. Read also: Opinion: Putins China visit was another battle in Russias war of economic endurance Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Insights from Bloomberg, the BBC, Foreign Policy, and The Diplomat The News At least 20 Chinese students with valid visas have been refused entry into the United States since November, according to Bloomberg. The students, who were pursuing programs at Harvard, Yale, and other top US schools, were reportedly questioned by Customs agents about their alleged affiliations to the Chinese communist party. Their visas were allegedly canceled regardless of their answers. The news comes as First Lady Jill Biden and officials announced China would send a new pair of giant pandas to the National Zoo in Washington DC by the end of the year, continuing the US and Chinas history of panda diplomacy as a means of keeping communication channels open. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Panda diplomacy indicates some mutual understanding between US, China Source: Foreign Policy, The Diplomat Despite having just hiked tariffs on many Chinese goods in the US, on the soft diplomacy front, Bidens administration appears to have reached an entente with Chinese premier Xi Jinping. During a November meeting, the pair agreed to foster educational, business, and cultural ties. They had another two-hour video call in March, and several cabinet-level meetings have taken place. But underlying tensions continue to roil, and despite the pandas, both sides contend with a host of negative trends that are only worsening, The Diplomat wrote. One welcome development that is rumored to be coming soon, Foreign Policy columnist James Crabtree wrote: a military-to-military conversation. Chinese espionage is an epoch-defining challenge for the West Source: BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg America and its western allies have struggled to keep up with the growing threat of Chinese espionage the head of British intelligence agency GCHQ, Anne Keast-Butler, described it as an epoch-defining challenge. Both the UK and Germany recently arrested people suspected of espionage for China, while the US has put limits on Chinese nationals, including on buying property and increasing tariffs on Chinese imported goods. The US has also expanded its list of companies it considers security concerns notably TikTok, which is suing the US government citing an alleged breach of its free speech rights after lawmakers voted to ban it or force its sale to a US company. Academia is a frequent target of Chinese espionage fears Source: The New Yorker The expulsion of Chinese students from the US is the latest of episode in a series of incidents involving members of academia primarily professors and researchers accused of allegedly spying for China or having ties to the Chinese government and other institutions suspected of espionage. This is in part a result of the China Initiative, a 2018 government program targeting alleged Chinese spies working in research and industry. Many academics criticized the program as xenophobic, while others said they stifle scientific freedoms. The US-built pier in Gaza broke apart. Here's how we got here and what might be next These images released by Maxar Technologies shows the newly completed pier on the Gaza Strip on May 18, 2024, top, and ther emaining section of the temporary pier on May 29, 2024. A string of security, logistical and weather problems have battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, critics complain that the project hasnt lived up to its initial billing or its $320 million price tag.(Satellite images 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier. Broken apart by strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational, the project faces criticism that it hasnt lived up to its initial billing or its $320 million price tag. U.S. officials say, however, that the steel causeway connected to the beach in Gaza and the floating pier are being repaired and reassembled at a port in southern Israel, then will be reinstalled and working again next week. While early Pentagon estimates suggested the pier could deliver up to 150 truckloads of aid a day when in full operation, that has yet to happen. Bad weather has hampered progress getting aid into Gaza from the pier, while the Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it difficult, if not impossible at times, to get aid into the region by land routes. Aid groups have had mixed reactions both welcoming any amount of aid for starving Palestinians besieged by the nearly eight-month-old Israel-Hamas war and decrying the pier as a distraction that took pressure off Israel to open more border crossings, which are far more productive. Its a side-show, said Bob Kitchen, a top official of the International Rescue Committee. The Biden administration has said from the start that the pier wasn't meant to be a total solution and that any amount of aid helps. Nobody said at the outset that it was going to be a panacea for all the humanitarian assistance problems that still exist in Gaza, national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. I think sometimes theres an expectation of the U.S. military because theyre so good that everything that they touch is just going to turn to gold in an instant." We knew going in that this was going to be tough stuff, he added. "And it has proven to be tough stuff. Before the war, Gaza was getting about 500 truckloads of aid on average every day. The United States Agency for International Development says it needs a steady flow of 600 trucks a day to ease the struggle for food and bring people back from the brink of famine. The aid brought through the pier was enough to feed thousands for a month, but U.N. data shows it barely made a dent in the overall need of Gazas 2.3 million people. Here's a look at the timeline of the pier, the problems it faced and what may come next: MARCH: ANNOUNCEMENT AND PREP MARCH 7: President Joe Biden announces his plan for the U.S. military to build a pier during his State of the Union address. Tonight, Im directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters, he said. But even in those first few moments, he noted the pier would increase the amount of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza but that Israel must do its part and let more aid in. MARCH 8: Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, tells reporters it will take up to 60 days to deploy the forces and build the project. MARCH 12: Four U.S. Army boats loaded with tons of equipment and steel pier segments leave Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and head to the Atlantic Ocean for what is expected to be a monthlong voyage to Gaza. The brigade's commander, Army Col. Sam Miller, warns that the transit and construction will be heavily dependent on the weather and any high seas they encounter. LATE MARCH: U.S. Army vessels hit high seas and rough weather as they cross the Atlantic, slowing their pace. APRIL: CONSTRUCTION AND HOPE APRIL 1: Seven World Central Kitchen aid workers are killed in an Israeli airstrike as they travel in clearly marked vehicles on a delivery mission authorized by Israel. The strike fuels ongoing worries about security for relief workers and prompts aid agencies to pause delivery of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. APRIL 19: U.S. officials confirm that the U.N. World Food Program has agreed to help deliver aid brought to Gaza via the maritime route once construction is done. APRIL 25: Major construction of the port facility on the shore near Gaza City begins to take shape. The onshore site is where aid from the causeway will be delivered and given to aid agencies. APRIL 30: Satellite photos show the U.S. Navy ship USNS Roy P. Benavidez and Army vessels working on assembling the pier and causeway about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from the port on shore. MAY: THE PIER OPENS THEN CLOSES MAY 9: The U.S. vessel Sagamore is the first ship loaded with aid to leave Cyprus and head toward Gaza and ultimately the pier. An elaborate security and inspection station has been built in Cyprus to screen the aid coming from a number of countries. MAY 16: Well past the 60-day target time, the construction and assembly of the pier off the Gaza coast and the causeway attached to the shoreline are finished after more than a week of weather and other delays. MAY 17: The first trucks carrying aid for the Gaza Strip roll down the newly built pier and into the secure area on shore, where they will be unloaded and the cargo distributed to aid agencies for delivery by truck into Gaza. May 18: Crowds of desperate Palestinians overrun a convoy of aid trucks coming from the pier, stripping the cargo from 11 of the 16 vehicles before they reach a U.N. warehouse for distribution. May 19-20: The first food from the pier a limited number of high-nutrition biscuits reaches people in need in central Gaza, according to the World Food Program. Aid organizations suspend deliveries from the pier for two days while the U.S. works with Israel to open alternate land routes from the pier and improve security. MAY 24: So far, a bit more than 1,000 metric tons of aid has been delivered to Gaza via the U.S.-built pier, and USAID later says all of it has been distributed within Gaza. MAY 25: High winds and heavy seas damage the pier and cause four U.S. Army vessels operating there to become beached, injuring three service members, including one who is in critical condition. Two vessels went aground in Gaza near the base of the pier and two went aground near Ashkelon in Israel. MAY 28: Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh says large portions of the causeway are being pulled from the beach and moved to an Israeli port for repairs. The base of the causeway remains at the Gaza shore. She also says that aid in Cyprus is being loaded onto vessels and will be ready to unload onto the pier once it is back in place. MAY 29: Two of the Army vessels that ran aground in the bad weather are now back at sea and the other two near the pier are being freed, with the aid of the Israeli navy. WHAT'S NEXT? In the coming days, the sections of the causeway will be put back together, and by the middle of next week will be moved back to the Gaza shore, where the causeway will once again be attached to the beach, the Pentagon says. When we are able to re-anchor the pier back in, youll be able to see that aid flow off in a pretty steady stream," Singh said Tuesday. "Were going to continue to operate this temporary pier for as long as we can. ___ AP writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed. Al Jazeera: Israel continued its shelling on tents housing displaced people in Rafah, southern Gaza. Whats Chinas position on Israels military operation? What can China do to ease the tension in the Middle East? Mao Ning: China is gravely concerned over Israels military operation in Rafah and strongly calls on Israel to listen to the overwhelming appeal of the international community and stop attacking Rafah. The protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict has made the humanitarian situation extremely dire in Gaza. We call on relevant parties to stop the fighting at once, do everything possible to prevent casualties among innocent civilians and prevent an even worse humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. China is always committed to promoting talks for peace and deescalation. We hope that relevant parties will work together to this end. China-Arab TV: As we mark the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, we have seen continued progress in the development of China and the Arab world and a decline in the popularity of the US among the Arab states over the past two decades. Can you give us your take on what China has brought to the Arab world? Mao Ning: China and Arab states enjoy a traditional friendship and are strategic partners who trust each other. At the first China-Arab States Summit in 2022, the two sides agreed to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, ushering in a new era of fully thriving and ever-deepening ties between China and the Arab world. With joint effort of both sides, positive progress has been made in the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future. The two sides have further deepened strategic mutual trust. China established either a comprehensive strategic partnership or a strategic partnership with 14 Arab states and the Arab League. China facilitated the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, supported the return of Syria to the Arab League and rendered support to Arab states in strengthening strategic independence and seeking strength through unity. Practical cooperation between China and Arab states is also deepening. We signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with all 22 Arab states and the Arab League, 17 Arab states became members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and over 200 cooperation projects were implemented by China and Arab states under the framework of Belt and Road cooperation. China has been the biggest trading partner of Arab states for years running. The growth of China-Arab relations brings benefits to people of both sides and is conducive to peace and development in the Middle East and increasing stability in this turbulent world. China will continue to pursue collective cooperation with Arab states, build a more all-dimensional cooperation platform and open a new chapter and embark on a new journey of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Reuters: Estonia said China has not responded to a six-month-old request for help with an investigation into a Chinese ship which Estonia suspects of cutting two of its subsea telecom cables. If this is so, what is the reason China has not responded to that request? And also, is China looking into this matter as well? Mao Ning: Chinas competent authorities are lawfully examining and handling the case. China will, in accordance with domestic laws and relevant provisions, actively study the request for judicial assistance, and stand ready to maintain communication with Estonia. Prensa Latina: Not long ago, the US government removed Cuba from the list of countries not fully cooperating against terrorism, but still designated it as a state sponsor of terrorism. What is your comment? Mao Ning: We noted the report. As Cubas Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said, the United States has just admitted what everybody knows: Cuba cooperates fully with the fight against terrorism. China commends Cuba for its effort to fight terrorism. We firmly oppose the USs interference in Cubas internal affairs under the pretext of counterterrorism and its political suppression and economic sanctions against Cuba. China calls on the US to handle its relations with Cuba in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the norms in international relations. The US needs to lift all its blockade and sanctions on Cuba, properly solve disputes and differences through dialogue and negotiation, and contribute to improving US-Cuba relations and keeping the Americas peaceful and stable. Global Times: During US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens visit to China last month, China and the US reached five common understandings, including maintaining high-level exchanges and interactions at various levels. Are there any upcoming high-level exchanges or mutual visits at other levels between China and the US? Mao Ning: At the invitation of the US side, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu will visit the US from May 30 to June 2, during which he will hold consultations with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and interact and communicate with representatives from various sectors in the US. Bloomberg: This is in relation to Foreign Minister Wang Yi telling Yemens Foreign Minister about the importance of having safe passage to the Red Sea. In relation to that, what does China expect Yemen to do in order to ensure safe passage? Thats the first question. Secondly, the crisis has caused shipping prices to soar. Is there something more the Chinese government can do to help Chinese companies who are facing increased shipping costs to export more? Mao Ning: Thank you for following Foreign Minister Wang Yis meeting with Yemens Foreign Minister. China has released a readout which you may refer to. On the situation in the Red Sea, China has made clear our position multiple times. We oppose harassment of civilian vessels and hope to keep international shipping lanes safe. The tension in the Red Sea is a spillover of the Gaza conflict. The pressing priority is to ease tensions in Gaza and realize peace and stability in the Middle East. China-Arab TV: I was recently reporting in Iraq, where I saw many Iraqis very warm toward Chinese people. They welcomed the presence of Chinese businesses and said it shows them hope. Whats your comment? Mao Ning: Thank you for sharing your experience in Iraq. I have not been to Iraq. China stands ready to conduct practical cooperation with Iraq in various fields. We support Chinese businesses in investing and doing business there to boost the common development of our two countries. AFP: Chinas Defense Minister will travel to Singapore this week for the Shangri-La Dialogue. What will he speak about? Will he meet his American counterpart? And what are Chinas expectations for this dialogue? Mao Ning: Id refer you to competent authorities. Reuters: The Philippines President today called new rules outlined by Chinas Coast Guard that could result in detention of foreigners in the South China Sea worrisome and also an escalation of the situation. He said that the Philippines will use any point of contact with China to stop aggressive actions and allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the South China Sea. Does the Ministry have any response to this? Mao Ning: The regulations are rolled out by China Coast Guard to standardize the administrative law-enforcement procedures of Coast Guard agencies and better uphold order at sea. It is consistent with universal practices. Individuals and entities have no need for concern as long as they have not done anything illicit. Let me stress that it is the Philippines, not China, that has escalated the situation and made repeated provocations in the South China Sea. Chinas door of dialogue and communication with the Philippines remains open, but its important to note that dialogue requires sincerity and whatever is agreed in dialogue must be acted upon, rather than talking about the need for dialogue while continuing to make provocations. UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of internally displaced people in Sudan has topped 7 million, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. More than half of the 7 million internally displaced people are children. In addition, some 2 million people have fled across borders into neighboring countries, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, quoting figures from the International Organization for Migration. "For our part, we and our humanitarian partners continue to ramp up efforts to respond to rising hunger and food insecurity across the country," said Dujarric. He said the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 1,200 metric tons of food supplies are en route for some 116,000 men, women and children in Darfur. They are nearing their final destinations: Central Darfur and 12 locations across South Darfur, including displacement camps in Nyala, Dujarric said. The WFP convoy crossed into Sudan from Chad, he said. Elsewhere in Sudan, food distributions are ongoing for 135,000 people in South Kordofan near the border with South Sudan, said the spokesman. Humanitarian access across borders and fighting lines has been an issue since the outbreak of fighting between government troops and the Rapid Support Forces in April of last year. The US faces a deadly maternal mental health crisis and it may be getting worse The US faces a deadly maternal mental health crisis and it may be getting worse Pregnant women and new mothers are facing a deadly mental health crisis across the United States. Mental health conditions, the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the country, are driving an alarming rise in maternal mortality rates, which climbed roughly 60 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicides and overdoses account for nearly a quarter of those deaths, according to the CDC. READ MORE: Widespread disrespect, abuse in maternity care leave mothers with lasting trauma Rates of substance use, depression, anxiety and other serious mental health conditions like suicidal ideation and postpartum psychosis appear to be rising among pregnant women and new moms. I am very concerned, said Ludmila De Faria, chair of the American Psychiatric Associations council on womens mental health. The CDC recently released data showing maternal deaths dipped in 2022 and reported that 817 women died from maternal causes that year. While the decrease in deaths is a step in the right direction, physicians warn more data is needed to see if maternal mortality really is on the decline. The agency has not released detailed data on the causes of those deaths, so it remains unclear how many maternal deaths in 2022 stemmed from mental health conditions. It is difficult to gauge just how much maternal mental health is worsening in the U.S. given the limited data available. While suicide rates appear to be climbing among pregnant and postpartum women, for instance, Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, cautions this may in part be due to better data collection on maternal mortality rather than a true increase. She points in particular to the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act, which Congress passed in 2018, as a reason for the data improving. But even considering the still-limited data on the subject, some research suggests maternal mental health is deteriorating. One 2020 study found that suicidality, meaning either thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts, increased in the decade before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers at the University of Michigan, examining suicide rates among pregnant people with private health insurance between 2006 and 2017, found the number of women who thought about suicide or self-harm tripled during those years. Health experts also believe rates of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression have gone up among pregnant women because theyve become more widespread in the population as a whole, according to De Faria. Since 2020, global rates of depression and anxiety have increased by 25 percent, according to the World Health Organization. In the U.S., depression rates reached an all-time high last year, according to a Gallup survey; 29 percent of American adults admitted in the survey that they had been diagnosed with the illness at some point in their lives 10 percentage points higher than in 2015. The same survey found many more women have experienced depression than men: About 36 percent of women reported being diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, compared with about 20 percent of men. And that disparity is growing as women see a particularly sharp spike in depression. The rates have risen almost twice as much among women as they have among men since 2017, the survey shows. Suicide rates among young women in the U.S. are also on the rise. Deaths by suicide increased by 4 percent from 2021 to 2022 among women ages 25 to 34, according to the most recent CDC data. Some experts, like Moutier, worry that maternal mental health may have worsened due to decreased access to mental health care. The U.S. is experiencing a mental health provider shortage, with about 47 percent of Americans, or 158 million people, living in a mental health workforce shortage area as of this year, according to health policy research group KFF. On top of this, many physicians who treat pregnant or postpartum women, such as primary care physicians or obstetrician-gynecologists, do not check in on mental health despite professional organizations recommending that they do so. Angelina Spicer told The Hill that when she visited her OB-GYN for a six-week postpartum checkup after her daughter was born eight years ago, the physician just made sure she was clear to have sex again and never asked how she was handling life with the new baby. Spicer, a stand-up comedian, experienced severe anxiety and depression following her daughters birth. But she said the conversation with her physician during the checkup centered on Spicers weight. The doctor commented on how she looked amazing and just like she did before the baby, Spicer remembers. I was like, why are we talking about what I look like? And why is nobody asking me why I feel like Im drowning? she said. Less than 20 percent of pregnant and postpartum women with Medicaid receive a mental health screening, according to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. Screening rates are even lower for women with private insurance, the organization found. Just 9 percent of pregnant women and 11 percent of postpartum women with private insurance undergo a mental health screening. In part due to this lack of screening, while about 1 in 8 women will experience postpartum depression in the year after they give birth, roughly half of these cases will go undiagnosed, a 2019 study found. Even when cases of depression are caught, many women do not receive care. A study published in 2015 found only 22 percent of perinatal women who screened positive for depression received treatment. The impact this has on women who dont receive treatment and the impact on families is huge, said Elizabeth Cherot, president and chief executive officer of March of Dimes. Think about how if left untreated how [poor maternal mental health] impacts parents, babies, families and our whole society. Mood disorders either during or right after a pregnancy can harm a mothers relationship with her baby and partner. Emotional distress can hinder a mothers ability to form a strong, nurturing bond with her baby, impairing her capacity to provide the responsive care crucial for the infants healthy development, according to one 2023 study. Strained emotional states can reverberate into the mothers partnership causing communication breakdowns and emotional distance. Beyond the realm of treatment, or the lack thereof, health experts also worry the shifting landscape of reproductive laws after the Supreme Courts 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade could have a negative impact on maternal mental health. Following that decision, what you have is potentially a significant increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies, De Faria told The Hill. In the year after the Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision, states with abortion bans had an average fertility rate 2.3 percent higher than states without them, according to a 2023 analysis. That increased fertility rate led to roughly 32,000 more births than expected, according to the analysis. It is not clear how many of those pregnancies were planned. Having an unplanned pregnancy can be a huge stressor for someone with or without a preexisting psychiatric illness, De Faria said. Numerous studies show a connection between unplanned pregnancies and higher rates of perinatal depression. One conducted in Brazil in 2017 found that women with unplanned pregnancies were 2 1/2 times more likely to suffer from depression during their pregnancy and postpartum months compared to women with planned pregnancies. Although experts have concerns about the future of maternal mental health, they also agree that there may be some light in the darkness. What makes me have hope is the attention that has been turned towards it, Caitlin Murphy, a research scientist at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, said about the nations poor maternal mental health and screening rates. Once information gets out people start to do something about it. Updated at 10:11 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 The Hill. US Gaza aid pier breaks apart in heavy seas in blow for Joe Bidens humanitarian plan US vessels, arriving in the coastal city of Ashdod to support the temporary pier, ran aground in heavy seas on Saturday - Oren Ziv/AFP The aid pier built by the United States to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza broke apart in stormy weather and will be out of action for a week. The pier, which cost $320 million (251m), opened just two weeks ago. Over the next two days, the pier will be pulled from the beach and sent to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod for repair, said Sabrina Singh, a spokesman for the Pentagon. She said the repair work will take at least over a week and then the pier will need to be anchored back into the beach in Gaza. From when it was operational, it was working, and we just had sort of an unfortunate confluence of weather storms that made it inoperable for a bit, Ms Singh said. Hopefully just a little over a week, we should be back up and running. The project, already delayed due to weather conditions, took more than 1,000 US service members to build since it was announced in March. Since the pier, located north of Rafah in Gazas south, became operational, it had transported 137 trucks of aid into the besieged strip, an equivalent of 900 metric tons, according to the UN World Food Programme. Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, praised the great deal of aid the pier had managed to facilitate as it was flowing into Gaza, where war has left more than a million residents displaced and more than 35,000 Gazans dead, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry. Mr Miller said: There has been a great deal that has been delivered into the north of Gaza over the past weeks, something that happened because of the United States intervention. He admitted, however, that getting aid into the strips south, where fighting is escalating in Rafah, Hamass last stronghold, has been a real challenge. The US has put increasing pressure on Israel to allow aid into the strip amid the war. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused Israel of using starvation as a method of warfare and deliberately targeting civilians. Israel says Hamas is using aid trucks to smuggle money and weapons. The ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, along with key figures from Hamas in Gaza and abroad, including leader Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed Deif and political leader Ismail Haniyeh. The US has challenged the ruling, calling it outrageous and amid the invasion of Rafah, continues to support Israels right to defend itself. 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 PHOTO: Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C. (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday unveiled nearly $900 million in awards to 530 school districts to replace thousands of aging, gas-fueled school buses with cleaner, mainly electric models. The funding is the third tranche of $5 billion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hand out over five years through a clean school bus program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. The EPA rebates will support the purchase of 3,400 school buses, 92% of them electric, the White House said. School districts in low income, tribal and rural communities will receive about 67% of the funds. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT The EPA's clean school bus program is part of a broader push by President Joe Biden's administration to upgrade public school infrastructure and reduce pollution from old buses. It also helps deliver on Biden's pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, funnel federal climate investments to underserved communities and create demand for American-made electric vehicles. KEY QUOTE "This announcement is not just about clean school buses. It's about the bigger picture. We are improving air quality for our children, reducing greenhouse gas pollution and expanding our nation's leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said on a call with reporters. "With increasing demand for electric school buses, we'll see the development of new good-paying manufacturing jobs and investment in local businesses." (Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio) It would head off the nations ability to use the cars software as a spying tool. Newly proposed Congressional legislation would require the US to conduct security reviews for connected vehicles built by automakers from China and other countries of concern. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official who has championed the issue, introduced the bill on Wednesday. If passed by Congress (a tall order these days), the Connected Vehicle National Security Review Act would establish a formal review process for connected autos from Chinese companies. It would also allow the Department of Commerce to limit or ban these cars and other vehicles before they reach US consumers. Todays vehicles are more sophisticated than ever, carrying cameras, radars and other sophisticated sensors, plus the ability to process, transmit and store the data they gather from the United States, said Slotkin. If allowed into our markets, Chinese connected vehicles offer the Chinese government a treasure trove of valuable intelligence on the United States, including the potential to collect information on our military bases, critical infrastructure like the power grid and traffic systems, and even locate specific U.S leaders should they so choose. Campaign photo for US Representative Elissa Slotkin. She stands in a factory, wearing goggles, talking with several workers. (Rep. Elissa Slotkin) In a speech on the House floor earlier this month, Slotkin noted that Chinese EVs, often sold much cheaper than their US and European counterparts, could quickly gain a significant share of the American market. She cited how Chinese vehicles, first sold in Europe in 2019, now make up almost a quarter of its market. The representative also recently pushed Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the security gap. Alternatively (and perhaps ideally), legislators could pass a comprehensive data privacy law rather than dealing with these issues piecemeal. The bills introduction follows the Biden Administrations quadrupling of import tariffs on Chinese EVs. The White Houses new EV levies grew from 25 percent to 100 percent, following Chinas EV exports rising 70 percent between 2022 and 2023. In February, the White House also ordered the Department of Commerce to investigate the risks of connected vehicles from China and other adversaries. However, that action was conducted through an executive order and could be undone by future administrations. Slotkins legislation would close those loopholes if it makes it through Congress rarely a safe bet in todays highly obstructed and contentious political environment. Changes to the policy that governs how liver transplants are allocated in the United States were meant to increase the number of transplants and make the process more equitable, but a new study raises concerns that its putting certain underserved communities at a greater disadvantage. The new liver allocation policy changed the geographic parameters that guide which people receive donated organs. Instead of operating within defined regional service areas, the new policy prioritizes the sickest liver candidates who are listed at transplant hospitals that are within a 500-nautical-mile radius of the donor hospital. It was implemented in February 2020 by the United Network for Organ Sharing, which is contracted by the federal governments Organ Procurement and Transplant Network. In a study published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Surgery, researchers assessed outcomes during the first year under the new policy for 22 transplant centers that represent about a quarter of the national volume. They found that liver transplant costs were about 11% higher than they were the year before, largely due to costs associated with increased air travel to transport donor livers. For this sample of transplant centers which were not identified in the study the overall number of liver transplants decreased 6%, and the change in transplants relative to donors suggests higher discard rates, according to the study. Transplant centers from low-income states, those serving populations with more racial and ethnic minority individuals, and centers from states with poorer-performing health systems are facing greater costs, despite fewer patients having transplants since the policy implementation, the study authors wrote. Geographic disparities have long been a challenge facing the transplant system, and the issue is particularly inherent to liver transplants because they cannot remain viable between donor and transplant as long as some other organs. Rural areas face broad disadvantages when it comes to organ transplants, but the study suggests that the new liver allocation policy may create even more disproportionate burdens. Researchers found that rural centers had significantly greater drops in the number of liver transplants, increases in imported livers and larger increases in hospital and flight costs. For the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the new 500-nautical-mile radius might mean that staffers travel to Chicago, Houston or Nashville to get a donor liver to bring back to a transplant patient in Little Rock. Thats expensive, but if its the best thing to get people to transplanted time will tell we just want to do whats right to honor those gifts by donors, said Dr. Lyle Burdine, director of the medical centers solid organ transplant program. The center prepared for the change in liver transplant policy by adding staff to help with the increased logistical burden and by developing a program that preserves the organ longer during the transition between donor and transplant recipient. The only thing that we havent then been able to do and no transplant center has been able to do is change reimbursement rates by hospital payers for this increased cost. Thats still stuck in probably the late 1990s, Burdine said. And the financial pressures in health care are really felt at the fringes. A related commentary, also published in JAMA Surgery on Wednesday, suggests that broader and longer-term analysis is important before making a judgement on how the new policy is working. While its clear that not all transplant centers are equally resilient in responding to changes in national allocation policy, the sample of centers used in the new analysis might not be nationally representative, wrote the authors, led by Dr. Daniela Ladner, founding director of the Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative. Federal data suggests that liver transplants did increase in the US overall, despite the decrease observed in the sample of 22 centers. The new policy was implemented at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which could have skewed outcomes and findings. And the field is changing rapidly, they wrote, especially with emergence of new technologies like normothermic perfusion pumps that allow donor livers to travel longer distances. At the University of Kansas Medical Center, liver transplant volume fell about 40% in the first two years under the new allocation policy, costs increased about 15% per transplant, and the number of livers that came from the local donors fell from about 90% to about 15%, said Dr. Timothy Schmitt, the director of transplantation for the health system. Some of these changes were expected based on models that forecasted how the new policy would play out, he said. But it also created a situation where people who get a liver transplant are quite a bit sicker than they would have been under the old policy. That has really caused us to have a difference in practice, Schmitt said. Now, some people who would have been considered good candidates for liver transplant might not even be put on the waitlist because they wont survive the wait time. There are more difficult conversations to be hard because people are going to be waiting a lot longer. However, the United Network for Organ Sharing assessed national outcomes after one year under the new policy and found promising results. Although we look at regional effects and center effects, the most important thing is that we focus on the patients and whats happening nationally, said Dr. Scott Biggins, chair of the federal governments liver transplantation committee. This policy did lower waitlist mortality, did increase access to liver transplant nationally and didnt have much of any detrimental effect on the outcome after transplant in terms of post-transplant survival. In the four years since the latest liver transplant policy was implemented, the committee has also started work on another update to the policy that would make the allocation process more continuous instead of categorical, Biggins said. Right now, liver allocations are predominantly concerned with reaching the sickest patients soonest based on individual patient scores on a model for end-stage liver disease. But the new model would also focus on improving efficiency in the system instead of relying completely on urgency, he said. This update could address some of the concerns that Schmitt has; he would appreciate a more matrixed allocation scheme that allows for flexibility that accounts for travel costs in some way. Projections for the potential update to transplant policy are still being worked through, and it will be years before theyre finalized after seeking input from the public and other stakeholders. As we move forward, theres a lot of opportunity here to focus on the patients rather than bottom lines, Biggins said. Health care is a business but our focus is on improving the lives and health of our patients, and the best way we can get organs to people who are in need is should be the North Star here. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Munitions made in the United States were used in the deadly Israeli strike on a displacement camp in Rafah on Sunday, a CNN analysis of video from the scene and a review by explosive weapons experts has found. At least 45 people were killed and more than 200 others injured after a fire broke out following the Israeli militarys strike on the outskirts of Gazas southernmost city, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Palestinian medics. Footage obtained by CNN showed swathes of the camp in Rafah in flames, with scores of men, women and children frantically trying to find cover from the nighttime assault. Burned bodies, including those of children, could be seen being pulled by rescuers from the wreckage. Israels escalating assault in Rafah where some 1.3 million Palestinians were taking shelter before Israel began its operation there has drawn swift international condemnation, with United Nations agencies, aid groups and multiple governments calling on Israel to immediately halt its offensive. Israeli tanks were seen advancing further into Rafah on Tuesday for the first time in Israels seven-month war against Hamas, signaling a new phase Israel pressing on with its controversial and destructive offensive. In this image which CNN geolocated to the scene of Sunday's strike in Rafah, four explosive weapons experts identified the tail of a US-made GBU-39 small diameter bomb (SDB). - Alam Sadeq At least 45 people were killed in the strike, sparking global outrage. - Alam Sadeq However, US President Joe Biden is not altering his policy towards Israel, suggesting the deadly Rafah strike had not yet crossed a red line that would force changes in American support, despite him saying in a CNN interview earlier this month he wouldnt allow certain US weapons to be used in a major offensive in Rafah. CNN geolocated videos showing tents in flames in the aftermath of the strike on the camp for internally displaced people known as Kuwait Peace Camp 1. In video shared on social media, which CNN geolocated to the same scene by matching details including the camps entrance sign and the tiles on the ground, the tail of a US-made GBU-39 small diameter bomb (SDB) is visible, according to four explosive weapons experts who reviewed the video for CNN. The GBU-39, which is manufactured by Boeing, is a high-precision munition designed to attack strategically important point targets, and result in low collateral damage, explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith told CNN Tuesday. However, using any munition, even of this size, will always incur risks in a densely populated area, said Cobb-Smith, who is also a former British Army artillery officer. Trevor Ball, a former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member who also identified the fragment as being from a GBU-39, explained to CNN how he drew his conclusion. The warhead portion [of the munition] is distinct, and the guidance and wing section is extremely unique compared to other munitions. Guidance and wing sections of munitions are often the remnants left over even after a munition detonates. I saw the tail actuation section and instantly knew it was one of the SDB/GBU-39 variants. Ball also concluded that while there is a variant of the GBU-39 known as the Focused Lethality Munition (FLM) which has a larger explosive payload but is designed to cause even less collateral damage, this was not the variant used in this case. The FLM has a carbon fiber composite warhead body and is filled with tungsten ground into a powder. Photos of FLM testing have shown objects in the test coated in tungsten dust, which is not present [in video from the scene], he told CNN. Serial numbers on the remnants of the munitions also matched those for a manufacturer of GBU-39 parts based in California pointing to more evidence the bombs were made in the US. Two additional explosive weapons experts Richard Weir, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, and Chris Lincoln-Jones, a former British Army artillery officer and weapons and targeting expert identified the fragment as being part of a US-manufactured GBU-39 when reviewing the video for CNN, though they were unable to comment on the variant used. Asked for comment on the munitions used in the Rafah strike at Tuesdays briefing, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters: I do not know what type of munition was used in that airstrike. Id have to refer you to the Israelis to speak to that. CNN has also reached out to the US National Security Council. Main weapons supplier The US has long been the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and that support has continued despite the growing political pressure on the Biden administration over the Gaza offensive. Last month, Biden signed a foreign aid bill that included $26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict including $15 billion in Israeli military aid, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $2.4 billion for regional US military operations. CNNs identification of the munition is consistent with a claim made by IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari in a briefing about the tragedy on Tuesday. Hagari told reporters the strike which he said targeted senior Hamas commanders used two munitions with small warheads containing 17 kilos of explosives, adding these bombs were the smallest munitions that our jets could use. The traditional GBU-39 warhead has an explosive payload of 17 kilos. Hagari said the deadly fire which occurred following the strike was not caused solely by weapons used by the Israeli military. Our munitions alone could not have ignited a fire of this size, Hagari said, adding the IDF was investigating what may have caused such a large fire to ignite. He added that Israel is looking into whether the strike was unintentionally set off possible stored weapons in a nearby compound. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deadly airstrike in Rafah was a tragic error, but said Israel has vowed to press on with its operation despite international outrage and a US warning not to proceed. CNNs Kevin Liptak and Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Senior White House officials are refusing to say whether American-made bombs were used in a deadly airstrike in Gaza this week - despite an investigation which appeared to confirm remnants of US munitions at the scene. An Israeli airstrike on a tent camp for the displaced in Rafah killed 45 people on Sunday including women and children, and left at least 200 injured, the Gaza health ministry reported. The attack on the city, where millions of Palestinians have taken refuge during the Israel-Hamas war, caused international outrage. But the US said that the deadly strike did not constitute a breach of the red line set by President Joe Biden that would cause him to reconsider his support for Israel. Fragments of US-built weapons are shown in this screen grab of video footage from Rafah, according to video footage from the scene (hamz0831/Telegram/) Analysis published by CNN on Wednesday revealed video footage from the scene of the Rafah strike that showed fragments of munitions with printed serial numbers. It appeared to be a GBU-39, a small-diameter bomb made by Boeing, according to the report. Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosives expert, told CNN that he had seen a distinct piece of wreckage identifiable as a warhead section and an extremely unique part which he called the guidance and wing section of the bomb. I saw the tail actuation section and instantly knew it was one of the SDB/GBU-39 variants, Mr Ball said. The US is Israels largest arms supplier. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demurred when asked whether US weapons were used in the Rafah tent camp strike. Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike where displaced people were staying in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 27, 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) We have to see what the investigation shows, he said, while on a trip to Moldova. Mr Blinken described the attack as horrific but added that, even if it is assumed that US-made weapons were used, it is evidence that it was a limited, focused, targeted attack meant to deal with terrorists who killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said he could not confirm whether a GBU-39 was used and instead referred questions to the Israeli military, during a press briefing on Wednesday. Palestinians put out a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 27, 2024 (REUTERS) I can only point you to what the IDF said therefore I cannot confirm whether or not it was a GBU 39 that delivered the payload on that bomb. Youd have to really talk to the IDF about that, he said. The Israeli army quickly claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday and said its air force had struck a Hamas compound with precise ammunition and on the basis of precise intelligence, killing two Hamas officials in the process. But on Monday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a tragic mishap in an address to Israels parliament and promised an investigation. US President Joe Biden to travel to France for D-Day commemorations US President Joe Biden delivers a speech at Girard College to launch Black Voters For Biden/Harris 2024. Ricky Fitchett/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa US President Joe Biden plans to travel to France at the beginning of June to take part in ceremonies marking the landing of Allied troops in Normandy during World War II. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced Biden's travel plans on Wednesday without giving further details of the trip. Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago, on June 6, 1944. D-Day, as it was known, marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany from the west. The Allied forces at the time consisted mainly of US, British, Canadian, Polish and French troops. To commemorate the operation, an international memorial service with leaders from all over the world is planned on the Normandy coast on June 6. Five years ago - on the 75th anniversary of D-Day - Biden's predecessor Donald Trump attended the celebrations. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX-23) addresses the media following the end of Title 42 on Friday, May 12, 2023, with border updates at the intersection of Calleros Court and Chihuahua Street in El Paso, Texas. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales eked out a win against gun-toting social media influencer Brandon Herrera by a margin of 407 votes in Tuesday's GOP primary runoff election, surviving attacks from ultraconservatives over his votes for gun safety, gay marriage and immigration reform legislation. Gonzales' win in Texas' deep-red 23rd Congressional District means the 43-year-old Navy veteran will likely return to the Capitol for a third term next year. Gonzales enjoyed high-profile endorsements from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. The victory could allow Gonzales to put some criticism behind him, though the close election after an expensive and vitriolic race suggests there is an appetite among Gonzales' constituents for a further-to-the-right approach to policies. In a post-race news conference Wednesday, the incumbent defended both his GOP bona fides and a balanced approach to governance. "I have a very conservative voting record and I will continue to have a very conservative voting record, but I also want to solve problems," he said. "I'm pragmatic in how I deliver things. I will sit down with anyone; I don't care where they fall on the political spectrum. ... I think there's not a lot of people willing to do that right now." His opponent a 28-year-old recent transplant from North Carolina who dubbed himself "The AK Guy" on social media made significant gains during the runoff period and on election day, diminishing Gonzales' lead among early voters to less than one percentage point in the final count. All told, Gonzales won 50.7% of the votes in Congressional District 23, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, and Herrera won 49.3%. Herrera's campaign did not respond to the Statesman's request for comment. Gonzales and Herrera ended in a primary runoff after the incumbent received only 45.1% share of the GOP primary vote in March, with Herrera coming in second place after winning 24.6% support in the five-candidate race. On Tuesday, Gonzales had the strongest showings in Uvalde and Bexar Counties; voters in El Paso County and some smaller, more rural counties in the district preferred Herrera. As is typical for primary runoff elections, overall turnout was low, with 5.84% of registered voters casting a ballot compared to more than 11% on March 5. While Gonzales didn't comment directly on the closeness of the race's results or mention his opponent by name in his post-race conference Wednesday, Gonzales said he would argue that District 23 is "the toughest district in America" and described the "major crises" that have hit the region, including the Robb Elementary School massacre in May 2022 and the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer near San Antonio the same year. "We have gone to bat," he said Wednesday. "It wasn't just words. It wasn't just TV. It was literally ground to ground, block by block, kind of a knife fight, and I knew exactly that's what it was going to take because my first election was a runoff." Herrera drew endorsements from Gonzales' far-right critics, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Texas Rep. Chip Roy, and from groups including the National Association for Gun Rights. Gonzales was the only congressional incumbent from Texas to face a primary runoff this year. Herrera and his newfound allies attacked Gonzales for voting for the Safer Communities Act, a bipartisan gun safety bill passed in 2022 in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, which is part of Gonzales' congressional district. The 33-year-old YouTuber also piled onto criticism over his support for gay marriage and immigration reform bills. All three votes led the Texas Republican Party to censure Gonzales in March 2023. Gonzales, for his part, slammed Herrera for his comments on a podcast joking about veteran suicide and for other controversial comments. In an ad and a news release featuring military veterans, the incumbent referenced a February podcast episode in which Herrera said, If it makes everyone in the room feel better, I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So Im basically an honorary veteran. Herrera later said it was "military humor" and that he had family members in the military. "Brandon Herrera is not a veteran. Hell never know what a veteran goes through when he wakes up in the morning or when she is trying to fall asleep at night," Gonzales wrote in a May 16 news release, which cited a letter of support from more than 100 Texas veterans. "His approach to veteran suicide mocking and laughing about it is a slap in the face to veterans and all those currently serving." Gonzales also called the influencer a "known neo-Nazi" in a CNN interview. Herrera rejected that label in a social media post a week later. "My entire political philosophy is the OPPOSITE of fascism," Herrera wrote on X. "I want to reduce government in every way possible, the total opposite of Hitlers National Socialism." More: US House member from Texas in 'fight for his political life' against gun-toting YouTuber Abbott, Patrick and Johnson all came to Gonzales' aid after he was forced into a runoff, with Johnson flying to Texas to stump for Gonzales. The incumbent thanked the Texas officials and his other supporters, including the National Border Patrol Council and San Antonio police and firefighter associations, during his post-race news conference. Gonzales said the runoff made him more "sharp" and that he'll look for ways to win over and represent those who voted against him. "This is about basically being humble and going, 'Alright, now how do I listen to the other folks that did not cast their vote for me this round? Why didn't they cast their vote for me?'" he said Wednesday. "In America, so many people are so upset because they don't feel as if they're represented, and we want to change that ... And it can't just be words, it has to be actions." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas elections: Tony Gonzales defeats Brandon Herrera in GOP runoff HELSINKI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities have ordered an evacuation of the village of Grindavik and the iconic Blue Lagoon resort in southwest Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula after a volcano nearby erupted on Wednesday. The volcano located north of Grindavik started to erupt just before 1 p.m. local time (1100 GMT), which was preceded by several earthquakes, the Meteorological Office said. The lava fountains have once reached 50 meters high and the length of the fissure has grown from its initial 1 km to an impressive 3.4 km, the office said in a statement. Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a geophysics professor at the University of Iceland, told local radio RUV that this marked its fifth eruption since December and also the most powerful one since its volcanic system became active three years ago. Noting that the area covered by lava would grow to some five square km, the professor also expected the force to abate as more than half of the accumulated magma underground, over 20 million cubic meters, has already been depleted. However, the Icelandic Police Commissioner has declared a state of emergency in the affected area, some 55 km southwest of Iceland's capital Reykjavik. As the fumes from the eruption are expected to reach the capital area late Wednesday, the Icelandic Environmental Agency has recommended residents monitor air quality information on their website, vulnerable people keep windows closed and children avoid sleeping outside during this period. According to airport operator ISAVIA, the Keflavik Airport located at the tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula, is not expected to be affected by the eruption. However, ash created by the contact of lava with groundwater may be a potential hazard to air traffic in Iceland as the volcanic eruptions continue, Icelandic Meteorological Office told RUV. However, the current westerly wind direction protects the Keflavik airport. Lovisa Mjoll Gudmundsdottir, a natural hazard expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, declined to define these eruptions as explosive. "But there are explosions due to the interaction of magma and groundwater," she added. Armed rebels of the Iran-backed Houthi militia take part in a demonstration. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked an Greek carrier ship in the Red Sea, the US military said on Tuesday. Osamah Yahya/dpa Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked an Greek carrier ship in the Red Sea, the US military said on Tuesday. Iranian-backed Houthi militants launched five missiles, with the Greek-owned MV Laax reporting it had been struck by three of the missiles, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media platform X. The ship was able to continue its voyage and there were no injuries reported, CENTCOM said. CENTCOM forces destroyed five uncrewed aerial systems launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, it added. "It was determined the systems presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels." The Islamist militia has vowed to attack ships in the Red Sea linked to Israel. However, many of the vessels that have come under fire have no connection to the country. The Houthis say they want to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which followed the unprecedented massacre by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas in Israel on October 7. Because of the continuing Houthi attacks, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and sailing around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead. Title icon The News The US and China will discuss potentially opening up another military communication channel between their respective top commanders responsible for the area around Taiwan when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, later this week. The possibility of creating a dialogue between the US Indo-Pacific Command and Chinas Eastern Theater Command will be an item of discussion in our meeting this week, Pentagon spokesman Martin Meiners told Semafor. He said the department will continue to engage in active discussions with [Peoples Republic of China] counterparts about future engagements between defense and military officials at multiple levels. A new channel (the prospect of which was raised by a columnist in Foreign Policy earlier this week) would be the latest in a series of moves by Washington and Beijing to increase dialogue between their two militaries amid rising regional tensions. Indeed, Austins in-person meeting with Dong on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore will be his first. The US has raised concerns about Chinas increasingly assertive behavior in the East and South China Seas, as well as its aggression toward Taiwan and clashes with the Philippines. Just last week, the Chinese military conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan following the inauguration of the self-governing islands new president, Lai Ching-te. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington did not explicitly answer whether China wants the new dialogue but noted to Semafor that US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed in November 2023 to conduct telephone conversations between theater commanders on the basis of equality and respect. Recently, China and the United States have carried out a series of military exchanges, embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Semafor. China is willing to continue to work with the United States to implement relevant consensus. Title icon Know More Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Semafor that creating the channel would be a positive move, but that its overall impact was likely to be minimal. [Hotlines] are very limited in utility and value because of how the PRC approaches crisis communications, Morris said. Whoever is picking up the phone on the [Peoples Liberation Army] side is going to be very limited in what they can say in real time. Every single thing that is said by the PLA, at any level, has to be vetted, approved, and run up the chain in Beijing. If this hotline achieves nothing but the ability for the [Indo-Pacific] commander to pick up the phone during a crisis and say, I am seeing situation X, we are preparing to do Y, will you confirm receipt? And if the PLA says copy, confirm receipt, thats a win for us, Morris added. Kurt Campbell, now the No. 2 State Department official, told The Guardian in 2021 that China has generally resisted meaningful military communication. In the past, the hotlines that have been set up have just rung, kind of endlessly in empty rooms, he said. Even so, Roy Kamphausen, the president of the National Bureau of Asian Research, told Semafor that a new military channel could have other benefits for the US. Participating in mil-mil can play a reassuring role with allies, and the Department of Defense has long believed direct communication can help deter adversaries, he said in an email. The proposal came up in a call earlier this year during which the Pentagons Ely Ratner pushed his Chinese counterpart for a dialogue between the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander and the heads of Chinas Eastern and Southern Theater Commands. Morris told Semafor that a communication line with Chinas Eastern Theater command would allow the new Indo-Pacific commander, Adm. Samuel Paparo, to establish a rapport with the Chinese commander responsible for Chinas armed forces near the Taiwan strait. Primarily, its for Taiwan. Because theres such high-tempo operations on both sides around Taiwan that the potential for an accident or crisis to develop is quite high. Title icon Step Back The increased dialogue between US and Chinese military officials comes despite heightened friction between Washington and Beijing over technology controls, tariffs, and US warnings about Chinas overcapacity. China suspended high-level military communications with the US following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan in 2022. Biden and Xi agreed to reopen these channels at a summit in San Francisco last November, in addition to pursuing cooperation on countering fentanyl and talks on artificial intelligence safety. Since then, a number of Pentagon officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have spoken with their Chinese counterparts. Semafor Logo Aftermath of an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Israel must do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza and should "remove all barriers to the flow of aid at scale through all crossings and routes" into the enclave, the United States told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. "The continued pattern of significant civilian harm resulting from incidents like Sunday's airstrikes undermines Israel's strategic goals in Gaza," deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the 15-member council. An airstrike on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 45 people. Israel - a U.S. ally - said it had targeted Hamas militants and had not intended to harm civilians. Algeria on Tuesday put forward a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that essentially orders Israel to "immediately halt its military offensive" in Rafah. On Wednesday, Wood told reporters that Washington was reviewing it, but U.N. action was unlikely to be helpful or change the situation on the ground. The draft text also cites a ruling by the International Court of Justice on May 24 that ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide. Wood said the ruling echoed the U.S. position that Israel must avoid a major military operation in Rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk. The U.S. said on Tuesday that Israel's actions in Rafah did not amount to a major ground operation that could change U.S. policy toward Israel. Humanitarian aid access to Gaza has been extremely limited since Israel began its military incursion into Rafah three weeks ago, the U.N. has said, with famine looming in the enclave of 2.3 million people. Wood said more must be done to get aid into Gaza and safely distributed. HUMAN SHIELDS Israel has been fighting to eradicate Hamas, which rules Gaza, since a cross-border Oct. 7 attack by militants in which some 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 130 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war over the past seven months. Israel says it wants to root out the last major intact formations of Hamas fighters hunkered down in Rafah and rescue hostages. "Israel can kill any Palestinian and call them either terrorists or human shields to justify that murder. It uses both terms extremely loosely so they can cover anyone and everyone," deputy Palestinian U.N. envoy Majed Bamya told the council. "Israel has called any form of opposition to its occupation and suppression of the Palestinian people terrorism," he said. Israel's deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Miller said the war could end if Hamas released the hostages and put down its arms. "But the reality is that Hamas refuses these terms. Hamas chooses to hold innocents hostage. Hamas chooses to continue firing rockets. Hamas chooses to exploit the civilians of Gaza as human shields," he told the council. Wood said Israel has a right to defend itself, but it also has to protect civilians and "the fact that Hamas leaders and fighters hide among civilians does not lessen" that obligation. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Paul Grant and Mark Heinrich) TOPEKA (KSNT) The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is encouraging people to consider purchasing a bigger mailbox this year to help out postal workers and homeowners. Mark Inglett with the USPS in Kansas City told 27 News new recommendations are sent out each year to customers encouraging them to make improvements and repairs to their mailboxes. This is part of Mailbox Improvement Week which comes around every year during the third week of May. Part of this years recommendations are for USPS customers to replace their old mailboxes with extra-large ones capable of holding more mail and bigger packages. This will help homeowners have peace of mind with package deliveries, increased protection from bad weather and boost convenience with the arrival of mail. Kansas state troopers report 21 DUI arrests, 3 deaths in Memorial Day weekend These jumbo-sized mailboxes are sold at retailers like Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, Walmart, True Value and BudgetMailboxes. Each of the new mailboxes measure 13.63 wide x 7.75 tall on sides, 12 tall at center x 16.5 deep, according to the USPS. Each new mailbox should fit on top of most standard posts. For more information on these big mailboxes or on how to install them, click here. Inglett said the USPS is also posting a few other recommendations in light of Mailbox Improvement Week. These include: Replacing loose hinges on mailbox doors. Repainting mailboxes that may have rusted or has started to peel. Remounting loosened mailbox posts. Replacing or adding house numbers to ensure the USPS can properly identify homes. Orange maggots swarm into northeast Kansas farm fields 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. Renee Pinkney, president of the Utah Education Association speaks at a news conference after filing a lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship program at the Scott Matheson Third District Courthouse in Salt Lake City on May 29, 2024 (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch) Two parents, a public school teacher and a Utah State Board of Education member have joined Utahs largest teacher union in a lawsuit against the state, asking a judge to declare Utahs newly implemented school choice program unconstitutional. The Utah Education Association held a news conference in Salt Lake City on Wednesday outside the Scott Matheson Third District Courthouse, where the group filed the lawsuit that morning. The suit challenges the states new Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, which the Utah Legislature created in 2023 with HB215, initially using over $42.5 million in ongoing income tax revenue, then nearly doubled that ongoing funding earlier this year by adding an additional $40 million. In total, the program uses about $82.5 million in taxpayer funding a year. The Utah Fits All Scholarship program which its proponents prefer to call a school choice or scholarship program rather than a school voucher program was implemented this year and began providing up to $8,000 to eligible Utah K-12 students for education expenses including private school tuition and fees, homeschooling, tutoring services, testing fees, materials, and other expenses. The lawsuit comes as no surprise, as UEA ardently opposed the creation of the program in 2023, decrying the Utah Legislatures Republican supermajority tactic of coupling the program with pay raises for teachers. Utah already spends less on public school students than nearly every other state, said UEA President Renee Pinkney, noting Utah has long lagged behind other states when it comes to per-pupil spending, historically ranking last in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Though in 2021 Utah moved up a slot, to 50th in the nation, when it outpaced Idaho. The voucher program diverts funds from already underfunded public schools, where 90% of our children learn, and places vulnerable students at risk by stripping away protections and accountability, Pinkney said. This alarming situation should raise serious concerns about the future of public education in Utah. The suit asks 3rd District Court Judge Laura Scott to declare the Utah Fits All program violates the Utah Constitution and permanently enjoin the state from implementing, administering and enforcing it. 240529 UT Voucher Complaint (Final) Utah Fits All creators defend program, say Legislature is committed to public education The Utah Fits All Scholarship programs creators Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, and Sen. Kirk Cullimor, R-Sandy have argued the program gives parents more flexibility, choice and resources when it comes to personalizing their kids education. It is disappointing that the UEA is putting politics above meeting students and teachers needs, Cullimore said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday. Im confident in the constitutionality of this program, as it does not take away money from public education and ensures Utah schools continue to receive the same funding per student. By having a scholarship program, were investing in the future of every child to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances. Lets focus on the real impact this scholarship can have on the lives of our children instead of political differences. Pierucci also issued a prepared statement defending the program. Every parent knows that when it comes to education, one size does not fit all. The Utah Fits All Scholarship was designed so every student regardless of their zip code, wealth, and abilities has the opportunity to learn in a way that makes sense for them, she said. I stand by this program and the policy decision to give parents more education options, and will continue to advocate for individualized learning and this programs success. Pierucci has argued in recent years the Utah Legislature has made historic investments in Utahs K-12 education system and will continue to do so. She also attacked the UEA. The unions scarcity mentality, and unwillingness to prioritize Utah children, shows just how out of touch they are with Utah parents and students, she said. Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, also issued a statement defending the Utah Legislature when it comes to public education spending. Our commitment to public education is clear: from 2014 to 2024, Utah state education funds increased by $2.5 billion, a 94.7% increase, Adams said, while adding that the COVID-19 pandemic showed parents needed more options for their kids. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The Utah Fits All Scholarship expands education opportunities to include additional educational paths for parents to use their taxpayer money to select what is best for their kids, Adams said. The scholarship program is a transformative step toward providing comprehensive educational opportunities for all Utah students. School choice emphasizes parental empowerment, the recognition of diverse learning needs and the importance of providing opportunities for every child to thrive academically. Supporting this scholarship means advocating for a future where educational choice is a right, not a privilege. Adams said Utah has some of the finest public schools and most dedicated teachers in the nation, and the Utah Legislature remains dedicated to providing our public education institutions with the utmost support. However, he continued, our goal is not only to ensure the overall success of schools; its also about guaranteeing that every child has the opportunity to thrive. The Utah Fits All Scholarship Program empowers kids who might struggle in traditional academic settings by providing them with the resources they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. The argument against using state dollars for school choice The programs opponents argue it strips away taxpayer money from Utahs public school system and pumps it toward a program that lacks transparency, accountability and fairness. You cant fund two systems when you already have an underfunded public school system, and public dollars should stay with public schools, Pinkney said. We know kids that attend private schools are doing so because their parents, likely, already have the resources in order to send them to those private schools, and we dont believe siphoning public dollars for private schools is in the best interest of our public education system. Along with UEA, four other plaintiffs have joined the lawsuit: Kevin Labresh, a public school psychologist in Davis County whose son receives special education services; Terra Cooper, a parent of two children attending a school in Davis School District; Amy Barton, a Washington County resident and public school teacher of 27 years; and Carol Lear, a member of the Utah State Board of Education. Labresh told Utah News Dispatch his 6-year-old son receives special education services through Davis School District, which he said has helped him deal with a lot of behavioral and emotional challenges. I worry (about) kids like my son and the other (special needs) students theyre going to be disproportionately harmed by the voucher program because they dont have the same protections in private settings that they would have with the public school, said Labresh, who joined in the announcement of the lawsuit on the courthouse steps. The support and the training arent always there to help deal with those behaviors and at those specialized issues. So its an issue of equity and access. Labresh said he also worries about the impact of the program on rural students since they dont have the same opportunities for private programs that students (along the Wasatch Front) might. He also worries that the program lacks fairness for lower-income Utahns. While he acknowledged that the Utah Fits All Scholarship program does include some prioritization for lower-income families, when you look at the numbers, like the amount of the scholarship versus tuition at a lot of private settings, theyre still having to pay several thousand dollars out of pocket. For families living paycheck to paycheck, the numbers just dont work out, he said, so again its an issue of equity and access. The lawsuit states private school tuition in Utah averaged $10,000 in the 2022-2023 school year. Even with an $8,000 scholarship through the program, the suit states average families participating in the voucher program can expect to pay several thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. When you start to peel apart all those different layers, I feel Utah Fits All becomes Utah fits the privileged few, he said. I have a lot of concerns with that, with more money being taken out of public education. Lear, a Democrat from Salt Lake City who has been an elected member of the Utah State Board of Education since 2016, said shes been opposed to the idea of school vouchers for almost 20 years. I object to the fact that they take money away from public education, she said. I want children to be able to enroll in a school and not be selected for a school. And I also think this particular voucher bill has less accountability than any weve seen in the last 20 years in Utah. Lear said her biggest problem with the program is it strips control from the State Board of Education, which the (Utah) Constitution says should have general control and supervision of public education. Carol Lear, member of the Utah State Board of Education, speaks at a news conference after filing a lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship program at the Scott Matheson Third District Courthouse in Salt Lake City on May 29, 2024 (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch) The lawsuit alleges the program violates state constitutional requirements because it diverts income tax revenues to fund private schools that are (1) not free, (2) not open to all students, and (3) not controlled and supervised by the State Board of Education. The suit also says the program doesnt require qualifying providers to provide sound, basic education, satisfy any academic standards, or prepare students for higher education or the workforce. They may instruct students in pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, or nothing at all, the lawsuit states. Additionally, the suit alleges the program includes a broad and explicit license to discriminate: a qualifying provider cannot be required to alter its creed, practices, admissions policies, hiring practices, or curricula as a condition of receiving public voucher funds. Qualifying providers must only refrain from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin, the lawsuit states. They are not prohibited from discriminating on any other basis they choose, including religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation. The program also lacks fiscal accountability, the lawsuit argues, noting that while public schools are subject to extensive financial reporting requirements, the programs qualifying providers are required to submit only the most cursory information to the private programs manager. The fight over Utahs constitutional requirement to spend income tax dollars on education The debate over Utah Fits All also comes at a time when voters have a crucial decision ahead of them when it comes to Utahs constitutional budgetary constraints and public education. Utahs Constitution has historically required the states income tax revenue be used only for public education, though that constitutional earmark has been loosened twice, including in 1996 to allow income tax revenue to be spent on public higher education, and in 2020 to open income tax dollars to social services for children and people with disabilities. On this years November ballot, Utah voters are set to consider another constitutional amendment to remove that education earmark to provide more flexibility for state spending something Republican legislative leaders have long considered a way to help address a budgetary structural imbalance between sales tax and income tax revenue. In another coupling strategy, the Utah Legislature put the constitutional amendment removing Utahs education earmark on the 2024 ballot while dangling a carrot. If voters approve the amendment, theyll also allow a $200 million tax cut to take place by removing the states portion of sales tax on food, which advocates for low-income Utahns have long sought. That tax cut, however, is contingent on the constitutional amendment passing at the polls. The UEA has opposed that constitutional amendment, concerned it would jeopardize future education dollars. Utahs Republican legislative leaders have argued removing that earmark will not change their commitment to public education, but provide needed budgetary flexibility. Pinkney alluded to that issue during Wednesdays press conference, saying UEA will continue to fight for a future where every child has access to high quality, public education. If you oppose vouchers, you oppose the constitutional amendment on the November ballot, she said. Asked about the timing of the lawsuit and why its come now even though the Utah Fits All program was created in 2023 and has already been implemented Pinkney said the teacher union was exploring all of our options. We did a very thorough job in making sure that we have an airtight case, she said. Time will tell what comes of the case. The plaintiffs are also considering filing a motion for a preliminary injunction, or a motion for a temporary restraining order to attempt to stop the program in its tracks while the case is litigated, a UEA spokesperson said in an email to Utah News Dispatch. We are still considering our next best steps, she said. Contributing: Alixel Cabrera The post Utahs largest teacher union files lawsuit against Utah Fits All school choice voucher program appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. By Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) - The head of the Vatican office that disciplines predator priests on Tuesday called on bishops across the world to report all suspect child abuse cases to him in order "to clean up this situation". The Roman Catholic Church has for decades been shaken by scandals across the world involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, damaging its credibility and costing hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. "I want all cases brought to light, so that the Church can be transparent," said Father John Joseph Kennedy, an Irish cleric and head of the disciplinary section of the Vatican's doctrinal office (DDF). "I worry for the countries and the bishops who are not sending us the cases. It would be better to have a truck arrive in front of (our office) with all the cases, we get to work and clean up this situation," he told reporters. He did not say which nations or dioceses he suspected were failing to report. Kennedy, who rarely speaks to the press or appears in public, belongs to a secretive institution criticised for its lack of transparency. He acknowledged the problem and hinted at changes "in the not distant future". Victims of abusive priests, for example, routinely complain that they are not informed about the investigations. Kennedy, who works under Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, head of the DDF and one of Pope Francis' closest aides, said about 77% of cases that are reported to his office involved child abuse. He was addressing journalists on the sidelines of a conference in Rome on child sex abuse in Italy, a country where bishops have been slower than elsewhere in Europe to respond to scandals. Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, have pledged "zero tolerance" against child abuse, but critics say reforms introduced so far have not been enough to root out abusive clergy and help their victims. (Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Nick Macfie) (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela withdrew an invitation to European Union election monitors, reducing the chances that the international community will accept the results of the upcoming presidential election in July. Most Read from Bloomberg The National Electoral Council cited the EUs sanctions on some Venezuelan officials in its decision. It would be immoral to allow their participation knowing their neocolonialist and interventionist practices against Venezuela, the CNEs president Elvis Amoroso said Tuesday. The EU later called on Venezuelas electoral council to reconsider its decision. The Venezuelan people should be able to choose their next president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international observation, including that of the EU, the group said Tuesday evening in a statement. The government of President Nicolas Maduro wants the vote to have international acceptance to get US sanctions lifted and boost trade and investment. Venezuelas decision comes two weeks after the Venezuelan National Assembly proposed to withdraw the invitation to the EU to observe the vote as a response to the groups temporary suspension of some but not all sanctions on Venezuelan officials. The CNE ratified the invitations to other observation missions from groups such as the Carter Center and the United Nations. It remains uncertain if they will accept, if the EU is not allowed to participate. Credible international observation will be crucial to the legitimacy of the July 28 elections, which have already faced criticism after Maduro blocked his main opposition rival from joining the race. Their participation was part of a series of electoral guarantees agreed to between Venezuelas political factions in October. The EUs last electoral observation mission in Venezuela took place in 2021, with a preliminary report flagging shortcomings and irregularities in the vote. The Maduro government dismissed its findings, accused the monitors of being spies, and expelled them ahead of their scheduled departure. Tensions resurfaced in mid-2023, when the European Parliament condemned a first disqualification to the oppositions most popular leader, Maria Corina Machado. --With assistance from Fabiola Zerpa. (Updates with EUs comments starting fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Poll workers count ballots in the Venezuelan opposition's primary elections, which will select a candidate to challenge President Nicolas Maduro in next year's presidential election. Jesus Vargas/dpa Venezuela on Tuesday disinvited the EU observer mission from its presidential election in July, calling for sanctions to be lifted. Elvis Amoroso, the head of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) on Tuesday demanded that "the EU proceed to the total lifting of the unilateral and genocidal coercive sanctions imposed on our people and to cease its hostile position against Venezuela." EU representatives are not welcome in the South American country, Amoroso said. The CNE had taken this decision on the basis of "its sovereignty" and taking into account the "incalculable financial damage" caused to people by the sanctions. In addition, these punitive measures affected "the health of children and the elderly," he said. The EU introduced sanctions against Venezuela in 2017. The measures include an "embargo on arms and on equipment for internal repression" and "a travel ban and an asset freeze on 54 officials responsible for human rights violations as well as for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela," according to Brussels. The CNE's announcement came around two weeks after the EU temporarily lifted sanctions against four officials linked to the electoral authority, including Amoroso. However, the Venezuelan government and Amoroso rejected the measure, saying it was not enough and calling for all sanctions to be lifted. In the July 28 election, President Nicolas Maduro is seeking to secure his third term in office. He is running against long-time diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia from the opposition alliance Unidad Venezuela. Urrutia was nominated as a replacement candidate for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has been banned from office. Critics believe the election will be neither free nor fair. Venezuela has been in a severe political and economic crisis for years. More than 7 million people have left the country in recent years due to poverty and violence, most to Colombia, according to United Nation figures. TUNIS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian maritime guard managed to rescue 17 illegal migrants off the country's southeast coast, while four others are still missing, said the Tunisian National Guard on Wednesday. "The illegal migrants were rescued from a sinking boat two days ago, off the coast of Sfax province," the guard said in a statement on its Facebook account. The statement didn't specify the total number of those who tried to cross the Mediterranean illegally toward the Italian island of Lampedusa, adding that the organizer of the trip was arrested. The search for the missing is still underway. Tunisia, located in the central Mediterranean, is one of the main departure points for migrants seeking irregular entry into Europe. Despite the strict measures taken by the Tunisian authorities, illegal migration from the Tunisian coast has been on the rise. Creating fresh doubts about the fairness and transparency of coming elections in Venezuela, the Nicolas Maduro regime this week decided to bar 100 observers from the European Union from monitoring the upcoming presidential vote, in a contest so clearly leaning in favor of the opposition that few believe the Venezuelan strongman can win without cheating. The decision leaves the election set for July 28 with little in the way of independent monitoring. Most of the international observers that have so far been approved by the government-controlled National Electorate Council belong to groups that in the past have expressed some affinity for the socialist government in Caracas or have expressed fewer criticisms. A possible exception is the U.S. based Carter Center, which is still on the list of observers that will be allowed to monitor the election. Responding to the Venezuelan governments announcement, the European Union said it deeply regrets Caracas decision The Venezuelan people should be able to elect their president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international observation, including that of the European Union, which has a long and distinguished record of independent and impartial observation, the EU said in a press release posted on social media. The Venezuelan governments decision was announced Tuesday amid fresh evidence of the surging popularity of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who in a poll published on Tuesday by polling firm Meganalisis has a 50-point lead over Maduro, 61% to 10%. The Venezuelan regime has been accused repeatedly of committing fraud during elections given the lack of independent controls inside the electoral council. More than 50 countries, led by the United States, declared the Caracas government as illegitimate after concluding that Maduro committed fraud in the 2018 presidential election. The socialist regime, which disqualified the candidacy of popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, had allowed Gonzalez to compete, betting that the unpopular Maduro would have a better chance of defeating someone who at the time was a little known former diplomat. The situation quickly changed, however, after Machado and other opposition leaders united to back Gonzalez, who immediately became the elections front runner. His original 20-point lead kept growing in the following days as the public became more familiar with Gonzalez. The popularity gap between the two candidates has been easy to see at street level in recent days. While the rallies held by Gonzalez and Machado in different parts of the country have brought together tens of thousands of followers, the few gatherings held by Maduro under strict security measures have attracted just a few dozen supporters. Gonzalezs campaign said that the decision to ban EU observers diminishes the chances for holding a fair and transparent election, but stressed that it would not keep Venezuelans from expressing their desire for change at the polls. This decision will not prevent what we all know will happen on July 28, which is the resounding victory of change represented by the Unity candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the opposition movement said in a statement. The regime resorts to this to avoid submitting to qualified international observation, the campaign said, adding that it wont keep Venezuelans from voting. So far, the bulk of the observers accepted by the goverment-controlled electoral council to groups that in the past have shown sympathy towards the socialist government. They include representatives of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, an organization promoted by the late Hugo Chavez to counterbalance the Organization of American States; the Inter-American Union of Electoral Bodies and the bloc of Caribbean nations known as CARICOM. Insights from Efecto Cocuyo, The New York Times, Americas Quarterly, and El Tiempo The News Venezuela revoked its invitation for European Union election observers to attend the countrys presidential election in July, triggering new concerns over the likelihood of a free and fair vote. The head of the National Electoral Council, who El Pais reported is a close ally of current President Nicolas Maduro, cited EU economic sanctions as the reason for the withdrawal, accusing the bloc of neocolonialist and interventionist practices against Venezuela. The EU, along with the US, imposed the sanctions in response to a government crackdown against the opposition as Maduro seeks his third consecutive term. He is widely expected to lose the polls should free elections be permitted. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Theres a narrow door of opportunity for Venezuela Source: Efecto Cocuyo, The New York Times The United States left open a narrow door of opportunity even as it announced new sanctions against Venezuela in April, political analyst Maria Veronica Torres told Efecto Cocuyo. While Washington sought to punish Maduros curbs on the opposition, it offered an avenue for some US companies to continue operating in Venezuela on a case-by-case basis, like in the case of Chevron. Its a scenario that seeks a better positioning from Maduro and a way to calm the waters, Torres said. Sanctions have been devastating for Venezuela, but they havent been good for the US either: The restrictions have pushed Caracas closer to Russia and China, and are partially responsible for the migrant crisis at the US border, the New York Times columnist Farah Stockman wrote. Widespread uncertainty surrounds the election Source: Americas Quarterly, El Tiempo Political uncertainty continues to roil both factions, according to political experts. Part of the trouble lies in an electoral system where the winner takes all and there are no guarantees for the losers, Michael Penfold wrote in Americas Quarterly. The incentives to hold free and fair elections are currently close to nil, he said. The opposition coalition fears a new ban on its candidate or that the election will be postponed, and that if they lose, they could end up being completely wiped out from the political landscape. Maduros Chavismo party, on the other hand, fears political persecution in the face of a defeat. Some doubt remains if the election will take place at all: In Venezuelas everything is possible. Anything could happen, political analyst Ramon Muchacho told El Tiempo. FORT MORGAN, Colo. (KDVR) Jenny Kain takes great pride in decorating her grandfathers gravesite for Memorial Day at the Fort Morgan Cemetery. She says Dale Latoski was a soldier in World War II. Its important to me that he is remembered for what he did, Kain said. She and her family placed flowers, flags and other decorations around the grave on Monday and were shocked to learn that his grave was vandalized hours later. Everything was broken. Pots were busted and shattered, and flowers torn up everywhere, she said. I just fell apart. Fort Logan National Cemetery honors the fallen for Memorial Day At least seven other graves were desecrated. Fort Morgan Police arrested 27-year-old Michelle Morgan, who was found in the area, on suspicion of criminal mischief and desecration of a venerated object. She didnt only do it to us. She did it to so many other people, and I mean I just guess I will never understand why somebody would want to do that, Kain said. Fort Morgan Police Chief Loren Sharp said about $5,000 in damage was done. Several pots that are often left at the tombstones were broken and then moved to another area of the cemetery. At this point we dont know where all of them came from, Sharp said. Its horrible to see something like that happen at any time, this is a place where people go for their final resting place, but especially on Memorial Day when so many families are out there seeing it and having to deal with that. Its a horrible tragedy. Sharp said anyone whose familys gravesite is missing any items at Fort Morgan Cemetery should let the cemeterys administration know. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Victim in deadly shooting on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach was trying to break up argument, warrants show MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) A Columbia man shot and killed Saturday night in Myrtle Beach was trying to break up an argument between two other people, warrants show. Cedric Reddick, 30, died at 10:45 p.m. from multiple traumatic gunshot injuries after he was shot in the 2300 block of Ocean Boulevard Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said. The alleged gunman, Anthony Maurice Garner, 44, of Albermarle, North Carolina is facing charges of murder and possession of a deadly weapon during a violent crime. He remains in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Police said the incident stemmed from a road rage confrontation between Garner and an associate of Reddicks who hit Garner in the face at some point during the fight. Garner then pulled a gun out from his car and fired, striking Reddick. It wasnt the first time the Grand Strand has seen shootings during one of the citys busiest weekends of the year. In 2014, Sandy Gaddis Barnwell was shot and killed along Ocean Boulevard during Memorial Day weekend in a case that remains unsolved. In 2021, two people were injured across the region during the holiday. In January, Anthony Griffin, 20, was handed a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to assault and battery stemming from a 2020 gang-related shooting on Ocean Boulevard. In another incident, a suspect captured in a 2023 shooting in the same area that went viral on social media was later denied bond. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Former El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez has claimed an apparent victory in the Democratic primary runoff election for the Texas House District 77 seat. In a low turnout race, Perez garnered 4,853 votes (64%) compared to 2,742 (36%) for his opponent, former state Rep. Norma Chavez, according to the third round of election night results from the El Paso County Elections Department. With no Republican standing in the way on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot, Perez has essentially claimed the seat. "I'm just immensely grateful to the voters," he said during an election night watch party at Old Sheepdog Brewery in Central El Paso. "This was really quite the campaign ... people were receptive and heard our message." Former County Commissioner Vince Perez holds a press conference announcing his bid to replace outgoing state Rep. Lina Ortega on Sept. 21, 2023, at Tom Lea Park in El Paso. Super Tuesday saw the two candidates topple former El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello and businessman Homer Reza to advance to the May runoff. Perez's election caps off a somewhat contentious campaign between he and Chavez, who pulled no punches in campaign mailers that filled local mailboxes over the last few weeks where Chavez's camp targeted Perez's five votes to raise Commissioners Court salaries, Perez's team took aim at Chavez's tarnished legislative record. With no race left to run, Perez is focused on the start of the next Texas legislative session, which kicks off in January. "This is an opportunity for us to prepare for the legislative session, which starts in January," he said. "We're lucky we don't have a November General Election, so it's time to really dig into the issues that really face El Paso. We really want to dive into those state issues." Top on that list is addressing education, Perez said, and that means better pay for teachers, higher per-pupil spending and a focus on college-ready standards. "The things that we're talking about, the solutions we're talking about, are not unachievable goals," he said. "We just need to give our school districts, our teachers, our students, the tools they need." This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Vince Perez topples Norma Chavez in Texas House District 77 contest 'Wait and see': Marion City Council member charged with rape continues to sit on council A Marion City Council member appeared at a council meeting Tuesday night for the first time since his arrest on charges of forcibly raping a 13-year-old girl but not one word about the criminal case was raised by other council members or the public during the meeting. Ayers Ratliff, a Democrat first elected to city council in 2005, was arrested May 20 after the teen girl told police Ratliff had raped her the night before. He is currently free on a $500,000 bond and will next appear in court Thursday morning for a preliminary hearing. Marion City Councilman Ayers Ratliff speaks during a council meeting in this 2021 Marion Star file photo. Members of the public who spoke during Tuesday's meeting commented on matters such as the city's choice of vendor for financial services and an ordinance that could place a six-month moratorium on recreational marijuana vendors opening in the city. For its part, council conducted city business as usual. "I guess it's just a matter of wait and see," Mayor Bill Collins told The Dispatch following the meeting when asked about Ratliff's position, adding that a decision to remove Ratliff would likely have to be made by council. Council president Mary Stoneburner told The Dispatch after the meeting that she was not aware of any discussions about removing Ratliff from council, and that such action before a criminal conviction "would probably be premature." "He's entitled to due process," Stoneburner said. She could not say how a city council member would hypothetically be removed from office, forwarding further questions on that matter to the city law director. Ratliff's position can currently only be vacated if Ratliff himself resigned, Councilman Jason Schaber told The Dispatch after the meeting. If Ratliff were convicted, Schaber said he could be removed by the State of Ohio. Immediately after Ratliffs arrest, Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan put out a video statement vowing to treat Ratliff like any other defendant despite his political status. But the city government remained silent then on Ratliffs future as a city council member. The Dispatch contacted several members of the city government following Ratliff's arrest, including Mayor Collins, Council President Stoneburner, numerous city council members and Law Director Mark Russell, asking if any action would be taken against Ratliff. None returned the phone calls or voicemails, and the city has not put out any public statement about Ratliff. Tuesday's City Council meeting began like any other, with a prayer by a local pastor. Council members discussed repairs to city hall, entering an agreement with Veritas Solutions Group for financial services and other matters of city busines. Ratliff voted on each ordinance. The council also read an ordinance that would place a six-month moratorium on recreational marijuana dispensaries, cultivators or processors within the City of Marion. In a phone interview a day after the arrest, Rocky Ratliff, a cousin and attorney to Councilman Ratliff, said the allegations against his cousin are false, and accused county Prosecutor Grogan of filing the charges with insufficient evidence and political motivations. He said Ayers Ratliff and his legal team would seek to hold on to his council seat. Rocky Ratliff also identified the girl to a Dispatch reporter and called her a troubled teen. The Dispatch does not identify rape victims. A judge overseeing the case ruled that some documents filed by attorneys for Ratliff be redacted because an identifying detail about the girl was included in those, which were accessible to the public online. The girl underwent a sexual assault examination at a local hospital, and clothing with evidence of bodily fluids was recovered from Ratliffs house when a search warrant was carried out on the premises, according to court records. bagallion@dispatch.com This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: No mention at Marion City Council meeting of councilman's rape charges Wall Township Police Department shield. FREEHOLD A 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in Wall after he attacked his girlfriend with a machete outside a local apartment complex, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said on Tuesday. Alex J. Williams, 24, who also lives in Wall, was charged with one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. The child endangerment charge stems from the victims child being in the general proximity of the attack when it occurred, all according to a statement from the Prosecutors Office. At about 9:22 a.m. on Thursday, officers from the Wall Police Department responded to a report of an incident in the parking lot of the Glen Oaks Apartment Complex near Allenwood Road, according to the statement. Local court news: Christopher Gregor trial: Dad won't testify at trial in son Corey Micciolo's death A female victim was found suffering from multiple injuries that were significant in nature, said Chris Swendeman, a spokesman for the Prosecutors Office. She was rushed to a local hospital and remains in critical condition, Swendeman said. Panic on the boardwalk: How did Memorial Day weekend end in Seaside Heights? The Major Crimes Bureau of the Prosecutors Office and the Wall Township Police Department have determined that Williams repeatedly physically assaulted the victim with a machete, causing the injuries. Williams was arrested without incident and taken to the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold Township, pending a detention hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, in state Superior Court in Freehold before Judge Richard W. English. This case is being supervised by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Cummings of the Major Crimes Bureau. No information was available on who was representing Williams. Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Wall NJ man attacks girlfriend with machete: authorities NAIROBI, May 29(Xinhua) -- Experts gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday to discuss strategies for enhancing domestic revenue mobilization through effective tax measures in Africa. The three-day 9th Africa Tax Symposium 2024 has brought together over 200 delegates, including African tax administrators and development partners, to address critical tax issues such as revenues from cross-border trade. Humphrey Wattanga Mulongo, commissioner general of Kenya Revenue Authority, urged African countries to modernize their tax administrations and revenue collections despite facing challenges such as informality, governance deficits, and illicit financial flows. "Embracing technologies like data analytics, and blockchain can improve tax administration operations, compliance, and service delivery. Digitizing tax systems can streamline processes and enhance taxpayer services," Wattanga added. He also called on African tax administrations to protect taxpayer rights, uphold integrity, fairness, and accountability while serving them, and provide access to effective dispute-resolution mechanisms. Emily Muyaa, chief of capacity development unit at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs-Financing for Sustainable Development Office (UNDESA-FSDO), urged African tax administrations to implement effective reforms to address revenue losses and create a fair competitive environment for domestic businesses. Mary Baine, deputy executive secretary and head of strategy, planning and international cooperation at African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), said that enhancing regional collaboration and harmonizing tax policies is crucial for Africa's tax future, noting that Africa's voice is becoming more significant in international tax policy debates. Baine urged African countries to prioritize their interests and priorities on a global scale, advocate for fair and equitable tax systems, combat tax evasion, and promote global tax cooperation. A wanted man who led authorities on a high-speed chase through Bellingham remains at large Authorities chased a wanted man through the streets of Bellingham on Friday morning in a pursuit that involved multiple law enforcement vehicles. The suspect escaped and remains at large. Joel Pilgrim, 41, is wanted by Alaska State Troopers. Local authorities suspect Pilgrim took the ferry to Bellingham, according to Megan Peters with the Bellingham Police Department. Pilgrim was spotted getting into a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer at a grocery store in Fairhaven on Friday morning. Police made attempts to contact the vehicle, but the driver declined to pull over and began to elude officers at high speeds, Peters said. The pursuit continued toward Interstate 5, where Washington State Patrol declined to continue the chase, according to Peters. Pilgrim remains out of police custody, according to Austin McDaniel, communications director with the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Pilgrim has a warrant in Alaska for escape in the third degree, McDaniel said. Pilgrim was originally in police custody regarding a domestic violence assault, according to Peters. Alaska state law states: One commits the crime of escape in the third degree if one, while under official detention for a misdemeanor, removes, tampers with, or disables the electronic monitoring equipment. War in Gaza could last another seven months, Israel warns The war in Gaza will likely continue through at least the end of the year, an Israeli official warned Wednesday, seeming to dismiss the idea that fighting would end after the military offensive against Hamas in Rafah. Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said the year 2024 has been defined as a year of combat by Israels war cabinet. We are now in the fifth month of 2024, which means we expect another seven months of fighting to deepen our achievements and achieve our goal of destroying the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Hanegbi said. The comments came as Israeli tanks seen Tuesday in central Rafah for the first time since the operation began earlier this month continued to probe the southern Gaza city on Wednesday, despite mounting global pressure to stop the offensive. The Israeli government had previously signaled that entering Rafah would be the final stage of its war against Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 people hostage. In response, Israel launched a devastating offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 36,000 people, according to Palestinian officials. Despite the prospect earlier this month of striking a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, the more extreme wing of Israels war cabinet had urged that the Rafah offensive go ahead, arguing that destroying the group was more urgent and of greater importance than returning the hostages believed to still be alive in Gaza. But Hanegbis comments suggest that the Rafah operation may not mark the end of hostilities, raising questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plans to wind down Israels campaign and his plans for the post-war governance of Gaza. While Netanyahu has portrayed Rafah as Hamas last bastion his forces have been operating in northern areas the military previously said it dismantled the militants command structure. In a radio interview on the Israeli station Reshet Bet, Hanegbi said it was honestly stated in the first days of presenting the plans to the cabinet that the war would be long. You need to have patience and know how to stand strong. This resilience is what has allowed this nation to survive for 75 years, and even for 3,000 years before that. Just dont use a stopwatch on ourselves or set ultimatums, he said. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on a displacement camp in Rafah on Sunday. - Reuters TV/Reuters Israel is pressing ahead with its military offensive in the face of growing global outrage, after an Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least 45 people and injured 200 others in Rafah at a camp for displaced people, which Israel had designated as a safe zone. Video from the Tal al-Sultan camp showed scenes of horror: charred bodies being pulled from the rubble, a man holding the headless body of a child, fire raging from tents in the background. A CNN analysis of video from the scene suggests that munitions made in the United States were used in the strike. But US President Joe Biden is not altering his policy towards Israel, suggesting the strike on Rafah had not yet crossed a red line that would force changes in American support, despite him telling CNN earlier this month he would not allow certain US weapons to be used in a major offensive in Rafah. The strike came days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah, or any actions which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. The ICJ said the humanitarian situation in Rafah can now be described as disastrous and could worsen still if Israels operation in the city continues. CNNs Allegra Goodwin, Avery Schmitz and Kathleen Magramo contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is declining to criticize his alma maters decision to divest from Israel and from other companies involved in Israels war in Gaza, despite serving on the schools board of trustees. The school, which has a partnership with Columbia University, announced earlier this month that its trustees had voted to implement a divestment plan through the boards investment committee. Our screens already prevent investments in armaments, weapons, and defense manufacturers, as well as companies that participate in human rights violations. Managing our endowment in a manner that actively seeks the good and leverages our resources to reduce harm is an ongoing process, and we will remain committed to these principles into the future, the trustees said at the time. The trustees said that they had been working on this decision since November of 2023, one month after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks against Israel. Warnock earned both his masters degree and his doctorate at the Union Theological Seminary, graduating with honors in 2006. He joined the board of trustees in the late 2010s, though he hasnt actively attended meetings or participated in votes in recent years. Reached at the Capitol last week by Jewish Insider, Warnock denied being a trustee despite him still being listed on the schools website as a member. An addendum to Warnocks listing on the site was added after JIs request for comment, with the senator now being described as on an indefinite leave of absence. Warnocks office did not respond to JIs numerous requests for comment about whether he supported the schools decision, which came after anti-Israel encampments took over Columbias campus for weeks, resulting in a number of violent and antisemitic demonstrations, some of which were directly aimed at Jewish students. For his part, Warnock has been critical of Israels war in Gaza while condemning Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack. He has signed on to or led multiple statements calling for a cease-fire paired with the release of the hostages. The Georgia senator, who also serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, was confronted by a group of anti-Israel protesters while delivering a sermon in March. The group was seen wearing matching shirts that read Stop Arming Israel as they quietly stood up and exited the church during Warnocks sermon. I want to thank God for the students and the young folk. I wish theyd hang out, so we could talk after church. Let them know that theyre welcome to stay. Lets talk after church, Warnock said as the protesters left. Reached by JI for this story, a representative for the school pointed to its initial statement on the divestment, which said, To be clear, as we take these actions, we remain unequivocal in our denouncement of the horrific killing by Hamas of Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, and call for the immediate release of all hostages. With respect to both Palestine and Israel, we affirm their right to secure existence and self-determination. View comments (FOX40.COM) The search continues for a Washington man that went missing along the Feather River on Sunday while kayaking, according to the Butte County Sheriffs Office. Jason Stingl, 43, of Redmond, Washington was finishing a kayaking trip with a group when he slipped on a rock and fell into the water. Police search for missing Northern California man last seen on Harley Davidson The sheriffs office say that he fell between Kellog Ravine and Devils Canyon along the Middle Fork of the Feather River in a remote area of Butte County. Stingl is described as a white male adult, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. The sheriffs office has continued their search effort with the assistance of their helicopter and ask anyone with information about Stingl to call 530-538-7322. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Washington Post said it had the Alito flag story 3 years ago and chose not to publish FILE - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito pauses after swearing in Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense during a ceremony with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, July 23, 2019. Nine days after The New York Times reported about the political symbolism of an upside-down American flag that flew at U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home, the Washington Post acknowledged May 25, 2024, that it had the same story more than three years ago and decided not to publish it. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) NEW YORK (AP) Nine days after The New York Times reported about the political symbolism of an upside-down American flag that flew at U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home, the Washington Post acknowledged it had the same story more than three years ago and decided not to publish it. The Post's story was both an extraordinary example of journalistic introspection and an illustration of how coverage of the Supreme Court has changed since the incident itself, shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. That day, some of the demonstrators who marched in support of former President Donald Trump carried the upside-down flag. Both newspapers reported that the same symbol was displayed outside of Alito's home in Fairfax County, Virginia, before President Joe Biden's inauguration. Alito has said that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, raised the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors who had placed personally insulting yard signs directed at them. Judges traditionally avoid partisan symbols to maintain the appearance of neutrality in political disputes that may come before them. For journalists, it raises a question: Should public officials' families be held to the same standards as the officials themselves? A SURPRISING ADMISSION FROM THE POST The Times, in its story that ran on May 16, said it had recently obtained photographs of the flag that flew outside of the Alito home. The Post, in its own story Saturday, said that it had been told of the story in January 2021 and investigated, choosing not to write about it because it appeared Alito's wife was responsible and that it was not clear the neighborhood argument was over politics. In one sense, the Post storys appearance on Saturday could be seen as an acknowledgment that the Post should have handled it differently in 2021; the newspaper's current executive editor, Sally Buzbee, wasnt at the paper when the original decision was made. Or was the story simply an explanation of what happened, without passing judgment? Would it have appeared if the Posts competitors in New York hadnt reported on the incident first? It was a surprising admission from such a major news organization, said Jesse Holland, associate dean of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, and a former journalist who covered the Supreme Court for five years. Very, very rarely do you have a major news organization say they likely would have made a different decision. Nowhere in the story, however, does the Post say that its decision more than three years ago was wrong, and a spokesperson on Tuesday declined to elaborate. A FORMER SENIOR EDITOR SAYS IT WAS HIS CALL The publication Semafor reported that Cameron Barr, the Posts senior managing editor during the fraught presidential transition, said he took responsibility for the decision. He said he suggested the newspaper write about the neighborhood dispute, with the flag as one element. But that wasnt done and Barr expressed regret for not pushing harder for it. Barr left the Post in 2023. Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin, said the original decision was a bad call. And, she added, if she were at the Post now she would have argued for the paper to be more forthcoming. While Martha-Ann Alito has the right to her own opinions, a flag like that shouldn't be on display outside the home of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Culver said. It's a flag that flies in the face of the neutrality that the Supreme Court is supposed to be observing, she said. When a since-retired Post reporter visited the Alito home in January 2021, after the flag had been taken down, Martha-Ann Alito pointed out that an upside-down flag has long been interpreted as a symbol of distress, the newspaper said. SHOULD AN OFFICIAL HAVE TO ANSWER FOR HIS FAMILY? Holland, who covered the Supreme Court for The Associated Press, said he could understand a decision being made that the action of a government official's wife is not news. One of the things we try not to do is convict a person for their spouse's action, he said. And if this was the action of Sam Alito's wife, should we hold him accountable for something that his wife did? Alito, asserting in a letter to Congress on Wednesday that he would not recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 attack, said his wife is responsible for flying flags at their homes. The justice said he asked her to remove the upside-down American flag, but for several days she refused. My wife is an independently minded private citizen, Alito wrote. She makes her own decisions, and I honor her right to do so. A longtime court reporter may have concluded that writing it was not worth alienating someone so important on the beat, he said. Yet Martha-Ann Alito has now attracted attention for opinions related to the 2020 election in much the same way as Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginny Thomas. Both men are in the position of helping to decide cases that involve the election's aftermath. Martha-Ann Alito has to be cognizant of the fact that she shares a home with a Supreme Court justice, Culver said. The flag display, even if she was responsible, is still a story. The Post's decision reflects a long-held view by some media organizations that the Supreme Court should be covered through the decisions that it makes, and not as a political institution, she said. The Post's initial decision came before the unprecedented leak of a draft decision that struck down a woman's right to an abortion, she said. ProPublica also won a Pulitzer Prize for public service earlier this month for its reporting that showed how billionaires gave expensive gifts to Supreme Court justices and paid for their travel. It is long past time," she said, for journalists to set aside deference to the court. ___ Associated Press correspondent Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder. Washougal man pleads not guilty to using hidden camera to film people in bathrooms PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Washington man has been arraigned after being accused of hiding a cell-phone camera in a bathroom to film people against their consent. According to Clark County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Podhora, Emanuiel Cota appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to four charges of first-degree voyeurism. Oregons public spending would need to increase by over $6 billion to fund unmet addiction services: Analysis Court documents show the Washougal Police Department responded to a suspicious circumstance on Apr. 13, when a man and woman reported they found a cell phone hidden in their bathroom cupboard with the camera pointing toward the shower. The residents informed officers they had recently hired Chosen Bright Cleaning to clean their home. The business co-owner then confirmed the cell phone belonged to one of her employees, who is her husband and co-owner Cota. The 34-year-old man later arrived at the police station, where the declaration of probable cause alleged he wouldnt allow officers to fully search his phone. After authorities issued a search warrant for the device, the Vancouver Police Departments Digital Evidence and Cybercrime Unit claimed to find over 400 minute-long videos recorded in the bathroom it was found in. City failed to make changes after contractor overcharged Portlanders for board-ups, Ombudsman says Records show that most of the videos featured the empty bathroom, but there were videos of the residents removing their clothing and using the toilet as well. According to the documents, Cota had also recorded 64 videos of the bathroom his mother-in-law and sister-in-law used between April 2022 and August 2022 when he lived with them in Vancouver. Officials allege the suspect visits voyeuristic pronographic websites and seems particularly interested in videos of women showering. TriMet sex offender on trial for 32 new crimes Cota is also accused of recording his sister-in-laws legs and clothing genital area undernearth a kitchen table, recording other people through their windows at night and buying spy cameras on Amazon. The suspect was arrested on May 13. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 23, according to Podhora. KOIN 6 has reached out to Chosen Bright Cleaning 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 KOIN.com. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) The mayor of Coronado successfully summited Mount Everest last week after trying and not making it all the way last year. Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 20 at 11 a.m. during a 35-day expedition. He was live on KUSI Tuesday with more on his preparations and training, the challenges during the climb and more. Earths highest mountain above sea level, Mount Everest, is just over 29,000 feet high. Sherpa guide Kami Rita who climbed Everest 30 times vows to return to the mountain next year Bailey said finishing this climb has been his goal for the last three to five years, and to prepare he began climbing higher and higher mountains of greater and greater difficulty. Bailey said he lost around 25 pounds in about 10 days during the summit push, mostly due to physical exertion and the high altitude. He noted how you arent hungry at altitudes of over 20,000 feet and you are burning a lot of calories at the same time. 2 climbers rescued from Mt. Shasta after surviving avalanche The climb for Bailey, he said, was both physically and mentally challenging, but more so mentally. He said a running joke at one point during the climb was if youre going to fall, fall to your left because its a 5,000-foot drop and youll live longer than if you fall to your right, and its a 3,000-foot drop over to the Chinese side. Carnival cruise ship responds to distress call, rescues 25 people stranded off Pacific Coast Mental preparations, he said, are very important when standing on a narrow ledge, and theres a wind storm coming, and you havent eaten in 24 hours, and youre very, very dehydrated, you can rely on your past experience and say, Hey, Ive been here before.' Baileys advice to anyone looking to make the climb for themselves is to use a reputable expedition organization. In his social media announcement after his climb, he thanked the Elite Exped Team, Sherpa and Nepalese community for making his dream possible. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A small single-engine airplane with two people on board made an emergency landing early Wednesday afternoon along a busy section of Highway 501 near Dodge Lane in Horry County, authorities said. The plane landed on the highway at about noon after the pilot reported an engine problem, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Video of plane landing courtesy of Dylan Wadzinski Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched at 12:12 p.m., and the plane was seen being towed away by a pickup truck a short time later. News13 Video: Savannah Denton Drone video courtesy of Mike Roberts The fixed-wing Diamond DA40 aircraft is registered to Lift Aircraft LLC based in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to information on the FAAs website. The company operates a commercial pilot training academy in Myrtle Beach. Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of Tina Cherry Photo courtesy of William VanHouten News13 photo Photo from South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera This embedded content is not available in your region. While conducting a maintenance flight earlier today, one of our training aircraft experienced an in-flight event that resulted in an emergency landing near Myrtle Beach International Airport, Lift Academy spokesman Jon Austin told News13 in a statement. The pilot and mechanic aboard executed their checklist and safely landed without injury to anyone or damage to the aircraft. I was on the phone and I noticed there was a plane that was kind of coming down, it was flying really, really low, said Dylan Wadzinski, who captured footage of the plane landing. Like, it was struggling a little bit and I guess just naturally, I just kind of looked away like, Oh, thats weird. And then it hit me, like, wow, theres a plane landing on [Highway] 501. The plane landed safely, and there were no injuries, HCFR said. An image captured on a South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic camera shortly before 1 p.m. showed the plane being moved from the scene. Austin said the aircraft was taken back to the airport in coordination with first responders and that the rest of the schools operations were unaffected. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from Myrtle Beach International Airport at about 10:45 a.m. and landed at 12:10 p.m. It appears the plane was doing touch-and-go landings prior to the emergency landing. Thank goodness, you know, there was a clearing there and nobody got hurt because I imagine, you know, it could have been much, much worse, Wadzinski said. Even going back and looking at the video, I mean, there were power lines. It couldve been devastating if, you know, if traffic was backed up like it normally is at Carolina Forest on 501. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Horry County police are assisting in the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will also be investigating. News13 will have updates online and on-air during our afternoon and evening newscasts 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 Queen City News. ABUJA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 suspected terrorists were killed recently when the Nigerian military launched a series of airstrikes on their hideouts in the country's northern region, the air force said Wednesday. The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the suspected terrorists in the northern states of Borno and Katsina on Monday, following credible intelligence, Edward Gabkwet, the spokesman for the air force, said in a statement Wednesday. Several terrorists from the camp of Babura, a known terrorist commander in the Kankara local government area of the northwestern state of Katsina, were killed in one of the airstrikes, according to the statement. Babura narrowly escaped being killed, unlike several of his foot soldiers, it said. The raid on the Tumbun Fulani, a settlement near Lake Chad, which shares a border with the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, also recorded a "remarkable success," the air force said. The suspected terrorists in that area had regrouped at a once-abandoned hideout but were decimated by the airstrike after intelligence surveillance, it added. The violent arrest of a Black teen on Memorial Day could have been swept under the rug if it wasnt for the leak of a video from the incident. Now, a Florida police department is under review following criticism of the officers actions. In the bystander video obtained by local Tampa news station WFLA, a 16-year-old Black boy is seen being punched repeatedly in the head by two officers cornering him in the lobby of an apartment building. The teen then throws a punch back, apparently attempting to free himself from the cops grip. Seconds later, an officer deploys a Taser and the teen falls to the ground, shuddering in pain. WARNING: GRAPHIC Police in Florida violently assaulted and tased a 16-year-old at a Memorial Day pool party. These thugs with the Lakeland PD deserve to be arrested for child abuse. This should be much bigger news. pic.twitter.com/FP7xnfrbWl Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) May 29, 2024 The video stems from a Memorial Day incident when Lakeland Police officers were dispatched to the Caroline Apartments on Griffin Road. According to the arrest report, they responded to a complaint of people using the pool who were not apartment residents. Authorities said when they approached the teen, he refused to identify himself or his apartment number. He was uncooperative when ordered to leave and allegedly sparked the altercation by putting his hand in an officers face, police said. That wasnt caught on camera. Now, his family and community are outraged. I couldnt stomach the fact that two LPD officers literally battered my son. Yall are out here to protect and serve, not to be beating on peoples children, said Jatae Lewis, the teens mother, via WFLA. In a statement to the outlet, the department said Chief Sammy Taylor was made aware of the incident and spoke to local activist and pastor, Dr. Clayton Cowart, who criticized the police for what he considered to be child abuse. The chief put in a request for an administrative review by the department Office of Professional Standards. The cops charged the teen with trespassing and failure to leave upon order, a misdemeanor. However, he also faces two felonies; battery on a police officer and resisting an officer with violence, per FOX 13 Tampa Bay. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The former head of a district that controls the waterways that deliver water to farms in Fresno and Merced counties pleaded guilty to stealing water, prosecutors said Tuesday. Dennis Falaschi, 78, of Aptos pleaded guilty to two counts conspiring to take federally owned water and filing a false tax return from during his time leading the Panoche Water District, the U.S. Department of Justice said. He was the general manager from 1992 to April 2015 of the Panoche district that sold water to farms of 38,000 acres or larger. The district purchased its water from the federal government collected in the Delta-Mendota Canal, and collected drainage water, prosecutors said. The U.S. Interiors Bureau of Reclamation regulates that canal and other waterways. Prosecutors said Falaschi learned canal water was leaking from a standpipe within the district. Water district employees rigged the standpipe, fixing the leak but allowing the district to open and close the pipe so Panoche could access the water. Dennis Falaschi, former general manager at the Panoche Drainage District in the San Joaquin Valley, was indicted in connection with a scheme to steal water from the federal Central Valley Project. (John Walker/The Fresno Bee/TNS) The stolen federal water amounted to between $1.5 million and $3.5 million, according to prosecutors. He was initially accused of stealing more than that at $25 million. That fresh water was blended with reusable drainage water, prosecutors said. Authorities said in court documents that Falaschi wasnt the only one taking water, but did not specify who else was involved. Falaschi then began selling water privately between 2011 and 2016, which prosecutors said was water he was getting from a legitimate source outside of the district. But, Falaschi did not report the sales on his income tax return, according to prosecutors. The case comes as California has embarked on a years-long effort to conserve water use by passing a groundbreaking law to regulate groundwater pumping, encouraging urban users to replace thirsty lawns with more drought-friendly landscaping and ramping up water storage efforts to help the state navigate expected dry years ahead. The state moved to reduce groundwater use after overpumping led farmers to drill deeper for water and some rural wells to grow dry. The prospect of pumping limits has worried California farmers who grow much of the countrys fresh produce. Stealing Panoche Water District canal water and an audit The state controllers office in 2017 released an audit showing the financial controls at Panoche were too lax. Staffers were allowed to use district credit cards to buy Oakland As and Raiders season passes, and tickets to a Katy Perry concert, among other issues that began Falaschis legal trouble. A month after the audit, Falaschi left Panoche. The state attorney generals office charged him and three other former district employees in 2018 with embezzling $100,000 from Panoche and illegally burying toxic chemicals on district property. He was set to be sentenced on Sept. 16 before U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, facing a maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 fine for the conspiracy to commit water theft. He also faces three years in prison and $100,000 fine for the tax charge. The Associated Press and Sacramento Bee contributed to this report. Water, energy, conservation and more on the interim agenda for legislators The Rio Grande at Isleta Blvd. and Interstate 25 on Sept. 7, 2023. (Photo by Anna Padilla for Source New Mexico) The interim Water and Natural Resources Committee met in Santa Fe on Tuesday to discuss a proposed schedule and list of topics to address before the legislature meets again for 60 days in 2025. Even with a shorter interim session and shorter meetings, members said theres plenty of ground to cover with water issues, energy and climate concerns across New Mexico. Interim committees are bipartisan, with members from both chambers. They hear reports from New Mexico agencies, tour locations and suggest legislation for the upcoming session. Lawmakers and agency staff usually meet outside of the Roundhouse in communities across the state. So far, there are set dates, but some locations are still being determined. The meeting and locations are set for meetings on July 22-23, August 26-27, September 26-27, October 28-29 and a final November 25-26. They will be day and a half meetings. Interim committee chair Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) said hed tell lawmakers soon when hed set the locations for the meetings in July, September and October. Currently the August meeting will be held at the New Mexico Technical Institute in Socorro and the final November meeting will be held at the Roundhouse. Potential meeting sites floated by committee members on Tuesday include the Red River and Questa area, Rio Rancho or Corrales, Hobbs and Las Cruces. McQueen said he planned to dial back the work during this interim,acknowledging that it was an election year and lawmakers have campaigns to attend to, in addition to other responsibilities. He proposed that meetings would fall under large topics: water, energy and conservation to start. Members on the committee made a few suggestions for additional umbrella topics. Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque) brought up air quality and health. She pointed to the American Lung Associations failing grades of New Mexicos highest populated counties. Both Bernalillo and Dona Ana Counties received F grades for ozone and particle pollution, according to the study. Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) recommended the topic of climate, and said her office was working on research about where we are, where weve been and where we oughta go, on the topic. Sen. Pat Woods (R-Clovis) asked if the committee would examine if recent legislation such as the Community Solar Program and the Water Data Act, were enforceable and that agencies were meeting their goals on the new laws. Lawmakers also asked for progress updates on the New Mexico Energy Transition Act, weather monitoring programs and hydrogen development plans. There was also discussion about legislation to address PFAS testing in private water wells. Fire and water McQueen emphasized he wanted the interim sessions to go deeper on topics, rather than cover a wide range. Multiple lawmakers responded and said they wanted to dive into wildfire and local water infrastructure concerns. Older and often failing water infrastructure creates problems for rural drinking supplies, but also fire suppression, said. Rep. Susan Herrera (D-Embudo). She said the state should consider a separate fund to address infrastructure needs. Were not going to capital outlay our way out of this, Herrera said regarding the states process to send money to local communities. Its going to take some real investment from the state into this. Finally, lawmakers said they wanted updates on various water litigation whether tribal water rights, or the Rio Grande settlement agreement still pending a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Sen. Joe Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), recommended that Attorney General Raul Torrez should make a presentation to the committee regarding staff and efforts on water litigation before the New Mexico Department of Justice. McQueen said the interim committee wanted to see more policy presentations from the executive, noting that the Strategic Water Supply a $500 million plan to buy treated brackish water and oil and gas wastewater to sell for other uses was originally a line in a budget. He emphasized he wanted to see a bill from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams office on the proposal if brought forward in the next session. Sedillo Lopez agreed. While its not good to have legislation without funding, its also not good to have funding without legislation, and we have both, she said. McQueen told the committee he would take additional suggestions over the next couple of days and that the full iterimin agenda and meeting locations would follow. The post Water, energy, conservation and more on the interim agenda for legislators appeared first on Source New Mexico. Tuesday evening starts with the chance for a few lingering showers. The best chances will still be across the eastern mountain counties in West Virginia, though a rogue stray shower cant be ruled out for the lowlands. After the sun sets, rain chances will decrease as we enjoy a few hours of mainly dry weather. If we see enough breakage in the clouds yet again, well encounter the chance for some overnight patchy fog along our river valleys. Wednesday features a similar setup to Tuesday with a fairly easy morning drive, outside of a shower chance across the mountains. The afternoon features the chance for showers and thunderstorms, especially across the eastern mountain counties in West Virginia. Severe weather isnt expected, but any storm is something to keep in mind if you have outdoor plans or are making the drive home. Temps are expected to slowly rise into the 60s. Thursday finally sees a high pressure system move into the region. As it moves in, clouds will break apart in the morning, leading to sunny skies in the afternoon. The extra bit of sunshine should help as with temps climbing into the 60s as we enjoy a dry Thursday! Friday is another day where high pressure will be in play. Its a mostly clear morning, though with temps starting in the 40s, we could see some patchy frost along our protected valleys in the mountains. Temps will make their way into the 70s as we enjoy a sunny and dry Friday, perfect if you have any evening plans scheduled! Saturday is looking just as good as our area of high pressure slides down to the southeast. While it will get further away from our area by the time Sunday rolls around, it will provide another opportunity for sunshine and dry time Saturday. We should start to see more of a southern breeze kick in, which will help get temps in the 70s. Our Interactive Radar Sunday continues to see our high pressure slide down to the southeast. It looks like it will be out of our area just enough to instigate the chance for morning and afternoon showers or thunderstorms. Chances look isolated at this point, though it will depend on how far our high pressure slides. Temps will stay warm as they get into the 70s. Monday starts the new week with once again the chance for showers and storms. Best chances look to be held in the afternoon thanks to daytime heating and lingering moisture. Lingering chances look to continue into the overnight as temperatures try to climb near 80 degrees. #WeatherTogether In your extended forecast, chances of rain look likely next Tuesday through Thursday with multiple rounds of showers and storms expected. Doesnt look to be a total washout with breaks expected along the way, but a reminder to keep those umbrellas around. Temps are also expected to be quite warm so dont forget to stay hydrated! TONIGHT Evening iso. storm chance. Few breaks along the way. Lows in the 50s. WEDNESDAY Mix of sun/clouds. Chance for shower/storm. Highs in the 70s. THURSDAY Clearing skies. PM sunshine. Cooler. Highs in the 60s. FRIDAY Staying mostly sunny. Dry afternoon. Highs near 70. SATURDAY Another day of sunshine. Warming up. Highs in the 70s. SUNDAY Partly sunny. Chance for shower/storm. Highs in the 70s. MONDAY Iso. chance for showers/storms. Plenty of dry time. Highs in the 80s. TUESDAY Partly cloudy. Chance for showers & thunderstorms. Highs in the 70s. WEDNESDAY Chance of rain and storms. Staying warm. Highs in the 80s. THURSDAY Scattered showers/storms. Overnight clearing. Highs in the 70s. FRIDAY Stray shower chance early. PM sunshine. Highs in the 70s. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Weeks ago a Memphis officer was killed likely by friendly fire. But how common is that? In late April, three Memphis Police Department officers engaged in a shootout with two suspects that left one officer dead. Memphis police officer Joesph McKinney was killed, along with one of the suspects, while two other officers were injured. The second suspect was also critically injured. Days after the shootout, the Shelby County District Attorney's office said that evidence indicated that McKinney was killed by friendly fire. National data shows friendly fire deaths in law enforcement are uncommon. Friendly fire deaths are accounted for as "accidental deaths" by the FBI. The FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection places friendly-fire deaths in the "accidental deaths" category. According to a statement from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the data does not have a designated category of "friendly fire" deaths "as an incident circumstance for accidental deaths." "These accidental deaths are further characterized as firearm-related incidents, but not all firearm-related incidents are the result of friendly fire," the FBI said in a statement. A memorial for Memphis Police Department officer Joseph McKinney, who was killed in a shootout April 12 that also left 18-year-old suspect Jaylen Lobley dead, is set up around an MPD vehicle outside the Raines Station in South Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. According to data published by the agency, the leading cause of accidental deaths for law enforcement officers from Jan. 1 to April 30 this year was motor vehicle accidents. The Southern region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, West Virginia and Virginia, had the most law enforcement deaths so far in 2024 with 9 felonious deaths and 13 accidental. What is friendly fire? The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has not yet released the body-worn camera or dash camera footage from the incident where McKinney was killed. Memphis Police Department has also not yet provided clarifying details on what exactly led to McKinney's death. Friendly fire is a term most commonly used in the military, but has been known to happen with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Oxford defines it as, "weapon fire coming from one's own side, especially fire that causes accidental injury or death to one's own forces." Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he would not be charging any officers involved in the death of fellow officer McKinney. The office previously said they would not be charging the 17-year-old with murder charges, but later said they would be adding second-degree murder and reckless homicide charges in connection to McKinney's death. Friendly fire deaths are not limited to the situation that ended McKinney's life, these incidents also include those inadvertently or mistakenly shot during training, those mistaken for a suspect by a fellow officer and accidental malfunction of a firearm. It also includes situations where officers are mistaken by a civilian as someone dangerous and killed by the civilian. According to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, only one officer died in 2023 from a friendly fire incident. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations unit Special Agent Patrick Charles Bauer was shot and killed during a training exercise in August. The officer who shot and killed Bauer was charged criminally on one count of involuntary manslaughter of an Officer of the United States in March. 'Everywhere from lack of communication to negligence' Troy Anderson, executive director of officer safety and wellness for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, has spent the majority of his career in law enforcement, spending 26 years with the Connecticut State Police as well as other local agencies. Anderson said when it comes to friendly fire incidents, there is no one commonality among all of the cases. "I look at...those situations...they're always different. There may be definite fibers in there that are similar, but they're always different. So to say that you can prepare for every eventuality? I don't know that that's possible," Anderson said. "But you need to train... I think back to my academy training, and I don't really recall us having blue-on-blue type training in the academy." MPD denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Commercial Appeal related to MPD's policies regarding friendly fire incidents or training officers received related to preventing friendly fire incidents. Data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program shows that from 2013 to 2022, 490 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty as a result of accidental incidents. More: Memphis officials emphasize local teachers won't be carrying guns in schools More: Grizzlies hold moment of silence for Memphis police officer killed in shootout In that period, 20 officers were accidentally killed involving a firearm. The data published by the FBI does not show how many officers were killed in friendly fire incidents. In a report published in 2017 titled "Making It Safer: A Study of Law Enforcement Fatalities Between 2010-2016," the officers memorial fund reported that since 2014, there have been at least two officers shot and killed each year in friendly fire incidents. Some incidents, like Bauer's death, happen inside training rooms. Other deaths occur because of accidental discharges. Anderson said that while he was an internal affairs investigator within a police department, there was a situation where an undercover officer placed a loaded patrol weapon in their waistband and the weapon discharged, injuring the officer. "I think it can go from everywhere from lack of communication to negligence. I mean...how do you explain the officer whose firearm goes off in the training classroom at the firearms range? I mean, that's pretty negligent right there," Anderson said. Upping training, visibility for officers Anderson said that even though the numbers reported by his organization are low, even one is too many. There is a need, according to Anderson, for departments to elevate their training in relation to friendly fire incidents but also to evaluate what practices can be put in place to make situations safer for officers. The Connecticut State Police issued all officers bright-colored jackets because of the "fear or the concern" of friendly fire, Anderson said. A memorial for Memphis Police Department officer Joseph McKinney, who was killed in a shootout April 12 that also left 18-year-old suspect Jaylen Lobley dead, is set up around an MPD vehicle outside the Raines Station as the American flag is lowered to half-staff in South Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. "So everybody has the same-colored jacket, with the same color printing on the outside and the printing is all over it," Anderson said. "I'm going to tell you it looks it's very gaudy. It says across the back, 'Connecticut State Police,' on both arms are oversized, bright yellow patches." Anderson said other departments around the country have followed suit, issuing armbands for off-duty officers and on-duty officers to wear when responding to incidents. These small changes, Anderson said, could save the lives of fellow officers. Other recommendations Anderson gave to reduce friendly fire incidents were being overly communicative and coordinating more with responding officers. But, Anderson again emphasized the importance of training for officers. "There's always is always a part, when you go back, and you analyze those reports where you start to see where something maybe could have been done differently...sometimes it goes all the way back to training," Anderson said. Lucas Finton contributed to this report. Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commerical Appeal. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: A Memphis police officer was killed by friendly fire. How common is it? Weeks after being added to historical buildings list, former Columbus bakery is razed Weeks after being added to historical buildings list, former Columbus bakery is razed COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Since Preservation Ohio released its list just weeks ago of the most endangered historic sites in the state, one of the two on the list from Columbus has been razed. Preservation Ohio is a 42-year-old organization that, since 1993, has released a yearly list of Ohios Most Endangered Historic Sites. Executive Director Thomas Palmer said the list has helped keep historic Ohio locations standing over the years. Ohio billionaire to take deep-sea submersible to Titanic after OceanGate implosion I can give you tangible examples, Palmer said. One of those examples would be right there in Columbus, now known as the Athenaeum, formerly the Masonic Temple on Fourth Street, just a block or two from the Statehouse. Palmer said the Athenaeum exists today in large part because of Preservation Ohio. Now, the former Masonic Temple is set to become a music venue after its acquisition by TempleLive. Here is more about the two Columbus-area sites for 2024. Farm Crest Bakeries building Situated on East Livingston Avenue, the Farm Crest Bakeries Building was once a major employer, Palmer said in an interview before its recent demolition. That is a site which was obviously a center for employment in the community, Palmer said. Cosmetic problems put the building at risk, despite Preservation Ohios website saying those werent significant paint in need of removal, and boarded windows and doors in need of repairs. Palmer argued the building should be preserved as it was somewhat rare. Hilliard City Council president steps down after Israel-Gaza resolution controversy The highest and best reason for preservation is, in part, because of the nature of the construction of the building, Palmer said. Its a mid-century building in a form of architecture called Streamline Moderne that simply doesnt exist in great quantities anywhere in Columbus and Franklin County. A photo of the building from the Franklin County Auditors Office shows how the building looked in recent years, before its demolition. (Courtesy Photo/Franklin County Auditors Office) The land was bought in 2017 for $250,000 before recently selling this month for $2 million. An affordable housing developer, Woda Cooper Companies, has proposed a 118-unit apartment building for the site. 171-191 S. High St. A cluster of vacant buildings Downtown is also considered endangered. The storefronts have been modified many times, so its unknown if any original details remain. But Palmer said they were the original home of the Columbus department store Lazarus. Restaurant namedropped in Twenty One Pilots video pays it forward Thats a unique site, not necessarily because of the buildings themselves, but what happened in those buildings, Palmer said. That is the site for the original location of the Lazarus store, which I think dates back to 1851. 171-191 S. High St. in Columbus, Ohio, in 2021 (Franklin County Auditor) Lazarus stayed in its original home until 1909, when it was moved to the bigger store that it became known for. Palmer said the buildings were later the site of the first Downtown Kroger. The buildings and a neighboring structure have been owned by Harsax Management Company in Garfield Heights since early 2023. Plans for a 15-story mixed-use building were presented to the Downtown Commission that July. A representative from Harsax was not immediately available for comment. Ohio bill would charge teachers, librarians with felonies for handing out obscene materials The proposal called for three of the existing buildings on the site to be demolished, but for the Ohio National Bank building at 167 N. High St. to remain. Palmer said formal approval of demolition of the structures has not been granted yet. He is holding out hope those plans would be avoided. Nothing is written in stone until its done, Palmer 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 NBC4 WCMH-TV. A historic trial on historic charges enters a new historic phase: jury deliberations. Two new giant pandas are coming to live at the National Zoo. And no, it's not your imagination: There have been a lot of tornadoes lately. Hey there! Laura Davis here. While we wait for a verdict, lets get you caught up on Wednesdays news. But first: Is it the circle of life or nepotism? North West recently hit the stage for a performance in a "Lion King" concert, but the internet isn't roaring with applause. No verdict today Former President Donald Trumps fate in his historic hush money trial rests in the hands of 12 Manhattan jurors, with the verdict carrying the potential to alter the 2024 presidential campaign. What's happening now: Jurors began deliberating Wednesday after hearing six weeks of testimony from a parade of 22 witnesses, including a felon convicted of perjury, a porn actress, and the former head of the parent company for the National Enquirer tabloid. Before being sent home for the day, the jury sent notes requesting to review sections of testimony from media executive David Pecker and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, and asking to re-hear the jury instructions. They will resume deliberations Thursday. Everything from the courtroom. Donald Trump stands with his lawyer Todd Blanche at Manhattan state court in New York City on May 28, 2024. 'Pandamonium' at the National Zoo What's black, white and read all over? Yesterday's newspaper! Okay, what's black and white and coming to live at the National Zoo in D.C.? TWO GIANT PANDAS. Let's get into it: Pandas have been deeply missed at the Smithsonian's National Zoo for the past six months. But on Wednesday, zoo visitors learned they have something big (and furry) to look forward to again. The zoo said it's set to receive male panda Bao Li and female panda Qing Bao, both 2 years old, from China sometime this year. The news comes after Mei Xiang and Tian Tian who had been in the U.S. for 23 years and Xiao Qi Ji, who was born in August 2020, returned to China in November following a bittersweet farewell in Washington. Here's everything we know so far. Giant panda Qing Bao munches on bamboo in her habitat in Sichuan, China, May 17, 2024. Together with Bao Li, she's coming to the Smithsonian National Zoo sometime in 2024, officials said. Real quick Support the Short List and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. A bumper year for tornadoes This isn't a promo for the new "Twisters" movie. If you think there have been a lot of tornadoes this year, you're right: With at least 850 confirmed tornadoes so far and several major outbreaks, it ranks among the busiest years in recorded history. Even some of the most veteran storm chasers have been astounded by tornado activity so far this year. By the numbers: Preliminarily, the U.S. has seen four days with at least 30 tornadoes rated EF1 or stronger, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. The average is two a year. That likely puts 2024 in the top 10% of years. What's behind the uptick? See photos: Deadly tornado strikes Greenfield, Iowa. Balloons filled with ... what? Call it trash diplomacy. North Korea sent about 150 garbage-and-excrement-filled balloons flying toward South Korea on Wednesday, state media reported, prompting officials to warn residents to stay inside. The incident, reported by local news, citing military sources, comes as the North had vowed to retaliate against its neighbor after political activists launched propaganda-filled balloons across the border in the direction of Pyongyang. The two Koreas have been using balloons and even message-filled bottles floating down a border river as part of their information war for years. Here's what was found in the balloons. A break from the news Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump hush money trial, giant pandas, tornadoes: Wednesday's news The Government found that around 35 per cent of doctors and 20 per cent of nurses come to the UK from red list countries - Jeff Moore/PA Labour would stop the recruitment of NHS doctors and nurses from countries which have shortages of health workers, Wes Streeting has said. The shadow health secretary said it was immoral for Britain to poach medical graduates from so-called red list nations in Africa and Asia. His remarks come after a report for the Government found that around 35 per cent of doctors and 20 per cent of nurses come to the UK from such countries. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ghana are the red list nations which export the largest numbers of medical workers to Britain. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting made the statement, upon a visit to Three Counties Medical School in Worcester, with Keir Starmer - Stefan Rousseau/PA During a campaign visit to Worcester, Mr Streeting was asked whether Labour would discourage such recruitment if it wins the election. He told reporters: We should not be recruiting from red list countries. I do not want to see that happening. I think it is immoral. Its unethical. Those countries have a severe shortage and the moral and ethical thing to do would be not to recruit from those countries. There are, of course, other countries not on the red list and we do recruit from there. But what I want to do, over time, for a serious workforce plan, is reduce our reliance on overseas workers and to bring down net migration. Last December, a report for the Government by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) warned of growing recruitment from red list countries. It found that 15 per cent of overseas doctors are recruited from Nigeria and 13 per cent from Pakistan despite both countries having their own staff shortages. With regards to nurses, 13 per cent came from Nigeria, 4 per cent from Ghana and 3 per cent from Zimbabwe. Large numbers of care workers also came from those countries. Government policy states that there must be no active international recruitment from countries on the red list unless a specific deal is in place. But the MAC warned that the proliferation of online advertising and in particular the use of social media algorithms may be circumventing that. Labour used the seventh full day of election campaigning to push its plans for the NHS, including providing 40,000 new appointments per week. During a session with student nurses at the University of Worcester, Mr Streeting warned that the service has become too reliant on overseas workers. He also said Labour has no plans to reverse Tory changes to visa rules, which stop foreign healthcare workers from bringing family members to the UK. Rishi Sunak brought in the measures in December, as part of plans to cut record levels of net migration by as much as 300,000 per year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Bethany Counard is a quiet all star, as her principal at West De Pere Middle School would say. Despite being named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, one of five from across the state, Counard isnt sure if there is anything about her teaching that is particularly notable. I, like many others, we just do our best, and so I don't know that there's something that is necessarily something that stands out, she said. But there is. Walking into her classroom, its warm. Not just because its May in Green Bay, but because its welcoming and cozy. Bright yellow fabric covers the walls to lighten the room, artwork from students is pinned around, and naturally there are many, many books. Counard is an English language arts teacher, after all. West De Pere Middle School English Language Arts teacher Bethany Counard reacts after learning that she has been named one of five Teachers of the Year by the state Department of Public Instruction in a surprise ceremony on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at West De Pere Middle School in De Pere, Wis. On one of those May afternoons in Counards classroom, it was full of boisterous laughter. Students jumped up and down, cheering on their peers as they played a game of charades to practice gesturing for their end-of-year speeches. Students were engaged and having fun. Counard is in her 23rd year of teaching, so she definitely has her 10,000 hours. Its all about making connections for her students, whether its playing a game tied to their subject matter for the day or having a group discussion. I really do enjoy making connections with kids, she said. Getting to know what their interests are and what's important to them and just having those moments in class where we can all kind of laugh about something or share something. More: Brian Fisk is Green Bay's resident lure hunter. Now what on earth is that? For Counard, it was no question that she would become a teacher, she said. Both her parents were in education. Her father was a teacher and her mother a librarian. When she talks about teaching, her passion for the profession is clear. What I like about (English language arts) is finding ways for kids to be empathetic and to connect to people or characters that might have very different experiences than they do, she said. I like it when they figure out that they can really express themselves in some unique ways. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly (left) applauds West De Pere Middle School English Language Arts teacher Bethany Counard (right) on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at West De Pere Middle School in De Pere, Wis. Counard was honored as one of five Teachers of the Year by the DPI in a surprise ceremony. She is the first teacher in the West De Pere School District to be named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, the highest honor given to educators by the state. As part of the award, Counard will also be appointed to the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year Council for five years, where she will have the chance to provide guidance on policy, engage in educational advocacy and lead professional development. She learned of her new title at a surprise assembly May 2 where the rumor-mill, fueled by her principal, had students speculating that Caitlin Clark, Jordan Love or even Taylor Swift may be making an appearance at the school. Up until just the hours right before that assembly took place, we were still like, amongst even the teachers were still like, OK, what about this? What about this possibility? Counard said. It turned out, though, that the honored guest was their very own eighth grade English teacher. West De Pere Middle School English Language Arts teacher Bethany Counard holds back tears as she takes the stage on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at West De Pere Middle School in De Pere, Wis. Counard was honored as one of five Teachers of the Year by the state Department of Public Instruction in a surprise ceremony. But what was really special is that when that moment happened, based on the reactions of the students and the staff, you would have thought Michael Jordan walked in the room, Principal James Finley said. State Superintendent Jill Underly presented Counard with the award, along with members of the West De Pere School Board and district Superintendent Dennis Krueger. It was very emotional. I just, I care a lot about what I do. I care about the school and the students, and I mean, just truthfully, all of the people that I work with and how we lean on each other and brainstorm together, Counard said. Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation at GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: West De Pere's Bethany Counard named a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year MINSK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday that the Western sanctions policy has failed, the BelTA news agency reported. "The sanctions policy has failed, and this is not a political statement. There is no point in making it when it comes to factual information," Szijjarto told reporters following a meeting of the intergovernmental Belarusian-Hungarian commission on economic cooperation, according to the report. Szijjarto said the failure of Western sanctions was that "the European Union has lost a lot due to the sanctions policy." The minister noted that he opposed "measures that harm national interests," and that is why Hungary still buys Russian oil. He also warned that by cutting off communication channels between the EU and Belarus, the two sides would lose tools for achieving peace. On the same day, a business forum between Hungary and Belarus was held in Minsk, attracting more than 100 companies from the two countries. Where DEI efforts at Charlotte colleges and universities stand after UNC System ruling An almost five-year-old policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion at North Carolina public universities has been repealed after a vote by the UNC System Board of Governors, according to the News & Observer. The diversity policy repeal was passed last week by the 24-member UNC System board by a majority 22-2 vote. The policy change removes 2019 regulations that established various DEI positions, such as the UNC System Diversity & Inclusion Council. It was created in 2020 with the implementation of UNC policy 300.8.5, which required diversity and inclusion services and officers for all 17 UNC System institutions. The policy manual section, adopted in 2019, required that a designated UNC System Office diversity and inclusion liaison and a D&I officer be appointed at each UNC System institution and participate in a UNC System D&I council. The DEI council features members from 18 UNC system universities, including NC State University, UNC Charlotte, NC A&T State University, and North Carolina Central University. This repeal can potentially dismantle several DEI positions already put in place in the UNC system. UNC System President Peter Hans said that neutrality on political controversies is the role of public universities; however, students and staff are still allowed to encounter competing ideas, said Hans. No one can speak for the whole university community on contentious issues because the university is not of one mind about anything, Hans said. Eight universities, including NC State University, UNC Charlotte, NC A&T State University, and NC Central University, currently have extensive DEI programs and initiatives. DEI at Charlotte-area colleges and universities Charlotte area institutions also have set plans outlining their diversity goals. At Queens University, the school details a university commitment to attract, recruit, develop, and retain faculty and staff with diverse identities who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Queens University, according to the university website. Davidson College says it strives to sustain a culture of belonging for staff, faculty, and students from diverse cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, national origins, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities, our policies do not discriminate, Johnson C. Smith Universitys DEI policy states it does not discriminate on any basis in its admissions process, and the DEI position at the university solely seeks to improve the student experience and the university. DEI fosters inter- and cross-cultural communication, critical inclusivity, and understanding of educational equity among faculty, staff, and students, said Johnson C. Smith, President Valerie Kinloch, in an emailed statement to The Charlotte Observer in response to the UNC System board action. UNC Charlotte attaches its inclusiveness to its mission as a university and an academic institution. The school says, We believe that the well-being of our university hinges upon diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a statement on the schools diversity and inclusion website. UNC Charlotte offers programs like observation of Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, Native American Heritage Month, and an inclusive excellence grant. These grants provide funding for events, activities, and projects that promote equity and foster inclusion, the school said. DEI policies at NC state schools North Carolina Central University implements training, committees, and student leadership to involve diverse voices in the university. To spotlight inclusion, the university held a Native American Law Students Powwow and a Homecoming Drag Show. NC Central also operates multicultural centers on its campus. Elizabeth City State University recognizes the value that inclusion brings to its campus. The school says it values inclusion, and our goal is to ensure that our campus community is diverse and inclusive for all, according to its website. Elizabeth City State offers training and awareness campaigns on military student experiences, gender, sexuality, and sexual violence as part of the universitys DEI initiative. Fayetteville State University values diversity through its large number of minority students. The school holds diversity, equity and inclusion as one of its ten core values and maintains an 80% minority student body, according to the Fayetteville State University Leadership online page. Our campus celebrates inclusivity and is proud to have a vibrant community of minority students who bring unique perspectives, the university said. North Carolina A&T says it is committed to expanding diversity and enhancing inclusion by promoting and cultivating rich exchange of ideas and broad cultural awareness. The university is undergoing these commitments with its Preeminence 2030: North Carolina A&T Blueprint. The plan aims to achieve five goals outlined by the university by 2030. One proposed goal is to foster a more diverse and inclusive campus community by promoting cultural awareness, collegiality, and respect for diverse people and cultures. Where has Senate President Ruggerio been for the last month? Out sick with a virus. Rhode Island Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, left, has been absent from the State House since the end of April while recovering from a virus. He is shown in December 2023 with Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, right foreground. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current) For over a month, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has been absent from the chamber floor and now we know why. Ruggerio, 75, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon announcing he contracted a virus, and has had subsequent health complications stemming from this affliction. The statement did not specify what kind of virus he has. Unfortunately, those complications have prohibited my return to the Senate at this time, but I am receiving treatment and hope to return soon, he said. Ruggerio, who was first elected to the State House in 1980 and the Senate in 1984, had acknowledged in April that he is battling an unspecified type of cancer. I have every intention of running for re-election this year and, if successful, will again ask my colleagues for their support to continue to serve as President of the Senate in 2025, Ruggerio said. I stated at the time that I have a good prognosis, and I expect to fully recover from this insidious disease. Ruggerios last appearance on the Senate floor was April 25, confirmed chamber spokesperson Greg Pare. Since contracting the virus, Ruggerio has missed nine session days along with a scheduled appearance at a State House health care summit Tuesday morning. The Senate presidents absence does not mean he has been out of the loop, Ruggerio said. I am deeply engaged in all aspects of Senate business by telephone throughout the day on an everyday basis, he said. I am in regular contact with our incredible committee chairs and my colleagues in the Senate, the outstanding Senate staff, and the Speaker of the House, Joseph Shekarchi. Ruggerio has also voted by proxy since his absence, Pare added. This began during the pandemic but continued in a different form to allow senators who are out due to illness to vote by proxy, he said. The signed and notarized proxy voting forms are included in each days Senate journals. Ruggerio thanked Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo, a Cranston Democrat, and Deputy President Pro Tempore Matthew LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, for presiding over the chamber in his absence. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I have received throughout this difficult, but temporary, setback, he said. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend the Senate session in person at this point in time, but I am very eager to return and look forward to being back. The statement makes no reference to Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat who Ruggerio picked to be his number two, presiding over all Democratic caucuses and conferences. The Senate majority leader is also responsible for the assignment of legislation to committees and serves as an ex-officio member of all standing committees of the Senate. Pearson was by Ruggerios side in news interviews at the end of last year when Ruggerio outlined the chambers priorities for the 2024 legislative session. The Providence Journal reported in April that Pearson had visited Ruggerio to outline a succession plan. The post Where has Senate President Ruggerio been for the last month? Out sick with a virus. appeared first on Rhode Island Current. An 18-year-old Idaho resident could have been a graduate of Meridians Owyhee High School last weekend. Instead, he was being held in a Las Vegas jail on a murder charge. Police officers found a woman dead with multiple stab wounds in a dumpster enclosure in the 9000 block of West Sahara Avenue at 7:35 a.m. April 29, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release. The scene had a lot of blood, including bloody drag marks near the dumpster, the arrest report said. The Clark County coroner identified the victim as Gina Broome, 60, and said she died by homicide from a dozen sharp-force injuries to the front and back of her upper body. Broome was last seen alive when surveillance video showed her pushing a cart in the area at 3:02 p.m. April 27, according to the arrest report. An hour later, Lincoln Boe was seen on camera parking a Toyota Corrolla with Idaho license plates behind the business at that address and throwing things into the dumpster, before he entered the business and asked whether the cameras out back worked, the arrest report said. An employee then took Boe into the alley and pointed out the cameras. The suspect then walked down the loading dock and appeared excited and does a little dance, the arrest report stated. Boe was next seen on camera standing in the same spot where the victim was killed, looking tired, possibly confused, according to police. When police looked up the Idaho license plate number, they found that Boes family had filed a missing persons report in April. They were able to locate the car May 2 and said Boe was attempting to sleep in it. Police took Boe into custody and began questioning him about the womans death. His shoes were an exact match to a bloody footprint found at the scene of the crime, according to the arrest report. Police said that at first, Boe denied killing Broome and repeatedly responded to questioning by saying he didnt remember. Boe eventually said he had given Broome money to buy cigarettes, but she became angry when he asked her for one, according to police. Boe said she was tweaking out and clawed at him even though he told her to back off several times, police said. The arrest report said that Boe then admitted he stabbed the woman with a large knife he was wearing around his waist, and hid her body. He told police that he threw the knife in the dumpster, but officers said they later found it under a seat in his car, according to the report. Police pointed out in the interview that Broome weighed only 110 pounds and had a broken foot. Boe is 6-foot-3 and weighs 170 pounds, according to arrest documents. Lincoln said that he should have called the cops and not played it off thinking that he could get out of this, the arrest report said. Lincoln was later asked why he didnt kick her away if she was coming at him. He said it was because he has weak legs. Law enforcement booked Boe into the Clark County Detention Center on open murder with a deadly weapon which is Nevada state law terminology and he is being held there. As for his departure from the Treasure Valley, the arrest report said Boe told police that his life was structured at home so he had gone to Las Vegas to get away and have some freedom. Owyhee High School held its graduation ceremony Saturday at ExtraMile Arena on the campus of Boise State University. Title icon The News The White House issued a full-throated endorsement of carbon offset credits on Tuesday, laying out guidelines that are meant to calm anxieties about greenwashing and encourage companies to invest more heavily in a controversial climate solution. But the rules are toothless, and dont resolve the critical question of whether the carbon market really is a solution at all, or a costly delaying tactic benefitting the biggest corporate emitters. In announcing the guidelines, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said companies should prioritize reducing their own emissions before turning to offsets, but that the purchase of offsets should complement these efforts. The White House proposal marks the closest thing yet to rules for those purchases. The guidelines themselves are mostly anodyne and commonsense, including that carbon credits should represent real decarbonization and that credit-generating activities should avoid environmental and social harm. But they do take the carbon trading industrys side on a particularly thorny issue that has riled greenwashing watchdog groups, and say that companies should be permitted to count offsets against some of their Scope 3 footprint, attributed to customers and suppliers emissions. In a broader sense, they put the Biden administrations imprimatur on a practice that companies had started to shy away from as evidence has accumulated of both outright fraud and lesser misleading marketing practices in the carbon market. Companies are now hearing from the US government that this isnt just something you do, said Mark Kenber, executive director of the nonprofit Voluntary Carbon Markets Initiative, which is developing its own recommendations for market participants. Its something you do. Title icon Tims view There are two key theses driving the administrations embrace of carbon markets. One is that carbon trading, which amounted to $1.9 billion globally last year, can and should be a key channel through which to move money from the pockets of big companies into climate-impacted communities in poorer countries. The US is far behind most of its peers in its contributions to global climate finance, and facilitating a bigger carbon market is an alternative measure for the administration to tout in advance of the finance-focused COP29 summit this fall. The other thesis is that voluntary carbon markets can be a kind of warm-up act for an eventual transition to economy-wide mandatory carbon pricing, the long-held and elusive dream of climate economists. The voluntary carbon market which includes companies and nonprofits that develop carbon projects, mostly in developing countries; the traders and other intermediaries that sell these credits to airlines, oil companies, and other buyers; and the buyers themselves has spent the last few years under increasing pressure to prove its legitimacy. Numerous studies and investigations have found that carbon projects frequently over-estimate their benefit, either by supporting clean energy projects that would have been built anyway, for example, or for protecting forests that were never at risk, and can lead to land grabs and other abuses of the hosting community. Industry-supported groups like the VCMI have been racing to develop rules to both avoid a strict government crackdown, and to ensure they do not completely lose public credibility, which would also turn away buyers. 2023 was a slow year in the market, Kenber warned, because of companies fears of being tarnished as greenwashers. In practice, guidelines from the White House or groups like VCMI wont drive bad credits out of existence. Instead, it is more likely that the market will fragment, as it has already started to do, with higher-quality credits commanding higher prices that image-conscious companies will be willing to pay. Any new projects developers might propose will have to meet a higher bar, in terms of demonstrating a genuinely additional, long-lasting carbon impact, or fewer brokers will bother to list them. To that extent, a bigger, better voluntary carbon market can function like a de facto national carbon tax even when policymakers remain unwilling to put a proper one in place. Still, its likely that in the absence of binding regulations, more carbon market scandals will be forthcoming sooner or later especially if the effect of the White House announcement is to reinvigorate companies interest in buying. Title icon Know More At the same time, the Biden administration is nudging the carbon market in the direction of higher quality by using its direct purchasing power to support a range of nascent carbon removal startups. Also announced on Tuesday were 24 awardees of $50,000 each, covering most of the carbon removal technologies in existence, including big carbon-sucking fans, burying organic waste underground, and enhanced rock weathering. Later this year, a smaller group of 10 companies will be selected to sell the government up to $30 million in carbon removal credits, which are the most beneficial for the climate but also the most expensive on the market, often worth hundreds of dollars per ton. Here the government is following the steps of Microsoft and other tech companies that have recently been pooling their resources to become the first generation of carbon removal customers. Ultimately a government buying signal is stronger than what the private sector can do, said Giana Amador, executive director of the Carbon Removal Alliance, a trade group. The tons [the Department of Energy] selects to purchase will be extremely impactful and really drive the next phase of the carbon removal field. Title icon Room for Disagreement While getting a set of high-level principles from the White House is welcome, it doesnt do much to alleviate the concerns many companies have about being accused of greenwashing, said Levi McAllister, an attorney who leads the energy commodity trading practice at law firm Morgan Lewis. Exposure to greenwashing litigation does ultimately boil down to the details of specific projects, he said, so companies will likely remain wary of buying into the carbon market until theres more evidence that offset brokers are actually adhering to these principles. Meanwhile, the idea that carbon credits are a silver bullet for global climate finance remains unproven. The markets $1.9 billion valuation in 2023 is a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $1.3 trillion in total climate finance that changed hands last year. The market is expected to grow over time, possibly to above $1 trillion by 2050. But much of that money will wind up with traders in the global north who collect fees and sell credits at large markups. Right now, theres no system for tracing the flow of capital through the market, said Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer at the nonprofit Carbon Market Watch, and there is no point in scaling this market if we dont know where the money is going. Title icon Notable With the new White House guidelines, the end of greenwashing Is now within sight, Michael Bloomberg whose foundation funds the VCMI wrote in his namesake news outlet. Semafor Logo The Biden administration rejected an offer from TikToks parent company ByteDance that would have allowed federal officials to pick board members for its American subsidiary, examine the social media apps source code and even flick a kill switch if necessary. But US officials refused the plan, which TikTok called Project Texas, in favor of supporting a bill in Congress to force the sale of the controversial video-sharing platform to an American owner. According to the Washington Post, ByteDance executives made the extraordinary offer in 2022 at a time when House and Senate members were haggling over how best to craft legislation that would effectively outlaw TikTok in America, amid fears that the apps Chinese owners could, or already were, using it to negatively influence Americans and harm US national security. But the ByteDance offer was rejected. A senior Biden official told the Post that the administration had determined the offer was insufficient to address the serious national security risks posed by TikTok. While we have consistently engaged with the company about our concerns and potential solutions, it became clear that divestment from its foreign ownership was and remains necessary, the official added. In April, President Biden signed into law a bill that would force TikToks sale or ban it outright by January 2025. ByteDance subsequently sued the US government to block enforcement of the law, citing First Amendment interests of TikTok users. However, a Justice Department spokesperson told the Post that the law addresses critical national security concerns in a manner that is consistent with the First Amendment and other constitutional limitations and said the DOJ looks forward to defending the law in court. The White House said Tuesday it had no plans to change its policy toward Israel after an airstrike killed dozens of Palestinian civilians in Rafah this weekend. It just happened, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a news briefing.The Israelis are going to investigate it. Were going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And well see where it goes from there. CBS News' @edokeefe asks at White House press briefing about Israel's deadly explosion in Rafah: The whole area is densely populated. How does this not violate the red line that the president laid out? John Kirby, WH National Security Council spokesperson: As I said, we dont pic.twitter.com/prshMWC7yW CBS News (@CBSNews) May 28, 2024 The attack hit Palestinians who were sheltering in tents, fleeing violence amid Israels ongoing war with Hamas who believed they were in a so-called safe zone not under evacuation orders. Israel said later the target had been a Hamas compound and that it had used precise munitions in the attack. But Gazas health ministry said the strike sparked a deadly fire that killed at least 45 people and wounded nearly 250 others, including children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday the strike was a tragic mishap, and while the White House said the killings were devastating, officials said Israel had not flouted President Joe Bidens warning from earlier this month. Displaced Palestinians inspect their tents destroyed by Israel's bombardment in an adjunct to an UNRWA facility west of Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. via Associated Press The strike came after the president warned Netanyahu that he would stop some arms transfers if the country proceeded with a full offensive in Rafah, saying doing so would cross a red line the U.S. could not accept. The White House has pressured Israel to protect civilians as it targets the area and worked to broker a ceasefire deal, but those plans have not materialized. I have made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet theyre not going to get our support if, in fact, theyre going into these population centers, Biden said on CNN in early May. The White House said it believed no such line had been crossed on Sunday and stressed any operation in Rafah was on a much smaller scale than other devastating incursions in other parts of Gaza. We still dont believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted, Kirby said. We still dont want to see the Israelis, as we say, smash into Rafah with large units over large pieces of territory. We still believe that, and we havent seen that at this point. A second bout of shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people outside of Rafah on Tuesday, the same area where the initial attack took place. Related... A white journalist thought cosplaying as a Black man was the best way to learn about racism OPINION: Canadian journalist Sam Forster allegedly spent last summer disguised as a Black man so he could experience and prove that American racism exists completely ignoring the lived experiences of Black people everywhere. Editors note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the authors own. Read more opinions on theGrio. If (some) white people dont do anything else, they are going to find a way to center themselves in something they have no business being centered in, and they are going to act like they are doing the world a huge favor by doing it. In the case of white saviors, they will center themselves in something and act like the Black people around them should be so grateful for their actions because, my god, do you understand how hard they are working to make things better for you people? I want to introduce yall to Sam Forster, a white, Canadian journalist from Montreal, Quebec. Last summer, Forster apparently decided he wanted to study and document how racism still persists in American society, then turn his findings into a book. He claimed to have spent the summer traveling across the U.S., documenting how racism persists in American society. How did Forster do his research on this important topic, you ask? If you think he actually spoke to Black people about their experiences, you are incorrect. No, our friend Sam Forster decided to do things differently. Tuesday, on Twitter, Forster wrote, Last summer, I disguised myself as a Black man and traveled throughout the United States to document how racism persists in American society. Writing Seven Shoulders was one of the hardest things Ive ever done as a journalist, he added. What in the white people cannot possibly be serious right now is this? That announcement went over about as well as you can expect on Twitter, with both Black people and a surprising number of white people calling Forster out on his b.s. As I type this on Wednesday morning, the ratio on that tweet is so strong that I suspect thats why Sam Forster has not made a peep since he sent out that message. Theres more, though. If you go to the Amazon page for the book, you will be greeted with the book overview that says, Six decades after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, award-winning journalist Sam Forster performs a daring transformation in order to taxonomize the various types of racism that persist in modern America. Seven Shoulders is the most important book on American race relations that has ever been written. Never mind that this trope was already done in 1961 by white journalist John Howard Griffin, who turned his experience into a book called Black Like Me, which would be made into a movie of the same name three years later. Recommended Stories Black Like Me disabused the idea that minorities were acting out of paranoia, says Gerald Early, a black scholar at Washington University and editor of Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation, told Smithsonian Magazine. There was this idea that black people said certain things about racism, and one rather expected them to say these things. Griffin revealed that what they were saying was true. It took someone from outside coming in to do that. And what he went through gave the book a remarkable sincerity. How much do you wanna bet Sam Forster is going to get a movie deal out of this? No matter the amount of lampooning he is subjected to on social media, the fact remains that for some white people, the lived experiences of Black people arent enough. They dont believe us when we call out racism of all types. They say we are complaining and playing the victim. The truth is, they dont want to believe us because believing us means they might have to take action and taking action means admitting their complicity in upholding the systems of white supremacy and white privilege, and there arent enough white people who are really invested enough to do that. This so-called experiment Sam Forster did is flawed on a number of levels. From jump, Blackness is a thing we cant take off and put on as we feel like it. It is our very existence. Its the way the outside world sees us. Our experiences dont happen in a vacuum, and they cant be filtered down to whatever it is Sam Forster saw as he cosplayed Blackness for one summer. Blackness is a lifetime of microaggressions, being on edge, worrying about things like being followed in the store or seeing those red lights flashing in the rearview mirror and wondering if this is the time you become a hashtag or get put on a t-shirt. There is no way for a white man like Sam Forster to quantify that, let alone identify with it. A white man cosplaying Blackness has the luxury of knowing that when his little field trip is over, he can go right back to being white and privileged as if nothing happened. Its not the same for Black people. The Black-American experience is multifaceted, and all the parts of it move in tandem. Our culture is rooted in our experiences here in this country, and that is not something you can duplicate by putting dark makeup on your face and walking around like you think you are one of us. Theres nuance. There are intra-racial relations that are impacted by outside forces like racism, colorism, and things of that nature, and unless you are living this life every day, you will never be able to understand that no matter how down you think you are. What Sam Forster did is racist in and of itself, and the irony of him not realizing that is making me constipated AF. You, as a white man, dont get to center yourself in a struggle you have no real understanding of. You dont get to take a field trip into Blackness and pretend to understand whats at the root of over 400 years of lived oppression. You cant cosplay Blackness, pretend to have gained insight into something you will never directly understand, and then package it as you doing the most important anti-racist work ever while actively being a racist. Thats just goofy. The book will be on Kindle Unlimited on May 30, and morbid curiosity compels me to read it. I dont, however, expect to be impressed. Sam Forster is just another example of that famous Paul Mooney quote. Everybody wanna be a n*gga, but nobody wanna be a n*gga. thegrio.com Monique Judge is a storyteller, content creator and writer living in Los Angeles. She is a word nerd who is a fan of the Oxford comma, spends way too much time on Twitter, and has more graphic t-shirts than you. Follow her on Twitter @thejournalista or check her out at moniquejudge.com. More must-reads: (The Hill) A Virginia-based tech company will pay thousands of dollars in fines for a job posting that requested whites only to apply. The Justice and Labor departments have fined minority-owned federal contractor Arthur Grand Technologies Inc. a civil penalty of $7,500. The departments also ordered the federal contractor to pay $31,000 overall to 31 people who complained about the posting. It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using whites only and only US born job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. The company began advertising for a Salesforce business analyst and insurance claims position based in Dallas in March 2023. In its job posting, the company restricted eligible candidates to only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Dont share with candidates]. See it: Dog befriends squirrel in Brooklyns Prospect Park The posting drew outrage on social media, and the Justice Department opened its investigation. The company denied approving the posting and claimed it was posted by an employee working for its subsidiary in India. The Justice Department said the listing violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Labor Department said the company violated an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating based on race, national origin and other protected characteristics. We are committed to holding federal contractors accountable for outrageous discriminatory practices like this advertisement, said Michele Hodge, acting director of the Department of Labors Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Companies like Arthur Grand, that accept federal contracts cannot have a whites only hiring process. The departments said Arthur Grands actions harmed individuals with permission to work in the U.S., including U.S. citizens born outside the country and certain non-U.S. citizens. In addition to the fines, the company will now be monitored to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. It is also required to train its employees on the Immigration and Nationality Acts requirements and to revise employment policies. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Chief Executive Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at the Mackinac Policy Conference May 29, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced at the Mackinac Policy Conference that her administration is moving the goalpost to increase its 2026 goal of building or rehabbing 75,000 units of affordable housing by September 2026 to 115,000 and is committing to investing federal funds into 28,000 low-income households to make them more energy efficient to lower monthly energy costs. This year, were making the largest housing investment in Michigan history. Lets focus on how we can lower costs on two of the largest expenses people have, which are housing and energy, Whitmer said alongside housing and environmental leaders in Michigan at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. I think we keep our eye on the ball and recognize that lowering peoples costs and helping more people get an affordable place to live are places we should all be able to find common ground. Im very optimistic about getting this done. In an interview with Whitmer before the Mackinac Conference at the governors residence, she said that Michigan is ahead of schedule from the goals that we set for housing. So upping our investment and our timeline and our goals is one thing that will be announced [at the Mackinac Conference]. And then lowering energy costs. I think that the Biden administration has given us a lot of resources. So whether it is the housing goals or the expansion of helping lower income houses make use of better energy through appliances or energy efficiency in their homes, etc. Whitmer set the original goal of establishing 75,000 additional units of affordable housing in Michigan at the 2021 Mackinac Policy, but with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) reporting that the agency has already established nearly 50,000 units ahead of schedule the goal is now being increased by 53% to 115,000. Its a move MSHDA Executive Director Amy Hovey told the Advance ahead of the announcement shows an understanding from the state for the widespread effects access to housing can have on local communities and the state overall. If we want economic growth, if we want educational attainment, if we want folks to be happy, if we want crime to go down, its all dependent on people having stable quality housing, Hovey told the Advance. The faith that the governor has put in our agency to work with partners across the state to develop even more housing and increase that goal excites me the fact that she sees promise in our agency, and the fact that shes increasing the goal. The 75,000 goal was always a big one, Hovey said one that required state, local and federal partners to come together. Increasing the goal only reinvigorates the progress MSHDA has made. It really gives me that kind of re-energization that you need to go, OK, were doing it because it gets tiring, youre in the trenches, youre trying to make significant change and bring everybody else along with and to see that people are recognizing that were making it happen is exciting, Hovey said. Housing is recognized by stakeholders in Michigan as a key part of growing the states population and retaining talent in Michigans workforce. The Growing Michigan Together Council, tasked by Whitmer to advise on growing Michigans population, identified housing as a priority to focus on for population growth in its report in December. The council stated in its report that Michigan has found itself in an unfolding crisis and must act now as the state has fallen to 49th in population growth. But Michigan is working on things, Whitmer said, recognizing that its going to take work to establish to more people that Michigan is a place to make a life. Things are headed in the right direction, Whitmer said. There are projects underway everywhere to build new housing, revitalize our communities, and create more commercial space all across our state and of course were fixing the damn roads. Dont complain to me [about construction]. Youre welcome. The cost of living in Michigan is outpacing wage growth as the state has seen some of the highest rent increases in the country in recent years and young people especially are leaving the state in pursuit of higher wages. Part of reducing the cost of living is driving down energy costs for residents Whitmer said, announcing that Michigan is receiving $367 million from the U.S Department of Energys Home Energy Rebates and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Solar for All programs. Whitmer said these funds will work to drive down monthly energy bills for 28,000 homes in Michigan through installing solar panels and installing energy efficient water heaters, stoves and more. Just think about what that quality of life means for people. You can save hundreds of dollars on your bills, be warmer in the winter, you wont have to put a jacket on to have dinner, Whitmer said. Your kids will walk in after a long day of hot summer fun to feel cool and calm. Your home will be less susceptible to extreme weather events caused by climate change and when you sell your home, it will be more attractive to potential buyers. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) will heading up the new energy efficiency funding programs and Department Director Phil Roos said the program will be available to families this time next year. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Whitmer announces housing and energy affordability plans to drive down cost of living in Michigan appeared first on Michigan Advance. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks with Michigan Advance at the Michigan Governor's Summer Residence on May 28, 2024 during the Mackinac Policy Conference. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) In a Tuesday interview at the governors residence on Mackinac Island, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the Michigan Advance conversations with legislative leaders are ongoing to fund universal pre-K and two-years of free community college in the incoming budget for Fiscal Year 2025. During her State of the State address in January, Whitmer moved the deadline forward on her plan to provide pre-K for 4-year-olds from the end of her term as governor to the end of 2024, and also pledged two-years of tuition-free community college for Michigans High School graduates. However, as the Democratic-led House and the Senate moved forward on their respective budget proposals, funding for free pre-K and community college was notably absent from the Houses version of the budget. The Senate took a different approach, opting to raise income thresholds on the states current free pre-K program to 400% of the federal poverty level. Under the Senates proposal, tuition aid for community college would differ depending on where a student lives and chooses to attend community college. We are hoping to get to pre-K for all at one point in the future. However, the difference is that were taking a more measured approach, increasing it to a different poverty threshold and allowing our schools and communities, organizations to really online more classrooms to allow for once we open up the opportunity for all Michigan residents we will have enough slots, classrooms, teachers available in the pipeline, state Sen. Darrin Camilleri, chair of the Senate Appropriations Pre-K-12 Subcommittee, told reporters following after Senate Democrats voted through the final bill in their proposed budget. As the Senate and House work out the differences between their proposed budgets before putting the final product to a vote in both chambers, Whitmer said negotiations with legislative leaders will continue. Its always a negotiation, but universal pre-K is something that the people of this state have been clamoring for for years. We know that that kind of investment sets the youngest Michiganders up for lifelong health and lifelong wealth, Whitmer said Tuesday. The community college component came from the Growing Michigan Together Councils recommendation to make it easier for people in the state to build their skills and get good paying jobs by addressing financial barriers, Whitmer said. I cant tell you exactly where were going to land. But I can reaffirm that these are two things that I think are really important for the success of our state, Whitmer said. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said its critical for the Legislature to strike while the iron is hot. It saves parents money and helps kids meet their early milestones. We think that theres no argument against the good things that pre-K brings, Gilchrist said. Whitmer also signaled she would support increased transparency into state government, but said she was uncertain when those efforts would move forward. Im proud that we are the most transparent administration in Michigan history, Whitmer said, while discussing a law she signed in December, implementing the financial disclosure component of Proposal 1, which requiring state officials and and candidates for office to file annual reports disclosing assets, income, and properties valued over $1,000 alongside liabilities of $10,000 or greater. Prior to the laws taking effect, Michigan was one of two states without financial disclosure requirements, the other being Idaho. As you look at these new transparency requirements for office holders, you see that weve took the most expansive, liberal interpretation of everything and kind of set the standard, Whitmer said. Ill be honest with you, not every office holder was happy about that, but theyve followed suit, largely because weve always wanted to open up and make sure that people have the ability to have a little line of sight into whats happening in state government and who their office holders are. However, some say the new disclosure requirements do not go far enough, pointing to gaps in the policy such as the lack of financial disclosure for spousal income, which could allow lawmakers to circumvent the law by placing assets in their spouses name. In November, Sens. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) introduced their latest of multiple efforts to reform Michigans Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Sen. Bills 669 and 670, which would make the Executive Office of the Governor and the Legislature subject to FOIA. While the bills were referred to the Senate floor from committee, they have yet to receive a vote. House Republicans also introduced a slate of FOIA Reform bills in March of 2023, but the bills have sat in committee untouched. Whitmer said she would like to see greater transparency, and would like to ensure the requirements are equivalent between branches of government, and that she would continue to work toward those policies. Im not sure what the timing will be, but I know that there are earnest conversations happening, Whitmer said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Whitmer: Conversations continue with Legislature on FOIA reform, free pre-K and community college appeared first on Michigan Advance. SANAA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said it shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone on Wednesday over Yemen's central Marib. Yahya Sarea, the group's military spokesman, said in the statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that "a locally made surface-to-air missile is used in the operation." "This is the sixth MQ-9 Reaper drone we shot down in six months," he said. Pfc. Zachary Nichols has been in the Army less than a year, only arriving to his unit in the middle of a deployment to Europe last fall. But now he is recognized as being part of one of the best artillery units in the service. Earlier this month, the Army held its inaugural "Best Redleg" competition at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a 200-soldier contest from units across the force deciding who is the best artillery team for each major artillery platform. Nichols' 1-9th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, won the M109 Paladin competition. Part of his job was handling the Paladin's massive ammunition rounds, which weigh about 100 pounds each. Read Next: US Soldiers Were Stuck in Beached Boats Along Gaza After Storms Broke Apart Aid Pier The six-day competition consisted of 35 teams of field artillery soldiers. On top of the artillery tests, soldiers also competed in a physical fitness test, a ruck march, M4 marksmanship and land navigation -- loosely akin to a Best Ranger competition or Spur Ride, but for artillerymen. For firing artillery, the rounds need to be moved, loaded and fired quickly. Nichols' crew was averaging about 20 seconds to get a round ready to fire -- half the time the Army expects. They were able to fire at targets at such a rapid pace, their team was finished firing sometimes minutes faster than other Paladin teams. The crews are made up of eight soldiers. "We were kind of leaps and bounds ahead of everybody when it came to that," Nichols said in an interview with Military.com. Nichols is 27 years old. Joining the Army, particularly combat arms, at that age is relatively rare. But he said he was bored in dead-end sales jobs and wanted something more exciting. "I wanted something that would be challenging, but also something that I could actually work for," he said. Getting the crew drills nailed down was critical, but the key to their success was physical fitness. "The whole team is pretty jacked," said Staff Sgt. Brandon Swart, who leads the crew. "That was our strong suit." The night before the fitness test, Swart's crew elected to do a 1,000-pound club event at Fort Sill, where the artillery competition was taking place. The 1,000-pound club is a significant benchmark in weightlifting and is the cumulative total of a one-repetition max of a bench press, squat and deadlift. Soldiers who can lift at least 1,000 cumulative pounds across the three events are awarded a T-shirt they can wear with their uniform -- which they did in front of other teams competing. "We wore our club shirts to the brief so everyone can see it and that we're going to crush it," Swart added. The soldiers had just come home from a seven-month deployment to Europe and effectively rolled right into the competition. From September through April, the 3rd Infantry Division made up much of the U.S. forces in Europe, as part of NATO's bolstering of its defenses amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The 1-9th Field Artillery Battalion spent much of its time in training exercises in Latvia and Lithuania. Artillery is among the key weapons in Europe and serves much as the center of gravity in NATO's defense. Ukraine has received Paladins from the U.S., Italy, Latvia, Norway and the U.K. Paladins and other artillery have become a signature weapon in the war, with both sides using an extraordinary volume of shells not seen since World War I. Ukraine used some 7,000 shells daily over the summer last year. Meanwhile, Russia was firing 20,000 rounds daily, effectively preventing either side from gaining significant ground. For the 3rd Infantry Division crew, bonding during the competition was key to holding the group together. And they needed to bond quickly, as the team wasn't totally established until just before the competition started. "We just all bonded right off the bat from the gym and such," Spc. Ny'keem Haynesworth said. "It was easy to [work] together; we laughed a lot through the competition. Now, we can go see our name on a plaque." Related: On the Front Lines with a Ukrainian Artillery Unit Updated as of 7/13/2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET After two months of being stuck in Turks and Caicos over an ammunition charge, Sharitta Grier returned home this week. It had been weeks since she was arrested after loose bullets were found in her belongings at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. Thursday, Grier faced sentencing which couldve sent her to prison for 12 years. She pleaded guilty to one county of possession of ammunition and had been released on bail, forced to find shelter with a few other stranded Americans facing the same charges. However, she was handed a $1,500 fine and a 23-week suspended sentence, per ABC. In response to being reunited with her family who met her at the Orlando International Airport upon her return, she told ABC 7 she was happy to get back home but also left travelers with a warning: Check their luggage. You know, just be careful. Be very careful, because the other states, all the countries, got different homes. So thats very serious, said Grier. What Happened? In another unfortunate event of a Black person being internationally detained, Ms. Grier was stranded in Turks and Caicos for over a month due to what she insists an innocent mistake: loose ammunition in her luggage. Hold on, now. She can explain. Grier, 45, told NBC News she was on a trip to the islands with her daughter to celebrate Mothers Day weekend. Her return was set for May 13. However, on her way through the Howard Hamilton International Airport, she told the outlet a plainclothes officer stopped her due to two bullets discovered in the flap of her carry-on bag. Her daughter was released. However, Grier says she was forced to spend the following few nights in jail, chained to a chair by her leg. Read more from CBS News: I never experienced nothing like that, Grier, of Orlando, said in an interview on CBS Mornings. It was just so unreal to me. And all they kept saying was like, This is a serious, um, charge, 12 years mandatory to prison. 12 years? Possessing a gun or ammunition is illegal in Turks and Caicos, but was previously punishable by a fine. In February, a court order required a mandatory prison sentence, even for tourists, in addition to paying a fine. Grier insists it was an honest mistake, after believing she thoroughly cleaned out the bag before packing. Now, she is one of the five Americans facing the same 12-year punishment after ammunition was found in their bags. Politicians have gotten involved, petitioning the foreign government to release the detainees. We humbly ask that your governmentin its wisdomtemper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intents, read a statement from the governors of several states. Grier was released on bail and was previously in the care of Bryan Hagerich and Ryan Watson, two more Americans who were also detained for the same ammunition offenses and awaiting their pending court hearings. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Why does John Morgan want weed to be legal in Florida? What to know about the TV attorney Attorney John Morgan the guy on all those billboards has come out in favor of Florida's recreational marijuana constitutional amendment on the ballot this November. Morgan announced Wednesday that he would be advocating for the amendment to make marijuana legal for Floridians 21 years of age or older in multiple audio ads. Which is not surprising, as Morgan, the so-called "Pot Daddy," has advocated for legalized marijuana for years and led the charge that resulted in legalized medical marijuana in the state. "I'm back for this amendment," Morgan said at a press conference in Orlando on behalf of Smart & Safe Florida, the group leading the amendment's campaign. "I believe in the people of Florida. I believe they're going to legalize it. I believe it's going to be tight." Who is John Morgan? Attorney John Morgan speaks at an event hosted by the Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County in 2017. John Bryan Morgan, 68, is widely known as the founder of Morgan & Morgan, which claims to be the largest personal injury firm in the country. Morgan has been seen photoshopped into racecars, bodybuilder beach bodies and superhero outfits, all while advertising the firm's work "For the People." Morgan was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but moved with his parents and four younger siblings to Winter Park, Florida when he was 14. Both his parents were alcoholics, he said, and as the family struggled Morgan started working at Dairy Queen, started several businesses, performed magic at Disney World and even put on the costumes and portrayed "The Jungle Book" orangutan King Louie, one of the Three Little Pigs and Pluto. He graduated from Winter Park High and, after seeing how Disney's lawyers "crushed" his brother Tim after he was injured while working as a lifeguard at Disney World's Polynesian Resort, he went on to get a bachelor's degree in arts from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law where he served as the elected president of the prestigious Florida Blue Key leadership society. Morgan & Morgan law firm billboards in Pensacola on Friday, October 7, 2016. Morgan started at the law firm of Billings, Morgan (no relation) & Cunningham in Orlando but left to co-found Griffin, Morgan and Linder in 1985. After three years he left to found Morgan, Collins & Gilbert, where he could be more aggressive with television and radio ads, still a relatively new thing at the time for lawyers. The firm rapidly grew as Morgan continuously pushed for more ads on TV, phone book covers and highways. In 2005 Morgan bought out his partners and renamed the firm Morgan & Morgan, bringing in his wife Ultima Ann Degnan as a partner. The law firm currently has over 1,000 attorneys and thousands of support members with offices in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. according to the company's website. Three of the couple's four children work for the firm. Morgan, a huge and longtime political donor, has worked as an advisor to political leaders and presidents and counts Barack Obama and Bill Clinton among his friends. For a time former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked for him. John Morgan and weed Marijuana does not have a more devoted advocate in Florida than John Morgan. When Morgan was 20, his then-18-year-old brother Tim dove into the pool at a Disney resort and broke his neck, leaving his arms and legs paralyzed. Only pot, Morgan said, seemed to help. "He suffers in ways I cannot begin to describe," Morgan said in 2014. "I asked him one time, 'What do they [the spasms] feel like?' He said, 'Like lightning up your body from the tip of your toe into the middle of your eyes.' When the pain becomes unbearable, he lights it [the marijuana]. He takes one hit, and all the pain goes away. Who wouldn't want their brother to be pain-free?" He also said that only marijuana helped his father ease nausea and pain when he was dying of cancer. In 2013, Morgan launched a campaign to get medical marijuana on the ballot, promoting it nonstop and even going viral with a profanity-laced rant at a pro-pot rally. It was opposed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, state sheriffs and major Republican leaders and donors and failed the next year. He tried again, sinking millions of his own money into the fight, and in 2016 medical marijuana passed with 71% of the vote. The fight wasn't over, though, as Florida legislators passed a law banning smokeable weed, something Morgan argued was against the will of the voters. Morgan sued the state and ultimately the law was dropped thanks to efforts from U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and new Governor Ron DeSantis. What I set out to do, Ive done to have medical marijuana approved in all forms for people who are sick in Florida, Morgan said, reported in Orlando Magazine. People come up to me and thank me and cry. Its one of the greatest things Ive done with my money in my life. He has also advocated for legal recreational marijuana nearly every year since. Watch John Morgan endorse Florida's recreational marijuana amendment Is John Morgan running for governor of Florida? Hard to say. But he does hint at it. Today, too many adults are sitting in our jails simply because they were using marijuana, and that is just wrong, Morgan said Wednesday. If I was your governor, I would free or parole any person in jail for possession, and then expunge everyones record. Reporters asked him about that during the press conference and he just said he was 68 and lived in Hawaii half the year. But he didn't say no. "I might, but if I did it would be the most unusual (campaign), it would only be third party, it wouldn't be like anything you'd ever seen before," he said. This is hilarious. And why we despise most politicians. @GovRonDeSantis fought me tooth and nail along with his usual suspects. Maybe I should run for Governor as an Independent. The Peoples Party. #ForThePeoplehttps://t.co/9FpgNlKDWA John Morgan (@JohnMorganESQ) January 4, 2024 It's not the first time he's floated the idea. In the runup to the 2018 election Morgan said he was considering a run. And this January, while criticizing DeSantis for taking credit for the state's minimum wage hike (which Morgan promoted), he tweeted "Maybe I should run for Governor... as an Independent." Contributing: Douglas Soule, USA TODAY Network-Florida This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Morgan & Morgan head endorses Florida recreational marijuana amendment It has been more than 60 years since civil rights pioneer Medgar Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. And it has been 30 years since Evers' killer, Byron De La Beckwith, was convicted after a third trial. That conviction was secured in part by the testimony of Knoxville native Reed Massengill, the author of the biography "Portrait of a Racist" about Beckwith, Massengill's uncle by marriage. Evers was honored earlier this month as one of 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, and Massengill believes now is the perfect time to release a new edition of his book. The reissue feels serendipitous to Massengill, who noted Evers' award was far too long in coming. "Although I've written about Beckwith, I want to pivot some of that attention back to Medgar Evers and his contributions and his legacy," Massengill said. "I don't want him to be overlooked in the conversation." Who was Byron de la Beckwith and how did Massengill end up writing 'Portrait of a Racist?' Byron De La Beckwith, who was born in 1920, had been married to Massengill's aunt, Mary Louise "Willie" Williams. But as Massengill notes in the beginning of his biography, Williams' family never spoke of Beckwith, who was suspected of murdering Evers in 1963. Beckwith's first two trials in 1964 both times by all-male, all-white juries ended in mistrials. Delmar Dennis, who acted as a key witness for the prosecution at the 1994 trial, said Beckwith boasted of his role in the death of Medgar Evers at several Ku Klux Klan rallies and similar gatherings in the years after those trials. Beckwith was finally convicted after the third trial in 1994. Prior to his re-arrest, Beckwith had reached out to Massengill, in the mid-1980s, with the idea that his nephew would write a sympathetic account. "I had been curious about him since I was a kid, but he came to me," Massengill said. "I got a letter from (him). ... I don't think I would have ended up with the book I did if I had approached him. I owed our interaction almost entirely to this curiosity he had about me as the writer in the family. He was constantly giving me stuff that drew me in even more; his letters invariably provided me with details that led to further research." One of the items Beckwith sent was the FBI file that had been amassed on his activities since Evers' assassination, Massengill said, adding of his uncle's "complex" personality, "He was definitely a narcissist." Massengill was interviewed by Knox News in December 1992, shortly after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Beckwith would stand trial for the third time, while Massengill was in the process of writing "Portrait of a Racist." Massengill told reporter Don Williams he had just returned from a jailhouse interview with his uncle. "Massengill is breaking the family taboo," Williams wrote. "He is airing out the family secret, literally writing the final chapter to a book scheduled to be published by St. Martin's Press in August." What happened after 'Portrait of a Racist' was published? The publication of the biography in January 1994 resulted in Massengill being subpoenaed to testify against Beckwith because of the letters his uncle wrote him. "I feared something might happen to me to keep me from testifying," Massengill said, recalling that a planned hit list with his name on it showed up in his post office box. On another occasion, his windshield was smashed. "It was creepy and scary." Eventually, Massengill said, he left Knoxville and moved back to his former home New York City where he felt "a lot less vulnerable." (Massengill moved back to Knoxville in the early 2000s.) The publisher of "Portrait of a Racist," St. Martin's Press, tried several times to arrange a book signing in Jackson, but two attempts were canceled due to bomb threats, Massengill said. Finally, with extra security, one did take place. At that book signing, Beckwith's son showed up in what Massengill described as a "funny run-in." "He got in my face," Massengill said, adding that his cousin claimed he was printing lies and defaming the family but said he hadn't even read the book. "I literally walked to the cash register and paid for the book and gave it to my cousin ... and then he asked me if I was going to sign it." What prompted a new edition of Massengill's book about Byron de la Beckwith? Massengill said an "odd series of events" precipitated the decision to work on a new edition of "Portrait of a Racist." A fellow board member at Knox Heritage took a trip to Jackson five years ago and toured Medgar Evers' home. When she mentioned Massengill's book to the woman standing next to her on the infamous driveway, a man standing nearby chimed in. "He was the acquisitions editor for the University of Georgia Press," Massengill said, explaining the chance meeting led to a conversation between the two men about a new edition before COVID-19 put a stop to the potential collaboration. Fast-forward a few years, to when Massengill was working on a book for the University of Tennessee Press about film director Clarence Brown. Another chance meeting, this time with Scott Danforth, the now-retired director of UT Press, brought the new edition back to life. "He said, we need to do that book," Massengill recalled. "We did think it was time to look at this again. ... I don't know what kind of reception the new book will get. It's a very different world in some ways, but not in others. It will be interesting to see if the book will be embraced at all." Massengill will do a book signing at Union Ave Books at 3 p.m. July 13, as well as a brown bag lunch at noon Sept. 18 at the East Tennessee History Center. Still in the works is an appearance in Mississippi, possibly in conjunction with the sketch artist who was present every day of Beckwith's last trial. The new edition includes an afterword that recounts Massengills participation as a witness and his introduction of new evidence in the third trial. It also chronicles Beckwiths last years of declining health behind bars, examines the deep scholarship on Evers and civil rights that has arisen since this books original appearance, and reflects on the catastrophic persistence of Beckwiths ideology Christian nationalism and white supremacy in the current political climate. "It's more than I could take on, to tie all the loose ends (together), to things like Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and religious nationalism," Massengill said. "But my point in attempting that is to show that we choose to believe that the world has changed for the better, but the evidence is clearly being presented, day in and day out, that times have not changed as much as we think." Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. Soldiers hold the US flag over the coffin of American civil rights activist Medgar Evers during his funeral, on June 19, 1963 in Arlington National Cemetery, in Washington, DC, as his wife Myrlie Evers Williams (R) and children look on. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) White policemen wear hardhats and carry double-barrelled shotguns as they block mourners demonstrating at the funeral of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, Jackson, Mississippi, June 15, 1963. In 1994, racist Byron de la Beckwith was convicted of Evers' murder. (Photo by Express Newsopapers/Getty Images) At the funeral for slain Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers, his wife, Myrlie Evers (second right), comforts their son, Darryl Kenyatta Evers, while daughter Reena Denise Evers (center, in white dress) wipes her own tears, Jackson, Mississippi, June 18, 1963. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images) This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville author's biography of Medgar Evers killer remains relevant President Joe Bidens rally with Vice President Kamala Harris at Girard College marked his fifth trip to the Philadelphia area this year and his seventh to Pennsylvania in 2024 alone. The campaign has opened two dozen field offices, and the president and his allies have poured tens of millions into the state, outspending former President Donald Trump and his backers there more than 4 to 1. And on Wednesday, speaking at a majority Black school in the states largest city, Biden and Harris used a rare dual campaign appearance to launch an organizing effort to win over Black voters, a critical constituency. If its registering, theres little sign of it yet. Few states embody the steep challenges Biden faces in his rematch against Trump more than Pennsylvania, where he keeps showing up and where he remains behind. Not only is Bidens polling at a slight disadvantage to Trump in a state he won by just 1 percentage point in 2020, but a New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll released this month highlighted his deteriorating support with young voters since his election, as well as a slide in support among Black and Hispanic voters. The president is also being outrun by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), whos polling 10 points higher than Republican Dave McCormick for Senate. The goal for the Biden campaign is to try to keep that fragile coalition together. And its a much harder goal than it is for the Trump campaign, which is just to have people do nothing, said Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based Democratic strategist. If Im Trump, I dont need you to come out and vote for me, I need you to not go out and vote for that guy. Biden is banking heavily on Pennsylvania, which was home to his 2020 campaign headquarters. Its a place he often pays homage to in campaign speeches going by the nickname of Scranton Joe. And its a place where the Biden campaign believes it can reverse some of his losses with key constituencies. Theres a lot of running room for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania with Black voters, young voters, we see a lot of upside potential for the president in the polls, said Biden campaign pollster Geoff Garin. But were realistic about the time and effort it will take to realize that potential. Rome wasnt built in a day, and Pennsylvania wont be won in a day. But at the end of the day, we feel confident that the president will win Pennsylvania again, along with the other blue wall battleground states. On Wednesday, Biden and Harris appealed overtly to Black voters, the loss of whom could spell disaster for them in November. The campaign is planning an eight-figure investment in engagement with Black student groups, community and faith-based organizations across battleground states in the coming months. In 2020 Black voters in Philadelphia and across our nation helped President Biden and me win the White House, Harris told the boisterous crowd, estimated by the campaign at roughly 1,000 people. And in 2024 with your voice and your power, we will win again, she said, moments after she and Biden walked out together to chants of Four more years. In his remarks, Biden blistered Trump, tearing into his record on race. This is the same guy who wanted to tear gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyds murder, he said. Its the same guy who still calls the Central Park Five guilty, even though they were exonerated. Hes that landlord who denies housing applications because of the color of your skin. Hes that guy who wont say Black lives matter and invokes neo-Nazi, Third Reich terms. We all remember Trump is the same guy who unleashed the birtherism lie against Barack. Donald Trump is pandering and peddling lies and stereotypes for your vote so he can win for himself, not for you, he continued. Well Donald Trump, I have a message for you: Not in our house, and not on our watch. Biden's campaign aides and allies expect a tight race in the months ahead, arguing Bidens biggest task is breaking through with undecided voters who are disengaged with politics and the news. A Biden campaign official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about their thinking, noted that the goal right now isnt to change the poll numbers but to use the next few months to reach these voters with a deluge of travel, on-the-ground appearances and paid advertising. So far, Biden and his allies have outspent Trump and fellow Republicans in the state by roughly $42 million. The silver lining for this is that theyre not being complacent. Theyre not saying we have these votes locked up, and we can move on to other places, Rashed said of the Biden campaign. Theyre recognizing that there are challenges in places like Wisconsin and Philadelphia and Detroit in those battleground states Atlanta and across the country. Theyre trying to do something about it. Democrats dont deny the challenges facing Biden, but some argue the presidents climb is no steeper than Trumps. To win Pennsylvania, the former president will have to cut into Bidens margins in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and to some degree in Harrisburg, where abortion remains a pivotal issue for voters, said Mike Mikus, a Democratic strategist in the state. And Trump still has work to do coalescing Republican voters in the state, after Nikki Haley, despite previously dropping out of the race, drew 20 to 25 percent of the vote in the suburban collar counties around Philadelphia in this months primary. Bottom line is, could Joe Biden lose Pennsylvania? Yes. Do I think he will? No. Quite frankly, you have to look at these suburban voters, Mikus said, adding that Trump has an infrastructure disadvantage in the state. I know [Bidens] got a lot of challenges. There are a lot of things he has to overcome. But I do not think theyre as big as the challenges that Trump has to overcome to win Pennsylvania. For Biden, one of those major challenges is the presidents standing with Black voters, traditionally the most reliable Democratic bloc of the multiethnic coalition Biden and Harris stitched together four years ago. The Times survey of five battleground states, including Pennsylvania, found that Trump continues to cut into Bidens standing with Black voters, currently receiving some 20 percent of their vote. If those numbers hold, it would mark a more than double-digit improvement from Trumps standing four years ago. It would also amount to the strongest level of support for a GOP presidential candidate in three generations. Thats one reason Trump and his allies have made concerted efforts to show up in Democratic strongholds, including in Atlanta in April and last week in the heavily Latino and Black neighborhood in the Bronx, where Trump held a rally railing against policies he says have been detrimental to communities of color. Trumps surrogates have their eyes on Black voters in Philadelphia: Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) are slated to host an event dubbed Congress, Cognac and Cigars next week in downtown Philadelphia, where they will discuss how the Black male vote could impact the outcome of the 2024 election. Joe Biden is a weak, failed and dishonest president whose disastrous policies have done nothing for our community besides driving up the cost of gas, groceries, and rent while making it nearly impossible to buy a home, start a new business or save money for the future, Janiyah Thomas, the Trump campaigns Black media director, said in a statement ahead of the Biden event. Biden allies vehemently pushed back on this characterization, arguing that the Trump campaign has done nothing to build meaningful inroads with Black Americans. Pennsylvanias Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who was set to appear alongside Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Rep. Steven Horsford, head of the Congressional Black Caucus, at a Black-owned restaurant and jazz club later on Wednesday, pointed to the disparity in spending by Democrats and Republicans as evidence the outreach to Pennsylvania voters, including Black Americans, does not add up. Donald Trump isnt trying to engage [Black] voters, said Davis, the first Black person to be elected to that post. Hes not building an apparatus to engage them. Hes not talking about the issues that they care about. Insights from The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and The New Humanitarian The News Anti-junta forces in Myanmar have gained scores of towns and army bases from the ruling military in recent months, reigniting hopes of a turning point in a three-year-long civil war that has seen more than 3 million people internally displaced and at least 8,000 civilians killed. The junta, which seized power from a democratically-elected government in 2021, is struggling to replenish ground troop losses amid widespread defections, casualties, and surrenders, making it nearly impossible to retake lost territory, according to the United States Institute of Peace. SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Potential Western support for rebels will be politically fraught Sources: The Washington Post , Lowy Institute , Bloomberg The US should be doing a lot more to bring a decent end to the war, The Washington Posts Keith B. Richburg argued. President Joe Biden must bring armed rebel groups and the exiled National Unity Government together around a common agenda of federalism and democracy against a brutal junta, he added. Building a genuine federal democracy will likely take years of highly complex and politically fraught negotiations, wrote a Myanmar expert for the Lowy Institute, but some resistance groups have already begun instituting state-like structures in areas under their control. Risk-averse governments and donors may be wary of working with armed organizations rather than states but can identify groups that value inclusive, civilian-led structures and international humanitarian law, a Bloomberg columnist wrote. Eyes on Rohingya caught in the crossfire Sources: United Nations , Human Rights Watch , The New Humanitarian , Observer Research Foundation The international community risks failing a desperate people in their hour of peril if it does not take action to prevent another Rohingya bloodbath like in 2017, the UNs Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar said. More than 1,000 men from the mostly Muslim minority have been abducted and forcibly conscripted from across Rakhine State since February 2024, according to Human Rights Watch, but there are also allegations of extortion and targeted killings at the hands of the anti-junta Arakan Army, The New Humanitarian reported. Concrete international actions to address the persecution of the Rohingya remain elusive and the lack of accountability mechanisms perpetuates the cycle of violence, Sreeparna Banerjee from the Observer Research Foundation warned. Justice Alitos wife spat at liberal neighbors car during dispute that saw police called, says report The wife of embattled Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito allegedly spat at the car of a neighbor with whom she had become embroiled in a weeks-long argument. A young couple living near the Alitos residence in Fairfax County, Virginia, ultimately rang the police, claiming that they were being harassed by Martha-Ann Alito, according to a new report from The New York Times. It comes after several reports from the newspaper, which detailed how flags used by supporters of Donald Trumps Stop The Steal campaign had appeared at two properties owned by the right-wing justice and his wife. The Alitos had reportedly flown an upside-down American flag on the front lawn of their Virginia property in late 2020 and early 2021, in the days after Joe Biden took office. Mr Alito previously said the inverted American flag was flown for a short time by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors, and he had no part in it. On Tuesday, The Times reported that a couple living down the street from the Alitos, had called police on 15 February 2021, with claims of repeated hostile encounters with Ms Alito. Martha-Ann Alito, right, allegedly spat at her neighbors following a lengthy disupte between them in late 2020 and early 2021 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Somebody in a position of authority needs to talk to her and make her stop, said the man making the complaint, according to a recording of the call reviewed by the outlet. The call to authorities was placed following a series of interactions which had reportedly worsened, between the young, liberal couple, and the wife of the conservative judge. However, Emily Baden, whose boyfriend, and now-husband, had contacted the police, said she had no knowledge of the controversial upside-down flag despite Justice Alitos reference to her in his explanation. I never saw the upside-down flag, never heard about it, she told the newspaper. Ms Baden admitted to being rude to Ms Alito with vulgar words placed on a sign. Justice Alito later elaborated on the arguments, telling a reporter from Fox News that on one occasion: There were words between Mrs Alito and a male at the home with the sign, the network reported. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has come under fire over flags seen flying outside his homes in Virginia and New Jersey (AP) The judge said the man used vulgar language, including the C-word, After that exchange, Mrs Alito was distraught and hung the flag upside-down, according to the reporter. The Baden family disputed the version of events, stating that Ms Alito had been the instigator of the conflict, The New York Times reported. A specific incident recalled by the Badens occurred on the day of Joe Bidens presidential inauguration, which the Alitos like former president Trump did not attend. Per the Badens, Ms Alito happened to be standing outside her house as they drove past. According to messages they sent to friends at the time, the couple claimed Ms Alito ran toward their car and yelled something they did not understand. They claimed they had continued driving and as they passed the Alito home again to exit the cul-de-sac, Ms Alito appeared to spit toward the vehicle. People carry an Appeal To Heaven flag as they gather at Independence Mall to support President Donald Trump during a visit to the National Constitution Center to participate in the ABC News town hall, September 15, 2020, in Philadelphia (AP) The upside down flag that until now has been the source of the controversy surrounding the Alitos was visible up to 17 January 2021, the newspaper reported, 11 days after the violent insurrection in Washington DC, and three days before Mr Bidens inauguration. The traditional military distress symbol was repurposed as a political symbol to indicate rejection of the legitimacy of Mr Bidens election victory. The outlet also reported last week that another flag carried by January 6 rioters was seen flying outside the Alitos beach home in New Jersey on multiple occasions last year. The Appeal to Heaven flag, which was carried by rioters during the pro-Trump attack on the US Capitol in 2021, was flown outside the Alitos vacation home during the summer of 2023. Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War. Three photos obtained by the newspaper, along with accounts from a half-dozen neighbors and passers-by given to the outlet, confirmed that the Appeal to Heaven flag was flying at the Alitos home on Long Beach Island in July and September of 2023. The Independent previously contacted the Supreme Court for comment about the flag outside the Alitos New Jersey property. Justice Alito declined to comment to the Associated Press. Wisconsin is almost at yearly average of tornadoes already in 2024 With 22 tornadoes already in 2024, Wisconsin is almost at its average tornado count for the year. Typically, Wisconsin has 23 tornadoes in a year, according to National Weather Service data. But, with 15 tornadoes on May 21 alone and with June historically the month when most tornadoes occur in the state, Wisconsin is almost certain to beat the average and maybe by a lot. May has just been a pretty active month overall across the state in terms of severe weather, said Andrew Quigley, a meteorologist at the NWS Milwaukee-Sullivan office Climatologically speaking, June is our most active month. On May 21, three rounds of storms swept across the state, with the latter two bringing severe weather and leaving tens of thousands without power. 2024 WI Tornado Update: 22 tornadoes have been documented so far across the state, 15 of which occurred on May 21st. Note that work is still being done to follow up on damage reports, but the active weather has slowed down progress. Details at: https://t.co/nzBhhMT8KN #wiwx pic.twitter.com/3UBorhLI3u NWS Milwaukee (@NWSMilwaukee) May 29, 2024 Most of the tornadoes occurred in north central and western Wisconsin, Quigley said. That storm system was part of greater severe weather in the Midwest, including in Iowa, where a tornado caused heavy damages and four died. Another system created two tornadoes May 7, with another three occurring Sunday, he said. Those were all in south central Wisconsin. Two tornadoes occurred in February, a month when Wisconsin had never had a tornado, Quigley said. How strong are tornadoes in Wisconsin historically? Of the February tornadoes, one was the strongest of the year, at an EF-2 rating. It touched down near Evansville, in south central Wisconsin, on Feb. 8, and lasted for 26.2 miles, according to NWS data. Wisconsin tornadoes through May 29, according to the National Weather Service. 20 have occurred in May. A tornados rating is based on whats called the Enhanced Fujita Scale. A EF-2 rating, like the Feb. 8 tornado, brings winds between 111 to 135 mph. The highest rating is EF-5, with winds over 200 mph. Wisconsin's last EF-5 tornado was on July 18, 1996, in Oakfield in southern Fond du Lac County. Injuring 19 people, the tornado destroyed 45 homes, five businesses and 130 other buildings, causing roughly $50 million in estimated damages. Most tornadoes in the state are EF-0, EF-1 or EF-2. All but one of this years tornadoes have been below an EF-2. According to data kept by NWS from 1950 through last year, Wisconsin tornadoes break down by rating as follows: EF-0: 498 tornadoes EF-1: 558 tornadoes EF-2: 266 tornadoes EF-3: 53 tornadoes EF-4: 18 tornadoes EF-5: 3 tornadoes The majority of storms dont even produce tornadoes its a small subset of storms already that can come together and produce tornadoes, Quigley said. But its even a smaller fraction of those storms that are capable of producing strong to violent tornadoes. Why are so many tornadoes occurring in Wisconsin? Its common for people to point to weather phenomenon like El Nino or La Nina, or climate change as reasons for the number of tornadoes in the state, but Quigley said its not an easy thing to explain. He pointed to the jet stream strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere that has consistently been affecting the region. With that, Wisconsin has been in the warmer side of the jet stream and, subsequently, a train of weather disturbances in the state this month, leading to more thunderstorms. Quigley contrasted Wisconsins weather with other states in the Midwest that have been in colder portions of the jet stream, bringing erratic weather there, including snow this month. It is very difficult to directly relate very localized phenomena to something like a broad topic of climate change or a phase like El Nino or La Nina, he said. We just have been in a very favorable pattern, specifically in the month of May. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin tornadoes are almost at yearly average already in 2024 A Massachusetts man was charged Tuesday after being accused of trickinga pregnant woman he had dated into taking abortion pills that he disguised as an iron supplement and vitamins, Watertown police announced. Robert Kawada, 43, of Brookline, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including poisoning and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant person. Authorities allege he secretly gave his ex-girlfriend pills that were intended to end her pregnancy, including misoprostol, according to the announcement. Misoprostol is usually combined with another drug, mifepristone, to help pregnant people safely induce an abortion before the 16th week of pregnancy. It can also be used on its own to end a pregnancy. According to a probable cause statement cited by NBC affiliate WBTS in Boston, Kawada and the woman, whose name has not been made public, met on a dating app in January and went on a few dates before they ended the relationship in March. A patient prepares to take the first of a two-pill combination for abortion. Prosecutors allege a Massachusetts man gave an ex-girlfriend abortion pills, saying they were supplements. Charlie Riedel/Associated Press The woman later discovered she was pregnant, and the two met several more times over six weeks, WBTS reported. During these meetings, Kawada would provide assurances, citing his experience with his ex-wifes pregnancy and saying that his father was an OB-GYN, according to a police report cited by WCVB-TV in Boston. But Kawada allegedly attempted to terminate the pregnancy by giving her homemade cookies made with raspberry leaf, which could induce contractions. The National Library of Medicine says research on its ability to end a pregnancy is under-developed and weak. The victim allegedly was also given pills disguised as prenatal supplements, WCVB reported. Speaking at Kawadas arraignment on Tuesday, prosecutor Jacob McCrindle alleged he instructed the victim how to take those pills in a particular manner, similar to the way abortion medication is prescribed, WHDH-TV in Boston reported. McCrindle also said the woman received calls from someone who claimed to be a nurse from her doctors office, and the woman on the phone told her to take the pills shed gotten from Kawada, according to WHDH. At their last meeting, Kawada allegedly said he wanted her to get an abortion, claiming that the recent death of his mother was somehow related to her anger over the pregnancy, according to WBTS. But the woman maintained she wanted to keep and raise the baby without Kawadas involvement. The woman later experienced severe cramps and some bleeding, which medical staff confirmed to have been a miscarriage, WBTS reported. She reportedly attempted to call the person who had claimed to be a nurse but then found out she was not from her doctors office and it had been a ruse. When she told her family what had happened, they called police thenext day, on May 2, WBTS reported. The woman reportedly gave detectives a pill she said shed saved from the trash can and gave them Kawadas information, according to WBTS. During an interview with police, Kawada allegedly stated that he gave the woman vitamin C and iron supplements hed ordered from Amazon, WBTS reported, but information collected from his phone indicated hed called an online pharmacy that sells misoprostol. Dmitry Lev, Kawadas defense attorney, told WHDH that he and his client look forward to a full and complete investigation of the case and a fair jury trial. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text loveis to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline. Related... SANAA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Houthi group said it shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone on Wednesday over Yemen's central Marib. Yahya Sarea, the group's military spokesman, said in the statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that "a locally made surface-to-air missile is used in the operation, and this is the sixth MQ-9 Reaper drone we shot down in six months." He added that "we will continue to develop our military defense capabilities to counter the U.S.- British coalition aggression against our country." "We will also continue to support the Palestine people against the Israeli aggression until the conflict and blockade stop," the spokesman stressed. The Houthi television said it would broadcast a video showing the operation of shooting down this drone. It has broadcasted videos of all previous operations, showing the debris of the drones. Meanwhile, the U.S. media outlets cited an anonymous U.S. defense official as saying that "the U.S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating within U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility" without providing further details. Last November, the Houthis began to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group but led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include U.S. and British commercial vessels and naval ships. Woman dead after car crashes into utility pole on NE Columbia Boulevard PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A woman was found dead Wednesday morning after her car crashed into a utility pole on Northeast Columbia Boulevard, according to Portland police. Traffic was stalled in both directions between Northeast 33rd Avenue and 47th Avenue while police cleared the area, and was re-opened by 1:20 p.m. Man shot by police while serving NE Portland search warrant Authorities first reported to the crash around 9 a.m., where they found the woman dead inside her car near the intersection of 33rd Avenue. The womans identity has yet to be released to the public. Officials said utility services were not disrupted by the crash. An investigation is ongoing. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Woman fatally struck by two drivers in the Bronx; one flees scene A woman was killed on a Bronx street after she was struck by two drivers, one of whom fled the scene, police said Wednesday. The 30-year-old victim was walking near the corner of E. 167th St. and Washington Ave. in Morrisania just before 6 p.m. Tuesday when the drivers of a Toyota Rav4 and a blue Jeep struck her, cops said. The Toyota driver stayed on the scene but the Jeep driver ditched the vehicle and took off on foot. Medics rushed the critically injured woman to Lincoln Hospital, where she later died. There were no arrests as cops continued to search for the driver of the Jeep. The womans name was not immediately released. Woman Opts to Euthanize Her Sick Rescue Puppy. One Year Later, She's Shocked to See He's Up for Adoption Kristie Pereira said she was told neurological testing was unlikely to determine her puppy's condition Ashi Sae Yang/Getty Stock image of a dog at a veterinary clinic At a loss with her puppy's poor health, Kristie Pereira made the decision to euthanize him. One year later, she was shocked to see the dog is alive and up for adoption In an interview with the Associated Press, Pereira claimed that she dropped the dog off for euthanasia due to his neurological dysfunction, but the rescue diagnosed and treated the dog's liver issues The rescue and the euthanasia service Pereira used both fault her for not confirming the dog's neurological condition with veterinary tests, which she was told were unlikely to work Kristie Pereira says she was left with few options when her puppy Beau's neurological condition progressed past a reasonably treatable stage. After months of hoping her dog would rebound, Pereira says she followed veterinarians suggestions and brought Beau to be euthanized. Just over a year later, the heartbroken pet owner learned her sickly companion was never actually put to sleep. Pereira spoke to the Associated Press about her shock upon seeing Beau up for adoption again at the same rescue where she originally found him, especially considering the medical journey the dog endured under her care. Pereira who currently lives in San Antonio was working at home in Maryland when she picked up the mixed-breed hound from local rescue group Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation. Beau was 2 months old when Pereira adopted him in 2022; as they bonded, the new dog-mom became increasingly worried about her pets health. She told the Associated Press that her veterinarian believed Beau was suffering from neurological dysfunction considering his lack of bowel control and hind leg dexterity. The vet also questioned the dogs liver, but Pereira didnt see any improvement with prescribed liver enzymes. 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. Getty Stock image of a dog at a pet shelter Related: Woman Stages Photoshoots with Pup Cups, Ice Cream for Dogs in Their Final Days of Life (Exclusive) Medical testing was priced at $12,000, but Pereira said she would have paid if there was a chance to save her puppy. Canine medical personnel said there was only a very slim chance of diagnosing the problem, Pereira recalled. And if veterinarians could figure it out, there was an even smaller chance of it being treatable. Pereira wasnt ready to consider euthanasia when her vet initially suggested it as a humane alternative. The digital marketing professional decided to hold off for a month, during which time she said she consulted staff at Lost Dog & Cat Rescue. Speaking to the Associated Press, Pereira explained that she actually started to accept that euthanasia might be the right course of action after consulting with people from the pet adoption group. They really gave me that support and that encouragement that, although its hard, sometimes thats the best thing to do, she told the news outlet. In March 2023, less than one year after she adopted Beau, Pereira took Beau to Montgomery County Animal Services in Derwood, Maryland. She paid $15 for him to be euthanized, but she was told the shelters policy prevented her from staying with her dog during the procedure. Olena Miroshnichenko/Getty Stock image of a dog at the veterinary clinic Related: Couple Goes Viral Living on Boat with Two Dogs. What Happens When Pups Have to Go to the Bathroom? (Exclusive) While visiting her mother in Maryland this May, Pereira spotted her dogs photo on Lost Dog & Cat Rescues website. She recognized his markings, and he was listed under the same name hed had before Pereira adopted him and called him Beau. According to the Associated Press, calls to the shelter confirmed that veterinarians determined the dog didnt need to be euthanized. Instead, Montgomery County Animal Services returned him to Lost Dog & Cat Rescue. The rescue published a statement on its website sharing that veterinarians were unable to find neurological issues with the dog. In the written statement, the local Maryland organization detailed a timeline showing that he was diagnosed with a liver problem and underwent a $7,000 surgery, paid for through a GoFundMe campaign. Pereira claimed to be completely uninformed about her dogs treatment. When she reached out upon seeing his adoption availability, she said they failed to return her calls. Several days later, Pereira received a call back from someone whom she described as rude and disrespectful during their interaction. Just saying, you know, that I abandoned him, and that I left him to die. That I never cared about him, Pereira recalled. She said she was also warned that her former pet will never go back to you. Milena Magazin/Getty Stock image of a dog with its owner Related: Mini Therapy Ponies Delight Elderly Residents with Surprise Visits to Retirement Homes and Hospitals (Exclusive) In a written statement issued to the Associated Press, the rescue organization's spokesperson defended the decision not to return the dog. As of Tuesday, he is still available for adoption on the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue website. LDCRF does not re-home an owner-surrendered dog with its former adopter/owner, Lost Dog & Cat Rescue representative Chloe Floyd said. Our mission is to save adoptable and safe-to-the-community dogs from euthanasia. Caroline Hairfield, executive director of Montgomery County Animal Services, said that while her staff is sympathetic to Pereiras situation, the rescue will determine whether or not she will reunite with the dog. Thats a civil issue between the two of them, she told the Associated Press. We havent had the animal in our care for a year. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Woman still missing after falling into Lake Washington, one arrested At around 10 p.m. on Monday, May 27, Seattle police responded to multiple 911 calls that a 24-year-old woman had fallen off of a boat into Lake Washington, northeast of Pritchard Island Beach. Seattle Harbor Patrol led a multi-agency search and rescue response, including assistance from the Seattle Fire Department, the Mercer Island Marine Patrol, and the United States Coast Guard. The boat operator, a 46-year-old man, was placed under arrest for boating while intoxicated and booked into King County Jail. Harbor Patrol impounded the vessel and secured it at the Harbor Station. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended their search. As of Tuesday night, Harbor Patrol was still searching for her using patrol boats and a Remote Underwater Vessel (RUV). An SPD Missing Persons Detective has been assigned to this case. Authorities in Texas are investigating after human remains were found in the jaws of an alligator while officers were searching the area for a missing woman. The gruesome discovery in Houston comes less than a year after the body of a woman was found in the mouth of a gator in Florida. "Patrol officers located the remains of a woman in the jaws of an alligator in the Horsepen Bayou while searching the area for a woman reported missing," Houston police said in a statement Wednesday. A sergeant shot and killed the alligator "to prevent it from doing more damage to the remains," officials said. A dive team later recovered the woman's body and dead alligator from the bayou, police said. Police said the husband of the victim, an unnamed woman in her 60s, reported her missing early Tuesday morning, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reported. He told police she went for a walk around 7:30 p.m. Monday and never returned. Police are waiting for autopsy results to determine the woman's cause of death. "(Alligators) live down there. We see 8 feet, 10 feet babies. I know which banks to stay away from and where they like to lay in the sun," local Angela Derous told KTRK-TV. "That's the first time I've heard of that happening down here. It's a little scary." The woman's death comes about eight months after the body of a 41-year-old woman was spotted in the jaws of a 13-foot alligator in Largo, Florida. Last Febraury, an 85-year-old woman was killed by a 10-foot alligator walking her dog in Fort Pierce, Florida. Alligator attacks are rare in Texas, although earlier this month, a police officer in Cleveland, Texas was bitten by a 10-foot gator while trying to remove it from a roadway. The last fatal alligator attack in the state happened in 2015, when a 28-year-old man was killed while swimming late at night at a marine in Southeast Texas. Second American sentenced after ammo found in luggage in Turks and Caicos Second day of jury deliberations in Trump "hush money" trial Trump jury resumes deliberations after rereads of testimony, judge's instructions He won discrimination lawsuit against city. Now, he will fill vacant Columbus Council seat State legislators recommended two candidates to fill the vacant seat on the Columbus Council, but the council instead has appointed someone who sued the city. During its meeting Tuesday night, the Columbus Council appointed retired Columbus police officer Byron Hickey as the successor to Councilor Jerry Pops Barnes, who died April 14 at age 80 from an undisclosed illness. In 2010, a federal jury awarded Hickey $306,000 in a lawsuit claiming the city officials discriminated against him because he spoke out against racial and gender bias. Byron Hickey speaks during a special called meeting of Columbus Council on Feb 28, 2023. Barnes was the District 1 representative on the 10-member council. He was a Columbus Councilor for 17 years. He served 23 months of his current four-year term. Columbus Councilor Jerry Pops Barnes of District 1 is shown in this March 14, 2023, file photo. District 5 Councilor Charmain Crabb made the motion, seconded by District 2 Councilor Glenn Davis, to appoint Hickey. The vote was 6-3. Councilors who voted no are Bruce Huff of District 3, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen of District 6, and Tyson Begly of citywide District 10. The city charter says the council appoints someone to fill the remainder of a councilors term if at least a year-and-a-half of that term has been served. Muscogee County elections director Nancy Boren told the Ledger-Enquirer last month it was too late at least 90 days are needed for a District 1 special election to be on the May 21 ballot, when the even-numbered seats on the council were up for election. So as the person the council appointed to represent District 1 now, Hickey will serve until the May 2026 election. It is an unwritten rule, but the council expects someone who is appointed rather than elected to a seat to not run for election so they dont have an advantage running as an unelected incumbent. Other candidates recommended In a letter dated three days after Barnes died, three state legislators representing Columbus urged the mayor and city councilors to appoint former state Rep. Calvin Smyre to the council. State Rep. Calvin Smyre addresses the Georgia General Assemblys House on April 4, 2021. The letter was from state Sen. Ed Harbison, state Rep. Carolyn Hugley and state Rep. Teddy Reese. They said the council should appoint someone who has: Demonstrated understanding of intergovernmental works. History of working with or in a legislative body. Exceptional experience creating, debating and managing a multimillion-dollar or more budget. Understanding of the Columbus Consolidated Government and would have a very little to no learning curve. Experience working with the current councilors. The state legislators said they wrote this letter after being contacted by a great number of citizens who have respectfully requested that we, as their state leaders, express those desires. Then on May 13, WTVM reported that Smyre and those three legislators instead supported one of Barnes daughters, licensed professional counselor Simeone Simi Barnes, to be the successor. During the council meeting Tuesday night, Allen submitted the name of Simi Barnes, but the council didnt vote on that nomination because Hickey was nominated first and received a majority of the votes. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) The former owner of Wood Construction and Tennessees attorney general have begun discussing a resolution to the states consumer protection lawsuit against Wood, a filing in a related bankruptcy case reveals. Leighton Joe Wood, whose construction and remodeling business was headquartered in Johnson City, is accused of ripping off dozens of homeowners in multiple states before closing the business in late 2021. He and his wife Cameron filed for bankruptcy protection in South Carolina in October 2023, two months after Tennessees lawsuit was filed. A May 20 ruling in the bankruptcy case extends the deadline for determining dischargeability of debt to July 29. Campaign finance complaint in Lundberg-Harshbarger race headed to attorney general Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sued Wood and his former business, Wood Construction and Remodeling LLC, in August 2023. The lawsuit alleges Wood violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and unlawfully took millions of dollars in deposits from customers, then often failed to perform work or performed it shoddily or unsafely. Two months after that filing, Wood and his wife Cameron who had relocated to the Charlotte metro area around the end of 2021 filed for bankruptcy protection in South Carolina bankruptcy court. In requesting extending the deadline to determine whether the Woods can have their debt discharged, the AG told the bankruptcy court his office has initiated discussing a resolution to the lawsuit. The news comes weeks after News Channel 11 reported that a federal prosecutor had reached a potential criminal plea deal with Joe Wood that would include restitution for some homeowners and the potential of jail time for federal wire fraud. The extension requested by Skrmettis office allows enough time to conduct negotiations and/or to file a complaint objecting to the dischargeability of a debt according to the filing. If the Woods had their debt discharged in the bankruptcy case, that could preclude the possibility of any restitution they might owe the state and consumers if Tennessee won its lawsuit. That suit requested $1,000 for each of dozens of alleged violations, as well as judgments necessary to restore any ascertainable losses by consumers. News Channel 11s investigation of Wood Construction in late 2021 brought to light the breadth of the companys activities. According to the lawsuit, Wood collected more than $3.5 million in deposits from Tennessee consumers in 2020 alone. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. An ADU with alley access in Richmonds Fan neighborhood. (Wyatt Gordon) Garage-turned-apartments, carriage houses, in-law suites all are accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Whatever theyre called, ADUs are seen by some as a fix to affordable housing options or a way to meet the needs of specific families. But the versatile form of housing isnt always encouraged by locals or officials and little regulatory guidance exists for their approval around the state. Following the continuation of proposals to frame such guidance during Virginias most recent legislative session, a workgroup in the states Housing Commission is fine-tuning ideas for how to get a law on the books in the future. It was never supposed to get out of committee, is what I was told. And somehow [it] got out of committee to get bipartisan support, said Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Fairfax, a freshman delegate carrying a bill that would have required local zoning ordinances for ADUs, which had been unsuccessful in a previous session. Salims bill cleared the Senate with bipartisan votes before failing in a House committee. That same committee also stopped a similar measure from Del. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun. But rather than be defeated totally, they were continued to 2025. Now, Salim is optimistic that after workshopping from the Housing Commission, a future version of the bill can go on to become law. The trick will be balancing local government authority with state-level guidelines for ADUs. In her own district which encompasses rural and urban areas with different residential needs workgroup chair Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, sees the challenge if state law were to more rigidly regulate ADUs. Its why she believes theres some consensus building on taking a guideline approach that localities could implement. Salim is eager to see what comes of the workgroup. I think theres going to be some consensus on what does local authority look like? when the bill comes back, Salim said. Im super excited about that. Why do ADUs matter? ADUs may serve different purposes for Virginia communities differing needs. Sometimes folks build them to have a rental income, to age in place, to help someone recovering from an injury or illness or to house multiple generations on the same property, said former Charlottesville delegate Sally Hudson, whod carried a previous version of the bill. Hudson had seen inspiration for the legislation in her district, as demand for housing had increased in the Charlottesville area. Likewise, Salim noted how job growth in his Northern Virginia district has contributed to a higher need for housing that isnt always being met through construction of new homes and apartments. Allowing for ADUs could at least help, he said. This is not going to solve the housing crisis that we have, Salim said. This is going to sort of ease some of the issues that we already have right now. ADUs arent a one-size-fits-all approach to increasing housing stock or affordability. But they offer flexibility for families or communities who may want them. In some places, theyre allowed to be constructed by-right, or without seeking local permits in residentially-zoned areas. Rockingham County, for example, allows this. About 90 ADUs were built in the county over the past seven years, allowing housing for a range of people, from farm workers to students and tourists, who can rent them when needed. Local infrastructure has made their construction a little easier in Rockingham where many properties are on private wells and use septic tanks, but constructing ADUs in other places may require expanding sewage lines and utility setups. Its considerations like these that are a part of why some people may oppose ADUs, or wish for local authority over how to regulate them. So, whats next? In the short term, the workgroup is planning to explore how localities could allow for ADUs within their comprehensive plans without fully requiring them to develop local zoning ordinances for them. Comprehensive plans are guiding documents for localities urban planning that the state requires they update every few years. Coyner, the ADU workgroups chair, said she hopes to ensure that localities couldnt stick their head in the sand and not address the need for accessory dwelling units and also allow them to have the flexibility based on the differences and nuances in localities. The full Housing Commission is set to meet on July 15, where the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development is expected to present data. Coyner anticipates the ADU work group will meet again later in July to utilize that data in its next steps. The post Workgroup, lawmakers fine-tuning accessory dwelling unit proposal appeared first on Virginia Mercury. World Central Kitchen (WCK) said it has paused its operations in Rafah due to "ongoing attacks" by Israeli forces as aid organizations warned the humanitarian response is on the brink of "collapse." The announcement comes as Israel's offensive on Rafah -- the southern city on the Gaza-Egypt border -- continues with a series of strikes resuming Wednesday morning. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike struck tents sheltering displaced people, killing at least 45 civilians, which Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a "tragic incident." "In the face of Israeli operations in Rafah, countless families are being forced to flee once again," WCK said in a statement on the social platform X. "Ongoing attacks have forced us to pause work at our main kitchen in Rafah and relocate many of our community kitchens further north." MORE: Killing of 5-year-old girl in Gaza sparks international condemnation as war continues Despite the fighting, WCK said in its statement that it provided 100,000 meals on Monday and would continue to increase capacity this week, adding that 58 of its aid trucks have entered Gaza since Sunday. The group had only recently resumed operations after seven workers were accidentally killed in an Israeli airstrike at the beginning of April. PHOTO: Local volunteers of the World Central Kitchen cook meals to be distributed to needy Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP via Getty Images, FILE) WCK isn't the only humanitarian organization struggling to continue aid operations. Medecins sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said in a press release that "no amount of meaningful aid has entered the enclave" since May 6. Additionally, MSF said staff and patients at trauma stabilization point in Rafah were forced to flee on Monday night due to intense fighting, effectively putting a stop to all medical aid at the facility. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets in Rafah on May 6 and sent text messages in Arabic calling for about 100,000 people to evacuate the eastern part of the city and to head north to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian corridor ahead of a long-promised major ground invasion into Rafah. About 1 million people, as of Tuesday, have since fled Rafah in search of safety, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. Despite the heavy fighting, the White House maintained on Tuesday that Israel did not cross any red lines in Rafah. White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned the loss of life in Rafah over the weekend but did not condemn Israel directly, saying Israel "has a right to go after Hamas." MORE: Pressure builds on Biden after Israeli strike kills dozens of civilians in Rafah In a joint statement, 19 aid agencies -- including MSF -- said Israel's offensive has "crumbled" the ability of aid groups and medical teams to respond and said there will be an "an acceleration in deaths from starvation, disease and denied medical assistance" unless a cease-fire is reached. "As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of improved access while the humanitarian response is in reality on the verge of collapse," the statement read. The aid organization said nearly every hospital in Gaza is in an area that has been given evacuation orders and all are close to running out of fuel and supplies. Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday in a post on X that WHO workers and partners were able to reach Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City for the first time since May 13, delivering fuel, beds and medical supplies to meet the needs of 1,500 patients. The hospital is currently at twice the capacity it was designed for, but no emergency surgery can be performed due to the lack of specialized staff, Tedros said. PHOTO: Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city, May 28, 2024. (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) "Gaza's health system has effectively been dismantled." the statement said. "Medical workers across Gaza say patients are dying daily due to a shortage in medical supplies, as doctors, nurses, and other health workers continue to be killed or forcibly displaced." Since Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel responded by declaring war, more than 36,171 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 81,420 have been injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. More than 1,700 Israelis have been killed and more than 8,700 have been injured, according to Israeli officials. World Central Kitchen pauses operations in Rafah, aid workers warn humanitarian response on brink of 'collapse' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Taking just a quick drive southeast from Columbus can bring you to a tree that left this world and returned. Through collaboration between the United States Forest Service and NASA, Wayne National Forest in Nelsonville is now home to a moon tree. Moon trees originated when command module pilot Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smokejumper, took hundreds of seeds into space on the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. Wayne National Forest employees assisted in the planting of the new moon tree at Wayne National Forest in Nelsonville. This sweetgum sapling will grow alongside several others species native to southeast Ohio. Fifty-one years later, in 2022, the Artemis 1 mission sent 1,500 seeds aboard the unmanned Orion, flying thousands of miles past the moon. We are the ones that provide the tree seedlings, so once the Artemis mission happened, they (NASA) had this opportunity for organizations around the country to apply to get a moon tree, said Anna Owens, public affairs officer at Wayne National Forest. We were one of the organizations that applied to get one. The application required an explanation of how the interested organization would benefit from having the moon tree and how this would benefit the surrounding community. Our selling point is that our headquarters is really close to Athens and the Hocking Hills area, said Owens. Its really easily accessible for people from a lot of different communities to come and see the moon tree. Wayne National Forest's moon tree carries a tag with its formal and informal species names. Even so, this was not a fast process. According to Owens, the application went out about a year ago, and Wayne National Forest's seedlings were in the first round to be received. Their sweetgum sapling was finally planted May 23 and brings a spectacular point of difference to the national forest. Looking to take a hike? Here's our top 13 hiking trails in Greater Columbus Its not an everyday thing for sure especially for a national forest, said Owens. You kind of think of us as having trees that were always on the earth, never really ones that went to space. nfishman@gannett.com This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: A tree from outer space lands in Wayne National Forest A victim lies in a hospital following an Israeli missile strike in Baniyas city, northern Syria, May 29, 2024. A girl was killed and 10 other civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a new round of Israeli strikes on Syrian sites, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army launched an aerial attack from the direction of Lebanon at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), targeting a military site in the central province of Homs and a residential building in the coastal city of Baniyas. (Str/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A girl was killed and 10 other civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a new round of Israeli strikes on Syrian sites, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army launched an aerial attack from the direction of Lebanon at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), targeting a military site in the central province of Homs and a residential building in the coastal city of Baniyas. The attack was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported that two explosions in the Nafus hill in Baniyas killed a girl and wounded 20 others. It added that Israeli missiles on Wednesday evening targeted a military site near the al-Furqlus area in the eastern countryside of Homs, causing smoke columns to rise from the site. According to the war monitor, since the beginning of 2024, Israel has targeted Syrian territories for 43 times, killing 142 military personnel and 13 civilians. A victim lies in a hospital following an Israeli missile strike in Baniyas city, northern Syria, May 29, 2024. A girl was killed and 10 other civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a new round of Israeli strikes on Syrian sites, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army launched an aerial attack from the direction of Lebanon at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), targeting a military site in the central province of Homs and a residential building in the coastal city of Baniyas. (Str/Xinhua) A man inspects damage following an Israeli missile strike in Baniyas city, northern Syria, May 29, 2024. A girl was killed and 10 other civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a new round of Israeli strikes on Syrian sites, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army launched an aerial attack from the direction of Lebanon at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), targeting a military site in the central province of Homs and a residential building in the coastal city of Baniyas. (Str/Xinhua) This photo shows the interior of a damaged building following an Israeli missile strike in Baniyas city, northern Syria, May 29, 2024. A girl was killed and 10 other civilians were wounded on Wednesday in a new round of Israeli strikes on Syrian sites, the Syrian Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army launched an aerial attack from the direction of Lebanon at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT), targeting a military site in the central province of Homs and a residential building in the coastal city of Baniyas. (Str/Xinhua) FILE PHOTO: Palestinians climb onto trucks to grab aid that was delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, as seen from central Gaza Strip FILE PHOTO: Palestinians climb onto trucks to grab aid that was delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, as seen from central Gaza Strip By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called on Wednesday for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, where millions of people face worsening hunger. The war-torn enclave is suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe nearly seven months after Israel launched a devastating offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel. "We desperately need a political solution that will allow us to have a ceasefire to get aid in," IFRC President Kate Forbes told Reuters in an interview in the capital, Manila. "We're ready to make a difference. We have to have access, and to have access there has to have a ceasefire," said Forbes, who in December became the second woman to ever hold the top job at the world's largest humanitarian network. The IFRC president is a volunteer position and oversees a network that unites 191 organisations working during and after disasters and wars, such as the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which has ambulance crews in Gaza. Forbes said she had seen the "atrocious" situation in Rafah during a visit in February, months before Israel launched a military assault on the southern Gaza city, which had been sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled assaults on other parts of the enclave. "There was no not enough housing. There was no water, there weren't enough sanitation toilets. We had a hospital with no equipment... and unfortunately what I was afraid of has happened, and that there wasn't going to be enough food," Forbes said. Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew over the weekend, even as Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to stop attacking Rafah. Hamas has denied reports that talks would resume earlier this week. Both sides have blamed the other for the deadlock. Israel has said it cannot accept Hamas' demand to end the war, while the Palestinians want Palestinian prisoners to be released. "I plead with the governments on all sides to negotiate a ceasefire so that we can get aid in," Forbes said. "My job is to ensure that when it (ceasefire) happens, we can give the aid that's necessary. And so they need to do their jobs so I can do my job," she added. (Reporting by Karen Lema) With the worst hurricane season on record already forecasted, Floridians may be stunned to learn that theres some good news also hovering over this summer. The states property insurance companies are on solid footing, industry experts say. A hurricane hit or, maybe, even two should be manageable, experts say. The insurance market is much stronger than weve seen in recent years, said Mark Friedlander, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, a research organization funded by the insurance industry. A combination of only one hurricane strike last year, a handful of new insurance companies entering Florida enhancing competition, and a slight downward trend in rates sought by insurers are signs of life in a once-staggering market heading into the beginning of the six-month hurricane season. Hurricane Ian damage on San Carlos Island on Thursday, October 6, 2022 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Fl. Florida insurance premiums still sky high Floridians continue to pay some of the highest property insurance premiums in the nation, about $6,000-a-year on average. Those in South Florida counties are shouldering closer to an average $11,000, industry analysis shows. Floridas $6,000 property insurance average is 42% more than it was in 2022 and triple what it was when Gov. Ron DeSantis took office in 2019. Nationally, homeowners paid an average $1,700 last year, according to several estimates. In addition, six of the top 10 costliest insurance cities in the nation are in South Florida. But there are some bright spots. The states Office of Insurance Regulation has said that nine companies have proposed reducing rates next year, while another 10 have submitted plans for no rate increases. We should be seeing homeowners premiums leveling off a little bit more, probably not coming down significantly, given the nature of the risk of storms, said Patricia Born, a Florida State University professor of insurance and risk. But I do see some light at the end of the tunnel ... theres a lot of people trying to save the insurance market in Florida, she added. Still, elevated home values, higher prices for fuel, labor and construction, along with supply chain problems are likely to keep the cost of insurance high. Lawmakers enact industry-friendly changes since 2019 For their part, Florida lawmakers have been trying to prop up property insurers, having enacted six significant industry-friendly measures since 2019. In 2022, before and after Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida, the Legislature called two special sessions. They added new limits on lawsuits against insurers and steered $3 billion in taxpayer money into a new reinsurance pool for companies. That fund, though, only occasionally has been drawn on by insurers. (Reinsurance, simply put, is insurance for insurance companies.) Cheaper, private reinsurance dollars are still readily available. This year, lawmakers also poured another $200 million into the My Safe Florida Home program, which enables homeowners to get $10,000 state matching grants when they add features hardening their houses against storms. More money for My Safe Florida Home: Gov. DeSantis expands program to help Floridians harden homes against hurricanes Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 storm that walloped Floridas Big Bend last August, was the lone hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland last year. Idalia punched Floridas mostly rural Taylor, Levy and Dixie counties and caused flooding in South Carolina. Still, its $3.5 billion in insured losses was considered relatively modest. Florida has struggled to maintain stable industry since Andrew Florida has struggled to maintain a stable insurance industry for more than 30 years, since Hurricane Andrew destroyed Homestead. But this season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting between eight and 13 hurricanes, the most ever forecast including four to seven hurricanes with winds of at least Category 3, or 115 mph. Related: Florida hurricane season: 'Berserk' warm waters fuel a truly scary forecast | WeatherTiger An improving insurance market could help ease the anxiety of property owners and insurers. The steady depopulation of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. shows Floridas market is getting better, many experts say. With new companies in the mix, Citizens has shed more than 200,000 policies since last September. With some prodding from Citizens, customers have moved into private market coverage sometimes at a higher cost and Citizens at the end of April was down to just under 1.2 million clients. Although the cost of insurance has been going up, people have been able to get coverage in Florida, said FSUs Born. From a social point of view, its good to see that we dont have a huge gap of uninsured heading into hurricane season. But she cautioned that its still a numbers game with storms. Scientists cite climate change as contributing to severe storms Im pretty optimistic that one storm isnt going to kill us, Born added. A couple of storms may be a little bit more of an issue. While most scientists cite climate change as contributing to warmer seas and more violent storms, DeSantis in mid-May signed legislation that erases references to climate change from state law and ends state grant programs encouraging energy efficiency and conservation. The move reflects an anti-climate change view which polls show is dominant among Republican voters, particularly older voters. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has labeled climate change a hoax. With Floridas stiff-arming of climate change now in place, its not surprising that the state continues to build and rebuild in areas prone to storms and flooding. Its worth thinking of the market failure created by over-incentivizing development in what are uninsurable areas, said Erin Ryan, associate dean of environmental programs at the Florida State University College of Law. We end up in the uncomfortable place of trying to help people living in flood or hurricane-prone areas, which is most our state, but also wrestling with the policy implications of subsidizing risk through insurance and statewide programs, she added. Friedlander, of the Insurance Information Institute, said Florida is not alone. More people are living in harms way than ever before, Friedlander said. People want to live near the coast, despite the risk of hurricanes. Texas and Florida are two of the fastest growing states, and Texas has every kind of peril you can think of. ... People want to live in Sunbelt coastal places, but the potential hazards are there, he added. John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @JKennedyReport. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: With a record hurricane season forecast, insurers are ready maybe Pamela Woodman-Kaehler, West Virginia's first foster care ombudsman, speaks to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Health on Nov. 18, 2019. She has resigned from the position, effective June 6, 2024. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) West Virginias first foster care ombudsman, tasked with overseeing the states troubled foster care system, has resigned. Pamela Woodman-Kaehler submitted a letter of resignation, which will take effect on June 6, according to an email from a state Department of Health spokesperson. It has been an incredible honor and pleasure to serve the citizens of West Virginia as the States first Foster Care Ombudsman, said Woodman-Kaehler in a statement. I am choosing to pursue a new opportunity, but the program is exceptionally well positioned to serve our foster care system. Woodman-Kaehler is a former foster parent and child protective services worker. Elizabeth Hardy will serve as the acting office director foster care ombudsman in her place. The role is housed within the Office of Inspector General. Lawmakers created the foster care ombudsman role in 2019 in an effort to bolster accountability in the overwhelmed foster care system. The position was also supposed to advocate for the rights of children and families. We very much appreciate Pamelas work over the years and her passion for serving the children of this state. We wish her well in all of her future endeavors, said Ann Urling, interim inspector general for the Department of Health, Department of Human Services and Department of Health Facilities. West Virginia has the nations highest rate of children coming into foster care; the state has struggled to have enough safe homes and CPS workers for children. In 2019, a child advocacy nonprofit and West Virginia attorneys alleged the mistreatment of thousands of foster children in a sweeping class-action lawsuit filed against the state foster care leaders and Gov. Jim Justice. As part of that lawsuit, former deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources Jeremiah Samples said in sworn testimony that he worried there were conflict of interest issues between the foster care ombudsman and the department. The testimony was made public last week. While lawmakers have tried to broaden the foster care ombudsmans authority, Samples said Woodman-Kaehler was instructed not to share certain information about problems in the foster care system. Initially there were discussions about pressure that the ombudsman was experiencing from the department in talking to the legislature about child welfare issues, reviewing reports and wanting certain information withheld, and just generally being able to gain access to information from the department, said Samples, who now works as the senior adviser to the Legislatures Joint Committee on Government and Finance. Samples said that former DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch instructed that the agency would not agree with or publicly or politically own the problems outlined by the ombudsman. In her first year report, Woodman-Kaehler detailed how fear of retaliation and communication problems were pervasive in the foster care system and extended to families caring for foster children. Samples, who was fired from DHHR in 2022, disagreed with Crouchs position. Additionally, Samples detailed how CPS workers continued to fail to properly investigate child abuse and neglect referalls made by police and teachers. Referrals were being screened out inappropriately, he said. The Department of Human Services, which now oversees foster care, has faced intense scrutiny for its response to the death of 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, who was found emaciated in April in her Boone County home. Her mother and two grandparents have been charged with felony child neglect causing death. State troopers maintained that they made a referral to CPS about the girl in 2023; a DoHS leader said that the referral cannot be found in their system. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post WV foster care ombudsman resigns; new court docs allege state edited her reports on troubled system appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Western Washington University officials told students and others that they have two days to end their protest camp against the war in Gaza and the universitys ties to Israel and U.S. defense manufacturers. Negotiations were continuing late Tuesday afternoon over the students demands but university spokesman Jonathan Higgins told The Bellingham Herald that WWUs administration set a Thursday deadline for protesters to leave the tent camp on the lawn between Old Main and Viking Union. Talks are continuing with the representatives of the student encampment this afternoon. They began at noon and are in progress. We have given the encampment a deadline of Thursday, May 30, at 5 p.m. to clear out, Higgins said in an email. It was unclear what would happen if protesters remained after the deadline. Discussions between WWU leadership and encampment organizers have been productive, and both parties are making every effort to reach an agreement as soon as possible, the university said Wednesday at its website. In statements posted to their social media, protesters have shown increasing frustration that their demands havent been met. Admin continues to stonewall our demand negotiations after a 6.5-hour meeting on Friday, protesters said Monday on their Instagram account, WWUDivestApartheid. We will not rest, we will not back down, states a post on the Instagram account. A rally was planned Tuesday morning outside Old Main, and talks with the administration followed. Some 50 to 60 protesters, including WWU students and others, pitched about 20 tents on May 14. They held a protest rally and march on May 17. The tent camp has grown to about 70, WWU officials said Tuesday. Since that time University Police have recorded several instances of vandalism with slogans protesting the war in Gaza. A Jewish student reported to police that they were spat upon and followed home on May 17, as they walked past the protest wearing a Star of David necklace. That incident that was being investigated as a hate crime. Last week, Jewish faculty, students and others told The Herald that the administration wasnt taking their safety seriously. Several college and university campuses across the U.S. have seen similar protest encampments in recent weeks as the war in Gaza continues, sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and atrocities that killed 1,200 civilians in Israel, including 45 Americans. An estimated 36,000 Gaza residents, including many women and children, have been killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run government health ministry. Hamas which the U.S. and other nations classify as a terrorist organization still holds more than 100 hostages. The tent camp emerged after WWU President Sabah Randhawa rejected a series of protesters demands, according to social media. (Bloomberg) -- President Xi Jinping will meet Arab leaders this week seeking deeper ties in a region where China does plenty of business and increasingly diplomacy, too. Most Read from Bloomberg Xi will address the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing on Thursday with heads of state from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia among the attendees. Talks will likely focus on fast-growing trade and investment, and regional security concerns amid the Israel-Hamas war. As the Biden administration backs Israel in the conflict, China sees eye-to-eye with Arab nations, supporting an immediate cease-fire and recognition of a Palestinian state. That alignment is helping Beijing to extend its political sway in countries that until recently saw China chiefly as an economic partner and win new allies in its global contest for influence with the US. Xis visit to Saudi Arabia in late 2022 was hailed as a landmark by both countries. Last year, China followed up by brokering a surprise accord between the kingdom and Iran, the Islamic worlds biggest rivals. The detente has held up even amid the strains caused by the Gaza war, and there are signs its been followed by an acceleration of investment between China and the Middle East. Beijing-based Lenovo Group Ltd. announced a deal Wednesday to sell $2 billion of convertible bonds to Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund, and build research and production facilities in the kingdom. State oil firm Saudi Aramco is in talks to buy a $1.5 billion stake worth in a Chinese petrochemical firm, while carmaker China FAW Group is part of a push to make electric vehicles in Egypt. UBS analysts estimate that growing Chinese ties to the Middle East could add more than $400 billion to global energy-related trade by 2030. Read More: Alibaba Seeks Middle East Partners as Beijing Deepens Gulf Ties China is developing soft power in the region, said Shirley Yu, director of the China-Africa Initiative at the London School of Economics. On top of commercial ties that fit the needs of both sides, she said, the relationship extends to mutual political support at the existing US-led global institutions as well as new ones like BRICS, which China co-founded. Egypt and the UAE joined the group this year, and the Saudis are weighing a similar move. Outlining the meetings agenda at a briefing on Monday, Chinese vice foreign minister Deng Li cited a tenfold increase in trade with the Middle East over the past two decades. For Beijing, the crucial import is oil. China gets more than one-third of its crude from members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, with the lions share coming from Saudi Arabia. In overall trade, the UAE even though its economy is only half the size of Saudi Arabias has become a bigger partner for China. The UAE plays a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative Beijings global infrastructure drive and has more than 6,600 Chinese brands registered in the country, Bloomberg Intelligence wrote last week. Through the end of 2022, which is as far as Beijings official data goes, the UAE had gotten about $12 billion in Chinese direct investment four times as much as the Saudis. Read More: Asia-Gulf Investment Flows Strengthen, But US-China Risk Looms The picture may have changed last year. Saudi Arabia attracted $16.8 billion in greenfield investment from China in 2023, including in the auto and semiconductors industries, Arab News reported in April citing a study by the Dubai-based bank Emirates NBD. While Chinas economic and diplomatic weight in the region are rising, the US remains the key security partner for Gulf Arab states. It has major military bases in countries like Bahrain and Qatar, and supplies defense technology. Washington is also pursuing a new defense accord with Saudi Arabia thats supposed to be part of a wider regional realignment in which the Saudis would grant diplomatic recognition to Israel. Read More: US and Saudis Near Defense Pact Meant to Reshape Middle East That project could slow Chinas commercial advance in the Middle East by raising hurdles in high-tech sectors with a security element. There are signs that the US is pressing Gulf firms to cut ties with Beijing in such fields. The UAEs top artificial intelligence firm, G42, recently agreed to divest from China and pivot to American technology, signing a $1.5 billion accord with Microsoft Corp. Saudi Arabias $100 billion AI fund signaled its willing to do the same. The Gulf is moving from strategic hedging in the tech sphere to strategic alignment with the US, said Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at UK thinktank Chatham House who also heads China research at the UAEs Emirates Policy Center. Still, therell be plenty of other industries where Gulf countries will welcome a wider partnership with Beijing, Aboudouh said, including renewable energy, electric vehicles and infrastructure investments. That fits a wider global pattern. The main Gulf economies exemplify a reluctance among many emerging-market nations from East Asia to Latin America - to get caught up in a Cold War between the US and China. Theyd prefer to keep the doors open, and the money flowing, with both sides. Saudi Arabia will not put all its eggs in one basket, said Hongda Fan, a professor of Middle East studies at Shanghai International Studies University. Saudi Arabias defense cooperation with the US will not come at the expense of its relationship with China. (Updates with Lenovo deal with Saudi wealth fund in fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Yale University has selected its first permanent female president after a long-search. Maurie McInnis became the 24th president of the Ivy League school, telling The New York Times she is committed to keeping Yales diverse campus despite the Supreme Court ruling last year against affirmative action in the application process. My deep commitment to advancing opportunities for students and for our prospective students is steadfast, certainly in my work at Stony Brook, and that will continue at Yale, McInnis told the outlet, adding, And none of that changes with the court ruling. The search for a new president began last fall after Peter Salovey left the position, leaving the school without a permanent head amid a chaotic academic year that saw schools grappling with both the pro-Palestinian campus protests and a bumpy rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, forms. Dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale last month as they called for the school to divest from weapons manufacturers amid Israels war in Gaza. McInnis, who was previously president of Stony Brook University, came under fire there after she also had students arrested. Both McInnis and Yale have grappled with higher educations troubled history with slavery. The most recent book by the University of Virginia graduate, according to the Times, is Educated in Tyranny: Slavery at Thomas Jeffersons University. Yale in February issued an official apology over its past connections to slavery. A compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator, she brings to the role a deep understanding of higher education and an unwavering commitment to our mission and academic priorities, Josh Bekenstein, senior member of Yales Board of Trustees and chair of the presidential search committee, wrote in a statement. Her experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A cultural historian and the president of Stony Brook University has been named the 24th president of Yale University. Maurie McInnis, 58, who earned her Ph.D. in art history, will succeed Peter Salovey as of July 1. She was the unanimous choice of the Yale Corporation, the universitys board of trustees, according to Josh Bekenstein, senior trustee and chairman of the search committee. A compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator, she brings to the role a deep understanding of higher education and an unwavering commitment to our mission and academic priorities, Bekenstein wrote on behalf of the full board. Her experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead. Muslim leaders imploring Yale, UConn to protect student protesters Peter Salovey, who is returning to the faculty fulltime after 11 years as president. She starts July 1. The search for Yales 24th leader was robust and designed to cast a wide net and to gain different perspectives on the ideal qualities and qualifications of the next president, Bekenstein said. The search committee received input from thousands of Yale students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the New Haven community through listening sessions, individual meetings, webform entries, and a student survey. It also consulted with leaders in and beyond higher education. The committees subsequent deliberations drew from all your comments and suggestions, Bekenstein wrote in the message. In McInnis, who first joined Yale in 1989 as a graduate student in the Department of the History of Art, the committee was excited by a leader who brought new perspectives from around the country and cared deeply about the best of Yales traditions. Over a three-decade career in higher education, McInnis has held teaching, research, and leadership roles, Bekenstein wrote, and for nearly two decades, has served in a series of senior positions at three iconic universities. At the University of Virginia, she shaped undergraduate academic programs as an associate dean and led academic affairs as a vice provost; at the University of Texas at Austin she was the provost. And as Stony Brooks current president, she is responsible for the academics, research, and operations of a flagship university for the State of New York, as well as for Long Islands premier medical center, which provides care for the entire region, Bekenstein said. At Stony Brook, McInnis also shares responsibility for overseeing Brookhaven National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility for particle physics and nuclear energy, data, and quantum information sciences. And as the inaugural chair of the board of the New York Climate Exchange, she led the establishment of an international climate change solutions center in New York City. Salovey, who has served as president for 11 years, will return to Yales faculty. By working with universities, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community leaders, she has helped create a vibrant center that will improve the environment in New York City and provide solutions to the climate crisis that cities around the world can adopt, Bekenstein said. McInnis has written and edited numerous books and articles focused on the politics of art and slavery in the 19th-century American South, and has co-curated and contributed research to exhibitions and archival projects, winning prizes and other accolades, Bekenstein said. Since her graduation from Yale, she has lived up to the mission of our university, he said, leading with an unshakeable commitment to education and research for the common good. McInnis was named a trustee in 2022. From her service on the board, she appreciates what our community has achieved in realizing the universitys academic priorities, Bekenstein wrote. McInnis will be the second female president of Yale. Hanna Holborn Gray served a year as interim president in 1977 and 1978, Yales 18th president, while still serving as president, according to the Yale Alumni Magazine. Salovey, calling his 11 years as Yales president the privilege of a lifetime, said, it is wonderful to know that Yale will be led by an alumna who has embraced our universitys values and aspirations. Her record as a leader, educator, and scholar reveals a deeply held belief in the power of education to improve the lives of individuals and strengthen communities, Salovey said in a release. In all her leadership positions, she has championed students and faculty members, opening new avenues for teaching, research, and scholarship. She has lived Yales mission to improve the world today and for future generations. I look forward to supporting Maurie in a role that has meant so much to me. McInnis returns to Yale and New Haven with her husband, Dean Johnson, who is retired from a career in business, and their two children. When McInnis arrived at Yale as a graduate student 35 years ago, she said in her own message Wednesday, I was welcomed into a community that valued curiosity, connection, excellence, and impact. Faculty members, fellow students, staff, and alumni fostered curiosity, encouraged connections between people and academic disciplines, and challenged one another to not only excel in our fields, but also to apply our abilities in improving the world. Those qualities shaped my life and career as I became an educator and art historian and took on leadership roles at universities, and they are the reasons I am excited and eager to return to Yale and New Haven as the next president of our university, she wrote. McInniss top priority upon assuming the Yale presidency is to reconnect with those I know and to meet so many more of you, she wrote. You make this university what it is. The community environment that brought me to Yale was created by those who came before us and has been sustained and enriched by all of us. Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com. In this image provide by Yale University, Yale's new president Maurie McInnis poses in New Haven, Conn. McInnis, a longtime higher education leader and cultural historian, was named the 24th president of Yale University on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, becoming the first woman to be installed permanently to the position. (Yale University via AP) Maurie McInnis, a longtime higher education leader and cultural historian, was named the 24th president of Yale University on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to be appointed permanently to the position. McInnis, 58, is the president of Stony Brook University on Long Island in New York. She will succeed Peter Salovey, who is retiring and taking a faculty position at the Ivy League school in New Haven, Connecticut, after having led it for the past decade. Yale said McInnis was the unanimous choice of the school's Board of Trustees. "A compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator, she brings to the role a deep understanding of higher education and an unwavering commitment to our mission and academic priorities, senior trustee Josh Bekenstein said in a statement. Her experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead. McInnis, who starts her new job on July 1, has been Stony Brook's president since 2020 and previously served as executive vice president and provost of the University of Texas at Austin and vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Virginia. She is not new to New Haven. She has served as a Yale trustee since 2022 and received her master's degree and doctorate at Yale, where she studied art history. Her scholarship has focused on the politics of art and slavery in the southern United States in the 1800s, Yale said. I look forward to many things when I begin my service, McInnis said in a statement. At the top of the list is to reconnect with those I know and to meet so many more of you. You make this university what it is. She added, Our faculty members are not only international leaders in their own fields but also drive innovation in other academic disciplines and progress in other sectors. Our talented staff advance every aspect of our university and bring excellence to all they do. Similarly, our students excel in their studies, while also making Yale a richer community through their art making, advocacy, and deep engagement with the local community. McInnis said she plans to schedule listening sessions and individual meetings later in the summer. She will take over leadership of an elite school founded in 1701 that now has a $40 billion endowment, about 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 5,500 faculty members and about 11,600 staff. Yale and Stony Brook were among schools nationwide that saw protests over the Israel-Hamas war, and students at both campuses were arrested. McInnis did not mention Gaza in her comments. At Stony Brook, McInnis said that while the school supported students' rights of free expression and peaceful assembly, protests and demonstrations will not be allowed to disrupt the academic environment, create safety issues, or violate university guidelines regarding time, place and manner. Earlier this month, a proposed censure of McInnis over the arrests of 29 protesters at Stony Brook was narrowly rejected by the school's faculty Senate. In a statement, Yales search committee praised McInnis for her academic leadership experience and scholarship. What excites me about President-elect McInnis is that she comes to the job as a practicing humanist in all dimensions, said Jacqueline Goldsby, a professor of African American studies, English and American studies at Yale. Her books on antebellum visual culture are award-winning and represent the incisive, rigorous scholarship Yale faculty produce and that we want our students to study." The committee also lauded McInnis for her work on climate change. She is the first board chair of the New York Climate Exchange and led the founding of an international climate change solutions center in New York City, Yale said. Yale has had only one other female leader, Hanna Holborn Gray, who served as acting president from 1977 to 1978. Yale later removed the acting designation after her tenure. Pa. (WETM) A man from Bronx, New York, was indicted yesterday on charges linked to multiple incidents of bank fraud and identity theft in Pennsylvania. According to the United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Jose Rodriguez, 62, was indicted on Tuesday, May 28, on the charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Suspended Pennsylvania State Trooper charged for burglary, assaulting man: PSP Rodriguezs indictment alleges that he used false identification documents to withdraw and attempt to withdraw about $50,000 from customers at multiple banks throughout Tioga, Lycoming and Centre counties. It is also alleged that he illegally had access to the identification of at least four bank customers in connection to the incident. One airlifted, three others injured during slashing incidents at Elmira Correctional Facility If found guilty of these charges, Rodriguez could face a maximum of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine for the bank fraud offense, and an additional two-year term in prison on the aggravated identity theft offense. This incident was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi noted that, 68 years ago, Egypt was the first Arab and African state to establish diplomatic relations with China. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership, he said, adding that over the past decade, the two heads of state have worked together to guide the vigorous development of bilateral relations. China-Egypt relations have become a vivid illustration of China's solidarity, coordination, and mutually-beneficial win-win cooperation with Arab, African, Islamic and developing countries, Xi said, adding that under the new circumstances, building a more enriched and dynamic China-Egypt relationship meets the common expectations of the two peoples. Xi said that China is ready to work with Egypt to deepen mutual trust, advance cooperation, build a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, and contribute to regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity. Xi stressed that China is striving in all aspects to build a strong and prosperous country and achieve national rejuvenation, and China and Egypt are facing historic opportunities for exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other and work together to promote common development, Xi added. China is ready to work with Egypt to tap the potential of cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, industry, electricity and agriculture, explore cooperation in emerging areas such as health care, information and communications, and renewable energy, deepen economic, trade and investment cooperation, and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Egypt, Xi said. Xi urged efforts to organize the 2024 China-Egypt year of partnership, expand personnel and cultural exchanges, and make the Luban Workshop in Egypt a benchmark for China-Africa vocational education cooperation. China supports Egypt in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and stands ready to further strengthen coordination and cooperation with Egypt on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, as well as the common interests of developing countries, Xi said. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. Xi said that China is ready to work closely with Egypt and other parties to build a successful China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, inject new impetus into China-Arab relations, and promote the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future. China is also willing to work with Egypt and other African members of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and work together to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, Xi added. Sisi expressed his pleasure at paying a state visit to China and attending the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, adding that Egypt expects to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with China and strive to promote regional peace and stability. Sisi said that Egypt adheres to the one-China principle, firmly supports China's position on issues relating to its core interests such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xizang and human rights, and firmly supports China in achieving complete national reunification. It is hoped that the 2024 Egypt-China year of partnership will be an opportunity for the two countries to enhance people-to-people exchanges and strengthen bilateral cooperation in such areas as information and communications, artificial intelligence, new energy, food security and finance, Sisi added. Expressing appreciation to Xi for putting forward a series of global initiatives, Sisi said Egypt stands ready to work closely with China in multilateral cooperation to make positive contributions to human peace and progress. The two sides also exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Xi said that the current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused heavy casualties of innocent Palestinian civilians and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely grave, and China is deeply saddened. It is imperative to cease fire and stop the war immediately, avoid the spillover of conflict which will impact regional peace and stability, and prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis, he said. Noting that the two-State solution is the fundamental way out for resolving the Palestinian question, Xi said China firmly supports Palestine in becoming a full member of the United Nations. China appreciates Egypt's important role in cooling down the situation and providing humanitarian relief, and is ready to work with Egypt to continue to provide assistance to the people in Gaza within its capacity, and promote an early, full, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, Xi added. Egypt greatly appreciates China's consistent commitment to justice on the Palestinian question and stands ready to maintain close communication with China to push for an early easing of tensions in the Gaza Strip, Sisi added. After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents in various fields, which involve the plan for the promotion of cooperation in jointly building the Belt and Road, science and technology innovation, investment and economic cooperation, and quarantine. The two sides also issued a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi witness the signing of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Sisi at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Sisi, who is in China on a state visit, will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei) You're not imagining it: There have been a lot of tornadoes this spring. Here's why. If you think there have been a lot of tornadoes this year, you're right: With at least 850 confirmed tornadoes so far and several major tornado outbreaks, it ranks among the busiest years in recorded history. It's at least the sixth-busiest in the past 30 years, based on preliminary information from the Storm Prediction Center. That number is likely to rise as the National Weather Service continues surveying and confirming damages from the April and May tornado reports, which were up significantly over previous years. Even some of the most veteran storm chasers have been astounded by tornado activity so far this year. "We've had a lot of tornadoes and several 'big' days," said Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. Preliminarily, the U.S. has seen 4 days with at least 30 tornadoes rated EF1 or stronger, Brooks said. The average is two a year. That likely puts 2024 in the top 10% of years. The exterior of the Veterans of Foreign Wars facility suffered severe damage following a tornado on May 23, 2024 in Temple, Texas. Dozens dead from spring 2024 tornadoes Since April 26, the U.S. has experienced 18 killer tornadoes in which 36 people have died. Half the victims were in mobile homes. May 27: At least 22 people killed in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. May 6-8: Multiple tornadoes hit northeastern and central Oklahoma, including one in Barnsdall, Oklahoma that killed one person and destroyed 30 to 40 homes. They were among dozens of tornadoes in the U.S. April 27-28: Tornadoes struck 12 Oklahoma counties, leaving at least four dead and 100 injured. Sheriff Ray Sappington of Cooke County, Texas, a veteran of more than 30 years in law enforcement, was overcome with emotion as he talked to the news media overnight Saturday night after a deadly tornado. Im still emotional, Sappington told USA TODAY on Tuesday. The EF-3 tornado traveled 48 miles across three counties, one of four tornadoes in the Dallas/Fort Worth weather service region. Its winds of up to 140 mph killed seven and injured 100, the weather service said. Sappington has responded to countless storm scenes, but said it's "different when youre the sheriff and its in your county. I told the parents of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old that their kids were dead and I led them in there to make the identification and watched that, he said. Its just tough. Why has this tornado season been so active? So far, the weather service puts the number of tornadoes at 857 though May 27, based on preliminary reports. Meteorologists interviewed by USA TODAY blame an active jet stream, coupled with a series of powerhouse storms rolling from the West Coast across the nation's midsection. It has "been a great recipe for numerous severe thunderstorms and tornadoes" over the past few weeks, said meteorologist Peter Mullinax of the Weather Prediction Center. The storms have been able to tap into a very warm, moist atmosphere that's been sitting over the Gulf of Mexico, AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok added. Both meteorologists said the active jet stream is being powered in part by the diminishing El Nino, a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather in the U.S. and around the world. The storm activity has come in waves this year, with unusual warmth earlier in the year fueling more storms, said Victor Gensini, an associate professor of meteorology and severe weather at Northern Illinois University. The big heat dome over Central America and the Gulf of Mexico "allows for this reservoir of gasoline, in this case moisture, to store up," said Gensini, in the field on Tuesday in Texas, where additional severe weather is expected over the next week over the high plains of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Typically this time of year, a cold front will pass over the region and shut down storm activity but it's difficult for cold fronts to push down into the heat dome, he said. "The moisture remains in place, that's one of the fundamental ingredients you need for tornadoes." Looking ahead, Pastelok said the stormy pattern should continue into June, but that the month shouldn't be as busy as May was. Is climate change causing more tornadoes? Additional research is needed to understand the role climate change is playing in tornado activity, Gensini said. "I think it's safe to say climate change plays a role, but is it 10%, 5% or 1%, I don't think we know that right now without a bigger push to understand the role of climate change in these events." For example, climate scientists say theyre not confident in a long-term trend in larger numbers or intensity of tornadoes. Instead, what appears to be happening is that tornadoes are occurring at different times and in different places than then they have it the past, making old certainties less useful in predicting when and where communities are at risk. Tornado warning: Twisters are hitting more frequently and dealing more deaths in the South Among the oddities observed this year: April was well above average for the number of tornadoes, Brooks said. Some areas have been hit repeatedly, or by multiple tornadoes. Gilmer County, Georgia experienced four tornadoes on May 8 and 9. The Dallas/Fort Worth weather service office reported four tornadoes in its region over the weekend, then gusts of up to 77 mph in Dallas and Arlington on Tuesday. Illinois experienced several strong storms in February, at time of year in which they are certainly known to happen but the spacing was surprising, Gensini said. We had tornadoes in similar areas just a few weeks ago, Gensini said of the Illinois tornadoes. Couple that with some record-breaking temperatures and folks begin asking questions. To me, this is a good example of the new norms associated with climate change. Cities mostly spared so far As devastating as this season has been, the worst storms have not hit densely populated areas. "We've had some terrible disasters and loss of life, but thankfully some of the most violent storms so far this year have missed highly populated areas," Gensini said. What to do during a tornado warning: Staying safe at home, outside, in a car Gensini hopes the trend will continue, but worries about an outbreak hitting a heavily populated area. "From a perspective of somebody who's continually watching these events, it's a matter of time before we see 'the big one.'" This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is 2024 a record year for tornadoes? Data shows a busy, deadly spring. You're not imagining it: There have been a lot of tornadoes this spring. Here's why. If you think there have been a lot of tornadoes this year, you're right: With at least 850 confirmed tornadoes so far and several major tornado outbreaks, it ranks among the busiest years in recorded history. It's at least the sixth-busiest in the past 30 years, based on preliminary information from the Storm Prediction Center. That number is likely to rise as the National Weather Service continues surveying and confirming damages from the April and May tornado reports, which were up significantly over previous years. Even some of the most veteran storm chasers have been astounded by tornado activity so far this year. "We've had a lot of tornadoes and several 'big' days," said Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. Preliminarily, the U.S. has seen four days with at least 30 tornadoes rated EF1 or stronger, Brooks said. The average is two a year. That likely puts 2024 in the top 10% of years. The exterior of the Veterans of Foreign Wars facility suffered severe damage following a tornado on May 23, 2024 in Temple, Texas. Dozens dead from spring 2024 tornadoes Since April 26, the U.S. has experienced 18 killer tornadoes in which 36 people have died. Half the victims were in mobile homes. May 27: At least 22 people killed in Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. May 6-8: Multiple tornadoes hit northeastern and central Oklahoma, including one in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, that killed one person and destroyed 30 to 40 homes. They were among dozens of tornadoes in the U.S. April 27-28: Tornadoes struck 12 Oklahoma counties, leaving at least four dead and 100 injured. Sheriff Ray Sappington of Cooke County, Texas, a veteran of more than 30 years in law enforcement, was overcome with emotion as he talked to the news media overnight Saturday night after a deadly tornado. Im still emotional, Sappington told USA TODAY on Tuesday. The EF3 tornado traveled 48 miles across three counties, one of four tornadoes in the Dallas/Fort Worth weather service region. Its winds of up to 140 mph killed seven and injured 100, the weather service said. Sappington has responded to countless storm scenes, but said it's "different when youre the sheriff and its in your county. I told the parents of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old that their kids were dead and I led them in there to make the identification and watched that, he said. Its just tough. Why has this tornado season been so active? So far, the weather service puts the number of tornadoes at 857 though May 27, based on preliminary reports. Meteorologists interviewed by USA TODAY blame an active jet stream, coupled with a series of powerhouse storms rolling from the West Coast across the nation's midsection. It has "been a great recipe for numerous severe thunderstorms and tornadoes" over the past few weeks, said meteorologist Peter Mullinax of the Weather Prediction Center. The storms have been able to tap into a very warm, moist atmosphere that's been sitting over the Gulf of Mexico, AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok added. Both meteorologists said the active jet stream is being powered in part by the diminishing El Nino, a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather in the U.S. and around the world. The storm activity has come in waves this year, with unusual warmth earlier in the year fueling more storms, said Victor Gensini, an associate professor of meteorology and severe weather at Northern Illinois University. The big heat dome over Central America and the Gulf of Mexico "allows for this reservoir of gasoline, in this case moisture, to store up," said Gensini, in the field on Tuesday in Texas, where additional severe weather is expected over the next week over the high plains of West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Typically this time of year, a cold front will pass over the region and shut down storm activity but it's difficult for cold fronts to push down into the heat dome, he said. "The moisture remains in place, that's one of the fundamental ingredients you need for tornadoes." Looking ahead, Pastelok said the stormy pattern should continue into June, but that the month shouldn't be as busy as May was. Is climate change causing more tornadoes? Additional research is needed to understand the role climate change is playing in tornado activity, Gensini said. "I think it's safe to say climate change plays a role, but is it 10%, 5% or 1%, I don't think we know that right now without a bigger push to understand the role of climate change in these events." For example, climate scientists say theyre not confident in a long-term trend in larger numbers or intensity of tornadoes. Instead, what appears to be happening is that tornadoes are occurring at different times and in different places than they have in the past, making old certainties less useful in predicting when and where communities are at risk. Tornado warning: Twisters are hitting more frequently and dealing more deaths in the South Among the oddities observed this year: April was well above average for the number of tornadoes, Brooks said. Some areas have been hit repeatedly, or by multiple tornadoes. Gilmer County, Georgia, experienced four tornadoes on May 8 and 9. The Dallas/Fort Worth weather service office reported four tornadoes in its region over the weekend, then gusts of up to 77 mph in Dallas and Arlington on Tuesday. Illinois experienced several strong storms in February, a time of year in which they are certainly known to happen, but the spacing was surprising, Gensini said. We had tornadoes in similar areas just a few weeks ago, Gensini said of the Illinois tornadoes. Couple the earlier than typical tornadoes with some record-breaking temperatures and folks begin asking why that's occurring. To me, this is a good example of the new norms associated with climate change. Cities mostly spared so far As devastating as this season has been, the worst storms have not hit densely populated areas. "We've had some terrible disasters and loss of life, but thankfully some of the most violent storms so far this year have missed highly populated areas," Gensini said. What to do during a tornado warning: Staying safe at home, outside, in a car Gensini hopes the trend will continue but worries about an outbreak hitting a heavily populated area. "From a perspective of somebody who's continually watching these events, it's a matter of time before we see 'the big one.'" This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is 2024 a record year for tornadoes? Data shows a busy, deadly spring. Zelensky hails key allies as Sweden becomes third country this week to pledge $1bn in military aid Portuguese head of state Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, left, and Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro, right, welcome Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, centre, on his arrival at Figo Maduro air base (Getty Images) Sweden has become the third country in as many days to pledge more than $1 billion (785m) in additional military aid to Ukraine as president Volodymyr Zelensky concluded a three-day tour of Europe. The package, announced by defence minister Pal Jonson, is the largest single tranche of support donated by Sweden since Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, valued at 13.3 billion Swedish crowns (981m). It comes at a vital time for Ukraine as Russian forces, emboldened by an advantage born from a US military package delayed by more than six months, advance across the 640-mile frontline. The Swedish aid will include tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and vital artillery ammunition that has been in short supply for months in Ukraine, as well as financial support for Kyiv to purchase additional materials. Most importantly, the Swedish package will include two Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft (ASC 890), which will allow Ukrainian air forces to more easily identify long-range targets and will help Ukraine with the planned introduction of F-16 fighter jets donated by other Western countries. The package capped off a whistle-stop tour for the Ukrainian leader through Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Mr Zelensky secured a 1bn (851m) aid package from Madrid on Monday and another $1bn in military aid from Brussels the following day, which included 30 US-made F-16 fighter jets. Later, he secured an additional 107 million from Portugal. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo sign a bilateral security accord in Brussels (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraines 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region (Reuters) Having cancelled an earlier European tour to focus on the developing situation in Kharkiv - Ukraines northeastern region on the border with Russia - Mr Zelensky has frantically sought to shore up further support from Kyivs western allies as Putins troops advanced in that attack. Ukraine looks to have stabilised that battle but Russian forces now hold an additional 65 square miles of territory in Kharkiv, while further assaults to the southeast, in the Donetsk region, continue to stretch Kyivs forces. Mr Zelensky said he was profoundly grateful for the Swedish package, adding in a separate message that Ukraine and its Western allies were always stronger together. Today, I am glad to express my profound gratitude to Prime Minister Kristersson, his government, and all Swedes for Swedens largest military aid package announced thus far, totalling nearly 1.2 billion, he wrote. Ukrainian author Illia Ponomarenko, the countrys most followed journalist, wrote: Today is the day of Sweden in Ukraine, undoubtedly. Ukraine has long called for the F-16s, seeing them as integral to countering Russias aerial threat, and the addition of more than two dozen of the jets, as well as the ASCs, will be crucial not only for defensive purposes but for offensive capabilities as well. In the past few months, Russia has introduced explosives known as glide bombs into its armoury, which are essentially modified dumb bombs, fixed with wings and a navigation system, that are capable of levelling multi-storey buildings. Hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been killed by glide bomb attacks this year. Ukrainian military officials maintain that the most effective way to counter this threat is with F-16s that could strike the Russian jets firing the glide bombs from afar. The ASCs meanwhile would effectively act as a force multiplier for the F-16s, Mr Jonson wrote on X, extending their ability to strike Russian positions as well as pilots. Zelenskyy: Russia will not be able to disrupt Peace Summit, although it is trying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine is preparing diplomatic responses to Russian attempts to disrupt the Peace Summit. Source: Zelenskyy's evening address on 29 May Quote: "Despite its best efforts, Russia will be unable to disrupt the Summit. It is putting pressure on leaders and openly threatening various countries with destabilisation. This is one of the repercussions of the world's excessive patience with the terrorist state. Unfortunately, evil understands how to adapt and is now using its resources to divide the world and not allow it to pressure Russia into striving for peace. But now, we have about a hundred states and international organisations joining the global effort." Details: The president also announced a meeting with all of the Ukrainian officials involved in Summit preparations. He assigned the job of reporting on his work with states that may yet participate in the Summit as well as those who are already participating. Also, according to Zelenskyy, Australia will attend the Summit; this was announced on Wednesday. In addition, the president listened to reports from the Commander-in-Chief, Chief of the General Staff, and Minister of Defence on the situation at the front. Quote: "Focused on all fronts, particularly Pokrovsk and Kurakhivka in Donetsk Oblast, as well as Kupiansk and other fronts in Kharkiv Oblast. I am grateful to each unit that does all possible to stabilise the frontline situation. We are also prepared for the enemy's future activities; we know exactly what tasks and goals Putin has set for his forces. There will be a response to him inevitably. We are also preparing diplomatic responses to Russian efforts to undermine the Peace Summit, which will begin in two weeks." Support UP or become our patron! Apple signs deal with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to iPhones and tiptoes around Copilot to Google's Gemini as a second 'option' What you need to know Apple and OpenAI have reportedly signed a deal to bring AI to its soon-to-launch iOS 18 update. The iPhone maker is reportedly working on a separate deal with Google to bring Gemini to the iPhone as an "option." Google will likely leverage this opportunity to continue holding the competitive advantage in search over Microsoft. Apple will reportedly make its debut in the AI landscape. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple and OpenAI recently signed a deal to bring AI technology and advances to iPhones via the long-awaited iOS 18 update. The official announcement will likely be part of Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC 2024, slated for June 10, 2024. As Siri seemingly becomes dated, Apple is looking to integrate not one but two AI assistants into its sophisticated software. Despite closing the AI-supercharged deal with OpenAI, Apple is reportedly In deliberations with Google, which could potentially see Gemini make its way to the iPhone as an alternative for ChatGPT. However, Gurman says we might not get the intricate details around this agreement next month. This potentially indicates that both parties might be working through major agreement details, including licensing and more. Leading up to this revelation, a former OpenAI staffer referred to Sam Altman as "a genius master-class strategist" while referring to OpenAI's deal with Apple and iPhone outside of its Microsoft partnership. During OpenAI's Spring Update event, the hot startup debuted the 'magical' GPT-4o model with reasoning capabilities across audio, vision, and text in real-time and an exclusive ChatGPT app for Mac users. Some viewed the move as a Windows snub, despite Microsoft's multi-billion investment and adoption of OpenAI's technology. OpenAI explained that the exclusive launch prioritized where most of its users are, Mac. This explanation aligns with a recent report by Appfigures which indicated that the new GPT-4o model contributed to the biggest spike ever in ChatGPT's revenue and downloads on mobile (with a huge percentage attributed to iOS users). Google continues to hold the competitive advantage over Microsoft despite recent failures Google Chrome on PC Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has openly admitted Google doesn't play fair with Bing in search. He indicated Google's with Apple places Bing at a competitive disadvantage, further stating that he was willing to part with up to $15 billion annually to attract a similar deal that would make Bing the default search engine on iPhones. Interestingly, Mozilla published a new report detailing the deceitful tactics and harmful designs Microsoft leverages to give Edge browser a competitive advantage in Windows. Elsewhere, Microsoft almost sold its search engine to Apple in 2018, though the deal fell through due to search quality-related issues. Last year, the European Commission listed Google as a gatekeeper prompting the company to put elaborate measures in compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), including the capability to switch the default browser and search engine on Android phones and more. During Microsoft's earnings call, Microsoft CEO announced that Bing had surpassed 140 million daily active users, and attributed a huge percentage of the success to its AI advances. Google on the other hand has been placed under fire after its AI search feature generated wrong and misleading responses to queries, including recommending eating rocks, glue, and more. In the interim, Microsoft recently announced it's slowing down Copilot-themed advances in Windows 11. It plans to use the time to improve and enhance existing features and experiences. An astronaut in a white spacesuit works outside a space station with earth in the background. Two Chinese astronauts just set a new spacewalking record for the country. Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu, two members of China's three-person Shenzhou 18 mission, spent about 8.5 hours working outside the Tiangong space station today (May 28). That's longer than any previous Chinese spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), according to the nation's state-run Xinhua news service. Related: 1,000 days in space! Core module of China's Tiangong space station hits milestone an astronaut in a white spacesuit works outside a space station with earth in the background Ye and Li "completed the installation of the space station's space debris protection device and the inspection of extravehicular equipment and facilities," officials with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) wrote in an update today. (Translation via Google.) Space junk is a genuine worry for Chinese space officials; Tiangong suffered a partial power loss recently after a debris strike on its solar arrays, for example. Today's EVA was the first for Li and the second for Ye, who also stepped outside Tiangong during the Shenzhou 13 mission in December 2021. The third member of the Shenzhou 18 mission, Li Cong, assisted the EVA from inside Tiangong, monitoring the spacewalkers and their activities. an astronaut in a white spacesuit stands at the end of a robotic arm with the blackness of space in the background RELATED STORIES: Watch Chinese astronauts fix Tiangong space station solar wing in 8-hour spacewalk (video) Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem Facts about China's Tiangong space station This was the first EVA for the six-month-long Shenzhou 18 mission, which launched to Tiangong in late April. China's previous crewed flight, Shenzhou 17, performed two spacewalks outside Tiangong. Shenzhou 15 set the nation's single-mission mark with four EVAs. Shenzhou 18 may be similarly active. "According to the plan, a large number of scientific experiments and technical tests, as well as astronaut crew extravehicular activities and application payload extravehicular missions, will be carried out during the Shenzhou 18 manned flight mission," CMSA officials wrote in today's update. Chinese astronauts have now conducted a total of 16 spacewalks to date, according to Xinhua. The nation's first EVA occurred on Sept. 27, 2008, when Zhai Zhigang ventured outside his Shenzhou 7 capsule for about 20 minutes. SAN FRANCISCO Gov. Gavin Newsom warned on Wednesday against stifling the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, sending a signal to Democratic lawmakers who are advancing dozens of AI bills in the state Legislature. I dont want to cede this space to other states or other countries, Newsom said during a daylong AI event in San Francisco. If we over-regulate, if we overindulge, if we chase the shiny object, we could put ourselves in a perilous position. The Democratic governor of California and former San Francisco mayor has long been solicitous of its homegrown technology industry, calling it a critical source of tax revenue and a key to the state's competitive edge. The position has put him at odds with legislative Democrats and union allies who have increasingly sought to rein in major tech players like autonomous vehicle companies. California is poised to become a national standard-setter on artificial intelligence as the Legislature considers ambitious bills to ban biased algorithms, curb election disinformation, require large models to be vetted for threats like biohazards and protect actors' digital likenesses. Newsom has avoided taking a public position on those bills, deflecting a question on Wednesday about a fiercely contested safety testing measure. But he is likely to play a critical gatekeeping role as bills move closer to his desk ahead of a September 30 deadline. He said he was weighing innovation against warnings about the negative fallout from out-of-control AI. Industry luminaries like OpenAI founder Sam Altman and leading academics like Stuart Russell have pushed for a cautious approach. When you have the inventors of this technology, the godmothers and fathers, saying: 'Help, you need to regulate us,' that's a different environment," Newsom said. Newsom also suggested he's open to laws curbing deceptive campaign videos and images, relaying a conversation with someone concerned that AI would undermine open elections. Ive got personal reasons to believe thats legit the voice, videos, these AI bots, the persuasion campaigns, Newsom said. The governor issued an executive order last year directing state agencies to study using AI for functions like managing traffic and offering tax advice. Newsom touted that work earlier this month as a sign that generative AI is not a job killer but a tool to help the government save money and work more efficiently. Earlier in the day, Newsoms deputy chief of staff Jason Elliott said California needs to work with prominent tech companies to maintain the states dominance while ensuring AIs benefits are evenly distributed and not just reserved for the wealthiest. We are in first place, California, in terms of being the center of GenAI technology, Elliott said. We will not be in first place forever unless we defend that position and part of that means working with companies that are headquartered here. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) arrives behind Hubertus Heil (R), Germany's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, at the meeting of the German Cabinet in the Chancellery. Michael Kappeler/dpa A new proposal from Germany's government would require large petrol station operators to also offer more high-speed chargers for electric vehicles. The draft, put forward by the Cabinet on Wednesday, would require companies with at least 200 petrol stations to offer at least one 150 kilowatt charger at every petrol station from the beginning of 2028. The rule is expected to affect around a dozen companies and result in around 8,000 new fast chargers, according the Transport Ministry. Petrol stations would be given credit for existing electric chargers already installed. Germany currently has around 115,000 publicly accessible charging points as of April, with just under 22,000 of those capable of high-speed charging. The German government's goal is to have 15 million electric cars registered in Germany by 2030. There were only around 1.4 million such vehicles at the start of the year, according to figures from Germany's Motor Transport Authority. The current three-party coalition has stressed the need for a nationwide user-friendly charging infrastructure to make electric vehicles more attractive. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that gaps still need to be closed in the charging network. Hebestreit said that petrol stations would be a convenient and familiar way to offer that service. The draft proposal would provide exemptions and waivers for some petrol stations based on local conditions and other reasons. Germany's ADAC motorist club said the move would be a major intervention in the market but seemed justified, noting that petrol stations are often conveniently located. But the proposal met with sharp criticism from petrol station operators. Achim Bothe, the chief executive of Aral, the country's largest petrol retailer, said that the obligation would lead to bad investments and inefficient charger placements that don't respond to driver demands. Robert Habeck, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, speaks at a press statement on the cabinet decision on the Hydrogen Acceleration Act and the Carbon Management Strategy. Michael Kappeler/dpa Looking for great laptop deals? Check out what Lenovo has to offer right now. Today, you can buy the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel for $1,264 meaning youre saving $1,265 off the regular price of $2,529. This is using Lenovos estimated value system which means the original price is likely to be pretty optimistic. However, whatever the original price, we do know that $1,264 for this laptop spec is pretty good. If youre tempted, keep reading while we take you through what it offers. Buy Now Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel With Lenovo being one of the best laptop brands around, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel is an instantly tempting proposition. The laptop has a 13th-generation Intel Core i5-1345U processor with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. Thats fairly standard but strong stuff at this price with a particular highlight being plenty of storage. Alongside that, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel has a 14-inch WUXGA screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution, 45% NTSC, 300 nits of brightness, and anti-glare properties. Above it is a 720p HD webcam with a privacy shutter and an integrated microphone so youre all set for work calls. The backlit keyboard has a fingerprint reader for security which is a neat touch and the kind of thing we see among the best laptops. Besides the core components, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel is also made to be lightweight. Its composed of 90% recycled magnesium on the C frame and 55% recycled aluminum on the D cover. Despite being so lightweight, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel is built to last having been tested against 12 standards and more than 200 quality checks so it can cope with extreme conditions. That even includes harsh variables like the arctic wilderness or desert dust. Its ideal for pretty much any scenario. It all comes together to make the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 Intel a great option for many people. Usually priced at $2,529, its down to $1,264 for a limited time only when you buy directly from Lenovo. Check it out now before the deal ends very soon. Buy Now A Chinese doctor does physical checkups for local children at Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in Harare, Zimbabwe, on May 29, 2024. It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua) HARARE, May 29 (Xinhua) -- It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. The Chinese doctors also used the opportunity to demonstrate first aid techniques to the children, who responded with enthusiasm. "Today we learned about performing first aid and martial arts," said 12-year-old Rudo Sauti, a student from the school. "I really enjoyed the martial arts. I thank the Chinese doctors for coming here and teaching us first aid and martial arts." Tan Jianlong, leader of the Chinese medical team, said that the event aims to provide health services to the local people and improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment capabilities of local medical staff. "We have come to a school, which is composed of orphans and disadvantaged students from the local community. We mainly provided free medical services and established medical records for them. For those with health issues, we will provide more medical services and assist with further check-ups," he said. Li Manjuan, a member of the Chinese Loving Mum Team, an association of zealous Chinese mothers for charity in Zimbabwe, highlighted the importance of such events for disadvantaged communities. "We organized the event because the people in this community are disadvantaged, and they may not have money to see a doctor," she said. Li and other team members also donated various daily necessities to the schoolchildren. The Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home, where the event took place, was built in 2016 with support from many Chinese businesses operating in Zimbabwe. A Chinese medical doctor teaches school children how to perform first aid at Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in Harare, Zimbabwe on May 29, 2024. It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua) Children practice baduanjin, a form of Chinese aerobic exercise, at Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in Harare, Zimbabwe on May 29, 2024. It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua) A Chinese doctor does physical checkups for local children at Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in Harare, Zimbabwe, on May 29, 2024. It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua) Chinese doctors teach local children baduanjin, a form of Chinese aerobic exercise, at Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in Harare, Zimbabwe on May 29, 2024. It was a day of fun and joy at a primary school in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, as children on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming International Children's Day with a special event organized by the 21st batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Chinese Loving Mum Team. The event, held at the Hossana Love in Africa Children's Home in the Harare north suburb of Hatcliffe, brought cheer and excitement to pupils, who engaged in various activities including learning the captivating moves of Baduanjin, a traditional form of Chinese aerobic exercise. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua) This story was produced in partnership with The Acadiana Advocate, a Louisiana-based newsroom. Individuals whose sensitive information was made public after a July 2023 cyberattack on the St. Landry Parish School Board were not notified for five months long after state law mandates and only after a newspaper investigation prompted the Louisiana Attorney Generals Office to contact the district and warn school officials of their obligations. The long-delayed notification was revealed in emails and other records obtained by The Acadiana Advocate this month in response to a Jan. 9 public records request. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter They showed that within hours of the reporters revealing that a data breach exposed sensitive information about thousands of teachers and students, a lawyer with the state attorney generals office was on the phone to the school district. The attorney, focused on consumer protection, questioned them directly in response to the article, one email states. The Dec. 4 investigation, co-published by The Advocate and The 74, contradicted school district assertions that no sensitive student, employee or business owners information had been exposed online after the July attack. It found the St. Landry Parish School Board likely violated a state data breach notification law when it failed to notify victims or the state attorney general for months. Related Louisiana District Failed to Notify Thousands of Leaked Info After Cyberattack L. Christopher Styron, the lawyer with the state attorney generals office, reacted swiftly, calling the district to inquire about the incident. He followed up with an email outlining St. Landrys data breach response obligations under state law rules that school officials had failed to follow. Under Louisianas breach notification law, schools and other entities are required to notify affected individuals without unreasonable delay, and no later than 60 days after a breach is discovered. Entities that fail to alert the state attorney generals office within 10 days of notifying affected individuals can face fines up to $5,000 for each day past the 60-day mark. The late-in-the-year series of events prompted St. Landry officials, who long held that no sensitive data was stolen or published online, to take action. Officials told state lawyers it alerted victims that their information had been compromised. Its unclear how many victims among thousands of students, district employees and local and out-of-state businesses, received the letter. Medusa, a nefarious cybercrime syndicate that has carried out numerous devastating attacks on school districts in the last year, took credit for the St. Landry breach. The school boards attorney Courtney Joiner wrote in a response email to Styron a day later that he was working with the School Board to address the notice issue without further delay. In a letter dated Dec. 21, schools Superintendent Milton Batiste III acknowledged to an unverified number of victims that sensitive information may have been obtained by an unknown malicious third-party, according to the records. Officials didnt send a formal notice to the attorney generals office until Jan. 10, a day after The Advocate filed its public records request. Donna Sarver, who worked as a math teacher in St. Landry for three years before leaving in 2020, is among those whose personal information was compromised. In an interview last week, she blasted the district for sending her a letter in the mail well after the fact that she had been victimized. I really thought it was too little, too late, she said. This should have happened much earlier. Sarver and other data breach victims, including parents, students and business owners whose tax records are held by St. Landry schools, were unaware until the late December notification that district leaders had failed to secure their sensitive information and left them unknowingly exposed to identity theft for months. It took the district 149 days after the breach to tell victims they may have been impacted by the incident and another 19 to formally notify the attorney general. The front entrance of the St. Landry Parish School Boards central office. (Photo via The Acadiana Advocate) Officials with the school board declined to answer any questions for this story. A list of written questions were submitted but officials had yet to respond by the time of publication. The attorney generals office didnt respond to interview requests. St. Landrys response resembles that of school districts across the country, investigative reporting by The 74 has revealed. Cybergangs have ramped up their attacks on school districts and now routinely threaten to leak sensitive files in a bid to coerce seven-figure ransom payments. As federal officials warn of the burgeoning threats impact on students and teachers, education leaders nationwide have sought to downplay the attacks severity and obscure any subsequent harm to individuals. Related Trove of L.A. Students Mental Health Records Posted to Dark Web After Cyber Hack James Lee, the chief operating officer of California-based Identity Theft Resource Center said the delay by St. Landry officials is reflective of a problem we have nationally where cyberattack victims have grown increasingly resistant to filing breach notices. In many instances, its because the decision to issue a notice resides 100% with the organization that loses control of the information, Lee said. Highlighting circumstances like this will help us address these gaps so we can get better notifications to consumers when their information has been compromised and theyre at risk. For reasons that are unknown In August 2023, the 12,000-student district some 63 miles west of Baton Rouge acknowledged its computer network had come under attack but told the public the breached servers didnt contain any sensitive employee or student information. But The 74s data analysis of some 211,000 leaked records revealed they contained the Social Security numbers of at least 13,500 people, some 100,000 sales tax records for local and out-of-state companies and several thousand student records including home addresses and special education status. Similarly, the district appeared to offer inaccurate, misleading and contradictory claims in its delayed response to the attorney general, its letter to data breach victims and statements to the press. This embedded content is not available in your region. In its letter to the AGs office, the district stated that the stolen files had been recovered. However, a check by The 74 last week revealed they remain readily available for download on Telegram, the encrypted social media platform Medusa uses to make public the records of victims who dont pay to keep them private. Superintendent Batiste wrote in that Jan. 10 notice that the districts computer network had been encrypted by a malicious person or group in July but that St. Landry had never received a ransom demand. Yet, among the cache of district documents available on Telegram is a text file titled LOOK!!!!, which includes a link to Medusas dark-web outpost, complete with a $1 million ransom demand and a countdown clock warning education leaders their time to respond is running out. The note also contained links to Medusas Telegram channel and to a website designed to resemble a technology news blog a front of sorts with a video highlighting the St. Landry records in its possession. It was in August 2023, that the Louisiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit notified school officials that an unknown number of files containing sensitive information had been compromised, the letter states. That same month, Batiste had assured the public otherwise. Files posted to a Medusa leak site were recovered by the Cyber Crime Unit with the state police, Batistes letter continues, but, for reasons that are unknown, the files recovered from the dedicated leak site by the Cyber Crime Unit were not provided to us until December 6 two days after the newspaper investigation published. How do you recover it? The cybercriminals behind the St. Landry breach employed double extortion, a growing ransomware strategy where hackers break into a victims computer network through phishing emails, download compromising records and lock them with an encryption key. Criminals demand a ransom payment from victims to unlock the encrypted files and leak them online if they refuse to pay. The stolen information is routinely flaunted on the dark web and other shady corners of the internet. In asserting to reporters last year that the Medusa hack didnt lead to a breach of sensitive information despite overwhelming evidence that it had district officials acknowledged they hadnt taken any steps to understand the scope of what was stolen or to notify individual victims. Byron Wimberly, the districts computer center supervisor, insisted at the time that sensitive records had not been stored on the hacked servers. The files that were uploaded by the ransomware gang, he suggested, must have originated somewhere other than St. Landry schools even though thousands of them contain district letterhead and more than a dozen victims verified the validity of their stolen information. Tricia Fontenot, the districts supervisor of instructional technology, told reporters late last year that law enforcement investigators had never filled them in on the stolen data or if any sensitive information had been leaked at all. We never received reports of the actual information that was obtained, Fontenot said. All of that is under investigation. We have not received anything in regard to that investigation. Fontenots statement contradicts Batistes timeline to the AG saying state police informed them in August that files containing sensitive information had been accessed. A state police spokesperson said in an email last week the agency finished its investigation on Aug. 20. Reached by phone last week, Fontenot declined to comment. This embedded content is not available in your region. The Dec. 21 letter that school officials sent to data breach victims states that the district was hacked by an unknown malicious threat actor but isnt explicit to recipients about whether their information was included. It remains unclear how many of the thousands of data breach victims identified in the news outlets investigation including teachers, staff, students and sales tax filers from across the country received the Dec. 21 notice. The data breach letter states that victims were being notified months after the incident because the process of obtaining and then reviewing the acquired files took several months. We are now in the process of notifying individuals whose personal information we believe to have been included in the acquired files, including you, the letter states, acknowledging that stolen information contains individuals names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and drivers licenses. Social Security cards, birth certificates and other personal files were among the thousands of records stolen in a cyberattack on the St. Landry Parish School Board. (Screenshot) Louisianas data breach notification law doesnt apply to some types of sensitive files exposed in the breach, such as student disciplinary records. School districts nationwide, along with other government agencies and for-profit companies, routinely hire cybersecurity experts and attorneys to investigate the scope of data leaks and to notify breach victims in compliance with state laws, partly because of the complexities involved. A federal breach notification law doesnt exist and state requirements vary. School officials told reporters last year they expected law enforcement to investigate the attacks impact on individual data breach victims. Lee of the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center said such a practice would be highly unusual. Sign up for the School (in)Security newsletter. Get the most critical news and information about students' rights, safety and well-being delivered straight to your inbox. In fact, I dont think Ive ever heard of that kind of arrangement, he said. Most organizations do hire their own cybersecurity experts whether its a school district or its a nonprofit or a commercial entity. Sarver, the former St. Landry math teacher, said school leaders left data breach victims to fend for themselves by waiting months to tell them their personal information had come up for grabs on a website maintained by criminals. While the district offered a year of credit monitoring a common practice after entities suffer data breaches Sarver said she decided not to enroll. The service would last just 12 months; her records could be available forever. How do you recover it once its out there? she said. Do you tell the people who got it illegally that you have to take it down and hope they do? This story was supported by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism Who is Nicole Shanahan? Meet RFK Jr.'s running mate, an attorney who reportedly made $1 billion in her divorce from a Google cofounder Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. A California-based attorney, Shanahan founded a patent tech company, then focused on other ventures. She made $1 billion from divorcing Google cofounder Sergey Brin, NYT reports. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has named attorney Nicole Shanahan as his pick for VP. Shanahan has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates since 2018, including Pete Buttigieg, Marianne Williamson, Ro Khanna, and AOC's 2020 primary challenger. This year, however, she was the primary funder of a controversial Super Bowl ad promoting RFK Jr. Shanahan is a California-based attorney and founder of patent technology company ClearAccessIP and the Bia-Echo Foundation. She and billionaire Google cofounder Sergey Brin divorced in 2023; the New York Times reported that Shanahan received over $1 billion from the split, citing sources familiar with her finances. Shanahan also made headlines in 2022 after the Wall Street Journal reported that she had an affair with Tesla CEO Elon Musk while she was married to Brin, which she denied. She launched the Bia-Echo Foundation in 2019, and gave $100 million to social programs focused on efforts like improving the criminal justice system and climate change. The funding also supports fertility later in life, a topic she has firsthand experience with after struggling to become pregnant in her 30s, the Chronicle of Philanthropy previously reported. The Bia-Echo Foundation says its mission is to "invest in changemakers at the forefront of innovation" in the core areas of criminal justice reform, the health of the planet, and reproductive longevity and equality. Shanahan, 38, is also an academic fellow of CodeX, the Stanford Center of Legal Informatics, where she works on a project that applies data science to the prosecutorial process, according to the Stanford Law directory. She grew up in California and attended Santa Clara University School of Law. Before Shanahan and Brin met at a yoga retreat in 2015, Shanahan was married to a finance executive, the Wall Street Journal reported. Nicole Shanahan and Sergey Brin. Ian Tuttle/Getty Images Shanahan and Brin were first spotted together at a dating app CEO's island wedding, Business Insider previously reported. Despite her reported initial struggles to become pregnant, the couple welcomed a daughter in 2018. Shanahan spoke about her fertility struggles at the launch of the Center for Female Reproductive Longevity and Equality in 2019, Page Six reported. "Like many women who are not quite ready to start a family in their early 30s, I decided, or so I thought at the time, to take matters into my own hands and freeze embryos," she said. "However, after three failed attempts at embryo-making and three dozen visits to in vitro fertilization clinics around the Bay Area, I learned that I was not nearly as unshakable as I thought I was." In January 2022, Brin filed for divorce after learning about the alleged affair between Shanahan and Musk, the Journal reported. Shanahan and Musk have both denied the Journal's reports of an affair. Shanahan and Brin's divorce was finalized in May 2023. "I hope for Sergey and I to move forward with dignity, honesty and harmony for the sake of our child," Shanahan told Puck News in July 2022 with regards to the divorce. "And we are both working towards that." Sergey Brin (left) and Elon Musk (right). Mike Blake/Reuters; Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters; Ruben Sprich/Reuters Musk said in July 2022 that the Journal's article was "total bs" and that he and Brin remained friends. "I've only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic," Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Shanahan has said the scandal was "utterly debilitating" and "humiliating." "Did Elon and I have sex, like it was a moment of passion, and then it was over? No," she told People in 2023. "Did we have a romantic relationship? No. We didn't have an affair." RFK Jr. says Shanahan 'will look out for young people' and 'understands social media' Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the New York State Capitol, May 14, 2019, in Albany, New York. Hans Pennink/AP Photo Kennedy discussed his decision to pick Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate in an interview with Newsweek. "I want somebody who will look out for young people and not treat them as if they're invisible," he told Newsweek. "She's just 38 years old; she comes from technology and understands social media." Well before his pick, Shanahan said she initially dismissed Kennedy's presidential campaign. After a friend encouraged her to listen to one of his interviews, she said she found there was "definitely a misalignment between what I thought and who he really is," she told the publication. She also said previously she views Kennedy who has repeatedly spread misinformation about vaccines, as Business Insider previously reported as "not an anti-vaxxer; he's just someone who takes vaccine injuries seriously." Shanahan told the New York Times in an interview earlier this year that she is "not an anti-vaxxer" but wonders "about vaccine injuries" and is for more screening for vaccination risks. As for her previous donations to Democratic candidates, Shanahan told Newsweek she plans to "leave the party." She told the outlet she backed Kennedy when he was running for the Democratic nomination but withdrew her support after he became an independent, before throwing her support behind him again. Read the original article on Business Insider Rumoured specs for Nvidia's expected first PC CPU have started floating around the leaky corners of X, with the latest claims suggesting the green team will be plucking off-the-shelf ARM Cortex X5 cores for the processing part of its 2025 chip, all packed in along shiny new Blackwell GPU cores. The weirder rumour, however, is that Nvidia would be using Intel's own fabs to create yet another silicon nail in the x86 coffin. Nvidia creating an ARM-based processor after all the AI PC noise of this year makes absolute sense, especially with the historical rumours of the green team's partnership with MediaTek in making laptop reference designs. For the company to be able to create laptops entirely built around its own processors and GPUs would be a win, more so if it can also make inroads into the lower-end market that doesn't traditionally jam its discrete GPUs into thin-and-light lappies. So, Nvidia builds a system on chip (SoC) that uses Arm's processing cores and incorporates its own graphics silicon as an integrated GPU for a low-power/high-performance chip that it can then sell out to other notebook manufacturers. That feels like a no-brainer. The specs rumour comes from @XpeaGPU on X, which claims that it will be a Cortex X5 CPU cluster, with a Blackwell iGPU, and sport LPDDR6 memory on the package. It also states it will be built using TSMC's N3P node, a claim which was quickly disputed by another fellow X rumour-monger, @Kepler_L2. They claim Nvidia will in fact be using an Intel 3nm production process. They could simply mean Intel 3, because Intel doesn't specifically have a 3nm node per se. But it could also mean the Intel 3-T update which includes Foveros Direct 3D (PDF warning) stacking capabilities to bring chips or wafers from different foundries together. That would mean Nvidia could still stick with TSMC N3P for the building of its Blackwell GPU cores, and use Intel to create the ARM Cortex X5 cores and the base tile on which they all sit. Intel Foundry Process Node Roadmap There have been rumours for a while that Nvidia might look to Intel as an alternative foundry partner to TSMC, with some suspecting that different GPU lines might be manufactured at Intel. This would have been strange, given the different packaging methods the two foundries use, and would have meant extra work porting designs from one production facility to another. But if it's just using Intel to build out the processing component, and maybe the interposer, that's suddenly a lot more plausible. All of this, however, would mean no custom cores for Nvidia, where both Qualcomm and Apple have gone down that route for their own new silicon. But that's not necessarily a bad thing for the green team. Plucking pre-made cores from Arm's catalogue means not having to mess around architecting your own processor coreswhich is the same simple process it's used in the automotive space where the Nvidia Drive platform uses standard ARM Neoverse coresthough it means maybe not being able to so tightly control power levels, or add in specific units to help deal with x86 emulation layers. Apple touted that as something its own custom chips brought to the table, and was at least partly why Rosetta was so effective in translating x86 apps for its M-series chips. The expectation is that Qualcomm has maybe done something similar with its Oryon cores for the Snapdragon X Elite processors, especially with Microsoft claiming Prism will be just as good for Windows as Rosetta was for iOS. There is also a certain pleasing symmetry to Nvidia pairing its Blackwell GPU architecture with the ARM Cortex X5 CPU cores, given they are codenamed Blackhawk. So, when can we expect to see Nvidia's own CPUs hit the market? According to Michael Dell (Mr. Not-just-a-clever-name founder of Dell Technologies) we should "come back next year" to see what its place in the AI PC market is. He made the quip in a Bloomberg interview where he sat alongside Jen-Hsun Huang. But whether this means Nvidia laptops in the same way we have Apple laptops, where it controls the whole hardware ecosystem, we don't know. Maybe the green team is just planning on creating SoCs for other laptop manufacturers to get it finally embedded in the thin-and-light market without discrete GPUs, but I'm sure it would be hard for Nvidia to resist at least making a MacBook-y reference design. There have also been rumours it's working with MediaTek on a handheld gaming SoC outside of its potential place in the next-generation of Nintendo Switch. So, here's hoping for a new Shield, too. A spacecraft orbits earth with the blackness of space in the background. An uncrewed Russian cargo spacecraft came crashing back to Earth today (May 28) as planned. The Progress 86 freighter undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today at 4:39 a.m. EDT (0839 GMT) and headed back down to Earth. Progress 86 gave up the ghost a few hours later, burning up as planned over the Pacific Ocean, NASA officials said in an update. Related: Facts about Roscosmos, Russia's space agency Progress 86 launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 1, 2023. The freighter arrived at the ISS two days later, delivering 5,600 pounds (2,540 kilograms) of food, scientific hardware and other supplies to astronauts aboard the orbiting lab. Progress 86 didn't come down empty today; it served as a garbage truck in its final hours, hauling down trash for incineration in Earth's atmosphere. Four spacecraft remain parked at the ISS: The Dragon capsule that's flying SpaceX's Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA, a Russian Soyuz crew spacecraft, the Progress 87 freighter and a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicle. Like Progress, Cygnus is designed for one-time use. But the Soyuz and both versions of SpaceX's Dragon the cargo and crewed variants survive the harrowing trip through our planet's air. Soyuz touches down on terra firm, and Dragon makes soft ocean splashdowns. RELATED STORIES: ISS astronauts watch Russian cargo ship burn up in Earth's atmosphere (photos) Soyuz spacecraft suffers 'fairly substantial' leak at space station, cancels spacewalk by Russian cosmonauts Russia's replacement Soyuz spacecraft arrives at space station More craft are set to visit the ISS soon. Russia's Progress 88 freighter is scheduled to launch early Thursday morning (May 30), and Boeing is targeting Saturday afternoon (June 1) for the first crewed launch of its new Starliner capsule. Starliner's mission, known as Crew Flight Test, will send two NASA astronauts to the orbiting lab for a roughly week-long stay. If all goes well, Starliner will be certified to fly long-duration crewed missions for the agency. Consistently the home of great TV deals, Best Buy has the Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV for $1,800 instead of $2,300. A hefty $500 discount, this is the ideal time to upgrade to a huge TV with fantastic image quality. The $500 saving is unlikely to stick around for long so if youve been waiting to buy a new TV, heres a quick overview of what to expect before you tap that all-important buy button. Buy Now Why you should buy the Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV Samsung is one of the best TV brands out there and a surefire winner if you plan on committing to a great new TV. It makes some of the best TVs you can buy today with the Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV standing out. Alongside its use of QLED technology, the Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV has Quantum Matrix with Mini LED technology. That means over 30 million pixels so you get exceptional detail with whatever youre watching or playing. Theres also a Neural Quantum Processor with 4K upscaling so even if youre watching something in standard HD, you get upscaled quality which looks great. Theres also Neo Quantum HDR which means spectacular contrast and brilliant colors, with contrast adjusted to best fit every scene. It helps showcase more accurate colors. When gaming or watching fast-moving action, youll also appreciate the Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ technology which means you get smooth performance no matter how fast things get. Its just what youd expect from one of the best QLED TVs right down to 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot technology, and color validated by Pantone. When it comes to audio, the Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV is also great thanks to having support for Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound. It means you can enjoy immersive sound with whatever youre viewing feeling like its surrounding you in all the right ways. It also connects well with other Samsung soundbars for better sound quality thanks to Q Symphony 3.0. The Samsung 85-inch QN85C Neo QLED TV normally costs $2,300 but right now, you can buy it from Best Buy for $1,800. That means youre saving $500 off the regular price which makes it a pretty great deal for anyone keen to upgrade their TV to a fantastic new model. Take a look at it now by tapping the button below, before the deal ends soon. Buy Now You can watch astronauts at the International Space Station receive 3 tons of supplies: Heres how Space lovers have an opportunity to watch two unique occurrences at the International Space Station this week, but you will have to stay up pretty late or wake up very early to see them live. According to NASA, the cargo spacecraft carrying three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the ISS is for the Expedition 71 crew. The unpiloted spacecraft called Progress 88 is scheduled to launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday at 2:43 p.m. local time. California lawmakers approve bills to ban grocery, retail stores from offering reusable plastic bags This means that anyone looking to watch the launch in California would have to be ready by 2:43 a.m. on Thursday due to the time change. After a two-day orbit journey, the spacecraft will automatically dock to a space-facing port on the International Space Stations orbiting laboratorys Poisk module at 4:47 a.m. Pacific time. The craft will remain at the station for almost six months before coming back to Earth loaded with trash that the astronauts disposed of, NASA says. There are several ways to watch live launch and docking coverage, including on NASA Television, YouTube, the NASA app, NASA+ and the agencys website. Launch coverage will begin at 2:15 a.m. Thursday morning; coverage of the docking begins at 4 a.m. Saturday. Mass lawsuit claims toxic fumes from L.A. County landfill are poisoning residents Expedition 71, which consists of a crew of seven astronauts (including Tracy C. Dyson, an Arcadia native who graduated from Cal State Fullerton), is exploring neuro-degenerative diseases and therapies, space botany, space-caused fluid shifts and algae-based life support systems, NASA said. The mission began on April 5 and ends 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 KTLA. Earth orbit is becoming increasingly polluted. NASA estimates that at least 500,000 pieces of debris 1 cm or greater circle our planet; ESA estimates more than 1 million. As the number of spacecraft we launch into orbit or beyond grows , so too does the amount of debris we leave in their wake. Uncontrolled debris is sharp and fast-moving, and if pieces of debris smash into each other, their numbers can multiply. Space debris is a clear danger to humans on the two space stations currently in orbit, and it can damage or destroy satellites that perform crucial tasks ranging from communications to navigation to weather and climate monitoring. In an effort to preempt that problem, ESA and some of its member states have signed the non-binding Zero Debris Charter , committing themselves to take steps to help tackle the orbital debris problem. Related: Space debris could be dealt with more cheaply than previously thought, new NASA report suggests Although the Charter is non-binding, it is one of the first international agreements to clearly mind the debris that missions leave behind. The Charter delineates a list of goals to be achieved by 2030. Its signatories aim to reduce the risk that a mission will produce debris from collisions to 1 in 1,000 or lower and the risk of a re-entering object causing a human casualty to 1 in 10,000 or lower. Signatories also promise to clear orbits after missions, using "external means" such as clean-up spacecraft if necessary, and to better share debris tracking data. "ESA has committed to a Zero Debris approach, driving a comprehensive internal transformation towards more sustainable practices," said ESA's head of space safety Holger Krag. "As part of its efforts ESA has facilitated the community-led development of the Zero Debris Charter, a source of inspiration uniting many of our partners around the world behind a common goal," Krag said in an ESA statement. In addition to ESA, 9 of the agency's 22 full member states Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have signed the charter. ESA associate member Lithuania is also a signatory, as are Cyprus and Slovakia, who have signed cooperation agreements with the agency. a dozen people in suits stand on a stage as one holds up a piece of paper RELATED STORIES: 6 objects that could cause space debris apocalypse The Kessler Syndrome and the space junk problem Space collision: Chinese satellite got whacked by hunk of Russian rocket in March ESA did not write the Charter, and countries and space agencies are not the Charter's only beneficiaries. First introduced in July 2023, the Charter was hammered out through a series of public comments and workshops over the following months. There, private companies, universities, and other NGOs collaborated to chisel out the Charter's fine details. On June 6, the Charter is expected to pop up at the ILA Berlin air show where some of those non-state groups are expected to sign the Charter. NAIROBI, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Countries in sub-Saharan Africa should explore innovative ways to mobilize capital from local banks, government bonds and pension funds to accelerate climate-resilient growth, senior executives said on Wednesday. Speaking on the sidelines of the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, the executives said it is important for those countries to focus on the domestic market to address the shortfall in green financing. Mphokolo Makara, head of energy and infrastructure for East Africa at Standard Bank Group, said that African capital markets and the private sector could help bridge the funding gap hindering climate action on the continent. "Both banks and indigenous enterprises can be mobilized to finance the development of infrastructure to facilitate the green transition. These green projects, if well-structured, can be profitable and sustainable in the long term," Makara said. The 59th AfDB annual meeting, hosted by Kenya, has brought together over 3,000 delegates, including heads of state and government, finance ministers, central bank governors, representatives of regional blocs, industry leaders, academia and civil society. The five-day meeting, which concludes on Friday, is themed "Africa's Transformation, the African Development Bank Group, and the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture." A key topic at the meeting, which coincides with AfDB's 60th anniversary, is mobilizing domestic resources to enhance responses to climate emergencies that have escalated across the continent. Tshepidi Moremong, chief operating officer of Africa50, a continental infrastructure investment fund, said that leveraging domestic capital could help Africa become a green economy hub that fosters resilience and shared prosperity. Moremong called for a conducive policy and regulatory environment to encourage financial institutions to channel funds into green projects in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, agriculture and transport. According to AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, Africa receives only about 30 billion U.S. dollars in climate finance annually, far short of the 277 billion dollars required, which has slowed the continent's green transition. Elizabeth Irungu, chief executive officer of Absa Asset Management, highlighted the importance of regulatory safeguards to protect investors in the green economy from potential risks. She said that policy reforms and a stable macroeconomic environment have encouraged banks to invest in projects aimed at accelerating low-carbon development in Africa. If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. KHARTOUM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General's Envoy to Sudan Ramtane Lamamra on Wednesday stressed keenness on encouraging all parties to reach a peaceful solution to the current crisis and providing protection for civilians in Sudan. Lamamra made the remarks while meeting with Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, in Port Sudan, the capital city of the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, the Sovereign Council said in a statement. The UN was consulting with all parties to bring viewpoints closer and reach a peaceful solution, Lamamra said. He said his visit to Sudan aimed to get acquainted with the facts of the situations on the ground and hold consultations with the officials. He said that the UN was seeking to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State, which has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the statement. "The UN encourages negotiations and hopes they will succeed," said Lamamra, expressing hope that all regional and international partners would positively contribute to ensuring a ceasefire and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need. Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF since April 15, 2023, which have killed 15,550 people and displaced 8.8 million others so far, according to the latest estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. CAIRO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- At Ain Shams University (ASU) in Egypt's capital Cairo, tech students are proud of their outstanding hands-on experience thanks to a workshop in the name of Lu Ban, a craftsman in ancient China. "The Luban Workshop helps us to put what we learned into practice through the process of dismantling, examining, repairing and assembling real engines, brakes, etc.," Karim Mohammed, a mechatronics engineering student at the ASU, told Xinhua while overhauling a car at the workshop. Mohammed said proudly that he easily outrivaled others in training sessions outside the university after going through the "efficient and high-level training" at the workshop. The workshop, covering an area of 1,200 square meters, was launched at the ASU in late 2020. It provides practical training in computer numerical control machine operation and maintenance, renewable energy installation and operation, and automotive inspection and maintenance. Co-founded by China's Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College, Tianjin Transportation Technical College, and Egypt's ASU, the workshop is hailed by the teachers and students here as a benchmark vocational education program of Chinese-Egyptian cooperation in capability building and technology localization. "The workshop uses specifically designed equipment to provide trainees with the necessary skills to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot equipment and systems," said Adel al-Sabbagh, a professor with the Faculty of Engineering and supervisor of the Luban Workshop at the ASU. He said practical training combined with theoretical study at the workshop helps prepare the students for the job market with applicable skills, especially for those majoring in energy, mechanical, and engineering-related disciplines. "Teachers and instructors would receive intensive in-depth training for five weeks in China before working here so that they can train students with the highest level of skills," al-Sabbagh affirmed, noting the workshop also addresses the shortage of laboratories in the Faculty of Engineering and complements its curriculum with quality summer training courses in various fields. "This is our first cooperation program with the Chinese side," al-Sabbagh said, noting the two sides are in constant communication to develop the workshop to its fullest. The professor revealed that they are mulling a plan to upgrade the program to cover more disciplines. Besides, a tripartite agreement will soon be implemented by the ASU Faculty of Engineering, Chinese universities, and Chinese factories and companies in Egypt, whose engineers and technicians will also be able to hone their skills at the workshop. The workshop supervisor believed the expansion of the cooperation would further contribute to the technology localization in the Arab country driven by an increasing industrial need. Following the one at the ASU, another Luban Workshop opened in late 2022 at the Advanced Technical School for Maintenance Technology in Cairo. "We don't give them fish, we teach them how to fish," said Li Yunmei, president of Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College. "We assist the Egyptian side in training highly competent and skilled teachers so that they can nurture more talents to contribute to the country's economic development," she explained. Referring to the Luban Workshop as a "technology service station" along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative, Li said efforts are also being made to promote communication between the host institutions of the Luban Workshop and Chinese companies in Egypt to boost sustainable development of this exemplary program of education cooperation between China and Egypt. PARIS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for "reforms" from the Palestinian Authority in perspective of recognizing the state of Palestine. According to a press release from the Elysee, Macron talked on the telephone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the Gaza situation. Both presidents called for an immediate cease-fire of Israeli military intervention in Gaza, as requested by the International Court of Justice. Macron repeated France's commitment to working with its European and Arab partners on realizing peace for Palestinians and Israelis, adding that France "places the prospect of recognizing the state of Palestine in a useful dynamic," the press release said. In this perspective, Macron said France supports "a reformed and strengthened Palestinian Authority." Macron also expressed his strong condemnation of the violence committed against Palestinian civilians, urging the Israeli authorities to put an end to it. The state-backed health app that contains peoples complete health documentation is now being used by 3 million citizens, a government health official said. From July 1, patients will be able to book an appointment for outpatient specialist care using the app, Bence Retvari, the parliamentary state secretary of the interior ministry, told a conference. He said that owing to developments in the health sector, life expectancy at birth has increased from 74.7 to 76.9 years since 2010, and the number of healthy years went up from 57.5 to 62.5. Whereas the OECD member states have an average of 3.2 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, Hungary has 3.3, as against the EU average of 4. Addressing current shortcomings, he said the outpatient management system must be improved and doctors and nurses should be relieved of red tape. Retvari said the fact that 3 million people were now using the app, with 2.5 million logins taking place each month, would help to smooth out the mismatches between the typical availability of doctors and the times that patients tended to book appointments. ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! KHARTOUM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has held a phone talk with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, discussing the need to end the conflict in Sudan and enable unhindered humanitarian access to alleviate people's suffering, according to a statement from the council on Wednesday. The U.S. State Department has called for ending the conflict in Sudan and allowing humanitarian access, said the statement. During the phone call from Blinken, the two sides also touched upon the resumption of the Jeddah talks and the need for cessation of hostilities in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, it added. Al-Burhan, also the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), in addition, discussed with Blinken bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation. Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023, which have killed 15,550 people and displaced over 8.8 million others so far, according to the latest estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised on Wednesday that if the BJP formed the government in Odisha, it would form a committee to investigate the "sudden" deterioration of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's health, implying a "conspiracy" behind it. Modi claimed that after a five-decade gap, a full majority government would be formed at the Centre for the third time in a row. Addressing election rallies in Odisha's Mayurbhanj and Balasore Lok Sabha seats, he stated, "Naveen babu's supporters are concerned about his deteriorating health." It has gotten worse over the last year. Is this a conspiracy? Is the lobby that is currently running Patnaik's government on his behalf responsible for it?" "If the BJP forms the government in Odisha after the ongoing assembly elections, it would constitute a committee to ascertain the reason behind the deterioration of Patnaik's health," Modi said. "The mystery behind Naveen babu's deteriorating health condition should be revealed as the people of the state have the right to know the reason," the PM said. In an apparent reference to BJD leader V K Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu and is considered close to Patnaik, said, "Entire Odisha wants an Odia chief minister. The people of Odisha have decided to put a full stop to the 25-year rule of the BJD in the state." Modi asserted that under his rule, India's economy rose from the 11th position to the fifth in the last 10 years. "Ten years ago, nobody thought terrorism could be stopped in India but we have shown it by protecting our major cities from blasts. No one thought peace would return to Jammu and Kashmir but people there are now celebrating Republic Day and voting in large numbers," he said. Modi asserted that India's missile prowess has exponentially increased in the last 10 years and the country is now exporting BrahMos missiles to other countries and "Chandrayaan has reached a place where no country has ever reached". Attacking the BJD government, he said, "Wherever you step in Odisha, there is natural wealth but the state remains poor because it was first looted by the Congress and then by the BJD for the last 25 years." "People of Odisha know that voting for BJD would mean wasting their vote. They don't trust it anymore... you gave 25 years to the party, and it deceived you, looted you and kept you underdeveloped," he added. Modi asserted that the BJP-led government at the Centre is working for the welfare of tribals and his government declared the birthday of Birsa Munda as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas'. The PM's remark on Patnaik's health condition came a day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that Pandian was controlling even the hand movements of the Odisha CM. Sharing a video showing Patnaik's hand shaking while delivering a speech at a meeting and Pandian putting it on a table, Sarma said in a post on X, "This is a deeply distressing video. Shri V K Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen babu." Pandian was born in Tamil Nadu, studied in Delhi and started his career as a Punjab cadre IAS officer, but shifted to Odisha cadre after marrying an Odia woman. The BJP has been calling him an "outsider" in Odisha's politics. In response to Sarma's comment, Patnaik in a video message had said, "I believe the BJP which is known to make non-issues into issues, are discussing my hands. This will certainly not work." Patnaik had also accused BJP leaders of spreading lies about his health. "There is a limit to the lies that the BJP can spread. As you can see, I am in very good health, and I have been campaigning for around a month all over the state," Patnaik had said in a statement. With his 48-hour meditation trip in Kanyakumari starting on May 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Congress, is attempting to "circumvent" the silence period restrictions. The Congress urged the Election Commission to make sure the media does not air this trip because it violates the model code of conduct. The ECI received a memorandum from a delegation of Congress leaders, including Syed Naseer Hussain, Abhishek Singhvi, and Randeep Surjewala. The memorandum included 27 additional complaints about alleged model code violations made by the BJP in the past few days. The prime minister's meditation programme in Kanyakumari's "Dhyan Mandapam," according to the Congress, was a "clear violation" of the silence period prior to the June 1 voting in Modi's other seats, including Varanasi. The opposition party also claimed that it violated the Model Code of Conduct and the provisions of the 1951 Representation of the People Act. It stated that on May 28, several news agencies reported on Narendra Modi's trip to Kanyakumari, where he planned to meditate for 48 hours beginning May 30. "The said trip would be widely televised and would therefore be shown during the 48-hour silence period in Varanasi, the constituency from which Shri Narendra Modi is contesting," the Congress memo to the EC said. The opposition party also claimed that it violated the Model Code of Conduct and the provisions of the 1951 Representation of the People Act. It stated that on May 28, several news agencies reported on Narendra Modi's trip to Kanyakumari, where he planned to meditate for 48 hours beginning May 30. "The said trip would be widely televised and would therefore be shown during the 48-hour silence period in Varanasi, the constituency from which Shri Narendra Modi is contesting," the Congress memo to the Election Commission stated. It also violated the Dos and Don'ts orders that political parties and their candidates must follow during the election period, according to the memorandum. "The PM will begin his meditation on the evening of May 30, which we have complained about. We all know that the silence period will begin on May 30, so his declaration is a violation of the MCC. "The PM can begin his meditation after 24-48 hours, which is on the evening of June 1." Otherwise, if he wishes to meditate beginning May 30, the ECI should ensure that this is not broadcast on television or in print," Singhvi told reporters after the delegation met with CEC Rajiv Kumar and other ECs. "We hope that the ECI will take immediate steps to ensure that the live telecast of the meditation of the 'sarva-ghoshit Bhagwan' (self-styled god) at the Vivekananda Memorial does not take place since this is a brazen and clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct," Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary, wrote on Facebook. Modi will meditate at the Rock Memorial, a monument dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, after the Lok Sabha election campaign concludes on May 30, according to BJP leaders. According to BJP leaders, he will meditate at Dhyan Mandapam, where Vivekananda is said to have had a divine vision about 'Bharat Mata', from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1. The Congress also alleged model code violations by the prime minister and other BJP leaders, such as Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The opposition party claimed that the Prime Minister's statements at a poll rally in Patiala, Punjab, violated the MCC by making several allegations about the Congress in order to harm the opposition party's image. The Congress also charged Himanta Biswa Sarma with making "explicit appeals to vote on the basis of religion, while falsely portraying the INC as communal, biassed, and as a political party that does not adhere to the Constitution in letter or spirit." By Amit Jain Options trading is inherently risky. Both buying and selling options carry higher risks than those prevalent in the stock market. This increased risk stems from several factors. Firstly, options trading involves substantial leverage. This allows traders to take significant positions with minimal capital. While this leverage can amplify gains, it also magnifies losses significantly. Additionally, options contracts have limited lifespans and become worthless after expiration, leading to time decay, which causes their value to decrease over time. In contrast, fundamentally strong stocks can appreciate over the long term. Moreover, the limited upside, volatility, and complexity of options trading make it riskier than trading underlying assets. However, traders can still profit from options price fluctuations by employing winning options strategies. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive guide to options strategies, Samco Securities, a leading technology-driven stock broker in India, has introduced Options B.R.O within the Samco trading app. Options B.R.O and the Need for Options Trading Strategies Options strategies involve buying and/or selling one or more options contracts to create a hedge. Traders use these strategies to hedge their positions by selecting options with different types, strike prices, or expiry dates. If the market moves as expected, one leg of the strategy may be profitable, offsetting losses from the other. Conversely, if the market moves unfavorably, profits from the hedge may reduce or offset losses from the main trade. However, identifying the right strategy for each market scenario and implementing it promptly can be challenging. Nilesh Sharma, ED & President of Samco Securities, explained, "There are strategies for bullish, bearish, volatile, and non-volatile markets, as well as neutral market conditions. For both beginners and seasoned traders, identifying and executing the appropriate strategy in a timely manner is difficult. The options market is complex, influenced by various factors like asset price changes, time decay, and market sentiment shifts." He said that to capitalize on market conditions, traders must assess the market, filter and analyze strategies, identify the best technique, and implement it within seconds or minutes. Personal financial circumstances and risk tolerance levels must also be considered. Manually handling all this within a short timeframe is nearly impossible without errors. Options B.R.O from Samco Securities offers a viable alternative. "Options B.R.O is an industry-first strategy builder that narrows down trading strategies to the top three techniques within seconds. Available for free on the Samco trading app, it evaluates over 2,000 options contracts and analyzes over 1,000 strategies in one second, serving as both a comprehensive guide and an effective tool to avoid the pitfalls of naked options trading," he said. The Problem with Naked Options Trading Naked options trading involves buying or selling options contracts without owning the underlying asset or having a corresponding position to offset the risk, making it inherently risky. Naked Options Buying: This involves purchasing a call or put option without owning the underlying asset, offering leverage but also substantial risks. The primary issue is the risk of losing the entire premium if the asset price does not move favorably, resulting in worthless options and lost premiums. Naked Options Selling: Writing options contracts without holding the underlying asset or a covering position can generate income from premiums but exposes traders to unlimited losses if the asset price rises steeply. How Options B.R.O Facilitates Options Strategies Options strategies help avoid the uncontrolled risks of naked options trading. According to Nilesh Sharma, structured strategies like spreads or covered calls manage risks by limiting downsides and hedging trades, crucial for portfolio stability in volatile markets. They allow traders to exploit various market conditions, from sideways markets to steep rallies or downturns. Samco Securities' Options B.R.O simplifies deploying options strategies. Integrated into the Samco trading app, traders enter basic details, and the tool suggests the top three strategies for different risk profiles. Traders can browse through other strategies, evaluate them using filters like maximum profit, loss, probability of profit, and risk-reward ratio, and execute the strategy directly from the app, ensuring timely execution of winning options strategies. (The writer is stock market expert. Views expressed here are his personal) New Delhi: Fashion Influencer and actress Urfi Javed has once again come into the spotlight - all thanks to her new creative outfit. In the viral video, shared by several pap pages on Instagram, Urfi can be seen wearing a 'Bird- Inspired ' outfit. She also dropped a DIY video of that flying-bird-themed dress and the video went viral instantly. Watch The Viral Video Here: Urfi took to her social media handle and shared the viral look. She wrote,'Lil bit of Cinderella, lil bit of Maleficent. Outfit @shwetagurmeetkaur x @metalbenderstudio, Hair @ranisahu6840, Assisted @pallavi.sakhare.581 @sk_.click. In the video, Urfi is seen wearing the black dress with the help of others. Fans lauded her creativity. One of the fans wrote, Creativity At Its Peak. Another wrote, You go gal! setting a different standard of fashion.' Janhvi Kapoor Praised Urfi's Dress Janhvi recently praised Urfi's unique fashion sense. Urfi stunned in a magical butterfly-themed gown during a recent outing. She wore a flowing black gown adorned with leaves and flowers, with tiny butterfly motifs that fluttered off whenever she clapped, creating a mesmerizing effect. On the work front, Urfi Javed is gearing up for Dibakar Banerjee's directional Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2. The actress will have a cameo in the film. New Delhi: HDFC bank has announced that it will stop sending sms alerts for UPI transactions below Rs 100 starting from June 25. However, all UPI transactions will still generate email alerts for customers, as per HDFCs Bank Communication. After June 25, customers will only receive text notifications for transactions above Rs 100 or when they receive more than Rs 500 via UPI, as stated by bank. This comes as the average value of UPI transactions has been decreasing which indicates more frequent and smaller payments. The cost of sending bulk SMS messages adds up quickly with banks spending a few crores of rupees daily due to the high volume of UPI transactions which average around 40 crore per day. UPI transactions have surged past the 100 billion mark and reached around 118 billion by the end of the years, as per the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Why did HDFC Bank decide to halt SMS alerts? HDFC bank stated that the decision to stop SMS alerts for low-value UPI transactions is based on customer feedback. They also mentioned that the apps used for UPI transactions send alerts as well. (Also Read: Link PAN With Aadhaar By May 31 To Avoid THIS Reduction; Here's How To Link PAN With Aadhaar) What advice has HDFC Bank given to its customers? The bank has advised its customers to ensure their primary mail addresses are up to date so that they receive all transaction notifications. This change comes as the average value of UPI transactions has been decreasing and indicating increase in small frequent payments. (Also Read: Bank Holidays In June 2024: Bank To Remain Close For Atleast 12 Days In June; Check Full Details Here) New Delhi: The RBI has found several instances of Asset Reconstruction Companies, which have been set up to recover NPAs of banks, not fulfilling their role but instead using innovative ways to structure transactions in order to circumvent regulations. The RBI has sent a clear message to ARC chiefs that they must follow the regulations in both letter and spirit. During the course of our onsite examinations, we have come across instances where ARCs have been used or allowed themselves to be used as a conduit to evergreen distressed assets. In many cases, there is a lack of transparency and consistency in the issuance and periodical valuation of Security Receipts (SRs). The practices surrounding levy of management fee leaves much to be desired, RBI Deputy Governor Swaminathan J said at a meeting with ARCs recently. (Also Read: From HDFC To IDFC: 4 Important Credit Card Changes You Need To Know) He pointed out that some ARCs while enjoying the full benefits of the special position granted to them under the SARFAESI Act and the RBI regulations, have been found to be using innovative ways to structure transactions in order to circumvent regulations. Swaminathan also warned that in extreme cases, the RBI may be forced to take regulatory or supervisory actions. (Also Read: HDFC Bank To Stop SMS Alerts For Small UPI Transactions Starting From THIS Date: Find Out Why) He pointed out that with regulations shifting towards a more principles-based approach, supervision is required to focus more on the substance of transactions rather than their legal form. The RBI Deputy Governor urged ARC chiefs to adopt a regulation-plus approach where you not only comply with the letter of the regulation but also its spirit. After a perusal of the scorecard of ARCs, the RBI has concluded that there are more missed opportunities and less than optimal performance by ARCs in fulfilling the principal mandates under the SARFAESI Act. ARCs enjoy a special place in the financial ecosystem as they are special purpose vehicles set up to help lighten the banking system from the high-value NPAs and are also specialised agencies for maximising recovery and reconstruction efforts. New Delhi: A US lobby group representing Google, Amazon and Apple has requested India to rethink its proposed EU-like competition law. This law is arguing regulations against data use and preferential treatment of partners could raise user costs, a letter shows. In February, a government panel in India proposed imposing obligations on a few major digital companies under a new antitrust law, citing the increasing market power of these entities. The panel highlighted that existing regulations are "time-consuming" to enforce. Digital Competition Bill: India's "Digital Competition Bill" is on the lines of the EU's landmark Digital Markets Act 2022. This bill targets large firms, including those with a global turnover of over $30 billion and whose digital services have at least 10 million users locally, bringing some of the world's biggest tech firms under its ambit. However, some of the globe's largest tech firms would fall within its scope. The bill has been proposed to prohibit companies from exploiting the non-public data of their users and promoting their services over rivals. It also gives authority to abolish restrictions on downloading third-party apps. India Lucrative Market For Big Tech Companies: With a population exceeding 1.4 billion and a growing affluent class, India is a potential market for major tech corporations. This month, Apple CEO Tim Cook asserted that the company posted a "revenue record" in India during the March quarter when its overall global revenue declined by 4%. In response to concerns about a few dominant digital players exerting substantial influence over the market, an Indian panel asserts the necessity of a new law. This proposal, similar to measures in the EU, suggests penalties of up to 10% of a company's annual global turnover for infringements. Despite these challenges, a coalition of 40 Indian startups voices support for the new legislation, arguing it could curb monopolistic behaviours of major digital platforms and foster fair competition for smaller entities. Scrutiny On Amazon, Apple To recall, Amazon finds itself under scrutiny for alleged preferential treatment of certain sellers on its Indian platform, a claim it refutes. Likewise, Apple refutes allegations but faces investigation over the purported misuse of its dominant position in the apps market. There is no fixed timeline, however, the Indian government plans to review feedback on the proposal before pursuing parliamentary approval, potentially with modifications or without changes. Mumbai: Actor Vineet Kumar Choudhary has recounted an incident where an elderly fan expressed her heartfelt desire to visit the set of his show "Karmadhikari Shanidev" all the way from Delhi. Vineet, who plays Shanidev in the mythological show, recalled the elderly fan's encounter, and said: "Recently, while shooting for Karmadhikari Shanidev I received a special surprise from a very sweet fan on the set. An elderly fan had come with her son all the way from Delhi just to meet me." "During a conversation with her, she expressed her belief that I am not just an actor but a medium through which she could spiritually connect with Shanidev. She insisted that her journey was not just to meet me but to immerse herself in the divine energy that my portrayal of Shanidev conveyed. Hearing that completely amazed me," he shared. Vineet said portraying characters like Shanidev is unique because people build a divine connection with you through your character. "I was deeply touched by the elderly fans belief and the realisation that I am more than just an actor in the eyes of audiences, is inexpressible," he added. 'Karmadhikari Shanidev' airs Monday to Saturday at 8:30 pm on Shemaroo TV. Israel has been making advances in Palestine's Rafah. The Rafah region shot into the news once again on Tuesday after dozens of people died in a fresh attack, allegedly carried out by Israel. This happened two days after 45 people died in another airstrike, that Palestine claimed to be carried out by Israel. Israeli tanks were deployed in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, which was hit by the airstrike on Sunday. Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended...Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite," said IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari. Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended...Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite. Watch the full statement by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel pic.twitter.com/fzaRSnpgbE Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 28, 2024 The Israeli army had pushed into the heart of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip amid its military operations carried out in multiple places in the enclave. As per reports, the Israeli army had intensified its bombardment in Rafah on Tuesday morning, forcing a great number of Palestinians to flee to other places. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed Monday's strike as a tragic incident saying that the country will investigate it. Netanyahu, however, vowed to continue the war against Hamas despite international criticism. What Is All Eyes On Rafah? After 45 people died in civilian camps following airstrike by Israel, netizens and key personalities expressed their solidarity with Palestine by sharing a graphic image on which it was written 'All Eyes On Rafah'. People prayed for the safety of civilians in Rafah through their social media posts and called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Why The US Did Not Call For Ceasefire? The White House said that its policy related to the Israel-Hamas war won't change following Rafah's 'airstrike' mistake. Though the US said that it would seek answers from Israel. The US administration hinted that the Isarel has not crossed 'red line' yet. The United States' firm stance with Israel suggests that the Biden administration wants Hamas to surrender and return those in its captivity. Israel's Advances In Rafah The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Tuesday that they conducted military operations in various locations across Gaza. In Jabalia, northern Gaza, the Israeli army killed Palestinian militants who attempted to fire at Israeli forces and destroyed several military targets, including underground tunnels, observation posts, and weapon depots. In central Gaza, the IDF carried out airstrikes on multiple targets, resulting in the deaths of several Palestinian militants. Gaza's health authorities have said that the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip reached 36,096 and more than 81,000 people have been injured. MALABO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- "It is truly miraculous, I can see again!" said Pedro Bena, a 78-year-old cataract patient from Equatorial Guinea. Surrounded by his jubilant family at the Regional Hospital of Malabo, Pedro expressed deep gratitude for the surgery performed by Chinese doctors, particularly ophthalmologist Xie Hongbin. Xie is a member of the 33rd batch of the Chinese medical team in the Central African country. Since arriving over a year ago, he has performed 69 cataract surgeries, helping many regain their vision and allowing some families to have their primary breadwinners return to work. "With the necessary equipment, we can assist even more people in restoring their vision," Xie told Xinhua. Since 1971, over 600 Chinese medical professionals have been sent in 33 batches to work in the cities of Malabo and Bata in Equatorial Guinea. The cataract treatments conducted by Chinese doctors in Equatorial Guinea are part of the "Bright Journey" project, Xie said. For years, Chinese doctors have been assisting in these surgeries, bringing in the necessary equipment. Beside the operating theater at the Regional Hospital of Malabo, 30-year-old local anesthetist Diosdado Batapa was studying under the guidance of Chen Zhicong, an anesthesiologist from the Chinese medical team. "Dr. Lucas (Chen Zhicong) emphasizes attention to detail, which greatly aids in learning anesthesia techniques and more," Batapa said. Pergentino Obono, another anesthetist at the Regional Hospital of Malabo, said that the team's kindness is evident in their willingness to help with the most challenging cases. "Local doctors have been impressed by the techniques introduced by the Chinese medical team," he said. The compassion and expertise of the Chinese medical team have earned recognition and praise from the government and people of Equatorial Guinea over the years. In October 2021, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo thanked the Chinese government in a video message, expressing gratitude for the medical teams' dedication and outstanding work. These days, long lines of patients would wait outside the Chinese medical team's consultation rooms at the Regional Hospital of Malabo. The hospital's technical director, Reynolds Ondoua Trillo, said this year, procedures like laparoscopic surgery and acupuncture introduced by the Chinese team have greatly benefited patients in the country. Over a month ago, Benjamin, suffering from an incarcerated hernia and facing unbearable pain as he prepared for an entrance exam, came to the Malabo hospital to seek help from Chinese doctors. However, the bill of 200,000 Central African francs (about 330 U.S. dollars) left his father, Juan, in a dilemma. Upon hearing of their conundrum, Liu Anwen, a surgeon from the Chinese medical team, and his colleagues covered Benjamin's expenses out of their own pockets. Following a laparoscopic surgery, Benjamin was discharged the next day and took his entrance exam a few days later. During a follow-up visit, Benjamin told Liu, "When I grow up, I want to become a doctor like you and save lives." JOHANNESBURG, May 29 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also the leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), joined millions of South Africans on Wednesday to cast his ballot in the 2024 national and provincial elections. In what is expected to be the most hotly contested election since the end of apartheid, Ramaphosa voted in his childhood township at Hitekani Primary School in Soweto, a township in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng province. Speaking to the media after casting his vote, Ramaphosa said "this is a great day for democracy in South Africa. This is the day when South Africa decides on the future of our country." Ramaphosa said that free and fair elections are crucial for strengthening the country's young democracy. "It is wonderful to meet so many people who are here to vote for the stabilization and the extension of our democracy," he said. Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said that 93 percent of more than 23,000 voting stations opened on time. Five stations in the Eastern Cape province couldn't open on time due to protests, but they have since been opened. There were also minimal issues with the late delivery of voting materials in Johannesburg, while a total of 20 stations in KwaZulu-Natal province would open beyond 9 p.m. following delays in opening. With a few incidents of attacks on IEC officials in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces during the special voting, Ramaphosa said the electoral body's work played a critical role and it should be given space to conduct the elections in the most dignified manner without any interference. "The work of the IEC is sacrosanct; it should never be interfered with because when you interfere with the work of the IEC, you are interfering with our democracy," Ramaphosa added. Voting began at 7 a.m. and continued until 9 p.m. across the country. Counting will begin after voting concluded. CAIRO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced Wednesday that the price of subsidized bread will increase up to 20 piasters. The new decision will be enforced as of June 1, the prime minister told a televised press conference. The price of a loaf of bread, which is 5 piasters now, has not been changed for more than 30 years, he said, noting that it costs the government 125 piasters to produce it. However, Madbouly said bread subsidies would continue, adding that adjustments have to be made to reflect the significant increases in production costs. He added that the cabinet discussed means of promoting the subsidy system to ease financial burdens on the government and ensure that the subsidized commodities reach the people that truly need them. Egypt consumes 8.5 million tons of wheat and produces 100 billion subsidized loaves of bread per year, said Ali Moselhi, the minister of supply and internal trade, at the press conference. by Lillian Banda KAPIRI MPOSHI, Zambia, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Maureen Chanda, 24, of Ntalasha village in Kapiri Mposhi, central Zambia, is paving the way for a brighter future for girls in her community. At the age of 16, Chanda was married off to a man 11 years her senior. For seven long years, she found herself trapped in a cycle of abuse and unimaginable torture. On several occasions, her husband, a commercial farmer, denied her decent food and made her work in the fields for many hours under harsh weather conditions. Whenever she objected, she was beaten with a whip used to correct oxen. In December 2023, Chanda found the resolve to break free from the chains of her abusive marriage. Her resilience and determination saw her return to school in February this year. She now attends grade eight at Chambulumina Secondary School in rural Kapiri Mposhi. "I re-enrolled in school because I did not want to continue in the same cycle of abuse and limited opportunities," Chanda said. "Going back to school almost 10 years after dropping out in eighth grade has given me the opportunity to create a better future for myself and my children." Since returning to school, Chanda has made it a point to encourage girls at her school and in her village to pursue education and refuse to be married off at a tender age. "I usually take advantage of the 20 minutes' break time at school to share my experience and challenges I faced as a young bride and mother. I encourage my classmates and other girls to focus on studies so that they can have a better future," she said. Now the mother of two boys, aged five and two respectively, Chanda also utilizes water collection points to talk to younger women in her village about the importance of education in advancing the well-being of girls and families. "Water collection points present great opportunities for interacting with young women who come to draw water," she said. "I use that opportunity to encourage those that have dropped out of school to consider re-enrolling ... with the free education policy now in place." Chanda's commitment to education is not only transforming her own life but also inspiring a new generation of girls and young women in Ntalasha village, like Mervis Mweemba. "Maureen's resilience has given us hope and the determination to pursue our education, despite the challenges we face. She has shown us that we have the potential to rewrite our futures," said Mweemba, 23, who looks forward to being in school again after learning about Chanda's story. Tubombelepamo, a community support organization operating in Kapiri Mposhi, praises Chanda for taking the step of re-enrolling in school and encourages other young women to follow suit. "Her story encourages communities to prioritize girls' education and to break the cycle of early marriage," said Tubombelepamo executive director Rodrick Nyendwa. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), globally, the prevalence of child marriage among boys is just one-sixth that among girls. Girls who marry before turning 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school. They have worse economic and health outcomes than their unmarried peers, which are eventually passed down to their own children. Furthermore, child brides often become pregnant during adolescence, when the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increases. The practice can also isolate girls from family and friends, taking a heavy toll on their mental health. Women Injured by Abortion Speak Out: A Call for Media Truth NEWS PROVIDED BYMay 29, 2024SAN ANTONIO, Texas, May 29, 2024 / Standard Newswire / -- Operation Outcry, a unique part of the #MeToo movement, is hosting "Women Injured by Abortion Speak Out: A Call for Media Truth." Ten women will publicly tell of their abortion experiences that expose the lies and deceptive practices of the abortion industry. This is nothing like what the media nor the public has heard before.Mary Browning, Operation Outcry Legal Counsel stated, "The truth sets people free. Abortion leaves a trail of trauma, depression, despair, suicidal thoughts, lies, physical injuries, infertility, death culture, low self-esteem, abuse and more, but our forgiving God heals. Did you know that more than half more than HALF of the women that have abortions are pressured by friends, family or a sex-partner? And an estimated 50% of men and 40% of women in the church have abortion in their past.""Is your mind made up about 'Choice'? Think again," said Molly S. White, event director and Operation Outcry state leader. "There's always more to the story that the abortion industry knows but refuses to tell the media and public. Abortion never has the happy ending: a chain of destruction follows. We invite you to be informed and armed with the truth to help others."Register to attend this free event or the Livestream: https://campaign.thejusticefoundation.org/june5-general Operation Outcry ( www.OperationOutcry.org ), a ministry of The Justice Foundation, provides healing resources and a website place for women and men to share the truth of how abortion has hurt them in complete confidentiality (if desired). Its purpose is to warn others about abortion trauma, bring healing and influence the eradication of abortions. By reading these testimonials, the suffering realize they are not alone, and in fact are among larger numbers harmed than ever reported.SOURCE The Justice FoundationCONTACT: Mary Browning, Legal Counsel, mbrowning@theJusticeFoundation.org KHARTOUM, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Being unable to attend school for more than a year, Ahmed Adam, an 11-year-old boy living south of Sudan's capital Khartoum, said he has been living in constant fear because of the continued civil conflict. "The sound of shelling and cannon fire can be heard every day," Adam said. "My brothers and I had to hide under the bed or inside the wardrobe," he lamented. The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has exposed the Sudanese children to various forms of violence and deprived them of homes and education, causing trauma for the generation. Ehab Hashim, a father of three living in the Mujahideen neighborhood in southern Khartoum, told Xinhua that his children have shown signs of psychological disturbances due to the conflict. "Upon hearing the sound of cannons or warplanes at any time, my kids would scream and hide under beds and chairs," he said. His eldest son Amr, who is 11 years old, has suffered from urinary incontinence, "a sign of psychological disorder resulting from fear and anxiety," he said, noting he is seriously considering relocating to safe areas inside Sudan, as he could no longer stand seeing his kids in panic. According to estimates by the United Nations (UN), Sudan is facing the largest child displacement crisis in the world, involving over 4 million children. Abdul Qadir Abdullah Abu, secretary-general of the National Council for Child Welfare in Sudan, told Xinhua that children were mainly affected by the interruption of education, lack of health services, displacement, malnutrition, and forced recruitment, noting that statistics indicated the RSF has recruited about 15,000 children in areas under its control. In the meantime, the large number of children seeking refuge abroad were also troubled by trauma and dire living conditions, experts said. Sadiya al-Rasheed, an activist working at a Sudanese refugee camp in the Chadian town of Adre on the border with Sudan, said the conditions of children in the camp are "very tragic." "Children took refuge here after the massacres in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, but unfortunately, the camp is not a safe place for them," she said. "Children suffer the most from the fighting. They fled from safe environments, homes, and schools and were haunted by psychological trauma because of the horror they saw and experienced," al-Rasheed said. "Large numbers of children are suffering from fear and nightmares, which require family support or special treatment at specialized institutions," Abdullah Yaqoub, a psychiatrist, told Xinhua. Also, more than 90 percent of Sudan's 19 million school-age children have no access to formal education, which could result in a generational crisis, according to the UN Children's Fund. The deadly fighting between the SAF and the RSF, since its eruption on April 15, 2023, has killed 15,550 people and displaced over 8.8 million others so far, according to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. PHNOM PENH, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Fisheries Administration (FiA) on Wednesday launched an Investment Support Facility (ISF) scheme, aiming to catalyze growth in the country's post-harvest fisheries. The ISF scheme is a blended financing initiative in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) and co-funded by the European Union (EU), said a news release after the launching event. With its rich fisheries resources, Cambodia holds great promise for excelling in the global fish and fishery products market. However, post-harvest fisheries face challenges such as inadequate fish-processing technologies, limited value addition, and food safety concerns impacting consumer trust and the sector's competitiveness on a global scale, the news release said. The ISF scheme was designed to support post-harvest fisheries enterprises and their input suppliers in overcoming these challenges, enhancing productivity and product safety and quality. "This scheme blends co-financing from the enterprises' own resources, guaranteed business loans distributed by the local financial institutions, and grant support from the project," the news release said. "This new scheme targets over 100 eligible enterprises in the fisheries value chain in addition to the 50 enterprises already being supported by the project's Value Chain Investment Support," it added. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina reaffirmed the commitment to further advancing Cambodia's fisheries sector to higher levels. "The ISF is a good initiative to support the collaboration between the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, UNIDO, and the private sector to promote growth in the post-harvest fisheries sector in Cambodia," he said. Tina is optimistic that the scheme will promote the processing of post-harvest fishery products to higher standard and quality, as well as provide economic benefits to fishermen and processing enterprises. BANGKOK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted for royal insult and computer crime, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Thaksin's indictment is rescheduled for June 18, following a request to postpone his original appointment on Wednesday with proof that he has contracted COVID-19, said Prayut Phetcharakhun, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General. The decision came as the police alleged that the comments Thaksin made during his interview with foreign media in 2015 violated lese majeste and computer crime laws. The lese-majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code, stipulates that whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the Heir-apparent or the regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years. The 74-year-old former prime minister returned to Thailand from self-exile last year and was previously convicted of multiple charges. He was released on parole in February from a police hospital in Bangkok, where he spent six months serving a one-year prison sentence. Thaksin served as the Southeast Asian country's prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and had been in self-exile abroad since 2008. SYDNEY, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A woman has been arrested by police in Sydney after a man was fatally stabbed on Tuesday night. At about 6:15 p.m. local time, emergency services responded to reports of an incident at a residence on Murrabin Avenue in Matraville. The region is located in Sydney's east, approximately 10 km southeastern of the city's central business district. Upon arrival, paramedics treated a man but he was later declared dead at the scene. A woman was arrested nearby and was assisting with inquiries. New South Wales Police Force said in a statement that a crime scene has been established and an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident, with the help of homicide detectives. Authorities have yet to confirm if the man and woman were known to each other. NEW DELHI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- At least two Naxals, including a woman cadre, were killed Wednesday in a fierce gunfight with police force in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said. The gunfight between Naxals and a police contingent broke out inside the forest of Baddepara in Madded area of Bijapur district, about 467 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh. According to police, a contingent of the District Reserve Guard cordoned off the area on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of Naxals. While fighting Naxals the police personnel have not suffered any damage during the gunfight. VIENTIANE, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Laos' Ministry of Technology and Communications and Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in technology and innovation. Representatives from the two sides convened the first Laos-Vietnam Technology and Innovation Cooperation Committee Meeting, according to a report from the Lao ministry on Wednesday. During the meeting held here on Tuesday, participants discussed diversifying forms of joint work to meet the sustainable development strategies of each country. The two sides agreed to systematically consult on the organization and management of technology and innovation to effectively utilize the potential of both countries in this field. Regarding the collaboration direction for 2024-2026, they agreed to continue sharing experience in state management and policy planning, while supporting the building of institutional and legal frameworks related to high technology, high-tech zones, technology services, innovation management, startups, and technology transfer. LISBON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Portugal will provide Ukraine with at least 126 million euros (137 million dollars) this year for the "reconstruction of Ukraine," according to an agreement signed between Portugal and Ukraine on Tuesday. During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's brief visit to Portugal, the last stop of his tour of several European countries, the two sides signed a 10-year bilateral cooperation agreement in security. "Our unwavering commitment will be maintained throughout the duration of this agreement," said Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, assuring Zelensky that assistance will be provided over the next 10 years. Zelensky expressed gratitude for the support and described Portugal as "a partner in the reconstruction" of his country. "This ten-year agreement does not mean that the war will last for 10 years, it is a strategic agreement that covers the renewal and rehabilitation of Ukraine and humanitarian aid," said the Ukrainian president. ISTANBUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Wednesday detained nine police officers in the western province of Izmir over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016. Six police officers currently serving in the Izmir Police Department, along with three former deputy police chiefs, were detained in a large-scale operation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The operation was launched by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office following the determination that the suspects were in contact with members of the Gulen movement, a network led by U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen. The network was accused by the government of infiltrating the state bureaucracy and then attempting a coup on July 15, 2016, which killed at least 250 people. Following the attempt, the government initiated a widespread crackdown on individuals suspected of having ties to the movement. ROME, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ruled out Italian weapons delivered to Ukraine to defend itself could be used to strike on Russian territory, local media reported on Wednesday. "It is not in our plan that the (military) materials we provide to Ukraine could be across the border with Russia," ANSA News Agency cited Tajani as saying while speaking on the sidelines of a nautical industry's event in Venice. "We are not going to send troops on the ground in Ukraine. We do stand by Ukraine, but we are not at war with Russia," the minister added. A similar position had been expressed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier this week, after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told British media that allies should consider lifting the prohibition on Ukraine to use NATO-supplied weapons across the border with Russia to better defend itself. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western allies have helped Ukraine with military supplies, but requesting Kiev to refrain from using them to hit targets inside Russian territory. In recent months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly urged allies to uplift this restriction so that the country would be in a better position to better prevent and repel Russia's attacks. Russia has strongly warned NATO countries against this option, saying it would be seen as a serious escalation of the level of confrontation. Six banks to invest in big way in IC fund 08:18, May 29, 2024 By Liu Zhihua and Ma Si ( China Daily Six major state-owned commercial lenders in China have decided to invest big time in the third-phase State semiconductor investment fund, as Chinese financial institutions ramp up efforts to bolster sci-tech innovations. The move is seen as part of China's overall push to increase self-reliance in science and technology. On Monday, the six banks announced their intention to invest in the third phase of the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as the Big Fund. Their planned investments total 114 billion yuan ($15.73 billion), or nearly one-third of the fund, which was officially established on Friday with a registered capital of 344 billion yuan, according to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, a government-run credit information agency. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China and China Construction Bank plan to contribute 21.5 billion yuan each to the fund within 10 years from its establishment, which will give them a 6.25 percent share each. Bank of Communications plans to invest 20 billion yuan while Postal Savings Bank of China is looking to invest 8 billion yuan. The six banks will make up 33.14 percent of the fund's total capital. Zeng Shengjun, a senior researcher at the Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based Greater Bay Area Financial Research Institute of Bank of China, said the move indicates major state-owned lenders are expected to play a bigger role in fostering new quality productive forces. "The banks will likely intensify financial support while offering a range of financing services such as technology innovation loans and industrial chain finance to support specific projects," Zeng said. "They can also leverage on their expertise in risk assessment for high-tech industries, to assist the fund better, preventing and managing project risks. In addition, they can help attract high-quality investment and introduce advanced technologies from overseas." The banks said that all the capital for this investment would come from their own financial resources. This investment represents a strategic deployment that is in line with the nation's key policies for the development of the integrated circuit industry, their own development strategies and available business resources, they said. Zhang Xin, a former official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will serve as the fund's legal representative. Industry sources said the third-generation semiconductors requiring materials like silicon carbide and gallium nitride are likely to be an investment focus for the third phase of the Big Fund. In February 2023, Zhang, then working with the MIIT, visited Shunyi district in Beijing to guide the development of third-generation semiconductor technologies, the sources said. Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research, said the third phase of the fund has diversified its investment areas. These areas not only include equity investments and asset management, but extend to venture capital fund management services. "This change means that the Big Fund will invest across a broader scope, significantly enhancing the flexibility and diversity of its investment strategies," Zhang said. China Fortune Securities said in a research report that the main investment targets of the first two phases of the Big Fund focused on semiconductor equipment and materials, laying a solid foundation for the initial development of China's chip industry. With the vigorous development of the digital economy and the artificial intelligence sector, AI chips and memory chips are becoming key parts of the industrial chain. The third phase of the Big Fund is likely to focus on high-value-added DRAM chips, in addition to continuing its support for semiconductor equipment and materials, China Fortune Securities said. DRAM chips refer to dynamic random access memory chips, which are flash memory semiconductors widely used in smartphones, personal computers, and servers. The first phase of the Big Fund was established in 2014 with a registered capital of 138.7 billion yuan and the second phase followed in 2019 with 204 billion yuan. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Nazrin Abdul Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko announced during Azerbaijan's Independence Day celebrations that both Belarus and Azerbaijan are committed to increasing their trade turnover to $1 billion by 2030, Azernews reports citing Belarusian media. He emphasized their mutual agreement to enhance cooperation in production sectors. "Our aim is to gradually elevate bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030, ensuring a balanced exchange of exports and imports. We are poised to significantly expand production collaboration, extending beyond tractors to include the assembly of utility, firefighting, and various other equipment in Azerbaijan, including Belarusian elevators," he explained. Petrishenko expressed Belarus's readiness to support the rejuvenation of the Karabakh economic region, highlighting plans for a modern agricultural hub in the Agdam area. This comprehensive project encompasses agricultural production and processing, alongside the development of residential and social amenities for workers and their families. Furthermore, Petrishenko disclosed plans for constructing a multi-brand service center in Karabakh to cater to Belarusian equipment needs. Additionally, he revealed intentions for Belarus and Azerbaijan to jointly produce medicinal and veterinary products, and collaborate on manufacturing mixed fertilizers utilizing Azerbaijani nitrogen and Belarusian potassium. MADRID, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held a meeting on Gaza with a delegation of the Ministerial Committee commissioned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit here on Wednesday, one day after Spain's official recognition of Palestinian statehood. The delegation thanked Spain for the "historic and courageous" step that the recognition of a Palestinian state represents at this time. It is not just a symbolic step, but one that keeps alive the idea of the two states, the delegation said, according to a Spanish government statement. The meeting highlighted Spain's commitment and willingness to negotiate with Arab and Islamic countries in their efforts to put an end to violence and materialize the two-state solution, the statement added. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa said that Spain, Norway, and Ireland's recognition of Palestine as a state on Tuesday "lays the foundations for a new beginning for the region." Sanchez reiterated the need to stop Israel's military operation in Rafah, as well as to establish a permanent ceasefire, the release by Hamas of all hostages and to allow humanitarian aid access to Gaza on a large scale. The committee was created in November last year to achieve a ceasefire, help humanitarian aid reach Gaza and set up an action plan to materialize the two-state solution. WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. announced Wednesday that it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government's border policies exacerbate the problem of human trafficking, according to the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2023, which was released on Wednesday. Seventy-two percent of those trafficked in the United States are immigrants, said the report issued by China's State Council Information Office. Migrants abandoned in border state towns or transported across the country are often isolated and most vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking, it said. Children who cross the border illegally and gather in crowded, lightly supervised shelters also fall prey to traffickers, an estimated "60 percent of unaccompanied alien children are caught by cartels and exploited through child pornography and drug trafficking," the report said, citing a study from the Coalition Against Trafficking In Women. WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday that it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. According to a press release by the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Bao Li, a two-year-old male panda whose name translates into English as "treasure" and "energetic," will enter the zoo later this year. He is the son of Bao and the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. Bao, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang all previously stayed at the national zoo, and Bao was born there. Also coming later this year is Qing Bao, a two-year-old female panda. Her name means "green" and "treasure" in Mandarin Chinese. The NZCBI also announced that it has extended a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Now effective through April 2034, the agreement will see the United States and China continue their cooperation in conserving the giant panda species. "We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.," said Brandie Smith, NZCBI's John and Adrienne Mars Director. "This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what's needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat," Smith said. NEW YORK, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer and the prosecutor from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office made closing arguments on Tuesday in the weeks-long hush money trial in a court in Manhattan, New York City. Trump's attorney Todd Blanche firstly called key witness and former attorney for Trump, Michael Cohen, "literally like an MVP of liars," and the crime prosecutors say Trump sought to cover up was merely politics as usual. "Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to promote a candidate," said Blanche. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said the case is not about Cohen, but is about Trump and whether he should be held accountable. Trump struck a corrupt bargain with a tabloid publisher and his former fixer Cohen to silence negative stories, which "could very well be what got Mr. Trump elected" in 2016, said Steinglass. Jurors are expected to start deliberations on the case on Wednesday and could hand out a verdict in the coming days. Trump faces 34 felony counts in the case on falsifying business records in a bid to hide hush money payment of 130,000 U.S. dollars in 2016 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who also appeared as one of the key witnesses in the trial. The trial started on April 15 and was expected to last six to eight weeks. As the first former U.S. president to stand a criminal trial and the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee in the 2024 U.S. general election, Trump faces four criminal indictments. Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, speaks during a press conference at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 29, 2024. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. According to a press release by the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), Bao Li, a two-year-old male panda whose name translates into English as "treasure" and "energetic," will enter the zoo later this year. He is the son of Bao Bao and the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. Bao Bao, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang all stayed in the national zoo previously, and Bao Bao was born there. Also arriving later this year is Qing Bao, a two-year-old female panda. Her name means "green" and "treasure" in Mandarin Chinese. The NZCBI also announced that it has extended a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Now effective through April 2034, the agreement will see the United States and China continue their cooperation in conserving the giant panda species. "Today, I am very glad to share with you some good news: Bao Li and Qing Bao, our new envoys of friendship, will soon fly over the Pacific and join the big family of the National Zoo," Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said in remarks delivered at the announcement ceremony held by the zoo. Xie said China's success in conserving giant pandas is "inseparable from international cooperation," including with the United States, which is "among the first" countries to work with China and make saving the once-endangered species a joint endeavor. Over the decades, the globally adored species has grown to nearly 1,900 in the wild in China. "We're thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.," said Brandie Smith, NZCBI's John and Adrienne Mars director. "This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact. Through this partnership, we have grown the panda population, advanced our shared understanding of how to care for this beloved bear and learned what's needed to protect wild pandas and preserve native habitat," Smith said. Souvenirs themed with giant pandas are seen at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 29, 2024. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Souvenirs themed with giant pandas are seen at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 29, 2024. The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announced Wednesday it will receive two giant panda cubs, one male and one female, from China by the end of the year. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Banca Sella is enabling merchants to accept payments made with Discover, Diners Club International and affiliated network cards. The new association will enable electronic payment methods to be more widely accepted in physical stores. This is thanks to the integration of Banca Sellas POS terminals with the Discover Global Network. The collaboration means that merchants have a new means of supporting the digitalisation of payments and day-to-day operations. They will also be able to broaden their international customer base. The majority of Discover network users are in countries such as the US, Brazil, India, China, Japan, Austria and Switzerland. The association forms part of the recent strategic agreement between Discover Global Network and BANCOMAT. This enables the Discover Global Network cards and mobile payment tools to be used in the BANCOMAT network throughout Italy. Italy: ranked second in Europe by number of visitors, inbound tourism to grow by 49% by 2025 The agreement allows Banca Sella to further expand the payment acceptance services available to merchants in the digital solutions sphere. At the same time, it will extend them to the growing number of foreign travellers in Italy, ranked second in Europe by number of visitors, as a destination for tourism and business. Inbound tourism is forecast to grow by 49% by 2025. The new feature will be made available automatically on all Banca Sella POS terminals nationwide. Banca Sella continues to phase in digital payments for merchants. It enables them to offer a distinctive service to all international travellers who are increasingly choosing to visit Italy on business and for leisure. They can now confidently use their cards for in-store purchases said Andrea Pozzi, Head of Banking and Payments at Banca Sella. Matt Sloan, Vice President of International Markets at Discover Global Network, added: In the coming years, Italy will host world-class cultural and sporting events. Our cardholders, who are increasingly travelling to Italy, will benefit from paying with their favourite card. Our customers are extremely loyal to the brand and the benefits of the card. And they want the same payment experience in Italy as they have in their own country. "Banca Sella enables payments on the Discover Global Network" 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. Description History Book Club The Bootlegger vy Clive Cussler and Justin Scott leader: George Loechner MAY 29, 1 p.m. Please join us for an inperson presentation and book discussion. It is the Roaring Twenties and the height of Prohibition. Bootleggers, illegal liquor, and the speakeasy are all part of a cottage industry to circumvent the law. Cussler leaps into the Roaring Twenties with a great adventure book. Speial guest speakers Al Grover and Regina Feeney. librarian/archivist and village historian, will discuss boats built in Freeport to be used as rumrunners. The Library will serve coffee and dessert. Books will abe available one month before the program. Register for the in-person persentation. Freeport Memorial Library 144 W. Merrick Road, Freeport, NY. www.freeportlibrary.info. As Formula 1s global fanbase continues to expand, Liberty Media, the sport's commercial rights owner, is setting its sights on new territories, with Southeast Asia a target for future races. Libertys chief executive Greg Maffei hinted at the high likelihood of a race joining the calendar from this region, with Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia all expressing strong interest according to the American executive. This strategic territorial move comes after solidifying the presence of Formula 1 in the United States with three races. The success of the Chinese Grand Prix this year further strengthens the case for expansion into Asia. Maffei, speaking at an 'F1 in Depth' event last week in Monaco, highlighted the Shanghai event race as a prime example of the potential for growth in new markets. We're lucky that we were able to get a Chinese race this year after four years, he said, referring to the events multiple cancellation in the wake of the Covid pandemic. It was very successful. The interest in China has exploded in part because we now have a Chinese driver. Critically, you see cultural identity so much when you have drivers from a country, and when you have teams from a country. And so that's been great to see the growth in China. But there's a lot of interest across Asia, as we have interest from many cities. But in Asia, as you rightly point out: Thailand, Seoul, and we've had interest from Indonesia. There are lots of places which want a Formula 1 race. We have really looked at the intersection of where our fans are, where they could be, who could run a great race, and who can frankly afford a race - and all those sorts of intersections of those three circles. I think you could very easily see a second one in Southeast Asia [alongside China]. During the F1 in Depth event in Monaco, Maffei shared some of the valuable insights gained from Formula One Managements decision to directly promote the Las Vegas Grand Prix. FOMs hands-on approach allows them to gather valuable data on what excites fans, which can then be applied to future races around the world. We've really changed the sport in many ways, added Maffei. One of them is this really was a B2B business where we really just dropped the product on the local promoter and they sold it. But more and more, between things like F1TV and promotions that we have been doing ourselves like Las Vegas, we understand the fans better. We're a direct-to-consumer business and we understand their needs. That allows us to have better learnings and meet their needs better over time, including in Las Vegas. So I'm excited for what we can do together there. I think it's going to be a great spectacle. And I hope it remains as thrilling a race as it was year one." Despite the now-infamous drain cover incident that caused disruption on the opening day of running, the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was ultimately deemed a success. Building on those learnings, Maffei expressed his confidence that this year's Vegas race will be even better. I hope we can get a race nearly as good, or even better. I hope we have no track failures early - that would be nice! That was a heartache too early, he admitted. I think our dry run went very well, and we can only hope that the spectacle is as good. I expect we will learn to optimise and do things more efficiently because in some cases we move so quickly. I really credit the team at LVGP and our partners in how quickly we moved to get that up. To get that race from literally zero in 15 months is amazing. I think we'll be smarter next time. And we'll be more efficient and that will probably be less disruptive to the community." Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter The study, titled "Job Creation in Africa's Second-hand Clothing Sector", was commissioned by the Humana People to People development network. It estimates the SHC trade contributes more than $73.5m annually in tax revenues, funds that support critical public services and infrastructure across just five African nations - Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. In February 2022, concerns were raised about the negative impact of the second-hand clothing trade with sub-Saharan Africa, hobbling the development of the regions clothing and textile sector, while some experts warned its removal would not be easy. However, Humana People to People's study found that with each tonne of imported used clothing sustaining an average of 6.5 jobs, the SHC workforce represents up to 25% of total services employment in these countries. Dr Joseph Feyertag, an independent development economist and author of the report, said its time we acknowledge and amplify the value that the SHC sector brings to the table." The affordable clothing options provided by second-hand clothing sellers also empower citizens from low-income households to access essential apparel items. Patrick Diamond, professor of public policy, at Queen Mary University of London, added: "Contrary to the common misconception that it competes with local textile industries it [the SHC sector] complements them, enriching local economies and providing essential clothing at accessible prices. Strategic support from policymakers can unlock even greater potential within this sector." The report finds little evidence that used clothing imports themselves are the primary driver of domestic textile manufacturing's decline in Africa. More substantive challenges including raw material constraints and underinvestment in machinery are seen as larger culprits. The report posits that further growth of the SHC trade could create valuable "green jobs" by embodying principles of the circular economy and prolonging the lifecycle of textile products in an environmentally sustainable way. Hilda Kavenuke, form second-hand clothing retailer DAPP Zambia, commented: "As a retailer in the second-hand clothing market, I've seen firsthand how this business supports not just my family, but also the community around us. "Every shipment of clothes we receive turns into multiple opportunities - not just in sales but in jobs for many others along the supply chain to the tune of 6.5 jobs per tonne. Enhancing this sector can truly transform communities by creating more jobs and sustaining more families." Story continues The findings of this report highlight the second-hand clothing sector as an important driver of employment in Africa. In countries that continue to suffer high levels of extreme poverty, these jobs represent an opportunity to diversify income beyond subsistence farming and provide much-needed access to affordable clothing." "2.5m Africans livelihoods buoyed by second-hand clothing trade" 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. Fatime Letifova Under the instruction of the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, a number of events were held in the Azerbaijan Army on the occasion of the 28 May Independence Day, Azernews reports. At the events held with the participation of military personnel, representatives of the public and the offices of the military attaches of the Republic of Azerbaijan accredited to foreign countries, the memory of the National Leader and the heroic sons, who became Shehids for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Motherland, was honored with observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan accompanied by a military orchestra was performed. Classes on socio-political training, round tables, and conferences were organized for servicemen at the events. Congratulations of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and the Minister of Defense on the occasion of the 28 May Independence Day were conveyed to the military personnel. The speakers spoke about the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan on May 28, 1918, and the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim East. It was noted that the state independence and international positions of modern Azerbaijan strengthened as a result of the successful domestic and foreign policy of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev. It was emphasized that thanks to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who successfully continues the wise policy of the National Leader, Azerbaijan has restored territorial integrity and developed in all spheres. Excursions, exhibitions of books, photographs, and pictures, as well as demonstrations of documentaries and feature films were organized for military personnel on the occasion of Independence Day. House museums of historical figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, monuments and other historical sites, as well as the graves of Shehids were visited. As part of the "Letter to a soldier" project, letters written by citizens were delivered to the defenders of the Motherland. Servicemen read the letters addressed to them with great interest. Literary-artistic compositions and various patriotic music pieces were presented in military units by creative teams of the Army Ideological and Cultural Center named after Hazi Aslanov, the Ideological and Cultural Center of the Ganja Garrison. At the end of the events, a group of distinguished servicemen was awarded honorary certificates. 3 Dividend Kings To Buy For A Lifetime Of Reliable Income Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Investors looking for high-quality dividend stocks can consider the Dividend Kings, a collection of 48 businesses that have raised their payouts for at least 50 years. Because these stocks weather recessions well, retirees find them especially appealing. This article presents three Dividend Kings with yields above 3% that can sustain dividend growth during recessions: Atria Group Altria Group Inc (NYSE:MO), a leader in consumer essentials, was established in 1847 by Philip Morris. In the United States, it markets Marlboro cigarettes and controls several nonsmoking brands. Altria also owns prominent positions in Cronos Group, Juul, and Anheuser-Busch InBev. In 2023, Altria concentrated on growing its line of smokeless products by incorporating NJOY and introducing On! PLUS globally. Through a joint venture with JT, the company launched heated tobacco products. In response to the explosive rise of illegally flavored disposable e-vapor products, Altria pushed for a regulated e-vapor market. Altria aims to increase NJOY's distribution network and fortify its supply chain. Altria projects adjusted diluted EPS growth between 1% and 4%, or $5 to $5.15, in 2024. The corporation pays dividends from about 80% of its yearly adjusted earnings per share. With 54 straight years of dividend increases, Altria currently yields 8.5%. Hormel Foods Founded in Minnesota in 1891, Hormel Foods Corp (NYSE:HRL) has expanded to become a global leader in the food goods industry with $19 billion in annual sales. Well-known brands, including Applegate, SPAM, and Skippy, are among Hormels products sold in eighty nations. Premium bacon, prepared proteins, poultry and snacks categories drove Hormels $3 billion in revenue and adjusted earnings-per-share of 41 cents in the first quarter of 2024. Acquisitions and natural expansion fuel Hormels business and allow steady dividend increases. Hormels competitive advantages include its market-leading goods and vast worldwide distribution network. Currently yielding 3.1%, Hormel has increased dividends for 58 consecutive years. The company projects 5% yearly forward earnings growth driven by cost cuts and revenue growth. National Fuel Gas Co Operating in five segments Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, Utility, and Energy Marketing National Fuel Gas Co. (NYSE:NFG) is a diversified energy firm. Exploration and Production make up the largest segment. Effective hedging and robust volume growth helped National Fuel Gas post a 10% increase in output in the second quarter of fiscal 2024. Analysts had not expected earnings-per-share to rise by 16%. The company has routinely exceeded analyst expectations in 17 of the last 20 quarters. Story continues National Fuel Gas aims to grow by increasing its natural gas output and the length of its pipeline system. Over the previous 10 years, the company has expanded its earnings-per-share at an average annual rate of 4.4%. In 2022 and 2023, it increased its proved reserves by 8% and 9%, respectively. The business maintains a careful dividend payment ratio of about 50% and solid interest coverage on its balance sheet. With 53 years of consecutive dividend increases, National Fuel Gas qualifies as a Dividend King and currently yields 3.5%. These Dividend Kings, known for their impressive dividend histories and high yields, offer reliable income and resilience during economic downturns, making them attractive investments for long-term income stability. Are You Missing Out On Higher Yields? The current high-interest-rate environment has created an incredible opportunity for income-seeking investors to earn massive yields, but not through dividend stocks... Certain private market real estate investments are giving retail investors the opportunity to capitalize on these high-yield opportunities and Benzinga has identified some of the most attractive options for you to consider. For example, the Jeff Bezos-backed investment platform just launched its Private Debt Fund, which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with a target 7% to 9% net annual yield paid to investors monthly. The best part? Unlike other private credit funds, this one has a minimum investment of only $100. Don't miss out on this opportunity to take advantage of high-yield investments while rates are high. Check out Benzinga's favorite high-yield offerings. This article 3 Dividend Kings To Buy For A Lifetime Of Reliable Income originally appeared on Benzinga.com Once again, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has surpassed the $80 per barrel threshold and is likely to remain robust this year. According to projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), WTI oil is expected to average $83.05 per barrel in 2024, a notable increase from last year's $77.58. Contributing to the strength of commodity prices are voluntary production cuts from the OPEC+ group and ongoing geopolitical tensions. While crude prices remain favorable, the likelihood of the commodity reaching $100 per barrel, as seen in 2022, is extremely slim. Additionally, the EIA foresees no growth in GDP this year, with a projected downturn in the following year, consequently dampening energy demand. 3 Stocks to Gain The current scenario highlights the need to keep a close watch on major energy companies like Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM, Chevron Corporation CVX, and ConocoPhillips COP, which are known for their strong balance sheet. These energy giants can rely on their financial stability to navigate a volatile and uncertain business environment. At present, all three stocks have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and demonstrate impressive free cash flow conversion. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Chevron and ExxonMobil boast robust balance sheet, enabling them to withstand challenging business environments. ExxonMobil's total debt-to-capitalization ratio stands at 15.95%, while Chevron's is at 11.9%, both significantly lower than the 24.38% average for composite stocks in the Zacks Oil & Gas Integrated International industry. Over the past three years, these industry leaders have consistently maintained lower debt-to-capitalization ratios, supported by strong oil prices that enhance their financial positions. Furthermore, both companies excel in free cash flow conversion, effectively transforming operating profits into free cash flow. This financial strength positions them well for future gains. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ExxonMobil's earnings per share (EPS) for 2024 is $9.57, indicating a 0.5% year-over-year increase. For Chevron, the EPS estimate for this year is $13.57, suggesting a 3.35% improvement from the previous year. ConocoPhillips has secured a promising production outlook by capitalizing on its extensive drilling inventory and diverse upstream assets. Compared to composite stocks belonging to the industry, the leading upstream energy company has significantly less reliance on debt capital. This robust balance sheet positions ConocoPhillips to better withstand adverse business conditions. Additionally, like Chevron and ExxonMobil, favorable oil prices are boosting COPs financial performance, allowing it to maintain strong free cash flow conversion. Story continues For ConocoPhillips, the Zacks Consensus Estimate of EPS for this year is pegged at $9.12, indicating a year-over-year improvement of almost 4%. 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 Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report ConocoPhillips (COP) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The 401(k) is now the most popular type of retirement plan, with many employers providing a company match when workers sock away money in their accounts. But these matches often shorthanded as "free money" from your company may exacerbate inequality in retirement, new research finds. About 44% of employer matches are directed toward the top 20% of earners, according to a May study from researchers at Vanguard, Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By contrast, the bottom 20% of workers receive just 6% of their employers' matching contributions, the analysis found. There's a lot of money on the line, as corporations provided about $212 billion in matching contributions in 2021, or almost 60 cents for every dollar saved by workers, the study noted. But the bulk of those employer dollars are more likely to go to higher-income workers, even though businesses typically dangle their 401(k) matches as a way to convince all workers, regardless of income, to save for retirement. "Employer contributions are a ripe target for innovation," the authors wrote in the report. "They disproportionately accrue to those with higher incomes, White workers, those with more access to liquid wealth and those with richer parents." The findings come amid increasing scrutiny of the pitfalls of 401(k)s, which now serve as the predominant retirement vehicle for American workers. About half of all private employees participate in a so-called defined contribution plan, which include 401(k)s and 403(b)s, compared with about 15% who have access to traditional pensions. But even as they've supplanted traditional pensions, 401(k)s have left behind the bulk of America's workers, according to Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and a professor at The New School for Social Research in New York. First, many workers lack access to them, and secondly, those who participate in 401(k)s are largely on their own to figure out how to invest and manage them, creating what Ghilarducci calls a "flimsy" do-it-yourself system. After more than four decades of a 401(k) system, almost 3 in 10 older workers are nearing retirement without a penny saved. Two-thirds of younger baby boomers don't have enough saved for their golden years. Who saves and why To be sure, it's not entirely surprising that higher-income workers get a larger share of a company's matching contributions. For instance, take two workers who direct 10% of their pay into their 401(k)s, with the first earning $100,000 and the second earning $50,000. Story continues With a typical percentage match, where an employer matches 50% of an employee's contributions up to 6% of their pay, the worker earning $100,000 would get a $3,000 match; for the employee earning $50,000, the match would be $1,500. But the analysis found that higher-income workers are actually getting a bigger share of employer contributions than their share of income indicating that top-earning employees are enjoying outsized benefits when compared with lower-earning coworkers. In fact, the top 20% of earners get an 11% bigger share of employer contributions than income, while those in the bottom 20% get a 29% smaller share of matching dollars than income, the study found. That's partly because some wealthier workers are more likely to max out their savings, which helps them get the most in "free money" from their employers. But these people are also likely to have other advantages, like family wealth or a college degree, the study noted. At the same time, the analysis found that there's not a lot of evidence that company matches actually convince workers to save more. A majority of low-income workers don't participate in their 401(k) plans despite their company match, while most high-income workers are saving above the company's match cap, even though they may not benefit from any additional "free money," the study found. In other words, 401(k)s are giving more of a leg up to wealthier people who can afford to save more and max out their company match, while putting people who can't afford to save as much at a disadvantage, a previous analysis from the MIT researchers found. The end result is that wealth inequality is likely to persist, they concluded. There is one type of 401(k) match that offers a fairer distribution of company dollars, the recent analysis found. This type of program is called a dollar cap match, which is only used in 4% of 401(k) plans. These programs cap employer contributions at a dollar amount, such as tapping out a match at $6,000 a year, regardless of how much an employee earns or contributes. And employers could add other attributes to help lower-income workers, such as immediate vesting, auto-enrollment and a higher default savings rate, the researchers noted. Sneak peek: Rodney Alcala - The Killing Game Closing arguments delivered in Trump "hush money" trial "CBS Evening News" headlines for Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Cultura Motion / Shutterstock.com Does it sound extreme or unfair to charge your children rent? Dont write it off as crazy just yet. In fact, many financial experts make a strong case for it at virtually every age. Find Out: Im a Frugal Shopper: 4 Items I Always Buy Secondhand To Save Money Trending Now: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money Of course, the reasons and lessons change over time. You charge an 10-year-old rent out of their allowance for a different reason than you require your directionless 28-year-old to chip in. Consider the following six reasons to charge your children rent, and forge them into thoughtful, independent adults. Teach Budgeting One of the primary reasons to charge your children rent is to give them real-world experience with financial responsibility, explained Melanie Musson, mother of five and a finance expert with Clearsurance.com. Parents owe their children shelter and protection, so it may seem ridiculous to charge a minor child for rent. But if the parent provides the income from which the rent is paid, they are able to provide their child with a place to live and a chance to practice budgeting. Budgets come with two sides: income and expenses. And in the real world, you incur more than just discretionary expenses. When we just give our children money and tell them to go have fun with it, we teach them that life is one big party that doesnt require any discipline or budgeting. Consider going beyond rent and charging for other real life expenses as well. These could include utilities, car payments, insurance and the like. Try to mimic the ratios theyre likely to see in real life upon moving out on their own. Keep in mind that this doesnt mean your children necessarily end up with less discretionary money to spend. If you planned on giving them $20 in allowance, you could instead give them $100, and then bill them for $80 worth of budget expenses. Just make sure they have to actually come back to you with the money to pay you for those expenses, to better simulate the real world. Read Next: 5 Frugal Habits of Mark Cuban Mindfulness of Resources Dont want your kids constantly leaving the doors and windows open while the heat is on? Teach them a lesson about it. When my oldest son moved back home after college, I had him pay a share of the utilities, said Rhett Stubbendeck, CEO of wealth planning firm Leverage. This made him more mindful of his energy use and aware of everyday costs. Kenan Acikelli, CEO of Workhy, charges his children for household expenses beyond rent as well. Ive always believed that understanding expenses is just as important as managing income. When my kids were young, I started by asking them to contribute a small amount to household expenses. Its a great way to show them how budgets work in real life, he said. I also factor in utilities and other shared expenses. I want them to understand that everything has a cost, from water and electricity to internet and groceries. Its important to me that they grasp the full picture of financial obligations. Story continues He concluded, Personally, Ive found this approach to be incredibly effective. My children have become more financially savvy and responsible. I think every parent should consider this method to prepare their kids for the future. Prepare for Independence Part of your job as a parent is to prepare your kids for managing complex personal finances in adulthood. The lessons should grow and evolve as your children get older. Acikelli continued, For my adult children living at home, I charge rent to instill a sense of responsibility. Ive noticed that it helps them understand the value of money and the cost of living. Ive seen firsthand how this prepares them for living independently and managing their own households one day. Financial advisor David Blain of BlueSky Wealth Advisors has seen the benefits among his clients. When I work with young couples or individuals on financial planning, I emphasize the importance of knowing where every dollar goes, including the hidden costs of everyday living. This level of detail helps young adults appreciate the full scope of financial responsibility and better prepares them for managing their finances independently. Incentivize Grown Children To Launch You arent doing your grown children any favors by paying for them to lie around the couch playing video games and munching Cheetos all day. Lynn Layfield hosts the Decision Diaries podcast, in which she has shared her experience with a directionless adult child. Our reason for charging rent was simple. Our son failed out of college and did not have a plan to move out. He was working, but felt his money was his to spend on fun things and our money should be used to give him shelter, food, and insurance for the rest of his life, she explained. In one of our podcasts, my son actually thanked me, which is why I am glad I recorded it. Forced Savings Harrison Tang, CEO of Spokeo, took a slightly different tack with his grown son. After graduating from university and getting a job, I told my 22-year-old son I had some good news and some bad news, he shared. The good news was that he could live at home rent-free. The bad news is that he had to take the money he would otherwise be paying for rent and put it into a savings or retirement account. Tang continued, He did so, and less than two years later, he had saved up enough to afford a down payment on a small condo (with some help from family members). At age 25, hes living in a home he owns instead of paying rent. The Importance of Contribution For young kids and teens, charging a small rent teaches them about budgeting, noted Stubbendeck. For adult children living at home, charging rent helps them understand the real cost of living and encourages them to contribute. Ive seen many parents feel the strain when their adult kids dont pitch in. Charging even a small amount can make them appreciate the value of money. And the importance of contributing their share toward a common cause. Musson sums up why she charges her kids for rent and other household expenses in one sentence: Instead of taking it for granted, children can learn that living somewhere requires a cost. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Key Reasons To Charge Your Children Rent A 2,400-acre stretch of land in north Phoenix surrounding the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. campus could see $7 billion worth of new development after being purchased by a New York-based real estate group at an Arizona State Land Department auction. Mack Real Estate Group, a developer that has several major projects in the Valley, including some of the designated supplier sites for TSMC in the Deer Valley area, bought the land for $56.28 million on Wednesday. Mack, which applied to initiate the auction, was the only bidder and bought the land for the minimum bid. Craig Henig, the managing director for Mack, placed the bid. He was greeted with hugs and congratulations after Mack won the bid, including from his son, who came to surprise him at the auction. Craig Henig, managing director of Mack Real Estate Group, holds up his number 7 paddle bidding on a piece of land on the southwest corner of Interstate 17 and State Route 74 during an auction at the Arizona Land Department offices in Phoenix on May 29, 2024. While Mack was the only bidder, two other companies had qualified to place bids at the auction: Phoenix-based ViaWest Group and Conley Wolfswinkel's W Holdings. 28M square feet of buildings planned in new 'silicon city' Mack plans to partner with McCourt Partners to develop the land, located near Loop 303 and Interstate 17. In total, the development will bring 28 million square feet of new buildings, including industrial, office, retail and apartments. Richard Mack, CEO of Mack Real Estate Group, called the area a new silicon city in a statement about the purchase and plans for the land. TSMCs Phoenix semiconductor fabrication campus is a tremendous economic driver with local, national, and global significance, Mack said in a statement. TSMC is quite simply one of the most important companies in the world. TSMC produces the chips that allow for exponential innovation and for the continued development of artificial intelligence," Mack added. "Together with ASLD and McCourt Partners, we are privileged to help in the building of a new type of city that both supports and leverages the domestic and international digital transformation enabled by TSMCs new semiconductor manufacturing campus. The partnership between Mack and McCourt will control future sales of the land within the larger site, which will take place in phases over years, the companies announced. The partnership will also develop 600 acres of the site for multiple uses. A transformative project of this magnitude is an opportunity to not just contribute to, but actively drive a citys growth, Jordan Lang, president of McCourt Partners, said in a statement. Our passion for building has always been with an eye to the future, and were excited to partner with MREG to establish essential infrastructure alongside the TSMC campus and help shape a city that fosters innovation with global impact. Story continues Site allows for manufacturing, industrial, office, apartments and more The land was part of a larger zoning case in 2020, about 3,500 acres, which included the land that TSMC bought later that year. The site, now dubbed by the city as the Sonoran Oasis Science and Technology Park, was divided into different designations, called technology park and freeway mixed-use depending on the permitted uses. The technology park area on the northwestern portion of the site allows for administration, design, manufacturing and other employment uses. The portion along I-17 was zoned freeway mixed-use, which can allow employment uses, regional commercial, office, hospitality, multifamily development and other uses like restaurants. According to Mack, about 8,960 residential units, along with the industrial and manufacturing space, retail and office, could be built on the massive site. TSMC bought about 1,100 acres of the land that had been included in that zoning case and is under construction on its $65 billion manufacturing plant on the site. Area could grow to 50,000 jobs When asked about the area in January, when the land was posted for auction, Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director Chris Mackay said the area could eventually be home to 50,000 jobs. In 2021, Mack bought sites in north Phoenix designated as supplier sites for TSMC near Seventh Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road. The sites, now called the Mack Innovation Park, have room for about 3.5 million square feet of buildings. Mack is also the developer of a large industrial complex in Scottsdale. Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mack Real Estate Group, McCourt Partners to develop land near TSMC In the early morning hours Saturday, "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor approached his vehicle in downtown Los Angeles to see it up on a floor jack with three people stealing his catalytic converter, Los Angeles police said Tuesday. The 37-year-old Wactor, who had just ended his shift at a local bar around 3:25 a.m., did not provoke the thieves, witnesses said. Yet one of them shot and killed him, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement. The killing is bringing attention back to what has been an ongoing problem: The theft of catalytic converters. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, thefts of catalytic converters increased significantly from 2020 through 2022 the most recent year for which it had complete data. Insurance claims for catalytic converter thefts in 2022 rose to 64,701 compared with 16,660 claims in 2020, National Insurance Crime Bureau reports. California and Texas led the nation in such theft, with more than 32,000 catalytic converter thefts combined in 2022. The good news is that insurance company State Farm reported a nearly 40% drop in claims for catalytic converter theft during the first half of 2023 versus the first half of 2022. Experts credit that decline to improved public and police awareness of the crime, a decline in commodity prices for the stolen goods and new laws holding precious metal merchants accountable for knowing where their metal comes from. Still, the thefts continue and Michigan is not immune. For example, in April, two incidents of catalytic converter theft were reported at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids in the long-term parking area, according to a WOOD-TV report. Why do thieves want my catalytic converter? Simple: Catalytic converters contain platinum, rhodium and palladium. These metals are so rare they are more valuable than gold, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. One ounce of rhodium costs $4,825, according to www.moneymetals.com. Still, that's down from January 2021 when rhodium was trading for as much as $17,000 an ounce, according to CarFax. Platinum is trading at about $1,056.90 an ounce and palladium is $984.50 an ounce, according to online precious metal retailer APMEX. A stack of direct fit catalytic converters for domestic truck exhaust systems at ACAT Global LLC in Charlevoix on Sept. 29, 2020. So a crook with the right tools and know-how can, within minutes, cut the catalytic converter from the undercarriage of car. They can then sell it to metal recyclers for $25 to $300 for a standard catalytic converter, depending on the vehicle. Ones from hybrid vehicles can sell for up to $1,400, according to a May 21 report by CarFax. Story continues How much does this kind of theft cost consumers? The cost to replace a catalytic converter can be $1,000 to $3,500, depending on the type of vehicle. According to State Farm, for the first half of 2023, it had 14,500 claims of catalytic converter theft, totaling about $41.7 million paid to customers to repair cars and replace the stolen parts. The average claim in first half of 2023 is nearly $2,900. For comparison, there were 45,000 claims for all of 2022 totaling $115.4 million with the average claim being $2,500. How will I know if my catalytic converter has been stolen? If you start up your car and your muffler sounds like "you're at the front of the Indy 500" you'll know immediately that your catalytic converter is gone, according to AAA. The catalytic converter reduces your vehicle's emissions. It is located between the muffler and engine, and it converts pollutants like carbon monoxide into less harmful substances like nitrogen and water vapor. So not only is it loud to drive without one, it is also illegal in many states due to emission standards. Without it, the car runs less efficiently, reducing fuel economy, creating louder noises when accelerating and triggering engine warning lights, AAA said. What are the top vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft? According to CarFax, the theft of catalytic converters last year covered family sedans, SUVs and full-size pickup trucks. Hybrids are particularly targeted because their catalytic converters have more precious metals in them. Here are the top 10 targeted vehicles in the Midwest: Ford F-150 Chevrolet Equinox Honda CR-V Ford Explorer Chevrolet Traverse Buick Encore Chevrolet Cruze Chevrolet Trax Kia Soul Toyota Camry How can I prevent my catalytic converter from being stolen? First, make sure your auto insurance covers you for all theft. Here are some of the best ways to prevent your catalytic converter from being stolen, according to a blog by Adam Karner of Endurance Warranty. Park in a well-lit area : For an experienced thief, a catalytic converter can be removed in as little as a few minutes, so this strategy isnt foolproof, but it is a way to reduce the risk of theft. Install an antitheft device: Catalytic converter antitheft devices can be broken by a skilled thief, but it will take them far longer to crack than if there wasnt one installed. Most catalytic converter thieves are looking for a quick hit, so an antitheft device may deter them. Regularly move where you park : Most thieves dont target a vehicle at random to steal a catalytic converter; they stake out a potential victim and get to know their habits, where they park and how long they are away from their vehicle. So switch things up. Park in a closed garage: A thief cant steal something they cant access. Paint your catalytic converter: Paint your catalytic converter a bright and noticeable color for a couple reasons. First, it will make the catalytic converter identifiable should it end up in an auto parts store or in the hands of police. But, most importantly, Karner writes, "the thieves will need to scrape that paint off if they want to sell the part for the highest value, and this is far too much effort than it is worth for most." More: How a legendary Lamborghini ended up in a famous rock anthem More: The Detroit Grand Prix and all big-time racing is meant to sell you a car Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Actor Johnny Wactor killed during catalytic converter theft It Was A Bad Real Estate Deal, Not A Bad Meal Deal That Killed Red Lobster When the venerable Red Lobster restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy and announced it would be closing dozens of locations, the news didn't come as a surprise. Red Lobster had been struggling for years and the filing came on the heels of a highly publicized, equally ill-fated "all-you-can-eat" shrimp promotion. Although the shrimp promotion may have been a contributing cause, a deeper analysis reveals that a bad real estate deal killed Red Lobster. In 1968, Red Lobster pioneered the semi-casual upscale dining trend that dominated the American restaurant scene in the 1980s, 90s, and even the early 2000s. The chain was a fixture at shopping malls across the country and carved out a unique market niche by offering higher-end seafood options like lobster to everyday Americans at an affordable price. It also became famous for its delicious Cheddar Bay biscuits. Don't Miss: 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 . Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." These high-yield real estate notes that pay 7.5% 9% make earning passive income easier than ever. Unfortunately for Red Lobster, when foodie culture began taking hold around the country and Americans' collective palates became more sophisticated, the chain remained in the past. By the 2010s, Red Lobster was in real trouble, leading its original owners to sell it to San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital in 2014. Golden Gate could not engineer a turnaround and began selling equity shares to a seafood conglomerate, Thai Union, in 2016. On the surface, that deal made a lot of sense. Thai Union was in the seafood business, and owning one of America's most well-known seafood restaurants gave it a long-term customer for all its products. Thai Union acquired its first equity shares in Red Lobster with a $575 million deal in 2016 and then joined a private consortium to buy Golden Gate out entirely in 2020. The timing could not have been worse. The COVID pandemic took a devastating toll on the American restaurant industry and Red Lobster was no exception. Their bankruptcy filing indicates that restaurant attendance is 30% below pre-pandemic levels. Trending: Investing in real estate just got a whole lot simpler. This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, and you only need $100. A steep customer decline would be disastrous for any restaurant, but it was even more devastating for Red Lobster. The reason traces back to Golden Gates original deal to buy Red Lobster. Golden Gate paid $2.1 billion for the chain, partly financed by a massive real estate deal. Story continues Under the terms of that deal, Golden Gate sold the real estate for 500 Red Lobster locations to American Realty Capital for $1.5 billion and then leased them back. This transaction is known as a sale-leaseback arrangement, and it turned Golden Gate into an American Realty Group tenant with many locations locked into 25-year leases with 2% annual increases. Making matters worse for Golden Gate was that the leases were triple net. That means in addition to the rent, Golden Gate would be responsible for paying the property taxes, insurance, and maintenance on the 500 locations it was leasing. It was a great deal for American Realty Group, and although it paved the way for Golden Gate's ownership, it left them with precious little margin for error or profit loss. Industry analysts sounded the alarm almost immediately. Johnathan Maze of Restaurant Finance Monitor wrote, "Lets get this straight. Were taking a brand with badly falling sales and earnings, and will then load it up with rent costs?" He noted that the estimated $118.5 million annual rent obligation Golden Gate took on would be equivalent to roughly half the franchise's annual revenue. By the end of the pandemic, Red Lobster's revenue was in decline, and the triple net lease payments were taking a massive bite out of what little money Red Lobster was making. Around that time, Red Lobster's current owner Thai Union, a massive shrimp wholesaler, began to push the now-infamous $20 all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion. The promotion was popular with shrimp lovers, who flocked to Red Lobster and ate over $20 worth of shrimp. It also turned out to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for Red Lobster. However, it's much more likely that the seeds of Red Lobster's demise were planted in the disastrous sales-leaseback arrangement of 2014. Keep Reading: A new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends. Heres how you can invest today. The average American couple has saved this much money for retirement How do you compare? "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 It Was A Bad Real Estate Deal, Not A Bad Meal Deal That Killed Red Lobster originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. By Clara Denina, Felix Njini and Melanie Burton LONDON/JOHANNESBURG/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Mining group BHP Group on Wednesday walked away from its $49 billion plan to take over rival Anglo American, which rejected a last-ditch request for more time, ending for now its six-week pursuit. BHP's aim was to secure Anglo's prized copper assets in Latin America and increase access to a metal central to the global shift towards clean energy and electric vehicles. But the structure of BHP's deal, which required Anglo to unbundle its South African platinum and iron ore businesses, was a major reason for its collapse. Anglo had granted BHP a one-week extension until 1600 GMT on Wednesday to its original May 22 deadline to submit a binding offer, after rejecting a third takeover proposal. Under UK rules, BHP cannot return for at least six months, unless there is another offer for the London-listed miner. "While we believed that our proposal for Anglo American was a compelling opportunity to effectively grow the pie of value for both sets of shareholders, we were unable to reach agreement with Anglo American on our specific views in respect of South African regulatory risk and cost," BHP said. "We remain of the view that our proposal was the most effective structure to deliver value for Anglo American shareholders, and we are confident that, working together with Anglo American, we could have obtained all required regulatory approvals, including in South Africa," it added. Anglo said on Wednesday after BHP's statement it was fully focused on delivering plans it has set out to increase value to shareholders. Anglo has outlined a plan to divest less profitable assets and focus on expanding copper output. Anglo's shares closed 3% lower at 24.80 pounds. "While we believe an acquisition of Anglo would be a longer term positive for BHP, the fact that BHP is being disciplined in its approach is a near-term positive for its shares," Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina said. "That said, we are surprised BHP did not have a plan to overcome the clear structural issues relating to this deal." London-listed Anglo had agreed to talk with BHP to try to iron out concerns over the deal's structure. In an earlier statement, BHP said it needed more time to engage with Anglo, while outlining commitments to minimise regulatory risk in South Africa and saying it would offer a break fee if the deal failed to gain regulatory approvals. Those commitments included job security for employees in South Africa. BHP also said it would shoulder the costs of increased South African employee ownership that is expected to be required in any demerger. Story continues But Anglo said those commitments were not enough. "BHP continues to restate its belief that the risks of its complex structure are not material, yet has repeatedly and consistently stated both publicly and during the engagements that it is unwilling to amend its proposed structure to assume these risks," Anglo said in its statement. Anglo was founded in Johannesburg in 1917 and employs more than 40,000 South Africans, so any withdrawal would be a further economic blow to the country whose miners have been cutting jobs and investment as platinum especially falls out of favour. South Africans are voting in an election on Wednesday, with polls suggesting the African National Congress could lose its majority after 30 years in power, in part due to anger about high unemployment and a stagnant economy. JP Morgan analysts have estimated a takeover of Anglo by BHP could lead to outflows of $4.3 billion from South Africa and weaken the rand. A source close to Anglo's thinking said its investors shared its reservations about BHP's proposal. "The majority of the Anglo shareholders fully understand the concerns that are being expressed and I don't believe that they feel that the risks in the structure and the price are fully taken into consideration by BHP," the source said. BHP's latest proposal had valued Anglo at 29.34 pounds per share or 38.6 billion pounds ($49 billion). "I'm not surprised it was rejected really by Anglo ... because there wasn't really a lot in the statement from BHP ... it didn't seem that compelling," said George Cheveley, portfolio manager at Ninety-One, which holds a stake of about 2% in Anglo. Anglo is attractive to its competitors for its prized copper assets in Chile and Peru, a metal used in everything from electric vehicles and power grids to construction, whose demand is expected to rise as the world moves to cleaner energy and wider use of artificial intelligence. (Reporting by Clara Denina in London, Felix Njini in Johannesburg, Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Additional reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley, Sameer Manekar; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Mark Potter and Jane Merriman) Nazrin Abdul An official reception commemorating May 28 - Independence Day was held at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in China. The event, graced by the presence of Chinese officials, heads of diplomatic missions in Beijing, and representatives from Chinese public and business circles, commenced with the playing of the national anthems of both countries, Azernews reports. Ambassador Bunyad Huseynov highlighted Azerbaijan's journey to independence, tracing it back to the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918. Despite facing significant challenges such as separatism, terrorism, and military aggression from neighboring Armenia after regaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan, under the visionary leadership of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev, has overcome these hurdles to emerge as a rapidly developing, politically stable, and economically prosperous nation in the South Caucasus region. Acknowledging the historical ties between Azerbaijan and China along the ancient Silk Road, Ambassador Huseynov underscored Azerbaijan's role as a cultural and trade bridge between Asia and Europe. He emphasized the deepening bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic sphere, including Azerbaijan's participation in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative and its contribution to modern transport infrastructure projects facilitating trade between China and Europe. The ambassador also lauded the flourishing humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and China, highlighting the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in fostering cultural exchanges and enhancing humanitarian cooperation. The announcement of Azerbaijan hosting COP29 was hailed as a testament to the international community's esteem for Azerbaijan. Ambassador Huseynov expressed confidence in the continuous, mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and China, especially in addressing global environmental challenges, given China's significant contributions to the "green agenda of the world." Special Representative Li Huey conveyed China's congratulations on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing admiration for Azerbaijan's stability, rapid economic development, and growing international stature. China affirmed its unwavering support for Azerbaijan's development path and expressed confidence in President Ilham Aliyev's leadership. Highlighting the robust and stable friendship and cooperation between China and Azerbaijan under the strategic guidance of Presidents Xi Jinping and Ilham Aliyev, Special Representative Li noted the high level of political trust and cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade, energy, and transportation, as well as close collaboration on international issues. Emphasizing the continuous growth in trade turnover between the two nations, the Chinese official noted the vast potential for cooperation. He viewed the collaborative establishment of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative as a significant opportunity and expressed a desire for expanded cooperation across various sectors. Affirming full support for Azerbaijan's hosting of COP29, he pledged active participation in global climate management alongside international partners, including Azerbaijan. Additionally, he reiterated China's readiness to implement important agreements reached by the leaders of both countries, safeguard mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation comprehensively, and foster unity and collaboration within the "Global South" family. During the event, two lucky individuals secured complimentary tickets for the Beijing-Baku-Beijing flight through a lottery organized by Azerbaijan Airlines, adding a touch of excitement to the proceedings. The festivities continued with a delightful showcase of Azerbaijani cuisine, further enhancing the cultural exchange and camaraderie among attendees. Prices for homes in the U.S. have hit an all-time high and one Massachusetts city is leading the pack. Boston is one of the cities seeing the biggest spikes. Nationwide, home prices rose 6.5% on an annual basis in March, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on Tuesday. Thomas Ryan, North America economist at Capital Economics, the increase in home prices observed in March suggests that competition among buyers for the limited number of second-hand homes on the market remains strong. According to Realtor.com, the hub is tied with Chicago for the fifth biggest increase, at 8.7%. We expect that to continue for the rest of the year, says Ryan, who is projecting annual home price gains of 3% in 2025 and 2.5% in 2026. The four cities with bigger increases since March are San Diego, New York, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A firefighter battles a house fire last year in Malibu, where residents must prepare for huge increases in fire insurance premiums. A bill backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom is intended to halt more exits from California's troubled homeowners insurance market. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) A bill backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that is intended to halt more exits from California's troubled homeowners insurance market by speeding up reviews of proposed rate hikes drew sharp criticism Wednesday from an influential consumer group. The administration this week released the draft of a bill Newsom proposed this month that he said would limit the review process of proposed rate hikes to 60 days. But the draft allows the Department of Insurance to seek 30-day extensions beyond the two-month period as long as regulators publicly disclose what is slowing the review immediately setting off a dispute about its possible implications. Read more: California's home insurance crisis: What went wrong, how it can be fixed and what owners can do Consumer Watchdog maintains that the draft "guts" the process that allows consumers to intervene in reviews of both small and large rate hike requests, which are treated separately under the landmark 1988 measure known as Proposition 103. That measure gave an elected insurance commissioner the authority to review and approve insurer rate hikes. "The governors plan invites insurance companies to set their own prices and will kill public participation in rate review," said Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Carmen Balber, who added that the group would lobby to have the language changed in the Legislature. "It is a serious blow to all rate reviews in California." The governor's office released a statement that the bill "makes no changes to the rules in Prop. 103 for how much an insurance company can charge, which continues to be that rates cannot be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory. The governors proposal augments Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Laras Sustainable Insurance Strategy, a set of comprehensive regulations intended to stabilize rates and make it more attractive for insurers to write homeowners policies, especially in wildfire-prone areas such as hillsides and canyons. However, the reform plan isnt expected to be adopted until later in the year. Lara issued a statement this week that under Newsoms bill his department will continue to thoroughly review each and every rate application filed to make sure that they are compliant with our laws and justified under Prop. 103 and that consumers are protected. Consumer Watchdog's posture threatens to bog down a bill that Newsom wants to push through the Legislature as part of the process for adopting the state budget. California's Constitution requires the spending document to be enacted by June 15, though so-called "trailer bills" such as the insurance proposal can be enacted later. Newsom is seeking to speed adoption amid a wave of insurer pullbacks from the market, including State Farm's decision not to renew 72,000 policies. Story continues Balber criticized the language that specifies how the insurance department can seek more time to review proposed rate hikes that are less than 7%. Although regulators would be required to disclose what "unresolved" issues are slowing the review, the bill does not require the department to disclose concerns by "intervenors" such as Consumer Watchdog, which she said could result in their concerns being overlooked. Balber also said that the draft law would allow insurers denied rate hikes that top 7% to immediately seek smaller rate hikes under the weaker review process, without separately filing for a smaller rate hike. That would make it easier for them to avoid hearings before administrative law judges where it might be decided an insurer should actually decrease it rates. "It really opens the door to companies manipulating the process to avoid a hearing," she said. The Personal Insurance Federation of California, a trade group of property and casualty insurers, said in a statement that the bill "provides more clarity and accountability to all parties involved in the process. This is a far better option than the current rules that resulted in an insurance crisis for many Californians. Rex Frazier, president of the federation, disputed Balber's criticism of the legislation, contending that Consumer Watchdog was seeking "special treatment" in the bill, while also bemoaning that insurers might be encouraged to seek smaller rate hikes if their larger ones are blocked. "The irony is thick here," he said. Not all consumer groups have the same view of the legislation. Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders in San Francisco, said she viewed the bill as an effort by the governor to "turn up the heat" on all parties involved in the rate-review process, including the Department of Finance, as insurer pullbacks force more homeowners into the FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort. She said Consumer Watchdog's criticism also assumes the insurance department "isn't doing its job" in preventing rate hikes, which she wasn't "prepared to agree with." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A new Royal LePage survey has found that half of Canadians living in the Greater Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal areas would consider buying a home in a more affordable city, with Edmonton ranking as the most popular destination for Toronto and Vancouver residents. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto via Getty Images) A new Royal LePage survey has found that half of Canadians living in the Greater Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal areas would consider buying a home in a more affordable city, with Edmonton ranking as the most popular destination for Toronto and Vancouver residents. According to the survey of 900 residents in Canadas largest cities, 50 per cent would consider purchasing a property in one of the countrys most affordable cities, if they were able to find a job or work remotely. The percentage of people willing to relocate jumps to 60 among renters, while 45 per cent of current homeowners say they would consider moving. Thunder Bay, Ont. topped the list in terms of being the most affordable city in Canada to purchase a home, based on the percentage of household monthly income required to service a monthly mortgage payment (22.2 per cent). Royal LePage used provincial median household income data and aggregate home prices for its analysis, and calculated mortgage payments using a three-year, fixed-term mortgage rate of 5.71 per cent, amortized over 25 years with a 20 per cent down payment. Saint John, N.B. was the second most affordable city in the country, with 25.1 per cent household monthly income required for mortgage payments, followed by Red Deer, Alta. (25.7 per cent), Trois-Rivieres, Que. (28.5 per cent) and Edmonton, Alta. (28.9 per cent). Out of the 15 most affordable cities, four are in Atlantic Canada, four are in Quebec, two are in Ontario, and five are in the Prairies. No cities in British Columbia made the affordability list. The Royal LePage survey found that Edmonton was the top choice among residents in the Greater Toronto and Vancouver areas for relocation if they were able to find a job or work remotely, while Quebec City was the most popular destination among those living in Greater Montreal. Theres an old saying in real estate, drive until you qualify. As housing affordability continues to deteriorate and Canadians face increasingly higher barriers to entry when buying a home, this adage is becoming more of a reality, Royal LePages chief operating officer Karen Yolevski said in a statement. Many aspiring homeowners in the countrys largest and priciest urban centres are seriously considering relocating to less expensive cities in order to get a foot on the property ladder. Housing affordability has led to many families fleeing Canadas largest and most expensive cities in favour of more affordable cities and regions. Statistics Canada data show a net intraprovincial migration people leaving one place for another within the province for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver combined of just over 132,000 people in 20222023. Thats down from more than 148,000 in 20212022 but far higher than pre-pandemic trends. The yearly average from 2001 through 2019 was just over 42,000. Story continues The survey was conducted by Leger Opinion between May 13 and May 16 and has an estimated margin of error of +/- 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted to reflect population data according to the latest census figures. Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Amidst a turbulent global backdrop, the Hong Kong market has shown resilience, with investors closely monitoring sectors that promise stable returns. As markets navigate through uncertainties such as interest rate speculations and economic slowdowns, dividend stocks like China Telecom have become a focal point for those seeking reliable investment avenues in Hong Kong. Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Hong Kong Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank (SEHK:3618) 8.10% CITIC Telecom International Holdings (SEHK:1883) 9.66% Consun Pharmaceutical Group (SEHK:1681) 8.86% China Construction Bank (SEHK:939) 7.38% S.A.S. Dragon Holdings (SEHK:1184) 9.00% China Electronics Huada Technology (SEHK:85) 7.66% Bank of China (SEHK:3988) 6.60% China Mobile (SEHK:941) 6.43% Sinopharm Group (SEHK:1099) 4.13% International Housewares Retail (SEHK:1373) 8.62% Click here to see the full list of 93 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener. Let's dive into some prime choices out of from the screener. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: China Telecom Corporation Limited operates primarily in the People's Republic of China, offering wireline and mobile telecommunications services through its subsidiaries, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$559.72 billion. Operations: China Telecom Corporation Limited generates CN512.75 billion from its integrated telecommunications business. Dividend Yield: 5.6% China Telecom, while trading at 66.9% below its estimated fair value, shows a mixed performance in dividend reliability with a history of volatility over the past decade. Despite this, its dividends are well-covered by both earnings and cash flows, with payout ratios of 68.7% and 52.9%, respectively. However, its dividend yield of 5.64% is lower than the top quartile in Hong Kong's market at 7.45%. Recent corporate changes include the retirement of executive director Mr. Shao Guanglu as announced on May 23, 2024. SEHK:728 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: VSTECS Holdings Limited operates in North Asia and Southeast Asia, focusing on developing IT product channels and providing technical solution integration services, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$6.98 billion. Operations: VSTECS Holdings Limited generates revenue primarily through three segments: Cloud Computing (HK$3.08 billion), Enterprise Systems (HK$40.41 billion), and Consumer Electronics (HK$30.39 billion). Story continues Dividend Yield: 5.3% VSTECS Holdings Limited, despite a lower than average dividend yield of 5.29% compared to Hong Kong's top dividend payers at 7.45%, has shown financial resilience with an increase in net income from HK$823.07 million to HK$922.03 million and a rise in basic EPS from HK$0.5815 to HK$0.6562 year-over-year as of December 2023. The company recently proposed a final dividend of HK$0.257 per share, maintaining its record of increasing dividends despite past volatility and coverage concerns with both earnings and cash flows supporting payouts at ratios of 39.2% and 61.4%, respectively. SEHK:856 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: CNOOC Limited operates as an investment holding company primarily focused on the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas with a market capitalization of approximately HK$1.01 trillion. Operations: CNOOC Limited generates its revenue primarily from the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. Dividend Yield: 6% CNOOC Limited, with a dividend yield of 6.04%, falls below Hong Kong's top quartile average of 7.45%. Despite this, the company has a sustainable payout with a low earnings payout ratio of 41.1% and cash payout ratio at 59.3%. Dividend payments have increased over the past decade but have shown volatility in the same period. Recent significant amendments to corporate communication methods were proposed on May 8, 2024, potentially impacting shareholder engagement and operational flexibility. SEHK:883 Dividend History as at May 2024 Make It Happen Explore the 93 names from our Top Dividend Stocks screener here. Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools. Simply Wall St is a revolutionary app designed for long-term stock investors, it's free and covers every market in the world. Searching for a Fresh Perspective? 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 SEHK:728SEHK:856 SEHK:883 Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson listens to Maj. Brandi Garner, then interim CEO of Oklahoma County jail, respond to a question during an April 2023 Oklahoma County jail trust meeting. An Oklahoma County commissioner targeted by protesters who oppose putting a jail at 1901 E Grand Blvd. has filed his tardy campaign reports. Commissioner Myles Davidson filed the reports May 13 after Sara Bana, a member of the Midwest City Council, complained to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission about his oversight. The reports reflect Davidson may have received too much money from some donors after the election. Davidson, a Republican, won election in 2022. He must continue to report donations at the Oklahoma County Election Board until he closes down his campaign committee. The reports Davidson filed cover quarterly periods during 2023 and through the end of March this year. They show he had overall raised $228,701.61 in cash and $2,000 in in-kind contributions. Most of the cash contributions $200,601 came from individuals. Another $18,000 came from political action committees and $5,100 came from the Republican Party. Davidson loaned his campaign $5,000. The campaign's expenditures through the end of March were $224,652.56, and the amount of funds his campaign still had on hand was $4,659.85, the records show. More: OK County hundreds of millions short of what's needed to build new jail Oklahoma County wants to build the new county jail off on this land on Grand Boulevard in a heavily industrial area in Oklahoma City near Crooked Oak Public Schools. Critics are asking whether any contributions Davidson received during his successful 2022 run to become the District 3 commissioner influenced efforts he has made to build the new county jail off Grand, a heavily industrial area in Oklahoma City near Crooked Oak Public Schools and just blocks away from Oklahoma City/Del City border. In particular, they point to donations William Garrett, part owner of the land the county seeks to buy as the jail's site for $5.1 million, made to the campaign and question whether those contributions influenced the commissioner's choice to build the jail there something Davidson denies. Garrett contributed a total of $2,900 to Davidson's campaign, the records show. A candidate for county office in 2022 was able to receive up to $2,900 from an individual donor each time that candidate's name appeared on a ballot, said Ashley Kemp, who retired from her post as the head of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission in January. Davidson was in a primary, runoff and general election in that race, meaning an individual could have contributed a maximum of $8,700 to his campaign, Kemp said. As for accepting contributions after an election, such as to help a campaign retire debt or pay for office holder expenses, an individual donor who had not yet exceeded $2,900 in total contributions in the election cycle could make additional contributions, but only up to that $2,900 total contribution limit. Story continues "This is to incentivize donors to contribute earlier when candidates need the funds. But it also provides an opportunity ... to assist with debt or officeholder expenses (after an election)," Kemp said. Davidson's records don't show any total donations that appear to have exceeded what state law allowed for his race. But several donations made after the election were in excess of $2,900. Ready-mix concrete company owner Curt Kudron's donation of $3,300 was made March 28. Real estate developer Anthony Mirzaie's donation of $5,800, contractor Matthew Barlow's donation of $5,800 and a $3,000 donation made by Action Safety & Supply founder Jerry Heitpas were all made March 29. When contacted about those, Davidson told The Oklahoman he had hired a professional company to handle his campaign finances and that they are reviewing the data, both to check its accuracy and to make sure no campaign finance laws were violated. He said he wasn't aware of the post-election contribution limit, but pledged the campaign would return any donations that weren't appropriate, based upon recommendations from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. "Everything is an open book," he said. This rendering shows what the exterior of the new county jail could look like if it were built at 1901 E Grand. Provided by Oklahoma County. County faces crossroads after city rejection of proposed jail location Commissioners issued a request for proposals from landowners on possible sites between 40 and 80 acres in size where a jail could be built in January 2023. They relied on a Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board to review and to evaluate potential sites' costs, topography, utility services, access to major roads and highways and distances from the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The oversight board began reviewing an initial five submissions from private landowners after they were received in March 2023. Private landowners offered four additional sites for the county to consider the following month. Governmental entities turned in suggested locations involving land they owned in June 2023, giving the board 10 potential locations to consider, including two located near Will Rogers World Airport. After considering 13 different locations, including one the county was offered for free, the oversight board recommended commissioners pursue four sites as potential jail locations in September 2023. The four sites were: Two locations owned by the city of Oklahoma City near Will Rogers World Airport. Land adjacent to the current jail at 201 N Shartel. 1901 E Grand Blvd., owned by Willowbrook Investments and Garrett and Co. Resources, offered to the county for $5.41 million or for free, in exchange for the 201 N Shartel site after the old jail was removed. Oklahoma County offered $2.5 million to acquire land near Will Rogers World Airport for the jail in October 2023, but Oklahoma City torpedoed that plan, fearing it could cost them future federal dollars to keep improving that facility. Commissioners Davidson and Brian Maughan voted to offer $5.1 million for the land at 1901 E Grand in April. Earlier this month, members of the Oklahoma City Council overwhelmingly rejected a request to obtain a special use permit to allow the property to be used as the jail's new home. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma's Myles Davidson files overdue campaign finances after complaint This area off Ocean Isle Beach Road and Old Georgetown Road could soon see hundreds of homes. A plan to bring 550 single-family homes to Brunswick County received support from the countys planning board earlier this month. Dubbed McMullan Tract, the proposed planned development looks to build 550 single-family homes on 249 acres of land on Ocean Isle Beach Road near Old Georgetown Road. The land is located in unincorporated Brunswick County. Portions of the land is zoned for medium-density residential use and portions are zoned for commercial low-density use. Just over 100 acres of the property will be designated as open space more than double the required open space for a project of this size in this zoning district. Over 13 acres will be dedicated as recreation space. The development will create an overall density of 2.21 dwelling units per acre. According to a staff report, water and sewer services for McMullan Tract will be provided by Brunswick County, while the roads within the development will be private. The project is expected to generate an additional 5,263 vehicle trips per weekday. A traffic impact analysis is required prior to the recording of lots, the staff report notes. No structures are set to be constructed within a flood zone. The property sits nearby Lakewood Estates, another residential development. Each of the impacted parcels is owned by McMullan Properties, LLC. Online records from the North Carolina Secretary of State website show Barrett McMullan as the companys registered agent. McMullan and his father, Rube McMullan, are local real estate developers behind some of Shallottes most popular gathering spots. A neighborhood meeting regarding the proposed project was held in April and drew a crowd of 50 people. According to the staff report, the main concerns from the surrounding community were clearcutting, stormwater impacts and the required emergency connection through Lakewood Estates. According to the staff report, the developer explained there would be a 30-foot vegetated buffer surrounding the property, wetlands would be preserved and greenspace would be preserved where possible. STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest Brunswick County news by signing up for the Brunswick Today newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Brunswick County planning staff recommended the project for approval and the planning board granted approval at its May meeting. The approval of the planning board is not an authorization to construct. The project must also obtain all necessary federal, state and county approvals and permits prior to construction, including a traffic impact analysis. Story continues Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter/X @jameybcross. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hundreds of homes approved in Brunswick County, NC Gitanas Naus?da, President of the Republic of Lithuania has sent a letter of congratulation to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of May 28-Azerbaijan's Independence Day. Azernews presents the letter: "His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Mr. President, I extend my warm congratulations to you and all the people of Azerbaijan as you celebrate Independence Day. I wish you, your country and its people continued peace, well-being and prosperity. Lithuania firmly supports Azerbaijan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. I strongly believe that you will continue to implement reforms leading to further national progress and transformation. We support and appreciate your country's efforts to achieve peace with Armenia. I welcome the recent agreement with Armenia on border delimitation, which provides a historic opportunity to agree on a lasting peace in the region. I would like to reiterate Lithuania's readiness to contribute to confidence building in the South Caucasus. I am convinced that dialogue and negotiations are the only way to reach a sustainable consensus. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union is significant. We support and encourage an increasingly advanced dialogue between your country and the EU. At a time when the whole world faces growing challenges and Russia continues its full-scale war against Ukraine for the third year, it is crucial to strengthen mutual understanding and find solutions to preserve the international order and to enhance stability. May I again offer congratulations on your Independence Day. Please accept, Mr. President, my best wishes and the assurances of my highest consideration. Respectfully, Gitanas Naus?da President of the Republic of Lithuania" Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (KLSE:DLADY) has announced that it will pay a dividend of MYR0.25 per share on the 20th of June. Including this payment, the dividend yield on the stock will be 1.4%, which is a modest boost for shareholders' returns. While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's stock price has increased by 46% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield. See our latest analysis for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward. The next year is set to see EPS grow by 37.5%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 24% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward. Dividend Volatility While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was MYR2.60 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was MYR0.50. This works out to a decline of approximately 81% over that time. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems. Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. In the last five years, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 6.9% per annum. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited. The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income. Story continues Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad that you should be aware of before investing. Is Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Eden Prairie-based Surmodics' stock soared Wednesday following news of its impending sale that will take the medical device company private. Private equity firm GTCR, based in Chicago, will pay $627 million or $43 per share for Surmodics when the transaction closes in the second half of the year, pending shareholder and regulatory approval. Health care and technology make up a main sector of GTCR's focus, with the firm announcing in May 2023 it had assembled an $11.5 billion fund to acquire companies in the technology, health care, financial and consumer services sectors. The firm currently manages $40 billion in equity capital Surmodics' stock closed Tuesday at $35.10 per share, but it was trading at 19.9% on Wednesday, bringing it close to the price that GTCR is paying. Surmodics makes components for medical devices, including coatings and in vitro diagnostic tests. Despite sale declining 6% to 8% currently, the company recently projected revenue of $122 million to $124 million for this fiscal year. "We believe that it makes more sense for a private equity firm to acquire [Surmodics] than a strategic since it generates >29% of its sales from coatings sold to other medical device companies, and we believe that its customers would be unlikely to purchase coatings from a competitor," wrote Mike Matson, senior research analyst with Boston-based Needham & Co., in a research note on the transaction. "We believe that the deal fairly values [Surmodics] ... and do not expect a higher offer or antitrust issues." Business with Medtronic accounted for 27% of Surmodics' revenue last year. Another 10% of it sales came from Abbott. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Surmodics said it's "business as usual" for the company despite the sale. "I am condent that this transaction will position the company to continue to deliver compelling benefits for physicians, patients and customers going forward," said Gary Maharaj, CEO of Surmodics, in a statement. In February 2023, Surmodics cut 13% of its staff in response to delays from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in approving its SurVeil drug-coated balloon. The FDA approved the device in June 2023. Surmodics had previously cut a deal with Abbott to sell the SurVeil device, used to treat peripheral artery disease by re-opening blocked or narrowed arteries in the leg. "We think a private equity deal makes sense. GTCR is a well-known, experienced player," said Brooks O'Neil, senior research analyst with Minneapolis-based Lake Street Capital Markets. Story continues O'Neil added Surmodics wasn't publicly for sale, so he wouldn't be surprised if "those guys at GTCR approached Surmodics" with a deal. As of Sept. 30, Surmodics had 376 employees, 101 of whom are outside of the U.S. thanks to Surmodics acquiring Ireland-based Vetex Medical in 2021 for $39.9 million. "We look forward to partnering with the Surmodics team to continue to expand the company's offering and broaden its reach," said Sean Cunningham, managing director at GTCR, in a statement. A representative with GTCR declined to comment further. Over the past two years, Europe has rapidly distanced itself from Russias energy commodities in protest to Russias war in Ukraine. The European Unions embargo on the import of crude oil from Russia came into force in December 2022, followed by an embargo on oil products (including petrol and diesel) in February 2023. Meanwhile, natural gas imports fell more than 70% to 43 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023 from 150 bcm in 2021. And now reports have emerged that Germany and the Czech Republic are pushing the European Union to completely eliminate the remaining energy sources Europe imports from Russia. According to Reuters, the two countries will ask Brussels to kick off regular high-level talks - potentially among countries' energy ministers to end the remaining imports of Russian energy. Although the EU has largely replaced Russian gas with natural gas (mainly in the form of LNG) from the United States and Norway, the bloc still got 15% of its gas from Russia last year. Last year, Russia sent more than 15.6 million metric tons of LNG to the EU, good for a 37.7% jump compared to 2021, the year before Russia's Ukraine invasion. Reuters has reported that Berlin and Prague plan to make the call during a meeting of EU countries' energy ministers in Brussels on Thursday. The ministers are set to discuss the obstacles they are facing in phasing out the still-high Russian energy imports. The latest move by Germany and the Czech Republic represents the latest attempt by EU members to work to fully sanction Russian gas imports. However, some EU members--including Hungary and Austria--remain heavily reliant on Russian gas. This implies that countries in support of a full ban can expect considerable pushback, with Hungary previously saying it would block such a move. The bloc has already banned imports of Russian coal and sea-borne crude oil, with exemptions for some land-locked countries. Source: Bruegel.Org Sanctions On Russian LNG Over the past two years, the EU and its Western allies including the United States have imposed a raft of sanctions on Russian energy commodities, including a $60-a-barrel cap on Russia's seaborne exports of crude oil. They have, however, avoided placing limitations on Russian gas as they tried to establish new source markets. Thankfully, the continent has been wildly successful at replacing Russian gas, managing to emerge from last winter with gas inventories at record levels. Europes search for new markets has been aided by record natural gas production in the U.S. as well as reduced heating demand thanks to two consecutive mild winters. Norway and the U.S. have replaced Russia as Europes biggest gas supplier: Last year, Norway supplied 87.8 bcm (billion cubic meters) of gas to Europe, good for 30.3% of total imports while the U.S. supplied 56.2 bcm, accounting for 19.4% of total. Beaming with confidence, Europe is now getting ready to pull the trigger: Politico has reported that the European Commission has proposed sanctions on Russia's LNG sector as part of Brussels 14th sanctions package against Russia. Under the proposed sanctions, EU countries would be prevented from re-exporting Russian LNG after receiving it and also ban EU involvement in upcoming LNG projects in Russia. The measures, however, wouldnt directly bar Russian LNG imports to the EU. Similar to previous sanctions, the proposed import ban is meant to disrupt Putins ability to continue financing his war in Ukraine. Although Russian LNG accounted for just 5% of the blocs energy consumption in 2023, it still netted the Kremlin ~$8 billion in revenues. A full ban on Russian gas by the EU is very likely to trigger another gas price rally. Natural gas has staged a big rally, with Henry Hub prices jumping from $1.61/MMBtu on 26th April to $2.66/MMBtu in Thursday's intraday session as markets increasingly price in more risk premium on the heated-up situation in the Middle East and Europe gets ready to ditch more Russian gas. Meanwhile, European natural gas prices eased slightly to 34 per megawatt-hour, close to the five-month high of 35.4 touched on May 23rd, amid expectations of lower supply amid robust cooling demand. The weatherman has forecast aggressive heatwaves in Europe later in the summer, with hotter temperatures expected in Northern Europe at the beginning of June, as well as excessive heat in France and Spain. Hot temperatures in Asia have also intensified bidding competition for LNG in major hubs, underscored by the 16.7% annual jump in imports from Japan in April. On the supply side, European courts may rule it illegal for Austrias gas giant OMV to pay Russias Gazprom for gas exports, potentially risking supplies to the country. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com European Commission Warns Several States over Energy Policy Noncompliance This article was first published on Rigzone here In its latest round of warnings, the European Commission has directed formal notices and a reasoned opinion to several member states for failing to comply with their obligations under EU energy regulations. In its May list of infringements, the Commission said it had sent formal notices to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia concerning third cost-optimal reports on building energy performance. Member states are required to establish minimum energy performance standards for buildings, which should strike a balance between investment costs and energy savings, achieving a "cost-optimal level." The Commission said calculating these cost-optimal levels is crucial. It allows member states to maximize the energy efficiency and renewable energy potential of their national building stock. It also prevents individuals and businesses from spending more than necessary on improving the energy efficiency of their homes and offices, it said. The non-compliant member states have two months to respond and address the Commission's concerns. If the Commission deems the response unsatisfactory, it may issue a formal opinion, it said. Take control of your future. Search THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Rigzone.com Search Now >> Meanwhile, a reasoned opinion was sent to Croatia urging the country to fully transpose the Renewable Energy Directive. A directive setting binding targets for renewable energy use by 2030 was issued in 2018, but Croatia has not yet met its obligations concerning the adoption of the EU directive into Croatian law, according to the Commission. The Commission previously sent warnings and initiated legal action, but after reviewing recent efforts, it determined Croatia's implementation remains incomplete. The Commission said that Croatia failed to submit a satisfactory correlation table or explanatory document specifying where the country transposed each provision of the Directive (EU) 2018/2001. While Croatia delivered a correlation table after a short suspension of the process, the Commission found the table to be lacking and that the transposition of the directive is still not complete. Croatia now has two months to address the shortcomings or face referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union. To contact the author, email andreson.n.paul@gmail.com More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform: >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on Rigzone.com << Amidst a backdrop of fluctuating global markets, with the Hang Seng Index recently experiencing significant declines, investors are increasingly attentive to stable income streams. Dividend stocks, such as those from China Hongqiao Group and other leading entities in Hong Kong, offer potential resilience and steady returns in these uncertain times. Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Hong Kong Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating China Construction Bank (SEHK:939) 7.58% Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank (SEHK:3618) 8.25% CITIC Telecom International Holdings (SEHK:1883) 9.73% Consun Pharmaceutical Group (SEHK:1681) 8.96% S.A.S. Dragon Holdings (SEHK:1184) 9.02% China Electronics Huada Technology (SEHK:85) 7.84% Bank of China (SEHK:3988) 6.74% China Mobile (SEHK:941) 6.48% Sinopharm Group (SEHK:1099) 4.20% International Housewares Retail (SEHK:1373) 8.62% Click here to see the full list of 93 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener. Let's take a closer look at a couple of our picks from the screened companies. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: China Hongqiao Group Limited, primarily engaged in manufacturing and selling aluminum products in the People's Republic of China and Indonesia, has a market capitalization of approximately HK$120.91 billion. Operations: China Hongqiao Group Limited generates CN133.62 billion from the manufacture and sales of aluminum products. Dividend Yield: 3.2% China Hongqiao Group's dividend history shows volatility, with payments not consistently growing over the past decade. Recently, shareholders approved a final dividend of 29 HK cents per share for 2023 at the AGM on May 14, 2024. Despite this instability, both earnings and cash flows adequately cover the dividends, with payout ratios of 30.8% and cash payout ratios of 21.9%, respectively. However, its current yield of 3.2% is low relative to Hong Kong's top dividend payers at 7.5%. SEHK:1378 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: First Tractor Company Limited specializes in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of agricultural and power machinery along with related spare parts globally, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$17.36 billion. Operations: First Tractor Company Limited generates its revenue primarily through the development, manufacturing, and sales of agricultural machinery and power equipment. Story continues Dividend Yield: 3.8% First Tractor's recent dividend of HK$0.352 per share, approved on May 29, 2024, reflects its ongoing commitment to shareholder returns despite a history of unstable and unreliable payouts over the past decade. The company's financial performance shows improvement with a significant earnings increase reported in Q1 2024. Although First Tractor trades at a favorable P/E ratio of 8.4x below Hong Kongs market average and has manageable payout ratios (32.3% from earnings and 34.5% from cash flows), its dividend yield remains modest at 3.85%, which is lower than the top quartile of Hong Kong dividend stocks at 7.5%. SEHK:38 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: China Medical System Holdings Limited operates as an investment holding company that manufactures, sells, markets, and promotes pharmaceutical products in the Peoples Republic of China, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$17.03 billion. Operations: China Medical System Holdings Limited generates revenue primarily through the marketing, promotion, sales, and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, totaling CN8.01 billion. Dividend Yield: 6% China Medical System Holdings' dividend history is marked by inconsistency, with a recent decrease approved at the AGM on May 9, 2024, setting the dividend at HK$0.086 per share for 2023a significant drop from the previous year. The company's payout ratios are relatively low (40% from earnings and 43.4% from cash flows), suggesting financial capacity to sustain dividends despite volatility in payments. Additionally, while trading below estimated fair value by 21.2%, its dividend yield of 6.05% is lower than many top Hong Kong payers, indicating less attractiveness for high-yield seekers. SEHK:867 Dividend History as at May 2024 Taking Advantage Click here to access our complete index of 93 Top Dividend Stocks. Have a stake in these businesses? Integrate your holdings into Simply Wall St's portfolio for notifications and detailed stock reports. Invest smarter with the free Simply Wall St app providing detailed insights into every stock market around the globe. Looking For Alternative Opportunities? 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 SEHK:1378SEHK:38 and SEHK:867. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com As of May 2024, the European stock markets, including Euronext Amsterdam, are navigating a complex landscape marked by fluctuating interest rate expectations and varied economic signals across the region. In this environment, dividend stocks continue to be a point of interest for investors looking for potential stability and steady income streams amidst broader market uncertainties. Top 5 Dividend Stocks In The Netherlands Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Acomo (ENXTAM:ACOMO) 6.56% ABN AMRO Bank (ENXTAM:ABN) 9.64% Randstad (ENXTAM:RAND) 4.59% Koninklijke KPN (ENXTAM:KPN) 4.39% Koninklijke Heijmans (ENXTAM:HEIJM) 4.27% Click here to see the full list of 5 stocks from our Top Euronext Amsterdam Dividend Stocks screener. Here's a peek at a few of the choices from the screener. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: ABN AMRO Bank N.V. offers a range of banking products and financial services to retail, private, and business clients both in the Netherlands and globally, with a market capitalization of approximately 13.05 billion. Operations: ABN AMRO Bank N.V. generates its revenue primarily through three segments: Corporate Banking (3.50 billion), Wealth Management (1.59 billion), and Personal & Business Banking (4.07 billion). Dividend Yield: 9.6% ABN AMRO Bank's dividend yield of 9.64% ranks in the top quartile within the Dutch market, supported by a modest payout ratio of 47.9%. Despite this attractive yield, the dividends have shown volatility over their eight-year history, reflecting some instability. Recent strategic moves include discussions to sell a stake in Neuflize Vie and form a partnership with BNP Paribas Cardif, potentially enhancing ABN's financial positioning without significantly impacting its capital ratios. ENXTAM:ABN Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Acomo N.V. is a company based in the Netherlands that specializes in sourcing, trading, processing, packaging, and distributing both conventional and organic food ingredients globally, with a market capitalization of approximately 519.50 million. Operations: Acomo N.V. generates revenue through various segments, including Tea (120.62 million), Edible Seeds (257.29 million), Food Solutions (24.07 million), Spices and Nuts (429.96 million), and Organic Ingredients (436.38 million). Dividend Yield: 6.6% Story continues ACOMO's dividend yield of 6.56% places it among the top 25% of Dutch dividend payers. However, its dividend history over the past decade has been marked by volatility and unreliability, with significant fluctuations in annual payments. Despite this, dividends are supported by a payout ratio of 85.7%, covered adequately by earnings and more comfortably by cash flows with a cash payout ratio of just 26.1%. The company also trades at a substantial discount to estimated fair value, suggesting potential undervaluation. ENXTAM:ACOMO Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Koninklijke Heijmans N.V. is a Dutch company involved in property development, construction, and infrastructure projects both domestically and internationally, with a market capitalization of approximately 559.32 million. Operations: Koninklijke Heijmans N.V. generates revenue through its Real Estate segment (411.79 million), Van Wanrooij segment (124.76 million), Infrastructure Works (800.03 million), and Construction & Technology (1.08 billion). Dividend Yield: 4.3% Koninklijke Heijmans reported stable earnings for 2023 with sales rising to 2.12 billion from 1.81 billion, yet net income remained flat at 60 million. Dividend payments have shown growth over the past decade but are marred by volatility and a lack of reliability, reflecting an unstable dividend track record despite a reasonable payout ratio of 37.1% and cash payout ratio of 59%. The recent stock split could affect future dividend per share values, complicating the outlook for consistent returns to shareholders. ENXTAM:HEIJM Dividend History as at May 2024 Seize The Opportunity Navigate through the entire inventory of 5 Top Euronext Amsterdam Dividend Stocks 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. Interested In Other Possibilities? This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include ENXTAM:ABNENXTAM:ACOMO and ENXTAM:HEIJM Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Over the past year, the United States stock market has experienced a robust growth of 25%, though it has remained flat over the last week. In this context, dividend stocks can be particularly appealing for investors looking for potential steady income streams in a market where earnings are expected to grow by 15% annually. Top 10 Dividend Stocks In The United States Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Columbia Banking System (NasdaqGS:COLB) 7.67% Resources Connection (NasdaqGS:RGP) 5.03% Silvercrest Asset Management Group (NasdaqGM:SAMG) 5.07% Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) 5.04% Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) 4.85% Ennis (NYSE:EBF) 4.83% CompX International (NYSEAM:CIX) 4.78% Carter's (NYSE:CRI) 4.85% Marine Products (NYSE:MPX) 5.51% Evans Bancorp (NYSEAM:EVBN) 5.02% Click here to see the full list of 209 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener. Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp., with a market capitalization of approximately $724.28 million, serves as the bank holding company for Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company, offering a range of community banking products and services in Virginia and Maryland. Operations: Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp. generates revenue primarily through its community banking segment, which amounted to $107.52 million. Dividend Yield: 4% Burke & Herbert Financial Services maintains a steady dividend yield of 3.97%, though it falls below the top quartile of US dividend stocks. The company's dividends have shown growth and reliability over the past decade, supported by a payout ratio of 77.3%. However, recent financials reveal a decline in profit margins from 33% to 19%, alongside substantial shareholder dilution over the past year. Despite trading at a significant discount to estimated fair value, concerns about future dividend coverage and profitability persist due to insufficient data on earnings and cash flow projections for dividends. NasdaqCM:BHRB Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Ohio Valley Banc Corp., with a market cap of $112.65 million, serves as the bank holding company for The Ohio Valley Bank Company, offering a range of commercial and consumer banking products and services. Story continues Operations: Ohio Valley Banc Corp. does not provide detailed segmentation of its revenue in the provided text. Dividend Yield: 3.6% Ohio Valley Banc Corp. reported a decrease in net interest income and net income in Q1 2024, yet maintained its quarterly dividend at US$0.22 per share. The company's dividend yield stands at 3.65%, below the top quartile of U.S. dividend payers but has shown stability and growth over the past decade, supported by a low payout ratio of 36.5%. Recent board changes and auditor appointments suggest ongoing governance adjustments, potentially impacting future financial management strategies. NasdaqGM:OVBC Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Arrow Financial Corporation operates as a bank holding company, offering commercial and consumer banking, along with financial products and services, with a market capitalization of approximately $410.11 million. Operations: Arrow Financial Corporation generates its revenue primarily through community banking, which accounted for $131.05 million. Dividend Yield: 4.2% Arrow Financial Corporation has recently declared a stable quarterly dividend of US$0.27 per share, reflecting its consistent shareholder returns despite a slight decline in Q1 2024 net interest income and net income compared to the previous year. The company also actively engaged in share repurchases, buying back shares worth US$10 million under its latest program, demonstrating confidence in its financial health. However, it's important to note that Arrow's dividend yield of 4.23% is below the top quartile for U.S. dividend stocks, which may affect its attractiveness to yield-focused investors. NasdaqGS:AROW Dividend History as at May 2024 Turning Ideas Into Actions Click through to start exploring the rest of the 206 Top Dividend Stocks now. Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools. Maximize your investment potential with Simply Wall St, the comprehensive app that offers global market insights for free. 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. Companies discussed in this article include NasdaqCM:BHRB NasdaqGM:OVBC and NasdaqGS:AROW. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Most Exxon Mobil (XOM) stockholders sided Wednesday with the company in its feud with activist investors and the nation's biggest public pension fund, voting to retain CEO Darren Woods and 12 other current directors on the oil giants board. The support for current directors was 95% of outstanding shares cast, although that was down slightly from 96% last year. Support for individual directors ranged from 87% to 98%, which was also down slightly from last years range of 91% to 99%. Shareholders also voted down environmental proposals that asked Exxon to revisit executive pay incentives for greenhouse gas emissions and expand its reporting on plastic production. "Today our investors sent a powerful message that rules and value-creation matter, said an Exxon Mobil spokesperson in an email to Yahoo Finance. Their vote signals a belief that we are on the right track. The CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Darren Woods, speaking May 6 at a conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images) (Apu Gomes via Getty Images) The vote marked an important test of the power balance between companies and activist investors. Exxon Mobil faced an attempted revolt led by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), which has a $1 billion stake in the company and oversees the country's largest public pension fund. CalPERS recommended that stakeholders use their votes during the company's annual meeting to unseat Woods and the entire board because of a refusal to drop a lawsuit filed in January against activist investors Follow This and Arjuna Capital. Exxon sued to block the activists shareholder proposal to adopt greenhouse gas emission reduction goals known as Scope 3 targets that have been adopted by Exxons corporate competitors. Exxon pressed forward with the case even after activists withdrew their proposal, arguing the need for greater clarity around shareholders' ability to resubmit proposals. "We expect the activist crowd will try and claim victory on todays vote, but common sense should tell you otherwise in light of the large margin of the loss," the Exxon Mobil spokesperson said. CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost said in a statement that "CalPERS did not take this vote lightly, but the significance of what's at stake cant be understated." "ExxonMobils lawsuit threatens to silence shareholders everywhere by stripping away their rights and role in improving a companys bottom line." Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS, in 2019. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo) (REUTERS / Reuters) A vote to retain the board ratifies the view that Exxon is about generating returns within the law and its resistance to the environmental proposals is consistent with that goal, said Eric Talley, an economist and law professor at Columbia Law School. Story continues The margins in these votes matter, he added, noting that a more significant drop in support would send a message to Exxon that it needs to take more imminent action to address shareholder concerns. "If you get reelected with kind of a bad aftertaste, in stockholders' view, I think that does put you on notice that this could happen again next time you're up for election," Talley said before the Exxon votes were counted. Exxon's ongoing lawsuit sends a message to future activists that the company will take a hardball approach, Talley said. In a post submitted to the Financial Times, Exxon's CEO said the suit was meant to bring clarity to SEC rules that govern how many times shareholders can submit repeat proposals. Woods said the defendants' proposal, voted down twice and submitted for a third consecutive year, amounted to a request to "limit sales and allow others to meet the worlds energy demand." In essence, Exxon's suit preempts SEC rules that allow for shareholders with a certain level of support to submit proposals three times. An Exxon service station, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) "It's almost like taking a chainsaw to cut a birthday cake," Talley said about Exxon's approach to filing suit before letting the SEC's regulatory process play out. "That effectively unlocks a Pandora's box of going straight to court for anything that you don't like." "It's clear that what they are effectively trying to do is play the long game here," Talley added. Last week, a federal district judge in Texas denied a request from Follow This and Arjuna to dismiss the case. However, the judge dismissed Follow This from the case, based on his conclusion that Exxon lacked jurisdiction over the Netherlands-based organization. Frost and CalPERS board president Theresa Taylor argued in the runup to Wednesday's vote that Exxon's directors were allowing Woods to "pursue a reckless and destructive effort." In a letter, they said the executives were improperly using US courts to diminish shareholder rights. The SEC, and not judges, they added, should decide the fate of disputed shareholder resolutions. In February, after Arjuna and Follow This withdrew their proposal, Natasha Lamb, chief investment officer at Arjuna Capital, said Exxon had no basis for continuing its attack. Were disappointed that Exxon is circumventing the SECs shareholder proposal process by proceeding directly to litigation in federal court which will result in silencing investors that voice climate-risk concerns," Lamb said. During Wednesday's shareholder meeting Woods said Exxon is working to decrease carbon emissions and emphasized limitations on decarbonization. "Today, the solutions needed to simultaneously reduce energy poverty and emissions don't exist at scale," Woods said. "The world needs government, academia, and the private sector to fully leverage their respective capabilities to develop more solutions." Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance (Bloomberg) -- The FBI said it has dismantled what is likely the worlds largest botnet an army of 19 million infected computers that was leased to hackers for cybercrimes. Most Read from Bloomberg The botnet, which was spread across more than 190 countries, enabled financial fraud, identity theft and access to child exploitation materials around the world, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by FBI Director Christopher Wray. Other violations tied to the botnet included bomb threats and cyberattacks, likely leading to billions of dollars in victim losses, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. The botnet was tied to more than 613,000 IP addresses located in the US, authorities said. Botnets are created when cybercriminals install malware on computers or other connected devices and harness them for nefarious activities, creating a zombie army of devices whose owners are usually unaware of what is happening. Law enforcement seized internet equipment and assets, and levied sanctions against the alleged administrator of the botnet, YunHe Wang, as well as co-conspirators, Wray said. Wang, a Chinese citizen, was arrested in Singapore on May 24, charged in connection with allegedly deploying malware and creating and operating a residential proxy service known as 911 S5. Singaporean authorities confirmed the arrest, which occurred based on an extradition request from the US. Singapore has been working with US law enforcement on the matter since August 2022, they said. It was started in 2014 and relied on a network of millions of compromised residential Windows computers, according to the US government. Wang then generated millions of dollars by offering cybercriminals access to these infected IP addresses for a fee, according to the Department of Justice. The US is now awaiting extradition, according to Brett Leatherman, deputy assistant director with the FBIs Cyber Division. We want him, you know, as soon as possible, Leatherman told reporters in a call on Wednesday. The FBI and international partners also executed multiple search warrants and interviews in Singapore and Thailand that could lead to additional arrests, he added. The law enforcement operation, named Operation Tunnel Rat, also seized luxury goods including expensive cars and watches worth $4 million, as well as more than $29 million in cryptocurrency and about $30 million in real estate in Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and elsewhere, plus 22 domains, officials said. Story continues Residential IP addresses became compromised when users downloaded certain free software or virtual private network apps, which unknowingly contained malware associated with the botnet onto their devices, Leatherman said. The FBI has issued a web page where members of the public can check if their IP address was among those compromised. --With assistance from Bernadette Toh. (Updates with information from Singapore in sixth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Spiral has announced a partnership with Fidelity Bank, a Louisiana-based bank with a mission to transform the way nonprofits bank and give back to its community. Fidelity Bank's partnership with Spiral will enhance its digital banking experience by turning everyday purchases into local impact and introducing an online Giving Centre. By integrating Spiral's Everyday Impact, Fidelity Banks consumers and businesses will be empowered to round up their everyday purchases to support their favourite causes, directly benefiting their Community Partners. In addition, Fidelity Banks new Giving Centre will enable customers to easily donate to their preferred charities directly from their online bank accounts. Through this Giving Centre, customers will be able to create a tailored portfolio of causes, track their charitable impact and receive a donation report for tax purposes Madison Burris, Director of Community Partners at Fidelity Bank, commented: "We are excited to enrich our customers' digital experiences, offering fun and impactful ways for them to contribute to their local communities and make a big difference. With Spiral, we are not just assisting our customers in supporting causes they care about; we are also empowering our Community Partners to drive more digital donations and create awareness for their important missions." By integrating with Spiral, Fidelity Bank will drive awareness and donations to local nonprofits directly from its customer base and create positive change in its local community through fundraising campaigns, donation matching, and community events. Shawn Melamed, CEO and Co-founder of Spiral, said: "Fidelity Bank has been supporting and providing banking services for hundreds of charitable organisations. By highlighting local nonprofits through everyday banking, they can elevate the efforts of their charitable missions, raise more contributions, and attract new donors. We look forward to helping more financial institutions amplify their community impact, increase digital engagement, and grow deposits from socially conscious consumers and businesses." "Fidelity Bank selects Spiral to help support local charities " 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. The Azerbaijani delegation led by Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations is visiting Turkiye with an am to discuss the prospects for cooperation with Turkiye`s relevant state authorities and organizations, Azernews reports. The delegation visited the grave of the founder of the Republic of Turkiye Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the Heydar Aliyev Park in Ankara. Chairman of the State Committee Ramin Mammadov paid tribute to the National Leader and laid a wreath at his monument. Delegation members familiarized themselves with the Anitkabir, Ataturk and the War of Independence Museum. The first of Sam Bankman-Frieds inner circle just received their punishment. On Tuesday, at the same Manhattan courthouse that saw the FTX founder undergo a brutal month of reckoning, a federal judge sentenced his former lieutenant, Ryan Salame, to 7.5 years in prison, even more than the five to seven years that prosecutors had requested. Salame, who had risen through the ranks from FTXs early days in Hong Kong to lead its Bahamas division, was always an outlier amid Bankman-Frieds nerd empire. He went to UMass instead of MIT, partied instead of playing board games, and doled out tens of millions of dollars in (illegal) donations to Republican candidates, rather than Democrats. Right until the end, he deviated from counterparts Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, and Gary Wang, pleading guilty but refusing to cooperate with prosecutors by pleading the fifth. And he paid the price. The surprising crackdown by the judge seems to be a response to an unclosed chapter from Bankman-Frieds crimesthe lingering question of campaign finance violations, which was one of the worst such cases in history and was meant to be the focus of a second trial against Bankman-Fried that never materialized. In Salames sentencing memo, where he asked for no more than 18 months in prison, the prolific donor admitted to taking loans from Alameda coffers to funnel to politicians with no intention of paying the company back. Salame clearly was not pleased with the judges severity. Echoing Bankman-Frieds ill-fated posting spree following the collapse of FTX, Salame took to X to voice his grievances. Hot damn, this is going to get interesting quickly, he (apparently) tweeted just a few hours after the decision, later mocking one of his own tweets from November 2022 where he seemed to voice support for Bankman-Fried. (Salame also tweeted asking who should get his first public interview. This reporter humbly reached out but has not received a response yet.) With Ellison, Singh, and Wang likely escaping any prison time, its a fair consideration whether Salames sentence was befitting of his crime, especially because he claimed to not know about Alameda stealing customer deposits, while the others did. He also revealed in his sentencing memo that he recently had a child with Michelle Bond, a crypto lobbyist and one-time congressional candidate. For those left seeking justice for FTXs blatant abuse of the U.S. campaign finance system, Salames sentence may offer some consolation. If and when Salame does give his first public interview, there will certainly be unanswered questions regarding the empires dark money operation, whose scale is still unknown. After all, Bankman-Fried claimed that he gave just as much to Republican candidates as Democrats, albeit through undisclosed channels. One of the few people who may have details has a new reason to talk. "Got to have a careful balance here," Salame tweeted this morning. "Trust me." Story continues Leo Schwartz leo.schwartz@fortune.com @leomschwartz This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Getty Images;Alyssa Powell/BI A few years ago, Nathaniel Hudson-Hartman, 38, calculated that he'd need about $1.5 million in savings to retire comfortably in his sixties. "I was making roughly $50,000 a year between my W-2 job and gig work, and I hope to enjoy retirement for about 30 years," he said. As of March, the Portland-based gig driver had roughly $100,000 in his 401(k) from a previous job and about $12,000 across other savings and investment accounts. In other words, he still has a ways to go. The average millennial said they expected to need about $1.7 million in savings to retire comfortably, according to a Northwestern Mutual survey of 4,588 US adults conducted by the Harris Poll between January 3 and January 17. However, the average millennial reported roughly $63,000 in retirement savings so far. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau's 2022 survey of consumer finances found that only about 62% of Americans between the ages of 35 and 44 had a retirement account like a 401(k), and among those who did, the median balance was $45,000. A common rule of thumb when it comes to retirement savings is that by age 30, one should have saved up 100% of what they make in a year. So if one earns a $75,000 salary at 30, they should have $75,000 in total across their savings, retirement accounts, and other assets. While millennials will need more money to retire comfortably, many are far away from the savings milestone experts suggest. Millennials are at risk of not having enough money to retire, a reality many in the boomer generation are currently experiencing. As a result, some boomers have postponed their retirements or returned to the workforce. According to 2023 Pew Research data, nearly 20% of Americans aged 65 and older are working. That number was 11% in 1987. However, millennials have their own unique set of obstacles compared to boomers. Millennials are more saddled with student debt than prior generations and face some of the worst housing affordability levels relative to income ever seen. What's more, the future of the US Social Security system is uncertain, and longer expected lifespans while a positive development will require more retirement savings. How to figure out how much retirement savings you need Tiffany Bell, a 36-year-old business management professional based in Houston, didn't always take retirement savings seriously. When she was 23, she said she didn't participate in her company's 401(k) plan. But after about a year of "chastising" from one of her supervisors, she said she finally gave in. Story continues "Their harping significantly changed the course of my life over the next decade," she told Business Insider. Over the past 10 years, Bell said she's meticulously tracked her budget and focused on saving. She now has roughly $280,000 in savings and retirement accounts. That's way ahead of many of her peers, but it might not be enough. Bell would like to retire around age 65 but isn't sure this will be possible. Using the NerdWallet retirement calculator, she estimated she'd need several million dollars in savings to retire comfortably. Assuming a 4% annual investment return on her $280,000 savings, she'd have about $900,000 in 30 years, her target retirement date. She'd have to invest an additional $40,000 each year to get to $3 million in savings by age 65. Initially, she put into the calculator that she'd need 80% of her annual pre-retirement income which is currently in the six figures to maintain her lifestyle in retirement. But when the calculator spit out a savings goal of over $6 million which felt impossible she tried 40% instead. This provided a $3 million savings goal, which she said still felt out of reach, but is a more realistic goal for now. "Ideally, I'd like to overshoot the target and actually have something to pass down to family," she said. "But it is depressing to think I might not even be able to save enough for myself." Fidelity recommends that people plan to need between 55% and 80% of their annual pre-retirement income to fund a retirement lifestyle they're satisfied with, though it depends on one's personal circumstances. While saving for retirement can be a challenge, developing retirement savings goals and figuring out if they're realistic is a crucial yet complicated part of the process. For example, the suggestion that people should have saved 100% of their salary by age 30, has many issues, experts say. One of them is that people don't always start working at the same point in their 20s, said Chris Chen, a certified financial planner and cofounder of financial advisory firm Insight Financial Strategists. "A lot of the time, when kids graduate from college, not very long thereafter, there might be graduate school, and that's going to put a dent in their style," Chen told Business Insider. "And for these people, getting to the level of one-times earnings can be very difficult." Meanwhile, he said, salaries for those who don't go to graduate school often won't be as high as those who do. Another problem with the rule is that the cost of living varies greatly depending on where one lives, says Judi Leahy, senior wealth advisor for Citi Personal Wealth Management. In big cities, costs are going to be much higher, but this is where job opportunities for some industries are concentrated. "If you're living in New York, it's going to be harder to save money than if you're in Montana," Leahy said. While financial advisors say you should have savings that equal your salary at 30, they recommend that people have three times their annual salary saved by 40. While still difficult, this one should be easier to achieve, in part because of the law of compound interest on previous savings, Chen said. When one is invested in securities like a bond or dividend-paying stock, they can choose to reinvest the yields they earn. Doing this repeatedly then snowballs the total return for the investor. In addition to speaking with a financial advisor, some free online retirement tools like those from Vanguard, Bankrate, and NerdWallet may be able to help people develop more personalized retirement goals, experts told BI. But these tools aren't without their limitations. Bell who used one of those calculators said her future is too uncertain to accurately assess her retirement needs. For instance, Bell doesn't know where she'll be living when she retires and if that home will be paid off. What's more, she can't anticipate what health needs she'll have when she stops working. "I have no idea where I'll be at that point in my life," she said. "To me, it seems almost impossible to guess what is really needed." To be sure, many millennials may feel similar to Bell: It can seem impossible to predict how much you'll need for possibly 20 or 30 years of your life without an annual salary. Even if someone saves what they think is enough, there's no telling exactly how much they'll need for any family emergencies or health crises that arise. If it turns out they haven't saved enough, the lack of a social safety net in the US means they may be forced to work well past their desired retirement age. How millennials can get their retirement savings back on track While some millennials are struggling financially, it's not all doom and gloom when it comes to their retirement prospects. A Vanguard report released in October found that early millennials people between the ages of 37 and 41 were better positioned for retirement than older generations. Vanguard attributed this in part to the passage of the Pension Protection Act in 2006, which it found made it easier for Americans to join their workplace retirement plans and increase their savings rates over time. In a Fidelity survey conducted last December in partnership with consumer research firm Big Village of more than 2,000 US adults with an investment account, 75% of millennials surveyed said they were confident they'd be able to retire when and how they want. The survey found that millennials started saving for retirement earlier than both Gen X and boomers. What's more, Fidelity research published last year found that, since 2020, millennials have seen a larger increase in median income than any other generation. But experts told Business Insider that for the other millennials who are behind on their retirement savings, there are a few tricks that can make up for lost time. First, start saving whatever you can, when you can. Nilay Gandhi, CFP senior wealth advisor at Vanguard, told Business Insider that he recommends people put between 10% and 15% of their annual pre-tax income toward retirement savings. Second, make sure you are putting money into a retirement account like a 401(k) or a Roth IRA which offers diversified investments and tax advantages and getting any deposit matches that your company might offer. Many firms match deposits up to a certain percentage of an employee's salary. The maximum one can contribute to a Roth IRA, which is funded by post-tax deposits, is $7,000 in 2024. For a 401(k), which is for pre-tax deposits, the maximum this year is $23,000. "They should religiously put their money in there, whether it is the Roth version or the traditional version, and at the very least pick up the match," Chen said. Third, if you have an investment portfolio, make sure it has the right mix of stocks, bonds, and cash. Leahy said that those in their 30s may want to think about leaning more heavily into stocks given their longer investing timeline and higher risk tolerance. Older investors may want to consider higher allocations to safer options like fixed-income assets, she said. "If you're trying to play catch up at 45 or 55 and you think you want to go all in on equities, it might not be your best bet," she said. The concern for some millennials isn't that they don't have the money to put toward retirement savings, it's that they're investing it too conservatively, Rita Assaf, vice president, retirement savings at Fidelity Investments, told Business Insider. Assaf said Fidelity's research found that millennials have seen the largest drop in "age-appropriate asset allocation," meaning they're holding too much of their savings in cash and bonds than she would typically recommend. "These indicators point toward a trend of millennials taking a more conservative approach to investing, which likely stems from the fact they have multiple other savings priorities of their own," she said. "The concern is that millennials may not end up with the appropriate mix of assets to help them adequately achieve their retirement goals." While a solid investment strategy is important, allocating more money toward saving is the most important step. "If an individual is not saving enough, even the best investment strategy is unlikely to help them reach their goal," Gandhi said. Savings outside a retirement account are also important, Chen said, and one should start by building up at least six months of expenses for an emergency fund. One way to do this is to have money deposited directly from their paycheck into a separate account. And with certificates of deposit paying annualized rates around 5% at the moment, Leahy said savers are even more incentivized to hold onto their money. Both Leahy and Chen also agreed that credit card use should be avoided for those who are not highly confident that they can pay off their balance every month. "Do not maintain a credit card balance. That's a great way to erode capital because the card is charging you anywhere from 12% to 22%," Leahy said. "So that item that you bought that was on sale that you really didn't need wasn't worth it." But for some millennials, following most of this advice might not be enough for them to reach their retirement goals. It could force them to join the millions of Americans working well into their sixties and later. Bell, for example, has started coming to terms with the possibility that she might have to work later in life than she initially hoped. "I'm fortunate to be in an industry that allows you to work well past retirement age because it's not very physically intensive," she said. Similarly, Hudson-Hartman said he takes comfort from the fact he enjoys working and has an income stream he can count on well past age 70 if necessary. "I always planned to do gig work part-time in my later years," he said. "I plan to just dial it back and work during busy times and keep my mornings and afternoons free." Are you a millennial willing to talk about your retirement savings journey? Contact these reporters at jzinkula@businessinsider.com and wedwards@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad (KLSE:HARISON) First Quarter 2024 Results Key Financial Results Revenue: RM621.2m (flat on 1Q 2023). Net income: RM15.0m (down 7.1% from 1Q 2023). Profit margin: 2.4% (down from 2.6% in 1Q 2023). EPS: RM0.22 (down from RM0.23 in 1Q 2023). All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago. Risk Analysis You should learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Harrisons Holdings (Malaysia) Berhad. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com? So should S2 Resources (ASX:S2R) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn. View our latest analysis for S2 Resources How Long Is S2 Resources' Cash Runway? A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In December 2023, S2 Resources had AU$9.6m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$6.5m. That means it had a cash runway of around 18 months as of December 2023. That's not too bad, but it's fair to say the end of the cash runway is in sight, unless cash burn reduces drastically. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. How Is S2 Resources' Cash Burn Changing Over Time? While S2 Resources did record statutory revenue of AU$169k over the last year, it didn't have any revenue from operations. To us, that makes it a pre-revenue company, so we'll look to its cash burn trajectory as an assessment of its cash burn situation. With the cash burn rate up 18% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. S2 Resources makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow. How Hard Would It Be For S2 Resources To Raise More Cash For Growth? While S2 Resources does have a solid cash runway, its cash burn trajectory may have some shareholders thinking ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn. Since it has a market capitalisation of AU$57m, S2 Resources' AU$6.5m in cash burn equates to about 11% of its market value. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted. So, Should We Worry About S2 Resources' Cash Burn? Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought S2 Resources' cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, we're not too worried about its rate of cash burn. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 5 warning signs for S2 Resources (2 are a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies with significant insider holdings, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts) Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. High Arctic Energy Services Inc. 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 LAW CALGARY, Alberta, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX: HWO) ("High Arctic" or the "Corporation") announces that, further to the Corporations news releases dated May 11, 2024 and May 21, 2024, and the management information circular of the Corporation dated May 9, 2024 (the Information Circular), which was mailed to shareholders of the Corporation, the Corporation has filed the managements discussion and analysis for High Arctic Energy Services Cyprus Limited (HAES Cyprus) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (the MD&A) on the Corporation's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The MD&A was not included in the Information Circular as a result of a clerical error made on compiling the Information Circular. As previously announced, the Information Circular relates to, among other things, a proposed plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") between the Corporation and High Arctic Overseas Holdings Corp. (SpinCo) and a proposed return of capital to shareholders of the Corporation ("Return of Capital"). The Corporation will provide, free of charge, a copy of the omitted MD&A upon request by any interested party. Please request a copy of the MD&A by sending an email to info@haes.ca. In the subject line of the email state "MD&A" and in the body of the email please provide your full name and mailing address, or email address if an emailed copy is requested, to ensure your request will be expedited. The following is a summary of the highlights of the MD&A. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the MD&A. The following is a summary review of risks, the results of operations, liquidity, and capital resources of HAES Cyprus and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes of HAES Cyprus for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, and the full text of the MD&A. CORPORATE PROFILE Headquartered in Nicosia, HAES Cyprus provides services in Papua New Guinea (PNG) through its wholly owned subsidiaries to the extractive industries with particular focus on exploration and production companies operating in the energy sector. HAES Cyprus conducts its business operations in three separate operating segments: Drilling Services, Ancillary Services and Production Services. Select Comparative Financial Information The following is a summary of select financial information for HAES Cyprus: Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD) 2023 2022 2021 Operating results Revenue 43,380 29,929 11,750 Net loss (2) (8,623 ) (4,958 ) (5,021 ) Oilfield services operating margin (1) 14,416 5,598 3,730 Oilfield services operating margin as a % of revenue (1) 33.2 % 18.7 % 31.7 % EBITDA (1) (2) (4,002 ) 3,065 2,004 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 11,354 5,517 1,975 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of revenue (1) 26.2 % 18.4 % 16.8 % Operating income (loss) (1) 4,575 (5,753 ) (7,033 ) Cash flow from operations: Cash flow from (used in) operating activities 8,906 2,632 (1,898 ) Funds flow from operating activities (1) 10,273 512 1,682 Capital expenditures 1,080 401 1,870 As at December 31 (thousands of USD) 2023 2022 2021 Financial position: Working capital (1) 20,335 12,173 12,442 Cash and cash equivalents 10,958 3,846 1,886 Total assets 43,374 50,570 68,462 Shareholders equity 33,112 41,734 57,445 (1) Oilfield services operating margin, EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization), Adjusted EBITDA, Operating loss, Funds flow from operating activities and Working capital do not have a standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS see Non IFRS Measures. (2) Net loss, EBITDA and other financial results presented were impacted by a ($2,858) inventory adjustment in 2022 and by ($15,200) asset impairment in 2023. Operating Results Drilling services segment Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD, unless otherwise noted) 2023 2022 2021 Revenue 35,494 23,600 8,456 Oilfield services expense 26,980 22,399 7,139 Oilfield services operating margin(1) 8,514 1,201 1,317 Operating margin (%) 24.0 % 5.1 % 15.6 % (1) See Non-IFRS Measures Revenues for FY 2023 increased over the comparable period in 2022 and 2021 primarily as revenues generated from the reactivation of Rig 103 in mid-March of 2023 far exceeded revenues earned in 2022 from the short-term contract awarded to Rig 115, and the lack of any meaningful drilling activity in 2021. Slightly offsetting the increased revenue from the higher drilling rig utilization in FY 2023 was a reduced level of revenue from the provision of manpower as personnel were allocated to roles in or supporting the increased drilling operations. Operating margin as a percentage of revenues increased in FY 2023. This was attributable to increased activity resulting from the full utilization of PNG Rig 103 from mid-March 2023 to the end of 2023. 2022 margins were negatively impacted by the inventory adjustment and obsolescence provision of $2,858 recorded and low margin reimbursable expenses incurred on behalf of HAES Cyprus customer in preparation for reactivating Rig 103 the following year. Ancillary services segment Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD, unless otherwise noted) 2023 2022 2021 Revenue 7,886 6,329 3,294 Oilfield services expense 1,937 1,866 806 Oilfield services operating margin(1) 5,949 4,463 2,488 Operating margin (%) 75.4 % 70.5 % 75.5 % (1) See Non-IFRS Measures The Ancillary services segment consists of HAES Cyprus oilfield rental equipment in PNG. In 2023, rental services revenue increased over FY 2022 as additional rental equipment was deployed with the Rig 103 drilling operations in PNG. Operating margin as a percentage of revenues increased in FY 2023 from 70.5% in FY 2022 to 75.4%. This was attributable to higher revenue results being spread over the relatively fixed cost base inherent in HAES Cyprus Ancillary services segment. General and Administrative (G&A) Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD, unless otherwise noted) 2023 2022 2021 G&A 3,619 3,657 2,420 Percent of revenue (%) 8.3 % 12.2 % 20.6 % G&A expenses totaled $3,619 for FY 2023, consistent with the $3,657 incurred in 2022 which itself was up 51% from 2021 as PNG exited the deepest restrictions imposed to attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 and HAES Cyprus returned personnel to full time employment. When compared to 2022 G&A, costs were relatively flat as headcount remained consistent throughout the two years. Non-IFRS Measures This summary contains references to certain financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to the same or similar measures used by other companies. HAES Cyprus uses these financial measures to assess performance and believes these measures provide useful supplemental information to shareholders and investors. These financial measures are computed on a consistent basis for each reporting period and include earnings from operations before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA), adjusted EBITDA, oilfield services operating margin, oilfield services operating margin %, operating income (loss), funds flow from operations, and working capital. Please refer to the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of the MD&A for a full description of each non-IFRS measure and the assumptions and limitations of each measure. Adjusted EBITDA The following table provides a quantitative reconciliation of consolidated net loss, as disclosed in the consolidated statements of loss and comprehensive loss, to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021: Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD) 2023 2022 2021 Net loss (8,623 ) (4,958 ) (5,021 ) Add: Interest income - (586 ) (389 ) Bank charges and finance expenses 243 107 20 Income tax expense (recovery) (1,844 ) 808 (949 ) Depreciation 6,222 7,694 8,343 EBITDA (4,002 ) 3,065 2,004 Adjustments to EBITDA : Inventory adjustments - 2,858 - Asset impairment expense 15,200 - - Loss (gain) on sale of property and equipment 13 (416 ) (39 ) Foreign exchange loss 143 10 10 Adjusted EBITDA 11,354 5,517 1,975 Oilfield services operating margin The table under Oilfield services operating margin % below provides a quantitative reconciliation of revenue, as disclosed in the consolidated statements of loss and comprehensive loss, to oilfield services operating margin and oilfield operating margin % for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Oilfield services operating margin % The following table provides a quantitative calculation of oilfield services operating margin and %: Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD, unless otherwise noted) 2023 2022 2021 Revenue 43,380 29,929 11,750 Oilfield services expenses (28,964 ) (24,331 ) (8,020 ) Oilfield services operating margin 14,146 5,598 3,730 Oilfield services operating margin % 33.2 % 18.7 % 31.7 % Operating income (loss) The table disclosed below provides a quantitative reconciliation of revenue, as disclosed in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss to operating income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021: Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD) 2023 2022 2021 Revenue 43,380 29,929 11,750 Oilfield services expenses (28,964 ) (24,331 ) (8,020 ) G&A expenses (3,619 ) (3,657 ) (2,420 ) Depreciation (6,222 ) (7,694 ) (8,343 ) Operating income (loss) 4,575 (5,753 ) (7,033 ) Percentage of revenue Certain figures are stated as a percentage of revenue and are used by management to analyze individual components of expenses to evaluate HAES Cyprus performance from prior periods and to compare its performance to other companies. Funds flow from operations The following tables provide a quantitative reconciliation of net cash generated from (used in) operating activities, as disclosed in the consolidated statements of cash flows, to funds flow from (used in) operations for years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021: Years ended Dec 31, (thousands of USD) 2023 2022 2021 Net cash generated from (used in) operating activities 8,906 2,632 (1,898 ) Less: Changes in non-cash working capital balances - operating (1,367 ) 2,120 (3,580 ) Funds flow from operations 10,273 512 1,682 Working capital The following tables provide a quantitative reconciliation of current assets, as disclosed in the consolidated statements of financial position, to working capital as at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021: (thousands of USD) As at Dec 31, 2023 As at Dec 31, 2022 As at Dec 31, 2021 Current assets 30,090 17,905 18,687 Current liabilities (9,755 ) (5,732 ) (6,245 ) Working capital 20,335 12,173 12,442 Working capital ratio 3.1:1 3.1:1 3.0:1 For more information on the Arrangement and the Return of Capital, please see the Information Circular and the Corporation's news releases dated May 11, 2024 and May 24, 2024, available on the Companys SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.com. About High Arctic High Arctic is an energy services provider. High Arctic is a market leader in Papua New Guinea providing drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rental equipment including rig matting, camps, material handling and drilling support equipment. In western Canada, High Arctic provides pressure control and other oilfield equipment on a rental basis to exploration and production companies, from its bases in Whitecourt and Red Deer, Alberta. For further information, please contact: Lonn Bate Interim Chief Financial Officer 1.587.318.2218 1.800.668.7143 High Arctic Energy Services Inc. Suite 2350, 3305th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0L4 website: www.haes.ca Email: info@haes.ca Forward-Looking Statements Forward-Looking Statements. Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. 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. High Arctic believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon by investors. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified, in their entirety, by this cautionary statement. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements, pertaining to the following: the timing and anticipated receipt of required regulatory (including stock exchange), court, and shareholder approvals for the Arrangement; the ability of High Arctic to satisfy the other conditions to, and to complete, the Arrangement; and the closing of the Arrangement, the approval by the Board and the amount and payment of the Return of Capital. In respect of the forward-looking statements and information concerning the anticipated completion of the proposed Arrangement and related transactions, High Arctic has provided them in reliance on certain assumptions that it believes are reasonable at this time, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner, the necessary regulatory, court, shareholder and other third party approvals; and the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Arrangement. These dates may change for a number of reasons, including unforeseen delays in preparing meeting material; inability to secure necessary shareholder, regulatory, court or other third-party approvals in the time assumed or the need for additional time to satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the Arrangement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. This forward-looking information represents High Arctics views as of the date of this document and such information should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. High Arctic has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those current expectations or estimates expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. However, there may be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as expected or estimated and that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from current expectations. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as results and future events could differ materially from those expected or estimated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, High Arctic undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. An aerial view shows homes on December 20, 2023 in Jesup, Iowa. In 2021, Iowa passed a law barring cities and counties from protecting voucher holders from overt discrimination by landlords. Scott Olson/Getty Images Stephanie Quinn was forced to move out of her Farley, Iowa, apartment this spring. Quinn's Section 8 voucher and her children's schooling hinge on finding new housing by July 11. Iowa law allows landlords to refuse vouchers, complicating Quinn's search for a new home. Stephanie Quinn was at work when her kids, 10 and 12, received a paper notice from their landlord informing them that the family wouldn't be offered a new lease on their three-bedroom apartment in Farley, Iowa. A 43-year-old mother of two, Quinn had 30 days to move out of the place she and her kids had called home for five years. The family has spent the last nearly two months staying with Quinn's boyfriend in his one-bedroom apartment, so that the kids can finish out their school year. But the living arrangement isn't sustainable, and Quinn has a looming deadline to find a new home. That deadline July 11 is imposed by the state housing authority and applies to Quinn's Section 8 housing choice voucher, which she's had for about 12 years. Quinn suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affects her motor and sensory nerves, compromising her mobility in her arms and legs. Though she receives about $1,000 per month in social security disability insurance, she also works at a local Subway sandwich shop to make ends meet. If Quinn doesn't find a new apartment with a landlord who will accept her voucher before July 11, she'll lose the crucial housing benefit, according to paperwork she received from the housing authority, which Business Insider reviewed. With the voucher, Quinn paid up to about $250 of her $875 rent each month, as the program requires tenants to spend no more than 40% of their income on rent. If she loses her voucher, it would likely take years to get another. "I'd have to go back on waiting lists, and I'm actually on a whole bunch of other waiting lists for income-based places, too, and they're about five years away," Quinn told Business Insider. Iowa lets landlords refuse voucher holders Quinn says she's contacted close to 30 landlords since March. Many have simply told her they don't accept housing vouchers. In 17 states and Washington, DC, turning an applicant down solely because they have a voucher is illegal the practice is known as "source-of-income discrimination." But in Iowa, the practice is allowed. In 2021, the state passed a law barring cities and counties from protecting voucher holders from overt discrimination by landlords. Story continues Quinn received a list of apartment options from the local housing authority, but the listings are mostly outdated. So she's turned to looking for rental listings on Zillow, Trulia, and even Facebook and Craigslist. But when she's inquired with these landlords and informed them that she has a voucher, they've largely rejected her outright. "It was a complete 'no' right away and 'no we don't do that, no we don't accept it,'" she said. "If it wasn't on the housing list, I pretty much got a no." Quinn has found a few property owners who say they'll take her voucher, but they're almost an hour away from Farley and Quinn needs to stay in the area to keep her kids enrolled in their school. Once school lets out for summer break, Quinn's kids will move in with a close friend in Dubuque until Quinn can find a new apartment. If she doesn't find a new home in the area before July, she's worried she'll have to temporarily put her kids in foster care so they can continue attending their school. Quinn is also concerned she won't live close enough to her 83-year-old grandmother, who she's the sole caretaker for. And she fears having to give up her job. The managers at her Subway shop have been very accommodating of her needs, purchasing special knives she can use and exempting her from finding replacements to take her shift when she's out sick. "I'm so upset that if I can't find something nearby, I have to leave this job," she said. A crucial but flawed benefit The federal Housing Choice Voucher Program is the biggest and most effective American housing assistance program. It aids about 5 million people in 2.3 million households who make less than 50% of their area median income to find rental housing on the private market. But a declining number of landlords across the US are accepting the vouchers, and a growing number of recipients are failing to secure housing through the program, Business Insider recently reported. At the same time, the program is severely underfunded. Quinn is among the one in four eligible Americans who actually receive a voucher. And the average wait time for recipients is two and a half years. About 10 million additional low-income households are going without the help they qualify for. Like Quinn, many voucher holders struggle to find a home that meets the program's requirements and a landlord willing to accept the applicant within the limited time as short as 60 days allotted to find a unit. Nationwide, only about 60% of voucher recipients are successful in finding a home with the subsidy. Housing experts have found that the home inspection process is a major pain point in the program. Before a voucher recipient can sign a lease on a home, it must be inspected by the local housing authority to make sure it meets a slew of health and safety standards. But that process can create lengthy delays, cause landlords to keep a unit empty and miss out on rent payments, and ultimately result in the voucher holder losing out on the home. But before a voucher recipient can even get to the inspection process, they need to find a suitable home that will take a voucher. Many landlords reject voucher holders even in places where source-of-income discrimination is illegal. The deck is even more stacked against low-income people in a state like Iowa. Quinn hopes her story will help others in even worse situations. "I've got a good family support system, and I know a lot of people don't have that," she said. Are you a housing voucher recipient or a landlord who's struggled with the housing voucher program? Reach out to this reporter at erelman@businessinsider.com . Read the original article on Business Insider HPS has announced that it has agreed to acquire CR2, a digital banking and payments software company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. This strategic transaction underscores HPS's commitment to enhancing its digital banking and payments capabilities. CR2, with offices in Dublin, Dubai, Jordan, India and Australia, is known for digital banking and payments solutions. Through its flagship platform, BankWorld, CR2 powers 90+ banks across more than 50 countries, offering a comprehensive suite of digital banking, digital wallet and payment functionalities. In addition, CR2s Partner Ecosystem combines the confidence of BankWorld with access to easy plug-in third-party fintech innovations. HPS views CR2s business as highly attractive and aligned with HPSs AccelR8 strategic growth plan HPS believes there is strategic synergy between the two businesses and that the parties respective complementary software and capabilities will help existing and new customers address their increasingly complex challenges CR2 is expected to contribute materially to HPS's financial performance by delivering new potential revenue opportunities in complementary markets. In addition, combining CR2s digital banking solutions with PowerCARD will enable HPS to strengthen its value proposition with current and new customers. HPS views CR2s business as highly attractive and aligned with HPSs AccelR8 strategic growth plan. HPS believes there is strategic synergy between the two businesses, and that the parties respective complementary software and capabilities will help existing and new customers address their increasingly complex challenges. "HPS acquires CR2" 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. The IFRS Foundation and African Development Bank are teaming up to develop the knowledge and capabilities for effective sustainability disclosure. The tie-up is in compliance with ISSB Standards to support investor decision-making. The bank groups African Financial Alliance on Climate Change (AFAC) and the IFRS Foundations International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) will lead on the partnership. AFAC is a voluntary platform that brings together diverse stakeholders within the African financial sector. This includes regulators, policymakers, and civil society to collectively tackle climate change and encourage sustainable finance African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said: We are committed to supporting markets across Africa to advance sustainability disclosure practices. Through our partnership with the IFRS Foundation we will deliver capacity building and assistance. This will lead to enhanced transparency, accountability and efficiency. The goal is to mobilise capital flows across Africa." IFRS Foundation Trustees Chair Erkki Liikanen added: We thank the African Development Bank for their important partnership as we prioritise helping companies and jurisdictions develop the skills and capabilities to adopt the ISSB Standards. ISSB Chair, Emmanuel Faber said: We have heard from African companies of the perceived benefits in using the ISSB Standards. Through our partnership with the African Development Bank, we will be better placed to unlock the benefits of sustainability reporting for African companies and economies. There is strong support for the introduction of ISSB Standards with jurisdictions from around the world. Countries including Nigeria and Kenya have signalled their intent to adopt or otherwise use them. "IFRS Foundation and African Development Bank join forces to promote sustainability-related financial disclosures" 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. On May 28, 2024, Taha Kass-hout, Chief Technology Officer of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GEHC), sold 3,300 shares of the company. The transaction was reported in a recent SEC Filing. Following this sale, the insider now owns 67,300 shares of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. GE HealthCare Technologies Inc operates in the healthcare sector, focusing on the development and manufacturing of medical imaging, monitoring, biomanufacturing, and cell and gene therapy technologies. The company plays a crucial role in providing global healthcare solutions. Shares of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc were priced at $78.7 on the day of the transaction. The company's market cap is approximately $35.81 billion. The price-earnings ratio stands at 22.94, which is below the industry median of 25.84, indicating a potentially favorable valuation relative to its peers. Over the past year, the insider transaction history at GE HealthCare Technologies Inc shows a trend with 1 insider buy and 4 insider sells. Taha Kass-hout has sold a total of 3,300 shares and has not made any purchases during this period. Insider Sale: Chief Technology Officer of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc (GEHC) Sells Shares For more detailed valuation metrics, investors might consider looking at the GF Value, price-sales ratio, price-book ratio, and price-to-free cash flow of GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. This sale by the insider could be part of personal portfolio management or other financial considerations. Investors often monitor insider transactions as they can provide insights into how the company's top executives view the stock's 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. By Alimat Aliyeva The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Azernews reports. South Korean President Yun Seok-yel and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Seoul. During the meeting, they signed an agreement on strengthening bilateral economic partnership in areas such as trade liberalization and investment expansion. The UAE's sovereign Wealth Fund also reaffirmed its previous commitment to invest $30 billion in South Korea. Both sides signed an agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on climate change, energy, infrastructure, nuclear energy, intellectual property, defense and technology. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in South Korea for two days and became the first UAE president to make a state visit. It should be noted that the UAE is the first Arab country to sign a free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. Key Insights Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, 29Metals fair value estimate is AU$0.85 29Metals' AU$0.56 share price signals that it might be 34% undervalued Our fair value estimate is 92% higher than 29Metals' analyst price target of AU$0.44 Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of 29Metals Limited (ASX:29M) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for 29Metals The Model We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) -AU$77.6m AU$124.9k AU$64.5m AU$159.8m AU$104.2m AU$76.7m AU$63.0m AU$55.6m AU$51.4m AU$49.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Analyst x2 Analyst x3 Est @ -26.39% Est @ -17.80% Est @ -11.78% Est @ -7.57% Est @ -4.62% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3% -AU$71.0 AU$0.1 AU$49.4 AU$112 AU$66.7 AU$44.9 AU$33.8 AU$27.3 AU$23.1 AU$20.1 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$306m The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.3%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.3%. Story continues Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$49m (1 + 2.3%) (9.3% 2.3%) = AU$711m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$711m ( 1 + 9.3%)10= AU$292m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$598m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$0.6, the company appears quite good value at a 34% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf Important Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at 29Metals as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.533. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for 29Metals Strength Debt is well covered by earnings. Weakness Shareholders have been diluted in the past year. Opportunity Forecast to reduce losses next year. Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%. Threat Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow. Has less than 3 years of cash runway based on current free cash flow. Looking Ahead: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For 29Metals, we've compiled three relevant items you should assess: Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for 29Metals you should know about. Future Earnings: How does 29M's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. On a flight to Wilmington, Delaware, Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld and Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham kept running through their pitch. It was 2016, and they needed to convince executives with DowDuPont that their storied Pioneer seed business an agricultural powerhouse that employed about 2,600 Iowans and had invested $165 million in offices, laboratories and greenhouses in Johnston should remain in Iowa. Dierenfeld feared Johnston could lose Pioneer, the nations first hybrid seed company, founded in the city nearly 100 years ago. It was a very big threat, Dierenfeld says, adding, she didnt want to imagine" Johnston without Pioneer. Julian Chaky, biotechnology trait characterization and development lead at Corteva, gives a tour of a fully automated, 4-acre greenhouse at the company's Johnston facility. Offered $17 million in city and state incentives, DowDuPont made Johnston one of two global business centers for its soon-to-be-created agricultural conglomerate, Corteva Agriscience, which is now a $17.2 billion publicly traded company. On its fifth anniversary, Corteva now employs about 3,000 people in Johnston and nine seed production and research facilities across Iowa, says Tim Glenn, executive vice president of Cortevas seed business. The business has pumped $750 million into research in Johnston and Iowa since Dow and DuPont finalized its $130 billion merger seven years ago mostly for salaries making it an important piece of the city and states economy. From 2018: DuPont Pioneer will become Corteva Agriscience Corteva also is playing a pivotal role on the global stage, helping farmers address increasing impacts from climate change. That means producing crops with increased ability to withstand hurricane strength winds and with better resistance to yearslong drought and new and dangerous insects and disease. Think about the equator. Theres a lot more pests. A lot more diversity. And those are just expanding as we see temperature shifts occurring, says Sam Eathington, Cortevas chief technology officer. Its a constant battle. Climate change, combined with a growing global population, creates the need for crop technology that can deliver improved yields while reducing their environmental footprint, says Seth Goldstein, an agriculture sector analyst for Morningstar Research Services. I think Corteva can be at the forefront of developing these new products. Creating 'more than 2 million data points' a day in the quest for more durable crops A polymerase chain reaction machine runs genetic tests on plant material at Corteva in Johnston. In laboratories on Cortevas Johnston campus, scientists like Piero Barone and Dinakar Bhattramakki evaluate billions of sites in the plant DNA, identifying traits that will help farmers grow better crops higher yielding, more nutritious and better able to fight disease and pests. Story continues Think 23andMe for plants, but on steroids. From 2022: This Iowan knew she could improve COVID testing, but her lab was at a seed company. Would they help? Bhattramakki doubts any lab assessing human DNA creates and evaluates as much data as Corteva. In 2002, the company produced 1 million DNA plant data points, but now creates "more than 2 million data points in a day, he says. The breadth of Corteva's storehouse of genetic material enables it to address the growing climate change challenges that farmers face, says Eathington, who points to the tar spot fungus as an example. It can cut about 20% from a farmers corn harvest, and Iowa agronomists first spotted it in a few fields a couple of years ago. Historically, its more of a problem in central parts of the world by the equator, Eathington says. It's now a problem in the Midwest. Fortunately, Pioneer had genetics that have tolerance to the disease, so we were able to quickly bring solutions to the farmers that were dealing with that issue. Like its largest competitor, Bayer AG, Corteva also is working to develop a high-yielding, short-stature corn plant that can better withstand high winds like the August 2020 derecho that swept through Iowa and seven other Midwestern states with 140 mph gusts. The storm damaged an estimated 2.6 million acres of crops in Iowa, mostly corn, according to a NASA Harvest 2020 report. About 550,000 acres couldnt be harvested, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. More: Ex-ISU QB Brock Purdy adds another agricultural heavyweight to his social media ad roster We all think of seed as a pretty basic thing, says Glenn, Cortevas seed business leader. Its something you take and stick in the dirt. But its incredibly high-tech. Eathington says Corteva is working on products now that wont enter the market for a decade after undergoing extensive lab and field tests to ensure they can provide the benefits sought. Then they must go through regulatory evaluation. A lot of special things have to happen for us to produce that next great product, Glenn says. Corteva invests billions to figure out how to kill bugs without chemicals Senior research manager Dinakar Bhattramakki explains the use of PCR genetic testing during a tour of the Franklin Research Center at Corteva in Johnston. Morningstars Goldstein says Corteva can help farmers grow crops more sustainably with new seed technology and products like biologicals, which look to natural organisms to improve plant health and boost production as well as protect them from pests and disease. For example, instead of spraying a chemical that kills the insect, farmers would spray biologicals that could use "organisms like bacteria that would naturally kill insects, Goldstein says. That basically means no chemical runoff from the soil and no leaching into the water, he says, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by cutting chemical use. More: Where's the beef? New Iowa labeling law sticks a fork in 'meatless' alternatives In 2022, Corteva purchased biological companies Symborg, based in Spain, and the Stoller Group, based in Texas, saying it expects the market to grow to $30 billion by 2035 and represent 25% of the overall crop protection market. Corteva says it paid $1.2 billion in cash for Stoller. It didnt release details of its deal with Symborg. Faisal Hersi, an Edward Jones analyst, says Corteva expects to generate $24 billion in revenue from new seed and crop protection innovation through 2035, with $15 billion coming from seeds. They have really good return on investment on that R&D, expecting to generate $20 of revenue for every dollar invested, Hersi says. They have an opportunity to continue to improve their long-term profitability because of that strong innovation pipeline. Another example of that strength, Hersi says, is Corteva's goal to reach royalty neutrality by 2030, earning as much for licensing technology as it pays. While innovation is good for the bottom line, Hersi says its critical to meeting the growing demand for food. The worlds population is expected to add 2.2 billion people by 2050, requiring a 56% increase in food production to feed almost 10 billion people. There needs to be more food to feed these souls, Hersi says, and Corteva is playing a role in that as well. Precise gene 'editing' cuts or inserts traits to fight weeds and diseases Piero Barone discusses gene editing during a tour of the Franklin Research Center at Corteva in Johnston. Companies like Corteva and Bayer AG have traditionally used genetic engineering to improve plant performance, using a naturally occurring bacteria to insert new DNA into a plant to improve plant growth and yield, provide resistance to pests, and allow corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops to be sprayed with herbicides. Roughly 90% of U.S. farmers have adopted genetically engineered crops, helping boost production and reduce chemical use. But critics say herbicide use continues to grow, creating concerns about their impact on environmental and consumer health. Monsanto, the Bayer company that developed glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, faces billions of dollars in lawsuits that allege the weed killer causes some cancers. More: After a decade, CRISPR gene editing is a 'revolution in progress.' What does the future hold? An emerging technology called gene editing allows scientists to find, cut and insert desired traits, without introducing foreign DNA. Barone, a leader of Cortevas genome editing, compares it to word processing. If you think of DNA as a paragraph that you have written. And you realize there is a misspelling. Gene editing allows you to go in and correct it in a precise manner, he says. Eathington told analysts a year ago that gene editing could be transformative. For example, production loss in U.S. corn and soybeans due to disease problems costs about $7.5 billion annually. We believe gene editing crops can significantly change this," Eathington says. "Using corn as a pilot, we have identified a pipeline of native genes to target major disease problems, he says. We have successfully enhanced these genes to improve the level of disease resistance. The U.S. has approved gene editing for corn, soybeans and other crops, but other countries are weighing regulatory approval. "We're sorting through the global regulatory systems," Eathington says. Many farmers see Corteva's seeds as worth their higher price Even though farm incomes are forecast to fall 25.5% this year, seed purchases tend to be the most insulated, says Morningstars Goldstein, with farmers more willing to cut back on other costs like chemicals, fertilizers and new equipment. Corteva contracts with 700 Iowa farmers to grow corn and soybean seeds, producing about 25% of the U.S. supply. It has similar partnerships with farmers across the country and world to create seed. Farmers tend to be willing to pay up for seeds that offer better technologies, Goldstein said. So far, the two big seed companies Bayer and Corteva have been able to develop new seeds that justify a higher price because the farmer either saves some other expense or gets a better yield. More: Pair behind 'Doomsday vault,' a bank of 1.25 million seeds, win $500,000 World Food Prize And while commodity prices have fallen off from 2022 highs, Edward Jones' Hersi says we should continue to see an attractive operating environment for farmers versus the challenges they've seen, let's say in 2017 to the first half of 2021, when corn prices dropped to around $3 a bushel. After hitting a record high in 2022, farm incomes have steadily declined, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Tumbling 16% in 2023, farm profits are forecast to fall another 25.5% this year with mostly declining grain and livestock prices, the USDA reported in February. Hersi expects corn prices to remain stable at $4 to $5 a bushel. We don't envision the market going back to that four-year ag downturn, he says. Johnston mayor: No regrets on spending to keep Pioneer Each individual plant is monitored in a fully automated, 4-acre greenhouse at Corteva in Johnston. Eight years ago, when Dierenfeld, the Johnston mayor, and Durham, the state economic development director, urged DowDuPont executives to keep Pioneer's seed operations in Iowa, they also pitched Johnston as the new agricultural spinoffs headquarters, which came with about 200 executive jobs. We dream big, Dierenfeld says. A few weeks later, the $130 billion merged company named Johnston and Indianapolis, home to Dow Agrosciences, part of Michigan-based Dow, as its global business centers. The prized headquarters, however, went to Wilmington, DuPont's historic base. Johnston was willing to pay $3 million in incentives for the headquarters, tripling the amount it provided to become Cortevas global business center. More: Will Corteva benefit after EPA bans dicamba products of Bayer and other companies? The state provided a $2 million forgivable loan and up to $14 million in research activities tax credits to retain Pioneer's operations. State incentives would have climbed to nearly $19.6 million had Iowa landed the headquarters, the economic development agency now discloses. In Indiana, officials pledged up to $24 million in tax credits, tied to creating 600 new jobs and retaining 1,150 positions, in 2016. Nearly three years later, Indianapolis city officials agreed to give the company $30 million to retain about 1,400 workers. In a low-key announcement, Corteva said in 2022 it was moving its headquarters to Indianapolis from Wilmington. CEO Chuck Magro said at the time it made sense for the company to be closer to its technology hubs and the farmers they serve. In Iowa, Dave Wilwerding, Johnstons community development director, says the company met the requirements for the global business center incentives that it retain 250 to 500 research jobs and make $500,000 in capital investments, most of which was spent on Cortevas insectory. And Corteva met the requirements to retain 500 jobs to receive the $2 million forgivable loan, the Iowa Economic Development Authority said. But it fell short of retaining 2,303 jobs, most of which were required to be high-paying, cutting the tax incentives by 5.1% to $13.3 million. Though the effort fell short of its ambitions in some respects, it would have been extremely difficult for Johnston to find a company to replace Corteva, Wilwerding says. You don't just go find a user to take over hundreds of thousands of square feet of office and lab space, he says. Glenn, who heads Cortevas seed business, says the DowDuPont merger created duplications in some jobs. Since then, however, Corteva has reinvested and continues to expand. Dierenfeld says she has no regrets about offering incentives to Corteva, which has retained the Pioneer seed brand. Pioneer lobbied in the late 1960s for Johnston to become an incorporated city, she says. It built many of the neighborhoods where she and others live. It donated the land for schools and parks. The companys economic impact has been felt over the decades and will continue to be felt strongly here, Dierendfeld says. Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 years later, was keeping Corteva Agriscience in Johnston a good move? In this article, we take a look at the least feminist country in the world. If you wish to see our full list, please switch over to 20 Least Feminist Countries in the World. A Historic Milestone On June 2nd, Mexico is set to witness what The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) describes as a landmark election. It is expected to be the largest election in the nations history, with an anticipated turnout of approximately 99 million voters, per The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT). However, what makes the election truly unprecedented is that Mexico is on the brink of electing its first-ever female president. According to The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), both front runners in the election campaign are women, namely Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez. The imminent election of a female president in Mexico isnt an isolated event. Rather, it is part of a much larger global effort to not only challenge gender-based social and cultural inequities but also ensure that women can play a critical role in driving political and economic success. Women-led Businesses Politics isnt the only area where women have managed to secure high-level positions. Just a few years ago, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) appointed Jane Fraser as its CEO, marking it as the first time ever that a major Wall Street bank was led by a woman. Currently, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is one of the notable names, alongside General Motor Company (NYSE: GM), and Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), that have women in chief executive roles. However, appointing female CEOs isnt a symbolic gesture to gain social capital. In fact, a recent study by Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) showcases how impactful female business owners have been in growing their businesses since the pandemic. According to Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), from 2019 to 2023, women-owned businesses growth rate outpaced the rate of mens 94.3% for number of firms, 252.8% for employment, and 82.0% for revenue. The Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) Impact of Women-Owned Business Report 2024 also revealed that during the pandemic, women-owned businesses added 1.4 million jobs and $579.6 billion in revenue to the US economy. However, like almost every other facet of life, despite their significant contributions to the global economy, women continue to be subjected to inequitable working conditions. Gender Inequality According to the Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), 51% of peri and post-menopausal women report menopause negatively impacted their work life. Yet, Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) reports that only 14% of these women believe their employers recognize the need for menopause-specific benefits. Moreover, other than a select few nations in the world, most nations, including the US, have no state or federal-level policies to mandate menstrual leaves. Apart from a lack of mindfulness of women-centric challenges, many other biases result in women being financially exploited. A government survey on gender pay gaps in Australia showed that the average gender pay gap of surveyed companies was 19%. This gap was even more significant in firms such as Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), where the gap was 48% and 42% respectively. Similarly, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) had a gap of 29%, although the company maintained that this gap was due to a higher proportion of men in senior roles. Although several nations have managed to overcome gender inequality to a significant extent, women in most countries continue to suffer at the hands of social and cultural stigmas. This is particularly evident in the developing world, where many countries have poor gender equality and gender pay gaps are often substantially higher than the global average. A study on gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023 revealed that women earn 40 to 46 percent less than men in urban areas. United Nationss Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 revealed that women held only 28% of management positions globally in 2021. Despite it already being poor, the situation in Northern Africa, Western Asia, and Central & South Asia is even worse, with a figure of just 15%. This is despite the fact that gender equality is considered to be one of the most important factors in alleviating poverty. In fact, Moodys Analytics, a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) claims that the global economy is losing out on at least $7 trillion of economic gains each year due to a failure to reach gender parity in the workforce. With these factors considered, if youre wondering which country has the worst gender pay gap or where is gender inequality most common in the world, join us as we look at the least feminist countries in the world. Our Methodology To develop our list of least feminist countries in the world, we utilized 4 different datasets. These included UNDPs GENDER INEQUALITY INDEX (GII), World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), UN Womens Women Empowerment Index, and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Securitys (GIWPS) Women Peace and Security Index. Using data from all 4 sources, we calculated an aggregate score for each country. The list was sorted in descending order, with the top 20 items being selected as the least feminist countries in the world. At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here). Our methodology revealed that Yemen is the least feminist country in the world. 1. Yemen Insider Monkey Score: 4.00 Yemen is currently experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with 17.6 million people facing food & nutrition insecurity and 4.5 million people currently being displaced. According to UNWFP, in January 2024, 52% of the surveyed households in Yemen were unable to access adequate food. As with other cases of political conflicts, the current situation in Yemen has exacerbated gender disparities. Over 30 percent of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 18, often because families fail to meet basic needs such as putting food on the table, instead marrying their daughters in the hopes of offering them a better life whilst also alleviating their own financial hardships. For years, authorities have also implemented strict restrictions on travel, requiring women to be accompanied by male guardians when traveling. Consequently, women experiencing domestic abuse cannot leave their homes without their husbands permission and can even be disciplined by their partners to ensure they comply. Those managing to escape the vicinity of their homes arent better off either. According to a report on gender-based violence in Yemen, during the first 7 months of 2022, Houthi forces abducted over 100 girls on false prostitution charges, subjecting them to virginity tests and assaulting them while in custody. Although Yemen is the least feminist country in the world, our list reveals that in terms of sexual violence and discriminatory legal frameworks, some countries might actually be worse. If youre interested in finding out which other countries in the world rank worst in terms of gender equality, check out our free-full list of 20 Least Feminist Countries in the World. At Insider Monkey, we delve into a variety of topics, ranging from the most and least feminist countries in the world to retirement and investment strategies; however, our expertise lies in identifying the top-performing stocks. Currently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology stands out as one of the most promising fields. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVDA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best Places to Live on Only a Social Security Check and 11 Simple Money Moves to Retire a Millionaire. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com The future of Social Security remains a looming question for millions of Americans who count on those benefits in retirement. If President Joe Biden wins a second term, his administration will face mounting pressure to make changes for the future of the Social Security program. Substantial reforms may be necessary to ensure the program remains available for generations to come. Read Next: Retirement Savings: 4 Expenses Retirees Regret Keeping in Their Budgets, According to Experts For You: 9 Easy Ways To Build Wealth That Will Last Through Retirement Current projections suggest that Social Security will run dry by 2034, which means that hard choices may be needed to shore up the programs finances. The decisions made during a potential Biden second term could dramatically reshape Social Security for both current and future retirees. Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. A Means Test for Benefits Aaron Cirksena, founder and CEO of MDRN Capital, suggested that one potential change that Biden could implement would be a potential way to means test Social Security benefits for higher net worth people. This would mean reduced monthly checks for higher net-worth retirees, while preserving more generous benefits for lower and middle-income seniors. It would mark a big change from Social Securitys current policy of providing the same benefits (in terms of percentages) to all retirees, regardless of their wealth. Be Aware: Retirement Spending: 9 Things Even Spendthrifts Dont Waste Money On Addressing the Long-Term Crisis Of course, Biden may have to take even bolder action to address Social Securitys looming problem of dwindling funds. The Social Security Administrations latest projections indicate that the programs funds will be depleted by 2034, at which point incoming payroll taxes will only be sufficient to cover approximately 77% of scheduled benefits. There simply wont be enough to go around. It should be clear, however, that Social Security will not run out in 2034, said Cirksena. It simply wont have enough new money coming in to meet the obligations. There will always be new money flowing into Social Security. Changes to Retirement Age The first approach Cirksena said Biden might try to implement would be raising the age at which full retirement benefits are available from Social Security. Raising retirement age for younger workers is the obvious solution, said Cirksena. While politically contentious, this could help the programs resources last longer, as well as account for increasing life expectancies. Story continues Stricter Criteria for Disability Benefits The Biden administration may also look to tighten the eligibility criteria for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), said Cirksena. SSDI provides benefits to individuals who have worked and paid Social Security taxes but can no longer work due to a long-term disability. If the criteria for who qualifies becomes stricter, less people would be able to claim benefits, which would mean the funds in the program would last longer. However, care would need to be taken so that the process does not become too difficult for legitimately disabled individuals to receive the support they need. A Social Security Tax on Higher-Income Earners One of the more dramatic potential revenue-raising options Biden could pursue, according to Cirksena, is removing the income cap for Social Security payroll taxes entirely, creating a new tax for higher income earners. It wouldnt be a surprise if the Biden Administration looks at a more permanent solution that combines a social security tax on higher income earners well above the current limitations with delaying retirement for more workers, said Cirksena. As of 2024, earnings above $168,600 are exempt from Social Securitys 6.2% payroll tax. If all wages were taxed at the same rate, it could provide a major influx of funds to Social Security. This would mean a significant tax increase for higher-income workers, which is unlikely to be popular. But with a looming shortage of available revenue, removing the cap is one way to make Social Securitys funding last for everyone beyond 2034. This may not fix all of Social Securitys issues, but it could be one piece of a reform package which Biden could implement. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im an Economist: Heres My Prediction for Social Security If Biden Wins the 2024 Election Mastercard has joined forces with HSBC Middle East to launch Mastercard Wholesale Program in the region. The initiative aims to advance automation of buyer and supplier payments for HSBCs travel merchant customers. By leveraging virtual cards to digitise the way travel organisations pay each other for the various elements that make up a consumers trip, the collaboration will boost liquidity and enhance security across the travel value chain. HSBC will deploy the Mastercard Wholesale Program (MWP), a virtual card-based B2B payment product, for the first time in the Middle East to its travel industry customers. The aim is to advance secure, streamline and automated B2B travel transactions. The solution has been specifically designed for and with the travel industry. It addresses the lack of visibility, control and protection associated with manual payment methods that are still rife across the sector. The innovative proposition is part of Mastercards multi-rail strategy that is already being used by over 400,000 travel merchants globally. A dynamic commercial payment solution to boost travel merchants operations Card payments continue to power the travel economy, providing essential cash flow and payment security. Our expanded partnership with HSBC in the Middle East is focused on meeting the specific needs the travel sector has today, as it captures all potential growth. By leveraging Mastercards virtual card innovation, this initiative provides HSBCs travel customers with a dynamic commercial payment solution to boost operations and support the sectors overall recovery, said Khalid Elgibali, Chief Operating Officer, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard. Kyle Boag, Head of Global Payments Solutions for HSBC in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye region, added: We are dedicated to improving our specialist products to match the changing demands of our customers. It's essential we give them the digital tools necessary to make the most of their sales opportunities. By using the Mastercard Wholesale Program, traditional and online travel agencies, bedbanks, tour operators and travel management companies will enjoy more control over payment options, while improving cash flow through a secure and efficient platform. IATA forecasts 2024 will hit a record high for travel Insights from IATA predict that 4.7 billion people will travel by air in 2024. The number represents a historic high that exceeds the pre-pandemic level of 4.5 billion recorded in 2019. As consumers return to travel and the industry continues to grow, it is essential that the sector re-thinks the processes and technologies that bring these bookings to life. Story continues "Mastercard and HSBC Middle East accelerate travel payment innovation" 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. Indias stock market has been a standout performer in recent times. ETFs like WisdomTree India Earnings Fund EPI, Invesco India ETF PIN and Columbia India Consumer ETF INCO added 4.8%, 4.7% and 4.4% over the past one month (as of May 28, 2024). Investors should note that ETFs like EPI and INCO have surpassed the S&P 500 this year. Modi Likely to Win in Ongoing General Election? India is undergoing general election. The process will continue in May as well. Votes will be counted on June 4. In the election, the market-friendly prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to win another term. Modi's tenure has seen significant investments from U.S. tech giants in India. Investors should note that sustaining a growth rate above 7% for a third consecutive year, particularly amid backdrop of a global growth slowdown, could significantly enhance Modi's chances of securing a third term. Along with robust economic growth, government initiatives like providing piped water and cooking gas, and the inauguration of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in the Hindu-majority nation in January are expected to enhance Modi's prospects of victory in the ongoing election. Modis era is marked by strategic policy initiatives aimed at boosting growth and attracting foreign investment. Modi's leadership has been viewed as a concerted effort toward digitization, infrastructural development and an overhaul in the taxation policies. A coalition led by Narendra Modi's party could thus win nearly three-fourths of the parliamentary seats in elections, according to a survey, while the main opposition Congress could hit a record low, per a Reuters article published in early April. Since Modi and markets go hand-in-hand, the above possibility is a plus for India investing. Notably, foreign direct investment in India has surged in recent years, increasing from $36 billion in 2014 to $70.9 billion in 2023. This influx of investment is driven by India's growing reputation as a business-friendly destination. Other Tailwinds IMF Ups India GDP Growth Forecast The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently upped Indias GDP growth projection for 2024-25 by 30 basis points to 6.8% in its update to the World Economic Outlook (WEO), citing resilient domestic demand. IMF forecast a 6.5% expansion for the next fiscal year 2025-26. India's Tech and Business Ambitions India is actively promoting itself as a global hub for technology and business. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka are positioning themselves as tech hubs for manufacturing and AI development, as quoted on CNBC. Story continues Major tech companies, including Apple, Google, and Amazon, have made significant investments in India. India is actively attracting investments from U.S. chipmakers. Companies like AMD and Micron are planning substantial investments in the semiconductor industry in India. Fed to Cut Rates in Late 2024? The Fed is likely to slash interest rates by late 2024, which should lower the strength in the U.S. dollar. If this happens, emerging market currencies would gain strength. And like most emerging economies, Indias economy too should experience a tailwind. 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 WisdomTree India Earnings ETF (EPI): ETF Research Reports Invesco India ETF (PIN): ETF Research Reports Columbia India Consumer ETF (INCO): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A year ago, the Holiday Grill Coney Island in a strip mall in Dearborn had some news to share with its customers: Amazon Fresh was building a grocery store, right next door, creating jobs and bringing life back to the site of a foresaken Kroger. Fast-forward to May 2024, and the site is still vacant. The remants of an ad for Kroger cling to a window, a violation notice (undated and with no mention of the type of violation) is taped to building. This truck can be seen through a window of the former Kroger in Dearborn, which was supposed to become an Amazon Fresh grocery store. A utility-type truck sits inside, fluid puddling around it. The carcasses of birds litter the floor, one dead so long it is nothing more than a skeleton. This is the fate of one of the nine locations across Michigan that were believed to be in line to get a brick-and-mortar grocery store from Amazon, one of the wealthiest companies in America by any measure. The high-tech grocery store would offer optional checkout lanes, along with the traditional fare of a grocery store: fresh produce, meats, dairy, as well as food prepared in the store's own kitchen. Today, the Dearborn site sits idle and the location in Grand Blanc is being redeveloped for other tenants after Amazon simply walked away. Seven other cities and townships have empty big-box shells, some with the signature Amazon Fresh stripes on the facade. A violation notice posted on the front of an empty Kroger in Dearborn that was expected to become an Amazon Fresh grocery store. A Free Press investigation finds that while the facades and exteriors of these seven sites are at least partially finished, the interiors are empty and unfinished. According to property owners, contractors, and subcontractors, they were required to sign nondisclosure agreements about the future tenant, enveloping the whole process in secrecy. City officials say Amazon never approached them directly about opening a store in their community. More: Plans shelved Plans for 2 metro Detroit Amazon Fresh grocery stores appear to be scrapped What is not known is what happened to these sites, and whether Amazon will ultimately finish stores in Dearborn, Roseville, Shelby Township, St. Clair Shores, Madison Heights, Rochester Hills, Plymouth Township, and Livonia. And Amazon isn't saying. A spokesman for Amazon, in an email response to questions from the Free Press, said: "I dont have details about specific location openings to share at this time." A storefront for a possible Amazon Fresh location in Rochester Hills. But then he added: "Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience whether shopping in store or online where Amazon is the first choice for selection, value, and convenience. We already have a large online grocery business and millions of products available for fast delivery, and the next step is to continue building out our physical presence which will require significant innovation and persistence. Well continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores and will do so selectively with Amazon Fresh as we see results we like. Were encouraged by early signs of our new store design in Chicago and Southern California, and will proceed adaptively. Story continues The Free Press reported in May 2023 that two locations in Dearborn and Madison Heights were on the market. The owner-developer of the Dearborn site did not return calls for comment, and the owner-developer of the Madison Heights store also could not be reached. Construction items sit in the parking lot of an Amazon Fresh store under development in St. Clair Shores on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. In St. Clair Shores, the exterior is not complete. It's wrapped in Tyvek, and building materials are stacked in the parking lot. The city has not been told whether Amazon is coming, or not coming. In the meantime, St. Clair Shores has had a conversation about the location with another retailer, said Denise Pike, who oversees economic development in the city. The developer did not return calls from the Free Press. David Rubello, a member of the St. Clair Shores City Council, said: "We don't like to see unfinished projects sitting for months, especially in a vibrant downtown that we're trying to develop." And in Roseville, a small area that appears to be a storage area for shopping carts has become a kind of encampment, with several grocery carts full of stuff, and a stroller, wedged into the space. Pieces of cardboard have been placed on the floor. A city official said he was not aware of the situation but said the city would investigate. Carts with clothes and personal items are seen in an outdoor section of an undeveloped Amazon Fresh store in Roseville on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The store's exterior is near finished but the inside as seen through the front windows is empty. While not much more is known about the Michigan Amazon stores, what is known is this: Amazon is a rich company that has benefited from billions of dollars in subsidies nationwide, including $82 million in local and state subsidies for five distribution centers in Michigan, according to Good Jobs First, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that tracks economic development incentives, including Amazon's. It is also known that Amazon dominates online sales and the data center industry, is expanding into medical care and prescription drugs, has its delivery service, its Whole Food chain of grocery stores, and according to its website, 41 Amazon Fresh stores in eight states. A Shelby Township storefront for a possible Amazon Fresh grocery store. Awash in cash, Amazon can afford to experiment with a retail concept like Amazon Fresh and walk away from what doesn't work, said Kasia Tarczynska, senior research analyst for Good Jobs First. Two retail experts, one national and one local, say Amazon underestimated the grocery market in metro Detroit. The region is home to two chains, Kroger and Meijer, which employ union workers important to some customers, and Aldi, for the price-conscious. Then it has its share of strong, independent grocers like Plum Market, Nino Salvaggio, Papa Joe's, Westborn Market, Holiday Market, Busch's Fresh Food Market, and others. "Detroit is a very competitive market for grocery," said Frank Monaghan, a real estate broker in Birmingham who specializes in retail properties. "Detroit has one of the most competitive independent grocery markets in the entire country, some of the best independent grocery stores." Throw in the grocery aisles of Walmart and Target, which are also grabbing a segment of the market. And, "It's a very tough market to break into," Monaghan said. Burt Flickinger, a nationally known retail expert in New York, said Michigan is one of the toughest, most competitive grocery markets in the country. Like the Good Jobs First analyst, he said Amazon is willing to walk away from problematic sites. The location of an unfinished Amazon Fresh store in Madison Heights is seen on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. He said it is also possible that Amazon has not finished its Michigan stores because it is waiting for government subsidies. But he said Amazon should finish what was started because, despite the competition, the region could still use new grocery outlets. He said Walmart and Amazon "laid waste" to several regional retailers, including Farmer Jack and Kmart. If any of the Michigan Amazon Fresh stores open, Kurt Heise, the elected supervisor in Plymouth Township, said he hopes it is the one in his community. The store was newly built, not a renovation of an abandoned big box retailer like the other empty shells, it's in a high-traffic area with new housing, a hospital, and consumers with plenty of disposable income. "This is a purpose-built building in a very attractive location," he said. "I don't see them backing out." An Amazon Fresh store sits empty at 41352 Ann Arbor Road East in Plymouth Township, Mich., on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. And while the developer in Plymouth was sworn to secrecy about the future tenant, Heise said that based on the design of the building it's clear it was supposed to be an Amazon Fresh. "It's the worst-kept secret in town," Heise said. In Grand Blanc, the arrival of an Amazon Fresh was big news. In a May 2022 post on its Facebook page, the city said: "The news has been confirmed by the owner of the property. We are very happy and thankful to see this new development continue to progress." More: New stores Amazon Fresh grocery stores slated for Plymouth, Dearborn Developer Doraid Markus said the Amazon project never panned out and he has moved on to find new tenants for a space once occupied by Kmart and Farmer Jack. In Dearborn, the Holiday Grill was looking forward to its new neighbor. Today, the site of the former Kroger is desolate and there are real estate signs on two abandoned properties next to the Kroger. According to the Wayne County treasurer, the Kroger property is owned by Dearborn Retail Management III. Wayne County records say the company owes $448,727 in back taxes at the Kroger address. State corporation records list an address for Dearborn Retail in Bingham Farms, the same address as developer Alrig USA. The real estate company with signs in the windows referred calls to the owner. Officials at Alrig did not return calls for comment. The Free Press also sought answers from the city of Dearborn, which asked for questions in writing. After more than a week and several calls seeking an update on the property, a city spokesman said a Freedom of Information Act request would be required. That request is pending. The Free Press also tried to reach the owner of the truck parked inside the former Kroger. The U.S. Department of Transportation lists the owner as Crown Contracting and Industrial Inc. of Dearborn Heights. A call to the phone number listed in DOT records was not returned. By Tuesday, the truck could no longer be seen in the window. Windy Weber, a Dearborn resident and former owner of a record store Stormy Records has seen pictures of the old Kroger and said the exterior looks "rotten" and the interior "pretty disgusting." While she herself is not an Amazon shopper, she said residents would like more grocery store options. In the meantime, the building rots, birds are dying inside, and neighbors are left wondering what happened to the shiny new grocery store that would have brought shoppers to the corner of Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive. Free Press photographer Ryan Garza contributed to this report. Contact Jennifer Dixon: jbdixon@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Amazon Fresh planned to bring 9 Michigan sites but has gone silent Insiders who bought Naked Wines plc (LON:WINE) stock in the last 12 months were richly rewarded last week. The company's market value increased by UK5.6m as a result of the stock's 13% gain over the same period. Put another way, the original UK317.6k acquisition is now worth UK457.0k. Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. Check out our latest analysis for Naked Wines Naked Wines Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The Independent Director Jack Pailing made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK62k worth of shares at a price of UK0.43 each. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of UK0.65. Because the shares were purchased at a lower price, this particular buy doesn't tell us much about how insiders feel about the current share price. Naked Wines insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insider Ownership Of Naked Wines For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Based on our data, Naked Wines insiders have about 3.8% of the stock, worth approximately UK1.8m. We consider this fairly low insider ownership. So What Does This Data Suggest About Naked Wines Insiders? The fact that there have been no Naked Wines insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. We'd like to see bigger individual holdings. However, we don't see anything to make us think Naked Wines insiders are doubting the company. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Naked Wines. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Naked Wines and we suggest you have a look. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. Story continues For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Laman Ismayilova The National Carpet Museum has hosted an event dedicated to Azerbaijan Independence Day (May 28), Azernews reports. The grand-daughter of prominent social and political figure Mahammad Amin Rasulzade, Honored Artist Rais Rasulzade, Doctor of Philosophy in History, Associate Professor Firdovsiyya Ahmadova, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Gulu Muharramli spoke about the historical period at the beginning of the 20th century, stressing the importance of establishing the first democratic republic in the Muslim East in Azerbaijan. Speakers said that the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic has left an indelible mark in the history of the national statehood with its rich state-building experience, the progressive laws and decisions adopted in the short period of 23 months of its existence. Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets. Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out. The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions. In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art. In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy. The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch. For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world. As global markets exhibit mixed signals with the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices slightly down amid robust manufacturing data, Japan's economic landscape presents a complex yet intriguing opportunity for dividend investors. In this context, understanding the resilience and potential of key dividend-paying stocks like Onamba becomes crucial in navigating through fluctuating market conditions. Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Japan Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Yamato Kogyo (TSE:5444) 3.64% Mitsubishi Shokuhin (TSE:7451) 3.63% Business Brain Showa-Ota (TSE:9658) 3.74% Globeride (TSE:7990) 3.98% HITO-Communications HoldingsInc (TSE:4433) 3.63% Ryoyu Systems (TSE:4685) 3.47% FALCO HOLDINGS (TSE:4671) 3.51% Mitsubishi Research Institute (TSE:3636) 3.50% GakkyushaLtd (TSE:9769) 4.19% Innotech (TSE:9880) 4.15% Click here to see the full list of 389 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener. Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Onamba Co., Ltd., operating both domestically and internationally, specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of wires and components for household electronic appliances, business equipment, and industrial electronic devices, with a market capitalization of 16.11 billion. Operations: Onamba Co., Ltd. generates its revenue from the production and sale of wiring solutions and components, primarily for electronic devices used in homes, businesses, and industry sectors. Dividend Yield: 3.2% Onamba's dividend yield of 3.18% is modest compared to Japan's top dividend payers. Despite a history of volatility in its dividend payments over the past decade, both earnings and cash flows provide good coverage for current dividends, with a payout ratio of 27.7% and a cash payout ratio of 14.7%. However, trading at 71.4% below estimated fair value suggests potential undervaluation or underlying issues not reflected in dividend stability or growth metrics. TSE:5816 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Tenma Corporation, specializing in the manufacture and sale of plastic products both domestically and internationally, has a market capitalization of approximately 51.22 billion. Operations: Tenma Corporation generates its revenue primarily from the manufacture and sale of plastic products across global markets. Story continues Dividend Yield: 3.4% Tenma's dividend yield of 3.35% slightly trails the top quartile of Japanese dividend stocks. While dividends have grown over the past decade, current payouts aren't well supported by earnings or cash flows, with payout ratios at 76.8% and cash payout ratios significantly high at 453.1%. Recent shareholder activism challenges proposed surplus fund allocations and remuneration disclosures, reflecting concerns about governance and financial strategies that may impact future dividend reliability and growth. TSE:7958 Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. serves as the bank holding company for MUFG Bank, Ltd., with a market capitalization of approximately 19.20 trillion. Operations: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's revenue is derived from various segments including 3.23 billion from Global Markets, 7.83 billion from Digital Services, 4.32 billion from Trust Property, 10.14 billion from Corporate Banking, 6.85 billion from Global Commercial Banking, 8.63 billion from Global Corporate & Investment Banking, and 7.09 billion from Retail & Commercial Banking (excluding Digital Services). Dividend Yield: 3.1% Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has demonstrated a consistent dividend increase over the past decade, with recent announcements indicating further rises for FY 2024 and projections into 2025. Despite a modest yield of 3.05%, which is below the top quartile for Japanese dividend stocks, its dividends are well-supported by earnings, evidenced by a sustainable payout ratio of 32.9%. The company's strategic share repurchase program aims to enhance capital efficiency and shareholder returns, reinforcing its commitment to delivering value despite some challenges in covering future dividends with current earnings forecasts. TSE:8306 Dividend History as at May 2024 Taking Advantage Click through to start exploring the rest of the 386 Top Dividend Stocks now. Already own these companies? Bring clarity to your investment decisions by linking up your portfolio with Simply Wall St, where you can monitor all the vital signs of your stocks effortlessly. Simply Wall St is a revolutionary app designed for long-term stock investors, it's free and covers every market in the world. Searching for a Fresh Perspective? 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 TSE:5816TSE:7958 and . Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Looking at Redstone Resources Limited's (ASX:RDS ) insider transactions over the last year, we can see that insiders were net buyers. That is, there were more number of shares purchased by insiders than there were sold. Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. View our latest analysis for Redstone Resources Redstone Resources Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The Non-Executive Director Edward Van Heemst made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$76k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.008 each. That means that even when the share price was higher than AU$0.004 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Edward Van Heemst was the only individual insider to buy during the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Does Redstone Resources Boast High Insider Ownership? For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Redstone Resources insiders own about AU$908k worth of shares. That equates to 25% of the company. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Redstone Resources Tell Us? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Redstone Resources shares in the last quarter. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders do have a stake in Redstone Resources and their transactions don't cause us concern. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Redstone Resources. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Redstone Resources (of which 4 are a bit unpleasant!) you should know about. Story continues If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Reality Check is a Sun Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email mynews@sunherald.com. South Mississippi businessman Ted Cain and other defendants have reimbursed the federal government $14.2 million, plus post-judgment interest, for defrauding Medicare while operating Stone County Hospital in Wiggins. Cain, who owns the hospital, and controls nursing homes and other businesses through a management company, refinanced the 134-bed Woodland Village Nursing Center in Diamondhead for $14 million to cover the payment, according to court records. The total judgment in the civil case applied to Cain and Tommy Kuluz, still chief financial officer of Corporate Management Inc., a Cain company that received a management fee for Stone County Hospital oversight. Stone County Hospital, Corporate Management Inc. and Julie Cain, Ted Cains wife, also were each held liable for a portion of the total judgment. The U.S. Attorneys Office for Mississippis Southern District proved at the federal trial in Gulfport that the Cains defrauded Medicare by charging for work they did not perform, while Kuluz signed off on fraudulent reports submitted to Medicare. The payment brings to a near-close a case originally filed 17 years ago this week by a whistleblower who had worked briefly at the hospital. U.S. attorneys stepped in to take over the case in 2015, with a nine-week trial held in early 2020. A jury found $10.9 million in Medicare fraud. Under federal whistleblower law, Judge Henry T. Wingate tripled total damages against Ted Cain to $32.6 million. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later lowered total fraud damages to $4.6 million, finding the governments delay in taking over the case inexcusable and limiting the number of years for which fraud reimbursement could be collected. The tripled damages then amounted to $14.2 million, less than half the original judgment. Where other lawsuits stand The U.S. Attorneys Office filed another lawsuit against the Cains in November 2022 that alleged the Cains were trying to avoid paying the fraud judgment against them by transferring most assets into trusts set up for their children. In response, the Cains maintained the trusts were set up for legitimate estate planning purposes. Now that the judgment has been paid, the U.S. Attorneys Office has voluntarily dismissed the case involving the Cains assets. Gulfport Memorial Hospital has been leasing the hospital in Stone County from a. Cain company since November 2019. The hospital is now called Memorial Hospital Stone County. Gulfport Memorial has since sued the Cain company, Wiggins Acute Care Hospital LLC ,for $453.127 to cover repair and replacement of an HVAC system. Wiggins Acute Care denies owing the money. The grand opening of Ross Dress for Less in Victor happens July 19. The Rochester markets second Ross Dress for Less store will open its doors within the next two months. On Wednesday, a representative for the popular off-price retailer confirmed that the Ross Dress for Less in Cobblestone Court Plaza across from Eastview Mall in Victor will host its grand opening Friday, July 19. The 23,000-square-foot location previously was home to a Dicks Sporting Goods store, which now operates at Eastview as Dicks House of Sport. Ross Dress for Less is owned by Ross Stores Inc., a Dublin, California-based company that sells discounted apparel and home goods in a no-frills setting. It has more than 1,700 stores in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Guam and is growing. The company planned to open 75 stores in 2024. The Rochester areas first Ross Dress for Less opened in October 2023 in Westgate Plaza in Gates. Stores operate seven days a week, and every Tuesday they offer a 10% discount on most items to people 55 and older. Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ross Dress for Less sets opening date for Victor NY store Ross Stores is pulling out the stops to widen its logistics network, investing $450 million to build a new distribution center in North Carolina. The 1.7-million-square-foot warehouse will be located in Randleman, N.C., and will be the companys ninth distribution center. The facility will span 330 acres for warehousing, fulfillment and packing operations. More from Sourcing Journal Two other distribution centers are currently located in neighboring South Carolina, making the Randleman facility the third hub in the southeastern U.S. The off-price retailer also operates three distribution centers in California, as well as one in Arizona, one in Texas and another in Pennsylvania. Sourcing Journal reached out to Ross Stores. The off-price retailer has not revealed when it expects the warehouse to be fully completed and open. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper made the announcement, saying the warehouse would create 852 jobs, and would create a potential payroll impact of more than $39 million for the region each year. We are delighted to welcome Ross Stores to Randolph County, said Governor Cooper in a statement. Nationally recognized brands like Ross will appreciate the quality of life in North Carolina as well as the capability of our world-class workforce to help them grow and succeed. The new DC comes as the discount retailer has been cutting distribution costs, bolstering the companys operating margin 2.05 percentage points in its recent first quarter. Adam Orvos, chief financial officer of Ross Stores, attributed the reduced expenses to higher productivity within its facilities. We had higher productivity in our distribution centers, Orvos said in the companys May 23 earnings call. We opened a new facility in Houston a couple of years ago. So thats getting fully ramped up. Thats providing productivity benefits. In that call, he called the current hiring environment and employee retention environment as favorable. Weve made investments in productivity in the distribution centers. And then lastly on that front, Id say the $0.02 of benefit that we talked about in timing is largely pack-away benefit that kind of impacts the DC cost, said Orvos. As expected, we had better domestic freight costs in the quarter, and we would expect that to continue through the balance of the year. Itll be a little bit choppy, but at somewhat similar levels. We went through a bidding process, felt good about those results. Story continues The North Carolina Economic Development Committee approved a job development investment grant for Ross Stores as part of the warehouse opening. The grant will potentially reimburse the company up to $7.6 million over 12 years, and is dependent on Ross Stores meeting job creation and investment targets. The committee says it is expected to grow North Carolinas economy by $1.4 billion. For every dollar that North Carolina invests in the project, the state expects to receive about $1.61 in revenue. We are excited about the opportunity to build out a new distribution facility in North Carolina to support our growth initiatives over the long term, said Rob Kummerer, executive vice president of supply chain, Ross Stores, Inc. We value the collaboration of the many state and local leaders, including the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Department of Commerce and the officials in the city of Randleman and Randolph County who have been instrumental in bringing these plans to fruition. Including the construction of the N.C. facility, capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 at Ross are projected to be approximately $840 million, up from the $762.8 million spent in 2023. Ross Stores isnt the only off-price retailer that is currently expanding its distribution capabilities with new warehouse space. Burlington is planning to open a 2-million-square-foot distribution center near Savannah. Ga, in 2026. In a March earnings call, chief financial officer Kristin Wolfe said the facility will be about twice the size of the companys next largest distribution center, a 1.03-million-square-foot warehouse in Logan, N.J. The company operates six primary distribution centers alongside its five ancillary warehouse facilities. We are building out much larger, more automated, more productive new distribution centers to accommodate our growth, Wolfe told analysts in the call. Over time, well move an increasing percentage of our merchandise through these more efficient DCs that are designed for off price. She mentioned that part of the companys $750 million capital expenditures in 2024 will be dedicated to the networks expansion. Other apparel sellers including Urban Outfitters and Primark are new facilities of their own, with the former debuting a 600,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Missouri for its Nuuly resale brand in February. That same month, Primark debuted its second U.S. distribution center in North Jacksonville, Fla., a 550,000-square-foot facility, to support its first distribution center in Bethlehem, Pa. The Primark DC will also help fortify the companys retail expansion in southern states including Florida, Texas and Tennessee. (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a subsidiary of telecoms firm Rostelecom on Wednesday to buy Nokia Solutions and Networks' stake in a software joint venture between the companies, according to a decree. Finland's Nokia said in April 2022 that it would exit the Russian market after Moscow despatched troops to Ukraine in February 2022. In a statement, Rostelecom said that its previous business model had become impossible after Nokia left the Russian market. "The transaction will be completed shortly," Rostelecom said. "Other details are not being disclosed." (Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Alexander MarrowEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Rod Nickel) KITTERY, Maine The new Seacoast Residences complex is marketing nearly 300 apartments for lease at rates that shine a light on the issue of rental housing affordability in Kittery and around the Seacoast region. The mega-development off Interstate 95 and Dennett Road has prices for a studio apartment of less than 550 square feet starting at $2,149 per month. One-bedroom units begin at $2,110 and two-bedroom apartments are at least $2,933, according to Jones Street Residential, the owner of the housing community. The Boston company states it manages more than 6,400 apartments in eight states. The Kittery apartment complex boasts an array of amenities for tenants, including electric vehicle charging stations, a fitness center, pet spa, resident lounge, fire pits, gas grills, an outdoor pool and private garages, while each apartment has in-unit laundry and stainless steel appliances. Seacoast Residences markets eight different apartment sizes and layouts with more than 150 of its 298 units still available, according to its website. Online searches for apartments in Portsmouth and other local communities turn up a wide range of prices with some similar to or even higher than Seacoast Residences. Seacoast Residences, a new apartment complex in Kittery, Maine, is being marketed for lease. However, while housing costs at Seacoast Residences and other apartments billed as luxury units are attainable for some, local leaders and housing advocates say the demand for housing at lower costs needs a big boost in supply. We need to be able to build more housing and make sure that the supply that we are creating is affordable to various income levels, said Fair Tide Executive Director Emily Flinkstrom. The Seacoast Residences apartment complex is located near Interstate 95 in Kittery, Maine. Maine's housing data portal states 47.8% of all renter households in the state were cost burdened in 2022. This is defined as a household where 30% or more of household income is spent on housing. This March, the National Low Income Housing Coalition reported that Maine is short 17,772 rental units that are affordable and available to extremely low-income renters, with 23% of existing state renters having an extremely low income. Income levels, housing scarcity and cost-burdened renters In Kittery, Town Manager Kendra Amaral wrote in her fiscal year 2025 town budget proposal that affordable housing is defined as housing that costs no more than 30% of household income if income is no more than 80% of the area median income. Amaral cited the Seacoast Residences complex, calling it the most significant addition of housing to Kitterys supply in many years, and noted the price point of a two-person rental at the Dennett Road development. Story continues Amaral cited data on rent and income charts published by MaineHousing, an independent state agency serving low- and moderate-income state residents, in her proposal. MaineHousings metro fair market rent designation for Berwick, Eliot, Kittery, South Berwick and York states a person earning 80% of the area median income, which would be $68,500, should pay no more than $1,712 per month for a studio unit, nor more than $1,834 per month for a one-bedroom unit. A two-person household at 80% of the area median income would collectively make $78,250 per year, and can afford $2,201 on rent each month, according to MaineHousing. Under the same area median income parameters, a four-person household making $97,800 can't afford more than $2,836 monthly for a four-person apartment. However, affordable housing is specific to individual renters and shouldnt be thought of with a one-size-fits-all mindset, Flinkstrom said. Consideration and a multitude of housing options is needed for people who are far below 80% of the area median income. Every household has a different number of what is affordable to them, she said. When we're having these conversations, about affordable housing in our community in the Seacoast area, we need to be (asking), For whom is it affordable? Because the truth is that the rents that are being charged at the Seacoast Residences are affordable to those making whatever that income level is. But the issue is that we don't have enough housing units that are at an affordable rate for many of the individuals that are living below that income level. Rental inventory in Kittery is minimal amid high demand Regardless of unit type, whether located in a traditional apartment complex, single-family home, condominium or townhouse, available apartments are scarce in Maines oldest town. Popular apartment browsing websites Zillow, realtor.com, apartments.com, Zumper and Craigslist show few listings in Kittery. Though supply typically increases closer to the summertime due to vacancies, a review of online apartment listing sites showed fewer than 20 rental units of varying sizes in addition to those offered at Seacoast Residences. With limited supply, landlords and property owners have more leeway to increase the price on their rental units, Flinkstrom said. Without diversifying housing stock and expanding inventory, a logjam is created. Flinkstrom said an elderly couple may stay in their longtime residence if no housing specific to seniors is available for purchase or rent. If they stay in their home, that prevents a young family from possibly moving into home ownership and may force them to continue renting, which then blocks people in emergency shelters from finding an apartment to potentially move into. It's all just stuck. And so when we talk about increasing supply, we need to increase the supply in a diverse way that creates opportunities for those older individuals to downsize, for young families to buy starter homes, which don't exist right now, and then freeing up the rental market so that there are actually rentals that are opening up and available, Flinkstrom said. We need to get the system moving again and creating opportunities for housing thats affordable at various income levels. Prices and demand within the rental and home ownership markets in Kittery have inflated due to the towns proximity to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the large size of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyards employee population, plus Kitterys natural beauty and amenities, Amaral wrote in her report. Overall, Kittery is in high demand, she wrote. The community is attracting mid-to-high income professionals and retirees. Businesses and property owners are responding accordingly by adjusting services, products, and prices to reflect the more affluent customers and clientele. The outlook is no brighter for would-be buyers in the local single-family home market, as the median list price of a Kittery residence in April was $710,000, a 29% increase year-over-year, per Amarals report citing the Multiple Listing Service. The town manager told the Town Council this month that around the time she was hired in 2016, the median list price of a single-family house in Kittery was approximately $285,000. At current rental rates, Kittery housing is unaffordable to laborers, service industry workers, entry-level employees, and young people, Amarals budget proposal states. Kittery discussing the future of the business park zone after Dennett Landing blocked Seacoast Residences is marketing studio apartments starting at more than $2,100 per month in Kittery, Maine. Potential exists for future housing in the towns business park zone after a massive mixed-use housing proposal was shut down in that area of Kittery two years ago and a development moratorium was enacted. A proposed 900-unit residential and commercial housing development on Dennett Road and Route 236, called Dennett Landing, was effectively barred from proceeding at the town Planning Board level two years ago, when a citizens' petition called for changes to zoning. That area of town was then referred to as the mixed-use-neighborhood zone, but the resident petition led to the district being reverted back to its prior designation, the business park zone, which prevented proposed developments like Dennett Landing from being approved in that part of town. The business park zone promotes office and industrial park uses. In the summer of 2022, the Town Council also committed to rezoning the district in the future and put a development moratorium in place. The Seacoast Residences project is located in the business park zone, but because the project was approved prior to the zoning switch and moratorium, construction was allowed. This spring, town leaders have held a public workshop on the rezoning of the business park district, gathering input from residents on their vision for the future of the zone. After the April 24 meeting, more public engagement will be needed to settle the question of how to move forward, according to town planning director Jason Garnham. Attendees shared a lot of valuable input. One of the big takeaways is that a standard zoning amendment process will not satisfy the community in this endeavor, Garnham said. It was generally agreed that a charrette should be the next step to help residents, staff, and property owners visualize potential outcomes in relation to the towns and neighborhoods goals. Town staff have recommended the district be rezoned to accommodate more housing through a mixture of building types and sizes, while also protecting wetlands and the areas natural resources. Kittery planning personnel recommended similar existing models to consider, including the towns residential-urban zone, which allows 2.2 units per acre of land, and the residential-suburban zone, which permits 1.45 units per acre. Flinkstrom supports the idea of amending density requirements in applicable zones, in addition to initiating affordability requirements, in order to increase the level of housing units allowed in each zone. Each new affordable housing unit, little by little, makes a difference in the life of a cost-burdened renter. For instance, as Fair Tide and Footprints Food Pantry work to build and open the Mainspring social services hub on Shapleigh Road, Fair Tide is also creating six units of affordable housing at the site. It's a crisis that doesn't just impact Kittery but it impacts our neighboring communities, as well, and clearly has brought impact to businesses, our school systems, our emergency responders and our communities not being able to hire folks, Flinkstrom said of the housing debate. It's a crisis that's happening locally, happening regionally and happening across our country. A potential charrette to discuss the future of the business park zone has not been scheduled, though town officials are aiming to schedule another meeting on the district soon, according to Garnham. Nicole Caiazza, vice president of marketing for Jones Street Residential, did not respond to a request for comment. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast Residences: $2,100-plus for studio as rental rates surge Amid a backdrop of fluctuating global markets, with the Hang Seng Index recently experiencing significant declines, investors are keenly observing how different sectors and companies navigate these challenging conditions. In this context, growth companies in Hong Kong with high insider ownership present a compelling profile as they often exemplify a strong alignment between managements interests and shareholder returns, particularly in environments where strategic agility is paramount to capitalize on emerging economic opportunities. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In Hong Kong Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth iDreamSky Technology Holdings (SEHK:1119) 20.1% 104.1% New Horizon Health (SEHK:6606) 16.6% 61% Fenbi (SEHK:2469) 32.1% 43% Meitu (SEHK:1357) 38% 33.7% Adicon Holdings (SEHK:9860) 22.3% 29.6% Zylox-Tonbridge Medical Technology (SEHK:2190) 18.5% 79.3% Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology (SEHK:9863) 14.2% 73.8% Beijing Airdoc Technology (SEHK:2251) 27.2% 83.9% Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) (SEHK:2315) 15.7% 100.1% Ocumension Therapeutics (SEHK:1477) 17.7% 93.7% Click here to see the full list of 53 stocks from our Fast Growing SEHK Companies With High Insider Ownership screener. Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: BYD Company Limited operates in the automobile and battery sectors across China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and internationally, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$676.34 billion. Operations: The company's revenue is primarily derived from its automobile and battery sectors. Insider Ownership: 30.1% Earnings Growth Forecast: 14.4% p.a. BYD, a notable Hong Kong growth company with substantial insider ownership, is trading at 33.8% below its estimated fair value, making it an attractive proposition despite its revenue and earnings growth forecasts (14.3% and 14.4% per year respectively) trailing the high-growth benchmark of 20%. The company's earnings have surged by 52.7% over the past year, outpacing the local market's average. Additionally, BYDs recent global product launch in Mexico underlines its aggressive expansion strategy and innovation in new energy vehicles, potentially bolstering future performance despite no significant insider buying reported in the last three months. SEHK:1211 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Dongyue Group Limited operates as an investment holding company, primarily engaged in manufacturing and distributing polymers, organic silicone, refrigerants, and other chemical products across China and globally. The company has a market capitalization of approximately HK$16.93 billion. Operations: Dongyue Group's revenue segments include polymers generating CN4.55 billion, refrigerants at CN5.48 billion, organic silicone contributing CN4.86 billion, and dichloromethane PVC along with liquid alkali at CN1.21 billion. Insider Ownership: 15.4% Earnings Growth Forecast: 35.7% p.a. Dongyue Group, despite its recent challenges including a significant profit decline and management changes, remains a key player in Hong Kong's growth sectors with high insider ownership. The company's earnings are expected to grow at 35.7% annually, outstripping the local market forecast of 11.9%. However, its profit margins have dipped from last year and it recently reduced its dividend payout, reflecting some operational pressures amidst leadership transitions which could impact short-term stability but potentially pave the way for strategic realignment under new executive leadership. SEHK:189 Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Alibaba Health Information Technology Limited operates in pharmaceutical direct sales, e-commerce platforms, and healthcare digital services across Mainland China and Hong Kong, with a market capitalization of approximately HK$57.09 billion. Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from the distribution and development of pharmaceutical and healthcare products, totaling CN27.03 billion. Insider Ownership: 24.2% Earnings Growth Forecast: 23.2% p.a. Alibaba Health Information Technology Limited has shown robust financial performance with a significant increase in net income and sales, reporting CNY 883.48 million and CNY 27.03 billion respectively for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. Despite shareholder dilution last year, the company's earnings are expected to grow by 23.24% annually over the next three years, outpacing the Hong Kong market's growth rate. However, its forecasted Return on Equity of 13.8% suggests potential challenges in achieving higher profitability levels moving forward. SEHK:241 Ownership Breakdown as at May 2024 Make It Happen Discover the full array of 53 Fast Growing SEHK Companies With High Insider Ownership right here. Already own these companies? Bring clarity to your investment decisions by linking up your portfolio with Simply Wall St, where you can monitor all the vital signs of your stocks effortlessly. Invest smarter with the free Simply Wall St app providing detailed insights into every stock market around the globe. Seeking Other Investments? 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 SEHK:1211 SEHK:189 and SEHK:241. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com South Korean coffee chain Mega Coffee is set to make its international debut with the opening of its first store in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, on 30 May 2024, World Coffee Portal has reported. This marks a significant milestone for the brand, which recently achieved a domestic count of 3,000 stores. To open the location, the value-focused chain has entered a master franchise agreement with Mongolian pharmaceutical company Asia Pharma. The inaugural Mega Coffee outlet will be on the first floor of Asia Pharma's headquarters. A Mega Coffee spokesperson stated: While there are no concrete plans to open additional stores in other locations yet, we are considering further expansion into other regions in Asia and in America, with the experiential know-how gained through the Mongolian operation. Mega Coffee's move into Mongolia follows in the footsteps of other South Korean coffee chains such as Caffebene, Tom N Toms Coffee and TOUS les JOURS, which have already established a presence in the country. With almost half of Mongolia's 3.4 million population residing in the capital, Ulaanbaatar is seen by the coffee chain as a promising hub to cultivate profit and business growth. The company also views the expansion as a catalyst for further growth across Asia. Caffebene currently leads the market in Mongolia with 38 stores, followed closely by the domestic chain Jur Ur House & Bakery and Tom N Toms Coffee, with 33 and 32 locations respectively. The branded coffee shop market in Mongolia is expected to continue its growth, with forecasts suggesting it could reach 200 outlets by the end of 2028. "South Koreas Mega Coffee to open in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Coopers Foods will close out more than a century of service when its last remaining St. Paul grocery store shutters on June 27, according to store proprietor Gary Cooper. The location at 633 Seventh St. W., a few blocks from the Smith Avenue High Bridge, has served the West Seventh community since the 1990s. Cooper, in a brief interview, declined to speculate on the locations fate, though customers and employees appeared convinced on Wednesday that the shop would reopen as a grocery geared toward the Asian community. Somebody bought the building and its up to them what they want to do with it, he said. Built in 1950 and spanning 18,000 square feet, the single-story structure adjoins a 47-stall parking lot. A certificate of real estate value listing the buyer and sellers information, which must be filed when major property is sold or transferred, was not immediately available Wednesday from the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Five generations of Coopers have worked the store shelves at two locations along West Seventh Street. The grocerys departure from the West Seventh location, at St. Clair Avenue, leaves the neighborhood with relatively limited options for fresh produce, at least within walking distance. The downtown Lunds & Byerlys, the Mississippi Market co-op farther down West Seventh and Trader Joes on Randolph Avenue are all about 1.5 miles away. Coopers also kept late-night hours. The Coopers Foods Highland Park location in the Sibley Plaza strip mall closed in 2017, though an Aldi supermarket has since opened in its place. The Coopers closed their 107-year-old Chaska store in early March, citing competition from big box stores. Related Articles The Florida Board of Governors is stepping in to supervise the investigation of Florida A&M University's dubious $237 million donation following a crisis of confidence. Julie Leftheris, the Board of Governors' inspector general, sent FAMU President Larry Robinson a letter Friday, saying her office has been directed to provide guidance, oversight and monitoring for the investigation into the circumstances surrounding a major donation." The Board of Governors' oversight comes after FAMU trustees unanimously voted during a May 15 special board meeting to hire an external firm to perform a detailed investigation of the donation from Batterson Farms Corp. CEO Gregory Gerami and the Isaac Batterson Family 7th Trust. Florida Board of Governors. It's also in accordance with a Board of Governors regulation on "university system processes for complaints of waste, fraud or financial mismanagement." Through the regulation, the Office of Inspector General is allowed to take steps "to promote accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness, and to detect fraud and abuse within state universities." Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney a law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh has been hired to review and investigate the major gift, according to FAMU Vice President for Audit Joseph Maleszewski, who shared the update during a Board of Trustees Audit and Compliance Committee meeting Tuesday. The gift, publicly announced with much fanfare during a spring commencement ceremony, would have been the largest donation in HBCU (historically Black college and university) history. On May 4, when he addressed the audience of graduates, their families, friends and alumni, Gerami proclaimed to applause: "The money is in the bank." But it wasn't. Instead he transferred 14 million shares of stock of indeterminate value that could be worth $300 million or zero dollars, according to one FAMU Foundation board member. As questions mounted over the legitimacy of the donation and more became known about the donor, the university cut communications with Gerami and Robinson declared that donation process had "ceased." Florida A&M celebrates its Spring 2024 Commencement with guest speaker Mr Gregory Gerami, This inspiring figure, who overcame a myriad of challenges to become the founder of Batterson Farms Corp., is championing the cause of sustainable farming. Disappointment and frustration came from key stakeholders of the university, including members of the FAMU Foundation Board of Directors and the university's Board of Trustees, who were left out of the decision-making process that took several months before the donation's acceptance. Amid the controversy, Shawnta Friday-Stroud resigned from her role as vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation, but will remain dean of the university's School of Business & Industry. Story continues Maleszewski said in a report to trustees Tuesday that FAMU trustee and Audit and Compliance Committee Chair Michael White worked with the Board of Governors to hire the selected firm, which also has a downtown Tallahassee office. More: Florida A&M VP Shawnta Friday-Stroud resigns amid crisis over controversial donation Michael Mclaughlin a principal of the firms government relations section who is based in Washington, D.C. will be the lead investigator for the assignment on behalf of the firm. "My office will work with the external legal firm engaged by FAMU's Board of Trustees to conduct the investigation," Leftheris said in her letter to Robinson. She also asked Robinson to assign an individual to serve as a "primary point of contact to assist with document requests, scheduling interviews and arranging for campus space, as needed." During the Tuesday committee meeting, Robinson shared with trustees that Maleszewski will be the point of contact on behalf of the university to work closely with the Board of Governors on the investigation. Services of the external firm will include a complete investigation into the gift and its inception, a detailed timeline of events and a review for compliance with policies, processes and financial controls, according to Maleszewski. The legal firm will also be responsible for making any recommendations for any improvements. This embedded content is not available in your region. Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Board of Governors will oversee investigation into FAMU donation Less than one year after being awarded a nearly $2 million tax incentive for its commitment to create and retain 125 jobs in Lexington, Takeda Pharmaceuticals has told the state it now plans to lay off 146 of its Lexington workers and another 495 employees based in Cambridge. The company, which has a headquarters of United States operations in Cambridge, revealed the plan to lay off 641 Massachusetts employees between early July 2024 and March 2025 in a filing made last week pursuant to the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The news was previously reported by the Boston Business Journal, which said the company is Massachusettss largest life sciences employer. On May 30, 2023, Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announced that Takeda was one of 43 life sciences companies to be awarded a share of $24.4 million in tax incentives that were expected to create a cumulative 1,584 new life sciences industry jobs in Massachusetts. Takedas $1.875 million incentive came as a result of a commitment to expand in Lexington, with 125 new jobs pledged. Healeys office said at the time that companies that get awards through the MSLCs Tax Incentive Program are required to maintain job commitments over a five-year period. Takedas media relations team said Wednesday afternoon that the company was awarded credits but did not claim them/use them and terminated its agreement with the MLSC in January or February. A spokesman for the MLSC told the News Service on Wednesday afternoon that the MLSC terminated Takedas award in February 2024, after the company voluntarily flagged that its hiring plans were expected to change. Takeda said the Massachusetts layoffs are being made within very specific areas of the organization to make sure we are structured in a way to best meet our current and future needs. The company said it is also continuing to actively hire in Massachusetts. The news that the major life sciences employer is trimming its workforce in Massachusetts comes ahead of next weeks BIO convention in San Diego and as Healeys economic development bill, which calls for reauthorizing the states life sciences initiative at $1 billion for another decade, remains pending before the Legislature. Massachusetts is home to 18 of the 20 largest life sciences companies in the world, Healey has said. And since the states taxpayer-backed life sciences push began with a $1 billion investment under former Gov. Deval Patrick in 2008, the biopharma industry workforce has grown by over 110 percent and now boasts more than 117,000 employees, according to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Story continues Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But investors can boost returns by picking market-beating companies to own shares in. For example, the Swiss Prime Site AG (VTX:SPSN) share price is up 11% in the last 1 year, clearly besting the market return of around 1.4% (not including dividends). So that should have shareholders smiling. On the other hand, longer term shareholders have had a tougher run, with the stock falling 8.8% in three years. Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns. See our latest analysis for Swiss Prime Site While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Over the last twelve months, Swiss Prime Site actually shrank its EPS by 78%. So we don't think that investors are paying too much attention to EPS. Therefore, it seems likely that investors are putting more weight on metrics other than EPS, at the moment. Absent any improvement, we don't think a thirst for dividends is pushing up the Swiss Prime Site's share price. Revenue actually dropped 3.9% over last year. Usually that correlates with a lower share price, but let's face it, the gyrations of the market are sometimes only as clear as mud. The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Swiss Prime Site, it has a TSR of 15% for the last 1 year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! A Different Perspective It's good to see that Swiss Prime Site has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 15% in the last twelve months. Of course, that includes the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 5%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Swiss Prime Site better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Swiss Prime Site (1 is significant) that you should be aware of. Story continues We will like Swiss Prime Site better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued stocks (mostly small caps) with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Swiss exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. By Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - The world's leading internet firms are engaging extensively with regulators in the European Union to ensure their artificial-intelligence products do not fall foul of the bloc's strict data protection rules, Ireland's powerful data regulator said. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, lead EU regulator for Alphabet's Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and OpenAI, among others, said that its broad powers had not yet been tested on AI and it could in future force changes to business models to ensure data privacy is protected. AI creates a number of potential issues for data privacy, the two top officials at Ireland's Data Protection Commission said in an interview on Tuesday. Regulators need to decide whether companies should be allowed to trawl the internet for public data to train AI models, and on what legal basis personal data can be used. AI operators also need to explain they can ensure individuals' data rights, including the right to erase their data. The risk of AI models giving incorrect personal data about individuals must also be addressed, the Irish officials said. "There has been extensive engagement" from leading U.S. tech firms including Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and OpenAI, said Dale Sunderland, one of the Irish regulator's two Data Protection Commissioners. "They're seeking our views on some of their new products in the AI space, particularly the large language model space." Google agreed to delay and make changes to its Gemini AI chatbot following consultations with the Irish regulator, he said. While Ireland is the lead regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU head offices in the country, other regulators can have a say in decisions via the European Data Protection Board, which is currently working on guidance on how AI should operate under EU data protection law, he said. AI model operators from next month will have to comply with the EU's landmark new AI Act. But they will also have to comply with the bloc's key data protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation, which can impose fines of up to 4% of a firm's total global turnover. "The power of national regulators, including us, is quite broad," said Des Hogan, Ireland's other Data Protection Commissioner and chair of the commission. "If they haven't done proper due diligence around the impacts of new products or services ... they run that risk of having to change the design downstream." (Reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad (KLSE:MSC) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 15% in the last week. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been very strong. It's fair to say most would be happy with 224% the gain in that time. To some, the recent pullback wouldn't be surprising after such a fast rise. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it's cheap now. While this past week has detracted from the company's five-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment. See our latest analysis for Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Over half a decade, Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad managed to grow its earnings per share at 11% a year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 26% per year, over the same period. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad's earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad the TSR over the last 5 years was 273%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 57% over the last year. That's including the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 30% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Malaysia Smelting Corporation Berhad that you should be aware of. Story continues Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Global travel services provider Trip.com Group has entered two memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Southeast Asian hospitality brands Megaworld Hotels & Resorts (MHR) and Vinpearl. These partnerships align with Trip.com's Local Focus, Global Vision vision and aim to improve the travel experience for both inbound and domestic travellers in the region. The collaboration will enable Trip.com Group to increase customer visibility and support the growth of its hotel partners in Southeast Asia. Philippines-based MHR and Vietnamese brand Vinpearl will benefit from comprehensive marketing support provided by Trip.com Group. This support mainly includes exclusive package and member rates along with the availability of prioritised access on Trip.com's platforms. It will also provide competitive rates and exclusive deals to customers, with a specific target on higher-tier members. The partnerships aim to attract international travellers and enhance the appeal of premier accommodations by providing optimised exposure on Trip.com platforms. Trip.com Group will also be responsible for promoting MHR and Vinpearl through targeted campaigns, enhanced product content, and new hotel showcases. These efforts are expected to boost the appeal of these top-tier accommodations and make it easier for travellers to discover and book their stays. Moreover, Trip.com Group will be equipping the two hotel partners with tools and data insights to adjust their offerings in real-time, allowing them to offer competitive rates that attract bookings. The programme will have features that will allow hotels to enhance their search result rankings based on customer reviews, booking conversion rates and price competitiveness. Hotel partners can also leverage targeted marketing efforts and special deals to bolster a particular hotel's visibility to attract more guests. Trip.com Group International Markets managing director and vice president Boon Sian Chai said: We have collaborated on several programmes with Vinpearl in recent years, and this MOU is a natural extension of our excellent relationship. We are equally excited to embark on a new journey with MHR. Going forward, we will further enhance travel experiences for our customers globally while also showcasing the beauty of destinations in Southeast Asia and their offerings, including accommodation. "Trip.com signs MOU with SE Asia hotel brands MHR and Vinpearl " was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. WASHINGTON (AP) A senior U.S. Treasury official has met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss U.S. financial support, enforcing sanctions on Russia and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit in the war with Moscow. The visit this week by Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo came as Russia gains territory after a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid left Ukraine at the mercy of Russias bigger army. Meantime, the outlook for Ukraines state finances is on shakier ground. Russias economy has become a wartime economy where every means of production and industry is now focused on building weapons to fight their war of choice and aggression here in Ukraine, Adeyemo told reporters Wednesday in Ukraine's capital. And we need to do everything that we can to go after that. Adeyemo held talks with officials in Ukraines finance ministry and presidents office. At the Kyiv School of Economics, he spoke with faculty and civil society groups working on sanctions policy and ways to make the penalties against Russia more effective. President Joe Biden signed legislation in April that allows Washington to seize the roughly $5 billion in Russian state assets located in the United States. But the majority of the $260 billion in frozen Russian assets are in Europe, and U.S. officials are hoping for a consensus from their European allies on how to spend that money. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met in Italy last week with her counterparts from the Group of Seven nation to discuss how to squeeze money out of the frozen Russian assets to back Kyivs war effort. She said loaning Ukraine $50 billion from the assets has been mentioned as a possible number that could be achieved," but that the specific approach was under discussion. Adeyemo, meanwhile, took aim at China's economic support of Russia through its sale of dual-use goods. U.S. officials have said China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in the war. China has said it is not providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although Beijing has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow, alongside India and other countries, amid sanctions from Washington and its allies. The only way that Russia is able to build the weapons they want is that they can get dual-use goods from China," Adeyemo said. "Only through the support of the Chinese are Russia able to build these weapons at the scale they need to continue this war and to be able to fight this war of aggression and to be able to build the military industrial complex that they need going forward. Story continues U.S. officials are pressuring American companies to ensure their products do not end up in the hands of Russia's military. Daleep Singh, deputy U.S. national security adviser for international economics, said in a speech Tuesday at the Brookings Institute in Washington that he wanted "to issue an urgent call for corporate responsibility a percentage of Russian battlefield weaponry with U.S. or allied branded components is unacceptably high. Put your creativity and resources to work. Know your customers and know their customers. Adeyemo said he will give speech Friday in Berlin on how the U.S. and its allies can do more to make sure that goods from our countries are not being shipped through third countries and ending up in Russia as well. Since the beginning of Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned more than 4,000 people and businesses, including 80% of Russias banking sector by assets. __ Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Weathered Souls Brewing Co. is being sued after shuttering its brewery in lower South End. PREVIOUS: Brewery to shutter South End location Gateway Investments Inc., the landlord for 255 Clanton Road, alleges breach of contract and guaranty as well as unjust enrichment in a lawsuit filed in Mecklenburg Superior Court. The Texas-based brewery and Michael Holt, the co-owner, are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed in mid-May. Holt is the guarantor on the lease. The 10,300-square-foot brewery closed on April 6, less than 17 months after it opened in the Clanton Road facility in November 2022. Read more here. (WATCH BELOW: Olde Mecklenburg Brewery celebrates 15th anniversary; unveils plans for expansion) Whether you love traveling overseas or have a favorite vacation spot in the U.S., a travel credit card can allow you to earn valuable rewards and other perks. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is a premium credit card with a steep annual fee, but it offers plenty of benefits and rewards that justify its cost. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card Rates & fees, terms apply Annual fee $650 Welcome offer Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months Card type(s) Travel, Hotel Ongoing Purchases APR 20.49%-29.49% Variable Recommended credit score Excellent/Good Rewards rate Earn 6x Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy Earn 3x points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines Earn 2x points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card Benefits Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card at restaurants worldwide Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your card renewal month (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; certain hotels have resort fees) Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status (limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account; benefit is not exclusive to cards offered by American Express) Learn more How to earn rewards As a cardmember, you can earn a higher rewards rate on qualifying hotel stays, restaurant meals, flights and all other purchases. And because you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, you're a Marriott Bonvoy member and qualify for complimentary Platinum Elite status. As a result, you can maximize your rewards. Combined with your credit card points, Marriott Bonvoy membership and Platinum Elite Status, you can earn up to 21 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy. For example, let's say you book a $1,000 stay at a participating hotel. You'd earn the following: Your credit card would give you six points per $1 spent, or 6,000 points. You'd earn up to 10 points per $1 spent for your Marriott Bonvoy membership, giving you 10,000 points. You'd earn up to five points per $1 spent with the 50% bonus on eligible stays, a benefit solely for Platinum Elite status members, giving you 5,000 points. Combined, you'd earn 21,000 points. How to redeem rewards You can redeem your rewards in the following ways: Travel: You can use your points to book hotel stays at Marriott hotels and resorts, flights, cruises and rental car reservations. Transfers : You can transfer your points to loyalty program partners. Shop: With your points, you can purchase electronics, accessories, and gift cards. Charitable donations : You can donate your points as a cash gift to major charities. Bonvoy Moments: Use your points to book Marriott Bonvoy Moments, exclusive experiences like concerts or dining outings for Bonvoy members. How much your points are worth varies by redemption method, but various estimates value each point between 0.7 and 0.9 cents each. You'll get the most value from your points by redeeming them for hotel stays; the other redemption methods give you less value per point. Read more: See our picks for the best American Express credit cards Additional benefits As is typical for a premium travel card, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card provides robust benefits and perks: $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Get up to $25 per month in statement credits for eligible purchases made at restaurants. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property credit: Up to $100 in property credits for stays at The Ritz-Carlton St. Regis when you book directly using a special rate for at least two nights. One free night: One free night at Marriott Bonvoy hotels per year. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry: Up to $120 fee credit for Global Entry and $85 fee credit for TSA PreCheck application fees; you can qualify for the fee every four-and-a-half years. Platinum Elite status: As a cardmember, you're granted Platinum Elite Status, which gives you 50% more points on Marriott Bonvoy hotel stays, potential free room upgrades and other perks like free late checkout (when available) and a welcome gift upon arrival. Earned choice award: If you spend $60,000 or more in a calendar year, you can choose an additional award. Options include five nightly upgrades, a $1,000 bed discount from Marriott Retail Brands (allowing you to enjoy the famous Marriott beds at home), and a free night award. Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership: With your Priority Pass Select membership you can access over 1,200 airport lounges for you and up to two guests. Premium internet: You'll get complimentary premium internet service during any Marriott stay. As a cardmember, you can also take advantage of the following benefits and protections: Amex offers: With Amex Offers, you can earn statement credits by making purchases from partner retailers. For example, you can get 10% back on purchases made from Expedia, up to a maximum of $100. Baggage insurance plan*: If you're traveling via a common carrier like a major airline and your luggage is lost or stolen, your card can provide up to $2,000 of coverage for checked bags and up to a combined $3,000 for checked and carry-on bags. This coverage is on top of the insurance provided by the carrier. In some states, such as New York, different limits apply; in New York, the maximum coverage amount is $2,000 per bag or suitcase for each covered person, up to $10,000 combined for all covered persons per trip. Car rental loss and damage insurance: Decline the rental car company's coverage when you pick up the vehicle and use your card to pay for the fee to qualify for free car rental loss and damage insurance. This coverage protects you against damages or theft of a rental vehicle. It provides secondary coverage, meaning it only applies after using your personal insurance policy. Cell phone protection: New smartphones are pricey, so cell phone protection is a valuable perk. With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, you're covered up to $800 in for phones that are damaged or stolen. The maximum amount of claims is two per year. Extended warranty protection: On items with warranties of five years or less, the card extends your warranty by one year. Premium Global Assist Hotline: If you need emergency cash, legal referrals, or help securing a prescription when traveling, the Premium Global Assist Hotline provides assistance 24/7. You may be responsible for any fees incurred by using third-party services. Purchase Protection: Use your card for eligible purchases, and American Express will back the item with purchase protection. This benefit protects you against damage, theft, or loss for up to 90 days from the purchase date. The maximum coverage amount is $10,000 per purchase, up to a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year. Return protection: If a seller won't accept a return within 90 days of the purchase, return protection allows you to return the item to American Express for a full refund. The maximum reimbursement amount is $300 per item, up to $1,000 per calendar year. Shoprunner membership: The card gives you a complimentary ShopRunner membership. As a Shoprunner member, you can qualify for free two-day shipping at qualifying stores. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or interrupted due to a covered reason, such as a serious illness, this coverage can reimburse you for some of your non-refundable fares and reservations. Trip delay insurance: If your round-trip booking is delayed by more than six hours, trip delay insurance can reimburse you for some covered expenses, such as meals or a hotel stay. *Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. Who is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex best for? The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is best for frequent travelers who are Marriott property devotees. Marriott runs 30 brands and nearly 8,700 properties worldwide, including well-known brands like Aloft, Sheraton, The Ritz-Carlton, and Westin. The card is less valuable if you aren't loyal to Marriott Properties; if you prefer more flexible hotel options, another card may be a better choice. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card benefits No foreign transaction fees: Unlike many cards, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, so you won't pay an added fee to use your card outside of the U.S. (See rates and fees.) Includes travel insurance: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card includes a lengthy list of travel insurance benefits, including trip cancellation or interruption coverage, which can help you recover your money if an emergency pops up during your trip. Attainable new cardmember offer: Some new cardmember offers require a substantial amount of spending within a short period, such as a requirement to spend at least $6,000 within three months. With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, you have more time to meet the spending requirement; you have up to six months to meet the spending threshold and earn the welcome bonus points. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex potential drawbacks Steep annual fee: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card's annual fee is a whopping $650. Although that isn't unusual for a premium travel card, it may not be worth the cost if you aren't a Marriott loyalist. No promotional APR: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card doesn't have a promotional APR offer for purchases or balance transfers, so the regular APR will apply to all transactions. Limited point redemptions: Although you can redeem your points in various ways, Marriott hotel stays offer the highest value. Other redemption methods offer significantly less value for your points. How to make a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card payment You can make a payment online or through the Amex mobile app. Or, you can call customer support: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express customer service info Customer service availability info: 24/7 Phone number: 1-800-528-4800 Marriott Bonboy Brilliant American Express login page Alternative cards to consider The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card is best for those who travel often and prefer to stay at one of Marriott's brand hotels. If you prefer more flexibility and options, consider these alternative cards: American Express Gold Card Rates & fees, terms apply Annual fee $325 Welcome offer Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first 6 months, plus 20% back on restaurant spending worldwide (up to $100 in statement credits) for new cardmembers through November 6, 2024 Card type(s) Travel, Rewards Ongoing Purchases APR See Pay Over Time APR Recommended credit score Excellent/Good Rewards rate 4x Membership Rewards Points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x) 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x) 3x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com 2x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com 1x Membership Rewards points on all other eligible purchases Benefits Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month when you pay with your American Express Gold Card at Five Guys, Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, and Wine.com (enrollment required) Up to $100 in annual statement credits ($50 semi-annually) when you use your American Express Gold Card on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants on the Resy app or Resy.com Up to $84 per year ($7/month) in statement credits after using your American Express Gold Card to pay at more than 9,000 Dunkin locations nationwide Why we like it: The American Express Gold Card boasts valuable benefits and perks, but it has a more modest $325 annual fee (see rates and fees). With this card, you'll earn a higher rewards rate at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and flights, and you'll earn one Membership Rewards point per $1 spent on all other purchases. If you don't travel often or like to price shop before choosing a hotel, this card gives you more options than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card. Learn more Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Annual fee $395 Welcome offer Earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months Card type(s) Travel Recommended credit score Excellent Rewards rate 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel 2x miles on all other purchases Benefits $300 annual credit for travel bookings through Capital One Travel 10,000 annual bonus miles (worth $100 in travel spending; starts on your first account anniversary) Unlimited access for you and two guests to Capital One Lounges and 1,300+ more lounges through partner networks Why we like it: The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card with a $395 annual fee. But unlike the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, which limits you to certain hotel brands, this card allows you to earn a higher rewards rate on accommodations and rental cars from multiple brands as long as you book them through Capital One Travel. Learn more IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card Annual fee $99 Welcome offer Earn 140,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months Card type(s) Travel Ongoing Purchases APR 21.49% - 28.49% Variable Recommended credit score Excellent/Good Rewards rate 26x points at IHG hotels and resorts 5x points on travel, dining, and at gas stations 3x points on all other purchases Benefits Earn a free night on each account anniversary, plus get a fourth night free when you redeem your points for a consecutive four-night stay at IHG properties Receive Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS statement credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card Access perks including free upgrades, welcome amenities, and guaranteed room availability when you book at least 72 hours in advance Why we like it: The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, a co-branded credit card released by Chase, has a much more modest fee than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card; its fee is just $99. With the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, you'll earn a higher rewards rate on all travel, dining, and gas, and the card has a valuable new cardmember welcome offer. Learn more This article was edited by Rebecca McCracken Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the banks website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product. T-shirts saying Gov. Jared Polis failed union workers at a rally last week at the state Capitol in Denver. The price to drive up Pikes Peak could rise next summer under a proposal that comes at a time of other changes, increased costs and future concerns for the enterprise managing the famed highway. Former enlisted airman Rachel Parillo expects to apply her legal studies degree to her future career as a pilot. "Instead of talking about it, I will have to keep it in mind when I go flying," she said. The soon-to-be second lieutenant hopes to become a weapons systems officer for F-15s and then pilot F-22s. Parillo will graduate Thursday from the academy. Commencement ceremonies at Falcon Stadium are scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. She was inspired to apply for pilot training after falling in love with flying through the school's glider program. 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. Parillo's future communication with officers in allied nations will also benefit from her work with the International Humanitarian Law Team, which competed in Sanremo, Italy, against students from international military academies. While abroad she gained a better understanding of how other countries interpret the law of war, she said. At the academy, she was also the cadet in charge of the National Character Leadership Symposium, an event that draws about 6,500 attendees and about 40 speakers. She started volunteering with the event as a sophomore, because she appreciated the softer leadership skills it is focused on. Parillo is in her sixth year in the Air Force after enlisting in 2018 and impressing her squadron commander, who nominated her for the academy. While enlisted and working in medical logistics, she was promoted early from airman first class to senior airman by volunteering and working on humanitarian relief following a hurricane in North Carolina. A small business in Colorado Springs is in disarray after a stolen vehicle crashed into the storefront early Wednesday morning, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Department spokesperson Ira Cronin confirmed at roughly 4:50 a.m. a car ran directly through the front of RPRZNT Smoke Shop located inside a strip mall along North Circle Drive and Palmer Park Boulevard. Police said the suspect stole merchandise and left the scene prior to police arrival - leaving behind thousands in damages and an allegedly stolen Kia Soul wedged in the front of the building. No employee has been injured as a result of this incident as the store was not open when the crash and theft occurred. Cronin told The Gazette Wednesday morning the incident is actively being investigated and no persons of interest have been identified at the time of this article. Store owner Tyler Pomeroy told The Gazette that he is unsure if they will be able to rebuild the store at this time. Pomeroy has started a GoFundMe page to aid in any costs expected due to this incident. "I mean, it's devastating. We're small business and this is not something that most shops can afford," Pomeroy said. "We are actively looking for the people that did this and we are happy to greet them if they want to come back." This article will be updated once more information is received. Former Donald Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has agreed to a three-year suspension of her Colorado law license for a felony guilty plea in Georgia after admitting she made repeated false statements about the 2020 presidential election. A state disciplinary judge approved the settlement between Ellis and Colorado's Attorney Regulation Counsel on Tuesday afternoon. Ellis was former President Donald Trump's senior legal adviser in 2020. She was first censured by Colorado's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (OARC) in March 2023, after she acknowledged making 10 misrepresentations on television and social media during Trump's fight to stay in power after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. Ellis' misconduct caused "significant actual harm" in multiple ways, the court writes, one of which being that it "undermined the American public's confidence in the presidential election process." Her suspension takes effect on July 2. Two government watchdog groups were trying to have Ellis disbarred altogether. "Attorneys are often disbarred after being convicted of a felony, particularly where the conviction flows from criminal acts committed while acting as an attorney," court documents read. "However, disbarment is not automatic, even for felony convictions." Featured Local Savings "While disbarment is the presumptive sanction for [Ellis'] misconduct, it is significant that her criminal culpability was due to her conduct as an accessory, not as a principal," the stipulation says. In addition to her three-year suspension, Ellis has to pay $5,000 to the Georgia secretary of state, complete 100 hours of community service and write an apology letter to the residents of Georgia. In a letter submitted as part of the settlement agreement, Ellis says the "Stop The Steal" campaign was "cynical" and misleading, while also claiming there are bad actors on both sides. "I do not do this as a political calculation," Ellis says. "I was wrong to be involved." For more on this story, and others, visit The Denver Gazette's news partners 9NEWS.com. China In Perspective: Chinese enterprises venturing abroad amid closer BRI cooperation Xinhua) 08:18, May 29, 2024 BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese enterprises are increasingly venturing into the global arena, a reflection of China's commitment to enhancing cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. The BRI, proposed by China in 2013, has initiated thousands of projects in more than 150 countries over the past years, injecting confidence and vitality into a world burdened with mounting protectionism through high-level openness and cooperation. Against this backdrop, the 14th China Overseas Investment Fair, held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, drew over 2,200 business representatives from nearly 100 countries and regions to explore economic and trade opportunities through various activities organized during the event. The annual event aims to serve as a platform for promoting two-way investment and fostering deeper cooperation in Belt and Road partner countries, with this year's fair themed "New Opportunities for Global Development, New Blueprints for Overseas Investment." Centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, which are at the forefront of the nation's overseas expansion efforts, have significantly advanced the development of countries and regions participating in the BRI, particularly in infrastructure construction, transportation connectivity and resource development. Xin Zongyi, vice president of China Energy Engineering International Construction Group, noted that the company has increased its investment in Kazakhstan markedly in recent years, recognizing the substantial opportunities arising from the country's focus on energy transition and sustainable green development. Xin cited a noteworthy achievement during his speech. A cement plant project undertaken by the group in Kazakhstan has successfully eliminated the country's historical reliance on imported special cement, earning recognition from the Kazakhstani government, he said. Looking ahead, the ultra-large energy enterprise is poised to actively pursue collaboration opportunities in the Central Asian countries in sectors including roads, railways, water management and green building materials, among others, aiming to better leverage China's strengths and capabilities to benefit these countries, Xin added. In recent years, a growing chorus of Chinese private companies has opted to venture overseas in search of opportunities, as domestic competition heats up. China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry has garnered great attention as it is not only thriving domestically but has also become a significant player in the international market. Aion, an Electric Vehicle brand operating under China's Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), is a prime example of these eager Chinese NEV companies that are actively marching into overseas markets. Liu Feilei, board secretary of GAC Aion, said in an interview with Xinhua that the essence of a company's overseas expansion strategy is not just about exporting goods and technology, but rather is intricately linked to the optimization of local supply chains and industrial networks. The BRI plays a pivotal role in facilitating international economic and trade relations, and it systematically promotes infrastructure development in Belt and Road partner countries, which has created a favorable environment for Chinese companies to conduct business overseas, according to Liu. In March, the company officially debuted its flagship model, the AION Y, in the Nepalese market, marking a significant milestone. Additionally, the auto giant announced its intention of establishing an electric vehicle assembly plant in Indonesia, further expanding its presence in the Southeast Asian market. Thanks to its efforts in expanding the global footprint, the company has secured the third position in global market share, trailing only behind BYD and Tesla. Data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that China's non-financial outbound direct investment in countries participating in the BRI surged 20.4 percent year on year in the January-April period to total 77.77 billion yuan (about 10.94 billion U.S. dollars), indicating that the cooperation under the BRI framework is gaining steam. "Chinese investment is of the utmost importance," said Vladimir Norov, former Secretary-General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in his keynote speech. "We deeply appreciate the investment from the BRI, as this investment has significantly bolstered the development of the Central Asian region and accelerated advancements in high technology. These developments will further unlock the potential of countries in the region," Norov added. He Zhenwei, president of the China Overseas Development Association, said the BRI is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind, not only exporting products and technologies but also assisting partner countries in establishing their own industrial systems and achieving economic self-rejuvenation. He also expressed his hope that Chinese enterprises venturing overseas would adhere to global Environmental, Social and Governance standards, thus bolstering China's positive image on the international stage. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Sandra Parker-Murray is a lobbyist, organizer, and activist for the Communications Workers of America. She has been a union member and activist for 25 years. She is married and lives in Aurora. Representative Tammy Story moved to Colorado in 1987 with her husband, Mike. For four years, she was a member and leader with the Jeffco Associations Legislative Forum, which is dedicated to discussions concerning education legislation with various stakeholders. Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter. Posted from my mobile device Having worked for many large MBA prep firms earlier in my career, I am proud to be a boutique provider who only handles 4-5 clients per round. I get to know my clients inside and out, which allows admissions to as well. Partner with me to significantly increase your chances of being admitted to your top choice MBA program. Complete my contact form to receive CV and profile feedback. Signature Read More As someone who studied French for a very long time prior to doing one MBA semester at a French-speaking Grande Ecole business school, Im afraid theres very little chance youre going to become business conversational within a year. And they are not very good about speaking English, even if the office is officially an English-speaking office.If youre also considering Germany, I think that would be a much better path because people who dont even speak German can work in Germany.IMD = industry recruitmentHEC = consulting recruitment in general_________________ (Photo by Max Deco) The remote island of Yap has ancient basalt trails, a forbidden island, huge hand-carved rai stone coins, amazing cuisine, and the most beautiful ocean you will ever see. Access to this tropical paradise from any base in the Pacific is straightforward as the final leg is only a 96-minute evening flight from Guam International Airport to the island of Yap. (Photo by Max Deco) (Photo by Max Deco) (Photo by Max Deco) On a recent visit, I stayed at the Manta Ray Bay Resort, one of the largest properties on the island and distinguished by its manta swimming pool, large rooms, and huge schooner anchored out front which features a first deck breakfast restaurant, diner on the second deck and a bar and grill on the top deck. WE COME IN PEACE The morning after our arrival, I woke up and went with a local friend for a trek on the famous Colonia stone path that started by my hotel and ran through the local villages. Although the hand-made stone path had been laid a millennium ago, long before the current roads came into use, it was in pristine shape. Before we started our trek, my friend trimmed both of us a handful of leaves that we needed to hold in our right hands during our hike to signify to the locals that we were passing visitors and came in peace. We spent an hour trekking through the jungle from village to village on the stone path. It was an area that time had forgotten as there was no water or electricity. At the end of the trail, we emerged back on the main road and returned to our hotel. MONSTROUS MANTAS The next day, we boarded one of Manta Bay Resorts dive boats for a glimpse of Inner Space Yap. After a blazingly wet 35-minute ride out, we arrived at the dive site, where huge manta rays congregate to be cleaned by wrasse and smaller fish. The actual cleaning area was only 15-feet deep above a huge coral head, but as we hunched down with our cameras, the marine bats would swoop in above us to be cleaned and then just as quickly fly away. After 40 minutes of observing the monstrous mantas, we dove into the depths and back to our boat. (Photo by Max Deco) (Photo by Max Deco) (Photo by Max Deco) For our second dive, we cruised out beyond the waves to the outer reef to a spot named Vertigo. Our boat anchored at the edge of the outer reef in about 15 feet of water, with the drop-off going down to about 150 feet to white sand. The amazing thing about this dive is that sharks are accustomed to being fed chum and blood by the boats, so when they hear the motors, they congregate nearby. When a diver splashes down, they all rush up, regardless of whether there is actual food available for them. During our dive, we had no fresh guts for them, so they soon swam deeper. However, the sensation of having so many sharks up close and personal was awe inspiring. After our hour was up, we returned to our boat and headed back to Manta Bay Resort. (Photo by Max Deco) FORBIDDEN ISLAND Yap has many islands, but perhaps the most famous is the formerly Forbidden Island of Rumung, which is now accessible by private boat, albeit with permission only. Together with friends from Yap Visitors Bureau and others, we took a short 30-minute boat ride past the outer reefs to the Forbidden Island. Once we got to the remote coast, we docked at an old meeting house to meet our resident guide Ben, who led us on a hike to abandoned villages via raised limestone paths. As we trekked on, we were surrounded by ancient stone money that ranged from a few feet wide to huge pieces bigger than us and are the largest in the republic. After hiking through the sweltering heat, our guides gifted us freshly cut coconuts that were filled with sweet milk. Our guides told us that during World War II due to lack of supplies, many Japanese troops used the coconuts and their juice as natural IVs to rejuvenate from injuries and wounds. We then boarded our boats for the wet ride back, first stopping for a dip at the most beautiful, submerged beach on the planet. SONG AND DANCE (Photo by Max Deco) For our last adventure, we traveled to the village of Balabat Rull in Colonia to view a traditional dance performed exclusively by female dancers. After arriving, we joined other guests and sat on the ground to view the show. Yap is traditionally segregated depending on the occasion, with females not allowed in the mens meeting house. Since it was an all-female group performing, I was not allowed to cross over to the other side. After the ladies sat down, family and friends came out and presented them with presents ranging from candies and sweets to fruit juice and beer. After the gift presentation, a group of about 50 female dancers dressed in traditional colorful hula skirts came out and sat in front of the Rai money stones, chanting several songs before performing some dances. After the last dance, the ladies quietly retired back to their staging area. We went home with the satisfaction that we stepped back in time for a brief moment. (Photo by Max Deco) Contact info: Manta Ray Bay Resort: Email: yapdivers@mantaray.com or use the chat feature on their homepage mantaray.com Yap Visitors Bureau: Email yapvisitors@gmail.com or visityap.com United Airlines: united.com What to wear: Always cool and comfortable gear is best. Shorts, slip-ons, and a T or polo shirt. When to go: Anytime. Yap is warm year around, although it does experience some heavy rainfall from September through December. DECATUR A woman is facing charges that she took advantage of an elderly female victim from Mount Zion and stole property valued at more than $100,000 from her. Ali L. Fisher, 31, who is also from Mount Zion, also faces a further charge of the financial exploitation of an elderly person involving the same victim. This count alleges she abused a position of trust or confidence and knowingly and by deception obtained control of property, that property being cash adding up to more than $50,000. Fisher was arraigned on the charges Tuesday and both crimes are alleged to have occurred between May 17, 2022, and July 11, 2023. The defendant has yet to enter formal pleas and will do that when she appears in Macon County Circuit Court on June 26 for a preliminary hearing to test the evidence against her. Fisher was arrested by the Macon County Sheriffs Office on May 13 and released the same day. Judge Lindsey Shelton, presiding over an arraignment hearing on Tuesday, agreed that Fisher would remain free on pretrial release. The judge then appointed the public defenders office to represent Fisher, who was ordered by the judge to meet with her defense lawyer to discuss the case against her. The most financially damaging cybercrimes in your state The most financially damaging cybercrimes in your state Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia 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 West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Digital infrastructure company Equinix has opened two IBX data centres in Johor (JH1) and Kuala Lumpur (KL1) in Malaysia, establishing a digital infrastructure in the country to support its digital economy ambition to become a regional digital hub. Platform Equinix hosts more than 2000 networks and 3000 cloud and IT companies, Equinix claimed. Equinix claims content, fintech, gaming, and AI companies have deployed their IT infrastructure on Platform Equinix in Malaysia. In addition, Time, Maxis, and other global and local network service providers have joined Equinix's network ecosystem in Malaysia to provide a secure environment for customers on Platform Equinix. Our unwavering dedication to the Southeast Asia region underscores our belief in its immense potential to drive digital transformation and accommodate a growing digital-savvy population. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional digital infrastructure solutions that empower businesses to thrive in this dynamic landscape, fuelling innovation, economic growth, and societal advancement, said Equinix president Asia Pacific Jeremy Deutsch. Equinix's entry in Malaysia also aligns with the MyDIGITAL initiative introduced by the Malaysian Government that strives to outline a strategy for the nation to expedite the development of digital products and services. Equinix's decision to expand its presence here reflects its continued confidence in Malaysias industrial landscape, which is undergoing key transformative initiatives as outlined in the New Industrial Masterplan (NIMP) 2030, said YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysias Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI). One of NIMPs missions is for Malaysia to tech-up rapidly to make us a digitally vibrant nation, and Equinixs new data centres in Kuala Lumpur and Johor will support this mission by enhancing Malaysias digital infrastructure. These data centres will provide businesses, particularly domestic SMEs, with seamless connectivity and access to a vast global network, while driving innovation across diverse sectors in Malaysia. YB Tuan Lee Ting Han, Johor State Executive Council and Chairman of Investment, Trade and Consumers Affairs; YBhg. Datuk Hanafi Sakri, Deputy Secretary General (Industry), Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI); Ir. Wan Murdani Wan Mohamed, Head of Digital Industry Acceleration of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC); and Noorzita Mohamad Nor, director, Business Services and Regional Operations Division of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) were in attendance to officiate the opening of Equinix JH1. COMPANY NEWS: Built on Amazon Web Services(AWS), the industry-leading platform developed by TechConnect forms a key element of the Port of Brisbanes Sustainability Strategy. The solution provides unique, dashboard-based insights into environmental-related asset efficiencies across one of the largest and most diverse Ports in Australia. Gold Coast, Queensland 29 May, 2024: TechConnect, a globally recognised data management leader, is helping the Port of Brisbane (PBPL) to achieve its sustainability goals by creating and deploying a sustainability software platform, providing actionable insights into the environmental use and impact of numerous assets across the Ports almost 1800-hectare site. TechConnect, based on the Gold Coast, collaborated closely with senior management and technology teams at the Port to build the platform, which runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is a key element of the Ports data ingestion and analysis solution and helps to meet commitments made under the $500 million sustainability-linked banking loan facility. Supporting the Port of Brisbanes Strategic Focus on Sustainability The Port of Brisbane is Australias third largest and one of its most diverse and fastest-growing city ports. The facility operates 29 berths, 9 of which are deep-water facilities. It handles more than 28 million tonnes of cargo annually and is utilised by more than 2600 ships each year across its 1800-hectare site. The Port has a long history of minimising its impact on the environment. In June 2023, it was announced that the Port had undertaken a $500 million sustainability-linked loan, syndicated across 10 banks and is part of a larger $850 million syndicated bank loan transaction. Falling under the Ports Sustainability Financing Framework, the facility is linked to the Ports focus on carbon emissions reduction, biodiversity, and other strategic initiatives. Sustainability at PBPL is a whole-of-business strategy, everything we do incorporates the principles of sustainability with the long-term future of the business and its community at its core, said Port of Brisbane Chief Executive Officer Neil Stephens. With the solution developed by TechConnect, we can now have detailed, actionable insight into a range of assets across our facilities, and understand their impact on the environment, and take action based on that. For example, the solution is already providing us with important information about the profile of potential water leaks across the entire 1800-hectare site. This is invaluable information because our teams cant be everywhere at once to monitor this type of activity. A long-term and beneficial relationship for the Port of Brisbane Following an initial engagement in early 2022, TechConnects experts conducted a Well-Architected Review of the data environment at the Port of Brisbane, with the goal of creating a green dashboard for managers to refer to as a source of truth for action around improving sustainability. Following the review, an agile approach was adopted to ensure there was a flexible and efficient implementation of a data management and analytics platform that provides relevant and real time data to the dashboard. Currently, information from various assets is available on the dashboard, which can be securely accessed on mobile and other devices to relevant and approved staff. The creation of the dashboard is a key element of the Ports strategic initiatives and commitments around its materiality report, specifically its Planet Pillar, which includes generating actionable transparency around management of energy, air quality, waste, and water quality. For instance, the solution from TechConnect is playing a key role in improving information about water leaks and water consumption, measured by IoT (Internet of Things) devices attached to the 260 water metres spread across the facility. The solution utilises a range of AWS services, including AWS Lambda, Amazon Dynamo DB, Amazon S3, Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose, AWS DataSync and AWS IoT Core. So far, the platform has enabled the Port of Brisbane to: - Ingest, centralise, clean, transform, and visualise previously dispersedly held sustainability data (solar, power, water, vehicles and other assets.) - Align its actionable strategies around sustainability and asset management to its commitments under the $500 million loan facility and its wider strategic sustainability goals. - Access a comprehensive repository of data which securely stores all sustainability information, organisational artifacts, as well as established targets set by the organisation. The reporting allows visually based information, showcasing the Ports sustainability portfolio and tracks its progress towards achieving goals and targets. TechConnect collaborated closely with the Port of Brisbane to help them deploy globally leading technology to meet their sustainability goals by clearly and precisely understanding the impact of their assets on the environment, and then take action to make improvements in line with those sustainability goals, said Mike Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer at TechConnect. The Port can now utilise their data from a range of assets, making it easier for them to make fast, informed decisions that will drive business objectives and ensure that the Ports environmental and sustainability initiatives are met, including reducing carbon emissions. The Port can gain actionable, dashboard-based insights into the environmental impact of a wide range of assets and information across its facilities including waste, water, and solar - some of it generated by IoT-enabled devices. This is a first for the wider infrastructure industry and demonstrates the Ports industry leadership. About TechConnect Founded in 2011 and based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, TechConnect is a globally innovative data management company, which helps businesses unlock highly valuable insights hidden in their data, and use the cloud to drive productivity, reduce costs, support innovation, and increase competitiveness. TechConnects customers include leading global brands in mining and resources, retail, gaming, agriculture and healthcare. TechConnect has deep and trusted relationships with some of the worlds leading cloud vendors. (Photos by Takahiro Takiguchi) Only two hours from Misawa Air Base is a mysterious attraction with otherworldly features, a beautiful lake and purifying hot springs. Mt. Osorezan is considered a power spot and some Japanese believe it is where one goes when they die. Since the founding of Bodaiji Temple on the mountain by Buddhist monk Jikakutaishi back in 862, Mt. Osorezan (literally translates to Mountain of Fear) is known as one of the three most hallowed sites in Japan, alongside Hieizan (Shiga Prefecture) and Koyasan (Wakayama Prefecture). (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) You can reach the site by crossing a wooden bridge over the Sanzu River, which Buddhists believe is a crossing for deceased souls into the other side. At the site, you can appreciate Lake Usorikos celestial waters, white beaches and the volcanic valleys where sulfur fumes rise from numerous pits surrounding the traditional Buddhist temple buildings. (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) On the temple grounds, youll see many piles of stones, Jizo statues (bodhisattva of Hell and guardian of children) and pinwheels. Locals believe that the spirits of deceased children piled the stones. Visitors who have lost children come to the temple to leave pinwheels as offerings to the deceased children. (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Around the temple there are several hot spring baths to soak in for free. There are male-only, female-only and mixed-gender baths, but no showers, towels or soap. So, if you plan to soak, make sure you bring a towel. (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) If youre interested in an overnight stay, the temple does have modern lodging, including vegetarian, alcohol-free dinner and breakfast. In July and October, visitors can witness rituals performed by blind female necromancers, called itako, calling on a divine spirit and summoning the souls of the dead to deliver messages in their voices. This year, the rituals will occur during the Itako Taisai Festival July 20-24 and the Autumn Festival planned for early October. Visit this otherworldly power spot for its interesting features and views. Im sure it will become one that you wont easily forget! Mt. Osorezan and Bodaiji (Buddhist temple) Location: 3-2 Tanabu Usoriyama, Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture Hours: May - October, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (closed November-April) Admission: adult 500 yen ($3.30), elementary and middle schoolers 400 yen URL Tel: 0175-22-3825 Look at a Speakin Japanese at the power spot. Independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn leaned into his blue-collar roots and railed against the "country club" congressional chamber he is hoping to infiltrate as he tried to appeal to working class voters in his first town hall event in Lincoln on Tuesday. Osborn, a U.S. Navy veteran and former union president who led a 77-day strike at Kelloggs in 2021, recounted his nearly unintentional rise to union leadership and drew stark contrasts between himself and Sen. Deb Fischer, the Republican incumbent he is aiming to unseat, in front of a crowd of around 50 attendees crowded into a cozy union hall Tuesday evening north Lincoln. "There is no one like me in the U.S. Senate," Osborn said at Tuesday's town hall, which featured refreshments that included free beer and potato chips and a Senate candidate who was both plainspoken and polite, dismissing falsehoods peddled by attendees and, at one point, thanking a man who got up to leave the event 20 minutes early. For close to an hour, as he fielded questions on topics ranging from the state of abortion access in Nebraska to the state of Russia's war in Ukraine, Osborn often sought middle ground as he cast his candidacy as one meant to disrupt the status quo that, he said, has bogged down the process in Washington. "We are not near as divided as the media wants us," Osborn said, as cheers and applause filled the Lincoln Labor Temple. "I would say 95% of the stuff, we all agree on, whether I'm at a bar in Pickrell, Nebraska, or we're here in Lincoln. "People understand we need a change. And I think people are ready for a change." 'Polarizing topics' abroad In one of his first exchanges of the night, Osborn, facing a question over the country's continued bankrolling of the war in Ukraine and what it means for America's coffers, called the issue among "a lot of polarizing topics that we have in our times right now." At Tuesday's town hall, Osborn said supporting Ukraine is putting America first. "I think we owe it to keep supporting them and stop that Russian aggression," he said. "And nobody's got a crystal ball, but if that war ever were to spill into Europe I got an 18-year-old son. I can't imagine him going over there. We've got to do everything we can to try to stop that." Then, without further prompting, Osborn addressed Israel's ongoing war against Hamas that has followed the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack and, in the months since, has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, most of whom were civilians. "I think Israel had a right to defend itself," Osborn said. "They're a sovereign nation and they are our ally and I think we should be supporting them, right now, with just defensive arms not offensive arms. "Because what we're seeing now is ... they just bombed Rafah. Innocent people are dying. Hamas is not Palestine and Palestine is not Hamas. We need to be using every diplomatic tool in our diplomatic tool chest to bring peace and lasting peace in that region." Osborn's comments marked a clear contrast with Fischer, who said earlier this month that President Joe Biden's pausing of munitions shipments and "betrayal" of Israel "unforgivable, casting Israel's campaign in Gaza as self-defense. Moderate on domestic issues Osborn, who riled Nebraska's Democratic Party this month when he announced he would not accept endorsements from any political party or politician, brought a moderate tone in his answers to questions Tuesday on domestic issues. Facing a question over his stance on abortion, Osborn immediately mentioned Fischer, who he said "wants a complete abortion ban" with few exceptions and who touts an A+ rating on the Susan B. Anthony National Pro-Life Scorecard for her votes on abortion funding and other related measures. Osborn, meanwhile, called it "a freedom issue" and a "dangerous, slippery slope when you have a government that wants to dictate morality to the people." "I think they should stay out of women's doctor's office," said Osborn, who did not offer a specific description of an abortion policy he would support in the Senate, instead suggesting abortion access is not an issue the federal government is equipped to regulate. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, turning the issue over to states, voters in more than a half-dozen states including traditionally conservative strongholds have either affirmed abortion access or turned back attempts to further restrict abortion access. Osborn suggested Nebraska will be the next. "It's on the ballot," he said, referring to the dueling abortion access ballot initiatives seeking to crack Nebraska's ballot. "We'll see how it goes. I have a feeling we'll fall right in line with Kansas." In response to another question that seemed to double as a litmus test for the independent's political leanings, Osborn said he had "yo-yoed back and forth" on student loan forgiveness as Biden's Education Department works to implement a new debt relief plan after the Supreme Court struck down its first plan last summer. "Ultimately, it's your choice to go to college and your choice to go to FAFSA and get loans," he said. "It's what we've always done: we work hard and we pay off our debt. I don't think the government should be bailing those folks out." Attendees leave impressed If his goal walking into the union hall Tuesday night was to seek common ground a likely aspiration for a candidate whose campaign is seeking to build "the most diverse coalition of voters in the history of the state," a spokesman said Osborn seemed to find success in Lincoln. Andira Losh, 40, said she has felt "historically relegated to vote for Democrats" though her politics are defined more, she said, by her support for the working class. She walked away from the union hall with a mental list of things she liked about Osborn, including his views on labor, the ultrawealthy, political accountability and "affording the right to liberty and happiness to all people." "Really my only concerns are the feasibility of him being elected," she said. "But I think if working people in this state appreciated his actual points on policy and just general political ethics ... these are basic, reasonable policies that I think most people could get behind." Paul Anderson, a scientist who described himself as a lifelong Republican, said he was glad to hear Osborn emphasize an economic message while largely staking out the middle ground on divisive cultural issues. "He probably doesn't have all the answers to the questions that no one else does like abortion and LGBT rights and things like that that's for somebody else to have an opinion about," said Anderson, who left the event with an Osborn campaign yard sign in hand. "That's not his focus," he said. "And that's because the focus should be on labor." Top Journal Star photos for May 2024 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 On the Assyro-Chaldean Genocide Recognition By the French National Assembly Professor Joseph Yacoub. Paris (AINA) -- On April 29, 2024 the French National Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the 1915 Genocide committed against the Assyro--Chaldean people by the Ottoman Empire. The resolution was adopted with an overwhelming majority of 110 votes in favor and 10 abstentions. None voted against the resolution. The resolution highlights that Assyro-Chaldean people were victims of serious and recurrent persecution and of several massacres even to the First World War, notably during 1895-1896 and between 1915 and 1918, the Ottoman government organized the mass murder of the Assyro-Chaldean population, their exodus from the borders of the empire and their forced conversion to Islam. Considering the importance of remembrance and respect for human dignity, the National Assembly made a call on the French Government to officially recognize as having a genocidal character, the mass extermination, deportation and suppression of the cultural heritage of more than 250,000 Assyro-Chaldeans by the Ottoman authorities, between 1915 and 1918; [editor's note: 750,000 Assyrians were killed in the genocide]. to condemn the genocide committed by the Ottoman authorities against the Assyro-Chaldeans between 1915 and 1918; to encourage on the international scene free access to archives relating to the massacres perpetrated between 1915 and 1918, at the end of the Ottoman period, in order to enable historians to continue their research aimed at establishing and documenting the facts of this period; to encourages the work of remembrance, particularly in education and culture, in order to make better known the events that took place during this period of history and the suffering that resulted from them. The resolution echoes a similar text, largely adopted in February 2023 by the French Senate (AINA 2023-02-09). Professor Joseph Jacoub has been engaged at the fore-front in the process of these recognitions both by the French Senate and French National Assembly. He has been recently interviewed by the French daily Le Figaro on this subject. We had the opportunity to talk to him as well. The interview was conducted in French. Abdulmesih BarAbraham (AB): You and your dear wife Claire have been part of the Working Committee on the Assyro-Chaldean Genocide, chaired by Mr. Francois Pupponi, honorary depute, alongside senators, other deputies and last not least the Association of the Assyro-Chaldeans in France (AACF). What tipped the scales in favor of this overdue but remarkable recognitions of the genocide of the Assyro-Chaldeans by France? Prof. Joseph Yacoub (JY): It was years of hard work carried out by the Assyrian (known also as Chaldean and Syriac) communities around the world which placed this genocide on the agenda. In France, the Assyro-Chaldean community from Turkey is to be commended for making this tragedy visible and audible. Their work has been crucial in the Val-d'Oise departement. I'm thinking in particular of the Association des Assyro-Chaldeens de France (AACF), founded in 1987 in Sarcelles, which I've had the honor of supporting since its creation, along with my friends Petrus Karatay and Naaman Adlun. The AACF has worked tirelessly with town halls, departmental services, regions, ministries and politicians to make this genocide known and recognized, and has joined forces with the other association, Union des Assyro-Chaldeens de France (UACF). In short, it has been a real collective effort that has borne fruits: The erection of several steles commemorating the genocide accompanied by numerous publications and events. In 2015, the commemoration of the centenary of the genocide had a major impact. Francois Pupponi, former deputy mayor of Sarcelles, is to be commended for his constant support of the community. A landmark event took place on February 8 last year, when the French Senate adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes cast the resolution (n 227) presented by Valerie Boyer and Bruno Retailleau, on the recognition of the genocide. Thus, for the first time in France, the issue was subjected to public scrutiny on a national and high political level. AB: How important was the participation of former President Nicolas Sarkozy at the AACF Annual Grand Dinner on 27 February 2024, who in his speech called on the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to recognize the genocide of the Assyro-Chaldeans by France? In his speech, President Nicolas Sarkozy stated that the Assyrians were the indigenous people of Mesopotamia and that "it is not imaginable to have the Middle East without you. I am giving you my full support. The Assyrian Genocide must be acknowledged, as was the Armenian Genocide." Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France. JY: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's much-publicized speech at the annual dinner of the Association des Assyro-Chaldeens de France (AACF) on February 27 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Paris, in which he assured Eastern Christians of his support and called for recognition of the genocidal policy perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Assyro-Chaldeans between 1915 and 1918, had a major impact. He urged French President Emmanuel Macron to recognize the genocide. This speech undeniably had a positive effect. Everyone agrees that it was a premiere. AB: One of the demands in the resolution is to "encourages the work of remembrance, particularly in education and culture, in order to raise awareness of the events that took place during this period of history and the suffering that resulted from them." How could this be accomplished? Is genocide education going to be anchored in school textbooks? JY: The fourth paragraph of the single article which establishes this recognition effectively concerns the encouragement of the work of memory, "in particular through teaching and culture, in order to make better known the events that occurred during this period of the "history, and the suffering that results from it." This element was taken up by speakers during the public session at the National Assembly on April 29. One MP declared on that: "I understand it as an invitation to preserve and disseminate Assyro-Chaldean culture, in consideration of its contribution to the wealth of humanity." Another MP was delighted that the text was accompanied of a real work of memory, stating: "Beyond the simple knowledge of the facts, a work of transmission, through teaching and culture is incumbent upon us, so that the memory of this genocide fulfills its role: to enable future generations to remain vigilant." So these are the perspectives that are opening up. We hope this will bear fruit. AB: The resolution adopted by the National assembly is not politically binding for the government. Though reticent about this parliamentary decision, the government did not call for a vote against it. How would you interpret this? JY: It's true that this resolution is not binding. Nevertheless, it does have an important symbolic and political value. The genocide and the Assyrian-Chaldean people have entered the consciousness of the highest levels of government, and that's what we need to remember. Ten of the eleven speakers voted in favor of recognition. The government was not reticent. The speech delivered to the National Assembly by Madame Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Secretary of State for Development and International Partnerships, was rich in clarity and support for Eastern Christians and the plight of the Assyro-Chaldeans. AB: What is the scope of the recognition of the genocide by the French Parliament? And what could be the consequences?" JY: On February 8, 2023 and April 29, 2024, the Assyro-Chaldeans made history. The genocidal and ethnocidal tragedy of 1915-1918 was recognized (by resolutions) based on its own reasoning by both Houses of the French Parliament. This is clearly an unprecedented act of history, for truth and justice, which honors the memory of our suffering people. France has always been there when it comes to defending the Assyro-Chaldeans and Eastern Christians in general. There is no shortage of examples. Here, I would like to salute Francois Pupponi, Bruno Retailleau, Valerie Boyer, Sylvain Maillard, Anne-Laure Blin and all the senators and deputies who have made this recognition possible by the French Parliament. Because it happened in France, the repercussions have been and will continue to be worldwide. The messages we receive in France encourage Chaldo-Assyrians to follow the same path elsewhere. As a matter of fact, during the debates, a deputy concluded his speech as follows: "We hope that its adoption, coming after a similar vote by the Senate, will trigger international recognition of the genocide of the Assyro-Chaldeans." AB: As expected, the Turkish government denounced the resolution passed by the French lawmakers. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the resolution makes unfounded accusations related to the Assyrian and Chaldean communities living under the Ottoman Empire. The resolution is "an example of efforts to distort historical events for the sake of political interests," the ministry said. Do you think Ankara will one day recognize the Armenian and Assyrian genocides? JY: Today, within Turkish civil society and intellectual circles, a movement is taking shape, despite the difficulties. I'm thinking in particular of the Turkish historian Professor Taner Akcam, author of numerous works on the Armenians, such as: A Shameful Act. The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility (2006). It is regrettable that the Turkish authorities persist in their policy of denial. Turkey would be honored to acknowledge these dark pages of the Ottoman Empire, with which, as far as we know, the Turkish Republic, born in July 1923, broke away. When we look at the history of Turkish literature, we see that it is rich in humanism. The poet Tevfik Fikret (1867-1915), who was familiar with the Christian communities of his country, wrote: "The earth is my homeland, the human race my nation." AB: Now that dozen of country parliaments recognized the Assyrian Genocide, don't you think that Assyrians has to bring the issue to the next level and seek recognition of the UN, similar to the Armenian Genocide? JY: I think it's premature at the moment. Today, and above all, it is a question of making our Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac people better known through their culture, in order to better consolidate their foundations and their contribution to humanity, and to deepen international awareness. In this context, as paragraph three of the resolution stipulates, it is necessary to "encourage free access on the international scene to archives relating to the massacres perpetrated between 1915 and 1918, at the end of the Ottoman period, in order to enable historians to continue their research aimed at establishing and documenting the facts of this period." All this requires thorough research, constant effort and constant action. The rest will inevitably follow. Let's be confident about the future, and work together to revitalize our cultural heritage in the place where we now call home. AB: Professor Jacoub, thank you for the Interview. Professor Joseph Yacoub is honorary professor of political science at the Catholic University of Lyon and was the first holder of UNESCO's Chair of "Memory, Cultures and Interculturality." He is an expert on minority issues, human rights and Eastern Christianity. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the Assyro-Chaldeans and the Oriental Christians. His most recent books (co-written with his wife Claire Yacoub) is "Martyrs par amour en Perse. Mgr Sontag et ses trois compagnons" (Martyrs for Love in Persia. Bishop Sontag and his three Companions) and "Deux chretiens d'Orient en Gaule, Jacques d'Assyrie et Abraham d'Euphrate" (Two Christians of the Orient in Gaul, Jacques of Assyria and Abraham of Euphrates) (Editions Lacour, 2024). Joseph Yacoub is born in Hassake, Syria. His parents, originally from Iranian Azerbaijan (Salamas district), suffered during the Turkish genocide of Assyrians during World War I, taking refuge in Georgia before settling in Syria in 1921. On 28 May Brazils congress overturned several vetoes of President, such as a veto on a section of a bill to restrict temporary leave for prisoners to reunite with family on public holidays. End of preview - This article contains approximately 394 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options On 28 Maya mayoral candidate in Mexicos Cuautla municipality, Morelos state, was shot dead. End of preview - This article contains approximately 395 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska held an offsite meeting in the Bucha district to discuss school catering reform. In particular, she visited the Gotuymo factory-kitchen, which provides hot lunches to 4,000 students in the surrounding communities. ADVERTISIMENT For the visit, Zelenska chose a dark gray pantsuit with a thin, barely visible light stripe. She wore a classic white shirt under the blazer. Photos of the president's wife having lunch next to the lyceum students were published on the official Telegram channel. The look was complemented by nude makeup with an emphasis on the eyes and silver butterfly earrings. The First Lady wore her signature hairstyle - side parting and straight hair. ADVERTISIMENT When it comes to Olena Zelenska's manicure, she hasn't changed her favorite design in years. Bright colors with rhinestones and sequins are not about her. Instead, the first lady's style is "bare nails". Earlier, OBOZ.UA talked about how Olena Zelenska looked like at her husband's inauguration in 2019: an incredibly beautiful outfit was sewn for 184 hours. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! As a child, Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of Princess Diana, was in the shadows. The media rarely wrote about her. Only here and there was she mentioned as one of the guests at events where aristocrats gathered. When she grew up, she became a real fashion icon: she successfully combines hats with dresses and pumps, and suits with jewelry and bags... This is how Kitty managed to win the favor of fashionistas all over the world. Now she is an ambassador of the Bvlgari jewelry brand and a guest of honor on the Dolce & Gabbana catwalks. ADVERTISIMENT If you look at some of Kitty Spencer's outfits, you will notice a certain resemblance to Lady Di's looks. It seems that the model often gets inspiration from her late aunt. Read more in the article by OBOZ.UA. 1. Tulle dress In April 1985, Lady Di arrived at the La Scala Opera House in Milan as part of her royal tour of Italy. She wore a pink maxi dress with bows on the straps, a square neckline and a low waist. The princess stylized her look with a diamond tiara, pearl necklace, bracelet, earrings, silver shoes and a clutch. In June 2018, Lady Kitty Spencer attended the Bvlgari Dinner & Party at Stadio dei Marmi in Rome. The aristocrat almost completely repeated the look of her aunt: her long dress is also decorated with layers of tulle, has bows on the straps and a low waist. The look was completed with a set of massive bracelet, earrings and necklace. ADVERTISIMENT 2. Dresses with a wave collar In October 1981, Princess Diana was captured by photographers after giving a speech in Cardiff. The aristocrat wore a long, translucent blue dress with flowing sleeves and a collar and a silk ribbon at the waist. She complemented her look with a set of sapphire jewelry and a brown clutch. In July 2018, Princess Diana's niece decided to partially copy this iconic look. In London, she attended a Bvlgari party in a dress of a similar cut and with an active floral pattern. She styled it with chunky rings, earrings, a bracelet and a brown mini bag. ADVERTISIMENT 3. Off-the-shoulder dress In November 1987, Lady Di wore a gorgeous black off-the-shoulder maxi dress by Victor Edelstein on one of her German tour dates, complemented by a black clutch and precious jewelry. It seems that Kitty Spencer liked the cut of this outfit and the way it was styled. In May 2018, she attended the Bvlgari FESTA gala dinner at Banqueting House wearing emerald jewelry and an elegant midi dress with a similar neckline. 4. Red maxi dresses In June 1997, Princess Diana attended a gala dinner in Washington, D.C., to raise funds for the American Red Cross. She wore a long, bright red sheath dress with a neckline by Jacques Azagury. She completed the look with red shoes, simple styling and massive pearl earrings. ADVERTISIMENT Kitty Spencer created a similar look, but slightly modernized it in terms of cut. In September 2016, she arrived in Florence for the Celebrity Fight Night charity event in a bright red trumpet dress (the hemline widens smoothly from below). She complemented it with laconic silver jewelry with a ruby and a silver clutch. 5. Black dresses with bows In September 1989, the Princess of Wales chose a beaded off-the-shoulder lace maxi dress by Bellville Sassoon for a charity concert at the Barbican Center in London. A black silk bow and chunky earrings added an extra accent to Princess Diana's graceful neck, while a black clutch emphasized her snow-white arms. ADVERTISIMENT Kitty Spencer prefers shorter outfits. That's why in September 2016 she attended the 20th anniversary of Jimmy Choo and the Pret-a-Portea book launch at the Berkeley Hotel in a mini dress of a similar style to her aunt's. The look had a similar bow, floral patterns, and contrasting collar and sleeve bottoms. Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Criminal activity relating to the gaming industry has increased 122.2% year-on-year in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report from the Secretariat for Security. Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, downplayed the increase, stating that it was expected due to the recovery of the tourism industry and the significant influx of visitors to Macau during this period. Wong highlighted that, although the number of cases appeared to grow significantly (from 193 to 351), it is still lower than figures recorded in 2019. According to the figure stated at the press conference from the security officials yesterday morning, the 2024 figure is 19.9% lower (87 fewer cases) than in 2019. The number of gambling-related crime cases in the first quarter of this year showed a certain increase compared to the same period last year, and the reason is believed to be related to the substantial increase in the number of tourists and the recovery of the gaming industry, the Secretary said. He added that, as he had mentioned earlier in the main crime statistics report, 2024 figures are slightly inflated due to the base of comparison. Full resumption of border crossings only occurred in February, affecting the comparison between the two periods. According to data from the Statistics and Census Service, the number of tourists who visited Macau in the first quarter of 2024 exceeded 8.8 million, approximately 1.8 times the same period last year, he said. Given the influx of tourists, the rise in crime should be considered in context. Wong also noted a change in the typology of gaming-related crimes, with scams (particularly those related to illegal currency exchange activities) comprising 21.7% of the total. He also noted that traditional crimes such as usury and kidnapping have decreased, with usury cases now amounting to less than half of 2019 (down from 128 to 63) and kidnapping cases now representing only 2.8% of all the crimes related to this industry (down from 81 to 10). RM The number of visitors on package tours significantly increased compared to the previous year in April. According to data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), there was a remarkable increase of 142.3% with a total of 216,000 arrivals. The majority of these tour visitors were from mainland China, with a year-on-year growth of 123.3% to reach 194,000 visitors. The data also revealed a substantial surge in international visitor arrivals on package tours, which skyrocketed by 979.8% to 20,000 in April. Among these visitors, there was a notable increase in tourists from Korea, with a staggering growth rate of 2,382.3% to reach 8,000 visitors. Similarly, visitors from Malaysia experienced a significant surge of 1,402.2% year-on-year, totaling 2,000 visitors. Looking at the first four months of 2024, the overall number of visitors on package tours showed a remarkable uplift of 257.9% compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 720,000 arrivals. Mainland China contributed significantly to this growth, with a year-on-year increase of 226.3% to reach 643,000 visitors. Additionally, international visitor arrivals on package tours experienced a substantial increase of 2,292.5% to 70,000 visitors. Tourists from Korea and Thailand witnessed remarkable growth rates of 7,896.4% and 449.2% year-on-year respectively, with 31,000 and 7,000 visitors. Regarding hotel occupancy rates, the average occupancy rate of guest rooms in April experienced a year-on-year increase of 4.0 percentage points, reaching 83.3%. The rates for 5-star and 4-star hotels also saw positive growth, with increases of 7.1 and 1.0 percentage points respectively. However, the rate for 3-star hotels suffered a decline of 4.9 percentage points, reaching 81.1%. From January to April 2024, the average occupancy rate of hotel guest rooms increased by 8.4 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 84.5%. Staff Reporter Hong Kong police yesterday arrested six people, including a former organizer of the citys decades-long annual vigil that commemorated the Tiananmen Square crackdown, for allegedly publishing seditious social media posts, in what were the first publicly known arrests under the citys new national security law. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said Chow Hang-tung, a former leader of the group behind the vigil, alongside five others, used a Facebook page to anonymously publish the posts. Police said their acts began in April and that the suspects were targeting a sensitive date. The authorities have not detailed the content of the posts. But the page started publishing a series of posts to mark the upcoming 35th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown, a politically sensitive topic in Hong Kong and mainland China, on April 30. Tang alleged the group made the posts with the intent to incite dissatisfaction or even hatred against the Chinese central government, the Hong Kong government and the judiciary. The posts also aimed to encourage netizens to organize activities endangering national security, he said. Although Hong Kong has embarked on the journey from stability to prosperity these days, we cannot let down our guard. We are still facing national security risks, Tang told reporters at a briefing. The authorities did not specify the content of the posts or identify the other five suspects. The introduction of the new security law in March four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that had all but wiped out public dissent has deepened worries about the erosion of the citys freedoms. The new law, known locally as Article 23, has expanded the governments power to deal with future challenges to its rule, punishing treason and insurrection with up to life imprisonment. Under the legislation, offenders who commit sedition offenses face harsher penalties than before. They face a maximum jail term of seven years if convicted for committing seditious acts or uttering seditious words up from the previous maximum sentence of two years. But Tang said it is not illegal to merely mention sensitive dates. The main crime is not about the subject. Its about theyre utilizing the subject during which they incited hatred, he said. The six suspects are between 37 and 65 years old. Authorities raided the homes of five of them and seized items including electronic devices that officers suspect were used to publish the seditious messages, police said. Chow and two former leaders of the group were also charged with subversion under the Beijing-imposed law and are being held in custody. The annual commemoration at Hong Kong Victoria Park used to draw thousands of people. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments say the law helped return stability following anti-government protests in 2019. KANIS LEUNG, HONG KONG, MDT/AP A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the countrys second spy satellite exploded shortly after liftoff Monday, state media reported, in a setback for leader Kim Jong Uns hopes to operate multiple satellites to better monitor the U.S. and South Korea. The failed launch came hours after leaders of South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul in their first trilateral meeting in more than four years. Its highly unusual for North Korea to take provocative action when China, its major ally and economic pipeline, is engaging in high-level diplomacy in the region. The launch drew rebukes from the Norths neighbors because the U.N. bans North Korea from conducting any such launches, viewing them as covers for testing long-range missile technology. The Norths official Korean Central News Agency said it launched a spy satellite aboard a new rocket at its main northwestern space center. But KCNA said the rocket blew up during a first-stage flight soon after liftoff due to a suspected engine problem. KCNA cited the unidentified vice director of the National Aerospace Technology Administration as saying that a preliminary examination showed that the explosion was related to the reliability of operation of the newly developed liquid oxygen-petroleum engine. He said other possible causes will be investigated, according to KCNA. Japans government briefly issued a missile warning for the southern prefecture of Okinawa, urging residents to take shelter inside buildings and other safer places. The warning was lifted later because the region was no longer in danger, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara called the Norths launch a serious challenge to the entire world. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command criticized the launch as a brazen violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and said it involved technologies that are directly related to North Koreas intercontinental ballistic missile program. South Koreas Unification Ministry called a satellite launch by the North a provocation that seriously threatens our and regional security. North Korea has steadfastly maintained it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles in the face of U.S.-led military threats. North Korea says the operation of spy satellites will allow it to better monitor the U.S. and South Korea and improve the precision-striking capabilities of its missiles. During the trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for stern international action if North Korea went ahead with its launch plan. Kishida, for his part, urged the North to withdraw its launch plan, but Li didnt mention the launch plan as he offered general comments about promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a political resolution. Earlier Monday, North Korea had notified Japans coast guard about its planned launch with a warning to exercise caution in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China and east of the main Philippine island of Luzon during a launch window from Monday through June 3. Some observers say that North Koreas satellite launch on the first day of its eight-day window might have been aimed at casting a chill over the Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo meeting and registering its displeasure with China. Kim Jong Un has been embracing the idea of a new Cold War and seeking to boost ties with Beijing and Moscow to forge a united front against Washington, so Chinas diplomacy with Seoul and Tokyo might have been a disturbing development for Pyongyang. Kims primary focus in recent months has been on Russia, as Pyongyang and Moscow both locked in confrontations with Washington expand their military cooperation. China, which is much more sensitive about its international reputation, has joined Russia in blocking U.S.-led efforts at the U.N. Security Council to tighten sanctions on the North but has been less bold and open about supporting Kims new Cold War drive. North Koreas Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly criticized a joint statement issued by Li, Yoon and Kishida, calling it wanton interference in its internal affairs. The ministry took issue with parts of the joint statement that said the three leaders re-emphasized their existing positions on the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. While North Korea focused much of its criticism on South Korea for allegedly being chiefly responsible for the statement, its still extremely rare for North Korea to slam a statement signed by China. The failed satellite launch is a blow to Kims plan to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 in addition to his countrys first military reconnaissance satellite that was placed in orbit last November. The November launch followed two failed liftoffs. In the first attempt, the North Korean rocket carrying the satellite crashed into the ocean soon after liftoff. After the second attempt, North Korea said there was an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight. HYUNG-JIN KIM, SEOUL, MDT/AP Armenians, Hmong, Brazilians and other groups feel US race and ethnicity categories dont represent them The U.S. federal government recently reclassified race and ethnicity groups in an effort to better capture the diversity of the United States, but some groups feel the changes miss the mark. Hmong, Armenian, Black Arab and Brazilian communities in the U.S. say they are not represented accurately in the official numbers. While the revisions were widely applauded, these communities say the changes have created a tension between how the federal government classifies them versus how they identify themselves. The groups say money, political power and even health could be at stake. Being lumped into the wrong column can mean a gain or loss of government funds that are distributed based on data. For some, its about their identity and feeling seen by their own country. The Office of Management and Budget said the working group that oversaw the revisions held 94 listening sessions with many advocacy groups, academics and the general public, and it will continue to reach out to communities. HMONG AND THE SECRET WAR During the Vietnam War and unbeknownst to the American public, the CIA recruited Lao and Hmong people to fight the spread of communism throughout Southeast Asia. Tens of thousands of Hmong soldiers died while others fled to the U.S. as a result of what became known as the secret war. By the 1970s, many Hmong had resettled in Minnesota, Wisconsin and central California. Today, Hmong in the U.S. number more than 300,000. Some states recognize Hmong and Lao veterans with annual ceremonies, and in April, the Wisconsin governor signed a law mandating that Hmong American history be taught in schools. Given their history fighting in that region for the U.S., many Hmong feel strongly that they should be classified as Southeast Asian. But because China is considered the Hmong ancestral homeland, the U.S. Census Bureau categorized them as East Asian after the 2020 census. That has been very hurtful to our elders and to our veterans who sacrificed so much to get us here to this country after everything they did to help the U.S. during the Vietnam War, said May yer Thao, president and CEO of the St. Paul, Minnesota-based Hmong American Partnership. The East Asian label also pains them because the Hmong were oppressed in China as an ethnic minority and sought refuge in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, according to Quyen Dinh, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. Those who object to the classification also have a practical concern: the East Asian grouping could hide socioeconomic disparities between Hmong and other Asian households that need to be addressed. The per capita income of Hmong was almost $26,000, while it was more than $53,000 for Asians overall, according to the 2022 American Community Survey. We are still one of the most impoverished communities in this nation, Thao said. The Census Bureau says its working with the Hmong community to improve their classification. THE EXCLUDED GROUPS When the government revised its race and ethnicity standards in March its first major alteration since 1997 its seven categories included a new one, Middle Eastern or North African, or MENA. The revisions also encouraged detailed data collection about respondents backgrounds, such as African American, Jamaican and Haitian under the Black category. Missing from the list of backgrounds under the new MENA category: Black Arabs from such countries as Somalia and Sudan, and Armenians. The groups were left out after a 2015 field test by the Census Bureau found that most Armenians still identified as white and most Somali and Sudanese respondents identified as Black even when MENA was an option. Some advocates said the decision to omit Black Arabs from being included in the MENA category was based on outdated research. For many Armenian Americans, not having their own category amounts to an existential threat as a large part of their diasporas culture is now concentrated in the United States. Ethnic Armenians also have communities around Europe and the Middle East, in particular Lebanon. Many are descendants of those who fled the 1915 campaign by Ottoman Turks in which some 1.5 million Armenians died in massacres, deportations and forced marches. The atrocities, which emptied many ethnic areas in eastern Turkey, are widely viewed by historians as genocide. Turkey rejects the description of genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest during World War I. Without Armenian inclusion in the MENA subcategories, many will likely categorize themselves as being from a different country. That could diminish their official numbers and reduce their power when it comes to redrawing political districts in places with large Armenian communities, said Sophia Armen, chair of the Census Taskforce of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region. We will now be undercounted by potentially hundreds of thousands of people, Armen said. It spells out a very real destruction of Armenian identity in the next two generations. During the last redistricting round following the 2020 census, Armenians in greater Los Angeles which has the largest concentration of Armenians outside Armenia were almost split up into different city districts, but the redistricting plan was modified after they sounded the alarm. There are an estimated 460,000 Armenian Americans in the U.S., with half living in California, according to the 2022 American Community Survey. Being identified in the data correctly also is important to local health departments. It can influence anything from vaccination outreach in the proper language to tailoring health campaigns for specific communities. Armenian Americans, for instance, are more likely to suffer from hypertension than the general population, but theres not a lot of data. MANY BRAZILIANS IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC A coding error last year in an annual Census Bureau survey offered unprecedented insight into how large numbers of Brazilians in the U.S. identify as Hispanic or Latino. An analysis by Pew Research Center showed that the coding mistake revealed at least 416,000 Brazilians, or more than two-thirds of Brazilians in the U.S., also identified as Hispanic in the 2020 American Community Survey. Usually, if someone marks Hispanic and Brazilian on the survey, they are recoded as not Hispanic when the numbers are crunched. Not including Brazilians, or Haitians for that matter, in the definition of Hispanic or Latino, means that large numbers of Afro-Latinos arent counted, Michelle Bueno Vasquez, a Ph.D. candidate in political science at Northwestern University, wrote the Office of Management and Budget. The OMB as it stands fails Latinos, especially Afro-Latinos who continually suffer double discrimination and marginalization, on top of statistical invisibility, in the United States, she said. Researching the impacts of categorizing Brazilians as Hispanic was among the recommendations a Census Bureau advisory committee made last month. Policy is driven by data, first and foremost, Armen said of people who feel missed in the classifications. It just seems like we are purposely being ignored. TERRY TANG & MIKE SCHNEIDER, MDT/AP * Crime wave Q1 data from the Security Office indicates a spike in violent crimes; Secretary Wong, however, asserts rise in gaming-related crimes is normal * This summer | Macau to host first Intl Arts Festival for children * Tourism | Package tour visitors increase by 140% in April * An executive chef was accused of soliciting hundreds of thousands in bribes from subordinate staff over two years * Labor market shows uneven recovery in first quarter * Hong Kong police arrest six people accused of violating the citys national security law DOWNLOAD PDF Wednesday, May 29, 2024 edition no. 4492 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy secured from Spain a pledge of additional air defense missiles to help fight the about 3,000 bombs that he says Russia launches every month at Ukraine in the third year of the war. However, Ukraine still urgently needs another seven U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia hitting the power grid and civilian areas, as well as military targets, with devastating glide bombs that wreak wide destruction, Zelenskyy said. If we had these modern Patriot systems, (Russian) airplanes wouldnt be able to fly close enough to drop the (glide) bombs on the civilian population and the military, Zelenskyy told a news conference in the Spanish capital. Glide bombs are heavy Soviet-era bombs fitted with precision guidance systems and launched from aircraft flying out of range of air defenses. The bombs weigh more than a ton and blast targets to smithereens, leaving a huge crater. Two Patriot systems are needed to protect the northeastern Kharkiv region, where the Kremlins forces launched a cross-border offensive on May 10 that left Ukrainian troops reeling, Zelenskyy said. The death toll from a glide bomb attack on a Kharkiv shopping mall Saturday rose to 18, regional Gov Oleh Syniehubov said yesterday [Macau time], with five people still missing. The Kharkiv push has further strained Ukraines already depleted army, which in recent months has been fighting Russias intense drive deeper into the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region. Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the Kremlins army is mustering at another point in Russia, farther north but close to the approximately 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, aiming to stretch Ukraines depleted army thinner and crack its resistance in the area. Zelenskyy and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez signed a bilateral security agreement that allocates 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine in 2024, and 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) by 2027. More Leopard tanks and artillery ammunition also feature in the package. After more than two years (of war), Russias aggression continues, and thats why it is more necessary than ever to redouble our support, Sanchez told the joint news conference. The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system that was first deployed in the 1980s and can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles. It is expensive but is effective and sought after by armies around the world. European countries have hesitated to send Patriot systems to Ukraine, fearing they may need them. Spains King Felipe VI earlier welcomed Zelenskyy at the capitals Barajas airport. Zelenskyy is due in neighboring Portugal today [Macau time]. He had been due to visit Spain earlier this month but postponed all his foreign trips after Russia launched its offensive in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine has repeatedly tried to strike behind Russian lines, often with drones, though Russias response to the new technology used in unmanned vehicles has improved in recent months. A Ukrainian long-range drone set a new distance record by attacking overnight an early-warning radar in the Russian city of Orsk, some 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian officials claimed. The operation was conducted by Ukraines military intelligence, GUR, an intelligence official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment publicly. Ukraines previous long-range attack record was at 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) when a drone struck an oil refinery in Russias Bashkortostan on May 9. It was not immediately possible to verify either claim. Meanwhile, a Western intelligence assessment suggested that Russias Kharkiv offensive has subsided. The northern Kharkiv front has likely stabilized with Russian territorial control fragmented and not joined up, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Sunday. Russias gains in this axis will be limited in the coming week, as Russias initial momentum has been contained by Ukrainian resistance. That is in line with Zelenskyys claim last Friday that Ukrainian forces have secured combat control of areas where Russian troops entered the Kharkiv region. The onslaught unfolding as the weather improves has brought Ukraines biggest military test since Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022. Slow deliveries of support by its Western partners, especially a lengthy delay in U.S. military aid, have left Ukraine at the mercy of Russias bigger army and air force. MDT/AP Xi calls for promoting quality and quantity of new jobs 08:24, May 29, 2024 By Xu Wei ( Chinadaily.com.cn Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for sustained efforts to promote high-quality and sufficient employment to keep enhancing the sense of gain, happiness and security among the vast majority of workers. While presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday, Xi said that China's high-quality development should be a process of improving and expanding employment opportunities. The policymakers at the meeting listened to a report made by Mo Rong, head of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security, before sharing their views in the discussions. The central government has outlined a target of creating over 12 million new jobs in urban areas this year while pledging to maintain the surveyed urban unemployment rate at around 5.5 percent. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the urban surveyed unemployment rate nationwide was 5.2 percent during the January-April period, down 0.2 percentage points compared with the same period last year. Xi highlighted at the session the key experiences the Party's central leadership has drawn from job creation efforts, including seeing employment as the cornerstone for public well-being, adhering to an employment-first policy, prioritizing job creation for key groups and creating more jobs through encouraging entrepreneurship. He reiterated the necessity to tailor the development of new quality productive forces to local conditions, transform and upgrade traditional industries, nurture and expand emerging sectors, and make plans for the overall development of emerging sectors. The authorities must continue to support the growth of businesses and sectors with large potential for job creation in order to stabilize and expand the job market, he said. In alignment with new trends and fresh expectations from the general public for a high-quality life, the development of new business models must be vigorously advanced, and new growth drivers in the job market must be cultivated, Xi stressed. He underlined the need to accelerate efforts to develop modern human resources characterized by high quality, sufficient quantity, optimized structure and rational distribution, in order to address the structural imbalance between supply and demand in the job market. The general secretary called for dynamic adjustments in the structure of higher education majors and resources, the vigorous development of vocational education, and improvements to the lifelong vocational skills training system. It is important to analyze the reason for labor shortages in some sectors to solve the problem of unemployment by addressing the issue of recruitment difficulties facing businesses, he said. With over 11.7 million students due to graduate from college this year, Xi called for continuous efforts to prioritize the employment of young people, such as college graduates, and develop more job opportunities conducive to their expertise. Young people should be encouraged to find jobs and start businesses in key sectors, at the grassroots level and in small, medium-sized and micro businesses, he said. As China moves forward with its new urbanization and rural vitalization drive, the nation must take multipronged measures to help migrant workers find jobs, while encouraging talent to return to rural areas and urban residents to start rural businesses. The general secretary cautioned against a return to poverty on a large scale due to unemployment, saying that the overall number and income of migrant workers who have been lifted out of poverty must be stabilized. Greater assistance must be extended to older workers, disabled individuals and the long-term jobless, and the authorities must take coordinated measures to ensure that all families can have sources of income to pay their bills. The authorities must strive to establish a comprehensive and standardized human resources market system, creating a fair employment environment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to achieve personal development through hard work, Xi said. To strengthen the protection of workers' rights and interests, it is necessary to improve labor laws and regulations, establish labor standards for new forms of employment and enhance the social security system, he added. The authorities should effectively address issues such as employment discrimination, wage arrears, lack of employment insurance and illegal layoffs, he said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) Of course Nikki Haley now says shell vote for Donald Trump. A blink of an eye ago she called him unstable and unhinged, an individual whos just toxic and lacks moral clarity. She follows the same beaten path of Marco Rubio, who became a big fan of the man hed labeled a dangerous con artist; Ted Cruz, now an enthusiastic backer of a person he called a sniveling coward; and Lindsey Graham, now a leading apologist for the man hed branded a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. In the political class, there are dozens upon dozens of other such examples amid rare exceptions like Mitt Romney. Republicans who run for office speak the obvious truth about Trump until they realize hes got them beat and, if they want to win more elections in a party where Trump and Trumpism remain dominant, they have no choice but to turn obsequious and pretend that they never had a brain or a conscience. Trump proceeds to treat all these former rivals like something grosser than gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and thats appropriate, because the rivals-turned-sycophants disrespect themselves. When politicians so brazenly change their tune on such matters, its little wonder the public treats them with contempt. That contempt, ironically, is one of the things that in 2015 fueled the rise of a supposedly more authentic personality named Trump. The Republicans far more worth our attention these days are those who were up close and personal with Trump in his first term, who saw the way he operated as president, and who now warn at the top of their lungs against him becoming president again. Theres former Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump tried to turn into an accomplice in his plot to overturn the 2020 election. Former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly, who emerged from the cauldron of the White House calling Trump a person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators who has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. Theres Bill Barr, once Trumps attorney general, who calls Trump a consummate narcissist who constantly engages in reckless conduct. Theres chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who called Trump a wannabe dictator. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who calls Trump a threat to democracy based on his attempt to send as many as 250,000 troops to the U.S. Mexico border as well as his apparent interest in launching missile strikes on Mexico. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who called Trump the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people does not even pretend to try. Thats an unmistakably consistent pattern from those who saw him play commander in chief. None of these people are seeking political office. All of them align with Trump on many key policy questions. All of them know that being honest about Donald Trump will make it harder for them to thrive professionally in a Republican Party where Trump has overwhelmingly positive approval ratings. Yet none can deny seeing what they saw: an immature, craven, self-serving, out-of-his depth individual who abused the power of the presidency for four years then tried to steal a second four-year term and is salivating at the opportunity to do it again. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) adopted a groundbreaking treaty on intellectual property (IP) rights for genetic resources (GR) and associated traditional knowledge (ATK), capping about 25 years of negotiations and ushering in a new and more inclusive global patent system. The Philippines and the 193 member states of the WIPO agreed on May 24, 2024 to establish the first WIPO-administered instrument to address the interface between patents, GR and ATK and include provisions specifically relating to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. - Advertisement - The treaty is a testament of our collaborative spirit that can empower the marginalized sectors, beyond national borders, while upholding a balanced IP system, said IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba at the diplomatic conference held in Geneva from May 13 to 24, 2024. The agreement included crucial provisions recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The new treaty establishes a mandatory disclosure requirement for patent applicants if they are based on genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. The critical mechanism aims to combat the misappropriation of these valuable resources. The IPOPHL said the Philippines has already been proactive in this area, implementing similar disclosure mechanisms through a joint order with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Barba hailed the treaty as a win for inclusivity in the patent system, recognizing the rights of indigenous communities and protecting their cultural treasures. IPOPHL will recommend that the Philippines become a contracting party to the treaty, enabling its national implementation. The treaty will officially come into effect three months after ratification by 15 countries. Stock market accounts reached 1.906 million in 2023, up 11.3 percent from 1.71 million in 2022 as more individuals opened new accounts through the GStocksPH platform, according to the Philippine Stock Exchanges (PSE) annual stock market investor profile report. New accounts opened through the GStocksPH platform accounted for 80 percent of the total stock market accounts. - Advertisement - Online accounts stood reached 1,525,768 as of end-2023, up by 21.2 percent or 266,861 accounts. Giving e-wallet holders direct access to the stock market is instrumental in our drive to increase retail investor participation in the market, said PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon in a statement Wednesday. PSEs partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers to conduct learning sessions on financial literacy and stock investing for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families is another initiative that can potentially boost the number of retail investors in the stock market once this program is fully implemented, Monzon said. The number of accounts, however, was muted by the cleanup of dormant accounts done by trading participants (TP) in accordance with Republic Act No. 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Retail investors made up 98.5 percent of total accounts, while the remaining 1.5 percent belonged to institutional investors. Local investors also accounted for 98.5 percent of total accounts, while the remaining 1.5 percent were foreign investors. Meanwhile, retail accounts comprised 99.9 percent of total online accounts with local investors owning 98.8 percent of the online accounts. Foreign online accounts took up the remaining 1.2 percent. The average value per online trade inched up by 1.8 percent to P47,050.48 from the 2022 average of P46,236.40. Similar to 2022, female investors also accounted for 51 percent of online accounts, while male investors comprised the remaining 49 percent in 2023. Investors aged 30 to 44 continued to have the biggest share in online and total accounts, accounting for 49 percent of online accounts, down from 55.7 percent in 2022. All other age groups showed an increase in their portion of online accounts, from 20.8 percent to 21.5 percent for the 18- to 29-year-old investors, 18.4 percent to 18.6 percent for the 45- to 59-year-olds and 5.0 percent to 10.9 percent for the 60 and above age range. The share of Metro Manila-based investors showed a significant decline to 68 percent from 84.6 percent for online accounts and 68.2 percent from 81.5 percent for total accounts. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao registered growth in online accounts. The programs that democratize access to the stock market played a role in the investor location data in 2023. Aside from e-wallets serving as access point to stock investing, the Exchanges programs such as PSE EASy paved the way for investors based outside Metro Manila to invest in the stock market. I hope this growth in non-Metro Manila investors will be sustained over the years so that the geographical aspect of financial inclusion is addressed, said Monzon. The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) plans to transform the Clark aviation complex into the Philippines leading aerospace hub, creating thousands of jobs and solidifying the countrys role in the global industry. Clark in the Philippines is a very viable and attractive hub for foreign investors from the aerospace industry, and those who are looking for strategic partners able to address the growing necessity for aviation jobs to meet current demands and future expansions, said CIAC president Arrey Perez. - Advertisement - Perez recently participated in the 9th International Aerospace Innovation Forum organized by Aero Montreal and the Quebec government held in Canada on May 21 and 22, with over 1,700 participants from 19 different countries, 145 speakers and more than 800 business meetings over two days. In our business meetings in Quebec with top aerospace and technology industry players, we have pitched Clarks marketability and encouraged global aerospace companies to establish facilities here (at Clark) to serve the Asia region and global market, Perez said. Aero Montreal is Quebecs cluster of key leaders in the aerospace sector, while Quebec is the worlds third largest center of aerospace manufacturing. Clark International Airport and the aviation complex host aerospace investors such as MRO giant SIA Engineering, which maintains airframes, Hong Kongs Metrojet Ltd. which takes care of business jets and Lufthansa Technik which will soon construct new hangars in Clark, along with global cargo leaders UPS, DHL and FedEx. The Philippines aerospace sector may strategically begin with industry upgrade, starting with reputable and comprehensive pilot training programs, along with skills training in components and assembly manufacturing, and then expanding into production engineering, procurement and distribution, Perez said. This approach will not only improve the local aerospace value chain, but produce skilled pilots, aeronautical engineers, aircraft mechanics, and ground support executives and operators, as well, he said. Perez said the realization of Clark as the countrys main aerospace hub would redefine the aviation landscape in the Philippines, provide exceptional opportunities and empower the next generation of aviation professionals in the country. He cited the countrys advantages which include its human resource pool with a large number of low-cost qualified English-speaking engineers and skilled workers, extensive experience in the automotive and electronics industry, a stable and sound policy environment for export-oriented firms, and tariff-free access to key markets with preferential trade arrangements. The development of Clark as the main aerospace hub and a key player in the global industry will also boost export revenues, and provide access to state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, he said. WR Advisory Group, a private research group, gathered experts in national defense, economics, and foreign relations at the Makati Diamond Residences to discuss their outlook on matters of national security and the complex relationship between China and the Philippines. The speakers focused on two major aspects of Philippine-China relations namely, territorial and economic. The West Philippine Sea, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and joint exercises were all important points of the discussion. - Advertisement - With regard to the West Philippine Sea, the data presented in the forum showed that Filipinos are happy with the response of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. According to Arguelles, confidence in the Armed Forces remains high. The WR Numero March 2024 survey reveals that 68% of Filipinos say that the AFP is managing the situation in the West Philippine Sea well. Similarly, 7 out of 10 Filipinos express trust that Philippine military has the capacity to defend the West Philippine Sea. This nationally-representative survey is conducted among 1,800 adult Filipinos, with a 2% error margin. However, Dr. Brian Poe-Llamanzares pointed out that the situation is much more complicated. He explained that while media has been focused on the West Philippine Sea, China has been increasing its hold over the Philippine economy. The lack of foreign competition for public services makes it easier for China to infiltrate the economic landscape with cheaper and more readily available services. China is capitalizing on our desire to grow quickly and on a limited budget, especially in critical sectors of public utilities and services like electricity and telecommunications, which form a bedrock for national development. Economist Bernardo Villegas and Consul Ramon Garcia highlighted the efforts of the Philippine government to address this vulnerability by inviting foreign direct investment from both traditional and non-traditional allies citing economic road shows to countries like Spain, Japan, and the United States as part of the effort of both government and private sector to address this concern. Robin Garcia, Founder and Chairman of the WR Advisory Group, explained that because the situation is multidimensional the forum had to assemble a diverse panel of speakers. Chinas challenge is multidimensional, encompassing interrelated and simultaneous threats to the economy, defense, and democracy. Today, WR Advisory Group sought to discuss these in a holistic and integrated way to enrich the public discussion and to help come up with policy responses that reflect this thematic diversity. Our speakers are experts and specialists who have both policy-relevant and academic experience in these themes. All participants in the forum were hopeful that the economic growth of the country will continue but shared similar concerns about the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea. Speakers included economist Bernardo Villegas, Honorary Consul of Portugal Ramon Garcia, Perry World House Senior Program Manager at the University of Pennsylvania Thomas Shattuck, WR Numero Research President and CEO Cleve Arguelles, and Senator Grace Poes Chief of Staff Dr. Brian Poe-Llamanzares. President Marcos vowed to keep stronger bilateral ties between the Philippines and Brunei during a dinner hosted by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Tuesday evening. He said their friendship has stayed strong despite many changes over the years. On his first visit to Brunei, President Marcos talked about how both countries have similar interests, especially with all the problems happening around the world. - Advertisement - It is important that we continue to work together on a bilateral basis, also together with ASEAN, with BIMP-EAGA in all of these methods by which we can plan together for our own communities, for the peace and the stability of the region, President Marcos said. BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in the four participating Southeast Asian nations. Mr. Marcos asked Bolkiah to keep working together to improve working relations not only for Asia, but for the Indo-Pacific as well. It is important that those partnerships now be brought back into the modern world. And I look forward [to] this state visit to once more give an added impetus and warmth and inspiration to the relationship between our two countries, President Marcos stated. President Marcos and the Sultan also led the signing of agreements about working together on ships, tourism, and more. The President is embarking on a two-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam, which coincides with the 40th Independence anniversary of the Sultanate and the 40th anniversary of the close and enduring cooperation between the Philippines and Brunei formalized on January 1, 1984. Officials from the Department of Health (DOH) have assured lawmakers that there are ample funds to prepare for the emerging COVID-19 variants, including the procurement of updated vaccine doses to protect vulnerable Filipinos. Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo elicited this response from the DOH during Wednesdays oversight hearing at the House Committee on Appropriations, where she sits as vice chairperson. Quimbo raised the topic after she read reports, claiming that the government has no budget for updated vaccines. - Advertisement - Quimbo scrutinized the budget management of DOH, pointing out its substantial but underutilized funds. Do you have a lot of money? Its very clear that the DOHs spending is very slow, not only this year but in previous years, Quimbo said, highlighting the slow utilization of resources. DOH Undersecretary Achilles Gerard Bravo confirmed the availability of funds, explaining the departments readiness to adjust its budget as needed. We have so many funds at the DOH, even from the Continuing Appropriations in 2023 and the current. If theres a need to provide for the emerging COVID variant, we can always make some modifications within our budget, Bravo assured. Bravo outlined the departments plan to reallocate unused funds. He said they are collating all the resources of DOH, assessing savings and the Continuing Appropriations of other programs, and will prioritize the reallocation to fast-moving appropriations. House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Representative Janette Garin emphasized the importance of readiness over panic regarding the so-called FLiRT variant. She urged the DOH to focus on vaccination and access to pneumonia and flu vaccines. Garin, a former Health Secretary and physician, also called for ensuring free hospitalization and medication for healthcare workers and immunocompromised individuals. Bravo confirmed the departments commitment to utilizing its savings to meet these needs. DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Francis Domingo denied claims of a budget shortfall for new COVID-19 vaccines, reinforcing the departments preparedness. Bill is anti-family, anti-marriage, and anti-childrenCBCP The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines remained firm in opposing the proposed divorce law, warning lawmakers they are supporting a measure that is anti-family, anti-marriage and anti-children. Its a betrayal of their constitutional mandate to uphold marriage and the family, said CBCP Spokesperson Father Jerome Secillano. - Advertisement - The House of Representatives earlier approved on third and final reading the absolute divorce bill, but the measure is facing an uphill battle in the Senate. STRAW VOTE. An informal survey by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada shows an 8-7 vote so far against the divorce bill being shepherded by Sen. Risa Hontiveros in the 24-member Senate. The House has passed the measure with a 130-109-20 vote. On Wednesday, Senator Cynthia Villar added her voice to the members of the Upper Chamber opposed to the divorce bill. I was surprised the House passed the measure, said Villar, wife of business tycoon and former Senate President Manny Villar. Everyone knows I have a very happy family life, so Im not in favor of divorce, she added. Based on an informal poll conducted by Senator Jinggoy Estrada as well as the public pronouncements of senators, eight are against the divorce measure while seven were in favor. Aside from Estrada, Senate President Francis Escudero, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, and Senators Joel Villanueva, Ronald dela Rosa, Aquilino Pimentel III and Juan Miguel Zubiri are against absolute divorce. Those who were in favor Senators Risa Hontiveros, Grace Poe, Raffy Tulfo, Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, JV Ejercito and Pia Cayetano. Secillano, who is also the head of the CBCPs Committee on Public Affairs, said passing a divorce bill would weaken the commitment to marriage. And of course, you also just perpetuate the cycle of violence. You are not treating the person who is violent, you are just merely freeing the abused person from that violent situation. So that guy who may be abusive is not treated at all, he will be looking for another girl who is going to be his punching bag later on, the priest said. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, however, said Catholic marriages will be covered by the divorce law once it is passed by Congress, rejecting the position of the CBCP that the measure will only apply to civil unions. Its completely baseless to assert that a sacramental marriage or church wedding will not be covered by a future divorce law, Lagman said. Church marriage is recognized as a civilly valid marriage under the Family Code and is regulated like civil marriages by the secular laws on marriage, he added. House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin on Wednesday said a compromised version for minimal annulment fee should be pushed if the Senate does not adopt the House version of the divorce bill. A survey conducted by the OCTA Research Group released in December showed 51 percent of Filipinos were against the legalization of divorce. At least 41 percent of the respondents were in favor while the rest were undecided. Majority of Filipinos who supported the divorce law were from Mindanao, followed by Metro Manila. Most of the respondents in favor of the law were aged 18 to 24, while most of the respondents aged 67 to 74 were not in favor. Under the measure passed by the House, the following are grounds for divorce: legal separation under Article 55 of the Family Code of the Philippines; annulment of marriage under Article 45 of the Family Code of the Philippines; separation of the spouses for at least five years at the time of the petition for absolute divorce is filed, and reconciliation is highly improbable; psychological incapacity as provided in Article 36 of the Family Code of the Philippines; and domestic or marital abuse to include acts under RA No. 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and and Their Children Act of 2004. Editors Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Uphill battle for divorce: CBCP maintains strong objection, Senate says its not a priority. Home Credit Philippines, the countrys leading consumer finance company, has recently won three recognitions from the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. One of the only seven Philippine countries to win more than two gold trophies, Home Credit bagged gold awards for Innovation in Product Placement and Innovation in Paid Media Planning and Management, and a bronze award for Innovation in Cross-Media Marketing. Shown here are [from left) Jasper Sadiang-Abay, HCPH Head of Campaign Marketing; Leyan Moncera, HCPH Head of Digital Marketing; Melissa Taruc, HCPH Brand Senior Manager; Mark Joseph De Leon, HCPH Digital Marketing Manager, Mark Xavier Malenab, HCPH Creatives Services Senior Manager Aiming to provide Filipinos financial options and implementing a variety of creative executions to try to effectively penetrate its customer and hit its target market, Home Credit Philippines (HCPH) has recently secured three accolades at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for its efforts in marketing communications. - Advertisement - HCPH is one of the only seven Philippine companies that won more than two gold trophies at the regional awards, which also gave citations to 38 brands and business entities from Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and other APAC markets. HCPH bagged the Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Product Placement for its Summer Campaign 2023: Summer You Dasurv!, specifically for its weather-triggered programmatic ads. This campaign pushed HCPH to be the preferred loan partner for Filipinos seeking affordable cooling appliances during the summer season. Home Credit pioneered the programmatic innovation where ads were being served dependent on the temperature and time of the location of the user and their device. HCPH also earned the Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Paid Media Planning & Management and the Bronze Stevie Award for Innovation in Cross-Media Marketing for its Holiday Campaign 2023: Laban Para sa Life Goals. Noteworthy aspects of the campaign included efficient media placements tailored to segmented audiences and strategic platform selection to achieve significant reach and conversions. The campaign also involved seven digital platforms, six out-of-home formats, and a nationwide radio campaign which was also region-specific. Home Credit is dedicated to being the Filipinos financial ally. These achievements underscore our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the ever-evolving marketing landscape. As we welcome a new decade of servicing our customers, well continue to adapt to the changes their behavior, so that well be able to reach them and provide them financial assistance anytime, anywhere, Leyan Moncera, HCPHs Head of Digital Marketing, said. The APAC Stevie Awards, a premier international business award-giving body which covers 29 markets in the Asia-Pacific region, aims to recognize marketing innovation across various industries. Winners of the 2024 APAC Stevie Awards convened at the gala awards banquet on Friday, 24 May in Manila, Philippines. To know more about the latest updates from Home Credit Philippines, visit its official website, www.homecredit.ph. You may also follow its official Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. Customers are also encouraged to download the My Home Credit App on Google Play to learn more about the latest promos and see whats new in Shopping Mall Philippines. Home Credit Philippines is a financing company duly licensed and supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Flowers are blooming and birds are building nests, which means its time for the Mountain Gateway Museums Birds & Blooms Bonanza. This family-friendly crafts class will be held Saturday, June 15, beginning at 10 a.m. on the front porch of the museum at 24 Water St. in Old Fort, according to a news release. On Fathers Day weekend, children and adults of all ages can build and decorate a wooden birdhouse and create a bouquet of button-and-felt flowers to take home in a glass vase of their choice. The cost is $15 per participant, which includes all craft materials and instruction. Advance registration and prepayment are required. To register, contact the museum at 828-668-9259 or mgm@dncr.nc.gov. Payment may be made via phone or in person by credit card, debit card, check or cash. Space is limited to the first 12 people to register and pay. Each participant may reserve space for two people maximum. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 12. Because this is an outdoor event, participants should dress according to the weather. They also are encouraged to wear clothing that is washable or that they dont mind getting dirty. For more information about the Birds & Blooms Bonanza, contact RoAnn Bishop at roann.bishop@dncr.nc.gov or Brittany Joachim at brittany.bennett@dncr.nc.gov or call 828-668-9259. About the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center The Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center is a regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh and is the westernmost facility in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Division of State History Museums. Located at 24 Water St. in Old Fort, a quarter-mile off Interstate 40 at Exit 73, the museum is open year-round. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday and state holidays. Admission is free, according to the news release. The Zimbabwean government launched a new currency called the ZiG, backed by gold, in an attempt to replace the struggling Zimbabwe dollar. They launched a publicity campaign, including a popular song titled Zig Mari, to encourage the public to embrace the ZiG over the U.S. dollar, which was also legal tender in the country. However, the ZiG faced a familiar problem: public mistrust. Despite holding its value on the official market, the ZiG tumbled on the black market, where $1 could be exchanged for up to 17 ZiGs. Authorities resorted to force, arresting over 200 street currency dealers and freezing accounts of businesses accused of undermining the ZiG. This crackdown contradicted Zimbabwes long history of street currency dealers and businesses ignoring official rates. Many vendors still only accepted U.S. dollars, and some businesses were allowed to refuse the ZiG in favor of dollars. Zimbabwe has a tumultuous history of monetary instability, with the ZiG being the sixth currency used since the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar in 2009. While the government aims to eventually de-dollarize the economy, the allure of the U.S. dollar remains strong, with many citizens trading their local currency earnings for dollars on the black market. Economists warn that force is unlikely to lead to more confidence in the ZiG or halt the black market, as long as the demand for U.S. dollars persists and official channels cannot meet it. Kenyan President William Ruto has overturned a recent ban on muguka, a potent and addictive variety of the stimulant khat or miraa plant. The consumption of mugukas freshly plucked buds and soft leaves has been linked to rising mental health issues and social problems like crime. Last week, three county governors in the coastal region prohibited its sale and use, sparking anger in the areas where the crop is cultivated. On Monday, Ruto stated that the muguka crop is legal, and its sale should not be prevented. Muguka is cheaper but more potent and addictive than regular khat, popular in the coastal counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta, and Kwale. The Mombasa governor had cited mugukas harmful effects, especially on youth, with over half of rehab patients being addicts. Similar bans were enacted in Kilifi and Taita Taveta, prompting protests from farmers and traders in the muguka-growing Embu county over business losses. Meeting with Embu leaders, Ruto said national legislation recognizing muguka overrides contradictory local laws. He affirmed muguka as a legal crop under acts from 2013 and 2023, announcing $3.7 million to expand its cultivation this financial year. The ban had gained religious support but was challenged in court by activists. Over 10 traders were arrested after it took effect in Mombasa. While not banned nationally, the anti-drug agency classifies muguka as harmful due to stimulants like cathinone found in higher concentrations than regular khat. A former agency chief advocated investing in other herbs over a substance causing zombies. 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 After a 20222023 season marked by a severe epidemic of bronchiolitis due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in particular in terms of emergency department visits and hospital admissions, on September 15, 2023 the French Government launched a preventive immunization campaign, administering nirsevimab (Beyfortus), to protect infants and reduce the circulation of the virus. To assess the effectiveness (real-world efficacy) of administering the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus), in combating the epidemic of RSV bronchiolitis during the 20232024 season, two complementary studies were conducted as a collaborative effort by the Institut Pasteur and Sante publique France: one to estimate the effectiveness of nirsevimab against cases of RSV bronchiolitis admitted to intensive care units, and the other to model the impact of the drug in terms of the number of hospital admissions prevented. The results of both studies confirm the positive impact of nirsevimab on the bronchiolitis epidemic, showing a significant reduction in the number of infants hospitalized and an estimated effectiveness of 76% to 81% for the prevention of RSV bronchiolitis-related hospitalizations in intensive care. In addition, the administration of nirsevimab prevented around 5,800 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis following emergency department visits between September 15, 2023 and January 31, 2024 in mainland France. The effectiveness of nirsevimab (Beyfortus) in preventing cases of RSV bronchiolitis admitted to intensive care is estimated to be between 76% and 81% Every year, Sante publique France monitors epidemiological trends in bronchiolitis. For the 20232024 season, a pilot surveillance program for severe cases of bronchiolitis in children under the age of two was set up in cooperation with the PICURe (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Registry) network, with the participation of pediatric and neonatal intensive care units that volunteered to take part. The surveillance program is run in each region by the regional units of Sante publique France. In particular, it has made it possible to describe the viruses involved in severe cases of bronchiolitis, as well as severe cases of RSV bronchiolitis that have benefited from preventive immunization with nirsevimab (Beyfortus). Based on these indicators, nirsevimab's effectiveness against RSV bronchiolitis-associated hospitalization in intensive care was estimated using a test-negative, case-control design by Sante publique France. The results of the study, conducted in mainland France from September 15, 2023 to January 31, 2024 in 288 infants, confirm the effectiveness of nirsevimab in preventing severe cases of RSV bronchiolitis hospitalized in intensive care units, which is estimated to be 75.9% (95% confidence interval: 48.5-88.7) and 80.6% (61.690.3) depending on the assumptions made. These findings are in line with the results of an international clinical study of 8,058 infants. "Surveillance is at the heart of our professional work; it is carried out by an extensive network of partners and highly motivated health care professionals. Today, thanks to our bronchiolitis surveillance system and the involvement of intensive care physicians, we have been able to evaluate the positive effects of nirsevimab (Beyfortus) on infants' health within a very short time frame and under real-world conditions, with treatment efficacy estimated at between 76% and 81%. "These results have been passed to the relevant authorities to help inform decision making and public action on the prevention of RSV bronchiolitis," said Isabelle Parent du Chatelet, Head of the Respiratory Infections and Vaccination Unit, Infectious Diseases Department, Sante publique France. 5,800 hospital admissions for RSV bronchiolitis were prevented, according to modeling data To assess the impact of nirsevimab administration on the bronchiolitis epidemic, researchers at the Institut Pasteur and epidemiologists at Sante publique France developed a mathematical model of RSV transmission among different age groups, as well as plausible scenarios for the administration of nirsevimab doses, based on data on the number of treatment doses supplied to maternity hospitals and pharmacies. They calibrated their model using hospital and virological surveillance data for the period from mid-2017 to February 4, 2024, as well as serological data. They estimate that administration of nirsevimab prevented 5,800 (95% confidence interval: 3,700-7,800) hospitalizations for RSV bronchiolitis after a visit to the emergency department, of which 4,200 (2,900-5,600) were among children aged 0 to 2 months, between September 15, 2023 and February 4, 2024, in mainland France. This corresponds to a 23% (16%30%) reduction in the total number of hospitalizations for RSV bronchiolitis following a visit to the emergency department [35% (25%44%) in the 0-2 months age group], compared with the non-administration scenario. In the baseline scenario, with 215,000 doses administered by January 31, 2024, the efficacy of nirsevimab against hospitalizations for RSV bronchiolitis was estimated to be 73% (61%84%), corresponding to one hospitalization prevented for every 39 (2654) doses administered. "With one hospitalization for RSV bronchiolitis prevented for around 40 children treated, our study highlights the value of administering nirsevimab to reduce hospitalizations due to RSV. The two studies use different approaches. One analyzes real-world data from pediatric intensive care units, while the other models population-based surveillance data; but they give similar estimates of nirsevimab efficacy. "Modeling also provides additional information, for example, on the number of hospital admissions prevented. This demonstrates the value of using these complementary approaches to assess the impact of public health measures," said Simon Cauchemez, Head of the Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases Unit at the Institut Pasteur. A viral respiratory infection, bronchiolitis (mainly caused by respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV) is a highly contagious disease that affects infants and young children under the age of two, especially in autumn and winter. Although bronchiolitis is common and usually benign, in some cases, particularly in infants under two months of age, it can lead to severe complications and hospitalization. In France, it is estimated that bronchiolitis affects almost 30% of infants under two years of age every winter, i.e. some 480,000 cases a year. 2%3% of infants under one year of age are thought to be hospitalized each year with more severe bronchiolitis. 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 The federal government in 2020 and 2023 changed who it said could safely donate organs and blood, reducing the restrictions on men who have had sex with another man. But the FDA's restrictions on donated tissue, a catchall term encompassing everything from a person's eyes to their skin and ligaments, remain in place. Advocates, lawmakers, and groups focused on removing barriers to cornea donations, in particular, said they are frustrated the FDA hasn't heeded their calls. They want to align the guidelines for tissue donated by gay and bisexual men with those that apply to the rest of the human body. Such groups have been asking the FDA for years to reduce the deferral period from five years to 90 days, meaning a man who has had sex with another man would be able to donate tissue as long as such sex didn't occur within three months of his death. One of the loudest voices on lightening the restrictions is Sheryl J. Moore, who has been an advocate since her 16-year-old son's death in 2013. Alexander "AJ" Betts Jr.'s internal organs were successfully donated to seven people, but his eyes were rejected because of a single question asked by the donor network: "Is AJ gay?" Moore and a Colorado doctor named Michael Puente Jr. started a campaign called "Legalize Gay Eyes" and together got the attention of national eye groups and lawmakers. Puente, a pediatric ophthalmologist with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, said the current patchwork of donor guidelines is nonsensical considering advancements in the ability to test potential donors for HIV. "A gay man can donate their entire heart for transplant, but they cannot donate just the heart valve," said Puente, who is gay. "It's essentially a categorical ban." The justification for these policies, set 30 years ago as a means of preventing HIV transmission, has been undercut by the knowledge gained through scientific progress. Now, they are unnecessary and discriminatory in that they focus on specific groups of people rather than on specific behaviors known to heighten HIV risk, according to those who advocate for changing them. Since 2022, the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research has put changes to the tissue guidance on its agenda but has yet to act on them. "It is simply unacceptable," Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., said in a statement. He was one of dozens of Congress members who signed a letter in 2021 that said the current deferral policies perpetuate stigma against gay men and should be based on individualized risk assessments instead. "FDA policy should be derived from the best available science, not historic bias and prejudice," the letter read. The FDA said in a statement to KFF Health News that, "while the absolute risk transmission of HIV due to ophthalmic surgical procedures appears to be remote, there are still relative risks." The agency routinely reviews donor screening and testing "to determine what changes, if any, are appropriate based on technological and evolving scientific knowledge," the statement said. The FDA provided a similar response to Neguse in 2022. In 2015, the FDA got rid of a policy dubbed the "blood ban," which barred gay and bisexual men from donating blood, before replacing it in 2023 with a policy that treats all prospective donors the same. Anyone who, in the past three months, has had anal sex and a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner is not allowed to donate. An FDA study found that, while men who have sex with men make up most of the nation's new HIV diagnoses, a questionnaire was enough to effectively identify low-risk versus high-risk donors. The U.S. Public Health Service adjusted the guidelines for organ donation in 2020. Nothing prevents sexually active gay men from donating their organs, though if they've had sex with another man in the past 30 daysdown from a yearthe patient set to receive the organ can decide whether or not to accept it. But Puente said gay men like him cannot donate their corneas unless they were celibate for five years prior to their death. He found that, in one year alone, at least 360 people were rejected as cornea donors because they were men who had had sex with another man in the past five years, or in the past year in the case of Canadian donors. Corneas are the clear domes that protect the eyes from the outside world. They have the look and consistency of a transparent jellyfish, and transplanting one can restore a person's sight. They contain no blood, nor any other bodily fluid capable of transmitting HIV. Scientists suspect that's why there are no known cases of a patient contracting HIV from a cornea transplant, even when those corneas came from donors of organs that did infect recipients. Currently, all donors, whether of blood, organs, or tissue, are tested for HIV and two types of hepatitis. Such tests aren't perfect: There is still what scientists call a "window period" following infection during which the donor's body has not yet produced a detectable amount of virus. But such windows are now quite narrow. Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nucleic acid tests, which are commonly used to screen donors, are unlikely to miss someone having HIV unless they acquired it in the two weeks preceding donation. Another study estimated that even if someone had sex with an HIV-positive person a couple of weeks to a month before donating, the odds are less than one in a million that a nucleic acid test would miss that infection. "Very low, but not zero," said Sridhar Basavaraju, who was one of the researchers on that study and directs the CDC's Office of Blood, Organ, and Other Tissue Safety. He said the risk of undetected hepatitis B is slightly higher "but still low." At least one senior FDA official has indirectly agreed. Peter Marks, who directs the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, co-authored a report last year that said "three months amply covers" the window period in which someone might have the virus but at levels too low for tests to pick up. Scott Haber, director of public health advocacy at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said his group's stance is that the tissue donation guideline "should be at least roughly in alignment" with that for blood donations. Kevin Corcoran, who leads the Eye Bank Association of America, said the five-year abstinence required of corneal donors who are gay or bisexual isn't just "badly out of date" but also impractical, requiring grieving relatives to recall five years of their loved one's sexual history. That's the situation Moore found herself in on a July day in 2013. Her son loved anime, show tunes, and drinking pop out of the side of his mouth. He was bad at telling jokes but good at helping people: Betts once replaced his little sister's lost birthday money with his own savings, she said, and enthusiastically chose to be an organ donor when he got his driver's license. Moore remembered telling her son to ignore the harassment by antigay bigots at school. "The kids in show choir had told him he's going to hell for being gay, and he might as well just kill himself to save himself the time," she recalled. That summer, he did. At the hospital, as medical staff searched for signs of brain activity in the boy before he died, Moore found herself answering a list of questions from Iowa Donor Network, including, she recalled: "Is AJ gay?" "I remember very vividly saying to them, 'Well, what do you mean by, Was he gay?' I mean, he's never had penetrative sex,'" she said. "But they said, 'We just need to know if he was gay.' And I said, 'Yes, he identified as gay.'" The Iowa Donor Network said in a statement that the organization can't comment on Moore's case, but said, "We sincerely hope for a shift in FDA policy to align with the more inclusive approach seen in blood donation guidelines, enabling us to honor the decision of all individuals who want to save lives through organ and tissue donation." Moore said her son's organs helped save or prolong the lives of seven other people, including a boy who received his heart and a middle-aged woman who received his liver. Moore sometimes exchanges messages with her on Facebook. She found out a year later that her son's corneas were rejected as donor tissue because of that conversation with Iowa Donor Network about her son's sexuality. "I felt like they wasted my son's body parts," Moore said. "I very much felt like AJ was continuing to be bullied beyond the grave." 2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New York City's top health officials will have access to fewer than two dozen medical research journals, as the department has turned to outside funding for research articles following Adams administration budget cuts. City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan told staffers Tuesday that money from an independent nonprofit would be used to buy 23 one-year subscriptions to medical research journals, according to an internal memo obtained by the Daily News. "With resources from the Fund for Public Health in New York, staff will have access to select public health journals for the coming year," Vasan wrote Tuesday. "We have selected these journals based on previous use by agency staff." The list, shared with The News, includes well-respected publications like the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine. The Fund for Public Health is dedicated to "connecting the NYC Health Department to private sector partners and the greater philanthropic community," according to its website. As first reported by The News, Mayor Eric Adams' budget cuts gutted public funding for the Health Department's William Hallock Park Memorial Public Health Library last year. The Long Island City, Queens, library had provided the department's epidemiologists, as well as the public, with access to peer-reviewed medical journals, databases, books and other research materials for decades. The library was shuttered in July 2023 as part of 4% citywide spending cuts. Many of the department's subscriptions ran until December 2023 and were not renewed. Health Department staffers who had been with the agency during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic described easy access to a diverse group of journals as a crucial tool in the city's defense against the disease. "This is going to make it much harder for people to get the information they need to do their job and protect New Yorkers," one staffer said at the time. "It's taking a tool out of the hands of the workers." Spokesmen for the mayor and the Health Department told The News last year that city researchers could rely on alternative resources to continue their work. A list of such resourcessent to departmental staff and shared with The Newsincluded Google Scholar, the Public Library of Science and other free online databases to access research materials. At the time, Health Department researchers called that insufficient. Tuesday, about five months after the department's subscriptions expired, the commissioner acknowledged the importance of journal access, and said he was exploring options to further expand his staffers' options despite the lack of city funding. "In addition to this one-year purchase, we are also exploring supplemental journal access through a collaboration with the city's public health schools," Vasan's memo continued. "Once all details have been worked through, we will share further information," he added. One Health Department staffer expressed approval Tuesday, telling The News that access to major journals seemed to be working. But the nonprofit support will only partially restore journal access, and does not include access to interlibrary loans or searches of medical literature. Public access to the library ended last July, and there are no plans to restore it. "While we are pleased to be able to offer this access, at this time we are not able to fully restore services," the commissioner's memo continued. "We will continue to explore additional ways to ensure access to the range of journals and services used by agency staff to carry out your critical day-to-day work," Vasan wrote. 2024 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Health economist Olga Yakusheva, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, believes that current government reimbursement models incentivize hospitals to cut nursing jobs to save money. Yakusheva, an expert on the economic value of nursing, and Robert Longyear, co-founder and CEO of Avenue Health, present a new hospital funding model they believe could help solve the nurse staffing problem and improve patient care. Yakusheva discusses their research, which appears in an article in the journal Health Affairs. Since COVID, we've seen a lot of media coverage about nursing shortages in hospitals. What part of this conversation is getting lost? People think that nurses left during COVID and don't want to go back to work, or there aren't enough nurses in the US in the first place. Both are somewhat true, but applications to nursing schools surged after COVID, and many of the experienced nurses who left are looking for jobs. Hospitals have lots of vacancies. There is not a shortage of qualified nurses, but a shortage of hospital vacancies that nurses are willing to take. Nursing has never been an easy profession, with some of the highest rates of work-related stress, burnout and occupational health risks. Nurses want safe work environments and adequate compensation, and hospitals struggle to provide that for their employees. What is bundling and why is it problematic in the current government reimbursement model? When we need legal advice, we pay a lawyer; when we see a doctor, the doctor sends us the bill. But when we need bedside nursing care, instead of consumers paying nurses directly, hospitals bundle these costs in with other expenses in the hospital billsheets, food, cafeteria workers, etc. Once insurance pays the hospital bill, hospital leadership decides what to pay nurses and what goes to other operating expenses. Every dollar spent on nurses comes at the expense of something else, which means every dollar saved on nursing costs or staff cuts can cover profit losses or plug holes in other areas. Even though consumers may value nursing care above most of these other things, we don't have a choice to pay nurses for the value of the nursing care we receive. Instead, nurses are paid by hospitals they work for, and hospitals simply don't, nor could they, prioritize nurses the same way consumers do. Please explain how your model is different from current reimbursement models. Our model unbundles nursing care from the hospital charge and pays for it separately. This way, hospitals that invest in sustainable levels of nurse staffing and a safe environment can charge more for nursing care. Hospitals that understaff and underinvest in their nurses get paid less, and can no longer put that money toward other uses. This eliminates the opportunity for hospitals to earn a short-term financial gain by cutting nursing jobs or spending. Unbundling nursing payment from the facility payment will also make it easier to see how much money nurses earn. This creates transparency and accountability for resource allocation toward nursing care that patients and families need. Why would this help solve the problem with hospital staffing? As hospitals that underinvest in nurses get paid less and those that don't are paid more, hospitals will find it economically beneficial to increase nurse staffing, even if it means spending more on compensation or improving working conditions. We expect this to attract experienced nurses back into the hospital workforce, improve retention and attract new talent into the profession. Why would hospitals adopt this model if it means sacrificing an opportunity to cut operating budgets? No one wants to cut budgets, but the current payment model right now pressures hospitals to do so. We believe that our model is beneficial for hospitals because it frees them to make nursing budget decisions that are good for their nurses, improve patient care and outcomes, and no longer damage their bottom line. When we decided back in the 1960s that health care [was] too expensive and we needed to create a payment system that makes hospitals want to voluntarily cut spending, we did not remove nursing. We removed physicians, who have their own reimbursement system and autonomy over payments. This may have seemed okay in the '60s and '70s when nursing was viewed by many as a "trade" with little impact on patient outcomes. But today, hospital care is very complex; the nursing profession requires a high level of knowledge, professionalism and expertise, and research shows it's a major driver of patient and population health outcomes. We are facing nursing shortages and understaffing, not because the current payment system does not work; on the contrary, we are where we are because it works exactly as it was designed nearly a half century ago. So it is time to rethink the system and protect nurses and other clinical personnel from the extreme cost-minimizing pressures they are facing now. More information: Olga Yakusheva et al, Center For Medicare And Medicaid Innovation Should Test An Alternative Payment Model For Hospital Nursing, Health Affairs (2024). DOI: 10.1377/forefront.20240516.427482 Journal information: Health Affairs 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: Changes in Weekly Number of Abortions and Out-of-State Patients Before and After the Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization Decision, January 1, 2017, to July 31, 2023. Vertical orange line indicates the Supreme Court Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization decision (June 24, 2022). The blue line indicates deseasonalized trends, the black line indicates estimated seasonality, the dotted line indicates the counterfactual, and the dots indicate the outcome (eg, weekly number of abortions). Credit: JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.13847 More out-of-state women, largely from Texas and Alaska, are traveling to Washington state to obtain an abortion than were doing so before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, according to research published today in JAMA Network Open. The study tracked the number of abortions performed at the Cedar River Clinics, a large network of care sites in Washington state, both before and after the 2022 Dobbs decision. Researchers found a 50% increase in out-of-state patients (from 4% to 6%) and documented an average one-week delay in care for all patients seeking abortion care. "While one week delay does not sound significant, any delays in receiving abortion care are problematic because it adversely affects the health of the pregnant person," said Dr. Emily Godfrey, UW Medicine family medicine doctor and OB-GYN and the paper's senior author. The study's lead author, Taylor Riley, a University of Washington graduate student in the department of epidemiology, added context. "This has concerning health and economic implications because delayed abortion care is associated with increased risk of complications and negative mental health impacts, and later abortion care is more expensive," she said. Researchers reviewed the number of abortion procedures at Cedar River Clinics from January 1, 2017 through June 23, 2022. They compared those totals with the number of abortions from June 24, 2022, through July 31, 2023. Before Dobbs, high proportions of out-of-state patients were from Alaska (52%), Montana (9%), Idaho (8%), Oregon (6%) and Texas (6%). After Dobbs, the numbers changed: Out-of-state patients were largely from Texas (27%) and Alaska (26%), followed by Idaho (8%), Louisiana (6%) and Florida (6%). While Alaska still has abortion-rights protections, Texas, Idaho, Louisiana and Florida have severely limited the procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The researchers also found that post-Dobbs, a higher proportion of out-of-state patients sought procedural abortions (instead of medication) compared with in-state patients. Godfrey surmised that "out-of-state patients are choosing uterine aspiration procedures over medication abortion in order to be 100% certain that they are no longer pregnant when they return home, especially if they live in a state that now criminalizes abortion." A total of 18,379 abortions occurred during the study period, from January 1, 2017 to July 31, 2023. Of those abortions, 3,378 occurred in the post Dobbs study period or between June 24, 2022 to July 31, 2023. Washington allows abortions up to the point of fetal viability or to protect the health of the pregnant individual. Because the state has longstanding laws to protect abortion, regulate insurance coverage, and allow abortion by a qualified health practitioner other than a doctor, Washington has become a haven for people seeking abortions, especially after 12 weeks, the authors noted. "The increasing number of abortions, out-of-state patients and delays to care points to the need for increased investment in and resources for abortion care in Washington," Riley said. "This could include expanding the number of abortion-providing facilities and strengthening existing primary care and telehealth accessibility, financial support and referral systems within the state." "Our proof-of-concept study showed that medical chart data can be used to assess statewide temporal changes in access and describe the sociodemographic makeup of the people experiencing the greatest delays in abortion care," Godfrey remarked. "The next step is to include more abortion facilities in this study to confirm our findings so that we can continue to provide critical information needed to effectively address health disparities related to abortion care in Washington state." During the study period, 72% of the out-of-state patients had procedural abortions, and 28% had medication abortions. About 31% of the patients identified as white, while 23% identified as Black. Hispanic patients accounted for 14% of the abortions in the clinics, while 13% identified as Asian. Over half of the patients (61%) had children and 62% used public insurance. Persons who experienced a significant delay in abortion care of about one week included Latina, white and Black individuals. Asian individuals also experienced delays, but findings were not significant, the authors noted. More information: Taylor Riley et al, Abortion Provision and Delays to Care in a Clinic Network in Washington State After Dobbs, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.13847 Journal information: JAMA Network Open 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 The great majority of how we understand human disease, and attempt to cure it, derives from mice genetically fashioned to be prolific breeders, docile and easy to handleall qualities that have made it the favorite tool of large-scale biomedical research. However, this human-imposed selection of these behavioral and reproductive traits has come at a hefty cost. By weeding out undesirable traits in the highly standardized laboratory mouse, researchers have also placed unseen constraints on what is possible to know and learn from them. Beth Dumont, an evolutionary biologist at The Jackson Laboratory, and colleagues are looking to remedy this situation. By collecting mice in their natural habitats, in fields, barns and forests, and in divergent ecological niches (polar, tropical, and arid climates) across North and South America, Dumont and colleagues have developed 10 new laboratory-grade research mouse strains with genomes packed with information that had been stamped out of classical mice. These new mouse strains, detailed recently in PLoS Genetics, will provide an important new resource for researchers worldwide. Their genomes introduce millions of novel genetic variants compared to classical in-bred strains, including predicted versions of a gene thaton averagedecreases the fitness of the organism carrying it, and gene-spanning structural variants, including loss of DNA, duplicated DNA, and detached chromosomes that reattach in the opposite directionall genetic profiles that better reflect human genetic variation. "Since the early 1900s, we've actively removed a lot of genetic information from laboratory mice that is incredibly relevant to human health," said Dumont. "We've bred out traits that relate to anxiety, aggressiveness, and infertility, for instance, and that means we're missing out on a wealth of potentially transformative biomedical research, making it much harder to determine how effectively new treatments or pharmaceuticals will work in humans." Dumont and her colleague, Professor Michael W. Nachman at the University of California, Berkeley and teams of graduate students went to work. They collectedwith some difficultywild mice across five locations in Canada, the United States, and Brazil. These wild mice, which all belonged to a single mouse subspecies (M. musculus domesticus; important because they can all interbreed, which is not necessarily the case with all genetically diverse mice) looked very different from laboratory mice, having experienced adaptive pressures to survive and thrive in their respective environments. For example, mice from Canada were bigger and had high metabolic activity to stay warm in a colder climate; mice from Brazil were smaller and their metabolism was radically different, indicating that mice collected in Brazil were uniquely adapted to a hot climate. Dumont, Nachman and colleagues meticulously inbred these mice for 20 generations to eliminate deleterious genes while imposing very minimal selection for docile behavior and/or reproductive output. Dumont then re-derived these mice via IVF to prevent the introduction of wild pathogens, making them now suitable for laboratory useif you can catch them. The new strains are also noticeably feistier. "They're fast, and they don't want you to hold them," said Dumont. "I haven't been bitten, but working with them does require quick reflexes." The wild-derived laboratory strains showed variation in phenotypic traits beyond size and speed. The introduction of millions of genetic variants captured broad variations across many biological domains. Their biochemical, neurobehavioral, physiological, morphological, and metabolic traits differed much more broadly than those in inbred laboratory mice, more accurately modeling the complex genetic basis of human disease-related phenotypes. "Tapping into wild strains has the potential to establish a powerful suite of resources for the modeling of human traits and diseases, enabling important discoveries across pretty much every disease area," said Dumont. "As researchers start to recognize that, we'll see increasing interest in wild-derived lab mice." More information: Beth L. Dumont et al, Into the Wild: A novel wild-derived inbred strain resource expands the genomic and phenotypic diversity of laboratory mouse models, PLOS Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011228 Journal information: PLoS Genetics 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: Cell Reports Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101546 A recent collaborative research endeavor, published in Cell Reports Medicine, highlights a promising therapeutic avenue for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in conjunction with counterparts from Germany, the U.S., and Canada, the study delves into the potential of augmenting macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) protein levels as a novel approach to tackling ALS. ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating neurodegenerative condition characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately respiratory failure. While the etiology remains elusive in the majority of cases, a subset of about 10% is attributed to genetic factors. Typically striking individuals aged 40 to 60, ALS carries a grim prognosis with a median survival of two to five years post-diagnosis. Approximately 20% of genetic ALS cases stem from mutations in the superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. Extensive research has elucidated that these mutations, numbering over 180 variants, induce motor neuron degeneration through some form of toxicity. Yet, the precise mechanisms driving this selective toxicity remain unresolved. A few years ago, Israelson and colleagues identified the multifunctional protein MIF to directly inhibit mutant SOD1 misfolding and binding to intracellular organelles. Elevated expression of MIF was shown to suppress accumulation of misfolded SOD1 and extend survival of mutant SOD1-expressing motor neurons. Recently, a study led by Dr. Leenor Alfahel at Professor Adrian Israelson's laboratory at BGU, in collaboration with Professor Susanne Petri's team at Hannover Medical School, Germany, and other international collaborators, demonstrated the efficacy of exogenous MIF administration via viral vectors in a SOD1 mouse model of ALS. This intervention effectively delays motor function decline, modulates critical pathways, and extends lifespan. Moreover, the study identifies diminished MIF levels in motor neurons derived from familial ALS patients with various genetic backgrounds, as well as in the motor cortex and spinal cord of sporadic ALS cases, suggesting broader implications beyond SOD1-linked pathology. These collaborative efforts underscore MIF's potential as a therapeutic candidate for ALS, opening up new possibilities for treatment. However, comprehensive investigations are warranted to fully elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MIF's efficacy and its translational implications. More information: Leenor Alfahel et al, Targeting low levels of MIF expression as a potential therapeutic strategy for ALS, Cell Reports Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101546 Journal information: Cell Reports Medicine Spain recognises Palestinian State amidst Israeli criticism ARCHIVED ARTICLE The Spanish government hopes its decision will help to bring about peace in the Middle East Today, the Government of Spain formally approves the official recognition of Palestine as a State. With this decision, Spain joins the more than 140 countries that already recognize the Palestinian State. This is a historic decision that has a single goal: to contribute to pic.twitter.com/J0Mh2vslks Pedro Sanchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 28, 2024 Spain, Ireland and Norway all formally recognised a Palestinian state this Tuesday May 28, 2024 , a move that has been condemned by Israel as a reward for Hamas amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict, which has lasted for over seven months now. The three European nations believe their recognition carries strong symbolic weight, potentially encouraging other countries to follow suit. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasised that this recognition is not intended as a gesture against Israel but as a step towards achieving lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Recognition of the State of Palestine is not only a matter of historic justice It is also an essential requirement if we are all to achieve peace, Sanchez stated. He reiterated Spains rejection of Hamas, which opposes the two-state solution and attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over a thousand people and taking dozens hostage. In Israels retaliation for the attack, more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza. The decision by Spain and other European nations to recognise Palestine as a State means that 145 out of 193 United Nations member states now recognise Palestinian statehood. Sanchez clarified that the Palestinian state should be viable, with the West Bank and Gaza connected and East Jerusalem as its capital, adhering to pre-1967 borders, something he insisted was necessary for the two-state solution to work. Despite Spain having affirmed a desire for good relations with Israel, Israeli officials have strongly criticised the decision. Leader of the Vox party in Spain, Santiago Abascal, has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to assure him Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba has taken a 13-year-old boy under his wing after being impressed by his musical talent. In a statement on May 26, Namwamba shared his encounter with Alex Otieno while heading to a function in Butula, Busia County. The CS explained that the 7th-grade boy from Nyalenda slums in Kisumu captured his attention with his musical skills. The CS asked his friend, Dr. Osborne Mabulu, to visit Otienos home, meet his family, and support his talent as he rushed to an event. This early afternoon in Kisumu City, I ran into 13-year-old Alex Otieno, who blew me away with his musical gift, said the CS. Dr. Osborne later established that Otieno is the familys breadwinner, supporting his parents and siblings financially. CS Namwamba explained that Otienos father suffers from kidney failure and is bedridden, while his mother is unemployed with a three-week-old baby. And what does Daktari find out deep in Nyalenda? Otieno, a 13-year-old 7th grader, is the sole family breadwinner. The dad is bedridden with kidney failure. The mom is a housewife and has a newborn baby only three weeks old, the CS narrated. He further highlighted that the familys rent is overdue, they are struggling to feed themselves, and their health situation is deplorable. Namwamba said he believes that meeting Otieno just before the launch of Kenyas national talent edition, WhozNext, was Gods plan and not a mere coincidence. Good people, God exists. He sends us in His own way and time to act and serve here on earth through little acts of kindness, he said. Namwamba committed to taking care of Otienos family and treating him as his own son. The CS also informed his 13-year-old son that God had given him a new brother of the same age. Otieno is now my boy, and his family is my family. I have told my 13-year-old son, Che, that God just handed him a 13-year-old brother! When He speaks, we must listen. When He commands, we must act, he said. The HIV and AIDS Tribunal has awarded compensation to the family of a pupil expelled from school due to his HIV status. The court ordered Najah Primary School in Garissa County to pay a mother Kes. 650,000 for stigmatizing and discriminating against her 12-year-old son. The Tribunal ruled that the school was unjust in expelling the Grade Two pupil. According to the case details, the boy had been discreetly taking anti-retroviral medication (ARVs) with the help of his elder brother, who also attended the school. However, when the school administration discovered his HIV status, they sent him home and allegedly offered his mother Kes. 10,000 to withdraw him from the school. The mother testified that the school offered only Kes. 600, and her son stopped attending school due to depression caused by the discrimination. Despite being sued, the school and its administrator, Mohamed Noor, did not respond to the case. The five-member tribunal, led by Carolyne Mboku, determined that the schools actions were unjust and illegal, constituting discrimination against the minor in violation of Section 32 of the Act. The tribunal awarded the mother Kes. 400,000 for discrimination and an additional Kes. 250,000 for the suffering inflicted by the school. The tribunal noted that individuals living with HIV who face stigma are more likely to delay seeking care, and discrimination in healthcare settings drives them away, hindering efforts to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services. The government has secured Kes27 billion to connect 280,000 households to electricity under the Last Mile Connectivity Project. President William Ruto announced the funding on Monday, stating that it will bolster the governments ambitious plan to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030. He emphasized that the power lines erected under this program will also transmit fiber optic cables, ensuring universal Internet access. We are moving government services to the digital space, and ICT hubs are coming up across the country. We are moving our business to e-commerce; we are moving our learning to e-learning; we are moving health to e-health. Therefore the Internet is as important as electricity, he stated. The President made these remarks during the signing ceremony of the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity contracts at State House Nairobi. The European Union, French Development Agency, and European Investment Bank have provided the funding. President Ruto also mentioned that the government is collaborating on a similar electricity connectivity program worth Kes.22 billion with the Africa Development Bank and Saudi Arabia to connect more than 270,000 customers. President Ruto commended the program for expanding the electricity grid to underserved areas, bridging the development gap between urban and rural communities. He highlighted that over the past decade, the government has increased electricity access from 27% in 2013 to over 76% today, benefiting 9.6 million Kenyan households. This means that 9.6 million Kenyan households are connected to electric power, he noted. Ruto underscored electricity as a key driver of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda designed to achieve economic inclusivity. He emphasized that the Last Mile Connectivity Project has facilitated the growth of businesses in rural areas, significantly contributing to the countrys GDP and generating numerous job opportunities. The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, which are the engine of our economy, benefit immensely from reliable power, enabling them to operate efficiently and expand their reach, he highlighted. The President also highlighted the programs impact on the agricultural sector, powering irrigation systems and agro-processing units, thereby enhancing productivity and ensuring food security. Furthermore, he pointed out its positive effects on educational opportunities and healthcare services. Ruto emphasized that reliable power will drive digital initiatives such as the Hustler Fund, ensuring that small businesses thrive and drive economic growth. Universal access is therefore fundamental to achieving economic inclusivity, he concluded. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has dismissed reports of substandard HIV testing kits in the country. In a statement, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Harry Kimtai said these claims are untrue and reassured that the nations progress in HIV response will not be undermined by misinformation. The Ministry of Health is deeply concerned about claims regarding the poor quality of HIV testing services in the country. It is important that the gains made in the response to HIV are not rolled back due to misinformation, the PS said on Monday. PS Kimtai noted that the ministrys routine quality assurance proficiency tests play a major role in monitoring and safeguarding the quality of HIV testing services across Kenya. The WHO also supports member countries in global pharmacovigilance, and there is no advisory on the poor quality of HIV testing services in Kenya, stated the Health PS. He assured Kenyans of the Ministrys unwavering commitment to providing access to the highest-quality health services and urged all citizens to continue seeking HIV testing at facilities nationwide. Kimtai also mentioned that in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended using a three-test algorithm for HIV diagnosis, which Kenya has adopted. The Health PS said Kenya was among the first 10 countries to transition from a two-test algorithm to a three-test algorithm for accurate HIV diagnosis. The UK has embarked on a quest to establish a new political framework aimed at enhancing its relations with Central Asia and countering regional rivals. In response to the Russia-Ukraine War and Chinas expanding influence in the region, the UK has initiated a high-level strategy to redefine its approach to Central Asia. Nevertheless, there are concerns about the scale and scope of this effort. Even UK authorities are uncertain whether the current regional policies have the capacity to meet these new challenges. BACKGROUND: UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited Central Asia in April 2024, announcing a new policy of rapprochement with these nations. During his tour, he visited Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as Mongolia. This initiative comes at a time when Russia is seeking to circumvent sanctions with the assistance of third countries. The initiative was announced as a new era in the UKs relations with the region. Cameron, the first UK Foreign Secretary to visit Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and the first to visit Uzbekistan since 1997, apologized to the countries of the region for the delay. The three key themes of his visit were political rapprochement, educational cooperation and a financial support package, with the objective of making up for the previous lack of interest in Central Asia. Educational cooperation includes expanding English language education in the region through the British Council and doubling the Chevening scholarships. In terms of financial support, the aim is to provide 50 million in development funding. Cameron conducted high-level meetings and signed agreements in various fields. He also published an article about his visit explaining the near-term goals of the UK in the region. Besides discussing the main theme of strengthening relations, the article urged the countries of the region to help prevent Russia from circumventing sanctions through Central Asia. Yet the visit also sparked discussion about whether there is pressure on the countries of the region to choose sides. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the UKs policy towards Central Asia has been relatively weak. Compared to actors such as Russia, China, the U.S., South Korea and Turkey, the UKs profile in the region has been less effective and lacked a distinct regional policy. In recent years, Chinas growing influence and various countries joint initiatives with Central Asian republics have prompted the UK to accelerate its engagement. The UK shows a desire to become an important partner for Central Asia, capable of playing a critical role in the regions economic and political transformation by providing essential support. However, questions regarding Central Asias importance to the UK remain to be answered. Although UK authorities have attempted to address this question both directly and indirectly, no definitive answer has yet been provided. We live in a contested, competitive world. If you want to protect and promote British interests you need to get out there and compete. Central Asia is at the epicenter of some of the biggest challenges we face and its vital for the UK and the region that we drive forward its future prosperity Cameron said, signaling that the UK is ready to engage in open competition with other actors in the region. IMPLICATIONS: After several attempts, the UK needs to become more specific in its approach to Central Asia, as its strategy remains unclear compared to nearly three decades of regional policies developed by the countries it will be competing with in the region. Beyond bilateral relations, the UK will be expected to create platforms for sustained multilateral engagement, increase the frequency of high-level talks and prioritize the issues that the countries in the region need addressed. Camerons visit to the region followed several studies conducted in the UK on Central Asia. During this process, numerous meetings were organized to discuss the opportunities arising from Russias circumvention of sanctions through third countries, its declining influence in the region, and its preoccupation with Ukraine. For many years, countries far from the region, such as South Korea and Japan, have successfully maintained a joint dialogue platform. Similarly, the U.S. and Germanys C5+1 format has served as an influential model for the UK. In early 2024, the UK demonstrated its intention to establish a 5+1 platform and promptly took steps to create the necessary infrastructure for this initiative. In late 2023, the UK Foreign Affairs Committee published Countries at Crossroads: UK Engagement in Central Asia, a comprehensive report of the UKs achievements and shortcomings in the region. The report comprehensively analyzes the opportunities and threats for the UK in the region as well as the capacity and engagement of the UKs competitors. One particularly important aspect of the report is the caution against defining Central Asia with terms such as Russias backyard and post-Soviet countries. This can be considered an important step towards establishing a regional policy concept. Additionally, the report highlights that Russia has suffered a serious loss of prestige in the region, in light of its invasion of Ukraine and the inability of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to resolve regional issues. The less frequent use of Russian language among the new generation is also cited as an example of Russias declining influence. The report emphasizes that Chinas presence in the region is primarily economic, noting that China does not interfere in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries. Chinas large-scale projects and high-budget financial support are welcomed by the regional states, while the existence of a rivalry with Russia is also discussed. On the other hand, the report notes that while the EUs activities in Central Asia are progressing well, they have not yet reached the desired level due to the regions political problems. Stating that the UK should offer to the region what the analyzed actors cannot, the report seems to signal that the country will formulate a specific policy concept for Central Asia. In light of this analysis, the UK can take several potential steps toward increased engagement in order to build positive relations with the countries in the region. It is evident that infrastructure development and financial support will remain the basis of the first stage of the new process, while the context of regional politics and trans-regional issues also requires the UK to act with caution. However, there are two major problems with this attempt. First, the UK prioritizes the goal of acting to reduce the influence of countries it considers threatening. In the current circumstances, Central Asia is perceived as a region that needs to be protected against the growing Russian and Chinese threat. Yet beyond that, the countries of the region also need to be considered as equal partners in the international arena not merely as a region to be utilized in order to mitigate a threat. Second, it is unclear how the UK will approach the internal affairs of regional states, democratic challenges and authoritarianism. This will require a balance between maintaining high-level relations and engagement with civil society. Furthermore, other issues in line to be addressed include establishing more favorable trade laws than the EU, improving conditions for Central Asian migrants living in the UK, and exercising soft power in the region through appropriate channels. Especially Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which are particularly dependent on remittances sent from abroad, should be provided with the necessary support in this regard. Other regional countries expect to be assured of the UKs intentions. CONCLUSIONS: In what the UK has ambitiously announced as a new era in its relations with Central Asia, a well-defined concept of regional engagement needs to be implemented. The aspiration to compete with other actors that have been active in the region for many years and decades does not seem realistic. Additionally, basing the regional partnership on the objective of reducing Russian and Chinese influence could create long-term problems. Furthermore, a directive approach on democracy, authoritarianism and human rights in the region may undermine the new era strategy. The country needs a mechanism for frequent high-level discussions rather than relying on attractive definitions. To achieve this, it could adopt the multi-meeting format that the U.S. and Germany have successfully employed in recent years. This approach would facilitate the start of a new process in an atmosphere of trust, with equal partners at the table and common aspirations expressed. AUTHOR'S BIO: Dr Mehmet Fatih Oztarsu is a Visiting Professor at Joongbu University and Senior Researcher at the Institute of EU Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He studied and worked in Baku, Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Seoul as an academic and journalist. He is the author of numerous articles and books on South Caucasus and Central Asian affairs. The Office of the President has advertised a public auction of motor vehicles, tires, and other assorted items. In a public notice issued on Tuesday, May 28, State House invited interested bidders to participate in the auction scheduled for June 14, 2024. Prospective bidders must pay a refundable deposit of Kes.50,000 in cash at the Cash Office, Executive Office of the President, State House in Nairobi during normal working hours. The appointed auctioneer is Astorion Auctioneers, P.O. BOX 33340-00600 Nairobi, reachable at telephone numbers 0720797118 and 0721963927. For additional inquiries regarding the public auction, individuals may contact Astorion Auctioneers directly using the provided contact information or reach out to the Comptroller of State Houses at mobile number 07202441261 or by sending correspondence to P.O BOX 40530-00100, Nairobi. The Executive Office of the President State House intends to sell by public auction unserviceable motor vehicles, tyres, car batteries and rims and assorted items. The Auction will take place on 14th June 2024 starting at 10:00 am at State Department for Roads, Ruiru, the notice indicated. Interested bidders may obtain further information by visiting www.tenders. go.ke to download a catalogue containing details of venue, items to be auctioned, conditions of sale and date of viewing. National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Auctions Other government institutions seeking to dispose of items include the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). NPSC has listed seven government vehicles for auction with reserve prices as low as Kes.80,000. The vehicles include 2 Land Rover Discovery 4, Suzuki G/Vitara, Renault Fluence, and 3 Nissan Navara. In addition to vehicles, NPSC is also looking to dispose of telephone heads, UPS, and scanners. Interested bidders are advised to view the items at Skypark Plaza along Waiyaki Way in Nairobi County. Further auction details can be accessed on the commissions website and the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP). Meanwhile, the Kenya Airports Authority will conduct its auction from June 3 to June 10. Bidders can view the items from May 29 to May 31 during working hours. Items up for auction include used vehicles, furniture, scrap metal, fire extinguisher cylinders, electro-mechanical parts, and building hardware materials. All interested purchasers are requested to view the items as per the dates shown above and verify their respective details as these are not warranted by either the Auctioneer or KAA as the items are being offered for sale As-is-where-is basis. All the interested purchasers will be required to pay a deposit of Ksh25,000.00 per lot or item on auction, reads part of the notice from KAA. Auctions will take place at the KAA Headquarters on June 3, Wilson Airport on June 4, Kisumu International Airport on June 6, and Moi Internation Airport on June 10. Items can be viewed at KAA headquarters, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Wilson Airport, Wajir Airport, Kisumu International Airport, Lokichoggio Airport, Kabunde Airport, Kakamega Airport, Moi International Airport, Malindi Airport and Ukunda Airstrip. KAA clarified that if the bid price is lower than the deposit amount, the bidder will be refunded the difference upon presentation of the receipt. However, if the bid price exceeds the deposit, the bidder must pay at least 25% of the total value. The remaining balance must be settled within 24 hours; failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the award, forfeiture of the deposit, and the item being sold to the second highest bidder. President William Ruto has declared that recent county-level bans on Muguka, a variety of Miraa, are null and void. A State House dispatch clarified that Muguka is classified as a scheduled crop under the Crops Act 2013 and the Miraa Regulations 2023. The National Assembly and the Council of Governors have both approved these regulations. With Muguka recognized by national legislation, any conflicting laws or orders are null and void, stated State House. The regulations require the government to support various aspects of Muguka farming, including licensing, promotion, regulation, transportation, aggregation, selling, marketing, and export. President Ruto and Embu leaders met on Monday to discuss the Muguka ban in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta counties, prompting the State House statement. Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, Governor Cecily Mbarire, the deputy governor, the senator, the Woman Representative, and all County Assembly Members attended the meeting at State House Nairobi. After the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock was instructed to organize a consultative forum to address stakeholders concerns. This forum will address issues and aid in implementing the Miraa/Muguka Regulations 2023. Additionally, the Miraa/Muguka Standard Code of Practice will be enforced to regulate all activities related to the crop. CS Linturi emphasized the governments commitment to enhancing the Muguka industry through improved farming, aggregation, grading, pricing, packaging, and value addition. To support these initiatives, the government has allocated Kes.500 million for value addition in the fiscal year 2024/25. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has announced plans to rename ten counties in the country. The Commission said it will file a petition before parliament seeking to change the names of ten counties currently named after ethnic groups. NCIC chairperson Reverend Samuel Kobia made the announcement during a press briefing on Monday, May 27, 2024, discussing the state of peace and cohesion in Kenya. Kobia explained that renaming counties currently named after specific ethnic groups will eliminate potential discrimination along ethnic lines, which is the commissions objective. The NCIC added that the move will also eliminate potential discrimination against people from minority ethnic groups residing in these counties. 10 Counties Likely to be Renamed The counties slated for renaming by the commission are Meru, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Nandi, Turkana, Kisii, Samburu, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Taita-Taveta, and West Pokot. NCIC shall advocate for the tabling of a motion in parliament for renaming counties that are identified by specific ethnic groups to eliminate potential discrimination along ethnic lines. We are committed to ensuring Kenya remains a peaceful society and that the gains made over the last many years are solidified, Kobia said. According to the commission, the renaming of the counties will ensure that every Kenyan feels welcome and safe regardless of their ethnic background while staying in any part of the country. Reverend Kobia made these remarks during the release of a report on the state of peace and cohesion in the country, where NCIC highlighted devolution and boundary disputes as one of the biggest challenges to peace and cohesion in Kenya. The commission identified land and boundary disputes as perennial sources of conflict in Kenya. In its report, NCIC estimated that 33 out of the 47 counties have boundary-related disputes, noting that these conflicts often escalate into ethnic conflicts due to the counties being delineated along ethnic lines. The commission has mapped out boundary disputes between counties such as Kericho-Kisumu, Isiolo-Meru, Turkana-Baringo-West Pokot, Kitui-Tana River, and Makueni-Taita-Taveta, among others. According to the commission, renaming counties is one of the measures and solutions it believes will help curb this recurring menace. An exhibition spanning 10 days featuring oil paintings by Chinese and Russian artists, commencing on May 14 at the Beijing Russian Culture Center, captivated visitors with scenes ranging from a picturesque church at sunset to vibrant outdoor cafes and traditional dress adorned with multicolored floral prints. Wang Tieniu, a professor at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and an alumnus of the renowned I. Repin St Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Russia, noted the prevalent theme of realism in the showcased oil paintings. He emphasized the enduring influence of the Russian school on Chinese oil painting styles, citing the realism that resonates with people's aspirations for a better life. The exhibition, held in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, was a collaborative effort by the China Western Returned Scholars Association (Russia returned scholars branch), Beijing Russian Culture Center, I. Repin St Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, and the International College of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Zhang Dongkai, the executive dean of the International College of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, highlighted the diverse range of artworks on display, showcasing landscape sketches, figure paintings, and still life compositions by artists from both academies, reflecting their innovative approaches to art education. Urzhumtseva Tatiana, the director of the Beijing Russian Culture Center, expressed the deep artistic exchanges between Chinese and Russian artists, noting the challenge visitors may face in distinguishing the paintings' origins. Ye Nan, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and a former student of the I. Repin St Petersburg State Academy Institute, reminisced about the warm reception and artistic camaraderie she experienced while sketching outdoors in Russia. With an estimated 600 Chinese art students having studied at the I. Repin St Petersburg State Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture since the late 1980s, the enduring cultural exchange between the two nations continues to shape and enrich the artistic landscapes of both countries. Aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank (NDB) in east China's Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua] The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has signed a loan agreement to support sustainable infrastructure development in east China's Zhejiang Province, marking the latest update of its first non-sovereign loan in China, the bank announced Tuesday. Under the agreement, NDB will provide approximately 358 million yuan, 50 million U.S. dollars equivalent in RMB, to the Bank of Huzhou for financing a range of sustainable infrastructure development projects in Zhejiang. The loan to the Chinese bank will be on-lent to private sector borrowers for financing sustainable infrastructure projects in the sectors of clean energy and energy efficiency, transportation and logistics, as well as water and sanitation, according to NDB. Specifically, the signed loan agreement facilitates private sector participation in addressing infrastructure backlogs and scaling up investments, as well as enhancing development impact in the local market. "NDB has embarked on providing non-sovereign loans in China. It highlights NDB's dedication to supporting the private sector in financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects that align with the development agendas of our member countries," said Vladimir Kazbekov, NDB Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, at the signing ceremony held at the NDB headquarters in Shanghai, adding that NDB aims to allocate 30 percent of overall financing to non-sovereign operations between 2022 and 2026. The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. SIUs Paul Simon Institute hosts discussion on the importance of international education CARBONDALE, Ill. Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), will discuss the importance of international education and international exchange programs during a virtual presentation with Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on Wednesday, June 5. The discussion, via Zoom at 10 a.m., is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The conversation is part of the institutes Understanding Our New World discussion series. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/events to register. Aw and John Shaw, institute director, will discuss how higher education is enriched by strong international programs, Shaw said. Dr. Aw is a pioneer in the field of international education and is a powerful advocate for the importance of international educational exchanges, Shaw said. She has argued for many decades for greater diversity and inclusion in higher education. Aw became NAFSAs executive director and CEO in March 2023 and served as the organizations board of directors president and chair from 2013 to 2016. She received the NAFSA International Education Award for Distinguished Service in 2018. NAFSA serves more than 10,000 members and international educators throughout the world and is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. Before becoming NAFSAs executive director and CEO, Aw spent more than 30 years with American University as a student and later a university official in various leadership positions. Aws roles during her tenure there included vice president for undergraduate enrollment, campus life and inclusive excellence; vice president of campus life, and assistant vice president and director of international and student scholar services. She was the Hurst senior professor lecturer at AUs School of International Service. Originally from Mali, Aw earned each of her degrees from American University a bachelors degree in accounting, a masters degree in public administration with a focus in organizational development and a doctorate in sociology with a focus in international education, social stratification and transnational migration. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Aw on the registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu. More information, a list of the institutes upcoming events and past speakers and events are available. The discussion was held during the Ambassador's visit to the Mundra Port and the site of the world's largest Hybrid Renewable Energy Park in Khavda. "Had a very engaging discussion with Amb Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan. We are grateful for his visit to our Mundra Port and to Khavda where we are building the world's largest Hybrid Renewable Energy Park of 30 GW capacity. The Ambassador's appreciation for India's culture, the value he places on our partnership and his tremendous support for India are truly inspiring. @HiroSuzukiAmbJP," Adani Group chairman said in a post on X on Wednesday. In his post, Adani expressed gratitude for Ambassador Suzuki's visit to these key locations, emphasizing the importance of their partnership in driving forward innovative and sustainable initiatives. The planned 30 GW capacity Renewable Energy Park represents a step towards achieving renewable energy goals, and Adani underscored the value of Ambassador Suzuki's support in this endeavour. Furthermore, Adani highlighted the Ambassador's appreciation for India's rich cultural heritage and emphasized the importance of fostering strong partnerships based on mutual respect and shared goals. The positive sentiments exchanged during the meeting serve as a testament to the growing cooperation between India and Japan in the realm of renewable energy and sustainable development. Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki's visit to the Mundra Port and the Khavda project site signifies Japan's interest and support in India's renewable energy sector. (ANI) China will raise more funds through treasury bond issuance in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading financial centers, in 2024 than in previous years, as the city is engaging more closely in national development. The Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that it will issue yuan-denominated treasury bonds worth 55 billion yuan (about 7.73 billion U.S. dollars) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) this year. The second batch of treasury bonds, worth 11 billion yuan, will hit the market on June 5 following the first tranche of 12 billion yuan issued in March. The treasury bond funds to be raised this year will be significantly larger than 30 billion yuan in 2023, 23 billion yuan in 2022, and 20 billion yuan in 2021. Hong Kong retained the fourth place globally in a financial centers index published in March by British and Chinese think tanks, which assessed 121 financial hubs around the world. Hong Kong has been striving to align itself with national development strategies and play an important role in connecting domestic and international markets, a spokesperson for the HKSAR government said earlier this year. Jennifer Lopez is keeping herself occupied with work as rumors continue to surround her and Ben Affleck's relationship, reported People. "They're still living separately," shared a source close to Lopez. "She's back in LA for tour rehearsals. She seems okay. She's very focused on work." Lopez, 54, and Affleck, 51, have been living under different roofs in Los Angeles. Lopez's latest film 'Atlas' launched as the No. 1 movie on Netflix in 55 countries during Memorial Day weekend, according to the streaming site, with 28.2 million views. In addition to the new film, Lopez is planning a North American summer tour, which will begin on June 26 in Orlando. On May 23, Affleck was spotted with a group at the Los Angeles restaurant Giorgio Baldi, while Lopez was in Mexico City for the red carpet premiere of her new Netflix film 'Atlas'. The actor is shooting for 'The Accountant 2' on the west coast in recent weeks while Lopez promoted her film solo. In the recent documentary 'The Greatest Love Story Never Told', Affleck said that he and Lopez are "two people with different kinds of approaches trying to learn to compromise." According to a film industry insider, Affleck has never felt completely comfortable presenting his connection with Lopez to the world through her artistic work. Nonetheless, he has never wanted to stifle her creativity. "He's always been impressed about how she works so hard and has achieved so much success," said the film source. "But the openness and promotion is not his way," as quoted by People. Lopez and Affleck famously rekindled their relationship from the early 2000s in 2021 and married in 2022. While they do not share any children together, the pair have a blended family that includes Max and Emme, the 16-year-old twins Lopez shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, and Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, the kids Affleck shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, reported People. (ANI) Following graduation, MacRae explored a career in acting, auditioning for Otto Preminger's production of Saint Joan in 1956. Despite not landing a part, she persisted in her acting career. She relocated to New York City, where she studied with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio and earned experience in off-Broadway shows. MacRae received her first television role as a witness in the courtroom series 'The Verdict Is Yours'. Over a 25-year career, MacRae appeared in several television series, including Route 66, Surfside 6, Rendezvous, The Fugitive, Judd for the Defence, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and many more. One of her most notable roles was that of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., in which she played Gomer's lover Lou-Ann Poovie. MacRae also appeared in soaps like General Hospital, where she played Meg Baldwin starting in August 1969. She remained on the ABC daytime soap until 1973, when the character was killed off. Other soaps MacRae starred in were Another World, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow. MacRae's film credits include Live in a Goldfish Bowl, Everything's Ducky, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and Frances Ford Coppola's The Conversation. She was also seen in Kojak, Barnaby Jones, and Rhoda. MacRae's last film credit was in 1989, where she played a reporter on Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! Following her acting career, MacRae and her husband, Charles Day Halsey Jr., moved to North Carolina and, years later, returned home to Fayetteville. She is survived by five stepchildren, Terry Halsey, Peter Halsey, Hugh Halsey, Cate Halsey, and Alex Halsey Topper, reported Deadline. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari on Tuesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over accusing the INDIA bloc of indulging in "vote bank politics" and said that the constitution of India, reservation and democratic principles were in danger. After 75 years of independence, if all the blame goes on any governance, it is PM Modi's tenure, the congress leader said. Patwari told ANI, "The constitution of India, reservation and democratic principles are in danger. The question arises in the country of freedom of media. After 75 years of independence, if all the blame goes on any governance, it is PM Modi's tenure. The reservation in the private sector was ended by the current government. BJP leaders continuously talk about changing the basic structure of the constitution and you (PM Modi) didn't not take any action on it. It means they have the support of PM Modi." The country has understood it, that is why there is an effect of these issues in the elections and that's why PM Modi has to speak on them, he added. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi explained why reservation had become a crucial issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, framing his narrative as a call to safeguard the constitutional principles and the rights of marginalised communities. "I want to alert the SC, ST, OBC & other backward-class people because by keeping them in darkness they (opposition) are looting them. Election is such a time, that I should make the countrymen aware of the biggest crisis that is coming. Therefore, I have been explaining this to the people. The basic spirit of the Constitution of India is being violated and that too for the sake of vote bank politics... Those who call themselves well-wishers of the Dalits, Tribals, are in reality their staunch enemies...There is an imprint of the Muslim League in their manifesto...Do you want to destroy the coming generations also for the sake of vote-bank?... I will fight for the rights of my Dalit, Tribal, OBC brothers and sisters. And that's why I'm fighting the battle," PM Modi said. Meanwhile, Congress' Jitu Patwari further alleged that corruption had increased during the tenure of PM Modi. Did ED and CBI take any action on people in power in the last 10 years? BJP has committed the biggest scam in the form of the electoral bond. (ANI) The police later arrested the accused. The incident was caught on CCTV. Pimpri Chinchwad Police, in a press statement, said that the incident occurred on May 27 at around 1.30 am on service road alongside the Pune-Bangalore highway in the Wakad area of Pimpari Chinchwad. The 28-year-old Angad Giri was dashed by a speeding car while crossing the road which caused his death on the spot. The whole incident was also caught on camera. Police have identified the car and its driver 20-year-old Vedant Rai and registered a case against him at Hinjewadi Police station under IPC sections of 304 (A), 338 ,337 ,270 along with Motor Vehicle act of 184 ,119 / 177. The accused was arrested on May 28. In the Porsche car incident, a minor ploughed his luxury car into the two IT professionals, who were travelling on a bike, killing them on the spot. Two young IT professionals from Madhya Pradesh, identified as Ashwini Koshta and Aneesh Awadhia, were killed in the accident on the night of May 19. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Tuesday said that the government is closely monitoring the overall situation to ensure that no one faces any problems during these difficult times. He mentioned that due to heavy rainfall in the wake of Cyclone Remal, the Howrah River has created a flood-like situation. "But this time it is much less severe than last time. The work on the dam has been very good this year, so the water levels have been managed much better," he said. Dr. Saha said this after observing the flood situation in the Bardowali Assembly constituency area of the capital on Tuesday. As the water level of the Howrah River rose due to Cyclone Remal, the residents along the riverbank had to take shelter in relief camps once again. He said that the victims are being quickly rescued from areas that are in dangerous conditions due to the flooding of the Howrah River. "All their accommodations are being arranged by the administration," said Dr. Saha. Later, the Chief Minister inspected the condition of the people who took shelter in the local Vivekananda School relief camp and inquired about their well-being. Dr. Saha said, "The government is ensuring that no one faces any kind of difficulty at this time. Action has also been taken by AMC. The Mayor of AMC has also been informed. There are many people who do not want to leave their homes. Many have taken shelter on the roofs. But I request them to move to a safe place because a lot of water is coming from the mountains to the river. So, you need to be careful in advance. The state administration is prepared to deal with all kinds of situations." During the visit, the Chief Minister was accompanied by Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dipak Majumdar, West District Magistrate Dr. Vishal Kumar, and others. (ANI) Congress leader Digvijay Singh has accused BJP North East-Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari of doing "Bogus voting" in the locked doors of a polling booth. In a post on X, Digvijay Singh posted a video claiming that the BJP MP and North East Delhi candidate was indulging in bogus voting and questioned the reason behind closing the doors of the booth when polling is going on. https://x.com/digvijaya_28/status/1795667388429676650 "This video is of North East Delhi where Manoj Tiwari is inside with his team under police protection in a Polling Booth when the polling is going on. Apparently doing bogus voting. Main doors were closed while the BJP was murdering democracy. Would the Election Commission please look into it and get a report from the Election Commission Observer and Presiding Officer of this Booth? What was the reason for closing of Polling Booth gates when the polling was going on?" he said. The video has not been independently verified by the election commission. Notably, BJP's incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari is in the electoral fray against Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Manoj Tiwari, secured 53.90 per cent of the votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing questions about the challenges posed by opposition bloc INDIA's candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, Tiwari criticized Kumar and said people who abused our national army, wished for terrorists like Afzal to emerge from every house, and celebrated the loss of lives of paramilitary forces can't pose a challenge. The Congress is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance with the AAP in Delhi. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting three seats while AAP has fielded candidates from four constituencies in Delhi. Voting for all the seven seats in Delhi concluded on May 25 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, Tiwary has been campaigning for the BJP in Bihar and Jharkhand. On Tuesday night he campaigned in Godda for BJP's Nishikant Dubey. (ANI) Congress candidate from Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency Manish Tiwari lashed out at the BJP, saying that the party has done nothing for the development of Chandigarh for the last ten years when it represented the constituency. BJP's Kirron Kher has been representing the constituency for the last ten years. "In the last 10 years, the BJP has done nothing for the development of Chandigarh. They did not complete even one promise out of 56, that they made in 2019," Tiwari told reporters here. "They (BJP) murdered the democracy in Chandigarh. It is a request to the people of Chandigarh to never trust such immoral people... This appeal is on behalf of the INDIA Alliance," he added. Manish Tiwari, who is contesting for the first time from the constituency, is pitted against the BJP's Sanjay Tandon, who is eyeing his Parliament debut from this seat. The constituency has been represented many times by both the BJP and the Congress. Congress and BJP have dropped two familiar faces this time. While Congress dropped former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was the party's Chandigarh candidate in the past four elections, the BJP dropped sitting MP Kirron Kher, who has represented the seat twice. In the 2019 election, BJP's Kirron Kher won the seat for the second consecutive time by defeating Congress candidate Pawan Bansal by 46,970 votes. Kirron Kher received 2,31,188 votes and Pawan Bansal got 1,84,218. In that election, the constituency saw a voter turnout of 70.62 per cent. Chandigarh goes to the polls on June 1 in the 7th and the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election. (ANI) Around two dozen people were injured when a speeding bus hit a divider and overturned on the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway in Rajasthan's Dausa on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6 am near channel number 165 of the express highway, close to Peechupara village. Upon hearing the victims' screams, residents from the nearby villages of Peechupara and Somada rushed to the scene and called for an ambulance. With the help of the locals, the victims were admitted to the Dausa district hospital, where treatment is underway. Two individuals who were seriously injured were referred to Jaipur for better medical care, while others were admitted to the district hospital in Dausa, receiving primary treatment and some were discharged. The bus, carrying pilgrims, was returning to Jaipur from Haridwar after their pilgrimage. Reportedly, the accident occurred because the driver fell asleep at the wheel. Dr Mahendra Meena, the emergency duty officer at Dausa Hospital, confirmed, "The accident happened on the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway near channel number 165. The driver fell asleep, causing the bus to hit a divider and overturn. Almost two dozen travellers are injured, with two serious cases referred to Jaipur. Others are either admitted to the hospital or discharged after primary treatment." One of the travellers, Govind Soni, hailing from Bassi, said, "I had to deboard the bus in Dausa, but since the driver fell asleep, the bus overturned and the accident occurred at around 5.30 - 6.00 am. We had gone to Haridwar on the same bus and were returning when the accident happened." Another traveller, Chandra, from Jaipur, stated that they were sleeping when the accident occurred. They didn't have time to react. This is not the first accident case reported on the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway. Over the past 10 months, around 100 people have lost their lives on this highway, indicating a troubling frequency of such incidents on this highway. Earlier, on May 12, three people of the same family were killed and half a dozen, including four children, were injured in a road accident on the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway in Rajasthan's Dausa. All the family members were travelling in a car from Ahmedabad to Haridwar when a speeding truck hit their vehicle near Bada village. (ANI) Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials have arrested two prime accused in connection with the JD(S) suspended MP Prajwal Revanna obscene video case, said police. The arrested have been identified as Naveen Gowda and Chetan. The SIT probing the sexual harassment case against Prajwal Revanna on Tuesday arrested two accused for allegedly distributing pen drives containing obscene videos. According to police sources, the accused were arrested when they appeared before the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. Arrested Chetan Gowda and Naveen Gowda allegedly distributed pen drives containing videos of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna sexually assaulting women. The videos were circulating on social media, and after the Karnataka State Women's Commission wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to investigate the allegations, the state government on April 28 entrusted the SIT with the responsibility of investigating the case. Prajwal, 33, who is the NDA candidate for the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in the current Lok Sabha elections, had left the country on April 27, a day after polling. Later, the case of his obscene videos was widely reported. Although the SIT has issued summons to appear in the hearing several times in connection with the same case, Prajwal Revanna has consistently evaded the hearing. Interpol has now issued a Blue Corner Notice and the court has also issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal Revanna. Earlier, Prajwal Revanna, in a self-made video released on Monday, said that he will appear before the Special Investigative Team (SIT) on May 31 for questioning. Revanna said that his trip was pre-planned as there was no case against him when the voting was held in Karnataka on April 26 for the general elections. He also alleged political conspiracy against him as he was "growing in politics." Revanna's location is still unknown and is supposedly in Germany, according to officials. The suspended Janata Dal (Secular) MP also extended an apology to his family, party supporters and the people of the state. Revanna also claimed that he "went into depression" and "isolated" himself as he accused Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders of sparking a discussion on the issue as part of an alleged conspiracy. (ANI) At least 50 students fainted on Wednesday morning at Mankaul Middle School in the Ariari block of Sheikhpura district of Bihar, due to extreme heatwave conditions, as the temperature is soaring between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius in the district. Initially, six students lost consciousness, but subsequently, many more students started collapsing. The incident began after the students attended an assembly for prayers and then proceeded to class. The whole matter created chaos in the school and the village. The unconscious students were provided with water and electrolytes and were immediately rushed to the district's Sadar hospital on bikes, tempos and e-rickshaws after the ambulance didn't arrive. School Headmaster Suresh Prasad promptly informed the public health department about the incident and requested an ambulance. However, the delayed arrival of the ambulance outraged the villagers, who then blocked the road and protested against the administration. Headmaster Prasad narrated the incident and said, "Students from the 8th grade started fainting in class after attending the assembly. We provided them with water and electrolytes and called for an ambulance. When it didn't arrive, we used private vehicles to take them to the hospital." Satyendra Kumar, a doctor at Sadar Hospital, said, "There is a severe heatwave in the state. The whole incident occurred due to dehydration, as students came to school early in the morning without breakfast or water bottles. He further suggested parents ensure their children have breakfast and water bottles so that they can drink water if they feel thirsty. Reports of children fainting due to the heatwave have also emerged from other schools and districts. In Begusarai district, six students at Matihani Middle School also fainted due to the heat after which they were taken to Matihani PHC hospital for treatment. The matter pertains to Matihani Middle School of Matihani police station area in the Begusarai district of Bihar. The temperature in the district has soared to 45 degrees Celsius, intensifying the heatwave conditions. The administration and teachers of Matihani Middle School criticised the Bihar government for keeping schools open during such severe heat. They specifically blamed KK Pathak, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, for the decision to operate schools at 6 am despite the heatwave. Teachers expressed their frustration, stating, "This order has caused distress for both students and teachers. The government's 'Tughlaqi farmaan' to keep schools open in such weather is unacceptable, and KK Pathak has ignored the issue." According to the data of the India Meteorological Department, on Tuesday, the maximum temperature in the state ranged between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius. The Met Department has also issued a warning for heatwave-like conditions in the state. (ANI) Tibetan antelopes migrate in Wudaoliang area in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] The peak season for the migration of Tibetan antelopes to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth has arrived, according to the Hoh Xil reserve administration. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes migrate to Hoh Xil between May and July to give birth, while they will leave the area together with their offspring in August. Zonag Lake at the heart of Hoh Xil is known as the "delivery room" of this species. "The migration of Tibetan antelopes this year started on May 7, and it has entered the peak period. At its peak, more than 800 Tibetan antelopes cross the Qinghai-Xizang Highway each day," said Karma Yingphel, deputy director of the Wudaoliang protection station of the Hoh Xil reserve administration. During the migration of Tibetan antelopes, members of the Wudaoliang protection station continue to patrol along the Qinghai-Xizang Highway. Those on patrol use telescopes to visually measure the distance between Tibetan antelopes and the highway, wait for Tibetan antelopes to get near, and then intercept vehicles on the highway, thereby allowing Tibetan antelopes to safely cross the Qinghai-Xizang Highway while vehicles are stationary. More than 2,500 female Tibetan antelopes have passed through the Wudaoliang area of the Qinghai-Xizang Highway so far this year, according to the administration. "Thanks to traffic control, vehicles and tourists can consciously be kept away from migrating Tibetan antelopes. With our explanation of this need, everyone expressed their understanding," said a member of the patrol staff at Wudaoliang protection station. Under first-class state protection in China, the once-endangered Tibetan antelope is mostly found in the Xizang Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Their population has increased over the past three decades thanks to a ban on illegal hunting and measures implemented to improve their habitat. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam in a sedition case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches in the Jamia area and Aligarh Muslim University in 2019. Division bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain granted statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam. He had sought statutory bail on the grounds of the period undergone in custody. He has been in custody since January 2020 in this case. He is also an accused in the larger Conspiracy of Delhi riots case. On March 24, the High Court issued notice to Delhi Police on his plea challenging trial court order denying him bail in Sedition case. His earlier bail plea was dismissed by the trial court on February 17. This case pertains to alleged inflammatory speeches by Sharjeel Imam in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Area in the year 2019. It was argued that he has been in custody for the last 4 years, which is more than half of the maximum sentence. Advocate Talib Mustafa and Ahmad Ibrahim appeared for Sharjeel Imam. It was argued that he has been in custody since January 2020. It is said that he has undergone more than 4 years whereas the maximum punishment is seven years under the relevant section of UAPA. The proceedings under Sedition cases have been stayed by the Supreme Court. Advocate Talib Mustafa submitted before the high court His bail order was reserved for three months. Thereafter the presiding judge was transferred. Now the matter has been listed for fresh arguments before the current special judge. On the other hand, the bail plea was opposed by the special public prosecutor (SPP). He had argued that while deciding the bail application, the gravity of the offences also has to be considered, not the period undergone. The period of sentence under all offences should be considered by the court. SPP had also argued that the integrity and sovereignty of the country would be in danger if the accused is released on bail. On December 9, 2023, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Amitabh Rawat asked the Delhi Police to file a clarification. Earlier, SPP Amit Prasad had submitted that there is some ambiguity on the provision mentioned by the defence counsel on the point that whether the accused under UAPA with multiple offences and undergone half of the sentence under UAPA is entitled to be released on bail under Section 436A CrPC. Advocate Talib Mustafa had opposed the submissions made by the SPP for the Delhi Police. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020. Therefore, he is entitled to statutory bail under Section 436 A CrPC, the counsel had argued. On the other hand, Delhi police said that there are multiple offences, not only one. Section 436 of Crpc talks about only 'an offence'. SPP Amit Prasad earlier argued that a concurrent sentence is an exception, whereas a consecutive sentence is a rule. In this way, the maximum sentence he can be awarded is 16 years, the punishment for which is restricted to 14 years. SPP has presumed, "I would be convicted. It is contradictory to the principle of innocence, the counsel argued." The counsel submitted that the applicant has been in custody since January 28, 2020, in connection with the FIR of January 25, 2020, P.S. Crime Branch, registered for the offences punishable under 124A, 153A, 153B, and 505(2) IPC and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. It is stated that the applicant was arrested from his hometown of Jehanabad, Bihar, in this case on January 28, 2020, and was produced before the Patiala House Court. Since then, he has been in judicial custody after police interrogation. It is further submitted that the investigation in the matter stands concluded and final report/chargesheet against the applicant has been filed in this case on July 25, 2020 for the offences punishable u/s 124A, 153A, 153B, 505 of IPC and Section 13 of UAPA. The Court took cognizance of the speeches/offences under section 124A, 153A, 1538 and 505 IPC on July 29 2020 and Section 13 of the UAPA, on 19:12 pm 2020, the plea stated. Thereafter, charges were formally framed against the applicant on 15.03 2022 by Court under section 124A, 153A, 153B and 505 IPC The Supreme Court had passed the direction effectively staying the operation of Section 124A IPC and all proceedings emanating therefrom, it added. The High Court of Delhi, on October 10, 2022 directed that trial be stayed in respect of material witnesses and only formal witnesses be examined. It is argued that the Section 436A of CrPC is a wholesome beneficial substantive provision substantive one which is for effectuating the right of speedy trial guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. It is also said that after the stay of trial in the present case by the High Court in regard to the main offence of Section 124A IPC (Sedition) in light of the directions passed by Supreme Court in SG Vombatkere v Union of India on May 11, 2022, the only offences remaining against the applicant relate to offence punishable U/s 153A IPC (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to five years, 153B IPC (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to five years, 505 IPC (Statements conducing to public mischief) which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to five years and 13 of UAPA (Punishment for unlawful activities) which is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to seven years. (ANI) The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Akshay Kanti Bam, a Congress turncoat, and his father Kanti Bam in an alleged attempt to murder case. Akshay Kanti Bam, who was the Congress nominee from the Indore parliamentary seat, pulled back his nomination paper and switched his sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 29. Bam's lawyer Ajay Mishra told ANI, "Akshay Kanti Bam and his father had a dispute with Yunus Patel, a resident of the Khajrana area in the city, over a piece of land in 2007. After which, Bam and his father lodged an FIR against Yunus Patel in Khajrana police station under IPC sections 323, 324 and other sections of assault." Later, Patel also lodged a cross FIR against Bam, his father Kanti Bam and three others in the matter under IPC sections 323, and 324 which are bailable sections. At that moment, section 307 (attempt to murder) was not mentioned in the FIR. After that when Yunus Patel's statement was recorded on the next day of the incident, then also there was no mention of a firing incident or section 307 offence, Mishra said. "The police presented the chargesheet of the case in 2014, and since then Bam and his father have been on regular bail. Both Bam and his father Kanti Bam continuously appeared before the court during the hearing from 2014 to 2024. In April this year, Yunus Patel filed a petition in the court that section 307 should be added to the case. The court added section 307 and ordered Bam and his father to appear before the court by July 8," Bam's lawyer further said. "After that, we applied for anticipatory bail in the Sessions Court and it was rejected. Thereafter we filed a petition for the same in the High Court and today the court has granted anticipatory bail to Bam and his father," he added. It seems that the application for including section 307 in the case was filed in the court at the time of elections, which indicates a political conspiracy, the lawyer said. "Agreeing with our arguments today, Justice P N Singh said that neither anyone was injured in the case nor were there any firing incidents reported in the statement given earlier. The next hearing on the matter will be held in the Sessions Court on July 8. We have also filed a petition for removal of section 307," lawyer Mishra concluded. (ANI) The Rouse Avenue Court directed CBI to file its conclusive charge sheet in the Land for Job case. The court also expressed its displeasure over non-filing of conclusive charge sheet despite giving time. In this case, Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members are also accused. Special CBI judge Vishal Gogne expressed his displeasure over the CBI seeking time on every date to file the charge sheet. The court refused to grant more time to the agency. The court said, "We are directing you to file the conclusive charge sheet. At times, the court has to use its power." The court directed to file the conclusive charge sheet by June 7, the next date of hearing. The counsels of the parties sought date in July. The court said that the counsels may join through video conferencing. The CBI has been seeking time since the beginning of this year. This case is at the stage of scrutiny of documents filed along with charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and other accused. Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav are arrayed as accused in Land for Job Scam. On October 4, 2023, the court had granted bail to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi and others in in relation to fresh charge sheet in alleged Land for Job Scam case. According to the CBI, the second chargesheet is against 17 accused, including the Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, the GM of West Central Railways (WCR), two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private companies, etc. in a case related to Land for Job Scam The CBI filed a chargesheet in Land for Job alleged scam case against former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, including Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others. CBI had registered a case on May 18, 2022, against then Union Minister of Railways and others, including his wife, two daughters and unknown public servants and private persons. It is alleged that the Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of the transfer of landed property in the name of his family members, etc., in lieu of the appointment of substitutes in Group "D" posts in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu thereof, the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members, sold and gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members. It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. Searches were conducted at multiple places, including in Delhi and Bihar, etc., said the CBI. During investigation, it was found that then Union Minister of Railways, with intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family was already owning land parcels or the places which were already connected to him, entered into conspiracy with associates & family members and allegedly derived a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering / providing group D employment in Railways, CBI said. The accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing jobs in railways, and the General Managers of West Central Railways, under the influence and control of accused, accorded approval for engagement of candidates. For providing jobs in railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as substitutes and subsequently, were regularised. A hard disc containing lists of candidates (who were engaged) was also recovered during searches. It was further alleged that a land parcel was purchased in the name of a private company at Rs. 10.83 lakh during 2007, and subsequently, the said land, along with some other land parcels purchased by the said company, were brought into the ownership and control of his wife and son, the then Union Minister of Railways, by way of a transfer of shares at Rs 1 lakh only. At the time of transfer, the company was allegedly owning land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs 1.77 crore (approximately), and it was transferred for a mere Rs 1 lakh (approximately); however, the market value of the lands were much higher. (ANI) The two drug peddlers have been identified as Mohammad Yaqoob Shah and Aadil Hussain Shah, both residents of Rawalpora, Shopian. The duo was involved in case FIR No. 69/2024 under section 8/21-29 NDPS Act of Police Station Shopian, according to police. "Continuing its unwavering efforts to eradicate the menace of drugs from the society, Police attached properties worth crores of two notorious drug peddlers acquired from illicit trafficking of Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic substances in Shopian," Shopian Police said in a statement. "The attached properties include land measuring two kanals under survey no. 427 Min at Palpora Shopian, land measuring 1 kanal 18 marlas under survey no. 133 at village Chowdhrigund Shopian and shop constructed over Aabadi Deh land measuring (240 sq. ft) falling under survey mo. 532 min at Village Hergam District Shopian," the police added. The action was taken under sections 68-E read with 68-F (1) of the NDPS Act of 1985 and is linked with a case under section 8/21-29 NDPS Act of Police Station Shopian. "The property was identified as illegally acquired property during an investigation conducted by Shopian Police. The property was prima facie acquired from illicit trafficking in Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic substances by the drug peddler," the Shopian Police further said. (ANI) Uttarakhand has witnessed a 54 per cent decline in the area under horticulture production in the last six years till 2023, research showed, partially attributing the change to global warming. The decline in area under horticulture production also coincides with the declining yields of major fruit crops in the state. As per Climate Trends, an environment research and consulting organization, the total yield of fruits has reduced by 44 per cent from 662847.11 metric tonnes in 2016-17 to 369447.3 metric tonnes in 2022-23. Meanwhile, the total area has shrunk to 81692.58 hectares in 2022-23, a sharp 54 per cent dip from 2016-17 (177323.5 hectares), the Climate Trends shows citing the Department of Horticulture, Government of Uttarakhand Warming can partly explain these profound changes in horticulture production, the Climate Trends said. The Climate Trends mentioned that shifts in temperature patterns directly impact fruit growth, development, and overall productivity. "Higher temperatures can also pose challenges such as heat stress, reduced water availability, and altered precipitation patterns, negatively affecting yields. Additionally, changing temperature regimes can influence the prevalence and distribution of pests and diseases in fruits, necessitating adaptation through pest management strategies," the organization said. Meanwhile, Dr Subash Nataraja, Head, Division of Agricultural Physics, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi also expressed concern over these trends. "The short-term variability and trends in temperature are worrying and there is a need to study the long-term trends in weather variables and its relation to yield, especially, its relation with any change in crop/cropping pattern or shift in crop/cropping pattern," Nataraja said. Cultivated in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas, temperate fruits like pear, apricot, plum, and walnut have seen the maximum fall in production. Apples and lemons have been moderately hit, as per the analysis. The area under apple production reduced from 25,201.58 hectares in 2016-17 to 11,327.33 hectares in 2022-23 with a corresponding 30 percent decline in yield. The yield of lemon varieties shrunk by 58 per cent. Tropical fruits were less affected Despite a nearly 49 and 42 per cent reduction in cultivation area, production of mango and litchi remained relatively stable, with slight declines of 20 and 24 per cent respectively, the analysis showed. Conversely, the data shows that guava showed a notable increase of 36.64 per cent in production area from 3,432.67 hectares in 2016-17 to 4,690.32 hectares in 2022-23. Gooseberry and guava showed significant rises in yield marked by 63.77 per cent and 94.89 per cent, respectively, indicating positive trends for these fruits during the same time frame. The variations in fruit production areas in Uttarakhand between 2016-17 and 2022-23 reveal striking shifts in cultivation patterns across different fruit types, according to the research. Substantial reductions in certain fruit varieties over the past seven years suggest changes in agricultural strategies, land allocation, market dynamics, and possibly environmental influences affecting specific fruits. The increase in production of guava and gooseberry indicates a shift in focus towards fruit types that are better attuned to market demand or local conditions. Tehri registered the maximum decline in area under cultivation followed by Dehradun. The corresponding fall in yield however was not particularly significant in both the districts. On the other hand, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Haridwar recorded notable reductions in both areas under cultivation and fruit yields. Fruit production in Almora reduced by 84 per cent, the highest among all districts. Despite only a 13 per cent shrinkage in the area under production between 2016-17 and 2022-23, fruit yield diminished disproportionately by nearly 53 per cent in Chamoli. Uttarkashi and Rudra Prayag on the contrary saw a 26.5, 11.7 percent rise in yield despite nearly 43 and 28 percent decline in area under cultivation. (ANI) A special CBI court remanded four accused, including CBI Inspector Rahul Raj, to CBI custody till June 1 in the nursing college scam on Wednesday. On the completion of their custody till today, the accused CBI Inspector Rahul Raj and intermediaries Om Goswami, Ravi Bhadoria, and Jugal Kishore were produced before the court of Justice Arvind Kumar Sharma and the court extended the custody till June 1. Earlier on Tuesday, nine accused namely, Inspector Sushil Kumar Majoka from MP Police (on attachment with CBI), Anil Bhaskaran, Tanveer Khan, Radharaman Sharma, Sachin Jain, Ved Sharma, Preeti Tilakwar, Suma Anil Bhaskaran, Jalpana Adhikari, were produced before the court and send them to judicial custody. In compliance with directions from the High Court, CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in Bhopal had formed seven core teams and several support teams. These teams, comprised of CBI officials, representatives from nursing colleges, and Patwaris, were tasked with inspecting nursing colleges across the state to ensure they met the required infrastructural and faculty standards. During the monitoring process, officials from one of the support teams were found indulging in corruption. It was observed that Inspector Rahul Raj of the CBI, along with other team members, was issuing favourable inspection reports in exchange for bribes. The internal vigilance mechanism swiftly responded, leading to the registration of a case against 23 individuals, including Inspector Rahul Raj, three other CBI officials, and various intermediaries. On May 18, Inspector Rahul Raj was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakhs from Anil Bhaskaran and his wife, Suma Anil. Subsequent actions by CBI teams from Delhi resulted in searches at 31 locations across Bhopal, Indore, Ratlam, and Jaipur. These searches led to the recovery of over Rs. 2.33 crore in cash, four gold bars, 36 digital devices, and more than 150 incriminating documents. Thirteen individuals were arrested in connection with the case, including Inspector Rahul Raj, Inspector Sushil Kumar Majoka from MP Police (on attachment with CBI), and intermediaries Om Goswami, Ravi Bhadoria, and Jugal Kishore. Three women were also among those arrested. All arrested individuals have been remanded to CBI custody until May 29. Later, when the matter was exposed, following the instruction of CM Mohan Yadav, CBI inspector Rahul Raj and Inspector Sushil Kumar Majoka from MP Police (on attachment with CBI) were dismissed from the job. On the other hand, acting on CM Yadav's instruction 66 unsuitable nursing colleges were also shut down. (ANI) Majra, who is a representative from the Amargarh assembly constituency in Malerkotla, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case. A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Aravind Kumar issued notice to the ED and sought its response on the plea filed by Majra seeking interim bail till June 4 to campaign for the elections. Voting for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats will take place in the seventh and final phase on June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. The bench, however, said it was not inclined to grant interim relief to Majra without hearing the opposite parties. The apex court sought replies within a week. On May 24, the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his plea challenging his arrest, thereafter he approached the top court. The CBI had conducted raids in May 2023 on premises linked to Majra in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 40 crore. In September 2022, the ED had conducted raids on several premises linked to him as part of a money laundering probe into the case and seized Rs 32 lakh cash, some mobile phones and hard drives. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday paid a visit to the Netaji Subhas State Homeopathic Hospital in Rentas Colony, Sadhutilla. This visit underscores the government's commitment to improving healthcare services in the state, with a particular focus on alternative medicine. During his visit, Dr Saha toured the hospital's facilities, interacted with both medical staff and patients, and assessed the various services offered by the institution. The Chief Minister was accompanied by several high-ranking officials from the state health department, who provided insights into the hospital's operations and plans. In his address, Dr Saha emphasised the importance of homoeopathic medicine as a complementary approach to conventional treatments. "Homeopathy plays a crucial role in our healthcare system, offering alternative solutions for various ailments. Our government is committed to supporting and enhancing such institutions to ensure holistic healthcare for all," he stated to ANI. CM Saha also announced plans for further development of the hospital, including the introduction of new diagnostic equipment and expansion of the outpatient department to accommodate the growing number of patients seeking homoeopathic treatment. He highlighted the state's efforts to integrate traditional and modern medical practices to provide comprehensive care. The Chief Minister's visit was well-received by the hospital staff and patients, who expressed their gratitude for the government's continued support. The visit also provided an opportunity for the hospital administration to present their challenges and seek assistance in improving their services. As part of his tour, Dr Saha met with several patients undergoing treatment, listening to their experiences and feedback. The patients expressed satisfaction with the care they were receiving and appreciated the government's focus on homoeopathic medicine. The Netaji Subhas State Homeopathic Hospital has been a cornerstone of alternative medicine in Tripura, serving thousands of patients annually. The Chief Minister's visit is expected to bring renewed attention to the hospital's needs and catalyze improvements that will benefit the community at large. This visit marks a significant step in the Tripura government's ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare infrastructure and ensure access to quality medical services for all residents. (ANI) Director of India Meteorological Department, Mumbai, Sunil Kamble said the monsoon will take eight to ten days to cover Maharashtra after arriving in Kerala. Sunil Kamble said that the monsoon is expected to reach Kerala in the next 24 hours. "If you talk about Mumbai, the temperature range of Mumbai is 35-36 degrees centigrade. And for the summer season, these are quite normal temperatures. But because of the high humidity, like 80% to 90% humidity is there. That's why even at 35 percent-36 percent centigrade, we are getting the feel of 40 degrees. And if you look in and around Maharashtra, the temperature range is between 38 percent and 40 percent centigrade...," he told ANI. "The normal date of the onset of monsoon over Kerala is June 1. But we are expecting an advanced monsoon, and within 24 hours, we are expecting the monsoon to reach Kerala. Once the monsoon arrives in Kerala, it takes eight to ten days to cover Maharashtra, especially Mumbai..," Kamble added. He said that the IMD has already issued a long-range forecast. "This season we will have more rainfall than normal." In 2023, rainfall over the country as a whole during monsoon season (June-September), was 94 per cent of its long-period average. The advance of the southwest monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterising the transition from a hot and dry season to a rainy season. As the monsoon progresses northward, relief from scorching summer temperatures is experienced over the areas that it tends to cover. These rains are crucial to the Indian agriculture economy (especially for kharif crops). India has three cropping seasons -- summer, kharif and rabi. At a press conference on Monday, IMD chief said that above-normal rainfall is expected this monsoon season across the country in a much-needed respite from the heatwave sweeping the country. Director General of Meteorology, IMD, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra had said, "The South West Monsoon rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 106 per cent of the long-period average with a model error of 4 per cent. Thus, above-normal rainfall is most likely over the country as a whole." The forecast follows the prediction of above-normal rain this monsoon riding on favourable La Nina conditions, expected to set in between August and September. The weather office said that the heatwave across India will likely decline from May 30, warning of severe heatwave over northwest India over the next three days. (ANI) The event, captured in a viral video, showcases the exemplary camaraderie and competitive spirit among the troops. In a display of physical prowess and teamwork, Indian troops demonstrated their strength and determination, securing a notable triumph over the Chinese contingent. It was a friendly yet spirited competition. The viral video, authenticated by Indian Army officials, has garnered widespread attention. The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) was established by the UN Security Council under Resolution 1590[1] of 24 March 2005, in response to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement on January 9, 2005, in Sudan. UNMIS tasks are to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to perform certain functions relating to humanitarian assistance, protection, promotion of human rights, and to support the African Union Mission in Sudan. (ANI) China's State Council has issued a disciplinary action regulation for those in managerial positions of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to intensify oversight of SOE managers. The document, consisting of seven chapters and 52 articles, specifies various types of misconduct and corresponding penalties. The regulation was adopted at a State Council executive meeting last month and will take effect on Sept. 1 this year. Strengthening the supervision and management of SOE managers is beneficial for promoting their performance according to the law and workplace integrity, and for SOEs' long-term development, according to the executive meeting. SOEs are deemed as the backbone of the Chinese economy. The combined assets of the centrally administered SOEs reached 86.6 trillion yuan (about 12.2 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2023, up 6.4 percent year on year, official data showed. The new document also comes at a time when members of the Communist Party of China are studying the newly revised Party regulations on disciplinary action from April to July to "strengthen their discipline awareness" and "always remain loyal, clean and responsible." Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted on Tuesday that Islamabad 'violated' an agreement with India in 1999. Sharif's disclosure unfolded during a meeting of the PML-N general council, where he assumed the presidency of the ruling party, six years post his disqualification by the country's Supreme Court. "On May 28, 1998, Pakistan carried out five nuclear tests. After that Vajpayee Saheb came here and made an agreement with us. But we violated that agreement...it was our fault," said Sharif. The agreement mentioned by Sharif was the "Lahore Declaration," which he and then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed on February 21, 1999, with the goal of fostering peace and stability between India and Pakistan. However, shortly after the signing, Pakistani troops infiltrated the Kargil district in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the Kargil War. During the PML-N general council meeting, Sharif asserted that he conducted nuclear tests despite facing pressure from the United States and subtly criticised former Prime Minister Imran Khan. "President Bill Clinton had offered Pakistan USD 5 billion to stop it from carrying out nuclear tests but I refused. Had (former prime minister) Imran Khan like a person been on my seat he would have accepted Clinton's offer," Sharif said on a day when Pakistan marked the 26th anniversary of its first nuclear tests. Sharif asserted that former ISI chief Gen Zahirul Islam had a hand in orchestrating the downfall of his government in 2017 to facilitate Imran Khan's rise to power. "I ask Imran not to blame us (of being patronised by the army) and tell whether Gen Islam had talked about bringing the PTI into power," Sharif said and added Khan would sit at the feet of the military establishment. Sharif also alleged that the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, ousted him from the Prime Minister's office in 2017 on a false case. (ANI) In response to a 'controversial' post from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan's "X" account, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan addressed the issue, stating that Khan "did not see" the content of the post from his account, ARY News reported. "Sometimes things are overdone. In the post, the 1971 situation was compared only in the context of the political situation," remarked Barrister Gohar during an interview with ARY News. Rejecting the notion of implicating the army, he clarified that Khan cannot oversee the video editing process of each post. "The PTI founder had given the guidelines for the posts in the context of the political situation," he emphasised, according to ARY News. The background of the posts primarily revolves around the transformation of a majority into a minority under political circumstances, explained Barrister Gohar. "In the post, it was explained how a leader was disqualified and specific seats were stolen." Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesperson Raoof Hasan claimed that deal offers are still on the table for the former premier. Speaking on ARY News' program "11th Hour," Hasan mentioned that Khan could have been released within ten days if he had accepted a deal. "Offers for deals are still available to Imran Khan," asserted Hasan, highlighting an offer made during Khan's initial days in Attock. However, Khan's refusal to engage in deals demonstrated his commitment to remaining in jail. PTI leader emphasized the potential for widespread public protest, stating, "The day the PTI founder calls for protest, people will hit the streets in large numbers., ARY News reported. (ANI) National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby condemned the recent Israel Defence Forces (IDF) strike in Rafah, expressing profound sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, including children. In a statement, Kirby said, "These devastating images and reports coming out of Rafah over the weekend following an IDF strike that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians, including children. You've all seen the images and they're heartbreaking. They're horrific." He emphasised the need to prevent any innocent casualties in the conflict, stressing, "There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict." While recognising Israel's right to target Hamas, Kirby underscored the imperative for Israel to prioritise the protection of civilians. He stated, "But as we've also said many times, Israel must take every precaution possible to do more to protect innocent lives." Kirby revealed that the strike had targeted two senior Hamas terrorists but reiterated the importance of avoiding civilian casualties. Addressing concerns about a potential major ground operation in Rafah, Kirby stated, "...We still don't believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted." He expressed apprehension about large-scale military actions, stating, "We still don't want to see the Israelis, smash into Rafah with large units over large pieces of territory." Kirby assured that the US government was closely monitoring the situation and engaging with Israeli defence forces to gather more information. He concluded by emphasising the tragic nature of every loss of innocent life, stating, "I want to just end this answer by making it very clear that regardless, every single loss of innocent life is tragic, and every single loss of innocent life should be prevented as much as possible." The White House affirmed on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden's policy towards Israel remains unchanged despite a deadly strike in Rafah on Sunday that resulted in the deaths of over 45 individuals, CNN reported. This suggests that the incident has not yet crossed a red line that would prompt alterations in American support. Palestinian authorities reported that at least 29 people were killed on Tuesday in two Israeli strikes on displacement camps in southern Gaza. Eyewitnesses informed CNN that Israeli tanks were observed in central Rafah for the first time, indicating that Israel's assault persists despite global criticism. Furthermore, US officials disclosed that the temporary pier constructed by the US military to deliver aid into Gaza collapsed in heavy seas on Tuesday, posing a significant setback to the American-led initiative to establish a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies, CNN reported. (ANI) An Indian peacekeeper deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who helped establish networks for local people to voice their security and humanitarian concerns, is the winner of the 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, the UN announced on Tuesday. Major Radhika Sen served in eastern DRC with the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of the Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion. She will receive the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a ceremony on Thursday. Guterres congratulated Major Sen for her service, describing her service as "a true credit to the United Nations as a whole." "In an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls," he explained, noting that she earned their trust "with humility, compassion, and dedication." Upon receiving news of the Award, Major Sen expressed gratitude for being selected and reflected on her peacekeeping role. "This award is special to me as it gives a recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC," she said. "Gender-sensitive peacekeeping is everybody's business - not just us, women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity!" Major Sen led mixed-gender engagement patrols and activities in a volatile environment, where many people, including women and children, were fleeing the conflict. "Major Radhika Sen will be honored with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on May 30th for her outstanding service in DR Congo. Her dedication and bravery highlight the invaluable role of #women peacekeepers in building a better world. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and inspired by her commitment to peace and equality," said India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj in a post on X. The Community Alert Networks she helped create in North Kivu served as a platform for community leaders, young people and women to raise their security and humanitarian concerns, which she would in turn help address together with her colleagues at MONUSCO. As a Platoon Commander, she fostered a safe space for men and women to operate together and quickly became a role model for both women and men peacekeepers. She also ensured that peacekeepers under her command engaged in a manner sensitive to gender and socio-cultural norms. Major Sen facilitated English classes for children, and health, gender and vocational training for displaced and marginalized adults. Her efforts directly inspired women's solidarity, providing safe spaces for open dialogue. As a gender advocate, she encouraged women in the village of Kashlira to address issues collectively, advocate for their rights and amplify their voices within the community, in particular in local security and peace discussions. Major Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive the award, following Major Suman Gawani, a co-recipient for 2019. Other past honourees were from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, South Africa and Zimbabwe. India is currently the eleventh largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the UN, with 124 now deployed. Born in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in 1993, Major Radhika Sen joined the army eight years ago. Major Sen graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing her Master's degree from IIT Bombay, when she decided to join the armed forces. She deployed to MONUSCO in March 2023 as the Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion and completed her tenure in April 2024. (ANI) Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has approved a series of legal amendments aimed at bolstering lawmakers' authority to scrutinize the government under President Lai Ching-te, who assumed office on May 20, Voice of America reported. Despite days of widespread protests since May 17, which attracted hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) used their combined majority to pass the bills on Tuesday. These bills await the president's signature to become law. While proponents, including Fu Kun-chi, the KMT legislative caucus convenor, argue that the amendments will enhance checks and balances and empower the legislature to combat corruption, the move has sparked significant concerns within civil society and academia. "Now that Taiwan's legislature has passed the bills, lawmakers will uncover all corrupt officials and all kinds of malpractices in the future," remarked Fu, who announced plans to establish a "special investigation team" to probe corruption cases, according to Voice of America report. As legislators voted on the amendments, thousands of protesters voiced dissent, passing around a giant white ball bearing the phrase "rejecting Chinese political interference." Critics accuse the opposition parties of circumventing democratic norms by fast-tracking the legislative process without adequate inter-party negotiations. Liao Yan-cheng, a 78-year-old retiree, lamented, "There is a democratic negotiation mechanism in Taiwan's parliament, but the opposition parties' insistence on pushing the bills through the legislature without proper deliberation has violated regular democratic practices." Concerns extend to the potential misuse of legislative powers by the opposition parties to undermine the Lai administration's governance over the next four years. Max Wang, an 18-year-old student, expressed apprehension, stating, "Since the opposition parties will maintain control over the legislature for the next four years, they can ramp through this controversial bill without following the proper legislative process." The reforms passed on Tuesday grant lawmakers the authority to demand annual reports from the president and interrogate government officials. Additionally, the legislature gains enhanced control over government budgets and the ability to investigate government projects. While the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) decries the reforms, arguing that they could undermine Taiwan's democracy, the KMT contends that the amendments are necessary to rein in the president's extensive powers. However, concerns about the constitutionality of the reforms loom large. Legal scholars and bar associations have raised objections, suggesting potential violations of the Republic of China's constitution, as reported by VOA. Huang Cheng-Yi, a legal expert at Academia Sinica, highlighted constitutional concerns, indicating that certain aspects of the reforms may be deemed unconstitutional. He anticipates that the DPP will challenge the reforms in the constitutional court. Analysts warn that the amendments could embolden the opposition parties to launch investigations targeting the Lai administration, potentially impeding policy implementation and undermining national security. Despite mounting pressure, President Lai is expected to exercise his constitutional authority to request legislators to reconsider the reforms. With no single party commanding a parliamentary majority, Taiwan braces for political gridlock, which could impact defense spending and social welfare policies. Huang at Academia Sinica cautions that sustained political gridlock may imperil Taiwan's democratic system, underscoring the need for dialogue and compromise among all political parties to safeguard democratic governance, Voice of America reported. (ANI) A passenger bus heading from Turbat to Quetta fell into a ravine in Balochistan's Washuk district, killing at least 28 people and injuring 22 others, including women and children, Dawn reported on Wednesday. Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Basima, a town in Washuk district, Ismail Mengal told Dawn that the accident occurred when a tyre of the vehicle got burst, which led to it crashing into a hill and then plunging into a ravine. "Three women and three children were also among the deceased," he added. He also noted that the bus, which had 45 to 50 passengers on board and was travelling from Turbat to Quetta overnight, met with the accident at around 5 in the morning, as per Dawn. Six passengers died on the spot, while some of the injured were in critical condition, with officials fearing the death toll could rise. The injured were taken to the Basima Civil Hospital, where 22 more people succumbed to their injuries, Dawn reported. Nine of the injured were in critical condition and transferred to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Khuzdar. The Pakistan Army was requested to airlift four other passengers in critical condition to Quetta via helicopter to be admitted in the trauma centre, it said. The remaining 17 are being administered medical treatment in local Washuk hospitals. Due to the remote location and poor mobile network coverage, there were delays in alerting rescue teams. However, assistance was dispatched as soon as the news was received. Assistant Commissioner Mengal stated that most of the deceased have not been identified yet but Gwadar administration/officials are being approached for that purpose. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the incident, praying for the departed souls, The News International reported. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also expressed deep regret and sorrow over the loss of lives in the accident, extending his condolences to the bereaved families. He directed officials to ensure the injured received the best medical care and prayed for their swift recovery. National Party President Abdul Malik Baloch also expressed his sorrow, describing the incident as tragic and painful, adding that thousands of lives have been tragically lost due to speeding buses and narrow roads. Like CM Bugti, he also ensured that the injured were provided with the best treatment. He also noted that there is an urgent need to construct two-way roads in Balochistan and that the government should make appropriate changes to the budget. (ANI) At present, Chauhan is posted as India's Ambassador to Portugal. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to the MEA press release. In a press release, MEA stated, "Shri Manish Chauhan (IFS : 1994), presently Ambassador of India to Portugal, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." Previously, Manish Chauhan has been on several diplomatic assignments, including formal postings in Indian Missions in Beijing, Tehran and Hong Kong, according to Indian Embassy in Portugal statement. He has also served in MEA, New Delhi in different capacities, handling responsibilities related to neighbourhood, external publicity, West Asia and North Africa Division, Administration and Personnel, Right to Information, as well as multilateral work. Notably, India's relations with Jordan have been characterized by warmth and goodwill based on mutual respect. The first bilateral agreement for cooperation and friendly relations was signed in 1947 and was formalised in 1950 when the two countries established full-fledged diplomatic ties, according to the Indian Embassy in Jordan press release. (ANI) India has assumed the Chair of Colombo Process for 2024-26, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday. It is the first time India has assumed the Chair of the Colombo Process since its inception. Randhir Jaiswal stated that Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process of migrant worker origin countries from South and Southeast Asia. India has been member of Colombo Process since its inception in 2003, according to MEA statement. In a post on X, Jaiswal stated, "India assumed the Chair of Colombo Process for 2024-26, for the first time since its inception. Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process of migrant worker origin countries from South and SE Asia. It serves as a forum for exchange of best practices on overseas employment." The Colombo Process comprises 12 Member States of Asia (countries of origin of migrant workers and provides an important for consultations on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour, according to MEA statement. The Process is non-binding and decision-making is by consensus, according to MEA statement. The Process is coordinated through Permanent Missions of Member States at UN in Geneva. The Process is governed by Ministerial Consultations wherein recommendations and action plans are discussed and adopted by the Ministers of the participating countries. So far, ministerial consultations have been held in Colombo, Manila, Bali, Dhaka, Colombo and Kathmandu. India has been actively participating in the ministerial consultations, senior Officers Meeting and Meetings of Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs), according to MEA statement. India has also contributed to various studies undertaken under this process on remittance framework, rating mechanisms of recruitment agencies, social protection for migrant workers etc. (ANI) The Baloch National Movement held a protest in Germany and the Netherlands against Pakistan's nuclear tests in Balochistan in 1998, a statement by the BNM said on Wednesday. The protestors raised concerns that the tests conducted in Balochistan at that time were not done keeping the security of the people of Balochistan in mind. They stated that the people back home are still suffering from the adverse effects of the nuclear tests that were conducted in 1998. Lateef, a Baloch individual living in the Netherlands said, "The nuclear test conducted in Chaghi mountain of Balochistan was a continuation of the genocidal policies by the occupying Pakistan. The effects of the radiation on the environment are still felt today. Pakistan has always maintained the continuity of the genocide for its military and economic needs. Not only the environment but human health has been adversely affected. These effects have resulted in an unexpected increase in soil and water, resulting in the spread of many deadly diseases. "Severe repercussions are being suffered by locals even today, as they suffer several diseases like lung, liver, blood cancer, severe skin diseases and severely affected nervous system. Even newborn babies suffer from congenital diseases," he added, Another protestor, Basit Zaheer emphasised that hundreds of people are suffering from incurable diseases after Pakistan's nuclear test in 1998 Basit Zaheer another protestor in Amsterdam stated, "Two hydrogen bombs were detonated by the occupiers of Balochistan. For 26 years we have been pleading, that hundreds of people are suffering from incurable diseases in the desert. Till today no crops grow there and there are no hospitals to detect if a patient suffers from a high level of radioactivity. Western feminists might not know how many unknown maternity problems have occurred due to this bomb. Environmentalists, who cry about global warming would also not know that this bomb was detonated near a wildlife national park." Asif Baloch a member of the German chapter of BNM said, "Pakistan has no interest in what has happened to the Baloch nation, its land and its air. Despite, the international pressure the Pakistani army has continued to retain its ties with militants". Asif also urged that the international community must take its stand against the nuclear arming of Pakistan and ensure that a condition is laid on Pakistan's grants and donations to give up its nuclear capabilities. So that the people in Balochistan can remain in peace." (ANI) A long march against the closure of a key border crossing between Pakistan and Iran is pressing on towards Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Led by a coalition of traders, civil society representatives, and political activists, the protest, which began in Mashkel, remains steadfast in its demand for the reopening of the vital passage, Dawn reported. Mir Jiand Khan Reki, a prominent local traders' leader spearheading the march, said, "Our protest march will persist until the border point with Iran is reinstated, as it sustains our families' livelihoods." Despite enduring foot injuries along the arduous journey, Reki emphasized the unwavering determination of the participants, stating, "Some of our marchers' feet are wounded from walking, yet they refuse to abandon the march, saying it's a matter of their survival." As the march progresses, it garners support from communities along the route. "People are welcoming the participants wherever we reach, showing their support for our cause," remarked Reki. The genesis of the protest traces back to a 33-day sit-in in Nashkel, precipitated by the border closure. Expressing disappointment in the government's lack of response, Reki lamented, "Government officials concerned have yet to take notice of our protest." The repercussions of the closure reverberate across Mashkel and its environs, exacerbating shortages of food and essential supplies. The marchers plan to escalate their demonstration upon reaching Quetta. "We will stage a protest in front of the Balochistan Assembly once we reach Quetta," said Reki. Locals from the Mashkel area of Rakhshan in hundreds (near the Pakistan-Iran border) on Saturday launched a long march towards Quetta, Balochistan over the the closure of the Pak-Iran Maza Sar border crossing, calling it an essential element for their survival, a report by Dawn stated. The long march on Sunday reached the Yakmach area of Chagai district who were welcomed by the locals. The protesters, including traders, had been staging a sit-in for the last one month in the border town Mashkel demanding the opening of Pak-Iran Maza Sar border crossing used by local people for buying food items and other essential commodities. The Baloch Yakjeheti Committee (BYC), a Baloch rights organisation also showed their solidarity towards the the same. The protestors will also launch a sit-in at the provincial assembly after reaching Quetta, read a statement by the BYC. The State has set its mission to cripple the Baloch nation in every possible way, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, false allegations, border closures, and punishing, harassing, and killing people at the border. Economic suppression is also part of this systematic genocide. The statement mentioned that, the closure of the Maza Sar crossing point since the Covid pandemic has led to severe shortages and malnutrition in the region. The sit-in's primary demands include the reopening of the Sir crossing point and the restoration of Maza Sar and Zero Point, vital for the local economy. The people of Mashkel are in dire need of assistance under the guise of the borderline. They have been protesting against the recent food shortages for a month, but they were not heard by any government agency. The protesters have resolved to march from Mashkel to Quetta and demand immediate action from the Balochistan Assembly, the BYC statement stated. (ANI)